T7o THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct. 



sledges the German silver was split to ribbons and the wood 

 deeply scored, a third was only in slightly better case, whilst 

 the fourth still remained sound. I could see nothing for it 

 but to return home ; if we had two sound sledges we might 

 struggle on with the advance party, but with one we could do 

 nothing. It was no use even discussing the matter — there was 

 only one course ; so we left the sound sledge with everything 

 else except the half-week's provisions necessary to take us 

 back, and after crossing the windy area once more, we are now 

 back at our old encampment in the Knob Head Moraine. It 

 is a bitter disappointment to my hopes ; everything will have 

 to be reorganised, and Heaven knows what sacrifices of time 

 we shall have to make. However, there shall not be more 

 than I can help, and things which have gone fast in the past, 

 will positively have to fly in the future.' 



On the following days we came as near flying as is possible 

 with a sledge party. We had eighty-seven miles to cover on 

 the morning of the 19th, when we were up and away with the 

 first streak of dawn ; then we started our rush, at first up the 

 slight incline to the summit of the pass, and then down through 

 the steeper gorge towards the sea. We did not pause to pick 

 a road, but went straight forward, scrambling as best we could 

 over steep places and taking all obstacles in our stride. Once 

 only we halted to snatch a hasty lunch, and then were off 

 again over the rugged, slippery ice. 



That night we camped at sea level twenty-seven miles 

 below our starting point. The next morning brought us a 

 hard pull with our torn runners over the long stretch of rough 

 snow-covered glacier tongue, but at lunch-time we had reached 

 the end, and devoted an hour to stripping the broken, twisted 

 metal from our sledges. 



By this time I had determined to test my own party to 

 the utmost, but I did not see that the supporting people need 

 be dragged into our effort ; so telling the latter that they might 

 take their own time, I started away with my own detachment 

 over the sea-ice towards the mouth of the inlet at the quickest 

 pace we had yet attempted. When the brief night descended 



