

NARES' EXPEDITION (1876) 133 



The return journey was then commenced. Day by 

 day their strength diminished. Gradually, but surely, the 

 men, one after the other, began to feel the cruel grasp of 

 the scurvy, as they struggled manfully on, dragging their 

 helpless companions. Towards the end of May, although 

 the temperature of the outside air was below the freezing- 

 point, the sun was so powerful that it would raise the 

 temperature inside the tent to as much as 70° or 80°. 

 Snow fell heavily during the greater part of the return 

 journey, and fogs were very prevalent. On the 19th of May 

 ominous symptoms of a disruption of the pack were seen. 

 A crack in some ice had opened considerably. On the 

 25th the 83rd parallel of latitude was recrossed. 



The condition of the party was so critical on the 27th 

 that it became only too painfully evident that, to insure 

 their reaching the land alive, the sledge must be consider- 

 ably lightened in order to admit of a more rapid advance. 

 The state of the party was on that day as follows : five 

 men were in a very precarious condition, utterly unable 

 to move, and consequently had to be carried on the 

 sledges ; five others nearly as bad, but who nobly per- 

 sisted in hobbling after the sledges, which they could 

 just manage to accomplish, for, as the sledges had to be 

 advanced one by one, it gave them plenty of time to 

 perform the distance ; whilst three others exhibited all 

 the premonitory scorbutic symptoms. Thus only the 

 two officers and two men could be considered as 

 effective ! 



" I therefore," writes Markham, " decided to abandon 

 the remaining boat, which would materially lessen the 

 load to be dragged." 



On the 29th May the tents were pitched close to the 

 boat that they abandoned on their outward journey. It 

 was exactly in the same condition as when left. 



On the 31st, whilst crossing some young ice between 



