1876 ALDRICH'S RETURN JOURNEY. 41 



the sledge, poor Good complaining bitterly we were 

 going too fast, and Mitchell scarcely able to put 

 one foot before the other. Halted for lunch and 

 invalids, and under weigh at 11.20 again. The 

 crew showed such evident signs of giving way to 

 their ever-increasing sickness, and that before we could 

 reach View Point, I took Good on one side, and told 

 them they must all try their hand at dragging again. 

 I explained the actual necessity there was for reaching 

 our next depot, and that, failing to meet anyone there, 

 I should communicate with the ship. To further im- 

 press this on the men, I loaded the collapsible boat to 

 130 Ibs., and absented myself with it from the party 

 for over an hour, leaving them to follow. I was able 

 to do this without getting far away, as the fog was 

 very dense. 



' Having hit off the ravine just north of View Point, 

 I returned to the sledge, and found them hauling five 

 or six yards at a time, and then halting a few seconds 

 to recover breath. The poor fellows were all strug- 

 gling, and fully alive to the effort they had to make. 

 Nothing could exceed the patience and endurance 

 they showed ; and I fell in with them, and we reached 

 the boat and camped at 2.30 P.M. the whole of them, 

 except Ayles, thoroughly done up. Under these cir- 

 cumstances pitching and cooking comes heavy. We 

 divided those duties, keeping to the usual turns for 

 cooking as often as it was possible for the proper man 

 to take it ; but our cuisine suffered. 



' Made good three miles (overland). 



' 19^A and 20^. A great deal clearer than yester- 

 day, and the wind gone down. 



