Review of Reviews, 1/10/13. 



LEADING ARTICLES. 



787 



and thickened with biscuit ; then an 

 arrowroot, cocoa and biscuit hoosh, 

 sweetened ; then a plum-pudding ; then 

 cocoa with raisins, and finally a dessert 

 of caramels and ginger. After the feast 

 it was difficult to move. Wilson and I 

 couldn't finish our share of plum-pud- 

 ding. We have all slept splendidly 

 and feel thoroughly warm — such is the 

 effect of full feeding." 



Shackleton's entry on January i 

 reads: — "Head too bad to write much 

 We did 1 1 miles 900 yards to-day, and 

 the latitude at 6 p.m. was 87 deg. 6V 

 south, so we have beaten North and 

 South records. Struggling uphill all 

 day in very soft snow. Everyone done 

 up and weak from want of food. When 

 we camped at 6 p.m., fine, warm wea- 

 ther, thank God. Only 172I- miles 

 from the Pole." 



Scott on January I wrote : — 



It was surprising liow easily the sledge 

 pulled We have scarcely exerted ourselves 

 .'II day. We are very comfortable in our 

 double tent. Stick of chocolate to celebrate 

 the New Year. Prospects seem to get 

 brighter — only 170 miles to go and plenty 

 of food left. 



On January 3rd Scott's diary says : — 



Jan. 3. — Within 150 miles of our goal. 

 Last night I decided to reorganise, and this 

 morning told off Teddy Evans, Lashley and 

 Crean tc return. They are disappointed, 

 but take it well. Bowers is to come into 

 our tent, and we proceed as a five-man unit 

 to-morrow. We have five and a-balf units 

 of food — practically over a month's allow- 

 ance for five people — it ought to see us 

 through. We came along well on ski to- 

 day, but the foot-haulers were slow and so 

 we only got a trifle over twelve mile; 

 (geog.). Very anxious to see how we shall 

 manage to-morrow. If we can march well 

 with the full load we shall be practically 

 safe, I take it. 



On January 3rd Shackleton did only 

 5 miles 100 yards over a terrible sur- 

 face On January 4th he wrote : - 

 " The end is in sight. We can only go 

 for three more days at the most, for we 

 are weakening rapidly. Short food and 

 a blizzard wind from the south, with 

 driving drift at a temperature of 47 

 deg. of frost have plainly told us that 



we are reaching our limit." Five days 

 later, on January 9th, after a "blind- 

 ing, shrieking blizzard," being " ter- 

 ribly short of food," he wrote: "Our 

 last day outwards ; we have shot our 

 bolt, and the tale is told ; 88 deg. 23' 

 south longitude, 162 deg. east. What- 

 ever regrets may be, we have done our 

 best." 



Scott sent back his supporting party, 

 with cheery anticipation. But fortune 

 dealt her blows impartially on those 

 who went back as well as those who 

 went forward. Lieut. Evans developed 

 symptoms of scurvy. 



Withal, he continued to pull, bearing 

 the heavy strain of guiding the course. As 

 the hauling power thus grew less, the 

 leader had to make up for loss of speed by 

 lengthening the working hours. Evans 

 sought to prevent discouragement in his 

 hard-worked men by putting on his watch 

 an hour. The actual marching period thus 

 reached twelve hours, and Evans flattered 

 himself on his ingenuity. But the men 

 knew it all the time, and no word said ! 



At One Ton Camp he was unable to 

 stand without the support of his ski 

 sticks, but with the help of his com- 

 panions struggled on another fifty- 

 three miles in four days. Then he could 

 go no farther. 



His brave companions, rejecting his sug- 

 gestion that he be left in his sleeping-bag 

 with a supply of provisions while they 

 pressed on for help, " cached " everything 

 that could be spared, and pulled him on the 

 sledge with a devotion matching that of 

 years before, when Scott and Wilson brought 

 Shackleton, ill and helpless, safely home to 

 the " Discovery." 



Four days of this pulling, with a southerly 

 <vind to help, brought them to Corner Camp. 

 Then came a heavy snowfall : the sledge 

 could not travel. It was a critical moment. 

 Next day Crean set out to tramp alone tc 

 Hut Point, thirty-four miles away. Lashley 

 stayed to nurse Lieutenant Evans, and cer- 

 tainly saved his life till help came. 



Crean reached Hut Point after an ex- 

 hausting ma reh of eighteen hours; at once 

 Dr. Atkinson and Demetri set oil' with the 

 dog-teams and brought the sick man hack 

 in a single march of five hours. From the 

 Discovery Hut lie was finally sent by a sledg* 

 to the "Terra Nova." A visit to England 

 brought him health again, and he returned 

 in command of the " Terra Nora " on her 

 final journey to the South. 



