THE NATIONAL ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 461 



ings. and endeavor to get some notion of their s'urroiindingjs witli the 

 help of Mr. Skelton's photographs. 



On reaching safe winter quarters, the great work of .sledge traveling- 

 was commenced with some autumn journeys. The severity of the 

 weather was intense, both from low temperature — 42" to even 57° 

 below zero — and from the furious gales; but the journe3^s were of 

 great use, both for obtaining information respecting the lay of the 

 land and for the acquisition of experience. There was one fatal acci- 

 dent, which is admiral)ly described l)y Captain Scott: 



Mr. Barne reacheil the crest of the hills at about noon on JMarch 11, and camped 

 for lunch, during which meal the wind sprang up very suddenly, bringing a heavy 

 drift; the temperature fell, and the party, not experienced in sucli conditions, suffered 

 much from frostbites and general discomfort. In these circumstances, and imagining 

 themselves closer to the ship than they actually were, they decided to leave the 

 sledges and make for her. Soon after their start the gale increased, and they were 

 enveloped in a whirl of drifting snow and entirely lost their bearings. Mr. Barne 

 did his best to keep the party together, the more so when when it became evident 

 that the slope on which they stood was affording a less and less secure foothold. 

 Before long, however, one of the men, Evans, slipped and disappeared from sight. 

 After shouting and receiving no reply, Mr. Barne, cautioning the men to remain 

 where they were, decided to follow, and very deliberately started to slide down the 

 slope himself. He was firmly under the impression that the slope was one well 

 known to us all close to the ship, and that after making certain he would be easily able 

 to regain the summit and bring the men on. After waiting for some time another of 

 the men (Quartly) decided to follow Mr. Barne and was immediately lost to sight. 

 The experience of these three was identical; after the first start they were soon going 

 at a speed which left them absolutely no control of their movements, and this con- 

 tinued for some 4€0 or 500 yards, until they were suddenly brought up in a patch of 

 soft snow within 15 feet of a sheer drop into the sea. 



Meanwhile, of the party above, one. Hare, had decided to go back to the sledge to 

 change his footgear, and the remaining five, after a long wait, proceeded along the 

 slope, as they supposed, toward the shii), led by an able seaman (Wild). Luckily, 

 Wild had nails in his boots, for, after traveling some distance, he suddenly and 

 without warning (so thick was the snow) found himself within an ace of stepping 

 over the cliff into the sea. He had the presence of mind to shout to the others to 

 stop, which they were all able to do except poor Yince, who missed his footing, shot 

 past Wild, and was immediately lost to view. Yince was a thoroughly good man, 

 always cheerful and bright, and popular throughout the ship. With great difficulty 

 the remaining four men succeeded in retracing their steps, and eventually reached 

 the crest of the hill, from whence, taking a more easterly course, they fell on some 

 landmarks and found their way to the ship. Great credit is due to Wild for the 

 manner in which he conducted and kept together the small jiarty. 



A large search i)arty was immediately dispatched on their return to the ship, and 

 the siren was kept going. With some difficulty the searcFi party succ-eede<l in find- 

 ing the sledges, and in the vicinity they found Mr. Barne, Evans, and Quartly half 

 frozen and wholly dazed; they did not know how they had again reached the sum- 

 mit of the hill. No trace was found of Hare or Yince. A further prolonged search 

 was made on the following day, a roped party descending the slope with crampons, 

 but without result. On the third day I got up steani on the bare possibility of find- 

 ing an ice-foot below the ice cliff over which Yinc^e had fallen, and while we were 

 preparing to weigh Hare was seen descending the hill oi)pi>site the ship. He was 



