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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



PORTAGING THE SLEDGE OVER A PATCPI OP BARE ROCK 



drift all round the tent has made it so 

 small that there is hardly room for us 

 at all. The wind has been blowing hard 

 all day ; some of the gusts must be over • 

 70 or 80 miles an hour. 



This evening it seems as though it 

 were going to ease down, and directly 

 it does we shall be up and away south 

 for a rush. I feel that this march must 

 be our limit. We are so short of food, 

 and at this high altitude, n,6oo feet, it 

 is hard to keep any warmth in our bodies 

 between the scanty meals. We have noth- 

 ing to read now, having depoted our 

 little books to save weight, and it is 

 dreary work lying in the tent with noth- 

 ing to read, and too cold to write much 

 in the diary. 



IIO MILES FROM TPIE SOUTH POLE 



January 9. — Our last day outward. 

 We have shot our bolt, and the tale is 

 latitude 88° 23' south, longitude 162 

 east. The wind eased down at 1 a. m., 

 and at 2 a. m. we were up and had break- 

 fast. At 4 a. m. we started south, with 



the Queen's Union Jack, a brass cylinder 

 containing stamps and documents to 

 place at the farthest south point, camera, 

 glasses, and compass. At 9 a. m. we 

 were in 88° 23' south, half running and 

 half walking over a surface much har- 

 dened by the recent blizzard. It was- 

 strange for us to go along without the 

 nightmare of a sledge dragging be- 

 hind us. 



We hoisted her Majesty's flag and the 

 ether Union Jack afterwards, and took 

 possession of the plateau in the name of 

 his Majesty. While the Union Jack blew 

 out stiffly in the icy gale that cut us to- 

 the bone, we looked south with our pow- 

 erful glasses, but could see nothing but 

 the dead white snow plain. There was- 

 no break in the plateau as it extended to- 

 ward the pole, and we feel sure that the 

 goal we have failed to reach lies on this- 

 plain. 



We stayed only a few minutes, 

 then, taking the Queen's flag and eating 

 our scanty meal as we went, we hurried 

 back and reached our camp about 3 p. m. 



3, and 

 eating 



