3 2 4 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 



Towards evening it ceased drifting altogether, but a 

 wind, force 4, kept up with disconcerting regularity. 

 Eventually Atkinson's party got away at midnight. 

 " Castle Rock is still visible, but will be closed by the 

 north end of White Island in the next march — then good- 

 bye to the old landmarks for many a long day." x 



The next day (November 8-9) " started at midnight 

 and had a very pleasant march. Truly sledging in such 

 weather is great. Mounts Discovery and Morning, which 

 we gradually closed, looked fine in the general panorama 

 of mountains. We are now nearly abreast the north end of 

 the Bluff. We all came up to camp together this morning : 

 it looked like a meet of the hounds, and Jehu ran away ! ! ! " 2 



The next march was just the opposite. Wind force 5 

 to 6 and falling snow. " The surface was very slippery in 

 parts and on the hard sastrugi it was a case of falling or 

 stumbling continually. The light got so bad that one 

 might have been walking in the clouds for all that could 

 be discerned, and yet it was only snowing slightly. The 

 Bluff became completely obscured, and the usual signs of 

 a blizzard were accentuated. 



" At lunch camp Scott packed up and followed us. We 

 overhauled Atkinson about i|- hours later, he having 

 camped, and we were not sorry, as in addition to march- 

 ing against a fresh southerly breeze the light brought a 

 tremendous strain on the eyes in following tracks." 3 A 

 little more than eight miles for the day's total. 



We carried these depressing conditions for three more 

 marches, that is till the morning of November 13. The 

 surface was wretched, the weather horrid, the snow per- 

 sistent, covering everything with soft downy flakes, inch 

 upon inch, and mile upon mile. There are glimpses of 

 despondency in the diaries. " If this should come as an 

 exception, our luck will be truly awful. The camp is very 

 silent and cheerless, signs that things are going awry." 4 

 " The weather was horrid, overcast, gloomy, snowy. One's 

 spirits became very low." 5 "I expected these marches to be 



1 Bowers. 2 My own diary. 3 Bowers. 



4 Scott's Last Expedition, vol. i. p. 463. s Hid. p. 462. 



