CHAPTER IX 



THE POLAR JOURNEY 



Come, my friends, 

 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world. 

 Push off, and sitting well in order smite 

 The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds 

 To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths 

 Of all the western stars, until I die. 

 It may be that the gulfs will wash us down: 

 It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, 

 And see the great Achilles, whom we knew. 

 Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' 

 We are not now that strength which in old days 

 Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are; 

 One equal temper of heroic hearts, 

 Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will 

 To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. 



Tennyson, Ulysses. 



Take it all in all it is wonderful that the South Pole was reached so soon 

 after the North Pole had been conquered. From Cape Columbia to the 

 North Pole, straight going, is 413 geographical miles, and Peary who took 

 on his expedition 246 dogs, covered this distance in 37 days. From Hut 

 Point to the South Pole and back is 1532 geographical or 1766 statute 

 miles, the distance to the top of the Beardmore Glacier alone being more 

 than 100 miles farther than Peary had to cover to the North Pole. Scott 

 travelled from Hut Point to the South Pole in 7 5 days, and to the Pole and 

 back to his last camp in 147 days, a period of five months. A. C.-G. 



(All miles are geographical unless otherwise stated.) 



I. The Barrier Stage 



The departure from Cape Evans at 1 1 p.m. on November 1 

 is described by Griffith Taylor, who started a few days later 

 on the second Geological Journey with his own party: 



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