4 i4 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 



left Scott, travelling rapidly and making good averages, 

 only 148 geographical miles from the Pole. Scott was so 

 well advanced that it seemed that he would be home much 

 earlier than had been anticipated. 



A blizzard which had been threatening on the Barrier, 

 and actually blowing at Hut Point, during Crean's solitary 

 journey, but which had lulled as he arrived, now broke with 

 full force, and nothing could be done for Evans until it 

 took off sufficiently for the dog-teams to travel. But in the 

 meantime Crean urgently wanted food and rest and warmth. 

 As these were supplied to him Atkinson learned bit by bit 

 the story of the saving of Evans' life, told so graphically 

 in Lashly's diary which is given in the preceding chapter, 

 and pieced together the details of Crean's solitary walk of 

 thirty-five statute miles. This effort was made, it should 

 be remembered, at the end of a journey of three and a half 

 months, and over ground rendered especially perilous by 

 crevasses, from which a man travelling alone had no chance 

 of rescue in case of accident. Crean was walking for 

 eighteen hours, and it was lucky for him, as also for his 

 companions, that the blizzard which broke half an hour 

 after his arrival did not come a little sooner, for no power 

 on earth could have saved him then, and the news of Evans' 

 plight would not have been brought. 



The blizzard raged all that day, and the next night and 

 morning, and nothing could be done. But during the after- 

 noon of the 20th the conditions improved, and at 4.30 p.m. 

 Atkinson and Dimitri started with the two dog-teams, 

 though it was still blowing hard and very thick. They trav- 

 elled, with one rest for the dogs, until 4.30 p.m. the next 

 day, but had a very hazy idea where they were most of the 

 time, owing to the vile weather : once at any rate they seem 

 to have got right in under White Island. When they 

 camped the second time they thought they were in the 

 neighbourhood of Lashly's tent, and in a temporary clear- 

 ance they saw the flag which Lashly had put up on the 

 sledge. Evans was still alive, and Atkinson was able to give 

 him immediately the fresh vegetables, fruit, and seal meat 

 which his body wanted. Atkinson has never been able to 



