432 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 



events. We did not have, but I think we ought to have had, 

 some form of portable heliograph for communications be- 

 tween Hut Point and Cape Evans when the sun was up, 

 and some kind of lamp signal apparatus to use during the 

 winter. 



They started at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17. 

 The sun was now only just peeping over the northern 

 horizon at mid-day, and would disappear entirely in six 

 more days, though of course there was a long twilight as 

 yet. For fresh men on old sea-ice it would not have been 

 an easy venture : for worn-out men on a coast where the 

 ice was probably freezing and blowing out at odd times it 

 was very brave. 



They had hard pulling their first two days, and the mini- 

 mum temperature for the corresponding nights was - 43 

 and - 45 . Consequently they soon began to be iced up. 

 On the other hand they found old sea-ice and made good 

 some 25 miles, camping on the evening of the 18th about 

 four miles from the Eskers. Next morning they had to 

 venture upon newly frozen ice, and a blizzard wind was 

 blowing. They crossed the four miles from their night 

 camp to the Eskers, glad enough to reach land the other 

 side without the ice going to sea with them. They then 

 turned towards the Butter Point Depot, but were compelled 

 to camp owing to the blizzard which came on with full 

 force. The rise in temperature to zero caused a general 

 thaw of sleeping-bags and clothing which dried but little 

 when the sun had no power. On the following morning 

 they reached the Butter Point Depot, which they found 

 with difficulty, for there was no flag standing. Even as they 

 struck their camp they saw the ice to the north of them 

 breaking up and going out to sea. There was nothing 

 to do but to turn back, for neither could they go north 

 to Campbell nor could Campbell come south to them. 

 Wright now told Atkinson how much he had been op- 

 posed to this journey all along : "he had come on this 

 trip fully believing that there was every possibility of the 

 party being lost, but had never demurred and never offered 

 a contrary opinion, and one cannot be thankful enough to 



