5H WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 



much relieved to pick up the depot : now we only have one 

 other source of anxiety on this endless snow summit, viz. 

 the Three Degree Depot in latitude 86° $6' S. 



" In the afternoon we did 5.2 miles. It was a miserable 

 march, blizzard all the time and our sledge either sticking 

 in sastrugi or overrunning the traces. We had to lower 

 the sail half down, and Titus and I hung on to her. It was 

 most strenuous work, as well as much colder than pulling 

 ahead. Most of the time we had to brake back with all our 

 strength to keep the sledge from overrunning. Bill got a 

 bad go of snow glare from following the track without 

 goggles on. 



" This day last year we started the Depot Journey. I did 

 not think so short a time would turn me into an old hand 

 at polar travelling, neither did I imagine at the time that I 

 would be returning from the Pole itself." x 



Wilson was very subject to these attacks of snow blind- 

 ness, and also to headaches before blizzards. I have an 

 idea that his anxiety to sketch whenever opportunity offered, 

 and his willingness to take off his goggles to search for 

 tracks and cairns, had something to do with it. This attack 

 was very typical. " I wrote this at lunch and in the evening 

 had a bad attack of snow blindness." ..." Blizzard in 

 afternoon. We only got in a forenoon march. Couldn't 

 see enough of the tracks to follow at all. My eyes didn't 

 begin to trouble me till to-morrow [yesterday], though it 

 was the strain of tracking and the very cold drift which we 

 had to-day that gave me this attack of snow glare.". . . 

 " Marched on foot in the afternoon as my eyes were too 

 bad to go on ski. We had a lot of drift and wind and very 

 cold. Had ZuS0 4 and cocaine in my eyes at night and 

 didn't get to sleep at all for the pain — dozed about an hour 

 in the morning only.". . . "Marched on foot again all 

 day as I couldn't see my way on ski at all, Birdie used my 

 ski. Eyes still very painful and watering. Tired out by 

 the evening, had a splendid night's sleep, and though very 

 painful across forehead to-night they are much better." 2 



The surface was awful : in his diary of the day after 



1 Bowers. 2 Wilson. 



