THE POLAR JOURNEY 523 



distance, which I suppose we did, but for the last hour or 

 two we pressed on into a regular trap. Getting on to a good 

 surface we did not reduce our lunch meal, and thought all 

 going well, but half an hour after lunch we got into the 

 worst ice mess I have ever been in. For three hours we 

 plunged on on ski, first thinking we were too much to the 

 right, then too much to the left ; meanwhile the disturb- 

 ance got worse and my spirits received a very rude shock. 

 There were times when it seemed almost impossible to find 

 a way out of the awful turmoil in which we found ourselves. 

 . . . The turmoil changed in character, irregular crevassed 

 surface giving way to huge chasms, closely packed and 

 most difficult to cross. It was very heavy work, but we had 

 grown desperate. We won through at 10 p.m., and I write 

 after 12 hours on the march. . . ." 1 



Wilson continues the story: 



"February 12. We had a good night just outside the 

 ice-falls and disturbances, and a small breakfast of tea, thin 

 hooshand biscuit, and began the forenoon by a decent bit of 

 travelling on rubbly blue ice in crampons : then plunged into 

 an ice-fall and wandered about in it for hours and hours." 



"February 13. We had one biscuit and some tea after 

 a night's sleep on very hard and irregular blue ice amongst 

 the ice-fall crevasses. No snow on the tent, only ski, etc. 

 Got away at 10 a.m. and by 2 p.m. found the depot, 

 having had a good march over very hard rough blue ice. 

 Only \ hour in the disturbance of yesterday. The weather 

 was very thick, snowing and overcast, could only just see 

 the points of bearing for depot. However, we got there, 

 tired and hungry, and camped and had hoosh and tea and 

 3 biscuits each. Then away again with our three and a half 

 days' food from this red flag depot and off down by the 

 Cloudmaker moraine. We travelled about 4 hours on hard 

 blue ice, and I was allowed to geologize the last hour down 

 the two outer lines of boulders. The outer one all dolerite 

 and quartz rocks, the inner all dolerite and sandstone. . . . 

 We camped on the inner line of boulders, weather clearing 

 all the afternoon." 2 



1 Scott's Last Expedition, vol. i. p. 567. 2 Wilson. 



