124 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 
Corner Camp and cut diagonally across our outward track. _ 
It was not expected that this would bring us across any — 
badly crevassed area. | 
We started on the evening of February 20 ina very bad | 
light. It was coldish, with no wind. After going about — 
three miles I saw a drop in the level of the Barrier which — 
the sledge was just going to run over. I shouted to Wilson 
to look out, but he had already jumped on to the sledge 
(for he was running) having seen Stareek put his paws — 
through. It was a nasty crevasse, about twenty feet across — 
with blue holes on both sides. The sledge ran over and 
immediately on the opposite side was brought up by a 
large ‘ haystack’ of pressure which we had not seen owing 
to the light. Meares’ team, on our left, never saw any sign 
of pressure. The light was so bad that we never saw this 
cairn of ice until we ran into it. 
We ran level for another two miles, Meares and Scott 
on our left. We were evidently crossing many crevasses. 
Quite suddenly we sawthe dogs of their team disappearing, 
following one another, just like dogs going down a hole 
after some animal. 
‘“‘In a moment,” wrote Scott, “‘the whole team were 
sinking—two by two we lost sight of them, each pair 
struggling for foothold. Osman the leader exerted all his 
strength and kept a foothold—it was wonderful to see him. 
The sledge stopped and we leapt aside. The situation was 
clear in another moment. We had been actually travelling 
along the bridge [or snow covering] of a crevasse, the 
sledge had stopped on it, whilst the dogs hung in their 
harness in the abyss, suspended between the sledge and 
the leading dog. Why the sledge and ourselves didn’t 
follow the dogs we shall never know.” 
We of the other sledge stopped hurriedly, tethered 
our team and went to their assistance with the Alpine 
rope. Osman, the big leader, was in great difficulties. He 
crouched resisting with all his enormous strength the pull _ 
of the rope upon which the team hung in their harness in 
mid air. It was clear that if Osman gave way the sledge 
and dogs would probably all be lost down the crevasse. 
