154 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 
On the other side Professor David’s party got up to the 
Summit without finding a crevasse. Captain Scott took 
his reverses like a brick. I often went out for a walk with 
him and sometimes he discussed his plans for next season. - 
He took his losses very philosophically and never blamed 
any of us.” | 
This is the end of that part of Bowers’ letter which 
deals with the incident. Crean told me afterwards how he 
got on to the Barrier. He first made for the Gap, follow- 
ing the best path of the ice, but then had to retrace his 
steps and make for White Island jumping from floe to floe. 
But then “I was pretty lively,” said he: and “there were 
lots of penguins and seals and killers knocking round that 
day.” 
eae had one of the ski sticks and that “ was a great 
help to me for getting over the floes. It was a sloping piece 
like what you were on and it was very near touching the 
Barrier, in one corner of it only. Well, I dug a hole with 
the ski stick in the side of the Barrier for a step for one foot, 
and when I finished the hole I straddled my legs and got 
one on the floe and one in the side of the Barrier. Then I 
got the stick and dug it in on top and I gave myself a bit of. 
a spring and got my outside leg up top. It was a terrible 
place but I thought it was the only chance. 
‘““T made straight for Safety Camp and they must have 
spotted me: for I think it was Gran that met me on skis. 
Then Scott and Wilson and Oates met mea long way out: 
I explained how it happened. He was worried-looking a 
bit, but he never said anything out of the way. He told 
Oates to go inside and light the primus and give me a 
meal.” 
A more detailed account of the behaviour of the hun- 
dreds of whales which infested the lanes of open water 
between the broken floes and calved bergs is of interest. 
Most of them at any rate were; Killer whales (Orca 
gladiator), and they were cruising about in great num- 
bers, snorting and blowing, while occasionally they would 
in some extraordinary way raise themselves and look about 
