264 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 
ourselves on the top of the first pressure ridge, separated 
by a deep gulf from the ice-slope which we wished to 
reach. ‘Then we were ina great valley between the first and 
second ridges: we got into huge heaps of ice pressed up in 
every shape on every side, crevassed in every direction: we 
slithered over snow-slopes and crawled along drift ridges, 
trying to get in towards the cliffs. And always we came u 
against impossible places and had tocrawl back. Bill ledon 
a length of Alpine rope fastened to the toggle of thesledge; 
Birdie was in his harness also fastened to the toggle, and I 
was in my harness fastened to the rear of the sledge, which 
was of great use to us both as a bridge and a ladder. 
Two or three times we tried to get down the ice-slopes 
to the comparatively level road under the cliff, but it was 
always too great a drop. In that dim light every propor- 
tion was distorted; some of the places we actually did 
manage to negotiate with ice-axes and Alpine rope looked 
absolute precipices, and there were always crevasses at the 
bottom if you slipped. On the way back I did slip into one 
of these and was hauled out by the other two standing on 
the wall above me. 
We then worked our way down into the hollow between 
the first and second large pressure ridges, and I believe on 
to the top of the second. ‘The crests here rose fifty or 
sixty feet. After this I don’t know where we went. Our 
best landmarks were patches of crevasses, sometimes three 
or four in a few footsteps. The temperatures were lowish 
(~37°), 1t was impossible for me to wear spectacles, and 
this was a tremendous difficulty to me and handicap to the 
party: Bill would find a crevasse and point it out; Birdie 
would cross; and then time after time, in trying to step 
over or climb over on the sledge, I put my feet right into 
the middle of the cracks. This day I went well in at least 
six times; once, when we were close to the sea, rolling into 
and out of one and then down a steep slope until brought 
up by Birdie and Bill on the rope. 
We blundered along until we got into a great cul-de- 
sac which probably formed the end of the two ridges, 
where they butted on to the sea-ice. On all sides rose great 
