MANY FALLS ON THE ICE 



We decided to relay our gear over this portion of the 

 glacier until we got on to safer ground, and it was well 

 past eleven o'clock before we had got both sledges on 

 to better ice. We camped at 11.45 a.m. to get the sun's 

 meridian altitude, and, to save time while watching 

 the sun's rise and fall, decided to lunch at noon. The 

 latitude we found to be 84° 2' South, which is not so 

 bad, considering that we have been hauling our heavy 

 load of 250 lb. per man uphill for the last two days. 

 At noon we were nearly 2500 ft. above sea level. In 

 the afternoon we had another heavy pull, and now are 

 camped between two huge crevasses, but on a patch 

 of hard snow. We pitched camp at 6 p.m., very tired 

 and extremely hungry after dragging uphill all the 

 afternoon for over five hours. It is 8 p.m. now, and 

 we are nearly 3000 ft. above sea-level. Low cumulus 

 clouds are hanging to the south of us, as they have done 

 for many days past, obscuring any view in that direction. 

 We are anxiously hoping to find soon a level and inland 

 ice-sheet so that we can put on more speed. The distance 

 to-day was 11 miles 1450 yards plus 2 miles relay. The 

 talk now is mainly about food and the things we would 

 like to eat, and at meal-times our hoosh disappears with 

 far too great speed. We are all looking forward to 

 Christmas Day, for then, come what may, we are going 

 to be full of food. 



December 10. — Falls, bruises, cut shins, crevasses, 

 razor-edged ice, and a heavy upward pull have made 

 up the sum of the day's trials, but there has been a 

 measure of compensation in the wonderful scenery, 

 the marvellous rocks and the covering of a distance of 

 11 miles 860 yards towards our goal. We started at 7.30 

 a.m. amongst crevasses, but soon got out of them and 

 pulled up a long slope of snow. Our altitude at noon was 

 3250 ft. above sea-level. Then we slid down a blue ice 



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