THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



of certainty. The traveller must be prepared for 

 either a hard surface or a very soft one, and he may 

 get both surfaces in the course of one day's march. 

 The eleven-foot sledge is thoroughly suitable for the 

 work, and our method of packing the stores and hauling 

 the sledges did not develop any weak points. We 

 would have been glad to have had crampons for use 

 on the glacier; what would be better still would be 

 heavy Alpine boots with nails all round, for very often 

 the surface would give little grip to crampons, which 

 would only touch the rough ice at one or two points. 

 The temperature is too cold to permit of the explorer 

 wearing ordinary leather boots, and some boot would 

 have to be designed capable of keeping the feet warm 

 and carrying the nails all round. A mast consisting 

 of a bamboo lashed to the forward oil-box proved as 

 efficient as could be required for use in connection with 

 a sail on the sledges. It was easily rigged and had 

 no elaborate stays. I would suggest no change in the 

 clothing, for the light woollen underclothing, with 

 thin windproof material outside, proved most satis- 

 factory in every way. We could certainly not have 

 travelled so fast had we been wearing the regulation 

 pilot cloth garment generally used in polar exploration. 

 Our experience made it obvious that a party which hopes 

 to reach the Pole must take more food per man than 

 we did, but how the additional weight is to be provided 

 for is a matter for individual consideration. I would 

 not take cheese again, for although it is a good food, 

 we did not find it as palatable as chocolate, which is 

 practically as sustaining. Our other foods were all 

 entirely satisfactory. 



Each member of the Southern Party had his own 

 particular duties to perform. Adams had charge of 

 the meteorology, and his work involved the taking of 



20 



