A DANGEROUS SITUATION 



ice across a huge crevasse about twenty feet wide. We 

 lashed up tighter, and I went off in the lead, straddle- 

 legged across the narrow bridge. We both reached the 

 other side in safety, but one slip, or the breaking of the 

 bridge would have precipitated us into those black depths 

 below." 



The two men found their way blocked by crevasses 

 in whichever direction they turned, and at last reached 

 a point from which ascent was out of the question, 

 while below lay a steep slope running down for about 

 three thousand feet. They could not tell what lay at 

 the bottom of the slope, but their case was desperate, 

 and they decided to glissade down. Their knives, 

 which they attempted to use as brakes, were torn from 

 their grasp, but th^y managed to keep their heels in 

 the snow, and although they passed crevasses, none 

 lay directly in their path. They reached the bottom in 

 safety at 4 p.m. on the 11th. They were very hungry 

 and had practically no food, but they could get forward 

 now, and at 6 p.m. they could see Cape Royds and were 

 travelling over a smooth surface. They ate a few 

 biscuit crumbs and half a tin of condensed milk, the only 

 other food they had being a little chocolate. Soon 

 snow commenced to fall, and the weather became thick, 

 obscuring their view of the Cape. They could not see 

 two yards ahead, and for two hours they stumbled 

 along in blinding snow. They rested for a few minutes, 

 but their clothes were covered with ice, icicles hung 

 from their faces, and the temperature was very low. 

 In a temporary clearing of the blizzard Mackintosh 

 thought that he could make out the Cape and they 

 dashed off, but at lunch-time on the 12th they were 

 still wandering over the rocks and snow, heavy snow 

 cutting off all view of the surrounding country. Soon 



47 



