SEVERE CLIMBING 



bamboo poles of our tent as a bridge, and after some 

 difficulty, reached the top of the snow mound under 

 the overhanging clilf. Much to our disappointment, 

 however, he discovered that the mound was formed of 

 very soft snow, his ice-axe sinking in to the whole depth 

 of the handle directly he placed it on top of the mound. 

 It was obvious that as our sledge would sink in to at 

 least an equal depth, the top of it would then be too 

 short to enable any of us to scale the overhanging cliff 

 by its means. We were, therefore, reluctantly com- 

 pelled to drag our sledge back again over the tide-cracks 

 to the north-west side of the barranca down which we 

 had previously lowered our sledge. We then discovered 

 that, as in classical times, while the descent to Avernus 

 was easy, it was difficult and toilsome to retrace one's 

 steps. With Mawson ahead with the ice-axe and towing 

 rope, and Mackay and I on either side of the seldge in 

 the rear, we managed by pulling and pushing together 

 to force the sledge up a few inches at a time. At each 

 short halt, Mawson would stick in the ice-axe, take a 

 turn of the leading rope around it, and support the sledge 

 in this way for a brief interval while we all got our 

 breath. At last the forty feet of steep slope was suc- 

 cessfully negotiated, and we found ourselves once more 

 on the level plain at the top of the barranca, but of 

 course, on the wrong side in reference to our depot. 

 As we were within three miles of the open sea We thought 

 it would be safe to camp here, as had the Nimrod 

 sighted our depot flag and stood in to the coast, we could 

 easily have hurried down to the entrance of the inlet 

 and made signals to her. 



We had now been up since 8 a.m. on the previous 

 day, and were very thankful to be able to enter our 

 tent, and have a meal off a stew of minced penguin 

 liver. We then turned into the sleeping-bag at about 



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