I9I2] 
COUNCIL AT CAPE EVANS 
311 
Keohane and Demetri, lower ourselves over the cliffs and 
make for Cape Evans. Leaving Cherry-Garrard neces- 
sarily at Hut Point to look after the dogs, we made our 
way along the peninsula and had only slight difficulty in 
lowering ourselves and the sledge over the cliffs with the 
Alpine rope. On this occasion our luck was most dis- 
tinctly in. We had reached this place about 10 miles from 
Cape Evans at 2.30 in the afternoon ; we then expected, 
owing to the bad surface of new sea ice, to have a pull 
lasting well on to 12 midnight, instead of which the ice had 
a firm and even surface and was devoid of any slush and 
ice-flowers such as are usual. We set sail before a strong 
falling breeze, and all sitting on the sledge had reached the 
Glacier Tongue in twenty minutes. We clambered over 
the Tongue, and our luck and the breeze still holding, we 
reached Cape Evans, completing the last seven miles all 
sitting on the sledge in an hour. There I called together 
all the members and explained the situation, telling them 
what had been done and what I then proposed to do, also 
asking them for their advice in this trying time. The 
opinion was almost unanimous that all that was possible 
had been already done. Owing to the lateness of the 
year and the likelihood of our being unable to make our 
way up the coast to Campbell one or two members 
suggested that another journey might be m-ade to Corner 
Camp. Knowing the conditions which had lately pre- 
vailed on the Barrier, I took it upon myself to decide the 
uselessness of this. 
April II and 12 were spent in preparing gear and 
securing provisions. 
