344 
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION 
[July 
unnecessary escapades. Yet it is impossible not to realise 
that this bit of experience has done more than all the 
talking I could have ever accomplished to bring home to 
our people the dangers of a blizzard. 
Wednesday, July 5. — Atkinson has a bad hand to-day, 
immense blisters on every finger giving them the appear- 
ance of sausages. To-night Ponting has photographed 
the hand. 
As I expected, some amendment of Atkinson's tale as 
written last night is necessary, partly due to some lack of 
coherency in the tale as first told and partly a recon- 
sideration of the circumstances by Atkinson himself. 
It appears he first hit Inaccessible Island, and got his 
hand frostbitten before he reached it. It was only on 
arrival in its lee that he discovered the frostbite. He 
must have waited there some time, then groped his way 
to the western end thinking he was near the Ramp. 
Then wandering away in a swirl of drift to clear some 
irregularities at the ice foot, he completely lost the island 
when he could only have been a few yards from it. 
He seems in this predicament to have clung to the old 
idea of walking up wind, and it must be considered wholly 
providential that on this course he next struck Tent 
Island. It was round this island that he walked, finally 
digging himself a shelter on its lee side under the impression 
that it was Inaccessible Island. When the moon appeared 
he seems to have judged its bearing well, and as he travelled 
homeward he was much surprised to see the real Inacces- 
sible Island appear on his left. The distance of Tent 
Island, 4 to 5 miles, partly accounts for the time he took 
