;66 
77 /E STRAXD MAGAZINE. 
THIS MAP WILL BE FOUND OF GREAT ASSISTANCE IN FOLLOWING THE MOVEMEN TS \ 
the dull resistance of broken and clogging 
surface, 
January 6th, u We are in the midst of a 
sea of fish-hook waves, well remembered from 
our Northern experience. . . . To add to our 
trouble, every sastrugus is covered with a 
beard of sharp branching crystals. We have 
only covered ten and a half miles (geo- 
graphical), and it’s been about the hardest 
pull we've had. We think of leaving our ski 
here, mainly because of risk of breakage. 
“ We are south of Shacklefords last camp, 
so 1 suppose have made the most Southerly 
camp, 
“ January 7th. The vicissitudes of this 
work are bewildering. Last night we decided 
to leave our ski on account of the saslrugi. 
This morning we marched out a mile in forty 
minutes, and the saslrugi gradually dis- 
appeared. 1 kept debating the ski question 
and at this point stopped, and after dis- 
cussion we went back and fetched the ski ; 
it cost us one and a half hours nearly. March- 
ing again, 1 found to my horror we could 
scarcely move the sledge on ski ; the first 
hour was awful owing to the wretched coating 
of loose, sandy snow. However, we per- 
sisted, and towards the latter end of our tiring 
march we began to make better progress, but 
the work is still awfully heavy. I must stick 
to the ski after this. 
Things, luckily, will not remain as they 
are. To-morrow we depot a week’s pro- 
vision, lightening altogether about a hundred^ 
pounds. This afternoon the welcome 
southerly wind returned, and is now blowing 
force 2 to 3. I cannot but think it will 
improve the surface." 
T11 the evening reflections are more cheerful. I 
“ I am awfully glad we have hung on to the 1 
ski ; hard as the marching is, it is far less tiring- 
on ski. Bowers has a heavy time on foot, but 
nothing seems to tire him. Evans (P. 0 .) has 
a nasty cut on his hand (sledge-making). I 
hope it won’t give trouble. Our food con- 
tinues to amply satisfy. What luck to have 
hit on such an excellent ration. We really 
are an excellently found party.” 
Shaekleton’s Record Beaten. 
On the 8th came a blizzard, and with it a 
day’s enforced rest — good for Evans’s cut 
hand. The 9th placed them beyond the 
record of Shackleton’s walk. “ All is new 
ahead.” But there was nothing new in the 
terrible monotony and heavy marching. To 
make a fresh depot would increase the speed, 
but an unexpected hazard appeared. 
“ Bowers’s watch has suddenly dropped 
twenty-six minutes ; it may have stopped 
from being frozen outside his pocket, or he. 
may have inadvertently touched the hands. 
Anyway it makes one more chary of leaving 
stores on this great plain, especially as the 
blizzard tended to drift up our tracks,” 
On the 10th they left a depot of one week’s 
food and sundry articles of clothing, going- 
forward with eighteen days’ food. 
“ Yesterday i should have said certain to 
see us through, but now the surface is beyond 
words, and if it continues we shall have the 
greatest difficulty to keep our march long 
enough. The surface is quite covered with 
sandy snow, and when the sun shines it is 
terrible. 
