Chapter 12 - AWAITING THE CROZIER PARTY
Scott's Last Expedition
- The Journals of Captain R. F. Scott
Contents
and Preface Chapters:
Chapter 1
| Chapter
2 | Chapter
3 | Chapter
4 | Chapter
5 | Chapter
6 | Chapter
7 | Chapter
8 | Chapter
9 | Chapter
10 |
Chapter 11 |
Chapter 12
| Chapter
13 |
Chapter 14 |
Chapter 15
| Chapter
16 |
Chapter 17 |
Chapter 18
| Chapter
19 |
Chapter 20
| Appendix
Summary
(2 pages) of the Terra
Nova Expedition |
The Men of
the Expedition
Friday, June 23-- Saturday, June 24
Two
quiet, uneventful days and a complete return to routine.
Sunday, June 25
I find I have made no
mention of Cherry-Garrard's first number of the revived South
Polar Times , presented to me on Midwinter Day.
It is
a very good little volume, bound by Day in a really charming
cover of carved venesta wood and sealskin. The contributors
are anonymous, but I have succeeded in guessing the identity
of the greater number.
The Editor has taken a statistical
paper of my own on the plans for the Southern Journey and a
well-written serious article on the Geological History of our
region by Taylor. Except for editorial and meteorological notes
the rest is conceived in the lighter vein. The verse is mediocre
except perhaps for a quaint play of words in an amusing little
skit on the sleeping-bag argument; but an article entitled 'Valhalla'
appears to me to be altogether on a different level. It purports
to describe the arrival of some of our party at the gates proverbially
guarded by St. Peter; the humour is really delicious and nowhere
at all forced. In the jokes of a small community it is rare
to recognise one which would appeal to an outsider, but some
of the happier witticisms of this article seem to me fit for
wider circulation than our journal enjoys at present. Above
all there is distinct literary merit in it--a polish which leaves
you unable to suggest the betterment of a word anywhere.
I unhesitatingly attribute this effort to Taylor, but Wilson
and Garrard make Meares responsible for it. If they are right
I shall have to own that my judgment of attributes is very much
at fault. I must find out. [25]
A quiet day. Read Church
Service as usual; in afternoon walked up the Ramp with Wilson
to have a quiet talk before he departs. I wanted to get his
ideas as to the scientific work done.
We agreed as to
the exceptionally happy organisation of our party.
I
took the opportunity to warn Wilson concerning the desirability
of complete understanding with Ponting and Taylor with respect
to their photographs and records on their return to civilisation.
The weather has been very mysterious of late; on the 23rd
and 24th it continuously threatened a blizzard, but now the
sky is clearing again with all signs of fine weather.
Monday, June 26
With a clear sky it
was quite twilighty at noon to-day. Already such signs of day
are inspiriting. In the afternoon the wind arose with drift
and again the prophets predicted a blizzard. After an hour or
two the wind fell and we had a calm, clear evening and night.
The blizzards proper seem to be always preceded by an overcast
sky in accordance with Simpson's theory.
Taylor gave
a most interesting lecture on the physiographic features of
the region traversed by his party in the autumn. His mind is
very luminous and clear and he treated the subject with a breadth
of view which was delightful. The illustrative slides were made
from Debenham's photographs, and many of them were quite beautiful.
Ponting tells me that Debenham knows quite a lot about photography
and goes to work in quite the right way.
The lecture
being a precis of Taylor's report there is no need to recapitulate
its matter. With the pictures it was startling to realise the
very different extent to which tributary glaciers have carved
the channels in which they lie. The Canadian Glacier lies dead,
but at 'grade' it has cut a very deep channel. The 'double curtain'
hangs at an angle of 25°, with practically no channel. Mention
was made of the difference of water found in Lake Bonney by
me in December 1903 and the Western Party in February 1911.
It seems certain that water must go on accumulating in the lake
during the two or three summer months, and it is hard to imagine
that all can be lost again by the winter's evaporation. If it
does, 'evaporation' becomes a matter of primary importance.
There was an excellent picture showing the find of sponges
on the Koettlitz Glacier. Heaps of large sponges were found
containing corals and some shells, all representative of present-day
fauna. How on earth did they get to the place where found? There
was a good deal of discussion on the point and no very satisfactory
solution offered. Cannot help thinking that there is something
in the thought that the glacier may have been weighted down
with rubble which finally disengaged itself and allowed the
ice to rise. Such speculations are interesting.
Preparations
for the start of the Crozier Party are now completed, and the
people will have to drag 253 lbs. per man--a big weight.
Day has made an excellent little blubber lamp for lighting;
it has an annular wick and talc chimney; a small circular plate
over the wick conducts the heat down and raises the temperature
of combustion, so that the result is a clear white flame.
We are certainly within measurable distance of using blubber
in the most effective way for both heating and lighting, and
this is an advance which is of very high importance to the future
of Antarctic Exploration.
Tuesday, June 27
The Crozier Party departed this morning in good spirits--their
heavy load was distributed on two 9-feet sledges. Ponting photographed
them by flashlight and attempted to get a cinematograph picture
by means of a flash candle. But when the candle was ignited
it was evident that the light would not be sufficient for the
purpose and there was not much surprise when the film proved
a failure. The three travellers found they could pull their
load fairly easily on the sea ice when the rest of us stood
aside for the trial. I'm afraid they will find much more difficulty
on the Barrier, but there was nothing now to prevent them starting,
and off they went.
With helping contingent I went round
the Cape. Taylor and Nelson left at the Razor Back Island and
report all well. Simpson, Meares and Gran continued and have
not yet returned.
Gran just back on ski; left party at
5 1/4 miles. Says Meares and Simpson are returning on foot.
Reports a bad bit of surface between Tent Island and Glacier
Tongue. It was well that the party had assistance to cross this.
This winter travel is a new and bold venture, but the right
men have gone to attempt it. All good luck go with them.
Coal Consumption
Bowers reports that present consumption
(midwinter) = 4 blocks per day (100 lbs.).
An occasional
block is required for the absolute magnetic hut. He reports
8 1/2 tons used since landing. This is in excess of 4 blocks
per day as follows:
8 1/2 tons in 150 days = 127 lbs.
per diem. = 889 lbs. per week, or nearly 8 cwt. = 20 1/2 tons
per year.
Report August 4.
Used to date = 9 tons
= 20,160 lbs.
Say 190 days at 106 lbs. per day.
Coal remaining 20 1/2 tons.
Estimate 8 tons to return
of ship.
Total estimate for year, 17 tons. We should
have 13 or 14 tons for next year.
A FRESH MS. BOOK
Quotations on the Flyleaf
'Where the (Queen's) Law
does not carry it is irrational to exact an observance of other
and weaker rules.'--RUDYARD KIPLING.
Confident of his
good intentions but doubtful of his fortitude.
'So far
as I can venture to offer an opinion on such a matter, the purpose
of our being in existence, the highest object that human beings
can set before themselves is not the pursuit of any such chimera
as the annihilation of the unknown; but it is simply the unwearied
endeavour to remove its boundaries a little further from our
little sphere of action.'--HUXLEY.
Wednesday,
June 28
The temperature has been hovering around
-30° with a clear sky--at midday it was exceptionally light,
and even two hours after noon I was able to pick my way amongst
the boulders of the Ramp. We miss the Crozier Party. Lectures
have ceased during its absence, so that our life is very quiet.
Thursday, June 29
It seemed rather stuffy
in the hut last night--I found it difficult to sleep, and noticed
a good many others in like case. I found the temperature was
only 50°, but that the small uptake on the stove pipe was
closed. I think it would be good to have a renewal of air at
bed time, but don't quite know how to manage this.
It
was calm all night and when I left the hut at 8.30. At 9 the
wind suddenly rose to 40 m.p.h. and at the same moment the temperature
rose 10°. The wind and temperature curves show this sudden
simultaneous change more clearly than usual. The curious circumstance
is that this blow comes out of a clear sky. This will be disturbing
to our theories unless the wind drops again very soon.
The wind fell within an hour almost as suddenly as it had
arisen; the temperature followed, only a little more gradually.
One may well wonder how such a phenomenon is possible. In the
middle of a period of placid calm and out of a clear sky there
suddenly rushed upon one this volume of comparatively warm air;
it has come and gone like the whirlwind.
Whence comes
it and whither goeth?
Went round the bergs after lunch
on ski--splendid surface and quite a good light.
We are
now getting good records with the tide gauge after a great deal
of trouble. Day has given much of his time to the matter, and
after a good deal of discussion has pretty well mastered the
principles. We brought a self-recording instrument from New
Zealand, but this was passed over to Campbell. It has not been
an easy matter to manufacture one for our own use. The wire
from the bottom weight is led through a tube filled with paraffin
as in Discovery days, and kept tight by a counter weight after
passage through a block on a stanchion rising 6 feet above the
floe.
In his first instrument Day arranged for this wire
to pass around a pulley, the revolution of which actuated the
pen of the recording drum. This should have been successful
but for the difficulty of making good mechanical connection
between the recorder and the pulley. Backlash caused an unreliable
record, and this arrangement had to be abandoned. The motion
of the wire was then made to actuate the recorder through a
hinged lever, and this arrangement holds, but days and even
weeks have been lost in grappling the difficulties of adjustment
between the limits of the tide and those of the recording drum;
then when all seemed well we found that the floe was not rising
uniformly with the water. It is hung up by the beach ice. When
we were considering the question of removing the whole apparatus
to a more distant point, a fresh crack appeared between it and
the shore, and on this 'hinge' the floe seems to be moving more
freely.
Friday, June 30, 1911
The
temperature is steadily falling; we are descending the scale
of negative thirties and to-day reached its limit, -39°.
Day has manufactured a current vane, a simple arrangement: up
to the present he has used this near the Cape. There is little
doubt, however, that the water movement is erratic and irregular
inside the islands, and I have been anxious to get observations
which will indicate the movement in the 'Strait.' I went with
him to-day to find a crack which I thought must run to the north
from Inaccessible Island. We discovered it about 2 to 2 1/2
miles out and found it to be an ideal place for such work, a
fracture in the ice sheet which is constantly opening and therefore
always edged with thin ice. Have told Day that I think a bottle
weighted so as to give it a small negative buoyancy, and attached
to a fine line, should give as good results as his vane and
would be much handier. He now proposes to go one better and
put an electric light in the bottle.
We found that our
loose dogs had been attacking a seal, and then came across a
dead seal which had evidently been worried to death some time
ago. It appears Demetri saw more seal further to the north,
and this afternoon Meares has killed a large one as well as
the one which was worried this morning.
It is good to
find the seals so close, but very annoying to find that the
dogs have discovered their resting-place.
The long spell
of fine weather is very satisfactory.
Saturday,
July 1, 1911
We have designed new ski boots and
I think they are going to be a success. My object is to stick
to the Huitfeldt binding for sledging if possible. One must
wear finnesko on the Barrier, and with finnesko alone a loose
binding is necessary. For this we brought 'Finon' bindings,
consisting of leather toe straps and thong heel binding. With
this arrangement one does not have good control of his ski and
stands the chance of a chafe on the 'tendon Achillis.' Owing
to the last consideration many had decided to go with toe strap
alone as we did in the Discovery . This brought into my mind
the possibility of using the iron cross bar and snap heel strap
of the Huitfeldt on a suitable overshoe.
Evans, P.O.,
has arisen well to the occasion as a boot maker, and has just
completed a pair of shoes which are very nearly what we require.
The soles have two thicknesses of seal skin cured with alum,
stiffened at the foot with a layer of venesta board, and raised
at the heel on a block of wood. The upper part is large enough
to contain a finnesko and is secured by a simple strap. A shoe
weighs 13 oz. against 2 lbs. for a single ski boot--so that
shoe and finnesko together are less weight than a boot.
If we can perfect this arrangement it should be of the greatest
use to us.
Wright has been swinging the pendulum in his
cavern. Prodigious trouble has been taken to keep the time,
and this object has been immensely helped by the telephone communication
between the cavern, the transit instrument, and the interior
of the hut. The timekeeper is perfectly placed. Wright tells
me that his ice platform proves to be five times as solid as
the fixed piece of masonry used at Potsdam. The only difficulty
is the low temperature, which freezes his breath on the glass
window of the protecting dome. I feel sure these gravity results
are going to be very good.
The temperature has been hanging
in the minus thirties all day with calm and clear sky, but this
evening a wind has sprung up without rise of temperature. It
is now -32°, with a wind of 25 m.p.h
a pretty stiff condition
to face outside!
Sunday, July 2
There
was wind last night, but this morning found a settled calm again,
with temperature as usual about -35°. The moon is rising
again; it came over the shoulder of Erebus about 5 P.M., in
second quarter. It will cross the meridian at night, worse luck,
but such days as this will be pleasant even with a low moon;
one is very glad to think the Crozier Party are having such
a peaceful time.
Sunday routine and nothing much to record.
Monday, July 3
Another quiet day, the
sky more suspicious in appearance. Thin stratus cloud forming
and dissipating overhead, curling stratus clouds over Erebus.
Wind at Cape Crozier seemed a possibility.
Our people
have been far out on the floe. It is cheerful to see the twinkling
light of some worker at a water hole or hear the ring of distant
voices or swish of ski.
Tuesday, July 4
A day of blizzard and adventure.
The wind arose last
night, and although the temperature advanced a few degrees it
remained at a very low point considering the strength of the
wind.
This forenoon it was blowing 40 to 45 m.p.h. with
a temperature -25° to -28°. No weather to be in the
open.
In the afternoon the wind modified slightly. Taylor
and Atkinson went up to the Ramp thermometer screen. After this,
entirely without my knowledge, two adventurous spirits, Atkinson
and Gran, decided to start off over the floe, making respectively
for the north and south Bay thermometers, 'Archibald' and 'Clarence.'
This was at 5.30; Gran was back by dinner at 6.45, and it was
only later that I learned that he had gone no more than 200
or 300 yards from the land and that it had taken him nearly
an hour to get back again.
Atkinson's continued absence
passed unnoticed until dinner was nearly over at 7.15, although
I had heard that the wind had dropped at the beginning of dinner
and that it remained very thick all round, with light snow falling.
Although I felt somewhat annoyed, I had no serious anxiety
at this time, and as several members came out of the hut I despatched
them short distances to shout and show lanterns and arranged
to have a paraffin flare lit on Wind Vane Hill.
Evans,
P.O., Crean and Keohane, being anxious for a walk, were sent
to the north with a lantern. Whilst this desultory search proceeded
the wind sprang up again from the south, but with no great force,
and meanwhile the sky showed signs of clearing and the moon
appeared dimly through the drifting clouds. With such a guide
we momentarily looked for the return of our wanderer, and with
his continued absence our anxiety grew. At 9.30 Evans, P.O.,
and his party returned without news of him, and at last there
was no denying the possibility of a serious accident. Between
9.30 and 10 proper search parties were organised, and I give
the details to show the thoroughness which I thought necessary
to meet the gravity of the situation. I had by this time learnt
that Atkinson had left with comparatively light clothing and,
still worse, with leather ski boots on his feet; fortunately
he had wind clothing.
P.O. Evans was away first with
Crean, Keohane, and Demetri, a light sledge, a sleeping-bag,
and a flask of brandy. His orders were to search the edge of
the land and glacier through the sweep of the Bay to the Barne
Glacier and to Cape Barne beyond, then to turn east along an
open crack and follow it to Inaccessible Island. Evans (Lieut.),
with Nelson, Forde, and Hooper, left shortly after, similarly
equipped, to follow the shore of the South Bay in similar fashion,
then turn out to the Razor Back and search there. Next Wright,
Gran, and Lashly set out for the bergs to look thoroughly about
them and from thence pass round and examine Inaccessible Island.
After these parties got away, Meares and Debenham started with
a lantern to search to and fro over the surface of our promontory.
Simpson and Oates went out in a direct line over the Northern
floe to the 'Archibald' thermometer, whilst Ponting and Taylor
re-examined the tide crack towards the Barne Glacier. Meanwhile
Day went to and fro Wind Vane Hill to light at intervals upon
its crest bundles of tow well soaked in petrol. At length Clissold
and I were left alone in the hut, and as the hours went by I
grew ever more alarmed. It was impossible for me to conceive
how an able man could have failed to return to the hut before
this or by any means found shelter in such clothing in such
weather. Atkinson had started for a point a little more than
a mile away; at 10.30 he had been five hours away; what conclusion
could be drawn? And yet I felt it most difficult to imagine
an accident on open floe with no worse pitfall than a shallow
crack or steep-sided snow drift. At least I could feel that
every spot which was likely to be the scene of such an accident
would be searched. Thus 11 o'clock came without change, then
11.30 with its 6 hours of absence. But at 11.45 I heard voices
from the Cape, and presently the adventure ended to my extreme
relief when Meares and Debenham led our wanderer home. He was
badly frostbitten in the hand and less seriously on the face,
and though a good deal confused, as men always are on such occasions,
he was otherwise well.
His tale is confused, but as far
as one can gather he did not go more than a quarter of a mile
in the direction of the thermometer screen before he decided
to turn back. He then tried to walk with the wind a little on
one side on the bearing he had originally observed, and after
some time stumbled on an old fish trap hole, which he knew to
be 200 yards from the Cape. He made this 200 yards in the direction
he supposed correct, and found nothing. In such a situation
had he turned east he must have hit the land somewhere close
to the hut and so found his way to it. The fact that he did
not, but attempted to wander straight on, is clear evidence
of the mental condition caused by that situation. There can
be no doubt that in a blizzard a man has not only to safeguard
the circulation in his limbs, but must struggle with a sluggishness
of brain and an absence of reasoning power which is far more
likely to undo him.
In fact Atkinson has really no very
clear idea of what happened to him after he missed the Cape.
He seems to have wandered aimlessly up wind till he hit an island;
he walked all round this; says he couldn't see a yard at this
time; fell often into the tide crack; finally stopped under
the lee of some rocks; here got his hand frostbitten owing to
difficulty of getting frozen mit on again, finally got it on;
started to dig a hole to wait in. Saw something of the moon
and left the island; lost the moon and wanted to go back; could
find nothing; finally stumbled on another island, perhaps the
same one; waited again, again saw the moon, now clearing; shaped
some sort of course by it--then saw flare on Cape and came on
rapidly--says he shouted to someone on Cape quite close to him,
greatly surprised not to get an answer. It is a rambling tale
to-night and a half thawed brain. It is impossible to listen
to such a tale without appreciating that it has been a close
escape or that there would have been no escape had the blizzard
continued. The thought that it would return after a short lull
was amongst the worst with me during the hours of waiting.
2 A.M
The search parties have returned and all is well
again, but we must have no more of these very 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
appearance 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 reconsideration
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 Inaccessible Island appear on his left. The distance
of Tent Island, 4 to 5 miles, partly accounts for the time he
took in returning. Everything goes to confirm the fact that
he had a very close shave of being lost altogether.
For
some time past some of the ponies have had great irritation
of the skin. I felt sure it was due to some parasite, though
the Soldier thought the food responsible and changed it.
To-day a tiny body louse was revealed under Atkinson's microscope
after capture from 'Snatcher's' coat. A dilute solution of carbolic
is expected to rid the poor beasts of their pests, but meanwhile
one or two of them have rubbed off patches of hair which they
can ill afford to spare in this climate. I hope we shall get
over the trouble quickly.
The day has been gloriously
fine again, with bright moonlight all the afternoon. It was
a wondrous sight to see Erebus emerge from soft filmy clouds
of mist as though some thin veiling had been withdrawn with
infinite delicacy to reveal the pure outline of this moonlit
mountain.
Thursday, July 6, continued
The temperature has
taken a plunge--to -46° last night. It is now -45°,
with a ten-mile breeze from the south. Frostbiting weather!
Went for a short run on foot this forenoon and a longer
one on ski this afternoon. The surface is bad after the recent
snowfall. A new pair of sealskin overshoes for ski made by Evans
seem to be a complete success. He has modified the shape of
the toe to fit the ski irons better. I am very pleased with
this arrangement.
I find it exceedingly difficult to
settle down to solid work just at present and keep putting off
the tasks which I have set myself.
The sun has not yet
risen a degree of the eleven degrees below our horizon which
it was at noon on Midwinter Day, and yet to-day there was a
distinct red in the northern sky. Perhaps such sunset colours
have something to do with this cold snap.
Friday,
July 7
The temperature fell to -49° last night--our
record so far, and likely to remain so, one would think. This
morning it was fine and calm, temperature -45°. But this
afternoon a 30-mile wind sprang up from the S.E., and the temperature
only gradually rose to -30°, never passing above that point.
I thought it a little too strenuous and so was robbed of my
walk.
The dogs' coats are getting pretty thick, and they
seem to take matters pretty comfortably. The ponies are better,
I think, but I shall be glad when we are sure of having rid
them of their pest.
I was the victim of a very curious
illusion to-day. On our small heating stove stands a cylindrical
ice melter which keeps up the supply of water necessary for
the dark room and other scientific instruments. This iron container
naturally becomes warm if it is not fed with ice, and it is
generally hung around with socks and mits which require drying.
I put my hand on the cylindrical vessel this afternoon and withdrew
it sharply with the sensation of heat. To verify the impression
I repeated the action two or three times, when it became so
strong that I loudly warned the owners of the socks, &c.,
of the peril of burning to which they were exposed. Upon this
Meares said, 'But they filled the melter with ice a few minutes
ago,' and then, coming over to feel the surface himself, added,
'Why, it's cold, sir.' And indeed so it was. The slightly damp
chilled surface of the iron had conveyed to me the impression
of excessive heat.
There is nothing intrinsically new
in this observation; it has often been noticed that metal surfaces
at low temperatures give a sensation of burning to the bare
touch, but none the less it is an interesting variant of the
common fact.
Apropos. Atkinson is suffering a good deal
from his hand: the frostbite was deeper than I thought; fortunately
he can now feel all his fingers, though it was twenty-four hours
before sensation returned to one of them.
Monday,
July 10
We have had the worst gale I have ever known
in these regions and have not yet done with it.
The wind
started at about mid-day on Friday, and increasing in violence
reached an average of 60 miles for one hour on Saturday, the
gusts at this time exceeding 70 m.p.h. This force of wind, although
exceptional, has not been without parallel earlier in the year,
but the extraordinary feature of this gale was the long continuance
of a very cold temperature. On Friday night the thermometer
registered -39°. Throughout Saturday and the greater part
of Sunday it did not rise above -35°. Late yesterday it
was in the minus twenties, and to-day at length it has risen
to zero.
Needless to say no one has been far from the
hut. It was my turn for duty on Saturday night, and on the occasions
when I had to step out of doors I was struck with the impossibility
of enduring such conditions for any length of time. One seemed
to be robbed of breath as they burst on one--the fine snow beat
in behind the wind guard, and ten paces against the wind were
sufficient to reduce one's face to the verge of frostbite. To
clear the anemometer vane it is necessary to go to the other
end of the hut and climb a ladder. Twice whilst engaged in this
task I had literally to lean against the wind with head bent
and face averted and so stagger crab-like on my course. In those
two days of really terrible weather our thoughts often turned
to absentees at Cape Crozier with the devout hope that they
may be safely housed.
They are certain to have been caught
by this gale, but I trust before it reached them they had managed
to get up some sort of shelter. Sometimes I have imagined them
getting much more wind than we do, yet at others it seems difficult
to believe that the Emperor penguins have chosen an excessively
wind-swept area for their rookery.
To-day with the temperature
at zero one can walk about outside without inconvenience in
spite of a 50-mile wind. Although I am loath to believe it there
must be some measure of acclimatisation, for it is certain we
should have felt to-day's wind severely when we first arrived
in McMurdo Sound.
Tuesday, July 11
Never was such persistent bad weather. To-day the temperature
is up to 5° to 7°, the wind 40 to 50 m.p.h., the air
thick with snow, and the moon a vague blue. This is the fourth
day of gale; if one reflects on the quantity of transported
air (nearly 4,000 miles) one gets a conception of the transference
which such a gale effects and must conclude that potentially
warm upper currents are pouring into our polar area from more
temperate sources.
The dogs are very gay and happy in
the comparative warmth. I have been going to and fro on the
home beach and about the rocky knolls in its environment--in
spite of the wind it was very warm. I dug myself a hole in a
drift in the shelter of a large boulder and lay down in it,
and covered my legs with loose snow. It was so warm that I could
have slept very comfortably.
I have been amused and pleased
lately in observing the manners and customs of the persons in
charge of our stores; quite a number of secret caches exist
in which articles of value are hidden from public knowledge
so that they may escape use until a real necessity arises. The
policy of every storekeeper is to have something up his sleeve
for a rainy day. For instance, Evans (P.O.), after thoroughly
examining the purpose of some individual who is pleading for
a piece of canvas, will admit that he may have a small piece
somewhere which could be used for it, when, as a matter of fact,
he possesses quite a number of rolls of that material.
Tools, metal material, leather, straps and dozens of items
are administered with the same spirit of jealous guardianship
by Day, Lashly, Oates and Meares, while our main storekeeper
Bowers even affects to bemoan imaginary shortages. Such parsimony
is the best guarantee that we are prepared to face any serious
call.
Wednesday, July 12
All night
and to-day wild gusts of wind shaking the hut; long, ragged,
twisted wind-cloud in the middle heights. A watery moon shining
through a filmy cirrostratus--the outlook wonderfully desolate
with its ghostly illumination and patchy clouds of flying snow
drift. It would be hardly possible for a tearing, raging wind
to make itself more visible. At Wind Vane Hill the anemometer
has registered 68 miles between 9 and 10 A.M
a record. The
gusts at the hut frequently exceed 70 m.p.h
luckily the temperature
is up to 5°, so that there is no hardship for the workers
outside.
Thursday, July 13
The wind
continued to blow throughout the night, with squalls of even
greater violence than before; a new record was created by a
gust of 77 m.p.h. shown by the anemometer.
The snow is
so hard blown that only the fiercest gusts raise the drifting
particles--it is interesting to note the balance of nature whereby
one evil is eliminated by the excess of another.
For
an hour after lunch yesterday the gale showed signs of moderation
and the ponies had a short walk over the floe. Out for exercise
at this time I was obliged to lean against the wind, my light
overall clothes flapping wildly and almost dragged from me;
later when the wind rose again it was quite an effort to stagger
back to the hut against it.
This morning the gale still
rages, but the sky is much clearer; the only definite clouds
are those which hang to the southward of Erebus summit, but
the moon, though bright, still exhibits a watery appearance,
showing that there is still a thin stratus above us.
The work goes on very steadily--the men are making crampons
and ski boots of the new style. Evans is constructing plans
of the Dry Valley and Koettlitz Glacier with the help of the
Western Party. The physicists are busy always, Meares is making
dog harness, Oates ridding the ponies of their parasites, and
Ponting printing from his negatives.
Science cannot be
served by 'dilettante' methods, but demands a mind spurred by
ambition or the satisfaction of ideals.
Our most popular
game for evening recreation is chess; so many players have developed
that our two sets of chessmen are inadequate.
Friday, July 14
We have had a horrible fright
and are not yet out of the wood.
At noon yesterday one
of the best ponies, 'Bones,' suddenly went off his feed--soon
after it was evident that he was distressed and there could
be no doubt that he was suffering from colic. Oates called my
attention to it, but we were neither much alarmed, remembering
the speedy recovery of 'Jimmy Pigg' under similar circumstances.
Later the pony was sent out for exercise with Crean. I passed
him twice and seemed to gather that things were well, but Crean
afterwards told me that he had had considerable trouble. Every
few minutes the poor beast had been seized with a spasm of pain,
had first dashed forward as though to escape it and then endeavoured
to lie down. Crean had had much difficulty in keeping him in,
and on his legs, for he is a powerful beast. When he returned
to the stable he was evidently worse, and Oates and Anton patiently
dragged a sack to and fro under his stomach. Every now and again
he attempted to lie down, and Oates eventually thought it wiser
to let him do so. Once down, his head gradually drooped until
he lay at length, every now and again twitching very horribly
with the pain and from time to time raising his head and even
scrambling to his legs when it grew intense. I don't think I
ever realised before how pathetic a horse could be under such
conditions; no sound escapes him, his misery can only be indicated
by those distressing spasms and by dumb movements of the head
turned with a patient expression always suggestive of appeal.
Although alarmed by this time, remembering the care with which
the animals are being fed I could not picture anything but a
passing indisposition. But as hour after hour passed without
improvement, it was impossible not to realise that the poor
beast was dangerously ill. Oates administered an opium pill
and later on a second, sacks were heated in the oven and placed
on the poor beast; beyond this nothing could be done except
to watch--Oates and Crean never left the patient. As the evening
wore on I visited the stable again and again, but only to hear
the same tale--no improvement. Towards midnight I felt very
downcast. It is so very certain that we cannot afford to lose
a single pony--the margin of safety has already been far overstepped,
we are reduced to face the circumstance that we must keep all
the animals alive or greatly risk failure.
So far everything
has gone so well with them that my fears of a loss had been
lulled in a growing hope that all would be well--therefore at
midnight, when poor 'Bones' had continued in pain for twelve
hours and showed little sign of improvement, I felt my fleeting
sense of security rudely shattered.
It was shortly after
midnight when I was told that the animal seemed a little easier.
At 2.30 I was again in the stable and found the improvement
had been maintained; the horse still lay on its side with outstretched
head, but the spasms had ceased, its eye looked less distressed,
and its ears pricked to occasional noises. As I stood looking
it suddenly raised its head and rose without effort to its legs;
then in a moment, as though some bad dream had passed, it began
to nose at some hay and at its neighbour. Within three minutes
it had drunk a bucket of water and had started to feed.
I went to bed at 3 with much relief. At noon to-day the
immediate cause of the trouble and an indication that there
is still risk were disclosed in a small ball of semi-fermented
hay covered with mucus and containing tape worms; so far not
very serious, but unfortunately attached to this mass was a
strip of the lining of the intestine.
Atkinson, from
a humanly comparative point of view, does not think this is
serious if great care is taken with the food for a week or so,
and so one can hope for the best.
Meanwhile we have had
much discussion as to the first cause of the difficulty. The
circumstances possibly contributing are as follows: fermentation
of the hay, insufficiency of water, overheated stable, a chill
from exercise after the gale--I think all these may have had
a bearing on the case. It can scarcely be coincidence that the
two ponies which have suffered so far are those which are nearest
the stove end of the stable. In future the stove will be used
more sparingly, a large ventilating hole is to be made near
it and an allowance of water is to be added to the snow hitherto
given to the animals. In the food line we can only exercise
such precautions as are possible, but one way or another we
ought to be able to prevent any more danger of this description.
Saturday, July 15
There was strong wind
with snow this morning and the wind remained keen and cold in
the afternoon, but to-night it has fallen calm with a promising
clear sky outlook. Have been up the Ramp, clambering about in
my sealskin overshoes, which seem extraordinarily satisfactory.
Oates thinks a good few of the ponies have got worms and
we are considering means of ridding them. 'Bones' seems to be
getting on well, though not yet quite so buckish as he was before
his trouble. A good big ventilator has been fitted in the stable.
It is not easy to get over the alarm of Thursday night--the
situation is altogether too critical.
Sunday,
July 16
Another slight alarm this morning. The pony
'China' went off his feed at breakfast time and lay down twice.
He was up and well again in half an hour; but what on earth
is it that is disturbing these poor beasts?
Usual Sunday
routine. Quiet day except for a good deal of wind off and on.
The Crozier Party must be having a wretched time.
Monday, July 17
The weather still very unsettled--the
wind comes up with a rush to fade in an hour or two. Clouds
chase over the sky in similar fashion: the moon has dipped during
daylight hours, and so one way and another there is little to
attract one out of doors.
Yet we are only nine days off
the 'light value' of the day when we left off football--I hope
we shall be able to recommence the game in that time.
I am glad that the light is coming for more than one reason.
The gale and consequent inaction not only affected the ponies,
Ponting is not very fit as a consequence--his nervous temperament
is of the quality to take this wintering experience badly--Atkinson
has some difficulty in persuading him to take exercise--he managed
only by dragging him out to his own work, digging holes in the
ice. Taylor is another backslider in the exercise line and is
not looking well. If we can get these people to run about at
football all will be well. Anyway the return of the light should
cure all ailments physical and mental.
Tuesday,
July 18
A very brilliant red sky at noon to-day
and enough light to see one's way about.
This fleeting
hour of light is very pleasant, but of course dependent on a
clear sky, very rare. Went round the outer berg in the afternoon;
it was all I could do to keep up with 'Snatcher' on the homeward
round--speaking well for his walking powers.
Wednesday, July 19
Again calm and pleasant. The
temperature is gradually falling down to -35°. Went out
to the old working crack [26] north of Inaccessible Island--Nelson
and Evans had had great difficulty in rescuing their sounding
sledge, which had been left near here before the gale. The course
of events is not very clear, but it looks as though the gale
pressed up the crack, raising broken pieces of the thin ice
formed after recent opening movements. These raised pieces had
become nuclei of heavy snow drifts, which in turn weighing down
the floe had allowed water to flow in over the sledge level.
It is surprising to find such a big disturbance from what appears
to be a simple cause. This crack is now joined, and the contraction
is taking on a new one which has opened much nearer to us and
seems to run to C. Barne.
We have noticed a very curious
appearance of heavenly bodies when setting in a north-westerly
direction. About the time of midwinter the moon observed in
this position appeared in a much distorted shape of blood red
colour. It might have been a red flare or distant bonfire, but
could not have been guessed for the moon. Yesterday the planet
Venus appeared under similar circumstances as a ship's side-light
or Japanese lantern. In both cases there was a flickering in
the light and a change of colour from deep orange yellow to
blood red, but the latter was dominant.
Thursday,
July 20, Friday 21, Saturday 22
There is very little
to record--the horses are going on well, all are in good form,
at least for the moment. They drink a good deal of water in
the morning.
Saturday, July 22, continued
This and the better ventilation of the stable make
for improvement we think--perhaps the increase of salt allowance
is also beneficial.
To-day we have another raging blizzard--the
wind running up to 72 m.p.h. in gusts--one way and another the
Crozier Party must have had a pretty poor time. [27] I am thankful
to remember that the light will be coming on apace now.
Monday, July 24
The blizzard continued
throughout yesterday (Sunday), in the evening reaching a record
force of 82 m.p.h. The vane of our anemometer is somewhat sheltered:
Simpson finds the hill readings 20 per cent. higher. Hence in
such gusts as this the free wind must reach nearly 100 m.p.h
a hurricane force. To-day Nelson found that his sounding sledge
had been turned over. We passed a quiet Sunday with the usual
Service to break the week-day routine. During my night watch
last night I could observe the rapid falling of the wind, which
on dying away left a still atmosphere almost oppressively warm
at 7°. The temperature has remained comparatively high to-day.
I went to see the crack at which soundings were taken a week
ago--then it was several feet open with thin ice between--now
it is pressed up into a sharp ridge 3 to 4 feet high: the edge
pressed up shows an 18 inch thickness--this is of course an
effect of the warm weather.
Tuesday, July 25,
Wednesday, July 26
There is really very little to
be recorded in these days, life proceeds very calmly if somewhat
monotonously. Everyone seems fit, there is no sign of depression.
To all outward appearance the ponies are in better form than
they have ever been; the same may be said of the dogs with one
or two exceptions.
The light comes on apace. To-day (Wednesday)
it was very beautiful at noon: the air was very clear and the
detail of the Western Mountains was revealed in infinitely delicate
contrasts of light.
Thursday, July 27, Friday,
July 28
Calmer days: the sky rosier: the light visibly
advancing. We have never suffered from low spirits, so that
the presence of day raises us above a normal cheerfulness to
the realm of high spirits.
The light, merry humour of
our company has never been eclipsed, the good-natured, kindly
chaff has never ceased since those early days of enthusiasm
which inspired them--they have survived the winter days of stress
and already renew themselves with the coming of spring. If pessimistic
moments had foreseen the growth of rifts in the bond forged
by these amenities, they stand prophetically falsified; there
is no longer room for doubt that we shall come to our work with
a unity of purpose and a disposition for mutual support which
have never been equalled in these paths of activity. Such a
spirit should tide us [over] all minor difficulties. It is a
good omen.
Saturday, July 29, Sunday, July 30
Two quiet days, temperature low in the minus thirties--an occasional
rush of wind lasting for but a few minutes.
One of our
best sledge dogs, 'Julick,' has disappeared. I'm afraid he's
been set on by the others at some distant spot and we shall
see nothing more but his stiffened carcass when the light returns.
Meares thinks the others would not have attacked him and imagines
he has fallen into the water in some seal hole or crack. In
either case I'm afraid we must be resigned to another loss.
It's an awful nuisance.
Gran went to C. Royds to-day.
I asked him to report on the open water, and so he went on past
the Cape. As far as I can gather he got half-way to C. Bird
before he came to thin ice; for at least 5 or 6 miles past C.
Royds the ice is old and covered with wind-swept snow. This
is very unexpected. In the Discovery first year the ice continually
broke back to the Glacier Tongue: in the second year it must
have gone out to C. Royds very early in the spring if it did
not go out in the winter, and in the Nimrod year it was rarely
fast beyond C. Royds. It is very strange, especially as this
has been the windiest year recorded so far. Simpson says the
average has exceeded 20 m.p.h. since the instruments were set
up, and this figure has for comparison 9 and 12 m.p.h. for the
two Discovery years. There remains a possibility that we have
chosen an especially wind-swept spot for our station. Yet I
can scarcely believe that there is generally more wind here
than at Hut Point.
I was out for two hours this morning--it
was amazingly pleasant to be able to see the inequalities of
one's path, and the familiar landmarks bathed in violet light.
An hour after noon the northern sky was intensely red.
Monday, July 31
It was overcast to-day
and the light not quite so good, but this is the last day of
another month, and August means the sun.
One begins to
wonder what the Crozier Party is doing. It has been away five
weeks.
The ponies are getting buckish. Chinaman squeals
and kicks in the stable, Nobby kicks without squealing, but
with even more purpose--last night he knocked down a part of
his stall. The noise of these animals is rather trying at night--one
imagines all sorts of dreadful things happening, but when the
watchman visits the stables its occupants blink at him with
a sleepy air as though the disturbance could not possibly have
been there!
There was a glorious northern sky to-day;
the horizon was clear and the flood of red light illuminated
the under side of the broken stratus cloud above, producing
very beautiful bands of violet light. Simpson predicts a blizzard
within twenty-four hours--we are interested to watch results.
Tuesday, August 1
The month has opened
with a very beautiful day. This morning I took a circuitous
walk over our land 'estate,' winding to and fro in gulleys filled
with smooth ice patches or loose sandy soil, with a twofold
object. I thought I might find the remains of poor Julick--in
this I was unsuccessful; but I wished further to test our new
crampons, and with these I am immensely pleased--they possess
every virtue in a footwear designed for marching over smooth
ice--lightness, warmth, comfort, and ease in the putting on
and off.
The light was especially good to-day; the sun
was directly reflected by a single twisted iridescent cloud
in the north, a brilliant and most beautiful object. The air
was still, and it was very pleasant to hear the crisp sounds
of our workers abroad. The tones of voices, the swish of ski
or the chipping of an ice pick carry two or three miles on such
days--more than once to-day we could hear the notes of some
blithe singer--happily signalling the coming of the spring and
the sun.
This afternoon as I sit in the hut I find it
worthy of record that two telephones are in use: the one keeping
time for Wright who works at the transit instrument, and the
other bringing messages from Nelson at his ice hole three-quarters
of a mile away. This last connection is made with a bare aluminium
wire and earth return, and shows that we should have little
difficulty in completing our circuit to Hut Point as is contemplated.
Account of the Winter Journey
Wednesday,
August 2
The Crozier Party returned last night after
enduring for five weeks the hardest conditions on record. They
looked more weather-worn than anyone I have yet seen. Their
faces were scarred and wrinkled, their eyes dull, their hands
whitened and creased with the constant exposure to damp and
cold, yet the scars of frostbite were very few and this evil
had never seriously assailed them. The main part of their afflictions
arose, and very obviously arose, from sheer lack of sleep, and
to-day after a night's rest our travellers are very different
in appearance and mental capacity.
The story of a very
wonderful performance must be told by the actors. It is for
me now to give but an outline of the journey and to note more
particularly the effects of the strain which they have imposed
on themselves and the lessons which their experiences teach
for our future guidance.
Wilson is very thin, but this
morning very much his keen, wiry self--Bowers is quite himself
to-day. Cherry-Garrard is slightly puffy in the face and still
looks worn. It is evident that he has suffered most severely--but
Wilson tells me that his spirit never wavered for a moment.
Bowers has come through best, all things considered, and I believe
he is the hardest traveller that ever undertook a Polar journey,
as well as one of the most undaunted; more by hint than direct
statement I gather his value to the party, his untiring energy
and the astonishing physique which enables him to continue to
work under conditions which are absolutely paralysing to others.
Never was such a sturdy, active, undefeatable little man.
So far as one can gather, the story of this journey in brief
is much as follows: The party reached the Barrier two days after
leaving C. Evans, still pulling their full load of 250 lbs.
per man; the snow surface then changed completely and grew worse
and worse as they advanced. For one day they struggled on as
before, covering 4 miles, but from this onward they were forced
to relay, and found the half load heavier than the whole one
had been on the sea ice. Meanwhile the temperature had been
falling, and now for more than a week the thermometer fell below
-60°. On one night the minimum showed -71°, and on the
next -77°, 109° of frost. Although in this truly fearful
cold the air was comparatively still, every now and again little
puffs of wind came eddying across the snow plain with blighting
effect. No civilised being has ever encountered such conditions
before with only a tent of thin canvas to rely on for shelter.
We have been looking up the records to-day and find that Amundsen
on a journey to the N. magnetic pole in March encountered temperatures
similar in degree and recorded a minimum of 79°; but he
was with Esquimaux who built him an igloo shelter nightly; he
had a good measure of daylight; the temperatures given are probably
'unscreened' from radiation, and finally, he turned homeward
and regained his ship after five days' absence. Our party went
outward and remained absent for five weeks .
It took
the best part of a fortnight to cross the coldest region, and
then rounding C. Mackay they entered the wind-swept area. Blizzard
followed blizzard, the sky was constantly overcast and they
staggered on in a light which was little better than complete
darkness; sometimes they found themselves high on the slopes
of Terror on the left of their track, and sometimes diving into
the pressure ridges on the right amidst crevasses and confused
ice disturbance. Reaching the foothills near C. Crozier, they
ascended 800 feet, then packed their belongings over a moraine
ridge and started to build a hut. It took three days to build
the stone walls and complete the roof with the canvas brought
for the purpose. Then at last they could attend to the object
of the journey.
The scant twilight at midday was so short
that they must start in the dark and be prepared for the risk
of missing their way in returning without light. On the first
day in which they set forth under these conditions it took them
two hours to reach the pressure ridges, and to clamber over
them roped together occupied nearly the same time; finally they
reached a place above the rookery where they could hear the
birds squawking, but from which they were quite unable to find
a way down. The poor light was failing and they returned to
camp. Starting again on the following day they wound their way
through frightful ice disturbances under the high basalt cliffs;
in places the rock overhung, and at one spot they had to creep
through a small channel hollowed in the ice. At last they reached
the sea ice, but now the light was so far spent they were obliged
to rush everything. Instead of the 2000 or 3000 nesting birds
which had been seen here in Discovery days, they could now only
count about 100; they hastily killed and skinned three to get
blubber for their stove, and collecting six eggs, three of which
alone survived, they dashed for camp.
It is possible
the birds are deserting this rookery, but it is also possible
that this early date found only a small minority of the birds
which will be collected at a later one. The eggs, which have
not yet been examined, should throw light on this point. Wilson
observed yet another proof of the strength of the nursing instinct
in these birds. In searching for eggs both he and Bowers picked
up rounded pieces of ice which these ridiculous creatures had
been cherishing with fond hope.
The light had failed
entirely by the time the party were clear of the pressure ridges
on their return, and it was only by good luck they regained
their camp.
That night a blizzard commenced, increasing
in fury from moment to moment. They now found that the place
chosen for the hut for shelter was worse than useless. They
had far better have built in the open, for the fierce wind,
instead of striking them directly, was deflected on to them
in furious whirling gusts. Heavy blocks of snow and rock placed
on the roof were whirled away and the canvas ballooned up, tearing
and straining at its securings--its disappearance could only
be a question of time. They had erected their tent with some
valuables inside close to the hut; it had been well spread and
more than amply secured with snow and boulders, but one terrific
gust tore it up and whirled it away. Inside the hut they waited
for the roof to vanish, wondering what they could do if it went,
and vainly endeavouring to make it secure. After fourteen hours
it went, as they were trying to pin down one corner. The smother
of snow was on them, and they could only dive for their sleeping-bags
with a gasp. Bowers put his head out once and said, 'We're all
right,' in as near his ordinary tones as he could compass. The
others replied 'Yes, we're all right,' and all were silent for
a night and half a day whilst the wind howled on; the snow entered
every chink and crevasse of the sleeping-bags, and the occupants
shivered and wondered how it would all end.
This gale
was the same (July 23) in which we registered our maximum wind
force, and it seems probable that it fell on C. Crozier even
more violently than on us.
The wind fell at noon the
following day; the forlorn travellers crept from their icy nests,
made shift to spread their floor-cloth overhead, and lit their
primus. They tasted their first food for forty-eight hours and
began to plan a means to build a shelter on the homeward route.
They decided that they must dig a large pit nightly and cover
it as best they could with their floorcloth. But now fortune
befriended them; a search to the north revealed the tent lying
amongst boulders a quarter of a mile away, and, strange to relate,
practically uninjured, a fine testimonial for the material used
in its construction. On the following day they started homeward,
and immediately another blizzard fell on them, holding them
prisoners for two days. By this time the miserable condition
of their effects was beyond description. The sleeping-bags were
far too stiff to be rolled up, in fact they were so hard frozen
that attempts to bend them actually split the skins; the eiderdown
bags inside Wilson's and C.-G.'s reindeer covers served but
to fitfully stop the gaps made by such rents. All socks, finnesko,
and mits had long been coated with ice; placed in breast pockets
or inside vests at night they did not even show signs of thawing,
much less of drying. It sometimes took C.-G. three-quarters
of an hour to get into his sleeping-bag, so flat did it freeze
and so difficult was it to open. It is scarcely possible to
realise the horrible discomforts of the forlorn travellers as
they plodded back across the Barrier with the temperature again
constantly below -60°. In this fashion they reached Hut
Point and on the following night our home quarters.
Wilson
is disappointed at seeing so little of the penguins, but to
me and to everyone who has remained here the result of this
effort is the appeal it makes to our imagination as one of the
most gallant stories in Polar History. That men should wander
forth in the depth of a Polar night to face the most dismal
cold and the fiercest gales in darkness is something new; that
they should have persisted in this effort in spite of every
adversity for five full weeks is heroic. It makes a tale for
our generation which I hope may not be lost in the telling.
Moreover the material results are by no means despicable.
We shall know now when that extraordinary bird the Emperor penguin
lays its eggs, and under what conditions; but even if our information
remains meagre concerning its embryology, our party has shown
the nature of the conditions which exist on the Great Barrier
in winter. Hitherto we have only imagined their severity; now
we have proof, and a positive light is thrown on the local climatology
of our Strait.
Experience of Sledging Rations and Equipment
For our future sledge work several points have been most
satisfactorily settled. The party went on a very simple food
ration in different and extreme proportions; they took pemmican,
butter, biscuit and tea only. After a short experience they
found that Wilson, who had arranged for the greatest quantity
of fat, had too much of it, and C.-G., who had gone for biscuit,
had more than he could eat. A middle course was struck which
gave a general proportion agreeable to all, and at the same
time suited the total quantities of the various articles carried.
In this way we have arrived at a simple and suitable ration
for the inland plateau. The only change suggested is the addition
of cocoa for the evening meal. The party contented themselves
with hot water, deeming that tea might rob them of their slender
chance of sleep.
On sleeping-bags little new can be said--the
eiderdown bag may be a useful addition for a short time on a
spring journey, but they soon get iced up.
Bowers did
not use an eiderdown bag throughout, and in some miraculous
manner he managed to turn his reindeer bag two or three times
during the journey. The following are the weights of sleeping-bags
before and after:
Starting Weight. Final Weight. Wilson,
reindeer and eiderdown 17 40 Bowers, reindeer only 17 33 C.-Garrard,
reindeer and eiderdown 18 45
This gives some idea of
the ice collected.
The double tent has been reported
an immense success. It weighed about 35 lbs. at starting and
60 lbs. on return: the ice mainly collected on the inner tent.
The crampons are much praised, except by Bowers, who has
an eccentric attachment to our older form. We have discovered
a hundred details of clothes, mits, and footwear: there seems
no solution to the difficulties which attach to these articles
in extreme cold; all Wilson can say, speaking broadly, is 'the
gear is excellent, excellent.' One continues to wonder as to
the possibilities of fur clothing as made by the Esquimaux,
with a sneaking feeling that it may outclass our more civilised
garb. For us this can only be a matter of speculation, as it
would have been quite impossible to have obtained such articles.
With the exception of this radically different alternative,
I feel sure we are as near perfection as experience can direct.
At any rate we can now hold that our system of clothing
has come through a severer test than any other, fur included.
Effect of Journey
Wilson lost 3 1/2 lbs.; Bowers lost
2 1/2 lbs.; C.-Garrard lost 1 lb.
CHAPTER XIII
- THE RETURN OF THE SUN