The Worst Journey in the World (64 page)

The day has been full of adventure. At first we got into some very rough
stuff, with plenty of crevasses. Had to get rid of the ski and put our
thinking cap on, as we had not got under way long before we were at the
top of some ice-falls; these probably are what Shackleton spoke of. We
could see it meant a descent of 600/700 feet, or make a big circuit,
which meant a lot of time and a big delay, and this we cant afford just
now, so we decided on the descent into the valley. This proved a
difficult task, as we had no crampons, having left them at Mt. Darwin
Depôt; but we managed after a time by getting hold of the sledge each
side and allowing her to run into a big lump of pressure which was we
knew a risky thing to do. It took us up to lunch time to reach the
valley, where we camped for lunch, where we all felt greatly relieved,
having accomplished the thing safely, no damage to ourselves or the
sledge, but we lost one of Crean's ski sticks. Some of the crevasses we
crossed were 100 to 200 feet wide, but well bridged in the centre, but
the edges were very dangerous indeed. This is where the snow and ice
begins to roll down the glacier. After starting on our way again we found
we had to climb the hill. Things dont look very nice ahead again
to-night. We dont seem to be more than a day's run from the depôt, but it
will surprise me if we reach it by to-morrow night; if not we shall have
to go on short rations, as our supply is nearly run out, and we have not
lost any time, but we knew on starting we had to average 15½ miles per
day to reach it in time.

13th January 1912.

This has been a very bad day for us, what with ice-falls and crevasses.
We feel all full up to-night. The strain is tremendous some days. We are
camped, but not at the depôt, but we hope to pick it up some time
to-morrow. We shall be glad to get off the Summit, as the temperature is
very low. We expected the party would have reached the Pole yesterday,
providing they had anything of luck.

(Scott reached the Pole on January 17.)

14th January 1912.

Sunday, we reached the Mt. Darwin Depôt at 2 P.M. and camped for lunch.
We had just enough now for our meal; this is cutting it a bit fine. We
have now taken our 3½ days' allowance, which has got to take us another
57 miles to the Cloudmaker Depôt. This we shall do if we all keep as fit
as we seem just now. We left a note at the depôt to inform the Captain of
our safe arrival, wishing them the best of a journey home. We are quite
cheerful here to-night, after having put things right at the depôt, where
we found the sugar exposed to the sun; it had commenced to melt, but we
put everything alright before we left, and picked up our crampons and
got away as soon as we could. We know there is not much time to spare. We
are now beginning to descend rapidly. To-night it is quite warm, and our
tea and food is warmer. Things are going pretty favourable. We are
looking forward to making good runs down the glacier. We have had some
very heavy dragging lately
(up)
the sharp rises we found on the outward
journey. After a sharp rise we found a long gradual run down, two and
three miles in length. We noticed this on our outward journey and
remarked on it, but coming back the long uphill drag we found out was
pretty heavy work.

15th January 1912.

Had a good run to-day but the ice was very rough and very much crevassed,
but with crampons on we made splendid progress. We did not like to stop,
but we thought it would not be advisable to overdo our strength as it is
a long way to go yet.

16th January 1912.

We made good headway again to-day, but to-night we camped in some very
rough ice and pressure ridges. We are under the impression we are
slightly out of our proper course, but Mr. Evans thinks we cant be very
far out either way, and Crean and I are of the same opinion according to
the marks on the land. Anyhow we hope to get out of it in the morning and
make the Cloudmaker Depôt by night. We shall then feel safe, but the
weather dont look over promising again to-night, I am thinking. So far we
have not had to stop for weather. We have wondered if the Pole Party have
been as lucky with the weather as we have. They ought by now to be
homeward bound. We have more chance now of writing as the temperature is
much better down here. To-night we have been discussing how the dogs got
home, and also the progress made by the Doctor's
(Atkinson)
Party. They
ought to be nearing home. We have thought of the time it will take us to
reach it at the rate we are getting along now.

17th January 1912.

We have to-day experienced what we none of us ever wants to be our lot
again. I cannot describe the maze we got into and the hairbreadth escapes
we have had to pass through to-day. This day we shall remember all our
lives. The more we tried to get clear the worse the pressure got; at
times it seemed almost impossible for us to get along, and when we had
got over the places it was more than we could face to try and retreat; so
we struggled on for hours to try and free ourselves, but everything
seemed against us. I was leading with a long trace so that I could get
across some of the ridges when we thought it possible to get the sledge
over without being dashed down into the fathomless pits each side of us
which were too numerous to think of. Often and often we saw openings
where it was possible to drop the biggest ship afloat in and loose her.
This is what we have travelled over all day. It has been a great strain
on us all, and Mr. Evans is rather down and thinks he has led us into
such a hole, but as we have told him it is no fault of his, as it is
impossible for anyone coming down the glacier to see what is ahead of
them, so we must be thankful that we are so far safe. To-night we seem to
be in a better place. We have camped not being able to reach the depôt,
which we are certain is not far off. Dont want many days like this.

18th January 1912.

We started off all in good spirits trusting we should be able to reach
the depôt all in good time, but we had not got far before we came into
pressure far worse than we were in yesterday. My God! what a day this
have been for us all. I cannot describe what we really have to-day come
through, no one could believe that we came through with safety, if we had
only had a camera we could have obtained some photographs that would have
surprised anyone living. We travelled all day with very little food, as
we are a day and a half overdue, but when we got clear, I can say "clear"
now because I am dotting down this at the depôt where we have arrived. I
had managed to keep behind just a small amount of biscuit and a drop of
tea to liven us up to try and reach the depôt, which we reached at 11
P.M. after one of the most trying days of my life. Shall have reason to
never forget the 17 and 18 of January, 1912. To-night Mr. Evans is
complaining of his eyes, more trouble ahead!

19th January 1912.

After putting the depôt in order and re-arranging things, we kicked off
again for D.
(Lower Glacier)
Depôt. Mr. Evans' eyes were very bad on
starting this morning, but we made a pretty good start. I picked some
rock to-day which I intend to try and get back with, as it is the only
chance we have had of getting any up to the present, and it seemed a
funny thing: the rock I got some pieces of looked as if someone before me
had been chipping some off. I wonder if it was the Doctor's party, but we
could not see any trace of their sledge, but we could account for that,
as it was all blue ice and not likely to leave any marks behind. After
travelling for some distance we got on the same ridge as we ran along on
the outward Journey and passed what we took to be the Doctor's Xmas Camp.
We had not gone far past before we got into soft snow, so we decided to
camp for lunch. Mr. Evans' eyes being very bad indeed, we are travelling
now on our own, I am leading and telling him the course I am steering,
that is the different marks on the mountains, but we shall keep on this
ridge for some distance yet. After lunch to-day we did not proceed far
before we decided to camp, the surface being so bad and Mr. Evans' eyes
so bad, we thought it would do us all good to have a rest. Last night we
left a note for Capt. Scott, but did not say much about our difficulties
just above the Cloudmaker, as it would be better to tell him when we see
him.

20th January 1912.

We did not get away very smart to-day, but as we found the surface very
soft, we decided to go on ski. Mr. Evans is still suffering with his eyes
and badly, after getting his ski on we tied him on to the trace so that
he could help to drag a bit, when we were troubling about the ridges we
came over on our outward Journey, but strange to say we never
encountered any ridges at all and the surface, although very soft, was
the best I have ever sledged over ever since I have been at it. We
fancied on our left or to the west we saw what we took to be the ridges
what we seem to have missed altogether, although Mr. Evans have been
blind and could not see anything at all we have made splendid progress
and covered at least 20 miles, as near as we can guess. We passed to-day
one of the Doctor's homeward bound camps, and kept on their track for
some time, but finally lost it. We are camped to-night and we all feel
confident we shall, if the weather remains good, reach the depôt
to-morrow night.

21st January 1912.

Sunday: We started off as usual, again on ski, the weather again being
favourable. Mr. Evans' eyes is still bad, but improving. It will be a
good job when they are better. I picked up our outward bound course soon
after we started this morning and asked Mr. Evans if I should try and
keep it, as it will save him the trouble of directing me, and another
thing we came out without going through any crevasses and I have noticed
a good many crevasses to-day what seems to be very dangerous ones, and on
two occasions where our sledges
(on the outward journey)
had gone over,
two of the crevasses had fallen through. We accomplished the journey from
the Cloudmaker to this depôt in three days. We all feel quite proud of
our performance. Mr. Evans is a lot better to-night and old Tom is giving
us a song while he is covering up the tent with snow. We have re-arranged
the depôt and left our usual note for Capt. Scott, wishing them a speedy
return. To-morrow we hope to see and reach the Barrier, and be clear of
the Beardmore for ever. We none of us minds the struggle we have been
through to attain the amount of success so far reached. It is all for the
good of science, as Crean says. We reached the depôt at 6.45 P.M.

22nd January 1912.

We made a good start this morning and Mr. Evans' eyes is got pretty well
alright again, so things looks a bit brighter. After starting we soon
got round the corner from the Granite Pillars to between the mainland and
Mt. Hope, on rising up on the slope between the mountain and the
mainland, as soon as we sighted the Barrier, Crean let go one huge yell
enough to frighten the ponies out of their graves of snow, and no more
Beardmore for me after this. When we began to descend on to the Barrier
it only required one of us to drag the sledge down to within a mile of
the pony and sledge depôt, after exchanging our sledge as arranged,
picking up a small amount of pony meat, and fitted up bamboo for mast so
that we shall be able to fix up a sail when favourable, we proceeded on
our way to cross the Barrier. We have now 360 miles to travel
geographically to get to Hut Point. Mr. Evans complained to me while
outside the tent that he had a stiffness at the back of his legs behind
the knees. I asked him what he thought it was, and he said could not
account for it, so if he dont soon get rid of it I am to have a look and
see if anything is the matter with him, as I know from what I have seen
and been told before the symptoms of scurvy is pains and swelling behind
the knee round the ankle and loosening of the teeth, ulcerated gums.
To-night I watched to see his gums, and I am convinced he is on the point
of something anyhow, and this I have spoken to Crean about, but he dont
seem to realise it. But I have asked him to wait developments for a time.
It seems we are in for more trouble now, but lets hope for the best.

23rd January 1912.

We got away pretty well and did a good journey, having covered about 14
miles over a fairly good surface. We have passed the Blizzard Camp and
glad of it too, again to-day we saw in several places where the bridges
on the crevasses had fallen through. A good job they none of them fell
through when we were going over them as the width would have taken all
through with them, and in every case where they had fallen through was
where we had gone over, as the mark of the sledge was very distinct in
each case. Mr. Evans seems better to-day.

24th January 1912.

Did a good run to-day over a good surface. The weather have been very
warm, not much to write to-night as everything is going well.

25th January 1912.

Started off in very thick weather, the temperature is very high and the
snow is wet and clogging all day on our ski, which made dragging heavy,
and towards evening it got worse. After lunch we got a good breeze for an
hour, when it changed to a blizzard and almost rained. We saw the depôt
ahead sometimes, so we tried to reach it as we thought we might be in for
another few days like we had near the land on our outward journey. Anyhow
we reached it after a tremendous struggle owing to the wet and bad light.
I took off my ski and carried them on my shoulder to finish up the last
half a mile. The blizzard died down after we had camped and turned in for
the night. Looked at the thermometer which showed 34.

26th January 1912.

This have been a most wonderful day for surface. This morning when we
started the thermometer stood at 34, much too high for sledging. We were
on ski or we might have been on stilts for the amount of snow clogging on
our ski, dont know how we should have got on without our ski, as the snow
was so very soft we sank right in when we tried to go on foot, but we
were fortunate to get the wind behind us and able to make use of the
sail. We made a very good day of it, did 13 miles: 8 of this after lunch.
I did not feel well outside the tent this morning. I came over quite
giddy and faint, but it passed off quickly and have felt no more of it
all day.