The Worst Journey in the World Part 14

[87] Wilson's Journal, _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. pp. 613, 614.

[88] See Introduction, p. x.x.xv.

[89] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. p. 87.

[90] The extreme south point of the island, a dozen miles farther, on one of whose minor headlands, Hut Point, stood the Discovery hut.

[91] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. pp. 88-90.

[92] Ibid. p. 91.

[93] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. pp. 52-93.

[94] Ibid. pp. 92-94.

[95] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. p. 111.

[96] Ibid. p. 94.

[97] Ibid. p. 100.

[98] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. p. 230.

[99] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. pp. 113-114.

[100] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. pp. 94-96.

[101] Ibid. p. 106.

[102] My own diary.

[103] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. p. 111.

[104] My own diary.

[105] _The South Pole_, vol. i. p. 278.

[106] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. p. 128.

[107] Ibid. p. 129.

[108] My own diary.

[109] See Introduction, p. x.x.xiv.

[110] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. p. 122.

[111] Ibid. pp. 122-123.

[112] Priestley's diary.

[113] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. p. 127.

[114] Ibid. p. 134.

[115] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. p. 136.

[116] _Scott's Last Expedition_, vol. i. p. 138.

CHAPTER V

THE DEPoT JOURNEY

The dropping of the daylight in the west.

ROBERT BROWNING.

January to March 1911

SCOTT MEARES CREAN WILSON ATKINSON FORDE LIEUT. EVANS CHERRY-GARRARD DIMITRI BOWERS GRAN OATES KEOHANE

Imaginative friends of the thirteen men who started from Cape Evans on January 24, 1911, may have thought of them as athletes, trained for some weeks or months to endure the strains which they were to face, sleeping a good nine hours a night, eating carefully regulated meals and doing an allotted task each day under scientific control.

They would be far from the mark. For weeks we had turned in at midnight too tired to take off our clothes, and had been lucky if we were allowed to sleep until 5 A.M. We had eaten our meals when we could, and we had worked in the meantime just as hard as it was physically possible to do.

If we sat down on a packing-case we went to sleep.

And we finally left the camp in a state of hurry bordering upon panic.

Since the ice to the south of us, the road to the Barrier, was being nibbled away by thaw, winds and tides, it was impossible to lead the ponies down from the Cape on to the sea-ice. The open sea was before us and on our right front. It was necessary to lead them up among the lava blocks which lay on the escarpment of Erebus, south-eastwards towards Land's End, and thence to slide them down a steep but rubbly slope to the ice which still remained. As a matter of fact that ice went out the very next day.

During the last two days provisions had been bagged with the utmost despatch; sledges packed; letters scribbled; clothing sorted and rough alterations to it made. Scott was busy, with Bowers' help, making such arrangements as could be suggested for a further year's stay, for which the s.h.i.+p was to order the necessaries. Oates was busy weighing out the pony food for the journey, sorting harness, and generally managing a most unruly mob of ponies. Many were the arguments as to the relative value of a pair of socks or their equivalent weight in tobacco, for we were allowed 12 lbs. of private gear apiece, to consist of everything which we did not habitually wear on our bodies. This included such things as:

Sleeping-boots.

Sleeping-socks.

Extra pair of day socks.

A s.h.i.+rt.

Tobacco and pipe.

Notebook for diary and pencil.

Extra balaclava helmet.

Extra woollen mitts.

Housewife containing b.u.t.tons, needles, darning needles, thread and wool.

Extra pair of finnesko.

Big safety-pins with which to hang up our socks.

And perhaps one small book.

My most vivid recollection of the day we started is the sight of Bowers, out of breath, very hot, and in great pain from a bad knock which he had given his knee against a rock, being led forward by his big pony Uncle Bill, over whom temporarily he had but little control. He had been left behind in the camp, giving last instructions about the storage of cases and management of provisions, and had practically lost himself in trying to follow us over what was then unknown ground. He was wearing all the clothing which was not included in his personal gear, for he did not think it fair to give the pony the extra weight. He had bruised his leg in an ugly way, and for many days he came to me to bandage it. He was afraid that if he let the doctors see it they would forbid him to go forward. He had had no sleep for seventy-two hours.