appearance of being too good!' 'A man can't be too good,
but he can appear too good.'
_Monday, April_ 17.--Started from C. Evans with two 10 ft. sledges.
Party 1. Self, Lashly, Day, Demetri.
,, 2. Bowers, Nelson, Crean, Hooper.
We left at 8 A.M., taking our personal equipment, a week's provision
of sledging food, and butter, oatmeal, flour, lard, chocolate, &c.,
for the hut.
Two of the ponies hauled the sledges to within a mile of the Glacier
Tongue; the wind, which had been north, here suddenly shifted to S.E.,
very biting. (The wind remained north at C. Evans during the afternoon,
the ponies walked back into it.) Sky overcast, very bad light. Found
the place to get on the glacier, but then lost the track-crossed
more or less direct, getting amongst many cracks. Came down in bay
near the open water--stumbled over the edge to an easy drift. More
than once on these trips I as leader have suddenly disappeared from
the sight of the others, affording some consternation till they got
close enough to see what has happened. The pull over sea ice was very
heavy and in face of strong wind and drift. Every member of the party
was frostbitten about the face, several with very cold feet. Pushed
on after repairs. Found drift streaming off the ice cliff, a new
cornice formed and our rope buried at both ends. The party getting
cold, I decided to camp, have tea, and shift foot gear. Whilst tea
was preparing, Bowers and I went south, then north, along the cliffs
to find a place to ascend--nearly everywhere ascent seemed impossible
in the vicinity of Hulton Rocks or north, but eventually we found an
overhanging cornice close to our rope.
After lunch we unloaded a sledge, which, held high on end by four men,
just reached the edge of the cornice. Clambering up over backs and
up sledge I used an ice-axe to cut steps over the cornice and thus
managed to get on top, then cut steps and surmounted the edge of the
cornice. Helped Bowers up with the rope; others followed--then the
gear was hauled up piecemeal. For Crean, the last man up, we lowered
the sledge over the cornice and used a bowline in the other end of
the rope on top of it. He came up grinning with delight, and we all
thought the ascent rather a cunning piece of work. It was fearfully
cold work, but everyone working with rare intelligence, we eventually
got everything up and repacked the sledge; glad to get in harness
again. Then a heavy pull up a steep slo
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