us provisions had gone down with the
horse into the bowels of the ice, Shackleton would have been obliged to
turn back.

Now left without assistance in dragging the sledges, they had to
struggle up the glacier between rocks and slates in which coal was
imbedded. On Christmas Day the temperature was down to-47 deg.--a fine
midsummer!

At length the four men had left all mountains behind, and now a plateau
country of nothing but snow-covered ice stretched before them. But still
the surface of the ice rose towards the heart of the South Polar
continent, and the singing headaches from which they suffered were a
consequence of the elevation. A flag on a bamboo pole was set up as a
landmark.

On January 7 and 8, 1909, they had to lie still in a hard snowstorm, and
the temperature fell to-69 deg. When such is the summer of the South Pole,
what must the winter be like? January 9 was the last day on their march
southwards. Without loads or sledges they hurried on and halted at 88 deg.
23' south latitude.

They were only 100 miles from the South Pole when they had to turn back
from want of provisions. They might have gone on and might have reached
the Pole, but they would never have come back.

The height was more than 10,000 feet above sea-level, and before them,
in the direction of the Pole, extended a boundless flat plateau of
inland ice. The Union Jack was hoisted and a record of their journey
deposited in a cylinder. Shackleton cast a last glance over the ice
towards the Pole, and, sore at heart, gave the order to retreat.

Happily he was able to follow his trail back and succeeded in reaching
his winter quarters, whence his vessel carried him home again in safety.

THE END

_Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh_.

* * * * *

By Dr. SVEN HEDIN

TRANS-HIMALAYA

DISCOVERIES AND ADVENTURES IN TIBET

8vo.

Vols. I. and II. With 388 Illustrations and 10 Maps. 30s. net.

Vol. III. With 156 Illustrations and Maps. 15s. net.

_EVENING STANDARD._--"The great Swede has given his readers a rare
treat.... A record of such perilous journeying and undaunted experiments
as the world has rarely witnessed."

Sir THOMAS HOLDICH in the _WORLD_.--"For all lovers of a good
story of genuine travel and adventure it will be a most delightful book
to read, and the fact that it deals with the hitherto untrodden region
of India's great northern water-parting will render it doubly
int