deg. or
thereabouts now, with no wind instead of the summit winds which are
incessant with temp. -20 deg.."

"_February 10._ ?16 m. We made a very good forenoon march from 10 to 2.45
towards the Cloudmaker. Weather overcast gradually obscured everything in
snowfall fog, starting with crystals of large size.... We had to camp
after 21/2 hours' afternoon march as it got too thick to see anything and
we were going downhill on blue ice...."[335]

[Illustration: BUCKLEY ISLAND--E. A. Wilson, del. Emery Walker Limited,
Collotypers.]

The next day in bad lights and on a bad surface they fell into the same
pressure which both the other returning parties experienced. Like them
they were in the middle of it before they realized. "Then came the fatal
decision to steer east. We went on for 6 hours, hoping to do a good
distance, which I suppose we did, but for the last hour or two we
pressed on into a regular trap. Getting on to a good surface we did not
reduce our lunch meal, and thought all going well, but half an hour after
lunch we got into the worst ice mess I have ever been in. For three hours
we plunged on on ski, first thinking we were too much to the right, then
too much to the left; meanwhile the disturbance got worse and my spirits
received a very rude shock. There were times when it seemed almost
impossible to find a way out of the awful turmoil in which we found
ourselves.... The turmoil changed in character, irregular crevassed
surface giving way to huge chasms, closely packed and most difficult to
cross. It was very heavy work, but we had grown desperate. We won through
at 10 P.M., and I write after 12 hours on the march...."[336]

Wilson continues the story:

"_February 12._ We had a good night just outside the ice-falls and
disturbances, and a small breakfast of tea, thin hoosh and biscuit, and
began the forenoon by a decent bit of travelling on rubbly blue ice in
crampons: then plunged into an ice-fall and wandered about in it for
hours and hours."

"_February 13._ We had one biscuit and some tea after a night's sleep on
very hard and irregular blue ice amongst the ice-fall crevasses. No snow
on the tent, only ski, etc. Got away at 10 A.M. and by 2 P.M. found the
depot, having had a good march over very hard rough blue ice. Only 1/2 hour
in the disturbance of yesterday. The weather was very thick, snowing and
overcast, could only just see the points of bearing for depot. However,
we got there, tired and hun