Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/253

rocks. These we examined, but found no sandstone. The drift was very thick, and, about 2, getting on undulating broken ice, I thought it advisable to pitch one tent, lunch, and wait for the weather to clear. About 3.30 the wind became rather worse, so we pitched the other tent and camped, the distance covered in the day being 3 miles. Browning looked very bad, but Dickason's condition is still improving.

October 4.—Blowing hard, with blinding drift. We delayed breakfast until 9 a.m., hoping it would clear, but as there was no improvement in the weather we turned in again, and as we were not marching we went on half rations of biscuit. Very cold.

October 5.—Turned out at six to find a slight improvement, so had breakfast; but before we finished the wind and drift came down on us again as bad as ever, so that there was nothing for it but to coil down in our bags and wait. About noon the weather improved and we were off. The surface soon changed for the better and we made good way through some more scattered moraines which came from the Reeves Glacier. We noticed a marked open water sky to our left and front and pulled on till 6 p.m., hoping to make the inlet, as we wanted salt ice for the hoosh, but without attaining our object. It is impossible to pull longer, as the days are still short and we have no candles. We have made about six miles.

October 6,—We turned out at 5.45 to find the weather thick, but blue sky to the northward. We were back on a snow surface again, so we took the precaution of waxing the runners, with good results.