Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/461

Keohane and Demetri, lower ourselves over the cliffs and make for Cape Evans. Leaving Cherry-Garrard necessarily at Hut Point to look after the dogs, we made our way along the peninsula and had only slight difficulty in lowering ourselves and the sledge over the cliffs with the Alpine rope. On this occasion our luck was most distinctly in. We had reached this place about 10 miles from Cape Evans at 2.30 in the afternoon; we then expected, owing to the bad surface of new sea ice, to have a pull lasting well on to 12 midnight, instead of which the ice had a firm and even surface and was devoid of any slush and ice-flowers such as are usual. We set sail before a strong falling breeze, and all sitting on the sledge had reached the Glacier Tongue in twenty minutes. We clambered over the Tongue, and our luck and the breeze still holding, we reached Cape Evans, completing the last seven miles all sitting on the sledge in an hour. There I called together all the members and explained the situation, telling them what had been done and what I then proposed to do, also asking them for their advice in this trying time. The opinion was almost unanimous that all that was possible had been already done. Owing to the lateness of the year and the likelihood of our being unable to make our way up the coast to Campbell one or two members suggested that another journey might be made to Corner Camp. Knowing the conditions which had lately prevailed on the Barrier, I took it upon myself to decide the uselessness of this.

April 11 and 12 were spent in preparing gear and securing provisions.