Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/72

we had to do here. We saw there was no seal in sight. We saw also that there were only about 100 Emperor penguins instead of a couple of thousand as in 1902 and 1903. They were all standing in one compact group under the ice cliffs of the Barrier a few hundred yards from where we had emerged. We decided to get three penguin skins with their blubber and a few eggs. We therefore left Cherry on the ice foot with the Alpine rope to help us up again from the sea ice. Bowers and I jumped down and went off to the Emperors. We saw at once that some of them were crouching with eggs on their feet, as they tried to shuffle away with them without losing their hold. As we hustled them, however, a good many eggs were dropped and left lying on the ice, or were picked up again by the unemployed birds that saw and took their opportunity to seize an egg. We collected six eggs and killed and skinned three birds, and went back to the ice foot where Cherry was waiting to help us up with the rope. We passed the eggs and skins up, and then by climbing on Bowers' back I also got up; but no amount of combined pulling would lift Bowers, as the rope only cut and jammed into the overhanging cliff of ice. He, however, hunted round till he found a place where he helped himself up by cutting steps while we hauled at the same time. It took a little time, but at last we were all up, and at once started back by the way we had come in a very failing light. Bowers had unfortunately got one leg into a crack in the sea ice, and his crampon, finnesko and socks became frozen into a solid mass. Had we been able to bring the sledge