The Worst Journey in the World (63 page)

First Supporting Party (Atkinson, Cherry-Garrard, Wright, Keohane) turned
back in lat. 85° 15' on December 22, 1911. They reached Hut Point January
26, 1912.

Last Supporting Party (Lieut. Evans, Lashly, Crean) turned back in lat.
87° 32' on January 4, 1912. They reached Hut Point February 22, 1912.

Of the three teams which started up the Beardmore Glacier the first to
return, a fortnight after starting the Summit Rations, was known as the
First Supporting Party: the second to return, a month after starting the
Summit Rations, was known as the Last Supporting Party. Of the two
dog-teams under Meares, which had already turned homewards at the bottom
of the glacier after having been brought forward farther than had been
intended, I will speak later.

I am going to say very little about the First Return Party, which
consisted of Atkinson, Wright, Keohane and myself. Atkinson was in
command, and before we left Scott told him to bring the dog-teams out to
meet the Polar Party if, as seemed likely, Meares returned home. Atkinson
is a naval surgeon and you will find this party referred to in Lashly's
diary as "the Doctor's."

"It was a sad job saying good-bye. It was thick, snowing and drifting
clouds when we started back after making the depôt, and the last we saw
of them as we swung the sledge north was a black dot just disappearing
over the next ridge and a big white pressure wave ahead of them.... Scott
said some nice things when we said good-bye. Anyway he has only to
average seven miles a day to get to the Pole on full rations—it's
practically a cert for him. I do hope he takes Bill and Birdie. The view
over the ice-falls and pressure by the Mill Glacier from the top of the
ice-falls is one of the finest things I have ever seen. Atch is doing us
proud."
^[243]

No five hundred mile journey down the Beardmore and across the Barrier
can be uneventful, even in midsummer. We had the same dreary drag, the
same thick weather, fears and anxieties which other parties have had. A
touch of the same dysentery and sickness: the same tumbles and crevasses:
the same Christmas comforts, a layer of plum pudding at the bottom of our
cocoa, and some rocks collected from a moraine under the Cloudmaker: the
same groping for tracks: the same cairns lost and found, the same
snow-blindness and weariness, nightmares, food dreams.... Why repeat?
Comparatively speaking it was a very little journey: and yet the distance
from Cape Evans to the top of the Beardmore Glacier and back is 1164
statute miles. Scott's Southern Journey of 1902-3 was 950 statute miles.

One day only is worth recalling. We got into the same big pressure above
the Cloudmaker which both the other parties experienced. But where the
other two parties made east to get out of it, we went west at Wright's
suggestion: west was right. The day really lives in my memory because of
the troubles of Keohane. He fell into crevasses to the full length of his
harness eight times in twenty-five minutes. Little wonder he looked a bit
dazed. And Atkinson went down into one chasm head foremost: the worst
crevasse fall I've ever seen. But luckily the shoulder straps of his
harness stood the strain and we pulled him up little the worse.

All three parties off the plateau owed a good deal to Meares, who, on his
return with the two dog-teams, built up the cairns which had been
obliterated by the big blizzard of December 5-8. The ponies' walls were
drifted level with the surface, and Meares himself had an anxious time
finding his way home. The dog tracks also helped us a good deal: the dogs
were sinking deeply and making heavy weather of it.

At the Barrier Depôts we found rather despondent notes from Meares about
his progress. To the Southern Barrier Depôt he had uncomfortably high
temperatures and a very soft surface, and found the cairns drifted up and
hard to see. At the Middle Barrier Depôt we found a note from him dated
December 20. "Thick weather and blizzards had delayed him, and once he
had got right off the tracks and had been out from his camp hunting for
them. They were quite well: a little eye strain from searching for
cairns. He was taking a little butter from each bag [of the three depôted
weekly units], and with this would have enough to the next depôt on short
rations."
^[244]
At the Upper Glacier Depôt [Mount Hooper] the news from
Meares was dated Christmas Eve, in the evening: "The dogs were going
slowly but steadily in very soft stuff, especially his last two days.
He was running short of food, having only biscuit crumbs, tea, some
cornflour, and half a cup of pemmican. He was therefore taking fifty
biscuits, and a day's provisions for two men from each of our units. He
had killed one American dog some camps back: if he killed more he was
going to kill Krisravitza who he said was the fattest and laziest. We
shall take on thirty biscuits short."
^[245]
Meares was to have turned
homewards with the two dog-teams in lat. 81° 15'. Scott took him on to
approximately 83° 35'. The dogs had the ponies on which to feed: to make
up the deficiency of man-food we went one biscuit a day short when going
up the Beardmore: but the dogs went back slower than was estimated and
his provisions were insufficient. It was evident that the dog-teams would
arrive too late and be too done to take out the food which had still to
be sledged to One Ton for the three parties returning from the plateau.
It was uncertain whether a man-hauling party with such of this food as
they could drag would arrive at the depôt before us. We might have
to travel the 130 geographical miles from One Ton to Hut Point on the
little food which was already at that depôt and we were saving food by
going on short rations to meet this contingency if it arose. Judge
therefore our joy when we reached One Ton in the evening of January 15 to
find three of the five XS rations which were necessary for the three
parties. A man-hauling party consisting of Day, Nelson, Hooper and
Clissold had brought out this food; they left a note saying the crevasses
near Corner Camp were bad and open. Day and Hooper had reached Cape Evans
from the Barrier on December 21: they started out again on this
depôt-laying trip on December 26.

It is a common experience for men who have been hungry to be ill after
reaching plenty of food. Atkinson was not at all well during our journey
in to Hut Point, which we reached without difficulty on January 26.

When I was looking for data concerning the return of the Last Supporting
Party of which no account has been published, I wrote to Lashly and asked
him to meet and tell me all he could remember. He was very willing, and
added that somewhere or other he had a diary which he had written:
perhaps it might be of use? I asked him to send it me, and was sent some
dirty thumbed sheets of paper. And this is what I read:

3rd January 1912.

Very heavy going to-day. This will be our last night together, as we are
to return to-morrow after going on in the forenoon with the party chosen
for the Pole, that is Capt. Scott, Dr. Wilson, Capt. Oates, Lieut. Bowers
and Taff Evans. The Captain said he was satisfied we were all in good
condition, fit to do the journey, but only so many could go on, so it was
his wish Mr. Evans, Crean and myself should return. He was quite aware we
should have a very stiff job, but we told him we did not mind that,
providing he thought they could reach the Pole with the assistance we had
been able to give them. The first time I have heard we were having mules
coming down to assist us next year. I was offering to remain at Hut
Point, to be there if any help was needed, but the Captain said it was
his and also Capt. Oates' wish if the mules arrived I was to take charge
of and look after them until their return; but if they did not arrive
there was no reason why I should not come to Hut Point and wait their
return. We had a long talk with the owner
(Scott)
in our tent about
things in general and he seemed pretty confident of success. He seemed a
bit afraid of us getting hung up, but as he said we had a splendid
navigator, who he was sure he could trust to pull us through. He also
thanked us all heartily for the way we had assisted in the Journey and he
should be sorry when we parted. We are of course taking the mail, but
what a time before we get back to send it. We are nearly as far as
Shackleton was on his Journey. I shall not write more to-night, it is too
cold.

4th January 1912.

We accompanied the Pole party for about five miles and everything seemed
to be going pretty well and Capt. Scott said they felt confident they
could pull the load quite well, so there was no more need for us to go
on farther; so we stopped and did all the talking we could in a short
time. We wished them every success and a safe return, and asked each one
if there was anything we could do for them when we got back, but they
were all satisfied they had left nothing undone, so the time came for the
last handshake and good-bye. I think we all felt it very much. They then
wished us a speedy return and safe, and then they moved off. We gave them
three cheers, and watched them for a while until we began to feel cold.
Then we turned and started for home. We soon lost sight of each other. We
travelled a long time so as to make the best of it while the weather was
suitable, as we have to keep up a good pace on the food allowance. It
wont do to lay up much. One thing since we left Mt. Darwin, we have had
weather we could travel in, although we have not seen the sun much of
late. We did 13 miles as near as we can guess by the cairns we have
passed. We have not got a sledge meter so shall have to go by guess all
the way home.

(Owing to the loss of a sledge meter on the Beardmore Glacier one of the
three parties had to return without one. A sledge meter gives the
navigator his dead reckoning, indicating the miles travelled, like the
log of a ship. To be deprived of it in a wilderness of snow without
landmarks adds enormously to the difficulties and anxieties of a sledge
party.)

5th January 1912.

We were up and off this morning, the weather being fine but the surface
is about the same, the temperature keeps low. We have got to change our
pulling billets. Crean has become snow-blind to-day through being leader,
so I shall have the job to-morrow, as Mr. Evans seems to get blind rather
quickly, so if I lead and he directs me from behind we ought to get along
pretty well. I hope my eyes will keep alright. We made good 17 miles and
camped.

6th January 1912.

We are making good progress on the surface we have to contend with. We
picked up the 3 Degree Depôt soon after noon, which puts us up to time.
We took our provision for a week. We have got to reach Mt. Darwin Depôt,
a distance of 120 miles, with 7 days' provisions. We picked up our ski
and camped for the night. We have been wondering if the others have got
the same wind as us. If so it is right in their face, whereas it is at
our back, a treat to what it is facing it. Crean's eyes are pretty bad
to-night. Snow-blindness is an awful complaint, and no one I can assure
you looks forward with pleasure when it begins to attack.

7th January 1912.

We have had a very good day as far as travelling goes, the wind has been
behind us and is a great help to us. We have been on ski all day for the
first time. It seems a good change to footing it, the one thing day after
day gets on one's nerves. Crean's eyes are a bit better to-day, but far
from being well. The temperature is pretty low, which dont improve the
surface for hauling, but we seem to be getting along pretty well. We have
no sledge meter so we have to go by guess. Mr. Evans says we done 17½
miles, but I say 16½. I am not going to over-estimate our day's run, as I
am taking charge of the biscuits so that we dont over-step the mark. This
we have all agreed to so that we should exactly know how we stand, from
day to day. I am still leading, not very nice as the light is bad. We
caught a glimpse of the land to the east of us, but could only have been
a mirage.

8th January 1912.

On turning out this morning we found it was blowing a bliz. so it was
almost a case of having to remain in camp, but on second thoughts we
thought it best to kick off as we cant afford to lay up on account of
food, so thought it best to push on. I wonder if the Pole Party have
experienced this. If so they could not travel as it would be in their
face, where we have got it at our back. We have lost the outward bound
track, so have decided to make a straight line to Mt. Darwin, which will
be on Shackleton's course according to his and Wild's Diary.

(Each of the three parties which went forward up the Beardmore Glacier
carried extracts from the above diaries. Wild was Shackleton's right-hand
man in his Southern Journey in 1908.)

9th January 1912.

Travelling is very difficult, bad light and still blizzing; it would have
been impossible to keep in touch with the cairns in this weather. I am
giving 12 miles to-night. The weather have moderated a bit and looks a
bit more promising. Can see land at times.

10th January 1912.

The light is still very bad, with a good deal of drift, but we must push
on as we are a long way from our depôt, but we hope to reach it before
our provisions run out. I am keeping a good eye on them. Crean's eyes
have got alright again now.

11th January 1912.

Things are a bit better to-day. Could see the land alright and where to
steer for. It is so nice to have something to look at, but I am thinking
we shall all have our work cut out to reach the depôt before our
provisions run short. I am deducting a small portion each meal so that we
shall not have to go without altogether if we don't bring up at the
proper time. Have done about 14 miles.

12th January 1912.