Yet I feel sure that
it is the right thing to attempt a march, since if we can make five or
seven miles a day to the north-west our chance of reaching safety in
the months to come will be increased greatly. There is a psychological
aspect to the question also. It will be much better for the men in
general to feel that, even though progress is slow, they are on their
way to land than it will be simply to sit down and wait for the tardy
north-westerly drift to take us out of this cruel waste of ice. We
will make an attempt to move. The issue is beyond my power either to
predict or to control."
That afternoon Wild and I went out in the mist and snow to find a road
to the north-east. After many devious turnings to avoid the heavier
pressure-ridges, we pioneered a way for at least a mile and a half.
and then returned by a rather better route to the camp. The pressure
now was rapid in movement and our floe was suffering from the shakes
and jerks of the ice. At 3 p.m., after lunch, we got under way,
leaving Dump Camp a mass of debris. The order was that personal gear
must not exceed two pounds per man, and this meant that nothing but
bare necessaries was to be taken on the march. We could not afford to
cumber ourselves with unnecessary weight. Holes had been dug in the
snow for the reception of private letters and little personal trifles,
the Lares and Penates of the members of the Expedition, and into the
privacy of these white graves were consigned much of sentimental value
and not a little of intrinsic worth.
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