CHAPTER XIXPRELIMINARY JOURNEYS
Thesun had not yet returned and the temperature was exceedingly low, but theDiscoveryexpedition had proved that it is quite possible to travel under these conditions. Accordingly I started on this preliminary journey on August 12, taking with me Professor David, who was to lead the Northern Party towards the South Magnetic Pole, and Bertram Armytage who was to take charge of the party that was to journey into the mountains of the west later in the year.
We were equipped for a fortnight with provisions and camp gear, packed on one sledge, and had three gallons of petroleum in case we decided to stay out longer. A gallon will last three men for about ten days, and we could get more food at Hut Point if we required it. We took three one-man sleeping bags, for although the larger bags are certainly warmer one's rest in them is very likely to be disturbed by the movements of a companion.
At first the weather was bad and consequently progresswas slow, but although the temperature was about forty degrees below zero we slept soundly at night, and arose praising the one-man sleeping bags.
We reached the oldDiscoverywinter quarters at Hut Point on the morning of August 14, and I took the Professor and Armytage over all the familiar ground.
To me the revisiting of these old scenes was supremely interesting. Here was the place where, years before, when theDiscoverywas lying fast in the ice close to the shore, we used to dig for the ice required for the supply of fresh water. The marks of the picks and shovel could still be seen, and I noticed an old case bedded in the ice, and remembered the day when it had been thrown away. The fascination of the unknown swept upon me as I stood in those familiar surroundings, and I longed to be away towards the south on the journey that I hoped would lay bare the mysteries of the Pole.
The old hut had never been a cheerful place even when we were camped alongside it in theDiscovery, and it looked doubly inhospitable now after standing empty for six years. I proposed, however, to use it as a stores depot in connection with the southern journey, for it was twenty miles further south than our winter quarters. We slept there that night and on the following morning started for our journey across the Barrier.
The chief result of this expedition was to convince me that we could not place much reliance on the motor-car for the southern journey, because the condition of the surface on the Barrier varied from mile to mile, and it would be impossible to keep changing the wheels of the car so as to meet the requirements of each new surface.
Professor David and Armytage had also received a good baptism of frost, and as it was desirable that every member of the expedition should have personal experienceof travelling over ice and snow in low temperatures before the real work began, I arranged to dispatch a small party every week to sledge stores and equipment south to Hut Point.
I did not hesitate to let these parties face bad weather, because the road was well known, and a rough experience would be useful to men later on. Each party returned with adventures to relate, and curiously all of them encountered bad weather, but there were no accidents and the men seemed to enjoy the work.
Early in September Adams, Marshall and I started for Hut Point, and decided to make one march of the twenty-three miles, and not camp on the way. A blizzard, however, struck us when we were near our goal, and abandoning the extra weights we were pulling for the depot, we managed to reach the hut in a sorely frost-bitten condition. I mention this to show how constantly one has to guard against the onslaughts of the elements in the inhospitable regions of the south.
By the middle of September a good supply of provisions, oil and gear was stored at Hut Point, in fact everything needed for the southern journey had been taken there so that the start might be made from the most southern base available. Also while the men were gaining experience the ponies were being given exercise, and I felt that these little Manchurian animals were going to justify my confidence. After many experiments I concluded that 650 lb. per pony should be the maximum load, this weight including the sledge itself which weighed about 60 lb.
When the question of weight came to be considered I realised more than ever the seriousness of the loss of the other four ponies. It was evident that we could not take to the Pole as much food as I would have liked.
The Leader of the Expedition in Winter Garb
The Leader of the Expedition in Winter Garb
On September 22 I started out again with a party consisting of Adams, Marshall, Wild, Marston and Joyce and myself to place a depot 160 statute miles south of theDiscoverywinter quarters, the depot to consist of pony maize. The loads were about 170 lb. per man, and the journey was a severe one, for at times the temperature got down to 59° below zero Fahr.
We reached the main depot in latitude 79° 36′ South, longitude 168° East on October 6, and this we called "Depot A." It was marked with an upturned sledge and a black flag on a bamboo rod, and here we deposited a gallon tin of oil and 167 lb. of pony maize so that our load would be materially reduced for the first portion of the journey south.
The weather was shockingly severe on our return journey, and we did not reach the oldDiscoverywinter quarters until October 13, but continuing our march home on the following day we were lucky enough to meet the motor-car, and with the sledges hitched on, we drove triumphantly back to winter quarters.
During our absence the Northern Party, consisting of Professor David, Mawson and Mackay, had started on their journey to the South Magnetic Pole. I said good-bye to the Professor and his two companions on September 22 and we did not meet again until March 1, 1909.