ze sprang up, and with sail
set I managed to proceed through the snowy "deluge" in short stages. The
snow clung in lumps to the runners, which had to be scraped frequently.
I passed some broken ridges and sank into several holes leading down to
crevasses out of which it was possible to scramble easily.

After laboriously toiling up one long slope, I was just catching my
breath at the top and the sledge was running easily when I noticed
that the surface beneath my feet fell away steeply in front. I suddenly
realized that I was on the brink of a great blue hole like a quarry. The
sledge was following of its own accord and was rapidly gaining speed,
so I turned and, exerting every effort, was just able to hold it back
by means of the hauling-line from the edge of the abyss. I should think
that there must have been an interval of quite a minute during which I
held my ground without being able to make it budge. Then it slowly came
my way, and the imminent danger was past.

The day's march was an extremely hard five miles. Before turning in
I had an extra supper of jelly soup, made by boiling down some of the
dogs' sinews, strengthened with a little pemmican. The acute enjoyment
of eating under these circumstances compensates in a slight measure for
the suffering of starvation.

January 17 was another day of overcast weather and falling snow. Delay
meant a reduction in the ration which was low enough already, so there
was nothing to do but go on.

When I got away at 8 A.M. I found that the pulling was easier than it
had been on the previous day. Nevertheless I covered only two miles and
had to consider myself fortunate in not winding up the whole story then
and there. This is what happened, following the account in my diary.

"Going up a long, fairly steep slope, deeply covered with soft snow,
broke through lid of crevasse but caught myself at thighs, got out,
turned fifty yards to the north, then attempted to cross trend of
crevasse, there being no indication of it; a few moments later found
myself dangling fourteen feet below on end of rope in crevasse--sledge
creeping to mouth--had time to say to myself, 'so this is the end,'
expecting the sledge every moment to crash on my head and all to go to
the unseen bottom--then thought of the food uneaten on the sledge; but
as the sledge pulled up without letting me down, thought of Providence
giving me another chance." The chance was very small considering my
weak condition.