. Round about the North pole . the lower robe as forty, the floor-cloth as forty,and everything else was heavier than at the start. The sledges mustered for their journeys on the 3rd ofApril. Seven in number, they were drawn up in singleline according to the seniority of the leaders, all fullyequipped and provisioned, and manned by fifty-threeofficers and men. On each was its commanders banner—a swallow-tailed flag charged with a St. Georgescross and displaying the armorial bearings. As a pre-caution against snow-blindness, the men had beenordered to decorate the backs of their snow-jumperswit
. Round about the North pole . the lower robe as forty, the floor-cloth as forty,and everything else was heavier than at the start. The sledges mustered for their journeys on the 3rd ofApril. Seven in number, they were drawn up in singleline according to the seniority of the leaders, all fullyequipped and provisioned, and manned by fifty-threeofficers and men. On each was its commanders banner—a swallow-tailed flag charged with a St. Georgescross and displaying the armorial bearings. As a pre-caution against snow-blindness, the men had beenordered to decorate the backs of their snow-jumperswith any device they thought fit, the result being a dis-play of comic blazonry that often formed a topic ofconversation when others failed. For the same reasonthe two boats carried on the north-going sledges weregaily decorated with the royal arms, and the rose,shamrock, and thistle ; the artist, as on other occasions,being Doctor Moss, whose great difficulty in the matterwas that in spite of the quantity of turpentine used in. MARKHAM AND PARR 255 mixing the paint it would persist in freezing so that thebrush became as stiff as a stick every few seconds. Lieutenant Aldrich, supported for three weeks byLieutenant Giffard, was to explore the shores of GrantLand, towards the north and west, along the coast-linehe had discovered in the previous autumn. CommanderMarkham, seconded by Lieutenant Parr, was to accom-pany Aldrich to Cape Joseph Henry and then strike offto the northward over the ice. The other three sledgeswere to accompany these as far as their own provisionswould allow, after completing the fours deficiencies andgiving them a fresh start from an advance post. When Markham was only eleven days out, one of hiscrew complained of pain in his ankles and knees, andwas of no help for the rest of the journey. This wasthe first appearance of the scurvy which was to ruin somany hopes, for man after man was taken ill andbecame a passenger. To make matters worse norougher road was
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