Mallory confides in Sandy with his new plan

2nd June 1924

On 2 June Sandy was up again in the small hours, this time preparing breakfast for Norton and Somervell. They left for their summit attempt at 6 a.m. with two porters. One of Mallory’s porters came into Camp IV at about 10a.m., ‘very done in'. He reported that the others were pushing on. An hour later Sandy looked up again and spotted the first party, Mallory, Bruce and the remaining porters, returning. He was surprised. He set two primus stoves going for drinks and soup and, picking up a rope, set out to meet them at the Col. 

The porters were exhausted and had been unable to tolerate the wind at Camp V. Geoffrey Bruce, having strained his heart, was keen to get down to a lower altitude as soon as possible. Mallory was tired but preoccupied. Before he retired to his tent Mallory confided in Sandy his idea for another attempt, this time with oxygen and this time with Sandy. 

This was exactly what Sandy wanted to hear. He hotfooted it straight down to Camp III with Hazard and Geoffrey Bruce and began to prepare the apparatus. He confided in Odell that he was delighted at the turn of events and Odell remarked later that he had exhibited real boyish enthusiasm at the thought of getting the chance he had seen slipping away from him over the last few days. His excitement was palpable, tempered only by the appalling sunburn he had suffered through the wind and sun at Camp IV. 'My face was badly cut by the sun and wind on the Col and my lips are cracked to bits which makes eating very unpleasant.’