236 DEPOT JOURNEYS 



lofty pressure ridges, three or four of them, to the 

 eastward. We estimated their distance at about six 

 miles. Next day, March 7, we had the same experience 

 that Shackleton mentions on several occasions. The 

 morning began clear and fine, with a temperature of 

 - 40 F. In the course of the forenoon a breeze sprang 

 up from the south-east, and increased to a gale during 

 the afternoon. The temperature rose rapidly, and when 

 we pitched our camp at three in the afternoon it was 

 only - 0'4 F. At our camping-place that morning we 

 left a case of dogs' pemmican, for use on the homeward 

 journey, and marked the way to the south with splin- 

 ters of board at every kilometre. Our distance that 

 day was only twelve and a half miles. Our dogs, 

 especially mine, looked miserable terribly emaciated. 

 It was clear that they could only reach 82 S. at the 

 farthest. Even then the homeward journey would be 

 a near thing. 



We decided that evening to be satisfied with reach- 

 ing 82, and then return. During this latter part of 

 the trip we put up our two tents front to front, so that 

 the openings joined; in this way we were able to send 

 the food direct from one tent to the other without 

 going outside, and that was a great advantage. This 

 circumstance led to a radical alteration in our camping 

 system, and gave us the idea of the best five-man tent 

 that has probably yet been seen in the Polar regions. 

 As we lay dozing that evening in our sleeping-bags, 



