206 SCOTT’S LAST EXPEDITION [FEBRUARY 
ling limit for the time of year. As there was no dog food in any 
of the depots except at Corner Camp or along any of the route, 
it meant that 24 days was the limit of their usefulness. Again, it 
cannot be too firmly emphasized that the dog teams were meant 
merely to hasten the return of the Southern Party and by no 
means as a relief expedition. 
The next two days, February 25 and 26, were devoted to 
giving the dogs a much needed rest and to making up provisions 
and dog food. Indeed, owing to bad weather, it would have been 
impossible to have made a start on these days. This following 
record of the journey of the two dog teams is taken entirely from 
Cherry-Garrard’s diary. 
February 26.—Since it looked fair last night, at 2 A.M. they 
decided to start. There was a strong wind and a fair amount 
of drift at the time. The dogs proceeded well to Safety Camp 
and then on to the biscuit depot, 15 miles from Hut Point. There 
they were rested for a short while and finally started at 6 P.M., 
and reached Corner Camp at 10 P.M. The dogs were working 
splendidly and together, and completed the distance of 30 geo- 
graphical miles for the day in thick weather and with a head 
wind. 
On February 27 they again had a head wind and low drift; 
they made good 10 miles and then camped for tea; proceeding 
afterwards over a very good surface but with bad light, they 
completed 1814 miles for the day, seeing but one cairn which 
they only made out when it was 20 yards away. They camped in 
the nick of time, as a blizzard broke upon them and they had 
great difficulty in getting the tent pitched. The dogs pulled well 
and were very fit and not done up. It may be noted in passing 
that the difficulties of camping and breaking camp are enor- 
mously increased in bad weather when there is a unit of only 
two men instead of four. 
Next day, February 28, they started at 7.45 P.M. on a beau- 
tifully clear day and ran 10 miles up to the time they camped for 
tea. ‘The surface was good, with very large sastrugi. On one 
of these, while Demetri was ahead, Cherry-Garrard’s sledge 
upset; he had to unload the sledge partially in order to right it. 
As it was righted the team took charge. Cherry-Garrard clung 
to the sledge but lost his driving stick, and it was not until the 
team had taken him over a mile to the south that they were 
