236 SCOTT’S LAST: EXPEDITION [NovemBER 
of from two to four miles apart. The day, which was cloudy, 
cleared towards morning, and was much colder. During this 
time we were marching in temperature which ranged from minus 
20 to the lowest of minus 29. In the day-time, when the sun had 
reached its full height, the temperature would rise almost to 
zero. 
On the night of the 7th and morning of the 8th of Novem- 
ber we made the old Bluff Depot in 79° South and re-built it, 
placing a new flag of black bunting on the pole. Here we left 
two boxes of dog biscuit for the dogs returning on their journey 
back from the south. ‘The surface again continued good, and 
never in any previous experience had it been so hard and good 
as far south as this. 
On the night of the 8th and gth we continued over this same 
good surface, before a slight north-easterly wind and a cold day. 
The dogs had now again begun to fail. They seemed to lack en- 
thusiasm and spirit; I believe that in their case they had had too 
much work upon the Barrier and were spiritless and easily de- 
pressed by the lack of anything to see. In the previous year we 
had had certain ‘ cuts’ of land for the Bluff Depot and Corner 
Camp. It was quite easy to see from these that both camps had 
changed their positions owing to the gradual movement of the 
Barrier, year by year. Approximately, and judging very roughly, 
the movement in either case had been about half a mile for the 
year. , 
On the night of the gth and roth we came again to a curious 
phenomenon of the Barrier surface. As the mules proceeded 
ahead of us loud crackling roars could be heard from time to 
time. ‘These were caused by a subsidence of the surface over a 
large area, as an animal or man trod upon it. The depth of the 
subsidence was only a fraction of an inch, but the resulting report 
was exceedingly loud and startling, if unexpected. The mules 
soon settled down to the roars and became accustomed to them, 
but it was always a source of great interest to the dogs. As soon 
as one of these subsidences with its roar came to them they 
started off at full gallop, expecting at any moment some animal 
to appear. They had been accustomed in Siberia to dig out 
animals lying up snowed in. ‘These subsidences were a great 
help and kept the dogs interested, and they ran very well. 
On the night of the roth and morning of the 11th we made 
ease 
