CHAPTER XV 

 THE LAST WEEKS AT CAPE EVANS 



Friday, October 6. — With the rise of temperature there has 

 been a slight thaw in the hut; the drips come down the walls 

 and one has found my diary, as its pages show. The drips are 

 already decreasing, and if they represent the whole accumulation 

 of winter moisture it is extraordinarily little, and speaks highly 

 for the design of the hut. There cannot be very much more or 

 the stains would be more significant. 



Yesterday I had a good look at Jehu and became con- 

 vinced that he is useless; he is much too weak to pull a load, 

 and three weeks can make no difference. It is necessary to 

 face the facts and I've decided to leave him behind — we must 

 do with nine ponies. Chinaman is rather a doubtful quantity 

 and James Pigg is not a tower of strength, but the other seven 

 are in fine form and must bear the brunt of the work somehow. 



If we suffer more loss we shall depend on the motor, and 

 then ! . . . well, one must face the bad as well as the good. 



It is some comfort to know that six of the animals at least 

 are in splendid condition — Victor, Snippets, Christopher, Nobby, 

 Bones are as fit as ponies could well be and are naturally strong, 

 well-shaped beasts, whilst little Michael, though not so shapely, 

 is as strong as he will ever be. 



To-day Wilson, Oates, Cherry-Garrard, and Crean have 

 gone to Hut Point with their ponies, Oates getting off with 

 Christopher after some difficulty. At 5 o'clock the Hut Point 

 telephone bell suddenly rang (the line was laid by Meares some 

 time ago, but hitherto there has been no communication). In 

 a minute or two we heard a voice, and behold ! communication 

 was established. I had quite a talk with Meares and afterwards 

 with Oates. Not a very wonderful fact, perhaps, but it seems 

 wonderful in this primitive land to be talking to one's fellow 

 beings 15 miles away. Oates told me that the ponies had ar- 



