306 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [October 



day we walked 26^ S stat. miles, not a bad day's work considering 

 condition, but I'm afraid my feet are going to suffer for it. 



Saturday, October 28. — My feet sore and one ' tendon 

 Achillis ' strained (synovitis) ; shall be right in a day or so, 

 however. Last night tremendous row in the stables. Christo- 

 pher and Chinaman discovered fighting. Gran nearly got kicked. 

 These ponies are getting above themselves with their high feed- 

 ing. Oates says that Snippets is still lame and has one leg 

 a little ' heated ' ; not a pleasant item of news. Debenham is 

 progressing but not very fast; the Western Party will leave 

 after us, of that there is no doubt now. It is trying that they 

 should be wasting the season in this way. All things considered, 

 I shall be glad to get away and put our fortune to the test. 



Monday, October 30. — We had another beautiful day yes- 

 terday, and one began to feel that the summer really had come; 

 but to-day, after a fine morning, we have a return to blizzard 

 conditions. It is blowing a howling gale as I write. Yesterday 

 Wilson, Crean, P.O. Evans, and I donned our sledging kit and 

 camped by the bergs for the benefit of Ponting and his cinemato- 

 graph; he got a series of films which should be about the most 

 interesting of all his collection. I imagine nothing will take so 

 well as these scenes of camp life. 



On our return we found Meares had returned; he and the 

 dogs well. He told us that (Lieut.) Evans had come into Hut 

 Point on Saturday to fetch a personal bag left behind there. 

 Evans reported that Lashly's motor had broken down near 

 Safety Camp; they found the big end smashed up in one 

 cylinder and traced it to a faulty casting; they luckily had 

 spare parts, and Day and Lashly worked all night on repairs 

 in a temperature of — 25°. By the morning repairs were com- 

 pleted and they had a satisfactory trial run, dragging on loads 

 with both motors. Then Evans found out his loss and returned 

 on ski, whilst, as I gather, the motors proceeded; I don't quite 

 know how, but I suppose they ran one on at a time. 



On account of this accident and because some of our hardest 

 worked people were badly hit by the two days' absence helping 

 the nxachines, I have decided to start on Wednesday instead of 

 to-morrow. If the blizzard should blow out, Atkinson and Keo- 

 hane will set off to-morrow for Hut Point, so that we may see 

 how far Jehu is to be counted on, 



