336 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [December 



a time. The wind shows signs of easing down, but the tempera- 

 ture does not fall and the snow is as wet as ever — not promising 

 signs of abatement. 



Keohane's rhyme 



The snow is all melting and everything's afloat, 

 If this goes on much longer we shall have to turn the tent upside 

 down and use it as a boat. 



Wednesday, December 6. — Camp 30. Noon. Miserable, 

 utterly miserable. We have camped in the ' Slough of Despond.' 

 The tempest rages with unabated violence. The temperature 

 has gone to +33°; everything in the tent is soaking. People 

 returning from the outside look exactly as though they had been 

 in a heavy shower of rain. They drip pools on the floorcloth. 

 The snow is steadily climbing higher about walls, ponies, tents, 

 and sledges. The ponies look utterly desolate. Oh ! but this is 

 too crushing, and we are only 12 miles from the Glacier. A 

 hopeless feeling descends on one and is hard to fight off. What 

 immense patience is needed for such occasions ! 



1 1 P.M. — At 5 there came signs of a break at last, and 

 now one can see the land, but the sky is still overcast and there 

 is a lot of snow about. The wind also remains fairly strong 

 and the temperature high. It is not pleasant, but if no worse 

 in the morning we can get on at last. We are very, very wet. 



Thursday, December 7. — Camp 30. The storm continues 

 and the situation is now serious. One small feed remains for 

 the ponies after to-day, so that we must either march to-morrow 

 or sacrifice the animals. That is not the worst; with the help 

 of the dogs we could get on, without doubt. The serious part 

 is that we have this morning started our summer rations, that 

 is to say, the food calculated from the Glacier depot has been 

 begun. The first supporting party can only go on a fortnight 

 from this date and so forth. The storm shows no sign of abate- 

 ment and its character is as unpleasant as ever. The promise 

 of last night died away about 3 a.m., when the temperature and 

 wind rose again, and things reverted to the old conditions. I 

 can find no sign of an end, and all of us agree that it is utterly 

 impossible to move. Resignation to misfortune is the only atti- 

 tude, but not an easy one to adopt. It seems undeserved where 



