366 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [January 



We took off our ski after the first i^^ hours and pulled on foot. 

 It Is terribly heavy in places, and, to add to our trouble, every 

 sastrugus is covered with a beard of sharp branching crystals. 

 We have covered 6}S miles, but we cannot keep up our average 

 if this sort of surface continues. There is no wind. 



Camp 59. Lat. 88° 7'. Height 10,430-10,510. Rise of 

 barometer? T. — 22-5°. Minimum - 25-8°. Morning. Fear- 

 fully hard pull again, and when we had marched about an hour 

 we discovered that a sleeping-bag had fallen off the sledge. We 

 had to go back and carry it on. It cost us over an hour and 

 disorganised our party. We have only covered lOj^ miles 

 (geo.) and it's been about the hardest pull we've had. We think 

 of leaving our ski here, mainly because of risk of breakage. 

 Over the sastrugi it is all up and down hill, and the covering of 

 ice crystals prevents the sledge from gliding even on the down- 

 grade. The sastrugi, I fear, have come to stay, and we must 

 be prepared for heavy marching, but in two days I hope to 

 lighten loads with a depot. We are south of Shackleton's last 

 camp, so, I suppose, have made the most southerly camp. 



Sunday, January 7. — Height 10,560. Lunch. Temp. 

 — 21-3°. The vicissitudes of this work are bewildering. Last 

 night we decided to leave our ski on account of the sastrugi. 

 This morning we marched out a mile in 40 min. and the sastrugi 

 gradually disappeared. I kept debating the ski question and at 

 this point stopped, and after discussion we went back and fetched 

 the ski; it cost us i 3^ hours nearly. Marching again, I found 

 to my horror we could scarcely move the sledge on ski; the first 

 hour was awful owing to the wretched coating of loose sandy 

 snow. However, we persisted, and towards the latter end of our 

 tiring march we began to make better progress, but the work is 

 still awfully heavy. I must stick to the ski after this. 



Afternoon. Camp 60°. T. - 23°. Height 10,570. Obs. : 

 Lat. 88° i8'40''S.; Long. i57°2i'E.; Var. I79°I5'W. 

 Very heavy pulling still, but did 5 miles (geo.) in over four 

 hours. 



This is the shortest march we have made on the summit, 

 but there is excuse. Still, there is no doubt if things remained 

 as they are we could not keep up the strain of such marching 

 for long. Things, however, luckily will not remain as they are. 

 To-morrow we depot a week's provision, lightening altogether 



