374 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [January 



noon, feeling that to-morrow would see us at our destination. 

 About the second hour of the March Bowers' sharp eyes detected 

 v»'hat he thought was a cairn; he was uneasy about it, but argued 

 that it must be a sastrugus. Half an hour later he detected a 

 black speck ahead. Soon we knew that this could not be a natural 

 snow feature. We marched on, found that it was a black flag 

 tied to a sledge bearer; near by the remains of a camp; sledge 

 tracks and ski tracks going and coming and the clear trace of 

 dogs' paws — many dogs. This told us the whole story. The 

 Norwegians have forestalled us and are first at the Pole. It is 

 a terrible disappointment, and I am very sorry for my loyal com- 

 panions. Many thoughts come and much discussion have we 

 had. To-morrow we must march on to the Pole and then hasten 

 home with all the speed we can compass. All the day dreams 

 must go; it will be a wearisome return. We are descending 

 in altitude — certainly also the Norwegians found an easy way up. 



Wednesday, January 17. — Camp 69. T. -22° at start. 

 Night — 21°. The Pole. Yes, but under very different circum- 

 stances from those expected. We have had a horrible day — 

 add to our disappointment a head wind 4 to 5, with a tempera- 

 ture — 22°, and companions labouring on with cold feet and 

 hands. 



We started at 7.30, none of us having slept much after the 

 shock of our discovery. We followed the Norwegian sledge 

 tracks for some way; as far as we make out there are only two 

 men. In about three miles we passed two small cairns. Then 

 the weather overcast, and the tracks being increasingly drifted 

 up and obviously going too far to the west, we decided to make 

 straight for the Pole according to our calculations. At 12.30 

 Evans had such cold hands we camped for lunch — an excellent 

 ' week-end one.' We had marched 7-4 miles. Lat. sight gave 

 89° 53' 37". We started out and did 6J/2 miles due south. 

 To-night little Bowers is laying himself out to get sights in 

 terrible difficult circumstances; the wind is blowing hard, T. 

 — 21°, and there is that curious damp, cold feeling in the air 

 which chills one to the bone in no time. We have been descend- 

 ing again, I think, but there looks to be a rise ahead; otherwise 

 there is very little that is different from the awful monotony 

 of past days. Great God! this is an awful place and terrible 

 enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of 



