CHAPTER XIX 

 THE RETURN FROM THE POLE 



Friday, January 19. — Lunch 8-i, T. -22-6°. Early in the 

 march we picked up a Norwegian cairn and our outward tracks. 

 We followed these to the ominous black flag which had first 

 apprised us of our predecessors' success. We have picked this 

 flag up, using the staff for our sail, and are now camped about 

 i^ miles further back on our tracks. So that is the last of 

 the Norwegians for the present. The surface undulates con- 

 siderably about this latitude; It was more evident to-day than 

 when we were outward bound. 



Night camp R. 2.* Height 9700. T. - 18-5°, Minimum 

 — 25-6°. Came along well this afternoon for three hours, then 

 a rather dreary finish for the last i^. Weather very curious, 

 snow clouds, looking very dense and spoiling the light, pass over- 

 head from the S., dropping very minute crystals; between 

 showers the sun shows and the wind goes to the S.W. The 

 fine crystals absolutely spoil the surface ; we had heavy dragging 

 during the last hour in spite of the light load and a full sail. 

 Our old tracks are drifted up, deep in places, and toothed sastrugi 

 have formed over them. It looks as though this sandy snow 

 was drifted about like sand from place to place. How account 

 for the present state of our three day old tracks and the month 

 old ones of the Norwegians? 



It is warmer and pleasanter marching with the wind, but 

 I'm not sure we don't feel the cold more when we stop and 

 camp than we did on the outward march. We pick up our 

 cairns easily, and ought to do so right through, I think; but, 

 of course, one will be a bit anxious till the Three Degree Depot 

 is reached. t I'm afraid the return journey is going to be dread- 

 fully tiring and monotonous. 



* A number preceded by R. marks the camps on the return journey, 

 t Still over 150 miles away. They had marched 7 miles on the homeward track 

 the first afternoon, i8| the second day. 



