3 l8 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [November 



to this we entered on an area of soft crust between a few scat- 

 tered hard sastrugi. In pits between these in places the snow 

 lay in sandy heaps. A worse set of conditions for the ponies 

 could scarcely be imagined. Nevertheless they came through 

 pretty well, the strong ones excellently, but the crocks had had 

 enough at 9^ miles. Such a surface makes one anxious in spite 

 of the rapidity with which changes take place. I expected these 

 marches to be a little difficult, but not near so bad as to-day. 

 It is snowing again as we camp, with a slight north-easterly 

 breeze. It is difficult to make out what is happening to the 

 weather it is all part of the general warming up, but I wish 

 the sky would clear. In spite of the surface, the dogs ran up 

 from the camp before last, over 20 miles, in the night. They 

 are working splendidly so far. 



Sunday, November 12. Camp 9. Our marches are uni- 

 formly horrid just at present. The surface remains wretched, 

 not quite so heavy as yesterday, perhaps, but very near it at 

 times. Five miles out the advance party came straight and true 

 on our last year's Bluff depot marked with a flagstaff. Here 

 following I found a note from Evans, cheerful in tone, dated 

 7 A.M. 7th inst. He is, therefore, the best part of five days 

 ahead of us, which is good. Atkinson camped a mile beyond 

 this cairn and had a very gloomy account of Chinaman. Said 

 he couldn't last more than a mile or two. The weather was 

 horrid, overcast, gloomy, snowy. One's spirits became very low. 

 However, the crocks set off again, the rearguard came up, passed 

 us in camp, and then on the march about 3 miles on, so that 

 they camped about the same time. The Soldier thinks Chinaman 

 will last for a good many days yet, an extraordinary confession 

 of hope for him. The rest of the animals are as well as can 

 be expected Jehu rather better. These weather appearances 

 change every minute. When we camped there was a chill 

 northerly breeze, a black sky, and light falling snow. Now the 

 sky is clearing and the sun shining an hour later. The tempera- 

 ture remains about io in the daytime. 



Monday, November 13. Camp 10. Another horrid march 

 in a terrible light, surface very bad. Ponies came through all 

 well, but they are being tried hard by the surface conditions. 

 We followed tracks most of the way, neither party seeing the 

 other except towards camping time. The crocks did well, all 



