*9i2] GETTING HUNGRIER 383 



Three articles were dropped on our outward march Oates' 

 pipe, Bowers' fur mits, and Evans' night boots. We picked up 

 the boots and mits on the track, and to-night we found the pipe 

 lying placidly in sight on the snow. The sledge tracks were very 

 easy to follow to-day; they are becoming more and more raised, 

 giving a good line shadow often visible half a mile ahead. If this 

 goes on and the weather holds we shall get our depot without 

 trouble. I shall indeed be glad to get it on the sledge. We are 

 getting more hungry, there is no doubt. The lunch meal is 

 beginning to seem inadequate. We are pretty thin, especially 

 Evans, but none of us are feeling worked out. I doubt if we 

 could drag heavy loads, but we can keep going well with our 

 light one. We talk of food a good deal more, and shall be 

 glad to open out on it. 



Monday, January 29. R.12. Lunch Temp. - 23 . Supper 

 Temp. -25 . Height 10,000. Excellent march of igy 2 miles, 

 10-5 before lunch. Wind helping greatly, considerable drift; 

 tracks for the most part very plain. Some time before lunch 

 we picked up the return track of the supporting party, so that 

 there are now three distinct sledge impressions. We are only 

 24 miles from our depot an easy day and a half. Given a fine 

 day to-morrow we ought to get it without difficulty. The wind 

 and sastrugi are S.S.E. and S.E. If the weather holds we ought 

 to do the rest of the inland ice journey in little over a week. 

 The surface is very much altered since we passed out. The loose 

 snow has been swept into heaps, hard and wind-tossed. The rest 

 has a glazed appearance, the loose drifting snow no doubt acting 

 on it, polishing it like a sand blast. The sledge with our good 

 wind behind runs splendidly on it; it is all soft and sandy be- 

 neath the glaze. We are certainly getting hungrier every day. 

 The day after to-morrow we should be able to increase allow- 

 ances. It is monotonous work, but, thank God, the miles are 

 coming fast at last. We ought not to be delayed much now with 

 the down-grade in front of us. 



Tuesday, January 30. R. 13. 9860. Lunch Temp. - 25 , 

 Supper Temp. - 24-5. Thank the Lord, another fine march 

 19 miles. We have passed the last cairn before the depot, the 

 track is clear ahead, the weather fair, the wind helpful, the 

 gradient down with any luck we should pick up our depot in 

 the middle of the morning march. This is the bright side ; the 



