392 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [February 



dense all around us. We could see nothing, and we could only 

 remain in our sleeping-bags. At 8.30 I dimly made out the 

 land of the Cloudmaker. At 9 we got up, deciding to have 

 tea, and with one biscuit, no pemmican, so as to leave our scanty 

 remaining meal for eventualities. We started marching, and 

 at first had to wind our way through an awful turmoil of broken 

 ice, but in about an hour we hit an old moraine track, brown 

 with dirt. Here the surface was much smoother and improved 

 rapidly. The fog still hung over all and we went on for an 

 hour, checking our bearings. Then the whole place got smoother 

 and we turned outward a little. Evans raised our hopes with 

 a shout of depot ahead, but it proved to be a shadow on the 

 ice. Then suddenly Wilson saw the actual depot flag. It was 

 an immense relief, and we were soon in possession of our 3^ 

 days' food. The relief to all is inexpressible; needless to say, 

 we camped and had a meal. 



Marching in the afternoon, I kept more to the left, and 

 closed the mountain till we fell on the stone moraines. Here 

 Wilson detached himself and made a collection, whilst we pulled 

 the sledge on. We camped late, abreast the lower end of the 

 mountain, and had nearly our usual satisfying supper. Yester- 

 day was the worst experience of the trip and gave a horrid feel- 

 ing of insecurity. Now we are right up, we must march. In 

 future food must be worked so that we do not run so short 

 if the weather fails us. We mustn't get into a hole like this 

 again. Greatly relieved to find that both the other parties got 

 through safely. Evans seems to have got mixed up with pres- 

 sures like ourselves. It promises to be a very fine day to- 

 morrow. The valley is gradually clearing. Bowers has had 

 a very bad attack of snow blindness, and Wilson another 

 almost as bad. Evans has no power to assist with camping 

 work. 



Wednesday, February 14. Lunch Temp. o ; Supper Temp. 

 i. A fine day with wind on and off down the glacier, and 

 we have done a fairly good march. We started a little late and 

 pulled on down the moraine. At first I thought of going right, 

 but soon, luckily, changed my mind and decided to follow the 

 curving lines of the moraines. This course has brought us well 

 out on the glacier. Started on crampons; one hour after, hoisted 

 sail; the combined efforts produced only slow speed, partly due 



