206 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [FEBRUARY 



ling limit for the time of year. As there was no dog food in any 

 of the depots except at Corner Camp or along any of the route, 

 it meant that 24 days was the limit of their usefulness. Again, it 

 cannot be too firmly emphasized that the dog teams were meant 

 merely to hasten the return of the Southern Party and by no 

 means as a relief expedition. 



The next two days, February 25 and 26, were devoted to 

 giving the dogs a much needed rest and to making up provisions 

 and dog food. Indeed, owing to bad weather, it would have been 

 impossible to have made a start on these days. This following 

 record of the journey of the two dog teams is taken entirely from 

 Cherry-Garrard's diary. 



February 26. Since it looked fair last night, at 2 A.M. they 

 decided to start. There was a strong wind and a fair amount 

 of drift at the time. The dogs proceeded well to Safety Camp 

 and then on to the biscuit depot, 15 miles from Hut Point. There 

 they were rested for a short while and finally started at 6 P.M., 

 and reached Corner Camp at 10 P.M. The dogs were working 

 splendidly and together, and completed the distance of 30 geo- 

 graphical miles for the day in thick weather and with a head 

 wind. 



On February 27 they again had a head wind and low drift; 

 they made good 10 miles and then camped for tea; proceeding 

 afterwards over a very good surface but with bad light, they 

 completed 18^ miles for the day, seeing but one cairn which 

 they only made out when it was 20 yards away. They camped in 

 the nick of time, as a blizzard broke upon them and they had 

 great difficulty in getting the tent pitched. The dogs pulled well 

 and were very fit and not done up. It may be noted in passing 

 that the difficulties of camping and breaking camp are enor- 

 mously increased in bad weather when there is a unit of only 

 two men instead of four. 



Next day, February 28, they started at 7.45 P.M. on a beau- 

 tifully clear day and ran 10 miles up to the time they camped for 

 tea. The surface was good, with very large sastrugi. On one 

 of these, while Demetri was ahead, Cherry-Garrard's sledge 

 upset; he had to unload the sledge partially in order to right it. 

 As it was righted the team took charge. Cherry-Garrard clung 

 to the sledge but lost his driving stick, and it was not until the 

 team had taken him over a mile to the south that they were 



