208 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [MARCH 



well. These days of bad weather left Cherry-Garrard with the 

 alternative of holding on at the camp or of travelling south for 

 one day and allowing one day to return to the One Ton Depot. 

 Owing to the difficulties of keeping the right line with dog teams, 

 he very wisely decided to remain at One Ton Depot, leaving 

 himself with only 8 days' dog food to return on. 



Strict injunctions had been given by Captain Scott that the 

 dogs should not be risked in any way. 



On March 10 they depoted their two weeks' supply of pro- 

 visions for the Southern Party, including several smaller deli- 

 cacies. One Ton was then supplied with sufficient man provi- 

 sions for a party of five for over a month. On this same day 

 they started their return journey at 8 A.M. after a very cold night. 

 Their gear and sleeping-bags were all iced up and neither of the 

 men in good condition. The dogs at the start went practically 

 wild, Demetri's sledge crossing Cherry-Garrard's and smashing 

 the sledgemeter adrift. They fought as they went in their har- 

 ness and had no idea of direction. This continued for six or 

 seven miles and then they got better. After this the weather be- 

 came gradually overcast and navigation became difficult. After 

 camping, they again proceeded slowly by compass, completing 

 23 miles for the day, but had no idea of their whereabouts at the 

 end. 



The next morning, March n, the weather was so overcast 

 that they could not start. Quoting from his diary: ' Started at 

 2 P.M. with just a little patch of blue sky, but we did not know 

 where we were going and stopped at 8 miles in a blizzard. I 

 think we were turning circles most of the time.' During the night 

 and morning of March 12 they had very heavy blizzard and 

 very low temperature. Demetri declared that he could see the 

 Bluff and that they were right into the land. This meant that 

 they would be amongst the ic*e pressure and crevasses. They 

 steered east away from this, and the weather clearing slightly, 

 they saw White Island and headed back toward this. The tem- 

 perature now remained below minus 30 for the whole of the day 

 and the dogs and men began to feel the effects of the low tem- 

 perature and high winds. 



On March 13 they got a point of land to steer upon, realis- 

 ing that they were well to the east of what their position ought 

 to have been. They did 18 miles for the day and camped in a 



