CHAPTER II 



ON February 23, when Demetri went to Cape Evans to try and 

 obtain help, he had a letter from me to Lieutenant Pennell, com- 

 manding the Terra Nova, conveying my request. After Cherry- 

 Garrard and Demetri had left on the 26th, Lashly, Lieutenant 

 Evans, Wright, and myself were left at Hut Point. 



On February 29, the sea ice having gone out to within a 

 quarter of a mile of Hut Point, the ship arrived. Lieutenant 

 Evans in his sleeping-bag was placed on a sledge and removed 

 on board the ship. She returned to Cape Evans, landing Wright 

 and Lashly there, together with some stores. She then proceeded 

 north to Evans Coves to try and pick up Lieutenant Campbell 

 and his party. Lieutenant Evans' condition being still serious I 

 had to accompany him. After several unsuccessful attempts to 

 relieve Campbell, the ship returned to Cape Evans on March 4. 

 Here, Keohane was picked up, and he and I were landed by 

 the ship at Hut Point. Until the arrival of the dog teams on 

 March 16 we occupied ourselves killing seals and laying in a 

 store of meat and blubber before the return of the Southern 

 Party. The ship, meanwhile, had proceeded north on a third 

 attempt to relieve Campbell and his party. Owing to her small 

 coal supply, she could not stay in the Sound later than March 8, 

 and thus she was unable to notify us at the base of her success 

 or failure in this undertaking. 



On March 16, Cherry-Garrard and Demetri came in and 

 reported that they had seen no sign of the Polar Party; they 

 also reported the early break of the season, exceedingly low tem- 

 peratures and the bad weather on the Barrier. The condition of 

 both men was such that it was impossible for them to do any 

 further sledging that season. I told Cherry-Garrard that we 

 should have to make another journey to try and get to the Polar 

 Party; he readily agreed and said that he would be quite ready 

 himself after a few days' rest. The taking of Demetri owing to 

 his health was out of the question. On the third day after his 

 return Cherry-Garrard collapsed in the morning, suffering from 



