i 9 02] MODIFICATION OF PLANS 3 



finest summer months ; and since there was no chance of the 

 ship being released from the ice until February, there was 

 little object in our sledge parties being back much before that 

 date, while we should travel during the time that the sun was 

 circling at its greatest altitude. 



As a further result of our reconnaissance journeys, we 

 were now better able to judge of the requirements of each 

 individual party as far as smaller matters of equipment were 

 concerned. It was evident that the western travellers would 

 have to be provided with ice-axes, crampons, ropes, and other 

 necessaries for climbing ; but it seemed that in going to the 

 south we should be safe in omitting these accessories, and in 

 preparing for a journey in which there was no formidable 

 obstruction. As we proposed to begin our journey to the 

 south at the end of October, it can be imagined that, with so 

 many minor details to be attended to, the last weeks of the 

 month were not a slack season for any of us. 



On Friday, October 24, Royds and his party returned to 

 the ship, having achieved the object of communicating with 

 our ' Record ' post at Cape Crozier. We now had the satis- 

 faction of knowing that we had done all in our power to guide 

 a possible relief ship to our winter quarters ; should she make 

 a diligent search on the northern slopes of Terror, as had 

 been arranged, she would at least have a good prospect of 

 receiving the latest information concerning us. It was also a 

 very great source of satisfaction to find that the party returned 

 in excellent health, for they had left us almost immediately 

 after the outbreak of scurvy, and that they should have come 

 back safe and well went far to show that hard sledging work 

 would not necessarily cause a return of the disease. 



From our experience of the previous season we had con- 

 cluded that Terror Point, as the eastern extremity of the land 

 mass was called, was an extremely windy region, and the 

 adventures of this party left the matter beyond much doubt. 

 Skirting the large bay south of Erebus to avoid the deeper 

 snow, they had carried fine but cold weather with them on 

 the outward march, and until October 10, when they were 



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