1902] FAILURE OF THE DOGS 17 



that this point should be more carefully considered in future 

 expeditions. 



On the 13th and 14th we pushed on to the south in spite 

 of thick snowy weather which followed the fine morning of the 

 13th, and during those two days we managed to add fifteen 

 miles to our southing. On the afternoon of the 14th I record: 

 ' The men go ahead, and when they have got a good start we 

 cheer on our animals, who work hard until they have caught 

 up with them ; in this manner we get over the ground fairly 

 well. The day has been murky and dull with a bad light, and 

 we have come upon a new form of sastrugus : instead of the 

 clean-cut waves about the Bluff, we have heaped-up mounds of 

 snow with steepish edges. Heavily laden as they are, it is 

 difficult work for the dogs when they come across the sudden 

 rises. Now and then the clouds have lifted, showing the 

 horizon line and glimpses of the land to the north, but for the 

 main part the sky and snow-surface have been merged in a 

 terrible sameness of grey, and it has been impossible to see the 

 spot on which one's foot was next to be placed ; falls have been 

 plentiful. The surface itself is getting softer, but the sledges 

 run fairly easily. The dogs were pretty "done" when we 

 camped to-night, but we are feeding them up, and I do not 

 propose to overwork them whilst the load remains as heavy as 

 at present. That we are travelling over a practically level sur- 

 face was evident from our view of the supporting party today; 

 though we were often some distance apart they were always 

 clearly in view, which would not have been the case had there 

 been undulations.' 



'■November 15.— A beautifully bright, calm morning; the 

 sun shone warmly on our tents, making them most cheerful 

 and comfortable within. To the north the land has become 

 dim, to the west we have the same prospect of distant detached 

 snow-covered ranges, and in all other directions the apparently 

 limitless snow-plain. 



' We were very busy this morning making arrangements for 

 our last parting : the loads had to be readjusted, the dog- 

 harness attended to, observations taken, and notes of farewell 

 vol. 11. c 



