THE POLAR JOURNEY 335 



The original intention was that Day and Hooper should 

 return from 8o° 30', but it was now decided that their unit 

 of four should remain intact for a few days, and constitute 

 a light man-hauling advance party to make the track. 



The weather was much more pleasant and we saw the 

 sun most days, while I note only one temperature below 

 - 20 since leaving One Ton. The ponies sank in a cruel 

 distance some days, but we were certainly not overworking 

 them and they had as much food as they could eat. We 

 knew the grim part was to come, but we never realized how 

 grim it was to be. From this Northern Barrier Depot the 

 ponies were mostly drawing less than 500 lbs. and we had 

 hopes of getting through to the glacier without much 

 difficulty. All depended on the weather, and just now it 

 was glorious, and the ponies were going steadily together. 

 Jehu, the crockiest of the crocks, was led back along the 

 track and shot on the evening of November 24, having 

 reached a point at least 15 miles beyond that where 

 Shackleton shot his first pony. When it is considered that 

 it was doubtful whether he could start at all this must be 

 conceded to have been a triumph of horse-management in 

 which both Oates and Atkinson shared, though neither so 

 much as Jehu himself, for he must have had a good spirit 

 to have dragged his poor body so far. "A year's care and 

 good feeding, three weeks' work with good treatment, a 

 reasonable load and a good ration, and then a painless end. 

 If anybody can call that cruel I cannot either understand 

 it or agree with them." Thus Bowers, who continues : 

 " The midnight sun reflected from the snow has started to 

 burn my face and lips. I smear them with hazeline before 

 turning in, and find it a good thing. Wearing goggles has 

 absolutely prevented any recurrence of snow-blindness. 

 Captain Scott says they make me see everything through 

 rose-coloured spectacles." 



We said good-bye to Day and Hooper next morning, 

 and they set their faces northwards and homewards. 1 Two- 



1 A note to Cape Evans is as follows : — My dear Simpson. This goes with Day 

 and Hooper now returning. We are making fair progress and the ponies doing fairly 

 well. I hope we shall get through to the glacier without difficulty, but to make sure I 

 am carrying the dog-teams farther than I intended at first — the teams may be late re- 

 turning, unfit for further work or non-existent. . . . — R. Scott. 



