THE POLAR JOURNEY 347 



ing most of the tent, the pony walls and sledges. At inter- 

 vals we dug our way out and dug up the wretched ponies, 

 and got them on to the top again. "Henceforward our 

 full ration will be 16 oz. biscuit, 12 oz. pemmican, 2 oz. 

 butter, 0.57 oz. cocoa, 3.0 oz. sugar and 0.86 oz. tea. 

 This is the Summit ration, total 34.43 oz., with a little 

 onion powder and salt. I am all for this : Seaman Evans 

 and others are much regretting the loss of chocolate, raisins 

 and cereals. For the first week up the glacier we are to go 

 one biscuit short to provision Meares on the way back. 

 The motors depoted too much and Meares has been 

 brought on far farther than his orders were originally 

 bringing him. Originally he was to be back at Hut Point 

 on December 10. The dogs, however, are getting all the 

 horse that is good for them, and are very fit. He has to 

 average 24 miles a day going back. Michael is well out of 

 this : we are now eating him. He was in excellent condi- 

 tion and tastes very good, though tough." * 



By this time there was little sleep left for us as we lay in 

 our sleeping-bags. Three days generally see these blizzards 

 out, and we hoped much from Friday, December 8. But 

 when we breakfasted at 10 a.m. (we were getting into day- 

 marching routine) wind and snow were monotonously the 

 same. The temperature rose to +34. 3 . These tempera- 

 tures and those recorded by Meares on his way home 

 must be a record for the interior of the Barrier. So far as 

 we were concerned it did not much matter now whether 

 it was +40 or +34 . Things did look really gloomy that 

 morning. 



But at noon there came a gleam of comfort. The wind 

 dropped, and immediately we were out plunging about, 

 always up to our knees in soft downy snow, and often 

 much farther. First we shifted our tents, digging them up 

 with the greatest care that the shovel might not tear them. 

 The valances were encased in solid ice from the water 

 which had run down. Then we started to find our sledges 

 which were about four feet down : they were dragged out, 

 and everything on them was wringing wet. There was a 



1 My own diary. 



