THE SEARCH JOURNEY 487 



Hereabouts died a very gallant gentleman, 

 Captain L. E. G. Oates of the Inniskilling 

 Dragoons. In March 19 12, returning from the 

 Pole, he walked willingly to his death in a blizzard 

 to try and save his comrades, beset by hardship. 

 This note is left by the Relief Expedition. 1912. 



This was signed by Atkinson and myself. 



We saw the cairn for a long way in a bad light as we 

 came back to-day. 



The original plan with which we started from Cape 

 Evans was, if the Party was found where we could still 

 bear out sufficiently to the eastward to have a good chance 

 of missing the pressure caused by the Beardmore, to go on 

 and do what we could to survey the land south of the 

 Beardmore : for this was the original plan of Captain 

 Scott for this year's sledging. But as things are I do 

 not think there can be much doubt that we are doing 

 right in losing no time in going over to the west of 

 McMurdo Sound to see whether we can go up to Evans 

 Coves, and help Campbell and his party. 



We brought on Oates' bag. The theodolite was inside. 



A thickish blizzard blew all day yesterday, but it was 

 clear and there was only surface drift when we turned out 

 for the night march. Then again as we came along, the sky 

 became overcast — all except over the land, which remains 

 clear these nights when everything else is obscured. We 

 noticed the same thing last year. Now the wind, which had 

 largely dropped, has started again and it is drifting. We 

 have had wind and drift on four out of the last five days. 



November 16. Early morning. When we were ready to 

 start with the dogs it was blowing a thick blizzard, but the 

 mules had already started some time, when it was not thick. 

 We had to wait until nearly 4 a.m. before we could start, 

 and came along following tracks. It is very warm and the 

 surface is covered with loose snow, but the slide in it seems 

 good. We found the mules here at the Cairn and Cross, 

 having been able to find their way partly by the old tracks. 



I have been trying to draw the grave. Of all the fine 



