492 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 



we started, for instance, and - 17 now, the men do not 

 want it. For what it was intended for, hard man-hauling, it 

 would probably be an excellent ration, and very satisfying. 



November 22. Early morning. We could not have had a 

 more perfect night to march. Yesterday at 4 p.m., holding 

 the thermometer in the sun, the spirit rose to 30 : it was 

 almost too warm in the tent. The cairns show very plainly 

 — in such weather navigation of this kind would be dead 

 easy. But they are already being eaten away and toppling. 

 The pony walls are drifted level — huge drifts, quite hard, 

 running up to windward and down to lee. 



The dogs are getting more hungry, and want to get at 

 the mules, which makes them go better. They went very 

 well to-day, but too fast once, for we had a general mix-up : 

 Bieliglass under the sledge and the rest all tangled up and 

 ready for a fight at the first chance. How one of the front 

 pair of dogs got under the sledge is a mystery. 



Among the Polar Party's gear is a letter to the King of 

 Norway. It was left by the Norwegians for Scott to take 

 back. It is wrapped in a piece of thin windcloth with one 

 dark check line in it. Coarser and rougher and, I should 

 say, heavier than our Mandelbergs. 



November 23. Early morning. We were to make Dimitri 

 Depot this morning, but we came on in a fog, and the mule 

 party camped after running down the distance. Wright 

 came back and said, " If we have passed it, it's over there ' : 

 — and as he pointed the depot showed — not more than 

 200 yards away. So that is all right. We, the dog party, 

 go on in advance to-morrow, so that no time may be lost, 

 and if the ice is still good, Atkinson will get over to Cape 

 Evans. 



November 24. Early morning. A glut of foot- walloping 

 in soft snow and breaking crusts. We have done between 

 1 7 and 1 8 miles to-day. We saw no crevasses, and have 

 marked the course well, building up the cairns and leaving 

 two flags — so the mule party should be all right. The dogs 

 were going well behind the ponies, but directly we went 

 ahead they seemed to lose heart. I think they are tired of 

 the Barrier: a cairn now awakens little interest: they know 



