THE POLAR JOURNEY 513 



will be after a further march of 700 miles they are a bit 

 premature. 



" It was blowing a gale when we started and it increased 

 in force. Finally with the sail half down, one man detached 

 tracking ahead and Titus and I breaking back, we could 

 not always keep the sledge from overrunning. The bliz- 

 zard got worse and worse till, having done only seven miles, 

 we had to camp soon after twelve o'clock. We had a most 

 difficult job camping, and it has been blowing like blazes 

 all the afternoon. I think it is moderating now, 9 p.m. 

 We are only seven miles from our depot and this delay is 

 exasperating." 1 



[Scott wrote : " This is the second full gale since we 

 left the Pole. I don't like the look of it. Is the weather 

 breaking up ? If so, God help us, with the tremendous 

 summit journey and scant food. Wilson and Bowers are 

 my stand-by. I don't like the easy way in w r hich Oates and 

 Evans get frost-bitten." 2 ] 



"January 25. It was no use turning out at our usual 

 time (5.45 a.m.), as the blizzard was as furious as ever ; we 

 therefore decided on a late breakfast and no lunch unless 

 able to march. We have only three days' food with us and 

 shall be in Queer Street if we miss the depot. Our bags 

 are getting steadily wetter, so are our clothes. It shows a 

 tendency to clear off now (breakfast time) so, D.V., we may 

 march after all. I am in tribulation as regards meals now 

 as we have run out of salt, one of my favourite commodities. 

 It is owing to Atkinson's party taking back an extra tin by 

 mistake from the Upper Glacier Depot. Fortunately we 

 have some depoted there, so I will only have to endure 

 another two weeks without it. 



"10 p.m. — We have got in a march after all, thank the 

 Lord. Assisted by the wind we made an excellent rundown 

 to our One and a Half Degree Depot, where the big red 

 flag was blowing out like fury with the breeze, in clouds of 

 driving drift. Here we picked up i| cans of oil and one 

 week's food for five men, together with some personal gear 

 depoted. We left the bamboo and flag on the cairn. I was 



1 Bowers. * Scott's Last Expedition, vol. i. p. 552. 



2 L 



