THE POLAR JOURNEY 535 



went under now, I doubt whether we could get through. 

 With great care we might have a dog's chance, but no 

 more. The weather conditions are awful, and our gear gets 

 steadily more icy and difficult to manage. . . . 



"Yesterday we marched up the depot, Mt. Hooper. 

 Cold comfort. Shortage on our allowance all round. I 

 don't know that any one is to blame. The dogs which 

 would have been our salvation have evidently failed. 

 Meares had a bad trip home I suppose. 



"This morning it was calm when we breakfasted, but 

 the wind came from the W.N.W. as we broke camp. It 

 rapidly grew in strength. After travelling for half an hour 

 I saw that none of us could go on facing such conditions. 

 We were forced to camp and are spending the rest of the 

 day in a comfortless blizzard camp, wind quite foul." 



" Sunday, March 1 1 . Titus Oates is very near the end, 

 one feels. What we or he will do, God only knows. We 

 discussed the matter after breakfast ; he is a brave fine 

 fellow and understands the situation, but he practically 

 asked for advice. Nothing could be said but to urge him 

 to march as long as he could. One satisfactory result to the 

 discussion : I practically ordered Wilson to hand over the 

 means of ending our troubles to us, so that any one of us 

 may know how to do so. Wilson had no choice between 

 doing so and our ransacking the medicine case. We have 

 30 opium tabloids apiece and he is left with a tube of 

 morphine. So far the tragical side of our story. 



" The sky completely overcast when we started this 

 morning. We could see nothing, lost the tracks, and 

 doubtless have been swaying a good deal since — 3.1 miles 

 for the forenoon — terribly heavy dragging — expected it. 

 Know that 6 miles is about the limit of our endurance now, 

 if we get no help from wind or surfaces. We have 7 days' 

 food and should be about 55 miles from One Ton Camp 

 to-night, 6x7 = 42, leaving us 13 miles short of our dis- 

 tance, even if things get no worse. Meanwhile the season 

 rapidly advances." 



"Monday, March 12. We did 6.9 miles yesterday, 

 under our necessary average. Things are left much the 



