5 3 6 WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD 



same, Oates not pulling much, and now with hands as well 

 as feet pretty well useless. We did 4 miles this morning 

 in 4 hours 20 min. — we may hope for 3 this afternoon, 

 7 x 6 = 42. We shall be 47 miles from the depot. I doubt 

 if we can possibly do it. The surface remains awful, the 

 cold intense, and our physical condition running down. 

 God help us ! Not a breath of favourable wind for more 

 than a week, and apparently liable to head winds at any 

 moment." 



" Wednesday, March 14. No doubt about the going 

 downhill, but everything going wrong for us. Yesterday 

 we woke to a strong northerly wind with temp. - 37 . 

 Couldn't face it, so remained in camp till 2, then did 5J 

 miles. Wanted to march later, but party feeling the cold 

 badly as the breeze (N.) never took off entirely, and as the 

 sun sank the temp. fell. Long time getting supper in dark. 



" This morning started with southerly breeze, set sail 

 and passed another cairn at good speed ; half-way, how- 

 ever, the wind shifted to W. by S. or W.S.W., blew 

 through our wind-clothes and into our mitts. Poor Wilson 

 horribly cold, could [not] get off ski for some time. Bowers 

 and I practically made camp, and when we got into the 

 tent at last we were all deadly cold. Then temp, now mid- 

 day down - 43 and the wind strong. We must go on, but 

 now the making of every camp must be more difficult and 

 dangerous. It must be near the end, but a pretty merci- 

 ful end. Poor Oates got it again in the foot. I shudder 

 to think what it will be like to-morrow. It is only with 

 greatest pains rest of us keep off frost-bites. No idea there 

 could be temperatures like this at this time of year with 

 such winds. Truly awful outside the tent. Must fight it 

 out to the last biscuit, but can't reduce rations." 



" Friday, March 16, or Saturday, 17. Lost track of 

 dates, but think the last correct. Tragedy all along the line. 

 At lunch, the day before yesterday, poor Titus Oates said 

 he couldn't go on ; he proposed we should leave him in 

 his sleeping-bag. That we could not do, and we induced 

 him to come on, on the afternoon march. In spite of its 

 awful nature for him he struggled on and we made a few 



