THE DEPOT JOURNEY 127 
to find them at right angles,” and when down the crevasse 
he wanted to go off exploring, but we managed to persuade 
him that the snow-ledge upon which he was standing was 
utterly unsafe, and indeed we could see the nothingness 
below through the blue holes in the shelf. Another regret 
was that we had no thermometer: the temperature of the 
inside of the Barrier is of great interest and a fairly reliable 
record of the average temperature throughout the year 
might have been obtained when so far down into it. Alto- 
gether we could congratulate ourselves on a fortunate 
ending to a nasty business. We expected several more 
miles of crevasses, and the wind was getting up, driving 
the surface drift like smoke over the ground, with a very 
black sky to the south. We pitched the tent, had a good 
meal and mended the dog harness which had been ruth- 
lessly cut in clearing the dogs. Luckily we found no more 
crevasses for it was now blowing hard, and rescue work 
would have been difficult, and we pushed on as far as 
possible that night, doing eleven miles after lunch, and 
sixteen for the day. It had been strenuous, for we had been 
working in or over the crevasse for 24 hours, and dogs 
and men were tired out. It cleared and became quite warm 
as we camped. There was a pleasant air of friendship in 
the tent that night, rather more than usual. That is gener- 
ally the result of this kind of business. 
We reached Safety Camp next day (February 22) 
anxious for news of the ship’s doings, the landing of 
Campbell’s party, and of the ponies which had been sent 
back from the Bluff Depot. Lieutenant Evans, Forde and 
Keohane, the pony leaders, were there, but only one pony. 
The other two had died of exhaustion soon after they left us 
and we had passed the cairns which marked their graves 
without knowledge. Their story was grim, and they had 
had a mournful journey back. First Blossom, and then 
Bliicher collapsed, their ends being hastened by the bliz- 
zard of February 1. 
This crevasse incident, followed by the news of the loss 
of the ponies, was a blow to Scott, and his mind was also 
uneasy about Atkinson and Crean, whom we had left here, 
