THE DEPOT JOURNEY 131 
petrol engines she has no funnel. Soon afterwards the men 
forward declared that they sighted a hut on the Barrier, and 
the more excited declared that there was a party coming 
out to meet us. Campbell, Levick, and myself were there- 
fore lowered over the side of the ship while she was being 
made fast, and set off on ski towards the dark spot we could 
see. This proved to be only an abandoned depét and we 
returned to the ship, where Campbell, who in his anxiety 
to bethe first tomeet them had left us beginners far behind, 
had opened up conversation with the night watchman. 
“He informed us that there were only three men on 
board and that the remainder of them were settling Amund- 
sen in winter quarters about as far from the depdt as the 
depot was from the ship. Amundsen is coming to visit 
the Fram to-morrow, and we are staying long enough 
to allow Pennell and Campbell to interview him. They 
reached the pack about January 6 and were through it by 
the 12th, so they did not have as bad a time as we did. 
They inform us that Amundsen does not intend to make 
his descent on the Pole until next year. This is encourag- 
ing as it means a fair race for the next summer, though 
the news we are bringing to them will keep the Western 
[Main] Party on tenterhooks of excitement all the winter. 
“Our plans have of course been decided for us. We 
cannot according to etiquette trench on their winter quar- 
ters, but must return to McMurdo Sound and then go off 
towards Robertson Bay and settle ourselves as best we can. 
While we are waiting events we have not been by any 
means idle. Rennick got a sounding, 180 fathoms, and 
the crew have killed three seals, including one beautiful 
silver crab-eater, Lillie has secured water samples at 50, 
100, 150, and 170 fathoms and has had a haul with the 
plankton net, and Williams is endeavouring to fit up the 
trawl for a haul to-morrow if we get time and appropriate 
weather. I got a roll of films and gave the roll to Drake to 
take home and get developed in Christchurch. There are 
photographs of the Fram, of the Fram and Terra Nova 
together, of their depdt, and of the ice-cliffs and the sea- 
ice which is decidedly overcut, the thick snow having been 
