Chapter ^tjcteen 



SPRING SLEDGING JOURNEYS 



WHEN Mid-winter's Day had passed and the twilight 

 that presaged the return of the sun began to be 

 more marked day by day, I set on foot the arrangements 

 for the sledging work in the forthcoming spring. It was 

 desirable that, at as early a date as possible, we should 

 place a depot of stores at a point to the south, in prepa- 

 ration for the departure of the Southern Party, which 

 was to march towards the Pole. I hoped to make this 

 depot at least one hundred miles from the winter 

 quarters. Then it was desirable that we should secure 

 some definite information regarding the condition of 

 the snow surface on the Barrier, and I was also anxious 

 to afford the various members of the expedition some 

 practice in sledging before the serious work commenced. 

 Some of us had been in the Antarctic before, but the 

 majority of the men had not yet had any experience 

 of marching and camping on snow and ice in low 

 temperatures. 



The ponies had been kept in good training by means 

 of regular exercise and constant attention during the 

 winter, but although they were thoroughly fit, and, 

 indeed, apparently anxious for an opportunity to work 

 off some of their superfluous energy, I did not propose 

 to take them on the preliminary sledging journeys. 

 It seemed to be unwise to take any unnecessary risk of 

 further loss now that we had only four ponies left, few 

 enough for the southern journey later in the season. 

 Sledging work in the spring, when the temperature is very 



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