WELL UNDER WAY 



and cheese. At 2.30 we struck camp, the supporting 

 party with the man-sledge going on in advance, while 

 the others with the ponies did the camp work. By 

 4 p.m. the surface had improved in places, so that the 

 men did not break through the crust so often, but it 

 was just as hard work as ever for the ponies. The 

 weather kept beautifully fine, with a slight south-east 

 wind. The weather sides of the ponies were quite dry, 

 but their lee sides were frosted with congealed sweat. 

 Whenever it came to our turn to pull, we perspired 

 freely. As the supporting party are not travelling 

 as fast as the ponies, we have decided to take them on 

 only for two more days, and then we of the Southern 

 Party will carry the remainder of the pony feed from 

 their sledge on our backs. So to-morrow morning we 

 will depot nearly 100 lb. of oil and provisions, which 

 will lighten the load on the supporting party's sledge a 

 good deal. 



We camped at 6 p.m., and, after feeding the ponies, 

 had our dinner, consisting of pemmican, emergency 

 ration, plasmon biscuits and plasmon cocoa, followed 

 by a smoke, the most ideal smoke a man could wish for 

 after a day's sledging. As there is now plenty of 

 biscuit to spare, we gave the gallant little ponies a 

 good feed of them after dinner. They are now comfort- 

 ably standing in the sun, with the temperature plus 

 14° Fahr., and occasionally pawing the snow. Grisi has 

 dug a large hole already in the soft surface. We have 

 been steering a south-east course all day, keeping well 

 to the north of White Island to avoid the crevasses. Our 

 distance for the day is 12 miles (statute) 300 yards. 



November 4. — Started at 8.30 this morning; fine 

 weather but had light. Temperature plus 9° Fahr. 

 We wore goggles, as already we are feeling the trying 

 light. The supporting party started first, and with 



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