THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



ran back three miles and found it. This caused a delay, 

 and we camped at 6 p.m. We were just putting the 

 position on the chart after dinner when Wild, who was 

 outside looking through the Goertz glasses, shouted out 

 that he could see the depot, and we rushed out. There 

 were the flag and sledge plainly to be seen through the 

 glasses. It is an immense relief to us, for there is stored 

 at the depot four days' pony feed and a gallon of oil. 

 We will sleep happily to-night. The Barrier surface 

 now is covered with huge sastrugi, rounded off and 

 running west-south-west and east-north- west, with soft 

 snow between. We have never seen the surface alike 

 for two consecutive days. The Barrier is as wayward 

 and as changeful as the sea. 



November 15. — Another beautiful day. We broke 

 camp at 8 a.m.^ and reached our depot at 9.20 a.m. 

 We found everything intact, the flag waving merrily 

 in the breeze, the direction of which was about west- 

 south-west. We camped there and at once proceeded 

 to redistribute weights and to parcel our provisions 

 to be left there. We found that we had saved enough 

 food to allow for three days' rations, which ought to 

 take us into the Bluff on our return, so we made up a 

 bag of provisions and added a little oil to the tin we had 

 been using from, leaving half a gallon to take us the 

 fifty odd miles to the Bluff on the way back. We then 

 depoted our spare gear and flnnesko, and our tin of 

 sardines and pot of black currant jam. We had in- 

 tended these provisions for Christmas Day, but the 

 weight is too much; every ounce is of importance. 

 We took on the maize, and the ponies are now pulling 

 449 lb. each. Quan was pulling 469 lb. before the depot 

 was reached, so he had nothing added to his load. All 

 this arranging took time, and it was nearly noon before 

 we were finished. We took an observation for latitude 



278 



