DEPOT "A" REACHED 



a connecting link. Perhaps they will be wondering 

 whether we are in sight of it. 



February 19. — A very cold south wind to-day, but we 

 turned out at 4.40 a.m., with a temperature minus 20° 

 Fahr. We have been hungry and cold all day, but did 

 miles on a good surface. We sighted Mount 

 Erebus in the morning. The old landmarks are so 

 pleasant. Camped at 6 p.m., temperature minus 10° 

 Fahr. We ought to reach Depot A to-morrow. We 

 have picked up the last mound except one. If we had 

 food all would be well, but we are now at the end of our 

 supplies again, except for some scraps of meat scraped 

 off the bones of Grisi after they had been lying on the 

 snow in the sun for all these months. We dare not risk 

 it until the worst comes. Still in five days more we ought 

 to be in the land of plenty. 



February 20. — Started to get up at 4.40 a.m. It 

 is almost a farce to talk of getting up to " breakfast " 

 now, and there is no call of " Come on, boys; good hoosh." 

 No good hoosh is to be had. In less time than it has 

 taken me to write this the food is finished, and then 

 our hopes and thoughts lie wholly in the direction of the 

 next feed, so called from force of habit. It was dull and 

 overcast to-day, and we could see only a little way. Still 

 we made progress, and at 4 p.m. we reached depot A. The 

 distance for the day was 14 miles, with 52° of frost. 

 We sighted the depot at 2.30 p.m., and now we have 

 enough food to carry us to the Bluff Depot. We had 

 run out of food when we reached the depot to-day, and 

 we have had a good hoosh to-night. The unaccustomed 

 pemmican fat made me feel quite queer, but I enjoyed 

 the pudding we made out of biscuits and the tin of jam 

 which we originally intended to have for Christmas Day, 

 but which we left behind when on the way south in 

 order to save weight. Our depoted tobacco and cigar- 



357 



