TRACKS OF MEN AND DOGS 



towards the south. We could tell that the weather has 

 been fine, for they were wearing ski-boots instead of 

 finneskoe, and occasionally we saw the stump of a cigar- 

 ette. The length of the steps showed that they were 

 going fast. We are now camped on the tracks, which 

 are fairly recent, and we will try to follow them 

 to the Bluff, for they must have come from the 

 depot. This assures us that the depot was laid all right. 

 I cannot imagine who the fourth man can be, unless it 

 was Buckley, who might be there now that the ship is 

 in. We passed their noon camp, and I am certain that 

 the ship is in, for there were tins lying round bearing 

 brands different from those of the original stores. We 

 found three small bits of chocolate and a little bit of 

 biscuit at the camp after carefully searching the ground 

 for such unconsidered trifles, and we " turned backs " 

 for them. I was unlucky enough to get the bit of bis- 

 cuit, and a curious unreasoning anger took possession 

 of me for a moment at my bad luck. It shows how 

 primitive we have become, and how much the question 

 of even a morsel of food affects our judgment. We are 

 near the end of our food, but as we have staked every- 

 thing on the Bluff Depot, we had a good feed to-night. 

 If we do not pick up the depot there will be absolutely 

 no hope for us. 



