LAYING THE DEPOTS 
Bluff depot with the intention of taking a load of stores to the 
depot placed on lat. 80° S. in the first season's sledging. Joyce, 
after depositing his third load at the Bluff, would return to 
Hut Point for a fourth and last load, and the parties would 
then join forces for the journey southward to Mount Hope. 
Joyce left 729 lb, at the Bluff depot on December 2, reached 
Hut Point on December 7, and, after allowing dogs and men 
a good rest, he moved southward again on December 13. This 
proved to be the worst journey the party had made. The men 
had much trouble with crevasses, and they were held up by 
blizzards on December 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, and 27. They 
spent Cliristmas Day struggling through soft snow against an 
icy wind and drift. The party reached the Bluff depot on 
December 28, and foimd that Mackintosh, who had been much 
delayed by the bad weather, had gone south two days earlier 
on his way to the 80° S. depot. He had not made much 
progress and his camp was in sight. He had left instructions 
for Joyce to follow him. The Bluff depot was now well stocked. 
Between 2800 and 2900 lb. of provisions had been dragged to 
the depot for the use of parties working to the south of this 
point. This quantity was in addition to stores placed there 
earlier in the year. 
Joyce left the Bluff depot on December 29, and the parties 
were together two days later. Mackintosh handed Joyce in- 
structions to proceed with his party to lat. 81° S., and place a 
depot there. He was then to send three men back to Hut 
Point and proceed to lat. 82° S., where he would lay another 
depot. Then if provisions permitted he would push south as 
far as lat. 83°. Mackintovsh himself was reinforcing the depot 
at lat. 80° S. and would then carry on southward. Apparently 
his instructions to Joyce were intended to guard against the 
contingency of the parties failing to meet. The dogs were 
hauling well, and though their number was small they were 
of very great assistance. The parties were now ninety days 
out from Cape Evans, and " all hands were feeling fit.'' 
The next incident of importance was the appearance of a 
defect in one of the two Primus lamps used by Joyce's party. 
The lamps had all seen service with one or other of Captain 
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