LAYING THE DEPOTS 
until our weakness was gone. Later. — Still the same weather. 
We shall get under way and make a forced march back as soon 
as possible. I think we shall get stronger travelling and feeding 
well. Later. — Weather will not permit us to travel yet. Mended 
our torn tent with food-bags. This took four hours. Feeding 
the dogs every four hours, and Richards and Hayward built 
up depot. It is really surprising to find it takes two men to 
lift a 50-lb. case ; it only shows our weakness. Weather still 
the same ; force of wind at times about seventy to ninety 
miles an hour ; really surprising how this can keep on so 
long. 
"February 27, Sunday.-— Yfmdi continued with fury the 
whole night. Expecting every minute to have the tent blown 
off us. Up 5 o'clock ; found it so thick one could not get out 
of the tent. We are still very weak, but think we can do the 
twelve miles to our comrades in one long march. If only it 
would clear up for just one day we would not mind. This is 
the longest continuous bhzzard I have ever been in. We have 
not had a traveUing day for eleven days, and the amount of 
snow that has fallen is astonishing. Later. — Had a meal 10.30 
and decided to get under way in spite of the wind and snow. 
Under way 12 o'clock. We have three weeks' food on sledge, 
about 160 lb., and one week's dog-food, 50 lb. The whole 
weight, all told, about 600 lb., and also taking an extra sledge 
to bring back Captain Mackintosh. To our surprise we could not 
shift the sledges. After half an hour we got about ten yards. 
We turned the sledge up and scraped runners ; it went a httle 
better after. I am afraid our weakness is much more than we 
think. Hayward is in rather a bad way about his knees, which 
are giving him trouble and are very painful ; we will give him 
a good massage when we camp. The dogs have lost all heart 
in puUing ; they seem to think that going south again is no 
good to them ; they seem to just jog along, and one cannot 
do more. I don't suppose our pace is more than one-half or 
three-quarters of a mile per hour. The suiiace is rotten, snow 
up to one's knees, and what with wind and drift a very bad 
outlook. Lunched about 4.30. Carried on until 11.20, when 
we camped. It was very dark makmg our dinner, but soon 
T 289 
