»4 
SGOTPS LAST EXPEDITION [January 
of the sledges close at the heels of the animals is the root 
of the evil. 
The weather has the appearance of breaking. We had 
a strongish northerly breeze at midday with snow and hail 
storms, and now the wind has turned to the south and the 
sky is overcast with threatenings of a blizzard. The floe 
is cracking and pieces may go out — if so the ship will have 
to get up steam again. The hail at noon made the surface 
very bad for some hours ; the men and dogs felt it most. 
The dogs are going well, but Mearcs says he thinks 
that several are suffering from snow blindness. I never 
knew a dog get it before, but Day says that Shackleton's 
dogs suffered from it. The post-mortem on last night's 
death revealed nothing to account for it. Atkinson 
didn't examine the brain, and wonders if the cause lay 
there. There is a certain satisfaction in believing that 
there is nothing infectious. 
Wednesday , January 1 1 . — A week here to-day — it 
seems quite a month, so much has been crammed into a 
short space of time. 
The threatened blizzard materialised at about four 
o'clock this morning. The wind increased to force six or 
seven at the ship, and continued to blow, with drift, 
throughout the forenoon. 
Campbell and his sledging party arrived at the Camp 
at 8.0 a.m. bringing a small load : there seemed little 
object, but I suppose they like the experience of a march 
in the blizzard. They started to go back, but the ship 
being blotted out, turned and gave us their company 
at breakfast. The day was altogether too bad for outside 
