120 
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION 
[January 
promised well and the day fulfilled the promise : we had 
bright sunshine and practically no wind. 
At 10 a.m. the men and officers streamed over from the 
ship, and we all assembled on the beach and I read Divine 
Service, our first Service at the camp and impressive in 
the open air. After Service I told Campbell that I should 
have to cancel his two ponies and give him two others. 
He took it like the gentleman he is, thoroughly appreciating 
the reason. 
He had asked me previously to be allowed to go to 
Cape Royds over the glacier and I had given permission. 
After our talk we went together to explore the route, 
which we expected to find much crevassed. I only in- 
tended to go a short way, but on reaching the snow above 
the uncovered hills of our Cape I found the surface so 
promising and so free from cracks that I went quite a 
long way. Eventually I turned, leaving Campbell, Gran, 
and Nelson roped together and on ski to make their way 
onward, but not before I felt certain that the route to Cape 
Royds would be quite easy. As we topped the last rise 
we saw Taylor and Wright some way ahead on the slope ; 
they had come up by a different route. Evidently they 
arc bound for the same goal. 
I returned to camp, and after lunch Mearcs and I took 
a sledge and nine dogs over the Cape to the sea ice on the 
south side and started for Hut Point. We took a little 
provision and a cooker and our sleeping-bags. Mcares 
had found a way over the Cape which was on snow all 
the way except about 100 yards. The dogs pulled well, 
and we went towards the Glacier Tongue at a brisk pace ; 
