ion] A STARTLING MAIL 187 
Atkinson and Crean have departed, leaving no trace — 
not even a note. 
Crean had carried up a good deal of fodder, and some 
seal meat was found buried. 
After a few hours' sleep we are off for Hut Point. 
There are certain points in night marching, if only for 
the glorious light effects which the coming night exhibits. 
Wednesday, February 22. — 10 p.m. Safety Camp. 
Turned out at I] this morning after 4 hours' sleep. 
Wilson, Meares, Evans, Cherry-Garrard, and I went to 
Hut Point. Found a great enigma. The hut was cleared 
and habitable — but no one was there. A pencil line on 
the wall said that a bag containing a mail was inside, but 
no bag could be found. We puzzled much, then finally 
decided on the true solution, viz. that Atkinson and 
Crean had gone towards Safety Camp as we went to Hut 
Point — later we saw their sledge track leading round on 
the sea ice. Then we returned towards Safety Camp 
and endured a very bad hour in which we could see the 
two bell tents but not the domed. It was an enormous 
relief to find the dome securely planted, as the ice round 
Cape Armitage is evidently very weak ; I have never 
seen such enormous water holes off it. 
But every incident of the day pales before the startling 
contents of the mail bag which Atkinson gave me — a letter 
from Campbell setting out his doings and the finding 
of Amundsen established in the Bay of Whales. 
One thing only fixes itself definitely in my mind. 
The proper, as well as the wiser, course for us is to proceed 
exactly as though this had not happened. To go forward 
