STILL HELD UP 491 
at least given us comtort, especially since the wind has 
dropped. About 4 the sky showed signs of breaking, the 
sun and a few patches of land could be dimly discerned. 
The wind shifted in light airs and a little hope revived. 
Alas ! as I write the sun has disappeared and snow is again 
falling. Our case is growing desperate. Evans and his man- 
haulers tried to pull a load this afternoon. They managed 
to move a sledge with four people on it, pulling in ski. 
Pulling on foot they sank to the knees. The snow all about 
us is terribly deep. We tried Nobby and he plunged 
to his belly in it. Wilson thinks the ponies finished, 21 
but Oates thinks they will get another march in spite of 
the surface, if it comes to-morrow. If it should not, we must 
kill the ponies to-morrow and get on as best wc can with 
the men on ski and the dogs. But one wonders what the 
dogs can do on such a surface. I much fear they also will 
prove inadequate. Oh ! for fine weather, if only to the 
Glacier. The temperature remains +33 0 , and everything 
is disgustingly wet. 
11 p.m. — The wind has gone to the north, the sky is 
really breaking at last, the sun showing less sparingly, 
and the land appearing out of the haze. The temperature 
has fallen to +26 0 , and the water nuisance is already 
abating. With so fair a promise of improvement it would 
be too cruel to have to face bad weather to-morrow. There 
is good cheer in the camp to-night in the prospect of action. 
The poor ponies look wistfully for the food of which so 
very little remains, yet they are not hungry, as recent 
savings have resulted from food left in their nose- 
bags. They look wonderfully fit, all things considered. 
