5X8 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [December 
but I shall be glad to lose sight of such disturbances. 
The wind is continuous from the S.S.E., very searching. 
We arc now marching in our wind blouses and with 
somewhat more protection on the head. 
Bar. 21-41. Camp 46. Rise for day ? about 250 ft. 
or 300 ft. Hypsometer, 8000 ft. 
The first two hours of the afternoon march went very 
well. Then the sledges hung a bit, and we plodded on 
and covered something over 14 miles (geo.) in the day. 
We lost sight of the big pressure ridge, but to-night another 
smaller one shows fine on the i port bow,' and the surface 
is alternately very hard and fairly soft ; dips and rises 
all round. It is evident we arc skirting more disturbances, 
and I sincerely hope it will not mean altering course more 
to the west. 14 miles in 4 hours is not so bad considering 
the circumstances. The southerly wind is continuous and 
not at all pleasant in camp, but on the march it keeps us 
cool. (T. -3 0 .) The only inconvenience is the extent 
to which our faces get iced up. The temperature hovers 
about zero. 
We have not struck a crevasse all day, which is a good 
sign. The sun continues to shine in a cloudless sky, the 
wind rises and falls, and about us is a scene of the wildest 
desolation, but we are a very cheerful party and to-morrow 
is Christmas Day, with something extra in the hoosh. 
Monday, December 25, Christmas. — Lunch. Bar. 21*14. 
Rise 240 feet. The wind was strong last night and this 
morning; a light snowfall in the night ; a good deal of 
drift, subsiding when we started, but still about a foot 
high. I thought it might have spoilt the surface, but for 
