528 
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [January 
340 feet). The foot party went off early, before 8, and 
marched till 1. Again from 2.35 to 6.30. We started 
more than half an hour later on each march and caught 
the others easy. It's been a plod for the foot people and 
pretty easy going for us, and we have covered 1 3 miles (geo.). 
T. -n°. : Obs. 87 0 20' 8" S. ; 160 0 40' 53" E. ; Var. 
180 0 . The sky is slightly overcast for the first time since 
we left the glacier ; the sun can be seen already through 
the veil of stratus, and blue sky round the horizon. The 
sastrugi have all been from the S.E. to-day, and likewise 
the wind, which has been pretty light. I hope the clouds 
do not mean wind or bad surface. The latter became poor 
towards the end of the afternoon. We have not risen 
much to-day, and the plain seems to be flattening out. 
Irregularities are best seen by sastrugi. A skua gull visited 
us on the march this afternoon — it was evidently curious, 
kept alighting on the snow ahead, and fluttering a few yards 
as we approached. It seemed to have had little food — 
an extraordinary visitor considering our distance from 
the sea. 
Wednesday , January 3— Height : Lunch, 10,1 10 ; Night, 
10,180. Camp 56- T.-17 0 . Minimum -18-5°. Within 
150 miles of our goal. Last night I decided to reorganise, 
and this morning told off Teddy Evans, Lashly, and 
Crean to return. They are disappointed, but take it well. 
Bowers is to come into our tent, and we proceed as a five- 
man unit to-morrow. We have 5$ units of food — practi- 
cally over a month's allowance for five people — it ought 
to see us through. We came along well on ski to-day, but 
the foot-haulers were slow, and so we only got a trifle 
