530 
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION 
[January 
Wc managed to get off I2| miles (gco.) by 7 p.m., but it 
was very heavy work. 
In the afternoon the wind died away, and to-night it 
is flat calm ; the sun so warm that in spite of the tem- 
perature wc can stand about outside in the greatest 
comfort. It is amusing to stand thus and remember the 
constant horrors of our situation as they were painted for 
us : the sun is melting the snow on the ski, &c. The 
plateau is now very flat, but we arc still ascending 
slowly. The sastrugi arc getting more confused, predomi- 
nant from the S.E. I wonder what is in store for us. At 
present everything seems to be going with extraordinary 
smoothness, and one can scarcely believe that obstacles 
will not present themselves to make our task more difficult. 
Perhaps the surface will be the element to trouble us. 
Friday, January 5. — Camp 58. Height : morning, 
10,430; night, 10,320. T. -14-8°. Obs. 87 0 57', 159 0 13'. 
Minimum T. -23-5°; T. -21 0 . A dreadfully trying day. 
Light wind from the N.N.W. bringing detached cloud and 
constant fall of ice crystals. The surface, in consequence, 
as bad as could be after the first hour. We started at 
8.15, marched solidly till 1. 15, covering 7-4 miles (geo.), 
and again in the afternoon we plugged on ; by 7 p.m. we 
had done I2i miles (gco.), the hardest we have yet done 
on the plateau. The sastrugi seemed to increase as we 
advanced and they have changed direction from S.W. to 
S. by W. In the afternoon a good deal of confusing cross 
sastrugi, and to-night a very rough surface with evidences 
of hard southerly wind. Luckily the sledge shows no 
signs of capsizing yet. We sigh for a breeze to sweep 
