igi2] A CHILL IN THE AIR 539 
wind here. Our chance still holds good if wc can put the 
work in, but it's a terribly trying time. 
Friday, January 12. — Camp 64. T. -17*5°. Lat. 88° 57'. 
Another heavy march with snow getting softer all the 
time. Sun very bright, calm at start ; first two hours 
terribly slow. Lunch, 4$ hours, 5*6 miles gco. ; Sight Lat. 
88° 52'. Afternoon, 4 hours, 5*1 miles — total 107. 
In the afternoon we seemed to be going better ; clouds 
spread over from the west with light chill wind and for a 
few brief minutes wc tasted the delight of having the sledge 
following free. Alas ! in a few minutes it was worse than 
ever, in spite of the sun's eclipse. However, the short 
experience was salutary. I had got to fear that we were 
weakening badly in our pulling ; those few minutes showed 
me that we only want a good surface to get along as merrily 
as of old. With the surface as it is, one gets horribly 
sick of the monotony and can easily imagine oneself 
getting played out, were it not that at the lunch and night 
camps one so quickly forgets all one's troubles and bucks 
up for a fresh effort. It is an effort to keep up the double 
figures, but if wc can do so for another four marches we 
ought to get through. It is going to be a close thing. 
At camping to-night everyone was chilled and we 
guessed a cold snap, but to our surprise the actual tempera- 
ture was higher than last night, when we could dawdle 
in the sun. It is most unaccountable why we should 
suddenly feel the cold in this manner ; partly the exhaus- 
tion of the march, but partly some damp quality in the 
air, I think. Little Bowers is wonderful ; in spite of my 
protest he would take sights after we had camped to-night, 
