NO HELP FROM Till* WIND 
579 
ominous. It is great luck having the horsemeat to add 
to our ration. To-night we have had a real fine ' hoosh.' 
It is a race between the season and hard conditions and 
our fitness and good food. 
Saturday y February 25. — Lunch Temp. - 12°. Managed 
just 6 miles this morning. Started somewhat despondent ; 
not relieved when pulling seemed to show no improvement. 
Bit by bit surface grew better, less sastrugi, more glide, 
slight following wind for a time. Then we began to 
travel a little faster. But the pulling is still very hard ; 
undulations disappearing but inequalities remain. 
Twenty-six Camp walls about 2 miles ahead, all tracks 
in sight — Evans* track very conspicuous. This is some- 
thing in favour, but the pulling is tiring us, though we are 
getting into better ski drawing again. Bowers hasn't 
quite the trick and is a little hurt at my criticisms, but I 
never doubted his heart. Very much easier — write diary 
at lunch — excellent meal — now one pannikin very strong 
tea — four biscuits and butter. 
Hope for better things this afternoon, but no im- 
provement apparent. Oh ! for a little wind — E. Evans 
evidently had plenty. 
R. 39. Temp. -20 0 . Better march in afternoon. 
Day yields 11*4 miles — the first double figure of steady 
dragging for a long time, but it meant and will mean hard 
work if we can't get a wind to help us. Evans evidently 
had a strong wind here, S.E. I should think. The tem- 
perature goes very low at night now when the sky is clear 
as at present. As a matter of fact this is wonderfully fair 
weather — the only drawback the spoiling of the surface 
