FROM BAD TO WORSE 
585 
thickly heaped. For the moment the temperature is on 
the - 20 0 — an improvement which makes us much more 
comfortable, but a colder snap is bound to come again 
soon. I fear that Oates at least will weather such an 
event very poorly. Providence to our aid ! We can 
expect little from man now except the possibility of extra 
food at the next depot. It will be real bad if we get 
there and find the same shortage of oil. Shall we get 
there ? Such a short distance it would have appeared to us 
on the summit ! I don't know what I should do if Wilson 
and Bowers weren't so determinedly cheerful over things. 
Monday \ March 5. — Lunch. Regret to say going 
from bad to worse. We got a slant of wind yesterday 
afternoon, and going on 5 hours we converted our wretched 
morning run of 3$ miles into something over 9. We went 
to bed on a cup of cocoa and pemmican solid with the chill 
off. (R. 47.) The result is telling on all, but mainly on 
Oates, whose feet are in a wretched condition. One 
swelled up tremendously last night and he is very lame 
this morning. We started march on tea and pemmican 
as last night — we pretend to prefer the pemmican this 
way. Marched for 5 hours this morning over a slightly 
better surface covered with high moundy sastrugi. Sledge 
capsized twice ; we pulled on foot, covering about 5^ 
miles. We are two pony marches and 4 miles about from 
our depot. Our fuel dreadfully low and the poor Soldier 
nearly done. It is pathetic enough because we can 
do nothing for him ; more hot food might do a little, but 
only a little, I fear. We none of us expected these terribly 
low temperatures, and of the rest of us Wilson is feeling 
