6i8 
scorrs last expedition 
the seals' pressure ridge of sea ice between us and them, but as I could 
see them quite distinctly I had no doubt they could see us, and we 
were occupied more than once just then in beating the teams off stray 
seals, so that we didn't go by either very quickly or very silently. 
From here we ran into the Gap, where there was some nasty pressed- 
up ice to cross and large gaps and cracks by the ice foot ; but with the 
Alpine rope and a rush we got first one team over and then the other 
without mishap on to the land ice, and were then practically at Hut 
Point. However, expecting that the pony party was following us, we 
ran our teams up on to level ice, picketed them, and pitched our tent, to 
remain there for the night, as we had a half-mile of rock to cross to reach 
the hut and the sledges would have to be carried over this and the 
dogs led by hand in couples — a very long job. Having done this 
we returned to the ice foot with a pick and a shovel to improve the 
road up for horse party, as they would have to come over the same bad 
ice we had found difficult with the dogs ; but they were nowhere to be 
seen close at hand as we had expected, for they were miles out, as we 
soon saw, still trying to reach Hut Point by the sea ice round Cape 
Armitagc thaw pool, and on the ice which was showing a working crack 
at 30 paces. I couldn't understand how Scott could do such a thing, 
and it was only the next day that I found out that Scott had remained 
behind and had sent Bowers in charge of this pony party. Bowers, 
having had no experience of the kind, did not grasp the situation for 
some time, and as we watched him and his party — or as we thought 
Captain Scott and his party — of ponies we saw them all suddenly realise 
that they were getting into trouble and the whole party turned back ; 
but instead of coming back towards the Gap as we had. we saw them 
go due south towards the Barrier edge and White Island. Then I 
thought they were all right, for I knew they would get on to safe ice 
and camp for the night. We therefore had our supper in the tent 
and were turning in between eleven and twelve when I had a last 
look to see where they were and found they had camped as it appeared 
to me on safe Barrier ice, the only safe thing they could have done. 
They were now about six miles away from us, and it was lucky that 
I had my Goerz glasses with me so that we could follow their move- 
ments. Now as everything looked all right, Mearcs and I turned in 
and slept. At 5 a.m. I awoke, and as I felt uneasy about the party I 
went out and along the Gap to where we could sec their camp, and I 
was horrified to sec that the whole of the sea ice was now on the move 
and that it had broken up for miles further than when we turned in 
and right back past where they had camped, and that the pony party 
was now, as we could see, adrift on a floe and separated by open water 
and a lot of drifting ice from the edge of the fast Barrier ice. We 
could see with our glasses that they were running the ponies and 
sledges over as quickly as possible from floe to floe whenever they 
could, trying to draw nearer to the safe Barrier ice again. The whole 
Strait was now open water to the N. of Cape Armitagc, with the frost 
