THE TWENTIETH CENTURY 413 
with the observations, with preparations for the sledge 
journeys in the spring or with the compilation of a brilliant 
literary and artistic production, the South Polar Times . 
No one before this date had ever wintered so far south 
by nearly 500 miles, and although the night was long, and 
some cause for anxiety appeared in unmistakable symp- 
toms of scurvy, no one gave way to melancholy, and the 
disease yielded to treatment. 
In spring, early in September, the long sledge journeys 
began, and they were gradually extended as depots were 
laid down to the south. Finally with nineteen dogs in 
good condition and pulling well, Scott, Shackleton and 
Wilson set out from the ship on November 2nd, 1902, 
on the main journey over the sea-ice. The winter quar- 
ters were in 77 0 49' S., 166 0 E., and the route lay due 
south until the parallel of 8o° was crossed on November 
27th, and then the course was altered for a time to south- 
west. Depots were laid down at intervals and provisions 
left to be picked up on the return journey, but going was 
difficult and progress very slow, for the whole load could 
not be carried at once and every mile made to the south- 
ward entailed three miles of heavy marching. To the 
west the land rose above the flat surface of the barrier 
on which the first Antarctic land travellers were toiling 
along, and when the latitude of 82° 17' S. was reached 
on December 30th, Scott determined to make an effort 
to reach the base of the fine mountain range then in sight, 
but toward the shore the ice became so broken and abrupt 
that the attempt had to be given up. Mount Markham 
(15,100 feet) and Mount Longstaff (9,700 feet) are situ- 
ated in about 83° S., huge summits which have taken the 
place so long held by Mounts Erebus and Terror as the 
most southerly ever seen. It would be impossible to 
