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Scott's Last Expedition

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Wednesday, February 29th 1912

Thursday, February 29th, 1912

Lunch. Cold night. Minimum Temp. -37.5°; -30° with north-west wind, force 4, when we got up. Frightfully cold starting; luckily Bowers and Oates in their last new finnesko; keeping my old ones for present. Expected awful march and for first hour got it. Then things improved and we camped after 5 1/2 hours marching close to lunch camp—22 1/2. Next camp is our depot and it is exactly 13 miles. It ought not to take more than 1 1/2 days; we pray for another fine one. The oil will just about spin out in that event, and we arrive 3 clear days’ food in hand. The increase of ration has had an enormously beneficial result. Mountains now looking small. Wind still very light from west—cannot understand this wind.

Thursday, December 28th 1911

Thursday, December 28th, 1911

Lunch. Bar. 20.77. I start cooking again to-morrow morning. We have had a troublesome day but have completed our 13 miles (geo.). My unit pulled away easy this morning and stretched out for two hours – the second unit made heavy weather. I changed with Evans and found the second sledge heavy – could keep up, but the team was not swinging with me as my own team swings. Then I changed P.O. Evans for Lashly. We seemed to get on better, but at the moment the surface changed and we came up over a rise with hard sastrugi. At the top we camped for lunch. What was the difficulty? One theory was that some members of the second party were stale. Another that all was due to the bad stepping and want of swing; another that the sledge pulled heavy. In the afternoon we exchanged sledges, and at first went off well, but getting into soft snow, we found a terrible drag, the second party coming quite easily with our sledge. So the sledge is the cause of the trouble, and talking it out, I found that all is due to want of care. The runners ran excellently, but the structure has been distorted by bad strapping, bad loading, this afternoon and only managed to get 12 miles (geo.). The very hard pulling has occurred on two rises. It appears that the loose snow is blown over the rises and rests in heaps on the north-facing slopes. It is these heaps that cause our worst troubles. The weather looks a little doubtful, a good deal of cirrus cloud in motion over us, radiating E. and W. The wind shifts from S.E. to S.S.W., rising and falling at intervals; it is annoying to the march as it retards the sledges, but it must help the surface, I think, and so hope for better things to-morrow. The marches are terribly monotonous. One’s thoughts wander occasionally to pleasanter scenes and places, but the necessity to keep the course, or some hitch in the surface, quickly brings them back. There have been some hours of very steady plodding to-day; these are the best part of the business, they mean forgetfulness and advance.

Thursday, February 16th 1911

Thursday, February 16th, 1911

6 miles 1450 yards. 15 Camp. The surface a good deal better, but the ponies running out. Three of the five could go on without difficulty. Bowers’ pony might go on a bit, but Weary Willy is a good deal done up, and to push him further would be to risk him unduly, so to-morrow we turn. The temperature on the march to-night fell to -21º with a brisk S.W. breeze. Bowers started out as usual in his small felt hat, ears uncovered. Luckily I called a halt after a mile and looked at him. His ears were quite white. Cherry and I nursed them back whilst the patient seemed to feel nothing but intense surprise and disgust at the mere fact of possessing such unruly organs. Oates’ nose gave great trouble. I got frostbitten on the cheek lightly, as also did Cherry-Garrard.

Ponting and Lashly with a squid found at Cape Royds. Feb. 16th 1911.
“Ponting and Lashly with a squid found at Cape Royds. Feb. 16th 1911.”

Ponting and Lashly with a squid found at Cape Royds. Feb. 16th 1911.
“Ponting and Lashly with a squid found at Cape Royds. Feb. 16th 1911.”

The Squid found by Ponting and captured by him and Lashly at Cape Royds. Feb. 16th 1911.
“The Squid found by Ponting and captured by him and Lashly at Cape Royds. Feb. 16th 1911.”

The Squid found by Ponting and captured by him and Lashly at Cape Royds. Feb. 16th 1911.
“The Squid found by Ponting and captured by him and Lashly at Cape Royds. Feb. 16th 1911.”

Backdoor Bay. Cape Royds showing sharp line of shadow on Erebus. Feb. 16th 1911.
“Backdoor Bay. Cape Royds showing sharp line of shadow on Erebus. Feb. 16th 1911.”

Backdoor Bay. Cape Royds showing sharp line of shadow on Erebus. Feb. 16th 1911.
“Backdoor Bay. Cape Royds showing sharp line of shadow on Erebus. Feb. 16th 1911.”