st
at noon it would have risen to 28 or 29.

Some of the days of travel were without incident almost, the men leading
their ponies in monotonous file across the great white waste. The ponies
gave little trouble; Meares's dogs, with more dash, contained their
drivers' attention always.

Day and Hooper turned back in Latitude 81 degrees 15 minutes at "Jehu's"
grave, and Atkinson, his erstwhile leader, joined the man-haulers. The
two who now made their way homeward found considerable difficulty in
hauling the sledge, so they bisected it and packed all their gear on a
half sledge. They were accompanied by two invalid dogs, Cigane and
Stareek, and their adventures homeward bound were more amusing than
dangerous--the dogs were rogues and did their best to rob the sledge
during the sleeping hours. In due course Day and Hooper reached Cape
Evans none the worse for their Barrier trudge.

Wright's pony, Chinaman, was shot on November 28, and the Canadian joined
the man-haulers. We were glad of his company and his extra weight.

On November 29 we passed Scott's farthest South, (82 degrees 17 minutes),
and near this date had light snow and thick weather.

On November 30 we had a very hard pull, the Barrier surface being covered
with prismatic crystals--without any glide we felt we might as well be
hauling the sledges over ground glass, but diversion in the shape of
Land-oh: I think I sighted Mount Hope refracted up, and pointed it out to
Captain Scott.

On December 1 we began to converge the coast rapidly, and we were only
thirty miles from the nearest land. The view magnificent, though lonely
and awful in its silence. One would very soon go mad without company down
here.

December 1 saw the end of "Christopher," but as the soldier fired his
pistol at him the pony threw up his head and the bullet failed to kill,
although passing through the beast's forehead. Christopher ran to the
lines bleeding profusely, but Keohane and I kept him from the other
ponies, and Oates shortly after put another bullet into the wretched
animal, which dropped him. Christopher was no loss, as he gave endless
trouble on the Barrier march. However, he was tender enough, as we found
when Meares cut him up for the dogs and brought our tent a fine piece of
undercut.

On December 2 we had a trying time, starting off in a perfectly poisonous
light, which strained our eyes and made them very painful. It snowed
almost incessantly throughout the day. Neve