of the others and camped, but ahead of
the travelling ponies was the depot, looking very black, and I thought
that there was a tent. It would be too terrible to find that, though one
knew that we had done all that we could, if we had done something
different we could have saved them.

And then we find that the provisions we left here for them in the tank
are soaked with paraffin. How this has happened is a mystery, but I think
that the oil in the XS tin, which was very full, must have forced its way
out in a sudden rise of temperature in a winter blizzard, and though the
tin was not touching the tank, it has found its way in.

Altogether things seemed rather dismal, but a visit to the mules is
cheering, for they seem very fit as a whole and their leaders are
cheerful. There are three sacks of oats here--had we known it would have
saved a lot of weight--but we didn't, and we have plenty with what we
have brought, so they will be of little use to us. There is no compressed
fodder, which would have been very useful, for the animals which are
refusing the oats would probably eat it.

Gulab has a very bad chafe, but he is otherwise fit--and it does not seem
possible in this life to kill a mule because of chafing. It is a great
deal to know that he does not seem to be hurt by it, and pulls away
gallantly. Crean says he had to run a mile this morning with Rani. Marie
says he is inventing some new ways of walking, one step forward and one
hop back, in order to keep warm when leading Khan Sahib. Up to date we
cannot say that the Fates have been unkind to us.

_November 12. Early morning. Lunch_ 2.30 A.M. I am afraid our
sledge-meters do not agree over this morning's march. The programme is to
do thirteen miles a day if possible from here: that is 71/2 before lunch
and 51/2 afterwards. We could see two cairns of last year on our right as
we came along. We have got on to a softer surface now and there is bad
news of Lal Khan, and it will depend on this after-lunch march whether he
must be shot this evening or not. It was intended to shoot a mule two
marches from One Ton, but till just lately it had not been thought that
it must be Lal Khan. He is getting very slow, and came into camp with
Khan Sahib: the trouble of course is that he will not eat: he has hardly
eaten, they say, a day's ration since he left Hut Point, and he can't
work on nothing. It is now -16 deg., with a slight southerly wind.

_Nearly mid-day. 11-12 miles so