rience of Barrier sledging before they started on the Polar Journey.

_November 21. Early morning._ It has cleared at last, the disturbance
rolling away to the east during our first march. The surface was very bad
and the mules were not going well. At this time last year many of the
ponies were still quite difficult to make stand just before starting. But
these mules start off now most dolefully. I am afraid they will not all
get back to Hut Point.

Two and a half miles after lunch, i.e. just over forty miles from the
depot, we turned out to the eastward and found the gear left by the
Second Return Party, when Evans was so ill. The theodolite, which
belonged to Evans, is I believe there, but though we dug all round we
were unable to find it. The ski were all upright, drifted to within six
inches of the shoes. Most of the gear was clothing, which we have left,
with the skis, in the tank. We brought on a roll of Birdie's photographs,
taken on the plateau, and three geological specimens: deep-seated rocks I
think. This was all of importance that there was there.

The N Ration, which we have now come to, consists of about 40 oz. of
food. At present, doing the work we are doing, and with these high
temperatures, -23 deg. when we started, for instance, and -17 deg. now, the men
do not want it. For what it was intended for, hard man-hauling, it would
probably be an excellent ration, and very satisfying.

_November 22. Early morning._ We could not have had a more perfect night
to march. Yesterday at 4 P.M., holding the thermometer in the sun, the
spirit rose to 30 deg.: it was almost too warm in the tent. The cairns show
very plainly--in such weather navigation of this kind would be dead easy.
But they are already being eaten away and toppling. The pony walls are
drifted level--huge drifts, quite hard, running up to windward and down
to lee.

The dogs are getting more hungry, and want to get at the mules, which
makes them go better. They went very well to-day, but too fast once, for
we had a general mix-up: Bieliglass under the sledge and the rest all
tangled up and ready for a fight at the first chance. How one of the
front pair of dogs got under the sledge is a mystery.

Among the Polar Party's gear is a letter to the King of Norway. It was
left by the Norwegians for Scott to take back. It is wrapped in a piece
of thin windcloth with one dark check line in it. Coarser and rougher
and, I should say, heavier than our Mande