Last night the sky was so broken that I made certain the end of the
blow had come. Towards morning the sky overhead and far to the north
was quite clear. More cloud obscured the sun to the south and low
heavy banks hung over Ross Island. All seemed hopeful, except that I
noted with misgiving that the mantle on the Bluff was beginning to
form. Two hours later the whole sky was overcast and the blizzard
had fully developed.

This Tuesday evening it remains overcast, but one cannot see that
the clouds are travelling fast. The Bluff mantle is a wide low bank
of stratus not particularly windy in appearance; the wind is falling,
but the sky still looks lowering to the south and there is a general
appearance of unrest. The temperature has been -10 deg. all day.

The ponies, which had been so comparatively comfortable in the earlier
stages, were hit as usual when the snow began to fall.

We have done everything possible to shelter and protect them, but
there seems no way of keeping them comfortable when the snow is thick
and driving fast. We men are snug and comfortable enough, but it is
very evil to lie here and know that the weather is steadily sapping
the strength of the beasts on which so much depends. It requires much
philosophy to be cheerful on such occasions.

In the midst of the drift this forenoon the dog party came up and
camped about a quarter of a mile to leeward. Meares has played too much
for safety in catching us so soon, but it is satisfactory to find the
dogs will pull the loads and can be driven to face such a wind as we
have had. It shows that they ought to be able to help us a good deal.

The tents and sledges are badly drifted up, and the drifts behind the
pony walls have been dug out several times. I shall be glad indeed to
be on the march again, and oh! for a little sun. The ponies are all
quite warm when covered by their rugs. Some of the fine drift snow
finds its way under the rugs, and especially under the broad belly
straps; this melts and makes the coat wet if allowed to remain. It
is not easy to understand at first why the blizzard should have such
a withering effect on the poor beasts. I think it is mainly due to
the exceeding fineness of the snow particles, which, like finely
divided powder, penetrate the hair of the coat and lodge in the
inner warmths. Here it melts, and as water carries off the animal
heat. Also, no doubt, it harasses the animals by the bombardment of
the fine flying p