Simpson, who had to return to his work in India;
Griffith Taylor, who had been lent to us by the Australian Government for
only one year; Ponting, whose photographic work was done; Day, whose work
with the motors was done; Meares, who was recalled by family affairs;
Forde, whose hand had never recovered the effects of frost-bite during
the spring; Clissold, who fell off a berg and concussed himself; and
Anton, whose work with the ponies was done. Lieutenant Evans was
invalided home.

Archer had been landed to take Clissold's place as cook; another seaman,
Williamson, was landed to take Forde's place, and of our sledging
companions he was the only fresh man. Wright was probably the most fit
after him, and otherwise we had no one who, under ordinary circumstances,
would have been considered fit to go out sledging again this season,
especially at a time when the sun was just leaving us for the winter. We
were sledged out.

The next few days were occupied in making preparations for a further
sledge journey, and on April 13 a party started to return to Hut Point by
the Hutton Cliffs. Atkinson, Wright, Keohane and Williamson were to try
and sledge up the western coast to help Campbell: Gran and Dimitri were
to stay with me at Hut Point. The surface of the sea-ice was now
extremely slushy and bad for pulling; the ice had begun to extrude its
salt. A blizzard started in their faces, and they ran for shelter to the
lee of Little Razorback Island. The weather clearing they pushed on to
the Glacier Tongue, and camped there for the night somewhat frost-bitten.
Some difficulty was experienced the next morning in climbing the
ice-cliff on to the Peninsula, but Atkinson, using his knife as a
purchase, and the sledge held at arm's-length by four men as a ladder,
succeeded eventually in getting a foothold.

Meanwhile I was left alone at Hut Point, where blizzards raged
periodically with the usual creakings and groanings of the old hut.
Foolishly I accompanied my companions, when they started for Cape Evans,
as far as the bottom of Ski Slope. When I left them I found I could not
keep my feet on the slippery snow and ice patches, and I had several
nasty falls, in one of which I gave my shoulder a twist. It was this
shaking combined with the rather desperate conditions which caused a more
acute state of illness and sickness than I had experienced for some time.
Some of those days I remained alone at Hut Point I was too weak to do
more t