red to us, for they had full rations for a very much longer period
of time than, according to their averages to 87 deg. 32', they were likely to
be out.

The first object of the expedition had been the Pole. If some record was
not found, their success or failure would for ever remain uncertain. Was
it due not only to the men and their relatives, but also to the
expedition, to ascertain their fate if possible?

The chance of finding the remains of the Southern Party did not seem very
great. At the same time Scott was strict about leaving notes at depots,
and it seemed likely that he would have left some record at the Upper
Glacier Depot before starting to descend the Beardmore Glacier: it would
be interesting to know whether he did so. If we went south we must be
prepared to reach this depot: farther than that, I have explained, we
could not track him. On the other hand, if we went south prepared to go
to the Upper Glacier Depot, the number of sledging men necessary, in view
of the fact that we had no depots, would not allow of our sending a
second party to relieve Campbell.

It was with all this in our minds that we sat down one evening in the hut
to decide what was to be done. The problem was a hard one. On the one
hand we might go south, fail entirely to find any trace of the Polar
Party, and while we were fruitlessly travelling all the summer Campbell's
men might die for want of help. On the other hand we might go north, to
find that Campbell's men were safe, and as a consequence the fate of the
Polar Party and the result of their efforts might remain for ever
unknown. Were we to forsake men who might be alive to look for those whom
we knew were dead?

These were the points put by Atkinson to the meeting of the whole party.
He expressed his own conviction that we should go south, and then each
member was asked what he thought. No one was for going north: one member
only did not vote for going south, and he preferred not to give an
opinion. Considering the complexity of the question, I was surprised by
this unanimity. We prepared for another Southern Journey.

It is impossible to express and almost impossible to imagine how
difficult it was to make this decision. Then we knew nothing: now we know
all. And nothing is harder than to realize in the light of facts the
doubts which others have experienced in the fog of uncertainty.

Our winter routine worked very smoothly. Inside the hut we had a good
deal more room