eless, and this leaves all three parties of us with only one,
which is not very reliable now.

So it has been decided that the dogs must return from 80 deg. 30', or 81 deg. at
the farthest, and instead of four mules, as was intended, going on from
there, five must go on instead. The dogs can therefore now leave behind
much of their own weights and take on the mules' weights instead. And
this is the part where the mules' weights are so heavy. Perhaps the new
scheme is the best, but it puts everything on the mules from 80 deg. 30': if
they will do it all is well: if they won't we have nothing to fall back
on.

_Midnight, November 4-5._ It has been blowing and drifting all day. We
turned out again at mid-day on the 4th, and re-made the depot with what
we were to leave owing to the new programme. This is all rather sad, but
it can't be helped. It was then blowing a summer blizzard, and we were
getting frost-bitten when we started, following the mule tracks. There
were plenty of cairns for us to pick up, and with the lighter loads and a
very good surface we came along much better. Lunching at eight miles we
arrived just as the mule party had finished their hoosh preparatory to
starting, and it has been decided that the mules are not to go on
to-night, but we will all start marching together to-morrow.

The news from this party is on the whole good, not the least good being
that the sledge-meter is working again, though not very reliably. They
are marching well, and at a great pace, except for Khan Sahib. Gulab,
however, is terribly chafed both by his collar and by his breast harness,
both of which have been tried. He has a great raw place where this fits
on one side, and is chafed, but not so badly, on the other side. Lal Khan
is pulling well, but is eating very little. Pyaree is doing very well,
but has some difficulty in lifting her leg when in soft snow. Abdullah
seems to be considered the best mule at present. On the whole good
hearing.

Wright's sleeping-bag is bad, letting in light through cracks in a good
many places. But he makes very little of it and does not seem to be
cold--saying it is good ventilation. The mule cloths, which have a rough
lining to their outside canvas, are collecting a lot of snow, and all the
mules are matted with cakes of snow. They are terrible rope-eaters,
cloth-eaters, anything to eat, though they are not hungry. And they have
even learnt to pull their picketing buckles undone, and go wa