position; also of Seaman Edgar Evans, who died at the foot of the
Beardmore Glacier.

The Lord gave and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of
the Lord.

Relief Expedition.
(Signed by all members of the party.)

My diary goes on:

_Midnight, November 12-13._ I cannot think that anything which could be
done to give these three great men--for great they were--a fitting grave
has been left undone.

A great cairn has been built over them, a mark which must last for many
years. That we can make anything that will be permanent on this Barrier
is impossible, but as far as a lasting mark can be made it has been done.
On this a cross has been fixed, made out of ski. On either side are the
two sledges, fixed upright and dug in.

The whole is very simple and most impressive.

On a bamboo standing by itself is left the record which I have copied
into this book, and which has been signed by us all.

We shall leave some provisions here, and go on lightly laden to see if we
can find Titus Oates' body: and so give it what burial we can.

We start in about an hour, and I for one shall be glad to leave this
place.

I am very very sorry that this question of the shortage of oil has
arisen. We in the First Return Party were most careful with our
measurement--having a ruler of Wright's and a piece of bamboo with which
we did it: measuring the total height of oil in each case, and then
dividing up the stick accordingly with the ruler: and we were _always_
careful to take _a little less than we were entitled to_, which was
stated to me, and stated by Birdie in his depot notes, to be one-third of
everything in the depot.

How the shortage arose is a mystery. And they eleven miles from One Ton
and plenty!

Titus did not show his foot till about three days before he died. The
foot was then a great size, and almost every night it would be
frost-bitten again. Then the last day at lunch he said he could go on no
more--but they said he must: he wanted them to leave him behind in his
bag. That night he turned in, hoping never to wake: but he woke, and then
he asked their advice: they said they must all go on together. A thick
blizzard was blowing, and he said, after a bit, "Well, I am just going
outside, and I may be some time." They searched for him but could not
find him.

They had a terrible time from 80 deg. 30' on to their last camp. There Bill
was very bad, and Birdie and the Owner had to