h snowed up to follow, we made our own bee-line for the
Pole: camped for lunch at 12.30 and off again from 3 to 6.30 P.M. It blew
from force 4 to 6 all day in our teeth with temperature -22 deg., the coldest
march I ever remember. It was difficult to keep one's hands from freezing
in double woollen and fur mitts. Oates, Evans, and Bowers all have pretty
severe frost-bitten noses and cheeks, and we had to camp early for lunch
on account of Evans' hands. It was a very bitter day. Sun was out now and
again, and observations taken at lunch, and before and after supper, and
at night, at 7 P.M. and at 2 A.M. by our time. The weather was not clear,
the air was full of crystals driving towards us as we came south, and
making the horizon grey and thick and hazy. We could see no sign of cairn
or flag, and from Amundsen's direction of tracks this morning he has
probably hit a point about 3 miles off. We hope for clear weather
to-morrow, but in any case are all agreed that he can claim prior right
to the Pole itself. He has beaten us in so far as he made a race of it.
We have done what we came for all the same and as our programme was made
out. From his tracks we think there were only 2 men, on ski, with plenty
of dogs on rather low diet. They seem to have had an oval tent. We sleep
one night at the Pole and have had a double hoosh with some last bits of
chocolate, and X's cigarettes have been much appreciated by Scott and
Oates and Evans. A tiring day: now turning into a somewhat starchy frozen
bag. To-morrow we start for home and shall do our utmost to get back in
time to send the news to the ship."

"_January 18._ Sights were taken in the night, and at about 5 A.M. we
turned out and marched from this night camp about 33/4 miles back in a
S.E.ly direction to a spot which we judged from last night's sights to be
the Pole. Here we lunched camp: built a cairn: took photos: flew the
Queen Mother's Union Jack and all our own flags. We call this the Pole,
though as a matter of fact we went 1/2 mile farther on in a S. easterly
direction after taking further sights to the actual final spot, and here
we left the Union Jack flying. During the forenoon we passed the
Norwegians' last southerly camp: they called it Polheim and left here a
small tent with Norwegian and Fram flags flying, and a considerable
amount of gear in the tent: half reindeer sleeping-bags, sleeping-socks,
reinskin trousers 2 pair, a sextant, and artif[icial] horizon, a
hy