usand one hundred
yards. Light loads, good surface and a fair wind account for the good
travelling, the sail doing almost all the work on the man-hauled sledge.

"The last two hours we were in the dark, except for a young moon,
amongst a lot of crevasses and pressure-ridges which none of us could
recognize. At one time, we found ourselves on a slope within a dozen
yards of the edge of the glacier; this decided me to camp. Awfully
disappointing; anticipating another wretched night. Temperature-35
degrees F."

Next day we reached home. The last camp had been four and a half miles
north of the hut. I found that we had gone wrong through using 149
degrees as the bearing of Masson Island from the Base, when it should
have been 139 degrees. I believe it was my own mistake, as I gave the
bearing to Dovers and he is very careful.

Before having a meal, we were all weighed and found the average loss to
be eight pounds. In the evening, Moyes and I weighed ourselves again; he
had gained seven pounds and I five and three-quarter pounds.

Comparing notes with Hoadley and Kennedy, I found that the weather at
the Base had been similar to that experienced on the sledging journey.

It was now arranged that Jones was to take charge of the main western
journey in the summer. While looking for a landing-place in the
'Aurora', we had noted to the west an expanse of old, fast floe,
extending for at least fifty miles. The idea was for Jones and party
to march along this floe and lay a depot on the land as far west as was
possible in four weeks. The party included Dovers, Harrisson, Hoadley
and Moyes. They were to be assisted by the dogs.

It was my intention to take Kennedy and Watson up to the depot we had
left on the hills in March, bringing back the minimum thermometer and
probably some of the food. Watson was slightly lame at the time, as he
had bruised his foot on the last trip.

Until Jones made a start on September 26, there were ten days of almost
continuous wind and drift. The equinox may have accounted for this
prolonged period of atrocious weather. No time, however, was wasted
indoors. Weighing and bagging food, repairing tents, poles, cookers and
other gear damaged on the last journey and sewing and mending clothes
gave every man plenty of employment.

At 6 A.M. on the 26th, Jones reported that there was only a little low
drift and that the wind was dying away. All hands were therefore called
and breakfast served.

Wats