Sunday, November 26.—­Camp 22.  Lunch camp.  Marched here fairly easily, comparatively good surface.  Started at 1 A.M. (midnight, local time).  We now keep a steady pace of 2 miles an hour, very good going.  The sky was slightly overcast at start and between two and three it grew very misty.  Before we camped we lost sight of the men-haulers only 300 yards ahead.  The sun is piercing the mist.  Here in Lat. 81 deg. 35’ we are leaving our ‘Middle Barrier Depot,’ one week for each re unit as at Mount Hooper.

Camp 22.—­Snow began falling during the second march; it is blowing from the W.S.W., force 2 to 3, with snow pattering on the tent, a kind of summery blizzard that reminds one of April showers at home.  The ponies came well on the second march and we shall start 2 hours later again to-morrow, i.e. at 3 A.M. (T.+13 deg.).  From this it will be a very short step to day routine when the time comes for man-hauling.  The sastrugi seem to be gradually coming more to the south and a little more confused; now and again they are crossed with hard westerly sastrugi.  The walking is tiring for the men, one’s feet sinking 2 or 3 inches at each step.  Chinaman and Jimmy Pigg kept up splendidly with the other ponies.  It is always rather dismal work walking over the great snow plain when sky and surface merge in one pall of dead whiteness, but it is cheering to be in such good company with everything going on steadily and well.  The dogs came up as we camped.  Meares says the best surface he has had yet.

Monday, November 27.—­Camp 23. (T. +8 deg., 12 P.M.; +2 deg., 3 A.M.; +13 deg., 11 A.M.; +17 deg., 3 P.M.) Quite the most trying march we have had.  The surface very poor at start.  The advance party got away in front but made heavy weather of it, and we caught them up several times.  This threw the ponies out of their regular work and prolonged the march.  It grew overcast again, although after a summery blizzard all yesterday there was promise of better things.  Starting at 3 A.M. we did not get to lunch camp much before 9.  The second march was even worse.  The advance party started on ski, the leading marks failed altogether, and they had the greatest difficulty in keeping a course.  At the midcairn building halt the snow suddenly came down heavily, with a rise of temperature, and the ski became hopelessly clogged (bad fahrer, as the Norwegians say).  At this time the surface was unspeakably heavy for pulling, but in a few minutes a south wind sprang up and a beneficial result was immediately felt.  Pulling on foot, the advance had even greater difficulty in going straight until the last half mile, when the sky broke slightly.  We got off our march, but under the most harassing circumstances and with the animals very tired.  It is snowing hard again now, and heaven only knows when it will stop.