We had a good full brew of tea and then set to work stripping the sledges.  That didn’t take long, but the process of building up the 10-feet sledges now in operation in the other tent is a long job.  Evans (P.O.) and Crean are tackling it, and it is a very remarkable piece of work.  Certainly P.O.  Evans is the most invaluable asset to our party.  To build a sledge under these conditions is a fact for special record.  Evans (Lieut.) has just found the latitude—­86 deg. 56’ S., so that we are pretty near the 87th parallel aimed at for to-night.  We lose half a day, but I hope to make that up by going forward at much better speed.

This is to be called the ‘3 Degree Depot,’ and it holds a week’s provisions for both units.

There is extraordinarily little mirage up here and the refraction is very small.  Except for the seamen we are all sitting in a double tent—­the first time we have put up the inner lining to the tent; it seems to make us much snugger.

10 P.M.—­The job of rebuilding is taking longer than I expected, but is now almost done.  The 10-feet sledges look very handy.  We had an extra drink of tea and are now turned into our bags in the double tent (five of us) as warm as toast, and just enough light to write or work with.  Did not get to bed till 2 A.M.

Obs.:  86 deg. 55’ 47’’ S.; 165 deg. 5’ 48’’ E.; Var. 175 deg. 40’E.  Morning Bar. 20.08.

Monday, January 1, 1912.—­NEW YEAR’S DAY.  Lunch.  Bar. 20.04.  Roused hands about 7.30 and got away 9.30, Evans’ party going ahead on foot.  We followed on ski.  Very stupidly we had not seen to our ski shoes beforehand, and it took a good half-hour to get them right; Wilson especially had trouble.  When we did get away, to our surprise the sledge pulled very easily, and we made fine progress, rapidly gaining on the foot-haulers.

Night camp 54.  Bar. 19.98.  Risen about 150 feet.  Height about 9600 above Barrier.  They camped for lunch at 5 1/2 miles and went on easily, completing 11.3 (geo.) by 7.30.  We were delayed again at lunch camp, Evans repairing the tent, and I the cooker.  We caught the other party more easily in the afternoon and kept alongside them the last quarter of an hour.  It was surprising how easily the sledge pulled; we have scarcely exerted ourselves all day.

We have been rising again all day, but the slopes are less accentuated.  I had expected trouble with ski and hard patches, but we found none at all. (T. -14 deg..) The temperature is steadily falling, but it seems to fall with the wind.  We are very comfortable in our double tent.  Stick of chocolate to celebrate the New Year.  The supporting party not in very high spirits, they have not managed matters well for themselves.  Prospects seem to get brighter—­only 170 miles to go and plenty of food left.

Tuesday, January 2.—­T. -17 deg..  Camp 55.  Height about 9980.  At lunch my aneroid reading over scale 12,250, shifted hand to read 10,250.  Proposed to enter heights in future with correction as calculated at end of book (minus 340 feet).  The foot party went off early, before 8, and marched till 1.  Again from 2.35 to 6.30.  We started more than half an hour later on each march and caught the others easy.  It’s been a plod for the foot people and pretty easy going for us, and we have covered 13 miles (geo.).