In the afternoon the wind died away, and to-night it is flat calm; the sun so warm that in spite of the temperature we can stand about outside in the greatest comfort.  It is amusing to stand thus and remember the constant horrors of our situation as they were painted for us:  the sun is melting the snow on the ski, &c.  The plateau is now very flat, but we are still ascending slowly.  The sastrugi are getting more confused, predominant from the S.E.  I wonder what is in store for us.  At present everything seems to be going with extraordinary smoothness, and one can scarcely believe that obstacles will not present themselves to make our task more difficult.  Perhaps the surface will be the element to trouble us.

Friday, January 5.—­Camp 58.  Height:  morning, 10,430; night, 10,320.  T. -14.8 deg..  Obs. 87 deg. 57’, 159 deg. 13’.  Minimum T. -23.5; T. -21 deg..  A dreadfully trying day.  Light wind from the N.N.W. bringing detached cloud and constant fall of ice crystals.  The surface, in consequence, as bad as could be after the first hour.  We started at 8.15, marched solidly till 1.15, covering 7.4 miles (geo.), and again in the afternoon we plugged on; by 7 P.M. we had done 12 l/2 miles (geo.), the hardest we have yet done on the plateau.  The sastrugi seemed to increase as we advanced and they have changed direction from S.W. to S. by W. In the afternoon a good deal of confusing cross sastrugi, and to-night a very rough surface with evidences of hard southerly wind.  Luckily the sledge shows no signs of capisizing yet.  We sigh for a breeze to sweep the hard snow, but to-night the outlook is not promising better things.  However, we are very close to the 88th parallel, little more than 120 miles from the Pole, only a march from Shackleton’s final camp, and in a general way ‘getting on.’

We go little over a mile and a quarter an hour now—­it is a big strain as the shadows creep slowly round from our right through ahead to our left.  What lots of things we think of on these monotonous marches!  What castles one builds now hopefully that the Pole is ours.  Bowers took sights to-day and will take them every third day.  We feel the cold very little, the great comfort of our situation is the excellent drying effect of the sun.  Our socks and finnesko are almost dry each morning.  Cooking for five takes a seriously longer time than cooking for four; perhaps half an hour on the whole day.  It is an item I had not considered when re-organising.

Saturday, January 6.—­Height 10,470.  T. -22.3 deg..  Obstacles arising—­last night we got amongst sastrugi—­they increased in height this morning and now we are in the midst of a sea of fish-hook waves well remembered from our Northern experience.  We took off our ski after the first 1 1/2 hours and pulled on foot.  It is terribly heavy in places, and, to add to our trouble, every sastrugus is covered with a beard of sharp branching crystals.  We have covered 6 1/2 miles, but we cannot keep up our average if this sort of surface continues.  There is no wind.