Friday, January 12.—­Camp 64.  T. -17.5 deg..  Lat. 88 deg. 57’.  Another heavy march with snow getting softer all the time.  Sun very bright, calm at start; first two hours terribly slow.  Lunch, 4 3/4 hours, 5.6 miles geo.; Sight Lat. 88 deg. 52’.  Afternoon, 4 hours, 5.1 miles—­total 10.7.

In the afternoon we seemed to be going better; clouds spread over from the west with light chill wind and for a few brief minutes we tasted the delight of having the sledge following free.  Alas! in a few minutes it was worse than ever, in spite of the sun’s eclipse.  However, the short experience was salutary.  I had got to fear that we were weakening badly in our pulling; those few minutes showed me that we only want a good surface to get along as merrily as of old.  With the surface as it is, one gets horribly sick of the monotony and can easily imagine oneself getting played out, were it not that at the lunch and night camps one so quickly forgets all one’s troubles and bucks up for a fresh effort.  It is an effort to keep up the double figures, but if we can do so for another four marches we ought to get through.  It is going to be a close thing.

At camping to-night everyone was chilled and we guessed a cold snap, but to our surprise the actual temperature was higher than last night, when we could dawdle in the sun.  It is most unaccountable why we should suddenly feel the cold in this manner; partly the exhaustion of the march, but partly some damp quality in the air, I think.  Little Bowers is wonderful; in spite of my protest he would take sights after we had camped to-night, after marching in the soft snow all day where we have been comparatively restful on ski.

Night position.—­Lat. 88 deg. 57’ 25’’ S.; Long. 160 deg. 21’ E.; Var. 179 deg. 49’ W. Minimum T. -23.5 deg..

Only 63 miles (geo.) from the Pole to-night.  We ought to do the trick, but oh! for a better surface.  It is quite evident this is a comparatively windless area.  The sastrugi are few and far between, and all soft.  I should imagine occasional blizzards sweep up from the S.E., but none with violence.  We have deep tracks in the snow, which is soft as deep as you like to dig down.

Saturday, January 13.—­Lunch Height 10,390.  Barometer low? lunch Lat. 89 deg. 3’ 18’’.  Started on some soft snow, very heavy dragging and went slow.  We could have supposed nothing but that such conditions would last from now onward, but to our surprise, after two hours we came on a sea of sastrugi, all lying from S. to E., predominant E.S.E.  Have had a cold little wind from S.E. and S.S.E., where the sky is overcast.  Have done 5.6 miles and are now over the 89th parallel.

Night camp 65.—­Height 10,270.  T. -22.5 deg., Minimum -23.5 deg..  Lat. 89 deg. 9’S. very nearly.  We started very well in the afternoon.  Thought we were going to make a real good march, but after the first two hours surface crystals became as sandy as ever.  Still we did 5.6 miles geo., giving over 11 for the day.  Well, another day with double figures and a bit over.  The chance holds.