much better with our provision bag full again.  The only real anxiety now is the finding of the Three Degree Depot.  The tracks seem as good as ever so far, sometimes for 30 or 40 yards we lose them under drifts, but then they reappear quite clearly raised above the surface.  If the light is good there is not the least difficulty in following.  Blizzards are our bugbear, not only stopping our marches, but the cold damp air takes it out of us.  Bowers got another rating sight to-night—­it was wonderful how he managed to observe in such a horribly cold wind.  He has been on ski to-day whilst Wilson walked by the sledge or pulled ahead of it.

Friday, January 26.—­Temp. -17 deg..  Height 9700, must be high barometer.  Started late, 8.50—­for no reason, as I called the hands rather early.  We must have fewer delays.  There was a good stiff breeze and plenty of drift, but the tracks held.  To our old blizzard camp of the 7th we got on well, 7 miles.  But beyond the camp we found the tracks completely wiped out.  We searched for some time, then marched on a short way and lunched, the weather gradually clearing, though the wind holding.  Knowing there were two cairns at four mile intervals, we had little anxiety till we picked up the first far on our right, then steering right by a stroke of fortune, and Bowers’ sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the second far on the left.  Evidently we made a bad course outward at this part.  There is not a sign of our tracks between these cairns, but the last, marking our night camp of the 6th, No. 59, is in the belt of hard sastrugi, and I was comforted to see signs of the track reappearing as we camped.  I hope to goodness we can follow it to-morrow.  We marched 16 miles (geo.) to-day, but made good only 15.4.

Saturday, January 27.—­R. 10.  Temp. -16 deg. (lunch), -14.3 deg. (evening).  Minimum -19 deg..  Height 9900.  Barometer low?  Called the hands half an hour late, but we got away in good time.  The forenoon march was over the belt of storm-tossed sastrugi; it looked like a rough sea.  Wilson and I pulled in front on ski, the remainder on foot.  It was very tricky work following the track, which pretty constantly disappeared, and in fact only showed itself by faint signs anywhere—­a foot or two of raised sledge-track, a dozen yards of the trail of the sledge-meter wheel, or a spatter of hard snow-flicks where feet had trodden.  Sometimes none of these were distinct, but one got an impression of lines which guided.  The trouble was that on the outward track one had to shape course constantly to avoid the heaviest mounds, and consequently there were many zig-zags.  We lost a good deal over a mile by these halts, in which we unharnessed and went on the search for signs.  However, by hook or crook, we managed to stick on the old track.  Came on the cairn quite suddenly, marched past it, and camped for lunch at 7 miles.  In the afternoon the sastrugi gradually diminished in size and now we are on fairly level ground to-day, the obstruction practically at an end, and, to our joy, the tracks showing up much plainer again.  For the last two hours we had no difficulty at all in following them.  There has been a nice helpful southerly breeze all day, a clear sky and comparatively warm temperature.  The air is dry again, so that tents and equipment are gradually losing their icy condition imposed by the blizzard conditions of the past week.