Sunday, we reached the Mt.  Darwin Depot at 2 P.M. and camped for lunch.  We had just enough now for our meal; this is cutting it a bit fine.  We have now taken our 31/2 days’ allowance, which has got to take us another 57 miles to the Cloudmaker Depot.  This we shall do if we all keep as fit as we seem just now.  We left a note at the depot to inform the Captain of our safe arrival, wishing them the best of a journey home.  We are quite cheerful here to-night, after having put things right at the depot, where we found the sugar exposed to the sun; it had commenced to melt, but we put everything alright before we left, and picked up our crampons and got away as soon as we could.  We know there is not much time to spare.  We are now beginning to descend rapidly.  To-night it is quite warm, and our tea and food is warmer.  Things are going pretty favourable.  We are looking forward to making good runs down the glacier.  We have had some very heavy dragging lately [up] the sharp rises we found on the outward journey.  After a sharp rise we found a long gradual run down, two and three miles in length.  We noticed this on our outward journey and remarked on it, but coming back the long uphill drag we found out was pretty heavy work.

    15th January 1912.

Had a good run to-day but the ice was very rough and very much crevassed, but with crampons on we made splendid progress.  We did not like to stop, but we thought it would not be advisable to overdo our strength as it is a long way to go yet.

    16th January 1912.

We made good headway again to-day, but to-night we camped in some very rough ice and pressure ridges.  We are under the impression we are slightly out of our proper course, but Mr. Evans thinks we cant be very far out either way, and Crean and I are of the same opinion according to the marks on the land.  Anyhow we hope to get out of it in the morning and make the Cloudmaker Depot by night.  We shall then feel safe, but the weather dont look over promising again to-night, I am thinking.  So far we have not had to stop for weather.  We have wondered if the Pole Party have been as lucky with the weather as we have.  They ought by now to be homeward bound.  We have more chance now of writing as the temperature is much better down here.  To-night we have been discussing how the dogs got home, and also the progress made by the Doctor’s [Atkinson] Party.  They ought to be nearing home.  We have thought of the time it will take us to reach it at the rate we are getting along now.

    17th January 1912.

We have to-day experienced what we none of us ever wants to be our lot again.  I cannot describe the maze we got into and the hairbreadth escapes we have had to pass through to-day.  This day we shall remember all our lives.  The more we tried to get clear the worse the pressure got; at times it seemed almost impossible for us to get along, and when we had got over the places it was more than we could