On the whole the mules failed to adapt themselves to this life, and as such must at present be considered to be a failure for Antarctic work.  Certainly those of our ponies which had the best chance to adapt themselves went farthest, such as Nobby and Jimmy Pigg, both of whom had experience of Barrier sledging before they started on the Polar Journey.

November 21.  Early morning. It has cleared at last, the disturbance rolling away to the east during our first march.  The surface was very bad and the mules were not going well.  At this time last year many of the ponies were still quite difficult to make stand just before starting.  But these mules start off now most dolefully.  I am afraid they will not all get back to Hut Point.

Two and a half miles after lunch, i.e. just over forty miles from the depot, we turned out to the eastward and found the gear left by the Second Return Party, when Evans was so ill.  The theodolite, which belonged to Evans, is I believe there, but though we dug all round we were unable to find it.  The ski were all upright, drifted to within six inches of the shoes.  Most of the gear was clothing, which we have left, with the skis, in the tank.  We brought on a roll of Birdie’s photographs, taken on the plateau, and three geological specimens:  deep-seated rocks I think.  This was all of importance that there was there.

The N Ration, which we have now come to, consists of about 40 oz. of food.  At present, doing the work we are doing, and with these high temperatures, -23 deg. when we started, for instance, and -17 deg. now, the men do not want it.  For what it was intended for, hard man-hauling, it would probably be an excellent ration, and very satisfying.

November 22.  Early morning. We could not have had a more perfect night to march.  Yesterday at 4 P.M., holding the thermometer in the sun, the spirit rose to 30 deg.:  it was almost too warm in the tent.  The cairns show very plainly—­in such weather navigation of this kind would be dead easy.  But they are already being eaten away and toppling.  The pony walls are drifted level—­huge drifts, quite hard, running up to windward and down to lee.

The dogs are getting more hungry, and want to get at the mules, which makes them go better.  They went very well to-day, but too fast once, for we had a general mix-up:  Bieliglass under the sledge and the rest all tangled up and ready for a fight at the first chance.  How one of the front pair of dogs got under the sledge is a mystery.

Among the Polar Party’s gear is a letter to the King of Norway.  It was left by the Norwegians for Scott to take back.  It is wrapped in a piece of thin windcloth with one dark check line in it.  Coarser and rougher and, I should say, heavier than our Mandelbergs.

November 23.  Early morning. We were to make Dimitri Depot this morning, but we came on in a fog, and the mule party camped after running down the distance.  Wright came back and said, “If we have passed it, it’s over there”—­and as he pointed the depot showed—­not more than 200 yards away.  So that is all right.  We, the dog party, go on in advance to-morrow, so that no time may be lost, and if the ice is still good, Atkinson will get over to Cape Evans.