[Illustration:  ‘ATCH’]

[Illustration:  TITUS OATES]

November 24.  Early morning. A glut of foot-walloping in soft snow and breaking crusts.  We have done between 17 and 18 miles to-day.  We saw no crevasses, and have marked the course well, building up the cairns and leaving two flags—­so the mule party should be all right.  The dogs were going well behind the ponies, but directly we went ahead they seemed to lose heart.  I think they are tired of the Barrier:  a cairn now awakens little interest:  they know it is only a mark and it does not mean a camp:  they are all well fed, and fairly fat and in good condition.  With a large number of dogs I suppose one team can go ahead when it is going well—­changing places with another—­each keeping the others going.  But I do not think that these dogs now will do much more; but they have already done as much as any dogs of which we have any record.

The land is clearing gradually.  I have never seen such contrasts of black rock and white snow, and White Island was capped with great ranges of black cumulus, over which rose the pure white peaks of the Royal Society Range in a blue sky.  The Barrier itself was quite a deep grey, making a beautiful picture.  And now Observation Hill and Castle Rock are in front.  I don’t suppose I shall ever see this view again:  but it is associated with many memories of returning to home and plenty after some long and hard journeys:  in some ways I feel sorry—­but I have seen it often enough.

November 25.  Early morning. We came in 24 miles with our loads, to find the best possible news—­Campbell’s Party, all well, are at Cape Evans.  They arrived here on November 6, starting from Evans Coves on September 30.  What a relief it is, and how different things seem now!  It is the first real bit of good news since February last—­it seems an age.  We mean to get over the sea-ice, if possible, as soon as we can, and then we shall hear their story.

November 26.  Early morning. Starting from Hut Point about 6.45 P.M. last evening, we came through by about 9 P.M., and sat up talking and hearing all the splendid news till past 2 A.M. this morning.

All the Northern Party look very fat and fit, and they are most cheerful about the time they have had, and make light of all the anxious days they must have spent and their hard times.

I cannot write all their story.  When the ship was battling with the pack to try and get in to them they had open water in Terra Nova Bay to the horizon, as seen from 200 feet high.  They prepared for the winter, digging their hut into a big snowdrift a mile from where they were landed.  They thought that the ship had been wrecked—­or that every one had been taken off from here, and that then the ship had been blown north by a succession of furious gales which they had and could not get back.  They never considered seriously the possibility of sledging down the coast before the winter.  They got settled in and were very warm—­so warm that in August they did away with one door, of which they had three, of biscuit boxes and sacking.