Wilson’s diary continues: 

“February 18. We had only five hours’ sleep.  We had butter and biscuit and tea when we woke at 2 P.M., then came over the Gap entrance to the pony-slaughter camp, visiting a rock moraine of Mt.  Hope on the way.”

“February 19. Late in getting away after making up new 10-foot sledge and digging out pony meat.  We made 51/2 m. on a very heavy surface indeed."[341]

This bad surface is the feature of their first homeward marches on the Barrier.  From now onwards they complain always of the terrible surfaces, but a certain amount of the heavy pulling must be ascribed to their own weakness.  In the low temperatures which occurred later bad surfaces were to be expected:  but now the temperatures were not really low, about zero to -17 deg.:  fine clear days for the most part and, a thing to be noticed, little wind.  They wanted wind, which would probably be behind them from the south.  “Oh! for a little wind,” Scott writes.  “E.  Evans evidently had plenty.”  He was already very anxious.  “If this goes on we shall have a bad time, but I sincerely trust it is only the result of this windless area close to the coast and that, as we are making steadily outwards, we shall shortly escape it.  It is perhaps premature [Feb. 19] to be anxious about covering distance.  In all other respects things are improving.  We have our sleeping-bags spread on the sledge and they are drying, but, above all, we have our full measure of food again.  To-night we had a sort of stew fry of pemmican and horseflesh, and voted it the best hoosh we had ever had on a sledge journey.  The absence of poor Evans is a help to the commissariat, but if he had been here in a fit state we might have got along faster.  I wonder what is in store for us, with some little alarm at the lateness of the season.”  And on February 20, when they made 7 miles, “At present our sledge and ski leave deeply ploughed tracks which can be seen winding for miles behind.  It is distressing, but as usual trials are forgotten when we camp, and good food is our lot.  Pray God we get better travelling as we are not so fit as we were, and the season is advancing apace.”  And on February 21, “We never won a march of 81/2 miles with greater difficulty, but we can’t go on like this."[342]

A breeze suddenly came away from S.S.E., force 4 to 6 at 11 A.M. on February 22, and they hoisted the sail on the sledge they had just picked up.  They immediately lost the tracks they were following, and failed to find the cairns and camp remains which they should have picked up if they had been on the right course, which was difficult here owing to the thick weather we had on the outward march.  Bowers was sure they were too near the land and they steered out, but still failed to pick up the line on which their depots and their lives depended.  Scott was convinced they were outside, not inside the line.  The next morning Bowers took a round of angles, and