“January 4.—­Packed up sledge with four weeks and three days’ food for five men, five sleeping-bags, etc.  I had my farewell breakfast with Teddy Evans, Crean and Lashly.  Teddy was frightfully cut up at not going to the Pole, he had set his heart on it so.

“I am afraid it was a very great disappointment to him, and I felt very sorry about it.  Poor Teddy, I am sure it was for his wife’s sake he wanted to go.  He gave me a little silk flag she had given him to fly on the Pole.  After so little sleep the previous night I rather dreaded the march.

   “We gave our various notes, messages, and letters to the returning
   party and started off.  They accompanied us for about a mile before
   turning, to see that all was going on well.

“Our party was on ski with the exception of myself.  I first made fast to the central span, but afterwards connected up to the bow of the sledge, pulling in the centre between the inner ends of Captain Scott’s and Dr. Wilson’s traces.

“This was found to be the best place, as I had to go my own step.  Teddy and party gave us three cheers and Crean was half in tears.  They had a featherweight sledge to go back with, of course, and ought to run down their distance easily.

“We found we could manage our load easily, and did 6.3 miles before lunch, completing 12.5 by 7.15 p.m.  Our marching hours are nine per day.  It is a long slog with a well-loaded sledge, and more tiring for me than the others as I have no ski.  However, as long as I can do my share all day and keep fit, it does not matter much one way or the other.

“We had our first north wind on the Plateau to-day, and a deposit of snow crystals made the surface like sand latterly on the march.  The sledge dragged like lead.  In the evening it fell calm, and although the temperature was 16 degrees it was positively pleasant to stand about outside the tent and bask in the sun’s rays.  It was our first calm since we reached the summit too.  Our socks and other damp articles which we hang out to dry at night became immediately covered with long feathery crystals exactly like plumes.

“Socks, mitts, and finneskoe dry splendidly up here during the night.  We have little trouble with them compared with spring and winter journeys.  I generally spread my bag out in the sun during the 1 1/2 hours of lunch time, which gives the reindeer hair a chance to get rid of the damage done by the deposit of breath and any perspiration during the night....”

He seemed to have made no entry for some days after this, but he is interesting to quote later.

The Polar Party covered the 145 geographical miles that remained in a fortnight; on the 7th January they reached apparently the summit of the Plateau, 10,570 ft. in Latitude 88 degrees 18 minutes 70 seconds S. Longitude 157 degrees 21 minutes E., but their marches fell short of expectations due to the bad surfaces met with.