Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman.  These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for.

(Signed) R. SCOTT.

This chapter would be incomplete without Wilson’s own beautiful lines from the “South Polar Times”;

THE BARRIER SILENCE

The Silence was deep with a breath like sleep
As our sledge runner slid on the snow,
And the fateful fall of our fur-clad feet
Struck mute like a silent blow. 
On a questioning “hush,” as the settling crust
Shrank shivering over the floe;
And the sledge in its track sent a whisper back
Which was lost in a white-fog bow. 
And this was the thought that the Silence wrought
As it scorched and froze us through,
Though secrets hidden are all forbidden
Till God means man to know. 
We might be the men God meant should know
The heart of the Barrier snow,
In the heat of the sun, and the glow
And the glare from the glistening floe,
As it scorched and froze us through and through
With the bite of the drifting snow.

CHAPTER XVII

THE SECOND WINTER—­FINDING OF THE POLAR PARTY

The foregoing story of triumph and disaster going hand in hand to Scott dwarfed the remaining chapters of the Expedition’s history into insignificance.  I venture, however, to give a resume of what was happening elsewhere in this region at the time.

The Norwegian explorers commenced their trip homeward to Framheim in the Bay of Whales, a distance of 870 English miles, on December 17, 1911 and made the amazing marching average of 22 1/2 miles a day for this distance.

On January 25, 1912, at 4 a.m., Amundsen’s men regained the shelter of their winter quarters, when poor Scott was still only 30 miles from the Pole on his return journey.

This undoubtedly establishes the superiority of dogs in great numbers for Polar sledge travelling, for Scott delayed his start on account of the inability of his ponies to face the severity of the Barrier weather conditions before November 1.  Peary in the North had already with dogs achieved what Amundsen did in the South.  Captain Amundsen has always expressed his wonder at our performance—­and in his modest way he told me he himself could never have manhauled as Scott’s men did.

Concerning the attempts to support the Southern party, Scott’s instructions were quite clear, and they were certainly obeyed.  As a matter of fact there was never any anxiety felt for the Southern party until after March 10.  They themselves never imagined they would reach Hut Point before that time, and as the last supporting party had won through short-handed, and after pulling in harness for 1500 miles, it was not considered likely that the Southern party would fail—­unless overtaken by scurvy.