Latitude 79 degrees, 29 minutes
We have been hard at work making the depot today. It is a six-foot high cairn of snow with a few sledges planted upright beside it and a tall bamboo with a flag on top. We planted biscuit tins on it too to reflect the sun. It should be able to be seen for miles around. Well, our lives will depend on it anyhow.
In it we have left:
lbs
245 7 week's full provision bags for 1 unit
12 2 day's provision bags for 1 unit
8 8 week's tea
31 6 week's extra butter
176 lbs biscuit (7 week's full biscuit)
85 8.5 gallons oil (12 weeks oil for 1 unit)
850 5 sacks of oats
424 4 bales of fodder
250 Tank of dog biscuit
100 2 cases biscuit
-----
2181 lbs
Also: 1 skein white line, 1 set breast harness, 2 12-foot sledges, 2 pair of ski, 1 pair of ski sticks, 1 Minimum Thermometer, 1 tin Rowntree cocoa, 1 tin matches.
It seems as though some of our party will find spring journeys pretty trying. Oates's nose is always on the point of being frost-bitten, and Meares has a refractory toe which gives him much trouble. We are in for a pretty good doing.
Just thinking: just over half of this weight we dragged and which wore out our horses consists of food for the horses. And the only reason we are turning back is due to the horses.
Hmm. I can't start second-guessing myself at this point.
No comments:
Post a Comment