Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 1.djvu/940

630 are thus entirely filled: the third has only part of its pages used and the Message to the Public is written at the reverse end.

Inside the front cover of No. 1 is a ‘ready’ table to convert the day's run of geographical miles as recorded on the sledgemeter into statute miles, a list of the depôts and their latitude, and a note of the sledgemeter reading at Corner Camp.

These are followed in the first pages by a list of the outward camps and distances run as noted in the book, with special ‘remarks’ as to cairns, latitude, and so forth. At the end of the book is a full list of the cairns that marked the track out.

Inside the front cover of No. 2 are similar entries, together with the ages of the Polar party and a note of the error of Scott's watch.

Inside the front cover of No. 3 are the following words: ‘Diary can be read by finder to ensure recording of Records, &c, but Diary should be sent to my widow.’ And on the first page:

The word ‘wife’ had been struck out and ‘widow’ written in.

Note 26, p. 578.—At this, the Barrier stage of the return journey, the Southern Party were in want of more oil than they found at the depôts. Owing partly to the severe conditions, but still more to the delays imposed by their sick comrades, they reached the full limit of time allowed for between depôts. The cold was unexpected, and at the same time the actual amount of oil found at the depôts was less than they had counted on.

Under summer conditions, such as were contemplated, when there was less cold for the men to endure, and less firing needed to melt the snow for cooking, the fullest allowance of oil was 1 gallon to last a unit of four men ten days, or $1/40$ of a gallon a day for each man.

The amount allotted to each unit for the return journey from the South was apparently rather less, being ⅔ gallon for eight days, or $1/48$ gallon a day for each man. But the eight days were to cover the march from depôt to depôt, averaging on the Barrier some 70–80 miles, which in normal conditions should not take more than six days. Thus there was a substantial margin for delay by bad weather, while if all went well the surplus afforded the fullest marching allowance.

The same proportion for a unit of five men works out at $5/6$ of a gallon for the eight-day stage.

Accordingly, for the return of the two supporting parties and the Southern Party, two tins of a gallon each were left at each depôt, each unit of four men being entitled to ⅔ of a gallon, and the units of three and five men in proportion.

The return journey on the Summit had been made at good speed, taking twenty-one days as against twenty-seven going out, the last part of it, from Three Degree to Upper Glacier Depôt, taking nearly