Surely and not very slowly, Scott’s team began to wear down the other team.  They were going easily when the others were making heavy weather and were sometimes far behind.  During the fortnight they rose, according to the corrected observations, from 7151 feet (Upper Glacier Depot) to 9392 feet above sea level (Three Degree Depot).  The rarefied air of the Plateau with its cold winds and lower temperatures, just now about -10 deg. to -12 deg. at night and -3 deg. during the day, were having their effect on the second team, as well as the forced marches.  This is quite clear from Scott’s diary, and from the other diaries also.  What did not appear until after the Last Returning Party had turned homewards was that the first team was getting worn out too.  This team which had gone so strong up the glacier, which had done those amazingly good marches on the plateau, broke up unexpectedly and in some respects rapidly from the 88th parallel onwards.

Seaman Evans was the first man to crack.  He was the heaviest, largest, most muscular man we had, and that was probably one of the main reasons:  for his allowance of food was the same as the others.  But one mishap which contributed to his collapse seems to have happened during this first fortnight on the plateau.  On December 31 the 12-feet sledges were turned into 10-feet ones by stripping off the old scratched runners which had come up the glacier and shipping new 10-feet ones which had been brought for the purpose.  This job was done by the seamen, and Evans appears to have had some accident to his hand, which is mentioned several times afterwards.

Meanwhile Scott had to decide whom he was going to take on with him to the Pole,—­for it was becoming clear that in all probability he would reach the Pole:  “What castles one builds now hopefully that the Pole is ours,” he wrote the day after the supporting party left him.  The final advance to the Pole was, according to plan, to have been made by four men.  We were organized in four-man units:  our rations were made up for four men for a week:  our tents held four men:  our cookers held four mugs, four pannikins and four spoons.  Four days before the Supporting Party turned, Scott ordered the second sledge of four men to depot their ski.  It is clear, I suppose, that at this time he meant the Polar Party to consist of four men.  I think there can be no doubt that he meant one of those men to be himself:  “for your own ear also, I am exceedingly fit and can go with the best of them,” he wrote from the top of the glacier.[251]

He changed his mind and went forward a party of five:  Scott, Wilson, Bowers, Oates and Seaman Evans.  I am sure he wished to take as many men as possible to the Pole.  He sent three men back:  Lieutenant Evans in charge, and two seamen, Lashly and Crean.  It is the vivid story of those three men, who turned on January 4 in latitude 87 deg. 32’, which is told by Lashly in the next chapter.  Scott wrote home:  “A last note from a hopeful position.  I think it’s going to be all right.  We have a fine party going forward and arrangements are all going well."[252]