SCOTT OATES ARCHER WILLIAMSON
WILSON SEAMAN EVANS
BOWERS
                               (IV) 13 men at Cape Evans for third year.

(II) 9 men gone home. ATKINSON CREAN
                                      CHERRY-GARRARD KEOHANE
LIEUT.  EVANS DAY WRIGHT DIMITRI
SIMPSON FORDE DEBENHAM HOOPER
MEARES CLISSOLD GRAN WILLIAMSON
TAYLOR ANTON NELSON ARCHER
PONTING LASHLY

A quite disproportionately small part of Scott’s Last Expedition was given to Atkinson’s account of the last and worst year any of us survivors spent:  some one should have compelled him to write, for he will not do so if he can help it.  The problems which presented themselves were unique in the history of Arctic travel, the weather conditions which had to be faced during this last winter were such as had never been met in McMurdo Sound!  The sledging personnel had lately undergone journeys, in one case no less than four journeys, of major importance, until they were absolutely worn out.  The successful issue of the party was a triumph of good management and good fellowship.  The saving clause was that as regards hut, food, heat, clothing and the domestic life generally we were splendidly found.  To the north of us, some hundreds of miles away, Campbell’s party of six men must be fighting for their lives against these same conditions, or worse—­unless indeed they had already perished on their way south.  We knew they must be in desperate plight, but probably they were alive:  the point in their favour was that they were fresh men.  To the south of us, anywhere between us and the Pole, were five men.  We knew they must be dead.

The immediate problem which presented itself was how best to use the resources which were left to us.  Our numbers were much reduced.  Nine men had gone home before any hint of tragedy reached them.  Two men had been landed from the ship.  We were thirteen men for this last year.  Of these thirteen it was almost certain that Debenham would be unable to go out sledging again owing to an injury to his knee:  Archer had come to cook and not to sledge:  and it was also doubtful about myself.  As a matter of fact our sledging numbers for the last summer totalled eleven, five officers and six men.

We were well provided with transport, having the seven mules sent down by the Indian Government, which were excellent animals, as well as our original two dog-teams:  the additional dogs brought down by the ship were with two exceptions of no real sledging value.  Our dog-teams had, however, already travelled some 1500 miles on the Barrier alone, not counting the work they had done between Hut Point and Cape Evans; and, though we did not realize it at this time, they were sick of it and never worked again with that dash which we had come to expect of them.