ARRANGEMENTS AND INSTRUCTIONS
The Southern Party was to leave winter quarters on October 29, so on
our return from Depot A we began finally to prepare for our attempt to
reach the South Pole. I decided that Adams, Marshall and Wild should
go with me and that we should take provisions for ninety-one days. This
amount of food with other equipment brought the load per pony up to
the weight fixed as the maximum safe load. The supporting party was to
accompany us for some distance so that we might start fairly fresh from
a point beyond the rough ice off Minna Bluff, and we were to take the
four ponies and four sledges.
Early in 1907 I had proposed that one party should travel to the east
across the Barrier surface towards King Edward VII Land, but the loss
of so many ponies caused me to abandon this project.
Arrangements, however, were made for sending out a party early in
December to lay a depot for the Northern Party, and when this was done,
the same men were to proceed to the western mountains.
Also on January 15, 1909, a party under Joyce, was to lay a depot near
Minna Bluff containing sufficient stores for the return of the Southern
Party from that point. This same party was to return to Hut Point,
reload and march out to the depot a second time, and await the arrival
of the Southern Party until February 10, 1909. If the Southern Party
had not arrived by that date, Joyce and his companions were to go back
to Hut Point and thence to the ship.
Before my departure I left instructions which provided for the
conclusion of the work of the Expedition in its various branches, and
for the relief of the men left in the Antarctic in the event of the
non-return of the Southern Party.
To Murray I gave command of the Expedition and full instructions during
my absence.
The provisioning of the Southern Party was long and anxiously
considered, and Marshall went very carefully into the question of
the relative food-values of the various supplies, and we were able
to derive much useful information from the experience of previous
expeditions.
At length we decided that the daily allowance of food for each man on
the journey, as long as full rations were given, was to be as follows:
Oz.
Pemmican 7·5
Emergency Ration 1·5
Biscuit 16
Cheese or Chocolate 2
Cocoa ·7
Plasmon 1
Sugar 4·3
Quaker Oats 1
----
34·0
Tea, salt, and pepper were extras not weighed in with the daily
allowance. We used about two ounces of tea per day for the four men,
and the salt and pepper were carried in small bags, each bag to last
one week.
Everything was ready for the start as the end of October approached,
and we looked forward with keen anticipation to the venture. The
supporting-party, consisting of Joyce, Marston, Priestly, Armytage, and
Brocklehurst, was to accompany us for the first ten days.
The weather was not very good towards the end of October, but there
were signs that summer was coming. We spent the last days overhauling
sledges and equipment, and our evenings in writing letters for those
at home, to be delivered in the event of our not returning from the
unknown regions into which we hoped to penetrate.
[Illustration: The Motor-car in the Garage, Maize-Crusher on the right]