Oh, Lord--what a day we had of it. Fortunately we man-haulers missed the
"slaughter of the innocents," as some one termed the pony killing. When
we got to the stopping place all five ponies had been shot and cut up for
dog and man food.

This concluded our Barrier march: the last was tragic enough in its
disappointment, but one felt proud to be included in such a party, and
none, of us survivors can forget the splendid efforts of the last five
ponies.

Meantime Roald Amundsen had a gale in Lat. 87-88 degrees on December 5,
with falling and drifting snow, yet not too bad to stop his party
travelling: he was 11,000 feet above our level at this time and covering
25 miles a day. He also experienced thick weather but light wind on the
7th December and on the day of our sorrowful march he was scuttling along
beyond Shackleton's farthest South, indeed close upon the 89th Parallel.
It is just as well we did not know it too.




CHAPTER XIV


ON THE BEARDMORE GLACIER AND BEYOND


Probably no part of the Southern journey was enjoyed more thoroughly than
that stage which embraced the ascent of the Beardmore Glacier. Those who