about -15 degrees now. Position 86 degrees 49 minutes 9 seconds S.,
162 degrees 50 minutes E."

"_December_ 31.

"Out at 5.45, and then after a yarn with Captain Scott and our welcome
pemmican, tea and biscuit. We in our tent depoted our ski, Alpine
rope, and ski shoes, saving a considerable weight. We then started off
a few minutes ahead of Captain Scott, and his team never got near us,
in fact they actually lost ground. We marched for 5 1/2 hours solid,
and had a good heavy drag, but not enough to distress us. We stopped
at 1.30 p.m., having done 8 miles 116 yards statute. After our lunch
we made a depot and put two weekly units in the snow cairn, which we
built and marked with a black flag. The seamen (Evans and Crean) and
Lashly spent the afternoon converting the 12 foot sledges to 10 foot
with the spare runners, while the remainder of us foregathered in
Captain Scott's tent, which Evans fitted with a lining to-day, making
it beautifully warm. We sat in the tents with the door open and the
sun shining in--doing odd jobs. I worked out sights and wrote up this
diary, which was a few days adrift. Temperature -10 degrees.

"We are now Past Shackleton's position for December 31, and it does
look as if Captain Scott were bound to reach the Pole. Position 86
degrees 55 minutes 47 minutes S., 175 degrees 40 minutes E.

"At 7 p.m. Captain Scott cooked tea for all hands.

"At 8 p.m. the first sledge was finished and the men went straight on
with the second. This was finished by midnight, and, having seen the
New Year in, we had a fine pemmican hoosh and went to bed."