New Year's Day found us in Latitude 87 degrees 7 minutes S. Height, 9300
feet above Barrier--a southerly wind, with temperature 14 degrees below
zero.

On 2nd January I found the variation to be exactly 180 degrees. A skua
gull appeared from the south and hovered round the sledges during the
afternoon, then it settled on the snow once or twice and we tried to
catch it.

Did 15 miles with ease, but we were now only pulling 130 lb. per man.

On January 3 Scott came into my tent before we began the day's march and
informed me that he was taking his own team to the Pole. He also asked me
to spare Bowers from mine if I thought I could make the return journey of
750 miles short-handed--this, of course, I consented to do, and so little
Bowers left us to join the Polar party. Captain Scott said he felt that I
was the only person capable of piloting the last supporting party back
without a sledge meter. I felt very sorry for him having to break the
news to us, although I had foreseen it--for Lashly and I knew we could
never hope to be in the Polar party after our long drag out from Cape
Evans itself.

We could not all go to the Pole--food would not allow this. Briefly then
it was a disappointment, but not too great to bear; it would have been an
unbearable blow to us had we known that almost in sight were Amundsen's
tracks, and that all our dragging and straining at the trace had been in
vain.

On 4th January we took four days' provision for three men and handed over