Thursday, 16 February 1911

Scott

After marching a little less than seven miles, the depot party made camp. They had wanted to reach 80° -- it was 79° 28 1/2'. Scott thought that three of the five ponies could go on, but the temperature had dropped to -21° with a stiff breeze, and some of the men were showing signs of frostbite.

Oates wanted to put down Gran's pony, which was worn out, and continue on south with the four remaining ponies, but Scott refused. "He had, as he himself put it, felt quite sick on account of the animal's sufferings," Gran wrote later. "Even thought Oates was of course a highly disciplined officer, he felt obliged on this occasion to press his views on his chief: 'Sir, I'm afraid you'll come to regret not taking my advice.' 'Regret it or not,' replied Scott, 'I have taken my decision as a Christian gentleman.'" [1]

At Cape Adare, the Northern Party watched the Terra Nova put out to sea. They would not see it again for nearly a year.


Notes:

[1] Tryggve Gran, note added later to diary entry of 16 February, 1911, in The Norwegian with Scott ([Greenwich] : National Maritime Museum, 1984), p.59.