Tuesday, 28 February 1911

Scott

Scott, Cherry, and Crean were reunited with the others at Safety Camp. "Found everyone very cold and depressed," Scott wrote. "Wilson and Meares had had continuous bad weather since we left, Bowers and Oates since their arrival. The blizzard had raged for two days. The animals looked in a sorry condition but all were alive. The wind blew keen and cold from the east. There could be no advantage in waiting here, and soon all arrangements were made for a general shift to Hut Point." [1]

He decided to send all but one of the ponies ahead with Bowers, Crean, and Cherry, as Weary Willy was nearly done for. "We made desperate efforts to save the poor creature, got him once more on his legs and gave him a hot oat mash. Then after a wait of an hour Oates led him off, and we packed the sledge and followed on ski; 500 yards away from the camp the poor creature fell again and I felt it was the last effort. We camped, built a snow wall round him, and did all we possibly could to get him on his feet. Every effort was fruitless, though the poor thing made pitiful struggles. Towards midnight we propped him up as comfortably as we could and went to bed."

They woke in the morning to find poor Willy dead.


Notes:

[1] R.F. Scott, diary, 28 January, 1911, quoted in Scott's Last Expedition, v.1.