Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/132

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SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION
[January

'Whilst I hope that you may be able to land in King Edward's Land, I fully realise the possibility of the conditions being unfavourable and the difficulty of the task which has been set you.

'I do not think you should attempt a landing unless the Ship can remain in security near you for at least three days, unless all your stores can be placed in a position of safety in a shorter time.

'The Ship will give you all possible help in erecting your hut, &c., but I hope you will not find it necessary to keep her by you for any length of time.

'Should you succeed in landing, the object you will hold in view is to discover the nature and extent of King Edward's Land. The possibilities of your situation are so various that it must be left to you entirely to determine how this object may best be achieved.

'In this connexion it remains only to say that you should be at your winter station and ready to embark on February 1, 1912.

'If the Ship should not arrive by February 15, and your circumstances permit, you should commence to retreat across the Barrier, keeping at first near the edge in order to see the Ship should she pass.

'It would be a wise precaution to lay out a depôt in this direction at an earlier date, and I trust that a further depôt will be provided in some inlet as you go east in the Ship.

'When I hear that you have been safely landed in King Edward's Land I shall take steps to ensure that a third depôt is laid out. This will be placed by the

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