Thus it was of the utmost importance to get safely over the precarious part of the 'road' before the seasonal going-out of the sea-ice. To wait until all the ice should go out and enable the ship to sail to Hut Point would have meant long uncertainty and delay. As it happened, the Road broke up the day after the party had gone by.
[9] Viz. Atkinson and Crean, who were left at Safety Camp; E. Evans,
Forde and Keohane, who returned with the weaker ponies on Feb. 13;
Meares and Wilson with the dog teams; and Scott, Bowers, Oates,
Cherry-Garrard, and Lashly.
[10] The favorite nickname for Bowers.
[11] Professor T. Edgeworth David, C.M.G., F.R.S., of Sydney University, who was the geologist to Shackleton's party.
[12] This was done in order to measure on the next visit the results of wind and snow.
[13] Scott, Wilson, Meares and Cherry-Garrard now went back swiftly with the dog teams, to look after the return parties at Safety Camp. Having found all satisfactory, Scott left Wilson and Meares there with the dogs, and marched back with the rest to Corner Camp, taking more stores to the depot and hoping to meet Bowers rearguard party.
[14] The party had made a short cut where in going out with the ponies they had made an elbow, and so had passed within this 'danger line.'
[15] Bowers, Oates, and Gran, with the five ponies. The two days had after all brought them to Safety Camp.
[16] This was at a point on the Barrier, one-half mile from the edge, in a S.S.E. direction from Hut Point.
[17] I.e. by land, now that the sea ice was out.