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江苏省响水中学高中英语美文阅读 The coldest place on the earth
Chapter 1 Two Ships
The race began in the summer of 1910.
On June lst,in London,a black ship,the Terra Nova, went down the river Thames
to the sea.Thousands of people stood by the river to watch it.They were all excited
and happy.
On the Terra Nova,Captain Robert Falcon Scott smiled quietly.It was a very
important day for him.He was a strong man,not very tall,in the blue clothes of a
captain.He was forty-one years old,but he had a young face,like a boy.His eyes were
dark and quiet.
One man on the ship,Titus Oates,smiled at Scott.
'What an exciting day,Captain!'he said.'Look at those people!I feel like
an important man!'
Scott laughed.'You are important,Titus,'he said.'And you're going to be famous,too.We all are.Do you see this flag?'He looked at the big British flag at the back
of the ship,and smiled at Oates.'That flag is coming with us,'he said.
'In the Antarctic,I'm going to carry it under my clothes. We're going to be
the first men at the South Pole,and that flag is going to be first,too!'
* * * * *
Five days later,on June 6th,a man opened the door of his wooden house in Norway.He
was a tall man,with a long face.He waited outside the house for a minute.Everything
was very quiet.He could see no houses,only mountains,trees,and water.It was nearly
dark.The sky was black over the mountains.
The man smiled,and walked quickly away from the house,down to the sea.In the
water,a big wooden ship waited for him.The man got onto the ship,and talked and laughed
quietly with his friends.
The ship's name was Fram,and the man was Roald Amundsen.The Fram was the most
beautiful ship on earth,Amundsen thought.
His friends were the best skiers on earth,too.One of them,Olav Bjaaland,smiled at him.
'North Pole,here we come,Captain,'he said.
'Yes.'Amundsen said.His friends could not see his face in the dark.'Fram is
going to the Arctic.'
Everyone on the Fram was ready to go to the North Pole,to the Arctic.Amundsen
wanted to go there,too.But first he wanted to go south.His friends didn't know that.
At midnight on June 6th,the Fram moved quietly away from Amundsen's house,out to sea.
Chapter 2 The Race
The Fram went to an island in the south of Norway.It was a very little island,with only one small wooden house,two trees—and nearly a hundred dogs.
'Look at that!'Bjaaland said.'It's an island of dogs!There are dogs in the
water,near the trees,on the house—dogs everywhere!'
Two men came out of the house.'Hassel!Lindstrom!'Amundsen said.'It's good
to see you!How many dogs do you have for me?'
'Ninety-nine,Roald,'said Hassel.'The best ninety-nine dogs from Greenland.And
they're very happy!They don't work;they just eat and play all day!They're having a
wonderful summer here!'
'Good,good.'Amundsen laughed.'But that's finished now.Hey,Bjaaland!Stop
laughing—come down here and help me.Let's get all these dogs onto the ship!'
It was not easy.The dogs were fat and strong,and they didn't want to go on
the ship.But at last,after three hours 'hard work,all ninety-nine were on the ship,and the Fram went out to sea again.
The men were not happy.The weather was bad,the dogs were dirty,and some of
the men were ill.They began to ask questions.
'Why are we bringing dogs with us?'asked one man,Johansen.'We're going
thousands of kilometres south,past Cape Horn,and then north to Alaska.Why not wait,and get dogs in Alaska?'
'Don't ask me,'said his friend,Helmer Hanssen,'I don't understand it.'
The men talked for a long time.Then,on September 9th, Amundsen called everyone
to the back of the ship.He stood quietly and looked at them.Behind him was a big map.It
was not a map of the Arctic.It was a map of Antarctica.
Bjaaland looked at Helmer Hanssen,and laughed.Then Amundsen began to speak.
'Boys,'he said.'I know you are unhappy.You often ask me difficult questions,and I don't answer.Well,I'm going to answer all those questions now,today.
We began to work for this journey two years ago.Then,we wanted to be the first
men at the North Pole.But last year,Peary,an American,found the North Pole.So America
was first to the North Pole,not Norway.We're going there,but we're too late.'
'I don't understand this,'Bjaaland thought.'Why is Amundsen talking about the
North Pole,with a map of Antarctica behind him?'
Amundsen stopped for a minute,and looked at all the men slowly.No one said
anything.
'We have to go a long way south before we get to Alaska,'he said.'Very near
Antarctica,you know.And Captain Scott,the Englishman,is going to the South Pole this
year.He wants to put his British flag there.An American flag at the North Pole,a British
flag at the South Pole.'
Bjaaland began to understand.He started to smile and couldn't stop.He was warm
and excited.
'Well,boys,'Amundsen said slowly.'Do we want the British to put their flag
at the South Pole first?How fast can we travel?We have a lot of dogs,and some of the
most wonderful skiers on earth—Bjaaland here is the best in Norway!So I have an idea,boys.Let's go to the South Pole,and put the Norwegian flag there before the British!What do you say?'
For a minute or two it was very quiet.Amundsen waited,and the men watched
him and thought.Then Bjaaland laughed.
Chapter 3 The Ponies
On October 27th,the Terra Nova arrived in Wellington,New Zealand.When Scott
came off the ship,a newspa-per man walked up to him.
'Captain Scott!Captain Scott!Can I talk to you,please!'he said.
Scott stopped and smiled.'Yes,of course,'he said.'What do you want to know?'
'Are you going to win?'the man asked.
'Win?'Scott asked.'Win what?'
'Win the race to the South Pole,of course,'the newspaper man said.'It's a
race between you and Amundsen,now.Look at this!'He gave a newspaper to Scott.Scott
looked at it.It said:Scott's face went white.'Give me that!'he said.He took the
newspaper and read it carefully.The newspaper man watched him,and waited.'Well,Captain Scott,'he said at last.'Who's going to win this race?Tell me that!'
Scott looked at him angrily.'This is stupid!'he said.'It's not a race!I came
here to learn about the Antarctic—I'm not interested in Amundsen,or in races!'Then
he walked back on-to his ship,with the newspaper in his hand.
Later that day,he talked to his men.He gave them the newspaper,and laughed.
'It doesn't matter,'he said.'We're in front of Amundsen,and we have more men,and more money.He has only eight men,and a lot of dogs.I know about dogs—they don't
work in the Antarctic.We have sixteen men and the new motor sledges—they are much
better.And tomorrow the ponies are coming.We need ponies,motor sledges,and good strong
British men—that's all.Forget about Amundsen!He's not important!'
Scott asked Oates to look after the ponies,but he did not let Oates buy them.When
Oates first saw the ponies,in New Zealand,he was very unhappy.Most of the ponies were
old,and some of them were ill.
'They're beautiful ponies,Titus,'Scott said.'They come from China—they're
wonderful ponies!'
Oates looked at them angrily,and said nothing.Then he asked:'Where is their
food,Captain?'
'Here!'Scott opened a door.
Oates looked inside.He thought for a minute.'We need more food than this,Captain Scott!These ponies are going to work in the coldest place on earth—they need
a lot of food—more than this!'
Scott smiled quietly.'We can't take more food on this ship,Titus.Where can
we put it?But it doesn't matter,old boy.They're very strong ponies,you know.The
best ponies on earth.'
Later that night,Oates wrote a letter to his mother.There are nineteen ponies
on the Terra Nova now,he wrote.All the ponies are in a small room at the front of the
ship.We eat our food in the room under the ponies,so our table is often wet and dirty.Scott
makes a lot of mistakes,I think,and Antarctica is a very dangerous place
Chapter 4 Food Depots
The two ships,Terra Nova and Fram,arrived in Antarctica,in January 1911,at the end of summer.The Englishmen and the Norwegians wanted to stay on the ice all
winter.They wanted to be ready to go to the South Pole at the beginning of the next
Antarctic summer.
The dogs pulled the Norwegians' sledges.They ran quickly over the snow and pulled
the big sledges from the ship onto the ice.The men ran beside them on skis.
They put a big wooden house on the ice.The house was full of food,and skis,and sledges.They called it Framheim.Out-side the house,the dogs lived in holes under
the snow.When the house was ready,the men made their first journey south.
Before the winter,they wanted to take a lot of food south,and leave it in
depots.For the long journey to the Pole,they needed a lot of food,and they couldn't
carry it all with them.On February 10th,five men,three sledges,eighteen dogs,and
half a ton of food left Framheim and went south.
It was easy.The weather was warm for the Antarctic,be-tween—7°Centigrade
and—17°Centigrade.The snow was good,and the dogs and skis went fast.They went fifty
or sixty kilometres every day.After four days they reached 80°South,and made the first
depot.
Amundsen made his depot very carefully.It was very important to find it again,next summer.So he put a big black flag on top.Then he put ten flags to the east of
the depot—each flag half a kilometre from the next—and ten flags to the west.So there
were flags for five kilometres to the left of the depot,and five kilometres to the right.
Then they went back to Framheim,and took some more food south,this time to
82°South.
This time it was harder.The temperature was sometimes -40°Centigrade,and
there were strong winds with a lot of snow.The dogs and men were very tired,and the
tents and boots were bad.At the second depot,they put out sixty flags,to help them
find it again.
They came back to Framheim on March 23rd.It was nearly winter in the
Antarctic.Their ship Fram was far away now,near South America.They were alone on the
ice.
* * * * *
Oates went with Scott to make the first British depot.They left Cape Evans on
January 25th.There were thirteen men,eight ponies,and twenty-six dogs.The dogs were
faster than the ponies—they ran quickly over the top of the snow,but the ponies 'feet
went through it.Every morning the ponies started first,and the dogs started two hours
later,because they ran faster.At night,the dogs made warm holes under the snow,but the ponies stood on top of the snow.It was -20°Centigrade.
After fifteen days Oates talked to Scott.There was a strong wind,and the two
men's faces were white with snow.
'Three of these ponies are ill,Captain,'Oates said.'They can't go on.'
'Don't be stupid,Oates,'Scott answered.'They're good strong animals—the best
ponies on earth.'
'Not these three,'Oates said.'They're ill,and unhappy,and now they can't
walk.Let's kill them,and leave the meat here,in the snow.We can eat it,or the dogs
can.'
'Of course not!'Scott said angrily.'These ponies are our friends,they work
hard for us.I don't kill my friends!'
Three days later,two of the ponies were dead.
Scott's men were slower than Amundsen's;it took them twenty-four days to get
to 80°South.They made a big depot there,and put one large black flag on top of it.Then
they went back to Cape Evans.
Chapter 5 A Long Cold Winter
It was dark for four months.Outside the wooden house at Framheim,it was often
-60°Centigrade.The dogs lived in warm holes under the snow.The men stayed in the
house,and worked in their rooms under the snow.
The skis and sledges came from the best shops in Norway,but Bjaaland wasn't
happy with them.He changed a lot of things on the skis and sledges.Soon the sledges
were stronger than before.The skis were better and faster,too.
All the Norwegians worked hard.They looked after their dogs,and worked on
their equipment—the sledges,skis,tents.Every day they thought about their journey
to the Pole,and talked about it.And every day,Amundsen thought about Scott.One day,in midwinter,he talked to his men.
'Let's start early,before Scott,'Amundsen said.'Remember,Scott has more
men than us,and he has motor sledges,too.Perhaps they can go faster than us.'
Bjaaland laughed.'Oh no,they can't go faster than me,'he said.'On snow,nothing can go faster than a good man on skis.'
'We don't know,'Amundsen said.'You're the best skier in Norway,but you get
tired,and dogs get tired,too.Motor sledges don't get tired.They can go all day and
all night.'
Johansen laughed angrily.'That's stupid,'he said.'Perhaps the motor sledges
can go all night,but the Englishmen can't.The English can't win,Roald—they don't
understand snow,but we do.And they're too slow.'
'Perhaps,'Amundsen said.'But I want to win this race.So we're going to start
early!Do you understand?'
It was quiet and warm inside Framheim.Bjaaland looked at Amundsen,and thought
about the long,cold journey in front of him.He thought about the dogs in their holes
under the snow,and listened to the wind over the house.'When,Roald?'he said quietly.
'On August 24th.The sun comes back on that day.We start then.'
'But we can't!'Johansen said.He looked angry,and un-happy.'That's too early!We can't start then—it's dangerous and stupid!'
Amundsen looked at Johansen coldly.'You're wrong,Johansen,'he said.'We
want to win,remember?So we start on August 24th.'
Bjaaland listened to the winter wind outside.
* * * * *
In Scott's camp,at Cape Evans,no one talked about Amundsen and no one worked
hard.They had good food,and they played football on the snow.They wrote a newspaper—The
south Polar Times—and read books.No one learnt to ski,no one worked on the motor
sledges.Twice,men went for long journeys across the snow.They walked,and pulled the
sledges themselves.Oates stayed at Cape Evans and looked after his ponies.
Over the window in Cape Evans,Scott put a map of Antarctica.With a pen,he made a line from Cape Evans to the South Pole,and he put a little British Flag at
the Pole.Under the map,Scott wrote the day for the start of their journey.
Chapter 6 A Bad Start
On August 23rd,the Norwegians' sledges were ready.They took them outside,and the dogs pulled them across me ice.The sun came up for half an hour,but it was
too cold:-46°Centigrade.They could not travel in that weather.They went back to
Framheim and waited.
They waited two weeks,until September 8th.Then,with the temperature at-37°Centigrade,they started.They ran happily across the snow to the south—eight
men,seven sledges,and eighty-six dogs.Only Lindstrom,the cook,stayed behind in
Framheim.
At first everything went well.They went twenty-eight kilometres on Saturday,and twenty-eight kilometres on Sunday.It was easy.Then,on Monday,the temperature
went down—to -56°Centigrade.There was white fog in front of their faces.They couldn't
see anything.But they travelled twenty-eight kilometres.
That night,in their tents,they nearly died of cold.Next day,they stopped
and made snow houses.Inside the snow houses,it was warm.But everyone was unhappy.
'I told you,Roald!'Johansen said.'Even September is too early!We can't
travel in this cold.Do you want us to die? Let's go back and wait for better weather.'
Amundsen was very angry.He was angry with Johansen,buthe was angry with
himself,too.He knew Johansen was right.
'All right,'he said slowly.'We can go on to the depot at 80°South,leave
the food there,and then go back.We can't do more than that.'
It was thirty-seven kilometres to the depot.The wind was in their faces all
day.Two dogs died on the way.At the depot,they did not stop.They put out the food
and the flags,turned round,and went north.
At last the wind was behind them.The dogs ran quickly,and the men sat on
the empty sledges.They went faster and faster.It was like a race.Amundsen was on
Wisting's sledge,and soon he,Wisting,and Hanssen were three or four kilometres in
front.Soon they were alone.They travelled seventy-five kilo-metres in nine hours,and they reached Framheim at four o'clock that afternoon.
Bjaaland arrived two hours later,with two more men.But the last two—Johansen
and Prestrud—went more slowly.Their dogs were tired,their feet were wet and cold,they had no food,and they were alone in the dark.The temperature was-51°Centigrade.They reached Framheim at midnight.
Next morning,Johansen was angry.In front of everyone,he said:'You were
wrong,Roald.September was too early.I told you but you didn't listen.And then you
left us alone and we nearly died in the cold!You're a bad captain—I'm a better captain
than you are!'
Amundsen was very angry.But at first he said nothing,be-cause he knew that
Johansen was right.Then,that evening,he gave a letter to Johansen.It said:
You aren't coming to the Pole with me.When I go south,you can take some dogs
and go east to King Edward Ⅶ Land.You can go with Prestrud and Stubberud.You can be
the first men to go there—but not to the South Pole!
The Norwegians stayed in Framheim and waited.They lay in bed,listened to
the wind outside,and thought about Scott and his motor sledges.
Chapter 7 Motor Sledges and Mountains
Scott had two motor sledges now.They were the first motor sledges in the
Antarctic—the first on earth.On October 24th,the motor sledges started south from
Cape Evans.Four men went with them,but Scott stayed at Cape Evans for another week.
Oates was unhappy.He wrote to his mother:We had a very bad winter here.I
don't like Scott.We were here all winter,but he didn't learn to ski,or to drive dogs.Our
equipment is bad,and he doesn't think about other people.I'm going to sleep in his
tent on the journey,but I don't want to.
On November lst Scott and Oates and six more men left Cape Evans with eight
sledges and eight ponies.The ponies walked slowly because their feet went down into
the snow.It was hard work for them and they got tired very quickly.They travelled thirteen
or fourteen kilometres in a day.
Behind the ponies came Meares with one sledge and some dogs.Meares knew how
to drive dogs.Every day,Meares started two hours after the ponies,and arrived two
hours be-fore them.
After five days,they found the motor sledges.
* * * * *
The Norwegians began again on October 20th.There were five men this
time—Amundsen,Bjaaland,Wisting,Hassel,and Hanssen.They had four sledges,and
forty-eight dogs.
There was a lot of wind and fog.On the first day,Wisting's sledge suddenly
stopped,and the back went down.'Come on,you dogs!'he said angrily.'Pull!Pull!'At first nothing hap-pened;then,slowly,the sledge moved again.Wisting looked down,over the side of the sledge.Under the snow,there was a fifty metre hole.
'Did you see that?'Amundsen said.'The ice wants to eat us —men,dogs,sledges,everything.'
On the fourth day they reached the depot at 80°South.There was a bad snowstorm,but they found the flags easily.Next day the men stayed in their tents,and the dogs
played in their holes under the snow.They were all happy.They had a lot of food,they had good equipment,and they were warm. They could travel fast.
Next morning,the snowstorm stopped,and the journey be-gan again.Today,everything is wonderful,Bjaaland wrote in his diary.But where is Scott?In front of
us,or behind?
* * * * *
There was no one with the motor sledges;they were broken. Scott looked at
them angrily.
'It doesn't matter,'he said.'Teddy Evans and his men are in front of us.They're
good men—they're pulling their sledges themselves.We can get to the Pole on foot.'
Oates looked at Meares.Oates and the ponies were tired,but Meares and his
dogs were not.The snow was home for them.
That night,Oates wrote:Three motor sledges at£1,000 each,19 ponies at
£5 each,32 dogs at £1.50 each.Well,it's not my money,it's Scott's.
On November 21st,one of the ponies died.
* * * * *
On November 11th,the Norwegians saw the mountains.
The mountains were very high—some of the highest on earth.Bjaaland smiled.
'There is good skiing up there,Roald,'he said.'But can dogs get up there
too?'
'Of course they can,'Amundsen said.'Come on.'
They left Hanssen with the dogs,and skied a little way up the mountains.It
was difficult,but the mountains were big and beautiful.Behind the mountains,Amundsen
thought there was a high plateau of ice.'That's it,'Amundsen said.'That's the road
to the Pole.Tomorrow,we can bring the dogs and sledges up here.But now,let's have
a ski race.Who can get back to camp first?'
They laughed,and skied happily down the white snow. 'This is like home,'Bjaaland thought.'But it's bigger than Norway,and better.'
In the next four days,the dogs pulled the sledges eighty-one kilometres,and went up 3,000 metres.At last,Amundsen and Bjaaland stood on the plateau behind
the mountains.They were tired,happy men.
Bjaaland looked back at the mountains.'Can a motor sledge get up here?'he
asked.
Amundsen smiled.'No,'he said.'I don't think so.And Scott doesn't like dogs.So
his men are going to pull their sledges up these mountains themselves.Would you like
to do that,Olav?'
Chapter 8 Across the Plateau
On November 21st,the Norwegians killed thirty dogs.
'They were happy,'Amundsen said.'And now they're going to die quickly.We
need three sledges,and eighteen dogs, to go to the Pole.'
When the dogs were dead,the other dogs ate them.The men ate them,too.They
were good friends,Bjaaland wrote in his diary.And now they are good food.Two days
later,the dogs were fst.Then,in a snowstorm,they began the journey again.
After the snowstorm,there was fog,and in the fog,they got lost on an ice
river with hundreds of big holes in it.They could see nothing,and it was very dangerous.In
four days they moved nine kilometres.But the ice is beautiful,Bjaaland wrote.Blue
and green and white.This is a wonderful place —but I don't want to stay a long time.
After the ice,there were strong winds and bad snowstorms.They could see nothing
in front of them.But every day,they travelled twenty-five or thirty kilometres.Then,on December 9th,the sun came out.They were at 88°23′South—175 kilometres from the
Pole.
Five more long days,Bjaaland wrote.That's all now.But where is Scott?
* * * * *
For four days,Scott's men stayed in their tents near the mountains.There
is a bad snowstorm outside,Oates wrote.It's too cold for the ponies,and our clothes
and skis are bad,too.
On December 9th,Oates killed the ponies.They were tired and ill and they
could not walk up to the plateau.Then Meares and his dogs went back to Cape Evans.'We
can pull the sledges ourselves,'Scott said.'We can do it—we're all strong men.
There were two sledges and eight men.They went twenty-four kilometres a day.On
December 31st,Scott said to Teddy Evans,and the men on the second sledge:'You can't
ski well.Leave your skis here.'So they pulled their sledge twenty-four kilometres
without skis.
Next day,Scott went to Teddy Evans's tent.'You are ill,Teddy,'he said.'You
can't come to the Pole.Take two men and go back,tomorrow.'
Teddy Evans was very unhappy.'Two men,Captain?'he said.'Why not three?'
'Because Bowers is going to come with me,'Scott said.'He's strong—we need
him.'
'But…you have food on your sledge for four men,notfive!'Evans said.'And
Bowers has no skis!'
'I'm the Captain,Teddy!'Scott said.'You do what I say.Take two men and
leave Bowers with me!'
Oates wrote to his mother:I am going to the Pole with Scott.I am pleased
and I fell strong.But in his diary he wrote;My feet are very bad.They are always wet
now,and they don't look good.
On January 4th Scott's men left Teddy Evans and went on.Scott,Oates,Wilson
and Edgar Evans had skis,but Bowers did not.They were 270 kilometres from the Pole.
* * * * *
December 14th 1911 was a warm,sunny day.Five Norwegians skied over the
beautiful white snow.It was very quiet.No one spoke.They were excited,and happy.
'Six more kilometres,'Bjaaland thought.Is there a British flag?I can't see
a flag,but…
'Look!'Hassel said.'What's that over there?'
Bjaaland left his sledge and skied quickly away over the snow.'What is it?'he thought.'Is it…?No!'
'It's nothing!'he called.'There's nothing there… no-thing!'
Three kilometres,two.'Roald!'Hanssen called to Amundsen.'Go in front of
me,please.It helps my dogs.'
'That's not true,'Bjaaland thought.'His dogs are running well today.But
Hanssen wants Amundsen to be first.The first man at the South Pole!'
They skied on and on,over the beautiful snow.
'Stop!'Amundsen said.He waited quietly for his men.'This is it,'he said.
Bjaaland looked at him.'But there's nothing here,'he said.
Amundsen smiled.'Oh yes there is,'he said.'There's something very important
here,Olav.Very,very important.'
'What's that,Roald?'
'Us.We're here now.Isn't that important,Olav?'
The four men stood on the snow,and looked at him.Then,slowly,they all began
to laugh.
Chapter 9 The End of the Race
The Norwegians stayed two days at the Pole.They left a tent there,with a
Norwegian flag on it.Inside the tent,they left some food,a letter for the King of
Norway,and a let-ter for Scott.
They left some more black flags near the Pole,and one twenty-eight kilometres
north.Then they skied away,back to the north.
It's a beautiful day,Bjaaland wrote.The sun is warm,the snow is good.But
the dogs run too quickly—I can't get in front,of them!
They found their depots easily.There were ten between the Pole and
Framheim.Each depot had a lot of food.They laughed and skied quickly down the
mountains.Often,they skied fifty kilometres a day.On Friday,January 26th,1912,they came back to Framheim.It was four o'clock in the morn-ing.
Inside the wooden house,Lindstrm,the cook,was asleep.Amundsen walked quietly
to his bed.'Good morning,Lindstrm,'he said.'Is our coffee ready?'
* * * * *
The black flags waited at the Pole.
'What's that,Captain?'Bowers said.'Over there?'
'Where?'Scott asked.'What—oh my God!'
They all saw me small black flag in the snow,two kilometres in front of
them.Slowly,they pulled their sledge to it.
Next day,January 17th 1912,they found the tent and the Norwegian fiag.Near
it,Scott took the British flag from under his clothes,and put it up.In his diary,Scott wrote:This is a very bad day.We are all tired,and have cold feet and hands.It
is-30°Centigrade and there is a snowstorm.Great God! This is an awful place!
They turned north.Five tired,unhappy men,in the coldest,emptiest place
on earth.
* * * * *
On March 13th,1912,Scott's wife Kathleen,looked at her morning
newspaper.NORWAY'S FLAG AT SOUTH POLE,it said.She looked at it for a long time,and then began to cry.
'What's the matter?'her friend asked.
'My poor,poor husband,'Mrs Scott said.'What's happened to him?Where is
he now?'
* * * * *
Scott's men were always hungry.There were not many depots and they were
difficult to find.We need to find the next depot today,Oates wrote.But how can we
find one black flag in all this snow?It's very difficult.And there is food for four
men,not five.
They were all tired and ill,too.Oates's feet were black now,and he could
not feel them.On February 16th,Edgar Evans died.
On the 17th they were past the mountains.At the depot there they ate one of
the dead ponies.Then they went on—ten,eleven,twelve kilometres a day.They were ill
because their clothes were not warm and they didn't have much food.The temperature was
sometimes -40°Centigrade.
On March 7th Scott looked at Oates's feet.They were big and black.'I can't
pull the sledge now,'Oates said.'It's very difficult to walk.Am I going to lose these
feet,Captain?'
Scott looked at Oates's feet,and said nothing.
On March 9th they found another depot,but there was not much food.Slowly,they walked on.Oates's feet were worse every day.
March 17th was Oates's birthday.He was thirty-two.He lay in the tent and
listened to the wind outside.He was very cold,very hungry,and very, very tired.
He wrote a letter to his mother and gave it to Wilson.Then he got up,and
opened the door of the tent.He stopped in the door for a minute.Scott,Wilson,and
Bowers looked at him.They didn't speak.
'I'm going outside for a minute,'Oates said.'I may be some time.'
They didn't see him again.
* * * * *
At Cape Evans,the Englishmen waited.On December 11th,Meares and the dogs
came back.On January 3rd,Teddy Evans and his two men arrived at Cape Evans.The Terra
Nova came,and went.Winter began.Scott did not come.
The Englishmen waited all winter at Cape Evans.Then,on October 26th 1912,they started for the south.Two weeks later,they found a tent.
There were three bodies in the tent—Scott,Wilson,and Bowers.They put the
bodies under the snow.Then they took the men's letters and diaries,and went north to
Cape Evans again.
In Scott's diary they read:Oates died like a good English-man.We all
did.Please,remember us,and look after our families.We did our best.
No one found Oates's body.But he is there,somewhere, under the snow and
the wind,in the coldest,emptiest place on earth.
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