Orde-Lees' explains their situation

Ed, note: In this journal entry, Lees explains their situation and their possible goals. It's also interesting to compare the voices of the writers - Macklin, Lees and Hurley.

Orde-Lees' Journal - Friday, 3 December 1915

The "dead reckoning" of yesterday was correct enough, for incontrovertible observation today places us in 67. 55 S.

Each degree of latitude covered is a sixty mile step northwards and the parallels are our milestones. If we cover no more than a degree a month we shall be in a fairly good position by the end of January to stand a chance of reaching Paulet Island by the end of March. As the seal & penguins leave by the beginning of April it is important that we should reach there before this occurs.

We rely mainly upon leads opening up and enabling us to make the journey by boat and the chances are greatly in favour of this for it is only in exceptionally cold summers that the ice does not break up to some extent. So far this summer seems especially mild. Should no leads open we are then practically compelled to remain on the floe at the mercy of the drift which there is reason to believe would carry us northward to the vicinity of the South Orkney Islands. If so we might expect to arrive there about May and this would be rather a bad lookout for us as there is scarcely any animal life there after the end of April.

For some years, however, (ten, I believe) there has been a meteorological station there and it is just possible that it may still be occupied, or at least that some provisions have been left behind there. There were only three observers stationed there so it will be a bad lookout for them too if they are still there and if twenty-eight hungry souls suddenly descend upon them from out of the deep!

This station is run by the Argentine government and although they had intended to disband it this very year yet they were, when we left Buenos Ayres, contemplating retaining it during our sojourn in Antarctica, not for the sake of succouring us in need, but for the purpose of making correlated observations with us. It is to be feared that they may be abandoning it this very summer though.

The wind is still from the south and freshening a little tonight. Weather generally overcast & mild.