to say that scott's orders concerning the use of the dog team to relieve the returning party were disobeyed or ignored, is a bit simplistic. scott knew in 1911 there was a good possibility that cecil meares (the dog driver) would be returning with the terra nova in march 1912 so would not be available for the relief trip. this then fell to dr atkinson, however "teddy" evans collapsed on his return journey, and atkinson had to remain with him to nurse him back to health. thus the only person available to make the relief journey was cherry-garrard, who had little dog experience, was myopic and couldn't navigate all that well. cherry-garrard's orders orders were given by Atkinson, and were verbal, as follows:
•1. To take 24 days' food for the two men, and 21 days' food for the two dog-teams, together with the food for the Polar Party.
•2. To travel to One Ton Depôt as fast as possible and leave the food there.
•3. If Scott had not arrived at One Ton Depôt before me I was to judge what to do.
•4. That Scott was not in any way dependent on the dogs for his return.
•5. That Scott had given particular instructions that the dogs were not to be risked in view of the sledging plans for next season.
cherry garrard reached one ton depot in 7 days; there was no dog food at the depot so in order to proceeed further, he'd have had to kill dogs for food. in view of order 5, cherry-garrard felt he could not do this. had he known the polar party were in trouble less than 20 miles distant he'd have gone on; that he did not haunted him for the rest of his life. my source is "the worst journey in the world" by cherry garrard, one of the best travelogues of the 20th century.