LAND IN SIGHT 29 



the day's march at a pace of seven and a half kilometres 

 (four miles and two-thirds) an hour. As for ourselves, 

 we never had to move a foot; all we had to do was to 

 let ourselves be towed. The same evening we had to put 

 an end to the last of our ladies — Else. She was Hassel's 

 pride and the ornament of his team; but there was no 

 help for it. She was also placed at the top of a beacon. 



When we halted that evening in 82° 20' S., we saw 

 on the south-western horizon several heavy masses of 

 drab-coloured cloud, such as are usually to be seen over 

 land. We could make out no land that evening, how- 

 ever ; but when we came out next morning and directed 

 our glasses to that quarter, the land lay there, lofty and 

 clear in the morning sun. We were now able to dis- 

 tinguish several summits, and to determine that this 

 was the land extending south-eastward from Beardmore 

 Glacier in South Victoria Land. Our course had been 

 true south all the time; at this spot we were about 

 250 miles to the east of Beardmore Glacier. Our course 

 would continue to be true south. 



The same evening — November 8 — ^we reached 83° S. 

 by dead reckoning. The noon altitude next day gave 

 83° 1' S. The depot we built here contained provisions 

 for five men and twelve dogs for four days ; it was made 

 square — 6 feet each way — of hard, solid blocks of snow. 

 A large flag was placed on the top. That evening a 

 strange thing happened — three dogs deserted, going 

 northward on our old tracks. They were Lucy's 



