ON THE BARRIER AGAIN 161 



tomed to. The big crevasse, which, as we knew, lay 

 right across the line of our route, made us go very care- 

 fully. To avoid any risk, Bjaaland and Hassel, who 

 went in advance, fastened an alpine rope between them. 

 The snow was very deep and loose, and the going very 

 heavy. Fortunately, we were warned in time of our 

 approach to the expected cracks by the appearance of 

 some bare ice ridges. These told us clearly enough 

 that disturbances had taken place here, and that even 

 greater ones might be expected, probably near at hand. 

 At that moment the thick curtain of cloud was torn 

 asunder, and the sun pierced the whirling mass of snow. 

 Instantly Hanssen shouted: " Stop, Bjaaland!" He 

 was just on the edge of the yawning crevasse. Bjaaland 

 himself has splendid sight, but his excellent snow- 

 goggles — his own patent — entirely prevented his seeing. 

 Well, Bjaaland would not have been in any serious 

 danger if he had fallen into the crevasse, as he was 

 roped to Hassel, but it would have been confoundedly 

 unpleasant all the same. 



As I have said before, I assume that these great dis- 

 turbances here mark the boundary between the Barrier 

 and the land. This time, curiously enough, they seemed 

 also to form a boundary between good and bad weather, 

 for on the far side of them — to the north — ^the Barrier 

 lay bathed in sunshine. On the south the blizzard 

 raged worse than ever. Mount Betty was the last to 

 send us its farewell. South Victoria Land had gone 



