246 THE EASTERN SLEDGE JOURNEY 



precipitous northern side of the adjacent hill our eyes 

 fell upon bare rock — the first glimpse we had had of 

 positive land during the year we had been in Antarctica. 

 Our next thought was of how to get to it and take 

 specimens, and with tliis object we at once began to 

 scale the neighbouring liill, which was a trifle higher 

 than the one we had first ascended. The precipice was, 

 however, perpendicular, with a huge snow cornice over- 

 hanging it. Lowering a man on the rope would be 

 rather too hazardous a proceeding; besides which, a 

 length of thirty yards would not go very far. If we 

 were to get at the rock, it would have to be from 

 below. In the meantime we availed ourselves of the 

 opportunity offered by the clear weather to make a 

 closer examination of our surroundings. From the 

 isolated summit, 1,700 feet high, on which we stood, 

 the view was fairly extensive. Down to the sea on the 

 north the distance was about five geographical miles. 

 The surface descended in terraces towards the edge of 

 the water, where there was quite a low Barrier wall. 

 As might be expected, this stretch of the ice-field was 

 broken by innumerable crevasses, rendering any passage 

 across it impossible. 



On the east extended a well-marked mountain-ridge, 

 about twenty geographical miles in length, and some- 

 what lower than the summit on which we stood. This 

 was the Alexandra Mountains. It could not be called 

 an imposing range, and it was snow-clad from one end 



