156 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Feb. 



had been skirting extended continuously to this cape, and 

 hopes of an open strait vanished ; but we continued our course 

 until at ten we were close to the black, bare volcanic land of 

 the cape. We made for a small rocky promontory without 

 getting soundings with our hand lead, until our bows gently 

 grounded on a bank within a few yards of the shore ; backing 

 off from this we found deep water alongside the ice-foot in the 

 small bay on its northern side, and here we secured the ship 

 with our ice-anchors. Later I write : 



' We have now to consider the possibility of making this 

 part of the bay our winter quarters. From the point of view 

 of travelling, no part could be more seemingly excellent ; to 

 the S.S.E. as far as the eye can reach, all is smooth and even, 

 and indeed everything points to a continuation of the Great 

 Barrier in this direction. We should be within easy distance 

 for exploration of the mainland, and apparently should have 

 little difficulty in effecting a land communication with our post 

 office at Cape Crozier. There are no signs of pressure in the 

 ice ; on the other hand, the shelter from wind is but meagre, 

 and one can anticipate intense cold and howling gales. On 

 the whole to-night I feel like staying where we are.' 



It is interesting to recall our first impressions of a region 

 which we were destined to know so well, and to observe that 

 in a general sense these impressions were correct ; in the south 

 only the outlook seemed mysterious, and evidently we did not 

 realise that the southern ranges of hills were detached islands 

 surrounded by a practically level ice-sheet, but, misled by 

 refraction, still imagined them to be connected by com- 

 paratively high snow-covered ridges. 



On the 9th, the day following our arrival, we set out to 

 explore our immediate surroundings ; the ship, as I have 

 mentioned, lay on the north side of a small promontory. Our 

 first discovery was that there was an excellent little bay on the 

 south side. The sea-ice had not yet broken away in this bay, 

 but it was evident that it would only be a matter of a few days 

 before it did so, as the ice was cracked in all directions. Here, 

 then, was a promising spot in which to establish ourselves for 



