116 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [OcroseR 
depdt of rocks there. We knew he had depoted the specimens on 
some island on the coast, but did not know which. 
The surface had improved, so the rest of us were able to 
get the sledges along at a fair pace and it was noon before Priest- 
ley caught us up. He had seen nothing of the depot, but col- 
lected some rock specimens himself. By 5 P.M. we were off an- 
other little island on the top of which I made out a bamboo with 
my glasses. We pulled in and camped under the north end. We 
had a hard struggle over the pack, but within a few hundred 
yards of land we found a smooth lead up and down the coast. 
After this we made a point of keeping close to the coast line 
on our journey, and it certainly paid us, in spite of the extra 
mileage. After hoosh Priestley and I climbed to the top of the 
island and collected Professor David’s specimens, also some 
letters his party had left in a tin, addressed to Mrs. David, Dr. 
Mawson, Lieutenant Shackleton, and to Commanding Officer, 
S.Y. Nimrod. We brought all these down and packed them on 
the sledge. When I got back to camp Levick came to me about 
Browning’s condition. He was getting very anxious about him, 
suspecting organic trouble. I suggested his and Browning’s re- 
maining at Granite Harbour with all the gear, while the rest of 
us pushed on with a light sledge to get provisions from Butter 
Point, where we knew there would be a small depot, but Levick 
thought it best to bring him on, as, if the trouble was organic, the 
sooner he could be laid up in a hut the better. We shall there- 
fore push on, putting him on the sledge when he gets tired, and 
to keep his strength up give him one extra biscuit per day. Seal 
meat seems to be poison to him. Our distance this day was about 
8 miles. 
October 27.—A fine morning. Temperature warmer. We 
' got away after breakfast, keeping inside Depot Island and getting 
beautiful smooth ice nearly clear of snow, which lasted to Cape 
Ross, where we had to cross bad pressure ridges off the cape. 
The ridges were so bad we had to cut passages for the sledges 
with ice axes. We had smooth ice again to Cape Gregory, which 
is now an island, and we were able to make our way through the 
strait between Gregory Island and the piedmont; after this we 
again struck a heavy surface. We were now in Granite Harbour. 
After pulling 2 miles through the deep snow we camped. Dis- 
tance about 12 miles. The changes in the face of the piedmont 
LS a 
