62 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Dec. 



surely be ending, we cut steps around a sharp corner to find 

 the opposite bank of the chasm close to us, but instead of the 

 rough slopes by which we had descended, we found here a 

 steep, overhanging face of ice, towering some fifty feet above 

 us. To climb this face was obviously impossible, and we were 

 reluctantly forced to confess that all our trouble had been in 

 vain. It was a great disappointment, as we had confidently 

 hoped to get some rock specimens from this far south land, 

 and now I do not see that we shall have a chance to do so. 



' Before starting our homeward climb we sat down to rest, 

 and, of course, someone mentioned the provisions — it was 

 to-morrow's lunch that we carried — and someone else added 

 that it would be absurd to take it back to the camp. Then 

 the temptation became too great : though we knew it was 

 wrong, our famished condition swept us away, and in five 

 minutes not a remnant remained. After this we started our 

 return climb, and at ten o'clock we reached the camp pretty 

 well " done." 



'There can be little doubt, I think, that the chasm we 

 have seen to-day is caused by the ice pushing out of the 

 southern strait against the barrier, and possibly it may end 

 a little farther to the north, but I could not see any signs of its 

 ending ; the blocks of ice within seem to have been split off 

 from the sloping ice-foot — in fact, we saw some in the process 

 of being broken away — and the fact that there is so much less 

 snow towards the land seems to show that the inner ones are 

 of more recent origin. The ice-foot is fed by the ice-cap on 

 the hills above, which at this part flows over in a steep cascade. 

 I do not see that we can make another attempt to reach the 

 land before we get back to Depot " B " ; in fact, we shall have 

 none too easy a task in doing that alone. We shall have to 

 average more than seven miles a day, and the dogs are now 

 practically useless ; but, what is worse, I cannot help feeling 

 that we ourselves are not so strong as we were. Our walk 

 to-day has tired us more than it ought. 



' To-night Shackleton upset the hoosh pot. There was an 

 awful moment when we thought some of it was going to run 



