154 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Sept. 



or four thousand feet immediately above our heads we selected 

 a conspicuous boulder in the medial moraine, about 2,000 feet 

 above the sea, and, ascertaining its bearings, ' cached ' the 

 provisions which we had brought, and turned homeward. 



The result of our short journey had been really important. 

 It had taken the western party of the previous year three 

 weeks to reach the spot at which we had left our depot; I 

 knew now it would go hard with us if we could not get there 

 well within the week, and if in the future we found a still easier 

 road, avoiding the portage stage, we might hope to journey out 

 in four or five days. 



On our return, therefore, we steered more to the north, 

 and to our further delight found that the route in that direc- 

 tion was much easier, so that eventually we reached the sea- 

 ice without having to carry our sledges across any difficult 

 places. 



The fact which was thus discovered, and which was amply 

 supported by further observations, is a general one that is 

 highly important to future explorers. In all cases in the 

 Antarctic Regions where glaciers run more or less east and 

 west, the south side will be found very much broken up and 

 decayed, whilst the north side will be comparatively smooth 

 and even. The reason is a very simple one — so simple that it 

 seems to argue some obtuseness that we did not guess its 

 effect. The sun of course achieves its greatest altitude in the 

 north, and consequently its warmest and most direct rays fall 

 on the south side of a valley, and on the loose morainic 

 material and blown debris that rest on that side of a glacier. 

 Here, therefore, the greater part of the summer melting takes 

 place with irregular denudation, causing the wild chaos of ice 

 disturbance that I have described. 



At the foot of the Ferrar Glacier, Armitage had seen the 

 disturbance on the south side, and had concluded that it must 

 extend right across ; our fortunate step had been to push 

 over the southern disturbance and find the easier conditions 

 beyond. 



Throughout this short journey we had exceedingly low 



