220 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Dec. 



other sledge journeys, and was able to read the reports of the 

 officers who had led them and study the advance which had 

 been made in our knowledge by the sledging work of our 

 second season. Space does not permit me to go in detail into 

 these various journeys, nor do I think that the reader would 

 be grateful for the minute relation of more sledging adven- 

 tures. But this story would not be complete without a 

 summary of the material facts which these efforts produced, 

 nor could I omit to pay a well-earned tribute to those who 

 secured them by prolonged and arduous labour and unfailing 

 spirit. 



I purpose, therefore, to give in brief the movements of 

 other members of the expedition during our absence to the 

 west. 



It will be remembered that the party which had left the 

 ship with me towards the end of October had eventually split 

 into three units. At first our geologist, Ferrar, left us to 

 explore the glacier valley, and later Skelton and I parted 

 company on the inland ice. Skelton, returning with his 

 overworked party, had wisely taken matters easily, but on 

 arriving at the Depot Nunatak he had picked up the half-plate 

 camera, and, although he had only a very limited number of 

 plates, he succeeded in taking some excellent photographs of 

 the valley. 



Ferrar with his two companions had also come down the 

 valley slowly, not because he had lingered on his way, but 

 because he had crossed and recrossed the glacier to examine 

 the rocks on each side. I was quite astonished to learn the 

 numbers of places he had visited and the distances he had 

 traversed in pursuit of his objects, especially when I remem- 

 bered that all had been done with one rickety little sledge 

 which I knew must have broken down repeatedly and have 

 given endless trouble to those who dragged it. The results of 

 this journey are told by the geologist himself in the appendix 

 which he has supplied to this volume, but he has not told of 

 all the difficulties which he had to overcome and which in 

 themselves might well form a chapter of this book. For each 



