56 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [January 



It looks finer to the south and we may run into sunshine soon, 

 but the wind is alarming and there is a slight swell which has 

 little effect on the ship, but makes all the difference to our 

 landing. 



For the moment it doesn't look hopeful. We have been 

 continuing our line of soundings. From the bank we crossed 

 in latitude 71 the water has gradually got deeper, and we 

 are now getting 310 to 350 fathoms against 180 on the 

 bank. 



The Discovery soundings give depths up to 450 fathoms 

 East of Ross Island. 



6 p.m. No good ! ! Alas ! Cape Crozier with all its at- 

 tractions is denied us. 



We came up to the Barrier five miles east of the Cape soon 

 after 1 p.m. The swell from the E.N.E. continued to the end. 

 The Barrier was not more than 60 feet in height. From the 

 crow's nest one could see well over it, and noted that there 

 was a gentle slope for at least a mile towards the edge. The 

 land of Black (or White?) Island could be seen distinctly be- 

 hind, topping the huge lines of pressure ridges. We plotted the 

 Barrier edge from the point at which we met it to the Crozier 

 cliffs; to the eye it seems scarcely to have changed since Dis- 

 covery days, and Wilson thinks it meets the cliff in the same 

 place. 



The Barrier takes a sharp turn back at 2 or 3 miles from 

 the cliffs, runs back for half a mile, then west again with a 

 fairly regular surface until within a few hundred yards of the 

 cliffs; the interval is occupied with a single high pressure ridge 

 the evidences of pressure at the edge being less marked than 

 I had expected. 



Ponting was very busy with cinematograph and camera. 

 In the angle at the corner near the cliffs Rennick got a sounding 

 of 140 fathoms and Nelson some temperatures and samples. 

 When lowering the water bottle on one occasion the line sud- 

 denly became slack at 100 metres, then after a moment's pause 

 began to run out again. We are curious to know the cause, and 

 imagine the bottle struck a seal or whale. 



Meanwhile, one of the whale boats was lowered and Wilson, 

 Griffith Taylor, Priestley, Evans, and I were pulled towards the 

 shore. The after-guard are so keen that the proper boat's 



