19"] GENERAL ACTIVITY 287 



cheerless ; on Sunday it grew worse, with very thick snow, which 

 continued to fall and drift throughout the whole of Monday. 

 The hut is more drifted up than it has ever been, huge piles of 

 snow behind every heap of boxes, &c, all our paths a foot 

 higher; yet in spite of this the rocks are rather freer of snow. 

 This is due to melting, which is now quite considerable. Wilson 

 tells me the first signs of thaw were seen on the 17th. 



Yesterday the weather gradually improved, and to-day has 

 been fine and warm again. One fine day in eight is the record 

 immediately previous to this morning. 



E. R. Evans, Debenham, and Gran set off to the Turk's 

 Head on Friday morning, Evans to take angles and Debenham 

 to geologise ; they have been in their tent pretty well all the time 

 since, but have managed to get through some work. Gran re- 

 turned last night for more provisions and set off again this 

 morning, Taylor going with him for the day. Debenham has 

 just returned for food." He is immensely pleased at having 

 discovered a huge slicken-sided fault in the lavas of the Turk's 

 Head. This appears to be an unusual occurrence in volcanic 

 rocks, and argues that they are of considerable age. He has 

 taken a heap of photographs and is greatly pleased with all 

 his geological observations. He is building up much evidence 

 to show volcanic disturbance independent of Erebus and perhaps 

 prior to its first upheaval. 



Meares has been at Hut Point for more than a week; seals 

 seem to be plentiful there now. Demetri was back with letters 

 on Friday and left on Sunday. He is an excellent boy, full of 

 intelligence. 



Ponting has been doing some wonderfully fine cinemato- 

 graph work. My incursion into photography has brought me 

 in close touch with him and I realise what a very good fel- 

 low he is; no pains are too great for him to take to help and 

 instruct others, whilst his enthusiasm for his own work is 

 unlimited. 



His results are wonderfully good, and if he is able to carry 

 out the whole of his programme, we shall have a cinematograph 

 and photographic record which will be absolutely new in expe- 

 ditionary work. 



A very serious bit of news to-day. Atkinson says that Jehu 

 is still too weak to pull a load. The pony was bad on the ship 



