i 9 ] SNOW-BLINDNESS 8 1 



January 22. Only one eye among the three of us, and that 

 belongs to Dickason. He tells me that it is lovely morning, 

 and that he can see to cook hoosh. After hoosh our last hope 

 goes and we do no more cooking that day. We have all had 

 snow-blindness before, but never anything like so bad as this, 

 and are in great pain. Priestley's eyes and mine are quite closed 

 up, and I think Dickason's are nearly as bad. 



January 23. Eyes better, but still very painful. Started 

 after breakfast. Surface a little soft, but good pulling on ski. 



After 6 P.M. the surface got so bad, owing to undercut sas- 

 trugi, that we had to relay half our load at a time, and even 

 then had frequent upsets. We camped at 9.30 P.M. about i mile 

 E. of a cape we named Cape ' Sastrugi.' 



January 24. A fine morning, but no sign of Levick's party, 

 so after getting a true bearing and round of angles, I joined 

 Priestley and Dickason collecting, on Cape Sastrugi. I made 

 some sketches. This piedmont we are on extends west to the 

 Mt. Nansen Range, and seems quite flat, except where glaciers 

 run in, where there are undulations and crevasses. 



January 25. Overcast. Levick has not turned up yet, which 

 is very annoying. It is useless going to look for him, as the 

 undulations at the mouth of the Melbourne Glacier would com- 

 pletely hide a party, unless both happened on the same route. 

 Collecting to-day on some moraines south of us, Priestley fell 

 through a snow bridge of a crevasse up to his arms. He was 

 not roped at the time, so it was lucky he did not go through 

 altogether. 



January 26. A clear morning, but blowing hard, with drift. 

 Climbed the hills to the N.W., taking the theodolite and sketch- 

 book, and got a true bearing and good round of angles. 



I also made out the truant party calmly camped on the east 

 side of the Melbourne -Glacier. So returning to camp we packed 

 food for eighteen days, and depoted the remainder, together with 

 the specimens, and a note to Levick telling him my proposed 

 plans, which were to try the two glaciers which came in at the 

 N.W. corner of the piedmont, for a route into Wood Bay, and 

 directing him not to attempt them unless he caught me up, but 

 to photograph and collect on the shores of the piedmont. 



January 27. Overcast. Tops of mountains obscured. 

 Strong wind in squalls. Started after breakfast, and with our 



VL. II 6 



