FIRST WESTERN EXPEDITION 143 



of the tent) which seemed to block the great valley. It was 

 a stiff" ascent of 1 600 feet over rough blocks of slate. There 

 we reached a flat, bare ridge with a further ascent to 3000 

 feet a little further west. To my surprise I saw that imme- 

 diately to the south was a broad high-level valley gradually 

 sloping to the east. I thought at first I was looking into the 

 Ferrar Glacier, but soon saw that here in Antarctica was an 

 example of the extraordinary valleys which are so characteristic 

 of the Italian Alps. As shown by the cross-section, the dry 

 valley is barred by a huge Riegel, which is traversed by a deep 

 defile at the north, and scooped out to some extent into a 

 huge elevated, rounded channel on the south. From this 

 ridge, above the mile-long defile, Evans and I at last saw the 

 sea gleaming in the east across some twelve miles of moraine- 

 strewn valley. 



On the 5th, Wright and Debenham remained near the 

 camp, while Evans and I marched down to the sea to tie the 

 survey on to Ross Island — if we could recognize any portion 

 of that far-distant feature. We each carried much gear, and 

 the annexed rough sketch shows how a geologist is loaded 

 when " on trek." 



It was extraordinary to find two more very large tributary 

 glaciers on the south side of the valley — reaching some way 

 into the ice-free main valley, and blocking up the main drain- 

 age to form a series of lakes. We named the first the Canada 

 Glacier, and Wright later on clustered the names of various 

 Canadian men of science on the adjoining peaks. The second 

 we called the Commonwealth Glacier ; and to the small glacier 

 which we ultimately reached, on the north-east end of the Kukri 

 Range, I gave the name of Wales Glacier, so that our party's 

 homelands are well represented in Dry Valley ! We had to 

 climb 400 feet up the slopes here before we could see any- 

 thing definite to the east ; but then I was able to sight the 

 theodolite on to Mount Bird, Cape Bird, and Beaufort Island. 

 It was a long and rough tramp back — across numerous little 

 streams, running as usual to the north-east, — but we reached 

 camp again at 9 p.m. and turned in thankfully. 



After a somewhat dry breakfast, Wright and I took the 

 theodolite up to the top of the Riegel. We climbed some 

 2400 feet, but did not reach the top of Mount Nussbaum — 

 the central summit, — which I estimated at 3000 feet high. 



