176 WITH SCOTT: THE SILVER LINING 



through them) which were originally heads of cwm valleys 

 (see section III). Finally, these big glaciers may retreat very 

 slowly, and at their snouts — in a somewhat complicated way 

 which I have explained elsewhere — further erosion by nivation 

 will produce basins with level bottoms, such as those in the 

 Taylor Valley * (section IV). In the maximum of glacier 

 flow (for which we have to go to temperate climes for good 

 examples) there is much " planing " by the glacier, but not in 

 Antarctica under the present conditions. At any rate, the con- 

 clusion 1 have reached after two summers' sledging, is that 

 considerable frost, wind, and water action is occurring in the 

 Ross Sea area, and very little true glacier erosion. Moreover, 

 the gradual succession of types of valley erosion which we 

 investigated makes me confident that some such cycle of 

 evolution as sketched above is not only possible, but has 

 taken place in the south. 



On arrival we swept the snow from our old ground and 

 camped on the bare gravel, for our floorcloth was quite 

 soaked. I went over to the seal I had killed a fortnight 

 earlier and managed to cut through the frozen hide. Evans 

 and I then managed to prize off" some blubber with the spade. 

 The blubber was quite soft where it was protected from the 

 air. Evans and Wright were frankly sceptical as to the value 

 of blubber as a means of frying ! 



" After cleaning out the aluminium base of the cooker, 

 Debenham cut the blubber into strips and heated it up. It 



soon began to melt and gave off much 

 steam at first. The smell was like fried 

 herrings and not unpleasant ! We 

 had thawed out some liver from my 

 cache, and at + 2° F. it was as hard as 

 iron ! I cut it into strips and we 

 cooked it in the blubber for a quarter 

 t -, o of an hour or so. Debenham tasted 



Bub* S~S-ii lt> anc ^ t ^ len * ate t ^ le ^ rst P* ece * 



" Jolly good ! Absolutely no taste 



of fish or oil, which was curious in view of the smell of 



herrings. Evans took his bit gingerly, and then handsomely 



acknowledged that he had been sold. He reckoned their 



* The theory of nivation would be out of place here. It is explained in 

 Hobbs' " Existing Glaciers," and I deal with it fully in the official memoir. 



