348 WITH SCOTT : THE SILVER LINING 



preceding season. I halted to photograph these, and Deben- 

 ham and Gran climbed on to the granite tors. To my 

 amazement Gran called out that Granite Harbour was in 

 sight. I hastily climbed up and found we were right at it ! 

 This small cape was actually the southern portal, and the 

 entrance looked about ten miles across. 



As in New Harbour there seemed to be two chief arms, 

 the larger southern portion receiving the Mackay Glacier, and 

 the other being almost completely bounded by smaller in- 

 flowing glaciers. 



On the cape were numerous skuas, looking very cold, 

 and dancing about on chilly feet. They squawked loudly 

 and flapped their wings at us, but had not laid any eggs as 

 yet, for Forde gave this matter his particular attention ! He 

 reported a feasible track across the cape which would save a 

 difficult journey through the screw-pack. I agreed to try the 

 overland journey, and we got across the wide tide crack and 

 up fifteen feet on to the icy col with much less trouble than 

 1 had expected. " This col rose to about thirty feet on the 

 north side, and evidently water is driven on to it by gales, 

 for the ice was quite glassy at first. We relayed across, to 

 the astonishment of the skua gulls. We passed a fine little 

 polished platform of granite, and then sharply descended to the 

 sea ice, and by i a.m. were within the harbour." 



This was very gratifying, and our early arrival was due to 

 several pieces of good luck. Debenham's leg had continued 

 to improve in spite of the gallant way in which he insisted 

 on doing as much work as any of us ; we had met with 

 splendid weather since leaving Butter Point ; the two days' 

 sail had helped us materially, and finally we found that the 

 harbour was twelve miles nearer than we had reason to 

 expect. 



About 4 a.m. on the 27th November we trekked west 

 up the harbour. Far away was a high dolerite cliff with a 

 small glacier just notching its edge. To this we gave the 

 name of " Spillover," and we made for it as a prominent 

 landmark. 



We were now naturally very anxious to identify the bluff 

 which Captain Scott had arranged as our rendezvous with 

 Pennell. We were told that it was about five hundred feet 

 high, and Ferrar had described it as resembling a cabbage ! 



