2 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Oct. 



after leaving the Bluff, would have to travel directly over the 

 snow-plain at a long distance from, and possibly out of sight of, 

 land ; the probability was that no further depots could be 

 established, and hence it was desirable that the party should 

 be supported as far as possible on their route. This theory 

 added another object for our sledging efforts, for if the coast 

 ran sharply to the west after rounding the Bluff it was evidently 

 desirable that we should gain some information concerning it. 

 To meet these requirements it was decided that Barne, with a 

 party of twelve men, should accompany the dog team until the 

 weights were reduced to an amount which the latter could 

 drag without assistance. He was then to return to the ship, 

 and, after a short rest, to start again, with a party of six, and 

 endeavour to follow the coastline west of the Bluff. With 

 such a plan as I have outlined it was hoped that there would 

 be a good chance of solving the mysteries in a southerly 

 direction ; and as soon as this was in train Armitage was to 

 have at his disposal all the resources of men and material in 

 the ship for his attack on the western region. 



In considering his earlier observations, Armitage had come 

 to the conclusion that it was impossible to force a way through 

 the entrance to New Harbour, where for so many miles he had 

 seemed to see a chaos of ice and morainic material, and he 

 thought his best chance lay in ascending to the foothill plateau, 

 in the neighbourhood of the so-called ' Eskers,' as from this he 

 hoped to rind a pass which would lead him over the main ridge 

 of mountains. 



In busily preparing for this programme we did not forget 

 the advantage we possessed in the fact that our surfaces and 

 general travelling conditions were likely to improve rather 

 than otherwise as the summer advanced ; we should have 

 little of the sea-ice to cross, and we knew that with our cold 

 summer this would not develop into the same treacherous 

 condition that it does in the North, whilst the surfaces to the 

 south or inland could not possibly grow moist and sludgy. 

 With these conditions we could arrange our movements to 

 take advantage of what we hoped to find the warmest and 



