56 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Dec. 



1 We can no longer call this opening a bay ; it runs for 

 many miles in to the foot of the great range, and is more in 

 the nature of an inlet. But all our thoughts in camp to-night 

 turn to this splendid twin-peaked mountain, which, even in 

 such a lofty country, seems as a giant among pigmies. We 

 all agree that from Sabine to the south the grandest eminences 

 cannot compare in dignity with this monster. We have 

 decided that at last we have found something which is fitting 

 to bear the name of him whom we must always the most 

 delight to honour, and " Mount Markham " it shall be called 

 in memory of the father of the expedition.' 



' December 28. — Sights to-day put us well over the 82nd 

 parallel (82.11 S.). We have almost shot our bolt. If the 

 weather holds fine to-morrow, we intend to drop our sledges 

 at the midday halt and push on as far as possible on ski. We 

 stopped early this afternoon in order to take photographs and 

 make sketches. Wilson, in spite of his recent experiences, 

 refuses to give in ; whatever is left unsketched, and however 

 his eyes may suffer, this last part must be done. 



'It is a glorious evening, and fortune could not have 

 provided us with a more perfect view of our surroundings. 

 We are looking up a broad, deep inlet or strait which stretches 

 away to the south-west for thirty or forty miles before it reaches 

 its boundary of cliff and snow-slope. Beyond, rising fold on 

 fold, are the great neVe fields that clothe the distant range ; 

 against the pale blue sky the outline of the mountain ridge 

 rises and falls over numerous peaks till, with a sharp turn 

 upward, it culminates in the lofty summit of Mount Markham. 

 To the north it descends again, to be lost behind the bluff 

 extremity of the near cape. It seems more than likely that 

 the vast inlet before us takes a sharp turn to the right beyond 

 the cape and in front of the mountains, and we hope to 

 determine this fact to-morrow. 



' The eastern foothills of the high range form the southern 

 limit of the strait ; they are fringed with high cliffs and steep 

 snow-slopes, and even at this distance we can see that some 

 of the rocks are of the deep-red colour, whilst others are black. 



