82 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [Jan. 



mile, Wilson and I propose to bring on the sledges ; it promises 

 to be slow work, but we must get on somehow.' 



' Midnight. — All was going well with our march this after- 

 noon, when Shackleton gave out. He had a bad attack of 

 breathlessness, and we are forced to camp in a hurry ; to-night 

 matters are serious with him again. He is very plucky about 

 it, for he does not complain, though there is no doubt he is 

 suffering badly.' 



''January 19. — Another long "blind" march. It is very 

 distressing work, and the gloom does not tend to enliven our 

 spirits ; but Shackleton was better this morning and is still 

 better to-night. We have now had overcast weather almost 

 continuously for ten days.' 



' January 20. — At luncheon we found ourselves in 

 latitude 79.51 S., and on coming out of the tent were rejoiced 

 to find a sight of the land on our left, though as yet but hazy. 

 It rapidly cleared as we resumed our march, and soon a new 

 scene was unfolded to our view. An opportunity of this sort 

 was not to be missed, and we camped early, since which we have 

 been busy taking angles and sketching. The temperature has 

 fallen to zero, so that both these tasks have been pretty "nippy." 

 The beautiful feathery hexagonal ice-crystals are falling again, 

 and came floating down on our books and instruments as we 

 worked. 



1 The land is a long way from us, but much closer than it 

 was on the outward march ; the detached appearance which it 

 then had is still maintained to some extent, but there is now 

 every indication that a still closer view would show a continuous 

 coastline, and that in the gaps between the nearer high 

 mountain ranges would be found lower and perhaps more 

 distant hills. 



' Cape A is far behind us ; we get a distant view up the 

 strait on its northern side, and see only enough to show that it 

 must penetrate deeply into the land before it rises in altitude 

 to any extent. If, as one cannot but suppose, it contains a 

 glacier, that glacier must be the largest yet known in the world; 

 but with ice disturbance commencing nearly thirty miles from 



