i 9 o3] ASCENT OF THE FERRAR GLACIER 101 



steep as the first.' And so at length the party stood safely on 

 the Ferrar Glacier at a spot whence its valley could be seen 

 cutting deeply through the mountains, while its surface 

 seemed to offer a gradual ascent to the interior. The place 

 on which they stood was barely 2,000 feet above the sea level, 

 but, as will be seen, in their pioneer efforts to reach it they 

 had been forced to drag their heavy sledges over much difficult 

 country, and had at one time reached an altitude of 6,000 feet. 



The route taken by the party from this point was one 

 which, as I shall relate in due course, I travelled myself in the 

 following season. I was enabled then not only to observe it 

 at first hand, but with much enlightenment which further 

 experience had given us. The result of personal observation 

 must ever be more satisfactory than an attempt to reproduce 

 the impressions of others, and although this party were the 

 first to see and describe the magnificent scenes of this glacial 

 valley, I reserve an account of them until I can tell of that 

 which I saw with my own eyes. 



In the following year I was able to traverse this glacier at 

 considerable speed and to treat its difficulties and obstacles 

 lightly, but this, of course, was largely due to the fact that I 

 was travelling over a route which was to some extent known. 

 One is apt to forget the benefits conferred by the experience 

 of others, and therefore, before recounting the slow and 

 laborious progress of this party, I take the opportunity of 

 acknowledging the debt which we owed to it. 



On December 18 a start was made to ascend the glacier, 

 and during the following days the party proceeded with great 

 caution ; before the new track was broken Armitage went 

 ahead, sounding at every other footstep with his ice-axe. 

 Their route gradually ascended, but though the gradient was 

 irregular it was never steep ; sometimes they were travelling 

 over long stretches of blue ice where cracks and crevasses 

 could be seen and avoided, but at others, the surface was 

 covered with a thin and treacherous layer of soft snow, and 

 here the greatest care had to be taken, as it was obvious that 

 all dangers would be hidden. On such soft places, too, even 



