1876 WESTERN SLEDGE JOURNEY. 23 



men to have a rest, but too much time was lost in 

 the outset to admit of it. 



' Day by day we look forward to the land either 

 going north or south ; but hitherto we have been 

 travelling nothing but west, or very little southerly of 

 it. Camped at 2 P.M. about two miles from Cape 

 Richards. 



' The line of hummocks appears to be nearing the 

 land, so we are looking out for some decided alteration 

 in the trend of the coast-line. When we first left the 

 ship our hopes pointed to a north-running coast ; now, 

 as our outward journey approaches an end, we shall 

 rejoice to see it go either way, except east and 

 west. 



' Ilth. The travelling is excellent, smooth, level, 

 and with the soft snow only two to three inches 

 deep. 



' At noon reached the old floe, which is pressed 

 up against the land, broken in several places by cracks, 

 and has forced up small ridges and heaps of stones and 

 shingle, but without forming a single hummock. 



' A short distance outside us are a few isolated 

 hummocks or floebergs, with heavy snow-drifts around 

 them ; but the actual line of hummocky ice is still 

 about two miles from the shore. We found the travel- 

 ling very fair, and skirted along the edge of the shelv- 

 ing land. 



' 12th. Temperature plus 12. Strong wind from 

 the south-west. A continuance of yesterday's disagree- 

 able weather. Thick, and a stinging drift in our faces. 

 Our travelling was none the better from the entire 

 absence of light and shadow. Proceeding a short 



