plateau hard by the cone, and all were oblivious 

 of the sounds of revelry occasioned by the 

 snorers. ^The following day the fog again 

 enveloped the landscape, and the time was spent 

 making the necessary preparations for the con^ 

 tinuance of our journey with packs in place of 

 sledges. The depth of the abyss before us was 

 very great, but difficult at the time for us to 

 judge. Afterwards it proved to be about 30,000 

 feet, or some 22,000 below sea^level. When 

 at last the mist rose and we were able to prO" 

 ceed, advance proved rapid for the first 12,000 

 feet, as we could glissade for long stretches at 

 a time; at this level, the temperature having 

 steadily risen during the descent, the ice^cap 

 began to dwindle and a lobed front was met 

 extending amongst great accumulations of 

 morainic material stacked in the form of ter^ 

 races along the mountain-'Side. Thaw^water, 

 developed in pools investing the erratic boulders 

 distributed over the ice, trickled away to unite 

 and form crystaUclear streams, soon lost 

 in crevasses, whither they plunged to swell 

 the muddy waters of sub " glacial channels. 

 Camp was pitched at this stage, and we in^ 

 dulged in the usual " hoosh." The air felt quite 

 warm and moist, so much so that instead of 

 immediately after crawling into our sleeping^ 



c 33 



