THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



997 



SKUA GULLS FEEDING NEAR THE HUT AT CAPE ROYDS 



record. New land had come within our 

 range of vision by this time, owing to the 

 fact that we were far out from the base 

 of the mountains, and I had noted with 

 some anxiety that the coast trended 

 south-southeast, thus threatening to cross 

 our path and obstruct the way to the pole. 

 We could see great snow-clad mountains 

 rising beyond Mount Longstaff, and also 

 far inland to the north of Mount Mark- 

 ham. On November 26 we opened out 

 Shackleton Inlet, and looking up it 

 sighted a great chain of mountains, while 

 to the west of Cape Wilson appeared an- 

 other chain of sharp peaks, about 10,000 

 feet high, stretching away to the north 

 beyond Snow Cape, and continuing the 

 land on which Mount A. Markham lies. 



The first pony had been killed on No- 

 vember 21, when we were south of the 

 81st parallel, and we had left a depot of 

 pony meat and ordinary stores, to pro- 

 vide for the return march. We started 

 at once to use pony meat as part of the 

 daily ration, and soon found that scraps 



of raw, frozen meat were of assistance 

 on the march in maintaining our strength 

 and cooling our parched throats. A sec- 

 ond pony was shot on November 28, and 

 a third on December 1, by which time we 

 were closing in on the land, and it had 

 become apparent that we would have to 

 find a way over the mountains if we were 

 to continue the southern march. 



We were still sighting new land ahead, 

 and the coast line had a more distinct 

 easterly trend. We camped on Decem- 

 ber 2 in latitude 83° 28' south, longitude 

 171 ° 30' east, opposite a red granite 

 mountain about 3,000 feet in height. On 

 the following day we climbed this moun- 

 tain, and from its summit saw an enor- 

 mous glacier, stretching almost due 

 south, flanked by huge mountains, and 

 issuing on to the Barrier south of our 

 camp. We decided at once that we had 

 better ascend the glacier, and on the fol- 

 lowing day made our way, with two 

 sledges and the last pony, on to its sur- 

 face. 



