480 THE ANTARCTIC MANUAL. 
aluminium stove, sich as was used by Jackson, Norwegian ski, Canadian 
snow-shoes, ice-axes, a 40-foot rope of raw silk, provisions for a fort- 
night, even changes of underclothing, and all the instruments after that. 
Certainly there was far too much baggage, and we were not likely to go 
so far during the eight days we intended to pass in the glacier; still 
there was no knowing whether we should not find something interesting 
to observe. We landed on a little promontory at the head of a fine bay, 
where a large glacier entered the sea and the snow lay down to the 
water's edge (X on map, Fig. 2). There was no difficulty in getting 
ashore, but the sledges were horribly heavy. Lecointe, Tollefsen and 
Johansen helped us to make a start, and then we continued by ourselves, 
a party of five, de Gerlache, Danco, Amundsen, Cook and I. The 
Belgica left the bay to continue her surveys in the south, and to return 
for us later. At a height between 400 and 600 feet we had to cross 
several crevasses, which were narrow and spanned by snow-bridges solid 
cnough to allow our loads to pass without difficulty. Higher up, a great 
snow-field stretched before us, whence we could look down upon the 
glacier which cascaded towards the bay. ‘The ice from this dislocated 
glacier could only break off in small pieces, so that we recognised that 
the essential condition for the formation of icebergs is a slope gradual 
enough to prevent the formation of a mer de glace at the extremity. 
The night passed comfortably, though we were too tightly packed in 
our tent. After breakfasting on the everlasting oatmeal, we set out with 
our loads, but it was too foggy to allow of much progress being made. 
While waiting for the fog to lift, we pitched camp for the second time, 
and no sooner had we done so than the weather became fine. 
Cook and I set out for a reconnaissance upon the glacier, which 
formed a continuous plateau rising gradually towards the interior of the 
island, where two mountain summits rose above the snow. The con- 
ditions appeared to be most favourable towards the north-west, and 
the whole party set out with the sledges in that direction, and we 
encountered only a few small crevasses, which were easily crossed, then 
the slope began to increase. At 2.30 p.m., during lunch, I placed the 
black-bulb thermometers on the snow, and, although the sun was slightly 
veiled, they showed readings of 102°°6 and 86° Fahr., although the 
temperature of the air, measured by a sling thermometer, was only 
34°-2. The strength of the solar radiation made us all feel very warm. 
We enjoyed a very extensive view towards the south, and saw the high 
mountains on the opposite side of the strait diminishing gradually in 
height towards the east ; the direction of the chain seemed to be north- 
east, and south-west. The whole of this mountainous region seems to 
have subsided, but, if the west of these lands has sunk, it may be that 
there is a large plain of upraised land to the east, the low relief of which 
would cause the glaciers to be prolonged into the sea, and in such con- 
ditions icebergs formed upon the continental shelf itself might attain a 
