THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



the special advantages we had at our winter quarters 

 as far as biological and zoological work were concerned. 

 Through the Gap we saw the Barrier stretched out 

 before us — the long white road that we were shortly to 

 tread. The fascination of the unknown was strong upon 

 me, and I longed to be away towards the south on the 

 journey that I hoped would lay bare the mysteries of the 

 place of the Pole. 



We climbed to the top of Crater Hill with a collecting- 

 bag and the Professor's camera, and here we took some 

 photographs and made an examination of the cone. 

 Professor David expressed the opinion that the ice- 

 sheet had certainly passed over this hill, which is about 

 1100 ft. high, for there was distinct evidence of glacia- 

 tion. We climbed along the ridge to Castle Rock, about 

 four miles to the north, and made an examination of 

 the formation there. Then we returned to the hut to 

 have a square meal and get ready for our journey across 

 the Barrier. 



The old hut had never been a very cheerful place, 

 even when we were camped alongside it in the Dis- 

 covery, and it looked doubly inhospitable now, after 

 having stood empty and neglected for six years. One 

 side was filled with cases of biscuit and tinned meat 

 and the snow that had found its way in was lying in 

 great piles around the walls. There was no stove, for 

 this had been taken away with the Discovery, and coal 

 was scattered about the floor with other debris and 

 rubbish. Besides the biscuits and the tinned beef and 

 mutton there was some tea and coffee stored in the hut. 

 We cleared a spot on which to sleep, and decided that 

 we would use the cases of biscuit and meat to build 

 another hut inside the main one, so that the quarters 

 would be a little more cosy. I proposed to use this 

 hut as a stores depot in connection with the southern 



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