NEW LAND TO THE SOUTH 



covered was 12 miles 150 yards. Quan was quite played 

 out, so we camped at 5A5 p.m. We give the ponies 

 ample food ? but they do not eat it all, though Quan 

 whinnies for his every meal-time. He is particularly 

 fond of the Maujee ration, and neglects his maize for 

 it. Again to-day we saw new land to the south, and 

 unfortunately for our quick progress in that direction, 

 we find the trend of the coast more to the eastward. 

 A time is coming, I can see, when we will have to ascend 

 the mountains, for the land runs round more and more 

 in an easterly direction. Still after all we must not 

 expect to find things cut and dried and all suited to us 

 in such a place. We will be thankful if we can keep 

 the ponies as far as our next depot, which will be in 

 latitude 84° South. They are at the present moment 

 lying down in the warm sun. It is a beautifully calm, 

 clear evening; indeed as regards weather we have 

 been wonderfully fortunate, and it has given Marshall 

 the chance to take all the necessary angles for the survey 

 of these new mountains and coast-line. Wild is cook 

 this week, and my week is over, so I am now living 

 in the other tent. We are all fit and well, but our 

 appetites are increasing at an alarming rate. W"e 

 noticed this to-night after the heavy pulling to-day. 

 A great deal of the land we are passing seems to consist 

 of granite in huge masses, and here and there are much 

 crevassed glaciers, pouring down between the mountains, 

 perhaps from some inland ice-sheet similar to that in 

 the north of Victoria Land. The mountains show 

 great similarity in outline, and there is no sign of any 

 volcanic action at all so far. The temperature for the 

 day has ranged between plus 16° and plus 12° Fahr., but 

 the hot sun has made things appear much warmer. 



December 1. — Started at 8 a.m. to-day. Quan has 

 been growing weaker each hour, and we practically 



297 



