ATTACK OF SNOW-BLINDNESS 



lies to the south. How one wishes for time and un- 

 limited provisions! Then indeed we could penetrate 

 the secrets of this great lonely continent. Regrets 

 are vain, however, and we wonder what is in store for 

 us beyond the mountains if we are able to get there. 

 The closer observation of these mountains ought to give 

 geological results of importance. We may have the 

 good fortune to discover fossils, or at any rate to bring 

 back specimens that will determine the geological history 

 of the country and prove a connection between the 

 granite boulders lying on the slopes of Erebus and Terror 

 and the land lying to the far south. Our position to- 

 night is latitude 83° 28' South, longitude 171° 30' East. 

 If we can get on the mountain to-morrow it will be the 

 pioneer landing in the far south. We travelled 11 miles 

 1450 yards (statute) to-day, which was not bad, seeing 

 that we were pulling 180 lb. per man on a bad surface. 

 We got a photograph of the wonderful red granite 

 peaks close to us, for now we are only eight miles or so 

 off the land. The temperature is plus 20°, with a high 

 barometer. The same fine weather continues, but the 

 wind is cold in the early morning, when we turn out at 

 5.30 a.m. for breakfast. 



December 4. — Unable to write yesterday owing to 

 bad attack of snow-blindness, and not much better 

 to-night, but I must record the events of the two most 

 remarkable days that we have experienced since leaving 

 the winter quarters. After breakfast at 5.30 a.m. 

 yesterday, we started off from camp, leaving all camp 

 gear standing and a good feed by Socks to last him the 

 whole day. We got under way at 9 a.m., taking four 

 biscuits, four lumps of sugar and two ounces of choco- 

 late each for lunch. We hoped to get water at the first 

 of the rocks when we landed. Hardly had we gone 

 one hundred yards when we came to a crevasse, which 



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