THE HEART OF THEANTARCTIC 



we did not see very distinctly, for the light was bad, 

 and the sun obscured by clouds. We roped up and 

 went on in single file, each with his ice-pick handy. I 

 found it very difficult to see clearly with my goggles, 

 and so took them off, and the present attack of snow- 

 blindness is the result, for the sun came out gloriously 

 later on. We crossed several crevasses filled with 

 snow except at the sides, the gaps being about 2 ft. 

 wide, and the whole crevasses from 10 to 20 ft. across. 

 Then we were brought up all standing by an enormous 

 chasm of about 80 ft. wide and 300 ft. deep which lay 

 right across our route. This chasm was similar to 

 only larger than the one we encountered in latitude 

 80° 30' South when on the southern journey with 

 Captain Scott during the Discovery Expedition. By 

 making a detour to the right we found that it gradually 

 pinched out and became filled with snow, and so were 

 able to cross and resume our line to the land, which very 

 deceptively appeared quite close but was really some miles 

 away. 



Crossing several ridges of ice-pressure and many 

 more crevasses, we eventually at 12.30 p.m. reached 

 an area of smooth blue ice in which were embedded 

 several granite boulders, and here we obtained a drink 

 of delicious water formed by the sun playing on the 

 rock face and heating the ice at the base. After travel- 

 ling for half a mile, we reached the base of the mountain 

 which we hoped to climb in order to gain a view of the 

 surrounding country. This hill is composed of granite, 

 the red appearance being no doubt due to iron. At 

 1 p.m. we had a couple of biscuits and some water, and 

 then started to make our way up the precipitous rock 

 face. This was the most difficult part of the whole 

 climb, for the granite was weathered and split in every 

 direction, and some of the larger pieces seemed to be 



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