STILL 340 MILES FROM THE POLE 



slowly and not filling as much of the valley as it did at 

 some previous date, for the old moraines lie higher up 

 in terraces. Low cumulus clouds to the south are 

 hiding some of the new land in that direction. We are 

 all very hungry and tired to-night after the day's fight 

 with glacier. Whilst I went up the mountain to spy 

 out the land the others ground up the balance of the 

 maize, brought for pony feed, between flat stones, in 

 order that we may use it ourselves to eke out our supply 

 of food. The method of preparation was primitive, 

 but it represented the only way of getting it fit to cook 

 without the necessity of using more oil than we can 

 spare for lengthy boiling. The temperature was plus 

 12° Fahr. at noon to-day, and is plus 14° now at 8 p:m. 

 We are getting south, and we hope to reach the inland 

 ice in a couple of days; then our marching will be faster. 

 The weather is still fine. 



December 11. — A heavy day. We started away 

 at 7.40 a.m. and tried to keep alongside the ]and, but 

 the ice of the glacier sloped so much that we had to go 

 on to the ridge, where the sledges could run without 

 side-slipping. This slipping cuts the runners very badly. 

 We crossed the medial moraine, and found rock there with 

 what looked like plant impressions. We collected some 

 specimens. 



In the afternoon we found the surface better, as 

 the cracks were nearly all filled up with water turned 

 to ice. We camped for lunch on rubbly ice. After 

 lunch we rounded some pressure ridges fairly easily, 

 and then pulled up a long ice-slope with many sharp 

 points. All the afternoon we were passing over ice 

 in which the cracks had been closed up, and we began 

 to have great hopes that the end of the glacier was in 

 sight, and that we would soon be able to put in some 

 good marches on the plateau. At 5 p.m. we found 



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