THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



for their own purposes, and proceed up the Ferrar 

 Glacier as far as the Depot Nunatak in order that 

 Priestley might search for fossils in the sandstones of 

 the western mountains. They were to get back to 

 Rutter Point early in January in order to meet Pro- 

 fessor David, Mawson and Mackay, and if a junction 

 was effected, Mawson, Priestley and Brocklehurst were 

 to carry on geological work in Dry Valley and the 

 surrounding country, while Professor David, Armytage 

 and Mackay were to return to the winter quarters. 

 The fact that the Northern Party did not arrive upset 

 this arrangement to some extent, but the other three men 

 did some very useful work. The mountains to the west 

 of McMurdo Sound had been explored by Lieutenant 

 Armytage and Captain Scott during the Discovery 

 expedition, Armitage having climbed the mountains 

 and penetrated west to an altitude of 9000 ft. on 

 the ice-cap, while Scott had reached longitude 146° 33' 

 ^East, on the western plateaux. Further information was 

 required, however, in regard to the geology of the 

 mountains. 



Armytage, Priestley and Brocklehurst accordingly 

 left the winter quarters on December 1, taking with 

 them about 1200 lb. of gear and stores. The motor-car 

 carried them for the first sixteen miles, although the 

 sea ice was by this time in a very bad condition. The 

 season was well advanced, the sun was above the horizon 

 all the time, and there were cracks and pools in all 

 directions. Day and Marston took the car out, and 

 when they were coming back after leaving the Western 

 Party the car got stuck firmly in a crack that ran across 

 the course. They spent two hours cutting away the 

 ice sufficiently to get the car out, and then had to 

 make a detour of five miles in order to get round 



36 



