THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



ice. When released we were not very far from the 

 Nordenskjold Ice-Barrier. 



" The deceptive appearance of loose pack was im- 

 pressed upon us. For many hours there was blue 

 water apparently only a mile or two ahead, but it never 

 appeared to get any nearer for hours, and we could 

 not be sure it was really near till we were within a few 

 hundred yards of the edge. All this time in the pack 

 we were in doubt as to the fate of Mackintosh, or rather, 

 we had not much doubt about it, for we had given him 

 up for lost, but we were helpless to do anything. On 

 the afternoon of the 16th, on which day we cleared the 

 ice, we had passed Beauford Island and were approaching 

 through very loose pack the only piece of shore 

 on which there was any chance of finding the lost men. 

 Near the end of this stretch of beach, where it is suc- 

 ceeded by hopeless cliffs, a small patch of greenish 

 colour was seen, and the telescope showed the details of 

 a deserted camp, a tent torn to ribbons and all the camp 

 gear lying around. A boat was sent ashore in charge 

 of Davis, who found the bag of letters, and a note from 

 Mackintosh pinned to the tent, telling of his risky attempt 

 to cross the mountains nearly a week before. Knowing 

 the frightfully crevassed character of the valley between 

 Mount Bird and Mount Erebus, there seemed to us little 

 hope that they would get through. The crevassed 

 slope extends right to the top of Mount Bird, and is 

 very steep towards the Erebus side. When we reached 

 Cape Royds about midnight, only two men came out to 

 meet the ship. One of the men was Mackintosh's com- 

 rade in all his adventures, and we soon learned that all had 

 ended well." 



In the meantime the Bluff Depot party had started 

 off to place a supply of provisions off Minna Bluff in 

 readiness for the return of the Southern Party. The 



50 



