REGION OF CREVASSES 



which had become loosened, back into its place in the 

 canvas crown which held the tops of the tent-poles 

 together, Mawson and I climbed on to some hum- 

 mocks a little north of the camp to see which route 

 would be best to follow on our reconnoitring journey. 

 After lunch we all three started with our ice-axes and 

 the Alpine rope. We travelled up a broad bottomed 

 snow valley for about two miles trending in the direction 

 of Mount Larsen. Then for a little over a mile beyond 

 it trended more to the right in the direction of Mount 

 Nansen. Here we got into difficult country, the snow 

 surface being succeeded by steep-sided hummocks, 

 rolls and ridges of blue glacier ice, with occasional deep 

 chasms and very numerous crevasses. We fell into 

 numbers of the latter up to our thighs, but the snow 

 lids as yet were just strong enough to stop us going 

 deeper. Mawson opened up one of these snow lids 

 with his ice-axe, and we noticed that the lid was from 

 one to one and a half feet thick, while the crevasse was 

 thirty feet wide and of vast depth. Much of the ground 

 over which we were travelling rang hollow, and was 

 evidently only roofed over by a thin layer of tough 

 snow. Altogether we travelled about four miles to the 

 north of our camp, but could see no sign from there 

 of any sea to the north of us. Meanwhile, Mackay 

 diverged somewhat to the west, climbed on the top of a 

 high ice pyramid, but was unable to see any trace of 

 the sea beyond. We now returned at a smart pace 

 back to camp, arriving about 9 a.m. We were all 

 pretty tired, and, as usual before entering the tent, we 

 took off our spiked ski-boots so as to avoid puncturing 

 the waterproof floorcloth, and put on finnesko. Hoosh 

 was prepared, and we had a good meal of it, as well as 

 of fried seal meat with blubber and seal oil. 



It was evident now that even if we were to succeed 



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