IN A CREVASSE 



at the general appearance of the outHne of the Ice 

 Barrier coastal ice and coast-hne ahead of us. It did 

 not agree, as far as we could judge, with the shape of 

 this region as shown on the Admiralty chart, and 

 we could see no certain indication whatever of what 

 was called, on the chart, " the low, sloping shore." 

 Accordingly we halted a little earlier than usual in 

 order to reconnoitre. There was a conspicuous ice 

 mound about half a mile to the north-west of this 

 camp. Mackay started off with the field-glasses for a 

 general look round from this point of vantage. Mawson 

 started changing his plates in the sleeping-bag, while I 

 prepared to go out with my sketch-book and get an 

 outline panoramic view of the grand coast ranges now 

 in sight. Crevasses of late had been so few and far 

 between that I thought it was an unnecessary pre- 

 caution to take my ice-axe with me, but I had scarcely 

 gone more than six yards from the tent, when the lid 

 of a crevasse suddenly collapsed under me at a point 

 where there was absolutely no outward or visible sign 

 of its existence, and let me down suddenly nearly up to 

 my shoulders. I only saved myself from going right 

 down by throwing my arms out and staying myself on 

 the snow lid on either side. The Hd was so rotten that 

 I dared not make any move to extricate myself, or I 

 might have been precipitated into the abyss. For- 

 tunately Mawson was close at hand, and on my calling 

 to him, he came out of our sleeping-bag, and bringing 

 an ice-axe, chipped a hole in the firm ice on the edge of 

 the crevasse nearest to me. He then inserted the chisel 

 edge of the ice-axe in the hole and holding on to the pick 

 point, swung the handle towards me: grasping this, I 

 was able to extricate myself and climbed out on to the 

 solid ice. 



It was a beautiful day, the coast-line showing up 

 Vol. II.-10 145 



