io8 
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [October 
in, Priestley, who was in his bag, heard a seal gnawing the 
ice just under his head and remarked to me that it seemed 
very close, so I sung out to Abbott to take an ice-axe and 
test the ice. After a few blows he was through and 
reported the ice only eight inches thick and very soft and 
sodden. 
We turned out and tried several places, with the same 
result. 
Then Priestley and I went about a quarter of a mile 
towards the land and tried again, with no better result. 
Finally we found a small patch where the ice was about 
15 inches thick and we shifted camp. 
Things looked serious, for the season was becoming 
advanced and the summer thaw approaching, while we had 
to advance along a straight coast line with steep cliffs as 
far as we could see. After talking over the situation with 
Priestley we decided that unless we could find thicker 
ice near the land we should have to turn, as this ice might 
break up any time. 
It was a bitter disappointment, for I had expected at 
least to be able to get beyond Cape North this way. It 
came on to blow with drift in the night, but fortunately 
the wind did not last, and to our delight on turning out 
we found the sun breaking through. 
After breakfast, taking ski and a spade, I went in 
towards the land, trying a lot of places and always finding 
thin sodden ice ; in places the under layers of snow were 
so wet and soft it seemed as though the ice was depressed 
below the surface of the sea. 
After taking a round of angles we returned, making 
