i88 
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [J ANUARY 
polar cooking sooner than any of us. So he became 
cook's-mate and assistant — to rise to chef next week. 
Wright agreed to take the third week, and I thought by 
that time I might have learnt enough to improve on my 
own very modest culinary attainments. 
We started on a Friday, and our calendar was reckoned 
from cook's day to cook's day. There was never any 
doubt as to which day of the week it was, because each 
cook was so keen to relinquish his post at the close of his 
term of ofEcc ! 
While Evans was initiating Debenham in the mysteries 
of pcmmican, Wright and I walked across the sea ice a 
mile or so to the south and reached a ' lateral tongue ' 
or prolongation of the main glacier. There was a sudden 
rise of some three feet, and the surface in place of being- 
level and comparatively smooth was carved out into deep 
irregular bowls with overhanging margins. These were 
in all probability giant ' sunholcs,' and their floors were 
covered with a most beautiful carpet of snow crystals. 
Examined closely each crystal was like the segment 
of a fan strengthened by cross-ribs, and these ^ fan-plates ' 
were often half an incli across. The surface as a whole 
reminded me strongly of the appearance of a coral reef — 
and it was about as pleasant a sight to us as the latter is 
to the navigator. Wright was the only one who appre- 
ciated their beauty, we others being moi*c concerned with 
the numerous capsizes caused by this ' coral reef ' structure, 
which characterised the whole of the lower Ferrar Glacier. 
We returned to the tent, and as usual at starting found 
it impossible to eat all our pemmican. It seemed much 
