^••^"l COMPASS READINGS 213 
Wo mnirhcd nloiig du- lake aiul up \hv p;u\]y l)t'V()iul. 
Ilcrc a Irilnitary cnlrrcJ tVom a laii^c c:\\'r in llic inoraiiu' 
wall lo llic norlli. The roof of lliis cavo was coalcj with 
nu)St hfaiitiliil ice cr) stals, wliich rosciiiMctl |miu' I w i^s in 
shape and were about two inehes h)n^-. Mail)' bidwiiish 
ice stalaeliles and slala^niiirs Irinoc'd (he walls ol ( he cave, 
and WriL^dit was lucky in oblaining some beautiful j^hotos 
ul these structures. 
At 4. iM\i. we reachetl t)ur goal - the steep face of tlie 
Walcott glacier, but as the vvt\ather looked sloiiiu- we had 
to retreat inunediatcly. Wright and 1 coniparetl compass 
readings here. The neetlles swung extremely sluggishly, 
but we found they were reliable to \\)ur tlegrees \vh ich 
is about eight times the ordinary error. 'I'he fact that 
magnetic south was nearly tlue norlli also com|ditaled 
matters here ! We marched back by a dillerent route and 
discovered a strong outcrop of basic lava about (ifty feet 
tliick which was rich in olivine and had cauglit u]> fiag- 
ments of garnet rock in its passage througJi the earth's 
cr ust. 
Tlic month of IMarch opened witli a bright sunny 
morning, just suited for our proposal climb n|> one of 
the hinterland ranges. We climbetl up the slope about 
eight liundred feet and so reached the level floor of the 
'hanging valley' just behind the camp. We marchetl 
along this to the norlli end of the valley towards a |M()mi- 
nent ]ieak on the eastern ridge. A still dimb over snow 
slopes and rugged granite led lo tiie sumniil, wJiich we 
readied at 1 p.m. TJie aneroid made this 3000 feet above 
sea level. It was a beautiful day and we could see Erebus, 
