458 Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [part 11 
February 8th, where an excellent position for winter 
quarters" was selected, with a view to a good starting- 
point for travelling parties. On one side was Mount 
Erebus and the lower hills ending in an abrupt point — 
Cape Armitage — on the other the lofty mountains of the 
Victoria range. The ship was to be the home, and the 
large hut was erected on shore, with two small huts for 
magnetic instruments, consisting of a wooden framework 
covered with sheets of asbestos. The kennels for the 
dogs were arranged on the hill side, below the huts. 
The selected place was at the southern extreme of a long 
tongue of land jutting out from the slopes of Mount 
Erebus. The hills on it formed a semicircle, the hut 
being on its western extreme which was called Hut Point. 
Behind, the hills rose to 500 ft., and to the north was a 
fine mass called Castle Rock. 
There were ski races and football, and also limited 
sledge journeys, which discovered that the land of the 
volcanoes was, as Ross suspected, an island ; that there 
were three small volcanic islets further south (named 
Black, Brown, and White), that the ice barrier came up 
to the foot of the mountains, and that the great Victoria 
range extended far to the south. 
A journey was planned to Cape Crozier to be led by 
the Captain himself, but an accident to his knee while 
on ski prevented him from going, and Royds took com- 
mand, with Skelton, Koettlitz, Barne, and eight men, 
divided into two teams, and each assisted by four dogs. 
Experience in sledge travelling was of course wholly 
wanting and had to be acquired. They started on March 
4th. 
Eight (Wild, Weller, Heald, Plumley, Quartley, Evans, 
Hare, and Vince) were sent back on the 9th under Lieut. 
Barne. On the nth they left their tent and walked onward, 
thinking they were close to the ship. A blizzard came 
on and they found themselves on a steep slope, could 
see nothing, but tried to keep close together. Suddenly 
Hare disappeared, then Evans went. Barne and Quartley 
left the rest to search for Evans. Then they suddenly 
found themselves on the edge of a precipice. Vince shot 
past Wild, and went over the edge. With the greatest 
difficulty Wild, Weller, Heald, and Plumley climbed back, 
