146 
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [January 
back for the last load at Camp 1, and I walked south to 
find a way round the great pressure ridge. The sea ice 
south is covered with confused irregular sastrugi well 
remembered from Discovery days. The pressure ridge is 
new. The broken ice of the ridge ended east of the spot 
I approached and the pressure was seen only in a huge 
domed wave, the hollow of which on my left was surrounded 
with a countless number of seals — these lay about sleeping 
or apparently gambolling in the shallow water. I imagine 
the old ice in this hollow has gone well under and that the 
seals have a pool above it which may be warmer on such 
a bright day. 
It was evident that the ponies could be brought round 
by this route, and I returned to camp to hear that one 
of the ponies (Kcohane's) had gone lame. The Soldier 
took a gloomy view of the situation, but he is not an 
optimist. It looks as though a tendon had been 
strained, but it is not at all certain. Bowers' pony 
is also weak in the forelegs, but we knew this before : 
it is only a question of how long he will last. The 
pity is that he is an excellently strong pony otherwise. 
Atkinson has a bad heel and laid up all day — his pony 
was tied behind another sledge, and went well, a very 
hopeful sign. 
In the afternoon I led the ponies out 2$ miles south to 
the crossing of the pressure ridge, then east i\ till we 
struck the barrier edge and ascended it. Going about \ mile 
in we dumped the loads — the ponies sank deep just before 
the loads were dropped, but it looked as though the softness 
was due to some rise in the surface. 
