i9«] THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS APPEAR 481 
bring us through. With the seven crocks and the dog 
teams we must get through I think. The men alone 
ought not to have heavy loads on the surface, which is 
extremely trying. 
Nobby was tried in snow-shoes this morning, and 
came along splendidly on them for about four miles, then 
the wretched affairs racked and had to be taken off. 
There is no doubt that these snow-shoes arc the thing for 
ponies, and had ours been able to use them from the 
beginning they would have been very different in appear- 
ance at this moment. I think the sight of the land has 
helped the animals, but not much. We started in bright 
warm sunshine and with the mountains wonderfully clear 
on our right hand, but towards the end of the march clouds 
worked up from the east and a thin broken cumulo-stratus 
now overspreads the sky, leaving the land still visible but 
dull. A fine glacier descends from Mount Longstaff. It 
has cut very deep and the walls stand at an angle of at 
least 50 0 . Otherwise, although there are many cwms 
on the lower ranges, the mountains themselves seem little 
carved. They arc rounded massive structures. A cliff 
of light yellow-brown rock appears opposite us, flanked 
with black or dark brown rock, which also appears under 
the lighter colour. One would be glad to know what 
nature of rock these represent. There is a good deal of 
exposed rock on the next range also. 
Saturday ) December 2. — Camp 28. Lat. 83 0 . Started 
under very bad weather conditions. The stratus spreading 
over from the S.E. last night meant mischief, and all 
day we march in falling snow with a horrible light. The 
vol. i. a 1 
