PRESSURES UNDER MOUNT DARWIN 515 
Every day the loads will lighten, and so we ought to make 
the requisite progress. I think we have climbed about 
250 feet to-day, but thought it more on the march. Ye 
look down on huge pressure ridges to the south and S.E., 
and in fact all round except in the dirccton in which we 
go, S.W. We seem to be travelling more or less parallel 
to a ridge which extends from Mt. Darwin. Ahead of 
us to-night is a stiffish incline and it looks as though there 
might be pressure behind it. It is very difficult to judge 
how matters stand, however, in such a confusion of 
elevations and depressions. This course doesn't work 
wonders in change of latitude, but I think it is the right 
track to clear the pressures — at any rate I shall hold it 
for the present. 
We passed one or two very broad (30 feet) bridged 
crevasses with the usual gaping sides ; they were running 
pretty well in N. and S. direction. The weather has been 
beautifully fine all day as it was last night. (Night 
Temp. -9 0 .) This morning there was an hour or so of haze 
due to clouds from the N. Now it is perfectly clear, and 
we get a fine view of the mountain behind which Wilson 
has just been sketching 
Saturday, December 23.— Lunch. Bar. 22'0i. Rise 370 ? 
Started at 8, steering S.W. Seemed to be rising, and went 
on well for about 3 hours, then got amongst bad crevasses 
and hard waves. We pushed on to S.W., but things 
went from bad to worse, and we had to haul out to the 
north, then west. West looks clear for the present, but 
it is not a very satisfactory direction. We have done 8i' 
(gco.), a good march. (T. - 3 0 . Southerly wind, force 2.) 
2 L 2 
