X9xx] A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER 517 
Near the narrow crevasses this afternoon we got about 
10 minutes on snow which had a hard crust and loose 
crystals below. It was like breaking through a glass 
house at each step, but quite suddenly at 5 p.m. everything 
changed. The hard surface gave place to regular sastrugi 
and our horizon levelled in every direction. I hung on to 
the S.W. till 6 p.m., and then camped with a delightful 
feeling of security that we had at length reached the 
summit proper. I am feeling very cheerful about every- 
thing to-night. We marched 15 miles (gco.) (over 17 
stat.) to-day, mounting nearly 800 feet and all in about 8| 
hours. My determination to keep mounting irrespective 
of course is fully justified and I shall be indeed surprised 
if we have any further difficulties with crevasses or steep 
slopes. To me for the first time our goal seems really in 
sight. We can pull our loads and pull them much faster 
and farther than I expected in my most hopeful moments. 
I only pray for a fair share of good weather. There is a 
cold wind now as expected, but with good clothes and 
well fed as we are, we can stick a lot worse than we are 
getting. I trust this may prove the turning-point in our 
fortunes for which we have waited so patiently. 
Sunday, December 24.— Lunch. Bar. 21-48. ? Rise 160 
feet. Christmas Eve. j\ miles geo. due south, and a 
rise, I think, more than shown by barometer. This in 
five hours, on the surface which ought to be a sample of 
what we shall have in the future. With our present 
clothes it is a fairly heavy plod, but we get over the 
ground, which is a great thing. A high pressure ridge 
has appeared on the 'port bow.' It seems isolated, 
