face was traversed by high ridges. The snowbridges in many
cases were weak and several gave way while the sledge was crossing them.
A chasm about fifty feet deep and one hundred feet long was passed,
evidently portion of a crevasse, one side of which had been raised.
Later in the afternoon the surface became impassable and a detour to the
south was rendered necessary. This difficulty arose near the head of the
valley, in which situation the ice-cap fell in a series of precipitous
terraces for about one thousand feet.

At midday on the 8th we were compelled to continue the detour over a
badly crevassed surface, ascending most of the time. On that night, camp
was pitched again amongst crevasses. The sledge-meter showed only two
miles one thousand one hundred yards for the afternoon, relaying having
been necessary.

The sledges slipped along in the morning with a fresh breeze in their
favour. The sky was covered with rapidly scudding, cirro-cumulus clouds
which, by midday, quite obscured the sun, making surrounding objects and
even the snow at our feet indistinguishable. After continuing for four
and a half miles, we were forced to camp. In the afternoon a heavy
snowstorm commenced and persisted throughout the following day.

Though snow was still falling on the morning of the 11th, camp was
broken at 10 A.M., and we moved off rapidly with a strong wind. During
the morning the surface was gently undulating, but it mounted in a
gradual ascent until nightfall. In the latter part of the afternoon
the sun was clouded over, and steering had to be done by the aid of
the wind. To the north we had a fine view of Drygalski's "High
Land" (Drygalski Island), perceiving a distinct seaward ice-cliff of
considerable height.

As there were no prominences on the ice-cap that could be used for
surveying marks, Dovers had considerable difficulty in keeping
a reckoning of our course. The trouble was overcome by building
snow-mounds and taking back-angles to them with the prismatic compass.
At this juncture we were about ten miles from the shore and could see
open water some thirty miles to the north. Frozen fast within the floe
were great numbers of bergs.

We started off early on December 12 with the aid of a fair breeze over
a good surface, so that both sledges were easily hauled along together.
The course was almost due west, parallel to the coast. Open water came
within a few miles of the ice-cliffs, and, farther north, a heavy belt