nt of his harness rope. Hoadley and myself had passed over the same
spot, unsuspecting and unroped, a few minutes previously, while looking
for a safe track. We were now nearing the approximate western edge
of the Helen Glacier, and the broken condition of the ice evidently
indicated considerable movement. Later in the morning a more southerly
course was kept over an improving surface.

At midday Dovers took observations of the sun and found the latitude
to be 66 degrees 47' S. Owing to the heat of the sun the fat in
the pemmican had been melting in the food-bags, so after lunch the
provisions were repacked and the pemmican was put in the centre of the
large tanks. In the afternoon we hoisted the sail, and by evening had
done four miles. From our camp the eye could range across the Helen
Glacier eastward to the shelf-ice of "The Grottoes." Far away in the
north-west was a wide expanse of open water, while a multitude of bergs
lay scattered along the coast to the west of the Helen Glacier.

The next day was gloriously bright, with a breeze just strong enough to
make hauling pleasant. Erecting a sail, we made an attempt to haul both
sledges, but found that they were too heavy. It was soon discovered that
a considerable detour would have to be made to cross the broken ice on
the western edge of the Helen Glacier. By keeping to the saddles and
valleys as much as possible and working to the south, we were able to
avoid the rougher country, but at 4 P.M. we arrived at what at first
appeared an impasse.

At this point three great crevassed ridges united to form the ice-falls
on the western side of the glacier. The point of confluence was the only
place that appeared to offer any hope of a passage, and, as we did not
want to retrace our steps, we decided to attempt it. The whole surface
was a network of huge crevasses, some open, the majority from fifty to
one hundred feet or more in width. After many devious turns, a patch of
snow between two large abysses was reached. As the ice in front seemed
even more broken than that behind, camp was pitched. After tea a search
was made for a way out, and it was found that by travelling along a
narrow, knife-edge ridge of ice and neve, with an open crevasse on each
side, a good surface could be reached within a mile of the camp. This
ridge had a gradient of one in ten, and, unfortunately, also sloped down
towards one of the open crevasses.

During the next four days a heavy blizzard ra