Page:Scott's Last Expedition, Volume 2.djvu/176

in, Priestley, who was in his bag, heard a seal gnawing the ice just under his head and remarked to me that it seemed very close, so I sung out to Abbott to take an ice-axe and test the ice. After a few blows he was through and reported the ice only eight inches thick and very soft and sodden.

We turned out and tried several places, with the same result.

Then Priestley and I went about a quarter of a mile towards the land and tried again, with no better result. Finally we found a small patch where the ice was about 15 inches thick and we shifted camp.

Things looked serious, for the season was becoming advanced and the summer thaw approaching, while we had to advance along a straight coast line with steep cliffs as far as we could see. After talking over the situation with Priestley we decided that unless we could find thicker ice near the land we should have to turn, as this ice might break up any time.

It was a bitter disappointment, for I had expected at least to be able to get beyond Cape North this way. It came on to blow with drift in the night, but fortunately the wind did not last, and to our delight on turning out we found the sun breaking through.

After breakfast, taking ski and a spade, I went in towards the land, trying a lot of places and always finding thin sodden ice; in places the under layers of snow were so wet and soft it seemed as though the ice was depressed below the surface of the sea.

After taking a round of angles we returned, making