[Illustration:  THE MOUNTAINS WHICH LIE BETWEEN THE BARRIER AND THE PLATEAU AS SEEN ON DECEMBER 1, 1911—­From the drawings by Dr. E. A. Wilson, Emery Walker Limited, Collotypers.]

It was important that we should have fine clear weather during the next few days when we should be approaching the land.  On his previous southern journey Scott had been prevented from reaching the range of mountains which ran along to our right by a huge chasm.  This phenomenon is known to geologists as a shear crack and is formed by the movement of a glacier away from the land which bounds it.  In this case a mass of many hundred miles of Barrier has moved away from the mountains, and the disturbance is correspondingly great.  Shackleton has described how he approached the Gateway, as he named the passage between Mount Hope and the mainland, by means of which he passed through on to the Beardmore Glacier.  As he and his companions were exploring the way they came upon an enormous chasm, 80 feet wide and 300 feet deep, which barred their path.  Moving along to the right they found a place where the chasm was filled with snow, and here they crossed to the land some miles ahead.  At our Southern Barrier Depot we reckoned we were some forty-four miles from this Gateway and in three more marches we hoped to be camped under this land.

Christopher was shot at the depot.  He was the only pony who did not die instantaneously.  Perhaps Oates was not so calm as usual, for Chris was his own horse though such a brute.  Just as Oates fired he moved, and charged into the camp with the bullet in his head.  He was caught with difficulty, nearly giving Keohane a bad bite, led back and finished.  We were well rid of him:  while he was strong he fought, and once the Barrier had tamed him, as we were not able to do, he never pulled a fair load.  He could have gone several more days, but there was not enough pony food to take all the animals forward.  We began to wonder if we had done right to leave so much behind.  Each pony provided at least four days’ food for the dog-teams, some of them more, and there was quite a lot of fat on them—­even on Jehu.  This was comforting, as going to prove that their hardships were not too great.  Also we put the undercut into our own hoosh, and it was very good, though we had little oil to cook it.

We had been starting later each night, in order that the transition from night to day marching might be gradual.  For we intended to march by day when we started pulling up the glacier, and there were no ponies to rest when the sun was high.  It may be said therefore that our next march was on December 2.