Page:Aurora Australis.djvu/30

Aurora Australis way. In the first place, the only party who had ascended the foothills of Erebus had found their path barred by heavily crevassed ice. That party consisted of E. E. Joyce, F. Wild, and A. Pillbeam, of the National Antarctic Expedition of 1901 – 04. Starting from Cape Barne, in January 1904, they worked their way inland towards Erebus, for about a mile, and estimated that they climbed to about 3,000 feet above sea level. Joyce and Wild informed us that in this direction the ice, owing to crevasses, was practically impassable for sledges. Then too, the winter was fast approaching, bringing with it blizzards, and temperatures likely to be specially low at high altitudes on Mount Erebus.

After careful consideration, Lieutenant Shackleton decided a reconnaissance in the direction of Erebus might be made, and that, if the risk did not appear to be too great, an attempt might be made to reach the summit of the mountain. He fixed the date for starting for the following morning, March 5th, and selected the first part of the route to be followed. After this every one bustled and hustled, and our winter quarters literally rang with the clang of preparation. Provisions, cooking utensils with primus lamps, cooking pots and snow melters and paraffin oil, deer skin sleeping bags,