We halted at half
past seven A.M., on a fine sandy ground, which gave us the
softest, as well as the driest bed which we had yet experienced on
our journey, and which was situated close to a little hillock of
earth and moss, so full of the burrows of hares as to resemble a
warren. We tried to smoke them out by burning port-fire, but none
appeared; and it is remarkable, that though we constantly met with
the dung of these animals, especially in this place, where it
occurred very abundantly, we never saw one of them during the
journey. As soon as we had halted, we found that Mr. Reid's
knapsack had dropped off the cart; he had therefore to go back to
look for it, and did not return till eleven o'clock, being so much
affected by snow-blindness as to be scarcely able to see his way
to the tents. This circumstance was, sufficient to show the
advantage, and even the necessity, of travelling entirely by night
under these circumstances, the intense glare of light from the
snow during the day inevitably producing this painful irritation
in the eyes.
At a quarter past five P.M. we resumed our journey to the
southwest, and soon after crossed a snowy plain a mile and a
quarter in breadth, extending to the sea to the north, and as far
as the eye could reach to the south.
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