444 SHACKLETON ON THRESHOLD OF SOUTH POLE 



bus. After several days of hard climbing, in which a violent wind 

 storm added to their difficulties and dangers, the whole six reached 

 the summit of the volcano and gazed over the crater's edge. Here 

 they found themselves on the lip of a huge and steaming abyss, while 

 the air was filled with the fumes of burning sulphur. The steam 

 was hurled up in great, globular volumes, preceded by a low, hiss- 

 ing sound and then a booming roar. A breeze sweeping away the 

 steam for a few minutes, the depth of the crater eight to nine hun- 

 dred feet lay revealed, while its width seemed about a half mile. 

 On the crater's floor the steam puffed upward from three well-like 

 openings. 



In their return the party made progress by sliding down the 

 ice slopes, traversing five thousand feet in four hours; but their 

 clothes were much the worse for this hasty descent. They had 

 found the height of the mountain to be 13,350 feet. 



This conquest of Mt. Erebus, whose huge sides had previously 

 been ascended only about nine thousand feet, was one of the allevia- 

 tions of the long southern winter. Another was the exercising and 

 finding the pulling capacities of the ponies, the sledges being loaded 

 and drawn two miles daily up and down on the sea-ice. It was found 

 that 650 pounds for each pony was the best weight for their pulling 

 powers, while the exercise brought them into excellent condition 

 for their coming work. The sledges were also got in the best order, 

 and as spring approached the ponies were hardened for their com- 

 ing duties by more active exercise, such as hauling the coal supply 

 and other work. The dogs also were got into condition for their 

 coming duties, and the motor car was tried upon the sea-ice, where 

 it worked satisfactorily, alterations being made in it to reduce its 

 weight, all superfluous gear being taken off. Before testing this 

 car upon the land surface, however, a party of three started on a 

 brief journey south to examine conditions, and concluded then that 

 they were such as to render the car unavailable. This was owing 

 to the very heavy snowfall, which was much greater than on Shack- 



