igii] 



SHACKLETON'S HUT 197 



There Is argument on the confession of Ponting's uiabillty 

 to obtain photographs of the aurora. Professor Stormer of 

 Norway seems to have been successful. Simpson made notes of 

 his method, which seems to depend merely on the rapidity of 

 lens and plate. Ponting claims to have greater rapidity in both, 

 yet gets no result even with long exposure. It is not only a 

 question of aurora; the stars are equally reluctant to show 

 themselves on Ponting's plate. Even with five seconds exposure 

 the stars become short lines of light on the plate of a fixed 

 camera. Stormer's stars are points and therefore his exposure 

 must have been short, yet there is detail in some of his pic- 

 tures which it seems impossible could have been got with a 

 short exposure. It is all very puzzling. 



Monday, May 22. — Wilson, Bowers, Atkinson, Evans 

 (P.O.), Qissold, and self went to C. Royds with a 'go cart' 

 carrying our sleeping-bags, a cooker, and a small quantity of 

 provision. 



The ' go cart ' consists of a framework of steel tubing sup- 

 ported on four bicycle wheels. 



The surface of the floes carries i to 2 inches of snow, barely 

 covering the salt ice flowers, and for this condition this vehicle 

 of Day's is excellent. The advantage is that it meets the case 

 where the salt crystals form a heavy frictional surface for wood 

 runners. I'm inclined to think that there are great numbers 

 of cases when wheels would be more efiicient than runners on 

 the sea ice. 



We reached Cape Royds in 2^ hours, killing an Emperor 

 penguin in the bay beyond C. Barne. This bird was In splendid 

 plumage, the breast reflecting the dim northern light like a 

 mirror. 



It was fairly dark when we stumbled over the rocks and 

 dropped on to Shackleton's Hut. Clissold started the cooking- 

 range, Wilson and I walked over to the Black beach and round 

 back by Blue Lake. 



The temperature was down at - 31° and the Interior of the 

 hut was very cold. 



Tuesday, May 23. — ^We spent the morning mustering the 

 stores within and without the hut, after a cold night which we 

 passed very comfortably In our bags. 



We found a good quantity of flour and Danish butter and 



