1911] BALANCE OF HEAT AND COLD 303 



Friday, October 27. — V/e were away by 10.30 yesterday. 

 Walked to the Glacier Tongue v/Ith gloomy forebodings; but 

 for one gust a beautifully bright inspiriting day. Seals were 

 about and were frequently mistaken for the motors. As we 

 approached the Glacier Tongue, however, and became more 

 ahve to such mistakes, we realised that the motors were not in 

 sight. At first I thought they must have sought better surface 

 on the other side of the Tongue, but this theory was soon 

 demolished and we were puzzled to know what had happened. 

 At length walking onward they were descried far away over 

 the floe towards Hut Point; soon after we saw good firm 

 tracks over a snow surface, a pleasant change from the double 

 tracks and slipper places we had seen on the bare ice. Our 

 spirits went up at once, for it was not only evident that the 

 machines were going, but that they were negotiating a very 

 rough surface without difficulty. We marched on and overtook 

 them about 2^ miles from Hut Point, passing Simpson and 

 Gran returning to Cape Evans. From the motors we learnt 

 that things were going pretty well. The engines were working 

 well when once in tune, but the cylinders, especially the two 

 after ones, tended to get too hot, whilst the fan or wind play- 

 ing on the carburetter tended to make it too cold. The trouble 

 was to get a balance between the two, and this is effected by 

 starting up the engines, then stopping and covering them and 

 allowing the heat to spread by conductivity — of course, a rather 

 clumsy device. We camped ahead of the motors as they camped 

 for lunch. Directly after, Lashly brought his machine along 

 on low gear and without difficulty ran it on to Cape Armitage. 

 Meanwhile Day was having trouble with some bad surface; we 

 had offered help and been refused, and with Evans alone his 

 difficulties grew, whilst the wind sprang up and the snow started 

 to drift. We had walked into the hut and found Meares, but 

 now we all came out again. I sent for Lashly and Hooper and 

 went back to help Day along. We had exasperating delays and 

 false starts for an hour and then suddenly the machine tuned 

 up, and off she went faster than one could walk, reaching Cape 

 Armitage without further hitch. It was blizzing by this time; 

 a fine sight to see the motor forging away through the mist as 

 the snow flew by. We all went back to the hut; Meares and 

 Demetri have been busy, the hut is tidy and comfortable and a 



