304 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [October 



splendid brick fireplace had just been built with a brand new 

 stove-pipe leading from it directly upward through the roof. 

 This is really a most creditable bit of work. Instead of the 

 ramshackle temporary structures of last season we have now a 

 solid permanent fireplace which should last for many a year. 

 We spent a most comfortable night. 



This morning we were away over the floe about 9 A.M. I 

 was anxious to see how the motors started up and agreeably 

 surprised to find that neither driver took more than 20 to 30 

 minutes to get his machine going, in spite of the difficulties of 

 working a blow lamp in a keen cold wind. 



Lashly got away very soon, made a short run of about Yz 

 mile, and then after a short halt to cool, a long non-stop for 

 quite 3 miles. The Barrier, five geographical miles from Cape 

 Armitage, now looked very close, but Lashly had overdone 

 matters a bit, run out of lubricant and got his engine too hot. 

 The next run yielded a little over a mile, and he was forced 

 to stop within a few hundred yards of the snow slope leading to 

 the Barrier and wait for more lubricant, as well as for the heat 

 balance in his engine to be restored. 



This motor was going on second gear, and this gives a nice 

 easy walking speed, 23^2 to 3 miles an hour; it would be a 

 splendid rate of progress if it was not necessary to halt for 

 cooling. This Is the old motor which was used in Norway; 

 the other machine has modified gears.* 



Meanwhile Day had had the usual balancing trouble and 

 had dropped to a speck, but towards the end of our second run 

 it was evident he had overcome these and was coming along at 

 a fine speed. One soon saw that the men beside the sledges 

 were running. To make a long story short, he stopped to hand 

 over lubricating oil, started at a gallop again, and dashed up the 

 slope without a hitch on his top speed — the first man to run a 

 motor on the Great Barrier! There was great cheering from 

 all assembled, but the motor party was not wasting time on 

 jubilation. On dashed the motor, and it and the running men 

 beside it soon grew small In the distance. We went back to help 

 Lashly, who had restarted his engine. If not so dashingly, on 



* This form of motor traction had been tested on several occasions; in 1908 at Lau- 

 teret in the Alps, witli Dr. Charcot the Polar explorer: in 1909 and again 1910 in Nor- 

 way. After each trial the sledges were brought back and improved. 



