19"] THE PONIES ON THE FLOE 135 



break up, and killer whales were putting their heads up on all 

 sides. Luckily they did not frighten the ponies. 



He travelled a great distance over the sea ice, leaping from 

 floe to floe, and at last found a thick floe from which with help 

 of ski stick he could climb the Barrier face. It was a desperate 

 venture, but luckily successful. 



As soon as I had digested Crean's news I sent Gran back to 

 Hut Point with Wilson and Meares and started with my sledge, 

 Crean, and Oates for the scene of the mishap. We stopped at 

 Safety Camp to load some provisions and oil and then, marching 

 carefully round, approached the ice edge. To my joy I caught 

 sight of the lost party. We got our Alpine rope and with its 

 help dragged the two men to the surface. I pitched camp at 

 a safe distance from the edge and then we all started salvage 

 work. The ice had ceased to drift and lay close and quiet against 

 the Barrier edge. We got the men at 5.30 p.m. and all the 

 sledges and effects on to the farrier by 4 A.M. As we were 

 getting up the last loads the ice showed signs of drifting off, 

 and we saw it was hopeless to try and move the ponies. The 

 three poor beasts had to be left on their floe for the moment, 

 well fed. None of our party had had sleep the previous night 

 and all were dog tired. I decided we must rest, but turned 

 everyone out at 8.30 yesterday morning. Before breakfast we 

 discovered the ponies had drifted away. We had tried to anchor 

 their floe with the Alpine rope, but the anchors had drawn. 

 It was a sad moment. At breakfast we decided to pack and 

 follow the Barrier edge: this was the position when I last 

 wrote, but the interruption came when Bowers, who had taken 

 the binoculars, announced that he could see the ponies about a 

 mile to the N.W. We packed and went on at once. We found 

 it easy enough to get down to the poor animals and decided to 

 rush them for a last chance of life. Then there was an unfortu- 

 nate mistake: I went along the Barrier edge and discovered 

 what I thought and what proved to be a practicable way to land 

 a pony, but the others meanwhile, a little overwrought, tried to 

 leap Punch across a gap. The poor beast fell in; eventually we 

 had to kill him it was awful. I recalled all hands and pointed 

 out my road. Bowers and Oates went out on it with a sledge 

 and worked their way to the remaining ponies, and started back 

 with them on the same track. Meanwhile Cherry and I dug a 



