THE TERRA NOI^A GOES SOUTH 91 



stanchions, and not to the prow-piece, which serves chiefly to 

 guide the sledge over hummocks of ice. A long rope with 

 broad canvas belts (attached thereto by tributary ropes) con- 

 stitutes the harness. When the load has been tied on by a 

 piece of spun yarn, the leader steps into his belt, adjusts it 

 over the hips, and, grasping his ski-sticks firmly, gives the 

 word and plods on. Many a mile have we covered with 

 bodies hanging forward over the belts, and our spiked boots 

 and ski-sticks barely enabling us to pull the heavy load 

 through a patch of snow-drift. But over moderately smooth 

 sea ice it was quite easy for four men to pull a 1000 lbs. load 

 on two sledges for a distance of a mile and a half in twenty-five 

 minutes. 



There were two dog teams in constant use, one driven by 

 Meares, and the other by the Russian youth, Demetri. Their 

 sledges are Siberian, and somewhat higher in the frame. The 

 chief difference consists in a high hoop or arch of wood, which 

 is placed two feet from the prow. By this the driver can 

 twist his sledge around. He also carries an iron-pointed 

 staff, to be used as a brake and also to guide the sledge to 

 some extent. The dog teams consist of five dogs — one leader 

 who is specially trained to obey commands (and sometimes 

 scorns to pull), and two pairs of dogs toggled to a central 

 rope much as in the man harness. These dog sledges career 

 about in long sweeping curves, and the air resounds with 

 barbaric cries of " Ky ! Ky ! " or " Chui ! Chui ! " while the 

 ice screeches under the impact of the driver's pointed staff. 

 His chief difficulty is to steer clear of penguins, for awful 

 is the result if they sight an unfortunate bird ! A dog 

 team pulls the driver, so that 150 lbs. must be added to their 

 load. Each dog pulls about one quarter that moved by a 

 man, but at twice the speed. 



The motor sledges took some little time, naturally enough, 

 to swing into the ranks. They have fourteen horse-power 

 motor-car engines, four cylinders, magneto ignition. Most 

 people have seen illustrations of them, for they have been run 

 in Norway and England previously, though designed for the 

 expedition. The two axles bear two pairs of cog wheels 

 about eighteen inches diameter. Around these run two end- 

 less bands — one on each side of the sledge — which carry flat 

 square plates. These plates constitute the bearing surface, 



