92 WITH SCOTT: THE SILVER LINING 



and each plate is actually stationary on the ground until it 

 comes under the rear cog wheel, when it is caught up and 

 passed forward to the front cog-wheel. Hence the car runs on 

 its own platform. The flat square plates grip the snow by 

 diagonal bars. There is a large tool box in front of the engine, 

 and a small elevated padded seat at the back. Otherwise no 

 top hamper obscures the mechanism. When not in use the 

 motor wears a huge quilted hood which keeps the cylinders 

 from freezing. 



In work two men are necessary. One drives from the 

 seat, and another holds the end of a rope fastened to a pro- 

 jecting bowsprit. The latter is the helmsman, for at a pull 

 sideways the sledge slews around without the expenditure of 

 much effort. The camber on the plate belts also helps the 

 turning of the heavy mechanism. The two motor sledges 

 were in frequent use for the first few days, and hauled most of 

 the hut material to the shore. They pulled about two tons, 

 and one of their functions (most fully appreciated) was that of 

 hauling back empty man-sledges — empty except for the wearied 

 pullers who lay back on the sledges and dreamily regarded the 

 clear sky on their welcome rest between pulls. 



The ponies had been standing continuously for five weeks, 

 and were therefore not very fit for a few days. They were 

 given a short rest at the pony-lines on the snow behind the 

 hut, but soon came into requisition, and have done the greater 

 part of the hauling since. The ponies had, however, many 

 little peculiarities which were troublesome, not only to those 

 uninitiated in the mysteries of pony-driving, but to the experts 

 as well. I shall have more to say on this later. 



Let us accompany a man-sledge from the ship to the hut. 

 The question of knots troubles a landsman. At first it was 

 not uncommon for the first jerk to result in the rope parting 

 company with the sledge ! The start was always difficult, for 

 the sledges froze to the ice, and it was necessary to "break 

 them out " by extra help. 



We had not much eye for the beautiful scenery around, 

 but were very keenly and vitally interested in the surface 

 over which we had to pull the load. Ten feet of clear ice 

 were less difficult to traverse than one foot of snowdrift only 

 an inch deep. The party all wore snow-goggles of amber or 

 green glass to prevent snow-blindness. These fogged from 



