THE POLAR JOURNEY 321 



again to the bottom of the Beardmore, where three more 

 units were to be left in a depot. 1 



All went well this first day on the Barrier, and encourag- 

 ing messages left on empty petrol drums told us that the 

 motors were going well when they passed. But the next 

 day we passed five petrol drums which had been dumped. 

 This meant that there was trouble, and some 14 miles from 

 Hut Point we learned that the big end of the No. 2 

 cylinder of Day's motor had broken, and half a mile 

 beyond we found the motor itself, drifted up with snow, 

 and looking a mournful wreck. The next day's march 

 (Sunday, November 5, a.m.) brought us to Corner Camp. 

 There were a few legs down crevasses during the day but 

 nothing to worry about. 



From here we could see to the South an ominous mark 

 in the snow which we hoped might not prove to be the 

 second motor. It was : "the big end of No. 1 cylinder 

 had cracked, the machine otherwise in good order. Evi- 

 dently the engines are not fitted to working in this climate, 

 a fact that should be certainly capable of correction. One 

 thing is proved ; the system of propulsion is altogether 

 satisfactory." 2 And again: " It is a disappointment. I 

 had hoped better of the machines once they got away on 

 the Barrier Surface." 3 



Scott had set his heart upon the success of the motors. 

 He had run them in Norway and Switzerland ; and every- 

 thing was done that care and forethought could suggest. 

 At the back of his mind, I feel sure, was the wish to 

 abolish the cruelty which the use of ponies and dogs 

 necessarily entails. "A small measure of success will be 

 enough to show their possibilities, their ability to revolu- 

 tionize polar transport. Seeing the machines at work to- 

 day [leaving Cape Evans] and remembering that every 

 defect so far shown is purely mechanical, it is impossible 

 not to be convinced of their value. But the trifling 

 mechanical defects and lack of experience show the risk of 

 cutting out trials. A season of experiment with a small 



1 See pp. 350, 552-556. 

 2 Scott's Last Expedition, vol. i. p. 453. 3 Ibid. p. 452. 



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