THE DEPOT JOURNEY 147 
some food. Crean had a bad day of snow-blindness, and 
could see absolutely nothing. So, on arrival at the place, 
we pitched the tent and left him there. The ponies were in 
a much worse place than the day before, but the ice was 
still there, and some floes actually touched the Barrier. 
After our recent experience Captain Scott would only 
let us go on condition that as soon as he gave the order we 
were to drop everything and run for the Barrier. I wasina 
feverish hurry, and with Titus and Cherry selected a pos- 
sible route over about six floes, and some low brash ice. 
The hardest jump was the first one, but it was nothing to 
what they had done the day before, so we put Punch at it. 
Why he hung fire I cannot think,? but he did, at the very 
edge, and the next moment was in the water. I will draw 
a veil over our struggle to get the plucky little pony out. 
We could not manage it, and Titus had at last to put an 
end to his struggles with a pick. 
“There was now my pony and Nobby. We abandoned 
that route, while Captain Scott looked out another and 
longer one by going right out on the sea-floes. This we 
decided on, if we could get the animals off their present 
floe, which necessitated a good jump on any side. Captain 
Scott said he would have no repetition of Punch’s mis- 
fortune if he could help it. He would rather kill them on 
the floe. Anyhow, we rushed old Nobby at the jump, but 
he refused. It seemed no good, but I rushed him at it 
again and again. Scott was for killing them [it should be 
remembered that this ice, with the men on it, might drift 
away from the Barrier at any moment, and then there might 
be no further chance of saving the men] but I was not, and, 
pretending not to hear him, [| rushed the old beast again. 
He cleared it beautifully, and Titus, seizing the oppor- 
tunity, ran my pony at it with similar success. We then 
returned to the Barrier and worked along westward till a 
suitable place for getting up was found. There Scott and 
Cherry started digging a road, while Titus and I went out 
via the sea-ice to get the ponies. We had an empty sledge 
as a bridge or ladder, in case of emergency, and had to 
1 [ think he was stiff after standing so many hours.—A. C.-G. 
