THE HEART OF THE ANTARCTIC 



strong and healthy, full of tricks and wickedness, and 

 ready for any amount of hard work over the snow-fields. 

 The fifteen ponies were taken to the coast and shipped 

 by direct steamer to Australia. They came through the 

 test of tropical temperatures unscathed, and at the end 

 of October 1908 arrived in Sydney, where they were met 

 by Mr. Reid and at once transferred to a New Zealand 

 bound steamer. The Colonial Governments kindly 

 consented to suspend the quarantine restrictions, which 

 would have entailed exposure to summer heat for many 

 weeks, and thirty-five days after leaving China the ponies 

 were landed on Quail Island in Port Lyttelton, and were 

 free to scamper about and feed in idle luxury. 



I decided to take a motor-car because I thought it 

 possible, from my previous experience, that we might 

 meet with a hard surface on the Great Ice Barrier, over 

 which the first part at any rate of the journey towards 

 the south would have to be performed. On a reasonably 

 good surface the machine would be able to haul a heavy 

 load at a rapid pace. I selected a 12-15 horse-power 

 New Arrol-Johnston car, fitted with a specially designed 

 air-cooled four-cylinder engine and Simms Bosch 

 magneto ignition. W ater could not be used for cooling, 

 as it would certainly freeze. Round the carburetter 

 was placed a small jacket, and the exhaust gases from 

 one cylinder were passed through this in order that 

 they might warm the mixing chamber before passing 

 into the air. The exhaust from the other cylinders 

 was conveyed into a silencer that was also to act as a 

 foot-warmer. The frame of the car was of the standard 

 pattern, but the manufacturers had taken care to 

 secure the maximum of strength, in view of the fact 

 that the car was likely to experience severe strains at 

 low temperature. I ordered a good supply of spare 

 parts in order to provide for breakages, and a special 



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