284 
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION 
[May 
evanescent, mysterious — no reality. It is the language 
of mystic signs and portents — the inspiration of the 
gods — wholly spiritual — divine signalling. Remindful 
of superstition, provocative of imagination. Might 
not the inhabitants of some other world (Mars) con- 
trolling mighty forces thus surround our globe with fiery 
symbols, a golden writing which we have not the key 
to decipher ? 
There is argument on the confession of Ponting's in- 
ability to obtain photographs of the aurora. Professor 
Stormer of Norway seems to have been successful. Simpson 
made notes of his method, which seems to depend merely 
on the rapidity of lens and plate. Ponting claims to have 
greater rapidity in both, yet gets no result even with long 
exposure. It is not only a question of aurora ; the stars 
arc equally reluctant to show themselves on Ponting's 
plate. Even with five seconds exposure the stars become 
short lines of light on the plate of a fixed camera. Stormcr's 
stars are points and therefore his exposure must have been 
short, yet there is detail in some of his pictures which 
it seems impossible could have been got with a short 
exposure. It is all very puzzling. 
Monday, May 22. — Wilson, Bowers, Atkinson, Evans 
(P.O.), Clissold, and self went to C. Royds with a * go cart ' 
carrying our sleeping-bags, a cooker, and a small quantity 
of provision. 
The 1 go cart 5 consists of a framework of steel tubing 
supported on four bicycle wheels. 
The surface of the floes carries 1 to 2 inches of snow, 
barely covering the salt ice flowers, and for this condition 
