I9 n] THE NIM ROD HUT 285 
this vehicle of Day's is excellent. The advantage is that 
it meets the case where the salt crystals form a heavy 
frictional surface for wood runners. Vm inclined to think 
that there are great numbers of cases when wheels would 
be more efficient than runners on the sea ice. 
We reached Cape Royds in i\ hours, killing an Emperor 
penguin in the bay beyond C. Barne. This bird was in 
splendid plumage, the breast reflecting the dim northern 
light like a mirror. 
It was fairly dark when we stumbled over the rocks 
and dropped on to Shackleton's Hut. Clissold started 
the cooking-range, Wilson and I walked over to the Black 
beach and round back by Blue Lake. 
The temperature was down at -31° and the interior 
of the hut was very cold. 
Tuesday, May 23. — We spent the morning mustering 
the stores within and without the hut, after a cold night 
which we passed very comfortably in our bags. 
We found a good quantity of flour and Danish butter 
and a fair amount of paraffin, with smaller supplies of 
assorted articles — the whole sufficient to afford provision 
for such a party as ours for about six or eight months 
if well administered. In case of necessity this would 
undoubtedly be a very useful reserve to fall back upon. 
These stores are somewhat scattered, and the hut has a 
dilapidated, comfortless appearance due to its tenantless 
condition ; but even so it seemed to me much less inviting 
than our old Discovery hut at C. Armitage. 
After a cup of cocoa there was nothing to detain us, 
and we started back, the only useful articles added to our 
