338 
SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [July 
It is good to find the seals so close, but very annoying 
to find that the dogs have discovered their resting-place. 
The long spell of fine weather is very satisfactory. 
Saturday, July I, 191 1. — We have designed new ski 
boots and I think they are going to be a success. My 
object is to stick to the Huitfeldt binding for sledging if 
possible. One must wear finnesko on the Barrier, and with 
finnesko alone a loose binding is necessary. For this we 
brought i Finon ' bindings, consisting of leather toe straps 
and thong heel binding. With this arrangement one does 
not have good control of his ski and stands the chance of 
a chafe on the ' tendon Achillis.' Owing to the last con- 
sideration many had decided to go with toe strap alone 
as we did in the Discovery. This brought into my mind 
the possibility of using the iron cross bar and snap heel 
strap of the Huitfeldt on a suitable overshoe. 
Evans, P.O., has arisen well to the occasion as a boot 
maker, and has just completed a pair of shoes which are 
very nearly what we require. 
The soles have two thicknesses of seal skin cured with 
alum, stiffened at the foot with a layer of venesta board, 
and raised at the heel on a block of wood. The upper 
part is large enough to contain a finnesko and is secured 
by a simple strap. A shoe weighs 13 ozs. against 2 lbs. 
for a single ski boot — so that shoe and finnesko together 
are less weight than a boot. 
If we can perfect this arrangement it should be of the 
greatest use to us. 
Wright has been swinging the pendulum in his cavern. 
Prodigious trouble has been taken to keep the time, and 
