440 SCOTT'S LAST EXPEDITION [October 
This morning Simpson has just rung up. He says the 
motors are in difficulties with the surface. The trouble 
is just that which I noted as alarming on Monday — the 
chains slip on the very light snow covering of hard ice. 
The engines are working well, and all goes well when the 
machines get on to snow. 
I have organised a party of eight men including myself, 
and we are just off to see what can be done to help. 
Friday, October 27. — We were away by 10.30 yesterday. 
Walked to the Glacier Tongue with gloomy forebodings ; 
but for one gust a beautifully bright inspiriting day. Seals 
were about and were frequently mistaken for the motors. 
As we approached the Glacier Tongue, however, and 
became more alive to such mistakes, we realised that the 
motors were not in sight. At first I thought they must 
have sought better surface on the other side of the Tongue, 
but this theory was soon demolished and we were puzzled 
to know what had happened. At length walking onward 
they were descried far away over the floe towards Hut 
Point ; soon after we saw good firm tracks over a snow 
surface, a pleasant change from the double tracks and 
slippery places we had seen on the bare ice. Our spirits 
went up at once, for it was not only evident that the 
machines were going, but that they were negotiating a 
very rough surface without difficulty. We marched on 
and overtook them about z\ miles from Hut Point, passing 
Simpson and Gran returning to Cape Evans. From the 
motors we learnt that things were going pretty well. The 
engines were working well when once in tune, but the 
cylinders, especially the two after ones, tended to get too 
