THE STRAND MAGAZINE. 
144 
THE END OF THE BARRIER. 
set in the Ferrar Glacier. These showed 
the advance of the ice to be about thirty 
feet in seven and a half months, confirming 
the belief in the slow movement of the coastal 
glaciers. In New Harbour copper was dis- 
covered ; but the strangest discovery was 
that of the Glacier Tongue, a mass of ice two 
miles long, which had broken away from near 
Cape Evans in the storm when the ponies 
were drowned. It had driven across the 
Sound, to be stranded on the opposite shore 
forty-five miles away, still bearing a depot 
of fodder and the line of stakes to_ guide 
the ponies across it. Strange to thin.k of 
the plan to build the hut on its seemingly 
stable bulk. What an adventurous voyage 
it would have given its inhabitants ! 
Off to the Pole ! 
The outward course from Barriei Face may 
be divided into three stages: (1) About four 
hundred and twenty-four miles over the 
Barrier. (2) About a hundred and twenty- 
five miles up the Glacier, rising eight thousand 
feet. (3) About three hundred and fifty-three 
miles along the summit plateau to the Pole, 
at a continuous altitude of between nine 
thousand and ten thousand five hundred feet. 
Adding the twenty-one miles from Cape Evans 
to Barrier Face, the total is nine hundred 
and twenty-three— the whole journey out 
and home covering one thousand eight 
hundred and forty-six miles. 
November 1st, 191 1, saw the Southern 
journey begun. 
The first few entries in the diary are chiefly 
concerned with the doings of the ponies. 
Some are generically termed u the crocks ” j 
others were lively and obstreperous ; some 
slow, some swift. “ The little devil Christo- 
pher was harnessed with the usual difficulty, 
and started in kicking mood, Oates holding 
on for all he was worth. Bones ambled off 
gently with Crean, and I led Snippets in his 
wake. Ten minutes after Evans and Snatcher 
passed at the usual full speed.” Indeed, 
“ Snatcher soon led the party, and covered 
the distance in four hours. Bones and 
Christopher arrived almost equally fresh— in 
fact, the latter had been bucking and kicking 
the whole way ; for the present there is no 
end to his devilment, and the great considera- 
tion is how to safeguard Oates. Some quiet 
ponies should always be near him, a difficult 
matter to arrange with such varying rates of 
walking.” 
Thus the first march, writes Scott, <k re- 
minded me of a regatta or a somewhat dis- 
organized fleet, with ships ©f very unequal 
speed ! ” Next day the plan of farther 
advance was evolved. “ We shall start in 
three parties — the very slow ponies, the 
medium-paced, and the fliers — Snatcher, 
starting last, will probably overtake the lead- 
ing unit. All this requires a good dea 1 of 
arranging. We have decided to begin night- 
marching, and shall get away after supper, I 
hope.” 
The surface of the Barrier was fatiguing to 
most of the animals— even Christopher ^ by 
the third day was evidently subdued by it— 
and “ the ponies hate the wind.” At the 
