If all is well I go to the ship to-morrow morning after the ponies have started, and then to Glacier Tongue.

CHAPTER V

Depot Laying To One Ton Camp

Tuesday, January 24.—­People were busy in the hut all last night—­we got away at 9 A.M.  A boat from the Terra Nova fetched the Western Party and myself as the ponies were led out of the camp.  Meares and Wilson went ahead of the ponies to test the track.  On board the ship I was taken in to see Lillie’s catch of sea animals.  It was wonderful, quantities of sponges, isopods, pentapods, large shrimps, corals, &c., &c.—­but the piece de resistance was the capture of several buckets full of cephalodiscus of which only seven pieces had been previously caught.  Lillie is immensely pleased, feeling that it alone repays the whole enterprise.

In the forenoon we skirted the Island, getting 30 and 40 fathoms of water north and west of Inaccessible Island.  With a telescope we could see the string of ponies steadily progressing over the sea ice past the Razor Back Islands.  As soon as we saw them well advanced we steamed on to the Glacier Tongue.  The open water extended just round the corner and the ship made fast in the narrow angle made by the sea ice with the glacier, her port side flush with the surface of the latter.  I walked over to meet the ponies whilst Campbell went to investigate a broad crack in the sea ice on the Southern Road.  The ponies were got on to the Tongue without much difficulty, then across the glacier, and picketed on the sea ice close to the ship.  Meanwhile Campbell informed me that the big crack was 30 feet across:  it was evident we must get past it on the glacier, and I asked Campbell to peg out a road clear of cracks.  Oates reported the ponies ready to start again after tea, and they were led along Campbell’s road, their loads having already been taken on the floe—­all went well until the animals got down on the floe level and Oates led across an old snowed-up crack.  His and the next pony got across, but the third made a jump at the edge and sank to its stomach in the middle.  It couldn’t move, and with such struggles as it made it sank deeper till only its head and forelegs showed above the slush.  With some trouble we got ropes on these, and hauling together pulled the poor creature out looking very weak and miserable and trembling much.

We led the other ponies round farther to the west and eventually got all out on the floe, gave them a small feed, and started them off with their loads.  The dogs meanwhile gave some excitement.  Starting on hard ice with a light load nothing could hold them, and they dashed off over everything—­it seemed wonderful that we all reached the floe in safety.  Wilson and I drive one team, whilst Evans and Meares drive the other.  I withhold my opinion of the dogs in much doubt as to whether they are going to be a real success—­but the ponies are going