nine miles; they had only done three miles whilst I had been doing fifteen.  We continued crawling along with our loads, stopping to cool the engines every few minutes, it seemed, but at 11 p.m. they overheated to such an extent that we stopped for the night.  I was fairly done, but not too tired to enjoy the supper which Hooper cooked, with its many luxuries produced by him.  Hooper had informed Bowers of my birthday, and obtained all kinds of good things, which we despatched huddled together in our tents; for it was about 20 degrees below zero when we turned in well after midnight.

We intentionally lay in our bags until 8.30 next morning, but didn’t get those dreadful motors to start until 10.45 a.m.  Even then they only gave a few sniffs before breaking down and stopping, so that we could not advance perceptibly until 11.30.  We had troubles all day, and were forced to camp on account of Day’s sledge giving out at 5 p.m.—­we daren’t stop for lunch earlier, for once stopped one never could say when a re-start could be made.

We depoted here four big tins of petrol and two drums of filtrate to lighten load of Day’s sledge.  Started off at six and soon found that the big end brass on No. 2 cylinder of this sledge had given out, so dropped two more tins of petrol and a case of filtrate oils.  We thereupon continued at a snail’s pace, until at 9.15 the connecting rod broke through the piston.  We decided to abandon this sledge, and made a depot of the spare clothing, seal meat, Xmas fare, ski belonging to Atkinson and Wright, and four heavy cases of dog biscuit.  I left a note in a conspicuous position on the depot, which we finished constructing at midnight.  We wasted no time in turning in.

The clouds were radiating from the S.E., a precursor of blizzard, we feared, and sure enough we got it next day, when it burst upon us whilst we were putting on our footgear after breakfast.  There was nothing for it but to get back into our sleeping-bags, wherein we spent the day.

On the 31st we were out of our bags and about, soon after six, to find it still drifting but showing signs of clearing.  After breakfast we dug out sledges, and Lashly and Day got the snow out of the motor, a long and rotten job.  The weather cleared about 11 a.m. and we got under way at noon.  It turned out very fine and we advanced our weights 7 miles 600 yards, camping at 10.40.  P.M.

As will be seen, these were long days, and although he did not say it, Day must have felt the crushing disappointment of the failure of the motors—­it was not his fault, it was a question of trial and experience.  Nowadays we have far more knowledge of air-cooled engines and such crawling juggernauts as tanks, for it may well be argued that Scott’s motor sledges were the forerunners of the tanks.

On November 1 we advanced six miles and the motor then gave out.  Day and Lashly give it their undivided attention for hours, and the next day we coaxed the wretched thing to Corner Camp and ourselves dragged the loads there.