h were to form the homes of our two parties down South
had been brought out in the ship and were now erected on a piece of waste
ground near, by the same men who would be given the work to do in the
South.

The gear peculiar to the various kinds of scientific work which it was
the object of the expedition to carry out was also stowed with great
care. The more bulky objects included a petrol engine and small dynamo, a
very delicate instrument for making pendulum observations to test the
gravity of the earth, meteorological screens, and a Dines anemometer.
There was also a special hut for magnetic observations, of which only the
framework was finally taken, with the necessary but bulky magnetic
instruments. The biological and photographic gear was also of
considerable size.

For the interior of the huts there were beds with spring mattresses--a
real luxury but one well worth the space and money,--tables, chairs,
cooking ranges and piping, and a complete acetylene gas plant for both
parties. There were also extensive ventilators which were not a great
success. The problem of ventilation in polar regions still remains to be
solved.

Food can be packed into a comparatively small space, but not so fuel, and
this is one of the greatest difficulties which confront the polar
traveller. It must be conceded that in this respect Norway, with her
wonderful petrol-driven Fram, is far ahead of us. The Terra Nova depended
on coal, and the length of the ship's stay in the South, and the amount
of exploration she could do after landing the shore parties, depended
almost entirely upon how much coal she could be persuaded to hold after
all the necessaries of modern scientific exploration had been wedged
tightly into her.

The Terra Nova sailed from New Zealand with 425 tons of coal in her holds
and bunkers, and 30 tons on deck in sacks. We were to hear more of those
sacks.

Meanwhile stalls were being built under the forecastle for fifteen
ponies, and, since room could not be found below for the remaining four,
stalls were built on the port side of the fore hatch; the decks were
caulked, and deck houses and other fittings which might carry away in the
stormy seas of the South were further secured.

As the time of departure drew near, and each day of civilization appeared
to be more and more desirable, the scene in Lyttelton became animated and
congested. Here is a scientist trying to force just one more case into
his small laborato