The ice was firm around us, and as there seemed small chance of making a move that day, I had the motor crawler and warper put out on the floe for a trial run.

The motor worked most successfully, running at about six miles an hour over slabs and ridges of ice hidden by a foot or two of soft snow.

The surface was worse than we would expect to face on land or barrier-ice.

The motor warped itself back on a 500-fathom steel wire and was taken aboard again.

"From the mast-head the mirage is continually giving us false alarms.