OUR PONIES AND DOGS
The experiences of the National Antarctic Expedition and of the
_Discovery_ Expedition convinced me, that if we could use ponies
instead of dogs for traction purposes we should be making a very
successful change.
It was a risk to take ponies from the far north through the tropics,
and then across two thousand miles of stormy sea on a very small ship,
but we eventually established ourselves at the winter quarters with
eight ponies. Unfortunately, however, we lost four of them within a
month of our arrival.
In the case of three out of the four the loss was due to the facts that
they were picketed at first on sandy ground, and that we did not notice
that they were eating the sand. I had neglected to supply them with
salt, and as they found a saline flavour in the sand they ate it at odd
moments.
Until Sandy died and a post-mortem examination revealed the cause of
his death, we were at a loss to know why several of the ponies were
ill. Naturally we shifted them at once to a spot where they could get
no more sand, but in spite of the remedies we gave to them two more of
the ponies died.
The loss of the fourth pony was due to poisoning, for Manchurian ponies
will eat anything that can possibly be chewed, and this particular--or
unparticular--one seems to have eaten shavings in which chemicals had
been packed. These losses were a matter of the deepest concern to us.
We were left with four ponies, Quan, Socks, Grisi and Chinaman, and
they were so precious in our eyes that they were guarded with most
keen attention. During the winter months we had many opportunities to
learn the different characters of each animal, and as every one of them
seemed to possess an extraordinary amount of sense and cunning, we were
not infrequently suffering from petty annoyances.
Quan was the worst offender, his delight being to bite through his
head-rope and attack the bales of fodder stacked behind him; then, when
we put a chain on him, he deliberately rattled it against the side of
the hut, which operation kept us awake. Grisi was our best-looking
pony, but he was so unfriendly to the others in the stables that we had
to build him a separate stall.
Socks was shaped like a miniature Clydesdale, and was always willing to
work and very fiery.
The last of our remaining ponies was Chinaman, a strong animal, sulky
in appearance, but in reality one of the best of workers. He also
liked to bite his head-rope, but when we put a chain on him he did not
emulate Grisi by rattling it against the hut.
We had been able to obtain only nine dogs, but many puppies--most of
which came to an untimely end--increased this number. The presence
of the dogs around our winter quarters was very cheerful and gave a
homelike feeling to the place, and our interest in the pups was always
fresh, for as they grew up each one developed peculiarities of its own.
All the pups were white and were most useful to us in guarding the
ponies, for if a pony got adrift the little army of pups, which slept
in the stables, at once surrounded him, and by their furious barking
warned the night watchman that something was wrong.
I remember that on one occasion Grisi got free and dashed out of the
stables followed by the whole party of pups, and after Mackay had
secured the truant the dogs followed with an air of pride as though
conscious of having done their duty.
Since we were reduced to four ponies it was necessary to consider
the dogs as a possible factor in our work, and so their training was
important. But after enjoying some months of freedom it seemed terrible
to the young dogs when first a collar was put on them, and even less
did they enjoy their experience of being taken to the sledge and there
taught to pull.
Peary's account of his expeditions shows that in Arctic regions dogs
have been able to traverse long distances very quickly. Once indeed
over ninety miles were accomplished in twenty-three hours, but this
evidently was done on smooth sea-ice or on the smooth glaciated surface
of the land. Such a feat would be impossible on the Antarctic Barrier
surface.
[Illustration: A Group of the Shore Party at the Winter Quarters
_Standing_ (from left): Joyce, Day, Wild, Adams, Brocklehurst,
Shackleton, Marshall, David, Armytage, Marston _Sitting:_ Priestly,
Murray, Roberts]