- a voyage towards the south pole, and round the world; performed in his majesty's ships the resolution and adventure, in the years , , , and . written by james cook, commander of the resolution. in which is included captain furneaux's narrative of his proceedings in the adventure during the separation of the ships. in two volumes. illustrated with maps and charts, and a variety of portraits of persons and views and places, drawn during the voyage by mr. hodges, and engraved by the most eminent masters. volume ii * * * london: printed for w strahan and t cadell in the strand. mdcclxxvii ( ) * * * contents of the second volume. book iii. from ulietea to new zealand. chapter i. passage from ulietea to the friendly isles, with a description of several islands that were discovered, and the incidents which happened in that track. chapter ii. reception at anamocka; a robbery and its consequences, with a variety of other incidents. departure from the island. a sailing canoe described. some observations on the navigation of these islanders. a description of the island, and of those in the neighbourhood, with some account of the inhabitants, and nautical remarks. chapter iii. the passage from the friendly isles to the new hebrides, with an account of the discovery of turtle island, and a variety of incidents which happened, both before and after the ship arrived in port sandwich, in the island of mallicollo. a description of the port, the adjacent country, its inhabitants, and many other particulars. chapter iv. an account of the discovery of several islands, and an interview and skirmish with the inhabitants upon one of them. the arrival of the ship at tanna, and the reception we met with there. chapter v. an intercourse established with the natives; some account of the island, and a variety of incidents that happened during our stay at it. chapter vi. departure from tanna; with some account of its inhabitants, their manners and arts. chapter vii. the survey of the islands continued, and a more particular description of them. chapter viii. an account of the discovery of new caledonia, and the incidents that happened while the ship lay in balade. chapter ix. a description of the country and its inhabitants; their manners, customs, and arts. chapter x. proceedings on the coast of new caledonia, with geographical and nautical observations. chapter xi. sequel of the passage from new caledonia to new zealand, with an account of the discovery of norfolk island; and the incidents that happened while the ship lay in queen charlotte's sound. book iv. from leaving new zealand to our return to england. chapter i. the run from new zealand to terra del fuego, with the range from cape deseada to christmas sound, and description of that part of the coast. chapter ii. transactions in christmas sound, with an account of the country and its inhabitants. chapter iii. range from christmas sound, round cape horn, through strait le maire, and round staten land; with an account of the discovery of a harbour in that island, and a description of the coasts, chapter iv. observations, geographical and nautical, with an account of the islands near staten land, and the animals found in them, chapter v. proceedings after leaving staten island, with an account of the discovery of the isle of georgia, and a description of it, chapter vi. proceedings after leaving the isle of georgia, with an account of the discovery of sandwich land; with some reasons for there being land about the south pole, chapter vii. heads of what has been done in the voyage; with some conjectures concerning the formation of ice-islands; and an account of our proceedings till our arrival at the cape of good hope, chapter viii. captain furneaux's narrative of his proceedings, in the adventure, from the time he was separated from the resolution, to his arrival in england; including lieutenant burney's report concerning the boat's crew who were murdered by the inhabitants of queen charlotte's sound, chapter ix. transactions at the cape of good hope; with an account of some discoveries made by the french; and the arrival of the ship at st helena, chapter x. passage from st helena to the western islands, with a description of the island of ascension and fernando noronha, chapter xi. arrival of the ship at the island of fayal, a description of the place, and the return of the resolution to england. tables of the route of the resolution and the adventure, the variation of the compass and meteorological observations during the voyage. a vocabulary of the language of the society isles. a table, exhibiting at one view, specimens of different languages spoken in the south sea, from easter island, westward to new caledonia, as observed in the voyage. letter from john ibbetson esq., secretary to the commissioners of longitude, to sir john pringle, baronet, p.r.s. a discourse upon some late improvementsof the means for preserving the health of mariners, delivered at the anniversary meeting of the royal society, nov. , . by sir john pringle, bart. president. * * * * * a voyage towards the south pole, and round the world. book iii. from ulietea to new zealand. chapter i. _passage from ulietea to the friendly isles, with a description of several islands that were discovered, and the incidents which happened in that track._ june on the th, being the day after leaving ulietea, at eleven o'clock a.m., we saw land bearing n.w., which, upon a nearer approach, we found to be a low reef island about four leagues in compass, and of a circular form. it is composed of several small patches connected together by breakers, the largest lying on the n.e. part. this is howe island, discovered by captain wallis, who, i think, sent his boat to examine it; and, if i have not been misinformed, found a channel through, within the reef, near the n.w. part. the inhabitants of ulietea speak of an uninhabited island about this situation, called by them mopeha, to which they go at certain seasons for turtle. perhaps, this may be the same; as we saw no signs of inhabitants upon it. its latitude is ° ' s. longitude ° ' w. from this day to the th, we met nothing remarkable, and our course was west southerly; the winds variable from north round by the east to s.w., attended with cloudy, rainy, unsettled weather, and a southerly swell. we generally brought-to, or stood upon a wind during night; and in the day made all the sail we could. about half an hour after sun-rise this morning, land was seen from the top-mast head, bearing n.n.e. we immediately altered the course, and steering for it, found it to be another reef island, composed of five or six woody islets, connected together by sand-banks and breakers inclosing a lake, into which we could see no entrance. we ranged the west and n.w. coasts, from its southern to its northern-extremity, which is about two leagues, and so near the shore, that at one time we could see the rocks under us; yet we found no anchorage, nor saw we any signs of inhabitants. there were plenty of various kinds of birds, and the coast seemed to abound with fish. the situation of this isle is not very distant from that assigned by mr dalrymple for la sagitaria, discovered by quiros; but, by the description the discoverer has given of it, it cannot be the same. for this reason, i looked upon it as a new discovery, and named it palmerston island, in honour of lord palmerston, one of the lords of the admiralty. it is situated in latitude ° ' s. longitude ° ' w. at four o'clock in the afternoon, we left this isle, and resumed our course to the w. by s. with a fine steady gale easterly, till noon on the th, at which time, being in latitude ° ', longitude ° , we thought we saw land to s.s.w. and hauled up for it accordingly. but two hours after, we discovered our mistake, and resumed our course w. by s. soon after, we saw land from the mast-head in the same direction; and, as we drew nearer, found it to be an island, which, at five o'clock, bore west, distant five leagues. here we spent the night plying under the topsails; and at day-break next morning, bore away, steering to the northern point, and ranging the west coast at the distance of one mile, till near noon. then perceiving some people on the shore, and landing seeming to be easy, we brought-to, and hoisted out two boats, with which i put off to the land, accompanied by some of the officers and gentlemen. as we drew near the shore, some of the inhabitants, who were on the rocks, retired to the woods, to meet us, as we supposed; and we afterwards found our conjectures right. we landed with ease in a small creek, and took post on a high rock to prevent a surprise. here we displayed our colours, and mr forster and his party began to collect plants, etc. the coast was so over-run with woods, bushes, plants, stones, etc. that we could not see forty yards round us. i took two men, and with them entered a kind of chasm, which opened a way into the woods. we had not gone far before we heard the natives approaching; upon which i called to mr forster to retire to the party, as i did likewise. we had no sooner joined than the islanders appeared at the entrance of a chasm not a stone's throw from us. we began to speak, and make all the friendly signs we could think of, to them, which they answered by menaces; and one of two men, who were advanced before the rest, threw a stone, which struck mr sparrman on the arm. upon this two muskets were fired, without order, which made them all retire under cover of the woods; and we saw them no more. after waiting for some little time, and till we were satisfied nothing was to be done here, the country being so overrun with bushes, that it was hardly possible to come to parley with them, we embarked and proceeded down along shore, in hopes of meeting with better success in another place. after ranging the coast for some miles, without seeing a living soul, or any convenient landing-place, we at length came before a small beach, on which lay four canoes. here we landed by means of a little creek, formed by the flat rocks before it, with a view of just looking at the canoes, and to leave some medals, nails, etc. in them; for not a soul was to be seen. the situation of this place was to us worse than the former. a flat rock lay next the sea; behind it a narrow stone beach; this was bounded by a perpendicular rocky cliff of unequal height, whose top was covered with shrubs; two deep and narrow chasms in the cliff seemed to open a communication into the country. in or before one of these lay the four canoes which we were going to look at; but in the doing of this, i saw we should be exposed to an attack from the natives, if there were any, without being in a situation proper for defence. to prevent this, as much as could be, and to secure a retreat in case of an attack, i ordered the men to be drawn up upon the rock, from whence they had a view of the heights; and only myself, and four of the gentlemen, went up to the canoes. we had been there but a few minutes, before the natives, i cannot say how many, rushed down the chasm out of the wood upon us. the endeavours we used to bring them to a parley, were to no purpose; for they came with the ferocity of wild boars, and threw their darts. two or three muskets, discharged in the air did not hinder one of them from advancing still farther, and throwing another dart, or rather a spear, which passed close over my shoulder. his courage would have cost him his life, had not my musket missed fire; for i was not five paces from him when he threw his spear, and had resolved to shoot him to save myself. i was glad afterwards that it happened as it did. at this instant, our men on the rock began to fire at others who appeared on the heights, which abated the ardour of the party we were engaged with, and gave us time to join our people, when i caused the firing to cease. the last discharge sent all the islanders to the woods, from whence they did not return so long as we remained. we did not know that any were hurt. it was remarkable, that when i joined our party, i tried my musket in the air, and it went off as well as a piece could do. seeing no good was to be got with these people, or at the isle, as having no port, we returned on board, and having hoisted in the boats, made sail to the w.s.w. i had forgot to mention in its proper order, that having put ashore a little before we came to this last place, three or four of us went upon the cliffs, where we found the country, as before, nothing but coral rocks, all over-run with bushes, so that it was hardly possible to penetrate into it; and we embarked again with intent to return directly on board, till we saw the canoes; being directed to the place by the opinion of some of us, who thought they heard some people. the conduct and aspect of these islanders occasioned my naming it savage island. it is situated in the latitude ° ' s. longitude ° ' w. it is about eleven leagues in circuit; of a round form, and good height; and hath deep waters close to its shores. all the sea-coast, and as far inland as we could see, is wholly covered with trees, shrubs, etc.; amongst which were some cocoa-nut trees; but what the interior parts may produce we know not. to judge of the whole garment by the skirts, it cannot produce much; for so much as we saw of it consisted wholly of coral rocks, all over-run with woods and bushes. not a bit of soil was to be seen; the rocks alone supplying the trees with humidity. if these coral rocks were first formed in the sea by animals, how came they thrown up to such an height? has this island been raised by an earthquake? or has the sea receded from it? some philosophers have attempted to account for the formation of low isles, such as are in the sea; but i do not know that any thing has been said of high islands, or such as i have been speaking of. in this island, not only the loose rocks which cover the surface, but the cliffs which bound the shores, are of coral stone, which the continual beating of the sea has formed into a variety of curious caverns, some of them very large: the roof or rock over them being supported by pillars, which the foaming waves have formed into a multitude of shapes, and made more curious than the caverns themselves. in one we saw light was admitted through a hole at the top; in another place, we observed that the whole roof of one of these caverns had sunk in, and formed a kind of valley above, which lay considerably below the circumjacent rocks. i can say but little of the inhabitants, who, i believe, are not numerous. they seemed to be stout well-made men, were naked except round the waists, and some of them had their faces, breasts, and thighs painted black. the canoes were precisely like those of amsterdam; with the addition of a little rising like a gunwale on each side of the open part; and had some carving about them, which shewed that these people are full as ingenious. both these islanders and their canoes agree very well with the description m. de bougainville has given of those he saw off the isle of navigators, which lies nearly under the same meridian. after leaving savage island, we continued to steer w.s.w. with a fine easterly trade-wind, till the th in the evening, when, judging ourselves not far from rotterdam, we brought-to, and spent the night plying under the top-sails. at daybreak next morning, we bore away west; and soon after, saw a string of islands extending from s.s.w. by the west to n.n.w. the wind being at n.e., we hauled to n.w., with a view of discovering more distinctly the isles in that quarter; but, presently after, we discovered a reef of rocks a-head, extending on each bow farther than we could see. as we could not weather them, it became necessary to tack and bear up to the south, to look for a passage that way. at noon the southernmost island bore s.w., distant four miles. north of this isle were three others, all connected by breakers, which we were not sure did not join to those we had seen in the morning, as some were observed in the intermediate space. some islands were also seen to the west of those four; but rotterdam was not yet in sight. latitude ° ' s. longitude ° ' w. during the whole afternoon, we had little wind; so that at sunset, the southernmost isle bore w.n.w., distant five miles; and some breakers, we had seen to the south, bore now s.s.w. / w. soon after it fell calm, and we were left to the mercy of a great easterly swell; which, however, happened to have no great effect upon the ship. the calm continued till four o'clock the next morning, when it was succeeded by a breeze from the south. at day-light, perceiving a likelihood of a passage between the islands to the north and the breakers to the south, we stretched in west, and soon after saw more islands, both to the s.w. and n.w., but the passage seemed open and clear. upon drawing near the islands, we sounded, and found forty-five and forty fathoms, a clear sandy bottom. i was now quite easy, since it was in our power to anchor, in case of a calm; or to spend the night, if we found no passage. towards noon some canoes came off to us from one of the isles, having two or three people in each; who advanced boldly alongside, and exchanged some cocoa-nuts, and shaddocks, for small nails. they pointed out to us anamocka, or rotterdam; an advantage we derived from knowing the proper names. they likewise gave us the names of some of the other isles, and invited us much to go to theirs, which they called cornango. the breeze freshening, we left them astern, and steered for anamocka; meeting with a clear passage, in which we found unequal sounding, from forty to nine fathoms, depending, i believe, in a great measure, on our distance from the islands which form it. as we drew near the south end of rotterdam, or anamocka, we were met by a number of canoes, laden with fruit and roots; but as i did not shorten sail, we had but little traffic with them. the people in one canoe enquired for me by name; a proof that these people have an intercourse with those of amsterdam. they importuned us much to go towards their coast, letting us know, as we understood them, that we might anchor there. this was on the s.w. side of the island, where the coast seemed to be sheltered from the s. and s.e. winds; but as the day was far spent, i could not attempt to go in there, as it would have been necessary to have sent first a boat to examine it. i therefore stood for the north side of the island, where we anchored about three-fourths of a mile from shore; the extremes of it bearing south, ° e. to s.w.; a cove with a sandy beach at the bottom of it s. ° e. chapter ii. _reception at anamocka; a robbery and its consequences, with a variety of other incidents. departure from the island. a sailing canoe described. some observations on the navigation of these islanders. a description of the island, and of those in the neighbourhood, with some account of the inhabitants, and nautical remarks._ june before we had well got to an anchor, the natives came off from all parts in canoes, bringing with them yams and shaddocks, which they exchanged for small nails and old rags. one man taking a vast liking to our lead and line, got hold of it, and, in spite of all the threats i could make use of, cut the line with a stone; but a discharge of small shot made him return it. early in the morning, i went ashore with mr gilbert to look for fresh water. we landed in the cove above-mentioned, and were received with great courtesy by the natives. after i had distributed some presents amongst them, i asked for water, and was conducted to a pond of it that was brackish, about three-fourths of a mile from the landing-place, which i supposed to be the same that tasman watered at. in the mean time, the people in the boat had laden her with fruit and roots, which the natives had brought down, and exchanged for nails and beads. on our return to the ship, i found the same sort of traffic carrying on there. after breakfast, i went ashore with two boats to trade with the people, accompanied by several of the gentlemen, and ordered the launch to follow with casks to be filled with water. the natives assisted us to roll them to and from the pond; and a nail or a bead was the expence of their labour. fruits and roots, especially shaddocks and yams, were brought down in such plenty, that the two boats were laden, sent off, cleared, and laden a second time, before noon; by which time also the launch had got a full supply of water, and the botanical and shooting parties had all come in, except the surgeon, for whom we could not wait, as the tide was ebbing fast out of the cove; consequently he was left behind. as there is no getting into the cove with a boat, from between half-ebb to half-flood, we could get off no water in the afternoon. however, there is a very good landing-place, without it, near the southern point, where boats can get ashore at all times of the tide. here some of the officers landed after dinner, where they found the surgeon, who had been robbed of his gun. having come down to the shore some time after the boats had put off, he got a canoe to bring him on board; but, as he was getting into her, a fellow snatched hold of the gun, and ran off with it. after that no one would carry him to the ship, and they would have stripped him, as he imagined, had he not presented a tooth-pick case, which they, no doubt, thought was a little gun. as soon as i heard of this, i landed at the place above-mentioned, and the few natives who were there fled at my approach. after landing i went in search of the officers, whom i found in the cove, where we had been in the morning, with a good many of the natives about them. no step had been taken to recover the gun, nor did i think proper to take any; but in this i was wrong. the easy manner of obtaining this gun, which they now, no doubt, thought secure in their possession, encouraged them to proceed in these tricks, as will soon appear. the alarm the natives had caught being soon over, they carried fruit, etc. to the boats, which got pretty well laden before night, when we all returned on board. early in the morning of the th, lieutenant clerke, with the master and fourteen or fifteen men, went on shore in the launch for water. i did intend to have followed in another boat myself, but rather unluckily deferred it till after breakfast. the launch was no sooner landed than the natives gathered about her, behaving in so rude a manner, that the officers were in some doubt if they should land their casks; but, as they expected me on shore soon, they ventured, and with difficulty got them filled, and into the boat again. in the doing of this mr clerke's gun was snatched from him, and carried off; as were also some of the cooper's tools; and several of the people were stripped of one thing or another. all this was done, as it were, by stealth; for they laid hold of nothing by main force. i landed just as the launch was ready to put off; and the natives, who were pretty numerous on the beach, as soon as they saw me, fled; so that i suspected something had happened. however, i prevailed on many to stay, and mr clerke came, and informed me of all the preceding circumstances. i quickly came to a resolution to oblige them to make restitution; and, for this purpose, ordered all the marines to be armed and sent on shore. mr forster and his party being gone into the country, i ordered two or three guns to be fired from the ship, in order to alarm him; not knowing how the natives might act on this occasion. these orders being given, i sent all the boats off but one, with which i staid, having a good many of the natives about me, who behaved with their usual courtesy. i made them so sensible of my intention, that long before the marines came, mr clerke's musket was brought; but they used many excuses to divert me from insisting on the other. at length mr edgcumbe arriving with the marines, this alarmed them so much, that some fled. the first step i took was to seize on two large double sailing canoes, which were in the cove. one fellow making resistance, i fired some small shot at him, and sent him limping off. the natives being now convinced that i was in earnest, all fled; but on my calling to them, many returned; and, presently after, the other musket was brought, and laid down at my feet. that moment, i ordered the canoes to be restored, to shew them on what account they were detained. the other things we had lost being of less value, i was the more indifferent about them. by this time the launch was ashore for another turn of water, and we were permitted to fill the casks without any one daring to come near us; except one man, who had befriended us during the whole affair, and seemed to disapprove of the conduct of his countrymen. on my returning from the pond to the cove, i found a good many people collected together, from whom we understood that the man i had fired at was dead. this story i treated as improbable, and addressed a man, who seemed of some consequence, for the restitution of a cooper's adze we had lost in the morning. he immediately sent away two men, as i thought, for it; but i soon found that we had greatly mistaken each other; for instead of the adze, they brought the wounded man, stretched out on a board, and laid him down by me, to all appearance dead. i was much moved at the sight; but soon saw my mistake, and that he was only wounded in the hand and thigh. i, therefore, desired he might be carried out of the sun, and sent for the surgeon to dress his wounds. in the mean time, i addressed several people for the adze; for as i had now nothing else to do, i determined to have it. the one i applied the most to, was an elderly woman, who had always a great deal to say to me, from my first landing; but, on this occasion, she gave her tongue full scope. i understood but little of her eloquence; and all i could gather from her arguments was, that it was mean in me to insist on the return of so trifling a thing. but when she found i was determined, she and three or four more women went away; and soon after the adze was brought me, but i saw her no more. this i was sorry for, as i wanted to make her a present, in return for the part she had taken in all our transactions, private as well as public. for i was no sooner returned from the pond, the first time i landed, than this old lady presented to me a girl, giving me to understand she was at my service. miss, who probably had received her instructions, wanted, as a preliminary article, a spike-nail or a shirt, neither of which i had to give her, and soon made them sensible of my poverty. i thought, by that means, to have come off with flying colours; but i was mistaken; for they gave me to understand i might retire with her on credit. on my declining this proposal, the old lady began to argue with me; and then abuse me. though i comprehended little of what she said, her actions were expressive enough, and shewed that her words were to this effect, sneering in my face, saying, what sort of a man are you, thus to refuse the embraces of so fine a young woman? for the girl certainly did not want beauty; which, however, i could better withstand, than the abuses of this worthy matron, and therefore hastened into the boat. they wanted me to take the young lady aboard; but this could not be done, as i had given strict orders, before i went ashore, to suffer no woman, on any pretence whatever, to come into the ship, for reasons which i shall mention in another place. as soon as the surgeon got ashore, he dressed the man's wounds, and bled him; and was of opinion that he was in no sort of danger, as the shot had done little more than penetrate the skin. in the operation, some poultice being wanting, the surgeon asked for ripe plantains; but they brought sugar-cane, and having chewed it to a pulp, gave it him to apply to the wound. this being of a more balsamic nature than the other; proves that these people have some knowledge of simples. as soon as the man's wounds were dressed, i made him a present, which his master, or at least the man who owned the canoe, took, most probably to himself. matters being thus settled apparently to the satisfaction of all parties, we repaired on board to dinner, where i found a good supply of fruit and roots, and, therefore, gave orders to get every thing in readiness to sail. i now was informed of a circumstance which was observed on board; several canoes being at the ship, when the great guns were fired in the morning, they all retired, but one man, who was bailing the water out of his canoe, which lay alongside directly under the guns. when the first was fired, he just looked up, and then, quite unconcerned, continued his work. nor had the second gun any other effect upon him. he did not stir till the water was all out of his canoe, when he paddled leisurely off. this man had, several times, been observed to take fruit and roots out of other canoes, and sell them to us. if the owners did not willingly part with them, he took them by force; by which he obtained the appellation of custom-house officer. one time, after he had been collecting tribute, he happened to be lying alongside of a sailing canoe which was on board. one of her people seeing him look another way, and his attention otherwise engaged, took the opportunity of stealing somewhat out of his canoe; they then put off, and set their sail. but the man, perceiving the trick they had played him, darted after them, and having soon got on board their canoe, beat him who had taken his things, and not only brought back his own, but many other articles which he took from them. this man had likewise been observed making collections on shore at the trading-place. i remembered to have seen him there; and, on account of his gathering tribute, took him to be a man of consequence, and was going to make him a present; but some of their people would not let me, saying he was no _areeke_ (that is, chief). he had his hair always powdered with some kind of white dust. as we had no wind to sail this afternoon, a party of us went ashore in the evening. we found the natives everywhere courteous and obliging; so that, had we made a longer stay, it is probable we should have had no more reason to complain of their conduct. while i was now on shore, i got the names of twenty islands, which lie between the n.w. and n.e., some of them in sight. two of them, which lie most to the west, viz. amattafoa and oghao, are remarkable on account of their great height. in amattafoa, which is the westernmost, we judged there was a volcano, by the continual column of smoke we saw daily ascending from the middle of it. both mr cooper and myself being on shore at noon, mr wales could not wind up the watch at the usual time; and, as we did not come on board till late in the afternoon, it was forgotten till it was down. this circumstance was of no consequence, as mr wales had had several altitudes of the sun at this place, before it went down; and also had opportunities of taking some after. at day-break on the th, having got under sail with a light breeze at west, we stood to the north for the two high islands; but the wind, scanting upon us, carried us in amongst the low isles and shoals; so that, we had to ply, to clear them. this gave time for a great many canoes to get up with us. the people in them brought for traffic various articles; some roots, fruits, and fowls, but of the latter not many. they took in exchange small nails, and pieces of any kind of cloth. i believe, before they went away, they stripped the most of our people of the few clothes the ladies at otaheite had left them; for the passion for curiosities was as great as ever. having got clear of the low isles, we made a stretch to the south, and did but fetch a little to windward of the south end of anamocka; so that we got little by this day's plying. here we spent the night, making short boards over that space with which we had made ourselves acquainted the preceding day. on the th at day-break, stretched out for amattafoa, with a gentle breeze at w.s.w. day no sooner dawned than we saw canoes coming from all parts. their traffic was much the same as it had been the day before, or rather better; for out of one canoe i got two pigs, which were scarce articles here. at four in the afternoon, we drew near the island of amattafoa, and passed between it and oghao, the channel being two miles broad, safe, and without soundings. while we were in the passage, we had little wind and calms. this gave time for a large sailing double canoe, which had been following us all the day, as well as some others with paddles, to come up with us. i had now an opportunity to verify a thing i was before in doubt about, which was, whether or no some of these canoes did not, in changing tacks, only shift the sail, and so proceed with that end foremost, which before was the stern. the one we now saw wrought in this manner. the sail is latteen, extending to a latteen yard above, and to a boom at the foot; in one word, it is like a whole mizzen, supposing the whole foot to be extended to a boom. the yard is slung nearly in the middle, or upon an equipoise. when they change tacks they throw the vessel up in the wind, ease off the sheet, and bring the heel or tack-end of the yard to the other end of the boat, and the sheet in like manner; there are notches, or sockets, at each end of the vessel in which the end of the yard fixes. in short, they work just as those do at the ladrone islands, according to mr walter's description*. when they want to sail large, or before the wind, the yard is taken out of the socket and squared. it most be observed, that all their sailing vessels are not rigged to sail in the same manner. some, and those of the largest size, are rigged, so as to tack about. these have a short but pretty stout mast, which steps on a kind of roller that is fixed to the deck near the fore-part. it is made to lean or incline very much forward; the head is forked; on the two points of which the yard rests, as on two pivots, by means of two strong cleats of wood secured to each side of the yard, at about one-third its length from the tack or heel, which, when under sail, is confined down between the two canoes, by means of two strong ropes, one to and passing through a hole at the head of each canoe; for it must be observed, that all the sailing vessels of this sort are double. the tack being thus fixed, it is plain that, in changing tacks, the vessels must be put about; the sail and boom on the one tack will be clear of the mast, and on the other it will lie against it, just as a whole mizzen. however, i am not sure if they do not sometimes unlace that part of the sail from the yard which is between the tack and mast-head, and so shift both sail and boom leeward of the mast. the drawings which mr hodges made of these vessels seem to favour this supposition. the outriggers and ropes used for shrowds, etc. are all stout and strong. indeed, the sail, yard, and boom, are all together of such an enormous weight, that strength is required. [* see lord anson's voyage.] the summit of amattafoa was hid in the clouds the whole day, so that we were not able to determine with certainty whether there was a volcano or no; but every thing we could see concurred to make us believe there was. this island is about five leagues in circuit. oghao is not so much; but more round and peaked. they lie in the direction of n.n.w. / w. from anamocka, eleven or twelve leagues distant; they are both inhabited, but neither of them seemed fertile. we were hardly through the passage before we got a fresh breeze at south. that moment all the natives made haste to be gone, and we steered to the west; all sails set. i had some thoughts of touching at amsterdam, as it lay not much out of the way; but as the wind was now, we could not fetch it; and this was the occasion of my laying my design aside altogether. let us now return to anamocka, as it is called by the natives. it is situated in the latitude of ° ' s.; longitude ° ' w., and was first discovered by tasman, and by him named rotterdam. it is of a triangular form, each side whereof is about three and a half or four miles. a salt-water lake in the middle of it occupies not a little of its surface, and in a manner cuts off the s.e. angle. round the island, that is, from the n.w. to the s., round by the n. and e., lie scattered a number of small isles, sand-banks, and breakers. we could see no end to their extent to the n.; and it is not impossible that they reach as far s. as amsterdam or tongatabu. these, together with middleburg or eaoowee, and pylstart, make a group, containing about three degrees of latitude and two of longitude, which i have named the friendly isles or archipelago, as a firm alliance and friendship seems to subsist among their inhabitants, and their courteous behaviour to strangers entitles them to that appellation; under which we might, perhaps, extend their group much farther, even down to boscawen and keppell's isles discovered by captain wallis, and lying nearly under the same meridian, and in the latitude of ° '; for, from the little account i have had of the people of these two isles they seem to have the same sort of friendly disposition we observed in our archipelago. the inhabitants, productions, etc. of rotterdam, and the neighbouring isles, are the same as at amsterdam. hogs and fowls are, indeed, much scarcer; of the former having got but six, and not many of the latter. yams and shaddocks were what we got the most of; other fruits were not so plenty. not half of the isle is laid out in inclosed plantations as at amsterdam; but the parts which are not inclosed, are not less fertile or uncultivated. there is, however, far more waste land on this isle, in proportion to its size, than upon the other; and the people seem to be much poorer; that is, in cloth, matting, ornaments, etc. which constitute a great part of the riches of the south-sea islanders. the people of this isle seem to be more affected with the leprosy, or some scrophulous disorder, than any i have seen elsewhere. it breaks out in the face more than any other part of the body. i have seen several whose faces were ruined by it, and their noses quite gone. in one of my excursions, happening to peep into a house where one or more of them were, one man only appeared at the door, or hole, by which i must have entered, and which he began to stop up, by drawing several parts of a cord across it. but the intolerable stench which came from his putrid face was alone sufficient to keep me out, had the entrance been ever so wide. his nose was quite gone, and his whole face in one continued ulcer; so that the very sight of him was shocking. as our people had not all got clear of a certain disease they had contracted at the society isles, i took all possible care to prevent its being communicated to the natives here; and i have reason to believe my endeavours succeeded. having mentioned a house, it may not be amiss to observe, that some here differ from those i saw at the other isles: being inclosed or walled on every side, with reeds neatly put together, but not close. the entrance is by a square hole, about two feet and a half each way. the form of these houses is an oblong square; the floor or foundation every way shorter than the eve, which is about four feet from the ground. by this construction, the rain that falls on the roof, is carried off from the wall, which otherwise would decay and rot. we did not distinguish any king or leading chief, or any person who took upon him the appearance of supreme authority. the man and woman before mentioned, whom i believed to be man and wife, interested themselves on several occasions in our affairs; but it was easy to see they had no great authority. amongst other things which i gave them as a reward for their service, was a young dog and bitch, animals which they have not, but are very fond of, and know very well by name. they have some of the same sort of earthen pots we saw at amsterdam; and i am of opinion they are of their own manufacture, or that of some neighbouring isle. the road, as i have already mentioned, is on the north side of the isle, just to the southward of the southernmost cove; for there are two on this side. the bank is of some extent, and the bottom free from rocks, with twenty-five and twenty fathoms water, one or two miles from the shore. fire-wood is very convenient to be got at, and easy to be shipped off; but the water is so brackish that it is not worth the trouble of carrying it on board; unless one is in great distress for want of that article, and can get no better. there is, however, better, not only on this isle, but on others in the neighbourhood; for the people brought us some in cocoa-nut shells which was as good as need be; but probably the springs are too trifling to water a ship. i have already observed, that the s.w. side of the island is covered by a reef or reefs of rocks, and small isles. if there be a sufficient depth of water between them and the island, as there appeared to be, and a good bottom, this would be a much securer place for a ship to anchor in, than that where we had our station. chapter iii. _the passage from the friendly isles to the new hebrides, with an account of the discovery of turtle island, and a variety of incidents which happened, both before and after the ship arrived in port sandwich, in the island of mallicollo. a description of the port, the adjacent country, its inhabitants, and many other particulars._ july on the first of july, at sun-rise, amattafoa was still in sight, bearing n.e., distant twenty leagues. continuing our course to the west, we, the next day at noon, discovered land bearing n.w. by w., for which we steered; and, upon a nearer approach, found it to be a small island. at four o'clock it bore from n.w. half w. to n.w. by n., and, at the same time, breakers were seen from the masthead, extending from w. to s.w. the day being too far spent to make farther discoveries, we soon after shortened sail, hauled the wind, and spent the night, making short boards, which, at day-break, we found had been so advantageous that we were farther from the island than we expected, and it was eleven o'clock before we reached the n.w. or lee-side, where anchorage and landing seemed practicable. in order to obtain a knowledge of the former, i sent the master with a boat to sound, and, in the mean time, we stood on and off with the ship. at this time four or five people were seen on the reef, which lies round the isle, and about three times that number on the shore. as the boat advanced, those on the reef retired and joined the others; and when the boat landed they all fled to the woods. it was not long before the boat returned, when the master informed me that there were no soundings without the reef, over which, in one place only, he found a boat channel of six feet water. entering by it, he rowed in for the shore, thinking to speak with the people, not more than twenty in number, who were armed with clubs and spears; but the moment he set his foot on shore, they retired to the woods. he left on the rocks some medals, nails, and a knife, which they no doubt found, as some were seen near the place afterwards. this island is not quite a league in length, in the direction of n.e. and s.w., and not half that in breadth. it is covered with wood, and surrounded by a reef of coral rocks, which in some places extend two miles from the shore. it seems to be too small to contain many inhabitants; and probably the few whom we saw, may have come from some isle in the neighbourhood to fish for turtle; as many were seen near this reef, and occasioned that name to be given to the island, which is situated in latitude ° ' south, longitude ° ' west. seeing breakers to the s.s.w., which i was desirous of knowing the extent of before night, i left turtle isle, and stood for them. at two o'clock we found they were occasioned by a coral bank, of about four or five leagues in circuit. by the bearing we had taken, we knew these to be the same breakers we had seen the preceding evening. hardly any part of this bank or reef is above water at the reflux of the waves. the heads of some of the rocks are to be seen near the edge of the reef, where it is the shoalest; for in the middle is deep water. in short, this bank wants only a few little islets to make it exactly like one of the half-drowned isles so often mentioned. it lies s.w. from turtle island, about five or six miles, and the channel between it and the reef of that isle is three miles over. seeing no more shoals or islands, and thinking there might be turtle on this bank, two boats were properly equipped and sent thither; but returned without having seen one. the boats were now hoisted in, and we made sail to the west, with a brisk gale at east, which continued till the th, when we had for a few hours, a breeze at n.w., attended with squalls of rain. this was succeeded by a steady fresh gale at s.e., with which we steered n.w., being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s. longitude ° ' e. on the th at noon, being in the latitude of ° ' south, longitude ° ' east, i steered west. the next day the weather was foggy, and the wind blew in heavy squalls, attended with rain, which in this ocean, within the tropics, generally indicates the vicinity of some high land. this was verified at three in the afternoon, when high land was seen bearing s.w. upon this we took in the small sails, reefed the top-sails, and hauling up for it, at half-past five we could see it extend from s.s.w. to n.n.w. half w. soon after we tacked and spent the night, which was very stormy, in plying. our boards were disadvantageous; for, in the morning, we found we had lost ground. this, indeed, was no wonder, for having an old suit of sails bent, the most of them were split to pieces; particularly a fore-top-sail, which was rendered quite useless. we got others to the yards, and continued to ply, being desirous of getting round the south ends of the lands, or at least so far to the south as to be able to judge of their extent in that direction. for no one doubted that this was the australia del espiritu santo of quiros, which m. de bougainville calls the great cyclades, and that the coast we were now upon was the east side of aurora island, whose longitude is ° ' e. the gale kept increasing till we were reduced to our low sails; so that, on the th, at seven in the morning, i gave over plying, set the top-sails double-reefed, bore up for, and hauled round the north end of aurora island, and then stretched over for the isle of lepers, under close-reefed topsails and courses, with a very hard gale at n.e.; but we had now the advantage of a smooth sea, having the isle of aurora to windward. at noon the north end of it bore n.e. / n., distant four leagues; our latitude, found by double altitudes, and reduced to this time, was ° ' " south, longitude ° ' east. at two o'clock p.m. we drew near the middle of the isle of lepers, and tacked about two miles from land; in which situation we had no soundings with a line of seventy fathoms. we now saw people on the shore, and many beautiful cascades of water pouring down the neighbouring hills. the next time we stood for this isle, we came to within half a mile of it, where we found thirty fathoms a sandy bottom; but a mile off we found no soundings at seventy fathoms. here two canoes came off to us, in one of which were three men, and in the other but one. though we made all the signs of friendship, we could not bring them nearer than a stone's throw; and they made but a short stay before they retired ashore, where we saw a great number of people assembled in parties, and armed with bows and arrows. they were of a very dark colour; and, excepting some ornaments at their breast and arms, seemed to be entirely naked. as i intended to get to the south, in order to explore the land which might lie there, we continued to ply between the isle of lepers and aurora; and on the th, at noon, the south end of the last-mentioned isle bore south ° east, and the north end north, distant twenty miles. latitude observed ° '. the wind continued to blow strong at s.e., so that what we got by plying in the day, we lost in the night. on the th, at sun-rise, we found ourselves off the south end of aurora, on the n.w. side of which, the coast forms a small bay. in this we made some trips to try for anchorage; but found no less than eighty fathoms water, the bottom a fine dark sand, at half a mile from shore. nevertheless, i am of opinion that, nearer, there is much less depth, and secure riding; and in the neighbourhood is plenty of fresh water and wood for fuel. the whole isle, from the sea-shore to the summits of the hills, seemed to be covered with the latter; and every valley produced a fine stream of the former. we saw people on the shore, and some canoes on the coast, but none came off to us. leaving the bay just mentioned, we stretched across the channel which divides aurora from whitsuntide island. at noon we were abreast the north end of this latter, which bore e.n.e., and observed in ° ' / . the isle of aurora bore from n. to n.e. / east, and the isle of lepers from n. by w. / w. to west. whitsuntide isle appeared joined to the land to the s. and s.w. of it; but in stretching to s.w. we discovered the separation. this was about four o'clock p.m., and then we tacked and stretched in for the island till near sun-set, when the wind veering more to the east, made it necessary to resume our course to the south. we saw people on the shore, smokes in many parts of the island, and several places which seemed to be cultivated. about midnight, drawing near the south land, we tacked and stretched to the north, in order to spend the remainder of the night. at day-break on the st, we found ourselves before the channel that divides whitsuntide island from the south land, which is about two leagues over. at this time, the land to the southward extended from s. by e. round to the west, farther than the eye could reach, and on the part nearest to us, which is of considerable height, we observed two very large columns of smoke, which, i judged, ascended from volcanoes. we now stood s.s.w., with a fine breeze at s.e.; and, at ten o'clock, discovered this part of the land to be an island, which is called by the natives ambrym. soon after an elevated land appeared open off the south end of ambrym; and after that, another still higher, on which is a high peaked hill. we judged these lands to belong to two separate islands. the first came in sight at s.e.; the second at e. by s., and they appeared to be ten leagues distant. holding on our course for the land ahead, at noon it was five miles distant from us, extending from s.s.e. to n.w. by w., and appeared to be continued. the islands to the east bore from n.e. by e. to s.e. by e., latitude observed ° ' south. as we drew nearer the shore we discovered a creek, which had the appearance of being a good harbour, formed by a low point or peninsula, projecting out to the north. on this a number of people were assembled, who seemed to invite us ashore; probably with no good intent, as the most of them were armed with bows and arrows. in order to gain room and time to hoist out and arm our boats, to reconnoitre this place, we tacked and made a trip off, which occasioned the discovery of another port about a league more to the south. having sent two armed boats to sound and look for anchorage, on their making the signal for the latter, we sailed in s.s.w., and anchored in eleven fathoms water, not two cables' length from the s.e. shore, and a mile within the entrance. we had no sooner anchored than several of the natives came off in canoes. they were very cautious at first; but, at last, trusted themselves alongside, and exchanged, for pieces of cloth, arrows; some of which were pointed with bone, and dipped in some green gummy substance, which we naturally supposed was poisonous. two men having ventured on board, after a short stay, i sent them away with presents. others, probably induced by this, came off by moon-light; but i gave orders to permit none to come alongside, by which means we got clear of them for the night. next morning early, a good many came round us, some in canoes, and others swimming. i soon prevailed on one to come on board, which be no sooner did, than he was followed by more than i desired; so that not only our deck, but rigging, was presently filled with them. i took four into the cabin, and gave them various articles, which they shewed to those in the canoes, and seemed much pleased with their reception. while i was thus making friends with those in the cabin, an accident happened that threw all into confusion, but in the end, i believe, proved advantageous to us. a fellow in a canoe having been refused admittance into one of our boats that lay alongside, bent his bow to shoot a poisoned arrow at the boat-keeper. some of his countrymen prevented his doing it that instant, and gave time to acquaint me with it. i ran instantly on deck, and saw another man struggling with him; one of those who had been in the cabin, and had leaped out of the window for this purpose. the other seemed resolved, shook him off, and directed his bow again to the boat-keeper; but, on my calling to him, pointed it at me. having a musquet in my hand loaded with small shot, i gave him the contents. this staggered him for a moment, but did not prevent him from holding his bow still in the attitude of shooting. another discharge of the same nature made him drop it, and the others, who were in the canoe, to paddle off with all speed. at this time, some began to shoot arrows on the other side. a musquet discharged in the air had no effect; but a four-pound shot over their heads sent them off in the utmost confusion. many quitted their canoes and swam on shore; those in the great cabin leaped out of the windows; and those who were on the deck, and on different parts of the rigging, all leaped overboard. after this we took no farther notice of them, but suffered them to come off and pick up their canoes; and some of them even ventured alongside of the ship. immediately after the great gun was fired, we heard the beating of drums on shore; which was, probably, the signal for the country to assemble in arms. we now got every thing in readiness to land, to cut some wood, which we were in want of, and to try to get some refreshments, nothing of this kind having been seen in any of the canoes. about nine o'clock, we put off in two boats, and landed in the face of four or five hundred people, who were assembled on the shore. though they were all armed with bows and arrows, clubs and spears, they made not the least opposition. on the contrary, seeing me advance alone, with nothing but a green branch in my hand, one of them, who seemed to be a chief, giving his bow and arrows to another, met me in the water, bearing also a green branch, which having exchanged for the one i held, he then took me by the hand, and led me up to the crowd. i immediately distributed presents to them, and, in the mean time, the marines were drawn up upon the beach. i then made signs (for we understood not a word of their language) that we wanted wood; and they made signs to us to cut down the trees. by this time, a small pig being brought down and presented to me, i gave the bearer a piece of cloth, with which he seemed well pleased. this made us hope that we should soon have some more; but we were mistaken. the pig was not brought to be exchanged for what we had, but on some other account, probably as a peace-offering. for, all we could say or do, did not prevail on them to bring down, after this, above half a dozen cocoa-nuts, and a small quantity of fresh water. they set no value on nails, or any sort of iron tools; nor indeed on any thing we had. they would, now and then, exchange an arrow for a piece of cloth; but very seldom would part with a bow. they were unwilling we should go off the beach, and very desirous we should return on board. at length, about noon, after sending what wood we had cut on board, we embarked ourselves; and they all retired, some one way and some another. before we had dined, the afternoon was too far spent to do any thing on shore; and all hands were employed, setting up the rigging, and repairing some defects in it. but seeing a man bring along the strand a buoy, which they had taken in the night from the kedge-anchor, i went on shore for it, accompanied by some of the gentlemen. the moment we landed, it was put into the boat, by a man who walked off again without speaking one word. it ought to be observed, that this was the only thing they took, or even attempted to take from us, by any means whatever. being landed near one of their plantations and houses, which were just within the skirts of the wood, i prevailed on the man to conduct me to them; but, though they suffered mr forster to go with me, they were unwilling any more should follow. these houses were something like those of the other isles; rather low, and covered with palm thatch. some were enclosed, or walled round with boards; and the entrance to those was by a square hole at one end, which at this time was shut up, and they were unwilling to open it for us to look in. there were here about six houses, and some small plantations of roots, etc., fenced round with reeds as at the friendly isles. there were, likewise, some bread-fruit, cocoa-nut, and plaintain trees; but very little fruit on any of them. a good many fine yams were piled up upon sticks, or a kind of raised platform; and about twenty pigs, and a few fowls, were running about loose. after making these observations, having embarked, we proceeded to the s.e. point of the harbour, where we again landed and walked along the bench till we could see the islands to the s.e. already mentioned. the names of these we now obtained, as well as the name of that on which we were. this they called mallicollo;* the island that first appeared over the south end of ambrym is called apee; and the other with the hill upon it paoom. we found on the beach a fruit like an orange, called by them abbimora; but whether it be fit for eating, i cannot say, as this was decayed. [* or mallicolla. some of our people pronounced it manicolo or manicola, and thus it is also writ in quiros' memorial, as printed by dalrymple, vol. ii. p. .] proceeding next to the other side of the harbour, we there landed, near a few houses, at the invitation of some people who came down to the shore; but we had not been there five minutes before they wanted us to be gone. we complied, and proceeded up the harbour in order to sound it, and look for fresh water, of which, as yet, we had seen none, but the very little that the natives brought, which we knew not where they got. nor was our search now attended with success; but this is no proof that there is not any. the day was too far spent to examine the place well enough to determine this point. night having brought us on board, i was informed that no soul had been off to the ship; so soon was the curiosity of these people satisfied. as we were coming on board, we heard the sound of a drum, and, i think, of some other instruments, and saw people dancing; but us soon as they heard the noise of the oars, or saw us, all was silent. being unwilling to lose the benefit of the moon-light nights, which now happened, at seven a.m. on the d, we weighed; and, with a light air of wind, and the assistance of our boats, proceeded out of the harbour, the south end of which, at noon, bore w.s.w., distant about two miles. when the natives saw us under sail, they came off in canoes, making exchanges with more confidence than before, and giving such extraordinary proofs of their honesty as surprised us. as the ship, at first, had fresh way through the water, several of them dropped astern after they had received our goods, and before they had time to deliver theirs in return. instead of taking advantage of this, as our friends at the society isles would have done, they used their utmost efforts to get up with us, and to deliver what they had already been paid for. one man, in particular, followed us a considerable time, and did not reach us till it was calm, and the thing was forgotten. as soon as he came alongside he held up the thing which several were ready to buy; but he refused to part with it, till he saw the person to whom he had before sold it, and to him he gave it. the person, not knowing him again, offered him something in return, which he refused, and shewed him what he had given him before. pieces of cloth, and marble paper, were in most esteem with them; but edge-tools, nails, and beads, they seemed to disregard. the greatest number of canoes we had alongside at once did not exceed eight, and not more than four or five people in each, who would frequently retire to the shore all on a sudden, before they had disposed of half their things, and then others would come off. at the time we came out of the harbour, it was about low water, and great numbers of people were then on the shoals or reefs which lie along the shore, looking, as we supposed., for shell and other fish. thus our being on their coast, and in one of their ports, did not hinder them from following the necessary employments. by this time they might be satisfied we meant them no harm; so that, had we made a longer stay, we might soon have been upon good terms with this ape-like nation. for, in general, they are the most ugly, ill-proportioned people i ever saw, and in every respect different from any we had met with in this sea. they are a very dark-coloured and rather diminutive race; with long heads, flat faces, and monkey countenances. their hair mostly black or brown, is short and curly; but not quite so soft and woolly as that of a negroe. their beards are very strong, crisp, and bushy, and generally black and short. but what most adds to their deformity, is a belt or cord which they wear round the waist, and tie so tight over the belly, that the shape of their bodies is not unlike that of an overgrown pismire. the men go quite naked, except a piece of cloth or leaf used as a wrapper*. [* the particular manner of applying the wrapper may be seen in wafer's voyage, who mentions this singular custom as existing, though with some little variation, amongst the indians of the isthmus of darien. see wafer's voyage, p. .] we saw but few women, and they were not less ugly than the men; their heads, faces, and shoulders, are painted red; they wear a kind of petticoat; and some of them had something over their shoulders like a bag, in which they carry their children. none of them came off to the ship, and they generally kept at a distance when we were on shore. their ornaments are ear-rings, made of tortoise-shell and bracelets. a curious one of the latter, four or five inches broad, wrought with thread or cord, and studded with shells, is worn by them just above the elbow. round the right wrist they wear hogs' tusks, bent circular, and rings made of shells; and round their left, a round piece of wood, which we judged was to ward off the bow-string. the bridge of the nose is pierced, in which they wear a piece of white stone, about an inch and a half long. as signs of friendship they present a green branch, and sprinkle water with the hand over the head. their weapons are clubs, spears, and bows and arrows. the two former are made of hard or iron-wood. their bows are about four feet long, made of a stick split down the middle, and are not circular. the arrows, which are a sort of reeds, are sometimes armed with a long and sharp point, made of the hard wood, and sometimes with a very hard point made of bone; and these points are all covered with a substance which we took for poison. indeed the people themselves confirmed our suspicions, by making signs to us not to touch the point, and giving us to understand that if we were prickled by them we should die. they are very careful of them themselves, and keep them, always wrapped up in a quiver. some of these arrows are formed with two or three points, each with small prickles on the edges, to prevent the arrow being drawn out of the wound. the people of mallicollo seemed to be a quite different nation from any we had yet met with, and speak a different language. of about eighty words, which mr forster collected, hardly one bears any affinity to the language spoken at any other island or place i had ever been at. the letter r is used in many of their words; and frequently two or three being joined together, such words we found difficult to pronounce. i observed that they could pronounce most of our words with great ease. they express their admiration by hissing like a goose. to judge of the country by the little water we saw of it, it must be fertile; but i believe their fruits are not so good as those of the society or friendly isles. their cocoa-nut trees, i am certain, are not; and their bread-fruit and plantains did not seem much better. but their yams appeared to be very good. we saw no other animals than those i have already mentioned. they have not so much as a name for a dog, and consequently have none, for which reason we left them a dog and a bitch; and there is no doubt they will be taken care of, as they were very fond of them. after we had got to sea, we tried what effect one of the poisoned arrows would have on a dog. indeed we had tried it in the harbour the very first night, but we thought the operation was too slight, as it had no effect. the surgeon now made a deep incision in the dog's thigh, into which he laid a large portion of the poison, just as it was scraped from the arrows, and then bound up the wound with a bandage. for several days after we thought the dog was not so well as it had been before, but whether this was really so, or only suggested by imagination, i know not. he was afterwards as if nothing had been done to him, and lived to be brought home to england. however, i have no doubt of this stuff being of a poisonous quality, as it could answer no other purpose. the people seemed not unacquainted with the nature of poison, for when they brought us water on shore, they first tasted it, and then gave us to understand we might with safety drink it. this harbour, which is situated on the n.e. side of mallicollo, not far from the s.e. end, in latitude ° ' " s., longitude ° ' " e., i named port sandwich. it lies in s.w. by s. about one league, and is one-third of a league broad. a reef of rocks extends out a little way from each point, but the channel is of a good breadth, and hath in it from forty to twenty-four fathoms water. in the port, the depth of water is from twenty to four fathoms; and it is so sheltered that no winds can disturb a ship at anchor there. another great advantage is, you can lie so near the shore, as to cover your people, who may be at work upon it. chapter iv. _an account of the discovery of several islands, and an interview and skirmish with the inhabitants upon one of them. the arrival of the ship at tanna, and the reception we met with there._ july soon after we got to sea, we had a breeze at e.s.e. with which we stood over for ambrym till three o'clock in the afternoon, when the wind veering to the e.n.e. we tacked and stretched to the s.e. and weathered the s.e. end of mallicolo, off which we discovered three or four small islands, that before appeared to be connected. at sun-set the point bore s. ° w., distant three leagues, from which the coast seemed to trend away west. at this time, the isle of ambrym extended from n. ° e. to n. ° e. the isle of paoon from n. ° e. to s. ° e.; and the isle of apee from s. ° e. to s. ° e. we stood for this last isle, which we reached by midnight, and then brought-to till day-break on the th, when we made sail to the s.e., with a view of plying up to the eastward on the south side of apee. at sun-rise we discovered several more islands, extending from the s.e. point of apee to the south as far as s.e. by s. the nearest to us we reached by ten o'clock, and not being able to weather it, we tacked a mile from its shore in fourteen fathoms water. this island is about four leagues in circuit, is remarkable by having three high peaked hills upon it, by which it has obtained that name. in the p.m. the wind veering more to the north, we resumed our course to the east; and having weathered threehills, stood for the group of small isles which lie off the s.e. point of apee. these i called shepherd's isles, in honour of my worthy friend dr shepherd, plumian professor of astronomy at cambridge. having a fine breeze, i had thoughts of going through between them; but the channels being narrow, and seeing broken water in the one we were steering for, i gave up the design, and bore up, in order to go without, or to the south of them. before this could be accomplished, it fell calm, and we were left to the mercy of the current, close to the isles, where we could find no soundings with a line of an hundred and eighty fathoms. we had now land or islands in every direction, and were not able to count the number which lay round us. the mountain on paoon was seen over the east end of apee, bearing n.n.w. at eight o'clock. a breeze at s.e. relieved us from the anxiety the calm had occasioned; and we spent the night in making short boards. the night before we came out of port sandwich, two reddish fish, about the size of large bream, and not unlike them, were caught with hook and line. on these fish most of the officers, and some of the petty officers, dined the next day. the night following, every one who had eaten of them was seized with violent pains in the head and bones, attended with a scorching heat all over the skin, and numbness in the joints. there remained no doubt that this was occasioned by the fish being of a poisonous nature, and having communicated its bad effects to all who partook of them, even to the hogs and dogs. one of the former died about sixteen hours after; it was not long before one of the latter shared the same fate; and it was a week or ten days before all the gentlemen recovered. these must have been the same sort of fish mentioned by quiros,* under the name of pargos, which poisoned the crews of his ships, so that it was some time before they recovered; and we should, doubtless, have been in the same situation, had more of them been eaten. [* dalrymple's collection of voyages, vol. i. p. , .] at day break on the th, we made a short stretch to the east of shepherd's isles till after sun-rise, when seeing no more land in that direction, we tacked and stood for the island we had seen in the south, having a gentle breeze at s.e. we passed to the east of threehills, and likewise of a low isle, which lies on the s.e. side of it, between a remarkable peaked rock which obtained the name of monument, and a small island named twohills, on account of two peaked hills upon it, disjoined by a low and narrow isthmus. the channel between this island and the monument is near a mile broad, and twenty-four fathoms deep. except this rock, which is only accessible to birds, we did not find an island on which people were not seen. at noon, we observed, in latitude ° ' "; longitude, made from port sandwich, ' e. in this situation, the monument bore n. ° e. distant two miles; twohills bore n. ° w. distant two miles, and in a line with the s.w. part of threehills; and the islands to the south extended from s. ° ' e. to s. ° w. continuing our course to the south, at five p.m. we drew near the southern lands, which we found to consist of one large island, whose southern and western extremities extended beyond our sight, and three or four smaller ones lying off its north side. the two northernmost are much the largest, have a good height, and lie in the direction of e. by s. and w. by n. from each other, distant two leagues; i named the one montagu and the other hinchinbrook, and the large island sandwich, in honour of my noble patron the earl of sandwich. seeing broken water ahead, between montagu and hinchinbrook isles, we tacked; and soon after it fell calm. the calm continued till seven o'-clock the next morning, when it was succeeded by a breeze from the westward. during the calm, having been carried by the currents and a s.e. swell, four leagues to the w.n.w., we passed hinchinbrook isle, saw the western extremity of sandwich island, bearing s.s.w., about five leagues distant, and at the same time discovered a small island to the west of this direction. after getting the westerly breeze, i steered s.e. in order to pass between montagu isle and the north end of sandwich island. at noon we were in the middle of the channel, and observed in latitude ° ' s. the distance from one island to the other is about four or five miles; but the channel is not much above half that breadth, being contracted by breakers. we had no soundings in it with a line of forty fathoms. as we passed montagu isle several people came down to the sea-side, and, by signs, seemed to invite us ashore. some were also seen on sandwich island, which exhibited a most delightful prospect, being spotted with woods and lawns, agreeably diversified over the whole surface. it hath a gentle slope from the hills, which are of a moderate height, down to the sea coast. this is low, and guarded by a chain of breakers, so that there is no approaching it at this part. but more to the west, beyond hinchinbrook island, there seemed to run in a bay sheltered from the reigning winds. the examining it not being so much an object, with me as the getting to the south, in order to find the southern extremity of the archipelago, with this view i steered s.s.e., being the direction of the coast of sandwich island. we had but just got through the passage, before the west wind left us to variable light airs and calms; so that we were apprehensive of being carried back again by the currents, or rather of being obliged to return, in order to avoid being driven on the shoals, as there was no anchorage, a line of an hundred and sixty fathoms not reaching to the bottom. at length a breeze springing up at s.w. we stood to s.e., and at sun-set the monument bore n. ° ' w., and montagu island n. ° w. distant three leagues. we judged we saw the s.e. extremity of sandwich island, bearing about s. by e. we continued to stand s.e. till four a.m. on the th, when we tacked to the west. at sun-rise, having discovered a new land bearing south, and making in three hills, this occasioned us to tack and stand towards it. at this time montagu isle bore n. ° w., distant thirteen leagues; at noon it was nearly in the same direction, and the new land extended from s. / e. to s. by w., and the three hills seemed to be connected. our latitude by observation, was ° ' s., and the longitude, made from port sandwich, ° ' e. we continued to stand to the s.e., with a gentle breeze at s.w. and s.s.w. till the th at sun-rise, when, the wind veering to the south, we tacked and stood to the west. the three hills mentioned above, we now saw, belonging to one island, which extended from s. ° to ° w. distant about ten or twelve leagues. august retarded by contrary winds, calms, and the currents, that set to n.w., we were three days in gaining this space; in which time we discovered an elevated land to the south of this; it first appeared in detached hummocks, but we judged it to be connected. at length, on the st of august, about ten a.m. we got a fine breeze at e.s.e., which soon after veered to n.e., and we steered for the n.w. side of the island. reaching it about two p.m., we ranged the west coast at one mile from shore, on which the inhabitants appeared in several parts, and by signs invited us to land. we continued to sound without finding bottom, till we came before a small bay, or bending of the coast, where, near a mile from shore, we found thirty and twenty-two fathoms water, a sandy bottom. i had thoughts of anchoring here, but the wind almost instantly veered to n.w.; which being nearly on shore, i laid this design aside. besides, i was unwilling to lose the opportunity that now offered of getting to the south-east, in order first to explore the lands which lay there. i therefore continued to range the coast to the south, at about the same distance from shore; but we soon got out of soundings. about a league to the south of this bay, which hath about two miles extent, is another more extensive. towards the evening, the breeze began to abate, so that it was sun-set before we got the length of it. i intended not to stop here, and to stand to the south under an easy sail all night; but at eight o'clock, as we were steering s.s.e. we saw a light ahead. not knowing but it might be on some low detached isle, dangerous to approach while dark, we hauled the wind, and spent the night standing off and on, or rather driving to and fro; for we had but very little wind. at sun-rise on the d, we saw no more land than the coast we were upon; but found that the currents had carried us some miles to the north, and we attempted, to little purpose, to regain what we had lost. at noon we were about a league from the coast, which extended from s.s.e. to n.e. latitude observed ° ' s. in the afternoon, finding the ship to drift not only to the north, but in shore also, and being yet to the south of the bay we passed the day before, i had thoughts of getting to an anchor before night, while we had it in our power to make choice of a place. with this view, having hoisted out two boats, one of them was sent ahead to tow the ship; in the other mr gilbert went to sound for anchorage. soon after, the towing boat was sent to assist him. so much time was spent in sounding this bay, that the ship drove past, which made it necessary to call the boats on board to tow her off from the northern point. but this service was performed by a breeze of wind, which, that moment, sprung up at s.w.; so that as the boats got on board, we hoisted them in, and then bore up for the north side of the island, intending once more to try to get round by the east; mr gilbert informed me, that at the south part of the bay, he found no soundings till close to a steep stone beach, where he landed to taste a stream of water he saw there, which proved to be salt. some people were seen there, but they kept at a distance. farther down the coast, that is to the north, he found twenty, twenty-four, and thirty fathoms, three-fourths of a mile, or a mile, from shore, the bottom a fine dark sand. on the d, at sun-rise, we found ourselves abreast a lofty promontory on the s.e. side of the island, and about three leagues from it. having but little wind, and that from the south, right in our teeth, and being in want of fire-wood, i sent lieutenant clerke with two boats to a small islet which lies off the promontory, to endeavour to get some. in the mean time we continued to ply up with the ship; but what we gained by our sails, we lost by the current. at length towards noon, we got a breeze at e.s.e., and e., with which we could lie up for the head; and soon after mr clerke returned, having not been able to land, on account of a high surf on the shore. they met with no people on the isle; but saw a large bat, and some birds, and caught a water-snake. at six o'clock p.m. we got in with the land, under the n.w. side of the head, where we anchored in seventeen fathoms water, the bottom a fine dark sand, half a mile from shore; the point of the head bearing n. ° e., distant half a league; the little islet before-mentioned n.e. by e. / e., and the n.w. point of the bay n. ° w. many people appeared on the shore, and some attempted to swim off to us; but having occasion to send the boat ahead to sound, they retired as she drew near them. this, however, gave us a favourable idea of them. on the th, at day-break, i went with two boats to examine the coast, to look for a proper landing-place, wood, and water. at this time, the natives began to assemble on the shore, and by signs invited us to land. i went first to a small beach, which is towards the head, where i found no good landing, on account of some rocks which every where lined the coast. i, however, put the boat's bow to the shore, and gave cloth, medals, etc. to some people who were there. for this treatment they offered to haul the boats over the breakers to the sandy beach, which i thought a friendly offer, but had reason afterwards to alter my opinion. when they found i would not do as they desired, they made signs for us to go down into the bay, which we accordingly did, and they ran along shore abreast of us, their number increasing prodigiously. i put in to the shore in two or three places, but, not liking the situation, did not land. by this time, i believe, the natives conceived what i wanted, as they directed me round a rocky point, where, on a fine sandy beach, i stepped out of the boat without wetting a foot, in the face of a vast multitude, with only a green branch in my hand, which i had before got from one of them. i took but one man out of the boat with me, and ordered the other boat to lie-to at a little distance off. they received me with great courtesy and politeness; and would retire back from the boat on my making the least motion with my hand. a man, whom i took to be a chief, seeing this, made them form a semicircle round the boat's bow, and beat such as attempted to break through this order. this man i loaded with presents, giving likewise to others, and asked by signs for fresh water, in hopes of seeing where they got it. the chief immediately sent a man for some, who ran to a house, and presently returned with a little in a bamboo; so that i gained but little information by this. i next asked, by the same means, for something to eat, and they as readily brought me a yam, and some cocoa-nuts. in short, i was charmed with their behaviour; and the only thing which could give the least suspicion was, that most of them were armed with clubs, spears, darts, and bows and arrows. for this reason i kept my eye continually upon the chief, and watched his looks as well as his actions. he made many signs to me to haul the boat up upon the shore, and at last slipped into the crowd, where i observed him speak to several people, and then return to me, repeating signs to haul the boat up, and hesitating a good deal before he would receive some spike-nails, which i then offered him. this made me suspect something was intended, and immediately i stepped into the boat, telling them by signs that i should soon return. but they were not for parting so soon, and now attempted by force, what they could not obtain by gentler means. the gang-board happened unluckily to be laid out for me to come into the boat, i say unluckily, for if it had not been out, and if the crew had been a little quicker in getting the boat off, the natives might not have had time to put their design in execution, nor would the following disagreeable scene have happened. as we were putting off the boat, they laid hold of the gang-board, and unhooked it off the boat's stern. but as they did not take it away, i thought this had been done by accident, and ordered the boat in again to take it up. then they themselves hooked it over the boat's stern, and attempted to haul her ashore; others, at the same time, snatched the oars out of the people's hands. on my pointing a musket at them, they in some measure desisted, but returned in an instant, seemingly determined to haul the boat ashore. at the head of this party was the chief; the others, who could not come at the boat, stood behind with darts, stones, and bows and arrows in hand, ready to support them. signs and threats having no effect, our own safety became the only consideration; and yet i was unwilling to fire on the multitude, and resolved to make the chief alone fall a victim to his own treachery; but my musket at this critical moment missed fire. whatever idea they might have formed of the arms we held in our hands, they must now have looked upon them as childish weapons, and began to let us see how much better theirs were, by throwing stones and darts, and by shooting arrows. this made it absolutely necessary for me to give orders to fire. the first discharge threw them into confusion; but a second was hardly sufficient to drive them off the beach; and after all, they continued to throw stones from behind the trees and bushes, and, every now and then, to pop out and throw a dart. four lay, to all appearance, dead on the shore; but two of them afterwards crawled into the bushes. happy it was for these people, that not half our muskets would go off, otherwise many more must have fallen. we had one man wounded in the cheek with a dart, the point of which was as thick as my finger, and yet it entered above two inches, which shews that it must have come with great force, though indeed we were very near them. an arrow struck mr gilbert's naked breast, who was about thirty yards off; but probably it had struck something before; for it hardly penetrated the skin. the arrows were pointed with hard wood. as soon as we got on board, i ordered the anchor to be weighed, with a view of anchoring near the landing-place. while this was doing, several people appeared on the low rock point, displaying two oars we had lost in the scuffle. i looked on this as a sign of submission, and of their wanting to give us the oars. i was, nevertheless, prevailed on to fire a four-pound shot at them, to let them see the effect of our great guns. the ball fell short, but frightened them so much, that none were seen afterwards; and they left the oars standing up against the bushes. it was now calm; but the anchor was hardly at the bow before a breeze sprung up at north, of which we took the advantage, set our sails, and plyed out of the bay, as it did not seem capable of supplying our wants with that conveniency i wished to have. besides, i always had it in my power to return to this place, in case i should find none more convenient farther south. these islanders seemed to be a different race from those of mallicollo; and spoke a different language. they are of the middle size, have a good shape, and tolerable features. their colour is very dark, and they paint their faces, some with black, and others with red pigment. their hair is very curly and crisp, and somewhat woolly. i saw a few women, and i thought them ugly; they wore a kind of petticoat made of palm-leaves, or some plant like it. but the men, like those of mallicollo, were in a manner naked; having only the belt about the waist, and the piece of cloth, or leaf, used as a wrapper*. i saw no canoes with these people, nor were any seen in any part of this island. they live in houses covered with thatch, and their plantations are laid out by a line, and fenced round. [* the particular manner of applying the wrapper may be seen in wafer's voyage, who mentions this singular custom as existing, though with some little variation, amongst the indians of the isthmus of darien. see wafer's voyage, p. .] at two o'clock in the afternoon, we were clear of the bay, bore up round the head, and steered s.s.e. for the south end of the island, having a fine breeze at n.w. on the s.w. side of the head is a pretty deep bay, which seemed to run in behind the one on the n.w. side. its shores are low, and the adjacent lands appeared very fertile. it is exposed to the s.e. winds; for which reason, until it be better known, the n.w. bay is preferable, because it is sheltered from the reigning winds; and the winds to which it is open, viz. from n.w. by n. to e. by n., seldom blow strong. the promontory, or peninsula, which disjoins these two bays, i named traitor's head, from the treacherous behaviour of its inhabitants. it is the n.e. point of the island, situated in the latitude ° ' s. longitude ° ' ' e., and terminates in a saddle-hill which is of height sufficient to be seen sixteen or eighteen leagues. as we advanced to s.s.e., the new island, we had before discovered, began to appear over the s.e. point of the one near us, bearing s. / e., distant ten or twelve leagues. after leaving this one, we steered for the east end of the other, being directed by a great light we saw upon it. at one o'clock the next morning, drawing near the shore, we tacked and spent the remainder of the night making short boards. at sun-rise we discovered a high table land (an island) bearing e. by s., and a small low isle in the direction of n.n.e., which we had passed in the night without seeing it. traitor's head was still in sight, bearing n. ° w. distant fifteen leagues, and the island to the south extended from s. ° w. to s. ° w. distant three or four miles. we then found that the light we had seen in the night was occasioned by a volcano, which we observed to throw up vast quantities of fire and smoke, with a rumbling noise heard at a great distance. we now made sail for the island; and, presently after, discovered a small inlet which had the appearance of being a good harbour. in order to be better informed, i sent away two armed boats, under the command of lieutenant cooper, to sound it; and, in the meanwhile, we stood on and off with the ship, to be ready to follow, or give them any assistance they might want. on the east point of the entrance, we observed a number of people, and several houses and canoes; and when our boats entered the harbour, they launched some, and followed them, but came not near. it was not long before mr cooper made the signal for anchorage; and we stood in with the ship. the wind being at west, and our course s.s.w., we borrowed close to the west point, and passed over some sunken rocks, which might have been avoided, by keeping a little more to the east, or about one-third channel over. the wind left us as soon as we were within the entrance, and obliged us to drop an anchor in four fathoms water. after this, the boats were sent again to sound; and, in the meantime, the launch was hoisted out, in order to carry out anchors to warp in by, as soon as we should be acquainted with the channel. while we were thus employed, many of the natives got together in parties, on several parts of the shore, all armed with bows, spears, etc. some swam off to us, others came in canoes. at first they were shy, and kept at the distance of a stone's throw; they grew insensibly bolder; and, at last, came under our stern, and made some exchanges. the people in one of the first canoes, after coming as near as they durst, threw towards us some cocoa-nuts. i went into a boat and picked them up, giving them in return some cloth and other articles. this induced others to come under the stern, and alongside, where their behaviour was insolent and daring. they wanted to carry off every thing within their reach; they got hold of the fly of the ensign, and would have torn it from the staff; others attempted to knock the rings off the rudder; but the greatest trouble they gave us was to look after the buoys of our anchors, which were no sooner thrown out of our boats, or let go from the ship, than they got hold of them. a few muskets fired in the air had no effect; but a four-pounder frightened them so much, that they quitted their canoes that instant, and took to the water. but as soon as they found themselves unhurt, they got again into their canoes, gave us some halloos, flourished their weapons, and returned once more to the buoys. this put us to the expence of a few musquetoon shot, which had the desired effect. although none were hurt, they were afterwards afraid to come near the buoys; very soon all retired on shore, and we were permitted to sit down to dinner undisturbed. during these transactions, a friendly old man in a small canoe made several trips between us and the shore, bringing off each time a few cocoa-nuts, or a yam, and taking in exchange whatever we gave him. another was on the gangway when the great gun was fired, but i could not prevail on him to stay there long. towards the evening, after the ship was moored, i landed at the head of the harbour, in the s.e. corner, with a strong party of men, without any opposition being made by a great number of the natives who were assembled in two parties, the one on our right and the other on the left, armed with clubs, darts, spears, slings, and stones, bows, and arrows, etc. after distributing to the old people (for we could distinguish no chief), and some others, presents of cloth, medals, etc. i ordered two casks to be filled with water out of a pond about twenty paces behind the landing-place; giving the natives to understand, that this was one of the articles we wanted. besides water, we got from them a few cocoa-nuts, which seemed to be in plenty on the trees; but they could not be prevailed upon to part with any of their weapons. these they held in constant readiness, and in the proper attitudes of offence and defence; so that little was wanting to make them attack us; at least we thought so, by their pressing so much upon us, and in spite of our endeavours to keep them off. our early re-embarking probably disconcerted their scheme; and after that, they all retired. the friendly old man before mentioned, was in one of these parties; and we judged, from his conduct, that his temper was pacific. chapter v. _an intercourse established with the natives; some account of the island, and a variety of incidents that happened during our stay at it._ august as we wanted to take in a large quantity both of wood and water, and as, when i was on shore, i had found it practicable to lay the ship much nearer the landing-place than she now was, which would greatly facilitate that work, as well as overawe the natives, and enable us better to cover and protect the working party on shore; with this view, on the th, we went to work to transport the ship to the place i designed to moor her in. while we were about this, we observed the natives assembling from all parts, and forming themselves into two parties, as they did the preceding evening, one on each side the landing-place, to the amount of some thousands, armed as before. a canoe, sometimes conducted by one, and at other times by two or three men, now and then came off, bringing a few cocoa-nuts or plantains. these they gave us without asking for any return; but i took care they should always have something. their chief design seemed to invite us on shore. one of those who came off was the old man, who had already ingratiated himself into our favour. i made him understand, by signs, that they were to lay aside their weapons, took those which were in the canoe, and threw them overboard, and made him a present of a large piece of cloth. there was no doubt but he understood me, and made my request known to his countrymen. for as soon as he landed, we observed him to go first to the one party, and then to the other; nor was he, ever after, seen by us with any thing like a weapon in his hand. after this, three fellows came in a canoe under the stern, one of them brandishing a club, with which he struck the ship's side, and committed other acts of defiance, but at last offered to exchange it for a string of beads, and some other trifles. these were sent down to him by a line; but the moment they were in his possession, he and his companions paddled off in all haste, without giving the club or any thing else in return. this was what i expected, and indeed what i was not sorry for, as i wanted an opportunity to shew the multitude on shore, the effect of our fire arms, without materially hurting any of them. having a fowling-piece loaded with small shot (no. ) i gave the fellow the contents; and, when they were above musquet-shot off, i ordered some of the musquetoons, or wall-pieces, to be fired, which made them leap out of the canoe, keep under her offside, and swim with her ashore. this transaction seemed to make little or no impression on the people there. on the contrary, they began to halloo, and to make sport of it. after mooring the ship, by four anchors, with her broadside to the landing-place, hardly musquet-shot off, and placing our artillery in such a manner as to command the whole harbour, i embarked with the marines, and a party of seamen, in three boats, and rowed in for the shore. it hath been already mentioned, that the two divisions of the natives were drawn up on each side the landing-place. they had left a space between them of about thirty or forty yards, in which were laid, to the most advantage, a few small bunches of plantains, a yam, and two or three roots. between these and the water were stuck upright in the sand, for what purpose i never could learn, four small reeds, about two feet from each other, in a line at right angles to the shore, where they remained for two or three days after. the old man before-mentioned, and two more, stood by these things, inviting us, by signs, to land; but i had not forgot the trap i was so near being caught in at the last island; and this looked something like it. we answered, by making signs for the two divisions to retire farther back, and give us more room. the old man seemed to desire them so to do, but no more regard was paid to him than to us. more were continually joining them, and, except two or three old men, not one unarmed. in short, every thing conspired to make us believe they meant to attack us as soon as we should be on shore; the consequence of which was easily supposed; many of them must have been killed and wounded, and we should hardly have escaped unhurt; two things i equally wished to prevent. since, therefore, they would not give us the room required, i thought it was better to frighten them into it, than to oblige them by the deadly effect of our fire-arms. i accordingly ordered a musquet to be fired over the party on our right, which was by far the strongest body; but the alarm it gave them was momentary. in an instant they recovered themselves and began to display their weapons. one fellow shewed us his backside, in a manner which plainly conveyed his meaning. after this i ordered three or four more musquets to be fired. this was the signal for the ship to fire a few great guns, which presently dispersed them; and then we landed, and marked out the limits, on the right and left, by a line. our old friend stood his ground, though deserted by his two companions, and i rewarded his confidence with a present. the natives came gradually to us, seemingly in a more friendly manner; some even without their weapons, but by far the greatest part brought them; and when we made signs to lay them down, they gave us to understand that we must lay down ours first. thus all parties stood armed. the presents i made to the old people, and to such as seemed to be of consequence, had little effect on their conduct. they indeed climbed the cocoa-nut trees, and threw us down the nuts, without requiring any thing for them; but i took care that they should always have somewhat in return. i observed that many were afraid to touch what belonged to us; and they seemed to have no notion of exchanging one thing for another. i took the old man (whose name we now found to be paowang) to the woods, and made him understand, i wanted to cut down some trees to take on board the ship; cutting some down at the same time, which we put into one of our boats, together with a few small casks of water, with a view of letting the people see what it was we chiefly wanted. paowang very readily gave his consent to cut wood; nor was there any one who made the least objection. he only desired the cocoa-nut trees might not be cut down. matters being thus settled, we embarked and returned on board to dinner, and, immediately after, they all dispersed. i never learnt that any one was hurt by our shot, either on this or the preceding day; which was a very happy circumstance. in the afternoon having landed again, we loaded the launch with water, and having made three hauls with the seine, caught upwards of three hundred pounds of mullet and other fish. it was some time before any of the natives appeared, and not above twenty or thirty at last, amongst whom was our trusty friend paowang, who made us a present of a small pig, which was the only one we got at this isle, or that was offered to us. during the night the volcano, which was about four miles to the west of us, vomited up vast quantities of fire and smoke, as it had also done the night before; and the flames were seen to rise above the hill which lay between us and it. at every eruption it made a long rumbling noise like that of thunder, or the blowing up of large mines. a heavy shower of rain, which fell at this time, seemed to increase it; and the wind blowing from the same quarter, the air was loaded with its ashes, which fell so thick that every thing was covered with the dust. it was a kind of fine sand, or stone, ground or burnt to powder, and was exceedingly troublesome to the eyes. early in the morning of the th, the natives began again to assemble near the watering-place, armed as usual, but not in such numbers as at first. after breakfast, we landed, in order to cut wood and fill water. i found many of the islanders much inclined to be friends with us, especially the old people; on the other hand, most of the younger were daring and insolent, and obliged us to keep to our arms. i staid till i saw no disturbance was like to happen, and then returned to the ship, leaving the party under the command of lieutenants clerke and edgcumbe. when they came on board to dinner, they informed me that the people continued to behave in the same inconsistent manner as in the morning; but more especially one man, whom mr edgcumbe was obliged to fire at, and believed he had struck with a swan shot. after that the others behaved with more discretion; and as soon as our people embarked they all retired. while we were sitting at dinner an old man came on board, looked into many parts of the ship, and then went ashore again. in the afternoon, only a few of those who lived in the neighbourhood, with whom we were now upon a tolerable footing, made their appearance at the watering-place. paowang brought us an axe which had been left by our people, either in the woods or on the beach, and found by some of the natives. a few other articles were afterwards returned to us, which either they had stolen, or we had lost by our negligence, so careful were they now not to offend us in this respect. early the next morning, i sent the launch, protected by a party of marines in another boat, to take in ballast, which was wanted. this work was done before breakfast; and after it, she was sent for wood and water, and with her the people employed in this service, under the protection of a serjeant's guard, which was now thought sufficient, as the natives seemed to be pretty well reconciled to us. i was told, that they asked our people to go home with them, on condition they stripped naked as they were. this shews that they had no design to rob them, whatever other they might have. on the th, i sent the launch for more ballast, and the guard and wooders to the usual place. with these i went myself, and found a good many of the natives collected together, whose behaviour, though armed, was courteous and obliging; so that there was no longer any occasion to mark out the limits by a line; they observed them without this precaution. as it was necessary for mr wales's instruments to remain on shore all the middle of the day, the guard did not return to dinner, as they had done before, till relieved by others. when i came off, i prevailed on a young man, whose name was wha-a-gou, to accompany me. before dinner i shewed him every part of the ship; but did not observe that any thing fixed his attention a moment, or caused in him the least surprise. he had no knowledge of goats, dogs, or cats, calling them all hogs (_booga_ or _boogas_). i made him a present of a dog and a bitch, as he shewed a liking to that kind of animal. soon after he came on board, some of his friends followed in a canoe, and enquired for him, probably doubtful of his safety. he looked out of the quarter gallery, and having spoken to them, they went ashore, and quickly returned with a cock, a little sugar-cane, and a few cocoa-nuts, as a present to me. though he sat down with us, he did but just taste our salt pork, but eat pretty heartily of yam, and drank a glass of wine. after dinner i made him presents, and then conducted him, ashore. as soon as we landed, the youth and some of his friends took me by the hand, with a view, as i understood, to conduct me to their habitations. we had not gone far, before some of them, for what reason i know not, were unwilling i should proceed; in consequence of which the whole company stopped; and, if i was not mistaken, a person was dispatched for something or other to give me; for i was desired to sit down and wait, which i accordingly did. during this interval, several of our gentlemen passed us, at which they shewed great uneasiness, and importuned me so much to order them back, that i was at last obliged to comply. they were jealous of our going up the country, or even along the shore of the harbour. while i was waiting here, our friend paowang came with a present of fruit and roots, carried by about twenty men; in order, as i supposed, to make it appear the greater. one had a small bunch of plantains, another a yam, a third a cocoa-nut, etc.; but two men might have carried the whole with ease. this present was in return for something i had given him in the morning; however, i thought the least i could do now, was to pay the porters. after i had dispatched paowang, i returned to wha-a-gou and his friends, who were still for detaining me. they seemed to wait with great impatience for something, and to be unwilling and ashamed to take away the two dogs, without making me a return. as night was approaching, i pressed to be gone; with which they complied, and so we parted. the preceding day, mr forster learnt from the people the proper name of the island, which they call tanna; and this day i learnt from them the names of those in the neighbourhood. the one we touched at last is called erromango; the small isle, which we discovered the morning we landed here, immer; the table island to the east, discovered at the same time, erronan or footoona; and an island which lies to the s.e. annattom. all these islands are to be seen from tanna. they gave us to understand, in a manner which i thought admitted of no doubt, that they eat human flesh, and that circumcision was practised among them. they began the subject of eating human flesh, of their own accord, by asking us if we did; otherwise i should never have thought of asking them such a question. i have heard people argue, that no nation could be cannibals, if they had other flesh to eat, or did not want food; thus deriving the custom from necessity. the people of this island can be under no such necessity; they have fine pork and fowls, and plenty of roots and fruits. but since we have not actually seen them eat human flesh, it will admit of doubt with some, whether they are cannibals. when i got on board, i learnt that, when the launch was on the west side of the harbour taking in ballast, one of the men employed in this work, had scalded his fingers in taking a stone up out of some water. this circumstance produced the discovery of several hot springs, at the foot of the cliff, and rather below high-water mark. this day mr wales, and two or three of the officers advanced a little, for the first time, into the island. they met with a small straggling village, the inhabitants of which treated them with great civility; and the next morning mr forster and his party made another excursion inland. they met with several fine plantations of plantains, sugar-canes, yams, etc.; and the natives were courteous and civil. indeed, by this time, the people, especially those in our neighbourhood, were so well reconciled to us, that they shewed not the least dislike at our rambling about in the skirts of the woods, shooting, etc. in the afternoon some boys having got behind thickets, and having thrown two or three stones at our people who were cutting wood, they were fired at by the petty officers present on duty. being ashore at that time, i was alarmed at hearing the report of the musquets, and seeing two or three boys run out of the wood. when i knew the cause i was much displeased at so wanton an use being made of our fire-arms, and took measures to prevent it for the future. wind southerly, with heavy showers of rain. during the night, and also all the th, the volcano was exceedingly troublesome, and made a terrible noise, throwing up prodigious columns of fire and smoke at each explosion, which happened every three or four minutes; and, at one time, great stones were seen high in the air. besides the necessary work of wooding and watering, we struck the main-top-mast to fix new trestle-trees and back-stays. mr forster and his party went up the hill on the west side of the harbour, where he found three places from whence smoke of a sulphureous smell issued, through cracks and fissures in the earth. the ground about these was exceedingly hot, and parched or burnt, and they seemed to keep pace with the volcano; for, at every explosion of the latter, the quantity of smoke or steam in these was greatly increased, and forced out so as to rise in small columns, which we saw from the ship, and had taken for common fires made by the natives. at the foot of this hill are the hot-springs before mentioned. in the afternoon, mr forster having begun his botanical researches on the other side of the harbour, fell in with our friend paowang's house, where he saw most of the articles i had given him, hanging on the adjoining trees and bushes, as if they were not worthy of being under his roof. on the th, some of the officers accompanied mr forster to the hot places he had been at the preceding day. a thermometer placed in a little hole made in one of them, rose from , at which it stood in the open air, to . several other parts of the hill emitted smoke or steam all the day, and the volcano was unusually furious, insomuch that the air was loaded with its ashes. the rain which fell at this time was a compound of water, sand, and earth; so that it properly might be called showers of mire. whichever way the wind was, we were plagued with the ashes; unless it blew very strong indeed from the opposite direction. notwithstanding the natives seemed well enough satisfied with the few expeditions we had made in the neighbourhood, they were unwilling we should extend them farther. as a proof of this, some undertook to guide the gentlemen when they were in the country, to a place where they might see the mouth of the volcano. they very readily embraced the offer; and were conducted down to the harbour, before they perceived the cheat. the th, wind at n.e., gloomy weather. the only thing worthy of note this day was, that paowang being at dinner with us on board, i took the opportunity to shew him several parts of the ship, and various articles, in hopes of finding out something which they might value, and be induced to take from us in exchange for refreshments; for what we got of this kind was trifling. but he looked on every thing that was shewn him with the utmost indifference; nor did he take notice of any one thing, except a wooden sand-box, which he seemed to admire, and turned it two or three times over in his hand. next morning after breakfast, a party of us set out for the country, to try if we could not get a nearer and better view of the volcano. we went by the way of one of those hot smoking places before mentioned, and dug a hole in the hottest part, into which a thermometer of fahrenheit's construction was put; and the mercury presently rose to °. it remained in the hole two minutes and a half without either rising or falling. the earth about this place was a kind of white clay, had a sulphureous smell, and was soft and wet, the surface only excepted, over which was spread a thin dry crust, that had upon it some sulphur, and a vitriolic substance, tasting like alum. the place affected by the heat was not above eight or ten yards square; and near it were some fig-trees, which spread their branches over part of it, and seemed to like their situation. we thought that this extraordinary heat was caused by the steam of boiling water, strongly impregnated with sulphur. i was told that some of the other places were larger than this; though we did not go out of the road to look at them, but proceeded up the hill through a country so covered with trees, shrubs, and plants, that the bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees, which, seem to have been planted here by nature, were, in a manner, choaked up. here and there we met with a house, some few people, and plantations. these latter we found in different states, some of long standing, others lately cleared, and some only clearing, and before any thing had been planted. the clearing of a piece of ground for plantation, seemed to be a work of much labour, considering the tools they had to work with, which, though much inferior to those at the society isles, are of the same kind. their method is, however, judicious, and as expeditious as it can well be. they lop off the small branches of the large trees, dig under the roots, and there burn the branches and small shrubs and plants which they root up. the soil, in some parts, is a rich black mould; in other parts, it seemed to be composed of decayed vegetables, and of the ashes the volcano sends forth throughout all its neighbourhood. happening to turn out of the common path, we came into a plantation where we found a man at work, who, either out of good-nature, or to get us the sooner out of his territories, undertook to be our guide. we followed him, accordingly, but had not gone far before we came to the junction of two roads, in one of which stood another man with a sling and a stone, which he thought proper to lay down when a musquet was pointed at him. the attitude in which we found him, the ferocity appearing in his looks, and his behaviour after, convinced us that he meant to defend the path he stood in. he, in some measure, gained his point, for our guide took the other road, and we followed, but not without suspecting he was leading us out of the common way. the other man went with us likewise, counting us several times over, and hallooing, as we judged, for assistance; for we were presently joined by two or three more, among whom was a young woman with a club in her hand. by these people we were conducted to the brow of a hill, and shewn a road leading down to the harbour, which they wanted us to take. not choosing to comply, we returned to that we had left, which we pursued alone, our guide refusing to go with us. after ascending another ridge, as thickly covered with wood as those we had come over, we saw yet other hills between us and the volcano, which seemed as far off as at our first setting out. this discouraged us from proceeding farther, especially as we could get no one to be our guide. we therefore came to a resolution to return; and had but just put this in execution when we met between twenty and thirty people, whom the fellow before mentioned had collected together, with a design, as we judged, to oppose our advancing into the country; but as they saw us returning they suffered us to pass unmolested. some of them put us into the right road, accompanied us down the hill, made us stop by the way, to entertain us with cocoa-nuts, plantains, and sugar-cane; and what we did not eat on the spot, they brought down the hill with us. thus we found these people hospitable, civil, and good-natured, when not prompted to a contrary conduct by jealousy; a conduct i cannot tell how to blame them for, especially when i considered the light in which they must view us. it was impossible for them to know our real design; we enter their ports without their daring to oppose; we endeavour to land in their country as friends, and it is well if this succeeds; we land, nevertheless, and maintain the footing we have got, by the superiority of our fire-arms. under such circumstances, what opinion are they to form of us? is it not as reasonable for them to think that we are come to invade their country, as to pay them a friendly visit? time, and some acquaintance with us, can only convince them of the latter. these people are yet in a rude state; and, if we may judge from circumstances and appearances, are frequently at war, not only with their neighbours, but among themselves; consequently must be jealous of every new face. i will allow there are some exceptions to this rule to be found in this sea; but there are few nations who would willingly suffer visitors like us to advance far into their country. before this excursion, some of us had been of opinion that these people were addicted to an unnatural passion, because they had endeavoured to entice some of our men into the woods; and, in particular, i was told, that one who had the care of mr forster's plant bag, had been once or twice attempted. as the carrying of bundles, etc. is the office of the women in this country, it had occurred to me, and i was not singular in this, that the natives might mistake him and some others for women. my conjecture was fully verified this day. for this man, who was one of the party, and carried the bag as usual, following me down the hill, by the words which i understood of the conversation of the natives, and by their actions, i was well assured that they considered him as a female; till, by some means, they discovered their mistake, on which they cried out, "erramange! erramange!" "it is a man! it is a man!" the thing was so palpable, that every one was obliged to acknowledge, that they had before mistaken his sex: and that, after they were undeceived, they seemed not to have the least notion of what we had suspected. this circumstance will shew how liable we are to form wrong conjectures of things, among people whose language we are ignorant of. had it not been for this discovery, i make no doubt that these people would have been charged with this vile custom. in the evening i took a walk with some of the gentlemen into the country on the other side of the harbour, where we had very different treatment from what we had met with in the morning. the people we now visited, among whom was our friend paowang, being better acquainted with us, shewed a readiness to oblige us in every thing in their power. we came to the village which had been visited on the th. it consisted of about twenty houses, the most of which need no other description than comparing them to the roof of a thatched house in england, taken off the walls and placed on the ground. some were open at both ends, others partly closed with reeds, and all were covered with palm thatch. a few of them were thirty or forty feet long, and fourteen or sixteen broad. besides these, they have other mean hovels, which, i conceived, were only to sleep in. some of these stood in a plantation, and i was given to understand, that in one of them lay a dead corpse. they made signs that described sleep, or death; and circumstances pointed out the latter. curious to see all i could, i prevailed on an elderly man to go with me to the hut, which was separated from the others by a reed fence, built quite round it at the distance of four or five feet. the entrance was by a space in the fence, made so low as to admit one to step over. the two sides and one end of the hut were closed or built up in the same manner, and with the same materials, as the roof. the other end had been open, but was now well closed with mats, which i could not prevail on the man to remove, or suffer me to do it. there hung at this end of the hut a matted bag or basket, in which was a piece of roasted yam, and some sort of leaves, all quite fresh. i had a strong desire to see the inside of the hut but the man was peremptory in refusing this, and even shewed an unwillingness to permit me to look into the basket. he wore round his neck, fastened to a string, two or three locks of human hair; and a woman present had several about her neck. i offered something in exchange for them, but they gave me to understand they could not part with them, as it was the hair of the person who lay in the hut. thus i was led to believe that these people dispose of their dead in a manner similar to that of otaheite. the same custom of wearing the hair is observed by the people of that island, and also by the new zealanders. the former make tamau of the hair of their deceased friends, and the latter make ear-rings and necklaces of their teeth. near most of their large houses were fixed, upright in the ground, the stems of four cocoa-nut trees, in a square position, about three feet from each other. some of our gentlemen who first saw them, were inclined to believe they were thus placed on a religious account; but i was now satisfied that it was for no other purpose but to hang cocoa-nuts on to dry. for when i asked, as well as i could, the use of them, a man took me to one, loaded with cocoa-nuts from the bottom to the top; and no words could have informed me better. their situation is well chosen for this use, as most of their large houses are built in an open airy place, or where the wind has a free passage, from whatever direction it blows. near most, if not all of them, is a large tree or two, whose spreading branches afford an agreeable retreat from the scorching sun. this part of the island was well cultivated, open and airy; the plantations were laid out by line, abounding wilh plantains, sugar-canes, yams and other roots, and stocked with fruit-trees. in our walk we met with our old friend paowang, who, with some others, accompanied us to the water side, and brought with them, as a present, a few yams and cocoa-nuts. on the th, having finished wooding and watering, a few hands only were on shore making brooms, the rest being employed on board setting up the rigging, and putting the ship in a condition for sea. mr forster, in his botanical excursion this day, shot a pigeon, in the craw of which was a wild nutmeg. he took some pains to find the tree, but his endeavours were without success. in the evening a party of us walked to the eastern sea-shore, in order to take the bearing of annattom, and erronan or footoona. the horizon proved so hazy that i could see neither; but one of the natives gave me, as i afterwards found, the true direction of them. we observed that in all, or most of their sugar plantations, were dug holes or pits, four feet deep, and five or six in diameter; and on our enquiring their use, we were given to understand that they caught rats in them. these animals, which are very destructive to the canes, are here in great plenty. the canes, i observed, were planted as thick as possible round the edge of these pits, so that the rats in coming at them are the more liable to tumble in. next morning we found the tiller sprung in the rudder head, and, by some strange neglect, we had not a spare one on board, which we were ignorant of till now it was wanting. i knew but of one tree in the neighbourhood fit for this purpose, which i sent the carpenter on shore to look at, and an officer, with a party of men, to cut it down, provided he could obtain leave of the natives; if not, he was ordered to acquaint me. he understood that no one had any objection, and set the people to work accordingly. but as the tree was large, this required some time; and, before it was down, word was brought me that our friend paowang was not pleased. upon this i gave orders to desist, as we found that, by scarfing a piece to the inner end of the tiller, and letting it farther into the rudder-head, it would still perform its office. but as it was necessary to have a spare one on board, i went on shore, sent for paowang, made him a present of a dog and a piece of cloth, and then explained to him that our great steering paddle was broken, and that i wanted that tree to make a new one. it was easy to see how well pleased every one present was, with the means i took to obtain it. with one voice they gave their consent, paowang joining his also, which he perhaps could not have done without the others; for i do not know that he had either more property, or more authority, than the rest. this point being obtained, i took our friend on board to dinner, and after it was over, went with him ashore, to pay a visit to an old chief, who was said to be king of the island; which was a doubt with me. paowang took little or no notice of him. i made him a present, after which he immediately went away, as if he got all he came for. his name was geogy, and they gave him the title of areeke. he was very old, but had a merry open countenance. he wore round his waist a broad red-and-white chequered belt, the materials and manufacture of which seemed the same as that of otaheite cloth; but this was hardly a mark of distinction. he had with him a son, not less than forty-five or fifty years of age. a great number of people were at this time at the landing-place, most of them from distant parts. the behaviour of many was friendly; while others were daring and insolent, which i thought proper to put up with, as our stay was nearly at an end. on the th, about ten o'clock, i went ashore, and found in the crowd old geogy and his son, who soon made me understand that they wanted to dine with me; and accordingly i brought them and two more on board. they all called them areekees (or kings); but i doubt if any of them had the least pretensions to that title over the whole island. it had been remarked, that one of these kings had not authority enough to order one of the people up into a cocoa-nut tree, to bring him down some nuts. although he spoke to several, he was at last obliged to go himself, and, by way of revenge, as it was thought, left not a nut on the tree, taking what he wanted himself, and giving the rest to some of our people. when i got them on board, i went with them all over the ship, which they viewed with uncommon surprise and attention. we happened to have for their entertainment a kind of pie or pudding made of plantains, and some sort of greens which we had got from one of the natives. on this and on yams they made a hearty dinner; for, as to the salt beef and pork, they would hardly taste them. in the afternoon, having made each of them a present of a hatchet, a spike-nail, and some medals, i conducted them ashore. mr forster and i then went over to the other side of the harbour, and, having tried, with fahrenheit's thermometer, the head of one of the hot springs, we found that the mercury rose to °. at this time the tide was up within two or three feet of the spring, so that we judged, it might, in some degree, be cooled by it. we were mistaken however, for on repeating the experiment next morning, when the tide was out, the mercury rose no higher than °; but, at another spring, where the water bubbled out of the sand from under the rock at the s.w. corner of the harbour, the mercury in the same thermometer rose to °- / , which is but little colder than boiling water. the hot places before mentioned are from about three to four hundred feet perpendicular above these springs, and on the slope of the same ridge with the volcano; that is, there are no vallies between them, but such as are formed in the ridge itself; nor is the volcano on the highest part of the ridge, but on the s.e. side of it. this is, i have been told, contrary to the general opinion of philosophers, who say that volcanos must be on the summits of the highest hills. so far is this from being the case on this island, that some of its hills are more than double the height of that on which the volcano is, and close to it. to these remarks i must add, that, in wet or moist weather, the volcano was most violent. there seems to be room for some philosophical reasoning on these phenomena of nature; but not having any talent that way, i must content myself with stating facts as i found them, and leave the causes to men of more abilities. the tiller was now finished; but, as the wind was unfavourable for sailing, the guard was sent on shore on the th as before, and a party of men to cut up and bring off the remainder of the tree from which we had got the tiller. having nothing else to do, i went on shore with them, and finding a good number of the natives collected about the landing-place as usual, i distributed among them all the articles i had with me, and then went on board for more. in less than an hour i returned, just as our people were getting some large logs into the boat. at the same time four or five of the natives stepped forward to see what we were about, and as we did not allow them to come within certain limits, unless to pass along the beach, the centry ordered them, back, which they readily complied with. at this time, having my eyes fixed on them, i observed the sentry present his piece (as i thought at these men,) and was just going to reprove him for it, because i had observed that, whenever this was done, some of the natives would hold up their arms, to let us see they were equally ready. but i was astonished beyond measure when the sentry fired, for i saw not the least cause. at this outrage most of the people fled; it was only a few i could prevail on to remain. as they ran off, i observed one man to fall; and he was immediately lifted up by two others, who took him into the water, and washed his wound, and then led him off. presently after, some came and described to me the nature of his wound; and as i found he was not carried far, i sent for the surgeon. as soon as he arrived, i went with him to the man, whom, we found expiring. the ball had struck his left arm, which was much shattered, and then entered his body by the short ribs, one of which was broken. the rascal who fired, pretended that a man had laid an arrow across his bow, and was going to shoot at him, so that he apprehended himself in danger. but this was no more than they had always done, and with no other view than to shew they were armed as well as we; at least i have reason to think so, as they never went farther. what made this incident the more unfortunate was, it not appearing to be the man who bent the bow, that was shot, but one who stood by him. this affair threw the natives into the utmost consternation; and a few that were prevailed on to stay, ran to the plantations and brought cocoa-nuts, etc. which they laid down at our feet. so soon, were those daring people humbled! when i went on board to dinner, they all retired, and only a few appeared in the afternoon, amongst whom were paowang and wha-a-gou. i had not seen this young man since the day he had dined on board. both he and paowang promised to bring me fruit, etc. the next morning, but our early departure put it out of their power. chapter vi. _departure from tanna; with some account of its inhabitants, their manners and arts._ august during the night the wind had veered round to s.e. as this was favourable for getting out of the harbour, at four o'clock in the morning of the th, we began to unmoor, and at eight, having weighed our last anchor, put to sea. as soon as we were clear of the land, i brought-to, waiting for the launch, which was left behind to take up a kedge-anchor and hawser we had out, to cast by. about day-break a noise was heard in the woods, nearly abreast of us, on the east side of the harbour, not unlike singing of psalms. i was told that the like had been heard at the same time every morning, but it never came to my knowledge till now, when it was too late to learn the occasion of it. some were of opinion, that at the east point of the harbour (where we observed, in coming in, some houses, boats, etc.) was something sacred to religion, because some of our people had attempted to go to this point, and were prevented by the natives. i thought, and do still think, it was owing to a desire they shewed on every occasion, of fixing bounds to our excursions. so far as we had once been, we might go again; but not farther with their consent. but by encroaching a little every time, our country expeditions were insensibly extended without giving the least umbrage. besides, these morning ceremonies, whether religious or not, were not performed down at that point, but in a part where some of our people had been daily. i cannot say what might be the true cause of these people shewing such dislike to our going up into their country. it might be owing to a naturally jealous disposition, or perhaps to their being accustomed to hostile visits from their neighbours, or quarrels among themselves. circumstances seemed to shew that such must frequently happen; for we observed them very expert in arms, and well accustomed to them; seldom or never travelling without them. it is possible all this might be on our account; but i hardly think it. we never gave them the least molestation, nor did we touch any part of their property, not even the wood and water, without first having obtained their consent. the very cocoa-nuts, hanging over the heads of the workmen, were as safe as those in the middle of the island. it happened rather fortunately, that there were so many cocoa-nut trees, near the skirts of the harbour, which seemed not to be private property; so that we could generally prevail on the natives to bring us some of these nuts, when nothing would induce them to bring any out of the country. we were not wholly without refreshments; for besides the fish, which our seine now and then provided us with, we procured daily some fruits or roots from the natives, though but little in proportion to what we could consume. the reason why we got no more might be our having nothing to give them in exchange, which they thought valuable. they had not the least knowledge of iron; consequently, nails and iron tools, beads, etc. which had so great a run at the more eastern isles, were of no consideration here; and cloth can be of no use to people who go naked. the produce of this island is bread-fruit, plantains, cocoa-nuts, a fruit like a nectarine, yams, tarra, a sort of potatoe, sugar-cane, wild figs, a fruit like an orange, which is not eatable, and some other fruit and nuts whose names i have not. nor have i any doubt that the nutmeg before mentioned was the produce of this island. the bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, and plantains, are neither so plentiful nor so good as at otaheite; on the other hand, sugar-canes and yams are not only in greater plenty, but of superior quality, and much larger. we got one of the latter which weighed fifty-six pounds, every ounce of which was good. hogs did not seem to be scarce; but we saw not many fowls. these are the only domestic animals they have. land-birds are not more numerous than at otaheite, and the other islands; but we met with some small birds, with a very beautiful plumage, which we had never seen before. there is as great a variety of trees and plants here, as at any island we touched at, where our botanists had time to examine. i believe these people live chiefly on the produce of the land, and that the sea contributes but little to their subsistence. whether this arises from the coast not abounding with fish, or from their being bad fishermen, i know not; both causes perhaps concur. i never saw any sort of fishing-tackle amongst them, nor any one out fishing, except on the shoals, or along the shores of the harbour, where they would watch to strike with a dart such fish as came within their reach; and in this they were expert. they seemed much to admire our catching fish with the seine; and, i believe, were not well pleased with it at last. i doubt not, they have other methods of catching fish besides striking them. we understood that the little isle of immer was chiefly inhabited by fishermen, and that the canoes we frequently saw pass, to and from that isle and the east point of the harbour, were fishing canoes. these canoes were of unequal sizes, some thirty feet long, two broad, and three deep; and they are composed of several pieces of wood clumsily sewed together with bandages. the joints are covered on the outside by a thin batten champered off at the edges, over which the bandages pass. they are navigated either by paddles or sails. the sail is lateen, extended to a yard and boom, and hoisted to a short mast. some of the large canoes have two sails, and all of them outriggers. at first we thought the people of this island, as well as those of erromango, were a race between the natives of the friendly islands and those of mallicollo; but a little acquaintance with them convinced us that they had little or no affinity to either, except it be in their hair, which is much like what the people of the latter island have. the general colours of it are black and brown, growing to a tolerable length, and very crisp and curly. they separate it into small locks, which they woold or cue round with the rind of a slender plant, down to about an inch of the ends; and, as the hair grows, the woolding is continued. each of these cues or locks is somewhat thicker than common whipcord; and they look like a parcel of small strings hanging down from the crown of their heads. their beards, which are strong and bushy, are generally short. the women do not wear their hair so, but cropped; nor do the boys, till they approach manhood. some few men, women, and children, were seen, who had hair like ours; but it was obvious that these were of another nation; and, i think, we understood they came from erronan. it is to this island they ascribe one of the two languages which they speak, and which is nearly, if not exactly, the same as that spoken in the friendly islands. it is therefore more than probable that erronan was peopled from that nation, and that by long intercourse with tanna and the other neighbouring islands, each had learnt the other's language, which they use indiscriminately. the other language which the people of tanna speak, and, as we understood, those of erromango and annatom, is properly their own. it is different from any we had before met with, and bears no affinity to that of mallicollo; so that, it should seem, the people of these islands are a distinct nation of themselves. mallicollo, apee, etc. were names entirely unknown to them; they even knew nothing of sandwich island, which is much nearer. i took no small pains to know how far their geographical knowledge extended; and did not find that it exceeded the limits of their horizon. these people are of the middle size, rather slender than otherwise; many are little, but few tall or stout; the most of them have good features, and agreeable countenances; are, like all the tropical race, active and nimble; and seem to excel in the use of arms, but not to be fond of labour. they never would put a hand to assist in any work we were carrying on, which the people of the other islands used to delight in. bat what i judge most from, is their making the females do the most laborious work, as if they were pack-horses. i have seen a woman carrying a large bundle on her back, or a child on her back and a bundle under her arm, and a fellow strutting before her with nothing but a club or spear, or some such thing. we have frequently observed little troops of women pass, to and fro, along the beach, laden with fruit and roots, escorted by a party of men under arms; though, now and then, we have seen a man carry a burden at the same time, but not often. i know not on what account this was done, nor that an armed troop was necessary. at first, we thought they were moving out of the neighbourhood with their effects, but we afterwards saw them both carry out, and bring in, every day. i cannot say the women are beauties, but i think them handsome enough for the men, and too handsome for the use that is made of them. both sexes are of a very dark colour, but not black; nor have they the least characteristic of the negro about them. they make themselves blacker than they really are, by painting their faces with a pigment of the colour of black-lead. they also use another sort which is red, and a third sort brown, or a colour between red and black. all these, but especially the first, they lay on with a liberal hand, not only on the face, but on the neck, shoulders, and breast. the men wear nothing but a belt, and the wrapping leaf as at mallicollo. the women have a kind of petticoat made of the filaments of the plantain-tree, flags, or some such thing, which reaches below the knee. both sexes wear ornaments, such as bracelets, ear-rings, necklaces, and amulets. the bracelets are chiefly worn by the men; some made of sea-shells, and others of those of the cocoa-nut. the men also wear amulets; and those of most value being made of a greenish stone, the green stone of new zealand is valued by them for this purpose. necklaces are chiefly used by the women, and made mostly of shells. ear-rings are common to both sexes, and those valued most are made of tortoise-shell. some of our people having got some at the friendly islands, brought it to a good market here, where it was of more value than any thing we had besides; from which i conclude that these people catch but few turtle, though i saw one in the harbour, just as we were getting under sail. i observed that, towards the latter end of our stay, they began to ask for hatchets, and large nails, so that it is likely they had found that iron is more serviceable than stone, bone, or shells, of which all their tools i have seen are made. their stone hatchets, at least all those i saw, are not in the shape of adzes, as at the other islands, but more like an axe. in the helve, which is pretty thick, is made a hole into which the stone is fixed. these people, besides the cultivation of ground, have few other arts worth mentioning. they know how to make a coarse kind of matting, and a coarse cloth of the bark of a tree, which is used chiefly for belts. the workmanship of their canoes, i have before observed, is very rude; and their arms, with which they take the most pains in point of neatness, come far short of some others we have seen. their weapons are clubs, spears or darts, bows and arrows, and stones. the clubs are of three or four kinds, and from three to five feet long. they seem to place most dependence on the darts, which are pointed with three bearded edges. in throwing them they make use of a becket, that is, a piece of stiff plaited cord about six inches long, with an eye in one end and a knot at the other. the eye is fixed on the fore-finger of the right hand, and the other end is hitched round the dart, where it is nearly on an equipoise. they hold the dart between the thumb and remaining fingers, which serve only to give it direction, the velocity being communicated by the becket and fore-finger. the former flies off from the dart the instant its velocity becomes greater than that of the hand. but it remains on the finger ready to be used again. with darts they kill both birds and fish, and are sure of hitting a mark, within the compass of the crown of a hat, at the distance of eight or ten yards; but, at double that distance, it is chance if they hit a mark the size of a man's body, though they will throw the weapon sixty or seventy yards. they always throw with all their might, let the distance be what it will. darts, bows and arrows are to them what musquets are to us. the arrows are made of reeds pointed with hard wood; some are bearded and some not, and those for shooting birds have two, three, and sometimes four points. the stones they use are, in general, the branches of coral rocks from eight to fourteen inches long, and from an inch to an inch-and-half in diameter. i know not if they employ them as missive weapons; almost every one of them carries a club, and besides that, either darts, or a bow and arrows, but never both; those who had stones kept them generally in their belts. i cannot conclude this account of their arms without adding an entire passage out of mr wales's journal. as this gentleman was continually on shore amongst them, he had a better opportunity of seeing what they could perform, than any of us. the passage is as follows: "i must confess i have been often led to think the feats which homer represents his heroes as performing with their spears, a little too much of the marvellous to be admitted into an heroic poem; i mean when confined within the strait stays of aristotle. nay, even so great an advocate for him as mr pope, acknowledges them to be _surprising_. but since i have seen what these people can do with their wooden spears, and them badly pointed, and not of a very hard nature, i have not the least exception to any one passage in that great poet on this account. but, if i see fewer exceptions, i can find infinitely more beauties in him; as he has, i think, scarce an action, circumstance, or description of any kind whatever, relating to a spear, which i have not seen and recognised among these people; as their whirling motion, and whistling noise, as they fly; their quivering motion, as they stick in the ground when they fall; their meditating their aim, when they are going to throw, and their shaking them in their hand as they go along, etc. etc." i know no more of their cookery, than that it consists of roasting and baking; for they have no vessel in which water can be boiled. nor do i know that they have any other liquor but water and the juice of the cocoa-nut. we are utter strangers to their religion; and but little acquainted with their government. they seem to have chiefs among them; at least some were pointed out to us by that title; but, as i before observed, they appeared to have very little authority over the rest of the people. old geogy was the only one the people were ever seen to take the least notice of; but whether this was owing to high rank or old age, i cannot say. on several occasions i have seen the old men respected and obeyed. our friend paowang was so; and yet i never heard him called chief, and have many reasons to believe that he had not a right to any more authority than many of his neighbours, and few, if any, were bound to obey him, or any other person in our neighbourhood; for if there had been such a one, we certainly should, by some means, have known it. i named the harbour port resolution, after the ship, she being the first which ever entered it. it is situated on the north side of the most eastern point of the island, and about e.n.e. from the volcano; in the latitude of ° ' " / s., and in the longitude of ° ' " e. it is no more than a little creek running in s. by w. / w. three quarters of a mile, and is about half that in breadth. a shoal of sand and rocks, lying on the east side, makes it still narrower. the depth of water in the harbour is from six to three fathoms, and the bottom is sand and mud. no place can be more convenient for taking in wood and water; for both are close to the shore. the water stunk a little after it had been a few days on board, but it afterwards turned sweet; and even when it was at the worst, the tin machine would, in a few hours, recover a whole cask. this is an excellent contrivance for sweetening water at sea, and is well known in the navy. mr wales, from whom i had the latitude and longitude, found the variation of the needle to be ° ' " e., and the dip of its south end ° ' / . he also observed the time of high water, on the full and change days, to be about h m; and the tide to rise and fall three feet. chapter vii. _the survey of the islands continued, and a more particular description of them._ august as soon as the boats were hoisted in, we made sail, and stretched to the eastward, with a fresh gale at s.e., in order to have a nearer view of erronan, and to see if there was any land in its neighbourhood. we stood on till midnight, when, having passed the island, we tacked, and spent the remainder of the night making two boards. at sun-rise on the st, we stood s.w., in order to get to the south of tanna, and nearer to annatom, to observe if any more land lay in that direction; for an extraordinary clear morning had produced no discovery of any to the east. at noon, having observed in latitude ° ' ", the situation of the lands around us was as follows: port resolution bore north ° w., distant six and a half leagues; the island of tanna extended from s. ° w., to n. ° w.; traitor's head n. ° w., distant twenty leagues; the island of erronan n. ° e., distant five leagues; and annatom from s. / e. to s. / w., distant ten leagues. we continued to stretch to the south till two o'clock p.m. when, seeing no more land before us, we bore up round the s.e. end of tanna; and, with a fine gale at e.s.e., ran along the south coast at one league from shore. it seemed a bold one, without the guard of any rocks; and the country full as fertile as in the neighbourhood of the harbour, and making a fine appearance. at six o'clock the high land of erromango appeared over the west end of tanna in the direction of ° w.; at eight o'clock we were past the island, and steered n.n.w. for sandwich island, in order to finish the survey* of it, and of the isles to the n.w. on the d, at four o'clock p.m., we drew near the s.e. end, and ranging the south coast, found it to trend in the direction of w. and w.n.w. for about nine leagues. near the middle of this length, and close to the shore, are three or four small isles, behind which seemed to be a safe anchorage. but not thinking i had any time to spare to visit this fine island, i continued to range the coast to its western extremity, and then steered n.n.w, from the s.e. end of mallicollo, which, at half past six o'clock next morning, bore n. ° e., distant seven or eight leagues, and three-hills island s. ° e. soon after, we saw the islands apee, paom, and ambrym. what we had comprehended under the name of paom appeared now to be two isles, something like a separation being seen between the hill and the land to the west of it. we approached the s.w. side of mallicollo to within half a league, and ranged it at that distance. from the s.e. point, the direction of the land is west, a little southerly, for six or seven leagues, and then n.w. by w. three leagues, to a pretty high point or head-land, situated in latitude ° ', and which obtained the name of south-west cape. the coast, which is low, seemed to be indented into creeks and projecting points; or else, these points were small isles lying under the shore. we were sure of one, which lies between two and three leagues east of the cape. close to the west side or point of the cape, lies, connected with it by breakers, a round rock or islet, which helps to shelter a fine bay, formed by an elbow in the coast, from the reigning winds. [* the word survey is not here to be understood in its literal sense. surveying a place, according to my idea, is taking a geometrical plan of it, in which every place is to have its true situation, which cannot be done in a work of this nature.] the natives appeared in troops on many parts of the shore, and some seemed desirous to come off to us in canoes, but they did not; and, probably, our not shortening sail, was the reason. from the south-west cape, the direction of the coast is n. by w.; but the most advanced land bore from it n.w. by n., at which the land seemed to terminate. continuing to follow the direction of the coast, at noon it was two miles from us; and our latitude, by observation, was ° ' " s. this is nearly the parallel to port sandwich, and our never-failing guide, the watch, shewed that we were ' west of it; a distance which the breadth of mallicollo cannot exceed in this parallel. the south-east cape bore s. ° e., distant seven miles; and the most advanced point of land, for which we steered, bore n.w. by n. at three o'clock, we were the length of it, and found the land continued, and trending more and more to the north. we coasted it to its northern extremity, which we did not reach till after dark, at which time we were near enough to the shore to hear the voices of people, who were assembled round a fire they had made on the beach. there we sounded, and found twenty fathoms and a bottom of sand; but, on edging off from the shore, we soon got out of sounding, and then made a trip back to the south till the moon got up. after this we stood again to the north, hauled round the point, and spent the night in bougainville's passage; being assured of our situation before sun-set, by seeing the land, on the north side of the passage, extending as far as n.w. / w. the south coast of mallicollo, from the s.e. end to the s.w. cape, is luxuriantly clothed with wood, and other productions of nature, from the sea-shore to the very summits of the hills. to the n.w. of the cape the country is less woody, but more agreeably interspersed with lawns, some of which appeared to be cultivated. the summits of the hills seemed barren; and the highest lies between port sandwich and the s.w. cape. farther north the land falls insensibly lower, and is less covered with wood. i believe it is a very fertile island, and well inhabited; for we saw smoke by day and fire by night, in all parts of it. next morning at sun-rise, we found ourselves nearly in the middle of the passage, the n.w. end of mallicollo extending from s. ° e., to s. ° w.; the land to the north from n. ° w. to n. ° e.; and the isle of lepers bearing n. ° e., distant eleven or twelve leagues. we now made sail, and steered n. by e., and afterwards north, along the east coast of the northern land, with a fine breeze at s.e. we found that this coast, which at first appeared to be continued, was composed of several low woody isles, the most of them of small extent, except the southernmost, which, on account of the day, i named st bartholomew. it is six or seven leagues in circuit, and makes the n.e. point of bougainville's passage. at noon the breeze began to slacken. we were at this time between two and three miles from the land, and observed in latitude ° ' the isle of lepers bearing from e. by n. to s., distance seven leagues; and a high bluff-head, at which the coast we were upon seemed to terminate, n.n.w. / w., distant ten or eleven leagues; but from the mast-head we could see land to the east. this we judged to be an island, and it bore n. by w. / w. as we advanced to n.n.w., along a fine coast covered with woods, we perceived low land that extended off from the bluff-head towards the island above mentioned, but did not seem to join it. it was my intention to have gone through the channel, but the approach of night made me lay it aside, and steer without the island. during the afternoon, we passed some small isles lying under the shore; and observed some projecting points of unequal height, but were not able to determine whether or no they were connected with the main land. behind them was a ridge of hills which terminated at the bluff-head. there were cliffs, in some places of the coast, and white patches, which we judged to be chalk. at ten o'clock, being the length of the isle which lies off the head, we shortened sail, and spent the night in making short boards. at day-break on the th, we were on the north side of the island (which is of a moderate height, and three leagues in circuit,) and steered west for the bluff-head, along the low land under it. at sun-rise an elevated coast came in sight beyond the bluff-head, extending to the north as far n.w. by w. after doubling the head we found the land to trend south, a little easterly, and to form a large deep bay, bounded on the west by the coast just mentioned. every thing conspired to make us believe this was the bay of st philip and st jago, discovered by quiros in . to determine this point, it was necessary to proceed farther up; for at this time we saw no end to it. the wind being at south, we were obliged to ply, and first stretched over for the west shore, from which we were three miles at noon, when our latitude was ° ' " s., longitude ° ' e.; the mouth of the bay extending from n. ° w., to s. ° e., which last direction was the bluff-head, distant three leagues. in the afternoon the wind veering to e.s.e., we could look up to the head of the bay; but as the breeze was faint, a n.e. swell hurtled us over to the west shore; so that, at half past four o'clock p.m., we were no more than two miles from it, and tacked in one hundred and twenty fathoms water, a soft muddy bottom. the bluff-head, or east point of the bay, bore north ° east. we had no sooner tacked than it fell calm, and we were left to the mercy of the swell, which continued to hurtle us towards the shore, where large troops of people were assembled. some ventured off in two canoes; but all the signs of friendship we could make, did not induce them to come along-side, or near enough to receive any present from us. at last they took sudden fright at something, and returned ashore. they were naked, except having some long grass, like flags, fastened to a belt, and hanging down before and behind, nearly as low as the knee. their colour was very dark, and their hair woolly, or cut short, which made it seem so. the canoes were small and had outriggers. the calm continued till near eight o'clock, in which time we drove into eighty-five fathoms water, and so near the shore that i expected we should be obliged to anchor. a breeze of wind sprung up at e.s.e., and first took us on the wrong side; but, contrary to all our expectations, and when we had hardly room to veer, the ship came about, and having filled on the starboard tack, we stood off n.e. thus we were relieved from the apprehensions of being forced to anchor in a great depth, on a lee shore, and in a dark and obscure night. we continued to ply upwards, with variable light breezes between e.s.e. and s., till ten next morning, when it fell calm. we were, at this time, about seven or eight miles from the head of the bay, which is terminated by a low beach; and behind that, is an extensive flat covered with wood, and bounded on each side by a ridge of mountains. at noon we found the latitude to be ° ' s., and were detained here by the calm till one o'clock p.m., when we got a breeze at n. by w., with which we steered up to within two miles of the head of the bay; and then i sent mr cooper and mr gilbert to sound and reconnoitre the coast, while we stood to and fro with the ship. this gave time to three sailing canoes which had been following us some time, to come up. there were five or six men in each; and they approached near enough to receive such things as were thrown to them fastened to a rope, but would not advance alongside. they were the same sort of people as those we had seen the preceding evening; indeed we thought they came from the same place. they seemed to be stouter and better shaped men than those of mallicollo; and several circumstances concurred to make us think they were of another nation. they named the numerals as far as five or six in the language of anamocka, and understood us when we asked the names of the adjacent lands in that language. some, indeed, had black short frizzled hair like the natives of mallicollo, but others had it long, tied up on the crown of the head, and ornamented with feathers like the new zealanders. their other ornaments were bracelets and necklaces; one man had something like a white shell on his forehead, and some were painted with a blackish pigment. i did not see that they had any other weapon but darts and gigs, intended only for striking of fish. their canoes were much like those of tanna, and navigated in the same manner, or nearly so. they readily gave us the names of such parts as we pointed to; but we could not obtain from them the name of the island. at length, seeing our boats coming, they paddled in for the shore, notwithstanding all we could say or do to detain them. when the boats returned, mr cooper informed me, that they had landed on the beach which is at the head of the bay, near a fine river, or stream of fresh water, so large and deep that they judged boats might enter it at high water. they found three fathoms depth close to the beach, and fifty-five and fifty, two cables' length off. farther out they did not sound; and where we were with the ship, we had no soundings with a hundred and seventy fathoms line. before the boats got on board, the wind had shifted to the s.s.e. as we were in want of nothing, and had no time to spare, i took the advantage of this shift of wind, and steered down the bay. during the fore-part of the night, the country was illuminated with fires, from the sea-shore to the summits of the mountains; but this was only on the west side of the shore. i cannot pretend to say what was the occasion of these fires, but have no idea of their being on our account. probably, they were burning or clearing the ground for new plantations. at day-break on the th, we found ourselves two-thirds down the bay, and, as we had but little wind, it was noon before we were the length of the n.w. point, which at this time bore n. ° w., distant five miles. latitude observed ° ' ". some of our gentlemen were doubtful of this being the bay of st philip and st jago, as there was no place which they thought could mean the port of vera cruz. for my part i found general points to agree so well with quiros's description, that i had not the least doubt about it. as to what he calls the port of vera cruz, i understand that to be the anchorage at the head of the bay, which in some places may extend farther off than where our boats landed. there is nothing in his account of the port which contradicts this supposition*. it was but natural for his people to give a name to the place, independent of so large a bay, where they lay so long at anchor. a port is a vague term, like many others in geography, and has been very often applied to places far less sheltered than this. [see quiros's voyage, in dalrymple's collection, vol i, p. , .] our officers observed that grass and other plants grew on the beach close to high water-mark, which is always a sure sign of pacific anchorage, and an undeniable proof that there never is a great surf on the shore. they judged that the tide rose about four or five feet, and that boats and such craft might, at high-water, enter the river, which seemed to be pretty deep and broad within; so that this, probably, is one of those mentioned by quiros; and if we were not deceived, we saw the other. the bay hath twenty leagues sea-coast, six on the east side, which lies in the direction of s. half w. and n. half e., two at the head, and twelve on the west side, the direction of which is s. by e. and n. by w., from the head down to two-thirds of its length, and then n.w. by n. to the n.w. point. the two points which form the entrance, lie in the direction of s. ° e., and n. ° w., from each other, distant ten leagues. the bay is every where free from danger, and of an unfathomable depth, except near the shores, which are for the most part low. this, however, is only a very narrow strip between the sea-shore and the foot of the hills; for the bay, as well as the flat land at the head of it, is bounded on each side by a ridge of hills, one of which, that to the west, is very high and double, extending the whole length of the island. an uncommonly luxuriant vegetation was every where to be seen; the sides of the hills were chequered with plantations; and every valley watered by a stream. of all the productions of nature this country was adorned with, the cocoa-nut trees were the most conspicuous. the columns of smoke we saw by day, and fires by night all over the country, led us to believe that it is well inhabited and very fertile. the east point of this bay, which i name cape quiros, in memory of its first discoverer, is situated in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. the n.w. point, which i named cape cumberland, in honour of his royal highness the duke, lies in the latitude of ° ' " s., longitude ° ' / e., and is the n.w. extremity of this archipelago; for, after doubling it, we found the coast to trend gradually round to the s. and s.s.e. on the th and th, we had light airs and calms, so that we advanced but little. in this time, we took every opportunity, when the horizon was clearer than usual, to look out for more land, but none was seen. by quiros's track to the north, after leaving the bay above-mentioned, it seems probable that there is none nearer than queen charlotte's island, discovered by captain carteret, which lies about ninety leagues n.n.w. from cape cumberland, and i take to be the same with quiros's santa cruz. on the th, the calm was succeeded by a fresh breeze at s.s.e. which enabled us to ply up the coast. at noon we observed in ° '; afterwards we stretched in east, to within a mile of the shore, and then tacked in seventy-five fathoms, before a sandy flat, on which several of the natives made their appearance. we observed on the sides of the hills, several plantations that were laid out by line, and fenced round. on the st, at noon, the s. or s.w. point of the island bore n. ° e., distant four leagues. this forms the n.w. point of what i call bougainville's passage; the n.e. point at this time bore n. ° e., and the n.w. end of mallicollo from s. ° e. to s. ° e. latitude observed ° ' s. in the afternoon, in stretching to the east, we weathered the s.s.w. point of the island, from which the coast trends east, northerly. it is low, and seemed to form some creeks or coves; and, as we got farther into the passage, we perceived some small low isles lying along it, which seemed to extend behind st bartholomew island. having now finished the survey of the whole archipelago, the season of the year made it necessary for me to return to the south, while i had yet some time left to explore any land i might meet with between this and new zealand; where i intended to touch, that i might refresh my people, and recruit our stock of wood and water for another southern course. with this view, at five p.m. we tacked, and hauled to the southward with a fresh gale at s.e. at this time the n.w. point of the passage, or the s.w. point of the island tierra del espiritu santo, the only remains of quiros's continent, bore n. ° w., distant three leagues. i named it cape lisburne, and its situation is in latitude ° ', longitude ° ' e. the foregoing account of these islands, in the order in which we explored them, not being particular enough either as to situation or description, it may not be improper now to give a more accurate view of them, which will convey to the reader a better idea of the whole groupe. the northern islands of this archipelago were first discovered by that great navigator quiros in ; and, not without reason, were considered as part of the southern continent, which, at that time, and until very lately, was supposed to exist. they were next visited by m. de bougainville, in ; who, besides landing on the isle of lepers, did no more than discover that the land was not connected, but composed of islands, which he called the great cyclades. but as, besides ascertaining the extent and situation of these islands, we added to them several new ones which were not known before, and explored the whole, i think we have obtained a right to name them; and shall in future distinguish them by the name of the new hebrides. they are situated between the latitude of ° ' and ° ' s., and between ° ' and ° ' e. longitude, and extend an hundred and twenty-five leagues in the direction of n.n.w. / w. and s.s.e. / e. the most northern island is that called by m. de bougainville, peak of the etoile; it is situated, according to his account, in latitude, ° ', longitude ° '; and n. by w., eight leagues from aurora. the next island, which lies farthest north, is that of tierra del espiritu santo. it is the most western and largest of all the hebrides, being twenty-two leagues long, in the direction of n.n.w. / w. and s.s.e. / e., twelve in breadth, and sixty in circuit. we have obtained the true figure of this island very accurately. the land of it, especially the west side, is exceedingly high and mountainous; and, in many places the hills rise directly from the sea. except the cliffs and beaches, every other part is covered with wood, or laid out in plantations. besides the bay of st philip and st jago, the isles which lie along the south and east coast, cannot, in my opinion, fail of forming some good bays or harbours. the next considerable island is that of mallicollo. to the s.e. it extends n.w. and s.e., and is eighteen leagues long in that direction. its greatest breadth, which is at the s.e., end, is eight leagues. the n.w. end is two-thirds this breadth, and near the middle, one-third. this contraction is occasioned by a wide and pretty deep bay on the s.w. side. to judge of this island from what we saw of it, it must be very fertile and well inhabited. the land on the sea-coast is rather low, and lies with a gentle slope from the hills which are in the middle of the island. two-thirds of the n.e. coast was only seen at a great distance; therefore the delineations of it can have no pretensions to accuracy; but the other parts, i apprehend, are without any material errors. st bartholomew lies between the s.e. end of tierra del espiritu santo, and the north end of mallicollo; and the distance between it and the latter is eight miles. this is the passage through which m. de bougainville went; and the middle of it is in latitude ° '. the isle of lepers lies between espiritu santo and aurora island, eight leagues from the former, and three from the latter, in latitude ° ', and nearly under the same meridian as the s.e.. end of mallicollo. it is of an egg-like figure, very high, and eighteen or twenty leagues in circuit. its limits were determined by several bearings; but the lines of the shore were traced out by guess, except the n.e. part where there is anchorage half a mile from the land. aurora, whitsuntide, ambrym, paoom, and its neighbour apee, threehills, and sandwich islands, lie all nearly under the meridian of ° ' or ' e., extending from the latitude of ° ' ", to ° ' ". the island of aurora lies n. by w. and s. by e., and is eleven leagues long in that direction; but i believe, it hardly any where exceeds two or two and a half in breadth. it hath a good height, its surface hilly, and every where covered with wood, except where the natives have their dwellings and plantations. whitsuntide isle, which is one league and a half to the south of aurora, is of the same length, and lies in the direction of north and south, but is something broader than aurora island. it is considerably high, and clothed with wood, except such parts as seemed to be cultivated, which were pretty numerous. from the south end of whitsuntide island to the north side of ambrym is two leagues and a half. this is about seventeen leagues in circuit; its shores are rather low, but the land rises with an unequal ascent to a tolerably high mountain in the middle of the island, from which ascended great columns of smoke; but we were not able to determine whether this was occasioned by a volcano or not. that it is fertile and well inhabited, seems probable from the quantities of smoke which we saw rise out of the woods, in such parts of the island as came within the compass of our sight; for it must be observed, that we did not see the whole of it. we saw still much less of paoom and its neighbourhood. i can say no more of this island than that it towers up to a great height in the form of a round hay-stack; and the extent of it, and of the adjoining isle (if there are two), cannot exceed three or four leagues in any direction; for the distance between ambrym and apee is hardly five; and they lie in this space, and east from port sandwich, distant about seven or eight leagues. the island of apee is not less than twenty leagues in circuit; its longest direction is about eight leagues n.w. and s.e.; it is of considerable height; and hath a hilly surface diversified with woods and lawns, the west and south parts especially; for the others we did not see. shepherd's isles are a group of small ones of unequal size, extending off from the s.e. point of apee about five leagues in the direction of s.e. the island threehills lies south four leagues from the coast of apee, and s.e. / s., distant seventeen leagues from port sandwich; to this, and what hath been already said of it, i shall only add, that w. by n., five miles from the west point, is a reef of rocks on which the sea continually breaks. nine leagues, in the direction of south, from threehills, lies sandwich island. twohills, the monument, and montagu islands, lie to the east of this line, and hinchinbrook to the west, as also two or three small isles which lie between it and sandwich island, to which they are connected by breakers. sandwich island is twenty-five leagues in circuit; its greatest extent is ten leagues; and it lies in the direction of n.w. by w. and s.e. by e. the n.w. coast of this island we only viewed at a distance; therefore our chart of this part may be faulty so far as it regards the line of the coast, but no farther. the distance from the south end of mallicollo to the n.w. end of sandwich island, is twenty-two leagues in the direction of s.s.e. / e. in the same direction lie erromango, tanna, and annatom. the first is eighteen leagues from sandwich island, and is twenty-four or twenty-five leagues in circuit. the middle of it lies in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' e., and it is of a good height, as may be gathered from the distance we were off when we first saw it. tanna lies six leagues from the south side of erromango, extending s.e. by s. and n.w. by n., about eight leagues long in that direction, and every where about three or four leagues broad. the isle of immer lies in the direction of n. by e. / e., four leagues from port resolution in tanna; and the island of erronan or footoona east, in the same direction, distant eleven leagues. this, which is the most eastern island of all the hebrides, did not appear to be above five leagues in circuit, but is of a considerable height and flat at top. on the n.e. side is a little peak seemingly disjointed from the isle; but we thought it was connected by low land. annatom, which is the southernmost island, is situated in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ', and s. ° e., eleven or twelve leagues from port resolution. it is of a good height, with an hilly surface; and more i must not say of it. here follow the lunar observations by mr wales, for ascertaining the longitude of these islands, reduced by the watch to port sandwich in mallicollo, and port resolution in tanna. port sandwich, ( mean of sets of ob. before ° ' " / ) e. ( ditto, at / ) long ( ditto, after ) ( ---------------- ( mean of those means, / port resolution, ( mean of sets of ob. before ) e. ( ditto, at ) long ( ditto, after / ) ( ---------------- ( mean of these means, it is necessary to observe, that each set of observations, consisting of between six and ten observed distances of the sun and moon, or moon and stars, the whole number amounts to several hundreds; and these have been reduced by means of the watch to all the islands; so that the longitude of each is as well ascertained as that of the two ports above-mentioned. as a proof of this i shall only observe, that the longitude of the two ports, as pointed out by the watch and by the observations, did not differ two miles. this also shews what degree of accuracy these observations are capable of, when multiplied to a considerable number, made with different instruments, and with the sun and stars, or both sides of the moon. by this last method, the errors which may be either in the instruments or lunar tables, destroy one another, and likewise those which may arise from the observer himself; for some men may observe closer than others. if we consider the number of observations that may be obtained in the course of a month (if the weather is favourable,) we shall perhaps find this method of finding the longitude of places as accurate as most others; at least it is the most easy, and attended with the least expence to the observer. every ship that goes to foreign parts is, or maybe, supplied with a sufficient number of quadrants at a small expence; i mean good ones, proper for making these observations. for the difference of the price between a good and a bad one, i apprehend, can never be an object with an officer. the most expensive article, and what is in some measure necessary in order to arrive at the utmost accuracy, is a good watch; but for common use, and where that strict accuracy is not required, this may be dispensed with. i have observed before, in this journal, that this method of finding the longitude is not so difficult but that any man, with proper application, and a little practice, may soon learn to make these observations as well as the astronomers themselves. i have seldom known any material difference between the observations made by mr wales, and those made by the officers at the same time*. [see vol i. p . "which is nearly the same difference as the day before..."] in observing the variation of the magnetic needle, we found, as usual, our compasses differ among themselves, sometimes near °; the same compass too, would sometimes make nearly this difference in the variation on different days, and even between the morning and evening of the same day, when our change of situation has been but very little. by the mean of the observations which i made about erromango; and the s.e. part of these islands, the variation of the compass was ° ' " e.; and the mean of those made about tierra del espiritu santo, gave ° ' " e. this is considerably more than mr wales found it to be at tanna. i cannot say what might occasion this difference in the variation observed at sea and on shore, unless it be influenced by the land; for i must give the preference to that found at sea, as it is agreeable to what we observed before we made the islands, and after we left them. chapter viii. _an account of the discovery of new caledonia, and the incidents that happened while the ship lay in balade._ september at sun-rise on the st of september, after having stood to s.w. all night, no more land was to be seen. the wind remaining in the s.e. quarter, we continued to stand to s.w. on the d, at five o'clock, p.m., being in the latitude ° ', longitude ° ', the variation was ° ' e.; and at the same hour on the d, it was ° ', latitude at that time ° ', longitude ° e. the next morning, in the latitude of ° ' longitude ° ", the amplitude gave ° ', and the azimuths ° ' e. at eight o'clock, as we were steering to the south, land was discovered bearing s.s.w., and at noon it extended from s.s.e. to w. by s., distant about six leagues. we continued to steer for it with a light breeze at east, till five in the evening, when we were stopped by a calm. at this time we were three leagues from the land, which extended from s.e. by s. to w. by n., round by the s.w. some openings appeared in the west, so that we could not tell whether it was one connected land or a group of islands. to the s.e. the coast seemed to terminate in a high promontory, which i named cape colnett, after one of my midshipmen who first discovered this land. breakers were seen about half-way between us and the shore; and, behind them, two or three canoes under sail, standing out to sea, as if their design had been to come off to us; but a little before sun-set they struck their sails, and we saw them no more. after a few hours calm, we got a breeze at s.e., and spent the night standing off and on. on the th, at sun-rise, the horizon being clear, we could see the coast extend to the s.e. of cape colnett, and round by the s.w. to n.w. by w. some gaps or openings were yet to be seen to the west; and a reef, or breakers, seemed to lie all along the coast, connected with those we discovered the preceding night. it was a matter of indifference to me, whether we plied up the coast to the s.e., or bore down to n.w. i chose the latter; and after running two leagues down the outside of the reef (for such it proved) we came before an opening that had the appearance of a good channel, through which we might go in for the land. i wanted to get at it, not only to visit it, but also to have an opportunity to observe an eclipse of the sun which was soon to happen. with this view we brought-to, hoisted out two armed boats, and sent them to sound the channel; ten or twelve large sailing canoes being then near us. we had observed them coming off from the shore, all the morning, from different parts; and some were lying on the reef, fishing, as we supposed. as soon as they all got together, they came down to us in a body, and were pretty near when we were hoisting out our boats, which probably gave them some alarm; for, without stopping, they hauled in for the reef, and our boats followed them. we now saw that what we had taken for openings in the coast was low land, and that it was all connected, except the western extremity, which was an island known by the name of balabea, as we afterwards learnt. the boats having made a signal for a channel, and one of them being placed on the point of the reef on the weather side of it, we stood in with the ship, and took up the other boat in our way, when the officer informed me, that where we were to pass, was sixteen and fourteen fathoms water, a fine sandy bottom, and that having put alongside two canoes, he found the people very obliging and civil. they gave him some fish; and, in return, he presented them with medals, etc. in one was a stout robust young man, whom, they understood to be a chief. after getting within the reef, we hauled up s. / e., for a small low sandy isle that we observed lying under the shore, being followed by all the canoes. our sounding in standing in, was from fifteen to twelve fathoms (a pretty even fine sandy bottom,) for about two miles; then we had six, five, and four fathoms. this was on the tail of a shoal which lies a little without the small isle to the n.e. being over it, we found seven and eight fathoms water, which shallowed gradually as we approached the shore, to three fathoms, when we tacked and stood off a little, and then anchored in five fathoms, the bottom a fine sand mixed with mud. the little sandy isle bore e. by s., three-quarters of a mile distant; and we were one mile from the shore of the main, which extended from s.e. by e., round to the south, to w.n.w. the island of balabea bore n.w. by n., and the channel, through which we came, north, four miles distant. in this situation we were extremely well sheltered from the reigning winds, by the sandy isle and its shoals, and by the shoal without them. we had hardly got to an anchor, before we were surrounded by a great number of the natives, in sixteen or eighteen canoes, the most of whom were without any sort of weapons. at first they were shy in coming near the ship; but in a short time we prevailed on the people in one boat to get close enough to receive some presents. these we lowered down to them by a rope, to which, in return, they tied two fish that stunk intolerably, as did those they gave us in the morning. these mutual exchanges bringing on a kind of confidence, two ventured on board the ship; and presently after, she was filled with them, and we had the company of several at dinner in the cabin. our pease-soup, salt-beef and pork, they had no curiosity to taste; but they eat of some yams, which we happened to have yet left, calling them _oobee_. this name is not unlike _oofee_, as they are called at most of the islands, except mallicollo; nevertheless, we found these people spoke a language new to us. like all the nations we had lately seen, the men were almost naked; having hardly any other covering but such a wrapper as is used at mallicollo*. they were curious in examining every part of the ship, which they viewed with uncommon attention. they had not the least knowledge of goats, hogs, dogs, or cats, and had not even a name for one of them. they seemed fond of large spike-nails, and pieces of red cloth, or indeed of any other colour, but red was their favourite. [* the particular manner of applying the wrapper may be seen in wafer's voyage, who mentions this singular custom as existing, though with some little variation, amongst the indians of the isthmus of darien. see wafer's voyage, p. .] after dinner, i went on shore with two armed boats, having with us one of the natives who had attached himself to me. we landed on a sandy beach before a vast number of people, who had got together with no other intent than to see us; for many of them had not a stick in their hands; consequently we were received with great courtesy, and with the surprise natural for people to express, at seeing men and things so new to them as we must be. i made presents to all those my friend pointed out, who were either old men, or such as seemed to be of some note; but he took not the least notice of some women who stood behind the crowd, folding my hand when i was going to give them some beads and medals. here we found the same chief, who had been seen in one of the canoes in the morning. his name, we now learnt, was teabooma; and we had not been on shore above ten minutes, before he called for silence. being instantly obeyed by every individual present, he made a short speech; and soon after another chief having called for silence, made a speech also. it was pleasing to see with what attention they were heard. their speeches were composed of short sentences; to each of which two or three old men answered, by nodding their heads, and giving a kind of grunt, significant, as i thought, of approbation. it was impossible for us to know the purport of these speeches; but we had reason to think they were favourable to us, on whose account they doubtless were made. i kept my eyes fixed on the people all the time, and saw nothing to induce me to think otherwise. while we were with them, having enquired, by signs, for fresh water, some pointed to the east and others to the west. my friend undertook to conduct us to it, and embarked with us for that purpose. we rowed about two miles up the coast to the east, where the shore was mostly covered with mangrove-trees; and entering amongst them, by a narrow creek or river, which brought us to a little straggling village, above all the mangroves, there we landed and were shewn fresh water. the ground near this village was finely cultivated, being laid out in plantations of sugar-canes, plantains, yams, and other roots, and watered by little rills, conducted by art from the main stream, whose source was in the hills. here were some cocoa-nut trees, which did not seem burdened with fruit. we heard the crowing of cocks, but saw none. some roots were baking on a fire in an earthen jar, which would have held six or eight gallons; nor did we doubt its being their own manufacture. as we proceeded up the creek, mr forster having shot a duck flying over our heads, which was the first use these people saw made of our fire-arms, my friend begged to have it; and when he landed, told his countrymen in what manner it was killed. the day being far spent, and the tide not permitting us to stay longer in the creek, we took leave of the people and got on board a little after sun-set. from this little excursion, i found that we were to expect nothing from these people but the privilege of visiting their country undisturbed. for it was easy to see they had little else than good-nature to bestow. in this they exceeded all the nations we had yet met with; and, although it did not satisfy the demands of nature, it at once pleased and left our minds at ease. next morning we were visited by some hundreds of the natives; some coming in canoes, and others swimming off; so that, before ten o'clock, our decks, and all other parts of the ship, were quite full with them. my friend, who was of the number, brought me a few roots, but all the others came empty in respect to eatables. some few had with them their arms, such as clubs and darts, which they exchanged for nails, pieces of cloth, etc. after breakfast, i sent lieutenant pickersgill with two armed boats to look for fresh water; for what we found the day before was by no means convenient for us to get on board. at the same time mr wales, accompanied by lieutenant clerke, went to the little isle to make preparations for observing the eclipse of the sun, which was to be in the afternoon. mr pickersgill soon returning, informed me that he had found a stream of fresh water, pretty convenient to come at. i therefore ordered the launch to be hoisted out to complete our water, and then went to the isle to assist in the observation. about one p.m., the eclipse came on. clouds interposed, and we lost the first contact, but were more fortunate in the end, which was observed as follows: by mr wales with dollond's / foot achromatic refractor, at h ' " / \ by mr clerke with bird's feet |appa- reflector, at / |rent and by me with an inch reflector |time. made by watkins, / / latitude of the isle or place of observation, ° ' " s. longitude per distance of the sun and moon, and moon and stars, sets, ° ' " east. ditto per watch mr wales measured the quantity eclipsed by a hadley's quadrant, a method never before thought of. i am of opinion it answers the purpose of a micrometer to a great degree of certainty, and is a great addition to the use of this most valuable instrument. after all was over, we returned on board, where i found teabooma the chief, who soon after slipped out of the ship without my knowledge, and by that means lost the present i had made up for him. in the evening i went ashore to the watering-place, which was at the head of a little creek, at a fine stream that came from the hills. it was necessary to have a small boat in the creek to convey the casks from and to the beach over which they were rolled, and then put into the launch; as only a small boat could enter the creek, and that only at high water. excellent wood for fuel was here far more convenient than water, but this was an article we did not want. about seven o'clock this evening, died simon monk, our butcher, a man much esteemed in the ship; his death being occasioned by a fall down the fore-hatch-way the preceding night. early in the morning of the th, the watering-party, and a guard, under the command of an officer, were sent ashore; and soon after a party of us went to take a view of the country. as soon as we landed we made known our design to the natives, and two of them undertaking to be our guides, conducted us up the hills by a tolerably good path. in our route, we met several people, most or whom turned back with us; so that at last our train was numerous. some we met who wanted us to return; but we paid no regard to their signs, nor did they seem uneasy when we proceeded. at length we reached the summit of one of the hills, from which we saw the sea in two places, between some advanced hills, on the opposite or s.w. side of the land. this was an useful discovery, as it enabled us to judge of the breadth of the land, which, in this part, did not exceed ten leagues. between those advanced hills, and the ridge we were upon, was a large valley, through which ran a serpentine river. on the banks of this were several plantations, and some villages, whose inhabitants we had met on the road, and found more on the top of the hill gazing at the ship, as might be supposed. the plain, or flat of land, which lies along the shore we were upon, appeared from the hills to great advantage; the winding streams which ran through out, the plantations, the little straggling villages, the variety in the woods, and the shoals on the coast, so variegating the scene, that the whole might afford a picture for romance. indeed, if it were not for those fertile spots on the plains, and some few on the sides of the mountains, the whole country might be called a dreary waste. the mountains, and other high places, are, for the most part, incapable of cultivation, consisting chiefly of rocks, many of which are full of mundicks. the little soil that is upon them is scorched and burnt up with the sun; it is, nevertheless, coated with coarse grass and other plants, and here and there trees and shrubs. the country, in general, bore great resemblance to some parts of new holland under the same parallel of latitude, several of its natural productions seeming to be the same, and the woods being without underwood, as in that country. the reefs on the coast and several other similarities, were obvious to every one who had seen both countries. we observed all the n.e. coast to be covered with shoals and breakers, extending to the northward, beyond the isle of balabea, till they were lost in the horizon. having made these observations, and our guides not chusing to go farther, we descended the mountains by a road different from that by which we ascended. this brought us down through some of their plantations in the plains, which i observed were laid out with great judgment, and cultivated with much labour. some of them were lying in fallow, some seemingly lately laid down, and others of longer date, pieces of which they were again beginning to dig up. the first thing i observed they did, was to set fire to the grass, etc. which had over-run the surface. recruiting the land by letting it lie some years untouched, is observed by all the nations in this sea; but they seem to have no notion of manuring it, at least i have no where seen it done. our excursion was finished by noon, when we returned on board to dinner; and one of our guides having left us, we brought the other with us, whose fidelity was rewarded at a small expence. in the afternoon i made a little excursion along-shore to the westward, in company with mr wales. besides making observations on such things as we met, we got the names of several places, which i then thought were islands; but upon farther enquiry, i found they were districts upon the same land. this afternoon a fish being struck by one of the natives near the watering-place, my clerk purchased it, and sent it to me after my return on board. it was of a new species, something like a sun-fish, with a large long ugly head. having no suspicion of its being of a poisonous nature, we ordered it to be dressed for supper; but, very luckily, the operation of drawing and describing took up so much time, that it was too late, so that only the liver and row were dressed, of which the two mr forsters and myself did but taste. about three o'clock in the morning, we found ourselves seized with an extraordinary weakness and numbness all over our limbs. i had almost lost the sense of feeling; nor could i distinguish between light and heavy bodies, of such as i had strength to move; a quart-pot, full of water, and a feather, being the same in my hand. we each of us took an emetic, and after that a sweat, which gave us much relief. in the morning, one of the pigs, which had eaten the entrails, was found dead. when the natives came on board and saw the fish hanging up, they immediately gave us to understand it was not wholesome food, and expressed the utmost abhorrence of it; though no one was observed to do this when the fish was to be sold, or even after it was purchased. on the th, the guard and a party of men were on shore as usual. in the afternoon, i received a message from the officer, acquainting me that teabooma the chief was come with a present consisting of a few yams and sugar-canes. in return, i sent him, amongst other articles, a dog and a bitch, both young, but nearly full grown. the dog was red and white, but the bitch was all red, or the colour of an english fox. i mention this, because they may prove the adam and eve of their species in that country. when the officer returned on board in the evening, he informed me that the chief came, attended by about twenty men, so that it looked like a visit of ceremony. it was some time before he would believe the dog and bitch were intended for him; but as soon as he was convinced, he seemed lost in an excess of joy, and sent them away immediately. next morning early, i dispatched lieutenant pickersgill and mr gilbert with the launch and cutter to explore the coast to the west; judging this would be better effected in the boats than in the ship, as the reef would force the latter several leagues from land. after breakfast, a party of men was sent on shore, to make brooms; but myself and the two mr forsters were confined on board, though much better, a good sweat having had an happy effect. in the afternoon a man was seen, both ashore and alongside the ship, said to be as white as an european. from the account i had of him (for i did not see him,) his whiteness did not proceed from hereditary descent, but from chance or some disease; and such have been seen at otaheite and the society isles. a fresh easterly wind, and the ship lying a mile from the shore, did not hinder those good-natured people from swimming off to us in shoals of twenty or thirty, and returning the same way. [* wafers met with indians in the isthmus of darien of the colour of a white horse. see his 'description of the isthmus', page . see also mr de paw's philosophical enquiries concerning americans, where several other instances of this remarkable whiteness are mentioned, and the causes of it attempted to be explained.] on the th, a party was on shore as usual; and mr forster so well recovered as to go out botanizing. in the evening of the th, the boats returned, when i was informed of the following circumstances. from an elevation which they reached the morning they set out, they had a view of the coast. mr gilbert was of opinion that they saw the termination of it to the west, but mr pickersgill thought not; though both agreed that there was no passage for the ship that way. from this place, accompanied by two of the natives, they went to balabea, which they did not reach till after sun-set, and left again next morning before sun-rise; consequently this was a fruitless expedition, and the two following days were spent in getting up to the ship. as they went down to the isle, they saw abundance of turtle; but the violence of the wind and sea made it impossible to strike any. the cutter was near being lost, by suddenly filling with water, which obliged them to throw several things overboard, before they could free her, and stop the leak she had sprung. from a fishing canoe, which they met coming in from the reefs, they got as much fish as they could eat; and they were received by teabi, the chief of the isle of balabea, and the people, who came in numbers to see them, with great courtesy. in order not to be too much crowded, our people drew a line on the ground, and gave the others to understand they were not to come within it. this restriction they observed, and one of them, soon after, turned to his own advantage. for happening to have a few cocoa-nuts, which one of our people wanted to buy, and he was unwilling to part with, he walked off, and was followed by the man who wanted them. on seeing this, he sat down on the sand, made a circle round him, as he had seen our people do, and signified that the other was not to come within it; which was accordingly observed. as this story was well attested, i thought it not unworthy of a place in this journal. early in the morning of the th, i ordered the carpenter to work, to repair the cutter, and the water to be re-placed, which we had expended the three preceding days. as tea booma the chief had not been seen since he got the dogs, and i wanted to lay a foundation for stocking the country with hogs also, i took a young boar and a sow with me in the boat, and went up to the mangrove creek to look for my friend, in order to give them to him. but when we arrived there, we were told that he lived at some distance, and that they would send for him. whether they did or no i cannot say; but he not coming, i resolved to give them to the first man of note i met with. the guide we had to the hills happening to be there, i made him understand that i intended to leave the two pigs on shore, and ordered them out of the boat for that purpose. i offered them to a grave old man, thinking he was a proper person to entrust them with; but he shook his head, and he and all present, made signs to take them into the boat again. when they saw i did not comply, they seemed to consult with one another what was to be done; and then our guide told me to carry them to the alekee (chief). accordingly i ordered them to be taken up, and we were conducted by him to a house, wherein were seated, in a circle, eight or ten middle-aged persons. to them i and my pigs being introduced, with great courtesy they desired me to sit down; and then i began to expatiate on the merits of the two pigs, explaining to them how many young ones the female would have at one time, and how soon these would multiply to some hundreds. my only motive was to enhance their value, that they might take the more care of them; and i had reason to think i in some measure succeeded. in the mean time, two men having left the company, soon returned with six yams, which were presented to me; and then i took my leave and went on board. i have already observed, that here was a little village; i now found it much larger than i expected; and about it, a good deal of cultivated land, regularly laid out, planted and planting with taro or eddy root, yams, sugar-canes, and plantains. the taro plantations were prettily watered by little rills, continually supplied from the main channel at the foot of the mountains, from whence these streams were conducted in artful meanders. they have two methods of planting these roots, some are in square or oblong patches, which lie perfectly horizontal, and sink below the common level of the adjacent land, so that they can let in on them as much water as they think necessary. i have generally seen them covered two or three inches deep; but i do not know that this is always necessary. others are planted in ridges about three or four feet broad, and two, or two and a half high. on the middle or top of the ridge, is a narrow gutter, in and along which is conveyed, as above described, a little rill that waters the roots, planted in the ridge on each side of it; and these plantations are so judiciously laid out, that the same stream waters several ridges. these ridges are sometimes the divisions to the horizontal plantations; and when this method is used, which is for the most part observed where a pathway, or something of that sort, is requisite, not an inch of ground is lost. perhaps there may be some difference in the roots, which may make these two methods of raising them necessary. some are better tasted than others, and they are not all of a colour; but be this as it may, they are very wholesome food, and the tops make good greens, and are eaten as such by the natives. on these plantations men, women, and children were employed. in the afternoon i went on shore, and, on a large tree, which stood close to the shore, near the watering-place, had an inscription cut, setting forth the ship's name, date, etc. as a testimony of our being the first discoverers of this country, as i had done at all others, at which we had touched, where this ceremony was necessary. this being done, we took leave of our friends, and returned on board; when i ordered all the boats to be hoisted in, in order to be ready to put to sea in the morning. chapter ix. _a description of the country and its inhabitants; their manners, customs, and arts._ september i shall conclude our transactions at this place with some account of the country and its inhabitants. they are a strong, robust, active, well-made people, courteous and friendly, and not in the least addicted to pilfering, which is more than can be said of any other nation in this sea. they are nearly of the same colour as the natives of tanna, but have better features, more agreeable countenances, and are a much stouter race; a few being seen who measured six feet four inches. i observed some who had thick lips, flat noses, and full cheeks, and, in some degree, the features and look of a negro. two things contributed to the forming of such an idea; first, their rough mop heads, and, secondly, their besmearing their faces with black pigment. their hair and beards are, in general, black. the former is very much frizzled, so that, at first sight, it appears like that of a negro. it is, nevertheless, very different, though both coarser and stronger than ours. some, who wear it long, tie it up on the crown of the head; others suffer only a large lock to grow on each side, which they tie up in clubs; many others, as well as all the women, wear it cropped short. these rough heads, most probably, want frequent scratching; for which purpose they have a most excellent instrument. this is a kind of comb made of sticks of hard wood, from seven to nine or ten inches long, and about the thickness of knitting-needles. a number of these, seldom exceeding twenty, but generally fewer, is fastened together at one end, parallel to, and near one-tenth of an inch from each other. the other ends, which are a little pointed, will spread out or open like the sticks of a fan, by which means they can beat up the quarters of an hundred lice at a time. these combs or scratchers, for i believe they serve both purposes, they always wear in their hair, on one side their head. the people of tanna have an instrument of this kind for the same use; but theirs is forked, i think, never exceeding three or four prongs; and sometimes only a small pointed stick. their beards, which are of the same crisp nature as their hair, are, for the most part, worn short. swelled and ulcerated legs and feet are common among the men; as also a swelling of the scrotum. i know not whether this is occasioned by disease, or by the mode of applying the wrapper before-mentioned, and which they use as at tanna and mallicollo. this is their only covering, and is made generally of the bark of a tree, but sometimes of leaves. the small pieces of cloth, paper, etc. which they got from us, were commonly applied to this use. we saw coarse garments amongst them, made of a sort of matting, but they seemed never to wear them, except when out in their canoes and unemployed. some had a kind of concave, cylindrical, stiff black cap, which appeared to be a great ornament among them, and, we thought, was only worn by men of note or warriors. a large sheet of strong paper, when they got one from us, was generally applied to this use. the women's dress is a short petticoat, made of the filaments of the plantain-tree, laid over a cord, to which they are fastened, and tied round the waist. the petticoat is made at least six or eight inches thick, but not one inch longer than necessary for the use designed. the outer filaments are dyed black; and, as an additional ornament, the most of them have a few pearl oyster-shells fixed on the right side. the general ornaments of both sexes are ear-rings of tortoise-shell, necklaces or amulets, made both of shells and stones, and bracelets, made of large shells, which they wear above the elbow. they have punctures, or marks on the skin, on several parts of the body; but none, i think, are black, as at the eastern islands. i know not if they have any other design than ornament; and the people of tanna are marked much in the same manner. were i to judge of the origin of this nation, i should take them to be a race between the people of tanna and of the friendly isles, or between those of tanna and the new zealanders, or all three; their language, in some respects, being a mixture of them all. in their disposition they are like the natives of the friendly isles; but in affability and honesty they excel them. notwithstanding their pacific inclination they must sometimes have wars, as they are well provided with offensive weapons, such as clubs, spears, darts, and slings for throwing stones. the clubs are about two feet and a half long, and variously formed; some like a scythe, others like a pick-axe; some have a head like an hawk, and others have round heads, but all are neatly made. many of their darts and spears are no less neat, and ornamented with carvings. the slings are as simple as possible; but they take some pains to form the stones that they use into a proper shape, which is something like an egg, supposing both ends to be like the small one. they use a becket, in the same manner as at tanna, in throwing the dart, which, i believe, is much used in striking fish, etc. in this they seem very dexterous; nor, indeed, do i know that they have any other method of catching large fish, for i neither saw hooks nor lines among them. it is needless to mention their working-tools, as they are made of the same materials, and nearly in the same manner, as at the other islands. their axes, indeed, are a little different; some, at least, which may be owing to fancy as much as custom. their houses, or at least most of them, are circular, something like a bee-hive, and full as close and warm. the entrance is by a small door, or long square hole, just big enough to admit a man bent double. the side-walls are about four feet and a half high, but the roof is lofty, and peaked to a point at the top; above which is a post, or stick of wood, which is generally ornamented either with carving or shells, or both. the framing is of small spars, reeds, etc. and both sides and roof are thick and close covered with thatch, made of coarse long grass. in the inside of the house are set up posts, to which cross spars are fastened, and platforms made, for the conveniency of laying any thing on. some houses have two floors, one above the other. the floor is laid with dry grass, and here and there mats are spread, for the principal people to sleep or sit on. in most of them we found two fire-places, and commonly a fire burning; and, as there was no vent for the smoke but by the door, the whole house was both smoky and hot, insomuch that we, who were not used to such an atmosphere, could hardly endure it a moment. this may be the reason why we found these people so chilly when in the open air, and without exercise. we frequently saw them make little fires any where, and hustle round them, with no other view than to warm themselves. smoke within doors may be a necessary evil, as it prevents the musquitoes from coming in, which are pretty numerous here. in some respects their habitations are neat; for, besides the ornaments at top, i saw some with carved door-posts. upon the whole, their houses are better calculated for a cold than a hot climate; and as there are no partitions in them, they can have little privacy. they have no great variety of household utensils; the earthen jars before mentioned being the only article worth notice. each family has at least one of them, in which they bake their roots, and perhaps their fish, etc. the fire, by which they cook their victuals, is on the outside of each house, in the open air. there are three or five pointed stones fixed in the ground, their pointed ends being about six inches above the surface. those of three stones are only for one jar, those of five stones for two. the jars do not stand on their bottoms, but lie inclined on their sides. the use of these stones is obviously to keep the jars from resting on the fire, in order that it may burn the better. they subsist chiefly on roots and fish, and the bark of a tree, which i am told grows also in the west indies. this they roast, and are almost continually chewing. it has a sweetish, insipid taste, and was liked by some of our people. water is their only liquor, at least i never saw any other made use of. plantains and sugar-canes are by no means in plenty. bread-fruit is very scarce, and the cocoa-nut trees are small and but thinly planted; and neither one nor the other seems to yield much fruit. to judge merely by the numbers of the natives we saw every day, one might think the island very populous; but i believe that, at this time, the inhabitants were collected from all parts on our account. mr pickersgill observed, that down the coast, to the west, there were but few people; and we knew they came daily from the other side of the land, over the mountains, to visit us. but although the inhabitants, upon the whole, may not be numerous, the island is not thinly peopled on the sea-coast, and in the plains and valleys that are capable of cultivation. it seems to be a country unable to support many inhabitants. nature has been less bountiful to it than to any other tropical island we know in this sea. the greatest part of its surface, or at least what we saw of it, consists of barren rocky mountains; and the grass, etc. growing on them, is useless to people who have no cattle. the sterility of the country will apologise for the natives not contributing to the wants of the navigator. the sea may, perhaps, in some measure, compensate for the deficiency of the land; for a coast surrounded by reefs and shoals, as this is, cannot fail of being stored with fish. i have before observed, that the country bears great resemblance to new south wales, or new holland, and that some of its natural productions are the same. in particular, we found here, the tree which is covered with a soft white ragged bark, easily peeled off, and is, as i have been told, the same that, in the east indies, is used for caulking of ships. the wood is very hard, the leaves are long and narrow, of a pale dead green, and a fine aromatic; so that it may properly be said to belong to that continent. nevertheless, here are several plants, etc. common to the eastern and northern islands, and even a species of the passionflower, which, i am told, has never before been known to grow wild any where but in america. our botanists did not complain for want of employment at this place; every day bringing something new in botany or other branches of natural history. land-birds, indeed, are not numerous, but several are new. one of these is a kind of crow, at least so we called it, though it is not half so big, and its feathers are tinged with blue. they also have some very beautiful turtle-doves, and other small birds, such as i never saw before. all our endeavours to get the name of the whole island proved ineffectual. probably it is too large for them to know by one name. whenever we made this enquiry, they always gave us the name of some district or place, which we pointed to; and, as before observed, i got the names of several, with the name of the king or chief of each. hence i conclude, that the country is divided into several districts, each governed by a chief; but we know nothing of the extent of his power. balade was the name of the district we were at, and tea booma the chief. he lived on the other side of the ridge of hills, so that we had but little of his company, and therefore could not see much of his power. _tea_ seems a title prefixed to the names of all, or most, of their chiefs or great men. my friend honoured me by calling me _tea_ cook. they deposit their dead in the ground. i saw none of their burying-places, but several of the gentlemen did. in one, they were informed, lay the remains of a chief who was slain in battle; and his grave, which bore some resemblance to a large mole-hill, was decorated with spears, darts, paddles, etc. all stuck upright in the ground round about it. the canoes, which these people use, are somewhat like those of the friendly isles; but the most heavy clumsy vessels i ever saw. they are what i call double canoes, made out of two large trees, hollowed out, having a raised gunnel, about two inches high, and closed at each end with a kind of bulk-head of the same height; so that the whole is like a long square trough, about three feet shorter than the body of the canoe; that is, a foot and a half at each end. two canoes, thus fitted, are secured to each other, about three feet asunder, by means of cross spars, which project about a foot over each side. over these spars is laid a deck, or very heavy platform, made of plank, and small round spars, on which they have a fire-hearth, and generally a fire burning; and they carry a pot or jar to dress their victuals in. the space between the two canoes is laid with plank, and the rest with spars. on one side of the deck, and close to the edge, is fixed a row of knees, pretty near to each other, the use of which is to keep the masts, yards, etc. from, rolling over-board. they are navigated by one or two lateen-sails, extended to a small lateen-yard, the end of which fixes in a notch or hole in the deck. the foot of the sail is extended to a small boom. the sail is composed of pieces of matting, the ropes are made of the coarse filaments of the plantain-tree, twisted into cords of the thickness of a finger; and three or four more such cords, marled together, serve them for shrouds, etc. i thought they sailed very well; but they are not at all calculated for rowing or paddling. their method of proceeding, when they cannot sail, is by sculling, and for this purpose there are holes in the boarded deck or platform. through these they put the sculls, which are of such a length, that, when the blade is in the water, the loom or handle is four or five feet above the deck. the man who works it stands behind, and with both his hands sculls the vessel forward. this method of proceeding is very slow; and for this reason, the canoes are but ill calculated for fishing, especially for striking of turtle, which, i think, can hardly ever be done in them. their fishing implements, such as i have seen, are turtle-nets, made, i believe, of the filaments of the plantain-tree twisted; and small hand-nets, with very minute meshes made of fine twine and fish-gigs. their general method of fishing, i guess, is to lie on the reefs in shoal water, and to strike the fish that may come in their way. they may, however, have other methods, which we had no opportunity to see, as no boat went out while we were here; all their time and attention being taken up with us. their canoes are about thirty feet long, and the deck or platform about twenty-four in length, and ten in breadth. we had not, at this time, seen any timber in the country so large as that of which their canoes were made. it was observed that the holes, made in the several parts, in order to sew them together, were burnt through, but with what instrument we never learnt. most probably it was of stone, which may be the reason why they were so fond of large spikes, seeing at once they would answer this purpose. i was convinced they were not wholly designed for edge-tools, because every one shewed a desire for the iron belaying-pins which were fixed in the quarter-deck rail, and seemed to value them far more than a spike-nail, although it might be twice as big. these pins, which are round, perhaps have the very shape of the tool they wanted to make of the nails. i did not find that a hatchet was quite so valuable as a large spike. small nails were of little or no value; and beads, looking-glasses, etc. they did not admire. the women of this country, and likewise those of tanna, are, so far as i could judge, far more chaste than those of the more eastern islands. i never heard that one of our people obtained the least favour from any one of them. i have been told that the ladies here would frequently divert themselves by going a little aside with our gentlemen, as if they meant to be kind to them, and then would run away laughing at them. whether this was chastity or coquetry, i shall not pretend to determine; nor is it material, since the consequences were the same. chapter x. _proceedings on the coast of new caledonia, with geographical and nautical observations._ september everything being in readiness to put to sea, at sun-rise, on the th of september, we weighed, and with a fine gale at e. by s., stood out for the same channel we came in by. at half past seven we were in the middle of it. observatory isle bore s. ° e., distant four miles, and the isle of balabea w.n.w. as soon as we were clear of the reef, we hauled the wind to the starboard tack, with a view of plying in to the s.e.; but as mr gilbert was of opinion that he had seen the end, or n.w. extremity of the land, and that it would be easier to get round by the n.w., i gave over plying, and bore up along the outside of the reef, steering n.n.w., n.w., and n.w. by w., as it trended. at noon the island of balabea bore s. by w., distant thirteen miles; and what we judged to be the west end of the great land, bore s.w. / s., and the direction of the reef was n.w. by w., latitude observed ° ' ". longitude from observatory isle ' w. we continued to steer n.w. by w. along the outside of the reef till three o'clock, at which time the isle of balabea bore s. by e. / e. in this direction we observed a partition in the reef, which we judged to be a channel, by the strong tide which set out of it. from this place the reef inclined to the north for three or four leagues, and then to the n.w. we followed its direction, and as we advanced to n.w., raised more land, which seemed to be connected with what we had seen before; so that mr gilbert was mistaken, and did not see the extremity of the coast. at five o'clock this land bore w. by n. / n., distant twenty miles; but what we could see of the reef trended in the direction of n.w. by n. having hauled the wind to the starboard tack, and spent the night plying, on the th, at sun-rise, the island of balabea bore s. e., and the land seen the preceding night w., but the reef still trended n.w., along which we steered with a light breeze at e.s.e. at noon we observed in latitude ° ', longitude from observatory isle ' w. we had now no sight of balabea; and the other land, that is, the n.w. part of it, bore w. by s. / s., but we were not sure if this was one continued coast, or separate islands. for though some partitions were seen, from space to space, which made it look like the latter, a multitude of shoals rendered a nearer approach to it exceedingly dangerous, if not impracticable. in the afternoon, with a fine breeze at e.s.e., we ranged the outside of these shoals, which we found to trend in the direction of n.w. by w., n.w. by n., and n.n.e. at three o'clock we passed a low sandy isle, lying on the outer edge of the reef, in latitude ° ', and in the direction of n.e. from the north-westernmost land, six or seven leagues distant. so much as we could see of this space was strewed with shoals, seemingly detached from each other; and the channel leading in amongst them appeared to be on the s.e. side of the sandy isle; at least, there was a space where the sea did not break. at sun-set we could but just see the land, which bore s.w. by s., about ten leagues distant. a clear horizon produced the discovery of no land to the westward of this direction; the reef too trended away w. by n. / n., and seemed to terminate in a point which was seen from the mast-head. thus every thing conspired to make us believe that we should soon get round these shoals; and with these flattering expectations we hauled the wind, which was at e.n.e., and spent the night making short boards. next morning at sun-rise, seeing neither land nor breakers, we bore away n.w. by w., and two hours after saw the reef extending n.w. farther than the eye could reach; no land was to be seen. it was therefore probable that we had passed its n.w. extremity; and, as we had seen from the hills of balade its extent to the s.w., it was necessary to know how far it extended to the east or southeast, while it was in our power to recover the coast; for, by following the direction of the shoals, we might have been carried so far to leeward as not to be able to beat back without considerable loss of time. we were already far out of sight of land; and there was no knowing how much farther we might be carried, before we found an end to them. these considerations, together with the risk we must run in exploring a sea strewed with shoals, and where no anchorage, without them, is to be found, induced me to abandon the design of proceeding round by the n.w., and to ply up to the s.e., in which direction i knew there was a clear sea. with this view we tacked and stood to the s.e., with the wind at n.e. by e., a gentle breeze. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. in standing to the s.e. we did but just weather the point of the reef we had passed the preceding evening. to make our situation the more dangerous the wind began to fail us; and at three in the afternoon it fell calm, and left us to the mercy of a great swell, setting directly on the reef, which was hardly a league from us. we sounded, but found no bottom with a line of two hundred fathoms. i ordered the pinnace and cutter to be hoisted out to tow the ship, but they were of little use against so great a swell. we, however, found that the ship did not draw near the reef so fast as might be expected; and at seven o'clock a light air at n.n.e. kept her head to the sea, but it lasted no longer than midnight, when it was succeeded by a dead calm. at day-break on the th we had no sight of the reef; and at eleven, a breeze springing up at s.s.w., we hoisted in the boats, and made sail to s.e. at noon we observed in ° ' s., which was considerably more to the south than we expected, and shewed that a current or tide had been in our favour all night, and accounted for our getting so unexpectedly clear of the shoals. at two o'clock p.m. we had again a calm which lasted till nine, when it was succeeded by a light air from e.n.e. and e., with which we advanced but slowly. on the th at noon, we observed in latitude ° ', when the isle of balabea bore s. ° w., ten and a half leagues distant. we continued to ply, with variable light winds, between n.e. and s.e., without meeting with any thing remarkable till the th at noon, when cape colnett bore n. ° w., distant six leagues. from this cape the land extended round by the south to e.s.e. till it was lost in the horizon, and the country appeared with many hills and vallies. latitude observed ° ', longitude made from observatory isle ° ' e. we stood in shore with a light breeze at east till sun-set, when we were between two and three leagues off. the coast extended from s. ° / e. to n. ° w. two small islets lay without this last direction, distant from us four or five miles; some others lay between us and the shore, and to the east, where they seemed to be connected by reefs, in which appeared some openings from space to space. the country was mountainous, and had much the same aspect as about balade. on one of the western small isles was an elevation like a tower; and over a low neck of land within the isle were seen many other elevations, resembling the masts of a fleet of ships. next day at sun-rise, after having stood off all night with a light breeze at s.e., we found ourselves about six leagues from the coast; and in this situation we were kept by a calm till ten in the evening, when we got a faint land-breeze at s.w., with which we steered s.e. all night., on the d at sun-rise the land was clouded, but it was not long before the clouds went off, and we found, by our land-marks, that we had made a good advance. at ten o'clock, the land-breeze being succeeded by a sea-breeze at e. by s., this enabled us to stand in for the land, which at noon extended from n. ° w. to s. ° / e., round by the s. in this last direction the coast seemed to trend more to the south in a lofty promontory, which, on account of the day, received the name of cape coronation. latitude ° ', longitude ° ' / e. some breakers lay between us and the shore, and probably they were connected with those we had seen before. during the night, we had advanced about two leagues to the s.e.; and at day-break on the d an elevated point appeared in sight beyond cape coronation, bearing s. ° e. it proved to be the south-east extremity of the coast, and obtained the name of queen charlotte's foreland. latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. about noon, having got a breeze from the n.e., we stood to s.s.e., and as we drew towards cape coronation, saw in a valley to the south of it, a vast number of those elevated objects before-mentioned; and some low land under the foreland was wholly covered with them. we could not agree in our opinions of what they were. i supposed them to be a singular sort of trees, being too numerous to resemble any thing else; and a great deal of smoke kept rising all the day from amongst those near the cape. our philosophers were of opinion that this was the smoke of some internal and perpetual fire. my representing to them that there was no smoke here in the morning would have been of no avail, had not this eternal fire gone out before night, and no more smoke been seen after. they were still more positive that the elevations were pillars of basaltes, like those which compose the giant's causeway in ireland. at sun-set, the wind veering round to the south, we tacked and stood off, it not being safe to approach the shore in the dark. at day-break we stood in again, with a faint land-breeze between e.s.e. and s.s.e. at noon observed, in latitude ° ' ", cape coronation being west southerly, distant seven leagues, and the foreland s. ° w. as we advanced s.s.w. the coast beyond the foreland began to appear in sight; and at sun-set we discovered a low island lying s.s.e, about seven miles from the foreland. it was one of those which are generally surrounded with shoals and breakers. at the same time a round hill was seen bearing s. ° e, twelve leagues distant. during night, having had variable light winds, we advanced but little either way. on the th, about ten o'clock a.m., having got a fair breeze at e.s.e., we stood to the s.s.w., in hopes of getting round the foreland; but, as we drew near, we perceived more low isles, beyond the one already mentioned, which at last appeared to be connected by breakers, extending towards the foreland, and seeming to join the shore. we stood on till half past three o'clock, when we saw, from the deck, rocks, just peeping above the surface of the sea, on the shoal above-mentioned. it was now time to alter the course, as the day was too far spent to look for a passage near the shore, and we could find no bottom to anchor in during the night. we therefore stood to the south to look for a passage without the small isles. we had a fine breeze at e.s.e., but it lasted no longer than five o'clock, when it fell to a dead calm. having sounded, a line of fathoms did not reach the bottom, though we were but a little way from the shoals, which, instead of following the coast to s.w., took a s.e. direction towards the hill we had seen the preceding evening, and seemed to point out to us that it was necessary to go round that land. at this time the most advanced point on the main bore s. ° w., distant nine or ten leagues. about seven o'clock we got a light breeze at north, which enabled us to steer out e.s.e., and to spend the night with less anxiety. on some of the low isles were many of those elevations already mentioned. every one was now satisfied they were trees, except our philosophers, who still maintained that they were basaltes. about day-break on the th, the wind having shifted to s.s.w., we stretched to s.e. for the hill before mentioned. it belonged to an island which at noon extended from s. ° e. to s. ° w., distant six leagues. latitude observed ° ' s. in the p.m. the wind freshened, and veering to s.s.e., we stretched to the east, till two a.m., on the th, when we tacked and stood to s.w., with hopes of weathering the island; but we fell about two miles short of our expectations, and had to tack about a mile from the east side of the island, the extremes bearing from n.w. by n. to s.w., the hill w., and some low isles, lying off the s.e. point, s. by w. these seemed to be connected with the large island by breakers. we sounded when in stays, but had no ground with a line of eighty fathoms. the skirts of this island were covered with the elevations more than once mentioned. they had much the appearance of tall pines, which occasioned my giving that name to the island. the round hill, which is on the s.w. side, is of such a height as to be seen fourteen or sixteen leagues. the island is about a mile in circuit, and situated in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. having made two attempts to weather the isle of pines before sun-set, with no better success, than before, this determined me to stretch off till midnight. this day at noon the thermometer was at ° / which is lower than it had been since the th of february. having tacked at midnight, assisted by the currents and a fresh gale at e. s.e. and s.e., next morning at day-break we found ourselves several leagues to windward of the isle of pines, and bore away large, round the s.e. and s. sides. the coast from the s.e., round by the s. to the w., was strewed with sand-banks, breakers, and small low isles, most of which were covered with the same lofty trees that ornamented the borders of the greater one. we continued to range the outside of these small isles and breakers, at three-fourths of a league distance, and as we passed one, raised another, so that they seemed to form a chain extending to the isles which lie off the foreland. at noon we observed, in latitude ° ' " s. the isle of pines extending from n by e / e. to e. by n.; and cape coronation n. ° ' w distant seventeen leagues. in the afternoon, with a fine gale at east, we steered n.w. by w., along the outside of the shoals, with a view of falling in with the land a little to s.w. of the foreland. at two o'clock p.m. two low islets were seen bearing w. by s., and as they were connected by breakers, which seemed to join those on our starboard, this discovery made it necessary to haul off s.w., in order to get clear of them all. at three, more breakers appeared, extending from the low isles towards the s.e. we now hauled out close to the wind, and, in an hour and a half, were almost on board the breakers, and obliged to tack. from the mast-head they were seen to extend as far as e.s.e., and the smoothness of the sea made it probable that they extended to the north of east, and that we were in a manner surrounded by them. at this time the hill on the isle of pines bore n. / e., the foreland n. / w., and the most advanced point of land on the s.w. coast bore n.w., distant fifteen or sixteen leagues. this direction of the s.w. coast, which was rather within the parallel of the n.e., assured us that this land extended no farther to the s.w. after making a short trip to n.n.e., we stood again to the south, in expectation of having a better view of the shoals before sun-set. we gained nothing by this but the prospect of a sea strewed with shoals, which we could not clear but by returning in the track by which we came. we tacked nearly in the same place where we had tacked before, and on sounding found a bottom of fine sand. but anchoring in a strong gale, with a chain of breakers to leeward, being the last resource, i rather chose to spend the night in making short boards over that space we had, in some measure, made ourselves acquainted with in the day: and thus it was spent, but under the terrible apprehension, every moment, of falling on some of the many dangers which surrounded us. day-light shewed that our fears were not ill-founded, and that we had been in the most imminent danger; having had breakers continually under our lee, and at a very little distance from us. we owed our safety to the interposition of providence, a good look-out, and the very brisk manner in which the ship was managed; for, as we were standing to the north, the people on the lee-gangway and forecastle saw breakers under the lee-bow, which we escaped by quickly tacking the ship. i was now almost tired of a coast which i could no longer explore, but at the risk of losing the ship, and ruining the whole voyage. i was, however, determined not to leave it, till i knew what trees those were which had been the subject of our speculation; especially as they appeared to be of a sort useful to shipping, and had not been seen any where but in the southern part of this land. with this view, after making a trip to the south, to weather the shoals under our lee, we stood to the north, in hopes of finding anchorage under some of the islets on which these trees grow. we were stopped by eight o'clock by the shoals which lie extended between the isle of pines and queen charlotte's foreland; and found soundings off them in fifty-five, forty, and thirty-six fathoms, a fine sandy bottom. the nearer we came to these shoals, the more we saw of them, and we were not able to say if there was any passage between the two lands. being now but a few miles to windward of the low isles lying off the foreland, mentioned on the th and th, i bore down to the one next to us. as we drew near it, i perceived that it was unconnected with the neighbouring shoals, and that it is probable we might get to an anchor under its lee or west side. we therefore stood on, being conducted by an officer at the mast-head; and after hauling round the point of the reef which surrounds the isle, we attempted to ply to windward, in order to get nearer the shore. another reef to the north confined us to a narrow channel, through which ran a current against us, that rendered this attempt fruitless; so that we were obliged to anchor in thirty-nine fathoms water, the bottom fine coral sand; the isle bearing w. by n. one mile distant. as soon as this was done, we hoisted out a boat, in which i went on ashore, accompanied by the botanists. we found the tall trees to be a kind of spruce pine, very proper for spars, of which we were in want. after making this discovery, i hastened on board in order to have more time after dinner, when i landed again with two boats, accompanied by several of the officers and gentlemen, having with us the carpenter and some of his crew, to cut down such trees as were wanting. while this was doing i took the bearings of several lands round. the hill on the isle of pines bore s. ' e; the low point of queen charlotte's foreland n. ° ' w.; the high land over it, seen over two low isles, n. ° w.; and the most advanced point of land to the west, bore west, half a point south, distant six or seven leagues. we had, from several bearings, ascertained the true direction of the coast from the foreland to this point, which i shall distinguish by the name of prince of wales's foreland. it is situated in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., is of considerable height, and, when it first appears above the horizon, looks like an island. from this cape, the coast trended nearly n.w. this was rather too northerly a direction to join that part which we saw from the hills of balade. but as it was very high land which opened off the cape in that direction, it is very probable that lower land, which we could not see, opened sooner; or else the coast more to the n.w. takes a more westerly direction, in the same manner as the n.e. coast. be this as it may, we pretty well know the extent of the land, by having it confined within certain limits. however, i still entertained hopes of seeing more of it, but was disappointed. the little isle upon which we landed, is a mere sandbank, not exceeding three-fourths of a mile in circuit, and on it, besides these pines, grew the etoa-tree of otaheite, and a variety of other trees, shrubs, and plants. these gave sufficient employment to our botanists, all the time we stayed upon it, and occasioned my calling it botany isle. on it were several water-snakes, some pigeons, and doves, seemingly different from any we had seen. one of the officers shot a hawk, which proved to be of the very same sort as our english fishing-hawks. several fire-places, branches, and leaves very little decayed, remains of turtle, etc. shewed that people had lately been on the isle. the hull of a canoe, precisely of the same shape as those we had seen at balade, lay wrecked in the sand. we were now no longer at a loss to know of what trees they make their canoes, as they can be no other than these pines. on this little isle were some which measured twenty inches diameter, and between sixty and seventy feet in length, and would have done very well for a foremast to the resolution, had one been wanting. since trees of this size are to be found on so small a spot, it is reasonable to expect to find some much larger on the main, and larger isles; and, if appearances did not deceive us, we can assert it. if i except new zealand, i, at this time, knew of no island in the south pacific ocean, where a ship could supply herself with a mast or yard, were she ever so much distressed for want of one. thus far the discovery is or may be valuable. my carpenter, who was a mast-maker as well as a shipwright, two trades he learnt in deptford-yard, was of opinion that these trees would make exceedingly good masts. the wood is white, close-grained, tough, and light. turpentine had exuded out of most of the trees, and the sun had inspissated it into a rosin, which was found sticking to the trunks, and lying about the roots. these trees shoot out their branches like all other pines; with this difference, that the branches of these are much smaller and shorter; so that the knots become nothing when the tree is wrought for use. i took notice, that the largest of them had the smallest and shortest branches, and were crowned, as it were, at the top, by a spreading branch like a bush. this was what led some on board into the extravagant notion of their being basaltes: indeed no one could think of finding such trees here. the seeds are produced in cones; but we could find none that had any in them, or that were in a proper state for vegetation or botanical examination. besides these, there was another tree or shrub of the spruce-fir kind, but it was very small. we also found on the isle a sort of scurvy-grass, and a plant, called by us lamb's quarters, which, when boiled, eat like spinnage. having got ten or twelve small spars to make studding-sail booms, boat-masts, etc., and night approaching, we returned with them on board. the purpose for which i anchored under this isle being answered, i was now to consider what was next to be done. we had from the top-mast-head taken a view of the sea around us, and observed the whole, to the west, to be strewed with small islets, sand-banks, and breakers, to the utmost extent of our horizon. they seemed indeed not to be all connected, and to be divided by winding channels. but when i considered that the extent of this s.w. coast was already pretty well determined, the great risk attending a more accurate survey, and the time it would require to accomplish it, on account of the many dangers we should have to encounter, i determined not to hazard the ship down to leeward, where we might be so hemmed in as to find it difficult to return, and by that means lose the proper season for getting to the south. i now wished to have had the little vessel set up, the frame of which we had on board. i had some thoughts of doing this, when we were last at otaheite, but found it could not be executed, without neglecting the caulking and other necessary repairs of the ship, or staying longer there than the route i had in view would admit. it was now too late to begin setting her up, and then to use her in exploring this coast; and in our voyage to the south, she could be of no service. these reasons induced me to try to get without the shoals; that is, to the southward of them. next morning at day-break, we got under sail with a light breeze at e. by n. we had to make some trips to weather the shoals to leeward of botany isle; but when this was done the breeze began to fail; and at three p.m. it fell calm. the swell, assisted by the current, set us fast to s.w. towards the breakers, which were yet in sight in that direction. thus we continued till ten o'clock, at which time a breeze springing up at n.n.w. we steered e.s.e.; the contrary course we had come in; not daring to steer farther south till daylight. october at three o'clock next morning, the wind veered to s.w., blew hard, and in squalls, attended with rain, which made it necessary to proceed with our courses up and top-sails on the cap, till day-break, when the hill on the isle of pines bore north; and our distance from the shore in that direction was about four leagues. we had now a very strong wind at s.s.w. attended by a great sea; so that we had reason to rejoice at having got clear of the shoals before this gale overtook us. though every thing conspired to make me think this was the westerly monsoon, it can hardly be comprehended under that name, for several reasons; first, because it was near a month too soon for these winds; secondly, because we know not if they reach this place at all; and lastly, because it is very common for westerly winds to blow within the tropics. however, i never found them to blow so hard before, or so far southerly. be these things as they may, we had now no other choice but to stretch to s.e., which we accordingly did with our starboard tacks aboard; and at noon we were out of sight of land. the gale continued with very little alteration till noon next day; at which time we observed in latitude ° ', longitude made from the isle of pines ° ' e. in the afternoon we had little wind from the south, and a great swell from the same direction: and many boobies, tropic, and men-of-war birds were seen. at eleven o'clock a fresh breeze sprung up at w. by s., with which we stood to the south. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' e., and about forty-two leagues south of the hebrides. at eight o'clock in the morning, on the third, the wind veered to s.w. and blew a strong gale by squalls, attended with rain. i now gave over all thought of returning to the land we had left. indeed, when i considered the vast ocean we had to explore to the south; the state and condition of the ship, already in want of some necessary stores; that summer was approaching fast, and that any considerable accident might detain us in this sea another year; i did not think it advisable to attempt to regain the land. thus i was obliged, as it were by necessity, for the first time, to leave a coast i had discovered, before it was fully explored.--i called it new caledonia; and, if we except new zealand, it is perhaps the largest island in the south pacific ocean. for it extends from the latitude of ° ', to ° ', s., and from the longitude of ° ' to ° ' e. it lies nearly n.w. / w., and s.e. e., and is about eighty-seven leagues long in that direction; but its breadth is not considerable, not any where exceeding ten leagues. it is a country full of hills and valleys; of various extent both for height and depth. to judge of the whole by the parts we were on, from these hills spring vast numbers of little rivulets, which greatly contribute to fertilize the plains, and to supply all the wants of the inhabitants. the summits of most of the hills seem to be barren; though some few are cloathed with wood; as are all the plains and valleys. by reason of these hills, many parts of the coast, when at a distance from it, appeared indented, or to have great inlets between the hills; but, when we came near the shore, we always found such places shut up with low land, and also observed low land to lie along the coast between the seashore and the foot of the hills. as this was the case in all such parts as we came near enough to see, it is reasonable to suppose that the whole coast is so. i am likewise of opinion, that the whole, or greatest part, is surrounded by reefs or shoals, which render the access to it very dangerous, but at the same time guard the coast from the violence of the wind and sea; make it abound with fish, secure an easy and safe navigation along it, for canoes, etc.; and, most likely, form some good harbours for shipping. most, if not every part of the coast, is inhabited, the isle of pines not excepted; for we saw either smoke by day, or fires by night, wherever we came. in the extent which i have given to this island, is included the broken or unconnected lands to the n.w. that they may be connected; i shall not pretend to deny; we were, however, of opinion that they were isles, and that new caledonia terminated more to s.e.; though this at most is but a well-founded conjecture. but whether these lands be separate isles, or connected with new caledonia, it is by no means certain that we saw their termination to the west. i think we did not; as the shoals did not end with the land we saw, but kept their n.w. direction farther than bougainville's track in the latitude of ° or ° / . nay, it seems not improbable, that a chain of isles, sand-banks, and reefs, may extend to the west, as far as the coast of new south wales. the eastern extent of the isles and shoals off that coast, between the latitude of ° and ', were not known. the resemblance of the two countries; *bougainville's meeting with the shoal of diana above sixty leagues from the coast; and the signs he had of land to the s.e.; all tend to increase the probability. i must confess that it is carrying probability and conjecture a little too far, to say what may lie in a space of two hundred leagues; but it is in some measure necessary, were it only to put some future navigator on his guard. [see his voyage, english translation p. .] mr wales determined the longitude of that part of new caledonia we explored, by ninety-six sets of observations, which were reduced to one another by our trusty guide the watch. i found the variation of the compass to be ° ' e. this is the mean variation given by the three azimuth compasses we had on board, which would differ from each other a degree and a half, and sometimes more. i did not observe any difference in the variation between the n.w. and s.e. parts of this land, except when we were at anchor before balade, where it was less than °; but this i did not regard, as i found such an uniformity out at sea; and it is there where navigators want to know the variation. while we were on the n.e. coast, i thought the currents set to s.e. and w. or n.w. on the other side; but they are by no means considerable, and may, as probably, be channels of tides, as regular currents. in the narrow channels which divide the shoals, and those which communicate with the sea, the tides run strong; but their rise and fall are inconsiderable, not exceeding three feet and a half. the time of high-water, at the full and change, at balade, is about six o'clock; but at botany isle we judged it would happen about ten or eleven o'clock. chapter xi. _sequel of the passage from new caledonia to new zealand, with an account of the discovery of norfolk island; and the incidents that happened while the ship lay in queen charlotte's sound._ october the wind continuing at s.w., w.s.w., and w., blowing a fresh gale, and now and then squalls, with showers of rain, we steered to s.s.e, without meeting with any remarkable occurrence till near noon on the th, when it fell calm. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. the calm continued till noon the next day, during which time we observed the variation to be ° ' e. i now ordered the carpenters to work to caulk the decks. as we had neither pitch, tar, nor rosin, left to pay the seams, this was done with varnish of pine, and afterwards covered with coral sand, which made a cement far exceeding my expectation. in the afternoon, we had a boat in the water, and shot two albatrosses, which were geese to us. we had seen one of this kind of birds the day before, which was the first we observed since we had been within the tropic. on the th, at one p.m. a breeze sprung up at south; soon after it veered to, and fixed at s.e. by s., and blew a gentle gale, attended with pleasant weather. we stretched to w.s.w., and next day at noon were in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' e. in the evening, mr cooper haying struck a porpoise with a harpoon, it was necessary to bring-to, and have two boats out, before we could kill it, and get it on board. it was six feet long; a female of that kind, which naturalists call dolphin of the ancients, and which differs from the other kind of porpoise in the head and jaw, having them long and pointed. this had eighty-eight teeth in each jaw. the haslet and lean flesh were to us a feast. the latter was a little liverish, but had not the least fishy taste. it was eaten roasted, broiled, and fried, first soaking it in warm water. indeed, little art was wanting to make any thing fresh, palatable to those who had been living so long on salt meat. we continued to stretch to w.s.w. till the th, when at day-break we discovered land, bearing s.w., which on a nearer approach we found to be an island of good height, and five leagues in circuit. i named it norfolk isle, in honour of the noble family of howard. it is situated in the latitude of ° ' " s. and longitude ° ' e. the latter was determined by lunar observations made on this, the preceding, and following days; and the former by a good observation at noon, when we were about three miles from the isle. soon after we discovered the isle, we sounded in twenty-two fathoms on a bank of coral sand; after this we continued to sound, and found not less than twenty-two; or more than twenty-four fathoms (except near the shore), and the same bottom mixed with broken shells. after dinner a party of us embarked in two boats, and landed on the island, without any difficulty, behind some large rocks, which lined part of the coast on the n.e. side. we found it uninhabited, and were undoubtedly the first that ever set foot on it. we observed many trees and plants common at new zealand; and, in particular, the flax-plant, which is rather more luxuriant here than in any part of that country; but the chief produce is a sort of spruce-pine, which grows in great abundance, and to a large size, many of the trees being as thick, breast high, as two men could fathom, and exceedingly straight and tall. this pine is a sort between that which grows in new zealand, and that in new caledonia; the foliage differing something from both, and the wood not so heavy as the former, nor so light and close-grained as the latter. it is a good deal like the quebec pine. for about two hundred yards from the shore, the ground is covered so thick with shrubs and plants, as hardly to be penetrated farther inland. the woods were perfectly clear and free from underwood, and the soil seemed rich and deep. we found the same kind of pigeons, parrots, and parroquets as in new zealand, rails, and some small birds. the sea-fowl are, white boobies, gulls, tern, etc. which breed undisturbed on the shores, and in the cliffs of the rocks. on the isle is fresh water; and cabbage-palm, wood-sorrel, sow-thistle, and samphire, abounding in some places on the shore, we brought on board as much of each sort as the time we had to gather them would admit. these cabbage-trees or palms were not thicker than a man's leg, and from ten to twenty feet high. they are of the same genus with the cocoa-nut tree; like it they have large pinnated leaves, and are the same as the second sort found in the northern parts of new south wales*. the cabbage is, properly speaking, the bud of the tree; each tree producing but one cabbage, which is at the crown, where the leaves spring out, and is inclosed in the stem. the cutting off the cabbage effectually destroys the tree; so that no more than one can be had from the same stem. the cocoa-nut tree, and some others of the palm kind, produce cabbage as well as these. this vegetable is not only wholesome, but exceedingly palatable, and proved the most agreeable repast we had for some time. [vide hawkesworth's voyages, vol iii, page .] the coast does not want fish. while we were on shore, the people in the boats caught some which were excellent. i judged that it was high water at the full and change, about one o'clock; and that the tide rises and falls upon a perpendicular about four or five feet. the approach of night brought us all on board, when we hoisted in the boats, and stretched to e.n.e. (with the wind at s.e.) till midnight, when we tacked, and spent the remainder of the night making short boards. next morning at sun-rise, we made sail, stretching to s.s.w., and weathered the island; on the south side of which lie two isles, that serve as roosting and breeding-places for birds. on this, as also on the s.e. side, is a sandy beach; whereas most of the other shores are bounded by rocky cliffs, which have twenty and eighteen fathoms water close to them: at least so we found it on the n.e. side, and with good anchorage. a bank of coral sand, mixed with shells, on which we found from nineteen to thirty-five or forty fathoms water, surrounds the isle, and extends, especially to the south, seven leagues off. the morning we discovered the island, the variation was found to be ° ' e.; but i think this observation gave too much, as others which we had, both before and after, gave ° less. after leaving norfolk isle, i steered for new zealand, my intention being to touch at queen charlotte's sound, to refresh my crew, and put the ship in a condition to encounter the southern latitudes. on the th, at day-break, we saw mount egmont, which was covered with everlasting snow, bearing s.e. / e. our distance from the shore was about eight leagues, and, on sounding, we found seventy fathoms water, a muddy bottom. the wind soon fixed in the western board, and blew a fresh gale, with which we steered s.s.e. for queen charlotte's sound, with a view of falling in with cape stephens. at noon cape egmont bore e.n.e. distant three or four leagues; and though the mount was hid in the clouds, we judged it to be in the same direction as the cape; latitude observed ° '. the wind increased in such a manner as to oblige us to close-reef our top-sails, and strike top-gallant yards. at last we could bear no more sail than the two courses, and two close-reefed top-sails; and under them we stretched for cape stephens, which we made at eleven o'clock at night. at midnight we tacked and made a trip to the north till three o'clock next morning, when we bore away for the sound. at nine we hauled round point jackson through a sea which looked terrible, occasioned by a rapid tide, and a high wind; but as we knew the coast, it did not alarm us. at eleven o'clock we anchored before ship cove; the strong flurries from off the land not permitting us to get in. in the afternoon, as we could not move the ship, i went into the cove, with the seine, to try to catch some fish. the first thing i did after landing, was to look for the bottle i left hid when last there, in which was the memorandum. it was taken away, but by whom it did not appear. two hauls with the seine producing only four small fish, we, in some measure, made up for this deficiency, by shooting several birds, which the flowers in the garden had drawn thither, as also some old shags, and by robbing the nests of some young ones. being little wind next morning, we weighed and warped the ship into the cove, and there moored with the two bowers. we unbent the sails to repair them; several having been split, and otherwise damaged in the late gale. the main and fore courses, already worn to the very utmost, were condemned as useless. i ordered the top-masts to be struck and unrigged, in order to fix to them moveable chocks or knees, for want of which the trestle-trees were continually breaking; the forge to be set up, to make bolts and repair our iron-work; and tents to be erected on shore for the reception of a guard, coopers, sail-makers, etc. i likewise gave orders that vegetables (of which there were plenty) should be boiled every morning with oatmeal and portable broth for breakfast, and with pease and broth every day for dinner for the whole crew, over and above their usual allowance of salt meat. in the afternoon, as mr wales was setting up his observatory, he discovered that several trees, which were standing when we last sailed from this place, had been cut down with saws and axes; and a few days after, the place where an observatory, clock, etc. had been set up, was also found, in a spot different from that where mr wales had placed his. it was, therefore, now no longer to be doubted, that the adventure had been in this cove after we had left it. next day, wind southerly; hazy clouded weather. every body went to work at their respective employments, one of which was to caulk the ship's sides, a thing much wanted. the seams were paid with putty, made with cook's fat and chalk; the gunner happening to have a quantity of the latter on board. the st, wind southerly, with continual rains. the weather being fair in the afternoon of the d, accompanied by the botanists, i visited our gardens on motuara, which we found almost in a state of nature, having been wholly neglected by the inhabitants. nevertheless, many articles were in a flourishing condition, and shewed how well they liked the soil in which they were planted. none of the natives having yet made their appearance, we made a fire on the point of the island, in hopes, if they saw the smoke, they might be induced to come to us. nothing remarkable happened till the th, when, in the morning, two canoes were seen coming down the sound; but as soon as they perceived the ship, they retired behind a point on the west side. after breakfast i went in a boat to look for them; and as we proceeded along the shore, we shot several birds. the report of the muskets gave notice of our approach, and the natives discovered themselves in shag cove by hallooing to us; but as we drew near to their habitations, they all fled to the woods, except two or three men, who stood on a rising ground near the shore, with their arms in their hands. the moment we landed, they knew us. joy then took place of fear; and the rest of the natives hurried out of the woods, and embraced us over and over again; leaping and skipping about like madmen, but i observed that they would not suffer some women, whom we saw at a distance, to come near us. after we had made them presents of hatchets, knives, and what else we had with us, they gave us in return a large quantity of fish, which they had just caught. there were only a few amongst them whose faces we could recognise, and on our asking why they were afraid of us, and enquiring for some of our old acquaintances by name, they talked much about killing, which was so variously understood by us, that we could gather nothing from it, so that, after a short stay, we took leave, and went on board. next morning early, our friends, according to a promise they had made us the preceding evening, paying us a visit, brought with them a quantity of fine fish, which they exchanged for otaheitean cloth, etc. and then returned to their habitations. on the th, we got into the after-hold four boat-load of shingle ballast, and struck down six guns, keeping only six on deck. our good friends the natives, having brought us a plentiful supply of fish, afterwards went on shore to the tents, and informed our people there, that a ship like ours had been lately lost in the strait; that some of the people got on shore; and that the natives stole their clothes, etc. for which several were shot; and afterwards, when they could fire no longer, the natives having got the better, killed them with their patapatoos, and eat them, but that they themselves had no hand in the affair, which, they said, happened at vanna aroa, near terrawhitte, on the other side of the strait. one man said it was two moons ago: but another contradicted him, and counted on his fingers about twenty or thirty days. they described by actions how the ship was beat to pieces by going up and down against the rocks, till at last it was all scattered abroad. the next day some others told the same story, or nearly to the same purport, and pointed over the east bay, which is on the east side of the sound, as to the place where it happened. these stories making me very uneasy about the adventure, i desired mr wales, and those on shore, to let me know if any of the natives should mention it again, or to send them to me; for i had not heard any thing from them myself. when mr wales came on board to dinner he found the very people who had told him the story on shore, and pointed them out to me. i enquired about the affair, and endeavoured to come at the truth by every method i could think of. all i could get from them was, "caurey," (no); and they not only denied every syllable of what they had said on shore, but seemed wholly ignorant of the matter; so that i began to think our people had misunderstood them, and that the story referred to some of their own people and boats. on the th, fresh gales westerly, and fair weather. we rigged and fitted the top-masts. having gone on a shooting-party to west bay, we went to the place where i left the hogs and fowls; but saw no vestiges of them, nor of any body having been there since. in our return, having visited the natives, we got some fish in exchange for trifles which we gave them. as we were coming away, mr forster thought be heard the squeaking of a pig in the woods, close by their habitations; probably they may have those i left with them when last here. in the evening we got on board, with about a dozen and a half of wild fowl, shags, and sea-pies. the sportsmen who had been out in the woods near the ship were more successful among the small birds. on the th and th nothing remarkable happened, except that in the evening of the latter all the natives left us. the st being a fine pleasant day, our botanists went over to long island, where one of the party saw a large black boar. as it was described to me, i thought it might be one of those which captain furneaux left behind, and had been brought over to this isle by those who had it in keeping. since they did not destroy those hogs when first in their possession, we cannot suppose they will do it now; so that there is little fear but that this country will in time be stocked with these animals, both in a wild and domestic state. november next day we were visited by a number of strangers who came up from the sound, and brought with them but little fish. their chief commodity was green stone or talc, an article which never came to a bad market; and some of the largest pieces of it i had ever seen were got this day. on the d i went over to the east side of the sound, and, without meeting any thing remarkable, returned on board in the evening, when i learnt that the same people who visited us the preceding day, had been on board most of this, with their usual article of trade. on the d, mr pickersgill met with some of the natives, who related to him the story of a ship being lost, and the people being killed; but added, with great earnestness, it was not done by them. on the th, fine pleasant weather. most of the natives now retired up the sound. indeed, i had taken every gentle method, to oblige them to be gone, for since these newcomers had been with us, our old friends had disappeared, and we had been without fish. having gone over to long island, to look for the hog which had been seen there, i found it to be one of the sows left by captain furneaux; the same that was in the possession of the natives when we were last here. from the supposition of its being a boar, i had carried over a sow to leave with him; but on seeing my mistake, brought her back, as the leaving her there would answer no end. early in the morning of the th, our old friends made us a visit, and brought a seasonable supply of fish. at the same time i embarked in the pinnace, with messrs forsters and sparrman, in order to proceed up the sound. i was desirous of finding the termination of it; or rather of seeing if i could find any passage out to sea by the s.e., as i suspected from some discoveries i had made when first here. in our way up, we met with some fishers, of whom we made the necessary enquiry; and they all agreed that there was no passage to the sea by the head of the sound. as we proceeded, we, some time after, met a canoe conducted by four men coming down the sound. these confirmed what the others had said, in regard to there being no passage to the sea the way we were going; but gave us to understand that there was one to the east, in the very place where i expected to find it. i now laid aside the scheme of going to the head of the sound, and proceeded to this arm, which is on the s.e. side, about four or five leagues above the isle of motuara. a little within the entrance on the s.e. side, at a place called kotieghenooee, we found a large settlement of the natives., the chief, whose name was tringo-boohee, and his people, whom we found to be some of those who had lately been on board the ship, received us with great courtesy. they seemed to be pretty numerous both here and in the neighbourhood. our stay with them was short, as the information they gave us encouraged us to pursue the object we had in view. accordingly, we proceeded down the arm e.n.e. and e. by n., leaving several fine coves on both sides, and at last found it to open into the strait by a channel about a mile wide, in which ran out a strong tide; having also observed one setting down the arm, all the time we had been in it. it was now about four o'clock in the afternoon, and in less than an hour after, this tide ceased, and was succeeded by the flood, which came in with equal strength. the outlet lies s.e. by e. and n.w. by w. and nearly in the direction of e.s.e. and w.n.w. from cape terrawhitte. we found thirteen fathoms water a little within the entrance, clear ground. it seemed to me that a leading wind was necessary to go in and out of this passage, on account of the rapidity of the tides. i, however, had but little time to make observations of this nature, as night was at hand, and i had resolved to return on board. on that account i omitted visiting a large _hippa_, or strong-hold, built on an elevation on the north side, and about a mile or two within the entrance, the inhabitants of it, by signs, invited us to go to them; but, without paying any regard to them, we proceeded directly for the ship, which we reached by ten o'clock, bringing with us some fish we had got from the natives, and a few birds we had shot. amongst the latter were some of the same kinds of ducks we found in dusky bay, and we have reason to believe that they are all to be met with here. for the natives knew them all by the drawings, and had a particular name for each. on the th, wind at n.e., gloomy weather with rain. our old friends having taken up their abode near us, one of them, whose name was pedero, (a man of some note,) made me a present of a staff of honour, such as the chiefs generally carry. in return, i dressed him in a suit of old clothes, of which he was not a little proud. he had a fine person, and a good presence, and nothing but his colour distinguished him from an european. having got him, and another, into a communicative mood, we began to enquire of them if the adventure had been there during my absence; and they gave us to understand, in a manner which admitted of no doubt, that, soon after we were gone, she arrived; that she staid between ten and twenty days, and had been gone ten months. they likewise asserted that neither she, nor any other ship, had been stranded on the coast, as had been reported. this assertion, and the manner in which they related the coming and going of the adventure, made me easy about her; but did not wholly set aside our suspicions of a disaster having happened to some other strangers. besides what has been already related, we had been told that a ship had lately been here, and was gone to a place called terato, which is on the north side of the strait. whether this story related to the former or no, i cannot say. whenever i questioned the natives about it, they always denied all knowledge of it, and for some time past, had avoided mentioning it. it was but a few days before, that one man received a box on the ear for naming it to some of our people. after breakfast i took a number of hands over to long island, in order to catch the sow, to put her to the boar and remove her to some other place; but we returned without seeing her. some of the natives had been there not long before us, as their fires were yet burning; and they had undoubtedly taken her away. pedero dined with us, eat of every thing at table, and drank more wine than any one of us, without being in the least affected by it. the th, fresh gales at n.e. with continual rain. the th, fore-part rain, remainder fair weather. we put two pigs, a boar, and a sow, on shore, in the cove next without cannibal cove; so that it is hardly possible all the methods i have taken to stock this country with these animals should fail. we had also reason to believe that some of the cocks and hens which i left here still existed, although we had not seen any of them; for an hen's egg was, some days before, found in the woods almost new laid. on the th, wind westerly or n.w., squally with rain. in the morning we unmoored, and shifted our birth farther out of the cove, for the more ready getting to sea the next morning; for at present the caulkers had not finished the sides, and till this work was done we could not sail. our friends having brought us a very large and seasonable supply of fish, i bestowed on pedero a present of an empty oil-jar, which made him as happy as a prince. soon after, he and his party left the cove, and retired to their proper place of abode, with all the treasure they had received from us. i believe that they gave away many of the things they, at different times, got from us, to their friends and neighbours, or else parted with them to purchase peace of their more powerful enemies; for we never saw any of our presents after they were once in their possession: and every time we visited them they were as much in want of hatchets, nails, etc. to all appearance, as if they never had had any among them. i am satisfied that the people in this sound, who are, upon the whole, pretty numerous, are under no regular form of government, or so united as to form one body politic. the head of each tribe, or family, seems to be respected; and that respect may, on some occasions, command obedience; but i doubt if any amongst them have either a right or power to enforce it. the day we were with tringo-boohee, the people came from all parts to see us, which he endeavoured to prevent. but though he went so far as to throw stones at some, i observed that very few paid any regard either to his words or actions; and yet this man was spoken of as a chief of some note. i have, before, made some remarks on the evils attending these people for want of union among themselves; and the more i was acquainted with them, the more i found it to be so. notwithstanding they are cannibals, they are naturally of a good disposition, and have not a little humanity. in the afternoon a party of us went ashore into one of the coves, where were two families of the natives variously employed; some sleeping, some making mats, others roasting fish and fir roots, and one girl, i observed, was heating of stones. curious to know what they were for, i remained near her. as soon as the stones were made hot, she took them out of the fire, and gave them to an old woman, who was sitting in the hut. she placed them in a heap, laid over them a handful of green celery, and over that a coarse mat, and then squatted herself down, on her heels, on the top of all; thus making a kind of dutch warming-pan, on which she sat as close as a hare on her seat. i should hardly have mentioned this operation, if i had thought it had no other view than to warm the old woman's backside. i rather suppose it was intended to cure some disorder she might have on her, which the steams arising from the green celery might be a specific for. i was led to think so by there being hardly any celery in the place, we having gathered it long before; and grass, of which there was great plenty, would have kept the stones from burning the mat full as well, if that had been all that was meant. besides, the woman looked to me sickly, and not in a good state of health. mr wales, from time to time, communicated to me the observations he had made in this sound for determining the longitude, the mean results of which give ° ' " / east, for the bottom of ship cove, where the observations were made; and the latitude of it is ° ' " / south. in my chart, constituted in my former voyage, this place is laid down in ° ' " west, equal to ° ' " east. the error of the chart is therefore ° ' ", and nearly equal to what was found at dusky bay; by which it appears that the whole of tavai-poenamoo is laid down ' too far east in the said chart, as well as in the journal of the voyage. but the error in eaheino-mauwe, is not more than half a degree, or thirty minutes; because the distance between. queen charlotte's sound and cape palliser has been found to be greater by ' of longitude than it is laid down in the chart. i mention these errors, not from a fear that they will affect either navigation or geography, but because i have no doubt of their existence; for, from the multitude of observations which mr wales took, the situation of few parts of the world is better ascertained than queen charlotte's sound. indeed, i might, with equal truth, say the same of all the other places where we made any stay; for mr wales, whose abilities are equal to his assiduity, lost no one observation that could possibly be obtained. even the situation of those islands, which we passed without touching at them, is, by means of kendal's watch, determined with almost equal accuracy. the error of the watch from otaheite to this place was only ' " / in longitude, reckoning at the rate it was found to go at, at that island and at tanna; but by reckoning at the rate it was going when last at queen charlotte's sound, and from the time of our leaving it, to our return to it again, which was near a year, the error was ' ", in time, or ° ' " / in longitude. this error cannot be thought great, if we consider the length of time, and that we had gone over a space equal to upwards of three-fourths of the equatorial circumference of the earth, and through all the climates and latitudes from ° to °. mr wales found its rate of going here to be that of gaining ", , on mean time, per day. the mean result of all the observations he made for ascertaining the variation of the compass and the dip of the south end of the needle, the three several times we had been here, gave ° ' / east for the former; and ° " / for the latter. he also found, from very accurate observations, that the time of high-water preceded the moon's southing, on the full and change days, by three hours; and that the greatest rise and fall of the water was five feet ten inches, and a half; but there were evident tokens on the beach, of its having risen two feet higher than ever it did in the course of his experiments. a voyage towards the south pole, and round the world. book iv. from leaving new zealand to our return to england. chapter i. _the run from new zealand to terra del fuego, with the range from cape deseada to christmas sound, and description of that part of the coast._ november at day-break on the th, with a fine breeze at w.n.w., we weighed and stood out of the sound; and, after getting round the two brothers, steered for cape campbell, which is at the s.w. entrance of the strait, all sails set, with a fine breeze at north. at four in the afternoon, we passed the cape, at the distance of four or five leagues, and then steered s.s.e. / e. with the wind at n.w., a gentle gale, and cloudy weather. next morning the wind veered round by the west to south, and forced us more to the east than i intended. at seven o'clock in the evening, the snowy mountains bore w. by s., and cape palliser n. / w., distant sixteen or seventeen leagues; from which cape i, for the third time, took my departure. after a few hours calm, a breeze springing up at north, we steered s. by e. all sails set, with a view of getting into the latitude of ° or °; my intention being to cross this vast ocean nearly in these parallels, and so as to pass over those parts which were left unexplored the preceding summer. in the morning of the th, the wind increased to a fine gale: at noon we observed in latitude ° ' " s., longitude ° ' e.; an extraordinary fish of the whale kind was seen, which some called a sea monster. i did not see it myself. in the afternoon, our old companions the pintado peterels began to appear. on the th, in the morning, the wind veered to w.s.w. at seven, seeing the appearance of land to s.w., we hauled up towards it, and soon found it to be a fog-bank. afterwards we steered s.e. by s., and soon after saw a seal. at noon, latitude, by account, ° ', longitude ° ' e. foggy weather, which continued all the afternoon. at six in the evening, the wind veered to n.e. by n., and increased to a fresh gale, attended with thick hazy weather; course steered s.e. / s. on the th, a.m. saw another seal. at noon, latitude ° ', longitude ° ' e. on the th, a.m. the wind veered to the westward; the fog cleared away, but the weather continued cloudy. at noon, latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w.; for, having passed the meridian of ° e., i now reckon my longitude west of the first meridian, viz. greenwich. in the evening heard penguins, and the next morning saw some sea or rock weed. at noon a fresh gale from the west and fine weather. latitude observed ° ', longitude ° ' w. next morning fresh gales and hazy weather; saw a seal and several pieces of weed. at noon, latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w. the wind veered to the n. and n.e. by n., blew a strong gale by squalls, which split an old topgallant sail, and obliged us to double-reef the top-sails; but in the evening the wind moderated, and veered to w.n.w., when we loosed a reef out of each top-sail; and found the variation of the compass to be ° ' e., being then in the latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w., and the next morning, the th, in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., it was ° ' e. towards noon, had moderate but cloudy weather, and a great swell from the west: some penguins and pieces of sea-weed seen. on the th, steered e.s.e, with a very fresh gale at north, hazy dirty weather. at noon, latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w. on the th, steered e. by s., with a moderate breeze at north, attended with thick hazy weather. at noon, latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w. on the st, winds mostly from the n.e., a fresh gale attended with thick, hazy, dirty weather. course s.e. by s.; latitude, at noon, ° ', longitude ° '; abundance of blue peterels and some penguins seen. fresh gales at n.w. by n. and n. by w., and hazy till towards noon of the d, when the weather cleared up, and we observed in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. in the afternoon had a few hours calm; after that, the wind came at s.s.e. and s.e. by s. a light breeze, with which we steered east northerly. in the night the aurora australis was visible, but very faint, and no ways remarkable. on the d, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., the variation was ° ' e. we had a calm from ten in the morning till six in the evening, when a breeze sprung up at west; at first it blew a gentle gale, but afterwards freshened. our course was now e. / n. on the th, a fresh breeze at n.w. by w. and n. by w. at noon, in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., foggy in the night, but next day had a fine gale at n.w., attended with clear pleasant weather; course steered e. by n. in the evening, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., the variation, by the mean of two compasses, was ° ' e. having a steady fresh gale at n.n.w. on the th and th, we steered east; and at noon on the latter were in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. i now gave up all hopes of finding any more land in this ocean, and came to a resolution to steer directly for the west entrance of the straits of magalhaeus, with a view of coasting the out, or south side of terra del fuego round cape horn to the strait le maire. as the world has but a very imperfect knowledge of this shore, i thought the coasting of it would be of more advantage, both to navigation and to geography, than any thing i could expect to find in a higher latitude. in the afternoon of this day, the wind blew in squalls, and carried away the main top-gallant mast. a very strong gale northerly, with hazy rainy weather, on the th, obliged us to double-reef the fore and main top-sail to hand the mizen top-sail, and get down the fore top-gallant yard. in the morning, the bolt rope of the main top-sail broke, and occasioned the sail to be split. i have observed that the ropes to all our sails, the square sails especially, are not of a size and strength sufficient to wear out the canvass. at noon, latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., a great swell from n.w.: albatrosses and blue peterels seen. next day towards noon, the wind abating, we loosed all the reefs out of the top-sails, rigged another top-gallant mast, and got the yards across. p.m. little wind, and hazy weather; at midnight calm, that continued till noon the next day, when a breeze sprung up at east, with which we stretched to the northward. at this time we were in the latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w.; some albatrosses and peterels seen. at eight, p.m., the wind veering to n.e., we tacked and stood to e.s.e. december on the st of december, thick hazy weather, with drizzling rain, and a moderate breeze of wind, which, at three o'clock p.m. fell to a calm; at this time in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. after four hours calm, the fog cleared away, and we got a wind at s.e. with which we stood n.e. next day, a fresh breeze at s.e. and hazy foggy weather, except a few hours in the morning, when we found the variation to be ° ' e. latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w. the variation after this was supposed to increase; for on the th, in the morning, being in latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w., it was ° ' e.; in the evening, in latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w., it was ° ' e.; and on the th, at six o'clock in the evening, in latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w., it was ° ' e. for more than twenty-four hours, having had a fine gale at south, this enabled us to steer east, with very little deviation to the north; and the wind now altering to s.w. and blowing a steady fresh breeze, we continued to steer east, inclining a little to south. on the th, had some snow-showers. in the evening, being in latitude ° ', longitude ° ', the variation was ° ' e.; and the next morning, being in latitude ° ', longitude ° ', it was ° ' e. the wind was now at west, a fine pleasant gale, sometimes with showers of rain. nothing remarkable happened, till the th, at noon, when being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., the wind veered to n.e., and afterwards came insensibly round to the south, by the e. and s.e., attended with cloudy hazy weather, and some showers of rain. on the th, a little before noon, latitude °, longitude ° ' west, passed a small bed of sea-weed. in the afternoon the wind veered to s.w., blew a fresh gale, attended with dark cloudy weather. we steered east half a point north; and the next day, at six in the evening, being in latitude ° ', longitude ° ' west, the variation was ° ' east. many and various sorts of albatrosses about the ship. on the th, the wind veered to the west, n.w.; and in the evening to north; and, at last, left us to a calm; that continued till midnight, when we got a breeze at south; which, soon after, veering to, and fixing at, west, we steered east; and on the th, in the morning, found the variation to be ° ' east, latitude ° ', longitude ° ' west; and in the afternoon, being in the same latitude, and the longitude of ° ' west, it was ° ' east, and increased in such a manner, that on the th, in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' west, it was ° east; and the next evening, in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ', it was ° ' east. about this time, we saw a penguin and a piece of weed; and the next morning, a seal and some diving peterels. for the three last days, the wind had been at west, a steady fresh gale, attended, now and then, with showers of rain or hail. at six in the morning of the th, being nearly in the same latitude as above, and in the longitude of ° ' west, the variation was ° ' east; and in the afternoon it was ° , being at that time in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' west. in the morning, as well as in the afternoon, i took some observations to determine the longitude by the watch; and the results, reduced to noon, gave ° ' " west. at the same time, the longitude, by my reckoning, was ° ' west. but i have reason to think, that we were about half a degree more to the west than either the one or the other; our latitude, at the same time, was ° ' s. we steered e. by n. and e. / n. all this day, under all the sail we could carry, with a fine fresh gale at n.w. by w. in expectation of seeing the land before night; but not making it till ten o'clock, we took in the studding-sails, top-gallant sails, and a reef in each top-sail, and steered e.n.e., in order to make sure of falling in with cape deseada. two hours after, we made the land, extending from n.e. by n. to e. by s. about six leagues distant. on this discovery, we wore and brought-to, with the ship's head to the south; and having sounded, found seventy-five fathoms water, the bottom stone and shells. the land now before us could be no other than the west coast of terra del fuego, and near the west entrance to the straits of magalhaens. as this was the first run that had been made directly across this ocean, in a high southern latitude*, i have been a little particular in noting every circumstance that appeared in the least material: and, after all, i must observe, that i never made a passage any where of such length, or even much shorter, where so few interesting circumstances occurred. for, if i except the variation of the compass, i know of nothing else worth notice. the weather had been neither unusually stormy nor cold. before we arrived in the latitude of °, the mercury in the thermometer fell gradually from sixty to fifty; and after we arrived in the latitude of °, it was generally between forty-seven and forty-five; once or twice it fell to forty-three. these observations were made at noon. [it is not to be supposed that i could known at this time, that the adventure had made the passage before me.] i have now done with the southern pacific ocean; and flatter myself that no one will think that i have left it unexplored; or that more could have been done, in one voyage, towards obtaining that end, than has been done in this. soon after we left new zealand, mr wales contrived, and fixed up, an instrument, which very accurately measured the angle the ship rolled, when sailing large and in a great sea; and that in which she lay down, when sailing upon a wind. the greatest angle he observed her to roll was °. this was on the th of this month, when the sea was not unusually high; so that it cannot be reckoned the greatest roll she had made. the most he observed her to heel or lie down, when sailing upon a wind, was °; and this was under double-reefed top-sails and courses. on the th, at three in the morning, we sounded again, and found one hundred and ten fathoms, the same bottom as before. we now made sail with a fresh gale at n.w., and steered s.e. by e. along the coast. it extended from cape deseada, which bore north ° east, to e s.e.; a pretty high ragged isle, which lies near a league from the main, and s., ° e. six leagues e. from cape deseada, bore n. ° e. distant four leagues; and it obtained the name of landfall. at four o'clock, we were north and south of the high land of cape deseada, distant about nine leagues; so that we saw none of the low rocks said to lie off it. the latitude of this cape is about ° s., longitude ° ' west. continuing to range the coast, at about two leagues distance, at eleven o'clock we passed a projecting point, which i called cape gloucester. it shews a round surface of considerable height, and has much the appearance of being an island. it lies s.s.e. / e. distant seventeen leagues from the isle of landfall. the coast between them forms two bays, strewed with rocky islets, rocks, and breakers. the coast appeared very broken with many inlets; or rather it seemed to be composed of a number of islands. the land is very mountainous, rocky, and barren, spotted here and there with tufts of wood, and patches of snow. at noon cape gloucester bore north, distant eight miles, and the most advanced point of land to the s.e., which we judged to be cape noir, bore s.e. by s., distant seven or eight leagues. latitude observed ° ' s. longitude, made from cape deseada, ' e. from cape gloucester, off which lies a small rocky island, the direction of the coast is nearly s.e.; but to cape noir, for which we steered, the course is s.s.e., distant about ten leagues. at three o'clock we passed cape noir, which is a steep rock of considerable height, and the s.w. point of a large island that seemed to lie detached, a league, or a league and a half, from the main land. the land of the cape, when at a distance from it, appeared to be an island disjoined from the other; but, on a nearer approach, we found it connected by a low neck of land. at the point of the cape are two rocks; the one peaked like a sugar- loaf, the other not so high, and shewing a rounder surface; and s. by e., two leagues from the cape, are two other rocky islets. this cape is situated in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. after passing the two islets, we steered e.s.e., crossing the great bay of st barbara. we but just saw the land in the bottom of it, which could not be less than seven or eight leagues from us. there was a space, lying in the direction of e.n.e. from cape noir, where no land was to be seen: this may be the channel of st barbara, which opens into the straits of magalhaens, as mentioned by frezier. we found the cape to agree very well with his description, which shews that he laid down the channel from good memoirs. at ten o'clock, drawing near the s.e. point of the bay, which, lies nearly in the direction of s. ° e. from cape noir, eighteen leagues distant, we shortened sail, and spent the night standing off and on. at two o'clock in the morning of the th, having made sail, we steered s.e. by e. along the coast, and soon passed the s.e. point of the bay of st barbara, which i called cape desolation, because near it commenced the most desolate and barren country i ever saw. it is situated in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. about four leagues to the east of this cape is a deep inlet, at the entrance of which lies a pretty large island, and some others of less note. nearly in this situation some charts place a channel leading into the straits of magalhaens, under the name of straits of jelouzel. at ten o'clock, being about a league and a half from the land, we sounded, and found sixty fathoms water, a bottom of small stones and shells. the wind, which had been fresh at n. by w., began to abate, and at noon it fell calm, when we observed in latitude ° ' s., longitude made from cape deseada ° ' e. in this situation we were about three leagues from the nearest shore, which was that of an island. this i named gilbert isle, after my master. it is nearly of the same height with the rest of the coast, and shews a surface composed of several peaked rocks unequally high. a little to the s.e. of it are some smaller islands, and, without them, breakers. i have before observed that this is the most desolate coast i ever saw. it seems entirely composed of rocky mountains without the least appearance of vegetation. these mountains terminate in horrible precipices, whose craggy summits spire up to a vast height, so that hardly any thing in nature can appear with a more barren and savage aspect than the whole of this country. the inland mountains were covered with snow, but those on the sea-coast were not. we judged the former to belong to the main of terra del fuego, and the latter to be islands, so ranged as apparently to form a coast. after three hours calm we got a breeze at s.e. by e., and having made a short trip to south, stood in for the land; the most advanced point of which, that we had in sight, bore east, distant ten leagues. this is a lofty promontory, lying e.s.e, nineteen leagues from gilbert isle, and situated in latitude ° ' s, longitude ° ' w. viewed from the situation we now were in, it terminated in two high towers; and, within them, a hill shaped like a sugar-loaf. this wild rock, therefore, obtained the name of york minster. two leagues to the westward of this head appeared a large inlet, the west point of which we fetched in with by nine o'clock, when we tacked in forty-one fathoms water, half a league from the shore; to the westward of this inlet was another, with several islands lying in the entrance. during the night between the th and th we had little wind easterly, which in the morning veered to n.e. and n.n.e., but it was too faint to be of use; and at ten we had a calm, when we observed the ship to drive from off the shore out to sea. we had made the same observation the day before. this must have been occasioned by a current; and the melting of the snow increasing, the inland waters will cause a stream to run out of most of these inlets. at noon we observed in latitude ° ' " s., york minster then bearing n. ° e., distant five leagues; and round-hill, just peeping above the horizon, which we judged to belong to the isles of st ildefonso, e. ° s., ten or eleven leagues distant. at ten o'clock, a breeze springing up at e. by s., i took this opportunity to stand in for the land, being desirous of going into one of the many ports which seemed open to receive us, in order to take a view of the country, and to recruit our stock of wood and water. in standing in for an opening, which appeared on the east side of york minster, we had forty, thirty-seven, fifty, and sixty fathoms water, a bottom of small stones and shells. when we had the last soundings, we were nearly in the middle between the two points that form the entrance to the inlet, which we observed to branch into two arms, both of them lying in nearly north, and disjoined by an high rocky point. we stood for the eastern branch as being clear of islets; and after passing a black rocky one, lying without the point just mentioned, we sounded, and found no bottom with a line of an hundred and seventy fathoms. this was altogether unexpected, and a circumstance that would not have been regarded if the breeze had continued; but at this time it fell calm, so that it was not possible to extricate ourselves from this disagreeable situation. two boats were hoisted out, and sent a-head to tow; but they would have availed little, had not a breeze sprung up about eight o'clock at s.w., which put it in my power either to stand out to sea, or up the inlet. prudence seemed to point out the former, but the desire of finding a good port, and of learning something of the country, getting the better of every other consideration, i resolved to stand in; and, as night was approaching, our safety depended on getting to an anchor. with this view we continued to sound, but always had an unfathomable depth. hauling up under the east side of the land which divided the two arms, and seeing a small cove ahead, i sent a boat to sound; and we kept as near the shore as the flurries from the land would permit, in order to be able to get into this place, if there should be anchorage. the boat soon returned, and informed us that there was thirty and twenty-five fathoms water, a full cable's length from the shore; here we anchored in thirty fathoms, the bottom sand and broken shells; and carried out a kedge and hawser to steady the ship for the night. chapter ii. _transactions in christmas sound, with an account of the country and its inhabitants._ december the morning of the st was calm and pleasant. after breakfast i set out with two boats to look for a more secure station. we no sooner got round, or above the point, under which the ship lay, than we found a cove in which was anchorage in thirty, twenty, and fifteen fathoms, the bottom stones and sand. at the head of the cove was a stony beach, a valley covered with wood, and a stream of fresh water, so that there was every thing we could expect to find in such a place, or rather more; for we shot three geese out of four that we saw, and caught some young ones, which we afterwards let go. after discovering and sounding this cove, i sent lieutenant clerke, who commanded the other boat, on board, with orders to remove the ship into this place, while i proceeded farther up the inlet. i presently saw that the land we were under, which disjoined the two arms, as mentioned before, was an island, at the north end of which the two channels united. after this i hastened on board, and found every thing in readiness to weigh, which was accordingly done, and all the boats sent ahead to tow the ship round the point. but at that moment a light breeze came in from the sea too scant to fill our sails, so that we were obliged to drop the anchor again, for fear of falling upon the point, and to carry out a kedge to windward. that being done, we hove up the anchor, warped up to, and weighed the kedge, and proceeding round the point under our stay-sails; there anchored with the best bower in twenty fathoms; and moored with the other bower, which lay to the north, in thirteen fathoms. in this position we were shut in from the sea by the point above-mentioned, which was in one with the extremity of the inlet to the east. some islets, off the next point above us, covered us from the n.w., from which quarter the wind had the greatest fetch, and our distance from the shore was about one-third of a mile. thus situated we went to work, to clear a place to fill water, to cut wood, and to set up a tent for the reception of a guard, which was thought necessary, as we had already discovered that, barren as this country is, it was not without people, though we had not yet seen any. mr wales also got his observatory and instruments on shore; but it was with the greatest difficulty he could find a place of sufficient stability, and clear of the mountains, which every where surrounded us, to set them up in; and at last he was obliged to content himself with the top of a rock not more than nine feet over. next day i sent lieutenants clerke and pickersgill, accompanied by some of the other officers, to examine and draw a sketch of the channel on the other side of the island; and i went myself in another boat, accompanied by the botanists, to survey the northern parts of the sound. in my way i landed on the point of a low isle covered with herbage, part of which had been lately burnt: we likewise saw a hut, signs sufficient that people were in the neighbourhood. after i had taken the necessary bearings, we proceeded round the east end of burnt island, and over to what we judged to be the main of terra del fuego, where we found a very fine harbour encompassed by steep rocks of vast height, down which ran many limpid streams of water; and at the foot of the rocks some tufts of trees, fit for little else but fuel. this harbour, which i shall distinguish by the name of the devil's bason, is divided, as it were, into two, an inner and an outer one; and the communication between them is by a narrow channel five fathoms deep. in the outer bason i found thirteen and seventeen fathoms water, and in the inner seventeen and twenty-three. this last is as secure a place as can be, but nothing can be more gloomy. the vast height of the savage rocks which encompass it, deprived great part of it, even on this day, of the meridian sun. the outer harbour is not quite free from this inconvenience, but far more so than the other; it is also rather more commodious, and equally safe. it lies in the direction of north, a mile and a half distant from the east end of burnt island. i likewise found a good anchoring-place a little to the west of this harbour, before a stream of water, that comes out of a lake or large reservoir, which is continually supplied by a cascade falling into it. leaving this place, we proceeded along the shore to the westward, and found other harbours which i had not time to look into. in all of them is fresh water, and wood for fuel; but, except these little tufts of bushes, the whole country is a barren rock, doomed by nature to everlasting sterility. the low islands, and even some of the higher, which lie scattered up and down the sound, are indeed mostly covered with shrubs and herbage, the soil a black rotten turf, evidently composed, by length of time, of decayed vegetables. i had an opportunity to verify what we had observed at sea, that the sea-coast is composed of a number of large and small islands, and that the numerous inlets are formed by the junction of several channels; at least so it is here. on one of these low islands we found several huts, which had lately been inhabited; and near them was a good deal of celery, with which we loaded our boat, and returned on board at seven o'clock in the evening. in this expedition we met with little game; one duck, three or four shags, and about that number of rails or sea-pies, being all we got. the other boat returned on board some hours before, having found two harbours on the west side of the other channel; the one large, and the other small, but both of them safe and commodious; though, by the sketch mr pickersgill had taken of them, the access to both appeared rather intricate. i was now told of a melancholy accident which had befallen one of our marines. he had not been seen since eleven or twelve o'clock the preceding night. it was supposed that he had fallen overboard, out of the head, where he had been last seen, and was drowned. having fine pleasant weather on the d, i sent lieutenant pickersgill in the cutter to explore the east side of the sound, and went myself in the pinnace to the west side, with an intent to go round the island, under which we were at anchor (and which i shall distinguish by the name of shag island), in order to view the passage leading to the harbours mr pickersgill had discovered the day before, on which i made the following observations. in coming from sea, leave all the rocks and islands, lying off and within york minster, on your larboard side; and the black rock, which lies off the south end of shag island, on your starboard; and when abreast of the south end of that island, haul over for the west shore, taking care to avoid the beds of weeds you will see before you, as they always grow on rocks; some of which i have found twelve fathoms under water; but it is always best to keep clear of them. the entrance to the large harbour, or port clerke, is just to the north of some low rocks lying off a point on shag island. this harbour lies in w. by s., a mile and a half, and hath in it from twelve to twenty-four fathoms depth, wood and fresh water. about a mile without, or to the southward of port clerke, is, or seemed to be, another which i did not examine. it is formed by a large island which covers it from the south and east winds. without this island, that is, between it and york minster, the sea seemed strewed with islets, rocks, and breakers. in proceeding round the south end of shag island, we observed the shags to breed in vast numbers in the cliffs of the rock. some of the old ones we shot, but could not come at the young ones, which are by far the best eating. on the east side of the island we saw some geese; and having with difficulty landed, we killed three, which, at this time, was a valuable acquisition. about seven, in the evening, we got on board, where mr pickersgill had arrived but just before. he informed me that the land opposite to our station was an island, which he had been round; that on another, more to the north, be found many _terns_ eggs; and that without the great island, between it and the east-head, lay a cove in which were many geese; one only of which he got, beside some young goslings. this information of mr pickersgill's induced me to make up two shooting parties next day; mr pickersgill and his associates going in the cutter, and myself and the botanists in the pinnace. mr pickersgill went by the n.e. side of the large island above-mentioned, which obtained the name of goose island; and i went by the s.w. side. as soon as we got under the island we found plenty of shags in the cliffs, but, without staying to spend our time and shot upon these, we proceeded on, and presently found sport enough, for in the south side of the island were abundance of geese. it happened to be the moulting season; and most of them were on shore for that purpose, and could not fly. there being a great surf, we found great difficulty in landing, and very bad climbing over the rocks when we were landed; so that hundreds of the geese escaped us, some into the sea, and others up into the island. we, however, by one means or other, got sixty-two, with which we returned on board all heartily tired; but the acquisition we had made overbalanced every other consideration, and we sat down with a good appetite to supper on part of what the preceding day had produced. mr pickersgill and his associates had got on board some time before us with fourteen geese; so that i was able to make distribution to the whole crew, which was the more acceptable on account of the approaching festival. for had not providence thus singularly provided for us, our christmas cheer must have been salt beef and pork. i now learnt that a number of the natives, in nine canoes, had been alongside the ship, and some on board. little address was required to persuade them to either; for they seemed to be well enough acquainted with europeans, and had, amongst them, some of their knives. the next morning, the th, they made us another visit. i found them to be of the same nation i had formerly seen in success bay, and the same which m. de bougainville distinguishes by the name of pecheras; a word which these had, on every occasion, in their mouths. they are a little, ugly, half-starved, beardless race. i saw not a tall person amongst them. they are almost naked; their clothing was a seal-skin; some had two or three sewed together, so as to make a cloak which reached to the knees; but the most of them had only one skin, hardly large enough to cover their shoulders, and all their lower parts were quite naked. the women, i was told, cover their nakedness with the flap of a seal-skin, but in other respects are clothed like the men. they, as well as the children, remained in the canoes. i saw two young children at the breast entirely naked; thus they are inured from their infancy to cold and hardships. they had with them bows and arrows, and darts, or rather harpoons, made of bone, and fitted to a staff. i suppose they were intended to kill seals and fish; they may also kill whales with them, as the esquimaux do. i know not if they resemble them in their love of train-oil; but they and every thing they had smelt most intolerably of it. i ordered them some biscuit, but did not observe them so fond of it as i had been told. they were much better pleased when i gave them some medals, knives, etc. the women and children, as before observed, remained in their canoes. these were made of bark; and in each was a fire, over which the poor creatures huddled themselves. i cannot suppose that they carry a fire in their canoes for this purpose only, but rather that it may be always ready to remove ashore wherever they land; for let their method of obtaining fire be what it may, they cannot be always sure of finding dry fuel that will kindle from a spark. they likewise carry in their canoes large seal hides, which i judged were to shelter them when at sea, and to serve as covering to their huts on shore, and occasionally to be used for sails. they all retired before dinner, and did not wait to partake of our christmas cheer. indeed i believe no one invited them, and for good reasons; for their dirty persons, and the stench they carried about them, were enough to spoil the appetite of any european; and that would have been a real disappointment, as we had not experienced such fare for some time. roast and boiled geese, goose-pye, etc. was a treat little known to us; and we had yet some madeira wine left, which was the only article of our provision that was mended by keeping. so that our friends in england did not, perhaps, celebrate christmas more cheerfully than we did. on the th, little wind next to a calm, and fair weather, except in the morning, when we had some showers of rain. in the evening, when it was cold, the natives made us another visit; and it being distressing to see them stand trembling and naked on the deck, i could not do less than give them some baize and old canvas to cover themselves. having already completed our water, on the th i ordered the wood, tent, and observatory to be got on board; and, as this was work for the day, a party of us went in two boats to shoot geese, the weather being fine and pleasant. we proceeded round by the south side of goose island, and picked up in all thirty-one. on the east side of the island, to the north of the east point, is good anchorage, in seventeen fathoms water, where it is entirely land-locked. this is a good place for ships to lie in that are bound to the west. on the north side of this isle i observed three fine coves, in which were both wood and water; but it being near night, i had no time to sound them, though i doubt not there is anchorage. the way to come at them is by the west end of the island. when i returned on board i found every thing got off the shore, and the launch in; so that we now only waited for a wind to put to sea. the festival, which we celebrated at this place, occasioned my giving it the name of christmas sound. the entrance, which is three leagues wide, is situated in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w.; and in the direction of n. ° w. from st ildefonso isles, distant ten leagues. these isles are the best landmark for finding the sound. york minster, which is the only remarkable land about it, will hardly be known by a stranger, from any description that can be given of it, because it alters its appearance according to the different situations it is viewed from. besides the black rock, which lies off the end of shag island, there is another about midway between this and the east shore. a copious description of this sound is unnecessary, as few would be benefited by it. anchorage, tufts of wood, and fresh-water, will be found in all the coves and harbours. i would advise no one to anchor very near the shore for the sake of having a moderate depth of water, because there i generally found a rocky bottom. the refreshments to be got here are precarious, as they consist chiefly of wild fowl, and may probably never be found in such plenty as to supply the crew of a ship; and fish, so far as we can judge, are scarce. indeed the plenty of wild-fowl made us pay less attention to fishing. here are, however, plenty of muscles, not very large, but well tasted; and very good celery is to be met with on several of the low islets, and where the natives have their habitations. the wild-fowl are geese, ducks, sea-pies, shags, and that kind of gull so often mentioned in this journal under the name of port egmont hen. here is a kind of duck, called by our people race-horses, on account of the great swiftness with which they run on the water; for they cannot fly, the wings being too short to support the body in the air. this bird is at the falkland islands, as appears by pernety's journal*. the geese too are there, and seem to be very well described under the name of bustards. they are much smaller than our english tame geese, but eat as well as any i ever tasted. they have short black bills and yellow feet. the gander is all white; the female is spotted black and white, or grey, with a large white spot on each wing. besides the bird above-mentioned, here are several other aquatic, and some land ones; but of the latter not many. [* see pernety's journal, p. and p. .] from the knowledge which the inhabitants seem to have of europeans, we may suppose that they do not live here continually, but retire to the north during the winter. i have often wondered that these people do not clothe themselves better, since nature has certainly provided materials. they might line their seal-skin cloaks with the skins and feathers of aquatic birds; they might make their cloaks larger, and employ the same skins for other parts of clothing, for i cannot suppose they are scarce with them. they were ready enough to part with those they had to our people, which they hardly would have done, had they not known where to have got more. in short, of all the nations i have seen, the pecheras are the most wretched. they are doomed to live in one of the most inhospitable climates in the world, without having sagacity enough to provide themselves with such conveniences as may render life in some measure more comfortable. barren as this country is, it abounds with a variety of unknown plants, and gave sufficient employment to mr forster and his party. the tree, which produceth the winter's bark; is found here in the woods, as is the holy-leaved barberry; and some other sorts, which i know not, but i believe are common in the straits of magalhaens. we found plenty of a berry, which we called the cranberry, because they are nearly of the same colour, size, and shape. it grows on a bushy plant, has a bitterish taste, rather insipid; but may he eaten either raw or in tarts, and is used as food by the natives. chapter iii. _range from christmas sound, round cape horn, through strait le maire, and round staten land; with an account of the discovery of a harbour in that island, and a description of the coasts._ december at four o'clock in the morning on the th, we began to unmoor, and at eight weighed, and stood out to sea, with a light breeze at n.w., which afterwards freshened, and was attended with rain. at noon, the east point of the sound (point nativity) bore n. / w., distant one and a half leagues, and st ildefonzo isles s.e. / s., distant seven leagues. the coast seemed to trend in the direction of e. by s.; but the weather being very hazy, nothing appeared distinct. we continued to steer s.e. by e. and e.s.e.; with a fresh breeze at w.n.w., till four o'clock p.m., when we hauled to the south, in order to have a nearer view of st ildefonzo isles. at this time we were abreast of an inlet, which lies e.s.e, about seven leagues from the sound; but it must be observed that there are some isles without this distinction. at the west point of the inlet are two high peaked hills, and below them, to the east, two round hills, or isles, which lie in the direction of n.e. and s.w. of each other. an island, or what appeared to be an island, lay in the entrance; and another but smaller inlet appeared to the west of this: indeed the coast appeared indented and broken as usual. at half past five o'clock, the weather clearing up, gave us a good sight of ildefonzo isles. they are a group of islands and rocks above water, situated about six leagues from the main, and in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. we now resumed our course to the east, and, at sun-set, the most advanced land bore s.e. by e. / e.; and a point, which i judged to be the west point of nassau bay, discovered by the dutch fleet under the command of admiral hermite in , bore n. ° e., six leagues distant. in some charts this point is called false cape horn, as being the southern point of terra del fuego. it is situated in latitude ° ' s. from the inlet above-mentioned to this false cape, the direction of the coast is nearly east, half a point south, distant fourteen or fifteen leagues. at ten o'clock, having shortened sail, we spent the night in making short boards under the top-sails, and at three next morning made sail, and steered s.e. by s., with a fresh breeze at w.s.w., the weather somewhat hazy. at this time the west entrance to nassau bay extended from n. by e. to n.e. / e., and the south side of hermite's isles, e. by s. at four, cape horn, for which we now steered, bore e. by s. it is known, at a distance, by a high round hill over it. a point to the w.n.w. shews a surface not unlike this; but their situations alone will always distinguish the one from the other. at half past seven, we passed this famous _cape_, and entered the southern atlantic ocean. it is the very same point of land i took for the cape, when i passed it in , which at that time i was doubtful of. it is the most southern extremity on a group of islands of unequal extent, lying before nassau bay, known by the name of hermite islands, and is situated in the latitude of ° ', and in the longitude of ° ' w.; according to the observations made of it in . but the observations which we had in christmas sound, and reduced to the cape by the watch, and others which we had afterwards, and reduced back to it by the same means, place it in ° '. it is most probable that a mean between the two, viz. ° ', will be nearest the truth. on the n.w. side of the cape are two peaked rocks, like sugar-loaves: they lie n.w. by n., and s.e. by s., by compass, of each other. some other straggling low rocks lie west of the cape, and one south of it; but they are all near the shore. from christmas sound to cape horn the course is e.s.e / e., distant thirty-one leagues. in the direction of e.n.e., three leagues from cape horn, is a rocky point, which i called mistaken cape, and is the southern point of the easternmost of hermite isles. between these two capes there seemed to be a passage directly into nassau bay; some small isles were seen in the passage; and the coast, on the west side, had the appearance of forming good bays or harbours. in some charts, cape horn is laid down as belonging to a small island. this was neither confirmed, nor can it be contradicted by us; for several breakers appeared on the coast, both to the east and west of it; and the hazy weather rendered every object indistinct. the summits of some of the hills were rocky, but the sides and vallies seemed covered with a green turf, and wooded in tufts. from cape horn we steered e. by n. / n., which direction carried us without the rocks that lie off mistaken cape. these rocks are white with the dung of fowls, and vast numbers were seen about them. after passing them we steered n.e. / e. and n.e., for strait le maire, with a view of looking into success bay, to see if there were any traces of the adventure having been there. at eight o'clock in the evening, drawing near the strait, we shortened sail, and hauled the wind. at this time the sugar-loaf on terra del fuego bore n. ° w.; the point of success bay, just open of the cape of the same name, bearing n. ° e.; and staten land, extending from n. ° e. to ° e. soon after the wind died away, and we had light airs and calms by turns till near noon the next day, during which time we were driven by the current over to staten land. the calm being succeeded by a light breeze at n.n.w., we stood over for success bay, assisted by the currents, which set to the north. before this we had hoisted our colours, and fired two guns; and soon after saw a smoke rise out of the woods, above the south point of the bay, which i judged was made by the natives, as it was at the place where they resided when i was here in . as soon as we got off the bay, i sent lieutenant pickersgill to see if any traces remained of the adventure having been there lately; and in the mean time we stood on and off with the ship. at two o'clock, the current turned and set to the south; and mr pickersgill informed me, when he returned, that it was falling water on shore, which was contrary to what i had observed when i was here before, for i thought then that the flood came from the north. mr pickersgill saw not the least signs of any ship having been there lately. i had inscribed our ship's name on a card, which he nailed to a tree at the place where the endeavour watered. this was done with a view of giving captain furneaux some information, in case he should be behind us and put in here. on mr pickersgill's landing he was courteously received by several of the natives, who were clothed in guanicoe and seal skins, and had on their arms bracelets, made of silver wire, and wrought not unlike the hilt of a sword, being no doubt the manufacture of some europeans. they were the same kind of people we had seen in christmas sound, and, like them, repeated the word pechera on every occasion. one man spoke much to mr pickersgill, pointing first to the ship and then to the bay, as if he wanted her to come in. mr pickersgill said the bay was full of whales and seals; and we had observed the same in the strait, especially on the terra del fuego side, where the whales, in particular, are exceedingly numerous. as soon as the boat was hoisted in, which, was not till near six o'clock, we made sail to the east, with a fine breeze at north. for since we had explored the south coast of terra del fuego, i resolved to do the same by staten land, which i believed to have been as little known as the former. at nine o'clock the wind freshening, and veering to n.w., we tacked, and stood to s.w., in order to spend the night; which proved none of the best, being stormy and hazy, with rain. next morning, at three o'clock, we bore up for the east end of staten land, which, at half past four, bore s. ° e., the west end s. ° e., and the land of terra del fuego s. ° w. soon after i had taken these bearings, the land was again obscured in a thick haze, and we were obliged to make way, as it were, in the dark; for it was but now and then we got a sight of the coast. as we advanced to the east, we perceived several islands, of unequal extent, lying off the land. there seemed to be a clear passage between the easternmost, and the one next to it, to the west. i would gladly have gone through this passage, and anchored under one of the islands, to have waited for better weather, for on sounding we found only twenty-nine fathoms water; but when i considered that this was running to leeward in the dark, i chose to keep without the islands, and accordingly hauled off to the north. at eight o'clock we were abreast of the most eastern isle, distant from it about two miles, and had the same depth of water as before. i now shortened sail to the three top-sails, to wait for clear weather; for the fog was so thick that we could see no other land than this island. after waiting an hour, and the weather not clearing, we bore up and hauled round the east end of the island, for the sake of smooth water and anchorage, if it should be necessary. in hauling round, we found a strong race of a current, like unto broken water; but we had no less than nineteen fathoms. we also saw on the island abundance of seals and birds. this was a temptation too great for people in our situation to withstand, to whom fresh provisions of any kind were acceptable; and determined me to anchor, in order that we might taste of what we now only saw at a distance. at length, after making a few boards, fishing, as it were, for the best ground, we anchored in twenty-one fathoms water, a stony bottom, about a mile from the island, which extended from n. ° e. to n. ° / w.; and soon after, the weather clearing up, we saw cape st john, or the east end of staten land, bearing s. ° e., distant four leagues. we were sheltered from the south wind by staten land, and from the north wind by the island; the other isles lay to the west, and secured us from that wind; but beside being open to the n.e. and e., we also lay exposed to the n.n.w. winds. this might have been avoided by anchoring more to the west, but i made choice of my situation for two reasons; first, to be near the island we intended to land upon, and, secondly, to be able to get to sea with any wind. after dinner we hoisted out three boats, and landed with a large party of men; some to kill seals, others to catch or kill birds, fish, or what came in our way. to find the former it mattered not where we landed, for the whole shore was covered with them; and by the noise they made one would have thought the island was stocked with cows and calves. on landing we found they were a different animal from seals, but in shape and motion exactly resembling them. we called them lions, on account of the great resemblance the male has to that beast. here were also the same kind of seals which we found in new zealand, generally known by the name of sea-bears; at least we gave them that name. they were, in general, so tame, or rather stupid, as to suffer us to come near enough to knock them down with sticks; but the large ones we shot, not thinking it safe to approach them. we also found on the island abundance of penguins and shags; and the latter had young ones almost fledged, and just to our taste. here were geese and ducks, but not many; birds of prey, and a few small birds. in the evening we returned on board, our boats well laden with one thing or other. january next day, being january the st, , finding that nothing was wanting but a good harbour to make this a tolerable place for ships to refresh at, whom chance or design, might bring hither, i sent mr gilbert over to staten land in the cutter to look for one. appearances promised success in a place opposite the ship. i also sent two other boats for the lions, etc. we had killed the preceding day; and soon after i went myself, and observed the sun's meridian altitude at the n.e. end of the island, which gave the latitude ° ' " s. after shooting a few geese, some other birds, and plentifully supplying ourselves with young shags, we returned on board, laden with sea-lions, sea-bears, etc. the old lions and bears were killed chiefly for the sake of their blubber, or fat, to make oil of; for, except their haslets, which were tolerable, the flesh was too rank to be eaten with any degree of relish. but the young cubs were very palateable, and even the flesh of some of the old lionesses was not much amiss, but that of the old males was abominable. in the afternoon i sent some people on shore to skin and cut off the fat of those which yet remained dead on shore, for we had already more carcases on board than necessary; and i went myself, in another boat, to collect birds. about ten o'clock mr gilbert returned from staten land, where he found a good port, situated three leagues to the westward of cape st john, and in the direction of north, a little easterly, from the n.e. end of the eastern island. it may be known by some small islands lying in the entrance. the channel, which is on the east side of these islands, is half a mile broad. the course is in s.w. by s., turning gradually to w. by s. and w. the harbour lies nearly in this last direction; is almost two miles in length; in some places near a mile broad; and hath in it from fifty to ten fathoms water, a bottom of mud and sand. its shores are covered with wood fit for fuel; and in it are several streams of fresh water. on the islands were sea-lions, etc. and such an innumerable quantity of gulls as to darken the air when disturbed, and almost to suffocate our people with their dung. this they seemed to void in a way of defence, and it stunk worse than assafoetida, or what is commonly called devil's dung. our people saw several geese, ducks, and race-horses, which is also a kind of duck. the day on which this port was discovered occasioned my calling it new-year's harbour. it would be more convenient for ships bound to the west, or round cape horn, if its situation would permit them to put to sea with an easterly and northerly wind. this inconvenience, however, is of little consequence, since these winds are never known to be of long duration. the southerly and westerly are the prevailing winds, so that a ship never can be detained long in this port. as we could not sail in the morning of the d for want of wind, i sent a party of men on shore to the island, on the same duty as before. towards noon we got a fresh breeze at west; but it came too late, and i resolved to wait till the next morning, when, at four o'clock, we weighed, with a fresh gale at n.w. by w., and stood for cape st john, which, at half past six, bore n. by e., distant four or five miles. this cape, being the eastern point of staten land, a description of it is unnecessary. it may, however, not be amiss to say, that it is a rock of a considerable height, situated in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., with a rocky islet lying close under the north part of it. to the westward of the cape, about five or six miles, is an inlet, which seemed to divide the land, that is, to communicate with the sea to the south; and between this inlet and the cape is a bay, but i cannot say of what depth. in sailing round the cape we met with a very strong current from the south: it made a race which looked like breakers; and it was as much as we could do, with a strong gale, to make head against it. after getting round the cape, i hauled up along the south coast, and as soon as we had brought the wind to blow off the land, it came upon us in such heavy squalls as obliged us to double-reef our top-sails. it afterwards fell, by little and little, and at noon ended in a calm. at this time cape st john bore n. ° e., distant three and a half leagues; cape st bartholomew, or the s.w. point of staten land, s. ° w.; two high detached rocks n. ° w.; and the place where the land seemed to be divided, which had the same appearance on this side, bore n. ° w. three leagues distant. latitude observed ° '. in this situation we sounded, but had no bottom with a line of fathoms. the calm was of very short duration, a breeze presently springing up at n.w.; but it was too faint to make head against the current, and we drove with it back to the n.n.e. at four o'clock the wind veered, at once, to s. by e., and blew in squalls attended with rain. two hours after, the squalls and rain subsided, and the wind returning back to the west, blew a gentle gale. all this time the current set us to the north, so that, at eight o'clock, cape st john bore w.n.w., distant about seven leagues. i now gave over plying, and steered s.e., with a resolution to leave the land; judging it to be sufficiently explored to answer the most general purposes of navigation and geography. chapter iv. _observations, geographical and nautical, with an account of the islands near staten land, and the animals found in them_. january the annexed chart will very accurately shew the direction, extent, and position of the coast, along which i have sailed, either in this or my former voyage. the latitudes have been determined by the sun's meridian altitude, which we were so fortunate as to obtain every day, except the one we sailed from christmas sound, which was of no consequence, as its latitude was known before. the longitudes have been settled by lunar observations, as is already mentioned. i have taken ° ' for the longitude of cape horn. from this meridian the longitudes of all the other parts are deduced by the watch, by which the extent of the whole mast be determined to a few miles; and whatever errors there may be in longitude, must be general. but i think it highly probable that the longitude is determined to within a quarter of a degree. thus the extent of terra del fuego from east to west, and consequently that of the straits of magalhaens, will be found less than most navigators have made it. in order to illustrate this and to shew the situations of the neighbouring lands, and, by this means, make the chart of more general use, i have extended it down to ° of latitude. but i am only answerable for the accuracy of such parts as i have explored myself. in laying down the rest i had recourse to the following authorities. the longitude of cape virgin mary, which is the most essential point, as it determines the length of the straits of magalhaens, is deduced from lord anson, who made ° ' difference of longitude between it and the strait le maire. now as the latter lies in ° ', cape virgin-mary must lie in: ° ', which is the longitude i have assigned to it, and which, i have reason to think, cannot be far from the truth. the strait of magalhaens, and the east coast of patagonia, are laid down from the observations made by the late english and french navigators. the position of the west coast of america, from cape victory northward, i have taken from the discoveries of _sarmiento_, a spanish navigator, communicated to me by mr stuart, f.r.s. falkland islands are copied from a sketch taken from captain m'bride, who circumnavigated them some years ago in his majesty's ship jason; and their distance from the main is agreeable to the run of the dolphin, under the command of commodore byron, from cape virgin mary to port egmont, and from port egmont to port desire, both of which runs were made in a few days; consequently no material errors could happen. the s.w. coast of terra del fuego, with respect to inlets, islands, etc. may be compared to the coast of norway; for i doubt if there be an extent of three leagues where there is not an inlet or harbour which will receive and shelter the largest shipping. the worst is, that till these inlets are better known, one has, as it were, to fish for anchorage. there are several lurking rocks on the coast, but happily none of them lie far from land, the approach to which may be known by sounding, supposing the weather so obscure that you cannot see it. for to judge of the whole by the parts we have sounded, it is more than probable that there are soundings all along the coast, and for several leagues out to sea. upon the whole, this is by no means the dangerous coast it has been represented. staten land lies near e. by n. and w. by s., and is ten leagues long in that direction, and no where above three or four leagues broad. the coast is rocky, much indented, and seemed to form several bays or inlets. it shews a surface of craggy hills which spire up to a vast height, especially near the west end. except the craggy summits of the hills, the greatest part was covered with trees and shrubs, or some sort of herbage, and there was little or no snow on it. the currents between cape deseada and cape horn set from west to east, that is, in the same direction as the coast; but they are by no means considerable. to the east of the cape their strength is much increased, and their direction is n.e. towards staten land. they are rapid in strait le maire and along the south coast of staten land, and set like a torrent round cape st john; where they take a n.w. direction, and continue to run very strong both within and without new year's isles. while we lay at anchor within this island, i observed that the current was strongest during the flood; and that on the ebb its strength was so much impaired, that the ship would sometimes ride head to the wind when it was at w. and w.n.w. this is only to be understood of the place where the ship lay at anchor, for at the very time we had a strong current setting to the westward, mr gilbert found one of equal strength near the coast of staten land setting to the eastward, though probably this was an eddy current or tide. if the tides are regulated by the moon, it is high-water by the shore at this place on the days of the new and full moon, about four o'clock. the perpendicular rise and fall is very inconsiderable, not exceeding four feet at most. in christmas sound it is high-water at half past two o'clock on the days of the full and change, and mr wales observed it to rise and fall on a perpendicular three feet six inches; but this was during the neap tides, consequently the spring tides must rise higher. to give such an account of the tides and currents on these coasts as navigators might depend on, would require a multitude of observations, and in different places, the making of which would be a work of time. i confess myself unprovided with materials for such a task; and believe that the less i say on this subject the fewer mistakes i shall make. but i think i have been able to observe, that in strait le maire the southerly tide or current, be it flood or ebb, begins to act on the days of new and full moon about four o'clock, which remark may be of use to ships who pass the strait. were i bound round cape horn to the west, and not in want of wood or water, or any other thing that might make it necessary to put into port, i would not come near the land at all. for by keeping out at sea you avoid the currents, which, i am satisfied, lose their force at ten or twelve leagues from land; and at a greater distance, there is none. during the time we were upon the coast we had more calms than storms, and the winds so variable, that i question if a passage might not have been made from east to west in as short a time as from west to east; nor did we experience any cold weather. the mercury in the thermometer at noon was never below °; and while we lay in christmas sound it was generally above temperate. at this place the variation was ° ' e.; a few leagues to the s. w. of strait le maire it was °; and at anchor, within new year's isles, it was ° ' e. these isles are, in general, so unlike staten land, especially the one on which we landed, that it deserves a particular description. it shews a surface of equal height, and elevated about thirty or forty feet above the sea, from which it is defended by a rocky coast. the inner part of the isle is covered with a sort of sword-grass, very green, and of a great length. it grows on little hillocks of two or three feet in diameter, and as many or more in height, in large tufts, which seemed to be composed of the roots of the plant matted together. among these hillocks are a vast number of paths made by sea-bears and penguins, by which they retire into the centre of the isle. it is, nevertheless, exceedingly bad travelling; for these paths are so dirty that one is sometimes up to the knees in mire. besides this plant, there are a few other grasses, a kind of heath, and some celery. the whole surface is moist and wet, and on the coast are several small streams of water. the sword-grass, as i call it, seems to be the same that grows in falkland isles, described by bougainville as a kind of _gladiolus_, or rather a species of _gramen_* and named by pernety corn-flags. [see english translation of bougainville, p. .] the animals found on this little spot are sea-lions, sea-bears, a variety of oceanic, and some land-birds. the sea-lion is pretty well described by pernety, though those we saw here have not such fore-feet or fins as that he has given a plate of, but such fins as that which he calls the sea-wolf. nor did we see any of the size he speaks of; the largest not being more than twelve or fourteen feet in length, and perhaps eight or ten in circumference. they are not of that kind described under the same name by lord anson; but, for aught i know, these would more properly deserve that appellation: the long hair, with which the back of the head, the neck and shoulders, are covered, giving them greatly the air and appearance of a lion. the other part of the body is covered with short hair, little longer than that of a cow or a horse, and the whole is a dark-brown. the female is not half so big as the male, and is covered with a short hair of an ash or light-dun colour. they live, as it were, in herds, on the rocks, and near the sea-shore. as this was the time for engendering as well as bringing forth their young, we have seen a male with twenty or thirty females about him, and always very attentive to keep them all to himself, and beating off every other male who attempted to come into his flock. others again had a less number; some no more than one or two; and here and there we have seen one lying growling in a retired, place, alone, and suffering neither males nor females to approach him: we judged these were old and superannuated. the sea-bears are not so large, by far, as the lions, but rather larger than a common seal. they have none of that long hair which distinguishes the lion. theirs is all of an equal length, and finer than that of the lion, something like an otter's, and the general colour is that of an iron-grey. this is the kind which the french call sea-wolfs, and the english seals; they are, however, different from the seals we have in europe and north america. the lions may, too, without any great impropriety, be called over-grown seals; for they are all of the same species. it was not at all dangerous to go among them, for they either fled or lay still. the only danger was in going between them and the sea; for if they took fright at any thing, they would come down in such numbers, that, if you could not get out of their way, you would be run over. sometimes, when we came suddenly upon them, or waked them out of their sleep, (for they are a sluggish sleepy animal), they would raise up their heads; snort and snarl, and look as fierce as if they meant to devour us; but as we advanced upon them they always run away, so that they are downright bullies. the penguin is an amphibious bird, so well known to most people, that i shall only observe, they are here in prodigious numbers, so that we could knock down as many as we pleased with a stick. i cannot say they are good eating. i have indeed made several good meals of them, but it was for want of better victuals. they either do not breed here, or else this was not the season; for we saw neither eggs nor young ones. shags breed here in vast numbers; and we carried on board not a few, as they are very good eating. they take certain spots to themselves, and build their nests near the edge of the cliffs on little hillocks, which are either those of the sword-grass, or else they are made by the shags building on them from year to year. there is another sort rather smaller than these, which breed in the cliffs of rocks. the geese are of the same sort we found in christmas sound; we saw but few, and some had young ones. mr forster shot one which was different from these, being larger, with a grey plumage, and black feet. the others make a noise exactly like a duck. here were ducks, but not many; and several of that sort which we called race-horses. we shot some, and found them to weigh twenty-nine or thirty pounds; those who eat of them said they were very good. the oceanic birds were gulls, terns, port egmont hens, and a large brown bird, of the size of an albatross, which pernety calls quebrantahuessas. we called them mother carey's geese, and found them pretty good eating; the land-birds were eagles, or hawks, bald-headed vultures, or what our seamen called turkey-buzzards, thrushes, and a few other small birds. our naturalists found two new species of birds. the one is about the size of a pigeon, the plumage as white as milk. they feed along-shore, probably on shell-fish and carrion, for they have a very disagreeable smell. when we first saw these birds we thought they were the snow-peterel, but the moment they were in our possession the mistake was discovered; for they resemble them in nothing but size and colour. these are not webb-footed. the other sort is a species of curlews nearly as big as a heron. it has a variegated plumage, the principal colours whereof are light-grey, and a long crooked bill. i had almost forgot to mention that there are sea-pies, or what we called, when in new zealand, curlews; but we only saw a few straggling pairs. it may not be amiss to observe, that the shags are the same bird which bougainville calls saw-bills; but he is mistaken in saying that the quebrantahuessas are their enemies; for this bird is of the peterel tribe, feeds wholly on fish, and is to be found in all the high southern latitudes. it is amazing to see how the different animals which inhabit this little spot are mutually reconciled. they seem to have entered into a league not to disturb each other's tranquillity. the sea-lions occupy most of the sea-coast; the sea-bears take up their abode in the isle; the shags have post in the highest cliffs; the penguins fix their quarters where there is the most easy communication to and from the sea; and the other birds choose more retired places. we have seen all these animals mix together, like domestic cattle and poultry in a farm-yard, without one attempting to molest the other. nay, i have often observed the eagles and vultures sitting on the hillocks among the shags, without the latter, either young or old, being disturbed at their presence. it may be asked how these birds of prey live? i suppose on the carcases of seals and birds which die by various causes; and probably not few, as they are so numerous. this very imperfect account is written more with a view to assist my own memory than to give information to others. i am neither a botanist nor a naturalist; and have not words to describe the productions of nature, either in the one branch of knowledge or the other. chapter v. _proceedings after leaving staten island, with an account of the discovery of the isle of georgia, and a description of it._ january having left the land in the evening of the d, as before mentioned, we saw it again next morning, at three o'clock, bearing west. wind continued to blow a steady fresh breeze till six p.m., when it shifted in a heavy squall to s.w., which came so suddenly upon us, that we had not time to take in the sails, and was the occasion of carrying away a top-gallant mast, a studding-sail boom, and a fore studding-sail. the squall ended in a heavy shower of rain, but the wind remained at s.w. our course was s.e., with a view of discovering that extensive coast laid down by mr dalrymple in his chart, in which is the gulph of st sebastian. i designed to make the western point of that gulph, in order to have all the other parts before me. indeed i had some doubt of the existence of such a coast; and this appeared to me the best route for clearing it up, and for exploring the southern part of this ocean. on the th, fresh gales, and wet and cloudy weather. at noon observed in ° ', latitude made from cape st john, ° ' e. at six o'clock p.m., being in the latitude ° ', and in longitude ° ' w., the variation was ° ' e. at eight o'clock in the evening of the th, being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we close-reefed our top-sails, and hauled to the north, with a very strong gale at west, attended with a thick haze and sleet. the situation just mentioned is nearly the same that mr dalrymple assigns for the s.w. point of the gulph of st sebastian. but as we saw neither land, nor signs of land, i was the more doubtful of its existence, and was fearful that, by keeping to the south, i might miss the land said to be discovered by la roche in , and by the ship lion in , which mr dalrymple places in ° ' latitude, and ° of longitude; but on looking over d'anville's chart, i found it laid down ° or ° more to the west; this difference of situation being to me a sign of the uncertainty of both accounts, determined me to get into the parallel as soon as possible, and was the reason of my hauling to the north at this time. towards the morning of the th the gale abated, the weather cleared up, and the wind veered to the w.s.w., where it continued till midnight, after which it veered to n.w. being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we sounded, but found no bottom with a line of one hundred and thirty fathoms. i still kept the wind on the larboard-tack, having a gentle breeze and pleasant weather. on the th, at noon, a bed of sea-weed passed the ship. in the afternoon, in latitude ° ', longitude ° ' w., the variation was ° ' e. on the th, wind at n.e., attended with thick hazy weather; saw a seal, and a piece of sea-weed. at noon, latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., the wind and weather continuing the same till towards midnight, when the latter cleared up, and the former veered to west, and blew a gentle gale. we continued to ply till two o'clock the next morning, when we bore away east, and at eight e.n.e.; at noon, observed in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., a great many albatrosses and blue peterels about the ship. i now steered east, and the next morning, in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., the variation was ° ' e. in the afternoon saw several penguins, and some pieces of weed. having spent the night lying-to, on the th, at day-break, we bore away, and steered east northerly, with a fine fresh breeze at w.s.w.; at noon observed in latitude ° ' s., longitude in ° ' w.; that is, near ° e. of the situation in which mr dalrymple places the n.e. point of the gulph of st sebastian; but we had no other signs of land than seeing a seal and a few penguins; on the contrary, we had a swell from e.s.e., which would hardly have been, if any extensive track of land lay in that direction. in the evening the gale abated, and at midnight it fell calm. the calm, attended by a thick fog, continued till six next morning, when we got a wind at east, but the fog still prevailed. we stood to the south till noon, when, being in the latitude of ° ', we tacked and stretched to the north with a fresh breeze at e. by s. and e.s.e., cloudy weather; saw several penguins and a snow-peterel, which we looked on to be signs of the vicinity of ice. the air too was much colder than we had felt it since we left new zealand. in the afternoon the wind veered to the s.e., and in the night to s.s.e., and blew fresh, with which we stood to the n.e. at nine o'clock the next morning we saw an island of ice, as we then thought, but at noon were doubtful whether it was ice or land. at this time it bore e. / s., distant thirteen leagues; our latitude was ° ' / , longitude ° ' w.; several penguins, small divers, a snow-peterel, and a vast number of blue peterels about the ship. we had but little wind all the morning, and at two p.m. it fell calm. it was now no longer doubted that it was land, and not ice, which we had in sight. it was, however, in a manner wholly covered with snow. we were farther confirmed in our judgement of its being land, by finding soundings at one hundred and seventy-five fathoms, a muddy bottom. the land at this time bore e. by s., about twelve leagues distant. at six o'clock the calm was succeeded by a breeze at n.e., with which we stood to s.e. at first it blew a gentle gale; but afterwards increased so as to bring us under double-reefed top-sails, and was attended with snow and sleet. we continued to stand to the s.e. till seven in the morning on the th, when the wind veering to the s.e., we tacked and stood to the north. a little before we tacked, we saw the land bearing e. by n. at noon the mercury in the thermometer was at ° / . the wind blew in squalls, attended with snow and sleet, and we had a great sea to encounter. at a lee-lurch which the ship took, mr wales observed her to lie down °. at half past four p.m. we took in the top-sails, got down top-gallant yards, wore the ship, and stood to the s.w., under two courses. at midnight the storm abated, so that we could carry the top-sails double-reefed. at four in the morning of the th we wore and stood to the east, with the wind at s.s.e., a moderate breeze, and fair; at eight o'clock saw the land extending from e. by n. to n.e. by n.; loosed a reef out of each top-sail, got top-gallant yards across, and set the sails. at noon observed in latitude ° ' / , longitude ° ' w. in this situation we had one hundred and ten fathoms water; and the land extended from n. / w. to e., eight leagues distant. the northern extreme was the same that we first discovered, and it proved to be an island, which obtained the name of willis's island, after the person who first saw it. at this time we had a great swell from the south, an indication that no land was near us in that direction; nevertheless the vast quantity of snow on that in sight induced us to think it was extensive, and i chose to begin with exploring the northern coast. with this view we bore up for willis's island, all sails set, having a fine gale at s.s.w. as we advanced to the north, we perceived another isle lying east of willis's, and between it and the main. seeing there was a clear passage between the two isles, we steered for it, and at five o'clock, being in the middle of it, we found it about two miles broad. willis's isle is an high rock of no great extent, near to which are some rocky islets. it is situated in the latitude of ° s., longitude ° ' w. the other isle, which obtained the name of bird isle, on account of the vast number that were upon it, is not so high, but of greater extent, and is close to the n.e. point of the main land, which i called cape north. the s.e. coast of this land, as far as we saw it, lies in the direction of s. ° e., and n. ° w. it seemed to form several bays or inlets; and we observed huge masses of snow, or ice, in the bottoms of them, especially in one which lies ten miles to the s.s.e. of bird isle. after getting through the passage, we found the north coast trended e. by n., for about nine miles; and then east and east-southerly to cape buller, which is eleven miles more. we ranged the coast, at one league distance, till near ten o'clock, when we brought-to for the night, and on sounding found fifty fathoms, a muddy bottom. at two o'clock in the morning of the th we made sail in for the land, with a fine breeze at s.w.; at four, willis's isle bore w. by s., distant thirty-two miles; cape buller, to the west of which lie some rocky islets, bore s.w. by w.; and the most advanced point of land to the east, s. ° e. we now steered along shore, at the distance of four or five miles, till seven o'clock, when, seeing the appearance of an inlet, we hauled in for it. as soon as we drew near the shore, having hoisted out a boat, i embarked in it, accompanied by mr forster and his party, with a view of reconnoitring the bay before we ventured in with the ship. when we put off from her, which was about four miles from the shore, we had forty fathoms water. i continued to sound as i went farther in, but found no bottom with a line of thirty-four fathoms, which was the length of that i had in the boat, and which also proved too short to sound the bay, so far as i went up it. i observed it to lie in s.w. by s. about two leagues, about two miles broad, well sheltered from all winds; and i judged there might be good anchorage before some sandy beaches which are on each side, and likewise near a low flat isle, towards the head of the bay. as i had come to a resolution not to bring the ship in, i did not think it worth my while to go and examine these places; for it did not seem probable that any one would ever be benefited by the discovery. i landed at three different places, displayed our colours, and took possession of the country in his majesty's name, under a discharge of small arms. i judged that the tide rises about four or five feet, and that it is high water on the full and change days about eleven o'clock. the head of the bay, as well as two places on each side, was terminated by perpendicular ice-cliffs of considerable height. pieces were continually breaking off, and floating out to sea; and a great fall happened while we were in the bay, which made a noise like cannon. the inner parts of the country were not less savage and horrible. the wild rocks raised their lofty summits till they were lost in the clouds, and the valleys lay covered with everlasting snow. not a tree was to be seen, nor a shrub even big enough to make a toothpick. the only vegetation we met with was a coarse strong-bladed grass growing in tufts, wild burnet, and a plant like moss, which sprung from the rocks. seals, or sea-bears, were pretty numerous. they were smaller than those at staten land: perhaps the most of those we saw were females, for the shores swarmed with young cubs. we saw none of that sort which we call lions; but there were some of those which the writer of lord anson's voyage describes under that name; at least they appeared to us to be of the same sort; and are, in my opinion, very improperly called lions, for i could not see any grounds for the comparison. here were several flocks of penguins, the largest i ever saw; some which we brought on board weighed from twenty-nine to thirty-eight pounds. it appears by bougainville's account of the animals of falkland islands, that this penguin is there; and i think it is very well described by him under the name of first class of penguins*. the oceanic birds were albatrosses, common gulls, and that sort which i call port egmont hens, terns, shags, divers, the new white bird, and a small bird like those of the cape of good hope, called yellow birds; which, having shot two, we found most delicious food. [* see bougainville, english translation p. .] all the land birds we saw consisted of a few small larks, nor did we meet with any quadrupeds. mr forster indeed observed some dung, which he judged to come from a fox, or some such animal. the lands, or rather rocks, bordering on the sea-coast, were not covered with snow like the inland parts; but all the vegetation we could see on the clear places was the grass above-mentioned. the rocks seemed to contain iron. having made the above observations, we set out for the ship, and got on board a little after twelve o'clock, with a quantity of seals and penguins, an acceptable present to the crew. it must not, however, be understood that we were in want of provisions: we had yet plenty of every kind; and since we had been on this coast, i had ordered, in addition to the common allowance, wheat to be boiled every morning for breakfast; but any kind of fresh meat was preferred by most on board to salt. for my own part, i was now, for the first time, heartily tired of salt meat of every kind; and though the flesh of the penguins could scarcely vie with bullock's liver, its being fresh was sufficient to make it go down. i called the bay we had been in, possession bay. it is situated in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., and eleven leagues to the east of cape north. a few miles to the west of possession bay, between it and cape buller, lies the bay of isles, so named on account of several small isles lying in and before it. as soon as the boat was hoisted in, we made sail along the coast to the east, with a fine breeze at w.s.w. from cape buller the direction of the coast is s. ° ' e., for the space of eleven or twelve leagues, to a projecting point, which obtained the name of cape saunders. beyond this cape is a pretty large bay, which i named cumberland bay. in several parts in the bottom of it, as also in some others of less extent, lying between cape saunders and possession bay, were vast tracks of frozen snow, or ice, not yet broken loose. at eight o'clock, being just past cumberland bay, and falling little wind, we hauled off the coast, from which we were distant about four miles, and found one hundred and ten fathoms water. we had variable light airs and calms till six o'clock the next morning, when the wind fixed at north, and blew a gentle breeze; but it lasted no longer than ten o'clock, when it fell almost to a calm. at noon, observed in latitude ° ' s., being then about two or three leagues from the coast, which extended from n. ° w. to s. ° w. the land in this last direction was an isle, which seemed to be the extremity of the coast to the east. the nearest land to us being a projecting point which terminated in a round hillock, was, on account of the day, named cape charlotte. on the west side of cape charlotte lies a bay which obtained the name of royal bay, and the west point of it was named cape george. it is the east point of cumberland bay, and lies in the direction of s.e. by e. from cape saunders, distant seven leagues. cape george and cape charlotte lie in the direction of s. ° e. and n. ° w., distant six leagues from each other. the isle above-mentioned, which was called cooper's isle, after my first lieutenant, lies in the direction of s. by e., distant eight leagues from cape charlotte. the coast between them forms a large bay, to which i gave the name of sandwich. the wind being variable all the afternoon we advanced but little; in the night it fixed at s. and s.s.w., and blew a gentle gale, attended with showers of snow. the th was wholly spent in plying, the wind continuing at s. and s.s.w., clear pleasant weather, but cold. at sunrise a new land was seen, bearing s.e. / e. it first appeared in a single hill, like a sugar-loaf; some time after other detached pieces appeared above the horizon near the hill. at noon, observed in the latitude ° ' " s., cape charlotte bearing n. ° w., distant four leagues; and cooper's isle s. ° w. in this situation a lurking rock, which lies off sandwich bay, five miles from the land, bore w. / n., distant one mile, and near this rock were several breakers. in the afternoon we had a prospect of a ridge of mountains behind sandwich bay, whose lofty and icy summits were elevated high above the clouds. the wind continued at s.s.w. till six o'clock, when it fell to a calm. at this time cape charlotte bore n. ° w., and cooper's island w.s.w. in this situation we found the variation, by the azimuths, to be ° ', and by the amplitude, ° ' e. at ten o'clock, a light breeze springing up at north, we steered to the south till twelve, and then brought-to for the night. at two o'clock in the morning of the th we made sail to s.w. round cooper's island. it is a rock of considerable height, about five miles in circuit, and one mile from the main. at this isle the main coast takes a s.w. direction for the space of four or five leagues to a point, which i called cape disappointment. off that are three small isles, the southernmost of which is green, low, and flat, and lies one league from the cape. as we advanced to s.w. land opened, off this point, in the direction of n. ° w., and nine leagues beyond it. it proved an island quite detached from the main, and obtained the name of pickersgill island, after my third officer. soon after a point of the main, beyond this island, came in sight, in the direction of n. ° w., which exactly united the coast at the very point we had seen, and taken the bearing of, the day we first came in with it, and proved to a demonstration that this land, which we had taken for part of a great continent, was no more than an island of seventy leagues in circuit. who would have thought that an island of no greater extent than this, situated between the latitude of ° and °, should, in the very height of summer, be in a manner wholly covered, many fathoms deep, with frozen snow, but more especially the s.w. coast? the very sides and craggy summits of the lofty mountains were cased with snow and ice; but the quantity which lay in the valleys is incredible; and at the bottom of the bays the coast was terminated by a wall of ice of considerable height. it can hardly be doubted that a great deal of ice is formed here in the water, which in the spring is broken off, and dispersed over the sea; but this island cannot produce the ten-thousandth part of what we saw; so that either there must be more land, or the ice is formed without it. these reflections led me to think that the land we had seen the preceding day might belong to an extensive track, and i still had hopes of discovering a continent. i must confess the disappointment i now met with did not affect me much; for, to judge of the bulk by the sample, it would not be worth the discovery. i called this island the isle of georgia, in honour of his majesty. it is situated, between the latitudes of ° ' and ° ' s.; and between ° ' and ° ' west longitude. it extends s.e. by e. and n.w. by w., and is thirty-one leagues long in that direction; and its greatest breadth is about ten leagues. it seems to abound with bays and harbours, the n.e. coast especially; but the vast quantity of ice must render them inaccessible the greatest part of the year; or, at least, it must be dangerous lying in them, on account of the breaking up of the ice cliffs. it is remarkable that we did not see a river, or stream of fresh water, on the whole coast. i think it highly probable that there are no perennial springs in the country; and that the interior parts, as being much elevated, never enjoy heat enough to melt the snow in such quantities as to produce a river, or stream, of water. the coast alone receives warmth sufficient to melt the snow, and this only on the n.e. side; for the other, besides being exposed to the cold south winds, is, in a great degree, deprived of the sun's rays, by the uncommon height of the mountains. it was from a persuasion that the sea-coast of a land situated in the latitude of °, could not, in the very height of summer, be wholly covered with snow, that i supposed bouvet's discovery to be large islands of ice. but after i had seen this land, i no longer hesitated about the existence of cape circumcision; nor did i doubt that i should find more land than i should have time to explore. with these ideas i quitted this coast, and directed my course to the e.s.e. for the land we had seen the preceding day. the wind was very variable till noon, when it fixed at n.n.e., and blew a gentle gale; but it increased in such a manner, that, before three o'clock, we were reduced to our two courses, and obliged to strike top-gallant yards. we were very fortunate in getting clear of the land, before this gale overtook us; it being hard to say what might have been the consequence had it come on while we were on the north coast. this storm was of short duration; for, at eight o'clock it began to abate; and at midnight it was little wind. we then took the opportunity to sound, but found no bottom with a line of an hundred and eighty fathoms. next day the storm was succeeded by a thick fog, attended with rain; the wind veered to n.w., and, at five in the morning, it fell calm, which continued till eight; and then we got a breeze southerly, with which we stood to the east till three in the afternoon. the weather then coming somewhat clear, we made sail, and steered north in search of land; but, at half-past six, we were again involved in a thick mist, which made it necessary to haul the wind, and spend the night in making short boards. we had variable light airs next to a calm, and thick foggy weather, till half-past seven o'clock in the evening of the d, when we got a fine breeze at north, and the weather was so clear that we could see two or three leagues round us. we seized the opportunity, and steered to west; judging we were to the east of the land. after running ten miles to the west, the weather again became foggy, and we hauled the wind, and spent the night under top-sails. next morning at six o'clock, the fog clearing away, so that we could see three or four miles, i took the opportunity to steer again to the west, with the wind at east, a fresh breeze; but two hours after, a thick fog once more obliged us to haul the wind to the south. at eleven o'clock, a short interval of clear weather gave us view of three or four rocky islets extending from s.e. to e.n.e., two or three miles distant; but we did not see the sugar-loaf peak beforementioned. indeed, two or three miles was the extent of our horizon. we were well assured that this was the land we had seen before, which we had now been quite round; and therefore it could be no more than a few detached rocks, receptacles for birds, of which we now saw vast numbers, especially shags, who gave us notice of the vicinity of land before we saw it. these rocks lie in the latitude of ° s., and s. ° e., distant twelve leagues from cooper's isle. the interval of clear weather was of very short duration, before we had as thick a fog as ever, attended with rain, on which we tacked in sixty fathoms water, and stood to the north. thus we spent our time, involved in a continual thick mist; and, for aught we knew, surrounded by dangerous rocks. the shags and soundings were our best pilots; for after we had stood a few miles to the north, we got out of soundings, and saw no more shags. the succeeding day and night we spent in making short boards; and at eight o'clock on the th, judging ourselves not far from the rocks by some straggling shags which came about us, we sounded in sixty fathoms water, the bottom stones and broken shells. soon after, we saw the rocks bearing s.s.w. / w., four miles distant, but still we did not see the peak. it was, no doubt, beyond our horizon, which was limited to a short distance; and, indeed, we had but a transient sight of the other rocks, before they were again lost in the fog. with a light air of wind at north, and a great swell from n.e., we were able to clear the rocks to the west; and, at four in the p.m., judging ourselves to be three or four leagues east and west of them, i steered south, being quite tired with cruizing about them in a thick fog; nor was it worth my while to spend any more time in waiting for clear weather, only for the sake of having a good sight of a few straggling rocks. at seven o'clock, we had at intervals a clear sky to the west, which gave us a sight of the mountains of the isle of georgia, bearing w.n.w., about eight leagues distant. at eight o'clock we steered s.e. by s., and at ten s.e. by e., with a fresh breeze at north, attended with a very thick fog; but we were, in some measure, acquainted with the sea over which we were running. the rocks above-mentioned obtained the name of clerke's rocks, after my second officer, he being the first who saw them. chapter vi. _ proceedings after leaving the isle of georgia, with an account of the discovery of sandwich land; with some reasons for there being land about the south pole_. january on the th, we steered e.s.e., with a fresh gale at n.n.e., attended with foggy weather, till towards the evening, when the sky becoming clear, we found the variation to be ° ' e., being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. having continued to steer e.s.e., with a fine gale at n.n.w., till day-light next morning, on seeing no land to the east, i gave orders to steer south, being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. the weather continued clear, and gave us an opportunity to observe several distances of the sun and moon for the correcting our longitude, which at noon was ° ' w., the latitude observed ° ' s. we continued to steer to the south till the th, at noon, at which time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., and had so thick a fog that we could not see a ship's length. it being no longer safe to sail before the wind, as we were to expect soon to fall in with ice, i therefore hauled to the east, having a gentle breeze at n.n.e. soon after the fog clearing away, we resumed our course to the south till four o'clock, when it returned again as thick as ever, and made it necessary for us to haul upon a wind. i now reckoned we were in latitude ° s., and farther i did not intend to go, unless i observed some certain signs of soon meeting with land. for it would not have been prudent in me to have spent my time in penetrating to the south, when it was at least as probable that a large tract of land might be found near cape circumcision. besides, i was tired of these high southern latitudes, where nothing was to be found but ice and thick fogs. we had now a long hollow swell from the west, a strong indication that there was no land in that direction; so that i think i may venture to assert that the extensive coast, laid down in mr dalrymple's chart of the ocean between africa and america, and the gulph of st sebastian, do not exist. at seven o'clock in the evening, the fog receding from us a little, gave us a sight of an ice island, several penguins and some snow peterels; we sounded, but found no ground at one hundred and forty fathoms. the fog soon returning, we spent the night in making boards over that space which we had, in some degree, made ourselves acquainted with in the day. at eight in the morning of the th, we stood to the east, with a gentle gale at north; the weather began to clear up; and we found the sea strewed with large and small ice; several penguins, snow peterels, and other birds were seen, and some whales. soon after we had sun-shine, but the air was cold; the mercury in the thermometer stood generally at thirty-five, but at noon it was °; the latitude by observation was ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. we continued to stand to the east till half-past two o'clock, p.m., when we fell in, all at once, with a vast number of large ice-islands, and a sea strewed with loose ice. the weather too was become thick and hazy, attended with drizzling rain and sleet, which made it the more dangerous to stand in among the ice. for this reason we tacked and stood back to the west, with the wind at north. the ice-islands, which at this time surrounded us, were nearly all of equal height, and shewed a flat even surface; but they were of various extent, some being two or three miles in circuit. the loose ice was what had broken from these isles. next morning, the wind falling and veering to s.w., we steered n.e.; but this coarse was soon intercepted by numerous ice-islands; and, having but very little wind, we were obliged to steer such courses as carried us the clearest of them; so that we hardly made any advance, one way or other, during the whole day. abundance of whales and penguins were about us all the time; and the weather fair, but dark and gloomy. at midnight the wind began to freshen at n.n.e., with which we stood to the n.w., till six in the morning of the th, when the wind veering to n.n.w., we tacked and stood to n.e., and soon after sailed through a good deal of loose ice, and passed two large islands. except a short interval of clear weather about nine o'clock, it was continually foggy, with either sleet or snow. at noon we were, by our reckoning, in the latitude of ° o' s., longitude ° ' w. continuing to stand to n.e. with a fresh breeze at n.n.w., at two o'clock, we passed one of the largest ice-islands we had seen in the voyage, and some time after passed two others, which were much smaller; weather still foggy, with sleet: and the wind continued at n. by w., with which we stood to n.e., over a sea strewed with ice. at half an hour past six next morning, as we were standing n.n.e. with the wind at west, the fog very fortunately clearing away a little, we discovered land ahead, three or four miles distant. on this we hauled the wind to the north; but finding we could not weather the land on this tack, we soon after tacked in one hundred and seventy-five fathoms water, three miles from the shore, and about half a league from some breakers. the weather then cleared up a little more, and gave us a tolerably good sight of the land. that which we had fallen in with proved three rocky islets of considerable height. the outermost terminated in a lofty peak like a sugar-loaf, and obtained the name of freezeland peak, after the man who first discovered it. latitude ° s., longitude ° w. behind this peak, that is to the east of it, appeared an elevated coast, whose lofty snow-clad summits were seen above the clouds. it extended from n. by e. to e.s.e., and i called it cape bristol, in honour of the noble family of hervey. at the same time another elevated coast appeared in sight, bearing s.w. by s., and at noon it extended from s.e. to s.s.w., from four to eight leagues distant; at this time the observed latitude was ° ' " s., longitude ° ' w. i called this land southern thule, because it is the most southern land that has ever yet been discovered. it shews a surface of vast height, and is every where covered with snow. some thought they saw land in the space between thule and cape bristol. it is more than probable that these two lands are connected, and that this space is a deep bay, which i called forster's bay. at one o'clock, finding that we could not weather thule, we tacked and stood to the north, and at four, freezeland peak bore east, distant three or four leagues. soon after, it fell little wind, and we were left to the mercy of a great westerly swell, which set right upon the shore. we sounded, but a line of two hundred fathoms found no bottom. at eight o'clock, the weather, which had been very hazy, clearing up, we saw cape bristol bearing e.s.e., and terminating in a point to the north, beyond which we could see no land. this discovery relieved us from the fear of being carried by the swell on the most horrible coast in the world, and we continued to stand to the north all night, with a light breeze at west. february on the st of february, at four o'clock in the morning, we got sight of a new coast, which at six o'clock bore n. ° east. it proved a high promontory, which i named cape montagu, situated in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' west, and seven or eight leagues to the north of cape bristol. we saw land from space to space between them, which made me conclude that the whole was connected. i was sorry i could not determine this with greater certainty; but prudence would not permit me to venture near a coast, subject to thick fogs, on which there was no anchorage; where every port was blocked or filled up with ice; and the whole country, from the summits of the mountains, down to the very brink of the cliffs which terminate the coast, covered, many fathoms thick, with everlasting snow. the cliffs alone was all which was to be seen like land. several large ice-islands lay upon the coast; one of which attracted my notice. it had a flat surface, was of considerable extent both in height and circuit, and had perpendicular sides, on which the waves of the sea had made no impression; by which i judged that it had not been long from land, and that it might lately have come out of some bay on the coast, where it had been formed. at noon we were east and west of the northern part of cape montagu, distant about five leagues, and freezeland peak bore s. ° east, distant twelve leagues; latitude observed ° ' s. in the morning the variation was ° ' east. at two in the afternoon, as we were standing to the north, with a light breeze at s.w., we saw land bearing n. ' east, distant fourteen leagues. cape montagu bore at this time, s. ° east; at eight it bore s. ° east; cape bristol, s. by e.; the new land extending from n. ° to ° east; and we thought we saw land still more to the east, and beyond it. continuing to steer to the north all night, at six o'clock the next morning a new land was seen bearing n. ° east, about ten leagues distant. it appeared in two hummocks just peeping above the horizon; but we soon after lost sight of them; and having got the wind at n.n.e. a fresh breeze, we stood for the northernmost land we had seen the day before, which at this time bore e.s.e. we fetched in with it by ten o'clock, but could not weather it, and were obliged to tack three miles from the coast, which extended from e. by s. to s.e., and had much the appearance of being an island of about eight or ten leagues circuit. it shews a surface of considerable height, whose summit was lost in the clouds, and, like all the neighbouring lands, covered with a sheet of snow and ice, except in a projecting point on the north side, and two hills seen over this point, which probably might be two islands. these only were clear of snow, and seemed covered with a green turf. some large ice islands lay to the n.e., and some others to the south. we stood off till noon, and then tacked for the land again, in order to see whether it was an island or no. the weather was now become very hazy, which soon turning to a thick fog, put a stop to discovery, and made it unsafe to stand for the shore; so that after having run the same distance in, as we had run off, we tacked and stood to n.w., for the land we had seen in the morning, which was yet at a considerable distance. thus we were obliged to leave the other, under the supposition of its being an island, which i named saunders, after my honourable friend sir charles. it is situated in the latitude of ° ' south longitude, ° ' west; and north, distant thirteen leagues, from cape montagu. at six o'clock in the evening, the wind shifting to the west, we tacked, and stood to the north; and at eight the fog clearing away, gave us a sight of saunders's isle, extending from s.e. by s. to e.s.e. we were still in doubt if it was an island; for, at this time, land was seen bearing e. by s., which might or might not be connected with it; it might also be the same that we had seen the preceding evening. but, be this as it may, it was now necessary to take a view of the land to the north, before we proceeded any farther to the east. with this intention, we stood to the north, having a light breeze at w. by s., which at two o'clock in the morning of the d, was succeeded by a calm that continued till eight, when we got the wind at e. by s. attended by hazy weather. at this time we saw the land we were looking for, and which proved to be two isles. the day on which they were discovered, was the occasion of calling them candlemas isles; latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. they were of no great extent, but of considerable height, and were covered with snow. a small rock was seen between them, and perhaps there may be more; for the weather was so hazy that we soon lost sight of the islands, and did not see them again till noon, at which time they bore west, distant three or four leagues. as the wind kept veering to the south, we were obliged to stand to the n.e., in which route we met with several large ice islands, loose ice, and many penguins; and at midnight, came at once into water uncommonly white, which alarmed the officer of the watch so much, that he tacked the ship instantly. some thought it was a float of ice; others that it was shallow water; but, as it proved neither, probably it was a shoal of fish. we stood to the south till two o'clock next morning, when we resumed our course to the east with a faint breeze at s.s.e. which having ended in a calm, at six, i took the opportunity of putting a boat in the water to try if there were any current; and the trial proved there was none. some whales were playing about us, and abundance of penguins: a few of the latter were shot, and they proved to be of the same sort that we had seen among the ice before, and different both from those on staten land, and from those at the isle of georgia. it is remarkable, that we had not seen a seal since we left that coast. at noon we were in latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. at this time we got a breeze at east, with which we stood to the south, with a view of gaining the coast we had left; but at eight o'clock the wind shifted to the south, and made it necessary to tack and stand to the east; in which course we met with several ice-islands and some loose ice; the weather continuing hazy with snow and rain. no penguins were seen on the th, which made me conjecture that we were leaving the land behind us, and that we had already seen its northern extremity. at noon we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' west, which was ° of longitude to the east of saunders's isle. in the afternoon the wind shifted to the west; this enabled us to stretch to the south, and to get into the latitude of the land, that, if it took an east direction, we might again fall in with it. we continued to steer to the south and s.e. till next day at noon, at which time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' west, and seeing neither land nor signs of any, i concluded that what we had seen, which i named sandwich land, was either a group of islands, or else a point of the continent. for i firmly believe that there is a tract of land near the pole which is the source of most of the ice that is spread over this vast southern ocean. i also think it probable that it extends farthest to the north opposite the southern atlantic and indian oceans; because ice was always found by us farther to the north in these oceans than any where else, which i judge could not be, if there were not land to the south; i mean a land of considerable extent. for if we suppose that no such land exists, and that ice may be formed without it, it will follow of course that the cold ought to be every where nearly equal round the pole, as far as ° or ' of latitude, or so far as to be beyond the influence of any of the known continents; consequently we ought to see ice every where under the same parallel, or near it; and yet the contrary has been, found. very few ships have met with ice going round cape horn: and we saw but little below the sixtieth degree of latitude, in the southern pacific ocean. whereas in this ocean, between the meridian of ° west and ° or ° east, we found ice as far north as °. bouvet met with, some in °, and others have seen it in a much lower latitude. it is true, however, that the greatest part of this southern continent (supposing there is one), must lie within the polar circle, where the sea is so pestered with ice, that the land is thereby inaccessible. the risque one runs in exploring a coast, in these unknown and icy seas, is so very great, that i can be bold enough to say that no man will ever venture farther than i have done; and that the lands which may lie to the south will never be explored. thick fogs, snow storms, intense cold, and every other thing that can render navigation dangerous, must be encountered, and these difficulties are greatly heightened by the inexpressibly horrid aspect of the country; a country doomed by nature never once to feel the warmth of the sun's rays, but to lie buried in everlasting snow and ice. the ports which may be on the coast, are, in a manner, wholly filled up with frozen snow of vast thickness; but if any should be so far open as to invite a ship into it, she would run a risque of being fixed there for ever, or of coming out in an ice island. the islands and floats on the coast, the great falls from the ice-cliffs in the port, or a heavy snow-storm attended with a sharp frost, would be equally fatal. after such an explanation as this, the reader must not expect to find me much farther to the south. it was, however, not for want of inclination, but for other reasons. it would have been rashness in me to have risqued all that had been done during the voyage, in discovering and exploring a coast, which, when discovered and explored, would have answered no end whatever, or have been of the least use, either to navigation or geography, or indeed to any other science. bouvet's discovery was yet before us, the existence of which was to be cleared up; and, besides all this, we were not now in a condition to undertake great things; nor indeed was there time, had we been ever so well provided. these reasons induced me to alter the course to the east, with a very strong gale at north, attended with an exceedingly heavy fall of snow. the quantity which lodged on our sails was so great, that we were frequently obliged to throw the ship up in the wind to shake it out of them, otherwise neither they nor the ship could have supported the weight. in the evening it ceased to snow; the weather cleared up, the wind backed to the west, and we spent the night in making two short boards, under close-reefed top-sails and fore-sail. at day-break on the th, we resumed our course to the east, with a very fresh gale at s.w. by w., attended by a high sea from the same direction. in the afternoon, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' west, the variation was ° ' east. only three ice-islands seen this day. at eight o'clock, shortened sail, and hauled the wind to the s.e. for the night, in which we had several showers of snow and sleet. on the th at day-light, we resumed our east course with a gentle breeze and fair weather. after sun-rise, being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' west, the variation, by the mean results of two compasses, was ° ' east. these observations were more to be depended on than those made the night before, there being much less sea now than then. in the afternoon, we passed three ice-islands. this night was spent as the preceding. at six next morning, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., the variation was ' e.; and in the afternoon, being in the same latitude, and about a quarter of a degree more to the east, it was ' west. therefore this last situation must be in or near the line, in which the compass has no variation. we had a calm the most part of the day. the weather fair and clear, excepting now and then a snow-shower. the mercury in the thermometer at noon rose to ; whereas, for several days before, it had been no higher than or . we had several ice-islands in sight, but no one thing that could induce us to think that any land was in our neighbourhood. at eight in the evening a breeze sprung up at s.e., with which we stood to n.e. during the night the wind freshened and veered south, which enabled us to steer east. the wind was attended with showers of sleet and snow till day-light, when the weather became fair, but piercing cold, so that the water on deck was frozen, and at noon the mercury in the thermometer was no higher than - / . at six o'clock in the morning, the variation was ' west, being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w; and at six in the evening, being in the same latitude, and in the longitude of ° ' w., it was ° ' w. in the evening the wind abated; and during the night, it was variable between south and west. ice-islands continually in sight. on the th, wind westerly, light airs attended with heavy showers of snow in the morning; but as the day advanced, the weather became fair, clear, and serene. still continuing to steer east, at noon we observed in latitude ° ', longitude at the same time ° ' west. thermometer - / . in the afternoon we had two hours calm; after which we had faint breezes between the n.e. and s.e. at six o'clock in the morning of the th, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., the variation was ° ' west. we had variable light airs next to a calm all this day, and the weather was fair and clear till towards the evening, when it became cloudy with snow-showers, and the air very cold. ice-islands continually in sight; most of them small and breaking to pieces. in the afternoon of the th, the wind increased, the sky became clouded, and soon after we had a very heavy fall of snow, which continued till eight or nine o'clock in the evening, when the wind abating and veering to s.e., the sky cleared up, and we had a fair night, attended with so sharp a frost, that the water in all our vessels on deck was next morning covered with a sheet of ice. the mercury in the thermometer was as low as °, which is ° below freezing, or rather ; for we generally found the water freeze when the mercury stood at °. towards noon on the th, the wind veering to the south, increased to a very strong gale, and blew in heavy squalls attended with snow. at intervals, between the squalls, the weather was fair and clear, but exceedingly cold. we continued to steer east, inclining a little to the north, and in, the afternoon crossed the first meridian, or that of greenwich, in the latitude of ° ' s. at eight in, the evening, we close-reefed the top-sails, took in the main-sail, and steered east with a very hard gale at s.s.w., and a high sea from the same direction. at day-break on the th, we set the main-sail, loosed a reef out of each top-sail, and with a very strong gale at s.w., and fair weather, steered e.n.e. till noon, at which, time we were in latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., when we pointed to the n.e., in order to get into the latitude of cape circumcision. some large ice-islands were in sight, and the air was nearly as cold as on the preceding day. at eight o'clock in the evening, shortened sail, and at eleven hauled the wind to the n.w., not daring to stand on in the night, which was foggy, with snow-showers, and a smart frost. at day-break on the th, we bore away n.e., with a light breeze at west, which, at noon, was succeeded by a calm and fair weather. our latitude at this time was ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., in which situation we had a great swell from the southward, but no ice in sight. at one o'clock in the p.m., a breeze springing up at e.n.e., we stood to s.e. till six, then tacked, and stood to the north, under double-reefed top-sails and courses, having a very fresh gale attended with snow and sleet, which fixed to the masts and rigging as it fell, and coated the whole with ice. on the th the wind continued veering, by little and little, to the south, till midnight, when it fixed at s.w. being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' east, i steered east, having a prodigious high sea from the south, which assured us no land was near in that direction. in the morning of the th, it ceased to snow; the weather became fair and clear; and we found the variation to be ° ' west. at noon we were in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' east. i thought this a good latitude to keep in, to look for cape circumcision; because, if the land had ever so little extent in the direction of north and south, we could not miss seeing it, as the northern point is said to lie in °. we had yet a great swell from the south, so that i was now well assured it could only be an island, and it was of no consequence which side we fell in with. in the evening mr wales made several observations of the moon, and stars regulus and spica; the mean results, at four o'clock when the observations were made, for finding the time by the watch, gave ° ' " east longitude. the watch at the same time gave ° ' ". soon after the variation was found to be ° ' west. it is nearly in this situation that mr bouvet had ° east. i cannot suppose that the variation has altered so much since that time; but rather think he had made some mistake in his observations. that there could be none in ours was certain, from the uniformity for some time past. besides, we found ° ' west, variation, nearly under this meridian, in january . during the night the wind veered round by the n.w. to n.n.e. and blew a fresh gale. at eight in the morning of the th, we saw the appearance of land in the direction of e. by s., or that of our course; but it proved a mere fog-bank, and soon after dispersed. we continued to steer e. by s. and s.e., till seven o'clock in the evening, when being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., and the wind having veered to n.e., we tacked and stood to n.w. under close-reefed topsails and courses; having a very strong gale attended with snow-showers. at four o'clock next morning, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° '. east, we tacked and stretched to n.e. with a fresh gale at s.w., attended with snow-showers and sleet. at noon, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., with a fresh gale at w. by n., and tolerably clear weather, we steered east till ten o'clock in the evening, when we brought-to, lest we might pass any land in the night, of which we however had not the least signs. at day-break, having made sail, we bore away e., and at noon observed in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' east, which is ° to the east of the longitude in which cape circumcision is said to lie; so that we began to think there was no such land in existence. i however continued to steer east, inclining a little to the south, till four o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, when we were in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' east. we had now run down thirteen degrees of longitude in the very latitude assigned for bouvet's land. i was therefore well assured that what he had seen could be nothing but an island of ice; for, if it had been land, it is hardly possible we could have missed it, though it were ever so small. besides, from the time of leaving the southern lands, we had not met with the least signs of any other. but even suppose we had, it would have been no proof of the existence of cape circumcision; for i am well assured that neither seals nor penguins, nor any of the oceanic birds, are indubitable signs of the vicinity of land. i will allow that they are found on the coasts of all these southern lands; but are they not also to be found in all parts of the southern ocean? there are, however, some oceanic or aquatic birds which point out the vicinity of land; especially shags, which seldom go out of sight of it; and gannets, boobies, and men-of-war birds, i believe, seldom go very far out to sea. as we were now no more than two degrees of longitude front our route to the south, when we left the cape of good hope, it was to no purpose to proceed any farther to the east under this parallel, knowing that no land could be there. but an opportunity now offering of clearing up some doubts of our having seen land farther to the south, i steered s.e. to get into the situation in which it was supposed to lie. we continued this course till four o'clock the next morning, and then s.e. by e. and e.s.e., till eight in the evening, at which time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' east, both deduced from observations made the same day; for, in the morning, the sky was clear at intervals, and afforded an opportunity to observe several distances of the sun and moon, which we had not been able to do for some time past, having had a constant succession of bad weather. having now run over the place where the land was supposed to lie, without seeing the least signs of any, it was no longer to be doubted but that the ice-islands had deceived us as well as mr bouvet. the wind by this time having veered to the north, and increased to a perfect storm, attended as usual with snow and sleet, we handed the top-sails and hauled up e.n.e. under the courses. during the night the wind abated, and veered to n.w., which enabled us to steer more to the north, having no business farther south. chapter vii. _heads of what has been done in the voyage; with some conjectures concerning the formation of ice-islands; and an account of our proceedings till our arrival at the cape of good hope._ february i had now made the circuit of the southern ocean in a high latitude, and traversed it in such a manner as to leave not the least room for the possibility of there being a continent, unless near the pole, and out of the reach of navigation. by twice visiting the tropical sea, i had not only settled the situation of some old discoveries, but made there many new ones, and left, i conceive, very little more to be done even in that part. thus i flatter myself, that the intention of the voyage has, in every respect, been fully answered; the southern hemisphere sufficiently explored, and a final end put to the searching after a southern continent, which has, at times, ingrossed the attention of some of the maritime powers, for near two centuries past, and been a favourite theory amongst the geographers of all ages. that there may be a continent, or large tract of land, near the pole, i will not deny; on the contrary i am of opinion there is; and it is probable that we have seen a part of it. the excessive cold, the many islands and vast floats of ice, all tend to prove that there must be land to the south; and for my persuasion that this southern land must lie, or extend, farthest to the north opposite to the southern atlantic and indian oceans, i have already assigned some reasons; to which i may add the greater degree of cold experienced by us in these seas, than in the southern pacific ocean under the same parallels of latitude. in this last ocean, the mercury in the thermometer seldom fell so low as the freezing point, till we were in ° and upwards; whereas in the others, it fell as low in the latitude of °. this was certainly owing to there being a greater quantity of ice, and to its extending farther to the north, in these two seas than in the south pacific; and if ice be first formed at, or near land, of which i have no doubt, it will follow that the land also extends farther north. the formation or coagulation of ice-islands has not, to my knowledge, been thoroughly investigated. some have supposed them to be formed by the freezing of the water at the mouths of large rivers, or great cataracts, where they accumulate till they are broken off by their own weight. my observations will not allow me to acquiesce in this opinion; because we never found any of the ice which we took up incorporated with earth, or any of its produce, as i think it must have been, had it been coagulated in land-waters. it is a doubt with me, whether there be any rivers in these countries. it is certain, that we saw not a river, or stream of water, on all the coast of georgia, nor on any of the southern lands. nor did we ever see a stream of water run from any of the ice-islands. how are we then to suppose that there are large rivers? the valleys are covered, many fathoms deep, with everlasting snow; and, at the sea, they terminate in icy cliffs of vast height. it is here where the ice-islands are formed; not from streams of water, but from consolidated snow and sleet, which is almost continually falling or drifting down from the mountains, especially in the winter, when the frost must be intense. during that season, the ice-cliffs must so accumulate as to fill up all the bays, be they ever so large. this is a fact which cannot be doubted, as we have seen it so in summer. these cliffs accumulate by continual falls of snow, and what drifts from the mountains, till they are no longer able to support their own weight; and then large pieces break off, which we call ice-islands. such as have a flat even surface, must be of the ice formed in the bays, and before the flat vallies; the others, which have a tapering unequal surface, must be formed on, or under, the side of a coast composed of pointed rocks and precipices, or some such uneven surface. for we cannot suppose that snow alone, as it falls, can form, on a plain surface, such as the sea, such a variety of high peaks and hills, as we saw on many of the ice-isles. it is certainly more reasonable to believe that they are formed on a coast whose surface is something similar to theirs. i have observed that all the ice-islands of any extent, and before they begin to break to pieces, are terminated by perpendicular cliffs of clear ice or frozen snow, always on one or more sides, but most generally all round. many, and those of the largest size, which had a hilly and spiral surface, shewed a perpendicular cliff, or side, from the summit of the highest peak down to its base. this to me was a convincing proof, that these, as well as the flat isles, must have broken off from substances like themselves, that is, from some large tract of ice. when i consider the vast quantity of ice we saw, and the vicinity of the places to the pole where it is formed, and where the degrees of longitude are very small, i am led to believe that these ice-cliffs extend a good way into the sea, in some parts, especially in such as are sheltered from the violence of the winds. it may even be doubted if ever the wind is violent in the very high latitudes. and that the sea will freeze over, or the snow that falls upon it, which amounts to the same thing, we have instances in the northern hemisphere. the baltic, the gulph of st laurence, the straits of belle-isle, and many other equally large seas, are frequently frozen over in winter. nor is this at all extraordinary, for we have found the degree of cold at the surface of the sea, even in summer, to be two degrees below the freezing point; consequently nothing kept it from freezing but the salt it contains, and the agitation of its surface. whenever this last ceaseth in winter, when the frost is set in, and there comes a fall of snow, it will freeze on the surface as it falls, and in a few days, or perhaps in one night, form such a sheet of ice as will not be easily broken up. thus a foundation will be laid for it to accumulate to any thickness by falls of snow, without its being at all necessary for the sea-water to freeze. it may be by this means these vast floats of low ice we find in the spring of the year are formed, and which, after they break up, are carried by the currents to the north. for, from all the observations i have been able to make, the currents every where, in the high latitudes, set to the north, or to the n.e. or n.w.; but we have very seldom found them considerable. if this imperfect account of the formation of these extraordinary floating islands of ice, which is written wholly from my own observations, does not convey some useful hints to an abler pen, it will, however, convey some idea of the lands where they are formed: lands doomed by nature to perpetual frigidness; never to feel the warmth of the sun's rays; whose horrible and savage aspect i have not words to describe. such are the lands we have discovered; what then may we expect those to be which lie still farther to the south? for we may reasonably suppose that we have seen the best, as lying most to the north. if any one should have resolution and perseverance to clear up this point by proceeding farther than i have done, i shall not envy him the honour of the discovery; but i will be bold to say, that the world will not be benefited by it. i had, at this time, some thoughts of revisiting the place where the french discovery is said to lie. but then i considered that, if they had really made this discovery, the end would be as fully answered as if i had done it myself. we know it can only be an island; and if we may judge from the degree of cold we found in that latitude, it cannot be a fertile one. besides, this would have kept me two months longer at sea, and in a tempestuous latitude, which we were not in a condition to struggle with. our sails and rigging were so much worn, that something was giving way every hour; and we had nothing left either to repair or to replace them. our provisions were in a state of decay, and consequently afforded little nourishment, and we had been a long time without refreshments. my people, indeed, were yet healthy, and would have cheerfully gone wherever i had thought proper to lead them; but i dreaded the scurvy laying hold of them at a time when we had nothing left to remove it. i must say farther, that it would have been cruel in me to have continued the fatigues and hardships they were continually exposed to, longer than was absolutely necessary. their behaviour, throughout the whole voyage, merited every indulgence which it was in my power to give them. animated by the conduct of the officers, they shewed themselves capable of surmounting every difficulty and danger which came in their way, and never once looked either upon the one or the other, as being at all heightened, by our separation from our consort the adventure. all these considerations induced me to lay aside looking for the french discoveries, and to steer for the cape of good hope; with a resolution, however, of looking for the isles of denia and marseveen, which are laid down in dr halley's variation chart in the latitude of ° / s., and about ° of longitude to the east of the meridian of the cape of good hope. with this view i steered n.e., with a hard gale at n.w. and thick weather; and on the th, at noon, we saw the last ice island, being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. march the wind abating and veering to the south, on the first of march, we steered west, in order to get farther from mr bouvet's track, which was but a few degrees to the east of us, being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., in which situation we found the variation to be ° ' w. it is somewhat remarkable, that all the time we had northerly winds, which were regular and constant for several days, the weather was always thick and cloudy; but, as soon as they came south of west, it cleared up, and was fine and pleasant. the barometer began to rise several days before this change happened; but whether on account of it, or our coming northward, cannot be determined. the wind remained not long at south before it veered round by the n.e. to the n.w., blowing fresh and by squalls, attended, as before, with rain and thick misty weather. we had some intervals of clear weather in the afternoon of the d, when we found the variation to be ° ' w.; latitude at this time ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. the following night was very stormy, the wind blew from s.w. and in excessively heavy squalls. at short intervals between the squalls the wind would fall almost to a calm, and then come on again with such fury, that neither our sails nor rigging could withstand it, several of the sails being split, and a middle stay-sail being wholly lost. the next morning the gale abated, and we repaired the damage we had sustained in the best manner we could. on the th, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., the mercury in the thermometer rose to , and we found it necessary to put on lighter clothes. as the wind continued invariably fixed between n.w. and w., we took every advantage to get to the west, by tacking whenever it shifted any thing in our favour; but as we had a great swell against us, our tacks were rather disadvantageous. we daily saw albatrosses, peterels, and other oceanic birds; but not the least sign of land. on the th, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., the variation was ° ' w. about noon the same day the wind shifted suddenly from n.w. to s.w., caused the mercury in the thermometer to fall as suddenly from ° to °; such was the different state of the air, between a northerly and southerly wind. the next day, having several hours calm, we put a boat in the water, and shot some albatrosses and peterels, which, at this time, were highly acceptable. we were now nearly in the situation where the isles which we were in search of, are said to lie; however, we saw nothing that could give us the least hope of finding them. the calm continued till five o'clock of the next morning, when it was succeeded by a breeze at w. by s., with which we stood to n.n.w., and at noon observed in latitude ° ' s. this was upwards of thirty miles more to the north than our log gave us; and the watch shewed that we had been set to the east also. if these differences did not arise from some strong current, i know not how to account for them. very strong currents have been found on the african coast, between madagascar and the cape of good hope, but i never heard of their extending so far from the land; nor is it probable they do. i rather suppose that this current has no connection with that on the coast; and that we happened to fall into some stream which is neither lasting nor regular. but these are points which require much time to investigate, and must therefore be left to the industry of future navigators. we were now two degrees to the north of the parallel in which the isles of denia and marseveen are said to lie. we had seen nothing to encourage us to persevere in looking after them, and it must have taken up some time longer to find them, or to prove their non-existence. every one was impatient to get into port, and for good reasons: as for a long time we had had nothing but stale and salt provisions, for which every one on board had lost all relish. these reasons induced me to yield to the general wish, and to steer for the cape of good hope, being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. the next day the observed latitude at noon was only seventeen miles to the north of that given by the log; so that we had either got out of the strength of the current, or it had ceased. on the th the observed latitude at noon, together with the watch, shewed that we had had a strong current setting to the s.w., the contrary direction to what we had experienced on some of the preceding days, as hath been mentioned. at day-light, on the th, we saw two sail in the n.w. quarter standing to the westward, and one of them shewing dutch colours. at ten o'clock we tacked and stood to the west also, being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. i now, in pursuance of my instructions, demanded of the officers and petty officers, the log-books and journals they had kept; which were delivered to me accordingly, and sealed up for the inspection of the admiralty. i also enjoined them, and the whole crew, not to divulge where we had been, till they had their lordships' permission so to do. in the afternoon, the wind veered to the west, and increased to a hard gale, which was of short duration; for, the next day, it fell, and at noon veered to s.e. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° e.; and, on sounding, found fifty-six fathoms water. in the evening we saw the land in the direction of e.n.e. about six leagues distant; and, during the fore-part of the night, there was a great fire or light upon it. at day-break on the th, we saw the land again, bearing n.n.w., six or seven leagues distant, and the depth of water forty-eight fathoms. at nine o'clock, having little or no wind, we hoisted out a boat, and sent on board one of the two ships before-mentioned, which were about two leagues from us; but we were too impatient after news to regard the distance. soon after, a breeze sprung up at west, with which we stood to the south; and, presently, three sail more appeared in sight to windward, one of which shewed english colours. at one, p.m., the boat returned from on board the bownkerke polder, captain cornelius bosch, a dutch indiaman from bengal. captain bosch, very obligingly, offered us sugar, arrack, and whatever he had to spare. our people were told by some english seamen on board this ship, that the adventure had arrived at the cape of good hope twelve months ago, and that the crew of one of her boats had been murdered and eaten by the people of new zealand; so that the story which we heard in queen charlotte's sound was now no longer a mystery. we had light airs next, to a calm till ten o'clock the next morning, when a breeze sprung up at west, and the english ship, which was to windward, bore down to us. she proved to be the true briton, captain broadly, from china. as he did not intend to touch at the cape, i put a letter on board him for the secretary of the admiralty. the account which we had heard of the adventure was now confirmed to us by this ship. we also got, from on board her, a parcel of old newspapers, which were new to us, and gave us some amusement; but these were the least favours we received from captain broadly. with a generosity peculiar to the commanders of the india company's ships, he sent us fresh provisions, tea, and other articles which were very acceptable, and deserve from me this public acknowledgment. in the afternoon we parted company. the true briton stood out to sea, and we in for the land, having a very fresh gale at west, which split our fore top-sail in such a manner, that we were obliged to bring another to the yard. at six o'clock we tacked within four or five miles of the shore; and, as we judged, about five or six leagues to the east of cape aguilas. we stood off till midnight, when, the wind having veered round to the south, we tacked, and stood along-shore to the west. the wind kept veering more and more in our favour, and at last fixed at e.s.e.; and blew for some hours a perfect hurricane. as soon as the storm began to subside, we made sail, and hauled in for the land. next day at noon, the table mountain over the cape town bore n.e. by e., distant nine or ten leagues. by making use of this bearing and distance to reduce the longitude shewn by the watch to the cape town, the error was found to be no more than ' in longitude, which it was too far to the east. indeed the difference found between it and the lunar observations, since we left new zealand, had seldom exceeded half a degree, and always the same way. the next morning, being with us wednesday the d, but with the people here tuesday the st, we anchored in table bay, where we found several dutch ships; some french; and the ceres, captain newte, an english east india company's ship, from china, bound directly to england, by whom i sent a copy of the preceding part of this journal, some charts, and other drawings to the admiralty. before we had well got to an anchor, i dispatched an officer to acquaint the governor with our arrival, and to request the necessary stores and refreshments; which were readily granted. as soon as the officer came back, we saluted the garrison with thirteen guns, which compliment was immediately returned with an equal number. i now learnt that the adventure had called here, on her return; and i found a letter from captain furneaux, acquainting me with the loss of his boat, and of ten of his best men, in queen charlotte's sound. the captain, afterwards, on my arrival in england, put into my hands a complete narrative of his proceedings, from the time of our second and final separation, which i now lay before the public in the following section. chapter viii. _captain furneaux's narrative of his proceedings, in the adventure, from, the time he was separated from the resolution, to his arrival in england; including lieutenant burney's report concerning the boat's crew who were murdered by the inhabitants of queen charlottes sound_. october after a passage of fourteen days from amsterdam, we made the coast of new zealand near the table cape, and stood along-shore till we came as far as cape turnagain. the wind then began to blow strong at west, with heavy squalls and rain, which split many of our sails, and blew us off the coast for three days; in which time we parted company with the resolution, and never saw her afterwards. november on the th of november, we again got in shore, near cape palliser, and were visited by a number of the natives in their canoes; bringing a great quantity of cray-fish, which we bought of them for nails and otaheite cloth. the next day it blew hard from w.n.w., which again drove us off the coast, and obliged us to bring-to for two days; during which time it blew one continual gale of wind, with heavy falls of sleet. by this time, our decks were very leaky; our beds and bedding wet; and several of our people complaining of colds; so that we began to despair of ever getting into charlotte's sound, or joining the resolution. on the th, being to the north of the cape, the wind at s.w., and blowing strong, we bore away for some bay to complete our water and wood, being in great want of both, having been at the allowance of one quart of water for some days past; and even that pittance could not be come at above six or seven days longer. we anchored in tolaga bay on the th, in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' east. it affords good riding with the wind westerly, and regular soundings from eleven to five fathoms, stiff muddy ground across the bay for about two miles. it is open from n.n.e. to e.s.e. it is to be observed, easterly winds seldom blow hard on this shore; but when they do, they throw in a great sea, so that if it were not for a great undertow, together with a large river that empties itself in the bottom of the bay, a ship would not be able to ride here. wood and water are easily to be had, except when it blows hard easterly. the natives here are the same as those at charlotte's sound, but more numerous, and seemed settled, having regular plantations of sweet potatoes, and other roots, which are very good; and they have plenty of cray and other fish, which we bought of them for nails, beads, and other trifles, at an easy rate. in one of their canoes we observed the head of a woman lying in state, adorned with feathers and other ornaments. it had the appearance of being alive; but, on examination, we found it dry, being preserved with every feature perfect, and kept as the relic of some deceased relation. having got about ten tons of water, and some wood, we sailed for charlotte's sound on the th. we were no sooner out than the wind began to blow hard, dead on the shore, so that we could not clear the land on either tack. this obliged us to bear away again for the bay, where we anchored the next morning, and rode out a very heavy gale of wind at e. by s., which threw in a very great sea. we now began to fear we should never join the resolution; having reason to believe she was in charlotte sound, and by this time ready for sea. we soon found it was with great difficulty we could get any water, owing to the swell setting in so strong; at last, however, we were able to go on shore, and got both wood and water. whilst we lay here we were employed about the rigging, which was much damaged by the constant gales of wind we had met with since we made the coast. we got the booms down on the decks, and having made the ship as snug as possible, sailed again on the th. after this we met with several gales of wind off the mouth of the strait; and continued beating backwards and forwards till the th, when we were so fortunate as to get a favourable wind, which we took every advantage of, and at last got safe into our desired port. we saw nothing of the resolution, and began to doubt her safety; but on going ashore, we discerned the place where she had erected her tents; and, on an old stump of a tree in the garden, observed these words cut out, "look underneath." there we dug, and soon found a bottle corked and waxed down, with a letter in it from captain cook, signifying their arrival on the d instant, and departure on the th; and that they intended spending a few days in the entrance of the straits to look for us. we immediately set about getting the ship ready for sea as fast as possible; erected our tents; sent the cooper on shore to repair the casks; and began to unstow the hold, to get at the bread that was in butts; but on opening them found a great quantity of it entirely spoiled, and most part so damaged, that we were obliged to fix our copper oven on shore to bake it over again, which undoubtedly delayed us a considerable time. whilst we lay here, the inhabitants came on board as before, supplying us with fish, and other things of their own manufacture, which we bought of them for nails, etc. and appeared very friendly, though twice in the middle of the night they came to the tent, with an intention to steal; but were discovered before they could get any thing into their possession. december on the th of december, having refitted the ship, completed our water and wood, and got every thing ready for sea, we sent our large cutter, with mr rowe, a midshipman, and the boat's crew, to gather wild greens for the ship's company; with orders to return that evening, as i intended to sail the next morning. but on the boat's not returning the same evening, nor the next morning, being under great uneasiness about her, i hoisted out the launch, and sent her with the second lieutenant, mr burney, manned with the boat's crew and ten marines, in search of her. my orders to mr burney were first, to look well into east bay, and then to proceed to grass cove, the place to which mr rowe had been sent; and if he heard nothing of the boat there, to go farther up the sound, and come back along the west shore. as mr rowe had left the ship an hour before the time proposed, and in a great hurry, i was strongly persuaded that his curiosity had carried him into east bay, none in our ship having ever been there; or else, that some accident had happened to the boat, either by going adrift through the boat-keeper's negligence, or by being stove among the rocks. this was almost every body's opinion; and on this supposition, the carpenter's mate was sent in the launch, with some sheets of tin. i had not the least suspicion that our people had received any injury from the natives, our boats having frequently been higher up, and worse provided. how much i was mistaken, too soon appeared; for mr burney having returned about eleven o'clock the same night, made his report of a horrible scene indeed, which cannot be better described than in his own words, which now follow. "on the th, we left the ship; and having a light breeze in our favour, we soon got round long island, and within long point. i examined every cove, on the larboard hand, as we went along, looking well all around with a spy-glass, which i took for that purpose. at half past one, we stopped at a beach on the left-hand side going up east bay, to boil some victuals, as we brought nothing but raw meat with us. whilst we were cooking, i saw an indian on the opposite shore, running along a beach to the head of the bay. our meat being drest, we got into the boat and put off; and, in a short time, arrived at the head of this reach, where we saw an indian settlement." "as we drew near, some of the indians came down on the rocks, and waved for us to be gone, but seeing we disregarded them, they altered their notes. here we found six large canoes hauled up on the beach, most of them double ones, and a great many people; though not so many as one might expect from the number of houses and size of the canoes. leaving the boat's crew to guard the boat, i stepped ashore with the marines (the corporal and five men), and searched a good many of their houses, but found nothing to give me any suspicion. three or four well-beaten paths led farther into the woods, where were many more houses; but the people continuing friendly, i thought it unnecessary to continue our search. coming down to the beach, one of the indians had brought a bundle of _hepatoos_ (long spears), but seeing i looked very earnestly at him, he put them on the ground, and walked about with seeming unconcern. some of the people appearing to be frightened, i gave a looking-glass to one, and a large nail to another. from this place the bay ran, as nearly as i could guess, n.n.w. a good mile, where it ended in a long sandy beach. i looked all around with the glass, but saw no boat, canoe, or sign of inhabitant. i therefore contented myself with firing some guns, which i had done in every cove as i went along." "i now kept close to the east shore, and came to another settlement, where the indians invited us ashore. i enquired of them about the boat, but they pretended ignorance. they appeared very friendly here, and sold us some fish. within an hour after we left this place, in a small beach adjoining to grass cove, we saw a very large double canoe just hauled up, with two men and a dog. the men, on seeing us, left their canoe, and ran up into the woods. this gave me reason to suspect i should here get tidings of the cutter. we went ashore, and searched the canoe, where we found one of the rullock-ports of the cutter, and some shoes, one of which was known to belong to mr woodhouse, one of our midshipmen. one of the people, at the same time, brought me a piece of meat, which he took to be some of the salt meat belonging to the cutter's crew. on examining this, and smelling to it, i found it was fresh. mr fannin (the master) who was with me, supposed it was dog's flesh, and i was of the same opinion; for i still doubted their being cannibals. but we were soon convinced by most horrid and undeniable proof." "a great many baskets (about twenty) lying on the beach, tied up, we cut them open. some were full of roasted flesh, and some of fern-root, which serves them for bread. on, farther search, we found more shoes, and a hand, which we immediately knew to have belonged to thomas hill, one of our fore-castle men, it being marked t.h. with an otaheite tattow-instrument. i went with some of the people a little way up the woods, but saw nothing else. coming down again, there was a round spot covered with fresh earth, about four feet diameter, where something had been buried. having no spade, we began to dig with a cutlass; and in the mean time i launched the canoe with intent to destroy her; but seeing a great smoke ascending over the nearest hill, i got all the people into the boat, and made what haste i could to be with them before sun-set." "on opening the next bay, which was grass cove, we saw four canoes, one single and three double ones, and a great many people on the beach, who, on our approach; retreated to a small hill, within a ship's length of the water side, where they stood talking to us. a large fire was on the top of the high land, beyond the woods, from whence, all the way down the hill, the place was thronged like a fair. as we came in, i ordered a musquetoon to be fired at one of the canoes, suspecting they might be full of men lying down in the bottom; for they were all afloat, but nobody was seen in them. the savages on the little hill still kept hallooing, and making signs for us to land. however, as soon as we got close in, we all fired. the first volley did not seem to affect them much; but on the second, they began to scramble away as fast as they could, some of them howling. we continued firing as long as we could see the glimpse of any of them through the bushes. amongst the indians were two very stout men, who never offered to move till they found themselves forsaken by their companions; and then they marched away with great composure and deliberation; their pride not suffering them to run. one of them, however, got a fall, and either lay there, or crawled off on all-fours. the other got clear, without any apparent hurt. i then landed with the marines, and mr fannin staid to guard the boat." "on the beach were two bundles of celery, which had been gathered for loading the cutter. a broken oar was stuck upright in the ground, to which the natives had tied their canoes; a proof that the attack had been made here. i then searched all along at the back of the beach, to see if the cutter was there. we found no boat, but instead of her, such a shocking scene of carnage and barbarity as can never be mentioned or thought of but with horror; for the heads, hearts, and lungs of several of our people were seen lying on the beach, and, at a little distance, the dogs gnawing their entrails." "whilst we remained almost stupified on the spot, mr fannin called to us that he heard the savages gathering together in the woods; on which i returned to the boat, and hauling along-side the canoes, we demolished three of them. whilst this was transacting, the fire on the top of the hill disappeared; and we could hear the indians in the woods at high words; i suppose quarrelling whether or no they should attack us, and try to save their canoes. it now grew dark; i therefore just stepped out, and looked once more behind the beach to see if the cutter had been hauled up in the bushes; but seeing nothing of her, returned, and put off. our whole force would have been barely sufficient to have gone up the hill; and to have ventured with half (for half must have been left to guard the boat) would have been fool-hardiness." "as we opened the upper part of the sound, we saw a very large fire about three or four miles higher up, which formed a complete oval, reaching from the top of the hill down almost to the water-side, the middle space being inclosed all round by the fire, like a hedge. i consulted with mr fannin, and we were both of opinion that we could expect to reap no other advantage than the poor satisfaction of killing some more of the savages. at leaving grass cove, we had fired a general volley towards where we heard the indians talking; but, by going in and out of the boat, the arms had got wet, and four pieces missed fire. what was still worse, it began to rain; our ammunition was more than, half expended, and we left six large canoes behind us in one place. with so many disadvantages, i did not think it worth while to proceed, where nothing could be hoped for but revenge." "coming between two round islands, situated to the southward of east bay, we imagined we heard somebody calling; we lay on our oars, and listened, but heard no more of it; we hallooed several times, but to little purpose; the poor souls were far enough out of hearing, and, indeed, i think it some comfort to reflect, that in all probability every man of them must have been killed on the spot." thus far mr burney's report; and to complete the account of this tragical transaction, it may not be unnecessary to mention, that the people in the cutter were mr rowe, mr woodhouse, francis murphy, quarter-master; william facey, thomas hill, michael bell, and edward jones, fore-castle men; john cavanaugh, and thomas milton, belonging to the after-guard; and james sevilley, the captain's man, being ten in all. most of these were of our very best seamen, the stoutest and most healthy people in the ship. mr burney's party brought on board two hands, one belonging to mr rowe, known by a hurt he had received on it; the other to thomas hill, as before-mentioned; and the head of the captain's servant. these, with more of the remains, were tied in a hammock, and thrown over-board, with ballast and shot sufficient to sink it. none of their arms nor cloaths were found, except part of a pair of trowsers, a frock, and six shoes, no two of them being fellows. i am not inclined to think this was any premeditated plan of these savages; for, the morning mr rowe left the ship, he met two canoes, which came down and staid all the fore-noon in ship cove. it might probably happen from some quarrel which was decided on the spot, or the fairness of the opportunity might tempt them, our people being so incautious, and thinking themselves too secure. another thing which encouraged the new zealanders, was, they were sensible that a gun was not infallible, that they sometimes missed, and that, when discharged, they must be loaded before they could be used again, which time they knew how to take advantage of. after their success, i imagine there was a general meeting on the east side of the sound. the indians of shag cove were there; this we knew by a cock which was in one of the canoes, and by a long single canoe, which some of our people had seen four days before in shag cove, where they had been with mr rowe in the cutter. we were detained in the sound by contrary winds four days after this melancholy affair happened, during which time we saw none of the inhabitants. what is very remarkable, i had been several times up in the same cove with captain cook, and never saw the least sign of an inhabitant, except some deserted towns, which appeared as if they had not been occupied for several years; and yet, when mr burney entered the cove, he was of opinion there could not be less than fifteen hundred or two thousand people. i doubt not, had they been apprized of his coming, they would have attacked him. from these considerations, i thought it imprudent to send a boat up again; as we were convinced there was not the least probability of any of our people being alive. on the d, we weighed and made sail out of the sound, and stood to the eastward to get clear of the straits; which we accomplished the same evening, but were baffled for two or three days with light winds, before we could clear the coast. we then stood to the s.s.e. till we got into the latitude of ° south, without any thing remarkable happening, having a great swell from the southward. at this time the wind began to blow strong from the s.w., and the weather to be very cold; and as the ship was low and deep laden, the sea made a continual breach over her, which kept us always wet; and by her straining, very few of the people were dry in bed or on deck, having no shelter to keep the sea from them. the birds were the only companions we had in this vast ocean, except, now and then, we saw a whale or porpoise; and sometimes a seal or two, and a few penguins. in the latitude of ° s., longitude °* east, we fell in with some ice, and, every day, saw more or less, we then standing to the east. we found a very strong current setting to the eastward; for by the time we were abreast of cape horn, being in the latitude of ° s., the ship was a-head of our account eight degrees. we were very little more than a month from cape palliser in new zealand to cape horn, which is an hundred and twenty-one degrees of longitude, and had continual westerly winds from s.w. to n.w., with a great sea following. [* about west longitude, i reckon.] january on opening some casks of pease and flour, that had been stowed on the coals, we found them very much damaged, and not eatable; so thought it most prudent to make for the cape of good hope, but first to stand into the latitude and longitude of cape circumcision. after being to the eastward of cape horn, we found the winds did not blow so strong from the westward as usual, but came more from the north, which brought on thick foggy weather; so that for several days together we could not be able to get an observation, or see the least sign of the sun. this weather lasted above a month, being then among a great many islands of ice, which kept us constantly on the look-out, for fear of running foul of them, and, being a single ship, made us more attentive. by this time our people began to complain of colds and pains in their limbs, which obliged me to haul to the northward to the latitude of ° s.; but we still continued to have the same sort of weather, though we had oftener an opportunity of obtaining observations for the latitude. february after getting into the latitude above-mentioned, i steered to the east, in order, if possible, to find the land laid down by bouvet. as we advanced to the east, the islands of ice became more numerous and dangerous; they being much smaller than they used to be; and the nights began to be dark. march on the d of march, being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° e., which is the latitude of bouvet's discovery, and half a degree to the eastward of it, and not seeing the least sign of land, either now or since we have been in this parallel, i gave over looking for it, and hauled away to the northward. as our last track to the southward was within a few degrees of bouvet's discovery in the longitude assigned to it, and about three or four degrees to the southward, should there be any land thereabout, it must be a very inconsiderable island. but i believe it was nothing but ice: as we, in our first setting out, thought we had seen land several times, but it proved to be high islands of ice at the back of the large fields; and as it was thick foggy weather when mr bouvet fell in with it, he might very easily mistake them for land. on the seventh, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., saw two large islands of ice. on the th, made the land of the cape of good hope, and on the th anchored in table bay, where we found commodore sir edward hughes, with his majesty's ships salisbury and sea-horse. i saluted the commodore with, thirteen guns; and, soon after, the garrison with the same number; the former returned the salute, as usual, with two guns less, and the latter with an equal number. march-july on the th, sir edward hughes sailed with the salisbury and sea-horse, for the east indies; but i remained refitting the ship and refreshing the people till the th of april, when i sailed for england, and on the th of july anchored at spithead. chapter ix. _transactions at the cape of good hope; with an account of some discoveries made by the french; and the arrival of the ship at st helena._ march i now resume my own journal, which captain furneaux's interesting narrative, in the preceding section, had obliged me to suspend. the day after my arrival at the cape of good hope, i went on shore, and waited on the governor, baron plettenberg, and other principal officers, who received, and, treated us, with the greatest politeness, contributing all in their power to make it agreeable. and, as there are few people more obliging to strangers than the dutch in general, at this place, and refreshments of all kinds are no where to be got in such abundance, we enjoyed some real repose, after the fatigues of a long voyage. the good treatment which strangers meet with at the cape of good hope, and the necessity of breathing a little fresh air, has introduced a custom, not common any where else (at least i have no where seen it so strictly observed), which is, for all the officers, who can be spared out of the ship, to reside on shore. we followed this custom. myself, the two mr forsters, and mr sparrman, took up our abode with mr brandt, a gentleman well known to the english, by his obliging readiness to serve them. my first care, after my arrival, was to procure fresh-baked bread, fresh meat, greens, and wine, for those who remained on board; and being provided, every day during our stay, with these articles, they were soon restored to their usual strength. we had only three men on board whom it was thought necessary to send on shore for the recovery of their health; and for these i procured quarters, at the rate of thirty stivers, or half-a-crown, per day, for which they were provided with victuals, drink, and lodging. we now went to work to supply all our defects. for this purpose, by permission, we erected a tent on shore, to which we sent our casks and sails to be repaired. we also struck the yards and topmasts, in order to overhaul the rigging, which we found in so bad a condition, that almost every thing, except the standing rigging, was obliged to be replaced with new, and that was purchased at a most exorbitant price. in the article of naval stores, the dutch here, as well as at batavia, take a shameful advantage of the distress of foreigners. that our rigging, sails, etc. should be worn out, will not be wondered at, when it is known, that during this circumnavigation of the globe, that is, from our leaving this place to our return to it again, we had sailed no less than twenty thousand leagues; an extent of voyage nearly equal to three times the equatorial circumference of the earth, and which, i apprehend, was never sailed by any ship in the same space of time before. and yet, in all this great run, which had been made in all latitudes between ° and , we sprung neither low-masts, top-mast, lower, nor top-sail yard, nor so much as broke a lower or top-mast shroud; which, with the great care and abilities of my officers, must be owing to the good properties of our ship. one of the french ships which were at anchor in the bay, was the ajax indiaman, bound to pondicherry, commanded by captain crozet. he had been second in command with captain marion, who sailed from this place with two ships, in march , as hath been already mentioned. instead of going from hence to america, as was said, he stood away for new zealand; where, in the bay of isles, he and some of his people were killed by the inhabitants. captain crozet, who succeeded to the command, returned by the way of the phillipine isles, with the two ships, to the island of mauritius. he seemed to be a man possessed of the true spirit of discovery, and to have abilities. in a very obliging manner he communicated to me a chart, wherein were delineated not only his own discoveries, but also that of captain kerguelen, which i found laid down in the very situation where we searched for it; so that i can by no means conceive how both we and the adventure missed it. besides this land, which captain crozet told us was a long but very narrow island, extending east and west, captain marion, in about the latitude of ° south, and from ° to ° of longitude east of the cape of good hope, discovered six islands, which were high and barren. these, together with some islands lying between the line and the southern tropic in the pacific ocean, were the principal discoveries made in this voyage, the account of which, we were told, was ready for publication. by captain crozet's chart it appeared, that a voyage had been made by the french across the south pacific ocean in , under the command of one captain surville; who, on condition of his attempting discoveries, had obtained leave to make a trading voyage to the coast of peru. he fitted out, and took in a cargo, in some part of the east indies; proceeded by way of the phillipine isles; passed near new britain; and discovered some land in the latitude of ° s., longitude ° east, to which he gave his own name. from hence he steered to the south; passed, but a few degrees, to the west of new caledonia; fell in with new zealand at its northern extremity, and put into doubtful bay; where, it seems, he was, when i passed it, on my former voyage in the endeavour. from new zealand captain surville steered to the east, between the latitude of ° and ° south, until he arrived on the coast of america; where, in the port of callao, in attempting to land, he was drowned. these voyages of the french, though undertaken by private adventurers, have contributed something towards exploring the southern ocean. that of captain surville clears up a mistake which i was led into, in imagining the shoals off the west end of new caledonia, to extend to the west as far as new holland; it proves that there is an open sea in that space, and that we saw the n.w. extremity of that country. from the same gentleman, we learnt, that the ship which had been at otaheite before our first arrival there this voyage, was from new spain; and that, in her return, she had discovered some islands in the latitude of ° s., and under the meridian of ° w. some other islands, said to be discovered by the spaniards, appeared on this chart; but captain crozet seemed to think they were inserted from no good authorities. we were likewise informed of a later voyage undertaken by the french, under the command of captain kerguelen, which had ended much to the disgrace of that commander. while we lay in table bay, several foreign ships put in and out, bound to and from india, viz. english, french, danes, swedes, and three spanish frigates, two of them going to, and one coming from manilla. it is but very lately that the spanish ships have touched here; and these were the first that were allowed the same privileges as other european friendly nations. march-april on examining our rudder, the pintles were found to be loose, and we were obliged to unhang it, and take it on shore to repair. we were also delayed for want of caulkers to caulk the ship, which was absolutely necessary to be done before we put to sea. at length i obtained two workmen from one of the dutch ships; and the dutton english east indiaman coming in from bengal, captain rice obliged me with two more; so that by the th of april this work was finished: and having got on board all necessary stores, and a fresh supply of provisions and water, we took leave of the governor and other principal officers, and the next morning repaired on board. soon after the wind coming fair, we weighed and put to sea; as did also the spanish frigate juno, from manilla, a danish indiaman, and the dutton. as soon as we were under sail, we saluted the garrison with thirteen guns; which compliment was immediately returned with the same number. the spanish frigate and danish indiaman both saluted us as we passed them, and i returned each salute with an equal number of guns. when we were clear of the bay the danish ship steered for the east indies, the spanish frigate for europe, and we and the dutton for st helena. depending on the goodness of mr kendall's watch, i resolved to try to make the island by a direct course. for the first six days, that is, till we got into the latitude of ° s., longitude ° / w. of the cape, the winds were southerly and s.e. after this we had variable light airs for two days; they were succeeded by a wind at s.e. which continued to the island, except a part of one day, when it was at n.e. in general the wind blew faint all the passage, which made it longer than common. may at day-break in the morning of the th of may, we saw the island of st helena at the distance of fourteen leagues; and at midnight anchored in the road before the town, on the n.w. side of the island. at sun-rise the next morning, the castle, and also the dutton, saluted us, each with thirteen guns; on my landing, soon after, i was saluted by the castle with the same number, and each of the salutes was returned by the ship. governor skettowe and the principal gentlemen of the island, received and treated me, during my stay, with the greatest politeness; by shewing me every kind of civility in their power. whoever views st helena in its present state, and can but conceive what it must have been originally, will not hastily charge the inhabitants with want of industry. though, perhaps, they might apply it to more advantage, were more land appropriated to planting of corn, vegetables, roots, etc. instead of being laid out in pasture, which is the present mode. but this is not likely to happen, so long as the greatest part of it remains in the hands of the company and their servants. without industrious planters, this island can never flourish, and be in a condition to supply the shipping with the necessary refreshments. within these three years a new church has been built; some other new buildings were in hand; a commodious landing-place for boats has been made; and several other improvements, which add both strength and beauty to the place. during our stay here, we finished some necessary repairs of the ship, which we had not time to do at the cape. we also filled all our empty water-casks; and the crew were served with fresh beef, purchased at five-pence per pound. their beef is exceedingly good, and is the only refreshment to be had worth mentioning. by a series of observations made at the cape town, and at james fort in st helena, at the former by messrs mason and dixon, and at the latter by mr maskelyne, the astronomer royal, the difference of longitude between these two places is ° ' ", only two miles more than mr kendall's watch made. the lunar observations made by mr wales, before we arrived at the island, and after we left it, and reduced to it by the watch, gave ° ' for the longitude of james fort; which is only five miles more west than it is placed by mr maskelyne. in like manner the longitude of the cape town was found within ' of the truth. i mention this to shew how near the longitude of places may be found by the lunar method, even at sea, with the assistance of a good watch. chapter x. _passage from st helena to the western islands, with a description of the island of ascension and fernando noronha._ may on the st in the evening, i took leave of the governor, and repaired on board. upon my leaving the shore, i was saluted with thirteen guns; and upon my getting under sail, with the dutton in company, i was saluted with thirteen more; both of which i returned. after leaving st helena, the dutton was ordered to steer n.w. by w. or n.w. by compass, in order to avoid falling in with ascension; at which island, it was said, an illicit trade was carried on between the officers of the india company's ships, and some vessels from north america, who, of late years, had frequented the island on pretence of fishing whales or catching turtle, when their real design was to wait the coming of the india ships. in order to prevent their homeward-bound ships from falling in with these smugglers, and to put a stop to this illicit trade, the dutton was ordered to steer the course above-mentioned, till to the northward of ascension. i kept company with this ship till the th, when, after putting a packet on board her for the admiralty, we parted: she continuing her course to the n.w., and i steering for ascension. in the morning of the th i made the island; and the same evening anchored in cross bay on the n.w. side, in ten fathoms water, the bottom a fine sand, and half a mile from the shore. the cross hill, so called on account of a cross, or flag-staff erected upon it, bore by compass s. ° e.; and the two extreme points of the bay extended from n.e. to s.w. we remained here till the evening of the st, and notwithstanding we had several parties out every night, we got but twenty-four turtle, it being rather too late in the season; however, as they weighed between four or five hundred pounds each, we thought ourselves not ill off. we might have had a plentiful supply of fish in general, especially of that sort called old wives, of which i have no where seen such abundance. there were also cavalies, conger eels, and various other sorts; but the catching of any of these was not attended to, the object being turtle. there are abundance of goats, and aquatic birds, such as men-of-war and tropic birds, boobies, etc. the island of ascension is about ten miles in length, in the direction of n.w. and s.e., and about five or six in breadth. it shews a surface composed of barren hills and vallies, on the most of which not a shrub or plant is to be seen for several miles, and where we found nothing but stones and sand, or rather flags and ashes; an indubitable sign that the isle, at some remote time, has been destroyed by a volcano, which has thrown up vast heaps of stones, and even hills. between these heaps of stones we found a smooth even surface, composed of ashes and sand, and very good travelling upon it; but one may as easily walk over broken glass bottles as over the stones. if the foot deceives you, you are sure to be cut or lamed, which happened to some of our people. a high mountain at the s.e. end of the isle seems to be left in its original state, and to have escaped the general destruction. its soil is a kind of white marl, which yet retains its vegetative qualities, and produceth a kind of purslain, spurge, and one or two grasses. on these the goats subsist, and it is at this part of the isle where they are to be found, as also land-crabs, which are said to be very good. i was told, that about this part of the isle is some very good land on which might be raised many necessary articles; and some have been at the trouble of sowing turnips and other useful vegetables. i was also told there is a fine spring in a valley which disjoins two hills on the top of the mountain above-mentioned; besides great quantities of fresh water in holes in the rocks, which the person who gave me this information, believed was collected from rains. but these supplies of water can only be of use to the traveller; or to those who may be so unfortunate as to be shipwrecked on the island; which seems to have been the fate of some not long ago, as appeared by the remains of a wreck we found on the n.e. side. by what we could judge, she seemed to have been a vessel of about one hundred and fifty tons burthen. while we lay in the road, a sloop of about seventy tons burthen came to an anchor by us. she belonged to new york, which place she left in february, and having been to the coast of guinea with a cargo of goods, was come here to take in turtle to carry to barbadoes. this was the story which the master, whose name was greves, was pleased to tell, and which may, in part, be true. but i believe the chief view of his coming here, was the expectation of meeting with some of the india ships. he had been in the island near a week, and had got on board twenty turtle. a sloop, belonging to bermuda, had sailed but a few days before with one hundred and five on board, which was as many as she could take in; but having turned several more on the different sandy beaches, they had ripped open their bellies, taken out the eggs, and left their carcasses to putrify; an act as inhuman as injurious to those who came after them. part of the account i have given of the interior parts of this island i received from captain greves, who seemed to be a sensible intelligent man, and had been all over it. he sailed in the morning of the same day we did. turtle, i am told, are to be found at this isle from january to june. the method of catching them is to have people upon the several sandy bays, to watch their coming on shore to lay their eggs, which is always in the night, and then to turn them on their backs, till there be an opportunity to take them off the next day. it was recommended to us to send a good many men to each beach, where they were to lie quiet till the turtle were ashore, and then rise and turn them at once. this method may be the best when the turtle are numerous; but when there are but few, three or four men are sufficient for the largest beach; and if they keep patroling it, close to the wash of the surf, during the night, by this method they will see all that come ashore, and cause less noise than if there were more of them. it was by this method we caught the most we got; and this is the method by which the americans take them. nothing is more certain, than that all the turtle which are found about this island, come here for the sole purpose of laying their eggs; for we met with none but females; and of all those which we caught, not one had any food worth mentioning in its stomach; a sure sign, in my opinion, that they must have been a long time without any; and this may be the reason why the flesh of them is not so good as some i have eat on the coast of new south wales, which were caught on the spot where they fed. the watch made ° ' difference of longitude between st helena and ascension; which, added to ° ' the longitude of james fort in st helena, gives ° ' for the longitude of the road of ascension, or ° ' for the middle of the island, the latitude of which is ° s. the lunar observations made by mr wales, and reduced to the same point of the island by the watch, gave ° ' " west longitude. on the st of may, we left ascension, and steered to the northward with a fine gale at s.e. by e. i had a great desire to visit the island of st matthew, to settle its situation; but as i found the wind would not let me fetch it, i steered for the island of fernando de noronha on the coast of brazil, in order to determine its longitude, as i could not find this had yet been done. perhaps i should have performed a more acceptable service to navigation, if i had gone in search of the island of st paul, and those shoals which are said to lie near the equator, and about the meridian of ° w.; as neither their situation nor existence are well known. the truth is, i was unwilling to prolong the passage in searching for what i was not sure to find; nor was i willing to give up every object, which might tend to the improvement of navigation or geography, for the sake of getting home a week or a fortnight sooner. it is but seldom that opportunities of this kind offer; and when they do, they are too often neglected. in our passage to fernando de noronha, we had steady fresh gales between the s.e. and e.s.e., attended with fair and clear weather; and as we had the advantage of the moon, a day or night did not pass without making lunar observations for determining our longitude. in this run, the variation of the compass gradually decreased from ° w., which it was at ascension., to ° w., which we found off fernando de noronha. this was the mean result of two compasses, one of which gave ° ', and the other ' w. june on the th of june at noon we made the island of fernando de noronha, bearing s.w. by w. / w., distant six or seven leagues, as we afterwards found by the log. it appeared in detached and peaked hills, the largest of which looked like a church tower or steeple. as we drew near the s.e. part of the isle, we perceived several unconnected sunken rocks lying near a league from the shore, on which the sea broke in a great surf. after standing very near these rocks, we hoisted our colours, and then bore up round the north end of the isle, or rather round a group of little islets; for we could see that the land was divided by narrow channels. there is a strong fort on the one next the main island, where there are several others; all of which seemed to have every advantage that nature can give them, and they are so disposed, as wholly to command all the anchoring and landing-places about the island. we continued to steer round the northern point, till the sandy beaches (before which is the road for shipping) began to appear, and the forts and the peaked hills were open to the westward of the said point. at this time, on a gun being fired from one of the forts, the portuguese colours were displayed, and the example was followed by all the other forts. as the purpose for which i made the island was now answered, i had no intention to anchor; and therefore, after firing a gun to leeward, we made sail and stood away to the northward with a fine fresh gale at e.s.e. the peaked hill or church tower bore s., ° w., distant about four or five miles; and from this point of view it leans, or overhangs, to the east. this hill is nearly in the middle of the island, which no where exceeds two leagues in extent, and shews a hilly unequal surface, mostly covered with wood and herbage. ulloa says, "this island hath two harbours capable of receiving ships of the greatest burden; one is on the north side, and the other is on the n.w. the former is, in every respect, the principal, both for shelter and capacity, and the goodness of its bottom; but both are exposed to the north and west, though these winds, particularly the north, are periodical, and of no long continuance." he further says, that you anchor in the north harbour (which is no more than what i would call a road) to thirteen fathoms water, one-third of a league from shore, bottom of fine sand; the peaked hill above-mentioned bearing s.w. ° southerly.* [* see don antonio d'ulloa's book, vol. ii. chap. . page to , where there is a very particular account of this island.] this road seems to be well sheltered from the south and east winds. one of my seamen had been on board a dutch india ship, who put in at this isle in her way out in . they were very sickly, and in want of refreshments and water. the portuguese supplied them with some buffaloes and fowls; and they watered behind one of the beaches in a little pool, which was hardly big enough to dip a bucket in. by reducing the observed latitude at noon to the peaked hill, its latitude will be ° ' s.; and its longitude, by the watch, carried on from st helena, is ° ' w.; and by observations of the sun and moon, made before and after we made the isle, and reduced to it by the watch, ° ' " w. this was the mean result of my observations. the results of those made by mr wales, which were more numerous, gave ° '. the mean of the two will be pretty near the watch, and probably nearest the truth. by knowing the longitude of this isle, we are able to determine that of the adjacent east coast of brazil; which, according to the modern charts, lies about sixty or seventy leagues more to the west. we might very safely have trusted to these charts, especially the variation chart for , and mr dalrymple's of the southern atlantic ocean*. [* ulloa says, that the chart places this island sixty leagues from the coast of brazil; and that the portuguese pilots, who often make the voyage, judge it to be eighty leagues; but, by taking the mean between the two opinions, the distance may be fixed at seventy leagues.] on the th, at three o'clock in the afternoon, we crossed the equator in the longitude of ° ' w. we had fresh gales at e.s.e., blowing in squalls, attended by showers of rain, that continued at certain intervals, till noon the next day, after which we had twenty-four hours fair weather. at noon on the th, being in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° ' w., the wind became variable, between the n.e. and s.; and we had light airs and squalls by turns, attended by hard showers of rain, and for the most part dark gloomy weather, which continued till the evening of the th, when, in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° w., we had three calm days, in which time we did not advance above ten or twelve leagues to the north. we had fair weather and rain by turns; the sky, for the most part, being obscured, and sometimes by heavy dense clouds which broke in excessive hard showers. at seven o'clock in the evening on the th, the calm was succeeded by a breeze at east, which the next day increasing and veering to and fixing at n.e., we stretched to n.w. with our tacks on board. we made no doubt that we had now got the n.e. trade-wind, as it was attended with fair weather, except now and then some light showers of rain; and as we advanced to the north the wind increased, and blew a fresh top-gallant gale. on the st, i ordered the still to be fitted to the largest copper, which held about sixty-four gallons. the fire was lighted at four o'clock in the morning, and at six the still began to run. it was continued till six o'clock in the evening; in which time we obtained thirty-two gallons of fresh water, at the expence of one bushel and a half of coals; which was about three-fourths of a bushel more than was necessary to have boiled the ship's company's victuals only; but the expence of fuel was no object with me. the victuals were dressed in the small copper, the other being applied wholly to the still; and every method was made use of to obtain from it the greatest quantity of fresh water possible; as this was my sole motive for setting it to work. the mercury in the thermometer at noon was eighty-four and a half, and higher it is seldom found at sea. had it been lower, more water, under the same circumstances, would undoubtedly have been produced; for the colder the air is, the cooler you can keep the still, which will condense the steam the faster. upon the whole, this is an useful invention; but i would advise no man to trust wholly to it. for although you may, provided you have plenty of fuel and good coppers, obtain as much water as will support life, you cannot, with all your efforts, obtain sufficient to support health, in hot climates especially, where it is the most wanting: for i am well convinced, that nothing contributes more to the health of seamen, than having plenty of water. the wind now remained invariably fixed at n.e. and e.n.e., and blew fresh with squalls, attended with showers of rain, and the sky for the most part cloudy. on the th, in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° ' w., seeing a ship to windward steering down upon us, we shortened sail in order to speak with her; but finding she was dutch by her colours, we made sail again and left her to pursue her course, which we supposed was to some of the dutch settlements in the west indies. in the latitude of ° n., longitude ° ' w., the wind began to veer to e. by n. and e.; but the weather remained the same; that is, we continued to have it clear and cloudy by turns, with light squalls and showers. our track was between n.w. by n. and n.n.w., till noon on the th, after which our course made good was n. by w., being at this time in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° ' w. afterwards, the wind began to blow a little more steady, and was attended with fair and clear weather. at two o'clock in the morning of the th, being in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° ' w., a ship, steering to the westward, passed us within hail. we judged her to be english, as they answered us in that language; but we could not understand what they said, and they were presently out of sight. in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ', the wind slackened and veered more to the s.e. we now began to see some of that sea-plant, which is commonly called gulph-weed, from a supposition that it comes from the gulph of florida. indeed, for aught i know to the contrary, it may be a fact; but it seems not necessary, as it is certainly a plant which vegetates at sea. we continued to see it, but always in small pieces, till we reached the latitude °, longitude ° w., beyond which situation no more appeared. july on the th of july, in the latitude of ° ' " n., longitude ° ' w., the wind veered to the east, and blew very faint: the next day it was calm; the two following days we had variable light airs and calms by turns; and, at length, on the th, having fixed at s.s.w., it increased to a fresh gale, with which we steered first n.e. and then e.n.e., with a view of making some of the azores, or western isles. on the th, in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° ' w., we saw a sail which was steering to the west; and the next day we saw three more. chapter xi. _arrival of the ship at the island of fayal, a description of the place, and the return of the resolution to england._ july at five o'clock in the evening of the th, we made the island of fayal, one of the azores, and soon after that of pico, under which we spent the night in making short boards. at day-break the next morning, we bore away for the bay of fayal, or de horta, where at eight o'clock, we anchored in twenty fathoms water, a clear sandy bottom, and something more than half a mile from the shore. here we moored n.e. and s.w., being directed so to do by the master of the port, who came on board before we dropped anchor. when moored, the s.w. point of the bay bore s. ° w., and the n.e. point n. ° e.; the church at the n.e. end of the town n. ° w., the west point of st george's island n. ° e., distant eight leagues; and the isle of pico, extending from n. ° e. to s. ° e., distant four or five miles. we found in the bay the pourvoyeur, a large french frigate, an american sloop, and a brig belonging to the place. she had come last from the river amazon, where she took in a cargo of provision from the cape verd islands; but, not being able to find them, she steered for this place, where she anchored about half an hour before us. as my sole design in stopping here was to give mr wales an opportunity to find the rate of the watch, the better to enable us to fix with some degree of certainty the longitude of these islands, the moment we anchored, i sent an officer to wait on the english consul, and to notify our arrival to the governor, requesting his permission for mr wales to make observations on shore, for the purpose above mentioned. mr dent, who acted as consul in the absence of mr gathorne, not only procured this permission, but accommodated mr wales with a convenient place in his garden to set up his instruments; so that he was enabled to observe equal altitudes the same day. we were not more obliged to mr dent for the very friendly readiness he shewed in procuring us this and every other thing we wanted, than for the very liberal and hospitable entertainment we met with at his house, which was open to accommodate us both night and day. during our stay, the ship's company was served with fresh beef; and we took on board about fifteen tons of water, which we brought off in the country boats, at the rate of about three shillings per ton. ships are allowed to water with their own boats; but the many inconveniencies attending it, more than overbalance the expence of hiring shore-boats, which is the most general custom. fresh provisions for present use may be got, such as beef, vegetables, and fruit; and hogs, sheep, and poultry for sea stock, all at a pretty reasonable price; but i do not know that any sea-provisions are to be had, except wine. the bullocks and hogs are very good, but the sheep are small and wretchedly poor. the principal produce of fayal is wheat and indian corn, with which they supply pico and some of the other isles. the chief town is called villa de horta. it is situated in the bottom of the bay, close to the edge of the sea, and is defended by two castles, one at each end of the town, and a wall of stone-work, extending along the sea-shore from the one to the other. but these works are suffered to go to decay, and serve more for shew than strength. they heighten the prospect of the city, which makes a fine appearance from the road; but, if we except the jesuits' college, the monasteries and churches, there is not another building that has any thing to recommend it, either outside or in. there is not a glass window in the place, except what are in the churches, and in a country-house which lately belonged to the english consul; all the others being latticed, which, to an englishman, makes them look like prisons. this little city, like all others belonging to the portuguese, is crowded with religious buildings, there being no less than three convents of men and two of women, and eight churches, including those belonging to the convents, and the one in the jesuits' college. this college is a fine structure, and is situated on an elevation in the pleasantest part of the city. since the expulsion of that order, it has been suffered to go to decay, and will probably, in a few years, be no better than a heap of ruins. fayal, although the most noted for wines, does not raise sufficient for its own consumption. this article is raised on pico, where there is no road for shipping; but being brought to de horta, and from thence shipped abroad, chiefly to america, it has acquired the name of fayal wine. the bay, or road of fayal, is situated at the east end of the isle, before the villa de horta, and facing the west end of pico. it is two miles broad, and three quarters of a mile deep, and hath a semi-circular form. the depth of water is from twenty to ten and even six fathoms, a sandy bottom, except near the shore, and particularly near the s.w. head, off which the bottom is rocky, also without the line which joins the two points of the bay, so that it is not safe to anchor far out. the bearing before mentioned, taken when at anchor, will direct any one to the best ground. it is by no means a bad road, but the winds most to be apprehended, are those which blow from between the s.s.w. and s.e.; the former is not so dangerous as the latter, because, with it, you can always get to sea. besides this road, there is a small cove round the s.w. point, called porto pierre, in which, i am told, a ship or two may lie in tolerable safety, and where they sometimes heave small vessels down. a portuguese captain told me, that about half a league from the road in the direction of s.e., in a line between it and the south side of pico, lies a sunken rock, over which is twenty-two feet water, and on which the sea breaks in hard gales from the south. he also assured me, that of all the shoals that are laid down in our charts and pilot-books about these isles, not one has any existence but the one between the islands of st michael and st mary, called hormingan. this account may be believed, without relying entirely upon it. he further informed me, that it is forty-five leagues from fayal to the island of flores; and that there runs a strong tide between fayal and pico, the flood setting to the n.e. and the ebb to the s.w., but that, out at sea, the direction is e. and w. mr wales having observed the times of high and low water by the shore, concluded that it must be high water at the full and change, about twelve o'clock, and the water riseth about four or five feet. the distance between fayal and flores was confirmed by mr rebiers, lieutenant of the french frigate, who told me, that after being by estimation two leagues due south of flores, they made forty-four leagues on a s.e. by e. course by compass, to st catherine's point on fayal. i found the latitude of the ship at anchor ° ' " n. in the bay by a mean of seventeen sets of lunar w. observations, and reduced to the bay by the watch, the longitude was made by a mean of six sets after leaving it, and reduced back by the watch ----------------- longitude by observation ----------------- ditto, by the watch error of the watch on our arrival at - / portsmouth ----------------- true longitude by the watch - / _________________ i found the variation of the compass, by several azimuths, taken by different compasses on board the ship, to agree very well with the like observations made by mr wales on shore; and yet the variation thus found is greater by ° than we found it to be at sea, for the azimuths taken on board the evening before we came into the bay, gave no more than ° ' w. variation, and the evening after we came out ° ' w. i shall now give some account of the variation, as observed in our run from the island of fernando de noronha to fayal. the least variation we found was ' w. which was the day after we left fernando de noronha, and in the latitude of ' s., longitude ° ' w. the next day, being nearly in the same longitude, and in the latitude of ° ' n., it was ° ' w.; and we did not find it increase till we got into the latitude of ° n., longitude ° w. after this our compasses gave different variation, viz. from ° ' to ° ' w. till we arrived in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° w., when we found ° w. it then increased gradually, so that in the latitude of ° n., longitude ° w., it was ° ' w.; in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° / w. it was ° '; and in sight of fayal ° ' w., as mentioned above. having left the bay, at four in the morning of the th, i steered for the west end of st george's island. as soon as we had passed it, i steered e. / s. for the island of tercera; and after having run thirteen leagues, we were not more than one league from the west end. i now edged away for the north side, with a view of ranging the coast to the eastern point, in order to ascertain the length of the island; but the weather coming on very thick and hazy, and night approaching, i gave up the design, and proceeded with all expedition for england. on the th, we made the land near plymouth. the next morning we anchored at spithead; and the same day i landed at portsmouth, and set out for london, in company with messrs wales, forsters, and hodges. having been absent from england three years and eighteen days, in which time, and under all changes of climate, i lost but four men, and only one of them by sickness, it may not be amiss, at the conclusion of this journal, to enumerate the several causes to which, under the care of providence, i conceive this uncommon good state of health, experienced by my people, was owing. in the introduction, mention has been made of the extraordinary attention paid by the admiralty in causing such articles to be put on board, as either from experience or suggestion it was judged would tend to preserve the health of the seamen. i shall not trespass upon the reader's time in mentioning them all, but confine myself to such as were found the most useful. we were furnished with a quantity of malt, of which was made _sweet wort_. to such of the men as shewed the least symptoms of the scurvy, and also to such as were thought to be threatened with that disorder, this was given, from, one to two or three pints a-day each man; or in such proportion as the surgeon found necessary, which sometimes amounted to three quarts. this is, without doubt, one of the best anti-scorbutic sea-medicines yet discovered; and, if used in time, will, with proper attention to other things, i am persuaded, prevent the scurvy from making any great progress for a considerable while. but i am not altogether of opinion that it will cure it at sea. _sour krout_, of which we had a large quantity, is not only a wholesome vegetable food, but, in my judgment, highly antiscorbutic; and it spoils not by keeping. a pound of this was served to each man, when at sea, twice-a-week, or oftener, as was thought necessary. _portable broth_ was another great article, of which we had a large supply. an ounce of this to each man, or such other proportion as circumstances pointed out, was boiled in their pease, three days in the week; and when we were in places where vegetables were to be got, it was boiled with them, and wheat or oatmeal, every morning for breakfast; and also with pease and vegetables for dinner. it enabled us to make several nourishing and wholesome messes, and was the means of making the people eat a greater quantity of vegetables than they would otherwise have done. _rob of lemon and orange_ is an antiscorbutic we were not without. the surgeon made use of it in many cases with great success. amongst the articles of victualling, we were supplied with _sugar_ in the room of _oil_, and with _wheat_ for a part of our _oatmeal_; and were certainly gainers by the exchange. sugar, i apprehend, is a very good antiscorbutic; whereas oil (such as the navy is usually supplied with), i am of opinion, has the contrary effect. but the introduction of the most salutary articles, either as provisions or medicines, will generally prove unsuccessful, unless supported by certain regulations. on this principle, many years experience, together with some hints i had from sir hugh palliser, captains campbell, wallis, and other intelligent officers, enabled me to lay a plan, whereby all was to be governed. the crew were at three watches, except upon some extraordinary occasions. by this means they were not so much exposed to the weather as if they had been at watch and watch; and had generally dry clothes to shift themselves, when they happened to get wet. care was also taken to expose them as little to wet weather as possible. proper methods were used to keep their persons, hammocks, bedding, cloaths, etc. constantly clean and dry. equal care was taken to keep the ship clean and dry betwixt decks. once or twice a week she was aired with fires; and when this could not be done, she was smoked with gun-powder, mixed with vinegar or water. i had also, frequently, a fire made in an iron pot, at the bottom of the well, which was of great use in purifying the air in the lower parts of the ship. to this, and to cleanliness, as well in the ship as amongst the people, too great attention cannot be paid; the least neglect occasions a putrid and disagreeable smell below, which nothing but fires will remove. proper attention was paid to the ship's coppers, so that they were kept constantly clean. the fat which boiled out of the salt beef and pork, i never suffered to be given to the people; being of opinion that it promotes the scurvy. i was careful to take in water wherever it was to be got, even though we did not want it, because i look upon fresh water from the shore to be more wholesome than that which has been kept some time on board a ship. of this essential article we were never at an allowance, but had always plenty for every necessary purpose. navigators in general cannot, indeed, expect, nor would they wish to meet with such advantages in this respect, as fell to my lot. the nature of our voyage carried us into very high latitudes. but the hardships and dangers inseparable from that situation, were in some degree compensated by the singular felicity we enjoyed, of extracting inexhaustible supplies of fresh water from an ocean strewed with ice. we came to few places, where either the art of man, or the bounty of nature, had not provided some sort of refreshment or other, either in the animal or vegetable way. it was my first care to procure whatever of any kind could be met with, by every means in my power; and to oblige our people to make use thereof, both by my example and authority; but the benefits arising from refreshments of any kind soon became so obvious, that i had little occasion, to recommend the one, or to exert the other. it doth not become me to say how far the principal objects of our voyage have been obtained. though it hath not abounded with remarkable events, nor been diversified by sudden transitions of fortune; though my relation of it has been more employed in tracing our course by sea, than in recording our operations on shore; this, perhaps, is a circumstance from which the curious reader may infer, that the purposes for which we were sent into the southern hemisphere, were diligently and effectually pursued. had we found out a continent there, we might have been better enabled to gratify curiosity; but we hope our not having found it, after all our persevering researches, will leave less room for future speculation about unknown worlds remaining to be explored. but, whatever may be the public judgment about other matters, it is with real satisfaction, and without claiming any merit but that of attention to my duty, that i can conclude this account with an observation, which facts enable me to make; that our having discovered the possibility of preserving health amongst a numerous ship's company, for such a length of time, in such varieties of climate, and amidst such continued hardships and fatigues, will make this voyage remarkable in the opinion of every benevolent person, when the disputes about a southern continent shall have ceased to engage the attention, and to divide the judgment of philosophers. (tables of the route of the resolution and the adventure, the variation of the compass and meteorological observations during the voyage.) * * * * * a vocabulary of the language of the society isles. directions for the pronunciation of the vocabulary. as all nations who are acquainted with the method of communicating their ideas by characters, (which represent the sound that conveys the idea,) have some particular method of managing, or pronouncing, the sounds represented by such characters, this forms a very essential article in the constitution of the language of any particular nation, and must, therefore, be understood before we can make any progress in learning, or be able to converse in it. but as this is very complex and tedious to a beginner, by reason of the great variety of powers the characters, or letters, are endued with under different circumstances, it would seem necessary, at least in languages which have never before appeared in writing, to lessen the number of these varieties, by restraining the different sounds, and always representing the same simple ones by the same character; and this is no less necessary in the english than any other language, as this variety of powers is very frequent, and without being taken notice of in the following vocabulary, might render it entirely unintelligible. as the vowels are the regulations of all sounds, it is these only that need be noticed, and the powers allotted to each of these in the vocabulary is subjoined. _a_ in the english language is used to represent two different simple sounds, as in the word arabia, where the first and last have a different power from the second. in the vocabulary this letter must always have the power, or be pronounced like the first and last in arabia. the other power, or sound, of the second _a_, is always represented in the vocabulary by _a_ and _i_, printed in italics thus, _ai_. _e_ has likewise two powers, or it is used to represent two simple sounds, as in the words eloquence, bred, led, etc. and it may be said to have a third power, as in the words then, when, etc. in the first case, this letter is only used at the beginning of words, and wherever it is met with in any other place in the words of the vocabulary, it is used as in the second case: but never as in the third example; for this power, or sound, is every where expressed by the _a_ and _i_ before-mentioned, printed in italics. _i_ is used to express different simple sounds, as in the words indolence, iron, and imitation. in the vocabulary it is never used as in the first case, but in the middle of words; it is never used as in the second example, for that sound is always represented by _y_, nor is it used as in the last case, that sound being always represented by two _e_'s, printed in italics in this manner, _ee_. _o_ never alters in the pronunciation, i.e. in this vocabulary, of a simple sound, but is often used in this manner, _oo_, and sounds as in good, stood, etc. _u_ alters, or is used to express different simple sounds, as in unity, or umbrage. here the letters _e_ and _u_, printed in italics _eu_ are used to express its power as in the first example, and it always retains the second power, wherever it is met with. _y_ is used to express different sounds, as in my, by, etc. etc. and in daily, fairly, etc. wherever it is met with in the middle, or end, (i.e. anywhere but at the beginning,) of a word, it is to be used as in the first example; but is never to be found as in the second, for that sound, or power, is always represented by the italic letter _e_. it has also a third power, as in the words yes, yell, etc., which is retained every where in the vocabulary, at least in the beginning of words, or when it goes before another vowel, unless directed to be sounded separately by a mark over it, as thus, ÿ a. unless in a few instances, these powers of the vowels are used throughout the vocabulary; but, to make the pronunciation still less liable to change, or variation, a few marks are added to the words, as follows:-- this mark ¨ as öa, means that these letters are to be expressed singly. the letters in italic, as _ee_, or _oo_, make but one simple sound. when a particular stress is laid on any part of a word in the pronunciation, an accent is placed over that letter where it begins, or rather between that and the preceding one. it often happens that a word is compounded as it were of two, or in some cases the same word, or syllable, is repeated. in these circumstances, a comma is placed under them at this division, where a rest, or small space, of time is left before you proceed to pronounce the other part, but it must not be imagined that this is a full stop. _examples in all these cases._ röa, great, long, distant. e'r_ee_ma, five. ry'po_ee_a, fog, _or mist_. e'h_oo_ra, to invert, _or turn upside down_. par_oo_, r_oo_, a partition, _division, or screen_. a vocabulary, etc. a. to abide, _or remain_ ete'_ei_. an abode, _or place of residence_, noho`ra. above, _not below_, n_eea_, s. tie'n_eea_. an abscess, fe'fe. action, _opposed to rest_, ta'er_ee_. adhesive, _of an adhesive or sticking quality_ oo'p_ee_re. adjoining, _or contiguous to_, e'p_ee_iho. admiration, _an interjection of_, a'w_ai_, s. a'w_ai_ to p_ee_r_ee_ai. an adulterer, t_ee_ho t_ee_ho, s. teeho _or one that vexes a married woman_ ta-rar to agitate, _or shake a thing, as water, etc._ e_oo_a'w_ai_. aliment, _or food of any kind_, mäa. alive, _that is not dead_, waura. all, _the whole, not a part_, a'ma_oo_. alone, _by one's self_, ota'h_oi_. anger, _or to be angry_, warrad_ee_, s. r_ee_d_ee_. to angle, _or fish_, e'h_oo_tee. _the_ ankle, momoa. _the inner_ ankle, a't_oo_a,ewy. answer, _an answer to a question_, oo'm_ai_a. approbation, _or consent_, mad_oo_ho'why. _punctuated_ arches _on the hips_, e'var're. _the_ arm, r_ee_ma. _the_ armpit, e'e. _an_ arrow, e'_oo_me. arrow, _the body of an arrow or reed_, o'wha. _the point of an_ arrow, to'_ai_, s. o'möa. ashamed, _to be ashamed or confused_, ama, s. he'ama. ashore, _or on shore_, te euta. to ask _for a thing_, ho'my, s. ha'py my. asperity, _roughness_, tarra, tarra. an assassin,_murderer, or rather man-killer, soldier, taata,töa. or warrior_, an assembly, _or meeting_, ete_ou_'rooa. atherina, a'n_ai_h_eu_. avaricious, _parsimonious, ungenerous_, p_ee_'p_ee_re. averse, _unwillingness to do a thing_, fata, h_oi_to' _hoi_to. authentic,_true_, par_ou_, m_ou_. awake, _not asleep_, arra arra, s. e'ra. awry,_or to one side; as a wry neck_, na'na. an axe, _hatchet, or adze_, töe. ay, _yes; an affirmation_, _ai_. b. a babe, _or child_, mydidde. a batchelor, _or unmarried person_, e'ev_ee_ (taata.) the_ back, t_oo_a_. to wipe the_ backside, fy'r_oo_,too'ty. bad, _it is not good_, 'eè'no. a bag _of straw_, ete'öe, s.eäte. bait, _for fish_, era'_eu_noo. baked _in the oven_, et_oo_n_oo_. bald-headed, o_o_po'b_oo_ta. bamboo, e_e_n_ee'ou_. a bank, _or shoal_, e'paa. bare, _naked, applied to a person that is undressed_, ta'turra. the bark _of a tree_, ho'hore. barren _land_, fe'nooa ma'_ou_re. _a large round_ basket _of twig_, he'na. _a small_ basket _of cocoa leaves_, v_ai_'hee. _a long _basket _of cocoa leaves_, apo'_ai_ra. a basket _of plantain stock_, papa' m_aiee_a. _a fisher's_ basket, er're'vy. _a round_ basket _of cocoa leaves_, mo'ene. a bastard, fanna t_oo_'n_ee_a. bastinado, _to bastinade or flog a person_, tapra'h_ai_. to bathe, ob'_oo_. a battle, _or fight_, e'motto. a battle-axe, o'morre. to bawl, _or cry aloud_, t_ei_mo'toro. a bead, pöe. the beard, _oo_me _oo_me. to beat _upon, or strike a thing_, t_oo_'py or t_oo_'ba_ee_. to beat _a drum_, er_oo_'k_oo_. to beckon _a person with the hand_, ta'rappe. a bed, _or bed-place_, e'ro_ee_, s. möi'a. to bedaub, _or bespatter_, par'ry. a bee, e'räo. a beetle, p_ee_re'te_ee_. before, _not behind_, te'möa. a beggar, _a person that is troublesome_, tapa'r_oo_. _continually asking for some-what_, behind, _not before_, te'm_oo_r_ee_. to belch, er_oo_'y. below, _as below stairs_, tei'dirro, s. t_ee_diraro. below, _underneath, far below_, o'raro. to bend _any thing, as a stick_, etc. fa'fe'fe. benevolence, _generosity_, ho'röa, e.g. _you are a generous man_, taata ho roa öe. between, _in the middle, betwixit two_, fero'p_oo_. to bewail, _or lament by crying_, e'tat_ee_. bigness, _largeness, great_, ara'hay. a bird, manoo. a bitch, _oo_re, e'_oo_ha. to bite, _as a dog_, a ah_oo_. black, _colour_, ere, ere. bladder, töa meeme. a_ blasphemer, _a person who speaks_ t_oo_na, (t_aa_ta.) _disrespectfully of their deities_, blind, matta-po. a blister, _raised by a burn or other means_, mei'_ee_ blood, toto, s. eh_ooei_. to blow _the nose_, fatte. the blowing, _or breathing of a whale_, ta'hora. blunt, _as a blunt tool of any sort_, ma'n_ee_a. _the carved_ boards _of a maray_, e'ra. _a little_ boat, _or canoe_, e'väa. a boil, fe'fe. boldness, eäw_ou_. a bone, e'ev_ee_. a bonetto, _a fish so called_, peera'ra. to bore _a hole_, ehoo'_ee_, s. eh_oo_'o. a bow, e'fanna. a bow-string, aröa'h_oo_a. to bow _with the head_, etoo'o. _a young_ boy, my'didde. boy, _a familiar way of speaking_, he'aman_ee_. the brain _of any animal_, a b_oo_ba. a branch _of a tree or plant_, e'ama. bread-fruit, _or the fruit of the bread-tree_, _oo_r_oo_. bread-fruit, _a particular sort of it_, e'patëa. _an insipid paste of_ bread-fruit, eh'öe. _the gum of the _bread-tree, tappo'_oo_r_oo_. _the leaf of the_ bread-tree, e'da'_oo_r_oo_. _the pith of the_ bread-tree, po'_oo_r_oo_. to break _a thing_, o whatte, s. owhan ne, s. fatte. the breast, o'ma a breast-plate _made of twigs, ornamented with feathers, dog's hair, ta_oo_me. and pearl-shell_, to breathe, watte weete wee të,'aho. bring, _to ask one to bring a thing_, ho'my. briskness, _being brisk or quick_, t_ee_ t_ee_re. broiled, _or roasted, as broiled meat_, _oo_aw_ee_ra. broken, _or cut_, 'mot_oo_. the brow, _or forehead_, e'ry. a brown _colour_, aur_au_ra. buds _of a tree or plant_, te, arre ha_oo_. a bunch _of any fruit_, eta. to burn _a thing_, döod_oo_e. a butterfly, pepe. c. to call _a person at a distance_, t_oo_o t_oo_'o_oo_. a calm, man_ee_no. a calm, _or rather to be so placed, that the wind has no access to you_, e_ou_, shea. _sugar_ cane, tö, etöo. a cap, _or covering for the head_ t_au_'matta. to carry _any thing_, e'a'mo. to carry _a person an the back_, eva'ha. catch a _thing hastily with the hand_, po'po_ee_, s. peero. as a fly, etc. to catch _a ball_, ama'wh_ee_a. to catch _fish with a line_, e'h_oo_te. a caterpillar, e't_oo_a. celerity, _swiftness_, t_ee_'teere, s. e'tirre. the centre, _or middle of a thing_, tera'p_oo_. chalk, mamma'tëa. a chatterer, _or noisy impertinent taata e'm_oo_, fellow_, s. e'm_oo_. chearfulness, wara. the cheek, pappar_ee_a. a chest, 'p_ee_ha. the chest, _or body_, o'p_oo_. to chew, _or eat_, e'y. chequered, _or painted in squares_, p_oo_re, p_oo_re. a chicken, möa pee'ri_a_ia. a chief, _or principal person; one of eäree. the first rank among the people_, _an inferior_ chief, _or one who is only in an independent state, t_oo'ou_ a gentleman_, child-bearing, fanou, e'vaho. children's _language_, father, o'pucen_oo_, _and_ papa. mother, e'wh_ei_arre, and o'pa'tëa. brother, e'tama. sister, te't_oo_a. the chin, _and lower jaw_, e'taa. choaked, _to be choaked as with ep_oo_'n_ei_na, victuals_, etc. s. er_oo_'y. to chuse, _or pick out_, eh_ee_e,te,me,my ty. circumcision, _or rather an incision_ e_oo_re,te h_ai_. _of the foreskin_, _a sort of_ clappers,_used at funerals_, par'ha_oo_. clapping _the bend of the arm smartly e'too. with the hand, so as to make a noise, an indian custom_, the claw _of a bird,_ a'_ee oo_. clay, _or clammy earth_, ewh_ou_,arra. clean, _not nasty_, _oo_'ma, s. eoo'_ee_. clear, _pure; as clear water_, etc. tëa'te. _white clayey_ cliffs, e'mammatëa. close, _shut_, eva'h_ee_. cloth _of any kind, or rather the covering ahoo. or raiments made of it_, _a piece of oblong_ cloth, _slit in the middle, through which the head is teeboota. put, and it then hangs down behind and before_, _brown thin_ cloth, _oo_'erai. _dark-brown_ cloth, poo'h_ee_re. _nankeen-coloured_ cloth, ah_ee_re, s. _oo_a. _gummed_ cloth, oo'_ai_r ara. heappa,heappa, s. _yellow_ cloth, a'ade, p_oo ee ei_, s. oora poo'_ee ei_. cloth, _a piece of thin white cloth par_oo_'y, by which name wrapt round the waist, or thrown they also call a white over the shoulders_, shirt. a cloth-beater, _or an oblong square to'aa. piece of wood grooved, and used in making cloth_, the _cloth-plant, _a sort of mulberry ea_ou_te. tree_, a cloud, e'äo, s. ea_oo_. a cock, möa, e'töa. cock, _the cock claps his wings_ te moa pa_ee_, pa_ee_. a cock-roach, potte potte. a cocoa-nut, a'r_ee_. _the fibrous husk of a_ cocoa-nut, p_oo_r_oo_'waha, s. p_oo_r_oo_. cocoa-nut _oil_, e'rede,väe. cocoa leaves, e,ne'ha_oo_. coition, e'y. _the sense of_ cold, ma'r_ee_de. a comb, pa'horo, s. pa'herre. company, _acquaintance, gossips_, tee'ÿa. compliance _with a request, consent_, mad_oo_,ho'why. computation, _or counting of numbers_, ta't_ou_. a concubine, wa'h_ei_ne möebo, s. etoo'n_ee_a. confusedness, _without order_, e'vah_ee_a. consent, _or approbation_, mad_oo_,ho'why. contempt, _a name of contempt given wah_ei_ne,p_oo_'ha. to a maid, or unmarried woman_, conversation, para_ou_,maro, s. para'para_ou_. _a sort of_ convolvulus, _or bird-weed, common in the islands_, oh_oo_e. cook'd, _dress'd; not raw_, ee'_oo_, s. e_ee_'wera. to cool _one with a fan_, taha`r_ee_. cordage _of any kind_, taura. the core _of an apple_, böe. a cork, _or stopper of a bottle or gourd shell_, ora'h_oo_e. a corner, e'pecho. covering, _the covering of a fish's gills_, pe_ee_'eya. covetousness, _or rather one not inclined to give_, pee,peere. a cough, ma're. to court, _woo a woman_, ta'raro. coyness _in a woman,_ no'nöa. a crab, pappa. crab, _a large land-crab that climbs the cocoa-nut trees for fruit_, e'_oo_wa. a crack, cleft, or fissure, mot_oo_. crammed, _lumbered, crowded_, ooa,p_ee_a'pe,s.ehotto. the cramp, emo't_oo_ t_oo_. a cray-fish, o'_oo_ra. to creep _on the hands and feet_, ene'_ai_. crimson _colour_, _oo_ra _oo_ra. cripple, _lame_, t_ei_'t_ei_. crooked, _not straight_, o_o_o'p_ee_o. to crow _as a cock_, a'a _oo_a. the crown _of the head_, t_oo_'p_oo_e. to cry, _or shed tears_, ta_ee_. _a brown_ cuckoo, _with black bars and a long tail, frequent in the isles_, ara'were_wa_. to cuff, _or slap the chops_, e'par_oo_. curlew, _a small curlew or whimbrel found about the rivulets_, torëa. cut, _or divided_, mot_oo_. _to_ cut _the hair with scissars_, o'tee. d. a dance, h_ee_va. darkness, poee'r_ee_, s. po_oo_'r_ee_ to darn o'ono a daughter, ma'h_ei_ne. day, _or day-light_, mara'marama, s. a'_ou_, s. a'a_ou_. day-break, oota'tah_ei_ta. day, _to-day_, a_oo_'n_ai_. dead, matte röa. _a natural_ death, matte nöa. deafness, ta'r_ee_a, t_oo_r_ee_. decrepid, epoo't_oo_a. deep water, mona'. a denial, _or refusal_, eh_oo_'nöa. to desire, _or wish for a thing_, e_ooee_. a devil, _or evil spirit_, e't_ee_. dew, ahe'a_oo_. a diarrhoea, _or looseness_, hawa, hawa. to_ dip _meat in salt water instead of_ eaw_ee_'wo _salt, (an indian custom_,) dirt, _or nastiness of any kind_, e'repo. disapprobation, eh_oo_nöa. a disease, _where the head cannot be e'p_ee_. held up, perhaps the palsy_, to disengage, _untie or loosen_, ea_oo_'w_ai_. dishonesty, e_ee_'a. displeased, _to be displeased, vexed, or ta_ee_'va. in the dumps_, dissatisfaction, _to grumble, or be fa_oo_'oue. dissatisfied_, distant, _far off_, röa. _to_ distort, _or writhe the limbs, body, faee'ta. lips, etc. to distribute, _divide or share out_, at_oo_'ha. a district, matei na. a ditch, eö'h_oo_. to dive _under water_, eho'p_oo_. a dog, _oo_'r_ee_. a doll _made of cocoa-plants_, ad_oo_'a. a dolphin, a'_ou_na. done, _have done; or that is enough_, a'teera. _or there is no more_, a door, _oo_'b_oo_ta. double, _or when two things are in_ tau'r_oo_a. _one, as a double canoe_, down, _or soft hair_, e'waou, to draw _a bow_, etëa. to draw, _or drag a thing by force_, era'ko. dread, _or fear_, mattou. dress'd, _or cooked, not raw_, ee'_oo_. _a head_ dress, _used at funerals_, pa'ra_ee_. to dress, _or put on the cloaths_, eu, hau'ho_oo_ t'ahoo. to drink, a_ee_'n_oo_. drop, _a single drop of any liquid_, _oo_,ata'hai. to drop, _or leak_, eto't_oo_r_oo_, s. e't_oo_r_oo_. drops, _as drops of rain_, to'potta. drowned, parre'mo. a drum, pa'hoo. dry, _not wet_, _oo_'maro. a duck, mora. a dug, _teat, or nipple_, e_oo_. dumbness, e'faö. e. the ear, ta'r_ee_a. _the inside of the_ ear, ta'toor_ee_. an ear-ring, poe note tar_ee_a. to eat, _or chew_, e'y, s. mäa. an echinus, _or sea-egg_, heawy. echo, t_oo_o. an egg _of a bird_, ehooero te man_oo_. _a white_ egg-bird, pee'ry. eight, a'waroo. the elbow, t_oo_'r_ee_. empty, oooata'aö, s. tata'_oo_a. an enemy, taata'e. entire, _whole, not broke_, eta, eta. equal, _oo_hy't_ei_. erect, _upright_, et_oo_. a euphorbium _tree, with white flowers_, te'too_ee_. the evening, oooh_oi_'h_oi_. excrement, t_oo_'ty. to expand, _or spread out cloth, etc._ ho'hora. the eye, matta. the eye-brow, _and eye-lid_, t_oo_a, matta. f. the face, e'mot_ee_a. _to hide or hold the_ face _away, as_ when ashamed_, far_ee_'w_ai_. facetious, _merry_, faatta atta. fainting, _to faint_, möe,mo'my. to fall _down_, topa. false, _not true_, ha'warre. a fan, _or to fan the face or cool it_, taha'r_ee_. to fart, _or a fart_, eh_oo_. fat, _full of flesh, lusty_, p_ee_a. the fat _of meat_, ma_ee_. a father med_oo_a tanne. a _step-_father, tanne, te höa. fatigued, _tired_, e'h_ei'eu_,s.faea. fear, mattou. a feather, _or quill_, h_oo_roo, _hoo_r_oo_, man_oo_. _red_ feathers, ora, h_oo_r_oo_ te man_oo_. feebleness, _weakness_, fara'ra, s. tooro'r_ee_. _the sense of_ feeling, fa'fa. to feel, tear'ro. _a young clever dexterous_ fellow, _or boy_, te'my de pa'ar_ee_. the female _kind of any animal_, e'_oo_ha. the fern-tree, ma'mo_oo_. fertile _land_, fen_oo_a,maa. fetch, _go fetch it_, atee. few _in number_, eote. to fight, e'neotto. a fillip, _with the fingers_, epatta. the fin _of a fish_, tirra. to finish, _or make an end_, eiote. a finger, e'r_ee_ma. fire, ea'hai. _a flying_ fish, mara'ra. _a green flat_ fish, e_eu_me. _a yellow flat_ fish, _oo_'morehe. _a flat green and red_ p_ai'ou_. _the cuckold_ fish, etata. a fish, eya. fishing _wall for hauling the seine at epa. the first point_, a fish _pot_, e'wha. _a long_ fishing _rod of bamboo, used ma'k_ee_ra. to catch bonettoes_, etc., a fissure, _or crack_, motoo. fist, _to open the fist_, ma'hora. fist, _striking with the fist in dancing_, a'moto. _a fly_ flapper, _or to flap flies_, dah_ee_'ere e'r_eu_pa. flatness, _applied to a nose, or a vessel broad and flat; also a spreading flat topt tree_, papa. _a red_ flesh _mark_, e_ee_'da. to float _on the face of the water_, pa'noo. the flower _of a plant_, p_oo_a. _open_ flowers, t_ee_arre'_oo_ wa. flowers, _white odoriferous flowers, used as ornaments in the ears_, t_ee_arre tarr_ee_a. flown, _it is flown or gone away_, ma'h_ou_ta. a flute, w_ee_wo. _a black_ fly-catcher, _a bird so called_, o'mamäo. a fly, p_oo_re'h_oo_a. to fly, _as a bird_, e'r_ai_re. fog, _or mist_, ry'po_ee_a. to fold _up a thing, as cloth_, etc. he'fet_oo_. a fool, _scoundrel, or other epithet of contempt_, ta'_ou_na. the foot, _or sole of the foot_, tapooy. the forehead, e'ry. forgot, _or lost in memory_, _oo_'aro. foul, _dirty, nasty_, erepo. a fowl, möa. four, e'ha. the frapping _of a flute_, ahëa. freckles, taina. fresh, _not salt_, eanna,anna. friction, _rubbing_, e'_oo ee_. friend, _a method of addressing a stranger_, ehöa _a particular_ friend, _or the salutation e'apatte. to him_, to frisk, _to wanton, to play_, e'hanne. from _there_, no,r_ei_ra, s. no,r_ei_da. from _without_, no,waho'_oo_. from _before_, no,m_oo_a. fruit, 'hoo'ero. _perfume_ fruit _from tethuroa_, a _small island_, hooero te manoo. _a yellow_ fruit, _like a large plumb with a rough core_, a'v_ee_. full, _satisfied with eating_, pÿa,s._oo_'pÿa, s.'paÿa. a furunculus, _or a small hard boil_, apoo. g. a garland _of flowers_, a'v_ou_t_oo_, s. a'r_ou_too ef ha, apai. generosity, _benevolence_, ho'röa. a gimblet, eho'_oo_. a girdle, ta't_oo_a. a girl, _or young woman_, too'n_ee_a. a girthing _manufacture_, tat_oo_'y. to give _a thing_, höa't_oo_. _a looking_-glass, h_ee_o'_ee_ota. a glutton, _or great eater_, taata a'_ee_, s. era'pöa n_oo_e. to go, _or move from where you stand_ harre. _to walk_ to go, _or leave a place_, era'wa. go, _begone, make haste and do it_, haro. go _and fetch it_, at_ee_. good, _it is good, it is very well_, my`ty, s. myty,tye, s. maytay. good-_natured_, mama'h_ou_, s. ma'r_oo_. a grandfather, too'b_oo_na. a great-grandfather, tooboona tahe'too. a great great-grandfather, ouroo. a grandson, mo'b_oo_na. to grasp _with the hand_, hara'wa_ai_. grasping _the antagonist's thigh when tomo. dancing_, grass, _used on the floors of their ano'noho. houses, to grate _cocoa-nut kernel_, e'annatehea'r_ee_. great, _large, big_, ara'h_ai_. green _colour_, p_oo_re p_oore_. to groan, er_oo_,whe. the groin, ta'pa. to grow _as a plant_, etc. we'r_oo_a. to grunt, _or strain_, etee,_too_whe. _the blind_ gut, ora'b_oo_b_oo_. the guts _of any animal_, a'a_oo_. h. the hair _of the head_, e'ror_oo_, s. e'roh_oo_r_oo_. _grey_ hair, hinna'heina. _red_ hair, _or a red-headed man_, e'h_oo_. _curled_ hair, p_ee_p_ee_. _woolly frizzled_ hair, oë'töeto. _to pull the_ hair, e'w_ou_a. hair, _tied on the crown of the head_, e'p_oo_te. half _of any thing_, fa'_ee_te. a hammer, et_ee_'te. hammer _it out_, atoo'bian_oo_. the hand, e'r_ee_ma. _a deformed_ hand, p_ee_le'_oi_. _a motion with the_ hand _in dancing_, o'ne o'ne. a harangue, _or speech_, oraro. a harbour, _or anchoring-place_, t_oo_'t_ou_. hardness, e'ta,e'ta. a hatchet, _axe, or adze_, töe. he, nana. the head, _oo_'po. _a shorn_ head, e'v_ou_a. the head-ache, _in consequence of drunkenness_, eana`n_ee_a. _the sense of_ hearing, faro. the heart _of an animal_, a'h_ou_too. heat, _warmth_, mahanna,hanna. heavy, _not light_, t_ei_ma'ha. _the sea_ hedge-hog, totera. _a blue_ heron, otoo. _a white_ heron, tra'pappa. to hew _with an axe_, teraee. hibiscus, _the smallest species of hibiscus, with rough seed cases, that adhere to the clothes in walking_, p_ee_re,p_ee_re. hibiscus, _a species of hibiscus with large yellow flowers_, po_oo_'r_ou_. the hiccup, et_oo_'ee, s. e_oo_'wha. hide, _to hide a thing_, e'h_oo_na. high, _or steep_, mato. a hill, _or mountain_, ma_oo_, s. ma_oo_'a, s. m_ou_a. _one-tree_ hill, _a hill so called in matavia bay_, tal'ha. to hinder, _or prevent_, tapëa. the hips, e'tohe. hips, _the black punctuated part of tamo'r_ou_. the hips_, to hit _a mark_, ele'ba_ou_, s. wa'p_oo_ta. hiss, _to hiss or hold out the finger at t_ee_'he. one_, hoarseness, e'fäo. a hog, böa. to hold _fast_, mou. hold _your tongue, be quiet or silent_, ma'm_oo_, a hole, _as a gimblet hole in wood_,etc., e'r_oo_a, s. poota. to hollow, _or cry aloud to one_, t_oo_'o. _to keep at_ home, ate'_ei_ te efarre. honesty, eea'_ou_re. _a fish_ hook, ma't_au_. _a fish_ hook _of a particular sort_, w_ee_te,w_ee_te. the horizon, e'pa_ee_, no t'era_ee_. hot, _or sultry air, it is very hot_, poh_ee_'a. a house, e'farre, s. ewharre. a house _of office_, eha'm_oo_te. _a large_ house, efarre'pota. a house _on props_, a'whatta. _an industrious_ housewife, ma'h_ei_ne am_au_'hattoi how _do you, or how is it with you, tehanoöe. humorous, _droll, merry_, fa,atta,'atta. hunger, poro'r_ee_, s. po_ee_'a. a hut, _or house_, e'farre. i i,_ myself, first person singular_, w_ou_( ) m_ee_.( ) _the lower_ jaw, e'ta. idle, _or lazy_, t_ee_'py. jealousy _in a woman_, ta'b_oo_ne, s.fatee no, s. h_oo_'hy. ignorance, _stupidity_, w_ee_a'ta. ill-natured, _cross_, _oo_re, e'_ee_ore. an image _of a human figure_, e'tee. imps,_ the young imps,_ tëo'he. immature, _unripe, as unripe fruit_, poo. immediately, _instantly_, to'hyto. immense, _very large_, röa. incest, _or incestuous_, ta'wytte. indigent, _poor, necessitous_, t_ee_,t_ee_. indolence, _laziness_, t_ee_'py. industry, _opposed to idleness_, ta_ee_'a. inhospitable, _ungenerous_, p_ee_'p_ee_re. to inform, e'whäe. _a sort of_ ink, _used to punctuate_, e'rah_oo_. an inquisitive _tattling woman_, maheine opotai_ee_hu. to interrogate, _or ask questions_, faeete. to invert, _or turn upside down_, e'h_oo_ra, tela'why. an islet, mo'too. the itch, _an itching of any sort_, myro. j. to jump, _or leap_, mah_ou_ta, s. araire. k. keep _it to yourself_, v_ai_h_ee_'o. the kernel _of a cocoa-nut_, emo't_ee_a. to kick _with the foot_, ta'h_ee_. the kidnies, f_oo_a'h_oo_a. killed, _dead_, matte. to kindle, _or light up_, emäa. a king, eär_ee_,da'h_ai_. a king-fisher, _the bird to called_, e'r_oo_ro. to kiss, e'ho_ee_. kite, _a boy's play-kite_, o'omo. the knee, e't_oo_r_ee_. to kneel, t_oo_'t_oo_r_ee_. a knot, ta'pona. _a double_ knot, va'hod_oo_. _the female_ knot _formed on the upper t_ee_bona. part of the garment, and on one side_, to know, _or understand_, _ee_te. the knuckle, _or joint of the fingers_, t_ee_,p_oo_. l. to labour, _or work_, ehëa. a ladder, era'a, s. e'ara. a lagoon, ewha'_ou_na, s.eä'onna. lame, _cripple_, t_ei_'t_ei_. a lance, _or spear_, täo. land _in general, a country_, fe'n_oo_a, s. whe'n_oo_a. language, _speech, words_, pa'ra_ou_. language, _used when dancing, timoro'd_ee_, te'timoro'd_ee_. largeness, _when applied to a country, ara'h_ai_. country,_etc. n_oo_e. to laugh, atta. laziness, t_ee_'py. lean, _the lean of meat_, aëo. lean,_slender, not fleshy_, t_oo_'h_ai_. to leap, ma'h_ou_ta, s. a'rere. leave _it behind, let it remain_, 'v_ai_hëo. to leave, e'wh_eeoo_. the leg, a'wy. legs, _my legs ache, or are tired_, a'h_oo_a. a liar, taata,ha'warre. to lie _down, or along, to rest one's self_, ete'raha, s. te'p_oo_. to lift _a thing up_, era'w_ai_. _day_ light, mara'marama. light, _or fire of the great people_ t_ou_t_oi_,papa. light, _or fire of the common people_, n_ee_ao,papa. light, _to light or kindle the fire_, a't_oo_n_oo_ t'e_ee_'wera. light, _not heavy_, ma'ma. lightning, _oo_'waira. the lips, _oo_t_oo_. little, _small_, _ee_te. a lizard, 'möo. loathsome, _nauseous_, e,a'wawa. _a sort of_ lobster, _frequent in the isles_, t_ee_on_ai_. to loll _about, or be lazy_, tee'py. to loll _out the tongue_, ewha'tor_oo_ t'arere. to look _for a thing that is lost_, tap_oo_n_ee_. a looking-glass, h_ee_o'_ee_'otta. loose, _not secure_, a_oo_'w_ee_wa. a looseness, _or purging_, hawa,'hawa. to love, ehe'nar_oo_. lover, _courtier, wooer_, eh_oo_'nöa. a louse, _oo_'t_oo_. low, _not high, as low land_, etc. hëa,hëa, s. papoo. e_ee_'öa. the lungs, t_ee_too,'arapoa. lusty, _fat, full of flesh_, oo'p_ee_a. m. maggots, e'h_oo_h_oo_. a maid, _or young woman _, t_oo_'n_ee_a. to make _the bed_, ho'hora, te möe'ya. the male _of any animal, male kind_, e'öta. a man, täata, s. taane. _an indisposed or insincere_ man, täata,ham'an_ee_no. a man-of-war _bird_, otta'ha. many, _a great number_, wo'rou,wo'rou, s. man_oo_, man_oo_. _a black_ mark _on the skin_, e_ee_'r_ee_. married, _as a married man_, fan_ou_'nou. a mat, e'vanne. _a silky kind of_ mat, möe'a. _a rough sort of_ mat, _cut in the p_oo_'rou. middle to admit the head_, a mast _of a ship or boat_, t_ee_ra. mature, _ripe; as ripe fruit_, para, s. pe. me, _i_, w_ou_, s. m_ee_. a measure, e'a. to measure _a thing_, fa'_ee_te. to meet _one_, ewharidde. to melt, _or dissolve a thing, t_oo_'t_oo_e. as grease etc._ the middle, _or midst of a thing_, teropoo. midnight, o't_oo_ra,h_ei_'po. to mince, _or cut small_, e'p_oo_ta. mine, _it is mine, or belongs to me_, no'_oo_. to miss, _not to hit a thing_, _oo_'happa. mist, _or fog_, ry'po_ee_a. to mix _things together_, a'p_oo_e,'p_oo_e. to mock _or scoff at one_, etoo'h_ee_. modesty, mamma'ha_oo_. moist, _wet_, wara'r_ee_. a mole _upon the skin_, at_oo_'nöa. _a lunar_ month, mara'ma. a monument _to the dead_, whatta'r_au_. the moon, mara'ma. the morning, oo'po_ee_'po_ee_. to-morrow, bo'bo, s. a,bo'bo. _the day after to_-morrow, a'bo'bo d_oo_ra. _the second day after to_-morrow; po_ee_,po_ee_,addoo. a moth, e,pepe. a mother, ma'd_oo_a, wa'h_ei_ne. a motherly, _or elderly woman_, pa'tëa. motion, _opposed to rest_, o_o_a'ta. a mountain, _or hill, ma_oo_a, s. mo_u_a. mountains _of the highest order_, mo_u_a tei'tei. mountains _of the second order_, mo_u_a 'haha. mountains _of the third or lowest order_, pere'ra_ou_. mourning, '_ee_va. mourning _leaves, viz. those of the ta'pa_oo_. cocoa-tree, used for that purpose_, the mouth, eva'ha. _to open the_ mouth, ha'mamma. a multitude, _or vast number_, wo'r_ou_, wo'r_ou_. murdered, _killed_, matte, s. matte röa. a murderer, taata töa. a muscle-shell, no_u,ou_. music _of any kind_, h_ee_va. a musket, _pistol, or firearms p_oo_,p_oo_, s. poo. of any kind_, mute, _silent_, fateb_oo_a. to matter, or _stammer_, e'wha_ou_. n. the nail _of the fingers_, aee'_oo_. a nail _of iron_, _e_ure. naked, _i. e. with the clothes off, ta'lurra. undressed_, the name _of a thing_, e_ee'oo_. narrow, _strait, not wide_, p_ee_re,p_ee_re. nasty, _dirty, not clean_, e,repo. a native, taata'toob_oo_. the neck, a'_ee_. needles, narreeda. _a fishing_ net, _oo_'p_ai_a. new, _young, sound_, ho_u_. nigh, poto, s. whatta'ta. night, p_o_, s. e'a_oo_. to-night, _or to-day at night_, a'_oo_ne te' po. _black_ night-_shade_, oporo. nine, a'_ee_va. the nipple _of the breast_, e'_oo_. a nit, eriha. [ ] ay'ma, [ ] y_ai_ha, no, _a negation_, [ ]a'_ou_re, [ ] a_ee_, [ ] yeha_ee_a. to nod, a't_ouou_. noisy, _chattering, impertinent_, emoo. noon, wawa'tea. the nostrils, popo'hëo. numeration, _or counting of numbers_, ta't_ou_. _a cocoa_ nut, aree. _a large compressed_ nut,_that tastes e_ee_h_ee_. like chesnuts when roasted_, o. obesity, _corpulence_, ou'p_ee_a. the ocean, ty, s. meede. odoriferous, _sweet-smelled_, no'nöa. _perfumed_ oil _they put on the hair_, mo'nöe. an ointment,_plaister, or any thing e'ra'pa_oo_. that heals or relates to medicine_, old, ora'wheva. one, a'tahai. open, _clear, spacious_, ea'tëa. open, _not shut_, fe'r_ei_. to open, te'haddoo. opposite _to, or over against_, wetoo'wh_ei_tte. order, _in good order, regular, without wara'wara. confusion_, ornament, _any ornament for the ear_, t_ooee_ ta'r_ee_a. _burial_ ornaments, _viz. nine noits ma'ray wharre. stuck in the ground_, an orphan, _oo_'hoppe, poo'_ai_a. out, _not in, not within_, t_ei_we'ho. the outside _of a thing_, _oo_a'p_ee_. an oven _in the ground_, e_oo_'m_oo_. over, _besides, more than the quantity_, te'harra. to overcome, _or conquer_, e'ma'_oo_ma. to overturn, _or overset_, eha'pa_oo_. an owner e'whattoo. _a large species of_ oyster, i't_eë_a. _the large rough_ oyster, _or spondylus_, paho'öa. p. the paddle _of a canoe, or to paddle_, e'höe. to paddle _a canoe's head to the right_ what'tëa. to paddle _a canoe's head to the left_, wemma. pain, _or soreness,the sense of pain_, ma'my. a pair, _or two of any thing together_, ano'ho. the palate, e'ta'nea. the palm _of the hand_, ap_oo_'r_ee_ma. to pant, _or breathe quickly_, oo'pou'pou,tëa'ho. pap, _or child's food_, mamma. a parent, me'd_oo_a. _a small blue_ parroquet, e'v_ee_n_ee_. _a green_ parroquet, _with a e'a'a. red forehead_, the part _below the tongue_, eta'raro. a partition, _division, or screen_, par_oo_'r_oo_. a pass, _or strait_, e,aree'ëa. _a fermented_ paste, _of bread, fruit and others_, ma'h_ee_. a path, _or road_, eä'ra. the pavement _before a house or hut_, pÿe,pye. a pearl, pöe. the peduncle, _and stalk of a plant_, a'mäa, s. e'atta. to peel _or take the skin off a cocoa-nut_etc. a'tee, s. e'atee. peeled, _it is peeled_, me'at_ee_. a peg _to hang a bag on_, 'pe'a_oo_. a pepper-plant, _from the root of which they prepare an inebriating liquor_, awa. perhaps, _it may be so_, e'pa'ha. persons _of distinction_, patoo'nehe. a petticoat _of plantane leaves_, aarou'm_aiee_a. petty, _small, trifling, opposed to nooe_, r_ee_. _a_ physician, _or person who attends the sick_, taata no e'rapa_oo_. pick, _to pick or choose_, eh_ee_ te _mai_ my ty. _a large wood_ pigeon, er_oope_. _a large green and white_ pigeon, o_o_'_oo_pa. _a small black and white_ pigeon, _with purple wings_, _oooo_wy'deroo. a pimple, h_oo_a'h_ou_a. to pinch _with, the fingers_, _oo_ma. a plain, _or flat_, e'_pee_ho. plane, _smooth_, pa'_ee_a. a plant _of any kind_, o'mo. _a small_ plant, e'rabo. _the fruit of a_ plantane-tree m_aiee_'a, s. maya. _horse_ plantanes, fai'_ee_. pleased, _good humoured, not cross or mar_oo_. surly_, pluck _it up_, ar_ee_te. to pluck _hairs from the beard_, h_oo_h_oo_tee. to plunge _a thing in the water_, e,_oo_'wh_ee_. the point _of any thing_, oë,öe, or _oi,oi_. poison, _bitter_, awa,awa. a poll, _oo_ra'h_oo_. poor, _indigent, not rich_, tee'tee. _a bottle-nosed_ porpoise, e'_ou_a. _sweet_ potatoes, oo'marra. to pour _out any liquid substance_, ma'n_ee_. pregnant _with young_, waha'p_oo_. to press, _or squeeze the legs gently with the hand, when tired or pained_, roro'm_ee_. prick, _to prick up the ears_, eoma te ta'r_ee_. a priest, ta'h_ou_a. prone, _or face downwards_, t_ee_'opa. _a sort of_ pudding, _made of fruits, oil_, etc. po'po'_ee_. pumpkins, a'h_ooa_. to puke, _or vomit_, e'awa, s. e'r_oo_'y. pure, _clear_, e'_oo'ee_. a purging, _or looseness_, hawa,hawa. to pursue, _and catch a person who er_oo_,er_oo_, has done some mischief_, s. eha'r_oe_. to push _a thing with the hand_, t_oo_'ra_ee_. put _it up, or away_, orno. q. quickness, _briskness_, e'tirre. _to walk_ quickly, harre'n_ei_na. quietness, _silence, a silent or seemingly thoughtful person_, falle'b_oo_a. a quiver _for holding arrows_, 'p_ee_ha. r. _a small black_ rail, _with red eyes_, m_ai_'ho. _a small black_ rail, _spotted and buured with white_, p_oo_a'n_ee_. rain, e'_oo_a. a rainbow, e'n_oo_a. raft, _a raft of bamboo_, m_ai_to'e. rank,_ strong, urinous_, ewão wao. a rasp, _or file_, _ooee_. a rat, 'yore, s. eyore. raw _meat, flesh that is not dressed e'otta. cooked_, raw _fruit, as plantanes, etc. that are paroure. not baked_ to recline, _or lean upon a thing_, e'py. red _colour_, _oo_ra,_oo_ra, s. matde. to reef _a sail_, epo'uie te rya. a refusal, eh_oo_'nooa. the remainder _of any thing_, t,'ewahei. to rend, _burst, or split_, m_oo_'m_oo_m_oo_. rent, _cracked, or torn_, e'wha. to reside, _live or dwell_, e'noho. respiration, _breathing_, t_oo_e,t_oo_e. a rib, awäo. rich, _not poor, having plenty of epo'too. goods, etc._ a ring, 'm_ai_no. the ringworm, _a disease so called_, e'n_oo_a. ripe, _as ripe fruit, etc._ para, s. pai, s. ooo p_ai_. rise, _to rise up_, a'too. to rive, _or split_, ewha_oo'_ wha_oo_. a road, _or path_, eä'ra. roasted, _or broiled_, _oo_a'w_ai_ra. a robber, _or thief_, e_ee_'a (taata.) a rock, pa_oo_. _a reef of_ rocks, e'a_ou_. rolling, _the rolling of a ship_, t_oo_'r_oo_re. a root, ap_oo_, s. ea. a rope _of any kind_, taura. rotten, _as rotten fruit, etc._ r_oo_pe. rough, _not smooth_, ta'rra, tarra. to row _with oars_, e'_oo_me, s, e'höe. to rub _a thing, as in washing the hands ho'ro_ee_. and face_, the rudder _of a boat, or steering höe,fa'herre. paddle of a canoe_, running _backwards and forwards, oo'atapone. endeavouring to escape_, s. the sail _of a ship or boat_, e_ee_'_ai_. to sail, _or to be under sail_, e'whano. salt, _or salt water_, ty'ty, s. meede. sand, _dust_, e'one. saturn, whati'hëa. saunders's _island_, tab_oo_a, manoo. a saw, e_ee'oo_. a scab, e'tona. _a fish's_ scale _or scales_, pöa. _a pair of_ scissars, o't_oo_bo, s. o'tob_oo_. a scoop, _to empty water from a canoe_, e'tata. to scrape _a thing_, _oo_'a_oo_. to scratch _with the fingers_, era'ra_oo_. scratched, _a scratched metal_, etc. pah_oo_re'h_oo_re. the sea-cat, _a fish so called_, p_oo_he. the sea, ta_ee_, s. m_ee_de. a sea-egg, he'awy. a seam _between two planks_, fatoo'wh_ai_ra. to search _for a thing that is lost_, oö,s.pae'm_ee_. a seat, papa. secret, _a secret whispering, or slandering another_, ohe'm_oo_. the seed _of a plant,_ h_oo_a't_oo_t_oo_, s. ehooero the sense _of seeing_, e'h_ee_'o. to send, eho'pöe. a sepulchre, _or burying-place_, ma'ray. a servant, t_ow_t_ow_. seven, a'h_ee_t_oo_. to sew, _or string_, e't_oo_e. seyne, _to haul a seyne_, etoroo te p_ai_a. shady, mar_oo_,maroo. to shake, _or agitate a thing_, e_oo_a'wai. a shark, mäo. sharp, _not blunt_, oö'ëe. to shave, _or take off the beard_, eva'r_oo_, s.whanne, whanne. _a small_ shell, ot'eo. _a tyger_ shell, pore'h_oo_. shew _it me_, enara. a ship, p_a_hee. shipwreck, ara'wha. _a white_ shirt, par_oo_'y. to shiver _with cold_, a'tete. _mud_ shoes, _or fishing shoes_, tama. the shore, euta. short, po'potoo. shut, _not open_, opa'n_ee_, s. poo'peepe. sickness, matte my mamy. _the left_ side, a'r_oo_de. the side, e'reea'wo. _the right_ side, atou,a'taou. sighing, fa'ëa. silence, fatte'b_oo_a. similar, _or alike_, _oo_whyä'da. to sink, a'tomo. a sister, t_oo_'h_ei_ne. to sit _down_, a'noho. to sit _cross-legged_, t_ee_'py. six, a'hon_oo_. a skate-fish, e'wha_ee_. the skin, _ee_'ree. the sky, e'ra_ee_. to sleep, möe. _the long_ sleep, _or death_, möe röa. to sleep, _when sitting_, t_oo_'roore,möe. a sling, e'ma. slow, marra,marröa,s.fate. small, _little_, _ee_te. _the sense of_ smelling, fata't_oo_, s._oo_too,too,too. smell _it_, h_oi_na. to smell, ahe'_oi_. smoke, e'_oo_ra. smooth, pa'ya. smutting _the face with charcoal for funeral ceremonies_, bap'para. _a sea_ snake, _that has alternate rings of a white and black colour_, p_oo_h_ee_'ar_oo_. to snatch _a thing hastily_, e'h_ai_r_oo_. sneezing, mach_ee_'_ai_. snipe, _a bird resembling a snipe, of a black and brown colour_, t_ee_'t_ee_. snot 'h_oo_pe. soberness, _sobriety, sober, not given_ t_ei_r_ei_da. _to drunkenness_, to soften, epar_oo_'par_oo_. softness, _that is, not hard_, maroo. the sole _of the foot_, tap_oo_'y. a son my'de. a son-in-law, h_oo_'nöa. a song, heeva. a sore, _or ulcer_, o'pai. soreness, _or pain_, ma'may. sound, _any sound that strikes the ear_, pa'_ee_na. a span, ewhäe ono. to speak, paraou. speak; _he speaks not from the heart, neeate _oo_t_oo_ te parou his words are only on his lips_, no nona. a spear, _or lance_, täo. to spill, emare. to spit, too't_oo_a. _to_ spread, _or to expand a thing, as_ ho'hora. _cloth, etc._ to squeeze, _or press hard_, ne,'ne_ee_. to squeeze, _or press gently with the hand_, roro'm_ee_. squint-eyed, matta'areva. _a fighting_ stage _in a boat_, e't_oo_t_ee_. to stamp _with the feet, to trample on tata'hy. a thing_, stand _up_, atëarenona. a star, e'f_ai_too, s. hwettoo. a star-fish, eve'r_ee_. to startle, _as when one dreams_ wa'hee, te'dirre. stay, _or wait a little_, a'r_ee_a, s. ar_ee_'ana. to steal, 'woreedo. steep, _as steep rocks, or cliffs_, mato. _a walking_ stick, 'tame. stinking, _ill-smelled, as stinking water,etc._ na'm_oo_a, s. n_ee_'n_ee_o. stink, _to stink or smell ill_, f_ou_, f_ou_. to stink, _as excrement_, p_ee_ro,p_ee_ro. the stomach, 'para_ee_'a. a stone, owhay. _a polished_ stone, used to beat victuals p_ai_'noo. into a paste_, stones, _upright stones which stand on the paved area before huts_, t_oo_'t_oo_re. _a small_ stool, _to lay the head on when asleep_, papa, s. papa, r_oo_ä. stool, _to go to stool_, t_ee_t_ee_'o. to stop, a'too. the stopper _of a quiver_, ponau. a storm _of wind, rain, thunder_, etc. tarooa. strait, _narrow, not wide_, p_ee_re,peere. striking, _hollow striking in dancing_, ap_ee_. the string _of a quiver_, e'aha. strong, _as a strong man_, _o'o_mara. struck, a'b_oo_l_a_. stupidity, _ignorance_, w_ee_a'l_a_. to suck _as a child_, ote,ote. sugar _cane_, e'to, s. töo. suicide, euha'a_ou_. sultry, _or hot air_, poh_ee_a. the sun, mahanna, s. era. _the meridian_ sun, t_ei_'n_ee_a te mahanna. supine, _lying_, fateeraha. surf _of the sea_, horo'w_ai_. _an interjection of_ surprise, _or admiration_, allaheuee'_ai_. to surround, a'b_oo_ne. to swallow, horo'm_ee_. the sweat _of the body, or to sweat_ e'h_ou_, s. eh_ou_ h_ou_. a sweet _taste_, mona. swell _of the sea_, e'r_oo_. t. a tail, ero. a tail _of a bird_, e'hoppe. to take _a friend by the hand_, etoo'ya_oo_. to take _off, or unloose_, eve'vette. to take _care of the victuals_, ewhaapoo te maa. to talk, _or converse_, paraou. _the sense of_ tasting, tama'ta. a tetotum, _or whirligig_, e'piröa. to tear _a thing_, ha'hy, s. whatte. a teat, _or dug_, e'_oo_. the teeth, e'n_ee_h_ee_o. ten a'h_oo_r_oo_. to tend, _or feed hogs_, ew_h_a_ee_ te böa. tenants, af_eu_'h_au_. _a black_ tern, _with a whitish head_, o_ee_'o. there, te'raee. they, _them, or theirs_, to'ta_oo_a. thickness, _applied to solid bodies_, meoo'meoo. thick, _as thick cloth_, etc. t_oo_e'too'e. thick, _muddy_, ewore'r_oo_,s.eworepe. thine, _it is yours, or belongs to you_, no öe. thirst, w'ah_ee_'y. thoughts, para_ou_, no te o'p_oo_. _an appearance of_ thoughtfulness, fate'b_oo_a. three, tor_oo_. the throat, ara'poa. to throw, _or heave a thing_, taora. to throw _a thing away_, harre'wai. to throw _a ball_, ama'h_oo_a. to throw _a lance_, evara'towha. throw, _shall i throw it_, taure'a'a. throwing _in dancing_, hoe'aire. the thumb, e'r_ee_ma,erahai. thunder, pa't_ee_re. tickle, _to tickle a person_, my'n_ee_na. a tide, _or current_, a'ow. to tie _a knot_, ty. time, _a space of time, from to at night_, o't_oo_e, teepo. time, _a little time, a small space_, popo'_eu_n_oo_. time, _a long time, a great while_, ta'moo. a title _belonging to a woman of rank_, e'tapay'r_oo_. a toe _of the foot_, man_ee_o. a tomb, t_oo_,pap'pou. the tongue, e'rero. a tortoise, e'hon_oo_. touching, fa'fa. tough, _as tough meat_, etc. ah_oo_'_ou_e. a town, e'farre p_oo_to p_oo_t_oo_. to trample _with the foot_, tata'he, s. ta'ta'hy. a tree, e'räo. a tree, _from which they make clubs, töa (eräo.) spears_, etc. to tremble, _or shudder with cold_, _oo_a'titte, s. eta. trembling, _shaking_, a_ou_'dou. to trip _one up in wrestling_, me'häe. a tropic-bird, man_oo_'roa. truth, eva_ee_'röa,s.para_ou_,mou. to tumble, p_ou_ta'heite. a turban, e'täe. to turn, _or turned_, _oo_'ahöe. to turn, _as in walking backwards and forwards_, h_oo_d_ee_p_ee_pe. twins, _twin children_, ma'hëa. to twist _a rope_, taw_ee_'r_ee_. two, e'rooä. u. an ulcer, _or sore_, o'p_ai_. under, _below, low down_, oraro. under _sail_, p_ou_'pou_ee_. to understand, ee'te. to undress, _or take off the clothes_, ta'turra. an unmarried _person_, ar_ee_'_oi_. unripe, _as unripe fruit_,etc. p_oo_. v. _luminous_ vapour, epao. vassal, _or subject_, manna'h_ou_na. vast, ara,hai,s.mai,ara'hai. the veins _that run under the skin_, e'w_ou_a. venus, t_ou_'r_oo_a. vessel, _any hollow vessel, as cups of nuts_,etc. _ai_'boo. vessel, _a hollow vessel in which they prepare an inebriating liquor_, _oo_'mutte. to vomit, er_oo_'y. w. wad, _tow, fibres like hemp_, ta'm_ou_. wait, _stay a little_, areeana. wake, _awake_, arra arra, s. era. to walk out, avou'_oi_a. to walk _backwards and forwards_, h_oo_a p_ee_pe. a warrior, _soldier, or rather a man-killer_, taatatöa. warmth, _heat_, mahanna,hanna. a wart, toria. to wash, _as to wash cloth in water_, mare. to watch, eteäe. water, a'vy. water-cresses, pa'töa. we, _both of us_, ta_oo_a, s. ar_oo_'r_oo_a. a wedge, era'h_ei_. to weep, _or cry_, hanö a,a,ta_ee_. well _recovered, or well escaped_, woura, s. woo,ara. well, _it is well, charming, fine_, p_oo_ro'too. what, _whats that_, e'hara, e'ha'rya,s. ye'ha_ee_a, expressed inquisitively. what _do you call that, what is the name of it_, owy te a_ee_'_oa_. when, _at what time_, w'hëëa. where _is it_, te'hëa. whet, _to whet or sharp a thing_, evo_ee_. to whistle, ma'p_oo_. whistling, _a method of whistling to call the people to meals_, ep_ou_,maa. to whisper _secretly, as in backbiting_, etc. ohe'm_oo_. who _is that, what is he called_, owy,tanna, s. owy,nana. whole, _the whole not a part of a thing_, e'ta,e'tea, s. a'ma_oo_. wide, _not strait or narrow_, whatta,whatta. a widow, wa't_oo_neea. wife, _my wife_, ma'h_ei_ne. the wind, mattay. _the south-east_ wind, mattaee. a window, ma'laee ou'panee. the wing _of a bird_, ere'_ou_. to wink, e'am_ou_,am_oo_. to wipe _a thing clean_, ho'ro_ee_. wish, _a wish to one who sneezes_, eva'r_ou_a t eät_oo_a. within _side_, t_ee_'ro to. a woman, wa'h_ei_ne. _a married_ woman, wa'h_ei_ne mou. woman, _she is a married woman, she has got another husband_, terra,tanne. won't _i won't do it_, 'a_eeoo_, expressed angrily. wood _of any kind_, e'raö. a wound, oo't_ee_. a wrestler, m_ou_na. wrinkled _in the face_, m_ee_o, m_ee_o. the wrist, mo'möa. a wry-neck, na'na. y. to yawn, ha'mamma. yellow _colour_, he'appa. yes, ay, s. _ai_. yesterday, ninna'hay. yesternight, ere'po. york _island_, ei'mëo. yon oë. young,_as a young animal of any kind_, p_ee_'n_ai_a. a table exhibiting at one view, specimens of different languages spoken in the south-sea, from easter island, westward to new caledonia, as observed in the voyage. english. otaheite. easter island. the marquesas isles. the island of amsterdam. new zealand. malicolo. tanna. new caledonia a bird, 'man_oo_,[ ] 'man_oo_, 'manu_oo_, man_oo_, manee, s. man_eek_. a bow e'fanna, 'fanna, nabrr_oo_s, na'fanga. bread-fruit _oo_r_oo_, mai_ee_, ba'rabe, tag'_oo_r_oo_. a canoe e'väa 'wagga, ev'äa, ta'wagga, wang. cloth ah_oo_, 'ah_oo_, 'ah_oo_, s. a'hoo_ee_a, babba'langa,kak'ah_oo_, ta'nar_ee_, hamban. a cocoa-nut 'ar_ee_, 'eeoo, nar_oo_, nab_oo_'y, 'n_eeoo_. to drink ayn_oo_' a_ee_n_oo_, 'a_ee_n_oo_, no'a_ee_, n_ooee_, 'oo_d_oo_, s. _oo_nd_oo_. the eye matta, matta, 'matta, s. matta_ee_a, 'matta, 'matta, m_ai_tang, nan_ee_'maiuk, t_ee_'vein. the ear ta'r_ee_a, ta'r_ee_an, b_oo_'_ee_na, ta'r_ee_ka, talingan, f_ee_n_ee_'enguk, gain'_ee_ng. fish 'eya, _ee_ka, '_ee_ka, '_ee_ka, 'nam_oo_. a fowl, möa, möa, möa, moe'r_oo_. the hand, e'r_ee_ma, 'r_ee_ma, e_oo_'my, e'r_ee_ma, 'r_ee_nga, badon'h_ee_n. the head, _oo_'po, aö'po, tak'_oo_po, ba's_ai_ne, n_oo_gwa'n_aium, gar'moing. a hog, 'böa, 'b_oo_a, b_oo_'acka, 'brr_oo_as, 'b_oo_ga, s. 'b_oo_gas. i,myself, w_ou_, s. _ou_, 'w_ou_, _ou_. to laugh, 'atta, katta, 'häarish, ap, s.gye'ap. a man, 'täata, papa? t_ee_to, ba'rang, nar_oo_'mäan. the navel, 'p_ee_to, p_ee_to, s. p_ee_to'ai, p_ee_to, nomprtong, nap_ee_ rainguk, whanb_oo_ _ee_n. no, ( )'ayma,( )y_ai_ha,( )a'_ou_re,'_ei_sa, '_ee_sha, ka'_ou_re, ta'ep, e'sa, '_ee_va, _ee_ba. plantains, 'm_ai_ya, ( )maya, ( )f_oo_tse, m_ai_e_ea_, 'f_oo_dje, nabrruts. puncturation, ta't_ou_, e'pat_oo_, ta't_ou_, moko, 'gan, s. gan,galang. rain, e'_oo_a, '_oo_a, na'mawar, _oo_e. sugar cane, e'to, to, na'r_oo_k. the teeth, e'n_ee_h_ee_o, 'n_ee_ho, e'n_ee_ho, 'n_ee_fo, n_ee_ho, r_ee_'bohn, 'warrewuk, s. 'r_ai_buk, penna'w_ei_n. water, a'vay, e'vy, er'g_ou_r, _oo_e. to whistle, 'map_oo_, f_ee_o,f_ee_o, papang, awe'bern, 'wy_oo_. a woman, wa'h_ei_ne, ve'h_ee_ne, ra'bin, n_ai_'bräan, tama. yams, e'_oo_he, _oo_he, _oo_fe, nan-'ram, _oo_fe, _oo_be. yes, _ai_, '_ee_o, _ai_, '_ee_o, 'elo, s. _ee_o, s. öe. you, oë, oë. one, a'tahay, katta'ha_ee_, atta'ha_ee_, ta'ha_ee_, ts_ee_'ka_ee_, r_ee_d_ee_, wag_ee'ai_ng. two, e'r_oo_a, 'rooa, a'ooa, e'ooa, e'ry, 'karoo, 'waroo. three, 'ter_oo_, 'tor_oo_, a'tor_oo_, 'tor_oo_, e'r_ei_, 'kahar, wat_ee_ en. four, a'haa, 'häa, s. fäa, a'faa, a'fäa, e'bats, 'k_ai_phar, wam'ba_ee_k. five, e'r_ee_ma, 'r_ee_ma, a'_ee_ma, 'n_ee_ma, e'r_ee_m, 'kr_ee_rum, wannim. six, a'ono, 'hon_oo_, a'ono, ts_oo_'ka_ee_, ma'r_ee_d_ee_, wannim-g_ee_ek. seven, a'h_ei_too, 'h_ee_d_oo_, a'wh_ee_t_oo_, g_oo_y, ma'kar_oo_, wannim'n_oo_. eight, a'war_oo_, 'var_oo_, a'wa_oo_, h_oo_rey, ma'kahar, wannim'g_ai_n. nine, a'_ee_va, h_ee_va, a'_ee_va, g_oo_dbats, ma'k_ai_phar, wannim'ba_ee_k. ten, a'h_oo_r_oo_, atta'h_oo_r_oo_, s. anna'h_oo_r_oo_, wannah_oo_, s. wanna'h_oo_e, senearr, ma'kr_ee_rum, wann_oo_'n_ai_uk. (footnote re similarity of the languages)--omiited by ebook producer. letter from john ibbetson, esq. secretary to the commissioners of longitude, t sir john pringle, baronet, p.r.s. sir, the earl of sandwich, and the other commissioners for the discovery of longitude at sea, etc. who were present at a late meeting at this place, having expressed to you a desire that the very learned and ingenious discourse upon some late improvements of the means for preserving the health of mariners, which was delivered by you at the anniversary meeting of the royal society, on the th of november last might, with captain cook's paper therein referred to, be printed, and annexed to the account of the astronomical and philosophical observations made in the course of the said captain cook's late voyages which account is preparing for the press, under their direction; and it having been since thought more proper that the said discourse and paper should be annexed to the second volume of the account of that voyage, which is shortly to be published, by order of the board of admiralty, i have, therefore, the direction of the earl of sandwich, first commissioner of that board, as well as of the board of longitude, to acquaint you therewith, and to desire you will please to permit your said discourse, with the paper therein referred to, to be printed, and annexed to the second volume of the account of the said voyage accordingly. i am, with great regard and esteem, sir, your most obedient humble servant, admiralty, march , . john ibbetson. a discourse upon some late improvements of the means for preserving the health of mariners. delivered at the anniversary meeting of the royal society, november , . by sir john pringle, baronet, president, corrected by the author. gentlemen, before we proceed further in the business of this day, permit me to acquaint you with the judgment of your council, in the disposal of sir godfrey copley's medal; an office i have undertaken at their request, and with the greater satisfaction, as i am confident you will be no less unanimous in giving your approbation, than they have been in addressing you for it upon this occasion. for though they were not insensible of the just title that several of the papers, composing the present volume of your transactions, had to your particular notice, yet they did not hesitate in preferring that which i presented to you from captain cook, giving an account of the method he had taken to preserve the health of the crew of his majesty's ship the resolution during her late voyage round the world*. indeed i imagine that the name alone of so worthy a member of this society would have inclined you to depart from the strictness of your rules, by conferring upon him that honour, though you had received no direct communication from him; considering how meritorious in your eyes that person must appear, who hath not only made the most extensive, but the most instructive voyages; who hath not only discovered, but surveyed, vast tracts of new coasts; who hath dispelled the illusion of a terra australis incognita, and fixed the bounds of the habitable earth, as well as those of the navigable ocean, in the southern hemisphere. [* the paper itself, read at the society in march last, with an extract of a letter from captain cook to the president, dated plymouth, the th of july following, are both subjoined to this discourse.] i shall not, however, expatiate on that ample field of praise, but confine my discourse to what was the intention of this honorary premium, namely, to crown that paper of the year which should contain the most useful and most successful experimental inquiry. now what inquiry can be so useful as that which hath for its object the saving the lives of men? and when shall we find one more successful than that before us? here are no vain boastings of the empiric, nor ingenious and delusive theories of the dogmatist; but a concise, an artless, and an incontested relation of the means, by which, under the divine favour, captain cook, with a company of an hundred and eighteen men*, performed a voyage of three years and eighteen days, throughout all the climates, from fifty-two degrees north, to seventy-one degrees south, with the loss of only one man by a distemper**. what must enhance to us the value of these salutary observations, is to see the practice hath been no less simple than efficacious. [* there were on board, in all, one hundred and eighteen men, including m. sparrman, whom they took in at the cape of good hope.] [** this was a phthisis pulmonalis terminating in a dropsy. mr. patten, surgeon to the resolution, who mentioned to me this case, observed that this man began so early to complain of a cough and other consumptive symptoms, which had never left him, that his lungs must have been affected before he came on board.] i would now inquire of the most conversant in the study of bills of mortality, whether in the most healthful climate, and in the best condition of life, they have ever found so small a number of deaths in such a number of men, within that space of time? how great and agreeable then must our surprise be, after perusing the histories of long navigations in former days, when so many perished by marine diseases, to find the air of the sea acquitted of all malignity, and in fine that a voyage round the world may be undertaken with less danger to health than a common tour in europe! but the better to see the contrast between the old and the present times, allow me to recal to your memory what you have read of the first voyage for the establishment of the east-india, company*. the equipment consisting of four ships, with four hundred and eighty men, three of those vessels were so weakened by the scurvy, by the time they had got only three degrees beyond the line, that the merchants, who had embarked on this adventure, were obliged to do duty as common sailors; and there died in all, at sea, and on shore at soldania (a place of refreshment on this side the cape of good hope) one hundred and five men, which was near a fourth part of their complement. and hath not sir richard hawkins, an intelligent as well as brave officer, who lived in that age, recorded, that in twenty years, during which be had used the sea, be could give an account of ten thousand mariners who bad been consumed by the scurvy alone**? yet so far was this author from mistaking the disease, that i have perused few who have so well described it. if then in those early times, the infancy i may call them of the commerce and naval power of england, so many were carried off by that bane of sea-faring people, what must have been the destruction afterwards, upon the great augmentation of the fleet and the opening of so many new ports to the trade of great britain, whilst so little advancement was made in the nautical part of medicine! [* this squadron under the command of lancaster (who was called the general) set out in the year . see purchas's pilgr. vol. i. p. , et seq.] [** idem, vol. iv. p. , et seq.] but passing from these old dates to one within the remembrance of many here present, when it might have been expeded that whatever tended to aggrandize the naval power of britain, and to extend her commerce, would have received the highest improvement; yet we shall find, that even at this late period few measures had been taken to preserve the health of seamen, more than had been known to our uninstructed ancestors. of this assertion the victorious, but mournful, expedition of commodore anson, affords too convincing a proof. it is well known that soon after passing the streights of le maire, the scurvy began to appear in his squadron; that by the time the centurion had advanced but a little way into the south sea, forty-seven had died of it in his ship; and that there were few on board who had not, in some degree, been afflicted with the distemper, though they had not been then eight months from england. that in the ninth month, when standing for the island of juan fernandez, the centurion lost double that number; and that the mortality went on at so great a rate (i still speak of the commodore's ship) that before they arrived there she had buried two hundred; and at last could muster no more than six of the the common men in a watch capable of doing duty. this was the condition of one of the three ships which reached that island; the other two suffered in proportion. nor did the tragedy end here for after a few months respite the same fatal sickness broke out afresh, and made such havock, that before the centurion (which now contained the whole surviving crew of the three ships) had got to the island of tinian, there died sometimes eight or ten in a day; insomuch that when they had been only two years on their voyage, they had lost a larger proportion than of four in five of their original number; and, by the account of the historian, all of them, after their entering the south sea, of the scurvy. i say by the account of the elegant writer of this voyage; for as he neither was in the medical line himself, nor hath authenticated this part of his narrative by appealing to the surgeons of the ship or their journals, i should doubt that this was not strictly the case; but rather, that in producing this great mortality, a pestilential kind of distemper was joined to the scurvy, which, from the places where it most frequently occurs, hath been distinguished by the name of jail or hospital-fever*. but whether the scurvy alone, or this fever combined with it, were the cause, it is not at present material to inquire, since both, arising from foul air and other sources of putrefaction, may now in a great measure be obviated by the various means fallen upon since lord anson's expedition. for in justice to that prudent as well as brave commander, it must be observed that the arrangements preparatory to his voyage were not made by himself; that his ship was so deeply laden as not to admit of opening the gun-ports, except in the calmest weather, for the benefit of air; and that nothing appears to have been neglected by him, for preserving the health of his men, that was then known and practised in the navy. [* dr. mead, who had seen the original observations of two of commodore anson's surgeons, says, that the scurvy at that time was accompanied with putrid fevers, etc. see his treatise on the scurvy, p. . et seq.] i should now proceed to enumerate the chief improvements made since that period, and which have enabled our ships to make so many successful circumnavigations, as in a manner to efface the impression of former disasters; but as i have mentioned the sickness most destructive to mariners, and against the ravages of which those preservatives have been mainly contrived, it may be proper briefly to explain its nature, and the rather as, unless among mariners, it is little understood. first then, i would observe that the scurvy is not the ailment which goes by that name on shore. the distemper commonly, but erroneously, in this place, called the scurvy, belongs to a class of diseases totally different from what we are now treating of; and so far is the commonly received opinion, that there are few constutions altogether free from a scorbutic taint, from being true, that unless among sailors and some others circumstanced like them, more particularly with respect to those who use a salt and putrid diet, and especially if they live in foul air and uncleanliness, i have reason to believe there are few disorders less frequent. this opinion i submitted to the judgment of the society several years ago, and i have had no reason since to alter it. i then said, contrary to what was generally believed, but seemingly on the best grounds, that the sea-air was never the cause of the scurvy, since on board a ship, on the longest voyages, cleanliness, ventilation, and fresh provisions, would preserve from it; and that upon a sea-coast, free from marshes, the inhabitants were not liable to that indisposition, though frequently breathing the air from the sea*. i concluded with joining in sentiments with those who ascribed the scurvy to a septic resolution, that is a beginning corruption of the whole habit, similar to that of every animal substance when deprived of life**. this account seemed to be sufficiently verified by the examination of the symptoms in the scorbutic sick, and of the appearances in their bodies after death***. on that occasion i remarked, that salted meats after some time become in effect putrid, though they may continue long palatable by means of the salt; and that common salt, supposed to be one of the strongest preservatives from corruption, is at best but an indifferent one, even in a large quantity; and in a small one, such as we use at table with fresh meats, or swallow in meats that have been salted, so far from impeding putrefaction, it rather promotes that process in the body. [* diseases of the army, part i. ch. . append. pap. .] [** woodall's surgeon's mate, p. . poupart. mem. de l'acad. r. des sc. a. ' . petit. mal. des os, tom. ii.p. . mead on the scurvy, p. .] this position concerning the putrefying quality of sea-salt, in certain proportions, hath been since confirmed by the experiments of the late mr. canton, fellow of this society, in his paper on the cause of the luminous appearance of sea-water*. [* phil. transact. vol. lix. p. .] it hath been alleged, that the scurvy is much owing to the coldness of the air, which checks perspiration, and on that account is the endemic distemper of the northern nations, particularly of those around the baltic*. the fact is partly true, but i doubt not so the cause. in those regions, by the long and severe winters, the cattle destitute of pasture can barely live, and are therefore unfit for use; so that the people, for their provision during that season, are obliged to slaughter them by the end of autumn, and to salt them for above half the year. this putrid diet then, on which they must subsist so long, and to which the inhabitants of the south are not reduced, seems to be the chief cause of the disease. and if we reflect that the lower people of the north have few or no greens nor fruit in the winter, scarce any fermented liquors, and often live in damp, foul, and ill-aired houses, it is easy to conceive how they should become liable to the same distemper with seamen; whilst others of as high a latitude, but who live in a different manner, keep free from it. thus we are informed by linnaeus, that the laplanders, one of the most hyperborean nations, know nothing of the scurvy*; for which no other reason can be assigned than their never eating salted meats, nor indeed salt with any thing, but their using all the winter the fresh flesh of their rain-deer. [* bartholin. med. danor. domestic p. .] [** linnaei flora lapponica, p. , .] this exemption of the laplanders from the general distemper of the north is the more observable, as they seldom taste vegetables, bread never, as we farther learn from that celebrated author. yet in the very provinces which border on lapland, where they use bread, but scarcely any other vegetable, and eat salted meats, they are as much troubled with the scurvy as in any other country*. but let us incidentally remark, that the late improvements in agriculture, gardening, and the other arts of life, by extending their influence to the remotest parts of europe, and to the lowest people, begin sensibly to lessen the frequency of that complaint, even in those climates that have been once the most afflicted with it. [* linnaeus in several parts of his work confirms what is here said of salted meats, as one of the chief causes of the scurvy. see amoenitat. acad. vol. v. p. . et seq. p. .] it hath also been asserted, that men living on shore will be affected with the scurvy, though they have never been confined to salted meats; but of this i have never known any instance, except in those who breathed a marshy air, or what was otherwise putrid, and who wanted exercise, fruits, and green vegetables: under such circumstances it must be granted, that the humours will corrupt in the same manner, though not in the same degree, with those of mariners. thus, in the late war, when sisinghurst castle in kent was filled with french prisoners, the scurvy broke out among them, notwithstanding they had never been served with salted victuals in england; but had daily had an allowance of fresh meat, and of bread in proportion, though without greens or any other vegetable. the surgeon who attended them, and from whom i received this information, having formerly been employed in the navy, was the better able to judge of the disorder and to cure it. besides the deficiency of herbs, he observed that the wards were foul and crowded, the house damp (from a moat that surrounded it) and that the bounds allotted for taking the air were so small, and in wet weather so sloughy, that the men seldom went out. he added, that a representation having been made, he had been empowered to furnish the prisoners with roots and greens for boiling in their soup, and to quarter the sick in a neighbouring village in a dry situation, with liberty to go out for air and exercise; and that by these means they had all quickly recovered. it is probable, that the scurvy sooner appeared among these strangers, from their having been taken at sea, and consequently more disposed to the disease. my informer further acquainted me, that in the lower and wetter parts of that county, where some of his practice lay, he had now and then met with slighter cases of the scurvy among the common people; such, he said, as lived the whole winter on salted bacon, without fermented liquors, greens, or fruit, a few apples excepted; but, he remarked, that in the winters following a plentiful growth of apples, those peasants were visibly less liable to the disorder. i have dwelt the longer on this part of my subject, as i look upon the knowledge of the nature and cause of the scurvy to be an essential step towards improving the means of prevention and cure. and i am persuaded, after mature reflection, and the opportunities i have had of conversing with those who, to much sagacity, had joined no small experience in nautical practice, that upon an examination of the several articles, which have either been of old approven, or have of late been introduced into the navy, it will be evident, that though these means may vary in form, and in their mode of operating; yet they all some way contribute towards preventing or correcting putrefaction, whether of the air in the closer parts of a ship, of the meats, of the water, of the clothes and bedding, or of the body itself. and if in this inquiry (which may be made by the way, whilst we take a review of the principal articles of provision, and other methods used by captain cook to guard against the scurvy) i say, if in this inquiry it shall appear, that the notion of a septic or putrid origin, is not without foundation, it will be no small encouragement to proceed on that principle, in order further to improve this important branch of medicine. captain cook begins his list of stores with malt. of this, he says, was made sweet wort, and given not only to those men who had manifest symptoms of the scurvy, but to such also as were judged to be most liable to it. dr. macbride, who first suggested this preparation, was led (as he says) to the discovery by some experiments that had been laid before this society; by which it appeared that the air produced by alimentary fermentation was endowed with a power of correcting putrefaction*. the fact he confirmed by numerous trials, and finding this fluid to be _fixed air_, he justly concluded, that whatever substance proper for food abounded with it, and which could be conveniently carried to sea, would make one of the best provisions against the scurvy; which he then considered as a putrid disease, and as such to be prevented or cured by that powerful kind of antiseptic**. beer, for instance, had always been esteemed one of the best antiscorbutics; but as that derived all its fixed air from the malt of which it is made, he inferred that malt itself was preferable in long voyages, as it took up less room than the brewed liquor, and would keep longer found. experience hath since verified this ingenious theory, and the malt hath now gained so much credit in the navy, that there only wanted so long, so healthful, and so celebrated a voyage as this, to rank it among the most indispensable articles of provision. for though captain cook remarks, that _a proper attention to other things must be joined, and that he is not altogether of opinion, that the wort will be able to cure the scurvy in an advanced state at sea; yet he is persuaded that it is sufficient to prevent that distemper from making any great progress, for a considerable time_; and therefore he doth not hesitate to pronounce it _one of the best antiscorbutic medicines yet found out***. [* append. to my _observations on the diseases of the army_.] [** macbride's exper. eff. passim.] [*** having been favoured with a sight of the medical journal of mr. patten, surgeon to the resolution, i read the following passage in it, not a little strengthening the above testimony. _i have found the wort of the utmost service in all scorbutic cases during the voyage. as many took it by way of prevention, few cases occurred where it had a fair trial; but theft, however, i flatter myself, will he sufficient to convince every impartial person, that it is the best remedy hitherto found out for the cure of the sea scurvy: and i am well convinced, from what i have seen the wort perform, and from its mode of operation, that if aided by portable-soup, sour krout, sugar, sago, and courants, then scurvy, that maritime pestilence, will seldom or never make its alarming appearance among a ship's crew, on the longest voyages; proper care with regard to cleanliness and provisions being observed_.] this salutary gas (or _fixed air_) is contained more or less in all fermentable liquors, and begins to oppose putrefaction as soon as the working or intestine motion commences. in wine it abounds, and perhaps no vegetable substance is more replete with it than the juice of the grape. if we join the grateful taste of wine, we must rank it the first in the list of antiscorbutic liquors. cyder is likewise good, with other vinous productions from fruit, as also the various kinds of beer. it hath been a constant observation, that in long cruizes or distant voyages, the scurvy is never seen whilst the small-beer holds out, at a full allowance; but that when it is all expended, that ailment soon appears. it were therefore to be wished, that this most wholesome beverage could be renewed at sea; but our ships afford not sufficient convenience. the russians however make a shift to prepare on board, as well as at land, a liquor of a middle quality between wort and small-beer, in the following manner. they take ground-malt and rye-meal in a certain proportion, which they knead into small loaves, and bake in the oven. these they occasionally infuse in a proper quantity of warm water, which begins so soon to ferment, that in the space of twenty-four hours their brewage is completed, in the production of a small, brisk, and acidulous liquor, they call _quas_, palatable to themselves, and not disagreeable to the taste of strangers. the late dr. mounsey, fellow of this society, who had lived long in russia, and had been _archiater_ under two successive sovereigns, acquainted me, that the _quas_ was the common and wholesome drink both of the fleets and armies of that empire, and that it was particularly good against the scurvy. he added, that happening to be at moscow when he perused my _observations on the jail and hospital fever_, then lately published*, he had been induced to compare what he read in that treatise with what he should see in the several prisons of that large city: but to his surprize, after visiting them all, and finding them full of malefactors (for the late empress then suffered none of those who were convicted of capital crimes to be put to death) yet he could discover no fever among them, nor learn that any acute distemper peculiar to jails had ever been known there. he observed, that some of those places of confinement had a yard, into which the prisoners were allowed to come for the air; but that there were others without that advantage, yet not sickly: so that he could assign no other reason for the healthful condition of those men than the kind of diet they used, which was the same with that of the common people of the country; who not being able to purchase fresh-meat, live mostly on rye-bread (the most acescent of any) and drink _quas_. he concluded with saying, that upon his return to st. petersburg he had made the same inquiry there, and with the same result. [* that treatise was first published by itself, and afterwards incorporated with the _observations on the diseases of the army_.] thus far dr. mounsey, from whose account it would seem, that the rye-meal assisted both in quickening the fermentation and adding more _fixed air_, since the malt alone could not so readily produce so tart and brisk a liquor. and there is little doubt but that whenever the other grains can be brought to a proper degree of fermentation, they will more or less in the same way become useful. that oats will, i am satisfied from what i have been told by one of the intelligent friends of captain cook. this gentleman being on a cruize in a large ship*, in the beginning of the late war, and the scurvy breaking out among his crew, he bethought him self of a kind of food he had seen used in some parts of the country, as the most proper on the occasion. some oatmeal is put into a wooden vessel, hot water is poured upon it, and the infusion continues until the liquor begins to taste sourish, that is, till a fermentation comes on, which in a place moderately warm, may be in the space of two days. the water is then poured off from the grounds, and boiled down to the consistence of a jelly**. this he ordered to be made and dealt out in messes, being first sweetened with sugar, and seasoned with some prize french wine, which though turned sour, yet improved the taste, and made this aliment not less palatable than medicinal. he assured me, that upon this diet chiefly, and by abstaining from salted meats, his scorbutic sick had quite recovered on board; and not in that voyage only, bur, by the same means, in his subsequent cruizes during the war, without his being obliged to send one of them on shore because they could not get well at sea. yet oat-meal unfermented, like barley unmalted, hath no sensible effect in curing the scurvy: as if the fixed air, which is incorporated with these grains, could mix with the chyle which they produce, enter the lacteals, and make part of the nourishment of the body, without manifesting any elastic or antiseptic quality, when not loosened by a previous fermentation. [* the essex, a seventy-gun ship.] [** this rural food, in the north, is called sooins.] before the power of the _fixed air_ in subduing putrefaction was known, the efficacy of fruits, greens, and fermented liquors, was commonly ascribed to the acid in their composition and we have still reason to believe that the acid concurs in operating that effect. if it be alleged that mineral acids, which contain little or no _fixed air_, have been tried in the scurvy with little success, i would answer, that i doubt that in those trials they have never been sufficiently diluted; for it is easy to conceive, that in the small quantity of water the elixir of vitriol, for instance, is commonly given, that austere acid can scarce get beyond the first passages; considering the delicate sensibility of the mouths of the lacteals, which must force them to shut and exclude so pungent a liquor. it were therefore a proper experiment to be made, in a deficiency of malt, or when that grain shall happen to be spoilt by keeping*, to use water acidulated with the spirit of sea-salt, in the proportion of only ten drops to a quart; or with the weak spirit of vitriol, thirteen drops to the same measure**; and to give to those that are threatened with the disease three quarts of this liquor daily, to be consumed as they shall think proper. [* captain cook told me, that the malt held out sufficiently good for the two first years; but that in the third, having lost much of its taste, he doubted whether it retained any of its virtues. mr. patten however observed, that though the malt at that time was sensibly decayed, yet nevertheless he had still found it useful when he employed a large proportion of it to make the infusion.] [** in these proportions i found the water taste just acidulous and pleasant.] but if the _fixed air_ and acids are such preservatives against the scurvy, why should captain cook make so little account of the _rob_ of lemons and of oranges (for so they have called the extracts or inspissated juices of those fruits) in treating that distemper? this i found was the reason. these preparations being only sent out upon trial, the surgeon of the ship was told, at a conjecture, how much he might give for a dose, but without strictly limiting it. the experiment was made with the quantity specified, but with so little advantage, that judging it not adviseable to lose more time, he set about the cure with the wort only, whereof the efficacy he was certain; whilst he reserved these robs for other purposes; more particularly for colds, when, to a large draught of warm water, with some spirits and sugar, he added a spoonful of one of them, and with this composition made a grateful sudorific that answered the intention. no wonder then if captain cook, not knowing the proper dose of these concentrated juices for the scurvy, but feeing them fail as they were given in the trial, should entertain no great opinion of their antiscorbutic virtue. it may be also proper to take notice, that as they had been reduced to a small proportion of their bulk by evaporation upon fire, it is probable, they were much weakened by that process, and that with their aqueous parts they had lost not a little of their aerial, on which so much of their antiseptic power depended. if, therefore, a further trial of these excellent fruits were to be made, it would seem more adviseable to send to sea the purified juices entire in casks; agreeably to a proposal i find hath been made to the admiralty some years ago by an ingenious and experienced surgeon of the navy. for in truth, the testimonies in favour of the salutary qualities of these acids are so numerous and so strong, that i should look upon some failures, even in cases where their want of success cannot so well be accounted for, as in this voyage, not a sufficient reason for striking them out of the list of the most powerful preservatives against this consuming malady of sailors. it may be observed, that captain cook says not more in praise of vinegar than of the _robs_; yet i would not thence infer that he made no account of that acid, but only that as he happened in this voyage to be sparingly provided with it and yet did well, he could not consider a large store of vinegar to be so material an article of provision as was commonly imagined. and though he supplied its place in the messes of the men with the acid of the sour-crout, and trusted chiefly to fire for purifying his decks, yet it is to be hoped that future navigators will not therefore omit it. vinegar will serve at least for a wholesome variety in the seasoning of salted meats, and may be sometimes successfully used as a medicine, especially in the aspersions of the berths of the sick. it is observable, that though the smell be little grateful to a person in health, yet it is commonly agreeable to those who are sick, at least to such as are confined to a foul and crowded ward. there the physician himself will smell to vinegar, as much for pleasure as for guarding against infection. now the wort and the acid juices were only dispensed as medicines, but the next article was of more extensive use. this was the sour-crout (sour cabbage), a food of universal request in germany. the acidity is acquired by its spontaneous fermentation, and it was the sour taste which made it the more acceptable to all who ate it. to its further commendation we may add, that it held out good to the ast of the voyage. it may seem strange, that though this herb hath had so high encomiums bestowed upon it by the ancients (witness what cato the elder and pliny the naturalist say on the subject), and hath had the sanction of the experience of nations for ages, it should yet be disapproved of by some of the most distinguished medical writers of our times. one finds it yield a rank smell in decoction, which he confounds with that of putrefaction. another analyzes it, and discovers so much gross air in the composition as to render it indigestible; yet this flatulence, so much decryed, must now be acknowledged to be the _fixed air_, which makes the cabbage so wholesome when fermented. nay it hath been traduced by one of the most celebrated physicians of our age, as partaking of a poisonous nature: nor much better founded was that notion of the same illustrious professor, that cabbage being an alcalescent plant, and therefore disposing to putrefaction, could never be used in the scurvy, except when the disease proceeded from an acid. but the experiments which i formerly laid before the society evinced this vegetable, with the rest of the supposed alcalescents, to be really acescent; and proved that the scurvy is never owing to acidity, but, much otherwise, to a species of putrefaction; that very cause, of which the ill-grounded class of alcalescents was supposed to be a promoter*. [* see this remark more at large, in my observations on the diseases of the army, app. pap. .] among other of the late improvements of the naval stores we have heard much of the portable-soup, and accordingly we find that captain cook hath not a little availed himself of it in his voyage. this concentrated broth being freed from all fat, and having by long boiling evaporated the most putrescent parts of the meat, is reduced to the consistence of a glue, which in effect it is, and will, like other glues, in a dry place, keep sound for years together. it hath been said, that broths turn sour on keeping, though made without any vegetable*. now, whether any real acid can be thus formed or not, i incline at least to believe that the gelatinous parts of animal substances, such as compose these cakes, are not of a nature much disposed to putrefy. but however that may be, since captain cook observes, that this soup was the means of making his people eat a greater quantity of greens than they would have done otherwise, in so far we must allow it to have been virtually antiseptic. [* la feule matiere qui s'aigriffe dans le sang est la matiere gelatincuse, etc. senac, structure du coeur, . iii. ch. . para. .] so much for those articles that have of late been supplied to all the king's ships on long voyages, and in which therefore our worthy brother claims no other merit than the prudent dispensation of them; but what follows being regulations either wholly new, or improven hints from some of his experienced friends, we may justly appropriate them to himself. first then, he put his people at three watches, instead of two, which last is the general practice at sea; that is, he divided the whole crew into three companies, and by putting each company upon the watch by turns, four hours at a time, every man had eight hours free, for four of duty: whereas at watch and watch, the half of the men being on duty at once, with returns of it every four hours, they can have but broken sleep, and when exposed to wet, they have not time to get dry before they lie down. when the service requires it, such hardships must be endured; but when there is no pressing call, ought not a mariner to be refreshed with as much uninterrupted rest as a common day-labourer? i am well informed, that an officer distinguishes himself in nothing more than in preserving his men from wet and the other injuries of the weather. these were most essential points with this humane commander. in the torrid zone he shaded his people from the scorching sun by an awning over his deck, and in his course under the antarctic circle he had a coat provided for each man, of a substantial woollen stuff, with the addition of a hood for covering their heads. this garb (which the sailors called their magellan jacket) they occasionally wore, and found it more comfortable for working in rain and snow, and among the broken ice in the high latitudes of the south. let us proceed to another article, one of the most material, the care to guard against putrefaction, by keeping clean the persons, the cloaths, bedding, and berths of the sailors. the captain acquainted me, that regularly, one morning in the week, he passed his ship's company in review, and saw that every man had changed his linen, and was in other points as clean and neat as circumstances would permit. it is well known how much cleanliness is conducive to health, but it is not so obvious how much it also tends to good order and other virtues. that diligent officer was persuaded (nor was perhaps the observation new) that such men as he could induce to be more cleanly than they were disposed to be of themselves, became at the same time more sober, more orderly, and more attentive to their duty. it must be acknowledged that a seaman has but indifferent means to keep himself clean, had he the greatest inclination to do it; for i have not heard that commanders of ships have yet availed themselves of the _still_ for providing fresh water for washing; and it is well known that sea-water doth not mix with soap, and that linen wet with brine never thoroughly dries. but for captain cook, the frequent opportunities he had of taking in water among the islands of the south-sea, enabled him in that tract to dispense to his ship's company some fresh water for every use; and when he navigated in the high latitudes of the southern oceans, he still more abundantly provided them with it, as you will find by the sequel of this discourse. of the hammocks and bedding i need say little, as all officers are now sensible, how much it concerns the health of their people to have this part of a ship's furniture kept dry and well-aired; since by the perspiration of so many men, every thing below, even in the space of twenty-four hours, is apt to contract an offensive moisture. but captain cook was not satisfied with ordering upon deck the hammocks and bedding every day that was fair (the common method) but took care that every bundle should be unlashed, and so spread out, that every part of it might be exposed to the air. his next concern was to see to the purity of the ship itself, without which attention all the rest would have profited little. i shall not however detain you with the orders about washing and scraping the decks, as i do not understand that in this kind of cleansing he excelled others; but since our author has laid so great a stress upon _fire_, as a purifier, i shall endeavour to explain the way of using it, more fully than he has done in his paper. some wood, and that not sparingly, being put into a proper stove or grate, is lighted, and carried successively to every part below deck. wherever fire is, the air nearest to it being heated becomes specifically lighter, and by being lighter rises, and passes through the hatchways into the atmosphere. the vacant space is filled with the cold air around, and that being heated in its turn, in like manner ascends, and is replaced by other air as before. thus, by continuing the fire for some time, in any of the lower apartments, the foul air is in a good measure driven out, and the fresh admitted. this is not all: i apprehend that the acid steams of the wood, in burning, act here as an antiseptic and correct the corrupted air that remains. an officer of distinguished rank, another of captain cook's experienced friends, mentioned to me a common and just observation in the fleet, which was, that all the old twenty-gun ships were remarkably less sickly than those of the same size of a modern construction. this, he said, was a circumstance he could not otherwise account for, than, by the former having their _galley_* in the fore-part of the _orlop_**, the chimney vented so ill, that it was sure to fill every part with smoke whenever the wind was a-stern. this was a nuisance for the time, but, as he thought, abundantly compensated by the extraordinary good health of the several crews. possibly those fire-places were also beneficial, by drying and ventilating the lower decks, more when they were below, than they can do now that they are placed under the fore-castle upon the upper deck. [* their fire-place or kitchen.] [** the deck immediately above the hold.] but the most obvious use of the portable fires was their drying up the moisture, and especially in those places where there was the least circulation of air. this humidity, composed of the perspirable matter of a multitude of men, and often of animals (kept for a live-flock) and of the steams of the bilge water from the well, where the corruption is the greatest; this putrid moisture, i say, being one of the main sources of the scurvy, was therefore more particularly attended to, in order to its removal. the fires were the powerful instrument for that purpose, and whilst they burned, some men were employed in rubbing hard, with canvass or oakum, every part of the inside of the ship that was damp and accessible. but the advantage of fire appears no where so manifest as in cleansing the well; for this being in the lowest part of the hold, the whole leakage runs into it, whether of the ship itself, or of the casks of spoilt meats or corrupted water. the mephitic vapours, from this sink alone, have often been the cause of instantaneous death to those who have unwarily approached to clean it; and not to one only, but to several successively, when they have gone down to succour their unfortunate companions: yet this very place has not only been rendered safe but sweet, by means of an iron pot filled with fire and let down to burn in it. when, from the circumstances of the weather, this salutary operation could not take place, the ship was fumigated with gun-powder, as described in the paper; though that smoke could have no effect in drying, but only in remedying the corruption of the air, by means of the acid spirits from the sulphur and nitre, aided perhaps by some species of an aerial fluid, then disengaged from the fuel, to counteract putrefaction. but as these purifications by gun-powder, as well as by burning tar and other resinous substances, are sufficiently known, i shall not insist longer on them here. among the several means of sweetening or renewing the air, we should expect to hear of dr. hales's _ventilator_. i must confess it was my expectation, and therefore, persuaded as i was of the excellence of the invention, it was not without much regret that i saw so good an opportunity lost, of giving the same favourable impression of it to the public. if a degree of success, exceeding our most sanguine hopes, is not sufficient for justifying the omission of a measure, deemed one of the most essential for attaining an end, i would plead in favour of our worthy brother, that by a humiliating fatality, so often accompanying the most useful discoveries, the credit of this ventilator is yet far from being firmly established in the navy. what wonder then, if captain cook being so much otherwise taken up, should not have had time to examine it, and therefore avoided the encumbering his ship with an apparatus, he had possibly never seen used, and of which he had at best received but a doubtful character? nor was he altogether unprovided with a machine for ventilation. he had the _wind-sails_, though he hath not mentioned them in his paper, and he told me that he had found them at times very serviceable, and particularly between the tropics. they have the merit of taking up little room, they require no labour in working, and the contrivance is so simple that they can sail in no hands. but their powers are small in comparison with those of the ventilator; they cannot be put up in hard gales of wind, and they are of no efficacy in dead calms, when a refreshment of the air is most wanted. should there be any objection to the employing both? such were the measures taken by our sagacious navigator for procuring a purity of air. it remains only to see in what manner he supplied pure water; another article of so great moment, that the thirsty voyager, upon his salt and putrid diet, with a short allowance of this element, and that in a corrupted rate, must account a plentiful provision of fresh water to be indeed the _best of things_. captain cook was not without an apparatus for distilling sea-water, and though he could not obtain nearly so much as was expected from the invention, yet he sometimes availed himself of it; but for the most of his voyage he was otherwise provided. within the southern tropic, in the pacific ocean, he found so many islands, and those so well stored with springs, that, as i have hinted before, he seldom was without a sufficiency of fresh water for every useful purpose. but not satisfied with plenty, he would have the purest; and therefore whenever an opportunity offered, he emptied what he had taken in but a few days before, and filled his casks anew. but was he not above four months in his passage from the cape of good hope to new zeeland, in the frozen zone of the south, without once seeing land? and did he not actually complete his circumnavigation, in that high latitude, without the benefit of a single fountain? here was indeed a _wonder of the deep_! i may call it the _romance of his voyage_! those very shoals, fields, and floating mountains of ice, among which he steered his perilous course, and which presented such terrifying prospects of destruction; those, i say, were the very means of his support, by supplying him abundantly with what he most wanted. it had been said that those stupendous masses of ice, called _islands_ or _mountains_, melted into fresh water, though crantz, the relator of that paradox, did not imagine they originated from the sea, but that they were first formed in the great rivers of the north, and being carried down into the ocean, were afterwards increased to that amazing height by the snow that fell upon them*. but that all frozen sea-water would thaw into fresh, had either never been asserted, or had met with little credit. this is certain that captain cook expected no such transmutation, and therefore was agreeably surprised to find he had one difficulty less to encounter, that of preserving the health of his men so long on salt-provisions, with a scanty allowance of corrupted water, or what he could procure by distillation the melted ice of the sea was not only fresh but soft, and so wholesome, as to show the fallacy of human reason unsupported by experiments. an ancient of great authority had assigned, from theory, bad qualities to melted snow; and from that period to the present times, this prejudice extended to ice had not been quite removed. [* hist. of greenland, b. i. ch, ii. para , .] in this circumnavigation, amidst sleets and falls of snow, fogs, and much moist weather, the _resolution_ enjoyed nearly the same good state of health she had done in the temperate and torrid zones. it appears only from the journal of the surgeon, that towards the end of the first course* some of the crew began to complain of the scurvy; but the disease made little progress, except in one who had become early an invalid from another cause. the other disorders were likewise inconsiderable, such as common colds, slight diarrhoeas, and intermittents that readily yielded to the bark: there were also some fevers of a continued form, but which by timely care never rose to an alarming height. much commendation is therefore due to the attention and abilities of mr. patten, the surgeon of the _resolution_, for having so well seconded his captain in the discharge of his duty. for it must be allowed, that in despite of the best regulations and the best provisions, there will always be among a numerous crew, during a long voyage, some casualties more or less productive of sickness; and that unless there be an intelligent medical assistant on board, many under the wisest commander will perish, that otherwise might have been saved. [* viz. the voyage between the cape of good hope and new zealand.] these, gentlemen, are the reflections i had to lay before you on this interesting subject; and if i have encroached on your time, you will recollect that much of my discourse hath been employed in explaining some things but just mentioned by captain cook, and in adding other materials, which i had procured partly from himself, and partly, after his departure, from those intelligent friends he alludes to in his paper. this was my plan; which, as i have now executed, you will please to return your thanks to those gentlemen, who, on your account, so cheerfully communicated to me their observations. as to your acknowledgments to captain cook, and your high opinion of his deserts, you will best testify them by the honourable distinction suggested by your council, in presenting him with this medal: for i need not gather your suffrages, since the attention with which you have favoured me hath abundantly expressed your approbation. my satisfaction therefore had been complete, had he himself been present to receive the honours you now confer upon him. but you are apprized that our brave and indefatigable brother is at this instant far removed from us, anticipating, i may say, your wonted request on these occasions, by continuing his labours for the advancement of natural knowledge, and for the honour of this society: as you may be assured, that the object of his new enterprize is not less great, perhaps still greater than either of the former. allow me then, gentlemen, to deliver this medal, with his unperishing name engraven upon it, into the hands of one who will be happy to receive that trust, and to know that this respectable body never more cordially nor more meritoriously bestowed that faithful symbol of their esteem and affection. for if rome decreed the _civic crown_ to him who saved the life of a single citizen, what wreaths are due to that man, who, having himself saved many, perpetuates in your transactions the means by which britain may now, on the most distant voyages, preserve numbers of her intrepid sons, her mariners; who, braving every danger, have so liberally contributed to the fame, to the opulence, and to the maritime empire, of their country*. [* here followed captain cook's paper, which was presented to the society, and is inserted in part . vol. xvi. of the philosophical transactions; but as the substance of that publication is now contained in the last pages of captain cook's voyage, it was judged unnecessary to repeat it here. the only material circumstance of captain cook's communication to the society, omitted in his journal, is the following extract of a letter which he wrote to the president, just before his late embarkation, dated _plymouth sound_, july , ; and is as follows: "i entirely agree with you, that the dearness of the rob of lemons, and of oranges, will hinder them from being furnished in large quantities; but i do not think this so necessary, for though they may assist other things, i have no great opinion of them alone. nor have i a higher opinion of vinegar: my people had it very sparingly during the late voyage; and towards the latter part, none at all; and yet we experienced no ill effects from the want of it. the custom of washing the inside of the ship with vinegar i seldom observed, thinking that fire and smoke answered the purpose much better."] end of volume ii. [illustration: frontispiece] the worst journey in the world antarctic - by apsley cherry-garrard with panoramas, maps, and illustrations by the late doctor edward a. wilson and other members of the expedition in two volumes volume one constable and company limited london bombay sydney _first published _ printed in great britain this volume is a narrative of scott's last expedition from its departure from england in to its return to new zealand in . it does not, however, include the story of subsidiary parties except where their adventures touch the history of the main party. it is hoped later to publish an appendix volume with an account of the two geological journeys, and such other information concerning the equipment of, and lessons learned by, this expedition as may be of use to the future explorer. apsley cherry-garrard. preface this post-war business is inartistic, for it is seldom that any one does anything well for the sake of doing it well; and it is un-christian, if you value christianity, for men are out to hurt and not to help--can you wonder, when the ten commandments were hurled straight from the pulpit through good stained glass. it is all very interesting and uncomfortable, and it has been a great relief to wander back in one's thoughts and correspondence and personal dealings to an age in geological time, so many hundred years ago, when we were artistic christians, doing our jobs as well as we were able just because we wished to do them well, helping one another with all our strength, and (i speak with personal humility) living a life of co-operation, in the face of hardships and dangers, which has seldom been surpassed. the mutual conquest of difficulties is the cement of friendship, as it is the only lasting cement of matrimony. we had plenty of difficulties; we sometimes failed, we sometimes won; we always faced them--we had to. consequently we have some friends who are better than all the wives in mahomet's paradise, and when i have asked for help in the making of this book i have never never asked in vain. talk of ex-soldiers: give me ex-antarcticists, unsoured and with their ideals intact: they could sweep the world. the trouble is that they are inclined to lose their ideals in this complicated atmosphere of civilization. they run one another down like the deuce, and it is quite time that stopped. what is the use of a running down scott because he served with shackleton, or b going for amundsen because he served with scott? they have all done good work; within their limits, the best work to date. there are jobs for which, if i had to do them, i would like to serve under scott, amundsen, shackleton and wilson--each to his part. for a joint scientific and geographical piece of organization, give me scott; for a winter journey, wilson; for a dash to the pole and nothing else, amundsen: and if i am in the devil of a hole and want to get out of it, give me shackleton every time. they will all go down in polar history as leaders, these men. i believe bowers would also have made a great name for himself if he had lived, and few polar ships have been commanded as capably as was the terra nova, by pennell. in a way this book is a sequel to the friendship which there was between wilson, bowers and myself, which, having stood the strain of the winter journey, could never have been broken. between the three of us we had a share in all the big journeys and bad times which came to scott's main landing party, and what follows is, particularly, our unpublished diaries, letters and illustrations. i, we, have tried to show how good the whole thing was--and how bad. i have had a freer hand than many in this, because much of the dull routine has been recorded already and can be found if wanted: also because, not being the leader of the expedition, i had no duty to fulfil in cataloguing my followers' achievements. but there was plenty of work left for me. it has been no mere gleaning of the polar field. not half the story had been told, nor even all the most interesting documents. among these, i have had from mrs. bowers her son's letters home, and from lashly his diary of the last return party on the polar journey. mrs. wilson has given her husband's diary of the polar journey: this is especially valuable because it is the only detailed account in existence from ° ´ to the pole and after, with the exception of scott's diary already published. lady scott has given with both hands any records i wanted and could find. no one of my companions in the south has failed to help. they include atkinson, wright, priestley, simpson, lillie and debenham. to all these good friends i can do no more than express my very sincere thanks. i determined that the first object of the illustrations should be descriptive of the text: wright and debenham have photographs, sledging and otherwise, which do this admirably. mrs. wilson has allowed me to have any of her husband's sketches and drawings reproduced that i wished, and there are many hundreds from which to make a selection. in addition to the six water-colours, which i have chosen for their beauty, i have taken a number of sketches because they illustrate typical incidents in our lives. they are just unfinished sketches, no more: and had bill been alive he would have finished them before he allowed them to be published. then i have had reproduced nearly all the sketches and panoramas drawn by him on the polar journey and found with him where he died. the half-tone process does not do them justice: i wish i could have had them reproduced in photogravure, but the cost is prohibitive. as to production, after a good deal of experience, i was convinced that i could trust a commercial firm to do its worst save when it gave them less trouble to do better. i acknowledge my mistake. in a wilderness of firms in whom nothing was first class except their names and their prices, i have dealt with r. & r. clark, who have printed this book, and emery walker, who has illustrated it. the fact that emery walker is not only alive, but full of vitality, indicates why most of the other firms are millionaires. when i went south i never meant to write a book: i rather despised those who did so as being of an inferior brand to those who did things and said nothing about them. but that they say nothing is too often due to the fact that they have nothing to say, or are too idle or too busy to learn how to say it. every one who has been through such an extraordinary experience has much to say, and ought to say it if he has any faculty that way. there is after the event a good deal of criticism, of stock-taking, of checking of supplies and distances and so forth that cannot really be done without first-hand experience. out there we knew what was happening to us too well; but we did not and could not measure its full significance. when i was asked to write a book by the antarctic committee i discovered that, without knowing it, i had intended to write one ever since i had realized my own experiences. once started, i enjoyed the process. my own writing is my own despair, but it is better than it was, and this is directly due to mr. and mrs. bernard shaw. at the age of thirty-five i am delighted to acknowledge that my education has at last begun. apsley cherry-garrard. lamer, wheathampstead, . contents page introduction xvii chapter i from england to south africa chapter ii making our easting down chapter iii southward chapter iv land chapter v the depÔt journey chapter vi the first winter chapter vii the winter journey illustrations mcmurdo sound from arrival heights in autumn. the sun is sinking below the western mountains. _frontispiece_ _from a water-colour drawing by dr. edward a. wilson._ facing page the last of the dogs. scott's southern journey . xxxvi _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ the rookery of emperor penguins under the cliffs of the great ice barrier: looking east from cape crozier. xlii _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ raymond priestley and victor campbell. liv _from a photograph by f. debenham._ sunrise behind south trinidad island. july , . _from a water-colour drawing by dr. edward a. wilson._ the roaring forties. _from a water-colour drawing by dr. edward a. wilson._ pack-ice in the ross sea. midnight, january . _from a water-colour drawing by dr. edward a. wilson._ a sea leopard. a weddell seal. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ the terra nova in the pack. men watering ship. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ taking a sounding. _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ krisravitza. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ mount erebus showing steam cloud, the ramp, and the hut at cape evans. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ dog-skin outer mitts showing lampwick lashings for slinging over the shoulders. sledging spoon, pannikin and cup, which pack into the inner cooker. _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ hut point from the bottom of observation hill, showing the bay in which the discovery lay, the discovery hut, vince's cross, the frozen sea and the western mountains. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ seals. from the sea. _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ winter quarters at cape evans. notice the whale-back clouds on erebus, the débris cones on the ramp, and the anemometer pipes which had to be cleared during blizzard by way of the ladder at the end of the hut. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ a cornice of snow formed upon a cliff by wind and drift. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ plate i. a panoramic view over cape evans, and mcmurdo sound from the ramp. _from photographs by f. debenham._ the sea's fringe of ice growing outwards from the land. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ leading ponies on the barrier. november , . _from a sketch for a water-colour drawing by dr. edward a. wilson._ frozen sea and cliffs of ice: the snout of the barne glacier in north bay. _from a photograph by c. s. wright._ erebus and land's end from the sea-ice. _from a photograph by c. s. wright._ erebus from great razorback island. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ two emperor penguins. _from a photograph by c. s. wright._ plate ii. a panoramic view of ross island from crater hill, looking along the hut point peninsula, showing some of the topography of the winter journey. _from photographs by f. debenham._ camping after dark. _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ camp work in a blizzard: passing the cooker into the tent. _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ a procession of emperor penguins. _from a photograph by c. s. wright._ the knoll behind the cliffs of cape crozier. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ the barrier pressure at cape crozier, with the knoll. part of the bay in which the emperor penguins lay their eggs is visible. _from a photograph by c. s. wright._ the emperor penguins nursing their chicks on the sea-ice, with the cliffs of the barrier behind. _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ mount erebus and detail of ice-pressure. _from photographs by c. s. wright._ down a crevasse. _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ maps from new zealand to the south pole. lxiv hut point. from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson. cape evans and mcmurdo sound. the winter journey. introduction polar exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has been devised. it is the only form of adventure in which you put on your clothes at michaelmas and keep them on until christmas, and, save for a layer of the natural grease of the body, find them as clean as though they were new. it is more lonely than london, more secluded than any monastery, and the post comes but once a year. as men will compare the hardships of france, palestine, or mesopotamia, so it would be interesting to contrast the rival claims of the antarctic as a medium of discomfort. a member of campbell's party tells me that the trenches at ypres were a comparative picnic. but until somebody can evolve a standard of endurance i am unable to see how it can be done. take it all in all, i do not believe anybody on earth has a worse time than an emperor penguin. even now the antarctic is to the rest of the earth as the abode of the gods was to the ancient chaldees, a precipitous and mammoth land lying far beyond the seas which encircled man's habitation, and nothing is more striking about the exploration of the southern polar regions than its absence, for when king alfred reigned in england the vikings were navigating the ice-fields of the north; yet when wellington fought the battle of waterloo there was still an undiscovered continent in the south. for those who wish to read an account of the history of antarctic exploration there is an excellent chapter in scott's voyage of the discovery and elsewhere. i do not propose to give any general survey of this kind here, but complaints have been made to me that scott's last expedition plunges the general reader into a neighbourhood which he is supposed to know all about, while actually he is lost, having no idea what the discovery was, or where castle rock or hut point stand. for the better understanding of the references to particular expeditions, to the lands discovered by them and the traces left by them, which must occur in this book i give the following brief introduction. from the earliest days of the making of maps of the southern hemisphere it was supposed that there was a great continent called terra australis. as explorers penetrated round the cape of good hope and cape horn, and found nothing but stormy oceans beyond, and as, later, they discovered australia and new zealand, the belief in this continent weakened, but was not abandoned. during the latter half of the eighteenth century eagerness for scientific knowledge was added to the former striving after individual or state aggrandizement. cook, ross and scott: these are the aristocrats of the south. it was the great english navigator james cook who laid the foundations of our knowledge. in he sailed from deptford in the resolution, tons, and the adventure, tons, ships which had been built at whitby for the coal trade. he was, like nansen, a believer in a varied diet as one of the preventives of scurvy, and mentions that he had among his provisions "besides saur krout, portable broth, marmalade of carrots and suspissated juice of wort and beer." medals were struck "to be given to the natives of new discovered countries, and left there as testimonies of our being the first discoverers."[ ] it would be interesting to know whether any exist now. after calling at the cape of good hope cook started to make his easting down to new zealand, purposing to sail as far south as possible in search of a southern continent. he sighted his first 'ice island' or iceberg in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ e., on december , . the next day he "saw some white birds about the size of pigeons, with blackish bills and feet. i never saw any such before."[ ] these must have been snowy petrel. passing through many bergs, where he notices how the albatross left them and penguins appeared, he was brought up by thick pack ice along which he coasted. under the supposition that this ice was formed in bays and rivers cook was led to believe that land was not far distant. incidentally he remarks that in order to enable his men to support the colder weather he "caused the sleeves of their jackets (which were so short as to expose their arms) to be lengthened with baize; and had a cap made for each man of the same stuff, together with canvas; which proved of great service to them."[ ] for more than a month cook sailed the southern ocean, always among bergs and often among pack. the weather was consistently bad and generally thick; he mentions that he had only seen the moon once since leaving the cape. it was on sunday, january , , that the antarctic circle was crossed for the first time, in longitude ° ´ e. after proceeding to latitude ° ´ s. he was stopped by an immense field of pack. from this point he turned back and made his way to new zealand. leaving new zealand at the end of without his second ship, the adventure, from which he had been parted, he judged from the great swell that "there can be no land to the southward, under the meridian of new zealand, but what must lie very far to the south." in latitude ° ´ s. he sighted the first ice island on december , and was stopped by thick pack ice three days later. on the th he again crossed the antarctic circle in longitude ° ´ w. and penetrated in this neighbourhood to a latitude of ° ´ s. here he found a drift towards the north-east. on january , , in longitude ° ´ w., he crossed the antarctic circle for the third time, after meeting no pack and only a few icebergs. in latitude ° ´ s. he was finally turned back by an immense field of pack, and wrote: "i will not say it was impossible anywhere to get farther to the south; but the attempting it would have been a dangerous and rash enterprise, and what, i believe, no man in my situation would have thought of. it was, indeed, my opinion, as well as the opinion of most on board, that this ice extended quite to the pole, or perhaps joined to some land, to which it had been fixed from the earliest time; and that it is here, that is to the south of this parallel, where all the ice we find scattered up and down to the north is first formed, and afterwards broken off by gales of wind, or other causes, and brought to the north by the currents, which are always found to set in that direction in the high latitudes. as we drew near this ice some penguins were heard, but none seen; and but few other birds, or any other thing that could induce us to think any land was near. and yet i think there must be some to the south beyond this ice; but if there is it can afford no better retreat for birds, or any other animals, than the ice itself, with which it must be wholly covered. i, who had ambition not only to go farther than any one had been before, but as far as it was possible for man to go, was not sorry at meeting with this interruption; as it, in some measure, relieved us; at least, shortened the dangers and hardships inseparable from the navigation of the southern polar regions."[ ] and so he turned northwards, when, being "taken ill of the bilious colic," a favourite dog belonging to one of the officers (mr. forster, after whom aptenodytes forsteri, the emperor penguin, is named) "fell a sacrifice to my tender stomach.... thus i received nourishment and strength, from food which would have made most people in europe sick: so true it is that necessity is governed by no law."[ ] "once and for all the idea of a populous fertile southern continent was proved to be a myth, and it was clearly shown that whatever land might exist to the south must be a region of desolation hidden beneath a mantle of ice and snow. the vast extent of the tempestuous southern seas was revealed, and the limits of the habitable globe were made known. incidentally it may be remarked that cook was the first to describe the peculiarities of the antarctic icebergs and floe-ice."[ ] a russian expedition under bellingshausen discovered the first certain land in the antarctic in , and called it alexander land, which lies nearly due south of cape horn. whatever may have been the rule in other parts of the world, the flag followed trade in the southern seas during the first part of the nineteenth century. the discovery of large numbers of seals and whales attracted many hundreds of ships, and it is to the enlightened instructions of such firms as messrs. enderby, and to the pluck and enterprise of such commanders as weddell, biscoe and balleny, that we owe much of our small knowledge of the outline of the antarctic continent. "in the smallest and craziest ships they plunged boldly into stormy ice-strewn seas; again and again they narrowly missed disaster; their vessels were racked and strained and leaked badly, their crews were worn out with unceasing toil and decimated with scurvy. yet in spite of inconceivable discomforts they struggled on, and it does not appear that any one of them ever turned his course until he was driven to do so by hard necessity. one cannot read the simple, unaffected narratives of these voyages without being assured of their veracity, and without being struck by the wonderful pertinacity and courage which they display."[ ] the position in was that the antarctic land had been sighted at a few points all round its coasts. on the whole the boundaries which had been seen lay on or close to the antarctic circle, and it appeared probable that the continent, if continent it was, consisted of a great circular mass of land with the south pole at its centre, and its coasts more or less equidistant from this point. two exceptions only to this had been found. cook and bellingshausen had indicated a dip towards the pole south of the pacific; weddell a still more pronounced dip to the south of the atlantic, having sailed to a latitude of ° ´ s. in longitude ° ´ w. had there been a tetrahedronal theory in those days, some one might have suggested the probability of a third indentation beneath the indian ocean, probably to be laughed at for his pains. when james clark ross started from england in there was no particular reason for him to suppose that the antarctic coast-line in the region of the magnetic pole, which he was to try to reach, did not continue to follow the antarctic circle. ross left england in september under instructions from the admiralty. he had under his command two of her majesty's sailing ships, the erebus, tons, and the terror, tons. arriving in hobart, tasmania, in august , he was met by news of discoveries made during the previous summer by the french expedition under dumont d'urville and the united states expedition under charles wilkes. the former had coasted along adélie land, and for sixty miles of ice cliff to the west of it. he brought back an egg now at drayton which scott's discovery expedition definitely proved to be that of an emperor penguin. all these discoveries were somewhere about the latitude of the antarctic circle ( ° ´ s.) and roughly in that part of the world which lies to the south of australia. ross, "impressed with the feeling that england had ever _led_ the way of discovery in the southern as well as in the northern region, ... resolved at once to avoid all interference with their discoveries, and selected a much more easterly meridian ( ° e.), on which to penetrate to the southward, and if possible reach the magnetic pole."[ ] the outlines of the expedition in which an unknown and unexpected sea was found, stretching miles southwards towards the pole, are well known to students of antarctic history. after passing through the pack he stood towards the supposed position of the magnetic pole, "steering as nearly south by the compass as the wind admitted," and on january , , in latitude ° ´ s., he sighted, the white peaks of mount sabine and shortly afterwards cape adare. foiled by the presence of land from gaining the magnetic pole, he turned southwards (true) into what is now called the ross sea, and, after spending many days in travelling down this coast-line with the mountains on his right hand, the ross sea on his left, he discovered and named the great line of mountains which here for some five hundred miles divides the sea from the antarctic plateau. on january , "with a favourable breeze and very clear weather, we stood to the southward, close to some land which had been in sight since the preceding noon, and which we then called the high island; it proved to be a mountain twelve thousand four hundred feet of elevation above the level of the sea, emitting flame and smoke in great profusion; at first the smoke appeared like snowdrift, but as we drew nearer its true character became manifest.... i named it mount erebus, and an extinct volcano to the eastward, little inferior in height, being by measurement ten thousand nine hundred feet high, was called mount terror." that is the first we hear of our two old friends, and ross island is the land upon which they stand. "as we approached the land under all studding-sails we perceived a low white line extending from its eastern extreme point as far as the eye could discern to the eastward. it presented an extraordinary appearance, gradually increasing in height as we got nearer to it, and proving at length to be a perpendicular cliff of ice, between one hundred and fifty and two hundred feet above the level of the sea, perfectly flat and level at the top, and without any fissures or promontories on its even seaward face."[ ] ross coasted along the barrier for some miles from cape crozier, as he called the eastern extremity of ross island, after the commander of the terror. this point where land, sea and moving barrier meet will be constantly mentioned in this narrative. returning, he looked into the sound which divides ross island from the western mountains. on february "mount erebus was seen at . a.m., and, the weather becoming very clear, we had a splendid view of the whole line of coast, to all appearance connecting it with the main land, which we had not before suspected to be the case." the reader will understand that ross makes a mistake here, since mounts erebus and terror are upon an island connected to the mainland only by a sheet of ice. he continues: "a very deep bight was observed to extend far to the south-west from cape bird [bird was the senior lieutenant of the erebus], in which a line of low land might be seen; but its determination was too uncertain to be left unexplored; and as the wind blowing feebly from the west prevented our making any way in that direction through the young ice that now covered the surface of the ocean in every part, as far as we could see from the mast-head, i determined to steer towards the bight to give it a closer examination, and to learn with more certainty its continuity or otherwise. at noon we were in latitude ° ´ s., longitude ° ´ e., dip ° ´ and variation ° ´ e. "during the afternoon we were nearly becalmed, and witnessed some magnificent eruptions of mount erebus, the flame and smoke being projected to a great height; but we could not, as on a former occasion, discover any lava issuing from the crater; although the exhibitions of to-day were upon a much grander scale.... "soon after midnight (february - ) a breeze sprang up from the eastward and we made all sail to the southward until a.m., although we had an hour before distinctly traced the land entirely round the bay connecting mount erebus with the mainland. i named it mcmurdo bay, after the senior lieutenant of the terror, a compliment that his zeal and skill well merited."[ ] it is now called mcmurdo sound. in making the mistake of connecting erebus with the mainland ross was looking at a distance upon the hut point peninsula running out from the s.w. corner of erebus towards the west. he probably saw minna bluff, which juts out from the mainland towards the east. between them, and in front of the bluff, lie white island, black island and brown island. to suppose them to be part of a line of continuous land was a very natural mistake. ross broke through the pack ice into an unknown sea: he laid down many hundreds of miles of mountainous coast-line, and (with further work completed in ) some miles of the great ice barrier: he penetrated in his ships to the extraordinarily high latitude of ° ´ s., four degrees farther than weddell. the scientific work of his expedition was no less worthy of praise. the south magnetic pole was fixed with comparative accuracy, though ross was disappointed in his natural but "perhaps too ambitious hope i had so long cherished of being permitted to plant the flag of my country on both the magnetic poles of our globe." before all things he was at great pains to be accurate, both in his geographical and scientific observations, and his records of meteorology, water temperatures, soundings, as also those concerning the life in the oceans through which he passed, were not only frequent but trustworthy. when ross returned to england in it was impossible not to believe that the case of those who advocated the existence of a south polar continent was considerably strengthened. at the same time there was no proof that the various blocks of land which had been discovered were connected with one another. even now in , after twenty years of determined exploration aided by the most modern appliances, the interior of this supposed continent is entirely unknown and uncharted except in the ross sea area, while the fringes of the land are only discovered in perhaps a dozen places on a circumference of about eleven thousand miles. in his life of sir joseph hooker, dr. leonard huxley has given us some interesting sidelights on this expedition under ross. hooker was the botanist of the expedition and assistant surgeon to the erebus, being years old when he left england in . natural history came off very badly in the matter of equipment from the government, who provided twenty-five reams of paper, two botanizing vascula and two cases for bringing home live plants: that was all, not an instrument, nor a book, nor a bottle, and rum from the ship's stores was the only preservative. and when they returned, the rich collections which they brought back were never fully worked out. ross's special branch of science was terrestrial magnetism, but he was greatly interested in natural history, and gave up part of his cabin for hooker to work in. "almost every day i draw, sometimes all day long and till two and three in the morning, the captain directing me; he sits on one side of the table, writing and figuring at night, and i on the other, drawing. every now and then he breaks off and comes to my side, to see what i am after ..." and, "as you may suppose, we have had one or two little tiffs, neither of us perhaps being helped by the best of tempers; but nothing can exceed the liberality with which he has thrown open his cabin to me and made it my workroom at no little inconvenience to himself." another extract from hooker's letters after the first voyage runs as follows: "the success of the expedition in geographical discovery is really wonderful, and only shows what a little perseverance will do, for we have been in no dangerous predicaments, and have suffered no hardships whatever: there has been a sort of freemasonry among polar voyagers to keep up the credit they have acquired as having done wonders, and accordingly, such of us as were new to the ice made up our minds for frost-bites, and attached a most undue importance to the simple operation of boring packs, etc., which have now vanished, though i am not going to tell everybody so; i do not here refer to travellers, who do indeed undergo unheard-of hardships, but to voyagers who have a snug ship, a little knowledge of the ice, and due caution is all that is required." in the light of scott's leading of the expedition of which i am about to tell, and the extraordinary scientific activity of pennell in command of the terra nova after scott was landed, hooker would have to qualify a later extract, "nor is it probable that any future collector will have a captain so devoted to the cause of marine zoology, and so constantly on the alert to snatch the most trifling opportunities of adding to the collection...." finally, we have a picture of the secrecy which was imposed upon all with regard to the news they should write home and the precautions against any leakage of scientific results. and we see hooker jumping down the main hatch with a penguin skin in his hand which he was preparing for himself, when ross came up the after hatch unexpectedly. that _has_ happened on the terra nova! ross had a cold reception on his return, and scott wrote to hooker in : "at first it seems inexplicable when one considers how highly his work is now appreciated. from the point of view of the general public, however, i have always thought that ross was neglected, and as you once said he is very far from doing himself justice in his book. i did not know that barrow was the bête noire who did so much to discount ross's results. it is an interesting sidelight on such a venture."[ ] in discussing and urging the importance of the antarctic expedition which was finally sent under scott in the discovery, hooker urged the importance of work in the south polar ocean, which swarms with animal and vegetable life. commenting upon the fact that the large collections made chiefly by himself had never been worked out, except the diatoms, he writes: "a better fate, i trust, awaits the treasures that the hoped-for expedition will bring back, for so prolific is the ocean that the naturalist need never be idle, no, not even for one of the twenty-four hours of daylight during a whole antarctic summer, and i look to the results of a comparison of the oceanic life of the arctic and antarctic regions as the heralding of an epoch in the history of biology."[ ] when ross went to the antarctic it was generally thought that there was neither food nor oxygen nor light in the depths of the ocean, and that therefore there was no life. among other things the investigations of ross gave ground for thinking this was not the case. later still, in , the possibility of laying submarine cables made it necessary to investigate the nature of the abyssal depths, and the challenger proved that not only does life, and in quite high forms, exist there, but that there are fish which can see. it is now almost certain that there is a great oxidized northward-creeping current which flows out of the antarctic ocean and under the waters of the other great oceans of the world. it was the good fortune of ross, at a time when the fringes of the great antarctic continent were being discovered in comparatively low latitudes of ° and thereabouts, sometimes not even within the antarctic circle, to find to the south of new zealand a deep inlet in which he could sail to the high latitude of °. this inlet, which is now known as the ross sea, has formed the starting-place of all sledging parties which have approached the south pole. i have dwelt upon this description of the lands he discovered because they will come very intimately into this history. i have also emphasized his importance in the history of antarctic exploration because ross having done what it was possible to do by sea, penetrating so far south and making such memorable discoveries, the next necessary step in antarctic exploration was that another traveller should follow up his work on land. it is an amazing thing that sixty years were allowed to elapse before that traveller appeared. when he appeared he was scott. in the sixty years which elapsed between ross and scott the map of the antarctic remained practically unaltered. scott tackled the land, and scott is the father of antarctic sledge travelling. this period of time saw a great increase in the interest taken in science both pure and applied, and it had been pointed out in that "we knew more about the planet mars than about a large area of our own globe." the challenger expedition of had spent three weeks within the antarctic circle, and the specimens brought home by her from the depths of these cold seas had aroused curiosity. meanwhile borchgrevink ( ) landed at cape adare, and built a hut which still stands and which afforded our cape adare party valuable assistance. here he lived during the first winter which men spent in the antarctic. meanwhile, in the arctic, brave work was being done. the names of parry, m'clintock, franklin, markham, nares, greely and de long are but a few of the many which suggest themselves of those who have fought their way mile by mile over rough ice and open leads with appliances which now seem to be primitive and with an addition to knowledge which often seemed hardly commensurate with the hardships suffered and the disasters which sometimes overtook them. to those whose fortune it has been to serve under scott the franklin expedition has more than ordinary interest, for it was the same ships, the erebus and terror, which discovered ross island, that were crushed in the northern ice after franklin himself had died, and it was captain crozier (the same crozier who was ross's captain in the south and after whom cape crozier is named) who then took command and led that most ghastly journey in all the history of exploration: more we shall never know, for none survived to tell the tale. now, with the noise and racket of london all round them, a statue of scott looks across to one of franklin and his men of the erebus and terror, and surely they have some thoughts in common. englishmen had led the way in the north, but it must be admitted that the finest journey of all was made by the norwegian nansen in - . believing in a drift from the neighbourhood of the new siberian islands westwards over the pole, a theory which obtained confirmation by the discovery off the coast of greenland of certain remains of a ship called the jeannette which had been crushed in the ice off these islands, his bold project was to be frozen in with his ship and allow the current to take him over, or as near as possible to, the pole. for this purpose the most famous of arctic ships was built, called the fram. she was designed by colin archer, and was saucer-shaped, with a breadth one-third of her total length. with most of the expert arctic opinion against him, nansen believed that this ship would rise and sit on the top of the ice when pressed, instead of being crushed. of her wonderful voyage with her thirteen men, of how she was frozen into the ice in september in the north of siberia ( ° n.) and of the heaving and trembling of the ship amidst the roar of the ice pressure, of how the fram rose to the occasion as she was built to do, the story has still, after twenty-eight years, the thrill of novelty. she drifted over the eightieth degree on february , . during the first winter nansen was already getting restive: the drift was so slow, and sometimes it was backwards: it was not until the second autumn that the eighty-second degree arrived. so he decided that he would make an attempt to penetrate northwards by sledging during the following spring. as nansen has told me, he felt that the ship would do her job in any case. could not something more be done also? this was one of the bravest decisions a polar explorer has ever taken. it meant leaving a drifting ship which could not be regained: it meant a return journey over drifting ice to land; the nearest known land was nearly five hundred miles south of the point from which he started northwards; and the journey would include travelling both by sea and by ice. undoubtedly there was more risk in leaving the fram than in remaining in her. it is a laughable absurdity to say, as greely did after nansen's almost miraculous return, that he had deserted his men in an ice-beset ship, and deserved to be censured for doing so.[ ] the ship was left in the command of sverdrup. johansen was chosen to be nansen's one companion, and we shall hear of him again in the fram, this time with amundsen in his voyage to the south. the polar traveller is so interested in the adventure and hardships of nansen's sledge journey that his equipment, which is the most important side of his expedition to us who have gone south, is liable to be overlooked. the modern side of polar travel begins with nansen. it was nansen who first used a light sledge based upon the ski sledge of norway, in place of the old english heavy sledge which was based upon the eskimo type. cooking apparatus, food, tents, clothing and the thousand and one details of equipment without which no journey nowadays stands much chance of success, all date back to nansen in the immediate past, though beyond him of course is the experience of centuries of travellers. as nansen himself wrote of the english polar men: "how well was their equipment thought out and arranged with the means they had at their disposal! truly, there is nothing new under the sun. most of what i prided myself upon, and what i thought to be new, i find they had anticipated. m'clintock used the same things forty years ago. it was not their fault that they were born in a country where the use of snowshoes is unknown...."[ ] all the more honour to the men who dared so much and travelled so far with the limited equipment of the past. the real point for us is that, just as scott is the father of antarctic sledge travelling, so nansen may be considered the modern father of it all. nansen and johansen started on march when the fram was in latitude ° ´ n., and the sun had only returned a few days before, with three sledges (two of which carried kayaks) and dogs. they reached their northern-most camp on april , which nansen has given in his book as being in latitude ° . ´ n. but nansen tells me that professor geelmuyden, who had his astronomical results and his diary, reckoned that owing to refraction the horizon was lifted, and if so the observation had to be reduced accordingly. nansen therefore gave the reduced latitude in his book, but he considers that his horizon was very clear when he took that observation, and believes that his latitude was higher than that given. he used a sextant and the natural horizon. they turned, and travelling back round pressed-up ice and open leads they failed to find the land they had been led to expect in latitude °, which indeed was proved to be non-existent. at the end of june they started using the kayaks, which needed many repairs after their rough passage, to cross the open leads. they waited long in camp, that the travelling conditions might improve, and all the time nansen saw a white spot he thought was cloud. at last, on july , land was in sight, which proved to be that white spot. fourteen days later they reached it to find that it consisted of a series of islands. these they left behind them and, unable to say what land they had reached, for their watches had run down, they coasted on westwards and southwards until winter approached. they built a hut of moss and stones and snow, and roofed it with walrus skins cut from the animals while they lay in the sea, for they were too heavy for two men to drag on to the ice. when i met nansen he had forgotten all about this, and would not believe that it had happened until he saw it in his own book. they lay in their old clothes that winter, so soaked with blubber that the only way to clean their shirts was to scrape them. they made themselves new clothes from blankets, and sleeping-bags from the skins of the bears which they ate, and started again in may of the following year to make spitzbergen. they had been travelling a long month, during which time they had at least two very narrow escapes--the first due to their kayaks floating away, when nansen swam out into the icy sea and reached them just before he sank, and johansen passed the worst moments of his life watching from the shore; the second caused by the attack of a walrus which went for nansen's kayak with tusks and flippers. and then one morning, as he looked round at the cold glaciers and naked cliffs, not knowing where he was, he heard a dog bark. intensely excited, he started towards the sound, to be met by the leader of the english jackson-harmsworth expedition whose party was wintering there, and who first gave him the definite news that he was on franz josef land. nansen and johansen were finally landed at vardo in the north of norway, to learn that no tidings had yet been heard of the fram. that very day she cleared the ice which had imprisoned her for nearly three years. i cannot go into the fram's journey save to say that she had drifted as far north as ° ´ n., only eighteen geographical miles south of nansen's farthest north. but the sledge journey and the winter spent by the two men has many points in common with the experience of our own northern party, and often and often during the long winter of our thoughts turned with hope to nansen's winter, for we said if it had been done once why should it not be done again, and campbell and his men survive. before nansen started, the spirit of adventure, which has always led men into the unknown, combined with the increased interest in knowledge for its own sake to turn the thoughts of the civilized world southwards. it was becoming plain that a continent of the extent and climate which this polar land probably possessed might have an overwhelming influence upon the weather conditions of the whole southern hemisphere. the importance of magnetism was only rivalled by the mystery in which the whole subject was shrouded: and the region which surrounded the southern magnetic pole of the earth offered a promising field of experiment and observation. the past history, through the ages, of this land was of obvious importance to the geological story of the earth, whilst the survey of land formations and ice action in the antarctic was more useful perhaps to the physiographer than that of any other country in the world, seeing that he found here in daily and even hourly operation the conditions which he knew had existed in the ice ages of the past over the whole world, but which he could only infer from vestigial remains. the biological importance of the antarctic might be of the first magnitude in view of the significance which attaches to the life of the sea in the evolutionary problem. and it was with these objects and ideals that scott's first expedition, known officially as the british antarctic expedition of - , but more familiarly as 'the discovery expedition,' from the name of the ship which carried it, was organized by the royal society and the royal geographical society, backed by the active support of the british government. the executive officers and crew were royal navy almost without exception, whilst the scientific purposes of the expedition were served in addition by five scientists. these latter were not naval officers. the discovery left new zealand on christmas eve , and entered the belt of pack ice which always has to be penetrated in order to reach the comparatively open sea beyond, when just past the antarctic circle. but a little more than four days saw her through, in which she was lucky, as we now know. scott landed at cape adare and then coasted down the western coast of victoria land just as ross had done sixty years before. as he voyaged south he began to look for safe winter quarters for the ship, and when he pushed into mcmurdo sound on january , , it seemed that here he might find both a sheltered bay into which the ship could be frozen, and a road to the southland beyond. the open season which still remained before the freezing of the sea made progress impossible was spent in surveying the miles of cliff which marks the northern limit of the great ice barrier. passing the extreme eastward position reached by ross in , they sailed on into an unknown world, and discovered a deep bay, called balloon bight, where the rounded snow-covered slopes undoubtedly were land and not, as heretofore, floating ice. farther east, as they sailed, shallow soundings and gentle snow slopes gave place to steeper and more broken ridges, until at last small black patches in the snow gave undoubted evidence of rock; and an undiscovered land, now known as king edward vii.'s land, rose to a height of several thousand feet. the presence of thick pack ahead, and the advance of the season, led scott to return to mcmurdo sound, where he anchored the discovery in a little bay at the end of the tongue of land now known as the hut point peninsula, and built the hut which, though little used in the discovery days, was to figure so largely in the story of this his last expedition. the first autumn was spent in various short journeys of discovery--discovery not only of the surrounding land but of many mistakes in sledging equipment and routine. it is amazing to one who looks back upon these first efforts of the discovery expedition that the results were not more disastrous than was actually the case. when one reads of dog-teams which refused to start, of pemmican which was considered to be too rich to eat, of two officers discussing the ascent of erebus and back in one day, and of sledging parties which knew neither how to use their cookers or lamp, nor how to put up their tents, nor even how to put on their clothes, then one begins to wonder that the process of education was gained at so small a price. "not a single article of the outfit had been tested; and amid the general ignorance that prevailed the lack of system was painfully apparent in everything."[ ] this led to a tragedy. a returning sledge party of men was overtaken by a blizzard on the top of the peninsula near castle rock. they quite properly camped, and should have been perfectly comfortable lying in their sleeping-bags after a hot meal. but the primus lamps could not be lighted, and as they sat in leather boots and inadequate clothing being continually frost-bitten they decided to leave the tent and make their way to the ship--sheer madness as we now know. as they groped their way in the howling snow-drift the majority of the party either slipped or rolled down a steep slippery snow slope some thousand feet high ending in a precipitous ice-cliff, below which lay the open sea. it is a nasty place on a calm summer day: in a blizzard it must be ghastly. yet only one man, named vince, shot down the slope and over the precipice into the sea below. how the others got back heaven knows. one seaman called hare, who separated from the others and lay down under a rock, awoke after thirty-six hours, covered with snow but in full possession of his faculties and free from frost-bites. the little cross at hut point commemorates the death of vince. one of this party was a seaman called wild, who came to the front and took the lead of five of the survivors after the death of vince. he was to take the lead often in future expeditions under shackleton and mawson, and there are few men living who have so proved themselves as polar travellers. i have dwelt upon this side of the early sledging deficiencies of the discovery to show the importance of experience in antarctic land travelling, whether it be at first or second hand. scott and his men in were pioneers. they bought their experience at a price which might easily have been higher; and each expedition which has followed has added to the fund. the really important thing is that nothing of what is gained should be lost. it is one of the main objects of this book to hand on as complete a record as possible of the methods, equipment, food and weights used by scott's last expedition for the use of future explorers. "the first object of writing an account of a polar voyage is the guidance of future voyagers: the first duty of the writer is to his successors."[ ] the adaptability, invention and resource of the men of the discovery when they set to work after the failures of the autumn to prepare for the successes of the two following summers showed that they could rise to their difficulties. scott admitted that "food, clothing, everything was wrong, the whole system was bad."[ ] in determining to profit by his mistakes, and working out a complete system of antarctic travel, he was at his best; and it was after a winter of drastic reorganization that he started on november , , on his first southern journey with two companions, wilson and shackleton. it is no part of my job to give an account of this journey. the dogs failed badly: probably the norwegian stock-fish which had been brought through the tropics to feed them was tainted: at any rate they sickened; and before the journey was done all the dogs had to be killed or had died. a fortnight after starting, the party was relaying--that is, taking on part of their load and returning for the rest; and this had to be continued for thirty-one days. [illustration: the last of the dogs--e. a. wilson, del.] the ration of food was inadequate and they became very hungry as time went on; but it was not until december that wilson disclosed to scott that shackleton had signs of scurvy which had been present for some time. on december , in latitude ° ´ s., they decided to return. by the middle of january the scurvy signs were largely increased and shackleton was seriously ill and spitting blood. his condition became more and more alarming, and he collapsed on january , but revived afterwards. sometimes walking by the sledge, sometimes being carried upon it, shackleton survived: scott and wilson saved his life. the three men reached the ship on february , after covering statute miles in days. scott and wilson were both extremely exhausted and seriously affected by scurvy. it was a fine journey, the geographical results of which comprised the survey of some three hundred miles of new coast-line, and a further knowledge of the barrier upon which they travelled. while scott was away southwards an organized attempt was made to discover the nature of the mountains and glaciers which lay across the sound to the west. this party actually reached the plateau which lay beyond, and attained a height of feet, when "as far as they could see in every direction to the westward of them there extended a level plateau, to the south and north could be seen isolated nunataks, and behind them showed the high mountains which they had passed": a practicable road to the west had been found. i need note no more than these two most important of the many journeys carried out this season: nor is it necessary for me to give any account of the continuous and fertile scientific work which was accomplished in this virgin land. in the meantime a relief ship, the morning, had arrived. it was intended that the discovery should return this year as soon as the sea-ice in which she was imprisoned should break up and set her free. as february passed, however, it became increasingly plain that the ice conditions were altogether different from those of the previous year. on the th the morning was still separated from the discovery by eight miles of fast ice. march was fully late for a low-powered ship to remain in the sound, and on this date the morning left. by march all hope of the discovery being freed that year was abandoned. the second winter passed much as the first, and as soon as spring arrived sledging was continued. these spring journeys on the barrier, with sunlight only by day and low temperatures at all times, entailed great discomfort and, perhaps worse, want of sleep, frost-bites, and a fast accumulation of moisture in all one's clothing and in the sleeping-bags, which resulted in masses of ice which had to be thawed out by the heat of one's body before any degree of comfort could be gained. a fortnight was considered about the extreme limit of time for such a journey, and generally parties were not absent so long; for at this time a spring journey was considered a dreadful experience. "wait till you've had a spring journey" was the threat of the old stagers to us. a winter journey lasting nearly three times as long as a spring journey was not imagined. i advise explorers to be content with imagining it in the future. the hardest journey of this year was carried out by scott with two seamen of whom much will be written in this history. their names are edgar evans and lashly. the object of the journey was to explore westwards into the interior of the plateau. by way of the ferrar glacier they reached the ice-cap after considerable troubles, not the least of which was the loss of the data necessary for navigation contained in an excellent publication called hints to travellers, which was blown away. then for the first time it was seen what additional difficulties are created by the climate and position of this lofty plateau, which we now know extends over the pole and probably reaches over the greater part of the antarctic continent. it was the beginning of november: that is, the beginning of summer; but the conditions of work were much the same as those found during the spring journeys on the barrier. the temperature dropped into the minus forties; but the worst feature of all was a continuous head-wind blowing from west to east which combined with the low temperature and rarefied air to make the conditions of sledging extremely laborious. the supporting party returned, and the three men continued alone, pulling out westwards into an unknown waste of snow with no landmarks to vary the rough monotony. they turned homewards on december , but found the pulling very heavy; and their difficulties were increased by their ignorance of their exact position. the few glimpses of the land which they obtained as they approached it in the thick weather which prevailed only left them in horrible uncertainty as to their whereabouts. owing to want of food it was impossible to wait for the weather to clear: there was nothing to be done but to continue their eastward march. threading their way amidst the ice disturbances which mark the head of the glaciers, the party pushed blindly forward in air which was becoming thick with snow-drift. suddenly lashly slipped: in a moment the whole party was flying downwards with increasing speed. they ceased to slide smoothly; they were hurled into the air and descended with great force on to a gradual snow incline. rising they looked round them to find above them an ice-fall feet high down which they had fallen: above it the snow was still drifting, but where they stood there was peace and blue sky. they recognized now for the first time their own glacier and the well-remembered landmark, and far away in the distance was the smoking summit of mount erebus. it was a miracle. excellent subsidiary journeys were also made of which space allows no mention here: nor do they bear directly upon this last expedition. but in view of the winter journey undertaken by us, if not for the interest of the subject itself, some account must be given of those most aristocratic inhabitants of the antarctic, the emperor penguins, with whom wilson and his companions in the discovery now became familiar. there are two kinds of antarctic penguins--the little adélie with his blue-black coat and his white shirt-front, weighing lbs., an object of endless pleasure and amusement, and the great dignified emperor with long curved beak, bright orange head-wear and powerful flippers, a personality of ½ stones. science singles out the emperor as being the more interesting bird because he is more primitive, possibly the most primitive of all birds. previous to the discovery expedition nothing was known of him save that he existed in the pack and on the fringes of the continent. we have heard of cape crozier as being the eastern extremity of ross island, discovered by ross and named after the captain of the terror. it is here that with immense pressures and rendings the moving sheet of the barrier piles itself up against the mountain. it is here also that the great ice-cliff which runs for hundreds of miles to the east, with the barrier behind it and the ross sea beating into its crevasses and caves, joins the basalt precipice which bounds the knoll, as the two-knobbed saddle which forms cape crozier is called. altogether it is the kind of place where giants have had a good time in their childhood, playing with ice instead of mud--so much cleaner too! but the slopes of mount terror do not all end in precipices. farther to the west they slope quietly into the sea, and the adélie penguins have taken advantage of this to found here one of their largest and most smelly rookeries. when the discovery arrived off this rookery she sent a boat ashore and set up a post with a record upon it to guide the relief ship in the following year. the post still stands. later it became desirable to bring the record left here more up to date, and so one of the first sledging parties went to try and find a way by the barrier to this spot. they were prevented from reaching the record by a series of most violent blizzards, and indeed cape crozier is one of the windiest places on earth, but they proved beyond doubt that a back-door to the adélie penguins' rookery existed by way of the slopes of mount terror behind the knoll. early the next year another party reached the record all right, and while exploring the neighbourhood looked down over the -feet precipice which forms the snout of cape crozier. the sea was frozen over, and in a small bay of ice formed by the cliffs of the barrier below were numerous little dots which resolved themselves into emperor penguins. could this be the breeding-place of these wonderful birds? if so, they must nurse their eggs in mid-winter, in unimagined cold and darkness. five days more elapsed before further investigation could be made, for a violent blizzard kept the party in their tents. on october they set out to climb the high pressure ridges which lie between the level barrier and the sea. they found that their conjectures were right: there was the colony of emperors. several were nursing chicks, but all the ice in the ross sea was gone; only the small bay of ice remained. the number of adult birds was estimated at four hundred, the number of living chicks was thirty, and there were some eighty dead ones. no eggs were found.[ ] several more journeys were made to this spot while the discovery was in the south, generally in the spring; and the sum total of the information gained came to something like this. the emperor is a bird which cannot fly, lives on fish which it catches in the sea, and never steps on land even to breed. for a reason which was not then understood it lays its eggs upon the bare ice some time during the winter and carries out the whole process of incubation on the sea ice, resting the egg upon its feet pressed closely to a patch of bare skin in the lower abdomen, and protected from the intense cold by a loose falling lappet of skin and feathers. by september , the earliest date upon which a party arrived, all the eggs which were not broken or addled were hatched, and there were then about a thousand adult emperors in the rookery. arriving again on october , a party experienced a ten days' blizzard which confined them during seven days to their tents, but during their windy visit they saw one of the most interesting scenes in natural history. the story must be told by wilson, who was there: "the day before the storm broke we were on an old outlying cone of mount terror, about feet above the sea. below us lay the emperor penguin rookery on the bay ice, and ross sea, completely frozen over, was a plain of firm white ice to the horizon. there was not even the lane of open water which usually runs along the barrier cliff stretching away as it does like a winding thread to the east and out of sight. no space or crack could be seen with open water. nevertheless the emperors were unsettled owing, there can be no doubt, to the knowledge that bad weather was impending. the mere fact that the usual canal of open water was not to be seen along the face of the barrier meant that the ice in ross sea had a southerly drift. this in itself was unusual, and was caused by a northerly wind with snow, the precursor here of a storm from the south-west. the sky looked black and threatening, the barometer began to fall, and before long down came snowflakes on the upper heights of mount terror. "all these warnings were an open book to the emperor penguins, and if one knew the truth there probably were many others too. they were in consequence unsettled, and although the ice had not yet started moving the emperor penguins had; a long file was moving out from the bay to the open ice, where a pack of some one or two hundred had already collected about two miles out at the edge of a refrozen crack. for an hour or more that afternoon we watched this exodus proceeding, and returned to camp, more than ever convinced that bad weather might be expected. nor were we disappointed, for on the next day we woke to a southerly gale and smother of snow and drift, which effectually prevented any one of us from leaving our camp at all. this continued without intermission all day and night till the following morning, when the weather cleared sufficiently to allow us to reach the edge of the cliff which overlooked the rookery. [illustration: the emperors rookery] "the change here was immense. ross sea was open water for nearly thirty miles; a long line of white pack ice was just visible on the horizon from where we stood, some to feet above the sea. large sheets of ice were still going out and drifting to the north, and the migration of the emperors was in full swing. there were again two companies waiting on the ice at the actual water's edge, with some hundred more tailing out in single file to join them. the birds were waiting far out at the edge of the open water, as far as it was possible for them to walk, on a projecting piece of ice, the very next piece that would break away and drift to the north. the line of tracks in the snow along which the birds had gone the day before was now cut off short at the edge of the open water, showing that they had gone, and under the ice-cliffs there was an appreciable diminution in the number of emperors left, hardly more than half remaining of all that we had seen there six days before."[ ] two days later the emigration was still in full swing, but only the unemployed seemed to have gone as yet. those who were nursing chicks were still huddled under the ice-cliffs, sheltered as much as possible from the storm. three days later (october ) no ice was to be seen in the ross sea: the little bay of ice was gradually being eaten away: the same exodus was in progress and only a remnant of penguins was still left. of the conditions under which the emperor lays her eggs, the darkness and cold and blighting winds, of the excessive mothering instinct implanted in the heart of every bird, male and female, of the mortality and gallant struggles against almost inconceivable odds, and the final survival of some per cent of the eggs, i hope to tell in the account of our winter journey, the object of which was to throw light upon the development of the embryo of this remarkable bird, and through it upon the history of their ancestors. as wilson wrote: "the possibility that we have in the emperor penguin the nearest approach to a primitive form not only of a penguin but of a bird makes the future working out of its embryology a matter of the greatest possible importance. it was a great disappointment to us that although we discovered their breeding-ground, and although we were able to bring home a number of deserted eggs and chicks, we were not able to procure a series of early embryos by which alone the points of particular interest can be worked out. to have done this in a proper manner from the spot at which the discovery wintered in mcmurdo sound would have involved us in endless difficulties, for it would have entailed the risks of sledge travelling in mid-winter with an almost total absence of light. it would at any time require that a party of three at least, with full camp equipment, should traverse about a hundred miles of the barrier surface in the dark and should, by moonlight, cross over with rope and axe the immense pressure ridges which form a chaos of crevasses at cape crozier. these ridges, moreover, which have taken a party as much as two hours of careful work to cross by daylight, must be crossed and re-crossed at every visit to the breeding site in the bay. there is no possibility even by daylight of conveying over them the sledge or camping kit, and in the darkness of mid-winter the impracticability is still more obvious. cape crozier is a focus for wind and storm, where every breath is converted, by the configuration of mounts erebus and terror, into a regular drifting blizzard full of snow. it is here, as i have already stated, that on one journey or another we have had to lie patiently in sodden sleeping-bags for as many as five and seven days on end, waiting for the weather to change and make it possible for us to leave our tents at all. if, however, these dangers were overcome there would still be the difficulty of making the needful preparations from the eggs. the party would have to be on the scene at any rate early in july. supposing that no eggs were found upon arrival, it would be well to spend the time in labelling the most likely birds, those for example that have taken up their stations close underneath the ice-cliffs. and if this were done it would be easier then to examine them daily by moonlight, if it and the weather generally were suitable: conditions, i must confess, not always easily obtained at cape crozier. but if by good luck things happened to go well, it would by this time be useful to have a shelter built of snow blocks on the sea-ice in which to work with the cooking lamp to prevent the freezing of the egg before the embryo was cut out, and in order that fluid solutions might be handy for the various stages of its preparation; for it must be borne in mind that the temperature all the while may be anything between zero and - ° f. the whole work no doubt would be full of difficulty, but it would not be quite impossible, and it is with a view to helping those to whom the opportunity may occur in future that this outline has been added of the difficulties that would surely beset their path."[ ] we shall meet the emperor penguins again, but now we must go back to the discovery, lying off hut point, with the season advancing and twenty miles of ice between her and the open sea. the prospects of getting out this year seeming almost less promising than those of the last year, an abortive attempt was made to saw a channel from a half-way point. still, life to scott and wilson in a tent at cape royds was very pleasant after sledging, and the view of the blue sea framed in the tent door was very beautiful on a morning in january when two ships sailed into the frame. why two? one was of course the morning; the second proved to be the terra nova. it seemed that the authorities at home had been alarmed at the reports brought back the previous year by the relief ship of the detention of the discovery and certain outbreaks of scurvy which had occurred both on the ship and on sledge journeys. to make sure of relief two ships had been sent. that was nothing to worry about, but the orders they brought were staggering to sailors who had come to love their ship "with a depth of sentiment which cannot be surprising when it is remembered what we had been through in her and what a comfortable home she had proved."[ ] scott was ordered to abandon the discovery if she could not be freed in time to accompany the relief ships to the north. for weeks there was little or no daily change. they started to transport the specimens and make the other necessary preparations. they almost despaired of freedom. explosions in the ice were started in the beginning of february with little effect. but suddenly there came a change, and on the th, amidst intense excitement, the ice was breaking up fast. the next day the relief ships were but four miles away. on the th a shout of "the ships are coming, sir!" brought out all the men racing to the slopes above arrival bay. scott wrote: "the ice was breaking up right across the strait, and with a rapidity which we had not thought possible. no sooner was one great floe borne away than a dark streak cut its way into the solid sheet that remained, and carved out another, to feed the broad stream of pack which was hurrying away to the north-west. "i have never witnessed a more impressive sight; the sun was low behind us, the surface of the ice-sheet in front was intensely white, and in contrast the distant sea and its leads looked almost black. the wind had fallen to a calm, and not a sound disturbed the stillness about us. "yet in the midst of this peaceful silence was an awful unseen agency rending that great ice-sheet as though it had been naught but the thinnest paper. we knew well by this time the nature of our prison bars; we had not plodded again and again over those long dreary miles of snow without realizing the formidable strength of the great barrier which held us bound; we knew that the heaviest battle-ship would have shattered itself ineffectually against it, and we had seen a million-ton iceberg brought to rest at its edge. for weeks we had been struggling with this mighty obstacle ... but now without a word, without an effort on our part, it was all melting away, and we knew that in an hour or two not a vestige of it would be left, and that the open sea would be lapping on the black rocks of hut point."[ ] almost more dramatic was the grounding of the discovery off the shoal at hut point owing to the rise of a blizzard immediately after her release from the ice. hour after hour she lay pounding on the shore, and when it seemed most certain that she had been freed only to be destroyed, and when all hope was nearly gone, the wind lulled, and the waters of the sound, driven out by the force of the wind, returned and the discovery floated off with little damage. the whole story of the release from the ice and subsequent grounding of the discovery is wonderfully told by scott in his book. some years after this i met wilson in a shooting lodge in scotland. he was working upon grouse disease for the royal commission which had been appointed, and i saw then for the first time something of his magnetic personality and glimpses also of his methods of work. he and scott both meant to go back and finish the job, and i then settled that when they went i would go too if wishing could do anything. meanwhile shackleton was either in the south or making his preparations to go there. he left england in , and in the following antarctic summer two wonderful journeys were made. the first, led by shackleton himself, consisted of four men and four ponies. leaving cape royds, where the expedition wintered in a hut, in november, they marched due south on the barrier outside scott's track until they were stopped by the eastward trend of the range of mountains, and by the chaotic pressure caused by the discharge of a brobdingnagian glacier. but away from the main stream of the glacier, and separated from it by land now known as hope island, was a narrow and steep snow slope forming a gateway which opened on to the main glacier stream. boldly plunging through this, the party made its way up the beardmore glacier, a giant of its kind, being more than twice as large as any other known. the history of their adventures will make anybody's flesh creep. from the top they travelled due south toward the pole under the trying conditions of the plateau and reached the high latitude of ° ´ s. before they were forced to turn by lack of food. while shackleton was essaying the geographical pole another party of three men under professor david reached the magnetic pole, travelling a distance of miles, of which miles were relay work, relying entirely on man-haulage, and with no additional help. this was a very wonderful journey, and when shackleton returned in he and his expedition had made good. during the same year the north pole was reached by peary after some twelve years of travelling in arctic regions. scott published the plans of his second expedition in . this expedition is the subject of the present history. the terra nova sailed from the west india dock, london, on june , , and from cardiff on june . she made her way to new zealand, refitted and restowed her cargo, took on board ponies, dogs, motor sledges, certain further provisions and equipment, as well as such members of her executive officers and scientists as had not travelled out in her, and left finally for the south on november , . she arrived in mcmurdo sound on january , , and our hut had been built on cape evans and all stores landed in less than a fortnight. shortly afterwards the ship sailed. the party which was left at cape evans under scott is known as the main party. but the scientific objects of the expedition included the landing of a second but much smaller party under campbell on king edward vii.'s land. while returning from an abortive attempt to land here they found a norwegian expedition under captain roald amundsen in nansen's old ship the fram in the bay of whales: reference to this expedition will be found elsewhere.[ ] one member of amundsen's party was johansen, the only companion of nansen on his famous arctic sledge journey, of which a brief outline has been given above.[ ] campbell and his five companions were finally landed at cape adare, and built their hut close to borchgrevinck's old winter quarters.[ ] the ship returned to new zealand under pennell: came back to the antarctic a year later with further equipment and provisions, and again two years later to bring back to civilization the survivors of the expedition. the adventures and journeyings of the various members of the main party are so numerous and simultaneous that i believe it will help the reader who approaches this book without previous knowledge of the history of the expedition to give here a brief summary of the course of events. those who are familiar already with these facts can easily skip a page or two. two parties were sent out during the first autumn: the one under scott to lay a large depôt on the barrier for the polar journey, and this is called the depôt journey; the other to carry out geological work among the western mountains, so called because they form the western side of mcmurdo sound: this is called the first geological journey, and another similar journey during the following summer is called the second geological journey. both parties joined up at the old discovery hut at hut point in march , and here waited for the sea to freeze a passage northwards to cape evans. meanwhile the men left at cape evans were continuing the complex scientific work of the station. all the members of the main party were not gathered together at cape evans for the winter until may . during the latter half of the winter a journey was made by three men led by wilson to cape crozier to investigate the embryology of the emperor penguin: this is called the winter journey. the journey to the south pole absorbed the energies of most of the sledging members during the following summer of - . the motor party turned back on the barrier; the dog party at the bottom of the beardmore glacier. from this point twelve men went forward. four of these men under atkinson returned from the top of the glacier in latitude ° ´ s.: they are known as the first return party. a fortnight later in latitude ° ´ s. three more men returned under lieutenant evans: these are the second return party. five men went forward, scott, wilson, bowers, oates and seaman evans. they reached the pole on january to find that amundsen had reached it thirty-four days earlier. they returned statute miles and perished miles from their winter quarters. the supporting parties got back safely, but lieutenant evans was very seriously ill with scurvy. the food necessary for the return of the polar party from one ton camp had not been taken out at the end of february . evans' illness caused a hurried reorganization of plans, and i was ordered to take out this food with one lad and two dog-teams. this was done, and the journey may be called the dog journey to one ton camp. we must now go back to the six men led by campbell who were landed at cape adare in the beginning of . they were much disappointed by the small amount of sledge work which they were able to do in the summer of - , for the sea-ice in front of them was blown out early in the year, and they were unable to find a way up through the mountains behind them on to the plateau. therefore, when the terra nova appeared on january , it was decided that she should land them with six weeks' sledging rations and some extra biscuits, pemmican and general food near mount melbourne at evans coves, some geographical miles south of cape adare, and some geographical miles from our winter quarters at cape evans. late on the night of january , , they were camped in this spot and saw the last of the ship steaming out of the bay. they had arranged to be picked up again on february . let us return to mcmurdo sound. my two dog-teams arrived at hut point from one ton depôt on march exhausted. the sea-ice was still in from the barrier to hut point, but from there onwards was open water, and therefore no communication was possible with cape evans. atkinson, with one seaman, was at hut point and the situation which he outlined to me on arrival was something as follows: the ship had left and there was now no possibility of her returning owing to the lateness of the season, and she carried in her lieut. evans, sick with scurvy, and five other officers and three men who were returning home this year. this left only four officers and four men at cape evans, in addition to the four of us at hut point. the serious part of the news was that owing to a heavy pack the ship had been absolutely unable to reach campbell's party at evans coves. attempt after attempt had made without success. would campbell winter where he was? would he try to sledge down the coast? in the absence of scott the command of the expedition under the extraordinarily difficult circumstances which arose, both now and during the coming year, would naturally have devolved upon lieutenant evans. but evans, very sick, was on his way to england. the task fell to atkinson, and i hope that these pages will show how difficult it was, and how well he tackled it. there were now, that is since the arrival of the dog-teams four of us at hut point; and no help could be got from cape evans owing to the open water which intervened. two of us were useless for further sledging and the dogs were absolutely done. as time went on anxiety concerning the non-arrival of the polar party was added to the alarm we already felt about campbell and his men; winter was fast closing down, and the weather was bad. so little could be done by two men. what was to be done? when was it to be done with the greatest possible chance of success? added to all his greater anxieties atkinson had me on his hands--and i was pretty ill. in the end he made two attempts. the first with one seaman, keohane, to sledge out on to the barrier, leaving on march . they found the conditions very bad, but reached a point a few miles south of corner camp and returned. soon after we knew the southern party must be dead. nothing more could be done until communication was effected with winter quarters at cape evans. this was done by a sledge journey over the newly frozen ice in the bays on april . help arrived at hut point on april . the second attempt was then made, and this consisted of a party of four men who tried to sledge up the western coast in order to meet and help campbell if he was trying to sledge to us. this plucky attempt failed, as indeed it was practically certain it would. the story of the winter that followed will be told, and of the decision which had to be taken to abandon either the search for the polar party (who must be dead) and their records, or campbell and his men (who might be alive). there were not enough men left to do both. we believed that the polar party had come to grief through scurvy, or through falling into a crevasse--the true solution never occurred to us, for we felt sure that except for accident or disease they could find their way home without difficulty. we decided to leave campbell to find his way unaided down the coast, and to try and find the polar party's records. to our amazement we found their snowed-up tent some geographical miles from hut point, only geographical miles from one ton camp. they had arrived there on march . inside the tent were the bodies of scott, wilson and bowers. oates had willingly walked out to his death some eighteen miles before in a blizzard. seaman evans lay dead at the bottom of the beardmore glacier. * * * * * having found the bodies and the records the search party returned, proposing to make their way up the western coast in search of campbell. on arrival at hut point with the dog-teams, i must have gone to open the hut door and found pinned on to it a note in campbell's handwriting; but my recollection of this apparently memorable incident is extraordinarily vague. it was many long months since we had had good news. this was their story. when campbell originally landed at evans coves he brought with him sledging provisions for six weeks, in addition to two weeks' provisions for six men, lbs. sugar, lbs. cocoa, lbs. chocolate and lbs. of biscuit, some oxo and spare clothing. in short, after the sledge work which they proposed, and actually carried out, the men were left with skeleton rations for four weeks. they had also a spare tent and an extra sleeping-bag. it was not seriously anticipated that the ship would have great difficulty in picking them up in the latter half of february. campbell's party had carried out successful sledging and useful geological work in the region of evans coves. they had then camped on the beach and looked for the ship to relieve them. there was open water lashed to fury by the wind so far as they could see, and yet she did not come. they concluded that she must have been wrecked. the actual fact was that thick pack ice lay beyond their vision through which pennell was trying to drive his ship time after time, until he had either to go or to be frozen in. he never succeeded in approaching nearer than miles. it was now that a blizzard wind started to blow down from the plateau behind them out into the continually open sea in front. the situation was bad enough already, but of course such weather conditions made it infinitely worse. evans coves is paved with boulders over which all journeys had to be fought leaning against the wind as it blew: when a lull came the luckless traveller fell forward on to his face. under these circumstances it was decided that preparations must be made to winter where they were, and to sledge down the coast to cape evans in the following spring. the alternative of sledging down the coast in march and april never seems to have been seriously considered. at hut point, of course, we were entirely in the dark as to what the party would do, hence atkinson's journey over to the western side in april . meanwhile the stranded men divided into two parties of three men each. the first under campbell sank a shaft six feet down into a large snow-drift and thence, with pick and shovel, excavated a passage and at the end of it a cave, twelve feet by nine feet, and five feet six inches high. the second under levick sought out and killed all the seal and penguin they could find, but their supply was pitifully small, and the men never had a full meal until mid-winter night. one man always had to be left to look after the tents, which were already so worn and damaged that it was unsafe to leave them in the wind. by march the cave was sufficiently advanced for three men to move in. priestley must tell how this was done, but it should not be supposed that the weather conditions were in any way abnormal on what they afterwards called inexpressible island: "march . p.m. strong south-west breeze all day, freshening to a full gale at night. we have had an awful day, but have managed to shift enough gear into the cave to live there temporarily. our tempers have never been so tried during the whole of our life together, but they have stood the strain pretty successfully.... may i never have such another three trips as were those to-day. every time the wind lulled a little i fell over to windward, and at every gust i was pitched to leeward, while a dozen times or more i was taken off my feet and dashed against the ground or against unfriendly boulders. the other two had equally bad times. dickason hurt his knee and ankle and lost his sheath knife, and campbell lost a compass and some revolver cartridges in the two trips they made. altogether it was lucky we got across at all."[ ] it was a fortunate thing that this wind often blew quite clear without snowfall or drift. two days later in the same gale the tent of the other three men collapsed on top of them at a.m. at p.m. the sun was going down and they settled to make their way across to their comrades. levick tells the story as follows: "having done this [securing the remains of the tent, etc.], we started on our journey. this lay, first of all, across half a mile of clear blue ice, swept by the unbroken wind, which met us almost straight in the face. we could never stand up, so had to scramble the whole distance on 'all fours,' lying flat on our bellies in the gusts. by the time we had reached the other side we had had enough. our faces had been rather badly bitten, and i have a very strong recollection of the men's countenances, which were a leaden blue, streaked with white patches of frost-bite. once across, however, we reached the shelter of some large boulders on the shore of the island, and waited here long enough to thaw out our noses, ears, and cheeks. a scramble of another six hundred yards brought us to the half-finished igloo, into which we found that the rest of the party had barricaded themselves, and, after a little shouting, they came and let us in, giving us a warm welcome, and about the most welcome hot meal that i think any of us had ever eaten." [illustration: priestley and campbell] priestley continues: "after the arrival of the evicted party we made hoosh, and as we warmed up from the meal, we cheered up and had one of the most successful sing-songs we had ever had forgetting all our troubles for an hour or two. it is a pleasing picture to look back upon now, and, if i close my eyes, i can see again the little cave cut out in snow and ice with the tent flapping in the doorway, barely secured by ice-axe and shovel arranged crosswise against the side of the shaft. the cave is lighted up with three or four small blubber lamps, which give a soft yellow light. at one end lie campbell, dickason and myself in our sleeping-bags, resting after the day's work, and, opposite to us, on a raised dais formed by a portion of the floor not yet levelled, levick, browning and abbott sit discussing their seal hoosh, while the primus hums cheerily under the cooker containing the coloured water which served with us instead of cocoa. as the diners warm up jests begin to fly between the rival tents and the interchange is brisk, though we have the upper hand to-day, having an inexhaustible subject in the recent disaster to their tent, and their forced abandonment of their household gods. suddenly some one starts a song with a chorus, and the noise from the primus is dwarfed immediately. one by one we go through our favourites, and the concert lasts for a couple of hours. by this time the lamps are getting low, and gradually the cold begins to overcome the effects of the hoosh and the cocoa. one after another the singers begin to shiver, and all thoughts of song disappear as we realize what we are in for. a night with one one-man bag between two men! there is a whole world of discomfort in the very thought, and no one feels inclined to jest about that for the moment. those jests will come all right to-morrow when the night is safely past, but this evening it is anything but a cheery subject of contemplation. there is no help for it, however, and each of us prepares to take another man in so far as he can."[ ] in such spirit and under very similar conditions this dauntless party set about passing through one of the most horrible winters which god has invented. they were very hungry, for the wind which kept the sea open also made the shore almost impossible for seals. there were red-letter days, however, such as when browning found and killed a seal, and in its stomach, "not too far digested to be still eatable," were thirty-six fish. and what visions of joy for the future. "we never again found a seal with an eatable meal inside him, but we were always hoping to do so, and a kill was, therefore, always a gamble. whenever a seal was sighted in future, some one said, 'fish!' and there was always a scramble to search the beast first."[ ] they ate blubber, cooked with blubber, had blubber lamps. their clothes and gear were soaked with blubber, and the soot blackened them, their sleeping-bags, cookers, walls and roof, choked their throats and inflamed their eyes. blubbery clothes are cold, and theirs were soon so torn as to afford little protection against the wind, and so stiff with blubber that they would stand up by themselves, in spite of frequent scrapings with knives and rubbings with penguin skins, and always there were underfoot the great granite boulders which made walking difficult even in daylight and calm weather. as levick said, "the road to hell might be paved with good intentions, but it seemed probable that hell itself would be paved something after the style of inexpressible island." but there were consolations; the long-waited-for lump of sugar: the sing-songs--and about these there hangs a story. when campbell's party and the remains of the main party forgathered at cape evans in november , campbell would give out the hymns for church. the first sunday we had 'praise the lord, ye heavens adore him,' and the second, and the third. we suggested a change, to which campbell asked, "why?" we said it got a bit monotonous. "oh no," said campbell, "we always sang it on inexpressible island." it was also about the only one he knew. apart from this i do not know whether 'old king cole' or the te deum was more popular. for reading they had david copperfield, the decameron, the life of stevenson and a new testament. and they did swedish drill, and they gave lectures. their worst difficulties were scurvy[ ] and ptomaine poisoning, for which the enforced diet was responsible. from the first they decided to keep nearly all their unused rations for sledging down the coast in the following spring, and this meant that they must live till then on the seal and penguin which they could kill. the first dysentery was early in the winter, and was caused by using the salt from the sea-water. they had some cerebos salt, however, in their sledging rations, and used it for a week, which stopped the disorder and they gradually got used to the sea-ice salt. browning, however, who had had enteric fever in the past, had dysentery almost continually right through the winter. had he not been the plucky, cheerful man he is, he would have died. in june again there was another bad attack of dysentery. another thing which worried them somewhat was the 'igloo back,' a semi-permanent kink caused by seldom being able to stand upright. then, in the beginning of september, they had ptomaine poisoning from meat which had been too long in what they called the oven, which was a biscuit box, hung over the blubber stove, into which they placed the frozen meat to thaw it out. this oven was found to be not quite level, and in a corner a pool of old blood, water and scraps of meat had collected. this and a tainted hoosh which they did not have the strength of mind to throw away in their hungry condition, seems to have caused the outbreak, which was severe. browning and dickason were especially bad. they had their bad days: those first days of realization that they would not be relieved: days of depression, disease and hunger, all at once: when the seal seemed as if they would give out and they were thinking they would have to travel down the coast in the winter--but abbott killed two seals with a greasy knife, losing the use of three fingers in the process, and saved the situation. but they also had their good, or less-bad, days: such was mid-winter night when they held food in their hands and did not want to eat it, for they were full: or when they got through the te deum without a hitch: or when they killed some penguins; or got a ration of mustard plaster from the medical stores. never was a more cheerful or good-tempered party. they set out to see the humorous side of everything, and, if they could not do so one day, at any rate they determined to see to it the next. what is more they succeeded, and i have never seen a company of better welded men than that which joined us for those last two months in mcmurdo sound. on september they started home--so they called it. this meant a sledge journey of some two hundred miles along the coast, and its possibility depended upon the presence of sea-ice, which we have seen to have been absent at evans coves. it also meant crossing the drygalski ice tongue, an obstacle which bulked very formidably in their imaginations during the winter. they reached the last rise of this glacier in the evening of october , and then saw erebus, one hundred and fifty miles off. the igloo and the past were behind: cape evans and the future were in front--and the sea-ice was in as far as they could see. dickason was half crippled with dysentery when they started, but improved. browning, however, was still very ill, but now they were able to eat a ration of four biscuits a day and a small amount of pemmican and cocoa which gave him a better chance than the continual meat. as they neared granite harbour, a month after starting, his condition was so serious that they discussed leaving him there with levick until they could get medicine and suitable food from cape evans. but their troubles were nearly over, for on reaching cape roberts they suddenly sighted the depôt left by taylor in the previous year. they searched round, like dogs, scratching in the drifts, and found--a whole case of biscuits: and there were butter and raisins and lard. day and night merged into one long lingering feast, and when they started on again their mouths were sore[ ] with eating biscuits. more, there is little doubt that the change of diet saved browning's life. as they moved down the coast they found another depôt, and yet another. they reached hut point on november . the story of this, our northern party, has been told in full by the two men most able to tell it: by campbell in the second volume of scott's book, by priestley in a separate volume called antarctic adventure.[ ] i have added only these few pages because, save in so far as their adventures touch the main party or the ship, it is better that i should refer the reader to these two accounts than that i should try and write again at second hand what has been already twice told. i will only say here that the history of what these men did and suffered has been overshadowed by the more tragic tale of the polar party. they are not men who wish for public applause, but that is no reason why the story of a great adventure should not be known; indeed, it is all the more reason why it should be known. to those who have not read it i recommend priestley's book mentioned above, or campbell's equally modest account in scott's last expedition.[ ] the terra nova arrived at cape evans on january , , just as we had started to prepare for another year. and so the remains of the expedition came home that spring. scott's book was published in the autumn. the story of scott's last expedition of - is a book of two volumes, the first volume of which is scott's personal diary of the expedition, written from day to day before he turned into his sleeping-bag for the night when sledging, or in the intervals of the many details of organization and preparation in the hut, when at winter quarters. the readers of this book will probably have read that diary and the accounts of the winter journey, the last year, the adventures of campbell's party and the travels of the terra nova which follow. with an object which i will explain presently i quote a review of scott's book from the pen of one of mr. punch's staff:[ ] "there is courage and strength and loyalty and love shining out of the second volume no less than out of the first; there were gallant gentlemen who lived as well as gallant gentlemen who died; but it is the story of scott, told by himself, which will give the book a place among the great books of the world. that story begins in november , and ends on march , , and it is because when you come to the end, you will have lived with scott for sixteen months, that you will not be able to read the last pages without tears. that message to the public was heartrending enough when it first came to us, but it was as the story of how a great hero fell that we read it; now it is just the tale of how a dear friend died. to have read this book is to have known scott; and if i were asked to describe him, i think i should use some such words as those which, six months before he died, he used of the gallant gentleman who went with him, 'bill' wilson. 'words must always fail when i talk of him,' he wrote; 'i believe he is the finest character i ever met--the closer one gets to him the more there is to admire. every quality is so solid and dependable. whatever the matter, one knows bill will be sound, shrewdly practical, intensely loyal, and quite unselfish.' that is true of wilson, if scott says so, for he knew men; but most of it is also true of scott himself. i have never met a more beautiful character than that which is revealed unconsciously in these journals. his humanity, his courage, his faith, his steadfastness, above all, his simplicity, mark him as a man among men. it is because of his simplicity that his last message, the last entries in his diary, his last letters, are of such undying beauty. the letter of consolation (and almost of apology) which, on the verge of death, he wrote to mrs. wilson, wife of the man dying at his side, may well be scott's monument. he could have no finer. and he has raised a monument for those other gallant gentlemen who died--wilson, oates, bowers, evans. they are all drawn for us clearly by him in these pages; they stand out unmistakably. they, too, come to be friends of ours, their death is as noble and as heartbreaking. and there were gallant gentlemen, i said, who lived--you may read amazing stories of them. indeed, it is a wonderful tale of manliness that these two volumes tell us. i put them down now; but i have been for a few days in the company of the brave ... and every hour with them has made me more proud for those that died and more humble for myself." i have quoted this review at length, because it gives the atmosphere of hero-worship into which we were plunged on our return. that atmosphere was very agreeable; but it was a refracting medium through which the expedition could not be seen with scientific accuracy--and the expedition was nothing if not scientific. whilst we knew what we had suffered and risked better than any one else, we also knew that science takes no account of such things; that a man is no better for having made the worst journey in the world; and that whether he returns alive or drops by the way will be all the same a hundred years hence if his records and specimens come safely to hand. in addition to scott's last expedition and priestley's antarctic adventures, griffith taylor, who was physiographer to the main party, has written an account of the two geological journeys of which he was the leader, and of the domestic life of the expedition at hut point and at cape evans, up to february , in a book called with scott: the silver lining. this book gives a true glimpse into the more boisterous side of our life, with much useful information about the scientific part. though it bears little upon this book i cannot refrain from drawing the reader's attention to, and earning some of his thanks for, a little book called antarctic penguins, written by levick, the surgeon of campbell's party. it is almost entirely about adélie penguins. the author spent the greater part of a summer living, as it were, upon sufferance, in the middle of one of the largest penguin rookeries in the world. he has described the story of their crowded life with a humour with which, perhaps, we hardly credited him, and with a simplicity which many writers of children's stories might envy. if you think your own life hard, and would like to leave it for a short hour i recommend you to beg, borrow or steal this tale, and read and see how the penguins live. it is all quite true. so there is already a considerable literature about the expedition, but no connected account of it as a whole. scott's diary, had he lived, would merely have formed the basis of the book he would have written. as his personal diary it has an interest which no other book could have had. but a diary in this life is one of the only ways in which a man can blow off steam, and so it is that scott's book accentuates the depression which used to come over him sometimes. we have seen the importance which must attach to the proper record of improvements, weights and methods of each and every expedition. we have seen how scott took the system developed by the arctic explorers at the point of development to which it had been brought by nansen, and applied it for the first time to antarctic sledge travelling. scott's voyage of the discovery gives a vivid picture of mistakes rectified, and of improvements of every kind. shackleton applied the knowledge they gained in his first expedition, scott in this, his second and last. on the whole i believe this expedition was the best equipped there has ever been, when the double purpose, exploratory and scientific, for which it was organized, is taken into consideration. it is comparatively easy to put all your eggs into one basket, to organize your material and to equip and choose your men entirely for one object, whether it be the attainment of the pole, or the running of a perfect series of scientific observations. your difficulties increase many-fold directly you combine the one with the other, as was done in this case. neither scott nor the men with him would have gone for the pole alone. yet they considered the pole to be an achievement worthy of a great attempt, and "we took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint...." it is, it must be, of the first importance that a system, i will not say perfected, but developed, to a pitch of high excellence at such a cost should be handed down as completely as possible to those who are to follow. i want to so tell this story that the leader of some future antarctic expedition, perhaps more than one, will be able to take it up and say: "i have here the material from which i can order the articles and quantities which will be wanted for so many men for such and such a time; i have also a record of how this material was used by scott, of the plans of his journeys and how his plans worked out, and of the improvements which his parties were able to make on the spot or suggest for the future. i don't agree with such and such, but this is a foundation and will save me many months of work in preparation, and give me useful knowledge for the actual work of my expedition." if this book can guide the future explorer by the light of the past, it will not have been written in vain. but this was not my main object in writing this book. when i undertook in to write, for the antarctic committee, an official narrative on condition that i was given a free hand, what i wanted to do above all things was to show what work was done; who did it; to whom the credit of the work was due; who took the responsibility; who did the hard sledging; and who pulled us through that last and most ghastly year when two parties were adrift, and god only knew what was best to be done; when, had things gone on much longer, men would undoubtedly have gone mad. there is no record of these things, though perhaps the world thinks there is. generally as a mere follower, without much responsibility, and often scared out of my wits, i was in the thick of it all, and i know. unfortunately i could not reconcile a sincere personal confession with the decorous obliquity of an official narrative; and i found that i had put the antarctic committee in a difficulty from which i could rescue them only by taking the book off their hands; for it was clear that what i had written was not what is expected from a committee, even though no member may disapprove of a word of it. a proper official narrative presented itself to our imaginations and sense of propriety as a quarto volume, uniform with the scientific reports, dustily invisible on museum shelves, and replete with--in the words of my commission--"times of starting, hours of march, ground and weather conditions," not very useful as material for future antarcticists, and in no wise effecting any catharsis of the writer's conscience. i could not pretend that i had fulfilled these conditions; and so i decided to take the undivided responsibility on my own shoulders. none the less the committee, having given me access to its information, is entitled to all the credit of a formal official narrative, without the least responsibility for the passages which i have studied to make as personal in style as possible, so that no greater authority may be attached to them than i deserve. i need hardly add that the nine years' delay in the appearance of my book was caused by the war. before i had recovered from the heavy overdraft made on my strength by the expedition i found myself in flanders looking after a fleet of armoured cars. a war is like the antarctic in one respect. there is no getting out of it with honour as long as you can put one foot before the other. i came back badly invalided; and the book had to wait accordingly. [illustration: from new zealand to the south pole--apsley cherry-garrard, del.--emery walker ltd., collotypers.] footnotes: [ ] cook, _a voyage towards the south pole_, introduction. [ ] cook, _a voyage towards the south pole_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] cook, _a voyage towards the south pole_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] scott, _voyage of the discovery_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] ross, _voyage to the southern seas_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ross, _voyage to the southern seas_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] ross, _voyage to the southern seas_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] leonard huxley, _life of sir j. d. hooker_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] nansen, _farthest north_, vol. i. p. . [ ] nansen, _farthest north_, vol. ii. pp. - . [ ] scott, _voyage of the discovery_, vol. i. p. . [ ] scott, _voyage of the discovery_, vol. i. p. vii. [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] see scott, _voyage of the discovery_, vol. ii. pp. , , . [ ] wilson, _nat. ant. exp., - _, "zoology," part ii. pp. - . [ ] wilson, _nat. ant. exp., - _, "zoology," part ii. p. . [ ] scott, _voyage of the discovery_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] scott, _the voyage of the discovery_, vol. ii. pp. - . [ ] see pp. - . [ ] see pp. xxxi-xxxii. [ ] see p. xxviii. [ ] priestley, _antarctic adventure_, pp. - . [ ] priestley, _antarctic adventure_, pp. - . [ ] priestley, _antarctic adventure_, p. . [ ] atkinson has no doubt that the symptoms of the northern party were those of early scurvy. conditions of temperature in the igloo allowed of decomposition occurring in seal meat. fresh seal meat brought in from outside reduced the scurvy symptoms. [ ] this tenderness of gums and tongue is additional evidence of scurvy. [ ] published by fisher unwin, . [ ] vol. ii., narrative of the northern party. [ ] a. a. milne. chapter i from england to south africa take a bowsy short leave of your nymphs on the shore, and silence their mourning with vows of returning, though never intending to visit them more. _dido and aeneas._ scott used to say that the worst part of an expedition was over when the preparation was finished. so no doubt it was with a sigh of relief that he saw the terra nova out from cardiff into the atlantic on june , . cardiff had given the expedition a most generous and enthusiastic send-off, and scott announced that it should be his first port on returning to england. just three years more and the terra nova, worked back from new zealand by pennell, reached cardiff again on june , , and paid off there. from the first everything was informal and most pleasant, and those who had the good fortune to help in working the ship out to new zealand, under steam or sail, must, in spite of five months of considerable discomfort and very hard work, look back upon the voyage as one of the very happiest times of the expedition. to some of us perhaps the voyage out, the three weeks in the pack ice going south, and the robinson crusoe life at hut point are the pleasantest of many happy memories. scott made a great point that so far as was possible the personnel of the expedition must go out with the terra nova. possibly he gave instructions that they were to be worked hard, and no doubt it was a good opportunity of testing our mettle. we had been chosen out of volunteers, executive officers, scientific staff, crew, and all. we differed entirely from the crew of an ordinary merchant ship both in our personnel and in our methods of working. the executive officers were drawn from the navy, as were also the crew. in addition there was the scientific staff, including one doctor who was not a naval surgeon, but who was also a scientist, and two others called by scott 'adaptable helpers,' namely oates and myself. the scientific staff of the expedition numbered twelve members all told, but only six were on board: the remainder were to join the ship at lyttelton, new zealand, when we made our final embarcation for the south. of those on the ship wilson was chief of the scientific staff, and united in himself the various functions of vertebral zoologist, doctor, artist, and, as this book will soon show, the unfailing friend-in-need of all on board. lieutenant evans was in command, with campbell as first officer. watches were of course assigned immediately to the executive officers. the crew was divided into a port and starboard watch, and the ordinary routine of a sailing ship with auxiliary steam was followed. beyond this no work was definitely assigned to any individual on board. how the custom of the ship arose i do not know, but in effect most things were done by volunteer labour. it was recognized that every one whose work allowed turned to immediately on any job which was wanted, but it was an absolutely voluntary duty--volunteers to shorten sail? to coal? to shift cargo? to pump? to paint or wash down paintwork? they were constant calls--some of them almost hourly calls, day and night--and there was never any failure to respond fully. this applied not only to the scientific staff but also, whenever their regular duties allowed, to the executive officers. there wasn't an officer on the ship who did not shift coal till he was sick of the sight of it, but i heard no complaints. such a system soon singles out the real willing workers, but it is apt to put an undue strain upon them. meanwhile most of the executive officers as well as the scientific staff had their own work to do, which they were left to fit in as most convenient. the first days out from england were spent in such hard and crowded work that we shook down very quickly. i then noticed for the first time wilson's great gift of tact, and how quick he was to see the small things which make so much difference. at the same time his passion for work set a high standard. pennell was another glutton. we dropped anchor in funchal harbour, madeira, about p.m. on june , eight days out. the ship had already been running under sail and steam, the decks were as clear as possible, there was some paintwork to show, and with a good harbour stow she looked thoroughly workmanlike and neat. some scientific work, in particular tow netting and magnetic observations, had already been done. but even as early as this we had spent hours on the pumps, and it was evident that these pumps were going to be a constant nightmare. in madeira, as everywhere, we were given freely of such things as we required. we left in the early morning of june , after pennell had done some hours' magnetic work with the lloyd creak and barrow dip circle. on june (noon position lat. ° ´ n., long. ° ´ w.) it was possible to write: "a fortnight out to-day, and from the general appearance of the wardroom we might have been out a year." we were to a great extent strangers to one another when we left england, but officers and crew settled down to their jobs quickly, and when men live as close as we did they settle down or quarrel before very long. let us walk into the cabins which surround the small wardroom aft. the first on the left is that of scott and lieutenant evans, but scott is not on board, and wilson has taken his place. in the next cabin to them is drake, the secretary. on the starboard side of the screw are oates, atkinson and levick, the two latter being doctors, and on the port side campbell and pennell, who is navigator. then rennick and bowers, the latter just home from the persian gulf--both of these are watchkeepers. in the next cabin are simpson, meteorologist, back from simla, with nelson and lillie, marine biologists. in the last cabin, the nursery, are the youngest, and necessarily the best behaved, of this community, wright, the physicist and chemist, gran the norwegian ski-expert, and myself, wilson's helper and assistant zoologist. it is difficult to put a man down as performing any special job where each did so many, but that is roughly what we were. certain men already began to stand out. wilson, with an apparently inexhaustible stock of knowledge on little things and big; always ready to give help, and always ready with sympathy and insight, a tremendous worker, and as unselfish as possible; a universal adviser. pennell, as happy as the day was long, working out sights, taking his watch on the bridge, or if not on watch full of energy aloft, trimming coal, or any other job that came along; withal spending hours a day on magnetic work, which he did as a hobby, and not in any way as his job. bowers was proving himself the best seaman on board, with an exact knowledge of the whereabouts and contents of every case, box and bale, and with a supreme contempt for heat or cold. simpson was obviously a first-class scientist, devoted to his work, in which wright gave him very great and unselfish help, while at the same time doing much of the ship's work. oates and atkinson generally worked together in a solid, dependable and somewhat humorous way. evans, who will always be called lieutenant evans in this book to distinguish him from seaman evans, was in charge of the ship, and did much to cement together the rough material into a nucleus which was capable of standing without any friction the strains of nearly three years of crowded, isolated and difficult life, ably seconded by victor campbell, first officer, commonly called the mate, in whose hands the routine and discipline of the ship was most efficiently maintained. i was very frightened of campbell. scott himself was unable to travel all the way out to new zealand in the terra nova owing to the business affairs of the expedition, but he joined the ship from simon's bay to melbourne. the voyage itself on the sailing track from madeira to the cape was at first uneventful. we soon got into hot weather, and at night every available bit of deck space was used on which to sleep. the more particular slung hammocks, but generally men used such deck space as they could find, such as the top of the icehouse, where they were free from the running tackle, and rolled themselves into their blankets. so long as we had a wind we ran under sail alone, and on those days men would bathe over the side in the morning, but when the engines were going we could get the hose in the morning, which was preferred, especially after a shark was seen making for bowers' red breast as he swam. the scene on deck in the early morning was always interesting. all hands were roused before six and turned on to the pumps, for the ship was leaking considerably. normally, the well showed about ten inches of water when the ship was dry. before pumping, the sinker would show anything over two feet. the ship was generally dry after an hour to an hour and a half's pumping, and by that time we had had quite enough of it. as soon as the officer of the watch had given the order, "vast pumping," the first thing to do was to strip, and the deck was dotted with men trying to get the maximum amount of water from the sea in a small bucket let down on a line from the moving ship. first efforts in this direction would have been amusing had it not been for the caustic eye of the 'mate' on the bridge. if the reader ever gets the chance to try the experiment, especially in a swell, he will soon find himself with neither bucket nor water. the poor mate was annoyed by the loss of his buckets. everybody was working very hard during these days; shifting coal, reefing and furling sail aloft, hauling on the ropes on deck, together with magnetic and meteorological observations, tow-netting, collecting and making skins and so forth. during the first weeks there was more cargo stowing and paintwork than at other times, otherwise the work ran in very much the same lines all the way out--a period of nearly five months. on july we were overhauled by the only ship we ever saw, so far as i can remember, during all that time, the inverclyde, a barque out from glasgow to buenos ayres. it was an oily, calm day with a sea like glass, and she looked, as wilson quoted, "like a painted ship upon a painted ocean," as she lay with all sail set. we picked up the n.e. trade two days later, being then north of the cape verde islands (lat. ° ´ n., long. ° ´ w. at noon). it was a sunday, and there was a general 'make and mend' throughout the ship, the first since we sailed. during the day we ran from deep clear blue water into a darkish and thick green sea. this remarkable change of colour, which was observed by the discovery expedition in much the same place, was supposed to be due to a large mass of pelagic fauna called plankton. the plankton, which drifts upon the surface of the sea, is distinct from the nekton, which swims submerged. the terra nova was fitted with tow nets with very fine meshes for collecting these inhabitants of the open sea, together with the algae, or minute plant organisms, which afford them an abundant food supply. the plankton nets can be lowered when the ship is running at full speed, and a great many such hauls were made during the expedition. july had an unpleasant surprise in store. at . a.m. the ship's bell rang and there was a sudden cry of "fire quarters." two minimax fire extinguishers finished the fire, which was in the lazarette, and was caused by a lighted lamp which was upset by the roll of the ship. the result was a good deal of smoke, a certain amount of water below, and some singed paper, but we realized that a fire on such an old wooden ship would be a very serious matter, and greater care was taken after this. such a voyage shows nature in her most attractive form, and always there was a man close by whose special knowledge was in the whales, porpoises, dolphins, fish, birds, parasites, plankton, radium and other things which we watched through microscopes or field-glasses. nelson caught a portuguese man-of-war (arethusa) as it sailed past us close under the counter. these animals are common, but few can realize how beautiful they are until they see them, fresh-coloured from the deep sea, floating and sailing in a big glass bowl. it vainly tried to sail out, and vigorously tried to sting all who touched it. wilson painted it. from first to last the study of life of all kinds was of absorbing interest to all on board, and, when we landed in the antarctic, as well as on the ship, everybody worked and was genuinely interested in all that lived and had its being on the fringe of that great sterile continent. not only did officers who had no direct interest in anything but their own particular work or scientific subject spend a large part of their time in helping, making notes and keeping observations, but the seamen also had a large share in the specimens and data of all descriptions which have been brought back. several of them became good pupils for skinning birds. meanwhile, perhaps the constant cries of "whale, whale!" or "new bird!" or "dolphins!" sometimes found the biologist concerned less eager to leave his meal than the observers were to call him forth. good opportunities of studying the life of sea birds, whales, dolphins and other forms of life in the sea, even those comparatively few forms which are visible from the surface, are not too common. a modern liner moves so quickly that it does not attract life to it in the same way as a slow-moving ship like the terra nova, and when specimens are seen they are gone almost as soon as they are observed. those who wish to study sea life--and there is much to be done in this field--should travel by tramp steamers, or, better still, sailing vessels. dolphins were constantly playing under the bows of the ship, giving a very good chance for identification, and whales were also frequently sighted, and would sometimes follow the ship, as did also hundreds of sea birds, petrels, shearwaters and albatross. it says much for the interest and keenness of the officers on board that a complete hourly log was kept from beginning to end of the numbers and species which were seen, generally with the most complete notes as to any peculiarity or habit which was noticed. it is to be hoped that full use will be made, by those in charge of the working out of these results, of these logs which were kept so thoroughly and sometimes under such difficult circumstances and conditions of weather and sea. though many helped, this log was largely the work of pennell, who was an untiring and exact observer. we lost the n.e. trade about july , and ran into the doldrums. on the whole we could not complain of the weather. we never had a gale or big sea until after leaving south trinidad, and though an old ship with no modern ventilation is bound to be stuffy in the tropics, we lived and slept on deck so long as it was not raining. if it rained at night, as it frequently does in this part of the world, a number of rolled-up forms could be heard discussing as to whether it was best to stick it above or face the heat below; and if the rain persisted, sleepy and somewhat snappy individuals were to be seen trying to force themselves and a maximum amount of damp bedding down the wardroom gangway. at the same time a thick wooden ship will keep fairly cool in the not severe heat through which we passed. one want which was unavoidable was the lack of fresh water. there was none to wash in, though a glass of water was allowed for shaving! with an unlimited amount of sea water this may not seem much of a hardship; nor is it unless you have very dirty work to do. but inasmuch as some of the officers were coaling almost daily, they found that any amount of cold sea water, even with a euphemistically named 'sea-water soap,' had no very great effect in removing the coal dust. the alternative was to make friends with the engine-room authorities and draw some water from the boilers. perhaps therefore it was not with purely disinterested motives that some of us undertook to do the stoking during the morning watch, and also later in the day during our passage through the tropics, since the engine-room staff was reduced by sickness. a very short time will convince anybody that the ease with which men accustomed to this work get through their watch is mainly due to custom and method. the ship had no forced draught nor modern ventilating apparatus. four hours in the boiling fiery furnace which the terra nova's stokehold formed in the tropics, unless there was a good wind to blow down the one canvas shaft, was a real test of staying power, and the actual shovelling of the coal into the furnaces, one after the other, was as child's play to handling the 'devil,' as the weighty instrument used for breaking up the clinker and shaping the fire was called. the boilers were cylindrical marine or return tube boilers, the furnaces being six feet long by three feet wide, slightly lower at the back than at the front. the fire on the bars was kept wedge-shape, that is, some nine inches high at the back, tapering to about six inches in front against the furnace doors. the furnaces were corrugated for strength. we were supposed to keep the pressure on the gauge between and , but it wanted some doing. for the most part it was done. we did, however, get uncomfortable days with the rain sluicing down and a high temperature--everything wet on deck and below. but it had its advantages in the fresh water it produced. every bucket was on duty, and the ship's company stripped naked and ran about the decks or sat in the stream between the laboratories and wardroom skylight and washed their very dirty clothes. the stream came through into our bunks, and no amount of caulking ever stopped it. to sleep with a constant drip of water falling upon you is a real trial. these hot, wet days were more trying to the nerves than the months of wet, rough but cooler weather to come, and it says much for the good spirit which prevailed that there was no friction, though we were crowded together like sardines in a tin. july was a typical day (lat. ° ´ n., long. ° ´ w.). a very hot, rainy night, followed by a squall which struck us while we were having breakfast, so we went up and set all sail, which took until about . a.m. we then sat in the water on the deck and washed clothes until just before mid-day, when the wind dropped, though the rain continued. so we went up and furled all sail, a tedious business when the sails are wet and heavy. then work on cargo or coal till p.m., supper, and glad to get to sleep. on july (lat. ° ´ n., long. ° ´ w.) we crossed the line with all pomp and ceremony. at . p.m. neptune in the person of seaman evans hailed and stopped the ship. he came on board with his motley company, who solemnly paced aft to the break of the poop, where he was met by lieutenant evans. his wife (browning), a doctor (paton), barber (cheetham), two policemen and four bears, of whom atkinson and oates were two, grouped themselves round him while the barrister (abbott) read an address to the captain, and then the procession moved round to the bath, a sail full of water slung in the break of the poop on the starboard side. nelson was the first victim. he was examined, then overhauled by the doctor, given a pill and a dose, and handed over to the barber, who lathered him with a black mixture consisting of soot, flour and water, was shaved by cheetham with a great wooden razor, and then the policemen tipped him backwards into the bath where the bears were waiting. as he was being pushed in he seized the barber and took him with him. wright, lillie, simpson and levick followed, with about six of the crew. finally gran, the norwegian, was caught as an extra--never having been across the line in a british ship. but he threw the pill-distributing doctor over his head into the bath, after which he was lathered very gingerly, and cheetham having been in once, refused to shave him at all, so they tipped him in and wished they had never caught him. the procession re-formed, and neptune presented certificates to those who had been initiated. the proceedings closed with a sing-song in the evening. these sing-songs were of very frequent occurrence. the expedition was very fond of singing, though there was hardly anybody in it who could sing. the usual custom at this time was that every one had to contribute a song in turn all round the table after supper. if he could not sing he had to compose a limerick. if he could not compose a limerick he had to contribute a fine towards the wine fund, which was to make some much-discussed purchases when we reached cape town. at other times we played the most childish games--there was one called 'the priest of the parish has lost his cap,' over which we laughed till we cried, and much money was added to the wine fund. as always happens, certain songs became conspicuous for a time. one of these i am sure that campbell, who was always at work and upon whom the routine of the ship depended, will never forget. i do not know who it was that started singing "everybody works but father, that poor old man," but campbell, who was the only father on board and whose hair was popularly supposed to be getting thin on the top of his head, may remember. we began to make preparations for a run ashore--a real adventure on an uninhabited and unknown island. the sailing track of ships from england round the cape of good hope lies out towards the coast of brazil, and not far from the mysterious island of south trinidad, miles east of brazil, in ° ´ s. and ° ´ w. this island is difficult of access, owing to its steep rocky coast and the big atlantic swell which seldom ceases. it has therefore been little visited, and as it is infested with land crabs the stay of the few parties which have been there has been short. but scientifically it is of interest, not only for the number of new species which may be obtained there, but also for the extraordinary attitude of wild sea birds towards human beings whom they have never learnt to fear. before we left england it had been decided to attempt a landing and spend a day there if we should pass sufficiently near to it. those who have visited it in the past include the astronomer halley, who occupied it, in . sir james ross, outward bound for the antarctic in , spent a day there, landing "in a small cove a short distance to the northward of the nine pin rock of halley, the surf on all other parts being too great to admit of it without hazarding the destruction of our boats." ross also writes that "horsburgh mentions ... 'that the island abounds with wild pig and goats; one of the latter was seen. with the view to add somewhat to the stock of useful creatures, a cock and two hens were put on shore; they seemed to enjoy the change, and, i have no doubt, in so unfrequented a situation, and so delightful a climate, will quickly increase in numbers.' i am afraid we did not find any of their descendants, nor those of the pig and goats."[ ] i doubt whether fowls would survive the land crabs very long. there are many wild birds on the island, however, which may feed the shipwrecked, and also a depôt left by the government for that purpose. another visitor was knight, who wrote a book called the cruise of the falcon, concerning his efforts to discover the treasure which is said to have been left there. scott also visited it in the discovery in , when a new petrel was found which was afterwards called 'oestrelata wilsoni,' after the same 'uncle bill' who was zoologist of both scott's expeditions. and so it came about that on the evening of july we furled sail and lay five miles from south trinidad with all our preparations made for a very thorough search of this island of treasure. everything was to be captured, alive or dead, animal, vegetable or mineral. at half-past five the next morning we were steaming slowly towards what looked like a quite impregnable face of rock, with bare cliffs standing straight out of the water, which, luckily for us, was comparatively smooth. as we coasted to try and find a landing-place the sun was rising behind the island, which reaches to a height of two thousand feet, and the jagged cliffs stood up finely against the rosy sky. [illustration: south trinidad--e. a. wilson, del.] we dropped our anchor to the south of the island and a boat's crew left to prospect for a landing-place, whilst wilson seized the opportunity to shoot some birds as specimens, including two species of frigate bird, and the seamen caught some of the multitudinous fish. we also fired shots at the sharks which soon thronged round the ship, and about which we were to think more before the day was done. the boat came back with the news that a possible landing-place had been found, and the landing parties got off about . . the landing was very bad--a ledge of rock weathered out of the cliff to our right formed, as it were, a staging along which it was possible to pass on to a steeply shelving talus slope in front of us. the sea being comparatively smooth, everybody was landed dry, with their guns and collecting gear. the best account of south trinidad is contained in a letter written by bowers to his mother, which is printed here. but some brief notes which i jotted down at the time may also be of interest, since they give an account of a different part of the island: "having made a small depôt of cartridges, together with a little fluffy tern and a tern's egg, which wilson found on the rocks, we climbed westward, round and up, to a point from which we could see into the east bay. this was our first stand, and we shot several white-breasted petrel (oestrelata trinitatis), and also black-breasted petrel (oestrelata arminjoniana). later on we got over the brow of a cliff where the petrel were nesting. we took two nests, on each of which a white-breasted and a black-breasted petrel were paired. wilson caught one in his hands and i caught another on its nest; it really did not know whether it ought to fly away or not. this gives rise to an interesting problem, since these two birds have been classified as different species, and it now looks as though they are the same. "the gannets and terns were quite extraordinary, like all the living things there. if you stay still enough the terns perch on your head. in any case they will not fly off the rocks till you are two or three feet away. several gannets were caught in the men's hands. all the fish which the biologist collected to-day can travel quite fast on land. when the discovery was here wilson saw a fish come out of the sea, seize a land crab about eighteen inches away and take it back into the water. "the land crabs were all over the place in thousands; it seems probable that their chief enemies are themselves. they are regular cannibals. "then we did a real long climb northwards, over rocks and tufty grass till . p.m. from the point we had reached we could see both sides of the island, and the little martin vas islands in the distance. "we found lots of little tern and terns' eggs, lying out on the bare rock with no nest at all. hooper also brought us two little gannets--all fluffy, but even at this age larger than a rook. as we got further up we began to come across the fossilized trees for which the island is well known. "four or five captain biscuits made an excellent lunch, and afterwards we started to the real top of the island, a hill rising to the west of us. it was covered with a high scrubby bush and rocks, and was quite thick; in fact there was more vegetation here than on all the rest we had seen, and in making our way through it we had to keep calling in order to keep touch with one another. "the tree ferns were numerous, but stunted. the gannets were sleeping on the tops of the bushes, and some of the crabs had climbed up the bushes and were sunning themselves on the top. these crabs were round us in thousands--i counted seven watching me out of one crack between two rocks. "we sat down under the lee of the summit, and thought it would not be bad to be thrown away on a desert island, little thinking how near we were to being stranded, for a time at any rate. "the crabs gathered round us in a circle, with their eyes turning towards us--as if they were waiting for us to die to come and eat us. one big fellow left his place in the circle and waddled up to my feet and examined my boots. first with one claw and then with the other he took a taste of my boot. he went away obviously disgusted: one could almost see him shake his head. "we collected, as well as our birds and eggs, some spiders, very large grasshoppers, wood-lice, cockchafers, with big and small centipedes. in fact, the place teemed with insect life. i should add that their names are given rather from the general appearance of the animals than from their true scientific classes. "we had a big and fast scramble down, and about half way, when we could watch the sea breaking on the rocks far below, we saw that there was a bigger swell running. it was getting late, and we made our way down as fast as we could--denting our guns as we slipped on the rocks. "the lower we got the bigger the sea which had risen in our absence appeared to be. no doubt it was the swell of a big disturbance far away, and when we reached the débris slope where we had landed, flanked by big cliffs, we found everybody gathered there and the boats lying off--it being quite impossible for them to get near the shore. "they had just got a life-line ashore on a buoy. bowers went out on to the rocks and secured it. we put our guns and specimens into a pile, out of reach, as we thought, of any possible sea. but just afterwards two very large waves took us--we were hauling in the rope, and must have been a good thirty feet above the base of the wave. it hit us hard and knocked us all over the place, and wetted the guns and specimens above us through and through. "we then stowed all gear and specimens well out of the reach of the seas, and then went out through the surf one by one, passing ourselves out on the line. it was ticklish work, but hooper was the only one who really had a bad time. he did not get far enough out among the rocks which fringed the steep slope from which he started as a wave began to roll back. the next wave caught him and crashed him back, and he let go of the line. he was under quite a long time, and as the waves washed back all that we could do was to try and get the line to him. luckily he succeeded in finding the slack of the line and got out. "when we first got down to the shore and things were looking nasty, wilson sat down on the top of a rock and ate a biscuit in the coolest possible manner. it was an example to avoid all panicking, for he did not want the biscuit. "he remarked afterwards to me, apropos to hooper, that it was a curious thing that a number of men, knowing that there was nothing they could do, could quietly watch a man fighting for his life, and he did not think that any but the british temperament could do so. i also found out later that he and i had both had a touch of cramp while waiting for our turn to swim out through the surf." the following is bowers' letter: "_sunday, st july._ "the past week has been so crowded with incident, really, that i don't know where to start. getting to land made me long for the mails from you, which are such a feature of getting to port. however, the strange uninhabited island which we visited will have to make up for my disappointment till we get to capetown--or rather simon's town. campbell and i sighted s. trinidad from the fore yardarm on th, and on th, at first thing in the morning, we crept up to an anchorage in a sea of glass. the s.e. trades, making a considerable sea, were beating on the eastern sides, while the western was like a mill-pond. the great rocks and hills to over feet towered above us as we went in very close in order to get our anchor down, as the water is very deep to quite a short distance from the shore. west bay was our selection, and so clear was the water that we could see the anchor at the bottom in fathoms. a number of sharks and other fish appeared at once and several birds. evans wanted to explore, so oates, rennick, atkinson and myself went away with him--pulling the boat. we examined the various landings and found them all rocky and dangerous. there was a slight surf although the sea looked like a mill-pond. we finally decided on a previously unused place, which was a little inlet among the rocks. "there was nothing but rock, but there was a little nook where we decided to try and land. we returned to breakfast and found that wilson and cherry-garrard had shot several frigate and other birds from the ship, the little norwegian boat--called a pram--being used to pick them up. by way of explanation i may say that wilson is a specialist in birds and is making a collection for the british museum. "we all landed as soon as possible. wilson and garrard with their guns for birds: oates with the dogs, and atkinson with a small rifle: lillie after plants and geological specimens: nelson and simpson along the shore after sea beasts, etc.: and last but not least came the entomological party, under yours truly, with wright and, later, evans, as assistants. pennell joined up with wilson, so altogether we were ready to 'do' the island. i have taken over the collection of insects for the expedition, as the other scientists all have so much to do that they were only too glad to shove the small beasts on me. atkinson is a specialist in parasites: it is called 'helminthology.' i never heard that name before. he turns out the interior of every beast that is killed, and being also a surgeon, i suppose the subject must be interesting. white terns abounded on the island. they were ghost-like and so tame that they would sit on one's hat. they laid their eggs on pinnacles of rock without a vestige of nest, and singly. they looked just like stones. i suppose this was a protection from the land-crabs, about which you will have heard. the land-crabs of trinidad are a byword and they certainly deserve the name, as they abound from sea-level to the top of the island. the higher up the bigger they were. the surface of the hills and valleys was covered with loose boulders, and the whole island being of volcanic origin, coarse grass is everywhere, and at about feet is an area of tree ferns and subtropical vegetation, extending up to nearly the highest parts. the withered trees of a former forest are everywhere and their existence unexplained, though lillie had many ingenious theories. the island has been in our hands, the germans', and is now brazilian. nobody has been able to settle there permanently, owing to the land-crabs. these also exclude mammal life. captain kidd made a treasure depôt there, and some five years ago a chap named knight lived on the island for six months with a party of newcastle miners--trying to get at it. he had the place all right, but a huge landslide has covered up three-quarters of a million of the pirate's gold. the land-crabs are little short of a nightmare. they peep out at you from every nook and boulder. their dead staring eyes follow your every step as if to say, 'if only you will drop down we will do the rest.' to lie down and sleep on any part of the island would be suicidal. of course, knight had a specially cleared place with all sorts of precautions, otherwise he would never have survived these beasts, which even tried to nibble your boots as you stood--staring hard at you the whole time. one feature that would soon send a lonely man off his chump is that no matter how many are in sight they are all looking at you, and they follow step by step with a sickly deliberation. they are all yellow and pink, and next to spiders seem the most loathsome creatures on god's earth. talking about spiders [bowers always had the greatest horror of spiders]--i have to collect them as well as insects. needless to say i caught them with a butterfly net, and never touched one. only five species were known before, and i found fifteen or more--at any rate i have fifteen for certain. others helped me to catch them, of course. another interesting item to science is the fact that i caught a moth hitherto unknown to exist on the island, also various flies, ants, etc. altogether it was a most successful day. wilson got dozens of birds, and lillie plants, etc. on our return to the landing-place we found to our horror that a southerly swell was rolling in, and great breakers were bursting on the beach. about five p.m. we all collected and looked at the whaler and pram on one side of the rollers and ourselves on the other. first it was impossible to take off the guns and specimens, so we made them all up to leave for the morrow. second, a sick man had come ashore for exercise, and he could not be got off: finally, atkinson stayed ashore with him. the breakers made the most awe-inspiring cauldron in our little nook, and it meant a tough swim for all of us. three of us swam out first and took a line to the pram, and finally we got a good rope from the whaler, which had anchored well out, to the shore. i then manoeuvred the pram, and everybody plunged into the surf and hauled himself out with the rope. all well, but minus our belongings, and got back to the ship; very wet and ravenous was a mild way to put it. during my to watch that night the surf roared like thunder, and the ship herself was rolling like anything, and looked horribly close to the shore. of course she was quite safe really. it transpired that atkinson and the seaman had a horrible night with salt water soaked food, and the crabs and white terns which sat and watched them all night, squawking in chorus whenever they moved. it must have been horrible, though i would like to have stayed, and had i known anybody was staying would have volunteered. this with the noise of the surf and the cold made it pretty rotten for them. in the morning, evans, rennick, oates and i, with two seamen and gran, took the whaler and pram in to rescue the maroons. at first we thought we would do it by a rocket line to the end of the sheer cliff. the impossibility of such an idea was at once evident, so gran and i went in close in the pram, and hove them lines to get off the gear first. i found the spoon-shaped pram a wonderful boat to handle. you could go in to the very edge of the breaking surf, lifted like a cork on top of the waves, and as long as you kept head to sea and kept your own head, you need never have got on the rocks, as the tremendous back-swish took you out like a shot every time. it was quite exciting, however, as we would slip in close in a lull, and the chaps in the whaler would yell, 'look out!' if a big wave passed them, in which case you would pull out for dear life. our first lines carried away, and then, with others, rennick and i this time took the pram while atkinson got as near the edge as safe to throw us the gear. i was pulling, and by watching our chances we rescued the cameras and glasses, once being carried over feet above the rocks and only escaping by the back-swish. then the luckiest incident of the day occurred, when in a lull we got our sick man down, and i jumped out, and he in, as i steadied the boat's stern. the next minute the boat flew out on the back-wash with the seaman absolutely dry, and i was of course enveloped in foam and blackness two seconds later by a following wave. twice the day before this had happened, but this time for a moment i thought, 'where will my head strike?' as i was like a feather in a breeze in that swirl. when i banked it was about feet above, and, very scratched and winded, i clung on with my nails and scrambled up higher. the next wave, a bigger one, nearly had me, but i was just too high to be sucked back. atkinson and i then started getting the gear down, evans having taken my place in the pram. by running down between waves we hove some items into the boat, including the guns and rifles, which i went right down to throw. these were caught and put into the boat, but evans was too keen to save a bunch of boots that atkinson threw down, and the next minute the pram passed over my head and landed high and dry, like a bridge, over the rocks between which i was wedged. i then scrambled out as the next wave washed her still higher, right over and over, with evans and rennick just out in time. the next wave--a huge one--picked her up, and out she bumped over the rocks and out to sea she went, water-logged, with the guns, fortunately, jammed under the thwarts. she was rescued by the whaler, baled out, and then gran and one of the seamen manned her battered remains again, and we, unable to save the gear otherwise, lashed it to life-buoys, threw it into the sea and let it drift out with the back-wash to be picked up by the pram. "clothes, watches and ancient guns, rifles, ammunition, birds (dead) and all specimens were, with the basket of crockery and food, soaked with salt water. however, the choice was between that or leaving them altogether, as anybody would have said had they seen the huge rollers breaking among the rocks and washing to feet up with the spray; in fact, we were often knocked over and submerged for a time, clinging hard to some rock or one of the ropes for dear life. evans swam off first. then i was about half an hour trying to rescue a hawser and some lines entangled among the rocks. it was an amusing job. i would wait for a lull, run down and haul away, staying under for smaller waves and running up the rocks like a hare when the warning came from the boat that a series of big ones were coming in. i finally rescued most of it--had to cut off some and got it to the place opposite the boat, and with rennick secured it and sent it out to sea to be picked up. my pair of brown tennis shoes (old ones) had been washed off my feet in one of the scrambles, so i was wearing a pair of sea-boots--nelson's, i found--which, fortunately for him, was one of the few pairs saved. the pram came in, and waiting for a back-wash rennick swam off. i ran down after the following wave, and securing my green hat, which by the bye is a most useful asset, struck out through the boiling, and grabbed the pram safely as we were lifted on the crest of an immense roller. however, we were just beyond its breaking-point, so all was well, and we arrived aboard after eight hours' wash and wetness, and none the worse, except for a few scratches, and yours truly in high spirits. we stayed there that night, and the following, thursday, morning left. winds are not too favourable so far, as we dropped the s.e. trades almost immediately, and these are the variables between the trades and the westerlies. still miles off our destination. evans has therefore decided to steer straight for simon's town and miss out the other islands. it is a pity, but as it is winter down here, and the worst month of the year for storms at tristan da cunha, it is perhaps just as well. i am longing to get to the cape to have your letters and hear all about you. except for the absence of news, life aboard is much to be desired. i simply love it, and enjoy every day of my existence here. time flies like anything, and though it must have been long to you, to us it goes like the wind--so different to that fortnight on the passage home from india."[ ] after the return of the boat's crew we left south trinidad, and the zoologists had a busy time trying to save as many as possible of the bird skins which had been procured. they skinned on all through the following night, and, considering that the birds had been lying out in the tropics for twenty-four hours soaked with sea-water and had been finally capsized in the overturned boat, the result was not so disappointing as was expected. but the eggs and many other articles were lost. since the black-breasted and white-breasted petrels were seen flying and nesting paired together, it is reasonable to suppose that their former classification as two separate species will have to be revised. soon after leaving south trinidad we picked up our first big long swell, logged at , and began to learn that the terra nova can roll as few ships can. this was followed by a stiff gale on our port beam, and we took over our first green seas. bowers wrote home as follows: _august th, sunday._ "all chances of going to tristan are over, and we are at last booming along with strong westerlies with the enormous southern rollers lifting us like a cork on their crests. we have had a stiff gale and a very high sea, which is now over, though it is still blowing a moderate gale, and the usual crowd of albatross, mollymawks, cape hens, cape pigeons, etc., are following us. these will be our companions down to the south. wilson's idea is that, as the prevailing winds round the forties are westerlies, these birds simply fly round and round the world--via cape horn, new zealand and the cape of good hope. we have had a really good opportunity now of testing the ship's behaviour, having been becalmed with a huge beam swell rolling ° each way, and having stood out a heavy gale with a high sea. in both she has turned up trumps, and really i think a better little sea boat never floated. compared to the loch torridon--which was always awash in bad weather--we are as dry as a cork, and never once shipped a really heavy sea. of course a wooden ship has some buoyancy of herself, and we are no exception. we are certainly an exception for general seaworthiness--if not for speed--and a safer, sounder ship there could not be. the weather is now cool too--cold, some people call it. i am still comfortable in cotton shirts and whites, while some are wearing shetland gear. nearly everybody is provided with shetland things. i am glad you have marked mine, as they are all so much alike. i am certainly as well provided with private gear as anybody, and far better than most, so, being as well a generator of heat in myself, i should be o.k. in any temperature. by the bye evans and wilson are very keen on my being in the western party, while campbell wants me with him in the eastern party. i have not asked to go ashore, but am keen on anything and am ready to do anything. in fact there is so much going on that i feel i should like to be in all three places at once--east, west and ship." footnotes: [ ] ross, _voyage to the southern seas_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] bowers' letter. chapter ii making our easting down "ten minutes to four, sir!" it is an oilskinned and dripping seaman, and the officer of the watch, or his so-called snotty, as the case may be, wakes sufficiently to ask: "what's it like?" "two hoops, sir!" answers the seaman, and makes his way out. the sleepy man who has been wakened wedges himself more securely into his six foot by two--which is all his private room on the ship--and collects his thoughts, amid the general hubbub of engines, screw and the roll of articles which have worked loose, to consider how he will best prevent being hurled out of his bunk in climbing down, and just where he left his oilskins and sea-boots. if, as is possible, he sleeps in the nursery, his task may not be so simple as it may seem, for this cabin, which proclaims on one of the beams that it is designed to accommodate four seamen, will house six scientists or pseudo-scientists, in addition to a pianola. since these scientists are the youngest in the expedition their cabin is named the nursery. incidentally it forms also the gangway from the wardroom to the engine-room, from which it is divided only by a wooden door, which has a bad habit of swinging open and shutting with the roll of the ship and the weight of the oilskins hung upon it, and as it does so, wave upon wave, the clatter of the engines advances and recedes. if, however, it is the officer of the watch he will be in a smaller cabin farther aft which he shares with one other man only, and his troubles are simplified. owing to the fact that the seams in the deck above have travelled many voyages, and have been strained in addition by the boat davits and deck-houses built on the poop, a good deal of water from this part of the deck, which is always awash in bad weather, finds its way below, that is into the upper bunks of our cabins. in order that only a minimum of this may find its way into our blankets a series of shoots, invented and carefully tended by the occupants of these bunks, are arranged to catch this water as it falls and carry it over our heads on to the deck of the cabin. thus it is that when this sleepy officer or scientist clambers down on to the deck he will, if he is lucky, find the water there, instead of leaving it in his bunk. he searches round for his sea-boots, gets into his oilskins, curses if the strings of his sou'wester break as he tries to tie them extra firmly round his neck, and pushes along to the open door into the wardroom. it is still quite dark, for the sun does not rise for another hour and a half, but the diminished light from the swinging oil-lamp which hangs there shows him a desolate early morning scene which he comes to hate--especially if he is inclined to be sick. as likely as not more than one sea has partially found its way down during the night, and a small stream runs over the floor each time the ship rolls. the white oilcloth has slipped off the table, and various oddments, dirty cocoa cups, ash-trays, and other litter from the night are rolling about too. the tin cups and plates and crockery in the pantry forrard of the wardroom come together with a sickening crash. the screw keeps up a ceaseless chonk-chonk-chonk (pause), chonk-chonk-chonk (pause), chonk-chonk-chonk. watching his opportunity he slides down across the wet linoleum to the starboard side, whence the gangway runs up to the chart-house and so out on to the deck. having glanced at the barograph slung up in the chart-room, and using all his strength to force the door out enough to squeeze through, he scrambles out into blackness. the wind is howling through the rigging, the decks are awash. it is hard to say whether it is raining, for the spray cut off by the wind makes rain a somewhat insignificant event. as he makes his way up on to the bridge, not a very lofty climb, he looks to see what sail is set, and judges so far as he can the force of the wind. campbell, for he is the officer of the morning watch ( a.m.- a.m.) has a talk with the officer he is relieving, bowers. he is given the course, the last hour's reading on the cherub patent log trailing out over the stern, and the experiences of the middle watch of the wind, whether rising or falling or squalling, and its effect on the sails and the ship. "if you keep her on her present course, she's all right, but if you try and bring her up any more she begins to shake. and, by the way, penelope wants to be called at . ." bowers' 'snotty,' who is oates, probably makes some ribald remarks, such as no midshipman should to a full lieutenant, and they both disappear below. campbell's snotty, myself, appears about five minutes afterwards trying to look as though some important duty and not bed had kept him from making an earlier appearance. meanwhile the leading hand musters the watch on deck and reports them all present. "how about that cocoa?" says campbell. cocoa is a useful thing in the morning watch, and gran, who used to be campbell's snotty, and whose english was not then perfect, said he was glad of a change because he "did not like being turned into a drumstick" (he meant a domestic). so cocoa is the word and the snotty starts on an adventurous voyage over the deck to the galley which is forrard; if he is unlucky he gets a sea over him on the way. here he finds the hands of the watch, smoking and keeping warm, and he forages round for some hot water, which he gets safely back to the pantry down in the wardroom. here he mixes the cocoa and collects sufficient clean mugs (if he can find them), spoons, sugar and biscuits to go round. these he carefully "chocks off" while he goes and calls wilson and gives him his share--for wilson gets up at . every morning to sketch the sunrise, work at his scientific paintings and watch the sea-birds flying round the ship. then back to the bridge, and woe betide him if he falls on the way, for then it all has to be done over again. pennell, who sleeps under the chart table on the bridge, is also fed and inquires anxiously whether there are any stars showing. if there are he is up immediately to get an observation, and then retires below to work it out and to tabulate the endless masses of figures which go to make up the results of his magnetic observations--dip, horizontal force and total force of the magnetic needle. a squall strikes the ship. two blasts of the whistle fetches the watch out, and "stand by topsail halyards," "in inner jib," sends one hand to one halyard, the midshipman of the watch to the other, and the rest on to foc'stle and to the jib downhaul. down comes the jib and the man standing by the fore topsail halyard, which is on the weather side of the galley, is drenched by the crests of two big seas which come over the rail. but he has little time to worry about things like this, for the wind is increasing and "let go topsail halyards" comes through the megaphone from the bridge, and he wants all his wits to let go the halyard from the belaying-pins and jump clear of the rope tearing through the block as the topsail yard comes sliding down the mast. "clew up" is the next order, and then "all hands furl fore and main upper topsails," and up we go out on to the yard. luckily the dawn is just turning the sea grey and the ratlines begin to show up in relief. it is far harder for the first and middle watches, who have to go aloft in complete darkness. once on the yard you are flattened against it by the wind. the order to take in sail always fetches pennell out of his chart-house to come and take a hand. the two sodden sails safely furled--luckily they are small ones--the men reach the deck to find that the wind has shifted a little farther aft and they are to brace round. this finished, it is broad daylight, and the men set to work to coil up preparatory to washing decks--not that this would seem very necessary. certainly there is no hose wanted this morning, and a general kind of tidying up and coiling down ropes is more what is done. the two stewards, hooper, who is to land with the main party, and neale, who will remain with the ship's party, turn out at six and rouse the afterguard for the pumps, a daily evolution, and soon an unholy din may be heard coming up from the wardroom. "rouse and shine, rouse and shine: show a leg, show a leg" (a relic of the old days when seamen took their wives to sea). "come on, mr. nelson, it's seven o'clock. all hands on the pumps!" from first to last these pumps were a source of much exercise and hearty curses. a wooden ship always leaks a little, but the amount of water taken in by the terra nova even in calm weather was extraordinary, and could not be traced until the ship was dry-docked in lyttelton, new zealand, and the forepart was flooded. in the meantime the ship had to be kept as dry as possible, a process which was not facilitated by forty gallons of oil which got loose during the rough weather after leaving south trinidad, and found its way into the bilges. as we found later, some never-to-be-sufficiently-cursed stevedore had left one of the bottom boards only half-fitted into its neighbours. in consequence the coal dust and small pieces of coal, which was stowed in this hold, found their way into the bilges. forty gallons of oil completed the havoc and the pumps would gradually get more and more blocked until it was necessary to send for davies, the carpenter, to take parts of them to pieces and clear out the oily coal balls which had stopped them. this pumping would sometimes take till nearly eight, and then would always have to be repeated again in the evening, and sometimes every watch had to take a turn. at any rate it was good for our muscles. the pumps were placed amidships, just abaft the main mast, and ran down a shaft adjoining the after hatch, which led into the holds which were generally used for coal and patent fuel. the spout of the pump opened about a foot above the deck, and the plungers were worked by means of two horizontal handles, much as a bucket is wound up on the drum of a cottage well. unfortunately, this part of the main deck, which is just forward of the break of the poop, is more subject to seas breaking inboard than any other part of the ship, so when the ship was labouring the task of those on the pump was not an enviable one. during the big gale going south the water was up to the men's waists as they tried to turn the handles, and the pumps themselves were feet under water. from england to cape town these small handles were a great inconvenience. there was very much pumping to be done and there were plenty of men to do it, but the handles were not long enough to allow more than four men to each handle. also they gave no secure purchase when the ship was rolling heavily, and when a big roll came there was nothing to do but practically stop pumping and hold on, or you found yourself in the scuppers. at cape town a great improvement was made by extending the crank handles right across the decks, the outside end turning in a socket under the rail. fourteen men could then get a good purchase on the handles and pumping became a more pleasant exercise and less of a nuisance. periodically the well was sounded by an iron rod being lowered on the end of a rope, by which the part that came up wet showed the depth of water left in the bilge. when this had been reduced to about a foot in the well, the ship was practically dry, and the afterguard free to bathe and go to breakfast. meanwhile the hands of the watch had been employed on ropes and sails as the wind made necessary, and, when running under steam as well as sail, hoisting ashes up the two shoots from the ash-pits of the furnaces to the deck, whence they went into the ditch. it is eight bells ( o'clock) and the two stewards are hurrying along the decks, hoping to get the breakfast safely from galley to wardroom. a few naked officers are pouring sea-water over their heads on deck, for we are under sail alone and there is no steam to work the hose. the watch keepers and their snotties of the night before are tumbling out of their bunks, and a great noise of conversation is coming from the wardroom, among which some such remarks as: "give the jam a wind, marie"; "after you with the coffee"; "push along the butter" are frequent. there are few cobwebs that have not been blown away by breakfast-time. rennick is busy breakfasting preparatory to relieving campbell on the bridge. meanwhile, the hourly and four-hourly ship's log is being made up--force of the wind, state of the sea, height of the barometer, and all the details which a log has to carry--including a reading of the distance run as shown by the patent log line--(many is the time i have forgotten to take it just at the hour and have put down what i thought it ought to be, and not what it was). the morning watch is finished. suddenly there is a yell from somewhere amidships--"steady"--a stranger might have thought there was something wrong, but it is a familiar sound, answered by a "steady it is, sir," from the man at the wheel, and an anything but respectful, "one--two--three--steady," from everybody having breakfast. it is pennell who has caused this uproar. and the origin is as follows: pennell is the navigator, and the standard compass, owing to its remoteness from iron in this position, is placed on the top of the ice-house. the steersman, however, steers by a binnacle compass placed aft in front of his wheel. but these two compasses for various reasons do not read alike at a given moment, while the standard is the truer of the two. at intervals, then, pennell or the officer of the watch orders the steersman to "stand by for a steady," and goes up to the standard compass, and watches the needle. suppose the course laid down is s. e. a liner would steer almost true to this course unless there was a big wind or sea. but not so the old terra nova. even with a good steersman the needle swings a good many degrees either side of the s. e. but as it steadies momentarily on the exact course pennell shouts his "steady," the steersman reads just where the needle is pointing on the compass card before him, say s. e., and knows that this is the course which is to be steered by the binnacle compass. pennell's yells were so frequent and ear-piercing that he became famous for them, and many times in working on the ropes in rough seas and big winds, we have been cheered by this unmusical noise over our heads. we left simon's bay on friday, september , 'to make our easting down' from the cape of good hope to new zealand, that famous passage in the roaring forties which can give so much discomfort or worse to sailing ships on their way. south africa had been hospitable. the admiral commanding the station, the naval dockyard, and h.m.s. mutine and h.m.s. pandora, had been more than kind. they had done many repairs and fittings for us and had sent fatigue parties to do it, thus releasing men for a certain amount of freedom on shore, which was appreciated after some nine weeks at sea. i can remember my first long bath now. scott, who was up country when we arrived, joined the ship here, and wilson travelled ahead of us to melbourne to carry out some expedition work, chiefly dealing with the australian members who were to join us in new zealand. one or two of us went out to wynberg, which oates knew well, having been invalided there in the south african war with a broken leg, the result of a fight against big odds when, his whole party wounded, he refused to surrender. he told me later how he had thought he would bleed to death, and the man who lay next to him was convinced he had a bullet in the middle of his brain--he could feel it wobbling about there! just now his recollections only went so far as to tell of a badly wounded boer who lay in the next bed to him when he was convalescent, and how the boer insisted on getting up to open the door for him every time he left the ward, much to his own discomfort. otherwise the recollections which survive of south africa are an excellent speech made on the expedition by john xavier merriman, and the remark of a seaman who came out to dinner concerning one john, the waiter, that "he moved about as quick as a piece of sticking-plaster!" leaving simon's town at daybreak we did magnetic work all day, sailing out from false bay with a biggish swell in the evening. we ran southerly in good weather until sunday morning, when the swell was logged at and the glass was falling fast. by the middle watch it was blowing a full gale and for some thirty hours we ran under reefed foresail, lower topsails and occasionally reefed upper topsails, and many of us were sick. then after two days of comparative calm we had a most extraordinary gale from the east, a thing almost unheard of in these latitudes ( ° s. to ° s.). all that we could do was to put the engines at dead slow and sail northerly as close to the wind as possible. friday night, september , it blew force in the night, and the morning watch was very lively with the lee rail under water. directly after breakfast on saturday, september , we wore ship, and directly afterwards the gale broke and it was raining, with little wind, during the day. the morning watch had a merry time on tuesday, september , when a fresh gale struck them while they were squaring yards. so unexpected was it that the main yards were squared and the fore were still round, but it did not last long and was followed by two splendid days--fine weather with sun, a good fair wind and the swell astern. [illustration: the roaring forties--e. a. wilson, del.] the big swell which so often prevails in these latitudes is a most inspiring sight, and must be seen from a comparatively small ship like the terra nova for its magnitude to be truly appreciated. as the ship rose on the crest of one great hill of water the next big ridge was nearly a mile away, with a sloping valley between. at times these seas are rounded in giant slopes as smooth as glass; at others they curl over, leaving a milk-white foam, and their slopes are marbled with a beautiful spumy tracery. very wonderful are these mottled waves: with a following sea, at one moment it seems impossible that the great mountain which is overtaking the ship will not overwhelm her, at another it appears inevitable that the ship will fall into the space over which she seems to be suspended and crash into the gulf which lies below. but the seas are so long that they are neither dangerous nor uncomfortable--though the terra nova rolled to an extraordinary extent, quite constantly over ° each way, and sometimes °. the cooks, however, had a bad time trying to cook for some fifty hands in the little galley on the open deck. poor archer's efforts to make bread sometimes ended in the scuppers, and the occasional jangle of the ship's bell gave rise to the saying that "a moderate roll rings the bell, and a big roll brings out the cook." noon on sunday, september , found us in latitude ° ´ s. and longitude ° ´ e., after a very good run, for the terra nova, of miles in the last twenty-four hours. this made us about two days' run from st. paul, an uninhabited island formed by the remains of an old volcano, the crater of which, surrounded as it were by a horse-shoe of land, forms an almost landlocked harbour. it was hoped to make a landing here for scientific work, but it is a difficult harbour to make. we ran another two hundred miles on monday, and on tuesday all preparations were made for the landing, with suitable equipment, and we were not a little excited at the opportunity. at . a.m. the next morning all hands were turned out to take in sail preparatory to rounding st. paul which was just visible. the weather was squally, but not bad. by a.m., however, it was blowing a moderate gale, and by the time we had taken in all sail we had to give up hopes of a landing. we were thoroughly sick of sails by the time we finally reefed the foresail and ran before the wind under this and lower topsails. we passed quite close to the island and could see into the crater, and the cliffs beyond which rose from it, covered with greenish grass. there were no trees, and of birds we only saw those which frequent these seas. we had hoped to find penguins and albatross nesting on the island at this time of the year, and this failure to land was most disappointing. the island is feet high, and, for its size, precipitous. it extends some two miles in length and one mile in breadth. the following day all the afterguard were turned on to shift coal. it should be explained that up to this time the bunkers, which lay one on the port and the other on the starboard side of the furnaces, had been entirely filled as required by two or more officers who volunteered from day to day. we took on board tons of crown patent fuel at cardiff in june . this coal is in the form of bricks, and is most handy since it can be thrown by hand from the holds through the bunker doors in the boiler-room bulkhead which after a time was left higher than the sinking level of the coal. the coal to be landed was this patent fuel, and it was now decided to shift farther aft all the patent fuel which was left, and stack it against the boiler-room bulkhead, the coal which was originally there having been fed to the furnaces. thus the dust which was finding its way through the floorboards, and choking the pumps, could be swept up, and a good stow could be made preparatory to the final fit-out in new zealand, while the coal which was to be taken on board at lyttelton could be loaded through the main hatch. in the meantime the gale which had sprung up six days before and prevented us landing had died down. after leaving st. paul we had let the fires out and run under sail alone, and the following two days we ran and miles respectively, being practically becalmed at times on the following day, and only running miles. by tuesday night, september , we had finished the coaling, and we celebrated the occasion by a champagne dinner. at the same time we raised steam. scott was anxious to push on, and so indeed was everybody else. but the wind was not disposed to help us, and headed us a good deal during the next few days, and it was not until october that we were able to set all plain sail in the morning watch. this absence of westerly winds in a region in which they are usually too strong for comfort was explained by pennell by a theory that we were travelling in an anticyclone, which itself was travelling in front of a cyclone behind us. we were probably moving under steam about the same pace as the disturbance, which would average some miles a day. from this may be explained many of the reports of continual bad weather met by sailing ships and steamers in these latitudes. if we had been a sailing ship without auxiliary steam the cyclone would have caught us up, and we should have been travelling with it, and consequently in continual bad weather. on the other hand, a steamer pure and simple would have steamed through good and bad alike. but we, with our auxiliary steam, only made much the same headway as the disturbance travelling in our wake, and so remained in the anticyclone. physical observations were made on the outward voyage by simpson and wright[ ] into the atmospheric electricity over the ocean, one set of which consisted of an inquiry into the potential gradient, and observations were undertaken at melbourne for the determination of the absolute value of the potential gradient over the sea.[ ] numerous observations were also made on the radium content of the atmosphere over the ocean, to be compared afterwards with observations in the antarctic air. the variations in radium content were not large. results were also obtained on the voyage of the terra nova to new zealand upon the subject of natural ionization in closed vessels. in addition to the work of the ship and the physical work above mentioned, work in vertebrate zoology, marine biology and magnetism, together with four-hourly observations of the salinity and temperature of the sea, was carried out during the whole voyage. in vertebrate zoology wilson kept an accurate record of birds, and he and lillie another record of whales and dolphins. all the birds which could be caught, both at sea and on south trinidad island, were skinned and made up into museum specimens. they were also examined for external and internal parasites by wilson, atkinson and myself, as were also such fish and other animals as could be caught, including flying fish, a shark, and last but not least, whales in new zealand. the method of catching these birds may be worth describing. a bent nail was tied to a line, the other end of which was made fast to the halyards over the stern. sufficient length of line was allowed either to cause the nail to just trail in the sea in the wake of the ship or for the line to just clear the sea. thus when the halyard was hoisted to some thirty or forty feet above the deck, the line would be covering a considerable distance of sea. the birds flying round the ship congregate for the main part in the wake, for here they find the scraps thrown overboard on which they feed. i have seen six albatross all together trying to eat up an empty treacle tin. as they fly to and fro their wings are liable to touch the line which is spread out over the sea. sometimes they will hit the line with the tips of their wings, and then there is no resulting capture, but sooner or later a bird will touch the line with the part of the wing above the elbow-joint (humerus). it seems that on feeling the contact the bird suddenly wheels in the air, thereby causing a loop in the line which tightens round the bone. at any rate the next thing that happens is that the bird is struggling on the line and may be hauled on board. the difficulty is to get a line which is light enough to fly in the air, but yet strong enough to hold the large birds, such as albatross, without breaking. we tried fishing line with no success, but eventually managed to buy some -ply extra strong cobbler's thread, which is excellent for the purpose. but we wanted not only specimens, but also observations of the species, the numbers which appeared, and their habits, for little is known as yet of these sea birds. and so we enlisted the help of all who were interested, and it may be said that all the officers and many of the seamen had a hand in producing the log of sea birds, to which additions were made almost hourly throughout the daylight hours. most officers and men knew the more common sea birds in the open ocean, and certainly of those in the pack and fringes of the antarctic continent, which, with rare exceptions, is the southern limit of bird life. a number of observations of whales, illustrated by wilson, were made, but the results so far as the seas from england to the cape and new zealand are concerned, are not of great importance, partly because close views were seldom obtained, and partly because the whales inhabiting these seas are fairly well known. on october , , in latitude ° ´ s. and longitude ° ´ e., two adults of balaenoptera borealis (northern rorqual) were following the ship close under the counter, length feet, with a light-coloured calf some - feet long swimming with them. it was established by this and by a later observation in new zealand, when lillie helped to cut up a similar whale at the norwegian whaling station at the bay of islands, that this rorqual which frequents the sub-antarctic seas is identical with our northern rorqual;[ ] but this was the only close observation of any whales obtained before we left new zealand. general information with regard to such animals is useful, however, as showing the relative abundance of plankton on which the whales feed in the ocean. there are, for instance, more whales in the antarctic than in warmer seas; and some whales at any rate (e.g. humpback whales) probably come north into warmer waters in the winter rather for breeding purposes than to get food.[ ] with regard to dolphins four species were observed beyond question. the rarest dolphin seen was tersio peronii, the peculiarity of which is that it has no dorsal fin. this was seen on october , , in latitude ° ´ s. and longitude ° ´ e. reports of whales and dolphins which are not based upon carcases and skeletons must be accepted with caution. it is most difficult to place species with scientific accuracy which can only be observed swimming in the water, and of which more often than not only blows and the dorsal fins can be observed. the nomenclature of dolphins especially leaves much to be desired, and it is to be hoped that some expedition in the future will carry a norwegian harpooner, who could do other work as well since they are very good sailors. wilson was strongly of this opinion and tried hard to get a harpooner, but they are expensive people so long as the present boom in whaling lasts, and perhaps it was on the score of expense that the idea was regretfully abandoned. we carried whaling gear formerly taken on the discovery expedition, and kindly lent for this expedition by the royal geographical society of london. a few shots were tried, but an unskilled harpooner stands very little chance. if you go whaling you must have had experience. the ship was not slowed down to enable marine biological observations to be taken on this part of the expedition, but something like forty samples of plankton were taken with a full-speed net. we were unable to trawl on the bottom until we reached melbourne, when a trawl was made in port phillip harbour to try the gear and accustom men to its use. it was not a purpose of the expedition to spend time in deep-sea work until it reached antarctic seas. for four days the wind, such as there was of it, was dead ahead; it is not very often in the forties that a ship cannot make progress for want of wind. but having set all plain sail on october with a falling glass we got a certain amount of wind on the port beam, and did miles in the next twenty-four hours. sunday being quiet scott read service while the officers and men grouped round the wheel. we seldom had service on deck; for sundays became proverbial days for a blow on the way out, and service, if held at all, was generally in the ward-room. on one famous occasion we tried to play the pianola to accompany the hymns, but, since the rolls were scored rather for musical effect than for church services, the pianola was suddenly found to be playing something quite different from what was being sung. all through the expedition the want of some one who could play the piano was felt, and such a man is certainly a great asset in a life so far removed from all the pleasures of civilization. as scott wrote in the voyage of the discovery, where one of the officers used to play each evening: "this hour of music has become an institution which none of us would willingly forgo. i don't know what thoughts it brings to others, though i can readily guess; but of such things one does not care to write. i can well believe, however, that our music smooths over many a ruffle and brings us to dinner each night in that excellent humour, where all seem good-tempered, though 'cleared for action' and ready for fresh argument." the wind freshened to our joy; scott was impatient; there was much to be done and the time for doing it was not too long, for it had been decided to leave new zealand at an earlier date than had been attempted by any previous expedition, in order to penetrate the pack sooner and make an early start on the depôt journey. the faintest glow of the aurora australis which was to become so familiar to us was seen at this time, but what aroused still more interest was the capture of several albatross on the lines flowing out over the stern. the first was a 'sooty' (cornicoides). we put him down on the deck, where he strutted about in the proudest way, his feet going flop--flop--flop as he walked. he was a most beautiful bird, sooty black body, a great black head with a line of white over each eye and a gorgeous violet line running along his black beak. he treated us with the greatest contempt, which, from such a beautiful creature, we had every appearance of deserving. another day a little later we caught a wandering albatross, a black-browed albatross, and a sooty albatross all together, and set them on the deck tethered to the ventilators while their photographs were taken. they were such beautiful birds that we were loath to kill them, but their value as scientific specimens outweighed the wish to set them free, and we gave them ether so that they did not suffer. the southern ocean is the home of these and many species of birds, but among them the albatross is pre-eminent. it has been mentioned that wilson believed that the albatross, at any rate, fly round and round the world over these stormy seas before the westerly winds, landing but once a year on such islands as kerguelen, st. paul, the auckland islands and others to breed. if so, the rest that they can obtain upon the big breaking rollers which prevail in these latitudes must be unsatisfactory judged by the standard of more civilized birds. i have watched sea birds elsewhere of which the same individuals appeared to follow the ship day after day for many thousands of miles, but on this voyage i came to the conclusion that a different set of birds appeared each morning, and that they were hungry when they arrived. certainly they flew astern and nearer to the ship in the morning, feeding on the scraps thrown overboard. as the day went on and the birds' hunger was satisfied, they scattered, and such of them as continued to fly astern of the ship were a long way off. hence we caught the birds in the early morning, and only one bird was caught after mid-day. the wind continued favourable and was soon blowing quite hard. on friday, october , we were doing . knots under sail alone, which was very good for the old terra push, as she was familiarly called: and we were then just miles from melbourne. by saturday night we were standing by topgallant halyards. campbell took over the watch at a.m. on sunday morning. it was blowing hard and squally, but the ship still carried topgallants. there was a big following sea. at . a.m. there occurred one of those incidents of sea life which are interesting though not important. quite suddenly the first really big squall we had experienced on the voyage struck us. topgallant halyards were let go, and the fore topgallant yard came down, but the main topgallant yard jammed when only half down. it transpired afterwards that a gasket which had been blown over the yard had fouled the block of the sheet of the main upper topsail. the topgallant yard was all tilted to starboard and swaying from side to side, the sail seemed as though it might blow out at any moment, and was making a noise like big guns, and the mast was shaking badly. it was expected that the topgallant mast would go, but nothing could be done while the full fury of the wind lasted. campbell paced quietly up and down the bridge with a smile on his face. the watch was grouped round the ratlines ready to go aloft, and crean volunteered to go up alone and try and free the yard, but permission was refused. it was touch and go with the mast and there was nothing to be done. the squall passed, the sail was freed and furled, and the next big squall found us ready to lower upper topsails and all was well. finally the damage was a split sail and a strained mast. the next morning a new topgallant sail was bent, but quite the biggest hailstorm i have ever seen came on in the middle of the operation. much of the hail must have been inches in circumference, and hurt even through thick clothes and oilskins. at the same time there were several waterspouts formed. the men on the topgallant yard had a beastly time. below on deck men made hail-balls and pretended they were snow. from now onwards we ran on our course before a gale. by the early morning of october cape otway light was in sight. working double tides in the engine-room, and with every stitch of sail set, we just failed to reach port phillip heads by mid-day, when the tide turned, and it was impossible to get through. we went up melbourne harbour that evening, very dark and blowing hard. a telegram was waiting for scott: "madeira. am going south. amundsen." this telegram was dramatically important, as will appear when we come to the last act of the tragedy. captain roald amundsen was one of the most notable of living explorers, and was in the prime of life--forty-one, two years younger than scott. he had been in the antarctic before scott, with the belgica expedition in - , and therefore did not consider the south pole in any sense our property. since then he had realized the dream of centuries of exploration by passing through the north-west passage, and actually doing so in a -ton schooner in . the last we had heard of him was that he had equipped nansen's old ship, the fram, for further exploration in the arctic. this was only a feint. once at sea, he had told his men that he was going south instead of north; and when he reached madeira he sent this brief telegram, which meant, "i shall be at the south pole before you." it also meant, though we did not appreciate it at the time, that we were up against a very big man. the admiral commanding the australian station came on board. the event of the inspection was nigger, the black ship's cat, distinguished by a white whisker on the port side of his face, who made one adventurous voyage to the antarctic and came to an untimely end during the second. the seamen made a hammock for him with blanket and pillow, and slung it forward among their own bedding. nigger had turned in, not feeling very well, owing to the number of moths he had eaten, the ship being full of them. when awakened by the admiral, nigger had no idea of the importance of the occasion, but stretched himself, yawned in the most natural manner, turned over and went to sleep again. this cat became a well-known and much photographed member of the crew of the terra nova. he is said to have imitated the romans of old, being a greedy beast, by having eaten as much seal blubber as he could hold, made himself sick, and gone back and resumed his meal. he had most beautiful fur. when the ship was returning from the antarctic in nigger was frightened by something on deck and jumped into the sea, which was running fairly rough. however, the ship was hove to, a boat lowered, and nigger was rescued. he spent another happy year on board, but disappeared one dark night when the ship was returning from her second journey to the south in , during a big gale. he often went aloft with the men, of his own accord. this night he was seen on the main lower topsail yard, higher than which he never would go. he disappeared in a big squall, probably because the yard was covered with ice. wilson rejoined the ship at melbourne; and scott left her, to arrange further business matters, and to rejoin in new zealand. when he landed i think he had seen enough of the personnel of the expedition to be able to pass a fair judgment upon them. i cannot but think that he was pleased. such enthusiasm and comradeship as prevailed on board could bear only good fruit. it would certainly have been possible to find a body of men who could work a sailing ship with greater skill, but not men who were more willing, and that in the midst of considerable discomfort, to work hard at distasteful jobs and be always cheerful. and it must have been clear that with all the energy which was being freely expended, the expedition came first, and the individual nowhere. it is to the honour of all concerned that from the time it left london to the time it returned to new zealand after three years, this spirit always prevailed. among the executive officers scott was putting more and more trust in campbell, who was to lead the northern party. he was showing those characteristics which enabled him to bring his small party safely through one of the hardest winters that men have ever survived. bowers also had shown seamanlike qualities which are an excellent test by which to judge the antarctic traveller; a good seaman in sail will probably make a useful sledger: but at this time scott can hardly have foreseen that bowers was to prove "the hardest traveller that ever undertook a polar journey, as well as one of the most undaunted." but he had already proved himself a first-rate sailor. among the junior scientific staff too, several were showing qualities as seamen which were a good sign for the future. altogether i think it must have been with a cheerful mind that scott landed in australia. when we left melbourne for new zealand we were all a bit stale, which was not altogether surprising, and a run ashore was to do us a world of good after five months of solid grind, crowded up in a ship which thought nothing of rolling ° each way. also, though everything had been done that could be done to provide them, the want of fresh meat and vegetables was being felt, and it was an excellent thing that a body of men, for whom every precaution against scurvy that modern science could suggest was being taken, should have a good course of antiscorbutic food and an equally beneficial change of life before leaving civilization. and so it was with some anticipation that on monday morning, october , we could smell the land--new zealand, that home of so many antarctic expeditions, where we knew that we should be welcomed. scott's discovery, shackleton's nimrod, and now again scott's terra nova have all in turn been berthed at the same quay in lyttelton, for aught i know at the same no. shed, into which they have spilled out their holds, and from which they have been restowed with the addition of all that new zealand, scorning payment, could give. and from there they have sailed, and thither their relief ships have returned year after year. scott's words of the discovery apply just as much to the terra nova. not only did new zealand do all in her power to help the expedition in an official capacity, but the new zealanders welcomed both officers and men with open arms, and "gave them to understand that although already separated by many thousands of miles from their native land, here in this new land they would find a second home, and those who would equally think of them in their absence, and welcome them on their return." but we had to sail round the southern coast of new zealand and northwards up the eastern coast before we could arrive at our last port of call. the wind went ahead, and it was not until the morning of october that we sailed through lyttelton heads. the word had gone forth that we should sail away on november , and there was much to be done in the brief month that lay ahead. there followed four weeks of strenuous work into which was sandwiched a considerable amount of play. the ship was unloaded, when, as usual, men and officers acted alike as stevedores, and she was docked, that an examination for the source of the leak might be made by mr. h. j. miller of lyttelton, who has performed a like service for more than one antarctic ship. but the different layers of sheathing protecting a ship which is destined to fight against ice are so complicated that it is a very difficult matter to find the origin of a leak. all that can be said with any certainty is that the point where the water appears inside the skin of the ship is almost certainly not the locality in which it has penetrated the outside sheathing. "our good friend miller," wrote scott, "attacked the leak and traced it to the stern. we found the false stern split, and in one case a hole bored for a long-stern through-bolt which was much too large for the bolt.... the ship still leaks but the water can now be kept under with the hand pump by two daily efforts of a quarter of an hour to twenty minutes." this in lyttelton; but in a not far distant future every pump was choked, and we were baling with three buckets, literally for our lives. bowers' feat of sorting and restowing not only the stores we had but the cheese, butter, tinned foods, bacon, hams and numerous other products which are grown in new zealand, and which any expedition leaving that country should always buy there in preference to carrying them through the tropics, was a masterstroke of clear-headedness and organization. these stores were all relisted before stowing and the green-banded or northern party and red-banded or main party stores were not only easily distinguishable, but also stowed in such a way that they were forthcoming without difficulty at the right time and in their due order. the two huts which were to form the homes of our two parties down south had been brought out in the ship and were now erected on a piece of waste ground near, by the same men who would be given the work to do in the south. the gear peculiar to the various kinds of scientific work which it was the object of the expedition to carry out was also stowed with great care. the more bulky objects included a petrol engine and small dynamo, a very delicate instrument for making pendulum observations to test the gravity of the earth, meteorological screens, and a dines anemometer. there was also a special hut for magnetic observations, of which only the framework was finally taken, with the necessary but bulky magnetic instruments. the biological and photographic gear was also of considerable size. for the interior of the huts there were beds with spring mattresses--a real luxury but one well worth the space and money,--tables, chairs, cooking ranges and piping, and a complete acetylene gas plant for both parties. there were also extensive ventilators which were not a great success. the problem of ventilation in polar regions still remains to be solved. food can be packed into a comparatively small space, but not so fuel, and this is one of the greatest difficulties which confront the polar traveller. it must be conceded that in this respect norway, with her wonderful petrol-driven fram, is far ahead of us. the terra nova depended on coal, and the length of the ship's stay in the south, and the amount of exploration she could do after landing the shore parties, depended almost entirely upon how much coal she could be persuaded to hold after all the necessaries of modern scientific exploration had been wedged tightly into her. the terra nova sailed from new zealand with tons of coal in her holds and bunkers, and tons on deck in sacks. we were to hear more of those sacks. meanwhile stalls were being built under the forecastle for fifteen ponies, and, since room could not be found below for the remaining four, stalls were built on the port side of the fore hatch; the decks were caulked, and deck houses and other fittings which might carry away in the stormy seas of the south were further secured. as the time of departure drew near, and each day of civilization appeared to be more and more desirable, the scene in lyttelton became animated and congested. here is a scientist trying to force just one more case into his small laboratory, or decanting a mass of clothing, just issued, into the bottom of his bunk, to be slept on since there was no room for it on the deck of his cabin. on the main deck bowers is trying to get one more frozen sheep into the ice-house, in the rigging working parties are overhauling the running gear. the engine-room staff are busy on the engine, and though the ship is crowded there is order everywhere, and it is clean. but the scene on the morning of saturday, november , baffles description. there is no deck visible: in addition to tons of coal in sacks on deck there are ½ tons of petrol, stowed in drums which in turn are cased in wood. on the top of sacks and cases, and on the roof of the ice-house are thirty-three dogs, chained far enough apart to keep them from following their first instinct--to fight the nearest animal they can see: the ship is a hubbub of howls. in the forecastle and in the four stalls on deck are the nineteen ponies, wedged tightly in their wooden stalls, and dwarfing everything are the three motor sledges in their huge crates, ´ x ´ x ´, two of them on either side of the main hatch, the third across the break of the poop. they are covered with tarpaulins and secured in every possible way, but it is clear that in a big sea their weight will throw a great strain upon the deck. it is not altogether a cheerful sight. but all that care and skill can do has been done to ensure that the deck cargo will not shift, and that the animals may be as sheltered as possible from wind and seas. and it's no good worrying about what can't be helped. footnotes: [ ] vide _scott's last expedition_, vol. ii. pp. - . [ ] "atmospheric electricity over ocean," by g. c. simpson and c. s. wright, _pro. roy. soc._ a, vol. , . [ ] _see_ b.a.e., , nat. hist. report, vol. i. no. , p. . [ ] ibid. p. . chapter iii southward open the bones, and you shall nothing find in the best face but filth; when, lord, in thee the beauty lies in the discovery. george herbert. telegrams from all parts of the world, special trains, all ships dressed, crowds and waving hands, steamers out to the heads and a general hullabaloo--these were the incidents of saturday, november , , when we slipped from the wharf at lyttelton at p.m. we were to call at dunedin before leaving civilization, and arrived there on sunday night. here we took on the remainder of our coal. on monday night we danced, in fantastic clothing for we had left our grand clothes behind, and sailed finally for the south the following afternoon amidst the greatest enthusiasm. the wives remained with us until we reached the open sea. amongst those who only left us at the last minute was mr. kinsey of christchurch. he acted for scott in new zealand during the discovery days, and for shackleton in . we all owe him a deep debt of gratitude for his help. "his interest in the expedition is wonderful, and such interest on the part of a thoroughly shrewd business man is an asset of which i have taken full advantage. kinsey will act as my agent in christchurch during my absence; i have given him an ordinary power of attorney, and i think have left him in possession of all the facts. his kindness to us was beyond words."[ ] "evening.--loom of land and cape saunders light blinking."[ ] the ponies and dogs were the first consideration. even in quite ordinary weather the dogs had a wretched time. "the seas continually break on the weather bulwarks and scatter clouds of heavy spray over the backs of all who must venture into the waist of the ship. the dogs sit with their tails to this invading water, their coats wet and dripping. it is a pathetic attitude deeply significant of cold and misery; occasionally some poor beast emits a long pathetic whine. the group forms a picture of wretched dejection; such a life is truly hard for these poor creatures."[ ] the ponies were better off. four of them were on deck amidships and they were well boarded round. it is significant that these ponies had a much easier time in rough weather than those in the bows of the ship. "under the forecastle fifteen ponies close side by side, seven one side, eight the other, heads together, and groom between--swaying, swaying continually to the plunging, irregular motion." "one takes a look through a hole in the bulkhead and sees a row of heads with sad, patient eyes come swinging up together from the starboard side, whilst those on the port swing back; then up come the port heads, while the starboard recede. it seems a terrible ordeal for these poor beasts to stand this day after day for weeks together, and indeed though they continue to feed well the strain quickly drags down their weight and condition; but nevertheless the trial cannot be gauged from human standards."[ ] the seas through which we had to pass to reach the pack-ice must be the most stormy in the world. dante tells us that those who have committed carnal sin are tossed about ceaselessly by the most furious winds in the second circle of hell. the corresponding hell on earth is found in the southern oceans, which encircle the world without break, tempest-tossed by the gales which follow one another round and round the world from west to east. you will find albatross there--great wanderers, and sooties, and mollymawks--sailing as lightly before these furious winds as ever do paolo and francesca. round the world they go. i doubt whether they land more than once a year, and then they come to the islands of these seas to breed. there are many other beautiful sea-birds, but most beautiful of all are the snowy petrels, which approach nearer to the fairies than anything else on earth. they are quite white, and seemingly transparent. they are the familiar spirits of the pack, which, except to nest, they seldom if ever leave, flying "here and there independently in a mazy fashion, glittering against the blue sky like so many white moths, or shining snowflakes."[ ] and then there are the giant petrels, whose coloration is a puzzle. some are nearly white, others brown, and they exhibit every variation between the one and the other. and, on the whole, the white forms become more general the farther south you go. but the usual theory of protective coloration will not fit in, for there are no enemies against which this bird must protect itself. is it something to do with radiation of heat from the body? a ship which sets out upon this journey generally has a bad time, and for this reason the overladen state of the terra nova was a cause of anxiety. the australasian meteorologists had done their best to forecast the weather we must expect. everything which was not absolutely necessary had been ruthlessly scrapped. yet there was not a square inch of the hold and between-decks which was not crammed almost to bursting, and there was as much on the deck as could be expected to stay there. officers and men could hardly move in their living quarters when standing up, and certainly they could not all sit down. to say that we were heavy laden is a very moderate statement of the facts. thursday, december , we ran into a gale. we shortened sail in the afternoon to lower topsails, jib and stay-sail. both wind and sea rose with great rapidity, and before the night came our deck cargo had begun to work loose. "you know how carefully everything had been lashed, but no lashings could have withstood the onslaught of these coal sacks for long. there was nothing for it but to grapple with the evil, and nearly all hands were labouring for hours in the waist of the ship, heaving coal sacks overboard and re-lashing the petrol cases, etc., in the best manner possible under such difficult and dangerous circumstances. the seas were continually breaking over these people and now and again they would be completely submerged. at such times they had to cling for dear life to some fixture to prevent themselves being washed overboard, and with coal bags and loose cases washing about, there was every risk of such hold being torn away. "no sooner was some semblance of order restored than some exceptionally heavy wave would tear away the lashing, and the work had to be done all over again."[ ] the conditions became much worse during the night and things were complicated for some of us by sea-sickness. i have lively recollections of being aloft for two hours in the morning watch on friday and being sick at intervals all the time. for sheer downright misery give me a hurricane, not too warm, the yard of a sailing ship, a wet sail and a bout of sea-sickness. it must have been about this time that orders were given to clew up the jib and then to furl it. bowers and four others went out on the bowsprit, being buried deep in the enormous seas every time the ship plunged her nose into them with great force. it was an education to see him lead those men out into that roaring inferno. he has left his own vivid impression of this gale in a letter home. his tendency was always to underestimate difficulties, whether the force of wind in a blizzard, or the troubles of a polar traveller. this should be remembered when reading the vivid accounts which his mother has so kindly given me permission to use: "we got through the forties with splendid speed and were just over the fifties when one of those tremendous gales got us. our lat. was about ° s., a part of the world absolutely unfrequented by shipping of any sort, and as we had already been blown off campbell island we had nothing but a clear sweep to cape horn to leeward. one realized then how in the nimrod--in spite of the weather--they always had the security of a big steamer to look to if things came to the worst. we were indeed alone, by many hundreds of miles, and never having felt anxious about a ship before, the old whaler was to give me a new experience. "in the afternoon of the beginning of the gale i helped make fast the t.g. sails, upper topsails and foresail, and was horrified on arrival on deck to find that the heavy water we continued to ship, was starting the coal bags floating in places. these, acting as battering-rams, tore adrift some of my carefully stowed petrol cases and endangered the lot. i had started to make sail fast at p.m. and it was . p.m. when i had finished putting on additional lashings to everything i could. so rapidly did the sea get up that one was continually afloat and swimming about. i turned in for hours and lay awake hearing the crash of the seas and thinking how long those cases would stand it, till my watch came at midnight as a relief. we were under lower topsails and hove to, the engines going dead slow to assist keeping head to wind. at another time i should have been easy in my mind; now the water that came aboard was simply fearful, and the wrenching on the old ship was enough to worry any sailor called upon to fill his decks with garbage fore and aft. still 'risk nothing and do nothing,' if funds could not supply another ship, we simply had to overload the one we had, or suffer worse things down south. the watch was eventful as the shaking up got the fine coal into the bilges, and this mixing with the oil from the engines formed balls of coal and grease which, ordinarily, went up the pumps easily; now however with the great strains, and hundreds of tons on deck, as she continually filled, the water started to come in too fast for the half-clogged pumps to cope with. an alternative was offered to me in going faster so as to shake up the big pump on the main engines, and this i did--in spite of myself--and in defiance of the first principles of seamanship. of course, we shipped water more and more, and only to save a clean breach of the decks did i slow down again and let the water gain. my next card was to get the watch on the hand-pumps as well, and these were choked, too, or nearly so. "anyhow with every pump,--hand and steam,--going, the water continued to rise in the stokehold. at a.m. all hands took in the fore lower topsail, leaving us under a minimum of sail. the gale increased to storm force (force out of ) and such a sea got up as only the southern fifties can produce. all the afterguard turned out and the pumps were vigorously shaken up,--sickening work as only a dribble came out. we had to throw some coal overboard to clear the after deck round the pumps, and i set to work to rescue cases of petrol which were smashed adrift. i broke away a plank or two of the lee bulwarks to give the seas some outlet as they were right over the level of the rail, and one was constantly on the verge of floating clean over the side with the cataract force of the backwash. i had all the swimming i wanted that day. every case i rescued was put on the weather side of the poop to help get us on a more even keel. she sagged horribly and the unfortunate ponies,--though under cover,--were so jerked about that the weather ones could not keep their feet in their stalls, so great was the slope and strain on their forelegs. oates and atkinson worked among them like trojans, but morning saw the death of one, and the loss of one dog overboard. the dogs, made fast on deck, were washed to and fro, chained by the neck, and often submerged for a considerable time. though we did everything in our power to get them up as high as possible, the sea went everywhere. the wardroom was a swamp and so were our bunks with all our nice clothing, books, etc. however, of this we cared little, when the water had crept up to the furnaces and put the fires out, and we realized for the first time that the ship had met her match and was slowly filling. without a pump to suck we started the forlorn hope of buckets and began to bale her out. had we been able to open a hatch we could have cleared the main pump well at once, but with those appalling seas literally covering her, it would have meant less than minutes to float, had we uncovered a hatch. "the chief engineer (williams) and carpenter (davies), after we had all put our heads together, started cutting a hole in the engine room bulkhead, to enable us to get into the pump-well from the engine room; it was iron and, therefore, at least a hours job. captain scott was simply splendid, he might have been at cowes, and to do him and teddy evans credit, at our worst strait none of our landsmen who were working so hard knew how serious things were. capt. scott said to me quietly--'i am afraid it's a bad business for us--what do you think?' i said we were by no means dead yet, though at that moment, oates, at peril of his life, got aft to report another horse dead; and more down. and then an awful sea swept away our lee bulwarks clean, between the fore and main riggings,--only our chain lashings saved the lee motor sledge then, and i was soon diving after petrol cases. captain scott calmly told me that they 'did not matter'--this was our great project for getting to the pole--the much advertised motors that 'did not matter'; our dogs looked finished, and horses were finishing, and i went to bale with a strenuous prayer in my heart, and 'yip-i-addy' on my lips, and so we pulled through that day. we sang and re-sang every silly song we ever knew, and then everybody in the ship later on was put on -hour reliefs to bale, as it was impossible for flesh to keep heart with no food or rest. even the fresh-water pump had gone wrong so we drank neat lime juice, or anything that came along, and sat in our saturated state awaiting our next spell. my dressing gown was my great comfort as it was not very wet, and it is a lovely warm thing. "to make a long yarn short, we found later in the day that the storm was easing a bit and that though there was a terrible lot of water in the ship, which, try as we could, we could not reduce, it certainly had ceased to rise to any great extent. we had reason to hope then that we might keep her afloat till the pump wells could be cleared. had the storm lasted another day, god knows what our state would have been, if we had been above water at all. you cannot imagine how utterly helpless we felt in such a sea with a tiny ship,--the great expedition with all its hopes thrown aside for its life. god had shown us the weakness of man's hand and it was enough for the best of us,--the people who had been made such a lot of lately--the whole scene was one of pathos really. however, at p.m. evans and i with the carpenter were able to crawl through a tiny hole in the bulkhead, burrow over the coal to the pump-well cofferdam, where, another hole having been easily made in the wood, we got down below with davy lamps and set to work. the water was so deep that you had to continually dive to get your hand on to the suction. after hours or so it was cleared for the time being and the pumps worked merrily. i went in again at . a.m. and had another lap at clearing it. not till the afternoon of the following day, though, did we see the last of the water and the last of the great gale. during the time the pumps were working, we continued the baling till the water got below the furnaces. as soon as we could light up, we did, and got the other pumps under weigh, and, once the ship was empty, clearing away the suction was a simple matter. i was pleased to find that after all i had only lost about gallons of the petrol and bad as things had been they might have been worse.... "you will ask where all the water came from seeing our forward leak had been stopped. thank god we did not have that to cope with as well. the water came chiefly through the deck where the tremendous strain,--not only of the deck load, but of the smashing seas,--was beyond conception. she was caught at a tremendous disadvantage and we were dependent for our lives on each plank standing its own strain. had one gone we would all have gone, and the great anxiety was not so much the existing water as what was going to open up if the storm continued. we might have dumped the deck cargo, a difficult job at best, but were too busy baling to do anything else.... "that captain scott's account will be moderate you may be sure. still, take my word for it, he is one of the best, and behaved up to our best traditions at a time when his own outlook must have been the blackness of darkness...." characteristically bowers ends his account: "under its worst conditions this earth is a good place to live in." priestley wrote in his diary: "if dante had seen our ship as she was at her worst, i fancy he would have got a good idea for another circle of hell, though he would have been at a loss to account for such a cheerful and ribald lot of souls." the situation narrowed down to a fight between the incoming water and the men who were trying to keep it in check by baling her out. the terra nova will never be more full of water, nearly up to the furnaces, than she was that friday morning, when we were told to go and do our damndest with three iron buckets. the constructors had not allowed for baling, only for the passage of one man at a time up and down the two iron ladders which connected the engine-room floor plates with the deck. if we used more than three buckets the business of passing them rapidly up, emptying them out of the hatchway, and returning them empty, became unprofitable. we were divided into two gangs, and all friday and friday night we worked two hours on and two hours off, like fiends. wilson's journal describes the scene: "it was a weird night's work with the howling gale and the darkness and the immense seas running over the ship every few minutes and no engines and no sail, and we all in the engine-room oil and bilge water, singing chanties as we passed up slopping buckets full of bilge, each man above slopping a little over the heads of all below him; wet through to the skin, so much so that some of the party worked altogether naked like chinese coolies; and the rush of the wave backwards and forwards at the bottom grew hourly less in the dim light of a couple of engine-room oil lamps whose light just made the darkness visible, the ship all the time rolling like a sodden lifeless log, her lee gunwale under water every time." "there was one thrilling moment in the midst of the worst hour on friday when we were realizing that the fires must be drawn, and when every pump had failed to act, and when the bulwarks began to go to pieces and the petrol cases were all afloat and going overboard, and the word was suddenly passed in a shout from the hands at work in the waist of the ship trying to save petrol cases that smoke was coming up through the seams in the afterhold. as this was full of coal and patent fuel and was next the engine-room, and as it had not been opened for the airing it required to get rid of gas, on account of the flood of water on deck making it impossible to open the hatchway, the possibility of a fire there was patent to every one, and it could not possibly have been dealt with in any way short of opening the hatches and flooding the ship, when she must have foundered. it was therefore a thrilling moment or two until it was discovered that the smoke was really steam, arising from the bilge at the bottom having risen to the heated coal."[ ] meanwhile men were working for all our lives to cut through two bulkheads which cut off all communication with the suction of the hand-pumps. one bulkhead was iron, the other wood. scott wrote at this time: "we are not out of the wood, but hope dawns, as indeed it should for me, when i find myself so wonderfully served. officers and men are singing chanties over their arduous work. williams is working in sweltering heat behind the boiler to get the door made in the bulkhead. not a single one has lost his good spirits. a dog was drowned last night, one pony is dead and two others in a bad condition--probably they too will go. occasionally a heavy sea would bear one of them away, and he was only saved by his chain. meares with some helpers had constantly to be rescuing these wretched creatures from hanging, and trying to find them better shelter, an almost hopeless task. one poor beast was found hanging when dead; one was washed away with such force that his chain broke and he disappeared overboard; the next wave miraculously washed him on board again and he is fit and well. [i believe the dog was osman.] the gale has exacted heavy toll, but i feel all will be well if we can only cope with the water. another dog has just been washed overboard--alas! thank god the gale is abating. the sea is still mountainously high but the ship is not labouring so heavily as she was."[ ] the highest waves of which i can find any record were feet high. these were observed by sir james c. ross in the north atlantic.[ ] on december the waves were logged, probably by pennell, who was extremely careful in his measurements, as being 'thirty-five feet high (estimated).' at one time i saw scott, standing on the weather rail of the poop, buried to his waist in green sea. the reader can then imagine the condition of things in the waist of the ship, "over and over again the rail, from the fore-rigging to the main, was covered by a solid sheet of curling water which swept aft and high on the poop."[ ] at another time bowers and campbell were standing upon the bridge, and the ship rolled sluggishly over until the lee combings of the main hatch were under the sea. they watched anxiously, and slowly she righted herself, but "she won't do that often," said bowers. as a rule if a ship gets that far over she goes down. * * * * * our journey was uneventful for a time, but of course it was not by any means smooth. "i was much disturbed last night by the motion; the ship was pitching and twisting with short sharp movements on a confused sea, and with every plunge my thoughts flew to our poor ponies. this afternoon they are fairly well, but one knows that they must be getting weaker as time goes on, and one longs to give them a good sound rest with a ship on an even keel. poor patient beasts! one wonders how far the memory of such fearful discomfort will remain with them--animals so often remember places and conditions where they have encountered difficulties or hurt. do they only recollect circumstances which are deeply impressed by some shock of fear or sudden pain, and does the remembrance of prolonged strain pass away? who can tell? but it would seem strangely merciful if nature should blot out these weeks of slow but inevitable torture."[ ] on december , noon position ° ´ s., ° ´ w., one berg was sighted far away to the west, as it gleamed every now and then in the sun. two more were seen the next day, and at . a.m. on december , noon position ° ´ s., ° ´ w., the pack was sighted ahead by rennick. all that day we passed bergs and streams of ice. the air became dry and bracing, the sea was calm, and the sun shining on the islands of ice was more than beautiful. and then bump! we had just charged the first big floe, and we were in the pack. "the sky has been wonderful, with every form of cloud in every condition of light and shade; the sun has continually appeared through breaks in the cloudy heavens from time to time, brilliantly illuminating some field of pack, some steep-walled berg, or some patch of bluest sea. so sunlight and shadow have chased each other across our scene. to-night there is little or no swell--the ship is on an even keel, steady, save for the occasional shocks on striking ice. "it is difficult to express the sense of relief this steadiness gives after our storm-tossed passage. one can only imagine the relief and comfort afforded to the ponies, but the dogs are visibly cheered and the human element is full of gaiety. the voyage seems full of promise in spite of the imminence of delay."[ ] we had met the pack farther north than any other ship. what is pack? speaking very generally indeed, in this region it is the sea-ice which forms over the ross sea area during the winter, and is blown northwards by the southerly blizzards. but as we shall see, the ice which forms over this area is of infinite variety. as a rule great sheets spread over the seas which fringe the antarctic continent in the autumn, grow thicker and thicker during the winter and spring, and break up when the temperatures of sea and air rise in summer. such is the ice which forms in normal seasons round the shores of mcmurdo sound, and up the coast of the western mountains of victoria land. in sheltered bays this ice will sometimes remain in for two years or even more, growing all the time, until some phenomenal break-up releases it. we found an example of this in the sea-ice which formed between hut point and the barrier. but there are great waters which can never freeze for very long. cape crozier, for instance, where the emperor penguins nest in winter, is one of the windiest places in the world. in july it was completely frozen over as far as we could see in the darkness from a height of feet. within a few days a hurricane had blown it all away, and the sea was black. i believe, and we had experiences to prove me right, that there is a critical period early in the winter, and that if sea-ice has not frozen thick enough to remain fast by that time, it is probable that the sea will remain open for the rest of the year. but this does not mean that no ice will form. so great is the wish of the sea to freeze, and so cold is the air, that the wind has only to lull for one instant and the surface is covered with a thin film of ice, as though by magic. but the next blizzard tears it out by force or a spring tide coaxes it out by stealth, whether it be a foot thick or only a fraction of an inch. such an example we had at our very doors during our last winter, and the untamed winds which blew as a result were atrocious. thus it is that floes from a few inches to twenty feet thick go voyaging out to join the belt of ice which is known as the pack. scott seems to have thought that the whole ross sea freezes over.[ ] i myself think this doubtful, and i am, i believe, the only person living who has seen the ross sea open in mid-winter. this was on the winter journey undertaken by wilson, bowers and myself in pursuit of emperor penguin eggs--but of that later. it is clear that winds and currents are, broadly speaking, the governing factors of the density of pack-ice. by experience we know that clear water may be found in the autumn where great tracts of ice barred the way in summer. the tendency of the pack is northwards, where the ice melts into the warmer waters. but the bergs remain when all traces of the pack have disappeared, and, drifting northwards still, form the menace to shipping so well known to sailors rounding the horn. it is not hard to imagine that one monster ice island of twenty miles in length, such as do haunt these seas, drifting into navigated waters and calving into hundreds of great bergs as it goes, will in itself produce what seamen call a bad year for ice. and the last stages of these, when the bergs have degenerated into 'growlers,' are even worse, for then the sharpest eye can hardly distinguish them as they float nearly submerged though they have lost but little of their powers of evil. there are two main types of antarctic berg. the first and most common is the tabular form. bergs of this shape cruise about in thousands and thousands. a less common form is known as the pinnacled berg, and in almost every case this is a tabular berg which has been weathered or has capsized. the number of bergs which calve direct from a mountain glacier into the sea is probably not very great. whence then do they come? the origin of the tabular bergs was debated until a few years ago. they have been recorded up to forty and even fifty miles in length, and they have been called floe bergs, because it was supposed that they froze first as ordinary sea-ice and increased by subsequent additions from below. but now we know that these bergs calve off from the antarctic barriers, the largest of which is known as the great ice barrier, which forms the southern boundary of the ross sea. we were to become very familiar with this vast field of ice. we know that its northern face is afloat, we guess that it may all be afloat. at any rate the open sea now washes against its face at least forty miles south of where it ran in the days of ross. though this barrier may be the largest in the world, it is one of many. the most modern review of this mystery, scott's article on the great ice barrier, must serve until the next first-hand examination by some future explorer. a berg shows only about one-eighth of its total mass above water, and a berg two hundred feet high will therefore reach approximately fourteen hundred feet below the surface of the sea. winds and currents have far more influence upon them than they have upon the pack, through which these bergs plough their way with a total disregard for such flimsy obstacles, and cause much chaos as they go. for the rest woe betide the ship which is so fixed into the pack that she cannot move if one of these monsters bears down upon her. words cannot tell the beauty of the scenes through which we were to pass during the next three weeks. i suppose the pack in winter must be a terrible place enough: a place of darkness and desolation hardly to be found elsewhere. but forms which under different conditions can only betoken horror now conveyed to us impressions of the utmost peace and beauty, for the sun had kissed them all. "we have had a marvellous day. the morning watch was cloudy, but it gradually cleared until the sky was a brilliant blue, fading on the horizon into green and pink. the floes were pink, floating in a deep blue sea, and all the shadows were mauve. we passed right under a monster berg, and all day have been threading lake after lake and lead after lead. 'there is regent street,' said somebody, and for some time we drove through great streets of perpendicular walls of ice. many a time they were so straight that one imagined they had been cut off with a ruler some hundreds of yards in length."[ ] [illustration: midnight--e. a. wilson, del.] on another occasion: "stayed on deck till midnight. the sun just dipped below the southern horizon. the scene was incomparable. the northern sky was gloriously rosy and reflected in the calm sea between the ice, which varied from burnished copper to salmon pink; bergs and pack to the north had a pale greenish hue with deep purple shadows, the sky shaded to saffron and pale green. we gazed long at these beautiful effects."[ ] but this was not always so. there was one day with rain, there were days of snow and hail and cold wet slush, and fog. "the position to-night is very cheerless. all hope that this easterly wind will open the pack seems to have vanished. we are surrounded with compacted floes of immense area. openings appear between these floes and we slide crab-like from one to another with long delays between. it is difficult to keep hope alive. there are streaks of water sky over open leads to the north, but everywhere to the south we have the uniform white sky. the day has been overcast and the wind force to from the e.n.e.--snow has fallen from time to time. there could scarcely be a more dreary prospect for the eye to rest upon."[ ] with the open water we left behind the albatross and the cape pigeon which had accompanied us lately for many months. in their place we found the antarctic petrel, "a richly piebald bird that appeared to be almost black and white against the ice floes,"[ ] and the snowy petrel, of which i have already spoken. no one of us whose privilege it was to be there will forget our first sight of the penguins, our first meal of seal meat, or that first big berg along which we coasted close in order that london might see it on the film. hardly had we reached the thick pack, which prevailed after the suburbs had been passed, when we saw the little adélie penguins hurrying to meet us. great scott, they seemed to say, what's this, and soon we could hear the cry which we shall never forget. "aark, aark," they said, and full of wonder and curiosity, and perhaps a little out of breath, they stopped every now and then to express their feelings, "and to gaze and cry in wonder to their companions; now walking along the edge of a floe in search of a narrow spot to jump and so avoid the water, and with head down and much hesitation judging the width of the narrow gap, to give a little standing jump across as would a child, and running on the faster to make up for its delay. again, coming to a wider lead of water necessitating a plunge, our inquisitive visitor would be lost for a moment, to reappear like a jack-in-the-box on a nearer floe, where wagging his tail, he immediately resumed his race towards the ship. being now but a hundred yards or so from us he pokes his head constantly forward on this side and on that, to try and make out something of the new strange sight, crying aloud to his friends in his amazement, and exhibiting the most amusing indecision between his desire for further investigation and doubt as to the wisdom and propriety of closer contact with so huge a beast."[ ] they are extraordinarily like children, these little people of the antarctic world, either like children, or like old men, full of their own importance and late for dinner, in their black tail-coats and white shirt-fronts--and rather portly withal. we used to sing to them, as they to us, and you might often see "a group of explorers on the poop, singing 'she has rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, and she shall have music wherever she goes,' and so on at the top of their voices to an admiring group of adélie penguins."[ ] meares used to sing to them what he called 'god save,' and declared that it would always send them headlong into the water. he sang flat: perhaps that was why. two or more penguins will combine to push a third in front of them against a skua gull, which is one of their enemies, for he eats their eggs or their young if he gets the chance. they will refuse to dive off an ice-foot until they have persuaded one of their companions to take the first jump, for fear of the sea-leopard which may be waiting in the water below, ready to seize them and play with them much as a cat will play with a mouse. as levick describes in his book about the penguins at cape adare: "at the place where they most often went in, a long terrace of ice about six feet in height ran for some hundreds of yards along the edge of the water, and here, just as on the sea-ice, crowds would stand near the brink. when they had succeeded in pushing one of their number over, all would crane their necks over the edge, and when they saw the pioneer safe in the water, the rest followed."[ ] it is clear then that the adélie penguin will show a certain spirit of selfishness in tackling his hereditary enemies. but when it comes to the danger of which he is ignorant his courage betrays want of caution. meares and dimitri exercised the dog-teams out upon the larger floes when we were held up for any length of time. one day a team was tethered by the side of the ship, and a penguin sighted them and hurried from afar off. the dogs became frantic with excitement as he neared them: he supposed it was a greeting, and the louder they barked and the more they strained at their ropes, the faster he bustled to meet them. he was extremely angry with a man who went and saved him from a very sudden end, clinging to his trousers with his beak, and furiously beating his shins with his flippers. it was not an uncommon sight to see a little adélie penguin standing within a few inches of the nose of a dog which was almost frantic with desire and passion. the pack-ice is the home of the immature penguins, both emperor and adélie. but we did not see any large numbers of immature emperors during this voyage. we soon became acquainted with the sea-leopard, which waits under the ice-foot for the little penguins; he is a brute, but sinuous and graceful as the seal world goes. he preys especially upon the adélie penguin, and levick found no less than eighteen penguins, together with the remains of many others, in the stomach of one sea-leopard. in the water the leopard seems "a trifle faster than the adélies, as one of them occasionally would catch up with one of the fugitives, who then, realizing that speed alone would not avail him, started dodging from side to side, and sometimes swam rapidly round and round in a circle of about twelve feet diameter for a full minute or more, doubtless knowing that he was quicker in turning than his great heavy pursuer, but exhaustion would overtake him in the end, and we could see the head and jaws of the great sea-leopard rise to the surface as he grabbed his victim. the sight of a panic-stricken little adélie tearing round and round in this manner was sadly common late in the season."[ ] fish and small seal have also been found in its stomach. with long powerful head and neck and a sinuous body, it is equipped with most formidable teeth with which it tears strips out of the still living birds, and flippers which are adapted entirely for speed in the water. it is a solitary animal with a large range of distribution. it has been supposed to bring forth its young in the pack, but nothing definite is known on this subject. one day we saw a big sea-leopard swimming along with the ship. he dived under the floes and reappeared from floe to floe as we went, and for a time we thought he was interested in us. but soon we sighted another lying away on a floe, and our friend in the water began to rear his head up perpendicularly, and seemed to be trying to wind his mate, as we supposed. he was down wind from her, and appeared to find her at a distance of to yards, and the last we saw of him he was heading up the side of the floe where she lay. there are four kinds of seal in the antarctic; of one of these, the sea-leopard, i have already spoken. another is called the ross seal, for sir james ross discovered it in . it seems to be a solitary beast, living in the pack, and is peculiar for its "pug-like expression of countenance."[ ] it has always been rare, and no single specimen was seen on this expedition, though the terra nova must have passed through more pack than most whalers see in a life-time. it looks as if the ross seal is more rare than was supposed. [illustration: a sea leopard] [illustration: a weddell seal] the very common seal of the antarctic is the weddell, which seldom lives in the pack but spends its life catching fish close to the shores of the continent, and digesting them, when caught, lying sluggishly upon the ice-foot. we came to know them later in their hundreds in mcmurdo sound, for the weddell is a land-loving seal and is only found in large numbers near the coast. just at this time it was the crab-eating seal which we saw very fairly often, generally several of them together, but never in large numbers. wilson has pointed out in his article upon seals in the discovery report[ ] that the weddell and the crab-eater seal, which are the two commoner of the antarctic seals, have agreed to differ both in habit and in diet, and therefore they share the field successfully. he shows that "the two penguins which share the same area have differentiated in a somewhat similar manner." the weddell seal and the emperor penguin "have the following points in common, namely, a littoral distribution, a fish diet and residential non-migratory habit, remaining as far south the whole year round as open water will allow; whereas the other two (the crab-eating seal and the adélie penguin) have in common a more pelagic habit, a crustacean diet, and a distribution definitely migratory in the case of the penguin, and although not so definitely migratory in the case of the seal, yet checked from coming so far south as weddell's seal in winter by a strong tendency to keep in touch with pelagic ice."[ ] wilson considers that the advantage lies in each case with the "non-migratory and more southern species," i.e. the weddell seal and the emperor penguin. i doubt whether he would confirm this now. the emperor penguin, weighing six stones and more, seems to me to have a very much harder fight for life than the little adélie. before the discovery started from england in an 'antarctic manual' was produced by the royal geographical society, giving a summary of the information which existed up to that date about this part of the world. it is interesting reading, and to the antarctic student it proves how little was known in some branches of science at that date, and what strides were made during the next few years. to read what was known of the birds and beasts of the antarctic and then to read wilson's zoological report of the discovery expedition is an education in what one man can still do in an out-of-the-way part of the world to elucidate the problems which await him. the teeth of a crab-eating seal "are surmounted by perhaps the most complicated arrangement of cusps found in any living mammal."[ ] the mouth is so arranged that the teeth of the upper jaw fit into those of the lower, and "the cusps form a perfect sieve ... a hitherto unparalleled function for the teeth of a mammal."[ ] the food of this seal consists mainly of euphausiae, animals much like shrimps, which it doubtless keeps in its mouth while it expels the water through its teeth, like those whales which sift their food through their baleen plates." this development of cusps in the teeth of the [crab-eating seal] is probably a more perfect adaptation to this purpose than in any other mammal, and has been produced at the cost of all usefulness in the teeth as grinders. the grit, however, which forms a fairly constant part of the contents of the stomach and intestines, serves, no doubt, to grind up the shells of the crustaceans, and in this way the necessity for grinders is completely obviated."[ ] the sea-leopard has a very formidable set of teeth suitable for his carnivorous diet. the weddell, living on fish, has a more simple group, but these are liable to become very worn in old age, due to his habit of gnawing out holes in the ice for himself, so graphically displayed on ponting's cinematograph. when he feels death approaching, the crab-eating seal, never inclined to live in the company of more than a few of his kind, becomes still more solitary. the weddell seal will travel far up the glaciers of south victoria land, and there we have found them lying dead. but the crab-eating seal will wander even farther. he leaves the pack. "thirty miles from the sea-shore and feet above sea-level, their carcases were found on quite a number of occasions, and it is hard to account for such vagaries on other grounds than that a sick animal will go any distance to get away from its companions"[ ] (and perhaps it should be added from its enemies). often the under sides of the floes were coloured a peculiar yellow. this coloration is caused by minute unicellular plants called diatoms. the floating life of the antarctic is most dense. "diatoms were so abundant in parts of the ross sea, that a large plankton net ( meshes to an inch) became choked in a few minutes with them and other members of the phytoplankton. it is extremely probable that in such localities whales feed upon the plants as well as the animals of the plankton."[ ] i do not know to what extent these open waters are frequented by whales during the winter, but in the summer months they are full of them, right down to the fringe of the continent. most common of all is the kind of sea-wolf known as the killer whale, who measures feet long. he hunts in packs up to at least a hundred strong, and as we now know, he does not confine his attacks to seal and other whales, but will also hunt man, though perhaps he mistakes him for a seal. this whale is a toothed beast and a flesh-eater, and is more properly a dolphin. but it seems that there are at least five or six other kinds of whales, some of which do not penetrate south of the pack, while others cruise in large numbers right up to the edge of the fast ice. they feed upon the minute surface life of these seas, and large numbers of them were seen not only by the terra nova on her various cruises, but also by the shore parties in the waters of mcmurdo sound. in both wilson and lillie we had skilled whale observers, and their work has gone far to elucidate the still obscure questions of whale distribution in the south. the pack-ice offers excellent opportunities for the identification of whales, because their movements are more restricted than in the open ocean. in order to identify, the observer generally has only the blow, and then the shape of the back and fin as the whale goes down, to guide him. in the pack he sometimes gets more, as in the case of balaenoptera acutorostrata (piked whale) on march , . the ship "was ploughing her way through thick pack-ice, in which the water was freezing between the floes, so that the only open spaces for miles around were those made by the slow movement of the ship. we saw several of these whales during the day, making use of the holes in the ice near the ship for the purpose of blowing. there was scarcely room between the floes for the whales to come up to blow in their usual manner, which consists in rising almost horizontally, and breaking the surface of the water with their backs. on this occasion they pushed their snouts obliquely out of the water, nearly as far as the eye, and after blowing, withdrew them below the water again. commander pennell noted that several times one rested its head on a floe not twenty feet from the ship, with its nostrils just on the water-line; raising itself a few inches, it would blow and then subside again for a few minutes to its original position with its snout resting on the floe. they took no notice of pieces of coal which were thrown at them by the men on board the ship."[ ] but no whale which we saw in the pack, and we often saw it elsewhere also, was so imposing as the great blue whale, some of which were possibly more than feet long. "we used to watch this huge whale come to the surface again and again to blow, at intervals of thirty to forty seconds, and from the fact that at each of four or five appearances no vestige of a dorsal fin was visible, we began to wonder whether we had not found the right whale that was once reported to be so abundant in ross sea. again and again the spout went up into the cold air, a white twelve-foot column of condensed moisture, followed by a smooth broad back, and yet no fin. for some time we remained uncertain as to its identity, till at last in sounding for a longer disappearance and a greater depth than usual, the hinder third of the enormous beast appeared above the surface for the first time with its little angular dorsal fin, at once dispelling any doubts we might have had."[ ] it is supposed to be the largest mammal that has ever existed.[ ] as it comes up to blow, "one sees first a small dark hump appear and then immediately a jet of grey fog squirted upwards fifteen to eighteen feet, gradually spreading as it rises vertically into the frosty air. i have been nearly in these blows once or twice and had the moisture in my face with a sickening smell of shrimpy oil. then the hump elongates and up rolls an immense blue-grey or blackish-grey round back with a faint ridge along the top, on which presently appears a small hook-like dorsal fin, and then the whole sinks and disappears."[ ] to the biologist the pack is of absorbing interest. if you want to see life, naked and unashamed, study the struggles of this ice-world, from the diatom in the ice-floe to the big killer whale; each stage essential to the life of the stage above, and living on the stage below: the protoplasmic cycle big floes have little floes all around about 'em, and all the yellow diatoms[ ] couldn't do without 'em. forty million shrimplets feed upon the latter, and _they_ make the penguin and the seals and whales much fatter. along comes the orca[ ] and kills these down below, while up above the afterguard[ ] attack them on the floe: and if a sailor tumbles in and stoves the mushy pack in, he's crumpled up between the floes, and so they get _their_ whack in. then there's no doubt he soon becomes a patent fertilizer, invigorating diatoms, although they're none the wiser, so the protoplasm passes on its never-ceasing round, like a huge recurring decimal ... to which no end is found.[ ] we were early on the scene compared with previous expeditions, but i do not suppose this alone can explain the extremely heavy ice conditions we met. possibly we were too far east. our progress was very slow, and often we were hung up for days at a time, motionless and immovable, the pack all close about us. patience and always more patience! "from the masthead one can see a few patches of open water in different directions, but the main outlook is the same scene of desolate hummocky pack."[ ] and again: "we have scarcely moved all day, but bergs which have become quite old friends are on the move, and one has approached and almost circled us."[ ] and then without warning and reason, as far as we could see, it would open out again, and broad black leads and lakes would appear where there had been only white snow and ice before, and we would make just a few more miles, and sometimes we would raise steam only to suffer further disappointment. generally speaking, a dark black sky means open water, and this is known as an open-water sky; high lights in the sky mean ice, and this is known as ice-blink. the changes were as sudden as they were unexpected. thus early in the morning of christmas eve, about a fortnight after we had entered the pack, "we have come into a region of where the open water exceeds the ice; the former lies in great irregular pools three or four miles or more across and connecting with many leads. the latter--and the fact is puzzling--still contain floes of enormous dimensions; we have just passed one which is at least two miles in diameter...." and then, "alas! alas! at a.m. this morning we were brought up with a solid sheet of pack extending in all directions, save that from which we had come."[ ] delay was always irksome to scott. as time went on this waiting in the pack became almost intolerable. he began to think we might have to winter in the pack. and all the time our scanty supply of coal was being eaten up, until it was said that campbell's party would never be taken to king edward vii.'s land. scott found decisions to bank fires, to raise steam or to let fires out, most difficult at this time. "if one lets fires out it means a dead loss of over two tons, when the boiler has to be heated again. but this two tons would only cover a day under banked fires, so that for anything longer than twenty-four hours it is economy to put the fires out. at each stoppage one is called upon to decide whether it is to be for more or less than twenty-four hours."[ ] certainly england should have an oil-driven ship for polar work. the terra nova proved a wonderfully fine ice ship. bowers' middle watch especially became famous for the way in which he put the ship at the ice, and more than once scott was alarmed by the great shock and collisions which were the result: i have seen him hurry up from his cabin to put a stop to it! but bowers never hurt the ship, and she gallantly responded to the calls made upon her. sometimes it was a matter of forcing two floes apart, at others of charging and breaking one. often we went again and again at some stubborn bit, backing and charging alternately, as well as the space behind us would allow. if sufficient momentum was gained the ship rode upon the thicker floes, rising up upon it and pressing it down beneath her, until suddenly, perhaps when its nearest edge was almost amidships, the weight became too great and the ice split beneath us. at other times a tiny crack, no larger than a vein, would run shivering from our bows, which widened and widened until the whole ship passed through without difficulty. always when below one heard the grumbling of the ice as it passed along the side. but it was slow work, and hard on the engines. there were days when we never moved at all. "i can imagine few things more trying to the patience than the long wasted days of waiting. exasperating as it is to see the tons of coal melting away with the smallest mileage to our credit, one has at least the satisfaction of active fighting and the hope of better fortune. to wait idly is the worst of conditions. you can imagine how often and how restlessly we climbed to the crow's nest and studied the outlook. and strangely enough there was generally some change to note. a water lead would mysteriously open up a few miles away, or the place where it had been would as mysteriously close. huge icebergs crept silently towards or past us, and continually we were observing these formidable objects with range finder and compass to determine the relative movement, sometimes with misgivings as to our ability to clear them. under steam the change of conditions was even more marked. sometimes we would enter a lead of open water and proceed for a mile or two without hindrance; sometimes we would come to big sheets of thin ice which broke easily as our iron-shod prow struck them, and sometimes even a thin sheet would resist all our attempts to break it; sometimes we would push big floes with comparative ease and sometimes a small floe would bar our passage with such obstinacy that one would almost believe it possessed of an evil spirit; sometimes we passed through acres of sludgy sodden ice which hissed as it swept along the side, and sometimes the hissing ceased seemingly without rhyme or reason, and we found our screw churning the sea without any effect. "thus the steaming days passed away in an ever-changing environment and are remembered as an unceasing struggle. "the ship behaved splendidly--no other ship, not even the discovery, would have come through so well. certainly the nimrod would never have reached the south water had she been caught in such pack. as a result i have grown strangely attached to the terra nova. as she bumped the floes with mighty shocks, crushing and grinding a way through some, twisting and turning to avoid others, she seemed like a living thing fighting a great fight. if only she had more economical engines she would be suitable in all respects. [illustration: terra nova] "once or twice we got among floes which stood or feet above water, with hummocks and pinnacles as high as feet. the ship could have stood no chance had such floes pressed against her, and at first we were a little alarmed in such situations. but familiarity breeds contempt; there never was any pressure in the heavy ice, and i'm inclined to think there never would be. "the weather changed frequently during our journey through the pack. the wind blew strong from the west and from the east; the sky was often darkly overcast; we had snowstorms, flaky snow, and even light rain. in all such circumstances we were better placed in the pack than outside of it. the foulest weather could do us little harm. during quite a large percentage of days, however, we had bright sunshine, which, even with the temperature well below freezing, made everything look bright and cheerful. the sun also brought us wonderful cloud effects, marvellously delicate tints of sky, cloud and ice, such effects as one might travel far to see. in spite of our impatience we would not willingly have missed many of the beautiful scenes which our sojourn in the pack afforded us. ponting and wilson have been busy catching these effects, but no art can reproduce such colours as the deep blue of the icebergs."[ ] as a rule the officer of the watch conned from the crow's nest, shouting his orders to the steersman direct, and to the engine-room through the midshipman of the watch, who stood upon the bridge. it is thrilling work to the officer in charge, who not only has to face the immediate problem of what floes he dare and what he dare not charge, but also to puzzle out the best course for the future,--but i expect he soon gets sick of it. about this time bowers made a fancy sketch of the terra nova hitting an enormous piece of ice. the masts are all whipped forward, and from the crow's nest is shot first the officer of the watch, followed by cigarette ends and empty cocoa mugs, and lastly the hay with which the floor was covered. upon the forecastle stands farmer hayseed (oates) chewing a straw with the greatest composure, and waiting until the hay shall fall at his feet, at which time he will feed it to his ponies. this crow's nest, which was a barrel lashed to the top of the mainmast, to which entrance was gained by a hinged trap-door, shielded the occupant from most of the wind. i am not sure that the steersman did not have the most uninviting job, but hot cocoa is a most comforting drink and there was always plenty to be had. rennick was busy sounding. the depths varied from to at least fathoms, and the bottom generally showed volcanic deposits. our line of soundings showed the transition from the ocean depths to the continental shelf. a series of temperatures was gained by nelson by means of reversible thermometers down to metres. the winch upon which the sounding line was wound was worked by hand on this cruise. it was worked mechanically afterwards, and of course this ought always to be done if possible. just now it was a wearisome business, especially when we lowered a water-sample bottle one day to metres, spent hours in winding it up and found it still open when it arrived at the surface! water samples were also obtained at the various depths. lillie and nelson were both busy tow-netting for plankton with full-speed, apstein, nansen, -and -mesh nets. i don't think many at home had a more pleasant christmas day than we. it was beautifully calm with the pack all round. at we had church with lots of christmas hymns, and then decorated the ward-room with all our sledging flags. these flags are carried by officers on arctic expeditions, and are formed of the st. george's cross with a continuation ending in a swallow-tail in the heraldic colours to which the individual is entitled, and upon this is embroidered his crest. the men forrard had their christmas dinner of fresh mutton at mid-day; there was plenty of penguin for them, but curiously enough they did not think it good enough for a christmas dinner. the ward-room ate penguin in the evening, and after the toast of 'absent friends' we began to sing, and twice round the table everybody had to contribute a song. ponting's banjo songs were a great success, also oates's 'the vly on the tu-urmuts.' meares sang "a little song about our expedition, and many of the members that southward would go," of his own composition. the general result was that the watches were all over the place that night. at a.m. day whispered in my ear that there was nothing to do, and pennell promised to call me if there was--so i remembered no more until past six. and crean's rabbit gave birth to seventeen little ones, and it was said that crean had already given away twenty-two. we had stopped and banked fires against an immense composite floe on the evening of christmas eve. how we watched the little changes in the ice and the wind, and scanned the horizon for those black patches which meant open water ahead. but always there was that same white sky to the south of us. and then one day there came the shadow of movement on the sea, the faintest crush on the brash ice, the whisper of great disturbances afar off. it settled again: our hopes were dashed to the ground. then came the wind. it was so thick that we could not see far; but even in our restricted field changes were in progress. "we commence to move between two floes, make or yards, and are then brought up bows on to a large lump. this may mean a wait of anything from ten minutes to half-an-hour, whilst the ship swings round, falls away, and drifts to leeward. when clear she forges ahead again and the operation is repeated. occasionally when she can get a little way on she cracks the obstacle and slowly passes through it. there is a distinct swell--very long, very low. i counted the period as about nine seconds. every one says the ice is breaking up."[ ] on december the gale abated. the sky cleared, and showed signs of open water ahead. it was cold in the wind but the sun was wonderful, and we lay out on deck and basked in its warmth, a cheerful, careless crowd. after breakfast there was a consultation between scott and wilson in the crow's nest. it was decided to raise steam. meanwhile we sounded, and found a volcanic muddy bottom at fathoms. the last sounding showed fathoms; we had passed over a bank. steam came at p.m. and we began to push forward. at first it was hard going, but slowly we elbowed our way until the spaces of open water became more frequent. soon we found one or two large pools, several miles in extent; then the floes became smaller. later we could see no really big floes at all; "the sheets of thin ice are broken into comparatively regular figures, none more than thirty yards across," and "we are steaming amongst floes of small area evidently broken by swell, and with edges abraded by contact."[ ] we could not be far from the southern edge of the pack. twenty-four hours after raising steam we were still making good progress, checking sometimes to carve our way through some obstacle. at last we were getting a return for the precious coal expended. the sky was overcast, the outlook from the masthead flat and dreary, but hour by hour it became more obvious that we neared the threshold of the open sea. at a.m. on friday, december (lat. about ½° s., noon observation ° ´ s., ° ´ e.) bowers steered through the last ice stream. behind was some miles of ice. cape crozier was miles (geog.) ahead. footnotes: [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] wilson in the _discovery natural history reports._ [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] wilson's journal. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] raper, _practice of navigation_, article . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] ibid. pp. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] wilson. [ ] wilson, _discovery natural history report_, vol. ii. part ii. p. . [ ] wilson's journal. [ ] levick, _antarctic penguins_, p. . [ ] levick, _antarctic penguins_, p. . [ ] wilson in the _discovery natural history report, zoology_, vol. ii. part i. p. . [ ] _discovery natural history report, zoology_, vol. ii. part i. wilson, pp. , . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _antarctic manual: seals_, by barrett-hamilton, p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _discovery natural history report, zoology_, vol. ii. part i. by e. a. wilson, p. . [ ] _discovery natural history report, zoology_, vol. ii. part i. by e. a. wilson. [ ] _terra nova natural history report, cetacea_, vol. i. no. , p. , by lillie. [ ] _terra nova natural history report, zoology_, vol. i. no. , _cetacea_, by d. g. lillie, p. . [ ] _discovery natural history report, zoology_, vol. ii. part i. pp. - , by e. a. wilson. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] wilson's journal, _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] minute plants. [ ] killer whale. [ ] officers' mess on the terra nova. [ ] griffith taylor in _south polar times_. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] ibid. pp. , . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. , . chapter iv land beyond this flood a frozen continent lies dark and wilde, beat with perpetual storms of whirlwind and dire hail, which on firm land thaws not, but gathers heap, and ruin seems of ancient pile; all else deep snow and ice.... milton, _paradise lost_, ii. "they say it's going to blow like hell. go and look at the glass." thus titus oates quietly to me a few hours before we left the pack. i went and looked at the barograph and it made me feel sea-sick. within a few hours i was sick, _very_ sick; but we newcomers to the antarctic had yet to learn that we knew nothing about its barometer. nothing very terrible happened after all. when i got up to the bridge for the morning watch we were in open water and it was blowing fresh. it freshened all day, and by the evening it was blowing a southerly with a short choppy north sea swell, and very warm. by a.m. the next morning there was a big sea running and the dogs and ponies were having a bad time. rennick had the morning watch these days, and i was his humble midshipman. at . we sighted what we thought was a berg on the port bow. about three minutes later rennick said, "there's a bit of pack," and i went below and reported to evans. it was very thick with driving snow and also foggy, and before evans got up to the bridge we were quite near the pack, and amongst bits which had floated from it, one of which must have been our berg. we took in the headsails as quickly as possible, these being the only sails set, and nosed along dead slow to leeward under steam alone. gradually we could see either pack or the blink of it all along our port and starboard beam, while gradually we felt our way down a big patch of open water. there was quite a meeting on the bridge, and it was decided to get well in, and lie in open water under lee of the pack till the gale blew itself out. "under ordinary circumstances the safe course would have been to go about and stand to the east. but in our case we must risk trouble to get smoother water for the ponies. we passed a stream of ice over which the sea was breaking heavily, and one realized the danger of being amongst loose floes in such a sea. but soon we came to a compacter body of floes, and running behind this we were agreeably surprised to find comparatively smooth water. we ran on for a bit, then stopped and lay to."[ ] all that day we lay behind that pack, steaming slowly to leeward every now and then, as the ice drifted down upon us. towards night it began to clear. it was new year's eve. i turned in, thinking to wake in . but i had not been long asleep when i found atkinson at my side. "have you seen the land?" he said. "wrap your blankets round you, and go and see." and when i got up on deck i could see nothing for a while. then he said: "all the high lights are snow lit up by the sun." and there they were: the most glorious peaks appearing, as it were like satin, above the clouds, the only white in a dark horizon. the first glimpse of antarctic land, sabine and the great mountains of the admiralty range. they were miles away. but icy mountains high on mountains pil'd seem to the shivering sailor from afar shapeless and white, an atmosphere of cloud;[ ] and, truth to tell, i went back to my warm bunk. at midnight a rowdy mob, ringing the new year in with the dinner-bell, burst into our nursery. i expected to be hauled out, but got off with a dig in the ribs from birdie bowers. in brilliant sunshine we coasted down victoria land. "to-night it is absolutely calm, with glorious bright sunshine. several people were sunning themselves at o'clock! sitting on deck and reading."[ ] at . on monday night, january , we sighted erebus, miles away. the next morning most of us were on the yards furling sail. we were heading for cape crozier, the northern face of ross island was open to our fascinated gaze, and away to the east stretched the barrier face until it disappeared below the horizon. adélie penguins and killer whales were abundant in the water through which we steamed. i have seen fuji, the most dainty and graceful of all mountains; and also kinchinjunga: only michael angelo among men could have conceived such grandeur. but give me erebus for my friend. whoever made erebus knew all the charm of horizontal lines, and the lines of erebus are for the most part nearer the horizontal than the vertical. and so he is the most restful mountain in the world, and i was glad when i knew that our hut would lie at his feet. and always there floated from his crater the lazy banner of his cloud of steam. now we had reached the barrier face some five miles east of the point at which it joins the basalt cliffs of cape crozier. we could see the great pressure waves which had proved such an obstacle to travellers from the discovery to the emperor penguin rookery. the knoll was clear, but the summit of mount terror was in the clouds. as for the barrier we seemed to have known it all our lives, it was so exactly like what we had imagined it to be, and seen in the pictures and photographs. scott had a whaler launched, and we pulled in under the cliffs. there was a considerable swell. "we were to examine the possibilities of landing, but the swell was so heavy in its break among the floating blocks of ice along the actual beach and ice foot that a landing was out of the question. we should have broken up the boat and have all been in the water together. but i assure you it was tantalizing to me, for there about six feet above us on a small dirty piece of the old bay ice about ten feet square one living emperor penguin chick was standing disconsolately stranded, and close by stood one faithful old emperor parent asleep. this young emperor was still in the down, a most interesting fact in the bird's life history at which we had rightly guessed, but which no one had actually observed before. it was in a stage never yet seen or collected, for the wings were already quite clean of down and feathered as in the adult, also a line down the breast was shed of down and part of the head. this bird would have been a treasure to me, but we could not risk life for it, so it had to remain where it was. it was a curious fact that with as much clean ice to live on as they could have wished for, these destitute derelicts of a flourishing colony, now gone north to sea on floating bay ice, should have preferred to remain standing on the only piece of bay ice left, a piece about ten feet square and now pressed up six feet above water level, evidently wondering why it was so long in starting north with the general exodus which must have taken place just a month ago. the whole incident was most interesting and full of suggestion as to the slow working of the brain of these queer people. another point was most weird to see, that on the _under_ side of this very dirty piece of sea-ice, which was about two feet thick and which hung over the water as a sort of cave, we could see the legs and lower halves of dead emperor chicks hanging through, and even in one place a dead adult. i hope to make a picture of the whole quaint incident, for it was a corner crammed full of imperial history in the light of what we already knew, and it would otherwise have been about as unintelligible as any group of animate or inanimate nature could possibly have been. as it is, it throws more light on the life history of this strangely primitive bird.... "we were joking in the boat as we rowed under these cliffs and saying it would be a short-lived amusement to see the overhanging cliff part company and fall on us. so we were glad to find that we were rowing back to the ship and already or yards away from the place and in open water when there was a noise like crackling thunder and a huge plunge into the sea and a smother of rock dust like the smoke of an explosion, and we realized that the very thing had happened which we had just been talking about. altogether it was a very exciting row, for before we got on board we had the pleasure of seeing the ship shoved in so close to these cliffs by a belt of heavy pack ice that to us it appeared a toss-up whether she got out again or got forced in against the rocks. she had no time or room to turn, and got clear by backing out through the belt of pack stern first, getting heavy bumps under the counter and on the rudder as she did so, for the ice was heavy and the swell considerable."[ ] westward of cape crozier the sides of mount terror slope down to the sea, forming a possible landing-place in calm weather. here there is a large adélie penguin rookery in summer, and it was here that the discovery left a record of her movements tied to a post to guide the relieving ship the following year. it was the return of a sledge party which tried to reach this record from the barrier that led to vince's terrible death.[ ] as we coasted along we could see this post quite plainly, looking as new as the day it was erected, and we know now that there is communication with the barrier behind, while this rookery itself is free from the blizzards which sweep out to sea by cape crozier. it was therefore an excellent place to winter and it was a considerable disappointment to find that it was impossible to land. this was the first sight we had of a rookery of the little adélie penguin. hundreds of thousands of birds dotted the shore, and there were many thousands in the sea round the ship. as we came to know these rookeries better we came to look upon these quaint creatures more as familiar friends than as casual acquaintances. whatever a penguin does has individuality, and he lays bare his whole life for all to see. he cannot fly away. and because he is quaint in all that he does, but still more because he is fighting against bigger odds than any other bird, and fighting always with the most gallant pluck, he comes to be considered as something apart from the ordinary bird--sometimes solemn, sometimes humorous, enterprising, chivalrous, cheeky--and always (unless you are driving a dog-team) a welcome and, in some ways, an almost human friend. the alternative landing-place to cape crozier was somewhere in mcmurdo sound, the essential thing being that we should have access to and from the barrier, such communication having to be by sea-ice, since the land is for the most part impassable. as we steamed from cape crozier to cape bird, the n.w. extremity of ross island, we carried out a detailed running survey. when we neared cape bird and beaufort island we could see that there was much pack in the mouth of the strait. by keeping close in to the land we avoided the worst of the trouble, and "as we rounded cape bird we came in sight of the old well-remembered landmarks--mount discovery and the western mountains--seen dimly through a hazy atmosphere. it was good to see them again, and perhaps after all we are better this side of the island. it gives one a homely feeling to see such a familiar scene."[ ] right round from cape crozier to cape royds the coast is cold and forbidding, and for the most part heavily crevassed. west of cape bird are some small penguin rookeries, and high up on the ice slopes could be seen some grey granite boulders. these are erratics, brought by ice from the western mountains, and are evidence of a warmer past when the barrier rose some two thousand feet higher than it does now, and stretched many hundreds of miles farther out to sea. but now the antarctic is becoming colder, the deposition of snow is therefore farther north, and the formation of ice correspondingly less. [illustration: sounding--e. a. wilson, del.] [illustration: krisravitza] many watched all night, as this new world unfolded itself, cape by cape and mountain by mountain. we pushed through some heavy floes and "at a.m. (on january ) we came through the last of the strait pack some three miles north of cape royds. we steered for the cape, fully expecting to find the edge of the pack-ice ranging westward from it. to our astonishment we ran on past the cape with clear water or thin sludge ice on all sides of us. past cape royds, past cape barne, past the glacier on its south side, and finally round and past inaccessible island, a good two miles south of cape royds. the cape itself was cut off from the south. we could have gone farther, but the last sludge ice seemed to be increasing in thickness, and there was no wintering spot to aim for but cape armitage.[ ] i have never seen the ice of the sound in such a condition or the land so free from snow. taking these facts in conjunction with the exceptional warmth of the air, i came to the conclusion that it had been an exceptionally warm summer. at this point it was evident that we had a considerable choice of wintering spots. we could have gone to either of the small islands, to the mainland, the glacier tongue, or pretty well anywhere except hut point. my main wish was to choose a place that would not be easily cut off from the barrier, and my eye fell on a cape which we used to call the skuary, a little behind us. it was separated from the old discovery quarters by two deep bays on either side of the glacier tongue, and i thought that these bays would remain frozen until late in the season, and that when they froze over again the ice would soon become firm. i called a council and put these propositions. to push on to the glacier tongue and winter there; to push west to the 'tombstone' ice and to make our way to an inviting spot to the northward of the cape we used to call 'the skuary.' i favoured the latter course, and on discussion we found it obviously the best, so we turned back close around inaccessible island and steered for the fast ice off the cape at full speed. after piercing a small fringe of thin ice at the edge of the fast floe the ship's stem struck heavily on hard bay ice about a mile and a half from the shore. here was a road to the cape and a solid wharf on which to land our stores. we made fast with ice-anchors."[ ] scott, wilson and evans walked away over the sea-ice, but were soon back. they reported an excellent site for a hut on a shelving beach on the northern side of the cape before us, which was henceforward called cape evans, after our second in command. landing was to begin forthwith. first came the two big motor sledges which took up so much of our deck space. in spite of the hundreds of tons of sea-water which had washed over and about them they came out of their big crates looking "as fresh and clean as if they had been packed on the previous day."[ ] they were running that same afternoon. we had a horse-box for the ponies, which came next, but it wanted all oates' skill and persuasion to get them into it. all seventeen of them were soon on the floe, rolling and kicking with joy, and thence they were led across to the beach where they were carefully picketed to a rope run over a snow slope where they could not eat sand. shackleton lost four out of eight ponies within a month of his arrival. his ponies were picketed on rubbly ground at cape royds, and ate the sand for the salt flavour it possessed. the fourth pony died from eating shavings in which chemicals had been packed. this does not mean that they were hungry, merely that these manchurian ponies eat the first thing that comes in their way, whether it be a bit of sugar or a bit of erebus. meanwhile the dog-teams were running light loads between the ship and the shore. "the great trouble with them has been due to the fatuous conduct of the penguins. groups of these have been constantly leaping on to our floe. from the moment of landing on their feet their whole attitude expressed devouring curiosity and a pig-headed disregard for their own safety. they waddle forward, poking their heads to and fro in their usually absurd way, in spite of a string of howling dogs straining to get at them. 'hulloa!' they seem to say, 'here's a game--what do all you ridiculous things want?' and they come a few steps nearer. the dogs make a rush as far as their harness or leashes allow. the penguins are not daunted in the least, but their ruffs go up and they squawk with semblance of anger, for all the world as though they were rebutting a rude stranger--their attitude might be imagined to convey, 'oh, that's the sort of animal you are; well, you've come to the wrong place--we aren't going to be bluffed and bounced by you,' and then the final fatal steps forward are taken and they come within reach. there is a spring, a squawk, a horrid red patch on the snow, and the incident is closed."[ ] everything had to be sledged nearly a mile and a half across the sea-ice, but at midnight, after seventeen hours' continuous work, the position was most satisfactory. the large amount of timber which went to make the hut was mostly landed. the ponies and dogs were sleeping in the sun on shore. a large green tent housed the hut builders, and the site for the hut was levelled. "such weather in such a place comes nearer to satisfying my ideal of perfection than any condition i have ever experienced. the warm glow of the sun with the keen invigorating cold of the air forms a combination which is inexpressibly health-giving and satisfying to me, whilst the golden light on this wonderful scene of mountain and ice satisfies every claim of scenic magnificence. no words of mine can convey the impressiveness of the wonderful panorama displayed to our eyes.... it's splendid to see at last the effect of all the months of preparation and organisation. there is much snoring about me as i write ( a.m.) from men tired after a hard day's work and preparing for such another to-morrow. i also must sleep, for i have had none for hours--but it should be to dream happily."[ ] getting to bed about midnight and turning out at a.m. we kept it up day after day. petrol, paraffin, pony food, dog food, sledges and sledging gear, hut furniture, provisions of all kinds both for life at the hut and for sledging, coal, scientific instruments and gear, carbide, medical stores, clothing--i do not know how many times we sledged over that sea-ice, but i do know that we were landed as regards all essentials in six days. "nothing like it has been done before; nothing so expeditious and complete."[ ] ... and "words cannot express the splendid way in which every one works."[ ] the two motors, the two dog-teams, man-hauling parties, and, as they were passed for work by oates, the ponies; all took part in this transport. as usual bowers knew just where everything was, and where it was to go, and he was most ably seconded on the ship by rennick and bruce. both man-hauling parties and pony-leaders commonly did ten journeys a day, a distance of over thirty miles. the ponies themselves did one to three or four journeys as they were considered fit. generally speaking the transport seemed satisfactory, but it soon became clear that sea-ice was very hard on the motor sledge runners. "the motor sledges are working well, but not very well; the small difficulties will be got over, but i rather fear they will never draw the loads we expect of them. still they promise to be a help, and they are a lively and attractive feature of our present scene as they drone along over the floe. at a little distance, without silencers, they sound exactly like threshing machines."[ ] the ponies were the real problem. it was to be expected that they would be helpless and exhausted after their long and trying voyage. not a bit of it! they were soon rolling about, biting one another, kicking one another, and any one else, with the best will in the world. after two days' rest on shore, twelve of them were thought fit to do one journey, on which they pulled loads varying from to lbs. with ease on the hard sea-ice surface. but it was soon clear that these ponies were an uneven lot. there were the steady workers like punch and nobby; there were one or two definitely weak ponies like blossom, blücher and jehu; and there were one or two strong but rather impossible beasts. one of these was soon known as weary willie. his outward appearance belied him, for he looked like a pony. a brief acquaintance soon convinced me that he was without doubt a cross between a pig and a mule. he was obviously a strong beast and, since he always went as slowly as possible and stopped as often as possible it was most difficult to form any opinion as to what load he was really able to draw. consequently i am afraid there is little doubt that he was generally overloaded until that grim day on the barrier when he was set upon by a dog-team. it was his final collapse at the end of the depôt journey which caused scott to stay behind when we went out on the sea-ice. but of that i shall speak again. twice only have i ever seen weary willie trot. we were leading the ponies now as always with halters and without bits. consequently our control was limited, especially on ice, but doubtless the ponies' comfort was increased, especially in cold weather when a metal bit would have been difficult if not impossible. on this occasion he and i had just arrived at the ship after a trudge in which i seemed to be pulling both weary and the sledge. just then a motor back-fired, and we started back across that floe at a pace which surprised weary even more than myself, for he fell over the sledge, himself and me, and for days i felt like a big black bruise. the second occasion on which he got a move on was during the depôt journey when gran on ski tried to lead him. christopher and hackenschmidt were impossible ponies. christopher, as we shall see, died on the barrier a year after this, fighting almost to the last. hackenschmidt, so called "from his vicious habit of using both fore and hind legs in attacking those who came near him,"[ ] led an even more lurid life but had a more peaceful end. whether oates could have tamed him i do not know: he would have done it if it were possible, for his management of horses was wonderful. but in any case hackenschmidt sickened at the hut while we were absent on the depôt journey, for no cause which could be ascertained, gradually became too weak to stand, and was finally put out of his misery. there was a breathless minute when hackenschmidt, with a sledge attached to him, went galloping over the hills and boulders. below him, all unconscious of his impending fate, was ponting, adjusting a large camera with his usual accuracy. both survived. there were runaways innumerable, and all kinds of falls. but these ponies could tumble about unharmed in a way which would cause an english horse to lie up for a week. "there is no doubt that the bumping of the sledges close at the heels of the animals is the root of the evil."[ ] there were two adventures during this first week of landing stores which might well have had a more disastrous conclusion. the first of these was the adventure of ponting and the killer whales. "i was a little late on the scene this morning, and thereby witnessed a most extraordinary scene. some six or seven killer whales, old and young, were skirting the fast floe edge ahead of the ship; they seemed excited and dived rapidly, almost touching the floe. as we watched, they suddenly appeared astern, raising their snouts out of water. i had heard weird stories of these beasts, but had never associated serious danger with them. close to the water's edge lay the wire stern rope of the ship, and our two esquimaux dogs were tethered to this. i did not think of connecting the movement of the whales with this fact, and seeing them so close i shouted to ponting, who was standing abreast of the ship. he seized his camera and ran towards the floe edge to get a close picture of the beasts, which had momentarily disappeared. the next moment the whole floe under him and the dogs heaved up and split into fragments. one could hear the booming noise as the whales rose under the ice and struck it with their backs. whale after whale rose under the ice, setting it rocking fiercely; luckily ponting kept his feet and was able to fly to security. by an extraordinary chance also, the splits had been made around and between the dogs, so that neither of them fell into the water. then it was clear that the whales shared our astonishment, for one after another their huge hideous heads shot vertically into the air through the cracks which they had made. as they reared them to a height of six or eight feet it was possible to see their tawny head markings, their small glistening eyes, and their terrible array of teeth--by far the largest and most terrifying in the world. there cannot be a doubt that they looked up to see what had happened to ponting and the dogs. "the latter were horribly frightened and strained to their chains, whining; the head of one killer must certainly have been within five feet of one of the dogs. "after this, whether they thought the game insignificant, or whether they missed ponting is uncertain, but the terrifying creatures passed on to other hunting grounds, and we were able to rescue the dogs, and what was even more important, our petrol--five or six tons of which was waiting on a piece of ice which was not split away from the main mass. "of course, we have known well that killer whales continually skirt the edge of the floes and that they would undoubtedly snap up any one who was unfortunate enough to fall into the water; but the facts that they could display such deliberate cunning, that they were able to break ice of such thickness (at least ½ feet), and that they could act in unison, were a revelation to us. it is clear that they are endowed with singular intelligence, and in future we shall treat that intelligence with every respect."[ ] we were to be hunted by these killer whales again. the second adventure was the loss of the third motor sledge. it was sunday morning, january , and scott had given orders that this motor was to be hoisted out of the ship. "this was done first thing and the motor placed on firm ice. later campbell told me one of the men had dropped a leg through crossing a sludgy patch some yards from the ship. i didn't consider it very serious, as i imagined the man had only gone through the surface crust. about a.m. i started for the shore with a single man load, leaving campbell looking about for the best crossing for the motor."[ ] i find a note in my own diary as to what happened after that: "last night the ice was getting very soft in places, and i was a little doubtful about leading ponies over a spot on the route to the hut which is about a quarter of a mile from the ship. it has been thawing very fast the last few days, and has been very hot as antarctic weather goes. this morning was the same, and bailey went in up to his neck. "some half-hour after the motor was put on to the floe, we were told to tow it on to firm ice as that near the ship was breaking up. all hands started on a long tow line. we got on to the rotten piece, and somebody behind shouted 'you must run.' from that moment everything happened very quickly. williamson fell right in through the ice; immediately afterwards we were all brought up with a jerk. then the line began to pull us backwards; the stern of the motor had sunk through the ice, and the whole car began to sink. it slowly went right through and disappeared and then the tow line followed it. everything possible was done to hang on to the rope, but in the end we had to let it go, each man keeping his hold until he was dragged to the lip of the hole. then we made for the fast ice, leaving the rotten bit between us and the ship. "pennell and priestley sounded their way back to the ship, and day asked priestley to bring his goggles when he returned. they came back with a life-line, pennell leading. suddenly the ice gave way under priestley, who disappeared entirely and came up, so we learned afterwards, under the ice, there being a big current. in a moment pennell was lying flat upon the floe on his chest, got his hand under priestley's arm, and so pulled him out. all priestley said was, 'day, here are your goggles.' we all got back to the ship, but communication between the ship and the shore was interrupted for the rest of the day, when a solid road was found right up to the ship in another place."[ ] meanwhile the hut was rising very quickly, and davies, who was chippy chap, the carpenter, deserves much credit. he was a leading shipwright in the navy, always willing and bright, and with a very thorough knowledge of his job. i have seen him called up hour after hour, day and night, on the ship, when the pumps were choked by the coal balls which formed in the bilges, and he always arrived with a smile on his face. altogether he was one of our most useful men. in this job of hut-building he was helped by two of our seamen, keohane and abbott, and others. latterly i believe there were more people working than there were hammers! a plan of this hut is given here. it was feet long, by feet wide, and feet to the eaves. the insulation, which was very satisfactory, was seaweed, sewn up in the form of a quilt. "the sides have double [match-] boarding inside and outside the frames, with a layer of our excellent quilted seaweed insulation between each pair of boardings. the roof has a single match-boarding inside, but on the outside is a match-boarding, then a layer of -ply ruberoid, then a layer of quilted seaweed, then a second match-boarding, and finally a cover of -ply ruberoid."[ ] the floor consisted of a wooden boarding next the frame, then a quilt of seaweed, then a layer of felt upon which was a second boarding and finally linoleum. we thought we should be warm, and we were. in fact, during the winter, with twenty-five men living there, and the cooking range going, and perhaps also the stove at the other end, the hut not infrequently became fuggy, big though it was. the entrance was through a door in a porch before you got to the main door. in the porch were the generators of the acetylene gas, which was fitted throughout by day, who was also responsible for the fittings of the ventilator, cooking range, and stove, the chimney pipes from these running along through the middle of the hut before entering a common vent. little heat was lost. the pipes were fitted with dampers, and air inlets which could be opened or shut at will to control the ventilation. besides a big ventilator in the top of the hut there was an adjustable air inlet also at the base of the chamber which formed the junction of the two chimneys. the purpose of this was also ventilation, but it was not successful. the bulkhead which separated the men's quarters, or mess deck, from the rest of the hut, was formed of such cases as contained goods in glass, including wine, which would have frozen and broken outside. the bulkhead did not go as high as the top of the hut. when the contents of a case were wanted, a side of the box was taken out, and the empty case then formed a shelf. we started to live in the hut on january , beautifully warm, the gramophone going, and everybody happy. but for a long time before this most of the landing party had been living in tents on shore. it was very comfortable, far more so than might be supposed, judging only by the popular idea of a polar life. we were now almost landed, there were just a few things more to come over from the ship. "it was blowing a mild blizzard from the south, and i took a sledge over to the ship, which was quite blotted out in blinding snow at times. it was as hard to get an empty sledge over, as generally it is to drag a full one. tea on the ship, which was very full of welcome, but also very full of the superiority of their own comforts over those of the land. their own comforts were not so very obvious, since they had tried to get the stove in the wardroom going for the first time. they were all coughing in the smoke, and everything inside was covered with smuts."[ ] the hut itself was some twelve feet above the sea, and situated upon what was now an almost sandy beach of black lava. it was thought that this was high enough to be protected from any swell likely to arrive in such a sheltered place, but, as we shall see, scott was very anxious as to the fate of the hut, when, on the depôt journey, a swell removed not only miles of sea-ice and a good deal of barrier, but also the end of glacier tongue. we never saw this beach again, for the autumn gales covered it with thick drifts of snow, and the thaw was never enough to remove this for the two other summers we spent here. there is no doubt this was an exceptional year for thaw. we never again saw a little waterfall such as was now tumbling down the rocks from skua lake into the sea. the little hill of feet high behind us was soon named wind vane hill, and there were other meteorological instruments there besides. a snow-drift or ice-drift always forms to leeward of any such projection, and that beneath this hill was large enough for us to drive into it two ice caves. the first of these was to contain our larder, notably the frozen mutton carcasses brought down by us from new zealand in the ice-house on deck. these, however, showed signs of mildew, and we never ate very freely of them. seal and penguin were our stock meat foods, and mutton was considered to be a luxury. the second cave, feet long by feet wide, hollowed out by simpson and wright, was for the magnetic instruments. the temperature of these caves was found to be fairly constant. unfortunately, this was the only drift into which we could tunnel, and we had no such mass of snow and ice as is afforded by the barrier, which can be burrowed, and was burrowed extensively by amundsen and his men. the cases containing the bulk of our stores were placed in stacks arranged by bowers up on the sloping ground to the west of the hut, beginning close to the entrance door. the sledges lay on the hill side above them. this arrangement was very satisfactory during the first winter, but the excessive blizzards of the second winter and the immense amount of snow which was gathering about the camp caused us to move everything up to the top of the ridge behind the hut where the wind kept them more clear. amundsen found it advisable to put his cases in two long lines.[ ] the dogs were tethered to a long chain or rope. the ponies' stable was built against the northern side of the hut, and was thus sheltered from the blizzards which always blow here from the south. against the south side of the hut bowers built himself a store-room. "every day he conceives or carries out some plan to benefit the camp."[ ] "scott seems very cheery about things," i find in my diary about this time. and well he might be. a man could hardly be better served. we slaved until we were nearly dead-beat, and then we found something else to do until we were quite dead-beat. ship's company and landing parties alike, not only now but all through this job, did their very utmost, and their utmost was very good. the way men worked was fierce. "if you can picture our house nestling below this small hill on a long stretch of black sand, with many tons of provision cases ranged in neat blocks in front of it and the sea lapping the ice-foot below, you will have some idea of our immediate vicinity. as for our wider surroundings it would be difficult to describe their beauty in sufficiently glowing terms. cape evans is one of the many spurs of erebus and the one that stands closest under the mountain, so that always towering above us we have the grand snowy peak with its smoking summit. north and south of us are deep bays, beyond which great glaciers come rippling over the lower slopes to thrust high blue-walled snouts into the sea. the sea is blue before us, dotted with shining bergs or ice floes, whilst far over the sound, yet so bold and magnificent as to appear near, stand the beautiful western mountains with their numerous lofty peaks, their deep glacial valley and clear cut scarps, a vision of mountain scenery that can have few rivals."[ ] [illustration: mt. erebus, the ramp and the hut] "before i left england people were always telling me the antarctic must be dull without much life. now we are in ourselves a perfect farmyard. there are nineteen ponies fifty yards off and thirty dogs just behind, and they howl like the wolves they are at intervals, led by dyk. the skuas are nesting all round and fighting over the remains of the seals which we have killed, and the penguins which the dogs have killed, whenever they have got the chance. the collie bitch which we have brought down for breeding purposes wanders about the camp. a penguin is standing outside my tent, presumably because he thinks he is going to moult here. a seal has just walked up into the horse lines--there are plenty of weddell and penguins and whales. on board we have nigger and a blue persian kitten, with rabbits and squirrels. the whole place teems with life. "franky drake is employed all day wandering round for ice for watering the ship. yesterday he had made a pile out on the floe, and the men wanted to have a flag put on it, and have it photographed, and called 'mr. drake's furthest south.'"[ ] january was fixed as the day upon which twelve of us, with eight ponies and the two dog-teams, were to start south to lay a depôt upon the barrier for the polar journey. scott was of opinion that the bays between us and the hut point peninsula would freeze over in march, probably early in march, and that we should most of us get back to cape evans then. at the same time the ponies could not come down over the cliffs of this tongue of land, and preparations had to be made for a lengthy stay at hut point for them and their keepers. for this purpose scott meant to use the old discovery hut at hut point.[ ] on january he took meares and one dog-team, and started for hut point, which was fifteen statute miles to the south of us. they crossed glacier tongue, finding upon it a depôt of compressed fodder and maize which had been left by shackleton. the open water to the west nearly reached the tongue. on arrival at the hut scott was shocked to find it full of snow and ice. this was serious, and, as we found afterwards the drifted snow had thawed down into ice: the whole of the inside of this hut was a big ice block. in the middle of this ice was a pile of cases left by the discovery as a depôt. they were, we knew, full of biscuit. "there was something too depressing in finding the old hut in such a desolate condition. i had had so much interest in seeing all the old landmarks and the huts apparently intact. to camp outside and feel that all the old comforts and cheer had departed was dreadfully heartrending."[ ] that night "we slept badly till the morning and, therefore, late. after breakfast we went up the hills; there was a keen s.e. breeze, but the sun shone and my spirits revived. there was very much less snow everywhere than i had ever seen. the ski run was completely cut through in two places, the gap and observation hill almost bare, a great bare slope on the side of arrival heights, and on top of crater heights an immense bare table-land. how delighted we should have been to see it like this in the old days! the pond was thawed and the confervae green in fresh water. the hole which we had dug in the mound in the pond was still there, as meares discovered by falling into it up to his waist, and getting very wet. "on the south side we could see the pressure ridges beyond pram point as of old--horseshoe bay calm and unpressed--the sea-ice pressed on pram point and along the gap ice front, and a new ridge running around c. armitage about miles off. we saw ferrar's old thermometer tubes standing out of the snow slope as though they'd been placed yesterday. vince's cross might have been placed yesterday--the paint was so fresh and the inscription so legible."[ ] we had two officers who had been with shackleton in his expedition--priestley, who was in our northern party, and day, who was in charge of our motors. priestley with two others sledged over to cape royds and has left an account of the old hut there: "after pitching tent levick and i went over to the hut to forage. on the way i visited derrick point and took a large seven-pound tin of butter while levick opened up the hut. it was very dark inside but i pulled the boarding down from the windows so that we could see all right. it was very funny to see everything lying about just as we had left it, in that last rush to get off in the lull of the blizzard. on marston's bunk was a sixpenny copy of the story of bessie costrell, which some one had evidently read and left open. perhaps what brought the old times back again more than anything else was the fact that as i came out of the larder the sleeve of my wind clothes caught the tap of the copper and turned it on. when i heard the drip of the water i turned instinctively and turned the tap off, almost expecting to hear bobs' raucous voice cursing me for my clumsiness. perhaps what strikes one more forcibly than anything else is the fact that nothing has been disturbed. on the table was the remains of a batch of bread that bobs had cooked for us and that was only partially consumed before the nimrod called for us. some of the rolls showed the impression of bites given to them in . all round the bread were the sauces, pickles, pepper and salt of our usual standing lunch, and a half-opened tin of gingerbreads was a witness to the dryness of the climate for they were still crisp as the day they were opened. "in the cubicle near the larder were the loose tins that poor armytage and myself had collected from all round the hut before we left. "on the shelves of my cubicle are still stacked the magazines and paper brought down by the relief ship. nothing is changed at all except the company. it is almost dismal. i expect to see people come in through the door after a walk over the surrounding hills. "we had not much time to look round us; for campbell was cooking in the tent, so we slung a few tins of jam, a plum-pudding, some tea, and gingerbreads into a sack, and returned to camp. by this time it was snowing heavily and continued to do so after dinner so that we turned in immediately ( . p.m.) and went off to sleep. one thing worth mentioning is that on several of the drifts are well-defined hoof marks, some of them looking so new that we could have sworn that they had been made this year. "the old sport [levick] gave us a start by suddenly announcing that he could see a ship quite close, and for some time we were on tenterhooks, but his ship proved to be the terra nova ice-anchored off the skuary. "the whole place is very eerie, there is such a feeling of life about it. not only do i feel it but the others do also. last night after i turned in i could have sworn that i heard people shouting to each other. "i thought that i had only got an attack of nerves but campbell asked me if i had heard any shouting, for he had certainly done so. it must have been the seals calling to each other, but it certainly did sound most human. we are getting so worked up that we should not be a bit surprised to see a settlement of japanese or some other such people some day when we stroll round towards blacksand beach. the old sport created some amusement this evening by opening a tin of nestlé's milk at both ends instead of making the two holes at one end. he informed us that he had got so used to using two whole tins of milk for cocoa for fourteen people at night that he always opened them that way. "as a consequence we have to spend most of our spare time making bungs to keep the milk in the tin."[ ] meanwhile, as was to be expected, the action of the, i suspect, abnormal summer sea temperature was showing its effect upon the sea-ice. sea-ice thaws from below when the temperature of the water rises. the northern ice goes out first here, being next to the open water, but big thaw pools form at the same time wherever a current of water flows over shallows, as at the end of cape evans, hut point and cape armitage. on january the ice was breaking away between the point of cape evans and the ship, although a road still remained fast between the ship and the shore. the ship began to get up steam, but the fast ice broke away quickly that night. i believe they got steam in three hours, twelve hours being the time generally allowed: only just in time, however, for she broke adrift as it was reported. the next morning she made fast to the ice only yards from the ice-foot of the cape. "for the present the position is extraordinarily comfortable. with a southerly blow she would simply bind on to the ice, receiving great shelter from the end of the cape. with a northerly blow she might turn rather close to the shore, where the soundings run to three fathoms, but behind such a stretch of ice she could scarcely get a sea or swell without warning. it looks a wonderfully comfortable little nook, but of course one can be certain of nothing in this place; one knows from experience how deceptive the appearance of security may be."[ ] the ship's difficulties were largely due to the shortage of coal. again on the night of january - we had an anxious time. "fearing a little trouble i went out of the hut in the middle of the night and saw at once that she was having a bad time--the ice was breaking with a northerly swell and the wind increasing, with the ship on dead lee shore; luckily the ice anchors had been put well in on the floe and some still held. pennell was getting up steam and his men struggling to replace the anchors. "we got out the men and gave some help. at steam was up, and i was right glad to see the ship back out to windward, leaving us to recover anchors and hawsers."[ ] a big berg drove in just after the ship had got away, and grounded where she had been lying. the ship returned in the afternoon, and it seems that she was searching round for an anchorage, and trying to look behind this berg. there was a strongish northerly wind blowing. the currents and soundings round cape evans were then unknown. the current was setting strongly from the north through the strip of sea which divides inaccessible island from cape evans, a distance of some two-thirds of a mile. the engines were going astern, but the current and wind were too much for her, and the ship ran aground, being fast for some considerable distance aft--some said as far as the mainmast. "visions of the ship failing to return to new zealand and of sixty people waiting here arose in my mind with sickening pertinacity, and the only consolation i could draw from such imaginations was the determination that the southern work should go on as before--meanwhile the least ill possible seemed to be an extensive lightening of the ship with boats as the tide was evidently high when she struck--a terribly depressing prospect. "some three or four of us watched it gloomily from the shore whilst all was bustle on board, the men shifting cargo aft. pennell tells me they shifted tons in a very short time. "the first ray of hope came when by careful watching one could see that the ship was turning very slowly, then one saw the men running from side to side and knew that an attempt was being made to roll her off. the rolling produced a more rapid turning movement at first, and then she seemed to hang again. but only for a short time; the engines had been going astern all the time and presently a slight movement became apparent. but we only knew she was getting clear when we heard cheers on board, and more cheers from the whaler. "then she gathered stern way and was clear. the relief was enormous."[ ] all this took some time, and scott himself came back into the hut with us and went on bagging provisions for the depôt journey. at such times of real disaster he was a very philosophical man. we were not yet ready to go sledging, but on january the ice in north bay all went out, and that in south bay began to follow it. because this was our road to the barrier, it was suddenly decided that we must start on the depôt journey the following day or perhaps not at all. already it was impossible to get sledges south off the cape: but there was a way to walk the ponies along the land until they could be scrambled down a steep rubbly slope on to sea-ice which still remained. would it float away before we got there? it was touch and go. "one breathes a prayer that the road holds for the few remaining hours. it goes in one place between a berg in open water and a large pool of the glacier face--it may be weak in that part, and at any moment the narrow isthmus may break away. we are doing it on a very narrow margin."[ ] footnotes: [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] thomson. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] wilson's journal, _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. , . [ ] see introduction, p. xxxv. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] the extreme south point of the island, a dozen miles farther, on one of whose minor headlands, hut point, stood the discovery hut. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] ibid. pp. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] _the south pole_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] see introduction, p. xxxiv. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. pp. - . [ ] priestley's diary. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . chapter v the depÔt journey the dropping of the daylight in the west. robert browning. january to march scott meares crean wilson atkinson forde lieut. evans cherry-garrard dimitri bowers gran oates keohane imaginative friends of the thirteen men who started from cape evans on january , , may have thought of them as athletes, trained for some weeks or months to endure the strains which they were to face, sleeping a good nine hours a night, eating carefully regulated meals and doing an allotted task each day under scientific control. they would be far from the mark. for weeks we had turned in at midnight too tired to take off our clothes, and had been lucky if we were allowed to sleep until a.m. we had eaten our meals when we could, and we had worked in the meantime just as hard as it was physically possible to do. if we sat down on a packing-case we went to sleep. and we finally left the camp in a state of hurry bordering upon panic. since the ice to the south of us, the road to the barrier, was being nibbled away by thaw, winds and tides, it was impossible to lead the ponies down from the cape on to the sea-ice. the open sea was before us and on our right front. it was necessary to lead them up among the lava blocks which lay on the escarpment of erebus, south-eastwards towards land's end, and thence to slide them down a steep but rubbly slope to the ice which still remained. as a matter of fact that ice went out the very next day. during the last two days provisions had been bagged with the utmost despatch; sledges packed; letters scribbled; clothing sorted and rough alterations to it made. scott was busy, with bowers' help, making such arrangements as could be suggested for a further year's stay, for which the ship was to order the necessaries. oates was busy weighing out the pony food for the journey, sorting harness, and generally managing a most unruly mob of ponies. many were the arguments as to the relative value of a pair of socks or their equivalent weight in tobacco, for we were allowed lbs. of private gear apiece, to consist of everything which we did not habitually wear on our bodies. this included such things as: sleeping-boots. sleeping-socks. extra pair of day socks. a shirt. tobacco and pipe. notebook for diary and pencil. extra balaclava helmet. extra woollen mitts. housewife containing buttons, needles, darning needles, thread and wool. extra pair of finnesko. big safety-pins with which to hang up our socks. and perhaps one small book. my most vivid recollection of the day we started is the sight of bowers, out of breath, very hot, and in great pain from a bad knock which he had given his knee against a rock, being led forward by his big pony uncle bill, over whom temporarily he had but little control. he had been left behind in the camp, giving last instructions about the storage of cases and management of provisions, and had practically lost himself in trying to follow us over what was then unknown ground. he was wearing all the clothing which was not included in his personal gear, for he did not think it fair to give the pony the extra weight. he had bruised his leg in an ugly way, and for many days he came to me to bandage it. he was afraid that if he let the doctors see it they would forbid him to go forward. he had had no sleep for seventy-two hours. that first night (january ) we pitched our inexperienced camp not far from hut point. but our first taste of sledging was not without incident. starting with the ponies only we walked them to glacier tongue, where the ice and open water joined, and as we went we watched the ship pass us out in the strait and moor up to the end of the tongue. getting the ponies across the tongue with its shallow but numerous crevasses and holes was ticklish work, but we tethered them safely off the terra nova, which meanwhile was landing dogs, sledges and gear. then we got some lunch on board. a large lead in the sea-ice to the south of the tongue necessitated some hours' work in man-hauling all sledges along the back of the tongue until a way could be found down on to safe ice. we then followed with the ponies. "if a pony falls into one of these holes i shall sit down and cry," said oates. within three minutes my pony was wallowing, with only his head and forelegs visible, in a mess of brash and snow, which had concealed a crack in the sea-ice which was obviously not going to remain much longer in its present position. we got lashings round him and hauled him out. poor guts! he was fated to drown: but in an hour he appeared to have forgotten all about his mishap, and was pulling his first load towards hut point as gallantly as always. the next day we took further stores from the ship to the camp which had formed. some of these loads were to be left on the edge of the barrier when we got there, but for the present we had to relay, that is, take one load forward and come back for another. on the th we sledged back to the ship for our last load, and said good-bye on the sea-ice to those men with whom we had already worked so long, to campbell and his five companions who were to suffer so much, to cheery pennell and his ship's company. before we left, scott thanked pennell and his men "for their splendid work. they have behaved like bricks, and a finer lot of men never sailed in a ship.... it was a little sad to say farewell to all these good fellows and campbell and his men. i do most heartily trust that all will be successful in their ventures, for indeed their unselfishness and their generous high spirit deserve reward. god bless them." four of that depôt party were never to see these men again, and pennell, commander of the queen mary, went down with his ship in the battle of jutland. two days later, january , we sledged our first loads on to the barrier. by that day we had done nearly ninety miles of relay work, first from the ship at glacier tongue to our camp off hut point, and then onwards. those first days of sledging were wonderful! what memories they must have brought to scott and wilson when to us, who had never seen them before, these much-discussed landmarks were almost like old friends. as we made our way over the frozen sea every seal-hole was of interest, and every type of wind-swept snow a novelty. the peak of terror opened out behind the crater of erebus, and we walked under castle rock and danger slope until, rounding the promontory, we saw the little jagged hut point, and on it the cross placed there to vince's memory, all unchanged. there was the old discovery hut and the bay in which the discovery lay, and from which she was almost miraculously freed at the last moment, only to be flung upon the shoal which runs out from the point, where some tins of the old discovery days lie on the bottom still and glint in the evening sun. and round about the bay were the heights of which we had read, observation hill, and crater hill separated from it by the gap--through which the wind was streaming; of course it was, for this must be the famous hut point wind. a few hundred more blizzards had swept over it since those days, but it was all just the same, even to ferrar's little stakes placed across the glacierets to mark their movement, more, even to the footsteps still plainly visible on the slopes. the ponies were dragging up to lbs. each these days, and though they did not seem to be unduly distressed, two of them soon showed signs of lameness. this caused some anxiety, but the trouble was mended by rest. on the whole, though the surface was hard, i think we were giving them too much weight. the sea-ice off hut point and observation hill was already very dangerous, and had we then had the experience and knowledge of sea-ice with which we can now look back, it is probable that we should not have slept so easily upon its surface. parties travelling to hut point and beyond in summer must keep well out from the point and cape armitage. but all haste was being made to transport the necessary stores on to the barrier surface, where a big home depôt could be made, so far as we could judge, in safety. the pressure ridges in the sea-ice between cape armitage and pram point, which are formed by the movement of the barrier, were large, and in some of the hollows countless seals were playing in the water. judging by the size of these ridges and by the thickness of this ice when it broke up, the ice south of hut point was at least two years old. i well remember the day we took the first of our loads on to the barrier. i expect we were all a little excited, for to walk upon the barrier for the first time was indeed an adventure: what kind of surface was it, and how about these beastly crevasses of which we had read so much? scott was ahead, and so far as we could see there was nothing but the same level of ice all round--when suddenly he was above us, walking up the sloping and quite invisible drift. a minute after and our ponies and sledges were up and over the tide crack, and beneath us soft and yielding snow, very different from the hard wind-swept surface of the frozen sea, which we had just left. really it was rather prosaic and a tame entrance. but the barrier is a tricky place, and it takes years to get to know her. on our outward journey this day oates did his best to kill a seal. my own tent was promised some kidneys if we were good, and our mouths watered with the prospect of the hoosh before us. the seal had been left for dead, and when on our homeward way we neared the place of his demise titus went off to carve our dinner from him. the next thing we saw was the seal lolloping straight for his hole, while oates did his best to stab him. the quarry made off safely not much hurt, for, as we discovered later, a clasp-knife is quite useless to kill a seal. oates returned with a bad cut, as his hand had slipped down the knife; and it was a long time before he was allowed to forget it. this barrier, which we were to know so well, was soft, too soft for the ponies, and apparently flat. only to our left, some hundreds of yards distant, there were two little snowy mounds. we got out the telescope which we carried, but could make nothing of them. while we held our ponies scott walked towards them, and soon we saw him brushing away snow and uncovering something dark beneath. they were tents, obviously left by shackleton or his men when the nimrod was embarking his southern party from the barrier. they were snowed up outside, and iced up inside almost to the caps. afterwards we dug them out, a good evening's work. the fabric was absolutely rotten, we just tore it down with our hands, but the bamboos and caps were as sound as ever. when we had dug down to the floor-cloth we found everything intact as when it was left. the cooker was there and a primus--scott lighted it and cooked a meal; we often used it afterwards. and there were rowntree's cocoa, bovril, brand's extract of beef, sheep's tongues, cheese and biscuits--all open to the snow and all quite good. we ate them for several days. there is something impressive in these first meals off food which has been exposed for years. it was on a saturday, january , that we took our first load a short half-mile on to the barrier and left it at a place afterwards known as the fodder depôt. two days later we moved our camp mile yards farther on to the barrier and here was erected the main depôt, known as safety camp. 'safety' because it was supposed that even if a phenomenal break-up of sea-ice should occur, and take with it part of the barrier, this place would remain. subsequent events proved the supposition well founded. this short bit of barrier sledging gave all of us food for thought, for the surface was appallingly soft, and the poor ponies were sinking deep. it was obvious that no animals could last long under such conditions. but somehow shackleton had got his four a long way. there was now no hurry, for there was plenty of food. it was only when we went on from here that we must economize food and travel fast. it was determined to give the ponies a rest while we made the depôt and rearranged sledges, which we did on the following day. we had with us one pair of pony snow-shoes, a circle of wire as a foundation, hooped round with bamboo, and with beckets of the same material. the surface suggested their trial, which was completely successful. the question of snow-shoes had been long and anxiously considered, and shoes for all the ponies were at cape evans; but as we had so lately landed from the ship the ponies had not been trained in their use, and they had not been brought. scott immediately sent wilson and meares with a dog-team to see whether the sea-ice would allow them to reach cape evans and bring back shoes for the other ponies. meanwhile the next morning saw us trying to accustom the animals to wearing snow-shoes by exercising them in the one pair we possessed. but it seemed no use continuing to do this after the dog party came in. they had found the sea-ice gone between glacier tongue and winter quarters and so were empty-handed. they reported that a crevasse at the edge of the tongue had opened under the sledge, which had tilted back into the crevasse but had run over it. these glacier tongue crevasses are shallow things; gran fell into one later and walked out of the side of the tongue on to the sea-ice beyond! it was determined to start on the following day with five weeks' provisions for men and animals; to go forward for about fourteen days, depôt two weeks' provisions and return. most unfortunately atkinson would have to be left behind with crean to look after him. he had chafed his foot, and the chafe had suppurated. to his great disappointment there was no alternative but to lie up. luckily we had another tent, and there was the cooker and primus we had dug out of shackleton's tent. poor crean was to spend his spare time in bringing up loads from the fodder depôt to safety camp and, worse still from his point of view, dig a hole downwards into the barrier for scientific observations! we left the following morning, february , and marched on a patchy surface for five miles (camp ). the temperature was above zero and scott decided to see whether the surface was not better at night. on the whole, it is problematical whether this is the case--we came to the conclusion later that the ideal surface for pulling a sledge on ski was found at a temperature of about + °. but there is no doubt whatever that ponies should do their work at night, when the temperature is colder, and rest and sleep when the sun has its greatest altitude and power. and so we camped and turned in to our sleeping-bags at p.m. and marched again soon after midnight, doing five miles before and five miles after lunch: lunch, if you please, being about a.m., and a very good time, for just then the daylight seemed to be thin and bleak and one always felt the cold. our road lay eastwards through the strait, some twenty-five miles in width, which runs between the low, rather uninteresting scarp of white island to the south, and the beautiful slopes of erebus and terror to the north. this part of the barrier is stagnant, but the main stream in front of us, unchecked by land, flows uninterruptedly northwards towards the ross sea. only where the stream presses against the bluff, white island and, most important of all, cape crozier, and rubs itself against the nearly stationary ice upon which we were travelling, pressures and rendings take place, forming some nasty crevasses. it was intended to steer nearly east until this line was crossed some distance north of white island, and then steer due south. it is most difficult on a large snow surface to say whether it is flat. certainly there are plenty of big crevasses for several miles in this neighbourhood, though they are generally well covered, and we found only very small ones on this outward journey. i am inclined to think there are also some considerable pressure waves. as we came up to camp we floundered into a pocket of soft snow in which one pony after another plunged deeper and deeper until they were buried up to their bellies and could move no more. i suppose it was an old crevasse filled with soft snow, or perhaps one of the pressure-ridge hollows which had been recently drifted up. my own pony somehow got through with his sledge to the other side, and every moment i expected the ground to fall below us and a chasm to swallow us up. the others had to be unharnessed and led out. the only set of snow-shoes was then put on to bowers' big pony and he went back and drew the stranded sledges out. beyond we pitched our camp. on february - we marched for ten miles to camp . in the last five miles we crossed several crevasses, our first; and i heard oates ask some one what they looked like. "black as hell," he said, but we saw no more just now, for this march carried us beyond the line of pressure which runs between white island and cape crozier. this halt was called corner camp, as we turned here and marched due south. corner camp will be heard of again and again in this story: it is thirty miles from hut point. by p.m. it was blowing our first barrier blizzard. we were to find out afterwards that a corner camp blizzard blows nearly as often as a hut point wind. the bluff seems to be the breeding-place for these disturbances, which pour out towards the sea by way of cape crozier. corner camp is in the direct line between the two. one summer blizzard is much like another. the temperature, never very low, rises, and you are not cold in the tent. sometimes a blizzard is a very welcome rest: after weeks of hard pulling, dragging yourself awake each morning, feeling as though you had only just gone to sleep, with the mental strain perhaps which work among crevasses entails, it is most pleasant to be put to bed for two or three days. you may sleep dreamlessly nearly all the time, rousing out for meals, or waking occasionally to hear from the soft warmth of your reindeer bag the deep boom of the tent flapping in the wind, or drowsily you may visit other parts of the world, while the drifting snow purrs against the green tent at your head. but outside there is raging chaos. it is blowing a full gale: the air is full of falling snow, and the wind drives this along and adds to it the loose snow which is lying on the surface of the barrier. fight your way a few steps away from the tent, and it will be gone. lose your sense of direction and there is nothing to guide you back. expose your face and hands to the wind, and they will very soon be frost-bitten. and this at midsummer. imagine the added cold of spring and autumn: the cold and darkness of winter. the animals suffer most, and during this first blizzard all our ponies were weakened, and two of them became practically useless. it must be remembered that they had stood for five weeks upon a heaving deck; they had been through one very bad gale: the time during which we were unloading the ship was limited, and since that time they had dragged heavy loads the greater part of miles. nothing was left undone for them which we could manage, but necessarily the antarctic is a grim place for ponies. i think scott felt the sufferings of the ponies more than the animals themselves. it was different for the dogs. these fairly warm blizzards were only a rest for them. snugly curled up in a hole in the snow they allowed themselves to be drifted over. bieleglas and vaida, two half brothers who pulled side by side, always insisted upon sharing one hole, and for greater warmth one would lie on the top of the other. at intervals of two hours or so they fraternally changed places. this blizzard lasted three days. we now marched nearly due south, the open barrier in front, mount terror and the sea behind, for five days, covering fifty-four miles, when, being now level with the southern extremity of the bluff, we laid the bluff depôt. the bearings of bluff depôt, as well as those of corner camp, are given in scott's last expedition. the characteristics of these days were the collapse of two of the ponies, blücher and blossom, and the partial collapse of a third, jimmy pigg, although the surface hardened, becoming a marbled series of wind-swept ridges and domes in this region. for the rest the new hands were finding out how to keep warm on the barrier, how to pitch a tent and cook a meal in twenty minutes, and the thousand and one little tips which only experience can teach. but all the care in the world could do little for the poor ponies. it must be confessed at once that some of these ponies were very poor material, and it must be conceded that oates who was in charge of them started with a very great handicap. from first to last it was oates' consummate management, seconded by the care and kindness of the ponies' leaders, which obtained results which often exceeded the most sanguine hopes. one evening we watched scott digging crumbly blocks of snow out of the barrier and building a rough wall, something like a grouse butt, to the south of his pony. in our inmost hearts i fear we viewed these proceedings with distrust, and saw in it but little usefulness,--one little bit of leaky wall in a great plain of snow. but a very little wind (which you must understand comes almost invariably from the south) convinced us from personal experience what a boon these walls could be. henceforward every night on camping each pony leader built a wall behind his pony while his pemmican was cooking, and came out after supper to finish this wall before he turned in to his sleeping-bag--no small thing when you consider that the warmth of your hours of rest depends largely upon getting into your bag immediately you have eaten your hoosh and cocoa. and not seldom you might hear a voice in your dreams: "bill! nobby's kicked his wall down"; and out bill would go to build it up again. [illustration: dogskin 'mitts'] [illustration: sledging spoon, cup and pannikin] oates wished to take certain of the ponies as far south as possible on the depôt journey, and then to kill them and leave the meat there as a depôt of dog food for the polar journey. scott was against this plan. here at bluff depôt he decided to send back the three weakest ponies (blossom, blücher and jimmy pigg, with their leaders, lieutenant evans, forde and keohane). they started back the next morning (february ) while the remainder of the party went forward over a surface which gradually became softer as we left behind the windy region of the bluff. we now had with us the two teams of dogs, driven by meares and wilson, and five ponies. scott with 'nobby.' oates with 'punch.' bowers with 'uncle bill.' gran with 'weary willie.' cherry-garrard with 'guts.' scott, wilson, meares and myself inhabited one tent, bowers, oates and gran the other. scott was evolving in his mind means by which ponies should follow one another in a string, the second pony with his leading rein fastened to the back of the sledge of the first and so on, the cavalcade to be managed by two or three men only, instead of one man to lead each pony. sunday night (february ) we started from bluff depôt and did seven miles before lunch against a considerable drift and wind. it was pretty cold, and ten minutes after we left our lunch camp with the ponies it was blowing a full blizzard. the dog party had not started, so we camped and slept five in the four-man tent, and it was by no means uncomfortable. probably this was the time when scott first thought of taking a five-man party to the pole. by monday evening the blizzard was over, the dogs came up, and we did ½ miles of very heavy going. gran's pony, weary willie, a sluggish and obstinate animal, was far behind, as usual, when we halted our ponies at the camping place. farther off the dog-teams were coming up. what happened never became clear. poor weary, it seems, was in difficulties in a snow-drift: the dogs of one team being very hungry took charge of their sledge and in a moment were on the horse, to all purposes a pack of ravenous wolves. gran and weary made a good fight and the dogs were driven off, but weary came into camp without his sledge, covered with blood and looking very sick. we halted after doing only ¾ mile more after lunch; for the pony was done, and little wonder. the following day we did ½ miles with difficulty, both uncle bill and weary willie going very slowly and stopping frequently. the going was very deep. the ponies were fast giving out, and it was evident that we had much to learn as to their use on the barrier; they were thin and very hungry; their rations were unsatisfactory; and the autumn temperatures and winds were beyond their strength. we went on one more day in a minus twenty temperature and light airs, and then in latitude ° ´ s. it was determined to lay the depôt, which was afterwards known as one ton, and return. in view of subsequent events it should be realized that this depôt was just a cairn of snow in which were buried food and oil, and over which a flag waved on a bamboo. there is no land visible from one ton except on a very clear day and it is geographical miles from hut point. we spent a day making up the mound which contained about a ton of provisions, oil, compressed fodder, oats and other necessaries for the forthcoming polar journey. scott was satisfied with the result, and indeed this depôt ensured that we could start southwards for the pole fully laden from this point. here the party was again split into two for the return. scott was anxious to get such news about the landing of campbell's party on king edward vii.'s land as the ship should have left at hut point on her return journey. he decided to take the two dog-teams, the first with himself and meares, the second with wilson and myself, and make a quick return, leaving bowers with oates and gran to help him to bring back the five ponies, driving them one behind the other. * * * * * the return of the pony party from one ton depÔt (_from a letter written by bowers_) as our loads were so light titus thought it would be better for the ponies to do their full march in one stretch and so have a longer rest. we, therefore, decided to forgo lunch and have a good meal on camping. the recent trails were fresh enough to follow and so saved us steering by compass, which is very difficult as the needle will only come to rest after you have been standing still for about a minute. that march was extraordinary, the snowy mist hid all distant objects and made all close ones look gigantic. although we were walking on a flat undulating plain, one could not get away from the impression that the ground was hilly--quite steep in places with deep hollows by the wayside. suddenly a herd of apparent cattle would appear in the distance, then you would think, 'no, it's a team of dogs broken loose and rushing towards you.' in another moment one would be walking over the black dots of some old horse droppings which had been the cause of the hallucinations. since then i have often been completely taken in by appearances under certain conditions of light, and the novelty has worn off. sastrugi are the hard waves formed by wind on a snow surface; these are seldom more than a foot or so in height, and often so obscured as to be imperceptible irregularities. on this occasion they often appeared like immense ridges until you walked over them. after going about miles we spotted a tiny black triangle in the dead white void ahead, it was over a mile away and was the lunch camp of the dogs. we were fairly close before they broke camp and hurriedly packed up. i thought they looked rather sheepish at having been caught up, like the hare and the tortoise again. still we had been marching very quickly and scott was delighted to see weary willie going so well. they then dashed off, and after completing just over miles we reached pagoda cairn where a bale of fodder had been left. here we camped and threw up our walls as quickly as possible to shelter the beasts from the cold wind. weary was the most annoying, he would deliberately back into his wall and knock the whole structure down. in the case of my own pony, i had to put the wall out of his reach as his aim in life was to eat it, generally beginning at the bottom. he would diligently dislodge a block, and bring down the whole fabric. one cannot be angry with the silly beggars--titus says a horse has practically no reasoning power, the thing to do is simply to throw up another wall and keep on at it. the weather cleared during the night, and the next day, february , we started off under ideal conditions, the sun was already dipping pretty low, marks easy to pick up, and on this occasion we could plainly see a cairn over seven miles away, raised by the mirage; the only trouble about seeing things so far off is that they take such an awful time to reach. mirage is a great feature down here and one of the most common of optical phenomena on the barrier; it is often difficult to persuade oneself that open water does not lie ahead. we passed the scene of weary willie's fight with the dogs during the march and also had an amusing argument as to a dark object on the snow ahead. at first we thought it was the dog camp again, but it turned out to be an empty biscuit tin, such is the deceptive nature of the light. later we sighted our old blizzard camp and decided to utilize the walls again. weary willie was decidedly worse and had to be literally jumped along by the pony to which he was attached. within half a mile of the walls weary refused to go farther, and after wasting some time in vain efforts to urge him on we had to camp where we were, having only done ½ miles. this was very sad, but i took hope from the fact that titus, who is usually pretty pessimistic, had not yet given up hopes of getting him back alive. he had an extra whack of oats at the expense of the other ponies, and my big beast made up for his shortage by hauling the sledge towards him with his tethered leg, and forcing his nose into our precious biscuit tank, out of which he helped himself liberally at our expense. the sledges were now too light to anchor the animals, so we had to peg them down with anything we could and bank them up with snow. weary was better the next day (february ) but we decided at the outset to go no farther than the bluff camp where we had left some fodder. this was barely miles off, yet my old animal showed signs of lassitude before the end; there was nothing alarming, however, and we saw the depôt over five miles off which interested the beasts, who see these things and somehow connect them, in the backs of their silly old heads, with food and rest. weary willie made a decided improvement, so we camped in high spirits. captain scott had asked me if possible to take some theodolite observations for the determination of the position of bluff camp. ours is much farther off and farther beyond the bluff than the old discovery depôt a, which was practically the same position shackleton used. in both cases, scott and shackleton were keeping nearer the coast; now, however, that the beardmore has been discovered we can aim straight for that, which takes one farther east by at least miles off the bluff. this is rather an advantage, i think, as close in to this remarkable headland the onward movement of the barrier arrested by the immovable hills causes a terrific chaos of crevasses off the cliffs at the end. these extend many miles and include some chasms big enough to take the terra nova all standing. needless to remark, one is well clear of this sort of scenery with ponies--hence our course. i was unable to get any observations, unfortunately, as it clouded over almost at once and later in the day started to snow without wind. this often happens before a bliz, and as we were anxious about the ponies to say nothing of our own shortage of biscuit we felt a trifle apprehensive. it was very gloomy when we left camp at midnight, as the midnight sun was already cartwheeling the southern horizon, the first sign of autumn, also the season had undoubtedly broken up, and the sky was covered with low stratus clouds as thick as a hedge. we lost sight of the cairn almost at once and followed the remains of old tracks for a little while till the snowy gloom made it impossible to see them. you will remember that it was at the bluff camp that teddy evans returned with the three weak ponies, so there were plenty of traces of our march now. just on four miles from the start i saw a small mound some distance to the west, and struck over there: it was a small cairn without the signs of a camp and rather puzzled me at the time. as i shall mention it later i will call it x for convenience. we then pushed on and i found steering most difficult. in the fuzzy nothingness ahead one could see no point on which to fix the eye, and the compass required standing still to look at it every time. our sledging compasses are spirit ones, and as steady as a small hand compass could possibly be. you will understand, however, that owing to the proximity of the magnetic pole the pull on the needle is chiefly downwards. it is forced into a horizontal position by a balancing weight on the n. side, so it is obvious that its direction power is greatly reduced. on the ship, owing to the vibration of the engines and the motors, we were absolutely unable to steer by the compass at all when off the region of the magnetic pole. on this occasion (february ) we zig-zagged all over the place--first i went ahead, and oates said i zig-zagged, then he went ahead, and i understood at once, as it was impossible to walk straight for two consecutive minutes. however, we plodded along with frequent stoppages till the wind came away, and then having determined the direction of that, steered by keeping the snow on our backs. the wind was not strong enough to be unpleasant, and all was well. we legged it into the void for nearly seven miles beyond x cairn when i suddenly found myself only a few yards away from another cairn. this shows that somehow, without the use of tracks or landmarks, we had marched seven miles without being able to see thirty yards, and had yet hit off the direct track to a t; of course, it was only coincidence, though some people might credit themselves with superlative navigating powers on such evidence. the wind increased, and with the knowledge i now have of blizzards i would camp at once. then i thought it better to shove on, as the ponies were marching splendidly. the danger lay in the fact that though it is easy enough for you to march with the wind behind, you can't march for ever and you will probably get tired before the wind does. camping in a stiff breeze is always difficult, to say nothing of a gale; and for three men with five ponies to manage would be wellnigh impossible. fortunately for us this was not really a blizzard, though it was quite near enough to one. the sky broke later and showed the bluff and white island, and then the scurrying clouds of drift would encircle us to break again and come on again. after having done seventeen miles we got a lull and stopped to camp right away. we were pretty quick about it, and fortunately got the ponies picketed, and tent pitched, before the wind came down on us again. we were pretty hungry by the time the walls were erected. still we were quite happy, ate everything we could get, except the three lumps of sugar i always kept for old uncle bill out of my whack. the little blow blew itself out towards evening and in perfect calm and sunshine i got a splendid set of observations. erebus and terror were showing up as clear as a bell and i got a large number of angles for evans' survey. we started out as usual, and had the most pleasant, as well as the longest, of our return marches on the last day of summer, february . we did eighteen miles right off the reel, the sun was brilliant from midnight onwards. he now half immersed himself below the horizon for a short interval once in hours. all old cairns were visible a tremendous distance, six or seven miles at least for big ones. mount terror lay straight ahead and looked so clear that it seemed impossible to imagine it miles away. at the end of our march we saw a small cairn beyond our th outward camp mound. nobody would have rigged up another cairn so close without an object, so the thought of a dead horse flashed through my mind at once. titus was so sure that blücher would never get back, that he had bet gran a biscuit on it. i saw the cairn had a fodder bale on the top, and later saw a note made fast to the wire. it was in teddy evans' handwriting and to our surprise recorded blossom's death. titus was so sure that blossom would survive blücher that we started to think back and thus the mystery of x cairn was clear to me. i was quite certain now that both the ancient ponies had died and that jimmy pigg had returned alone. the following day (february ) was a good marching day also, but a bit cloudy latterly. we did fourteen miles as this evidence of pony failure made us all the more anxious about ours, though really they were going very well. about eight miles on we came to one of evans' camps and the solitary pony wall told its own tale of the death of the other two. he must have had a miserable return. at eleven miles there were two bales of fodder depôted, we were only miles odd from our destination off cape armitage, and had one meal over three days' food. if, therefore, we could average miles a day that would suffice. it was a silly risk in view of blizzards and other possibilities, chiefly our own inexperience. as it was i took it and left the fodder there for next year. february was another march into impenetrable gloom. fortunately corner camp, though dark enough, was not shaded in mist. i examined it for notes and evidence and found some. the sun set properly now, and had we been farther from home i should have changed to day marching. i have seldom seen such a scene of utter desolation as corner camp presented on that gloomy day. the fog then settled down and like people of the mist, we struck off blindly to the n.w. at . a.m. a light s. breeze came away; i dreaded a blizzard with so little pony food, and already regretted my folly in leaving the fodder. after doing twelve miles we had to camp, as it was impossible even to march straight in the white haze. we made five colossal walls and turned in, hoping for the best. fortune favours the reckless, as well as the brave, at times, and it did this time, as the blizzard still held off. the signs of one impending were unmistakable notwithstanding. weary willie did less well on february , and as the surface became heavier, we had to camp after only doing eleven miles. i thought best in view of the threatening appearance of the weather to have a six hours' rest, and march into safety camp the same day, a distance of eight miles. we found to our horror that gran had dropped the top cap of our primus at the last camp. cold food stared us in face! however, we did manage to melt some snow for a cheering drink by cutting a piece of tin as near the shape of the cap as possible. our biscuit was finished owing to the ravages of my pony. before turning in i saw some specks to the n. and skipping my theodolite on its tripod, looked through the telescope and saw two tents and a number of ski stuck up. [this was scott's man-hauling party together with jimmy pigg, going out to corner camp.] this we concluded was either a man-hauling, or man and beast party bound for corner camp. we overslept and so did not get away till the afternoon. it was still very cloudy and threatening. i found that i had steered considerably to the southward of the right direction in the fog, and it is lucky we met with no crevasses off white island. safety camp at last appeared, and the last four miles seemed interminable. we had given the animals their last feed before starting, not a particle remained, but they stuck it. the surface was very heavy. once, however, that they had seen the camp they never stopped. i suppose they knew they were nearly home. we marched in about . p.m. i said 'thank god' when i looked at the weather, and the empty sledges. the dogs were in camp, also the dome tent [we had some tents shaped like a dome in addition to those we used for sledging], out of which uncle bill (the real 'uncle bill wilson') and meares emerged. we soon had the ponies behind walls and well fed, borrowed their primus for ourselves, and had a square meal of pemmican and biscuit with fids of seal liver in it. (end of bowers' account.) the return of the dog party the history of the dog-teams was eventful. we travelled fast, doing nearly miles in the first three days, by which time we were approaching corner camp. the dogs were thin and hungry and we were pushing them each day just so long as they could pull, running ourselves for the most part. scott determined to cut the corner, that is to miss corner camp and cut diagonally across our outward track. it was not expected that this would bring us across any badly crevassed area. we started on the evening of february in a very bad light. it was coldish, with no wind. after going about three miles i saw a drop in the level of the barrier which the sledge was just going to run over. i shouted to wilson to look out, but he had already jumped on to the sledge (for he was running) having seen stareek put his paws through. it was a nasty crevasse, about twenty feet across with blue holes on both sides. the sledge ran over and immediately on the opposite side was brought up by a large 'haystack' of pressure which we had not seen owing to the light. meares' team, on our left, never saw any sign of pressure. the light was so bad that we never saw this cairn of ice until we ran into it. we ran level for another two miles, meares and scott on our left. we were evidently crossing many crevasses. quite suddenly we saw the dogs of their team disappearing, following one another, just like dogs going down a hole after some animal. "in a moment," wrote scott, "the whole team were sinking--two by two we lost sight of them, each pair struggling for foothold. osman the leader exerted all his strength and kept a foothold--it was wonderful to see him. the sledge stopped and we leapt aside. the situation was clear in another moment. we had been actually travelling along the bridge [or snow covering] of a crevasse, the sledge had stopped on it, whilst the dogs hung in their harness in the abyss, suspended between the sledge and the leading dog. why the sledge and ourselves didn't follow the dogs we shall never know." we of the other sledge stopped hurriedly, tethered our team and went to their assistance with the alpine rope. osman, the big leader, was in great difficulties. he crouched resisting with all his enormous strength the pull of the rope upon which the team hung in their harness in mid air. it was clear that if osman gave way the sledge and dogs would probably all be lost down the crevasse. first we pulled the sledge off the crevasse, and drove the tethering peg and driving stick through the cross pieces to hold it firm. scott and meares then tried to pull up the rope from osman's end, while we hung on to the sledge to prevent it slipping down the crevasse. they could not move it an inch. we then put the strain as much as possible on to a peg. meanwhile two dogs had fallen out of their harness into the crevasse and could be seen lying on a snow-ledge some feet down. later they curled up and went to sleep. another dog as he hung managed to get some purchase for his feet on the side of the crevasse, and a free fight took place among several more of them, as they dangled, those that hung highest using the backs of those under them to get a purchase. "it takes one a little time," wrote scott, "to make plans under such sudden circumstances, and for some minutes our efforts were rather futile. we could not get an inch on the main trace of the sledge or on the leading rope, which was binding osman to the snow with a throttling pressure. then thought became clearer. we unloaded our sledge, putting in safety our sleeping-bags with the tent and cooker. choking sounds from osman made it clear that the pressure on him must soon be relieved. i seized the lashing off meares' sleeping-bag, passed the tent poles across the crevasse, and with meares managed to get a few inches on the leading line; this freed osman, whose harness was immediately cut. "then securing the alpine rope to the main trace we tried to haul up together. one dog came up and was unlashed, but by this time the rope had cut so far back at the edge that it was useless to attempt to get more of it. but we could now unbend the sledge, and do that for which we should have aimed from the first, namely, run the sledge across the gap and work from it. we managed to do this, our fingers constantly numbed. wilson held on to the anchored trace whilst the rest of us laboured at the leader end. the leading rope was very small and i was fearful of its breaking, so meares was lowered down a foot or two to secure the alpine rope to the leading end of the trace; this done, the work of rescue proceeded in better order. two by two we hauled the animals up to the sledge and one by one cut them out of their harness. strangely the last dogs were the most difficult, as they were close under the lip of the gap, bound in by the snow-covered rope. finally, with a gasp we got the last poor creature on to firm snow. we had recovered eleven of the thirteen."[ ] the dogs had been dangling for over an hour, and some of them showed signs of internal injuries. meanwhile the two remaining dogs were lying down the crevasse on a snow-ledge. scott proposed going down on the alpine rope to get them; all his instincts of kindness were aroused, as well as the thought of the loss of two of the team. wilson thought it was a mad idea and very dangerous, and said so, asking however whether he might not go down instead of scott if anybody had to go. scott insisted, and we paid down the -foot alpine rope to test the distance. the ledge was about feet below. we lowered scott, who stood on the ledge while we hauled up the two dogs in turn. they were glad to see him, and little wonder! but the rescued dogs which were necessarily running about loose on the barrier, in their mangled harnesses, chose this moment to start a free fight with the other team. with a hurried shout down the crevasse we had to rush off to separate them. nougis i. had been considerably mauled before this was done--also, incidentally, my heel! but at last we separated them, and hauled scott to the surface. it was all three of us could do and our fingers were frost-bitten towards the end. scott's interest in the incident, apart from the recovery of the dogs, was scientific. since we were running across the line of cleavage when the dogs went down, it was to be expected that we should be crossing the crevasses at right angles, and not be travelling, as actually happened, parallel to, or along them. while we were getting him up the sixty odd feet to which we had lowered him he kept muttering: "i wonder why this is running the way it is--you expect to find them at right angles," and when down the crevasse he wanted to go off exploring, but we managed to persuade him that the snow-ledge upon which he was standing was utterly unsafe, and indeed we could see the nothingness below through the blue holes in the shelf. another regret was that we had no thermometer: the temperature of the inside of the barrier is of great interest and a fairly reliable record of the average temperature throughout the year might have been obtained when so far down into it. altogether we could congratulate ourselves on a fortunate ending to a nasty business. we expected several more miles of crevasses, and the wind was getting up, driving the surface drift like smoke over the ground, with a very black sky to the south. we pitched the tent, had a good meal and mended the dog harness which had been ruthlessly cut in clearing the dogs. luckily we found no more crevasses for it was now blowing hard, and rescue work would have been difficult, and we pushed on as far as possible that night, doing eleven miles after lunch, and sixteen for the day. it had been strenuous, for we had been working in or over the crevasse for ½ hours, and dogs and men were tired out. it cleared and became quite warm as we camped. there was a pleasant air of friendship in the tent that night, rather more than usual. that is generally the result of this kind of business. we reached safety camp next day (february ) anxious for news of the ship's doings, the landing of campbell's party, and of the ponies which had been sent back from the bluff depôt. lieutenant evans, forde and keohane, the pony leaders, were there, but only one pony. the other two had died of exhaustion soon after they left us and we had passed the cairns which marked their graves without knowledge. their story was grim, and they had had a mournful journey back. first blossom, and then blücher collapsed, their ends being hastened by the blizzard of february . this crevasse incident, followed by the news of the loss of the ponies, was a blow to scott, and his mind was also uneasy about atkinson and crean, whom we had left here, and who had disappeared leaving no record. nor was the report from the terra nova here, so we judged that the missing men and the report must be at hut point. after three or four hours' sleep, and a cup of tea and a biscuit, we started man-hauling with cooker and sleeping-bags: the former because we were to have our good meal at the hut, the latter in case we were hung up. travelling over the sea-ice as far as the gap, from which we saw that the open sea reached to hut point, we made our way into the hut, and there was a mystery. the accumulations of ice which we found in it were dug away: there was a notice outside dated february saying, "mail for captain scott is in bag inside south door." we hunted everywhere, but there was no atkinson nor crean, nor mail, nor the things which the ship was to have brought. all kinds of wild theories were advanced. by the presence of a fresh onion and some bread it was clear that the ship's party had been there, but the rest was utterly vague. it was then suggested that we were expected back about this time, and that the missing men had been sledging to safety camp round cape armitage on the very shaky sea-ice while we passed them as we came through the gap. sledge tracks were found leading on to the sea-ice: we started back in doubt. scott was terribly anxious, we were all tired, and the depôt never seemed to come nearer. it was not until we were some two hundred yards from it that we saw the extra tent. "thank god!" i heard scott mutter under his breath, and "i believe you were even more anxious than i was, bill." atkinson had the ship's mail, signed by campbell. "every incident of the day," scott wrote, "pales before the startling contents of the mail-bag which atkinson gave me--a letter from campbell setting out his doings and the finding of amundsen established in the bay of whales." [illustration: hut point--e. a. wilson, del.] strongly as scott tries to word this, it quite fails to convey how he felt, and how we all felt more or less, in spite of the warning conveyed in the telegram from madeira to melbourne. for an hour or so we were furiously angry, and were possessed with an insane sense that we must go straight to the bay of whales and have it out with amundsen and his men in some undefined fashion or other there and then. such a mood could not and did not bear a moment's reflection; but it was natural enough. we had just paid the first instalment of the heart-breaking labour of making a path to the pole; and we felt, however unreasonably, that we had earned the first right of way. our sense of co-operation and solidarity had been wrought up to an extraordinary pitch; and we had so completely forgotten the spirit of competition that its sudden intrusion jarred frightfully. i do not defend our burst of rage--for such it was--i simply record it as an integral human part of my narrative. it passed harmlessly; and scott's account proceeds as follows: "one thing only fixes itself definitely in my mind. the proper, as well as the wiser, course for us is to proceed exactly as though this had not happened. to go forward and do our best for the honour of the country without fear or panic. there is no doubt that amundsen's plan is a very serious menace to ours. he has a shorter distance to the pole by miles--i never thought he could have got so many dogs safely to the ice. his plan of running them seems excellent. but, above and beyond all, he can start his journey early in the season--an impossible condition with ponies."[ ] we read that on leaving mcmurdo sound the terra nova coasted eastward along the barrier face, with campbell and his men who were to be landed on king edward vii.'s land if possible. she surveyed the face of the barrier as she went from cape crozier to longitude ° w., whence she shaped a course direct for cape colbeck, which priestley states in his diary "is only feet high according to our measurement and looks uncommonly like common or garden barrier." here they met heavy pack, and were forced to return without finding any place where the cliff was low enough to allow campbell and his five men to land. they coasted back, making for an inlet known as balloon bight. priestley tells the story: "february , . our trip has not been without outcome after all, and all our doubts about wintering here or in south victoria land have been settled in a startling fashion. about ten o'clock we steamed into a deep bay in the barrier which proved to be shackleton's bay of whales, and our observations in the last expedition [shackleton's] have been wonderfully upheld. our present sights and angles pennell tells me are almost a duplicate of those that we got. every one has always been doubtful about the bay of whales we reported, but now the matter has been set at rest finally. there is no doubt now that balloon bight and the neighbouring bay marked on the discovery's chart have become merged into one, and further, that since that period the resulting bight has broken back considerably more: indeed it seems to have altered a good deal on its western border since our visit to it in . otherwise it is the same, the same deceptive caves and shadows having from a distance the appearance of rock exposures, the same pressure-ridged cliffs, the same undulations behind, the same expanse of sea-ice and even the same crowds of whales. i hope that before we leave we shall find it possible to survey the bight, but that depends on the weather. it was satisfactory to find all our observations coming right and everybody backing up shackleton, and i turned in last night feeling quite cheerful and believing that there would be a really good chance of the eastern party finding a home on the barrier here--our last chance of surveying king edward's land. "however, man proposes but god disposes, and i was waked up by lillie at one o'clock this morning by the astounding news that there was a ship in the bay at anchor to the sea-ice. all was confusion on board for a few minutes, everybody rushing up on deck with cameras and clothes. "it was no false alarm, there she was within a few yards of us, and what is more, those of us who had read nansen's books recognized the fram. "she is rigged with fore and aft sails and as she has petrol engines she has no funnel. soon afterwards the men forward declared that they sighted a hut on the barrier, and the more excited declared that there was a party coming out to meet us. campbell, levick, and myself were therefore lowered over the side of the ship while she was being made fast, and set off on ski towards the dark spot we could see. this proved to be only an abandoned depôt and we returned to the ship, where campbell, who in his anxiety to be the first to meet them had left us beginners far behind, had opened up conversation with the night watchman. "he informed us that there were only three men on board and that the remainder of them were settling amundsen in winter quarters about as far from the depôt as the depôt was from the ship. amundsen is coming to visit the fram to-morrow, and we are staying long enough to allow pennell and campbell to interview him. they reached the pack about january and were through it by the th, so they did not have as bad a time as we did. they inform us that amundsen does not intend to make his descent on the pole until next year. this is encouraging as it means a fair race for the next summer, though the news we are bringing to them will keep the western [main] party on tenterhooks of excitement all the winter. "our plans have of course been decided for us. we cannot according to etiquette trench on their winter quarters, but must return to mcmurdo sound and then go off towards robertson bay and settle ourselves as best we can. while we are waiting events we have not been by any means idle. rennick got a sounding, fathoms, and the crew have killed three seals, including one beautiful silver crab-eater, lillie has secured water samples at , , , and fathoms and has had a haul with the plankton net, and williams is endeavouring to fit up the trawl for a haul to-morrow if we get time and appropriate weather. i got a roll of films and gave the roll to drake to take home and get developed in christchurch. there are photographs of the fram, of the fram and terra nova together, of their depôt, and of the ice-cliffs and the sea-ice which is decidedly overcut, the thick snow having been removed in places by the swell until a ledge several yards wide is lying just submerged. "it has been calm all the night with the snow falling at intervals. "february , . i was waked at seven o'clock this morning by levick demanding the loan of my camera. it appears that amundsen, johansen and six men had arrived at the fram this morning at about . a.m., and had come over to interview campbell and pennell. campbell, pennell and levick then went back to breakfast with them and stayed until nearly noon when they returned telling us to expect amundsen, nilsen, the first lieutenant of the fram who is taking her back after landing the party, and a young lieutenant whose name none of us caught, to lunch. after lunch a party of officers and men went to see the rest of the norwegians, see over the ship, and say good-bye. i did not go and was able to show lieut. jensen over the ship in the meantime. about three o'clock we let go the ice anchor and parted from the fram, steaming along the ice very slowly in order to dredge from to fathoms. the haul was successful, about two bucketsful of the muddy bottom being secured, and a still more valuable catch from the biological point of view were two long crinoids, about a couple of feet in length and in fairly perfect condition, which had become attached to the outside of the net. "we are now standing along the barrier continuing our survey to the bight we first struck, after which we sail to cape evans, stay a day there and then make up north to try and effect a lodgment on the coast beyond cape adare. "during the morning browning and i examined the ice-face forming the eastern face of the bight. we found it to be made of clear ice of grain from a quarter to three-eighths of an inch in size and full of bubbles. "on the way there i took a couple of photographs of some of amundsen's dogs, and when we were there i got a few of crevasses and caves in the barrier face. "well! we have left the norwegians and our thoughts are full, too full, of them at present. the impression they have left with me is that of a set of men of distinctive personality, hard, and evidently inured to hardship, good goers and pleasant and good-humoured. all these qualities combine to make them very dangerous rivals, but even did one want not to, one cannot help liking them individually in spite of the rivalry. "one thing i have particularly noticed is the way in which they are refraining from getting information from us which might be useful to them. we have news which will make the western party as uneasy as ourselves and the world will watch with interest a race for the pole next year, a race which may go any way, and may be decided by luck or by dogged energy and perseverance on either side. "the norwegians are in dangerous winter quarters, for the ice is breaking out rapidly from the bay of whales which they believe to be borchgrevink's bight, and they are camped directly in front of a distinct line of weakness. on the other hand if they get through the winter safely (and they are aware of their danger), they have unlimited dogs, the energy of a nation as northern as ourselves, and experience with snow-travelling that could be beaten by no collection of men in the world. "there remains the beardmore glacier. can their dogs face it, and if so, who will get there first. one thing i feel and that is that our southern party will go far before they permit themselves to be beaten by any one, and i think that two parties are very likely to reach the pole next year, but god only knows which will get there first. "a few of the things we learnt about the norwegians are as follows: "the engines of the fram occupy only half the size of our wardroom, the petrol tanks have not needed replenishment since they left norway, and their propeller can be lifted by three men. they kept fresh potatoes from norway to the barrier. (some of them must surely be renegade irishmen.) they have each a separate cabin 'tween-decks in the fram, and are very comfortable. they are using for transporting their stores to the hut, eight teams of five dogs each, working every alternate day. "they intend to use for the polar journey teams of ten dogs, each team working one day out of two. their dogs stop at a whistle, and if they make a break they can be stopped by overturning the sledge, empty or full as the case may be. they are nine in the shore party and ten in the ship. their ship is going back to buenos ayres with nilsen in charge and during the winter is to encircle the world, sounding all the way. "they are not starting on the dash south this year and do not yet know whether they will lay depôts this year. they have dogs and ten of these are bitches, so that they can rear pups, and have done so very successfully on the way out. the fram acts like a cork in the sea; she rolls tremendously but does not ship water, and during the voyage they have had the dogs running loose about the decks. there is a lot more miscellaneous information, but i may remember it more coherently a little later when the main impressions of the rencontre are a little more faint."[ ] it will be seen that priestley missed three points. first, he was left with a conventional but very erroneous impression of amundsen as a blunt norwegian sailor, not in the least an intellectual. second, he thought amundsen had camped on the ice and not on terra firma. third, he thought amundsen was going to the pole by the old route over the beardmore. the truth was that amundsen was an explorer of the markedly intellectual type, rather jewish than scandinavian, who had proved his sagacity by discovering solid footing for the winter by pure judgment. for the moment, let it be confessed, we all underrated amundsen, and could not shake off the feeling that he had stolen a march on us. back to mcmurdo sound, and the news left at hut point. then the two ponies which had been allotted to campbell were swum ashore at cape evans, since he thought that now they would be of more use to scott than to himself. subsequent events proved the extreme usefulness of this unselfish act. the terra nova would steam north and try and land campbell's party on the extreme northern shores of queen victoria land. at the same time there was so little coal left that it might be necessary to go straight back to new zealand. campbell regretted not being able to see scott, supposing that the altered circumstances caused scott to wish to rearrange his parties, and also because amundsen had asked campbell to land his party at the bay of whales, giving him the area to the east to explore, and campbell did not wish to accept before getting scott's permission. as we know now coal ran so short that it came to an alternative of dumping campbell, his men and gear hastily on the beach at cape adare, or taking them back to new zealand. as one member of the crew said: "exploring is all very well in its way, but it is a thing which can be very easily overdone." the ship was as ready to get rid of them as they were to get rid of the ship. they were landed, working to their waists in the surf, and the ship got safely back to new zealand. scott decided that the period of waiting until the pony party arrived from one ton should be employed in sledging stores out to corner camp. but the dog-teams were done, "the dogs are thin as rakes; they are ravenous and very tired. i feel this should not be, and that it is evident that they are underfed. the ration must be increased next year and we must have some properly-thought-out diet. the biscuit alone is not good enough."[ ] in addition, several dogs were feeling the effects of injuries due to the crevasse incident. there remained the men and the one pony which had survived out of the three sent back from bluff depôt, namely jimmy pigg. the party started on friday, february , marching by day. it consisted of scott, crean and myself with one sledge and tent, lieutenant evans, atkinson and forde with a second sledge and tent, and keohane leading james pigg. on the second night out we saw the pony party pass us in the distance on their way to safety camp.[ ] at corner camp scott decided to leave lieutenant evans' party to come in with the pony more slowly, and himself to push on with crean and myself at top speed for safety camp. we made a forced march well into the night, doing twenty-six miles for the day, and camped some ten miles from safety camp, where the pony party must by this time have arrived. the events which followed were disastrous, and the steps which led to a catastrophe which entailed the loss of much of our best transport, and only by a miracle did not lead to the loss of several lives, were complicated. at this moment, the night of february , there were three parties on the barrier. behind scott was lieutenant evans' party and the pony, james pigg. scott himself was camped within easy marching distance of safety camp with crean and myself. at safety camp were the two dog-teams with wilson and meares, while the pony party from one ton depôt had just arrived with five ponies which were for the most part thin, hungry and worn. between safety camp and hut point lay the frozen sea, which might or might not break up this year, but we knew from our observations a few days before that the ice was in a shaky condition. at that time the ice sheet extended some seven miles to the north of hut point. the season was fast closing in: temperatures of fifty or sixty degrees of frost had been common for the last fortnight, and this was bad for the ponies. we had been unfortunate in having several severe blizzards, and it was already clear that it was these autumn blizzards more than cold temperatures and soft surfaces which the ponies could not endure. scott was most anxious to get the animals into such shelter as we could make for them at hut point. the next morning, february , we woke to a regular cold autumn blizzard--very thick, wind force and temperature about minus twenty. this was disheartening, and indeed with our six worn ponies still on the barrier the outlook for them was discouraging. the blizzard came to an end the next morning. scott must take up the first part of that day's story: "packed up at a.m. and marched into safety camp. found every one very cold and depressed. wilson and meares had had continuous bad weather since we left, bowers and oates since their arrival. the blizzard had raged for two days. the animals looked in a sorry condition, but all were alive. the wind blew keen and cold from the east. there could be no advantage in waiting here, and soon all arrangements were made for a general shift to hut point. packing took a long time. the snowfall had been prodigious, and parts of the sledges were or feet under drift. about o'clock the two dog-teams got safely away. then the pony party prepared to go. as the cloths were stript from the ponies the ravages of the blizzard became evident. the animals, without exception, were terribly emaciated, and weary willie was in a pitiable condition. "the plan was for the ponies to follow the dog tracks, our small party to start last and get in front of the ponies on the sea-ice. i was very anxious about the sea-ice passage owing to the spread of the water holes."[ ] the two dog-teams left with meares and wilson some time before the ponies, and for the moment they go out of this story. bowers' pony, uncle bill, was ready first, and he started with him. we got three more ponies harnessed, punch, nobby and guts, and tried to harness weary willie, but when we attempted to lead him forward he immediately fell down. scott rapidly reorganized. he sent crean and me forward with the three better ponies to join bowers, now waiting a mile ahead. oates and gran he kept with himself, to try and help the sick pony. his diary tells how "we made desperate efforts to save the poor creature, got him once more on his legs, gave him a hot oat mash. then, after a wait of an hour, oates led him off, and we packed the sledge and followed on ski; yards from the camp the poor creature fell again and i felt it was the last effort. we camped, built a snow wall round him, and did all we possibly could to get him on his feet. every effort was fruitless, though the poor thing made pitiful struggles. towards midnight we propped him up as comfortably as we could and went to bed. "wednesday, march . a.m. our pony died in the night. it is hard to have got him back so far only for this. it is clear that these blizzards are terrible for the poor animals. their coats are not good, but even with the best of coats it is certain they would lose condition badly if caught in one, and we cannot afford to lose condition at the beginning of a journey. it makes a late start necessary for next year. "well, we have done our best and bought our experience at a heavy cost. now every effort must be bent on saving the remaining animals."[ ] a letter from bowers home, which certainly does not overstate the adventures of himself and the two men sent forward to join him, is probably the best description of the incidents which followed. it will be remembered that crean and i with three ponies were sent from safety camp to join him: he was already leading one pony. night was beginning to fall, and the light was bad, but from the edge of the barrier the two dog-teams could still be seen as black dots in the distance towards cape armitage. "on the night of february i led off with my pony and was surprised at the delay in the others leaving--knowing nothing of weary's collapse. over the edge of the barrier i went, and at the bottom of the snow incline awaited the others. to my surprise cherry and crean appeared with punch, nobby and guts in a string, and then i heard the reason for oates and scott not having come on. my orders were to push on to hut point over the sea-ice without delay, and to follow the dogs; previously i had been told to camp on the sea-ice only in case of the beasts being unable to go on. we had four pretty heavy sledges, as we were taking six weeks' man food and oil to the hut, as well as a lot of gear from the depôt, and pony food, etc. unfortunately the dogs misunderstood their orders and, instead of piloting us, dashed off on their own. we saw them like specks in the distance in the direction of the old seal crack. having crossed this they wheeled to the right in the direction of cape armitage and disappeared into a black indefinite mist, which seemed to pervade everything in that direction. we heard afterwards that in a mile or two they came to some alarming signs and, turning, made for the gap where they got up on to the land about midnight. "i plugged on in their tracks, till we came to the seal crack which was an old pressure-ridge running many miles s.w. from pram point. we considered the ice behind this crack--over which we had just come--fast ice; it was older ice than that beyond, as it had undoubtedly frozen over first. having crossed the crack we streaked on for cape armitage. the animals were going badly, owing to the effects of the blizzard, and frequent stoppages were necessary. on coming to some shaky ice we headed farther west as there were always some bad places off the cape, and i thought it better to make a good circuit. crean, who had been over the ice recently, told me it was all right farther round. however, about a mile farther on i began to have misgivings; the cracks became too frequent to be pleasant, and although the ice was from five to ten feet thick, one does not like to see water squelching between them, as we did later. it spells motion, and motion on sea-ice means breakage. i shoved on in the hope of getting on better ice round the cape, but at last came a moving crack, and that decided me to turn back. we could see nothing owing to the black mist, everything looked solid as ever, but i knew enough to mistrust moving ice, however solid it seemed. it was a beastly march back: dark, gloomy and depressing. the beasts got more and more down in their spirits and stopped so frequently that i thought we would never reach the seal crack. i said to cherry, however, that i would take no risks, and camp well over the other side on the old sound ice if we could get there. this we managed to do eventually. here there was soft snow, whereas on the sea side of the crack it was hard: that is the reason we lost the dogs' tracks at once on crossing. even over this crack i thought it best to march as far in as possible. we got well into the bay, as far as our exhausted ponies would drag, before i camped and threw up the walls, fed the beasts, and retired to feed ourselves. we had only the primus with the missing cap and it took over ½ hours to heat up the water; however, we had a cup of pemmican. it was very dark, and i mistook a small bag of curry powder for the cocoa bag, and made cocoa with that, mixed with sugar; crean drank his right down before discovering anything was wrong. it was p.m. before we were ready to turn in. i went out and saw everything quiet: the mist still hung to the west, but you could see a good mile and all was still. the sky was very dark over the strait though, the unmistakable sign of open water. i turned in. two and a half hours later i awoke, hearing a noise. both my companions were snoring, i thought it was that and was on the point of turning in again having seen that it was only . , when i heard the noise again. i thought--'my pony is at the oats!' and went out. "i cannot describe either the scene or my feelings. i must leave those to your imagination. we were in the middle of a floating pack of broken-up ice. the tops of the hills were visible, but all below was thin mist and as far as the eye could see there was nothing solid; it was all broken up, and heaving up and down with the swell. long black tongues of water were everywhere. the floe on which we were had split right under our picketing line, and cut poor guts' wall in half. guts himself had gone, and a dark streak of water alone showed the place where the ice had opened under him. the two sledges securing the other end of the line were on the next floe and had been pulled right to the edge. our camp was on a floe not more than yards across. i shouted to cherry and crean, and rushed out in my socks to save the two sledges; the two floes were touching farther on and i dragged them to this place and got them on to our floe. at that moment our own floe split in two, but we were all together on one piece. i then got my finnesko on, remarking that we had been in a few tight places, but this was about the limit. i have been told since that i was quixotic not to leave everything and make for safety. you will understand, however, that i never for one moment considered the abandonment of anything. "we packed up camp and harnessed up our ponies in remarkably quick time. when ready to move i had to decide which way to go. obviously towards cape armitage was impossible, and to the eastward also, as the wind was from that direction, and we were already floating west towards the open sound. our only hope lay to the south, and thither i went. we found the ponies would jump the intervals well. at least punch would and the other two would follow him. my idea was never to separate, but to get everything on to one floe at a time; and then wait till it touched or nearly touched another in the right direction, and then jump the ponies over and drag the four sledges across ourselves. in this way we made slow, but sure progress. while one was acting all was well, the waiting for a lead to close was the worst trial. sometimes it would take minutes or more, but there was so much motion in the ice that sooner or later bump you would go against another piece, and then it was up and over. sometimes they split, sometimes they bounced back so quickly that only one horse could get over, and then we had to wait again. we had to make frequent detours and were moving west all the time with the pack, still we were getting south, too. "very little was said. crean like most bluejackets behaved as if he had done this sort of thing often before. cherry, the practical, after an hour or two dug out some chocolate and biscuit, during one of our enforced waits, and distributed it. i felt at that time that food was the last thing on earth i wanted, and put it in my pocket; in less than half an hour, though, i had eaten the lot. the ponies behaved as well as my companions, and jumped the floes in great style. after getting them on a new floe we simply left them, and there they stood chewing at each others' head ropes or harness till we were over with the sledges and ready to take them on again. their implicit trust in us was touching to behold. a -feet sledge makes an excellent bridge if an opening is too wide to jump. after some hours we saw fast ice ahead, and thanked god for it. meanwhile a further unpleasantness occurred in the arrival of a host of the terrible 'killer' whales. these were reaping a harvest of seal in the broken-up ice, and cruised among the floes with their immense black fins sticking up, and blowing with a terrific roar. the killer is scientifically known as the orca, and, though far smaller than the sperm and other large whales, is a much more dangerous animal. he is armed with a huge iron jaw and great blunt socket teeth. killers act in concert, too, and, as you may remember, nearly got ponting when we were unloading the ship, by pressing up the thin ice from beneath and splitting it in all directions. "it took us over six hours to get close to the fast ice, which proved to be the barrier, some immense chunks of which we actually saw break off and join the pack. close in, the motion was less owing to the jambing up of the ice somewhere farther west. we had only just cleared the strait in time though, as all the ice in the centre, released beyond cape armitage, headed off into the middle of the strait, and thence to the ross sea. our spirits rose as we neared the barrier edge, and i made for a big sloping floe which i expected would be touching; at any rate i anticipated no difficulty. we rushed up the slope towards safety, and were little prepared for the scene that met our eyes at the top. all along the barrier face a broad lane of water from thirty to forty feet wide extended. this was filled with smashed-up brash ice, which was heaving up and down to the swell like the contents of a cauldron. killers were cruising there with fiendish activity, and the barrier edge was a sheer cliff of ice on the other side fifteen to twenty feet high. it was a case of so near and yet so far. suddenly our great sloping floe calved in two, so we beat a hasty retreat. i selected a sound-looking floe just clear of this turmoil, that was at least ten feet thick, and fairly rounded, with a flat surface. here we collected everything and having done all that man could do, we fed the beasts and took counsel. "cherry and crean both volunteered to do anything, in the spirit they had shown right through. it appeared of first necessity to communicate with captain scott. i guessed his anxiety on our behalf, and, as we could do nothing more, we wanted help of some sort. it occurred to me that a man working up to windward along the barrier face might happen upon a floe touching [the barrier]. it was obviously impossible to take ponies up there anywhere, but an active man might wait his opportunity. going to windward, too, he could always retreat on to our floe, as the ice was being pushed together in our direction. the next consideration was, whom to send. to go myself was out of the question. the problem was whether to send one, or both, my companions. as my object was to save the animals and gear, it appeared to me that one man remaining would be helpless in the event of the floe splitting up, as he would be busy saving himself. i therefore decided to send one only. this would have to be crean, as cherry, who wears glasses, could not see so well. both volunteered, but as i say, i thought out all the pros and cons and sent crean, knowing that, at the worst, he could get back to us at any time. i sent a note to captain scott, and, stuffing crean's pockets with food, we saw him depart. "practical cherry suggested pitching the tent as a mark of our whereabouts, and having done this i mounted the theodolite to watch crean through the telescope. the rise and fall of the floe made this difficult, especially as a number of emperor penguins came up and looked just like men in the distance. fortunately the sunlight cleared the frost smoke, and as it fell calm our westerly motion began to decrease. the swell started to go down. outside us in the centre of the strait all the ice had gone out, and open water remained. we were one of a line of loose floes floating near the barrier edge. crean was hours moving to and fro before i had the satisfaction of seeing him up on the barrier. i said: 'thank god one of us is out of the wood, anyhow.' "it was not a pleasant day that cherry and i spent all alone there, knowing as we did that it only wanted a zephyr from the south to send us irretrievably out to sea; still there is satisfaction in knowing that one has done one's utmost, and i felt that having been delivered so wonderfully so far, the same hand would not forsake us at the last. "we gave the ponies all they could eat that day. the killers were too interested in us to be pleasant. they had a habit of bobbing up and down perpendicularly, so as to see over the edge of a floe, in looking for seals. the huge black and yellow heads with sickening pig eyes only a few yards from us at times, and always around us, are among the most disconcerting recollections i have of that day. the immense fins were bad enough, but when they started a perpendicular dodge they were positively beastly. as the day wore on skua gulls, looking upon us as certain carrion, settled down comfortably near us to await developments. the swell, however, was getting less and less and it resolved itself into a question of speed, as to whether the wind or captain scott would reach us first. "crean had got up into the barrier at great risks to himself as i gathered afterwards from his very modest account. he had reached captain scott some time after his [scott's] meeting with wilson.[ ] i heard that at the time captain scott was very angry with me for not abandoning everything and getting away safely myself. for my own part i must say that the abandoning of the ponies was the one thing that had never entered my head. it was a long way round, but at p.m. he arrived at the edge of the barrier opposite us with oates and crean. everything was still, and cherry and i could have got on safe ice at any time during the last half hour by using the sledge as a ladder. a big overturned fragment had jambed in the lane, between a high floe and the barrier edge, and, there being no wind, it remained there. however, there was the consideration of the ponies, so we waited. "scott, instead of blowing me up, was too relieved at our safety to be anything but pleased. i said: 'what about the ponies and the sledges?' he said: 'i don't care a damn about the ponies and sledges. it's you i want, and i am going to see you safe here up on the barrier before i do anything else.' cherry and i had got everything ready, so, dragging up two sledges, we dumped the gear off them, and using them as ladders, one down from the berg on to the buffer piece of ice, and the other up to the top of the barrier, we got up without difficulty. captain scott was so pleased, that i realized the feeling he must have had all day. he had been blaming himself for our deaths, and here we were very much alive. he said: 'my dear chaps, you can't think how glad i am to see you safe--cherry likewise.' "i was all for saving the beasts and sledges, however, so he let us go back and haul the sledges on to the nearest floe. we did this one by one and brought the ponies along, while titus dug down a slope from the barrier edge in the hope of getting the ponies up it. scott knew more about ice than any of us, and realizing the danger we didn't, still wanted to abandon things. i fought for my point tooth and nail, and got him to concede one article and then another, and still the ice did not move till we had thrown and hauled up every article on to the barrier except the two ladders and the ponies. * * * * * "to my intense disappointment at this juncture the ice started to move again. titus had been digging down a road in the barrier edge, and i hoped to dig down a similar slope from the floe, the snow thus shovelled down would go over the blue ice chunk, cover up the slippery ice and level it up. it would have taken hours, but was the only chance of getting the animals up. we dug like fury until captain scott peremptorily ordered us up. i ran up on the floe and took the nosebags off the ponies before we got on to the barrier, and hauled the sledges up. it was only just in time. there was the faintest south-easterly air, but, like a black snake, the lane of water stretched between the ponies and ourselves. it widened almost imperceptibly, feet, feet, feet, feet, and, sick as we were about the ponies, we were glad to be on the safe side of that. "we dragged the sledges in a little way, and, leaving them, pitched the two tents half a mile farther in, for bits of the barrier were continually calving. while supper (it was about a.m.) was being cooked, scott and i walked down again. the wind had gone to the east, and all the ice was under weigh. a lane feet wide extended along the barrier edge, and killers were chasing up and down it like racehorses. our three unfortunate beasts were some way out, sailing parallel to the barrier. we returned, and if ever one could feel miserable i did then. my feelings were nothing to what poor captain scott had had to endure that day. i at once broached the hopeful side of the subject, remarking that, with the two campbell had left, we had ten ponies at winter quarters. he said, however, that he had no confidence whatever in the motors after the way their rollers had become messed up unloading the ship. he had had his confidence in the dogs much shaken on the return journey, and now he had lost the most solid asset--the best of his pony transport. he said: 'of course we shall have a run for our money next season, but as far as the pole is concerned i have but very little hope.' we had a mournful meal, but after the others turned in i went down again, and by striking across diagonally came abreast of the ponies' floe, over a mile away. they were moving west fast, but they saw me, and remained huddled together not the least disturbed, or doubting that we would bring them their breakfast nosebags as usual in the morning. poor trustful creatures! if i could have done it then, i would gladly have killed them rather than picture them starving on that floe out on the ross sea, or eaten by the exultant killers that cruised around. "after breakfast captain scott sent me to bring up the sledges. it was dead calm again. hope always springs, so i took his pair of glasses and looked west from the barrier edge. nearly all the ice had gone, but a medley of floes had been hurled up against a long point of barrier much farther west. to my delight i saw three green specks on one of these--the pony rugs--and all four of us legged it back to the tent to tell captain scott. we were soon off over the barrier. it was a long way, but we had a tent and some food. crean had a bad day of snow-blindness, and could see absolutely nothing. so, on arrival at the place, we pitched the tent and left him there. the ponies were in a much worse place than the day before, but the ice was still there, and some floes actually touched the barrier. "after our recent experience captain scott would only let us go on condition that as soon as he gave the order we were to drop everything and run for the barrier. i was in a feverish hurry, and with titus and cherry selected a possible route over about six floes, and some low brash ice. the hardest jump was the first one, but it was nothing to what they had done the day before, so we put punch at it. why he hung fire i cannot think,[ ] but he did, at the very edge, and the next moment was in the water. i will draw a veil over our struggle to get the plucky little pony out. we could not manage it, and titus had at last to put an end to his struggles with a pick. "there was now my pony and nobby. we abandoned that route, while captain scott looked out another and longer one by going right out on the sea-floes. this we decided on, if we could get the animals off their present floe, which necessitated a good jump on any side. captain scott said he would have no repetition of punch's misfortune if he could help it. he would rather kill them on the floe. anyhow, we rushed old nobby at the jump, but he refused. it seemed no good, but i rushed him at it again and again. scott was for killing them [it should be remembered that this ice, with the men on it, might drift away from the barrier at any moment, and then there might be no further chance of saving the men] but i was not, and, pretending not to hear him, i rushed the old beast again. he cleared it beautifully, and titus, seizing the opportunity, ran my pony at it with similar success. we then returned to the barrier and worked along westward till a suitable place for getting up was found. there scott and cherry started digging a road, while titus and i went out via the sea-ice to get the ponies. we had an empty sledge as a bridge or ladder, in case of emergency, and had to negotiate about forty floes to reach the animals. it was pretty easy going, though, and we brought them along with great success as far as the two nearest floes. at this place the ice was jambed. "nobby cleared the last jump splendidly, when suddenly in the open water pond on one side a school of over a dozen of the terrible whales arose. this must have flurried my horse just as he was jumping, as instead of going straight he jumped [sideways] and just missed the floe with his hind legs. it was another horrible situation, but scott rushed nobby up on the barrier, while titus, cherry and i struggled with poor old uncle bill. why the whales did not come under the ice and attack him i cannot say--perhaps they were full of seal, perhaps they were so engaged in looking at us on the top of the floe that they forgot to look below; anyhow, we got him safely as far as [the bottom of the barrier cliff], pulling him through the thin ice towards a low patch of brash. "captain scott was afraid of something happening to us with those devilish whales so close, and was for abandoning the horse right away. i had no eyes or ears for anything but the horse just then, and getting on to the thin brash ice got the alpine rope fast to each of the pony's forefeet. crean was too blind to do anything but hold the rescued horse on the barrier, but the other four of us pulled might and main till we got the old horse out and lying on his side. the brash ice was so thin that, had a 'killer' come up then he would have scattered it, and the lot of us into the water like chaff. i was sick with disappointment when i found that my horse could not rise. titus said: 'he's done; we shall never get him up alive.' the cold water and shock on top of all his recent troubles, had been too much for the undefeated old sportsman. in vain i tried to get him to his feet; three times he tried and then fell over backwards into the water again. at that moment a new danger arose. the whole piece of barrier itself started to subside. "it had evidently been broken before, and the tide was doing the rest. we were ordered up and it certainly was all too necessary; still titus and i hung over the old uncle bill's head. i said: 'i can't leave him to be eaten alive by those whales.' there was a pick lying up on the floe. titus said: 'i shall be sick if i have to kill another horse like i did the last.' i had no intention that anybody should kill my own horse but myself, and getting the pick i struck where titus told me. i made sure of my job before we ran up and jumped the opening in the barrier, carrying a blood-stained pick-axe instead of leading the pony i had almost considered safe. "we returned to our old camp that night (march ) with nobby, the only one saved of the five that left one ton depôt. i was fearfully cut up about my pony and punch, but it was better than last night; we knew they would not have to starve and that all their troubles were now at an end. before supper i went for a walk along the barrier with scott, and the next day we started back. we left one tent, two sledges and a lot of gear as nobby could only pull two light sledges, and we could not pull an excessive weight on that bad surface. as it was we had over lbs. on the sledge when we left. it was a glaring day with the surface soft and sandy, a combination of unpleasant circumstances. it took five hours to drag as far as the place we had originally gone down on to the sea-ice from the barrier. "evans and his party should now have arrived from corner camp, and as captain scott wanted to see if they had left a note at safety camp, i walked up there while the tea was being brewed. it was about ¼ miles away, and i found traces of the party in the snow, but no note. it fed me up to see the walls so recently occupied by our ponies, and i was glad to leave. the afternoon march was interminable; it seemed as if we would never reach the coast. at last we came to the pram point pressure ridges where the barrier joins the peninsula to eastward of cape armitage. they are waves of ice up to feet in height running along parallel to each other with a valley in between each, and are only crevassed badly at the outer end as far as we have seen, though there are smaller crevasses right along. we camped in one of these valleys about . p.m.; i was thoroughly tired, so i think was everybody else. we were about a mile from the ice edge; and the problem was where to get nobby up the precipitous slopes. this was solved by the arrival of evans, atkinson, forde and keohane about midnight. they had seen us coming in from the heights, and had come down for news. teddy evans had arrived the day before, and, being warned off the barrier edge by a note left by captain scott, had made for the land with his party, and one horse jimmy pigg. he had found a good way up a mile or so farther east, almost under castle rock. he had walked to hut point with atkinson the next day and heard of the loss of cherry, myself and the animals from bill wilson and meares who had been left there to look after their teams. i hadn't seen atkinson for quite a while when we met this time. "the next day we relayed the sledges up the slope which was about feet high rising from a small bay. it was so steep that the pony could only be led up and we had to put on crampons to grip the ice. these are merely a sole of leather with light metal plates for foot and heel containing spikes. [these were altered afterwards.] they have leather beckets and a lanyard rove off for making them fast over the finnesko. it took us all the morning to get everything up to the top and then it started to blow. the camp was wonderfully sheltered. jimmy pigg and nobby were reunited after many weeks, and to show their friendliness the former bit the latter in the back of the neck as a first introduction. atkinson had gone to hut point to reassure uncle bill as to our safety and arrived again with gran just as we got the last load up. there was no sugar at the hut except what the dogs had brought in, so gran, who was quite fresh, volunteered to get a couple of bags from the depôt at safety camp, which could plainly be seen out on the barrier. we all went to the edge of the slope to see him go down it on ski. he did it splendidly and must have been going with the speed of an express train down the incline, as he was on the barrier in an incredibly short time compared to the hours we had dragged up the same slope with the loads. teddy, titus and keohane were left at the camp to be joined by gran later. scott started off for hut point with crean and cherry on his sledge, while i followed with forde and atkinson. the others helped us up several hundred feet of slope and left us under castle rock. "it was here that they mistook their way in the blizzard and lost a man from the discovery. though it was fine below it was blowing like anything on the heights. i was too busily occupied to see much of the hills and snow-slopes which i got to know so well later. it was about three miles direct to the hut, but very up and down hill. at the last, however, you see the bay in panorama with cape armitage on one side, and hut point on the other, where the discovery lay two whole years. it is a magnificent view from the heights and for wild desolate grandeur would take some beating; the western mountains and the great dome of mount discovery across the black strait of water, covered with dark frost smoke, and here and there an iceberg driving fast towards the sea. about half a mile below us was the little hut and, on the left, the -feet pyramid of observation hill. it is a perfect chaos of hills and extinct craters just here. "it was blowing like fun. we left one sledge on the top of ski-slope and just took what was necessary on the other, such as our bags, etc. it was my first experience of steep downhill sledging. instead of anybody pulling forward we all had to hang back and guide the sledge down the slippery incline without letting it take charge or getting upset. it is great fun. on reaching the head of the bay, however, we had quite a dangerous little bit to cross. here it was swept of snow and there was nothing but glassy ice and the incline ended in a low ice-cliff with the water below it. attached as we were to the sledge we should have been at a disadvantage had it come to swimming, which a slip might easily have brought about. we scratched carefully across this and then headed down on the snow, arriving at the hut all well. the old hut had changed tremendously since i last saw it, having been dug out and cleared of snow and ice. two unrecognizable sweeps greeted us heartily, they were bill and meares; the dogs howled a chorus for our benefit; it was quite like coming home. inside the hut, the cause of the blackness was apparent, they had a blubber fire going, an open one, with no chimney or uptake for the smoke. after such a long open-air life it fairly choked me, and for once i could not eat a square meal. we all slept in a row against the west wall of the hut with our feet inboard. "the next morning captain scott, bill, cherry and i set out to walk to castle rock and meet the other party. it was fairly fizzing from the sea, but clear. once up on the heights, however, we seemed to get less wind. a couple of hours later we were at the great rock, castle rock, which is one of the best landmarks about here. the party in the saddle camp had relayed two of the sledges up the slope; these we hauled on to the top while the two ponies were harnessed and brought up. there were three sledges left to take on altogether, so the ponies took one each and we the other. meanwhile captain scott walked over the shoulder under castle rock to see down the strait and came back with the intelligence that he could hardly believe his eyes, but half the glacier tongue had broken off and disappeared. this great tongue of ice had stood there on arrival of the discovery, ten years before, and had remained ever since; it had a depôt of shackleton's on it, and campbell had depôted his fodder on it for us. on the eventful night of the break-up of the ice at least three miles of the tongue which had been considered practically terra firma had gone, after having been there probably for centuries. we headed for the hut: bill had looked out a route for the ponies, to avoid slippery places. it started to bliz, but was not too thick for us to see our bearings. at the top of ski slope the ponies were taken out of the sledges and led down a circuitous route over the rocks. the rest of us put everything we wanted on one sledge and leaving the others up there went down the slope as before. the two ponies arrived before us and were stabled in the verandah. "that night for the first time since the establishment of safety camp the depôt party were all together again, minus six ponies. in concluding my report to captain scott on the 'floe' incident, which he asked me to set down long afterwards, i said, 'in reconsidering the foregoing i have come to the conclusion that i underestimated the danger signs on the sea-ice on february , and on the following day might have attached more importance to the safety of my companions. as it was, however, all circumstances seemed to conspire together to make the situation unavoidable.' i did not forget to mention the splendid behaviour of cherry and crean, and, for my own part, i have no regrets. i took the blame for my lack of experience, but knew that having done everything i could do, it did not concern me if anybody liked to criticize my action. my own opinion is that it just had to be, the circumstances leading to it were too devious for mere coincidence. six hours earlier we could have walked to the hut on sound sea-ice. a few hours later we should have seen open water on arrival at the barrier edge. the blizzard that knocked out the beasts, the death of weary, the misunderstanding of the dogs, everything, fitted in to place us on the sea-ice during the only two hours of the whole year that we could possibly have been in such a position. let those who believe in coincidence carry on believing. nobody will ever convince me that there was not something more. perhaps in the light of next year we shall see what was meant by such an apparent blow to our hopes. certainly we shall start for the pole with less of that foolish spirit of blatant boast and ridiculous blind self-assurance, that characterized some of us on leaving cardiff. "poor captain scott had now a new anxiety thrust upon him. the winter station with ponies, stores and motors was all situated on a low beach not twenty yards from the water's edge, and now that the ice had gone out (and the hut was not six feet above sea-level at the floor) how had they fared in the storm? this was a problem we could not solve without going to see. cape evans, though dimly in sight, was as far off as new zealand till the sea froze over. the idea of attempting the shoulder of erebus did occur to captain scott, but it was so heavily crevassed as to make a journey from our side almost impossible. on the other side professor david's party got up to the summit without finding a crevasse. captain scott took his reverses like a brick. i often went out for a walk with him and sometimes he discussed his plans for next season. he took his losses very philosophically and never blamed any of us." * * * * * this is the end of that part of bowers' letter which deals with the incident. crean told me afterwards how he got on to the barrier. he first made for the gap, following the best path of the ice, but then had to retrace his steps and make for white island jumping from floe to floe. but then "i was pretty lively," said he: and "there were lots of penguins and seals and killers knocking round that day." crean had one of the ski sticks and that "was a great help to me for getting over the floes. it was a sloping piece like what you were on and it was very near touching the barrier, in one corner of it only. well, i dug a hole with the ski stick in the side of the barrier for a step for one foot, and when i finished the hole i straddled my legs and got one on the floe and one in the side of the barrier. then i got the stick and dug it in on top and i gave myself a bit of a spring and got my outside leg up top. it was a terrible place but i thought it was the only chance. "i made straight for safety camp and they must have spotted me: for i think it was gran that met me on skis. then scott and wilson and oates met me a long way out: i explained how it happened. he was worried-looking a bit, but he never said anything out of the way. he told oates to go inside and light the primus and give me a meal." a more detailed account of the behaviour of the hundreds of whales which infested the lanes of open water between the broken floes and calved bergs is of interest. most of them at any rate were killer whales (orca gladiator), and they were cruising about in great numbers, snorting and blowing, while occasionally they would in some extraordinary way raise themselves and look about over the ice, resting the fore part of their enormous yellow and black bodies on the edge of the floes. they were undisguisedly interested in us and the ponies, and we felt that if we once got into the water our ends would be swift and bloody. but i have a very distinct recollection that the whales were not all killers, and that some, at any rate, were bottle-nosed whales. this was impressed upon me by one of the most dramatic moments of that night and day. we made our way very slowly, sometimes waiting twenty minutes for the floe on which we were to touch the next one in the direction we were trying to go, but before us in the distance was a region of sea-ice which appeared to slope gradually up on to the fast barrier beyond. as we got nearer we saw a dark line appear at intervals between the two. this we considered was a crevasse at the edge of the barrier which was opening and shutting with the very big swell which was running, and on which all the floes were bobbing up and down. we told one another that we could rush the ponies over this as it closed. we approached the barrier and began to rise up on the sloping floes which had edged the barrier and so on to small bergs which had calved from the barrier itself. leaving crean with the ponies, bowers and i went forward to prospect, and rose on to a berg from which we hoped to reach the barrier. i can never forget the scene that met us. between us and the barrier was a lane of some fifty yards wide, a seething cauldron. bergs were calving off as we watched: and capsizing: and hitting other bergs, splitting into two and falling apart. the killers filled the whole place. looking downwards into a hole between our berg and the next, a hole not bigger than a small room, we saw at least six whales. they were so crowded that they could only lie so as to get their snouts out of the water, and my memory is that their snouts were bottle-nosed. at this moment our berg split into two parts and we hastily retreated to the lower and safer floes. now in the zoological report of the discovery expedition wilson states that the true identity of the bottle-nosed whale (hyperoodon rostrata) in antarctic seas has not been conclusively established. but that inasmuch as it certainly frequents seas so far as ° s. latitude it is probable that certain whales which he and other members of that expedition saw frequenting the edge of the ice were, as they appeared to be, bottle-nosed whales. for my part, without great knowledge of whales, i am convinced that these whales which lay but twenty feet below us were whales of this species. after our rescue by scott we pitched our tents, as has been described, at least half a mile from the fast edge of the barrier. all night long, or as it really was, early morning, the killers were snorting and blowing under the barrier, and sometimes, it seemed, under our tents. time and again some member of the party went out of the tent to see if the barrier had not broken farther back, but there was no visible change, and it must have been that the apparently solid ice on which we were, was split up by crevasses by the big swell which had been running, and that round us, hidden by snow bridges, were leads of water in which whales were cruising in search of seal. the next day most of the ice had gone out to sea, and i do not think the whales were so numerous. the most noticeable thing about them that day was the organization shown by the band of whales which appeared after bowers' pony, uncle bill, had fallen between two floes, and we were trying to get him towards the barrier. "good god, look at the whales," said some one, and there, in a pool of water behind the floe on which we were working, lay twelve great whales in perfect line, facing the floe. and out in front of them, like the captain of a company of soldiers, was another. as we turned they dived as one whale, led by the big fellow in front, and we certainly expected that they would attack the floe on which we stood. whether they never did so, or whether they tried and failed, for the floes here were fifteen or sixteen feet thick, i do not know; we never saw them again. one other incident of those days is worth recalling. "cherry, crean, we're floating out to sea," was the startling awakening from bowers, standing in his socks outside the tent at . a.m. that wednesday morning. and indeed at first sight on getting outside the tent it looked a quite hopeless situation. i thought it was madness to try and save the ponies and gear when, it seemed, the only chance at all of saving the men was an immediate rush for the barrier, and i said so. "well, i'm going to try," was bowers' answer, and, quixotic or no, he largely succeeded. i never knew a man who treated difficulties with such scorn. * * * * * there must be some of my companions who look back upon hut point with a peculiar fondness, such as men get for places where they have experienced great joys and great trials. and hut point has an atmosphere of its own. i do not know what it is. partly aesthetic, for the sea and great mountains, and the glorious colour effects which prevail in spring and autumn, would fascinate the least imaginative; partly mysterious, with the great barrier knocking at your door, and the smoke of erebus by day and the curtain of aurora by night; partly the associations of the place--the old hut, the old landmarks, so familiar to those who know the history of the discovery expedition, the stakes in the snow, the holes for which ice was dug to water the ship, vince's cross on the point. now there is another cross, on observation hill. and yet when we first arrived the hut was comfortless enough. wilson and meares and gran had been there some days; they had found some old bricks and a grid, and there was an open blubber fire in the middle of the floor. there was no outlet for the smoke and smuts and it was impossible to see your neighbour, to speak without coughing, or to open your eyes long before they began to smart. atkinson and crean had cleared the floor of ice in our absence, but the space between the lower and upper roofs was solid with blue ice, and the lower roof sagged down in places in a dangerous way. the wind howled continuously and to say that the hut was cold is a very mild expression of the reality. this hut was built by the discovery expedition, who themselves lived in the ship which lay off the shore frozen into the sea-ice, as a workroom and as a refuge in case of shipwreck. it was useful to them in some ways, but was too large to heat with the amount of coal available, and was rather a white elephant. scott wrote of it that "on the whole our large hut has been and will be of use to us, but its uses are never likely to be of such importance as to render it indispensable, nor cause it to be said that circumstances have justified the outlay made on it, or the expenditure of space and trouble in bringing it to its final home. it is here now, however, and here it will stand for many a long year with such supplies as will afford the necessaries of life to any less fortunate party who may follow in our footsteps and be forced to search for food and shelter."[ ] well! it was to be more useful to scott in to than he imagined in . we found the place with its verandah complete, the remains of the two magnetic huts and a rubbish heap. it was wonderful what that rubbish heap yielded up. bricks to build a blubber stove, a sheet of iron to put over the top of it, a length of stove piping to form a chimney. somehow somebody made cement, and built the bricks together, and one of the magnetic huts gave up its asbestos sheeting to insulate the chimney from the woodwork of the roofs. an old door made a cook's table, old cases turned upside down made seats. the provisions left by the discovery were biscuits contained in some forty large packing cases. these we piled up across the middle of our house as a bulkhead and the old discovery winter awning was dug out of the snow outside and fixed against the wall thus made to keep the warmth in. at night we cleared the floor space and spread our bags. [illustration: hut point from observation hill] the two precious survivors of the eight ponies with which we started on our journey were housed in the verandah, which was made wind-proof and snow-proof. the more truculent dogs lay tethered outside, the more docile were allowed their freedom, but even so the dog fights were not infrequent. we had one poor little dog, makaka by name. when unloading the ship this dog had been overrun by the sledge which he was helping to pull; he suffered again when the team of dogs fell down the crevasse, and was now partially paralysed. he was a wretched object, for the hair refused to grow on his hind quarters, but he was a real sportsman and had no idea of giving in. meares and i went out one night when it was blowing hard, attracted by the cries of a dog. it was makaka who had ventured to climb a steep slope and was now afraid to return. when the dogs finally returned to cape evans, makaka was allowed to run by the side of the team; but when cape evans was reached he was gone. search failed to find him and, after some weeks, hope of him was abandoned. but a month afterwards gran and debenham went over to hut point, and here at the entrance of the hut they found makaka, pitifully weak but able to bark to them. he must have lived on seal, but how he did so in that condition is a mystery. the reader may ask how it was that being so near our winter quarters at cape evans we were unable to reach them immediately. cape evans is fifteen miles across the sea from hut point, and though both huts are on the same island--hut point being at the end of a peninsula and cape evans on the remains of a flow of lava which juts out into the sea--the land which joins the two has never yet been crossed by a sledge party owing to the great ice falls which cover the slopes of erebus. a glance at the map will show that although hut point is surrounded with sea, or sea-ice, on every side except that of arrival heights, the barrier abuts upon the hut point peninsula to the south beyond pram point. thus there is always communication with the barrier by a devious route by which indeed we had just arrived, but farther progress north is cut off until the cold temperature of the autumn and winter causes the open sea to freeze. we arrived at hut point on march and scott expected to be able to cross on the newly-frozen ice by about march . however, it was nearly a month after that when the first party could pass to cape evans, and then only the bays were frozen and the sound was still open water, owing to the winds which swept the ice out to sea almost as soon as it was formed. on the top of all the anxieties which had oppressed him lately scott had a great fear that a swell so phenomenal as to break up glacier tongue, a landmark which had probably been there for centuries, might have swept away our hut at cape evans. he was so alarmed about it that he told wilson and myself to prepare to form a sledging party with him to penetrate the erebus icefalls and reach cape evans. "went yesterday to castle rock with wilson to see what chance there might be of getting to cape evans. the day was bright and it was quite warm walking in the sun. there is no doubt the route to cape evans lies over the worst corner of erebus. from this distance (some or miles at least) the whole mountain side looks a mass of crevasses, but a route might be found at a level of or feet."[ ] after some days the project was abandoned as being hopeless. on march bowers led a party to bring in the gear and provisions which had been left at disaster camp, the material, that is, which had been rescued from the sea-ice. they were away three days and found the pulling very hard. "at the corner of the bay the barrier was buckled into round ridges which took a couple of hours to cross. we marched for some time alongside an enormous crevasse, which lay like a street near us. i examined it at one point which must have been feet wide, and though it was impossible to see the bottom for snow cornices it was undoubtedly open as i could hear a seal blowing below."[ ] bowers' letter describes them dragging their heavy load up the slope to castle rock: "it took us all the morning to reach saddle camp with the loads in two journeys. i found a steady plod up a steep hill without spells is better and less exhausting than a rush and a number of rests. this theory i put into practice with great success. i don't know whether everybody saw eye to eye with me over the idea of getting to the top without a spell. after the second sledge was up atkinson said: 'i don't mind you as a rule, but there are times when i positively hate you.'" defoe could have written another robinson crusoe with hut point instead of san juan fernandez. our sledging supplies were mostly exhausted and we depended upon the seals we could kill for food, fuel and light. we were smutty as sweeps from the blubber we burned; and a more blackguard-looking crew would have been hard to find. we spent our fine days killing, cutting up and carrying in seal when we could find them, or climbing the various interesting hills and craters which abound here, and our evenings in long discussions which seldom settled anything. some looked after dogs, and others after ponies; some made geological collections; others sketched the wonderful sunsets; but before and above all we ate and slept. we must have spent a good twelve hours asleep in our bags every day after our six weeks' sledging. and we rested. perhaps this is not everybody's notion of a very good time, but it was good enough for us. the weddell seal which frequents the seas which fringe the antarctic continent was a standby for most of our wants; for he can at a pinch provide not only meat to eat, fuel for your fire and oil for your lamp, but also leather for your finnesko and an antidote to scurvy. as he lies out on the sea-ice, a great ungainly shape, nothing short of an actual prod will persuade him to take much notice of an antarctic explorer. even then he is as likely as not to yawn in your face and go to sleep again. his instincts are all to avoid the water when alarmed, for he knows his enemies the killer whales live there: but if you drive him into the water he is transformed in the twinkling of an eye into a thing of beauty and grace, which can travel and turn with extreme celerity and which can successfully chase the fish on which he feeds. we were lucky now in that a small bay of sea-ice, about an acre in extent, still remained within two miles of us at a corner where barrier, sea, and land meet, called pram point by scott in the discovery days. now pram point during the summer months is one of the most populous seal nurseries in mcmurdo sound. in this neighbourhood the barrier, moving slowly towards the peninsula, buckles the sea-ice into pressure ridges. as the trough of each ridge is forced downwards, so in summer pools of sea water are formed in which the seal make their holes and among these ridges they lie and bask in the sun: the males fight their battles, the females bring forth their young: the children play and chase their tails just like kittens. now that the sea-ice had broken up, many seal were to be found in this sheltered corner under the green and blue ice-cliffs of crater hill. if you go seal killing you want a big stick, a bayonet, a flensing knife and a steel. any big stick will do, so long as it will hit the seal a heavy blow on the nose: this stuns him and afterwards mercifully he feels no more. the bayonet knife (which should be fitted into a handle with a cross-piece to prevent the slipping of the hand down on to the blade) should be at least inches long without the handle; this is used to reach the seal's heart. our flensing knives were one foot long including the handle, the blades were seven inches long by ¼ inches broad: some were pointed and others round and i do not know which was best. the handles should be of wood as being warmer to hold. killing and cutting up seals is a gruesome but very necessary business, and the provision of suitable implements is humane as well as economic in time and labour. the skin is first cut off with the blubber attached: the meat is then cut from the skeleton, the entrails cleaned out, the liver carefully excised. the whole is then left to freeze in pieces on the snow, which are afterwards collected as rock-like lumps. the carcass can be cut up with an axe when needed and fed to the dogs. nothing except entrails was wasted. [illustration: seals] [illustration: seals] [illustration: from the sea--e. a. wilson, del.] [illustration: from the sea--e. a. wilson, del.] lighting was literally a burning question. i do not know that any lamp was better than a tin matchbox fed with blubber, with strands of lamp wick sticking up in it, but all kinds of patterns big and small were made by proud inventors; they generally gave some light, though not a brilliant one. there were more ambitious attempts than blubber. the worst of these perhaps was produced by oates. somebody found some carbide and oates immediately schemed to light the hut with acetylene. i think he was the only person who did not view the preparation with ill-concealed nervousness. however, wilson took the situation into his tactful hands. for several days oates and wilson were deep in the acetylene plant scheme and then, apparently without reason, it was found that it could not be done. it was a successful piece of strategy which no woman could have bettered. bowers, wilson, atkinson and i were on crater hill one morning when we espied a sledge party approaching from the direction of castle rock. as we expected, this was the geological party, consisting of griffith taylor, wright, debenham and seaman evans, home from the western mountains. they entirely failed to recognize in our black faces the men whom they had last seen from the ship at glacier tongue. i hope their story will be told by debenham. for days their doings were the topic of conversation. both numerically and intellectually they were an addition to our party, which now numbered sixteen. taylor especially is seldom at a loss for conversation and his remarks are generally original, if sometimes crude. most of us were glad to listen when the discussions in which he was a leading figure raged round the blubber stove. scott and wilson were always in the thick of it, and the others chimed in as their interest, knowledge and experience led. rash statements on questions of fact were always dangerous, for our small community contained so many specialists that errors were soon exposed. at the same time there were few parts of the world that one or other of us had not visited at least once. later, when we came to our own limited quarters, books of reference were constantly in demand to settle disputes. such books as the times atlas, a good encyclopaedia and even a latin dictionary are invaluable to such expeditions for this purpose. to them i would add who's who. from odd corners we unearthed some contemporary reviews, the girls' own paper and the family herald, all of ten years ago! we also found encased in ice an incomplete copy of stanley weyman's my lady rotha; it was carefully thawed out and read by everybody, and the excitement was increased by the fact that the end of the book was missing. "who's going to cook?" was one of the last queries each night, and two men would volunteer. it is not great fun lighting an ordinary coal fire on a cold winter's morning, but lighting the blubber fire at hut point when the metal frosted your fingers and the frozen blubber had to be induced to drip was a far more arduous task. the water was converted from its icy state and, by that time, the stove was getting hot, in inverse proportion to your temper. seal liver fry and cocoa with unlimited discovery cabin biscuits were the standard dish for breakfast, and when it was ready a sustained cry of 'hoosh' brought the sleepers from their bags, wiping reindeer hairs from their eyes. i think i was responsible for the greatest breakfast failure when i fried some biscuits and sardines (we only had one tin). leaving the biscuits in the frying pan, the lid of a cooker, after taking it from the fire, they went on cooking and became as charcoal. this meal was known as 'the burnt-offering.' on april bowers prepared to make a fool of two of us by putting chaff in our pannikins and covering the top only with seal meat. the plan turned back upon the maker, for he had not enough left to make up the deficiency, and, as i found out many weeks afterwards, surreptitiously gave up his own hoosh to the april fools and went without himself. of such are the small incidents which afforded real amusement and even live in the memory as outstanding features of our existence. breakfast done, there was a general clean-up. one seized the apology for a broom which existed: day foot-gear, finnesko, hair socks, ordinary socks and puttees, took the place of fleecy sleeping-socks and fur-lined sleeping-boots: lunch cooks began to make their preparations: ice was fetched for water: a frozen chunk of red seal meat or liver was levered and chopped with an ice axe from the general store of seal meat: fids of sealskin, with the blubber attached, a good three inches of it perhaps, were brought in and placed by the stove, much as we bring in a scuttle of coal. gradually the community scattered as duty or inclination led, leaving some members to dig away the snow-drifts which had accumulated round the door and windows during the night. by lunch time every one had some new item of interest. wright had found a new form of ice crystal: scott had tested the ice off the point and found it five inches thick: wilson had found new seal holes off cape armitage, and we had hopes of finding our food and fuel nearer home: atkinson had killed an emperor penguin which weighed over ninety pounds, a record: and the assistant zoologist felt he would have to skin it, and did not want to do so: meares had found an excellent place to roll stones down arrival heights into the sea: debenham had a new theory to account for the great boulder, as a mammoth block different in structure from the surrounding geological features was called: bowers had a scheme for returning from the pole by the plateau instead of the barrier: oates might be heard saying that he thought he could do with another chupattie. a favourite pastime was the making of knots. could you make a clove hitch with one hand? the afternoon was like the morning, save that the sun was now sinking behind the western mountains. these autumn effects were among the most beautiful sights of the world, and it was now that wilson made the sketches for many of the water-colours which he afterwards painted at winter quarters. the majority were taken from the summit of observation hill, crouching under the lee of the rocks into which, nearly two years after, we built the cross which now stands to commemorate his death and that of his companions. he sketched quickly with bare fingers and mittened hands, jotting down the outlines of hills and clouds, and pencilling in the colours by name. after a minute, more or less, the fingers become too cold for such work, and they must be put back into the wool and fur mitts until they are again warm enough to continue. pencil and sketch book, a winsor and newton, were carried in a little blubber-stained wallet on his belt. scott carried his sledge diaries in similar books in a similar wallet made of green willesden canvas and fastened with a lanyard. there was a good fug in the hut by dinner time: this was a mixed blessing. it was good for our gear: sleeping-bags, finnesko, mitts, socks were all hung up and dried, most necessary after sledging, and most important for the preservation of the skins; but it also started the most infernal drip-drip from the roof. i have spoken of the double roof of the old discovery hut. this was still full of solid ice; indeed some time afterwards a large portion of it fell, but luckily the inhabitants were outside. the immediate problem was to prevent the leaks falling on ourselves, our food or our clothing and bags. and so every tin was brought into use and hung from leaky spots, while water chutes came into their own. as the stove cooled so did the drip cease, and in no prehistoric cavern did more stalactites and stalagmites grow apace. on march the last sledge party to the barrier that season started for corner camp with provisions to increase the existing depôt there. the party was in charge of lieutenant evans, and consisted of bowers, oates, atkinson, wright, and myself, with two seamen, crean and forde. the journey out and back took eight days and was uneventful as sledge journeys go. thick weather prevailed for several days, and after running down our distance to corner camp we waited for it to clear. we found ourselves six miles from the depôt and among crevasses, which goes to show how easy it is to steer off the course under such conditions, and how creditable the navigation is when a course is kept correctly, sometimes more by instinct than by skill. but we got our first experience of cold weather sledging which was useful. the minus thirties and forties are not very cold as we were to understand cold afterwards, but quite cold enough to start with; cold enough to teach you how to look after your footgear, handle metal and not to waste time. however, the sun was still well up during the day, and this makes all the difference, since any sun does more drying of clothes and gear than none at all. at the same time we began to realize the difficulties which attend upon spring journeys, though we could only imagine what might be the trials on a journey in mid-winter, such as we intended to essay. it is easy to be wise after the event, but, in looking back upon the expedition as a whole, and the tragedy which was to come, mainly from the unforeseen cold of the autumn on the barrier (such as minus forties in february) it seems that we might have grasped that these temperatures were lower than might have been expected in the middle of march quite near the open sea. even if this had occurred to any one, and i do not think that it did, i doubt whether the next step of reasoning would have followed, namely, the possibility that the interior of the barrier would, as actually happened, prove to be much colder than was expected at this date. on the contrary i several times heard scott mention the possibility of the polar party not returning until april. at the same time it must be realized that pony transport to the foot of the beardmore glacier made a late start inevitable, for the blizzards our ponies had already suffered proved that spring weather on the barrier would be intolerable to them. as a matter of fact, scott says in his message to the public, "no one in the world would have expected the temperature and surfaces which we encountered at this time of the year." we returned to find everything at hut point, including the hut, covered with frozen spray. this was the result of a blizzard of which we only felt the tail end on the barrier. scott wrote: "the sea was breaking constantly and heavily on the ice foot. the spray carried right over the point--covering all things and raining on the roof of the hut. poor vince's cross, some feet above the water, was enveloped in it. of course the dogs had a very poor time, and we went and released two or three, getting covered in spray during the operation--our wind clothes very wet. this is the third gale from the south since our arrival here (i.e. in ½ weeks). any one of these would have rendered the bay impossible for a ship, and, therefore, it is extraordinary that we should have entirely escaped such a blow when the discovery was in it in ."[ ] * * * * * it is difficult to see long distances across open water at this time of year because the comparatively warm water throws up into the air a fog, known as frost-smoke. if there is a wind this smoke is carried over the surface of the sea, but if calm the smoke rises and forms a dense curtain. standing on arrival heights, which form the nail of the finger-like peninsula on which we now lived, we could see the four islands which lie near cape evans, and a black smudge in the face of the glaciers which descend from erebus, which we knew to be the face of the steep slope above cape evans, afterwards named the ramp. but, for the present, our comfortable hut might have been thousands of miles away for all the good it was to us. as soon as the wind fell calm the sea was covered by a thin layer of ice, in twenty-four hours it might be four or five inches thick, but as yet it never proved strong enough to resist the next blizzard. in march the ice to the south was safe; there was appearance of ice in the two bays at the foot of erebus' slopes in the beginning of april. we treated newly formed ice with far too little respect. it was on april that scott asked whether any of us would like to walk northwards over the newly formed ice towards castle rock. we had walked about two miles, the ice heaving up and down as we went, dodging the open pools and leads to the best of our ability, when taylor went right in. luckily he could lever himself out without help, and returned to the hut with all speed. we prepared to cross this ice to cape evans the next day, but the whole of it went out in the night. on another occasion we were prepared to set out the following morning, but the ice on which we were to cross went out on the turn of the tide some five hours before we timed ourselves to start. scott was of opinion that the ice in the two bays under erebus was firm, and prepared to essay this route. the first of these bays is formed by the junction of the hut point peninsula with erebus to the south, and by glacier tongue to the north. crossing glacier tongue a party can descend on to the second bay beyond, the northern boundary of which is cape evans. the dellbridge islands, of which great razorback is in direct line between glacier tongue and cape evans, help to hold in any ice which forms here. the route had never been attempted before, but it was hoped that a way down from the peninsula on to the frozen sea might be found at the hutton cliffs, an outcrop of lava rock in the irregular ice face. "a party consisting of scott, bowers, taylor, and seaman evans with one tent, and lieutenant evans, wright, debenham, gran and crean with another, started for hut point. it was dark to the south and snowing by the time they reached the top of ski slope. we helped them past third crater. the ice from hut point to glacier tongue was impossible, and so they went on past castle rock and were to try and get down somewhere by the hutton cliffs on to some fast sea-ice which seemed to have held there some time, and so across glacier tongue on to sea-ice which also seemed to be fast as far as cape evans. "after lunch wilson and i started about p.m. in half a blizzard. it was much better on the heights and fairly clear towards erebus, but we could not see any traces of the party on the ice. "april . this morning as it was beginning to get light a blizzard started, and it is blowing very hard now. the large amount of snow which has fallen will make it very thick. we are all anxious about the returning party, for scott talked of camping on the sea-ice. the ice in arrival bay (just north of hut point) has gone out. they have sleeping-bags, food for two meals, and a full primus for each tent. "april . we were very anxious about the returning party, especially when all the ice north of hut point went out. the blizzard blew itself out this morning, and it was a great change to see white island and the bluff once more. atkinson came in before lunch and told me that, looking from the heights, the ice from glacier tongue to cape evans appeared to have gone out. this sobered our lunch. we all made our way to second crater afterwards, and found the ice from the hutton cliffs to glacier tongue and thence to cape evans was still in. "before leaving, scott arranged to give véry lights at p.m. from cape evans on the first clear night of the next three. to-night is the third, and the first clear night. we were out punctually, and then as we watched a flare blazed up, followed by quite a firework display. we all went wild with excitement--knowing that all was well. meares ran in and soaked some awning with paraffin, and we lifted it as an answering flare and threw it into the air again and again, until it was burning in little bits all over the snow. the relief was great."[ ] * * * * * bowers must tell the story of the returning party: "we topped the ridges and headed for erebus beyond castle rock. it looked a little threatening at first, but cleared a bit as we got on. it was quite interesting to be breaking new ground. scott is a fine stepper in a sledge, and he set a fast and easy swing all the time. it was snowing and misty when we got beyond the hutton cliffs, but we pitched the tents for lunch before going down the slope. there was no doubt that a blizzard was coming up. it cleared during lunch, which we finished about . p.m., as it had been a long morning march. "it was just as well for us that the mist cleared, for the slope was not only crevassed in one direction, but it ended in a high ice-cliff. by working along we found a lowish place about thirty feet down from top to bottom. over this we lowered men and sledges. it had started to blow and the drift was flying off the cliff in clouds. we put in a couple of strong male bamboos to lower the last man away, leaving the alpine rope there to facilitate ascent (i.e. for any party returning to hut point with food). we then repacked the sledges and headed across the bay towards the glacier tongue, where we arrived after dark about p.m. the young sea-ice was covered in a salt deposit which made it like pulling a sledge over treacle instead of ice, and it was very heavy going after the snow uplands. the tongue was mostly hard blue ice, which is slipperiness itself, and crevassed every few yards. most of these were bridged, but you were continually pushing a foot, or sometimes two, into nothingness, in the semi-darkness. none of us, however, went down to the extent of our harness. "arrived on the other side we struck a sheltered dip, where we decided to camp for something to eat. it was after p.m. and i was for camping there for the night, as it seemed to me folly to venture upon a piece of untried newly frozen sea-ice in inky darkness, with a blizzard coming up behind us. against this of course we were only five miles from cape evans, and though we had hardly any grub with us, not having anticipated the cliff or the saltness of the sea-ice, and having to set out to do the journey in one day, i thought hunger in a sleeping-bag better than lying out in a blizzard on less than one foot of young ice. "after a meal we started off at . p.m. in a snowy mist in which we could literally see nothing. it had fallen calm though, and at last we could see the outline of the nearest of the dellbridge islands called the great razorback; our course lay for a smaller island ahead called the little razorback. as we neared the little razorback island the snow hid everything; in fact we could hardly see the island itself when we were right under it. it was impossible to go wandering on, so we had after all to camp on the sea-ice. there was scarcely any snow to put on the valances of the tents, and the wet salt soaked the bags, and you knew that there was only about six or ten inches of precarious ice between you and the black waters beneath. altogether i decided that i for one would lie awake in such an insecure camp. "as expected the blizzard overtook us shortly after midnight, and the shrieking of the wind among the rocks above might have been pretty unpleasant had it not assured me that we were still close to the island and not moving seaward. needless to say, i said that i was sure the camp was as safe as a church. at daylight taylor dived out and in until the wind from the door blew out the ice valance and the next moment the tent closed on us like an umbrella. we would never have spread it again had not some of the drift settled round us, and so we were able to secure it after an hour or two. the air was full of thick drift, and to work off some of taylor's energy i said we might climb the island and look for cape evans. "the island rose up straight from the sea at a sharp angle all round, and we climbed it with difficulty. on the top we saw the reason of its name, as it was absolutely so sharp right along that you could bestride the top as though sitting in a saddle. it was too windy sitting up there to be pleasant, so we descended, having seen nothing but clouds of flying snow, and the peak of inaccessible island. at the bottom of the weather side we found a small ledge perfectly flat and just big enough to take two tents pitched close together. at this place the island made a wind buffer and it was practically calm though the blizzard yelled all round. i urged captain scott to camp on this ledge and taylor fizzled for making for cape evans, so scott decided to ensure taylor's safety, as he put it, and we made for the ledge. once there we had an ideal camp on good hard ground and no wind, and had we had food the blizzard might have lasted a week for aught i cared. [illustration: the hut, erebus and whale-back clouds] "we were two nights there and on the morning of the th it took off enough for us to head for home. we saw sunny jim's [simpson's] observatory on the hill, but still did not know how the hut had fared till we got round the cape into north bay. there was the winter station all intact, however, and though north bay had only just frozen in, it was strong enough to bear us safely. somebody saw us and in another moment the hut poured out her little party, consisting of sunny jim, ponting, nelson, day, lashly, hooper, clissold, dimitri and anton. ponting's face was a study as he ran up; he failed to recognize any of us and stopped dead with a blank look--as he admitted afterwards, he thought it was the norwegian expedition for the space of a moment; and then we were all being greeted as heartily as if we had really done something to be proud of. "the motors had had to be shifted, and a lot of gear placed higher up the beach, but the water had never reached near the hut, so all was well. inside it looked tremendous, and we looked at our grimy selves in a glass for the first time for three months; no wonder ponting did not recognize the ruffians. he photographed a group of us, which will amuse you some day, when it is permissible to send photos. we ate heartily and had hot baths and generally civilized ourselves. i have since concluded that the hut is the finest place in the southern hemisphere, but then i could not shake down to it at once. i hankered for a sleeping-bag out on the snow, or for the blubbery atmosphere of hut point. i expect the truth of the matter was that all my special pals, bill, cherry, titus, and atch, had been left behind. "we found eight ponies at winter quarters in the stable, hackenschmidt having died. these with our two at hut point left us with ten to start the winter with. i at once looked out the other big siberian horse that had been a pair with my late lamented (they were the only siberian ponies, all the rest being manchurians) and singled him out for myself, should 'the powers that be' be willing. "a party had to return to hut point with some provision in a day or two, so i asked to go. captain scott had decided to go himself, but said he would be very pleased if i would go too; so it being a fine day we left the following monday. the two teams consisted of captain scott, lashly, day and dimitri with one tent and sledge, and crean, hooper, nelson and myself with the other. we had it fine as far as the glacier tongue; and then along came the cheery old south wind in our faces; we crossed the tongue and struggled against this till we could camp under the hutton cliffs where we got some shelter. all of us had our faces frost-bitten, the washing and shaving having made mine quite tender. it was a bit of a job getting up the cliff: we had to stand on top of a pile of fallen ice and hoist a -feet sledge on to our shoulders, at least on to the shoulders of the tall ones; this just touched the overhanging cornice. a cornice of snow is caused by continual drift over a sharp edge: it takes all sorts of fantastic shapes, but usually hangs over like this. looking edgeways it looks as if it must fall down, but as a matter of fact is usually very tough indeed. in this case steps were cut in it with an ice axe from our extemporary ladder, and captain scott and i got up first. with the aid of a rope and the ladder we got the light ones up first, and hauled up the gear last of all; hanging the sledge from the top with one rope enabled the last two to struggle up it assisted by a rope round them from above. it was a cold job and more frost-bites occurred in two of our novices, one on a foot and the other on a finger. "we faced the blast again, but got it partially behind us on reaching the heights. we camped for the night under castle rock on an inclined slope. it calmed down to a glorious night with a low temperature. crean and i lay head down hill to make nelson and hooper--who had never sledged before--more comfortable. as a result crean slipped half out of the tent and let in a cold stream of air under the valance, for which i was at a loss to account until the morning disclosed him thus, fast asleep of course. it takes a lot to worry captain scott's coxswain. "we arrived at hut point and had a great reception there, chiefly on account of the food we brought, particularly the sugar. we had been living on some paraffin sugar when i left before, and even this was finished. the next day we stayed there to kill seals. cherry and i skinned one and then went for a walk round cape armitage. it was blowing big guns off the cape, fairly fizzing in fact. we went as far as pram point and then turned, coming in with it behind us. i only had a thin balaclava and my ears were nearly nipped."[ ] * * * * * meanwhile those of us who had been left at hut point with the ponies and dogs journeyed out one afternoon to safety camp to get some more bales of compressed fodder. easter sunday we spent in a howling blizzard, which cleared in the afternoon sufficiently to see a golden sun sinking into a sea of purple frost-smoke and drift. i have it on record that we had tinned haddock this day for breakfast, made by oates with great care, a biscuit and cheese hoosh for lunch, and a pemmican fry this evening, followed by cocoa with a tin of sweetened nestlé's milk in it, truly a great luxury. for the rest we mended our finnesko, and read bleak house. meares told us how the chinese who were going to war with the lolos (who are one of the eighteen tribes on the borders of thibet and china) tied the lolo hostage to a bench, and, having cut his throat, caught the blood which dripped from it. into this they dipped their flag, and then cut out the heart and liver, which the officers ate, while the men ate the rest! the relief party arrived on april : "we had spent such a happy week, just the seven of us, at the discovery hut that i think, glad as we were to see the men, we would most of us have rather been left undisturbed, and i expected that it would mean that we should have to move homewards, as it turned out. "meares is to be left in charge of the party which remains, namely forde and keohane of the old stagers, and nelson, day, lashly and dimitri of the new-comers. he is very amusing with the stores and is evidently afraid that the food which has just been brought in (sugar, self-raising flour, chocolate, etc.) will all be eaten up by those who have brought it. so we have dampers without butter, and a minimum of chocolate. "tuesday and tuesday night was one of our few still, cold days, nearly minus thirty. the sea northwards from hut point, whence the ice had previously all gone out, froze nearly five inches by wednesday mid-day, when we got three more seal. scott was evidently thinking that on thursday, when we were to start, we might go by the sea-ice all the way--when suddenly with no warning it silently floated out to sea."[ ] [illustration: a cornice of snow] the following two teams travelled to cape evans via the hutton cliffs on april : st team scott, wilson, atkinson, crean; nd team bowers, oates, cherry-garrard, hooper. it was blowing hard, as usual, at the hutton cliffs, and we got rather frost-bitten when lowering the sledges on to the sea-ice. the sun was leaving us for the next four months, but luckily the light just lasted for this operation, though not for the subsequent meal which we hastily ate under the cliffs, nor for the crossing of glacier tongue. bowers wrote home: "i had the lighter team and, knowing what a flier captain scott is i took care to have the new sledge myself. our weights were nothing and the difference was only in the sledge runners, but it made all the difference to us that day. scott fairly legged it, as i expected, and we came along gaily behind him. he could not understand it when the pace began to tell more on his heavy team than on us. after lowering down the sledges over the cliffs we recovered the rope we had left in the first place, and then struck out over the sea-ice. then our good runners told so much that i owned up to mine being the better sledge, and offered to give them one of my team. this was declined, but after we crossed the tongue captain scott said he would like to change sledges at the little razorback. at any time over this stretch we could have run away from his team, and once they got our sledge they started that game on us. we expected it, and never had i stepped out so hard before. we had been marching hard for nearly hours and now we had two miles' spurt to do, and we should have stuck it, bad runners and all, had we had smooth ice. as it was we struck a belt of rough ice, and in the dark we all stumbled and i went down a whack, that nearly knocked me out. this was not noticed fortunately, and still we hung on to the end of their sledge while i turned hot and cold and sick and went through the various symptoms before i got my equilibrium back, which i fortunately did while legging it at full speed. they started to go ahead soon after that though, and we could not hold our own, although we were close to the cape. i had the same thing happen again after another fall but we stuck it round the cape and arrived only about yards behind. i have never felt so done, and so was my team. of course we need not have raced, but we did, and i would do the same thing every time. titus produced a mug of brandy he had sharked from the ship and we all lapped it up with avidity. the other team were just about laid out, too, so i don't think there was much to be said either way."[ ] two days later the sun appeared for the last time for four months. looking back i realized two things. that sledging, at any rate in summer and autumn, was a much less terrible ordeal than my imagination had painted it, and that those hut point days would prove some of the happiest in my life. just enough to eat and keep us warm, no more--no frills nor trimmings: there is many a worse and more elaborate life. the necessaries of civilization were luxuries to us: and as priestley found under circumstances compared to which our life at hut point was a sunday school treat, the luxuries of civilization satisfy only those wants which they themselves create. footnotes: [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . scott started for the pole on november , . amundsen started on september , , but had to turn back owing to low temperatures; he started again on october . [ ] priestley's diary. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] see p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] wilson camped with the two dog-teams on the land, and in the morning saw us floating on the ice-floes through his field-glasses. he made his way along the peninsula until he could descend on to the barrier, where he joined scott. [ ] i think he was stiff after standing so many hours.--a. c.-g. [ ] scott, _the voyage of the discovery_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] bowers. [ ] my own diary. [ ] bowers' letter. chapter vi the first winter the highest object that human beings can set before themselves is not the pursuit of any such chimera as the annihilation of the unknown; it is simply the unwearied endeavour to remove its boundaries a little further from our little sphere of action.--huxley. and so we came back to our comfortable hut. whatever merit there may be in going to the antarctic, once there you must not credit yourself for being there. to spend a year in the hut at cape evans because you explore is no more laudable than to spend a month at davos because you have consumption, or to spend an english winter at the berkeley hotel. it is just the most comfortable thing and the easiest thing to do under the circumstances. in our case the best thing was not at all bad, for the hut, as arctic huts go, was as palatial as is the ritz, as hotels go. whatever the conditions of darkness, cold and wind, might be outside, there was comfort and warmth and good cheer within. and there was a mass of work to be done, as well as at least two journeys of the first magnitude ahead. when scott first sat down at his little table at winter quarters to start working out a most complicated scheme of weights and averages for the southern journey, his thoughts were gloomy, i know. "this is the end of the pole," he said to me, when he pulled us off the bergs after the sea-ice had broken up; the loss of six ponies out of the eight with which we started the depôt journey, the increasing emaciation and weakness of the pony transport as we travelled farther on the barrier, the arrival of the dogs after their rapid journey home, starved rakes which looked as though they were absolutely done--these were not cheerful recollections with which to start to plan a journey of eighteen hundred miles. on the other hand, we had ten ponies left, though two or three of them were of more than doubtful quality; and it was obvious that considerable improvement could and must be made in the feeding of both ponies and dogs. with regard to the dogs the remedy was plain; their ration was too small. with regard to the ponies the question was not so simple. one of the main foods for the ponies which we had brought was compressed fodder in the shape of bales. theoretically this fodder was excellent food value, and was made of wheat which was cut green and pressed. whether it was really wheat or not i do not know, but there could be no two opinions about its nourishing qualities for our ponies. when fed upon it they lost weight until they were just skin and bone. poor beasts! it was pitiful to see them. in oates we had a man who had forgotten as much as most men know about horses. it was no fault of his that this fodder was inadequate, nor that we had lost so many of the best ponies which we had. oates had always been for taking the worst ponies out on the depôt journey: travelling as far on to the barrier as they could go, and there killing them and depôting their flesh. now oates took the ten remaining ponies into his capable hands. some of them were scarecrows, especially poor jehu, who was never expected to start at all, and ended by gallantly pulling his somewhat diminished load eight marches beyond one ton camp, a distance of miles. another, christopher, was a man-killer if ever a horse was; he had to be thrown in order to attach him to the sledge; to the end he would lay out any man who was rash enough to give him the chance; once started, and it took four men to achieve this, it was impossible to halt him during the day's march, and so oates and his three tent mates and their ponies had to go without any lunch meal for miles of the southern journey. oates trained them and fed them as though they were to run in the derby. they were exercised whenever possible throughout the winter and spring by those who were to lead them on the actual journey. fresh and good food was found in the shape of oilcake and oats, a limited quantity of each of which had been brought and was saved for the actual polar journey, and everything which care and foresight could devise was done to save them discomfort. it is a grim life for animals, but in the end we were to know that up to the time of that bad blizzard almost at the glacier gateway, which was the finishing post of these plucky animals, they had fed all they needed, slept as well and lived as well as any, and better than most horses in ordinary life at home. "i congratulate you, titus," said wilson, as we stood under the shadow of mount hope, with the ponies' task accomplished, and "i thank you," said scott. titus grunted and was pleased. transport difficulties for the polar journey were considerable, but in every other direction the outlook was bright. the men who were to do the sledging had been away from winter quarters for three months. they had had plenty of sledging experience, some of it none too soft. the sledges, clothing, man-food, and outfit generally were excellent, although some changes were suggested and could be put into effect. there was no obvious means, however, of effecting the improvement most desired, a satisfactory snow-shoe for the ponies. the work already accomplished was enormous. on the polar journey the ponies and dogs could now travel light for the first hundred and thirty geographical miles, when, at one ton camp, they would for the first time take their full loads: the advantage of being able to start again with full loads when so far on your way is obvious when it is considered that the distance travelled depends upon the weight of food that can be carried. during the geological journey on the western side of the sound, taylor and his party had carried out much useful geological work in dry valley and on the ferrar and koettlitz glaciers, which had been accurately plotted for the charts, and had been examined for the first time by an expert physiographer and ice specialist. the ordinary routine of scientific and meteorological observations usual with all scott's sledging parties was observed. further, at cape evans there had been running for more than three months a scientific station, which rivalled in thoroughness and exactitude any other such station in the world. i hope that later a more detailed account may be given of this continuous series of observations, some of them demanding the most complex mechanism, and all of them watched over by enthusiastic experts. it must here suffice to say that we who on our return saw for the first time the hut and its annexes completely equipped were amazed; though perhaps the gadget which appealed most to us at first was the electric apparatus by which the cook, whose invention it was, controlled the rising of his excellent bread. glad as we were to find it all and to enjoy the food, bath and comfort which it offered, we had no illusions about cape evans itself. it is uninteresting, as only a low-lying spit of black lava covered for the most part with snow, and swept constantly by high winds and drift, can be uninteresting. the kenyte lava of which it is formed is a remarkable rock, and is found in few parts of the world: but when you have seen one bit of kenyte you have seen all. unlike the spacious and lofty hut point peninsula, thirteen miles to the south, it has no outstanding hills and craters; no landmarks such as castle rock. unlike the broad folds of cape royds, six miles to the north, it has none of the rambling walks and varied lakes, in which is found most of the limited plant life which exists in these latitudes, and though a few mccormick skuas meet here, there is no nursery of penguins such as that which makes cape royds so attractive in summer. nor has the great ice sheet, which reached up erebus and spread over the ross sea in the past, spilled over cape evans in its retreat a wealth of foreign granites, dolerites, porphyrys and sandstone such as cover the otherwise dull surface round shackleton's old winter quarters. cape evans is a low lava flow jutting out some three thousand feet from the face of the glaciers which clothe the slopes of erebus. it is roughly an equilateral triangle in shape, at its base some three thousand feet ( / th mile) across. this base-line, which divides the cape from the slopes of erebus and the crevassed glaciers and giant ice-falls which clothe them, consists of a ramp with a slope of thirty degrees, and a varying height of some to feet. from our hut, four hundred yards away, it looks like a great embankment behind which rises the majestic volcano erebus, with its plume of steam and smoke. the cape itself does not rise on the average more than thirty feet, and somewhat resembles the back of a hog with several backbones. the hollows between the ridges are for the most part filled with snow and ice, while in one or two places where the accumulation of snow is great enough there are little glacierets which do not travel far before they ignominiously peter out. there are two small lakes, called skua lake and island lake respectively. there is only one hill which is almost behind the hut, and is called wind vane hill, for on it were placed one of our wind vanes and certain other meteorological instruments. into the glacieret which flowed down in the lee of this hill we drove two caves, which gave both an even low temperature and excellent insulation. one of them was therefore used for our magnetic observations, and the other as an ice-house for the mutton we had brought from new zealand. the north side, upon which we had built our hut, slopes down by way of a rubbly beach to the sea in north bay. we knew there was a beach for we landed upon it, but we never saw it again even in the height of summer, for the winter blizzards formed an ice foot several feet thick. the other side of the cape ends abruptly in black bastions and baby cliffs some thirty feet high. the apex of the triangle which forms as it were the cape proper is a similar kenyte bluff. the whole makes a tricky place on which to walk in the dark, for the surface is strewn with boulders of all sizes and furrowed and channelled by drifts of hard and icy snow, and quite suddenly you may find yourself prostrate upon a surface of slippery blue ice. it may be easily imagined that it is no seemly place to exercise skittish ponies or mules in a cold wind, but there is no other place when the sea-ice is unsafe. come and stand outside the hut door. all round you, except where the cape joins the mountain, is the sea. you are facing north with your back to the great ice barrier and the pole, with your eyes looking out of the mouth of mcmurdo sound over the ross sea towards new zealand, two thousand miles of open water, pack and bergs. look over the sea to your left. it is mid-day, and though the sun will not appear above the horizon he is still near enough to throw a soft yellow light over the western mountains. these form the coast-line thirty miles across the sound, and as they disappear northwards are miraged up into the air and float, black islands in a lemon sky. straight ahead of you there is nothing to be seen but black open sea, with a high light over the horizon, which you know betokens pack; this is ice blink. but as you watch there appears and disappears a little dark smudge. this puzzles you for some time, and then you realize that this is the mirage of some far mountain or of beaufort island, which guards the mouth of mcmurdo sound against such traffic as ever comes that way, by piling up the ice floes across the entrance. as you still look north, in the middle distance, jutting out into the sea, is a low black line of land, with one excrescence. this is cape royds, with shackleton's old hut upon it; the excrescence is high peak, and this line marks the first land upon the eastern side of mcmurdo sound which you can see, and indeed is actually the most eastern point of ross island. it disappears abruptly behind a high wall, and if you let your eyes travel round towards your right front you see that the wall is a perpendicular cliff two hundred feet high of pure green and blue ice, which falls sheer into the sea, and forms, with cape evans, on which we stand, the bay which lies in front of our hut, and which we called north bay. this great ice-cliff with its crevasses, towers, bastions and cornices, was a never-ending source of delight to us; it forms the snout of one of the many glaciers which slide down the slopes of erebus: in smooth slopes and contours where the mountain underneath is of regular shape: in impassable icefalls where the underlying surface is steep or broken. this particular ice stream is called the barne glacier, and is about two miles across. the whole background from our right front to our right rear, that is from n.e. to s.e., is occupied by our massive and volcanic neighbour, erebus. he stands , feet high. we live beneath his shadow and have both admiration and friendship for him, sometimes perhaps tinged with respect. however, there are no signs of dangerous eruptive disturbances in modern times, and we feel pretty safe, despite the fact that the smoke which issues from his crater sometimes rises in dense clouds for many thousands of feet, and at others the trail of his plume can be measured for at least a hundred miles. if you are not too cold standing about (it does not pay to stand about at cape evans) let us make our way behind the hut and up wind vane hill. this is only some sixty-five feet high, yet it dominates the rest of the cape and is steep enough to require a scramble, even now when the wind is calm. look out that you do not step on the electric wires which connect the wind-vane cups on the hill with the recording dial in the hut. these cups revolve in the wind, the revolutions being registered electrically: every four miles a signal was sent to the hut, and a pen working upon a chronograph registered one more step. there is also a meteorological screen on the summit, which has to be visited at eight o'clock each morning in all weathers. [illustration: a summer view over cape evans and mcmurdo sound from the ramp--emery walker limited, collotypers.] arrived on the top you will now be facing south, that is in the opposite direction to which you were facing before. the first thing that will strike you is that the sea, now frozen in the bays though still unfrozen in the open sound, flows in nearly to your feet. the second, that though the sea stretches back for nearly twenty miles, yet the horizon shows land or ice in every direction. for a ship this is a cul-de-sac, as ross found seventy years ago. but as soon as you have grasped these two facts your whole attention will be riveted to the amazing sight on your left. here are the southern slopes of erebus; but how different from those which you have lately seen. northwards they fell in broad calm lines to a beautiful stately cliff which edged the sea. but here--all the epithets and all the adjectives which denote chaotic immensity could not adequately tell of them. visualize a torrent ten miles long and twenty miles broad; imagine it falling over mountainous rocks and tumbling over itself in giant waves; imagine it arrested in the twinkling of an eye, frozen and white. countless blizzards have swept their drifts over it, but have failed to hide it. and it continues to move. as you stand in the still cold air you may sometimes hear the silence broken by the sharp reports as the cold contracts it or its own weight splits it. nature is tearing up that ice as human beings tear paper. the sea-cliff is not so high here, and is more broken up by crevasses and caves, and more covered with snow. some five miles along the coast the white line is broken by a bluff and black outcrop of rock; this is turk's head, and beyond it is the low white line of glacier tongue, jutting out for miles into the sea. we know, for we have already crossed it, that there is a small frozen bay of sea-ice beyond, but all we can see from cape evans is the base of the hut point peninsula, with a rock outcrop just showing where the hutton cliffs lie. the peninsula prevents us from seeing the barrier, though the barrier wind is constantly flowing over it, as the clouds of drift now smoking over the cliffs bear witness. farther to the right still, the land is clear: castle rock stands up like a sentinel, and beyond are arrival heights and the old craters we have got to know so well during our stay at hut point. the discovery hut, which would, in any case, be invisible at fifteen miles, is round that steep rocky corner which ends the peninsula, due south from where we stand. there remains undescribed the quadrant which stretches to our right front from south to west. just as we have previously seen the line of the western mountains disappearing to the north miraged up in the light of the mid-day sun, so now we see the same line of mountains running south, with many miles of sea or barrier between us and them. on the far southern horizon, almost in transit with hut point, stands minna bluff, some ninety miles away, beyond which we have laid the one ton depôt, and from this point, as our eyes move round to the right, we see peak after peak of these great mountain ranges--discovery, morning, lister, hooker, and the glaciers which divide them one from another. they rise almost without a break to a height of thirteen thousand feet. between us and them is the barrier to the south, and the sea to the north. unless a blizzard is impending or blowing, they are clearly visible, a gigantic wall of snow and ice and rock, which bounds our view to the west, constantly varied by the ever-changing colour of the antarctic. beyond is the plateau. we have not yet mentioned four islands which lie within a radius of about three miles from where we stand. the most important is a mile from the end of cape evans and is called inaccessible island, owing to the inhospitality of its steep lava side, even when the sea is frozen; we found a way up, but it is not a very interesting place. tent island lies farther out and to the south-west. the remaining two, which are more islets than islands, rise in front of us in south bay. they are called great and little razorback, being ribs of rock with a sharp divide in the centre. the latter of these is the refuge upon which scott's party returning to cape evans pitched their camp when overtaken by a blizzard some weeks ago. all these islands are of volcanic origin and black in general colour, but i believe there is evidence to show that the lava stream which created them flowed from mcmurdo sound rather than from the more obvious craters of erebus. their importance in this story is the indirect help they gave in holding in sea-ice against southerly blizzards, and in forming landmarks which proved useful more than once to men who had lost their bearings in darkness and thick weather. in this respect also several icebergs which sailed in from the ross sea and grounded on the shallows which run between inaccessible island and the cape, as well as in south bay, were most useful as well as being interesting and beautiful. for two years we watched the weathering of these great towers and bastions of ice by sea and sun and wind, and left them still lying in the same positions, but mere tumbled ruins of their former selves. many places in the panorama we have examined show black rock, and the cape on which we stand exposes at times more black than white. this fact always puzzles those who naturally conclude that all the antarctic is covered with ice and snow. the explanation is simple, that winds of the great velocity which prevails in this region will not only prevent snow resting to windward of out-cropping rocks and cliffs, but will even wear away the rocks themselves. the fact that these winds always blow from the south, or southerly, causes a tendency for this aspect of any projecting rock to be blown free from snow, while the north or lee side is drifted up by a marbled and extremely hard tongue of snow, which disappears into a point at a distance which depends upon the size of the rock. of course for the most part the land is covered to such a depth by glaciers and snow that no wind will do more than pack the snow or expose the ice beneath. at the same time, to visualize the antarctic as a white land is a mistake, for, not only is there much rock projecting wherever mountains or rocky capes and islands rise, but the snow seldom looks white, and if carefully looked at will be found to be shaded with many colours, but chiefly with cobalt blue or rose-madder, and all the gradations of lilac and mauve which the mixture of these colours will produce. a white day is so rare that i have recollections of going out from the hut or the tent and being impressed by the fact that the snow really looked white. when to the beautiful tints in the sky and the delicate shading on the snow are added perhaps the deep colours of the open sea, with reflections from the ice foot and ice-cliffs in it, all brilliant blues and emerald greens, then indeed a man may realize how beautiful this world can be, and how clean. though i may struggle with inadequate expression to show the reader that this pure land of the south has many gifts to squander upon those who woo her, chiefest of these gifts is that of her beauty. next, perhaps, is that of grandeur and immensity, of giant mountains and limitless spaces, which must awe the most casual, and may well terrify the least imaginative of mortals. and there is one other gift which she gives with both hands, more prosaic, but almost more desirable. that is the gift of sleep. perhaps it is true of others as is certainly the case with me, that the more horrible the conditions in which we sleep, the more soothing and wonderful are the dreams which visit us. some of us have slept in a hurricane of wind and a hell of drifting snow and darkness, with no roof above our heads, with no tent to help us home, with no conceivable chance that we should ever see our friends again, with no food that we could eat, and only the snow which drifted into our sleeping-bags which we could drink day after day and night after night. we slept not only soundly the greater part of these days and nights, but with a certain numbed pleasure. we wanted something sweet to eat: for preference tinned peaches in syrup! well! that is the kind of sleep the antarctic offers you at her worst, or nearly at her worst. and if the worst, or best, happens, and death comes for you in the snow, he comes disguised as sleep, and you greet him rather as a welcome friend than as a gruesome foe. she treats you thus when you are in the extremity of peril and hardship; perhaps then you can imagine what draughts of deep and healthy slumber she will give a tired sledger at the end of a long day's march in summer, when after a nice hot supper he tucks his soft dry warm furry bag round him with the light beating in through the green silk tent, the homely smell of tobacco in the air, and the only noise that of the ponies tethered outside, munching their supper in the sun. and so it came about that during our sojourn at cape evans, in our comfortable warm roomy home, we took our full allotted span of sleep. most were in their bunks by p.m., sometimes with a candle and a book, not rarely with a piece of chocolate. the acetylene was turned off at . , for we had a limited quantity of carbide, and soon the room was in complete darkness, save for the glow of the galley stove and where a splash of light showed the night watchman preparing his supper. some snored loudly, but none so loud as bowers; others talked in their sleep, the more so when some nasty experience had lately set their nerves on edge. there was always the ticking of many instruments, and sometimes the ring of a little bell: to this day i do not know what most of them meant. on a calm night no sound penetrated except, perhaps, the whine of a dog, or the occasional kick of a pony in the stable outside. any disturbance was the night watchman's job. but on a bad blizzard night the wind, as it tore seawards over the hut, roared and howled in the ventilator let into the roof: in the more furious gusts the whole hut shook, and the pebbles picked up by the hurricane scattered themselves noisily against the woodwork of the southern wall. we did not get many nights like these the first winter; during the second we seemed to get nothing else. one ghastly blizzard blew for six weeks. the night watchman took his last hourly observation at a.m., and was free to turn in after waking the cook and making up the fire. frequently, however, he had so much work to do that he preferred to forgo his sleep and remain up. for instance, if the weather looked threatening, he would take his pony out for exercise as soon as possible in the morning, or those lists of stores were not finished, or that fish trap had to be looked after: all kinds of things. a sizzling on the fire and a smell of porridge and fried seal liver heralded breakfast, which was at a.m. in theory and a good deal later in practice. a sleepy eye might see the meteorologist stumping out (simpson always stumped) to change the records in his magnetic cave and visit his instruments on the hill. twenty minutes later he would be back, as often as not covered with drift and his wind helmet all iced up. meanwhile, the more hardy ones were washing: that is, they rubbed themselves, all shivering, with snow, of a minus temperature, and pretended they liked it. perhaps they were right, but we told them it was swank. i'm not sure that it wasn't! it should be explained that water was seldom possible in a land where ice is more abundant than coal. one great danger threatened all our meals in this hut, namely that of a cag. a cag is an argument, sometimes well informed and always heated, upon any subject under the sun, or temporarily in our case, the moon. they ranged from the pole to the equator, from the barrier to portsmouth hard and plymouth hoe. they began on the smallest of excuses, they continued through the widest field, they never ended; they were left in mid air, perhaps to be caught up again and twisted and tortured months after. what caused the cones on the ramp; the formation of ice crystals; the names and order of the public-houses if you left the main gate of portsmouth dockyard and walked to the unicorn gate (if you ever reached so far); the best kinds of crampons in the antarctic, and the best place in london for oysters; the ideal pony rug; would the wine steward at the ritz look surprised if you asked him for a pint of bitter? though the times atlas does not rise to public-houses nor chambers's encyclopaedia sink to behaviour at our more expensive hotels, yet they settled more of these disputes than anything else. on the day we are discussing, though mutterings can still be heard from nelson's cubicle, the long table has been cleared and every one is busy by . . from now until supper at work is done by all in some form or other, except for a short luncheon interval. i do not mean for a minute that we all sit down, as a man may do in an office at home, and solidly grind away for upwards of nine hours or more. not a bit of it. we have much work out of doors, and exercise is a consideration of the utmost importance. but when we go out, each individual quite naturally takes the opportunity to carry out such work as concerns him, whether it deals with ice or rocks, dogs or horses, meteorology or biology, tide-gauges or balloons. when blizzards allowed, the ponies were exercised by their respective leaders between breakfast and mid-day, when they were fed. this exercising of animals might be a pleasant business, on the other hand it could be the deuce and all: it depended on the pony and the weather. a blubber fire was kept burning in the snug stable, which was built against the lee wall of the hut: the ponies were, therefore, quite warm, and found it chilly directly they were led outside, even if there was no wind. the difficulties of exercising them in the dark were so great that with the best intentions in the world it was difficult to give them sufficient work for the good feeding they received. add to this the fact that one at any rate of these variable animals was really savage, and that most of them were keen to break away if possible, and the hour of exercise was not without its thrills even on the calmest and most moonlight days. the worst days were those when it was difficult to say whether the ponies should be taken out on the sea-ice or not. it was thick weather that was to be feared, for then, if the leader once lost his bearings, it was most difficult for him to return. an overcast sky, light falling snow, perhaps a light northerly wind generally meant a blizzard, but the blizzard might not break for twenty-four hours, it might be upon you in four seconds. it was difficult to say whether the pony should miss his exercise, whether the fish trap should be raised, whether to put off your intended trip to cape royds. generally the risks were taken, for, on the whole, it is better to be a little over-bold than a little over-cautious, while always there was a something inside urging you to do it just because there was a certain risk, and you hardly liked not to do it. it is so easy to be afraid of being afraid! let me give one instance: it must be typical of many. it was thick as it could be, no moon, no stars, light falling snow, and not even a light breeze to keep in your face to give direction. bowers and i decided to take our ponies out, and once over the tide crack, where the working sea-ice joins the fast land-ice, we kept close under the tall cliffs of the barne glacier. so far all was well, and also when we struck along a small crack into the middle of the bay, where there was a thermometer screen. this we read with some difficulty by the light of a match and started back towards the hut. in about a quarter of an hour we knew we were quite lost until an iceberg which we recognized showed us that we had been walking at right angles to our course, and got us safe home. on a clear crisp day, with the full moon to show you the ridges and cracks and sastrugi, it was most pleasant to put on your ski and wander forth with no object but that of healthy pleasure. perhaps you would make your way round the bluff end of the cape and strike southwards. here you may visit nelson working with his thermometers and current meters and other instruments over a circular hole in the ice, which he keeps open from day to day by breaking out the 'biscuit' of newly formed ice. he has connected himself with the hut by telephone, and built round himself an igloo of drifted snow and the aforesaid 'biscuits,' which effectually shelter him from the wind. or you may meet meares and dimitri returning with the dog-teams from a visit to hut point. a little farther on the silence is complete. but now your ear catches the metallic scratch of ski sticks on hard ice; there is some one else ski-ing over there, it may be many miles away, for sound travels in an amazing way. every now and then there comes a sharp crack like a pistol shot; it is the ice contracting in the glaciers of erebus, and you know that it is getting colder. your breath smokes, forming white rime over your face, and ice in your beard; if it is very cold you may actually hear it crackle as it freezes in mid air! these were the days which remain visibly in the mind as the most enjoyable during this first winter season. it was all so novel, these much-dreaded, and amongst us much-derided, terrors of the long winter night. the atmosphere is very clear when it is not filled with snow or ice crystals, and the moonlight lay upon the land so that we could see the main outlines of the hut point peninsula, and even minna bluff out on the barrier ninety miles away. the ice-cliffs of erebus showed as great dark walls, but above them the blue ice of the glaciers gleamed silvery, and the steam flowed lazily from the crater carried away in a long line, showing us that the northerly breezes prevailed up there, and were storing up trouble in the south. sometimes a shooting star would seem to fall right into the mountain, and for the most part the aurora flitted uneasily about in the sky. the importance of plenty of out-door exercise was generally recognized, and our experience showed us that the happiest and healthiest members of our party during this first year were those who spent the longest period in the fresh air. as a rule we walked and worked and ski-ed alone, not i feel sure because of any individual distaste for the company of our fellows but rather because of a general inclination to spend a short period of the day without company. at least this is certainly true of the officers: i am not so sure about the men. under the circumstances, the only time in the year that a man could be alone was in his walks abroad from winter quarters, for the hut, of course, was always occupied, and when sledging this sardine-like existence was continuous night and day. there was one regular exception to this rule. every possible evening, that is to say if it was not blowing a full blizzard, wilson and bowers went up the ramp together 'to read bertram.' now this phrase will convey little meaning without some explanation. i have already spoken of the ramp as the steep rubbly slope partly covered by snow and partly by ice which divided the cape on which we lived from the glaciated slopes of erebus. after a breathless scramble up this embankment one came upon a belt of rough boulder-strewn ground from which arose at intervals conical mounds, the origin of which puzzled us for many months. at length, by the obvious means of cutting a section through one of them, it was proved that there was a solid kenyte lava block in the centre of this cone, proving that the whole was formed by the weathering of a single rock. threading your way for some hundreds of yards through this terrain, a scramble attended by many slips and falls on a dark night, you reached the first signs of glaciation. a little farther, isolated in the ice stream, is another group of debris cones, and on the largest of these we placed meteorological screen "b," commonly called bertram. this screen, together with "a" (algernon) and "c" (clarence), which were in north and south bays respectively, were erected by bowers, who thought, rightly, that they would form an object to which men could guide their walks, and that at the same time the observations of maximum, minimum and present temperatures would be a useful check to the meteorologist when he came to compare them with those taken at the hut. as a matter of fact the book in which we used to enter these observations shows that the air temperatures out on the sea-ice vary considerably from those on the cape, and that the temperatures several hundred feet up on the slopes of erebus are often several degrees higher than those taken at sea-level. i believe that much of the weather in this part of the world is an intensely local affair, and these screens produced useful data. wilson and bowers would go up the ramp when it was blowing and drifting fairly hard, so that although the rocks and landmarks immediately round them were visible, all beyond was blotted out. it is quite possible to walk thus among landmarks which you know at a time when it is most unwise to go out on to the sea-ice where there are no fixed points to act as a guide. it was wilson's pleasant conceit to keep his balaclava rolled up, so that his face was bare, on such occasions, being somewhat proud of the fact that he had not, as yet, been frost-bitten. imagine our joy when he entered the hut one cold windy evening with two white spots on his cheeks which he vainly tried to hide behind his dogskin mitts. [illustration: mcmurdo sound--apsley cherry-garrard, del.--emery walker ltd., collotypers.] the ponies' lunch came at mid-day, when they were given snow to drink and compressed fodder with oats or oil-cake on alternate days to eat, the proportion of which was arranged according to the work they were able to do in the present, or expected to do in the future. our own lunch was soon after one, and a few minutes before that time hooper's voice would be heard: "table please, mr. debenham," and all writing materials, charts, instruments and books would have to be removed. on sunday, this table displayed a dark blue cloth, but for meals and at all other times it was covered with white oilcloth. lunch itself was a pleasant meatless meal, consisting of limited bread and butter with plenty of jam or cheese, tea or cocoa, the latter being undoubtedly a most useful drink in a cold country. many controversies raged over the rival merits of tea and cocoa. some of us made for ourselves buttered toast at the galley fire; i must myself confess to a weakness for welsh rarebit, and others followed my example on cheese days in making messes of which we were not a little proud. scott sat at the head of the table, that is at the east end, but otherwise we all took our places haphazard from meal to meal as our conversation, or want of it, merited, or as our arrival found a vacant chair. thus if you felt talkative you might always find a listener in debenham; if inclined to listen yourself it was only necessary to sit near taylor or nelson; if, on the other hand, you just wanted to be quiet, atkinson or oates would, probably, give you a congenial atmosphere. there was never any want of conversation, largely due to the fact that no conversation was expected: we most of us know the horrible blankness which comes over our minds when we realize that because we are eating we are also supposed to talk, whether we have anything to say or not. it was also due to the more primitive reason that in a company of specialists, whose travels extended over most parts of the earth, and whose subjects overlapped and interlocked at so many points, topics of conversation were not only numerous but full of possibilities of expansion. add to this that from the nature of our work we were probably people of an inquisitive turn of mind and wanted to get to the bottom of the subjects which presented themselves, and you may expect to find, as was in fact the case, an atmosphere of pleasant and quite interesting conversation which sometimes degenerated into heated and noisy argument. the business of eating over, pipes were lit without further formality. i mention pipes only because while we had a most bountiful supply of tobacco, the kindly present of mr. wills, our supply of cigarettes from the same source was purposely limited and only a small quantity were landed, allowing of a ration to such members who wished. consequently cigarettes were an article of some value, and in a land where the ordinary forms of currency are valueless they became a frequent stake to venture when making bets. indeed, "i bet you ten cigarettes," or "i bet you a dinner when we get back to london," became the most frequent bids of the argumentative gambler, occasionally varied when the bettor was more than usually certain of the issue by the offer of a pair of socks. by two o'clock we were dispersed once more to our various works and duties. if it was bearable outside, the hut would soon be empty save for the cook and a couple of seamen washing up the plates; otherwise every one went out to make the most of any glimmering of daylight which still came to us from the sun below the northern horizon. and here it may be explained that whereas in england the sun rises more or less in the east, is due south at mid-day, and sets in the west, this is not the case in the antarctic regions. in the latitude in which we now lived the sun is at his highest at mid-day in the north, at his lowest at midnight in the south. as is generally known he remains entirely above the horizon for four months of the summer (october-february) and entirely below the horizon for four months in the winter (april -august ). about february , the end of summer, he begins to set and rise due south at midnight; the next day he sets a little earlier and dips a little deeper. during march and april he is going deeper and deeper every day, until, by the middle of april, he is set all the time except for just a peep over the northern horizon at mid-day, which is his last farewell before he goes away. the reverse process takes place from august onwards. on this date the sun just peeped above the sea to the north of our hut. the next day he rose a little higher and longer, and in a few weeks he was rising well in the east and sinking behind the western mountains. but he did not stop there. soon he was rising in the s.e. until in the latter days of september he never rose, for he never set; but circled round us by day and night. on midsummer day (december ) at the south pole the sun circles round for twenty-four hours without changing his altitude for one minute of a degree, but elsewhere he is always rising in the sky until mid-day in the north and falling from that time until midnight in the south. often, far too often, it was blizzing, and it was impossible to go out except into the camp to take the observations, to care for the dogs, to get ice for water or to bring in stores. even a short excursion of a few yards had to be made with great care under such circumstances, and certainly no one went outside more than was necessary, if only because one was obliged to dig the accumulated drift from the door before it was possible to proceed. blizzard or no blizzard, most men were back in the hut soon after four, and from then until . worked steadily at their jobs. as supper time approached some kindly-disposed person would sit down and play on the broadwood pianola which was one of our blessings, and so it was that we came to supper with good tempers as well as keen appetites. soup, in which the flavour of tomatoes occurred all too frequently, followed by seal or penguin, and twice a week by new zealand mutton, with tinned vegetables, formed the basis of our meal, and this was followed by a pudding. we drank lime juice and water which sometimes included a suspicious penguin flavour derived from the ice slopes from which our water was quarried. during our passage out to new zealand in the ship (or as meares always insisted on calling her, the steamer) it was our pleasant custom to have a glass of port or a liqueur after dinner. alas, we had this no longer: after leaving new zealand space allowed of little wine being carried in the terra nova, even if the general medical opinion of the expedition had not considered its presence undesirable. we had, however, a few cases for special festivals, as well as some excellent liqueur brandy which was carried as medical comforts on our sledge journeys. any officer who allowed the distribution of this luxury on nearing the end of a journey became extremely popular. lack of wine probably led to the suspension of a custom which had prevailed on the terra nova, namely, the drinking of the old toast of saturday night, "sweethearts and wives; may our sweethearts become our wives, and our wives remain our sweethearts," and that more appropriate (in our case) toast of sunday, namely, "absent friends." we had but few married officers, though i must say most survivors of the expedition hurried to remedy this single state of affairs when they returned to civilization. only two of them are unmarried now. most of them will probably make a success of it, for the good arctic explorer has most of the defects and qualities of a good husband. on the top of the pianola, close to the head of the table, lived the gramophone; and under the one looking-glass we possessed, which hung on the bulkhead of scott's cubicle, was a home-made box with shelves on which lay our records. it was usual to start the gramophone after dinner, and its value may be imagined. it is necessary to be cut off from civilization and all that it means to enable you to realize fully the power music has to recall the past, or the depths of meaning in it to soothe the present and give hope for the future. we had also records of good classical music, and the kindly-disposed individual who played them had his reward in the pleasant atmosphere of homeliness which made itself felt. after dinner had been cleared away, some men sat on at the table occupied with books and games. others dispersed to various jobs. in the matter of games it was noticeable that one would have its vogue and yield place to another without any apparent reason. for a few weeks it might be chess, which would then yield its place to draughts and backgammon, and again come into favour. it is a remarkable fact that, though we had playing cards with us none of our company appeared desirous to use them. in fact i cannot remember seeing a game of cards played except in the ship on the voyage from england. [illustration: the sea's fringe of ice] with regard to books we were moderately well provided with good modern fiction, and very well provided with such authors as thackeray, charlotte brontë, bulwer-lytton and dickens. with all respect to the kind givers of these books, i would suggest that the literature most acceptable to us in the circumstances under which we did most of our reading, that is in winter quarters, was the best of the more recent novels, such as barrie, kipling, merriman and maurice hewlett. we certainly should have taken with us as much of shaw, barker, ibsen and wells as we could lay our hands on, for the train of ideas started by these works and the discussions to which they would have given rise would have been a godsend to us in our isolated circumstances. the one type of book in which we were rich was arctic and antarctic travel. we had a library of these given to us by sir lewis beaumont and sir albert markham which was very complete. they were extremely popular, though it is probably true that these are books which you want rather to read on your return than when you are actually experiencing a similar life. they were used extensively in discussions or lectures on such polar subjects as clothing, food rations, and the building of igloos, while we were constantly referring to them on specific points and getting useful hints, such as the use of an inner lining to our tents, and the mechanism of a blubber stove. i have already spoken of the importance of maps and books of reference, and these should include a good encyclopaedia and dictionaries, english, latin and greek. oates was generally deep in napier's history of the peninsular war, and some of us found herbert paul's history of modern england a great stand-by. most of us managed to find room in our personal gear when sledging for some book which did not weigh much and yet would last. scott took some browning on the polar journey, though i only saw him reading it once; wilson took maud and in memoriam; bowers always had so many weights to tally and observations to record on reaching camp that i feel sure he took no reading matter. bleak house was the most successful book i ever took away sledging, though a volume of poetry was useful, because it gave one something to learn by heart and repeat during the blank hours of the daily march, when the idle mind is all too apt to think of food in times of hunger, or possibly of purely imaginary grievances, which may become distorted into real foundations of discord under the abnormal strain of living for months in the unrelieved company of three other men. if your companions have much the same tastes as yourself it is best to pool your allowance of weights and take one book which will offer a wide field of thought and discussion. i have heard scott and wilson bless the thought which led them to take darwin's origin of species on their first southern journey. such is the object of your sledging book, but you often want the book which you read for half an hour before you go to sleep at winter quarters to take you into the frivolous fripperies of modern social life which you may not know and may never wish to know, but which it is often pleasant to read about, and never so much so as when its charms are so remote as to be entirely tantalizing. scott, who always amazed me by the amount of work he got through without any apparent effort, was essentially the driving force of the expedition: in the hut quietly organizing, working out masses of figures, taking the greatest interest in the scientific work of the station, and perhaps turning out, quite by the way, an elaborate paper on an abstruse problem in the neighbourhood; fond of his pipe and a good book, browning, hardy (tess was one of his favourites), galsworthy. barrie was one of his greatest friends. he was eager to accept suggestions if they were workable, and always keen to sift even the most unlikely theories if by any means they could be shaped to the desired end: a quick and modern brain which he applied with thoroughness to any question of practice or theory. essentially an attractive personality, with strong likes and dislikes, he excelled in making his followers his friends by a few words of sympathy or praise: i have never known anybody, man or woman, who could be so attractive when he chose. sledging he went harder than any man of whom i have ever heard. men never realized scott until they had gone sledging with him. on our way up the beardmore glacier we were going at top pressure some seventeen hours out of the twenty-four, and when we turned out in the morning we felt as though we had only just turned in. by lunch time we felt that it was impossible to get through in the afternoon a similar amount of work to that which we had done in the morning. a cup of tea and two biscuits worked wonders, and the first two hours of the afternoon's march went pretty well, indeed they were the best hours' marching of the day; but by the time we had been going some ½ or hours we were watching scott for that glance to right and left which betokened the search for a good camping site. "spell oh!" scott would cry, and then "how's the enemy, titus?" to oates, who would hopefully reply that it was, say, seven o'clock. "oh, well, i think we'll go on a little bit more," scott would say. "come along!" it might be an hour or more before we halted and made our camp: sometimes a blizzard had its silver lining. scott could not wait. however welcome a blizzard could be to tired bodies (i speak only of summer sledging), to scott himself any delay was intolerable. and it is hard to realize how difficult waiting may be to one in a responsible position. it was our simple job to follow, to get up when we were roused, to pull our hardest, to do our special work as thoroughly and quickly as possible; it was scott who had to organize distances and weights and food, as well as do the same physical work as ourselves. in sledging responsibility and physical work are combined to an extent seldom if ever found elsewhere. his was a subtle character, full of lights and shades. england knows scott as a hero; she has little idea of him as a man. he was certainly the most dominating character in our not uninteresting community: indeed, there is no doubt that he would carry weight in any gathering of human beings. but few who knew him realized how shy and reserved the man was, and it was partly for this reason that he so often laid himself open to misunderstanding. add to this that he was sensitive, femininely sensitive, to a degree which might be considered a fault, and it will be clear that leadership to such a man may be almost a martyrdom, and that the confidence so necessary between leader and followers, which must of necessity be based upon mutual knowledge and trust, becomes in itself more difficult. it wanted an understanding man to appreciate scott quickly; to others knowledge came with experience. he was not a _very_ strong man physically, and was in his youth a weakly child, at one time not expected to live. but he was well proportioned, with broad shoulders and a good chest, a stronger man than wilson, weaker than bowers or seaman evans. he suffered from indigestion, and told me at the top of the beardmore that he never expected to go on during the first stage of the ascent. temperamentally he was a weak man, and might very easily have been an irritable autocrat. as it was he had moods and depressions which might last for weeks, and of these there is ample evidence in his diary. the man with the nerves gets things done, but sometimes he has a terrible time in doing them. he cried more easily than any man i have ever known. what pulled scott through was character, sheer good grain, which ran over and under and through his weaker self and clamped it together. it would be stupid to say he had all the virtues: he had, for instance, little sense of humour, and he was a bad judge of men. but you have only to read one page of what he wrote towards the end to see something of his sense of justice. for him justice was god. indeed i think you must read all those pages; and if you have read them once, you will probably read them again. you will not need much imagination to see what manner of man he was. and notwithstanding the immense fits of depression which attacked him, scott was the strongest combination of a strong mind in a strong body that i have ever known. and this because he was so weak! naturally so peevish, highly strung, irritable, depressed and moody. practically such a conquest of himself, such vitality, such push and determination, and withal in himself such personal and magnetic charm. he was naturally an idle man, he has told us so;[ ] he had been a poor man, and he had a horror of leaving those dependent upon him in difficulties. you may read it over and over again in his last letters and messages.[ ] he will go down to history as the englishman who conquered the south pole and who died as fine a death as any man has had the honour to die. his triumphs are many--but the pole was not by any means the greatest of them. surely the greatest was that by which he conquered his weaker self, and became the strong leader whom we went to follow and came to love. * * * * * scott had under him this first year in his main party a total of officers and men. these officers may be divided into three executive officers and twelve scientific staff, but the distinction is very rough, inasmuch as a scientist such as wilson was every bit as executive as anybody else, and the executive officers also did much scientific work. i will try here briefly to give the reader some idea of the personality and activities of these men as they work any ordinary day in the hut. it should be noticed that not all the men we had with us were brought to do sledging work. some were chosen rather for their scientific knowledge than for their physical or other fitness for sledging. the regular sledgers in this party of officers were scott, wilson, evans, bowers, oates (ponies), meares (dogs), atkinson (surgeon), wright (physicist), taylor (physiographer), debenham (geologist), gran and myself, while day was to drive his motors as far as they would go on the polar journey. this leaves simpson, who was the meteorologist and whose observations had of necessity to be continuous; nelson, whose observations into marine biology, temperatures of sea, salinity, currents and tides came under the same heading; and ponting, whose job was photography, and whose success in this art everybody recognizes. however much of good i may write of wilson, his many friends in england, those who served with him on the ship or in the hut, and most of all those who had the good fortune to sledge with him (for it is sledging which is far the greatest test) will all be dissatisfied, for i know that i cannot do justice to his value. if you knew him you could not like him: you simply had to love him. bill was of the salt of the earth. if i were asked what quality it was before others that made him so useful, and so lovable, i think i should answer that it was because he never for one moment thought of himself. in this respect also bowers, of whom i will speak in a moment, was most extraordinary, and in passing may i be allowed to say that this is a most necessary characteristic of a good antarctic traveller? we had many such, officers and seamen, and the success of the expedition was in no small measure due to the general and unselfish way in which personal likes and dislikes, wishes or tastes were ungrudgingly subordinated to the common weal. wilson and pennell set an example of expedition first and the rest nowhere which others followed ungrudgingly: it pulled us through more than one difficulty which might have led to friction. wilson was a man of many parts. he was scott's right-hand man, he was the expedition's chief of the scientific staff: he was a doctor of st. george's hospital, and a zoologist specializing in vertebrates. his published work on whales, penguins and seals contained in the scientific report of the discovery expedition is still the best available, and makes excellent reading even to the non-scientist. on the outward journey of the terra nova he was still writing up his work for the royal commission on grouse disease, the published report of which he never lived to see. but those who knew him best will probably remember wilson by his water-colour paintings rather than by any other form of his many-sided work. as a boy his father sent him away on rambling holidays, the only condition being that he should return with a certain number of drawings. i have spoken of the drawings which he made when sledging or when otherwise engaged away from painting facilities, as at hut point. he brought back to winter quarters a note-book filled with such sketches of outlines and colours: of sunsets behind the western mountains: of lights reflected in the freezing sea or in the glass houses of the ice foot: of the steam clouds on erebus by day and of the aurora australis by night. next door to scott he rigged up for himself a table, consisting of two venesta cases on end supporting a large drawing-board some four feet square. on this he set to work systematically to paint the effects which he had seen and noted. he painted with his paper wet, and necessarily therefore, he worked quickly. an admirer of ruskin, he wished to paint what he saw as truly as possible. if he failed to catch the effect he wished, he tore up the picture however beautiful the result he had obtained. there is no doubt as to the faithfulness of his colouring: the pictures recalled then and will still recall now in intimate detail the effects which we saw together. as to the accuracy of his drawing it is sufficient to say that in the discovery expedition scott wrote on his southern journey: "wilson is the most indefatigable person. when it is fine and clear, at the end of our fatiguing days he will spend two or three hours seated in the door of the tent, sketching each detail of the splendid mountainous coast-scene to the west. his sketches are most astonishingly accurate; i have tested his proportions by actual angular measurement and found them correct."[ ] in addition to the drawings of land, pack, icebergs and barrier, the primary object of which was scientific and geographical, wilson has left a number of paintings of atmospheric phenomena which are not only scientifically accurate but are also exceedingly beautiful. of such are the records of auroral displays, parhelions, paraselene, lunar halos, fog bows, irridescent clouds, refracted images of mountains and mirage generally. if you look at a picture of a parhelion by wilson not only can you be sure that the mock suns, circles and shafts appeared in the sky as they are shown on paper, but you can also rest assured that the number of degrees between, say, the sun and the outer ring of light were in fact such as he has represented them. you can also be certain in looking at his pictures that if cirrus cloud is shown, then cirrus and not stratus cloud was in the sky: if it is not shown, then the sky was clear. it is accuracy such as this which gives an exceptional value to work viewed from a scientific standpoint. mention should also be made of the paintings and drawings made constantly by wilson for the various specialists on the expedition whenever they wished for colour records of their specimens; in this connection the paintings of fish and various parasites are especially valuable. i am not specially qualified to judge wilson from the artistic point of view. but if you want accuracy of drawing, truth of colour, and a reproduction of the soft and delicate atmospheric effects which obtain in this part of the world, then you have them here. whatever may be said of the painting as such, it is undeniable that an artist of this type is of inestimable value to an expedition which is doing scientific and geographical work in a little-known part of the earth. wilson himself set a low value on his artistic capacity. we used to discuss what turner would have produced in a land which offered colour effects of such beauty. if we urged him to try and paint some peculiar effect and he felt that to do so was beyond his powers he made no scruple of saying so. his colour is clear, his brush-work clean: and he handled sledging subjects with the vigour of a professional who knew all there was to be known about a sledging life. [illustration: leading ponies on the barrier--e. a. wilson, del.] scott and wilson worked hand in hand to further the scientific objects of the expedition. for scott, though no specialist in any one branch, had a most genuine love of science. "science--the rock foundation of all effort," he wrote; and whether discussing ice problems with wright, meteorology with simpson, or geology with taylor, he showed not only a mind which was receptive and keen to learn, but a knowledge which was quick to offer valuable suggestions. i remember pennell condemning anything but scientific learning in dealing with the problems round us; 'no guesswork' was his argument. but he emphatically made an exception of scott, who had an uncanny knack of hitting upon a solution. over and over again in his diary we can read of the interest he took in pure and applied science, and it is doubtful whether this side of an expedition in high northern or southern latitudes has ever been more fortunate in their leader. wilson's own share in the scientific results is more obvious because he was the director of the work. but no published reports will give an adequate idea of the ability he showed in co-ordinating the various interests of a varied community, nor of the tact he displayed in dealing with the difficulties which arose. above all his judgment was excellent, and scott as well as the rest of us relied upon him to a very great extent. the value of judgment in a land where a wrong decision may mean disaster as well as loss of life is beyond all price; weather in which changes are most sudden is a case in point, also the state of sea-ice, the direction to be followed in difficult country when sledging, the best way of taking crevassed areas when they must be crossed, and all the ways by which the maximum of result may be combined with the minimum of danger in a land where nature is sometimes almost too big an enemy to fight: all this wants judgment, and if possible experience. wilson could supply both, for his experience was as wide as that of scott, and i have constantly known scott change his mind after a talk with bill. for the rest i give quotations from scott's diary: "he has had a hand in almost every lecture given, and has been consulted in almost every effort which has been made towards the solution of the practical or theoretical problems of our polar world."[ ] again: "words must always fail me when i talk of bill wilson. i believe he really is the finest character i ever met--the closer one gets to him the more there is to admire. every quality is so solid and dependable; cannot you imagine how that counts down here? whatever the matter, one knows bill will be sound, shrewdly practical, intensely loyal and quite unselfish. add to this a wider knowledge of persons and things than is at first guessable, a quiet vein of humour and really consummate tact, and you have some idea of his values. i think he is the most popular member of the party, and that is saying much."[ ] and at the end, when scott himself lay dying, he wrote to mrs. wilson: "i can do no more to comfort you, than to tell you that he died as he lived, a brave, true man--the best of comrades and staunchest of friends."[ ] physically scott had been a delicate boy but developed into a strong man, feet inches in height, stone lbs. in weight, with a chest measurement of ¼ inches. wilson was not a particularly strong man. on leaving with the discovery he was but lately cured of consumption, yet he went with scott to his farthest south, and helped to get shackleton back alive. shackleton owed his life to those two. wilson was of a slimmer, more athletic build, a great walker, feet ½ inches in height, stones in weight, with a chest measurement of inches. he was an ideal example of my contention, which i believe can be proved many times over to be a fact, that it is not strength of body but rather strength of will which carries a man farthest where mind and body are taxed at the same time to their utmost limit. scott was years of age at his death, and wilson . bowers was of a very different build. aged , he was only feet inches in height while his chest measurement (which i give more as a general guide to his physique than for any other reason) was inches, and his weight stones. he was recommended to scott by sir clements markham, who was dining one day with captain wilson-barker on the worcester, on which ship bowers was trained. bowers was then home from india, and the talk turned to the antarctic. wilson-barker turned to sir clements in the course of conversation and alluding to bowers said: "here is a man who will be leading one of those expeditions some day." he lived a rough life after passing from the worcester into the merchant service, sailing five times round the world in the loch torridon. thence he passed into the service of the royal indian marine, commanded a river gunboat on the irrawaddy, and afterwards served on h.m.s. fox, where he had considerable experience, often in open boats, preventing the gun-running which was carried on by the afghans in the persian gulf. thence he came to us. it is at any rate a curious fact, and it may be a significant one, that bowers, who enjoyed a greater resistance to cold than any man on this expedition, joined it direct from one of the hottest places on the globe. my knowledge is insufficient to say whether it is possible that any trace can be found here of cause and effect, especially since the opposite seems to be the more common experience, in that such people as return from india to england generally find the english winter trying. i give the fact for what it may be worth, remarking only that the cold of an english winter is generally damp, while that of the antarctic is dry, so far at any rate as the atmosphere is concerned. bowers himself always professed the greatest indifference not only to cold, but also to heat, and his indifference was not that of a 'poseur,' as many experiences will show. at the same time he was temperamentally one who refused to admit difficulties. indeed, if he did not actually welcome them he greeted them with scorn, and in scorning went far to master them. scott believed that difficulties were made to be overcome: bowers certainly believed that he was the man to overcome them. this self-confidence was based on a very deep and broad religious feeling, and carried conviction with it. the men swore by him both on the ship and ashore. "he's all right," was their judgment of his seamanship, which was admirable. "i like being with birdie, because i always know where i am," was the remark made to me by an officer one evening as we pitched the tent. we had just been spending some time in picking up a depôt which a less able man might well have missed. as he was one of the two or three greatest friends of my life i find it hard to give the reader a mental picture of birdie bowers which will not appear extravagant. there were times when his optimism appeared forced and formal though i believe it was not really so: there were times when i have almost hated him for his infernal cheerfulness. to those accustomed to judge men by the standards of their fashionable and corseted drawing-rooms bowers appeared crude. "you couldn't kill that man if you took a pole-axe to him," was the comment of a new zealander at a dance at christchurch. such men may be at a discount in conventional life; but give me a snowy ice-floe waving about on the top of a black swell, a ship thrown aback, a sledge-party almost shattered, or one that has just upset their supper on to the floorcloth of the tent (which is much the same thing), and i will lie down and cry for bowers to come and lead me to food and safety. those whom the gods love die young. the gods loved him, if indeed it be benevolent to show your favourites a clear, straight, shining path of life, with plenty of discomfort and not a little pain, but with few doubts and no fears. browning might well have had bowers in mind when he wrote of one who never turned his back, but marched breast forward; never doubted clouds would break; never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph; held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, sleep to wake. there was nothing subtle about him. he was transparently simple, straightforward and unselfish. his capacity for work was prodigious, and when his own work happened to take less than his full time he characteristically found activity in serving a scientist or exercising an animal. so he used to help to send up balloons with self-recording instruments attached to them, and track the threads which led to them when detached. he was responsible for putting up the three outlying meteorological screens and read them more often than anybody else. at times he looked after some of the dogs because at the moment there was nobody else whose proper job it happened to be, and he took a particular fancy to one of our strongest huskies called krisravitza, which is the russian (so i'm told) for 'most beautiful.' this fancy originated in the fact that to kris, as the most truculent of our untamed devils, fell a large share of well-deserved punishment. a living thing in trouble be it dog or man was something to be helped. being the smallest man in the party he schemed to have allotted to him the largest pony available both for the depôt and polar journeys. their exercise, when he succeeded, was a matter for experiment, for his knowledge of horses was as limited as his love of animals was intense. he started to exercise his second pony (for the first was lost on the floe) by riding him. "i'll soon get used to him," he said one day when victor had just deposited him in the tide-crack, "to say nothing of his getting used to me," he added in a more subdued voice. this was open-air work, and as such more congenial than that which had to be done inside the hut. but his most important work was indoors, and he brought to it just the same restless enthusiasm which allowed no leisure for reading or relaxation. he joined as one of the ship's officers in london. given charge of the stores, the way in which he stowed the ship aroused the admiration of even the stevedores, especially when he fell down the main hatch one morning on to the pig-iron below, recovered consciousness in about half a minute, and continued work for the rest of the day as though nothing had happened. as the voyage out proceeded it became obvious that his knowledge of the stores and undefeatable personality would be of great value to the shore party, and it was decided that he should land, to his great delight. he was personally responsible for all food supplies, whether for home consumption or for sledging, for all sledging stores and the distribution of weights, the loading of sledges, the consumption of coal, the issue of clothing, bosun's stores, and carpenter's stores. incidentally the keeper of stores wanted a very exact knowledge of the cases which contained them, for the drifts of snow soon buried them as they lay in the camp outside. as time proved his capacity scott left one thing after another in bowers' hands. scott was a leader of men, and it is a good quality in such to delegate work from themselves on to those who prove their power to shoulder the burden. undoubtedly bowers saved scott a great deal of work, and gave him time which he might not otherwise have been able to spare to interest himself in the scientific work of the station, greatly to its benefit, and do a good deal of useful writing. the two ways in which bowers helped scott most this winter were in the preparation of the plans and the working out of the weights of the southern journey, which shall be discussed later, and in the routine work of the station, for which he was largely responsible, and which ran so smoothly that i am unable to tell the reader how the stores were issued, or the dinner settled, by what rule the working parties for fetching ice for water and other kindred jobs about the camp were ordered. they just happened, and i don't know how. i only know that bowers had the bunk above mine in the hut, and that when i was going to sleep he was generally standing on a chair and using his own bunk as a desk, and i conclude from the numerous lists of stores and weights which are now in my hands that these were being produced. anyway the job was done, and the fact that we knew nothing about it goes far to prove how efficiently it was carried through. for him difficulties simply did not exist. i have never known a more buoyant, virile nature. scott's writings abound in references to the extraordinary value he placed upon his help, and after the share which he took in the depôt and winter journeys it was clear that he would probably be taken in the polar party, as indeed proved to be the case. no man of that party better deserved his place. "i believe he is the hardest traveller that ever undertook a polar journey, as well as one of the most undaunted."[ ] the standard is high. [illustration: frozen sea and cliffs of ice] bowers gave us two of our best lectures, the first on the evolution of sledge foods, at the end of which he discussed our own rations on the depôt journey, and made suggestions which he had worked out scientifically for those of the polar journey. his arguments were sound enough to disarm the hostility if not to convert to his opinions at least one scientist who had come to hear him strongly of opinion that an untrained man should not discuss so complex a subject. the second lecture, on the evolution of polar clothing, was also the fruit of much work. the general conclusion come to (and this was after the winter journey) was that our own clothing and equipment could not be bettered in any important respect, though it must be always understood that the expedition wore wind-proof clothing and not furs, except for hands and feet. when man-hauling, wind-proof, i am convinced, cannot be improved upon, but for dog-driving in cold weather i suspect that furs may be better. the table was cleared after supper and we sat round it for these lectures three times a week. there was no compulsion about them, and the seamen only turned up for those which especially interested them, such as meares' vivid account of his journeyings on the eastern or chinese borderland of thibet. this land is inhabited by the 'eighteen tribes,' the original inhabitants of thibet who were driven out by the present inhabitants, and meares told us chiefly of the lolos who killed his companion brook after having persuaded him that they were friendly and anxious to help him. "he had no pictures and very makeshift maps, yet he held us really entranced for nearly two hours by the sheer interest of his adventures. the spirit of the wanderer is in meares' blood: he has no happiness but in the wild places of the earth. i have never met so extreme a type. even now he is looking forward to getting away by himself to hut point, tired already of our scant measure of civilization."[ ] three lectures a week were too many in the opinion of the majority. the second winter with our very reduced company we had two a week, and i feel sure that this was an improvement. no officer nor seaman, however, could have had too many of ponting's lectures, which gave us glimpses into many lands illustrated by his own inimitable slides. thus we lived every now and then for a short hour in burmah, india or japan, in scenes of trees and flowers and feminine charm which were the very antithesis of our present situation, and we were all the better for it. ponting also illustrated the subjects of other lectures with home-made slides of photographs taken during the autumn or from printed books. but for the most part the lecturers were perforce content with designs and plans, drawn on paper and pinned one on the top of the other upon a large drawing-board propped up on the table and torn off sheet by sheet. from the practical point of view the most interesting evening to us was that on which scott produced the plan of the southern journey. the reader may ask why this was not really prepared until the winter previous to the journey itself, and the answer clearly is that it was impossible to arrange more than a rough idea until the autumn sledging had taught its lesson in food, equipment, relative reliability of dogs, ponies and men, and until the changes and chances of our life showed exactly what transport would be available for the following sledging season. thus it was with lively anticipation that we sat down on may , an advisory committee as it were, to hear and give our suggestions on the scheme which scott had evolved in the early weeks of the winter after the adventures of the depôt journey and the loss of six ponies. it was on just such a winter night, too, that scott read his interesting paper on the ice barrier and inland ice which will probably form the basis for all future work on these subjects. the barrier, he maintained, is probably afloat, and covers at least five times the extent of the north sea with an average thickness of some feet, though it has only been possible to get the very roughest of levels. according to the movement of a depôt laid in the discovery days the barrier moved yards towards the open ross sea in ½ months. it must be admitted that the inclination of the ice-sheet is not sufficient to cause this, and the old idea that the glacier streams flowing down from inland plateau provide the necessary impetus is imperfect. it was simpson's suggestion that "the deposition of snow on the barrier leads to an expansion due to the increase of weight." some admittedly vague ideas as to the extent and character of the inland ice-sheet ended a clever and convincing paper which contained a lot of good reasoning. simpson proved an excellent lecturer, and in meteorology and in the explanation of the many instruments with which his corner of the hut was full he possessed subjects which interested and concerned everybody. nelson on biological problems and taylor on physiography were always interesting. "taylor, i dreamt of your lecture last night. how could i live so long in the world and not know something of so fascinating a subject!" thus scott on the morning following one of these lectures.[ ] wright on ice problems, radium, and the origin of matter had highly technical subjects which left many of us somewhat befogged. but atkinson on scurvy had an audience each member of which felt that he had a personal interest in the subject under discussion. indeed one of his hearers was to suffer the advanced stage of this dread disease within six months. atkinson inclined to almroth wright's theory that scurvy is due to an acid intoxication of the blood caused by bacteria. he described the litmus-paper test which was practised on us monthly, and before and after sledge journeys. in this the blood of each individual is drawn and various strengths of dilute sulphuric acid are added to it until it is neutralized, the healthy man showing normal to , while the man with scorbutic signs will be normal to according to the stage to which he has reached. the only thing which is certain to stop scurvy is fresh vegetables: fresh meat when life is otherwise under extreme conditions will not do so, an instance being the siege of paris when they had plenty of horse meat. in voyages were being ruined by scurvy and anson lost out of men, but in that year the first discoveries were made and lime-juice was introduced by blaine. from this time scurvy practically disappeared from the navy, and there was little scurvy in nelson's days; but the reason is not clear, since, according to modern research, lime-juice only helps to prevent it. it continued in the merchant service, and in a decade from about some cases were admitted into the dreadnought hospital, whereas in the decade to there were only cases. we had, at cape evans, a salt of sodium to be used to alkalize the blood as an experiment, if necessity arose. darkness, cold, and hard work are in atkinson's opinion important causes of scurvy. nansen was an advocate of variety of diet as being anti-scorbutic, and scott recalled a story told him by nansen which he had never understood. it appeared that some men had eaten tins of tainted food. some of it was slightly tainted, some of it was really bad. they rejected the really bad ones, and ate those only which were slightly tainted. "and of course," said nansen, "they should have eaten the worst." i have since asked nansen about this story. he tells me that he must have been referring to the crew of the windward, the ship of the jackson-harmsworth expedition to franz josef land in - . the crew of this ship, which was travelling to and from civilization, got scurvy, though the land party kept healthy. of this jackson writes: "in the case of the crew of the windward i fear that there was considerable carelessness in the use of tinned meats that were not free from taint, although tins quite gone were rejected.... we [on shore] largely used fresh bear's meat, and the crew of the windward were also allowed as much as they could be induced to eat. they, however, preferred tinned meat several days a week to a diet of bear's meat alone; and some of the crew had such a prejudice against bear's meat as to refuse to eat it at all."[ ] of course tainted food should not have been eaten at all, but if it had to be eaten, then, according to nansen, the ptomaines which cause scurvy in the earlier stages of decomposition are destroyed by the ferment which forms in the later stages. they should therefore have taken the worst tins, if any at all. wilson was strongly of opinion that fresh meat alone would stop scurvy: on the discovery seal meat cured it. as to scurvy on scott's discovery southern journey, he made light of it: however, during the winter journey i remember wilson stating that shackleton several times fell in a faint as he got outside the tent, and he seems to have been seriously ill: wilson knew that he himself had scurvy some time before the others knew it, because the discoloration of his gums did not show in front for some time. he did not think their dogs on that journey had scurvy, but ptomaine poisoning from fish which had travelled through the tropics. he was of opinion that on returning from sledge journeys on the discovery they had wrongly attributed to scurvy such symptoms as rash on the body, swollen legs and ankles, which were rather the result of excessive fatigue. i may add that we had these signs on our return from the winter journey. then there were lectures on geology by debenham, on birds and beasts and also on sketching by wilson, on surveying by evans: but perhaps no lecture remains more vividly in my memory than that given by oates on what _we_ called 'the mismanagement of horses.' of course to all of us who were relying upon the ponies for the first stage of the southern journey the subject was of interest as well as utility, but the greater share of interest centred upon the lecturer, for it was certainly supposed that taciturn titus could not have concealed about his person the gift of the gab, and it was as certain as it could be that the whole business was most distasteful to him. imagine our delight when he proved to have an elaborate discourse with full notes of which no one had seen the preparation. "i have been fortunate in securing another night," he mentioned amidst mirth, and proceeded to give us the most interesting and able account of the minds and bodies of horses in general and ours in particular. he ended with a story of a dinner-party at which he was a guest, probably against his will. a young lady was so late that the party sat down to dinner without waiting longer. soon she arrived covered with blushes and confusion. "i'm so sorry," she said, "but that horse was the limit, he ..." "perhaps it was a jibber," suggested her hostess to help her out. "no, he was a ----. i heard the cabby tell him so several times." titus oates was the most cheerful and lovable old pessimist that you could imagine. often, after tethering and feeding our ponies at a night camp on the barrier, we would watch the dog-teams coming up into camp. "i'll give these dogs ten days more," he would murmur in a voice such as some people used when they heard of a british victory. i am acquainted with so few dragoons that i do not know their general characteristics. few of them, i imagine, would have gone about with the slouch which characterized his method of locomotion, nor would many of them have dined in a hat so shabby that it was picked off the peg and passed round as a curiosity. he came to look after the horses, and as an officer in the inniskillings he, no doubt, had excellent training. but his skill went far deeper than that. there was little he didn't know about horses, and the pity is that he did not choose our ponies for us in siberia: we should have had a very different lot. in addition to his general charge of them all, oates took as his own pony the aforesaid devil christopher for the southern journey and for previous training. we shall hear much more of christopher, who appeared to have come down to the antarctic to initiate the well-behaved inhabitants into all the vices of civilization, but from beginning to end oates' management of this animal might have proved a model to any governor of a lunatic asylum. his tact, patience and courage, for christopher was a very dangerous beast, remain some of the most vivid recollections of a very gallant gentleman. in this connection let me add that no animals could have had more considerate and often self-sacrificing treatment than these ponies of ours. granted that they must be used at all (and i do not mean to enter into that question) they were fed, trained, and even clothed as friends and companions rather than as beasts of burden. they were never hit, a condition to which they were clearly unaccustomed. they lived far better than they had before, and all this was done for them in spite of the conditions under which we ourselves lived. we became very fond of our beasts but we could not be blind to their faults. the mind of a horse is a very limited concern, relying almost entirely upon memory. he rivals our politicians in that he has little real intellect. consequently, when the pony was faced with conditions different from those to which he was accustomed, he showed but little adaptability; and when you add to this frozen harness and rugs, with all their straps and buckles and lashings, an incredible facility for eating anything within reach including his own tethering ropes and the headstalls, fringes and whatnots of his companions, together with our own scanty provisions and a general wish to do anything except the job of the moment, it must be admitted that the pony leader's lot was full of occasions for bad temper. nevertheless leaders and ponies were on the best of terms (excepting always christopher), which is really not surprising when you come to think that most of the leaders were sailors whose love of animals is profound. a lean-to roof was built against the northern side of the hut, and the ends and open side were boarded up. this building when buttressed by the bricks of coal which formed our fuel, and drifted up with snow by the blizzards, formed an extremely sheltered and even warm stable. the ponies stood in stalls with their heads towards the hut and divided from it by a corridor; the bars which kept them in carried also their food boxes. they lay down very little, the ground was too cold, and oates was of opinion that litter would not have benefited them if we had had space in the ship to bring it. the floor of their stall was formed of the gravel on which the hut was built. on any future occasion it might be worth consideration whether a flooring of wood might add to their comfort. as you walked down this narrow passage you passed a line of heads, many of which would have a nip at you in the semi-darkness, and at the far end oates had rigged up for himself a blubber stove, more elaborate than the one we had made with the odds and ends at hut point, but in principle the same, in that the fids of sealskin with the blubber attached to them were placed on a grid, and the heat generated caused them to drop their oil on to ashes below which formed the fire. this fire not only warmed the stable, but melted the snow to water the ponies and heated their bran mashes. i do not wonder that this warm companionable home appealed to their minds when they were exercising in the cold, dark, windy sea-ice: they were always trying to get rid of their leader, and if successful generally went straight back to the hut. here they would dodge their pursuers until such time as they were sick of the game, when they quietly walked into the stable of their own accord to be welcomed with triumphant squeals and kickings by their companions. i have already spoken of their exercise. their ration during the winter was as follows: a.m. chaff. noon. snow. chaff and oats or oil-cake alternate days. p.m. snow. hot bran mash with oil-cake, or boiled oats and chaff; finally a small quantity of hay. in the spring they were got into condition on hard food all cold, and by a carefully increased scale of exercise during the latter part of which they drew sledges with very light loads. unfortunately i have no record as to what changes of feeding stuffs oates would have made if it had been possible. certainly we should not have brought the bales of compressed fodder, which as i have already explained,[ ] was theoretically green wheat cut young, but practically no manner of use as a food, though of some use perhaps as bulk. probably he would have used hay for this purpose at winter quarters had our stock of it not been very limited, for hay takes up too much room on a ship when every square inch of stowage space is of value. the original weights of fodder with which we left new zealand were: compressed chaff, tons; hay, tons; oil-cake, - tons; bran, - tons; and two kinds of oats, of which the white was better than the black. we wanted more bran than we had.[ ] this does not exhaust our list of feeding stuffs, for one of our ponies called snippets would eat blubber, and so far as i know it agreed with him. we left new zealand with nineteen ponies, seventeen of which were destined for the main party and two for the help of campbell in the exploration of king edward vii.'s land. two of these died in the big gale at sea, and we landed fifteen ponies at cape evans in january. of these we lost six on the depôt journey, while hackenschmidt, who was a vicious beast, sickened and wasted away in our absence, for no particular reason that we could discover, until there was nothing to do but shoot him. thus eight only out of the original seventeen main party ponies which started from new zealand were left by the beginning of the winter. i have told[ ] how, during our absence on the depôt journey, the ship had tried to land campbell with his two ponies on king edward vii.'s land, but had been prevented from reaching it by pack ice. coasting back in search of a landing place they found amundsen in the bay of whales. under the circumstances campbell decided not to land his party there but to try and land on the north coast of south victoria land, in which he was finally successful. in the interval the ship returned to cape evans with the news, and since he was of opinion that his animals would be useless to him in that region he took the opportunity to swim the two ponies ashore, a distance of half a mile, for the ship could get no nearer and the sea-ice had gone. thus we started the winter with campbell's two ponies (jehu and chinaman), two ponies which had survived the depôt journey (nobby and james pigg), and six ponies which had been left at cape evans (snatcher, snippets, bones, victor, michael and christopher) a total of ten. of these ten christopher was the only real devil with vice, but he was a strong pony, and it was clear that he would be useful if he could be managed. bones, snatcher, victor and snippets were all useful ponies. michael was a highly-strung nice beast, but his value was doubtful; chinaman was more doubtful still, and it was questionable sometimes whether jehu would be able to pull anything at all. this leaves nobby and jimmy pigg, both of which were with us on the depôt journey. nobby was the best of the two; he was the only survivor from the sea-ice disaster, and i am not sure that his rescue did not save the situation with regard to the pole. jimmy pigg was wending his way slowly back from corner camp at this time and so was also saved. he was a weak pony but did extremely well on the polar journey. it may be coincidence that these two ponies, the only ponies which had gained previous sledging experience, did better according to their strength than any of the others, but i am inclined to believe that their familiarity with the conditions on the barrier was of great value to them, doing away with much useless worry and exhaustion. and so it will be understood with what feelings of anxiety any cases of injury or illness to our ponies were regarded. the cases of injury were few and of small importance, thanks to the care with which they were exercised in the dark on ice which was by no means free from inequalities. let me explain in passing that this ice is almost always covered by at least a thin layer of drifted snow and for the most part is not slippery. every now and then there would be a great banging and crashing heard through the walls of the hut in the middle of the night. the watchman would run out, oates put on his boots, scott be audibly uneasy. it was generally bones or chinaman kicking their stalls, perhaps to keep themselves warm, but by the time the watchman had reached the stable he would be met by a line of sleepy faces blinking at him in the light of the electric torch, each saying plainly that he could not possibly have been responsible for a breach of the peace! but antics might easily lead to accidents, and more than once a pony was found twisted up in some way in his stall, or even to have fallen to the ground. their heads were tied on either side to the stanchions of the stall, and so if they tried to lie down complications might arise. more alarming was the one serious case of illness, preceded by a slighter case of a similar nature in another pony. jimmy pigg had a slight attack of colic in the middle of june, but he was feeding all right again during the evening of the same day. it was at noon, july , that bones went off his feed. this was followed by spasms of acute pain. "every now and again he attempted to lie down, and oates eventually thought it was wiser to allow him to do so. once down, his head gradually drooped until he lay at length, every now and then twitching very horribly with the pain, and from time to time raising his head and even scrambling to his legs when it grew intense. i don't think i ever realized before how pathetic a horse could be under such conditions; no sound escapes him, his misery can only be indicated by those distressing spasms and by dumb movement of the head with a patient expression always suggestive of appeal."[ ] towards midnight it seemed that we were to lose him, and, apart from other considerations, we knew that unless we could keep all the surviving animals alive the risks of failure in the coming journey were much increased. "it was shortly after midnight when i [scott] was told that the animal seemed a little easier. at . i was again in the stable and found the improvement had been maintained; the horse still lay on its side with outstretched head, but the spasms had ceased, its eye looked less distressed, and its ears pricked to occasional noises. as i stood looking it suddenly raised its head and rose without effort to its legs; then in a moment, as though some bad dream had passed, it began to nose at some hay and at its neighbour. within three minutes it had drunk a bucket of water and had started to feed."[ ] the immediate cause of the trouble was indicated by "a small ball of semi-fermented hay covered with mucus and containing tape-worms; so far not very serious, but unfortunately attached to this mass was a strip of the lining of the intestine."[ ] the recovery of bones was uninterrupted. two day later another pony went off his feed and lay down, but was soon well again. considerable speculation as to the original cause of this illness never found a satisfactory answer. some traced it to a want of ventilation, and it is necessary to say that both the ponies who were ill stood next to the blubber stove; at any rate a big ventilator was fitted and more fresh air let in. others traced it to the want of water, supposing that the animals would not eat as much snow as they would have drunk water; the easy remedy for this was to give them water instead of snow. we also gave them more salt than they had had before. whatever the cause may have been we had no more of this colic, and the improvement in their condition until we started sledging was uninterrupted. all the ponies were treated for worms; it was also found that they had lice, which were eradicated after some time and difficulty by a wash of tobacco and water. i know that oates wished that he had clipped the ponies at the beginning of the winter, believing that they would have grown far better coats if this had been done. he also would have wished for a loose box for each pony. no account of the ponies would be complete without mention of our russian pony boy, anton. he was small in height, but he was exceedingly strong and had a chest measurement of inches. [illustration: erebus and lands end] [illustration: erebus behind great razorback] i believe both anton and dimitri, the russian dog driver, were brought originally to look after the ponies and dogs on their way from siberia to new zealand. but they proved such good fellows and so useful that we were very glad to take them on the strength of the landing party. i fear that anton, at any rate, did not realize what he was in for. when we arrived at cape crozier in the ship on our voyage south, and he saw the two great peaks of ross island in front and the barrier cliff disappearing in an unbroken wall below the eastern horizon, he imagined that he reached the south pole, and was suitably elated. when the darkness of the winter closed down upon us, this apparently unnatural order of things so preyed upon his superstitious mind that he became seriously alarmed. where the sea-ice joined the land in front of the hut was of course a working crack, caused by the rise and fall of the tide. sometimes the sea-water found its way up, and anton was convinced that the weird phosphorescent lights which danced up out of the sea were devils. in propitiation we found that he had sacrificed to them his most cherished luxury, his scanty allowance of cigarettes, which he had literally cast upon the waters in the darkness. it was natural that his thoughts should turn to the comforts of his siberian home, and the one-legged wife whom he was going to marry there, and when it became clear that a another year would be spent in the south his mind was troubled. and so he went to oates and asked him, "if i go away at the end of this year, will captain scott disinherit me?" in order to try and express his idea, for he knew little english, he had some days before been asking "what we called it when a father died and left his son nothing." poor anton! he looked long and anxiously for the ship, and with his kit-bag on his shoulder was amongst the first to trek across the ice to meet her. having asked for and obtained a job of work there was no happier man on board: he never left her until she reached new zealand. nevertheless he was always cheerful, always working, and a most useful addition to our small community. it is still usual to talk of people living in complete married happiness when we really mean, so mr. bernard shaw tells me, that they confine their quarrels to thursday nights. if then i say that we lived this life for nearly three years, from the day when we left england until the day we returned to new zealand, without any friction of any kind, i shall be supposed to be making a formal statement of somewhat limited truth. may i say that there is really no formality about it, and nothing but the truth. to be absolutely accurate i must admit to having seen a man in a very 'prickly' state on one occasion. that was all. it didn't last and may have been well justified for aught i know: i have forgotten what it was all about. why we should have been more fortunate than polar travellers in general it is hard to say, but undoubtedly a very powerful reason was that we had no idle hours: there was no time to quarrel. before we went south people were always saying, "you will get fed up with one another. what will you do all the dark winter?" as a matter of fact the difficulty was to get through with the work. often after working all through a long night-watch officers carried on as a matter of course through the following day in order to clear off arrears. there was little reading or general relaxation during the day: certainly not before supper, if at all. and while no fixed hours for work were laid down, the custom was general that all hours between breakfast and supper should be so used. our small company was desperately keen to obtain results. the youngest and most cynical pessimist must have had cause for wonder to see a body of healthy and not unintellectual men striving thus single-mindedly to add their small quota of scientific and geographical knowledge to the sum total of the world--with no immediate prospect of its practical utility. laymen and scientists alike were determined to attain the objects to gain which they had set forth. and i believe that in a vague intangible way there was an ideal in front of and behind this work. it is really not desirable for men who do not believe that knowledge is of value for its own sake to take up this kind of life. the question constantly put to us in civilization was and still is: "what is the use? is there gold? or is there coal?" the commercial spirit of the present day can see no good in pure science: the english manufacturer is not interested in research which will not give him a financial return within one year: the city man sees in it only so much energy wasted on unproductive work: truly they are bound to the wheel of conventional life. now unless a man believes that such a view is wrong he has no business to be 'down south.' our magnetic and meteorological work may, i suppose, have a fairly immediate bearing upon commerce and shipping: otherwise i cannot imagine any branch of our labours which will do more at present than swell the central pool of unapplied knowledge. the members of this expedition believed that it was worth while to discover new land and new life, to reach the southern pole of the earth, to make elaborate meteorological and magnetic observations and extended geological surveys with all the other branches of research for which we were equipped. they were prepared to suffer great hardship; and some of them died for their beliefs. without such ideals the spirit which certainly existed in our small community would have been impossible. but if the reasons for this happy state of our domestic life were due largely to the adaptability and keenness of the members of our small community, i doubt whether the frictions which have caused other expeditions to be less comfortable than they might have been, would have been avoided in our case, had it not been for the qualities in some of our men which set a fashion of hard work without any thought of personal gain. with all its troubles it is a good life. we came back from the barrier, telling one another we loathed the place and nothing on earth should make us return. but now the barrier comes back to us, with its clean, open life, and the smell of the cooker, and its soft sound sleep. so much of the trouble of this world is caused by memories, for we only remember half. we have forgotten--or nearly forgotten--how the loss of a biscuit crumb left a sense of injury which lasted for a week; how the greatest friends were so much on one another's nerves that they did not speak for days for fear of quarrelling; how angry we felt when the cook ran short on the weekly bag; how sick we were after the first meals when we could eat as much as we liked; how anxious we were when a man fell ill many hundreds of miles from home, and we had a fortnight of thick weather and had to find our depôts or starve. we remember the cry of _camp ho!_ which preceded the cup of tea which gave us five more miles that evening; the good fellowship which completed our supper after safely crossing a bad patch of crevasses; the square inch of plum pudding which celebrated our christmas day; the chanties we sang all over the barrier as we marched our ponies along. we travelled for science. those three small embryos from cape crozier, that weight of fossils from buckley island, and that mass of material, less spectacular, but gathered just as carefully hour by hour in wind and drift, darkness and cold, were striven for in order that the world may have a little more knowledge, that it may build on what it knows instead of on what it thinks. some of our men were ambitious: some wanted money, others a name; some a help up the scientific ladder, others an f.r.s. why not? but we had men who did not care a rap for money or fame. i do not believe it mattered to wilson when he found that amundsen had reached the pole a few days before him--not much. pennell would have been very bored if you had given him a knighthood. lillie, bowers, priestley, debenham, atkinson and many others were much the same. but there is no love lost between the class of men who go out and do such work and the authorities at home who deal with their collections. i remember a conversation in the hut during the last bad winter. men were arguing fiercely that professionally they lost a lot by being down south, that they fell behindhand in current work, got out of the running and so forth. there is a lot in that. and then the talk went on to the publication of results, and the way in which they would wish them done. a said he wasn't going to hand over his work to be mucked up by such and such a body at home; b said he wasn't going to have his buried in museum book-shelves never to be seen again; c said he would jolly well publish his own results in the scientific journals. and the ears of the armchair scientists who might deal with our hard-won specimens and observations should have been warm that night. at the time i felt a little indignant. it seemed to me that these men ought to think themselves lucky to be down south at all: there were thousands who would have like to take their place. but now i understand quite a lot more than i did then. science is a big thing if you can travel a winter journey in her cause and not regret it. i am not sure she is not bigger still if you can have dealings with scientists and continue to follow in her path. footnotes: [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. , , . [ ] scott, _voyage of the discovery_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _with scott: the silver lining_, taylor, p. . [ ] f. g. jackson, _a thousand days in the arctic_, vol. ii. pp. - . [ ] see p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] see pp. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . chapter vii the winter journey ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for? r. browning, _andrea del sarto._ to me, and to every one who has remained here the result of this effort is the appeal it makes to our imagination, as one of the most gallant stories in polar history. that men should wander forth in the depth of a polar night to face the most dismal cold and the fiercest gales in darkness is something new; that they should have persisted in this effort in spite of every adversity for five full weeks is heroic. it makes a tale for our generation which i hope may not be lost in the telling. scott's diary, at cape evans. the following list of the winter journey sledge weights (for three men) is taken from the reckoning made by bowers before we started: _expendible stores_-- lbs. lbs. 'antarctic' biscuit cases for same pemmican butter salt tea oil spare parts for primus, and matches toilet paper candles packing spirit _permanent weights, etc._ -ft. sledges, lbs. each cooker complete primus filled with oil double tent complete sledging shovel . reindeer sleeping-bags, lbs. each eider-down sleeping-bag linings, lbs. each alpine rope bosun's bag, containing repairing materials, and bonsa outfit, containing repairing tools personal bags, each containing lbs. spare clothing, etc. lamp box with knives, steel, etc., for seal and penguin medical and scientific box ice axes, lbs. each man-harnesses portaging harnesses cloth for making roof and door for stone igloo instrument box pairs ski and sticks (discarded afterwards) pickaxe crampons, lbs. oz. each . bamboos for measuring tide if possible, feet each male bamboos plank to form top of door of igloo bag sennegrass small female bamboo ends and knife for cutting snow block to make igloo packing ---- ==== the 'lamp box' mentioned above contained the following: lamp for burning blubber. lamp for burning spirit. tent candle lamp. blubber cooker. blowpipe. the party of three men set out with a total weight of lbs. to draw, the ski and sticks in the above list being left behind at the last moment. it was impossible to load the total bulk upon one -ft. sledge, and so two -ft. sledges were taken, one toggled on behind the other. while this made the packing and handling of the gear much easier, it nearly doubled the friction surface against which the party had to pull. * * * * * _june . midwinter night._ a hard night: clear, with a blue sky so deep that it looks black: the stars are steel points: the glaciers burnished silver. the snow rings and thuds to your footfall. the ice is cracking to the falling temperature and the tide crack groans as the water rises. and over all, wave upon wave, fold upon fold, there hangs the curtain of the aurora. as you watch, it fades away, and then quite suddenly a great beam flashes up and rushes to the zenith, an arch of palest green and orange, a tail of flaming gold. again it falls, fading away into great searchlight beams which rise behind the smoking crater of mount erebus. and again the spiritual veil is drawn-- here at the roaring loom of time i ply and weave for god the garment thou seest him by. inside the hut are orgies. we are very merry--and indeed why not? the sun turns to come back to us to-night, and such a day comes only once a year. after dinner we had to make speeches, but instead of making a speech bowers brought in a wonderful christmas tree, made of split bamboos and a ski stick, with feathers tied to the end of each branch; candles, sweets, preserved fruits, and the most absurd toys of which bill was the owner. titus got three things which pleased him immensely, a sponge, a whistle, and a pop-gun which went off when he pressed in the butt. for the rest of the evening he went round asking whether you were sweating. "no." "yes, you are," he said, and wiped your face with the sponge. "if you want to please me very much you will fall down when i shoot you," he said to me, and then he went round shooting everybody. at intervals he blew the whistle. he danced the lancers with anton, and anton, whose dancing puts that of the russian ballet into the shade, continually apologized for not being able to do it well enough. ponting gave a great lecture with slides which he had made since we arrived, many of which meares had coloured. when one of these came up one of us would shout, "who coloured that," and another would cry, "meares,"--then uproar. it was impossible for ponting to speak. we had a milk punch, when scott proposed the eastern party, and clissold, the cook, proposed good old true milk. titus blew away the ball of his gun. "i blew it into the cerulean--how doth homer have it?--cerulean azure--hence erebus." as we turned in he said, "cherry, are you responsible for your actions?" and when i said yes, he blew loudly on his whistle, and the last thing i remembered was that he woke up meares to ask him whether he was fancy free. it was a magnificent bust. * * * * * five days later and three men, one of whom at any rate is feeling a little frightened, stand panting and sweating out in mcmurdo sound. they have two sledges, one tied behind the other, and these sledges are piled high with sleeping-bags and camping equipment, six weeks' provisions, and a venesta case full of scientific gear for pickling and preserving. in addition there is a pickaxe, ice-axes, an alpine rope, a large piece of green willesden canvas and a bit of board. scott's amazed remark when he saw our sledges two hours ago, "bill, why are you taking all this oil?" pointing to the six cans lashed to the tray on the second sledge, had a bite in it. our weights for such travelling are enormous-- lbs. a man. it is mid-day but it is pitchy dark, and it is not warm. as we rested my mind went back to a dusty, dingy office in victoria street some fifteen months ago. "i want you to come," said wilson to me, and then, "i want to go to cape crozier in the winter and work out the embryology of the emperor penguins, but i'm not saying much about it--it might never come off." well! this was better than victoria street, where the doctors had nearly refused to let me go because i could only see the people across the road as vague blobs walking. then bill went and had a talk with scott about it, and they said i might come if i was prepared to take the additional risk. at that time i would have taken anything. after the depôt journey, at hut point, walking over that beastly, slippery, sloping ice-foot which i always imagined would leave me some day in the sea, bill asked me whether i would go with him--and who else for a third? there can have been little doubt whom we both wanted, and that evening bowers had been asked. of course he was mad to come. and here we were. "this winter travel is a new and bold venture," wrote scott in the hut that night, "but the right men have gone to attempt it." i don't know. there never could have been any doubt about bill and birdie. probably lashly would have made the best third, but bill had a prejudice against seamen for a journey like this--"they don't take enough care of themselves, and they _will_ not look after their clothes." but lashly was wonderful--if scott had only taken a four-man party and lashly to the pole! what is this venture? why is the embryo of the emperor penguin so important to science? and why should three sane and common-sense explorers be sledging away on a winter's night to a cape which has only been visited before in daylight, and then with very great difficulty? i have explained more fully in the introduction to this book[ ] the knowledge the world possessed at this time of the emperor penguin, mainly due to wilson. but it is because the emperor is probably the most primitive bird in existence that the working out of his embryology is so important. the embryo shows remains of the development of an animal in former ages and former states; it recapitulates its former lives. the embryo of an emperor may prove the missing link between birds and the reptiles from which birds have sprung. only one rookery of emperor penguins had been found at this date, and this was on the sea-ice inside a little bay of the barrier edge at cape crozier, which was guarded by miles of some of the biggest pressure in the antarctic. chicks had been found in september, and wilson reckoned that the eggs must be laid in the beginning of july. and so we started just after midwinter on the weirdest bird's-nesting expedition that has ever been or ever will be. [illustration: emperors] but the sweat was freezing in our clothing and we moved on. all we could see was a black patch away to our left which was turk's head: when this disappeared we knew that we had passed glacier tongue which, unseen by us, eclipsed the rocks behind. and then we camped for lunch. that first camp only lives in my memory because it began our education of camp work in the dark. had we now struck the blighting temperature which we were to meet.... there was just enough wind to make us want to hurry: down harness, each man to a strap on the sledge--quick with the floor-cloth--the bags to hold it down--now a good spread with the bamboos and the tent inner lining--hold them, cherry, and over with the outer covering--snow on to the skirting and inside with the cook with his candle and a box of matches.... that is how we tied it: that is the way we were accustomed to do it, day after day and night after night when the sun was still high or at any rate only setting, sledging on the barrier in spring and summer and autumn; pulling our hands from our mitts when necessary--plenty of time to warm up afterwards; in the days when we took pride in getting our tea boiling within twenty minutes of throwing off our harness: when the man who wanted to work in his fur mitts was thought a bit too slow. but now it _didn't_ work. "we shall have to go a bit slower," said bill, and "we shall get more used to working in the dark." at this time, i remember, i was still trying to wear spectacles. we spent that night on the sea-ice, finding that we were too far in towards castle rock; and it was not until the following afternoon that we reached and lunched at hut point. i speak of day and night, though they were much the same, and later on when we found that we could not get the work into a twenty-four-hour day, we decided to carry on as though such a convention did not exist; as in actual fact it did not. we had already realized that cooking under these conditions would be a bad job, and that the usual arrangement by which one man was cook for the week would be intolerable. we settled to be cook alternately day by day. for food we brought only pemmican and biscuit and butter; for drink we had tea, and we drank hot water to turn in on. pulling out from hut point that evening we brought along our heavy loads on the two nine-foot sledges with comparative ease; it was the first, and though we did not know it then, the only bit of good pulling we were to have. good pulling to the sledge traveller means easy pulling. away we went round cape armitage and eastwards. we knew that the barrier edge was in front of us and also that the break-up of the sea-ice had left the face of it as a low perpendicular cliff. we had therefore to find a place where the snow had formed a drift. this we came right up against and met quite suddenly a very keen wind flowing, as it always does, from the cold barrier down to the comparatively warm sea-ice. the temperature was - ° f., and i was a fool to take my hands out of my mitts to haul on the ropes to bring the sledges up. i started away from the barrier edge with all ten fingers frost-bitten. they did not really come back until we were in the tent for our night meal, and within a few hours there were two or three large blisters, up to an inch long, on all of them. for many days those blisters hurt frightfully. we were camped that night about half a mile in from the barrier edge. the temperature was - °. we had a baddish time, being very glad to get out of our shivering bags next morning (june ). we began to suspect, as we knew only too well later, that the only good time of the twenty-four hours was breakfast, for then with reasonable luck we need not get into our sleeping-bags again for another seventeen hours. [illustration: a panoramic view of ross island from crater hill] the horror of the nineteen days it took us to travel from cape evans to cape crozier would have to be re-experienced to be appreciated; and any one would be a fool who went again: it is not possible to describe it. the weeks which followed them were comparative bliss, not because later our conditions were better--they were far worse--because we were callous. i for one had come to that point of suffering at which i did not really care if only i could die without much pain. they talk of the heroism of the dying--they little know--it would be so easy to die, a dose of morphia, a friendly crevasse, and blissful sleep. the trouble is to go on.... it was the darkness that did it. i don't believe minus seventy temperatures would be bad in daylight, not comparatively bad, when you could see where you were going, where you were stepping, where the sledge straps were, the cooker, the primus, the food; could see your footsteps lately trodden deep into the soft snow that you might find your way back to the rest of your load; could see the lashings of the food bags; could read a compass without striking three or four different boxes to find one dry match; could read your watch to see if the blissful moment of getting out of your bag was come without groping in the snow all about; when it would not take you five minutes to lash up the door of the tent, and five hours to get started in the morning.... but in these days we were never less than four hours from the moment when bill cried "time to get up" to the time when we got into our harness. it took two men to get one man into his harness, and was all they could do, for the canvas was frozen and our clothes were frozen until sometimes not even two men could bend them into the required shape. the trouble is sweat and breath. i never knew before how much of the body's waste comes out through the pores of the skin. on the most bitter days, when we had to camp before we had done a four-hour march in order to nurse back our frozen feet, it seemed that we must be sweating. and all this sweat, instead of passing away through the porous wool of our clothing and gradually drying off us, froze and accumulated. it passed just away from our flesh and then became ice: we shook plenty of snow and ice down from inside our trousers every time we changed our foot-gear, and we could have shaken it from our vests and from between our vests and shirts, but of course we could not strip to this extent. but when we got into our sleeping-bags, if we were fortunate, we became warm enough during the night to thaw this ice: part remained in our clothes, part passed into the skins of our sleeping-bags, and soon both were sheets of armour-plate. as for our breath--in the daytime it did nothing worse than cover the lower parts of our faces with ice and solder our balaclavas tightly to our heads. it was no good trying to get your balaclava off until you had had the primus going quite a long time, and then you could throw your breath about if you wished. the trouble really began in your sleeping-bag, for it was far too cold to keep a hole open through which to breathe. so all night long our breath froze into the skins, and our respiration became quicker and quicker as the air in our bags got fouler and fouler: it was never possible to make a match strike or burn inside our bags! of course we were not iced up all at once: it took several days of this kind of thing before we really got into big difficulties on this score. it was not until i got out of the tent one morning fully ready to pack the sledge that i realized the possibilities ahead. we had had our breakfast, struggled into our foot-gear, and squared up inside the tent, which was comparatively warm. once outside, i raised my head to look round and found i could not move it back. my clothing had frozen hard as i stood--perhaps fifteen seconds. for four hours i had to pull with my head stuck up, and from that time we all took care to bend down into a pulling position before being frozen in. by now we had realized that we must reverse the usual sledging routine and do everything slowly, wearing when possible the fur mitts which fitted over our woollen mitts, and always stopping whatever we were doing, directly we felt that any part of us was getting frozen, until the circulation was restored. henceforward it was common for one or other of us to leave the other two to continue the camp work while he stamped about in the snow, beat his arms, or nursed some exposed part. but we could not restore the circulation of our feet like this--the only way then was to camp and get some hot water into ourselves before we took our foot-gear off. the difficulty was to know whether our feet were frozen or not, for the only thing we knew for certain was that we had lost all feeling in them. wilson's knowledge as a doctor came in here: many a time he had to decide from our descriptions of our feet whether to camp or to go on for another hour. a wrong decision meant disaster, for if one of us had been crippled the whole party would have been placed in great difficulties. probably we should all have died. on june the temperature was - ° all day and there was sometimes a light breeze which was inclined to frost-bite our faces and hands. owing to the weight of our two sledges and the bad surface our pace was not more than a slow and very heavy plod: at our lunch camp wilson had the heel and sole of one foot frost-bitten, and i had two big toes. bowers was never worried by frost-bitten feet. that night was very cold, the temperature falling to - °, and it was - ° at breakfast on june . we had not shipped the eider-down linings to our sleeping-bags, in order to keep them dry as long as possible. my own fur bag was too big for me, and throughout this journey was more difficult to thaw out than the other two: on the other hand, it never split, as did bill's. we were now getting into that cold bay which lies between the hut point peninsula and terror point. it was known from old discovery days that the barrier winds are deflected from this area, pouring out into mcmurdo sound behind us, and into the ross sea at cape crozier in front. in consequence of the lack of high winds the surface of the snow is never swept and hardened and polished as elsewhere: it was now a mass of the hardest and smallest snow crystals, to pull through which in cold temperatures was just like pulling through sand. i have spoken elsewhere of barrier surfaces, and how, when the cold is very great, sledge runners cannot melt the crystal points but only advance by rolling them over and over upon one another. that was the surface we met on this journey, and in soft snow the effect is accentuated. our feet were sinking deep at every step. and so when we tried to start on june we found we could not move both sledges together. there was nothing for it but to take one on at a time and come back for the other. this has often been done in daylight when the only risks run are those of blizzards which may spring up suddenly and obliterate tracks. now in darkness it was more complicated. from a.m. to p.m. there was enough light to see the big holes made by our feet, and we took on one sledge, trudged back in our tracks, and brought on the second. bowers used to toggle and untoggle our harnesses when we changed sledges. of course in this relay work we covered three miles in distance for every one mile forward, and even the single sledges were very hard pulling. when we lunched the temperature was - °. after lunch the little light had gone, and we carried a naked lighted candle back with us when we went to find our second sledge. it was the weirdest kind of procession, three frozen men and a little pool of light. generally we steered by jupiter, and i never see him now without recalling his friendship in those days. we were very silent, it was not very easy to talk: but sledging is always a silent business. i remember a long discussion which began just now about cold snaps--was this the normal condition of the barrier, or was it a cold snap?--what constituted a cold snap? the discussion lasted about a week. do things slowly, always slowly, that was the burden of wilson's leadership: and every now and then the question, shall we go on? and the answer yes. "i think we are all right as long as our appetites are good," said bill. always patient, self-possessed, unruffled, he was the only man on earth, as i believe, who could have led this journey. that day we made ¼ miles, and travelled miles to do it. the temperature was - ° when we camped, and we were already pretty badly iced up. that was the last night i lay (i had written slept) in my big reindeer bag without the lining of eider-down which we each carried. for me it was a very bad night: a succession of shivering fits which i was quite unable to stop, and which took possession of my body for many minutes at a time until i thought my back would break, such was the strain placed upon it. they talk of chattering teeth: but when your body chatters you may call yourself cold. i can only compare the strain to that which i have been unfortunate enough to see in a case of lock-jaw. one of my big toes was frost-bitten, but i do not know for how long. wilson was fairly comfortable in his smaller bag, and bowers was snoring loudly. the minimum temperature that night as taken under the sledge was - °; and as taken on the sledge was - °. that is a hundred and seven degrees of frost. we did the same relay work on july , but found the pulling still harder; and it was all that we could do to move the one sledge forward. from now onwards wilson and i, but not to the same extent bowers, experienced a curious optical delusion when returning in our tracks for the second sledge. i have said that we found our way back by the light of a candle, and we found it necessary to go back in our same footprints. these holes became to our tired brains not depressions but elevations: hummocks over which we stepped, raising our feet painfully and draggingly. and then we remembered, and said what fools we were, and for a while we compelled ourselves to walk through these phantom hills. but it was no lasting good, and as the days passed we realized that we must suffer this absurdity, for we could not do anything else. but of course it took it out of us. during these days the blisters on my fingers were very painful. long before my hands were frost-bitten, or indeed anything but cold, which was of course a normal thing, the matter inside these big blisters, which rose all down my fingers with only a skin between them, was frozen into ice. to handle the cooking gear or the food bags was agony; to start the primus was worse; and when, one day, i was able to prick six or seven of the blisters after supper and let the liquid matter out, the relief was very great. every night after that i treated such others as were ready in the same way until they gradually disappeared. sometimes it was difficult not to howl. i _did_ want to howl many times every hour of these days and nights, but i invented a formula instead, which i repeated to myself continually. especially, i remember, it came in useful when at the end of the march with my feet frost-bitten, my heart beating slowly, my vitality at its lowest ebb, my body solid with cold, i used to seize the shovel and go on digging snow on to the tent skirting while the cook inside was trying to light the primus. "you've got it in the neck--stick it--stick it--you've got it in the neck," was the refrain, and i wanted every little bit of encouragement it would give me: then i would find myself repeating "stick it--stick it--stick it--stick it," and then "you've got it in the neck." one of the joys of summer sledging is that you can let your mind wander thousands of miles away for weeks and weeks. oates used to provision his little yacht (there was a pickled herring he was going to have): i invented the compactest little revolving bookcase which was going to hold not books, but pemmican and chocolate and biscuit and cocoa and sugar, and have a cooker on the top, and was going to stand always ready to quench my hunger when i got home: and we visited restaurants and theatres and grouse moors, and we thought of a pretty girl, or girls, and.... but now that was all impossible. our conditions forced themselves upon us without pause: it was not possible to think of anything else. we got no respite. i found it best to refuse to let myself think of the past or the future--to live only for the job of the moment, and to compel myself to think only how to do it most efficiently. once you let yourself imagine.... this day also (july ) we were harassed by a nasty little wind which blew in our faces. the temperature was - °, and in such temperatures the effect of even the lightest airs is blighting, and immediately freezes any exposed part. but we all fitted the bits of wind-proof lined with fur which we had made in the hut, across our balaclavas in front of our noses, and these were of the greatest comfort. they formed other places upon which our breath could freeze, and the lower parts of our faces were soon covered with solid sheets of ice, which was in itself an additional protection. this was a normal and not uncomfortable condition during the journey: the hair on our faces kept the ice away from the skin, and for myself i would rather have the ice than be without it, until i want to get my balaclava off to drink my hoosh. we only made ¼ miles, and it took hours. it blew force that night with a temperature of - . °, and there was some drift. this was pretty bad, but luckily the wind dropped to a light breeze by the time we were ready to start the next morning (july ). the temperature was then - °, and continued so all day, falling lower in the evening. at p.m. we watched a bank of fog form over the peninsula to our left and noticed at the same time that our frozen mitts thawed out on our hands, and the outlines of the land as shown by the stars became obscured. we made ½ miles with the usual relaying, and camped at p.m. with the temperature - °. it really was a terrible march, and parts of both my feet were frozen at lunch. after supper i pricked six or seven of the worst blisters, and the relief was considerable. i have met with amusement people who say, "oh, we had minus fifty temperatures in canada; they didn't worry _me_," or "i've been down to minus sixty something in siberia." and then you find that they had nice dry clothing, a nice night's sleep in a nice aired bed, and had just walked out after lunch for a few minutes from a nice warm hut or an overheated train. and they look back upon it as an experience to be remembered. well! of course as an experience of cold this can only be compared to eating a vanilla ice with hot chocolate cream after an excellent dinner at claridge's. but in our present state we began to look upon minus fifties as a luxury which we did not often get. that evening, for the first time, we discarded our naked candle in favour of the rising moon. we had started before the moon on purpose, but as we shall see she gave us little light. however, we owed our escape from a very sticky death to her on one occasion. it was a little later on when we were among crevasses, with terror above us, but invisible, somewhere on our left, and the barrier pressure on our right. we were quite lost in the darkness, and only knew that we were running downhill, the sledge almost catching our heels. there had been no light all day, clouds obscured the moon, we had not seen her since yesterday. and quite suddenly a little patch of clear sky drifted, as it were, over her face, and she showed us three paces ahead a great crevasse with just a shining icy lid not much thicker than glass. we should all have walked into it, and the sledge would certainly have followed us down. after that i felt we had a chance of pulling through: god could not be so cruel as to have saved us just to prolong our agony. but at present we need not worry about crevasses; for we had not reached the long stretch where the moving barrier, with the weight of many hundred miles of ice behind it, comes butting up against the slopes of mount terror, itself some eleven thousand feet high. now we were still plunging ankle-deep in the mass of soft sandy snow which lies in the windless area. it seemed to have no bottom at all, and since the snow was much the same temperature as the air, our feet, as well as our bodies, got colder and colder the longer we marched: in ordinary sledging you begin to warm up after a quarter of an hour's pulling, here it was just the reverse. even now i find myself unconsciously kicking the toes of my right foot against the heel of my left: a habit i picked up on this journey by doing it every time we halted. well no. not always. for there was one halt when we just lay on our backs and gazed up into the sky, where, so the others said, there was blazing the most wonderful aurora they had ever seen. i did not see it, being so near-sighted and unable to wear spectacles owing to the cold. the aurora was always before us as we travelled east, more beautiful than any seen by previous expeditions wintering in mcmurdo sound, where erebus must have hidden the most brilliant displays. now most of the sky was covered with swinging, swaying curtains which met in a great whirl overhead: lemon yellow, green and orange. the minimum this night was - °, and during july it ranged between - ° and - °. we got forward only ½ miles, and by this time i had silently made up my mind that we had not the ghost of a chance of reaching the penguins. i am sure that bill was having a very bad time these nights, though it was an impression rather than anything else, for he never said so. we knew we did sleep, for we heard one another snore, and also we used to have dreams and nightmares; but we had little consciousness of it, and we were now beginning to drop off when we halted on the march. our sleeping-bags were getting really bad by now, and already it took a long time to thaw a way down into them at night. bill spread his in the middle, bowers was on his right, and i was on his left. always he insisted that i should start getting my legs into mine before _he_ started: we were rapidly cooling down after our hot supper, and this was very unselfish of him. then came seven shivering hours and first thing on getting out of our sleeping-bags in the morning we stuffed our personal gear into the mouth of the bag before it could freeze: this made a plug which when removed formed a frozen hole for us to push into as a start in the evening. we got into some strange knots when trying to persuade our limbs into our bags, and suffered terribly from cramp in consequence. we would wait and rub, but directly we tried to move again down it would come and grip our legs in a vice. we also, especially bowers, suffered agony from cramp in the stomach. we let the primus burn on after supper now for a time--it was the only thing which kept us going--and when one who was holding the primus was seized with cramp we hastily took the lamp from him until the spasm was over. it was horrible to see birdie's stomach cramp sometimes: he certainly got it much worse than bill or i. i suffered a lot from heartburn especially in my bag at nights: we were eating a great proportion of fat and this was probably the cause. stupidly i said nothing about it for a long time. later when bill found out, he soon made it better with the medical case. birdie always lit the candle in the morning--so called and this was an heroic business. moisture collected on our matches if you looked at them. partly i suppose it was bringing them from outside into a comparatively warm tent; partly from putting boxes into pockets in our clothing. sometimes it was necessary to try four or five boxes before a match struck. the temperature of the boxes and matches was about a hundred degrees of frost, and the smallest touch of the metal on naked flesh caused a frost-bite. if you wore mitts you could scarcely feel anything--especially since the tips of our fingers were already very callous. to get the first light going in the morning was a beastly cold business, made worse by having to make sure that it was at last time to get up. bill insisted that we must lie in our bags seven hours every night. in civilization men are taken at their own valuation because there are so many ways of concealment, and there is so little time, perhaps even so little understanding. not so down south. these two men went through the winter journey and lived: later they went through the polar journey and died. they were gold, pure, shining, unalloyed. words cannot express how good their companionship was. through all these days, and those which were to follow, the worst i suppose in their dark severity that men have ever come through alive, no single hasty or angry word passed their lips. when, later, we were sure, so far as we can be sure of anything, that we must die, they were cheerful, and so far as i can judge their songs and cheery words were quite unforced. nor were they ever flurried, though always as quick as the conditions would allow in moments of emergency. it is hard that often such men must go first when others far less worthy remain. [illustration: camping after dark--e. a. wilson, del.] there are those who write of polar expeditions as though the whole thing was as easy as possible. they are trusting, i suspect, in a public who will say, "what a fine fellow this is! we know what horrors he has endured, yet see, how little he makes of all his difficulties and hardships." others have gone to the opposite extreme. i do not know that there is any use in trying to make a - ° temperature appear formidable to an uninitiated reader by calling it fifty degrees of frost. i want to do neither of these things. i am not going to pretend that this was anything but a ghastly journey, made bearable and even pleasant to look back upon by the qualities of my two companions who have gone. at the same time i have no wish to make it appear more horrible than it actually was: the reader need not fear that i am trying to exaggerate. during the night of july the temperature dropped to - °, but in the morning we wakened (we really did wake that morning) to great relief. the temperature was only - ° with the wind blowing some miles an hour with steadily falling snow. it only lasted a few hours, and we knew it must be blowing a howling blizzard outside the windless area in which we lay, but it gave us time to sleep and rest, and get thoroughly thawed, and wet, and warm, inside our sleeping-bags. to me at any rate this modified blizzard was a great relief, though we all knew that our gear would be worse than ever when the cold came back. it was quite impossible to march. during the course of the day the temperature dropped to - °: during the following night to - °. the soft new snow which had fallen made the surface the next day (july ) almost impossible. we relayed as usual, and managed to do eight hours' pulling, but we got forward only ½ miles. the temperature ranged between - ° and - °, and there was at one time a considerable breeze, the effect of which was paralysing. there was the great circle of a halo round the moon with a vertical shaft, and mock moons. we hoped that we were rising on to the long snow cape which marks the beginning of mount terror. that night the temperature was - °; at breakfast - °; at noon nearly - °. the day lives in my memory as that on which i found out that records are not worth making. the thermometer as swung by bowers after lunch at . p.m. registered - . °, which is ½ degrees of frost, and is i suppose as cold as any one will want to endure in darkness and iced-up gear and clothes. the lowest temperature recorded by a discovery spring journey party was - . °,[ ] and in those days fourteen days was a long time for a spring party to be away sledging and they were in daylight. this was our tenth day out and we hoped to be away for six weeks. luckily we were spared wind. our naked candle burnt steadily as we trudged back in our tracks to fetch our other sledge, but if we touched metal for a fraction of a second with naked fingers we were frost-bitten. to fasten the strap buckles over the loaded sledge was difficult: to handle the cooker, or mugs, or spoons, the primus or oil can was worse. how bowers managed with the meteorological instruments i do not know, but the meteorological log is perfectly kept. yet as soon as you breathed near the paper it was covered with a film of ice through which the pencil would not bite. to handle rope was always cold and in these very low temperatures dreadfully cold work. the toggling up of our harnesses to the sledge we were about to pull, the untoggling at the end of the stage, the lashing up of our sleeping-bags in the morning, the fastening of the cooker to the top of the instrument box, were bad, but not nearly so bad as the smaller lashings which were now strings of ice. one of the worst was round the weekly food bag, and those round the pemmican, tea and butter bags inside were thinner still. but the real devil was the lashing of the tent door: it was like wire, and yet had to be tied tight. if you had to get out of the tent during the seven hours spent in our sleeping-bags you must tie a string as stiff as a poker, and re-thaw your way into a bag already as hard as a board. our paraffin was supplied at a flash point suitable to low temperatures and was only a little milky: it was very difficult to splinter bits off the butter. the temperature that night was - . °, and i will not pretend that it did not convince me that dante was right when he placed the circles of ice below the circles of fire. still we slept sometimes, and always we lay for seven hours. again and again bill asked us how about going back, and always we said no. yet there was nothing i should have liked better: i was quite sure that to dream of cape crozier was the wildest lunacy. that day we had advanced ½ miles by the utmost labour, and the usual relay work. this was quite a good march--and cape crozier is miles from cape evans! more than once in my short life i have been struck by the value of the man who is blind to what appears to be a common-sense certainty: he achieves the impossible. we never spoke our thoughts: we discussed the age of stone which was to come, when we built our cosy warm rock hut on the slopes of mount terror, and ran our stove with penguin blubber, and pickled little emperors in warmth and dryness. we were quite intelligent people, and we must all have known that we were not going to see the penguins and that it was folly to go forward. and yet with quiet perseverance, in perfect friendship, almost with gentleness those two men led on. i just did what i was told. it is desirable that the body should work, feed and sleep at regular hours, and this is too often forgotten when sledging. but just now we found we were unable to fit hours marching and hours in our sleeping-bags into a -hour day: the routine camp work took more than hours, such were the conditions. we therefore ceased to observe the quite imaginary difference between night and day, and it was noon on friday (july ) before we got away. the temperature was - ° and there was a thick white fog: generally we had but the vaguest idea where we were, and we camped at p.m. after managing ¾ miles for the day. but what a relief. instead of labouring away, our hearts were beating more naturally: it was easier to camp, we had some feeling in our hands, and our feet had not gone to sleep. birdie swung the thermometer and found it only - °. "now if we tell people that to get only degrees of frost can be an enormous relief they simply won't believe us," i remember saying. perhaps you won't but it was, all the same: and i wrote that night: "there is something after all rather good in doing something never done before." things were looking up, you see. our hearts were doing very gallant work. towards the end of the march they were getting beaten and were finding it difficult to pump the blood out to our extremities there were few days that wilson and i did not get some part of our feet frost-bitten. as we camped, i suspect our hearts were beating comparatively slowly and weakly. nothing could be done until a hot drink was ready--tea for lunch, hot water for supper. directly we started to drink then the effect was wonderful: it was, said wilson, like putting a hot-water bottle against your heart. the beats became very rapid and strong and you felt the warmth travelling outwards and downwards. then you got your foot-gear off--puttees (cut in half and wound round the bottom of the trousers), finnesko, saennegrass, hair socks, and two pairs of woollen socks. then you nursed back your feet and tried to believe you were glad--a frost-bite does not hurt until it begins to thaw. later came the blisters, and then the chunks of dead skin. bill was anxious. it seems that scott had twice gone for a walk with him during the winter, and tried to persuade him not to go, and only finally consented on condition that bill brought us all back unharmed: we were southern journey men. bill had a tremendous respect for scott, and later when we were about to make an effort to get back home over the barrier, and our case was very desperate, he was most anxious to leave no gear behind at cape crozier, even the scientific gear which could be of no use to us and of which we had plenty more at the hut. "scott will never forgive me if i leave gear behind," he said. it is a good sledging principle, and the party which does not follow it, or which leaves some of its load to be fetched in later is seldom a good one: but it is a principle which can be carried to excess. and now bill was feeling terribly responsible for both of us. he kept on saying that he was sorry, but he had never dreamed it was going to be as bad as this. he felt that having asked us to come he was in some way chargeable with our troubles. when leaders have this kind of feeling about their men they get much better results, if the men are good: if men are bad or even moderate they will try and take advantage of what they consider to be softness. the temperature on the night of july was - °. on july we found the first sign that we might be coming to an end of this soft, powdered, arrowrooty snow. it was frightfully hard pulling; but every now and then our finnesko pierced a thin crust before they sank right in. this meant a little wind, and every now and then our feet came down on a hard slippery patch under the soft snow. we were surrounded by fog which walked along with us, and far above us the moon was shining on its roof. steering was as difficult as the pulling, and four hours of the hardest work only produced ¼ miles in the morning, and three more hours mile in the afternoon--and the temperature was - ° with a breeze--horrible! in the early morning of the next day snow began to fall and the fog was dense: when we got up we could see nothing at all anywhere. after the usual four hours to get going in the morning we settled that it was impossible to relay, for we should never be able to track ourselves back to the second sledge. it was with very great relief that we found we could move both sledges together, and i think this was mainly due to the temperature which had risen to - °. this was our fourth day of fog in addition to the normal darkness, and we knew we must be approaching the land. it would be terror point, and the fog is probably caused by the moist warm air coming up from the sea through the pressure cracks and crevasses; for it is supposed that the barrier here is afloat. i wish i could take you on to the great ice barrier some calm evening when the sun is just dipping in the middle of the night and show you the autumn tints on ross island. a last look round before turning in, a good day's march behind, enough fine fat pemmican inside you to make you happy, the homely smell of tobacco from the tent, a pleasant sense of soft fur and the deep sleep to come. and all the softest colours god has made are in the snow; on erebus to the west, where the wind can scarcely move his cloud of smoke; and on terror to the east, not so high, and more regular in form. how peaceful and dignified it all is. that was what you might have seen four months ago had you been out on the barrier plain. low down on the extreme right or east of the land there was a black smudge of rock peeping out from great snow-drifts: that was the knoll, and close under it were the cliffs of cape crozier, the knoll looking quite low and the cliffs invisible, although they are eight hundred feet high, a sheer precipice falling to the sea. it is at cape crozier that the barrier edge, which runs for four hundred miles as an ice-cliff up to feet high, meets the land. the barrier is moving against this land at a rate which is sometimes not much less than a mile in a year. perhaps you can imagine the chaos which it piles up: there are pressure ridges compared to which the waves of the sea are like a ploughed field. these are worst at cape crozier itself, but they extend all along the southern slopes of mount terror, running parallel with the land, and the disturbance which cape crozier makes is apparent at corner camp some forty miles back on the barrier in the crevasses we used to find and the occasional ridges we had to cross. in the discovery days the pressure just where it hit cape crozier formed a small bay, and on the sea-ice frozen in this bay the men of the discovery found the only emperor penguin rookery which had ever been seen. the ice here was not blown out by the blizzards which cleared the ross sea, and open water or open leads were never far away. this gave the emperors a place to lay their eggs and an opportunity to find their food. we had therefore to find our way along the pressure to the knoll, and thence penetrate _through_ the pressure to the emperors' bay. and we had to do it in the dark. terror point, which we were approaching in the fog, is a short twenty miles from the knoll, and ends in a long snow-tongue running out into the barrier. the way had been travelled a good many times in discovery days and in daylight, and wilson knew there was a narrow path, free from crevasses, which skirted along between the mountain and the pressure ridges running parallel to it. but it is one thing to walk along a corridor by day, and quite another to try to do so at night, especially when there are no walls by which you can correct your course--only crevasses. anyway, terror point must be somewhere close to us now, and vaguely in front of us was that strip of snow, neither barrier nor mountain, which was our only way forward. we began to realize, now that our eyes were more or less out of action, how much we could do with our feet and ears. the effect of walking in finnesko is much the same as walking in gloves, and you get a sense of touch which nothing else except bare feet could give you. thus we could feel every small variation in surface, every crust through which our feet broke, every hardened patch below the soft snow. and soon we began to rely more and more upon the sound of our footsteps to tell us whether we were on crevasses or solid ground. from now onwards we were working among crevasses fairly constantly. i loathe them in full daylight when much can be done to avoid them, and when if you fall into them you can at any rate see where the sides are, which way they run and how best to scramble out; when your companions can see how to stop the sledge to which you are all attached by your harness; how most safely to hold the sledge when stopped; how, if you are dangling fifteen feet down in a chasm, to work above you to get you up to the surface again. and then our clothes were generally something like clothes. even under the ideal conditions of good light, warmth and no wind, crevasses are beastly, whether you are pulling over a level and uniform snow surface, never knowing what moment will find you dropping into some bottomless pit, or whether you are rushing for the alpine rope and the sledge, to help some companion who has disappeared. i dream sometimes now of bad days we had on the beardmore and elsewhere, when men were dropping through to be caught up and hang at the full length of the harnesses and toggles many times in an hour. on the same sledge as myself on the beardmore one man went down once head first, and another eight times to the length of his harness in minutes. and always you wondered whether your harness was going to hold when the jerk came. but those days were a sunday school treat compared to our days of blind-man's buff with the emperor penguins among the crevasses of cape crozier. our troubles were greatly increased by the state of our clothes. if we had been dressed in lead we should have been able to move our arms and necks and heads more easily than we could now. if the same amount of icing had extended to our legs i believe we should still be there, standing unable to move: but happily the forks of our trousers still remained movable. to get into our canvas harnesses was the most absurd business. quite in the early days of our journey we met with this difficulty, and somewhat foolishly decided not to take off our harness for lunch. the harnesses thawed in the tent, and froze back as hard as boards. likewise our clothing was hard as boards and stuck out from our bodies in every imaginable fold and angle. to fit one board over the other required the united efforts of the would-be wearer and his two companions, and the process had to be repeated for each one of us twice a day. goodness knows how long it took; but it cannot have been less than five minutes' thumping at each man. as we approached terror point in the fog we sensed that we had risen and fallen over several rises. every now and then we felt hard slippery snow under our feet. every now and then our feet went through crusts in the surface. and then quite suddenly, vague, indefinable, monstrous, there loomed a something ahead. i remember having a feeling as of ghosts about as we untoggled our harnesses from the sledge, tied them together, and thus roped walked upwards on that ice. the moon was showing a ghastly ragged mountainous edge above us in the fog, and as we rose we found that we were on a pressure ridge. we stopped, looked at one another, and then _bang_--right under our feet. more bangs, and creaks and groans; for that ice was moving and splitting like glass. the cracks went off all round us, and some of them ran along for hundreds of yards. afterwards we got used to it, but at first the effect was very jumpy. from first to last during this journey we had plenty of variety and none of that monotony which is inevitable in sledging over long distances of barrier in summer. only the long shivering fits following close one after the other all the time we lay in our dreadful sleeping-bags, hour after hour and night after night in those temperatures--they were as monotonous as could be. later we got frost-bitten even as we lay in our sleeping-bags. things are getting pretty bad when you get frost-bitten in your bag. there was only a glow where the moon was; we stood in a moonlit fog, and this was sufficient to show the edge of another ridge ahead, and yet another on our left. we were utterly bewildered. the deep booming of the ice continued, and it may be that the tide has something to do with this, though we were many miles from the ordinary coastal ice. we went back, toggled up to our sledges again and pulled in what we thought was the right direction, always with that feeling that the earth may open underneath your feet which you have in crevassed areas. but all we found were more mounds and banks of snow and ice, into which we almost ran before we saw them. we were clearly lost. it was near midnight, and i wrote, "it may be the pressure ridges or it may be terror, it is impossible to say,--and i should think it is impossible to move till it clears. we were steering n.e. when we got here and returned s.w. till we seemed to be in a hollow and camped." the temperature had been rising from - ° at a.m. and it was now - °; snow was falling and nothing whatever could be seen. from under the tent came noises as though some giant was banging a big empty tank. all the signs were for a blizzard, and indeed we had not long finished our supper and were thawing our way little by little into our bags when the wind came away from the south. before it started we got a glimpse of black rock and knew we must be in the pressure ridges where they nearly join mount terror. it is with great surprise that in looking up the records i find that blizzard lasted three days, the temperature and wind both rising till it was + ° and blowing force on the morning of the second day (july ). on the morning of the third day (july ) it was blowing storm force ( ). the temperature had thus risen over eighty degrees. it was not an uncomfortable time. wet and warm, the risen temperature allowed all our ice to turn to water, and we lay steaming and beautifully liquid, and wondered sometimes what we should be like when our gear froze up once more. but we did not do much wondering, i suspect: we slept. from that point of view these blizzards were a perfect godsend. we also revised our food rations. from the moment we started to prepare for this journey we were asked by scott to try certain experiments in view of the plateau stage of the polar journey the following summer. it was supposed that the plateau stage would be the really tough part of the polar journey, and no one then dreamed that harder conditions could be found in the middle of the barrier in march than on the plateau, ten thousand feet higher, in february. in view of the extreme conditions we knew we must meet on this winter journey, far harder of course in point of weather than anything experienced on the polar journey, we had determined to simplify our food to the last degree. we only brought pemmican, biscuit, butter and tea: and tea is not a food, only a pleasant stimulant, and hot: the pemmican was excellent and came from beauvais, copenhagen. [illustration: camp work in a blizzard, passing in the cooker--e. a. wilson, del.] the immediate advantage of this was that we had few food bags to handle for each meal. if the air temperature is degrees of frost, then everything in the air is about degrees of frost too. you have only to untie the lashings of one bag in a - ° temperature, with your feet frozen and your fingers just nursed back after getting a match to strike for the candle (you will have tried several boxes--metal), to realize this as an advantage. the immediate and increasingly pressing disadvantage is that you have no sugar. have you ever had a craving for sugar which never leaves you, even when asleep? it is unpleasant. as a matter of fact the craving for sweet things never seriously worried us on this journey, and there must have been some sugar in our biscuits which gave a pleasant sweetness to our mid-day tea or nightly hot water when broken up and soaked in it. these biscuits were specially made for us by huntley and palmer: their composition was worked out by wilson and that firm's chemist, and is a secret. but they are probably the most satisfying biscuit ever made, and i doubt whether they can be improved upon. there were two kinds, called emergency and antarctic, but there was i think little difference between them except in the baking. a well-baked biscuit was good to eat when sledging if your supply of food was good: but if you were very hungry an underbaked one was much preferred. by taking individually different quantities of biscuit, pemmican and butter we were able roughly to test the proportions of proteids, fats and carbo-hydrates wanted by the human body under such extreme circumstances. bill was all for fat, starting with oz. butter, oz. pemmican and only oz. biscuit a day. bowers told me he was going for proteids, oz. pemmican and oz. biscuit, and suggested i should go the whole hog on carbo-hydrates. i did not like this, since i knew i should want more fat, but the rations were to be altered as necessary during the journey, so there was no harm in trying. so i started with oz. of biscuit and oz. of pemmican a day. bowers was all right (this was usual with him), but he did not eat all his extra pemmican. bill could not eat all his extra butter, but was satisfied. i got hungry, certainly got more frost-bitten than the others, and wanted more fat. i also got heartburn. however, before taking more fat i increased my biscuits to oz., but this did not satisfy me; i wanted fat. bill and i now took the same diet, he giving me oz. of butter which he could not eat, and i giving him oz. of biscuit which did not satisfy my wants. we both therefore had oz. pemmican, oz biscuit and oz. butter a day, but we did not always finish our butter. this is an extremely good ration, and we had enough to eat during most of this journey. we certainly could not have faced the conditions without. i will not say that i was entirely easy in my mind as we lay out that blizzard somewhere off terror point; i don't know how the others were feeling. the unearthly banging going on underneath us may have had something to do with it. but we were quite lost in the pressure and it might be the deuce and all to get out in the dark. the wind eddied and swirled quite out of its usual straightforward way, and the tent got badly snowed up: our sledge had disappeared long ago. the position was not altogether a comfortable one. tuesday night and wednesday it blew up to force , temperature from - ° to + °. and then it began to modify and get squally. by a.m. on thursday (july ) the wind had nearly ceased, the temperature was falling and the stars were shining through detached clouds. we were soon getting our breakfast, which always consisted of tea, followed by pemmican. we soaked our biscuits in both. then we set to work to dig out the sledges and tent, a big job taking several hours. at last we got started. in that jerky way in which i was still managing to jot a few sentences down each night as a record, i wrote: "did ½ miles during day--seems a marvellous run--rose and fell over several ridges of terror--in afternoon suddenly came on huge crevasse on one of these--we were quite high on terror--moon saved us walking in--it might have taken sledge and all." to do seven miles in a day, a distance which had taken us nearly a week in the past, was very heartening. the temperature was between - ° and - ° all day, and that was good too. when crossing the undulations which ran down out of the mountain into the true pressure ridges on our right we found that the wind which came down off the mountain struck along the top of the undulation, and flowing each way, caused a n.e. breeze on one side and a n.w. breeze on the other. there seemed to be wind in the sky, and the blizzard had not cleared as far away as we should have wished. during the time through which we had come it was by burning more oil than is usually allowed for cooking that we kept going at all. after each meal was cooked we allowed the primus to burn on for a while and thus warmed up the tent. then we could nurse back our frozen feet and do any necessary little odd jobs. more often we just sat and nodded for a few minutes, keeping one another from going too deeply to sleep. but it was running away with the oil. we started with one-gallon tins (those tins scott had criticized), and we had now used four of them. at first we said we must have at least two one-gallon tins with which to go back; but by now our estimate had come down to one full gallon tin, and two full primus lamps. our sleeping-bags were awful. it took me, even as early in the journey as this, an hour of pushing and thumping and cramp every night to thaw out enough of mine to get into it at all. even that was not so bad as lying in them when we got there. only - ° but "a very bad night" according to my diary. we got away in good time, but it was a ghastly day and my nerves were quivering at the end, for we could not find that straight and narrow way which led between the crevasses on either hand. time after time we found we were out of our course by the sudden fall of the ground beneath our feet--in we went and then--"are we too far right?"--nobody knows--"well let's try nearer in to the mountain," and so forth! "by hard slogging ¾ miles this morning--then on in thick gloom which suddenly lifted and we found ourselves under a huge great mountain of pressure ridge looking black in shadow. we went on, bending to the left, when bill fell and put his arm into a crevasse. we went over this and another, and some time after got somewhere up to the left, and both bill and i put a foot into a crevasse. we sounded all about and everywhere was hollow, and so we ran the sledge down over it and all was well."[ ] once we got right into the pressure and took a longish time to get out again. bill lengthened his trace out with the alpine rope now and often afterwards so he found the crevasses well ahead of us and the sledge: nice for us but not so nice for bill. crevasses in the dark _do_ put your nerves on edge. when we started next morning (july ) we could see on our left front and more or less on top of us the knoll, which is a big hill whose precipitous cliffs to seaward form cape crozier. the sides of it sloped down towards us, and pressing against its ice-cliffs on ahead were miles and miles of great pressure ridges, along which we had travelled, and which hemmed us in. mount terror rose ten thousand feet high on our left, and was connected with the knoll by a great cup-like drift of wind-polished snow. the slope of this in one place runs gently out on to the corridor along which we had sledged, and here we turned and started to pull our sledges up. there were no crevasses, only the great drift of snow, so hard that we used our crampons just as though we had been on ice, and as polished as the china sides of a giant cup which it resembled. for three miles we slogged up, until we were only yards from the moraine shelf where we were going to build our hut of rocks and snow. this moraine was above us on our left, the twin peaks of the knoll were across the cup on our right; and here, feet up the mountain side, we pitched our last camp. we had arrived. what should we call our hut? how soon could we get our clothes and bags dry? how would the blubber stove work? would the penguins be there? "it seems too good to be true, days out. surely seldom has any one been so wet; our bags hardly possible to get into, our wind-clothes just frozen boxes. birdie's patent balaclava is like iron--it is wonderful how our cares have vanished."[ ] it was evening, but we were so keen to begin that we went straight up to the ridge above our camp, where the rock cropped out from the snow. we found that most of it was _in situ_ but that there were plenty of boulders, some gravel, and of course any amount of the icy snow which fell away below us down to our tent, and the great pressure about a mile beyond. between us and that pressure, as we were to find out afterwards, was a great ice-cliff. the pressure ridges, and the great ice barrier beyond, were at our feet; the ross sea edge but some four miles away. the emperors must be somewhere round that shoulder of the knoll which hides cape crozier itself from our view. our scheme was to build an igloo with rock walls, banked up with snow, using a nine-foot sledge as a ridge beam, and a large sheet of green willesden canvas as a roof. we had also brought a board to form a lintel over the door. here with the stove, which was to be fed with blubber from the penguins, we were to have a comfortable warm home whence we would make excursions to the rookery perhaps four miles away. perhaps we would manage to get our tent down to the rookery itself and do our scientific work there on the spot, leaving our nice hut for a night or more. that is how we planned it. that same night "we started to dig in under a great boulder on the top of the hill, hoping to make this a large part of one of the walls of the hut, but the rock came close underneath and stopped us. we then chose a moderately level piece of moraine about twelve feet away, and just under the level of the top of the hill, hoping that here in the lee of the ridge we might escape a good deal of the tremendous winds which we knew were common. birdie gathered rocks from over the hill, nothing was too big for him; bill did the banking up outside while i built the wall with the boulders. the rocks were good, the snow, however, was blown so hard as to be practically ice; a pick made little impression upon it, and the only way was to chip out big blocks gradually with the small shovel. the gravel was scanty, but good when there was any. altogether things looked very hopeful when we turned in to the tent some yards down the slope, having done about half one of the long walls."[ ] the view from eight hundred feet up the mountain was magnificent and i got my spectacles out and cleared the ice away time after time to look. to the east a great field of pressure ridges below, looking in the moonlight as if giants had been ploughing with ploughs which made furrows fifty or sixty feet deep: these ran right up to the barrier edge, and beyond was the frozen ross sea, lying flat, white and peaceful as though such things as blizzards were unknown. to the north and north-east the knoll. behind us mount terror on which we stood, and over all the grey limitless barrier seemed to cast a spell of cold immensity, vague, ponderous, a breeding-place of wind and drift and darkness. god! what a place! "there was now little moonlight or daylight, but for the next forty-eight hours we used both to their utmost, being up at all times by day and night, and often working on when there was great difficulty in seeing anything; digging by the light of the hurricane lamp. by the end of two days we had the walls built, and banked up to one or two feet from the top; we were to fit the roof cloth close before banking up the rest. the great difficulty in banking was the hardness of the snow, it being impossible to fill in the cracks between the blocks which were more like paving-stones than anything else. the door was in, being a triangular tent doorway, with flaps which we built close in to the walls, cementing it with snow and rocks. the top folded over a plank and the bottom was dug into the ground."[ ] birdie was very disappointed that we could not finish the whole thing that day: he was nearly angry about it, but there was a lot to do yet and we were tired out. we turned out early the next morning (tuesday th) to try and finish the igloo, but it was blowing too hard. when we got to the top we did some digging but it was quite impossible to get the roof on, and we had to leave it. we realized that day that it blew much harder at the top of the slope than where our tent was. it was bitterly cold up there that morning with a wind force - and a minus thirty temperature. the oil question was worrying us quite a lot. we were now well in to the fifth of our six tins, and economizing as much as possible, often having only two hot meals a day. we had to get down to the emperor penguins somehow and get some blubber to run the stove which had been made for us in the hut. the th being a calm fine day we started at . , with an empty sledge, two ice-axes, alpine rope, harnesses and skinning tools. wilson had made this journey through the cape crozier pressure ridges several times in the discovery days. but then they had daylight, and they had found a practicable way close under the cliffs which at the present moment were between us and the ridges. as we neared the bottom of the mountain slope, farther to the north than we had previously gone, we had to be careful about crevasses, but we soon hit off the edge of the cliff and skirted along it until it petered out on the same level as the barrier. turning left handed we headed towards the sea-ice, knowing that there were some two miles of pressure between us and cape crozier itself. for about half a mile it was fair going, rounding big knobs of pressure but always managing to keep more or less on the flat and near the ice-cliff which soon rose to a very great height on our left. bill's idea was to try and keep close under this cliff, along that same discovery way which i have mentioned above. they never arrived there early enough for the eggs in those days; the chicks were hatched. whether we should now find any emperors, and if so whether they would have any eggs, was by no means certain. however, we soon began to get into trouble, meeting several crevasses every few yards, and i have no doubt crossing scores of others of which we had no knowledge. though we hugged the cliffs as close as possible we found ourselves on the top of the first pressure ridge, separated by a deep gulf from the ice-slope which we wished to reach. then we were in a great valley between the first and second ridges: we got into huge heaps of ice pressed up in every shape on every side, crevassed in every direction: we slithered over snow-slopes and crawled along drift ridges, trying to get in towards the cliffs. and always we came up against impossible places and had to crawl back. bill led on a length of alpine rope fastened to the toggle of the sledge; birdie was in his harness also fastened to the toggle, and i was in my harness fastened to the rear of the sledge, which was of great use to us both as a bridge and a ladder. two or three times we tried to get down the ice-slopes to the comparatively level road under the cliff, but it was always too great a drop. in that dim light every proportion was distorted; some of the places we actually did manage to negotiate with ice-axes and alpine rope looked absolute precipices, and there were always crevasses at the bottom if you slipped. on the way back i did slip into one of these and was hauled out by the other two standing on the wall above me. we then worked our way down into the hollow between the first and second large pressure ridges, and i believe on to the top of the second. the crests here rose fifty or sixty feet. after this i don't know where we went. our best landmarks were patches of crevasses, sometimes three or four in a few footsteps. the temperatures were lowish (- °), it was impossible for me to wear spectacles, and this was a tremendous difficulty to me and handicap to the party: bill would find a crevasse and point it out; birdie would cross; and then time after time, in trying to step over or climb over on the sledge, i put my feet right into the middle of the cracks. this day i went well in at least six times; once, when we were close to the sea, rolling into and out of one and then down a steep slope until brought up by birdie and bill on the rope. [illustration: a procession of emperors] [illustration: the knoll behind the cliffs of cape crozier] we blundered along until we got into a great cul-de-sac which probably formed the end of the two ridges, where they butted on to the sea-ice. on all sides rose great walls of battered ice with steep snow-slopes in the middle, where we slithered about and blundered into crevasses. to the left rose the huge cliff of cape crozier, but we could not tell whether there were not two or three pressure ridges between us and it, and though we tried at least four ways, there was no possibility of getting forward. and then we heard the emperors calling. their cries came to us from the sea-ice we could not see, but which must have been a chaotic quarter of a mile away. they came echoing back from the cliffs, as we stood helpless and tantalized. we listened and realized that there was nothing for it but to return, for the little light which now came in the middle of the day was going fast, and to be caught in absolute darkness there was a horrible idea. we started back on our tracks and almost immediately i lost my footing and rolled down a slope into a crevasse. birdie and bill kept their balance and i clambered back to them. the tracks were very faint and we soon began to lose them. birdie was the best man at following tracks that i have ever known, and he found them time after time. but at last even he lost them altogether and we settled we must just go ahead. as a matter of fact, we picked them up again, and by then were out of the worst: but we were glad to see the tent. the next morning (thursday, june ) we started work on the igloo at a.m. and managed to get the canvas roof on in spite of a wind which harried us all that day. little did we think what that roof had in store for us as we packed it in with snow blocks, stretching it over our second sledge, which we put athwartships across the middle of the longer walls. the windward (south) end came right down to the ground and we tied it securely to rocks before packing it in. on the other three sides we had a good two feet or more of slack all round, and in every case we tied it to rocks by lanyards at intervals of two feet. the door was the difficulty, and for the present we left the cloth arching over the stones, forming a kind of portico. the whole was well packed in and over with slabs of hard snow, but there was no soft snow with which to fill up the gaps between the blocks. however, we felt already that nothing could drag that roof out of its packing, and subsequent events proved that we were right. it was a bleak job for three o'clock in the morning before breakfast, and we were glad to get back to the tent and a meal, for we meant to have another go at the emperors that day. with the first glimpse of light we were off for the rookery again. but we now knew one or two things about that pressure which we had not known twenty-four hours ago; for instance, that there was a lot of alteration since the discovery days and that probably the pressure was bigger. as a matter of fact it has been since proved by photographs that the ridges now ran out three-quarters of a mile farther into the sea than they did ten years before. we knew also that if we entered the pressure at the only place where the ice-cliffs came down to the level of the barrier, as we did yesterday, we could neither penetrate to the rookery nor get in under the cliffs where formerly a possible way had been found. there was only one other thing to do--to go over the cliff. and this was what we proposed to try and do. now these ice-cliffs are some two hundred feet high, and i felt uncomfortable, especially in the dark. but as we came back the day before we had noticed at one place a break in the cliffs from which there hung a snow-drift. it _might_ be possible to get down that drift. and so, all harnessed to the sledge, with bill on a long lead out in front and birdie and myself checking the sledge behind, we started down the slope which ended in the cliff, which of course we could not see. we crossed a number of small crevasses, and soon we knew we must be nearly there. twice we crept up to the edge of the cliff with no success, and then we found the slope: more, we got down it without great difficulty and it brought us out just where we wanted to be, between the land cliffs and the pressure. [illustration: the barrier pressure at cape crozier] then began the most exciting climb among the pressure that you can imagine. at first very much as it was the day before--pulling ourselves and one another up ridges, slithering down slopes, tumbling into and out of crevasses and holes of all sorts, we made our way along under the cliffs which rose higher and higher above us as we neared the black lava precipices which form cape crozier itself. we straddled along the top of a snow ridge with a razor-backed edge, balancing the sledge between us as we wriggled: on our right was a drop of great depth with crevasses at the bottom, on our left was a smaller drop also crevassed. we crawled along, and i can tell you it was exciting work in the more than half darkness. at the end was a series of slopes full of crevasses, and finally we got right in under the rock on to moraine, and here we had to leave the sledge. we roped up, and started to worry along under the cliffs, which had now changed from ice to rock, and rose feet above us. the tumult of pressure which climbed against them showed no order here. four hundred miles of moving ice behind it had just tossed and twisted those giant ridges until job himself would have lacked words to reproach their maker. we scrambled over and under, hanging on with our axes, and cutting steps where we could not find a foothold with our crampons. and always we got towards the emperor penguins, and it really began to look as if we were going to do it this time, when we came up against a wall of ice which a single glance told us we could never cross. one of the largest pressure ridges had been thrown, end on, against the cliff. we seemed to be stopped, when bill found a black hole, something like a fox's earth, disappearing into the bowels of the ice. we looked at it: "well, here goes!" he said, and put his head in, and disappeared. bowers likewise. it was a longish way, but quite possible to wriggle along, and presently i found myself looking out of the other side with a deep gully below me, the rock face on one hand and the ice on the other. "put your back against the ice and your feet against the rock and lever yourself along," said bill, who was already standing on firm ice at the far end in a snow pit. we cut some fifteen steps to get out of that hole. excited by now, and thoroughly enjoying ourselves, we found the way ahead easier, until the penguins' call reached us again and we stood, three crystallized ragamuffins, above the emperors' home. they were there all right, and we were going to reach them, but where were all the thousands of which we had heard? we stood on an ice-foot which was really a dwarf cliff some twelve feet high, and the sea-ice, with a good many ice-blocks strewn upon it, lay below. the cliff dropped straight, with a bit of an overhang and no snow-drift. this may have been because the sea had only frozen recently; whatever the reason may have been it meant that we should have a lot of difficulty in getting up again without help. it was decided that some one must stop on the top with the alpine rope, and clearly that one should be i, for with short sight and fogged spectacles which i could not wear i was much the least useful of the party for the job immediately ahead. had we had the sledge we could have used it as a ladder, but of course we had left this at the beginning of the moraine miles back. we saw the emperors standing all together huddled under the barrier cliff some hundreds of yards away. the little light was going fast: we were much more excited about the approach of complete darkness and the look of wind in the south than we were about our triumph. after indescribable effort and hardship we were witnessing a marvel of the natural world, and we were the first and only men who had ever done so; we had within our grasp material which might prove of the utmost importance to science; we were turning theories into facts with every observation we made,--and we had but a moment to give. [illustration: emperors barrier and sea ice--e. a. wilson, del.] the disturbed emperors made a tremendous row, trumpeting with their curious metallic voices. there was no doubt they had eggs, for they tried to shuffle along the ground without losing them off their feet. but when they were hustled a good many eggs were dropped and left lying on the ice, and some of these were quickly picked up by eggless emperors who had probably been waiting a long time for the opportunity. in these poor birds the maternal side seems to have necessarily swamped the other functions of life. such is the struggle for existence that they can only live by a glut of maternity, and it would be interesting to know whether such a life leads to happiness or satisfaction. i have told[ ] how the men of the discovery found this rookery where we now stood. how they made journeys in the early spring but never arrived early enough to get eggs and only found parents and chicks. they concluded that the emperor was an impossible kind of bird who, for some reason or other, nests in the middle of the antarctic winter with the temperature anywhere below seventy degrees of frost, and the blizzards blowing, always blowing, against his devoted back. and they found him holding his precious chick balanced upon his big feet, and pressing it maternally, or paternally (for both sexes squabble for the privilege) against a bald patch in his breast. and when at last he simply must go and eat something in the open leads near by, he just puts the child down on the ice, and twenty chickless emperors rush to pick it up. and they fight over it, and so tear it that sometimes it will die. and, if it can, it will crawl into any ice-crack to escape from so much kindness, and there it will freeze. likewise many broken and addled eggs were found, and it is clear that the mortality is very great. but some survive, and summer comes; and when a big blizzard is going to blow (they know all about the weather), the parents take the children out for miles across the sea-ice, until they reach the threshold of the open sea. and there they sit until the wind comes, and the swell rises, and breaks that ice-floe off; and away they go in the blinding drift to join the main pack-ice, with a private yacht all to themselves. you must agree that a bird like this is an interesting beast, and when, seven months ago, we rowed a boat under those great black cliffs,[ ] and found a disconsolate emperor chick still in the down, we knew definitely why the emperor has to nest in mid-winter. for if a june egg was still without feathers in the beginning of january, the same egg laid in the summer would leave its produce without practical covering for the following winter. thus the emperor penguin is compelled to undertake all kinds of hardships because his children insist on developing so slowly, very much as we are tied in our human relationships for the same reason. it is of interest that such a primitive bird should have so long a childhood. but interesting as the life history of these birds must be, we had not travelled for three weeks to see them sitting on their eggs. we wanted the embryos, and we wanted them as young as possible, and fresh and unfrozen that specialists at home might cut them into microscopic sections and learn from them the previous history of birds throughout the evolutionary ages. and so bill and birdie rapidly collected five eggs, which we hoped to carry safely in our fur mitts to our igloo upon mount terror, where we could pickle them in the alcohol we had brought for the purpose. we also wanted oil for our blubber stove, and they killed and skinned three birds--an emperor weighs up to ½ stones. the ross sea was frozen over, and there were no seal in sight. there were only emperors as compared with in and . bill reckoned that every fourth or fifth bird had an egg, but this was only a rough estimate, for we did not want to disturb them unnecessarily. it is a mystery why there should have been so few birds, but it certainly looked as though the ice had not formed very long. were these the first arrivals? had a previous rookery been blown out to sea and was this the beginning of a second attempt? is this bay of sea-ice becoming unsafe? those who previously discovered the emperors with their chicks saw the penguins nursing dead and frozen chicks if they were unable to obtain a live one. they also found decomposed eggs which they must have incubated after they had been frozen. now we found that these birds were so anxious to sit on something that some of those which had no eggs were sitting on ice! several times bill and birdie picked up eggs to find them lumps of ice, rounded and about the right size, dirty and hard. once a bird dropped an ice nest egg as they watched, and again a bird returned and tucked another into itself, immediately forsaking it for a real one, however, when one was offered. meanwhile a whole procession of emperors came round under the cliff on which i stood. the light was already very bad and it was well that my companions were quick in returning: we had to do everything in a great hurry. i hauled up the eggs in their mitts (which we fastened together round our necks with lampwick lanyards) and then the skins, but failed to help bill at all. "pull," he cried, from the bottom: "i am pulling," i said. "but the line's quite slack down here," he shouted. and when he had reached the top by climbing up on bowers' shoulders, and we were both pulling all we knew birdie's end of the rope was still slack in his hands. directly we put on a strain the rope cut into the ice edge and jammed--a very common difficulty when working among crevasses. we tried to run the rope over an ice-axe without success, and things began to look serious when birdie, who had been running about prospecting and had meanwhile put one leg through a crack into the sea, found a place where the cliff did not overhang. he cut steps for himself, we hauled, and at last we were all together on the top--his foot being by now surrounded by a solid mass of ice. we legged it back as hard as we could go: five eggs in our fur mitts, birdie with two skins tied to him and trailing behind, and myself with one. we were roped up, and climbing the ridges and getting through the holes was very difficult. in one place where there was a steep rubble and snow slope down i left the ice-axe half way up; in another it was too dark to see our former ice-axe footsteps, and i could see nothing, and so just let myself go and trusted to luck. with infinite patience bill said: "cherry, you _must_ learn how to use an ice-axe." for the rest of the trip my wind-clothes were in rags. we found the sledge, and none too soon, and now had three eggs left, more or less whole. both mine had burst in my mitts: the first i emptied out, the second i left in my mitt to put into the cooker; it never got there, but on the return journey i had my mitts far more easily thawed out than birdie's (bill had none) and i believe the grease in the egg did them good. when we got into the hollows under the ridge where we had to cross, it was too dark to do anything but feel our way. we did so over many crevasses, found the ridge and crept over it. higher up we could see more, but to follow our tracks soon became impossible, and we plugged straight ahead and luckily found the slope down which we had come. all day it had been blowing a nasty cold wind with a temperature between - ° and °, which we felt a good deal. now it began to get worse. the weather was getting thick and things did not look very nice when we started up to find our tent. soon it was blowing force , and soon we missed our way entirely. we got right up above the patch of rocks which marked our igloo and only found it after a good deal of search. i have heard tell of an english officer at the dardanelles who was left, blinded, in no man's land between the english and turkish trenches. moving only at night, and having no sense to tell him which were his own trenches, he was fired at by turk and english alike as he groped his ghastly way to and from them. thus he spent days and nights until, one night, he crawled towards the english trenches, to be fired at as usual. "oh god! what can i do!" some one heard him say, and he was brought in. such extremity of suffering cannot be measured: madness or death may give relief. but this i know: we on this journey were already beginning to think of death as a friend. as we groped our way back that night, sleepless, icy, and dog-tired in the dark and the wind and the drift, a crevasse seemed almost a friendly gift. "things must improve," said bill next day, "i think we reached bed-rock last night." we hadn't, by a long way. it was like this. we moved into the igloo for the first time, for we had to save oil by using our blubber stove if we were to have any left to travel home with, and we did not wish to cover our tent with the oily black filth which the use of blubber necessitates. the blizzard blew all night, and we were covered with drift which came in through hundreds of leaks: in this wind-swept place we had found no soft snow with which we could pack our hard snow blocks. as we flensed some blubber from one of our penguin skins the powdery drift covered everything we had. though uncomfortable this was nothing to worry about overmuch. some of the drift which the blizzard was bringing would collect to leeward of our hut and the rocks below which it was built, and they could be used to make our hut more weather-proof. then with great difficulty we got the blubber stove to start, and it spouted a blob of boiling oil into bill's eye. for the rest of the night he lay, quite unable to stifle his groans, obviously in very great pain: he told us afterwards that he thought his eye was gone. we managed to cook a meal somehow, and birdie got the stove going afterwards, but it was quite useless to try and warm the place. i got out and cut the green canvas outside the door, so as to get the roof cloth in under the stones, and then packed it down as well as i could with snow, and so blocked most of the drift coming in. it is extraordinary how often angels and fools do the same thing in this life, and i have never been able to settle which we were on this journey. i never heard an angry word: once only (when this same day i could not pull bill up the cliff out of the penguin rookery) i heard an impatient one: and these groans were the nearest approach to complaint. most men would have howled. "i think we reached bed-rock last night," was strong language for bill. "i was incapacitated for a short time," he says in his report to scott.[ ] endurance was tested on this journey under unique circumstances, and always these two men with all the burden of responsibility which did not fall upon myself, displayed that quality which is perhaps the only one which may be said with certainty to make for success, self-control. we spent the next day--it was july --in collecting every scrap of soft snow we could find and packing it into the crevasses between our hard snow blocks. it was a pitifully small amount but we could see no cracks when we had finished. to counteract the lifting tendency the wind had on our roof we cut some great flat hard snow blocks and laid them on the canvas top to steady it against the sledge which formed the ridge support. we also pitched our tent outside the igloo door. both tent and igloo were therefore eight or nine hundred feet up terror: both were below an outcrop of rocks from which the mountain fell steeply to the barrier behind us, and from this direction came the blizzards. in front of us the slope fell for a mile or more down to the ice-cliffs, so wind-swept that we had to wear crampons to walk upon it. most of the tent was in the lee of the igloo, but the cap of it came over the igloo roof, while a segment of the tent itself jutted out beyond the igloo wall. that night we took much of our gear into the tent and lighted the blubber stove. i always mistrusted that stove, and every moment i expected it to flare up and burn the tent. but the heat it gave, as it burned furiously, with the double lining of the tent to contain it, was considerable. it did not matter, except for a routine which we never managed to keep, whether we started to thaw our way into our frozen sleeping-bags at in the morning or in the afternoon. i think we must have turned in during the afternoon of that friday, leaving the cooker, our finnesko, a deal of our foot-gear, bowers' bag of personal gear, and many other things in the tent. i expect we left the blubber stove there too, for it was quite useless at present to try and warm the igloo. the tent floor-cloth was under our sleeping-bags in the igloo. "things must improve," said bill. after all there was much for which to be thankful. i don't think anybody could have made a better igloo with the hard snow blocks and rocks which were all we had: we would get it air-tight by degrees. the blubber stove was working, and we had fuel for it: we had also found a way down to the penguins and had three complete, though frozen eggs: the two which had been in my mitts smashed when i fell about because i could not wear spectacles. also the twilight given by the sun below the horizon at noon was getting longer. but already we had been out twice as long in winter as the longest previous journeys in spring. the men who made those journeys had daylight where we had darkness, they had never had such low temperatures, generally nothing approaching them, and they had seldom worked in such difficult country. the nearest approach to healthy sleep we had had for nearly a month was when during blizzards the temperature allowed the warmth of our bodies to thaw some of the ice in our clothing and sleeping-bags into water. the wear and tear on our minds was very great. we were certainly weaker. we had a little more than a tin of oil to get back on, and we knew the conditions we had to face on that journey across the barrier: even with fresh men and fresh gear it had been almost unendurable. and so we spent half an hour or more getting into our bags. cirrus cloud was moving across the face of the stars from the north, it looked rather hazy and thick to the south, but it is always difficult to judge weather in the dark. there was little wind and the temperature was in the minus twenties. we felt no particular uneasiness. our tent was well dug in, and was also held down by rocks and the heavy tank off the sledge which were placed on the skirting as additional security. we felt that no power on earth could move the thick walls of our igloo, nor drag the canvas roof from the middle of the embankment into which it was packed and lashed. "things must improve," said bill. i do not know what time it was when i woke up. it was calm, with that absolute silence which can be so soothing or so terrible as circumstances dictate. then there came a sob of wind, and all was still again. ten minutes and it was blowing as though the world was having a fit of hysterics. the earth was torn in pieces: the indescribable fury and roar of it all cannot be imagined. "bill, bill, the tent has gone," was the next i remember--from bowers shouting at us again and again through the door. it is always these early morning shocks which hit one hardest: our slow minds suggested that this might mean a peculiarly lingering form of death. journey after journey birdie and i fought our way across the few yards which had separated the tent from the igloo door. i have never understood why so much of our gear which was in the tent remained, even in the lee of the igloo. the place where the tent had been was littered with gear, and when we came to reckon up afterwards we had everything except the bottom piece of the cooker, and the top of the outer cooker. we never saw these again. the most wonderful thing of all was that our finnesko were lying where they were left, which happened to be on the ground in the part of the tent which was under the lee of the igloo. also birdie's bag of personal gear was there, and a tin of sweets. birdie brought two tins of sweets away with him. one we had to celebrate our arrival at the knoll: this was the second, of which we knew nothing, and which was for bill's birthday, the next day. we started eating them on saturday, however, and the tin came in useful to bill afterwards. to get that gear in we fought against solid walls of black snow which flowed past us and tried to hurl us down the slope. once started nothing could have stopped us. i saw birdie knocked over once, but he clawed his way back just in time. having passed everything we could find in to bill, we got back into the igloo, and started to collect things together, including our very dishevelled minds. there was no doubt that we were in the devil of a mess, and it was not altogether our fault. we had had to put our igloo more or less where we could get rocks with which to build it. very naturally we had given both our tent and igloo all the shelter we could from the full force of the wind, and now it seemed we were in danger not because they were in the wind, but because they were not sufficiently in it. the main force of the hurricane, deflected by the ridge behind, fled over our heads and appeared to form by suction a vacuum below. our tent had either been sucked upwards into this, or had been blown away because some of it was in the wind while some of it was not. the roof of our igloo was being wrenched upwards and then dropped back with great crashes: the drift was spouting in, not it seemed because it was blown in from outside, but because it was sucked in from within: the lee, not the weather, wall was the worst. already everything was six or eight inches under snow. very soon we began to be alarmed about the igloo. for some time the heavy snow blocks we had heaved up on to the canvas roof kept it weighted down. but it seemed that they were being gradually moved off by the hurricane. the tension became well-nigh unendurable: the waiting in all that welter of noise was maddening. minute after minute, hour after hour--those snow blocks were off now anyway, and the roof was smashed up and down--no canvas ever made could stand it indefinitely. we got a meal that saturday morning, our last for a very long time as it happened. oil being of such importance to us we tried to use the blubber stove, but after several preliminary spasms it came to pieces in our hands, some solder having melted; and a very good thing too, i thought, for it was more dangerous than useful. we finished cooking our meal on the primus. two bits of the cooker having been blown away we had to balance it on the primus as best we could. we then settled that in view of the shortage of oil we would not have another meal for as long as possible. as a matter of fact god settled that for us. we did all we could to stop up the places where the drift was coming in, plugging the holes with our socks, mitts and other clothing. but it was no real good. our igloo was a vacuum which was filling itself up as soon as possible: and when snow was not coming in a fine black moraine dust took its place, covering us and everything. for twenty-four hours we waited for the roof to go: things were so bad now that we dare not unlash the door. many hours ago bill had told us that if the roof went he considered that our best chance would be to roll over in our sleeping-bags until we were lying on the openings, and get frozen and drifted in. gradually the situation got more desperate. the distance between the taut-sucked canvas and the sledge on which it should have been resting became greater, and this must have been due to the stretching of the canvas itself and the loss of the snow blocks on the top: it was not drawing out of the walls. the crashes as it dropped and banged out again were louder. there was more snow coming through the walls, though all our loose mitts, socks and smaller clothing were stuffed into the worst places: our pyjama jackets were stuffed between the roof and the rocks over the door. the rocks were lifting and shaking here till we thought they would fall. we talked by shouting, and long before this one of us proposed to try and get the alpine rope lashed down over the roof from outside. but bowers said it was an absolute impossibility in that wind. "you could never ask men at sea to try such a thing," he said. he was up and out of his bag continually, stopping up holes, pressing against bits of roof to try and prevent the flapping and so forth. he was magnificent. and then it went. birdie was over by the door, where the canvas which was bent over the lintel board was working worse than anywhere else. bill was practically out of his bag pressing against some part with a long stick of some kind. i don't know what i was doing but i was half out of and half in my bag. the top of the door opened in little slits and that green willesden canvas flapped into hundreds of little fragments in fewer seconds than it takes to read this. the uproar of it all was indescribable. even above the savage thunder of that great wind on the mountain came the lash of the canvas as it was whipped to little tiny strips. the highest rocks which we had built into our walls fell upon us, and a sheet of drift came in. birdie dived for his sleeping-bag and eventually got in, together with a terrible lot of drift. bill also--but he was better off: i was already half into mine and all right, so i turned to help bill. "get into your own," he shouted, and when i continued to try and help him, he leaned over until his mouth was against my ear. "_please_, cherry," he said, and his voice was terribly anxious. i know he felt responsible: feared it was he who had brought us to this ghastly end. the next i knew was bowers' head across bill's body. "we're all right," he yelled, and we answered in the affirmative. despite the fact that we knew we only said so because we knew we were all wrong, this statement was helpful. then we turned our bags over as far as possible, so that the bottom of the bag was uppermost and the flaps were more or less beneath us. and we lay and thought, and sometimes we sang. i suppose, wrote wilson, we were all revolving plans to get back without a tent: and the one thing we had left was the floor-cloth upon which we were actually lying. of course we could not speak at present, but later after the blizzard had stopped we discussed the possibility of digging a hole in the snow each night and covering it over with the floor-cloth. i do not think we had any idea that we could really get back in those temperatures in our present state of ice by such means, but no one ever hinted at such a thing. birdie and bill sang quite a lot of songs and hymns, snatches of which reached me every now and then, and i chimed in, somewhat feebly i suspect. of course we were getting pretty badly drifted up. "i was resolved to keep warm," wrote bowers, "and beneath my debris covering i paddled my feet and sang all the songs and hymns i knew to pass the time. i could occasionally thump bill, and as he still moved i knew he was alive all right--what a birthday for him!" birdie was more drifted up than we, but at times we all had to hummock ourselves up to heave the snow off our bags. by opening the flaps of our bags we could get small pinches of soft drift which we pressed together and put into our mouths to melt. when our hands warmed up again we got some more; so we did not get very thirsty. a few ribbons of canvas still remained in the wall over our heads, and these produced volleys of cracks like pistol shots hour after hour the canvas never drew out from the walls, not an inch the wind made just the same noise as an express train running fast through a tunnel if you have both the windows down. i can well believe that neither of my companions gave up hope for an instant. they must have been frightened but they were never disturbed. as for me i never had any hope at all; and when the roof went i felt that this was the end. what else could i think? we had spent days in reaching this place through the darkness in cold such as had never been experienced by human beings. we had been out for four weeks under conditions in which no man had existed previously for more than a few days, if that. during this time we had seldom slept except from sheer physical exhaustion, as men sleep on the rack; and every minute of it we had been fighting for the bed-rock necessaries of bare existence, and always in the dark. we had kept ourselves going by enormous care of our feet and hands and bodies, by burning oil, and by having plenty of hot fatty food. now we had no tent, one tin of oil left out of six, and only part of our cooker. when we were lucky and not too cold we could almost wring water from our clothes, and directly we got out of our sleeping-bags we were frozen into solid sheets of armoured ice. in cold temperatures with all the advantages of a tent over our heads we were already taking more than an hour of fierce struggling and cramp to get into our sleeping-bags--so frozen were they and so long did it take us to thaw our way in. no! without the tent we were dead men. [illustration: mt. erebus] [illustration: ice pressure at a] and there seemed not one chance in a million that we should ever see our tent again. we were feet up on the mountain side, and the wind blew about as hard as a wind can blow straight out to sea. first there was a steep slope, so hard that a pick made little impression upon it, so slippery that if you started down in finnesko you never could stop: this ended in a great ice-cliff some hundreds of feet high, and then came miles of pressure ridges, crevassed and tumbled, in which you might as well look for a daisy as a tent: and after that the open sea. the chances, however, were that the tent had just been taken up into the air and dropped somewhere in this sea well on the way to new zealand. obviously the tent was gone. face to face with real death one does not think of the things that torment the bad people in the tracts, and fill the good people with bliss. i might have speculated on my chances of going to heaven; but candidly i did not care. i could not have wept if i had tried. i had no wish to review the evils of my past. but the past did seem to have been a bit wasted. the road to hell may be paved with good intentions: the road to heaven is paved with lost opportunities. i wanted those years over again. what fun i would have with them: what glorious fun! it was a pity. well has the persian said that when we come to die we, remembering that god is merciful, will gnaw our elbows with remorse for thinking of the things we have not done for fear of the day of judgment. and i wanted peaches and syrup--badly. we had them at the hut, sweeter and more luscious than you can imagine. and we had been without sugar for a month. yes--especially the syrup. thus impiously i set out to die, making up my mind that i was not going to try and keep warm, that it might not take too long, and thinking i would try and get some morphia from the medical case if it got very bad. not a bit heroic, and entirely true! yes! comfortable, warm reader. men do not fear death, they fear the pain of dying. and then quite naturally and no doubt disappointingly to those who would like to read of my last agonies (for who would not give pleasure by his death?) i fell asleep. i expect the temperature was pretty high during this great blizzard, and anything near zero was very high to us. that and the snow which drifted over us made a pleasant wet kind of snipe marsh inside our sleeping-bags, and i am sure we all dozed a good bit. there was so much to worry about that there was not the least use in worrying; and we were so _very_ tired. we were hungry, for the last meal we had had was in the morning of the day before, but hunger was not very pressing. and so we lay, wet and quite fairly warm, hour after hour while the wind roared round us, blowing storm force continually and rising in the gusts to something indescribable. storm force is force , and force is the biggest wind which can be logged: bowers logged it force , but he was always so afraid of overestimating that he was inclined to underrate. i think it was blowing a full hurricane. sometimes awake, sometimes dozing, we had not a very uncomfortable time so far as i can remember. i knew that parties which had come to cape crozier in the spring had experienced blizzards which lasted eight or ten days. but this did not worry us as much as i think it did bill: i was numb. i vaguely called to mind that peary had survived a blizzard in the open: but wasn't that in the summer? it was in the early morning of saturday (july ) that we discovered the loss of the tent. some time during that morning we had had our last meal. the roof went about noon on sunday and we had had no meal in the interval because our supply of oil was so low; nor could we move out of our bags except as a last necessity. by sunday night we had been without a meal for some thirty-six hours. the rocks which fell upon us when the roof went did no damage, and though we could not get out of our bags to move them, we could fit ourselves into them without difficulty. more serious was the drift which began to pile up all round and over us. it helped to keep us warm of course, but at the same time in these comparatively high temperatures it saturated our bags even worse than they were before. if we did not find the tent (and its recovery would be a miracle) these bags and the floor-cloth of the tent on which we were lying were all we had in that fight back across the barrier which could, i suppose, have only had one end. meanwhile we had to wait. it was nearly miles home and it had taken us the best part of three weeks to come. in our less miserable moments we tried to think out ways of getting back, but i do not remember very much about that time. sunday morning faded into sunday afternoon,--into sunday night,--into monday morning. till then the blizzard had raged with monstrous fury; the winds of the world were there, and they had all gone mad. we had bad winds at cape evans this year, and we had far worse the next winter when the open water was at our doors. but i have never heard or felt or seen a wind like this. i wondered why it did not carry away the earth. in the early hours of monday there was an occasional hint of a lull. ordinarily in a big winter blizzard, when you have lived for several days and nights with that turmoil in your ears, the lulls are more trying than the noise: "the feel of not to feel it."[ ] i do not remember noticing that now. seven or eight more hours passed, and though it was still blowing we could make ourselves heard to one another without great difficulty. it was two days and two nights since we had had a meal. we decided to get out of our bags and make a search for the tent. we did so, bitterly cold and utterly miserable, though i do not think any of us showed it. in the darkness we could see very little, and no trace whatever of the tent. we returned against the wind, nursing our faces and hands, and settled that we must try and cook a meal somehow. we managed about the weirdest meal eaten north or south. we got the floor-cloth wedged under our bags, then got into our bags and drew the floor-cloth over our heads. between us we got the primus alight somehow, and by hand we balanced the cooker on top of it, minus the two members which had been blown away. the flame flickered in the draughts. very slowly the snow in the cooker melted, we threw in a plentiful supply of pemmican, and the smell of it was better than anything on earth. in time we got both tea and pemmican, which was full of hairs from our bags, penguin feathers, dirt and debris, but delicious. the blubber left in the cooker got burnt and gave the tea a burnt taste. none of us ever forgot that meal: i enjoyed it as much as such a meal could be enjoyed, and that burnt taste will always bring back the memory. it was still dark and we lay down in our bags again, but soon a little glow of light began to come up, and we turned out to have a further search for the tent. birdie went off before bill and me. clumsily i dragged my eider-down out of my bag on my feet, all sopping wet: it was impossible to get it back and i let it freeze: it was soon just like a rock. the sky to the south was as black and sinister as it could possibly be. it looked as though the blizzard would be on us again at any moment. i followed bill down the slope. we could find nothing. but, as we searched, we heard a shout somewhere below and to the right. we got on a slope, slipped, and went sliding down quite unable to stop ourselves, and came upon birdie with the tent, the outer lining still on the bamboos. our lives had been taken away and given back to us. we were so thankful we said nothing. the tent must have been gripped up into the air, shutting as it rose. the bamboos, with the inner lining lashed to them, had entangled the outer cover, and the whole went up together like a shut umbrella. this was our salvation. if it had opened in the air nothing could have prevented its destruction. as it was, with all the accumulated ice upon it, it must have weighed the best part of lbs. it had been dropped about half a mile away, at the bottom of a steep slope: and it fell in a hollow, still shut up. the main force of the wind had passed over it, and there it was, with the bamboos and fastenings wrenched and strained, and the ends of two of the poles broken, but the silk untorn. if that tent went again we were going with it. we made our way back up the slope with it, carrying it solemnly and reverently, precious as though it were something not quite of the earth. and we dug it in as tent was never dug in before; not by the igloo, but in the old place farther down where we had first arrived. and while bill was doing this birdie and i went back to the igloo and dug and scratched and shook away the drift inside until we had found nearly all our gear. it is wonderful how little we lost when the roof went. most of our gear was hung on the sledge, which was part of the roof, or was packed into the holes of the hut to try and make it drift-proof, and the things must have been blown inwards into the bottom of the hut by the wind from the south and the back draught from the north. then they were all drifted up. of course a certain number of mitts and socks were blown away and lost, but the only important things were bill's fur mitts, which were stuffed into a hole in the rocks of the hut. we loaded up the sledge and pushed it down the slope. i don't know how birdie was feeling, but i felt so weak that it was the greatest labour. the blizzard looked right on top of us. we had another meal, and we wanted it: and as the good hoosh ran down into our feet and hands, and up into our cheeks and ears and brains, we discussed what we would do next. birdie was all for another go at the emperor penguins. dear birdie, he never would admit that he was beaten--i don't know that he ever really was! "i think he (wilson) thought he had landed us in a bad corner and was determined to go straight home, though i was for one other tap at the rookery. however, i had placed myself under his orders for this trip voluntarily, and so we started the next day for home."[ ] there could really be no common-sense doubt: we had to go back, and we were already very doubtful whether we should ever manage to get into our sleeping-bags in very low temperature, so ghastly had they become. i don't know when it was, but i remember walking down that slope--i don't know why, perhaps to try and find the bottom of the cooker--and thinking that there was nothing on earth that a man under such circumstances would not give for a good warm sleep. he would give everything he possessed: he would give--how many--years of his life. one or two at any rate--perhaps five? yes--i would give five. i remember the sastrugi, the view of the knoll, the dim hazy black smudge of the sea far away below: the tiny bits of green canvas that twittered in the wind on the surface of the snow: the cold misery of it all, and the weakness which was biting into my heart. for days birdie had been urging me to use his eider-down lining--his beautiful dry bag of the finest down--which he had never slipped into his own fur bag. i had refused: i felt that i should be a beast to take it. we packed the tank ready for a start back in the morning and turned in, utterly worn out. it was only - ° that night, but my left big toe was frost-bitten in my bag which i was trying to use without an eider-down lining, and my bag was always too big for me. it must have taken several hours to get it back, by beating one foot against the other. when we got up, as soon as we could, as we did every night, for our bags were nearly impossible, it was blowing fairly hard and looked like blizzing. we had a lot to do, two or three hours' work, packing sledges and making a depôt of what we did not want, in a corner of the igloo. we left the second sledge, and a note tied to the handle of the pickaxe. "we started down the slope in a wind which was rising all the time and - °. my job was to balance the sledge behind: i was so utterly done i don't believe i could have pulled effectively. birdie was much the strongest of us. the strain and want of sleep was getting me in the neck, and bill looked very bad. at the bottom we turned our faces to the barrier, our backs to the penguins, but after doing about a mile it looked so threatening in the south that we camped in a big wind, our hands going one after the other. we had nothing but the hardest wind-swept sastrugi, and it was a long business: there was only the smallest amount of drift, and we were afraid the icy snow blocks would chafe the tent. birdie lashed the full biscuit tin to the door to prevent its flapping, and also got what he called the tent downhaul round the cap and then tied it about himself outside his bag: if the tent went he was going too. "i was feeling as if i should crack, and accepted birdie's eider-down. it was wonderfully self-sacrificing of him: more than i can write. i felt a brute to take it, but i was getting useless unless i got some sleep which my big bag would not allow. bill and birdie kept on telling me to do less: that i was doing more than my share of the work: but i think that i was getting more and more weak. birdie kept wonderfully strong: he slept most of the night: the difficulty for him was to get into his bag without going to sleep. he kept the meteorological log untiringly, but some of these nights he had to give it up for the time because he could not keep awake. he used to fall asleep with his pannikin in his hand and let it fall: and sometimes he had the primus. "bill's bag was getting hopeless: it was really too small for an eider-down and was splitting all over the place: great long holes. he never consciously slept for nights: he did sleep a bit, for we heard him. except for this night, and the next when birdie's eider-down was still fairly dry, i never consciously slept; except that i used to wake for five or six nights running with the same nightmare--that we were drifted up, and that bill and birdie were passing the gear into my bag, cutting it open to do so, or some other variation,--i did not know that i had been asleep at all."[ ] "we had hardly reached the pit," wrote bowers, "when a furious wind came on again and we had to camp. all that night the tent flapped like the noise of musketry, owing to two poles having been broken at the ends and the fit spoilt. i thought it would end matters by going altogether and lashed it down as much as i could, attaching the apex to a line round my own bag. the wind abated after ½ days and we set out, doing five or six miles before we found ourselves among crevasses."[ ] we had plugged ahead all that day (july ) in a terrible light, blundering in among pressure and up on to the slopes of terror. the temperature dropped from - ° to - °. "several times [we] stepped into rotten-lidded crevasses in smooth wind-swept ice. we continued, however, feeling our way along by keeping always off hard ice-slopes and on the crustier deeper snow which characterizes the hollows of the pressure ridges, which i believed we had once more fouled in the dark. we had no light, and no landmarks to guide us, except vague and indistinct silhouetted slopes ahead, which were always altering and whose distance and character it was impossible to judge. we never knew whether we were approaching a steep slope at close quarters or a long slope of terror, miles away, and eventually we travelled on by the ear, and by the feel of the snow under our feet, for both the sound and the touch told one much of the chances of crevasses or of safe going. we continued thus in the dark in the hope that we were at any rate in the right direction."[ ] and then we camped after getting into a bunch of crevasses, completely lost. bill said, "at any rate i think we are well clear of the pressure." but there were pressure pops all night, as though some one was whacking an empty tub. it was birdie's picture hat which made the trouble next day. "what do you think of _that_ for a hat, sir?" i heard him say to scott a few days before we started, holding it out much as lucille displays her latest paris model. scott looked at it quietly for a time: "i'll tell you when you come back, birdie," he said. it was a complicated affair with all kinds of nose-guards and buttons and lanyards: he thought he was going to set it to suit the wind much as he would set the sails of a ship. we spent a long time with our housewifes before this and other trips, for everybody has their own ideas as to how to alter their clothing for the best. when finished some looked neat, like bill: others baggy, like scott or seaman evans: others rough and ready, like oates and bowers: a few perhaps more rough than ready, and i will not mention names. anyway birdie's hat became improper immediately it was well iced up. "when we got a little light in the morning we found we were a little north of the two patches of moraine on terror. though we did not know it, we were on the point where the pressure runs up against terror, and we could dimly see that we were right up against something. we started to try and clear it, but soon had an enormous ridge, blotting out the moraine and half terror, rising like a great hill on our right. bill said the only thing was to go right on and hope it would lower; all the time, however, there was a bad feeling that we might be putting any number of ridges between us and the mountain. after a while we tried to cross this one, but had to turn back for crevasses, both bill and i putting a leg down. we went on for about twenty minutes and found a lower place, and turned to rise up it diagonally, and reached the top. just over the top birdie went right down a crevasse, which was about wide enough to take him. he was out of sight and out of reach from the surface, hanging in his harness. bill went for his harness, i went for the bow of the sledge: bill told me to get the alpine rope and birdie directed from below what we could do. we could not possibly haul him up as he was, for the sides of the crevasse were soft and he could not help himself."[ ] "my helmet was so frozen up," wrote bowers, "that my head was encased in a solid block of ice, and i could not look down without inclining my whole body. as a result bill stumbled one foot into a crevasse and i landed in it with both mine [even as i shouted a warning[ ] ], the bridge gave way and down i went. fortunately our sledge harness is made with a view to resisting this sort of thing, and there i hung with the bottomless pit below and the ice-crusted sides alongside, so narrow that to step over it would have been quite easy had i been able to see it. bill said, 'what do you want?' i asked for an alpine rope with a bowline for my foot: and taking up first the bowline and then my harness they got me out."[ ] meanwhile on the surface i lay over the crevasse and gave birdie the bowline: he put it on his foot: then he raised his foot, giving me some slack: i held the rope while he raised himself on his foot, thus giving bill some slack on the harness: bill then held the harness, allowing birdie to raise his foot and give me some slack again. we got him up inch by inch, our fingers getting bitten, for the temperature was - °. afterwards we often used this way of getting people out of crevasses, and it was a wonderful piece of presence of mind that it was invented, so far as i know, on the spur of the moment by a frozen man hanging in one himself. "in front of us we could see another ridge, and we did not know how many lay beyond that. things looked pretty bad. bill took a long lead on the alpine rope and we got down our present difficulty all right. this method of the leader being on a long trace in front we all agreed to be very useful. from this moment our luck changed and everything went for us to the end. when we went out on the sea-ice the whole experience was over in a few days, hut point was always in sight, and there was daylight. i always had the feeling that the whole series of events had been brought about by an extraordinary run of accidents, and that after a certain stage it was quite beyond our power to guide the course of them. when on the way to cape crozier the moon suddenly came out of the cloud to show us a great crevasse which would have taken us all with our sledge without any difficulty, i felt that we were not to go under this trip after such a deliverance. when we had lost our tent, and there was a very great balance of probability that we should never find it again, and we were lying out the blizzard in our bags, i saw that we were face to face with a long fight against cold which we could not have survived. i cannot write how helpless i believed we were to help ourselves, and how we were brought out of a very terrible series of experiences. when we started back i had a feeling that things were going to change for the better, and this day i had a distinct idea that we were to have one more bad experience and that after that we could hope for better things. [illustration: down a crevasse] "by running along the hollow we cleared the pressure ridges, and continued all day up and down, but met no crevasses. indeed, we met no more crevasses and no more pressure. i think it was upon this day that a wonderful glow stretched over the barrier edge from cape crozier: at the base it was the most vivid crimson it is possible to imagine, shading upwards through every shade of red to light green, and so into a deep blue sky. it is the most vivid red i have ever seen in the sky."[ ] it was - ° in the night and we were away early in - °. by mid-day we were rising terror point, opening erebus rapidly, and got the first really light day, though the sun would not appear over the horizon for another month. i cannot describe what a relief the light was to us. we crossed the point outside our former track, and saw inside us the ridges where we had been blizzed for three days on our outward journey. the minimum was - ° the next night and we were now back in the windless bight of barrier with its soft snow, low temperatures, fogs and mists, and lingering settlements of the inside crusts. saturday and sunday, the th and th, we plugged on across this waste, iced up as usual but always with castle rock getting bigger. sometimes it looked like fog or wind, but it always cleared away. we were getting weak, how weak we can only realize now, but we got in good marches, though slow--days when we did ½, ¼ ¾, ½, ½ miles. on our outward journey we had been relaying and getting forward about ½ miles a day at this point. the surface which we had dreaded so much was not so sandy or soft as when we had come out, and the settlements were more marked. these are caused by a crust falling under your feet. generally the area involved is some twenty yards or so round you, and the surface falls through an air space for two or three inches with a soft 'crush' which may at first make you think there are crevasses about. in the region where we now travelled they were much more pronounced than elsewhere, and one day, when bill was inside the tent lighting the primus, i put my foot into a hole that i had dug. this started a big settlement; sledge, tent and all of us dropped about a foot, and the noise of it ran away for miles and miles: we listened to it until we began to get too cold. it must have lasted a full three minutes. in the pauses of our marching we halted in our harnesses the ropes of which lay slack in the powdery snow. we stood panting with our backs against the mountainous mass of frozen gear which was our load. there was no wind, at any rate no more than light airs: our breath crackled as it froze. there was no unnecessary conversation: i don't know why our tongues never got frozen, but all my teeth, the nerves of which had been killed, split to pieces. we had been going perhaps three hours since lunch. "how are your feet, cherry?" from bill. "very cold." "that's all right; so are mine." we didn't worry to ask birdie: he never had a frost-bitten foot from start to finish. half an hour later, as we marched, bill would ask the same question. i tell him that all feeling has gone: bill still has some feeling in one of his but the other is lost. he settled we had better camp: another ghastly night ahead. we started to get out of our harnesses, while bill, before doing anything else, would take the fur mitts from his hands, carefully shape any soft parts as they froze (generally, however, our mitts did not thaw on our hands), and lay them on the snow in front of him--two dark dots. his proper fur mitts were lost when the igloo roof went: these were the delicate dog-skin linings we had in addition, beautiful things to look at and to feel when new, excellent when dry to turn the screws of a theodolite, but too dainty for straps and lanyards. just now i don't know what he could have done without them. working with our woollen half-mitts and mitts on our hands all the time, and our fur mitts over them when possible, we gradually got the buckles undone, and spread the green canvas floor-cloth on the snow. this was also fitted to be used as a sail, but we never could have rigged a sail on this journey. the shovel and the bamboos, with a lining, itself lined with ice, lashed to them, were packed on the top of the load and were now put on the snow until wanted. our next job was to lift our three sleeping-bags one by one on to the floor-cloth: they covered it, bulging over the sides--those obstinate coffins which were all our life to us.... one of us is off by now to nurse his fingers back. the cooker was unlashed from the top of the instrument box; some parts of it were put on the bags with the primus, methylated spirit can, matches and so forth; others left to be filled with snow later. taking a pole in each hand we three spread the bamboos over the whole. "all right? down!" from bill; and we lowered them gently on to the soft snow, that they might not sink too far. the ice on the inner lining of the tent was formed mostly from the steam of the cooker. this we had been unable to beat or chip off in the past, and we were now, truth to tell, past worrying about it. the little ventilator in the top, made to let out this steam, had been tied up in order to keep in all possible heat. then over with the outer cover, and for one of us the third worst job of the day was to begin. the worst job was to get into our bags: the second or equal worst was to lie in them for six hours (we had brought it down to six): this third worst was, to get the primus lighted and a meal on the way. as cook of the day you took the broken metal framework, all that remained of our candlestick, and got yourself with difficulty into the funnel which formed the door. the enclosed space of the tent seemed much colder than the outside air: you tried three or four match-boxes and no match would strike: almost desperate, you asked for a new box to be given you from the sledge and got a light from this because it had not yet been in the warmth, so called, of the tent. the candle hung by a wire from the cap of the tent. it would be tedious to tell of the times we had getting the primus alight, and the lanyards of the weekly food bag unlashed. probably by now the other two men have dug in the tent; squared up outside; filled and passed in the cooker; set the thermometer under the sledge and so forth. there were always one or two odd jobs which wanted doing as well: but you may be sure they came in as soon as possible when they heard the primus hissing, and saw the glow of light inside. birdie made a bottom for the cooker out of an empty biscuit tin to take the place of the part which was blown away. on the whole this was a success, but we had to hold it steady--on bill's sleeping-bag, for the flat frozen bags spread all over the floor space. cooking was a longer business now. some one whacked out the biscuit, and the cook put the ration of pemmican into the inner cooker which was by now half full of water. as opportunity offered we got out of our day, and into our night foot-gear--fleecy camel-hair stockings and fur boots. in the dim light we examined our feet for frost-bite. i do not think it took us less than an hour to get a hot meal to our lips: pemmican followed by hot water in which we soaked our biscuits. for lunch we had tea and biscuits: for breakfast, pemmican, biscuits and tea. we could not have managed more food bags--three were bad enough, and the lashings of everything were like wire. the lashing of the tent door, however, was the worst, and it _had_ to be tied tightly, especially if it was blowing. in the early days we took great pains to brush rime from the tent before packing it up, but we were long past that now. the hoosh got down into our feet: we nursed back frost-bites: and we were all the warmer for having got our dry foot-gear on before supper. then we started to get into our bags. [illustration: panorama and map of the winter journey--copied at hut point by apsley cherry-garrard from a drawing by e. a. wilson] birdie's bag fitted him beautifully, though perhaps it would have been a little small with an eider-down inside. he must have had a greater heat supply than other men; for he never had serious trouble with his feet, while ours were constantly frost-bitten: he slept, i should be afraid to say how much, longer than we did, even in these last days: it was a pleasure, lying awake practically all night, to hear his snores. he turned his bag inside out from fur to skin, and skin to fur, many times during the journey, and thus got rid of a lot of moisture which came out as snow or actual knobs of ice. when we did turn our bags the only way was to do so directly we turned out, and even then you had to be quick before the bag froze. getting out of the tent at night it was quite a race to get back to your bag before it hardened. of course this was in the lowest temperatures. we could not burn our bags and we tried putting the lighted primus into them to thaw them out, but this was not very successful. before this time, when it was very cold, we lighted the primus in the morning while we were still in our bags: and in the evening we kept it going until we were just getting or had got the mouths of our bags levered open. but returning we had no oil for such luxuries, until the last day or two. i do not believe that any man, however sick he is, has a much worse time than we had in those bags, shaking with cold until our backs would almost break. one of the added troubles which came to us on our return was the sodden condition of our hands in our bags at night. we had to wear our mitts and half-mitts, and they were as wet as they could be: when we got up in the morning we had washer-women's hands--white, crinkled, sodden. that was an unhealthy way to start the day's work. we really wanted some bags of saennegrass for hands as well as feet; one of the blessings of that kind of bag being that you can shake the moisture from it: but we only had enough for our wretched feet. the horrors of that return journey are blurred to my memory and i know they were blurred to my body at the time. i think this applies to all of us, for we were much weakened and callous. the day we got down to the penguins i had not cared whether i fell into a crevasse or not. we had been through a great deal since then. i know that we slept on the march; for i woke up when i bumped against birdie, and birdie woke when he bumped against me. i think bill steering out in front managed to keep awake. i know we fell asleep if we waited in the comparatively warm tent when the primus was alight--with our pannikins or the primus in our hands. i know that our sleeping-bags were so full of ice that we did not worry if we spilt water or hoosh over them as they lay on the floor-cloth, when we cooked on them with our maimed cooker. they were so bad that we never rolled them up in the usual way when we got out of them in the morning: we opened their mouths as much as possible before they froze, and hoisted them more or less flat on to the sledge. all three of us helped to raise each bag, which looked rather like a squashed coffin and was probably a good deal harder. i know that if it was only - ° when we camped for the night we considered quite seriously that we were going to have a warm one, and that when we got up in the morning if the temperature was in the minus sixties we did not enquire what it was. the day's march was bliss compared to the night's rest, and both were awful. we were about as bad as men can be and do good travelling: but i never heard a word of complaint, nor, i believe, an oath, and i saw self-sacrifice standing every test. always we were getting nearer home: and we were doing good marches. we were going to pull through; it was only a matter of sticking this for a few more days; six, five, four ... three perhaps now, if we were not blizzed. our main hut was behind that ridge where the mist was always forming and blowing away, and there was castle rock: we might even see observation hill to-morrow, and the discovery hut furnished and trim was behind it, and they would have sent some dry sleeping-bags from cape evans to greet us there. we reckoned our troubles over at the barrier edge, and assuredly it was not far away. "you've got it in the neck, stick it, you've got it in the neck"--it was always running in my head. and we _did_ stick it. how good the memories of those days are. with jokes about birdie's picture hat: with songs we remembered off the gramophone: with ready words of sympathy for frost-bitten feet: with generous smiles for poor jests: with suggestions of happy beds to come. we did not forget the please and thank you, which mean much in such circumstances, and all the little links with decent civilization which we could still keep going. i'll swear there was still a grace about us when we staggered in. and we kept our tempers--even with god. we _might_ reach hut point to-night: we were burning more oil now, that one-gallon tin had lasted us well: and burning more candle too; at one time we feared they would give out. a hell of a morning we had: - ° in our present state. but it was calm, and the barrier edge could not be much farther now. the surface was getting harder: there were a few wind-blown furrows, the crust was coming up to us. the sledge was dragging easier: we always suspected the barrier sloped downwards hereabouts. now the hard snow was on the surface, peeping out like great inverted basins on which we slipped, and our feet became warmer for not sinking into soft snow. suddenly we saw a gleam of light in a line of darkness running across our course. it was the barrier edge: we were all right now. we ran the sledge off a snow-drift on to the sea-ice, with the same cold stream of air flowing down it which wrecked my hands five weeks ago: pushed out of this, camped and had a meal: the temperature had already risen to - °. we could almost feel it getting warmer as we went round cape armitage on the last three miles. we managed to haul our sledge up the ice foot, and dug the drift away from the door. the old hut struck us as fairly warm. bill was convinced that we ought not to go into the warm hut at cape evans when we arrived there--to-morrow night! we ought to get back to warmth gradually, live in a tent outside, or in the annexe for a day or two. but i'm sure we never meant to do it. just now hut point did not prejudice us in favour of such abstinence. it was just as we had left it: there was nothing sent down for us there--no sleeping-bags, nor sugar: but there was plenty of oil. inside the hut we pitched a dry tent left there since depôt journey days, set two primuses going in it; sat dozing on our bags; and drank cocoa without sugar so thick that next morning we were gorged with it. we were very happy, falling asleep between each mouthful, and after several hours discussed schemes of not getting into our bags at all. but some one would have to keep the primus going to prevent frost-bite, and we could not trust ourselves to keep awake. bill and i tried to sing a part-song. finally we sopped our way into our bags. we only stuck _them_ three hours, and thankfully turned out at a.m., and were ready to pack up when we heard the wind come away. it was no good, so we sat in our tent and dozed again. the wind dropped at . : we were off at . we walked out into what seemed to us a blaze of light. it was not until the following year that i understood that a great part of such twilight as there is in the latter part of the winter was cut off from us by the mountains under which we travelled. now, with nothing between us and the northern horizon below which lay the sun, we saw as we had not seen for months, and the iridescent clouds that day were beautiful. we just pulled for all we were worth and did nearly two miles an hour: for two miles a baddish salt surface, then big undulating hard sastrugi and good going. we slept as we walked. we had done eight miles by p.m. and were past glacier tongue. we lunched there. as we began to gather our gear together to pack up for the last time, bill said quietly, "i want to thank you two for what you have done. i couldn't have found two better companions--and what is more i never shall." i am proud of that. antarctic exploration is seldom as bad as you imagine, seldom as bad as it sounds. but this journey had beggared our language: no words could express its horror. we trudged on for several more hours and it grew very dark. there was a discussion as to where cape evans lay. we rounded it at last: it must have been ten or eleven o'clock, and it was possible that some one might see us as we pulled towards the hut. "spread out well," said bill, "and they will be able to see that there are three men." but we pulled along the cape, over the tide-crack, up the bank to the very door of the hut without a sound. no noise from the stable, nor the bark of a dog from the snowdrifts above us. we halted and stood there trying to get ourselves and one another out of our frozen harnesses--the usual long job. the door opened--"good god! here is the crozier party," said a voice, and disappeared. thus ended the worst journey in the world. and now the reader will ask what became of the three penguins' eggs for which three human lives had been risked three hundred times a day, and three human frames strained to the utmost extremity of human endurance. let us leave the antarctic for a moment and conceive ourselves in the year in the natural history museum in south kensington. i had written to say that i would bring the eggs at this time. present, myself, c.-g., the sole survivor of the three, with first or doorstep custodian of the sacred eggs. i did not take a verbatim report of his welcome; but the spirit of it may be dramatized as follows: first custodian. who are you? what do you want? this ain't an egg-shop. what call have you to come meddling with our eggs? do you want me to put the police on to you? is it the crocodile's egg you're after? i don't know nothing about 'no eggs. you'd best speak to mr. brown: it's him that varnishes the eggs. i resort to mr. brown, who ushers me into the presence of the chief custodian, a man of scientific aspect, with two manners: one, affably courteous, for a person of importance (i guess a naturalist rothschild at least) with whom he is conversing, and the other, extraordinarily offensive even for an official man of science, for myself. i announce myself with becoming modesty as the bearer of the penguins' eggs, and proffer them. the chief custodian takes them into custody without a word of thanks, and turns to the person of importance to discuss them. i wait. the temperature of my blood rises. the conversation proceeds for what seems to me a considerable period. suddenly the chief custodian notices my presence and seems to resent it. chief custodian. you needn't wait. heroic explorer. i should like to have a receipt for the eggs, if you please. chief custodian. it is not necessary: it is all right. you needn't wait. heroic explorer. i should like to have a receipt. but by this time the chief custodian's attention is again devoted wholly to the person of importance. feeling that to persist in overhearing their conversation would be an indelicacy, the heroic explorer politely leaves the room, and establishes himself on a chair in a gloomy passage outside, where he wiles away the time by rehearsing in his imagination how he will tell off the chief custodian when the person of importance retires. but this the person of importance shows no sign of doing, and the explorer's thoughts and intentions become darker and darker. as the day wears on, minor officials, passing to and from the presence, look at him doubtfully and ask his business. the reply is always the same, "i am waiting for a receipt for some penguins' eggs." at last it becomes clear from the explorer's expression that what he is really waiting for is not to take a receipt but to commit murder. presumably this is reported to the destined victim: at all events the receipt finally comes; and the explorer goes his way with it, feeling that he has behaved like a perfect gentleman, but so very dissatisfied with that vapid consolation that for hours he continues his imaginary rehearsals of what he would have liked to have done to that custodian (mostly with his boots) by way of teaching him manners. some time after this i visited the natural history museum with captain scott's sister. after a slight preliminary skirmish in which we convinced a minor custodian that the specimens brought by the expedition from the antarctic did not include the moths we found preying on some of them, miss scott expressed a wish to see the penguins' eggs. thereupon the minor custodians flatly denied that any such eggs were in existence or in their possession. now miss scott was her brother's sister; and she showed so little disposition to take this lying down that i was glad to get her away with no worse consequences than a profanely emphasized threat on my part that if we did not receive ample satisfaction in writing within twenty-four hours as to the safety of the eggs england would reverberate with the tale. the ultimatum was effectual; and due satisfaction was forthcoming in time; but i was relieved when i learnt later on that they had been entrusted to professor assheton for the necessary microscopic examination. but he died before he could approach the task; and the eggs passed into the hands of professor cossar ewart of edinburgh university. his report is as follows: footnotes: [ ] see pp. xxxix-xlv. [ ] a thermometer which registered - ° at the winter quarters of h.m.s. alert on march , , is preserved by the royal geographical society. i do not know whether it was screened. [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] ibid. [ ] see introduction, pp. xxxix-xlv. [ ] see p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] keats. [ ] bowers. [ ] my own diary. [ ] bowers. [ ] wilson in _scott's last expedition_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] wilson. [ ] bowers. [ ] my own diary. appendix professor cossar ewart's report "it was a great disappointment to dr. wilson that no emperor penguin embryos were obtained during the cruise of the discovery. but though embryos were conspicuous by their absence in the emperor eggs brought home by the national antarctic expedition, it is well to bear in mind that the naturalists on board the discovery learned much about the breeding habits of the largest living member of the ancient penguin family. amongst other things it was ascertained ( ) that in the case of the emperor, as in the king penguin, the egg during the period of incubation rests on the upper surface of the feet protected and kept in position by a fold of skin from the lower breast; and ( ) that in the case of the emperor the whole process of incubation is carried out on sea ice during the coldest and darkest months of the antarctic winter. "after devoting much time to the study of penguins dr. wilson came to the conclusion that emperor embryos would throw new light on the origin and history of birds, and decided that if he again found his way to the antarctic he would make a supreme effort to visit an emperor rookery during the breeding season. when, and under what conditions, the cape crozier rookery was eventually visited and emperor eggs secured is graphically told in the winter journey. the question now arises, has 'the weirdest bird's-nesting expedition that has ever been made' added appreciably to our knowledge of birds? "it is admitted that birds are descended from bipedal reptiles which flourished some millions of years ago--reptiles in build not unlike the kangaroo. from archaeopteryx of jurassic times we know primeval birds had teeth, three fingers with claws on each hand, and a long lizard-like tail provided with nearly twenty pairs of well-formed true feathers. but unfortunately neither this lizard-tailed bird, nor yet the fossil birds found in america, throw any light on the origin of feathers. ornithologists and others who have devoted much time to the study of birds have as a rule assumed that feathers were made out of scales, that the scales along the margin of the hand and forearm and along each side of the tail were elongated, frayed and otherwise modified to form the wing and tail quills, and that later other scales were altered to provide a coat capable of preventing loss of heat. but as it happens, a study of the development of feathers affords no evidence that they were made out of scales. there are neither rudiments of scales nor feathers in very young bird embryos. in the youngest of the three emperor embryos there are, however, feather rudiments in the tail region,--the embryo was probably seven or eight days old--but in the two older embryos there are a countless number of feather rudiments, i.e. of minute pimples known as papillae. "in penguins as in many other birds there are two distinct crops of feather papillae, viz.: a crop of relatively large papillae which develop into prepennae, the forerunners of true feathers (pennae), and a crop of small papillae which develop into preplumulae, the forerunners of true down feathers (plumulae). "in considering the origin of feathers we are not concerned with the true feathers (pennae), but with the nestling feathers (prepennae), and more especially with the papillae from which the prepennae are developed. what we want to know is, do the papillae which in birds develop into the first generation of feathers correspond to the papillae which in lizards develop into scales? "the late professor assheton, who undertook the examination of some of the material brought home by the terra nova, made a special study of the feather papillae of the emperor penguin embryos from cape crozier. drawings were made to indicate the number, size and time of appearance of the feather papillae, but unfortunately in the notes left by the distinguished embryologist there is no indication whether the feather papillae were regarded as modified scale papillae or new creations resulting from the appearance of special feather-forming factors in the germ-plasm. "when eventually the three emperor penguin embryos reached me that their feather rudiments might be compared with the feather rudiments of other birds, i noticed that in emperor embryos the feather papillae appeared before the scale papillae. evidence of this was especially afforded by the largest embryo, which had reached about the same stage in its development as a -days goose embryo. "in the largest emperor embryo feather papillae occur all over the hind-quarters and on the legs to within a short distance of the tarsal joint. beyond the tarsal joint even in the largest embryo no attempt had been made to produce the papillae which in older penguin embryos represent, and ultimately develop into, the scaly covering of the foot. the absence of papillae on the foot implied either that the scale papillae were fundamentally different from feather papillae or that for some reason or other the development of the papillae destined to give rise to the foot scales had been retarded. there is no evidence as far as i can ascertain that in modern lizards the scale papillae above the tarsal joint appear before the scale papillae beyond this joint. "the absence of papillae below the tarsal joint in emperor embryos, together with the fact that in many birds each large feather papilla is accompanied by two or more very small feather papillae, led me to study the papillae of the limbs of other birds. the most striking results were obtained from the embryos of chinese geese in which the legs are relatively longer than in penguins. in a -days goose embryo the whole of the skin below and for some distance above the tarsal joint is quite smooth, whereas the skin of the rest of the leg is studded with feather papillae. on the other hand, in an -days goose embryo in which the feather papillae of the legs have developed into filaments, each containing a fairly well-formed feather, scale papillae occur not only on the foot below and for some distance above the tarsal joint but also between the roots of the feather filaments between the tarsal and the knee joints. more important still, in a -days goose embryo a number of the papillae situated between the feather filaments of the leg were actually developing into scales each of which overlapped the root (calamus) of a feather just as scales overlap the foot feathers in grouse and other feather-footed birds. "as in bird embryos there is no evidence that feather papillae ever develop into scales or that scale papillae ever develop into feathers it may be assumed that feather papillae are fundamentally different from scale papillae, the difference presumably being due to the presence of special factors in the germ-plasm. just as in armadillos hairs are found emerging from under the scales, in ancient birds as in the feet of some modern birds the coat probably consisted of both feathers and scales. but in course of time, owing perhaps to the growth of the scales being arrested, the coat of the birds, instead of consisting throughout of well-developed scales and small inconspicuous feathers, was almost entirely made up of a countless number of downy feathers, well-developed scales only persisting below the tarsal joint. "if the conclusions arrived at with the help of the emperor penguin embryos about the origin of feathers are justified, the worst journey in the world in the interest of science was not made in vain." * * * * * end of volume one _printed in great britain by_ r. & r. clark, limited, _edinburgh._ [illustration: a halo round the moon--e. a. wilson, del.] the worst journey in the world antarctic - by apsley cherry-garrard with panoramas, maps, and illustrations by the late doctor edward a. wilson and other members of the expedition in two volumes volume two constable and company limited london bombay sydney _first published _ printed in great britain contents page chapter viii spring chapter ix the polar journey. i. the barrier stage chapter x the polar journey. ii. the beardmore glacier chapter xi the polar journey. iii. the plateau to ° ´ s chapter xii the polar journey. iv. returning parties chapter xiii suspense chapter xiv the last winter chapter xv another spring chapter xvi the search journey chapter xvii the polar journey. v. the pole and after chapter xviii the polar journey. vi. farthest south chapter xix never again glossary index illustrations a halo round the moon, showing vertical and horizontal shafts and mock moons. _frontispiece_ _from a water-colour drawing by dr. edward a. wilson._ facing page camp on the barrier. november , . a rough sketch for future use. _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ parhelia. for description, see text. november , . a rough sketch for future use. _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ plate iii. the mountains which lie between the barrier and the plateau as seen on december , . _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ a pony camp on the barrier. the dog teams leaving the beardmore glacier. mount hope and the gateway before them. _from photographs by c. s. wright._ plate iv. transit sketch for the lower glacier depôt. december , . showing the pillar rock, mainland mountains, the gateway or gap, and the beginning of the main beardmore glacier outlet on to the barrier. _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ plate v. mount f. l. smith and the land to the north-west. december , . _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ plate vi. mount elizabeth, mount anne and socks glacier. december , . _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ mount patrick. december , . _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ plate vii. from mount deakin to mount kinsey, showing the outlet of the keltie glacier, and mount usher in the distance. december , . _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ our night camp at the foot of the buckley island ice-falls. december , . buckley island in the background. note ablation pits in the snow. _from a photograph by c. s. wright._ the adams mountains. the first return party on the beardmore glacier. _from photographs by c. s. wright._ camp below the cloudmaker. note pressure ridges in the middle distance. _from a photograph by c. s. wright._ plate viii. from mount kyffin to mount patrick. december , . _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ view from arrival heights northwards to cape evans and the dellbridge islands. cape royds from cape barne, with the frozen mcmurdo sound. _from photographs by f. debenham._ cape evans in winter. this view is drawn when looking northwards from under the ramp. _from a water-colour drawing by dr. edward a. wilson._ north bay and the snout of the barne glacier from cape evans. _from a photograph by f. debenham._ the mule party leaves cape evans. october , . _from a photograph by f. debenham._ the dog party leaves hut point. november , . _from a photograph by f. debenham._ "atch": e. l. atkinson, commanding the main landing party after the death of scott. "titus" oates. _from photographs by c. s. wright._ the tent left by amundsen at the south pole (polheim). _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ buckley island, where the fossils were found. _from a photograph by c. s. wright._ plate ix. buckley island, sketched during the evening of december , . _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ mount kyffin, sketched on december , . _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ where evans died, showing the pillar rock near which the lower glacier depôt was made. sketched on december , . _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ sledging in a high wind: the floor-cloth of the tent is the sail. _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ plate x. mount longstaff, sketched on december , . see also plate iii., p. _from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson._ a blizzard camp: the half-buried sledge is in the foreground. _from a sketch by dr. edward a. wilson._ map the polar journey chapter viii spring inside was pandemonium. most men had gone to bed, and i have a blurred memory of men in pyjamas and dressing-gowns getting hold of me and trying to get the chunks of armour which were my clothes to leave my body. finally they cut them off and threw them into an angular heap at the foot of my bunk. next morning they were a sodden mass weighing lbs. bread and jam, and cocoa; showers of questions; "you know this is the hardest journey ever made," from scott; a broken record of george robey on the gramophone which started us laughing until in our weak state we found it difficult to stop. i have no doubt that i had not stood the journey as well as wilson: my jaw had dropped when i came in, so they tell me. then into my warm blanket bag, and i managed to keep awake just long enough to think that paradise must feel something like this. we slept ten thousand thousand years, were wakened to find everybody at breakfast, and passed a wonderful day, lazying about, half asleep and wholly happy, listening to the news and answering questions. "we are looked upon as beings who have come from another world. this afternoon i had a shave after soaking my face in a hot sponge, and then a bath. lashly had already cut my hair. bill looks very thin and we are all very blear-eyed from want of sleep. i have not much appetite, my mouth is very dry and throat sore with a troublesome hacking cough which i have had all the journey. my taste is gone. we are getting badly spoiled, but our beds are the height of all our pleasures."[ ] but this did not last long: "another very happy day doing nothing. after falling asleep two or three times i went to bed, read kim, and slept. about two hours after each meal we all want another, and after a tremendous supper last night we had another meal before turning in. i have my taste back but all our fingers are impossible, they might be so many pieces of lead except for the pins and needles feeling in them which we have also got in our feet. my toes are very bulbous and some toe-nails are coming off. my left heel is one big burst blister. going straight out of a warm bed into a strong wind outside nearly bowled me over. i felt quite faint, and pulled myself together thinking it was all nerves: but it began to come on again and i had to make for the hut as quickly as possible. birdie is now full of schemes for doing the trip again next year. bill says it is too great a risk in the darkness, and he will not consider it, though he thinks that to go in august might be possible."[ ] and again a day or two later: "i came in covered with a red rash which is rather ticklish. my ankles and knees are a bit puffy, but my feet are not so painful as bill's and birdie's. hands itch a bit. we must be very weak and worn out, though i think birdie is the strongest of us. he seems to be picking up very quickly. bill is still very worn and rather haggard. the kindness of everybody would spoil an angel."[ ] i have put these personal experiences down from my diary because they are the only contemporary record i possess. scott's own diary at this time contains the statement: "the crozier party returned last night after enduring for five weeks the hardest conditions on record. they looked more weather-worn than any one i have yet seen. their faces were scarred and wrinkled, their eyes dull, their hands whitened and creased with the constant exposure to damp and cold, yet the scars of frost-bite were very few ... to-day after a night's rest our travellers are very different in appearance and mental capacity."[ ] "atch has been lost in a blizzard," was the news which we got as soon as we could grasp anything. since then he has spent a year of war in the north sea, seen the dardanelles campaign, and much fighting in france, and has been blown up in a monitor. i doubt whether he does not reckon that night the worst of the lot. he ought to have been blown into hundreds of little bits, but always like some hardy indiarubber ball he turns up again, a little dented, but with the same tough elasticity which refuses to be hurt. and with the same quiet voice he volunteers for the next, and tells you how splendid everybody was except himself. it was the blizzard of july , when we were lying in the windless bight on our way to cape crozier, and we knew it must be blowing all round us. at any rate it was blowing at cape evans, though it eased up in the afternoon, and atkinson and taylor went up the ramp to read the thermometers there. they returned without great difficulty, and some discussion seems to have arisen as to whether it was possible to read the two screens on the sea-ice. atkinson said he would go and read that in north bay: gran said he was going to south bay. they started independently at . p.m. gran returned an hour and a quarter afterwards. he had gone about two hundred yards. atkinson had not gone much farther when he decided that he had better give it up, so he turned and faced the wind, steering by keeping it on his cheek. we discovered afterwards that the wind does not blow quite in the same direction at the end of the cape as it does just where the hut lies. perhaps it was this, perhaps his left leg carried him a little farther than his right, perhaps it was that the numbing effect of a blizzard on a man's brain was already having its effect, certainly atkinson does not know himself, but instead of striking the cape which ran across his true front, he found himself by an old fish trap which he knew was yards out on the sea-ice. he made a great effort to steady himself and make for the cape, but any one who has stood in a blizzard will understand how difficult that is. the snow was a blanket raging all round him, and it was quite dark. he walked on, and found nothing. everything else is vague. hour after hour he staggered about: he got his hand badly frost-bitten: he found pressure: he fell over it: he was crawling in it, on his hands and knees. stumbling, tumbling, tripping, buffeted by the endless lash of the wind, sprawling through miles of punishing snow, he still seems to have kept his brain working. he found an island, thought it was inaccessible, spent ages in coasting along it, lost it, found more pressure, and crawled along it. he found another island, and the same horrible, almost senseless, search went on. under the lee of some rocks he waited for a time. his clothing was thin though he had his wind-clothes, and, a horrible thought if this was to go on, he had boots on his feet instead of warm finnesko. here also he kicked out a hole in a drift where he might have more chance if he were forced to lie down. for sleep is the end of men who get lost in blizzards. though he did not know it he must now have been out more than four hours. there was little chance for him if the blizzard continued, but hope revived when the moon showed in a partial lull. it is wonderful that he was sufficiently active to grasp the significance of this, and groping back in his brain he found he could remember the bearing of the moon from cape evans when he went to bed the night before. the hut must be somewhere over there: this must be inaccessible island! he left the island and made in that direction, but the blizzard came down again with added force and the moon was blotted out. he tried to return to the island and failed: then he stumbled on another island, perhaps the same one, and waited. again the lull came, and again he set off, and walked and walked, until he recognized inaccessible island on his left. clearly he must have been under great razorback island and this is some four miles from cape evans. the moon still showed, and on he walked and then at last he saw a flame. atkinson's continued absence was not noticed at the hut until dinner was nearly over at . ; that is, until he had been absent about two hours. the wind at cape evans had dropped though it was thick all round, and no great anxiety was felt: some went out and shouted, others went north with a lantern, and day arranged to light a paraffin flare on wind vane hill. atkinson never experienced this lull, and having seen the way blizzards will sweep down the strait though the coastline is comparatively clear and calm, i can understand how he was in the thick of it all the time. i feel convinced that most of these blizzards are local affairs. the party which had gone north returned at . without news, and scott became seriously alarmed. between . and six search parties started out. but time was passing and atkinson had been away more than six hours. the light which atkinson had seen was a flare of tow soaked in petrol lit by day at cape evans. he corrected his course and before long was under the rock upon which day could be seen working like some lanky devil in one of dante's hells. atkinson shouted again and again but could not attract his attention, and finally walked almost into the hut before he was found by two men searching the cape. "it was all my own damned fault," he said, "but scott never slanged me at all." i really think we should all have been as merciful! wouldn't _you_? and that was that: but he had a beastly hand. theoretically the sun returned to us on august . practically there was nothing to be seen except blinding drift. but we saw his upper limb two days later. in scott's words the daylight came "rushing" at us. two spring journeys were contemplated; and with preparations for the polar journey, and the ordinary routine work of the station, everybody had as much on his hands as he could get through. lieutenant evans, gran and forde volunteered to go out to corner camp and dig out this depôt as well as that of safety camp. they started on september and camped on the sea-ice beyond cape armitage that night, the minimum temperature being - °. they dug out safety camp next morning, and marched on towards corner camp. the minimum that night was - . °. the next evening they made their night camp as a blizzard was coming up, the temperature at the same time being - . ° and minimum for the night - °. this is an extremely low temperature for a blizzard. they made a start in a very cold wind the next afternoon (september ) and camped at . p.m. that night was bitterly cold and they found that the minimum showed - . ° for that night. evans reports adversely on the use of the eider-down bag and inner tent, but here none of our winter journey men would agree with him.[ ] most of september th was spent in digging out corner camp which they left at p.m., intending to travel back to hut point without stopping except for meals. they marched all through that night with two halts for meals and arrived at hut point at p.m. on september , having covered a distance of . statute miles. they reached cape evans the following day after an absence of ½ days.[ ] during this journey forde got his hand badly frost-bitten which necessitated his return in the terra nova in march . he owed a good deal to the skilful treatment atkinson gave it. wilson was still looking grey and drawn some days, and i was not too fit, but bowers was indefatigable. soon after we got in from cape crozier he heard that scott was going over to the western mountains: somehow or other he persuaded scott to take him, and they started with seaman evans and simpson on september on what scott calls "a remarkably pleasant and instructive little spring journey,"[ ] and what bowers called a jolly picnic. this picnic started from the hut in a - ° temperature, dragging lbs. per man, mainly composed of stores for the geological party of the summer. they penetrated as far north as dunlop island and turned back from there on september , reaching cape evans on september , marching twenty-one miles (statute) into a blizzard wind with occasional storms of drift and a temperature of - °: and they marched a little too long; for a storm of drift came against them and they had to camp. it is never very easy pitching a tent on sea-ice because there is not very much snow on the ice: on this occasion it was only after they had detached the inner tent, which was fastened to the bamboos, that they could hold the bamboos, and then it was only inch by inch that they got the outer cover on. at p.m. the drift took off though the wind was as strong as ever, and they decided to make for cape evans. they arrived at . a.m. after one of the most strenuous days which scott could remember: and that meant a good deal. simpson's face was a sight! during his absence griffith taylor became meteorologist-in-chief. he was a greedy scientist, and he also wielded a fluent pen. consequently his output during the year and a half which he spent with us was large, and ranged from the results of the two excellent scientific journeys which he led in the western mountains, to this work during the latter half of september. he was a most valued contributor to the south polar times, and his prose and poetry both had a bite which was never equalled by any other of our amateur journalists. when his pen was still, his tongue wagged, and the arguments he led were legion. the hut was a merrier place for his presence. when the weather was good he might be seen striding over the rocks with a complete disregard of the effect on his clothes: he wore through a pair of boots quicker than anybody i have ever known, and his socks had to be mended with string. ice movement and erosion were also of interest to him, and almost every day he spent some time in studying the slopes and huge ice-cliffs of the barne glacier, and other points of interest. with equal ferocity he would throw himself into his curtained bunk because he was bored, or emerge from it to take part in some argument which was troubling the table. his diary must have been almost as long as the reports he wrote for scott of his geological explorations. he was a demon note-taker, and he had a passion for being equipped so that he could cope with any observation which might turn up. thus old griff on a sledge journey might have notebooks protruding from every pocket, and hung about his person, a sundial, a prismatic compass, a sheath knife, a pair of binoculars, a geological hammer, chronometer, pedometer, camera, aneroid and other items of surveying gear, as well as his goggles and mitts. and in his hand might be an ice-axe which he used as he went along to the possible advancement of science, but the certain disorganization of his companions. his gaunt, untamed appearance was atoned for by a halo of good-fellowship which hovered about his head. i am sure he must have been an untidy person to have in your tent: i feel equally sure that his tent-mates would have been sorry to lose him. his gear took up more room than was strictly his share, and his mind also filled up a considerable amount of space. he always bulked large, and when he returned to the australian government, which had lent him for the first two sledging seasons, he left a noticeable gap in our company. from the time we returned from cape crozier until now scott had been full of buck. our return had taken a weight off his mind: the return of the daylight was stimulating to everybody: and to a man of his impatient and impetuous temperament the end of the long period of waiting was a relief. also everything was going well. on september he writes with a sigh of relief that the detailed plans for the southern journey are finished at last. "every figure has been checked by bowers, who has been an enormous help to me. if the motors are successful, we shall have no difficulty in getting to the glacier, and if they fail, we shall still get there with any ordinary degree of good fortune. to work three units of four men from that point onwards requires no small provision, but with the proper provision it should take a good deal to stop the attainment of our object. i have tried to take every reasonable possibility of misfortune into consideration, and to so organize the parties as to be prepared to meet them. i fear to be too sanguine, yet taking everything into consideration i feel that our chances ought to be good."[ ] and again he writes: "of hopeful signs for the future none are more remarkable than the health and spirit of our people. it would be impossible to imagine a more vigorous community, and there does not seem to be a single weak spot in the twelve good men and true who are chosen for the southern advance. all are now experienced sledge travellers, knit together with a bond of friendship that has never been equalled under such circumstances. thanks to these people, and more especially to bowers and petty officer evans, there is not a single detail of our equipment which is not arranged with the utmost care and in accordance with the tests of experience."[ ] indeed bowers had been of the very greatest use to scott in the working out of these plans. not only had he all the details of stores at his finger-tips, but he had studied polar clothing and polar food, was full of plans and alternative plans, and, best of all, refused to be beaten by any problem which presented itself. the actual distribution of weights between dogs, motors and ponies, and between the different ponies, was largely left in his hands. we had only to lead our ponies out on the day of the start and we were sure to find our sledges ready, each with the right load and weight. to the leader of an expedition such a man was worth his weight in gold. but now scott became worried and unhappy. we were running things on a fine margin of transport, and during the month before we were due to start mishap followed mishap in the most disgusting way. three men were more or less incapacitated: forde with his frozen hand, clissold who concussed himself by a fall from a berg, and debenham who hurt his knee seriously when playing foot-ball. one of the ponies, jehu, was such a crock that at one time it was decided not to take him out at all: and very bad opinions were also held of chinaman. another dog died of a mysterious disease. "it is trying," writes scott, "but i am past despondency. things must take their course."[ ] and "if this waiting were to continue it looks as though we should become a regular party of 'crocks.'"[ ] then on the top of all this came a bad accident to one of the motor axles on the eve of departure. "to-night the motors were to be taken on to the floe. the drifts made the road very uneven, and the first and best motor overrode its chain; the chain was replaced and the machine proceeded, but just short of the floe was thrust to a steep inclination by a ridge, and the chain again overrode the sprockets; this time by ill fortune day slipped at the critical moment and without intention jammed the throttle full on. the engine brought up, but there was an ominous trickle of oil under the back axle, and investigation showed that the axle casing (aluminium) had split. the casing had been stripped and brought into the hut: we may be able to do something to it, but time presses. it all goes to show that we want more experience and workshops. i am secretly convinced that we shall not get much help from the motors, yet nothing has ever happened to them that was unavoidable. a little more care and foresight would make them splendid allies. the trouble is that if they fail, no one will ever believe this."[ ] in the meantime meares and dimitri ran out to corner camp from hut point twice with the two dog-teams. the first time they journeyed out and back in two days and a night, returning on october ; and another very similar run was made before the end of the month. the motor party was to start first, but was delayed until october . they were to wait for us in latitude ° ´, man-hauling certain loads on if the motors broke down. the two engineers were day and lashly, and their two helpers, who steered by pulling on a rope in front, were lieutenant evans and hooper. scott was "immensely eager that these tractors should succeed, even though they may not be of great help to our southern advance. a small measure of success will be enough to show their possibilities, their ability to revolutionize polar transport."[ ] lashly, as the reader may know by now, was a chief stoker in the navy, and accompanied scott on his plateau journey in the discovery days. the following account of the motors' chequered career is from his diary, and for permission to include here both it and the story of the adventures of the second return party, an extraordinarily vivid and simple narrative, i cannot be too grateful. after the motors had been two days on the sea-ice on their way to hut point lashly writes on th october : "kicked off at . ; engine going well, surface much better, dropped one can of petrol each and lubricating oil, lunched about two miles from hut point. captain scott and supporting party came from cape evans to help us over blue ice, but they were not required. got away again after lunch but was delayed by the other sledge not being able to get along, it is beginning to dawn on me the sledges are not powerful enough for the work as it is one continual drag over this sea-ice, perhaps it will improve on the barrier, it seems we are going to be troubled with engine overheating; after we have run about three-quarters to a mile it is necessary to stop at least half an hour to cool the engine down, then we have to close up for a few minutes to allow the carbrutta to warm up or we can't get the petrol to vaporize; we are getting new experiences every day. we arrived at hut point and proceeded to cape armitage it having come on to snow pretty thickly, so we pitched our tent and waited for the other car to come up, she has been delayed all the afternoon and not made much headway. at . mr. bowers and mr. garrard came out to us and told us to come back to hut point for the night, where we all enjoyed ourselves with a good hoosh and a nice night with all hands. "_ th october ._ "this morning being fine made our way out to the cars and got them going after a bit of trouble, the temperature being a bit low. i got away in good style, the surface seems to be improving, it is better for running on but very rough and the overheating is not overcome nor likely to be as far as i can see. just before arriving at the barrier my car began to develop some strange knocking in the engine, but with the help of the party with us i managed to get on the barrier, the other car got up the slope in fine style and waited for me to come up; as my engine is giving trouble we decided to camp, have lunch and see what is the matter. on opening the crank chamber we found the crank brasses broke into little pieces, so there is nothing left to do but replace them with the spare ones; of course this meant a cold job for mr. day and myself, as handling metal on the barrier is not a thing one looks forward to with pleasure. anyhow we set about it after lieutenant evans and hooper had rigged up a screen to shelter us a bit, and by p.m. we were finished and ready to proceed, but owing to a very low temperature we found it difficult to get the engines to go, so we decided to camp for the night. "_ th october ._ "turned out and had another go at starting which took some little time owing again to the low temperature. we got away but again the trouble is always staring us in the face, overheating, and the surface is so bad and the pull so heavy and constant that it looks we are in for a rough time. we are continually waiting for one another to come up, and every time we stop something has to be done, my fan got jammed and delayed us some time, but have got it right again. mr. evans had to go back for his spare gear owing to some one [not] bringing it out in mistake; he had a good tramp as we were about miles out from hut point. "_ th october ._ "again we got away, but did not get far before the other car began to give trouble. i went back to see what was the matter, it seems the petrol is dirty due perhaps to putting in a new drum, anyhow got her up and camped for lunch. after lunch made a move, and all seemed to be going well when mr. day's car gave out at the crank brasses the same as mine, so we shall have to see what is the next best thing to do. "_ th october ._ "this morning before getting the car on the way had to reconstruct our loads as mr. day's car is finished and no more use for further service. we have got all four of us with one car now, things seems to be going fairly well, but we are still troubled with the overheating which means to say half our time is wasted. we can see dawning on us the harness before long. we covered seven miles and camped for the night. we are now about six miles from corner camp. "_ st october ._ "got away with difficulty, and nearly reached corner camp, but the weather was unkind and forced us to camp early. one thing we have been able to bring along a good supply of pony food and most of the man food, but so far the motor sledges have proved a failure. "_ st november ._ "started away with the usual amount of agony, and soon arrived at corner camp where we left a note to captain scott explaining the cause of our breakdown. i told mr. evans to say this sledge won't go much farther. after getting about a mile past corner camp my engine gave out finally, so here is an end to the motor sledges. i can't say i am sorry because i am not, and the others are, i think, of the same opinion as myself. we have had a heavy task pulling the heavy sledges up every time we stopped, which was pretty frequent, even now we have to start man-hauling we shall not be much more tired than we have already been at night when we had finished. now comes the man-hauling part of the show, after reorganizing our sledge and taking aboard all the man food we can pull, we started with lbs. per man, a strong head wind made it a bit uncomfortable for getting along, anyhow we made good about three miles and camped for the night. the surface not being very good made the travelling a bit heavy. "after three days' man-hauling. "_ th november ._ "made good about ½ miles, if the surface would only remain as it is now we could get along pretty well. we are now thinking of the ponies being on their way, hope they will get better luck than we had with the motor sledges, but by what i can see they will have a tough time of it. "_ th november ._ "to-day we have worked hard and covered a good distance miles, surface rough but slippery, all seems to be going pretty well, but we have generally had enough by the time comes for us to camp. "_ th november ._ "we have again made good progress, but the light was very trying, sometimes we could not see at all where we were going. i tried to find some of the cairns that were built by the depôt party last year, came upon one this afternoon which is about miles from one ton depôt, so at the rate we have been travelling we ought to reach there some time to-morrow night. temperature to-day was pretty low, but we are beginning to get hardened into it now. "_ th november ._ "made a good start, but the surface is getting softer every day and makes our legs ache; we arrived at one ton depôt and camped. then proceeded to dig out some of the provisions, we have to take on all the man food we can, this is a wild-looking place no doubt, have not seen anything of the ponies. "_ th november ._ "to-day we have started on the second stage of our journey. our orders are to proceed one degree south of one ton depôt and wait for the ponies and dogs to come up with us; as we have been making good distances each day, the party will hardly overtake us, but we have found to-day the load is much heavier to drag. we have just over lbs. per man, and we have been brought up on several occasions, and to start again required a pretty good strain on the rope, anyhow we done ½ miles, a pretty good show considering all things. "_ th november ._ "again we started off with plenty of vim, but it was jolly tough work, and it begins to tell on all of us; the surface to-day is covered with soft crystals which don't improve things. to-night hooper is pretty well done up, but he have stuck it well and i hope he will, although he could not tackle the food in the best of spirits, we know he wanted it. mr. evans, mr. day and myself could eat more, as we are just beginning to feel the tightening of the belt. made good ¼ miles and we are now building cairns all the way, one about three miles: then again at lunch and one in the afternoon and one at night. this will keep us employed. "_ th november ._ "to-day it has been very heavy work. the surface is very bad and we are pretty well full up, but not with food; man-hauling is no doubt the hardest work one can do, no wonder the motor sledges could not stand it. i have been thinking of the trials i witnessed of the motor engines in wolseley's works in birmingham, they were pretty stiff but nothing compared to the drag of a heavy load on the barrier surface. "_ th november ._ "to-day have been similar to the two previous days, but the light have been bad and snow have been falling which do not improve the surface; we have been doing miles a day geographical and quite enough too as we have all had enough by time it goes camp. "_ th november ._ "the weather seems to be on the change. should not be surprised if we don't get a blizzard before long, but of course we don't want that. hooper seems a bit fagged but he sticks it pretty well. mr. day keeps on plodding, his only complaint is should like a little more to eat. "_ th november ._ "when we started this morning mr. evans said we had about miles to go to reach the required distance. the hauling have been about the same, but the weather is somewhat finer and the blizzard gone off. we did miles and camped; have not seen anything of the main party yet but shall not be surprised to see them at any time. "_ th november ._ "we are camped after doing five miles where we are supposed to be [lat. ° ´]; now we have to wait the others coming up. mr. evans is quite proud to think we have arrived before the others caught us, but we don't expect they will be long although we have nothing to be ashamed of as our daily distance have been good. we have built a large cairn this afternoon before turning in. the weather is cold but excellent." * * * * * they waited there six days before the pony party arrived, when the upper barrier depôt (mount hooper) was left in the cairn. footnotes: [ ] my own diary. [ ] ibid. [ ] ibid. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] ibid. pp. - ; written by lieutenant evans. [ ] ibid. vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . chapter ix the polar journey come, my friends, 'tis not too late to seek a newer world. push off, and sitting well in order smite the sounding furrows; for my purpose holds to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars, until i die. it may be that the gulfs will wash us down: it may be we shall touch the happy isles, and see the great achilles, whom we knew. tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' we are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are; one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. tennyson, _ulysses._ take it all in all it is wonderful that the south pole was reached so soon after the north pole had been conquered. from cape columbia to the north pole, straight going, is geographical miles, and peary who took on his expedition dogs, covered this distance in days. from hut point to the south pole and back is geographical or statute miles, the distance to the top of the beardmore glacier alone being more than miles farther than peary had to cover to the north pole. scott travelled from hut point to the south pole in days, and to the pole and back to his last camp in days, a period of five months. a. c.-g. (all miles are geographical unless otherwise stated.) i. the barrier stage the departure from cape evans at p.m. on november is described by griffith taylor, who started a few days later on the second geological journey with his own party: "on the st october the pony parties started. two weak ponies led by atkinson and keohane were sent off first at . , and i accompanied them for about a mile. keohane's pony rejoiced in the name of jimmy pigg, and he stepped out much better than his fleeter-named mate jehu. we heard through the telephone of their safe arrival at hut point. "next morning the southern party finished their mail, posting it in the packing case on atkinson's bunk, and then at a.m. the last party were ready for the pole. they had packed the sledges overnight, and they took lbs. personal baggage. the owner had asked me what book he should take. he wanted something fairly filling. i recommended tyndall's glaciers--if he wouldn't find it 'coolish.' he didn't fancy this! so then i said, 'why not take browning, as i'm doing?' and i believe that he did so. "wright's pony was the first harnessed to its sledge. chinaman is jehu's rival for last place, and as some compensation is easy to harness. seaman evans led snatcher, who used to rush ahead and take the lead as soon as he was harnessed. cherry had michael, a steady goer, and wilson led nobby--the pony rescued from the killer whales in march. scott led out snippets to the sledges, and harnessed him to the foremost, with little anton's help--only it turned out to be bowers' sledge! however he transferred in a few minutes and marched off rapidly to the south. christopher, as usual, behaved like a demon. first they had to trice his front leg up tight under his shoulder, then it took five minutes to throw him. the sledge was brought up and he was harnessed in while his head was held down on the floe. finally he rose up, still on three legs, and started off galloping as well as he was able. after several violent kicks his foreleg was released, and after more watch-spring flicks with his hind legs he set off fairly steadily. titus can't stop him when once he has started, and will have to do the fifteen miles in one lap probably! "dear old titus--that was my last memory of him. imperturbable as ever; never hasty, never angry, but soothing that vicious animal, and determined to get the best out of most unpromising material in his endeavour to do his simple duty. "bowers was last to leave. his pony, victor, nervous but not vicious, was soon in the traces. i ran to the end of the cape and watched the little cavalcade--already strung out into remote units--rapidly fade into the lonely white waste to southward. "that evening i had a chat with wilson over the telephone from the discovery hut--my last communication with those five gallant spirits."[ ] all the ponies arrived at hut point by p.m., just in time to escape a stiff blow. three of them were housed with ourselves inside the hut, the rest being put into the verandah. the march showed that with their loads the speed of the different ponies varied to such an extent that individuals were soon separated by miles. "it reminded me of a regatta or a somewhat disorganized fleet with ships of very unequal speed."[ ] it was decided to change to night marching, and the following evening we proceeded in the following order, which was the way of our going for the present. the three slowest ponies started first, namely, jehu with atkinson, chinaman with wright, james pigg with keohane. this party was known as the baltic fleet. two hours later scott's party followed; scott with snippets, wilson with nobby, and myself with michael. both these parties camped for lunch in the middle of the night's march. after another hour the remaining four men set to work to get christopher into his sledge; when he was started they harnessed in their own ponies as quickly as possible and followed, making a non-stop run right through the night's march. it was bad for men and ponies, but it was impossible to camp in the middle of the march owing to christopher. the composition of this party was, oates with christopher, bowers with victor, seaman evans with snatcher, crean with bones. each of these three parties was self-contained with tent, cooker and weekly bag, and the times of starting were so planned that the three parties arrived at the end of the march about the same time. there was a strong head wind and low drift as we rounded cape armitage on our way to the barrier and the future. probably there were few of us who did not wonder when we should see the old familiar place again. scott's party camped at safety camp as the baltic fleet were getting under weigh again. soon afterwards ponting appeared with a dog sledge and a cinematograph,--how anomalous it seemed--which "was up in time to catch the flying rearguard which came along in fine form, snatcher leading and being stopped every now and again--a wonderful little beast. christopher had given the usual trouble when harnessed, but was evidently subdued by the barrier surface. however, it was not thought advisable to halt him, and so the party fled through in the wake of the advance guard."[ ] immediately afterwards scott's party packed up. "good-bye and good luck," from ponting, a wave of the hand not holding in a frisky pony and we had left the last link with the hut. "the future is in the lap of the gods; i can think of nothing left undone to deserve success."[ ] the general scheme was to average miles ( . statute) a day from hut point to one ton depôt with the ponies lightly laden. from one ton to the gateway a daily average of miles ( statute) was necessary to carry twenty-four weekly units of food for four men each to the bottom of the glacier. this was the barrier stage of the journey, a distance of miles ( statute) as actually run on our sledge-meter. the twenty-four weekly units of food were to carry the polar party and two supporting parties forward to their farthest point, and back again to the bottom of the beardmore, where three more units were to be left in a depôt.[ ] all went well this first day on the barrier, and encouraging messages left on empty petrol drums told us that the motors were going well when they passed. but the next day we passed five petrol drums which had been dumped. this meant that there was trouble, and some miles from hut point we learned that the big end of the no. cylinder of day's motor had broken, and half a mile beyond we found the motor itself, drifted up with snow, and looking a mournful wreck. the next day's march (sunday, november , a.m.) brought us to corner camp. there were a few legs down crevasses during the day but nothing to worry about. from here we could see to the south an ominous mark in the snow which we hoped might not prove to be the second motor. it was: "the big end of no. cylinder had cracked, the machine otherwise in good order. evidently the engines are not fitted to working in this climate, a fact that should be certainly capable of correction. one thing is proved; the system of propulsion is altogether satisfactory."[ ] and again: "it is a disappointment. i had hoped better of the machines once they got away on the barrier surface."[ ] scott had set his heart upon the success of the motors. he had run them in norway and switzerland; and everything was done that care and forethought could suggest. at the back of his mind, i feel sure, was the wish to abolish the cruelty which the use of ponies and dogs necessarily entails. "a small measure of success will be enough to show their possibilities, their ability to revolutionize polar transport. seeing the machines at work to-day [leaving cape evans] and remembering that every defect so far shown is purely mechanical, it is impossible not to be convinced of their value. but the trifling mechanical defects and lack of experience show the risk of cutting out trials. a season of experiment with a small workshop at hand may be all that stands between success and failure."[ ] i do not believe that scott built high hopes on these motors: but it was a chance to help those who followed him. scott was always trying to do that. did they succeed or fail? they certainly did not help us much, the motor which travelled farthest drawing a heavy load to just beyond corner camp. but even so fifty statute miles is fifty miles, and that they did it at all was an enormous advance. the distance travelled included hard and soft surfaces, and we found later when the snow bridges fell in during the summer that this car had crossed safely some broad crevasses. also they worked in temperatures down to - ° fahr. all this was to the good, for no motor-driven machine had travelled on the barrier before. the general design seemed to be right, all that was now wanted was experience. as an experiment they were successful in the south, but scott never knew their true possibilities; for they were the direct ancestors of the 'tanks' in france. night-marching had its advantages and disadvantages. the ponies were pulling in the colder part of the day and resting in the warm, which was good. their coats dried well in the sun, and after a few days to get accustomed to the new conditions, they slept and fed in comparative comfort. on the other hand the pulling surface was undoubtedly better when the sun was high and the temperature warmer. taking one thing with another there was no doubt that night-marching was better for ponies, but we seldom if ever tried it man-hauling. [illustration: camp on the barrier--e. a. wilson, del.] just now there was an amazing difference between day and night conditions. at midnight one was making short work of everything, nursing fingers after doing up harness with minus temperatures and nasty cold winds: by supper time the next morning we were sitting on our sledges writing up our diaries or meteorological logs, and even dabbling our bare toes in the snow, but not for long! shades of darkness! how different all this was from what we had been through. my personal impression of this early summer sledging on the barrier was one of constant wonder at its comfort. one had forgotten that a tent could be warm and a sleeping-bag dry: so deep were the contrary impressions that only actual experience was convincing. "it is a sweltering day, the air breathless, the glare intense--one loses sight of the fact that the temperature is low [- °], one's mind seeks comparison in hot sunlit streets and scorching pavements, yet six hours ago my thumb was frost-bitten. all the inconveniences of frozen footwear and damp clothes and sleeping-bags have vanished entirely."[ ] we could not expect to get through this windy area of corner camp without some bad weather. the wind-blown surface improved, the ponies took their heavier loads with ease, but as we came to our next camp it was banking up to the s.e. and the breeze freshened almost immediately. we built pony walls hurriedly and by the time we had finished supper it was blowing force (a.m. november , camp ). there was a moderate gale with some drift all day which increased to force with more drift at night. it was impossible to march. the drift took off a bit the next morning, and meares and dimitri with the two dog-teams appeared and camped astern of us. this was according to previous plan by which the dog-teams were to start after us and catch us up, since they travelled faster than the ponies. "the snow and drift necessitated digging out ponies again and again to keep them well sheltered from the wind. the walls made a splendid lee, but some sledges at the extremities were buried altogether, and our tent being rather close to windward of our wall got the back eddy and was continually being snowed up above the door. after noon the snow ceased except for surface drift. snatcher knocked his section of the wall over, and jehu did so more than ever. all ponies looked pretty miserable, as in spite of the shelter they were bunged up, eyes and all, in drift which had become ice and could not be removed without considerable difficulty."[ ] towards evening it ceased drifting altogether, but a wind, force , kept up with disconcerting regularity. eventually atkinson's party got away at midnight. "castle rock is still visible, but will be closed by the north end of white island in the next march--then good-bye to the old landmarks for many a long day."[ ] the next day (november - ) "started at midnight and had a very pleasant march. truly sledging in such weather is great. mounts discovery and morning, which we gradually closed, looked fine in the general panorama of mountains. we are now nearly abreast the north end of the bluff. we all came up to camp together this morning: it looked like a meet of the hounds, and jehu ran away!!!"[ ] the next march was just the opposite. wind force to and falling snow. "the surface was very slippery in parts and on the hard sastrugi it was a case of falling or stumbling continually. the light got so bad that one might have been walking in the clouds for all that could be discerned, and yet it was only snowing slightly. the bluff became completely obscured, and the usual signs of a blizzard were accentuated. "at lunch camp scott packed up and followed us. we overhauled atkinson about ½ hours later, he having camped, and we were not sorry, as in addition to marching against a fresh southerly breeze the light brought a tremendous strain on the eyes in following tracks."[ ] a little more than eight miles for the day's total. we carried these depressing conditions for three more marches, that is till the morning of november . the surface was wretched, the weather horrid, the snow persistent, covering everything with soft downy flakes, inch upon inch, and mile upon mile. there are glimpses of despondency in the diaries. "if this should come as an exception, our luck will be truly awful. the camp is very silent and cheerless, signs that things are going awry."[ ] "the weather was horrid, overcast, gloomy, snowy. one's spirits became very low."[ ] "i expected these marches to be a little difficult, but not near so bad as to-day."[ ] indefinite conditions always tried scott most: positive disasters put him into more cheerful spirits than most. in the big gale coming south when the ship nearly sank, and when we lost one of the cherished motors through the sea-ice, his was one of the few cheerful faces i saw. even when the ship ran aground off cape evans he was not despondent. but this kind of thing irked him. bowers wrote: "the unpleasant weather and bad surface, and chinaman's indisposition, combined to make the outlook unpleasant, and on arrival [in camp] i was not surprised to find that scott had a grievance. he felt that in arranging the consumption of forage his own unit had not been favoured with the same reduction as ours, in fact accused me of putting upon his three horses to save my own. we went through the weights in detail after our meal, and, after a certain amount of argument, decided to carry on as we were going. i can quite understand his feelings, and after our experience of last year a bad day like this makes him fear our beasts are going to fail us. the talent [i.e. the doctors] examined chinaman, who begins to show signs of wear. poor ancient little beggar, he ought to be a pensioner instead of finishing his days on a job of this sort. jehu looks pretty rocky too, but seeing that we did not expect him to reach the glacier tongue, and that he has now done more than miles from cape evans, one really does not know what to expect of these creatures. certainly titus thinks, as he has always said, that they are the most unsuitable scrap-heap crowd of unfit creatures that could possibly be got together."[ ] "the weather was about as poisonous as one could wish; a fresh breeze and driving snow from the e. with an awful surface. the recently fallen snow thickly covered the ground with powdery stuff that the unfortunate ponies fairly wallowed in. if it was only ourselves to consider i should not mind a bit, but to see our best ponies being hit like this at the start is most distressing. a single march like that of last night must shorten their usefulness by days, and here we are a fortnight out, and barely one-third of the distance to the glacier covered, with every pony showing signs of wear. victor looks a lean and lanky beast compared with his condition two weeks ago."[ ] but the ponies began to go better; and it was about this time that jehu was styled the barrier wonder, and chinaman the thunderbolt. "our four ponies have suffered most," writes bowers. "i don't agree with titus that it is best to march them right through without a lunch camp. they were undoubtedly pretty tired, and worst of all did not go their feeds properly. it was a fine warm morning for them (nov. ); + °, our warmest temperature hitherto. in the afternoon it came on to snow in large flakes like one would get at home. i have never seen such snow down here before; it makes the surface very bad for the sledges. the ponies' manes and rugs were covered in little knots of ice." the next march (november - ) was rather better, though the going was very deep and heavy, and all the ponies were showing signs of wear and tear. this was followed by a delightfully warm day, and all the animals were standing drowsily in the sunshine. we could see the land far away behind us, the first sight of land we had had for many days. on november we reached one ton depôt, having travelled a hundred and thirty miles from hut point. the two sledges left standing were still upright, and the tattered remains of a flag flapped over the main cairn. in a salt tin lashed to the bamboo flag-pole was a note from lieutenant evans to say that he had gone on with the motor party five days before, and would continue man-hauling to ° ´ s. and await us there. "he has done something over miles in ½ days--exceedingly good going."[ ] we dug out the cairn, which we found just as we had left it except that there was a big tongue of drift, level with the top of the cairn to leeward, and running about yards to n.e., showing that the prevailing wind here is s.w. nine months before we had sprinkled some oats on the surface of the snow hoping to get a measurement of the accretion of snow during the winter. unfortunately we were unable to find the oats again, but other evidence went to show that the snow deposit was very small. a minimum thermometer which was lashed with great care to a framework registered - °. after the temperatures already experienced by us on the barrier during the winter and spring this was surprisingly high, especially as our minimum temperatures were taken under the sledge, which means that the thermometer is shaded from radiation, while this thermometer at one ton was left open to the sky. on the winter journey we found that a shaded thermometer registered - ° when an unshaded one registered - °, a difference of °. all the provisions left here were found to be in excellent condition. we then had a prolonged council of war. this meant that scott called bowers, and perhaps oates, into our tent after supper was finished in the morning. somehow these conferences were always rather serio-comic. on this occasion, as was usually the case, the question was ponies. it was decided to wait here one day and rest them, as there was ample food. the main discussion centred round the amount of forage to be taken on from here, while the state of the ponies, the amount they could pull and the distance they could go had to be taken into consideration. "oates thinks the ponies will get through, but that they have lost condition quicker than he expected. considering his usually pessimistic attitude this must be thought a hopeful view. personally i am much more hopeful. i think that a good many of the beasts are actually in better form than when they started, and that there is no need to be alarmed about the remainder, always excepting the weak ones which we have always regarded with doubt. well, we must wait and see how things go."[ ] the decision made was to take just enough food to get the ponies to the glacier, allowing for the killing of some of them before that date. it was obvious that jehu and chinaman could not go very much farther, and it was also necessary that ponies should be killed in order to feed the dogs. the two dog-teams were carrying about a week's pony food, but they were unable to advance more than a fortnight from one ton without killing ponies. this decision practically meant that scott abandoned the idea of taking ponies up the glacier. this was a great relief, for the crevassed state of the lower reaches of the glacier as described by shackleton led us to believe that the attempt was suicidal. all the winter our brains were exercised to try and devise some method by which the ponies could be driven from behind, and by which the connection between pony and sledge could be loosed if the pony fell into a crevasse, but i confess that there seemed little chance of this happening. from all we saw of the glacier i am convinced that there is no reasonable chance of getting ponies up it, and that dogs could only be driven down it if the way up was most carefully surveyed and kept on the return. i am sure that in this kind of uncertainty the mental strain on the leader of a party is less than that on his men. the leader knows quite well what he thinks worth while risking or not: in this case scott probably was always of the opinion that it would not be worth while taking ponies on to the glacier. the pony leaders, however, only knew that the possibility was ahead of them. i can remember now the relief with which we heard that it was not intended that wilson should take nobby, the fittest of our ponies, farther than the gateway. up to now christopher had lived up to his reputation, as the following extracts from bowers' diary will show: "three times we downed him, and he got up and threw us about, with all four of us hanging on like grim death. he nearly had me under him once; he seems fearfully strong, but it is a pity he wastes so much good energy.... christopher, as usual, was strapped on three legs and then got down on his knees. he gets more cunning each time, and if he does not succeed in biting or kicking one of us before long it won't be his fault. he finds the soft snow does not hurt his knees like the sea-ice, and so plunges about on them _ad lib_. one's finnesko are so slippery that it is difficult to exert full strength on him, and to-day he bowled oates over and got away altogether. fortunately the lashing on his fourth leg held fast, and we were able to secure him when he rejoined the other animals. finally he lay down, and thought he had defeated us, but we had the sledge connected up by that time, and as he got up we rushed him forward before he had time to kick over the traces.... dimitri came and gave us a hand with chris. three of us hung on to him while the other two connected up the sledge. we had a struggle for over twenty minutes, and he managed to tread on me, but no damage done.... got chris in by a dodge. titus did away with his back strap, and nearly had him away unaided before he realized that the hated sledge was fast to him. unfortunately he started off just too soon, and bolted with only one trace fast. this pivoted him to starboard, and he charged the line. i expected a mix-up, but he stopped at the wall between bones and snatcher, and we cast off and cleared sledge before trying again. by laying the traces down the side of the sledge instead of ahead we got him off his guard again, and he was away before he knew what had occurred.... we had a bad time with chris again. he remembered having been bluffed before, and could not be got near the sledge at all. three times he broke away, but fortunately he always ran back among the other ponies, and not out on to the barrier. finally we had to down him, and he was so tired with his recent struggles that after one abortive attempt we got him fast and away." meanwhile it was not so much the difficulties of sledging as the depressing blank conditions in which our march was so often made, that gave us such troubles as we had. the routine of a tent makes a lot of difference. scott's tent was a comfortable one to live in, and i was always glad when i was told to join it, and sorry to leave. he was himself extraordinarily quick, and no time was ever lost by his party in camping or breaking camp. he was most careful, some said over-careful but i do not think so, that everything should be neat and shipshape, and there was a recognized place for everything. on the depôt journey we were bidden to see that every particle of snow was beaten off our clothing and finnesko before entering the tent: if it was drifting we had to do this after entering and the snow was carefully cleared off the floor-cloth. afterwards each tent was supplied with a small brush with which to perform this office. in addition to other obvious advantages this materially helped to keep clothing, finnesko, and sleeping-bags dry, and thus prolong the life of furs. "after all is said and done," said wilson one day after supper, "the best sledger is the man who sees what has to be done, and does it--and says nothing about it." scott agreed. and if you were "sledging with the owner" you had to keep your eyes wide open for the little things which cropped up, and do them quickly, and say nothing about them. there is nothing so irritating as the man who is always coming in and informing all and sundry that he has repaired his sledge, or built a wall, or filled the cooker, or mended his socks. i moved into scott's tent for the first time in the middle of the depôt journey, and was enormously impressed by the comfort which a careful routine of this nature evoked. there was a homelike air about the tent at supper time, and, though a lunch camp in the middle of the night is always rather bleak, there was never anything slovenly. another thing which struck me even more forcibly was the cooking. we were of course on just the same ration as the tent from which i had come. i was hungry and said so. "bad cooking," said wilson shortly; and so it was. for in two or three days the sharpest edge was off my hunger. wilson and scott had learned many a cooking tip in the past, and, instead of the same old meal day by day, the weekly ration was so manoeuvred by a clever cook that it was seldom quite the same meal. sometimes pemmican plain, or thicker pemmican with some arrowroot mixed with it: at others we surrendered a biscuit and a half apiece and had a dry hoosh, i.e. biscuit fried in pemmican with a little water added, and a good big cup of cocoa to follow. dry hooshes also saved oil. there were cocoa and tea upon which to ring the changes, or better still 'teaco' which combined the stimulating qualities of tea with the food value of cocoa. then much could be done with the dessert-spoonful of raisins which was our daily whack. they were good soaked in the tea, but best perhaps in with the biscuits and pemmican as a dry hoosh. "you are going far to earn my undying gratitude, cherry," was a satisfied remark of scott one evening when, having saved, unbeknownst to my companions, some of their daily ration of cocoa, arrowroot, sugar and raisins, i made a "chocolate hoosh." but i am afraid he had indigestion next morning. there were meals when we had interesting little talks, as when i find in my diary that: "we had a jolly lunch meal, discussing authors. barrie, galsworthy and others are personal friends of scott. some one told max beerbohm that he was like captain scott, and immediately, so scott assured us, he grew a beard." but about three weeks out the topics of conversation became threadbare. from then onwards it was often that whole days passed without conversation beyond the routine camp ho! all ready? pack up. spell ho. the latter after some two hours' pulling. when man-hauling we used to start pulling immediately we had the tent down, the sledge packed and our harness over our bodies and ski on our feet. after about a quarter of an hour the effects of the marching would be felt in the warming of hands and feet and the consequent thawing of our mitts and finnesko. we then halted long enough for everybody to adjust their ski and clothing: then on, perhaps for two hours or more, before we halted again. since it had been decided to lighten the ponies' weights, we left at least lbs. of pony forage behind when we started from one ton on the night of november - on our first -mile march. this was a distinct saving, and instead of lbs. each with which the six stronger ponies left corner camp, they now pulled only lbs. jehu had only lbs. and chinaman lbs. the dog-teams had lbs. of pony food between them, and according to plan the two teams were to carry lbs. from one ton between them. these weights included the sledges, with straps and fittings, which weighed about lbs. summer seemed long in coming for we marched into a considerable breeze and the temperature was - °. oates and seaman evans had quite a crop of frost-bites. i pointed out to meares that his nose was gone; but he left it, saying that he had got tired of it, and it would thaw out by and by. the ponies were going better for their rest. the next day's march was over crusty snow with a layer of loose powdery snow at the top, and a temperature of - ° was chilly. towards the end of it scott got frightened that the ponies were not going as well as they should. another council of war was held, and it was decided that an average of thirteen miles a day must be done at all costs, and that another sack of forage should be dumped here, putting the ponies on short rations later, if necessary. oates agreed, but said the ponies were going better than he expected: that jehu and chinaman might go a week, and almost certainly would go three days. bowers was always against this dumping. meanwhile scott wrote: "it's touch and go whether we scrape up to the glacier; meanwhile we get along somehow."[ ] [illustration: parhelia--e. a. wilson, del.] as a result of one of christopher's tantrums bowers records that his sledge-meter was carried away this morning: "i took my sledge-meter into the tent after breakfast and rigged up a fancy lashing with raw hide thongs so as to give it the necessary play with security. a splendid parhelia exhibition was caused by the ice-crystals. round the sun was a ° halo [that is a halo ° from the sun's image], with four mock suns in rainbow colours, and outside this another halo in complete rainbow colours. above the sun were the arcs of two other circles touching these halos, and the arcs of the great all-round circle could be seen faintly on either side. below was a dome-shaped glare of white which contained an exaggerated mock sun, which was as dazzling as the sun himself. altogether a fine example of a pretty common phenomenon down here." and the next day: "we saw the party ahead in inverted mirage some distance above their heads." in the next three marches we covered our daily miles, for the most part without very great difficulty. but poor jehu was in a bad way, stopping every few hundred yards. it was a funereal business for the leaders of these crock ponies; and at this stage of the journey atkinson, wright and keohane had many more difficulties than most of us, and the success of their ponies was largely due to their patience and care. incidentally big icicles formed upon the ponies' noses during the march and chinaman used wright's windproof blouse as a handkerchief. during the last of these marches, that is on the morning of november , we saw a massive cairn ahead, and found there the motor party, consisting of lieutenant evans, day, lashly and hooper. the cairn was in ° ´, and under the name mount hooper formed our upper barrier depôt. we left there three s (summit) rations, two cases of emergency biscuits and two cases of oil, which constituted three weekly food units for the three parties which were to advance from the bottom of the beardmore glacier. this food was to take them back from ° ´ to one ton camp. we all camped for the night miles farther on: sixteen men, five tents, ten ponies, twenty-three dogs and thirteen sledges. the man-hauling party had been waiting for six days; and, having expected us before, were getting anxious about us. they declared that they were very hungry, and day, who was always long and thin, looked quite gaunt. some spare biscuits which we gave them from our tent were carried off with gratitude. the rest of us who were driving dogs or leading ponies still found our barrier ration satisfying. we had now been out three weeks and had travelled miles, and formed a very good idea as to what the ponies could do. the crocks had done wonderfully:--"we hope jehu will last three days; he will then be finished in any case and fed to the dogs. it is amusing to see meares looking eagerly for the chance of a feed for his animals; he has been expecting it daily. on the other hand, atkinson and oates are eager to get the poor animal beyond the point at which shackleton killed his first beast. reports on chinaman are very favourable, and it really looks as though the ponies are going to do what is hoped of them."[ ] from first to last nobby, who was rescued from the floe, was the strongest pony we had, and was now drawing a heavier load than any other pony by lbs. he was a well-shaped, contented kind of animal, misnamed a pony. indeed several of our beasts were too large to fit this description. christopher, of course, was wearing himself out quicker than most, but all of them had lost a lot of weight in spite of the fact that they had all the oats and oil-cake they could eat. bowers writes of his pony: "victor, my pony, has taken to leading the line, like his opposite number last season. he is a steady goer, and as gentle as a dear old sheep. i can hardly realize the strenuous times i had with him only a month ago, when it took about four of us to get him harnessed to a sledge, and two of us every time with all our strength to keep him from bolting when in it. even at the start of the journey he was as nearly unmanageable as any beast could be, and always liable to bolt from sheer excess of spirits. he is more sober now after three weeks of featureless barrier, but i think i am more fond of him than ever. he has lost his rotundity, like all the other horses, and is a long-legged, angular beast, very ugly as horses go, but still i would not change him for any other." the ponies were fed by their leaders at the lunch and supper halts, and by oates and bowers during the sleep halt about four hours before we marched. several of them developed a troublesome habit of swinging their nosebags off, some as soon as they were put on, others in their anxiety to reach the corn still left uneaten in the bottom of the bag. we had to lash their bags on to their headstalls. "victor got hold of his head rope yesterday, and devoured it: not because he is hungry, as he won't eat all his allowance even now."[ ] the original intention was that day and hooper should return from ° ´, but it was now decided that their unit of four should remain intact for a few days, and constitute a light man-hauling advance party to make the track. the weather was much more pleasant and we saw the sun most days, while i note only one temperature below - ° since leaving one ton. the ponies sank in a cruel distance some days, but we were certainly not overworking them and they had as much food as they could eat. we knew the grim part was to come, but we never realized how grim it was to be. from this northern barrier depôt the ponies were mostly drawing less than lbs. and we had hopes of getting through to the glacier without much difficulty. all depended on the weather, and just now it was glorious, and the ponies were going steadily together. jehu, the crockiest of the crocks, was led back along the track and shot on the evening of november , having reached a point at least miles beyond that where shackleton shot his first pony. when it is considered that it was doubtful whether he could start at all this must be conceded to have been a triumph of horse-management in which both oates and atkinson shared, though neither so much as jehu himself, for he must have had a good spirit to have dragged his poor body so far. "a year's care and good feeding, three weeks' work with good treatment, a reasonable load and a good ration, and then a painless end. if anybody can call that cruel i cannot either understand it or agree with them." thus bowers, who continues: "the midnight sun reflected from the snow has started to burn my face and lips. i smear them with hazeline before turning in, and find it a good thing. wearing goggles has absolutely prevented any recurrence of snow-blindness. captain scott says they make me see everything through rose-coloured spectacles." we said good-bye to day and hooper next morning, and they set their faces northwards and homewards.[ ] two-men parties on the barrier are not much fun. day had certainly done his best about the motors and they had helped us over a bad bit of initial surface. that night scott wrote: "only a few more marches to feel safe in getting to our goal."[ ] at the lunch halt on november , in lat. ° ´, we left our middle barrier depôt, containing one week's provisions for each returning unit as at mount hooper, a reduction of lbs. in our weights. the march that day was very trying. "it is always rather dismal work walking over the great snow plain when sky and surface merge in one pall of dead whiteness, but it is cheering to be in such good company with everything going on steadily and well."[ ] there was no doubt that the animals were tiring, and "a tired animal makes a tired man, i find."[ ] the next day (november ) was no better: "the most dismal start imaginable. thick as a hedge, snow falling and drifting with keen southerly wind."[ ] bowers notes: "we have now run down a whole degree of latitude without a fine day, or anything but clouds, mist, and driving snow from the south." we certainly did have some difficult marches, one of the worst effects of which was that we knew we must be making a winding course and we had to pick up our depôts on the return somehow. here is a typical bad morning from bowers' diary: "the first four miles of the march were utter misery for me, as victor, either through lassitude or because he did not like having to plug into the wind, went as slow as a funeral horse. the light was so bad that wearing goggles was most necessary, and the driving snow filled them up as fast as you cleared them. i dropped a long way astern of the cavalcade, could hardly see them at times through the snow, but the fear that victor, of all the beasts, should give out was like a nightmare. i have always been used to starting later than the others by a quarter of a mile, and catching them up. at the four-mile cairn i was about fed up to the neck with it, but i said very little as everybody was so disgusted with the weather and things in general that i saw that i was not the only one in tribulation. victor turned up trumps after that. he stepped out and led the line in his old place, and at a good swinging pace considering the surface, my temper and spirits improving at every step. in the afternoon he went splendidly again, and finished up by rolling in the snow when i had taken his harness off, a thing he has not done for ten or twelve days. it certainly does not look like exhaustion!" indeed these days we were fighting for our marches, and chinaman who was killed this night seemed well out of it. he reached a point less than miles from the glacier, though this was small comfort to him. stumbling and groping our way along as we had been during the last blizzard we were totally unprepared for the sight which met us during our next march on november . the great ramp of mountains which ran to the west of us, and would soon bar our way to the south, partly cleared: and right on top of us it seemed were the triple peaks of mount markham. after some miles of bleak, monotonous barrier it was a wonderful sight indeed. we camped at night in latitude ° ´ s., four miles beyond scott's previous farthest south in . then they had the best of luck in clear fine weather, which shackleton has also recorded at this stage of his southern journey. it is curious to see how depressed all our diaries become when this bad weather obtained, and how quickly we must have cheered up whenever the sun came out. there is no doubt that a similar effect was produced upon the ponies. truth to tell, the mental strain upon those responsible was very great in these early days, and there is little of outside interest to relieve the mind. the crystal surface which was an invisible carpet yesterday becomes a shining glorious sheet of many colours to-day: the irregularities which caused you so many falls are now quite clear and you step on or over them without a thought: and when there is added some of the most wonderful scenery in the world it is hard to recall in the enjoyment of the present how irritable and weary you felt only twenty hours ago. the whisper of the sledge, the hiss of the primus, the smell of the hoosh and the soft folds of your sleeping-bag: how jolly they can all be, and generally were. i would that i could once again around the cooker sit and hearken to its soft refrain and feel so jolly fit. instead of home-life's silken chains, the uneventful round, i long to be mid snow-swept plains, in harness, outward bound. with the pad, pad, pad, of fin'skoed feet, with two hundred pounds per man, not enough hoosh or biscuit to eat, well done, lads! up tent! outspan. (nelson in _the south polar times._) certainly as we skirted these mountains, range upon range, during the next two marches (november and december ), we felt we could have little cause for complaint. they brought us to lat. ° ´ s., and here we left our last depôt on the barrier, called the southern barrier depôt, with a week's ration for each returning party as usual. "the man food is enough for one week for each returning unit of four men, the next depôt beyond being the middle barrier depôt, miles north. as we ought easily to do over miles a week on the return journey, there is little likelihood of our having to go on short commons if all goes well."[ ] and this was what we all felt--until we found the polar party. this was our twenty-seventh camp, and we had been out a month. [illustration: the mountains which lie between the barrier and the plateau as seen on december , --from the drawings by dr. e. a. wilson, emery walker limited, collotypers.] it was important that we should have fine clear weather during the next few days when we should be approaching the land. on his previous southern journey scott had been prevented from reaching the range of mountains which ran along to our right by a huge chasm. this phenomenon is known to geologists as a shear crack and is formed by the movement of a glacier away from the land which bounds it. in this case a mass of many hundred miles of barrier has moved away from the mountains, and the disturbance is correspondingly great. shackleton has described how he approached the gateway, as he named the passage between mount hope and the mainland, by means of which he passed through on to the beardmore glacier. as he and his companions were exploring the way they came upon an enormous chasm, feet wide and feet deep, which barred their path. moving along to the right they found a place where the chasm was filled with snow, and here they crossed to the land some miles ahead. at our southern barrier depôt we reckoned we were some forty-four miles from this gateway and in three more marches we hoped to be camped under this land. christopher was shot at the depôt. he was the only pony who did not die instantaneously. perhaps oates was not so calm as usual, for chris was his own horse though such a brute. just as oates fired he moved, and charged into the camp with the bullet in his head. he was caught with difficulty, nearly giving keohane a bad bite, led back and finished. we were well rid of him: while he was strong he fought, and once the barrier had tamed him, as we were not able to do, he never pulled a fair load. he could have gone several more days, but there was not enough pony food to take all the animals forward. we began to wonder if we had done right to leave so much behind. each pony provided at least four days' food for the dog-teams, some of them more, and there was quite a lot of fat on them--even on jehu. this was comforting, as going to prove that their hardships were not too great. also we put the undercut into our own hoosh, and it was very good, though we had little oil to cook it. we had been starting later each night, in order that the transition from night to day marching might be gradual. for we intended to march by day when we started pulling up the glacier, and there were no ponies to rest when the sun was high. it may be said therefore that our next march was on december . before we started scott walked over to bowers. "i have come to a decision which will shock you." victor was to go at the end of the march, because pony food was running so short. birdie wrote at the end of the day:--he "did a splendid march and kept ahead all day, and as usual marched into camp first, pulling over lbs. easily. it seemed an awful pity to have to shoot a great strong animal, and it seemed like the irony of fate to me, as i had been downed for over-provisioning the ponies with needless excess of food, and the drastic reductions had been made against my strenuous opposition up to the last. it is poor satisfaction to me to know that i was right now that my horse is dead. good old victor! he has always had a biscuit out of my ration, and he ate his last before the bullet sent him to his rest. here ends my second horse in ° s., not quite so tragically as my first when the sea-ice broke up, but none the less i feel sorry for a beast that has been my constant companion and care for so long. he has done his share in our undertaking anyhow, and may i do my share as well when i get into harness myself. "the snow has started to fall over his bleak resting-place, and it looks like a blizzard. the outlook is dark, stormy and threatening." indeed it had been a dismal march into a blank white wall, and the ponies were sinking badly in the snow, leaving holes a full foot deep. the temperature was + ° and the flakes of snow melted when they lay on the dark colours of the tents and our furs. after building the pony walls water was running down our windproofs. i note "we are doing well on pony meat and go to bed very content." notwithstanding the fact that we could not do more than heat the meat by throwing it into the pemmican we found it sweet and good, though tough. the man-hauling party consisted of lieut. evans and lashly who had lost their motors, and atkinson and wright who had lost their ponies. they were really quite hungry by now, and most of us pretty well looked forward to our meals and kept a biscuit to eat in our bags if we could. the pony meat therefore came as a relief. i think we ought to have depôted more of it on the cairns. as it was, what we did not eat was given to the dogs. with some tins of extra oil and a depôted pony the polar party would probably have got home in safety. on december we roused out at . a.m. it was thick and snowy. as we breakfasted the blizzard started from the south-east, and was soon blowing force , a full gale, with heavy drift. "the strongest wind i have known here in summer."[ ] it was impossible to start, but we turned out and made up the pony walls in heavy drift, one of them being blown down three times. by . p.m. the sun was shining, and the land was clear. we started at , with what we thought was mount hope showing up ahead, but soon great snow-clouds were banking up and in two hours we were walking in a deep gloom which made it difficult to find the track made by the man-hauling party ahead. by the time we reached the cairn, which was always built at the end of the first four miles, it was blowing hard from the n.n.w. of all the unlikely quarters of the compass. bowers and scott were on ski. "i put on my windproof blouse and nosed out the track for two miles, when we suddenly came upon the tent of the leading party. they had camped owing to the difficulty of steering a course in such thick weather. the ponies, however, with the wind abaft the beam were going along splendidly, and scott thought it worth while to shove on. we therefore carried on another four miles, making ten in all, a good half march, before we camped. on ski it was simply ripping, except for the inability to see anything at all. with the wind behind, and the good sliding surface made by the wind-hardened snow, one fairly slithered along. camping was less pleasant as it was blowing a gale by that time. we are all in our bags again now, with a good hot meal inside one, and blow high or blow low one might be in a worse place than a reindeer bag."[ ] it was all right for the people on ski (and this in itself gave us a certain sense of grievance), but things had not been so easy with the ponies, who were sinking very deeply in places, while we ourselves were sinking well over our ankles. this day we began to cross the great undulations in the barrier, with the crests some mile apart, which here mark the approach to the land. we had built the walls to the north of the ponies on camping, because the wind was from that direction, but by breakfast on december it was blowing a thick blizzard from the south-east. we began to feel bewildered by these extraordinary weather changes, and not a little exasperated too. again we could not march, and again we had to dig out the sledges and ponies, and to move them all round to the other side of the walls which we had partly to rebuild. "oh for the simple man-hauling life!" was our thought, and "poor helpless beasts--this is no country for live stock." by this time we could not see the neighbouring tents for the drift. the situation was not improved by the fact that our tent doors, the tents having been pitched for the strong north wind then blowing, were now facing the blizzard, and sheets of snow entered with each individual. the man-hauling party came up just before the worst of the blizzard started. the dogs alone were comfortable, buried deep beneath the drifted snow. the sailors began to debate who was the jonah. they said he was the cameras. the great blizzard was brewing all about us. but at mid-day as though a curtain was rolled back, the thick snow fog cleared off, while at the same time the wind fell calm, and a great mountain appeared almost on the top of us. far away to the south-east we could distinguish, by looking very carefully, a break in the level barrier horizon--a new mountain which we reckoned must be at least in latitude ° and very high. towards it the ranges stretched away, peak upon peak, range upon range, as far as the eye could see. "the mountains surpassed anything i have ever seen: beside the least of these giants ben nevis would be a mere mound, and yet they are so immense as to dwarf each other. they are intersected at every turn with mighty glaciers and ice-falls and eternally ice-filled valleys that defy description. so clear was everything that every rock seemed to stand out, and the effect of the sun as he came round (between us and the mountains) was to make the scene still more beautiful."[ ] altogether we marched eleven miles this day, and camped right in front of the gateway, which we reckoned to be some thirteen miles away. we saw no crevasses but crossed ten or twelve very large undulations, and estimated that the dips between them were twelve to fifteen feet. mount hope was bigger than we expected, and beyond it, stretching out into the barrier as far as we could see, was a great white line of jagged edges, the chaos of pressure which this vast glacier makes as it flows into the comparatively stationary ice of the barrier. my own pony michael was shot after we came into camp. he was as attractive a little beast as we had. his light weight helped him on soft surfaces, but his small hoofs let him in farther than most and i notice in scott's diary that on november the ponies were sinking half-way to the hock, and michael once or twice almost to the hock itself. a highly strung, spirited animal, his off days took the form of fidgets, during which he would be constantly trying to stop and eat snow, and then rush forward to catch up the other ponies. life was a constant source of wonder to him, and no movement in the camp escaped his notice. before we had been long on the barrier he developed mischievous habits and became a rope eater and gnawer of other ponies' fringes, as we called the coloured tassels we hung over their eyes to ward off snow-blindness. however, he was by no means the only culprit, and he lost his own fringe to nobby quite early in the proceedings. it was not that he was hungry, for he never quite finished his own feed. at any rate he enjoyed the few weeks before he died, pricking up his ears and getting quite excited when anything happened, and the arrival of the dog-teams each morning after he had been tethered sent him to bed with much to dream of. and i must say his master dreamed pretty regularly too. michael was killed right in front of the gateway on december , just before the big blizzard, which, though we did not know it, was on the point of breaking upon us, and he was untying his cloth and chewing up everything he could reach to the last. "it was decided after we camped, and he had his feed already on: meares reported that he had no more food for the dogs. he walked away, and rolled in the snow on the way down, not having done so when we got in. he was just like a naughty child all the way, and pulled all out. he has been a good friend, and has a good record, ° ´ s. he was a bit done to-day: the blizzard had knocked him. gallant little michael!"[ ] as we got into our bags the mountain tops were fuzzy with drift. we wanted one clear day to get across the chasm: one short march and the ponies' task was done. their food was nearly finished. scott wrote that night: "we are practically through with the first stage of our journey."[ ] "tuesday, december . camp . noon. we awoke this morning to a raging howling blizzard. the blows we have had hitherto have lacked the very fine powdering snow, that especial feature of the blizzard. to-day we have it fully developed. after a minute or two in the open one is covered from head to foot. the temperature is high, so that what falls or drives against one sticks. the ponies--heads, tails, legs and all parts not protected by their rugs--are covered with ice; the animals are standing deep in snow, the sledges are almost covered, and huge drifts above the tents. we have had breakfast, rebuilt the walls, and are now again in our bags. one cannot see the next tent, let alone the land. what on earth does such weather mean at this time of year? it is more than our share of ill-fortune, i think, but the luck may turn yet.... " p.m. it has blown hard all day with quite the greatest snowfall i remember. the drifts about the tents are simply huge. the temperature was - ° this forenoon, and rose to + ° in the afternoon, at which time the snow melted as it fell on anything but the snow, and, as a consequence, there are pools of water on everything, the tents are wet through, also the wind-clothes, night-boots, etc.; water drips from the tent poles and door, lies on the floor-cloth, soaks the sleeping-bags, and makes everything pretty wretched. if a cold snap follows before we have had time to dry our things, we shall be mighty uncomfortable. yet after all it would be humorous enough if it were not for the seriousness of delay--we can't afford that, and it's real hard luck that it should come at such a time. the wind shows signs of easing down, but the temperature does not fall and the snow is as wet as ever, not promising signs of abatement. "wednesday, december . camp . noon. miserable, utterly miserable. we have camped in the 'slough of despond.' the tempest rages with unabated violence. the temperature has gone to + °; everything in the tent is soaking. people returning from the outside look exactly as though they had been in a heavy shower of rain. they drip pools on the floor-cloth. the snow is steadily climbing higher about walls, ponies, tents and sledges. the ponies look utterly desolate. oh! but this is too crushing, and we are only miles from the glacier. a hopeless feeling descends on one and is hard to fight off. what immense patience is needed for such occasions!"[ ] bowers describes the situation as follows: "it is blowing a blizzard such as one might expect to be driven at us by all the powers of darkness. it may be interesting to describe it, as it is my first experience of a really warm blizzard, and i hope to be troubled by cold ones only, or at least moderate ones only, in future as regards temperature. "when i swung the thermometer this morning i looked and looked again, but unmistakably the temperature was + °f., above freezing point (out of the sun's direct rays) for the first time since we came down here. what this means to us nobody can conceive. we try to treat it as a huge joke, but our wretched condition might be amusing to read of it later. we are wet through, our tents are wet, our bags which are our life to us and the objects of our greatest care, are wet; the poor ponies are soaked and shivering far more than they would be ordinarily in a temperature fifty degrees lower. our sledges--the parts that are dug out--are wet, our food is wet, everything on and around and about us is the same--wet as ourselves and our cold, clammy clothes. water trickles down the tent poles and only forms icicles in contact with the snow floor. the warmth of our bodies has formed a snow bath in the floor for each of us to lie in. this is a nice little catchwater for stray streams to run into before they freeze. this they cannot do while a warm human lies there, so they remain liquid and the accommodating bag mops them up. when we go out to do the duties of life, fill the cooker, etc., for the next meal, dig out or feed the ponies, or anything else, we are bunged up with snow. not the driving, sandlike snow we are used to, but great slushy flakes that run down in water immediately and stream off you. the drifts are tremendous, the rest of the show is indescribable. i feel most for the unfortunate animals and am thankful that poor old victor is spared this. i mended a pair of half mitts to-day, and we are having two meals instead of three. this idleness when one is simply jumping to go on is bad enough for most, but must be worse for captain scott. i feel glad that he has dr. bill (wilson) in his tent; there is something always so reassuring about bill, he comes out best in adversity."[ ] "thursday, december . camp . the storm continues and the situation is now serious. one small feed remains for the ponies after to-day, so that we must either march to-morrow or sacrifice the animals. that is not the worst; with the help of the dogs we could get on, without doubt. the serious part is that we have this morning started our summit rations--that is to say, the food calculated from the glacier depôt has been begun. the first supporting party can only go on a fortnight from this date and so forth."[ ] [illustration: a pony camp on the barrier] [illustration: the dog teams leaving the beardmore glacier] this day was just as warm, and wetter--much wetter. the temperature was + . °, and our bags were like sponges. the huge drifts had covered everything, including most of the tent, the pony walls and sledges. at intervals we dug our way out and dug up the wretched ponies, and got them on to the top again. "henceforward our full ration will be oz. biscuit, oz. pemmican, oz. butter, . oz. cocoa, . oz. sugar and . oz. tea. this is the summit ration, total . oz., with a little onion powder and salt. i am all for this: seaman evans and others are much regretting the loss of chocolate, raisins and cereals. for the first week up the glacier we are to go one biscuit short to provision meares on the way back. the motors depôted too much and meares has been brought on far farther than his orders were originally bringing him. originally he was to be back at hut point on december . the dogs, however, are getting all the horse that is good for them, and are very fit. he has to average miles a day going back. michael is well out of this: we are now eating him. he was in excellent condition and tastes very good, though tough."[ ] by this time there was little sleep left for us as we lay in our sleeping-bags. three days generally see these blizzards out, and we hoped much from friday, december . but when we breakfasted at a.m. (we were getting into day-marching routine) wind and snow were monotonously the same. the temperature rose to + . °. these temperatures and those recorded by meares on his way home must be a record for the interior of the barrier. so far as we were concerned it did not much matter now whether it was + ° or + °. things did look really gloomy that morning. but at noon there came a gleam of comfort. the wind dropped, and immediately we were out plunging about, always up to our knees in soft downy snow, and often much farther. first we shifted our tents, digging them up with the greatest care that the shovel might not tear them. the valances were encased in solid ice from the water which had run down. then we started to find our sledges which were about four feet down: they were dragged out, and everything on them was wringing wet. there was a gleam of sunshine, which soon gave place to snow and gloom, but we started to make experiments in haulage. four men on ski managed to move a sledge with four others sitting upon it. nobby was led out, but sank to his belly. as for the drifts i saw oates standing behind one, and only his head appeared, and this was all loose snow. "we are all sitting round now after some tea--it is much better than getting into the bags. i can hardly think that the ponies can pull on, but titus thinks they can pull to-morrow; all the food is finished, and what they have had to-day was only what they would not eat out of their last feed yesterday. it is a terrible end--driven to death on no more food, to be then cut up, poor devils. i have swopped the little minister with silas wright for dante's inferno!"[ ] the steady patter of the falling snow upon the tents was depressing as we turned in, but the temperature was below freezing. the next morning (saturday, december ) we turned out to a cloudy snowy day at . a.m. by . we had hauled the sledges some way out of the camp and started to lead out the ponies. "the horses could hardly move, sank up to their bellies, and finally lay down. they had to be driven, lashed on. it was a grim business."[ ] my impressions of that day are of groping our way, for bowers and i were pulling a light sledge ahead to make the track, through a vague white wall. first a confused crowd of men behind us gathered round the leading pony sledge, pushing it forward, the poor beast barely able to struggle out of the holes it made as it plunged forward. the others were induced to follow, and after a start had been made the regular man-hauling party went back to fetch their load. there was not one man there who would willingly have caused pain to a living thing. but what else was to be done--we could not leave our pony depôt in that bog. hour after hour we plugged on: and we dare not halt for lunch, we knew we could never start again. after crossing many waves huge pressure ridges suddenly showed themselves all round, and we got on to a steep rise with the coastal chasm on our right hand appearing as a great dip full of enormous pressure. scott was naturally worried about crevasses, and though we knew there was a way through, the finding of it in the gloom was most difficult. for two hours we zig-zagged about, getting forward it is true, but much bewildered, and once at any rate almost bogged. scott joined us, and we took off our ski so as to find the crevasses, and if possible a hard way through. every step we sank about fifteen inches, and often above our knees. meanwhile snatcher was saving the situation in snow-shoes, and led the line of ponies. snippets nearly fell back into a big crevasse, into which his hind quarters fell: but they managed to unharness him, and scramble him out. i do not know how long we had been going when scott decided to follow the chasm. we found a big dip with hard ice underneath, and it was probably here that we made the crossing: we could now see the ring of pressure behind us. almost it was decided to make the depôt here, but the ponies still plugged on in the most plucky way, though they had to be driven. scott settled to go as far as they could be induced to march, and they did wonderfully. we had never thought that they would go a mile: but painfully they marched for eleven hours without a long halt, and covered a distance which we then estimated at seven miles. but our sledge-meters were useless being clogged with the soft snow, and we afterwards came to believe the distance was not so great: probably not more than five. when we had reached a point some two miles from the top of the snow divide which fills the gateway we camped, thankful to rest, but more thankful still that we need drive those weary ponies no more. their rest was near. it was a horrid business, and the place was known as shambles camp. oates came up to scott as he stood in the shadow of mount hope. "well! i congratulate you, titus," said wilson. "and _i_ thank you, titus," said scott. and that was the end of the barrier stage. footnotes: [ ] taylor, with scott, _the silver lining_, pp. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] see pp. , - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] bowers. [ ] bowers. [ ] my own diary. [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] bowers. [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. , . [ ] bowers. [ ] a note to cape evans is as follows:--my dear simpson. this goes with day and hooper now returning. we are making fair progress and the ponies doing fairly well. i hope we shall get through to the glacier without difficulty, but to make sure i am carrying the dog-teams farther than i intended at first--the teams may be late returning, unfit for further work or non-existent....--r. scott. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] bowers. [ ] bowers. [ ] my own diary. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] ibid. chapter x the polar journey (_continued_) the southern journey involves the most important object of the expedition.... one cannot affect to be blind to the situation: the scientific public, as well as the more general public, will gauge the result of the scientific work of the expedition largely in accordance with the success or failure of the main object. with success all roads will be made easy, all work will receive its proper consideration. with failure even the most brilliant work may be neglected and forgotten, at least for a time.--scott. ii. the beardmore glacier the ponies had dragged twenty-four weekly units of food for four men to some five miles from the bottom of the glacier, but we were late. for some days we had been eating the summit ration, that is the food which should not have been touched until the glacier depôt had been laid, and we were still a day's run from the place where this was to be done: it was of course the result of the blizzard which no one could have expected in december, usually one of the two most settled months. still more serious was the deep snow which lay like down upon the surface, and into which we sank commonly to our knees, our sledges digging themselves in until the crosspieces were ploughing through the drift. shackleton had fine weather, and found blue ice in the bottom reaches of the glacier, and scott lamented what was unquestionably bad luck. it was noon of december before we had made the readjustments necessary for man-hauling. we left here pony meat for man and dog food, three ten-foot sledges, one twelve-foot sledge, and a good many oddments of clothing and pony gear. we started with three four-man teams, each pulling for these first few miles about lbs., as follows: (i) scott, wilson, oates, seaman evans: (ii) lieut. evans, atkinson, wright, lashly: (iii) bowers, cherry-garrard, crean, keohane. the team numbered (ii) had been man-hauling together some days, and two members of it, lieut. evans and lashly, had already been man-hauling since the breakdown of the second motor at corner camp; it was certainly not so fit as the other two. in addition to these three sledges the two dog-teams, which had been doing splendid work, were carrying lbs. of our weight as well as the provisions for the lower glacier depôt, weighing lbs. it began to look as if amundsen had chosen the right form of transport. the gateway is a gap in the mountains, a side door, as it were, to the great tumbled glacier. by lunch we were on the top of the divide, but it took six hours of the hardest hauling to cover the mile which formed the rise. as long as possible we stuck to ski, but we reached a point at which we could not move the sledges on ski: once we had taken them off we were up to our knees, and the sledges were ploughing the snow which would not support them. but our gear was drying in the bright sunshine, our bags were spread out at every opportunity, and the great jagged cliffs of red granite were welcome to the eyes after statute miles of snow. the gateway is filled by a giant snowdrift which has been formed between mount hope on our left and the mainland on our right. from shackleton's book we gathered that the beardmore was a very bad glacier indeed. once on the top of the divide we lunched, and we descended in the evening, camping at midnight on the edge of the glacier, which we found, as we had feared, covered with soft snow which was so deep as to give no indication whatever of the hard ice which shackleton found here. "we camped in considerable drift and a blizzard wind, which is still blowing, and i hope will go on, for every hour it is sweeping away inches of this soft powdery snow into which we have been sinking all day."[ ] before setting out on december we rigged up the lower glacier depôt, three weekly summit units of provisions, two cases of emergency biscuit which was the ration for three weekly units, and two cans of oil. these provisions were calculated to carry the three returning parties as far as the southern barrier depôt. we also left one can of spirit, used for lighting the primus, one bottle of medical brandy and certain spare and personal gear not required. on the sledges themselves we stowed eighteen weekly summit units, besides the three ready bags containing the ration for the current week, and the complement of biscuit, for this was ten cases in addition to the three boxes of biscuit which the three parties were using. then there were eighteen cans of oil, with two cans of lighting spirit and a little additional christmas fare which bowers had packed. every unit of food was worked out for four men for one week. [illustration: transit sketch for the lower glacier depÔt.--e. a. wilson, del. emery walker limited, collotypers.] during this time of deep snow the sledge-meters would not work and we were compelled to estimate the distance marched each day. "it has been a tremendous slog, but i think a most hopeful day. before starting it took us about two hours to make the depôt and then we got straight into the midst of the big pressure. the dogs, with ten cases of biscuit, came behind and pulled very well. we soon caught sight of a big boulder, and bill and i roped up and went over to it. it was a block of very coarse granite, nearly gneiss, with large crystals of quartz in it, rusty outside and quite pinkish when chipped, and with veins of quartz running through it. it was a vast thing to be carried along on the ice, and looked very typical of the rock round. instead of keeping under the great cliff where shackleton made his depôt, we steered for mount kyffin, that is towards the middle of the glacier, until lunch, when we had probably done about two or three miles. there was a crevasse wherever we went, but we managed to pull on ski and had no one down, and the deep snow saved the dogs."[ ] the dog-teams were certainly running very big risks that morning. they turned back after lunch, having been brought on far longer than had been originally intended, for, as i have said, they were to have been back at hut point before now, and their provision allowance would not allow of further advance. perhaps we rather overestimated the dogs' capacities when bowers wrote: "the dogs are wonderfully fit and will rush meares and dimitri back like the wind. i expect he will be nearly back by christmas, as they will do about thirty miles a day." but meares told us when we got back to the hut that the dogs had by no means had an easy journey home. now, however, "with a whirl and a rush they were off on the homeward trail. i could not see them (being snow-blind), but heard the familiar orders as the last of our animal transport left us."[ ] our difficulties during the next four days were increased by the snow-blindness of half the men. the evening we reached the glacier bowers wrote: "i am afraid i am going to pay dearly for not wearing goggles yesterday when piloting the ponies. my right eye has gone bung, and my left one is pretty dicky. if i am in for a dose of snow glare it will take three or four days to leave me, and i am afraid i am in the ditch this time. it is painful to look at this paper, and my eyes are fairly burning as if some one had thrown sand into them." and then: "i have missed my journal for four days, having been enduring the pains of hell with my eyes as well as doing the most back-breaking work i have ever come up against.... i was as blind as a bat, and so was keohane in my team. cherry pulled alongside me, with crean and keohane behind. by sticking plaster over my glasses except one small central spot i shut off most light and could see the points of my ski, but the glasses were always fogged with perspiration and my eyes kept on streaming water which cannot be wiped off on the march as a ski stick is held in each hand; and so heavy were our weights [we had now taken on the weights which had been on the dog sledges] that if any of the pair slacked a hand even, the sledge stopped. it was all we could do to keep the sledge moving for short spells of a few hundred yards, the whole concern sinking so deeply into the soft snow as to form a snow-plough. the starting was worse than pulling as it required from ten to fifteen desperate jerks on the harness to move the sledge at all." many others were also snowblind, caused partly by the strain of the last march of the ponies, partly by not having realized that now that we were day-marching the sun was more powerful and more precautions should be taken. the cocaine and zinc sulphate tablets which we had were excellent, but we also found that our tea leaves, which had been boiled twice and would otherwise have been thrown away, relieved the pain if tied into some cotton and kept pressed against the eyes. the tannic acid in the tea acted as an astringent. a snowblind man can see practically nothing anyhow and so he is not much worse off if a handkerchief is tied over his eyes. "_beardmore glacier._ just a tiny note to be taken back by the dogs. things are not so rosy as they might be, but we keep our spirits up and say the luck must turn. this is only to tell you that i find i can keep up with the rest as well as of old."[ ] [illustration: mount f. l. smith and the land to the north-west--e. a. wilson, del. emery walker limited, collotypers.] then for the first time we were left with our full loads of lbs. a sledge. even bowers asked scott whether he was going to try it without relaying. that night scott's diary runs: "it was a very anxious business when we started after lunch, about . . could we pull our full loads or not? my own party got away first, and, to my joy, i found we could make fairly good headway. every now and again the sledge sank in a soft patch, which brought us up, but we learned to treat such occasions with patience. we got sideways to the sledge and hauled it out, evans (p.o.) getting out of his ski to get better purchase. the great thing is to keep the sledge moving, and for an hour or more there were dozens of critical moments when it all but stopped, and not a few when it brought up altogether. the latter were very trying and tiring."[ ] altogether it was an encouraging day and we reckoned we had made seven miles. generally it was not scott's team which made the heaviest weather these days but on december they were in greater difficulties than any of us. it was indeed a gruelling day, for the surface was worse than ever and many men were snow-blind. after five hours' work in the morning we were about half a mile forward. we were in a sea of pressure, the waves coming at us from our starboard bow, the distance between the crests not being very great. we could not have advanced at all had it not been for our ski: "on foot one sinks to the knees, and if pulling on a sledge to half way between knee and thigh."[ ] on december , "the sledges sank in over twelve inches, and all the gear, as well as the thwartship pieces, were acting as breaks. the tugs and heaves we enjoyed, and the number of times we had to get out of our ski to upright the sledge, were trifles compared with the strenuous exertion of every muscle and nerve to keep the wretched drag from stopping when once under weigh; and then it would stick, and all the starting operations had to be gone through afresh. we did perhaps half a mile in the forenoon. anticipating a better surface in the afternoon we got a shock. teddy [evans] led off half an hour earlier to pilot a way, and captain scott tried some fake with his spare runners [he lashed them under the sledge to prevent the cross-pieces ploughing the snow] that involved about an hour's work. we had to continually turn our runners up to scrape the ice off them, for in these temperatures they are liable to get warm and melt the snow on them, and that freezes into knobs of ice which act like sandpaper or spikes on a pair of skates. we bust off second full of hope having done so well in the forenoon, but pride goeth [before a fall]. we stuck ten yards from the camp, and nine hours later found us little more than half a mile on. i have never seen a sledge sink so. i have never pulled so hard, or so nearly crushed my inside into my backbone by the everlasting jerking with all my strength on the canvas band round my unfortunate tummy. we were all in the same boat however. "i saw teddy struggling ahead and scott astern, but we were the worst off as the leading team had topped the rise and i was too blind to pick out a better trail. we fairly played ourselves out that time, and finally had to give it up and relay. halving the load we went forward about a mile with it, and, leaving that lot, went back for the remainder. so done were my team that we could do little more than pull the half loads. teddy's team did the same, and though scott's did not, we camped practically the same time, having gone over our distance three times. mount kyffin was still ahead of us to the left: we seemed as if we can never come up with it. to-morrow scott decided that if we could not move our full loads we would start relaying systematically. it was a most depressing outlook after such a day of strenuous labour."[ ] we got soaked with perspiration these days, though generally pulling in vest, pants, and windproof trousers only. directly we stopped we cooled quickly. two skuas appeared at lunch, attracted probably by the pony flesh below, but it was a long way from the sea for them to come. on thursday december , scott wrote: "indigestion and the soggy condition of my clothes kept me awake for some time last night, and the exceptional exercise gives bad attacks of cramp. our lips are getting raw and blistered. the eyes of the party are improving, i am glad to say. we are just starting our march with no very hopeful outlook." [illustration: mount elizabeth, mount anne and socks glacier--e. a. wilson, del. emery walker limited, collotypers.] but we slogged along with much better results. "once into the middle of the glacier we had been steering more or less for the cloudmaker and by supper to-day were well past mount kyffin and were about feet up after an estimated run of or statute miles. but the most cheering sign was that the blue ice was gradually coming nearer the surface; at lunch it was two feet down, and at our supper camp only one foot. in pitching our tent crean broke into a crevasse which ran about a foot in front of the door and there was another at scott's door. we threw an empty oil can down and it echoed for a terribly long time."[ ] we spent the morning of december crossing a maze of crevasses though they were well bridged; i believe all these lower reaches of the glacier are badly crevassed, but the thick snow and our ski kept us from tumbling in. there was a great deal of competition between the teams which was perhaps unavoidable but probably a pity. this day bowers' diary records, "did a splendid bust off on ski, leaving scott in the lurch, and eventually overhauling the party which had left some time before us. all the morning we kept up a steady, even swing which was quite a pleasure." but the same day scott wrote, "evans' is now decidedly the slowest unit, though bowers' is not much faster. we keep up and overhaul either without difficulty." bowers' team considered themselves quite good, but both teams were satisfied of their own superiority; as a matter of fact scott's was the faster, as it should have been for it was certainly the heavier of the two. "it was a very bad light all day, but after lunch it began to get worse, and by o'clock it was snowing hard and we could see nothing. we went on for nearly an hour, steering by the wind and any glimpse of sastrugi, and then, very reluctantly, scott camped. it looks better now. the surface is much harder and more wind-swept, and as a rule the ice is only six inches underneath. we are beginning to talk about christmas. we get very thirsty these days in the warm temperatures: we shall feel it farther up when the cold gets into our open pores and sunburnt hands and cracked lips. i am plastering some skin on mine to-night. our routine now is: turn out . , lunch , and camp at , and we get a short hours' sleep, but we are so dead tired we could sleep half into the next day: we get about ½ hours' march. tea at lunch a positive godsend. we are raising the land to the south well, and are about feet up, latitude about ° ´ s."[ ] the next day, december , bowers wrote: "we have had a really enjoyable day's march, except the latter end of the afternoon. at the outset in the forenoon my sledge was a bit in the lurch, and scott drew steadily away from us. i knew i could ordinarily hold my own with him, but for the first two hours we dropped till we were several hundred yards astern; try as i would to rally up my team we could gain nothing. on examining the runners however we soon discovered the cause by the presence of a thin film of ice. after that we ran easily. the thing one must avoid doing is to touch them with the hand or mitt, as anything damp will make ice on them. we usually turn the sledge on its side and scrape one runner at a time with the back of our knives so as to avoid any chance of cutting or chipping them. in the afternoon either the tea or the butter we had at lunch made us so strong that we fairly overran the other team."[ ] "we must push on all we can, for we are now days behind shackleton, all due to that wretched storm. so far, since we got among the disturbances we have not seen such alarming crevasses as i had expected; certainly dogs could have come up as far as this."[ ] [illustration: mount patrick--e. a. wilson, del.] "at lunch we could see big pressure ahead having done first over five miles. soon after lunch, having gone down a bit, we rose among very rough stuff. we plugged on until . , when ski became quite impossible, and we put them on the sledges and started on foot. we immediately began putting legs down: one step would be on blue ice and the next two feet down into snow: very hard going. the pressure ahead seemed to stretch right into a big glacier next the keltie glacier to the east, and so we altered course for a small bluff point about two-thirds of the way along the base of the cloudmaker. we were to camp at , but did not do so until about . , the last ½ hours in big pressure, crossing big and smaller waves, and hundreds of crevasses which one of us generally found. we are now camped in very big pressure, and with difficulty we found a patch big enough to pitch the tent free from crevasses. we are pretty well past the keltie glacier which is a vast tumbled mass: there is a long line of ice falls ahead, and i think there is a hard day ahead of us to-morrow among that pressure which must be enormous. we can't go farther inshore here, being under the north end of the cloudmaker, and a fine mountain it is, rising precipitously above us.[ ] "sunday, december . nearly miles. temp. . °. feet. we have had an exciting day--this morning was just like the scenic railway at earl's court. we got straight on to the big pressure waves, and headed for the humpy rock at the base of the cloudmaker. it was a hard plug up the waves, very often standing pulls, and all that we could do for a course was a very varied direction. going down the other side was the exciting part: all we could do was to set the sledge straight, hang on to the straps, give her a little push and rush down the slope, which was sometimes so sheer that the sledge was in the air. sometimes there was no chance to brake the sledge, and we all had to get on to the top, and we rushed down with the wind whistling in our ears. after three hours of this it levelled out again a bit, and we took the top of a wave, and ran south along it on blue ice: enormous pressure to our right, largely i think caused by the keltie glacier. then we ascended a rise, snowy and crevassed, and camped after doing just under five miles, with big pressure ahead."[ ] "in the afternoon we had a hard surface. scott started off at a great speed, teddy [evans] and i following. there was something wrong with my team or my sledge, as we had a desperate job to keep up at first. we did keep up all right, but were heartily glad when after about ½ hours scott stopped for a spell. i rearranged our harness, putting cherry and myself on the long span again, which we had temporarily discarded in the morning. we were both winded and felt wronged. the rearrangement was a success however, and the remainder of the march was a pleasure instead of a desperate struggle. it finished up on fields of blue rippled ice with sharp knife edges, and snow patches few and far between. we are all camped on a small snow patch in the middle of a pale blue rippled sea, about feet above sea level and past the cloudmaker, which means that we are half way up the glacier."[ ] we had done ½ miles (statute). the beardmore glacier is twice as large as the malaspina in alaska, which was the largest known glacier until shackleton discovered the beardmore. those who knew the ferrar glacier professed to find the beardmore unattractive, but to me at any rate it was grand. its very vastness, however, tends to dwarf its surroundings, and great tributary glaciers and tumbled ice-falls, which anywhere else would have aroused admiration, were almost unnoticed in a stream which stretched in places forty miles from bank to bank. it was only when the theodolite was levelled that we realized how vast were the mountains which surrounded us: one of which we reckoned to be well over twenty thousand feet in height, and many of the others must have approached that measurement. lieutenant evans and bowers were surveying whenever the opportunity offered, whilst wilson sat on the sledge or on his sleeping-bag, and sketched. before leaving on the morning of december we bagged off three half-weekly units and made a depôt marked by a red flag on a bamboo which was stuck into a small mound. unfortunately it began to snow in the night and no bearings were taken until the following morning when only the base of the mountains on the west side was visible. we knew we might have difficulty in picking up this depôt again, and certainly we all did. "it was thick, with low stratus clouds in the morning, and snow was falling in large crystals. our socks and finnesko, hung out to dry, were covered with most beautiful feathery crystals. in the warm weather one gets fairly saturated with perspiration on the march, and foot-gear is always wet, except the outside covering which is as a rule more or less frozen according to existing temperature. on camping at night i shift to night foot-gear as soon as ever the tent is pitched, and generally slip on my windproof blouse, as one cools down like smoke after the exertion of man-hauling a heavy sledge for hours. at lunch camp one's feet often get pretty cold, but this goes off as soon as some hot tea is got into the system. as a rule, even when snowing, one's socks, etc., will dry if there is a bit of a breeze. they are always frozen stiff in the morning and can best be thawed out by bundling the lot [under one's] jersey during breakfast. they can then be put on tolerably warm even if wet. "we started off on a hard rippled blue surface like a sea frozen intact while the wind was playing on it. it soon got worse and we had to have one and sometimes two hands back to keep the sledge from skidding. of course it was easy enough stuff to pull on, but the ground was very uneven, and sledges constantly capsized. it did not improve the runners either. there were few crevasses. "all day we went on in dull cloudy weather with hardly any land visible, and the glacier to be seen only for a short distance. in the afternoon the clouds lifted somewhat and showed us the adam mountains. the surface was better for the sledges but worse for us, as there were countless cracks and small crevasses, into which we constantly trod, barking our shins. as the afternoon sun came round the perspiration fairly streamed down, and it was impossible to keep goggles clear. the surface was so slippery and uneven that it was difficult to keep one's foothold. however we did ½ miles, and felt that we had really done a good day's work when we camped. it was not clear enough to survey in the evening, so i took the sledge-meter in hand and worked at it half the night to repair christopher's damage.[ ] i ended up by making a fixing of which i was very proud, but did not dare to look at the time, so i don't know how much sleep i missed. "there is no doubt that scott knows where to aim for in a glacier, as it was just here that shackleton had two or three of his worst days' work, in such a maze of crevasses that he said that often a slip meant death for the whole party. he avoids the sides of the glacier and goes nowhere near the snow: he often heads straight for apparent chaos and somehow, when we appear to have reached a cul-de-sac, we find it an open road."[ ] however, we all found the trouble on our way back. "on our right we have now a pretty good view of the adam, marshall and wild mountains, and their very curious horizontal stratification. wright has found, amongst bits of wind-blown débris, an undoubted bit of sandstone and a bit of black basalt. we must get to know more of the geology before leaving the glacier finally."[ ] december , + °. total height feet. "things are certainly looking up, seeing that we have risen feet, and marched to statute miles during the day, whereas shackleton's last march was statute. it was still thick when we turned out at . , but it soon cleared with a fresh southerly wind, and we could see buckley island and the land at the head of the glacier just rising. we started late for birdie wanted to get our sledge-meter dished up: it has been quite a job to-day getting it on, but it rode well this afternoon. we started over the same crevassed stuff, but soon got on to blue ice, and for two hours had a most pleasant pull, and then up a steepish rise sometimes on blue ice and sometimes on snow. after the pleasantest morning we have had, we completed ½ miles. [illustration: from mount deakin to mount kinsey--e. a. wilson, del. emery walker limited, collotypers.] "angles and observations were taken at lunch, and quite a lot of work was done. there is a general getting squared up with gear, for we know that those going on will not have many more days of warm temperatures. at one time to-day i think scott meant trying the right hand of the island or nunatak, but as we rose this was obviously impossible, for there is a huge mass of pressure coming down there. from here the dominion range also looks as if it were a nunatak. some of these mountains, which don't look very big, are huge (since the six thousand feet which we have risen have to be added on to them), and many of them are very grand indeed. the mill glacier is a vast thing, with big pressure across it. there also seems to be a big series of ice-falls between buckley island and the dominion range, for the centre of which scott is going to-morrow. a pretty hard plug this afternoon, but no disturbance, and gradually we have left the bare ice, and are mostly travelling on _névé_. much of the ice is white. i have been writing down angles and times for birdie, and writing this in the intervals. scott's heel is troubling him again. ['i have bad bruises on knee and thigh'],[ ] and generally there has been a run on the medical cases for chafes, and minor ailments. there is now a keen southerly wind blowing. it gets a little colder each day, and we are already beginning to feel it on our sunburnt faces and hands."[ ] of the crevasses met in the morning bowers wrote: "so far nobody has dropped down the length of his harness, as i did on the cape crozier journey. on this blue ice they are pretty conspicuous, and as they are mostly snow-bridged one is well advised to step over any line of snow. with my short legs this was strenuous work, especially as the weight of the sledge would often stop me with a jerk just before my leading foot quite cleared a crevasse, and the next minute one would be struggling out so as to keep the sledge on the move. it is fatal to stop the sledge as nobody waits for stragglers, and you have to pick up your lost ground by strenuous hurry. of course some one often gets so far down a hole that it is necessary to stop and help him out." december . "to-day has been a great march--over two miles an hour, and on the whole rising a lot. soon after starting we got on to the most beautiful icy surface, smooth except for cracks and only patches of snow, most of which we could avoid. we came along at a great rate. "the most interesting thing to see was that the mill glacier is not, as was supposed, a tributary, but probably is an outlet falling from this glacier, and a great size. however it was soon covered up with dense black cloud, and there were billows of cloud behind us and below. "at lunch birdie made the disastrous discovery that the registering dial of his sledge-meter was off. a screw had shaken out on the bumpy ice, and the clockwork had fallen off. this is serious for it means that one of the three returning parties will have to go without, and their navigation will be much more difficult. birdie is very upset, especially after all the trouble he has taken with it, and the hours which he has sat up. after lunch he and bill walked back near two miles in the tracks, but could not see it. it was then getting very thick, coming over from the north."[ ] "it appeared to be blizzing down the glacier, though clear to the south. the northerly wind drove up a back-draught of snow, and very soon fogged us completely. however we found our way back to camp by the crampon tracks on the blue ice and then packed up to leave."[ ] "we started, making a course to hit the east side of the island where there seems to be the only break in the ice-falls which stretch right across. the weather lifted, and we are now camped with the island just to our right, the long strata of coal showing plainly in it, and just in front of us is this steep bit up through the falls. we have done nearly statute miles to-day, pulling lbs. a man. "this evening has been rather a shock. as i was getting my finnesko on to the top of my ski beyond the tent scott came up to me, and said that he was afraid he had rather a blow for me. of course i knew what he was going to say, but could hardly grasp that i was going back--to-morrow night. the returning party is to be atch, silas, keohane and self. [illustration: night camp. buckley island--december , ] "scott was very put about, said he had been thinking a lot about it but had come to the conclusion that the seamen with their special knowledge, would be needed: to rebuild the sledge, i suppose. wilson told me it was a toss-up whether titus or i should go on: that being so i think titus will help him more than i can. i said all i could think of--he seemed so cut up about it, saying 'i think, somehow, it is specially hard on you.' i said i hoped i had not disappointed him, and he caught hold of me and said 'no--no--no,' so if that is the case all is well. he told me that at the bottom of the glacier he was hardly expecting to go on himself: i don't know what the trouble is, but his foot is troubling him, and also, i think, indigestion."[ ] scott just says in his diary, "i dreaded this necessity of choosing--nothing could be more heartrending." and then he goes on to sum up the situation, "i calculated our programme to start from ° ´ with units of food and eight men. we ought to be in this position to-morrow night, less one day's food. after all our harassing trouble one cannot but be satisfied with such a prospect."[ ] december . upper glacier depôt. "started off with a nippy s.wly. wind in our faces, but bright sunshine. one's nose and lips being chapped and much skinned with alternate heat and cold, a breeze in the face is absolute agony until you warm up. this does not take long, however, when pulling a sledge, so after the first quarter of an hour more or less one is comfortable unless the wind is very strong. "we made towards the only place where it seemed possible to cross the mass of pressure ice caused by the junction of the plateau with the glacier, and congested between the nunatak [buckley island] and the dominion range. scott had considered at one time going up to westward of the nunatak, but this appeared more chaotic than the other side. we made for a slope close to the end of the island or nunatak, where shackleton must have got up also; it is obviously the only place when you look at it from a commanding rise. we did not go quite so close to the land as shackleton did, and therefore, as had been the case with us all the way up the glacier, found less difficulties than he met with. scott is quite wonderful in his selections of route, as we have escaped excessive dangers and difficulties all along. in this case we had fairly good going, but got into a perfect mass of crevasses into which we all continually fell; mostly one foot, but often two, and occasionally we went down altogether, some to the length of their harness to be hauled out with the alpine rope. most of them could be seen by the strip of snow on the blue ice. they were often too wide to jump though, and the only thing was to plant your feet on the bridge and try not to tread heavily. as a rule the centre of a bridged crevasse is the safest place, the rotten places are at the edges. we had to go over dozens by hopping right on to the bridge and then over on to the ice. it is a bit of a jar when it gives way under you, but the friendly harness is made to trust one's life to. the lord only knows how deep these vast chasms go down, they seem to extend into blue black nothingness thousands of feet below. "before reaching the rise we had to go up and down many steep slopes, and on the one side the sledges were overrunning us, and on the other it fairly took the juice out of you to reach the top. we saw the stratification on the nunatak which shackleton supposed to be coal: there was also much sandstone and red granite. i should like to have scratched round these rocks: we may get a chance on our return journey. as we topped each rise we found another one beyond it, and so on. "about noon some clouds settled in a fog round us, and being fairly in a trough of crevasses we could not get on. fortunately we found a snow patch to pitch the tents on, but even there were crevasses under us. however, we enjoyed a hearty lunch, and i improved the shining hour by preparing my rations for the upper glacier depôt. "at p.m. it cleared, and mount darwin, a nunatak to the s.w. of the others, could be seen. this we made for, and some two miles on exchanged blue ice for the new snow which was much harder pulling. scott was fairly wound up, and he went on and on. every rise topped seemed to fire him with a desire to top the next, and every rise had another beyond and above it. we camped at p.m., all pretty weary, having come up nearly feet, and done over eleven miles in a s.w. direction. we were south of mount darwin in ° ´ s., and our corrected altitude proved to be feet above the barrier. i worked up till a very late hour getting the depôt stores ready, and also weighing out and arranging allowances for the returning party, and arranging the stores and distribution of weights of the two parties going on. the temperature was down to zero to-day, the lowest it has been for some time this summer weather."[ ] "there is a very mournful air to-night--those going on and those turning back. bill came in while i was cooking, to say good-bye. he told me he fully expected to come back with the next party: that he could see scott was going to take on the strongest fellows, perhaps three seamen. it would be a great disappointment if bill did not go on."[ ] we gave away any gear which we could spare to those going on, and i find the following in my diary: "i have been trying to give away my spare gear where it may be most acceptable: finnesko to birdie, pyjama trousers to bill, and a bag of baccy for bill to give scott on christmas day, some baccy to titus, jaeger socks and half my scarf to crean, and a bit of handkerchief to birdie. very tired to-night." scott wrote: "we are struggling on, considering all things against odds. the weather is a constant anxiety, otherwise arrangements are working exactly as planned. "here we are practically on the summit and up to date in the provision line. we ought to get through."[ ] footnotes: [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] bowers. [ ] scott. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] bowers. [ ] my own diary. [ ] ibid. [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] ibid. [ ] bowers. [ ] see p. . [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] bowers. [ ] my own diary. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. - . [ ] bowers. [ ] my own diary. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . chapter xi the polar journey (_continued_) people, perhaps, still exist who believe that it is of no importance to explore the unknown polar regions. this, of course, shows ignorance. it is hardly necessary to mention here of what scientific importance it is that these regions should be thoroughly explored. the history of the human race is a continual struggle from darkness towards light. it is, therefore, to no purpose to discuss the use of knowledge; man wants to know, and when he ceases to do so, he is no longer man.--nansen. iii. the plateau from mount darwin to lat. ° ´ s. _first sledge_ _second sledge_ scott lieut. evans wilson bowers oates lashly seaman evans crean for the first week on the plateau bowers wrote a full diary, which i give below. after december there are little more than fragmentary notes until january , the day the party started to return from the pole. from then until january , he wrote fully; nothing after that until january , followed by more fragments to "february rd (i suppose)." that is the last entry he made. but this is not surprising, even in a man of bowers' energy. the time a man can give to writing under such conditions is limited, and bowers had a great deal of it to do before he could think of a diary--the meteorological log; sights for position as well as rating sights for time; and all the routine work of weights, provisions and depôts. he wrote no diary at the pole, but he made a very full meteorological report while there in addition to working out sights. the wonder is that he kept a diary at all. * * * * * _from bowers' diary_ december . _midsummer day._ we have had a brilliant day with a temperature about zero and no wind, altogether charming conditions. i rigged up the upper glacier depôt after breakfast. we depôted two half-weekly units for return of the two parties, also all crampons and glacier gear, such as ice-axes, crowbar, spare alpine rope, etc., personal gear, medical, and in fact everything we could dispense with. i left my old finnesko, wind trousers and some other spare gear in a bag for going back. the two advance parties' weights amounted to lbs. per man. they consisted of the permanent weights, twelve weeks' food and oil, spare sledge runners, etc. we said good-bye and sent back messages and photo films with the first returning party, which consisted of atch, cherry, silas and keohane. it was quite touching saying farewell to our good pals--they wished us luck, and cherry, atch and silas quite overwhelmed me. we went forward, the owner's team as before consisting of dr. bill, titus and [seaman] evans, and [lieut.] teddy evans and lashly coming over to my sledge and tent to join up with crean and myself. we all left the depôt cairn marked with two spare -feet sledge runners and a large black flag on one. our morning march was not so long as usual owing to making up the depôt, but we did five miles uphill, hauling our heavier loads more easily than the lighter ones yesterday. a fall in the temperature had improved the surface. we had also sandpapered our runners after the tearing up they had had on the glacier; this made a tremendous difference. the afternoon march brought our total up to . miles for the day on a s.w. course. we are steering s.w. with a view to avoiding ice-falls which shackleton met with. we came across very few crevasses; the few we found were as broad as a street, and crossing them the whole party, sledge and all, would be on the bridge at once. they only gave way at the edges, and we did nothing worse than put our feet through now and then. the surface is all snow now, névé and hard sastrugi, which seem to point to a strong prevalent s.s.e. wind here. we are well clear of the land now, and it is a beautiful evening. i have just taken six photographs of the dominion range. we can see many new mountains. our position by observation is ° ´ " s., ° ´ " e., variation being ° ´. december . turned out at usual time, . a.m. i am cook this week in our tent. after breakfast built two cairns to mark spot and shoved off at quarter to eight. we started up a big slope on a s.w. course to avoid the pressure which lay across our track to the southward. it was a pretty useful slog up the rise, at one time it seemed as if we would never top the slope. we stopped for five minutes to look round after ½ hours' hard plugging and about ½ hours later reached the top, from which we could see the distant mountains which have so recently been our companions. they are beginning to look pretty magnificent. the top of the great pressure ridge was running roughly s.e. and n.w.: it was one of a succession of ridges which probably cover an area of fifty or sixty square miles. in this neighbourhood shackleton met them almost to ½° south. at the top of the ridge were vast crevasses into which we could have dropped the terra nova easily. the bridges were firm, however, except at the sides, though we had frequent stumbles into the conservatory roof, so to speak. the sledges were rushed over them without mishap. we had to head farther west to clear disturbances, and at one time were going w.n.w. at lunch camp we had done ½ miles, and in the afternoon we completed fifteen on a s.w. course over improved ground. our routine is to actually haul our sledges for nine hours a day; five in the morning, . a.m. till p.m.; and four in the afternoon, . p.m.- . p.m. we turn out at . a.m. just now. the loads are still pretty heavy, but the surface is remarkably good considering all things. one gets pretty weary towards the end of the day; all my muscles have had their turn at being [stiffened] up. these hills are giving my back ones a reminder, but they will ache less to-morrow and finally cease to do so, as is the case with legs, etc., which had their turn first. december . _christmas eve._ we started off heading due south this morning, as we are many miles to the westward of shackleton's course and should if anywhere be clear of the ice-falls and pressure. of course no mortals having been here, one can only conjecture; as a matter of fact, we found later in the day that we were not clear by any means, and had to do a bit of dodging about to avoid disturbances, as well as mount vast ridges with the tops of them a chaos of crevasses. the tops are pretty hard ice-snow, over which the sledges run easily; it is quite a holiday after slogging up the slopes on the softer surface with our heavy loads, which amount to over lbs. per man. we mark our night camp by two cairns and our lunch camp by single ones. it is doubtful, however, among these ridges, if we will ever pick them up again, and it does not really matter, as we have excellent land for the upper glacier depôt. we completed fourteen miles and turned in as usual pretty tired. december . _christmas day._ a strange and strenuous christmas for me, with plenty of snow to look at and very little else. the breeze that had blown in our faces all yesterday blew more freshly to-day, with surface drift. it fairly nipped one's nose and face starting off--until one got warmed up. we had to pull in wind blouses, as though one's body kept warm enough on the march the arms got numbed with the penetrating wind no matter how vigorously they were swung. another thing is that one cannot stop the team on the march to get clothes on and off, so it is better to go the whole hog and be too hot than cause delays. we had the addition of a little pony meat for breakfast to celebrate the day. i am the cook of our tent this week. we steered south again and struck our friends the crevasses and climbed ridges again. about the middle of the morning we were all falling in continually, but lashly in my team had the worst drop. he fell to the length of his harness and the trace. i was glad that having noticed his rope rather worn, i had given him a new one a few days before. he jerked crean and me off our feet backwards, and crean's harness being jammed under the sledge, which was half across an eight-feet bridge, he could do nothing. i was a little afraid of sledge and all going down, but fortunately the crevasse ran diagonally. we could not see lashly, for a great overhanging piece of ice was over him. teddy evans and i cleared crean and we all three got lashly up with the alpine rope cut into the snow sides which overhung the hole. we then got the sledge into safety. to-day is lashly's birthday; he is married and has a family; is years of age, and due for his pension from the service. he is as strong as most and is an undefeated old sportsman. being a chief stoker, r.n., his original job was charge of one of the ill-fated motor sledges. [the following is lashly's own account: "christmas day and a good one. we have done miles over a very changing surface. first of all it was very much crevassed and pretty rotten; we were often in difficulties as to which way we should tackle it. i had the misfortune to drop clean through, but was stopped with a jerk when at the end of my harness. it was not of course a very nice sensation, especially on christmas day, and being my birthday as well. while spinning round in space like i was it took me a few seconds to gather together my thoughts and see what kind of a place i was in. it certainly was not a fairy's place. when i had collected myself i heard some one calling from above, 'are you all right, lashly?' i was all right it is true, but i did not care to be dangling in the air on a piece of rope, especially when i looked round and saw what kind of a place it was. it seemed about feet deep and feet wide, and feet long. this information i had ample time to gain while dangling there. i could measure the width with my ski sticks, as i had them on my wrists. it seemed a long time before i saw the rope come down alongside me with a bowline in it for me to put my foot in and get dragged out. it was not a job i should care to have to go through often, as by being in the crevasse i had got cold and a bit frost-bitten on the hands and face, which made it more difficult for me to help myself. anyhow mr. evans, bowers and crean hauled me out and crean wished me many happy returns of the day, and of course i thanked him politely and the others laughed, but all were pleased i was not hurt bar a bit of a shake. it was funny although they called to the other team to stop they did not hear, but went trudging on and did not know until they looked round just in time to see me arrive on top again. they then waited for us to come up with them. the captain asked if i was all right and could go on again, which i could honestly say 'yes' to, and at night when we stopped for dinner i felt i could do two dinners in. anyhow we had a pretty good tuck-in. dinner consisted of pemmican, biscuits, chocolate éclair, pony meat, plum pudding and crystallized ginger and four caramels each. we none of us could hardly move."[ ]] we had done over eight miles at lunch. i had managed to scrape together from the barrier rations enough extra food to allow us a stick of chocolate each for lunch, with two spoonfuls of raisins each in our tea. in the afternoon we got clear of crevasses pretty soon, but towards the end of the afternoon captain scott got fairly wound up and went on and on. the breeze died down and my breath kept fogging my glasses, and our windproofs got oppressively warm and altogether things were pretty rotten. at last he stopped and we found we had done ¾ miles. he said, "what about fifteen miles for christmas day?" so we gladly went on--anything definite is better than indefinite trudging. we had a great feed which i had kept hidden and out of the official weights since our departure from winter quarters. it consisted of a good fat hoosh with pony meat and ground biscuit; a chocolate hoosh made of water, cocoa, sugar, biscuit, raisins, and thickened with a spoonful of arrowroot. (this is the most satisfying stuff imaginable.) then came ½ square inches of plum-duff each, and a good mug of cocoa washed down the whole. in addition to this we had four caramels each and four squares of crystallized ginger. i positively could not eat all mine, and turned in feeling as if i had made a beast of myself. i wrote up my journal--in fact i should have liked somebody to put me to bed. december . we have seen many new ranges of mountains extending to the s.e. of the dominion range. they are very distant, however, and must evidently be the top of those bounding the barrier. they could only be seen from the tops of the ridges as waves up which we are continually mounting. our height yesterday morning by hypsometer was feet. that is our last hypsometer record, as i had the misfortune to break the thermometer. the hypsometer was one of my chief delights, and nobody could have been more disgusted than myself at its breaking. however, we have the aneroid to check the height. we are going gradually up and up. as one would expect, a considerable amount of lassitude was felt over breakfast after our feed last night. the last thing on earth i wanted to do was to ship the harness round my poor tummy when we started. as usual a stiff breeze from the south and a temperature of - ° blew in our faces. strange to say, however, we don't get frost-bitten. i suppose it is the open-air life. i could not tell if i had a frost-bite on my face now, as it is all scales, so are my lips and nose. a considerable amount of red hair is endeavouring to cover up matters. we crossed several ridges, and after the effects of over-feeding had worn off did a pretty good march of thirteen miles. [no more christmas days, so no more big hooshes.[ ]] december . there is something the matter with our sledge or our team, as we have an awful slog to keep up with the others. i asked dr. bill and he said their sledge ran very easily. ours is nothing but a desperate drag with constant rallies to keep up. we certainly manage to do so, but i am sure we cannot keep this up for long. we are all pretty well done up to-night after doing . miles. our salvation is on the summits of the ridges, where hard névé and sastrugi obtain, and we skip over this slippery stuff and make up lost ground easily. in soft snow the other team draw steadily ahead, and it is fairly heart-breaking to know you are putting your life out hour after hour while they go along with little apparent effort. december . the last few days have been absolutely cloudless, with unbroken sunshine for twenty-four hours. it sounds very nice, but the temperature never comes above zero and what shackleton called "the pitiless increasing wind" of the great plateau continues to blow at all times from the south. it never ceases, and all night it whistles round the tents, all day it blows in our faces. sometimes it is s.s.e., or s.e. to s., and sometimes even s. to w., but always southerly, chiefly accompanied by low drift which at night forms quite a deposit round the sledges. we expected this wind, so we must not growl at getting it. it will be great fun sailing the sledges back before it. as far as weather is concerned we have had remarkably fine days up here on this limitless snow plain. i should like to know what there is beneath us--mountains and valleys simply levelled off to the top with ice? we constantly come across disturbances which i can only imagine are caused by the peaks of ice-covered mountains, and no doubt some of the ice-falls and crevasses are accountable to the same source. our coming west has not cleared them, as we have seen more disturbances to the west, many miles away. however, they are getting less and less, and are now nothing but featureless rises with apparently no crevasses. our first two hours' pulling to-day.... * * * * * _from lashly's diary_ december , . a nasty head wind all day and low drift which accumulates in patches and makes it the deuce of a job to get along. we have got to put in long days to do the distance. december , . sledges going heavy, surface and wind the same as yesterday. we depôted our ski to-night, that is the party returning _to-morrow_, when we march in the forenoon and camp to change our sledge runners into feet. done miles but a bit stiff. december , . after doing miles we camped and done the sledges which took us until p.m., and we had to dig out to get them done by then, made a depôt and saw the old year out and the new year in. we all wondered where we should be next new year. it was so still and quiet; the weather was dull and overcast all night, in fact we have not seen much of the sun lately; it would be so nice if we could sometimes get a glimpse of it, the sun is always cheering. january . _new year's day._ we pushed on as usual, but were rather late getting away, . --something unusual for us to be as late. the temperature and wind is still very troublesome. we are now ahead of shackleton's dates and have passed the th parallel, so it is only miles to the pole. january , . the dragging is still very heavy and we seem to be always climbing higher. we are now over , feet above sea level. it makes it bad as we don't get enough heat in our food and the tea is not strong enough to run out of the pot. everything gets cold so quickly, the water boils at about ° f. * * * * * scott's own diary of this first fortnight on the plateau shows the immense shove of the man: he was getting every inch out of the miles, every ounce out of his companions. also he was in a hurry, he always was. that blizzard which had delayed him just before the gateway, and the resulting surfaces which had delayed him in the lower reaches of the glacier! one can feel the averages running through his brain: so many miles to-day: so many more to-morrow. when shall we come to an end of this pressure? can we go straight or must we go more west? and then the great undulating waves with troughs eight miles wide, and the buried mountains, causing whirlpools in the ice--how immense, and how annoying. the monotonous march: the necessity to keep the mind concentrated to steer amongst disturbances: the relief of a steady plod when the disturbances cease for a time: then more pressure and more crevasses. always slog on, slog on. always a fraction of a mile more.... on december he writes, "we have caught up shackleton's dates."[ ] they made wonderful marches, averaging nearly fifteen statute miles ( geog.) a day for the whole-day marches until the second return party turned back on january . scott writes on december , "it seems astonishing to be disappointed with a march of (statute) miles when i had contemplated doing little more than with full loads."[ ] the last returning party came back with the news that scott must reach the pole with the greatest ease. this seemed almost a certainty: and yet it was, as we know now, a false impression. scott's plans were based on shackleton's averages over the same country. the blizzard came and put him badly behind: but despite this he caught shackleton up. no doubt the general idea then was that scott was going to have a much easier time than he had expected. we certainly did not realize then, and i do not think scott himself had any notion of, the price which had been paid. of the three teams of four men each which started from the bottom of the beardmore, scott's team was a very long way the strongest: it was the team which, with one addition, went to the pole. lieutenant evans' team had mostly done a lot of man-hauling already: it was hungry and i think a bit stale. bowers' team was fresh and managed to keep up for the most part, but it was very done at the end of the day. scott's own team went along with comparative ease. from the top of the glacier two teams went on during the last fortnight of which we have been speaking. the first of them was scott's unit complete, just as it had pulled up the glacier. the second team consisted, i believe, of the men whom scott considered to be the strongest; two from evans' team, and two from bowers'. all scott's team were fresh to the extent that they had done no man-hauling until we started up the glacier. but two of the other team, lieutenant evans and lashly, had been man-hauling since the breakdown of the second motor on november . they had man-hauled four hundred statute miles farther than the rest. indeed lashly's man-hauling journey from corner camp to beyond ° ´ s., and back, is one of the great feats of polar travelling. surely and not very slowly, scott's team began to wear down the other team. they were going easily when the others were making heavy weather and were sometimes far behind. during the fortnight they rose, according to the corrected observations, from feet (upper glacier depôt) to feet above sea level (three degree depôt). the rarefied air of the plateau with its cold winds and lower temperatures, just now about - ° to - ° at night and - ° during the day, were having their effect on the second team, as well as the forced marches. this is quite clear from scott's diary, and from the other diaries also. what did not appear until after the last returning party had turned homewards was that the first team was getting worn out too. this team which had gone so strong up the glacier, which had done those amazingly good marches on the plateau, broke up unexpectedly and in some respects rapidly from the th parallel onwards. seaman evans was the first man to crack. he was the heaviest, largest, most muscular man we had, and that was probably one of the main reasons: for his allowance of food was the same as the others. but one mishap which contributed to his collapse seems to have happened during this first fortnight on the plateau. on december the -feet sledges were turned into -feet ones by stripping off the old scratched runners which had come up the glacier and shipping new -feet ones which had been brought for the purpose. this job was done by the seamen, and evans appears to have had some accident to his hand, which is mentioned several times afterwards. meanwhile scott had to decide whom he was going to take on with him to the pole,--for it was becoming clear that in all probability he _would_ reach the pole: "what castles one builds now hopefully that the pole is ours," he wrote the day after the supporting party left him. the final advance to the pole was, according to plan, to have been made by four men. we were organized in four-man units: our rations were made up for four men for a week: our tents held four men: our cookers held four mugs, four pannikins and four spoons. four days before the supporting party turned, scott ordered the second sledge of four men to depôt their ski. it is clear, i suppose, that at this time he meant the polar party to consist of four men. i think there can be no doubt that he meant one of those men to be himself: "for your own ear also, i am exceedingly fit and can go with the best of them," he wrote from the top of the glacier.[ ] he changed his mind and went forward a party of five: scott, wilson, bowers, oates and seaman evans. i am sure he wished to take as many men as possible to the pole. he sent three men back: lieutenant evans in charge, and two seamen, lashly and crean. it is the vivid story of those three men, who turned on january in latitude ° ´, which is told by lashly in the next chapter. scott wrote home: "a last note from a hopeful position. i think it's going to be all right. we have a fine party going forward and arrangements are all going well."[ ] ten months afterwards we found their bodies. footnotes: [ ] lashly's diary. [ ] lashly's diary. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . chapter xii the polar journey (_continued_) the devil. and these are the creatures in whom you discover what you call a life force! don juan. yes; for now comes the most surprising part of the whole business. the statue. what's that? don juan. why, that you can make any of these cowards brave by simply putting an idea into his head. the statue. stuff! as an old soldier i admit the cowardice: it's as universal as sea sickness, and matters just as little. but that about putting an idea into a man's head is stuff and nonsense. in a battle all you need to make you fight is a little hot blood and the knowledge that it's more dangerous to lose than to win. don juan. that is perhaps why battles are so useless. but men never really overcome fear until they imagine they are fighting to further a universal purpose--fighting for an idea, as they call it. bernard shaw, _man and superman._ iv. returning parties two dog teams (meares and dimitri) turned back from the bottom of the beardmore glacier on december , . they reached hut point on january , . first supporting party (atkinson, cherry-garrard, wright, keohane) turned back in lat. ° ´ on december , . they reached hut point january , . last supporting party (lieut. evans, lashly, crean) turned back in lat. ° ´ on january , . they reached hut point february , . of the three teams which started up the beardmore glacier the first to return, a fortnight after starting the summit rations, was known as the first supporting party: the second to return, a month after starting the summit rations, was known as the last supporting party. of the two dog-teams under meares, which had already turned homewards at the bottom of the glacier after having been brought forward farther than had been intended, i will speak later.[ ] i am going to say very little about the first return party, which consisted of atkinson, wright, keohane and myself. atkinson was in command, and before we left scott told him to bring the dog-teams out to meet the polar party if, as seemed likely, meares returned home. atkinson is a naval surgeon and you will find this party referred to in lashly's diary as "the doctor's." "it was a sad job saying good-bye. it was thick, snowing and drifting clouds when we started back after making the depôt, and the last we saw of them as we swung the sledge north was a black dot just disappearing over the next ridge and a big white pressure wave ahead of them.... scott said some nice things when we said good-bye. anyway he has only to average seven miles a day to get to the pole on full rations--it's practically a cert for him. i do hope he takes bill and birdie. the view over the ice-falls and pressure by the mill glacier from the top of the ice-falls is one of the finest things i have ever seen. atch is doing us proud."[ ] no five hundred mile journey down the beardmore and across the barrier can be uneventful, even in midsummer. we had the same dreary drag, the same thick weather, fears and anxieties which other parties have had. a touch of the same dysentery and sickness: the same tumbles and crevasses: the same christmas comforts, a layer of plum pudding at the bottom of our cocoa, and some rocks collected from a moraine under the cloudmaker: the same groping for tracks: the same cairns lost and found, the same snow-blindness and weariness, nightmares, food dreams.... why repeat? comparatively speaking it was a very little journey: and yet the distance from cape evans to the top of the beardmore glacier and back is statute miles. scott's southern journey of - was statute miles. one day only is worth recalling. we got into the same big pressure above the cloudmaker which both the other parties experienced. but where the other two parties made east to get out of it, we went west at wright's suggestion: west was right. the day really lives in my memory because of the troubles of keohane. he fell into crevasses to the full length of his harness eight times in twenty-five minutes. little wonder he looked a bit dazed. and atkinson went down into one chasm head foremost: the worst crevasse fall i've ever seen. but luckily the shoulder straps of his harness stood the strain and we pulled him up little the worse. all three parties off the plateau owed a good deal to meares, who, on his return with the two dog-teams, built up the cairns which had been obliterated by the big blizzard of december - . the ponies' walls were drifted level with the surface, and meares himself had an anxious time finding his way home. the dog tracks also helped us a good deal: the dogs were sinking deeply and making heavy weather of it. [illustration: adams mountains] [illustration: cherry-garrard. keohane. atkinson--first return party] at the barrier depôts we found rather despondent notes from meares about his progress. to the southern barrier depôt he had uncomfortably high temperatures and a very soft surface, and found the cairns drifted up and hard to see. at the middle barrier depôt we found a note from him dated december . "thick weather and blizzards had delayed him, and once he had got right off the tracks and had been out from his camp hunting for them. they were quite well: a little eye strain from searching for cairns. he was taking a little butter from each bag [of the three depôted weekly units], and with this would have enough to the next depôt on short rations."[ ] at the upper glacier depôt [mount hooper] the news from meares was dated christmas eve, in the evening: "the dogs were going slowly but steadily in very soft stuff, especially his last two days. he was running short of food, having only biscuit crumbs, tea, some cornflour, and half a cup of pemmican. he was therefore taking fifty biscuits, and a day's provisions for two men from each of our units. he had killed one american dog some camps back: if he killed more he was going to kill krisravitza who he said was the fattest and laziest. we shall take on thirty biscuits short."[ ] meares was to have turned homewards with the two dog-teams in lat. ° ´. scott took him on to approximately ° ´. the dogs had the ponies on which to feed: to make up the deficiency of man-food we went one biscuit a day short when going up the beardmore: but the dogs went back slower than was estimated and his provisions were insufficient. it was evident that the dog-teams would arrive too late and be too done to take out the food which had still to be sledged to one ton for the three parties returning from the plateau. it was uncertain whether a man-hauling party with such of this food as they could drag would arrive at the depôt before us.[ ] we might have to travel the geographical miles from one ton to hut point on the little food which was already at that depôt and we were saving food by going on short rations to meet this contingency if it arose. judge therefore our joy when we reached one ton in the evening of january to find three of the five xs rations which were necessary for the three parties. a man-hauling party consisting of day, nelson, hooper and clissold had brought out this food; they left a note saying the crevasses near corner camp were bad and open. day and hooper had reached cape evans from the barrier[ ] on december : they started out again on this depôt-laying trip on december . it is a common experience for men who have been hungry to be ill after reaching plenty of food. atkinson was not at all well during our journey in to hut point, which we reached without difficulty on january . when i was looking for data concerning the return of the last supporting party of which no account has been published, i wrote to lashly and asked him to meet and tell me all he could remember. he was very willing, and added that somewhere or other he had a diary which he had written: perhaps it might be of use? i asked him to send it me, and was sent some dirty thumbed sheets of paper. and this is what i read: _ rd january ._ very heavy going to-day. this will be our last night together, as we are to return to-morrow after going on in the forenoon with the party chosen for the pole, that is capt. scott, dr. wilson, capt. oates, lieut. bowers and taff evans. the captain said he was satisfied we were all in good condition, fit to do the journey, but only so many could go on, so it was his wish mr. evans, crean and myself should return. he was quite aware we should have a very stiff job, but we told him we did not mind that, providing he thought they could reach the pole with the assistance we had been able to give them. the first time i have heard we were having mules coming down to assist us next year. i was offering to remain at hut point, to be there if any help was needed, but the captain said it was his and also capt. oates' wish if the mules arrived i was to take charge of and look after them until their return; but if they did not arrive there was no reason why i should not come to hut point and wait their return. we had a long talk with the owner [scott] in our tent about things in general and he seemed pretty confident of success. he seemed a bit afraid of us getting hung up, but as he said we had a splendid navigator, who he was sure he could trust to pull us through. he also thanked us all heartily for the way we had assisted in the journey and he should be sorry when we parted. we are of course taking the mail, but what a time before we get back to send it. we are nearly as far as shackleton was on his journey. i shall not write more to-night, it is too cold. _ th january ._ we accompanied the pole party for about five miles and everything seemed to be going pretty well and capt. scott said they felt confident they could pull the load quite well, so there was no more need for us to go on farther; so we stopped and did all the talking we could in a short time. we wished them every success and a safe return, and asked each one if there was anything we could do for them when we got back, but they were all satisfied they had left nothing undone, so the time came for the last handshake and good-bye. i think we all felt it very much. they then wished us a speedy return and safe, and then they moved off. we gave them three cheers, and watched them for a while until we began to feel cold. then we turned and started for home. we soon lost sight of each other. we travelled a long time so as to make the best of it while the weather was suitable, as we have to keep up a good pace on the food allowance. it wont do to lay up much. one thing since we left mt. darwin, we have had weather we could travel in, although we have not seen the sun much of late. we did miles as near as we can guess by the cairns we have passed. we have not got a sledge meter so shall have to go by guess all the way home. [owing to the loss of a sledge meter on the beardmore glacier one of the three parties had to return without one. a sledge meter gives the navigator his dead reckoning, indicating the miles travelled, like the log of a ship. to be deprived of it in a wilderness of snow without landmarks adds enormously to the difficulties and anxieties of a sledge party.] _ th january ._ we were up and off this morning, the weather being fine but the surface is about the same, the temperature keeps low. we have got to change our pulling billets. crean has become snow-blind to-day through being leader, so i shall have the job to-morrow, as mr. evans seems to get blind rather quickly, so if i lead and he directs me from behind we ought to get along pretty well. i hope my eyes will keep alright. we made good miles and camped. _ th january ._ we are making good progress on the surface we have to contend with. we picked up the degree depôt soon after noon, which puts us up to time. we took our provision for a week. we have got to reach mt. darwin depôt, a distance of miles, with days' provisions. we picked up our ski and camped for the night. we have been wondering if the others have got the same wind as us. if so it is right in their face, whereas it is at our back, a treat to what it is facing it. crean's eyes are pretty bad to-night. snow-blindness is an awful complaint, and no one i can assure you looks forward with pleasure when it begins to attack. _ th january ._ we have had a very good day as far as travelling goes, the wind has been behind us and is a great help to us. we have been on ski all day for the first time. it seems a good change to footing it, the one thing day after day gets on one's nerves. crean's eyes are a bit better to-day, but far from being well. the temperature is pretty low, which dont improve the surface for hauling, but we seem to be getting along pretty well. we have no sledge meter so we have to go by guess. mr. evans says we done ½ miles, but i say ½. i am not going to over-estimate our day's run, as i am taking charge of the biscuits so that we dont over-step the mark. this we have all agreed to so that we should exactly know how we stand, from day to day. i am still leading, not very nice as the light is bad. we caught a glimpse of the land to the east of us, but could only have been a mirage. _ th january ._ on turning out this morning we found it was blowing a bliz. so it was almost a case of having to remain in camp, but on second thoughts we thought it best to kick off as we cant afford to lay up on account of food, so thought it best to push on. i wonder if the pole party have experienced this. if so they could not travel as it would be in their face, where we have got it at our back. we have lost the outward bound track, so have decided to make a straight line to mt. darwin, which will be on shackleton's course according to his and wild's diary. [each of the three parties which went forward up the beardmore glacier carried extracts from the above diaries. wild was shackleton's right-hand man in his southern journey in .] _ th january ._ travelling is very difficult, bad light and still blizzing; it would have been impossible to keep in touch with the cairns in this weather. i am giving miles to-night. the weather have moderated a bit and looks a bit more promising. can see land at times. _ th january ._ the light is still very bad, with a good deal of drift, but we must push on as we are a long way from our depôt, but we hope to reach it before our provisions run out. i am keeping a good eye on them. crean's eyes have got alright again now. _ th january ._ things are a bit better to-day. could see the land alright and where to steer for. it is so nice to have something to look at, but i am thinking we shall all have our work cut out to reach the depôt before our provisions run short. i am deducting a small portion each meal so that we shall not have to go without altogether if we don't bring up at the proper time. have done about miles. _ th january ._ the day has been full of adventure. at first we got into some very rough stuff, with plenty of crevasses. had to get rid of the ski and put our thinking cap on, as we had not got under way long before we were at the top of some ice-falls; these probably are what shackleton spoke of. we could see it meant a descent of / feet, or make a big circuit, which meant a lot of time and a big delay, and this we cant afford just now, so we decided on the descent into the valley. this proved a difficult task, as we had no crampons, having left them at mt. darwin depôt; but we managed after a time by getting hold of the sledge each side and allowing her to run into a big lump of pressure which was we knew a risky thing to do. it took us up to lunch time to reach the valley, where we camped for lunch, where we all felt greatly relieved, having accomplished the thing safely, no damage to ourselves or the sledge, but we lost one of crean's ski sticks. some of the crevasses we crossed were to feet wide, but well bridged in the centre, but the edges were very dangerous indeed. this is where the snow and ice begins to roll down the glacier. after starting on our way again we found we had to climb the hill. things dont look very nice ahead again to-night. we dont seem to be more than a day's run from the depôt, but it will surprise me if we reach it by to-morrow night; if not we shall have to go on short rations, as our supply is nearly run out, and we have not lost any time, but we knew on starting we had to average ½ miles per day to reach it in time. _ th january ._ this has been a very bad day for us, what with ice-falls and crevasses. we feel all full up to-night. the strain is tremendous some days. we are camped, but not at the depôt, but we hope to pick it up some time to-morrow. we shall be glad to get off the summit, as the temperature is very low. we expected the party would have reached the pole yesterday, providing they had anything of luck. [scott reached the pole on january .] _ th january ._ sunday, we reached the mt. darwin depôt at p.m. and camped for lunch. we had just enough now for our meal; this is cutting it a bit fine. we have now taken our ½ days' allowance, which has got to take us another miles to the cloudmaker depôt. this we shall do if we all keep as fit as we seem just now. we left a note at the depôt to inform the captain of our safe arrival, wishing them the best of a journey home. we are quite cheerful here to-night, after having put things right at the depôt, where we found the sugar exposed to the sun; it had commenced to melt, but we put everything alright before we left, and picked up our crampons and got away as soon as we could. we know there is not much time to spare. we are now beginning to descend rapidly. to-night it is quite warm, and our tea and food is warmer. things are going pretty favourable. we are looking forward to making good runs down the glacier. we have had some very heavy dragging lately [up] the sharp rises we found on the outward journey. after a sharp rise we found a long gradual run down, two and three miles in length. we noticed this on our outward journey and remarked on it, but coming back the long uphill drag we found out was pretty heavy work. _ th january ._ had a good run to-day but the ice was very rough and very much crevassed, but with crampons on we made splendid progress. we did not like to stop, but we thought it would not be advisable to overdo our strength as it is a long way to go yet. _ th january ._ we made good headway again to-day, but to-night we camped in some very rough ice and pressure ridges. we are under the impression we are slightly out of our proper course, but mr. evans thinks we cant be very far out either way, and crean and i are of the same opinion according to the marks on the land. anyhow we hope to get out of it in the morning and make the cloudmaker depôt by night. we shall then feel safe, but the weather dont look over promising again to-night, i am thinking. so far we have not had to stop for weather. we have wondered if the pole party have been as lucky with the weather as we have. they ought by now to be homeward bound. we have more chance now of writing as the temperature is much better down here. to-night we have been discussing how the dogs got home, and also the progress made by the doctor's [atkinson] party. they ought to be nearing home. we have thought of the time it will take us to reach it at the rate we are getting along now. _ th january ._ we have to-day experienced what we none of us ever wants to be our lot again. i cannot describe the maze we got into and the hairbreadth escapes we have had to pass through to-day. this day we shall remember all our lives. the more we tried to get clear the worse the pressure got; at times it seemed almost impossible for us to get along, and when we had got over the places it was more than we could face to try and retreat; so we struggled on for hours to try and free ourselves, but everything seemed against us. i was leading with a long trace so that i could get across some of the ridges when we thought it possible to get the sledge over without being dashed down into the fathomless pits each side of us which were too numerous to think of. often and often we saw openings where it was possible to drop the biggest ship afloat in and loose her. this is what we have travelled over all day. it has been a great strain on us all, and mr. evans is rather down and thinks he has led us into such a hole, but as we have told him it is no fault of his, as it is impossible for anyone coming down the glacier to see what is ahead of them, so we must be thankful that we are so far safe. to-night we seem to be in a better place. we have camped not being able to reach the depôt, which we are certain is not far off. dont want many days like this. [illustration: below the cloudmaker] _ th january ._ we started off all in good spirits trusting we should be able to reach the depôt all in good time, but we had not got far before we came into pressure far worse than we were in yesterday. my god! what a day this have been for us all. i cannot describe what we really have to-day come through, no one could believe that we came through with safety, if we had only had a camera we could have obtained some photographs that would have surprised anyone living. we travelled all day with very little food, as we are a day and a half overdue, but when we got clear, i can say "clear" now because i am dotting down this at the depôt where we have arrived. i had managed to keep behind just a small amount of biscuit and a drop of tea to liven us up to try and reach the depôt, which we reached at p.m. after one of the most trying days of my life. shall have reason to never forget the and of january, . to-night mr. evans is complaining of his eyes, more trouble ahead! _ th january ._ after putting the depôt in order and re-arranging things, we kicked off again for d. [lower glacier] depôt. mr. evans' eyes were very bad on starting this morning, but we made a pretty good start. i picked some rock to-day which i intend to try and get back with, as it is the only chance we have had of getting any up to the present, and it seemed a funny thing: the rock i got some pieces of looked as if someone before me had been chipping some off. i wonder if it was the doctor's party, but we could not see any trace of their sledge, but we could account for that, as it was all blue ice and not likely to leave any marks behind. after travelling for some distance we got on the same ridge as we ran along on the outward journey and passed what we took to be the doctor's xmas camp. we had not gone far past before we got into soft snow, so we decided to camp for lunch. mr. evans' eyes being very bad indeed, we are travelling now on our own, i am leading and telling him the course i am steering, that is the different marks on the mountains, but we shall keep on this ridge for some distance yet. after lunch to-day we did not proceed far before we decided to camp, the surface being so bad and mr. evans' eyes so bad, we thought it would do us all good to have a rest. last night we left a note for capt. scott, but did not say much about our difficulties just above the cloudmaker, as it would be better to tell him when we see him. _ th january ._ we did not get away very smart to-day, but as we found the surface very soft, we decided to go on ski. mr. evans is still suffering with his eyes and badly, after getting his ski on we tied him on to the trace so that he could help to drag a bit, when we were troubling about the ridges we came over on our outward journey, but strange to say we never encountered any ridges at all and the surface, although very soft, was the best i have ever sledged over ever since i have been at it. we fancied on our left or to the west we saw what we took to be the ridges what we seem to have missed altogether, although mr. evans have been blind and could not see anything at all we have made splendid progress and covered at least miles, as near as we can guess. we passed to-day one of the doctor's homeward bound camps, and kept on their track for some time, but finally lost it. we are camped to-night and we all feel confident we shall, if the weather remains good, reach the depôt to-morrow night. _ st january ._ sunday: we started off as usual, again on ski, the weather again being favourable. mr. evans' eyes is still bad, but improving. it will be a good job when they are better. i picked up our outward bound course soon after we started this morning and asked mr. evans if i should try and keep it, as it will save him the trouble of directing me, and another thing we came out without going through any crevasses and i have noticed a good many crevasses to-day what seems to be very dangerous ones, and on two occasions where our sledges [on the outward journey] had gone over, two of the crevasses had fallen through. we accomplished the journey from the cloudmaker to this depôt in three days. we all feel quite proud of our performance. mr. evans is a lot better to-night and old tom is giving us a song while he is covering up the tent with snow. we have re-arranged the depôt and left our usual note for capt. scott, wishing them a speedy return. to-morrow we hope to see and reach the barrier, and be clear of the beardmore for ever. we none of us minds the struggle we have been through to attain the amount of success so far reached. it is all for the good of science, as crean says. we reached the depôt at . p.m. [illustration: from mount kyffin to mount patrick--e. a. wilson, del. emery walker limited, collotypers.] _ nd january ._ we made a good start this morning and mr. evans' eyes is got pretty well alright again, so things looks a bit brighter. after starting we soon got round the corner from the granite pillars to between the mainland and mt. hope, on rising up on the slope between the mountain and the mainland, as soon as we sighted the barrier, crean let go one huge yell enough to frighten the ponies out of their graves of snow, and no more beardmore for me after this. when we began to descend on to the barrier it only required one of us to drag the sledge down to within a mile of the pony and sledge depôt, after exchanging our sledge as arranged, picking up a small amount of pony meat, and fitted up bamboo for mast so that we shall be able to fix up a sail when favourable, we proceeded on our way to cross the barrier. we have now miles to travel geographically to get to hut point. mr. evans complained to me while outside the tent that he had a stiffness at the back of his legs behind the knees. i asked him what he thought it was, and he said could not account for it, so if he dont soon get rid of it i am to have a look and see if anything is the matter with him, as i know from what i have seen and been told before the symptoms of scurvy is pains and swelling behind the knee round the ankle and loosening of the teeth, ulcerated gums. to-night i watched to see his gums, and i am convinced he is on the point of something anyhow, and this i have spoken to crean about, but he dont seem to realise it. but i have asked him to wait developments for a time. it seems we are in for more trouble now, but lets hope for the best. _ rd january ._ we got away pretty well and did a good journey, having covered about miles over a fairly good surface. we have passed the blizzard camp and glad of it too, again to-day we saw in several places where the bridges on the crevasses had fallen through. a good job they none of them fell through when we were going over them as the width would have taken all through with them, and in every case where they had fallen through was where we had gone over, as the mark of the sledge was very distinct in each case. mr. evans seems better to-day. _ th january ._ did a good run to-day over a good surface. the weather have been very warm, not much to write to-night as everything is going well. _ th january ._ started off in very thick weather, the temperature is very high and the snow is wet and clogging all day on our ski, which made dragging heavy, and towards evening it got worse. after lunch we got a good breeze for an hour, when it changed to a blizzard and almost rained. we saw the depôt ahead sometimes, so we tried to reach it as we thought we might be in for another few days like we had near the land on our outward journey. anyhow we reached it after a tremendous struggle owing to the wet and bad light. i took off my ski and carried them on my shoulder to finish up the last half a mile. the blizzard died down after we had camped and turned in for the night. looked at the thermometer which showed . _ th january ._ this have been a most wonderful day for surface. this morning when we started the thermometer stood at , much too high for sledging. we were on ski or we might have been on stilts for the amount of snow clogging on our ski, dont know how we should have got on without our ski, as the snow was so very soft we sank right in when we tried to go on foot, but we were fortunate to get the wind behind us and able to make use of the sail. we made a very good day of it, did miles: of this after lunch. i did not feel well outside the tent this morning. i came over quite giddy and faint, but it passed off quickly and have felt no more of it all day. _ th january ._ we had a good run to-day with the sail up. it only required one of us to keep it straight, no need whatever to pull, but it was very hot, anyone could take off all their clothes and march. it is really too hot for this part of the world, but i daresay we shall soon get it a bit colder. did ½ miles, it is nice to be able to see the tracks and cairns of our outward journey. we feel satisfied when we have done a good day and in good time. mr. evans is now suffering from looseness of the bowels. crean had a touch of it a few days ago, but he is quite alright again. _ th january ._ to-day it have been a very heavy drag. the snow is still very soft and the sun very hot, it fairly scorches anyone's face. we are almost black now and our hair is long and getting white through being exposed to the light, it gets bleached. i am glad to say it is cooler to-night, generally. we got over ½ miles again to-day. mr. evans is still very loose in his bowels. this, of course, hinders us, as we have had to stop several times. only another few more sundays and we hope to be safely housed at hut point, or cape evans. we have now been out days. _ th january ._ another good day was helped by the sail all day. one man could again manage for about two hours. the weather is still very warm, plus again. did ½ miles, only to the next depôt. mr. evans is still suffering from the same complaint: have come to the conclusion to stop his pemmican, as i feel that it have got something to do with him being out of sorts. anyhow we are going to try it. gave him a little brandy and he is taking some chalk and opium pills to try and stop it. his legs are getting worse and we are quite certain he is suffering from scurvy, at least he is turning black and blue and several other colours as well. _ th january ._ very bad light but fair wind, picked up the depôt this evening. did the miles quite in good time, after taking our food we found a shortage of oil and have taken what we think will take us to the next depôt. there seems to have been some leakage in the one can, but how we could not account for that we have left a note telling capt. scott how we found it, but they will have sufficient to carry them on to the next depôt, but we all know the amount of oil allowed on the journey is enough, but if any waste takes place it means extra precautions in the handling of it. mr. evans is still without pemmican and seems to have somewhat recovered from the looseness, but things are not by a long way with him as they should be. only two more depôts now to pick up. _ st january ._ another very good run to-day but the light being very bad we had to continually stop and steer by compass. this a difficult task, especially as there was no wind to help keep on the course, but it have cleared again to-night, the temperature is plus in the day and at night just now. did miles. mr. evans is allowed a little pemmican as the work is hard and it wants a little warm food to put life into anyone in this part of the world. _ st february ._ we had a very fine day but a very heavy pull, but we did miles. mr. evans and myself have been out days to-day. i have had to change my shirt again. this is the last clean side i have got. i have been wearing two shirts and each side will now have done duty next the skin, as i have changed round each month, and i have certainly found the benefit of it, and on the point we all three agree. mr. evans is still gradually worse: it is no good closing our eyes to the fact. we must push on as we have a long way to go yet. _ nd february ._ a very bad light again to-day: could not make much progress, only did miles, but we must think ourselves lucky we have not had to lay up and get delayed, but we have had the wind and more behind us, otherwise we should have had to stop. mr. evans is no better but seems to be in great pain, but he keeps quite cheerful we are pleased to say. _ rd february ._ this morning we were forced to put mr. evans on his ski and strap him on, as he could not lift his legs. i looked at them again and found they are rapidly getting worse, things are looking serious on his part, but we have been trying to pump him up he will get through alright, but he begins to think different himself, but if we get to one ton and can get a change of food it may relieve him. he is a brick, there is plenty of pluck: one cannot but admire such pluck. the light have been dreadful all day and i seemed to have got a bit depressed at times, not being able to see anything to know where i was on the course or not and not getting a word from mr. evans. i deliberately went off the course to see if anyone was taking notice but to my surprise i was quickly told i was off the course. this i thought, but wanted to know if he was looking out, which he was. it came on to bliz after we camped, we ought to reach mt. hooper to-morrow night. _ th february ._ started in splendid weather, but the surface was bad and dragging was very heavy, but it improved as the day went on, and we arrived at the depôt at . p.m. we are now miles from hut point, and this sunday night we hope to be only two more sundays on the barrier. no improvement in mr. evans, much worse. we have taken out our food and left nearly all the pemmican as we dont require it on account of none of us caring for it, therefore we are leaving it behind for the others. they may require it. we have left our note and wished them every success on their way, but we have decided it is best not to say anything about mr. evans being ill or suffering from scurvy. this old cairn have stood the weather and is still a huge thing. _ th february ._ had a very fine day and a good light all day, which makes things much more cheerful. did not get away before o'clock but we did ½ miles, it is gradually getting colder. mr. evans is still getting worse, to-day he is suffering from looseness in the bowels: shall have to stop his pemmican. _ th february ._ another fine day but sun was very hot and caused us to sweat a good deal, but we dont mind as we are pretty used to such changes. we shall soon be looking for land ahead, which will be mt. discovery or mt. erebus, we have miles to go to hut point: done alright again ½ miles, we do wonderfully well especially as mr. evans have got to go very slowly first off after stopping until he gets the stiffness out of his legs, but he is suffering a good deal and in silence, he never complains, but he dont get much sleep. we shall all be glad when we arrive at one ton, where there is a change of food for us all. the pemmican is too much, especially when the weather is warm. _ th february ._ a very fine day but heavy going. we are bringing the land in sight. the day have been simply lovely, did miles. no better luck with our patient, he gets along without a murmur. we have got to help him in and out of the tent, but we have consulted on the matter and he is determined to go to the last, which we know is not far off, as it is difficult for him to stand, but he is the essence of a brick to keep it up, but we shall have to drag him on the sledge when he cant go any further. _ th february ._ to-day have been very favourable and fine, we had a good breeze and set sail after lunch. if we get a good day to-morrow we hope to reach one ton. mr. evans have passed a good deal of blood to-day, which makes things look a lot worse. i have to do nearly everything for him now. _ th february ._ a very fine day and quite warm. reached the depôt at . p.m. and we all had a good feed of oatmeal. oh, what a god-send to get a change of food! we have taken enough food for days, which if we still keep up our present rate of progress it ought to take us in to hut point. we cannot take too heavy a load, as there is only the two of us pulling now, and this our last port of call before we reach hut point, but things are not looking any too favourable for us, as our leader is gradually getting lower every day. it is almost impossible for him to get along, and we are still miles from hut point. _ th february ._ we did a good march, in very thick weather. to-night we are camped and i am sorry to say mr. evans is in a very bad state. if this is scurvy i am sorry for anyone it attacks. we shall do our utmost to get him back alive, although he is so ill, he is very cheerful, which is very good and tries to do anything to help us along. we are thinking the food, now we have got a change, may improve things. i am very pleased to say crean and myself are in the best of health, which we are thankful for. _ th february ._ to-day we built a cairn and left all our gear we could do without, as it is impossible for us to drag the load now, and mr. evans we think is doing well as long as he can keep on his legs. we have had a very bad light all day, and to-night we have a bliz on us, so we had to camp early. our day's run has been miles. we are now about miles from our base. _ th february ._ we did not get away until o'clock on account of bad weather, but after we put mr. evans on his ski he went on slowly. it is against our wish to have to send him on a little in advance, but it is best as we shall have to drag him out of this we are certain. he has fainted on two or three occasions, but after a drop of brandy he has been able to proceed, but it is very awkward, especially as the temperature is so low. we are afraid of his getting frost-bitten. our progress is very slow, the light is very bad, and it is seldom we see the land. _ th february ._ we got away in good time, but progress was slow, and mr. evans could not go, and we consulted awhile and came to the conclusion it would be best to put him on the sledge, otherwise he may not pull through, so we stopped and camped, and decided to drop everything we can possibly do without, so we have only got our sleeping bags, cooker, and what little food and oil we have left. our load is not much, but mr. evans on the sledge makes it pretty heavy work for us both, but he says he is comfortable now. this morning he wished us to leave him, but this we could not think of. we shall stand by him to the end one way or other, so we are the masters to-day. he has got to do as we wish and we hope to pull him through. this morning when we depôted all our gear i changed my socks and got my foot badly frostbitten, and the only way was to fetch it round. so although mr. evans was so bad he proposed to stuff it on his stomach to try and get it right again. i did not like to risk such a thing as he is certainly very weak, but we tried it, and it succeeded in bringing it round, thanks to his thoughtfulness, and i shall never forget the kindness bestowed on me at a critical time in our travels, but i think we could go to any length of trouble to assist one another; in such time and such a place we must trust in a higher power to pull us through. when we pack up now and have to move off we have to get everything ready before we attempt to move the tent, as it is impossible for our leader now to stand, therefore it is necessary to get him ready before we start. we then pull the sledge alongside his bag and lift him on to it and strap him on. it is a painful piece of work and he takes it pretty well, but we can't help hurting him, as it is very awkward to lift him, the snow being soft and the light so bad, but he dont complain. the only thing we hear him grind his teeth. _ th february ._ another good start after the usual preparation, we have not got much to pack, but it takes us some time, to get our invalid ready, the surface is very bad and our progress is very slow, but we have proposed to go longer hours and try to cover the distance, that is if we can stick it ourselves. _ th february ._ we started in fine weather this morning, but it soon came over thick and progress became slow. we had to continually consult the compass, as we have had no wind to assist us, but after awhile the sun peeped out and the wind sprang up and we were able to set sail, which helped us put in a good march. _ th february ._ to-day it have been a very heavy drag all day, and the light is very bad, but we had the pleasure of seeing castle rock and observation hill. we uncovered mr. evans to let him have a look and we have reduced our ration now to one half as it is impossible for us to reach hut point under four days, that is if everything goes favourable with us. _ th february ._ to-day it has been thick, this morning soon after we started we saw what we thought was the dog tent [the two dog-teams going out to meet the polar party], a thing we had been looking for to try and get relief, but when we came up to it we found it was only a piece of biscuit box stuck on an old camp for a guide. it shows how deceiving the things here are. i can tell you our hopes were raised, but on reaching it they dropped again considerably. we were able to see the land occasionally, and during one of the breaks this afternoon we spotted the motor. oh, what joy! we again uncovered mr. evans to let him have a look and after trudging along for another three hours we brought up alongside it and camped for the night. we are now only a little over miles from hut point: if we could only see the dogs approaching us, but they, we think, may have passed us while the weather have been thick. mr. evans is getting worse every day, we are almost afraid to sleep at night as he seems very weak. if the temperature goes much lower it will be a job to keep him warm. we have found some biscuits here at the motor but nothing else, but that will assist greatly on our way. the slogging have been heavy all day. we are pretty tired to-night. i dont think we have got the go in us we had, but we must try and push on. _ th february ._ i started to move mr. evans this morning, but he completely collapsed and fainted away. crean was very upset and almost cried, but i told him it was no good to create a scene but put up a bold front and try to assist. i really think he thought mr. evans had gone, but we managed to pull him through. we used the last drop of brandy. after awhile we got him on the sledge and proceeded as usual, but finding the surface very bad and we were unable to make less than a mile an hour, we stopped and decided to camp. we told mr. evans of our plans, which were: crean should proceed, it being a splendid day, on foot to hut point to obtain relief if possible. this we had agreed to between ourselves. i offered to do the journey and crean remain behind, but tom said he would much rather i stayed with the invalid and look after him, so i thought it best i should remain, and these plans were agreed to by all of us, so after we had camped the next thing was the food problem. we had about a day's provisions with extra biscuit taken from the motor, and a little extra oil taken from the same place, so we gave crean what he thought he could manage to accomplish the journey of miles geographical on, which was a little chocolate and biscuits. we put him up a little drink, but he would not carry it. what a pity we did not have some ski, but we dumped them to save weight. so crean sailed away in splendid weather for a try to bring relief. i was in a bit of a sweat all day and remained up to watch the weather till long after midnight. i was afraid of the weather, but it kept clear and i thought he might have reached or got within easy distance of hut point; but there was the possibility of his dropping down a crevasse, but that we had to leave to chance, but none the more it was anxious moments as if it comes on to drift the weather is very treacherous in these parts. after crean left i left mr. evans and proceeded to corner camp which was about a mile away, to see if there was any provisions left there that would be of use to us. i found a little butter, a little cheese, and a little treacle that had been brought there for the ponies. i also went back to the motor and got a little more oil while the weather was fine. i also got a large piece of burbery and tied on a long bamboo and stuck up a big flag on our sledge so that anyone could not pass our way without seeing us or our flag. i found a note left at corner camp by mr. day saying there was a lot of very bad crevasses between there and the sea ice, especially off white island. this put me in a bit of a fix, as i, of course, at once thought of crean. he being on foot was more likely to go down than he would had he been on ski. i did not tell mr. evans anything about the crevasses, as i certainly thought it would be best kept from him. i just told him the note was there and all was well. _ th february ._ to-day mr. evans seems a bit better and more cheerful, the rest will do him good and assist in getting a little strength. we have been wondering when relief will reach us, but we cannot expect it for at least a day or two yet at the earliest. it was very thick this morning and also very cold. the temperature is dropping rapidly. our tent was all covered in frost rime to-day, a sure sign of colder weather. it was very thick this morning but cleared as the day advanced, but we could not see hut point. i wonder if poor old tom reached alright. we have very little food now except biscuit, but oil is better. we have got ½ gallon and if relief dont come for some time we shall be able to have hot water when all other things are gone. i have thought out a plan for the future, in case of no relief coming, but of course we took all things into consideration in case of failure, but we must hope for the best. of course i know it is no use thinking of mr. evans being able to move any further as he cant stand at all, the only thing is, we may have missed the dogs, if so there is still a chance of someone being at hut point. i am cold now and cannot write more to-night. we lose the sun at midnight now. if all had went well we should have been home by now. _ th february ._ tuesday not a nice day. a low drift all the morning and increased to a blizzard at times. have had to remain in the tent all day to try and keep warm. have not got much food except biscuits. mr. evans is about the same but quite cheerful. we have had whole journey over and over: it have passed these three days away. we have wondered how they are getting on behind us; we have worked it out and they ought to be on the barrier now, with anything of luck. we have been gambling on the condition of the ice and the possibility of the open water at hut point at any time now, and also about what news of home, although home is one of the foremost thoughts we hardly ever mention it, only what we are going to have to eat when we do arrive there. i think we have got everything that is good down on our list. of course new zealand have got to be answerable for a good deal: plenty of apples we are going to have and some nice home-made cake, not too rich, as we think we can eat more. i wonder if the mules will have arrived, as i am to look after them till capt. oates returns, as anton will be gone home, or at least going soon. we shall have to hurry up as the ship is to leave again on the nd of march, as it is not safe to remain longer in these regions. i am now too cold to write, and i dont seem settled at all and the weather is still pretty bad outside, so we are not going to look for anything to come along to-night. "hark!" from us both. "yes, it is the dogs near. relief at last. who is there?" i did not stay to think more before i was outside the tent. "yes, sir, it is alright." the doctor and dimitri. "how did you see us?" "the flag lash," says dimitri. the doctor, "how is mr. evans?" "alright, but low." but this had a good effect on him. after the first few minutes we got their tent pitched and the food they brought us i was soon on the way preparing a meal for us all, but mr. evans cannot have pemmican, but the doctor have brought everything that will do him good, some onions to boil and several other things. dimitri brought along a good lump of cake: we are in clover. to-night after the doctor had examined my patient and we got through a good deal of talk about everything we could think of, especially home news and the return parties and the ship and those in her. we were sorry to hear she had not been able to get very near, and that the mules had arrived, and i dont know what, we now settled down for a good night. it seems to me we are in a new world, a weight is off my mind and i can once more see a bright spot in the sky for us all, the gloom is now removed. the bliz is bad outside, and doctor and dimitri is gone and turned in, so will [i] once more, but sleep is out of the question. _ st february ._ the day have been very bad and we are obliged to remain until it clears. we are going to move off as soon as it clears, the day have been very cold, so we have had to remain in our bags, but things are alright and we have got plenty to eat now. we have all retired for the night as the bliz is still raging outside. _ nd february ._ the wind went down about p.m., so we began to move and were ready to kick off at , and proposed to do the journey in two stages. it was fearful heavy going for the poor dogs, we arranged so that mr. evans was on dimitri's sledge and doctor and myself was on the other. we have done about half the journey and are now camped for a rest for the dogs and ourselves. we had a stiff miles: the doctor and myself, we took turns in riding on the sledge and walking and running to keep up to the dogs. sometimes we sank in up to the knees, but we struggled through it. my legs is the most powerful part of me now, but i am tired and shall be glad when it is over. i must lie down now, as we are starting again soon for hut point, but the surface is getting better as we have passed white island and can see so plainly the land. castle rock and good old erebus look so stately with the smoke rolling out. it is so clear and calm and peaceful. what a change in our surroundings of a few days ago and also our prospects. doctor and dimitri have done everything they could for us. _ nd february ._ we started off after a rest for the dogs and reached here at hut point at p.m. where we can rest in peace for a time. dimitri and crean are going to cape evans: the ship is nowhere in sight. have had to get some seal meat and ice and prepare a meal. mr. evans is alright and asleep. we are looking for a mail now. how funny we should always be looking for something else, now we are safe. [end of lashly's diary.] * * * * * crean has told me the story of his walk as follows: he started at on sunday morning and "the surface was good, very good surface indeed," and he went about sixteen miles before he stopped. good clear weather. he had three biscuits and two sticks of chocolate. he stopped about five minutes, sitting on the snow, and ate two biscuits and the chocolate, and put one biscuit back in his pocket. he was quite warm and not sleepy. he carried on just the same and passed safety camp on his right some five hours later, and thinks it was about twelve-thirty on monday morning that he reached the edge of the barrier, tired, getting cold in the back and the weather coming on thick. it was bright behind him but it was coming over the bluff, and white island was obscured though he could still see cape armitage and castle rock. he slipped a lot on the sea-ice, having several falls on to his back and it was getting thicker all the time. at the barrier edge there was a light wind, now it was blowing a strong wind, drifting and snowing. he made for the gap and could not get up at first. to avoid taking a lot out of himself he started to go round cape armitage; but soon felt slush coming through his finnesko (he had no crampons) and made back for the gap. he climbed up to the left of the gap and climbed along the side of observation hill to avoid the slippery ice. when he got to the top it was still clear enough to see vaguely the outline of hut point, but he could see no sledges nor dogs. he sat down under the lee of observation hill, and finished his biscuit with a bit of ice: "i was very dry,"--slid down the side of observation hill and thought at this time there was open water below, for he had no goggles on the march and his eyes were strained. but on getting near the ice-foot he found it was polished sea-ice and made his way round to the hut under the ice-foot. when he got close he saw the dogs and sledges on the sea-ice, and it was now blowing very hard with drift. he walked in and found the doctor and dimitri inside. "he gave me a tot first, and then a feed of porridge--but i couldn't keep it down: thats the first time in my life that ever it happened, and it was the brandy that did it." footnotes: [ ] see pp. , , , . [ ] my own diary, december , . [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] see p. . [ ] see p. . chapter xiii suspense all the past we leave behind; we debouch upon a newer, mightier world, varied world; fresh and strong the world we seize, world of labour and the march, pioneers! o pioneers! we detachments steady throwing, down the edges, through the passes, up the mountains steep, conquering, holding, daring, venturing, as we go, the unknown ways, pioneers! o pioneers! walt whitman. let us come back to cape evans after the return of the first supporting party. hitherto our ways had always been happy: for the most part they had been pleasant. scott was going to reach the pole, probably without great difficulty, for when we left him on the edge of the plateau he had only to average seven miles a day to go there on full rations. we ourselves had averaged . geographical miles a day on our way home to one ton depôt, and there seemed no reason to suppose that the other two parties would not do likewise, and the food was not only sufficient but abundant if such marches were made. thus we were content as we wandered over the cape, or sat upon some rock warmed by the sun and watched the penguins bathing in the lake which had formed in the sea-ice between us and inaccessible island. all round us were the cries of the skua gulls as they squabbled among themselves, and we heard the swish of their wings as they swooped down upon a man who wandered too near their nests. out upon the sea-ice, which was soggy and dangerous, lay several seal, and the bubblings and whistlings and gurglings which came from their throats chimed musically in contrast to the hoarse aak, aak, of the adélie penguins: the tide crack was sighing and groaning all the time: it was very restful after the barrier silence. meanwhile the terra nova had been seen in the distance, but the state of the sea-ice prevented her approach. it was not until february that communication was opened with her and we got our welcome mails and news of the world during the last year. we heard that campbell's party had been picked up at cape adare and landed at evans coves. we started unloading on february , and this work was continued until february : there was about three miles of ice between the ship and the shore and we were doing more than twenty miles a day. in the case of men who had been sledging much, and who might be wanted to sledge again, this was a mistake. latterly the ice began to break up, and the ship left on the th, to pick up the geological party on the western side of mcmurdo sound. but she met great obstacles, and her record near the coasts this year is one of continual fights against pack-ice, while the winds experienced as the season advanced were very strong. on january the fast ice at the mouth of mcmurdo sound extended as far as the southern end of the bird peninsula: ten days later they found fast ice extending for thirty miles from the head of granite harbour. later in the season the most determined efforts were made again and again to penetrate into evans coves in order to pick up campbell and his men, until the ice was freezing all round them, and many times the propeller was brought up dead against blocks of ice.[ ] the expedition was originally formed for two years from the date of leaving england. but before the ship left after landing us at cape evans in january the possibility of a third year was considered, and certain requests for additional transport and orders for stores were sent home. thus it came about that the ship now landed not only new sledges and sledging stores but also fourteen dogs from kamchatka and seven mules, with their food and equipment. the dogs were big and fat, but the only ones which proved of much service for sledging were snowy, a nice white dog, and bullett. it was oates' idea that mules might prove a better form of transport on the barrier than ponies. scott therefore wrote to sir douglas haig, then c.-in-c. in india, that if he failed to reach the pole in the summer of - , "it is my intention to make a second attempt in the following season provided fresh transport can be brought down: the circumstances making it necessary to plan to sacrifice the transport animals used in any attempt. "before directing more ponies to be sent down i have thoroughly discussed the situation with captain oates, and he has suggested that mules would be better than ponies for our work and that trained indian transport mules would be ideal. it is evident already that our ponies have not a uniform walking pace and that in other small ways they will be troublesome to us although they are handy little beasts." the indian government not only sent seven mules but when they arrived we found that they had been most carefully trained and equipped. in india they were in the charge of lieutenant george pulleyn, and the care and thought which had been spent upon them could not have been exceeded: the equipment was also extremely good and well adapted to the conditions, while most of the improvements made by us as the result of a year's experience were already foreseen and provided. the mules themselves, by name lal khan, gulab, begum, ranee, abdullah, pyaree and khan sahib, were beautiful animals. atkinson would soon have to start on his travels again. before we left scott at the top of the beardmore he gave him orders to take the two dog-teams south in the event of meares having to return home, as seemed likely. this was not meant in any way to be a relief journey. scott said that he was not relying upon the dogs; and that in view of the sledging in the following year, the dogs were not to be risked. although it was settled that some members of the expedition would stay, while others returned to new zealand, scott and several of his companions had left undecided until the last moment the question of whether they would themselves remain in the south for another year. in the event of scott deciding to return home the dog-teams might make the difference between catching or missing the ship. i had discussed this question with wilson more than once, and he was of opinion that the business affairs of the expedition demanded scott's return if possible: wilson himself inclined to the view that he himself would stay if scott stayed, and return if scott returned. i think that oates meant to return, and am sure that bowers meant to stay: indeed he welcomed the idea of one more year in a way which i do not think was equalled by any other member of the expedition. for the most part we felt that we had joined up for two years, but that if there was to be a third year we would rather see the thing through than return home. i hope i have made clear that the primary object of this journey with the dog-teams was to hurry scott and his companions home so that they might be in time to catch the ship if possible, before she was compelled by the close of the season to leave mcmurdo sound. another thing which made scott anxious to communicate with the ship if possible before the season forced her to leave the sound was his desire to send back news. from many remarks which he made, and also from the discussions in the hut during the winter, it was obvious that he considered it was of the first importance that the news of reaching the pole, if it should be reached, be communicated to the world without the delay of another year. of course he would also wish to send news of the safe return of his party to wives and relations as soon as possible. it is necessary to emphasize the fact that the dog-teams were intended to hasten the return of the polar party, but that they were never meant to form a relief journey. but now atkinson was left in a rather difficult position. i note in my diary, after we had reached the hut, that "scott was to have sent back instructions for the dog party with us, but these have, it would seem, been forgotten"; but it may be that scott considered that he had given these instructions in a conversation he had with atkinson at the top of the beardmore glacier, when scott said, "with the depôt [of dog-food] which has been laid come as far as you can." according to the plans for the polar journey the food necessary to bring the three advance parties of man-haulers back from one ton depôt to hut point was to be taken out to one ton during the absence of these parties. this food consisted of five weekly units of what were known as xs rations. it was also arranged that if possible a depôt of dog-biscuit should be taken out at the same time: this was the depôt referred to above by scott. in the event of the return of the dog-teams in the first half of december, which was the original plan, the five units of food and the dog-biscuit would have been run out by them to one ton. if the dog-teams did not return in time to do this a man-hauling party from cape evans was to take out three of the five units of food. it has been shown that the dog-teams were taken farther on the polar journey than was originally intended,[ ] indeed they were taken from ° ´, where they were to have turned back, as far as ° ´. nor were they able to make the return journey in the fast time which had been expected of them, and the dog-drivers were running very short of food and were compelled to encroach to some extent upon the supplies left to provide for the wants of those who were following in their tracks.[ ] the dog-teams did not arrive back at cape evans until january . meanwhile a man-hauling party from cape evans, consisting of day, nelson, clissold and hooper, had already, according to plan, taken out three of the five xs rations for the returning parties. the weights of the man-hauling party did not allow for the transport of the remaining two xs rations, nor for any of the dog-food. thus it was that when atkinson came to make his plans to go south with the dogs he found that there was no dog-food south of corner camp, and that the rations for the return of the polar party from one ton depôt had still to be taken out. that is to say, the depôt of dog-food spoken of by scott did not exist. there was, however, enough food already at one ton to allow the polar party to come in on reduced rations. this meant that what the dog-teams could do was limited, and was much less than it might have been had it been possible to take out the depôt of dog-food to one ton. also the man-food for the polar party had to be added to the weights taken by the dogs. to estimate even approximately at what date a party will reach a given point after a journey of this length when the weather conditions are always uncertain and the number of travelling days unknown, was a most difficult task. the only guide was the average marches per diem made by our own return party, and the average of the second return party if it should return before the dog party set out. a week one way or the other was certainly not a large margin. a couple of blizzards might make this much difference. in the plan of the southern journey scott, working on shackleton's averages, mentions march as a possible date of return to hut point, allowing seven days in from one ton. whilst on the outward journey i heard scott discuss the possibility of returning in april; and the polar party had enough food to allow them to do this on full rations. atkinson and dimitri with the two dog-teams left cape evans for hut point on february because the sea-ice, which was our only means of communication between these places, and so to the barrier, was beginning to break up. atkinson intended to leave hut point for the barrier in about a week's time. at . a.m. on february crean arrived with the astounding news that lieutenant evans, still alive but at his last gasp, was lying out near corner camp, and that lashly was nursing him; that the last supporting party had consisted of three men only, a possibility which had never been considered; and that they had left scott, travelling rapidly and making good averages, only geographical miles from the pole. scott was so well advanced that it seemed that he would be home much earlier than had been anticipated. a blizzard which had been threatening on the barrier, and actually blowing at hut point, during crean's solitary journey, but which had lulled as he arrived, now broke with full force, and nothing could be done for evans until it took off sufficiently for the dog-teams to travel. but in the meantime crean urgently wanted food and rest and warmth. as these were supplied to him atkinson learned bit by bit the story of the saving of evans' life, told so graphically in lashly's diary which is given in the preceding chapter, and pieced together the details of crean's solitary walk of thirty-five statute miles. this effort was made, it should be remembered, at the end of a journey of three and a half months, and over ground rendered especially perilous by crevasses, from which a man travelling alone had no chance of rescue in case of accident. crean was walking for eighteen hours, and it was lucky for him, as also for his companions, that the blizzard which broke half an hour after his arrival did not come a little sooner, for no power on earth could have saved him then, and the news of evans' plight would not have been brought. the blizzard raged all that day, and the next night and morning, and nothing could be done. but during the afternoon of the th the conditions improved, and at . p.m. atkinson and dimitri started with the two dog-teams, though it was still blowing hard and very thick. they travelled, with one rest for the dogs, until . p.m. the next day, but had a very hazy idea where they were most of the time, owing to the vile weather: once at any rate they seem to have got right in under white island. when they camped the second time they thought they were in the neighbourhood of lashly's tent, and in a temporary clearance they saw the flag which lashly had put up on the sledge. evans was still alive, and atkinson was able to give him immediately the fresh vegetables, fruit, and seal meat which his body wanted. atkinson has never been able to express adequately the admiration he feels for lashly's care and nursing. all that night and the next day the blizzard continued and made a start impossible, and it was not until a.m. on the morning of the nd that they could start for hut point, evans being carried in his sleeping-bag on the sledge. lashly has told how they got home. at cape evans we knew nothing of these events, which had made reorganization inevitable. it was clear that atkinson, being the only doctor available, would have to stay with evans, who was very seriously ill: indeed atkinson told me that another day, or at the most two, would have finished him. in fact he says that when he first saw him he thought he must die. it was a considerable surprise then when dimitri with crean and one dog-team reached cape evans about mid-day on february with a note from atkinson, who said that he thought he had better stay with lieutenant evans and that some one else should take out the dogs. he suggested that wright or myself should take them. this was our first intimation that the dogs had not already gone south. wright and i started for hut point by p.m. the same day and on our arrival it was decided by atkinson that i was to take out the dogs. owing to the early departure of our meteorologist, simpson, wright, who had special qualifications for this important work, was to remain at cape evans. dimitri having rested his dog-team overnight at cape evans arrived at hut point on the morning of the th. now the daily distance which every -man party had to average from hut point to its turning-point and back to hut point, so as to be on full rations all the way, was only . geographical miles. from hut point to the latitude in which he was last seen, ° ´ s., scott had averaged more than ten geographical miles a day. taking into consideration the advanced latitude, ° ´ s., at which the second return party had left scott, and the extremely good daily averages these two parties had marched on the plateau up to this point, namely . geographical miles a day; seeing also that the first return party had averaged . geographical miles on their return from ° ´ s. to one ton depôt; and the second return party had averaged . geographical miles on their return from ° ´ s. to the same place, although one of the three men was seriously ill; it was supposed that all the previous estimates made for the return of the polar party were too late, and that the opportunity to reach one ton camp before them had been lost. meanwhile the full rations for their return over the miles (statute) from one ton to hut point were still at hut point. my orders were given me by atkinson, and were verbal, as follows: . to take days' food for the two men, and days' food for the two dog-teams, together with the food for the polar party. . to travel to one ton depôt as fast as possible and leave the food there. . if scott had not arrived at one ton depôt before me i was to judge what to do. . that scott was not in any way dependent on the dogs for his return. . that scott had given particular instructions that the dogs were not to be risked in view of the sledging plans for next season. since it had proved impossible to take the depôt of dog-food, together with the full polar party rations, to one ton before this; considering the unforeseen circumstances which had arisen; and seeing that this journey of the dog-teams was not indispensable, being simply meant to bring the last party home more speedily, i do not believe that better instructions could have been given than these of atkinson. i was eager to start as soon as the team which had come back from cape evans was rested, but a blizzard prevented this. on the morning of the th it was thick as a hedge, but it cleared enough to pack sledges in the afternoon, and when we turned into our bags we could see observation hill. we started at a.m. that night. i confess i had my misgivings. i had never driven one dog, let alone a team of them; i knew nothing of navigation; and one ton was a hundred and thirty miles away, out in the middle of the barrier and away from landmarks. and so as we pushed our way out through the wind and drift that night i felt there was a good deal to be hoped for, rather than to be expected. but we got along very well, dimitri driving his team in front, as he did most of this journey, and picking up marks very helpfully with his sharp eyes. in the low temperatures we met, the glasses which i must wear are almost impossible, because of fogging. we took three boxes of dog-biscuit from safety camp and another three boxes from a point sixteen miles from hut point. here we rested the dogs for a few hours, and started again at p.m. all day the light was appalling, and the wind strong, but to my great relief we found corner camp after four hours' more travelling, the flag showing plainly, though the cairn itself was invisible when a hundred yards away. this was the last place where there was any dog-food on the route, and the dogs got a good feed after doing thirty-four miles (statute) for the day's run. this was more than we had hoped: the only disquieting fact was that both the sledge-meters which we had were working wrong: the better of the two seemed however to be marking the total mileage fairly correctly at present, though the hands which indicated more detailed information were quite at sea. we had no minimum thermometer, but the present temperature was - °. "_february ._ mount terror has proved our friend to-day, for the slope just above the knoll has remained clear when everything else was covered, and we have steered by that--behind us. it seemed, when we started in low drift, that we should pick up nothing, but by good luck, or good i don't know what, we have got everything: first the motor, then pony walls at miles, where we stopped and had a cup of tea. i wanted to do miles, but we have done ½ miles on the best running surface i have ever seen. after lunch we got a cairn which we could not see twenty yards away after we had reached it, but which we could see for a long way on the southern horizon, against a thin strip of blue sky. we camped just in time to get the tent pitched before a line of drift we saw coming out of the sky hit us. it is now blowing a mild blizzard and drifting. forty-eight miles in two days is more than i expected: may our luck continue. dogs pulling very fit and not done up. "_february ._ i had my first upset just after starting, the sledge capsizing on a great sastrugus like the ramp. dimitri was a long way ahead and all behind was very thick. i had to unload the sledge for i could not right it alone. just as i righted it the team took charge. i missed the driving-stick but got on to the sledge with no hope of stopping them, and i was carried a mile to the south, leaving four boxes of dog-food, the weekly bag, cooker, and tent poles on the ground. the team stopped when they reached dimitri's team, and by then the gear was out of sight. we went back for it, and made good ¾ miles for the day on a splendid surface. the sun went down at . ( . a.t.), miraged quite flat on top. after he had gone down a great bonfire seemed to blaze out from the horizon. now - ° and we use a candle for the first time. "_february . bluff depôt._ if anybody had told me we could reach bluff depôt, nearly ninety miles, in four days, i would not have believed it. we have had a good clear day with much mirage. dogs a bit tired."[ ] the next three days' run took us to one ton. on the day we left bluff depôt, which had been made a little more than a year ago, when certain of the ponies were sent home on the depôt journey,[ ] but which no longer contained any provisions, we travelled miles; there was a good light and it was as warm as could be expected in march. the next day (march ) we did miles after a cold and sleepless night, - ° and a mild blizzard from n.w. and quite thick. on the night of march we reached one ton, heading into a strongish wind with a temperature of - °. these were the first two days on which we had cold weather, but it was nothing to worry about for us, and was certainly not colder than one could ordinarily have expected at this time of year. arrived at one ton my first feeling was one of relief that the polar party had not been to the depôt and that therefore we had got their provisions out in time. the question of what we were to do in the immediate future was settled for us; for four days out of the six during which we were at one ton the weather made travelling southwards, that is against the wind, either entirely impossible or such that the chance of seeing another party at any distance was nil. on the two remaining days i could have run a day farther south and back again, with the possibility of missing the party on the way. i decided to remain at the depôt where we were certain to meet. on the day after we arrived at one ton (march ) dimitri came to me and said that the dogs ought to be given more food, since they were getting done and were losing their coats: they had, of course, done a great deal of sledging already this year. dimitri had long experience of dog-driving and i had none. i thought and i still think he was right. i increased the dog ration therefore, and this left us with thirteen more days' dog-food, including that for march . the weather was bad when we were at one ton, for when it was blowing the temperature often remained comparatively low, and when it was not blowing it dropped considerably, and i find readings in my diary of - ° and - ° at p.m. having no minimum thermometer we did not know the night temperatures. on the other hand i find an entry: "to-day is the first real good one we have had, only about - ° and the sun shining,--and we have shifted the tent, dried our bags and gear a lot, and been pottering about all day." at this time, however, when we were at one ton i looked upon these conditions as being a temporary cold snap: there was no reason then to suppose these were normal march conditions in the middle of the barrier, where no one had ever been at this time of year. i believe now they are normal: on the other hand, in our meteorological report simpson argues that they were abnormal for the barrier at this time of year.[ ] since there was no depôt of dog-food at one ton it was not possible to go farther south (except for the one day mentioned above) without killing dogs. my orders on this point were perfectly explicit; i saw no reason for disobeying them, and indeed it appeared that we had been wrong to hurry out so soon, before the time that scott had reckoned that he would return, and that the polar party would really come in at the time scott had calculated before starting rather than at the time we had reckoned from the data brought back by the last return party. from the particulars already given it will be seen that i had no reason to suspect that the polar party could be in want of food. the polar party of five men had according to our rations plenty of food either on their sledge or in the depôts. in addition they had a lot of pony meat depôted at middle glacier depôt and onwards from there. though we did not know it, the death of evans at the foot of the beardmore glacier provided an additional amount of food for the four men who were then left. the full amount of oil for this food had been left in the depôts; but we know now what we did not know then, that some of it had evaporated. these matters are discussed in greater detail in the account of the return of the polar party and after.[ ] thus i felt little anxiety for the polar party. but i was getting anxious about my companion. soon after arrival at one ton it was clear that dimitri was feeling the cold. he complained of his head; then his right arm and side were affected; and from this time onwards he found that he could do less and less with his right side. still i did not worry much about it, and my decision as to our movements was not affected by this complication. i decided to allow eight days' food for our return, which meant that we must start on march . "_march ._ pretty cold night: - ° when we turned out at a.m. getting our gear together, and the dogs more or less into order after their six days was cold work, and we started in minus thirties and a head wind. the dogs were mad,--stark, staring lunatics. dimitri's team wrecked my sledge-meter, and i left it lying on the ground a mile from one ton. all we could do was to hang on to the sledge and let them go: there wasn't a chance to go back, turn them or steer them. dimitri broke his driving-stick: my team fought as they went: once i was dragged with my foot pinned under my driving-stick, which was itself jammed in the grummet: several times i only managed to catch on anywhere: this went on for six or seven miles, and then they got better."[ ] our remaining sledge-meter was quite unreliable, but following our outward tracks (for it became thick and overcast), and judging by our old camping sites, we reckoned that we had done an excellent run of to miles (statute) for the day. the temperature when we camped was only - °. however it became much colder in the night, and when we turned out it was so thick that i decided we must wait. at p.m. on march there was one small patch of blue sky showing, and we started to steer by this: soon it was blowing a mild blizzard, and we stopped after doing what i reckoned was eight miles, steering by trying to keep the wind on my ear: but i think we were turning circles much of the time. it blew hard and was very cold during the night, and we turned out on the morning of march to a blizzard with a temperature of - °: this gradually took off, and at a.m. dimitri said he could see the bluff, and we were right into the land, and therefore the pressure. this was startling, but later it cleared enough to reassure me, though dimitri was so certain that during the first part of our run that day i steered east a lot. we did to miles this day in drift and a temperature of - °. by now i was becoming really alarmed and anxious about dimitri, who seemed to be getting much worse, and to be able to do less and less. sitting on a sledge the next day with a head wind and the temperature - ° was cold. the land was clear when we turned out and i could see that we must be far outside our course, but almost immediately it became foggy. we made in towards the land a good deal, and made a good run, but owing to the sledge-meter being useless and the bad weather generally during the last few days, i had a very hazy idea indeed where we were when we camped, having been steering for some time by the faint gleam of the sun through the mist. just after camping dimitri suddenly pointed to a black spot which seemed to wave to and fro: we decided that it was the flag of the derelict motor near corner camp which up to that time i thought was ten to fifteen miles away: this was a great relief, and we debated packing up again and going to it, but decided to stay where we were. it was fairly clear on the morning of march , which was lucky, for it was now obvious that we were miles from corner camp and much too near the land. the flag we had seen must have been a miraged piece of pressure, and it was providential that we had not made for it, and found worse trouble than we actually experienced. try all i could that morning, my team, which was leading, insisted on edging westwards. at last i saw what i thought was a cairn, but found out just in time that it was a haycock or mound of ice formed by pressure: by its side was a large open crevasse, of which about fifty yards of snow-bridge had fallen in. for several miles we knew that we were crossing big crevasses by the hollow sound, and it was with considerable relief that i sighted the motor and then corner camp some two or three miles to the east of us. "dimitri had left his alpine rope there, and also i should have liked to have brought in evans' sledge, but it would have meant about five miles extra, and i left it. i hope scott, finding no note, will not think we are lost."[ ] dimitri seemed to be getting worse, and we pushed on until we camped that night only fifteen miles from hut point. my main anxiety was whether the sea-ice between us and hut point was in, because i felt that the job of getting the teams up on to the peninsula and along it and down the other side would be almost more than we could do: there was an ominous open-water sky ahead. on march we were held up all day by a strong blizzard. but by a.m. the next morning we could see just the outline of white island. i was very anxious, for dimitri said that he had nearly fainted, and i felt that we must get on somehow, and chance the sea-ice being in. he stayed inside the tent as long as possible, and my spirits rose as the land began to clear all round while i was packing up both sledges. from safety camp the mirage at the edge of the barrier was alarming, but as we approached the edge to my very great relief i found that the sea-ice was still in, and that what we had taken for frost smoke was only drift over cape armitage. pushing into the drift round the corner i found atkinson on the sea-ice, and keohane in the hut behind. in a few minutes we had the gist of one another's news. the ship had made attempt after attempt to reach campbell and his five men, but they had not been taken off from evans coves when she finally left mcmurdo sound on march : she would make another effort on her way to new zealand. evans was better and was being taken home. meanwhile there were four of us at hut point and we could not communicate with our companions at cape evans until the sound froze over, for the open sea was washing the feet of vince's cross. * * * * * we were not unduly alarmed about the polar party at present, but began to make arrangements for further sledging if necessary. it was useless to think of taking the dogs again for they were thoroughly done. the mules and the new dogs were at cape evans. "in four or five days atkinson wishes to start south again to see what we can do man-hauling, if the polar party is not in. i agree with him that to try and go west to meet campbell is useless just now. if we can go north, they can come south, and to put two parties there on the new sea-ice is to double the risk." "_march ._ a blizzard day but only about force - . i think they will have been able to travel all right on the barrier. atkinson thinks of starting on the nd: my view is that allowing three weeks and four days for the summit, and ten days for being hung up by weather, we can give them five weeks after the last return party (i.e. to march ) to get in, having been quite safe and sound all the way. we feel anxious now, but i do not think there is need for alarm till then, and they might get in well after that, and be all right. "now our only real chance of finding them, if we go out, is from here to ten miles south of corner camp. after that we shall do all we can, but it would be no good, because there is no very definite route. therefore i would start out on march , when we would travel that part with most chance of meeting them there if they have any trouble. i have put this to atkinson and will willingly do what he decides. i am feeling pretty done up, and have rested. the prospect of what will be a hard journey, feeling as i do, is rather bad. i don't think there is really cause for alarm." "_march and ._ we are very anxious, though the pole party could not be in yet. also i am very done, and more so than i at first thought: i am afraid it is a bit doubtful whether i can get out again yet, but to-day i feel better and have been for a short walk. i am taking all the rest i can." "_march ._ last night a very strong blizzard blew, wind force and big snowfall and drift. this morning the doors and windows are all drifted up, and we could hardly get out: a lot of snow had got inside the hut also: i was feeling rotten, and thought that to go out and clear the window and door would do me good. this i did, but came back in a big squall, passing atkinson as i came in. then i felt myself going faint, and remember pushing the door to get in if possible. i knew no more until i came to on the floor just inside the door, having broken some tendons in my right hand in falling."[ ] two days afterwards the dogs sang at breakfast-time: they often did this when a party was approaching, even when it was still far away, and they had done so when crean came in on his walk from corner camp. we were cheered by the noise. but no party arrived, and the singing of the dogs was explained later by some seal appearing on the new ice in arrival bay. atkinson decided to go out on to the barrier man-hauling with keohane on the th. it was obvious that i could not go with them: he told me afterwards that when i came in with the dog-teams he was sure i could not go out again. "_march ._ the wind came away yesterday evening, first s.w. and then s.e. but not bad, though very thick. it was a surprise to find we could see the western mountains this morning, and i believe it has been a good day on the barrier, though it is still blowing with low drift this evening. we are now on the days when i expect the polar party in: pray god i may be right. atkinson and i look at one another, and he looks, and i feel, quite haggard with anxiety. he says he does not think they have scurvy. we both, i think, feel quite comfortable, in comparison, about campbell: he only wants to exercise care, and his great care was almost a byword on the ship. they are fresh and they have plenty of seal.[ ] he discussed with pennell both the possibility of shipwreck and that of the ship being unable to get to him, and for this reason landed an extra month's rations as a depôt; also he contemplated the idea of living on seal. he knows of the butter point depôt, and knows that a party has been sledging in that neighbourhood: though he does not know of the depôts they left at cape roberts and cape bernacchi, they are right out on the points and taylor says he could not miss them on his way down the coast."[ ] this day atkinson thought he saw campbell's party coming in, and the next day keohane and dimitri came in great excitement and said they could see them, and we were out on the point and on the sea-ice in the drift for quite a long time. "last night we had turned in about two hours when five or six knocks were hit on the little window over our heads. atkinson shouted 'hullo!' and cried, 'cherry, they're in.' keohane said, 'who's cook?' some one lit a candle and left it in the far corner of the hut to give them light, and we all rushed out. but there was no one there. it was the nearest approach to ghost work that i have ever heard, and it must have been a dog which sleeps in that window. he must have shaken himself, hitting the window with his tail. atkinson thought he heard footsteps!"[ ] on wednesday, march , atkinson started out on to the barrier with one companion, keohane. during the whole of this trip the temperatures were low, and both men obtained but little sleep, finding of course that a tent occupied by two men only is a very cold place. the first two days they made nine miles each day, on march they pushed on in thick weather for eleven miles, when the weather cleared enough to show them that they had got into the white island pressure. on march they reached a point south of corner camp, when "taking into consideration the weather, and temperatures, and the time of the year, and the hopelessness of finding the party except at any definite point like a depôt, i decided to return from here. we depôted the major portion of a week's provisions to enable them to communicate with hut point in case they should reach this point. at this date in my own mind i was morally certain that the party had perished, and in fact on march captain scott, miles south of one ton depôt, made the last entry in his diary."[ ] "they arrived back on april . yesterday evening at . p.m. atkinson and keohane arrived. it was pretty thick here and blowing too, but they had had a fair day on the barrier. they had been out to corner camp and eight miles farther. their bags were bad, their clothes very bad after six days: they must have had minus forties constantly. it is a moral certainty that to go farther south would serve no purpose, and for two men would be a useless risk. they did quite right to come back. they are much in want of sleep, poor devils, and i do hope atkinson will allow himself to rest: he looks as though he might knock up. keohane did well, and is very fit. they came in over fifteen miles yesterday, and have brought in the sledge of the second return party, the one they took out being very heavy pulling. they had no day on which they could not travel. here it has been blowing and drifting half the time he has been absent," and a few days later, "we have got to face it now. the pole party will not in all probability ever get back. and there is no more that we can do. the next step must be to get to cape evans as soon as it is possible. there are fresh men there: at any rate fresh compared to us."[ ] * * * * * atkinson was the senior officer left, and unless campbell and his party came in, the command of the main party devolved upon him. it was not a position which any one could envy even if he had been fresh and fit. amidst all his anxieties and responsibilities he looked after me with the greatest patience and care. i was so weak that sometimes i could only keep on my legs with difficulty: the glands of my throat were swollen so that i could hardly speak or swallow: my heart was strained and i had considerable pain. at such a time i was only a nuisance, but nothing could have exceeded his kindness and his skill with the few drugs which we possessed. again and again in these days some one would see one or other of the missing parties coming in. it always proved to be mirage, a seal or pressure or i do not know what, but never could we quite persuade ourselves that these excitements might not have something in them, and every time hope sprang up anew. meanwhile the matter of serious importance was the state of the ice in the bays between us and cape evans: we _must_ get help. all the ice in the middle of the sound was swept out by the winds of march to april , and on the following day atkinson climbed arrival heights to see how the remaining ice looked. the view over the sound from here is shown in the frontispiece to this book. "the ice in the two bays to cape evans is quite new--formed this morning, i suppose, with the rest that is in the sound. there are open leads between glacier tongue and cape evans, inside the line joining the ends of the two. there is a big berg in between glacier tongue and the islands, and also a flat one off cape evans."[ ] we had some good freezing days after this, and on april "we tried the ice this afternoon. it is naturally slushy and salt, but some hundred yards from the old ice it is six inches thick: probably it averages about this thickness all over the sound."[ ] then we had a hard blizzard, on the fourth day of which it was possible to get up the heights again and see for some distance. as far as could be judged the ice in the two bays had remained firm: these bays are those formed on either side of glacier tongue, by the hut point peninsula on the south, and by cape evans and the islands on the north. on april atkinson, keohane and dimitri started for cape evans, meaning to travel along the peninsula to the hutton cliffs, and thence to cross the sea-ice in these bays, if it proved to be practicable. the amount of daylight was now very restricted, and the sun would disappear for the winter a week hence. arrived at the hutton cliffs, where it was blowing as usual, they lost no time in lowering themselves and their sledge on to the sea-ice, and were then pleasantly surprised to find how slippery it was. "we set sail before a strong following breeze and, all sitting on the sledge, had reached the glacier tongue in twenty minutes. we clambered over the tongue, and, our luck and the breeze still holding, we reached cape evans, completing the last seven miles, all sitting on the sledge, in an hour." [illustration: cape evans from arrival heights] [illustration: cape royds from cape barne] "there i called together all the members and explained the situation, telling them what had been done, and what i then proposed to do; also asking them for their advice in this trying time. the opinion was almost unanimous that all that was possible had been already done. owing to the lateness of the year, and the likelihood of our being unable to make our way up the coast to campbell, one or two members suggested that another journey might be made to corner camp. knowing the conditions which had lately prevailed on the barrier, i took it upon myself to decide the uselessness of this."[ ] all was well at cape evans. winds and temperatures had both been high, the latter being in marked contrast to the low temperatures we had experienced at hut point, which averaged as much as ° lower than those that were recorded in the previous year. the seven mules were well, but three of the new dogs had died: we were always being troubled by that mysterious disease. before she left for new zealand the following members of our company joined the ship: simpson, who had to return to his work in india; griffith taylor, who had been lent to us by the australian government for only one year; ponting, whose photographic work was done; day, whose work with the motors was done; meares, who was recalled by family affairs; forde, whose hand had never recovered the effects of frost-bite during the spring; clissold, who fell off a berg and concussed himself; and anton, whose work with the ponies was done. lieutenant evans was invalided home. archer had been landed to take clissold's place as cook; another seaman, williamson, was landed to take forde's place, and of our sledging companions he was the only fresh man. wright was probably the most fit after him, and otherwise we had no one who, under ordinary circumstances, would have been considered fit to go out sledging again this season, especially at a time when the sun was just leaving us for the winter. we were sledged out. the next few days were occupied in making preparations for a further sledge journey, and on april a party started to return to hut point by the hutton cliffs. atkinson, wright, keohane and williamson were to try and sledge up the western coast to help campbell: gran and dimitri were to stay with me at hut point. the surface of the sea-ice was now extremely slushy and bad for pulling; the ice had begun to extrude its salt. a blizzard started in their faces, and they ran for shelter to the lee of little razorback island. the weather clearing they pushed on to the glacier tongue, and camped there for the night somewhat frost-bitten. some difficulty was experienced the next morning in climbing the ice-cliff on to the peninsula, but atkinson, using his knife as a purchase, and the sledge held at arm's-length by four men as a ladder, succeeded eventually in getting a foothold. meanwhile i was left alone at hut point, where blizzards raged periodically with the usual creakings and groanings of the old hut. foolishly i accompanied my companions, when they started for cape evans, as far as the bottom of ski slope. when i left them i found i could not keep my feet on the slippery snow and ice patches, and i had several nasty falls, in one of which i gave my shoulder a twist. it was this shaking combined with the rather desperate conditions which caused a more acute state of illness and sickness than i had experienced for some time. some of those days i remained alone at hut point i was too weak to do more than crawl on my hands and knees about the hut. i had to get blubber from the door to feed the fire, and chop up seal-meat to eat, to cook, and to tend the dogs, some of whom were loose, while most of them were tied in the verandah, or between the hut door and vince's cross. the hut was bitterly cold with only one man in it: had there not been some morphia among the stores brought down from cape evans i do not know what i should have done. the dogs realized that they could take liberties which they would not have dared to do in different circumstances. they whined and growled, and squabbled amongst themselves all the time, day and night. seven or eight times one day i crawled across the floor to try and lay my hands upon one dog who was the ringleader. i was sure it was dyk, but never detected him in the act, and though i thrashed him with difficulty as a speculation, the result was not encouraging. i would willingly have killed the lot of them just then, i am ashamed to say. i lay in my sleeping-bag with the floor of the hut falling from me, or its walls disappearing in the distance and coming back: and roused myself at intervals to feed blubber to the stove. i felt as though i had been delivered out of hell when the relief party arrived on the night of april . i had been alone four days, and i think a few more days would have sent me off my head. not the least welcome of the things they had brought me were my letters, copies of the weekly times, a pair of felt shoes and a comb! atkinson's plan was to start on april over the old sea-ice which lay to the south and south-west of us: he was to take with him wright, keohane and williamson, and they wanted to reach butter point, and thence to sledge up the western coast. if the sea-ice was in, and campbell was sledging down upon it, they hoped to meet him and might be of the greatest assistance to him. even if they did not meet him they could mark more obviously certain depôts, of which he had no knowledge, left by our own geological parties on the route he must follow. as i have already mentioned, these were on cape roberts, off granite harbour, and on cape bernacchi, north of new harbour: there was also a depôt at butter point, but campbell already knew of this. they could also leave instructions to this effect at points where he would be likely to see them. there was no question that there was grave risk in this journey. not only was the winter approaching, and the daylight limited, but the sea-ice over which they must march was most dangerous. sea-ice is always forming and being blown out to sea, or just floating away on the tide at this time of year. the amount of old ice which had remained during the summer was certain to be limited: the new ice was thin and might take them out with it at any time. however, what could be done had to be done. before they left certain signals by means of rockets and véry lights were arranged, to be sent up by us at hut point if campbell arrived: signals had also been arranged between hut point and cape evans in view of certain events. we did not have, but i think we ought to have had some form of portable heliograph for communications between hut point and cape evans when the sun was up and some kind of lamp signal apparatus to use during the winter. they started at . a.m. on wednesday, april . the sun was now only just peeping over the northern horizon at mid-day, and would disappear entirely in six more days, though of course there was a long twilight as yet. for fresh men on old sea-ice it would not have been an easy venture: for worn-out men on a coast where the ice was probably freezing and blowing out at odd times it was very brave. they had hard pulling their first two days, and the minimum temperature for the corresponding nights was - ° and - °. consequently they soon began to be iced up. on the other hand they found old sea-ice and made good some miles, camping on the evening of the th about four miles from the eskers. next morning they had to venture upon newly frozen ice, and a blizzard wind was blowing. they crossed the four miles from their night camp to the eskers, glad enough to reach land the other side without the ice going to sea with them. they then turned towards the butter point depôt, but were compelled to camp owing to the blizzard which came on with full force. the rise in temperature to zero caused a general thaw of sleeping-bags and clothing which dried but little when the sun had no power. on the following morning they reached the butter point depôt, which they found with difficulty, for there was no flag standing. even as they struck their camp they saw the ice to the north of them breaking up and going out to sea. there was nothing to do but to turn back, for neither could they go north to campbell nor could campbell come south to them. wright now told atkinson how much he had been opposed to this journey all along: "he had come on this trip fully believing that there was every possibility of the party being lost, but had never demurred and never offered a contrary opinion, and one cannot be thankful enough to such men."[ ] they made up the butter point depôt, marked it as well as they could in case campbell should arrive there, and left two weeks' provisions for him. they could do no more. they got back to the eskers that same day and anxiously awaited the twilight of the morning to reveal the state of the new sea-ice which they had crossed on their outward journey. to their joy some of it remained and they started to do the four miles between them and the old sea-ice. for two miles they ran with the sail set: then they had a hard pull, and some emperor penguins whom they could see led them to suppose that there was open water ahead. but they got through all right, and did ten miles for the day. on monday , "blizzard in morning, so started late, and made for end of pinnacled ice. we found our little bay of sea-ice all gone out. luckily there was a sort of ice-foot around the pinnacled ice and we completed seven miles and got through."[ ] _tuesday, april ._ "atkinson and his party got in about p.m. after a long pull all day in very bad weather. they are just in the state of a party which has been out on a very cold spring journey: clothes and sleeping-bags very wet, sweaters, pyjama coats and so forth full of snow. atkinson looks quite done up, his cheeks are fallen in and his throat shows thin. wright is also a good deal done up, and the whole party has evidently had little sleep. they have had a difficult and dangerous trip, and it is a good thing they are in, and they are fortunate to have had no mishaps, for the sea-ice is constantly going out over there, and when they were on it they never knew that they might not find themselves cut off from the shore. big leads were constantly opening, even in ice over a foot thick and with little wind. but even if the ice had been in i do not believe that they could have gone many days."[ ] that same day the sun appeared for the last time for four months. april seemed to be a quite good day when we woke, and wright, keohane and gran started back for cape evans before a.m. we could then see the outline of inaccessible island, and the ice in the sound looked fairly firm. so they determined to go by the way of the sea-ice under castle rock instead of going along the peninsula to the hutton cliffs. soon after they started it came up thick, and by . it was blowing a mild blizzard with a low temperature. we felt considerable anxiety, especially when a full blizzard set in with a temperature down to - °, and we could not see how the ice was standing it. two days later it cleared, and that night a flare was lit at cape evans at a pre-arranged time, by which signal we knew that they had arrived safely. we heard afterwards that when it came up thick they decided to follow the land which was the only thing that they could see. they soon found that the ice was not nearly so good as was supposed: there were open pools of water, and some of the ice was moving up and down with their weight as they crossed it: gran put his foot in. then wright went ahead with the alpine rope, the ice being blue, the pulling easy, and the wind force - . as far as turtleback island the ice was newly frozen, but after that they knew they were on oldish ice. they were lost on cape evans in the blizzard for some time, but eventually found the hut safely. one of the lessons of this expedition is that too little care was taken in travelling on sea-ice. atkinson, dimitri and i left for cape evans with the two dog-teams on may . directly we started it was evident that the surface was very bad: even the ice near hut point, which had been frozen for a long time, was hard pulling for the dogs, and when after less than a mile we got on to ice which had frozen quite lately the sledges were running on snow which in turn lay on salt sleet. it seemed a long time before we got abreast of castle rock, following close along the land for the weather was very thick: when we started we could just see the outline of inaccessible island, but by now the horizon was lost in the dusk and haze. we decided to push on to turtleback island and go over glacier tongue in order to get on to the older ice as soon as possible. the dogs began to get very done: manuki noogis, who had been harnessed in as leader (for rabchick had deserted in the night), gave in completely, lay down and refused to be persuaded to go on: we had to cast him off and hope that he would follow. after a time turtleback island was visible in the gloom, but it was all we could do, pushing and pulling the sledges to help the dogs, to get them so far. we were now on the older ice: our way was easier and we reached cape evans without further incident. we found rabchick on arrival, but no manuki noogis, who never reappeared. as we neared the cape atkinson turned to me: "would you go for campbell or the polar party next year?" he said. "campbell," i answered: just then it seemed to me unthinkable that we should leave live men to search for those who were dead. footnotes: [ ] see introduction, pp. l, lii-lix. [ ] see pp. , . [ ] see pp. , . [ ] my own diary. [ ] see p. . [ ] _british antarctic expedition, - _, "meteorology," by g. c. simpson, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] see pp. - . [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] as a matter of fact this was not the case. [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] atkinson in _scott's last expedition_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] ibid. [ ] atkinson in _scott's last expedition_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] atkinson in _scott's last expedition_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] atkinson's diary. [ ] my own diary. chapter xiv the last winter ordinary people snuggle up to god as a lost leveret in a freezing wilderness might snuggle up to a siberian tiger....--h. g. wells. (i) _ men dead._ (iii) _ men landed._ scott oates archer williamson wilson seaman evans bowers (iv) _ men at cape evans for third year._ (ii) _ men gone home._ atkinson crean cherry-garrard keohane lieut. evans day wright dimitri simpson forde debenham hooper meares clissold gran williamson taylor anton nelson archer ponting lashly a quite disproportionately small part of scott's last expedition was given to atkinson's account of the last and worst year any of us survivors spent: some one should have compelled him to write, for he will not do so if he can help it. the problems which presented themselves were unique in the history of arctic travel, the weather conditions which had to be faced during this last winter were such as had never been met in mcmurdo sound! the sledging personnel had lately undergone journeys, in one case no less than four journeys, of major importance, until they were absolutely worn out. the successful issue of the party was a triumph of good management and good fellowship. the saving clause was that as regards hut, food, heat, clothing and the domestic life generally we were splendidly found. to the north of us, some hundreds of miles away, campbell's party of six men must be fighting for their lives against these same conditions, or worse--unless indeed they had already perished on their way south. we knew they must be in desperate plight, but probably they were alive: the point in their favour was that they were fresh men. to the south of us, anywhere between us and the pole, were five men. we knew _they_ must be dead. the immediate problem which presented itself was how best to use the resources which were left to us. our numbers were much reduced. nine men had gone home before any hint of tragedy reached them. two men had been landed from the ship. we were thirteen men for this last year. of these thirteen it was almost certain that debenham would be unable to go out sledging again owing to an injury to his knee: archer had come to cook and not to sledge: and it was also doubtful about myself. as a matter of fact our sledging numbers for the last summer totalled eleven, five officers and six men. we were well provided with transport, having the seven mules sent down by the indian government, which were excellent animals, as well as our original two dog-teams: the additional dogs brought down by the ship were with two exceptions of no real sledging value. our dog-teams had, however, already travelled some miles on the barrier alone, not counting the work they had done between hut point and cape evans; and, though we did not realize it at this time, they were sick of it and never worked again with that dash which we had come to expect of them. the first thing which we settled about the winter which lay ahead of us was that, so far as possible, everything should go on as usual. the scientific work must of course be continued, and there were the dogs and mules to be looked after: a night-watch to be kept and the meteorological observations and auroral notes to be taken. owing to our reduced numbers we should need the help of the seamen for this purpose. we were also to bring out another volume of the south polar times on mid-winter day. the importance of not allowing any sense of depression to become a part of the atmosphere of our life was clear to all. this was all the more necessary when, as we shall see, the constant blizzards confined us week after week to our hut. even when we did get a fine day we were almost entirely confined to the rocky cape for our exercise and walks. when there was sea-ice it was most unsafe. atkinson was in command: in addition, he and dimitri took over the care of the dogs. many of these, both those which had been out sledging and those just arrived, were in a very poor state, and a dog hospital was soon built. at this date we had dogs left from the last year, and dogs brought down recently by the ship: three of the new dogs had already died. lashly was in charge of the seven mules, which were allotted to seven men for exercise: nelson was to continue his marine biological work: wright was to be meteorologist as well as chemist and physicist: gran was in charge of stores, and would help wright in the meteorological observations: debenham was geologist and photographer. i was ordered to take a long rest, but could do the zoological work, the south polar times, and keep the official account of the expedition from day to day. crean was in charge of sledging stores and equipment. archer was cook. hooper, our domestic, took over in addition the working of the acetylene plant. there was plenty of work for our other two seamen, keohane and williamson, in the daily life of the camp and in preparations for the sledging season to come. the blizzard which threatened us all the way from hut point on may broke soon after we got in. the ice in north bay, which had been frozen for some time, was taken out on the first day of this blizzard, with the exception of a small strip running close along the shore. the rest followed the next afternoon, when the wind was still rising, and blew in the gusts up to miles an hour. the curious thing was that all this time the air had been quite clear. this was the second day of the blizzard. the wind continued in violence as the night wore on, and it began to snow, becoming very thick. from a.m. to a.m. the wind was so strong that there was a continuous rattle of sand and stones up against the wall of the hut. the greater part of the time the anemometer head was choked by the drifting snow, and debenham, whose night-watch it was, had a bad time in clearing it at a.m. during the period when it was working it registered a gust of over miles an hour. while it was not working there came a gust which woke most people up, and which was a far more powerful one, making a regular hail of stones against the wall. the next morning the wind was found to be averaging miles an hour when the anemometer on the hill was checked for three minutes. later it was averaging miles an hour. this blizzard continued to rage all this day and the next, but on may , which was one of those clear beautiful days when it is hard to believe that it can ever blow again, we could see something of the damage to the sea-ice. the centre of the sound was clear of ice, and the open water stretched to the s. w. of us as far back as tent island. we were to have many worse blizzards during this winter, but this particular blow was important because it came at a critical time in the freezing over of the sea, and, once it had been dispersed, the winds of the future never allowed the ice to form again sufficiently thick to withstand the wind forces which obtained. thus i find in my diary of may : "up to the present we have never considered the possibility of the sea in this neighbourhood, and the sound out to the west of us, not freezing over permanently in the winter. but here there is still open water, and it seems quite possible that there may not be any permanent freezing this year, at any rate to the north of inaccessible island and this cape. though north bay is now frozen over, the ice in it was blown away during the night, and, having been blown back again, is now only joined to the ice-foot by newly frozen ice." during this winter the ice formed in north bay was constantly moving away from the ice-foot, quite independently of wind. i watched it carefully as far as it was possible to do so in the dark. sometimes at any rate the southern side of the sea-ice moved out not only northwards from the land, but also slightly westwards from the glacier face. to the north-east the ice was sometimes pressed closely up against the glacier. it seemed that the whole sheet was subject to a screw movement, the origin of which was somewhere out by inaccessible island. the result was that we often had a series of leads of newly frozen ice stretching out for some forty yards to an older piece of ice, each lead being of a different age. it was an interesting study in the formation of sea-ice, covered at times by very beautiful ice-flowers. but it was dangerous for the dogs, who sometimes did not realize that these leads were not strong enough to bear them. vaida went in one day, but managed to scramble out on the far side. he was induced to return to the land with difficulty, just before the whole sheet of ice upon which he stood floated out to sea. noogis, dimitri's good leader, wandered away several times during the winter: once at any rate he seems to have been carried off on a piece of ice, and to have managed to swim to land, for when he arrived in camp his coat was full of icy slush: finally he disappeared altogether, all search for him was in vain, and we never found out what had happened. [illustration: cape evans in winter--e. a. wilson, del.] vaida was a short-tempered strong animal, who must have about doubled his weight since we came in from one ton, and he became quite a house-dog this winter, waiting at the door to be patted by men as they went out, and coming in sometimes during the night-watch. but he did not like to be turned out in the morning, and for my part i did not like the job, for he could prove very nasty. we allowed a good many of the dogs to be loose this year, and sometimes, when standing quietly upon a rock on the cape, three or four of the dogs passed like shadows in the darkness, busily hunting the ice-foot for seals: this was the trouble of giving them their freedom, and i regret to say we found many carcasses of seal and emperor penguins. there was one new dog, lion, who accompanied me sometimes to the top of the ramp to see how the ice lay out in the sound. he seemed as interested in it as i was, and while i was using night-glasses would sit and gaze out over the sea which according to its age lay white or black at our feet. of course we had a dog called peary, and another one called cooke. peary was killed on the barrier because he would not pull. cooke, however, was still with us, and seemed to have been ostracized by his fellows, a position which in some lop-sided way he enjoyed. loose dogs chased him at sight, and when cooke appeared, and others were about, a regular steeplechase started. he also came up the ramp with me one day: half-way up he suddenly turned and fled for the hut as hard as he could go: three other dogs came round the rocks in full chase, and they all gave the impression of thoroughly enjoying themselves. the question of what ought to be done for the best during the coming sledging season must have been in the minds of all of us. which of the two missing parties were we to try and find? a winter journey to relieve campbell and his five men was out of the question. i doubt the possibility of such a journey to evans coves with fit men: to us at any rate it was unthinkable. also if we could do the double journey up and down, campbell could certainly do the single journey down. add to this that there was every sign of open water under the western mountains, though this did not influence us much when the decision was made. the problem as it presented itself to us was much as follows: campbell's party _might_ have been picked up by the terra nova. pennell meant to have another try to reach him on his way north, and it was probable that the ship would not be able to communicate again with cape evans owing to ice: on the other hand it was likely that the ship had _not_ been able to relieve him. it also seemed that he could not have travelled down the coast at this time, owing to the state of the sea-ice. the danger to him and his men was primarily during the winter: every day after the winter his danger was lessened. if we started in the end of october to relieve campbell, estimating the probable date of arrival of the ship, we judged that we could reach him only five or six weeks before the ship relieved him. all the same campbell and his men might be alive, and, having lived through the winter, the arrival of help might make the difference between life and death. on the other hand we knew that the polar party must be dead. they might be anywhere between hut point and the pole, drifted over by snow, or lying at the bottom of a crevasse, which seemed the most likely thing to have happened. from the upper glacier depôt in ° ´ s. to the pole, that is the whole distance of the plateau journey, we did not know the courses they had steered nor the position of their depôts, for lieutenant evans, who brought back the last return party, was invalided home and neither of the seamen who remained of this party knew the courses. after the experience of both the supporting parties on their way down the beardmore glacier, when we all got into frightfully crevassed areas, it was the general opinion that the polar party must have fallen down a crevasse; the weight of five men, as compared with the four men and three men of the other return parties, supported this theory. lashly was inclined to think they had had scurvy. the true solution never once occurred to us, for they had full rations for a very much longer period of time than, according to their averages to ° ´, they were likely to be out. the first object of the expedition had been the pole. if some record was not found, their success or failure would for ever remain uncertain. was it due not only to the men and their relatives, but also to the expedition, to ascertain their fate if possible? the chance of finding the remains of the southern party did not seem very great. at the same time scott was strict about leaving notes at depôts, and it seemed likely that he would have left some record at the upper glacier depôt before starting to descend the beardmore glacier: it would be interesting to know whether he did so. if we went south we must be prepared to reach this depôt: farther than that, i have explained, we could not track him. on the other hand, if we went south prepared to go to the upper glacier depôt, the number of sledging men necessary, in view of the fact that we had no depôts, would not allow of our sending a second party to relieve campbell. it was with all this in our minds that we sat down one evening in the hut to decide what was to be done. the problem was a hard one. on the one hand we might go south, fail entirely to find any trace of the polar party, and while we were fruitlessly travelling all the summer campbell's men might die for want of help. on the other hand we might go north, to find that campbell's men were safe, and as a consequence the fate of the polar party and the result of their efforts might remain for ever unknown. were we to forsake men who might be alive to look for those whom we knew were dead? these were the points put by atkinson to the meeting of the whole party. he expressed his own conviction that we should go south, and then each member was asked what he thought. no one was for going north: one member only did not vote for going south, and he preferred not to give an opinion. considering the complexity of the question, i was surprised by this unanimity. we prepared for another southern journey. it is impossible to express and almost impossible to imagine how difficult it was to make this decision. then we knew nothing: now we know all. and nothing is harder than to realize in the light of facts the doubts which others have experienced in the fog of uncertainty. our winter routine worked very smoothly. inside the hut we had a good deal more room than we needed, but this allowed of certain work being done in its shelter which would otherwise have had to be done outside. for instance we cut a hole through the floor of the dark-room, and sledged in some heavy boulders of kenyte lava: these were frozen solidly into the rock upon which the hut was built by the simple method of pouring hot water over them, and the pedestal so formed was used by wright for his pendulum observations. i was able to skin a number of birds in the hut; which, incidentally, was a very much colder place in consequence of the reduction in our numbers. the wind was most turbulent during this winter. the mean velocity of the wind, in miles per hour, for the month of may was . m.p.h.; for june . m.p.h.; and for july . m.p.h. the percentage of hours when the wind was blowing over fresh gale strength ( m.p.h. on the beaufort scale) for the month of may was . , for june , and for july per cent of the whole. these figures speak for themselves: after may we lived surrounded by an atmosphere of raging winds and blinding drift, and the sea at our door was never allowed to freeze permanently. after the blizzard in the beginning of may which i have already described, the ice round the point of cape evans and that in north bay formed to a considerable thickness. we put a thermometer screen out upon it, and atkinson started a fish-trap through a hole in it. there was a good deal of competition over this trap: the seamen started a rival one, which was to have been a very large affair, though it narrowed down to a less ambitious business before it was finished. there was a sound of cheering one morning, and crean came in triumph from his fish-trap with a catch of . atkinson's last catch had numbered one, but the seals had found his fishing-holes: a new hole caught fish until a seal found it. one of these fish, a tremasome, had a parasitic growth over the dorsal sheath. external parasites are not common in the antarctic, and this was an interesting find. on june dimitri and hooper went with a team of nine dogs to and from hut point, to see if they could find noogis, the dog which had left us on our return on may . there was plenty of food for him to pick up there. no trace of him could be found. the party reported a bad running surface, no pressure in the ice, as was the case the former year, but a large open working crack running from great razorback to tent island. there were big snowdrifts at hut point, as indeed was already the case at cape evans. during the first days of june we got down into the minus thirties, and our spirits rose as the thermometer dropped: we wanted permanent sea-ice. "_saturday, june ._ the weather changes since the night before last have been, luckily for us, uncommon. thursday evening a strong northerly wind started with some drift, and this increased during the night until it blew over forty miles an hour, the temperature being - °. a strong wind from the north is rare, and generally is the prelude of a blizzard. this northerly wind fell towards morning, and the day was calm and clear, the temperature falling until it was - ° at p.m. the barometer had been abnormally low during the day, being only . at noon. then at p.m. with the temperature at - °, this blizzard broke, and at the same time there was a big upward jump of the barometer, which seemed to mark the beginning of the blizzard much more than the thermometer, which did not rise much. the wind during the night was very high, blowing and miles an hour, for hours at a time, and has not yet shown any sign of diminishing. now, after lunch, the hut is straining and creaking, while a shower of stones rattles at intervals against it: the drift is generally very heavy." "_sunday, june ._ the temperature has been higher, about zero, during the day, and the blizzard shows no signs of falling yet. the gusts are still of a very high velocity. a large quantity of ice to the north seems to have gone out: at any rate our narrow strip along the front, which is so valuable to us, will probably be permanent now." "_monday, june ._ a most turbulent day. it is very hard to settle down to do anything, read or write, with such a turmoil outside, the hut shaking until we begin to wonder how long it will stand such winds. most of the time the wind is averaging about sixty miles an hour, but the gusts are far greater, and at times it seems that something must go. just before lunch i was racking my brains to write an editorial for the south polar times, and had congratulated ourselves on having the sea-ice which is still in north bay. as we were having lunch nelson came in and said, 'the thermometers have gone!' all the ice in north bay has gone. the part immediately next to the shore, which has now been in so long, and which was over two feet thick, we had considered sure to stay. on it has gone out the north bay thermometer screen with its instruments, which was placed yards out, the fish-trap, some shovels and a sledge with a crowbar. the gusts were exceptionally strong at lunch, and the ice must have gone out very quickly. there was no sign of it afterwards, though it was not drifting much and we could see some distance. to lose this ice in north bay is a great disappointment, for it means so much to us here whether we have ice or water at our doors. we are now pretty well confined to the cape both for our own exercise and that of the mules, and in the dark it is very rough walking. but if the ice in south bay were to follow, it would be a calamity, cutting us off entirely from the south and all sledging next year. let us hope we shall be spared this." this blizzard lasted for eight days, up till then the longest blizzard we had experienced: "it died as it had lived, blowing hard to the last, averaging miles an hour from the south, and then miles an hour from the north, finally back to the south, and so to calm. to sit here with no noise of wind whistling in the ventilator, calm and starlight outside, and north bay freezing over once more, is a very great relief."[ ] it is noteworthy that this clearance of the ice, as also that in the beginning of may, coincided roughly with the maximum declination of the moon, and therefore with a run of spring tides. it would be tedious to give any detailed account of the winds and drift which followed, night and day. there were few days which did not produce their blizzard, but in contrast the hours of bright starlight were very beautiful. "walking home over the cape in the darkness this afternoon i saw an eruption of erebus which, compared with anything we have seen here before, was very big. it looked as though a great mass of flame shot up some thousands of feet into the air, and, as suddenly as it rose, fell again, rising again to about half the height, and then disappearing. there was then a great column of steam rising from the crater, and probably, so debenham asserts, it was not a flame which appeared, but the reflection from a big bubble breaking in the crater. afterwards the smoke cloud stretched away southwards, and we could not see the end of it."[ ] blizzard followed blizzard, and at the beginning of july we had four days which were the thickest i have ever seen. generally when you go out into a blizzard the drift is blown from your face and clothes, and though you cannot see your stretched-out hand, especially on a dark winter day, the wind prevents you being smothered. the wind also prevents the land, tents, hut and cases from being covered. but during this blizzard the drift drove at you in such blankets of snow, that your person was immediately blotted out, your face covered and your eyes plugged up. gran lost himself for some time on the hill when taking the a.m. observations, and wright had difficulty in getting back from the magnetic cave. men had narrow escapes of losing themselves, though they were but a few feet from the hut. when this blizzard cleared the camp was buried, and even on unobstructed surfaces the snowdrifts averaged four feet of additional depth. two enormous drifts ran down to the sea from either end of the hut. i do not think we ever found some of our stores again, but the larger part we carried up to the higher ground behind us where they remained fairly clear. about this time i began to notice large sheets of anchor ice off the end of cape evans, that is to say, ice forming and remaining on the bottom of the open sea. now also the open water was extending round the cape into the south bay behind us: but it was too dark to get any reliable idea of the distribution of ice in the sound. we were afraid that we were cut off from hut point, but i do not believe that this was the case; though the open water must have stretched many miles to the south in the middle of the sound. the days when it was clear enough even to potter about outside the hut were exceptional. god was very angry. "_sunday, july ._ a blizzard during the night, and after breakfast it was drifting a lot. while we were having service some of the men went over the camp to get ice for water. the sea-ice had been blown out of north bay, and the men supposed that the sea was open, and would look black, but crean tells me that they nearly walked over the ice-foot, and, when it cleared later, we saw the sea as white as the ice-foot itself. a strip of ice which was lying out in the bay last night must have been brought in by the tide, even against a wind of some forty miles an hour. this shows what an influence the tides and currents have in comparison with the winds, for just at this time we are having very big tides. it was blowing and drifting all the morning, and the tide was flowing in, pressing the ice in under the ice-foot to such an extent that later it remained there, though the tide was ebbing and a strong southerly was blowing."[ ] incidentally the bergs which were grounded in our neighbourhood were shifted and broken about considerably by these high winds: also the meteorological screen placed on the ramp the year before was broken from its upright, which had snapped in the middle, and must have been taken up into the air and so out to sea, for there was no trace of it to be found: wright lost two doors placed over the entrance to the magnetic cave: when he lifted them they were taken out of his hands by the wind, and disappeared into the air and were never seen again. [illustration: north bay and the barne glacier] so ready was the sea to freeze that there can be little doubt that it already contained large numbers of ice crystals, and time and again i have stood upon the ice-foot watching the tongues of the winds licking up the waters as they roared their way out to sea. then, with no warning, there would come, suddenly and completely, a lull. and there would be a film of ice, covering the surface of the sea, come so quickly that all you could say was that it was not there before and it was there now. and then down would come the wind again and it was gone. once when the winter had gone and daylight had returned i stood upon the end of the cape, the air all calm around me, and there, half-a-mile away, a full blizzard was blowing: the islands, and even the berg between inaccessible island and the cape, were totally obscured in the thickest drift: the top of the drift, which was very distinct, thinned to show dimly the crest of inaccessible island: turk's head was visible and erebus quite clear. in fact i was just on the edge of a thick blizzard, blowing down the strait, the side showing as a perpendicular wall about feet high and travelling, i should say, about miles an hour. a roar came out from it of the wind and waves. the weather conditions were extraordinarily local, as another experience will show. atkinson and dimitri were off to hut point with the dogs, carrying biscuit and pemmican for the coming search journey: i went with them some way, and then left them to place a flag upon the end of glacier tongue for surveying purposes. it was clear and bright, and it was easy to get a sketch of the bearings of the islands from this position, which showed how great a portion of the tongue must have broken off in the autumn of . i anticipated a pleasant walk home, but was somewhat alarmed when heavy wind and drift came down from the direction of the hutton cliffs. wearing spectacles, and being unable to see without them, i managed to steer with difficulty by the sun which still showed dimly through the drift. it was amazing suddenly to walk out of the wall of drift into light airs at little razorback island. one minute it was blowing and drifting hard and i could see almost nothing, the next it was calm, save for little whirlwinds of snow formed by eddies of air drawn in from the north. in another three hundred yards the wind was blowing from the north. on this day atkinson found wind force and temperature - ° at hut point: at cape evans the temperature was zero and men were sitting on the rocks and smoking in the sun. many instances might be given to show how local our weather conditions often were. there was a morning some time in the middle of the winter when we awoke to one of our usual tearing blizzards. we had had some days of calm, and the ice had frozen sufficiently for the fish-trap to be lowered again. but that it would not stand much of this wind was obvious, and after breakfast atkinson stuck out his jaw and said he wasn't going to lose another trap for any dash blizzard. he and keohane sallied forth on to the ice, lost to our sight immediately in the darkness and drift. they got it, but arrived on the cape in quite a different place, and we were glad to see them back. soon afterwards the ice blew out. much credit is due to the mule leaders that they were able to exercise their animals without hurt. cape evans in the dark, strewn with great boulders, with the open sea at your feet, is no easy place to manage a very high-spirited and excitable mule, just out of a warm stable, especially if this is his first outing for several days and the wind is blowing fresh, and you are not sure if your face is frost-bitten, and you are quite sure that your hands are. but the exercise was carried out without mishap. the mules themselves were most anxious to go out, and when pyaree developed a housemaid's knee and was kept in, she revenged herself upon her more fortunate companions by biting each one hard as it passed her head on its way to and from the door. gulab was the biggest handful, and williamson managed him with skill: some of them, especially lal khan, were very playful, running round and round their leaders and stopping to paw the ground: khan sahib, on the other hand, was bored, yawning continually: it was suggested that he was suffering from polar ennui! altogether they reflected the greatest credit upon lashly, who groomed them every day and took the greatest care of them. they were subject to the most violent fits of jealousy, being much disturbed if a rival got undue attention. the dog vaida, however, was good friends with them all, going down the line and rubbing noses with them in their stalls. the food of the mules was based upon that given by oates to the ponies the year before, and the results were successful. the accommodation given to the dogs in the terra nova on the way south is open to criticism. as the reader may remember, they were chained on the top of the deck cargo on the main deck, and of course had a horrible time during the gale, and any subsequent bad weather, which did not however last very long. but it was quite impossible to put them anywhere else, for every square inch between decks was so packed that even our personal belongings for more than two years were reduced to one small uniform case. any seaman will easily understand that to build houses or shelters on deck over and above what we had already was out of the question. as a matter of fact i doubt whether the dogs had a worse time than we during that gale. in good weather at sea, and at all times in the pack, they were comfortable enough. but future explorers might consider whether they can give their dogs more shelter during the winter than we were able to do. amundsen, whose winter quarters were on the barrier itself, and who experienced lower temperatures and very much less wind than was our lot at cape evans, had his dogs in tents, and let them run loose in the camp during the day. tents would have gone in the winds we experienced, and i have explained that we had no snow in which we could make houses, as was done by amundsen in the barrier. our more peaceable dogs were allowed to run loose, especially during this last winter, at the beginning of which we also built a dog hospital. we should have liked to loose them all, but if we did so they immediately flew at one another's throats. we might perhaps have let them loose if we had first taken the precaution amundsen took, and muzzled all of them before doing so. the sport of fighting, so his dogs discovered, lost all its charm when they found they could not taste blood, and they gave it up, and ran about unmuzzled and happy. but the slaughter among the seals and penguins would have been horrible with us, and many dogs might have been carried away on the breaking sea-ice. the tied-up ones lay under the lee of a line of cases, each in his own hole. they curled up quite snugly buried in the snowdrift when blizzards were blowing, and lay exactly in the same way when sledging on the barrier, the first duty of the dog-driver after pitching his own tent being to dig holes for each of his dogs. it may be that these conditions are more natural to them than any other, and that they are warmer when covered by the drifted snow than they would be in any unwarmed shelter: but this i doubt. at any rate they throve exceedingly under these rigorous conditions, soon becoming fat and healthy after the hardest sledge journeys, and their sledging record is a very fine one. we could not have built them a hut; as it was, we left our magnetic hut, a far smaller affair, in new zealand, for there was no room to stow it on the ship. i would not advise housing dogs in a hut built with a lean-to roof as an annexe to the main living-hut, but this would be one way of doing it if you are prepared to stand the noise and smell. the dog-biscuits, provided by spratt, weighed oz. each, and their sledging ration was ½ lbs. a day, given to them after they reached the night camp. we made seal pemmican for them and tried this when sledging, as an occasional variation on biscuit, but they did not thrive on this diet. the oil in the biscuits caused purgation, as also did the pemmican: the fat was partly undigested and the excreta were eaten. the ponies also ate their excreta at times. certain dogs were confirmed leather eaters, and we carried chains for them: on camping, these dogs were taken out of their canvas and raw-hide harnesses, and attached to the sledge by the chains, care being taken that they could not get at the food on the sledge. when sledging, amundsen gave his dogs pemmican but i do not know what else: he also fed dog to dog: i do not know whether we could have fed dog to dog, for ours were siberian dogs which, i am told, will not eat one another. at amundsen's winter quarters he gave them seal's flesh and blubber one day, and dried fish the next.[ ] on the long voyage south in the fram, he fed his dogs on dried fish, and three times a week gave them a porridge of dried fish, tallow, and maize meal boiled together.[ ] at cape evans or at hut point our dogs were given plenty of biscuit some evenings, and plenty of fresh frozen seal at other times. our worst trouble with the dogs came from far away--probably from asia. there are references in scott's diary to four dogs as attacked by a mysterious disease during our first year in the south: one of these dogs died within two minutes. we lost many more dogs the last year, and atkinson has given me the following memorandum upon the parasite, a nematode worm, which was discovered later to be the cause of the trouble: "_filaria immitis._--a certain proportion of the dogs became infected with this nematode, and it was the cause of their death, mainly in the second year. it was present at the time the expedition started ( ) all down the pacific side of asia and papua, and there was an examination microscopically of all dogs imported at this time into new zealand. the secondary host is the mosquito culex. "the symptoms varied. the onset was usually with intense pain, during which the animal yelled and groaned: this was cardiac in origin and referable to the presence of the mature form in the beast. there was marked haematuria, and the animals were anaemic from actual loss of haemoglobins. in nearly all cases there was paralysis affecting the hindquarters during the later stages, which tended to spread upwards and finally ended in death. "the probable place of infection was vladivostok before the dogs were put on board ship and deported to new zealand. the only method of coping with the disease is prevention of infection in infected areas. it is probable that the mosquitoes would not bite after the dog's coat had been rubbed with paraffin: or mosquito netting might be placed over the kennels, especially at night time. the larval forms were found microscopically in the blood, and one mature form in the heart." we were too careful about killing animals. i have explained how campbell's party was landed at evans coves. some of the party wanted to kill some seals on the off chance of the ship not turning up to relieve them. this was before they were in any way alarmed. but it was decided that life might be taken unnecessarily if they did this--and that winter this party nearly died of starvation. and yet this country has allowed penguins to be killed by the million every year for commerce and a farthing's worth of blubber. we never killed unless it was necessary, and what we had to kill was used to the utmost both for food and for the scientific work in hand. the first emperor penguin we ever saw at cape evans was captured after an exciting chase outside the hut in the middle of a blizzard. he kept us busy for days: the zoologist got a museum skin, showing some variation from the usual coloration, a skeleton, and some useful observation on the digestive glands: the parasitologist got a new tape-worm: we all had a change of diet. many a pheasant has died for less. there were plenty of weddell seal round us this winter, but they kept out of the wind and in the water for the most part. the sea is the warm place of the antarctic, for the temperature never falls below about ° fahr., and a seal which has been lying out on the ice in a minus thirty temperature, and perhaps some wind, must feel, as he slips into the sea, much the same sensations as occur to us when we walk out of a cold english winter day into a heated conservatory. on the other hand, a seaman went out into north bay to bathe from a boat, in the full sun of a mid-summer day, and he was out almost as soon as he was in. one of the most beautiful sights of this winter was to see the seals, outlined in phosphorescent light, swimming and hunting in the dark water. we had lectures, but not as many as during the previous winter when they became rather excessive: and we included outside subjects. we read in many a polar book of the depressions and trials of the long polar night; but thanks to gramophones, pianolas, variety of food, and some study of the needs both of mind and body, we suffered very little from the first year's months of darkness. there is quite a store of novelty in living in the dark: most of us i think thoroughly enjoyed it. but a second winter, with some of your best friends dead, and others in great difficulties, perhaps dying, when all is unknown and every one is sledged to a standstill, and blizzards blow all day and all night, is a ghastly experience. this year there was not one of our company who did not welcome the return of the sun with thankfulness: all the more so since he came back to a land of blizzards and made many of our difficulties more easy to tackle. those who got little outside exercise were more affected by the darkness than others. this last year, of course, the difficulties of getting sufficient outdoor exercise were much increased. variety is important to the man who travels in polar regions: at all events those who went away on sledging expeditions stood the life more successfully than those whose duties tied them to the neighbourhood of the hut. other things being equal, the men with the greatest store of nervous energy came best through this expedition. having more imagination, they have a worse time than their more phlegmatic companions; but they get things done. and when the worst came to the worst, their strength of mind triumphed over their weakness of body. if you want a good polar traveller get a man without too much muscle, with good physical tone, and let his mind be on wires--of steel. and if you can't get both, sacrifice physique and bank on will. * * * * * note a lecture given at this time by wright on barrier surfaces is especially interesting with relation to the winter journey and the tragedy of the polar party. the general tend of friction set up by a sledge-runner upon snow of ordinary temperature may be called true _sliding_ friction: it is probable that the runners melt to an infinitesimal degree the millions of crystal points over which they glide: the sledge is running upon water. crystals in such temperatures are larger and softer than those encountered in low temperatures. it is now that halos may be seen in the snow, almost reaching to your feet as you pull, and moving forward with you: we steered sometimes by keeping these halos at a certain angle to us. my experience is that the best pulling surface is at an air temperature of about + ° fahr.: wright's experience is that below + ° during summer temperatures on the barrier the surface is fairly good, that between + ° and + ° less good, and between + ° and + ° best. the worst is from + ° upwards, the worst of all being round about freezing point. as the temperature became high the amount of ice melted by this sliding friction was excessive. it was then that we found ice forming upon the runners, often in almost microscopic amounts, but nevertheless causing the sledges to drag seriously. thus on the beardmore we took enormous care to keep our runners free from ice, by scraping them at every halt with the back of our knives. this ice is perhaps formed when the runners sink into the snow to an unusual depth, at which the temperature of the snow is sufficiently low to freeze the water previously formed by friction or radiation from the sun on to a dark runner. in very low temperatures the snow crystals become very small and very hard, so hard that they will scratch the runners. the friction set up by runners in such temperatures may be known as _rolling_ friction, and the effect, as experienced by us during the winter journey and elsewhere, is much like pulling a sledge over sand. this rolling friction is that of snow crystal against snow crystal. if the barometer is rising you get flat crystals on the ice, if it is falling you get mirage and a blizzard. when you get mirage the air is actually coming out of the barrier. thus far wright's lecture. since we returned i have had a talk with nansen about the sledge-runners which he recommends to the future explorer. the ideal sledge-runner combines lightness and strength. he tells me that he would always have metal runners in high temperatures in which they will run better than wood. in cold temperatures wood is necessary. metal is stronger than wood with same weight. he has never used, but he suggests the possible use of, aluminium or magnesium for the metal. and he would also have wooden runners with metal runners attached, to be used alternately, if needed. the discovery expedition used german silver, and it failed: nansen suggests that the failure was due to the fact that these runners were fitted at home. the effect of this is that the wood shrinks and the german silver is not quite flat: the fitting should be done on the spot. nansen did this himself on the fram, and the result was excellent. [i believe that these discovery runners were not a continuous strip of metal but were built up in strips, which tore at the points of junction.] before it is fitted, german silver should be heated red hot and allowed to cool. this makes it more ductile, like lead, and therefore less springy: the metal should be as thin as possible. as runners melt the crystals and so run on water, metal is unsuitable for cold snow. for low temperatures, therefore, nansen would have wooden runners under the metal, the metal being taken off when cold conditions obtained. he would choose such wood as is the best conductor of heat. he tried birch wood in the first crossing of greenland, but would not recommend it as being too easily broken. in the use of oak, ash, maple, and doubtless also hickory, for runners, the rings of growth of the tree should be as far apart as possible: that is to say, they should be fast growing. ash with narrow rings breaks. there is ash and ash: american ash is no good for this purpose; some norwegian ash is useful, and some not. our own sledges with ash runners varied enormously. the runners of a sledge should curve slightly, the centre being nearest to the snow. the runners of ski should curve also slightly, in this case upwards in the centre, i.e. from the snow. this is done by the way the wood is cut. wood always dries with the curve from the heart towards the outside of the tree. during our last year we had six new norwegian sledges twelve feet long, brought down by the ship, with tapered runners of hickory which were ¾ inches broad in the fore part and ¼ inches only at the stern. i believe that this was an idea of scott, who considered that the broad runner in front would press down a path for the tapered part which followed, the total area of friction being much less. we took one of them into south bay one morning and tried it against an ordinary sledge, putting lbs. on each of them. the surface included fairly soft as well as harder and more rubbly going. there was no difference of opinion that the sledge with the tapered runners pulled easier, and later we used these sledges on the barrier with great success. if some instrument could be devised to test sledges in this way it would be of very great service. no team of men can make an exact estimate of the run of their own sledge, let alone the sledge which your pony or your dogs are pulling. yet sledges vary enormously, and it would be an excellent thing for a leader to be able to test his sledges before buying them, and also to be able to pick out the best for his more important sledge journeys. i believe it can be done by attaching some kind of balance between the sledge and the men pulling it. other points mentioned by nansen are as follows: tarred ski are good: the snow does not stick so much. [this probably refers to the norwegian compound known as fahrt.] but he does not recommend tarred runners for sledges. having had experience of a tent of chinese silk which would go into his pocket but was very cold, he recommends a double tent, the inner lining being detached so that ice could be shaken from both coverings. he suggests the possibility of a woollen lining being warmer than cotton or silk or linen. i am, however, of opinion that wool would collect more moisture from the cooker, and it certainly would be far more difficult to shake off the ice. for four men he would have two two-men sleeping-bags and a central pole coming down between them, and the floor-cloth made in one piece with the tent. for three men a three-man sleeping-bag: e.g. for such a journey as our winter journey. he would not brush rime, formed upon the tent by the steam from the cooker and breath, from the inside of tent before striking camp. the more of it the warmer. he considers that two- or three-men sleeping-bags are infinitely warmer than single bags: objections of discomfort are overcome, for you are so tired you go to sleep anyway. i would, however, recommend the explorer to read scott's remarks upon the same subject before making up his mind.[ ] footnotes: [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] see amundsen, _the south pole_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. vol. i. p. . [ ] scott, _voyage of the discovery_, vol. i. pp. - . chapter xv another spring o to dream, o to awake and wander there, and with delight to take and render, through the trance of silence, quiet breath; lo! for there among the flowers and grasses, only the mightier movement sounds and passes; only winds and rivers, life and death. the flowers were of snow, the rivers of ice, and if stevenson had been to the antarctic he would have made them so. god sent his daylight to scatter the nightmares of the darkness. i can remember now the joy of an august day when the sun looked over the rim of the barne glacier, and my shadow lay clear-cut upon the snow. it was wonderful what a friendly thing that ice-slope became. we put the first trace upon the sunshine recorder; there was talk of expeditions to cape royds and hut point, and survey parties; and we ate our luncheon by the daylight which shone through the newly cleared window. the coming search journey was organized to reach the upper glacier depôt, and the plans were modelled upon the polar journey of the year before. but now we had no extensive depôts on the barrier. it was intended that the dogs should run two trips out to corner camp during this spring. it was hoped that two parties of four men each might be able to ascend the beardmore, one of them remaining about half-way up and doing geological and other scientific work while the other went up to the top. in our inmost thoughts we were full of doubts and fears. "i had a long talk with lashly, who asked me what i candidly thought had happened to the southern party. i told him a crevasse. he says he does not think so: he thinks it is scurvy. talking about crevasses he says that, on the return of the second return party, they came right over the ice-falls south of mount darwin,--descending about feet into a great valley, down which they travelled towards the west, and so to the upper glacier depôt. i believe scott told evans (lieut.) that he meant to come back this same way." "then the stuff they got into above the cloudmaker must have been horrible. 'why, there are places there you could put st. paul's into, and that's no exaggeration, neither,' and they spent two nights in it. all the way down to the gateway he says there were crevasses, great big fellows thirty feet across, which we of the first return party had crossed both going and coming back and which we never saw. but then much of the snow had gone and they were visible. lieut. evans was very badly snowblind most of this time. then outside the gateway, on the barrier, they crossed many crevasses, and some had fallen in where we had passed over them." "this makes one think. is the state of affairs in which we found the glacier an extraordinary one, the snow being a special phenomenon due to that great blizzard and snowfall? are we going to find blue ice this year where we found thick soft snow last? well! i have got a regular bad needle again, just as i have had before. but somehow the needle has always worked off when we get right into it. what a blessing it is that things are seldom as bad in the reality as you expect they are going to be in your imagination: though i must say the winter journey was worse even than i had imagined. i remember that this time last year the thought of the beardmore was very terrible: but the reality was never very bad." "lashly thinks it would be practically impossible for five men to disappear down a crevasse. where three men got through (and he said it would be impossible to get worse stuff than they came through), five men would be still better off. this is not my view, however. i think that the extra weight of one man might make all the difference in crossing a big crevasse: and if several men fell through one of those great bridges when sledge and men were all on it, i do not think the bridge would hold the sledge."[ ] several trips were made to cape royds over the barne glacier, and then by portaging over the rocks to shackleton's old hut. the sea was open here, except for small niches of ice, and the hut and the cape were comparatively free from drifts; probably the open water had swallowed the drifting snow. not so hut point, which was surrounded by huge drifts: the verandah which we had built up as a stable was filled from floor to roof: there was no ice-foot to be seen, only a long snow-slope from the door to the sea-level. the hut itself, when we had dug our way into it, was clear. we took down stores for the search journey, and brought back with us the only surviving sledge-meter. these instruments, which indicate by a clockwork arrangement the distance travelled in miles and yards, are actuated by a wheel which runs behind the sledge. they are of the greatest possible use, especially when sledging out of sight of land on the barrier or plateau, and we bitterly regretted that we had no more. they do not have an easy time on a glacier, and we lost the mechanism of one of our three polar journey meters when on the beardmore. dog-driving is hard on them; and pony-driving when the ponies are like christopher plays the very deuce. anyway we found we had only one left for this year, and this was more or less a dud. it was mended so far as possible but was never really reliable, and latterly was useless. a lot of trouble was taken by lashly to make another with a bicycle wheel from one of our experimental trucks, the revolutions of which were marked on a counter which was almost exactly similar to one of our anemometer registers. a bicycle wheel of course stood much higher than our proper sledge-meters, and a difficulty rose in fixing it to the sledge so as to prevent its wobbling and at the same time allow it the necessary amount of play. meanwhile the mules were being brought on in condition. with daylight and improved weather they were exercised with loaded sledges on the sea-ice which still remained in south bay. they went like lambs, and were evidently used to the work. gulab was a troublesome little animal: he had no objection to pulling a sledge, but was just ultra-timid. again and again he was got into position for having his traces hitched on, and each time some little thing, the flapping of a mitt, the touch of the trace, or the feel of the bow of the sledge, frightened him and he was off, and the same performance had to be repeated. once harnessed he was very good. the breast harness sent down for them by the indian government was used: it was excellent; though oates, i believe, had an idea that collars were better. however, we had not got the collars. the mules themselves looked very fit and strong: our only doubt was whether their small hoofs would sink into soft snow even farther than the ponies had done. no record of this expedition would be complete without some mention of the cases of fire which occurred. the first was in the lazarette of the ship on the voyage to cape town: it was caused by an overturned lamp and easily extinguished. the second was during our first winter in the antarctic, when there was a fire in the motor shed, which was formed by full petrol cases built up round the motors, and roofed with a tarpaulin. this threatened to be more serious, but was also put out without much difficulty. the third and fourth cases were during the winter which had just passed, and were both inside winter quarters. wright wanted a lamp to heat a shed which he was building out of cases and tarpaulins for certain of his work. he brought a lamp (not a primus) into the hut, and tried to make it work. he spent some time in the morning on this, and after lunch nelson joined him. the lamp was fitted with an indicator to show the pressure obtained by pumping. nelson was pumping, kneeling at the end of the table next the bulkhead which divided the officers' and men's quarters: his head was level with the lamp, and the indicator was not showing a high pressure. wright was standing close by. suddenly the lamp burst, a rent three inches long appearing in the join where the bottom of the oil reservoir is fitted to the rest of the bowl. twenty places were alight immediately, clothing, bedding, papers and patches of burning oil were all over the table and floor. luckily everybody was in the hut, for it was blowing a blizzard and minus twenty outside. they were very quick, and every outbreak was stopped. on september it was blowing as if it would rip your wind-clothes off you. we were bagging pemmican in the hut when some one said, "can you smell burning?" at first we could not see anything wrong, and gran said it must be some brown paper he had burnt; but after three or four minutes, looking upwards, we saw that the top of the chimney piping was red hot where it went out through the roof, as was also a large ventilator trap which entered the flue at this point. we put salt down from outside, and the fire seemed to die down, but shortly afterwards the ventilator trap fell on to the table, leaving a cake of burning soot exposed. this luckily did not fall, and we raked it down into buckets. about a quarter of an hour afterwards all the chimney started blazing again, the flames shooting up into the blizzard outside. we got this out by pushing snow in at the top, and holding baths and buckets below to catch the débris. we then did what we ought to have done at the beginning of the winter--took the piping down and cleaned it all out. our last fire was a little business. debenham and i were at hut point. i noticed that the place was full of smoke, which was quite usual with a blubber fire, but afterwards we found that the old hut was alight between the two roofs. the inner roof was too shaky to allow one to walk on it, and so, at debenham's suggestion, we bent a tube which was lying about and syphoned some water up with complete success. our more usual fire extinguishers were minimax, and they left nothing to be desired: indeed, all they left were the acid stains on the material touched. from such grim considerations it is a pleasure to turn to the out-of-door life we now led. emperor penguins began to visit us in companies up to forty in number: probably they were birds whose maternal or paternal instincts had been thwarted at cape crozier and had now taken to a vagrant life. they suffered, i am afraid, from the loose dogs, and on one occasion debenham was out on the sea-ice with a team of those dogs of ours which were useless for serious sledging. he had taken them in hand and formed a team which was very creditable to him, if not to themselves. on this occasion he had managed with great difficulty to restrain them from joining a company of emperors. the dogs were frantic, the emperors undisturbed. unable to go himself, one dog called little ginger unselfishly bit through the harness which restrained two of his companions, and debenham, helplessly holding the straining sledge, could only witness the slaughter, which followed. the first skua gull arrived on october , and we knew they would soon breed on any level gravel or rock free from snow; and we should see the antarctic petrels again, and perhaps a rare snowy petrel; and the first whales would be finding their way into mcmurdo sound. also the weddells, the common coastal seals of the antarctic, were now, in the beginning of october, leaving the open water and lying out on the ice. they were nearly all females, and getting ready to give birth to their young. the weddell seal is black on top, and splashed with silver in other places. he measures up to feet from nose to tail, eats fish, is corpulent and hulking. he sometimes carries four inches of blubber. on the ice he is one of the most sluggish of god's creatures, he sleeps continually, digests huge meals, and grunts, gurgles, pipes, trills and whistles in the most engaging way. in the sea he is transformed into one of the most elastic and lithe of beasts, catching his fish and swallowing them whole. as you stand over his blow-hole his head appears, and he snorts at you with surprise but no fear, opening and shutting his nostrils the while as he takes in a supply of fresh air. it is clear that they travel for many miles beneath the ice, and i expect they find their way from air-hole to air-hole by listening to the noise made by other seals. some of the air-holes are exit and entrance holes as well, and i found at least one seal which appeared to have died owing to its opening freezing up. they may be heard at times grinding these holes open with their teeth (ponting took some patient cinematographs showing the process of sawing the openings to these wells) and their teeth are naturally much worn by the time they become old. wilson states that they are liable to kidney trouble: their skin is often irritable, which may be due to the drying salt from the sea; and i have seen one seal which was covered with a suppurating rash. their spleens are sometimes enormously enlarged when they first come out of the sea on to the ice, which is interesting because no one seems to know much about spleens. speculation was caused amongst us by the fact that some of these air-holes had as it were a trap-door above them. one day i was on the ice-foot at cape evans at a time when north bay was frozen over with about an inch or more of ice. a seal suddenly poked his nose up through this ice to get air, and when he disappeared a slab which had been raised by his head fell back into this trap position. clearly this was the origin of the door. weddell seals and the hut point life are inextricably mixed up in my recollections of october. atkinson, debenham, dimitri and i went down to hut point on the th, with the two dog-teams. we were to run two depôts out on to the barrier, and debenham, whose leg prevented his further sledging, was to do geological work and a plane table survey. those of us who had borne the brunt of the travelling of the two previous sledge seasons were sick of sledging. for my own part i confess i viewed the whole proceedings with distaste, and i have no doubt the others did too; but the job had to be done if possible, and there was no good in saying we were sick of it. from beginning to end of this year men not only laboured willingly, but put their hearts and souls into the work. to have to do another three months' journey seemed bad enough, and to leave our comfortable winter quarters three weeks before we started on that journey was an additional irritation. we ran down in surface drift: it was thick to the south, the wind bit our faces and hands; we could see nothing by the time we got in, and the snow was falling heavily. the stable was full of beastly snow, the hut was cold and cheerless, and there was no blubber for the stove. and if we had only taken the ship and gone home when the period for which we had joined was passed, we might have been in london for the last six months! but then the snow stopped, the wind went down, and the mountain tops appeared in all their glorious beauty. we were in the middle of a perfect summer afternoon, with a warm sun beating on the rocks as we walked round to pram point. there were many seals here already, and it was clear that the place would form a jolly nursery this year, for there must have been a lot of movement on the barrier and the sea-ice was seamed with pressure ridges up to twenty feet in height. the hollows were buckled until the sea water came up and formed frozen ponds which would thaw later into lovely baths. sheltered from the wind the children could chase their ridiculous tails to their hearts' content: their mothers would lie and sleep, awakening every now and then to scratch themselves with their long finger-nails. not quite yet, but they were not far away: lappy, one of our dogs who always looked more like a spaniel than anything else, heard one under the ice and started to burrow down to him! nearly three weeks later i paid several more visits to this delightful place. it was thick with seals, big seals and little seals, hairy seals and woolly seals: every day added appreciably to the number of babies, and to the baaings and bleatings which made the place sound like a great sheepfold. in every case where i approached, the mothers opened their mouths and bellowed at me to keep away, but they did not come for me though i actually stroked one baby. often when the mother bellowed the little one would also open his mouth, producing just the ghost of a bellow: not because he seemed afraid of us, but rather because he thought it was the right thing to do: as indeed it probably was. one old cow was marked with hoops all round her body, like an advertisement of michelin tyres: only the hoops were but an inch apart from one another, and seemed to be formed by darker and longer bands of hair: probably something to do with the summer moult. two cows, which scrambled out of the same hole one after the other, were fighting, the hinder one biting the other savagely as she made an ungainly entrance. the first was not in calf, the aggressor, however, was: this may have had something to do with it. they were both much cut about and bleeding. a seal is never so pretty as when he is a baby. with his grey woolly coat, which he keeps for a fortnight, his comparatively long flippers and tail, and his big dark eyes, he looks very clean and pussy-like. i watched one running round and round after his tail, putting his flipper under his head as a pillow, and scratching himself, seemingly as happy as possible: yet it was pretty cold with some wind. little is known of the lighter side of a weddell's life. it seems probable that their courtship is a ponderous affair. about october atkinson found an embryo of about a fortnight old, which is an interesting stage, and this was preserved with many others we found, but all of them were too old to be of any real value. i think there is a good deal of variation in the size of the calves at birth. there is certainly much difference between the care of individual mothers, some of which are most concerned when you approach, while others take little notice or lop away from you, leaving their calf to look after itself, or to find another mother. sometimes they are none too careful not to roll or lie on their calves. one afternoon i drove a bull seal towards a cow with a calf. the cow went for him bald-headed, with open mouth, bellowing and most disturbed. the bull defended himself as best he might but absolutely refused to take the offensive. the calf imitated his mother as best he could. meanwhile atkinson and dimitri took some mule-fodder and dog-biscuit to a point twelve miles south of corner camp. they started on october with the two dog-teams and found a most terrible surface on the barrier, the sledges sometimes sinking as far as the 'fore-and-afters'; the minimum temperatures the first two nights were - ° and - °; strong blizzard at corner camp; a lie-up for a day and a half, before they could push on in wind and drift and lay the depôt. the dogs ran back from corner camp to hut point on october , a distance of thirty miles. three miles from corner camp three dogs of atkinson's team fell into a crevasse, one of them falling right down to the length of his harness. the rest of the team, however, pulled on, and dragged the three dogs out as they went. atkinson lost his driving-stick, which was left standing in the snow and served to mark a place to be avoided. altogether a rather lucky escape: two men out alone with two dog-teams are somewhat helpless in case of emergency. on october dimitri and i started to take a further depôt out to corner camp with the two dog-teams, pulling about lbs. each. we found a much better surface than that experienced by atkinson; in places really smooth and hard. "it is good to be out again in such weather, and it has been a very pleasant day." the minimum was only - ° that night, and we reached corner camp on the afternoon of the next day, following the old tracks where possible, and halting occasionally to hunt when we lost them. "here we made the depôt and the dogs had a rest of ½ hours, and two biscuits. it was quaint to see them waiting for more food, for they knew they had not had their full whack."[ ] there was plenty of evidence that the barrier had moved a long way during the last year. it had buckled up the sea-ice at pram point; there were at least three new and well-marked undulations before reaching corner camp; and the camp itself had moved visibly, judged by the bearings and sketches we possessed. i believe the annual movement had not been less than half a mile. corner camp is a well-known trap for blizzards on the line of their exit at cape crozier, and it was clouding up, the barometer falling, and the temperature rising rapidly. "so we decided to come back some way, and have in the end come right back to the biscuit depôt, since it looked very threatening to the east. here the temperature is lower (- °) and it is clearing. ross island has been largely obscured, but the clouds are opening on terror. we had a very good run and the dogs pulled splendidly, making light work of it: miles for the day, half of it with loaded sledges! lappy's feet are bleeding a good bit, owing to the snow balling in between his toes where the hair is unusually long. bullet, who is fat and did not pull, celebrated his arrival in camp by going for bielchik who had pulled splendidly all day! there is much mirage, and observation hill and castle rock are reversed."[ ] we reached hut point the next day. lappy's feet were still bad, and dimitri wrapped him in his windproof blouse and strapped him on to the sledge. all went well until we got on to the sea-ice, when lappy escaped and arrived an easy first. dog-driving is the devil! before i started, my language would not have shamed a sunday school, and now--if it were not sunday i would tell you more about it. it takes all kinds to make a world and a dog-team. we had aristocrats like osman, and bolsheviks like krisravitza, and lunatics like hol-hol. the present-day employer of labour might stand amazed when he saw a crowd of prospective workmen go mad with joy at the sight of their driver approaching them with a harness in his hands. the most ardent trade unionist might boil with rage at the sight of eleven or thirteen huskies dragging a heavy load, including their idle master, over the floe with every appearance of intense joy. but truth to tell there were signs that they were getting rather sick of it, and within a few days we were to learn that dogs can chuck their paws in as well as many another. they had their king, of course: osman was that. they combined readily and with immense effect against any companion who did not pull his weight, or against one who pulled too much. dyk was unpopular among them, for when the team of which he was a member was halted he constantly whined and tugged at his harness in his eagerness to go on: this did not allow the rest of the team to rest, and they were justifiably resentful. sometimes a team got a down upon a dog without our being able to discover their doggy reason. in any case we had to watch carefully to prevent them carrying out their intentions, their method of punishment always being the same and ending, if unchecked, in what they probably called justice, and we called murder. i have referred to the crusts on the barrier, where the snow lies in layers with an air-space, perhaps a quarter of an inch, or more, between them. these will subside as you pass over them, giving the inexperienced polar traveller some nasty moments until he learns that they are not crevasses. but the dogs thought they were rabbits, and pounced, time after time. there was a little dog called mukaka, who got dragged under the sledge in one of the mad penguin rushes the dog-teams made when we were landing stores from the terra nova: his back was hurt and afterwards he died. "he is paired with a fat, lazy and very greedy black dog, noogis by name, and in every march this sprightly little mukaka will once or twice notice that noogis is not pulling and will jump over the trace, bite noogis like a snap, and be back again in his own place before the fat dog knows what has happened."[ ] then there was stareek (which is the russian for old man, starouka being old woman). "he is quite a ridiculous 'old man,' and quite the nicest, quietest, cleverest old dog i have ever come across. he looks in face as though he knew all the wickedness of all the world and all its cares, and as if he were bored to death by them."[ ] he was the leader of wilson's team on the depôt journey, but decided that he was not going out again. thereafter when he thought there was no one looking he walked naturally; but if he saw you looking at him he immediately had a frost-bitten paw, limped painfully over the snow, and looked so pitiful that only brutes like us could think of putting him to pull a sledge. we tried but he refused to work, and his final victory was complete. one more story: dimitri is telling us how a "funny old stareek" at sydney came and objected to his treatment of the dogs (which were more than half wolves and would eat you without provocation). "he says to me, 'you not whip'--i say, 'what ho!' he go and fetch mr. meares--he try put me in choky. then he go to anton--give anton cigarette and match--he say--'how old that horse?' pointing to hackenschmidt--anton say, very young--he not believe--he go try see hackenschmidt's teeth--and old starouka too--and hackenschmidt he draw back and he rush forward and bite old stareek twice, and he fall backwards over case--and ole woman pick him up. he very white beard which went so--i not see him again." footnotes: [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] wilson's journal, _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. chapter xvi the search journey from my own diary sleep after toyle, port after stormie seas, ease after warre, death after life, does greatly please. spenser, _the faerie queen._ _october . hut point._ a beautiful day. we finished digging out the stable for the mules this morning and brought in some blubber this afternoon. the bluff has its cap on, but otherwise the sky is nearly clear: there is a little cumulus between white island and the bluff, the first i have seen this year on the barrier. it is most noticeable how much snow has disappeared off the rocks and shingle here. _october . hut point._ the mule party, under wright, consisting of gran, nelson, crean, hooper, williamson, keohane and lashly, left cape evans at . and arrived here at p.m. after a good march in perfect weather. they leave debenham and archer at the hut, and i am afraid it will be dull work for them the next three months. archer turned out early and made some cakes which they have brought with them. they camped for lunch seven miles from cape evans. [illustration: the mule party leaves cape evans--october , ] this is the start of the search journey. everything which forethought can do has been done, and to a point twelve miles south of corner camp the mules will be travelling light owing to the depôts which have been laid. the barometer has been falling the last few days and is now low, while the bluff is overcast. yet it does not look like blizzard to come. two adélie penguins, the first, came to cape evans yesterday, and a skua was seen there on the th: so summer is really here. _october . hut point._ it is now p.m., and the mules are just off, looking very fit, keeping well together, and giving no trouble at the start. their leaders turned in this afternoon, and to-night begins the new routine of night marching, just the same as last year. it did look thick on the barrier this afternoon, and it was quite a question whether it was advisable for them to start. but it is rolling away now, being apparently only fog, which is now disappearing before some wind, or perhaps because the sun is losing its power. i think they will have a good march. _november _, a.m. _biscuit depôt._ atkinson, dimitri and i, with two dog-teams, left hut point last night at . . we have had a coldish night's run, - ° when we left after lunch, - ° now. the surface was very heavy for the dogs, there being a soft coating of snow over everything since we last came this way, due no doubt to the foggy days we have been having lately. the sledge-meter makes it nearly miles. the mule party has two days' start on us, and their programme is to do twelve miles a day to one ton depôt. their tracks are fairly clear, but there has been some drift from the east since they passed. we picked up our cairns well. we are pretty wet, having been running nearly all the way. _november ._ early morning. ½ miles. we are here at corner camp, but not without a struggle. we left the biscuit depôt at . p.m. yesterday, and it is now a.m. the last six miles took us four hours, which is very bad going for dogs, and we have all been running most of the way. the surface was very bad, crusty and also soft: it was blowing with some low drift, and overcast and snowing. we followed the drifted-up mule tracks with difficulty and are lucky to have got so far. the temperature has been a constant zero. there is a note here from wright about the mules, which left here last night. they only saw two small crevasses on the way, but khan sahib got into the tide-crack at the edge of the barrier, and had to be hauled out with a rope. the mules are going fast over the first part of the day, but show a tendency to stop towards the end: they keep well together except khan sahib, who is a slower mule than the others. it is now blowing with some drift, but nothing bad, and beyond the bluff it seems to be clear. we are all pretty tired. _november . early morning._ well! this has been a disappointing day, but we must hope that all will turn out well. we turned out at a.m. yesterday and then it was clearing all round, a mild blizzard having been blowing since we camped. we started at five in some wind and low drift. it was good travelling weather, and except for the first three miles the surface has been fair to good, and the last part very good. yet the dogs could not manage their load, which according to programme should go up a further lbs. each team here at dimitri depôt. one of our dogs, kusoi, gave out, but we managed to get him along tied to the stern of the sledge, because the team behind tried to get at him and he realized he had better mend his ways. we camped for lunch when tresor also was pretty well done. we were then on a very good surface, but were often pushing the sledge to get it along. the mule party were gone when we started again, and probably did not see us. we came on to the depôt, but we cannot hope to get along far on bad surfaces if we cannot get along on good ones. the note left by wright states that their sledge-meter has proved useless, and this leaves all three parties of us with only one, which is not very reliable now. so it has been decided that the dogs must return from ° ´, or ° at the farthest, and instead of four mules, as was intended, going on from there, five must go on instead. the dogs can therefore now leave behind much of their own weights and take on the mules' weights instead. and this is the part where the mules' weights are so heavy. perhaps the new scheme is the best, but it puts everything on the mules from ° ´: if they will do it all is well: if they won't we have nothing to fall back on. _midnight, november - ._ it has been blowing and drifting all day. we turned out again at mid-day on the th, and re-made the depôt with what we were to leave owing to the new programme. this is all rather sad, but it can't be helped. it was then blowing a summer blizzard, and we were getting frost-bitten when we started, following the mule tracks. there were plenty of cairns for us to pick up, and with the lighter loads and a very good surface we came along much better. lunching at eight miles we arrived just as the mule party had finished their hoosh preparatory to starting, and it has been decided that the mules are not to go on to-night, but we will all start marching together to-morrow. the news from this party is on the whole good, not the least good being that the sledge-meter is working again, though not very reliably. they are marching well, and at a great pace, except for khan sahib. gulab, however, is terribly chafed both by his collar and by his breast harness, both of which have been tried. he has a great raw place where this fits on one side, and is chafed, but not so badly, on the other side. lal khan is pulling well, but is eating very little. pyaree is doing very well, but has some difficulty in lifting her leg when in soft snow. abdullah seems to be considered the best mule at present. on the whole good hearing. wright's sleeping-bag is bad, letting in light through cracks in a good many places. but he makes very little of it and does not seem to be cold--saying it is good ventilation. the mule cloths, which have a rough lining to their outside canvas, are collecting a lot of snow, and all the mules are matted with cakes of snow. they are terrible rope-eaters, cloth-eaters, anything to eat, though they are not hungry. and they have even learnt to pull their picketing buckles undone, and go walking about the camp. indeed nelson says that the only time when khan sahib does not cast himself adrift is when he is ready to start on the march. _november . early morning._ we had a really good lie-in yesterday, and after the hard slogging with the dogs during the last few days i for one was very glad of it. we came on behind, and in sight of the mules this last march, and the change in the dogs was wonderful. where it had been a job to urge them on over quite as good a surface yesterday, to-day for some time we could not get off the sledge except for short runs: although we had taken lbs. weight off the mules and loaded it on to the dogs. we had a most glorious night for marching, and it is now bright sunlight, and the animals' fur is quite warm where the sun strikes it. we have just had a bit of a fight over the dog-food, vaida going for dyk, and now the others are somewhat excited, and there are constant growlings and murmurings. the camp makes more of a mark than last year, for the mules are dark while the ponies were white or grey, and the cloths are brown instead of light green. the consequence is that the camp shows up from a long distance off. we are building cairns at regular distances, and there should be no difficulty in keeping on the course in fair weather at any rate. now in the land of big sastrugi: erebus is beginning to look small, but we could see an unusually big smoke from the crater all day. _november . early morning._ not an easy day. it was - ° and overcast when we turned out, and the wind was then dying down, but it had been blowing up to force , with surface drift during the day. we started in a bad light and the surface, which was the usual hard surface common here, with big sastrugi, was covered by a thin layer of crystals which were then falling. this naturally made it very much harder pulling: we with the dogs have been running nearly all the twelve miles, and i for one am tired. at lunch atkinson thought he saw a tent away to our right,--the very thought of it came as a shock,--but it proved to be a false alarm. we have been keeping a sharp look-out for the gear which was left about this part by the last return party, but have seen no sign of it. it is now - °, but the sun is shining brightly in a clear sky, and it feels beautifully warm. it seems a very regular thing for the sky to cloud over as the sun gets low towards nightfall--and directly the sun begins to rise again the clouds disappear in a most wonderful way. _november . early morning._ last night's twelve miles was quite cold for the time of year, being - ° at lunch and now - °. but it is calm, with bright sun, and this temperature feels warm. however, there are some frost-bites as a result, both nelson and hooper having swollen faces. the same powder and crystals have been on the surface, but we have carried the good bluff surface so far, being now four miles beyond bluff depôt. this is fortunate, and to the best of my recollection we were already getting on to a soft surface at this point last summer. if so there must have been more wind here this year than last, which, according to the winter we have had, seems probable. we made up the bluff depôt after lunch, putting up a new flag and building up the cairn, leaving two cases of dog-biscuit for the returning dog-teams. it is curious that the drift to leeward of the cairn, that is n.n.e., was quite soft, the snow all round and the drifts on either side being hard--exceptionally hard in fact. why this drift should remain soft when a drift in the same place is usually hard is difficult to explain. all is happy in the mule camp. they have given lal a drink of water and he has started to eat, which is good news. some of the mules seem snow-blind, and they are now all wearing their blinkers. i have just heard that gran swung the thermometer at four this morning and found it - °. nelson's face is a sight--his nose a mere swollen lump, frost-bitten cheeks, and his goggles have frosted him where the rims touched his face. poor marie! _november . early morning._ twelve more miles to the good, and we must consider ourselves fortunate in still carrying on the same good surface, which is almost if not quite as good as that of yesterday. this is the only time i have ever seen a hard surface here, not more than fifteen miles from one ton, and it looks as if there had been much higher winds. the sastrugi, which have been facing s.w., are now beginning to run a little more westerly. i believe this to be quite a different wind circulation from ross island, which as a whole gets its wind from the bluff. the bluff is, i believe, the dividing line, though big general blizzards sweep over the whole, irrespective of local areas of circulation. this was amply corroborated by our journey out here last autumn. well, this is better than then--just round here we had a full blizzard and - °. _november . early morning._ a perfect night for marching, but about - ° and chilly for waiting about. the mules are going well, but lal khan is thinning down a lot: abdullah and khan sahib are also off their feed. their original allowance of lbs. oats and oilcake has been reduced to lbs., and they are not eating this. the dogs took another lbs. off them to-day, and pulled it very well. the surface has been splendidly hard, which is most surprising. wright does not think that there has been an abnormal deposition of snow the last winter; he says it is about ½ feet, which is much the same as last year. the mules are generally not sinking in more than two inches, but in places, especially latterly, they have been in five, or six. this is the first we have had this year of crusts, and some of them to-day have been exceptionally big: two at lunch must have lasted several seconds. the dogs seem to think the devil is after them when one of these goes off, and put on a terrific spurt. it is interesting to watch them snuffing in the hoof-marks of the mules, where there is evidently some scent left. in these temperatures they are always kicking their legs about at the halts. as the sun gained power this morning a thick fog came up very suddenly. i believe this is a sign of good weather. [illustration: the dog party leaves hut point--november , ] _november . early morning. one ton depôt._ wright got a latitude sight yesterday putting us six miles from one ton, and our sledge-meter shows ¾, and here we are. more frost-bite this morning, and it was pretty cold starting in a fair wind and - ° temperature. we have continued this really splendid surface, and now the sastrugi are pointing a little more to the south of s.w. while there are not such big mounds, the surface does not yet show any signs of getting bad. there were the most beautiful cloud-effects as we came along--a deep black to the west, shading into long lines of grey and lemon yellow round the sun, with a vertical shaft through them, and a bright orange horizon. now there is a brilliant parhelion. given sun, two days here are never alike. whatever the monotony of the barrier may be, there is endless variety in the sky, and i do not believe that anywhere in the world such beautiful colours are to be seen. i had a fair panic as we came up to the depôt. i did not see that one body of the ponies had gone ahead of the others and camped, but ahead of the travelling ponies was the depôt, looking very black, and i thought that there was a tent. it would be too terrible to find that, though one knew that we had done all that we could, if we had done something different we could have saved them. and then we find that the provisions we left here for them in the tank are soaked with paraffin. how this has happened is a mystery, but i think that the oil in the xs tin, which was very full, must have forced its way out in a sudden rise of temperature in a winter blizzard, and though the tin was not touching the tank, it has found its way in. altogether things seemed rather dismal, but a visit to the mules is cheering, for they seem very fit as a whole and their leaders are cheerful. there are three sacks of oats here--had we known it would have saved a lot of weight--but we didn't, and we have plenty with what we have brought, so they will be of little use to us. there is no compressed fodder, which would have been very useful, for the animals which are refusing the oats would probably eat it. gulab has a very bad chafe, but he is otherwise fit--and it does not seem possible in this life to kill a mule because of chafing. it is a great deal to know that he does not seem to be hurt by it, and pulls away gallantly. crean says he had to run a mile this morning with rani. marie says he is inventing some new ways of walking, one step forward and one hop back, in order to keep warm when leading khan sahib. up to date we cannot say that the fates have been unkind to us. _november . early morning. lunch_ . a.m. i am afraid our sledge-meters do not agree over this morning's march. the programme is to do thirteen miles a day if possible from here: that is ½ before lunch and ½ afterwards. we could see two cairns of last year on our right as we came along. we have got on to a softer surface now and there is bad news of lal khan, and it will depend on this after-lunch march whether he must be shot this evening or not. it was intended to shoot a mule two marches from one ton, but till just lately it had not been thought that it must be lal khan. he is getting very slow, and came into camp with khan sahib: the trouble of course is that he will not eat: he has hardly eaten, they say, a day's ration since he left hut point, and he can't work on nothing. it is now - °, with a slight southerly wind. _nearly mid-day. - miles south of one ton._ we have found them--to say it has been a ghastly day cannot express it--it is too bad for words. the tent was there, about half-a-mile to the west of our course, and close to a drifted-up cairn of last year. it was covered with snow and looked just like a cairn, only an extra gathering of snow showing where the ventilator was, and so we found the door. it was drifted up some - feet to windward. just by the side two pairs of ski sticks, or the topmost half of them, appeared over the snow, and a bamboo which proved to be the mast of the sledge. their story i am not going to try and put down. they got to this point on march , and on the th all was over. nor will i try and put down what there was in that tent. scott lay in the centre, bill on his left, with his head towards the door, and birdie on his right, lying with his feet towards the door. bill especially had died very quietly with his hands folded over his chest. birdie also quietly. oates' death was a very fine one. we go on to-morrow to try and find his body. he was glad that his regiment would be proud of him. they reached the pole a month after amundsen. we have everything--records, diaries, etc. they have among other things several rolls of photographs, a meteorological log kept up to march , and, considering all things, a great many geological specimens. _and they have stuck to everything._ it is magnificent that men in such case should go on pulling everything that they have died to gain. i think they realized their coming end a long time before. by scott's head was tobacco: there is also a bag of tea. atkinson gathered every one together and read to them the account of oates' death given in scott's diary: scott expressly states that he wished it known. his (scott's) last words are: "for god's sake take care of our people." then atkinson read the lesson from the burial service from corinthians. perhaps it has never been read in a more magnificent cathedral and under more impressive circumstances--for it is a grave which kings must envy. then some prayers from the burial service: and there with the floor-cloth under them and the tent above we buried them in their sleeping-bags--and surely their work has not been in vain.[ ] that scene can never leave my memory. we with the dogs had seen wright turn away from the course by himself and the mule party swerve right-handed ahead of us. he had seen what he thought was a cairn, and then something looking black by its side. a vague kind of wonder gradually gave way to a real alarm. we came up to them all halted. wright came across to us. 'it is the tent.' i do not know how he knew. just a waste of snow: to our right the remains of one of last year's cairns, a mere mound: and then three feet of bamboo sticking quite alone out of the snow: and then another mound, of snow, perhaps a trifle more pointed. we walked up to it. i do not think we quite realized--not for very long--but some one reached up to a projection of snow, and brushed it away. the green flap of the ventilator of the tent appeared, and we knew that the door was below. two of us entered, through the funnel of the outer tent, and through the bamboos on which was stretched the lining of the inner tent. there was some snow--not much--between the two linings. but inside we could see nothing--the snow had drifted out the light. there was nothing to do but to dig the tent out. soon we could see the outlines. there were three men here. bowers and wilson were sleeping in their bags. scott had thrown back the flaps of his bag at the end. his left hand was stretched over wilson, his lifelong friend. beneath the head of his bag, between the bag and the floor-cloth, was the green wallet in which he carried his diary. the brown books of diary were inside: and on the floor-cloth were some letters. everything was tidy. the tent had been pitched as well as ever, with the door facing down the sastrugi, the bamboos with a good spread, the tent itself taut and shipshape. there was no snow inside the inner lining. there were some loose pannikins from the cooker, the ordinary tent gear, the personal belongings and a few more letters and records--personal and scientific. near scott was a lamp formed from a tin and some lamp wick off a finnesko. it had been used to burn the little methylated spirit which remained. i think that scott had used it to help him to write up to the end. i feel sure that he had died last--and once i had thought that he would not go so far as some of the others. we never realized how strong that man was, mentally and physically, until now. we sorted out the gear, records, papers, diaries, spare clothing, letters, chronometers, finnesko, socks, a flag. there was even a book which i had lent bill for the journey--and he had brought it back. somehow we learnt that amundsen had been to the pole, and that they too had been to the pole, and both items of news seemed to be of no importance whatever. there was a letter there from amundsen to king haakon. there were the personal chatty little notes we had left for them on the beardmore--how much more important to us than all the royal letters in the world. we dug down the bamboo which had brought us to this place. it led to the sledge, many feet down, and had been rigged there as a mast. and on the sledge were some more odds and ends--a piece of paper from the biscuit box: bowers' meteorological log: and the geological specimens, thirty pounds of them, all of the first importance. drifted over also were the harnesses, ski and ski-sticks. hour after hour, so it seemed to me, atkinson sat in our tent and read. the finder was to read the diary and then it was to be brought home--these were scott's instructions written on the cover. but atkinson said he was only going to read sufficient to know what had happened--and after that they were brought home unopened and unread. when he had the outline we all gathered together and he read to us the message to the public, and the account of oates' death, which scott had expressly wished to be known. we never moved them. we took the bamboos of the tent away, and the tent itself covered them. and over them we built the cairn. i do not know how long we were there, but when all was finished, and the chapter of corinthians had been read, it was midnight of some day. the sun was dipping low above the pole, the barrier was almost in shadow. and the sky was blazing--sheets and sheets of iridescent clouds. the cairn and cross stood dark against a glory of burnished gold. * * * * * _copy of note left at the cairn, over the bodies_ _november th, ._ lat. ° ´ s. this cross and cairn are erected over the bodies of capt. scott, c.v.o., r.n.; dr. e. a. wilson, m.b., b.a. cantab.; lt. h. r. bowers, royal indian marines. a slight token to perpetuate their gallant and successful attempt to reach the pole. this they did on the th january after the norwegian expedition had already done so. inclement weather and lack of fuel was the cause of their death. also to commemorate their two gallant comrades, capt. l. e. g. oates of the inniskilling dragoons, who walked to his death in a blizzard to save his comrades, about miles south of this position; also of seaman edgar evans, who died at the foot of the beardmore glacier. the lord gave and the lord taketh away. blessed be the name of the lord. relief expedition. (signed by all members of the party.) my diary goes on: _midnight, november - ._ i cannot think that anything which could be done to give these three great men--for great they were--a fitting grave has been left undone. a great cairn has been built over them, a mark which must last for many years. that we can make anything that will be permanent on this barrier is impossible, but as far as a lasting mark can be made it has been done. on this a cross has been fixed, made out of ski. on either side are the two sledges, fixed upright and dug in. the whole is very simple and most impressive. on a bamboo standing by itself is left the record which i have copied into this book, and which has been signed by us all. we shall leave some provisions here, and go on lightly laden to see if we can find titus oates' body: and so give it what burial we can. we start in about an hour, and i for one shall be glad to leave this place. i am very very sorry that this question of the shortage of oil has arisen. we in the first return party were most careful with our measurement--having a ruler of wright's and a piece of bamboo with which we did it: measuring the total height of oil in each case, and then dividing up the stick accordingly with the ruler: and we were _always_ careful to take _a little less than we were entitled to_, which was stated to me, and stated by birdie in his depôt notes, to be one-third of everything in the depôt. how the shortage arose is a mystery. and they eleven miles from one ton and plenty! titus did not show his foot till about three days before he died. the foot was then a great size, and almost every night it would be frost-bitten again. then the last day at lunch he said he could go on no more--but they said he must: he wanted them to leave him behind in his bag. that night he turned in, hoping never to wake: but he woke, and then he asked their advice: they said they must all go on together. a thick blizzard was blowing, and he said, after a bit, "well, i am just going outside, and i may be some time." they searched for him but could not find him. they had a terrible time from ° ´ on to their last camp. there bill was very bad, and birdie and the owner had to do the camping. and then, eleven miles from plenty, they had _nine days of blizzard, and that was the end._ they had a good spread on their tent, and their ski-sticks were standing, but their ski were drifted up on the ground. the tent was in excellent condition--only down some of the poles there were some chafes. they had been trying a spirit lamp when all the oil was gone. at ° or so they were getting temperatures from - ° to - °. at °, , feet lower, it was regularly down to - ° in the night-time, and - ° during the day: for no explainable reason. bill's and birdie's feet got bad--the owner's feet got bad last. it is all too horrible--i am almost afraid to go to sleep now. _november . early morning._ we came on just under seven miles with a very cold moist wind hurting our faces all the way. we have left most of the provisions to pick up again. we purpose going on thirteen miles to-morrow and search for oates' body, and then turn back and get the provisions back to hut point and see what can be done over in the west to get up that coast. we hope to get two mules back to hut point. if possible, we want to communicate with cape evans. atkinson has been quite splendid in this very trying time. _november . early morning._ it has been a miserable march. we had to wait some time after hoosh to let the mules get ahead. then we went on in a cold raw fog and some head wind, with constant frost-bites. the surface has been very bad all day for the thirteen miles: if we had been walking in arrowroot it would have been much like this was. at lunch the temperature was - . °. then on when it was drifting with the wind in our faces and in a bad light. what we took to be the mule party ahead proved to be the old pony walls miles from one ton. there was here a bit of sacking on the cairn, and oates' bag. inside the bag was the theodolite, and his finnesko and socks. one of the finnesko was slit down the front as far as the leather beckets, evidently to get his bad foot into it. this was fifteen miles from the last camp, and i suppose they had brought on his bag for three or four miles in case they might find him still alive. half-a-mile from our last camp there was a very large and quite unmistakable undulation, one-quarter to one-third of a mile from crest to crest: the pony walls behind us disappeared almost as soon as we started to go down, and reappeared again on the other side. there were, i feel sure, other rolls, but this was the largest. we have seen no sign of oates' body. about half an hour ago it started to blow a blizzard, and it is now thick, but the wind is not strong. the mules, which came along well considering the surface, are off their feed, and this may be the reason. dimitri saw the cairn with the cross more than eight miles away this morning, and in a good light it would be seen from much farther off. _november . early morning._ we built a cairn to mark the spot near which oates walked out to his death, and we placed a cross on it. lashed to the cross is a record, as follows: hereabouts died a very gallant gentleman, captain l. e. g. oates of the inniskilling dragoons. in march , returning from the pole, he walked willingly to his death in a blizzard to try and save his comrades, beset by hardship. this note is left by the relief expedition. . this was signed by atkinson and myself. we saw the cairn for a long way in a bad light as we came back to-day. the original plan with which we started from cape evans was, if the party was found where we could still bear out sufficiently to the eastward to have a good chance of missing the pressure caused by the beardmore, to go on and do what we could to survey the land south of the beardmore: for this was the original plan of captain scott for this year's sledging. but as things are i do not think there can be much doubt that we are doing right in losing no time in going over to the west of mcmurdo sound to see whether we can go up to evans coves, and help campbell and his party. we brought on oates' bag. the theodolite was inside. a thickish blizzard blew all day yesterday, but it was clear and there was only surface drift when we turned out for the night march. then again as we came along, the sky became overcast--all except over the land, which remains clear these nights when everything else is obscured. we noticed the same thing last year. now the wind, which had largely dropped, has started again and it is drifting. we have had wind and drift on four out of the last five days. _november . early morning._ when we were ready to start with the dogs it was blowing a thick blizzard, but the mules had already started some time, when it was not thick. we had to wait until nearly a.m. before we could start, and came along following tracks. it is very warm and the surface is covered with loose snow, but the slide in it seems good. we found the mules here at the cairn and cross, having been able to find their way partly by the old tracks. i have been trying to draw the grave. of all the fine monuments in the world none seems to me more fitting; and it is also most impressive. _november . early morning._ i think we are all going crazy together--at any rate things are pretty difficult. the latest scheme is to try and find a way over the plateau to evans coves, trying to strike the top of a glacier and go down it. there can be no good in it: if ever men did it, they would arrive about the time the ship arrived there too, and their labour would be in vain. if they got there and the ship did not arrive, there is another party stranded. they would have to wait till february or to see if the ship was coming, and then there would be no travelling back over the plateau: even if we could do it those men there could not. it was almost oppressively hot yesterday--but i'll never grumble about heat again. it has now cleared a lot and we came along on the cairns easily--but on a very soft downy surface, and the travelling has not been fast. we bring with us the southern party's gear. the sledge, which was the -foot which they brought on from the bottom of the glacier, has been left. _november . early morning._ i am thankful to say that the plateau journey idea has been given up. once more we have come along in thick, snowy weather. if we had not men on ski to steer we could never keep much of a course, but wright is steering us very straight, keeping a check on the course by watching the man behind, and so far we have been picking up all the cairns. this morning we passed the pony walls made on november . and yet they were nearly level with the ground; so they are not much of a mark. yank has just had a disagreement with kusoi--for kusoi objected to his trying to get at the meat on the sledge. the mules have been sinking in a long way, and are marching very slowly. pyaree eats the tea-leaves after meals: rani and abdullah divide a rope between them at the halts; and they have eaten the best part of a trace since our last camp. these animals eat anything but their proper food, and this some of them will hardly touch. it cleared a bit for our second march, and we have done our miles, but it was very slow travelling. now it is drifting as much as ever. yank, that redoubtable puller, has just eaten himself loose for the third time since hoosh. this time i had to go down to the pony walls to get him. we have had onions for the first time to-night in our hoosh--they are most excellent. also we have been having some nestlé's condensed milk from one ton depôt--which i do not want to see again, the depôt i mean. peary must know what he is about, taking milk as a ration: the sweetness is a great thing, but it would be heavy: we have been having it with temperature down to - °, when it was quite manageable, but i don't know what it would be like in colder temperatures. _november . early morning._ we have done our miles to-day and have got on to a much better surface. by what we and others have seen before, it seems that last winter must have generally been an exceptional one. there have been many parties out here: we have never before seen this wind-swept surface, on which it is often too slippery to walk comfortably. i do not know what temperatures the discovery had in april, but it was much colder last april than it was the year before. and then nothing had been experienced down here to compare with the winds last winter. there was a high wind and a lot of drift yesterday during the day, and now it is blowing and drifting as usual. during the last nine days there has only been one, the day we found the tent, when it has not been drifting during all or part of the day. it is all right for travelling north, but we should be having very uncomfortable marches if we were marching the other way. _november . early morning._ to-day we have seemed to be walking in circles through space. wright, by dint of having a man behind to give him a fixed point to steer upon, has steered us quite straight, and we have picked up every cairn. the pony party camped for lunch by two cairns, but they never knew the two cairns were there until a piece of paper blew away and had to be fetched: and it was caught against one of the cairns. they left a flag there to guide us, and though we saw and brought along the flag, we never saw the cairns. the temperature is - . °, and it is now blowing a full blizzard. all this snow has hitherto been lying on the ground and making a very soft surface, for though the wind has always been blowing it has never been very strong. this snow and wind, which have now persisted for nine out of the last ten days, make most dispiriting marches; for there is nothing to see, and finding tracks or steering is a constant strain. we are certainly lucky to have been able to march as we have. _note on mules._--the most ardent admirer of mules could not say that they were a success. the question is whether they might be made so. there was really only one thing against them but that is a very important one--they would not eat on the barrier. from the time they went away to the day they returned (those that did return, poor things) they starved themselves, and yet they pulled biggish loads for days. if they would have eaten they would have been a huge success. they travelled faster than the ponies and, with one exception, kept together better than the ponies. if both were eating their ration it is questionable whether a good mule or a good pony is to be preferred. our mules were of the best, and they were beautifully trained and equipped by the indian government: yet on november , a fortnight from the start, wright records, "mules are a poor substitute for ponies. not many will see hut point again, i think. doubt if any would have got much farther than this if surfaces had been as bad this year as last."[ ] though they would not eat oats, compressed fodder and oil-cake, they were quite willing to eat all kinds of other things. if we could have arrived at the mule equivalent to a vegetarian diet they might have pulled to the beardmore without stopping. the nearest to this diet at which we could arrive was saennegrass, tea-leaves, tobacco ash and rope--all of which were eaten with gusto. but supplies were very limited. they ate dog-biscuit as long as they thought we were not looking--but as soon as they realized they were meant to eat it they went on hunger-strike again. but during halts at cairns rani and pyaree would stand solemnly chewing the same piece of rope from different ends. abdullah always led the line, and followed wright's ski tracks faithfully, so that if another man was ahead and wright turned aside abdullah always turned too. it was quite a manoeuvre for wright to read the sledge-meter at the back of the sledge. as for begum: "got begum out of a soft patch by rolling her over."[ ] on the whole the mules failed to adapt themselves to this life, and as such must at present be considered to be a failure for antarctic work. certainly those of our ponies which had the best chance to adapt themselves went farthest, such as nobby and jimmy pigg, both of whom had experience of barrier sledging before they started on the polar journey. _november . early morning._ it has cleared at last, the disturbance rolling away to the east during our first march. the surface was very bad and the mules were not going well. at this time last year many of the ponies were still quite difficult to make stand just before starting. but these mules start off now most dolefully. i am afraid they will not all get back to hut point. two and a half miles after lunch, i.e. just over forty miles from the depôt, we turned out to the eastward and found the gear left by the second return party, when evans was so ill. the theodolite, which belonged to evans, is i believe there, but though we dug all round we were unable to find it. the ski were all upright, drifted to within six inches of the shoes. most of the gear was clothing, which we have left, with the skis, in the tank. we brought on a roll of birdie's photographs, taken on the plateau, and three geological specimens: deep-seated rocks i think. this was all of importance that there was there. the n ration, which we have now come to, consists of about oz. of food. at present, doing the work we are doing, and with these high temperatures, - ° when we started, for instance, and - ° now, the men do not want it. for what it was intended for, hard man-hauling, it would probably be an excellent ration, and very satisfying. _november . early morning._ we could not have had a more perfect night to march. yesterday at p.m., holding the thermometer in the sun, the spirit rose to °: it was almost too warm in the tent. the cairns show very plainly--in such weather navigation of this kind would be dead easy. but they are already being eaten away and toppling. the pony walls are drifted level--huge drifts, quite hard, running up to windward and down to lee. the dogs are getting more hungry, and want to get at the mules, which makes them go better. they went very well to-day, but too fast once, for we had a general mix-up: bieliglass under the sledge and the rest all tangled up and ready for a fight at the first chance. how one of the front pair of dogs got under the sledge is a mystery. among the polar party's gear is a letter to the king of norway. it was left by the norwegians for scott to take back. it is wrapped in a piece of thin windcloth with one dark check line in it. coarser and rougher and, i should say, heavier than our mandelbergs. _november . early morning._ we were to make dimitri depôt this morning, but we came on in a fog, and the mule party camped after running down the distance. wright came back and said, "if we have passed it, it's over there"--and as he pointed the depôt showed--not more than yards away. so that is all right. we, the dog party, go on in advance to-morrow, so that no time may be lost, and if the ice is still good, atkinson will get over to cape evans. [illustration: 'atch'] [illustration: titus oates] _november . early morning._ a glut of foot-walloping in soft snow and breaking crusts. we have done between and miles to-day. we saw no crevasses, and have marked the course well, building up the cairns and leaving two flags--so the mule party should be all right. the dogs were going well behind the ponies, but directly we went ahead they seemed to lose heart. i think they are tired of the barrier: a cairn now awakens little interest: they know it is only a mark and it does not mean a camp: they are all well fed, and fairly fat and in good condition. with a large number of dogs i suppose one team can go ahead when it is going well--changing places with another--each keeping the others going. but i do not think that these dogs now will do much more; but they have already done as much as any dogs of which we have any record. the land is clearing gradually. i have never seen such contrasts of black rock and white snow, and white island was capped with great ranges of black cumulus, over which rose the pure white peaks of the royal society range in a blue sky. the barrier itself was quite a deep grey, making a beautiful picture. and now observation hill and castle rock are in front. i don't suppose i shall ever see this view again: but it is associated with many memories of returning to home and plenty after some long and hard journeys: in some ways i feel sorry--but i have seen it often enough. _november . early morning._ we came in miles with our loads, to find the best possible news--campbell's party, all well, are at cape evans. they arrived here on november , starting from evans coves on september . what a relief it is, and how different things seem now! it is the first real bit of good news since february last--it seems an age. we mean to get over the sea-ice, if possible, as soon as we can, and then we shall hear their story. _november . early morning._ starting from hut point about . p.m. last evening, we came through by about p.m., and sat up talking and hearing all the splendid news till past a.m. this morning. all the northern party look very fat and fit, and they are most cheerful about the time they have had, and make light of all the anxious days they must have spent and their hard times. i cannot write all their story. when the ship was battling with the pack to try and get in to them they had open water in terra nova bay to the horizon, as seen from feet high. they prepared for the winter, digging their hut into a big snowdrift a mile from where they were landed. they thought that the ship had been wrecked--or that every one had been taken off from here, and that then the ship had been blown north by a succession of furious gales which they had and could not get back. they never considered seriously the possibility of sledging down the coast before the winter. they got settled in and were very warm--so warm that in august they did away with one door, of which they had three, of biscuit boxes and sacking. their stove was the bottom of an oil tin, and they cooked by dripping blubber on to seal bones, which became soaked with the blubber, and campbell tells me they cooked almost as quickly as a primus. of course they were filthy. their main difficulty was dysentery and ptomaine poisoning. their stories of the winter are most amusing--of "placing the plug, or sports in the antarctic"; of lectures; of how dirty they were; of their books, of which they had four, including david copperfield. they had a spare tent, which was lucky, for the bamboos of one of theirs were blown in during a big wind, and the men inside it crept along the piedmont on hands and knees to the igloo and slept two in a bag. how the seal seemed as if they would give out, and they were on half rations and very hungry: and they were thinking they would have to come down in the winter, when they got two seals: of the fish they got from the stomach of a seal--"the best feed they had"--the blubber they have eaten. but they were buried deep in the snow and quite warm. big winds all the time from the w.s.w., cold winds off the plateau--in the igloo they could hear almost nothing outside--how they just had a biscuit a day at times, sugar on sundays, etc. and so all is well in this direction, and we have done right in going south, and we have at least succeeded in getting all records. i suppose any news is better than no news. _evening._ the pole party photos of themselves at the pole and at the norwegian cairn (a norwegian tent, post and two flags) are very good indeed--one film is unused, one used on these two subjects: taken with birdie's camera. all the party look fit and well, and their clothes are not iced up. it was calm at the time: the surface looks rather soft. atkinson and campbell have gone to hut point with one dog-team, and we are all to forgather here. the ice still seems good from here to hut point: all else open water as far as can be seen. a steady southerly wind has been blowing here for three days now. the mules should get into hut point to-day. it is the happiest day for nearly a year--almost the only happy one. footnotes: [ ] my own diary. [ ] wright's diary. [ ] wright's diary. chapter xvii the polar journey don juan. this creature man, who in his own selfish affairs is a coward to the backbone, will fight for an idea like a hero. he may be abject as a citizen; but he is dangerous as a fanatic. he can only be enslaved while he is spiritually weak enough to listen to reason. i tell you, gentlemen, if you can show a man a piece of what he now calls god's work to do, and what he will later on call by many new names, you can make him entirely reckless of the consequences to himself personally.... don juan. every idea for which man will die will be a catholic idea. when the spaniard learns at last that he is no better than the saracen, and his prophet no better than mahomet, he will arise, more catholic than ever, and die on a barricade across the filthy slum he starves in, for universal liberty and equality. the statue. bosh! don juan. what you call bosh is the only thing men dare die for. later on, liberty will not be catholic enough: men will die for human perfection, to which they will sacrifice all their liberty gladly. bernard shaw, _man and superman._ v. the pole and after _the polar party._ _depôts._ scott one ton [ ° ´]. wilson upper barrier or mount hooper [ ° ´]. bowers middle barrier [ ° ´]. oates lower barrier [ ° ´]. seaman evans shambles camp [n. of gateway]. lower glacier [s. of gateway]. middle glacier [cloudmaker]. upper glacier [mt. darwin]. three degree [ ° ´]. ½ degree [ ° ´]. last depôt [ ° ´]. scott returned from the discovery expedition impressed by the value of youth in polar work; but the five who went forward from ° ´ were all grown men, chosen from a body which was largely recruited on a basis of youth. four of them were men who were accustomed to take responsibility and to lead others. four of them had wide sledging experience and were accustomed to cold temperatures. they were none of them likely to get flurried in emergency, to panic under any circumstances, or to wear themselves out by loss of nervous control. scott and wilson were the most highly strung of the party: i believe that the anxiety which scott suffered served as a stimulus against mental monotony rather than as a drain upon his energy. scott was , wilson , evans , oates , and bowers years old. bowers was exceptionally old for his age. in the event of one man crocking a five-man party may be better able to cope with the situation, but with this doubtful exception scott had nothing to gain and a good deal to lose by taking an extra man to the pole. that he did so means, i think, that he considered his position a very good one at this time. he was anxious to take as many men with him as possible. i have an impression that he wanted the army represented as well as the navy. be that as it may, he took five men: he decided to take the extra man at the last moment, and in doing so he added one more link to a chain. but he was content; and four days after the last return party left them, as he lay out a blizzard, quite warm in his sleeping-bag though the mid-day temperature was - °, he wrote a long diary praising his companions very highly indeed "so our five people are perhaps as happily selected as it is possible to imagine."[ ] he speaks of seaman evans as being a giant worker with a really remarkable headpiece. there is no mention of the party feeling the cold, though they were now at the greatest height of their journey; the food satisfied them thoroughly. there is no shadow of trouble here: only evans has got a nasty cut on his hand! there were more disadvantages in this five-man party than you might think. there was ½ weeks' food for four men: five men would eat this in about four weeks. in addition to the extra risk of breakdown, there was a certain amount of discomfort involved, for everything was arranged for four men as i have already explained; the tent was a four-man tent, and an inner lining had been lashed to the bamboos making it smaller still: when stretched out for the night the sleeping-bags of the two outside men must have been partly off the floor-cloth, and probably on the snow: their bags must have been touching the inner tent and collecting the rime which was formed there: cooking for five took about half an hour longer in the day than cooking for four--half an hour off your sleep, or half an hour off your march? i do not believe that five men on the lid of a crevasse are as safe as four. wilson writes that the stow of the sledge with five sleeping-bags was pretty high: this makes it top-heavy and liable to capsize in rough country. but what would have paralysed anybody except bowers was the fact that they had only four pairs of ski between the five of them. to slog along on foot, in soft snow, in the middle of four men pulling rhythmically on ski, must have been tiring and even painful; and birdie's legs were very short. no steady swing for him, and little chance of getting his mind off the job in hand. scott could never have meant to take on five men when he told his supporting team to leave their ski behind, only four days before he reorganized. "may i be there!" wrote wilson of the men chosen to travel the ice-cap to the pole. "about this time next year may i be there or thereabouts! with so many young bloods in the heyday of youth and strength beyond my own i feel there will be a most difficult task in making choice towards the end." "i should like to have bill to hold my hand when we get to the pole," said scott. wilson _was_ there and his diary is that of an artist, watching the clouds and mountains, of a scientist observing ice and rock and snow, of a doctor, and above all of a man with good judgment. you will understand that the thing which really interested him in this journey was the acquisition of knowledge. it is a restrained, and for the most part a simple, record of facts. there is seldom any comment, and when there is you feel that, for this very reason, it carries more weight. just about this time: "december . very promising, thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon march": "christmas day, and a real good and happy one with a very long march": "january , . we had only hours' sleep last night by a mistake, but i had mine solid in one piece, actually waking in exactly the same position as i fell asleep in hours before--never moved": "january . we were surprised to-day by seeing a skua gull flying over us--evidently hungry but not weak. its droppings, however, were clear mucus, nothing in them at all. it appeared in the afternoon and disappeared again about ½ hour after." and then on january : "last night scott told us what the plans were for the south pole. scott, oates, bowers, petty officer evans and i are to go to the pole. teddie evans is to return from here to-morrow with crean and lashly. scott finished his week's cooking to-night and i begin mine to-morrow." just that. the next day bowers wrote: "i had my farewell breakfast in the tent with teddy evans, crean and lashly. after so little sleep the previous night i rather dreaded the march. we gave our various notes, messages and letters to the returning party and started off. they accompanied us for about a mile before returning, to see that all was going well. our party were on ski with the exception of myself: i first made fast to the central span, but afterwards connected up to the toggle of the sledge, pulling in the centre between the inner ends of captain scott's and dr. wilson's traces. this was found to be the best place, as i had to go my own step. "teddy and party gave us three cheers, and crean was half in tears. they have a feather-weight sledge to go back with of course, and ought to run down their distance easily.[ ] we found we could manage our load easily, and did . miles before lunch, completing . by . p.m. our marching hours are nine per day. it is a long slog with a well-loaded sledge, and more tiring for me than the others, as i have no ski. however, as long as i can do my share all day and keep fit it does not matter much one way or the other. "we had our first northerly wind on the plateau to-day, and a deposit of snow crystals made the surface like sand latterly on the march. the sledge dragged like lead. in the evening it fell calm, and although the temperature was - ° it was positively pleasant to stand about outside the tent and bask in the sun's rays. it was our first calm since we reached the summit too. our socks and other damp articles which we hang out to dry at night become immediately covered with long feathery crystals exactly like plumes. socks, mitts and finnesko dry splendidly up here during the night. we have little trouble with them compared with spring and winter journeys. i generally spread my bag out in the sun during the ½ hours of lunch time, which gives the reindeer hair a chance to get rid of the damage done by the deposit of breath and any perspiration during the night."[ ] plenty of sun, heavy surfaces, iridescent clouds ... the worst windcut sastrugi i have seen, covered with bunches of crystals like gorse ... ice blink all round ... hairy faces and mouths dreadfully iced up on the march ... hot and sweaty days' work, but sometimes cold hands in the loops of the ski sticks ... windy streaky cirrus in every direction, all thin and filmy and scrappy ... horizon clouds all being wafted about.... these are some of the impressions here and there in wilson's diary during the first ten days of the party's solitary march. on the whole he is enjoying himself, i think. you should read scott's diary yourself and form your own opinions, but i think that after the last return party left him there is a load off his mind. the thing had worked so far, it was up to _them_ now: that great mass of figures and weights and averages, those years of preparation, those months of anxiety--no one of them had been in vain. they were up to date in distance, and there was a very good amount of food, probably more than was necessary to see them to the pole and off the plateau on full rations. best thought of all, perhaps, the motors with their uncertainties, the ponies with their suffering, the glacier with its possibilities of disaster, all were behind: and the two main supporting parties were safely on their way home. here with him was a fine party, tested and strong, and only miles from the pole. i can see them, working with a business-like air, with no fuss and no unnecessary talk, each man knowing his job and doing it: pitching the tent: finishing the camp work and sitting round on their sleeping-bags while their meal was cooked: warming their hands on their mugs: saving a biscuit to eat when they woke in the night: packing the sledge with a good neat stow: marching with a solid swing--we have seen them do it so often, and they did it jolly well. and the conditions did not seem so bad. "to-night it is flat calm; the sun so warm that in spite of the temperature we can stand about outside in the greatest comfort. it is amusing to stand thus and remember the constant horrors of our situation as they were painted for us: the sun is melting the snow on the ski, etc. the plateau is now very flat, but we are still ascending slowly. the sastrugi are getting more confused, predominant from the s.e. i wonder what is in store for us. at present everything seems to be going with extraordinary smoothness.... we feel the cold very little, the great comfort of our situation is the excellent drying effect of the sun.... our food continues to amply satisfy. what luck to have hit on such an excellent ration. we really are an excellently found party ... we lie so very comfortably, warmly clothed in our comfortable bags, within our double-walled tent."[ ] then something happened. while scott was writing the sentences you have just read, he reached the summit of the plateau and started, ever so slightly, to go downhill. the list of corrected altitudes given by simpson in his meteorological report are of great interest: cape evans , shambles camp , upper glacier depôt , three degree depôt , one and a half degree depôt , south pole feet above sea-level.[ ] what happened is not quite clear, but there is no doubt that the surface became very bad, that the party began to feel the cold, and that before long evans especially began to crock. the immediate trouble was bad surfaces. i will try and show why these surfaces should have been met in what was, you must remember, now a land which no man had travelled before. scott laid his one and a half degree depôt (i.e. ½° or miles from the pole) on january . that day they started to go down, but for several days before that the plateau had been pretty flat. time after time in the diaries you find crystals--crystals--crystals: crystals falling through the air, crystals bearding the sastrugi, crystals lying loose upon the snow. sandy crystals, upon which the sun shines and which made pulling a terrible effort: when the sky clouds over they get along much better. the clouds form and disperse without visible reason. and generally the wind is in their faces. wright tells me that there is certain evidence in the records which may explain these crystals. halos are caused by crystals and nearly all those logged from the bottom of the beardmore to the pole and back were on this stretch of country, where the land was falling. bowers mentions that the crystals did not appear in all directions, which goes to show that the air was not always rising, but sometimes was falling and therefore not depositing its moisture. there is no doubt that the surfaces met were very variable, and it may be that the snow lay in waves. bowers mentions big undulations for thirty miles before the pole, and other inequalities may have been there which were not visible. there is sometimes evidence that these crystals were formed on the windward side of these waves, and carried over by a strong wind and deposited on the lee side. it is common knowledge that as you rise in the atmosphere so the pressure decreases: in fact, it is usual to measure your height by reading the barometer. now the air on this last stretch to the pole was rising, for the wind was from the south, and, as we have seen, the plateau here was sloping down towards the pole. the air, driven uphill by this southerly wind, was forced to rise. as it rose it expanded, because the pressure was less. air which has expanded without any heat being given to it from outside, that is in a heat-proof vessel, is said to expand by adiabatic expansion. such air tends first to become saturated, and then to precipitate its moisture. these conditions were approximately fulfilled on the plateau, where the air expanded as it rose, but could get little or no heat from outside. the air therefore precipitated its moisture in the form of crystals. owing to the rapid changes in surfaces (on one occasion they depôted their ski because they were in a sea of sastrugi, and had to walk back for them because the snow became level and soft again) scott guessed that the coastal mountains could not be far away, and we now know that the actual distance was only miles. about the same time scott mentions that he had been afraid that they were weakening in their pulling, but he was reassured by getting a patch of good surface and finding the sledge coming as easily as of old. on the night of january , eight days after leaving the last return party, he writes: "at camping to-night every one was chilled and we guessed a cold snap, but to our surprise the actual temperature was higher than last night, when we could dawdle in the sun. it is most unaccountable why we should suddenly feel the cold in this manner: partly the exhaustion of the march, but partly some damp quality in the air, i think. little bowers is wonderful; in spite of my protest he _would_ take sights after we had camped to-night, after marching in the soft snow all day when we have been comparatively restful on ski."[ ] on january , wilson wrote: "a very cold grey thick day with a persistent breeze from the s.s.e. which we all felt considerably, but temperature was only - ° at lunch and - ° in the evening. now just over miles from the pole." scott wrote the same day: "again we noticed the cold; at lunch to-day all our feet were cold but this was mainly due to the bald state of our finnesko. i put some grease under the bare skin and found it make all the difference. oates seems to be feeling the cold and fatigue more than the rest of us, but we are all very fit." and on january , lunch: "we were all pretty done at camping."[ ] and wilson: "we made a depôt [the last depôt] of provisions at lunch time and went on for our last lap with nine days' provision. we went much more easily in the afternoon, and on till . p.m. the surface was a funny mixture of smooth snow and sudden patches of sastrugi, and we occasionally appear to be on a very gradual down gradient and on a slope down from the west to east." in the light of what happened afterwards i believe that the party was not as fit at this time as might have been expected ten days before, and that this was partly the reason why they felt the cold and found the pulling so hard. the immediate test was the bad surface, and this was the result of the crystals which covered the ground. simpson has worked out[ ] that there is an almost constant pressure gradient driving the air on the plateau northwards parallel to the ° e. meridian, and parallel also to the probable edge of the plateau. the mean velocity for the months of this december and january was about miles an hour. during this plateau journey scott logged wind force and over on occasions, and this wind was in their faces from the beardmore to the pole, and at their backs as they returned. a low temperature when it is calm is paradise compared to a higher temperature with a wind, and it is this constant pitiless wind, combined with the altitude and low temperatures, which has made travelling on the antarctic plateau so difficult. while the mean velocity of wind during the two midsummer months seems to be fairly constant, there is a very rapid fall of temperature in january. the mean actual temperature found on the plateau this year in december was - . °, the minimum observed being - . °. simpson remarks that "it must be accounted as one of the wonders of the antarctic that it contains a vast area of the earth's surface where the mean temperature during the warmest month is more than ° below the fahrenheit zero, and when throughout the month the highest temperature was only + . ° f."[ ] but the mean temperature on the plateau dropped ° in january to - . °, the minimum observed being - . °. these temperatures have to be combined with the wind force described above to imagine the conditions of the march. in the light of scott's previous plateau journey[ ] and shackleton's polar journey[ ] this wind was always expected by our advance parties. but there can be no doubt that the temperature falls as solar radiation decreases more rapidly than was generally supposed. scott probably expected neither such a rapid fall of temperature, nor the very bad surfaces, though he knew that the plateau would mean a trying time, and indeed it was supposed that it would be much the hardest part of the journey. on the night of january , scott wrote "it ought to be a certain thing now, and the only appalling possibility the sight of the norwegian flag forestalling ours."[ ] they were miles from the pole. the story of the next three days is taken from wilson's diary: "_january ._ we got away at a.m. and made . miles by . , lunched, and then in . miles came on a black flag and the norwegians' sledge, ski, and dog tracks running about n.e. and s.w. both ways. the flag was of black bunting tied with string to a fore-and-after which had evidently been taken off a finished-up sledge. the age of the tracks was hard to guess but probably a couple of weeks--or three or more. the flag was fairly well frayed at the edges. we camped here and examined the tracks and discussed things. the surface was fairly good in the forenoon - ° temperature, and all the afternoon we were coming downhill with again a rise to the w., and a fall and a scoop to the east where the norwegians came up, evidently by another glacier." [illustration: amundsen's polheim--e. a. wilson, del.] "_january ._ we camped on the pole itself at . p.m. this evening. in the morning we were up at a.m. and got away on amundsen's tracks going s.s.w. for three hours, passing two small snow cairns, and then, finding the tracks too much snowed up to follow, we made our own bee-line for the pole: camped for lunch at . and off again from to . p.m. it blew from force to all day in our teeth with temperature - °, the coldest march i ever remember. it was difficult to keep one's hands from freezing in double woollen and fur mitts. oates, evans, and bowers all have pretty severe frost-bitten noses and cheeks, and we had to camp early for lunch on account of evans' hands. it was a very bitter day. sun was out now and again, and observations taken at lunch, and before and after supper, and at night, at p.m. and at a.m. by our time. the weather was not clear, the air was full of crystals driving towards us as we came south, and making the horizon grey and thick and hazy. we could see no sign of cairn or flag, and from amundsen's direction of tracks this morning he has probably hit a point about miles off. we hope for clear weather to-morrow, but in any case are all agreed that he can claim prior right to the pole itself. he has beaten us in so far as he made a race of it. we have done what we came for all the same and as our programme was made out. from his tracks we think there were only men, on ski, with plenty of dogs on rather low diet. they seem to have had an oval tent. we sleep one night at the pole and have had a double hoosh with some last bits of chocolate, and x's cigarettes have been much appreciated by scott and oates and evans. a tiring day: now turning into a somewhat starchy frozen bag. to-morrow we start for home and shall do our utmost to get back in time to send the news to the ship." "_january ._ sights were taken in the night, and at about a.m. we turned out and marched from this night camp about ¾ miles back in a s.e.ly direction to a spot which we judged from last night's sights to be the pole. here we lunched camp: built a cairn: took photos: flew the queen mother's union jack and all our own flags. we call this the pole, though as a matter of fact we went ½ mile farther on in a s. easterly direction after taking further sights to the actual final spot, and here we left the union jack flying. during the forenoon we passed the norwegians' last southerly camp: they called it polheim and left here a small tent with norwegian and fram flags flying, and a considerable amount of gear in the tent: half reindeer sleeping-bags, sleeping-socks, reinskin trousers pair, a sextant, and artif[icial] horizon, a hypsometer with all the thermoms broken, etc. i took away the spirit-lamp of it, which i have wanted for sterilizing and making disinfectant lotions of snow. there were also letters there: one from amundsen to king haakon, with a request that scott should send it to him. there was also a list of the five men who made up their party, but no news as to what they had done. i made some sketches here, but it was blowing very cold, - °. birdie took some photos. we found no sledge there though they said there was one: it may have been buried in drift. the tent was a funny little thing for men, pegged out with white line and tent-pegs of yellow wood. i took some strips of blue-grey silk off the tent seams: it was perished. the norskies had got to the pole on december , and were here from th to th. at our lunch south pole camp we saw a sledge-runner with a black flag about ½ mile away blowing from it. scott sent me on ski to fetch it, and i found a note tied to it showing that this was the norskies' actual final pole position. i was given the flag and the note with amundsen's signature, and i got a piece of the sledge-runner as well. the small chart of our wanderings shows best how all these things lie. after lunch we made . miles from the pole camp to the north again, and here we are camped for the night."[ ] the following remarks on the south pole area were written by bowers in the meteorological log, apparently on january and : "within miles of the south pole the sastrugi crossed seem to indicate belts of certain prevalent winds. these were definitely s.e.ly. up to about lat. ° ´ s., where the summit was passed and we started to go definitely downhill toward the pole. an indefinite area was then crossed s.e.ly, s.ly and s.w.ly sastrugi. later, in about ° ´ s., those from the s.s.w. predominated. at this point also the surface of the ice-cap became affected by undulations running more or less at right angles to our course. these resolved themselves into immense waves some miles in extent,[ ] with a uniform surface both in hollow and crust. the whole surface was carpeted with a deposit of ice-crystals which, while we were there, fell sometimes in the form of minute spicules and sometimes in plates. these caused an almost continuous display of parhelia. "the flags left a month previously by the norwegian expedition were practically undamaged and so could not have been exposed to very heavy wind during that time. their sledging and ski tracks, where marked, were raised slightly, also the dogs' footprints. in the neighbourhood of their south pole camp the drifts were s.w.ly, but there was one s.s.e. drift to leeward of tent. they had pitched their tent to allow for s.w.ly wind. for walking on foot the ground was all pretty soft, and on digging down the crystalline structure of the snow was found to alter very little, and there were no layers of crust such as are found on the barrier. the snow seems so lightly put together as not to cohere, and makes very little water for its bulk when melted. the constant and varied motion of cirrus, and the forming and motion of radiant points, shows that in the upper atmosphere at this time of the year there is little or no tranquillity."[ ] that is the bare bones of what was without any possible doubt a great shock. consider! these men had been out ½ months and were miles from home. the glacier had been a heavy grind: the plateau certainly not worse, probably better, than was expected, as far as that place where the last return party left them. but then, in addition to a high altitude, a head wind, and a temperature which averaged - . °, came this shower of ice-crystals, turning the surface to sand, especially when the sun was out. they were living in cirrus clouds, and the extraordinary state seems to have obtained that the surface of the snow was colder when the sun was shining than when clouds checked the radiation from it. they began to descend. things began to go not quite right: they felt the cold, especially oates and evans: evans' hands also were wrong--ever since the seamen made that new sledge. the making of that sledge must have been fiercely cold work: one of the hardest jobs they did. i am not sure that enough notice has been taken of that. and then: "the norwegians have forestalled us and are first at the pole. it is a terrible disappointment, and i am very sorry for my loyal companions. many thoughts come and much discussion have we had. to-morrow we must march on to the pole and then hasten home with all the speed we can compass. all the day-dreams must go; it will be a wearisome return." "the pole. yes, but under very different circumstances from those expected ... companions labouring on with cold feet and hands.... evans had such cold hands we camped for lunch ... the wind is blowing hard, t. - °, and there is that curious damp, cold feeling in the air which chills one to the bone in no time.... great god! this is an awful place...."[ ] this is not a cry of despair. it is an ejaculation provoked by the ghastly facts. even now in january the temperature near the south pole is about ° lower than it is during the corresponding month of the year (july) near the north pole,[ ] and if it is like this in mid-summer, what is it like in mid-winter? at the same time it was, with the exception of the sandy surfaces, what they had looked for, and every detail of organization was working out as well as if not better than had been expected. bowers was so busy with the meteorological log and sights which were taken in terribly difficult circumstances that he kept no diary until they started back. then he wrote on seven consecutive days, as follows: "_january ._ a splendid clear morning with a fine s.w. wind blowing. during breakfast time i sewed a flap attachment on to the hood of my green hat so as to prevent the wind from blowing down my neck on the march. we got up the mast and sail on the sledge and headed north, picking up amundsen's cairn and our outgoing tracks shortly afterwards. along these we travelled till we struck the other cairn and finally the black flag where we had made our th outward camp. we then with much relief left all traces of the norwegians behind us, and headed on our own track till lunch camp, when we had covered eight miles. "in the afternoon we passed no. cairn of the british route, and fairly slithered along before a fresh breeze. it was heavy travelling for me, not being on ski, but one does not mind being tired if a good march is made. we did sixteen [miles] altogether for the day, and so should pick up our last depôt to-morrow afternoon. the weather became fairly thick soon after noon, and at the end of the afternoon there was considerable drift, with a mist caused by ice-crystals, and parhelion." "_january ._ good sailing breeze again this morning. it is a great pleasure to have one's back to the wind instead of having to face it. it came on thicker later, but we sighted the last depôt soon after p.m. and reached it at . p.m. the red flag on the bamboo pole was blowing out merrily to welcome us back from the pole, with its supply of necessaries of life below. we are absolutely dependent upon our depôts to get off the plateau alive, and so welcome the lonely little cairns gladly. at this one, called the last depôt, we picked up four days' food, a can of oil, some methylated spirit (for lighting purposes) and some personal gear we had left there. the bamboo was bent on to the floor-cloth as a yard for our sail instead of a broken sledge-runner of amundsen's which we had found at the pole and made a temporary yard of. "as we had marched extra long in the forenoon in order to reach the depôt, our afternoon march was shorter than usual. the wind increased to a moderate gale with heavy gusts and considerable drift. we should have had a bad time had we been facing it. after an hour i had to shift my harness aft so as to control the motions of the sledge. unfortunately the surface got very sandy latterly, but we finished up with . miles to our credit and camped in a stiff breeze, which resolved itself into a blizzard a few hours later. i was glad we had our depôt safe." "_january ._ wind increased to force during night with heavy drift. in the morning it was blizzing like blazes and marching was out of the question. the wind would have been of great assistance to us, but the drift was so thick that steering a course would have been next to impossible. we decided to await developments and get under weigh as soon as it showed any signs of clearing. fortunately it was shortlived, and instead of lasting the regulation two days it eased up in the afternoon, and . found us off with our sail full. it was good running on ski but soft plodding for me on foot. i shall be jolly glad to pick up my dear old ski. they are nearly miles away yet, however. the breeze fell altogether latterly and i shifted up into my old place as middle number of the five. our distance completed was . miles, when camp was made again. our old cairns are of great assistance to us, also the tracks, which are obliterated in places by heavy drift and hard sastrugi, but can be followed easily." "_january ._ we came across evans' sheepskin boots this morning. they were almost covered up after their long spell since they fell off the sledge [on january ]. the breeze was fair from the s.s.w. but got lighter and lighter. at lunch camp we had completed . miles. in the afternoon the breeze fell altogether, and the surface, acted on by the sun, became perfect sawdust. the light sledge pulled by five men came along like a drag without a particle of slide or give. we were all glad to camp soon after p.m. i think we were all pretty tired out. we did altogether . miles for the day. we are only thirty miles from the ½ degree depôt, and should reach it in two marches with any luck." [the minimum temperature this night was - ° (uncorrected).] "_january ._ started off with a bit of a breeze which helped us a little [temperature - °]. after the first two hours it increased to force , s.s.w., and filling the sail we sped along merrily, doing ¾ miles before lunch. in the afternoon it was even stronger, and i had to go back on the sledge and act as guide and brakesman. we had to lower the sail a bit, but even then she ran like a bird. "we are picking up our old cairns famously. evans got his nose frost-bitten, not an unusual thing with him, but as we were all getting pretty cold latterly we stopped at a quarter to seven, having done ½ miles. we camped with considerable difficulty owing to the force of the wind."[ ] the same night scott wrote: "we came along at a great pace, and should have got within an easy march of our [one and a half degree] depôt had not wilson suddenly discovered that evans' nose was frost-bitten--it was white and hard. we thought it best to camp at . . got the tent up with some difficulty, and now pretty cosy after good hoosh. "there is no doubt evans is a good deal run down--his fingers are badly blistered and his nose is rather seriously congested with frequent frost-bites. he is very much annoyed with himself, which is not a good sign. i think wilson, bowers and i are as fit as possible under the circumstances. oates gets cold feet. one way and another i shall be glad to get off the summit!... the weather seems to be breaking up."[ ] bowers resumes the tale: "_january ._ evans has got his fingers all blistered with frost-bites, otherwise we are all well, but thinning, and in spite of our good rations get hungrier daily. i sometimes spend much thought on the march with plans for making a pig of myself on the first opportunity. as that will be after a further march of miles they are a bit premature. "it was blowing a gale when we started and it increased in force. finally with the sail half down, one man detached tracking ahead and titus and i breaking back, we could not always keep the sledge from overrunning. the blizzard got worse and worse till, having done only seven miles, we had to camp soon after twelve o'clock. we had a most difficult job camping, and it has been blowing like blazes all the afternoon. i think it is moderating now, p.m. we are only seven miles from our depôt and this delay is exasperating."[ ] [scott wrote: "this is the second full gale since we left the pole. i don't like the look of it. is the weather breaking up? if so, god help us, with the tremendous summit journey and scant food. wilson and bowers are my stand-by. i don't like the easy way in which oates and evans get frost-bitten."[ ]] "_january ._ it was no use turning out at our usual time ( . a.m.), as the blizzard was as furious as ever; we therefore decided on a late breakfast and no lunch unless able to march. we have only three days' food with us and shall be in queer street if we miss the depôt. our bags are getting steadily wetter, so are our clothes. it shows a tendency to clear off now (breakfast time) so, d.v., we may march after all. i am in tribulation as regards meals now as we have run out of salt, one of my favourite commodities. it is owing to atkinson's party taking back an extra tin by mistake from the upper glacier depôt. fortunately we have some depôted there, so i will only have to endure another two weeks without it. " p.m.--we have got in a march after all, thank the lord. assisted by the wind we made an excellent rundown to our one and a half degree depôt, where the big red flag was blowing out like fury with the breeze, in clouds of driving drift. here we picked up ¼ cans of oil and one week's food for five men, together with some personal gear depôted. we left the bamboo and flag on the cairn. i was much relieved to pick up the depôt: now we only have one other source of anxiety on this endless snow summit, viz. the three degree depôt in latitude ° ´ s. "in the afternoon we did . miles. it was a miserable march, blizzard all the time and our sledge either sticking in sastrugi or overrunning the traces. we had to lower the sail half down, and titus and i hung on to her. it was most strenuous work, as well as much colder than pulling ahead. most of the time we had to brake back with all our strength to keep the sledge from overrunning. bill got a bad go of snow glare from following the track without goggles on. "this day last year we started the depôt journey. i did not think so short a time would turn me into an old hand at polar travelling, neither did i imagine at the time that i would be returning from the pole itself."[ ] wilson was very subject to these attacks of snow blindness, and also to headaches before blizzards. i have an idea that his anxiety to sketch whenever opportunity offered, and his willingness to take off his goggles to search for tracks and cairns, had something to do with it. this attack was very typical. "i wrote this at lunch and in the evening had a bad attack of snow blindness." ... "blizzard in afternoon. we only got in a forenoon march. couldn't see enough of the tracks to follow at all. my eyes didn't begin to trouble me till to-morrow [yesterday], though it was the strain of tracking and the very cold drift which we had to-day that gave me this attack of snow glare." ... "marched on foot in the afternoon as my eyes were too bad to go on ski. we had a lot of drift and wind and very cold. had zuso_ and cocaine in my eyes at night and didn't get to sleep at all for the pain--dozed about an hour in the morning only." ... "marched on foot again all day as i couldn't see my way on ski at all, birdie used my ski. eyes still very painful and watering. tired out by the evening, had a splendid night's sleep, and though very painful across forehead to-night they are much better."[ ] the surface was awful: in his diary of the day after they left the pole (january ) wilson wrote an account of it. "we had a splendid wind right behind us most of the afternoon and went well until about p.m. when the sun came out and we had an awful grind until . when we camped. the sun comes out on sandy drifts, all on the move in the wind, and temp. - °, and gives us an absolutely awful surface with no glide at all for ski or sledge, and just like fine sand. the weather all day has been more or less overcast with white broken alto-stratus, and for degrees above the horizon there is a grey belt looking like a blizzard of drift, but this in reality is caused by a constant fall of minute snow crystals, very minute. sometimes instead of crystal plates the fall is of minute agglomerate spicules like tiny sea-urchins. the plates glitter in the sun as though of some size, but you can only just see them as pin-points on your burberry. so the spicule collections are only just visible. our hands are never warm enough in camp to do any neat work now. the weather is always uncomfortably cold and windy, about - °, but after lunch to-day i got a bit of drawing done."[ ] all the joy had gone from their sledging. they were hungry, they were cold, the pulling was heavy, and two of them were not fit. as long ago as january scott wrote that oates was feeling the cold and fatigue more than the others[ ] and again he refers to the matter on january .[ ] on january wilson wrote: "we get our hairy faces and mouths dreadfully iced up on the march, and often one's hands very cold indeed holding ski-sticks. evans, who cut his knuckle some days ago at the last depôt, has a lot of pus in it to-night." january : "evans has got or of his finger-tips badly blistered by the cold. titus also his nose and cheeks--al[so] evans and bowers." january : "evans has a number of badly blistered finger-ends which he got at the pole. titus' big toe is turning blue-black." january : "evans' finger-nails all coming off, very raw and sore." february : "evans is feeling the cold a lot, always getting frost-bitten. titus' toes are blackening, and his nose and cheeks are dead yellow. dressing evans' fingers every other day with boric vaseline: they are quite sweet still." february : "evans' fingers suppurating. nose very bad [hard] and rotten-looking."[ ] scott was getting alarmed about evans, who "has dislodged two finger-nails to-night; his hands are really bad, and, to my surprise, he shows signs of losing heart over it. he hasn't been cheerful since the accident."[ ] "the party is not improving in condition, especially evans, who is becoming rather dull and incapable." "evans' nose is almost as bad as his fingers. he is a good deal crocked up."[ ] bowers' diary, quoted above, finished on january , on which day they picked up their one and a half degree depôt. "i shall sleep much better with our provision bag full again," wrote scott that night. "bowers got another rating sight to-night--it was wonderful how he managed to observe in such a horribly cold wind." they marched miles the next day, but got off the outward track, which was crooked. on january they did miles on a "very bad surface of deep-cut sastrugi all day, until late in the afternoon when we began to get out of them."[ ] "by jove, this is tremendous labour," said scott. they were getting into the better surfaces again: . miles for january , "a fine day and a good march on very decent surface."[ ] on january bowers wrote his last full day's diary: "our record march to-day. with a good breeze and improving surface we were soon in among the double tracks where the supporting party left us. then we picked up the memorable camp where i transferred to the advance party. how glad i was to change over. the camp was much drifted up and immense sastrugi were everywhere, s.s.e. in direction and s.e. we did . miles before lunch. i was breaking back on sledge and controlling; it was beastly cold and my hands were perished. in the afternoon i put on my dogskin mitts and was far more comfortable. a stiff breeze with drift continues: temperature - °. thank god our days of having to face it are over. we completed . miles [ statute] this evening, and so are only miles from our precious [three degree] depôt. it will be bad luck indeed if we do not get there in a march and a half anyhow."[ ] nineteen miles again on january , but during the previous day's march wilson had strained a tendon in his leg. "i got a nasty bruise on the tib[ialis] ant[icus] which gave me great pain all the afternoon." "my left leg exceedingly painful all day, so i gave birdie my ski and hobbled alongside the sledge on foot. the whole of the tibialis anticus is swollen and tight, and full of teno synovitis, and the skin red and oedematous over the shin. but we made a very fine march with the help of a brisk breeze." january : "again walking by the sledge with swollen leg but not nearly so painful. we had . miles to go to reach our three degree depôt. picked this up with a week's provision and a line from evans, and then for lunch an extra biscuit each, making for lunch and / whack of butter extra as well. afternoon we passed cairn where birdie's ski had been left. these we picked up and came on till . p.m. when the wind which had been very light all day dropped, and with temp. - ° it felt delightfully warm and sunny and clear. we have / extra pemmican in the hoosh now also. my leg pretty swollen again to-night."[ ] they travelled . miles that day, and . on the next. "my leg much more comfortable, gave me no pain, and i was able to pull all day, holding on to the sledge. still some oedema. we came down a hundred feet or so to-day on a fairly steep gradient."[ ] they were now approaching the crevassed surfaces and the ice-falls which mark the entrance to the beardmore glacier, and february was marked by another accident, this time to scott. "on a very slippery surface i came an awful 'purler' on my shoulder. it is horribly sore to-night and another sick person added to our tent--three out of five injured, and the most troublesome surfaces to come. we shall be lucky if we get through without serious injury. wilson's leg is better, but might easily get bad again, and evans' fingers.... we have managed to get off miles. the extra food is certainly helping us, but we are getting pretty hungry. the weather is already a trifle warmer, the altitude lower and only miles or so to mount darwin. it is time we were off the summit.--pray god another four days will see us pretty well clear of it. our bags are getting very wet and we ought to have more sleep."[ ] they had been spending some time in finding the old tracks. but they had a good landfall for the depôt at the top of the glacier and on february they decided to push on due north, and to worry no more for the present about tracks and cairns. they did miles that day. wilson's diary runs: "sunny and breezy again. came down a series of slopes, and finished the day by going up one. enormous deep-cut sastrugi and drifts and shiny egg-shell surface. wind all s.s.e.ly. to-day at about p.m. we got our first sight again of mountain peaks on our eastern horizon.... we crossed the outmost line of crevassed ridge top to-day, the first on our return. [illustration: buckley island--where the fossils were found.] "_february ._ miles. clear cloudless blue sky, surface drift. during forenoon we came down gradual descent including or irregular terrace slopes, on crest of one of which were a good many crevasses. southernmost were just big enough for scott and evans to fall in to their waists, and very deceptively covered up. they ran east and west. those nearer the crest were the ordinary broad street-like crevasses, well lidded. in the afternoon we again came to a crest, before descending, with street crevasses, and one we crossed had a huge hole where the lid had fallen in, big enough for a horse and cart to go down. we have a great number of mountain tops on our right and south of our beam as we go due north now. we are now camped just below a great crevassed mound, on a mountain top evidently." "_february ._ . miles. we had a difficult day, getting in amongst a frightful chaos of broad chasm-like crevasses. we kept too far east and had to wind in and out amongst them and cross multitudes of bridges. we then bore west a bit and got on better all the afternoon and got round a good deal of the upper disturbances of the falls here." [scott wrote: "we are camped in a very disturbed region, but the wind has fallen very light here, and our camp is comfortable for the first time for many weeks."[ ]] "_february ._ miles. we again had a forenoon of trying to cut corners. got in amongst great chasms running e. and w. and had to come out again. we then again kept west and downhill over tremendous sastrugi, with a slight breeze, very cold. in afternoon continued bearing more and more towards mount darwin: we got round one of the main lines of ice-fall and looked back up to it.... very cold march: many crevasses: i walking by the sledge on foot found a good many: the others all on ski." "_february ._ . miles. clear day again and we made a tedious march in the forenoon along a flat or two, and down a long slope: and then in the afternoon we had a very fresh breeze, and very fast run down long slopes covered with big sastrugi. it was a strenuous job steering and checking behind by the sledge. we reached the upper glacier depôt by . p.m. and found everything right."[ ] this was the end of the plateau: the beginning of the glacier. their hard time should be over so far as the weather was concerned. wilson notes how fine the land looked as they approached it: "the colour of the dominion range rock is in the main all brown madder or dark reddish chocolate, but there are numerous bands of yellow rock scattered amongst it. i think it is composed of dolerite and sandstone as on the w. side."[ ] the condition of the party was of course giving anxiety: how much it is impossible to say. a good deal was to be hoped from the warm weather ahead. scott and bowers were probably the fittest men. scott's shoulder soon mended and "bowers is splendid, full of energy and bustle all the time."[ ] wilson was feeling the cold more than either of them now. his leg was not yet well enough to wear ski. oates had suffered from a cold foot for some time. evans, however, was the only man whom scott seems to have been worried about. "his cuts and wounds suppurate, his nose looks very bad, and altogether he shows considerable signs of being played out." ... "well, we have come through our seven weeks' ice-cap journey and most of us are fit, but i think another week might have had a very bad effect on p.o. evans, who is going steadily downhill."[ ] they had all been having extra food which had helped them much, though they complained of hunger and want of sleep. directly they got into the warmer weather on the glacier their food satisfied them, "but we must march to keep on the full ration, and we want rest, yet we shall pull through all right, d.v. we are by no means worn out."[ ] there are no germs in the antarctic, save for a few isolated specimens which almost certainly come down from civilization in the upper air currents. you can sleep all night in a wet bag and clothing, and sledge all day in a mail of ice, and you will not catch a cold nor get any aches. you can get deficiency diseases, like scurvy, for inland this is a deficiency country, without vitamines. you can also get poisoned if you allow your food to remain thawed out too long, and if you do not cover the provisions in a depôt with enough snow the sun will get at them, even though the air temperature is far below freezing. but it is not easy to become diseased. on the other hand, once something does go wrong it is the deuce and all to get it right: especially cuts. and the isolation of the polar traveller may place him in most difficult circumstances. there are no ambulances and hospitals, and a man on a sledge is a very serious weight. practically any man who undertakes big polar journeys must face the possibility of having to commit suicide to save his companions, and the difficulty of this must not be overrated, for it is in some ways more desirable to die than to live if things are bad enough: we got to that stage on the winter journey. i remember discussing this question with bowers, who had a scheme of doing himself in with a pick-axe if necessity arose, though how he could have accomplished it i don't know: or, as he said, there might be a crevasse and at any rate there was the medical case. i was horrified at the time: i had never faced the thing out with myself like that. they left the upper glacier depôt under mount darwin on february . this day they collected the most important of those geological specimens to which, at wilson's special request, they clung to the end, and which were mostly collected by him. mount darwin and buckley island, which are really the tops of high mountains, stick out of the ice at the top of the glacier, and the course ran near to both of them, but not actually up against them. shackleton found coal on buckley island, and it was clear that the place was of great geological importance, for it was one of the only places in the antarctic where fossils could be found, so far as we knew. the ice-falls stretched away as far as you could see towards the mountains which bound the glacier on either side, and as you looked upwards towards buckley island they were like a long breaking wave. one of the great difficulties about the beardmore was that you saw the ice-falls as you went up, and avoided them, but coming down you knew nothing of their whereabouts until you fell into the middle of pressure and crevasses, and then it was almost impossible to say whether you should go right or left to get out. evans was unable to pull this day, and was detached from the sledge, but this was not necessarily a very serious sign: shackleton on his return journey was not able to pull at this place. wilson wrote as follows: "_february , mt. buckley cliffs._ a very busy day. we had a very cold forenoon march, blowing like blazes from the s. birdie detached and went on ski to mt. darwin and collected some dolerite, the only rock he could see on the nunatak, which was nearest. we got into a sort of crusted surface where the snow broke through nearly to our knees and the sledge-runner also. i thought at first we were all on a thinly bridged crevasse. we then came on east a bit, and gradually got worse and worse going over an ice-fall, having great trouble to prevent sledge taking charge, but eventually got down and then made n.w. or n. into the land, and camped right by the moraine under the great sandstone cliffs of mt. buckley, out of the wind and quite warm again: it was a wonderful change. after lunch we all geologized on till supper, and i was very late turning in, examining the moraine after supper. socks, all strewn over the rocks, dried splendidly. magnificent beacon sandstone cliffs. masses of limestone in the moraine, and dolerite crags in various places. coal seams at all heights in the sandstone cliffs, and lumps of weathered coal with fossil vegetable. had a regular field-day and got some splendid things in the short time." "_february , moraine visit._ we made our way along down the moraine, and at the end of mt. buckley [i] unhitched and had half an hour over the rocks and again got some good things written up in sketch-book. we then left the moraine and made a very good march on rough blue ice all day with very small and scarce scraps of névé, on one of which we camped for the night with a rather overcast foggy sky, which cleared to bright sun in the night. we are all thoroughly enjoying temps. of + ° or thereabouts now, with no wind instead of the summit winds which are incessant with temp. - °." "_february ._ ? m. we made a very good forenoon march from to . towards the cloudmaker. weather overcast gradually obscured everything in snowfall fog, starting with crystals of large size.... we had to camp after ½ hours' afternoon march as it got too thick to see anything and we were going downhill on blue ice...."[ ] [illustration: buckley island--e. a. wilson, del. emery walker limited, collotypers.] the next day in bad lights and on a bad surface they fell into the same pressure which both the other returning parties experienced. like them they were in the middle of it before they realized. "then came the fatal decision to steer east. we went on for hours, hoping to do a good distance, which i suppose we did, but for the last hour or two we pressed on into a regular trap. getting on to a good surface we did not reduce our lunch meal, and thought all going well, but half an hour after lunch we got into the worst ice mess i have ever been in. for three hours we plunged on on ski, first thinking we were too much to the right, then too much to the left; meanwhile the disturbance got worse and my spirits received a very rude shock. there were times when it seemed almost impossible to find a way out of the awful turmoil in which we found ourselves.... the turmoil changed in character, irregular crevassed surface giving way to huge chasms, closely packed and most difficult to cross. it was very heavy work, but we had grown desperate. we won through at p.m., and i write after hours on the march...."[ ] wilson continues the story: "_february ._ we had a good night just outside the ice-falls and disturbances, and a small breakfast of tea, thin hoosh and biscuit, and began the forenoon by a decent bit of travelling on rubbly blue ice in crampons: then plunged into an ice-fall and wandered about in it for hours and hours." "_february ._ we had one biscuit and some tea after a night's sleep on very hard and irregular blue ice amongst the ice-fall crevasses. no snow on the tent, only ski, etc. got away at a.m. and by p.m. found the depôt, having had a good march over very hard rough blue ice. only ½ hour in the disturbance of yesterday. the weather was very thick, snowing and overcast, could only just see the points of bearing for depôt. however, we got there, tired and hungry, and camped and had hoosh and tea and biscuits each. then away again with our three and a half days' food from this red flag depôt and off down by the cloudmaker moraine. we travelled about hours on hard blue ice, and i was allowed to geologize the last hour down the two outer lines of boulders. the outer one all dolerite and quartz rocks, the inner all dolerite and sandstone.... we camped on the inner line of boulders, weather clearing all the afternoon."[ ] meanwhile both wilson and bowers had been badly snow-blind, though wilson does not mention it in his diary; and this night scott says evans had no power to assist with camping work. a good march followed on february , but "there is no getting away from the fact that we are not pulling strong. probably none of us: wilson's leg still troubles him and he doesn't like to trust himself on ski; but the worst case is evans, who is giving us serious anxiety. this morning he suddenly disclosed a huge blister on his foot. it delayed us on the march, when he had to have his crampon readjusted. sometimes i feel he is going from bad to worse, but i trust he will pick up again when we come to steady work on ski like this afternoon. he is hungry and so is wilson. we can't risk opening out our food again, and as cook at present i am serving something under full allowance. we are inclined to get slack and slow with our camping arrangement, and small delays increase. i have talked of the matter to-night and hope for improvement. we cannot do distance without the hours."[ ] there was something wrong with this party: more wrong, i mean, than was justified by the tremendous journey they had already experienced. except for the blizzard at the bottom of the beardmore and the surfaces near the pole it had been little worse than they expected. evans, however, who was considered by scott to be the strongest man of the party, had already collapsed, and it is admitted that the rest of the party was becoming far from strong. there seems to be an unknown factor here somewhere. [illustration: mt. kyffin--e. a. wilson, del.] wilson's diary continues: "_february . ¾ m. geog._ i got on ski again first time since damaging my leg and was on them all day for hours. it was a bit painful and swelled by the evening, and every night i put on snow poultice. we are not yet abreast of mt. kyffin, and much discussion how far we are from the lower glacier depôt, probably to m.: and we have to reduce food again, only one biscuit to-night with a thin hoosh of pemmican. to-morrow we have to make one day's food which remains last over the two. the weather became heavily overcast during the afternoon and then began to snow, and though we got in our hours' march it was with difficulty, and we only made a bit over miles. however, we are nearer the depôt to-night." "_february . ½ m. geog._ got a good start in fair weather after one biscuit and a thin breakfast, and made ½ m. in the forenoon. again the weather became overcast and we lunched almost at our old bearing on kyffin of lunch dec. . all the afternoon the weather became thick and thicker and after ¼ hours evans collapsed, sick and giddy, and unable to walk even by the sledge on ski, so we camped. can see no land at all anywhere, but we must be getting pretty near the pillar rock. evans' collapse has much to do with the fact that he has never been sick in his life and is now helpless with his hands frost-bitten. we had thin meals for lunch and supper." "_february ._ the weather cleared and we got away for a clear run to the depôt and had gone a good part of the way when evans found his ski shoes coming off. he was allowed to readjust and continue to pull, but it happened again, and then again, so he was told to unhitch, get them right, and follow on and catch us up. he lagged far behind till lunch, and when we camped we had lunch, and then went back for him as he had not come up. he had fallen and had his hands frost-bitten, and we then returned for the sledge, and brought it, and fetched him in on it as he was rapidly losing the use of his legs. he was comatose when we got him into the tent, and he died without recovering consciousness that night about p.m. we had a short rest for an hour or two in our bags that night, then had a meal and came on through the pressure ridges about miles farther down and reached our lower glacier depôt. here we camped at last, had a good meal and slept a good night's rest which we badly needed. our depôt was all right."[ ] "a very terrible day.... on discussing the symptoms we think he began to get weaker just before we reached the pole, and that his downward path was accelerated first by the shock of his frost-bitten fingers, and later by falls during rough travelling on the glacier, further by his loss of all confidence in himself. wilson thinks it certain he must have injured his brain by a fall. it is a terrible thing to lose a companion in this way, but calm reflection shows that there could not have been a better ending to the terrible anxieties of the past week. discussion of the situation at lunch yesterday shows us what a desperate pass we were in with a sick man on our hands at such a distance from home."[ ] [illustration: where evans died--e. a. wilson, del.] footnotes: [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] it is to be noticed that every return party, including the polar party, was supposed by their companions to be going to have a very much easier time than, as a matter of fact, they had.--a. c.-g. [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] simpson, _b.a.e., - _, "meteorology," vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] simpson, _b.a.e., - _, "meteorology," vol. i. pp. - . [ ] simpson, _b.a.e., - _, "meteorology," vol. i. p. . [ ] see pp. xxxviii-xxxix. [ ] see p. xivii. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] wilson. [ ] evidently meaning some miles from crest to crest. [ ] bowers, _polar meteorological log._ [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] simpson, _b.a.e., - _, "meteorology," vol. i. p. . [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] bowers. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] bowers. [ ] wilson. [ ] wilson. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] wilson. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. pp. , . [ ] wilson. [ ] ibid. [ ] bowers. [ ] wilson. [ ] ibid. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] wilson. [ ] ibid. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] ibid. pp. , . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] wilson. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . [ ] wilson. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] wilson. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. p. . chapter xviii the polar journey (_continued_) this happy breed of men, this little world, this precious stone set in the silver sea, which serves it in the office of a wall, ... this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this england, this nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings, ... this land of such dear souls, this dear, dear land. shakespeare. vi. farthest south stevenson has written of a traveller whose wife slumbered by his side what time his spirit re-adventured forth in memory of days gone by. he was quite happy about it, and i suppose his travels had been peaceful, for days and nights such as these men spent coming down the beardmore will give you nightmare after nightmare, and wake you shrieking--years after. of course they were shaken and weakened. but the conditions they had faced, and the time they had been out, do not in my opinion account entirely for their weakness nor for evans' collapse, which may have had something to do with the fact that he was the biggest, heaviest and most muscular man in the party. i do not believe that this is a life for such men, who are expected to pull their weight and to support and drive a larger machine than their companions, and at the same time to eat no extra food. if, as seems likely, the ration these men were eating was not enough to support the work they were doing, then it is clear that the heaviest man will feel the deficiency sooner and more severely than others who are smaller than he. evans must have had a most terrible time: i think it is clear from the diaries that he had suffered very greatly without complaint. at home he would have been nursed in bed: here he must march (he was pulling the day he died) until he was crawling on his frost-bitten hands and knees in the snow--horrible: most horrible perhaps for those who found him so, and sat in the tent and watched him die. i am told that simple concussion does not kill as suddenly as this: probably some clot had moved in his brain. for one reason and another they took very nearly as long to come down the glacier with a featherweight sledge as we had taken to go up it with full loads. seven days' food were allowed from the upper to the lower glacier depôt. bowers told me that he thought this was running it fine. but the two supporting parties got through all right, though they both tumbled into the horrible pressure above the cloudmaker. the last return party took ½ days: the polar party days: the latter had been ½ days longer on the plateau than the former. owing to their slow progress down the glacier the polar party went on short rations for the first and last time until they camped on march : with the exception of these days they had either their full, or more than their full ration until that date. until they reached the barrier on their return journey the weather can be described neither as abnormal nor as unexpected. there were statute miles ( geo.) to be covered to one ton depôt, and statute miles ( geo.) more from one ton to hut point. they had just picked up one week's food for five men: between the beardmore and one ton were three more depôts each with one week's food for five men. they were four men: their way was across the main body of the barrier out of sight of land, and away from any immediate influence of the comparatively warm sea ahead of them. nothing was known of the weather conditions in the middle of the barrier at this time of year, and no one suspected that march conditions there were very cold. shackleton turned homeward on january : reached his bluff depôt on february , and hut point on february . wilson's diary continues: "_february ._ we had only five hours' sleep. we had butter and biscuit and tea when we woke at p.m., then came over the gap entrance to the pony-slaughter camp, visiting a rock moraine of mt. hope on the way." "_february ._ late in getting away after making up new -foot sledge and digging out pony meat. we made ½ m. on a very heavy surface indeed."[ ] this bad surface is the feature of their first homeward marches on the barrier. from now onwards they complain always of the terrible surfaces, but a certain amount of the heavy pulling must be ascribed to their own weakness. in the low temperatures which occurred later bad surfaces were to be expected: but now the temperatures were not really low, about zero to - °: fine clear days for the most part and, a thing to be noticed, little wind. they wanted wind, which would probably be behind them from the south. "oh! for a little wind," scott writes. "e. evans evidently had plenty." he was already very anxious. "if this goes on we shall have a bad time, but i sincerely trust it is only the result of this windless area close to the coast and that, as we are making steadily outwards, we shall shortly escape it. it is perhaps premature [feb. ] to be anxious about covering distance. in all other respects things are improving. we have our sleeping-bags spread on the sledge and they are drying, but, above all, we have our full measure of food again. to-night we had a sort of stew fry of pemmican and horseflesh, and voted it the best hoosh we had ever had on a sledge journey. the absence of poor evans is a help to the commissariat, but if he had been here in a fit state we might have got along faster. i wonder what is in store for us, with some little alarm at the lateness of the season." and on february , when they made miles, "at present our sledge and ski leave deeply ploughed tracks which can be seen winding for miles behind. it is distressing, but as usual trials are forgotten when we camp, and good food is our lot. pray god we get better travelling as we are not so fit as we were, and the season is advancing apace." and on february , "we never won a march of ½ miles with greater difficulty, but we can't go on like this."[ ] a breeze suddenly came away from s.s.e., force to at a.m. on february , and they hoisted the sail on the sledge they had just picked up. they immediately lost the tracks they were following, and failed to find the cairns and camp remains which they should have picked up if they had been on the right course, which was difficult here owing to the thick weather we had on the outward march. bowers was sure they were too near the land and they steered out, but still failed to pick up the line on which their depôts and their lives depended. scott was convinced they were outside, not inside the line. the next morning bowers took a round of angles, and they came to the conclusion, on slender evidence, that they were still too near the land. they had an unhappy march still off the tracks, "but just as we decided to lunch, bowers' wonderful sharp eyes detected an old double lunch cairn, the theodolite telescope confirmed it, and our spirits rose accordingly."[ ] then wilson had another "bad attack of snow-glare: could hardly keep a chink of eye open in goggles to see the course. fat pony hoosh."[ ] this day they reached the lower barrier depôt. [illustration: sledging in a high wind--e. a. wilson, del.] they were in evil case, but they would have been all right, these men, if the cold had not come down upon them, a bolt quite literally from the blue of a clear sky: unexpected, unforetold and fatal. the cold itself was not so tremendous until you realize that they had been out four months, that they had fought their way up the biggest glacier in the world in feet of soft snow, that they had spent seven weeks under plateau conditions of rarefied air, big winds and low temperatures, and they had watched one of their companions die--not in a bed, in a hospital or ambulance, nor suddenly, but slowly, night by night and day by day, with his hands frost-bitten and his brain going, until they must have wondered, each man in his heart, whether in such case a human being could be left to die, that four men might live. he died a natural death and they went out on to the barrier. given such conditions as were expected, and the conditions for which preparation had been made, they would have come home alive and well. some men say the weather was abnormal: there is some evidence that it was. the fact remains that the temperature dropped into the minus thirties by day and the minus forties by night. the fact also remains that there was a great lack of southerly winds, and in consequence the air near the surface was not being mixed: excessive radiation took place, and a layer of cold air formed near the ground. crystals also formed on the surface of the snow and the wind was not enough to sweep them away. as the temperature dropped so the surface for the runners of the sledges became worse, as i explained elsewhere.[ ] they were pulling as it were through sand. in the face of the difficulties which beset them their marches were magnificent: ½ miles on february and again on the following day: . miles on february , and ½ miles again on february and . if they could have kept this up they would have come through without a doubt. but i think it was about now that they suspected, and then were sure, that they could not pull through. scott's diary, written at lunch, march , is as follows: "misfortunes rarely come singly. we marched to the [middle barrier] depôt fairly easily yesterday afternoon, and since that have suffered three distinct blows which have placed us in a bad position. first, we found a shortage of oil; with most rigid economy it can scarce carry us to the next depôt on this surface [ miles away]. second, titus oates disclosed his feet, the toes showing very bad indeed, evidently bitten by the late temperatures. the third blow came in the night, when the wind, which we had hailed with some joy, brought dark overcast weather. it fell below - ° in the night, and this morning it took ½ hours to get our foot-gear on, but we got away before eight. we lost cairn and tracks together and made as steady as we could n. by w., but have seen nothing. worse was to come--the surface is simply awful. in spite of strong wind and full sail we have only done ½ miles. we are in a _very_ queer street, since there is no doubt we cannot do the extra marches and feel the cold horribly."[ ] they did nearly ten miles that day, but on march they had a terrible time. "god help us," wrote scott, "we can't keep up this pulling, that is certain. amongst ourselves we are unendingly cheerful, but what each man feels in his heart i can only guess. putting on foot-gear in the morning is getting slower and slower, therefore every day more dangerous." the following extracts are taken from scott's diary. "_march . lunch._ we are in a very tight place indeed, but none of us despondent _yet_, or at least we preserve every semblance of good cheer, but one's heart sinks as the sledge stops dead at some sastrugi behind which the surface sand lies thickly heaped. for the moment the temperature is in the - °--an improvement which makes us much more comfortable, but a colder snap is bound to come again soon. i fear that oates at least will weather such an event very poorly. providence to our aid! we can expect little from man now except the possibility of extra food at the next depôt. it will be real bad if we get there and find the same shortage of oil. shall we get there? such a short distance it would have appeared to us on the summit! i don't know what i should do if wilson and bowers weren't so determinedly cheerful over things." [illustration: mount longstaff--e. a. wilson, del. emery walker limited, collotypers.] "_monday, march . lunch._ regret to say going from bad to worse. we got a slant of wind yesterday afternoon, and going on hours we converted our wretched morning run of ½ miles into something over . we went to bed on a cup of cocoa and pemmican solid with the chill off.... the result is telling on all, but mainly on oates, whose feet are in a wretched condition. one swelled up tremendously last night and he is very lame this morning. we started march on tea and pemmican as last night--we pretend to prefer the pemmican this way. marched for hours this morning over a slightly better surface covered with high moundy sastrugi. sledge capsized twice; we pulled on foot, covering about ½ miles. we are two pony marches and miles about from our depôt. our fuel dreadfully low and the poor soldier nearly done. it is pathetic enough because we can do nothing for him; more hot food might do a little, but only a little, i fear. we none of us expected these terribly low temperatures, and of the rest of us, wilson is feeling them most; mainly, i fear, from his self-sacrificing devotion in doctoring oates' feet. we cannot help each other, each has enough to do to take care of himself. we get cold on the march when the trudging is heavy, and the wind pierces our worn garments. the others, all of them, are unendingly cheerful when in the tent. we mean to see the game through with a proper spirit, but it's tough work to be pulling harder than we ever pulled in our lives for long hours, and to feel that the progress is so slow. one can only say 'god help us!' and plod on our weary way, cold and very miserable, though outwardly cheerful. we talk of all sorts of subjects in the tent, not much of food now, since we decided to take the risk of running a full ration. we simply couldn't go hungry at this time." "_tuesday, march . lunch._ we did a little better with help of wind yesterday afternoon, finishing ½ miles for the day, and miles from depôt. but this morning things have been awful. it was warm in the night and for the first time during the journey i overslept myself by more than an hour; then we were slow with foot-gear; then, pulling with all our might (for our lives) we could scarcely advance at rate of a mile an hour; then it grew thick and three times we had to get out of harness to search for tracks. the result is something less than ½ miles for the forenoon. the sun is shining now and the wind gone. poor oates is unable to pull, sits on the sledge when we are track-searching--he is wonderfully plucky, as his feet must be giving him great pain. he makes no complaint, but his spirits only come up in spurts now, and he grows more silent in the tent. we are making a spirit lamp to try and replace the primus when our oil is exhausted..." "_wednesday, march ._ a little worse, i fear. one of oates' feet _very_ bad this morning; he is wonderfully brave. we still talk of what we will do together at home. "we only made ½ miles yesterday. this morning in ½ hours we did just over miles. we are from our depôt. if we only find the correct proportion of food there and this surface continues, we may get to the next depôt [mt. hooper, miles farther] but not to one ton camp. we hope against hope that the dogs have been to mt. hooper; then we might pull through. if there is a shortage of oil again we can have little hope. one feels that for poor oates the crisis is near, but none of us are improving, though we are wonderfully fit considering the really excessive work we are doing. we are only kept going by good food. no wind this morning till a chill northerly air came ahead. sun bright and cairns showing up well. i should like to keep the track to the end." "_thursday, march . lunch._ worse and worse in morning; poor oates' left foot can never last out, and time over foot-gear something awful. have to wait in night foot-gear for nearly an hour before i start changing, and then am generally first to be ready. wilson's feet giving trouble now, but this mainly because he gives so much help to others. we did ½ miles this morning and are now ½ miles from the depôt--a ridiculously small distance to feel in difficulties, yet on this surface we know we cannot equal half our old marches, and that for that effort we expend nearly double the energy. the great question is: what shall we find at the depôt? if the dogs have visited it we may get along a good distance, but if there is another short allowance of fuel, god help us indeed. we are in a very bad way, i fear, in any case." "_saturday, march ._ things steadily downhill. oates' foot worse. he has rare pluck and must know that he can never get through. he asked wilson if he had a chance this morning, and of course bill had to say he didn't know. in point of fact he has none. apart from him, if he went under now, i doubt whether we could get through. with great care we might have a dog's chance, but no more. the weather conditions are awful, and our gear gets steadily more icy and difficult to manage.... "yesterday we marched up the depôt, mt. hooper. cold comfort. shortage on our allowance all round. i don't know that any one is to blame. the dogs which would have been our salvation have evidently failed. meares had a bad trip home i suppose. "this morning it was calm when we breakfasted, but the wind came from the w.n.w. as we broke camp. it rapidly grew in strength. after travelling for half an hour i saw that none of us could go on facing such conditions. we were forced to camp and are spending the rest of the day in a comfortless blizzard camp, wind quite foul." "_sunday, march ._ titus oates is very near the end, one feels. what we or he will do, god only knows. we discussed the matter after breakfast; he is a brave fine fellow and understands the situation, but he practically asked for advice. nothing could be said but to urge him to march as long as he could. one satisfactory result to the discussion: i practically ordered wilson to hand over the means of ending our troubles to us, so that any one of us may know how to do so. wilson had no choice between doing so and our ransacking the medicine case. we have opium tabloids apiece and he is left with a tube of morphine. so far the tragical side of our story. "the sky completely overcast when we started this morning. we could see nothing, lost the tracks, and doubtless have been swaying a good deal since-- . miles for the forenoon--terribly heavy dragging--expected it. know that miles is about the limit of our endurance now, if we get no help from wind or surfaces. we have days' food and should be about miles from one ton camp to-night, x = , leaving us miles short of our distance, even if things get no worse. meanwhile the season rapidly advances." "_monday, march ._ we did . miles yesterday, under our necessary average. things are left much the same, oates not pulling much, and now with hands as well as feet pretty well useless. we did miles this morning in hours min.--we may hope for this afternoon x = . we shall be miles from the depôt. i doubt if we can possibly do it. the surface remains awful, the cold intense, and our physical condition running down. god help us! not a breath of favourable wind for more than a week, and apparently liable to head winds at any moment." "_wednesday, march ._ no doubt about the going downhill, but everything going wrong for us. yesterday we woke to a strong northerly wind with temp. - °. couldn't face it, so remained in camp till , then did ¼ miles. wanted to march later, but party feeling the cold badly as the breeze (n.) never took off entirely, and as the sun sank the temp. fell. long time getting supper in dark. "this morning started with southerly breeze, set sail and passed another cairn at good speed; half-way, however, the wind shifted to w. by s. or w.s.w., blew through our wind-clothes and into our mitts. poor wilson horribly cold, could [not] get off ski for some time. bowers and i practically made camp, and when we got into the tent at last we were all deadly cold. then temp. now mid-day down - ° and the wind strong. we _must_ go on, but now the making of every camp must be more difficult and dangerous. it must be near the end, but a pretty merciful end. poor oates got it again in the foot. i shudder to think what it will be like to-morrow. it is only with greatest pains rest of us keep off frost-bites. no idea there could be temperatures like this at this time of year with such winds. truly awful outside the tent. must fight it out to the last biscuit, but can't reduce rations." [illustration: a blizzard camp--e. a. wilson, del.] "_friday, march , or saturday, ._ lost track of dates, but think the last correct. tragedy all along the line. at lunch, the day before yesterday, poor titus oates said he couldn't go on; he proposed we should leave him in his sleeping-bag. that we could not do, and we induced him to come on, on the afternoon march. in spite of its awful nature for him he struggled on and we made a few miles. at night he was worse and we knew the end had come. "should this be found i want these facts recorded. oates' last thoughts were of his mother, but immediately before he took pride in thinking that his regiment would be pleased with the bold way in which he met his death. we can testify to his bravery. he has borne intense suffering for weeks without complaint, and to the very last was able and willing to discuss outside subjects. he did not--would not--give up hope till the very end. he was a brave soul. this was the end. he slept through the night before last, hoping not to wake; but he woke in the morning--yesterday. it was blowing a blizzard. he said, 'i am just going outside and may be some time.' he went out into the blizzard and we have not seen him since. "i take this opportunity of saying that we have stuck to our sick companions to the last. in case of edgar evans, when absolutely out of food and he lay insensible, the safety of the remainder seemed to demand his abandonment, but providence mercifully removed him at this critical moment. he died a natural death, and we did not leave him till two hours after his death. we knew that poor oates was walking to his death, but though we tried to dissuade him, we knew it was the act of a brave man and an english gentleman. we all hope to meet the end with a similar spirit, and assuredly the end is not far. "i can only write at lunch and then only occasionally. the cold is intense, - ° at mid-day. my companions are unendingly cheerful, but we are all on the verge of serious frost-bites, and though we constantly talk of fetching through i don't think any one of us believes it in his heart. "we are cold on the march now, and at all times except meals. yesterday we had to lay up for a blizzard and to-day we move dreadfully slowly. we are at no. pony camp, only two pony marches from one ton depôt. we leave here our theodolite, a camera, and oates' sleeping-bags. diaries, etc., and geological specimens carried at wilson's special request, will be found with us or on our sledge." "_sunday, march ._ to-day, lunch, we are miles from the depôt. ill fortune presses, but better may come. we have had more wind and drift from ahead yesterday; had to stop marching; wind n.w., force , temp. - °. no human being could face it, and we are worn out _nearly_. "my right foot has gone, nearly all the toes--two days ago i was proud possessor of best feet.... bowers takes first place in condition, but there is not much to choose after all. the others are still confident of getting through--or pretend to be--i don't know! we have the last _half_ fill of oil in our primus and a very small quantity of spirit--this alone between us and thirst. the wind is fair for the moment, and that is perhaps a fact to help. the mileage would have seemed ridiculously small on our outward journey." "_monday, march . lunch._ we camped with difficulty last night and were dreadfully cold till after our supper of cold pemmican and biscuit and a half pannikin of cocoa cooked over the spirit. then, contrary to expectation, we got warm and all slept well. to-day we started in the usual dragging manner. sledge dreadfully heavy. we are ½ miles from the depôt and ought to get there in three days. what progress! we have two days' food but barely a day's fuel. all our feet are getting bad--wilson's best, my right foot worse, left all right. there is no chance to nurse one's feet till we can get hot food into us. amputation is the least i can hope for now, but will the trouble spread? that is the serious question. the weather doesn't give us a chance--the wind from n. to n.w. and - ° temp, to-day." "_wednesday, march ._ got within miles of depôt monday night; had to lay up all yesterday in severe blizzard. to-day forlorn hope, wilson and bowers going to depôt for fuel." "_ and ._ blizzard bad as ever--wilson and bowers unable to start--to-morrow last chance--no fuel and only one or two of food left--must be near the end. have decided it shall be natural--we shall march for the depôt with or without our effects and die in our tracks." "_thursday, march ._ since the st we have had a continuous gale from w.s.w. and s.w. we had fuel to make two cups of tea apiece and bare food for two days on the th. every day we have been ready to start for our depôt _ miles_ away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of whirling drift. i do not think we can hope for any better things now. we shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far. "it seems a pity, but i do not think i can write more. r. scott." _last entry._ "for god's sake, look after our people." the following extracts are from letters written by scott: _to mrs. e. a. wilson_ my dear mrs. wilson. if this letter reaches you, bill and i will have gone out together. we are very near it now and i should like you to know how splendid he was at the end--everlastingly cheerful and ready to sacrifice himself for others, never a word of blame to me for leading him into this mess. he is not suffering, luckily, at least only minor discomforts. his eyes have a comfortable blue look of hope and his mind is peaceful with the satisfaction of his faith in regarding himself as part of the great scheme of the almighty. i can do no more to comfort you than to tell you that he died as he lived, a brave, true man--the best of comrades and staunchest of friends. my whole heart goes out to you in pity. yours, r. scott. _to mrs. bowers_ my dear mrs. bowers. i am afraid this will reach you after one of the heaviest blows of your life. i write when we are very near the end of our journey, and i am finishing it in company with two gallant, noble gentlemen. one of these is your son. he had come to be one of my closest and soundest friends, and i appreciate his wonderful upright nature, his ability and energy. as the troubles have thickened his dauntless spirit ever shone brighter and he has remained cheerful, hopeful and indomitable to the end.... _to sir j. m. barrie_ my dear barrie. we are pegging out in a very comfortless spot. hoping this letter may be found and sent to you, i write a word of farewell ... good-bye. i am not at all afraid of the end, but sad to miss many a humble pleasure which i had planned for the future on our long marches. i may not have proved a great explorer, but we have done the greatest march ever made and come very near to great success. good-bye, my dear friend. yours ever, r. scott. we are in a desperate state, feet frozen, etc. no fuel and a long way from food, but it would do your heart good to be in our tent, to hear our songs and the cheery conversation as to what we will do when we get to hut point. _later._ we are very near the end, but have not and will not lose our good cheer. we have four days of storm in our tent and nowhere's food or fuel. we did intend to finish ourselves when things proved like this, but we have decided to die naturally in the track.[ ] the following extracts are from letters written to other friends: " ... i want to tell you that i was _not_ too old for this job. it was the younger men that went under first.... after all we are setting a good example to our countrymen, if not by getting into a tight place, by facing it like men when we were there. we could have come through had we neglected the sick." "wilson, the best fellow that ever stepped, has sacrificed himself again and again to the sick men of the party...." " ... our journey has been the biggest on record, and nothing but the most exceptional hard luck at the end would have caused us to fail to return." "what lots and lots i could tell you of this journey. how much better has it been than lounging in too great comfort at home." * * * * * message to the public the causes of the disaster are not due to faulty organization, but to misfortune in all risks which had to be undertaken. . the loss of pony transport in march obliged me to start later than i had intended, and obliged the limits of stuff transported to be narrowed. . the weather throughout the outward journey, and especially the long gale in ° s., stopped us. . the soft snow in lower reaches of glacier again reduced pace. we fought these untoward events with a will and conquered, but it cut into our provision reserve. every detail of our food supplies, clothing and depôts made on the interior ice-sheet and over that long stretch of miles to the pole and back, worked out to perfection. the advance party would have returned to the glacier in fine form and with surplus of food, but for the astonishing failure of the man whom we had least expected to fail. edgar evans was thought the strongest man of the party. the beardmore glacier is not difficult in fine weather, but on our return we did not get a single completely fine day; this with a sick companion enormously increased our anxieties. as i have said elsewhere, we got into frightfully rough ice and edgar evans received a concussion of the brain--he died a natural death, but left us a shaken party with the season unduly advanced. but all the facts above enumerated were as nothing to the surprise which awaited us on the barrier. i maintain that our arrangements for returning were quite adequate, and that no one in the world would have expected the temperatures and surfaces which we encountered at this time of the year. on the summit in lat. °- ° we had - °, - °. on the barrier in lat. °, , feet lower, we had - ° in the day, - ° at night pretty regularly, with continuous head-wind during our day marches. it is clear that these circumstances come on very suddenly, and our wreck is certainly due to this sudden advent of severe weather, which does not seem to have any satisfactory cause. i do not think human beings ever came through such a month as we have come through, and we should have got through in spite of the weather but for the sickening of a second companion, captain oates, and a shortage of fuel in our depôts for which i cannot account, and finally, but for the storm which has fallen on us within miles of the depôt at which we hoped to secure our final supplies. surely misfortune could scarcely have exceeded this last blow. we arrived within miles of our old one ton camp with fuel for one last meal and food for two days. for four days we have been unable to leave the tent--the gale howling about us. we are weak, writing is difficult, but for my own sake i do not regret this journey, which has shown that englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past. we took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of providence, determined still to do our best to the last. but if we have been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honour of our country, i appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend on us are properly cared for. had we lived, i should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every englishman. these rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for.--r. scott.[ ] [illustration: the polar journey--apsley cherry-garrard, del. emery walker ltd., collotypers.] footnotes: [ ] wilson. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] ibid. p. . [ ] wilson. [ ] see note at end of chapter xiv. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. , . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. i. pp. - . chapter xix never again and now in age i bud again, after so many deaths i live and write; i once more smell the dew and rain, and relish versing. o my onely light, it cannot be that i am he on whom thy tempests fell all night. herbert. i shall inevitably be asked for a word of mature judgment of the expedition of a kind that was impossible when we were all close up to it, and when i was a subaltern of , not incapable of judging my elders, but too young to have found out whether my judgment was worth anything. i now see very plainly that though we achieved a first-rate tragedy, which will never be forgotten just because it was a tragedy, tragedy was not our business. in the broad perspective opened up by ten years' distance, i see not one journey to the pole, but two, in startling contrast one to another. on the one hand, amundsen going straight there, getting there first, and returning without the loss of a single man, and without having put any greater strain on himself and his men than was all in the day's work of polar exploration. nothing more business-like could be imagined. on the other hand, our expedition, running appalling risks, performing prodigies of superhuman endurance, achieving immortal renown, commemorated in august cathedral sermons and by public statues, yet reaching the pole only to find our terrible journey superfluous, and leaving our best men dead on the ice. to ignore such a contrast would be ridiculous: to write a book without accounting for it a waste of time. first let me do full justice to amundsen. i have not attempted to disguise how we felt towards him when, after leading us to believe that he had equipped the fram for an arctic journey, and sailed for the north, he suddenly made his dash for the south. nothing makes a more unpleasant impression than a feint. but when scott reached the pole only to find that amundsen had been there a month before him, his distress was not that of a schoolboy who has lost a race. i have described what it had cost scott and his four companions to get to the pole, and what they had still to suffer in returning until death stopped them. much of that risk and racking toil had been undertaken that men might learn what the world is like at the spot where the sun does not decline in the heavens, where a man loses his orbit and turns like a joint on a spit, and where his face, however he turns, is always to the north. the moment scott saw the norwegian tent he knew that he had nothing to tell that was not already known. his achievement was a mere precaution against amundsen perishing on his way back; and that risk was no greater than his own. the polar journey was literally laid waste: that was the shock that staggered them. well might bowers be glad to see the last of norskies' tracks as their homeward paths diverged. all this heartsickness has passed away now; and the future explorer will not concern himself with it. he will ask, what was the secret of amundsen's slick success? what is the moral of our troubles and losses? i will take amundsen's success first. undoubtedly the very remarkable qualities of the man himself had a good deal to do with it. there is a sort of sagacity that constitutes the specific genius of the explorer; and amundsen proved his possession of this by his guess that there was terra firma in the bay of whales as solid as on ross island. then there is the quality of big leadership which is shown by daring to take a big chance. amundsen took a very big one indeed when he turned from the route to the pole explored and ascertained by scott and shackleton and determined to find a second pass over the mountains from the barrier to the plateau. as it happened, he succeeded, and established his route as the best way to the pole until a better is discovered. but he might easily have failed and perished in the attempt; and the combination of reasoning and daring that nerved him to make it can hardly be overrated. all these things helped him. yet any rather conservative whaling captain might have refused to make scott's experiment with motor transport, ponies and man-hauling, and stuck to the dogs; and to the use of ski in running those dogs; and it was this quite commonplace choice that sent amundsen so gaily to the pole and back: with no abnormal strain on men or dogs, and no great hardship either. he never pulled a mile from start to finish. the very ease of the exploit makes it impossible to infer from it that amundsen's expedition was more highly endowed in personal qualities than ours. we did not suffer from too little brains or daring: we may have suffered from too much. we were primarily a great scientific expedition, with the pole as our bait for public support, though it was not more important than any other acre of the plateau. we followed in the steps of a polar expedition which brought back more results than any of its forerunners: scott's discovery voyage. we had the largest and most efficient scientific staff that ever left england. we were discursive. we were full of intellectual interests and curiosities of all kinds. we took on the work of two or three expeditions. it is obvious that there are disadvantages in such a division of energy. scott wanted to reach the pole: a dangerous and laborious exploit, but a practicable one. wilson wanted to obtain the egg of the emperor penguin: a horribly dangerous and inhumanly exhausting feat which is none the less impracticable because the three men who achieved it survived by a miracle. these two feats had to be piled one on top of the other. what with the depôt journey and others, in addition to these two, we were sledged out by the end of our second sledging season, and our worst year was still to come. we, the survivors, went in search of the dead when there was a possibly living party waiting in the ice somewhere for us to succour them. that turned out all right, because when we got back, we found campbell's party self-extricated and waiting for us, alive and well. but suppose they also had perished, what would have been said of us? the practical man of the world has plenty of criticism of the way things were done. he says dogs should have been taken; but he does not show how they could have been got up and down the beardmore. he is scandalized because lbs. of geological specimens were deliberately added to the weight of the sledge that was dragging the life out of the men who had to haul it; but he does not realize that it is the friction surfaces of the snow on the runners which mattered and not the dead weight, which in this case was almost negligible. nor does he know that these same specimens dated a continent and may elucidate the whole history of plant life. he will admit that we were all very wonderful, very heroic, very beautiful and devoted: that our exploits gave a glamour to our expedition that amundsen's cannot claim; but he has no patience with us, and declares that amundsen was perfectly right in refusing to allow science to use up the forces of his men, or to interfere for a moment with his single business of getting to the pole and back again. no doubt he was; but we were not out for a single business: we were out for everything we could add to the world's store of knowledge about the antarctic. of course the whole business simply bristles with "ifs": if scott had taken dogs and succeeded in getting them up the beardmore: if we had not lost those ponies on the depôt journey: if the dogs had not been taken so far and the one ton depôt had been laid: if a pony and some extra oil had been depôted on the barrier: if a four-man party had been taken to the pole: if i had disobeyed my instructions and gone on from one ton, killing dogs as necessary: or even if i had just gone on a few miles and left some food and fuel under a flag upon a cairn: if they had been first at the pole: if it had been any other season but that.... but always the bare fact remains that scott could not have travelled from mcmurdo sound to the pole faster than he did except with dogs; all the king's horses and all the king's men could not have done it. why, then, says the practical man, did we go to mcmurdo sound instead of to the bay of whales? because we gained that continuity of scientific observation which is so important in this work: and because the sound was the starting-point for continuing the exploration of the only ascertained route to the pole, via the beardmore glacier. i am afraid it was all inevitable: we were as wise as any one can be before the event. i admit that we, scrupulously economical of our pemmican, were terribly prodigal of our man-power. but we had to be: the draft, whatever it may have been on the whole, was not excessive at any given point; and anyhow we just had to use every man to take every opportunity. there is so much to do, and the opportunities for doing it are so rare. generally speaking, i don't see how we could have done differently, but i don't want to see it done again; i don't want it to be necessary to do it again. i want to see this country tackle the job, and send enough men to do one thing at a time. they do it in canada: why not in england too? but we wasted our man-power in one way which could have been avoided. i have described how every emergency was met by calling for volunteers, and how the volunteers were always forthcoming. unfortunately volunteering was relied on not only for emergencies, but for a good deal of everyday work that should have been organised as routine; and the inevitable result was that the willing horses were overworked. it was a point of honour not to ca' canny. men were allowed to do too much, and were told afterwards that they had done too much; and that is not discipline. they should not have been allowed to do too much. until our last year we never insisted on a regular routine. money was scarce: probably scott could not have obtained the funds for the expedition if its objective had not been the pole. there was no lack of the things which could be bought across the counter from big business houses--all landing, sledging, and scientific equipment was first-class--but one of the first and most important items, the ship, would have sent columbus on strike, and nearly sent us to the bottom of the sea. people talk of the niggardly equipment of columbus when he sailed west from the canaries to try a short-cut to an inhabited continent of magnificent empires, as he thought; but his three ships were, relatively to the resources of that time, much better than the one old tramp in which we sailed for a desert of ice in which the evening and morning are the year and not the day, and in which not even polar bears and reindeers can live. amundsen had the fram, built for polar exploration _ad hoc_. scott had the discovery. but when one thinks of these nimrods and terra novas, picked up second-hand in the wooden-ship market, and faked up for the transport of ponies, dogs, motors, and all the impedimenta of a polar expedition, to say nothing of the men who have to try and do scientific work inside them, one feels disposed to clamour for a polar factory act making it a crime to ship men for the ice in vessels more fit to ply between london bridge and ramsgate. and then the begging that is necessary to obtain even this equipment. shackleton hanging round the doors of rich men! scott writing begging letters for months together! is the country not ashamed? modern civilized states should make up their minds to the endowment of research, which includes exploration; and as all states benefit alike by the scientific side of it there is plenty of scope for international arrangement, especially in a region where the mere grabbing of territory is meaningless, and no foreign office can trace the frontier between king edward's plateau and king haakon's. the antarctic continent is still mostly unexplored; but enough is known of it to put any settlement by ordinary pioneer emigration, pilgrim fathers and the like, out of the question. ross island is not a place for a settlement: it is a place for an elaborately equipped scientific station, with a staff in residence for a year at a time. our stay of three years was far too much: another year would have driven the best of us mad. of the five main journeys which fell to my lot, one, the winter journey, should not have been undertaken at all with our equipment; and two others, the dog journey and the search journey, had better have been done by fresh men. it is no use repeating that englishmen will respond to every call and stick it to the death: they will (some of them); but they have to pay the price all the same; and the price in my case was an overdraft on my vital capital which i shall never quite pay off, and in the case of five bigger, stronger, more seasoned men, death. the establishment of such stations and of such a service cannot be done by individual heroes and enthusiasts cadging for cheques from rich men and grants from private scientific societies: it is a business, like the nares arctic expedition, for public organization. i do not suppose that in these days of aviation the next visit to the pole will be made by men on foot dragging sledges, or by men on sledges dragged by dogs, mules or ponies; nor will depôts be laid in that way. the pack will not, i hope, be broken through by any old coal-burning ship that can be picked up in the second-hand market. specially built ships, and enough of them; specially engined tractors and aeroplanes; specially trained men and plenty of them, will all be needed if the work is to be done in any sort of humane and civilized fashion; and cabinet ministers and voters alike must learn to value knowledge that is not baited by suffering and death. my own bolt is shot; i do not suppose i shall ever go south again before i go west; but if i do it will be under proper and reasonable conditions. i may not come back a hero; but i shall come back none the worse; for i repeat, the antarctic, in moderation as to length of stay, and with such accommodation as is now easily within the means of modern civilized powers, is not half as bad a place for public service as the worst military stations on the equator. i hope that by the time scott comes home--for he is coming home: the barrier is moving, and not a trace of our funeral cairn was found by shackleton's men in --the hardships that wasted his life will be only a horror of the past, and his _via dolorosa_ a highway as practicable as piccadilly. and now let me come down to tin tacks. no matter how well the thing is done in future, its organizers will want to know at first all we can tell them about oil, about cold, and about food. first, as to oil. scott complains of a shortage of oil at several of his last depôts. there is no doubt that this shortage was due to the perishing of the leather washers of the tins which contained the paraffin oil. all these tins had been subjected to the warmth of the sun in summer and the autumn temperatures, which were unexpectedly cold. in his voyage of the discovery scott wrote as follows of the tins in which they drew their oil when sledging: "each tin had a small cork bung, which was a decided weakness; paraffin _creeps_ in the most annoying manner, and a good deal of oil was wasted in this way, especially when the sledges were travelling over rough ground and were shaken or, as frequently happened, capsized. it was impossible to make these bungs quite tight, however closely they were jammed down, so that in spite of a trifling extra weight a much better fitting would have been a metallic screwed bung. to find on opening a fresh tin of oil that it was only three-parts full was very distressing, and of course meant that the cooker had to be used with still greater care."[ ] amundsen wrote of his paraffin: "we kept it in the usual cans but they proved too weak; not that we lost any paraffin, but bjaaland had to be constantly soldering to keep them tight."[ ] our own tins were furnished with the metallic screwed stoppers which scott recommended. there was no trouble reported[ ] until we came up to one ton camp when on the search journey. here was the depôt of food and oil which i had laid in the previous autumn for the polar party, stowed in a canvas 'tank' which was buried beneath seven feet of snow; the oil was placed on the top of the snow, in order that the red tins might prove an additional mark for the depôt. when we dug out the tank the food inside was almost uneatable owing to the quantity of paraffin which had found its way down through seven feet of snow during the winter and spring. we then found the polar party and learned of the shortage of oil. after our return to cape evans some one was digging about the camp and came across a wooden case containing eight one-gallon tins of paraffin. these had been placed there in september , to be landed at cape crozier by the terra nova when she came down. the ship could not take them: they were snowed up during the winter, lost and forgotten, until dug up fifteen months afterwards. three tins were full, three empty, one a third full and one two-thirds full. there can be no doubt that the oil, which was specially volatile, tended to vaporize and escape through the stoppers, and that this process was accelerated by the perishing, and i suggest also the hardening and shrinking, of the leather washers. another expedition will have to be very careful on this point: they might reduce the risk by burying the oil. the second point about which something must be said is the unexpected cold met by scott on the barrier, which was the immediate cause of the disaster. "no one in the world would have expected the temperatures and surfaces which we encountered at this time of the year.... it is clear that these circumstances come on very suddenly, and our wreck is certainly due to this sudden advent of severe weather, which does not seem to have any satisfactory cause."[ ] they came down the glacier in plus temperatures: nor was there anything abnormal for more than a week after they got on to the barrier. then there came a big drop to a - ° minimum on the night of february . it is significant that the sun began to dip below the southern horizon at midnight about this time. "there is no doubt the middle of the barrier is a pretty awful locality," wrote scott. simpson, in his meteorological report, has little doubt that the temperatures met by the polar party were abnormal. the records "clearly bring to light the possibility of great cold at an extremely early period in the year within a comparatively few miles of an open sea where the temperatures were over degrees higher." "it is quite impossible to believe that normally there is a difference of nearly degrees in march between mcmurdo sound and the south of the barrier." the temperatures recorded by other sledge parties in march and those recorded at cape evans form additional evidence, in simpson's opinion, that the temperatures experienced by scott were not such as might be expected during normal autumn weather. simpson's explanation is based upon the observations made in mcmurdo sound by sending up balloons with self-recording instruments attached. these showed that very rapid radiation takes place from the snow surface in winter, which cools the air in the immediate neighbourhood: a cold layer of air is thus formed near the ground, which may be many degrees colder than the air above it. it becomes, as it were, colder than it ought to be. this, however, can only happen during an absence of wind: when a wind blows the cold layer is swept away, the air is mixed and the temperature rises. the absence of wind from the south noted by scott was, in simpson's opinion, the cause of the low temperatures met by scott: the temperature was reduced ten degrees below normal at cape evans, and perhaps twenty degrees where scott was.[ ] the third question is that of food. it is this point which is most important to future explorers. it is a fact that the polar party failed to make their distance because they became weak, and that they became weak although they were eating their full ration or more than their full ration of food, save for a few days when they went short on the way down the beardmore glacier. the first man to weaken was the biggest and heaviest man in the expedition: "the man whom we had least expected to fail." the rations were of two kinds. the barrier (b) ration was that which was used on the barrier during the outward journey towards the pole. the summit (s) ration was the result of our experiments on the winter journey. i expect it is the best ration which has been used to date, and consisted of biscuits , pemmican , butter , cocoa . , sugar and tea . ounces; total . ounces daily per man. the twelve men who went forward started this s ration at the foot of the beardmore, and it was this ration which was left in all depôts to see them home. it was much more satisfying than the barrier ration, and men could not have eaten so much when leading ponies or driving dogs in the early stages of summer barrier sledging: but man-hauling is a different business altogether from leading ponies or driving dogs. it is calculated that the body requires certain proportions of fat, carbohydrates and proteins to do certain work under certain conditions: but just what the absolute quantities are is not ascertained. the work of the polar party was laborious: the temperatures (the most important of the conditions) varied from comparative warmth up and down the glacier to an average of about - ° in the rarefied air of the plateau. the temperatures met by them on their return over the barrier were not really low for more than a week, and then there came quite commonly minus thirties during the day with a further drop to minus forties at night, when for a time the sun was below the horizon. these temperatures, which are not very terrible to men who are fresh and whose clothing is new, were ghastly to these men who had striven night and day almost ceaselessly for four months on, as i maintain, insufficient food. did these temperatures kill them? undoubtedly the low temperatures caused their death, inasmuch as they would have lived had the temperatures remained high. but evans would not have lived: he died before the low temperatures occurred. what killed evans? and why did the other men weaken as they did, though they were eating full rations and more? weaken so much that in the end they starved to death? i have always had a doubt whether the weather conditions were sufficient to cause the tragedy. these men on full rations were supposed to be eating food of sufficient value to enable them to do the work they were doing, under the conditions which they actually met until the end of february, without loss of strength. they had more than their full rations, but the conditions in march were much worse than they imagined to be possible: when three survivors out of the five pitched their last camp they were in a terrible state. after the war i found that atkinson had come to wonder much as i, but he had gone farther, for he had the values of our rations worked out by a chemical expert according to the latest knowledge and standards. i may add that, being in command after scott's death, he increased the ration for the next year's sledging, so i suppose he had already come to the conclusion that the previous ration was not sufficient. the following are some of the data for which i am indebted to him: the whole subject will be investigated by him and the results published in a more detailed form. according to the most modern standards the food requirements for laborious work at a temperature of zero fahr. (which is a fair barrier average temperature to take) are calories to produce , foot-tons of work. the actual barrier ration which we used would generate calories, equivalent to foot-tons of work. similar requirements for laborious work at - ° fahr. (which is a high average plateau temperature) are calories to produce , foot-tons of work. the actual summit ration would generate calories, equivalent to foot-tons of work. these requirements are calculated for total absorption of all food-stuffs: but in practice, by visual proof, this does not take place: this is especially noticeable in the case of fats, a quantity of which were digested neither by men, ponies, nor dogs. several things go to prove that our ration was not enough. in the first case we were probably not as fit as we seemed after long sledge journeys. there is no doubt that when sledging men developed an automaticity of certain muscles at the expense of other muscles: for instance, a sledge could be hauled all day at the expense of the arms, and we had little power to lift weights at the end of several months of sledging. in relation to this i would add that, when the relief ship arrived in february , four of us were at cape evans, but just arrived from three months of the polar journey. the land party, we four among them, were turned on to sledge stores ashore. this in practice meant twenty miles every day dragging a sledge; a good deal of 'humping' heavy cases, from five o'clock in the morning to very late at night; with uncertain meals and no rests. i can remember now how hard that work was to myself and, i expect, to those others who had been away sledging. the ship's party sledged only every other day "because they were not used to it." this was extremely bad organization, and in view of the possibility that some of the men might be required for further sledging in the autumn, just silly. again, there is the experience of the man-hauling parties of the polar journey. there was, you may remember, a man-hauling party on the way to the beardmore glacier. they travelled with a light sledge but they lost weight on the barrier ration. it is significant that they picked up condition when they started the summit ration, especially lashly. the polar party and the two returning parties, who were on the summit ration from the foot of the beardmore until the end of their journeys, weakened, in atkinson's opinion, more than they should have done had their ration been sufficient. the first return party covered approximately statute miles. at the end of their journey their pulling muscles were all right, but atkinson, who led the party, considers that they were at least per cent weaker in other muscles. they all lost a great deal of weight, though they had the best conditions of the three returning parties, and the temperatures met by them averaged well over zero. the second return party faced much worse conditions. they were only three men, and one of the three was so sick that for miles he could not pull and for miles he had to be dragged on the sledge. the average temperature approximated zero. they were extremely exhausted. scott makes constant reference to the increasing hunger of the polar party: it is clear that the food did not compensate for the conditions which were met in increasing severity. yet they were eating rather more than their full ration a considerable part of the time. it has to be considered that the temperatures met by them averaged far below - °: that they did not absorb all their food: that increased heat was wanted not only for energy to do extra work caused by bad surfaces and contrary winds, but also to heat their bodies, and to thaw out their clothing and sleeping-bags. i believe it to be clear that the rations used by us must not only be increased by future expeditions, but co-ordinated in different proportions of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. taking into consideration the fact that our bodies were not digesting the amount of fats we had provided, atkinson suggests that it is useless to increase the fats at the expense of the protein and carbohydrates. he recommends that fats should total about ounces daily. the digestion of carbohydrates is easy and complete, and though that of protein is more complicated there are plenty of the necessary digestive ferments. the ration should be increased by equal amounts of protein and carbohydrates; both should be provided in as dry and pure a form as possible. there is no censure attached to this criticism. our ration was probably the best which has been used: but more is known now than was known then. we are all out to try and get these things right for the future.[ ] campbell reached hut point only five days after we left it with the dog-teams. a characteristic note left to greet us on our return regretted they were too late to take part in the search journey. if i had lived through ten months such as those men had just endured, wild horses would not have dragged me out sledging again. but they were keen to get some useful work done in the time which remained until the ship arrived. we had the polar records: campbell and his men, unaided, had not only survived their terrible winter, but had sledged down the coast after it. we ourselves, faced by a difficult alternative, had fallen on our feet. we never hoped for more than this: we seldom hoped for so much. i wanted a series of adélie penguin embryos from the rookery at cape royds, but had not expected an opportunity of getting them because i was away sledging during the summer months. now the chance had come. atkinson wanted to work on parasites at the same place, and others to survey. but the real job was an ascent of erebus, the active volcano which rose from our doors to some , feet in height. a party of shackleton's men under professor david went up it in march, and managed to haul a sledge up to feet, from which point they had to portage their gear. a year before this debenham, with the help of a telescope, selected a route by which they could haul a sledge up to feet. there proved to be no great difficulty about it; it was just a matter of legs and breath. they were a cheery company, part-singing in the evenings and working hard all day. it was an uneventful trip, debenham said, and very harmonious: the best trip he had down there. both debenham and dickason suffered from mountain sickness, however, and they were the two smokers! the clearness of the air was marked. at feet they could plainly see mount melbourne and cape jones, between two and three hundred miles away, and several uncharted mountains over to the west, but they were unable to plot them accurately because they could get direction rays from one point only. the sound itself was covered by cloud most of the time, but beaufort island and franklin island were clear. unlike david's party, they could see no signs whatever of volcanic action on mount bird, which is almost entirely covered with ice on which it was to be expected that some mark might be left. at feet terror looked very imposing, but mount bird and terra nova were insignificant and uninteresting. the valley between the old crater and the slopes of the second crater greatly impressed them, and they found a fine little crevassed glacier in it. both priestley and debenham are of opinion that it is possible to get to terror by this valley, and that there are no crevassed areas or impossible slopes on the way. all the same it would probably be more sensible to go from cape crozier. at a point about feet up, priestley, gran, abbott and hooper started to make the ascent to the active crater on december . they packed the tent, poles, bags, inner cooker and cooking gear, with four days' provisions, and reached the second crater at about , feet, to be hung up by cloud all the next day. at these altitudes the temperature varied between - ° and - °, though at sea-level simultaneously they were round about freezing-point. by a.m. on the th the conditions were good--clear, with a southerly wind blowing the steam away from the summit. the party got away as soon as possible and reached the lip of the active crater in a few hours. looking down they were unable to see the bottom, for it was full of steam: the sides sloped at a steep angle for some feet, when they became sheer precipices: the opening appeared to be about , paces round. the top is mostly pumice, but there is also a lot of kenyte, much the same as at sea-level: the old crater was mostly kenyte, proving that this is the oldest rock of the island: felspar crystals must be continually thrown out, for they were lying about on the top of the snow; i have one nearly ½ inches long. two men went back to the camp, for one had a frost-bitten foot. this left priestley and gran, who tried to boil the hypsometer but failed owing to the wind, which was variable and enveloped them from time to time in steam and sulphur vapour. they left a record on a cairn and started to return. but when they had got feet down priestley found that he had left a tin of exposed films on the top instead of the record. gran said he would go back and change it. he had reached the top when there was a loud explosion: large blocks of pumice were hurled out with a big smoke cloud; probably a big bubble had burst. gran was in the middle of it, heard it gurgle before it burst, saw "blocks of pumiceous lava, in shape like the halves of volcanic bombs, and with bunches of long, drawn-out, hair-like shreds of glass in their interior."[ ] this was pélé's hair. gran was a bit sick from sulphur dioxide fumes afterwards. they reached cape royds on the th, the very successful trip taking fifteen days. meanwhile shackleton's old hut was very pleasant at this time of year: in winter it was a bit too draughty. with bright sunlight, a lop on the sea which splashed and gurgled under the ice-foot, the beautiful mountains all round us, and the penguins nesting at our door, this was better than the beardmore glacier, where we had expected to be at this date. what then must it have been to the six men who were just returned from the very gate of hell? and the food: "truly shackleton's men must have fed like turkey-cocks from all the delicacies here: boiled chicken, kidneys, mushrooms, ginger, garibaldi biscuits, soups of all kinds: it is a splendid change. best of all are the fresh-buttered skua's eggs which we make for breakfast. in fact, life is bearable with all that has been unknown so long at last cleared up, and our anxieties for campbell's party laid at rest."[ ] for three weeks i worked among the adélie penguins at cape royds, and obtained a complete series of their embryos. it was always wilson's idea that embryology was the next job of a vertebral zoologist down south. i have already explained that the penguin is an interesting link in the evolutionary chain, and the object of getting this embryo is to find out where the penguins come in.[ ] whether or no they are more primitive than other nonflying birds, such as the apteryx, the ostrich, the rhea and the moa, which last is only just extinct, is an open question. but wingless birds are still hanging on to the promontories of the southern continents, where there is less rivalry than in the highly populated land areas of the north. it may be that penguins are descended from ancestors who lived in the northern hemisphere in a winged condition (even now you may sometimes see them try to fly), and that they have been driven towards the south. if penguins are primitive, it is rational to infer that the most primitive penguin is farthest south. these are the two antarcticists, the emperor and the adélie. the latter appears to be the more numerous and successful of the two, and for this reason we are inclined to search among the emperors as being among the most primitive penguins, if not the most primitive of birds now living: hence the winter journey. i was glad to get, in addition, this series of adélie penguins' embryos, feeling somewhat like a giant who had wandered on to the wrong planet, and who was distinctly in the way of its true inhabitants. we returned too late to see the eggs laid, and therefore it was impossible to tell how old the embryos were. my hopes rose, however, when i saw some eggless nests with penguins sitting upon them, but later i found that these were used as bachelor quarters by birds whose wives were sitting near. i tried taking eggs from nests and was delighted to find that new eggs appeared: these i carefully marked, and it was not until i opened one two days later to find inside an embryo at least two weeks old, that i realized that penguins added baby-snatching to their other immoralities. some of those from whom i took eggs sat upon stones of a similar size and shape with every appearance of content: one sat upon the half of the red tin of a dutch cheese. they are not very intelligent. all the world loves a penguin: i think it is because in many respects they are like ourselves, and in some respects what we should like to be. had we but half their physical courage none could stand against us. had we a hundredth part of their maternal instinct we should have to kill our children by the thousand. their little bodies are so full of curiosity that they have no room for fear. they like mountaineering, and joy-riding on ice-floes: they even like to drill. one day there had been a blizzard, and lying open to the view of all was a deserted nest, a pile of coveted stones. all the surrounding rookery made their way to and fro, each husband acquiring merit, for, after each journey, he gave his wife a stone. this was the plebeian way of doing things; but my friend who stood, ever so unconcerned, upon a rock knew a trick worth two of that: he and his wife who sat so cosily upon the other side. the victim was a third penguin. he was without a mate, but this was an opportunity to get one. with all the speed his little legs could compass he ran to and fro, taking stones from the deserted nest, laying them beneath a rock, and hurrying back for more. on that same rock was my friend. when the victim came up with his stone he had his back turned. but as soon as the stone was laid and the other gone for more, he jumped down, seized it with his beak, ran round, gave it to his wife and was back on the rock (with his back turned) before you could say killer whale. every now and then he looked over his shoulder, to see where the next stone might be. i watched this for twenty minutes. all that time, and i do not know for how long before, that wretched bird was bringing stone after stone. and there were no stones there. once he looked puzzled, looked up and swore at the back of my friend on his rock, but immediately he came back, and he never seemed to think he had better stop. it was getting cold and i went away: he was coming for another. the life of an adélie penguin is one of the most unchristian and successful in the world. the penguin which went in for being a true believer would never stand the ghost of a chance. watch them go to bathe. some fifty or sixty agitated birds are gathered upon the ice-foot, peering over the edge, telling one another how nice it will be, and what a good dinner they are going to have. but this is all swank: they are really worried by a horrid suspicion that a sea-leopard is waiting to eat the first to dive. the really noble bird, according to our theories, would say, "i will go first and if i am killed i shall at any rate have died unselfishly, sacrificing my life for my companions"; and in time all the most noble birds would be dead. what they really do is to try and persuade a companion of weaker mind to plunge: failing this, they hastily pass a conscription act and push him over. and then--bang, helter-skelter, in go all the rest. they take turns in sitting on their eggs, and after many days the fathers may be seen waddling down towards the sea with their shirt-fronts muddied, their long trick done. it may be a fortnight before they return, well-fed, clean, pleased with life, and with a grim determination to relieve their wives, to do their job. sometimes they are met by others going to bathe. they stop and pass the time of day. well! perhaps it would be more pleasant, and what does a day or two matter anyhow. they turn; clean and dirty alike are off to the seaside again. this is when they say, "the women are splendid." life is too strenuous for them to have any use for the virtues of brotherly love, good works, charity and benevolence. when they mate the best thief wins: when they nest the best pair of thieves hatch out their eggs. in a long unbroken stream, which stretches down below the sea-ice horizon, they march in from the open sea. some are walking on their human feet: others tobogganing upon their shiny white breasts. after their long walk they must have a sleep, and then the gentlemen make their way into the already crowded rookery to find them wives. but first a suitor must find, or steal, a pebble, for such are the penguin jewels: they are of lava, black, russet or grey, with almond-shaped crystals bedded in them. they are rare and of all sizes, but that which is most valued is the size of a pigeon's egg. armed with one of these he courts his maid, laying it at her feet. if accepted he steals still more stones: she guards them jealously, taking in the meantime any safe opportunity to pick others from under her nearest neighbours. any penguin which is unable to fight and steal successfully fails to make a good high nest, or loses it when made. then comes a blizzard, and after that a thaw: for it thaws sometimes right down by the sea-shore where the adélies have their nurseries. the eggs of the strong and wicked hatch out, but those of the weak are addled. you must have a jolly good pile of stones to hatch eggs after a blizzard like that in december , when the rookeries were completely snow-covered: nests, eggs, parents and all. once hatched the chicks grow quickly from pretty grey atoms of down to black lumps of stomach topped by a small and quite inadequate head. they are two or more weeks old, and they leave their parents, or their parents leave them, i do not know which. if socialism be the nationalization of the means of production and distribution, then they are socialists. they divide into parents and children. the adult community comes up from the open sea, bringing food inside them: they are full of half-digested shrimps. but not for their own children: these, if not already dead, are lost in a crowd of hungry tottering infants which besiege each food-provider as he arrives. but not all of them can get food, though all of them are hungry. some have already been behindhand too long: they have not managed to secure food for days, and they are weak and cold and very weary. "as we stood there and watched this race for food we were gradually possessed with the idea that the chicks looked upon each adult coming up full-bellied from the shore as not a parent only, but a food-supply. the parents were labouring under a totally different idea, and intended either to find their own infants and feed them, or else to assimilate their already partially digested catch themselves. the more robust of the young thus worried an adult until, because of his importunity, he was fed. but with the less robust a much more pathetic ending was the rule. a chick that had fallen behind in this literal race for life, starving and weak, and getting daily weaker because it could not run fast enough to insist on being fed, again and again ran off pursuing with the rest. again and again it stumbled and fell, persistently whining out its hunger in a shrill and melancholy pipe, till at last the race was given up. forced thus by sheer exhaustion to stop and rest, it had no chance of getting food. each hurrying parent with its little following of hungry chicks, intent on one thing only, rushed quickly by, and the starveling dropped behind to gather strength for one more effort. again it fails, a robuster bird has forced the pace, and again success is wanting to the runt. sleepily it stands there, with half-shut eyes, in a torpor resulting from exhaustion, cold, and hunger, wondering perhaps what all the bustle round it means, a little dirty, dishevelled dot, in the race for life a failure, deserted by its parents, who have hunted vainly for their own offspring round the nest in which they hatched it, but from which it may by now have wandered half a mile. and so it stands, lost to everything around, till a skua in its beat drops down beside it, and with a few strong, vicious pecks puts an end to the failing life."[ ] there is a great deal to be said for this kind of treatment. the adélie penguin has a hard life: the emperor penguin a horrible one. why not kill off the unfit right away, before they have had time to breed, almost before they have had time to eat? life is a stern business in any case: why pretend that it is anything else? or that any but the best can survive at all? and in consequence, i challenge you to find a more jolly, happy, healthy lot of old gentlemen in the world. we _must_ admire them: if only because they are so much nicer than ourselves! but it is grim: nature is an uncompromising nurse. nature was going to give us a bad time too if we were not relieved, and on january , as there were still no signs of the ship, it was decided to prepare for another winter. we were to go on rations; to cook with oil, for nearly all the coal was gone; to kill and store up seal. on january we started our preparations, digging a cave to store more meat, and so forth. i went off seal hunting after breakfast, and having killed and cut up two, came back across the cape at mid-day. all the men were out working in the camp. there was nothing to be seen in the sound, and then, quite suddenly, the bows of the ship came out from behind the end of the barne glacier, two or three miles away. we watched her cautious approach with immense relief. "are you all well," through a megaphone from the bridge. "the polar party died on their return from the pole: we have their records." a pause and then a boat. evans, who had been to england and made a good recovery from scurvy, was in command: with him were pennell, rennick, bruce, lillie and drake. they reported having had a very big gale indeed on their way home last year. we got some apples off the ship, "beauties, i want nothing better.... pennell is first-class, as always...." "one notices among the ship's men a rather unnatural way of talking: not so much in special instances, but as a whole, contact with civilization gives it an affected sound: i notice it in both officers and men."[ ] "_january . on board the terra nova._ after hours' loading we left the old hut for good and all at p.m. this afternoon. it has been a bit of a rush and little sleep last night. it is quite wonderful now to be travelling a day's journey in an hour: we went to cape royds in about that time and took off geological and zoological specimens. i should like to sit up and sketch all these views, which would have meant long travelling without the ship, but i feel very tired. the mail is almost too good for words. now, with the latest waltz on the gramophone, beer for dinner and apples and fresh vegetables to eat, life is more bearable than it has been for many a long weary week and month. i leave cape evans with no regret: i never want to see the place again. the pleasant memories are all swallowed up in the bad ones."[ ] before the ship arrived it was decided among us to urge the erection of a cross on observation hill to the memory of the polar party. on the arrival of the ship the carpenter immediately set to work to make a great cross of jarrah wood. there was some discussion as to the inscription, it being urged that there should be some quotation from the bible because "the women think a lot of these things." but i was glad to see the concluding line of tennyson's "ulysses" adopted: "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." the open water stretched about a mile and a half south of tent island, and here we left the ship to sledge the cross to hut point at a.m. on january . the party consisted of atkinson, wright, lashly, crean, debenham, keohane and davies, the ship's carpenter and myself. "_evening. hut point._ we had a most unpleasant experience coming in. we struck wind and drift just about a mile from hut point: then we saw there was a small thaw pool off the point, and came out to give it a wide berth. atkinson put his feet down into water: we turned sharp out, and then crean went right in up to his arms, and we realized that the ice was not more than three or four inches of slush. i managed to give him a hand out without the ice giving, and we went on floundering about. then crean went right in again, and the sledge nearly went too: we pulled the sledge, and the sledge pulled him out. except for some more soft patches that was all, but it was quite enough. i think we got out of it most fortunately." "crean got some dry clothes here, and the cross has had a coat of white paint and is drying. we went up observation hill and have found a good spot right on the top, and have already dug a hole which will, with the rock alongside, give us three feet. from there we can see that this year's old ice is in a terrible state, open water and open water slush all over near the land--i have never seen anything like it here. off cape armitage and at the pram point pressure it is extra bad. i only hope we can find a safe way back." "you would not think crean had had such a pair of duckings to hear him talking so merrily to-night...." "i really do think the cross is going to look fine."[ ] observation hill was clearly the place for it, it knew them all so well. three of them were discovery men who lived three years under its shadow: they had seen it time after time as they came back from hard journeys on the barrier: observation hill and castle rock were the two which always welcomed them in. it commanded mcmurdo sound on one side, where they had lived: and the barrier on the other, where they had died. no more fitting pedestal, a pedestal which in itself is nearly feet high, could have been found. "_tuesday, january ._ rousing out at a.m. we got the large piece of the cross up observation hill by a.m. it was a heavy job, and the ice was looking very bad all round, and i for one was glad when we had got it up by o'clock or so. it is really magnificent, and will be a permanent memorial which could be seen from the ship nine miles off with a naked eye. it stands nine feet out of the rocks, and many feet into the ground, and i do not believe it will ever move. when it was up, facing out over the barrier, we gave three cheers and one more." we got back to the ship all right and coasted up the western mountains to granite harbour; a wonderfully interesting trip to those of us who had only seen these mountains from a distance. gran went off to pick up a depôt of geological specimens. lillie did a trawl. this was an absorbing business, though it was only one of a long and important series made during the voyages of the terra nova. here were all kinds of sponges, siliceous, glass rope, tubular, and they were generally covered with mucus. some fed on diatoms so minute that they can only be collected by centrifuge: some have gastric juices to dissolve the siliceous skeletons of the diatoms on which they feed: they anchor themselves in the mud and pass water in and out of their bodies: sometimes the current is stimulated by cilia. there were colonies of gorgonacea, which share their food unselfishly; and corals and marine degenerate worms, which started to live in little cells like coral, but have gone down in the world. and there were starfishes, sea-urchins, brittle-stars, feather-stars and sea-cucumbers. the sea-urchins are formed of hexagonal plates, the centre of each of which is a ball, upon which a spine works on a ball and socket joint. these spines are used for protection, and when large they can be used for locomotion. but the real means of locomotion are five double rows of water-tube feet, working by suction, by which they withdraw the water inside a receptacle in the shell, thereby forming a vacuum; starfishes do the same. we found a species of sea-urchin which had such large spines that they practically formed bars; the spines were twice as long as the sea-urchin and shaped just like oars, being even fluted. a lobster grows by discarding his suit, hiding and getting another, growing meanwhile. a snail or an oyster retains his original shell, and adds to it in layers all the way down, increasing one edge. but our sea-urchin grows by an increment of calcareous matter all round the outside of each plate. as the animal grows the plates get bigger. there was a sea-cucumber which nurses its young, having a brood cavity which is really formed out of the mouth: this is a peculiarity of a new antarctic genus found first on the discovery. it has the most complex water-tubes, which it uses as legs, and a few limy rods in its soft skin instead of the bony calcareous plates of sea-urchins and starfish. after them came the feather-stars, a relic of the old crinoids which used to flourish in the carboniferous period, examples of which can be found in the derbyshire limestone; and there were thousands of brittle-stars, like beautiful wheels of which the hubs and spokes remained, but not the circumference. these spokes or legs are muscular, sensory and locomotive; they differ from the starfishes in that they have no digestive glands in their legs, and from the feather-stars in that they do not use their legs to waft food into their mouths. once upon a time they had a stalk and were anchored to a rock, and there are still very rare old stalked echinoderms living in the sea. this apparently geological thing was found by wyville thomson in still living in the seas to the north of scotland, and this find started the challenger expedition for deep-sea soundings in . but the challenger brought back little in this line. most of the species we found were peculiar to the antarctic. there were polychaete worms by the hundred, showing the protrusable mouth, which is shoved into the mud and then brought back into the body, and the bristles on the highly developed projections which act as legs, by which they get about the mud. these beasts have apparently given rise to the arthropods. in a modified and later form they had taken to living in a tube, both for protection and because they found that they could not go through the mud, which had become too viscous for them. so they stand up in a tube and collect the sediment which is falling by means of tentacles. they spread from one locality to another by going through a plankton embryonic stage in their youth. they may be compared to the mason worms, which also build tubes. but as lillie squatted on the poop surrounded by an inner ring of jars and tangled masses of the catch, and an outer ring of curious scientists, pseudo-scientists and seamen, no find pleased him so much as the frequent discovery of pieces of cephalodiscus rarus, of which even now there are but some four jars full in the world. it is as interesting as it is uncommon, for its ancestor was a link between the vertebrates and invertebrates, though no one knows what it was like. it has been a vertebrate and gone back, and now has the signs of a notochord in early life, and it also has gills. first found on the graham's land side of the antarctic continent, it has only recently been discovered in the ross sea, and occurs nowhere else in the world so far as is known. we left granite harbour in the early morning of january , and started to make our way out. our next job was to pick up the geological specimens at evans coves, where campbell and his men had wintered in the igloo, and also to leave a depôt there for future explorers. we met very heavy pack, having to return at least twelve miles and try another way. "the sea has been freezing out here, which seems an extraordinary thing at this time of year. there was a thin layer of ice over the water between the floes this morning, and i feel sure that most of these big level floes, of which we have seen several, are the remains of ice which has frozen comparatively recently."[ ] the propeller had a bad time, constantly catching up on ice. at length we were some thirty miles north of cape bird making roughly towards franklin island. that night we made good progress in fairly open water, and we passed franklin island during the day. but the outlook was so bad in the evening (january ) that we stopped and banked fires. "we lay just where we stopped until at a.m. on january , when the ice eased up sufficiently for us to get along, and we started to make the same slow progress--slow ahead, stop (to the engine-room)--bump and grind for a bit--then slow astern, stop--slow ahead again, and so on, until at p.m., after one real big bump which brought the dinner some inches off the table, cheetham brought us out into open water."[ ] mount nansen rose sheer and massive ahead of us with a table top, and at a.m. on january we were passing the dark brown granite headland of the northern foothills. we were soon made fast to a stretch of some yards of thick sea-ice, upon which the wind had not left a particle of snow, and before us the foothills formed that opening which campbell had well named hell's gate. i wish i had seen that igloo: with its black and blubber and beastliness. those who saw it came back with faces of amazement and admiration. we left a depôt at the head of the bay, marked with a bamboo and a flag, and then we turned homewards, counting the weeks, and days, and then the hours. in the early hours of january we left the pack. on january we were off cape adare, "head sea, and wind, and fog, very ticklish work groping along hardly seeing the ship's length. then it lifts and there is a fair horizon. everybody pretty sea-sick, including most of the seamen from cape evans. all of us feeling rotten."[ ] very thick that night, and difficult going. at mid-day (lat. ° ´ s.) a partial clearance showed a berg right ahead. by night it was blowing a full gale, and it was not too easy to keep in our bunks. our object was now to make east in order to allow for the westerlies later on. we passed a very large number of bergs, varied every now and then by growlers. on february , latitude ° ´ s. and longitude ° ´ e., we coasted along one side of a berg which was twenty-one geographical miles long: the only other side of which we got a good view stretched away until lost below the horizon. in latitude ° ´ s. and longitude ° ´ e. we had "a real bad day: head wind from early morning, and simply crowds of bergs all round. at a.m. we had to wedge in between a berg and a long line of pack before we could find a way through. then thick fog came down. at . a.m. i went out of the ward-room door, and almost knocked my head against a great berg which was just not touching the ship on the starboard side. there was a heavy cross-swell, and the sea sounded cold as it dashed against the ice. after crossing the deck it was just possible to see in the fog that there was a great barrier berg just away on the port side." we groped round the starboard berg to find others beyond. our friend on the opposite side was continuous and apparently without end. it was soon clear that we were in a narrow alley-way--between one very large berg and a number of others. it took an hour and a quarter of groping to leave the big berg behind. at p.m., six hours later, we were still just feeling our way along. and we had hopes of being out of the ice in this latitude! the terra nova is a wood barque, built in by a. stephen & sons, dundee; tonnage gross and net; measuring ´ x ´ x ´; compound engines with two cylinders of nominal horse-power; registered at st. johns, newfoundland. she is therefore not by any means small as polar ships go, but pennell and his men worked her short-handed, with bergs and growlers all round them, generally with a big sea running and often in darkness or fog. on this occasion we were spared many of the most ordinary dangers. it was summer. our voyage was an easy one. there was twilight most of the night: there were plenty of men on board, and heaps of coal. imagine then what kind of time pennell and his ship's company had in late autumn, after remaining in the south until only a bare ration of coal was left for steaming, until the sea was freezing round them and the propeller brought up dead as they tried to force their way through it. pennell was a very sober person in his statements, yet he described the gale through which the terra nova passed on her way to new zealand in march as seeming to blow the ship from the top of one wave to the top of the next; and the nights were dark, and the bergs were all round them. they never tried to lay a meal in those days, they just ate what they could hold in their hands. he confessed to me that one hour he did begin to wonder what was going to happen next: others told me that he seemed to enjoy every minute of it all. owing to press contracts and the necessity of preventing leakage of news the terra nova had to remain at sea for twenty-four hours after a cable had been sent to england. also it was of the first importance that the relatives should be informed of the facts before the newspapers published them. and so at . a.m. on february we crept like a phantom ship into the little harbour of oamaru on the east coast of new zealand. with what mixed feelings we smelt the old familiar woods and grassy slopes, and saw the shadowy outlines of human homes. with untiring persistence the little lighthouse blinked out the message, "what ship's that?" "what ship's that?" they were obviously puzzled and disturbed at getting no answer. a boat was lowered and pennell and atkinson were rowed ashore and landed. the seamen had strict orders to answer no questions. after a little the boat returned, and crean announced: "we was chased, sorr, but they got nothing out of us." we put out to sea. when morning broke we could see the land in the distance--greenness, trees, every now and then a cottage. we began to feel impatient. we unpacked the shore-going clothes with their creases three years old which had been sent out from home, tried them on--and they felt unpleasantly tight. we put on our boots, and they were positively agony. we shaved off our beards! there was a hiatus. there was nothing to do but sail up and down the coast and, if possible, avoid coastwise craft. in the evening the little ship which runs daily from akaroa to lyttelton put out to sea on her way and ranged close alongside. "are all well?" "where's captain scott?" "did you reach the pole?" rather unsatisfactory answers and away they went. our first glimpse, however, of civilized life. at dawn the next morning, with white ensign at half-mast, we crept through lyttelton heads. always we looked for trees, people and houses. how different it was from the day we left and yet how much the same: as though we had dreamed some horrible nightmare and could scarcely believe we were not dreaming still. the harbour-master came out in the tug and with him atkinson and pennell. "come down here a minute," said atkinson to me, and "it's made a tremendous impression, i had no idea it would make so much," he said. and indeed we had been too long away, and the whole thing was so personal to us, and our perceptions had been blunted: we never realized. we landed to find the empire--almost the civilized world--in mourning. it was as though they had lost great friends. to a sensitive pre-war world the knowledge of these men's deaths came as a great shock: and now, although the world has almost lost the sense of tragedy, it appeals to their pity and their pride. the disaster may well be the first thing which scott's name recalls to your mind (as though an event occurred in the life of columbus which caused you to forget that he discovered america); but scott's reputation is not founded upon the conquest of the south pole. he came to a new continent, found out how to travel there, and gave knowledge of it to the world: he discovered the antarctic, and founded a school. he is the last of the great geographical explorers: it is useless to try and light a fire when everything has been burned; and he is probably the last old-fashioned polar explorer, for, as i believe, the future of such exploration is in the air, but not yet. and he was strong: we never realized until we found him lying there dead how strong, mentally and physically, that man was. in both his polar expeditions he was helped, to an extent which will never be appreciated, by wilson: in the last expedition by bowers. i believe that there has never been a finer sledge party than these three men, who combined in themselves initiative, endurance and high ideals to an extraordinary degree. and they could organize: they did organize the polar journey and their organization seemed to have failed. did it fail? scott said no. "the causes of this disaster are not due to faulty organization, but to misfortune in all risks which had to be undertaken." nine times out of ten, says the meteorologist, he would have come through: but he struck the tenth. "we took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint." no better epitaph has been written. he decided to use the only route towards the pole of which the world had any knowledge, that is to go up the beardmore glacier, then the only discovered way up through the mountains which divide the polar plateau from the great ice barrier: probably it is the only possible passage for those who travel from mcmurdo sound. the alternative was to winter on the barrier, as amundsen did, so many hundred miles away from the coast-line that, in travelling south, the chaos caused in the ice plain by the beardmore in its outward flow would be avoided. to do so meant the abandonment of a great part of the scientific programme, and scott was not a man to go south just to reach the pole. amundsen knew that scott was going to mcmurdo sound when he decided to winter in the bay of whales: otherwise he might have gone to mcmurdo sound. probably no man would have refused the knowledge which had already been gained. i have said that there are those who say that scott should have relied on ski and dogs. if you read shackleton's account of his discovery and passage of the beardmore glacier you will not be prejudiced in favour of dogs: and as a matter of fact, though we found a much better way up than shackleton, i do not believe it possible to take dogs up and down, and over the ice disturbances at the junction with the plateau, unless there is ample time to survey a route, if then. "dogs could certainly have come up as far as this," i heard scott say somewhere under the cloudmaker, approximately half-way up the glacier, but the best thing you could do with dogs in pressure such as we all experienced on our way down would be to drop them into the nearest chasm. if you can avoid such messes well and good: if not, you must not rely on dogs, and the people who talk of these things have no knowledge. if scott was going up the beardmore he was probably right not to take dogs: actually he relied on ponies to the foot of the glacier and man-haulage on from that point. because he relied on ponies he was not able to start before november: the experience of the depôt journey showed that ponies could not stand the weather conditions before that date. but he could have started earlier if he had taken dogs, in place of ponies, to the foot of the glacier. this would have gained him a few days in his race against the autumn conditions when returning. such tragedies inevitably raise the question, "is it worth it?" what is worth what? is life worth risking for a feat, or losing for your country? to face a thing because it was a feat, and only a feat, was not very attractive to scott: it had to contain an additional object--knowledge. a feat had even less attraction for wilson, and it is a most noteworthy thing in the diaries which are contained in this book, that he made no comment when he found that the norwegians were first at the pole: it is as though he felt that it did not really matter, as indeed it probably did not. it is most desirable that some one should tackle these and kindred questions about polar life. there is a wealth of matter in polar psychology: there are unique factors here, especially the complete isolation, and four months' darkness every year. even in mesopotamia a long-suffering nation insisted at last that adequate arrangements must be made to nurse and evacuate the sick and wounded. but at the poles a man must make up his mind that he may be rotting of scurvy (as evans was) or living for ten months on half-rations of seal and full rations of ptomaine poisoning (as campbell and his men were) but no help can reach him from the outside world for a year, if then. there is no chance of a 'cushy' wound: if you break your leg on the beardmore you must consider the most expedient way of committing suicide, both for your own sake and that of your companions. both sexually and socially the polar explorer must make up his mind to be starved. to what extent can hard work, or what may be called dramatic imagination, provide a substitute? compare our thoughts on the march; our food dreams at night; the primitive way in which the loss of a crumb of biscuit may give a lasting sense of grievance. night after night i bought big buns and chocolate at a stall on the island platform at hatfield station, but always woke before i got a mouthful to my lips; some companions who were not so highly strung were more fortunate, and ate their phantom meals. and the darkness, accompanied it may be almost continually by howling blizzards which prevent you seeing your hand before your face. life in such surroundings is both mentally and physically cramped; open-air exercise is restricted and in blizzards quite impossible, and you realize how much you lose by your inability to see the world about you when you are out-of-doors. i am told that when confronted by a lunatic or one who under the influence of some great grief or shock contemplates suicide, you should take that man out-of-doors and walk him about: nature will do the rest. to normal people like ourselves living under abnormal circumstances nature could do much to lift our thoughts out of the rut of everyday affairs, but she loses much of her healing power when she cannot be seen, but only felt, and when that feeling is intensely uncomfortable. somehow in judging polar life you must discount compulsory endurance; and find out what a man can shirk, remembering always that it is a sledging life which is the hardest test. it is because it is so much easier to shirk in civilization that it is difficult to get a standard of what your average man can do. it does not really matter much whether your man whose work lies in or round the hut shirks a bit or not, just as it does not matter much in civilization: it is just rather a waste of opportunity. but there's precious little shirking in barrier sledging: a week finds most of us out. there are many questions which ought to be studied. the effect upon men of going from heat to cold, such as bowers coming to us from the persian gulf: or vice versa of simpson returning from the antarctic to india; differences of dry and damp cold; what is a comfortable temperature in the antarctic and what is it compared to a comfortable temperature in england, the question of women in these temperatures...? the man with the nerves goes farthest. what is the ratio between nervous and physical energy? what is vitality? why do some things terrify you at one time and not at others? what is this early morning courage? what is the influence of imagination? how far can a man draw on his capital? whence came bowers' great heat supply? and my own white beard? and x's blue eyes: for he started from england with brown ones and his mother refused to own him when he came back? growth and colour change in hair and skin? there are many reasons which send men to the poles, and the intellectual force uses them all. but the desire for knowledge for its own sake is the one which really counts and there is no field for the collection of knowledge which at the present time can be compared to the antarctic. exploration is the physical expression of the intellectual passion. and i tell you, if you have the desire for knowledge and the power to give it physical expression, go out and explore. if you are a brave man you will do nothing: if you are fearful you may do much, for none but cowards have need to prove their bravery. some will tell you that you are mad, and nearly all will say, "what is the use?" for we are a nation of shopkeepers, and no shopkeeper will look at research which does not promise him a financial return within a year. and so you will sledge nearly alone, but those with whom you sledge will not be shopkeepers: that is worth a good deal. if you march your winter journeys you will have your reward, so long as all you want is a penguin's egg. footnotes: [ ] scott, _voyage of the discovery_, vol. i. p. . [ ] amundsen, _the south pole_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] lashly's diary records that the second return party found a shortage of oil at the middle barrier depôt (see p. ). [ ] scott, "message to the public." [ ] a full discussion of these and other antarctic temperatures is to be found in the scientific reports of the british antarctic expedition, - , "meteorology," vol. i. chap. ii., by g. c. simpson. [ ] modern research suggests that the presence or absence of certain vitamines makes a difference, and it may be a very great difference, in the ability of any individual to profit by the food supplied to him. if this be so this factor must have had great influence upon the fate of the polar party, whose diet was seriously deficient in, if not absolutely free from, vitamines. the importance of this deficiency to the future explorer can hardly be exaggerated, and i suggest that no future antarctic sledge party can ever set out to travel inland again without food which contains these vitamines. it is to be noticed that, although the medical research council's authoritative publication on the true value of these accessory substances was not available when we went south in , yet atkinson insisted that fresh onions, which had been brought down by the ship, be added to our ration for the search journey. compare recent work of professor leonard hill on the value of ultra-violet rays in compensating for lack of vitamines.--a. c.-g. [ ] _scott's last expedition_, vol. ii. p. . [ ] my own diary. [ ] see p. . [ ] wilson, _nat. ant. exp., - _, "zoology," part ii. pp. - . [ ] my own diary. [ ] ibid. [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] my own diary. [ ] ibid. glossary blizzard. an antarctic blizzard is a high southerly wind generally accompanied by clouds of drifting snow, partly falling from above, partly picked up from the surface. in the daylight of summer a tent cannot be seen a few yards off: in the darkness of winter it is easy to be lost within a few feet of a hut. there is no doubt that a blizzard has a bewildering and numbing effect upon the brain of any one exposed to it. brash. small ice fragments from a floe which is breaking up. cloud. the commonest form of cloud, and also that typical of blizzard conditions, was a uniform pall stretching all over the sky without distinction. this was logged by us as _stratus_. _cumulus_ clouds are the woolly billows, flat below and rounded on top, which are formed by local ascending currents of air. they were rare in the south and only formed over open water or mountains. _cirrus_ are the "mare's tails" and similar wispy clouds which float high in the atmosphere. these and their allied forms were common. generally speaking, the clouds were due to stratification of the air into layers rather than to ascending currents. crusts. layers of snow in a snow-field with air space between them. finnesko. boots made entirely of fur, soles and all. frost smoke. condensed water vapour which forms a mist over open sea in cold weather. ice-foot. fringes of ice which skirt many parts of the antarctic shores: many of them have been formed by sea-spray. nunatak. an island of land in a snow-field. buckley island is the top of a mountain sticking out of the top of the beardmore glacier. piedmont. stretches of ancient ice which remain along the antarctic coasts. pram. a norwegian skiff, with a spoon bow. saennegrass. a kind of norwegian hay used as packing in finnesko. sastrugi are the furrows or irregularities formed on a snow plain by the wind. they may be a foot or more deep and as hard and as slippery as ice: they may be quite soft: they may appear as great inverted pudding bowls: they may be hard knots covered with soft powdery snow. sledging distances. all miles are geographical miles unless otherwise stated, statute or english mile = . geographical mile: geographical mile = . statute miles. tank. a canvas "hold-all" strapped to the sledge to contain food bags. tide crack. a working crack between the land ice and the sea ice which rises and falls with the tide. wind. wind forces are logged according to the beaufort scale, which is as follows: mean velocity no. description. in miles per hour. . calm . light air . light breeze . gentle breeze . moderate breeze . fresh breeze . strong breeze . moderate gale . fresh gale . strong gale . whole gale . storm . hurricane index abbott, george p., lv, lvii, adam mountains, adare, cape, xxiii, xxix, xxxiv, , adélie land, xxii adélie penguins. _see_ penguins, adélie adventure, the, xviii albatross, capture of, alexander land, xxi alexandra, queen, amundsen, roald, telegram to scott, arrives in bay of whales, character, letter to king of norway, forestalls scott at pole, reason of success, 'antarctic adventures' (priestley), lxi antarctic continent, theories of, xxi 'antarctic penguins' (levick), lxi antarctic regions, early explorations, xviii ross's expedition, xxv importance of scott's work, lxii marine life, anton (pony boy), , aptenodytes forsteri. _see_ penguin, emperor archer, w. w., , , arctic regions, exploration in, xxix-xxxiii arethusa. _see_ portuguese man-of-war armitage, cape, , arrival bay, xlvi arrival heights, , atkinson, edward l., his responsibilities, on the terra nova, character, on south trinidad, accident to foot, lecture on scurvy, lost in blizzard, barrier journey, in command of first return party, meets lashly and evans, difficulties during scott's absence, attempts to find scott, in command of main party, journey to hutton cliffs, sledge journey, fish-trap, spring journey, reads burial service over scott, lands in new zealand, atmosphere, observations on, aurora borealis, balloon bight, xxxiv, barne glacier, , , barrie, sir j. m., scott's letter to, barrier, the, ross's journey, xxiii scott's survey, , xxxiv first arrival at, scott's paper on, snow surface, wright's lecture, movement, beardmore glacier, journey across, - beaufort island, bellingshausen, xxi bernacchi, cape, biology, marine, importance of ross's expedition, xxvii terra nova observations, , bird, cape, xxiv bird, mt., bird peninsula, biscuit depôt, black island, xxv blacksand beach, blizzards, , blubber, uses of, lvi bluff depôt, , , borchgrevink, xxviii bowers, lieut. h. r., on terra nova, character and personality, , at south trinidad, on depôt journey, on winter journey, trip to western mountains, commencement of polar journey, passage of the beardmore glacier, _seq._ plateau journey, _seq._ body discovered, journey to pole, _seq._ return from pole, _seq._ bowers, mrs., scott's letter to, browning, frank v., lv, lvi, lvii, lviii brown island, xxv bruce, wilfred m., buckley island, butter point, campbell, victor, at inexpressible island, lii _seq._ on terra nova, character, terra nova attempts to relieve, possibility of rescuing, rescued, cardiff, wales, castle rock, xxxv, , , cephalodiscus rarus, challenger expedition, xxviii, cherry-garrard, apsley, functions, on winter journey, _seq._ beardmore glacier journey, _seq._ journey with dogs, _seq._ illness, work on penguins, christmas day celebration, , clissold, thomas, , , cloudmaker, , , colbeck, cape, cook, captain james, antarctic explorations, xviii, xix, xx, xxi corner camp, , , , , , , crater heights, , crean, thomas, depôt journey, _seq._ beardmore glacier journey, _seq._ plateau journey, _seq._ snow-blindness, journey for help, duties, on search journey, crozier, capt., xxix crozier, cape, discovery, xxiii, xl, , darwin, mt., , david, professor, xlvii davies, francis, day, bernard c., , , debenham, frank, , , , , , , dellbridge islands, de long, g. w., xxix derrick point, dickason, harry, liv, lviii, diet, cook's precautions, xviii experiments on winter journey, importance of good cooking, effects of unsuitability, dimitri (dog boy), , , , , , , , disaster camp, discovery, mt., , discovery expedition, - , xxxiii _seq._, discovery hut, , dogs, on scott's first expedition, xxxvi on board ship, effect of blizzards, ponies as food for, successful use, rate of return, new batch, hospital, behaviour in camp, accommodation, diet, disease among, behaviour while driving, dolphins, observations on, dominion range, , drake, frank, , , drygalski ice tongue, lviii dunedin, n.z., dunlop island, d'urville, dumont, xxii emperor penguin. _see_ penguin, emperor enderby, messrs., xxi equator, crossing of, erebus, mt., discovery, xxiii first glimpse of, activity, ascent of, erebus, the, xxii, xxix eskers, the, evans, lieut. edward, functions, character, on depôt journey, _seq._ lectures, beardmore glacier journey, _seq._ plateau journey, _seq._ snow-blindness, symptoms of scurvy, illness, sent home, returns on terra nova, evans, seaman edgar, on discovery expedition, xxxix as neptune, trip to western mountains, _seq._ beardmore glacier journey, _seq._ plateau journey, _seq._ accident to hand, journey to pole, _seq._ return from pole, _seq._ death, evans, cape, xlviii, , , , , , , , , evans coves, l, liii, , fahrt, ferrar glacier, xxxviii fire, outbreaks of, fodder depôt, forde, robert, , , forster, mr., xx fram, the, xxix _seq._, xlviii, , franklin, sir john, xxix franklin island, , franz josef land, xxxii funchal, madeira, . gap, the, gateway, the, , geelmuyden, professor, xxxi glacier tongue, , , , gran, tryggve, , _seq._, , , , , , , granite harbour, lviii, , granite pillars, great razorback island, , greely, a. w., xxix, xxx haig, sir douglas, scott's letter to, halley, edmund, hare, xxxv hell's gate, helminthology, high peak, hobart, tasmania, xxii hooker, sir joseph d., xxv hooker, mt., hooper, f. j., , , , , , , , hooper, mt. _see_ upper barrier depôt hope, mt., , hope island, xlvii horses. _see_ ponies, manchurian horseshoe bay, hut point, lix, , , , hut point peninsula, xxiv, xxxiv, hutton cliffs, , , hyperoodon rostrata. _see_ whale, bottle-nosed ice, cook's observations, xx the fram, xxx formation of pack, movement, ice cap, antarctic, xxxviii icebergs, , "igloo back," lvii inaccessible island, , inexpressible island, conditions on, liii island lake, jackson-harmsworth expedition, xxxii, jeannette, the, xxix johansen, lieut., xxx, jones, cape, kayaks, nansen's use of, xxxi keltie glacier, keohane, patrick, _seq._, , , , , , , killer whale. _see_ whale, killer king edward vii.'s land, xxxiv, xlviii kinsey, mr. j. j., knight, e. f., , knoll, the, xl, , kyffin, mt., land crabs, at south trinidad, , lashly, w., on discovery expedition, xxxviii diary, _seq._ beardmore glacier journey, _seq._ nurses lieut. evans, _seq._ duties, on search journey, levick, g. murray, liii, lillie, denis g., , , lister, mt., little razorback island, , , lower glacier depôt, lyttelton, n.z., , , m'clintock, sir f. l., xxix mcmurdo sound, xxiv, xxxiv, magnetic pole, south, xxii, xxv markham, sir clements, xxix markham, mt., marshall mountains, meares, cecil h., , , , , , , , , melbourne, mt., l, middle barrier depôt, mill glacier, milne, a. a., on scott's character, lx minna bluff, xxiv, mirage, , , morning, mt., morning, the, xxxvii mules, use of, , , , , , , nansen, fridtjof, arctic explorations, xxix _seq._ on scurvy, on equipment, nansen, mt., nares, sir g. s., xxix neale, w. h., nelson, edward w., , , , , , , north bay, , , , oamaru, n.z., oates, capt. l. e. g., on terra nova, , depôt journey, _seq._ care of ponies, , lecture on horses, beardmore glacier journey, plateau journey, suggests use of mules, death, commemorative inscription, journey to pole, observation hill, , oestrelata arminjoniana. _see_ petrel, black-breasted oestrelata trinitatis. _see_ petrel, white-breasted oil, shortage of, oil fuel, its advantages, one and a half degree depôt, one ton depôt, , , , , , , orca gladiator. _see_ whale, killer pagoda cairn, parry, sir w. e., xxix peary, r. e., xlviii penguin, adélie, appearance, xxxix levick's book, lxi habits, , rookery discovered, curiosity, embryos obtained, breeding, feeding of young, penguin, emperor, eggs, xxii, habits and breeding, xxxix _seq._, embryology, discovery of rookery, , care of young, eagerness to sit, pennell, harry l. l., liii, , , , , petrel, antarctic, petrel, black-breasted, petrel, giant, petrel, snowy, xix, petrel, white-breasted, plankton, , pole, south, scott's final arrangements, altitude, amundsen's arrival, scott's arrival, characteristics of area, polheim (camp), polychaete worms, ponies, manchurian, on board ship, their uses, effect of blizzards on, scott's care of, behaviour on ice, fodder, exercising, treatment and diseases, scott's decision, weights lightened, difficulties on march, destroyed, ponting, herbert g., , , , , portuguese man-of-war, pram, , pram point, , , , priestley, raymond e., liii, , ptomaine poisoning, lvii pulleyn, lieut. george, ramp, the, rennick, h. e. de p., , resolution, the, xviii roberts, cape, lviii, ross, sir james c., xxii, , ross island, xxiii ross sea, xxiii, xxviii, xlii royal society range, royds, cape, xlv, xlvii, , , , sabine, mt., xxiii, safety camp, , , , st. paul, island, scott, capt. r. f., on early explorations, xx on ross, xxvii first expedition, - , xxxiii excellence of equipment, lxii commencement of second expedition, visits south trinidad, , joins terra nova, depôt journey, character and achievements, , paper on barrier, trip to western mountains, barrier stage of polar journey, _seq._ beardmore glacier journey, _seq._ plateau journey, strength of team, alteration in units, tries new sledge runners, body discovered, burial, his account of journey to pole, _seq._ return from pole, _seq._ message to the public, drawbacks of his plan, 'scott's last expedition,' lix scurvy, lvii, , sea, freezing of, sea-cucumber, sea-leopard, , sea-urchins, seal, , , seal, crab-eating, , seal, ross, seal, weddell, , , , , shackleton, sir ernest, xxxvii, xlvii shambles camp, , simon's bay, simpson, g. c., , , _seq._, , , ski, use of, , , ski slope, skua gulls, , skua lake, , sledge meters, , , sledge runners, nansen on, , sledges, nansen's innovation, xxx motor, , , smoking, limitations on, snow-blindness, south bay, 'south polar times,' , south trinidad, landing, bird life, , land crabs, difficulty of leaving, , southern barrier depôt, sverdrup, o. n., xxx taylor, griffith, lxi, , , , , temperature, of polar plateau, effect on polar party, tent island, , , terra australis, belief in existence of, xviii terra nova bay, terra nova, the, on scott's first expedition, xlv commencement of voyage, , crew, arrangement of cabins, defects in pumps, , plankton nets, fire on board, biological observations, lack of fresh water, refits at lyttelton, overloading, suitability for ice work, anchorage, arrival with mails, defects, expedition finally relieved, trawling, terror, mt., xxiii, xxiv, xli, , terror, the, xxii, xxix terror point, tersio peronii, three degree depôt, tremasome, parasitic growth on, turk's head, turtleback island, upper barrier depôt, upper glacier depôt, , victoria land, xxxiv vince's cross, xxxv waves, height of, weddell, james, xxv western mountains, , , whale, whale, blue, , whale, bottle-nosed, whale, killer, , , , whale, piked, whales, bay of, xlviii, , white island, xxiv, , wild, frank, xxxv wild mountains, wilkes, charles, xxii williamson, thomas s., , , wilson, dr. e. a., on emperor penguins, xli functions, character and personality, , depôt journey, winter journey, _seq._ beardmore glacier journey, plateau journey, body discovered, journey to pole, _seq._ return from pole, _seq._ wilson, mrs., scott's letter to, wind vane hill, , wright, charles s., , , , , , , , , , , , , , x cairn, the end _printed in great britain by_ r. & r. clark, limited, _edinburgh._ a voyage towards the south pole, and round the world; performed in his majesty's ships the resolution and adventure, in the years , , , and . written by james cook, commander of the resolution. in which is included captain furneaux's narrative of his proceedings in the adventure during the separation of the ships. in two volumes. illustrated with maps and charts, and a variety of portraits of persons and views and places, drawn during the voyage by mr. hodges, and engraved by the most eminent masters. volume i * * * london: printed for w strahan and t cadell in the strand. mdcclxxvii ( ) * * * contents of the first volume. general introduction. book i. from our departure from england to leaving the society isles the first time. chapter i. passage from deptford to the cape of good hope, with an account of several incidents that happened by the way, and transactions there. chapter ii. departure from the cape of good hope, in search of a southern continent. chapter iii. sequel of the search for a southern continent, between the meridian of the cape of good hope and new zealand; with an account of the separation of the two ships, and the arrival of the resolution in dusky bay. chapter iv. transactions in dusky bay, with an account of several interviews with the inhabitants. chapter v. directions for sailing in and out of dusky bay, with an account of the adjacent country, its produce, and inhabitants: astronomical and nautical observations. chapter vi. passage from dusky bay to queen charlotte's sound, with an account of some water spouts, and of our joining the adventure. chapter vii. captain furneaux's narrative, from the time the two ships were separated, to their joining again in queen charlotte's sound, with some account of van diemen's land. chapter viii. transactions in queen charlotte's sound, with some remarks on the inhabitants. chapter ix. route from new zealand to otaheite, with an account of some low islands, supposed to be the same that were seen by m. de bougainville. chapter x. arrival of the ships at otaheite, with an account of the critical situation they were in, and of several incidents that happened while they lay in oaiti-piha bay. chapter xi. an account of several visits to and from otoo; of goats being left on the island; and many other particulars which happened while the ships lay in matavai bay. chapter xii. an account of the reception we met with at huaheine, with the incidents that happened while the ships lay there; and of omai, one of the natives, coming away in the adventure, chapter xiii. arrival at, and departure of the ships from, ulietea: with an account of what happened there, and of oedidee, one of the natives, coming away in the resolution. chapter xiv. an account of a spanish ship visiting otaheite; the present state of the islands; with some observations on the diseases and customs of the inhabitants; and some mistakes concerning the women corrected. book ii. from our departure from the society isles, to our return to and leaving them the second time. chapter i. passage from ulietea to the friendly islands, with an account of the discovery of hervey's island, and the incidents that happened at middleburg. chapter ii. the arrival of the ships at amsterdam; a description of a place of worship; and an account of the incidents which happened while we remained at that island. chapter iii. a description of the islands and their produce; with the cultivation, houses, canoes, navigation, manufactures, weapons, customs, government, religion, and language of the inhabitants. chapter iv. passage from amsterdam to queen charlotte's sound, with an account of an interview with the inhabitants, and the final separation of the two ships. chapter v. transactions at queen charlotte's sound; with an account of the inhabitants being cannibals; and various other incidents.--departure from the sound, and our endeavours to find the adventure; with some description of the coast. chapter vi. route of the ship from new zealand in search of a continent; with an account of the various obstructions met with from the ice, and the methods pursued to explore the southern pacific ocean. chapter vii. sequel of the passage from new zealand to easter island, and transactions there, with an account of an expedition to discover the inland part of the country, and a description of some of the surprising gigantic statues found in the island. chapter viii. a description of the island, and its produce, situation, and inhabitants; their manners, and customs; conjectures concerning their government, religion, and other subjects; with a more particular account of the gigantic statues. chapter ix. the passage from easter island to the marquesas islands. transactions and incidents which happened while the ship lay in madre de dios, or resolution bay, in the island of st christina. chapter x. departure from the marquesas; a description of the situation, extent, figure, and appearance of the several islands; with some account of the inhabitants, their customs, dress, habitations, food, weapons, and canoes. chapter xi. a description of several islands discovered, or seen in the passage from the marquesas to otaheite; with an account of a naval review. chapter xii. some account of a visit from otoo, towha, and several other chiefs; also of a robbery committed by one of the natives, and its consequences, with general observations on the subject. chapter xiii. preparations to leave the island. another naval review, and various other incidents; with some account of the island, its naval force, and number of inhabitants. chapter xiv. the arrival of the ship at the island of huaheine; with an account of an expedition into the island, and several other incidents which happened while she lay there. chapter xv. arrival at ulietea; with an account of the reception we met with there, and the several incidents which happened during our stay. a report of two ships being at huaheine. preparations to leave the island, and the regret the inhabitants shewed on the occasion. the character of oedidee; with some general observations on the island. * * * * * general introduction. whether the unexplored part of the southern hemisphere be only an immense mass of water, or contain another continent, as speculative geography seemed to suggest, was a question which had long engaged the attention, not only of learned men, but of most of the maritime powers of europe. to put an end to all diversity of opinion about a matter so curious and important, was his majesty's principal motive in directing this voyage to be undertaken, the history of which is now submitted to the public. but, in order to give the reader a clear idea of what has been done in it, and to enable him to judge more accurately, how far the great object that was proposed, has been obtained, it will be necessary to prefix a short account of the several voyages which have been made on discoveries to the southern hemisphere, prior to that which i had lately the honour to conduct, and which i am now going to relate. magalhaens. the first who crossed the vast pacific ocean, was ferdinand magalhaens, a portuguese, who, in the service of spain, sailed from seville, with five ships, on the th of april, . he discovered the straits which bear his name; and having passed through them, on the th of november, , entered the south pacific ocean. in this sea he discovered two uninhabited islands, whose situations are not well known. he afterwards crossed the line; discovered the ladrone islands; and then proceeded to the phillipines, in one of which he was killed in a skirmish with the natives. his ship, called the victory, was the first that circumnavigated the globe; and the only one of his squadron that surmounted the dangers and distresses which attended this heroic enterprise. the spaniards, after magalhaens had shewed them the way, made several voyages from america to the westward, previous to that of alvaro mendana de neyra, in , which is the first that can be traced step by step. for the antecedent expeditions are not handed down to us with much precision. we know, however, in general, that, in them, new guinea, the islands called solomon's, and several others, were discovered. geographers differ greatly concerning the situation of the solomon islands. the most probable opinion is, that they are the cluster which comprises what has since been called new britain, new ireland, &c. mendana. on the th of april, , mendana, with intention to settle these islands, sailed from callao, with four ships; and his discoveries in his route to the west, were the marquesas, in the latitude of ° s.; the island of st bernardo, which i take to be the same that commodore byron calls the island of danger; after that, solitary island, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° w.; and, lastly, santa cruz, which is undoubtedly the same that captain carteret calls egmont island. in this last island, mendana, with many of his companions, died; and the shattered remains of the squadron were conducted to manilla, by pedro fernandes de quiros, the chief pilot. quiros. this same quiros was the first sent out, with the sole view of discovering a southern continent, and, indeed, he seems to have been the first who had any idea of the existence of one. he sailed from callao the st of december, , as pilot of the fleet, commanded by luis paz de torres, consisting of two ships and a tender; and steering to the w.s.w., on the th of january, . being then, by their reckoning, a thousand spanish leagues from the coast of america, they discovered a small low island in latitude ° s. two days after, they discovered another that was high, with a plain on the top. this is probably the same that captain carteret calls pitcairn's island. after leaving these islands, quiros seems to have directed his course to w.n.w. and n.w. to ° or ° s. latitude, and then westward, till he arrived at the bay of st philip and jago, in the island of tierra del espirito santo. in this route be discovered several islands; probably some of those that have been seen by later navigators. on leaving the bay of st philip and st jago, the two ships were separated. quiros, with the capitana, stood to the north, and returned to new spain, after having suffered greatly for want of provisions and water. torres, with the almiranta and the tender, steered to the west, and seems to have been the first who sailed between new holland and new guinea. . le maire and schouten the next attempt to make discoveries in the south pacific ocean, was conducted by le maire and schouten. they sailed from the texel, on the th of june, , with the ships concord and horn. the latter was burnt by accident in port desire. with the other they discovered the straits that bear the name of le maire, and were the first who ever entered the pacific ocean, by the way of cape horn. they discovered the island of dogs, in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w.; sondre grondt in ° s. latitude, and ° ' w. longitude; waterland in ° ' s., and ° ' w.; and twenty-five leagues westward of this, fly island, in latitude ° '; traitor's and coco's islands, in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w.; two degrees more to the westward, the isle of hope; and in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., horn island. they next coasted the north side of new britain and new guinea, and arrived at batavia in october, . tasman. except some discoveries on the western and northern coasts of new holland, no important voyage to the pacific ocean was undertaken till , when captain tasman sailed from batavia, with two ships belonging to the dutch east india company, and discovered van diemen's land; a small part of the western coast of new zealand; the friendly isles; and those called prince william's. sir richard hawkins. thus far i have thought it best not to interrupt the progress of discovery in the south pacific ocean, otherwise i should before have mentioned, that sir richard hawkins in , being about fifty leagues to the eastward of the river plate, was driven by a storm to the eastward of his intended course, and when the weather grew moderate, steering towards the straits of magalhaens, he unexpectedly fell in with land, about sixty leagues of which he coasted, and has very particularly described. this he named hawkins's maiden land, in honour of his royal mistress, queen elizabeth, and says it lies some threescore leagues from the nearest part of south america. strong. this land was afterwards discovered to be two large islands, by captain john strong, of the farewell, from london, who, in , passed through the strait which divides the eastern from the western of those islands. to this strait he gave the name of falkland's sound, in honour of his patron lord falkland; and the name has since been extended, through inadvertency, to the two islands it separates. having mentioned these islands, i will add, that future navigators will mis-spend their time, if they look for pepy's island in ° s.; it being now certain, that pepy's island is no other than these islands of falkland. la roche. in april, , anthony la roche, an english merchant, in his return from the south pacific ocean, where he had been on a trading voyage, being carried by the winds and currents, far to the east of strait le maire, fell in with a coast, which may possibly be the same with that which i visited during this voyage, and have called the island of georgia. leaving this land, and sailing to the north, la roche, in the latitude of ° s., discovered a large island, with a good port towards the eastern part, where he found wood, water, and fish. halley. in , that celebrated astronomer, dr edmund halley, was appointed to the command of his majesty's ship the paramour pink, on an expedition for improving the knowledge of the longitude, and of the variation of the compass; and for discovering the unknown lands supposed to lie in the southern part of the atlantic ocean. in this voyage he determined the longitude of several places; and, after his return, constructed his variation-chart, and proposed a method of observing the longitude at sea, by means of the appulses and occultations of the fixed stars. but, though he so successfully attended to the two first articles of his instructions, he did not find any unknown southern land. roggewein. the dutch, in , fitted out three ships to make discoveries in the south pacific ocean, under the command of admiral roggewein. he left the texel on the st of august, and arriving in that ocean, by going round cape horn, discovered easter island, probably seen before, though not visited, by davis;* then between ° ' and ° ' s. latitude, and between the longitude of ° and ° w., fell in with several other islands, which i take to be some of those seen by the late english navigators. he next discovered two islands in latitude ° s., longitude ° w., which he called baumen's islands; and, lastly, single island, in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. these three islands are, undoubtedly, the same that bougainville calls the isles of navigators. [* see waser's description of the isthmus of darien.] bouvet. in , the french east india company sent lozier bouvet with two ships, the eagle and mary, to make discoveries in the south atlantic ocean. he sailed from port l'orient on the th of july in that year; touched at the island of st catherine; and from thence shaped his course towards the south-east. on the st of january, , he discovered land, or what he judged to be land, in latitude ° s., longitude ° e. it will appear in the course of the following narrative, that we made several attempts to find this land without success. it is, therefore, very probable, that what bouvet saw was nothing more than a large ice-island. from hence he stood to the east, in ° of latitude to ° of e. longitude: after which the two ships separated, one going to the island of mauritius, and the other returning to france. after this voyage of bouvet, the spirit of discovery ceased, till his present majesty formed a design of making discoveries, and exploring the southern hemisphere; and, in the year , directed it to be put in execution. byron. accordingly commodore byron, having under his command the dolphin and tamer, sailed from the downs on the st of june the same year; and having visited the falkland islands, passed through the straits of magalhaens into the pacific ocean, where he discovered the islands of disappointment, george's, prince of wales's, the isles of danger, york island, and byron island. wallis. he returned to england the th of may, , and, in the month of august following, the dolphin was again sent out under the command of captain wallis, with the swallow, commanded by captain carteret. they proceeded together, till they came to the west end of the straits of magalhaens, and the great south sea in sight, where they were separated. captain wallis directed his course more westerly than any navigator had done before him in so high a latitude; but met with no land till he got within the tropic, where he discovered the islands of whitsunday, queen charlotte, egmont, duke of gloucester, duke of cumberland, maitea, otaheite, eimeo, tapamanou, how, scilly, boscawen, keppel, and wallis; and returned to england in may, . carteret. his companion captain carteret kept a different route, in which he discovered the islands of osnaburg, gloucester, queen charlotte's isles, carteret's, gower's, and the strait between new britain and new ireland; and returned to england in march, . bougainville. in november, , commodore bougainville sailed from france in the frigate la boudeuse, with the store-ship l'etoile. after spending some time on the coast of brazil, and at falkland's islands, he got into the pacific sea by the straits of magalhaens, in january, . in this ocean he discovered the four facardines, the isle of lanciers, and harp island, which i take to be the same that i afterwards named lagoon, thrum cap, and bow island. about twenty leagues farther to the west he discovered four other islands; afterwards fell in with maitea, otaheite, isles of navigators, and forlorn hope, which to him were new discoveries. he then passed through between the hebrides, discovered the shoal of diana, and some others, the land of cape deliverance, several islands more to the north, passed the north of new ireland, touched at batavia, and arrived in france in march, . this year was rendered remarkable by the transit of the planet venus over the sun's disk, a phenomenon of great importance to astronomy; and which every-where engaged the attention of the learned in that science. in the beginning of the , the royal society presented a memorial to his majesty, setting forth the advantages to be derived from accurate observations of this transit in different parts of the world; particularly from a set of such observations made in a southern latitude, between the th and th degrees of longitude, west from the royal observatory at greenwich; and that vessels, properly equipped, would be necessary to convey the observers to their destined stations; but that the society were in no condition to defray the expence of such an undertaking. in consequence of this memorial, the admiralty were directed by his majesty to provide proper vessels for this purpose. accordingly, the endeavour bark, which had been built for the coal-trade, was purchased and fitted out for the southern voyage, and i was honoured with the command of her. the royal society, soon after, appointed me, in conjunction with mr charles green the astronomer, to make the requisite observations on the transit. it was at first intended to perform this great, and now a principal business of our voyage, either at the marquesas, or else at one of those islands which tasman had called amsterdam, rotterdam, and middleburg, now better known under the name of the friendly islands. but while the endeavour was getting ready for the expedition, captain wallis returned from his voyage round the world, in the course of which he had discovered several islands in the south sea; and, amongst others, otaheite. this island was preferred to any of those before mentioned, on account of the conveniences it afforded; because its place had been well ascertained, and found to be extremely well suited to our purpose. i was therefore ordered to proceed directly to otaheite; and after astronomical observations should be completed, to prosecute the design of making discoveries in the south pacific ocean, by proceeding to the south as far as the latitude of °; then, if i found no land, to proceed to the west between ° and °, till i fell in with new zealand, which i was to explore; and thence to return to england by such route as i should think proper. cook's first voyage. in the prosecution of these instructions, i sailed from deptford the th july, ; from plymouth the th of august, touched at madeira, rio de janeiro, and straits le maire, and entered the south pacific ocean by cape horn in january the following year. i endeavoured to make a direct course to otaheite, and in part succeeded; but i made no discovery till i got within the tropic, where i fell in with lagoon island, two groups, bird island, chain island; and on the th of april arrived at otaheite, where i remained three months, during which time the observations on the transit were made. i then left it; discovered and visited the society isles and oheteroa; thence proceeded to the south till i arrived in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w.; and, on the th of october, fell in with the east side of new zealand. i continued exploring the coast of this country till the st of march, , when i quitted it, and proceeded to new holland; and having surveyed the eastern coast of that vast country, which part had not before been visited, i passed between its northern extremity and new guinea, landed on the latter, touched at the island of savu, batavia, the cape of good hope, and st helena,* and arrived in england on the th of july, . [* in the account given of st helena in the narrative of my former voyage, i find two mistakes. its inhabitants are far from exercising a wanton cruelty over their slaves, and they have had wheel-carriages and porters' knots for many years.] in this voyage i was accompanied by mr banks and dr solander; the first a gentleman of ample fortune; the other an accomplished disciple of linnæus, and one of the librarians of the british museum; both of them distinguished in the learned world, for their extensive and accurate knowledge of natural history. these gentlemen, animated by the love of science, and by a desire to pursue their enquiries in the remote regions i was preparing to visit, desired permission to make a voyage with me. the admiralty readily complied with a request that promised such advantage to the republic of letters. they accordingly embarked with me, and participated in all the dangers and sufferings of our tedious and fatiguing navigation. the voyages of messrs de surville, kerguelen, and marion, of which some account is given in the following work, did not come to my knowledge time enough to afford me any advantage; and as they have not been communicated to the world in a public way, i can say little about them, or about two other voyages, which, i am told, have been made by the spaniards; one to easter island in the year , and the other to otaheite in . before i begin my narrative of the expedition entrusted to my care, it will be necessary to add here some account of its equipment, and of some other matters equally interesting, connected with my subject. soon after my return home in the endeavour, it was resolved to equip two ships, to complete the discovery of the southern hemisphere. the nature of this voyage required ships of a particular construction, and the endeavour being gone to falkland's isles as a store-ship, the navy-board was directed to purchase two such ships as were most suitable for this service. at this time various opinions were espoused by different people, touching the size and kind of vessels most proper for such a voyage. some were for having large ships, and proposed those of forty guns, or east india company's ships. others preferred large good sailing frigates, or three- decked ships, employed in the jamaica trade, fitted with round-houses. but of all that was said and offered to the admiralty's consideration on this subject, as far as has come to my knowledge, what, in my opinion, was most to the purpose, was suggested by the navy-board. as the kind of ships most proper to be employed on discoveries, is a very interesting consideration to the adventurers in such undertakings, it may possibly be of use to those, who, in future, may be so employed, to give here the purport of the sentiments of the navy-board thereon, with whom, after the experience of two voyages of three years each, i perfectly agree. the success of such undertakings as making discoveries in distant parts of the world, will principally depend on the preparations being well adapted to what ought to be the first considerations, namely, the preservation of the adventurers and ships; and this will ever chiefly depend on the kind, the size, and the properties of the ships chosen for the service. these primary considerations will not admit of any other that may interfere with the necessary properties of the ships. therefore, in choosing the ships, should any of the most advantageous properties be wanting, and the necessary room in them, be in any degree diminished, for less important purposes, such a step would be laying a foundation for rendering the undertaking abortive in the first instance. as the greatest danger to be apprehended and provided against, on a voyage of discovery, especially to the most distant parts of the globe, is that of the ship's being liable to be run a-ground on an unknown, desert, or perhaps savage coast; so no consideration should be set in competition with that of her being of a construction of the safest kind, in which the officers may, with the least hazard, venture upon a strange coast. a ship of this kind must not be of a great draught of water, yet of a sufficient burden and capacity to carry a proper quantity of provisions and necessaries for her complement of men, and for the time requisite to perform the voyage. she must also be of a construction that will bear to take the ground; and of a size, which in case of necessity, may be safely and conveniently laid on shore, to repair any accidental damage or defect. these properties are not to be found in ships of war of forty guns, nor in frigates, nor in east india company's ships, nor in large three-decked west india ships, nor indeed in any other but north-country-built ships, or such as are built for the coal-trade, which are peculiarly adapted to this purpose. in such a vessel an able sea-officer will be most venturesome, and better enabled to fulfil his instructions, than he possibly can (or indeed than would be prudent for him to attempt) in one of any other _sort_ or _size_. upon the whole, i am firmly of opinion, that no ships are so proper for discoveries in distant unknown parts, as those constructed as was the endeavour, in which i performed my former voyage. for no ships of any other kind can contain stores and provisions sufficient (in proportion to the necessary number of men,) considering the length of time it will be necessary they should last. and, even if another kind of ships could stow a sufficiency, yet on arriving at the parts for discovery, they would still, from the nature of their construction and size, be _less fit_ for the purpose. hence, it may be concluded, so little progress had been hitherto made in discoveries in the southern hemisphere. for all ships which attempted it before the endeavour, were unfit for it; although the officers employed in them had done the utmost in their power. it was upon this consideration that the endeavour was chosen for that voyage. it was to those properties in her that those on board owed their preservation; and hence we were enabled to prosecute discoveries in those seas so much longer than any other ship ever did, or could do. and, although discovery was not the first object of that voyage, i could venture to traverse a far greater space of sea, til then unnavigated; to discover greater tracts of country in high and low south latitudes, and to persevere longer in exploring and surveying more correctly the extensive coasts of those new-discovered countries, than any former navigator perhaps had done during one voyage. in short, these properties in the ships, with perseverance and resolution in their commanders, will enable them to execute their orders; to go beyond former discoverers; and continue to britain the reputation of taking the lead of nations, in exploring the globe. these considerations concurring with lord sandwich's opinion on the same subject, the admiralty determined to have two such ships as are here recommended. accordingly two were purchased of captain william hammond of hull. they were both built at whitby, by the same person who built the endeavour, being about fourteen or sixteen months old at the time they were purchased, and were, in my opinion, as well adapted to the intended service, as if they had been built for the purpose. the largest of the two was four hundred and sixty-two tons burden. she was named resolution, and sent to deptford to be equipped. the other was three hundred and thirty-six tons burden. she was named adventure, and sent to be equipped at woolwich. it was at first proposed to sheathe them with copper; but on considering that copper corrodes the iron-work, especially about the rudder, this intention was laid aside, and the old method of sheathing and fitting pursued, as being the most secure; for although it is usual to make the rudder-bands of the same composition, it is not, however, so durable as iron, nor would it, i am well assured, last out such a voyage as the resolution performed. therefore, till a remedy is found to prevent the effect of copper upon iron-work, it would not be advisable to use it on a voyage of this kind, as, the principal fastenings of the ship being iron, they may be destroyed. on the th of november, , i was appointed to the command of the resolution; and tobias furneaux (who had been second lieutenant with captain wallis) was promoted, on this occasion, to the command of the adventure. _our complements of officers and men were fixed, as in the following table._ resolution _officers and men, officers names_ captain ( ) james cook. lieutenants ( ) rob. p. cooper, charles clerke, richd. pickersgill. master ( ) joseph gilbert. boatswain ( ) james gray. carpenter ( ) james wallis. gunner ( ) robert anderson. surgeon ( ) james patten. master's mates ( ) midshipmen ( ) surgeon's mates ( ) captain's clerk ( ) master at arms ( ) corporal ( ) armourer ( ) ditto mate ( ) sail-maker ( ) boatswain's mate ( ) carpenter's ditto ( ) gunner's ditto ( ) carpenter's crews ( ) cook ( ) ditto mate ( ) quarter-masters ( ) able seamen ( ) marines lieutenant ( ) john edgecumbe. serjeant ( ) corporals ( ) drummer ( ) privates ( ) total, adventure _officers and men, officers names_ captain ( ) tobias furneaux. lieutenants ( ) joseph shank, arthur kempe. master ( ) peter fannin. boatswain ( ) edward johns. carpenter ( ) william offord. gunner ( ) andrew gloag. surgeon ( ) thos. andrews. master's mate ( ) midshipmen ( ) surgeon's mates ( ) captain's clerk ( ) master at arms ( ) ditto mate ( ) sail-maker ( ) ditto mate ( ) boatswain's mate ( ) carpenter's ditto ( ) gunner's ditto ( ) carpenter's crews ( ) cook ( ) ditto mate ( ) quarter-masters ( ) able seamen ( ) marines lieutenant ( ) james scott. serjeant ( ) corporals ( ) drummer ( ) privates ( ) total, i had all the reason in the world to be perfectly satisfied with the choice of the officers. the second and third lieutenants, the lieutenant of marines, two of the warrant officers, and several of the petty officers, had been with me during the former voyage. the others were men of known abilities; and all of them, on every occasion, shewed their zeal for the service in which they were employed, during the whole voyage. in the equipping of these ships, they were not confined to ordinary establishments, but were fitted in the most complete manner, and supplied with every extra article that was suggested to be necessary. lord sandwich paid an extraordinary attention to this equipment, by visiting the ships from time to time, to satisfy himself that the whole was completed to his wish, and to the satisfaction of those who were to embark in them. nor were the navy and victualling boards wanting in providing them with the very best of stores and provisions, and whatever else was necessary for so long a voyage.--some alterations were adopted in the species of provisions usually made use of in the navy. that is, we were supplied with wheat in lieu of so much oatmeal, and sugar in lieu of so much oil; and when completed, each ship had two years and a half provisions on board, of all species. we had besides many extra articles, such as _malt, sour krout, salted cabbage, portable broth, saloup, mustard, marmalade of carrots, and inspissated juice of wort and beer_. some of these articles had before been found to be highly antiscorbutic; and others were now sent out on trial, or by way of experiment;--the inspissated juice of beer and wort, and marmalade of carrots especially. as several of these antiscorbutic articles are not generally known, a more particular account of them may not be amiss. of _malt_ is made _sweet wort_, which is given to such persons as have got the scurvy, or whose habit of body threatens them with it, from one to five or six pints a-day, as the surgeon sees necessary. _sour krout_ is cabbage cut small, to which is put a little salt, juniper berries, and anniseeds; it is then fermented, and afterwards close packed in casks; in which state it will keep good a long time. this is a wholesome vegetable food, and a great antiscorbutic. the allowance to each man is two pounds a week, but i increased or diminished their allowance as i thought proper. _salted cabbage_ is cabbage cut to pieces, and salted down in casks, which will preserve it a long time. _portable broth_ is so well known, that it needs no description. we were supplied with it both for the sick and well, and it was exceedingly beneficial. _saloup_ and _rob of lemons_ and _oranges_ were for the sick and scorbutic only, and wholly under the surgeon's care. _marmalade of carrots_ is the juice of yellow carrots, inspissated till it is of the thickness of fluid honey, or treacle, which last it resembles both in taste and colour. it was recommended by baron storsch, of berlin, as a very great antiscorbutic; but we did not find that it had much of this quality. for the _inspissated juice of wort_ and _beer_ we were indebted to mr pelham, secretary to the commissioners of the victualling office. this gentleman, some years ago, considered that if the juice of malt, either as beer or wort, was inspissated by evaporation, it was probable this inspissated juice would keep good at sea; and, if so, a supply of beer might be had, at any time, by mixing it with water. mr pelham made several experiments, which succeeded so well, that the commissioners caused thirty- one half barrels of this juice to be prepared, and sent out with our ships for trial; nineteen on board the resolution, and the remainder on board the adventure. the success of the experiments will be mentioned in the narrative, in the order as they were made. the frame of a small vessel, twenty tons burthen, was properly prepared, and put on board each of the ships to be set up (if found necessary) to serve as tenders upon any emergency, or to transport the crew, in case the ship was lost. we were also well provided with fishing-nets, lines, and hooks of every kind for catching of fish.--and, in order to enable us to procure refreshments, in such inhabited parts of the world as we might touch at, where money was of no value, the admiralty caused to be put on board both the ships, several articles of merchandize; as well to trade with the natives for provisions, as to make them presents to gain their friendship and esteem. their lordships also caused a number of medals to be struck, the one side representing his majesty, and the other the two ships. these medals were to be given to the natives of new-discovered countries, and left there as testimonies of our being the first discoverers. some additional clothing, adapted to a cold climate, was put on board; to be given to the seamen whenever it was thought necessary. in short, nothing was wanting that could tend to promote the success of the undertaking, or contribute to the conveniences and health of those who embarked in it. the admiralty shewed no less attention to science in general, by engaging mr william hodges, a landscape painter, to embark in this voyage, in order to make drawings and paintings of such places in the countries we should touch at, as might be proper to give a more perfect, idea thereof, than could be formed from written descriptions only. and it being thought of public utility, that some person skilled in natural history, should be engaged to accompany me in this voyage, the parliament granted an ample sum for the purpose, and mr john reinhold forster, with his son, were pitched upon for this employment. the board of longitude agreed with mr william wales and mr william bayley, to make astronomical observations; the former on board the resolution, and the latter on board the adventure. the great improvements which astronomy and navigation have met with from the many interesting observations they have made, would have done honour to any person whose reputation for mathematical knowledge was not so well known as theirs. the same board furnished them with the best instruments, for making both astronomical and nautical observations and experiments; and likewise with four time-pieces, or watch machines; three made by mr arnold, and one made by mr kendal on mr harrison's principles. a particular account of the going of these watches, as also the astronomical and nautical observations made by the astronomers, has been before the public, by order of the board of longitude, under the inspection of mr wales. besides the obligation i was under to this gentleman for communicating to me the observations he made, from time to time, during the voyage, i have since been indebted to him for the perusal of his journal, with leave to take from it whatever i thought might contribute to the improvement of this work. for the convenience of the generality of readers, i have reduced the time from the nautical to the civil computation, so that whenever the terms a.m. and p.m. are used, the former signifies the forenoon, and the latter the afternoon of the same day. in all the courses, bearings, &c., the variation of the compass is allowed, unless the contrary is expressed. and now it may be necessary to say, that, as i am on the point of sailing on a third expedition, i leave this account of my last voyage in the hands of some friends, who, in my absence, have kindly accepted the office of correcting the press for me; who are pleased to think that what i have here to relate is better to be given in my own words, than in the words of another person; especially as it is a work designed for information, and not merely for amusement; in which, it is their opinion, that candour and fidelity will counter-balance the want of ornament. i shall therefore conclude this introductory discourse with desiring the reader to excuse the inaccuracies of style, which doubtless he will frequently meet with in the following narrative; and that, when such occur, he will recollect that it is the production of a man, who has not had the advantage of much school education, but who has been constantly at sea from his youth; and though, with the assistance of a few good friends, he has passed through all the stations belonging to a seaman, from an apprentice boy in the coal trade, to a post-captain in the royal navy, he has had no opportunity of cultivating letters. after this account of myself, the public must not expect from me the elegance of a fine writer, or the plausibility of a professed book-maker; but will, i hope, consider me as a plain man, zealously exerting himself in the service of his country, and determined to give the best account he is able of his proceedings. james cook. _plymouth sound, july , ._ ****************** list of the plates with directions for placing them. [as the plates, for the sake of expedition, were printed off as fast as they were finished, it was necessary to number them, before any consideration could be had of the proper arrangement. they are to be placed in the following order.] v l. i. print of captain cook. chart of the southern hernifphere, showing captain cook's tracks, and those of some of the most distinguished navigators. port praya, in the island of st. jago, one of the cape de verds. view of the ice-islands. new zealand spruce. family in dusky-bay, new zealand. sketch of dusky bay, new zealand. flax plant of new zealand. poi bird of new zealand. tea plant of new zealand. van diemen's land. otoo king of otaheite. plant used at otaheite to catch fish by intoxicating them. potatow, chief of attahourou, in otaheite. omai, who was brought to england by captain furneaux. view of otaheite island. a tupapow with a corpse. chart of the friendly isles. view of the landing at middleburg. otago, or attago, a chief at amsterdam. asiatouca, a temple or burying-place at amsterdam. draught, plan, and section of an amsterdam canoe. ornaments, utensils, and weapons at the friendly isles. speeimens of new zealand workmanfhip, &c. eafter island. man at easter island. woman at easter island. monuments in easter island. sketch of the marquesas. view of resolution bay, at st. christina. woman at st. christina. chief at st. christina. ornaments and weapons at the marquesas. fleet of otaheite assembled at oparee. draught, plan, and section of the britannia, a war canoe at otaheite. tynai-mai, a young woman of ulietea. oedidee, a young man of bolabola. v l. ii. sketches of four islands--hervey--palmerflon--savage--s.-turtle. view in the island of rotterdam. boats of the friendly isles. chart of captain cook's discoveries made in the south pacific ocean. view of the landing at mallicollo. man of mallicollo. sketches, of port sandwich in mallicollo, of port resolution in tanna, and of the harbour of balade in new caledonia. view of the landing at erromango. view of the landing at tanna. view in tanna. man of tanna. woman of tanna. weapons, &c. at mallicollo and tanna. view in new caledonia. man of new caledonia. woman of new caledonia. ornaments, weapons, &c. at new caledonia view in the island of pines. norfolk isle. man of new zealand. woman of new zealand. chart of christmas sound. man of christmas sound. view of christmas sound. chart of the southern extremity of america. chart of captain cook's discoveries in the south atlantic. view of possession bay in south georgia. * * * five of the plates, consisting of various articles; the following explanation of them is subjoined. ornaments and weapons at the marquesas, thus marked. . a gorget ornamented with red pease. . an ornament for the head. . a club. . a head-dress. . a fan. weapons, &c. at mallicollo and tanna. . a bow. . stones worn in the nose. . musical reeds, a syrinx. . a club. . the point of an arrow. . the arrow entire. specimens of new zealand workmanship, &c. and . different views of an adze. . a saw. . a shell. ornaments, weapons, &c. at new caledonia. . a lance. . the ornamented part, on a larger scale. . a cap ornamented with feathers, and girt with a sligg. . a comb. . a becket, or piece of cord made of cocoa-nut bark, used in throwing their lances. and . different clubs. . a pick-axe used in cultivating the ground. . an adze. ornaments, utensils, and weapons at the friendly isles. . a bow and arrow. . a frontlet of red feathers. . baskets. . a comb. . a musical instrument, composed of reeds. . a club. . the end of a lance; the point of which is wood hardened in the fire. . the aforesaid lance entire. ***************** voyage towards the south pole, and round the world. book i from our departure from england to leaving the society isles the first time. chapter i. _passage from deptford to the cape of good hope, with an account of several incidents that happened by the way, and transactions there._ april i sailed from deptford, april th, , but got no farther than woolwich, where i was detained by easterly winds till the d, when the ship fell down to long reach, and the next day was joined by the adventure. here both ships received on board their powder, guns, gunners' stores, and marines. may on the th of may we left long reach, with orders to touch at plymouth; but in plying down the river, the resolution was found to be very crank, which made it necessary to put into sheerness in order to remove this evil, by making some alteration in her upper works. these the officers of the yard were ordered to take in hand immediately; and lord sandwich and sir hugh palliser came down to see them executed in such a manner as might effectually answer the purpose intended. june on the d of june the ship was again completed for sea, when i sailed from sheerness; and on the d of july joined the adventure in plymouth sound. the evening before, we met, off the sound, lord sandwich, in the augusta yacht, (who was on his return from visiting the several dock-yards,) with the glory frigate and hazard sloop. we saluted his lordship with seventeen guns; and soon after he and sir hugh palliser gave us the last mark of the very great attention they had paid to this equipment, by coming on board, to satisfy themselves that every thing was done to my wish, and that the ship was found to answer to my satisfaction. at plymouth i received my instructions, dated the th of june, directing me to take under my command the adventure; to make the best of my way to the island of madeira, there to take in a supply of wine, and then proceed to the cape of good hope, where i was to refresh the ships' companies, and to take on board such provisions and necessaries as i might stand in need of. after leaving the cape of good hope, i was to proceed to the southward, and endeavour to fall in with cape circumcision, which was said by monsieur bouvet to lie in the latitude of ° s. and in about ° ' e. longitude from greenwich. if i discovered this cape, i was to satisfy myself whether it was a part of the continent which had so much engaged the attention of geographers and former navigators, or a part of an island. if it proved to be the former, i was to employ myself diligently in exploring as great an extent of it as i could, and to make such notations thereon, and observations of every kind, as might be useful either to navigation or commerce, or tend to the promotion of natural knowledge. i was also directed to observe the genius, temper, disposition, and number of the inhabitants, if there were any, and endeavour, by all proper means, to cultivate a friendship and alliance with them; making them presents of such things as they might value; inviting them to traffic, and shewing them every kind of civility and regard. i was to continue to employ myself on this service, and making discoveries either to the eastward or westward, as my situation might render most eligible; keeping in as high a latitude as i could, and prosecuting my discoveries as near to the south pole as possible, so long as the condition of the ships, the health of their crews, and the state of their provisions, would admit of; taking care to reserve as much of the latter as would enable me to reach some known port, where i was to procure a sufficiency to bring me home to england. but if cape circumcision should prove to be part of an island only, or if i should not be able to find the said cape, i was in the first case to make the necessary survey of the island, and then to stand on to the southward, so long as i judged there was a likelihood of falling in with the continent, which i was also to do in the latter case, and then to proceed to the eastward in further search of the said continent, as well as to make discoveries of such islands as might be situated in that unexplored part of the southern hemisphere; keeping in high latitudes, and prosecuting my discoveries, as above mentioned, as near the pole as possible until i had circumnavigated the globe; after which i was to proceed to the cape of good hope, and from thence to spithead. in the prosecution of these discoveries, wherever the season of the year rendered it unsafe for me to continue in high latitudes, i was to retire to some known place to the northward, to refresh my people, and refit the ships; and to return again to the southward as soon as the season of the year would admit of it. in all unforeseen cases, i was authorised to proceed according to my own discretion; and in case the resolution should be lost or disabled, i was to prosecute the voyage on board the adventure. i gave a copy of these instructions to captain furneaux, with an order directing him to carry them into execution; and, in case he was separated from me, appointed the island of madeira for the first place of rendezvous; port praya in the island of st jago for the second; cape of good hope for the third; and new zealand for the fourth. during our stay at plymouth, messrs wales and bayley, the two astronomers, made observations on drake's island, in order to ascertain the latitude, longitude, and true time for putting the time-pieces and watches in motion. the latitude was found to be ° ' " n., and the longitude ° ' w. of greenwich, which, in this voyage, is every where to be understood as the first meridian, and from which the longitude is reckoned east and west to ° each way. july on the th of july the watches were set a-going in the presence of the two astronomers, captain furneaux, the first lieutenants of the ships, and myself, and put on board. the two on board the adventure were made by mr arnold, and also one of those on board the resolution; but the other was made by mr kendal, upon the same principle, in every respect, as mr harrison's time-piece. the commander, first lieutenant, and astronomer, on board each, of the ships, kept each of them keys of the boxes which contained the watches, and were always to be present at the winding them up, and comparing the one with the other; or some other officer, if at any time, through indisposition, or absence upon any other necessary duties, any of them could not conveniently attend. the same day, according to the custom of the navy, the companies of both ships were paid two months wages in advance, and, as a further encouragement for their going this extraordinary voyage, they were also paid the wages due to them to the th of the preceding may. this enabled them to provide necessaries for the voyage. on the th, at six o'clock in the morning, i sailed from plymouth sound, with the adventure in company; and on the evening of the th anchored in funchiale road, in the island of madeira. the next morning i saluted the garrison with eleven guns; which compliment was immediately returned. soon after i went on shore, accompanied by captain furneaux, the two mr forsters, and mr wales. at our landing, we were received by a gentleman from the vice-consul, mr sills, who conducted us to the house of mr loughnans, the most considerable english merchant in the place. this gentleman not only obtained leave for mr forster to search the island for plants, but procured us every other thing we wanted, and insisted on our accommodating ourselves at his house during our stay. the town of funchiale, which is the capital of the island, is situated about the middle of the south side, in the bottom of the bay of the same name, in latitude ° ' " n., longitude ° - / " w. the longitude was deduced from lunar observations made by mr wales, and reduced to the town by mr kendal's watch, which made the longitude ° ' " w. during our stay here, the crews of both ships were supplied with fresh beef and onions; and a quantity of the latter was distributed amongst them for a sea-store. august having got on board a supply of water, wine, and other necessaries, we left madeira on the st of august, and stood to the southward with a fine gale at n.e. on the th we passed palma, one of the canary isles. it is of a height to be seen twelve or fourteen leagues, and lies in the latitude ° ' n., longitude ° ' w. the next day we saw the isle of ferro, and passed it at the distance of fourteen leagues. i judged it to lie in the latitude of ° ' n. and longitude ° ' w. i now made three puncheons of beer of the inspissated juice of malt. the proportion i made use of was about ten of water to one of juice. fifteen of the nineteen half barrels of the inspissated juice which we had on board, were produced from wort that was hopped before inspissated. the other four were made of beer that had been both hopped and fermented before inspissated. this last requires no other preparation to make it fit for use, than to mix it with cold water, from one part in eight to one part in twelve of water, (or in such other proportion as might be liked,) then stop it down, and in a few days it will be brisk and drinkable. but the other sort, after being mixed with water in the same manner, will require to be fermented with yeast, in the usual way of making beer; at least it was so thought. however, experience taught us that this will not always be necessary: for by the heat of the weather, and the agitation of the ship, both sorts were at this time in the highest state of fermentation, and had hitherto evaded all our endeavours to stop it. if this juice could be kept from fermenting, it certainly would be a most valuable article at sea. on finding that our stock of water would not last as to the cape of good hope, without putting the people to a scanty allowance, i resolved to stop at st jago for a supply. on the th, at nine o'clock in the morning, we made the island of bonavista, bearing s.w. the next day, we passed the isle of mayo on our right; and the same evening anchored in port praya in the island of st jago, in eighteen fathom water. the east point of the bay bore e.; the west point s.w. / s.; and the fort n.w. i immediately dispatched an officer to ask leave to water, and purchase refreshments, which was granted. on the return of the officer, i saluted the fort with eleven guns, on a promise of its being returned with an equal number. but by a mistake, as they pretended, the salute was returned with only nine; for which the governor made an excuse the next day. the th, in the evening, having completed our water, and got on board a supply of refreshments, such as hogs, goats, fowls, and fruit, we put to sea, and proceeded on our voyage. port praya is a small bay, situated about the middle of the south side of the island of st jago, in the latitude of ° ' " n. longitude ° ' w. it may be known, especially in coming from the east, by the southernmost hill on the island, which is round, and peaked at top; and lies a little way inland, in the direction of west from the port. this mark is the more necessary, as there is a small cove about a league to the eastward, with a sandy beach in the bottom of it, a valley, and cocoa-nut trees behind, which strangers may mistake for port praya, as we ourselves did. the two points which form the entrance of port praya bay are rather low, and in the direction of w.s.w. and e.n.e. half a league from each other. close to the west point are sunken rocks, on which the sea continually breaks. the bay lies in n.w. near half a league; and the depth of water is from fourteen to four fathoms. large ships ought not to anchor in less than eight, in which depth the south end of the green island (a small island lying under the west shore) will bear w. you water at a well that is behind the beach at the head of the bay. the water is tolerable, but scarce; and bad getting off, on account of a great surf on the beach. the refreshments to be got here, are bullocks, hogs, goats, sheep, poultry, and fruits. the goats are of the antelope kind, so extraordinarily lean, that hardly any thing can equal them; and the bullocks, hogs, and sheep, are not much better. bullocks must be purchased with money; the price is twelve spanish dollars a-head, weighing between and pounds. other articles may be got from the natives in exchange for old clothes, &c. but the sale of bullocks is confined to a company of merchants; to whom this privilege is granted, and who keep an agent residing upon the spot. the fort above mentioned seems wholly designed for the protection of the bay, and is well situated for that purpose, being built on an elevation, which rises directly from the sea on the right, at the head of the bay. we had no sooner got clear of port praya, than we got a fresh gale at n.n.e. which blew in squalls, attended with showers of rain. but the next day the wind and showers abated, and veered to the s. it was, however, variable and unsettled for several days, accompanied with dark gloomy weather, and showers of rain. on the th, in the afternoon, one of the carpenter's mates fell overboard, and was drowned. he was over the side, fitting in one of the scuttles, from whence it is supposed he had fallen; for he was not seen till the very instant he sunk under the ship's stern, when our endeavours to save him were too late. this loss was sensibly felt during the voyage, as he was a sober man and a good workman. about noon the next day, the rain poured down upon us, not in drops but in streams. the wind, at the same time, was variable and squally, which obliged the people to attend the decks, so that few in the ships escaped a good soaking. we, however, benefited by it, as it gave us an opportunity of filling all our empty water-casks. this heavy rain at last brought on a dead calm, which continued twenty-four hours, when it was succeeded by a breeze from s.w. betwixt this point and s. it continued for several days; and blew at times in squalls, attended with rain and hot sultry weather. the mercury in the thermometers at noon, kept generally from to . on the th, spoke with captain furneaux, who informed us that one of his petty officers was dead. at this time _we_ had not one sick on board, although we had every thing of this kind to fear from the rain we had had, which is a great promoter of sickness in hot climates. to prevent this, and agreeable to some hints i had from sir hugh palliser and from captain campbell, i took every necessary precaution by airing and drying the ship with fires made betwixt decks, smoaking, &c. and by obliging the people to air their bedding, wash and dry their clothes, whenever there was an opportunity. a neglect of these things causeth a disagreeable smell below, affects the air, and seldom fails to bring on sickness, but more especially in hot and wet weather. we now began to see some of those birds which are said never to fly far from land; that is, man-of-war and tropic birds, gannets, &c. no land, however, that we knew of, could be nearer than eighty leagues. on the th at noon, being in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° ' w., and the wind having veered to the east of south, we tacked and stretched to the s.w. in the latitude of ° ' n., longitude ° ' w., we had one calm day, which gave us an opportunity of trying the current in a boat. we found it set to the north one-third of a mile an hour. we had reason to expect this from the difference we frequently found between the observed latitude, and that given by the log; and mr kendal's watch shewed us that it set to the east also. this was fully confirmed by the lunar observations; when it appeared that we were ° ' more to the east than the common reckoning. at the time of trying the current, the mercury in the thermometer in the open air stood at - / ; and when immerged in the surface of the sea, at ; but when immerged eighty fathoms deep (where it remained fifteen minutes) when it came up, the mercury stood at . at the same time we sounded, without out finding the bottom, with a line of two hundred and fifty fathoms. the calm was succeeded by a light breeze at s.w., which kept veering by little and little to the south, and at last to the eastward of south, attended with clear serene weather. september at length, on the th of september, we crossed the line in the longitude of ° w.; after which, the ceremony of ducking, &c., generally practised on this occasion, was not omitted. the wind now veering more and more to the east, and blowing a gentle top- gallant gale, in eight days it carried us into the latitude ° ' s., longitude ° w. the weather was pleasant; and we daily saw some of those birds which are looked upon as signs of the vicinity of land; such as boobies, man of war, tropic birds, and gannets. we supposed they came from the isle of st matthew, or ascension; which isles we must have passed at no great distance. on the th, in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ', we discovered a sail to the west standing after us. she was a snow; and the colours she shewed, either a portuguese or st george's ensign, the distance being too great to distinguish the one from the other, and i did not choose to wait to get nearer, or to speak with her. the wind now began to be variable. it first veered to the north, where it remained two days with fair weather. afterwards it came round by the west to the south, where it remained two days longer, and, after a few hours calm, sprung up at s.w. but here it remained not long, before it veered to s.e.e. and to the north of east; blew fresh, and by squalls, with showers of rain. october with these winds we advanced but slowly; and, without meeting with anything remarkable till the th of october, when, at h m s, by mr kendal's watch, the moon rose about four digits eclipsed, and soon after we prepared to observe the end of the eclipse, as follows, viz. h. m. s. by me at with a common refractor. by mr forster by mr wales quadrant telescope. by mr pickersgill three feet refractor. by mr gilert naked eye. by mr hervey quadrant telescope. --------- mean - / by the watch. watch slow of apparent time --------- apparent time - / end of the eclipse. ditto at greenwich. --------- dif. of longitude - / == ° ' " the longitude observed by mr wales, was by the and aquilae ° ' | by the and adebaran ° |mean ° ' " by mr kendal's watch ° / the next morning, having but little wind, we hoisted a boat out, to try if there was any current, but found none. from this time to the th, we had the wind between the north and east, a gentle gale. we had for some time ceased to see any of the birds before-mentioned; and were now accompanied by albatrosses, pintadoes, sheerwaters, &c., and a small grey peterel, less than a pigeon. it has a whitish belly, and grey back, with a black stroke across from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. these birds sometimes visited us in great flights. they are, as well as the pintadoes, southern birds; and are, i believe, never seen within the tropics, or north of the line. on the th, we saw a sail to the n.w., standing to the eastward, which hoisted dutch colours. she kept us company for two days, but the third we outsailed her. on the st, at h. m. s. a, m., our longitude, by the mean of two observed distances of the sun and moon, was ° ' " e., mr kendal's watch at the same time gave ° '. our latitude was ° ' n. the wind was now easterly, and continued so till the d, when it veered to n. and n.w. after some hours calm; in which we put a boat in the water, and mr forster shot some albatrosses and other birds, on which we feasted the next day, and found them exceedingly good. at the same time we saw a seal, or, as some thought, a sea-lion, which probably might be an inhabitant of one of the isles of tristian de cunhah, being now nearly in their latitude, and about ° east of them. the wind continued but two days at n.w. and s.w.; then veered to the s.e., where it remained two days longer; then fixed at n.w., which carried us to our intended port. as we approached the land, the sea-fowl, which had accompanied us hitherto, began to leave us; at least they did not come in such numbers. nor did we see gannets, or the black bird, commonly called the cape hen, till we were nearly within sight of the cape. nor did we strike sounding till penguin island bore n.n.e., distant two or three leagues, where we had fifty fathom water. not but that the soundings may extend farther off. however, i am very sure that they do not extend very far west from the cape. for we could not find ground with a line of fathoms, twenty-five leagues west of table-bay; the same at thirty-five leagues, and at sixty-four leagues. i sounded these three times, in order to find a bank, which, i had been told, lies to the west of the cape; but how far i never could learn. i was told before i left england, by some gentlemen who were well enough acquainted with the navigation between england and the cape of good hope, that i sailed at an improper season of the year; and that i should meet with much calm weather, near and under the line. this probably may be the case some years. it is, however, not general. on the contrary, we hardly met with any calms; but a brisk s.w. wind in those very latitudes where the calms are expected. nor did we meet with any of those tornadoes, so much spoken of by other navigators. however, what they have said of the current setting towards the coast of guinea, as you approach that shore, is true. for, from the time of our leaving st jago, to our arrival into the latitude of - / ° n., which was eleven days, we were carried by the current ° of longitude more east than our reckoning. on the other hand, after we had crossed the line, and got the s.e. trade-wind, we always found, by observation, that the ship outstripped the reckoning, which we judged to be owing to a current setting between the south and west. but, upon the whole, the currents in this run seemed to balance each other; for upon our arrival at the cape, the difference of longitude by dead reckoning kept from england, without once being corrected, was only three quarters of a degree less than that by observation. at two in the afternoon on the th, we made the land of the cape of good hope. the table mountain, which is over the cape town, bore e.s.e., distance twelve or fourteen leagues. at this time it was a good deal obscured by clouds, otherwise it might, from its height, have been seen at a much greater distance. we now crowded all the sail we could, thinking to get into the bay before dark. but when we found this could not be accomplished, we shortened sail, and spent the night standing off and on. between eight and nine o'clock, the whole sea, within the compass of our sight, became at once, as it were illuminated; or, what the seamen call, all on fire. this appearance of the sea, in some degree, is very common; but the cause is not so generally known. mr banks and dr solander had satisfied me that it was occasioned by sea-insects. mr forster, however, seemed not to favour this opinion. i therefore had some buckets of water drawn up from alongside the ship, which we found full of an innumerable quantity of small globular insects, about the size of a common pin's-head, and quite transparent. there was no doubt of their being living animals, when in their own proper element, though we could not perceive any life in them: mr forster, whose province it is more minutely to describe things of this nature, was now well satisfied with the cause of the sea's illumination. at length day-light came and brought us fair weather; and having stood into table bay, with the adventure in company, we anchored in five fathom water. we afterwards moored n.e. and s.w., green point on the west point of the bay, bearing n.w. by w., and the church, in one with the valley between the table mountain and the sugar-loaf, or lion's head, bearing s.w. by s., and distant from the landing-place near the fort, one mile. we had no sooner anchored than we were visited by the captain of the port, or master-attendant, some other officers belonging to the company, and mr brandt. this last gentleman brought us off such things as could not fail of being acceptable to persons coming from sea. the purport of the master attendant's visit was, according to custom, to take an account of the ships; to enquire into the health of the crews; and, in particular, if the small-pox was on board; a thing they dread, above all others, at the cape, and for these purposes a surgeon is always one of the visitants. my first step after anchoring, was, to send an officer to wait on baron plettenberg, the governor, to acquaint him with our arrival, and the reasons which induced me to put in there. to this the officer received a very polite answer; and, upon his return, we saluted the garrison with eleven guns, which compliment was returned. soon after i went on shore myself, and waited upon the governor, accompanied by captain furneaux, and the two mr forsters. he received us, with very great politeness, and promised me every assistance the place could afford. from him i learned that two french ships from the mauritius, about eight months before, had discovered land, in the latitude of ° s., and in the meridian of that island, along which they sailed forty miles, till they came to a bay into which they were about to enter, when they were driven off and separated in a hard gale of wind, after having lost some of their boats and people, which they had sent to sound the bay. one of the ships, viz. the la fortune, soon after arrived at the mauritius, the captain of which was sent home to france with an account of the discovery. the governor also informed me, that in march last, two other french ships from the island of mauritius, touched at the cape in their way to the south pacific ocean; where they were going to make discoveries, under the command of m. marion. aotourou, the man m. de bougainville brought from otaheite, was to have returned with m. marion, had he been living. after having visited the governor and some other principal persons of the place, we fixed ourselves at mr brandt's, the usual residence of most officers belonging to english ships. this gentleman spares neither trouble nor expence to make his house agreeable to those who favour him with their company, and to accommodate them with every thing they want. with him i concerted measures for supplying the ships with provisions, and all other necessaries they wanted; which he set about procuring without delay, while the seamen on board were employed in overhauling the rigging; and the carpenters in caulking the ships' sides and decks, &c. messrs wales and bayley got all their instruments on shore, in order to make astronomical observations for ascertaining the going of the watches, and other purposes. the result of some of these observations shewed, that mr kendal's watch had answered beyond all expectation, by pointing out the longitude of this place to within one minute of time to what it was observed by messrs mason and dixon in . three or four days after us, two dutch indiamen arrived here from holland; after a passage of between four and five months, in which one lost, by the scurvy and other putrid diseases, men, and the other . they sent, on their arrival, great numbers to the hospital in very dreadful circumstances. it is remarkable that one of these ships touched at port praya, and left it a month before we arrived there; and yet we got here three days before her. the dutch at the cape having found their hospital too small for the reception of their sick, were going to build a new one at the east part of the town; the foundation of which was laid with great ceremony while we were there. november by the healthy condition of the crews of both ships at our arrival, i thought to have made my stay at the cape very short. but, as the bread we wanted was unbaked, and the spirit, which i found scarce, to be collected from different parts out of the country, it was the th of november before we had got every thing on board, and the d before we could put to sea. during this stay the crews of both ships were served every day with fresh beef or mutton, new-baked bread, and as much greens as they could eat. the ships were caulked and painted; and, in every respect, put in as good a condition as when they left england. some alterations in the officers took place in the adventure. mr shank the first lieutenant having been in an ill state of health ever since we sailed from plymouth, and not finding himself recover here, desired my leave to quit, in order to return home for the re- establishment of his health. as his request appeared to be well-founded, i granted him leave accordingly, and appointed mr kemp, first lieutenant in his room, and mr burney, one of my midshipmen, second, in the room of mr kemp. mr forster, whose whole time was taken up in the pursuit of natural history and botany, met with a swedish gentleman, one mr sparman, who understood something of these sciences, having studied under dr linnæus. he being willing to embark with us, mr forster strongly importuned me to take him on board, thinking that he would be of great assistance to him in the course of the voyage. i at last consented, and he embarked with us accordingly, as an assistant to mr forster, who bore his expences on board, and allowed him a yearly stipend besides. mr hodges employed himself here in drawing a view of the cape, town, and parts adjacent, in oil colours, which, was properly packed up with some others, and left with mr brandt, in order to be forwarded to the admiralty by the first ship that should sail for england. chapter ii. _departure from the cape of good hope, in search of a southern continent._ november having at length finished my business at the cape, and taken leave of the governor and some others of the chief officers, who, with very obliging readiness, had given me all the assistance i could desire, on the d of november we repaired on board; and at three o'clock in the afternoon weighed, and came to sail with the wind at n. by w. as soon as the anchor was up, we saluted the port with fifteen guns, which was immediately returned; and after making a few trips, got out of the bay by seven o'clock, at which time the town bore s.e. distant four miles. after this we stood to the westward all night, in order to get clear of the land, having the wind at n.n.w. and n.w., blowing in squalls attended with rain, which obliged us to reef our topsails. the sea was again illuminated for some time, in the same manner as it was the night before we arrived in table bay. having got clear of the land, i directed my course for cape circumcision. the wind continued at n.w. a moderate gale, until the th, when it veered round to the eastward. on the noon of this day, we were in the latitude of ° ' s., and ' west of the cape; and had abundance of albatrosses about us, several of which were caught with hook and line; and were very well relished by many of the people, notwithstanding they were at this time served with fresh mutton. judging that we should soon come into cold weather, i ordered slops to be served to such as were in want; and gave to each man the fearnought jacket and trowsers allowed them by the admiralty. december the wind continued easterly for two days, and blew a moderate gale, which brought us into the latitude of ° ', and ° of longitude west of the cape, thermometer - / the wind now came to w. and s.w.; and on the th fixed at w.n.w., and increased to a storm, which continued, with some few intervals of moderate weather, till the th of december, when we were in the latitude of ° ' s., and longitude ° ' e. this gale, which was attended with rain and hail, blew at times with such violence that we could carry no sails; by which means we were driven far to the eastward of our intended course, and no hopes were left me of reaching cape circumcision. but the greatest misfortune that attended us, was the loss of great part of our live stock, which we had brought from the cape, and which consisted of sheep, hogs, and geese. indeed this sudden transition from warm, mild weather, to extreme cold and wet, made every man in the ship feel its effects. for by this time the mercury in the thermometer had fallen to ; whereas at the cape it was generally at and upwards. i now made some addition to the people's allowance of spirit, by giving them a dram whenever i thought it necessary, and ordered captain furneaux to do the same. the night proved clear and serene, and the only one that was so since we left the cape; and the next morning the rising sun gave us such flattering hopes of a fine day, that we were induced to let all the reefs out of the top-sails, and to get top-gallant yards across, in order to make the most of a fresh gale at north. our hopes, however, soon vanished; for before eight o'clock, the serenity of the sky was changed into a thick haze, accompanied with rain. the gale increasing obliged us to hand the main-sail, close-reef our top-sails, and to strike top-gallant yards. the barometer at this time was unusually low, which foreboded an approaching storm, and this happened accordingly. for, by one o'clock p. m. the wind, which was at n.w., blew with such strength as obliged us to take in all our sails, to strike top-gallant-masts, and to get the spritsail-yard in. and i thought proper to wear, and lie-to, under a mizzen-stay-sail, with the ships' heads to the n.e. as they would bow the sea, which ran prodigiously high, better on this tack. at eight o'clock next morning, being the th, we wore, and lay on the other tack; the gale was a little abated, but the sea ran too high to make sail, any more than the fore-top-mast-stay-sail. in the evening, being in the latitude of ° s., and - / ° e. of the cape, we saw two penguins and some sea or rock-weed, which occasioned us to sound, without finding ground at fathoms. at eight p. m. we wore, and lay with our heads to the n.e. till three in the morning of the th, then wore again to the southward, the wind blowing in squalls attended with showers of snow. at eight, being something more moderate, i made the adventure signal to make sail; and soon after made sail ourselves under the courses and close-reefed top-sails. in the evening, took in the top-sails and main-sail, and brought-to under fore-sail and mizzen; thermometer at °. the wind still at n.w. blew a fresh gale, accompanied with a very high sea. in the night had a pretty smart frost with snow. in the morning of the th we made sail under courses and top-sails close- reefed; and made the signal for the adventure to make sail and lead. at eight o'clock saw an island of ice to the westward of us, being then in the latitude of ° ' s. and longitude ° ' e. of the cape of good hope. soon after the wind moderated, and we let all the reefs out of the top- sails, got the spritsail-yard out, and top-gallant-mast up. the weather coming hazy, i called the adventure by signal under my stern, which was no sooner done, than the haze increased so much with snow and sleet, that we did not see an island of ice, which we were steering directly for, till we were less than a mile from it. i judged it to be about feet high, and half a mile in circuit. it was flat at top, and its sides rose in a perpendicular direction, against which the sea broke exceedingly high. captain furneaux at first took this ice for land, and hauled off from it, until called back by signal. as the weather was foggy, it was necessary to proceed with caution. we therefore reefed our top-sails, and at the same time sounded, but found no ground with fathoms. we kept on to the southward with the wind at north till night, which we spent in making short trips, first one way and then another, under an easy sail; thermometer these hours from - / to . at day-light in the morning of the th, we made sail to the southward with the wind at west, having a fresh gale, attended with sleet and snow. at noon we were in the latitude of ° ' s., and longitude ° ' e., where we saw some white birds about the size of pigeons, with blackish bills and feet. i never saw any such before; and mr forster had no knowledge of them. i believe them to be of the peterel tribe, and natives of these icy seas. at this time we passed between two ice islands, which lay at a little distance from each other. in the night the wind veered to n.w. which enabled us to steer s.w. on the th we had still thick hazy weather, with sleet and snow; so that we were obliged to proceed with great caution on account of the ice islands. six of these we passed this day; some of them near two miles in circuit, and sixty feet high. and yet, such was the force and height of the waves, that the sea broke quite over them. this exhibited a view which for a few moments was pleasing to the eye; but when we reflected on the danger, the mind was filled with horror. for were a ship to get against the weather-side of one of these islands when the sea runs high, she would be dashed to pieces in a moment. upon our getting among the ice islands, the albatrosses left us; that is, we saw but one now and then. nor did our other companions, the pintadoes, sheerwaters, small grey birds, fulmars, &c., appear in such numbers; on the other hand, penguins began to make their appearance. two of these birds were seen to-day. the wind in the night veered to west, and at last fixed at s.w., a fresh gale, with sleet and snow, which froze on our sails and rigging as it fell, so that they were all hung with icicles. we kept on to the southward, passed no less than eighteen ice islands, and saw more penguins. at noon on the th, we were in the latitude of ° s., which is the latitude of cape circumcision, discovered by m. bouvet in ; but we were ten degrees of longitude east of it; that is, near leagues in this latitude. we stood on to the s.s.e. till eight o'clock in the evening, the weather still continuing thick and hazy, with sleet and snow. from noon till this time, twenty ice islands, of various extent, both for height and circuit, presented themselves to our view. at eight o'clock we sounded, but found no ground with fathom of line. we now tacked and made a trip to the northward till midnight, when we stood again to the southward; and at half an hour past six o'clock in the morning of the th, we were stopped by an immense field of low ice; to which we could see no end, either to the east, west, or south. in different parts of this field were islands or hills of ice, like those we found floating in the sea; and some on board thought they saw land also over the ice, bearing s.w. by s. i even thought so myself; but changed my opinion upon more narrowly examining these ice hills, and the various appearances they made when seen through the haze. for at this time it was both hazy and cloudy in the horizon; so that a distant object could not be seen distinct. being now in the latitude of ° ' s. and longitude ° ' e., and having the wind at n.w. we bore away along the edge of the ice, steering s.s.e. and s.e., according to the direction of the north side of it, where we saw many whales, penguins, some white birds, pintadoes, &c. at eight o'clock we brought-to under a point of the ice, where we had smooth water: and i sent on board for captain furneaux. after we had fixed on rendezvouses in case of separation, and some other matters for the better keeping company, he returned on board, and we made sail again along the ice. some pieces we took up along-side, which yielded fresh water. at noon we had a good observation, and found ourselves in latitude ° ' s. we continued a south-east course along the edge of the ice, till one o'clock, when we came to a point round which we hauled s.s.w., the sea appearing to be clear of ice in that direction. but after running four leagues upon this course, with the ice on our starboard side, we found ourselves quite imbayed; the ice extending from n.n.e. round by the west and south, to east, in one compact body. the weather was indifferently clear; and yet we could see no end to it. at five o'clock we hauled up east, wind at north, a gentle gale, in order to clear the ice. the extreme east point of it, at eight o'clock, bore e. by s., over which appeared a clear sea. we however spent the night in making short boards, under an easy sail. thermometer, these hours, from to . next day, the th, we had the wind at n.w., a small gale, thick foggy weather, with much snow; thermometer from to ; so that our sails and rigging were all hung with icicles. the fog was so thick at times, that we could not see the length of the ship; and we had much difficulty to avoid the many islands of ice that surrounded us. about noon, having but little wind, we hoisted out a boat to try the current, which we found set s.e. near / of a mile an hour. at the same time, a thermometer, which in the open air was at °, in the surface of the sea was at °; and, after being immerged fathoms deep for about fifteen or twenty minutes, came up at °, which is only ° above freezing. our latitude at this time was ° '. the thick fog continued till two o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, when it cleared away a little, and we made sail to the southward, wind still at n.w. a gentle gale. we had not run long to the southward before we fell in with the main field of ice extending from s.s.w. to e. we now bore away to east along the edge of it; but at night hauled off north, with the wind at w.n.w., a gentle gale, attended with snow. at four in the morning on the th, stood again to the south; but was again obliged to bear up on account of the ice, along the side of which we steered betwixt e. and s.s.w., hauling into every bay or opening, in hopes of finding a passage to the south. but we found every where the ice closed. we had a gentle gale at n.w. with showers of snow. at noon we were, by observation, in the latitude of ° ' s. in the evening the weather was clear and serene. in the course of this day we saw many whales, one seal, penguins, some of the white birds, another sort of peterel, which is brown and white, and not much unlike a pintado; and some other sorts already known. we found the skirts of the loose ice to be more broken than usual; and it extended some distance beyond the main field, insomuch that we sailed amongst it the most part of the day; and the high ice islands without us were innumerable. at eight o'clock we sounded, but found no ground with fathoms of line. after this we hauled close upon a wind to the northward, as we could see the field of ice extend as far as n.e. but this happened not to be the northern point; for at eleven o'clock we were obliged to tack to avoid it. at two o'clock the next morning we stood again to the northward, with the wind at n.w. by w., thinking to weather the ice upon this tack; on which we stood but two hours, before we found ourselves quite imbayed, being then in latitude ° ', longitude ° '. the wind veering more to the north, we tacked and stood to the westward under all the sail we could carry, having a fresh breeze and clear weather, which last was of short duration. for at six o'clock it became hazy, and soon after there was thick fog; the wind veered to the n.e., freshened and brought with it snow and sleet, which froze on the rigging as it fell. we were now enabled to get clear of the field of ice: but at the same time we were carried in amongst the ice islands, in a manner equally dangerous, and which with much difficulty we kept clear of. dangerous as it is to sail among these floating rocks (if i may be allowed to call them so) in a thick fog, this, however, is preferable to being entangled with immense fields of ice under the same circumstances. the great danger to be apprehended in this latter case, is the getting fast in the ice; a situation which would be exceedingly alarming. i had two men on board that had been in the greenland trade; the one of them in a ship that lay nine weeks, and the other in one that lay six weeks, fast in this kind of ice, which they called packed ice. what they called field ice is thicker; and the whole field, be it ever so large, consists of one piece. whereas this which i call field-ice, from its immense extent, consists of many pieces of various sizes, both in thickness and surface, from thirty or forty feet square to three or four, packed close together, and in places heaped one upon another. this, i am of opinion, would be found too hard for a ship's side, that is not properly armed against it. how long it may have lain, or will lie here, is a point not easily determined. such ice is found in the greenland seas all the summer long; and i think it cannot be colder there in the summer, than it is here. be this as it may, we certainly had no thaw; on the contrary, the mercury in fahrenheit's thermometer kept generally below the freezing point, although it was the middle of summer. it is a general opinion, that the ice i have been speaking of, is formed in bays and rivers. under this supposition we were led to believe that land was not far distant; and that it even lay to the southward behind the ice, which alone hindered us from approaching to it. therefore, as we had now sailed above thirty leagues along the edge of the ice, without finding a passage to the south, i determined to run thirty or forty leagues to the east, afterwards endeavour to get to the southward, and, if i met with no land, or other impediment, to get behind the ice, and put the matter out of all manner of dispute. with this view, we kept standing to the n.w., with the wind at n.e. and n., thick foggy weather, with sleet and snow, till six in the evening, when the wind veered to n.w., and we tacked and stood to the eastward, meeting with many islands of ice of different magnitudes, and some loose pieces: the thermometer from to ; weather very hazy, with sleet and snow, and more sensibly colder than the thermometer seemed to point out, insomuch that the whole crew complained. in order to enable them to support this weather the better, i caused the sleeves of their jackets (which were so short as to expose their arms) to be lengthened with baize; and had a cap made for each man of the same stuff, together with canvas; which proved of great service to them. some of our people appearing to have symptoms of the scurvy, the surgeons began to give them fresh wort every day, made from the malt we had on board for that purpose. one man in particular was highly scorbutic; and yet he had been taking the rob of lemon and orange for some time, without being benefited thereby. on the other hand, captain furneaux told me, that he had two men, who, though far gone in this disease, were now in a manner entirely cured by it. we continued standing to the eastward till eight o'clock in the morning of the st; when, being in the latitude of ° ', and longitude ° ' e., we hauled to the south, with the wind at west, a fresh gale and hazy, with snow. in the evening the wind fell and the weather cleared up, so as that we could see a few leagues round us; being in the latitude of ° ' s. longitude ° ' e. at ten o'clock, seeing many islands of ice a-head, and the weather coming on foggy, with snow, we wore and stood to the northward, till three in the morning, when we stood again to the south. at eight, the weather cleared up, and the wind came to w.s.w., with which we made all the sail we could to the south; having never less than ten or twelve islands of ice in sight. next day we had the wind at s.w. and s.s.w., a gentle gale, with now and then showers of snow and hail. in the morning, being in the latitude of ° ' s., and longitude ° ' e., we hoisted out a boat to see if there was any current, but found none. mr forster, who went in the boat, shot some of the small grey birds before-mentioned, which were of the peterel tribe, and about the size of a small pigeon. their back, and upper side of their wings, their feet and bills, are of a blue-grey colour. their bellies, and under side of their wings are white, a little tinged with blue. the upper side of their quill feathers is a dark-blue tinged with black. a streak is formed by feathers nearly of this colour, along the upper parts of the wings, and crossing the back a little above the tail. the end of the tail feathers is also of the same colour. their bills are much broader than any i have seen of the same tribe; and their tongues are remarkably broad. these blue peterels, as i shall call them, are seen no where but in the southern hemisphere, from about the latitude of °, and upwards. thermometer at ° in the open air, and ° in the sea at the surface, and at - / when drawn, and - / minutes in drawing up from fathoms below it, where it had been sixteen minutes. on the th, the wind blew from n.w. to n.e., a gentle gale, fair and cloudy. at noon we were by observation, in the latitude of ° ' s, and longitude ° ' e., the thermometer at . and being near an island of ice, which was about fifty feet high, and fathoms in circuit, i sent the master in the jolly-boat to see if any water run from it. he soon returned with an account that there was not one drop, or any other appearance of thaw. in the evening we sailed through several floats, or fields of loose ice, lying in the direction of s.e. and n.w.; at the same time we had continually several islands of the same composition in sight. on the th, the wind veering round from the n.e., by the east to south, it blew a gentle gale; with which we stood to the w.s.w, and at noon were in the latitude of ° ' s., and longitude ° ' e. the weather was fair and cloudy; the air sharp and cold, attended with a hard frost. and, although this was the middle of summer with us, i much question if the day was colder in any part of england. the wind continued at south, blew a fresh gale, fair and cloudy weather, till near noon the next day, when we had clear sun-shine, and found ourselves, by observation, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. in the course of the last twenty-four hours we passed through several fields of broken loose ice. they were in general narrow, but of a considerable length, in the direction of n.w. and s.e. the ice was so close in one, that it would hardly admit the ship through it. the pieces were flat, from four to six or eight inches thick, and appeared of that sort of ice which is generally formed in bays or rivers. others again were different; the pieces forming various honey-combed branches, exactly like coral rocks, and exhibiting such a variety of figures as can hardly be conceived. we supposed this ice to have broke from the main field we had lately left; and which i was determined to get to the south of, or behind, if possible, in order to satisfy myself whether or not it joined to any land, as had been conjectured. with this view i kept on to the westward, with a gentle gale at south, and s.s.w., and soon after six o'clock in the evening, we saw some penguins, which occasioned us to sound; but we found no ground with fathoms. in the morning of the th, we saw more loose ice, but not many islands; and those we did see were but small. the day being calm and pleasant, and the sea smooth, we hoisted out a boat, from which mr forster shot a penguin and some peterels. these penguins differ not from those seen in other parts of the world, except in some minute particulars distinguishable only by naturalists. some of the peterels were of the blue sort, but differed from those before-mentioned, in not having a broad bill; and the ends of their tail feathers were tipped with white instead of dark-blue. but whether these were only the distinctions betwixt the male and female, was a matter disputed by our naturalists. we were now in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., and took the opportunity of the calm, to sound; but found no ground with a line of fathoms. the calm continued till six in the evening, when it was succeeded by a light breeze from the east, which afterwards increased to a fresh gale. in the morning of the th i made the signal to the adventure to spread four miles on my starboard beam; and in this position we continued sailing w.s.w., until four o'clock in the afternoon, when the hazy weather, attended with snow showers, made it necessary for us to join. soon after we reefed our top-sails, being surrounded on all sides with islands of ice. in the morning of the th we let them out again, and set top-gallant-sails; still continuing our course to the westward, and meeting with several penguins. at noon we were by observation in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' e., which is ° more to the west than we were when we first fell in with the field of ice; so that it is pretty clear that it joined to no land, as we conjectured. having come to a resolution to run as far west as the meridian of cape circumcision, provided we met with no impediment, as the distance was not more than eighty leagues, the wind favourable, and the sea seemed to be pretty clear of ice, i sent on board for captain furneaux, to make him acquainted therewith, and after dinner he returned to his ship. at one o'clock we steered for an island of ice, thinking if there were any loose ice round it, to take some on board, and convert it into fresh water. at four we brought-to, close under the lee of the island, where we did not find what we wanted, but saw upon it eighty-six penguins. this piece of ice was about half a mile in circuit, and one hundred feet high and upwards, for we lay for some minutes with every sail becalmed under it. the side on which the penguins were, rose sloping from the sea, so as to admit them to creep up it. it is a received opinion, that penguins never go far from land, and that the sight of them is a sure indication of its vicinity. the opinion may hold good where there are no ice islands; but where such are, these birds, as well as many others which usually keep near the shores, finding a roosting-place upon these islands, may be brought by them a great distance from any land. it will, however, be said, that they must go on shore to breed, that probably the females were there, and that these are only the males which we saw. be this as it may, i shall continue to take notice of these birds whenever we see them, and leave every one to judge for himself. we continued our course to the westward, with a gentle gale at e.n.e., the weather being sometimes tolerably clear, and at other times thick and hazy, with snow. the thermometer for a few days past was from to . at nine o'clock the next morning, being the th, we shot one of the white birds, upon which we lowered a boat into the water to take it up, and by that means killed a penguin which weighed eleven pounds and a half. the white bird was of the peterel tribe; the bill, which is rather short, is of a colour between black and dark blue, and their legs and feet are blue. i believe them to be the same sort of birds that bouvet mentions to have seen when he was off cape circumcision. we continued our westerly course till eight o'clock in the evening, when we steered n.w., the point on which i reckoned the above-mentioned cape to bear. at midnight we fell in with loose ice, which soon after obliged us to tack, and stretch to the southward. at half an hour past two o'clock in the morning of the st, we stood for it again, thinking to take some on board, but this was found impracticable; for the wind, which had been at n.e, now veered to s.e., and increasing to a fresh gale, brought with it such a sea as made it very dangerous for the ships to remain among the ice. the danger was yet farther increased by discovering an immense field to the north, extending from n.e. by e. to s.w. by w. farther than the eye could reach. as we were not above two or three miles from this, and surrounded by loose ice, there was no time to deliberate. we presently wore; got our tacks on board; hauled to the south, and soon got clear; but not before we had received several hard knocks from the loose pieces, which were of the largest sort, and among which we saw a seal. in the afternoon the wind increased in such a manner, as to oblige us to hand the top-sails, and strike top-gallant-yards. at eight o'clock we tacked and stood to the east till midnight; when being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e, we stood again to the west. january next day, towards noon, the gale abated, so that we could carry close- reefed top-sails. but the weather continued thick and hazy, with sleet and snow, which froze on the rigging as it fell, and ornamented the whole with icicles; the mercury in the thermometer being generally below the freezing point. this weather continued till near noon the next day; at which time we were in the latitude of ° ' s.; longitude ° ' e.; and here we saw some penguins. the wind had now veered to the west, and was so moderate, that we could bear two reefs out of the top-sails. in the afternoon, we were favoured with a sight of the moon, whose face we had seen but once since we left the cape of good hope. by this a judgment may be formed of the sort of weather we had since we left that place. we did not fail to seize the opportunity to make several observations of the sun and moon. the longitude deduced from it was ° ' " e. mr kendal's watch, at the same time, giving ° ' e., and the latitude was ° ' " s. this longitude is nearly the same that is assigned to cape circumcision; and at the going down of the sun we were about ninety-five leagues to the south of the latitude it is said to lie in. at this time the weather was so clear, that we might have seen land at fourteen or fifteen leagues distance. it is, therefore very probable, that what bouvet took for land, was nothing but mountains of ice, surrounded by loose or field-ice. we ourselves were undoubtedly deceived by the ice-hills, the day we first fell in with the field-ice. nor was it an improbable conjecture, that that ice joined to land. the probability was however now greatly lessened, if not entirely set aside; for the space between the northern edge of the ice, along which we sailed, and our route to the west, when south of it, no where exceeded leagues, and in some places not . the clear weather continued no longer than three o'clock the next morning, when it was succeeded by a thick fog, sleet, and snow. the wind also veered to n.e. and blew a fresh gale, with which we stood to s.e. it increased in such a manner, that before noon we were brought under close-reefed top-sails. the wind continued to veer to the north, at last fixed at n.w., and was attended with intervals of clear weather. our course was e. / n., till noon the next day, when we were in the latitude of ° ' s., and nearly under the same meridian as we were when we fell in with the last field of ice, five days before; so that had it remained in the same situation, we must now have been in the middle of it, whereas we did not so much as see any. we cannot suppose that so large a float of ice as this was, could be destroyed in so short a time. it therefore must have drifted to the northward: and this makes it probable that there is no land under this meridian, between the latitude of ° and °, where we had supposed some to lie, as mentioned above. as we were now only sailing over a part of the sea where we had been before, i directed the course e.s.e. in order to get more to the south. we had the advantage of a fresh gale, and the disadvantage of a thick fog; much snow and sleet, which, as usual, froze on our rigging as it fell; so that every rope was covered with the finest transparent ice i ever saw. this afforded an agreeable sight enough to the eye, but conveyed to the mind an idea of coldness, much greater than it really was; for the weather was rather milder then it had been for some time past, and the sea less encumbered with ice. but the worst was, the ice so clogged the rigging, sails, and blocks, as to make them exceedingly bad to handle. our people, however, surmounted those difficulties with a steady perseverance, and withstood this intense cold much better than i expected. we continued to steer to the e.s.e. with a fresh gale at n.w. attended with snow and sleet, till the th, when we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. in the afternoon we passed more ice islands than we had seen for several days. indeed they were now so familiar to us, that they were often passed unnoticed; but more generally unseen on account of the thick weather. at nine o'clock in the evening, we came to one, which had a quantity of loose ice about it. as the wind was moderate, and the weather tolerably fair, we shortened sail, and stood on and off, with a view of taking some on board on the return of light. but at four o'clock in the morning, finding ourselves to leeward of this ice, we bore down to an island to leeward of us; there being about it some loose ice, part of which we saw break off. there we brought-to; hoisted out three boats; and in about five or six hours, took up as much ice as yielded fifteen tons of good fresh water. the pieces we took up were hard, and solid as a rock; some of them were so large, that we were obliged to break them with pick- axes before they could be taken into the boats. the salt water which adhered to the ice, was so trifling as not to be tasted, and, after it had lain on deck for a short time, entirely drained off; and the water which the ice yielded, was perfectly sweet and well- tasted. part of the ice we broke in pieces, and put into casks; some we melted in the coppers, and filled up the casks with the water; and some we kept on deck for present use. the melting and stowing away the ice is a little tedious, and takes up some time; otherwise this is the most expeditious way of watering i ever met with. having got on board this supply of water, and the adventure about two- thirds as much (of which we stood in great need,) as we had once broke the ice, i did not doubt of getting more whenever we were in want. i therefore without hesitation directed our course more to the south, with a gentle gale at n.w., attended, as usual, with snow showers. in the morning of the th, being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° e., the variation of the compass was ° ' w., and the following morning in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., by the mean of three compasses, it was no more than ° ' w. in this situation we saw some penguins; and being near an island of ice from which several pieces had broken, we hoisted out two boats, and took on board as much as filled all our empty casks, and the adventure did the same. while this was doing, mr forster shot an albatross, whose plumage was of a colour between brown and dark-grey, the head and upper side of the wings rather inclining to black, and it had white eye-brows. we began to see these birds about the time of our first falling in with the ice islands; and some have accompanied us ever since. these, and the dark-brown sort with a yellow bill, were the only albatrosses that had not now forsaken us. at four o'clock p.m. we hoisted in the boats, and made sail to the s.e., with a gentle breeze at s. by w., attended with showers of snow. on the th, at two o'clock a. m. it fell calm. of this we took the opportunity to hoist out a boat, to try the current, which we found to set n.w. near one-third of a mile an hour. at the time of trying the current, a fahrenheit's thermometer was immerged in the sea fathoms below its surface, where it remained twenty minutes. when it came up, the mercury stood at , which is the freezing point. some little time after, being exposed to the surface of the sea, it rose to - / , and in the open air to . the calm continued till five o'clock in the evening, when it was succeeded by a light breeze from the s. and s.e., with which we stood to the n.e. with all our sails set. though the weather continued fair, the sky, as usual, was clouded. however, at nine o'clock the next morning, it was clear; and we were enabled to observe several distances between the sun and moon. the mean result of which gave ° ' " e. longitude. mr kendal's watch at the same time gave ° ' " which is ° ' " w. of the observations; whereas, on the d instant, it was half a degree e. of them. in the evening i found the variation by the mean of azimuths taken with gregory's compass to be ° ' " by the mean of six azimuths by one of dr knight's and by another of dr knight's our latitude at this time was ° ', longitude ° - / " the succeeding morning, the th, being then in latitude ° ' s., the longitude was observed by the following persons, viz. myself, being the mean of six distances of the sun and moon ° ' " e. mr wales, ditto ditto, ditto lieutenant clerke, ditto mr gilbert, ditto mr smith, ditto ---------- mean mr kendal's watch made which is nearly the same difference as the day before. but mr wales and i took each of us six distances of the sun and moon, with the telescopes fixed to our sextants, which brought out the longitude nearly the same as the watch. the results were as follows:--by mr wales, ° ' ", and by me, ° ' ". it is impossible for me to say whether these or the former are the nearest to the truth; nor can i assign any probable reason for so great a disagreement. we certainly can observe with greater accuracy through the telescope, than with the common sight, when the ship is sufficiently steady. the use of the telescope is found difficult at first, but a little practice will make it familiar. by the assistance of the watch, we shall be able to discover the greatest error this method of observing the longitude at sea is liable to; which at the greatest does not exceed a degree and a half, and in general will be found to be much less. such is the improvement navigation has received by the astronomers and mathematical instrument- makers of this age; by the former from the valuable tables they have communicated to the public, under the direction of the board of longitude, and contained in the astronomical ephemeris; and by the latter, from the great accuracy they observe in making instruments, without which the tables would, in a great measure, lose their effect. the preceding observations were made by four different sextants, of different workmen. mine was by mr bird; one of mr wales's by mr dollond; the other and mr clerke's by mr ramsden; as also mr gilbert's and smith's, who observed with the same instrument. five tolerably fine days had now succeeded one another. this, besides giving us an opportunity to make the preceding observations, was very serviceable to us on many other accounts, and came at a very seasonable time. for, having on board a good quantity of fresh water, or ice, which was the same thing, the people were enabled to wash and dry their clothes and linen; a care that can never be enough attended to in all long voyages. the winds during this time blew in gentle gales, and the weather was mild. yet the mercury in the thermometer never rose above ; and was frequently as low as the freezing point. in the afternoon having but little wind, i brought-to under an island of ice, and sent a boat to take up some. in the evening the wind freshened at east, and was attended with snow showers and thick hazy weather, which continued great part of the th. as we met with little ice, i stood to the south, close hauled; and at six o'clock in the evening, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. i found the variation by gregory's compass to be ° ' w. at this time the motion of the ship was so great that i could by no means observe with any of dr knight's compasses. as the wind remained invariably fixed at e. and e. by s., i continued to stand to the south; and on the th, between eleven and twelve o'clock, we crossed the antarctic circle in the longitude of ° ' e., for at noon we were by observation in the latitude of ° ' " s. the weather was now become tolerably clear, so that we could see several leagues round us; and yet we had only seen one island of ice since the morning. but about four p.m. as we were steering to the south, we observed the whole sea in a manner covered with ice, from the direction of s.e., round by the s. to w. in this space, thirty-eight ice islands, great and small, were seen, besides loose ice in abundance, so that we were obliged to luff for one piece, and bear up for another, and as we continued to advance to the south, it increased in such a manner, that at three quarters past six o'clock, being then in the latitude of ° ' s., we could proceed no farther; the ice being entirely closed to the south, in the whole extent from e. to w.s.w., without the least appearance of any opening. this immense field was composed of different kinds of ice; such as high hills, loose or broken pieces packed close together, and what, i think, greenlandmen call field-ice. a float of this kind of ice lay to the s.e. of us, of such extent, that i could see no end to it from the mast-head. it was sixteen or eighteen feet high at least; and appeared of a pretty equal height and surface. here we saw many whales playing about the ice, and for two days before had seen several flocks of the brown and white pintadoes, which we named antarctic peterels, because they seem to be natives of that region. they are, undoubtedly, of the peterel tribe; are in every respect shaped like the pintadoes, differing only from them in colour. the head and fore-part of the body of these are brown; and the hind-part of the body, tail, and the ends of the wings, are white. the white peterel also appeared in greater numbers than before; some few dark-grey albatrosses, and our constant companion the blue peterel. but the common pintadoes had quite disappeared, as well as many other sorts, which are common in lower latitudes. chapter iii. _sequel of the search for a southern continent, between the meridian of the cape of good hope and new zealand; with an account of the separation of the two ships, and the arrival of the resolution in dusky bay._ january after meeting with this ice, i did not think it was at all prudent to persevere in getting farther to the south; especially as the summer was already half spent, and it would have taken up some time to have got round the ice, even supposing it to have been practicable; which, however, is doubtful. i therefore came to a resolution to proceed directly in search of the land lately discovered by the french. and, as the winds still continued at e. by s., i was obliged to return to the north, over some part of the sea i had already made myself acquainted with, and, for that reason, wished to have avoided. but this was not to be done, as our course made good, was little better than north. in the night the wind increased to a strong gale, attended with sleet and snow, and obliged us to double-reef our top-sails. about noon the next day the gale abated, so that we could bear all our reefs out; but the wind still remained in its old quarter. in the evening, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., a bird, called by us in my former voyage port egmont hen, (on account of the great plenty of them at port egmont in falkland isles,) came hovering several times over the ship, and then left us in the direction of n.e. they are a short thick bird, about the size of a large crow, of a dark-brown or chocolate colour, with a whitish streak under each wing, in the shape of a half-moon. i have been told that these birds are found in great plenty at the fero isles, north of scotland; and that they never go far from land. certain it is, i never before saw them above forty leagues off; but i do not remember ever seeing fewer than two together; whereas here was but one, which, with the islands of ice, may have come a good way from land. at nine o'clock, the wind veering to e.n.e., we tacked and stood to the s.s.e, but at four in the morning of the th, it returned back to its old point, and we resumed our northerly course. one of the above birds was seen this morning, probably the same we saw the night before, as our situation was not much altered. as the day advanced, the gale increased, attended with thick hazy weather, sleet, and snow, and at last obliged us to close- reef our top-sails, and strike top-gallant-yards. but in the evening the wind abated so as to admit us to carry whole top-sails, and top-gallant- yards aloft. hazy weather, with snow and sleet continued. in the afternoon of the st, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., we saw a white albatross with black tipped wings, and a pintado bird. the wind was now at s. and s.w., a fresh gale. with this we steered n.e., against a very high sea, which did not indicate the vicinity of land in that quarter; and yet it was there we were to expect it. the next day we had intervals of fair weather, the wind was moderate, and we carried our studding-sails. in the morning of the d, we were in latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. snow showers continued, and the weather was so cold, that the water in our water-vessels on deck had been frozen for several preceding nights. having clear weather at intervals, i spread the ships a-breast four miles from each other, in order the better to discover any thing that might lie in our way. we continued to sail in this manner till six o'clock in the evening, when hazy weather and snow showers made it necessary for us to join. we kept our course to n.e. till eight o'clock in the morning of the th, when the wind having veered round to n.e. by e., by the w. and n. we tacked, and stood to n.w. the wind was fresh, and yet we made but little way against a high northerly sea. we now began to see some of that sort of peterels so well known to sailors by the name of sheerwaters, latitude ° ', longitude ° ' e. in the afternoon the wind veered to the southward of east; and at eight o'clock in the evening, it increased to a storm, attended with thick hazy weather, sleet and snow. during night we went under our fore-sail and main-top-sail close-reefed: at day-light the next morning, added to them the fore and mizen top-sails. at four o'clock it fell calm; but a prodigious high sea from the n.e., and a complication of the worst of weather, viz. snow, sleet, and rain, continued, together with the calm, till nine o'clock in the evening. then the weather cleared up, and we got a breeze at s.e. by s. with this we steered n. by e. till eight o'clock the next morning, being the th, when i spread the ships, and steered n.n.e., all sails set, having a fresh breeze at s. by w., and clear weather. at noon we were by observation, in the latitude of ° ' s., and, about three o'clock in the afternoon, the sun and moon appearing at intervals, their distances were observed by the following persons; and the longitude resulting therefrom was, by mr wales, (the mean of two sets) ° ' east. lieutenant clerke mr gilbert mr smith mr kendal's watch at six o'clock in the evening, being in latitude ° ' s., i now made signal to the adventure to come under my stern; and at eight o'clock the next morning sent her to look out on my starboard beam, having at this time a fresh gale at west and pretty clear weather. but this was not of long duration; for, at two in the afternoon, the sky became cloudy and hazy, the wind increased to a fresh gale, blew in squalls attended with snow, sleet, and drizzling rain. i now made signal to the adventure to come under my stern, and took another reef in each top-sail. at eight o'clock i hauled up the main-sail, and run all night under the foresail, and two top-sails; our course being n.n.e. and n.e. by n., with a strong gale at n.w. the th, at noon, we observed in latitude ° ' s., the weather being fair and tolerably clear. but in the afternoon, it again became very thick and hazy with rain; and the gale increased in such a manner as to oblige us to strike top-gallant yards, close-reef and hand the top-sails. we spent part of the night, which was very dark and stormy, in making a tack to the s.w., and in the morning of the th, stood again to the n.e., wind at n.w. and n., a very fresh gale; which split several of our small sails. this day no ice was seen, probably owing to the thick hazy weather. at eight o'clock in the evening we tacked and stood to the westward, under our courses; but as the sea run high, we made our course no better than s.s.w. at four o'clock the next morning, the gale had a little abated; and the wind had backed to w. by s. we again stood to the northward, under courses and double-reefed top-sails, having a very high sea from the n.n.w., which gave us but little hopes of finding the land we were in search of. at noon we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., and presently after we saw two islands of ice. one of these we passed very near, and found that it was breaking or falling to pieces, by the cracking noise it made; which was equal to the report of a four-pounder. there was a good deal of loose ice about it; and had the weather been favourable, i should have brought-to, and taken some up. after passing this, we saw no more, till we returned again to the south. february hazy gloomy weather continued, and the wind remained invariably fixed at n.w., so that we could make our course no better than n.e. by n., and this course we held till four o'clock in the afternoon of the first of february. being then in the latitude of ° ', and longitude ° ' e., nearly in the meridian of the island of mauritius, and where we were to expect to find the land said to be discovered by the french, of which at this time we saw not the least signs, we bore away east. i now made the signal to the adventure to keep at the distance of four miles on my starboard beam. at half an hour past six, captain furneaux made the signal to speak with me; and upon his coming under my stern, he informed me that he had just seen a large float of sea or rock weed, and about it several birds (divers.) these were certainly signs of the vicinity of land; but whether it lay to the east or west, was not possible for us to know. my intention was to have got into this latitude four or five degrees of longitude to the west of the meridian we were in, and then to have carried on my researches to the east. but the west and north-west winds we had had the five preceding days, prevented me from putting this in execution. the continual high sea we had lately had from the n.e., n., n.w. and w., left me no reason to believe that land of any extent lay to the west. we therefore continued to steer to the east, only lying-to a few hours in the night, and in the morning resumed our course again, four miles north and south from each other; the hazy weather not permitting us to spread farther. we passed two or three small pieces of rock weed, and saw two or three birds known by the name of egg-birds; but saw no other signs of land. at noon we observed in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. as we could only see a few miles farther to the south, and as it was not impossible that there might be land not far off in that direction, i gave orders to steer s. / e., and made the signal for the adventure to follow, she being by this movement thrown a-stern: the weather continuing hazy till half an hour past six o'clock in the evening, when it cleared up so as to enable us to see about five leagues round us. being now in the latitude of ° ' s., without having the least signs of land, i wore and stood again to the eastward, and soon after spoke with captain furneaux. he told me that he thought the land was to the n.w. of us,; as he had, at one time, observed the sea to be smooth when the wind blew in that direction. athough this was not conformable to the remarks _we_ had made on the sea, i resolved to clear up the point, if the wind would admit of my getting to the west in any reasonable time. at eight o'clock in the morning of the d, being in the latitude of ° ' s. longitude ° ' e., and upwards of ° to the east of the meridian of the mauritius, i began to despair of finding land to the east; and as the wind had now veered to the north, resolved to search for it to the west. i accordingly tacked and stood to the west with a fresh gale. this increased in such a manner, that, before night, we were reduced to our two courses; and, at last, obliged to lie-to under the fore-sails, having a prodigious high sea from w.n.w., notwithstanding the height of the gale was from n. by w. at three o'clock the next morning, the gale abating, we made sail, and continued to ply to the west till ten o'clock in the morning of the th. at this time, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., the wind seemingly fixed at w.n.w., and seeing no signs of meeting with land, i gave over plying, and bore away east a little southerly: being satisfied, that if there is any land hereabout, it can only be an isle of no great extent. and it was just as probable i might have found it to the e. as to the w. while we were plying about here we took every opportunity to observe the variation of the compass, and found it to be from ° ' to ° ' w. probably the mean of the two extremes, viz. ° ', is the nearest the truth, as it nearly agrees with the variation observed on board the adventure. in making these observations, we found that, when the sun was on the larboard side of the ship, the variation was the least; and when on the starboard side, the greatest. this was not the first time we had made this observation, without being able to account for it. at four o'clock in the morning of the th, i made the adventure's signal to keep at the distance of four miles on my starboard beam; and continued to steer e.s.e. this being a fine day, i had all our men's bedding and clothes spread on deck to air; and the ship cleaned and smoked betwixt decks. at noon i steered a point more to the south, being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. at six o'clock in the evening, i called in the adventure; and at the same time took several azimuths, which gave the variation ° '.w. these observations could not be taken with the greatest accuracy, on account of the rolling of the ship, occasioned by a very high westerly swell. the preceding evening, three port egmont hens were seen; this morning another appeared. in the evening, and several times in the night, penguins were heard; and, at daylight in the morning of the th, several of these were seen; and divers of two sorts, seemingly such as are usually met with on the coast of england. this occasioned us to sound, but we found no ground with a line of fathoms. our latitude now was ° ' s., and longitude ° ' e. this was at eight o'clock. by this time the wind had veered round by the n.e. to e., blew a brisk gale, and was attended with hazy weather, which soon after turned to a thick fog; and, at the same tine, the wind shifted to n.e. i continued to keep the wind on the larboard tack, and to fire a gun every hour till noon; when i made the signal to tack, and tacked accordingly. but, as neither this signal, nor any of the former, was answered by the adventure, we had but too much reason to think that a separation had taken place; though we were at a loss to tell how it had been effected. i had directed captain furneaux, in case he was separated from me, to cruise three days in the place where he last saw me. i therefore continued making short boards, and firing half-hour guns, till the th in the afternoon, when, the weather having cleared up, we could see several leagues round us, and found that the adventure was not within the limits of our horizon. at this time we were about two or three leagues to the eastward of the situation we were in when we last saw her; and were standing to the westward with a very strong gale at n.n.w., accompanied with a great sea from the same direction. this, together, with an increase of wind, obliged us to lie-to till eight o'clock the next morning, during which time we saw nothing of the adventure, notwithstanding the weather was pretty clear, and we had kept firing guns, and burning false fires, all night. i therefore gave over looking for her, made sail, and steered s.e., with a very fresh gale at w. by n., accompanied with a high sea from the same direction. while we were beating about here; we frequently saw penguins and divers, which made us conjecture the land was not far off; but in what direction it was not possible for us to tell. as we advanced to the south, we lost the penguins, and most of the divers; and, as usual, met with abundance of albatrosses, blue peterels, sheer-waters, &c. the th, at noon, and in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., we again met with penguins: and saw an egg bird, which we also look upon to be a sign of the vicinity of land. i continued to steer to the s.e., with a fresh gale in the north-west quarter, attended with a long hollow swell, and frequent showers of rain, hail, and snow. the th, in the morning, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., the variation was ° ' w. in the evening, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., it was ° '; and, the next morning, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ', it was ° ' w. thus far we had continually a great number of penguins about the ship, which seemed to be different from those we had seen near the ice; being smaller, with reddish bills and brownish heads. the meeting with so many of these birds, gave us some hopes of finding land, and occasioned various conjectures about its situation. the great westerly swell, which still continued, made it improbable that land of any considerable extent lay to the west. nor was it very probable that any lay to the north; as we were only about leagues to the south of tasman's track in ; and i conjectured that captain furneaux would explore this place; which accordingly happened. in the evening we saw a port egmont hen, which flew away in the direction of n.e. by e., and the next morning a seal was seen; but no penguins. in the evening, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., the variation was ° ' w., and, in the evening of the th, in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., it was ° w. five seals were seen this day, and a few penguins; which occasioned us to sound, without finding any bottom, with a line of fathoms. at day-light in the morning of the th, we saw an island of ice to the northward; for which we steered, in order to take some on board; but the wind shifting to that direction, hindered us from putting this in execution. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., and had two islands of ice in sight. this morning we saw one penguin, which appeared to be of the same sort which we had formerly seen near the ice. but we had now been so often deceived by these birds, that we could no longer look upon them, nor indeed upon any other oceanic birds, which frequent high latitudes, as sure signs of the vicinity of land. the wind continued not long at north, but veered to e. by n.e., and blew a gentle gale, with which we stood to the southward; having frequent showers of sleet and snow. but, in the night, we had fair weather, and a clear serene sky; and, between midnight and three o'clock in the morning, lights were seen in the heavens, similar to those in the northern hemisphere, known by the name of aurora borealis, or northern lights; but i never heard of the aurora australia been seen before. the officer of the watch observed that it sometimes broke out in spiral rays, and in a circular form; then its light was very strong, and its appearance beautiful. he could not perceive it had any particular direction; for it appeared, at various times, in different parts of the heavens, and diffused its light throughout the whole atmosphere. at nine in the morning, we bore down to an island of ice which we reached by noon. it was full half a mile in circuit, and two hundred feet high at least, though very little loose ice about it. but while we were considering whether or no we should hoist out our boats to take some up, a great quantity broke from the island. upon this we hoisted out our boats, and went to work to get some on board. the pieces of ice, both great and small, which broke from the island, i observed, drifted fast to the westward; that is, they left the island in that direction, and were, in a few hours, spread over a large space of sea. this, i have no doubt, was caused by a current setting in that direction. for the wind could have but little effect upon the ice; especially as there was a large hollow swell from the west. this circumstance greatly retarded our taking up ice. we, however, made a shift to get on board about nine or ten tons before eight o'clock, when we hoisted in the boats and made sail to the east, inclining to the south, with a fresh gale at south; which, soon after, veered to s.s.w. and s.w., with fair but cloudy weather. this course brought us among many ice isles; so that it was necessary to proceed with great caution. in the night the mercury in the thermometer fell two degrees below the freezing point; and the water in the scuttle casks on deck was frozen. as i have not taken notice of the thermometer of late, i shall now observe, that, as we advanced to the north, the mercury gradually rose to , and fell again, as we advanced to the south, to what is above-mentioned; nor did it rise, in the middle of the day, to above or . in the morning of the th, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., the variation was ° ' w. in the evening, in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., it was only ° ' w., which induced me to believe it was decreasing. but in the evening of the th, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., i took nine azimuths, with dr knight's compass, which gave the variation ° ', and nine others, with gregory's, which gave ° ' w. this day, at noon, being nearly in the latitude and longitude just mentioned, we thought we saw land to the s.w. the appearance was so strong that we doubted not it was there in reality, and tacked to work up to it accordingly; having a light breeze at south, and clear weather. we were, however, soon undeceived, by finding that it was only clouds; which, in the evening, entirely disappeared, and left us a clear horizon, so that we could see a considerable way round us; in which space nothing was to be seen but ice islands. in the night the aurora australis made a very brilliant and luminous appearance. it was seen first in the east, a little above the horizon; and, in a short time, spread over the whole heavens. the st, in the morning, having little wind and a smooth sea, two favourable circumstances for taking up ice, i steered for the largest ice island before us, which we reached by noon. at this time, we were in the latitude of ° s., longitude ° ' e.; having about two hours before seen three or four penguins. finding here a good quantity of loose ice, i ordered two boats out, and sent them to take some on board. while this was doing, the island, which was not less than half a mile in circuit, and three or four hundred feet high above the surface of the sea, turned nearly bottom up. its height, by this circumstance, was neither increased nor diminished apparently. as soon as we had got on board as much ice as we could dispose of, we hoisted in the boats, and made sail to the s.e., with a gentle breeze at n. by e., attended with showers of snow, and dark gloomy weather. at this time we had but few ice islands in sight, but, the next day, seldom less than twenty or thirty were seen at once. the wind gradually veered to the east; and, at last, fixing at e. by s., blew a fresh gale. with this we stood to the south, till eight o'clock in the evening of the d; at which time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. we now tacked and spent the night, which was exceedingly stormy, thick, and hazy, with sleet and snow, in making short boards. surrounded on every side with danger, it was natural for us to wish for day-light. this, when it came, served only to increase our apprehensions, by exhibiting to our view those huge mountains of ice, which in the night we had passed without seeing. these unfavourable circumstances, together with dark nights, at this advanced season of the year, quite discouraged me from putting in execution a resolution i had taken of crossing the antarctic circle once more. accordingly, at four o'clock in the morning, we stood to the north, with a very hard gale at e.s.e., accompanied with snow and sleet, and a very high sea from the same point, which made great destruction among the ice islands. this circumstance, far from being of any advantage to us, greatly increased the number of pieces we had to avoid. the large pieces which break from the ice islands, are much more dangerous than the islands themselves. the latter are so high out of water, that we can generally see them, unless the weather be very thick and dark, before we are very near them. whereas the others cannot be seen in the night, till they are under the ship's bows. these dangers were, however, now become so familiar to us, that the apprehensions they caused were never of long duration; and were, in some measure, compensated both by the seasonable supplies of fresh water these ice islands afforded us, (without which we must have been greatly distressed,) and also by their very romantic appearance, greatly heightened by the foaming and dashing of the waves into the curious holes and caverns which are formed in many of them; the whole exhibiting a view which at once filled the mind with admiration and horror, and can only be described by the hand of an able painter. towards the evening the gale abated, and in the night we had two or three hours calm. this was succeeded by a light breeze at west, with which we steered east, under all the sail we could set, meeting with many ice islands. this night we saw a port egmont hen; and next morning, being the th, another. we had lately seen but few birds; and those were albatrosses, sheer-waters, and blue peterels. it is remarkable that we did not see one of either the white or antarctic peterels, since we came last amongst the ice. notwithstanding the wind kept at w. and n.w. all day, we had a very high sea from the east, by which we concluded that no land could be near in that direction. in the evening, being in the latitude ° ', longitude ° ' e., the variation was ° ' w., and the next morning, being the th, having advanced about a degree and a half more to the east, it was ° ', both being determined by several azimuths. we had fair weather all the afternoon, but the wind was unsettled, veering round by the north to the east. with this we stood to the s.e. and e., till three o'clock in the afternoon; when, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ', we tacked and stood to the northward and eastward as the wind kept veering to the south. this, in the evening, increased to a strong gale, blew in squalls, attended with snow and sleet, and thick hazy weather, which soon brought us under our close-reefed top-sails. between eight in the morning of the th, and noon the next day, we fell in among several islands of ice; from whence such vast quantities had broken as to cover the sea all round us, and render sailing rather dangerous. however, by noon, we were clear of it all. in the evening the wind abated, and veered to s.w. but the weather did not clear up till the next morning, when we were able to carry all our sails, and met with but very few islands of ice to impede us. probably the late gale had destroyed a great number of them. such a very large hollow sea had continued to accompany the wind as it veered from e. to s.w. that i was certain no land of considerable extent could lie within or leagues of our situation between these two points. the mean height of the thermometer at noon, for some days past, was at about , which is something higher than it usually was in the same latitude about a month or five weeks before, consequently the air was something warmer. while the weather was really _warm_, the gales were not only stronger, but more frequent, with almost continual misty, dirty, wet weather. the very animals we had on board felt its effects. a sow having in the morning farrowed nine pigs, every one of them was killed by the cold before four o'clock in the afternoon, notwithstanding all the care we could take of them. from the same cause, myself as well as several of my people, had fingers and toes chilblained. such is the summer weather we enjoyed! march the wind continued unsettled, veering from the south to the west, and blew a fresh gale till the evening. then it fell little wind, and soon after a breeze sprung up at north, which quickly veered to n.e. and n.e. by e., attended with a thick fog, snow, sleet, and rain. with this wind and weather we kept on to the s.e., till four o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, being the first of march, when it fell calm, which continued for near twenty-four hours. we were now in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ', and had a prodigious high swell from the s.w., and, at the same time, another from the s. or s.s.e. the dashing of the one wave against the other, made the ship both roll and pitch exceedingly; but at length the n.w. swell prevailed. the calm continued till noon the next day, when it was succeeded by a gentle breeze from s.e., which afterwards increased and veered to s.w. with this we steered n.e. by e., and e. by n., under all the sail we could set. in the afternoon of the d, being in latitude ° ', longitude ° ', the variation was ° ' w. but the observations, by which this was determined, were none of the best, being obliged to make use of such as we could get, during the very few and short intervals when the sun appeared. a few penguins were seen this day, but not so many islands of ice as usual. the weather was also milder, though very changeable; thermometer from to . we continued to have a n.w. swell, although the wind was unsettled, veering to n.w. by the w. and n., attended with hazy sleet and drizzling rain. we prosecuted our course to the east, inclining to the south, till three o'clock in the afternoon of the th, when, (being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ') the wind shifting at once to s.w. and s.w. by s., i gave orders to steer e. by n. / n. but in the night we steered e. / s. in order to have the wind, which was at s.s.w., more upon the beam, the better to enable us to stand back, in case we fell in with any danger in the dark. for we had not so much time to spare to allow us to lie-to. in the morning of the th, we steered e. by n., under all the sail we could set, passing one ice island and many small pieces, and at nine o'clock the wind, which of late had not remained long upon any one point, shifted all at once to east, and blew a gentle gale. with this, we stood to the north, at which time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., and longitude ° ' e. the latitude was determined by the meridian altitude of the sun, which appeared, now and then, for a few minutes, till three in the afternoon. indeed the sky was, in general, so cloudy, and the weather so thick and hazy, that we had very little benefit of sun or moon; very seldom seeing the face of either the one or the other. and yet, even under these circumstances, the weather, for some days past, could not be called very cold. it, however, had not the least pretension to be called summer weather, according to my ideas of summer in the northern hemisphere, as far as ° of latitude, which is nearly as far north as i have been. in the evening we had three islands of ice in sight, all of them large; especially one, which was larger than any we had yet seen. the side opposed to us seemed to be a mile in extent; if so, it could not be less than three in circuit. as we passed it in the night, a continual cracking was heard, occasioned, no doubt, by pieces breaking from it. for, in the morning of the th, the sea, for some distance round it, was covered with large and small pieces; and the island itself did not appear so large as it had done the evening before. it could not be less than feet high; yet such was the impetuous force and height of the waves which were broken against it, by meeting with such a sudden resistance, that they rose considerably higher. in the evening we were in latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. the th, the wind was variable in the n.e. and s.e. quarters, attended with snow and sleet till the evening. then the weather became fair, the sky cleared up, and the night was remarkably pleasant, as well as the morning of the next day; which, for the brightness of the sky, and serenity and mildness of the weather, gave place to none we had seen since we left the cape of good hope. it was such as is little known in this sea; and to make it still more agreeable, we had not one island of ice in sight. the mercury in the thermometer rose to . mr wales and the master made some observations of the moon and stars, which satisfied us, that, when our latitude was ° ', our longitude was ° '. at three o'clock in the afternoon, the calm was succeeded by a breeze at s.e. the sky, at the same time, was suddenly obscured, and seemed to presage an approaching storm, which accordingly happened. for, in the evening, the wind shifted to south, blew in squalls, attended with sleet and rain, and a prodigious high sea. having nothing to take care of but ourselves, we kept two or three points from the wind, and run at a good rate to the e.n.e. under our two courses, and close-reefed topsails. the gale continued till the evening of the th. then it abated; the wind shifted to the westward; and we had fair weather, and but little wind, during the night; attended with a sharp frost. the next morning, being in the latitude of ° ', longitude °, the wind shifted to n.e., and blew a fresh gale, with which we stood s.e., having frequent showers of snow and sleet, and a long hollow swell from s.s.e. and s.e. by s. this swell did not go down till two days after the wind which raised it had not only ceased to blow, but had shifted, and blown fresh at opposite points, good part of the time. whoever attentively considers this, must conclude, that there can be no land to the south, but what must be at a great distance. notwithstanding so little was to be expected in that quarter, we continued to stand to the south till three o'clock in the morning of the th, when we were stopped by a calm; being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e. after a few hours calm, a breeze sprung up at west, with which we steered east. the s.s.e. swell having gone down, was succeeded by another from n.w. by w. the weather continued mild all this day, and the mercury rose to - / . in the evening it fell calm, and continued so till three o'clock in the morning of the th, when we got the wind at e. and s.e., a fresh breeze attended with snow and sleet. in the afternoon it became fair, and the wind veered round to the s. and s.s.w. in the evening, being in the latitude of ° ', longitude °, the weather was so clear in the horizon, that we could see many leagues round us. we had but little wind during the night, some showers of snow, and a very sharp frost. as the day broke, the wind freshened at s.e. and s.s.e.; and soon after, the sky cleared up, and the weather became clear and serene; but the air continued cold, and the mercury in the thermometer rose only one degree above the freezing point. the clear weather gave mr wales an opportunity to get some observations of the sun and moon. their results reduced to noon, when the latitude was ° ' s., gave us ° ' e. longitude. mr kendal's watch at the same time gave ° '; and that of mr arnold the same. this was the first and only time they pointed out the same longitude since we left england. the greatest difference, however, between them, since we left the cape, had not much exceeded two degrees. the moderate, and i might almost say, pleasant weather, we had, at times, for the last two or three days, made me wish i had been a few degrees of latitude farther south; and even tempted me to incline our course that way. but we soon had weather which convinced us that we were full far enough; and that the time was approaching, when these seas were not to be navigated without enduring intense cold; which, by the bye, we were pretty well used to. in the afternoon, the serenity of the sky was presently obscured: the wind veered round by the s.w. to w., and blew in hard squalls, attended with thick and heavy showers of hail and snow, which continually covered our decks, sails, and rigging, till five o'clock in the evening of the th. at this time, the wind abated, and shifted to s.e.; the sky cleared up; and the evening was so serene and clear, that we could see many leagues round us; the horizon being the only boundary to our sight. we were now in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., and had such a large hollow swell from w.s.w., as assured us that we had left no land behind us in that direction. i was also well assured that no land lay to the south on this side ° of latitude. we had a smart frost during the night, which was curiously illuminated with the southern lights. at ten o'clock in the morning of the th, (which was as soon as the sun appeared,) in the latitude of ° ' s., our longitude was ° ' e. this good weather was, as usual, of short duration. in the afternoon of this day, we had again thick snow showers; but, at intervals, it was tolerably clear; and, in the evening being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., i found the variation by several azimuths to be ' e. i was not a little pleased with being able to determine, with so much precision, this point of the line, in which the compass has no variation. for i look upon half a degree as next to nothing; so that the intersection of the latitude and longitude just mentioned, may be reckoned the point without any sensible error. at any rate, the line can only pass a very small matter west of it. i continued to steer to the east, inclining to the south, with a fresh gale at s.w., till five o'clock the next morning, when, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' e., i bore away n.e., and, at noon, north, having come to a resolution to quit the high southern latitudes, and to proceed to new zealand to look for the adventure, and to refresh my people. i had also some thoughts, and even a desire to visit the east coast of van diemen's land, in order to satisfy myself if it joined the coast of new south wales. in the night of the th, the wind shifted to n.w., and blew in squalls, attended with thick hazy weather and rain. this continued all the th, in the evening of which day, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude °, the sky cleared up, and we found the variation by several azimuths to be ° ' e. soon after, we hauled up, with the log, a piece of rock-weed, which was in a state of decay, and covered with barnacles. in the night the southern lights were very bright. the next morning we saw a seal; and towards noon, some penguins, and more rock-weed, being at this time in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' e. in the latitude of ° ', we also saw a port egmont hen, and some weed. navigators have generally looked upon all these to be certain signs of the vicinity of land; i cannot, however, support this opinion. at this time we knew of no land, nor is it even probable that there is any, nearer than new holland, or van diemen's land, from which we were distant leagues. we had, at the same time, several porpoises playing about us; into one of which mr cooper struck a harpoon; but as the ship was running seven knots, it broke its hold, after towing it some minutes, and before we could deaden the ship's way. as the wind, which continued between the north and the west, would not permit me to touch at van diemen's land, i shaped my course to new zealand; and, being under no apprehensions of meeting with any danger, i was not backward in carrying sail, as well by night as day, having the advantage of a very strong gale, which was attended with hazy rainy weather, and a very large swell from the w. and w.s.w. we continued to meet with, now and then, a seal, port egmont hens, and sea-weed. on the morning of the d, the wind shifted to south, and brought with it fair weather. at noon, we found ourselves in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ', having a very large swell out of the s.w. for the three days past, the mercury in the thermometer had risen to , and the weather was quite mild. seven or eight degrees of latitude had made a surprising difference in the temperature of the air, which we felt with an agreeable satisfaction. we continued to advance to the n.e. at a good rate, having a brisk gale between the s. and e.; meeting with seals, port egmont hens, egg birds, sea-weed, &c. and having constantly a very large swell from the s.w. at ten o'clock in the morning of the th, the land of new zealand was seen from the mast-head; and at noon, from the deck; extending from n.e. by e. to e., distant ten leagues. as i intended to put into dusky bay, or any other port i could find, on the southern part of _tavai poenammoo_, we steered in for the land, under all the sail we could carry, having the advantage of a fresh gale at w., and tolerably clear weather. this last was not of long duration; for, at half an hour after four o'clock, the land, which was not above four miles distant, was in a manner wholly obscured in a thick haze. at this time, we were before the entrance of a bay, which i had mistaken for dusky bay, being deceived by some islands that lay in the mouth of it. fearing to run, in thick weather, into a place to which we were all strangers, and seeing some breakers and broken ground a-head, i tacked in twenty-five fathom water, and stood out to sea with the wind at n.w. this bay lies on the s.e. side of cape west, and may be known by a white cliff on one of the isles which lies in the entrance of the bay. this part of the coast i did not see, but at a great distance, in my former voyage; and we now saw it under so many disadvantageous circumstances, that the less i say about it, the fewer mistakes i shall make. we stood out to sea, under close-reefed top-sails and courses, till eleven o'clock at night; when we wore and stood to the northward, having a very high and irregular sea. at five o'clock next morning, the gale abated, and we bore up for the land; at eight o'clock, the west cape bore e. by n. / n., for which we steered, and entered dusky bay about noon. in the entrance of it, we found fathoms water, a sandy bottom, the west cape bearing s.s.e., and five fingers point, or the north point of the bay, north. here we had a great swell rolling in from the s.w. the depth of water decreased to fathoms, afterwards we had no ground with . we were, however, too far advanced to return; and therefore stood on, not doubting but that we should find anchorage. for in this bay we were all strangers; in my former voyage, having done no more than discover and name it. after running about two leagues up the bay, and passing several of the isles which lay in it, i brought-to, and hoisted out two boats; one of which i sent away with an officer round a point on the larboard hand to look for anchorage. this he found, and signified the same by signal. we then followed with the ship, and anchored in fathoms water, so near the shore as to reach it with an hawser. this was on friday the th of march, at three in the afternoon, after having been days at sea; in which time we had sailed leagues, without having once sight of land. after such a long continuance at sea, in a high southern latitude, it is but reasonable to think that many of my people must be ill of the scurvy. the contrary, however, happened. mention hath already been made of sweet wort being given to such as were scorbutic. this had so far the desired effect, that we had only one man on board that could be called very ill of this disease; occasioned chiefly, by a bad habit of body, and a complication of other disorders. we did not attribute the general good state of health in the crew, wholly to the sweet wort, but to the frequent airing and sweetening the ship by fires, &c. we must also allow portable broth, and sour krout, to have had some share in it. this last can never be enough recommended. my first care, after the ship was moored, was to send a boat and people a- fishing; in the mean time, some of the gentlemen killed a seal, (out of many that were upon a rock,) which made us a fresh meal. chapter iv. _transactions in dusky bay, with an account of several interviews with the inhabitants._ march as i did not like the place we had anchored in, i sent lieutenant pickersgill over to the s.e. side of the bay, to search for a better; and i went myself to the other side, for the same purpose, where i met with an exceedingly snug harbour, but nothing else worthy of notice. mr pickersgill reported, upon his return, that he had found a good harbour, with every conveniency. as i liked the situation of this, better than the other of my own finding, i determined to go there in the morning. the fishing-boat was very successful; returning with fish sufficient for all hands for supper; and, in a few hours in the morning, caught as many as served for dinner. this gave us certain hopes of being plentifully supplied with this article. nor did the shores and woods appear less destitute of wild fowl; so that we hoped to enjoy with ease, what, in our situation, might be called the luxuries of life. this determined me to stay some time in this bay, in order to examine it thoroughly; as no one had ever landed before, on any of the southern parts of this country. on the th, at nine o'clock in the morning, we got under sail with a light breeze at s.w., and working over to pickersgill harbour, entered it by a channel scarcely twice the width of the ship; and in a small creek, moored head and stern, so near the shore as to reach it with a brow or stage, which nature had in a manner prepared for us in a large tree, whose end or top reached our gunwale. wood, for fuel and other purposes, was here so convenient, that our yards were locked in the branches of the trees; and, about yards from our stern, was a fine stream of freshwater. thus situated, we began to clear places in the woods, in order to set up the astronomer's observatory, the forge to repair our iron-work, tents for the sail-makers and coopers to repair the sails and casks in; to land our empty casks, to fill water, and to cut down wood for fuel; all of which were absolutely necessary occupations. we also began to brew beer from the branches or leaves of a tree, which much resembles the american black- spruce. from the knowledge i had of this tree, and the similarity it bore to the spruce, i judged that, with the addition of inspissated juice of wort and molasses, it would make a very wholesome beer, and supply the want of vegetables, which this place did not afford; and the event proved that i was not mistaken. now i have mentioned the inspissated juice of wort, it will not be amiss, in this place, to inform the reader, that i had made several trials of it since i left the cape of good hope, and found it to answer in a cold climate, beyond all expectation. the juice, diluted in warm water, in the proportion of twelve parts water to one part juice, made a very good and well-tasted small-beer. some juice which i had of mr pelham's own preparing, would bear sixteen parts water. by making use of warm-water, (which i think ought always to be done,) and keeping it in a warm place, if the weather be cold, no difficulty will be found in fermenting it. a little grounds of either small or strong-beer, will answer as well as yeast. the few sheep and goats we had left were not likely to fare quite so well as ourselves; there being no grass here, but what was coarse and harsh. it was, however not so bad, but that we expected they would devour it with great greediness, and were the more surprised to find that they would not taste it; nor did they seem over-fond of the leaves of more tender plants. upon examination, we found their teeth loose; and that many of them had every other symptom of an inveterate sea-scurvy. out of four ewes and two rams which i brought from the cape, with an intent to put ashore in this country, i had only been able to preserve one of each; and even these were in so bad a state, that it was doubtful if they could recover, notwithstanding all the care possible had been taken of them. some of the officers, on the th, went up the bay in a small boat on a shooting party; but, discovering inhabitants, they returned before noon, to acquaint me therewith; for hitherto we had not seen the least vestige of any. they had but just got aboard, when a canoe appeared off a point about a mile from us, and soon after, returned behind the point out of sight, probably owing to a shower of rain which then fell; for it was no sooner over, than the canoe again appeared, and came within musket-shot of the ship. there were in it seven or eight people. they remained looking at us for some time, and then returned; all the signs of friendship we could make did not prevail on them to come nearer. after dinner i took two boats and went in search of them, in the cove where they were first seen, accompanied by several of the officers and gentlemen. we found the canoe (at least a-canoe) hauled upon the shore near to two small huts, where were several fire-places, some fishing-nets, a few fish lying on the shore, and some in the canoe. but we saw no people; they probably had retired into the woods. after a short stay, and leaving in the canoe some medals, looking-glasses, beads, &c. we embarked and rowed to the head of the cove, where we found nothing remarkable. in turning back we put ashore at the same place as before; but still saw no people. however, they could not be far off, as we smelled the smoke of fire, though we did not see it. but i did not care to search farther, or to force an interview which they seemed to avoid; well knowing that the way to obtain this, was to leave the time and place to themselves. it did not appear that any thing i had left had been touched; however, i now added a hatchet, and, with the night, returned on board. on the th, were showers till the afternoon; when a party of the officers made an excursion up the bay; and mr forster and his party were out botanizing. both parties returned in the evening without meeting with any thing worthy of notice; and the two following days, every one was confined to the ship on account of rainy stormy weather. april in the afternoon of the st of april, accompanied by several of the gentlemen, i went to see if any of the articles i had left for the indians were taken away. we found every thing remaining in the canoe; nor did it appear that any body had been there since. after shooting some birds, one of which was a duck, with a blue-grey plumage and soft bill, we, in the evening, returned on board. the d, being a pleasant morning, lieutenants clerke and edgecumbe, and the two mr forsters, went in a boat up the bay to search for the productions of nature; and myself, lieutenant pickersgill, and mr hodges, went to take a view of the n.w. side. in our way, we touched at the seal-rock, and killed three seals, one of which afforded us much sport. after passing several isles, we at length came to the most northern and western arms of the bay; the same as is formed by the land of five fingers point. in the bottom of this arm or cove, we found many ducks, wood-hens, and other wild fowl, some of which we killed, and returned on board at ten o'clock in the evening; where the other party had arrived several hours before us, after having had but indifferent sport. they took with them a black dog we had got at the cape, who, at the first musket they fired, ran into the woods, from whence he would not return. the three following days were rainy; so that no excursions were made. early in the morning on the th, a shooting party, made up of the officers, went to goose cove, the place where i was the d; and myself, accompanied by the two mr forsters, and mr hodges, set out to continue the survey of the bay. my attention was directed to the north side, where i discovered a fine capacious cove, in the bottom of which is a fresh-water river; on the west side several beautiful small cascades; and the shores are so steep that a ship might lie near enough to convey the water into her by a hose. in this cove we shot fourteen ducks, besides other birds, which occasioned my calling it duck cove. as we returned in the evening, we had a short interview with three of the natives, one man and two women. they were the first that discovered themselves on the n.e. point of indian island, named so on this occasion. we should have passed without seeing them, had not the man hallooed to us. he stood with his club in his hand upon the point of a rock, and behind him, at the skirts of the wood, stood the two women, with each of them a spear. the man could not help discovering great signs of fear when we approached the rock with our boat. he however stood firm; nor did he move to take up some things we threw him ashore. at length i landed, went up and embraced him; and presented him with such articles as i had about me, which at once dissipated his fears. presently after, we were joined by the two women, the gentlemen that were with me, and some of the seamen. after this, we spent about half an hour in chit-chat, little understood on either side, in which the youngest of the two women bore by far the greatest share. this occasioned one of the seamen to say, that women did not want tongue in any part of the world. we presented them with fish and fowl which we had in our boat; but these they threw into the boat again, giving us to understand that such things they wanted not. night approaching, obliged us to take leave of them; when the youngest of the two women, whose volubility of tongue exceeded every thing i ever met with, gave us a dance; but the man viewed us with great attention. some hours after we got on board, the other party returned, having had but indifferent sport. next morning, i made the natives another visit, accompanied by mr forster and mr hodges, carrying with me various articles which i presented them with, and which they received with a great deal of indifference, except hatchets and spike-nails; these they most esteemed. this interview was at the same place as last night; and now we saw the whole family, it consisted of the man, his two wives (as we supposed), the young woman before mentioned, a boy about fourteen years old, and three small children, the youngest of which was at the breast. they were all well-looking, except one woman, who had a large wen on her upper-lip, which made her disagreeable; and she seemed, on that account, to be in a great measure neglected by the man. they conducted us to their habitation, which was but a little way within the skirts of the wood, and consisted of two mean huts made of the bark of trees. their canoe, which was a small double one, just large enough to transport the whole family from place to place, lay in a small creek near the huts. during our stay, mr hodges made drawings of most of them; this occasioned them to give him the name of _toe-toe_, which word, we suppose signifies marking or painting. when we took leave, the chief presented me with a piece of cloth or garment of their own manufacturing, and some other trifles. i at first thought it was meant as a return for the presents i had made him; but he soon undeceived me, by expressing a desire for one of our boat cloaks. i took the hint, and ordered one to be made for him of red baise, as soon as i got aboard; where rainy weather detained me the following day. the th, being fair weather, we paid the natives another visit, and made known our approach by hallooing to them; but they neither answered us, nor met us at the shore as usual. the reason of this we soon saw; for we found them at their habitations, all dressed and dressing, in their very best, with their hair combed and oiled, tied up upon the crowns of their heads, and stuck with white feathers. some wore a fillet of feathers round their heads; and all of them had bunches of white feathers stuck in their ears: thus dressed, and all standing, they received us with great courtesy. i presented the chief with the cloak i had got made for him, with which he seemed so well pleased, that he took his pattapattou from his girdle and gave it me. after a short stay, we took leave; and having spent the remainder of the day in continuing my survey of the bay, with the night returned on board. very heavy rains falling on the two following days, no work was done; but the th proved clear and serene, and afforded us an opportunity to dry our sails and linen; two things very much wanted; not having had fair weather enough for this purpose since we put into this bay. mr forster and his party also profited by the day in botanizing. about ten o'clock, the family of the natives paid us a visit. seeing that they approached the ship with great caution, i met them in a boat, which i quitted when i got to them, and went into their canoe. yet, after all, i could not prevail on them to put along-side the ship, and at last was obliged to leave them to follow their own inclination. at length they put ashore in a little creek hard by us; and afterwards came and sat down on the shore a-breast of the ship, near enough to speak with us. i now caused the bagpipes and fife to play, and the drum to beat. the two first they did not regard; but the latter caused some little attention in them; nothing however could induce them to come on board. but they entered, with great familiarity, into conversation (little understood) with such of the officers and seamen as went to them, paying much greater regard to some than to others; and these, we had reason to believe, they took for women. to one man in particular, the young woman shewed an extraordinary fondness until she discovered his sex, after which she would not suffer him to come near her. whether it was that she before took him for one of her own sex, or that the man, in order to discover himself, had taken some liberties with her which she thus resented, i know not. in the afternoon, i took mr hodges to a large cascade, which falls from a high mountain on the south side of the bay, about a league above the place where we lay. he made a drawing of it on paper, and afterwards painted it in oil colours; which exhibits, at once, a better description of it than any i can give. huge heaps of stones lay at the foot of this cascade, which had been broken off and brought by the stream from the adjacent mountains. these stones were of different sorts; none however, according to mr forster's opinion, (whom i believe to be a judge,) containing either minerals or metals. nevertheless, i brought away specimens of every sort, as the whole country, that is, the rocky part of it, seemed to consist of those stones and no other. this cascade is at the east point of a cove, lying in s.w. two miles, which i named cascade cove. in it is good anchorage and other necessaries. at the entrance, lies an island, on each side of which is a passage; that on the east side is much the widest. a little above the isle, and near the s.e. shore, are two rocks which are covered at high water. it was in this cove we first saw the natives. when i returned aboard in the evening, i found our friends, the natives, had taken up their quarters at about a hundred yards from our watering- place; a very great mark of the confidence they placed in us. this evening a shooting party of the officers went over to the north side of the bay, having with them the small cutter to convey them from place to place. next morning, accompanied by mr forster, i went in the pinnace to survey the isles and rocks which lie in the mouth of the bay. i began first with those which lie on the s.e. side of anchor isle. i found here a very snug cove sheltered from all winds, which we called luncheon cove, because here we dined on cray fish, on the side of a pleasant brook, shaded by the trees from both wind and sun. after dinner we proceeded, by rowing, out to the outermost isles, where we saw many seals, fourteen of which we killed and brought away with us; and might have got many more, if the surf had permitted us to land with safety on all the rocks. the next morning, i went out again to continue the survey, accompanied by mr forster. i intended to have landed again on the seal isles; but there ran such a high sea that i could not come near them. with some difficulty we rowed out to sea, and round the s.w. point of anchor isle. it happened very fortunately that chance directed me to take this course, in which we found the sportsmen's boat adrift, and laid hold of her the very moment she would have been dashed against the rocks. i was not long at a loss to guess how she came there, nor was i under any apprehensions for the gentlemen that had been in her; and after refreshing ourselves with such as we had to eat and drink, and securing the boat in a small creek, we proceeded to the place where we supposed them to be. this we reached about seven or eight o'clock in the evening, and found them upon a small isle in goose cove, where, as it was low water, we could not come with our boat until the return of the tide. as this did not happen till three o'clock in the morning, we landed on a naked beach, not knowing where to find a better place, and, after some time, having got a fire and broiled some fish, we made a hearty supper, having for sauce a good appetite. this done, we lay down to sleep, having a stony beach for a bed, and the canopy of heaven for a covering. at length the tide permitted us to take off the sportsmen; and with them we embarked, and proceeded for the place where we had left their boat, which, we soon reached, having a fresh breeze of wind in our favour, attended with rain. when we came to the creek which was on the n.w. side of anchor isle, we found there an immense number of blue peterels, some on the wing, others in the woods in holes in the ground, under the roots of trees and in the crevices of rocks, where there was no getting them, and where we supposed their young were deposited. as not one was to be seen in the day, the old ones were probably, at that time, out at sea searching for food, which in the evening they bring to their young. the noise they made was like the croaking of many frogs. they were, i believe, of the broad-bill kind, which, are not so commonly seen at sea as the others. here, however, they are in great numbers, and flying much about in the night, some of our gentlemen at first took them for bats. after restoring the sportsmen to their boat, we all proceeded for the ship, which we reached by seven o'clock in the morning, not a little fatigued with our expedition. i now learned that our friends the natives returned to their habitation at night; probably foreseeing that rain was at hand; which sort of weather continued the whole of this day. on the morning of the th, the weather having cleared up and become fair, i set out with two boats to continue the survey of the n.w. side of the bay, accompanied by the two mr forsters and several of the officers, whom i detached in one boat to goose cove, where we intended to lodge the night, while i proceeded in the other, examining the harbours and isles which lay in my way. in the doing of this, i picked up about a score of wild fowl, and caught fish sufficient to serve the whole party; and reaching the place of rendezvous a little before dark, i found all the gentlemen out duck- shooting. they however soon returned, not overloaded with game. by this time, the cooks had done their parts, in which little art was required; and after a hearty repast, on what the day had produced, we lay down to rest; but took care to rise early the next morning, in order to have the other bout among the ducks, before we left the cove. accordingly, at day-light, we prepared for the attack. those who had reconnoitred the place before, chose their stations accordingly; whilst myself and another remained in the boat, and rowed to the head of the cove to start the game, which we did so effectually, that, out of some scores of ducks, we only detained one to ourselves, sending all the rest down to those stationed below. after this i landed at the head of the cove, and walked across the narrow isthmus that disjoins it from the sea, or rather from another cove which runs in from the sea about one mile, and lies open to the north winds. it, however, had all the appearance of a good harbour and safe anchorage. at the head is a fine sandy beach, where i found an immense number of wood hens, and brought away ten couple of them, which recompensed me for the trouble of crossing the isthmus, through the wet woods, up to the middle in water. about nine o'clock we all got collected together, when the success of everyone was known, which was by no means answerable to our expectations. the morning, indeed, was very unfavourable for shooting, being rainy the most of the time we were out. after breakfast we set out on our return to the ship, which we reached by seven o'clock in the evening, with about seven dozen of wild fowl, and two seals; the most of them shot while i was rowing about, exploring the harbours and coves which i found in my way; every place affording something, especially to us, to whom nothing came amiss. it rained all the th, but the th bringing fair and clear weather, in the evening our friends, the natives before-mentioned, paid us another visit; and, the next morning, the chief and his daughter were induced to come on board, while the others went out in the canoe fishing. before they came on board i shewed them our goats and sheep that were on shore, which they viewed for a moment with a kind of stupid insensibility. after this i conducted them to the brow; but before the chief set his foot upon it to come into the ship, he took a small green branch in his hand, with which he struck the ship's side several times, repeating a speech or prayer. when this was over, he threw the branch into the main chains, and came on board. this custom and manner of making peace, as it were, is practised by all the nations in the south seas that i have seen. i took them both down into the cabin, where we were to breakfast. they sat at table with us, but would not taste any of our victuals. the chief wanted to know where we slept, and indeed to pry into every corner of the cabin, every part of which he viewed with some surprise. but it was not possible to fix his attention to any one thing a single moment. the works of art appeared to him in the same light as those of nature, and were as far removed beyond his comprehension. what seemed to strike them most was the number and strength of our decks, and other parts of the ship. the chief, before he came aboard, presented me with a piece of cloth and a green talc hatchet; to mr forster he also gave a piece or cloth; and the girl gave another to mr hodges. this custom of making presents before they receive any, is common with the natives of the south sea isles; but i never saw it practised in new zealand before. of all the various articles i gave my guest, hatchets and spike-nails were the most valuable in his eyes. these he never would suffer to go out of his hands after he once laid hold of them; whereas many other articles he would lay carelessly down any where, and at last leave them behind him. as soon as i could get quit of them, they were conducted into the gun-room, where i left them, and set out with two boats to examine the head of the bay; myself in one, accompanied by mr forster and mr hodges, and lieutenant cooper in the other. we proceeded up the south side, and without meeting with any thing remarkable, got to the head of the bay by sun-set; where we took up our lodging for the night, at the first place we could land upon; for the flats hindered us from getting quite to the head. at day-light in the morning, i took two men in the small boat, and with mr forster went to take a view of the flat land at the head of the bay, near to where we spent the night. we landed on one side, and ordered the boat to meet us on the other side; but had not been long on shore before we saw some ducks, which, by their creeping through the bushes, we got a shot at, and killed one. the moment we had fired, the natives, whom we had not discovered before, set up a most hideous noise in two or three places close by us. we hallooed in our turn; and, at the same time, retired to our boat, which was full half a mile off. the natives kept up their clamouring noise, but did not follow us. indeed we found afterwards that they could not, because of a branch of the river between us and them, nor did we find their numbers answerable to the noise they made. as soon as we got to our boat, and found that there was a river that would admit us, i rowed in, and was soon after joined by mr cooper in the other boat. with this reinforcement i proceeded up the river, shooting wild ducks, of which there were great numbers; as we went along, now and then hearing the natives in the woods. at length two appeared on the banks of the river, a man and a woman; and the latter kept waving something white in her hand, as a sign of friendship. mr cooper being near them, i called to him to land, as i wanted to take the advantage of the tide to get as high up as possible, which did not much exceed half a mile, when i was stopped by the strength of the stream and great stones which lay in the bed of the river. on my return, i found that as mr cooper did not land when the natives expected him, they had retired into the woods, but two others now appeared on the opposite bank. i endeavoured to have an interview with them, but this i could not effect. for as i approached the shore, they always retired farther into the woods, which were so thick as to cover them from our sight. the falling tide obliged me to retire out of the river to the place where we had spent the night. there we breakfasted, and afterwards embarked, in order to return on board; but, just as we were going, we saw two men on the opposite shore, hallooing to us, which induced me to row over to them. i landed with two others, unarmed; the two natives standing about yards from the water-side, with each a spear in his hand. when we three advanced, they retired; but stood when i advanced alone. it was some little time before i could prevail upon them to lay down their spears. this, at last, one of them did; and met me with a grass plant in his hand, one end of which he gave me to hold, while he held the other. standing in this manner, he began a speech, not one word of which i understood, and made some long pauses, waiting, as i thought, for me to answer; for, when i spoke, he proceeded. as soon as this ceremony was over, which was not long, we saluted each other. he then took his hahou, or coat, from off his own back, and put it upon mine; after which peace seemed firmly established. more people joining us did not in the least alarm them; on the contrary, they saluted every one as he came up. i gave to each a hatchet and a knife, having nothing else with me: perhaps these were the most valuable things i could give them, at least they were the most useful. they wanted us to go to their habitation, telling us they would give us something to eat; and i was sorry that the tide and other circumstances would not permit me to accept of their invitation. more people were seen in the skirts of the wood, but none of them joined us: probably these were their wives and children. when we took leave they followed us to our boat; and, seeing the musquets lying across the stern, they made signs for them to be taken away, which being done, they came alongside, and assisted us to launch her. at this time it was necessary for us to look well after them, for they wanted to take away every thing they could lay their hands upon, except the muskets. these they took care not to touch, being taught, by the slaughter they had seen us make among the wild- fowl, to look upon them as instruments of death. we saw no canoes or other boats with them, two or three logs of wood tied together served the same purpose, and were indeed sufficient for the navigation of the river, on the banks of which they lived. there fish and fowl were in such plenty, that they had no occasion to go far for food; and they have but few neighbours to disturb them. the whole number at this place, i believe, does not exceed three families. it was noon when we took leave of these two men, and proceeded down the north side of the bay, which i explored in my way, and the isles that lie in the middle. night, however, overtook us, and obliged me to leave one arm unlooked into, and hasten to the ship, which we reached by eight o'clock. i then learnt that the man and his daughter stayed on board the day before till noon; and that having understood from our people what things were left in cascade cove, the place where they were first seen, he sent and took them away. he and his family remained near us till today, when they all went away, and we saw them no more; which was the more extraordinary, as he never left us empty-handed. from one or another he did not get less than nine or ten hatchets, three or four times that number of large spike-nails, besides many other articles. so far as these things may be counted riches in new zealand, he exceeds every man there; being, at this time, possessed of more hatchets and axes than are in the whole country besides. in the afternoon of the st, i went with a party out to the isles on seal- hunting. the surf ran so high that we could only land in one place, where we killed ten. these animals served us for three purposes; the skins we made use of for our rigging; the fat gave oil for our lamps; and the flesh we eat. their haslets are equal to that of a hog, and the flesh of some of them eats little inferior to beef-steaks. the following day nothing worthy of notice was done. in the morning of the d, mr pickersgill, mr gilbert, and two others, went to the cascade cove, in order to ascend one of the mountains, the summit of which they reached by two o'clock in the afternoon, as we could see by the fire they made. in the evening they returned on board, and reported that inland, nothing was to be seen but barren mountains, with huge craggy precipices, disjoined by valleys, or rather chasms, frightful to behold. on the southeast side of cape west, four miles out at sea, they discovered a ridge of rocks, on which the waves broke very high. i believe these rocks to be the same we saw the evening we first fell in with the land. having five geese left out of those we brought from the cape of good hope, i went with them next morning to goose cove (named so on this account,) where i left them. i chose this place for two reasons; first, here are no inhabitants to disturb them; and, secondly, here being the most food, i make no doubt but that they will breed, and may in time spread over the whole country, and fully answer my intention in leaving them. we spent the day shooting in and about the cove, and returned aboard about ten o'clock in the evening. one of the party shot a white hern, which agreed exactly with mr pennant's description, in his british zoology, of the white herns that either now are, or were formerly, in england. the th was the eighth fair day we had had successively; a circumstance, i believe, very uncommon in this place, especially at this season of the year. this fair weather gave us an opportunity to complete our wood and water, to overhaul the rigging, caulk the ship, and put her in a condition for sea. fair weather was, however, now at an end; for it began to rain this evening, and continued without intermission till noon the next day, when we cast off the shore fasts, hove the ship out of the creek to her anchor, and steadied her with an hawser to the shore. on the th, hazy weather, with showers of rain. in the morning i set out, accompanied by mr pickersgill and the two mr forsters, to explore the arm or inlet i discovered the day i returned from the head of the bay. after rowing about two leagues up it, or rather down, i found it to communicate with the sea, and to afford a better outlet for ships bound to the north than the one i came in by. after making this discovery, and refreshing ourselves on broiled fish and wild fowl, we set out for the ship, and got on board at eleven o'clock at night, leaving two arms we had discovered, and which ran into the east, unexplored. in this expedition we shot forty- four birds, sea-pies, ducks, &c., without going one foot out of our way, or causing any other delay than picking them up. having got the tents, and every other article on board on the th, we only now waited for a wind to carry us out of the harbour, and through new passage, the way i proposed to go to sea. every thing being removed from the shore, i set fire to the top-wood, &c., in order to dry a piece of the ground we had occupied, which, next morning, i dug up, and sowed with several sorts of garden seeds. the soil was such as did not promise success to the planter; it was, however, the best we could find. at two o clock in the afternoon, we weighed with a light breeze at s.w., and stood up the bay for the new passage. soon after we had got through, between the east end of indian island and the west end of long island, it fell calm, which obliged us to anchor in forty-three fathom water, under the north side of the latter island. in the morning of the th we weighed again with a light breeze at west, which, together with all our boats a-head towing, was hardly sufficient to stem the current. for, after struggling till six o'clock in the evening, and not getting more than five miles from our last anchoring-place, we anchored under the north side of long island, not more than one hundred yards from the shore, to which we fastened a hawser. may at day-light next morning, may st, we got again under sail, and attempted to work to windward, having a light breeze down the bay. at first we gained ground, but at last the breeze died away; when we soon lost more than we had got, and were obliged to bear up for a cove on the north side of long island, where we anchored in nineteen fathom water, a muddy bottom: in this cove we found two huts not long since inhabited; and near them two very large fire-places or ovens, such as they have in the society isles. in this cove we were detained by calms, attended with continual rain, till the th in the afternoon, when, with the assistance of a small breeze at south- west, we got the length of the reach or passage leading to sea. the breeze then left us, and we anchored under the east point, before a sandy beach, in thirty fathoms water; but this anchoring-place hath nothing to recommend it like the one we came from, which hath every thing in its favour. in the night we had some very heavy squalls of wind, attended with rain, hail, and snow, and some thunder. daylight exhibited to our view all the hills and mountains covered with snow. at two o'clock in the afternoon, a light breeze sprung up at s.s.w., which, with the help of our boats, carried us down the passage to our intended anchor-place, where, at eight o'clock, we anchored in sixteen fathoms water, and moored with a hawser to the shore, under the first point on the starboard side as you come in from sea, from which we were covered by the point. in the morning of the th, i sent lieutenant pickersgill, accompanied by the two mr forsters, to explore the second arm which turns in to the east, myself being confined on board by a cold. at the same time i had every thing got up from between decks, the decks well cleaned and well aired with fires; a thing that ought never to be long neglected in wet moist weather. the fair weather, which had continued all this day, was succeeded in the night by a storm from north-west, which blew in hard squalls, attended with rain, and obliged us to strike top-gallant and lower yards, and to carry out another hawser to the shore. the bad weather continued the whole day and the succeeding night, after which it fell calm with fair weather. at seven in the morning, on the th, mr pickersgill returned, together with his companions, in no very good plight, having been at the head of the arm he was sent to explore, which he judged to extend in to the eastward about eight miles. in it is a good anchoring-place, wood, fresh water, wild fowl, and fish. at nine o'clock i set out to explore the other inlet, or the one next the sea; and ordered mr gilbert, the master, to go and examine the passage out to sea, while those on board were getting every thing in readiness to depart. i proceeded up the inlet till five o'clock in the afternoon, when bad weather obliged me to return before i had seen the end of it. as this inlet lay nearly parallel with the sea-coast, i was of opinion that it might communicate with doubtful harbour, or some other inlet to the northward. appearances were, however, against this opinion, and the bad weather hindered me from determining the point, although a few hours would have done it. i was about ten miles up, and thought i saw the end of it: i found on the north side three coves, in which, as also on the south side, between the main and the isles that lie four miles up the inlet, is good anchorage, wood, water, and what else can be expected, such as fish and wild fowl: of the latter, we killed in this excursion, three dozen. after a very hard row, against both wind and rain, we got on board about nine o'clock at night, without a dry thread on our backs. this bad weather continued no longer than till the next morning, when it became fair, and the sky cleared up. but, as we had not wind to carry us to sea, we made up two shooting parties; myself, accompanied by the two mr. forsters and some others, went to the area i was in the day before; and the other party to the coves and isles mr gilbert had discovered when he was out, and where he found many wild fowl. we had a pleasant day, and the evening brought us all on board; myself and party met with good sport; but the other party found little. all the forenoon of the th, we had strong gales from the west, attended with heavy showers of rain, and blowing in such flurries over high land, as made it unsafe for us to get under sail. the afternoon was more moderate, and became fair; when myself, mr cooper, and some others, went out in the boats to the rocks, which lie at this entrance of the bay, to kill seals. the weather was rather unfavourable for this sport, and the sea ran high, so as to make landing difficult; we, however, killed ten, but could only wait to bring away five, with which we returned on board. in the morning of the th, while we were getting under sail, i sent a boat for the other five seals. at nine o'clock we weighed with a light breeze at south-east, and stood out to sea, taking up the boat in our way. it was noon before we got clear of the land; at which time we observed in ° ' " s.; the entrance of the bay bore s.e. by e., and break-sea isles (the outermost isles that lie at the south point of the entrance of the bay,) bore s.s.e., distant three miles; the southernmost point, or that of five fingers point, bore south ° w., and the northernmost land n.n.e. in this situation we had a prodigious swell from s.w., which broke with great violence on all the shores that were exposed to it. chapter v. _directions for sailing in and out of dusky bay, with an account of the adjacent country, its produce, and inhabitants: astronomical and nautical observations._ may as there are few places where i have been in new zealand that afford the necessary refreshments in such plenty as dusky bay, a short description of it, and of the adjacent country, may prove of use to some future navigators, as well as acceptable to the curious reader. for although this country be far remote from the present trading part of the world, we can, by no means, tell what use future ages may make of the discoveries made in the present. the reader of this journal must already know that there are two entrances to this bay. the south entrance is situated on the north side of cape west, in latitude ° ' s. it is formed by the land of the cape to the south, and five fingers point to the north. this point is made remarkable by several pointed rocks lying off it, which, when viewed from certain situations, have some resemblance to the five fingers of a man's hand; from whence it takes its name. the land of this point is still more remarkable by the little similarity it bears to any other of the lands adjacent; being a narrow peninsula lying north and south, of a moderate and equal height, and all covered with wood. to sail into the bay by this entrance is by no means difficult, as i know of no danger but what shews itself. the worst that attends it, is the depth of water, which is too great to admit of anchorage, except in the coves and harbours, and very near the shores; and even, in many places, this last cannot be done. the anchoring-places are, however, numerous enough, and equally safe and commodious. pickersgill harbour, where we lay, is not inferior to any other bay, for two or three ships: it is situated on the south shore abreast of the west end of indian island; which island may be known from the others by its greater proximity to that shore. there is a passage into the harbour on both sides of the isle, which lies before it. the most room is on the upper or east side, having regard to a sunken rock, near the main, abreast this end of the isle: keep the isle close aboard, and you will not only avoid the rock, but keep in anchoring-ground. the next place, on this side, is cascade cove, where there is room for a fleet of ships, and also a passage in on either side of the isle, which lies in the entrance, taking care to avoid a sunken rock which lies near the south- east shore, a little above the isle. this rock, as well as the one in pickersgill harbour, may be seen at half-ebb it must be needless to enumerate all the anchoring-places in this capacious bay. the north entrance lies in the latitude of ° ' s., and five leagues to the north of five fingers point. to make this entrance plain, it will be necessary to approach the shore within a few miles, as all the land within and on each side is of considerable height. its situation may, however, be known at a greater distance, as it lies under the first craggy mountains which rise to the north of the land of five fingers point. the southernmost of these mountains is remarkable, having at its summit two small hillocks. when this mountain bears s.s.e. you will be before the entrance, on the south side of which are several isles. the westernmost and outermost is the most considerable, both for height and circuit, and this i have called break sea isle, because it effectually covers this entrance from the violence of the southwest swell, which the other entrance is so much exposed to. in sailing in you leave this isle as well as all the others to the south. the best anchorage is in the first or north arm, which is on the larboard hand going in, either in one of the coves, or behind the isles that lie under the south-east shore. the country is exceedingly mountainous, not only about dusky bay, but through all the southern part of this western coast of tavai poenammoo. a prospect more rude and craggy is rarely to be met with, for inland appears nothing but the summits of mountains of a stupendous height, and consisting of rocks that are totally barren and naked, except where they are covered with snow. but the land bordering on the sea-coast, and all the islands, are thickly clothed with wood, almost down to the water's edge. the trees are of various kinds, such as are common to other parts of this country, and are fit for the shipwright, house-carpenter, cabinet-maker, and many other uses. except in the river thames, i have not seen finer timber in all new zealand; both here and in that river, the most considerable for size is the spruce-tree, as we called it, from the similarity of its foliage to the american spruce, though the wood is more ponderous, and bears a greater resemblance to the pitch-pine. many of these trees are from six to eight and ten feet in girt, and from sixty to eighty or one hundred feet in length, large enough to make a main-mast for a fifty-gun ship. here are, as well as in all other parts of new zealand, a great number of aromatic trees and shrubs, most of the myrtle kind; but amidst all this variety, we met with none which bore fruit fit to eat. in many parts the woods are so over-run with supplejacks, that it is scarcely possible to force one's way amongst them. i have seen several which were fifty or sixty fathoms long. the soil is a deep black mould, evidently composed of decayed vegetables, and so loose that it sinks under you at every step; and this may be the reason why we meet with so many large trees as we do, blown down by the wind, even in the thickest part of the woods. all the ground amongst the trees is covered with moss and fern, of both which there is a great variety; but except the flax or hemp plant, and a few other plants, there is very little herbage of any sort, and none that was eatable, that we found, except about a handful of water-cresses, and about the same quantity of cellery. what dusky bay most abounds with is fish: a boat with six or eight men, with hooks and lines, caught daily sufficient to serve the whole ship's company. of this article the variety is almost equal to the plenty, and of such kinds as are common to the more northern coast; but some are superior, and in particular the cole fish, as we called it, which is both larger and finer flavoured than any i had seen before, and was, in the opinion of most on board, the highest luxury the sea afforded us. the shell-fish are, muscles, cockles, scallops, cray-fish, and many other sorts, all such as are to be found in every other part of the coast. the only amphibious animals are seals: these are to be found in great numbers about this bay on the small rocks and isles near the sea coast. we found here five different kinds of ducks, some of which i do not recollect to have any where seen before. the largest are as big as a muscovy duck, with a very beautiful variegated plumage, on which account we called it the painted duck; both male and female have a large white spot on each wing; the head and neck of the latter is white, but all the other feathers as well as those on the head and neck of the drake are of a dark variegated colour. the second sort have a brown plumage, with bright green feathers in their wings, and are about the size of an english tame duck. the third sort is the blue-grey duck, before mentioned, or the whistling duck, as some called them, from the whistling noise they made. what is most remarkable in these is, that the end of their beaks is soft, and of a skinny, or more properly, cartilaginous substance. the fourth sort is something bigger than a teal, and all black except the drake, which has some white feathers in his wing. there are but few of this sort, and we saw them no where but in the river at the head of the bay. the last sort is a good deal like a teal, and very common, i am told, in england. the other fowls, whether belonging to the sea and land, are the same that are to be found in common in other parts of this country, except the blue peterel before-mentioned, and the water or wood-hens. these last, although they are numerous enough here, are so scarce in other parts, that i never saw but one. the reason may be, that, as they cannot fly, they inhabit the skirts of the woods, and feed on the sea-beach, and are so very tame or foolish, as to stand and stare at us till we knocked them down with a stick. the natives may have, in a manner, wholly destroyed them. they are a sort of rail, about the size and a good deal like a common dunghill hen; most of them are of a dirty black or dark-brown colour, and eat very well in a pye or fricassée. among the small birds i must not omit to particularize the wattle-bird, poy-bird, and fan-tail, on account of their singularity, especially as i find they are not mentioned in the narrative of my former voyage. the wattle-bird, so called, because it has two wattles under its beak as large as those of a small dunghill-cock, is larger, particularly in length, than an english black-bird. its bill is short and thick, and its feathers of a dark lead colour; the colour of its wattles is a dull yellow, almost an orange colour. the poy-bird is less than the wattle-bird. the feathers of a fine mazarine blue, except those of its neck, which are of a most beautiful silver-grey, and two or three short white ones, which are on the pinion joint of the wing. under its throat hang two little tufts of curled, snow-white leathers, called its _poies_, which being the otaheitean word for earrings, occasioned our giving that name to the bird, which is not more remarkable for the beauty of its plumage than for the sweetness of its note. the flesh is also most delicious, and was the greatest luxury the woods afforded us. of the fan-tail there are different sorts; but the body of the most remarkable one is scarcely larger than a good filbert, yet it spreads a tail of most beautiful plumage, full three quarters of a semi-circle, of at least four or five inches radius. for three or four days after we arrived in pickersgill harbour, and as we were clearing the woods to set up our tents, &c. a four-footed animal was seen by three or four of our people; but as no two gave the same description of it, i cannot say of what kind it is. all, however, agreed, that it was about the size of a cat, with short legs, and of a mouse colour. one of the seamen, and he who had the best view of it, said it had a bushy tail, and was the most like a jackall of any animal he knew. the most probable conjecture is, that it is of a new species. be this as it may, we are now certain that this country is not so destitute of quadrupeds as was once thought. the most mischievous animals here are the small black sand flies, which are very numerous, and so troublesome, that they exceed every thing of the kind i ever met with. wherever they bite they cause a swelling, and such an intolerable itching, that it is not possible to refrain from scratching, which at last brings on ulcers like the small-pox. the almost continual rains may be reckoned another evil attending this bay; though perhaps this may only happen at this season of the year. nevertheless, the situation of the country, the vast height, and nearness of the mountains, seem to subject it to much rain at all times. our people, who were daily exposed to the rain, felt no ill effects from it; on the contrary, such as were sick and ailing when we came in, recovered daily, and the whole crew soon became strong and vigorous, which can only be attributed to the healthiness of the place, and the fresh provisions it afforded. the beer certainly contributed not a little. as i have already observed, we at first made it of a decoction of the spruce leaves; but finding that this alone made the beer too astringent, we afterwards mixed with it an equal quantity of the tea plant (a name it obtained in my former voyage, from our using it as tea then as we also did now,) which partly destroyed the astringency of the other, and made the beer exceedingly palatable, and esteemed by every one on board. we brewed it in the same manner as spruce-beer, and the process is as follows: first, make a strong decoction of the small branches of the spruce and tea plants, by boiling them three or four hours, or until the bark will strip with ease from off the branches; then take them out of the copper, and put in the proper quantity of molasses, ten gallons of which is sufficient to make a ton, or two hundred and forty gallons of beer; let this mixture just boil, then pot it into the casks, and to it add an equal quantity of cold water, more or less, according to the strength of the decoction, or your taste: when the whole is milk-warm, put in a little grounds of beer, or yeast, if you have it, or any thing else that will cause fermentation, and in a few days the beer will be fit to drink. after the casks have been brewed in two or three times the beer will generally ferment itself, especially if the weather is warm. as i had inspissated juice of wort on board, and could not apply it to a better purpose, we used it together with molasses or sugar, to make these two articles go farther. for of the former i had but one cask, and of the latter little to spare for this brewing. had i known how well this beer would have succeeded, and the great use it was of to the people, i should have come better provided. indeed i was partly discouraged by an experiment made during my former voyage, which did not succeed then, owing, as i now believe, to some mismanagement. any one, who is in the least acquainted with spruce pines, will find the tree which i have distinguished by that name. there are three sorts of it; that which has the smallest leaves and deepest colour, is the sort we brewed with; but doubtless all three might safely serve that purpose. the tea-plant is a small tree or shrub, with five white petals, or flower- leaves, shaped like those of a rose, having smaller ones of the same figure in the intermediate spaces, and twenty or more filaments or threads. the tree sometimes grows to a moderate height, and is generally bare on the lower part, with a number of small branches growing close together towards the top. the leaves are small and pointed, like those of the myrtle; it bears a dry roundish seed-case, and grows commonly in dry places near the shores. the leaves, as i have already observed, were used by many of us as tea, which has a very agreeable bitter and flavour when they are recent, but loses some of both when they are dried. when the infusion was made strong, it proved emetic to some in the same manner as green tea. the inhabitants of this bay are of the same race of people with those in the other parts of this country, speak the same language, and observe nearly the same customs. these indeed seem to have a custom of making presents before they receive any, in which they come nearer to the otaheiteans than the rest of their countrymen. what could induce three or four families (for i believe there are not more) to separate themselves so far from the society of the rest of their fellow-creatures, is not easy to guess. by our meeting with inhabitants in this place, it seems probable that there are people scattered over all this southern island. but the many vestiges of them in different parts of this bay, compared with the number that we actually saw, indicates that they live a wandering life; and, if one may judge from appearances and circumstances, few as they are, they live not in perfect amity, one family with another. for, if they did, why do they not form themselves into some society? a thing not only natural to man, but observed even by the brute creation. i shall conclude this account of dusky bay with some observations made and communicated to me by mr wales. he found by a great variety of observations, that the latitude of his observatory at pickersgill harbour, was ° ' " half south; and, by the mean of several distances of the moon from the sun, that its longitude was ° ' e., which is about half a degree less than it is laid down in my chart constructed in my former voyage. he found the variation of the needle or compass, by the mean of three different needles, to be ° ' e, and the dip of the south end ° ' three quarters. the times of high water, on the full and change days, he found to be at ° ', and the tide to rise and fall, at the former eight feet, at the latter five feet eight inches. this difference, in the rise of the tides between the new and full moon, is a little extraordinary, and was probably occasioned at this time by some accidental cause, such as winds, &c., but, be it as it will, i am well assured there was no error in the observations. supposing the longitude of the observatory to be as above, the error of mr kendal's watch, in longitude, will be ° ' minus, and that of mr arnold's ° '. the former was found to be gaining ", a-day on mean time, and the latter losing ", . agreeably to these rates the longitude by them was to be determined, until an opportunity of trying them again. i must observe, that in finding the longitude by mr kendal's watch, we suppose it to have gone mean time from the cape of good hope. had its cape rate been allowed, the error would not have been so great. chapter vi. _passage from dusky bay to queen charlottes sound, with an account of some water spouts, and of our joining the adventure._ may after leaving dusky bay, as hath been already mentioned, i directed my course along shore for queen charlotte's sound, where i expected to find the adventure. in this passage we met with nothing remarkable, or worthy of notice, till the th at four o'clock in the afternoon. being then about three leagues to the westward of cape stephens; having a gentle gale at west by south, and clear weather, the wind at once flattened to a calm, the sky became suddenly obscured by dark dense clouds, and seemed to forebode much wind. this occasioned as to clew up all our sails, and presently after six water-spouts were seen. four rose and spent themselves between us and the land; that is, to the south-west of us, the fifth was without us, the sixth first appeared in the south-west, at the distance of two or three miles at least from us. its progressive motion was to the north-east, not in a straight but in a crooked line, and passed within fifty yards of our stern, without our feeling any of its effects. the diameter of the base of this spout i judged to be about fifty or sixty feet; that is, the sea within this space was much agitated, and foamed up to a great height. from this a tube, or round body, was formed, by which the water or air, or both, was carried in a spiral stream up to the clouds. some of our people said they saw a bird in the one near us, which was whirled round like the fly of a jack, as it was carried upwards. during the time these spouts lasted, we had now and then light puffs of wind from all points of the compass, with some few slight showers of rain, which generally fell in large drops; and the weather continued thick and hazy for some hours after, with variable light breezes of wind. at length the wind fixed in its old point, and the sky resumed its former serenity. some of these spouts appeared at times to be stationary; and at other times to have a quick but very unequal progressive motion, and always in a crooked line, sometimes one way and sometimes another; so that, once or twice, we observed them to cross one another. from the ascending motion of the bird, and several other circumstances, it was very plain to us that these spouts were caused by whirlwinds, and that the water in them was violently hurried upwards, and did not descend from the clouds as i have heard some assert. the first appearance of them is by the violent agitation and rising up of the water; and, presently after, you see a round column or tube forming from the clouds above, which apparently descends till it joins the agitated water below. i say apparently, because i believe it not to be so in reality, but that the tube is already formed from the agitated water below, and ascends, though at first it is either too small or too thin to be seen. when the tube is formed, or becomes visible, its apparent diameter increaseth till it is pretty large; after that it decreaseth, and at last it breaks or becomes invisible towards the lower part. soon after the sea below resumes its natural state, and the tube is drawn, by little and little, up to the clouds, where it is dissipated. the same tube would sometimes have a vertical, and sometimes a crooked or inclined direction. the most rational account i have read of water-spouts, is in mr falconer's marine dictionary, which is chiefly collected from the philosophical writings of the ingenious dr franklin. i have been told that the firing of a gun will dissipate them; and i am very sorry i did not try the experiment, as we were near enough, and had a gun ready for the purpose; but as soon as the danger was past, i thought no more about it, being too attentive in viewing these extraordinary meteors at the time this happened, the barometer stood at , , and the thermometer at . in coming from cape farewell to cape stephens, i had a better view of the coast than i had when i passed in my former voyage, and observed that about six leagues to the east of the first-mentioned cape, is a spacious bay, which is covered from the sea by a low point of land. this is, i believe, the same that captain tasman anchored in on the th of december, , and by him called murderer's bay, by reason of some of his men being killed by the natives. blind bay, so named by me in my former voyage, lies to the s.e. of this, and seems to run a long way inland to the south; the sight, in this direction, not being bounded by any land. the wind having returned to the west, as already mentioned, we resumed our course to the east; and at day-light the next morning (being the th,) we appeared off queen charlotte's sound, where we discovered our consort the adventure, by the signals she made to us; an event which every one felt with an agreeable satisfaction. the fresh westerly wind now died away, and was succeeded by light airs from the s. and s.w., so that we had to work in with our boats a-head towing. in the doing of this we discovered a rock, which we did not see in my former voyage. it lies in the direction of s. by e. / e., distant four miles from the outermost of the two brothers, and in a line with the white rocks, on with the middle of long island. it is just even with the surface of the sea, and hath deep water all round it. at noon, lieutenant kemp of the adventure came on board; from whom i learnt that their ship had been here about six weeks. with the assistance of a light breeze, our boats, and the tides, we at six o'clock in the evening, got to an anchor in ship cove, near the adventure, when captain furneaux came on board, and gave me the following account of his proceedings, from the time we parted to my arrival here. chapter vii. _captain furneaux's narrative, from the time the two ships were separated, to their joining again in queen charlotte's sound, with some account of van diemen's land._ february on the th of february, , in the morning, the resolution being then about two miles a-head, the wind shifting then to the westward, brought on a very thick fog; so that we lost sight of her. we soon after heard a gun, the report of which we imagined to be on the larboard beam; we then hauled up s.e., and kept firing a four-pounder every half hour, but had no answer, nor further sight of her; then we kept the course we steered on before the fog came on. in the evening it began to blow hard, and was at intervals more clear, but could see nothing of her, which gave us much uneasiness. we then tacked and stood to the westward, to cruise in the place where we last saw her, according to agreement, in case of separation; but next day came on a very heavy gale of wind and thick weather, that obliged us to bring to, and thereby prevented us reaching the intended spot. however, the wind coming more moderate, and the fog in some measure clearing away, we cruised as near the place as we could get, for three days; when giving over all hopes of joining company again, we bore away for winter quarters, distant fourteen hundred leagues, through a sea entirely unknown and reduced the allowance of water to one quart per day. we kept between the latitude of ° and ° s., had much westerly wind, hard gales, with squalls, snow and sleet, with a long hollow sea from the s.w., so that we judged there is no land in that quarter. after we reached the longitude of ° e., we found the variation decrease very fast. on the th, at night, we saw a meteor of uncommon brightness in the n.n.w. it directed its course to the s.w., with a very great light in the southern sky, such as is known to the northward by the name of aurora borealis, or northern lights. we saw the light for several nights running; and, what is remarkable, we saw but one ice island after we parted company with the resolution, till our making land, though we were most of the time two or three degrees to the southward of the latitude we first saw it in. we were daily attended by great numbers of sea birds, and frequently saw porpoises curiously spotted white and black. march on the st of march we were alarmed with the cry of land by the man at the mast-head, on the larboard beam; which gave us great joy. we immediately hauled our wind and stood for it, but to our mortification were disappointed in a few hours; for, what we took to be land, proved no more than clouds, which disappeared as we sailed towards them. we then bore away, and directed our course towards the land laid down in the charts by the name of van diemen's land, discovered by tasman in , and laid down in the latitude ° s., and longitude ° e., and supposed to join to new holland. on the th of march, having little wind and pleasant weather, about nine a. m. being then in the latitude of ° ' s. longitude, by lunar observation, ° ' e., and by account ° ' e. from greenwich, we saw the land bearing n.n.e., about eight or nine leagues distance. it appeared moderately high, and uneven near the sea; the hills farther back formed a double land, and much higher. there seemed to be several islands, or broken land, to the n.w., as the shore trenched; but by reason of clouds that hung over them, we could not be certain whether they did not join to the main. we hauled immediately up for it, and by noon were within three or four leagues of it. a point much like the ramhead off plymouth, which i take to be the same that tasman calls south cape, bore north four leagues off us. the land from this cape runs directly to the eastward; about four leagues along shore are three islands about two miles long, and several rocks, resembling the mewstone, (particularly one which we so named,) about four or five leagues e.s.e / e. off the above cape, which tasman has not mentioned, or laid down in his draughts. after you pass these islands, the land lies e. by n., and w. by s., by the compass nearly. it is a bold shore, and seems to afford several bays or anchoring-places, but believe deep water. from the s.w. cape, which is in the latitude of ° ' s., and longitude ° ' e. to the s.e. cape, in the latitude ° ' s., longitude ° e., is nearly sixteen leagues, and sounding from forty-eight to seventy fathoms, sand and broken shells three or four leagues off shore. here the country is hilly and full of trees, the shore rocky and difficult landing, occasioned by the wind blowing here continually from the westward, which occasions such a surf that the sand cannot lie on the shore. we saw no inhabitants here. the morning, on the th of march, being calm, the ship then about four miles from the land, sent the great cutter on shore with the second lieutenant, to find if there was any harbour or good bay. soon after, it beginning to blow very hard, made the signal for the boat to return several times, but they did not see or hear any thing of it; the ship then three or four leagues off, that we could not see any thing of the boat, which gave us great uneasiness, as there was a very great sea. at half-past one p.m. to our great satisfaction, the boat returned on board safe. they landed, but with much difficulty, and saw several places where the indians had been, and one they lately had left, where they had a fire, with a great number of pearl escallop shells round it, which shells they brought on board, with, some burnt sticks and green boughs. there was a path from this place, through the woods, which in all probability leads to their habitations; but, by reason of the weather, had not time to pursue it. the soil seems to be very rich; the country well clothed with wood, particularly on the lee side of the hills; plenty of water which falls from the rocks in beautiful cascades, for two or three hundred feet perpendicular into the sea; but they did not see the least sign of any place to anchor in with safety. hoisted in the boat, and made sail for frederick henry bay. from noon to three p.m. running along shore e. by n., at which time we were abreast of the westernmost point of a very deep bay, called by tasman, stormy bay. from the west to the east point of this bay there are several small islands, and black rocks, which we called the friars. while crossing this bay we had very heavy squalls and thick weather; at times, when it cleared up, i saw several fires in the bottom of the bay, which is near two or three leagues deep, and has, i doubt not, good places for anchoring, but the weather being so bad, did not think it safe to stand into it. from the friars the land trenches away about n. by e. four leagues: we had smooth water, and kept in shore, having regular soundings from twenty to fifteen fathoms water. at half-past six we hauled round a high bluff point, the rocks whereof were like so many fluted pillars, and had ten fathoms water, fine sand, within half a mile of the shore. at seven, being abreast of a fine bay, and having little wind, we came-to, with the small bower, in twenty-four fathoms, sandy bottom. just after we anchored, being a fine clear evening, had a good observation of the star antares and the moon, which gave the longitude of ° ' e., being in the latitude of ° ' s. we first took this bay to be that which tasman called frederick henry bay; but afterwards found that his is laid down five leagues to the northward of this. at day-break the next morning, i sent the master in shore to sound the bay, and to find out a watering-place; at eight he returned, having found a most excellent harbour, clear ground from side to side, from eighteen to five fathom water all over the bay, gradually decreasing as you go in shore. we weighed and turned up into the bay; the wind being westerly, and very little of it, which baffled us much in getting in. at seven o'clock in the evening, we anchored in seven fathoms water, with a small bower, and moored with the coasting anchor to the westward, the north point of the bay n.n.e. / e. (which we take to be tasman's head), and the easternmost point (which we named penguin island, from a curious one we caught there) n.e. by e / e.; the watering-place w. / n.; about one mile from the shore on each side; maria's island, which is about five or six leagues off, shut in with both points; so that you are quite land-locked in a most spacious harbour. we lay here five days, which time was employed in wooding and watering (which is easily got), and over-hauling the rigging. we found the country very pleasant; the soil a black, rich, though thin one; the sides of the hills covered with large trees, and very thick, growing to a great height before they branch off. they are all of the evergreen kind, different from any i ever saw; the wood is very brittle, and easily split; there is a very little variety of sorts, having seen but two. the leaves of one are long and narrow; and the seed (of which i got a few) is in the shape of a button, and has a very agreeable smell. the leaves of the other are like the bay, and it has a seed like the white thorn, with an agreeable spicy taste and smell. out of the trees we cut down for fire-wood, there issued some gum, which the surgeon called gum-lac. the trees are mostly burnt or scorched, near the ground, occasioned by the natives setting fire to the under-wood, in the most frequented places; and by these means they have rendered it easy walking. the land birds we saw, are a bird like a raven; some of the crow kind, black, with the tips of the feathers of the tail and wings white, their bill long and very sharp; some paroquets; and several kinds of small birds. the sea-fowl are ducks, teal, and the sheldrake. i forgot to mention a large white bird, that one of the gentlemen shot, about the size of a large kite of the eagle kind. as for beasts, we saw but one, which was an opossom; but we observed the dung of some, which we judged to be of the deer kind. the fish in the bay are scarce; those we caught were mostly sharks, dog-fish, and a fish called by the seamen nurses, like the dog-fish, only full of small white spots; and some small fish not unlike sprats. the lagoons (which are brackish) abound with trout, and several other sorts of fish, of which we caught a few with lines, but being much encumbered with stumps of trees, we could not haul the seine. while we lay here, we saw several smokes and large fires, about eight or ten miles in shore to the northward, but did not see any of the natives; though they frequently come into this bay, as there were several wigwams or huts, where we found some bags and nets made of grass, in which i imagine they carry their provisions and other necessaries. in one of them there was the stone they strike fire with, and tinder made of bark, but of what tree could not be distinguished. we found in one of their huts, one of their spears, which was made sharp at one end, i suppose, with a shell or stone. those things we brought away, leaving in the room of them medals, gun- flints, a few nails, and an old empty barrel with the iron hoops on it. they seem to be quite ignorant of every sort of metal. the boughs, of which their huts are made, are either broken or split, and tied together with grass in a circular form, the largest end stuck in the ground, and the smaller parts meeting in a point at the top, and covered with fern and bark, so poorly done, that they will hardly keep out a shower of rain. in the middle is the fire-place, surrounded with heaps of muscle, pearl, scallop, and cray-fish shells, which i believe to be their chief food, though we could not find any of them. they lie on the ground, on dried grass, round the fire; and i believe they have no settled place of habitation (as their houses seemed built only for a few days), but wander about in small parties from place to place in search of food, and are actuated by no other motive. we never found more than three or four huts in a place, capable of containing three or four persons each only; and what is remarkable, we never saw the least marks either of canoe or boat, and it is generally thought they have none; being altogether, from what we could judge, a very ignorant and wretched set of people, though natives of a country capable of producing every necessary of life, and a climate the finest in the world. we found not the least signs of any minerals or metals. having completed our wood and water, we sailed from adventure bay, intending to coast it up along shore, till we should fall in with the land seen by captain cook, and discover whether van diemen's land joins with new holland. on the th, we passed maria's islands, so named by tassman; they appear to be the same as the main land. on the th, having passed shouten's islands, we hauled in for the main land, and stood along shore at the distance of two or three leagues off. the country here appears to be very thickly inhabited, as there was a continual fire along shore as we sailed. the land hereabouts is much pleasanter, low, and even; but no signs of a harbour or bay, where a ship might anchor with safety. the weather being bad, and blowing hard at s.s.e., we could not send a boat on shore to have any intercourse with the inhabitants. in the latitude of ° ' s., the land trenches away to the westward, which i believe forms a deep bay, as we saw from the deck several smokes arising a-back of the islands that lay before it, when we could not see the least signs of land from the mast head. from the latitude of ° ' s., to the latitude of ° ' s., is nothing but islands and shoals; the land high, rocky, and barren. on the th, in the latitude of ° ' s., observing breakers about half a mile within shore of us, we sounded, and finding but eight fathoms, immediately hauled off, deepened our water to fifteen fathoms, then bore away and kept along shore again. from the latitude of ° ' to ° s., we saw no land, but had regular soundings from fifteen to thirty fathoms. as we stood on to the northward, we made land again in about °; after which we discontinued our northerly course, as we found the ground very uneven, and shoal-water some distance off. i think it a very dangerous shore to fall in with. the coast, from adventure bay to the place where we stood away for new zealand, lies in the direction s. / w., and n. / e., about seventy-five leagues; and it is my opinion that there are no straits between new holland and van diemen's land, but a very deep bay.--i should have stood farther to the northward, but the wind blowing strong at s.s.e., and looking likely to haul round to the eastward, which would have blown right on the land, i therefore thought it more proper to leave the coast and steer for new zealand. after we left van diemen's land, we had very uncertain weather, with rain and very heavy gusts of wind. on the th, we were surprised with a very severe squall, that reduced us from top-gallant sails to reefed courses, in the space of an hour. the sea rising equally quick, we shipped many waves, one of which stove the large cutter, and drove the small one from her lashing in the waist; and with much difficulty we saved her from being washed overboard. this gale lasted twelve hours, after which we had more moderate weather, intermixed with calms. we frequently hoisted out the boats to try the currents, and in general found a small drift to the w.s.w. we shot many birds; and had, upon the whole, good weather; but as we got near to the land, it came on thick and dirty for several days, till we made the coast of new zealand in ° ' s., having made twenty-four degrees of longitude, from adventure bay, after a passage of fifteen days. we had the winds much southerly in this passage, and i was under some apprehensions of not being able to fetch the straits, which would have obliged us to steer away for george's island; i would therefore advise any who sail to this part, to keep to the southward, particularly in the fall of the year, when the s. and s.e. winds prevail. april the land, when we first made it, appeared high, and formed a confused jumble of hills and mountains. we steered along shore to the northward, but were much retarded in our course by reason of the swell from the n.e. at noon, on the rd of april, cape farewell, which is the south point of the entrance of the west side of the straits, bore e. by n. / n. by the compass, three or four leagues distant. about eight o'clock we entered the straits, and steered n.e. till midnight; then brought-to till day-light, and had soundings from forty-five to fifty-eight fathoms, sand and broken shells. at day-light, made sail and steered s.e. by e.; had light airs; mount egmont n.n.e. eleven or twelve leagues, and point stephens s.e. / e. seven leagues. at noon, mount egmont n. by e. twelve leagues; stephens island s.e. five leagues. in the afternoon we put the dredge over-board in sixty-five fathoms; but caught nothing except a few small scallops, two or three oysters, and broken shells. standing to the eastward for charlotte's sound, with a light breeze at n.w., in the morning on the th, stephens island bearing s.w. by w. four leagues, we were taken a-back with a strong easterly gale, which obliged us to haul our wind to the s.e. and work to windward up under port jackson. the course from stephens island to point jackson, is nearly s.e. by the compass, eleven leagues distant, depth of water from forty to thirty-two fathoms, sandy ground. as we stood off and on, we fired several guns, but saw no signs of any inhabitants. in the afternoon, at half-past two, o'clock, finding the tide set the ship to the westward, we anchored with the coasting anchor in thirty-nine fathoms water, muddy ground; point jackson s.e. / e. three leagues; the east point of an inlet (about four leagues to the westward of point jackson, and which appears to be a good harbour) s.w. by w. / w. at eight p.m. the tide slackening, we weighed and made sail (having while at anchor caught several fish with hook and line), and found the tide to run to the westward, at the rate of two and a half knots per hour. standing to the east, we found no ground at seventy fathoms, off point jackson n.n.w., two leagues. at eight the next morning, had the sound open; but the wind being down, it obliged us to work up under the western shore, as the tide sets up strong there, when it runs down in mid channel. at ten, the tide being done, was obliged to come-to with the best bower in thirty-eight fathoms, close to some white rocks, point jackson bearing n.w. / n.; the northernmost of the brothers e. by s.; and the middle of entry island (which lies on the north side of the straits) n.e. we made ° ' e., variation in the straits. as we sailed up the sound we saw the tops of high mountains covered with snow, which remains all the year. when the tide slackened, we weighed and sailed up the sound; and about five o'clock on the th, anchored in ship cove, in ten fathoms water, muddy ground, and moored the best bower to the n.n.e., and small to s.s.w. in the night, we heard the howling of dogs, and people hallooing on the east shore. the two following days were employed in clearing a place on motuara island for erecting our tents for the sick (having then several on board much afflicted with the scurvy), the sail-makers and coopers. on the top of the island was a post erected, by the endeavour's people, with her name and time of departure on it. on the th, we were visited by three canoes with about sixteen of the natives; and to induce them to bring us fish and other provisions, we gave them several things, with which they seemed highly pleased. one of our young gentlemen seeing something wrapt up in a better manner than common, had the curiosity to examine what it was; and to his great surprise found it to be the head of a man lately killed. they were very apprehensive of its being forced from them; and particularly the man who seemed most interested in it, whose very flesh crept on his bones, for fear of being punished by us, as captain cook had expressed his great abhorrence of this unnatural act. they used every method to conceal the head, by shifting it from one to another; and by signs endeavouring to convince us, that there was no such thing amongst them, though we had seen it but a few minutes before. they then took their leave of us, and went on shore. they frequently mentioned tupia, which was the name of the native of george's island (or otaheite), brought here by the endeavour, and who died at batavia; and when we told them he was dead, some of them seemed to be very much concerned, and, as well as we could understand them, wanted to know whether we killed him, or if he died a natural death. by these questions, they are the same tribe captain cook saw. in the afternoon, they returned again with fish and fern roots, which they sold for nails and other trifles; though the nails are what they set the most value on. the man and woman who had the head, did not come off again. having a catalogue of words in their language, we called several things by name, which surprised them greatly. they wanted it much, and offered a great quantity of fish for it. next morning, they returned again, to the number of fifty or sixty, with their chief at their head (as we supposed), in five double canoes. they gave us their implements of war, stone hatchets, and clothes, &c. for nails and old bottles, which they put a great value on. a number of the head men came on board us, and it was with some difficulty we got them out of the ship by fair means; but on the appearance of a musket with a fixed bayonet, they all went into their canoes very quickly. we were daily visited by more or less, who brought us fish in great plenty for nails, beads, and other trifles, and behaved very peaceably. we settled the astronomer with his instruments, and a sufficient guard, on a small island, that is joined to motuara at low water, called the hippa, where there was an old fortified town that the natives had forsaken. their houses served our people to live in; and, by sinking them about a foot inside, we made them very comfortable. having done this, we struck our tents on the motuara, and having removed the ship farther into the cove on the west shore, moored her for the winter. we then erected our tents near the river or watering-place, and sent ashore all the spars and lumber off the decks, that they might be caulked; and gave her a winter coat to preserve the hull and rigging. may on the th of may, we felt two severe shocks of an earthquake, but received no kind of damage. on the th, we were surprised by the people firing guns on the hippa, and having sent the boat, as soon as she opened the sound, had the pleasure of seeing the resolution off the mouth of it. we immediately sent out the boats to tow her in, it being calm. in the evening she anchored about a mile without us; and next morning weighed and warped within us. both ships felt uncommon joy at our meeting, after an absence of fourteen weeks. chapter viii. _transactions in queen charlotte's sound, with some remarks on the inhabitants._ may knowing that scurvy-grass, celery, and other vegetables, were to be found in this sound, i went myself the morning after my arrival, at day-break, to look for some, and returned on board at breakfast with a boat-load. being now satisfied, that enough was to be got for the crews of both ships, i gave orders that they should be boiled, with wheat and portable broth, every morning for breakfast; and with peas and broth for dinner; knowing from experience, that these vegetables, thus dressed, are extremely beneficial, in removing all manner of scorbutic complaints. i have already mentioned a desire i had of visiting van diemen's land, in order to inform myself if it made a part of new holland; and i certainly should have done this, had the winds proved favourable. but as captain furneaux had now, in a great measure, cleared up that point, i could have no business there; and therefore came to a resolution to continue our researches to the east, between the latitudes of ° and °. i acquainted captain furneaux therewith, and ordered him to get his ship in readiness to put to sea as soon as possible. in the morning of the th, i sent ashore, to the watering-place near the adventure's tent, the only ewe and ram remaining, of those which i brought from the cape of good hope, with an intent to leave them in this country. soon after i visited the several gardens captain furneaux had caused to be made and planted with various articles; all of which were in a flourishing state, and, if attended to by the natives, may prove of great utility to them. the next day i set some men to work to make a garden on long island, which i planted with garden seeds, roots, &c. on the d in the morning, the ewe and ram, i had with so much care and trouble brought to this place, were both found dead, occasioned, as was supposed, by eating some poisonous plant. thus my hopes of stocking this country with a breed of sheep, were blasted in a moment. about noon, we were visited, for the first time since i arrived, by some of the natives, who dined with us; and it was not a little they devoured. in the evening they were dismissed with presents. early in the morning of the th, i sent mr gilbert the master to sound about the rock we had discovered in the entrance of the sound. myself, accompanied by captain furneaux and mr forster, went in a boat to the west bay on a shooting party. in our way, we met a large canoe in which were fourteen or fifteen people. one of the first questions they asked was for tupia, the person i brought from otaheite on my former voyage; and they seemed to express some concern when we told them he was dead. these people made the same enquiry of captain furneaux when he first arrived; and, on my return to the ship in the evening, i was told that a canoe had been along- side, the people in which seemed to be strangers, and who also enquired for tupia. late in the evening mr gilbert returned, having sounded all round the rock, which he found to be very small and steep. nothing worthy of notice happened till the th, when several of the natives made us a visit, and brought with them a quantity of fish, which they exchanged for nails, &c. one of these people i took over to motuara, and shewed him some potatoes planted there by mr fannen, master of the adventure. there seemed to be no doubt of their succeeding; and the man was so well pleased with them, that he, of his own accord, began to hoe the earth up about the plants. we next took him to the other gardens, and shewed him the turnips, carrots, and parsnips; roots which, together with the potatoes, will be of more real use to them than all the other articles we had planted. it was easy to give them an idea of these roots, by comparing them with such as they knew. two or three families of these people now took up their abode near us, employing themselves daily in fishing, and supplying us with the fruits of their labour; the good effects of which we soon felt. for we were, by no means, such expert fishers as they are; nor were any of our methods of fishing equal to theirs. june on the d of june, the ships being nearly ready to put to sea, i sent on shore on the east side of the sound, two goats, male and female. the former was something more than a year old; but the latter was much older. she had two fine kids, some time before we arrived in dusky bay, which were killed by cold, as hath been already mentioned. captain furneaux also put on shore, in cannibal cove, a boar and two breeding sows; so that we have reason to hope this country will in time be stocked with these animals, if they are not destroyed by the natives before they become wild; for, afterwards, they will be in no danger. but as the natives knew nothing of their being left behind, it may be some time before they are discovered. in our excursion to the east, we met with the largest seal i had ever seen. it was swimming on the surface of the water, and suffered us to come near enough to fire at it; but without effect; for, after a chase of near an hour, we were obliged to leave it. by the size of this animal, it probably was a sea-lioness. it certainly bore much resemblance to the drawing in lord anson's voyage; our seeing a sea-lion when we entered this sound, in my former voyage, increaseth the probability; and i am of opinion, they have their abode on some of the rocks, which lie in the strait, or off admiralty bay. on the d, i sent a boat with the carpenter over to the east side of the sound, to cut down some spars which we were in want of. as she was returning, she was chased by a large double canoe full of people; but with what intent is not known. early the next morning, some of our friends brought us a large supply of fish. one of them agreed to go away with us; but afterwards, that is, when it came to the point, he changed his mind; as did some others who had promised to go with the adventure. it was even said that some of them offered their children to sale. i however found that this was a mistake. the report first took its rise on board the adventure, where they were utter strangers to their language and customs. it was very common for these people to bring their children with them, and present them to us, in expectation that we would make them presents; this happened to me the preceding morning. a man brought his son, a boy about nine or ten years of age, and presented him to me. as the report of selling their children was then current, i thought, at first, that he wanted me to buy the boy. but at last i found that he wanted me to give him a white shirt, which i accordingly did. the boy was so fond of his new dress, that he went all over the ship, presenting himself before every one that came in his way. this freedom used by him offended old will, the ram goat, who gave him a butt with his horns, and knocked him backward on the deck. will would have repeated his blow, had not some of the people come to the boy's assistance. the misfortune, however, seemed to him irreparable. the shirt was dirtied, and he was afraid to appear in the cabin before his father, until brought in by mr forster; when he told a very lamentable story against goury the great dog (for so they call all the quadrupeds we had aboard), nor could he be reconciled, till his shirt was washed and dried. this story, though extremely trifling in itself, will shew how liable we are to mistake these people's meaning, and to ascribe to them customs they never knew even in thought. about nine o'clock, a large double canoe, in which were twenty or thirty people, appeared in sight. our friends on board seemed much alarmed, telling us that these were their enemies. two of them, the one with a spear, and the other with a stone-hatchet in his hand, mounted the arm- chests on the poop, and there, in a kind of bravado, bid those enemies defiance; while the others, who were on board, took to their canoe and went ashore, probably to secure the women and children. all i could do, i could not prevail on the two that remained to call these strangers along-side; on the contrary, they were displeased at my doing it, and wanted me to fire upon them. the people in the canoe seemed to pay very little regard to those on board, but kept advancing slowly towards the ship, and after performing the usual ceremonies, put along-side. after this the chief was easily prevailed upon to come on board, followed by many others, and peace was immediately established on all sides. indeed, it did not appear to me that these people had any intention to make war upon their brethren. at least, if they had, they were sensible enough to know, that this was neither the time nor place for them to commit hostilities. one of the first questions these strangers asked, was for tupia; and when i told them he was dead, one or two expressed their sorrow by a kind of lamentation, which to me appeared more formal than real. a trade soon commenced between our people and them. it was not possible to hinder the former from selling the clothes from off their backs for the merest trifles, things that were neither useful nor curious. this caused me to dismiss the strangers sooner than i would have done. when they departed, they went to motuara, where, by the help of our glasses, we discovered four or five canoes, and several people on the shore. this induced me to go over in my boat, accompanied by mr forster and one of the officers. we were well received by the chief and the whole tribe, which consisted of between ninety and a hundred persons, men, women, and children, having with them six canoes, and all their utensils; which made it probable that they were come to reside in this sound. but this is only conjecture; for it is very common for them, when they go but a little way, to carry their whole property with them; every place being alike, if it affords them the necessary subsistence; so that it can hardly be said they are ever from home. thus we may easily account for the emigration of those few families we found in dusky bay. living thus dispersed in small parties, knowing no head but the chief of the family or tribe, whose authority may be very little, they feel many inconveniences, to which well-regulated societies, united under one head or any other form of government, are not subject. these form laws and regulations for their general good; they are not alarmed at the appearance of every stranger; and, if attacked or invaded by a public enemy, have strong-holds to retire to, where they can with advantage defend themselves, their property, and their country. this seems to be the state of most of the inhabitants of eahei-nomauwe; whereas those of tavai-poenammoo, by living a wandering life in small parties, are destitute of most of these advantages, which subjects them to perpetual alarms. we generally found them upon their guard, travelling and working, as it were with their arms in their hands. even the women are not exempted from bearing arms, as appeared by the first interview i had with the family in dusky bay; where each of the two women was armed with a spear, not less than feet in length. i was led into these reflections, by not being able to recollect the face of any one person i had seen here three years ago: nor did it once appear, that any one of them had the least knowledge of me, or of any person with me that was here at that time. it is therefore highly probable that the greatest part of the people which inhabited this sound in the beginning of the year , have been since driven out of it, or have, of their own accord, removed somewhere else. certain it is, that not one third of the inhabitants were here now, that were then. their stronghold on the point of motuara hath been long deserted; and we found many forsaken habitations in all parts of the sound. we are not, however, wholly to infer from this, that this place hath been once very populous; for each family may, for their own convenience, when they move from place to place, have more huts than one or two. it may be asked, if these people had never seen the endeavour, nor any of her crew, how could they become acquainted with the name of tupia, or have in their possession (which many of them had) such articles, as they could only have got from that ship? to this it may be answered, that the name of tupia was so popular among them when the endeavour was here, that it would be no wonder if, at this time, it was known over great part of new zealand, and as familiar to those who never saw him, as to those who did. had ships, of any other nation whatever, arrived here, they would have equally enquired of them for tupia. by the same way of reasoning, many of the articles left here by the endeavour, may be now in possession of those who never saw her. i got from one of the people, now present, an ear ornament, made of glass very well formed and polished. the glass they must have got from the endeavour. after passing about an hour on motuara with these people, and having distributed among them some presents, and shewed to the chief the gardens we had made, i returned on board, and spent the remainder of our royal master's birth-day in festivity; having the company of captain furneaux and all his officers. double allowance enabled the seamen to share in the general joy. both ships being now ready for sea, i gave captain furneaux an account in writing of the route i intended to take; which was to proceed to the east, between the latitudes of ° and ° s., until i arrived in the longitude of ° or ° w., then, provided no land was discovered; to proceed to otaheite; from thence back to this place, by the shortest route; and after taking in wood and water, to proceed to the south, and explore all the unknown parts of the sea between the meridian of new zealand and cape horn. therefore, in case of separation before we reached otaheite, i appointed that island for the place of rendezvous, where he was to wait till the th of august: if not joined by me before that time, he was then to make the best of his way back to queen charlotte's sound, where he was to wait until the th of november: after which (if not joined by me,) he was to put to sea, and carry into execution their lordships' instructions. some may think it an extraordinary step in me to proceed on discoveries as far south at ° degrees of latitude, in the very depth of winter. but though it most be owned, that winter is by no means favourable for discoveries, it nevertheless appeared to me necessary that something should be done in it, in order to lessen the work i was upon; lest i should not be able to finish the discovery of the southern part of the south pacific ocean the ensuing summer. besides, if i should discover any land in my route to the east, i should be ready to begin, with the summer, to explore it. setting aside all these considerations, i had little to fear; having two good ships well provided; and healthy crews. where then could i spend my time better? if i did nothing more, i was at least in hopes of being able to point out to posterity, that these seas may be navigated, and that it is practicable to go on discoveries; even in the very depth of winter. during our stay in the sound, i had observed that this second visit made to this country, had not mended the morals of the natives of either sex. i had always looked upon the females of new zealand to be more chaste than the generality of indian women. whatever favours a few of them might have granted to the people in the endeavour, it was generally done in a private manner, and the men did not seem to interest themselves much in it. but now, i was told, they were the chief promoters of a shameful traffic, and that for a spike-nail, or any other thing they value, they would oblige the women to prostitute themselves, whether they would or no; and even without any regard to that privacy which decency required. during our stay here, mr wales lost no opportunity to observe equal altitudes of the sun, for obtaining the rates of the watches. the result of his labours proved, that mr kendal's was gaining ", per day, and mr arnold's losing ", s per day, on mean time. chapter ix. _route from new zealand to otaheite, with an account of some low islands, supposed to be the same that were seen by m. de bougainville._ june on the th of june, at four in the morning, the wind being more favourable, we unmoored, and at seven weighed and put to sea, with the adventure in company. we had no sooner got out of the sound, than we found the wind at south, so that we had to ply through the straits. about noon the tide of ebb setting out in our favour, made our boards advantageous; so that, at five o'clock in the evening. cape palliser, on the island of eahei-nomauwe, bore s.s.e. / s., and cape koamaroo, or the s.e. point of the sound, n. by w. / w.; presently after it fell calm, and the tide of flood now making against us, carried us at a great rate back to the north. a little before high-water, the calm was succeeded by a breeze from the north, which soon increased to a brisk gale. this, together with the ebb, carried us by eight o'clock the next morning quite through the strait. cape palliser at this time bore e.n.e., and at noon n. by w. distant seven leagues. this day at noon, when we attended the winding-up of the watches, the fusee of mr arnold's would not turn round, so that after several unsuccessful trials we were obliged to let it go down. after getting clear of the straits, i directed my course s.e. by e., having a gentle gale, but variable between the north and west. the late s.e. winds having caused a swell from the same quarter, which did not go down for some days, we had little hopes of meeting with land in that direction. we however continued to steer to the s.e., and on the th crossed the meridian of °, and got into the west longitude, according to my way of reckoning. on the th, at seven in the morning, the wind having veered round to s.e., we tacked and stretched to n.e., being at this time in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° w. in this situation we had a great swell from n.e. the wind continued at s.e. and s.s.e., blew fresh at intervals, and was attended with sometimes fair, and at other times rainy weather, till the th, on which day, being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., the wind shifted to the west, blew a gentle gale, and was attended with fair weather. with this we steered e. by n., e. by s., and e., till the d at noon, when, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we had a few hours calm. the calm was succeeded by a wind at east, with which we stood to the north. the wind increased and blew in squalls, attended with rain, which at last brought us under our courses; and at two o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, we were obliged to lie-to under the foresail, having a very hard gale from e.n.e., and a great sea from the same direction. at seven o'clock in the morning of the th, the gale being more moderate, we made sail under the courses, and in the afternoon set the top-sails close-reefed. at midnight, the wind having veered more to the north, we tacked and stretched to the s.e., being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. we continued to stretch to the s.e., with a fresh gale and fair weather, till four o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, when we stood again to the n.e., till midnight between the th and th. then we had a few hours calm, which was succeeded by faint breezes from the west. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w. the wind remained not long at west, before it veered back to the e. by the n., and kept between the s.e. and n.e., but never blew strong. july on july d, being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., we had again a calm, which brought the wind back to the west; but it was of no longer continuance than before. for the next day it returned to the e. and s.e., blew fresh at times, and by squalls, with rain. on the th, being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., we had two hours calm; in which time mr wales went on board the adventure to compare the watches, and they were found to agree, allowing for the difference of their rates of going: a probable, if not a certain proof, that they had gone well since we had been in this sea. the calm was succeeded by a wind from the south; between which point and the n.w., it continued for the six succeeding days, but never blew strong. it was, however, attended with a great hollow swell from the s.w. and w., a sure indication that no large land was near in those directions. we now steered east, inclining to the south, and on the th, in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., the variation was found, by several azimuths, to be more than ° e., but the next morning it was found to be ° ' ", and in the afternoon, ° ' e. the same day, at noon, we were in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w. at nine o'clock in the morning of the th, the longitude was observed as follows, viz. self st set ° ' " ditto, d set mr wales st set mr wales d set mr clerke mr gilbert -------------- mean - / west. this differed from my reckoning only ° / . the next morning, in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., we had several lunar observations, which were consonant to those made the day before, allowing for the ship's run in the time. in the afternoon we had, for a few hours, variable light airs next to a calm; after which we got a wind from the n.e., blowing fresh and in squalls, attended with dark gloomy weather, and some rain. we stretched to the s.e. till five o'clock in the afternoon on the th, at which time, being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., we tacked and stood to the north under our courses, having a very hard gale with heavy squalls, attended with rain, till near noon the next day, when it ended in a calm. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w. in the evening, the calm was succeeded by a breeze from s.w., which soon after increased to a fresh gale; and fixing at s.s.w, with it we steered n.e. / e. in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., we saw floating in the sea a billet of wood, which seemed to be covered with barnacles; so that there was no judging how long it might have been there, or from whence or how far it had come. we continued to steer n.e. / e., before a very strong gale which blew in squalls, attended with showers of rain and hail, and a very high sea from the same quarter, till noon, on the th. being then in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., which was a degree and a half farther east than i intended to run; nearly in the middle between my track to the north in , and the return to the south in the same year, and seeing no signs of land, i steered north-easterly, with a view of exploring that part of the sea lying between the two tracks just mentioned, down as low as the latitude of °, a space that had not been visited by any preceding navigator that i knew of. on the th, being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., we steered n. / w., having still the advantage of a hard gale at south, which the next day veered to s.e. and e., blew hard and by squalls, attended with rain and thick hazy weather. this continued till the evening of the st, when the gale abated, the weather cleared up, and the wind backed to the s. and s.e. we were now in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., from this situation we steered n.n.w. till noon the next day, when we steered a point more to the west; being at this time in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w. the weather was now so warm, that it was necessary to put on lighter clothes; the mercury in the thermometer at noon rose to . it had never been lower than , and seldom higher than , at the same time of the day, since we left new zealand. this day was remarkable by our not seeing a single bird. not one had passed since we left the land, without seeing some of the following birds, viz. albatrosses, sheerwaters, pintadoes, blue peterels, and port egmont hens. but these frequent every part of the southern ocean in the higher latitudes: not a bird, nor any other thing, was seen that could induce us to think that we had ever been in the neighbourhood of any land. the wind kept veering round from the s. by the w. to n.n.w., with which we stretched north till noon the next day, when, being in the latitude of ° ', we tacked and stretched to the westward. the wind soon increased to a very hard gale, attended with rain, and blew in such heavy squalls as to split the most of our sails. this weather continued till the morning of the th, when the wind became more moderate, and veered to n.w. and w.n.w., with which we steered and stretched to n.e., being at that time in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w. in the afternoon the sky cleared up, and the weather became fair and settled. we now met the first tropic bird we had seen in this sea. on the th, in the afternoon, being in the latitude of ° ', we had several observations of the sun and moon, which gave the longitude ° ' w. my reckoning at the same time was ° ', and i had no occasion to correct it since i left the land. we continued to stretch to the north, with light breezes from the westward, till noon, the next day, when we were stopped by a calm; our latitude at this time being ° ', longitude ° ' w. in the evening, the calm was succeeded by a breeze from the n. and n.w., with which we plied to the n. on the th i sent on board the adventure to enquire into the state of her crew, having heard that they were sickly; and this i now found was but too true. her cook was dead, and about twenty of her best men were down in the scurvy and flux. at this time _we_ had only three men on the sick list, and only one of them attacked with the scurvy. several more, however, began to shew symptoms of it, and were accordingly put upon the wort, marmalade of carrots, rob of lemons and oranges. i know not how to account for the scurvy raging more in the one ship than the other, unless it was owing to the crew of the adventure being more scorbutic when they arrived in new zealand than we were, and to their eating few or no vegetables while they lay in queen charlotte's sound, partly for want of knowing the right sorts, and partly because it was a new diet, which alone was sufficient for seamen to reject it. to introduce any new article of food among seamen, let it be ever so much for their good, requires both the example and authority of a commander; without both, of which it will be dropt before the people are sensible of the benefits resulting from it. were it necessary, i could name fifty instances in support of this remark. many of my people, officers as well seamen, at first disliked celery, scurvy-grass, &c., being boiled in the peas and wheat; and some refused to eat it. but, as this had no effect on my conduct, this obstinate kind of prejudice by little and little wore off; they began to like it as well as the others; and now, i believe, there was hardly a man in the ship that did not attribute our being so free from the scurvy, to the beer and vegetables we made use of at new zealand. after this i seldom found it necessary to order any of my people to gather vegetables, whenever we came where any were to be got, and if scarce, happy was he who could lay hold on them first. i appointed one of my seamen to be cook of the adventure, and wrote to captain furneaux, desiring him to make use of every method in his power to stop the spreading of the disease amongst his people, and proposing such as i thought might tend towards it. but i afterwards found all this unnecessary, as every method had been used they could think of. august the wind continued in the n.w. quarter, and blew fresh at times, attended with rain; with which we stood to the n.e. on the st of august, at noon, we were in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., and had a great hollow swell from n.w. the situation we were now in, was nearly the same that captain carteret assigns for pitcairn's island, discovered by him in . we therefore looked well out for it, but saw nothing. according to the longitude in which he has placed it, we must have passed about fifteen leagues to the west of it. but as this was uncertain, i did not think it prudent, considering the situation of the adventure's people, to lose any time in looking for it. a sight of it would, however, have been of use in verifying, or correcting, not only the longitude of this isle, but of the others that captain carteret discovered in this neighbourhood; his longitude not being confirmed, i think, by astronomical observations, and therefore liable to errors, which he could have no method to correct. as we had now got to the northward of captain carteret's tracks, all hopes of discovering a continent vanished. islands were all we were to expect to find, until we returned again to the south. i had now, that is on this and my former voyage, crossed this ocean in the latitude of ° and upwards, without meeting any thing that in the least induced me to think i should find what i was in search after. on the contrary, every thing conspired to make me believe there is no southern continent, between the meridian of america and new zealand; at least, this passage did not produce any indubitable signs of any, as will appear by the following remarks. after leaving the coasts of new zealand, we daily saw floating on the sea rock- weed, for the space of ° of longitude. in my passage to new zealand in , we also saw this weed, for the space of or ° of longitude before we made the land. the weed is undoubtedly the produce of new zealand; because the nearer the coast, the greater quantity you see. at the greatest distance from the coast, we saw it only in small pieces, generally more rotten, and covered with barnacles, an indubitable sign that it had been long at sea. were it not for this, one might be led to conjecture that some other large land lay in the neighbourhood; for it cannot be a small extent of coast to produce such a quantity of weed, as to cover so large a space of sea. it hath been already mentioned, that we were no sooner clear of the straits, than we met with a large hollow swell from the s.e., which continued till we arrived in the longitude of ° w., and latitude °. there we had large billows from the n. and n.e., for five days successively, and until we got ° of longitude more to the east, although the wind, great part of the time, blew from different directions. this was a strong indication that there was no land between us and my track to the west in . after this, we had, as is usual in all great oceans, large billows from every direction in which the wind blew a fresh gale, but more especially from the s.w. these billows never ceased with the cause that first put them in motion; a sure indication that we were not near any large land, and that there is no continent to the south, unless in a very high latitude. but this was too important a point to be left to opinions and conjectures. facts were to determine it, and these could only be obtained by visiting the southern parts; which was to be the work of the ensuing summer, agreeable to the plan i had laid down. as the winds continued to blow from the n.w. and w., we had no other choice but to stand to the north, inclining more or less every day to the east. in the latitude of ° we saw flying-fish, gannets, and egg-birds. on the sixth, i hoisted a boat out, and sent for captain furneaux to dinner, from whom i learnt that his people were much better, the flux having left them, and the scurvy was at a stand. some cyder which he happened to have, and which he gave to the scorbutic people, contributed not a little to this happy change. the weather to-day was cloudy, and the wind very unsettled. this seemed to announce the approach of the so-much-wished-for trade-wind; which, at eight o'clock in the evening, after two hours calm, and some heavy showers of rain, we actually got at s.e. we were, at this time, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° " w. the not meeting with the s.e. trade-wind sooner, is no new thing in this sea. as we had now got it, i directed my course to the w.n.w., as well to keep in the strength of it, as to get to the north of the islands discovered in my former voyage; that if any other islands lay in the way, i might have a chance to discover them. during the day-time we made all the sail we could; but, in the night, either run an easy sail, or lay-to. we daily saw flying-fish, albacores, dolphins, &c., but neither by striking, nor with hook and line, could we catch any of them. this required some art, which none of my people were masters of. on the th at day-break, land was seen to the south. this, upon a nearer approach, we found to be an island of about two leagues in extent, in the direction of n.w. and s.e., and clothed with wood, above which the cocoa- nut trees shewed their lofty heads. i judged it to be one of those isles discovered by mr bougainville. it lies in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., and i called it after the name of the ship, resolution island. the sickly state of the adventure's crew made it necessary for me to make the best of my way to otaheite, where i was sure of finding refreshments. consequently i did not wait to examine this island, which appeared too small to supply our wants, but continued our course to the west, and at six o'clock in the evening, land was seen from the mast-head, bearing w. by s. probably this was another of bougainville's discoveries. i named it doubtful island, and it lies in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w. i was sorry i could not spare time to haul to the north of mr bougainville's track; but the getting to a place where we could procure refreshments, was more an object at this time than discovery. during the night we steered w. by n., in order to pass the north of the island above-mentioned. at day-break the next morning, we discovered land right a-head, distant about two miles; so that day-light advised us of our danger but just in time. this proved another of these low or half-drowned islands, or rather a large coral shoal of about twenty leagues in circuit. a very small part of it was land, which consisted of little islets ranged along the north side, and connected by sand-banks and breakers. these islets were clothed with wood, among which the cocoa-nut trees were only distinguishable. we ranged the south side of this isle or shoal at the distance of one or two miles from the coral-bank, against which the sea broke in a dreadful surf. in the middle is a large lake or inland sea, in which was a canoe under sail. this island, which i named after captain furneaux, lies in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w. the situation is nearly the same that is assigned for one of those discovered by bougainville. i must here observe, that amongst these low and half-drowned isles (which are numerous in this part of the ocean,) mr bougainville's discoveries cannot be known to that degree of accuracy which is necessary to distinguish them from others. we were obliged to have recourse to his chart for the latitudes and longitudes of the isles he discovered, as neither the one nor the other is mentioned in his narrative. without waiting to examine this island we continued to steer to the west, all sails set, till six o'clock in the evening, when we shortened sail to three top-sails, and at nine brought-to. the next morning at four a.m. we made sail, and at daybreak saw another of these low islands, situated in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., which obtained the name of adventure island. m. de bougainville very properly calls this cluster of low overflowed isles the dangerous archipelago. the smoothness of the sea sufficiently convinced us that we were surrounded by them, and how necessary it was to proceed with the utmost caution, especially in the night. at five o'clock p.m. we again saw land, bearing s.w. by s., which we afterwards found to be chain island, discovered in my former voyage. but as i was not sure of it at this time, and being desirous of avoiding the delay which lying by in the night occasioned, i hoisted out the cutter, and manned her with an officer and seven men, with orders to keep as far a-head of the ships, with a light at her masthead, as a signal could be distinguished, which she was to make in case she met with any danger. in this manner we continued to run all night; and, at six o'clock the next morning, i called her on board, and hoisted her in. for it did not appear she would be wanted again for this purpose, as we had now a large swell from the south, a sure sign that we were clear of the low islands; therefore i steered for otaheite without being apprehensive of meeting with any danger. chapter x. _arrival of the ships at otaheite, with an account of the critical situation they were in, and of several incidents that happened while they lay in oaiti-piha bay._ august on the th, at five o'clock in the morning, we saw osnaburg island, or maitea, discovered by captain wallis, bearing s. by w. / w. soon after i brought-to, and waited for the adventure to come up with us, to acquaint captain furneaux that it was my intention to put into oaiti-piha bay, near the south-east end of otaheite, in order to get what refreshments we could from that part of the island, before we went down to matavia. this done, we made sail, and at six in the evening saw the land bearing west. we continued to stand on till midnight, when we brought-to, till four o'clock in the morning, and then made sail in for the land with a fine breeze at east. at day-break we found ourselves not more than half a league from the reef. the breeze now began to fail us, and at last fell to a calm. this made it necessary to hoist out our boats to tow the ships off; but all their efforts were not sufficient to keep them from being carried near the reef. a number of the inhabitants came off in canoes from different parts, bringing with them a little fish, a few cocoa-nuts, and other fruits, which they exchanged for nails, beads, &c. the most of them knew me again, and many enquired for mr banks and others who were with me before; but not one asked for tupia. as the calm continued, our situation became still more dangerous. we were, however, not without hopes of getting round the western point of the reef and into the bay, till about two o'clock in the afternoon, when we came before an opening or break in the reef, through which i hoped to get with the ships. but on sending to examine it, i found there was not a sufficient depth of water; though it caused such an in- draught of the tide of flood through it, as was very near proving fatal to the resolution; for as soon as the ships got into the stream, they were carried with great impetuosity towards the reef. the moment i perceived this, i ordered one of the warping machines, which we had in readiness, to be carried out with about four hundred fathoms of rope; but it had not the least effect. the horrors of shipwreck now stared us in the face. we were not more than two cables length from the breakers; and yet we could find no bottom to anchor, the only probable means we had left to save the ships. we, however, dropt an anchor; but, before it took hold, and brought us up, the ship was in less than three fathom water, and struck at every fall of the sea, which broke close under our stem in a dreadful surf, and threatened us every moment with shipwreck. the adventure, very luckily, brought up close upon our bow without striking. we presently carried out two kedge-anchors, with hawsers to each; these found ground a little without the bower, but in what depth we never knew. by heaving upon them, and cutting away the bower-anchor, we got the ship a- float, where we lay some time in the greatest anxiety, expecting every minute that either the kedges would come home, or the hawsers be cut in two by the rocks. at length the tide ceased to act in the same direction. i ordered all the boats to try to tow off the resolution; and when i saw this was practicable, we hove up the two kedges. at that moment, a light air came off from the land, which so much assisted the boats, that we soon got clear of all danger. then i ordered all the boats to assist the adventure, but before they reached her, she was under sail with the land-breeze, and soon after joined us, leaving behind her three anchors, her coasting cable, and two hawsers, which were never recovered. thus we were once more safe at sea, after narrowly escaping being wrecked on the very island we but a few days before so ardently wished to be at. the calm, after bringing us into this dangerous situation, very fortunately continued; for, had the sea- breeze, as is usual, set in, the resolution must inevitably have been lost, and probably the adventure too. during the lime we were in this critical situation, a number of the natives were on board and about the ships. they seemed to be insensible of our danger, shewing not the least surprise, joy, or fear, when we were striking, and left us a little before sun-set, quite unconcerned. we spent the night, which proved squally and rainy, making short boards; and the next morning, being the th, we anchored in oaiti-piha bay in twelve fathoms water about two cables length from the shore; both ships being by this time crowded with a great number of the natives, who brought with them cocoa-nuts, plantains, bananoes, apples, yams, and other roots, which they exchanged for nails and beads. to several, who called themselves chiefs, i made presents of shirts, axes, and several other articles, and, in return, they promised to bring me hogs and fowls, a promise they never did, nor ever intended to perform. in the afternoon, i landed in company with captain furneaux, in order to view the watering-place, and to sound the disposition of the natives, i also sent a boat to get some water for present use, having scarcely any left on board. we found this article as convenient as could be expected, and the natives to behave with great civility. early in the morning, i sent the two launches and the resolution's cutter, under the command of mr gilbert, to endeavour to recover the anchors we had left behind us; they returned about noon, with the resolution's bower anchor, but could not recover any of the adventure's. the natives came off again with fruit, as the day before, but in no great quantity. i also had a party on shore, trading under the protection of a guard; nothing, however, was brought to market but fruit and roots, though many hogs were seen (i was told) about the houses of the natives. the cry was, that they belonged to waheatoun the _earee de hi_, or king, and him we had not yet seen, nor, i believe, any other chief of note. many, however, who called themselves _earees_, came on board, partly with a view of getting presents, and partly to pilfer whatever came in their way. one of this sort of _earees_ i had, most of the day, in the cabin, and made presents to him and all his friends, which were not few; at length he was caught taking things which did not belong to him, and handing them out of the quarter gallery. many complaints of the like nature were made to me against those on deck, which occasioned my turning them all out of the ship. my cabin guest made good haste to be gone; i was so much exasperated at his behaviour, that after he had got some distance from the ship, i fired two muskets over his head, which made him quit the canoe, and take to the water; i then sent a boat to take up the canoe, but as she came near the shore, the people from thence began to pelt her with stones. being in some pain for her safety, as she was unarmed, i went myself in another boat to protect her, and ordered a great gun, loaded with ball, to be fired along the coast, which made them all retire from the shore, and i was suffered to bring away two canoes without the least shew of opposition. in one of the canoes was a little boy, who was much frightened, but i soon dissipated his fears, by giving him beads, and putting him on shore. a few hours after, we were all good friends again, and the canoes were returned to the first person who came for them. it was not till the evening of this day, that any one enquired after tupia, and then but two or three. as soon as they learnt the cause of his death, they were quite satisfied; indeed, it did not appear to me, that it would have caused a moment's uneasiness in the breast of any one, had his death been occasioned by any other means than by sickness. as little enquiry was made after aotourou, the man who went away with m. de bougainville. but they were continually asking for mr banks, and several others who were with me in my former voyage. these people informed us, that toutaha, the regent of the greater peninsula of otaheite, had been killed in a battle, which was fought between the two kingdoms about five months before, and that _otoo_ was the reigning prince. tubourai tamaide, and several more of our principal friends about matavai, fell in this battle, as also a great number of common people; but, at present, a peace subsisted between the two kingdoms. on the th, we had gentle breezes easterly, with some smart showers of rain. early in the morning, the boats were again sent to recover the adventure's anchors, but returned with the same ill success as the day before, so that we ceased to look for them any longer, thinking ourselves very happy in having come off so well, considering the situation we had been in. in an excursion which captain furneaux and i made along the coast, we met with a chief who entertained us with excellent fish, fruit, &c. in return for his hospitality, i made him a present of an axe and other things; and he afterwards accompanied us back to the ships, where he made but a short stay. nothing worthy of note happened on the th, till the dusk of the evening, when one of the natives made off with a musquet belonging to the guard on shore. i was present when this happened, and sent some of our people after him, which would have been to little purpose, had not some of the natives, of their own accord, pursued the thief. they knocked him down, took from him the musquet, and brought it to us. fear, on this occasion, certainly operated more with them than principle. they deserve, however, to be applauded for this act of justice, for, if they had not given their immediate assistance, it would hardly have been in my power to have recovered the musquet, by any gentle means whatever, and by making use of any other, i was sure to lose more than ten times its value. the st, the wind was at north, a fresh breeze. this morning a chief made me a visit, and presented me with a quantity of fruit, among which, were a number of cocoanuts we had drawn the water from, and afterwards thrown, over board; these he had picked up, and tied in bundles so artfully, that we did not at first perceive the cheat; when he was told of it, without betraying the least emotion, and, as if he knew nothing of the matter, he opened two or three of them himself, signified to us, that he was satisfied it was so, and then went ashore and sent off a quantity of plantains and bananoes. having got on board a supply of water, fruit, and roots, i determined to sail in the morning to matavai, as i found it was not likely that i should get an interview with waheatoua, without which, it was very improbable we should get any hogs. two of the natives, who knew my intention, slept on board, with a view of going with us to matavai, but, in the morning, the wind blew fresh at n.w., and as we could not sail, i sent the trading party on shore as usual. in the evening, i was informed that waheatoua was come into the neighourhood, and wanted to see me. in consequence of this information, i determined to wait one day longer, in order to have an interview with this prince. accordingly, early the next morning, i set out in company with captain furneaux, mr forster, and several of the natives. we met the chief about a mile from the landing-place, towards which he was advancing to meet us; but, as soon as he saw us, he stopt, with his numerous train, in the open air. i found him seated upon a stool, with a circle of people round him, and knew him at first sight, and he me, having seen each other several times in . at that time he was but a boy, and went by the name of tearee, but, upon the death of his father, waheatoun, he took upon him that name. after the first salutation was over, having seated me on the same stool with himself, and the other gentlemen on the ground by us, he began to enquire after several by name who were with me on my former voyage. he next enquired how long i would stay, and when i told him no longer than next day, he seemed sorry, asked me to stay some months, and at last came down to five days, promising, that in that time i should have hogs in plenty; but, as i had been here already a week, without so much as getting one, i could not put any faith in this promise; and yet, i believe, if i had staid, we should have fared much better than at matavai. the present i made him consisted of a shirt, a sheet, a broad axe, spike-nails, knives, looking-glasses, medals, beads, &c.; in return, he ordered a pretty good hog to be carried to our boat. we staid with him all the morning, during which time, he never suffered me to go from his side, where he was seated. i was also seated on the same stool, which was carried from place to place by one of his attendants, whom he called stool-bearer. at length we took leave, in order to return on board to dinner, after which, we visited him again, and made him more presents, and he, in return, gave captain furneaux and me each of us an hog. some others were got by exchanges at the trading places; so that we got in the whole, to-day, as much fresh pork as gave the crews of both the ships a meal; and this in consequence of our having this interview with the chief. the th, early in the morning, we put to sea with a light land-breeze. soon after we were out, we got the wind at west, which blew in squalls, attended with heavy showers of rain. many canoes accompanied us out to sea, with cocoa-nuts and other fruits, and did not leave us till they had disposed of their cargoes. the fruits we got here greatly contributed towards the recovery of the adventure's sick people; many of them, who had been so ill as not to be able to move without assistance, were, in this short time so far recovered, that they could walk about of themselves. when we put in here, the resolution had but one scorbutic man on board, and a marine, who had been long sick, and who died the second day after our arrival, of a complication of disorders, without the least mixture of the scurvy. i left lieutenant pickersgill, with the cutter, behind the bay, to purchase hogs, as several had promised to bring some down to-day, and i was not willing to lose them. on the th; about noon, mr pickersgill returned with eight hogs, which he got at oaiti-piha. he spent the night at ohedea, and was well entertained by ereti, the chief of that district. it was remarkable, that this chief never once asked after aotouroo, nor did he take the least notice when mr pickersgill mentioned his name. and yet m. de bougainville tells us, this is the very chief who presented aotourou to him; which makes it the more extraordinary, that he should neither enquire after him now, nor when he was with us at matavai, especially as they believed that we and m. de bougainville came from the same country, that is, from _pretane_, for so they called our country. they had not the least knowledge of any other european nation, nor probably will they, unless some of those men should return who had lately gone from the isle, of which mention shall be made bye and bye. we told several of them, that m. de bougainville came from france, a name they could by no means pronounce; nor could they pronounce that of paris much better; so that it is not likely that they will remember either the one or the other long; whereas _pretane_ is in every child's mouth, and will hardly ever be forgotten. it was not till the evening of this day that we arrived in matavai bay. chapter xi. _an account of several visits to and from otoo; of goats being left on the island; and many other particulars which happened while the ships lay in matavai bay._ august before we got to an anchor, our decks were crowded with the natives; many of whom i knew, and almost all of them knew me. a great crowd were gotten together upon the shore; amongst whom was otoo their king. i was just going to pay him a visit, when i was told he was _mataow'd_, and gone to oparree. i could not conceive the reason of his going off in a fright, as every one seemed pleased to see me. a chief, whose name was maritata, was at this time on board, and advised me to put off my visit till the next morning, when he would accompany me; which i accordingly did. after having given directions to pitch tents for the reception of the sick, coopers, sail-makers, and the guard, i set out on the th for oparree; accompanied by captain furneaux, mr forster, and others, maritata and his wife. as soon as we landed, we were conducted to otoo, whom we found seated on the ground, under the shade of a tree, with an immense crowd around him. after the first compliments were over, i presented him with such articles as i guessed were most valuable in his eyes; well knowing that it was my interest to gain the friendship of this man. i also made presents to several of his attendants; and, in return, they offered me cloth, which i refused to accept; telling them that what i had given was for _tiyo_ (friendship). the king enquired for tupia, and all the gentlemen that were with me in my former voyage, by name; although i do not remember that he was personally acquainted with any of us. he promised that i should have some hogs the next day; but i had much ado to obtain a promise from him to visit me on board. he said he was, _mataou no to poupoue_, that is, afraid of the guns. indeed all his actions shewed him to be a timorous prince. he was about thirty years of age, six feet high, and a fine, personable, well-made man as one can see. all his subjects appeared uncovered before him, his father not excepted. what is meant by uncovering, is the making bare the head and shoulders, or wearing no sort of clothing above the breast. when i returned from oparree, i found the tents, and the astronomer's observatories, set up on the same spot where we observed the transit of venus in . in the afternoon, i had the sick landed; twenty from the adventure, all ill of the scurvy; and one from the resolution. i also landed some marines for a guard, and left the command to lieutenant edgecumbe of the marines. on the th, early in the morning, otoo, attended by a numerous train, paid me a visit. he first sent into the ship a large quantity of cloth, fruits, a hog, and two large fish; and, after some persuasion, came aboard himself, with his sister, a younger brother, and several more of his attendants. to all of them i made presents; and, after breakfast, took the king, his sister, and as many more as i had room for, into my boat, and carried them home to oparree. i had no sooner landed than i was met by a venerable old lady, the mother of the late toutaha. she seized me by both hands, and burst into a flood of tears, saying, _toutaha tiyo no toutee matty toutaha_--(toutaha, your friend, or the friend of cook, is dead.) i was so much affected with her behaviour, that it would have been impossible for me to have refrained mingling my tears with hers, had not otoo come and taken me from her. i, with some difficulty, prevailed on him to let me see her again, when i gave her an axe and some other things. captain furneaux, who was with me, presented the king with two fine goats, male and female, which if taken care of, or rather if no care at all is taken of them will no doubt multiply. after a short stay, we look leave and returned on board. very early in the morning on the th, i sent mr pickersgill, with the cutter, as far as ottahourou, to procure hogs. a little after sun-rise, i had another visit from otoo, who brought me more cloth, a pig, and some fruit. his sister, who was with him, and some of his attendants, came on board; but he and others went to the adventure with the like present to captain furneaux. it was not long before he returned with captain furneaux on board the resolution, when i made him a handsome return for the present he had brought me, and dressed his sister out in the best manner i could. she, the king's brother, and one or two more, were covered before him to- day. when otoo came into the cabin, ereti and some of his friends were sitting there. the moment they saw the king enter, they stripped themselves in great haste, being covered before. seeing i took notice of it, they said _earee, earee_; giving me to understand that it was on account of otoo being present. this was all the respect they paid him; for they never rose from their seats, nor made him any other obeisance. when the king thought proper to depart, i carried him again to oparree in my boat; where i entertained him and his people with the bagpipes (of which music they are very fond) and dancing by the seamen. he then ordered some of his people to dance also, which consisted chiefly of contortions. there were some, however, who could imitate the seamen pretty well, both in country-dances and hornpipes. while we were here, i had a present of cloth from the late toutaha's mother. this good old lady could not look upon me without shedding tears; however, she was far more composed than before. when we took leave, the king promised to visit me again the next day; but said that i must first come to him. in the evening mr pickersgill came back empty, but with a promise of having some hogs, if he would return in a few days. next morning after breakfast, i took a trip to oparree, to visit otoo as he had requested, accompanied by captain furneaux and some of the officers. we made him up a present of such things as he had not seen before. one article was a broad-sword; at the sight of which he was so intimidated, that i had much ado to persuade him to accept of it, and to have it buckled upon him; where it remained but a short time, before he desired leave to take it off, and send it out of his sight. soon after we were conducted to the theatre; where we were entertained with a dramatic _heuva_, or _play_, in which were both dancing and comedy. the performers were five men, and one woman, who was no less a person than the king's sister. the music consisted of three drums only; it lasted about an hour and a half, or two hours; and, upon the whole, was well conducted. it was not possible for us to find out the meaning of the play. some part seemed adapted to the present time, as my name was frequently mentioned. other parts were certainly wholly unconnected with us. it apparently differed in nothing, that is, in the manner of acting it, from those we saw at ulielea in my former voyage. the dancing-dress of the lady was more elegant than any i saw there, by being decorated with long tassels, made of feathers, hanging from the waist downward. as soon as all was over, the king himself desired me to depart; and sent into the boat different kinds of fruit and fish, ready dressed. with this we returned on board; and the next morning he sent me more fruit, and several small parcels of fish. nothing farther remarkable happened till ten o'clock in the evening, when we were alarmed with the cry of murder, and a great noise, on shore, near the bottom of the bay, at some distance from our encampment. i suspected that it was occasioned by some of our own people; and immediately armed a boat, and sent on shore, to know the occasion of this disturbance, and to bring off such of our people as should be found there. i also sent to the adventure, and to the post on shore, to know who were missing; for none were absent from the resolution but those who were upon duty. the boat soon returned with three marines and a seaman. some others belonging to the adventure were also taken; and, being all put under confinement, the next morning i ordered them to be punished according to their deserts. i did not find that any mischief was done, and our people would confess nothing. i believe this disturbance was occasioned by their making too free with the women. be this as it will, the natives were so much alarmed, that they fled from their habitations in the dead of the night, and the alarm spread many miles along the coast. for when i went to visit otoo, in the morning, by appointment, i found him removed, or rather fled, many miles from the place of his abode. even there i was obliged to wait some hours, before i could see him at all; and when i did, he complained of the last night's riot. as this was intended to be my last visit, i had taken with me a present suitable to the occasion. among other things were three cape sheep, which he had seen before and asked for; for these people never lose a thing by not asking for it. he was much pleased with them; though he could be but little benefited, as they were all weathers; a thing he was made acquainted with. the presents he got at this interview entirely removed his fears, and opened his heart so much, that he sent for three hogs; one for me, one for captain furneaux, and one for mr forster. this last was small, of which we complained, calling it _ete, ete_. presently after a man came into the circle, and spoke to the king with some warmth, and in a very peremptory manner; saying something or other about hogs. we at first thought he was angry with the king for giving us so many, especially as he took the little pig away with him. the contrary, however, appeared to be the true cause of his displeasure; for, presently after he was gone, a hog, larger than either of the other two, was brought us in lieu of the little one. when we took leave, i acquainted him that i should sail from the island the next day; at which he seemed much moved, and embraced me several times. we embarked to return on board, and he, with his numerous train, directed his march back to oparree. september the sick being all pretty well recovered, our water-casks repaired, and water completed, as well as the necessary repairs of the ships, i determined to put to sea without farther delay. accordingly, on the st of september, i ordered every thing to be got off from the shore, and the ships to be unmoored. on this work we were employed the most of the day. in the afternoon, mr pickersgill returned from attahourou; to which place i had sent him, two days before, for the hogs he had been promised. my old friend pottatou, the chief of that district, his wife, or mistress, (i know not which,) and some more of his friends, came along with mr pickersgill, in order to visit me. they brought me a present of two hogs and some fish; and mr pickersgill got two more hogs, by exchange, from oamo; for he went in the boat as far as paparra, where he saw old oberea. she seemed much altered for the worse, poor, and of little consequence. the first words she said to mr pickersgill were, _earee mataou ina boa_, earee is frightened, you can have no hogs. by this it appeared that she had little or no property, and was herself subject to the earee, which i believe was not the case when i was here before. the wind, which had blown westerly all day, having shifted at once to the east, we put to sea; and i was obliged to dismiss my friends sooner than they wished to go; but well satisfied with the reception they had met with. some hours before we got under sail, a young man, whose name was poreo, came and desired i would take him with me. i consented, thinking he might be of service to us on some occasion. many more offered themselves, but i refused to take them. this youth asked me for an axe and a spike-nail for his father, who was then on board. he had them accordingly, and they parted just as we were getting under sail, more like two strangers than father and son. this raised a doubt in me whether it was so; which was farther confirmed, by a canoe, conducted by two men, coming along-side, as we were standing out of the bay, and demanding the young man in the name of otoo. i now saw that the whole was a trick to get something from me; well knowing that otoo was not in the neighbourhood, and could know nothing of the matter. poreo seemed, however, at first undetermined whether he should go or stay; but he soon inclined to the former. i told them to return me the axe and nails, and then he should go, (and so he really should,) but they said they were on shore, and so departed. though the youth seemed pretty well satisfied, he could not refrain from weeping when he viewed the land astern. chapter xii. _an account of the reception we met with at huaheine, with the incidents that happened while the ships lay there; and of omai, one of the natives, coming away in the adventure._ september as soon as we were clear of the bay, and our boats in, i directed my course for the island of huaheine, where i intended to touch. we made it the next day, and spent the night, making short boards under the north end of the island. at day-light, in the morning of the d, we made sail for the harbour of owharre; in which the resolution anchored, about nine o'clock, in twenty-four fathoms water. as the wind blew out of the harbour, i chose to turn in by the southern channel, it being the widest. the resolution turned in very well, but the adventure, missing stays, got ashore on the north side of the channel. i had the resolution's launch in the water ready, in case of an accident of this kind, and sent her immediately to the adventure. by this timely assistance, she was got off again, without receiving any damage. several of the natives, by this time, had come off to us, bringing with them some of the productions of the island; and as soon as the ships were both in safety, i landed with captain furneaux, and was received by the natives with the utmost cordiality. i distributed some presents among them; and they presently after brought down hogs, fowls, dogs, and fruits, which they willingly exchanged for hatchets, nails, beads, &c. the like trade was soon opened on board the ships; so that we had a fair prospect of being plentifully supplied with fresh pork and fowls; and to people in our situation, this was no unwelcome thing. i learnt that my old friend oree, chief of the isle, was still living, and that he was hastening to this part to see me. early next morning, lieutenant pickersgill sailed with the cutter, on a trading party, toward the south end of the isle. i also sent another trading party on shore near the ships, with which i went myself, to see that it was properly conducted at the first setting out, a very necessary point to be attended to. every thing being settled to my mind, i went, accompanied by captain furneaux and mr forster, to pay my first visit to oree, who, i was told, was waiting for me. we were conducted to the place by one of the natives; but were not permitted to go out of our boat, till we had gone through some part of the following ceremony usually performed at this isle, on such like occasions. the boat in which we were desired to remain being landed before the chief's house, which stood close to the shore, five young plaintain trees, which are their emblems of peace, were brought on board separately, and with some ceremony. three young pigs, with their ears ornamented with cocoa-nut fibres, accompanied the first three; and a dog, the fourth. each had its particular name and purpose, rather too mysterious for us to understand. lastly, the chief sent to me the inscription engraved on a small piece of pewter, which i left with him in july . it was in the same bag i had made for it, together with a piece of counterfeit english coin, and a few beads, put in at the same time; which shews how well he had taken care of the whole. when they had made an end of putting into the boat the things just mentioned, our guide, who still remained with us, desired us to decorate the young plaintain trees with looking-glasses, nails, medals, beads, &c. &c. this being accordingly done, we landed with these in our hands, and were conducted towards the chief, through the multitude; they making a lane, as it were, for us to pass through. we were made to sit down a few paces short of the chief, and our plantains were then taken from us, and, one by one, laid before him, as the others had been laid before us. one was for _eatoua_ (or god), the second for the _earee_ (or king), and the third for _tiyo_ (or friendship). this being done, i wanted to go to the king, but was told that he would come to me; which he accordingly did, fell upon my neck, and embraced me. this was by no means ceremonious; the tears which trickled plentifully down his venerable old cheeks, sufficiently bespoke the language of his heart. the whole ceremony being over, all his friends were introduced to us, to whom we made presents. mine to the chief consisted of the most valuable articles i had; for i regarded this man as a father. in return he gave me a hog, and a quantity of cloth, promising that all our wants should be supplied; and it will soon appear how well he kept his word. at length we took leave, and returned on board; and, some time after, mr pickersgill returned also with fourteen hogs. many more were got by exchanges on shore, and along-side the ships; besides fowls and fruit in abundance. this good old chief made me a visit early in the morning on the th, together with some of his friends, bringing me a hog and some fruit, for which i made him a suitable return. he carried his kindness so far, as not to fail to send me every day, for my table, the very best of ready dressed fruit and roots, and in great plenty. lieutenant pickersgill being again sent with the two boats, in search of hogs, returned in the evening with twenty-eight; and about four times that number were purchased on shore, and along-side the ships. next morning the trading party, consisting of only two or three people, were sent on shore as usual; and, after breakfast, i went to the place myself, when i learnt that one of the inhabitants had been very troublesome and insolent. this man being pointed out to me, completely equipped in the war habit, with a club in each hand, as he seemed bent on mischief, i took these from him, broke them before his eyes, and, with some difficulty, forced him to retire from the place. as they told me that he was a chief, this made me the more suspicious of him, and occasioned me to send for a guard, which till now i had thought unnecessary. about this time, mr sparrman, having imprudently gone out alone botanizing, was set upon by two men, who stripped him of every thing he had about him, except his trowsers, and struck him several times with his own hanger, but happily did him no harm. as soon as they had accomplished their end, they made off; after which another of the natives brought a piece of cloth to cover him, and conducted him to the trading place, where were a great number of the inhabitants. the very instant mr sparrman appeared in the condition i have just mentioned, they all fled with the utmost precipitation. i at first conjectured they had stolen something; but we were soon undeceived upon mr sparrman's relating the affair to us. as soon as i could recal a few of the natives, and had made them sensible that i should take no step to injure those who were innocent, i went to oree to complain of this outrage, taking with us the man who came back with mr sparrman, to confirm the complaint. as soon as the chief heard the whole affair related, he wept aloud, as did many others. after the first transports of his grief were over, he began to expostulate with his people, telling them (as far as we could understand) how well i had treated them, both in this and my former voyage, and how base it was in them to commit such actions. he then took a very minute account of the things mr sparrman had been robbed of, promised to do all in his power to recover them, and, rising up, desired me to follow him to my boat. when the people saw this, being, as i supposed, apprehensive of his safety, they used every argument to dissuade him from what they, no doubt, thought a rash step. he hastened into the boat, notwithstanding all they could do or say. as soon as they saw their beloved chief wholly in my power, they set up a great outcry. the grief they shewed was inexpressible; every face was bedewed with tears; they prayed, entreated, nay, attempted to pull him out of the boat. i even joined my entreaties to theirs; for i could not bear to see them in such distress. all that could be said, or done, availed nothing. he insisted on my coming into the boat, which was no sooner done than he ordered it to be put off. his sister, with a spirit equal to that of her royal brother, was the only person who did not oppose his going. as his intention in coming into our boat was to go with us in search of the robbers, we proceeded accordingly as far as was convenient by water, then landed, entered the country, and travelled some miles inland, the chief leading the way, enquiring of every one he saw. at length he stepped into a house by the road side, ordered some cocoa-nuts for us, and after we were a little refreshed, wanted to proceed still farther. but this i opposed, thinking that we might be carried to the very farthest end of the island, after things, the most of which, before they came into our hands again, might not be worth the bringing home. the chief used many arguments to persuade me to proceed, telling me that i might send my boat round to meet us, or that he would get a canoe to bring us home, if i thought it too far to travel. but i was resolved to return, and he was obliged to comply and return with me, when he saw i would follow him no farther. i only desired he would send somebody for the things; for i found that the thieves had got so much start of us, that we might follow them to the remotest parts of the isle, without so much as seeing them. besides, as i intended to sail the next morning, this occasioned a great loss to us, by putting a stop to all manner of trade; for the natives were so much alarmed, that none came near us, but those that were about the chief. it therefore became the more necessary for me to return, to restore things to their former state. when we got back to our boat, we there found oree's sister, and several more persons, who had travelled by land to the place. we immediately stepped into the boat in order to return on board, without so much as asking the chief to accompany us. he, however, insisted on going also, and followed us into the boat in spite of the opposition and entreaties of those about him; his sister followed his example, and the tears and prayers of her daughter, who was about sixteen or eighteen years of age, had no weight with her on this occasion. the chief sat at table with us, and made a hearty dinner; his sister, according to custom, eat nothing. after dinner, i sufficiently rewarded them for the confidence they had put in me; and, soon after, carried them both on shore, where some hundreds of people waited to receive them, many of whom embraced their chief with tears of joy. all was now joy and peace: the people crowded in, from every part, with hogs, fowls, and fruit, so that we presently filled two boats: oree himself presented me with a large hog and a quantity of fruit. the hanger (the only thing of value mr sparrman had lost) with part of his coat, were brought us; and we were told, we should have the others the next day. some of the officers, who were out on a shooting party, had some things stolen from them, which were returned in like manner. thus ended the troublesome transactions of this day, which i have been the more particular in relating, because it shews what great confidence this brave old chief put in us; it also in some degree shews, that friendship is sacred with them. oree and i were professed friends in all the forms customary among them; and he seemed to think that this could not be broken by the act of any other persons. indeed this seemed to be the great argument he made use of to his people, when they opposed his going into my boat. his words were to this effect:--"oree (meaning me, for so i was always called) and i are friends; i have done nothing to forfeit his friendship; why then should i not go with him?" we, however, may never find another chief who will act in the same manner, under similar circumstances. it may be asked, what had he to fear? to which i answer, nothing. for it was not my intention to hurt a hair of his head, or to detain him a moment longer than he desired. but how was he or the people to know this? they were not ignorant, that if he was once in my power, the whole force of the island could not take him from me, and that, let my demands for his ransom have been ever so high, they must have complied with them. thus far their fears, both for his and their own safety, were founded in reason. on the th, early in the morning, while the ships were unmooring, i went to pay my farewell visit to oree, accompanied by captain furneaux and mr forster. we took with us for a present, such things as were not only valuable, but useful. i also left with him the inscription plate he had before in keeping, and another small copper-plate, on which were engraved these words: "anchored here, his "britannic majesty's ships resolution and adventure, september, ," together with some medals, all put up in a bag; of which the chief promised to take care, and to produce to the first ship or ships that should arrive at the island. he then gave me a hog; and, after trading for six or eight more, and loading the boat with fruit, we took leave, when the good old chief embraced me with tears in his eyes. at this interview nothing was said about the remainder of mr sparrman's clothes. i judged they were not brought in; and for that reason did not mention them, lest i should give the chief pain about things i did not give him time to recover; for this was early in the morning. when we returned to the ships, we found them crowded round with canoes full of hogs, fowls, and fruit, as at our first arrival. i had not been long on board, before oree himself came to inform me, as we understood, that the robbers were taken, and to desire us to go on shore, either to punish, or to see them punished; but this could not be done, as the resolution was just under sail, and the adventure already out of the harbour. the chief stayed on board till we were a full half league out at sea; then took a most affectionate leave of me; and went away in a canoe, conducted by one man and himself; all the others having gone long before. i was sorry that it was not convenient for me to go on shore with him, to see in what manner these people would have been punished; for i am satisfied, this was what brought him on board. during our short stay at the small but fertile isle of huaheine, we procured to both ships not less than three hundred hogs, besides fowls and fruits; and, had we stayed longer, might have got many more: for none of these articles of refreshment were seemingly diminished, but appeared every where in as great abundance as ever. before we quitted this island, captain furneaux agreed to receive on board his ship a young man named omai, a native of ulietea; where he had had some property, of which he had been dispossessed by the people of bolabola. i at first rather wondered that captain furneaux would encumber himself with this man, who, in my opinion, was not a proper sample of the inhabitants of these happy islands, not having any advantage of birth, or acquired rank; nor being eminent in shape, figure, or complexion: for their people of the first rank are much fairer, and usually better behaved, and more intelligent, than the middling class of people, among whom omai is to be ranked. i have, however, since my arrival in england, been convinced of my error: for excepting his complexion (which is undoubtedly of a deeper hue than that of the _earees_, or gentry, who, as in other countries, live a more luxurious life, and are less exposed to the heat of the sun), i much doubt whether any other of the natives would have given more general satisfaction by his behaviour among us. omai has most certainly a very good understanding, quick parts, and honest principles; he has a natural good behaviour, which rendered him acceptable to the best company; and a proper degree of pride, which taught him to avoid the society of persons of inferior rank. he has passions of the same kind as other young men, but has judgment enough not to indulge them in any improper excess. i do not imagine that he has any dislike to liquor, and if he had fallen into company where the person who drank the most met with the most approbation, i have no doubt, but that he would have endeavoured to gain the applause of those with whom he associated; but, fortunately for him, he perceived that drinking was very little in use but among inferior people, and as he was very watchful into the manners and conduct of the persons of rank who honoured him with their protection, he was sober and modest, and i never heard that, during the whole time of his stay in england, which was two years, he ever once was disguised with wine, or ever shewed an inclination to go beyond the strictest rules of moderation. soon after his arrival in london, the earl of sandwich, the first lord of the admiralty, introduced him to his majesty at kew, when he met with a most gracious reception, and imbibed the strongest impression of duty and gratitude to that great and amiable prince, which i am persuaded he will preserve to the latest moment of his life. during his stay among us he was caressed by many of the principal nobility, and did nothing to forfeit the esteem of any one of them; but his principal patrons were the earl of sandwich, mr banks, and dr solander; the former probably thought it a duty of his office to protect and countenance an inhabitant of that hospitable country, where the wants and distresses of those in his department had been alleviated and supplied in the most ample manner; the others, as a testimony of their gratitude for the generous reception they had met with during their residence in his country. it is to be observed, that though omai lived in the midst of amusements during his residence in england, his return to his native country was always in his thoughts, and though he was not impatient to go, he expressed a satisfaction as the time of his return approached. he embarked with me in the resolution, when she was fitted out for another voyage, loaded with presents from his several friends, and full of gratitude for the kind reception and treatment he had experienced among us. chapter xiii. _arrival at, and departure of the ships from, ulietea: with an account of what happened there, and of oedidee, one of the natives, coming away in the resolution._ september the chief was no sooner gone, than we made sail for ulietea (where i intended to stop a few days). arriving off the harbour of ohamaneno at the close of the day, we spent the night making short boards. it was dark, but we were sufficiently guided by the fishers lights on the reefs and shores of the isles. the next morning, after making a few trips, we gained the entrance of the harbour; and, as the wind blew directly out, i sent a boat to lie in soundings, that we might know when to anchor. as soon as the signal was made by her, we borrowed close to the south point of the channel; and, with our sails set, shooting within the boat, we anchored in seventeen fathoms water. we then carried out anchors and hawsers, to warp in by; and, as soon as the resolution was out of the way, the adventure came up in like manner, and warped in by the resolution. the warping in, and mooring the ships, took up the whole day. we were no sooner at anchor at the entrance of the harbour, than the natives crowded round us in their canoes with hogs and fruit. the latter they exchanged for nails and beads; the former we refused as yet, having already as many on board as we could manage. several we were, however, obliged to take, as many of the principal people brought off little pigs, pepper, or eavoa-root, and young plantain trees, and handed them into the ship, or put them into the boats along-side, whether we would or no; for if we refused to take them on board, they would throw them into the boats. in this manner, did these good people welcome us to their country. i had forgot to mention, that tupia was much enquired after at huaheine; but, at this place, every one asked about him, and the occasion of his death; and, like true philosophers, were perfectly satisfied with the answers we gave them. indeed, as we had nothing but the truth to tell, the story was the same, by whomsoever told. next morning we paid a formal visit to oreo, the chief of this part of the isle, carrying with us the necessary presents. we went through no sort of ceremony at landing, but were at once conducted to him. he was seated in his own house, which stood near the water side, where he and his friends received us with great cordiality. he expressed much satisfaction at seeing me again, and desired that we might exchange names, which i accordingly agreed to. i believe this is the strongest mark of friendship they can show to a stranger. he enquired after tupia, and all the gentlemen, by name, who were with me when i first visited the island. after we had made the chief and his friends the necessary presents, we went on board with a hog, and some fruit, received from him in return; and in the afternoon he gave me another hog, still larger, without asking for the least acknowledgment. exchanges for fruit, &c. were mostly carried on alongside the ships. i attempted to trade for these articles on shore, but did not succeed, as the most of them were brought in canoes from distant parts, and carried directly to the ships. after breakfast, on the th, captain furneaux and i paid the chief a visit; and we were entertained by him with such a comedy, or dramatic _heava_, as is generally acted in these isles. the music consisted of three drums, the actors were seven men, and one woman, the chief's daughter. the only entertaining part in the drama, was a theft committed by a man and his accomplice, in such a masterly manner, as sufficiently displayed the genius of the people in this vice. the theft is discovered before the thief has time to carry off his prize; then a scuffle ensues with those set to guard it, who, though four to two, are beat off the stage, and the thief and his accomplices bear away their plunder in triumph. i was very attentive to the whole of this part, being in full expectation that it would have ended very differently. for i had before been informed that _teto_ (that is, the thief) was to be acted, and had understood that the theft was to be punished with death, or a good _tiparahying_ (or beating), a punishment, we are told, they inflict on such as are guilty of this crime. be this as it may, strangers are certainly excluded from the protection of this law; them they rob with impunity, on every occasion that offers. after the play was over, we returned on board to dinner; and in the cool of the evening took a walk on shore, where we learnt from one of the natives, that nine small islands, two of which were uninhabited, lay to the westward, at no great distance from hence. on the th, early in the morning, i had a visit from oreo and his son, a youth about twelve years of age. the latter brought me a hog and some fruit; for which i made him a present of an axe, and dressed him in a shirt, and other things, which made him not a little proud of himself. having staid some hours, they went on shore; as i also did soon after, but to another part. the chief hearing i was on shore, came to the place where he found the boat, into which he put a hog and a quantity of fruit, without saying a word to any body, and, with some of his friends, came on board, and dined with us. after dinner i had a visit from oo-oorou, the principal chief of the isle. he was introduced to us by oreo, and brought with him, as a present, a large hog, for which i made him a handsome return. oreo employed himself in buying hogs for me (for we now began to take of them), and he made such bargains as i had reason to be satisfied with. at length they all took leave, after making me promise to visit them next morning; which i accordingly did, in company with several of the officers and gentlemen. oreo ordered an _heava_ to be acted for our entertainment, in which two very pretty young women were the actresses. this _heava_ was somewhat different from the one i saw before, and not so entertaining. oreo, after it was over, accompanied us on board, together with two of his friends. the following day was spent much in the same manner; and early in the morning of the th, i sent mr pickersgill, with the resolution's launch, and adventure's cutter, to otaha, to procure an additional supply of bananoes, and plantains, for a sea-store; for we could get little more of these articles at ulietea than were sufficient for present consumption. oreo, and some of his friends, paid me a pretty early visit this morning. i acquainted the chief, that i would dine with him, and desired he would order two pigs to be dressed after their manner, which he accordingly did, and, about one o'clock, i, and the officers and gentlemen of both ships, went to partake of them. when we came to the chiefs house, we found the cloth laid; that is, green leaves were strewed thick on the floor. round them we seated ourselves; presently one of the pigs came over my head souce upon the leaves, and immediately after the other; both so hot as hardly to be touched. the table was garnished round with hot bread-fruit and plantains, and a quantity of cocoa-nuts brought for drink. each man being ready, with his knife in his hand, we turned to without ceremony; and it must be owned, in favour of their cookery, that victuals were never cleaner, nor better dressed. for, though the pigs were served up whole, and one weighed between fifty and sixty pounds, and the other about half as much, yet all the parts were equally well done, and eat much sweeter than if dressed in any of our methods. the chief and his son, and some other of his male friends, eat with us, and pieces were handed to others who sat behind: for we had a vast crowd about us; so that it might be truly said we dined in public. the chief never failed to drink his glass of madeira whenever it came to his turn, not only now, but at all other times when he dined with us, without ever being once affected by it. as soon as we had dined, the boat's crew took the remainder; and by them, and those about them, the whole was consumed. when we rose up, many of the common people rushed in, to pick up the crumbs which had fallen, and for which they searched the leaves very narrowly. this leads me to believe, that though there is plenty of pork at these isles, but little falls to their share. some of our gentlemen being present when these pigs were killed and dressed, observed the chief to divide the entrails, lard, &c. into ten or twelve equal parts, and serve it out to certain people. several daily attended the ships, and assisted the butchers, for the sake of the entrails of the hogs we killed. probably little else falls to the share of the common people. it however must be owned, that they are exceedingly careful of every kind of provision, and waste nothing that can be eaten by man; flesh and fish especially. in the afternoon we were entertained with a play. plays, indeed, had been acted almost every day since we had been here, either to entertain _us_, or for their own amusement, or perhaps both. next morning produced some circumstances which fully prove the timorous disposition of these people. we were surprised to find that none of them came off to the ships as usual. two men belonging to the adventure having staid on shore all night, contrary to orders, my first conjectures were, that the natives had stripped them, and were now afraid to come near us, lest we should take some step to revenge the insult; but in order to be better satisfied, captain furneaux and i went ashore to oreo's house, which we found quite empty; he and all his family gone, and the whole neighbourhood, in a manner, quite deserted. the two men belonging to the adventure made their appearance, and informed us that they had been very civilly treated by the natives, but could give no account of the cause of their precipitate flight. all that we could learn from the very few that durst come near us, was, that severals were killed, others wounded by our guns, pointing out to us where the balls went in and out of the body, &c. this relation gave me a good deal of uneasiness for the safety of our people gone to otaha, fearing that some disturbance had happened at that island. however, in order to be better informed, i determined, if possible, to see the chief himself. accordingly we embarked in our boat, having one of the natives with us, and rowed along shore to the northward, the way we were told he was gone. we soon came in sight of the canoe in which he was; but before we could come up with her he had got on shore. we landed presently after, and found he was gone still farther. an immense crowd, however, waited our landing, who entreated me to follow him. one man offered to carry me on his back; but the whole story appearing rather more mysterious than ever, and being all unarmed, i did not choose to separate myself from the boat, but embarked again, and rowed after him. we soon came before the place where our guide told us he was, and put in the boat accordingly. it grounded at some distance from the shore, where we were met by a venerable old lady, wife to the chief. she threw herself into my arms, and wept bitterly, insomuch that it was not possible to get one plain word from her. with this old lady in my hand i went ashore, contrary to the advice of my young man from otaheite, who was more afraid than any of us, probably believing every word the people had told us. i found the chief seated under the shade of a house, before which was a large area, and surrounded by a vast number of people. as soon as i came to him, he threw his arms about me, and burst into tears, in which he was accompanied by all the women, and some of the men, so that the lamentation became general; astonishment alone kept me from joining with them. it was some time before i could get a word from any one; at last, all my enquiries gave me no other information, than that they were alarmed on account of our boats being absent, thinking that the people in them had deserted from us, and that i should take some violent means to recover them. for when we assured them that the boats would return back, they seemed cheerful and satisfied, and to a man, denied that any one was hurt, either of their own or our people, and so it afterwards proved. nor did it appear that there was the least foundation for these alarms, nor could we ever find out by what means this general consternation first took its rise. after a stay of about an hour, i returned on board, three of the natives coming along with us, who proclaimed the peace as we rowed along shore to all they saw. thus matters were again restored to their former footing, and the next morning they came off to the ships as usual. after breakfast, captain furneaux and i paid the chief a visit; we found him at his own house perfectly easy, insomuch that he and some of his friends came on board and dined with us. i was now told that my otaheitean young man, poreo, had taken a resolution to leave me. i have just mentioned _before_, his being with us when i followed oreo, and his advising me not to go on shore. he was so much afraid at that time, that he remained in the boat till he heard all matters were reconciled; then he came out, and presently after, met with a young woman, for whom he had contracted a friendship. having my powder-horn in keeping, he came and gave it to one of my people who was by me, and then went away with her, and i saw him no more. in the afternoon, our boats returned from otaha, pretty well laden with plantains, an article we were most in want of. they made the circuit of the island, conducted by one of the earees, whose name was boba, and were hospitably entertained by the people, who provided them with victuals and lodging. the first night, they were entertained with a play, the second, their repose was disturbed by the natives stealing their military chest. this put them on making reprisals, by which means they recovered the most of what they had lost. having now got on board a large supply of refreshments, i determined to put to sea the next morning, and made the same known to the chief, who promised to see me again before we departed. at four o'clock we began to unmoor; and as soon as it was light, oreo, his son, and some of his friends, came aboard. many canoes also came off with fruit and hogs, the latter they even begged of us to take from them, calling out _tiyo boa atoi_.--i am your friend, take my hog, and give me an axe. but our decks were already so full of them, that we could hardly move, having, on board both ships, between three and four hundred. by the increase of our stock, together with what we had salted and consumed, i judge that we got at this island or upwards; many, indeed, were only roasters, others again weighed one hundred pounds, or upwards, but the general run was from forty to sixty. it is not easy to say how many we might have got, could we have found room for all that were offered us. the chief, and his friends, did not leave me till we were under sail, and before he went away, pressed me much to know, if i would not return, and when? questions which were daily put to me by many of these islanders. my otaheitean youth's leaving me proved of no consequence, as many young men of this island voluntarily offered to come away with us. i thought proper to take on board one, who was about seventeen or eighteen years of age, named oedidee, a native of bolabola, and a near relation of the great opoony, chief of that island. soon after we were out of the harbour, and had made sail, we observed a canoe following us, conducted by two men; whereupon i brought-to, and they presently came alongside, having brought me a present of roasted fruit and roots from oreo. i made them a proper return before i dismissed them, and then set sail to the west, with the adventure in company. chapter xiv. _an account of a spanish ship visiting otaheite; the present state of the islands; with some observations on the diseases and customs of the inhabitants; and some mistakes concerning the women corrected._ september i shall now give some farther account of these islands; for, although i have been pretty minute in relating the daily transactions, some things, which are rather interesting, have been omitted. soon after our arrival at otaheite, we were informed that a ship about the size of the resolution, had been in at owhaiurua harbour, near the s.e. end of the island, where she remained about three weeks; and had been gone about three months before we arrived. we were told that four of the natives were gone away with her, whose names were debedebea, paoodou, tanadooee, and opahiah. at this time, we conjectured this was a french ship, but, on our arrival at the cape of good hope, we learnt she was a spaniard, which had been sent out from america. the otaheiteans complained of a disease communicated to them by the people in this ship, which they said affected the head, throat, and stomach, and at length killed them. they seemed to dread it much, and were continually enquiring if we had it. this ship they distinguished by the name of _pahai no pep-pe_ (ship of peppe), and called the disease _apa no pep-pe_, just as they call the venereal disease _apa no pretane_ (english disease), though they, to a man, say it was brought to the isle by m. de bougainville; but i have already observed that they thought m. de bougainville came from _pretane_, as well as every other ship which has touched at the isle. were it not for this assertion of the natives, and none of captain wallis's people being affected with the venereal disease, either while they were at otaheite, or after they left it, i should have concluded that long before these islanders were visited by europeans, this or some disease which is near akin to it, had existed amongst them. for i have heard them speak of people dying of a disorder which we interpreted to be the pox before that period. but, be this as it will, it is now far less common amongst them, than it was in the year , when i first visited these isles. they say they can cure it, and so it fully appears, for, notwithstanding most of my people had made pretty free with the women, very few of them were afterwards affected with the disorder; and those who were, had it in so slight a manner, that it is easily removed. but among the natives, whenever it turns to a pox, they tell us it is incurable. some of our people pretend to have seen some of them who had this last disorder in a high degree, but the surgeon, who made it his business to enquire, could never satisfy himself in this point. these people are, and were, before europeans visited them, very subject to scrophulous diseases, so that a seaman might easily mistake one disorder for another. the island of otaheite, which, in the years and , as it were, swarmed with hogs and fowls, was now so ill supplied with these animals, that hardly any thing could induce the owners to part with them. the few they had at this time, among them, seemed to be at the disposal of the kings. for while we lay at oaitipiha bay, in the kingdom of tiarrabou, or lesser peninsula, every hog or fowl we saw we were told belonged to waheatoua; and all we saw in the kingdom of opoureonu, or the greater peninsula, belonged to otoo. during the seventeen days we were at this island, we got but twenty-four hogs, the half of which came from the two kings themselves; and, i believe, the other half were sold us by their permission or order. we were, however, abundantly supplied with all the fruits the island produces, except bread-fruit, which was not in season either at this or the other isles. cocoa-nuts and plantains were what we got the most of; the latter, together with a few yams and other roots, were to us a succedaneum for bread. at otaheite we got great plenty of apples, and a fruit like a nectarine, called by them _aheeva_. this fruit was common to all the isles; but apples we got only at otaheite, and found them of infinite use to the scorbutic people. of all the seeds that have been brought to those islands by europeans, none have succeeded but pumpkins; and these they do not like, which is not to be wondered at. the scarcity of hogs at otaheite may be owing to two causes; first, to the number which have been consumed, and carried off by the shipping which have touched here of late years; and, secondly, to the frequent wars between the two kingdoms. we know of two since the year ; at present a peace subsists between them, though they do not seem to entertain much friendship for each other. i never could learn the cause of the late war, nor who got the better in the conflict. in the battle, which put an end to the dispute, many were killed on both sides. on the part of opoureonu, fell toutaha, and several other chiefs, who were mentioned to me by name. toutaha lies interred in the family marai at oparree; and his mother, and several other women who were of his household, are now taken care of by otoo, the reigning prince--a man who, at first, did not appear to us to much advantage. i know but little of waheatoua of tiarrabou. this prince, who is not above twenty years of age, appeared with all the gravity of a man of fifty. his subjects do not uncover before him, or pay him any outward obeisance as is done to otoo; nevertheless, they seem to shew him full as much respect, and he appeared in rather more state. he was attended by a few middle-aged, or elderly men, who seemed to be his counsellors. this is what appeared to me to be the then state of otaheite. the other islands, that is, huaheine, ulietea, and otaha, were in a more flourishing state than they were when i was there before. since that time, they had enjoyed the blessing of peace; the people seemed to be as happy as any under heaven; and well they may, for they possess not only the necessaries, but many of the luxuries of life in the greatest profusion; and my young man told me that hogs, fowls, and fruits, are in equal plenty at bola-bola, a thing which tupia would never allow. to clear up this seeming contradiction, i must observe, that the one was prejudiced against, and the other in favour of, this isle. the produce of the islands, the manners and customs of the natives, &c. having been treated at large in the narrative of my former voyage, it will be unnecessary to take notice of these subjects in this, unless where i can add new matter, or clear up any mistakes which may have been committed. as i had some reason to believe, that amongst their religious customs, human sacrifices were sometimes considered as necessary, i went one day to a _marai_ in matavai, in company with captain furneaux; having with us, as i had upon all other occasions, one of my men who spoke their language tolerably well, and several of the natives, one of whom appeared to be an intelligent sensible man. in the _marai_ was a _tupapow_, on which lay a corpse and some viands; so that every thing promised success to my enquiries. i began with asking questions relating to the several objects before me, if the plantains, &c. were for the _eatua_? if they sacrificed to the _eatua_, hogs, dogs, fowls, &c.? to all of which he answered in the affirmative. i then asked, if they sacrificed men to the _eatua_? he answered _taata eno_; that is, bad men they did, first _tipperahy_, or beating them till they were dead. i then asked him, if good men were put to death in this manner? his answer was no, only _taata eno_. i asked him if any _earees_ were? he said, they had hogs to give to the _eatua_, and again repeated _taatu eno_. i next asked, if _towtows_, that is, servants or slaves, who had no hogs, dogs, or fowls, but yet were good men, if they were sacrificed to the _eatua_? his answer was no, only bad men. i asked him several more questions, and all his answers seemed to tend to this one point, that men for certain crimes were condemned to be sacrificed to the gods, provided they had not wherewithal to redeem themselves. this, i think, implies, that on some occasions, human sacrifices are considered as necessary, particularly when they take such men as have, by the laws of their country, forfeited their lives, and have nothing to redeem them; and such will generally be found among the lower class of people. the man of whom i made these enquiries, as well as some others, took some pains to explain the whole of this custom to us; but we were not masters enough of their language to understand them. i have since learnt from omai, that they offer human sacrifices to the supreme being. according to his account, what men shall be so sacrificed, depends on the caprice of the high priest, who, when they are assembled on any solemn occasion, retires alone into the house of god, and stays there some time. when he comes out, he informs them, that he has seen and conversed with their great god (the high priest alone having that privilege), and that he has asked for a human sacrifice, and tells them that he has desired such a person, naming a man present, whom, most probably, the priest has an antipathy against. he is immediately killed, and so falls a victim to the priest's resentment, who, no doubt (if necessary), has address enough to persuade the people that he was a bad man. if i except their funeral ceremonies, all the knowledge that has been obtained of their religion, has been from information: and as their language is but imperfectly understood, even by those who pretend to the greatest knowledge of it, very little on this head is yet known with certainty. the liquor which they make from the plant called _ava ava_, is expressed from the root, and not from the leaves, as mentioned in the narrative of my former voyage. the manner of preparing this liquor is as simple as it is disgusting to an european. it is thus: several people take some of the root, and chew it till it is soft and pulpy, then they spit it out into a platter or other vessel, every one into the same; when a sufficient quantity is chewed, more or less water is put to it, according as it is to be strong or weak; the juice, thus diluted, is strained through some fibrous stuff like fine shavings; after which it is fit for drinking, and this is always done immediately. it has a pepperish taste, drinks flat, and rather insipid. but, though it is intoxicating i only saw one instance where it had that effect, as they generally drink it with great moderation, and but little at a time. sometimes they chew this root in their mouths, as europeans do tobacco, and swallow their spittle; and sometimes i have seen them eat it wholly. at ulietea they cultivate great quantities of this plant. at otaheite but very little. i believe there are but few islands in this sea, that do not produce more or less of it; and the natives apply it to the same use, as appears by le mair's account of horn island, in which he speaks of the natives making a liquor from a plant in the same manner as above mentioned. great injustice has been done the women of otaheite, and the society isles, by those who have represented them, without exception, as ready to grant the last favour to any man who will come up to their price. but this is by no means the case; the favours of married women, and also the unmarried of the better sort, are as difficult to be obtained here, as in any other country whatever. neither can the charge be understood indiscriminately of the unmarried of the lower class, for many of these admit of no such familiarities. that there are prostitutes here, as well as in other countries, is very true, perhaps more in proportion, and such were those who came on board the ships to our people, and frequented the post we had on shore. by seeing these mix indiscriminately with those of a different turn, even of the first rank, one is at first inclined to think that they are all disposed the same way, and that the only difference is in the price. but the truth is, the woman who becomes a prostitute does not seem, in their opinion, to have committed a crime of so deep a dye as to exclude her from the esteem and society of the community in general. on the whole, a stranger who visits england might, with equal justice, draw the characters of the women there, from those which he might meet with on board the ships in one of the naval ports, or in the purlieus of covent-garden and drury-lane. i must however allow, that they are all completely versed in the art of coquetry, and that very few of them fix any bounds to their conversation. it is therefore no wonder that they have obtained the character of libertines. to what hath been said of the geography of these isles, in the narrative of my former voyage, i shall now only add, that we found the latitude of oaiti-piha bay, in otaheite, to be ° ' " south, and the longitude ° ' " / east from point venus; or ° ' " west from greenwich. the difference both of latitude and longitude, between point venus and oaiti- piha, is greater than i supposed it to be, when i made the circuit of the island in , by two miles, and - / miles respectively. it is therefore highly probable, that the whole island is of a greater extent than i, at that time, estimated it to be. the astronomers set up their observatory, and made their observations on point venus, the latitude of which they found to be ° ' " south. this differs but two seconds from that which mr green and i found; and its longitude, viz. ° ' " / west, for any thing that is yet known to the contrary, is as exact. mr kendal's watch was found to be gaining on mean time " per day, which is only " less than at queen charlotte's sound, consequently its error in longitude was trifling. a voyage towards the south pole, and round the world. book ii. from our departure from the society isles, to our return to and leaving them the second time. chapter i. _passage from ulietea to the friendly islands, with an account of the discovery of hervey's island, and the incidents that happened at middleburg._ september after leaving ulietea, as before mentioned, i steered to the west, inclining to the south, to get clear of the tracts of former navigators, and to get into the latitude of the islands of middleburgh and amsterdam; for i intended to run as far west as these islands, and to touch there if i found it convenient, before i hauled up for new zealand. i generally lay-to every night, lest we might pass any land in the dark. part of the st and d the wind blew from n.w., attended with thunder, lightning, and rain, having a large swell from s.s.e. and s., which kept up for several days,-- an indication that no land was near us in that direction. on the d, at ten o'clock in the morning, land was seen from the top-mast head, and at noon from the deck, extending from s. by w. to s.w. by s. we hauled up for it with the wind at s.e., and found it to consist of two or three small islets, connected together by breakers like most of the low isles in the sea, lying in a triangular form, and about six leagues in circuit. they were clothed with wood, among which were many cocoa-nut trees. we saw no people, or signs of inhabitants; and had reason to think there were none. the situation of this isle, which is in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., is not very different from that assigned by mr dalrymple to la dezena. but as this is a point not easily determined, i named it hervey's island, in honour of the honourable captain hervey of the navy, one of the lords of the admiralty, and afterwards earl of bristol. as the landing on this isle, if practicable, would have caused a delay which i could ill spare at this time, we resumed our course to the west; and on the th we again began to use our sea-biscuits, the fruit which had served as a succedaneum being all consumed; but our stock of fresh pork still continued, each man having as much every day as was needful. in our route to the west we now and then saw men-of-war and tropic birds, and a small sea-bird, which is seldom seen but near the shores of the isles; we, therefore, conjectured that we had passed some land at no great distance. as we advanced to the west, the variation of the compass gradually increased, so that on the th, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., it was ° ' e. october at two o'clock p.m. on the st of october, we made the island of middleburg, bearing w.s.w.; at six o'clock it extended from s.w. by w. to n.w., distant four leagues, at which time another land was seen in the direction of n.n.w. the wind being at s.s.e., i hauled to the south, in order to get round the south end of the island before the morning; but at eight o'clock a small island was seen lying off it, and not knowing but they might be connected by a reef, the extent of which we must be ignorant of, i resolved to spend the night where we were. at day-break the next morning, we bore up for the s.w. side of middleburg, passing between it and the little isle above mentioned, where we found a clear channel two miles broad. after ranging the s.w. side of the greater isle, to about two-thirds of its length, at the distance of half a mile from the shore, without seeing the least prospect of either anchorage or landing-place, we bore away for amsterdam, which we had in sight. we had scarcely turned our sails before we observed the shores of middleburg to assume another aspect, seeming to offer both anchorage and landing. upon this we hauled the wind, and plied in under the island. in the mean time, two canoes, each conducted by two or three men, came boldly alongside; and some of them entered the ship without hesitation. this mark of confidence gave me a good opinion of these islanders, and determined me to visit them, if possible. after making a few trips, we found good anchorage, and came to in twenty-five fathoms water, and gravel bottom, at three cables' length from the shore. the highest land on the island bore s.e. by e.; the north point n.e. / e., and the west s. by w. / w., and the island of amsterdam extending from n. by w. / w. to n.w. / w. we had scarcely got to an anchor before we were surrounded by a great number of canoes full of people, who had brought with them cloth, and other curiosities, which they exchanged for nails, &c. several came on board; among them was one whom, by the authority he seemed to have over the others, i found was a chief, and accordingly made him a present of a hatchet, spike-nails, and several other articles, with which he was highly pleased. thus i obtained the friendship of this chief, whose name was tioony. soon after, a party of us embarked in two boats, in company with tioony, who conducted us to a little creek formed by the rocks, right abreast of the ships, where landing was extremely easy, and the boats secure against the surf. here we found an immense crowd of people, who welcomed us on shore with loud acclamations. not one of them had so much as a stick, or any other weapon in their hands; an indubitable sign of their pacific intentions. they thronged so thick round the boats with cloth, matting, &c. to exchange for nails, that it was some time before we could get room to land. they seemed to be more desirous to give than receive; for many who could not get near the boats, threw into them, over the others heads, whole bales of cloth, and then retired, without either asking, or waiting for any thing in return. at length the chief caused them to open to the right and left, and make room for us to land. he then conducted us up to his house, which was situated about three hundred yards from the sea, at the head of a fine lawn, and under the shade of some shaddock trees. the situation was most delightful. in front was the sea, and the ships at anchor; behind, and on each side, were plantations, in which were some of the richest productions of nature. the floor was laid with mats, on which we were seated, and the people seated themselves in a circle round us on the outside. having the bagpipes with us, i ordered them to be played; and in return, the chief directed three young women to sing a song, which they did with a very good grace; and having made each of them a present, this immediately set all the women in the circle a-singing. their songs were musical and harmonious, and nowise harsh or disagreeable. after sitting here some time, we were, at our own request, conducted into one of the adjoining plantations, where the chief had another house, into which we were introduced. bananoes and cocoa-nuts were set before us to eat, and a bowl of liquor prepared in our presence of the juice of _eava_ for us to drink. pieces of the root were first offered us to chew; but as we excused ourselves from assisting in the operation, this was performed by others. when sufficiently chewed, it was put into a large wooden bowl; then mixed with water, in the manner already related; and as soon as it was properly strained for drinking, they made cups, by folding of green leaves, which held near half a pint, and presented to each of us one of these filled with the liquor. but i was the only one who tasted it; the manner of brewing it having quenched the thirst of every one else. the bowl was, however; soon emptied of its contents, of which both men and women partook. i observed that they never filled the same cup twice; nor did two persons drink out of the same; each had a fresh cup and fresh liquor. this house was situated at one corner of the plantation, and had an area before it on which we were seated. the whole was planted round with fruit and other trees, whose spreading branches afforded an agreeable shade, and whose fragrance diffused a pleasing odour through the air. before we had well viewed the plantation it was noon, and we returned on board to dinner, with the chief in our company. he sat at table but eat nothing, which, as we had fresh pork roasted, was a little extraordinary. after dinner we landed again, and were received by the crowd as before; mr forster with his botanical party, and some of the officers and gentlemen, walked into the country. captain furneaux and myself were conducted to the chief's house, where fruit and some greens, which had been stewed, were set before us to eat. as we had but just dined, it cannot be supposed we eat much; but oedidee, and omai, the man on board the adventure, did honour to the feast. after this we signified our desire of seeing the country. tioony very readily assented, and conducted us through several plantations, which were laid out with great judgment, and inclosed with very neat fences made of reeds. they were all in very good order, and well planted with various fruit-trees, roots, &c. the chief took some pains to let us know the most of them belonged to himself. near some of the houses, and in the lanes that divided the plantations, were running about some hogs and very large fowls, which were the only domestic animals we saw; and these they did not seem willing to part with. nor did any one, during the whole day, offer in exchange any fruit, or roots, worth mentioning, which determined me to leave this island, and to visit that of amsterdam. the evening brought every one on board, highly delighted with the country, and the very obliging behaviour of the inhabitants, who seemed to vie with each other in doing what they thought would give us pleasure. the ships were crowded with people the whole day, trafficking with those on board, in which the greatest good order was observed; and i was sorry that the season of the year would not admit of my making a longer stay with them. early the nest morning, while the ships were getting under sail, i went on shore with captain furneaux and mr forster, to take leave of the chief. he met us at the landing-place, and would have conducted us to his house, had we not excused ourselves. we therefore were seated on the grass, where we spent about half an hour in the midst of a vast crowd of people. after making the chief a present, consisting of various articles, and an assortment of garden-seeds, i gave him to understand that we were going away, at which he seemed not at all moved. he, and two or three more, came into our boat, in order to accompany us on board; but seeing the resolution under sail, he called to a canoe to put alongside, into which he and his friends went, and returned on shore. while he remained in our boat, he continued to exchange fish-hooks for nails, and engrossed the trade in a manner wholly to himself; but, when on shore, i never saw him make the least exchange. chapter ii. _the arrival of the ships at amsterdam; a description of a place of worship; and an account of the incidents which happened while we remained at that island._ october as soon as i was on board, we made sail down to amsterdam. the people of this isle were so little afraid of us, that some met us in three canoes about midway between the two isles. they used their utmost efforts to get on board, but without effect, as we did not shorten sail for them, and the rope which we gave them broke. they then attempted to board the adventure, and met with the same disappointment. we ran along the s.w. coast of amsterdam at half a mile from shore, on which the sea broke in a great surf. we had an opportunity, by the help of our glasses, to view the face of the island, every part of which seemed to be laid out in plantations. we observed the natives running along the shore, displaying small white flags, which we took for ensigns of peace, and answered them by hoisting a st george's ensign. three men belonging to middleburg, who, by some means or other, had been left on board the adventure, now quitted her, and swam to the shore; not knowing that we intended to stop at this isle, and having no inclination, as may be supposed, to go away with us. as soon as we opened the west side of the isle, we were met by several canoes, each conducted by three or four men. they came boldly alongside, presented us with some _eava_ root, and then came on board without farther ceremony, inviting us, by all the friendly signs they could make, to go to their island, and pointing to the place where we should anchor; at least we so understood them. after a few boards, we anchored in van diemen's road, in eighteen fathoms water, little more than a cable's length from the breakers, which line the coast. we carried out the coasting-anchor and cable to seaward, to keep the ship from tailing on the rocks, in case of a shift of wind or a calm. this last anchor lay in forty-seven fathoms water; so steep was the bank on which we anchored. by this time we were crowded with people; some came off in canoes, and others swam; but, like those of the other isle, brought nothing with them but cloth, matting, &c., for which the seamen only bartered away their clothes. as it was probable they would soon feel the effects of this kind of traffic, with a view to put a stop to it, and to obtain the necessary refreshments, i gave orders that no sort of curiosities should be purchased by any person whatever. the good effect of this order was found in the morning. for, when the natives saw we would purchase nothing but eatables, they brought off bananoes and cocoa-nuts in abundance, some fowls and pigs; all of which they exchanged for small nails and pieces of cloth: even old rags of any sort, was enough for a pig, or a fowl. matters being thus established, and proper persons appointed to trade under the direction of the officers, to prevent disputes, after breakfast i landed, accompanied by captain furneaux, mr forster, and several of the officers; having along with us a chief, or person of some note, whose name was attago, who had attached himself to me, from the first moment of his coming on board, which was before we anchored. i know not how he came to discover that i was the commander; but, certain it is, he was not long on deck before he singled me out from all the gentlemen, making me a present of some cloth, and other things he had about him; and as a greater testimony of friendship, we now exchanged names; a custom which is practised at otaheite, and the society isles. we were lucky, or rather we may thank the natives, for having anchored before a narrow creek in the rocks which line the shore. to this creek we were conducted by my friend attago; and there we landed dry on the beach, and within the breakers, in the face of a vast crowd of people, who received us in the same friendly manner that those of middleburg had done. as soon as we were landed; all the gentlemen set out into the country, accompanied by some of the natives. but the most of them remained with captain furneaux and me, who amused ourselves some time distributing presents amongst them; especially to such as attago pointed out, which were not many, but who i afterwards found, were of superior rank to himself. at this time, however, he seemed to be the principal person, and to be obeyed as such. after we had spent some time on the beach, as we complained of the heat, attago immediately conducted and seated us under the shade of a tree, ordering the people to form a circle round us. this they did, and never once attempted to push themselves upon us like the otaheiteans. after sitting here some time, and distributing some presents to those about us, we signified our desire to see the country. the chief immediately took the hint, and conducted us along a lane that led to an open green, on the one side of which was a house of worship built on a mount that had been raised by the hand of man, about sixteen or eighteen feet above the common level. it had an oblong figure, and was inclosed by a wall or parapet of stone, about three feet in height. from this wall the mount rose with a gentle slope, and was covered with a green turf. on the top of it stood the house, which had the same figure as the mount, about twenty feet in length, and fourteen or sixteen broad. as soon as we came before the place, every one seated himself on the green, about fifty or sixty yards from the front of the house. presently came three elderly men, who seated themselves between us and it, and began a speech, which i understood to be a prayer, it being wholly directed to the house. this lasted about ten minutes; and then the priests, for such i took them to be, came and sat down along with us, when we made them presents of such things as were about us. having then made signs to them that we wanted to view the premises, my friend attago immediately got up, and going with us, without showing the least backwardness, gave us full liberty to examine every part of it. in the front were two stone steps leading to the top of the wall; from this the ascent to the house was easy, round which was a fine gravel walk. the house was built, in all respects, like to their common dwelling-houses; that is, with posts and rafters, and covered with palm thatch. the eaves came down within about three feet of the ground, which space was filled up with strong matting made of palm leaves, as a wall. the floor of the house was laid with fine gravel; except, in the middle, where there was an oblong square of blue pebbles, raised about six inches higher than the floor. at one corner of the house stood an image rudely carved in wood, and on one side lay another; each about two feet in length. i, who had no intention to offend either them or their gods, did not so much as touch them, but asked attago, as well as i could, if they were _eatuas_, or gods. whether he understood me or no, i cannot say; but he immediately turned them over and over, in as rough a manner as he would have done any other log of wood, which convinced me that they were not there as representatives of the divinity. i was curious to know if the dead were interred there, and asked attago several questions relative thereto; but i was not sure that he understood me, at least i did not understand the answers he made well enough to satisfy my enquiries. for the reader must know, that at our first coming among these people, we hardly could understand a word they said. even my otaheitean youth, and the man on board the adventure, were equally at a loss; but more of this by and by. before we quitted the house we thought it necessary to make an offering at the altar. accordingly we laid down upon the blue pebbles, some medals, nails, and several other things, which we had no sooner done than my friend attago took them up, and put them in his pocket. the stones with which the walls were made that inclosed this mount, were some of them nine or ten feet by four, and about six inches thick. it is difficult to conceive how they can cut such stones out of the coral rocks. this mount stood in a kind of grove open only on the side which fronted the high road, and the green on which the people were seated. at this green or open place, was a junction of five roads, two or three of which appeared to be very public ones. the groves were composed of several sorts of trees. among others was the _etoa_ tree, as it is called at otaheite, of which are made clubs, &c. and a kind of low palm, which is very common in the northern parts of new holland. after we had done examining this place of worship, which in their language is called _a-fia-tou-ca_, we desired to return; but, instead of conducting us to the water-side as we expected, they struck into a road leading into the country. this road, which was about sixteen feet broad, and as level as a bowling-green, seemed to be a very public one; there being many other roads from different parts, leading into it, all inclosed on each side, with neat fences made of reeds, and shaded from the scorching sun by fruit trees, i thought i was transported into the most fertile plains in europe. there was not an inch of waste ground; the roads occupied no more space than was absolutely necessary; the fences did not take up above four inches each; and even this was not wholly lost, for in many were planted some useful trees or plants. it was everywhere the same; change of place altered not the scene. nature, assisted by a little art, no where appears in more splendour than at this isle. in these delightful walks we met numbers of people; some travelling down to the ships with their burdens of fruit; others returning back empty. they all gave us the road, by turning either to the right or left, and sitting down or standing, with their backs to the fences, till we had passed. at several of the cross-roads, or at the meeting of two or more roads, were generally _afiatoucas_, such as already described; with this difference, the mounts were pallisadoed round, instead of a stone wall. at length, after walking several miles, we came to one larger than common; near to which was a large house belonging to an old chief, in our company. at this house we were desired to stop, which we accordingly did, and were treated with fruit, &c. we were no sooner seated in the house, than the eldest of the priests began a speech or prayer, which was first directed to the _afiatouca_, and then to me, and alternately. when he addressed me, he paused at every sentence, till i gave a nod of approbation. i, however, did not understand one single word he said. at times, the old gentleman seemed to be at a loss what to say, or perhaps his memory failed him; for, every now and then, he was prompted by one of the other priests who sat by him. both during this prayer and the former one, the people were silent, but not attentive. at this last place we made but a short stay. our guides conducted us down to our boat, and we returned with attago to our ship to dinner. we had no sooner got on board, than an old gentleman came alongside, who, i understood from attago, was some king or great man. he was, accordingly, ushered on board; when i presented him with such things as he most valued (being the only method to make him my friend,) and seated him at table to dinner. we now saw that he was a man of consequence; for attago would not sit down and eat before him, but got to the other end of the table; and, as the old chief was almost blind, he sat there, and eat with his back towards him. after the old man had eaten a bit of fish, and drank two glasses of wine, he returned ashore. as soon as attago had seen him out of the ship, he came and took his place at table, finished his dinner, and drank two glasses of wine. when dinner was over, we all went ashore, where we found the old chief, who presented me with a hog; and he and some others took a walk with us into the country. before we set out, i happened to go down with attago to the landing-place, and there found mr wales in a laughable, though distressed situation. the boats which brought us on shore, not being able to get near the landing- place for want of a sufficient depth of water, he pulled off his shoes and stockings to walk through, and as soon as he got on dry land, he put them down betwixt his legs to put on again, but they were instantly snatched away by a person behind him, who immediately mixed with the crowd. it was impossible for him to follow the man barefooted over the sharp coral rocks, which compose the shore, without having his feet cut to pieces. the boat was put back to the ship, his companions had each made his way through the crowd, and he left in this condition alone. attago soon found out the thief, recovered his shoes and stockings, and set him at liberty. our route into the country, was by the first-mentioned _afiatouca_, before which we again seated ourselves, but had no prayers, although the old priest was with us. our stay here was but short. the old chief, probably thinking that we might want water on board, conducted us to a plantation hard by, and shewed us a pool of fresh water, though we had not made the least enquiry after any. i believe this to be the same that tasman calls the _washing- place_ for the king and his nobles. from hence we were conducted down to the shore of maria bay, or north-east side of the isle; where, in a boat-house, was shewn to us a fine large double canoe not yet launched. the old chief did not fail to make us sensible it belonged to himself. night now approaching, we took leave of him, and returned on board, being conducted by attago down to the water- side. mr forster and his party spent the day in the country botanizing; and several of the officers were out shooting. all of them were very civilly treated by the natives. we had also a brisk trade for bananoes, cocoa-nuts, yams, pigs, and fowls; all of which were procured for nails, and pieces of cloth. a boat from each ship was employed in trading ashore, and bringing off their cargoes as soon as they were laden, which was generally in a short time. by this method we got cheaper, and with less trouble, a good quantity of fruit, as well as other refreshments, from people who had no canoes to carry them off to the ships. pretty early in the morning on the th, my friend brought me a hog and some fruit; for which i gave him a hatchet, a sheet, and some red cloth. the pinnace was sent ashore to trade as usual, but soon returned. the officer informed me that the natives were for taking every thing out of the boat, and, in other respects, were very troublesome. the day before, they stole the grapling at the time the boat was riding by it, and carried it off undiscovered. i now judged it necessary to have a guard on shore, to protect the boats and people whose business required their being there; and accordingly sent the marines, under the command of lieutenant edgcumbe. soon after i went myself, with my friend attago, captain furneaux, and several of the gentlemen. at landing, we found the chief, who presented me with a pig. after this, captain furneaux and i took a walk into the country, with mr hodges, to make drawings of such places and things as were most interesting. when this was done, we returned on board to dinner, with my friend and two other chiefs; one of which sent a hog on board the adventure for captain furneaux, some hours before, without stipulating for any return. the only instance of this kind. my friend took care to put me in mind of the pig the old king gave me in the morning; for which i now gave a chequed shirt and a piece of red cloth. i had tied them up for him to carry ashore; but with this he was not satisfied. he wanted to have them put on him, which was no sooner done, than he went on deck, and shewed himself to all his countrymen. he had done the same thing in the morning with the sheet i gave him. in the evening we all went on shore again, where we found the old king, who took to himself every thing my friend and the others had got. the different trading parties were so successful to-day as to procure for both ships a tolerably good supply of refreshments. in consequence of which, i, the next morning, gave every one leave to purchase what curiosities and other things they pleased. after this, it was astonishing to see with what eagerness every one caught at every thing he saw. it even went so far as to become the ridicule of the natives, who offered pieces of sticks and stones to exchange. one waggish boy took a piece of human excrement on the end of a stick, and held it out to every one he met with. this day, a man got into the master's cabin, through the outside scuttle, and took out some books and other things. he was discovered just as he was getting out into his canoe, and pursued by one of our boats, which obliged him to quit the canoe and take to the water. the people in the boat made several attempts to lay hold of him; but he as often dived under the boat, and at last having unshipped the rudder, which rendered her ungovernable, by this means he got clear off. some other very daring thefts were committed at the landing-place. one fellow took a seaman's jacket out of the boat, and carried it off, in spite of all that our people in her could do. till he was both pursued and fired at by them, he would not part with it; nor would he have done it then, had not his landing been intercepted by some of us who were on shore. the rest of the natives, who were very numerous, took very little notice of the whole transaction; nor were they the least alarmed when the man was fired at. my friend attago having visited me again next morning, as usual, brought with him a hog, and assisted me in purchasing several more. afterwards we went ashore; visited the old king, with whom we staid till noon, then returned on board to dinner, with attago, who never once left me. intending to sail next morning, i made up a present for the old king, and carried it on shore in the evening. as soon as i landed, i was told by the officers who were on shore, that a far greater man than any we had yet seen was come to pay us a visit. mr pickersgill informed me that he had seen him in the country, and found that he was a man of some consequence, by the extraordinary respect paid him by the people. some, when they approached him, fell on their faces, and put their head between their feet; and no one durst pass him without permission. mr pickersgill, and another of the gentlemen, took hold of his arms, and conducted him down to the landing- place, where i found him seated with so much sullen and stupid gravity, that notwithstanding what had been told me, i really took him for an idiot, whom the people, from some superstitious notions, were ready to worship. i saluted and spoke to him; but he neither answered, nor took the least notice of me; nor did he alter a single feature in his countenance. this confirmed me in my opinion, and i was just going to leave him, when one of the natives, an intelligent youth, undertook to undeceive me; which he did in such a manner as left me no room to doubt that he was the king, or principal man on the island. accordingly i made him the present i intended for the old chief, which consisted of a shirt, an axe, a piece of red cloth, a looking-glass, some nails, medals, and beads. he received these things, or rather suffered them to be put upon him, and laid down by him, without losing a bit of his gravity, speaking one word, or turning his head either to the right or left; sitting the whole time like a statue; in which situation i left him to return on board, and he soon after retired. i had not been long on board before word was brought me, that a quantity of provisions had come from this chief. a boat was sent to bring it from the shore; and it consisted of about twenty baskets of roasted bananoes, sour bread, and yams, and a roasted pig of about twenty pounds weight. mr edgcumbe and his party were just re-embarking, when these were brought to the water-side, and the bearers said it was a present from the _areeke_, that is, the king of the island, to the _areeke_ of the ship. after this i was no longer to doubt the dignity of this sullen chief. early in the morning of the th, while the ships were unmooring, i went ashore with captain furneaux and mr forster, in order to make some return to the king, for his last night's present. we no sooner landed than we found attago, of whom we enquired for the king, whose name was kohaghee- too-fallangou. he accordingly undertook to conduct us to him; but, whether he mistook the man we wanted, or was ignorant where he was, i know not. certain it is, that he took us a wrong road, in which he had not gone far before he stopped, and after some little conversation between him and another man, we returned back, and presently after the king appeared, with very few attendants. as soon as attago saw him coming, he sat down under a tree, and desired us to do the same. the king seated himself on a rising ground, about twelve or fifteen yards from us: here we sat facing one another for some minutes. i waited for attago to shew us the way; but seeing he did not rise, captain furneaux and i got up, went and saluted the king, and sat down by him. we then presented him with a white shirt, (which we put on his back) a few yards of red cloth, a brass kettle, a saw, two large spikes, three looking-glasses, a dozen of medals, and some strings of beads. all this time he sat with the same sullen stupid gravity as the day before; he even did not seem to see or know what we were about; his arms appeared immoveable at his sides; he did not so much as raise them when we put on the shirt. i told him, both by words and signs, that we were going to leave his island; he scarcely made the least answer to this, or any other thing we either said or did. we, therefore, got up and took leave; but i yet remained near him, to observe his actions. soon after, he entered into conversation with attago and an old woman, whom we took to be his mother. i did not understand any part of the conversation; it however made him laugh, in spite of his assumed gravity. i say assumed, because it exceeded every thing of the kind i ever saw; and therefore think it could not be his real disposition, unless he was an idiot indeed, as these islanders, like all the others we had lately visited, have a great deal of levity, and he was in the prime of life. at last he rose up, and retired with his mother and two or three more. attago conducted us to another circle, where were seated the aged chief and several respectable old persons of both sexes; among whom was the priest, who was generally in company with this chief. we observed, that this reverend father could walk very well in a morning, but in the evening was obliged to be led home by two people. by this we concluded, that the juice of the pepper-root had the same effect upon him, that wine and other strong liquors have on europeans who drink a large portion of them. it is very certain, that these old people seldom sat down without preparing a bowl of this liquor, which is done in the same manner as at ulietea. we however must do them the justice to believe, that it was meant to treat us; nevertheless, the greatest part, if not the whole, generally fell to their share. i was not well prepared to take leave of this chief, having exhausted almost all our store on the other. however, after rummaging our pockets, and treasury-bag, which was always carried with me wherever i went, we made up a tolerable present, both for him and his friends. this old chief had an air of dignity about him that commanded respect, which the other had not. he was grave, but not sullen; would crack a joke, talk on indifferent subjects, and endeavour to understand us and be understood himself. during this visit, the old priest repeated a short prayer or speech, the purport of which we did not understand. indeed he would frequently, at other times, break out in prayer; but i never saw any attention paid to him by any one present. after a stay of near two hours, we took leave, and returned on board, with attago and two or three more friends, who staid and breakfasted with us; after which they were dismissed, loaded with presents. attago was very importunate with me to return again to this isle, and to bring with me cloth, axes, nails, &c. &c. telling me that i should have hogs, fowls, fruit, and roots, in abundance. he particularly desired me, more than once, to bring him such a suit of clothes as i had on, which was my uniform. this good-natured islander was very serviceable to me, on many occasions, during our short stay. he constantly came on board every morning soon after it was light, and never quitted us till the evening. he was always ready, either on board or on shore, to do me all the service in his power: his fidelity was rewarded at a small expence, and i found my account in having such a friend. in heaving in the coasting cable, it parted in the middle of its length, being chafed by the rocks. by this accident we lost the other half, together with the anchor, which lay in forty fathoms water, without any buoy to it. the best bower-cable suffered also by the rocks; by which a judgment may be formed of this anchorage. at ten o'clock we got under sail; but as our decks were much encumbered with fruit, &c. we kept plying under the land till they were cleared. the supplies we got at this isle, were about one hundred and fifty pigs, twice that number of fowls, as many bananoes and cocoa-nuts as we could find room for, with a few yams; and had our stay been longer, we no doubt might have got a great deal more. this in some degree shews the fertility of the island, of which, together with the neighbouring one of middleburg, i shall now give a more particular account. chapter iii. _a description of the islands and their produce; with the cultivation, houses, canoes, navigation, manufactures, weapons, customs, government, religion, and language of the inhabitants._ october these islands were first discovered by captain tasman, in january, - , and by him called amsterdam and middleburg. but the former is called by the natives ton-ga-ta-bu, and the latter ea-oo-wee. they are situated between the latitude of ° ' and ° ' south, and between the longitude of ° ' and ° ' west, deduced from observations made on the spot. middleburg, or eaoowee, which is the southernmost, is about ten leagues in circuit, and of a height sufficient to be seen twelve leagues. the skirts of this isle are mostly taken up in the plantations; the s.w. and n.w. sides especially. the interior parts are but little cultivated, though very fit for cultivation. however, the want of it added greatly to the beauty of the isle; for here are, agreeably dispersed, groves of cocoa-nut and other trees, lawns covered with thick grass, here and there plantations, and paths leading to every part of the island, in such beautiful disorder, as greatly enlivens the prospect. the anchorage, which i named english road, being the first who anchored there, is on the n.w. side, in latitude ° ' " south. the bank is a coarse sand; it extends two miles from the land, and on it there is from twenty to forty fathoms water. the small creek before it affords convenient landing for boats at all times of the tide; which here, as well as at the other islands, rises about four or five feet, and is high water on the full and change days about seven o'clock. the island of tongatabu is shaped something like an isosceles triangle, the longest sides whereof are seven leagues each, and the shortest four. it lies nearly in the direction of e.s.e. and w.n.w.; is nearly all of an equal height, rather low, not exceeding sixty or eighty feet above the level of the sea. this island, and also that of eaoowee, is guarded from the sea by a reef of coral rocks, extending out from the shore one hundred fathoms more or less. on this reef the force of the sea is spent before it reaches the land or shore. indeed, this is in some measure the situation of all the tropical isles in this sea that i have seen; and thus nature has effectually secured them from the encroachments of the sea, though many of them are mere points when compared to this vast ocean. van diemen's road, where we anchored, is under the northwest part of the island, between the most northern and western points. there lies a reef of rocks without it, bearing n.w. by w., over which the sea breaks continually. the bank does not extend more than three cables length from the shore; without that, is an unfathomable depth. the loss of an anchor, and the damage our cables sustained, are sufficient proofs that the bottom is none of the best. on the east side of the north point of the island, (as mr gilbert, whom i sent to survey the parts, informed me) is a very snug harbour, of one mile or more in extent, wherein is seven, eight, and ten fathoms water, with a clean sandy bottom. the channel, by which he went in and out, lies close to the point, and has only three fathoms water; but he believes, that farther to the n.e. is a channel with a much greater depth, which he had not time to examine. indeed, it would have taken up far more time than i could spare to have surveyed these parts minutely; as there lies a number of small islets and reefs of rocks along the n.e. side of the island, which seemed to extend to the n.e. farther than the eye could reach. the island of amsterdam, or tongatabu, is wholly laid out in plantations, in which are planted some of the richest productions of nature, such as bread-fruit, cocoa-nut trees, plantains, bananoes, shaddocks, yams, and some other roots, sugar-cane, and a fruit like a nectarine, called by them _fighegea_, and at otaheite _ahuya_: in short, here are most of the articles which the society islands produce, besides some which they have not. mr forster tells me, that he not only found the same plants here that are at otaheite and the neighbouring isles, but several others which are not to be met with there. and i probably have added to their stock of vegetables, by leaving with them an assortment of garden seeds, pulse, &c. bread-fruit here, as well as at all the other isles, was not in season; nor was this the time for roots and shaddocks. we got the latter only at middleburg. the produce and cultivation of this isle is the same as at amsterdam; with this difference, that a part only of the former is cultivated, whereas the whole of the latter is. the lanes or roads necessary for travelling, are laid out in so judicious a manner, as to open a free and easy communication from one part of the island to the other. here are no towns or villages; most of the houses are built in the plantations, with no other order than what conveniency requires; they are neatly constructed, but do not exceed those in the other isles. the materials of which they are built are the same; and some little variation in the disposition of the framing, is all the difference in their construction. the floor is a little raised, and covered with thick strong mats; the same sort of matting serves to inclose them on the windward side, the other being open. they have little areas before the most of them, which are generally planted round with trees, or shrubs of ornament, whose fragrancy perfumes the very air in which they breathe. their household furniture consists of a few wooden platters, cocoa-nut shells, and some neat wooden pillows shaped like four-footed stools or forms. their common clothing, with the addition of a mat, serves them for bedding. we got from them two or three earthen vessels, which were all we saw among them. one was in the shape of a bomb-shell, with two boles in it, opposite each other; the others were like pipkins, containing about five or six pints, and had been in use on the fire. i am of opinion they are the manufacture of some other isle; for, if they were of their own, we ought to have seen more of them. nor am i to suppose they came from tasman's ships; the time is too long for brittle vessels like these to be preserved. we saw no other domestic animals amongst them but hogs and fowls. the former are of the same sort as at the other isles in this sea; but the latter are far superior, being as large as any we have in europe, and their flesh equally good, if not better. we saw no dogs, and believe they have none, as they were exceedingly desirous of those we had on board. my friend attago was complimented with a dog and a bitch, the one from new zealand, the other from ulietea. the name of a dog with them is _kooree_ or _gooree_, the same as at new zealand, which shews that they are not wholly strangers to them. we saw no rats in these isles, nor any other wild quadrupeds, except small lizards. the land birds are pigeons, turtle-doves, parrots, parroquets, owls, bald couts with a blue plumage, a variety of small birds, and large bats in abundance. the produce of the sea we know but little of; it is reasonable to suppose, that the same sorts of fish are found here as at the other isles. their fishing instruments are the same; that is, hooks made of mother-of-pearl, gigs with two, three, or more prongs, and nets made of a very fine thread, with the meshes wrought exactly like ours. but nothing can be a more demonstrative evidence of their ingenuity than the construction and make of their canoes, which, in point of neatness and workmanship, exceed every thing of this kind we saw in this sea. they are built of several pieces sewed together with bandage, in so neat a manner, that on the outside it is difficult to see the joints. all the fastenings are on the inside, and pass through kants or ridges, which are wrought on the edges and ends of the several boards which compose the vessel, for that purpose. they are of two kinds, viz. double and single. the single ones are from twenty to thirty feet long, and about twenty or twenty-two inches broad in the middle; the stern terminates in a point, and the head something like the point of a wedge. at each end is a kind of deck, for about one-third part of the whole length, and open in the middle. in some the middle of the deck is decorated with a row of white shells, stuck on little pegs wrought out of the same piece which composes it. these single canoes have all out-riggers, and are sometimes navigated with sails, but more generally with paddles, the blades of which are short, and broadest in the middle. the two vessels which compose the double canoe are each about sixty or seventy feet long, and four or five broad in the middle, and each end terminates nearly in a point; so that the body or hull differs a little in construction from the single canoe, but is put together exactly in the same manner; these having a rising in the middle round the open part, in the form of a long trough, which is made of boards, closely fitted together, and well secured to the body of the vessel. two such vessels are fastened to, and parallel to each other, about six or seven feet asunder, by strong cross beams, secured by bandages to the upper part of the risings above mentioned. over these beams, and others which are supported by stanchions fixed on the bodies of the canoes, is laid a boarded platform. all the parts which compose the double canoe, are made as strong and light as the nature of the work will admit, and may be immerged in water to the very platform, without being in danger of filling. nor is it possible, under any circumstance whatever, for them to sink, so long as they hold together. thus they are not only vessels of burden, but fit for distant navigation. they are rigged with one mast, which steps upon the platform, and can easily be raised or taken down; and are sailed with a latteen-sail, or triangular one, extended by a long yard, which is a little bent or crooked. the sail is made of mats; the rope they make use of is exactly like ours, and some of it is four or five inch. on the platform is built a little shed or hut, which screens the crew from the sun and weather, and serves for other purposes. they also carry a moveable fire- hearth, which is a square, but shallow trough of wood, filled with stones. the way into the hold of the canoe is from off the platform, down a sort of uncovered hatchway, in which they stand to bale out the water. i think these vessels are navigated either end foremost, and that, in changing tacks, they have only occasion to shift or jib round the sail; but of this i was not certain, as i had not then seen any under sail, or with the mast and sail an end, but what were a considerable distance from us. their working tools are made of stone, bone, shells, &c. as at the other islands. when we view the work which is performed with these tools, we are struck with admiration at the ingenuity and patience of the workman. their knowledge of the utility of iron was no more than sufficient to teach them to prefer nails to beads, and such trifles; some, but very few, would exchange a pig for a large nail, or a hatchet. old jackets, shirts, cloth, and even rags, were in more esteem than the best edge-tool we could give them; consequently they got but few axes from us but what were given as presents. but if we include the nails which were given by the officers and crews of both ships for curiosities, &c. with those given for refreshments, they cannot have got less than five hundred weight, great and small. the only piece of iron we saw among them was a small broad awl, which had been made of a nail. both men and women are of a common size with europeans; and their colour is that of a lightish copper, and more uniformly so than amongst the inhabitants of otaheite and the society isles. some of our gentlemen were of opinion these were a much handsomer race; others maintained a contrary opinion, of which number i was one. be this as it may, they have a good shape, and regular features, and are active, brisk, and lively. the women, in particular, are the merriest creatures i ever met with, and will keep chattering by one's side, without the least invitation, or considering whether they are understood, provided one does but seem pleased with them. in general they appeared to be modest; although there was no want of those of a different stamp; and as we had yet some venereal complaints on board, i took all possible care to prevent the disorder being communicated to them. on most occasions they shewed a strong propensity to pilfering; in which they were full as expert as the otaheitans. their hair in general is black, but more especially that of the women. different colours were found among the men, sometimes on the same head, caused by something they put upon it, which stains it white, red, and blue. both sexes wear it short; i saw but two exceptions to this custom, and the most of them combed it upwards. many of the boys had it cut very close, except a single lock on the top of the head, and a small quantity on each side. the men cut or shave their beards quite close, which operation is performed with two shells. they have fine eyes, and in general good teeth, even to an advanced age. the custom of _tattowing_ or puncturing the skin prevails. the men are _tattowed_ from the middle of the thigh to above the hips. the women have it only on their arms and fingers; and there but very slightly. the dress of both sexes consists of a piece of cloth or matting wrapped round the waist, and hanging down below the knees. from the waist, upwards, they are generally naked; and it seemed to be a custom to anoint these parts every morning. my friend attago never failed to do it; but whether out of respect to his friend, or from custom, i will not pretend to say; though i rather think from the latter, as he was not singular in the practice. their ornaments are amulets, necklaces, and bracelets of bones, shells, and beads of mother-of-pearl, tortoise-shell, &c. which are worn by both sexes. the women also wear on their fingers neat rings made of tortoise-shell, and pieces in their ears about the size of a small quill; but ear ornaments are not commonly worn, though all have their ears pierced. they have also a curious apron made of the outside fibres of the cocoa-nut shell, and composed of a number of small pieces sewed together in such a manner as to form stars, half-moons, little squares, &c. it is studded with beads of shells, and covered with red feathers, so as to have a pleasing effect. they make the same kind of cloth, and of the same materials, as at otaheite; though they have not such a variety, nor do they make any so fine; but, as they have a method of glazing it, it is more durable, and will resist rain for some time, which otaheite cloth will not. their colours are black, brown, purple, yellow, and red; all made from vegetables. they make various sorts of matting; some of a very fine texture, which is generally used for clothing; and the thick and stronger sort serves to sleep on, and to make sails for their canoes, &c. among other useful utensils, they have various sorts of baskets; some are made of the same materials as their mats; and others of the twisted fibres of cocoa-nuts. these are not only durable but beautiful; being generally composed of different colours, and studded with beads made of shells or bones. they have many little nick-nacks amongst them; which shews that they neither want taste to design, nor skill to execute, whatever they take in hand. how these people amuse themselves in their leisure hours, i cannot say, as we are but little acquainted with their diversions. the women frequently entertained us with songs, in a manner which was agreeable enough. they accompany the music by snapping their fingers, so as to keep time to it. not only their voices, but their music was very harmonious, and they have a considerable compass in their notes. i saw but two musical instruments amongst them. one was a large flute made of a piece of bamboo, which they fill with their noses as at otaheite; but these have four holes or stops, whereas those of otaheite have only two. the other was composed of ten or eleven small reeds of unequal lengths, bound together side by side, as the doric pipe of the ancients is said to have been; and the open ends of the reeds into which they blow with their mouths, are of equal height, or in a line. they have also a drum, which, without any impropriety, may be compared to an hollow log of wood. the one i saw was five feet six inches long, and thirty inches in girt, and had a slit in it, from the one end to the other, about three inches wide, by means of which it had been hollowed out. they beat on the side of this log with two drum-sticks, and produce an hollow sound, not quite so musical as that of an empty cask. the common method of saluting one another is by touching or meeting noses, as is done in new zealand, and their sign of peace to strangers, is the displaying a white flag or flags; at least such were displayed to us, when we first drew near the shore. but the people who came first on board brought with them some of the pepper plant, and sent it before them into the ship; a stronger sign of friendship than which one could not wish for. from their unsuspicious manner of coming on board, and of receiving us at first on shore, i am of opinion, they are seldom disturbed by either foreign or domestic troubles. they are, however, not unprovided with very formidable weapons; such as clubs and spears, made of hard wood, also bows and arrows. the clubs are from three to five feet in length, and of various shapes. their bows and arrows are but indifferent; the former being very slight, and the latter only made of a slender reed, pointed with hard wood. some of their spears have many barbs, and must be very dangerous weapons where they take effect. on the inside of the bow is a groove, in which is put the arrow; from which it would seem that they use but one. they have a singular custom of putting every thing you give them to their heads, by way of thanks, as we conjectured. this manner of paying a compliment, is taught them from their very infancy; for when we gave things to little children, the mother lifted up the child's hand to its head. they also used this custom in their exchanges with us; whatever we gave them for their goods, was always applied to the head, just as if it had been given them for nothing. sometimes they would look at our goods, and if not approved, return them back; but whenever they applied them to the head, the bargain was infallibly struck. when i had made a present to the chief of any thing curious, i frequently saw it handed from one to another; and every one, into whose hands it came, put it to the head. very often the women would take hold of my hand, kiss it, and lift it to their heads. from all this it should seem, that this custom, which they call _fagafatie_, has various significations according as it is applied; all, however, complimentary. it must be observed, that the sullen chief or king did not pay me any of these compliments for the presents i made him. a still more singular custom prevails in these isles: we observed that the greater part of the people, both men and women, had lost one, or both their little fingers. we endeavoured, but in vain, to find out the reason of this mutilation; for no one would take any pains to inform us. it was neither peculiar to rank, age, or sex; nor is it done at any certain age, as i saw those of all ages on whom the amputation had been just made; and, except some young children, we found few who had both hands perfect. as it was more common among the aged than the young, some of us were of opinion that it was occasioned by the death of their parents, or some other near relation. but mr wales one day met with a man, whose hands were both perfect, of such an advanced age, that it was hardly possible his parents could be living. they also burn or make incisions in their cheeks, near the cheek-bone. the reason of this was equally unknown to us. in some, the wounds were quite fresh; in others, they could only be known by the scars, or colour of the skin. i saw neither sick nor lame amongst them; all appeared healthy, strong, and vigorous; a proof of the goodness of the climate in which they live. i have frequently mentioned a king, which implies the government being in a single person, without knowing for certain whether it is so or no. such an one was however pointed out to us; and we had no reason to doubt it. from this, and other circumstances, i am of opinion that the government is much like that of otaheite: that is, in a king or great chief, who is here called areeke, with other chiefs under him, who are lords of certain districts, and perhaps sole proprietors, to whom the people seem to pay great obedience. i also observed a third rank, who had not a little authority over the common people; my friend attago was one of these. i am of opinion that all the land on. _tongatabu_ is private property, and that there are here, as at otaheite, a set of people, who are servants or slaves, and have no property in land. it is unreasonable to suppose every thing in common in a country so highly cultivated as this. interest being the greatest spring which animates the hand of industry, few would toil in cultivating and planting the land, if they did not expect to reap the fruit of their labour: were it otherwise, the industrious man would be in a worse state than the idle sluggard. i frequently saw parties of six, eight, or ten people, bring down to the landing place fruit and other things to dispose of, where one person, a man or woman, superintended the sale of the whole; no exchanges were made but with his or her consent; and whatever we gave in exchange was always given them, which i think plainly shewed them to be the owners of the goods, and the others no more than servants. though benevolent nature has been very bountiful to these isles, it cannot be said that the inhabitants are wholly exempt from the curse of our forefathers: part of their bread must be earned by the sweat of their brows. the high state of cultivation their lands are in, must have cost them immense labour. this is now amply rewarded by the great produce, of which every one seems to partake. no one wants the common necessaries of life; joy and contentment are painted in every face. indeed, it can hardly be otherwise; an easy freedom prevails among all ranks of people; they feel no wants which they do not enjoy the means of gratifying; and they live in a clime where the painful extremes of heat and cold are equally unknown. if nature has been wanting in any thing, it is in the article of fresh water, which as it is shut up in the bowels of the earth, they are obliged to dig for. a running stream was not seen, and but one well, at amsterdam. at middleburg, we saw no water but what the natives had in vessels; but as it was sweet and cool, i had no doubt of its being taken up upon the island; and probably not far from the spot where i saw it. so little do we know of their religion, that i hardly dare mention it. the buildings called _afiatoucas_, before mentioned, are undoubtedly set apart for this purpose. some of our gentlemen were of opinion, that they were merely burying-places. i can only say, from my own knowledge, that they are places to which particular persons directed set speeches, which i understood to be prayers, as hath been already related. joining my opinion with that of others, i was inclined to think that they are set apart to be both temples and burying-places, as at otaheite, or even in europe. but i have no idea of the images being idols; not only from what i saw myself, but from mr wales's informing me that they set one of them up, for him and others to shoot at. one circumstance shewed that these _afiatoucas_ were frequently resorted to, for one purpose or other--the areas, or open places, before them, being covered with a green sod, the grass on which was very short. this did not appear to have been cut, or reduced by the hand of man, but to have been prevented in its growth, by being often trod, or sat upon. it cannot be supposed that we could know much, either of their civil or religious policy, in so short a time as four or five days, especially as we understood but little of their language: even the two islanders we had on board could not at first understand them, and yet as we became the more acquainted with them, we found their language was nearly the same spoken at otaheite and the society isles. the difference not being greater than what we find betwixt the most northern and western parts of england, as will more fully appear by the vocabulary. chapter iv. _passage from amsterdam to queen charlotte's sound, with an account of an interview with the inhabitants, and the final separation of the two ships._ october about the time we were in a condition to make sail, a canoe, conducted by four men, came along-side, with one of those drums already mentioned, on which one man kept continually beating; thinking, no doubt, the music would charm us. i gave them a piece of cloth and a nail, for the drum; and took an opportunity to send to my friend attago some wheat, pease, and beans, which i had forgot to give him when he had the other seeds. as soon as this canoe was gone, we made sail to the southward, having a gentle gale at s.e. by e.; it being my intention to proceed directly to queen charlotte's sound in new zealand, there to take in wood and water, and then to go on farther discoveries to the south and east. in the afternoon on the th, we made the island of pilstart, bearing s.w. by w. / w., distant seven or eight leagues. this island, which was also discovered by tasman, is situated in the latitude of ° ' south, longitude ° ' west, and lies in the direction of s. ° west, distant thirty-two leagues from the south end of middleburg. it is more conspicuous in height than circuit; having in it two considerable hills, seemingly disjoined from each other by a low valley. after a few hours calm the wind came to s.w.; with which we stretched to the s.e.; but on the th, it veered round by the south to the s.e. and e.s.e. and then we resumed our course to the s.s.w. at five o'clock in the morning of the st, we made the land of new zealand, extending from n.w. by n. to w.s.w.; at noon, table cape bore west, distant eight or ten leagues. i was very desirous of having some intercourse with the natives of this country as far to the north as possible; that is, about poverty or tolaga bays, where i apprehended they were more civilized than at queen charlotte's sound; in order to give them some hogs, fowls, seeds, roots, &c. which i had provided for the purpose. the wind veering to the n.w. and north, enabled us to fetch in with the land a little to the north of portland, and we stood as near the shore as we could with safety. we observed several people upon it, but none attempted to come off to us. seeing this, we bore away under portland, where we lay-to some time, as well to give time for the natives to come off, as to wait for the adventure. there were several people on portland, but none seemed inclined to come to us; indeed the wind, at this time, blew rather too fresh for them to make the attempt. therefore, as soon as the adventure was up with us, we made sail for cape kidnappers, which we passed at five o'clock in the morning, and continued our course along-shore till nine, when, being about three leagues short off black-head, we saw some canoes put off from the shore. upon this i brought to, in order to give them time to come on board; but ordered the adventure, by signal, to stand on, as i was willing to lose as little time as possible. those in the first canoe, which came along-side, were fishers, and exchanged some fish for pieces of cloth and nails. in the next, were two men, whom, by their dress and behaviour, i took to be chiefs.--these two were easily prevailed on to come on board, when they were presented with nails and other articles. they were so fond of nails, as to seize on all they could find, and with such eagerness, as plainly shewed they were the most valuable things we could give them. to the principal of these two men i gave the pigs, fowls, seeds, and roots. i believe, at first, he did not think i meant to give them to him; for he took but little notice of them, till he was satisfied they were for himself. nor was he then in such a rapture as when i gave him a spike-nail half the length of his arm. however, at his going away i took notice, that he very well remembered how many pigs and fowls had been given him, as he took care to have them all collected together, and kept a watchful eye over them, lest any should be taken away. he made me a promise not to kill any; and if he keeps his word, and proper care is taken of them, there were enough to stock the whole island in due time; being two boars, two sows, four hens, and two cocks; the seeds were such as are most useful (viz.) wheat, french and kidney beans, pease, cabbage, turnips, onions, carrots, parsnips, and yams, &c. with these articles they were dismissed. it was evident these people had not forgot the endeavour being on their coast; for the first words they spoke to us were, _mataou no te pow pow_ (we are afraid of the guns). as they could be no strangers to the affair which happened off cape kidnappers in my former voyage, experience had taught them to have some regard to these instruments of death. as soon as they were gone, we stretched off to the southward, the wind having now veered to the w.s.w. in the afternoon it increased to a fresh gale, and blew in squalls; in one of which we lost our fore-top-gallant mast, having carried the sail a little too long. the fear of losing the land induced me to carry as much sail as possible. at seven in the morning, we tacked and stretched in shore, cape turnagain at this time bore about n.w. / n. distant six or seven leagues. the adventure, being a good way to leeward, we supposed, did not observe the signal, but stood on; consequently was separated from us. during the night (which was spent in plying) the wind increased in such a manner as to bring us under our courses; it also veered to s.w. and s.s.w., and was attended with rain. at nine in the morning on the d, the sky began to clear up, and the gale to abate, so that we could carry close-reefed top-sails. at eleven o'clock we were close in with cape turnagain, when we tacked and stood off; at noon the said cape bore west a little northerly, distant six or seven miles. latitude observed ° ' south. soon after, the wind falling almost to a calm, and flattering ourselves that it would be succeeded by one more favourable, we got up another top-gallant-mast, rigged top-gallant-yards, and loosed all the reefs out of the top-sails. the event was not equal to our wishes. the wind, indeed, came something more favourable, that is at w. by n., with which we stretched along shore to the southward; but it soon increased in such a manner, as to undo what we had but just done, and at last stripped us to our courses, and two close-reefed top-sails under which sails we continued all night. about day-light, the next morning, the gale abating, we were again tempted to loose out the reefs, and rig top-gallant- yards, which proved all lost labour; for, by nine o'clock, we were reduced to the same sail as before. soon after, the adventure joined us; and at noon cape palliser bore west, distant eight or nine leagues. this cape is the northern point of eaheinomauwe. we continued to stretch to the southward till midnight, when the wind abated and shifted to s.e. three hours after, it fell calm, during which we loosed the reefs out, with the vain hopes that the next wind which came would be favourable. we were mistaken; the wind only took this short repose, in order to gain strength, and fall the heavier upon us. for at five o'clock in the morning, being the th, a gale sprung up at n.w. with which we stretched to s.w.; cape palliser at this time bore n.n.w., distant eight or nine leagues. the wind increased in such a manner, as obliged us to take in one reef after another; and, at last, it came on with such fury, as made it necessary to take in all our sails with the utmost expedition, and to lie-to under bare poles. the sea rose in proportion with the wind; so that we had a terrible gale and a mountainous sea to encounter. thus after beating up against a hard gale for two days, and arriving just in sight of our port, we had the mortification to be driven off from the land by a furious storm. two favourable circumstances attended it, which gave us some consolation; it was fair over head, and we were not apprehensive of a lee-shore. the storm continued all the day without the least intermission. in the evening we bore down to look for the adventure, she being out of sight to leeward, and after running the distance we supposed her to be off, brought to again without seeing her; it being so very hazy and thick in the horizon, that we could not see a mile round us, occasioned by the spray of the sea being lifted up to a great height by the force of the wind. at midnight the gale abated; soon after fell little wind; and at last shifted to s.w., when we wore, set the courses and top-sails close-reefed, and stood in for the land. soon after the wind freshened and fixed at south; but as the adventure was some distance a-stern, we lay by for her till eight o'clock, when we both made all sail, and steered n. by w. / w. for the strait. at noon observed in ° ' south, cape palliser, by judgment, bore north, distant seventeen leagues. this favourable wind was not of sufficient duration; in the afternoon it fell by little and little, and at length to a calm; this at ten o'clock was succeeded by a fresh breeze from the north, with which we stretched to the westward. at three o'clock next morning, we were pretty well in with cape campbell on the west side of the strait, when we tacked, and stretched over for cape palliser, under courses and close-reefed top-sails, having the wind at n.w., a very strong gale and fair weather. at noon, we tacked and stretched to s.w., with the last-mentioned cape bearing west, distant four or five leagues. in the afternoon, the gale increased in such a manner as brought us under our courses. we continued to stretch to the s.w. till midnight, when we wore, and set close-reefed top-sails. on the th, at eight o'clock in the morning, we wore, and stood again to the s.w. till noon, when we were obliged to lie-to under the fore-sail. at this time the high land over cape campbell bore west, distant ten or twelve leagues. the adventure four or five miles to leeward. in the afternoon the fury of the gale began to abate; when we set the main-sail, close-reefed main-top-sail, and stood to the windward with the wind at w.n.w. and w. by n. a strong gale, attended with heavy squalls. in the morning of the th, the wind abated and shifted to s.w. a gentle gale. of this we took immediate advantage, set all our sails, and stood for cape palliser, which at noon bore w. by n. / n., distant about six leagues. the wind continued between the s.w. and south till five in the evening, when it fell calm. at this time we were about three leagues from the cape. at seven o'clock the calm was succeeded by a gentle breeze from n.n.e., as fair as we could wish; so that we began to reckon what time we should reach the sound the next day; but at nine the wind shifted to its old quarter n.w., and blew a fresh gale, with which we stretched to the s.w., under single-reefed topsails and courses, with the adventure in company. she was seen until midnight, at which time she was two or three miles a-stern, and presently after she disappeared; nor was she to be seen at day-light. we supposed she had tacked and stood to the n.e., by which manoeuvre we lost sight of her. we continued to stretch to the westward with the wind at n.n.w., which increased in such a manner as to bring us under our two courses, after splitting a new main-topsail. at noon cape campbell bore w. by n., distant seven or eight leagues. at three in the afternoon the gale began to abate, and to veer more to the north, so that we fetched in with the land, under the snowy mountains, about four or five leagues to windward of the lookers- on, where there was the appearance of a large bay, i now regretted the loss of the adventure; for had she been with me, i should have given up all thoughts of going to queen charlotte's sound to wood and water, and have sought for a place to get these articles farther south, as the wind was now favourable for ranging along the coast. but our separation made it necessary for me to repair to the sound, that being the place of rendezvous. as we approached the land, we saw smoke in several places along the shore; a sure sign that the coast was inhabited. our soundings were from forty- seven to twenty-five fathoms; that is, at the distance of three miles from the shore, forty-seven fathoms; and twenty-five fathoms at the distance of one mile, where we tacked, and stood to the eastward, under the two courses and close-reefed top-sails; but the latter we could not carry long before we were obliged to hand them. we continued to stand to the eastward all night, in hopes of meeting with the adventure in the morning. seeing nothing of her then, we wore and brought to, under the fore-sail and mizen-stay-sail, the wind having increased to a perfect storm; but we had not been long in this situation before it abated, so as to permit us to carry the two courses, under which we stood to the west; and at noon the snowy mountains bore w.n.w., distant twelve or fourteen leagues. at six o'clock in the evening the wind quite ceased; but this proved only a momentary repose; for presently after it began to blow with redoubled fury, and obliged us to lie-to under the mizen-stay-sail; in which situation we continued till midnight, when the storm lessened; and two hours after it fell calm. november on the st of november, at four o'clock in the morning, the calm was succeeded by a breeze from the south. this soon after increased to a fresh gale, attended with hazy, rainy weather, which gave us hopes that the n.w. winds were done; for it must be observed, that they were attended with clear and fair weather. we were not wanting in taking immediate advantage of this favourable wind, by setting all our sails, and steering for cape campbell, which at noon bore north, distant three or four leagues. at two o'clock we passed the cape, and entered the strait with a brisk gale a- stern, and so likely to continue that we thought of nothing less than reaching our port the next morning. once more we were to be deceived; at six o'clock, being off cloudy bay, our favourable wind was succeeded by one from the north, which soon after veered to n.w., and increased to a fresh gale. we spent the night plying; our tacks proved disadvantageous; and we lost more on the ebb than we gained on the flood. next morning, we stretched over for the shore of eaheinomauwe. at sun-rise the horizon being extraordinarily clear to leeward, we looked well out for the adventure; but as we saw nothing of her, judged she had got into the sound. as we approached the above-mentioned shore, we discovered on the east side of cape teerawhitte, a new inlet i had never observed before. being tired with beating against the n.w. winds, i resolved to put into this place if i found it practicable, or to anchor in the bay which lies before it. the flood being favourable, after making a stretch off, we fetched under the cape, and stretched into the bay along the western shore, having from thirty-five to twelve fathoms, the bottom everywhere good anchorage. at one o'clock we reached the entrance of the inlet just as the tide of ebb was making out; the wind being likewise against us, we anchored in twelve fathoms water, the bottom a fine sand. the easternmost of the black rocks, which lie on the larboard side of the entrance of the inlet, bore n. by e., one mile distant; cape teerawhitte, or the west point of the bay, west, distant about two leagues; and the east point of the bay n. by east, four or five miles. soon after we had anchored, several of the natives came off in their canoes; two from one shore, and one from the other. it required but little address to get three or four of them on board. these people were extravagantly fond of nails above every other thing. to one man i gave two cocks and two hens, which he received with so much indifference, as gave me little hopes he would take proper care of them. we had not been at anchor here above two hours, before the wind veered to n.e., with which we weighed; but the anchor was hardly at the bows before it shifted to the south. with this we could but just lead out of the bay, and then bore away for the sound under all the sail we could set; having the advantage, or rather disadvantage, of an increasing gale, which already blew too hard. we hauled up into the sound just at dark, after making two boards, in which most of our sails were split; and anchored in eighteen fathoms water, between the white rocks and the n.w. shore. the next morning the gale abated, and was succeeded by a few hours calm; after that a breeze sprang up at n.w., with which we weighed and ran up into ship cove, where we did not find the adventure, as was expected. chapter v. _transactions at queen charlotte's sound; with an account of the inhabitants being cannibals; and various other incidents.--departure from the sound, and our endeavours to find the adventure; with some description of the coast._ november the first thing we did after mooring the ship, was to unbend all the sails; there not being one but what wanted repair. indeed, both our sails and rigging had sustained much damage in beating off the strait's mouth. we had no sooner anchored than we were visited by the natives, several of whom i remembered to have seen when i was here in the endeavour, particularly an old man named goubiah. in the afternoon, i gave orders for all the empty water casks to be landed, in order to be repaired, cleaned, and filled, tents to be set up for the sail-makers, coopers, and others, whose business made it necessary for them to be on shore. the next day we began to caulk the ship's sides and decks, to overhaul her rigging, repair the sails, cut wood for fuel, and set up the smith's forge to repair the iron-work; all of which were absolutely necessary. we also made some hauls with the seine, but caught no fish; which deficiency the natives in some measure, made up, by bringing us a good quantity, and exchanging them for pieces of otaheitean cloth, &c. on the th, the most part of our bread being in casks, i ordered some to be opened, when, to our mortification, we found a good deal of it damaged. to repair this loss in the best manner we could, all the casks were opened; the bread was picked, and the copper oven set up, to bake such parcels of it, as, by that means, could be recovered. some time this morning, the natives stole, out of one of the tents, a bag of clothes belonging to one of the seamen. as soon as i was informed of it, i went to them in an adjoining cove, demanded the clothes again, and, after some time spent in friendly application, recovered them. since we were among thieves, and had come off so well, i was not sorry for what had happened, as it taught our people to keep a better lookout for the future. with these people i saw the youngest of the two sows captain furneaux had put on shore in cannibal cove, when we were last here: it was lame of one of its hind legs; otherwise in good case, and very tame. if we understood these people right, the boar and other sow were also taken away and separated, but not killed. we were likewise told, that the two goats i had put on shore up the sound, had been killed by that old rascal goubiah. thus all our endeavours to stock this country with useful animals were likely to be frustrated, by the very people we meant to serve. our gardens had fared somewhat better. every thing in them, except the potatoes, they had left entirely to nature, who had acted her part so well, that we found most articles in a flourishing state: a proof that the winter must have been mild. the potatoes had most of them been dug up; some, however, still remained, and were growing, though i think it is probable they will never be got out of the ground. next morning i sent over to the cove, where the natives reside, to haul the seine; and took with me a boar, and a young sow, two cocks, and two hens, we had brought from the isles. these i gave to the natives, being persuaded they would take proper care of them, by their keeping captain furneaux's sow near five months; for i am to suppose it was caught soon after we sailed. we had no better success with the seine than before; nevertheless we did not return on board quite empty, having purchased a large quantity from the natives. when we were upon this traffic, they shewed a great inclination to pick my pockets, and to take away the fish with one hand, which they had just given me with the other. this evil one of the chiefs undertook to remove, and with fury in his eyes made a shew of keeping the people at a proper distance. i applauded his conduct, but at the same time kept so good a look-out, as to detect him in picking my pocket of an handkerchief; which i suffered him to put in his bosom before i seemed to know any thing of the matter, and then told him what i had lost. he seemed quite ignorant and innocent, till i took it from him; and then he put it off with a laugh, acting his part with so much address, that it was hardly possible for me to be angry with him; so that we remained good friends, and he accompanied me on board to dinner. about that time, we were visited by several strangers, in four or five canoes, who brought with them fish, and other articles, which they exchanged for cloth, &c. these newcomers took up their quarters in a cove near us; but very early the next morning moved off with six of our small water casks; and with them all the people we found here on our arrival. this precipitate retreat of these last, we supposed was owing to the theft the others had committed. they left behind them some of their dogs, and the boar i had given them the day before, which i now took back again as i had not another. our casks were the least loss we felt by these people leaving us: while they remained, we were generally well supplied with fish at a small expence. we had fair weather, with the wind at n.e., on the th, which gave us some hopes of seeing the adventure; but these hopes vanished in the afternoon, when the wind shifted to the westward. the next morning, our friends the natives returned again, and brought with them a quantity of fish, which they exchanged for two hatchets. fair weather on the th, enabled us to finish picking, airing, and baking our biscuit; four thousand two hundred and ninety-two pounds of which we found totally unfit to eat; and about three thousand pounds more could only be eaten by people in our situation. on the th, clear and pleasant weather. early in the morning the natives brought us a quantity of fish, which they exchanged as usual. but their greatest branch of trade was the green talc or stone, called by them poenammoo, a thing of no great value; nevertheless it was so much sought after by our people, that there was hardly a thing they would not give for a piece of it. the th being a pleasant morning, a party of us went over to the east bay, and climbed one of the hills which overlooked the eastern part of the strait, in order to look for the adventure. we had a fatiguing walk to little purpose; for when we came to the summit, we found the eastern horizon so foggy, that we could not see above two miles. mr forster, who was one of the party, profited by this excursion, in collecting some new plants. i now began to despair of seeing the adventure any more; but was totally at a loss to conceive what was become of her. till now, i thought she had put into some port in the strait, when the wind came to n.w., the day we anchored in the cove, and waited to complete her water. this conjecture was reasonable enough at first, but it was now hardly probable she could be twelve days in our neighbourhood, without our either hearing or seeing something of her. the hill we now mounted is the same that i was upon in , when i had the second view of the strait: we then built a tower, with the stones we found there, which we now saw had been levelled to the ground; no doubt by the natives, with a view of finding something hid in it. when we returned from the hill, we found a number of them collected round our boat. after some exchanges, and making them some presents, we embarked, in order to return on board; and, in our way, visited others of the inhabitants, by whom we were kindly received. our friends, the natives, employed themselves on the th in fishing in our neighbourhood; and, as fast as they caught the fish, came and disposed of them to us; insomuch that we had more than we could make use of. from this day to the d nothing remarkable happened, and we were occupied in getting every thing in readiness to put to sea, being resolved to wait no longer than the assigned time for the adventure. the winds were between the south and west, stormy with rain till the d, when the weather became settled, clear, and pleasant. very early in the morning, we were visited by a number of the natives, in four or five canoes, very few of whom we had seen before. they brought with them various articles (curiosities), which they exchanged for otaheitean cloth, &c. at first, the exchanges were very much in our favour, till an old man, who was no stranger to us, came and assisted his countrymen with his advice; which, in a moment, turned the trade above a thousand per cent, against us. after these people were gone, i took four hogs (that is, three sows and one boar), two cocks and two hens, which i landed in the bottom of the west bay; carrying them a little way into the woods, where we left them with as much food as would serve them ten or twelve days. this was done with a view of keeping them in the woods, lest they should come down to the shore in search of food, and be discovered by the natives; which, however, seemed not probable, as this place had never been frequented by them; nor were any traces of them to be seen near it. we also left some cocks and hens in the woods in ship cove; but these will have a chance of falling into the hands of the natives, whose wandering way of life will hinder them from breeding, even suppose they should be taken proper care of. indeed, they took rather too much care of those which i had already given them, by keeping them continually confined, for fear of losing them in the woods. the sow pig we had not seen since the day they had her from me; but we were now told she was still living, as also the old boar and sow given them by captain furneaux; so that there is reason to hope they may succeed. it will be unfortunate, indeed, if every method i have taken, to provide this country with useful animals, should be frustrated. we were likewise told, that the two goats were still alive, and running about; but i gave more credit to the first story than this. i should have replaced them, by leaving behind the only two i had left, but had the misfortune to lose the ram soon after our arrival here, in a manner we could hardly account for. they were both put ashore at the tents, where they seemed to thrive very well; at last, the ram was taken with fits bordering on madness. we were at a loss to tell whether it was occasioned by any thing he had eaten, or by being stung with nettles, which were in plenty about the place; but supposed it to be the latter, and therefore did not take the care of him we ought to have done. one night, while he was lying by the centinel, he was seized with one of these fits, and ran headlong into the sea; but soon came out again, and seemed quite easy. presently after, he was seized with another fit, and ran along the beach, with the she-goat after him. some time after she returned, but the other was never seen more. diligent search was made for him in the woods to no purpose; we therefore supposed he had run into the sea a second time, and had been drowned. after this accident, it would have been in vain to leave the she-goat, as she was not with kid; having kidded but a few days before we arrived, and the kids dead. thus the reader will see how every method i have taken to stock this country with sheep and goats has proved ineffectual. when i returned on board in the evening, i found our good friends the natives had brought us a large supply of fish. some of the officers visiting them at their habitations, saw, among them, some human thigh- bones, from which the flesh had been but lately picked. this, and other circumstances, led us to believe that the people, whom we took for strangers this morning, were of the same tribe; that they had been out on some war expedition; and that those things they sold us, were the spoils of their enemies. indeed, we had some information of this sort the day before; for a number of women and children came off to us in a canoe, from whom we learnt that a party of men were then out, for whose safety they were under some apprehension; but this report found little credit with us, as we soon after saw some canoes come in from fishing, which we judged to be them. having now got the ship in a condition for sea, and to encounter the southern latitudes, i ordered the tents to be struck, and every thing to be got on board. the boatswain, with a party of men, being in the woods cutting broom, some of them found a private hut of the natives, in which was deposited most of the treasure they had received from us, as well as some other articles of their own. it is very probable some were set to watch this hut; as, soon after it was discovered, they came and took all away. but missing some things, they told our people they had stolen them; and in the evening, came and made their complaint to me, pitching upon one of the party as the person who had committed the theft. having ordered this man to be punished before them, they went away seemingly satisfied; although they did not recover any of the things they had lost, nor could i by any means find out what had become of them; though nothing was more certain, than that something had been stolen by some of the party, if not by the very man the natives had pitched upon. it was ever a maxim with me, to punish the least crimes any of my people committed against these uncivilized nations. their robbing us with impunity is, by no means, a sufficient reason why we should treat them in the same manner, a conduct, we see, they themselves cannot justify: they found themselves injured, and sought for redress in a legal way. the best method, in my opinion, to preserve a good understanding with such people, is, first, by shewing them the use of firearms, to convince them of the superiority they give you over them, and then to be always upon your guard. when once they are sensible of these things, a regard for their own safety will deter them from disturbing you, or from being unanimous in forming any plan to attack you; and strict honesty, and gentle treatment on your part, will make it their interest not to do it. calm or light airs from the north all day on the d, hindered us from putting to sea as intended. in the afternoon, some of the officers went on shore to amuse themselves among the natives, where they saw the head and bowels of a youth, who had lately been killed, lying on the beach; and the heart stuck on a forked stick, which was fixed to the head of one of the largest canoes. one of the gentlemen bought the head, and brought it on board, where a piece of the flesh was broiled and eaten by one of the natives, before all the officers and most of the men. i was on shore at this time, but soon after returning on board, was informed of the above circumstances; and found the quarter-deck crowded with the natives, and the mangled head, or rather part of it, (for the under-jaw and lip were wanting) lying on the tafferal. the skull had been broken on the left side, just above the temples; and the remains of the face had all the appearance of a youth under twenty. the sight of the head, and the relation of the above circumstances, struck me with horror, and filled my mind with indignation against these cannibals. curiosity, however, got the better of my indignation, especially when i considered that it would avail but little; and being desirous of becoming an eye-witness of a fact which many doubted, i ordered a piece of the flesh to be broiled and brought to the quarter-deck, where one of these cannibals eat it with surprising avidity. this had such an effect on some of our people as to make them sick. oedidee (who came on board with me) was so affected with the sight as to become perfectly motionless, and seemed as if metamorphosed into the statue of horror. it is utterly impossible for art to describe that passion with half the force that it appeared in his countenance. when roused from this state by some of us, he burst into tears; continued to weep and scold by turns; told them they were vile men; and that he neither was, nor would be any longer their friend. he even would not suffer them to touch him; he used the same language to one of the gentlemen who cut off the flesh; and refused to accept, or even touch the knife with which it was done. such was oedidee's indignation against the vile custom; and worthy of imitation by every rational being. i was not able to find out the reason for their undertaking this expedition; all i could understand for certain was, that they went from hence into admiralty bay (the next inlet to the west), and there fought with their enemies, many of whom they killed. they counted to me fifty; a number which exceeded probability, as they were not more, if so many, themselves. i think i understood them clearly, that this youth was killed there; and not brought away prisoner, and afterwards killed. nor could i learn that they had brought away any more than this one; which increased the improbability of their having killed so many. we had also reason to think that they did not come off without loss; for a young woman was seen, more than once, to cut herself, as is the custom when they lose a friend or relation. that the new zealanders are cannibals, can now no longer be doubted. the account given of this in my former voyage, being partly founded on circumstances, was, as i afterwards understood, discredited by many persons. few consider what a savage man is in his natural state, and even after he is, in some degree, civilized. the new zealanders are certainly in some state of civilization; their behaviour to us was manly and mild, shewing, on all occasions, a readiness to oblige. they have some arts among them which they execute with great judgment and unwearied patience; they are far less addicted to thieving than the other islanders of the south sea; and i believe those in the same tribe, or such as are at peace one with another, are strictly honest among themselves. this custom of eating their enemies slain in battle (for i firmly believe they eat the flesh of no others) has undoubtedly been handed down to them from the earliest times; and we know it is not an easy matter to wean a nation from their ancient customs, let them be ever so inhuman and savage; especially if that nation has no manner of connexion or commerce with strangers. for it is by this that the greatest part of the human race has been civilized; an advantage which the new zealanders, from their situation, never had. an intercourse with foreigners would reform their manners, and polish their savage minds. or, were they more united under a settled form of government, they would have fewer enemies, consequently this custom would be less in use, and might in time be in a manner forgotten. at present, they have but little idea of treating others as themselves would _wish_ to be treated, but treat them as they _expect_ to be treated. if i remember right, one of the arguments they made use of to tupia, who frequently expostulated with them against this custom, was, that there could be no harm in killing and eating the man who would do the same by them if it was in his power. "for," said they, "can there be any harm in eating our enemies, whom we have killed in battle? would not those very enemies have done the same to us?" i have often seen them listen to tupia with great attention; but i never found his arguments have any weight with them, or that with all his rhetoric, he could persuade any one of them that this custom was wrong. and when oedidee, and several of our people, shewed their abhorrence of it, they only laughed at them. among many reasons which i have heard assigned for the prevalence of this horrid custom, the want of animal food has been one; but how far this is deducible either from facts or circumstances, i shall leave those to find out who advanced it. in every part of new zealand where i have been, fish was in such plenty, that the natives generally caught as much as served both themselves and us. they have also plenty of dogs; nor is there any want of wild fowl, which they know very well how to kill. so that neither this, nor the want of food of any kind, can, in my opinion, be the reason. but, whatever it may be, i think it was but too evident, that they have a great liking for this kind of food. i must here observe, that oedidee soon learnt to converse with these people, as i am persuaded, he would have done with the people of amsterdam, had he been a little longer with them; for he did not understand the new zealanders, at first, any more, or not so much, as he understood the people of amsterdam. at four o'clock in the morning, on the th, we unmoored with an intent to put to sea; but the wind being at n. and n.e. without, and blowing strong puffs into the cove, made it necessary for us to lie fast. while we were unmooring, some of our old friends came on board to take their leave of us, and afterwards left the cove with all their effects; but those who had been out on the late expedition remained; and some of the gentlemen having visited them, found the heart still sticking on the canoe, and the intestines lying on the beach; but the liver and lungs were now wanting. probably they had eaten them, after the carcase was all gone. on the th, early in the morning, we weighed, with a small, breeze out of the cove, which carried us no farther than between motuara and long island, where we were obliged to anchor; but presently after a breeze springing up at north, we weighed again, turned out of the sound, and stood over for cape teerawhitte. during our stay in the sound, we were plentifully supplied with fish, procured from the natives at a very easy rate; and, besides the vegetables our own gardens afforded, we found every where plenty of scurvy grass and cellery, which i caused to be dressed every day for all hands. by this means, they had been mostly on a fresh diet for the three preceding months; and at this time, we had neither a sick nor scorbutic man on board. it is necessary to mention, for the information of others, that we had now some pork on board, salted at ulietea, and as good as any i ever eat. the manner in which we cured it, was this: in the cool of the evening the hogs were killed, dressed, cut up, the bones cut out, and the flesh salted while it was yet hot. the next morning we gave it a second salting, packed it into a cask, and put to it a sufficient quantity of strong pickle. great care is to be taken that the meat be well covered with pickle, otherwise it will soon spoil. the morning before we sailed, i wrote a memorandum, setting forth the time we last arrived, the day we sailed, the route i intended to take, and such other information as i thought necessary for captain furneaux, in case he should put into the sound; and buried it in a bottle under the root of a tree in the garden, which is in the bottom of the cove, in such a manner as must be found by him or any other european who might put into the cove. i, however, had little reason to hope it would fall into the hands of the person for whom it was intended, thinking it hardly possible that the adventure could be in any port in new zealand, as we had not heard of her all this time. nevertheless i was resolved not to leave the coast without looking for her, where i thought it most likely for her to be. it was with this view that i stood over for cape teerawhitte, and afterwards ran along- shore, from point to point, to cape palliser, firing guns every half hour; but all to no effect. at eight o'clock we brought-to for the night, cape palliser bearing s.e. by e. distant three leagues; in which situation we had fifty fathoms water. i had now an opportunity of making the following remarks on the coast between cape teerawhitte and cape palliser: the bay which lies on the west side of the last cape, does not appear to run so far inland to the northward as i at first thought; the deception being caused by the land in the bottom of it being low: it is, however, at least five leagues deep, and full as wide at the entrance. though it seems to be exposed to southerly and s.w. winds, it is probable there may be places in the bottom of it sheltered even from these. the bay or inlet, on the east side of cape teerawhitte, before which we anchored, lies in north, inclining to the west, and seemed to be sheltered from all winds. the middle cape, or point of land that disjoins these two bays, rises to a considerable height, especially inland; for close to the sea is a skirt of low land, off which lie some pointed rocks, but so near to the shore as to be noways dangerous. indeed, the navigation of this side of the strait seems much safer than the other, because the tides here are not near so strong. cape teerawhitte and cape palliser lie in the direction of n. ° w., and s. ° east, from each other distant ten leagues. the cape which disjoins the two bays above- mentioned lies within, or north of this direction. all the land near the coast, between and about these capes, is exceedingly barren; probably owing to its being so much exposed to the cold southerly winds. from cape teerawhitte to the two brothers, which lie off cape koamoroo, the course is nearly n.w. by n. distant sixteen miles. north of cape teerawhitte, between it and entry island, is an island lying pretty near the shore. i judged this to be an island when i saw it in my former voyage, but not being certain, left it undetermined in my chart of the strait, which is the reason of my taking notice of it now, as also of the bays, &c. above- mentioned. at day-light in the morning on the th, we made sail round cape palliser, firing guns as usual, as we ran along the shore. in this manner we proceeded till we were three or four leagues to the n.e. of the cape; when the wind shifted to n.e., we bore away for cape campbell on the other side of the strait. soon after, seeing a smoke ascend, at some distance inland, away to the n.e. we hauled the wind, and continued to ply till six o'clock in the evening; which was several hours after the smoke disappeared, and left us not the least signs of people. every one being unanimously of opinion that the adventure could neither be stranded on the coast, nor be in any of the harbours thereof, i gave up looking for her, and all thoughts of seeing her any more during the voyage, as no rendezvous was absolutely fixed upon after leaving new zealand. nevertheless, this did not discourage me from fully exploring the southern parts of the pacific ocean, in the doing of which i intended to employ the whole of the ensuing season. on our quitting the coast, and consequently all hopes of being joined by our consort, i had the satisfaction to find that not a man was dejected, or thought the dangers we had yet to go through, were in the least increased by being alone; but as cheerfully proceeding to the south, or wherever i might think proper to lead them, as if the adventure, or even more ships, had been in our company. chapter vi. _route of the ship from new zealand in search of a continent; with an account of the various obstructions met with from the ice, and the methods pursued to explore the southern pacific ocean._ november at eight o'clock in the evening of the th, we took our departure from cape palliser, and steered to the south, inclining to the east, having a favourable gale from the n.w. and s.w. we daily saw some rock-weeds, seals, port egmont hens, albatrosses, pintadoes, and other peterels. december and on the d of december, being in the latitude of ° ' south, longitude ° ' west, we saw a number of red-billed penguins, which remained about us for several days. on the th, being in the latitude ° ' south, longitude ° ' east, the variation was ° ' east. at half an hour past eight o'clock the next evening, we reckoned ourselves antipodes to our friends in london, consequently as far removed from them as possible. on the th, being in the latitude ° ', longitude ° ' west, we ceased to see penguins and seals, and concluded that those we had seen, retired to the southern parts of new zealand, whenever it was necessary for them to be at land. we had now a strong gale at n.w., and a great swell from s.w. this swell we got as soon as the south point of new zealand came in that direction; and as we had had no wind from that quarter the six preceding days, but, on the contrary, it had been at east, north, and n.w., i conclude there can be no land to the southward, under the meridian of new zealand, but what must lie very far to the south. the two following days we had very stormy weather, sleet and snow, winds between the north and south- west. the th the storm abated, and the weather clearing up, we found the latitude to be ° ' south, longitude ° ' w. this fine weather was of short duration; in the evening, the wind increased to a strong gale at s. w., blew in squalls, attended with thick snow showers, hail, and sleet. the mercury in the thermometer fell to thirty-two; consequently the weather was very cold, and seemed to indicate that ice was not far off. at four o'clock the next morning, being in the latitude of ° ' south, longitude ° west, we saw the first ice island, ° / farther south than the first ice we saw the preceding year after leaving the cape of good hope. at the time we saw this ice, we also saw an antarctic peterel, some grey albatrosses, and our old companions pintadoes and blue peterels. the wind kept veering from s.w. by the n.w. to n.n.e. for the most part a fresh gale, attended with a thick haze and snow; on which account we steered to the s.e. and e., keeping the wind always on the beam, that it might be in our power to return back nearly on the same track, should our course have been interrupted by any danger whatever. for some days we had a great sea from the n.w. and s.w., so that it is not probable there can be any land near, between these two points. we fell in with several large islands on the th, and about noon, with a quantity of loose ice, through which we sailed. latitude ° ' south, longitude ° ' west. grey albatrosses, blue peterels, pintadoes, and fulmers, were seen. as we advanced to the s.e. by e. with a fresh gale at west, we found the number of ice islands increase fast upon us. between noon and eight in the evening we saw but two; but before four o'clock in the morning of the th, we had passed seventeen, besides a quantity of loose ice which we ran through. at six o'clock, we were obliged to haul to the n.e., in order to clear an immense field that lay to the south and s. e. the ice, in most part of it, lay close packed together; in other places, there appeared partitions in the field, and a clear sea beyond it. however, i did not think it safe to venture through, as the wind would not permit us to return the same way that we must go in. besides, as it blew strong, and the weather at times was exceedingly foggy, it was the more necessary for us to get clear of this loose ice, which is rather more dangerous than the great islands. it was not such ice as is usually found in bays or rivers and near shore; but such as breaks off from the islands, and may not improperly be called parings of the large pieces, or the rubbish or fragments which fall off when the great islands break loose from the place where they are formed. we had not stood long to the n.e. before we found ourselves embayed by the ice, and were obliged to tack and stretch to the s.w., having the field, or loose ice, to the south, and many huge islands to the north. after standing two hours on this tack, the wind very luckily veering to the westward, we tacked, stretched to the north, and soon got clear of the loose ice; but not before we had received several hard knocks from the larger pieces, which, with all our care, we could not avoid. after clearing one danger we still had another to encounter; the weather remained foggy, and many large islands lay in our way; so that we had to luff for one, and bear up for another. one we were very near falling aboard of, and, if it had happened, this circumstance would never have been related. these difficulties, together with the improbability of finding land farther south, and the impossibility of exploring it, on account of the ice, if we should find any, determined me to get more to the north. at the time we last tacked, we were in the longitude of ° ' w., and in the latitude of ° ' s. several penguins were seen on some of these islands, and a few antarctic peterels on the wing. we continued to stand to the north, with a fresh gale at west, attended with thick snow showers, till eight o'clock in the evening, when the wind abated, the sky began to clear up, and at six o'clock in the morning of the th it fell calm. four hours after, it was succeeded by a breeze at n.e. with which we stretched to the s.e., having thick hazy weather, with snow showers, and all our rigging coated with ice. in the evening, we attempted to take some up out of the sea, but were obliged to desist; the sea running too high, and the pieces being so large, that it was dangerous for the boat to come near them. the next morning, being the th, we succeeded better; for, falling in with a quantity of loose ice, we hoisted out two boats; and by noon got on board as much as we could manage. we then made sail for the east, with a gentle breeze northerly, attended with snow and sleet, which froze to the rigging as it fell. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ' south, longitude ° ' west. the ice we took up proved to be none of the best, being chiefly composed of frozen snow; on which account it was porous, and had imbibed a good deal of salt water; but this drained off, after lying a while on deck, and the water then yielded was fresh. we continued to stretch to the east, with a piercing cold northerly wind, attended with a thick fog, snow, and sleet, that decorated all our rigging with icicles. we were hourly meeting with some of the large ice islands, which, in these high latitudes, render navigation so very dangerous: at seven in the evening, falling in with a cluster of them, we narrowly escaped running aboard of one, and, with difficulty, wore clear of the others. we stood back to the west till ten o'clock; at which time the fog cleared away, and we resumed our course to the east. at noon, the next day, we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. some time after, our longitude, by observed distance of the sun and moon, was ° ' w.; by mr kendal's watch ° '; and, by my reckoning, ° ', latitude ° ' s. the clear weather, and the wind veering to n.w., tempted me to steer south; which course we continued till seven in the morning of the th, when the wind changing to n.e. and the sky becoming clouded, we hauled up s.e. in the afternoon the wind increased to a strong gale, attended with a thick fog, snow, sleet, and rain, which constitutes the very worst of weather. our rigging, at this time, was so loaded with ice, that we had enough to do to get our topsails down, to double the reef. at seven o'clock in the evening, in the longitude of ° ', we came, the second time, within the antarctic or polar circle, continuing our course to the s.e. till six o'clock the next morning. at that time, being in the latitude of ° ' s., all at once we got in among a cluster of very large ice islands, and a vast quantity of loose pieces; and as the fog was exceedingly thick, it was with the utmost difficulty we wore clear of them. this done, we stood to the n.w. till noon, when, the fog being somewhat dissipated, we resumed our course again to the s.e. the ice islands we met with in the morning were very high and rugged, forming at their tops, many peaks; whereas the most of those we had seen before, were flat at top, and not so high; though many of them were between two and three hundred feet in height, and between two and three miles in circuit, with perpendicular cliffs or sides, astonishing to behold. most or our winged companions had now left us; the grey albatrosses only remained; and, instead of the other birds, we were visited by a few antarctic peterels. the d we steered e.s.e. with a fresh gale at north, blowing in squalls, one of which took hold of the mizen top-sail, tore it all to rags, and rendered it forever after useless. at six o'clock in the morning, the wind veering towards the west, our course was east northerly. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ', the highest we had yet been in, longitude ° ' w. we continued our course to the e. by n. till noon, the d, when being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ', we steered s.e.; having then twenty-three ice islands in sight, from off the deck, and twice that number from the mast-head; and yet we could not see above two or three miles round us. at four o'clock in the afternoon, in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ', we fell in with such a quantity of field, or loose ice, as covered the sea in the whole extent from south to east, and was so thick and close as wholly to obstruct our passage. at this time, the wind being pretty moderate, and the sea smooth, we brought-to, at the outer edge of the ice, hoisted out two boats, and sent them to take some up. in the mean time, we laid hold of several large pieces along-side, and got them on board with our tackle. the taking up ice proved such cold work, that it was eight o'clock by the time the boats had made two trips, when we hoisted them in, and made sail to the west, under double-reefed top-sails and courses, with a strong gale at north, attended with snow and sleet, which froze to the rigging as it fell, making the ropes like wires, and the sails like boards or plates of metal. the sheaves also were frozen so fast in the blocks, that it required our utmost efforts to get a top-sail down and up; the cold so intense as hardly to be endured; the whole sea, in a manner, covered with ice; a hard gale, and a thick fog. under all these unfavourable circumstances, it was natural for me to think of returning more to the north; seeing no probability of finding any land here, nor a possibility of getting farther south. and to have proceeded to the east in this latitude, must have been wrong, not only on account of the ice, but because we must have left a vast space of sea to the north unexplored, a space of ° of latitude; in which a large tract of land might have lain. whether such a supposition was well-grounded, could only be determined by visiting those parts. while we were taking up ice, we got two of the antarctic peterels so often mentioned, by which our conjectures were confirmed of their being of the peterel tribe. they are about the size of a large pigeon; the feathers of the head, back, and part of the upper side of the wings, are of a light- brown; the belly, and under side of the wings white, the tail feathers are also white, but tipped with brown; at the same time, we got another new peterel, smaller than the former, and all of a dark-grey plumage. we remarked that these birds were fuller of feathers than any we had hitherto seen; such care has nature taken to clothe them suitably to the climate in which they live. at the same time we saw a few chocolate-coloured albatrosses; these, as well as the peterels above-mentioned, we no where saw but among the ice; hence one may with reason conjecture that there is land to the south. if not, i must ask where these birds breed? a question which perhaps will never be determined; for hitherto we have found these lands, if any, quite inaccessible. besides these birds, we saw a very large seal, which kept playing about us some time. one of our people who had been at greenland, called it a sea-horse; but every one else took it for what i have said. since our first falling in with the ice, the mercury in the thermometer had been from to at noon-day. on the th, the wind abated, veering to the n.w., and the sky cleared up, in the latitude of ° ' longitude ° '. as we advanced to the n.e. with a gentle gale at n.w., the ice islands increased so fast upon us, that this day, at noon, we could see near round us, besides an immense number of small pieces. perceiving that it was likely to be calm, i got the ship into as clear a birth as i could, where she drifted along with the ice, and by taking the advantage of every light air of wind, was kept from falling aboard any of these floating isles. here it was we spent christmas day, much in the same manner as we did the preceding one. we were fortunate in having continual day-light, and clear weather, for had it been as foggy as on some of the preceding days, nothing less than a miracle could have saved us from being dashed to pieces. in the morning of the th, the whole sea was in a manner covered with ice, large islands, and upwards, being seen within the compass of four or five miles, which was the limits of our horizon, besides smaller pieces innumerable. our latitude at noon was ° ', longitude ° '. by observation we found that the ship had drifted, or gone about miles to the n.e. or e.n.e.; whereas, by the ice islands, it appeared that she had gone little or nothing; from which we concluded that the ice drifted nearly in the same direction, and at the same rate. at four o'clock a breeze sprung up at w.s.w., and enabled us to steer north, the most probable course to extricate ourselves from these dangers. we continued our course to the north with a gentle breeze at west, attended with clear weather, till four o'clock the next morning, when meeting with a quantity of loose ice, we brought-to, and took on board as much as filled all our empty casks, and for several days present expence. this done, we made sail, and steered n.w. with a gentle breeze at n.e., clear frosty weather. our latitude at this time was ° ' s., longitude ° ' w.; islands of ice not half so numerous as before. at four in the morning of the th, the wind having veered more to the e. and s.e., increased to a fresh gale, and was attended with snow showers. our course was north till noon the next day. being then in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ', we steered n.w. by n. some hours after, the sky cleared up, and the wind abating, veered more to the south. on the th, had little wind westerly; dark gloomy weather; with snow and sleet at times; several whales seen playing about the ship, but very few birds; islands of ice in plenty, and a swell from w.n.w. on the st, little wind from the westward, fair and clear weather, which afforded an opportunity to air the spare sails, and to clean and smoke the ship between decks. at noon our latitude was ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. our observation to-day gave us reason to conjecture that we had a southerly current. indeed, this was no more than what might reasonably be supposed, to account for such huge masses of ice being brought from the south. in the afternoon we had a few hours calm, succeeded by a breeze from the east, which enabled us to resume our n.w. by n. course. january january st, the wind remained not long at east, but veered round by the south to the west; blew fresh, attended with snow showers. in the evening, being in the latitude of ° ' s., we passed two islands of ice, after which we saw no more till we stood again to the south. at five o'clock in the morning on the d, it fell calm; being at this time in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° '. the calm being succeeded by a breeze at east, we steered n.w. by w. my reason for steering this course, was to explore part of the great space of sea between us and our track to the south. on the d, at noon, being in latitude ° ', longitude ° ', the weather became fair, and the wind veered to s.w. about this time we saw a few small divers (as we call them) of the peterel tribe, which we judged to be such as are usually seen near land, especially in the bays, and on the coast of new zealand. i cannot tell what to think of these birds; had there been more of them, i should have been ready enough to believe that we were, at this time, not very far from land, as i never saw one so far from known land before. probably these few had been drawn thus far by some shoal of fish; for such were certainly about us, by the vast number of blue peterels, albatrosses, and such other birds as are usually seen in the great ocean; all or most of which left us before night. two or three pieces of seaweed were also seen, but these appeared old and decayed. at eight o'clock in the evening, being in the latitude of ° s., longitude ° ' w., the wind fixing in the western board, obliged us to steer north-easterly, and laid me under the necessity of leaving unexplored a space of the sea to the west, containing near ° of longitude, and half that of latitude. had the wind continued favourable, i intended to have run or degrees of longitude more to the west in the latitude we were then in, and back again to the east in the latitude of °. this route would have so intersected the space above mentioned, as hardly to have left room for the bare supposition of any land lying there. indeed, as it was, we have little reason to believe that there is; but rather the contrary, from the great hollow swell we had had, for several days, from the w. and n.w., though the wind had blown from a contrary direction great part of the time; which is a great sign we had not been covered by any land between these two points. while we were in the high latitudes, many of our people were attacked with a slight fever, occasioned by colds. it happily yielded to the simplest remedies; was generally removed in a few days; and, at this time, we had not above one or two on the sick list. we proceeded n.e. by n. till the th, at noon. being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., and about leagues from our track to otaheite, in which space it was not probable, all circumstances considered, there is any extensive land, and it being still less probable any lay to the west, from the great mountainous billows we had had, and still continued to have, from that quarter, i therefore steered n.e., with a fresh gale at w.s.w. at eight o'clock in the morning, on the th, being in the latitude of ° ' s., we observed several distances of the sun and moon, which gave the longitude as follows, viz. by mr. wales, ° ' " west. gilbert, clarke, smith, myself, ------------- mean, by the watch, west. my reckoning, ------------- variation of the compass, east. thermometer, the next morning we observed again, and the results were agreeable to the preceding observations, allowing for the ship's run. i must here take notice, that our longitude can never be erroneous, while we have so good a guide as mr kendall's watch. this day, at noon, we steered e.n.e. / e., being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. on the th, in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we steered east, with a fine fresh gale at west, attended with clear pleasant weather, and a great swell from the same direction as the wind. in the morning of the th, having but little wind, we put a boat in the water, in which some of the officers went and shot several birds. these afforded us a fresh meal; they were of the peterel tribe, and such as are usually seen at any distance from land. indeed, neither birds, nor any other thing was to be seen, that could give us the least hopes of finding any; and, therefore, at noon the next day, being then in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., and a little more than leagues from my track to otaheite in , i altered the course, and steered s.e., with a fresh gale at s.w. by w. in the evening, when our latitude was ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we found the variation to be ° ' e., which is the least variation we had found without the tropic. in the evening of the next day, we found it to be ° ' e., our latitude, at that time, was ° ' s., longitude ° / w. our course was now more southerly, till the evening of the th, when we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. the wind being then at n.w. a strong gale with a thick fog and rain, which made it unsafe to steer large, i hauled up s.w., and continued this course till noon the next day, when our latitude was ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. the wind having veered to the north, and the fog continuing, i hauled to the east, under courses and close-reefed top-sails. but this sail we could not carry long; for before eight o'clock in the evening, the wind increased to a perfect storm, and obliged us to lie-to, under the mizen-stay-sail, till the morning of the th, when the wind having a good deal abated, and veered to west, we set the courses, reefed top-sails, and stood to the south. soon after, the weather cleared up, and, in the evening, we found the latitude to be ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. we continued to steer to the south, inclining to the east, till the th, when we stood to the s.w., with the wind at s.e., being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. at ten o'clock in the evening, it fell calm, which continued till two the next morning, when a breeze sprung up at north, which soon after increased to a fresh gale, and fixed at n.e. with this we steered south till noon on the th, when, being now in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we were again becalmed. in this situation we had two ice islands in sight, one of which seemed to be as large as any we had seen. it could not be less than two hundred feet in height, and terminated in a peak not unlike the cupola of st paul's church. at this time we had a great westerly swell, which made it improbable that any land should lie between us and the meridian of ° / , which was our longitude, under the latitude we were now in, when we stood to the north. in all this route we had not seen the least thing that could induce us to think we were ever in the neighbourhood of any land. we had, indeed, frequently seen pieces of sea-weed; but this, i am well assured, is no sign of the vicinity of land; for weed is seen in every part of the ocean. after a few hours calm, we got a wind from s.e.; but it was very unsettled, and attended with thick snow-showers; at length it fixed at s. by e., and we stretched to the east. the wind blew fresh, was piercing cold, and attended with snow and sleet. on the d, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we saw an ice island, an antartic peterel, several blue peterels, and some other known birds; but no one thing that gave us the least hopes of finding land. on the d, at noon, we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° '. in the afternoon, we passed an ice island. the wind, which blew fresh, continued to veer to the west; and at eight o'clock the next morning it was to the north of west, when i steered s. by w. and s.s.w. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., and had a great sea from s.w. we continued this course till noon the next day, the th, when we steered due south. our latitude, at this time, was ° ' s., longitude ° ' w.; the wind was at north; the weather mild and not unpleasant; and not a bit of ice in view. this we thought a little extraordinary, as it was but a month before, and not quite two hundred leagues to the east, that we were in a manner blocked up with large islands of ice in this very latitude. saw a single pintadoe peterel, some blue peterels, and a few brown albatrosses. in the evening, being under the same meridian, and in the latitude of ° ' s., the variation was ° ' e.; but the next morning, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude the same as before, it was only ° ' e.; probably the mean between the two is the nearest the truth. at this time, we had nine small islands in sight; and soon after we came, the third time, within the antartic polar circle, in the longitude of ° ' w. about noon, seeing the appearance of land to the s.e., we immediately trimmed our sails and stood towards it. soon after it disappeared, but we did not give it up till eight o'clock the next morning, when we were well assured that it was nothing but clouds, or a fog bank; and then we resumed our course to the south, with a gentle breeze at n.e., attended with a thick fog, snow, and sleet. we now began to meet with ice islands more frequently than before; and, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we fell in with a field of loose ice. as we began to be in want of water, i hoisted out two boats and took up as much as yielded about ten tons. this was cold work, but it was now familiar to us. as soon as we had done, we hoisted in the boats, and afterwards made short boards over that part of the sea we had in some measure made ourselves acquainted with. for we had now so thick a fog, that we could not see two hundred yards round us; and as we knew not the extent of the loose ice, i durst not steer to the south till we had clear weather. thus we spent the night, or rather that part of twenty-four hours which answered to night; for we had no darkness but what was occasioned by fogs. at four o'clock in the morning of the th, the fog began to clear away; and the day becoming clear and serene, we again steered to the south with a gentle gale at n.e. and n.n.e. the variation was found to be ° ' e. this was in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w.; and, in the afternoon, being in the same longitude, and in the latitude of ° ' s., it was ° ' e. soon after, the sky became clouded, and the air very cold. we continued our course to the south, and passed a piece of weed covered with barnacles, which a brown albatross was picking off. at ten o'clock, we passed a very large ice island; it was not less than three or four miles in circuit. several more being seen a-head, and the weather becoming foggy, we hauled the wind to the northward; but in less than two hours, the weather cleared up, and we again stood south. on the th, at four o'clock in the morning, we perceived the clouds, over the horizon to the south, to be of an unusual snow-white brightness, which we knew denounced our approach to field-ice. soon after, it was seen from the top-mast-head; and at eight o'clock, we were close to its edge. it extended east and west, far beyond the reach of our sight. in the situation we were in, just the southern half of our horizon was illuminated, by the rays of light reflected from the ice, to a considerable height. ninety- seven ice hills were distinctly seen within the field, besides those on the outside; many of them very large, and looking like a ridge of mountains, rising one above another till they were lost in the clouds. the outer or northern edge of this immense field, was composed of loose or broken ice close packed together, so that it was not possible for any thing to enter it. this was about a mile broad, within which, was solid ice in one continued compact body. it was rather low and flat (except the hills), but seemed to increase in height, as you traced it to the south; in which direction it extended beyond our sight. such mountains of ice as these, i believe, were never seen in the greenland seas, at least, not that i ever heard or read of, so that we cannot draw a comparison between the ice here and there. it must be allowed, that these prodigious ice mountains must add such additional weight to the ice fields which inclose them, as cannot but make a great difference between the navigating this icy sea and that of greenland. i will not say it was impossible any where to get farther to the south; but the attempting it would have been a dangerous and rash enterprise, and what, i believe, no man in my situation would have thought of. it was, indeed, _my_ opinion, as well as the opinion of most on board, that this ice extended quite to the pole, or perhaps joined on some land, to which it had been fixed from the earliest time; and that it is here, that is to the south of this parallel, where all the ice we find scattered up and down to the north, is first formed, and afterwards broken off by gales of wind, or other causes, and brought to the north by the currents, which we always found to set in that direction in the high latitudes. as we drew near this ice some penguins were heard, but none seen; and but few other birds or any other thing that could induce us to think any land was near. and yet i think, there must be some to the south behind this ice; but if there is, it can afford no better retreat for birds, or any other animals, than the ice itself, with which it must be wholly covered. i, who had ambition not only to go farther than any one had been before, but as far as it was possible for man to go, was not sorry at meeting with this interruption, as it in some measure relieved us, at least shortened the dangers and hardships inseparable from the navigation of the southern polar regions. since, therefore, we could not proceed one inch farther to the south, no other reason need be assigned for my tacking and standing back to the north; being at this time in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. it was happy for us that the weather was clear when we fell in with this ice, and that we discovered it so soon as we did; for we had no sooner tacked than we were involved in a thick fog. the wind was at east, and blew a fresh breeze, so that we were enabled to return back over that space we had already made ourselves acquainted with. at noon, the mercury in the thermometer stood at - / , and we found the air exceedingly cold. the thick fog continuing with showers of snow, gave a coat of ice to our rigging of near an inch thick. in the afternoon of the next day the fog cleared away at intervals; but the weather was cloudy and gloomy, and the air excessively cold; however, the sea within our horizon was clear of ice. february we continued to stand to the north, with the wind easterly, till the afternoon on the first of february, when falling in with some loose ice which had been broken from an island to windward we hoisted out two boats, and having taken some on board, resumed our course to the n. and n.e., with gentle breezes from s.e., attended sometimes with fair weather, and at other times with snow and sleet. on the th we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° '. the next day the wind was very unsettled both in strength and position, and attended with snow and sleet. at length, on the th, after a few hours calm, we got a breeze at south, which soon after freshened, fixed at w.s.w., and was attended with snow and sleet. i now came to the resolution to proceed to the north, and to spend the ensuing winter within the tropic, if i met with no employment before i came there. i was now well satisfied no continent was to be found in this ocean, but what must lie so far to the south, as to be wholly inaccessible on account of ice; and that if one should be found in the southern atlantic ocean, it would be necessary to have the whole summer before us to explore it. on the other hand, upon a supposition that there is no land there, we undoubtedly might have reached the cape of good hope by april, and so have put an end to the expedition, so far as it related to the finding a continent; which indeed was the first object of the voyage. but for me at this time to have quitted the southern pacific ocean, with a good ship expressly sent out on discoveries, a healthy crew, and not in want either of stores or of provisions, would have been betraying not only a want of perseverance, but of judgment, in supposing the south pacific ocean to have been so well explored, that nothing remained to be done in it. this, however, was not my opinion; for though i had proved that there was no continent but what must lie far to the south, there remained nevertheless room for very large islands in places wholly unexamined; and many of those which were formerly discovered, are but imperfectly explored, and their situations as imperfectly known. i was besides of opinion, that my remaining in this sea some time longer, would be productive of improvements in navigation and geography, as well as in other sciences. i had several times communicated my thoughts on this subject to captain furneaux; but as it then wholly depended on what we might meet with to the south, i could not give it in orders, without running a risk of drawing us from the main object. since now nothing had happened to prevent me from, carrying these views into execution, my intention was first to go in search of the land said to have been discovered by juan fernandez, above a century ago, in about the latitude of °; if i should fail in finding this land, then to go in search of easter island or davis's land, whose situation was known with so little certainty, that the attempts lately made to find it had miscarried. i next intended to get within the tropic, and then proceed to the west, touching at, and settling the situations of such islands as we might meet with till we arrived at otaheite, where it was necessary i should stop to look for the adventure. i had also thoughts of running as far west as the tierra austral del espiritu santo, discovered by quiros, and which m. de bougainville calls the great cyclades. quiros speaks of this land as being large, or lying in the neighbourhood of large lands; and as this was a point which m. de bougainville had neither confirmed nor refuted, i thought it was worth clearing up. from this land my design was to steer to the south, and so back to the east, between the latitudes of ° and °; intending, if possible, to be the length of cape horn in november next, when we should have the best part of the summer before us to explore the southern part of the atlantic ocean. great as this design appeared to be, i however thought it possible to be executed; and when i came to communicate it to the officers, i had the satisfaction to find, that they all heartily concurred in it. i should not do these gentlemen justice, if i did not take some opportunity to declare, that they always shewed the utmost readiness to carry into execution, in the most effectual manner, every measure i thought proper to take. under such circumstances, it is hardly necessary to say, that the seamen were always obedient and alert; and, on this occasion, they were so far from wishing the voyage at an end, that they, rejoiced at the prospect of its being prolonged another year, and of soon enjoying the benefits of a milder climate. i now steered north, inclining to the east, and in the evening we were overtaken with a furious storm at w.s.w., attended with snow and sleet. it came so suddenly upon us, that before we could take in our sails, two old top-sails, which we had bent to the yards, were blown to pieces, and the other sails much damaged. the gale lasted, without the least intermission, till the next morning, when it began to abate; it continued, however, to blow very fresh till noon on the th, when it ended in a calm. at this time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. some birds being about the ship, we took the advantage of the calm to put a boat in the water, and shot several birds, on which we feasted the next day. one of these birds was of that sort which has been so often mentioned in this journal under the name of port egmont hens. they are of the gull kind, about the size of a raven, with a dark-brown plumage, except the under-side of each wing, where there are some white feathers. the rest of the birds were albatrosses and sheer-waters. after a few hours calm, having got a breeze at n.w., we made a stretch to the s.w. for twenty-four hours; in which route we saw a piece of wood, a bunch of weed, and a diving peterel. the wind having veered more to the west, made us tack and stretch to the north till noon on the th, at which time we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. we had now calms and light breezes, succeeding each other, till the next morning, when the wind freshened at w.n.w., and was attended with a thick fog and drizzling rain the three following days, during which time we stretched to the north, inclining to the east, and crossed my track to otaheite in . i did intend to have kept more to the west, but the strong winds from that direction put it out of my power. on the th, the wind veered to s.w., and blew very fresh, but was attended with clear weather, which gave us an opportunity to ascertain our longitude by several lunar observations made by messrs wales, clarke, gilbert, and smith. the mean result of all, was ° ' " w.; mr kendal's watch, at the same time, gave ° ' w.; our latitude was ° ' s. the wind continued not long at s.w. before it veered back to the west and w.n.w. as we advanced to the north, we felt a most sensible change in the weather. the th, at noon, we were in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. the day was clear and pleasant, and i may say, the only summer's day we had had since we left new zealand. the mercury in the thermometer rose to . we still continued to steer to the north, as the wind remained in the old quarter; and the next day, at noon, we were in the latitude ° ' s.; which was the same that juan fernandez's discovery is said to lie in. we, however, had not the least signs of any land lying in our neighbourhood. the next day at noon, we were in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. soon after, the wind veered to s.s.e., and enabled us to steer w.s.w., which i thought the most probable direction to find the land of which we were in search; and yet i had no hopes of succeeding, as we had a large hollow swell from the same point. we however continued this course till the th, when the wind having veered again round to the westward, i gave it up, and stood away to the north, in order to get into the latitude of easter island: our latitude, at this time, was ° ', longitude ° ' w. i was now well assured that the discovery of juan fernandez, if any such was ever made, can be nothing but a small island; there being hardly room for a large land, as will fully appear by the tracks of captain wallis, bougainville, of the endeavour, and this of the resolution. whoever wants to see an account of the discovery in question, will meet with it in mr dalrymple's collection of voyages to the south seas. this gentleman places it under the meridian of °, where i think it cannot be; for m. de bougainville seems to have run down under that meridian; and we had now examined the latitude in which it is said to lie, from the meridian of ° to °. it is not probable it can lie to the east of °; because if it did, it must have been seen, at one time or other, by ships bound from the northern to the southern parts of america. mr pengré, in a little treatise concerning the transit of venus, published in , gives some account of land having been discovered by the spaniards in , in the latitude of °, and leagues from the coast of chili, which is in the longitude of ° or ° west, and within a degree or two of my track in the endeavour; so that this can hardly be its situation. in short, the only probable situation it can have must be about the meridian of ° or ° west; and then it can only be a small isle, as i have already observed. i was now taken ill of the bilious cholic, which was so violent as to confine me to my bed, so that the management of the ship was left to mr cooper the first officer, who conducted her very much to my satisfaction. it was several days before the most dangerous symptoms of my disorder were removed; during which time, mr patten the surgeon was to me, not only a skilful physician, but an affectionate nurse; and i should ill deserve the care he bestowed on me, if i did not make this public acknowledgment. when i began to recover, a favourite dog belonging to mr forster fell a sacrifice to my tender stomach. we had no other fresh meat on board, and i could eat of this flesh, as well as broth made of it, when i could taste nothing else. thus i received nourishment and strength from food which would have made most people in europe sick: so true it is, that necessity is governed by no law. on the th, in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we began to see flying-fish, egg-birds, and nodies, which are said not to go above sixty or eighty leagues from land; but of this we have no certainty. no one yet knows to what distance any of the oceanic birds go to sea; for my own part, i do not believe there is one in the whole tribe that can be relied on, in pointing out the vicinity of land. in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we began to see men- of-war birds. in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., we had a calm for nearly two days together, during which time the heat was intolerable; but what ought to be remarked, there was a great swell from the s.w. march on the th of march, the calm was succeeded by an easterly wind, with which we steered n.w. till noon the th, when being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., we steered west; meeting every day with great numbers of birds, such as men-of-war, tropic, and egg-birds, podies, sheer-waters, &c. and once we passed several pieces of sponge, and a small dried leaf not unlike a bay one. soon after, we saw a sea-snake, in every respect like those we had before seen at the tropical islands. we also saw plenty of fish, but we were such bad fishers that we caught only four albacores, which were very acceptable, to me especially, who was just recovering from my late illness. chapter vii. _sequel of the passage from new zealand to easter island, and transactions there, with an account of an expedition to discover the inland part of the country, and a description of some of the surprising gigantic statues found in the island._ march at eight o'clock in the morning, on the th, land was seen, from the mast- head, bearing west, and at noon from the deck, extending from w. / n. to w. by s., about twelve leagues distant. i made no doubt that this was davis's land, or easter island; as its appearance from this situation, corresponded very well with wafer's account; and we expected to have seen the low sandy isle that davis fell in with, which would have been a confirmation; but in this we were disappointed. at seven o'clock in the evening, the island bore from north ° w., to north ° w., about five leagues distant; in which situation, we sounded without finding ground with a line of an hundred and forty fathoms. here we spent the night, having alternately light airs and calms, till ten o'clock the next morning, when a breeze sprung up at w.s.w. with this we stretched in for the land; and by the help of our glass, discovered people, and some of those colossean statues or idols mentioned in the account of roggewein's voyage. at four o'clock p.m. we were half a league s.s.e. and n.n.w. of the n.e. point of the island; and, on sounding, found thirty-five fathoms, a dark sandy bottom. i now tacked, and endeavoured to get into what appeared to be a bay, on the west side of the point or s.e. side of the island; but before this could be accomplished, night came upon us, and we stood on and off, under the land, till the next morning; having sounding from seventy-five to an hundred and ten fathoms, the same bottom as before. on the th, about eight o'clock in the morning, the wind, which had been variable most part of the night, fixed at s.e., and blew in squalls, accompanied with rain; but it was not long before the weather became fair. as the wind now blew right to the s.e. shore, which does not afford that shelter i at first thought, i resolved to look for anchorage on the west and n.w. sides of the island. with this view i bore up round the south point, off which lie two small islets, the one nearest the point high and peaked, and the other low and flattish. after getting round the point, and coming before a sandy beach, we found soundings thirty and forty fathoms, sandy ground, and about one mile from the shore. here a canoe, conducted by two men, came off to us. they brought with them a bunch of plantains, which they sent into the ship by a rope, and then they returned ashore. this gave us a good opinion of the islanders, and inspired us with hopes of getting some refreshments, which we were in great want of. i continued to range along the coast, till we opened the northern point of the isle, without seeing a better anchoring-place than the one we had passed. we therefore tacked, and plied back to it; and, in the mean time, sent away the master in a boat to sound the coast. he returned about five o'clock in the evening; and soon after we came to an anchor in thirty-six fathoms water, before the sandy beach above mentioned. as the master drew near the shore with the boat, one of the natives swam off to her, and insisted on coming a-board the ship, where he remained two nights and a day. the first thing he did after coming a-board, was to measure the length of the ship, by fathoming her from the tafferel to the stern, and as he counted the fathoms, we observed that he called the numbers by the same names that they do at otaheite; nevertheless his language was in a manner wholly unintelligible to all of us. having anchored too near the edge of a bank, a fresh breeze from the land, about three o'clock the next morning, drove us off it; on which the anchor was heaved up, and sail made to regain the bank again. while the ship was plying in, i went ashore, accompanied by some of the gentlemen, to see what the island was likely to afford us. we landed at the sandy beach, where some hundreds of the natives were assembled, and who were so impatient to see us, that many of them swam off to meet the boats. not one of them had so much as a stick or weapon of any sort in their hands. after distributing a few trinkets amongst them, we made signs for something to eat, on which they brought down a few potatoes, plantains, and sugar canes, and exchanged them for nails, looking-glasses, and pieces of cloth. we presently discovered that they were as expert thieves and as tricking in their exchanges, as any people we had yet met with. it was with some difficulty we could keep the hats on our heads; but hardly possible to keep any thing in our pockets, not even what themselves had sold us; for they would watch every opportunity to snatch it from us, so that we sometimes bought the same thing two or three times over, and after all did not get it. before i sailed from england, i was informed that a spanish ship had visited this isle in . some signs of it were seen among the people now about us; one man had a pretty good broad-brimmed european hat on, another had a grego jacket, and another a red silk handkerchief. they also seemed to know the use of a musquet, and to stand in much awe of it; but this they probably learnt from roggewein, who, if we are to believe the authors of that voyage, left them sufficient tokens. near the place where we landed, were some of those statues before mentioned, which i shall describe in another place. the country appeared barren and without wood; there were, nevertheless, several plantations of potatoes, plantains, and sugar-canes; we also saw some fowls, and found a well of brackish water. as these were articles we were in want of, and as the natives seemed not unwilling to part with them, i resolved to stay a day or two. with this view i repaired on board, and brought the ship to an anchor in thirty-two fathoms water; the bottom a fine dark sand. our station was about a mile from the nearest shore, the south point of a small bay, in the bottom of which is the sandy beach before mentioned, being e.s.e., distant one mile and a-half. the two rocky islets lying off the south point of the island, were just shut behind a point to the north of them; they bore south / west, four miles distant; and the other extreme of the island bore north ° e., distant about six miles. but the best mark for this anchoring-place is the beach, because it is the only one on this side of the island. in the afternoon, we got on board a few casks of water, and opened a trade with the natives for such things as they had to dispose of. some of the gentlemen also made an excursion into the country to see what it produced; and returned again in the evening, with the loss only of a hat, which one of the natives snatched off the head of one of the party. early next morning, i sent lieutenants pickersgill and edgecumbe with a party of men, accompanied by several of the gentlemen, to examine the country. as i was not sufficiently recovered from my late illness to make one of the party, i was obliged to content myself with remaining at the landing-place among the natives. we had, at one time, a pretty brisk trade with them for potatoes, which we observed they dug up out of an adjoining plantation; but this traffic, which was very advantageous to us, was soon put a stop to by the owner (as we supposed) of the plantation coming down, and driving all the people out of it. by this we concluded, that he had been robbed of his property, and that they were not less scrupulous of stealing from one another, than from us, on whom they practised every little fraud they could think of, and generally with success; for we no sooner detected them in one, than they found out another. about seven o'clock in the evening, the party i had sent into the country returned, after having been over the greatest part of the island. they left the beach about nine o'clock in the morning, and took a path which led across to the s.e. side of the island, followed by a great crowd of the natives, who pressed much upon them. but they had not proceeded far, before a middle-aged man, punctured from head to foot, and his face painted with a sort of white pigment, appeared with a spear in his hand, and walked along-side of them, making signs to his countrymen to keep at a distance, and not to molest our people. when he had pretty well effected this, he hoisted a piece of white cloth on his spear, placed himself in the front, and led the way, with his ensign of peace, as they understood it to be. for the greatest part of the distance across, the ground had but a barren appearance, being a dry hard clay, and every where covered with stones; but notwithstanding this, there were several large tracts planted with potatoes; and some plantain walks, but they saw no fruit on any of the trees. towards the highest part of the south end of the island, the soil, which was a fine red earth, seemed much better, bore a longer grass, and was not covered with stones as in the other parts; but here they saw neither house nor plantation. on the east side, near the sea, they met with three platforms of stone- work, or rather the ruins of them. on each had stood four of those large statues, but they were all fallen down from two of them, and also one from the third; all except one were broken by the fall, or in some measure defaced. mr wales measured this one, and found it to be fifteen feet in length, and six feet broad over the shoulders, each statue had on its head a large cylindric stone of a red colour, wrought perfectly round. the one they measured, which was not by far the largest, was fifty-two inches high, and sixty-six in diameter. in some, the upper corner of the cylinder was taken off in a sort of concave quarter-round, but in others the cylinder was entire. from this place they followed the direction of the coast to the n.e., the man with the flag still leading the way. for about three miles they found the country very barren, and in some places stript of the soil to the bare rock, which seemed to be a poor sort of iron ore. beyond this, they came to the most fertile part of the island they saw, it being interspersed with plantations of potatoes, sugar-canes, and plantain trees, and these not so much encumbered with stones as those which they had seen before; but they could find no water except what the natives twice or thrice brought them, which, though brackish and stinking, was rendered acceptable, by the extremity of their thirst. they also passed some huts, the owners of which met them with roasted potatoes and sugar-canes, and, placing themselves a- head of the foremost party (for they marched in a line in order to have the benefit of the path), gave one to each man as he passed by. they observed the same method in distributing the water which they brought; and were particularly careful that the foremost did not drink too much, lest none should be left for the hindmost. but at the very time these were relieving the thirsty and hungry, there were not wanting others who endeavoured to steal from them the very things which had been given them. at last, to prevent worse consequences, they were obliged to fire a load of small shot at one who was so audacious as to snatch from one of the men the bag which contained every thing they carried with them. the shot hit him on the back, on which he dropped the bag, ran a little way, and then fell; but he afterwards got up and walked, and what became of him they knew not, nor whether he was much wounded. as this affair occasioned some delay, and drew the natives together, they presently saw the man who had hitherto led the way and one or two more, coming running towards them; but instead of stopping when they came up, they continued to run round them, repeating, in a kind manner, a few words, until our people set forwards again. then their old guide hoisted his flag, leading the way as before, and none ever attempted to steal from them the whole day afterwards. as they passed along, they observed on a hill a number of people collected together, some of whom had spears in their hands; but on their being called to by their countrymen, they dispersed, except a few, amongst whom was one seemingly of some note. he was a stout well-made man, with a fine open countenance, his face was painted, his body punctured, and he wore a better _ha hou_, or cloth, than the rest. he saluted them as he came up, by stretching out his arms, with both hands clenched, lifting them over his head, opening them wide, and then letting them fall gradually down to his sides. to this man, whom they understood to be chief of the island, their other friend gave his white flag, and he gave him another, who carried it before them the remainder of the day. towards the eastern end of the island, they met with a well whose water was perfectly fresh, being considerably above the level of the sea; but it was dirty, owing to the filthiness or cleanliness (call it which you will) of the natives, who never go to drink without washing themselves all over as soon as they have done; and if ever so many of them are together, the first leaps right into the middle of the hole, drinks, and washes himself without the least ceremony; after which another takes his place and does the same. they observed that this side of the island was full of those gigantic statues so often mentioned; some placed in groupes on platforms of masonry, others single, fixed only in the earth, and that not deep; and these latter are, in general, much larger than the others. having measured one, which had fallen down, they found it very near twenty-seven feet long, and upwards of eight feet over the breast or shoulders; and yet this appeared considerably short of the size of one they saw standing; its shade, a little past two o'clock, being sufficient to shelter all the party, consisting of near thirty persons, from the rays of the sun. here they stopped to dine; after which they repaired to a hill, from whence they saw all the east and north shores of the isle, on which they could not see either bay or creek fit even for a boat to land in; nor the least signs of fresh water. what the natives brought them here was real salt water; but they observed that some of them drank pretty plentifully of it, so far will necessity and custom get the better of nature! on this account they were obliged to return to the last-mentioned well, where, after having quenched their thirst, they directed their route across the island towards the ship, as it was now four o'clock. in a small hollow, on the highest part of the island, they met with several such cylinders as are placed on the heads of the statues. some of these appeared larger than any they had seen before; but it was now too late to stop to measure any of them. mr wales, from whom i had this information, is of opinion that there had been a quarry here, whence these stones had formerly been dug; and that it would have been no difficult matter to roll them down the hill after they were formed. i think this a very reasonable conjecture, and have no doubt that it has been so. on the declivity of the mountain towards the west, they met with another well, but the water was a very strong mineral, had a thick green scum on the top, and stunk intolerably. necessity, however, obliged some to drink of it; but it soon made them so sick, that they threw it up the same way that it went down. in all this excursion, as well as the one made the preceding day, only two or three shrubs were seen. the leaf and seed of one (called by the natives _torromedo_) were not much unlike those of the common vetch; but the pod was more like that of a tamarind in its size and shape. the seeds have a disagreeable bitter taste; and the natives, when they saw our people chew them, made signs to spit them out; from whence it was concluded that they think them poisonous. the wood is of a reddish colour, and pretty hard and heavy, but very crooked, small, and short, not exceeding six or seven feet in height. at the s.w. corner of the island, they found another small shrub, whose wood was white and brittle, and in some measure, as also its leaf, resembling the ash. they also saw in several places the otaheitean cloth plant, but it was poor and weak, and not above two and a half feet high at most. they saw not an animal of any sort, and but very few birds; nor indeed any thing which can induce ships that are not in the utmost distress, to touch at this island. this account of the excursion i had from mr pickersgill and mr wales, men on whose veracity i could depend; and therefore i determined to leave the island the next morning, since nothing was to be obtained that could make it worth my while to stay longer; for the water which we had sent on board, was not much better than if it had been taken up out of the sea. we had a calm till ten o'clock in the morning of the th, when a breeze sprung up at west, accompanied with heavy showers of rain, which lasted about an hour. the weather then clearing up, we got under sail, stood to sea, and kept plying to and fro, while an officer was sent on shore with two boats, to purchase such refreshments as the natives might have brought down; for i judged this would be the case, as they knew nothing of our sailing. the event proved that i was not mistaken; for the boats made two trips before night, when we hoisted them in, and made sail to the n.w., with a light breeze at n.n.e. chapter viii. _a description of the island, and its produce, situation, and inhabitants; their manners and customs; conjectures concerning their government, religion, and other subjects; with a more particular account of the gigantic statues._ march i shall now give some farther account of this island, which is undoubtedly the same that admiral roggewein touched at in april ; although the description given of it by the authors of that voyage does by no means agree with it now. it may also be the same that was seen by captain davis in ; for, when seen from the east, it answers very well to wafer's description, as i have before observed. in short, if this is not the land, his discovery cannot lie far from the coast of america, as this latitude has been well explored from the meridian of ° to °. captain carteret carried it much farther; but his track seems to have been a little too far south. had i found fresh water, i intended spending some days in looking for the low sandy isle davis fell in with, which would have determined the point. but as i did not find water, and had a long run to make before i was assured of getting any, and being in want of refreshments, i declined the search; as a small delay might have been attended with bad consequences to the crew, many of them beginning to be more or less affected with the scurvy. no nation need contend for the honour of the discovery of this island, as there can be few places which afford less convenience for shipping than it does. here is no safe anchorage, no wood for fuel, nor any fresh water worth taking on board. nature has been exceedingly sparing of her favours to this spot. as every thing must be raised by dint of labour, it cannot be supposed that the inhabitants plant much more than is sufficient for themselves; and as they are but few in number, they cannot have much to spare to supply the wants of visitant strangers. the produce is sweet potatoes, yams, tara or eddy root, plantains, and sugar-canes, all pretty good, the potatoes especially, which are the best of the kind i ever tasted. gourds they have also, but so very few, that a cocoa-nut shell was the most valuable thing we could give them. they have a few tame fowls, such as cocks and hens, small but well tasted. they have also rats, which it seems they eat; for i saw a man with some dead ones in his hand, and he seemed unwilling to part with them, giving me to understand they were for food. of land-birds there were hardly any, and sea-birds but few; these were men-of-war, tropic, and egg-birds, noddies, tern, &c. the coast seemed not to abound with fish, at least we could catch none with hook and line, and it was but very little we saw among the natives. such is the produce of easter island, or davis's land, which is situated in latitude ° ' " s., longitude ° ' " w. it is about ten or twelve leagues in circuit, hath a hilly and stony surface, and an iron-bound shore. the hills are of such a height as to be seen fifteen or sixteen leagues. off the south end, are two rocky islets, lying near the shore. the north and east points of the island rise directly from the sea to a considerable height; between them and the s.e. side, the shore forms an open bay, in which i believe the dutch anchored. we anchored, as hath been already mentioned, on the west side of the island, three miles to the north of the south point, with the sandy beach bearing e.s.s. this is a very good road with easterly winds, but a dangerous one with westerly; as the other on the s.e. side must be with easterly winds. for this, and other bad accommodations already mentioned, nothing but necessity will induce any one to touch at this isle, unless it can be done without going much out of the way; in which case, touching here may be advantageous, as the people willingly and readily part with such refreshments as they have, and at an easy rate. we certainly received great benefit from the little we got; but few ships can come here without being in want of water, and this want cannot be here supplied. the little we took on board, could not be made use of, it being only salt water which had filtered through a stony beach into a stone well; this the natives had made for the purpose, a little to the southward of the sandy beach so often mentioned, and the water ebbed and flowed into it with the tide. the inhabitants of this island do not seem to exceed six or seven hundred souls, and above two-thirds of those we saw were males. they either have but few females amongst them, or else many were restrained from making their appearance during our stay, for though we saw nothing to induce us to believe the men were of a jealous disposition, or the women afraid to appear in public, something of this kind was probably the case. in colour, features, and language, they bear such an affinity to the people of the more western isles, that no one will doubt they have had the same origin. it is extraordinary that the same nation should have spread themselves over all the isles in this vast ocean, from new zealand to this island, which is almost one-fourth part of the circumference of the globe. many of them have now no other knowledge of each other, than what is preserved by antiquated tradition; and they have, by length of time, become, as it were, different nations, each having adopted some peculiar custom or habit, &c. nevertheless, a careful observer will soon see the affinity each has to the other. in general, the people of this isle are a slender race. i did not see a man that would measure six feet; so far are they from being giants, as one of the authors of roggewein's voyage asserts. they are brisk and active, have good features, and not disagreeable countenances; are friendly and hospitable to strangers, but as much addicted to pilfering as any of their neighbours. _tattowing_, or puncturing the skin, is much used here. the men are marked from head to foot, with figures all nearly alike; only some give them one direction, and some another, as fancy leads. the women are but little punctured; red and white paint is an ornament with _them_, as also with the men; the former is made of turmeric, but what composes the latter i know not. their clothing is a piece or two of quilted cloth, about six feet by four, or a mat. one piece wrapped round their loins, and another over their shoulders, make a complete dress. but the men, for the most part, are in a manner naked, wearing nothing but a slip of cloth betwixt their legs, each end of which is fastened to a cord or belt they wear round the waist. their cloth is made of the same materials as at otaheite, viz. of the bark of the cloth-plant; but, as they have but little of it, our otaheitean cloth, or indeed any sort of it, came here to a good market. their hair in general is black; the women wear it long, and sometimes tied up on the crown of the head; but the men wear it, and their beards, cropped short. their headdress is a round fillet adorned with feathers, and a straw bonnet something like a scotch one; the former, i believe, being chiefly worn by the men, and the latter by the women. both men and women have very large holes, or rather slits, in their ears, extending to near three inches in length. they sometimes turn this slit over the upper part, and then the ear looks as if the flap was cut off. the chief ear-ornaments are the white down of feathers, and rings, which they wear in the inside of the hole, made of some elastic substance, rolled up like a watch-spring. i judged this was to keep the hole at its utmost extension. i do not remember seeing them wear any other ornaments, excepting amulets made of bone or shells. as harmless and friendly as these people seemed to be, they are not without offensive weapons, such as short wooden clubs and spears; the latter of which are crooked sticks about six feet long, armed at one end with pieces of flint. they have also a weapon made of wood, like the _patoo patoo_ of new zealand. their houses are low miserable huts, constructed by setting sticks upright in the ground, at six or eight feet distance, then bending them towards each other, and tying them together at the top, forming thereby a kind of gothic arch. the longest sticks are placed in the middle, and shorter ones each way, and a less distance asunder, by which means the building is highest and broadest in the middle, and lower and narrower towards each end. to these are tied others horizontally, and the whole is thatched over with leaves of sugar-cane. the door-way is in the middle of one side, formed like a porch, and so low and narrow, as just to admit a man to enter upon all fours. the largest house i saw was about sixty feet long, eight or nine feet high in the middle, and three or four at each end; its breadth, at these parts, was nearly equal to its height. some have a kind of vaulted houses built with stone, and partly under ground; but i never was in one of these. i saw no household utensils among them, except gourds, and of these but very few. they were extravagantly fond of cocoa-nut shells, more so than of any thing we could give them. they dress their victuals in the same manner as at otaheite; that is, with hot stones in an oven or hole in the ground. the straw or tops of sugar-cane, plantain heads, &c. serve them for fuel to heat the stones. plantains, which require but little dressing, they roast under fires of straw, dried grass, &c. and whole races of them are ripened or roasted in this manner. we frequently saw ten or a dozen, or more, such fires in one place, and most commonly in the mornings and evenings. not more than three or four canoes were seen on the whole island, and these very mean, and built of many pieces sewed together with small line. they are about eighteen or twenty feet long, head and stem carved or raised a little, are very narrow, and fitted with out-riggers. they do not seem capable of carrying above four persons, and are by no means fit for any distant navigation. as small and mean as these canoes were, it was a matter of wonder to us, where they got the wood to build them with; for in one of them was a board six or eight feet long, fourteen inches broad at one end, and eight at the other; whereas we did not see a stick on the island that would have made a board half this size, nor, indeed, was there another piece in the whole canoe half so big. there are two ways by which it is possible they may have got this large wood; it might have been left here by the spaniards, or it might have been driven on the shore of the island from some distant land. it is even possible that there may be some land in the neighbourhood, from whence they might have got it. we, however, saw no signs of any, nor could we get the least information on this head from the natives, although we tried every method we could think of to obtain it. we were almost as unfortunate in our enquiries for the proper or native name of the island; for, on comparing notes, i found we had got three different names for it, viz. tamareki, whyhu, and teapy. without pretending to say which, or whether any of them is right, i shall only observe, that the last was obtained by oedidee, who understood their language much better than any of us, though even he understood it but very imperfectly. it appears by the account of roggewein's voyage, that these people had no better vessels than when he first visited them. the want of materials, and not of genius, seems to be the reason why they have made no improvement in this art. some pieces of carving were found amongst them, both well designed and executed. their plantations are prettily laid out by line, but not inclosed by any fence; indeed they have nothing for this purpose but stones. i have no doubt that all these plantations are private property, and that there are here, as at otaheite, chiefs (which they call _areekes_) to whom these plantations belong. but of the power or authority of these chiefs, or of the government of these people, i confess myself quite ignorant. nor are we better acquainted with their religion. the gigantic statues, so often mentioned, are not, in my opinion, looked upon as idols by the present inhabitants, whatever they might have been in the days of the dutch; at least i saw nothing that could induce me to think so. on the contrary, i rather suppose that they are burying-places for certain tribes or families. i, as well as some others, saw a human skeleton lying in one of the platforms, just covered with stones. some of these platforms of masonry are thirty or forty feet long, twelve or sixteen broad, and from three to twelve in height; which last in some measure depends on the nature of the ground; for they are generally at the brink of the bank facing the sea, so that this face may be ten or twelve feet or more high, and the other may not be above three or four. they are built, or rather faced, with hewn stones, of a very large size; and the workmanship is not inferior to the best plain piece of masonry we have in england. they use no sort of cement, yet the joints are exceedingly close, and the stones morticed and tenanted one into another, in a very artful manner. the side-walls are not perpendicular, but inclining a little inwards, in the same manner that breast-works, &c. are built in europe; yet had not all this care, pains, and sagacity, been able to preserve these curious structures from the ravages of all-devouring time. the statues, or at least many of them, are erected on these platforms, which serve as foundations. they are, as near as we could judge, about half length, ending in a sort of stump at the bottom, on which they stand. the workmanship is rude, but not bad; nor are the features of the face ill formed, the nose and chin in particular; but the ears are long beyond proportion; and, as to the bodies, there is hardly any thing like a human figure about them. i had an opportunity of examining only two or three of these statues, which are near the landing-place; and they were of a grey stone, seemingly of the same sort as that with which the platforms were built. but some of the gentlemen, who travelled over the island, and examined many of them, were of opinion that the stone of which they were made, was different from any they saw on the island, and had much the appearance of being factitious. we could hardly conceive how these islanders, wholly unacquainted with any mechanical power, could raise such stupendous figures, and afterwards place the large cylindric stones before mentioned upon their heads. the only method i can conceive, is by raising the upper end by little and little, supporting it by stones as it is raised, and building about it till they got it erect; thus a sort of mount or scaffolding would be made, upon which they might roll the cylinder, and place it upon the head of the statue, and then the stones might be removed from about it. but if the stones are factitious, the statues might have been put together on the place, in their present position, and the cylinder put on by building a mount round them, as above mentioned. but, let them have been made and set up by this or any other method, they must have been a work of immense time, and sufficiently shew the ingenuity and perseverance of these islanders in the age in which they were built; for the present inhabitants have most certainly had no hand in them, as they do not even repair the foundations of those which are going to decay. they give different names to them, such as gotomoara, marapate, kanaro, goway-too-goo, matta matta, &c. &c. to which they sometimes prefix the word moi, and sometimes annex areeke. the latter signifies chief, and the former burying, or sleeping-place, as well as we could understand. besides the monuments of antiquity, which were pretty numerous, and no where but on or near the sea-coast, there were many little heaps of stones, piled up in different places along the coast. two or three of the uppermost stones in each pile were generally white, perhaps always so, when the pile is complete. it will hardly be doubted that these piles of stone had a meaning; probably they might mark the place where people had been buried, and serve instead of the large statues. the working-tools of these people are but very mean, and, like those of all the other islanders we have visited in this ocean, made of stone, bone, shells, &c. they set but little value on iron or iron tools, which is the more extraordinary, as they know their use; but the reason may be, their having but little occasion for them. chapter ix. _the passage from easter island to the marquesas islands. transactions and incidents which happened while the ship lay in madre de dios, or resolution bay, in the island of st christina._ march after leaving easter island, i steered n.w. by n. and n.n.w., with a fine easterly gale, intending to touch at the marquesas, if i met with nothing before i got there. we had not been long at sea, before the bilious disorder made another attack upon me, but not so violent as the former. i believe this second visit was owing to exposing and fatiguing myself too much at easter island. on the d, being in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., steered n.w. since leaving easter island, the variation had not been more than ° ', nor less than ° ' e.; but on the th, at six a.m., in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w., it was no more than ° ' e.; after which it began to increase. on the th, being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., altered the course to w.n.w., and the next day to west, being then in latitude ° ', which i judged to be the parallel of marquesas; where, as i have before observed, i intended to touch, in order to settle their situation, which i find different in different charts. having now a steady settled trade-wind, and pleasant weather, i ordered the forge to be set up, to repair and make various necessary articles in the iron way; and the caulkers had already been some time at work caulking the decks, weather- works, &c. april as we advanced to the west, we found the variation to increase but slowly; for, on the d of april, it was only ° ' e., being then in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ', by observation made at the same time. i continued to steer to the west till the th, at four in the afternoon, at which time, being in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° ' w., we discovered an island, bearing west by south, distant about nine leagues. two hours after we saw another, bearing s.w. by s., which appeared more extensive than the former. i hauled up for this island, and ran under an easy sail all night, having squally unsettled rainy weather, which is not very uncommon in this sea, when near high land. at six o'clock the next morning, the first island bore n.w., the second s.w. / w., and a third w. i gave orders to steer for the separation between the two last; and soon after, a fourth was seen, still more to the west. by this time, we were well assured that these were the marquesas, discovered by mendana in . the first isle was a new discovery, which i named hood's island, after the young gentleman who first saw it, the second was that of saint pedro, the third la dominica, and the fourth st christina. we ranged the s.e..coast of la dominica, without seeing the least signs of anchorage, till we came to the channel that divides it from st christina, through which we passed, hauled over for the last-mentioned island, and ran along the coast to the s.w. in search of mendana's port. we passed several coves in which there seemed to be anchorage; but a great surf broke on all the shores. some canoes put off from these places, and followed us down the coast. at length, having come before the port we were in search of, we attempted to turn into it, the wind being right out; but as it blew in violent squalls from this high land, one of these took us just after we had put in stays, payed the ship off again, and before she wore round, she was within a few yards of being driven against the rocks to leeward. this obliged us to stand out to sea, and to make a stretch to windward; after which we stood in again, and without attempting to turn, anchored in the entrance of the bay in thirty-four fathoms water, a fine sandy bottom. this was no sooner done, than about thirty or forty of the natives came off to us in ten or twelve canoes; but it required some address to get them alongside. at last a hatchet, and some spike-nails, induced the people in one canoe to come under the quarter-gallery; after which, all the others put alongside, and having exchanged some breadfruit and fish for small nails, &c. retired ashore, the sun being already set. we observed a heap of stones on the bow of each canoe, and every man to have a sling tied round his hand. very early next morning, the natives visited us again in much greater numbers than before; bringing with them bread-fruit, plantains, and one pig, all of which they exchanged for nails, &c. but in this traffic they would frequently keep our goods, and make no return, till at last i was obliged to fire a musket-ball over one man who had several times served us in this manner; after which they dealt more fairly; and soon after several of them came on board. at this time we were preparing to warp farther into the bay, and i was going in a boat, to look for the most convenient place to moor the ship in. observing too many of the natives on board, i said to the officers, "you must look well after these people, or they will certainly carry off something or other." i had hardly got into the boat, before i was told they had stolen one of the iron stanchions from the opposite gang-way, and were making off with it. i ordered them to fire over the canoe till i could get round in the boat, but not to kill any one. but the natives made too much noise for me to be heard, and the unhappy thief was killed at the third shot. two others in the same canoe leaped overboard, but got in again just as i came to them. the stanchion they had thrown over board. one of them, a man grown, sat bailing the blood and water out of the canoe, in a kind of hysteric laugh; the other, a youth about fourteen or fifteen years of age, looked on the deceased with a serious and dejected countenance; we had afterwards reason to believe he was his son. at this unhappy accident, all the natives retired with precipitation. i followed them into the bay, and prevailed upon the people in one canoe to come alongside the boat, and receive some nails, and other things, which i gave them; this in some measure allayed their fears. having taken a view of the bay, and found that fresh water, which we most wanted, was to be had, i returned on board, and carried out a kedge-anchor with three hawsers upon an end, to warp the ship in by, and hove short on the bower. one would have thought that the natives, by this time, would have been so sensible of the effect of our fire-arms, as not to have provoked us to fire upon them any more, but the event proved otherwise; for the boat had no sooner left the kedge-anchor, than two men in a canoe put off from the shore, took hold of the buoy rope, and attempted to drag it ashore, little considering what was fast to it. lest, after discovering their mistake, they should take away the buoy, i ordered a musket to be fired at them; the ball fell short, and they took not the least notice of it; but a second having passed over them, they let go the buoy, and made for the shore. this was the last shot we had occasion to fire at any of them, while we lay at this place. it probably had more effect than killing the man, by shewing them that they were not safe at any distance; at least we had reason to think so, for they afterwards stood in great dread of the musket. nevertheless, they would very often be exercising their talent of thieving upon us, which i thought proper to put up with, as our stay was not likely to be long amongst them. the trouble these people gave us retarded us so long, that, before we were ready to heave the anchor, the wind began to increase, and blew in squalls out of the bay, so that we were obliged to lie fast. it was not long before the natives ventured off to us again. in the first canoe which came, was a man who seemed to be of some consequence; he advanced slowly, with a pig on his shoulder, and speaking something which we did not understand. as soon as he got alongside, i made him a present of a hatchet and several other articles: in return, he sent in his pig; and was at last prevailed upon to come himself up to the gang-way, where he made but a short stay. the reception this man met with, induced the people in all the other canoes to put alongside; and exchanges were presently reestablished. matters being thus settled on board, i went on shore with a party of men, to see what was to be done there. we were received by the natives with great courtesy; and, as if nothing had happened, trafficked with them for some fruit and a few small pigs; and after loading the launch with water, returned aboard. after dinner i sent the boats ashore for water, under the protection of a guard; on their landing, the natives all fled but one man, and he seemed much frightened; afterwards one or two more came down, and these were all that were seen this afternoon. we could not conceive the reason of this sudden fright. early in the morning of the th, the boats were sent as usual for water; and just as they were coming off, but not before, some of the natives made their appearance. after breakfast i landed some little time before the guard, when the natives crowded round me in great numbers; but as soon as the guard landed, i had enough to do to keep them from running off: at length their fears vanished, and a trade was opened for fruit and pigs. i believe the reason of the natives flying from our people the day before, was their not seeing me at the head of them; for they certainly would have done the same to-day, had i not been present. about noon, a chief of some consequence, attended by a great number of people, came down to the landing-place. i presented him with such articles as i had with me, and, in return, he gave me some of his ornaments. after these mutual exchanges, a good understanding seemed to be established between us; so that we got by exchanges as much fruit as loaded two boats, with which we returned on board to dinner; but could not prevail on the chief to accompany us. in the afternoon, the watering and trading parties were sent on shore, though the latter got but little, as most of the natives had retired into the country. a party of us went to the other, or southern cove of the bay, where i procured five pigs, and came to the house which, we were told, did belong to the man we had killed. he must have been a person of some note, as there were six pigs in and about his house, which we were told belonged to his son, who fled on our approach. i wanted much to have seen him, to make him a present, and, by other kind treatment, to convince him and the others that it was not from any bad design against the nation, that we had killed his father. it would have been to little purpose if i had left any thing in the house, as it certainly would have been taken by others; especially as i could not sufficiently explain to them my meaning. strict honesty was seldom observed when the property of our things came to be disputed. i saw a striking instance of this in the morning, when i was going ashore. a man in a canoe offered me a small pig for a six-inch spike, and another man being employed to convey it, i gave him the spike, which he kept for himself, and instead of it, gave to the man who owned the pig a sixpenny nail. words of course arose, and i waited to see how it would end; but as the man who had possession of the spike seemed resolved to keep it, i left them before it was decided. in the evening we returned on board with what refreshments we had collected, and thought we had made a good day's work. on the th, early in the morning, some people from more distant parts came in canoes alongside, and sold us some pigs; so that we had now sufficient to give the crew a fresh meal. they were, in general, so small, that forty or fifty were hardly sufficient for this purpose. the trade on shore for fruit was as brisk as ever. after dinner, i made a little expedition in my boat along the coast to the south-ward, accompanied by some of the gentlemen: at the different places we touched at, we collected eighteen pigs; and i believe, might have got more. the people were exceedingly obliging wherever we landed, and readily brought down whatever we desired. next morning i went down to the same place where we had been the preceding evening; but instead of getting pigs, as i expected, found the scene quite changed. the nails and other things they were mad after but the evening before, they now despised, and instead of them wanted they did not know what; so that i was obliged to return, with three or four little pigs, which cost more than a dozen did the day before. when i got on board, i found the same change had happened there, as also at the trading place on shore. the reason was, several of the young gentlemen having landed the preceding day, had given away in exchange various articles which the people had not seen before, and which took with them more than nails or more useful iron tools. but what ruined our market the most, was one of them giving for a pig a very large quantity of red feathers he had got at amsterdam. none of us knew at this time, that this article was in such estimation here; and, if i had known it, i could not have supported the trade, in the manner it was begun, one day. thus was our fine prospect of getting a plentiful supply of refreshments from these people frustrated; which will ever be the case so long as every one is allowed to make exchanges for what he pleases, and in what manner be pleases. when i found this island was not likely to supply us, on any conditions, with sufficient refreshments, such as we might expect to find at the society isles, nor very convenient for taking in wood and water, nor for giving the ship the necessary repairs she wanted, i resolved forthwith to leave it, and proceed to some other place, where our wants might be effectually relieved. for after having been nineteen weeks at sea, and living all the time upon salt diet, we could not but want some refreshments; although i must own, and that with pleasure, that on our arrival here, it could hardly be said we had one sick man; and but a few who had the least complaint. this was undoubtedly owing to the many antiscorbutic articles we had on board, and to the great attention of the surgeon, who was remarkably careful to apply them in time. chapter x. _departure from the marquesas; a description of the situation, extent, figure, and appearance of the several islands; with some account of the inhabitants, their customs, dress, habitations, food, weapons, and canoes._ april at three o'clock in the afternoon, we weighed, and stood over from st christina for la dominica, in order to take a view of the west side of that isle; but as it was dark before we reached it, the night was spent in plying between the two isles. the next morning we had a full view of the s.w. point, from which the coast trended n.e.; so that it was not probable we should find good anchorage on that side, as being exposed to the easterly winds. we had now but little wind, and that very variable, with showers of rain. at length we got a breeze at e.n.e. with which we steered to the south. at five o'clock p.m., resolution bay bore e.n.e. / e. distant five leagues, and the island magdalena s.e., about nine leagues distant. this was the only sight we had of this isle. from hence i steered s.s.w. / w. for otaheite, with a view of falling in with some of those isles discovered by former navigators, especially those discovered by the dutch, whose situations are not well determined. but it will be necessary to return to the marquesas; which were, as i have already observed, first discovered by mendana, a spaniard, and from him obtained the general name they now bear, as well as those of the different isles. the nautical account of them, in vol. i. p. , of dalrymple's collection of voyages to the south seas, is deficient in nothing but situation. this was my chief reason for touching, at them; the settling this point is the more useful, as it will in a great measure fix the situations of mendana's other discoveries. the marquesas are five in number, viz. la magdalena, st pedro, la dominica, santa christina, and hood's island, which is the northernmost, situated in latitude ° ' s., and n. ° w., five leagues and a half distant from the east point of la dominica, which is the largest of all the isles, extending east and west six leagues. it hath an unequal breadth, and is about fifteen or sixteen leagues in circuit. it is full of rugged hills, rising in ridges directly from the sea; these ridges are disjoined by deep vallies which are clothed with wood, as are the sides of some of the hills; the aspect, however, is barren; but it is, nevertheless, inhabited. latitude ° ' " s. st pedro, which is about three leagues in circuit, and of a good height, lies south, four leagues and a half from the east end of la dominica; we know not if it be inhabited. nature has not been very bountiful to it. st christina lies under the same parallel, three or four leagues more to the west. this island stretches north and south, is nine miles long in that direction, and about seven leagues in circuit. a narrow ridge of hills of considerable height extends the whole length of the island. there are other ridges, which, rising from the sea, and with an equal ascent, join the main ridge. these are disjoined by deep narrow vallies, which are fertile, adorned with fruit and other trees, and watered by fine streams of excellent water. la magdalena we only saw at a distance. its situation must be nearly in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° '. so that these isles occupy one degree in latitude, and near half a degree in longitude, viz. from ° ' to ° ' w., which is the longitude of the west end of la dominica. the port of madre de dios, which i named resolution bay, is situated near the middle of the west side of st christina, and under the highest land in the island, in latitude ° ' ", longitude ° ' " w.; and north ' w. from the west end of la dominica. the south point of the bay is a steep rock of considerable height, terminating at the top in a peaked hill, above which you will see a path-way leading up a narrow ridge to the summits of the hills. the north point is not so high, and rises with a more gentle slope. they are a mile from each other, in the direction of n. by e. and s. by w. in the bay, which is near three quarters of a mile deep, and has from thirty-four to twelve fathoms water, with a clean sandy bottom, are two sandy coves, divided from each other by a rocky point. in each is a rivulet of excellent water. the northern cove is the most commodious for wooding and watering. here is the little water-fall mentioned by quiros, mendana's pilot; but the town, or village, is in the other cove. there are several other coves, or bays, on this side of the island, and some of them, especially to the northward, may be mistaken for this; therefore, the best direction is the bearing of the west end of la dominica. the trees, plants, and other productions of these isles, so far as we know, are nearly the same as at otaheite and the society isles. the refreshments to be got are hogs, fowls, plantains, yams, and some other roots; likewise bread-fruit and cocoa-nuts, but of these not many. at first these articles were purchased with nails. beads, looking-glasses, and such trifles, which are so highly valued at the society isles, are in no esteem here; and even nails at last lost their value for other articles far less useful. the inhabitants of these islands collectively, are, without exception, the finest race of people in this sea. for fine shape and regular features, they perhaps surpass all other nations. nevertheless, the affinity of their language to that spoken in otaheite and the society isles, shews that they are of the same nation. oedidee could converse with them tolerably well, though we could not; but it was easy to see that their language was nearly the same. the men are punctured, or curiously _tattowed_, from head to foot. the figures are various, and seem to be directed more by fancy than custom. these puncturations make them look dark: but the women, who are but little punctured, youths and young children, who are not at all, are as fair as some europeans. the men are in general tall, that is, about five feet ten inches, or six feet; but i saw none that were fat and lusty like the _earees_ of otaheite; nor did i see any that could be called meagre. their teeth are not so good, nor are their eyes so full and lively as those of many other nations. their hair, like ours, is of many colours, except red, of which i saw none. some have it long, but the most general custom is to wear it short, except a bunch on each side of the crown, which they tie in a knot. they observe different modes in trimming the beard, which is in general long. some part it, and tie it in two bunches under the chin, others plait it, some wear it loose, and others quite short. their clothing is the same as at otaheite, and made of the same materials; but they have it not in such plenty, nor is it so good. the men, for the most part, have nothing to cover their nakedness, except the _marra_, as it is called at otaheite; which is a slip of cloth passed round the waist and betwixt the legs; this simple dress is quite sufficient for the climate, and answers every purpose modesty requires. the dress of the women is a piece of cloth wrapped round the loins like a petticoat, which reaches down below the middle of the leg, and a loose mantle over their shoulders. their principal head-dress, and what appears to be their chief ornament, is a sort of broad fillet, curiously made of the fibres of the husk of cocoa- nuts. in the front is fixed a mother-o'-pearl shell wrought round to the size of a tea saucer. before that is another smaller one, of very fine tortoise-shell, perforated into curious figures. also before, and in the centre of that, is another round piece of mother-o'-pearl, about the size of half-a-crown; and before this another piece of perforated tortoise- shell, about the size of a shilling. besides this decoration in front, some have it also on each side, but in smaller pieces; and all have fixed to them, the tail feathers of cocks, or tropic birds, which, when the fillet is tied on, stand upright; so that the whole together makes a very sightly ornament. they wear round the neck a kind of ruff or necklace, call it which you please, made of light wood, the out and upper side covered with small red pease, which are fixed on with gum. they also wear small bunches of human hair, fastened to a string, and tied round the legs and arms. sometimes, instead of hair, they make use of short feathers; but all the above-mentioned ornaments are seldom seen on the same person. i saw only the chief, who came to visit us, completely dressed in this manner. their ordinary ornaments are necklaces and amulets made of shells, &c. i did not see any with ear-rings; and yet all of them had their ears pierced. their dwellings are in the vallies, and on the sides of the hills, near their plantations. they are built after the same manner as at otaheite; but are much meaner, and only covered with the leaves of the bread-tree. the most of them are built on a square or oblong pavement of stone, raised some height above the level of the ground. they likewise have such pavements near their houses, on which they sit to eat and amuse themselves. in the article of eating, these people are by no means so cleanly as the otaheiteans. they are likewise dirty in their cookery. pork and fowls are dressed in an oven of hot stones, as at otaheite; but fruit and roots they roast on the fire, and after taking off the rind or skin, put them into a platter or trough, with water, out of which i have seen both men and hogs eat at the same time. i once saw them make a batter of fruit and roots diluted with water, in a vessel that was loaded with dirt, and out of which the hogs had been but that moment eating, without giving it the least washing, or even washing their hands, which were equally dirty; and when i expressed a dislike, was laughed at. i know not if all are so. the actions of a few individuals are not sufficient to fix a custom on a whole nation. nor can i say if it is the custom for men and women to have separate messes. i saw nothing to the contrary: indeed i saw but few women upon the whole. they seemed to have dwellings, or strong-holds, on the summits of the highest hills. these we only saw by the help of our glasses; for i did not permit any of our people to go there, as we were not sufficiently acquainted with the disposition of the natives, which (i believe) is humane and pacific. their weapons are clubs and spears, resembling those of otaheite, but somewhat neater. they have also slings, with which they throw stones with great velocity, and to a great distance, but not with a good aim. their canoes are made of wood, and pieces of the bark of a soft tree, which grows near the sea in great plenty, and is very tough and proper for the purpose. they are from sixteen to twenty feet long, and about fifteen inches broad; the head and stern are made of two solid pieces of wood; the stern rises or curves a little, but in an irregular direction, and ends in a point; the head projects out horizontally, and is carved into some faint and very rude resemblance of a human face. they are rowed by paddles, and some have a sort of lateen sail, made of matting. hogs were the only quadrupeds we saw; and cocks and hens the only tame fowls. however, the woods seemed to abound with small birds of a very beautiful plumage, and fine notes; but the fear of alarming the natives hindered us from shooting so many of them as might otherwise have been done. chapter xi. _a description of several islands discovered, or seen in the passage from the marquesas to otaheite; with an account of a naval review._ april with a fine easterly wind i steered s.w.--s.w. by w. and w. by s. till the th, at ten o'clock in the morning, when land was seen bearing w. / n., which, upon a nearer approach, we found to be a string of low islets connected together by a reef of coral rocks. we ranged the northwest coast, at the distance of one mile from shore, to three quarters of its length, which in the whole is near four leagues, when we came to a creek or inlet that seemed to open a communication into the lake in the middle of the isle. as i wanted to obtain some knowledge of the produce of these half- drowned isles, we brought-to, hoisted out a boat, and sent the master in to sound; there being no soundings without. as we ran along the coast, the natives appeared in several places armed with long spears and clubs; and some were got together on one side of the creek. when the master returned he reported that there was no passage into the lake by the creek, which was fifty fathoms wide at the entrance, and thirty deep; farther in, thirty wide, and twelve deep; that the bottom was every where rocky, and the sides bounded by a wall of coral rocks. we were under no necessity to put the ship into such a place as this; but as the natives had shewn some signs of a friendly disposition, by coming peaceably to the boat, and taking such things as were given them, i sent two boats well armed ashore, under the command of lieutenant cooper, with a view of having some intercourse with them, and to give mr forster an opportunity of collecting something in his way. we saw our people land without the least opposition being made by a few natives who were on the shores. some little time after, observing forty or fifty more, all armed, coming to join them, we stood close in shore, in order to be ready to support our people in case of an attack. but nothing of this kind happened; and soon after our boats returned aboard, when mr cooper informed me, that, on his landing, only a few of the natives met him on the beach, but there were many in the skirts of the woods with spears in their hands. the presents he made them were received with great coolness, which plainly shewed we were unwelcome visitors. when their reinforcement arrived he thought proper to embark, as the day was already far spent, and i had given orders to avoid an attack by all possible means. when his men got into the boats, some were for pushing them off, others for detaining them; but at last they suffered them to depart at their leisure. they brought aboard five dogs, which seemed to be in plenty there. they saw no fruit but cocoa-nuts, of which, they got, by exchanges, two dozen. one of our people got a dog for a single plantain, which led us to conjecture they had none of this fruit. this island, which is called by the inhabitants ti-oo-kea, was discovered and visited by commodore byron. it has something of an oval shape, is about ten leagues in circuit, lying in the direction of e.s.e. and w.n.w., and situated in the latitude of ° ' " s., longitude ° ' w. the inhabitants of this island, and perhaps of all the low ones, are of a much darker colour than those of the higher islands, and seem to be of a more ferine disposition. this may be owing to their situation. nature not having bestowed her favours to these low islands with that profusion she has done to some of the others, the inhabitants are chiefly beholden to the sea for their subsistence, consequently are much exposed to the sun and weather; and by that means become more dark in colour, and more hardy and robust; for there is no doubt of their being of the same nation. our people observed that they were stout, well-made men, and had the figure of a fish marked on their bodies; a very good emblem of their profession. on the th, at day-break, after having spent the night snaking short boards, we wore down to another isle we had in sight to the westward, which we reached by eight o'clock, and ranged the s.e. side at one mile from shore. we found it to be just such another as that we had left, extending n.e. and s.w. near four leagues, and from five to three miles broad. it lies s.w. by w., two leagues distant from the west end of ti-oo-kea; and the middle is situated in the latitude of ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. these must be the same islands to which commodore byron gave the name of george's islands. their situation in longitude, which was determined by lunar observations made near the shores, and still farther corrected by the difference of longitude carried by the watch to otaheite, is ° ' more east than he says they lie. this correction, i apprehend, may be applied to all the islands he discovered. after leaving these isles, we steered s.s.w. / w., and s.w. by s., with a fine easterly gale, having signs of the vicinity of land, particularly a smooth sea; and on the th, at seven in the morning, land was seen to the westward, which we bore down to, and reached the s.e. end by nine o'clock. it proved to be another of these half-over-flowed or drowned islands, which are so common in this part of the ocean; that is, a number of little isles ranged in a circular form, connected together by a reef or wall of coral rock. the sea is in general, every-where, on their outside, unfathomable; all their interior parts are covered with water, abounding, i have been told, with fish and turtle, on which the inhabitants subsist, and sometimes exchange the latter with the high islanders for cloth, &c. these inland seas would be excellent harbours, were they not shut up from the access of shipping, which is the case with most of them, if we can believe the report of the inhabitants of the other isles. indeed, few of them have been well searched by europeans; the little prospect of meeting with fresh water having generally discouraged every attempt of this kind. i, who have seen a great many, have not yet seen an inlet into one. this island is situated in the latitude of ° ', longitude ° '. it is five leagues long in the direction of n.n.e. and s.s.w. and about three leagues broad. as we drew near the south end, we saw from the mast-head, another of these low isles bearing s.e., distant about four or five leagues, but being to windward we could not fetch it. soon after a third appeared, bearing s.w. by s., for which we steered; and at two o'clock p.m. reached the east end, which is situated in latitude ° ' s., longitude ° ' w. this island extends w.n.w. and e.s.e., and is seven leagues long in that direction; but its breadth is not above two. it is, in all respects, like the rest; only here are fewer islets, and less firm land on the reef which incloses the lake. as we ranged the north coast, at the distance of half a mile, we saw people, huts, canoes, and places built, seemingly for drying of fish. they seemed to be the same sort of people as on ti-oo-kea, and were armed with long spikes like them. drawing near the west end, we discovered another or fourth island, bearing n.n.e. it seemed to be low, like the others, and lies west from the first isle, distant six leagues. these four isles i called palliser's isles, in honour of my worthy friend sir hugh palliser, at this time comptroller of the navy. not chusing to run farther in the dark, we spent the night making short boards under the top-sail; and on the th, at day-break, hauled round the west end of the third isle, which was no sooner done than we found a great swell rolling in from the south; a sure sign that we were clear of these low islands; and as we saw no more land, i steered s.w. / s. for otaheite, having the advantage of a stout gale at east, attended with showers of rain. it cannot be determined with any degree of certainty whether the group of isles we had lately seen, be any of those discovered by the dutch navigators, or no; the situation of their discoveries not being handed down to us with sufficient accuracy. it is, however, necessary to observe, that this part of the ocean, that is, from the latitude of ° down to ° or °, and from the meridian of ° to ° or ° w., is so strewed with these low isles, that a navigator cannot proceed with too much caution. we made the high land of otaheite on the st, and at noon were about thirteen leagues e. of point venus, for which we steered, and got pretty well in with it by sun set, when we shortened sail; and having spent the night, which was squally with rain, standing on and off, at eight o'clock the next morning anchored in matavai bay in seven fathoms water. this was no sooner known to the natives, than many of them made us a visit, and expressed not a little joy at seeing us again. as my chief reason for putting in at this place was to give mr wales an opportunity to know the error of the watch by the known longitude, and to determine anew her rate of going, the first thing we did was to land his instruments, and to erect tents for the reception of a guard and such other people as it was necessary to have on shore. sick we had none; the refreshments we had got at the marquesas had removed every complaint of that kind. on the d, showery weather. our very good friends the natives supplied us with fruit and fish sufficient for the whole crew. on the th, otoo the king, and several other chiefs, with a train of attendants, paid us a visit, and brought as presents ten or a dozen large hogs, besides fruits, which made them exceedingly welcome. i was advertised of the king's coming, and looked upon it as a good omen. knowing how much it was my interest to make this man my friend, i met him at the tents, and conducted him and his friends on board, in my boat, where they staid dinner; after which they were dismissed with suitable presents, and highly pleased with the reception they had met with. next day we had much thunder, lightning, and rain. this did not hinder the king from making me another visit, and a present of a large quantity of refreshments. it hath been already mentioned, that when we were at the island of amsterdam we had collected, amongst other curiosities, some red parrot feathers. when this was known here, all the principal people of both sexes endeavoured to ingratiate themselves into our favour by bringing us hogs, fruit, and every other thing the island afforded, in order to obtain these valuable jewels. our having these feathers was a fortunate circumstance, for as they were valuable to the natives, they became so to us; but more especially as my stock of trade was by this time greatly exhausted; so that, if it had not been for the feathers, i should have found it difficult to have supplied the ship with the necessary refreshments. when i put in at this island, i intended to stay no longer than till mr wales had made the necessary observations for the purposes already mentioned, thinking we should meet with no better success than we did the last time we were here. but the reception we had already met with, and the few excursions we had made, which did not exceed the plains of matavai and oparree, convinced us of our error. we found at these two places, built and building, a great number of large canoes, and houses of every kind; people living in spacious habitations who had not a place to shelter themselves in eight months before; several large hogs about every house; and every other sign of a rising state. judging from these favourable circumstances that we should not mend ourselves by removing to another island, i resolved to make a longer stay, and to begin with the repairs of the ship and stores, &c. accordingly i ordered the empty casks and sails to be got ashore to be repaired; the ship to be caulked, and the rigging to be overhauled; all of which the high southern latitudes had made indispensably necessary. in the morning of the th, i went down to oparree, accompanied by some of the officers and gentlemen, to pay otoo a visit by appointment. as we drew near, we observed a number of large canoes in motion; but we were surprised, when we arrived, to see upwards of three hundred ranged in order, for some distance, along the shore, all completely equipped and manned, besides a vast number of armed men upon the shore. so unexpected an armament collected together in our neighbourhood, in the space of one night, gave rise to various conjectures. we landed, however, in the midst of them, and were received by a vast multitude, many of them under arms, and many not. the cry of the latter was _tiyo no otoo_, and that of the former _tiyo no towha_. this chief, we afterwards learnt, was admiral or commander of the fleet and troops present. the moment we landed i was met by a chief whose name was tee, uncle to the king, and one of his prime ministers, of whom i enquired for otoo. presently after we were met by towha, who received me with great courtesy. he took me by the one hand, and tee by the other; and, without my knowing where they intended to carry me, dragged me, as it were, through the crowd that was divided into two parties, both of which professed themselves my friends, by crying out _tiyo no tootee_. one party wanted me to go to otoo, and the other to remain with towha. coming to the visual place of audience, a mat was spread for me to sit down upon, and tee left me to go and bring the king. towha was unwilling i should sit down, partly insisting on my going with him; but, as i knew nothing of this chief, i refused to comply. presently tee returned, and wanted to conduct me to the king, taking hold of my hand for that purpose. this towha opposed; so that, between the one party and the other, i was like to have been torn in pieces; and was obliged to desire tee to desist, and to leave me to the admiral and his party, who conducted me down to the fleet. as soon as we came before the admiral's vessel, we found two lines of armed men drawn up before her, to keep off the crowd, as i supposed, and to clear the way for me to go in. but, as i was determined not to go, i made the water, which was between me and her, an excuse. this did not answer; for a man immediately squatted himself down at my feet, offering to carry me; and then i declared i would not go. that very moment towha quitted me, without my seeing which way he went, nor would any one inform me. turning myself round i saw tee, who, i believe, had never lost sight of me. enquiring of him for the king, he told me he was gone into the country mataou, and advised me to go to my boat; which we accordingly did, as soon as we could get collected together; for mr edgcumbe was the only person that could keep with me, the others being jostled about in the crowd, in the same manner we had been. when we got into our boat, we took our time to view this grand fleet. the vessels of war consisted of an hundred and sixty large double canoes, very well equipped, manned, and armed. but i am not sure that they had their full complement of men or rowers; i rather think not. the chiefs, and all those on the fighting stages, were dressed in their war habits; that is, in a vast quantity of cloth, turbans, breast-plates, and helmets. some of the latter were of such a length as greatly to encumber the wearer. indeed, their whole dress seemed to be ill calculated for the day of battle, and to be designed more for shew than use. be this as it may, it certainly added grandeur to the prospect, as they were so complaisant as to shew themselves to the best advantage. the vessels were decorated with flags, streamers, &c.; so that the whole made a grand and noble appearance, such as we had never seen before in this sea, and what no one would have expected. their instruments of war were clubs, spears, and stones. the vessels were ranged close along-side of each other with their heads ashore, and their stern to the sea; the admiral's vessel being nearly in the centre. besides the vessels of war, there were an hundred and seventy sail of smaller double canoes, all with a little house upon them, and rigged with mast and sail, which the war canoes had not. these, we judged, were designed for transports, victuallers, &c.; for in the war-canoes was no sort of provisions whatever. in these three hundred and thirty vessels, i guessed there were no less than seven thousand seven hundred and sixty men; a number which appears incredible, especially as we were told they all belonged to the districts of attahourou and ahopatea. in this computation i allow to each war canoe forty men, troops and rowers, and to each of the small canoes eight. most of the gentlemen who were with me, thought the number of men belonging to the war canoes exceeded this. it is certain that the most of them were fitted to row with more paddles than i have allowed them men; but, at this time, i think they were not complete. tupia informed us, when i was first here, that the whole island raised only between six and seven thousand men; but we now saw two districts only raise that number; so that he must have taken his account from some old establishment; or else he only meant _tatatous_, that is warriors, or men trained from their infancy to arms, and did not include the rowers, and those necessary to navigate the other vessels. i should think he only spoke of this number as the standing troops or militia of the island, and not their whole force. this point i shall leave to be discussed in another place, and return to the subject. after we had well viewed this fleet, i wanted much to have seen the admiral, to have gone with him on board the war-canoes. we enquired for him as we rowed past the fleet to no purpose. we put ashore and enquired; but the noise and crowd was so great that no one attended to what we said. at last tee came and whispered us in the ear, that otoo was gone to matavai, advising us to return thither, and not to land where we were. we accordingly proceeded for the ship; and this intelligence and advice received from tee, gave rise to new conjectures. in short, we concluded that this towha was some powerful disaffected chief, who was upon the point of making war against his sovereign; for we could not imagine otoo had any other reason for leaving oparree in the manner he did. we had not been long gone from oparree, before the whole fleet was in motion to the westward, from whence it came. when we got to matavai, our friends there told us, that this fleet was part of the armament intended to go against eimea, whose chief had thrown off the yoke of otaheite, and assumed an independency. we were likewise informed that otoo neither was nor had been at matavai; so that we were still at a loss to know why he fled from oparree. this occasioned another trip thither in the afternoon, where we found him, and now understood that the reason of his not seeing me in the morning was, that some of his people having stolen a quantity of my clothes which were on shore washing, he was afraid i should demand restitution. he repeatedly asked me if i was not angry; and when i assured him that i was not, and that they might keep what they had got, he was satisfied. towha was alarmed, partly on the same account. he thought i was displeased when i refused to go aboard his vessel; and i was jealous of seeing such a force in our neighbourhood without being able to know any thing of its design. thus, by mistaking one another, i lost the opportunity of examining more narrowly into part of the naval force of this isle, and making myself better acquainted with its manoeuvres. such another opportunity may never occur; as it was commanded by a brave, sensible, and intelligent chief, who would have satisfied us in all the questions we had thought proper to ask; and as the objects were before us, we could not well have misunderstood each other. it happened unluckily that oedidee was not with us in the morning; for tee, who was the only man we could depend on, served only to perplex us. matters being thus cleared up, and mutual presents having passed between otoo and me, we took leave and returned on board. chapter xii. _some account of a visit from otoo, towha, and several other chiefs; also of a robbery committed by one of the natives, and its consequences, with general observations on the subject._ april in the morning of the th, i received a present from towha, consisting of two large hogs and some fruit, sent by two of his servants, who had orders not to receive any thing in return; nor would they when offered them. soon after i went down to oparree in my boat, where, having found both this chief and the king, after a short stay, i brought them on board to dinner, together with tarevatoo, the king's younger brother, and tee. as soon as we drew near the ship, the admiral, who had never seen one before, began to express much surprise at so new a sight. he was conducted all over the ship, every part of which he viewed with great attention. on this occasion otoo was the principal show-man; for, by this time, he was well acquainted with the different parts of the ship. after dinner towha put a hog on board, and retired, without my knowing any thing of the matter, or having made him any return either for this, or the present i had in the morning. soon after, the king and his attendants went away also. otoo not only seemed to pay this chief much respect, but was desirous i should do the same; and yet he was jealous of him, but on what account we knew not. it was but the day before that he frankly told us, towha was not his friend. both these chiefs when on board solicited me to assist them against tiarabou, notwithstanding a peace at this time subsisted between the two kingdoms, and we were told their joint force was to go against eimea. whether this was done with a view of breaking with their neighbours and allies if i had promised them assistance, or only to sound my disposition, i know not. probably they would have been ready enough to have embraced an opportunity, which would have enabled them to conquer that kingdom, and annex it to their own, as it formerly was. be this as it may, i heard no more of it; indeed, i gave them no encouragement. next day we had a present of a hog sent by waheatoua, king of tiarabou. for this, in return, he desired a few red feathers, which were, together with other things, sent him accordingly. mr forster and his party set out for the mountains, with an intent to stay out all night. i did not go out of the ship this day. early in the morning of the th, otoo, towha, and several other grandees, came on board, and brought with them as presents, not only provisions, but some of the most valuable curiosities of the island. i made them returns, with which they were well pleased. i likewise took this opportunity to repay the civilities i had received from towha. the night before, one of the natives attempting to steal a water-cask from the watering-place, was caught in the act, sent on board, and put in irons; in which situation otoo and the other chiefs saw him. having made known his crime to them, otoo begged he might be set at liberty. this i refused, telling him, that since i punished my people, when they committed the least offence against his, it was but just this man should be punished also; and as i knew he would not do it, i was resolved to do it myself. accordingly, i ordered the man to be carried on shore to the tents, and having followed myself, with otoo, towha, and others, i ordered the guard out, under arms, and the man to be tied up to a post. otoo, his sister, and some others, begged hard for him; towha said not one word, but was very attentive to every thing going forward. i expostulated with otoo on the conduct of this man, and of his people in general; telling him, that neither i, nor any of my people, took any thing from them, without first paying for it; enumerating the articles we gave in exchange for such and such things; and urging that it was wrong in them to steal from us, who were their friends. i moreover told him, that the punishing this man would be the means of saving the lives of others of his people, by deterring them from committing crimes of this nature, in which some would certainly be shot dead, one time or another. with these and other arguments, which i believe he pretty well understood, he seemed satisfied, and only desired the man might not be _matterou_ (or killed). i then ordered the crowd, which was very great, to be kept at a proper distance, and, in the presence of them all, ordered the fellow two dozen lashes with a cat-o'-nine-tails, which he bore with great firmness, and was then set at liberty. after this the natives were going away; but towha stepped forth, called them back, and harangued them for near half an hour. his speech consisted of short sentences, very little of which i understood; but, from what we could gather, he recapitulated part of what i had said to otoo; named several advantages they had received from us; condemned their present conduct, and recommended a different one for the future. the gracefulness of his action, and the attention with which he was heard, bespoke him a great orator. otoo said not one word. as soon as towha had ended his speech, i ordered the marines to go through their exercise, and to load and fire in vollies with ball; and as they were very quick in their manoeuvres, it is easier to conceive than to describe the amazement the natives were under the whole time, especially those who had not seen any thing of the kind before. this being over, the chiefs took leave, and retired with all their attendants, scarcely more pleased than frightened at what they had seen. in the evening mr forster and his party returned from the mountains, where he had spent the night; having found some new plants, and some others which grew in new zealand. he saw huaheine, which lies forty leagues to the westward; by which a judgment may be formed of the height of the mountains in otaheite. next morning i had an opportunity to see the people of ten war-canoes go through part of their paddling exercise. they had put off from the shore before i was apprised of it; so that i was only present at their landing. they were properly equipped for war, the warriors with their arms, and dressed in their war habits, &c. in landing, i observed that the moment the canoe touched the ground, all the rowers leaped out, and with the assistance of a few people on the shore, dragged the canoe on dry land to her proper place; which being done, every one walked off with his paddle, &c. all this was executed with such expedition, that in five minutes time after putting ashore, you could not tell that any thing of the kind had been going forward. i thought these vessels were thinly manned with rowers; the most being not above thirty, and the least sixteen or eighteen. i observed the warriors on the stage encouraged the rowers to exert themselves. some youths sat high up in the curved stern, above the steersmen, with white wands in their hands. i know not what they were placed there for, unless it was to look out and direct, or give notice of what they saw, as they were elevated above every one else. tarevatoo, the king's brother, gave me the first notice of these canoes being at sea; and knowing that mr hodges made drawings of every thing curious, desired of his own accord that he might be sent for. i being at this time on shore with tarevatoo, mr hodges was therefore with me, and had an opportunity to collect some materials for a large drawing or picture of the fleet assembled at oparree, which conveys a far better idea of it than can be expressed by words. being present when the warriors undressed, i was surprised at the quantity and weight of cloth they had upon them, not conceiving how it was possible for them to stand under it in time of battle. not a little was wrapped round their heads as a turban, and made into a cap. this, indeed, might be necessary in preventing a broken head. many had, fixed to one of this sort of caps, dried branches of small shrubs covered over with white feathers, which, however, could only be for ornament. may on the st of may, i had a very great supply of provisions sent and brought by different chiefs; and the next day received a present from towha, sent by his servants, consisting of a hog, and a boat-load of various sorts of fruits and roots. the like present i also had from otoo, brought by tarevatoo, who stayed dinner; after which i went down to opparree, paid a visit to otoo, and returned on board in the evening. on the d, in looking into the condition of our sea-provisions, we found that the biscuit was in a state of decay, and that the airing and picking we had given it at new zealand, had not been of that service we expected and intended; so that we were obliged to take it all on shore here, where it underwent another airing and cleaning, in which a good deal was found wholly rotten and unfit to be eaten. we could not well account for this decay in our bread, especially as it was packed in good casks, and stowed in a dry part of the hold. we judged it was owing to the ice we so frequently took in when to the southward, which made the hold damp and cold, and to the great heat which succeeded when to the north. be it this, or any other cause, the loss was the same to us; it put us to a scanty allowance of this article; and we had bad bread to eat too. on the th, nothing worthy of note. on the th, the king and several other great men, paid us a visit, and brought with them, as usual, some hogs and fruit. in the afternoon, the botanists set out for the mountains, and returned the following evening, having made some new discoveries in their way. on going ashore in the morning of the th, i found otoo at the tents, and took the opportunity to ask his leave to cut down some trees, for fuel. he not well understanding me, i took him to some growing near the sea-shore, where i presently made him comprehend what i wanted, and he as readily gave his consent. i told him, at the same time, that i should cut down no trees that bore any fruit. he was pleased with this declaration, and told it aloud, several times, to the people about us. in the afternoon, this chief and the whole of the royal family, viz. his father, brother, and three sisters, paid us a visit on board. this was properly his father's visit of ceremony. he brought me, as a present, a complete mourning dress, a curiosity we most valued. in return, i gave him whatever he desired, which was not a little, and having distributed red feathers to all the others, conducted them ashore in my boat. otoo was so well pleased with the reception he and his friends met with, that he told me, at parting, i might cut down as many trees as i pleased, and what sort i pleased. during the night, between the th and th, some time in the middle watch, all our friendly connections received an interruption, through the negligence of one of the centinels on shore. he having either slept or quitted his post, gave one of the natives an opportunity to carry off his musket. the first news i heard of it was from tee, whom otoo had sent on board for that purpose, and to desire that i would go to him, for that he was _mataoued_. we were not well enough acquainted with their language to understand all tee's story; but we understood enough to know that something had happened which had alarmed the king. in order, therefore, to be fully informed, i went ashore with tee and tarevatoo, who had slept aboard all night. as soon as we landed, i was informed of the whole by the serjeant who commanded the party. i found the natives all alarmed, and the most of them fled. tarevatoo slipped from me in a moment, and hardly any remained by me but tee. with him i went to look for otoo; and, as we advanced, i endeavoured to allay the fears of the people, but, at the same time, insisted on the musket being restored. after travelling some distance into the country, enquiring of every one we saw for otoo, tee stopped all at once and advised me to return, saying, that otoo was gone to the mountains, and he would proceed and tell him that i was still his friend; a question which had been asked me fifty times by different people, and if i was angry, &c. tee also promised that he would use his endeavours to recover the musket. i was now satisfied it was to no purpose to go farther; for, although i was alone and unarmed, otoo's fears were such, that he durst not see me; and, therefore, i took tee's advice, and returned aboard. after this i sent oedidee to otoo to let him know that his fears were ill- grounded; for that i only required the return of the musket, which i knew was in his power. soon after oedidee was gone, we observed six large canoes coming round point venus. some people whom i had sent out, to watch the conduct of the neighbouring inhabitants, informed me they were laden with baggage, fruit, hogs, &c. there being room for suspecting that some person belonging to these canoes had committed the theft, i presently came to a resolution to intercept them; and having put off in a boat for that purpose, gave orders for another to follow. one of the canoes, which was some distance ahead of the rest, came directly for the ship. i went alongside this, and found two or three women in her whom i knew. they told me they were going on board the ship with something for me; and, on my enquiring of them for otoo, was told he was then at the tents. pleased with this news, i contradicted the orders i had given for intercepting the other canoes, thinking they might be coming on board also, as well as this one, which i left within a few yards of the ship, and rowed ashore to speak with otoo. but when i landed, i was told that he had not been there, nor knew they any thing of him. on my looking behind me, i saw all the canoes making off in the greatest haste; even the one i had left alongside the ship had evaded going on board, and was making her escape. vexed at being thus outwitted, i resolved to pursue them; and as i passed the ship, gave orders to send another boat for the same purpose. five out of six we took, and brought alongside; but the first, which acted the finesse so well, got clear off. when we got on board with our prizes, i learnt that the people who had deceived me, used no endeavours to lay hold of the ship on the side they were up on, but let their canoe drop past, as if they meant to come under the stern, or on the other side; and that the moment they were past, they paddled off with all speed. thus the canoe, in which were only a few women, was to have amused us with false stories as they actually did, while the others, in which were most of the effects, got off. in one of the canoes we had taken, was a chief, a friend of mr forster's, who had hitherto called himself an _earee_, and would have been much offended if any one had called his title in question; also three women, his wife and daughter, and the mother of the late toutaha. these, together with the canoes, i resolved to detain, and to send the chief to otoo, thinking he would have weight enough with him to obtain the return of the musket, as his own property was at stake. he was, however, very unwilling to go on this embassy, and made various excuses, one of which was his being of too low a rank for this honourable employment; saying he was no _earee_, but a _manahouna_, and, therefore, was not a fit person to be sent; that an _earee_ ought to be sent to speak to an _earee_; and as there were no _earees_ but otoo and myself, it would be much more proper for me to go. all his arguments would have availed him little, if tee and oedidee had not at this time come on board, and given a new turn to the affair, by declaring that the man who stole the musket was from tiarabou, and had gone with it to that kingdom, so that it was not in the power of otoo to recover it. i very much doubted their veracity, till they asked me to send a boat to waheatoua, the king of tiarabou, and offered to go themselves in her, and get it. i asked why this could not be done without my sending a boat? they said, it would not otherwise be given to them. this story of theirs, although it did not quite satisfy me, nevertheless carried with it a probability of truth; for which reason i thought it better to drop the affair altogether, rather than to punish a nation for a crime i was not sure any of its members had committed. i therefore suffered my new ambassador to depart with his two canoes without executing his commission. the other three canoes belonged to maritata, a tiarabou chief, who had been some days about the tents; and there was good reason to believe it was one of his people that carried off the musket. i intended to have detained them; but as tee and oedidee both assured me that maritata and his people were quite innocent, i suffered them to be taken away also, and desired tee to tell otoo, that i should give myself no farther concern about the musket, since i was satisfied none of his people had stolen it. indeed, i thought it was irrecoverably lost; but, in the dusk of the evening it was brought to the tents, together with some other things we had lost, which we knew nothing of, by three men who had pursued the thief, and taken them from him. i know not if they took this trouble of their own accord, or by the order of otoo. i rewarded them, and made no other enquiry about it. these men, as well as some others present, assured me that it was one of maritata's people who had committed this theft; which vexed me that i had let his canoes so easily slip through my fingers. here, i believe, both tee and oedidee designedly deceived me. when the musket and other things were brought in, every one then present, or who came after, pretended to have had some hand in recovering them, and claimed a reward accordingly. but there was no one who acted this farce so well as nuno, a man of some note, and well known to us when i was here in . this man came, with all the savage fury imaginable in his countenance, and a large club in his hand, with which he beat about him, in order to shew us how he alone had killed the thief; when, at the same time, we all knew that he had not been out of his house the whole time. thus ended this troublesome day; and next morning early, tee, otoo's faithful ambassador, came again on board, to acquaint me that otoo was gone to oparree, and desired i would send a person (one of the natives as i understood), to tell him that i was still his _tiyo_. i asked him why he did not do this himself, as i had desired. he made some excuse; but, i believe the truth was, he had not seen him. in short, i found it was necessary for me to go myself; for, while we thus spent our time in messages, we remained without fruit, a stop being put to all exchanges of this nature; that is, the natives brought nothing to market. accordingly, a party of us set out with tee in our company, and proceeded to the very utmost limits of oparree, where, after waiting some considerable time, and several messages having passed, the king at last made his appearance. after we were seated under the shade of some trees, as usual, and the first salutations were over, he desired me to _parou_ (that is, to speak). accordingly, i began with blaming him for being frightened and alarmed at what had happened, since i had always professed myself his friend, and i was not angry with him or any of his people, but with those of tiarabou, who were the thieves. i was then asked, how i came to fire at the canoes? chance on this occasion furnished me with a good excuse. i told them, that they belonged to maritata, a tiarabou man, one of whose people had stolen the musket, and occasioned all this disturbance; and if i had them in my power i would destroy them, or any other belonging to tiarabou. this declaration pleased them, as i expected, from the natural aversion the one kingdom has to the other. what i said was enforced by presents, which perhaps had the greatest weight with them. thus were things once more restored to their former state; and otoo promised on his part, that the next day we should be supplied with fruit, &c. as usual. we then returned with him to his proper residence at oparree, and there took a view of some of his dock-yards (for such they well deserve to be called) and large canoes; some lately built, and others building; two of which were the largest i had ever seen in this sea; or indeed any where else, under that name. this done, we returned on board, with tee in our company; who, after he had dined with us, went to inform old happi, the king's father, that all matters were again accommodated. this old chief was at this time in the neighbourhood of matavai; and it should seem, from what followed, that he was not pleased with the conditions; for that same evening all the women, which were not a few, were sent for out of the ship, and people stationed on different parts of the shore, to prevent any from coming off; and the next morning no supplies whatever being brought, on my enquiring into the reason, i was told happi was _mataoued_. chagrined at this disappointment as i was, i forbore taking any step, from a supposition that tee had not seen him, or that otoo's orders had not yet reached matavai. a supply of fruit sent us from oparree, and some brought us by our friends, served us for the present, and made us less anxious about it. thus matters stood till the afternoon, when otoo himself came to the tents with a large supply. thither i went, and expostulated with him for not permitting the people in our neighbourhood to bring us fruit as usual, insisting on his giving immediate orders about it; which he either did or had done before. for presently after, more was brought us than we could well manage. this was not to be wondered at, for the people had every thing in readiness to bring, the moment they were permitted, and i believe thought themselves as much injured by the restriction as we did. otoo desiring to see some of the great guns fire from the ship, i ordered twelve to be shotted and fired towards the sea. as he had never seen a cannon fired before, the sight gave him as much pain as pleasure. in the evening, we entertained him with fire-works, which gave him great satisfaction. thus ended all our differences, on which i beg leave to suggest the following remarks. i have had occasion before, in this journal, to observe that these people were continually watching opportunities to rob us. this their governors either encouraged, or had not power to prevent; but most probably the former, because the offender was always screened. that they should commit such daring thefts was the more extraordinary, as they frequently run the risk of being shot in the attempt; and if the article that they stole was of any consequence, they knew they should be obliged to make restitution. the moment a theft of this kind was committed, it spread like the wind over the whole neighbourhood. they judged of the consequences from what they had got. if it were a trifle, and such an article as we usually gave them, little or no notice was taken of it; but if the contrary, every one took the alarm, and moved off with his moveables in all haste. the chief then was _mataoued_, giving orders to bring us no supplies, and flying to some distant part. all this was sometimes done so suddenly, that we obtained, by these appearances, the first intelligence of our being robbed. whether we obliged them to make restitution or no, the chief must be reconciled before any of the people were permitted to bring in refreshments. they knew very well we could not do without them, and therefore they never failed strictly to observe this rule, without ever considering, that all their war-canoes, on which the strength of their nation depends, their houses, and even the very fruit they refused to supply us with, were entirely in our power. it is hard to say how they would act, were one to destroy any of these things. except the detaining some of their canoes for a while, i never touched the least article of their property. of the two extremes i always chose that which appeared the most equitable and mild. a trifling present to the chief always succeeded to my wish, and very often put things upon a better footing than they had been before. that they were the first aggressors had very little influence on my conduct in this respect, because no difference happened but when it was so. my people very rarely or never broke through the rules i thought it necessary to prescribe. had i observed a different conduct, i must have been a loser by it in the end; and all i could expect, after destroying some part of their property, would have been the empty honour of obliging them to make the first overture towards an accommodation. but who knows if this would have been the event? three things made them our fast friends. their own good-nature and benevolent disposition; gentle treatment on our part; and the dread of our fire-arms. by our ceasing to observe the second; the first would have worn out of course; and the too frequent use of the latter would have excited a spirit of revenge, and perhaps have taught them that fire-arms were not such terrible things as they had imagined. they were very sensible of the superiority of their numbers; and no one knows what an enraged multitude might do. chapter xiii. _preparations to leave the island. another naval review, and various other incidents; with some account of the island, its naval force, and number of inhabitants._ may in the morning of the th, a very large supply of fruit was brought us from all parts. some of it came from towha, the admiral, sent as usual by his servants, with orders to receive nothing in return. but he desired i would go and see him at attahourou, as he was ill and could not come to me. as i could not well undertake this journey, i sent oedidee along with towha's servants, with a present suitable to that which i had in so genteel a manner received from him. as the most essential repairs of the ship were nearly finished, i resolved to leave otaheite in a few days; and accordingly ordered every thing to be got off from the shore, that the natives might see we were about to depart. on the th, old oberea, the woman who, when the dolphin was here in , was thought to be queen of the island, and whom i had not seen since , paid us a visit, and brought a present of hogs and fruit. soon after came otoo, with a great retinue, and a large quantity of provisions. i was pretty liberal in my returns, thinking it might be the last time i should see these good people, who had so liberally relieved our wants; and in the evening entertained them with fire-works. on the th, wind easterly, fair weather. nevertheless we were not ready to sail, as otoo had made me promise to see him again; and i had a present to make him, which i reserved to the last. oedidee was not yet come back from attahourou; various reports arose concerning him: some said he had returned to matavai; others, that he would not return; and some would have it, that he was at oparree. in order to know more of the truth, a party of us in the evening went down to oparee; where we found him, and likewise towha, who, notwithstanding his illness, had resolved to see me before i sailed; and had got thus far on his journey. he was afflicted with a swelling in his feet and legs, which had entirely taken away the use of them. as the day was far spent, we were obliged to shorten our stay; and after seeing otoo, we returned with oedidee on board. this youth, i found, was desirous of remaining at this isle, having before told him, as likewise many others, that we should not return. i now mentioned to him, that he was at liberty to remain here; or to quit us at ulietea; or to go with us to england; frankly owning that if he chose the latter, it was very probable he would never return to his country; in which case i would take care of him, and he must afterwards look upon me as his father. he threw his arms about me, and wept much, saying many people persuaded him to remain at otaheite. i told him to go ashore and speak to his friends, and then come to me in the morning. he was well beloved in the ship; so that every one was persuading him to go with us; telling what great things he would see in england, and the immense riches (according to his idea of riches) he would return with. but i thought proper to undeceive him, as knowing that the only inducement to his going, was the expectation of returning, and i could see no prospect of an opportunity of that kind happening, unless a ship should be expressly sent out for that purpose; which neither i, nor anyone else, had a right to expect. i thought it an act of the highest injustice to take a person from these isles, under any promise which was not in my power to perform. at this time indeed it was quite unnecessary; for many youths voluntarily offered themselves to go, and even to remain and die in _pretanee_; as they call our country. otoo importuned me much to take one or two to collect red feathers for him at amsterdam, willing to risk the chance of their returning. some of the gentlemen on board were likewise desirous of taking some as servants; but i refused every solicitation of this kind, knowing, from experience, they would be of no use to us in the course of the voyage; and farther my views were not extended. what had the greatest weight with me was, the thinking myself bound to see they were afterwards properly taken care of, as they could not be carried from their native spot without consent. next morning early, oedidee came on board, with a resolution to remain on the island; but mr forster prevailed upon him to go with us to ulietea. soon after, towha, potatou, oamo, happi, oberea, and several more of our friends, came on board with fruit, &c. towha was hoisted in and placed on a chair on the quarter-deck; his wife was with him. amongst the various articles which i gave this chief, was an english pendant, which pleased him more than all the rest, especially after he had been instructed in the use of it. we had no sooner dispatched our friends, than we saw a number of war-canoes coming round the point of oparree. being desirous of having a nearer view of them, accompanied by some of the officers and gentlemen, i hastened down to oparree, which we reached before all the canoes were landed, and had an opportunity of seeing in what manner they approached the shore. when they got before the place where they intended to land, they formed themselves into divisions, consisting of three or four, or perhaps more, lashed square and close along-side of each other; and then each division, one after the other, paddled in for the shore with all their might, and conducted in so judicious a manner, that they formed and closed a line along, the shore, to an inch. the rowers were encouraged to exert their strength by their leaders on the stages, and directed by a man who stood with a wand in his hand in the forepart of the middlemost vessel. this man, by words and actions, directed the paddlers when all should paddle, when either the one side or the other should cease, &c.; for the steering paddles alone were not sufficient to direct them. all these motions they observed with such quickness, as clearly shewed them to be expert in their business. after mr hodges had made a drawing of them, as they lay ranged along the shore, we landed and took a nearer view of them, by going on board several. this fleet consisted of forty sail, equipped in the same manner as those we had seen before, belonged to the little district of tettaha, and were come to oparree to be reviewed before the king, as the former fleet had been. there were attending on his fleet some small double canoes, which they called _marais_, having on their fore-part a kind of double bed place laid over with green leaves, each just sufficient to hold one man. these, they told us, were to lay their dead upon; their chiefs i suppose they meant, otherwise their slain must be few. otoo, who was present, caused at my request some of their troops to go through their exercise on shore. two parties first began with clubs, but this was over almost as soon as begun; so that i had no time to make my observations upon it. they then went to single combat, and exhibited the various methods of fighting, with great alertness; parrying off the blows and pushes which each combatant aimed at the other, with great dexterity. their arms were clubs and spears; the latter they also use as darts. in fighting with the club, all blows intended to be given the legs, were evaded by leaping over it; and those intended for the head, by couching a little, and leaping on one side; thus the blow would fall to the ground. the spear or dart was parried by fixing the point of a spear in the ground right before them, holding it in an inclined position, more or less elevated according to the part of the body they saw their antagonist intending to make a push, or throw his dart at, and by moving the hand a little to the right or left, either the one or the other was turned off with great ease. i thought that when one combatant had parried off the blows, &c. of the other, he did not use the advantage which seemed to me to accrue. as for instance, after he had parried off a dart, he still stood on the defensive, and suffered his antagonist to take up another, when i thought there was time to run him through the body. these combatants had no superfluous dress upon them; an unnecessary piece of cloth or two, which they had on when they began, were presently torn off by the by-standers, and given to some of our gentlemen present. this being over, the fleet departed; not in any order, but as fast as they could be got afloat; and we went with otoo to one of his dock-yards, where the two large _pahies_ or canoes were building, each of which was an hundred and eight feet long. they were almost ready to launch, and were intended to make one joint double _pahie_ or canoe. the king begged of me a grappling and rope, to which i added an english jack and pendant (with the use of which he was well acquainted), and desired the _pahie_ might be called britannia. this he very readily agreed to; and she was named accordingly. after this he gave me a hog, and a turtle of about sixty pounds weight, which was put privately into our boat; the giving it away not being agreeable to some of the great lords about him, who were thus deprived of a feast. he likewise would have given me a large shark they had prisoner in a creek (some of his fins being cut off, so that he could not make his escape), but the fine pork and fish we had got at this isle, had spoiled our palates for such food. the king, and tee, his prime minister, accompanied us on board to dinner; and after it was over, took a most affectionate farewell. he hardly ever ceased soliciting me, this day, to return to otaheite; and just before he went out of the ship, took a youth by the hand, and presented him to me, desiring i would keep him on board to go to amsterdam to collect red feathers. i told him i could not, since i knew he would never return; but that if any ship should happen to come from britain to this isle, i would either bring or send him red feathers in abundance. this in some measure satisfied him; but the youth was exceedingly desirous of going; and if i had not come to a resolution to carry no one from the isles (except oedidee if he chose to go), and but just refused mr forster the liberty of taking a boy, i believe i should have consented. otoo remained alongside in his canoe till we were under sail, when we put off, and was saluted with three guns. our treatment here was such as had induced one of our gunner's mates to form a plan to remain at this isle. he knew he could not execute it with success while we lay in the bay, therefore took the opportunity, as soon as we were out, the boats in, and sails set, to slip overboard, being a good swimmer. but he was discovered before he got clear of the ship; and we presently hoisted a boat out, and took him up. a canoe was observed about half-way between us and the shore, seemingly coming after us. she was intended to take him up; but as soon as the people in her saw our boat, they kept at a distance. this was a pre-concerted plan between the man and them, which otoo was acquainted with, and had encouraged. when i considered this man's situation in life, i did not think him so culpable, nor the resolution he had taken of staying here so extraordinary, as it may at first appear. he was an irishman by birth, and had sailed in the dutch service. i picked him up at batavia on my return from my former voyage, and he had been with me ever since. i never learnt that he had either friends or connections, to confine him to any particular part of the world. all nations were alike to him. where then could such a man be more happy than at one of these isles? where, in one of the finest climates in the world, he could enjoy not only the necessaries, but the luxuries of life, in ease and plenty. i know not if he might not have obtained my consent, if he had applied for it in a proper time. as soon as we had got him on board, and the boat in, i steered for huaheine, in order to pay a visit to our friends there. but before we leave otaheite, it will be necessary to give some account of the present state of that island; especially as it differs very much from what it was eight months before. i have already mentioned the improvements we found in the plains of oparree and matavai. the same was observable in every other part into which we came. it seemed to us almost incredible, that so many large canoes and houses could be built in so short a space as eight months. the iron tools which they had got from the english, and other nations who have lately touched at the isle, had no doubt greatly accelerated the work; and they had no want of hands, as i shall soon make appear. the number of hogs was another thing that excited our wonder. probably they were not so scarce when we were here before, as we imagined, and not chusing to part with any, they had conveyed them out of our sight. be this as it may, we now not only got as many as we could consume during our stay, but some to take to sea with us. when i was last here, i conceived but an unfavourable opinion of otoo's talents. the improvements since made in the island convinced me of my mistake; and that he must have been a man of good parts. he had indeed some judicious sensible men about him, who, i believe, had a great share in the government. in truth, we know not how far his power extended as king, nor how far he could command the assistance of the other chiefs, or was controulable by them. it should seem, however, that all had contributed towards bringing the isle to its present flourishing state. we cannot doubt that there were divisions amongst the great men of this state, as well as of most others; or else why did the king tell us, that towha the admiral, and poatatou were not his friends? they were two leading chiefs; and he must have been jealous of them on account of their great power; for on every occasion he seemed to court their interest. we had reason to believe that they raised by far the greatest number of vessels and men, to go against eimea, and were to be two of the commanders in the expedition, which we were told was to take place five days after our departure. waheatoua, king of tiarabou, was to send a fleet to join that of otoo, to assist him in reducing to obedience the chief of eimea. i think, we were told, that young prince was one of the commanders. one would suppose that so small an island as eimea would hardly have attempted to make head against the united force of these two kingdoms, but have endeavoured to settle matters by negociation. yet we heard of no such thing; on the contrary, every one spoke of nothing but fighting. towha told us more than once, that he should die there; which, in some measure, shews that he thought of it. oedidee told me the battle would be fought at sea; in which case the other must have a fleet nearly equal, if not quite, to the one going against them; which i think was not probable. it was therefore more likely they would remain ashore upon the defensive; as we were told they did about five or six years ago, when attacked by the people of tiarabou, whom they repulsed. five general officers were to command in this expedition; of which number otoo was one; and if they named them in order according to the posts they held, otoo was only the third in command. this seems probable enough; as being but a young man, he could not have sufficient experience to command such an expedition, where the greatest skill and judgment seemed to be necessary. i confess i would willingly have staid five days longer, had i been sure the expedition would have then taken place; but it rather seemed that they wanted us to be gone first. we had been all along told, it would be ten moons before it took place; and it was not till the evening before we sailed, that otoo and towha told us it was to be in five days after we were gone; as if it were necessary to have that time to put every thing in order; for, while we lay there, great part of their time and attention was taken up with us. i had observed that for several days before we sailed, otoo and the other chiefs had ceased to solicit my assistance, as they were continually doing at first, till i assured otoo that, if they got their fleet ready in time, i would sail with them down to eimea: after this i heard no more of it. they probably had taken it into consideration, and concluded themselves safer without me; well knowing it would be in my power to give the victory to whom i pleased; and that, at the best, i might thwart some favourite custom, or run away with the spoils. but be their reasons what they might, they certainly wanted us to be gone, before they undertook any thing. thus we were deprived of seeing the whole fleet equipped on this occasion; and perhaps of being spectators of a sea-fight, and by that means, gaining some knowledge of their manoeuvres. i never could learn what number of vessels were to go on this expedition. we knew of no more than two hundred and ten, besides smaller canoes to serve as transports, &c. and the fleet of tiarabou, the strength of which we never learnt. nor could i ever learn the number of men necessary to man this fleet; and whenever i asked the question, the answer was _warou, warou, warou te tata_, that is, many, many, many, men; as if the number far exceeded their arithmetic. if we allow forty men to each war-canoe, and four to each of the others, which is thought a moderate computation, the number will amount to nine thousand. an astonishing number to be raised in four districts; and one of them, viz. matavia, did not equip a fourth part of its fleet. the fleet of tiarabou is not included in this account; and many other districts might be arming, which we knew nothing of. i however believe, that the whole isle did not arm on this occasion; for we saw not the least preparations making in oparree. from what we saw and could learn, i am clearly of opinion that the chief or chiefs of each district superintended the equipping of the fleet belonging to that district; but after they are equipped, they must pass in review before the king, and be approved of by him. by this means he knows the state of the whole, before they assemble to go on service. it hath been already observed, that the number of war-canoes belonging to attahourou and ahopata was a hundred and sixty; to tettaba, forty; and to matavia, ten; and that this district did not equip one-fourth part of their number. if we suppose every district in the island, of which there are forty-three, to raise and equip the same number of war-canoes as tettaha, we shall find, by this estimate, that the whole island can raise and equip one thousand seven hundred and twenty war-canoes, and sixty-eight thousand able men; allowing forty men to each canoe. and as these cannot amount to above one-third part of the number of both sexes, children included, the whole island cannot contain less than two hundred and four thousand inhabitants, a number which at first sight exceeded my belief. but when i came to reflect on the vast swarms which appeared wherever we came, i was convinced that this estimate was not much, if at all, too great. there cannot be a greater proof of the riches and fertility of otaheite (not forty leagues in circuit) than its supporting such a number of inhabitants. this island made formerly but one kingdom; how long it has been divided into two, i cannot pretend to say; but i believe not long. the kings of tiarabou are a branch of the family of those of opoureonu; at present, the two are nearly related; and, i think, the former is, in some measure, dependent on the latter. otoo is styled _earee de hie_ of the whole island; and we have been told that waheatoua, the king of tiarabou, must uncover before him, in the same manner as the meanest of his subjects. this homage is due to otoo as _earee de hie_ of the isle, to tarevatou, his brother, and his second sister; to the one as heir, and to the other as heir apparent; his eldest sister being married, is not entitled to this homage. the _eowas_ and _whannos_, we have sometimes seen covered before the king; but whether by courtesy, or by virtue of their office, we never could learn. these men, who are the principal persons about the king, and form his court, are generally, if not always, his relations; tee, whom i have so often mentioned, was one of them. we have been told, that the _eowas_, who have the first rank, attend in their turns, a certain number each day, which occasioned us to call them lords in waiting; but whether this was really so, i cannot say. we seldom found tee absent; indeed his attendance was necessary, as being best able to negociate matters between us and them, on which service he was always employed; and he executed it, i have reason to believe, to the satisfaction of both parties. it is to be regretted, that we know little more of this government than the general out-line; for, of its subdivisions, classes, or orders of the constituent parts, how disposed, or in what manner connected, so as to form one body politic, we know but little. we are sure, however, that it is of the feudal kind; and if we may judge from what we have seen, it has sufficient stability, and is by no means badly constructed. the _eowas_ and _whannos_ always eat with the king; indeed i do not know if any one is excluded from this privilege but the _toutous_. for as to the women, they are out of the question, as they never eat with the men, let their rank be ever so much elevated. notwithstanding this kind of kingly establishment, there was very little about otoo's person or court by which a stranger could distinguish the king from the subject. i seldom saw him dressed in any thing but a common piece of cloth wrapped round his loins; so that he seemed to avoid all unnecessary pomp, and even to demean himself more than any other of the _earees_. i have seen him work at a paddle, in coming to and going from the ship, in common with the other paddlers; and even when some of his _toutous_ sat looking on. all have free access to him, and speak to him wherever they see him, without the least ceremony; such is the easy freedom which every individual of this happy isle enjoys. i have observed that the chiefs of these isles are more beloved by the bulk of the people, than feared. may we not from hence conclude, that the government is mild and equitable? we have mentioned that waheatoua or tiarabou is related to otoo. the same may be said of the chiefs of eimea, tapamanoo, huaheine, ulietea, otaha, and bolabola; for they are all related to the royal family of otaheite. it is a maxim with the _earees_, and others of superior rank, never to intermarry with the _toutous_, or others of inferior rank. probably this custom is one great inducement to the establishing of the societies called _eareeoies_. it is certain that these societies greatly prevent the increase of the superior classes of people of which they are composed, and do not at all interfere with the inferiors, or _toutous_; for i never heard of one of these being an _eareeoy_. nor did i ever hear that a _toutou_ could rise in life above the rank in which he was born. i have occasionally mentioned the extraordinary fondness the people of otaheite shewed for red feathers. these they call _oora_, and they are as valuable here as jewels are in europe, especially those which they call _ooravine_, and grow on the head of the green paraquet: indeed, all red feathers are esteemed, but none equally with these; and they are such good judges as to know very well how to distinguish one sort from another. many of our people attempted to deceive them by dying other feathers; but i never heard that any one succeeded. these feathers they make up in little bunches, consisting of eight or ten, and fix them to the end of a small cord about three or four inches long, which is made of the strong outside fibres of the cocoa-nut, twisted so hard that it is like a wire, and serves as a handle to the bunch. thus prepared, they are used as symbols of the _eatuas_, or divinities, in all their religious ceremonies. i have often seen them hold one of these bunches, and sometimes only two or three feathers, between the fore finger and thumb, and say a prayer, not one word of which i could ever understand. whoever comes to this island, will do well to provide himself with red feathers, the finest and smallest that are to be got. he must also have a good stock of axes, and hatchets, spike- nails, files, knives, looking-glasses, beads, &c. sheets and shirts are much sought after, especially by the ladies; as many of our gentlemen found by experience. the two goats which captain furneaux gave to otoo when we were last here, seemed to promise fair for answering the end for which they were put on shore. the ewe soon after had two female kids, which were now so far grown as to be nearly ready to propagate; and the old ewe was again with kid. the people seemed to be very fond of them, and they to like their situation as well; for they were in excellent condition. from this circumstance we may hope that, in a few years, they will have some to spare to their neighbours; and by that means they may in time spread over all the isles in this ocean. the sheep which we left died soon after, excepting one, which we understood was yet alive. we have also furnished them with a stock of cats; no less than twenty having been given away at this isle, besides those which were left at ulietea and huaheine. chapter xiv. _the arrival of the ship at the island of huaheine; with an account of an expedition into the island, and several other incidents which happened while she lay there._ may at one o'clock in the afternoon, on the th, we anchored in the north entrance of o'wharre harbour, in the island of huaheine; hoisted out the boats, warped into a proper birth, and moored with the bower and kedge anchor, not quite a cable's length from the shore. while this was doing, several of the natives made us a visit, amongst whom was old oree the chief, who brought a hog and some other articles, which he presented to me, with the usual ceremony. next morning, the natives began to bring us fruit. i returned oree's visit, and made my present to him; one article of which was red feathers. two or three of these the chief took in his right hand, holding them up between the finger and thumb, and said a prayer, as i understood, which was little noticed by any present. two hogs were soon after put into my boat, and he and several of his friends came on board and dined with us. after dinner oree gave me to understand what articles would be most acceptable to him and his friends, which were chiefly axes and nails. accordingly i gave him what he asked, and desired he would distribute them to the others, which he did, seemingly to the satisfaction of every one. a youth about ten or twelve years of age, either his son or grandson, seemed to be the person of most note, and had the greatest share. after the distribution was over, they all returned ashore. mr forster and his party being out in the country botanizing, his servant, a feeble man, was beset by five or six fellows, who would have stripped him, if that moment one of the party had not come to his assistance; after which they made off with a hatchet they had got from him. on the th, i went ashore to look for the chief, in order to complain of the outrage committed as above; but he was not in the neighbourhood. being ashore in the afternoon, a person came and told me oree wanted to see me. i went with the man, and was conducted to a large house, where the chief and several other persons of note were assembled in council, as well as i could understand. after i was seated, and some conversation had passed among them, oree made a speech, and was answered by another. i understood no more of either, than just to know it regarded the robbery committed the day before. the chief then began to assure me, that neither he, nor any one present (which were the principal chiefs in the neighbourhood) had any hand in it; and desired me to kill, with the guns, all those which had. i assured him, that i was satisfied that neither he nor those present were at all concerned in the affair; and that i should do with the fellows as he desired, or any others who were guilty of the like crimes. having asked where the fellows were, and desired they would bring them to me, that i might do with them as he had said, his answer was, they were gone to the mountains, and he could not get them. whether this was the case or not, i will not pretend to say. i knew fair means would never make them deliver them up; and i had no intention to try others. so the affair dropt, and the council broke up. in the evening, some of the gentlemen went to a dramatic entertainment. the piece represented a girl as running away with us from otaheite; which was in some degree true; as a young woman had taken a passage with us down to ulietea, and happened now to be present at the representation of her own adventures; which had such an effect upon her, that it was with great difficulty our gentlemen could prevail upon her to see the play out, or to refrain from tears while it was acting. the piece concluded with the reception she was supposed to meet with from her friends at her return; which was not a very favourable one. these people can add little extempore pieces to their entertainments, when they see occasion. is it not then reasonable to suppose that it was intended as a satire against this girl, and to discourage others from following her steps? in the morning of the th, oree came on board with a present of fruit, stayed dinner, and in the afternoon desired to see some great guns fired, shotted, which i complied with. the reason of his making this request was his hearing, from oedidee, and our otaheitean passengers, that we had so done at their island. the chief would have had us fire at the hills; but i did not approve of that, lest the shot should fall short and do some mischief. besides, the effect was better seen in the water. some of the petty officers, who had leave to go into the country for their amusement, took two of the natives with them to be their guides, and to carry their bags, containing nails, hatchets, &c. the current cash we traded with here; which the fellows made off with in the following artful manner: the gentlemen had with them two muskets for shooting birds. after a shower of rain, their guides pointed out some for them to shoot. one of the muskets having missed fire several times, and the other having gone off, the instant the fellows saw themselves secure from both, they ran away, leaving the gentlemen gazing after them with so much surprise, that no one had presence of mind to pursue them. the th, showery morning; fair afternoon, nothing happened worthy of note. early in the morning of the th, three of the officers set out on a shooting party, rather contrary to my inclination; as i found the natives, at least some of them, were continually watching every opportunity to rob straggling parties, and were daily growing more daring. about three o'clock in the afternoon, i got intelligence that they were seized and stripped of every thing they had about them. upon this i immediately went on shore with a boat's crew, accompanied by mr forster, and took possession of a large house with all its effects, and two chiefs whom i found in it; but this we did in such a manner, that they hardly knew what we were about, being unwilling to alarm the neighbourhood. in this situation i remained till i heard the officers had got back safe, and had all their things restored to them: then i quitted the house; and presently after every thing in it was carried off. when i got on board i was informed of the whole affair by the officers themselves. some little insult on their part, induced the natives to seize their guns, on which a scuffle ensued, some chiefs interfered, took the officers out of the crowd, and caused every thing which had been taken from them to be restored. this was at a place where we had before been told, that a set of fellows had formed themselves into a gang, with a resolution to rob every one who should go that way. it should seem from what followed, that the chief could not prevent this, or put a stop to these repeated outrages. i did not see him this evening, as he was not come into the neighbourhood when i went on board; but i learnt from oedidee that he came soon after, and was so concerned at what had happened that he wept. day-light no sooner broke upon us on the st, than we saw upwards of sixty canoes under sail going out of the harbour, and steering over for ulietea. on our enquiring the reason, we were told that the people in them were _eareeois_, and were going to visit their brethren in the neighbouring isles. one may almost compare these men to free-masons; they tell us they assist each other when need requires; they seem to have customs among them which they either will not, or cannot explain. oedidee told us he was one; tupia was one; and yet i have not been able to get any tolerable idea of this set of men, from either of them. oedidee denies that the children they have by their mistresses are put to death, as we understood from tupia and others. i have had some conversation with omai on this subject, and find that he confirms every thing that is said upon it in the narrative of my former voyage. oedidee, who generally slept on shore, came off with a message from oree, desiring i would land with twenty-two men, to go with him to chastise the robbers. the messenger brought with him, by way of assisting his memory, twenty-two pieces of leaves, a method customary amongst them. on my receiving this extraordinary message, i went to the chief for better information; and all i could learn of him was, that these fellows were a sort of banditti, who had formed themselves into a body, with a resolution of seizing and robbing our people wherever they found them, and were now armed for that purpose: for which reason he wanted me to go along with him, to chastise them. i told him, if i went they would fly to the mountains; but he said, they were resolved to fight us, and therefore desired i would destroy both them and their house; but begged i would spare those in the neighbourhood, as also the canoes and the _whenooa_. by way of securing these, he presented me with a pig as a peace-offering for the _whenooa_. it was too small to be meant for any thing but a ceremony of this kind. this sensible old chief could see (what perhaps none of the others ever thought of) that every thing in the neighbourhood was at our mercy, and therefore took care to secure them by this method, which i suppose to be of weight with them. when i returned on board, i considered of the chiefs request, which upon the whole appeared an extraordinary one. i however resolved to go, lest these fellows should be (by our refusal) encouraged to commit greater acts of violence; and, as their proceeding would soon reach ulietea, where i intended to go next, the people there might be induced to treat us in the same manner, or worse, they being more numerous. accordingly i landed with forty-eight men, including officers, mr forster, and some other of the gentlemen. the chief joined us with a few people, and we began to march, in search of the banditti, in good order. as we proceeded, the chief's party increased like a snow-ball. oedidee, who was with us, began to be alarmed, observing that many of the people in our company were of the very party we were going against, and at last telling us, that they were only leading us to some place where they could attack us to advantage. whether there was any truth in this, or it was only oedidee's fears, i will not pretend to say. he, however, was the only person we could confide in. and we regulated our motions according to the information he had given us. after marching some miles, we got intelligence that the men we were going after had fled to the mountains; but i think this was not till i had declared to the chief i would proceed no farther. for we were then about crossing a deep valley, bounded on each side by steep rocks, where a few men with stones only might have made our retreat difficult, if their intentions were what oedidee had suggested, and which he still persisted in. having come to a resolution to return, we marched back in the same order as we went, and saw, in several places, people, who had been following us, coming down from the sides of the hills with their arms in their hands, which they instantly quitted, and hid in the bushes, when they saw they were discovered by us. this seemed to prove that there must have been some foundation for what oedidee had said; but i cannot believe that the chief had any such design, whatever the people might have. in our return we halted at a convenient place to refresh ourselves. i ordered the people to bring us some cocoa-nuts, which they did immediately. indeed, by this time, i believe many of them wished us on board out of the way; for although no one step was taken that could give them the least alarm, they certainly were in terror. two chiefs brought each of them a pig, a dog, and some young plantain trees, the usual peace-offerings, and with due ceremony presented them singly to me. another brought a very large hog, with which he followed us to the ship. after this we continued our course to the landing-place, where i caused several vollies to be fired, to convince the natives that we could support a continual fire. this being done, we all embarked and went on board; and soon after the chief following, brought with him a quantity of fruit, and sat down with us to dinner. we had scarce dined before more fruit was brought us by others, and two hogs; so that we were likely to make more by this little excursion than by all the presents we had made them. it certainly gave them some alarm to see so strong a party of men march into their country; and probably gave them a better opinion of fire-arms than they had before. for i believe they had but an indifferent, or rather contemptible, idea of muskets in general, having never seen any fired but at birds, &c. by such of our people as used to straggle about the country, the most of them but indifferent marksmen, losing generally two shots out of three, their pieces often, missing fire, and being slow in charging. of all this they had taken great notice, and concluded, as well they might, that fire-arms were not so terrible things as they had been taught to believe. when the chiefs took leave in the evening, they promised to bring us next day a very large supply of provisions. in the article of fruit they were as good as their word, but of hogs, which we most wanted, they brought far less than we expected. going ashore in the afternoon, i found the chief just sitting down to dinner. i cannot say what was the occasion of his dining so late. as soon as he was seated, several people began chewing the pepper-root; about a pint of the juice of which, without any mixture, was the first dish, and was dispatched in a moment. a cup of it was presented to me; but the manner of brewing it was at this time sufficient. oedidee was not so nice, but took what i refused. after this the chief washed his mouth with cocoa-nut water; then he eat of repe, plantain, and mahee, of each not a little; and, lastly, finished his repast by eating, or rather drinking, about three pints of _popoie_, which is made of bread-fruit, plantains, mahee, &c. beat together and diluted with water till it is of the consistence of a custard. this was at the outside of his house, in the open air; for at this time a play was acting within, as was done almost every day in the neighbourhood; but they were such poor performances that i never attended. i observed that, after the juice had been squeezed out of the chewed pepper-root for the chief, the fibres were carefully picked up and taken away by one of his servants. on my asking what he intended to do with it, i was told he would put water to it, and strain it again. thus he would make what i will call small beer. the d, wind easterly, as it had been ever since we left otaheite. early in the morning, we unmoored, and at eight weighed and put to sea. the good old chief was the last man who went out of the ship. at parting i told him we should see each other no more; at which he wept, and said, "let your sons come, we will treat them well." oree is a good man, in the utmost sense of the word; but many of the people are far from being of that disposition, and seem to take advantage of his old age; teraderre, his grandson and heir, being yet but a youth. the gentle treatment the people of this isle ever met with from me, and the careless and imprudent manner in which many of our people had rambled about in the country, from a vain opinion that firearms rendered them invincible, encouraged many at huaheine to commit acts of violence, which no man at otaheite ever durst attempt. during our stay here we got bread-fruit, cocoa-nuts, &c. more than we could well-consume, but not hogs enough by far to supply our daily expence; and yet it did not appear that they were scarce in the isle. it must be allowed, however, that the number we took away, when last here, must have thinned them greatly, and at the same time stocked the isle with our articles. besides, we now wanted a proper assortment of trade; what we had being nearly exhausted, and the few remaining red feathers being here but of little value, when compared to the estimation they stand in at otaheite. this obliged me to set the smiths to work to make different sorts of iron tools, nails, &c. in order to enable me to procure refreshments at the other isles, and to support my credit and influence among the natives. chapter xv. _arrival at ulietea; with an account of the reception we met with there, and the several incidents which happened during our stay. a report of two ships being at huaheine. preparations to leave the island; and the regret the inhabitants shewed on the occasion. the character of oedidee; with some general observations on the islands._ may as soon as we were clear of the harbour, we made sail, and stood over for the south end of ulietea. oree took the opportunity to send a man with a message to opoony. being little wind all the latter part of the day, it was dark before we reached the west side of the isle, where we spent the night. the same light variable wind continued till ten o'clock next morning, when the trade-wind at east prevailed, and we ventured to ply up to the harbour, first sending a boat to lie in anchorage in the entrance. after making a few trips, we got before the channel, and with all our sails set, and the head-way the ship had acquired, shut her in as far as she would go; then dropped the anchor, and took in the sails. this is the method of getting into most of the harbours which are on the lee-side of these isles; for the channels, in general, are too narrow to ply in: we were now anchored between the two points of the reef which form the entrance; each not more than two-thirds the length of a cable from us, and on which the sea broke with such height and violence, as to people less acquainted with the place, would have been terrible. having all our boats out with anchors and warps in them, which were presently run out, the ship warped into safety, where we dropt anchor for the night. while this work was going forward, my old friend oree the chief, and several more, came to see us. the chief came not empty. next day we warped the ship into a proper birth, and moored her, so as to command all the shores around us. in the mean time a party of us went ashore to pay the chief a visit, and to make the customary present. at our first entering his house, we were met by four or five old women, weeping and lamenting, as it were, most bitterly, and at the same time cutting their heads, with instruments made of shark's teeth, till the blood ran plentifully down their faces and on their shoulders. what was still worse, we were obliged to submit to the embraces of these old hags, and by that means were all besmeared with blood. this ceremony (for it was merely such) being over, they went out, washed themselves, and immediately after appeared as cheerful as any of the company. having made some little stay, and given my present to the chief and his friends, he put a hog and some fruit into my boat, and came on board with us to dinner. in the afternoon, we had a vast number of people and canoes about us, from different parts of the island. they all took up their quarters in our neighbourhood, where they remained feasting for some days. we understood the most of them were _eareeoies_. the th afforded nothing remarkable, excepting that mr forster, in his botanical excursions, saw a burying-place for dogs, which they called _marai no te oore_. but i think we ought not to look upon this as one of their customs; because few dogs die a natural death, being generally, if not always, killed and eaten, or else given as an offering to the gods. probably this might be a _marai_ or altar, where this sort of offering was made; or it might have been the whim of some person to have buried his favourite dog in this manner. but be it as it will, i cannot think it is a general custom in the nation; and, for my own part, i neither saw nor heard of any such thing before. early in the morning of the th, oree, his wife, son, daughter, and several more of his friends, made us a visit, and brought with them a good quantity of all manner of refreshments; little having as yet been got from any body else. they staid dinner; after which a party of us accompanied them on shore, where we were entertained with a play, called _mididij harramy_, which signifies the _child is coming_. it concluded with the representation of a woman in labour, acted by a set of great brawny fellows, one of whom at last brought forth a strapping boy, about six feet high, who ran about the stage, dragging after him a large wisp of straw which hung by a string from his middle. i had an opportunity of seeing this acted another time, when i observed, that the moment they had got hold of the fellow who represented the child, they flattened or pressed his nose. from this i judged, that they do so by their children when born, which may be the reason why all in general have flat noses. this part of the play, from its newness, and the ludicrous manner in which it was performed, gave us, the first time we saw it, some entertainment, and caused a loud laugh, which might be the reason why they acted it so often afterwards. but this, like all their other pieces, could entertain us no more than once; especially as we could gather little from them, for want of knowing more of their language. the th was spent by me in much the same manner as the preceding day, viz. in entertaining my friends, and being entertained by them. mr forster and his party in the country botanizing. next morning, we found several articles had been stolen, out of our boats lying at the buoy, about sixty or seventy yards from the ship. as soon as i was informed of it, i went to the chief to acquaint him therewith. i found that he not only knew they were stolen, but by whom, and where they were; and he went immediately with me in my boat in pursuit of them. after proceeding a good way along shore, towards the south end of the island, the chief ordered us to land near some houses, where we did not wait long before all the articles were brought to us, except the pinnace's iron tiller, which i was told was still farther off. but when i wanted to go after it, i found the chief unwilling to proceed; and he actually gave me the slip; and retired into the country. without him i knew i could do nothing. the people began to be alarmed when they saw i was for going farther; by which i concluded that the tiller was out of their reach also. i therefore sent one of them to the chief to desire him to return. he returned accordingly; when we sat down, and had some victuals set before us, thinking perhaps that, as i had not breakfasted, i must be hungry, and not in a good humour. thus i was amused, till two hogs were produced, which they entreated me to accept. this i did, and then their fears vanished; and i thought myself not ill off, in having gotten two good hogs for a thing which seemed to be quite out of my reach. matters being thus settled, we returned on board, and had the company of the chief and his son to dinner. after that we all went ashore, where a play was acted for the entertainment of such as would spend their time in looking at it. besides these plays, which the chief caused frequently to be acted, there was a set of strolling players in the neighbourhood, who performed everyday. but their pieces seemed to be so much alike, that we soon grew tired of them; especially as we could not collect any interesting circumstances from them. we, our ship, and our country, were frequently brought on the stage; but on what account i know not. it can hardly be doubted, that this was designed as a compliment to us, and probably not acted but when some of us were present. i generally appeared at oree's theatre towards the close of the play, and twice at the other, in order to give my mite to the actors. the only actress at oree's theatre was his daughter, a pretty brown girl, at whose shrine, on these occasions, many offerings were made by her numerous votaries. this, i believe, was one great inducement to her father's giving us these entertainments so often. early in the morning of the th, i set out with the two boats, accompanied by the two mr forsters; oedidee, the chief, his wife, son, and daughter, for an estate which oedidee called his, situated at the north end of the island. there i was promised to have hogs and fruit in abundance; but when we came there, we found that poor oedidee could not command one single thing, whatever right he might have to the _whenooa_, which was now in possession of his brother, who, soon after we landed, presented to me, with the usual ceremony, two pigs. i made him a very handsome present in return, and oedidee gave him every thing he had left of what he had collected during the time he was with us. after this ceremony was over, i ordered one of the pigs to be killed and dressed for dinner, and attended myself to the whole operation, which was as follows:--they first strangled the hog, which was done by three men; the hog being placed on his back, two of them laid a pretty strong stick across his throat, and pressed with all their might on each end; the third man held his hind legs, kept him on his back, and plugged up his fundament with grass, i suppose to prevent any air from passing or repassing that way. in this manner they held him for about ten minutes before he was quite dead. in the mean time, some hands were employed in making a fire, to heat the oven, which was close by. as soon as the hog was quite dead, they laid him on the fire, and burnt or singed the hair, so that it came off with almost the same ease as if it had been scalded. as the hair was got off one part, another was applied to the fire till they had got off the whole, yet not so clean but that another operation was necessary; which was to carry it to the sea side, and there give it a good scrubbing with sandy stones, and sand. this brought off all the scurf, &c. which the fire had left on. after well washing off the sand and dirt, the carcase was brought again to the former place, and laid on clean green leaves, in order to be opened. they first ripped up the skin of the belly, and took out the fat or lard from between the skin and the flesh, which they laid on a large green leaf. the belly was then ripped open, and the entrails taken out, and carried away in a basket, so that i know not what became of them; but am certain they were not thrown away. the blood was next taken out, and put into a large leaf, and then the lard, which was put to the other fat. the hog was now washed clean, both inside and out, with fresh water, and several hot stones put into his belly, which were shaken in under the breast, and green leaves crammed in upon them. by this time the oven was sufficiently heated; what fire remained was taken away, together with some of the hot stones; the rest made a kind of pavement in the bottom of the hole or oven, and were covered with leaves, on which the hog was placed on his belly. the lard and fat, after being washed with water, were put into a vessel, made just then of the green bark of the plantain tree, together with two or three hot stones, and placed on one side the hog. a hot stone was put to the blood, which was tied up in the leaf, and put into the oven; as also bread-fruit and plantains. then the whole was covered with green leaves, on which were laid the remainder of the hot stones; over them were leaves; then any sort of rubbish they could lay their hands on; finishing the operation by well covering the whole with earth. while the victuals were baking, a table was spread with green leaves on the floor, at one end of a large boat-house. at the close of two hours and ten minutes, the oven was opened, and all the victuals taken out. those of the natives who dined with us, sat down by themselves, at one end of the table, and we at the other. the hog was placed before us, and the fat and blood before them, on which they chiefly dined, and said it was _mamity_, very good victuals; and we not only said, but thought, the same of the pork. the hog weighed about fifty pounds. some parts about the ribs i thought rather overdone, but the more fleshy parts were excellent; and the skin, which by the way of our dressing can hardly be eaten, had, by this method, a taste and flavour superior to any thing i ever met with of the kind. i have now only to add, that during the whole of the various operations, they exhibited a cleanliness well worthy of imitation. i have been the more particular in this account, because i do not remember that any of us had seen the whole process before; nor is it well described in the narrative of my former voyage. while dinner was preparing, i took a view of this _whenooa_ of oedidee. it was a small, but a pleasant spot; and the houses were so disposed as to form a very pretty village, which is very rarely the case at these isles, soon after we had dined, we set out for the ship, with the other pig, and a few races of plantains, which proved to be the sum total of our great expectations. in our return to the ship, we put ashore at a place where, in the corner of a house, we saw four wooden images, each two feet long, standing on a shelf, having a piece of cloth round their middle, and a kind of turban on their heads, in which were stuck long feathers of cocks. a person in the house told us they were _eatua no te toutou_, gods of the servants or slaves. i doubt if this be sufficient to conclude that they pay them divine worship, and that the servants or slaves are not allowed the same gods as men of more elevated rank; i never heard that tupia made any such distinction, or that they worshipped any visible thing whatever. besides, these were the first wooden gods we had seen in any of the isles; and all the authority we had for their being such, was the bare word of perhaps a superstitious person, and whom, too, we were liable to misunderstand. it must be allowed that the people of this isle are in general more superstitious than at otaheite. at the first visit i made the chief after our arrival, he desired i would not suffer any of my people to shoot herons and wood-peckers; birds as sacred with them as robin-red-breasts, swallows, &c. are with many old women in england. tupia, who was a priest, and well acquainted with their religion, customs, traditions, &c. paid little or no regard to these birds. i mention this, because some amongst us were of opinion that these birds are their _eatuas_, or gods. we indeed fell into this opinion when i was here in , and into some others still more absurd, which we had undoubtedly adopted, if tupia had not undeceived us. a man of his knowledge and understanding we have not since met with, and consequently have added nothing to his account of their religion but superstitious notions. on the st, the people knowing that we should sail soon, began to bring more fruit on board than usual. among those who came was a young man who measured six feet four inches and six-tenths; and his sister, younger, than him, measured five feet ten inches and a half. june a brisk trade for hogs and fruit continued on the st of june. on the d, in the afternoon, we got intelligence that, three days before, two ships had arrived at huaheine. the same report said, the one was commanded by mr banks, and the other by captain furneaux. the man who brought the account said, he was made drunk on board one of them, and described the persons of mr banks and captain furneaux so well, that i had not the least doubt of the truth, and began to consider about sending a boat over that very evening with orders to captain furneaux, when a man, a friend of mr forster, happened to come on board and denied the whole, saying it was _wà warre_, a lie. the man from whom we had the intelligence was now gone, so that we could not confront them, and there were none else present who knew any thing about it but by report; so that i laid aside sending over a boat till i should be better informed. this evening we entertained the people with fire-works, on one of the little isles near the entrance of the harbour. i had fixed on the next day for sailing, but the intelligence from huaheine put a stop to it. the chief had promised to bring the man on board who first brought the account; but he was either not to be found, or would not appear. in the morning, the people were divided in their opinions; but in the afternoon, all said it was a false report. i had sent mr clerke, in the morning, to the farthest part of the island, to make enquiries there; he returned without learning any thing satisfactory. in short, the report appeared now too ill founded to authorize me to send a boat over, or to wait any longer here; and therefore, early in the morning of the th, i got every thing in readiness to sail. oree the chief, and his whole family, came on board, to take their last farewell, accompanied by oo-oo-rou, the _earee di hi_, and boba, the _earee_ of otaha, and several of their friends. none of them came empty; but oo-oo-rou brought a pretty large present, this being his first and only visit. i distributed amongst them almost every thing i had left. the very hospitable manner in which i had ever been received by these people, had endeared them to me, and given them a just title to everything in my power to grant. i questioned them again about the ships at huaheine; and they all, to a man, denied that any were there. during the time these people remained on board, they were continually importuning me to return. the chief, his wife and daughter, but especially the two latter, scarcely ever ceased weeping. i will not pretend to say whether it was real or feigned grief they shewed on this occasion. perhaps there was a mixture of both; but were i to abide by my own opinion only, i should believe it was real. at last, when we were about to weigh, they took a most affectionate leave. oree's last request was for me to return; when he saw he could not obtain that promise, he asked the name of my _marai_ (burying-place). as strange a question as this was, i hesitated not a moment to tell him stepney; the parish in which i live when in london. i was made to repeat it several times over till they could pronounce it; then, stepney _marai no toote_ was echoed through an hundred mouths at once. i afterwards found the same question had been put to mr forster by a man on shore; but he gave a different, and indeed more proper answer, by saying, no man, who used the sea, could say where he should be buried. it is the custom, at these isles, for all the great families to have burial-places of their own, where their remains are interred. these go with the estate to the next heir. the _marai_ at oparee in otaheite, when tootaha swayed the sceptre, was called _marai no tootaha_; but now it is called _marai no otoo_. what greater proof could we have of these people esteeming us as friends, than their wishing to remember us, even beyond the period of our lives? they had been repeatedly told that we should see them no more; they then wanted to know where we were to mingle with our parent dust. as i could not promise, or even suppose, that more english ships would be sent to those isles, our faithful companion oedidee chose to remain in his native country. but he left us with a regret fully demonstrative of the esteem he bore to us; nor could any thing but the fear of never returning, have torn him from us. when the chief teased me so much about returning, i sometimes gave such answers as left them hopes. oedidee would instantly catch at this, take me on one side, and ask me over again. in short, i have not words to describe the anguish which appeared in this young man's breast when he went away. he looked up at the ship, burst into tears, and then sunk down into the canoe. the maxim, that a prophet has no honour in his own country, was never more fully verified than in this youth. at otaheite he might have had any thing that was in their power to bestow; whereas here he was not in the least noticed. he was a youth of good parts, and, like most of his countrymen, of a docile, gentle, and humane disposition, but in a manner wholly ignorant of their religion, government, manners, customs, and traditions; consequently no material knowledge could have been gathered from him, had i brought him away. indeed, he would have been a better specimen of the nation, in every respect, than omai. just as oedidee was going out of the ship, he asked me to _tatou_ some _parou_ for him, in order to shew the commanders of any other ships which might stop here. i complied with his request, gave him a certificate of the time he had been with us, and recommended him to the notice of those who might afterwards touch at the island. we did not get clear of our friends till eleven o'clock, when we weighed, and put to sea; but oedidee did not leave us till we were almost out of the harbour. he staid, in order to fire some guns; for it being his majesty's birthday, we fired the salute at going away. when i first came to these islands, i had some thought of visiting tupia's famous bolabola. but as i had now got on board a plentiful supply of all manner of refreshments, and the route i had in view allowing me no time to spare, i laid this design aside, and directed my course to the west; taking our final leave of these happy isles, on which benevolent nature has spread her luxuriant sweets with a lavish hand. the natives, copying the bounty of nature, are equally liberal; contributing plentifully and cheerfully to the wants of navigators. during the six weeks we had remained at them, we had fresh pork, and all the fruits which were in season, in the utmost profusion; besides fish at otaheite, and fowls at the other isles. all these articles we got in exchange for axes, hatchets, nails, chissels, cloth, red feathers, beads, knives, scissars, looking-glasses, &c. articles which will ever be valuable here. i ought not to omit shirts as a very capital article in making presents; especially with those who have any connexion with the fair sex. a shirt here is full as necessary as a piece of gold in england. the ladies at otaheite, after they had pretty well stripped their lovers of shirts, found a method of clothing themselves with their own cloth. it was their custom to go on shore every morning, and to return on board in the evening, generally clad in rags. this furnished a pretence to importune the lover for better clothes; and when he had no more of his own, he was to dress them in new cloth of the country, which they always left ashore; and appearing again in rags, they must again be clothed. so that the same suit might pass through twenty different hands, and be as often sold, bought, and given away. before i finish this account of these islands, it is necessary to mention all i know concerning the government of ulietea and otaha. oree, so often mentioned, is a native of bolabola; but is possessed of _whenooas_ or lands at ulietea; which i suppose he, as well as many of his countrymen, got at the conquest. he resides here as opoony's lieutenant; seeming to be vested with regal authority, and to be the supreme magistrate in the island. oo-oo-rou, who is the _earee_ by hereditary right, seems to have little more left him than the bare title, and his own _whenooa_ or district, in which i think he is sovereign. i have always seen oree pay him the respect due to his rank; and he was pleased when he saw me distinguish him from others. otaha, so far as i can find, is upon the very same footing. boba and ota are the two chiefs; the latter i have not seen; boba is a stout, well-made young man; and we were told is, after opoony's death, to marry his daughter, by which marriage he will be vested with the same regal authority as opoony has now; so that it should seem, though a woman may be vested with regal dignity, she cannot have regal power. i cannot find that opoony has got any thing to himself by the conquest of these isles, any farther than providing for his nobles, who have seized on best part of the lands. he seems to have no demand on them for any of the many articles they have had from us. oedidee has several times enumerated to me all the axes, nails, &c. which opoony is possessed of, which hardly amount to as many as he had from me when i saw him in . old as this famous man is, he seems not to spend his last days in indolence. when we first arrived here, he was at maurana; soon after he returned to bolabola; and we were now told, he was gone to tubi. i shall conclude this account of these islands, with some observations on the watch which mr wales hath communicated to me. at our arrival in matavai bay in otaheite, the longitude pointed out by the watch was ° ' " ½ too far to the west; that is, it had gained, since our leaving queen charlotte's sound, of its then rate of going, ' " / . this was in about five months, or rather more, during which time it had passed through the extremes of cold and heat. it was judged that half this error arose after we left easter island; by which it appeared that it went better in the cold than in the hot climates. end volume i. under the ocean to the south pole or the strange cruise of the submarine wonder by roy rockwood author of "through the air to the north pole," "the rival ocean divers," "a schoolboy's pluck," etc. illustrated new york cupples & leon co. good books for boys by roy rockwood * * * * * =the great marvel series= through the air to the north pole or the wonderful cruise of the electric monarch under the ocean to the south pole or the strange cruise of the submarine wonder cloth. illustrated copyright, , by cupples & leon co. * * * * * under the ocean to the south pole contents chapter page i. will the ship work? ii. a land of ice iii. running down a war ship iv. in the midst of fire v. a grave accusation vi. on a runaway trolley vii. off for the south pole viii. ashore in the dark ix. a price on their heads x. attacked by a monster xi. caught in a sea of grass xii. fire on board xiii. the ghost of the submarine xiv. digging out the ship xv. the strange shipwreck xvi. the ghost again xvii. attacked by savages xviii. on land xix. regaining the ship xx. on a volcanic island xxi. caught in a whirlpool xxii. under fire xxiii. caught in an ice floe xxiv. the ship graveyard xxv. caught by sea suckers xxvi. land under ice xxvii. attacked by an octupus xxviii. out of the ice xxix. the boiling water xxx. the south pole--conclusion under the ocean to the south pole chapter i will the ship work? "hand me that wrench, mark," called professor amos henderson to a boy who stood near some complicated machinery over which the old man was working. the lad passed the tool over. "do you think the ship will work, professor?" he asked. "i hope so, mark, i hope so," muttered the scientist as he tightened some bolts on what was perhaps the strangest combination of apparatus that had ever been put together. "there is no reason why she should not, and yet--" the old man paused. perhaps he feared that, after all, the submarine boat on which he had labored continuously for more than a year would be a failure. "is there anything more i can do now?" asked mark. "not right away," replied the professor, without looking up from the work he was doing. "but i wish you and jack would be around in about an hour. i am going to start the engine then, and i'll need you. if you see washington outside send him to me." mark left the big room where the submarine boat had been in process of construction so long. outside he met a boy about his own age, who was cleaning a rifle. "how's it going, mark?" asked this second youth, who was rather fat, and, if one could judge by his face, of a jolly disposition. "the professor is going to try the engine in about an hour," replied mark. "we must be on hand." "i'll be there all right. but if there isn't anything else to do, let's shoot at a target. i'll bet i can beat you." "bet you can't. wait 'till i get my gun." "now don't yo' boys go to disportin' yo'seves in any disproportionable anticipation ob transposin' dem molecules of lead in a contigious direction to yo' humble servant!" exclaimed a colored man, coming from behind the big shed at that moment, and seeing mark and jack with their rifles. "i s'pose you mean to say, washington," remarked jack, "that you don't care to be shot at. is that it?" "neber said nuffin truer in all yo' born days!" exclaimed washington earnestly. "de infliction ob distress to de exterior portion ob--" "the professor wants you," interrupted mark, cutting off the colored man's flow of language. "yo' mind what i tole yo'," washington muttered as he hurried into the work room. soon the reports of rifles indicated that the boys were trying to discover who was the best shot, a contest that waged with friendly interest for some time. the big shed, where the submarine ship was being built, was located at a lonely spot on the coast of maine. the nearest town was easton, about ten miles away, and professor henderson had fixed on this location as one best suited to give him a chance to work secretly and unobserved on his wonderful invention. the professor was a man about sixty-five years old, and, while of simple and kindly nature in many ways, yet, on the subjects of airships and submarines, he possessed a fund of knowledge. he was somewhat queer, as many persons may be who devote all their thoughts to one object, yet he was a man of fine character. some time before this story opens he had invented an electric airship in which he, with mark sampson, jack darrow and the colored man, washington white, had made a trip to the frozen north. their adventures on that journey are told of in the first volume of this series, entitled, "through the air to the north pole, or, the wonderful cruise of the _electric monarch_." the two boys, mark then being fifteen and jack a year older, had met the professor under peculiar circumstances. they were orphans, and, after knocking about the world a bit, had chanced to meet each other. they agreed to seek together such fortune as might chance to come to them. while in the town of freeport, n. y., they were driven away by a constable, who said tramps were not allowed in the village. the boys jumped on a freight train, which broke in two and ran away down the mountain, and the lads were knocked senseless in the wreck that followed. as it chanced professor henderson had erected nearby a big shop, where he was building his airship. he and washington were on hand when the wreck occurred and they took the senseless boys to the airship shed. the boys, after their recovery, accepted the invitation of the professor to go on a search for the north pole. as the airship was about to start andy sudds, an old hunter, and two men, tom smith and bill jones, who had been called in to assist at the flight, held on too long and were carried aloft. somewhat against their will the three latter made the trip, for the professor did not want to return to earth with them. the party had many adventures on the voyage, having to fight savage animals and more savage esquimaux. they reached the north pole, but in the midst of such a violent storm that the ship was overturned, and the discovery of the long-sought goal availed little. after many hardships, and a fierce fight to recover the possession of the ship, which had been seized by natives, the adventurers reached home. since then a little over a year had passed. the professor, having found he could successfully navigate the air, turned his attention to the water, and began to plan a craft that would sail beneath the ocean. to this end he had moved his machine shop to this lonely spot on the maine coast. the two boys, who had grown no less fond of the old man than he of them, went with him, as did washington white, the negro, who was a genius in his way, though somewhat inclined to use big words, of the meaning of which he knew little and cared less. andy sudds, the old hunter, had also been induced to accompany the professor. "i hunted game up north and in the air," said andy, "and if there's a chance to shoot something under the water i'm the one to do it." needing more assistance than either the boys, andy or washington could give, the professor had engaged two young machinists, who, under a strict promise never to divulge any of the secrets of the submarine, had labored in its building. now the queer craft was almost finished. as it rested on the ways in the shed, it looked exactly like a big cigar, excepting that the top part was level, forming a platform. the ship, which had been named the _porpoise_, was eighty feet long, and twenty feet in diameter at the largest part. from that it tapered gradually, until the ends were reached. these consisted of flattened plates about three feet in diameter, with a hole in the center one foot in size. weary months of labor had been spent on the _porpoise_, until now it was almost ready for a trial. the professor had discovered a new method of propulsion. instead of propellers or paddle-wheels, he intended to send his craft ahead or to the rear, by means of a water cable. through the entire length of the ship ran a round hole or shaft, one foot in diameter. within this was an endless screw worked by powerful engines. with a working model the professor had demonstrated that when the endless screw was revolved it acted on the water just as another sort of screw does in wood. the water coming in through the shaft served as a rope, so to speak, and the screw, acting on it, pulled the craft ahead or to the rear, according to the direction in which the screw was revolved. the submarine was a wonderful craft. it contained a powerful engine, electric motors and dynamos, and machinery of all kinds. the engine was a turbine, and steam was generated from heat furnished by the burning of a powerful gas, manufactured from sea water and chemicals. so there was no need to carry a supply of coal on the ship. the interior of the vessel was divided into an engine-room, a kitchen, combination dining-room and parlor, bunk rooms, and a conning tower, or place for the steersman. while the boys had been shooting at the target the professor and washington had been putting the finishing touches to the engine, tightening nuts here and screwed up bolts there. "i guess that will do," remarked the old inventor. "call the boys, washington." the colored man went to the door and gave three blasts on a battered horn that hung from a string. "coming!" called mark, as he and jack ceased their marksmanship contest and approached the shed. "now boys, we'll see if she works so far," said the professor. "if she does, we'll give her a trial under water." at the inventor's directions the boys started the gas to generating from the chemicals. soon the hissing of steam told them that there was power in the boiler. the professor entered the engine-room of the submarine. he looked over the various wheels, levers, handles, gages and attachments, satisfying himself that all were in proper shape and position. "three hundred pounds pressure," he muttered, glancing at the steam indicator. "that ought to be enough. are you all ready, boys?" "all ready!" cried jack. of course the test was only one to see if the engine worked, for the boat could not move until in the water. the professor opened a valve. the steam filled the turbine with a hiss and throb. the _porpoise_ trembled. then, with a cough and splutter of the exhaust pipes, the engine started. slowly it went at first, but, as the professor admitted more steam, it revolved the long screw until it fairly hummed in the shaft. "hurrah! it works!" cried mark. "it does!" chimed in jack. "gollyation! she suttinly am goin'!" yelled washington. "i think we may say it is a success," said the professor calmly, yet there was a note of exultation in his voice. "now that you've got her started, when are you goin' to put her in the water an' scoot along under the waves?" asked andy sudds. "in about a week," replied the professor. "and where are you goin' to head for?" went on the hunter. "we're going under the ocean to the south pole!" exclaimed the inventor, as he shut off the engine. chapter ii a land of ice "the south pole?" exclaimed mark. "way down dat way!" cried washington. "can you do it?" asked jack. "that remains to be seen," replied the professor, answering them all at once. "i'm going to try, at any rate." "hurrah!" yelled mark. "it will be better than going to the north pole, for we will be in no danger of freezing to death." "don't be so sure of that," interrupted the professor. "there is more ice at the south pole than at the north, according to all accounts. it is a place of great icebergs, immense floes and cold fogs. but there is land beyond the ice, i believe, and i am going to try to find it." "it will be a longer voyage than to the north pole," said jack. "jest de same," argued washington, "de poles am at each end ob de world." "yes, but we're quite a way north of the equator now, and we'll have to cross that before we will be half way to the south pole," explained jack. "but i guess the _porpoise_ can make good time." "if the engine behaves under water as well as it did just now, we'll skim along," said the professor. "and so you figure there's land down there to the south, do you?" asked old andy. "i do," replied the inventor. "i can't prove it, but i'm sure there is. i have read all the accounts of other explorers and from the signs they mention i am positive we shall find land if we ever get there. land and an open sea." "and other things as well," muttered andy, yet neither he nor any of them dreamed of the terrible and strange adventures they were to have. the next few days were busy ones. many little details remained to perfect in connection with the ship, and a lot of supplies and provisions had to be purchased, for the professor was determined to get all in readiness for the trip under the water. he believed firmly that his ship would work, though some of the others were not so positive. "we'll put her into the water to-morrow," announced the inventor after supper one night. "everything is complete as far as i can make it, and the only thing remaining is to see if she will float, sink when i want her to, and, what is most important, rise to the surface again. for," he added with a twinkle in his eye, "anybody can make a ship that will sink, but it isn't every one who can make one that will come to the surface again." "golly! i hope dis chile ain't goin' to git in no subicecream ship what'll stay down under de water so de fishes gits him!" exclaimed washington, opening his eyes wide. "dat's worser dan freezin!" "can't you swim?" asked mark with a wink at jack. "co'se i can swim, boy. i can swim like a starfish, but i can't wif ten thousand tons of a subicecream ship on my back." "a sub-ice-cream ship is a new one," commented the professor with a smile. "it's a submarine, washington." "i can't see no difference," persisted the colored man. "subicecream am good enough for me." that night mark and jack were thinking so much of the proposed test of the ship the next day that they each dreamed they were sailing beneath the waves, and jack woke mark up by grabbing him about the neck during a particularly vivid part of the vision. "what's the matter?" inquired mark, sleepily. "i thought the ship turned over and spilled me out and i was drowning," explained jack. "i grabbed the first thing i got hold of and it happened to be you." "well, as long as you're safe you can go to sleep again," said mark. "i dreamed i was chasing a whale with the _porpoise_." the boys were up early the next morning, and found the professor and washington before them. the inventor was inspecting the track which had been built from the shed down to the water's edge to enable the _porpoise_ to slide into the ocean. with him were the two machinists, henry watson and james penson. they had been busy since daylight making the ways secure. "she goes in after breakfast," announced the professor, "and i'm going to let you christen her, washington." "me? i neber christened a ship," objected the colored man. "nothing like learning," remarked mr. henderson. "has you got the bottle ob wine?" asked washington. "i guess soda water will do," said the inventor. "now look sharp, boys. get your breakfasts and we'll see if the ship will come up to our expectations." no one lingered over the meal. when it was finished the professor gave washington a few instructions about breaking the bottle over the nose of the _porpoise_ as she slid down to the water, for there was no bow to such a queerly shaped vessel as the submarine. at last all was in readiness. the two machinists knocked away the last of the retaining blocks and eased the ship slightly down the well-greased timbers of the ways. "there she goes!" cried the professor. "break the bottle, washington!" "in de name ob de stars an' stripes, in de name of liberty, de home of the free an' de land ob de brave, i names yo' _mrs. porpoise_!" cried the colored man, but he was so long getting the words out, and so slow in swinging the bottle of soda, that the ship was quite beyond his reach when he had finished his oration. he was not to be outdone, however, and, with a quick movement he hurled the bottle at the moving ship. it struck the blunt nose squarely, and shivered to pieces. "three cheers for de south pole!" yelled washington, and the others joined in. the next instant the _porpoise_ was riding the waves of the little bay, dancing about as lightly as a cork, though, from the nature of her construction, she was quite low in the water, only about three feet of freeboard showing where the platform was located. "well, she floats, anyhow," remarked the professor. "row out and fasten cables fore and aft," he went on, turning to the two machinists. in a few minutes the _porpoise_ was fastened to a small dock with strong ropes the two young men had carried out to her in rowboats. "we will go aboard in a little while," the professor said. "i am anxious to see if she rides on an even keel and how the sinking tanks work." aided by the boys, he and washington carried on board a number of tools and appliances. then, with the two machinists, they all descended into the interior of the craft through the small manhole in the middle of the deck or platform. inside the _porpoise_, the greater part of which was below the surface of the waves and consequently in darkness, the professor switched on the electric lights and then he proceeded to get up steam. the propelling power of the craft has already been described. in order to make the ship sink beneath the water all that was necessary was to incline the rudder and open certain valves in the four tanks, when the water, rushing in, would sink her. there was a tank on either side, and one each fore and aft. if it was desired to sink straight down all four tanks were filled at once. if the professor wanted to descend slanting either to the front or back, only one of the end tanks was filled, according to the direction desired. the deflecting rudder also aided greatly in this movement. to cause the ship to rise the tanks were emptied of the water by means of powerful pumps. the filling of the tanks, as well as the emptying of them, the starting or stopping of the engine that moved the boat, as well as the control of most of the important machinery on the craft could be accomplished from the conning or steering tower, as well as from the engine-room. there were numerous gages to tell the depth to which the ship had sunk, the steam pressure, density of the water, and other necessary details. there were dynamos to make light, motors to run the pumps, and a great storage battery, so that in case of a breakdown to the turbine engine the craft could be run entirely by electricity for a time. the cooking was all done by this useful current, and all that was necessary to make a cup of coffee or fry a beefsteak was to turn a small switch of the electric stove. the professor was busy over the machine for generating gas, that furnished the heat to create steam. soon a hissing told that it was working. in a few minutes the hum and throb of the engine told that it was ready to start. "we are only going down a little way," the professor said, "and only going to travel a short distance under water for the first time. i think there is no danger, but if any of you want to back out, now is your chance." no one seemed inclined to withdraw, though mark said afterward he thought washington got as pale as it is possible for a colored man to get. "we will all put on life preservers," the inventor went on, "and one of you will be stationed near the emergency exit. in case anything goes wrong, and i cannot make the ship rise, by pulling the lever the top of the craft will be forced off, and, we can at least save our lives. i think we are all ready now. mark, you clamp down the manhole cover, and jack, after you close the conning tower station yourself at the emergency lever after we have donned the life preservers." the cork jackets were adjusted and mark clamped the manhole cover on. the professor took one last look at the various levers and handles, and then turned the wheel that admitted water to all four tanks. there was a hissing sound as the sea water rushed in, and the _porpoise_ gave a sudden lurch. then they could all feel the submarine sinking. down and down she went. would she ever stop? would the professor be able to raise her again? there were questions that troubled everyone. down and down the craft sunk, until by the gage it was indicated that she was twenty feet below the surface. then the professor shut off the inrush of water and the _porpoise_ floated away below the surface of the waves. there was a clicking sound and all the lights went out. the boys and washington gave a gasp of terror. what did the sudden blackness mean. "open the side windows," called the professor's voice, and the two machinists obeyed. heavy steel doors that covered plate glass windows in either side of the craft were pulled back, and a cry of astonishment broke from the boys. they looked out and saw staring in at them, so close it seemed that they could touch them, scores of fishes that looked in through the glass bull's-eyes. for the first time they realized that they were in the depths of the ocean. chapter iii running down a warship "how do you like it?" asked the professor. "great!" exclaimed jack. "fine!" cried mark. "it am simply coslostrousness!" exploded washington. "'nebber in all my born days did i eber expansionate on such a sight!" "wish i had a fishing pole and line," remarked andy sudds. "there's some pretty nice specimens out there." "you'll see better ones than those before we finish our trip to the pole," remarked the professor. "now we will try moving forward. i am going into the conning tower." he turned on the lights once more, but the boys begged him to shut them off, as they could see out into the ocean when the interior of the ship was in darkness. so the professor obliged them. in the tower he switched on the powerful searchlight that illuminated the path in front of him. then he started the engine, slowly at first, and gradually increasing the speed. the _porpoise_ forged ahead, riding as evenly as an ordinary ship does on the surface. the professor steered her about in a large circle, bringing her back to the starting point. she worked as smoothly as if she had been used to under-water service for years. "now," said the inventor, "we will see if we can go up to the surface again," and there came a little note of anxiety into his voice. he slowed down the engine and started the powerful pumps that were to empty the tanks. for a moment there was a feeling of terror in the hearts of all. would the pumps work? then, slowly but surely, those aboard the _porpoise_ felt her beginning to rise. up and up she went as the tanks were emptied and the ship lightened. then, with a bounce like a rubber ball, the submarine shot upward to the surface and lay undulating on the waves caused by her emergence from the depths. "hurrah!" shouted jack. "we're all right!" "we shore am!" exclaimed washington. "it's a success!" professor henderson almost whispered. "the pumps worked. the _porpoise_ has fulfilled my greatest expectations!" then he steered the ship back to the dock, where she was moored, and the adventurers disembarked. "one or two little details to attend to, and we'll be ready for the great trip," remarked the professor. "i want to give her a little harder trial before i trust her, though she seems to be first-rate." they all went back to the combined machine shop and cabin, where they had lived during the building of the submarine. dinner was prepared and, after the meal the two machinists approached the professor. "i don't suppose you need us any more," remarked henry watson. "the ship is finished as far as we can do anything, and we may as well leave now. we have an offer to go to work in an electrical shop." "i haven't said much to you about my plans," the professor replied, "but if you would like to remain in my employ, i can promise you an interesting trip." "thank you, but i prefer to work above ground," said james pensen. "you have been very kind to us, and we would do anything we could for, but we don't want to take any long under-ocean trips if we can help it." "very well," answered the professor, though he seemed disappointed. "i will pay you what i owe you and you can go." for some time after the departure of the two young machinists the inventor seemed worried. "did you count on them staying with you?" asked mark. "i rather hoped they would," replied mr. henderson. "we need two more hands if we are to make the trip. they need not be machinists, but we will have to have someone, and i don't like to get strangers. they might talk too much about the ship." at that instant there came a rap on the door. washington answered it. "yas sir, perfesser henderson done lib here," he replied, in answer to a question from some one. "but he am bery busy jest at de present occasioness an' he'll be most extremely discommodated if yo' obtrude yo' presence on him at de conglomeration ob de statutory limitations, which am to say right now. come again!" "it's the same old washington!" said someone outside, laughing heartily. "just you tell the professor we want to see him most particular." at the sound of the voice the professor started and mark and jack wondered where they had heard it before. "show the gentlemen in, washington," called the inventor. "dere's two ob 'em," objected the colored man. "show them both in, then." washington opened the door of the cabin, and in came two men, who seemed much amused over something. "what can i do for you?" asked the professor, in rather a sharp voice. "he don't know us either, tom," remarked the taller of the two. "if it ain't bill jones and tom smith!" exclaimed andy sudds. "wa'al i'll be horn swoggled. where'd ye come from?" "right from the farm," replied bill. "and we've had a hard job locating you. i guess washington didn't know us since we raised beards," and bill stroked his wealth of brown whiskers. "and i guess we sort of fooled the professor," went on bill, "eh, tom?" "right!" said tom. "you see," he went on, "the farming business is almost over, as its coming on fall now, so bill and i thought it would be a good time to hunt up the professor. we heard he was down in this neighborhood so we come by easy stages. we didn't have any time to stop and make our toilets, hence our beards." "you've come at the right time," remarked the inventor, as he came forward to welcome the two young men. "do you remember the trip you made with me to the north pole?" "i guess we'll not forget it in a hurry," replied bill. "that's what made us hunt you up," put in tom. "we hoped you might have something similar on foot." "i have," answered the inventor. "what is it?" "a trip under the ocean!" for an instant the two young men hesitated. it was a new proposition to them. yet they recalled that they had come safely back from the journey through the air. "do you want to go along as part of the crew?" asked the inventor, after some further conversation. "you can count on me!" cried bill. "and if bill goes i'll go too!" exclaimed tom. "under the seas or over the seas, it'll be all one to us if professor henderson sails the ship!" went on bill. "we'll go!" "good!" ejaculated the professor. "you certainly came at just the right time." as tom smith and bill jones were hungry a hasty meal was prepared for them, during the eating of which they told of their experiences since landing from the airship. they had been on a farm until fired with a desire to go roving once more. for the next few days the professor, the boys, and the other four were busy making some improvements to the _porpoise_. tom and bill were much astonished at their first sight of the queer craft, but they soon became accustomed to her, and said they preferred her to the airship. "to-morrow we are going on a little longer trip than our first trial," announced the inventor one evening. "we will be gone all day if nothing happens to make the stay more lengthy," he added grimly. "so, washington, put plenty to eat aboard." a little later, when supplies had been put on the _porpoise_, and the machinery well overhauled, the professor explained that he intended making a trip, entirely under water, from the dock in the cove to a point off the massachusetts coast and return. early the next morning all were aboard. to each one was assigned a particular station. washington, with mark as an assistant, was in the engine-room. jack was to watch the various gages and registers to give warning of any danger. the professor, of course, would be in the conning tower and operate the craft. andy was to be with him, to watch out, with his sharp eyes, for any danger that might loom up in the path of the searchlight. tom and bill were to be ready to help where needed. with a hissing sound the water filled the tanks and the _porpoise_ sunk beneath the waves. the engine that worked the endless screw was started, and the threads, working on the water cable, shot the boat ahead. "we're off!" yelled washington. about sixty feet below the surface the craft was sent along. mile after mile was covered as shown by the patent log. the lights were turned off, and through the thick plate glass windows the strange inhabitants of the sea were observed. "i think i'll go a little nearer the surface," said the professor to andy. the inventor started the pumps that emptied the tanks. the craft rose slightly. "quick! stop her!" shouted the old hunter, grasping the captain's arm. something black, like a grim shadow, loomed up in the dull glare of the searchlight. "what is it?" cried the professor. "we're goin' to hit somethin' hard!" yelled andy. "it's the hull of a ship!" exclaimed the inventor as he jammed the reversing lever hard over. it was too late. the next instant the _porpoise_, with a shock that made her shiver from stem to stern, collided with the steel side of a small warship. chapter iv in the midst of fire "pull the secondary emergency lever!" cried the professor through the speaking tube to washington. "we must reach the surface at once!" "are we damaged?" asked andy, scrambling to his feet, for the shock had knocked him down. the professor had not fallen because he clung to the steering wheel. the ship gave a sudden lurch. "we're sinking!" cried bill, rushing to the conning tower from the engine-room. "that's only the action of one of the emergency levers," said the professor calmly. "it forces compressed air into the tanks the more quickly to empty them of water. i think we are safe." "what is it?" asked mark, as, followed by jack, he came forward. "we tried to do the torpedo act to one of uncle sam's ships," explained andy. the electric lights had been switched on, and, with the _porpoise_ flooded with the bright beams, those on board waited anxiously for what was to happen next. suddenly an upward motion was experienced. the next instant the craft bounced out of the water and fell back in a smother of foam, shaking and shivering, alongside a small armored warship that was anchored about two miles and a half from shore. "open the manhole," commanded mr. henderson. mark sprang up the iron ladder that led to the opening in the deck of the _porpoise_ and threw back the cams that held the heavy iron in place. then he swung the cover back and stepped out on the small platform, followed by the professor, andy and jack. they looked up to find themselves observed by a curious throng that crowded to the rail of the warship. [illustration: a curious throng crowded to the rail of the warship.--_page ._] "what are you trying to do? ram me with a new-fangled torpedo?" asked an angry voice, and a man in a gold laced uniform, who, from his importance plainly showed himself to be the captain of the ship, shook his fist at mr. henderson. "i might ask what right your ship has to get in my path," replied the inventor. "it was all an accident." "mighty queer," muttered the naval commander. "looks very suspicious. how do i know but what you're a torpedo from some foreign nation?" "because this is not a torpedo," replied mr. henderson. "it is a new submarine boat of my invention, and i was giving it a trial spin." "i guess you'd better come aboard and do your explaining," went on the captain. "i don't like the looks of things. lower a boat!" he shouted, "and bring those chaps to my cabin. i want to question them." it did not suit professor henderson to have his plans upset in this fashion. nor did he care to give a detailed description of his ship to officers of the war department. he had many valuable inventions that were not patented. so he determined to outwit the pompous commander of the cruiser. the noise made in preparing the small boat for lowering over the side of the big ship could be plainly heard. "go below, all of you, and as quietly as you can," whispered mr. henderson. andy, mark and jack obeyed. at that instant the side of the warship was almost deserted, for the sailors who had gathered to observe the _porpoise_ had gone to lower the small boat. no sooner had jack, who was in the rear, disappeared through the manhole than the professor, with a quick jump, followed him. "here! come back!" shouted the warship's captain as he saw mr. henderson's head disappearing from view. "come back i say!" but with a quick movement the inventor pulled down the manhole cover and clamped it. then he sprang to the conning tower, and, with a jerk, opened the levers that admitted water to the tanks. the _porpoise_ began to sink slowly, and then more suddenly, so that, in less than a minute, she was out of sight beneath the waves, and the angry, gold-laced captain was staring in wonderment at the place where the submarine had been. the spot was marked only by a few bubbles and some foam. "i guess he'll wait some time for an explanation," spoke mr. henderson, as he started the big screw and sent the _porpoise_ ahead at a swift pace. "that was rather a narrow escape," observed jack, standing at the foot of the conning tower stairs and talking to andy and mr. henderson, who was steering. "it certainly was," agreed the professor. "i have not yet become used to seeing things very far ahead in the dimness caused by being under water. but we'll soon get used to it. luckily, the _porpoise_ was not damaged by the shock." for several hours the _porpoise_ was kept on her course. she behaved handsomely, and nothing excepting slight and easily remedied defects were found. the professor steered well out to sea, increasing both the forward speed and the depth to which the vessel sank. presently the craft came to a stop with a little jolt. "what's the trouble?" asked mark, somewhat alarmed. "nothing at all," replied the professor with a smile, as he stepped out of the conning tower and entered the engine-room. "i thought it was time for dinner so i stopped the ship. we are now resting on the ocean bed, about half a mile below the surface. look!" as he spoke he slid back the slides covering the plate glass windows. the boys saw that the ship rested in the midst of an immense forest of sea weed. some of the stalks were as large around as trees. in and out among the snake-like, waving branches swam big fishes. it was a weird, but beautiful sight. "come, washington, serve dinner," ordered mr. henderson, and the colored man soon had a good meal prepared. few repasts have been eaten under such strange circumstances. desiring to be back at his secluded dock by nightfall, captain henderson soon started the _porpoise_ up again. without any accidents the return trip was made and by nine o'clock the _porpoise_ rode safely at the dock where she had been launched. the night was spent in the cabin on shore. early the next morning mr. henderson paid a visit to the ship, to make a thorough examination by daylight, and see if the craft had suffered any damage. "i think you and mark will have to make a trip to town," he said to jack at the breakfast table. "i need a new monkey wrench and some other tools and some small pieces of machinery. i'll give you a list of them, and you can bring them back in a valise, for they will be quite numerous." after the meal the inventor made a record of what he needed and the boys started off. "in case the machine shop does not have everything and you have to wait for something, you had better stay in the town all night," the captain of the _porpoise_ said. "it is quite a long trip and i don't want you traveling after dark. put up at the hotel if you are delayed." provided with money for their purchase, and a large valise in which to carry them, the boys started off. they had to walk two miles to where a trolley line was built that ran to the town of easton, where they were to get the tools and parts of machinery. they made the trip safely and without incident. when they gave the machinist, to whom they had been directed by mr. henderson, the list of the things needed, the man looked puzzled. "i'll have to make one piece," he said. "you'll have to wait for it. can't promise it before to-morrow morning about eight o'clock." "that will be all right," remarked mark. "we'll call for it then." so, bearing in mind mr. henderson's instructions, the boys engaged a room at the hotel, which was quite a large one, for easton was a favorite summer resort and the town was filled with visitors. the lads strolled about the town, had their dinner, and then went for a bath in the surf. they retired early, for they were tired. in the middle of the night mark began to dream that he was on board the _porpoise_ and that the submarine blew up. there was a loud noise, he saw a bright flash of flame, and saw rolling clouds of smoke. so vivid was the vision that he thought he tried to leap out of the boat, and awoke with a jump, to find jack shaking him. "what's the matter?" inquired mark. "the hotel's on fire!" shouted jack. mark sprang out of bed and with jack rushed to the window, for their room was filled with thick smoke. they could see the dull glare of flames, which every moment were becoming brighter. the next instant a loud explosion shook the building. it swayed and seemed likely to topple over. outside the boys could hear excited shouts and the puffing and whistling of fire engines. "quick! run!" yelled mark. he opened the door leading into the corridor, but was driven back by a rush of flames and smoke that almost stifled him. "we must try the fire escape!" shouted mark. "don't forget the valise with the tools;" exclaimed jack, and mark hastened to where he had placed it under the bed. then the two boys rushed to the balcony on which their front windows opened, and whence the fire escapes led down to the streets. the lads had only time to slip on their coats, trousers, shoes and caps. as they were preparing to clamber down the iron ladders they heard someone on the balcony next to them shout: "here, you boys! stop! i want you!" chapter v a grave accusation "we haven't time now!" yelled back mark, looking in the direction of the voice, and seeing a short, stout man, who appeared greatly excited. "stop or i'll shoot!" the man exclaimed. "the fire must have made him crazy," said jack. "go on, mark, it's getting hot up above!" mark did not linger on the ladder and soon the two boys were in the street, surrounded by an excited crowd. "are you hurt?" asked several. "i guess not," replied mark. "what caused the fire?" "some sort of an explosion," answered a policeman. "part of the hotel was blown up. if you boys wish you can go to a station house where you'll be comfortable until morning." "i guess we will," said mark. they started to work their way through the crowd but did not notice that the strange man followed them. the fire was now burning fiercely, and once they had gotten clear of the press the lads halted to look at the spectacle. the hotel was now a mass of flames and the firemen were kept busy. what with the puffing of engines, the whistling of the steamers, the roar of the flames, and the shouts of the crowd, pandemonium reigned. the boys watched the fire for some time. gradually the flames came under the control of the men and the leaping tongues died out. "i guess we'd better go to the police station," suggested jack. mark agreed this would be a good thing to do, as both of them felt rather chilly in the night air with only half of their clothes on. they inquired their way of the first policeman they saw, and he volunteered to escort them. "sure an' you'll have plenty of company," he said. "the hotel was full an' the people have no place to go except to the lock-up. some swells will be glad to take a place behind the bars to-night i'm thinkin'. i wonder how some of those english aristocrats will like it?" "english aristocrats?" repeated jack. "are any here?" "sure. there's a lot of them burned out. lord peckham was stoppin' at the hotel with a big crowd of people, an' their apartments was all destroyed. some of 'em went to the police station." the boys followed their uniformed guide through the streets of easton, and were soon at the station house. there they were received by the sergeant in charge, while the matron gave them each a cup of hot coffee, a large pot of the beverage having been brewed. "i'll have to give you boys one bed between you," said the sergeant. "we're rather crowded for room to-night." "anything will do us," said jack with a laugh. just then there was some excitement at the entrance of the police station. "i tell you they're in here! i will see them!" a voice exclaimed. "i want them arrested at once!" "go easy now," counseled the doorman as he tried to hold back a short, stout, excited man who was pushing his way into the station. "there they are!" exclaimed the man, pointing to jack and mark. "why those boys are from the burned hotel," said the doorman. "i know it! they are the very ones i want!" "what do you of us?" spoke up mark. he recognized the man as the one who had called to him as he and jack were escaping. "i charge you with being sons of james darrow, the notorious english anarchist!" cried the little man, pointing his finger at the boys, "and i accuse you of trying to kill lord peckham with a bomb, the explosion of which set fire to the hotel!" for a moment the surprising charge so astonished every one that not a word was said. then the little man, advancing toward the boys went on: "i arrest you in the name of his royal highness, edward vii, king of england, scotland and wales." he threw back the lapel of his coat and showed a badge. "king of england, scotland and wales, is it!" exclaimed the doorman with a twinkle in his eye. "an' why didn't ye say ireland into the bargain." "ireland, of course," went on the little man. "i'm an officer of his most gracious majesty," he added, "and i demand the assistance of the united states authorities in general and the police of easton in particular in taking these desperate criminals into custody!" "hold your horses," advised the desk-sergeant. "those boys are not liable to run away. they're to stay here over night, and if you have any charge to make against them why you'll have to come and see the judge in the morning." "but they are sons of an anarchist! they are anarchists themselves!" exclaimed the man, "i must arrest them!" "you're not going to arrest anybody," said the sergeant, "until you get a warrant from the judge. this isn't england." "then i'm going to stay with these boys the rest of the night," insisted the man. "i can't take any chances on their giving me the slip." "this place is going to be crowded with people from the burned hotel," objected the sergeant. "there will be no room for you. besides, how do i know these boys are anarchists?" "look in their valise," cried the stranger. "it is filled with bombs." "you can't look in this satchel," exclaimed jack, for he remembered the valise contained parts of the professor's secret machines. "what did i tell you?" cried the englishman with triumph in his tones. "they are the guilty ones. they are afraid to open their valise." "we are, but not because it has bombs in it," said mark. "it has parts of an unpatented machine and the owner does not want any one to see them," for mark remembered mr. henderson's strict injunctions to let no one but the mechanist to whom they had gone catch a glimpse of the parts that were to be duplicated. the machinist was sworn to secrecy. "it's none of our affair," said the sergeant, though he seemed a little impressed by the englishman's words and the reluctance mark and jack showed to letting the valise be opened. "the boys will be here until morning, and then you can see the judge. now you'll have to get out. you boys get to bed." muttering threats, the stranger went from the station house, and mark and jack, in response to a nod from the doorman, followed him upstairs to a part of the police station used to detain witnesses. they were shown to a small room with a single bed. "are ye really anarchists?" asked the doorman. "not a bit," replied jack, and he told as much of their story as he dared. "i was kind-of hopin' ye was," said the officer with a twinkle in his eye. "it wouldn't do any harm to scare that uppish englishman a bit. sure he an' his kind have done enough to poor old ireland." "i'm sorry we can't oblige you," said mark with a laugh. "i guess ye're all right," went on the doorman. "i hope ye sleep good the rest of the night." then he left them alone. what with the excitement of the fire and the startling accusation against them, the boys' brains were too excited to let them sleep much. they had a few fitful naps throughout the remainder of the night. it was just getting daylight when mark was awakened by some one shaking him. "what is it?" he asked. "another fire?" "not this time," replied a voice, and mark, now that his eyes were fully opened, saw the doorman bending over him. "what's the matter?" asked jack waking up in his turn. "easy!" exclaimed the doorman in a whisper. "i happened to think ye might want to be leavin'." "leaving?" asked mark in bewilderment. "yes. ye know that englishman is liable to be back any minute, an' he may make trouble for ye. i know ye're innocent lads, an' i'd hate to see ye mixed up in a mess with that fellow. so i slips up here early, an' ye can leave by the back door if ye want to, an' the officer of his imperial majesty, king edward vii, will never know a thing about it." "it looks like running away," objected jack. "sure there's no charge agin ye," went on the doorman. "ye're free to come an' go as far as we're concerned, an' ye'd better go whilst ye have the chance." jack reflected. it was true that the charge of the englishman, baseless as it was, might make trouble for them, and cause them endless delays in getting back to professor henderson. suddenly jack made up his mind. "come on mark," he said. chapter vi on a runaway trolley "are you going to leave?" asked mark. "certainly. there is no use staying here and getting mixed up in something that englishman thinks we have done. it's easier to go away quietly and let him find out his mistake." "all right," agreed mark. "i wonder who he is, anyhow?" "he thinks he owns the earth, whoever he is," returned jack. "he's some sort of a special detective traveling with lord peckham's party," explained the doorman. "he told us a lot about himself last night after you boys went to bed. he came back to inquire how early the judge would be here. "he went on to tell how some english anarchists have vowed to kill lord peckham because he foreclosed a lot of mortgages on some poor people in ireland where he owned property," added the doorman. "there was some sort of explosions in the hotel, near where lord peckham had his rooms. maybe it was a bomb and, maybe ag'in it was only the boiler. anyhow, this detective jumped to the conclusion that anarchists had done it, and he thinks you are responsible. but you'd better be goin' now. it's gettin' daylight." so mark and jack, with what scanty clothes they had, and carrying their valise, went quietly out of the back door of the police station. "we'd better go to the machine shop for the rest of the stuff," suggested mark, "and then we can take the first trolley we see and get back to the professor." through quiet side streets the boys made their way toward the machine shop. they were somewhat amused to think how they had fooled the detective, but they would not have felt so jolly had they seen the roughly dressed man who had darted after them as soon as they left the police station. "i'll get you yet," the man muttered. "you needn't think to escape with the aid of these bloomin' american police." the lads found the machinist just opening his shop though it was quite early. the pieces of apparatus were finished and, after paying for them mark put the parts in the valise. "quite a fire in town," observed the machinist. "yes," answered mark, not wishing to get into a long conversation. "heard the hotel was blowed up by anarchists and that the police are after 'em," proceeded the man. "i believe i did hear something like that," admitted mark. "i guess we'll be going." he signalled to jack, and the two hurried out of the shop. as they did so, the trampish-looking man glided from behind a tree where he had been hiding and took after them. "say," exclaimed jack, "i forgot we haven't had any breakfast yet." "that's so," said mark, rubbing his stomach and making a wry face. near by was a bakery, and there the lads got some coffee and rolls which tasted fine. when they finished their simple meal a trolley came past and they ran to catch it. so did the man who had been following them, but this person bore no resemblance to the spruce little detective who had wanted to arrest the boys. "a couple of hours now and we'll be back at the cabin," spoke mark. "my, but i must say we have had strenuous times since we started away!" there were few passengers on the trolley so early in the morning and not many stops to make, so the motorman turned on the power full and made the vehicle speed along. mile after mile was covered and finally the car reached the top of a long hill. at the foot of this the line came to an end, and the boys had a two mile tramp before them to reach the lonely spot where the _porpoise_ was docked. down the hill the car started. the motorman shut off the electricity and let the vehicle run by its weight. faster and faster it ran, the dust flying in a cloud about it. "better put the brakes on a bit," called the conductor. "it's gettin' kinder speedy, hank!" the motorman twisted the handle. there was a grinding noise as the shoes took hold on the wheels. then a chain snapped and the car seemed to leap ahead. "the brake's busted! i can't stop the car!" yelled the motorman. vainly he twisted at the handle. then, seeing he could not stop the trolley car he made a desperate jump off the vehicle and landed in a heap on the side of the road, rolling over and over. "reverse the current!" cried one of the passengers, to the conductor. "that ought to stop her!" the conductor made his way to the front platform and turned the reversing lever. then he applied the current. but it was no use. with a blinding flash and a report like that of a gun a fuse blew out, and that crippled the car completely so far as the electric current was concerned. "everybody jump!" cried the conductor. "there's a curve at the foot of the hill, and we'll all be killed if we stay on!" one by one the passengers leaped from the car. several were badly hurt by the falls they got. meanwhile the trolley was tearing down the hill at a terrific rate of speed. "shall we jump?" asked mark of jack. "we'll be killed if we do," was jack's answer. "and we'll be killed if we stay aboard," said mark. "not if i can help it," cried jack as he started for the rear platform. "what are you going to do?" asked mark. "put on the other brake. they never thought to try this one! maybe it will work and stop the car!" then mark saw what jack was up to and went to help him. the shabbily dressed man seemed undecided what to do. he stood up, holding to the straps to prevent himself from being tossed from side to side as the runaway trolley swayed. he watched the boys curiously. the lads, reaching the rear platform, twisted at the brake handle with all their strength. they could feel that the chain was still intact. but would the shoes grip the wheels with force sufficient to stop the car? there was a shrill screech as the brakes were applied by the boys. with all their might they turned the handle, winding the chain up tighter and tighter. at last they could not budge it another inch. then they waited anxiously. the car never slackened its speed. so great was the momentum that had both sets of brakes been in working order it is doubtful whether they would have stopped the vehicle. the speed was so great now that one of the journals became hot and the oily waste that was packed in it caught fire, making what railroad men term a "hot box". "i guess we're done for," groaned mark. "we certainly haven't checked the speed any," jack admitted. "but wait a minute." he began stamping on the floor of the platform. "what you doing?" cried mark, for he had to shout to make his voice heard above the roar and rattle of the car. "putting on the sand," replied jack, as he kicked at the plunger which, being depressed, let a stream of fine gravel out on the rails. "the wheels are gripped i think, and are slipping on the rails. this may help some." "let me give you a hand," exclaimed a voice, and the boys turned to see the shabby man standing with them on the platform. he grasped the brake handle, and gave it an additional turn. his strength seemed remarkable for so small a man. the speed of the car was checked a little, but the vehicle was still speeding along at a rate that would soon bring it to destruction if not halted before the curve was reached. "that's a little better," observed mark. "it's a good thing you were here." "good for me, not so good for you," said the man with a peculiar smile. "what do you mean?" asked mark. "i mean that i shall have to place you under arrest for attempting to assassinate lord peckham!" exclaimed the man. "i am detective ducket, of scotland yard!" he stripped off a false beard he had donned, and threw back his coat, displaying his shield. he was the same man who had attempted to arrest the boys in the police station at easton. "i've got you just where i want you now," detective ducket went on. "there are none of those blooming american police to interfere." the next instant the car gave a sudden lurch. then it seemed to rise up in the air. jack felt himself flying through space, and he observed mark, who was clinging to the valise, following him. there was a terrific crash, a ripping, tearing splintering sound, and the runaway trolley smashed into a big oak tree at the foot of the hill. the vehicle had completely jumped the track at the sharp curve. jack's eyes grew dim, and he seemed to be sinking down in some dark pool of water. he heard a splashing beside him and began to strike out, trying to swim. he seemed to be choking. then the blessed air and daylight came to him, and he found he was floating on the surface of a pond. he dashed the water from his eyes and saw, over on the bank, the wreck of the trolley. then he noticed that mark was swimming beside him. "what happened?" asked jack. "a little of everything," panted mark. "lucky we weren't killed. we must have been flung off the rear platform into this duck pond." the boys soon made their way to shore, unhurt except for the wetting. the fall into the water had saved their lives. "where's the valise of machinery?" asked jack. "there it is," answered mark pointing to where it had fallen at the back of the pond. "and what became of detective ducket?" "he's here, at your service!" exclaimed a voice. "consider yourselves under arrest and don't you dare to leave this place without me." the boys looked in the direction of the sound and saw the english officer lying on the grass not far away. he seemed in pain, but had raised himself on his elbow and was pointing his finger sternly at the boys. chapter vii off for the south pole "are you hurt?" asked jack. "i think my leg is broken, but otherwise i'm not damaged," replied the detective. "even if i am disabled, it makes no difference, you are my prisoners. i command you to stay here until help comes." the boys did not know what to do. they did not like to see even an enemy suffer, but, at the same time, they knew he had no right to arrest them. "here comes a wagon," said mark, catching the sound of wheels. "well, fo' de land sakes! gollyation! what terrible catafterme hab occurred in dis unapproachable manner?" a voice demanded. "it's washington!" cried mark, as he saw professor henderson's colored assistant driving along the road. "dat's who it am!" exclaimed washington as he noticed the boys. "my! my! but am you boff dead?" "no, only one of us," said mark with a laugh, as he and jack ran toward the wagon. "ha! ha! dat's one ob yo' jokes," said washington. "but hurry up, boys. de perfessor he done sent me to meet you. he reckoned you'd becomin' ober on an early trolley. he's in a hurry to git away." "don't you boys dare to leave!" exclaimed detective ducket. "who's dat?" asked washington. "never mind," said mark. "he was hurt in the trolley smash, but not badly. we'll send help, from the first farm house we come to. come on, washington, we'll go with you." the boys jumped into the wagon, and washington started off. he explained that the inventor was anxious to make a start that day, as there would be an unusually high tide which would be followed a little later by a low one, and that would make it difficult to cross the harbor bar. "so i hired dis wagon an' come after you," said the colored man. at the first house they came to the boys stopped and told about the accident. the farmer agreed to go and get the detective and the others who were hurt and take them to a hospital. "i guess we're rid of that detective now," observed jack, as they started off again. "yes, but we're getting away under a cloud on our characters," said mark. "i'd like to stay and see the thing through, if we had time." "but we can't, and there's no use worrying over it," spoke jack. in a short time they were at the inventor's cabin, and related to mr. henderson all that had occurred. "well i guess your detective friend will have a hard time to find you in a few hours," said the old man. "we start on our trip for the south pole this evening." there were busy times for the next few hours. many supplies had to be placed on board, and, while the boys, with tom and bill, saw to this, the professor and washington were occupied with putting the last touches to the submarine boat's machinery. most of the supplies from the cabin were placed in the _porpoise_, including food and clothing and a good quantity of minerals that, with sea water, generated the gas that made steam. an early supper was made on shore, as the professor said they might be so busy for the first few hours of the starting trip that they would get no chance to eat. then the cabin and buildings where the submarine had been built, were securely fastened. "i guess we're all ready," announced the professor, taking a last look around. one by one they went aboard the _porpoise_ crawling down through the man hole. the inventor was the last one to enter. he clamped the cover on by means of the cam levers and switched on the electric lights. then he took his place in the conning tower with andy sudds. "forward, to the south pole!" exclaimed mr. henderson. with a turn of his wrist the inventor started the engines. the big screw in the shaft revolved, pulling the water in at one end of the craft and sending it out in a swirling stream at the other. the trip was fairly begun. for several miles the _porpoise_ glided along on the surface of the ocean. it was a calm evening, and the boys down in the cabin of the craft could look into the reflecting mirrors on the wall, which were connected with observation magnifying glasses in the conning tower, and view what was going on, though their heads were below the surface of the sea. as it grew darker the view of shore and water faded away. the engine kept up its speed with washington to see to it every now and then, oiling the bearings, some of which did not run quite smoothly because of their newness. "i'll send her down a bit now," observed the professor. "i don't want to run into any more warships or scare the crews by making them think we are a foreign torpedo boat." he opened the sea cocks in the ballast tanks and soon the _porpoise_ sunk about two hundred feet beneath the waves. the craft, which had been pitching and tossing under the influence of a ground swell, became more steady and quiet once it left the surface. the searchlight in the conning tower was turned on, and in the glare of it andy and the professor were able to steer properly, aided by the compass which gave them the true southern course. it was now quite dark. additional electric lights were switched on in the cabin, engine and dining room. andy came out of the conning tower and announced that captain henderson wanted washington to get supper. all the cooking was done by electricity, and, in addition to a supply of the usual and ordinary kinds of food, there was a big lot of patent condensed victuals to draw on. soup, broiled steak, potatoes, hot biscuits, rice pudding and coffee made up the repast which was enjoyed by all. toward the close of the meal professor henderson began to sniff the air of the cabin. "what's the matter? do you smell a storm brewing?" asked andy. "no, but the air is not as fresh as it should be," replied the inventor. "washington, release a little more of the supply from the compression tanks." the ship, which had been left to steer itself automatically while the professor was absent from the conning tower, was moving along at about half speed. the gage showed they were going at twenty miles an hour, and were three hundred feet below the surface. "washington and i will share the first night's watch between us," said the inventor, after the supper things had been cleared away. "there will not be much to do, as the ship will steer automatically in whatever direction i set her. still i want to see how she behaves. the rest of you might as well go to your bunks." the two boys were especially glad of a chance to go to bed, as they had had but little sleep the night before on account of the fire. so they lost no time in undressing and rolling up in the blankets, for it was quite cool so far down under the water. "well, we've slept on the earth, above the earth and now we're under the waters," observed jack. "there's only one place more to spend your time taking a snooze," said mark. "where's that?" "inside the earth." then they fell asleep. during the night and the next day the _porpoise_ forged on underneath the waves. washington relieved mr. henderson in the conning tower and reported the machinery to be working well. "keep her headed due south," was the order of the inventor, and the colored man did so. it was about four o'clock one morning that washington felt a slight jar to the submarine. "hope we ain't goin' to hit no more battleships," he said. he glanced at the speed-indicating gage. to his surprise it stood at zero. the craft was not moving forward a foot! yet the engines were going at half speed! in great alarm washington shut off the power and ran to acquaint professor henderson with the news. "suffin's ketched us!" cried the colored man. "nonsense!" said the inventor, yet he seemed alarmed as he slipped on his clothes and hastened to the conning tower. he peered ahead along the path of water illuminated by the glare of the searchlight, but nothing was to be seen. then he started the engine, increasing the speed gradually until the big screw in the shaft revolved more than one thousand times a minute. still the _porpoise_ never stirred. she remained in the same position, as if some giant hand grasped her. "reverse the engine," said the professor. washington did so. to the surprise of both of them the ship shot backward like a frightened crab. "now forward!" exclaimed the old inventor. but this time the _porpoise_ did not move. it was as if she was up against a stone wall. "what's the matter?" asked mark, who had been awakened by the excitement on board. "i do not know," replied mr. henderson gravely. "something mysterious has occurred. we can go no further!" chapter viii ashore in the dark "stop the engine," the captain commanded after he had peered through the lens in the conning tower for some time. "we must see what is the matter." he glanced at the depth gage and noted that they were now four hundred feet below the surface. then he consulted some charts. "there is a depth of one thousand feet about here," he remarked. "lower the ship, washington. let us see if by getting on the ocean bed we can get away from this obstruction." the colored man opened wider the sea cocks by which the tanks were filled. the increased ballast sunk the _porpoise_ still lower, and, in a few minutes a slight jar told the navigators that they were on the bottom of the ocean. "now we will see if we have cleared the obstruction," said the professor. he started the big screw to revolving, but the ship did not move. it shivered and trembled throughout its length but remained stationary. "maybe dar's a debil fish what hab circumulated dis ship in de exteror portion ob his anatomy," suggested washington, rolling his eyes until only the whites were visible. "i presume you mean that a giant squid or cuttle fish has attacked us," spoke the professor. "yas, sir," replied washington. "that's nonsense," went on the inventor. "however, we must make an investigation." "how are you going to do it?" asked mark. "you can't see the end of the tube from inside the ship, and, even if we went to the surface it would still be under water." "we are going to look at it while here, under the ocean," said the inventor. "well, maybe you're a good swimmer," put in jack, "but i don't believe you can stay under, in this depth of water, long enough to see what the trouble is." "i think i can," answered mr. henderson. "how?" "i'll show you. washington, bring out the diving suits." the colored man, his eyes growing bigger every minute, went to a locker and brought out what seemed quite a complicated bit of apparatus. "with the aid of these," said the professor, "i will be able to go out, walk along the ocean bed, and investigate the mystery. do you boys want to come along?" "is it safe?" asked mark, who was inclined to be cautious. "as safe as any part of this under-sea voyage," replied the professor. "these diving suits are something i have not told you about," he went on. "they are my own invention. besides the regular rubber suits there is an interlining of steel,--something like the ancient suits of chain mail--to withstand the great pressure of water. then, instead of being dependent on a supply of air, pumped into the helmet from an apparatus in a boat on the surface, each person carries his own air supply with him." "how is that?" asked jack, and mark also asked the question. "simply by attaching a little tank of the compressed gas to the shoulder piece of the suit," said the inventor. "there is enough air in the tank to last for nearly a day. it is admitted to the helmet as needed by means of automatic valves. in other respects the diving suit is the same as the ordinary kind, except that there is a small searchlight, fed by a storage battery, on top of the helmet." in spite of their fears at venturing out under the great ocean, the two boys were anxious to try the suits. so, after some hesitation, they donned them. "here, take these with you," said the professor, before their helmets were screwed on. he held out what looked like long sticks. "what are they?" asked jack. "electric guns," replied the professor. "but come on now, we have no time to lose." further conversation was impossible, for the boys had their heavy copper helmets on, and they were as tightly enclosed as if inside a box. they grasped their weapons and waited for the next move. the professor led the way to the stern of the ship. the boys found it hard to walk, as they were weighted down by the heavy suits, and also the boots, the soles of which were of lead. they followed the inventor into what seemed a small room. inside they found themselves in darkness. there was a clanking sound as washington fastened and clamped the door shut. then came a hissing. the boys felt water rising about them. they could experience its coldness, even through the diving suits. they were much afraid, but the professor put a reassuring hand on their shoulders. they seemed to feel a great weight. it gradually lessened, however, and, in a few minutes, they saw something move in front of them. the professor pushed them gently forward. in another instant they were walking on the bed of the ocean, having stepped from the _porpoise_. they had gone into a locked compartment, the inner door of which had been tightly closed, after which water from outside had been gradually admitted until the pressure was equal, and then the boys and the professor had merely to emerge out into the bottom of the sea when the outer portal was swung aside by washington, who worked the lever from inside. the boys were in intense darkness, but, suddenly a light glowed about them, and they saw that the professor had switched on his miniature search lamp. they remembered how he had told them to work the apparatus, and soon tiny gleams shot out from their helmets. the professor pointed ahead, for not a sound could be heard, and the boys followed him. it was a new sensation, this walking along the bed of the ocean. at first the great pressure of water, even though the steel lined diving suits kept most of it off, was unpleasant. gradually, however, the boys became used to it. they had to move slowly, for the water was denser than the air and impeded their progress. in a few minutes they reached the forward end of the _porpoise_. now they were to solve the mystery of what had stopped the submarine. for a few moments they could distinguish nothing. suddenly the boys felt the professor grasping their arms. they looked in the direction he pointed. there in the diffused glare from the search light and the illumination of their helmet lamps they saw, wrapped about the forward shaft opening a gigantic squid or devil fish. its soft, jelly-like body completely covered the opening of the shaft preventing any water from entering, and thus stopping any forward motion to the ship. this was what had caused all the trouble. the _porpoise_ had run into the monster, who feeling what it must have thought an enemy, had grasped the submarine with its long sinuous arms. the professor hesitated a moment. then he slowly raised his electrical gun, and took aim at the hideous mass. the boys followed his example. at mr. henderson's signal they all fired together. from the muzzles of the guns darted small barbs that carried with them a strong shock of electricity, from storage batteries in the shoulder pieces of the weapons. three of them were enough to produce death in an animal as large as a whale. the devil fish quivered. then the water about it suddenly grew black, and the boys and the professor were in dense darkness, for the squid had dyed the ocean with a dark liquid from the sack it carried for the purpose. the explorers groped their way to the left, having fortunately grasped hands after firing their guns, to prevent being separated in case the terrible fish began a death struggle. luckily professor henderson went in the right direction and managed to locate the _porpoise_. then, feeling along her steel sides, he led the boys through the inky blackness to the water chamber by which entrance could be had to the interior. in a few minutes all three were safely inside and had removed their diving suits. the others crowded about, anxious to learn what had happened. the inventor related it briefly. once more the engines were started. this time there was no hanging back on the part of the _porpoise_. the big screw revolved, the water came in the shaft and was thrust out of the rear end, making a current that sent the craft ahead swiftly. the gigantic fish had been killed, and its body no longer obstructed progress. "now we'll rise to the surface and see how it feels to sail along that way for a while," said the professor as he started the pumps that emptied the tanks. in a little while the ship was floating on the waves. it was now night, and the clouds overhead made it so dark that it was hard to see ten feet in advance. the professor did not want to use the searchlight for he did not care to have his presence discovered by curious persons. so he ran the ship at half speed. "where are we now?" asked mark, who had entered the conning tower, where the professor was steering. "somewhere's off the coast of south carolina," replied the inventor. the next instant there was a sudden shock and jar. the ship quivered from stem to stern, and came to an abrupt stop. "we've hit something!" exclaimed the professor, shutting down the engines with a jerk of the lever. chapter ix a price on their heads on board the _porpoise_ there was great excitement. washington, with andy, tom, bill and jack came running from the engine room. "what is it?" cried jack. "i don't know," answered the professor as calmly as he could. "we'll soon see, however." he switched on the searchlight and peered from the conning tower. "can you see anything?" asked andy, anxiously. "i can," announced the inventor. "what?" "land," replied mr. henderson. "we've hit the coast." "i hope we ain't done no damage," put in washington. "do you mean to the coast or to us?" asked the professor, with a smile. "i guess there isn't much danger in ramming the shore excepting to the _porpoise_. however, we do not seem to be in any immediate trouble." he tested various wheels and levers, and announced that, aside from the jar, which might have started some of the machinery, the _porpoise_ was unharmed. the cover of the man-hole was loosened and, one after another, the adventurers crawled out on the small deck or platform. it took them a little while to become accustomed to the darkness, but soon they were able to make out that they had run on the muddy bank of the ocean beach. the tide was low and the _porpoise_ had rammed her nose well into the soft muck, which accounted for the lack of damage. "well, i guess there is nothing to do excepting to wait for morning," said mr. henderson. "it doesn't look like a very lively neighborhood about here. i don't believe we'll be disturbed." save for the splash and lapping of the waves and the sound of the wind, it was as quiet as the proverbial graveyard. not a light showed on shore, and the gleam from the search lamp of the _porpoise_ cut the darkness like a small moonbeam. "if there's nothing to do i'm going to turn in," said andy. "i'm tired." the professor said this was a good suggestion, and, leaving instructions that washington and bill were to divide the night's watch between them, the inventor sought his bunk. the boys remained on deck a few minutes longer. "we certainly are getting our share of adventures," remarked jack. "i should say so," answered mark. "gollyation yes!" exclaimed washington. "you-uns done most been eat by dat air koslostrous specimen ob a parralleledon! i'm glad i didn't go. but i'se brave enough!" "what's that?" asked mark suddenly, pointing to an object floating on the water. washington turned to behold something white drifting along. "oh my good land ob mercy! it's a ghost!" the colored man yelled. "it's a ghost! land a' massy! hide me some where, quick!" washington fell on his knees and stretched up his clasped hands in supplication. the boys gazed curiously at the white object that was slowly floating toward the stranded ship. it rose and fell on the waves, with an odd motion. "i wonder what it is," said mark. "we'll soon see," spoke jack. "it's coming this way." "don't go near it! don't touch it, boys!" pleaded washington. "it'll put de evil eye on yo', suah! turn yo' haids away!" but the boys were not so easily frightened. the white thing did look queer, but jack reasoned correctly that the darkness of the night magnified it, and made it appear stranger than it probably was. "i'm going to try to get it," said mark. the white thing was now quite close. it resembled a bundle of rags, floating on top of the water, and, as it came nearer, it seemed to take on a curious form. "it's a baby! it's de ghost ob a little dead baby!" cried the colored man. "let it alone, i tell you!" indeed, now that washington had suggested it, the boys could see a resemblance to a child in the white object. but this did not deter them. jack secured a boat hook from where it was fastened to the platform. with it he gently poked at the white thing. the object seemed to collapse and jack was conscious of a strange feeling. then, with slow motions, he drew it close to the side of the ship. lying on his face he was able to get a good look at the thing. he muttered an exclamation. "what is it?" cried mark. "nothing but a newspaper!" announced jack with a laugh, as he threw it on the deck. "all our trouble for nothing." "i shore thought it were a ghost," cried washington as he got up from his knees. the boys went to their bunks. they were the first ones awake the next morning, and jack followed mark on deck. "there's the paper you rescued from drowning," said mark. "so it is," came from jack. "i wonder if there's any news in it." the sheet had dried out and jack spread it open. no sooner had he scanned the first page than he uttered a whistle. "something startling?" asked mark. "startling! i guess yes! look here!" mark looked over jack's shoulder. staring at them, from amid a mass of other news was the announcement in big black type: reward for boy anarchists! then followed an account of the burning of the hotel at easton, a vivid description with pictures, of how it had been blown up in an attempt to assassinate lord peckham, and how the two boys, sons of an english anarchist, had escaped. the rest of the story was given over to a description which jack and mark could see was meant for them though it was incorrect in several particulars. how the boys had escaped the detective, through the trolley car mishap, was related, and then came the startling announcement that the hotel authorities had offered a reward of $ , for the capture of either or both of the boy anarchists. to this lord peckham had added an equal sum. "well, it looks as if we were of some importance in the world," remarked jack. "rather," agreed mark. "think of having a price on our heads! well, that detective certainly is a hustler. when is that paper dated?" jack looked and saw that the sheet had been issued in charleston the day previous. it had probably been thrown overboard from some steamer, and had drifted toward shore. while the boys were speculating over the matter professor henderson came on deck. he saw something was up, and soon had the whole story from the boys. "i shouldn't worry about it," said the inventor. "they've got to catch you first, and it isn't like running away when you know you are guilty. you boys had no more to do with the fire than the man in the moon. and we'll soon be beyond the reach of rewards and newspapers." nevertheless, the boys brooded over the matter. it seemed that they were still under a cloud, and they wished very much that it could be cleared away. however there were soon busy times. the rising tide floated the boat, and soon it was riding safely at anchor. the professor needed some small bits of machinery, and had decided to send the boys to the nearest town for them. but the news in the paper changed his plans, and he sent bill and washington, who soon returned with the needed articles. "now we'll make another start," said mr. henderson, as soon as all were on board once more. "this time i hope we will keep on until we reach the south pole!" he started the engine, the _porpoise_ sank beneath the waves, and with a hum of the big screw that throbbed and vibrated, was away again. chapter x attacked by a monster for several days the _porpoise_ plowed her way beneath the surface of the ocean. obedient to the directing hand of professor henderson she rose or sank as the tanks were emptied or filled. he put the craft through several rather difficult movements to test her under all conditions. in each one she was a success. dinner was sometimes eaten five hundred feet below the surface. then while washington washed the dishes and cleaned up the galley, jack and mark looked from the side windows at the strange life under water. they were getting farther south now and the water was warmer as the equator was approached. this produced a great variety of animal life, and the ocean fairly swarmed with fishes, big and little, strange and curious that could be seen from the glass bull's-eyes. great sharks swam up alongside of the _porpoise_, keeping pace with her in spite of her speed. their cruel tigerish eyes and ugly mouths made the boys shudder as they looked at the creatures. then came odd creatures that seemed neither of the land or sea, but which swam along with their horrible bodies flapping up against the glass. one and all, the inhabitants of the ocean seemed to resent the intrusion of the submarine. one day the boys turned the light out in the cabin and sat in the darkness the better to observe the fishes. the sea, in the vicinity of the ship, was illuminated with a sort of glow that diffused from the searchlight. suddenly, as the boys were watching, there came a thud on the glass window at the port side. they glanced in that direction to see some horrible thing peering in at them through the window. at first they were greatly frightened. two big eyes of green, with rims of what looked like red fire, stared at them, and, there was an ugly mouth lined with three rows of teeth. "it's only a fish," said mark. "well, i wouldn't like to meet it outside," said jack. "i'd rather be here. my, but it's a nasty sight!" "let's give washington a little scare," suggested mark. "how?" "we'll go out and tell him some one in the cabin wants to see him. the fish will stay there. see, it is fastened to the glass by some sort of suction arrangement, like the octupus fish have on their arms. then we'll look in and see what wash does." jack agreed to the plan. the boys left the cabin, and mark called to the colored man, who was in the engine room. "i'll go right instanter this minute," said washington. "don't no grass grow under dis chile's feet!" "now listen," said mark as he and jack tiptoed after the colored man. washington had no sooner entered the darkened cabin, and caught sight of the horrible staring red and green eyes looking straight at him, than he let out a yell that could be heard all over the ship. then the colored man dropped on his knees and began to implore: "good please mr. satan fish, doan take washington white," he begged. "it's all a mistake. i didn't do nuffin. good please mr. satan fish, take some one else. it's disproportionate to de circumulation ob de interiorness ob dis subicecream ship, so kindly pass me by dis time!" "what's the matter?" asked amos henderson, as he came hurrying into the cabin, seeking the cause for washington's loud cry. jack and mark, who came in at that juncture, were a little bit ashamed of the trick they had played. "what is the trouble?" repeated mr. henderson. "we's all goin' to be devoured alibe!" cried washington pointing to the fish, that still clung to the glass. "ah, a sucker fish!" remarked the inventor. "a large specimen, too. don't be afraid washington, it can't hurt you." "he looks like he could," said the colored man. "look at dem teef!" indeed the creature's mouth was a horrible sight, as it opened and shut. "i'll show you how to get rid of him," said the professor. he turned on the electric lights in the cabin, flooding the room with a bright glow. the big fish darted off, and, when the lights were turned out again, the terrible eyes did not reappear, much to their satisfaction. "the lights scared it away," remarked the inventor. "but you mustn't get frightened so easily, washington. you'll see stranger sights than that before you're through with this voyage." "oh i wasn't 'fraid," spoke up washington. "i were jest 'stonished, dat's all." "what did you get down on your knees for?" asked mark with a grin. "i might hab been lookin' for my collar button, for all you knows," replied washington, with an air of great dignity, and went back to the engine room. for several days after this the _porpoise_ continued on her way south. now and then appearing on the surface to renew the supply of fresh air, and again skimming along under the surface, or deep down, the strange craft kept on. it grew much warmer, and even when some distance below the surface the heat could be felt in an uncomfortable manner. "we're getting near the equator," explained the professor. one afternoon, when dinner had just been finished, and the ship, under the direction of washington, was gliding along well under the sea, there came a sudden shock. "we've hit something!" exclaimed mr. henderson as he jumped for the conning tower. the shock was repeated. "what was it?" asked someone. "shut down the engine!" yelled the inventor to the colored man. "what do you want to go on ramming an object after you've once hit it? slow down the engine!" "power's shut off!" cried washington. "we didn't hit nothin'! something hit us!" "what do you mean?" asked mr. henderson. "somethin's rammin' us," went on washington. "it must be a big monster. i was sterrin' along an' there was nothin' in de road, when all of a suddint, ker-plunk! we's hit. look ahead, an' you can't see nothin'!" the professor, and the boys, who had followed him, gazed out of the conning tower window. there was nothing forward but a vast expanse of water. the next instant the ship careened as something struck her a violent blow on the port side. everyone almost toppled over from the force of the impact. "dar he goes agin!" cried washington. "we're attacked by a whale!" said the professor. "we must rise to the surface or it may damage the ship." "if it's a whale i'd like to get a shot at it," put in andy sudds, from the foot of the companion ladder leading into the tower. "i don't know that it is a whale," went on the inventor. "but it must be something very big and strong." "it's a monster of some sort," put in andy, "and i want a chance at him." "it's too risky," murmured the professor. "we couldn't get down to bottom here, as the water is several miles deep, and the pressure would crush the _porpoise_, strong as she is." once more came a terrible blow and the ship rocked in a swirl of foam beneath the waves. in quick succession two more fierce onslaughts were made by the unseen monster. "we'll have to do something," muttered andy. "you're right," agreed the professor. "our only chance is to rise to the surface, for i do not believe the creature will follow us there. empty the tanks, washington." the colored man started the pumps, and the professor watched the gages that told the depth of the craft. the pointer should have begun to swing around in a few seconds after the tanks began to empty. instead it remained stationary. "strange," said mr. henderson. "i wonder if anything is wrong with the machinery." "more like the whale, or whatever it is, is on top of the boat, holding her down," suggested andy. there was no doubt of this a moment later, for there were several violent blows on the upper part of the _porpoise_. the crew of the submarine were held prisoners below the surface by the unknown monster! for a few minutes the thought of the awful fate that would be theirs if the ship should be wrecked under the water made each one speechless. as they stood looking at each other, not knowing what to do, the attack was renewed on the port side. the big fish, whale or whatever it was, kept pounding away. "i have an idea!" cried andy suddenly. "what is it?" asked the professor quickly. "let me put a diving dress on," began the old hunter. "i tell you we can't sink to the bottom in this depth of water," interrupted the professor. "we don't need to," put in andy. "all i want is a diving suit and a chance to stand out in the diving chamber. i guess i can fix mr. whale, if i have one of those electric guns." "quick! get a diving suit, washington!" cried mr. henderson. he saw what the old hunter planned to do. in a few minutes andy was dressed in the suit. the attacks of the monster had redoubled in frequency, and the ship rocked as in a storm. andy stepped into the diving chamber, clasping the electric gun. the inner door was tightly closed and then the sea cocks that admitted water from the outside were opened. when the pressure inside the chamber was equal to that of the ocean outside some one pulled the lever that opened the outer door. andy knew better than to step outside. he remained in the chamber, like a sentinel hid in the embrasure of a wall, for the chamber was a sort of big dent in the side of the _porpoise_. once more the ship rocked from a terrific blow, and the old hunter was nearly thrown out and into the fathomless depths below. he clung to the door lever and peered out. through the big glass eyes of his copper helmet he saw headed straight at him a whale that seemed larger than the submarine. chapter xi caught in a sea of grass "it's all up with me and the ship, too," thought andy as he stood in the small chamber and watched the oncoming of the monster. however, he was not going to die without a fight, so he raised the electric gun. yet he knew it was a most forlorn chance. he aimed straight down the big open mouth and pulled the trigger. the next instant the water all about him was a mass of foam, through which he could dimly see that the whale had halted. and, as the old hunter watched, in awe and fear at what he saw, he noted that instead of one monster there seemed to be a pair. together they were threshing the sea into a bloody foam. then, turning on the searchlight in his helmet, andy beheld a terrible sight. the whale had been attacked by a gigantic swordfish at the moment the hunter had fired the shot, and it was that, and not the electric bullet, that had stopped the infuriated animal's rush at the ship. ancient enemies, the whale and swordfish, had met in mortal combat. the swordfish had engaged the whale just as it was about to strike what would probably have been a blow that would have disabled the submarine, for with the door of the diving chamber open, the onslaught might not have been withstood. rushing here and there, the whale seeking to destroy his enemy with a sweep of the enormous flukes, and the swordfish plunging his bony weapon again and again into the whale, the two monsters fought until the water about the ship was a mass of foam and blood. much as he wanted to see the end of the fight, andy knew it was dangerous to remain longer with the door open. he closed it, pressed the lever which started the pumps, forcing the water from the chamber and, in a few minutes, emerged into the interior of the ship. mr. henderson, realizing that something out of the ordinary was going on, had opened the slides of the bull's-eye windows, and those in the submarine saw part of the fight between the whale and swordfish. as soon as andy had removed his diving suit he advised that the ship be sent to the surface, as there might be danger should the monsters get too close in their struggles. accordingly the pumps, which had been stopped when it was found impossible to raise the ship, because of the weight of the whale, were started and the _porpoise_ was soon on the surface. the manhole cover was opened and andy, with jack and mark, went out on deck. they had no sooner stepped out on the platform than there was a commotion in the water. "they're going to fight up here!" exclaimed mark. a big body shot upward and fell back with a splash, rocking the submarine. "there's the whale," observed andy. "but i reckon he won't fight any more. he's dead." it was so. the swordfish had conquered, and the lifeless body of the whale floated on top of the water, only to sink a little later. "it was a great battle," said jack. "i'm glad i was inside the ship." the course was due south, and every minute it seemed to the boys that it was getting warmer, for they were approaching the equator. every hour brought them nearer the south pole, though they were still several thousand miles from it. after a while quite a wind sprang up, and as the sea roughened the professor decided to go down under the surface. the _porpoise_ sunk as the tanks filled and, in a little while, the submarine was in calm water, and was forging ahead at three-quarter speed. it was three days after the adventure with the whale when, as the ship was going along at a good rate, that there seemed to be a gradual slacking in the progress. "i wonder what washington is slowing down for," said the professor rising from the dinner table at which all save the colored man had been sitting. "i told him to keep right on. he must have seen something ahead. i'll take a look." the inventor went to the conning tower, where washington was steering. "what are you stopping for?" he asked. "i'm not slowin' down," replied the colored man. "guess another ob dem debil fishes has grabbed holt ob de ship. dey suttinly am de most koslostrous conglomerations ob inconsequence dat i eber see." "you must keep your big words for another time," remarked mr. henderson, who seemed worried. "hurry to the engine-room and see if the machinery is all right. we certainly are slowing down, from some cause or other." the _porpoise_ was now scarcely moving, though from the vibration it was evident that the engines were working almost at top speed. washington came back and reported that the big screw was revolving properly and that all the machinery was working well. "then we're caught in something," said the professor. "shut off the power, washington, i don't want to strain things." the ship was now scarcely making a foot a minute, and, a little later, when the colored man had turned off the engine, the submarine became stationary, merely undulating with the roll and heave of the ocean. hurrying to the cabin, captain henderson opened the side window shutters, turned off the electric lights and peered out. "i can't see anything," he said. "yet i should be able to, as we are not very deep." the gage showed that the ship was submerged only thirty feet, and at that depth there should have been no difficulty in seeing, at least dimly, objects under water. but the windows showed as black as night. "bring me one of the portable searchlights," called mr. henderson. washington brought one, operated by a storage battery. holding it so the reflector cast the beams out of the bull's-eye and into the water on the opposite side, the inventor peered forth. "i was afraid of this!" he murmured. "what is it?" asked jack. "we are caught in the sargasso sea," replied mr. henderson. "the sargasso sea?" repeated mark, in a questioning tone. "what is that?" "it is a great sea of grass," replied the captain. "an immense ocean of sea weed, that sometimes floats on the surface and sometimes a little below. the stalks or blades of the grass are very long and closely matted together." "is there any danger?" asked andy in some alarm. "very much," answered the professor quietly. "a ship, once fairly entangled in the grass or sea weed, seldom gets out. if it is a sailing ship the weed clings to the rudder, making steerage impossible, and even in a strong wind the ship cannot get free of the mass. the grass winds about the propellers of steamships, and holds them as tight as in a vise. "sometimes a great storm may tear the mass of weed loose from the bottom of the ocean, and then the ship is free. but the sargasso sea is the graveyard of many a fine vessel." the pumps were set going. anxiously everyone watched the gage. the pointer never moved, but remained at thirty feet. the _porpoise_ was caught. "well, since we can't go up, let us see if we can go down," said the inventor. "perhaps we can dive under the sea weed." the cocks of the tanks were opened and the water rushed in. under the weight of it the ship should have sunk to the bottom. instead it remained just where it was, thirty feet below the surface. "try the screw again," suggested andy, "maybe we can back out." the big propeller in the tube was started going in a reverse direction, but the _porpoise_ only moved a few feet and then stopped. to go forward was equally impossible. the submarine was held fast in the grip of the long, sinuous, snake-like fingers of the terrible sea grass. weak as one strand was, the thousands combined served to fasten the ship as securely as wire cables would have done. the weeds had entangled themselves all around the craft and refused to let go. "well," remarked mr. henderson when all efforts had failed. "we must think of a new plan." he spoke cheerfully, for he did not want the boys and other members of the crew to know how worried he was. this was a danger he had never counted on when he planned to go to the south pole. "there is no great hurry," mr. henderson went on in a few minutes. "we can stay here for several days if need be, and by that time a storm may tear the grass loose." "if we had our old hay sythes here," spoke bill, "me an' tom could put on divin' suits an' go out an' cut the sea weed." "i'm afraid that wouldn't work," answered mr. henderson. "i'll think up some plan, soon." he started toward the engine room to look over the machinery. he was met by washington, who seemed much alarmed. "what's the matter?" asked the inventor. "de air tank hab busted an' all de air is escapin' out!" cried the colored man. "we'll all smothercate!" chapter xii fire on board the professor jumped past washington and hurried into the room where the tanks were kept, carrying the reserve supply of air for breathing when the ship was under water. a loud hissing told that the leak was a large one. "quick! bring me some tools and a steel plug," shouted the captain. mark hurried in with the things the professor wanted. but before the plug could be put in the hole the air stopped hissing. "the leak is fixed!" cried jack. "no," said the professor in a strange voice. "but the air no longer rushes out." "for a good reason, there is no longer any air to rush out. it is all gone!" "do you mean to say that all the reserve stock has been lost?" exclaimed andy. "i fear so. the leak must have been a bad one. the air was stored in tanks under pressure, and, as you know, we released it as we needed it. now it is all gone." "all? then we shall smother," said jack, and his voice trembled. "not at once," went on mr. henderson in a calm voice. "there is enough air in the entire ship, including that which has leaked from the tanks to last us five hours. after that----" he paused and looked at his watch. "well?" asked andy. "after that?" "there is enough stored in the small tanks of the diving suits to last another two hours, perhaps. seven hours in all." "then what?" asked mark. "we shall smother to death," said the professor in a low tone. "that is," he went on, "unless before that time we can raise the _porpoise_ to the surface of the sea and get a fresh supply of air." "then we must work to raise the ship," put in bill. "let' get out and see if we can't cut through the sea weed." "it would be useless," said mr. henderson. "we can only depend on the power of the ship herself. but do not be discouraged. we may escape. come, washington, start the engine again. by keeping it going constantly we can, perhaps, break loose from the grass. it is our only hope." steadily the machinery worked. it might as well have remained stationary, however, as far as any noticeable effect was made on the boat's progress. the grass of the sargasso sea held the _porpoise_ in a firm grasp. four hours passed. there was nothing to do but wait and see what would happen. it all depended on the engines. silently the navigators of the realms under the ocean sat and hoped. now and then the professor would go to the engine room to adjust the machines. the atmosphere in the cabin was growing noticeably heavier. the boys' heads began to ring with strange noises, and there was a tightness across their chests. the lack of fresh air was beginning to tell. "we might as well use that in the diving suit reservoirs," remarked the professor. "we will feel better, at least for a little while." the helmets of the suits were brought in, and the vapor released from the small tanks. a change was at once noticed. the old stale air in the cabin was forced out of the exhaust pipes, and the fresh took its place. every one felt better. faster and faster revolved the big screw. the ship vibrated more and more. yet it did not move, nor did it rise. the crew were still prisoners beneath the water. for an hour or so conditions were fairly comfortable. then the same unpleasantness was experienced as was noticed before. "if we could only open a window," sighed mark, "and let in a lot of fresh air, how nice it would be." the air rapidly became more foul. soon washington was gasping for breath. tom and bill showed signs of uneasiness. "lie down on the floor," counseled the professor. "you will find the air a little fresher down there." they all did as he advised, the inventor himself stretching out at full length. a little relief was experienced. they knew it could not last long. even the professor seemed to have given up hope. the engine was not going to free the ship in time to save the lives of those on board. washington crawled to the engine room, as some of the bearings needed oiling. the professor seemed in despair. he opened one of the slides that covered the glass bulls eye windows. then he turned off the electric lights. the opening was black, showing that the sea of grass still surrounded them. with a groan mr. henderson turned aside. the last hope was gone. he sank down on the floor of the darkened cabin. just then mark happened to look at the bull's-eye. he saw a glimmer of light. then he noticed several fishes swimming about. the water was clear. the grass had disappeared from the vicinity of the window. "look!" cried mark to the professor. the inventor peered forth. as he did so he uttered a cry. then he staggered rather than ran to the engine room. "what are you doing?" he called to washington. "i jest let some ob de sulphuric acid out ob de storage battery tank," replied the colored man. "that's it! that's it!" exclaimed the professor. "quick, let some more out, washington. let out all there is in that tank. it will save our lives." wonderingly washington obeyed. the air in the ship was growing more foul every second. it was hard to breathe even on the floor, and all were gasping for breath. a few minutes more and they would all become unconscious and death would come in a little while if the air was not freshened. the professor staggered back to the main cabin. he looked out of the bull's-eye windows. then he exclaimed: "see, it is getting lighter! thank heaven we are saved!" the next instant the ship began to move backward. then with increasing speed it pulled out of the grip of the long grass, and in another minute was floating on top of the water, at the edge of the sargasso sea. "quick! open the man hole cover!" said amos henderson. washington threw back the lever cams, and in rushed the fresh air. it was a blessed relief from the terrible oppressiveness of the foul atmosphere of the boat. they all breathed deeply, and, in a few minutes the effects of their long imprisonment had passed off. they went out on the small deck. it was getting dusk, and the reflection of the red sunset shone brightly on the heaving water. "i 'spected i'd neber see dis again," said washington. "thought suah i was a gone chicken!" "we had a most fortunate escape," said the professor. "you did the trick for us when you let the acid run from that tank into the sea. it mingled with the water and burned or ate through the stems of the grass so they no longer held the ship. i saw what had happened as soon as i looked out of the bull's-eye, and that's why i had you turn out all the acid you could. it was just as if liquid fire had touched the sea weed and burnt it off." "golly!" exclaimed washington. "fust i know i'll be a perfessor myself!" supper was eaten with the ship on the surface of the ocean, for it was impossible to go below until the leak in the air tanks had been repaired. work was begun on this the next day, and though it proved a difficult job it was accomplished by mr. henderson and the boys. there were several minor repairs to be made to the machinery, and it was a week before all was in readiness for another descent beneath the waves. in the meanwhile the craft had moved slowly southward on the surface, where no very great speed was possible. toward evening, on the seventh day after their adventure with the sargasso sea, the travelers closed the man hole, and with air tanks well filled slowly sank beneath the waves. supper was eaten at a depth of sixty feet, and after the meal, while washington was washing the dishes, the others sat and looked out through the bull's-eyes at the big fishes which floated past. "i wouldn't like to catch one of them air things on my hook an' line," observed bill, as a particularly large fish went past. "i reckon i'd have trouble landin' him." "more likely he'd pull you in," said mark. for several minutes they watched the strange procession of deep-sea life. presently jack, who was sitting near the engine room door, sprang up. at the same instant there was the sound of an explosion. "what's the matter?" cried the professor. "come quick!" yelled washington. "it's a fire!" yelled jack. "one of the electrical fuses has blown out, and the ship is on fire!" chapter xiii the ghost of the submarine they all rushed toward the engine room. it was dark, because the lights had gone out all over the ship, and they could see only by the glare of the flames, which were increasing. "light one of the oil lanterns!" called the professor, and bill did so. "unreel the hose," the inventor continued, and mark and jack ran to do this. in a few minutes the line was stretched into the engine room, and water was being thrown on the flames, for washington had started the pump as soon as he saw the conflagration. the fire was in one corner, near the electrical switch board, and had been caused by the blowing out of one of the fuses, which occasioned the little explosion. the wood work near the switches was blazing fiercely, and soon the ship was filled with smoke. "empty the ballast tanks!" called the professor. "we must rise to the surface!" "we'll all be burned up!" cried tom. "first we nearly smother and then we get on fire. neber saw such luck!" with a rush the _porpoise_ began to rise, as her tanks were lightened. with steady hands, though with fear in their hearts, jack and mark continued to play the water on the flames, while the professor and washington got out a second line and aided them. "the fire is dying out!" exclaimed mr. henderson. "we'll soon get the best of it." in five minutes the worst was over, though it had been an anxious time, and one of danger. the ship came to the surface, and the open man-hole let out the thick smoke that had nearly suffocated the travelers. as soon as it was cool enough in the engine room an examination was made of the damage done. it was not as bad as the professor had feared, and the running part of the ship was not harmed. a new fuse was put in and the electric lights turned on. the night was spent with the ship floating on the surface of the ocean, only enough speed being kept up to give her steerage way. the professor did not want to go below the waves until he had repaired the switch board. watch was kept, for, though they were out of the regular line of ocean travel, there was no telling when a vessel might come along and run them down, for the _porpoise_ did not show above the waves more than a few feet, and carried no lights. mark had the watch just after midnight, and was sitting in the conning tower, the door of which opened out on the small deck. he had swept the surface of the water with powerful glasses and was sure there were no ships in sight. so, feeling that he would like to stretch his legs, he walked up and down on the platform. he had reached the after end, and was about to turn and go back, when he was startled to see between him and the conning tower a white object. at first mark thought it was a cloud of mist, or something the matter with his eyes. he rubbed them, but the object did not disappear. then it moved, and, to his horror mark saw that it had the shape of a man, tall and thin. the two arms were outstretched, and to mark's imagination seemed to be pointed toward him. in spite of trying not to be, mark was frightened. he did not believe in ghosts, and had always felt that all stories about them were due to persons' imaginations. now he saw something that was hard to explain. as he watched it, the white object turned and glided without making the slightest noise, toward the conning tower. it entered and mark breathed a sigh of relief. perhaps, after all, it was some one from down in the cabin, maybe the professor himself in his night shirt, who had come up to see that all was right. "i'll go and look," said mark to himself. he had to nerve himself for the ordeal, as, in spite of assuring himself that there were no such things as ghosts, he was frightened. it was absolutely quiet. the only sound was the gentle swish of the water against the sides of the ship. the engine was running so slowly that it caused no noise. half way on his journey to the conning tower mark paused. there, advancing toward him, was the white object. with outstretched arms it glided nearer and nearer until mark's heart was beating as if it would burst through his ribs. his mouth was dry and he could not have cried out had he tried. there was a splash in the water off to the left as some big fish sprang out and dropped back again. involuntarily mark turned in that direction. then he thought of the ghost and looked for it again. to his surprise the white object was nowhere to be seen! the boy waited a few minutes, and then, screwing up his courage, he went to the tower. there was no one inside, and, along the length of deck nothing was to be seen of the ghost. "i wonder if i have been asleep and dreaming," the boy asked himself. he gave his leg a pinch, and the sensation of pain told him he was not slumbering. "well, i'll say nothing about it," mark went on to himself. "they'll only laugh at me." entering the tower mark looked for the glasses in order to make another observation. he could not find them, yet he was sure he had left them on a shelf in the tower. "i wonder if the ghost took them," he said. he heard some one coming up the iron stairs of the small companionway that led down into the interior of the ship through the man-hole. at first he thought it was his queer midnight visitor returning. then the head and shoulders of jack appeared. "i've come to relieve you," said jack. "your watch is up; it's two o'clock. here are the night glasses. i found them on the cabin table. i thought you had them with you." "i did," replied mark. "then how did they get below?" "i--i don't know," said mark. the mystery was deepening, yet he did not want to tell jack just yet. "well, that's queer," remarked jack. "maybe the captain came up and got them while you were asleep." "i didn't go to sleep," answered mark rather crossly. jack said nothing more, but took his place in the conning tower, while mark went below. thinking to discover if the ghost might by any chance have been one of the persons on the _porpoise_, mark looked into each bunk. from the captain to washington, all the inmates were peacefully slumbering. "queer," murmured jack, as he took a look into the engine room before turning in. the engine needed no attention, as it worked automatically, and all there was to do was to steer the ship. even this needed little care as the course was a straight one, and the wheel could be locked, leaving the lookout little to do. "did you see anything during your watch?" asked mark of jack the next morning. "see anything? what do you mean?" "i mean anything unusual." "nothing, only a school of porpoises went past and gave me a little scare. they were like a lot of water kittens at play." mark concluded he would say nothing of the white visitor until he ascertained whether any one else had seen it. it was several nights later, when the ship was once more proceeding slowly along the surface of the water, that the ghost again appeared. this time washington had the midnight watch. but the colored man was not one to remain quiet when he had such a scary visitor, and his yells aroused the ship. "it's a ghostess! a big white ghostess!" yelled washington. "i don seen it wid my eyes, an' it waved his arms at me. i's goin' to die suah!" "what's all this nonsense?" demanded the professor sternly. then washington, more or less excitedly, told of what he had seen. it was just as it had happened to mark. "you were dreaming," said the professor to washington. "there are no such things as ghosts." every one, from old andy to tom and bill, had been roused by washington's cries, and listened to his story. at the close of the recital of how the white thing had suddenly disappeared, washington refused to continue his watch, unless some one stayed with him. mark volunteered to do this. he was anxious to see if the ghost would reappear to him. but nothing happened; and the rest of the night passed off quietly. the next day the _porpoise_ was taken below the surface, in order to allow of better speed being made. she was running along, submerged to a depth of two hundred feet, when there came a sudden jar, and the ship stopped. "more trouble!" exclaimed the professor. he opened the slide covering the bull's-eye windows and looked out. all about was swirling muddy water. "can you see anything?" the inventor called to jack, who was in the conning tower. "we've run into a mud-bank, and are stuck fast," called back the boy. chapter xiv digging out the ship "reverse the engine!" called the professor. "maybe we can back the ship out." washington set the big screw to revolving in the opposite direction. the _porpoise_ shook and shivered but the mud held her fast. "we must have gone in pretty deep," commented amos henderson. "luckily it was soft mud instead of a rocky reef or we'd have damaged the ship beyond repair." for several minutes the engines were kept on the reverse, but all to no purpose. the sticky mud was like glue in its holding power and the ship had buried her prow deep into it. "i guess we'll have to dig our way out," said the professor, after taking a careful view of the big mud bank from the conning tower. "washington, get out the diving suits and the spades." "are we really going out in the water to dig?" asked tom. "of course," said mr. henderson. "you'll be as safe as in the ship, wearing one of my diving suits. we'll all have to help, for it will be quite a task." the queer suits were brought out, and the reservoirs in the helmets were filled with compressed air. it was decided to have washington remain within the _porpoise_, to watch the machinery and start the engine when the digging was partly done, in order to see if the ship would not pull herself free when some of the mud had been removed from the prow. "and we may need washington for another purpose," said the professor. "what for?" asked mark. "well, he'll have to stay by the diving tank, to let us in quickly in case of emergency." "do you think there'll be an emergency?" asked jack. "you never can tell," was the answer. "we are in deep water, and i don't want any accidents to happen." in a few minutes all save washington were in their diving suits and ready to go out and walk on the bottom of the sea. they entered the tank, the door was closed, and then water was slowly admitted from the ocean. when the tank was full, led by the professor, they stepped out on the muddy floor of the ocean. at first the pressure of the water at so great a depth bothered them. but, as we know, the diving suits were reinforced with plates of steel, and so strong that little more than an extra weight of water was noticed. they soon became used to it. each one carried a spade, while the professor, andy and the boys each had, slung about their necks by straps, one of the electric guns. cautiously they walked toward the big mud bank. they had to go slowly because of the weight of the water above them, and because they might at any minute step into some muck hole and sink down. fortunately, however, they found there was a firm bottom right up to where the bank of mud reared upward. turning on the electric lights in their helmets, the voyagers were able to see quite distinctly. the _porpoise_ had rammed her nose into the under-water hill for a distance of about ten feet. it was going to be no easy matter to get her free, but the divers lost no time. vigorously they attacked the big hill of mud. they dug their spades in and tossed the earth to one side. it was a strange place to work. at first the weight of water hampered every one, but they soon became used to it and were able to proceed more rapidly. from the conning tower washington kept watch of their progress. when they had gone in about five feet he started the engines, hoping the _porpoise_ might now pull herself free. but the mud still held. by signs, for it was of course impossible for any one to hear or speak, attired as they were in helmets and suits, the professor motioned that they must dig deeper. once more they attacked the big mud bank with their shovels. farther and farther they went into the muck until it seemed that the nose of the submarine must be free. but when washington started the engines it was obvious that the ship was still held. again the digging was resumed. all at once, while every one was wielding his spade to best advantage, a shadow seemed to cover the water. it loomed up large and black, and the professor stopped and gazed upward. what he saw made him drop his spade and grab the gun that was about his neck. floating in the water above the diggers, were three immense sharks. their cruel mouths were partly open, showing three rows of big teeth, and they were slowly turning over on their backs to make a sudden rush and devour the men and boys. owing to the peculiar shape of its maw a shark can not bite until it turns over. the professor motioned for bill and tom to move behind him, and signalled for jack, mark and andy to stand close with their weapons ready. the sharks floated lazily downward as if they knew they had the diggers at their mercy. to run and escape was impossible, for no one could run hampered by the weight of water and his diving suit. one of the terrible fish opened its mouth wider and, with a flirt of its tail aimed straight for the professor. mr. henderson raised his gun, and took careful aim at the middle of the fish, half turned over. unerringly the electric bullet sped on its way. it entered the soft under part of the shark, and immediately the thing struggled in its death agony. the water was dyed with blood. at the same instant the other sharks rushed forward in a swirl of foam. the boys and andy fired as best they could, and must have hit one of the creatures for there was a greater commotion. but the fight was not over. instantly the ocean seemed alive with the giant fish. attracted by the blood of the killed ones, scores of the tigers of the seas rushed toward the scene of combat making matters livelier than ever. the professor, the boys and andy fired their guns at random. redder and more red became the water until their helmet lamps barely glowed in the crimson sea. it seemed that a whole army of the voracious sharks had attacked them. the professor realized that to stay and attempt to fight all the sharks in that part of the ocean was impossible. he motioned for the boys and andy to follow him. then he slowly led the way back to the ship. but the sharks were not to be gotten rid of so easily. several of the largest followed the diggers, their horrible eyes, and big mouths with rows of cruel teeth, striking terror to the hearts of all. one of the creatures made a rush for bill and tom who were close together. either or both of the men would have been bitten in twain, in spite of the protection of their diving suits, had not mark, with a snap shot, killed the fierce fish. it was now a running fight, and yet not so much that, because to run was impossible. however, they hurried all they could, and, by dint of quick firing kept the ugly creatures at bay until the side of the ship, where the diving tank was placed, was reached. the professor stepped to one side, and motioned for the others to proceed him in entering. little time was lost. as bill, the last one in, stepped past the steel door the inventor attempted to enter. to do so he had to let go of his gun. instantly one of the sharks made a rush for the old man. but andy was on the watch. he leaned forward, and, from his weapon sent a bullet straight down the throat of the monster. the electric missile did its work well, and the lifeless body of the shark was devoured by the others of its tribe. the professor pulled the door shut behind him. then he set the pump to work to empty the tank. as he did so there was a tremor to the ship. what could it mean? in a few minutes the tank was empty and the divers stepped out into the ship, freed from the oppressive weight of water. the ship continued to vibrate and seemed to be in motion. "what is it?" asked mark as soon as he had his helmet off. "de ship am free! we've got off de mud bank!" exclaimed washington, running in from the engine room. it was true. enough had been dug so that, with the power of the screw working backward, there was sufficient force to pull the _porpoise_ from her perilous position. "empty the tanks and rise to the surface," said the professor. in a few minutes the ship was on top of the waves, the adventurers freed from the double danger of the mud and sharks. they congratulated each other on the good outcome of the fight with the monster fishes. wearied with their labors and the battle under the waves, the travelers sat up on the deck breathing in the fresh breeze. then, after a while, supper was made ready and eaten with good appetites. it was decided hereafter to sail along near the surface at night, and not to submerge the ship deeply save during daylight, when it was easier to distinguish objects under the water. following this plan the _porpoise_ steamed along just awash that night, and the next day was sent down about fifty feet below the surface. one afternoon, when the travelers were resting, having partaken of a fine meal, the professor went on deck to make some observations, the ship having been raised for that purpose. he came down, somewhat excited. "well, we're half way to the pole," he announced. "how can you tell?" asked mark. "because we have just crossed the equator. we went over the imaginary line three minutes ago." "i was wondering what made it so warm," said jack. "i guess you dreamed it was hotter," spoke the professor. "it has been just as hot as this for the last few days. crossing the line makes no difference." "then we are really in the southern hemisphere now," said mark. "that's where we are," replied mr. henderson. he put his instruments away. "well, we may as well go below the surface again," he remarked. "come quick! hurry up!" yelled washington from the deck. "dar's a shipwreck up heah! somebody's on it!" chapter xv the strange shipwreck the professor, followed by the boys and tom, bill and andy hastened on deck. they saw washington pointing excitedly off to the west. there, rising and falling on the easy swell, was the wreck of a large vessel. she had been a three masted schooner, but now only the stumps of the masts remained and the craft was rolling to and fro. it had settled low in the water, and was quite deep by the head, so that, at times, the waves broke over the bow in a shower of spray. but what attracted the attention of the adventurers more than anything else was the sight of two figures near what had been the after cabin of the ship. there they stood, frantically waving their hands toward those on the submarine. across the water that separated the two craft, there came a faint hail. "i suppose they are nearly dead," exclaimed the inventor. "we must save them." he ordered the _porpoise_ sent ahead slowly toward the wreck. the distance was about half a mile, and was soon covered. as the submarine approached closer those on the schooner could be observed more plainly. "one of 'em is a woman!" exclaimed jack, who was using the glasses. "let me see," spoke the professor. "you're right," he added. "the other is a little girl." a few minutes later the _porpoise_ was alongside. the woman and child came to the rail of the schooner, which was barely five feet above the waves. "can you jump down, or shall i come aboard and get you?" asked mr. henderson seeing the woman hesitate. "i can jump down, if you will catch the child," said the woman. "oh i am so glad you came," she added. "we are almost dead from hunger and thirst, and the wreck is ready to sink and cannot last many hours longer." "pass the little girl down to me," spoke andy. "then you jump. we'll save you all right." the little girl reached the deck in safety, and the woman, who proved to be her mother, followed. "now take us to your ship," said the woman. "you must be a long way from her, as she is not in sight." "our ship is right here," spoke mr. henderson with a smile. "where, i don't see her," and the woman looked in all directions. "allow me to introduce you to profess amos henderson's famous submarine, the _porpoise_," spoke the inventor with a bow. "but come, let us go below. you must be suffering, and here i am making speeches." "indeed i am hungry, and thirsty too," said the woman. "so is nellie. but i thought this was merely a small boat, sent from some large ship to get us." the woman and girl descended to the cabin of the submarine, where washington set before them a fine meal. under the advice of the professor they partook sparingly of food and drink at first, as, having eaten nothing in many hours, the inventor said they must begin by taking a little at a time. as soon as they had finished and become somewhat rested, the woman told her story. she was mrs. johnson, a widow, her husband having once owned and been captain of the schooner that was wrecked. after his death she and her daughter, having become part owners of the craft, disposing of a third interest to the former mate of the ship, had set out on one of the voyages to south american ports. they had had good weather going, and took on a valuable cargo of lumber and rare woods. but the return trip was more perilous. heavy storms had buffeted the craft almost from the time of leaving port, and in one heavy blow, ten days before, the ship had been wrecked. "what became of the crew?" asked mr. henderson. "they took to the boats," replied mrs. johnson. "my little girl and myself were to go with the mate and his men. the waves were fearfully high, and, as they held the boat close to the schooner so we could get in, a big roller smashed the little craft. the men must have all been drowned for i never afterwards caught sight of one of them." "but the other boats?" asked the inventor. "they had gotten too far away to hail, supposing that i would be taken care of by the mate. there was nothing for nellie and i to do but stay on board, expecting the ship to sink every minute." "and you have been there ever since?" inquired andy. "ever since. that was ten days ago. every day i thought it would be our last. the storm passed away and the sea became calm but the ship kept settling lower and lower. only the fact that part of the cargo was wood kept her afloat so long. i managed to get some provisions and water up on deck, but the sea had spoiled most of the stuff. we had to eat only a little at a time, as i knew it would be some days before we could be rescued, if we ever were. two days ago we ate the last of the food and drank almost the last of the water." "then you had nothing since then," spoke jack. "only a few drops of rain that i caught on a piece of sail," answered mrs. johnson. "never mind, you can have all you want now, mother," said nellie, coming over to pat her parent's cheek. "oh," the child went on, "i was so thirsty i could just cry when i thought of such things as ice cream sodas." "i guess you could," agreed mark. "well, we can't give you any soda water, but we have plenty of the other kind." mrs. johnson was much interested in the _porpoise_ and professor henderson showed her all about the craft. though the quarters were rather cramped, a small cabin was fitted up for the lady and her daughter. "we will travel a bit under the water so you can get used to it," said the captain after a tour of the ship had been made. the tanks were filled, and the _porpoise_ sank beneath the waves. at first mrs. johnson was much frightened, and nellie cried. but when they saw how skillfully the ship was managed, and how easy it was to rise again, they lost their fears. for several days the voyage was continued. mrs. johnson and nellie remained aboard as there was no place to land them, and they said they wished to stay until they met some ship sailing north. one day, just at dusk, when the _porpoise_, after a long run under the water had come to the surface, the professor, came up on deck to take a look around. washington and andy accompanied him. "looks like land, off there to the left," remarked the old hunter. "get the glasses, washington," said mr. henderson. "it may be a ship." he took a long and careful look through the binoculars. "it's some sort of land," he announced. "we'll go over in the morning and see what it is. probably it's an island, for there's no main land in these parts. we are in the middle of the southern atlantic now." the next morning, after breakfast, the _porpoise_ was headed toward the dark spot on the surface of the water that the professor had gazed at the evening before. as they came nearer it was seen that the place was a large island. "but it's a mighty queer one," spoke mr. henderson. "it looks more like a big volcano than anything else." as the ship came nearer it was seen that this was true. the island rose abruptly from the surface of the sea in a big ridge, slightly rounded. there appeared to be no signs of life on the land, but in the air overhead hovered several big birds. these circled about and then fluttered down, seemingly about the middle of the island. "we'll sail around and see if there's a place to land," spoke the inventor. "there doesn't seem to be a good harbor on this side." slowly the _porpoise_ made the circuit. the island appeared to be almost round. when they had gone about half way around andy, who was staring ahead, cried out: "look out professor! don't go any nearer or we'll be sucked into the whirlpool!" the inventor looked where the hunter pointed. then he beheld the strangest sight he had ever seen. the island was low toward where andy pointed and they beheld the waters of the ocean pouring over the edge of it, and falling down into an immense hole with a roar like that of niagara falls. "reverse the ship!" cried professor henderson. "send her back quickly, washington, or we'll be sucked down!" the colored man lost no time, and the big screw was sent whirling in the opposite direction. and it was high time, for already the onward rush of the falling waters was slowly drawing the ship toward the big cavern. "that was a lucky escape," commented amos henderson. "well, as we can't land there we'll try the other way around." the ship was headed in the opposite direction, and, after an hour's sailing, a good harbor was discovered. the _porpoise_ was anchored in shallow water close to the shore and in a small boat the professor, andy and the two boys went to the strange island. they found it merely an immense circle of land with the middle part taken up by the big hole. and such a hole as it was! it was so wide across that they could not see the farther side, and the depth they could only guess at. looking down they could only see great rolling masses of clouds or vapor. "perhaps it's steam," suggested jack. "maybe it is," agreed the professor. "if this is a volcano, with lava in it, the water of the ocean, pouring in on the other side, may be changed to steam." "do you suppose this hole leads to the centre of the earth?" asked mark. "i've read somewhere, that the earth is hollow." "some scientists believe it," commented the professor. "this looks like a big enough hole to lead clear through to china. hark, you can hear the roar of the water now." they listened, and the wind brought to them the sound of the sea pouring down into the unfathomable depths. "let's throw a big rock down," suggested jack. "maybe we can hear it strike bottom." with the aid of mark he cast a big boulder down into the depths. they listened intently, but not the slightest sound echoed back. "i guess the bottom is too far away for you to hear the stone land," said the professor. chapter xvi the ghost again they spent some time looking down into the hole. the masses of vapor, or clouds, rolled and swirled hundreds of feet below them, but never broke sufficiently to allow of a clear sight. "well, we had better go back to the ship," remarked the professor. "we must continue our voyage." they were soon on the _porpoise_ and steaming away from the strange island, the inventor deciding to get far off out of the influence of the terrible waterfall. the night was, as usual, spent with the ship slowly steaming ahead on the surface of the water. it was getting on toward twelve o'clock and washington had the watch. he was to be relieved by jack. the latter had been awakened by the alarm clock at the head of his bed, which time-piece he had set to arouse him so that he might take washington's place. jack was just getting the sleep from his eyes by a vigorous rubbing when he heard a loud yell. "land a' massy!" cried washington from the deck above. "i's goin' t' die suah! de ghostess am after me ag'in!" without waiting to dress, jack sprang up the ladder and was soon out on the deck. he saw washington kneeling down in front of the conning tower door while, at the after end of the deck, was a mysterious white object; the same strange shape that had been observed before. "i'm going to solve this puzzle!" exclaimed jack to himself as he made a dive toward the object in white. "this ghost business will have to stop!" but, unfortunately for his plans, his foot slipped on the smooth steel deck, and he went down in a heap. when he got up the ghost was nowhere to be seen. washington, however, was still kneeling down and praying to be spared from the attack of the midnight visitor. jack limped over to the colored man. "keep still," said the boy. "it's gone now. what was it, anyhow?" "some ghost from de grabeyard," replied washington. "when did you see it first?" went on jack. "'bout ten minutes ago," replied washington. "well it's gone now," said jack, though he had to admit to himself that the affair was somewhat puzzling. professor henderson had been awakened by the yells of the colored man and came on deck to see what the trouble was. he appeared somewhat annoyed when washington told him what had happened. "there are no ghosts!" declared the inventor in positive tones. "you wouldn't say so, perfessor, if you'd seen him," spoke washington. "he were all in white, tall an' slim, an' big red eyes, an' a green nose, an' fire comin' from his mouth an'--" "nonsense," interrupted jack. "it was nothing but a white object, professor henderson. i saw it." "and what do you think it was?" asked the inventor. "i--i can hardly say," replied jack. "of course i don't believe in ghosts, but this--" "it was probably a mist from the ocean," interrupted the professor. "don't let me hear any more of it. washington, go below. your watch is up and jack will take charge. i don't believe there will be any more ghosts." nor were there that night. the _porpoise_ glided along, requiring little attention, and when morning broke was several miles nearer the southern pole. the journey was continued beneath the waves and it was found much cooler under them than upon the surface, for the ship was in the midst of the equatorial heat. about four o'clock in the afternoon, when all was quiet aboard, there came a sudden yell from the engine room. washington's voice could be heard calling for help. then it died away in a groan. "something has happened!" called jack. "washington is in trouble." he hurried toward where the machinery could be heard buzzing. the professor, with andy and mark followed. they expected to see the colored man caught in some shaft or belt, but he was nowhere in sight. "perhaps he has fallen into the ocean," suggested mark. "the engine room does not open into the sea," answered the professor. a deep groan came from some corner of the engine room. "there he is!" cried jack. but a careful search failed to reveal washington. still he could be heard to groan at intervals. bill and tom came and aided in the search, while mrs. johnson, who was worried at the unusual activity, asked what the trouble was. captain henderson did not tell her, for, as he said afterward, he did not want any women fainting away on his ship. at his request mrs. johnson went back to her cabin, and the hunt for washington continued. "here he is!" cried jack at last. the boy had climbed up on a small ladder that led to the big storage battery tanks. he had looked down, and there, in the large metal box had spied the colored man on the bottom. washington was unconscious and breathing heavily. "he has been overcome by the fumes of the sulphuric acid!" exclaimed the professor. "we must get him out quickly or he will die!" "i'll get him!" cried andy. the old hunter grabbed a small step ladder that stood against the wall of the engine room. with this on his shoulder he climbed up the steps which led to the top of the storage battery tank. then, by means of his ladder, he descended inside. he had to work quickly as the fumes were very strong, but he managed to hoist washington up so that bill and tom, from outside, could take hold of him. then the colored man was carried out on the deck, where the fresh air and some restoratives the professor used soon revived him. "is i dead," were washington's first words, as he sat up and looked about him. "not this time," replied the professor. "you had a close call, though. how did it happen?" washington explained that he started to clean the battery tank, when he lost his balance and fell in. he cried as he felt himself falling, but as soon as he struck the bottom of the tank the fumes of the chemicals made him unconscious. his deep breathing, which had sounded like groans, alone served to attract attention to his location. in a little while washington was all right save for a slight weakness. captain henderson made him go to his bunk, and ordered him to remain there until morning. during the excitement over washington's mishap all thought of steering the ship had been forgotten, and when mr. henderson went to the conning tower about five o'clock he found that the _porpoise_ was several points off her course and was headed to the east instead of to the south. how many miles out of her way the craft had steamed could only be guessed, but as she had been going wrong for nearly an hour, it must be quite a few the inventor calculated. however, he said, no great harm had been done. even this slight accident would not have happened had not bill, who was in the conning tower steering, forgotten to put the automatic device in operation when he left the wheel to join in the search for washington. "we'll soon make up the lost ground," said mr. henderson. "another week or ten days ought to see us at the end of our journey." "and what will we do when we get there?" asked jack. "we will make some important geographical and scientific observations," said the professor. "not only that, but we will have done something that no living person has ever accomplished. we reached the north pole, though we could not land on the exact spot. let us hope we will be more successful regarding the south pole." the professor set the ship on her course again. bill and tom got supper in place of washington, while mrs. johnson helped set the table. the meal was eaten, and then the inventor started the ship toward the surface, following the plan of not sailing beneath the waves after dark, in order to avoid accidents. the craft was making good speed ahead, with the big screw revolving in the tunnel and spurting the water from the rear, when there came a sudden jar, and everyone nearly toppled over from the quick stopping of the _porpoise_. at the same time the forward end seemed to go up in the air. "what has happened? are we sinking?" cried mrs. johnson. "i think we are going up," spoke the professor in cool tones. "in the air?" asked the lady. "on the land," answered the inventor. "i think we have struck shore and slid up on a beach." he ordered the engine stopped and hurried to the conning tower to make an observation. he turned on the searchlight and looked carefully at what the beams showed. then he came back to the cabin. "well, what is it?" asked mrs. johnson. "we have gone ashore, just as i supposed," said mr. henderson. "and whereabouts are we?" "on the coast of south america." "near where?" "near terra del fuego, the land of fire!" chapter xvii attacked by savages "are we in any danger?" asked mrs. johnson. "i hope not," replied the captain. "if the ship is not strained the rising tide will probably float her safely, and we can continue our trip. we will have to wait until morning to see, however." "and if the ship is damaged?" "we will have to do what we can. we will hope for the best, madam." the professor went on deck. his first opinion of the accident was confirmed. the _porpoise_, in emerging from the waves, had slid well up on a sandy shore, where she was held fast because the tide was rapidly falling. it would be twelve hours before there would be a chance of her floating again. the mishap had occurred because the ship had gotten off her course when washington's accident occurred, and had not been set right in time. however, as mr. henderson had said, there was no particular danger, unless it was found that some of the plates had been strained, which might cause a leak. the night was passed with the nose of the _porpoise_ well up on shore, and before morning, as the tide continued to fall, more and more of the craft became exposed until the whole steel body rested on the sloping beach. jack was the first to awaken. he was up with the sun, and went out on the deck to take a view of the country he had often heard about. a stretch of wild landscape met his eyes, and to the left and right of the ship the waves were breaking on jagged rocks. "it's a good thing we didn't hit the rocks," thought the youth. mark came up on deck, and the two boys looked over the scene. it was a strange one. beyond the beach was a low level country, green in places, with now and then a patch of what looked like trees. "and what are those brown spots moving about?" asked mark. "i guess they are herds of cattle," replied jack. "you know south america is a great place for them." for half an hour the two lads gazed about. except for the stern of the _porpoise_ all of the craft was now out of water, and one could have jumped from the low deck down to a mound of white sand of the beach. "let's go ashore and take a run," suggested mark. "i've almost forgotten how to walk on dry land." "go ahead," answered jack. "i'm with you." "all right." the boys lost no time in getting down to the beach. they found it hard and firm, and made their way to the strip of grass-covered land lying beyond. up and down they wandered, finding many curious and beautifully marked shells where the waves had washed them. suddenly jack gave a big jump and let out a yell. "what's the matter?" asked mark. "i thought i saw one of those cocoanuts move," answered jack, pointing to where several of the big shaggy fruits lay under a tree from which they had fallen. "i guess you're right," spoke mark. "i certainly saw one of them take a little side step. i wonder what does it." as the boys watched they were surprised, to see one of the cocoanuts come toward them, apparently advancing without any visible means of locomotion. "this is a queer country," remarked jack, getting ready to run in case the strangely moving cocoanut might be a warning of danger. "look! there's a whole lot of them moving," cried mark. sure enough a dozen or more of the nuts began to advance toward the lads. the boys were not so much afraid as they were surprised. but a few seconds later the reason for the strange sight was made plain. as they looked they saw one of the nuts roll down a little mound of sand. then they noticed that a big land crab was on the tiny hill and it was evident that the nut had fallen from his claws. "it's the crabs!" exclaimed mark. "i remember reading about them now. they come ashore from the water where they live part of the time and get the cocoanuts. then they smash the shells by pounding the nuts on a stone and eat the white meat inside. they are called cocoanut crabs." "i was beginning to think we were in some enchanted land," spoke jack. "well, it certainly looked queer," agreed mark. for some time the boys watched the strange sight. then they walked along the beach, seeing several large star fish, and some big horse-shoe crabs that had been stranded by the tide. "look at that immense turtle!" exclaimed mark, as one of the creatures scuttled over the sand toward the sea. "i'll bet she's been laying eggs!" "perhaps so." they made a rush for the tortoise but were not quick enough, for she slid into the water and made off. "here's her nest, anyhow," called jack, as he pointed to some eggs, thinly covered with sand. "let's go back and take them with us. i've heard they are good eating." jack and mark started to gather up as many of the eggs as they could in their hats. while they were thus engaged they heard a call from the ship and looked up to see coming toward them, all of the ship's company except washington. "i wonder if anything could have happened," spoke mark. he and jack dropped the eggs and started on a run toward the stranded ship. they were reassured, however, when they saw the professor waving his hand at them. when he got within hailing distance the inventor called: "it's all right, boys. we're just taking a little walk, before breakfast, for an appetizer. it's been some time since we were on land. washington says he'll have some fine fried ham for us in a little while." "and here are the eggs to go with it," spoke jack. "have you found a hen house?" asked mr. henderson in some wonder. "no, but we discovered a turtle, which is just as good," replied mark. the professor agreed with him, and called for washington to come and get the eggs. "wall i 'clare to goodness!" exclaimed the colored man as he gathered the product of the turtle up in his cook's apron. "dis suttinly am a queer contraption of a country to find eggs growin' in de sand." he shuffled back to the ship, while the others walked up and down on the beach. in about half an hour the professor suggested that they return. "washington must have breakfast ready by now," he said, "and i, for one, am hungry enough to enjoy it." they turned toward the stranded _porpoise_ but no sooner had their eyes taken in the sweep of the ocean that lay before them than they uttered cries of fear. spreading out from the beach in a big half circle that enclosed within its curve the submarine, were three score of canoes, each one filled with half naked savages. "the natives are going to attack the ship!" cried the professor. "we must hurry back or we are lost!" he started on the run, accompanied by the boys and men. mrs. johnson and her daughter brought up the rear. the adventurers had gone from one misfortune into another. at the top of their speed they approached the stranded ship. the natives saw them coming and the next instant hundreds of paddles broke the waves into a mass of sparkling water as the wily savages urged their canoes swiftly toward the submarine. "if we can only reach it first we can hold them off until the tide floats us, and then we can escape," said the professor. he increased his pace though the run was beginning to tell on his aged frame. the adventurers were now within an eighth of a mile of the ship, but the savages were closer, and had the advantage of being able to make greater speed. the two forces approached nearer and nearer. finally the first of the canoes reached the submerged end of the _porpoise_. with wild shouts a score of the brown men leaped from the boats and scrambled up the steel sides. an instant later they were joined by several canoe loads of their companions. they swarmed up on the deck, and some peered down the winding stairs that led to the interior of the ship. "too late!" cried the professor. "they have captured the _porpoise_!" "but washington is aboard!" shouted jack. as he spoke the colored man was seen clambering up out of the companion way. he gave one look at the wild natives who swarmed over the ship, and then, with a yell to be heard a long way off, disappeared below. the shouts and cries of the savages grew louder and they seemed to be doing a sort of war dance. "we must make one effort to drive them away," said the professor in desperation. "we haven't even a revolver," spoke andy. "let's use stones," suggested jack, grabbing up a handful from the beach. "look out!" yelled mark. "they are going to shoot some arrows!" a second later a flight of the weapons filled the air. fortunately the natives were too far away to permit the shots taking effect, but it showed that they intend to fight and take possession of the ship. even this did not frighten mr. henderson. his vessel was more than life to him and he kept on. several arrows fell dangerously close and he might have been hurt had not old andy run after him and induced him to go farther up the beach and out of harm's way. "they will kill washington!" cried jack as he thought of the colored man at the mercy of the savages. "there he comes!" yelled mark. he pointed toward the ship and as they all looked in that direction they saw the colored man climbing out on the deck. under one arm he bore a long narrow box, and in the other hand he carried one of the electric guns. "he's goin' to fight 'em!" exclaimed andy. "he's got a gun and he will show 'em what's what!" but washington did not seem to have any such intentions. with a yell that equalled the savage cries of the natives, he sprang over the side of the ship, onto the sand and ran toward the group of adventurers. a flight of arrows followed him, but he was not hit. chapter xviii on land "why don't he shoot his gun at 'em?" demanded andy, capering about on the sand. "he could soon scare 'em off!" "i'm afraid washington is too frightened to do anything like that," answered professor henderson. "he is lucky to have escaped alive." "wait until he gets here with that gun, an' i'll do some huntin' that will make them savages skip!" exclaimed andy. in a little while washington came up to where the others from the _porpoise_ stood on the beach. the colored man was panting from his run. "de most monstrous disproportionately extradition ob circumstantial occurrances dat ever transpositioned on my optical vasionariness!" he exclaimed as he laid his gun and the black box carefully down on the sand. "ten thousand naked imps of darkness swarmin' ober de ship an' not a pusson to say what dey ought to do an' where dey ought t' go! it am suttinly terrible!" "why didn't you shoot some of 'em?" demanded andy. "me?" exclaimed washington. "what for i want t' shoot 'em? s'pose i want 'em t' git mad at me?" "well, you're a great one," went on andy, picking up the gun. "i guess i'll have to take a few shots myself." "yes, sah." from washington the adventurers learned how the savages had silently come up in their canoes and surrounded the ship, gaining possession of it before he could make any effort at defense, even had he so desired. "what are we to do now?" asked mrs. johnson, when they had retreated out of sight of the savages. "the natives have possession of the boat, and how are we to regain her when there are so many of them?" "it certainly is a hard nut to crack," admitted the professor. "we will have to camp out on the beach for a while and see what happens. perhaps they may leave the vessel when they find it will do them no good. they can't run her." "but they can tear her all apart and damage the machinery," said jack. "then we would be in a pickle." "well, we won't hope for any such bad luck as that," interrupted the professor. "we will look for the best." "when are we going to have breakfast?" asked the little girl, after a long wait. "i'm hungry, mother." "we will have it pretty soon," replied mrs. johnson in order to quiet her daughter's mind. "but i want it now," continued nellie. "i'm very hungry." "hush!" said mrs. johnson. "an' i had de finest brekfust what was ever invented," said washington, rolling his big eyes. "mud turkle eggs, ham, preserves, coffee--" "that will do, washington," said the professor. "it only makes our mouths water to think about such things." at the mention of the turtle eggs jack nudged mark, and signalled him to walk to one side. when they were out of earshot of the others jack said: "what's the matter with cooking some of the eggs that are left on the sand? there are plenty of them, and there is no sense in our going hungry." "how you going to cook 'em?" asked mark. "i'll show you," replied jack. he scooped a hollow place out in the sand until he had quite a hole. this he banked up with stones until he had a small oven. by arching the stones over toward the top there was left a sort of circular opening. over this jack fitted a monster clam shell, with the concave side uppermost. this made an improvised stew pan. underneath was piled small bits of dry drift-wood, which a match soon set on fire. in a little while the water in the big shell was boiling. "now get some other shells for dishes," said jack to mark. soon mark had piled up a lot of smaller shells. "help me gather some eggs now," said jack, "and we'll put them in to boil. then we'll invite the rest of the folks to breakfast." the two boys soon uncovered from the sand a pile of the eggs, and in a little while they were steaming in the hot water. then jack arranged the shell-dishes on the sand. he went over to where the others were gloomily considering their plight. "breakfast is ready," he announced. "this isn't any time for joking," spoke professor henderson, rather sternly. "but i mean it," went on jack. "just come over and see. i'm not fooling you." wondering what he had done they all followed him. "welcome to hotel terra del fuego!" cried mark. "we haven't much of a variety, but what there is we can recommend." he began to dip the eggs out of the water with a bit of shell and placed them on the improvised dishes. "everyone sit down," commanded jack. "the bill of fare is ready." they all joined in the short laugh that followed, and soon were seated in a circle about the beach-oven. the eggs proved to be very good, even though there was no pepper. the salt of the sea water they were boiled in was more than sufficient. "now if there was only bread in that ammunition bag washington brought with the gun," said andy, "we wouldn't want a better meal." "he'p yo'se'f!" exclaimed the colored man with a grin as he extended a canvas bag that was tied to the stock of the electric gun. the old hunter opened it and found it filled with ship biscuits. "well i am stumped!" he exclaimed. "i grabbed up de wrong thing in my haste," washington explained. "i thought i had de electrical lightning bullets, but i didn't. howsomever de gun's got some in de chamber." "it's a lucky mistake," commented the professor as he munched a biscuit and an egg. "bullets are good but these are better, when one is hungry." they managed to make a fairly good meal, so that even hungry nellie was satisfied. the boys found a spring of fresh water up on shore, and this furnished something to drink, for which they were grateful. they sat about on the beach, after the breakfast and discussed what they had better do. it was evident that an attempt to regain possession of the ship, with their small force and only one weapon, was out of the question. "we've got to use strategy," said andy. "if we could play some trick on the savages we might scare them away. otherwise i don't see what we are to do." "it's a bad state of affairs," replied professor henderson. "even if we got the ship we might find it so badly damaged that it would be impossible to run it. it is a terrible thing," and he heaved a deep sigh. the hours passed with no change in the situation. the savages remained in possession of the submarine, and did not seem inclined to quit the vessel. most of them were inside, but quite a number paddled about the stranded craft in their canoes. there was nothing for the adventurers to do but to await developments. with no chance of attacking the force of natives, they might consider themselves lucky if the savages did not come ashore to give battle. the sun was high in the heavens when, in the shade of a big tree where they had all taken refuge from the heat, nellie again announced that she was hungry. "i guess the boys will have to provide another meal," said mr. henderson. jack and mark said they guessed they could find some more turtle eggs, and washington volunteered to accompany them. as they were looking for a nest in the sand they saw one of the tortoises scurrying down to the ocean. "git her, quick!" cried the colored man. "turn her ober on her back!" the boys did so, though they did not know what washington's object was. the big animal lay bottom side up, vainly moving its flippers. in a few minutes washington had killed the turtle and cut it out of the shell. "now we'll hab turtle soup!" he exclaimed. soon the fire was again blazing in the improvised stove, and a little later an appetizing smell filled the air. washington had made the soup, and, in addition, had cooked a number of the turtle eggs. big clam shells again served for dishes and a better meal than the breakfast was served. "now if we only had some dessert," spoke mr. henderson in a joking tone, "we wouldn't want much more. but i suppose dessert is out of the question." jack and mark looked at each other and, without a word went off toward the woods. in a little while they came back, their arms filled with cocoanuts. "how will these do for dessert?" asked jack. "fine!" cried mr. henderson. the fruit was broken open with stones and the delicious milk and soft pulp eaten with much relish. then the adventurers stretched out beneath the trees and rested. the thoughts of each one were busy with plans for recovering the submarine, though no one seemed to be able to suggest any thing. it was getting dusk, when, somewhat discouraged over the result of the visit of the savages, they were all seated on the beach. they were beginning to think again of something to eat when andy sudds, discovered the long black box which washington had brought with him in his flight from the _porpoise_, and dropped in a hollow. "i suppose you've got something very fine in there, washington?" "i declare to goodness i don't know what dat air contraption am conglomerated with," said the colored man. "i jest grabbed it up and run." the old hunter had, in the meanwhile, taken the cover off. "what in the world have we struck," he exclaimed. "sky rockets!" cried jack, with a glance at the contents of the box. "yes," said professor henderson. "i took some aboard in case we might have to signal for help on the water." "hurrah!" yelled andy. "what's the matter?" asked jack. "we'll use the sky rockets as weapons against the natives!" shouted the old hunter, capering about on the sand. chapter xix regaining the ship at first the others did not know what he meant. andy seemed much excited, and for a time the professor thought the heat and worry might have affected the hunter's mind. "we'll show 'em a thing or two!" cried andy. "i once scared a lot of indians this way so they didn't know whether they were on their head or their feet. hurrah!" "what are you talking about?" asked mr. henderson. "hadn't you better sit down and rest a bit?" "i'm all right," replied andy. "i'm talking about those sky rockets. they'll be better than bullets. you see," he went on, "after it gets dark we'll shoot the rockets over the ship. the savages will think they are in the midst of a lot of falling stars, and if they don't take to their boats and leave us the ship i'll miss my guess, that's all." "good!" exclaimed the inventor. "we'll try it." the rockets were taken out and examined. they were big affairs of several pound weight and were intended for far-off signalling at sea. andy, with the aid of the boys, tom and bill, soon constructed a rough sort of support from which to set off the fire-works. as soon as it grew dark, which it did about seven o'clock, preparations were made to try the experiment. with a whizz and roar the first rocket went sailing skyward. up through the black night it went, trailing behind it a shower of fire and sparks. then, with a loud report like that of a gun it burst directly over the ship and a rain of brilliantly colored globes of flame descended. "shot number one!" cried andy, who was setting off the rockets. for a few seconds after the first flight there came no sound from the natives at the ship. then, just as the second rocket was set off there issued a long-drawn howl, which was succeeded by cries of fear. "we've waked 'em up!" shouted jack. in rapid succession several more rockets were sent over the _porpoise_. by the light of them could be seen a mass of natives crowded out on the small deck, while others were in their canoes. "i think i'll try it a little lower this time," remarked andy. "maybe i can hit some of 'em!" he slanted the support closer to the ground and set off two rockets at once. straight across the sandy beach they flew, directly toward the crowd of natives on the ship. right into the midst of the savages the trailing comet of fire shot, with a hiss, roar and sputter that was enough to strike terror into the bravest heart. there was a long piercing howl of fear. then, as the natives felt the hot sparks scatter over their half-naked bodies, they broke into a wild stampede. over the side of the ship they plunged, into the sea, and swam off. those in boats paddled quickly away. for good measure andy sent another rocket into the midst of the fleeing ones, and this served to quicken their departure. by the light of the last one it could be seen that the ship was deserted, though the water all about her was black with the swimming savages, and the canoes. "i guess they won't come back in a hurry!" cried andy. "come on! we'll board the ship now, and get the electric guns to ward off any further attacks!" "that's the talk!" cried mark. toward the _porpoise_ all started on a run. as they neared her they found that the rising tide had floated her. "we must see if the natives damaged her," spoke mr. henderson as soon as he set foot on deck. "if they have it will be a hard matter to make repairs so far from civilization." a hasty examination, however, showed that the savages had disturbed little. the engine was soon set in motion, and, in ten minutes the ship was steaming away from the coast, headed toward the south, the goal they were so eagerly seeking. as soon as they were well out to sea, and all sight of the canoes of the savages had been lost, supper was served, and all brought good appetites to the table. for, though the improvised meals on shore had tasted good, there had not been much to them. for several days the _porpoise_ was kept on her course, sailing along under the water by day, and upon the surface at night. it was one pleasant afternoon, while nellie, jack and mark were sitting out on the deck, during one of the times when the boat had risen to the surface to renew the air supply, that a strange commotion was observed off their lee. the ocean seemed to be boiling. "what is that?" asked the little girl. the two boys looked to where she pointed. indeed the ocean seemed to be bubbling up and down in a strange manner. "it's a school of porpoises," said jack. just then the water became alive with big fish. they leaped over each other, springing high into the air and falling back into the sea with resounding splashes. "they're not porpoises! they're whales! baby whales!" yelled mark. "look out or some of the big ones may ram the boat!" as he spoke the water all about the submarine was seen to be fairly swarming with the small whales. there were scores of them, and, at times, they were so thick that it appeared possible to walk out upon them without getting very deep into the water. suddenly the ship careened to one side and the sea rushed over the deck. it was evident that one of the big whales, which were deeper down in the water, had struck the vessel. nellie screamed and tried to grab the hand rail that was about the platform. she missed her grip. the next instant she was floundering in the ocean, in the midst of the school of whales. "man overboard!" yelled jack, remembering vaguely that he had read this was the proper call to make in case of accident. his cry brought washington and the professor up the companionway on the jump. "launch the boat!" cried the inventor as he saw what had happened. mark was already in action. at the first sight of nellie slipping over the side he had thrown off his coat, broken the laces of his shoes in order the more quickly to remove the foot coverings, and had dived into the swirling water which surrounded the submarine. he struck out in the direction where the little girl had disappeared, and as her golden head appeared above the mass of foam he yelled in encouragement. by this time the small boat was launched and the colored man and jack were pulling toward him. mark succeeded in reaching nellie as she was going down the second time. he grabbed her long locks and managed to keep her up until the little craft was alongside of him. "git in quick, 'fore dem whales eat yo' up!" cried washington. he hauled the unconscious child in first, and then jack gave mark a hand. as if by magic all the whales had disappeared and the sea was quiet again. in a few minutes the rescuers and the rescued one went back again on the _porpoise_, where professor henderson soon brought nellie around again. beyond the shock and wetting neither she nor mark was harmed. it was jack's watch on deck that night. he had the tour from eight until twelve o'clock and when, about ten, every one but himself had retired, he took his position in the door of the conning tower and prepared to pass the time as best he could. the ship was moving along at half speed, and, as the automatic steering attachment was working jack had little to do. he sat looking at the stars that twinkled in the sky, the blazing southern cross showing among the constellations, when he heard a slight noise near the companionway. he looked in that direction and, to his horror, he saw the ghostly white shape that had, on previous occasions, caused him and the others fright. at first the boy resolved to shut himself up in the tower and wait until the uncanny thing had disappeared. then his courage came back and he thought he would try to solve the mystery. he argued that if the weird white object was human and could witness his movements the best thing to do would be to try and creep upon it unobserved. on the contrary, if the ghost was some natural phenomenon, or a supernatural agent, all he could do would be of no avail. so he decided the best thing to do would be to crawl upon the thing, keeping as near to the deck as possible and trying to hide himself. with this in view he put on a long rain coat that hung in the conning tower, and then, like a snake, commenced to wiggle his way toward the middle of the platform where the white object still stood. nearer and nearer to it jack came. his heart was beating fast and he was much frightened, but he nerved himself to continue. as he came closer he could see that the object looked more and more like a man, completely robed in white garments. jack was now within ten feet of the strange object. it was a man, he was sure of it, but whether a present or former inhabitant of the earth he could not decide. jack's hair was beginning to raise. a cold shiver ran down his spine as the white thing lifted an arm and seemed to point directly at him. at the same time it groaned in a deep tone. jack let out a yell that could be heard all over the ship. he made a spring for the object, determined to discover what it was or die. at that instant the whole ship seemed to rise in the air. it left the water and began moving skyward. right out of the waves the _porpoise_ was lifted until the big screw was clear of the water and it was churning around in the tunnel without any resistance, racing at top speed now that it had no water to thrust against. then the ghost seemed to vanish into thin air, and jack felt himself falling down the hatchway. chapter xx on a volcanic island in an instant the ship was in confusion. the professor, followed by old andy, washington, mark, bill and tom, came rushing from their berths, all in their night clothing, to see what the trouble was. they met in a tangled mass, stumbling over jack at the foot of the steps. "is the ship on fire?" called mrs. johnson from her cabin. "i hope not!" called the professor. "but something has happened. don't be frightened!" by this time jack, who had been somewhat stunned, recovered his senses and worked his way out of the mass of bodies. "the ghost! the ghost!" he cried. "i saw him again!" "land a' massy!" yelled washington. "what has happened to the ship?" cried the professor. "is it a tidal wave?" "i was on deck," panted jack. "i saw the white thing! i crept up on it! all at once the ship rose in the air!" "and it's still rising!" shouted the inventor. "i must see what this means!" he made his way to the deck, and his loud shout soon brought the others up to him. "shut off the engine!" mr. henderson called down to washington, who hurried to obey. "what has happened?" asked andy, rushing towards him. "we have run upon an island," answered the professor. "this is the worst thing that has yet happened to us." "what sort of an island is it that shoots you up in the air?" asked the old hunter. "it's hard to say," replied mr. henderson. "we will have to wait until morning to find out." the boys and men went up on deck and there beheld a curious sight. the _porpoise_ had been lifted bodily from the surface of the ocean where she had been sailing and was now raised about ten feet above the crest of the billows. it was too dark to see the extent of the island she rested on, but, from the circle of foam around the outer edge it did not appear to be very big. the excitement occasioned by the appearance of the ghost, jack's yells and fall, and the rising of the ship, had subsided somewhat. mrs. johnson and her daughter, who were much frightened, were assured there was no immediate danger, and the men and boys put on more substantial clothing than that of their night robes. it seemed as if morning would never come, but at length there was a pale light in the east and soon it changed to a rosy glow, showing that the sun was coming. the professor was early on deck, and mark and jack were not far behind. as soon as it was light enough they could see that the ship was held fast on top of a small rocky isle, about one hundred feet in diameter, which rose abruptly from the water. "it's a volcanic island," decided the professor. "we are in the midst of subterranean disturbances and this is probably one of the effects of some under-sea eruption. the pinnacle of rock rose from the ocean, forced up by some power underneath, just as our ship came over it. that accounts for the sudden rising into the air of the _porpoise_. no wonder we were all scared." "the next question," began old andy, "is how are we to get off?" "that's the point," agreed mr. henderson. "here we are, high and dry, and we might as well be a broken flying machine as a submarine for all the power we have." "will we have to stay here forever?" asked nellie, who had come up on deck. "i hope not," answered the professor, smiling for the first time since the accident. "we will find a way to get down, never fear, little girl." "i suppose we might dig some sort of a canal down to the water," remarked jack. "if we could we might float the ship." "i'm afraid you'd find it slow digging through this volcanic rock," answered andy. "it's like flint." "well, there's no use worrying over it," went on the professor in as calm a tone as he could muster. "it's time for breakfast, and we have to eat whether we're on the top of an island that shoots out of the water when you least expect it, or sailing along as we ought to." accordingly washington prepared the morning meal, and they all found they had appetites for it, in spite of their fright. afterward they all came on deck again and looked about them. they were in the midst of a wild waste of water. not a sign of land could be seen in any direction, and there was no evidence of a sail or steamship as far as the horizon showed. the little island which held the _porpoise_ so close a prisoner was a mere speck in the vast ocean, but it was large enough to put an end, temporarily at least, to the progress of the powerful submarine. the professor and the boys went over the side and climbed down to the rock. then the inventor verified his surmise that the rocky point was of volcanic origin. it was also seen that there was little chance to get the craft back into the ocean. "i guess we're doomed to stick here for some time," remarked mr. henderson, with a grim smile. "the rock has caught us squarely and nothing short of dynamite will free us. to use the explosive might mean the destruction of the ship, and i dare not risk it." gloom settled over the party in spite of the efforts the professor made to be cheerful. washington, after the first few minutes of fright, regained his usual good spirits, but, no matter how he laughed and joked, there was a feeling of terror in every heart. they realized their helplessness, and knew that unless another upheaval of nature occurred there was small likelihood of their release. on the third day of their strange adventure professor henderson resolved on a bold step. "we must use dynamite," he declared. "if we stay here on this desolate rock we are bound to perish sooner or later, for our food cannot last many months, though we have a large supply. we are out of the path of steamers and only by chance would one pass here. with care we may be able to blast the rock so that the ship will not be permanently damaged. what do you all say? i would like your advice, for this concerns all of us." one after the other all said they were willing to abide by whatever the inventor did. accordingly he made his preparations. washington, with a hammer and chisel, was set to cutting a fair sized hole in the big rock, as far away from the ship as possible. he was two days at the job, and, during this time those on the stranded _porpoise_ watched in vain for the sight of a vessel. "i am going to put the dynamite in," announced mr. henderson one morning. "we must all get into the small boat and row some distance away, as there is no telling what the result of the explosion may be." "suppose the submarine is destroyed?" asked mrs. johnson. "then we will have to sail for the nearest land in the small boat," replied the captain. "i will provision it and we will take all the precautions we can." it was with anxious hearts that the little party embarked in the little craft that was carried on the _porpoise_. it was barely large enough to hold them. the professor was the last in, and he lighted a long fuse that led to the dynamite before taking his seat. then with tom and bill at the oars the little craft moved away. "how long before the explosion will take place?" asked jack. "i timed the fuse for ten minutes," answered mr. henderson. "that will enable us to get far enough away so we will not be swamped by a wave." five minutes later mark, who was intently watching the volcanic rock, gave a loud cry. "there she goes!" he shouted. they all looked to behold a wonderful thing. as easily as though it was some conjuring trick the rock began to settle down in the water. lower and lower it went until only the tallest jagged points showed above the waves, whose crested tops the keel of the ship now almost touched. "that isn't the explosion!" exclaimed the professor. "the fuse has not had time to get to the powder yet." "but the rock is disappearing!" yelled andy. as he spoke the big pile of volcanic stone vanished completely and the _porpoise_ floated easily on the surface of the sea. "hurrah!" cried mark. "it am de most kloslostrous occurranceness dat eber transpositioned itself!" exploded washington. "let's row back to the ship now!" cried mark. "not yet!" said the professor quickly. "the dynamite has not gone off yet." "there it goes now," remarked jack. at that instant a big column of water shot upward and a dull rumbling could be heard. a few seconds later the little boat rocked violently from the effects of the waves. then the sea became calm, and the _porpoise_ could be seen dancing up and down on the heaving billows. "now we can go back in safety," spoke mr. henderson, and tom and bill bent to the oars. "what happened?" asked mrs. johnson. "the rock seemed to disappear before the explosion occurred." "that's exactly what it was," explained the inventor. "by some strange freak of nature the volcanic mass dropped back into the ocean a little before i was ready to blow it to pieces. in settling down it lowered the ship. then the explosion occurred beneath the waves. if i had waited a little while i need not have risked the dynamite." "well, there was no guarantee that the rock would go back where it came from," remarked jack. "no, we had to act," agreed the professor. "but now let us go aboard." they rowed back to the _porpoise_, which they found had sustained no damage from the queer experience it had been through. the motors were set in motion and in a little while the craft was again moving through the water out of the dangerous vicinity of the volcanic area. "who has the two watches to-night?" asked mr. henderson after supper had been served. "washington and andy," answered jack, who kept track of the matter. "i guess we'll change it, and have you and mark take them," went on the captain. he gave jack a peculiar look, and made a sign to him not to say anything. wondering what was to come jack went up on deck to watch the sunset. chapter xxi caught in a whirlpool the boy was joined a little later by the captain, who, coming close to him whispered: "i am going to try to discover the ghost to-night. that is why i wanted you boys on hand to help me. this thing must be stopped if it is a joke, and, if it isn't--" "do you think it is some one playing tricks?" asked jack. "i don't know what to think," answered mr. henderson. "we will see what happens to-night." mark came on deck a little while, and the three talked of the strange appearances of the mysterious white object. the boys told of their experiences, and jack related more fully his on the night the ship went up on the big rock upheaval. "i don't believe in ghosts," said mr. henderson, "i'm going to lay this one," and he smiled grimly. night settled down. jack, who had the first tour under the new arrangement, had made himself comfortable in the conning tower, and mr. henderson had hidden himself in the companionway. his idea was to thus guard both openings into the ship and ascertain whether the ghost came from within or without the craft. up to a short time before twelve o'clock nothing out of the ordinary happened. the only sound was the lapping of the waves on the steel sides of the _porpoise_, and now and then a splash as a big fish leaped out of the water. there was only the slightest breeze. jack who, somehow or other, felt much sleepier than usual, caught himself nodding several times. once he awoke with a start and realized that he had been dozing. "come, come," he remarked to himself, "this will not do at all. this is a fine way to watch for a ghost." he remained wide awake for perhaps five minutes. then he was off to the land of nod again. he was just dreaming that he was skating on a pond and was playing snap the whip with a lot of boys, when he awoke with a start. he felt something pressing on his chest and to his horror, as he looked up, he saw a big towering white object standing over him. a second glance showed him it was a man, or the semblance of one, and the thing's foot was on his chest. with a terrified scream jack sprang up, upsetting the ghost, which, the boy thought at the time, seemed rather heavy for an unearthly spirit. "did you catch it?" cried the professor. "no! yes! i don't know!" yelled jack, struggling to his feet in time to see the white object glide down the stairs that led from the conning tower into the forward cabin. "run after it! we must solve the mystery!" cried mr. henderson springing from the companionway up on deck. but at that moment the ship began to whirl about in a circle slowly at first, but with increasing speed until jack and the professor felt sick and dizzy. all about the water seemed to be bubbling and boiling, while, at the same time, there arose on the air a mournful howl. the professor jumped to the rail and looked over the side. what he saw made him recoil with horror. "quick! close the man-hole hatch!" he cried. "shut the door of the conning tower!" "what is it?" jack managed to ask. "we are caught in a whirlpool!" mr. henderson yelled as he leaped down the companionway and pulled the heavy steel cover after him. stricken with a nameless dread, jack closed the water-tight door of the conning tower and made his way to the cabin. he could hardly get down the stairs, so swiftly was the ship whirling about. he found the captain busy in the engine room and, in response to calls, washington and mark came hurrying in. they had been awakened by the commotion and the strange movements of the _porpoise_. "turn on all the lights," ordered the inventor. "we must prepare for the worst." the incandescents were soon glowing and in the glare the frightened adventurers gathered about mr. henderson, wondering what new terror had befallen them. "see!" exclaimed the inventor. "we are going comparatively slow now, but we are on the outer edge. wait until we reach the centre." he pointed to a compass and, as the needle pointed steadily to the north the card seemed to be going around like the hands of a clock that has lost the balance and escapement wheels. the ship made three complete circles a minute. pale and frightened, mrs. johnson came from her cabin, whence the terrified cries of nellie could be heard. "are we sinking?" she asked. "sinking will never harm the _porpoise_," replied mr. henderson. "this is something decidedly worse." "i know! it is a whirlpool!" exclaimed the lady. "i'm dizzy; i'm so dizzy!" wailed nellie. "please stop the ship from going round, mr. henderson." she came from her bed crying, and all her mother could do did not quiet her. meanwhile the submarine continued to whirl about faster and faster in the swirling waters. five times each minute now it made the circuit, and, like the coils of a boa constrictor that is enfolding its victim, the circles continually grew smaller. "we are being sucked down," said jack in a low tone as he glanced at the depth gage, and noted that it showed them to be thirty feet under water. "that is so," remarked mr. henderson quietly. "what will be the result?" asked mrs. johnson. "i do not know," was the answer, and the captain turned aside. he seemed to have lost all courage in the face of the new disaster. "can't we empty the tanks and rise to the surface?" asked andy. "the tanks are not filled," replied mr. henderson. "what is taking us down is the force of the whirlpool and not the weight of water." "then you fear for the worst?" asked andy. "i do," said the captain simply. "don't give up the ship!" exclaimed the old hunter suddenly. "never say die! it's a long lane that has no turns! hip! hip! hurrah!" they all turned to stare at the old man. "never mind," said mr. henderson in a soothing tone, that one would use toward a baby, or a person not right in their head. "never mind. we may be saved." "oh i'm not crazy!" exclaimed andy. he tried to caper about but the motion of the ship made him dizzy and he had to sit down. "i'm all right! i just happened to think of something!" "what is it?" asked the captain eagerly. "send the ship ahead!" exclaimed andy. "speed her as fast as she will go. try her strength against the force of the whirlpool! we may win!" "good!" exclaimed mr. henderson. "i was too much depressed to think of that! the ship has powerful engines. queer you should remember that instead of me. come, washington, start the screw going! we will try to beat the whirlpool!" the submarine was now whirling around so rapidly that it was difficult for any one to stand without leaning against the sides or holding on to something. it was going lower and lower down, as the gage showed. soon a throb that was felt through the length of the craft told that the engine had started. the vibration increased until it seemed that the ship would be torn apart. never had the big screw revolved at greater speed. for a while the struggle between the force of man represented by the engine, and the power of nature, embodied in the whirlpool, seemed equal. neither could gain the mastery. the ship continued to slide around in ever narrowing circles while the big cable of water, forced through the tunnel by the screw, was like a cataract. "which will win?" asked the professor softly to himself. he crawled to the gages and watched them. only by their needles could it be told when the battle had turned in favor of the adventurers. the circular motion, that was now terrible in its speed and power, seemed to culminate in a rush that almost overturned the ship. in the engine room washington was laboring to keep the machine at top speed. he put on the last ounce of power. "hurrah!" yelled the professor suddenly. "i think we shall win!" he pointed to the depth gage. the needle, which had showed a constantly increasing record, until it was now at two hundred feet, had stopped. it showed they were going no lower. then mr. henderson looked at the indicator which showed the progress straight ahead. the needle was beginning to tremble. as he watched he saw it move, slowly at first, until, as the powerful screw won a victory over the terrible whirlpool. the gage marked one, two and then three miles an hour. "we are leaving the swirling waters!" cried mr. henderson. then, all at once, as though it was an arrow shot from a gigantic bow, the _porpoise_ cleft the under-billows and shot ahead, free at last from the grip of the whirlpool. man had triumphed over nature! on rushed the ship like a race horse, for the engine was working as it never had before, and it did not have the pool to contend against. "slow down," said mr. henderson, "and we will go to the surface." two minutes later, under the buoyancy of her empty tanks, the _porpoise_ lay floating on the top of the waves, under the shining stars. chapter xxii under fire "i shouldn't want to go through that experience again," remarked mr. henderson, as he, with all of the ship's company except mrs. johnson and nellie went on deck. "i thought we were lost, sure." "lucky our engine didn't go disproportionatin' herself at de mostess criticless moment," put in washington. "golly, but she suttinly did hum!" "and you deserve credit for making her do the humming," went on the professor with a smile. "well, we didn't catch the ghost," remarked jack, "though i certainly saw him, it or her, whatever the thing is. i felt it too." "it's rather strange," spoke the professor. "every time, or nearly every time the ghost, as i suppose we must call it for the present, makes its appearance, something terrible happens to the ship. i hope it doesn't show up too often." it was three o'clock in the morning, and they had battled with the whirlpool over two hours. they talked of little else, and each one told how he or she felt. "it was just like twisting yourself up tight in the swing, and then letting the rope unwind," said nellie, and they all agreed that she had described the sensation perfectly. they laughed, also, a thing they had felt little like doing a short time previous. the engine had run so hard, and some of the bearings had become so warm, that for the rest of the night the professor decided to let the machinery remain stationary. this would give it time to cool down he said, and they could make up the time lost the next day. tired out with the night's worry and labors they all slept late the next morning, and it was nearly ten o'clock before breakfast was over. the ship was started on her course once more, and jack, who was steering, made the engine hum as the submarine scudded along, submerged about fifty feet. "when you have time i would like to talk to you," said mrs. johnson to captain henderson. "i'm at your service now," replied the inventor. "what are you going to do with nellie and me?" the lady went on. "take you to the south pole with us," was the answer, with a smile. "it's very kind of you, and i don't want to put you to any trouble," went on mrs. johnson. "but i would like to go back north." "i'd like to oblige you," returned the inventor, "but i hate to turn back now. we are well on our voyage, and i may never get another chance to locate the pole. don't you want to accompany us? think of the glorious achievement!" "i'd rather go back north," persisted the lady. "but i wouldn't ask you to turn the ship around. what i was going to suggest was to sail along on the surface for a few days and see if you cannot sight a homeward bound steamer or sailing vessel. then you could put me and nellie aboard her." "of course!" exclaimed mr. henderson. "i never thought of that. though we will be sorry to lose your company, and that of your little girl, i will do anything to oblige you. we will at once go to the surface." he called the necessary order to jack through a speaking tube which led to the conning tower. in a few minutes the ship shot upward, and emerged from the ocean in a little shower of foam and spray. she lay undulating on the surface, and was just beginning to move forward again, under the influence of the screw, when a dull boom echoed off to the left. jack looked from the observation windows in the conning tower and saw, about a mile away a big steamer. from her side a white cloud of smoke floated, and then the water splashed about fifty feet from the blunt nose of the submarine. once more came the boom, the white cloud of smoke and this time the water splashed only twenty-five feet away from the bow of the _porpoise_. a third time came the sound, and the splash was even nearer. "they're firing on us!" yelled jack. at his cry the professor ran on deck. he was just in time to see the fourth shot made, and this time the shell dropped into the water just astern of the _porpoise_ and so close that when it exploded it sent a shower of spray all over the deck. "here! stop that!" yelled mr. henderson, shaking his fist in the direction of the steamer. "you nearly hit us that time. do your practicing in some other direction!" "i don't think they can hear you," said jack. "and besides, i don't believe they are practicing." "then what in the world are they doing?" "shooting at us i guess." "why do they want to shoot at us? we haven't done them any damage." "perhaps they think we are a torpedo boat," suggested jack. "maybe that vessel's nation is at war with some other one and wants to sink us if it can." "i believe you're right!" exclaimed mr. henderson. "but this will never do. they must stop!" once more the big gun on the ship was fired and the shell came dangerously close. at the same time several other reports, less in volume were heard, and the water all about the submarine began to bubble as the missiles from the machine guns cut the waves. "maybe it's an english vessel sent to capture mark and me because of that anarchist trouble at the hotel," jack went on. "nonsense!" exclaimed the captain. "but whatever it is, we must stop it, or they will sink my ship. wave your handkerchief, jack." the boy sprang to the top of the conning tower, in order to permit those on the vessel to see him more plainly, and vigorously shook the white rag. that it was observed was evident when some one on the steamer wig-wagged back a reply. in a few minutes a boat was seen to put off from the ship, and soon a little launch, in command of a lieutenant in uniform, drew up alongside the _porpoise_. "who is captain of this craft?" asked the lieutenant as he came aboard. "i am," replied mr. henderson. "what do you mean by firing on me?" "i am lieutenant muchmore," said the other, saluting. "captain wackford, of the _sylph_, in his britannic majesty's service, presents his compliments, and asks you to pardon the occurrence. you see we took you for a derelict and were trying to sink you." "i thought perhaps war had broken out between some country and the united states since we left port," went on mr. henderson, "and that you were trying to make a capture." "no, it was only that we thought you a waterlogged craft, and a danger to navigation," repeated the lieutenant. "but what sort of a ship have you?" "come below and i'll show you the finest submarine that ever was built," answered the inventor with pardonable pride. "if you don't mind, give your launch orders to go back to the ship, and i'll show something that will make you open your eyes." anxious to see what the strange little craft could do lieutenant muchmore sent his launch back, and went below with captain henderson. he was astonished at what he saw, and unlike most englishmen was willing to say so. mr. henderson then went to the conning tower. he directed the man-hole cover to be clamped on, and then filled the tanks. the ship sank fifty feet below the surface and then shot forward. seated in the cabin the lieutenant was observing with wonder showing on his face at the accomplishment of sailing along under water. suddenly the lights were shut off, and the shutters moved back from the bull's-eye windows. the sea, glowing in the beams of the search light, was alive with fish, large and small, beautiful and hideous. "wonderful!" exclaimed the englishman. the bull's-eyes were closed, the lights switched on, and then, speeding the engine almost to the top notch the captain steered the submarine straight for the war-ship. he had carefully noted her direction before starting his own craft, and he resolved to do a little manoeuvering that would still further astonish the visitor. by careful reading of the different gages mr. henderson was able to come to the surface right in front of the _sylph_, to the no small astonishment of the men on the deck of the vessel. then, just to show what the _porpoise_ could do, the inventor darted around the war-ship in a circle. he sunk below the surface, went under the keel of the _sylph_ and came up on the other side. then he went the whole length of her, under water, starting at the stern and ending at the bow, where he brought the submarine to a rest in a smother of foam. "great! wonderful! surprising!" were some of the adjectives lieutenant muchmore used as he stepped from the conning tower, with captain henderson, onto the deck. at the appearance of the officer and the inventor a group of those on the _sylph_ gave three cheers for the little vessel. "is she for sale?" asked captain wackford. "no, thank you," replied mr. henderson with a laugh. "because if she is i'll give you free passage to england with her, on my ship," went on the commander. "my government would give a fortune for a boat that can do what yours does." "it is not for sale," repeated mr. henderson, "but i have some one on board who would appreciate a free passage to england, or any northern port." "who is it?" asked captain wackford. "a mrs. johnson and her daughter." chapter xxiii caught in an ice floe mr. henderson soon explained the finding of the lady and the little girl, and captain wackford readily agreed to give them passage to new york, as the _sylph_ was to call at that port. so nellie and her mother were put aboard the warship, after bidding farewell to the captain and crew of the submarine. mr. henderson and the boys promised to write to them as soon as they got back from their voyage to the south pole, and, amid a chorus of good-byes the _porpoise_ resumed her journey. for several days the submarine forged to the south, and the weather became noticeably cooler. some of the nights were chilly, and those on watch were glad of the heavy coats they had brought along. one morning, after a week of travel, when no interruptions had occurred by reason of accidents, old andy came up on deck, and sniffing the air, said: "we'll sight ice before night, or i'm a dutchman." "what makes you think so?" asked jack. "i can smell it," replied the hunter, whereat jack, and mark who had joined him, laughed. "that is no joke," put in professor henderson, who, coming up the companionway heard what was said. "old sea captains will tell you they can smell an iceberg long before they can see it." "i don't claim to be a sea captain," said andy, "but i once was on a whaling voyage and i learned to sniff ice in the air. i saved the ship from collision with a berg once." "let me see," began the inventor as the adventurers sat about the supper table after the meal was finished, "who have the watches on deck to-night?" "washington first and bill second," replied jack looking at the chart. "keep a sharp watch for the icebergs," advised the captain. "if you feel a sudden chill in the air, and see something white, stop the engine at once and call for me." when the _porpoise_ had been put in shape for the night, and the company, tired out from their labors over a general "house cleaning" which captain henderson had insisted on, went to bed, washington took his place in the conning tower. it was quite cold, but as the temperature for several days past had been steadily falling, nothing was thought of it. "i guess i'll git out my fur-lined sealskin coat," said the colored man to himself as he felt the chill night air, that seemed to increase in frigidity along about eleven o'clock. he went to the cabin to get his overcoat, and, returning on deck prepared to spend the rest of his hour of watch in ease and comfort. he stretched out on the bench in the conning tower, noted that the machinery was working right and that the proper course was being steered, and then he let his thoughts drift to the many adventures he and his employer had gone through of late, and also while on the trip "through the air to the north pole." washington gave one frightened, startled look, in a few minutes, so comfortable had he fixed himself, but happening to look forward through the glass-covered porthole of the tower, he saw something that made the cold chills run down his back. there, right in front of the _porpoise_, and not a cable-length away was a tall, mysterious, white thing which was shimmering in the pale light of the moon that had lately risen. washington gave one frightened, startled look, and then, with a tongue that could hardly move, he yelled out: "de ghost! de ghost! he'll git me suah!" then the colored man made a dive for the stairway leading to the cabin, but missed it and brought up with a crash on the steel floor of the conning tower. "what is it?" called professor henderson, springing out of his bunk. "de ghost!" wailed washington from the huddled up heap he was in. "catch him!" yelled the captain. "i dasn't," moaned washington. the next instant the ship quivered from stem to stern. there was a terrible shock, followed by a grinding, crashing sound. then the craft seemed to be pressed down by some great weight. it heeled over to one side, and the water began to pour down the open man-hole. "quick! clamp on the covers!" shouted mr. henderson as he felt the sea dashing into the interior of the boat. jack and mark sprang to obey. it took all their strength, for the water was running in like a mill-race. "what has happened?" asked andy, as he tried to climb up the companionway ladder, that was tilted backward. "i guess we've hit your iceberg!" cried mr. henderson. "i knew i smelled the frozen stuff," replied the old hunter. they got the covers on the manhole only just in time and they all crowded into the cabin, while jack switched on the electric lights. "is the ship damaged?" asked mark. "i think not," replied mr. henderson. "but we are sinking. look at the depth gage." the hand on the clock-face was moving slowly around. from ten it went to twenty feet, then to thirty and kept going until it stood at seventy. "look to the air tanks," ordered mr. henderson to washington, who, by this time had recovered from his fright. "see if they are all right." the colored man came back in a few minutes and reported that the supply of compressed atmosphere was safe and that there was plenty of it. "that's good," remarked mr. henderson. "whatever else happens we can breathe for a while." "but what has happened?" asked andy. "i think the top part of an iceberg toppled down on us," was the reply. "you know about nine-tenths of a berg is under water. sometimes there is a warm current of the ocean underneath the ice, and it melts. then it becomes top-heavy and tilts over. one of that sort must have caught us, and has shoved us down into the sea." "but why don't we rise again when the ice floe slips off us?" asked mark. "because, in all probability the ice will not slip off us," answered the professor grimly. "it may be so large that it has caught us like a bug under a barn door." "then we are fast in the ice under water," spoke andy after a pause. "it looks like it," came from the inventor. "however we will not give up yet. we may be able to make our way out. start the engine at full speed, washington." the machinery which the professor had shut down at the first cry of alarm was set going. soon the throb and hum told that the big screw was revolving. meanwhile the _porpoise_ had regained an even keel, and had stopped sinking, remaining at the depth of seventy feet below the surface. "we will first try to go straight ahead," said the captain. he turned on more power and they all waited in anxiety. the test would tell whether they could escape in that direction or not. but, though the powerful screw churned the water to foam in the tunnel, the _porpoise_ never budged. it was as if she was held in a vice. "it's of no use," remarked mr. henderson with a shake of his head as he watched the speed gage and noted that it remained stationary. "we must now try the other way." once more the big screw was set going, this time in the opposite direction, so as to pull the ship out of the ice if it was possible. but this, too, was of no avail. "it looks as if the ice had us," said andy, trying to speak in a cheerful tone. "but there's one way more to try." "what is that?" asked mr. henderson. "if we were in the air ship we could go up," replied the old hunter. "but, as it is, we had better go down. why don't you fill all the water tanks, and try to sink beneath the iceberg? it can't go down so very far into the water, and i reckon we could slip under it." "the very thing!" exclaimed the professor, whose mind was too sorely troubled over the happening to enable him to think of plans of escape. "that's the best thing to do." under the inventor's direction washington filled the tanks and then, ere the pumps had ceased working, the screw was started and the deflecting rudder inclined to cause the ship to dive. one, two, three minutes passed, and still the _porpoise_ did not move toward the bottom of the sea. she remained submerged and stationary. anxious eyes gazed at the dials. the indicating hands trembled under the throbbing of the engines, but did not move. "it will not work!" exclaimed mr. henderson in sorrowful tones. "what does it mean?" asked bill, who had come up to where the others stood. "it means that we are prisoners in the ice; caught between the upper and lower parts of a gigantic berg, and held here under the water." "can't we ever get out?" asked jack, a tremor coming into his voice. "can't we escape when the ice melts?" "the ice of the southern polar sea seldom melts in this latitude," replied the professor. an ominous silence followed his words. chapter xxiv the ship graveyard truly the adventurers were in a position that might well cause the stoutest heart to quail. with hundreds of tons of ice above, below, and on every side of them, their chances of escaping alive from this frozen tomb were very small. "can't we make an attempt to get out of this prison?" asked jack. "indeed we will," said the professor. "we will try all the means at our command. if they all fail--" he dared not finish the sentence, but they all knew what he meant. it was now about one o'clock in the morning. the ship had become stationary after the uneasy motion caused by the oscillation of the big berg. "we may as well turn in and get a little sleep," remarked mr. henderson. "we can all work better if we get some rest." it is doubtful whether any of them slept, for the horror of their position was too fresh in their minds. still, lying down in the bunks rested them. it was six o'clock when washington awoke. in spite of the dangers of the icy grave, he had managed to get a little sleep. he prepared breakfast and called the others. "make a good meal," advised mr. henderson. "we have plenty of work ahead of us." "are you going to free the ship?" asked mark. "i am going to try," was the answer. a little later the inventor was busy in one of the small store rooms aft when jack came up. the professor was carefully taking out a box labelled: dynamite! dangerous! "what are you going to do?" asked the boy. "i am going to try the same experiment we attempted on the volcanic island," was the reply. "only, this time, i am afraid we shall have to complete it to the end. there is little likelihood of the ice falling apart." "then you are going to blow it up?" went on jack. "that's what i hope to do," the inventor went on. "i see no other way, and, though there is a risk, it is not so great a one as to wait to be crushed in the ice as it freezes more solidly." under the directions of mr. henderson they got out the diving suits. the professor, the two boys and andy put them on. the dynamite, in specially prepared water-proof packages, with long fuses was laid in readiness close to the door of the diving chamber. into the cell, the four who were to make the perilous journey under the ice, took their places. the water was slowly admitted, and then, with the electric lights in their helmets throwing out powerful gleams, they started forward as the outer door swung open. it was well they had all taken the precautions to don thick undergarments and clothing, for, even through the heavy rubber diving suits, the terrible cold of the southern polar sea struck a chill to their very bones. as the professor had said, the ship was caught between the upper and lower parts of the iceberg. on either side, ahead and to the rear there was open water. beneath their feet there was a floor of ice. it was as if they and the ship had been placed between two great sheets of the frozen matter. their progress was slow, for the water hampered their movements and each one had some of the dynamite to carry. the footing, too, was insecure, for the icy bed of the ocean was slippery. as they were huddled together, the professor in the lead, and their lamps making a faint illumination in the darkness, they suddenly became aware of a great shadow over them. they looked up, and their hearts nearly ceased beating as they saw a gigantic sperm whale right over them, and between the ice. the terrible animal had observed them also, and, food being scarce in those frigid regions, had evidently made up its mind to dine on some choice morsels. the whale was nearly as large again as the submarine, and to the frightened voyagers seemed more immense than a house. with slow motions of the flukes the animal placed itself right over the boys and men, ready to rush at and take them into its terrible maw. old andy, who alone seemed to retain his presence of mind, stepped to the front. the professor and the boys wondered what he was going to do. then andy held up one of the electric guns. always thinking of his chosen calling, the old hunter had picked up the weapon as he was leaving the _porpoise_. he waited until the whale was within a short distance, so close in fact that the small eyes, out of all seeming proportion to the rest of the big body, could be seen. then andy fired one of the explosive bullets straight into the open mouth that was fringed with rows of the springy bone that is a part of a whale's eating apparatus. the shot took effect, and made a vital wound. in its death struggles the beast lashed the ocean to foam, and, but for the fact that andy as soon as he fired the shot crouched down, pulling the others toward the floor of ice, they might all have been killed. the whale turned and made a rush in the opposite direction to that of the divers. this was a welcome sign to the professor, for he knew the animal was seeking open water and this told him it must be somewhere in the vicinity. their hearts still beating loudly from the closeness of death, the adventurers continued their way. on every side were fish, big and little, and, though some of the larger ones thrust themselves to the men and boys, as if wondering what strange creatures they were, none of them offered to attack. led by the professor they made a complete circuit of the ship that was held fast in the ice. as the inventor had surmised, the _porpoise_ was nipped only above and below. if she could be freed at either of those points she could rise to the surface, or sink down under the ice. after making a careful examination of the position of the craft, mr. henderson motioned to have the dynamite placed on the ice, in front of, and about two hundred feet away from the nose of the ship. he connected the cartridges with the fuse and wires that were to explode them, and then, taking the free end, he started back toward the ship. washington was on the watch for them, and operated the diving chamber. soon the four were back in the _porpoise_. "now to see if our plan will work," said mr. henderson. "i am relying on the well known downward force of dynamite to blow a hole in the bottom part of the ice, so that we can drop below." "why not make a hole above so we can rise and escape?" asked bill. "because," replied the professor, "we are now in the region of perpetual ice. the ocean above us is one fast floe, or a number of smaller ones, so that, in any event our progress would be impossible. but we can sail far enough down under water to escape all the ice. that is the purpose of the _porpoise_. that is why i built her. we will now begin on the last part of our voyage; that is if we can get free of the fearful grip of this sea of ice." there was little they could do to protect themselves. they would either escape or be blown to pieces in case the explosive exerted too great a force. they all put on life preservers to guard against the contingency of the _porpoise_ being ripped apart and themselves cast into the water, yet they realized that without their ship, they could live but a little while in the ice-filled water near the south pole. the professor saw that everything was in readiness. he hesitated a moment and looked at the electric button in his hand, for this time the dynamite was to be detonated by a battery. how much might depend on one push of the finger! there was a slight movement to the muscles of the professor's hand. then it seemed as if a thunderbolt had fallen into the midst of the ocean about them. there was a dull rumble, but the confined space and the thick walls of the ship shut most of it out. it was followed by a sickening dizzy motion to the submarine. she seemed about to roll over and those in her grabbed frantically at the sides. the next instant the craft plunged down, down, down, into the water which was filled with broken cakes of ice, that rattled against the steel sides, like peas in a pan. down and down the _porpoise_ went, for her tanks were full. more and more rapidly she continued to sink, until it seemed she would fetch up in the deepest cavern of the ocean. "we's gwine t' mars davy jones's locker, suah!" washington exclaimed as he looked at the depth gages. [illustration: they were in the midst of a graveyard of wrecked ships.--_page ._] "has the experiment succeeded?" asked andy of mr. henderson. "i think so," was the answer. "at any rate we are free from the ice, temporarily at least. we are sinking down through the hole the dynamite made, just as i hoped we would." "where will we end up?" asked jack. "no one knows," replied the captain. "but i would say--" at that instant the ship stopped sinking and brought up with a bump. "i should say we were at the end of this part of our journey," finished the inventor. he turned off the cabin lights and lighted the search lamps that threw a gleam so the water could be looked at from the bull's-eyes windows. the sight that met their gaze was an astonishing one. they were in the midst of a graveyard of wrecked ships, and, on every side, scattered over the ocean bed, were the broken hulks that had once been stately vessels. chapter xxv caught by sea suckers "what sort of a place is this?" asked andy, as he gazed at the last resting spot of the big ships. "they have probably drifted here with the ocean currents, become caught in the ice and have remained here hundreds of years," said mr. henderson. "some of the ships are very old, and, by their build must have sailed the waters centuries ago." "maybe some of them are treasure ships," suggested jack. "they might be," admitted the professor. "then we'll go aboard and get the gold," spoke mark. "i'm afraid you'll be disappointed," went on the inventor. "in the first place most treasure ships are looted before they sink. and it would be very dangerous for any of us to venture to explore those hulks." "why?" asked jack. "because they are rotten, and liable to fall to pieces any minute. if you happened to be in one at the time you would be caught in the wreckage and eventually drowned even though you had on a diving suit. then, again, the ice here is constantly shifting about, and a sudden motion of the under-water floe might carry you hundreds of miles away. so we will not try to hunt for any fortunes on the sunken ships." with this the boys were forced to be content. they stood at the small windows looking at the skeletons of ships that lay on every side of the _porpoise_. some of the craft were big steamers, and others were small sailing vessels. a few had jagged holes in the hulls, showing how they had been damaged. a few stood upright, with sails all set, as if disaster had suddenly come upon them. "well, what is the next move?" asked andy after a pause. "are we going to stay here?" "we are going to find the south pole," spoke mr. henderson suddenly. "that is what i set out to do, and i am going to accomplish it if possible. we have had many accidents and a harder time in some respects than when we made our trip to the north in the air ship. but i am sure we shall succeed. start the ship to the south, washington." "but we may run into an iceberg," objected the old hunter, who was inclined to be cautious. "i think not," answered mr. henderson. "i believe we are on a sort of level plane between two vast upper and lower fields of ice. we can go freely in any direction excepting up or down." "how is that?" asked mark. "i don't quite understand." "because there is, i believe, a big sheet of ice above us, one, say several hundred feet thick. the same thing is below us, between us and the real bed of the ocean." "but suppose we have to go up to renew our air supply?" asked jack. "we can't go," replied the inventor. "then we will die." "not necessarily. we will steam along until we come to a place where there is no ice above us." "but i thought you said there was nothing but ice above us now." "so there is, but i intend to head due south and there, i believe, we will find an open polar sea. if we do my theory will be proved and we will have made a great discovery." "forward then!" exclaimed jack. "let us strike for the open sea." the _porpoise_ began to move ahead. she steamed slowly, for mr. henderson realized that he was in dangerous waters. he took his position in the conning tower, and had jack with him to assist in looking for any obstructions that they might unexpectedly meet. the big searchlight gave a fine illumination, for the ice above and below reflected back the beams, and what would otherwise have been a sea of darkness was made one of daylight. the water swarmed with fish, but they were like none that the adventurers had ever seen or dreamed of before. there were monsters with hideous heads, and eyes so large that they occupied nearly half of the ugly bodies. then there were serpent-like forms, fish with long slender bodies and whip-fashioned tails, with jaws that extended before them for ten feet or more. others there were, great lumbering monsters that crawled along on the ice, somewhat as seals do. after several hours' travel the submarine ran into a school of fish that had shapes like those of polar bears, while their heads were like those of sharks. the creatures swarmed up to the side of the vessel, and some scratched with their claw-like fins on the glass windows of the conning tower and the side bull's-eyes. a meal was prepared by washington, and all the adventurers brought good appetites to the table. on and on rushed the ship, every hour coming nearer and nearer to the pole. professor henderson had turned the steering of the craft over to mark, who, with jack as an assistant was sending her along at a good speed, when suddenly the submarine seemed to slacken in her progress. "what's the matter now i wonder?" asked mark. "maybe the engine bearings got hot, and washington had to slow up to cool them," suggested jack. he looked through one of the side windows in the conning tower, a moment later, and uttered a cry of fear. "what is it?" asked mark. jack pointed with a hand that trembled from fright. staring at them through the thick glass of the bull's-eye the boys beheld the most hideous sea monster they had yet encountered. it seemed to be a vast circular mass of flesh, twenty feet in diameter, and, in the middle were two openings each three feet across. they were like big holes, and, at the farther end of them could be seen two unblinking eyes. in the centre was a horrible mouth, armed with a triple row of teeth. down below there was a short body, at the end of which was a smaller disk, armed with a sharp horny point. "what is it?" asked jack in a whisper. "i don't know," replied mark. a moment later mr. henderson came up the companionway into the tower. he caught one glimpse of the monster. "it is the great sucker of the polar seas!" he exclaimed. "quick! speed up the engine! if that one, and the mates of it, fasten on to us we will have trouble!" he pressed the signal that connected with the engine room, and told washington to start the engine at its greatest power. the next instant the ship throbbed and trembled under the vibrations of the big screw. "we may escape!" cried the professor. as he spoke the ship seemed to come to a sudden stop. the engine could still be felt moving, and the big screw still churned the water to foam in the tunnel, but the craft was stationary. "we are caught!" exclaimed the professor. "so we are!" the windows in the conning tower were darkened. the big sucker had thrown itself forward and spread itself over the glass, clasping its horrible form half way about the submarine. "let's look at the other windows! there may be only one of the creatures!" mr. henderson exclaimed, as he hurried down the companion way and into the main cabin. he threw back the slides covering the glass. the sight that met his eyes caused him to recoil in horror. there, pressing their shapes against the steel sides, and over the bull's-eyes of the ship were two more of the gigantic suckers! the ship had now ceased to move, and washington, in the engine room, feeling that something was wrong, had shut off the power. the adventurers were caught in a trap more terrible than that of the ice, the volcanic mountain, or the sargasso sea. it was a trap from which they might never escape. the suckers, thinking the submarine was perhaps a species of fish, like themselves, and one of their enemies, had fastened on it their fatal vice-like grip. to move through the water, with the weight of all that clinging flesh was impossible. "what sort of creatures are they?" asked jack, speaking in a whisper, so great was the terror inspired by the presence of the gigantic sea suckers. "i never saw any of them before," replied the professor, "but i have read about them. they live only in the polar regions and are a species of octupus, only more terrible. their powers of suction are enormous, and once they fasten on a fish or animal they never let go until they have absorbed it completely. they act in the same way that a star fish does on an oyster." "but they can't eat the ship," said jack. "no, i fancy the steel and iron sides will prevent them from making a meal of us." "then where is the danger?" "they will not let go until they discover that they cannot devour us, and it may take days. we can only remain under water a comparatively short time at the most. so you see where the danger is." "but can't we go out and kill them? then they would let go." "it would be most risky to venture out, protected even with a diving suit, and carrying the electric guns," the professor went on. "no, i must think of some other plan to free ourselves from the creatures." "blow 'em up wif dynamite an' send 'em inter disproportionately contrastedable circumferences!" exclaimed washington, who had been listening to the conversation. "this isn't any time to joke," mr. henderson said sternly. "i wasn't joking," replied the colored man. "can't we squirt acid on 'em or chop 'em up, or--or--" "we can do nothing for the time being," said the professor. "come, we will have a consultation on the subject. perhaps some one may be able to think of a plan of rescue." "let us hope so." they all gathered in the cabin. the professor explained the nature of the creatures, as far as he knew them from what he had read or heard. he pointed out, through the glass windows, over which the suckers were still clinging, how they maintained their grip, by exhausting, through their big mouths, the air between their saucer-like surfaces and the ship to which they were clinging. "can't we go out and fight 'em?" asked andy, who was always ready to use a gun. "i doubt if we could get out," replied the professor. "though we can not see them, i believe the creatures cover every part of the ship from stem to stern. we could never open the door of the diving chamber with that terrible sucker covering the iron portal." "maybe if we wait long enough a lot of sharks will come along and eat 'em up," put in jack. "i am afraid sharks will not come to these frozen waters," said the professor. "they like a warm climate." "and you don't think it would be feasible to use dynamite," asked mark. "we can't get out to place it where it would blow up the fish and not us," answered mr. henderson. "if we could it might serve." a silence fell on the group. they were in sore straits and there seemed no hope of rescue. the big disk-like bodies that covered the windows did not move, but remained there, staring with horrible persistency into the interior of the ship. chapter xxvi land under ice suddenly the craft began to move. slowly at first, then, with more speed it forged ahead through the water. "are we free?" asked andy, starting up. "who started the machinery?" demanded the professor. "no one," replied jack. "we are all here. there is no one in the engine room." "but we are moving," said mark. "it's dem sucker-fish!" exclaimed washington. "dey is takin' us off to der dens an' dere we'll all be eat up!" "i'm afraid part of it is true," said mr. henderson. "the creatures are certainly making off with us. how powerful they must be!" "will dey take us to a cave?" faltered washington. "will dey eat us up?" "i don't think they'll eat us up," spoke the inventor. "it would defy even their powerful sucking apparatus to bore through the steel sides of the _porpoise_. what i am afraid of is that they may move us to some hidden depth where we will be caught under the rocks or in the ice, and so lose what little chance there is of getting free." "and the worst of it is we can't do a thing to help ourselves!" exclaimed andy. "this is the worst game i was ever up against!" the adventurers were indeed helpless. they could not get out of their ship to attack the monsters, even had they dared to. their engine, powerful as it was, had proved no match for the creatures, and now they were being carried away, ship and all, to some unknown place. the ship did not go through the water fast. though the suckers seemed to be working in union their bodies were too unwieldly, and the ship so large, that their pace was slow. nevertheless they kept steadily on. several times, in their desperation, the adventurers tried the force of the big screw against that of the suckers. it was of no avail. neither was the device of emptying the tanks, and trying to force the craft up as far as the roof of ice would permit it to go. "it's of no use," announced mr. henderson with something that sounded like a groan. "we must prepare for the worst." "how long can we live here without going to the surface after a fresh supply of air?" asked bill. "about three days," was the answer. "i took the precaution to put a double supply into the tanks, in readiness for an emergency, but i never thought of such a terrible situation as this." the submarine seemed to be moving more rapidly now. it was useless to try to see through either the windows in the side or in the conning tower, for all the glass was covered by the horrible bodies. "what will they do with us when they get us where they want us?" asked andy. "what can they do except hold us prisoners until--until--" the professor broke off the sentence he dared not finish. for an hour or more the craft was moved through the water at moderate speed. then it came to a stop. those on board were alert for what might happen next. "i guess dey done got us in der cave," said washington with chattering teeth. "now dey'll begin to devour us wid dem terrible big mouths! golly, i wish i was home!" "stop that nonsense!" exclaimed mr. henderson. "be a man! there is no danger yet. the sides of the _porpoise_ will defy worse enemies than those attacking us!" at that instant the ship began to move again. it was hauled slowly through the water. "they are pulling us backward!" said andy, as he watched the needle of the compass. once more the submarine was stopped. then it moved forward at a more rapid pace than at any time since the suckers had seized it. an instant later it brought up against some solid object with such a jar that those inside were thrown off their feet. "something has hit us!" cried jack. "more likely we've struck something," said the professor. again the ship forged to the rear, and once again it was sent swiftly ahead. then came the second shock, harder than the first, which sent some of the party headlong. "they are banging us against a rock!" cried mr. henderson. "do you mean those sea suckers?" "yes. they have probably found that the shell of the _porpoise_ is too hard even for their powerful jaws. so they have taken us to some place where the rocks show and are banging us against them in order to break the ship, so they can get at what is inside." once more the ship was drawn backward and again dashed against the stone. the shock was a hard one and toppled over all who were not clinging to something. "they are ramming us bow on against the rocks," cried andy. "it will break us apart if they hit us many more times!" washington hurried forward. he came back with his eyes showing terror. "there's a lot of rocks right ahead ob us!" he exclaimed. "i see 'em through th' little window jest above th' screw. there's land under this here water!" "land under this ice do you mean?" asked the professor. "that's what i mean, an' we's bein' rammed agin th' rocks!" "there it goes again!" cried jack, as the ship shivered from stem to stern against the impact of the blow. "this can not last long," said mr. henderson. "if they strike us many more times some of the places will start, the water will come in, and we will drown!" "but what can we do?" asked jack. "let's go out now and see if we can't kill some of the beasts with the guns," suggested andy. "i cannot permit it," answered the inventor. "our position is bad enough as it is, but to go out would be to lose our lives for a certainty. the suckers would swallow us up in a moment. i must find some other way." there was a period of silence, while all waited anxiously for what was to happen next. it was not long in coming. the next impact of the ship against the rocks was the hardest yet, and it seemed that more of the suckers must have gripped the craft. "she's leakin' a little!" exclaimed washington coming back from an inspection forward. "de water am tricklin' in!" "we must fight them!" exclaimed andy. he ran to get a gun and his diving suit. "don't try to go out!" warned the professor. "you will surely be killed." "i'd rather be killed out there than die shut up in the ship!" cried the old hunter. "i'm going out!" "wait!" exclaimed jack suddenly. "i have a plan that may save us!" "what is it? speak quickly!" said mr. henderson. "we are in desperate straits!" as he spoke there came another crash against the rocks. "we must electrocute the suckers!" cried the boy. "electrocute them? what do you mean?" "take the wires from the electric light circuit, attach one to each end of the ship, and start the dynamo at full speed!" answered jack. "what good will that do?" "the ship is steel," went on the boy. "it will become charged with a powerful current. we can insulate ourselves by putting on rubber boots, but the shock of the electricity will kill the creatures!" "good for you!" exclaimed mr. henderson. "quick boys, everybody lend a hand! washington, detach the wires and run one to the bow and the other to the stern of the ship. then get out the boots." in a few minutes the dynamo was ready to send a death-dealing current through the entire ship. the professor and all the others put on the boots, that were a part of the diving equipment. the dynamo was started at full speed and the purring hum told that electricity of great power was being developed. the professor stood with his hand on a switch, ready to close the circuit as soon as sufficient power had accumulated. once more the suckers backed the ship in order to give it impetus for another impact on the stones. click! the professor snapped the switch shut. there was a burst of bluish-green flame, and the movement of the boat suddenly ceased. "i guess that does for 'em!" shouted andy. "wait a few minutes," advised the professor. "the suckers may not all be dead yet!" he kept the current flowing throughout the length of the ship for several minutes, and then turned it off. "now to see if the plan worked," he said. the windows in the cabin were eagerly scanned. "hurrah!" cried mark. "the suckers have gone!" "i guess the electricity killed them," spoke mr. henderson. "we will venture out now in our diving suits and see what sort of a place we are in." soon the adventurers were arrayed in the heavy suits. under them they wore thick clothing, and in each suit was placed a small flat heater, operated by a storage battery. the heaters were made of coils of fine wires, and the electric current, meeting with much resistance in passing through them, heated the coils, so there was considerable warmth. it was all needed as they found when they felt the water entering the diving chamber, for the fluid was as cold as an ocean full of icebergs could make it. protected however by the heavy suits, warm clothing and the heaters the divers were fairly comfortable. the outer door was opened and they all started back in amazement at the sight which met their eyes. before them lay a forest of real trees, with bushes growing among them, while the ground, instead of being like the usual ocean bed was covered with grass. as washington had said, on getting a small view of the place from the little window, it was real land under water. their first surprise at the strange spectacle over, the adventurers glanced about for a sight of the terrible sea suckers. but they need not have feared. lying in a huddled up mass toward the rear of the _porpoise_ were the dead bodies of the ugly creatures. the electricity had finished them. chapter xxvii attacked by an octupus they walked some distance away from the ship, for the land under the water was easy to travel on. it looked exactly as if some beautiful valley had suddenly been submerged in the middle of summer, when everything was fresh and green. they had gone perhaps a quarter of a mile from the _porpoise_ when professor henderson motioned to them that they had better return. on their way back they passed what looked to be a large cave in the side of a hill. wondering what could be in it, mark and jack paused to peer into the black opening. the next instant two long white things, like slender serpents shot out. with the rapidity of lightning they wrapped themselves, one about each boy, and, before the horrified companions of the lads could do anything the unfortunate youths were whisked out of sight into the cavern. for a few seconds no one knew what to do. to rush in to the rescue of the boys would have been foolhardy, as the terrible octupus, which they knew had grabbed the lads, would have been a match for all of the adventurers, unarmed as they were. it would be necessary to return to the ship and come back with some of the electric guns, which they had neglected to bring with them. in the meanwhile the beast might, and probably would, kill mark and jack. but there was nothing else to do. the professor motioned for andy to remain on the watch at the mouth of the cavern, so as to be on hand in case he could help the boys, while the others were hurrying toward the ship. then, leading the way, the professor signalled for tom and bill to follow him. they could not hurry much for the heavy suits and the resistance of the water impeded their progress. but they made all the speed they could, urged on by a terrible fear. meanwhile old andy stood in front of the cave, hoping against hope that there might be some way of aiding the boys. if it had happened above water he would not have hesitated to rush in and give battle to the beast, even though he was unarmed. if he had his knife now he would venture in, at the risk of his life. "oh, why didn't i bring my gun along!" thought andy regretfully. his hand dropped to his side and his fingers came in contact with a big knife in the belt of the diving suit. here was a weapon he had forgotten all about. he drew forth the blade. it seemed a small one with which to attack so large and terrible a creature as the octupus. yet to remain there, knowing the boys were being killed was more than old andy could stand. grasping the handle with a firm grip he started toward the cave. his foot caught in something, and he nearly fell. looking down to see what had tripped him he saw a long thin pole, straight as a lance. it had once been a tree limb, but all the branches were stripped off. "now if i only had an iron point for that," andy thought. then he recollected the knife in his hand. "the very thing," he remarked aloud, the words sounding startlingly loud in the confinement of the copper helmet. "if i only had something to fasten the knife on the pole i could make a spear to attack the octupus." then he saw long streamers of sea weed growing up from the ocean bed. they were very tough, a kind of wirey grass that was as strong as rope. andy cut several streamers and, with a hunter's skill bound the knife to the end of the staff. now he had a weapon formidable enough to venture in and give battle to the monster. he hesitated no longer, fearing that even the short delay might have been too much and that the boys were dead. he entered the cave. at first he could perceive nothing for it was quite dark. then, as his eyes became used to the gloom, which the lamp in his helmet faintly illuminated, he saw, far back in the rear, the horrible octupus. two dark objects, around which were wrapped several folds of the terrible arms, andy guessed to be mark and jack, and when he was a faint glow coming from them he was sure they were the boys, the gleams coming from the lamps in their helmets. warily the hunter approached the creature. if he had hoped to take it unawares he was disappointed, for, when he had come within ten feet, holding his improvised lance outstretched ready for a deadly thrust, the creature shot out two long arms toward andy. now the battle began. the snake-like feelers, armed with big saucer shaped suckers, lashed about in the water, seeking to clasp the hunter in their deadly embrace. but andy, who had fought many kinds of wild animals on land, did not lose his presence of mind in confronting this beast of the sea. nimbly, in spite of the handicap of the heavy diving suit, andy dodged the arms. watching his chance he thrust at one, and the sharp knife severed the end. but another arm shot out, while the wounded one was drawn in, and the battle was as much against the old hunter as before. once more he thrust his lance, and this time he severed one of the arms close to the ugly body. the creature, in its rage and pain, redoubled its efforts to clasp andy. the hunter decided to try to get to closer quarters where he could use his spear on the body of the beast. he stooped down and wiggled along on the bottom of the cave. but the creature saw him, and darted an arm out to pull the old man in. andy squirmed to one side, and then, being as close as he desired, he rose to his feet and, drawing back the pole thrust it with all his force straight at the centre of the whitish-yellow body that was like a horrible lump of soft fat directly in front of him. at the first touch of the knife the creature squirted out an inky substance that made the water about it as black as night. andy could not see, but he could feel that the lance was still in the body. he pulled it back a little and thrust again and again, turning it around to enlarge the wound he had made. then, what he had feared all along happened. two of the creatures arms found him, and he felt the terrible pressure as they wound themselves about him, the sucker-plates clinging fast. yet in it all he did not lose his presence of mind, nor did he let go of the pole. tighter and tighter the arms clasped him. he struggled with all his strength but he was in a grip more powerful than that of a boa constrictor. suddenly the pole he was holding snapped off. he let go the useless end and pulled the shorter part, to which the knife was bound, toward him. andy felt his senses beginning to leave him, but he determined to make one more effort. one hand was free, that holding the knife. with his last remaining strength he cut and slashed at the arms of the creature that were clasped about him. again and again he stuck the blade into the gristle like substance. could he win? could he save his own life, to say nothing of that of the two boys? the creature was lashing about now so that the water was a mass of black foam. the ink-color was beginning to fade away. andy could dimly observe the horrible front of the octupus, and see the wound his lance had made. then all seemed to grow dark again. he dimly remembered trying to thrust the knife into one of the saucer-shaped eyes, and then of a sudden his senses left him. when andy came to his senses he found himself lying on the ocean bed just outside the cave. about him stood the professor, washington, tom and bill. his head buzzed and he felt weak, but he knew he was uninjured, and that his diving suit had not been punctured in the fight with the octupus, for he could feel the fresh air entering from the tank at the back of his helmet. were the boys killed, andy wondered. had his fight to save them been in vain? he managed to stand up, and then, to his relief he saw mark and jack standing behind tom and bill. the boys seemed weak but otherwise uninjured. the professor motioned to know if andy could walk and the old hunter soon demonstrated that he could by stepping forward. then the party proceeded slowly to the ship. little time was lost by each one in divesting himself of his diving suit as soon as they had left the water chamber. the first thing andy asked when his helmet was off, was: "did i kill the beast?" "indeed you did," replied the professor. "and just in time, too. you were about done for when we came back with the guns, but they were not needed. my! but you must have had a terrible fight!" "i did, while it lasted," said the hunter. "but were the boys hurt?" "they can speak for themselves," replied mr. henderson. "i guess not, though." "having the wind almost squeezed out of us was the worst that happened," said mark. "the octupus must have recently dined when it grabbed us, for it didn't offer to eat us. and it didn't grip us as tightly as it might have or i reckon we wouldn't have come out alive. i thought sure we were going to be killed, however." "so did i," put in jack. "i don't want any more such fights this trip," said andy with a weak smile. chapter xxviii out of the ice worn out with their encounter with the octupus, andy and the boys were glad to take to their bunks. the others, too, who were weary from traveling under water, felt the need of rest, and so it was decided to let the ship remain stationary down on the bottom of the ocean for several hours before going on further. "when we get rested up we'll have a good meal, and then try to gain the surface of the ocean," said the professor. there was quiet on board the _porpoise_ for a long time. washington was the first to awake and he at once set about getting a meal. when it was ready he called the professor, and, one after another all the adventurers rose from their bunks and refreshed themselves with hot coffee, bacon, eggs and preserves, all prepared from condensed foods, of which a large supply had been brought. "now to see if we can make our way upward through the ice," announced mr. henderson. "we ought to be far enough south to strike the open polar sea which i believe exists." the engine was started after the small leaks in the bow, caused by the ramming of the boat on the rocks, had been stopped up, and the professor, entering the conning tower, turned her due south. the screw vibrated in the tunnel, the water rushed out in a big stream, the engines and dynamos hummed, and the hearts of all were lightened as they knew they were nearing the goal of their journey. several hours passed and the professor, who was keeping watch of the gages noted they had covered more than one hundred miles. as the supply of compressed air was getting low mr. henderson, not wanting to run any chances, decided to make an attempt to reach the surface and refill the tanks. accordingly the water tanks were emptied of their ballast, the rudder was set to force the ship to the surface, and soon the depth gage showed a constantly decreasing amount of water over the heads of the adventurers. "now, if we don't hit the ice above us we'll be all right," spoke mr. henderson. "we are within fifteen feet of the surface." hardly had he ceased speaking when the _porpoise_ brought up against something with a bump that jarred everyone. then the submarine went scraping along, hitting the conning tower every now and then. "not clear of the ice yet," said mr. henderson. "we must go down a little and try again." the tanks were filled with enough water to keep the boat about fifty feet under the surface, and at that depth she was sent ahead at full speed. the professor's face wore an anxious look, and when washington asked him if it was not time to replenish the air supply of the boat the inventor told the colored man to be very sparing of the contents of the compressing tanks. "i'm afraid we are not as near the open sea as i at first thought," mr. henderson finished. on and on rushed the _porpoise_. the engines were kept at full speed, and after two hours of this fast run another attempt was made to reach the surface. once more the thick ice intervened. "guess we'll have to blast our way out," observed andy. "we seem to have lots of trouble on this trip." "why not try to ram your way through," suggested jack. "how do you mean?" asked mr. henderson. "i mean to sink the boat say two hundred feet. then start her up obliquely and perhaps the sharp prow will cut a hole through the ice." "hardly through ice fifteen feet or more thick," said the captain despondently. "but it may be thinner now," persisted jack. "at any rate it will do no harm to try," the inventor admitted. "we can not last much longer down here." again the tanks were filled, and by the aid of the deflecting rudder the _porpoise_ went down into the depths. then the ballast tanks were quickly emptied, and the rudder turned so as to force the craft upward on a slant. the engine was set going at top speed. "hold fast everybody!" called the professor. "it is kill or cure this trip!" like an arrow from a bow the _porpoise_ shot upward. on and on it sped, gathering momentum with every foot she traveled. suddenly there came a terrible crash, a grinding sound and a rending and tearing. the ship trembled from end to end. every one was knocked from his feet. there were bumpings and scrapings all along the sides of the submarine. then, with one final spurt of speed, the little ship tore her way through the ice and emerged, with a splash and shower of foam into the open sea! quickly the man hole was opened and, half dead from lack of fresh air, the adventurers crawled out on deck. it was night and the stars glittered in the sky above. they were just beyond the edge of the ice field, and all about them was a wide open sea. "i was right after all," said the professor, "but i miscalculated the distance. had we gone on a few feet farther it would not have been necessary to break through the ice." "i guess it's a lucky thing we didn't try it before either," remarked andy. "we never could have bored through fifteen feet of the frozen stuff. where we plowed up it is less than two feet," and he pointed to where the immense floe came to an end. it was decided to go no farther that night, however, as the professor wanted to take some observations by daylight and ascertain his position. so filling their lungs with the air, cold and piercing though it was, the adventurers descended to their cabin, and lots were drawn to see who would stand the two night watches. it fell to mr. henderson to take the first, and washington the second. the captain accordingly took up his position in the conning tower and prepared to pass several hours. he was busy thinking over the exciting times he and his companions had passed through, and planning new trips to see more wonders of the world, when his attention was attracted by slight noise near the man hole leading to the amidship companionway. the professor looked up, and was startled to see a tall white object, with outstretched arms advancing toward him with slow and stealthy tread. "the ghost again!" exclaimed the inventor softly. "i must catch it now, and see what foolishness it is," for the professor did not believe in spirits. he got down on his hands and knees the better to escape observation, should the white thing prove to be a bodily substance, and started to crawl toward it. he came within ten feet of the thing, and could make out that it was a man, or at least the semblance of one, all clothed in white. nearer and nearer the inventor crawled to the thing. it turned to face him now and mr. henderson could not help feeling startled as he saw the object had no head. the neck ended in a white stump. in spite of a little feeling of qualmishness, which even his boasted disbelief in ghosts did not save him from, mr. henderson was about to spring upon the thing and solve the mystery. at that instant, however, washington, who was coming on deck to take up his watch, appeared at the head of the companionway, and caught sight of the terrible object. the yells of the colored man as he dove downward and back into the cabin, aroused the ship. determined to solve the mystery, in spite of everything, the professor made a leap forward. he slipped, and tumbled down the iron stairway. at the same time, the ghost, with a blood curdling yell, leaped over the professor's back, and disappeared down the stairs of the conning tower. in an instant the crew were rushing from their bunk rooms, seeking a meaning for the disturbance. "it was the ghost again," explained the professor as he picked himself up, not much the worse for his tumble. "i tried to catch it, but i didn't. come, washington, it is your turn to stand watch." "not to-night," said washington firmly. it was no use to urge him, so jack good-naturedly stood washington's trick. nothing further however occurred that night. in the morning the professor made several observations and found that he was within one hundred and fifty miles of the south pole. "we'll make it to-morrow, if we have luck," he said. chapter xxix the boiling water the hours passed and the strange voyage continued. the _porpoise_ traveled along at good speed, and the professor devoted most of his time to looking after the different scientific instruments and gages, for they were nearing the south pole. the deflecting compass, which when it came directly over the place corresponding to the pole, would point straight up and down, was assuming more and more of a perpendicular position. "we are getting there!" exclaimed the professor with delight. "a few hours more and we will have won the goal!" there was considerable excitement on board when the professor's announcement was made. though few of the adventurers cared as much for the scientific achievement as did mr. henderson, they were all glad he was about to succeed. to most of them the locating of the south pole was no different from visiting some new country, excepting that there were more adventures than on most voyages. at dusk the _porpoise_ went to the surface and during the night traveled along atop of the billows. in the morning she dived below again. the engine was started at high speed and the deflecting needle dipped still more. "we's gittin' dar!" exclaimed washington as he oiled the various bearings of the machinery. breakfast was served and hurriedly eaten, for the excitement was telling on every one. after the meal had been cleared away they all sat in the darkened cabin looking out at the water as it slipped past the glass windows. big and little fish swam up and peered into the bull's-eyes and then darted away. "that's sort of queer," remarked jack a little later. "what is?" asked mark, who was sitting near his chum. "all the fish seem to have suddenly disappeared," replied jack. "there were hundreds a little while ago, and now i haven't seen one looking in the windows for some time." "perhaps there's a big fish on their trail," observed mark. "that's what makes 'em take to the deep sea weed." "maybe so," replied jack. a little later professor henderson entered the room. he went over, looked at the thermometer, and then called to washington: "have you got the heat turned on?" "no, sah! i ain't done truned on no superheated vapor into de radiators," replied the colored man. "i were jest thinkin' dat we'd hit de south pole by de feel of it." "it is getting strangely warm," admitted mr. henderson. "ain't that what you expected at the south pole?" asked andy. "i thought it was hot at the south pole and cold at the north." "that's what lots of people imagine," said the professor, "but except for the open sea, which i have proved does exist, i guess it's just as cold at the south as at the north, especially in the winter. we have struck the summer season." "and a mighty warm one at that," observed jack. "whew! i've got to take off my coat." indeed it was getting uncomfortably warm in the ship, and the adventurers who had dressed in thick clothing to guard against the rigors of the icy climate, soon had to lay aside many of their garments. "no wonder!" exclaimed mr. henderson, as he looked at a thermometer. "it is eighty degrees in here!" "worse than workin' in a hay field," observed bill, as he wiped the beads of perspiration from his forehead. "let us see what sort of water we are traveling through," suggested the professor, as he again turned off the lights in the cabin so that a view could be had from the bull's-eyes. wondering what would meet their gaze the adventurers peered out of the small circular windows. at first they could hardly believe their eyes. there, right before them, the sea was bubbling as if it was an immense tea kettle. steam formed on the glass, and big clouds of vapor could be seen. the atmosphere of the cabin became almost unbearable. "we are in the midst of a boiling hot ocean!" cried the professor. "are we sailing through hot water?" asked andy. "i should say so, from the feel of it," answered mr. henderson. "put your hand on the side of the cabin." andy laid his fingers against the steel plates. he drew back. "i burned myself!" he exclaimed. "what are we to do?" cried jack. "get out of this by all means!" exclaimed the inventor. "if we stay in this hot ocean we will be boiled alive like fishes in a pot. send the ship up, washington!" indeed it was high time. the thermometer marked one hundred and ten degrees, and was rising. the interior of the _porpoise_ was like that of a steam laundry three times heated. stripped to their undergarments the adventurers were obliged to lie down on the floor of the cabin where it was a little cooler. it was all washington could do, used as colored people are to the heat, to go into the engine room, and start the machinery that emptied the tanks, so as to allow the ship to mount to the surface. the _porpoise_ began to rise slowly, and to the suffering men and boys it seemed that she never went up so reluctantly. the heat was becoming unbearable. they could hear the water bubbling even through the steel sides of the submarine. chapter xxx conclusion could they live to reach the surface? was the thought in the mind of every one. the heat was terrific. they were breathing in gasps. professor henderson went to the water tank, thinking to throw some of the fluid over himself and his companions, but he found it so warm that it almost burned his hand. "keep up your courage!" exclaimed the inventor. "we will soon be at the top!" almost as he spoke the _porpoise_ bounded from the waves, and fell back in a splash of foam on the surface of the billows. they were at the surface. the professor rushed for the manhole and soon opened it. he crawled out on the deck, followed by the others. they breathed in deep breaths of the fresh air. the submarine continued to sail on. every minute the sea seemed to boil more violently, until at last the waves were covered with a cloud of steam, through which it was difficult to observe where they were going. "hadn't we better turn back," suggested mark. "our only hope is to press on," replied mr. henderson. "we may cross this zone of boiling water soon." he went into the conning tower to make an observation. he came on the deck the next minute, very much excited. "what's the matter? are we sinking?" asked andy. "we are directly over the south pole!" exclaimed the professor. "we have reached the goal! we have come to the spot hundreds of men have tried to reach! it has been left for us to succeed. look at the deflecting needle!" they crowded into the conning tower to note it. the slender hand of steel stood straight up and down, indicating that the ship was over the south pole, one of the two chief centres of magnetism of the earth. "if we only dared stop to make some scientific notes and observations," said the professor, "we could render much valuable aid to the seekers after truth. but it would be sure death to stay in the boiling water!" "i guess we'd better be getting out of this if we want to reach home alive," spoke andy. indeed they were all suffering very much, for the heat from the water was awful. "speed her up, washington!" called the professor. "we must get out of here!" "which way shall i steer?" asked the colored man. "straight ahead. we are now bound north!" "bound north!" cried jack. "certainly," answered the professor. "we have passed over the exact spot where the south pole is. the deflecting needle is beginning to tilt again. the compass is indicating a northerly direction. you know that after you go as far south as you can, you have to begin to go back north. well, we have gone as far south as we can. now we are going north. we have turned the southern end of the globe, and are on our way back." for several hours the _porpoise_ continued along on top of the water. by degrees, as they left the vicinity of the boiling ocean, it became cooler. the water ceased to seethe and bubble, and jack found, on experiment, that he could bear his hand in it. "hurrah!" he cried, "we are safe now." "next we'll have to prepare to freeze to death," spoke mark. "it's either one extreme or the other this trip. but we've had lots of fun and excitement." "plenty of the last," agreed jack. on and on went the submarine. once it was out of the range of the terrible heated zone, the atmosphere rapidly cooled, until the adventurers were glad to don their heavy garments again. "this marks the ending of the first half of the voyage," announced the professor. "now we are going back. we have accomplished something no other living man has done and i am proud of it. proud of all of you, and proud of the ship!" several hours later, when it was deemed safe, the _porpoise_ was sunk beneath the waves, and once more she speeded along through the water at a fast speed. the ship seemed to know she was going home, for never had she made better time. "we have solved every problem that we met," said the professor while he, with jack and mark, were in the conning tower, as washington was preparing a meal. "except two," said jack. "what are they?" "the ghost of the submarine, and the identity of the anarchists who blew up the easton hotel." "perhaps both riddles may be solved before we get back to maine," answered mr. henderson. they both were, sooner, and in stranger ways than either of the boys expected. that night it was jack's first watch on deck. the ship was speeding on, and by the air the boy knew they were approaching icebergs. at midnight a strange and sudden chill in the air made him look up. almost dead ahead was a big berg. he quickly shut off the engine, and narrowly avoided a collision. then happening to glance back he saw, standing near the companionway leading down into the man-hole a ghostly white shape. "i'll find out what you are this time, or go overboard with you," said jack to himself, clenching his teeth. he crawled along the deck until he thought he was within leaping distance of the weird white thing. then he made a leap. he landed on something soft, which, the moment he struck it, let out a yell that sounded loud on the quiet night. then the thing began to fight. but jack fought back and held on bravely. "here! what are you tryin' to do?" exclaimed a voice in his ear. "what are you trying to do?" asked jack indignantly, finding that the words came from the "ghost." "nice way to treat a man! half kill him!" the white thing went on. "just when i'm trying to get a little sleep you come along and pull me out of bed!" "why, it's bill jones," exclaimed jack, as the light from the conning tower lamp fell on the face of the "ghost." "of course it is; who did you think it was?" asked bill. "what are you doing on deck in your night shirt?" asked the boy, letting the helper rise. "me? on deck? ain't i in my bunk?" "i should say not," replied jack. "what are you doing on deck?" "well! well!" remarked bill, rubbing his eyes. "i've gone and done it again." "done what?" "walked in my sleep. i'm a great sleep walker. greatest you ever knew. once i climbed to the top of our barn when i was asleep." "so you're the ghost of the submarine," exclaimed jack. "that explains it." "i guess you're right," admitted bill, as the others came on deck to see what all the row was about. "i never thought of it when i heard about the ghost, but i can account for it now. i'd get out of my bunk, wander out on deck, and then crawl back again. of course, being barefoot, or in fur slippers, i made no sounds. i don't wonder you thought i was a spirit. queer i didn't wake up after some of the things i went through." "and you always managed to get back to your bunk in time so that we never caught you at it," said jack. "however, it's all over now." and so it was, for after that bill tied a chair in front of his bunk, and if he did get out in his sleep he stumbled against it and awoke before he had gone far. northward the _porpoise_ continued on her journey. she entered a vast field of ice, and only her ability to sink below the surface enabled her to get through it unharmed. there were few adventures going home. once a big whale rammed the ship, as had happened on the going voyage, and several times they were surrounded by hordes of wild polar fish and walrusses, but there were no accidents, and in a couple of weeks the ship entered the temperate zone. then came lazy happy days of sailing through the tropical region. they landed at several islands and renewed their supply of food. "i'm coming back this way some day," observed mr. henderson one afternoon as the ship was sailing along on top of the waves. "what for?" asked jack. "to investigate that strange island with a big hole in the middle that seems to lead to the centre of the earth," was the answer. "i have a fancy we can explore that by means of a balloon. i'm going to try." "will you take us along?" asked the two boys. "i'll see," replied the professor. and later on he did take them on a trip, a thousand miles underground,--but that is another story to tell. it was about a week later that the voyagers came within sight of key west. "off there lies the united states," said mr. henderson. "hurrah for home!" cried mark. three days later they landed at a small florida town. the sight of the _porpoise_ attracted throngs of people to the dock where she tied up. among them was a newsboy. "get me all the papers for the past month," said jack. "i want to see what the news is." "same here," put in mark, and the papers were soon brought. "hurrah!" exclaimed jack, as soon as he had looked at several of the sheets. "what is it?" asked mark, who was unfolding a paper. "anarchists confess," read jack. "two englishmen admit they blew up hotel where lord peckham was stopping. no suspicion attaches to two youths who so mysteriously disappeared!" "hurrah!" joined in mark. "those are only the head lines," went on jack. "there's a long story, and i guess it lets us out." the two boys were completely cleared of the slightest shade of suspicion of the outrage, and there was even an interview with the english detective in which he admitted that he was wrong. a week later the _porpoise_ tied up at her own dock, whence she was launched. "back again," remarked the professor as he stepped ashore. "i've been to the south pole, and to the north pole. i wonder where i shall go next?" "to the big hole and underground," suggested jack. "we shall see," said mr. henderson with a twinkle in his eyes. the end the dave dashaway series by roy rockwood author of the "speedwell boys series" and the "great marvel series." = mo. illustrated. price per volume, cents, postpaid.= =never was there a more clever young aviator than dave dashaway. all up-to-date lads will surely wish to read about him.= [illustration: dave dashaway the young aviator] dave dashaway the young aviator _or in the clouds for fame and fortune_ this initial volume tells how the hero ran away from his miserly guardian, fell in with a successful airman, and became a young aviator of note. dave dashaway and his hydroplane _or daring adventures over the great lakes_ showing how dave continued his career as a birdman and had many adventures over the great lakes, and how he foiled the plans of some canadian smugglers. dave dashaway and his giant airship _or a marvellous trip across the atlantic_ how the giant airship was constructed and how the daring young aviator and his friends made the hazardous journey through the clouds from the new world to the old, is told in a way to hold the reader spellbound. dave dashaway around the world _or a young yankee aviator among many nations_ an absorbing tale of a great air flight around the world, of adventures in alaska, siberia and elsewhere. a true to life picture of what may be accomplished in the near future. dave dashaway: air champion _or wizard work in the clouds_ dave makes several daring trips, and then enters a contest for a big prize. an aviation tale thrilling in the extreme. * * * * * cupples & leon co., publishers, new york the fred fenton athletic series by allen chapman author of "the tom fairfield series," "the boys of pluck series" and "the darewell chums series." = mo. illustrated. price per volume, cents, postpaid.= * * * * * a line of tales embracing school athletics. fred is a true type of the american schoolboy of to-day. * * * * * [illustration: fred fenton the pitcher] fred fenton the pitcher _or the rivals of riverport school_ when fred came to riverport none of the school lads knew him, but he speedily proved his worth in the baseball box. a true picture of school baseball. fred fenton in the line _or the football boys of riverport school_ when fall came in the thoughts of the boys turned to football. fred went in the line, and again proved his worth, making a run that helped to win a great game. fred fenton on the crew _or the young oarsmen of riverport school_ in this volume the scene is shifted to the river, and fred and his chums show how they can handle the oars. there are many other adventures, all dear to the hearts of boys. fred fenton on the track _or the athletes of riverport school_ track athletics form a subject of vast interest to many boys, and here is a tale telling of great running races, high jumping, and the like. fred again proves himself a hero in the best sense of that term. fred fenton: marathon runner _or the great race at riverport school_ fred is taking a post-graduate course at the school when the subject of marathon running came up. a race is arranged, and fred shows both his friends and his enemies what he can do. an athletic story of special merit. * * * * * cupples & leon co., publishers, new york _everybody will love the story of_ nobody's boy * * * * * by hector malot * * * * * [illustration: nobody's boy] the dearest character in all the literature of child life is little remi in hector malot's famous masterpiece _sans famille_ ("nobody's boy"). all love, pathos, loyalty, and noble boy character are exemplified in this homeless little lad, who has made the world better for his being in it. the boy or girl who knows remi has an ideal never to be forgotten. but it is a story for grownups, too. "nobody's boy" is one of the supreme heart-interest stories of all time, which will _make you happier and better_. _ colored illustrations. $ . net._ =_at all booksellers_= * * * * * =cupples & leon co. publishers new york= the boys' outing library _ mo. cloth. illustrated. jacket in full color._ _price, per volume, cents, postpaid._ [illustration: the saddle boys of the rockies] =the saddle boys series= * * * * * by capt. james carson * * * * * the saddle boys of the rockies the saddle boys in the grand canyon the saddle boys on the plains the saddle boys at circle ranch the saddle boys on mexican trails =the dave dashaway series= * * * * * by roy rockwood * * * * * dave dashaway the young aviator dave dashaway and his hydroplane dave dashaway and his giant airship dave dashaway around the world dave dashaway: air champion =the speedwell boys series= * * * * * by roy rockwood * * * * * the speedwell boys on motorcycles the speedwell boys and their racing auto the speedwell boys and their power launch the speedwell boys in a submarine the speedwell boys and their ice racer =the tom fairfield series= * * * * * by allen chapman * * * * * tom fairfield's school days tom fairfield at sea tom fairfield in camp tom fairfield's pluck and luck tom fairfield's hunting trip =the fred fenton athletic series= * * * * * by allen chapman * * * * * fred fenton the pitcher fred fenton in the line fred fenton on the crew fred fenton on the track fred fenton: marathon runner _send for our free illustrated catalogue._ * * * * * =cupples & leon company, publishers new york= * * * * * transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation errors repaired. page , "main" changed to "maine". (coast of maine) page , "stearsman" changed to "steersman". (for the steersman) page , "stearing" changed to "steering". (or steering tower) page , "beeksteak" changed to "beefsteak". (fry a beefsteak) page , "speciments" changed to "specimens". (pretty nice specimens) page , "steared" changed to "steered". (professor steered her) page , word "be" added to the text. (it'll be all) page , "lauched" changed to "launched". (she had been launched) page , "reined" changed to "reigned". (pandemonium reigned) page , "stear" changed to "steer". (to steer properly) page , "stear" changed to "steer". (ship will steer) page , "helmet" changed to "helmets". (their helmets were) page , "stearing" changed to "steering". (professor was steering) page , "assasinate" changed to "assassinate". (to assassinate lord) page , "want's" changed to "wants". (cabin wants to) page , "innner" changed to "inner". (inner door was) page , "stearing" changed to "steering". (washington was steering) page , "propellors" changed to "propellers". (about the propellers) page , "propellor" changed to "propeller". (big propeller in) page , "begining" changed to "beginning". (run was beginning) page , "wierd" changed to "weird". (weird white object) page , "subterreanean" changed to "subterranean". (of subterranean disturbances) page , "britanic" changed to "britannic". (his britannic majesty's) page , word "was" removed from text. (show something that) original read "show was something that". page , "beeing" changed to "being". (was being steered) page , "firghtened" changed to "frightened". (gave one frightened) page , "folowed" changed to "followed". (silence followed his) page , "oscilation" changed to "oscillation". (oscillation of the big) page , "preparel" changed to "prepared". (prepared water-proof) page , "impossile" changed to "impossible". (flesh was impossible) page , "hemlet" changed to "helmet". (his helmet was off) page , "see" changed to "sea". (polar sea which) page , "hurridly" changed to "hurriedly". (and hurriedly eaten) page , "degress" changed to "degrees". (and ten degrees) page , "seeth" changed to "seethe". (to seethe and bubble) page , extraneous word "more" removed. (once more she) original read "once more more she". seven instances of "manhole" and nine of "man-hole" were retained. "octopus" is spelled "octupus" in this volume. this was changed in the table of contents and a chapter header to reflect text usage. one instance each of penson/pensen was retained. transcriber's note: our author had a very "informal" approach to grammar and syntax; so apparently did his editor. i corrected several obvious errors in the book and listed them at the end of the text. many more doubtful spellings and countless abbreviations remain as they appear in the text. i have deleted the symbols for "degree" "minute" and "second" which appear regularly throughout the text and substituted the full word. the symbols + and - in relation to temperature are retained. south with scott by rear-admiral edward r. g. r. evans c.b., d.s.o, r.n. illustrated with maps and photographs london & glasgow collins' clear-type press to lashly and crean this book is affectionately dedicated preface the object of this book is to keep alive the interest of english-speaking people in the story of scott and his little band of sailor-adventurers, scientific explorers, and companions. it is written more particularly for britain's younger generations. i have to acknowledge with gratitude the assistance of miss zeala wakeford cox of shanghai and pay-master lieutenant-commander bernard carter of h.m.s. "carlisle." without their help, i doubt if the book would have found its way into print. edward r.g.r. evans. hong-kong february, , . british antarctic expedition, . personnel _shore parties._ robert falcon scott captain, c.v.o., r.n. (the "owner," "the boss"). edward r.g.r. evans lieut. r.n. ("teddy"). victor l.a. campbell lieut. r.n. ("the wicked mate") henry r. bowers lieut. royal indian marines ("birdie"). lawrence e.g. oates captain th inniskilling dragoons ("titus," "soldier"). g. murray levick surgeon r.n. edward l. atkinson surgeon r.n., parasitologist ("atch"). _scientific staff._ edward adrian wilson b.a., m.b. (cantab.), chief of the scientific staff, and zoologist ("uncle bill"). george c. simpson d.sc., meteorologist ("sunny jim.") t. griffith taylor b.a., b.sc., b.e., geologist ("griff"). edward w. nelson biologist ("marie"). frank debenham b.a., b.sc., geologist ("deb.") charles s. wright b.a., physicist. raymond e. priestley geologist. herbert g. ponting f.r.g.s., camera artist. cecil h. meares in charge of dogs. bernard c. day motor engineer. apsley cherry-garrard b.a., asst. zoologist ("cherry"). tryggve gran sub.-lieut. norwegian n.r., b.a., ski expert. _men._ w. lashly c. stoker, r.n. w.w. archer chief steward, late r.n. thomas clissold cook, late r.n. edgar evans petty officer, r.n. robert forde petty officer, r.n. thomas crean petty officer, r.n. thomas s. williamson petty officer, r.n. patrick keohane petty officer, r.n. george p. abbott petty officer, r.n. frank v. browning petty officer, nd class, r.n. harry dickason able seaman, r.n. f.j. hooper steward, late r.n. anton omelchenko groom. dimitri gerof dog driver. _ship's party._ harry l. l. pennell lieutenant, r.n. henry e. de p. rennick lieutenant. r.n. wilfred m. bruce lieutenant, r.n.r. francis r. h. drake assistant paymaster, r.n.(retired), secretary and meteorologist in ship. dennis g. lillie m.a., biologist in ship. james r. dennistoun in charge of mules in ship. alfred b. cheetham r.n.r., boatswain. william williams chief engine room artificer, r.n., engineer. william a. horton engine room artificer, rd class, r.n., nd engineer francis e. c. davies leading shipwright, r.n. frederick parsons petty officer, r.n. william l. heald late petty officer, r. n. arthur s. bailey petty officer, nd class, r.n. albert balson leading seaman, r.n. joseph leese able seaman, r.n. john hugh mather petty officer, r.n.v.r. robert oliphant able seaman. thomas f. mcleod able seaman. mortimer mccarthy able seaman. william knowles able seaman. charles williams able seaman. james skelton able seaman. william mcdonald able seaman. james paton able seaman. robert brissenden leading stoker, r.n. edward a. mckenzie leading stoker, r.n. william burton leading stoker, r.n. bernard j. stone leading stoker, r.n. agus mcdonald fireman. thomas mcgillon fireman. charles lammas fireman. w.h. neale steward. contents i. south polar expedition--outfit and aims ii. voyage of the "terra nova" iii. assembling of units--departure from new zealand iv. through stormy seas v. antarctica--through the pack ice to land vi. settling down to the polar life vii. arrangements for the winter viii. the winter closes in ix. preliminary explorations x. spring depot journey xi. preparations and plans for the summer season xii. southern journey--motor sledges advance xiii. the barrier stage xiv. on the beardmore glacier and beyond xv. return of the last supporting party xvi. the pole attained--scott's last marches xvii. the second winter--finding of the polar party xviii. adventures of the northern party xix. narrative of the "terra nova" chapter i south polar expedition--outfit and aims it is nine years since the last supporting party bid farewell to captain scott and his four brave companions, whose names are still fresh in the memory of those who were interested in captain scott's last polar expedition. the great war has come and gone and the majority of us wish to forget it, but the story of scott undoubtedly appeals still to a great number of people. it is a good story, and my only hope is that i can retell it well enough to make my volume worth while reading after so much has already been published concerning the work of the british antarctic expedition of . the main object of our expedition was to reach the south pole and secure for the british nation the honour of that achievement, but the attainment of the pole was far from being the only object in view, for scott intended to extend his former discoveries and bring back a rich harvest of scientific results. certainly no expedition ever left our shores with a more ambitious scientific programme, nor was any enterprise of this description ever undertaken by a more enthusiastic and determined personnel. we should never have collected our expeditionary funds merely from the scientific point of view; in fact, many of our largest supporters cared not one iota for science, but the idea of the polar adventure captured their interest. on the other hand, a number of our supporters affected a contempt for the polar dash and only interested themselves in the question of advanced scientific study in the antarctic. as the expedition progressed, however, the most unenthusiastic member of the company developed the serious taste, and in no case did we ever hear from the scientific staff complaints that the naval members failed to help them in their work with a zeal that was quite unexpected. this applies more particularly to the seamen and stokers. captain scott originally intended to make his winter quarters in king edward vii. land, but altered the arrangement after the fullest discussion with his scientific friends and advisers, and planned that a small party of six should examine this part of the antarctic and follow the coast southward from its junction with the great ice barrier, penetrating as far south as they were able, surveying geographically and geologically. this part of the programme was never carried out, owing to the ice conditions thereabouts preventing a landing either on the barrier or in king edward vii. land itself. the main western party scott planned to command himself, the base to be at cape crozier or in mcmurdo sound, near the site of the "discovery's" old winter quarters at cape armitage, the exact position to be governed by the ice conditions on arrival. dogs, ponies, motor sledges and man-hauling parties on ski were to perform the polar journey by a system of relays or supporting parties. scott's old comrade, dr. e.a. wilson of cheltenham, was selected as chief of the scientific staff and to act as artist to the expedition. three geologists were chosen and two biologists, to continue the study of marine fauna and carry out research work in depths up to fathoms. the expeditionary ship was to be fitted for taking deep-sea soundings and magnetic observations, and the meteorological programme included the exploration of the upper air currents and the investigation of the electrical conditions of the atmosphere. we were fortunate in securing as meteorologist the eminent physicist, dr. g. simpson, who is now head of the meteorological office in london. dr. simpson was to have charge of the self-recording magnetic instruments ashore at the main base. study of ice structure and glaciation was undertaken by mr. c.s. wright, who was also assistant physicist. the magnetic work of the ship was entrusted to lieut. harry pennell, r.n., an officer of more than ordinary scientific attainments and a distinguished navigator. lieut. henry rennick was given control of the hydrographical survey work and deep-sea sounding. two surgeons were lent by the royal navy for the study of bacteriology and parasitology in addition to their medical duties, and mr. herbert g. ponting was chosen as camera artist and cinematographer to the expedition. to my mind the outfit and preparations were the hardest part of our work, for we were not assure of funds until the day of our departure. this did not lighten scott's burden. the plans of the british antarctic expedition of were first published on september , , but although scott's appeal to the nation was heartily endorsed by the press, it was not until the spring of that we had collected the first , pounds. personally, i was despatched to south wales and the west of england to raise funds from my welsh and west country friends. scott, himself, when he could be spared from the admiralty, worked newcastle, liverpool, and the north, whilst both of us did what we could in london to obtain the money necessary to purchase and equip the ship. it was an anxious time for scott and his supporters, but after the first , pounds had been raised the government grant of , pounds followed and the expedition came properly into being. several individuals subscribed pounds each, and government grants were subsequently made by the australian commonwealth, the dominion of new zealand and south africa. capt. l.e.g. oates and mr. apsley cherry-garrard were included in the donors of pounds, but they gave more than this, for these gallant gentlemen gave their services and one of them his life. an unexpected and extremely welcome contribution came from mr. samuel hordern of sydney in the shape of pounds, at a time when we needed it most. many firms gave in cash as well as in kind. indeed, were it not for the generosity of such firms it is doubtful whether we could have started. the services of paymaster lieut. drake, r.n., were obtained as secretary to the expedition. offices were taken and furnished in victoria street, s.w., and sir edgar speyer kindly consented to act as honorary treasurer--without hesitation i may say we owe more to sir edgar than ever we can repay. we were somewhat limited in our choice of a ship, suitable for the work contemplated. the best vessel of all was of course the "discovery," which had been specially constructed for the national antarctic expedition in , but she had been acquired by the hudson bay company, and although the late lord strathcona, then high commissioner for canada, was approached, he could not see his way to obtaining her for us in view of her important employment as supply ship for the hudson bay trading stations. there remained the "aurora," "morning," "bjorn," "terra nova," shackleton's stout little "nimrod," and one or two other old whaling craft. the "bjorn," a beautiful wooden whaler, would have served our purpose excellently, but, alas! she was too small for the enterprise and we had to fall back on the "terra nova," an older ship but a much larger craft. the "terra nova" had one great defect--she was not economic in the matter of coal consumption. she was the largest and strongest of the old scotch whalers, had proved herself in the antarctic pack-ice and acquitted herself magnificently in the northern ice-fields in whaling and sealing voyages extending over a period of twenty years. in spite of her age she had considerable power for a vessel of that type. after a preliminary survey in newfoundland, which satisfied us as to her seaworthiness in all respects, the "terra nova" was purchased for the expedition by messrs. david bruce & sons for the sum of , pounds. it seems a high price, but this meant nothing more than her being chartered to us for pounds a year, since her owners were ready to pay a good price for the ship if we returned her in reasonably good condition at the conclusion of the expedition. captain scott handed her over to me to fit out, whilst he busied himself more with the scientific programme and the question of finance. we had her barque-rigged and altered according to the requirements of the expedition. a large, well-insulated ice-house was erected on the upper deck which held cascases of frozen mutton, and, owing to the position of the cold chamber, free as it was from the vicinity of iron, we mounted here our standard compass and lloyd creek pedestal for magnetic work. our range-finder was also mounted on the ice-house. a new stove was put in the galley, a lamp room and paraffin store built, and store-rooms, instrument, and chronometer rooms were added. a tremendous alteration was made in the living spaces both for officers and men. twenty-four bunks were fitted around the saloon accommodation, whilst for the seamen and warrant officers hammock space or bunks were provided. it was proposed to take six warrant officers, including carpenter, ice-master, boatswain, and chief steward. quite good laboratories were constructed on the poop, while two large magazines and a clothing-store were built up between decks, and these particular spaces were zinc-lined to keep them damp-free. the ship required alteration rather than repair, and there were only one or two places where timber had rotted and these were soon found and reinforced. i shall never forget the day i first visited the "terra nova" in the west india docks: she looked so small and out of place surrounded by great liners and cargo-carrying ships, but i loved her from the day i saw her, because she was my first command. poor little ship, she looked so dirty and uncared for and yet her name will be remembered for ever in the story of the sea, which one can hardly say in the case of the stately liners which dwarfed her in the docks. i often blushed when admirals came down to see our ship, she was so very dirty. to begin with, her hold contained large blubber tanks, the stench of whale oil and seal blubber being overpowering, and the remarks of those who insisted on going all over the ship need not be here set down. however, the blubber tanks were withdrawn, the hold spaces got the thorough cleansing and whitewashing that they so badly needed. the bilges were washed out, the ship disinfected fore and aft, and a gang of men employed for some time to sweeten her up. then came the fitting out, which was much more pleasant work. scott originally intended to leave england with most of the members of the expedition on august , , but he realised that an early start from new zealand would mean a better chance for the big depot-laying journey he had planned to undertake before the first antarctic winter set in. accordingly the sailing date was anticipated, thanks to the united efforts of all concerned with the fitting out, and we made june our day of departure, which meant a good deal of overtime everywhere. the ship had to be provisioned and stored for her long voyage, having in view the fact that there were no ship-chandlers in the polar regions, but those of us who had "sailed the way before" had a slight inkling that we might meet more ships, and _others_ who would lend us a helping hand in the matter of naval stores. captain scott allowed me a sum with which to equip the "terra nova"; it seemed little enough to me but it made quite a hole in our funds. there were boatswain's stores to be purchased, wire hawsers, canvas for sail-making, fireworks for signalling, whale boats and whaling gear, flags, logs, paint, tar, carpenter's stores, blacksmith's outfit, lubricating oils, engineer's stores, and a multitude of necessities to be thought of, selected, and not paid for if we could help it. the verb "to wangle" had not then appeared in the english language, so we just "obtained." the expedition had many friends, and it was not unusual to find petty officers and men from the r.n.v.r. working on board and helping us on saturday afternoons and occasionally even on sundays. they gave their services for nothing, and the only way in which we could repay them was to select two chief petty officers from their number, disrate them, and take them poleward as ordinary seamen. it was not until the spring of that we could afford to engage any officers or men for the ship, so that most of the work of rigging her was done by dock-side workers under a good old master rigger named malley. landsmen would have stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at malley's men with their diminutive dolly-winch had they watched our new masts and yards being got into place. six weeks before sailing day lieut. campbell took over the duties of chief officer in the "terra nova," pennell and rennick also joined, and lieut. bowers came home from the indian marine to begin his duties as stores officer by falling down the main hatch on to the pig iron ballast. i did not witness this accident, and when campbell reported the matter i am reported to have said, "what a silly ass!" this may have been true, for coming all the way from bombay to join us and then immediately falling down the hatch did seem a bit careless. however, when campbell added that bowers had not hurt himself my enthusiasm returned and i said, "what a splendid fellow!" bowers fell nineteen feet without injuring himself in the slightest. this was only one of his narrow escapes and he proved himself to be about the toughest man amongst us. quite a lot could be written of the volunteers for service with scott in this his last antarctic venture. there were nearly of them to select from, and many eligible men were turned down simply because they were frozen out by those who had previous antarctic experience. we tried to select fairly, and certainly picked a representative crowd. it was not an all-british expedition because we included amongst us a young norwegian ski-runner and two russians; a dog driver and a groom. the norwegian has since distinguished himself in the royal air force--he was severely wounded in the war whilst fighting for the british and their allies, but his pluck and anglophile sentiments cost him his commission in the norwegian flying corps. dr. wilson assisted captain scott in selecting the scientific staff, while the choice of the officers and crew was mainly left to myself as commander-elect of the "terra nova." most polar expeditions sail under the burgee of some yacht club or other: we were ambitious to fly the white ensign, and to enable this to be done the royal yacht squadron adopted us. scott was elected a member, and it cost him pounds, which the expedition could ill afford. however, with the "terra nova" registered as a yacht we were able to evade those board of trade officials who declared that she was not a well-found merchant ship within the meaning of the act. having avoided the scrutiny of the efficient and official, we painted out our plimsoll mark with tongue in cheek and eyelid drooped, and, this done, took our stores aboard and packed them pretty tight. the crown preserve co. sent us a quantity of patent fuel which stowed beautifully as a flooring to the lower hold, and all our provision cases were thus kept well up out of the bilge water which was bound to scend to and fro if we made any quantity of water, as old wooden ships usually do. the day before sailing the royal geographical society entertained scott and his party at luncheon in the king's hall, holborn restaurant. about fellows of the society were present to do us honour. the president, major leonard darwin, proposed success to the expedition, and in the course of his speech wished us god-speed. he congratulated captain scott on having such a well-found expedition and, apart from dwelling on the scientific and geographical side of the venture, the president said that captain scott was going to prove once again that the manhood of our nation was not dead and that the characteristics of our ancestors who won our great empire still flourished amongst us. after our leader had replied to this speech sir clements markham, father of modern british exploration, proposed the toast of the officers and staff in the most touching terms. poor sir clements is no more, but it was he who first selected captain scott for polar work, and he, indeed, who was responsible for many others than those present at lunch joining antarctic expeditions, myself included. chapter ii voyage of the "terra nova" sailing day came at last, and on june , , when i proudly showed scott his ship, he very kindly ordered the hands aft and thanked them for what they had done. the yards were square, the hatches on with spick-and-span white hatch covers, a broad white ribbon brightened the black side, and gold leaf bedizened the quarter badges besides gilding the rope scroll on the stern. the ship had been well painted up, a neat harbour furl put on the sails, and if the steamers and lofty sailing vessels in the basin could have spoken, their message would surely have been, "well done, little 'un." what a change from the smudgy little lamp-black craft of last november--so much for paint and polish. all the same it was the "terra nova's" indian summer. a close search by the technically expert would have revealed scars of age in the little lady, furrows worn in her sides by grinding ice floes, patches in the sails, strengthening pieces in the cross-trees and sad-looking deadeyes and lanyards which plainly told of a bygone age. but the merchant seamen who watched from the dock side were kind and said nothing. the old admirals who had come down to visit the ship were used to these things, or perhaps they did not twig it. after all, what did it matter, it was sailing day, we were all as proud as peacocks of our little ship, and from that day forward we pulled together and played the game, or tried to. lady bridgeman, wife of the first sea lord, and lady markham hoisted the white ensign and the burgee of the royal yacht squadron an hour or so before sailing. at . p.m. the visitors were warned off the ship, and a quarter of an hour later we slipped from our wharf in the south-west india docks and proceeded into the river and thence to greenhithe, where we anchored off my old training ship, the "worcester," and gave the cadets a chance to look over the ship. on the rd june we arrived at spithead, where we were boarded by captain chetwynd, superintendent of compasses at the admiralty, who swung the ship and adjusted our compasses. captain scott joined us on the th and paid a visit with his "yacht" to the r.y.s. at cows. on the th we completed a series of magnetic observations in the solent, after which many officers were entertained by captain mark kerr in the ill-fated "invincible." we were royally looked after, but i am ashamed to say we cleared most of his canvas and boatswain's stores out of the ship. perhaps a new / -inch hawser found its way to the "terra nova"; anyway, if the "invincible's" stores came on board the exploring vessel she made good use of them and saved them their jutland fate. we left the solent in high feather on the following day. the "sea horse" took us in tow to the needles, from whence h.m.s. "cumberland," cadets' training ship; towed us to weymouth bay. this was poor scott's last naval review. he had landed at portsmouth and busied himself with the expedition's affairs and rejoined us at weymouth in time to steam through the home fleet assembled in portland harbour. we steamed out of the 'hole in the wall' at the western end of portland breakwater and rounded portland bill at sunset on our way to cardiff, where we were to be received by my own welsh friends and endowed with all good things. we were welcomed by the citizens of the great welsh seaport with enthusiasm. free docking, free coal, defects made good for nothing, an office and staff placed at our disposal, in fact everything was done with an open-hearted generosity. we took another tons of patent fuel on board and nearly tons of insole's best welsh steaming coal, together with the bulk of our lubricating oils. when complete with fuel we met with our first setback, for the little ship settled deeply in the water and the seams, which had up till now been well above the water-line, leaked in a way that augured a gloomy future for the crew in the nature of pumping. with steam up this did not mean anything much, but under sail alone, unless we could locate the leaky seams, it meant half an hour to an hour's pumping every watch. we found a very leaky spot in the fore peak, which was mostly made good by cementing. on the th june we left the united kingdom after a rattling good time in cardiff. many shore boats and small craft accompanied us down the bristol channel as far as breaksea light vessel. we hoisted the cardiff flag at the fore and the welsh flag at the mizen--some wag pointed to the flag and asked why we had not a leek under it, and i felt bound to reply that we had a leak in the fore peak! it was a wonderful send-off and we cheered ourselves hoarse. captain scott left with our most intimate friends in the pilot boat and we proceeded a little sadly on our way. after passing lundy island we experienced a head wind and the gentle summer swell of the atlantic. in spite of her deeply-laden condition the "terra nova" breasted each wave in splendid form, lifting her toy bowsprit proudly in the air till she reminded me, with her deck cargo, of a little mother with her child upon her back. our first port of call was madeira, where it was proposed to bunker, and we made good passage to the island under steam and sail for the most part. we stayed a couple of days coaling and taking magnetic observations at funchal, then ran out to the north-east trades, let fires out, and became a sailing ship. whilst lazily gazing at fertile madeira from our anchorage we little dreamt that within two months the distinguished norseman, roald amundsen, would be unfolding his plans to his companions on board the "fram" in this very anchorage, plans which changed the whole published object of his expedition, plans which culminated in the triumph of the norwegian flag over our own little union jack, and plans which caused our people a fearful disappointment--for amundsen's ultimate success meant our failure to achieve the main object of our expedition: to plant the british flag first at the south pole. under sail! quite a number of the scientists and crew had never been to sea in a sailing ship before, but a fair wind and a collection of keen and smiling young men moving about the decks were particularly refreshing to me after the year of fund collecting and preparation. we learnt to know a great deal about one another on the outward voyage to new zealand, where we were to embark our dogs and ponies. the most surprising personality was bowers, considering all things. officers, scientists, and the watch worked side by side trimming coals and restoring the 'tween decks as cases were shaken and equipment assembled. the scientific staff were soon efficient at handling, reefing, and steering. every one lent a hand at whatever work was going. victor campbell was christened the "wicked mate," and he shepherded and fathered the afterguard delightfully. wilson and i shared the captain's cabin, and when there was nothing afoot he made lovely sea sketches and water colour drawings to keep his hand in. certainly uncle bill (dr. wilson's nickname) had copy enough in those days of sunlit seas and glorious sunrises. he was up always an hour before the sun and missed very little that was worth recording with his artistic touch. wilson took cherry-garrard under his wing and brought him up as it were in the shadow of his own unselfish character. we had no adventures to record until the last week in july beyond the catching of flying-fish, singing chanties at the pump, and lillie getting measles. we isolated him in the dark room, which, despite its name, was one of the lightest and freshest rooms in the ship. atkinson took charge of the patient and lillie could not have been in the hands of a better or more cheery medico. not all of the members of the expedition had embarked in england, although the majority came out in the ship to save expense. captain scott had remained behind to squeeze out more subscriptions and to complete arrangements with the central news, which he was making in order to give the world's newspapers the story of the expedition for simultaneous publication as reports came back to civilisation in the "terra nova." he also had finally to settle magazine and cinematograph contracts which were to help pay for the expedition, and lastly, our leader, with drake and wyatt, the business manager, were to pay bills we had incurred by countless items of equipment, large and small, which went to fill up our lengthy stores lists. thankless work enough--we in the ship were much better off with no cares now beyond the handling of our toy ship and her safe conduct to lyttelton. cecil meares and lieut. bruce were on their way through siberia collecting dogs and ponies. ponting was purchasing the photographic and cinematographic outfit, griffith taylor, debenham, and priestley, our three geologists, and day, the motor engineer, were to join us in new zealand, and captain scott with drake at capetown. in order to get another series of magnetic observations and to give the staff relief from the monotony of the voyage as well as an opportunity for doing a little special work, we stopped at the uninhabited island of south trinidad for a couple of days, arriving on july . trinidad island looked magnificent with its towering peaks as we approached it by moonlight. we dropped anchor shortly after dawn, the ship was handed over to the wicked mate and boatswain, who set up the rigging and delighted themselves with a seamanlike refit. campbell had a party over the side scrubbing the weeds off, and many of the ship's company attempted to harpoon the small sharks which came close round in shoals and provided considerable amusement. these fish were too small to be dangerous. after breakfast all the scientists and most of the officers landed and were organised by uncle bill into small parties to collect birds' eggs, flowers, specimens, to photograph and to sketch. a good lunch was taken ashore, and we looked more like a gunroom picnic party than a scientific expedition when we left the ship in flannels and all manner of weird costumes. wilson, pennell, and cherry-garrard shot a number of birds, mostly terns and gannets, and climbed practically to the top of the island, where they could see the martin vaz islets on the horizon. wilson secured some trinidad petrels, both white breasted and black breasted, and discovered that the former is the young bird and the latter the adult of the same species. he found them in the same nests. we collected many terns' eggs; the tern has no nest but lays its eggs on a smooth rock. also one or two frigate birds were caught. nelson worked along the beach, finding sea-urchins, anemones, and worms, which he taught the sailors the names of--polycheats and sepunculids, i think he called them. he caught various fishes, including sea-perches, garfish, coralfish, and an eel, a small octopus and a quantity of sponges. trigger-fish were so abundant that many of them were speared from the ship with the greatest of ease, and rennick harpooned a couple from a boat with an ordinary dinner fork. lillie, who had recovered from measles, was all about, and his party went for flowering plants and lichens. he climbed to the summit of the island-- ft.--and gave it as his opinion that the dead trees strewn all round the base of the island had been carried down with the volcanic debris from higher altitudes. it was also his suggestion that the island had only recently risen, the trees which originally grew on the top of the island having died from unsuitable climate in the higher condition. gran went up with lillie and took photographs. "birdie" bowers and wright were employed collecting insects, and, with those added by the rest of us, the day's collection included all kinds of ants, cockroaches, grasshoppers, mayflies, a centipede, fifteen different species of spider, locusts, a cricket, woodlice, a parasite fly, a beetle, and a moth. we failed to get any of the dragonflies seen, and, to the great sorrow of the crews who landed with us, missed capturing a most beautiful chestnut-coloured mouse with a fur tail. land crabs, a dirty yellow in colour, were found everywhere, the farther one went inland the bigger were the crabs. the blue shore crabs were only to be seen near the sea or along the coast and water courses. several of these were brought off to the ship for dr. atkinson to play with, and he found nematodes in them, and parasites in the birds and fish. during the afternoon a swell began to roll in the bay and those on board the ship hoisted the warning signal and fired a sound rocket to recall the scattered parties. by . we had reassembled on the rocks where we had landed in the forenoon, but the rollers being fifteen feet high, it was obviously unwise to send off cameras and perishable gear, and since it was equally inadvisable to leave the whole party ashore without food and sufficient clothing and the prospect of an inhospitable island home for days, we all swam off one by one, the boat's crew working a grassline bent to a lifebuoy. the boat to which we swam was riding to a big anchor a hundred feet from the shore, just outside the surf. there were a few sharks round the whaler, but they were shy and left us alone. rennick worked round the boat in a small norwegian pram and scared them away. many trigger fish swallowed the thick vegetable oil which the boat's crew ladled into the sea to keep the surf down, and i think this probably attracted the sharks, though it was not very nice to swim through. none of us were any the worse for our romp ashore, but the long day and the hot sun tired us all out. nearly all the afterguard slept on the upper deck that night, and, but for the dismal roar of the swell breaking on the rocks and the heavy rolling of the "terra nova," we spent quite a comfortable night. dr. atkinson and brewster had been left ashore with the gear, but they got no sleep because all night the terns flew round crying and protesting against their intrusion. the wail of these birds sounds like the deep note of a banjo. the two men mostly feared the land crabs, but to their surprise they were left in peace. next day about a.m. i went in with rennick, bowers, oates, gran, and two seamen to the landing place, taking a whaler and pram equipped with grass hawser, breeches buoy, rocket line, and everything necessary to bring off the gear. we had a rough time getting the stuff away undamaged by the sea, but the pram was a wonderful sea-boat and we took it in turns to work her through the surf until everything was away. at the last, when nearly everything had been salved and got to the whaler, the collections in tin boxes, wooden cases and baskets, and the two men, atkinson and brewster, were on board, a large wave threw the pram right up on the rocks, capsizing her and damaging her badly. her two occupants jumped out just before a second wave swept the boat over and over. then a third huge roller came up and washed the pram out to sea, where she was recovered by means of a grapnel thrown from the whaler. the two on the rocks had to face the surf again but were good swimmers, and with their recovery our little adventure ended. it was a pity we had bad weather, because i intended to give the crew a run on the island when campbell had finished with them. we remained another day under the lee of trinidad island owing to a hard blow from the south-east--a dead head wind for us--because i felt it would be useless to put to sea and punch into it. we were anchored one mile s. degrees e (magnetic) from the ninepin rock, well sheltered from the prevailing wind. we left trinidad at noon on the th, well prepared for the bad weather expected on approaching the cape of good hope. whilst clearing the land we had an excellent view of south west bay and saw a fine lot of rollers breaking on the beach. i was glad we kept there that day, as, in my opinion, our anchorage was really the only fair one off the island. by noon on the th we had left south trinidad out of sight, the wind had freshened again and we could almost lay our course under sail for the cape. this next stage of the voyage was merely a story of hard winds and heavy rolls. the ship leaked less as she used up the coal and patent fuel. all the same we spent many hours at the pump, but, since much of the pumping was done by the afterguard--as were called the officers and scientists we developed and hardened our muscles finely. in the daytime the afterguard were never idle; there is always plenty to do in a sailing ship, and when not attending to their special duties the scientists were kept working at everything that helped the show along. whilst on deck they were strictly disciplined and subordinate and respectful to the ship's executive officers, while in the wardroom they fought these same officers in a friendly way for every harsh word and every job they had had imposed on them. campbell was a fine seaman; he was respected and admired by such people as oates and atkinson, who willingly pocketed their pride and allowed themselves to be hustled round equally with the youngest seaman on board. the wicked mate generally had all the afterguard under the hose before breakfast, as washing water was scarce and the allowance meagre on such a protracted voyage. in the hotter weather we nearly all slept on deck, the space on top of the ice-house and in the boats being favourite billets. there was no privacy in the ship and only the officers of watches and lookout men were ever left with their thoughts. one or two of the younger members confessed to being home-sick, for the voyage was long and it was not at all certain that we should all win back to "england, home, and beauty." those who were not sailor men soon acquired the habit of the sea, growing accustomed to meeting fair and foul weather with an equally good face, rejoicing with us sailor men at a fair wind and full sail and standing by top-gallant and topsail halyards when the prospects were more leaden coloured and the barometer falling. we numbered about forty now, which meant heaps of beef to haul on ropes and plenty of trimmers to shift the coal from the hold to the bunkers. one or two were always stoking side by side with the firemen, and in this fashion officers, seamen, and scientific staff cemented a greater friendship and respect for one another. on august , after drinking to absent friends, oates, atkinson, and gran, "the three midshipmen" were confirmed in their rank and a ship's biscuit broken on the head of each in accordance with gunroom practice, and after this day, during good and bad weather, these three kept regular watch with the seamen, going aloft, steering, and taking all the usual duties in their turn. from the start pennell, who was to relieve me in command of the ship on her arrival at the antarctic base, showed an astounding knowledge of birds, and wilson took the keenest interest in teaching him about bird-life in the great southern ocean and giving him a preliminary idea of the bird types to be met with in antarctica. reflecting back to these days one sees how well we all knitted into the places we were to fill, because a long sea-voyage searches out hidden qualities and defects, not that there were many of the latter, still one man developed lung trouble and another had a strained heart. one of these, to our great regret, was forced to leave the expedition before the ship went south, while the other had to be ruled out of the shore party--an awful disappointment to them both. we reached simon's town on august , and here the naval authorities gave us every assistance, lent us working parties and made good our long defect list. we were disappointed on arriving to find that captain scott was away in pretoria, but he succeeded in obtaining a grant of pounds from the south african government and raised another pounds by private subscription. when captain scott came amongst us again he wrote of the "terra nova" party that we were all very pleased with the ship and very pleased with ourselves, describing our state of happiness and overflowing enthusiasm exactly. those who could be spared were given leave here; some of us went up-country for a few days and had a chance to enjoy south african scenery. oates, atkinson, and bowers went to wynberg and temporarily forgot the sea. oates's one idea was a horse, and he spent his holiday as much on horse-back as he possibly could. in a letter he expressed great admiration for the plucky manner in which atkinson rode to hounds one day at wynberg. these two were great friends, but it would be hard to imagine two more naturally silent men, and one wonders how evident pleasure can be obtained with a speechless companion. scott now changed with wilson, who went by mail steamer to australia in order to organise and finally engage the australian members of our staff. our leader was without doubt delighted to make the longer voyage with us in the "terra nova" and to get away from the hum of commerce and the small talk of the many people who were pleased to meet him--until the hat was handed round--that awful fund-collecting. chapter iii assembling of units--departure from new zealand the trip from simon's town to melbourne was disappointing on account of the absence of fair winds. we had a few gales, but finer weather than we expected, and took advantage of the ship's steadiness to work out the details for the sledge journeys and depot plans. the lists of those who were to form the two shore parties were published, together with a skeleton list for the ship. the seamen had still to be engaged in new zealand to complete this party. a programme was drawn up for work on arrival at winter quarters, a routine made out for mcmurdo sound or cape crozier, if it so happened that we could effect a landing there, weights were calculated for the four men sledging-units, sledge tables embellished with equipment weights, weekly allowances of food and fuel, with measures of quantities of each article in pannikins or spoonfuls, provisional dates were set down in the general plan, daily ration lists constructed, the first season's depot party chosen and, in short, a thoroughly comprehensive hand-book was made out for our guidance which could be referred to by any member of the expedition. even an interior plan of the huts was made to scale for the carpenter's edification. it was an enormous advantage for us to have our leader with us now, his master mind foresaw every situation so wonderfully as he unravelled plan after plan and organised our future procedure. meantime, the seamen were employed preparing the sledge gear, sewing up food bags, making canvas tanks and sledge harness, fitting out alpine ropes; repair bags, thongs, lampwick bindings, and travelling equipment generally. gran overlooked the ski and assigned them to their future owners, petty officer evans prepared the sewing outfits for the two shore parties, the cooks assembled messtraps and cooking utensils, and levick and atkinson, under dr. wilson's guidance, assembled the medical equipment and fixed up little surgical outfits for sledge parties. by the time we arrived at melbourne, our next port of call, a great deal had been accomplished and people had a grasp of what was eventually expected of them. scott left us again at melbourne and embarked on yet another begging campaign, whilst i took the ship on to lyttelton, where the "terra nova" was dry-docked with a view to stopping the leak in her bows. the decks, which after her long voyage let water through sadly, were caulked, and barnacles six inches long were taken from her bottom and sides. whilst in new zealand all the stores were landed, sorted out and restowed. on a piece of waste ground close to the wharves at lyttelton the huts were erected in skeleton in order to make certain that no hitch would occur when they were put up at our antarctic base. davis, the carpenter, with the seamen told off to assist him, marked each frame and joist, the tongued and grooved boards were roughly cut to measure and tied into bundles ready for sledge transport in case it happened that we could not put the ship close to the winter quarters. instruments were adjusted, the ice-house re-insulated and prepared to receive the frozen sheep and ten bullocks which were presented to us by new zealand farmers. stables were erected under the forecastle and on the upper deck of the "terra nova," ready for the reception of our ponies, and a thousand and one alterations and improvements made. the ship was restowed, and all fancy gear, light sails and personal baggage put ashore. we took on board tons of coal and embarked the three motor sledges, petrol, and paraffin. we spent four weeks in port lyttelton, four weeks of hard work and perfect happiness. our prospects looked very rosy in those days, and as each new member joined the expedition here he was cordially welcomed into the "terra nova" family. mr. j. j. kinsey acted as agent to the expedition, as he had done for the national antarctic expedition of - , and, indeed, for every polar enterprise that has used new zealand for a base. new zealanders showed us unbounded hospitality; many of us had visited their shores before and stronger ties than those of friendship bound us to this beautiful country. when we came to lyttelton, meares and bruce had already arrived with nineteen siberian and manchurian ponies and thirty-four sledge dogs, and these were now housed at quail island in the harbour. all the ponies were white, animals of this colour being accepted as harder than others for snow work, and the dogs were as fine a pack as one could select for hard sledging and rough times. meares had had adventure in plenty when selecting the dogs and told us modestly enough of his journeys across russia and siberia in search of suitable animals. scott was lucky to get hold of such an experienced traveller as meares, and the "terra nova" gained by the inclusion of lady scott's brother, wilfred bruce, in the expedition. wilfred bruce was christened "mumbo," and, although a little older than the rest of the officers, he willingly took a subordinate place, and pennell, writing of him after the expedition was finished, said that he withheld his advice when it was not asked for and gave it soundly when it was. lieut. bruce joined meares at vladivostock, and he must have thought he was joining a travelling circus when he ran into this outfit. meares crossed by trans-siberian railway to vladivostock, thence made preparation to travel round the sea of okotsk to collect the necessary dogs. he started off by train to kharbarovsk, where he got in touch with the governor-general of eastern siberia, general unterberger, who helped him immensely, got him a good travelling sledge for the trip down the amur river to nikolievsk, and wrote a letter which he gave meares to show at the post-houses and whenever in difficulties. the governor-general ordered frozen food to be got ready for meares's journey. a thousand versts (roughly miles) had to be traversed, and this only took seven days; the going was interesting at times, and meares had good weather on the sledge journey to nikolievsk, although the cold was intense and sometimes the road was very bad. the sledges were horse-drawn between the post-houses. mr. rogers, the english manager of the russo-chinese bank of nikolievsk, helped meares considerably in securing the dogs. most of them were picked up in the neighbourhood of that place, but were not chosen before they had been given some hard driving tests. in one of the trial journeys the dogs pulled down a horse and nearly killed it before they could be beaten off. some of them have a good deal of the wolf in their blood. a settlement of "fish-skin" indians was visited in the dog search, and meares told us of natives who dressed in cured skins of salmons. these people were expert hunters who trekked weeks on end with just a pack of food on their backs, their travelling being done on snowshoes. after taking great pains, thirty-four fine dogs were collected, all used to hard sledge travelling, and these meares shipped on board steamer which took him and his menagerie by river to kharbarovsk. the journey to vladivostock was by train. the russian officials allowed him to hitch on a couple of cattle trucks containing the dogs to the mail train for that part of the journey. russian soldiers and chinamen were detailed by the governor-general to assist the procession through the streets of vladivostock to their kennels here. a slight upset was caused by a mad dog rushing in amongst them, but fortunately it was killed before any of our dogs were bitten. some of them were flecked by the foam from the mad dog's jaws, but none were any the worse after a good carbolic bath. after the dogs were settled and in good shape the ponies were collected and brought from up-country in batches. on arrival at the siberian capital they were examined by the government vet., after which meares and an australian trainer picked the best, until a score were purchased. horse boxes were obtained now and feed tins made for the voyage and, after minor troubles with shipping firms, meares, bruce, and three russians sailed from vladivostock in a japanese steamer which conveyed them to kobe. here they transhipped into a german vessel that took then via hong-kong, manila, new guinea, rockhampton, and brisbane, to sydney. there the animals were inoculated for the n'th time and a good deal of palaver indulged in before they were again shifted to the lyttelton steamer. the poor beasts suffered from the heat, particularly the dogs, although they had been close-clipped for the long and trying voyage. at wellington, new zealand, meares was compelled to trans-ship the animals to yet another steamer. when the travelling circus was safely installed in quail island our dogs and ponies had undergone shipments, trans-shipments, inoculations and disinfectings sufficient to make them glad to leave civilisation, and we had to thank meares for his patience in getting them down without any losses. we sailed from lyttelton on november for port chalmers, had a tremendous send-off and a great deal of cheering as the ship moved slowly away from the piers. bands played us out of harbour and most of the ships flew farewell messages, which we did our best to answer. some members went down by train to dunedin and joined us at port chalmers. we filled up here with what coal we could squeeze into our already overloaded ship and left finally for the great unknown on november , . lady scott, mrs. wilson, and my own wife came out with us to the heads and then went on board the "plucky" tug after saying good-bye. we were given a rousing send-off by the small craft that accompanied us a few miles on our way, but they turned homeward at last and at . p.m. we were clear with all good-byes said--personally i had a heart like lead, but, with every one else on board, bent on doing my duty and following captain scott to the end. there was work to be done, however, and the crew were glad of the orders that sent them from one rope to another and gave them the chance to hide their feelings, for there is an awful feeling of loneliness at this point in the lives of those who sign on the ships of the "south pole trade"--how glad we were to hide those feelings and make sail--there were some dreadfully flat jokes made with the best of good intentions when we watched dear new zealand fading away as the spring night gently obscured her from our view. chapter iv through stormy seas after all it was a relief to get going at last and to have the expedition on board in its entirety, but what a funny little colony of souls. a floating farm-yard best describes the appearance of the upper deck, with the white pony heads peeping out of their stables, dogs chained to stanchions, rails, and ring-bolts, pet rabbits lolloping around the ready supply of compressed hay, and forage here, there, and everywhere. if the "terra nova" was deeply laden from cardiff, imagine what she looked like leaving new zealand. we had piled coal in sacks wherever it could be wedged in between the deck cargo of petrol. paraffin and oil drums filled up most of the hatch spaces, for the poop had been rendered uninhabitable by the great wooden cases containing two of our motor sledges. the seamen were excellent, and captain scott seemed delighted with the crowd. he and wilson were very loyal to the old "discovery" men we had with us and scott was impressed with my man, cheetham, the merchant service boatswain, and could not quite make out how "alf," as the sailors called him, got so much out of the hands--this little squeaky-voiced man--i think we hit on utopian conditions for working the ship. there were no wasters, and our seamen were the pick of the british navy and mercantile marine. most of the naval men were intelligent petty officers and were as fully alive as the merchantmen to "alf's" windjammer knowledge. cheetham was quite a character, and besides being immensely popular and loyal he was a tough, humorous little soul who had made more antarctic voyages than any man on board. the seamen and stokers willingly gave up the best part of the crew space in order to allow sheltered pony stables to be built in the forecastle; it would have fared badly with the poor creatures had we kept them out on deck on the southward voyage. a visit to the campbell islands was projected, but abandoned on account of the ship being unable to lay her course due to strong head winds on december . we therefore shaped to cross the antarctic circle in degrees w. and got a good run of nearly miles in, but the wind rose that afternoon and a gale commenced at a time when we least could afford to face bad weather in our deeply-laden conditions. by p.m. i had to heave the ship to under lower topsails and fore topmast staysail. engines were kept going at slow speed to keep the ship under control, but when night fell the prospect was gloomy enough. captain scott had consented to my taking far more on board than the ship was ever meant to carry, and we could not expect to accomplish our end without running certain risks. to sacrifice coal meant curtailing the antarctic cruising programme, but as the weather grew worse we had to consider throwing coal overboard to lighten the vessel. quite apart from this, the huge waves which washed over the ship swamped everything and increased the deck weights considerably. ten tons of coal were thrown over to prevent them from taking charge and breaking petrol cases adrift. in spite of a liberal use of oil to keep heavy water from breaking over, the decks were continually swept by the seas and the rolling was so terrific that the poor dogs were almost hanging by their chains. meares and dimitri, helped by the watch, tended them unceasingly, but in spite of their combined efforts one dog was washed overboard after being literally drowned on the upper deck. one pony died that night, oates and atkinson standing by it and trying their utmost to keep the wretched beast on its feet. a second animal succumbed later, and poor oates had a most trying time in caring for his charges and rendering what help he could to ameliorate their condition. those of his ship-mates who saw him in this gale will never forget his strong, brown face illuminated by a hanging lamp as he stood amongst those suffering little beasts. he was a fine, powerful man, and on occasions he seemed to be actually lifting the poor little ponies to their feet as the ship lurched heavily to leeward and a great sea would wash the legs of his charges from under them. one felt somehow, glancing into the ponies' stalls, which captain scott and i frequently visited together, that oates's very strength itself inspired his animals with confidence. he himself appeared quite unconscious of any personal suffering, although his hands and feet must have been absolutely numbed by the cold and wet. in the middle watch williams, the chief engineer, reported that his pumps were choked and that as fast as he cleared them they choked again, the water coming into the ship so fast that the stoke-hold plates were submerged and water gaining fast. i ordered the watch to man the hand-pump, but that was soon choked too. things now looked really serious, since it was impossible to get to the pump-well while terrific seas were washing over the ship and the afterhatch could not be opened. consequently we started to bail the water out with buckets and also rigged the small fire-engine and pumped with this as well. the water in the engine room gradually gained until it entered the ashpit of the centre furnace and commenced to put the fires out. both williams and lashly were up to their necks in water, clearing and re-clearing the engine room pump suctions, but eventually the water beat them and i allowed williams to let fires out in the boiler. it could not be otherwise. we stopped engines, and with our cases of petrol being lifted out of their lashings by the huge waves, with the ponies falling about and the dogs choking and wallowing in the water and mess, their chains entangling them and tripping up those who tried to clear them, the situation looked as black and disheartening as it well could be. when dawn broke the greater part of the lee bulwarks had been torn away and our decks laid open to the sea, which washed in and out as it would have over a rock. the poor ship laboured dreadfully, and after consultation with captain scott we commenced to cut a hole in the engine room bulkhead to get at the hand pump-well. meanwhile i told the afterguard off into watches, and, relieving every two hours, they set to work, formed a chain at the engine room ladder way and bailed the ship out with buckets. in this way they must have discharged between and gallons of water. the watch manned the hand pump, which, although choked, discharged a small stream, and for twenty-four hours this game was kept up, scott himself working with the best of them and staying with the toughest. it was a sight that one could never forget: everybody saturated, some waist-deep on the floor of the engine room, oil and coal dust mixing with the water and making every one filthy, some men clinging to the iron ladder way and passing full buckets up long after their muscles had ceased to work naturally, their grit and spirit keeping them going. i did admire the weaker people, especially those who were unhardened by the months of physical training of the voyage out from england. when each two-hour shift was relieved, the party, coughing and spluttering, would make their way into the ward-room where hooper and neale, the stewards, mere boys, supplied them with steaming cocoa. how on earth the cooks kept the galley fires going i could never understand: they not only did this, but fed us all at frequent intervals. by p.m. on the nd december the hole in the engine room bulkhead was cut completely. i climbed through it, followed by bowers, the carpenter, and teddy nelson, and when we got into the hold there was just enough room to wriggle along to the pump-well over the coal. we tore down a couple of planks to get access to the shaft and then i went down to the bottom to find out how matters stood. bowers came next with an electric torch, which he shone downwards whilst i got into the water, hanging on to the bottom rungs of the ladder leading to the bilge. sitting on the keel the water came up to my neck and, except for my head, i was under water till after midnight passing up coal balls, the cause of all the trouble. though, of course, we had washed out the bilges in new zealand, the constant stream of water which leaked in from the topsides had carried much coal-dust into them. this, mixed with the lubricating oil washed down from the engines, had cemented into buns and balls which found their way down and choked both hand and engine pump suctions. i sent up twenty bucketfuls of this filthy stuff, which meant frequently going head under the unspeakably dirty water, but having cleared the lower ends of the suction pipe the watch manning the hand pump got the water down six inches, and it was obvious by o'clock in the morning that the pump was gaining. we therefore knocked the afterguard off bailing, and the seamen worked steadily at the pump until a.m. and got the water right down to nine inches, so we were able to light fires again and once more raise steam. we made a serviceable wire grating to put round the hand pump suction to keep the bigger stuff from choking the pipes in future. it was days before some of us could get our hair clean from that filthy coal-oil mixture. one more pony died during the gale, but when the weather moderated early on the rd, the remaining seventeen animals bucked up and, when not eating their food, nonchalantly gnawed great gaps in the stout planks forming the head parts of their stalls. at last the sun came out and helped to dry the dogs. campbell and his seamen cleared up the decks and re-secured the top hamper in the forenoon, we reset sail, and after tea scott, oates, atkinson, and a few more of us hoisted the two dead ponies out of the forecastle, through the skylight, and over the side. it was a dirty job, because the square of the hatch was so small that a powerful purchase had to be used which stretched out the ponies like dead rabbits. we only made good twenty-three miles that day and, although the gale had abated, it left us a legacy in the shape of a heavy uncomfortable swell. most of the bunks were in a sad state, the ship having worked so badly that the upper deck seams opened everywhere and water had literally poured into them. looking at the fellows' faces in the ward-room at dinner that night there was no trace of anxiety, worry, or fatigue to be seen. we drank to sweet-hearts and wives, it being saturday evening, and those who had no watch were glad to turn in early. more fresh wind next day but finer weather to follow. gran declared he saw an iceberg on the th december, but it turned out to be a whale spouting. our runs were nothing to boast of, miles being well above the average, but the lengthening days told us that we were rapidly changing our latitude and approaching the ice. chapter v antarctica--through the pack ice to land we sighted our first iceberg in latitude degrees on the evening of wednesday, december . cheetham's squeaky hail came down from aloft and i went up to the crow's-nest to look at it, and from this time on we passed all kinds of icebergs, from the huge tabular variety to the little weathered water-worn bergs. some we steamed quite close to and they seemed for all the world like great masses of sugar floating in the sea. from latitudes to degrees we saw a fair number of birds: southern fulmars, whale birds, molly-mawks, sooty albatrosses, and occasionally cape-pigeons still. then the brown-backed petrels began to appear, sure precursors of the pack ice--it was in sight right enough the day after the brown-backs were seen. by breakfast time on december , when nearly in latitude degrees, we were steaming through thin streams of broken pack with floes from six to twelve feet across. a few penguins and seals were seen, and by a.m. no less than twenty-seven icebergs in sight. the newcomers to these regions were clustered in little groups on the forecastle and poop sketching and painting, hanging over the bows and gleefully watching this lighter stuff being brushed aside by our strong stem. we were passing through pack all day, but the ice hereabouts was not close enough nor heavy enough to stop us appreciably. the ship was usually conned by pennell and myself from the crow's-nest, and i took the ship very near one berg for ponting to cinematograph it. we now began to see snow petrels with black beaks and pure white bodies, rather resembling doves. also we saw great numbers of brown-backed petrels the first day in the pack, whole flights of them resting on the icebergs. the sun was just below the horizon at midnight and we had a most glorious sunset, which was first a blazing copper changing to salmon pink and then purple. the pools of water between the floes caught the reflection, the sea was perfectly still and every berg and ice-floe caught something of the delicate colour. wilson, of course, was up and about till long after midnight sketching and painting. the antarctic pack ice lends itself to water-colour work far better than to oils. when conning the ship from up in the crow's-nest one has a glorious view of this great changing ice-field. moving through lanes of clear blue water, cannoning into this floe and splitting it with iron-bound stem, overriding that and gnawing off a twenty ton lump, gliding south, east, west, through leads of open water, then charging an innocent-looking piece which brings the ship up all-standing, astern and ahead again, screwing and working the wonderful wooden ship steadily southward until perhaps two huge floes gradually narrow the lane and hold the little lady fast in their frozen grip. this is the time to wait and have a look round: on one side floes the size of a football field, all jammed together, with their torn up edges showing their limits and where the pressure is taken. then three or four bergs, carved from the distant barrier, imprisoned a mile or so away, with the evening sun's soft rays casting beautiful shadows about them and kissing their glistening cliff faces. glancing down from the crow's-nest the ship throws deep shadows over the ice and, while the sun is just below the southern horizon, the still pools of water show delicate blues and greens that no artist can ever do justice to. it is a scene from fairyland. i loved this part of the voyage, for i was in my element. at odd times during the night, if one can call it night, the crow's-nest would have visitors, and hot cocoa would be sent up in covered pots by means of signal halyards. the pack ice was new to all the ship's officers except myself, but they soon got into the way of conning and working through open water leads and, as time went on, distinguished the thinner ice from the harder and more dangerous stuff. on december we stopped the ship and secured her to a heavy floe from which we took in sufficient ice to make eight tons of fresh water, and whilst doing this rennick sounded and obtained bottom in fathoms, fora-minifera and decomposed skeleton unicellular organs, also two pieces of black basic lava. lillie and nelson took plankton and water bottle samples to about fathoms. a few penguins came round and a good many crab-eater seals were seen. in the afternoon we got under way again and worked for about eight miles through the pack, which was gradually becoming denser. about : p.m. i saw from the crow's-nest four seals on a floe. i slid down a backstay, and whilst the officer on watch worked the ship close to them, i got two or three others with all our firearms and shot the lot from the forecastle head. we had seal liver for dinner that night; one or two rather turned up their noses at it, but, as scott pointed out, the time would come when seal liver would be a delicacy to dream about. campbell did not do much conning except in the early morning, as his executive duties kept him well occupied. the polar sledge journey had its attractions, but campbell's party were to have interesting work and were envied by many on board. for reasons which need not here be entered into campbell had to abandon the king edward vii. land programme, but in these days his mob were known as the eastern party, to consist of the wicked mate, levick, and priestley, with three seamen, abbott, browning, and dickason. campbell had the face of an angel and the heart of a hornet. with the most refined and innocent smile he would come up to me and ask whether the eastern party could have a small amount of this or that luxury. of course i would agree, and sure enough bowers would tell me that campbell had already appropriated a far greater share than he was ever entitled to of the commodity in question. this happened again and again, but the refined smile was irresistible and i am bound to say the wicked mate generally got away with it, for even bowers, the incomparable, was bowled over by that smile. we crossed the antarctic circle on the morning of the th, little dreaming in those happy days that the finest amongst us would never recross it again. we took a number of deep-sea soundings, several of over fathoms, on this first southward voyage. rennick showed himself very expert with the deep-sea gear and got his soundings far more easily than we had done in the "discovery" and "morning" days. we were rather unfortunate as regards the pack ice met with, and must have passed through miles of it from north to south. on my two previous voyages we had had easier conditions altogether, and then it had not mattered, but all with these dogs and ponies cooped up and losing condition, with the "terra nova" eating coal and sixty hungry men scoffing enormous meals, we did not seem to be doing much or getting on with the show. it was, of course, nobody's fault, but our patience was sorely tried. we made frequent stops in the pack ice, even letting fires out and furling sail, and sometimes the ice would be all jammed up so that not a water hole was visible--this condition would continue for days. then, for no apparent reason, leads would appear and black water-skies would tempt us to raise steam again. scott himself showed an admirable patience, for the rest of us had something to occupy our time with. pennell and i, for instance, were constantly taking sights and working them out to find our position and also to get the set and drift of the current. then there were magnetic observations to be taken on board and out on the ice away from the magnetic influence of the ship, such as it was. simpson had heaps to busy himself with, and ponting was here, there, and everywhere with his camera and cinematograph machine. had it not been for our anxiety to make southward progress, the time would have passed pleasantly enough, especially in fine weather. days came when we could get out on the floe and exercise on ski, and gran zealously looked to all our requirements in this direction. december witnessed the extraordinary sight of our company standing bareheaded on deck whilst captain scott performed divine service. two hymns were sung, which broke strangely the great white silence. the weather was against us this day in that we had snow, thaw, and actually rain, but we could not complain on the score of weather conditions generally. practically all the ship's company exercised on the floes while we remained fast frozen. next day there was some slight loosening of the pack and we tried sailing through it and managed half a degree southward in the forty-eight hours. we got along a few miles here and there, but when ice conditions continued favourable for making any serious advance it was better to light up and push our way onward with all the power we could command. we got some heavy bumps on the th december and as this hammering was not doing the ship much good, since i was unable to make southing then at a greater rate than one mile an hour, we let fires right out and prepared, as captain scott said, "to wait till the clouds roll by." for the next few days there was not much doing nor did we experience such pleasant weather. constant visits were made to the crow's-nest in search of a way through. december and were two very gray days with fresh wind, snow, and some sleet. affectionate memories of captain colbeck and the little relief ship, "morning," came back when the wind soughed and whistled through the rigging: this sound is most uncanny and the ice always seemed to exaggerate any noise. i hated the overcast days in the pack. it was bitterly cold in the crow's-nest however much one put on then, and water skies often turned out to be nimbus clouds after we had laboured and cannoned towards them. the light, too, tired and strained one's eyes far more than on clear days. when two hundred miles into the pack the ice varied surprisingly. we would be passing through ice a few inches thick and then suddenly great floes four feet above the water and twelve to fifteen feet deep would be encountered. december saw us steaming through tremendous leads of open water. a very funny occurrence was witnessed in the evening when the wash of the ship turned a floe over under water and on its floating back a fish was left stranded. it was a funny little creature, nine inches in length, a species of notathenia. several snow petrels and a skua-gull made attempts to secure the fish, but the afterguard kept up such a chorus of cheers, hoots and howls that the birds were scared away till one of us secured the fish from the floe. early on the th we passed close to a large iceberg which had a shelving beach like an island. we began to make better progress to the south-westward and worked into a series of open leads. we came across our first emperor penguin, a young one, and two sea-leopards, besides crab-eater seals, many penguins, some giant petrels, and a wilson petrel. that afternoon tremendous pieces of ice were passed; they were absolutely solid and regular floes, being ten to twelve feet above water and, as far as one could judge, about feet below. the water here was beautifully clear. we had now reached latitude degrees and, as penguins were plentiful, archer and clissold, the cooks, made us penguin stews and "hooshes" to eke out our fresh provisions. concerning the penguins, they frequently came and inspected the ship. one day wilson and i chased some, but they continually kept just out of our reach; then uncle bill lay down on the snow, and when one, out of curiosity, came up to him he grabbed it by the leg and brought it to the ship, protesting violently, for all the world like a little old man in a dinner jacket. atkinson and wilson found a new kind of tapeworm in this penguin, with a head like a propeller. this worm has since been named after one of us! we were now down to under tons of coal, some of which had perforce to be landed, in addition to the tons of patent fuel which were under the forward stores. i had no idea that captain scott could be so patient. he put the best face on everything, although he certainly was disappointed in the "terra nova" and her steaming capacity. he could not well have been otherwise when comparing her with his beloved "discovery." whilst in the pack our leader spent his time in getting hold of the more detailed part of our scientific programme and mildly tying the scientists in knots. we had some good views of whales in the pack. whenever a whale was sighted wilson was called to identify it unless it proved to belong to one of the more common species. we saw sibbald's whale; rorquals, and many killer whales, but no right whales were properly identified this trip. i very much wanted to show scott the island we had discovered in the first antarctic relief expedition and named after him, but when in its vicinity snow squalls and low visibility prevented this. on the nd bowers, wright, griffith taylor and myself chased a lot of young penguins on the ice and secured nine for our christmas dinner. we spent a very pleasant christmas this year, devoting great attention to food. we commenced the day with kidneys from our frozen meat store. captain scott conducted the christmas church service and all hands attended since we had no steam up and were fast held in the pack. the ward-room was decorated with our sledge flags and a new blue tablecloth generally brightened up our mess. we had fresh mutton for lunch and the seamen had their christmas dinner at this time. the afterguard dined at . on fresh penguin, roast beef, plum pudding, mince pies, and asparagus, while we had champagne, port, and liqueurs to drink and an enormous box of fry's fancy chocolates for dessert. this "mortal gorge" was followed by a sing-song lasting until midnight, nearly every one, even the most modest, contributing. around the christmas days we made but insignificant headway, only achieving thirty-one miles in the best part of the week, but on the th the floes became thin and the ice showed signs of recent formation, though intermingled with heavier floes of old and rotten ice. there was much diatomacea in the rotten floes. about . a.m. the ship broke through into a lead of open water six miles in length. i spent the middle watch in the crow's-nest, bowers being up there with me talking over the expedition, his future and mine. he was a wonderful watch companion, especially when he got on to his favourite subject, india. he had some good tales to tell of the persian gulf, of days and weeks spent boat-cruising, of attacks made on gun-running dhows and kindred adventure. he told me that one dhow was boarded while he was up the gulf, when the arabs, waiting until most of the boat's crew of bluejackets were on board, suddenly let go the halyards of their great sail and let it down crash over the lot, the boom breaking many heads and the sail burying our seamen, while the arabs got to work and practically scuppered the crowd. soon after a.m. i went below and turned in, confident that we were nearing the southern extreme of the pack. captain scott awoke when i went into the cabin, pleased at the prospect, but after so many adverse ice conditions he shook his head, unwilling to believe that we should get clear yet awhile. i bet him ten sardine sandwiches that we should be out of the pack by noon on the th, and when i turned out at o'clock i was delighted to find the ship steaming through thin floes and passing into a series of great open water leads. by p.m. on the th a strong breeze was blowing, snow was falling, and we were punching along under steam and sail. sure enough we got out of the pack early on the th and, cracking on all our canvas, were soon doing eight knots with a following wind. later in the day the wind headed us with driving snow, fine rain, and, unfortunately, a considerable head swell. this caused the ship to pitch so badly that the ponies began to give trouble again. oates asked for the speed to be reduced, but we got over this by setting fore and aft sail and keeping the ship's head three or four points off the wind. new year's eve gave us another anxious time, for we encountered a hard blow from the s.s.e. it was necessary to heave the ship to most of the day under bare poles with the engines just jogging to keep the swell on her bow. a thin line of pack ice was sighted in the morning and this turned out to be quite a blessing in disguise, for i took the ship close to the edge of it and skirted along to leeward. the ice formed a natural break-water and damped the swell most effectually. the swell and sea in the open would have been too much for the ponies as it must be remembered that they had been in their stalls on board for five weeks. we had now reached the continental shelf, the depth of water had changed from fathoms on the th to fathoms this day. the biologists took advantage of our jogging along in the open water to trawl, but very few specimens were obtained. at midnight the "youth of the town" made the devil of a din by striking sixteen bells, blowing whistles on the siren, hooting with the foghorn, cheering and singing. what children we were, but what matter! came like the opening of a new volume of an exciting book. this was the year in which scott hoped to reach the pole, the ideal date he had given being december . this was the year that campbell and his party were looking forward to so eagerly--if only they could be successful in landing their gear and equipment in king edward vii. land--and, for the less showy but more scientific sledgers, held a wealth of excitement in store. griffith taylor and debenham knew pretty well that next new year's day would see them in the midst of their western journey with the secrets of those rugged mountains revealed perhaps. i do not know what my own feelings were, it would be impossible to describe them. i read up part of shackleton's diary and something of what his companion wilde had written. just this: _miles_, _yards_.-- / / . "started usual time. quan (pony) got through the forenoon fairly well with assistance, but after lunch the poor chap broke down and we had to take him out of harness. shackleton, adams, and marshall dragged his sledge, and i brought the ponies along with the other load. as soon as we camped i gave quan the bullet, and marshall and i cut him up. he was a tough one. i am cook this week with marshall as my tent mate." the more one read into shackleton's story the more wonderful it all seemed, and with our resources failure appeared impossible--yet that telegram which captain scott had received at melbourne: "beg leave to inform you proceeding antarctic. ----amundsen." we all knew that amundsen had no previous antarctic sledging experience, but no one could deny that to norwegians ice-work, and particularly ski-ing, was second nature, and here lay some good food for thought and discussion. where would the "fram" enter the pack? where would amundsen make his base? the answers never once suggested anything like the truth. actually on new year's day amundsen was between and miles north of us, but of roald amundsen more anon. how strange to be once more in open water, able to steer whatever course we chose, with broad daylight all night, and at noon only a couple of days' run from cape crozier. practically no ice in sight, but a sunlit summer sea in place of the pack, with blue sky and cumulo stratus clouds, so different from the gray, hard skies that hung so much over the great ice field we had just forced. the wind came fair as the day wore on and by p.m. we were under plain sail, doing a good six knots. high mountains were visible to the west-ward, part of the admiralty range, two splendid peaks to be seen towering above the remainder, which appeared to be mounts sabine and herschell. coulman island was seen in the distance during the day. what odd thrills the sight of the antarctic continent sent through most of us. land was first sighted late on new year's eve and i think everybody had come on deck at the cry "land oh!" to me those peaks always did and always will represent silent defiance; there were times when they made me shudder, but it is good to have looked upon them and to remember them in those post-war days of general discontent, for they remind me of the four antarctic voyages which i have made and of the unanimous goodwill that obtained in each of the little wooden ships which were our homes for so long. how infinitely distant those towering mountains seemed and how eternal their loneliness. as we neared cape crozier wilson became more and more interested. he was dreadfully keen on the beach there being selected as a base, and his enthusiasm was infectious. certainly scott was willing enough to try to effect a landing even apart from the advantage of having a new base. the cape crozier beach would probably mean a shorter journey to the pole, for we should be spared the crevasses which radiated from white island and necessitated a big detour being made to avoid them. as we proceeded the distant land appeared more plainly and we were able to admire and identify the various peaks of the snow-clad mountain range. the year could not have opened more pleasantly. we had church in a warm sun, with a temperature several degrees above freezing point, and most of us spent our off-time basking in the sunshine, yarning, skylarking, and being happy in general. we tried to get a white-bellied whale on the nd january, but our whale-gun did not seem to have any buck in it and the harpoon dribbled out a fraction of the distance it was expected to travel. the same glorious weather continued on january , and oates took five of the ponies on to the upper deck and got their stables cleared out. the poor animals had had no chance of being taken from their stalls for thirty-eight days, and their boxes were between two and three feet deep with manure. the four ponies stabled on the upper deck looked fairly well but were all stiff in their legs. rennick took soundings every forty or fifty miles in the ross sea, the depth varying from fathoms comparatively close up to cape crozier to fathoms in latitude degrees. cape crozier itself was sighted after breakfast on the rd, and the great ice barrier appeared like a thin line on the southern horizon at . that morning. we were close to the cape by lunch time, and by . we had furled sail in order to manoeuvre more freely. the "terra nova" steamed close up to the face of the barrier, then along to the westward until we arrived in a little bay where the barrier joins cape crozier. quite a tide was washing past the cliff faces of the ice; it all looked very white, like chalk, while the sun was near the northern horizon, but later in the afternoon blue and green shadows were cast over the ice, giving it a softer and much more beautiful appearance. ponting was given a chance to get some cinema films of the barrier while we were cruising around, and then we stopped in the little bay where the ice barrier joins cape crozier, lowered a boat, and captain scott, wilson, myself, and several others went inshore in a whaler. we were, however, unable to land as the swell was rather too heavy for boat work. we saw an emperor penguin chick and a couple of adult emperors, besides many adèlie penguins and skua-gulls. we pulled along close under the great cliffs which frown over the end of the great ice barrier. they contrasted strangely in their blackness with the low crystal ice cliffs of the barrier itself. in one place we were splashed by the spray from quite a large waterfall, and one realised that the summer sun, beating down on those black foothills, must be melting enormous quantities of ice and snow. a curious ozone smell, which must have been the stench of the guano from the penguin rookeries, was noticed, but land smells of any sort were pleasant enough now for it brought home to us the fact that we should shortly embark on yet another stage of the expedition. pennell conned the ship close under the cliffs and followed the boat along the coast. the "terra nova" was quite dwarfed by the great rocky bluffs and we realised the height of the cliffs for the first time. whilst we were prospecting nelson obtained water-bottle samples and temperatures at , , , and fathoms. the deep water apparently continued to the foot of the cliff in most places but there were two or three tiny steep beaches close to the junction of the barrier and ross island. captain scott being satisfied that no landing was possible, we in the boat returned to the ship and proceeded in her to the penguin rookery, a mile or so farther west. when half a mile from the shore, we found the bottom rapidly shoaling, the least depth being / fathoms. several small bergs were ashore hereabouts, but the swell breaking on the beach plainly told us that a landing was out of the question. after carefully searching the shore with glasses while the ship steamed slowly along it all, ideas of a landing were abandoned and we set course for mcmurdo sound. as soon as the ship was headed for her new destination we commenced to make a running survey of the coast to cape bird. this took until ten o'clock at night, and we found a great bight existed in ross island which quite changed its shape on the map. after p.m. we ran into some fairly heavy pack ice, gave up surveying, and had a meal. i went up to the crow's-nest in order to work the ship to the best advantage, and spent eleven hours on end there, but the excitement of getting the "terra nova" round cape bird and into mcmurdo sound made the time fly. occasionally the ship crashed heavily as she charged her way through the ice masses which skirted the shore. whilst i conned the ship leadsmen sounded carefully, and i was able to work her close in to the coast near cape bird and avoid some heavy ice which we could never have forced. at . a.m. i broke through the cape bird ice-field and worked the ship on as far as cape royds, which was passed about . a.m. looking through our binoculars we noticed shackleton's winter hut looking quite new and fresh. leaving cape royds we made our way up mcmurdo's sound as far as inaccessible island, where we found the strait frozen over from east to west. skirting along the edge of the sea ice i found there was no way in, although i endeavoured to break into it at several points to reach what looked like open water spaces a mile or two from the ice edge. accordingly, we stopped and i came down to report on the outlook. captain scott, wilson, and i eventually went aloft to the cross-trees and had a good look round; we finally decided to land and look at a place where there appeared to be a very good beach. in "discovery" days this spot was known as the skuary, being a favourite nesting place for skua-gulls, a sort of little cape. i piloted the ship as close i could to this position, which is situate midway between cape bird and cape armitage on ross island. an ice anchor was laid out and then scott, wilson, and i landed on the sea ice and walked a mile or so over it to the little cape in question. it appeared to be an ideal winter quarters, and was then and there selected as our base. captain scott named it cape evans, after me, for which i was very grateful. wilson already had a cape named after him on the victoria land coast in latitude degrees. we now returned on board and immediately commenced landing motor sledges, ponies, etc. for better working, once the various parties were landed, we adopted the standard time of meridian degrees, in other words, twelve hours fast on greenwich mean time. we now organised ourselves into three parties and i gave up the command of the "terra nova" to pennell till the ship returned from new zealand next year. the charge of the transport over the one and a half miles of sea ice which lay between the ship and shore was given to campbell, whilst i took charge of the base station, erection of huts, and so forth, captain scott himself supervising, planning and improving. we continued getting stuff out on the ice until late at night, and by dinner time, p.m., we had put two motor sledges, all the dogs and ponies ashore, besides most of the ordinary sledges and tents. next day we turned out all hands at . , breakfasted at , started work at , and landed all the petrol, kerosene, and hut timber. most of the haulage was done by motors and men, but a few runs were made with ponies. we erected a big tent on the beach at cape evans and in this the hut-building party and those who were stowing stores and unloading sledges on the beach got their meals and sleep. we worked continuously until p.m. with only the shortest of meal intervals, and then, tired but contented, we "flattened out" in our sleeping-bags, bunks, or hammocks. the following day the same routine was continued and nearly the whole of the provision cases came ashore and were stacked in neat little piles under bowers's direction. this indefatigable little worker now devoted himself entirely to the western party stores. he knew every case and all about it. each one weighed approximately lb. we had purposely arranged that this should be so when ordering stores in london to save weight and space. the cases were made of venesta -ply wood. of course, the instruments and heavier scientific gear could not stow in these handy packages, but the sixty-pound-venesta was adhered to whenever possible. the ponies were not worked till the afternoon of the th, and then only the best of them with light loads. davis, the carpenter, had with him seaman ford, keohane, and abbot. their routine was a little different from ours: they worked at hut building from a.m. till midnight usually, and their results were little short of marvellous. odd people helped them when they could, and of these pouting showed himself to be _facile princeps_ as carpenter. i never saw anything like the speed in which he set up tongued and grooved match boarding. day, nelson, and lashly worked with the motor sledges; the newest motor frequently towed loads of lb. over the ice at a six mile an hour speed. the oldest hauled a ton and managed six double trips a day. day, the motor engineer, had been down here before--both he and priestley came from the shackleton expedition. the former had a decidedly comic vein which made him popular all round. from start to finish day showed himself to be the most undefeated sportsman, and it was not his fault that the motor sledges did badly in the end. perhaps my diary from january , , to the th gives a good idea of the progress we were making with the base station and of the general working day here. it reads as follows: "_saturday, january_ , . "all hands hard at work landing stores. meares and dimitri running dog teams to and fro for light gear. "captain scott, dr. wilson, griffith taylor, debenham, cherry-garrard, and browning leading ponies. campbell, levick, and priestley hauling sledges with colossal energy and enormous loads, the majority of the ship's party unloading stores; bowers, two seamen, atkinson, and i unloading sledges on the beach and carrying their contents up to their assigned positions, simpson and wright laying the foundations for a magnetic hut, and so on. every one happy and keen, working as incessantly as ants. i took on the job of ice inspector, and three or four times a day i go out and inspect the ice, building snow bridges over the tide cracks and thin places. the ice, excepting the floe to which the ship is fast, is several feet thick. the floe by the 'terra nova' is very thin and rather doubtful. we, ashore, had dinner at p.m. and turned in about ." but the following day, although included here, was by no means typical. "_sunday, january_ . "this morning a regrettable accident took place. the third and newest motor sledge was hoisted out and, while being hauled clear on to the firm ice, it broke through and sank in deep water. campbell and day came in with the news, which captain scott took awfully well. "it was nobody's fault, as simpson and campbell both tested the floe first and found it quite thick and apparently good. however, there it is, in about fathoms of water. "we stopped sledging for the day and those on board shifted the ship by warping, but could not get her into a satisfactory billet, so raised steam. "we spent the day working on the hut and putting chairs and benches together. captain scott put the sledge meters together and i helped him. these are similar to the distance meters on motor-cars. they register in nautical miles ( feet) and yards, to yards or less by interpolation. "took a true bearing and found the approximate variation for simpson ( degrees e.)." on the following day those on board the ship shifted her to a new position alongside the fast ice, just under a mile from our beach. the transportation of stores continued and we got ashore a great number of bales of compressed fodder, also some crown preserve patent fuel. as there was nothing much to do on the beach my party lent a hand with the landing of fodder, and i led the ponies miki, jehu, and blossom; the latter, having suffered greatly on the outward voyage, was in poor condition. still, most of the ponies were doing well, and at night were picketed on a snowdrift behind the hut. they occasionally got adrift, but i usually heard them and got up to make them fast, my small sleeping-tent being right alongside their tethering space. nelson continued working with me unless the requirements of his biological work called him away. in less than a week we had the whole of our stores and equipment landed, and from the beginning many of us took up our quarters at cape evans itself. we pitched several small tents on the beach; and it was an agreeable change to roll up and sleep in a fur bag after the damp, cold berths we had occupied in the ship. teddy nelson became my particular friend in the shore party and shared a sledging tent with me. the rest of the shore staff paired off and slept in the small tents, while captain scott had one to himself. we called it the "holy of holies," and from the privacy of this tiny dwelling scott issued his directions, supervised, planned, and improved whenever improvement could be made in anything. he had a marvellous brain and a marvellous way of getting the best possible work out of his subordinates, still he never spared himself. one did with extraordinary little sleep, and in the sunny days it became necessary to leave tent doors wide open, otherwise the close-woven wind-proof tent cloth kept all the fresh air out and one woke with a terrific head. to rightly get hold of our wintering place one must imagine a low spit of land jutting out into a fiord running, roughly north and south and bounded on both sides by a steep-to coast line indented with glaciers of vast size. here and there gigantic snow-slopes were to be seen which more gradually lowered into the sea, and all around ice-covered mountains with black and brown foothills. a few islands rose to heights of or feet in mcmurdo sound, and these had no snow on them worth speaking of even in the winter. the visible land was of black or chocolate-brown, being composed of volcanic tuff, basalts, and granite. there were occasional patches of ruddy brown and yellow which relieved the general black and white appearance of this uninhabitable land, and close to the shore on the north side of cape evans were small patches of even gritty sand. in the neighbourhood of our cape hard, brittle rocks cropped up everywhere, rocks that played havoc with one's boots. sloping up fairly steeply from cape evans itself we had more and more rock masses until a kind of rampart was reached, on which one could see a number of extraordinary conical piles of rock, which looked much as if they had been constructed by human hands for landmarks or surveying beacons--these were called debris cones. this part above and behind cape evans was christened the ramp, and from it one merely had to step from boulders and stones on to the smooth blue ice-slope that extended almost without interruption to the summit of erebus itself. from the ramp one could gaze in wonder at that magnificent volcano, white lady of the antarctic, beautiful in her glistening gown of sparkling crystal with a stole of filmy smoke-cloud wrapped about her wonderful shoulders. we used to gaze and gaze at that constantly changing smoke or steam which the white lady breathes out at all seasons, and has done for thousands of years. those were such happy days during the first cape evans summer. for the most part we had hot weather and could wash in the thaw pools which formed from the melting snow, and even draw our drinking water from the cascades which bubbled over the sun-baked rock, much as they do in summer-time in norway. the progress made by davis and his crew of voluntary carpenters was amazing. one week after our arrival at the cape, nelson, meares, and i commenced to cut a cave out of the ice cap above our camp for stowing our fresh mutton in. when knock-off work-time came bowers, nelson, and i made our way over to the ship with a hundred gallons of ice from this cave to be used for drinking water, it all helped to save coal and nobody made a journey to or fro empty handed if it could be helped. once on board we took the opportunity to bath and shave. in this country it is certainly a case of "where i dines i sleeps," so after supper on board we coiled down in somebody's beds and slept till . next morning when we returned to camp and carried on all day, making great progress with the grotto, which was eventually lit by electric light. we had plenty of variety in the matter of work; one part of the grotto was intended for simpson's magnetic work, and this was the illuminated section. whenever people visited the ice caves we got them to do a bit of picking and hewing; even roping in captain scott, who did a healthy half-hour's work when he came along our way. scott and wilson got their hands in at dog-driving now, as i did occasionally myself. nobody could touch meares or dimitri at dog-team work, although later on cherry-garrard and atkinson became the experts. the hut was finished externally on january and fine stables built up on its northern side. this complete, bowers arranged an annexe on the south side from which to do the rationing and provision issues. how we blessed all this fine weather; it was hardly necessary to wear snow glasses, in spite of so much sunshine, for the glare was relieved by the dark rock and sand around us. when all the stores had been discharged from the ship she lightened up considerably, and campbell then set to work to ballast her for pennell. meares amused the naval members of our party by asking, with a childlike innocence, "had they got all the cargo out of the steamer?" there was nothing wrong in what he said, but the "terra nova," royal yacht squadron--and "cargo" and "steamer"--how our naval pride was hurt! incidentally we called the sandy strand (before the winter snow came, and covered it, and blotted it all out) hurrah beach; the bay to the northward of the winter quarters we christened happy bay. although our work physically was of the hardest we lived in luxury for a while. nelson provided cocoa for captain scott and myself at midnight just before we slept. he used to make it after supper and keep it for us in a great thermos flask. we only washed once a week and we were soon black with sun and dirt but in splendid training. in the first three weeks my shore gang, which included the lusty canadian physicist, wright, carried many hundreds of cases, walked miles daily, dug ice, picked, shovelled, handed ponies, cooked and danced. outwardly we were not all prototypes of "the sentimental bloke," but occasionally in the stillness of the summer nights, we some of us unbent a bit, when the sun stood low in the south and all was quiet and still, and we did occasionally build castles in the air and draw home-pictures to one another, pictures of english summers, of river picnics and country life that framed those distant homes in gold and made them look to us like little bits of heaven--however, what was more important, the stores were all out of the "terra nova," even to stationery, instruments, and chronometers, and we could have removed into the hut at a pinch a week before we did, or gone sledging, for that matter, had we not purposely delayed to give the ponies a chance to regain condition. it was certainly better to let the carpenter and his company straighten up first, and in our slack hours we, who were to live in the palatial hut, got the house in order, put up knick-knacks, and settled into our appointed corners with our personal gear and professional impedimenta only at the last moment, a day or two before the big depot-laying sledge journey was appointed to start. simpson and ponting had the best allotments in the hut, because the former had to accommodate anemometers, barometers, thermometers, motors, bells, and a diversity of scientific instruments, but yet leave room to sleep amongst them without being electrocuted, while the latter had to arrange a small-sized dark room, ft. by ft. floor dimension, for all his developing of films and plates, for stowing photographic gear and cinematograph, and for everything in connection with his important and beautiful work as camera artist to the expedition. ponting likewise slept where he worked, so a bed was also included in the dark room. before moving the chronometers ashore pennell, rennick, and i myself took astronomical observations to determine independently the position of the observation spot on the beach at cape evans. the preliminary position gave us latitude degrees minutes seconds s. longitude degrees minutes seconds e., a more accurate determination was arrived at by running meridian distances from new zealand and taking occultations during the ensuing winter, for longitude: latitudes were obtained by the mean results of stars north and south and meridian altitudes of the sun above and below pole. before getting busy with the preliminaries for the big depot journey, i took stock of the fresh meat in the grotto. the list of frozen flesh which i handed over to clissold, the cook, looked luxurious enough, for it included nothing less than lb. of beef, sheep carcasses, pheasants, ox-tails, and tongues, lb. of sweetbread, box of kidneys, lb. of suet, penguins, and skua-gulls! the cooks' corner in the hut was very roomy, and, if my memory serves me aright, our cooking range was of similar pattern to one supplied to the royal yacht, "alexandra." on january a snow road was made over to the ice foot on the south side of cape evans in order to save the ponies' legs and hoofs. the siberian ponies were not shod, and this rough, volcanic rock would have shaken them considerably. a great deal of the bay ice had broken away and drifted out of the sound, so that by the th the ship was only a few hundred yards from hurrah beach. this day rennick, smiling from ear to ear, came across the ice with the pianola in bits conveyed on a couple of sledges. he fixed it up with great cleverness at one end of the hut and it was quite wonderful to see how he stripped it on board, brought it through all sorts of spaces, transported it undamaged over ice and rocky beach, re-erected it, tuned it, and then played "home, sweet home." what with the pianola going all out, the gramophone giving us melba records, and the ship's company's gramophone squawking out harry lauder's opposition numbers, ponting cinematographing everything of interest and worthy of pictorial record, little anton rushing round with nosebags for the ponies, meares and dimitri careering with the dog teams over ice, beach, packing cases, and what not, sailors with coloured tam-o'-shanters bobbing around in piratical style, the hot sun beating down and brightening up everything, one might easily have imagined this to be the circus scene, in the great antarctic joy-ride film. everything ran on wheels in these days, and it was difficult to imagine that in three months there would be no sun, that this sweltering beach would be encrusted with ice, and that the cold, dark winter would be upon us. the st was quite an exciting day. captain scott woke me at a.m. to tell me that the ship was in difficulties. i got up at once, called the four seamen, and with uncle bill we all went out on to the floe. the ice to which the ship was fast had broken away, and so we helped her re-moor with her ice-anchors. petty officer evans went adrift on the floe, but we got him back in the pram. we turned in again at . and set a watch, but at . the "terra nova" hoisted an ensign at the main, a pre-arranged signal, and so all hands again went out and got her ice anchors; she slipped the ends of the wire hawsers holding them and stood out into the sound. the ice was breaking up fast, a swell rolling in causing the big floes to grind and crunch in rather alarming fashion. fortunately, pennell had raised steam, which was just as well for before he got clear the ship was only half a cable from cape evans, which lay dead to leeward--she was well out of it. we took the wire hawsers, pram and ice anchors to our winter quarters and kept them in readiness for the ship's return, then had a delightful breakfast, with appetites sharpened from the early morning exercise and chill wind. afterwards we continued the preparations for the depot trip and got eight out of eleven sledges fitted up with the bulk of their gear and a portion of stores. at about p.m. the "terra nova" came in, and just as she was turning to come alongside the fast ice she struck a rock with only twelve feet of water on it. this pinnacle, as it proved to be, lay within twenty feet of a sounding of eleven fathoms. pennell immediately sounded all round, shifted several tons weight aft, and with the engines going full speed astern, he made his crew run from side to side and roll ship. scott sent me out in the whaler with a party to assist the ship; we sounded all round and quickly made a plan of the relative disposition of the soundings round the "terra nova." however, as we finished, the ship moved astern and successfully floated, the crew gave three cheers, and we cheered lustily from the whaler. pennell, as usual, was quite equal to the occasion when the ship struck; he was absolutely master of the situation, cool, decided, and successful. i was thankful to see the ship floating again, for, unlike the "discovery" expedition, we had no plans for a relief ship. when i told captain scott that the "terra nova" had run ashore he took it splendidly. we ran down to the beach, and when we beheld the ship on a lee shore heeling over to the wind, a certain amount of sea and swell coming in from the northward, and with the ultimate fate of the expedition looking black and doubtful, scott was quite cheerful, and he immediately set about to cope with the situation as coolly as though he were talking out his plans for a sledge journey. after the "terra nova" got off this intruding rock she was steamed round to the edge of the fast ice, near the glacier tongue which juts out between cape evans and cape barne. we placed her ice-anchors, and after that wilson and i went on board and had a yarn with pennell, whom we brought back to tea. scott was awfully nice to him about the grounding and told him of his own experience in , when the "discovery" was bumping heavily in a gale just after freeing herself from the ice at hut point. nelson, griffith taylor, meares, and day helped me with the sledge packing until . p.m. when we rolled into our bunks tired out and immediately fell asleep. the next day, a sunday, was entirely devoted to preparing personal gear for the depot journey: this means fitting lamp wick straps to our fur boots or finnesko, picking from our kits a proportion of puttees and socks, sewing more lamp wick on to our fur gloves so that these could hang from our shoulders when it was necessary to uncover our hands. we also had to fit draw-strings to our wind-proof blouses and adjust our headgear according to our individual fancy, and finally, tobacco and smokers' requisites would be added to the little bundle, which all packed up neatly in a pillow-slip. this personal bag served also as a pillow. chapter vi settling down to the polar life the following members were selected for the depot journey which captain scott elected to lead in person: wilson, bowers, atkinson, oates, cherry-garrard, gran, meares, ford, crean, keohane, and myself. it was decided to take eight pony-sledges and two dog-sledges, together with about a ton of pony food, sledging rations, dog biscuit, and paraffin to a position on the great ice barrier as far south as we could get before the first winter set in. this decision was arrived at by scott after consultation with oates and others, and, as will be seen by reference to the list of those chosen for the journey, none of the scientific staff were included except wilson himself. the ponies selected were either those in the best condition or the weaker beasts which from oates's viewpoint would hardly survive the rigours of the winter. apart from the animals picked for this journey, we had nine beasts left to be taken care of by the little russian, anton, and the trusty lashly, whose mechanical knowledge and practical ability were needed to help get the base station going. on january i was sent on board with all the sledges, including two for a western geological reconnaissance and a small spare sledge for use in case of breakdown or accident to the depot-laying people. by this time no ice remained in the bay north of cape evans and the transport out to the "terra nova" had perforce to be done by boat. i was glad to have this chance of working out the errors and rates of our chronometer watches, and, although i was up at a.m., i could not resist having a long yarn, which continued far into the night, with those never-to-be-forgotten friends of mine, campbell, pennell, rennick, and bruce, the worthy and delightful lieutenants of the expedition. like little bowers, pennell and rennick have made the supreme sacrifice, and only campbell, bruce and myself remain alive to-day. january was a busy day. captain scott was fetched from the shore directly after breakfast, and at a.m. the ship left for glacier tongue to shadow as it were, the string of white siberian ponies which were being led round over the fast ice in the bay to the southward of cape evans. on arriving at the tongue, pennell selected a nice, natural wharf to put his ship alongside, and, this done, i got a picketing line out on the ice for the horses and then got the sledges on to the glacier. it is as well here to describe glacier tongue briefly, since frequent reference will be made to that icy promontory in this narrative. glacier tongue lies roughly six miles to the s.s.e. of cape evans and is a remarkable spit of ice jutting out, when last surveyed, for four miles into mcmurdo sound. soundings showed that it was afloat for a considerable part of its length, and as scott found subsequently, a great portion of it broke adrift in the autumn or winter of and was carried by the winds and currents of the sound to a position forty miles w.n.w. of cape evans, where it grounded, a huge flat iceberg two miles in length. glacier tongue was an old friend of mine, for it was here in the - relief expedition that the crew of the little "morning" dumped twenty tons of coal for the "discovery" to pick up on her way northward, when the time came for her to free herself from the besetting ice which held her prisoner off hut point. the ponies were marched to their tethering place without further accident than one falling through into the sea, but he was rescued none the worse. oates showed himself to advantage in managing the ponies: he was very fond of telling us that a horse and a man would go anywhere, and i believe if we sailor-men had had the bad taste to challenge him he would have hoisted one of those chinese ma[ ] up to the crow's-nest! [ : chinese for horse.] we all had tea on board and then, after checking the sledge loads and ascertaining that nothing had been forgotten, the depot party started out with full loads and marched away from glacier tongue for seven miles, when our first camp was made on the sea ice. to commence with i went with meares and no. dog-sledge; the dogs were so eager and excited that they started by bolting at a breakneck speed and, in spite of all that we could do, took us over the glacier edge on to the sea ice. the sledge capsized and both meares and i were thrown down somewhat forcibly. we caught the sledge, however, and got the dogs in hand after their initial energy had been expended. scott and wilson managed their dog sledge better as meares gave them a quieter team. it was about nine o'clock when we camped, meares, wilson, scott and i sharing a tent. uncle bill was cook, and i must say the first sledging supper was delightful. we went back to glacier tongue the next day to relay the fodder and dog biscuit which was to be depoted. we had brought the provisions for depot along the eve before. i went in with meares and nelson, who had come out on ski to "speed the parting guest." we had a rare treat all riding in on the dog sledge at a great pace. had lunch on board and then captain scott gave us an hour or two to ourselves, for it was the day of farewell letters, everybody sitting round the ward-room table sucking pens or pencils, looking very wooden-faced and nonchalant despite the fact that we were most certainly writing to our nearest and dearest, sending through our letters an unwritten prayer that we should be spared after steadfastly performing our alloted tasks with credit to our flag and with credit to those at whose feet we yearned to lay the laurels we hoped to win. even as i wrote my farewell letters captain scott, wilson, bowers, and nelson found time to write to my wife; scott's letter may well be included here for it shows his thoughtfulness and consideration: "_january_, , , glacier tongue, mcmurdo sound. "dear mrs. evans,--i thought you might be glad to have a note to tell you how fit and well your good man is looking, his cheery optimism has already helped me in many difficulties and at the present moment he is bubbling over with joy at the 'delights' of his first sledge trip. "he will have told you all the news and the ups and downs of our history to date, and you will have guessed that he has always met the misfortunes with a smile and the successes with a cheer, so that very little remains for me to say--except that i daily grow more grateful to you for sparing him for this venture. i feel that he is going to be a great help in every way and that it will go hard if, with so many good fellows, we should fail in our objects. "before concluding i should really like to impress on you how little cause you have for anxiety. we have had the greatest luck in finding and establishing our winter quarters, and if i could go shopping to-morrow i should not know what to buy to add to our comfort. we are reaping a full reward for all those months of labour in london, in which your husband took so large a share--if you picture us after communication is cut off it must be a very bright picture, almost a scene of constant revelry, with your husband in the foreground amongst those who are merry and content--i am sure we are going to be a very happy family and most certainly we shall be healthy and well cared for. "with all kind regards and hopes that you will not allow yourself to be worried till your good man comes safely home again. "yours sincerely, "r. scott." i said my good-byes after an early tea to the fellows of the "terra nova" and also to the eastern party, the lieutenants saw me over the side, and i went away with a big lump in my throat, then nelson and i took out a -ft. sledge with lb. of fodder on it--rather too heavy a load, but it all helped, and the sea ice surface was none too bad. we did not get to camp till . p.m.: meares, with his usual good-heartedness, came out from the tent and helped us in for the last miles or so. he had driven the dogs out with another load after tea time. uncle bill had a fine pemmican supper awaiting us. my job kept me in camp next day to adjust theodolites, but the rest of the party went out to bring the final relay of depot stores from the "terra nova." during the following days we relayed the depot stuff along to a position near the edge of the barrier, and whilst so engaged most of us found time to visit hut point. while captain scott was selecting the position for dumping a quantity of compressed fodder bales the remainder of the party dug the snow out of the old hut left by the discovery in . it looked a very deserted place, and the difference between the two winter quarters, hut point and cape evans, was amazing. one could quite understand the first expedition here selecting hut point for its natural harbour, but for comfort and freedom from unwelcome squalls and unpleasant gusts of wind commend me to cape evans. never in my life had i seen anything quite so dreary and desolate as this locality. practically surrounded by high hills, little sunshine could get to the hut, which was built in a hollow. of course, we saw the place at its worst, for the best summer months had passed. the hut itself had been erected as a magnetic observatory and it contrasted shabbily with our -ft by -ft. palace. we did not finish clearing the snow away, although with so many willing workers we made considerable progress. in parts the midsummer sun had melted the snow, which in turn had re-frozen into blue ice, and this we found troublesome because the slender woodwork of the hut would not stand any heavy pick work. we christened the place on the barrier edge fodder camp, and it was the general opinion that we could risk leaving the bales of hay here until the depot stuff had been taken south. accordingly, all the more important stores were relayed on january to a position two miles in from the barrier edge. whilst doing this relay work i went in with meares to hut point to bring out some lb. of dog biscuit, and our dogs, being very fresh, scented a seal, took charge of the light sledge, and, in spite of all the brakeing and obstructing meares and i put up, the dogs went wildly forward until they reached the seal. the second they came to it meares and i found ourselves in the midst of a snapping, snarling, and biting mixture, with the poor seal floundering underneath. while we were beating the dogs off the seal bit meares in the leg; he looked awfully surprised and showed great forbearance in not giving the seal one for himself with the iron-shod brake stick. i never saw anybody less vicious in nature than "mother" meares: he never knocked the dogs about unless it was absolutely necessary. even osman, the wild wolf-like king-dog, showed affection for him. whilst moving the sledging stores to safety camp, as we called the depot, two miles in, we came across two tents left by shackleton two or three years before. they contained a few stores and a primus stove, which proved to be most useful later on. on january and we completed the depot at safety camp and then reorganised the depot party, owing to atkinson's developing a very sore heel, which made it impossible for him to accompany us. it did not matter very much, because we had heaps of people to work the depot-laying journey, only it meant a disappointment for atkinson, which he took to heart very much. the question of sledging experience made us wish to have atkinson on this trip, but he gained it a few weeks later. accordingly, i took over crean's pony, blossom, whilst he took charge of our sick man and returned with him to hut point. scott himself took atkinson's pony, and on the nd february the caravan proceeded in an e.s.e. direction to make for a point in approximately degrees s. degrees e. most of the ponies had lb. leads on their sledges, meare's dog team , and wilson's . we found the surface very bad, most of the ponies sinking deep in the snow. after doing roughly five miles we halted and had a meal. oates was called into our tent and consulted with a view to bettering the conditions for the ponies. as a result it was decided to march by night and rest during the day when the sun would be higher and the air warmer. there was quite a drop in the temperature between noon and midnight, and it was natural to suppose that we should get better and harder surfaces with the sun at its lower altitude. we still, of course, had the sun above the horizon for the full twenty-four hours, and should have for three weeks yet; the choice was altogether a wise one and we therefore turned in during the afternoon and remained in our sleeping-bags until p.m. when we arose and cooked our breakfast. camp was broken at midnight and the march resumed. for three hours we plodded along, a little leg weary perhaps, on account of the unusual time for marching and working physically. we had lunch about a.m. and rested the ponies for a couple of hours. the surface was still very bad, the ponies labouring heavily, and my own animal, blossom, suffered through his hoofs being very small, so that he sank into the snow far more than did the other horses. it was on his account that we only covered nine miles. i did some surveying work after our . a.m. supper and turned in at o'clock until p.m. captain scott took over cook in our tent and made the breakfast. for the next few days we continued marching over the great ice barrier, the distances covered depending on the condition of blossom and another pony, blücher. both of these animals caused anxiety from the start, and, owing to their weakness the depot-laying distances scarcely exceeded ten miles daily. there is nothing to be gained from a long description of this autumn journey, it was merely a record of patiently trudging and of carefully watching over the ponies. generally speaking, the weather was not in our favour, the sky being frequently overcast, and we experienced an unpleasant amount of low drift. february and were blizzard days during which no move could be made, and it was not until nearly p.m. on the th that the hard wind took off and the snow ceased to drift about us. the blizzards were not serious but were quite sufficient to try the ponies severely--blossom, blücher, and a third animal, james pigg, could in no way keep up with the van, although their loads were lightened considerably. the bluejackets, forde and keohane, showed extraordinary aptitude in handling the ponies, but in spite of their efforts their animals were quite done up by february , as also was poor old blossom. it would have been cruel to continue with them, they were so wasted, and even their eyes were dull and lustreless. accordingly, scott decided to send blücher, james pigg, and blossom back with forde, keohane, and myself. a reorganisation was made near the th parallel, and whilst the main party proceeded southward, forde, keohane, and i took our feeble ponies northward with the intention of getting them home to hut point before the temperature fell, until the cold would be too great for them to stand. it was annoying for me to be sent back, still there was plenty of survey work to be done between the turning-point and safety camp. blücher failed from the start and lay down in the snow directly the depot party left us. forde lifted him up, but his legs were limp and would not support him. we rubbed the poor pony's legs and did what we could for him, poor old forde being practically in tears over the little beast. to give one an idea of this wretched animal's condition, when it was decided to kill him for humanity's sake and his throat was cut by keohane with a sailor's knife, there was hardly any blood to let out. it was a rotten day for all three of us, blowing too hard to travel until very late, and a second pony, blossom, was doing his best to die. we made some little way homeward, keohane, james pigg and myself pulling the sledge with our gear on it, and forde lifting, carrying, and pushing blossom along. i felt i ought to kill this animal but i knew how angry and disappointed scott would be at the loss, so kept him going although he showed so much distress. it was surprising what spirit the little brute had: if we started to march away blossom staggered along after us, looking like a spectre against the white background of snow. we kept on giving him up and making to kill him, but he actually struggled on for over thirty miles before falling down and dying in his tracks. we built a snow-cairn over him and planted what pony food we had no further use for on the top of the cairn. the third pony, james pigg, was kept fit and snug under a big snow-wall whenever we were not marching, and he won home to safety camp with very little trouble, frequently covering distances equal to our own marching capability. once safety camp had been regained we got good weather again and james pigg became quite frisky, ate all that we could give him, and, to our delight, his eyes regained their brightness and he began to put on flesh. we spent a couple of days at safety camp before captain scott returned with the dog teams. in order to cut off corners he shaved things rather fine, and getting rather too close to white island, the dog teams ran along the snow-bridge of a crevasse, the bridge subsided, and all the dogs of scott's and meares's sledge, with the exception of osman, the leader, and the two rear animals, disappeared into a yawning chasm. scott and meares secured their sledge clear of the snow bridge and with the assistance of their companions, wilson and cherry-garrard, who had the other team, they were lowered by means of an alpine rope into the crevasse until they could get at the dogs. they, found the poor animals swinging round, snapping at one another and howling dismally, but in an awful tangle. the dogs were rescued a pair at a time and, fortunately for all concerned, they lay down and rested when hauled up to the surface by uncle bill and "cherry." when all the animals were up and scott and meares themselves had regained safety, a dog fight took place between the two teams. apart from this excitement things had gone very well. scott was most enthusiastic about the capabilities of meares's dogs, and he then expressed an opinion that he would probably run the dogs light on the polar journey and do the final plateau march to the pole itself with them. what a pity he didn't! had he done so he might have been alive to-day. we learnt from the dog-drivers that the depot had been established in degrees minutes s. degrees e., practically one hundred and fifty miles distant from the base, and here a ton or so of sledging stores awaited us preparatory for the great sledge journey to the pole. bowers, oates, and gran had been left to build up the depot and lead back the other five ponies with their empty sledges. we waited for them at safety camp before transporting some of the stuff we had left here out to corner camp, the position thirty-five miles e.s.e. of safety camp, where the crevasses ended. some of us went into hut point to see if the ship had been there with any message. little did we dream whilst we sauntered in over the ice of the news that awaited us. we found that the "terra nova" had been there the day before atkinson and crean had got there; she had also made a second visit on the th or th february, bringing the unwelcome news that amundsen's expedition had been met with in the bay of whales. the "terra nova" had entered the bay and found the "fram" there with the norwegians working like ants unloading their stores and hut-building in rather a dangerous position quite close to the barrier edge. amundsen's people had about dogs and a hard lot of men, mostly expert ski-runners. they were contemplating an early summer journey to the pole and not proposing to attempt serious scientific work of any sort. further, to our chagrin, the eastern party had not effected a landing, for campbell realised that it would be profitless to set up his base alongside that of the norwegians. the ice conditions about king edward vii. land had been found insuperable, great masses of land ice barring the way to their objective, and so poor campbell and his mates left news that they were reluctantly seeking a landing elsewhere. we spent a very unhappy night, in spite of all attempts to be cheerful. clearly, there was nothing for us but to abandon science and go for the pole directly the season for sledging was advanced enough to make travelling possible after the winter. it now became a question of dogs versus ponies, for the main bulk of our stuff must of necessity be pony-drawn unless we could rely on the motor sledges--nobody believed we could. however, all the arguing in the world wouldn't push amundsen and his dogs off the antarctic continent and we had to put the best face on our disappointment. captain scott took it very bravely, better than any of us, i think, for he had done already such wonderful work down here. it was he who initiated and founded antarctic sledge travelling, it was he who had blazed the trail, as it were, and we were very very sorry for him, for such news, such a menace, could hardly be expected to give him a happy winter. scott did the best thing under the circumstances: he set us all to work on the rd february to get out three weeks' men provisions for eight men from the stores at safety camp, and these collected and packed, he, cherry-garrard, and crean took a -ft. sledge, and forde, atkinson, and myself a -ft. one, while keohane and james pigg pulled another big sledge containing oats and paraffin, and we all set out in a bunch for corner camp, thirty odd miles away. all this depot work meant an easy start next season, since the transport of great loads over sea ice and the deep, soft snow, which is usually encountered when first getting on to the barrier hereabouts, would strain the ponies' legs and break the hearts of the dogs. scott thought all this out and certainly overcame preliminary difficulties by getting so much pony food, provision, and paraffin out to one ton camp and corner camp. he felt the benefit next springtime. this second little run out is not worth describing; we sighted bowers's party coming back with the five ponies whilst we were camped one night, and we noted that they were travelling very quickly, which proved all was well with these animals. on arrival at corner camp scott left us in order to get back and see the five ponies safely conducted to hut point. he instructed me to make easy marches with our friend james pigg as there was no further work for him this season. cherry-garrard and crean accompanied scott, and the three pushed on at their utmost for blizzard weather had come again and the snow fall was considerable. we must now follow captain scott's and bowers's party, who, in conjunction, engaged on the problem of getting five ponies and two dog teams to hut point. there did not seem to be anything in doing this, but if ever a man's footsteps were dogged by misfortune, they surely were our leader's. scott sent cherry-garrard and crean with bowers and four ponies across the sea ice from the barrier edge to reach hut point on march . he himself had remained with oates and gran to tend the pony weary willie, a gutless creature compared to the others, which was showing signs of failing. weary willie died for no apparent reason, unless his loss of condition was due to the blizzards we encountered on the depot journey. bowers and co. made a good start, but the ponies they had were undoubtedly tired and listless after their hard journey, they were also in bad condition and frequently had to be rested. when they had advanced some way towards hut point over good strong sea ice, cracks became apparent and a slight swell showed bowers that the sea ice was actually on the move. directly this was appreciated his party turned and hastened back, but the ice was drifting out to sea. the ponies behaved splendidly, jumping the ever widening cracks with extraordinary sagacity, whilst bowers and his two companions launched the sledges over the water spaces in order not to risk the ponies' legs. eventually they reached what looked like a safe place and, since men and ponies were thoroughly exhausted, camp was pitched and the weary party soon fell asleep, but at . the next morning bowers awoke hearing a strange noise. he opened the tent and found the party in a dreadful plight--the ice had again commenced to break up and they were surrounded by water. one of the ponies had disappeared into the sea. camp was again struck and for five hours this plucky little party fought their way over three-quarters of a mile of drifting ice. they never for an instant thought of abandoning their charge, realising that scott's polar plans would in all probability be ruined if four more ponies were lost with their sledges and equipment. crean, with great gallantry, went for support, clambering with difficulty over the ice. he jumped from floe to floe and at last climbed up the face of the barrier from a piece of ice which swung round in the tideway and just touched the ice cliff at the right moment. cherry-garrard stayed with bowers at his request, for this undaunted little seaman would never give up his charge while a gleam of hope remained. for a whole day these two were afloat on a floe about ft. square, all the ice around was broken up into similar floes, which were rising and falling at least a foot to the heavy swell. a moderate breeze was blowing from the eastward, and nothing was visible above the haze and frost smoke except the tops of two islands named white and black islands, and the hills around hut point. whilst crean was clambering over bits of ice and jumping by means of connecting pieces from one big floe to another, his progress was watched by bowers through the telescope of a theodolite. one can gather how delighted bowers must have been to see crean eventually high up on the barrier in the distance, for it meant that he would communicate with captain scott, whose intelligent, quick grasp, in emergency would surely result in gran being despatched on ski over to cape evans, for he alone could do this. once there, a boat could have been launched and the floe party rescued. bowers's satisfaction was short-lived, however, since killer whales were noticed cruising amongst the loose ice, and these soon became numerous, some of them actually inspecting the floe by poking their noses up and taking an almost perpendicular position in the water, when their heads would be raised right above the floe edge. the situation looked dangerous, for the whales were evidently after the ponies. the wind fell light as the day progressed and the swell decreased and vanished altogether. this fortunately resulted in the floes closing near to the barrier, and the open water spaces decreased then to such a degree that the party were able to bridge the cracks by using their sledges until they worked the whole of their equipment up to the barrier face, where bowers and cherry-garrard were rescued by scott, oates, gran, and crean. after a further piece of manoeuvring a pony and all the sledges were recovered, the three other ponies were drowned. only those who have served in the antarctic can realise fully what bowers's party and also scott's own rescue party went through. the incident which terminated in the loss of three more of our ponies cast a temporary gloom over the depot party when we reassembled in the safety of the old ramshackle magnetic lean-to at hut point. i use the word lean-to because one could hardly describe it as a hut, for the building was with out insulation, snow filled the space between ceiling and roof, and whenever a fire was kindled or heat generated, water dripped down in steady pit-a-pat until there was no dry floor space worth the name. it might be interesting to touch on the experiences of our friend james pigg, for this pony can only be described as a quaint but friendly little rogue. he and keohane seemed to have their own jokes apart from us. we were left to ourselves on the th february, while scott, as stated, pushed forward to safety camp, "we," meaning atkinson, forde, keohane, and myself. we were kept in camp on the th by a strong blizzard, and the next day when the weather abated, during our forenoon march james pigg fell into a crevasse, quite a small one, and his girth, through so much high feeding, jammed him by his stomach and prevented him falling far down. the whole situation was ridiculous. we parbuckled him out by means of the alpine rope, which was quickly detached from the sledge, james pigg taking a lively interest in the proceedings, and finally rolling over on his back and kicking himself to his feet as we four dragged him up to the surface. this done, keohane looking very irish and smiling, bent over and peered down into the bluey depths of the crevasse and, to our intense amusement, james pigg strolled over alongside of him and hung his head down too. he then turned to keohane, who patted his nose and said, "that was a near shave for you, james pigg!" we got to safety camp on the evening of march and found two notes from captain scott directing us to make for hut point via castle rock, and notifying us that the sea ice was all on the move. we had an interesting climb next day, but a very difficult one, for we were on the go from a.m. until after that night. first we found our way over the barrier ice to the foot of the slope leading up to the ice ridge northward of castle rock. here we tethered james pigg and spent some hours getting our gear and sledges up the slope. we had no crampons for this work as they were all on scott's own sledge, so that it was necessary at times to pull up the slopes on hands and knees, assisted by our ski sticks, an unusual procedure but the only one possible to employ on the steeper blue ice. we took the sledges up one by one and then went down with an alpine rope to help james pigg. we found the pony very bored at our long absence; he neighed and whinnied when we came down to him, and, to our great surprise, went up the long, steep slope with far greater ease than we did ourselves. it was out of the question for us to proceed the four and a half miles along the ridges which led down to hut point, for darkness had set in and we had no wish to repeat the performance of an earlier expedition when a man lost his life hereabouts through slipping right over one of these steep slopes into the sea on the western side of the promontory ridge which terminates at hut point. it was snowing when we turned in and still snowing on march when we turned out of our sleeping-bags. james pigg, quite snug, clothed in his own, blossom's, and blücher's rugs, had a little horseshoe shelter built up round him. we did not know at this time of the pony disaster, but, thinking captain scott might be anxious if he got no word as to our whereabouts or movements, atkinson and i started to march along the ice ridges of castle rock and make our way to hut point. it was blowing hard and very cold, but the joy of walking on firm ice without a sledge to drag was great. when finally we came to the old "discovery" hut at lunch time, we found wilson, meares, and gran in very low spirits. they told us that bowers and cherry-garrard were adrift on an ice floe and the remainder of the party had gone to the rescue along the barrier edge. we were much downcast by this news, and after a meal of biscuit and tea, started back for our camp. the weather was now clearer, and we could see some way out over the barrier; we could also see the sea looking very blue against the white expanse of ice. on the way back we discussed a plan and arranged that we should leave keohane with the pony, take a sledge, and make our way along the ice edge of the barrier searching for scott and joining up with him, but just before descending to the hollow where our tent was we spied a sledge party on the barrier and, on reaching our camp, were delighted to see through my telescope six men. thank god! this meant that all were safe. we went out to meet the party, reaching them about p.m. where they had camped, a couple of miles from cape armitage, between two pressure ridges that formed great frozen waves. bowers told me that when scott's party attempted to save the horses at the barrier edge, rotten ice and open water leads were the cause of their downfall, and when the horses slipped into the sea, that he had been compelled to kill his own pony with a pickaxe to save him being taken alive by one of the orcas or killer whales. the only horse saved was captain scott's, one of the best we had in that expedition. i think the irish sailors must have spoilt james pigg, for, when eventually we got scott's sledge loads up to the hill-crest where our camp was, james pigg, instead of welcoming the other pony, broke adrift, and jumping into the new-comer's shelter, leapt on him, kicked him and bit him in the back. on march we all started for hut point, having previously sent in atkinson with the good news that no men's lives were lost. wilson and party met us near castle rock and led the ponies in while we dropped the laden sledges, full of pony harness, tents, and sledging gear, with a sufficiency of pony fodder for a fortnight, down the ski-slope to hut point. it was a fine bit of toboganning and captain scott showed himself to be far more expert than any of us in controlling a sledge on a slippery slope. we soon got into the way of climbing around on seemingly impossible slopes and could negotiate the steepest of hills and the slipperiest of steep inclines. it was largely a question of good crampons, which we fortunately possessed. the month of march and the first half of april, , proved to be the most profitless and unsatisfactory part of the expedition. this was due to a long compulsory wait at hut point, for we could not cross the fifteen miles that lay between our position there and the cape evans station until sea ice had formed, which could be counted on not to break away and take us into the ross sea in its northward drift. time after time the sea froze over to a depth of a foot or even more and time and again we made ready to start for cape evans to find that on the day of departure the ice had all broken and drifted out of sight. as it was, we were safely, if not comfortably, housed at hut point, with the two dog teams and the two remaining ponies, existing in rather primitive fashion with seal meat for our principal diet. by the end of the first week in march we had converted the veranda, which ran round three sides of the old magnetic hut, into dog and pony shelters, two inner compartments were screened off by bulkheads made of biscuit cases, a cook's table was somehow fashioned and a reliable stove erected out of petrol tins and scrap-iron. our engineers in this work of art were oates and meares. for a short while we burnt wood in the stove, but the day soon came when seal blubber was substituted, and the heat from the burning grease was sufficient to cook any kind of dish likely to be available, and also to heat the hut after a fashion. round the stove we built up benches to sit on for meals, and two sleeping spaces were chosen and made snug by using felt, of which a quantity had been left by scott's or shackleton's people. the "soldier" and meares unearthed same fire bricks and a stove pipe from the debris heap outside the hut and then we were spared the great discomfort of being smoked out whenever a fire was lit. an awning left by the "discovery" was fixed up by several of us around the sleeping and cooking space, and although rather short of luxuries such as sugar and flour, we were never in any great want of good plain food. on march the depot party was joined by griffith taylor, debenham, wright, and petty officer evans. taylor's team had been landed by the "terra nova" on january , after the start of the depot party, to make a geological reconnaissance. in the course of their journeying they had traversed the ferrar glacier and then come down a new glacier, which scott named after taylor, and descended into dry valley, so called because it was entirely free from snow. taylor's way had led him and his party over a deep fresh-water lake, four miles long, which was only surface frozen--this lake was full of algae. the gravels below a promising region of limestones rich in garnets were washed for gold, but only magnetite was found. when taylor had thoroughly explored and examined the region of the glaciers to the westward of cape evans, his party retraced their footsteps and proceeded southward to examine the koettlitz glacier. scott had purposely sent seaman evans with this party of geologists, reasoning with his usual thoughtfulness that evans's sledging experience would be invaluable to taylor and his companions. taylor and his party made wonderful maps and had a wonderful store of names, which they bestowed upon peak, pinnacle, and pool to fix in their memories the relative positions of the things they saw. griffith taylor had a remarkable gift of description, and his antarctic book, "the silver lining," contains some fine anecdotes and narrative. according to taylor's chart the koettlitz glacier at its outflow on to the great ice barrier is at least ten miles wide. the party proceeded along the north of the glacier for a considerable distance, sketching, surveying, photographing, and making copious notes of the geological and physiographical conditions in the neighbourhood, and one may say fearlessly that no antarctic expedition ever sailed yet with geologists and physicists who made better use of the time at their disposal, especially whilst doing field work. this party hung on with their exploration work until prudence told them that they must return from the koettlitz glacier before the season closed in. their return trip led them along the edge of the almost impenetrable pinnacle of ice which is one of the wonders of the antarctic. their journey led them also through extraordinary and difficult ice-fields that even surprised the veteran sledger evans. their final march took them along the edge of the great ice barrier and brought them to hut point on march . we now numbered sixteen at this congested station; the sun was very little above the horizon and gales were so bad that spray dashed over the small hut occasionally, whilst all round the low-lying parts of the coast wonderful spray ridges of ice were formed. we had our proportion of blizzard days and suffered somewhat from the cold, for it was rarely calm. some of us began to long for the greater comforts of the cape evans hut; there was no day, no hour in fact, when some one did not climb up the hillock which was surmounted by the little wooden cross put up in memory of seaman vince of the "discovery" expedition, to see and note the ice conditions. winter was coming fast and night shadows of cruel dark purple added to the natural gloom of hut point and its environments. wilson was the one man amongst us who profited most from our sojourn here. in spite of bad light and almost frozen fingers he managed to make an astonishing collection of sketches, portraying the autumn scenes near this corner of ross isle. how sinister and relentless the western mountains looked, how cold and unforgiving the foothills, and how ashy gray the sullen icefoots that girt this sad, frozen land. there was, of course, no privacy in the crowded hut-space, and when evening came it was sometimes rather a relief to get away to some sheltered corner and look out over the sound. the twilight shades and colours were beautiful in a sad sort of way, but the stillness was awful. whenever the wind fell light new ice would form which seemed to crack and be churned up with every cat's-paw of wind. the currents and tidal streams would slowly carry these pancakes of ice up and down the strait until the weather was calm enough and cold enough to cement them together till they formed floes, which in their turn froze fast into great white icefields strong enough to bear us and any weights we liked to take along. one often turned in, confident that a passage could be made over the frozen sea to glacier tongue at least, but in the morning everything would be changed and absolutely no ice would be visible floating in the sea. when taylor's party had rested a little at hut point they threw in their lot with the rest of us and made occasional trips out on the silent barrier as far as corner camp, to add sledge loads of provisions now and again to the stores already depoted there in readiness for the southern sledge journey, on which we built our hopes for ultimate triumph. eight of us went out for a week's sledging on march , but the temperatures were now becoming too low to be pleasant and touching degrees or so below zero. what tried us more than anything else was thick weather and the fearfully bad light on days when no landmarks were visible to guide us to the depot. our sleeping-bags also were frozen and uncomfortable, thick rime collecting on the insides of our tents which every puff of wind would shake down in a shower of ice. when sitting round on our rolled-up sleeping-bags at meal times we could not help our heads and shoulders brushing off patches of this frost rime, which soon accumulated in the fur of the sleeping-bags and made life at night a clammy misery. the surfaces were very heavy, and dragging even light sledges when returning from the depot proved a laborious business. this autumn time gave a series of gales and strong winds with scarcely ever more than a few hours of calm or gentle breeze, sandwiched in between. sometimes we used ski, but there are occasions when ski are quite useless, owing to snow binding in great clogs underneath them. the norwegians use different kinds of paraffin wax and compositions of tar and other ingredients for overcoming this difficulty. gran had brought from christiania the best of these compositions, nevertheless there were days when whatever we put on we had difficulty with ski and had to cast them aside. there were people who preferred foot-slogging to ski at any time, and there were certainly days when teams on foot would literally dance round men pulling on ski. in the light of experience, however, the expert ski-runner has enormous advantage over the "foot-slogger," however good an athlete. what strikes me here is the dreadful similarity in weather condition, wind, temperature, etc., surface and visibility to that which culminated in the great disaster of our expedition and resulted in poor scott's death exactly a year later. here is a day taken haphazard from my diary: "from corner camp to hut point: "march , .--called the hands at . and after a fine warming breakfast started off on ski. the light was simply awful and the surface very bad, but we did six miles, then lunched. after lunch carried on with a strong wind blowing, but after very heavy dragging we were forced to camp when only nine and a half miles had been laid between us--we really couldn't see ten yards. just after we camped the wind increased to about force , alternately freshening up and dying away, and a good deal of snow fell. temperature . below zero." one year later scott was facing weather conditions and surfaces almost identical, but the difference lay in that he had marched more than sixteen hundred miles, was short of food, and his party were suffering from the tragic loss of two of their companions and the intense disappointment of having made this great sledge journey for their country's honour to find that all their efforts had been in vain, and that they had been anticipated by men who had borne thither the flag of another nation. when scott found that we sledgers were getting temperatures as low as minus forty he decided to discontinue sledging rather than risk anything in the nature of severe frostbite assailing the party and rendering them unfit for further work, for it must be remembered that we had already been away from our base ten weeks, that many of us had never sledged before, and that the depot journey was partly undertaken to give us sledging experience and to point out what improvements could be made in our clothing and equipment. the first and second weeks in april brought the ice changes that we had so long awaited, and after one or two false starts two teams set out from hut point on april to make their way across the fifteen miles of sea ice to cape evans. this turned out to be a somewhat hazardous journey, since it had to be made in the half light with overcast weather and hard wind. scott took charge of one tent and had with him bowers, griffith taylor, and petty officer evans, while i had in my party wright, debenham, gran, and crean. the seven who remained at hut point in charge of dogs and ponies helped us out a league or so for the first part of our journey. the route led first up the steep ice slope over-hanging hut point, and then to the summit of the ridge, which is best described as the castle rock promontory. our sojourn at hut point had given us plenty of chance to learn the easier snow roads and the least dangerous, and scott chose the way close eastward of castle rock to a position four miles beyond it, which his first expedition had named hutton cliffs. from castle rock onward the way took us to the westward of two conical hills which were well-known landmarks--a hitherto untrodden route--but the going was by no means bad. bitingly cold for faces and finger-tips, still, no weights to impede us. we camped for lunch after covering seven miles, for the light was bad, but it improved surprisingly whilst we were eating our meal. accordingly, we put on our crampons about p.m. and struck camp, securely packing the two green tents on the sledges, and casting a careful eye round the loads, tightened a strap here, hitched there, and then led by scott we made a careful descent to the precipitous edge of the ice cap which overlays the promontory. we got well down to a part that seemed to overhang the sea and, to our delight, found a good solid-looking ice-sheet below us which certainly extended as far as glacier tongue. the drop here was twenty-five feet or so and taylor and i were lowered over the cornice in an alpine rope, then wright and then the sledges, after that the remainder of the party. an ash-pole was driven into the snow and the last few members sent down in a bowline at one end of the rope whilst we below eased them down with the other part. the two parts of the alpine rope working round the pole cut deeply into the over-hanging snow and brought a shower of ice crystals pouring over the heads and shoulders of whoever was sitting in the bowline. it was a good piece of work getting everything down safely, and i admired scott's decision to go over; a more nervous man would have fought shy because, once down on the sea ice there was little chance of our getting back and we had got to fight our way forward to cape evans somehow. when taylor and i got first down we were greeted with a weird and wonderful sight: constant drifts of snow had formed a great overhang and the ice cliff was wreathed in a mass of snowy curtains and folds which took all manner of fantastic turns and shapes. a fresh wind was blowing continuously that made it most unpleasant for those above, and it was a relief to us all when the last man was passed down in safety, it was scott himself. we quickly harnessed up again and swung out over the sea ice towards glacier tongue, the cliffs of which stood out in a hard, white line to the northward, a couple of miles away. arrived at the tongue, bowers and i clambered up a ten-foot cliff face by standing on wright's and crean's shoulders. we then reached down and hauled up the sledges and the others, harnessed up again, and proceeded to cross the glacier, which was full of small crevasses. we reached the northern side of it and went down an easy snow slope to the sea ice beyond. as far as one could see this ice continued right up to and around cape evans, seven miles away to the n.w. it was now . p.m.; scott halted us and discussed our readiness to make a night march into the winter quarters. there was not one dissentient voice, and we gladly started off at o'clock for a night march to our snug and comfortable hut, picturing to ourselves a supper of all things luxurious. our feet seemed suddenly to have taken wings, but, alas, the supper was not to be, for thick weather set in, and when, by o'clock the wind was blowing hard and it was pitch dark, scott suddenly decided to camp under the shelter of little razorback island, where by that time we had arrived. we passed a filthy night here, for the snow on the sea ice was saturated with brine and, in no time, our sleeping-bags became wet and sticky. next day we were called at six to find a blizzard with a high drift making it impossible to move, so we remained in our bags until p.m., when we shifted on to the narrow platform of rock situated on the south side of little razorback. we had one small meal here, but our condition was not a pleasant one, since little food remained and fuel was short. there was undoubtedly a chance that the sea ice would break up and drift away in this high wind. had that happened we should have been left to starve on the tiny island. the position was not an enviable one. we got back into our bags, which were, as stated, wet and beastly, after a scanty supper and tried to sleep, but our feet were wet too, and cold, so that few of us could do more than close our eyes. the night passed slowly enough, and we turned out at a.m. to cook what remained of our food before attempting to make cape evans. we were glad that it had stopped snowing and, although the light was bad enough, we could just make out the ice foot showing up bold and white on the south side of the cape. after the meal we struck camp, formed marching order, and started half running for winter quarters. covering a couple of miles we found, to our great relief, that the fast ice not only extended up to the cape but right round into north bay. we soon sighted the hut, and shortly after saw some people working outside. directly they saw us in they ran to bring the others out at full speed, and coming to meet us they cheered and greeted us, then hauled our sledges in. it appeared they were unable to recognise any of us owing to our dirty and dishevelled state. this was not to be wondered at, for we had not washed nor had we shaved for eighty days: we all talked hard and exchanged news. ponting lined us up to be photographed--the first nine bolshevists--we looked such awful blackguards. now, april , , as communication had been established between hut point and cape evans, we settled down for the winter. i shall never forget the breakfast that clissold prepared for us at . that morning. it was delicious--hot rolls, heaps of butter, milk, sugar, jam, a fine plate of tomato soup, and fried seal cooked superbly. the meal over, we shaved, bathed, and put on clean clothes, smoked cigarettes, and took a day's holiday. at o'clock that evening, by prearrangement, very's lights were fired to let them know at hut point of our safe arrival. our own signal was answered by a flare. gramophone records were dug out and we lazily listened to melba singing and to musical comedy tunes, those who had energy and sufficient inclination got the pianola going, and finally each man unfolded his little story to another member of the expedition who had taken no part in the sledging. captain scott was delighted at the progress made by those left in our hut under dr. simpson, everything was in order, the scientific programme in full swing, and nothing in the shape of bad news beyond the loss of an ill-tempered pony called hackenschmidt, and one more dog that appeared to have died from a peculiar disease--a minute thread-worm getting to his brain, this according to nelson who had conducted the post-mortem. chapter vii arrangements for the winter less than a fortnight from the day of our return to cape evans, on april to be exact, the sun left us to remain below the horizon for four long weary months. of course, there was a considerable amount of twilight, and even on midwinter's day at noon there was some gray light in the north. different people took the winter in different fashion, according to their temperaments. there were some who never could have faced a second winter with any degree of cheerfulness, but taking it all round, we did well enough, and when summer came again our concrete keenness and zeal had not one whit abated. that is especially true in the case of those who were chosen to make the great journey southward, even though it was obvious that certain members could only accompany their leader for a mere fraction of the great white way. during the four months' winter darkness each one occupied himself with his special subject, and dr. wilson not only proved himself to be an efficient chief of our scientific staff, but a sound friend and companion to the executive members, bowers, oates, meares, and myself. uncle bill was our solomon and it was to him that we all went for sympathy and practical advice. it was to him the staff went, that is to say, the officers and scientists, for the smoothing over of those little difficulties, roughnesses, and unevennesses that were bound to arrive from time to time during the course of winter. the sailors came more to bowers, oates, and myself, for, in their conservative naval way, they could never quite get over the fact that the hut was not a ship and that there were other members who, although they had never come under any sort of naval or military discipline, were men of greater age and experience in fending for themselves than youngsters like bowers and myself. still, things went beautifully, and so they should have, when one considers the great care our leader had exercised in the selection of his personnel. if scott had had his choice again and if he had been allowed to select from the whole world, one can say without hesitation he would have chosen wilson to captain our splendid scientific team and to be his human book of reference. wilson was more nearly scott's own age than the other important members of this enterprise, and wilson, it must be remembered, had pulled shoulder to shoulder with scott on his southern sledge journey in - . before taking a peep at the individuals forming the rest of our party and at their delicate scientific work at the base station, i must not forget to mention that scott, with his indomitable energy, was away again four days after his return to cape evans with bowers, crean, and five fresh men to hut point for the dual purpose of replenishing that station with fuel, lighting material, etc., and getting those who should be at cape evans for certain work and duty back there. scott returned by the way we had come, i.e. the glacier tongue-castle rock route, and then left the dog-boy with meares to take charge of these animals, lashly and keohane to nurse and exercise the two ponies, and nelson and forde to get into the way of winter roughing it, besides which he left day over at hut point, where his clever fingers found plenty to do to ameliorate the condition of those living there. day had learnt much under shackleton in these parts, and by some of us he was nicknamed "handy andy." meares was now appointed "governor of hut point." as a matter of fact he and his dogs were better off here than at cape evans, because the dogs could use the big sheltered verandas already mentioned, whereas they had no such shelter at cape evans. scott was back in the hut by april , having left meares definite orders that james pigg and punch the ponies were not to leave hut point for cape evans until the entire journey could be made over the sea ice under conditions of absolute safety. this meant a wait of three weeks to a month before everything suited, and the "governor of hut point" did not come in until the th may, when he arrived in pomp and splendour with all the dogs and the two ponies fit and well--his party, black with soot and blubber, their wind-proof clothing smelly and greasy, a dirty but robust and cheerful gang. a glance at the accompanying plan shows whereabout we worked. starting at the left hand top corner we find simpson's laboratory, and we usually found simpson in it at work, always at work, except when he was engaged in scientific argument or when, just after lunch, he stretched himself out on his bunk at the end of a large cigar! simpson was no novice to work in the frigid zones, for he had already wintered within the arctic circle in northern norway. weather did not worry him much nor apparently did temperatures, for since his investigations midst the snows of the vikings' land, simpson had worked extensively in india. his enduring good humour and his smiling manner earned for him the sobriquet of sunny jim. in the first year the self-registering instruments that found themselves in simpson's corner, or in the small hut which contained his magnetic observatory, gave us an admirable record of temperatures, barometric pressures, wind force and direction, atmospheric electricity, sunshine when the sun did shine, and the elements of terrestrial magnetism. thanks to simpson, we also had investigations of the upper air currents, aurora observations, atmospheric optics, gravity determination and what is more, some fine practical teaching that enabled the various sledging units properly to observe and collect data of meteorological importance. simpson's place was essentially at the base station; and his consequent work as physicist and meteorologist prevented him from taking an active part in our sledge journeys. when he was recalled to simla in his work was ably continued by wright, our canadian chemist, who, as i have said elsewhere, accompanied us south to make a special study of ice structure and glaciation. wright lived in the bunk above simpson's, and when not devoting his energy and magnificent physique to sledging and field work, he gave himself up to the study of ice physics, a somewhat new scientific line of research. wright was originally introduced to the expedition by griffith taylor, and scott, advised by wilson, was so keen on the inclusion of this young canadian chemist in our scientific staff that really the study of ice structure and glaciation was made for wright and his science coined for him. he photographed ice flowers formed in the sea, he found out how long ice took to freeze down our way, cast aspersions on the bearing capabilities of our beloved sea ice and, generally, brought his intelligence to bear in a way that commanded the approbation of wilson and our chief. wright was one of the strongest members of our expedition, and he had the most powerful flow of language. he made some beautiful photographs of ice crystals and surprised the simple sailor like myself with his ability as a navigator and astronomer. moving along from wright and simpson we come to nelson and day. teddy nelson, our marine biologist, did both winters at cape evans, and he not only carried out biological work but studied the tides. his corner was pleasant to look upon, with its orderly row of enamelled and china trays and dishes. during the winter months holes were made in the sea ice through which were lowered tow-nets, for collecting drifting organisms and so on. special thermometers of german make were lowered by nelson through the ice holes to get sea temperatures, and likewise reversing water bottles were employed to obtain samples of sea-water daily. day, the motor engineer, was responsible for the lighting by acetylene. he was wonderfully clever as a mechanic and also a good carpenter. he took charge of our petrol, paraffin, and spirit store, and was never idle for a minute. moving along to the right we come to the last cubicle, where the "rubbleyubdugs" lived. these were tryggve gran, griffith taylor, and frank debenham. (all libel actions in connection with the ubdugs i am prepared to settle out of port in the long bar at shanghai.) quoting from the "south polar times": "'the ubdug burrow' is festooned with kodaks, candles and curtains; they (the ubdugs) are united by an intense love of the science of autobiography, their somewhat ambiguous motto is 'the pen is mightier than the sword, but the tongue licks them both!'" griffith taylor and debenham were both australians: the former was probably the wittiest man in the expedition, and, in my opinion, the cleverest contributor to the "south polar times," excepting of course the artistic side. the "south polar times" was our winter magazine, beautifully illustrated by wilson's water colours and ponting's photographs. taylor's motto was "advance, australia!"--most certainly he helped it to. people were always welcome in the ubduggery, where they seemed to have an unlimited supply of cigarettes and good novels. debenham was certainly nurse to the ubdugs, that is to say he was the least untidy, but then of course he was the smallest. in this cubicle the most voluminous of diaries were kept, and at least two books have been published therefrom. gran kept his diary mostly in norwegian, but there were many words coined in our expedition which had no scandinavian equivalent, and gran failed to translate them, in spite of his having more imagination than any one amongst us. crossing over the hut to the cubicle opposite one arrives at the somewhat congested space in which cherry-garrard was housed, with bowers above him. in their corner were store lists, books, and mystery bags which contained material for the "south polar times," toys and frivolous presents to liven us up at the midwinter and other festivities. bowers and cherry-garrard were, in a way, worse off than the others, for they had the darkest part of the hut, yet in this gloomy tenement all kinds of calculations were made and much other good work done. oates came next, with his bunk more free of debris than anybody else's, for he was the horse man, pure and simple, and his duties freed him from that superabundance of books, instruments, stationery, specimens, charts, and what-not with which we others had surrounded ourselves. any spare gear he kept in the saddle room, a specially cleared space in the stables, where he was assisted by the little russian groom, anton, who soon became devoted to his hard-working and capable master. the two men, so unlike in appearance and character, etc., and such miles apart in social standing and nationality, worked shoulder to shoulder in the stables throughout the long winter night. by the dim candle-light which illuminated our pony-shelter, one could see oates grooming his charges, clearing up their stall, refitting their harness, and fixing up the little improvements that his quick, watchful eye continually suggested. at the far end of his stables he had a blubber stove, where he used to melt ice for the ponies' drinking water and cook bran mashes for his animals. here he would often sit and help meares make dog pemmican out of seal meat--they made about cwt. of this sustaining preparation. moving along from the château, oates, meares's and atkinson's two bunks came next, meares above and atkinson below. these two sleeping berths likewise were not conspicuous by any superfluity of scientific oddments, for meares's work took him outside of the hut as a rule, unless he was engaged in making dog harness. meares and oates were the greatest friends, and these two, atkinson, cherry-garrard and bowers, were, if i remember rightly, known collectively as the bunderlohg. although numerically superior to their _vis-à-vis_, the ubdugs, and always ready to revile them, the ubdugs kept their end up and usually came out victorious in discussions or in badinage. finally, the holy of holies, where captain scott and the library occupied one end and uncle bill and myself the far corner, with the ceaselessly ticking chronometers and many sledging watches. there was an air of sanctity about this part: all the plotting was done here, charts made and astronomical observations worked out. wilson worked up his sketches at the "plotting table," interviewed the staff here, and above his bunk kept a third of the shore party's library. we had two comfortable trestle beds up our end and our leader also had a bed in preference to the built-up bunk adopted by most of the afterguard. ours was the mayfair district: wilson and i lived in park lane in those days, whilst captain scott occupied grosvenor street! he had his own little table covered with "toney" green linoleum, and also had a multiplicity of little shelves on which to keep his pipes, tobacco, cigars, and other household gods. it was well illuminated in this part, and, although, hung around with fur mitts, fur boots, socks, hats and woollen clothing, there was something very chaste about this very respectable corner. for the rest of it we had our arctic library, and the spare spaces on the matchboard bulkhead, which fenced it on three sides, were decorated with photographs. in place of eiderdown scott's old uniform overcoat usually covered his bed, while peeping out from under his sleeping place one could espy an emblem of civilisation and prosperity in the shape of a very good suit-case. the foregoing pages illustrate sufficiently the grouping of the afterguard, and if one adds an anthracite stove, a ft. by ft. table, a pianola, gramophone, and a score of chairs, with a small shelf-like table squeezed in between the dark-room and simpson's corner, one completes the picture of the officers' quarters in the cape evans hut. a bulkhead of biscuit cases and so on divided us from the men's accommodation. they were very well off, each seaman having a trestle bed similar to captain scott's, unless he preferred to build a bunk for himself, as one or two did. they had a table ft. by ft., and the cook had a kitchen table ft. square, and certainly no crew space was ever provided on a polar expedition that gave such comfortable and cosy housing room. chapter viii the winter closes in the closing down of the polar night was very swift now and the few hours of gray daylight were employed collecting what data was required by certain members for working on during the forthcoming days of darkness. young gran was handed over to me to help with the survey work and astronomical observations which had to be taken from time to time. he was a most entertaining assistant. without complaint, he stood patiently shivering in that cutting winter wind whilst i swung around the theodolite telescope and took angles for him to write down in my notebook. i don't think anybody has made a triangulated survey under conditions worse than we endured that epoch: the weather was beastly and we spent much time dancing when nearly sick with cold, our fingers tucked under our arms to recover their feelings. when one's extremities did get frost-bitten it was no joke--frost-bitten finger tips gave us little peace at night with their sharp burning pain. the most interesting part of the survey work was what is known to the surveyor as coast-lining. this meant walking along the edge of the sea ice, fixing one's position by sextant angle every five hundred yards or so, and sketching in a notebook the character and features of the ever changing coast between the various "fixes." one could keep warm doing this and one saw more of the land and ice formation than the others, for it meant following carefully round-cape and glacier edge, penetrating inlets and delineating every islet, promontory, cliff, and talus. in spite of the cold, the gloom, and the sad whistling wind that heralded the now fast approaching darkness, i felt glad to work with my sextant and sketch-book under the shadow of those fantastic ice-foots hung round with fringes of icicle. i loved to go with gran into the deep bays and walk for miles under the overhanging of the vast ice cliffs all purple in the reflection of the early winter noon, and to come out sometimes as we did on to the sea ice clear of a jutting glacier, to face suddenly northward over the frozen sea where nothing but a great waste of ice stretched away to meet the horizon and the rosy, copper glow of the departed sun's rays. some of the cloud effects at the end of april were too wonderful for mere pen or brush to describe. to appreciate them one must go there and see them, those wonderful half-light tints. then there were the ice caves and grottos which were formed in the grounded icebergs that had overturned before we came, and the still more wonderful caves in the ice-sheet where it over-rode ross island and formed a cliff-face between cape evans and glacier tongue, extraordinarily like the white chalk cliffs of studland bay i found them, with here and there outstanding pinnacles which a little imagination would liken to old harry rocks when the gray light was on them. at the most we could only take sextant and theodolite angles for two hours on either side of noon, so gran and i went without our lunch, taking a few biscuits and some chocolate out with us on our survey days, and as we worked farther and farther from our base we found it necessary to start out in the darkness in order to take full advantage of what light was vouchsafed us. it was good healthy work and we developed glorious appetites, so that our mouths ran with water when perhaps we met a couple of fellows leading the little white ponies on the sea ice for exercise, and they told us what they had had for lunch and what was being kept for us. we found it all most interesting and, although i detested that sunless winter, i loved the changing scenery, which never seemed monotonous when there was any daylight or moonlight. to mark our "stations" we used red and black bunting flags, and they showed up very well. we gave them all sorts of weird names, such as sardine, shark, and so forth, and we knew almost to a yard their distances from one another, as also their bearings, which helped us when we were overtaken by bad weather. eventually it became too dark for any survey work, but there was always plenty to do indoors for the majority of us. apart from our specialist duties some one was always to be found who could give employment to the willing--there were no idlers or unwilling folk amongst us. simpson, for example, would employ as many volunteers as he could get to follow the balloons which he frequently sent up to record temperature and pressure. to each of these balloons a fine silk thread was attached, or rather the thread was attached to the little instrument it carried. when any strain was put on the thread it broke the thread connecting the small temperature and pressure instrument to the balloon, the former dropped on to the ice and was recovered by one of the volunteers, who followed the silk thread up until he came to the instrument where it had fallen. one required good eyesight for this work as for everything else down here, and i have never ceased to marvel at the way cherry-garrard got about and worked so well when one considers that he was very short-sighted indeed. everybody exercised generously, whether by himself on ski, leading a pony, digging ice for the cook or ice to melt for the ponies' drinking water, or even with a whole crowd playing rather dangerous football on the sea ice north of cape evans. when the real winter came i used to walk, after winding the chronometers, until breakfast time to begin with. this gave me half an hour, then again before lunch i would put on ski and go for a run with anybody who had not a pony to exercise. the visibility was frequently limited, particularly on overcast days; one would glide along over the sea ice, which was in places wind-swept and in others covered with snow. nothing in sight but the gray-white shadow underfoot and the blue-black sky above, a streak or band just a mere smudge of daylight in the north, but this would be sufficient to give one direction to go out on. then slowly, dim, spectre-like shapes would appear which would gradually sort themselves out into two lots, black and white--these were titus's ponies--the white shapes, the black were the men leading them. on they came, seemingly at a great pace, and one heard a crunching noise as the hoofs of the ponies trod down the snow crust, but one could not hear the footfalls of the men. one exchanged a "hallo" with the leading man and passed on until a much bigger white shape loomed up in the obscurity of the noon-twilight, the going underfoot changed and skis fetched up against a great lump of ice which was scarcely discernible in the confusing darkness, and one realised that what little light there was to the northward had been blotted out by one of the big grounded icebergs. directly one realised which berg it was a new course would be shaped, say to the end of the barne glacier; the cliffs of this reached, one proceeded homeward a league to the hut. this could not be missed on the darkest day if the coast-line was followed, and, at last, when stomach cried out like a striking clock, one realised that it was p.m. or so, and a little glow indicated the whereabouts of the hut. approaching it, one saw the tall chimney silhouetted against the sky, then the black shapes which oddly proclaimed themselves to be motor-sledges, store heaps or fodder dumps, and finally the hut itself. one stumbled over the tide-crack and up on to the much trodden snow which covered the cape evans's beach. six or seven pairs of skis stuck in the snow near the hut door indicated that most people had come in to lunch, so there was need to haste. off came one's own skis, and with a lusty stab in they went heel downwards into the snow alongside the other ones, so that when a new fall came they would stand up vertically and be easily found again. the sticks one took into the hut, because even in our well-appointed family there were pirates who borrowed them and forgot to replace them. entering the hut after kicking much snow from boots one passed first through the acetylene smelling porch--handy andy's pride--as we called day's gas plant, then in to the seamen's quarters, where the smell of cooking delighted and the sight of those great, hefty sailors scoffing the midday meal hustled one still more. in the officers' half of the hut most people were already busy with their knives and forks, two or three perhaps just sitting down, the night watch-man probably sitting up on the edge of his bunk putting on his slippers, and cheerfully accepting the friendly insults from his pals at table who told him the date and year--down went ski-sticks on the bed, room would be made at the table, and half a dozen dishes pushed your way, and although the mess-traps were enamelled, the food you shuffled down from the tin plate and the cocoa you lapped from the blue and white mug had not its equal at the carlton, the ritz, or the berkeley. concerning the night watchman and his duties, although we had so many self-recording instruments, there were certain things which called for attention during the silent hours. aurora observations had to be made which no instrument would record, movement of clouds had to be noted in the meteorological log, the snow cleared from the anemometer and so forth, then of course rounds had to be made in case of fire, ponies and dogs visited, the galley fire lit or kept going according to requirements, and so on. night watch-keeping duty was only undertaken by certain members chosen from the afterguard. scott himself always took a share in this, as he did in everything else that mattered. one came to welcome the night on, for the attendant work was not very strenuous and the eight hours' quietude gave the watchman a chance to write up a neglected diary, to wash clothes, work out observations, and perhaps make contributions to the "south polar times" undisturbed by casual well-wishers who were not meant to see the article in question until the day of publication. we were allowed to choose from the stores more or less what we liked for consumption in the stillness of the night watch. i always contributed special china or ceylon tea for the benefit of the lonely watchman--i had two big canisters of the beverage, a present from one of our new zealand well-wishers, mrs. arthur rhodes of christchurch, and these lasted the afterguard watch-keepers through the expedition. the auroras were a little disappointing this first winter as seen from cape evans, they were certainly better seen from the barrier. we only got golden bands and curtains splaying in the heavens, except for one or two rare occasions when there were distinct green rays low down amongst the shafts of weird light farthest from the zenith. in view of the possibility of a second winter one kept a few letters going which contained a little narrative of our work to date. we had most imposing note-paper which was used for these occasions: the crest consisted of a penguin standing on the south pole with the southern hemisphere underfoot, a garter surrounding this little picture inscribed with "british antarctic expedition--'terra nova' r.y.s." alas, some of the letters were never delivered, for death not only laid his hand upon certain members of the expedition, but also upon some of our older friends, supporters, and subscribers. one passed out of the hut hourly at least and, on moonlight nights especially, one found something beautiful in the scenery about cape evans. at full moon time everything turned silver, from towering erebus with gleaming sides to the smooth ice slopes of ross island in the north-east, while away to the southward the high black dellbridge islands thrust up from a sea of flat silver ice. even the conical hills and the majestic castle rock, fifteen miles away, stood out quite clearly on occasions. the weirdest thing of all was to hear the dogs howling in the middle of the night, they made one think of wolves and of siberia. all things considered, the winter passed quickly enough: we had three lectures a week, and our professional occupations, our recreations and different interests soon sped away the four months' winter darkness. the lectures embraced the technical and the practical side of the expedition; thus, besides each of the scientific staff lecturing on his individual subject, oates gave us two lectures on the care and management of horses; scott outlined his plans for the great southern journey, giving probable dates and explaining the system of supporting parties which he proposed to employ; ponting told us about japan, and illustrated his subject with beautiful slides made from photographs that he himself had taken; bowers lectured on burma, until we longed to be there; and meares gave us a light but intensely interesting lecture on his adventures in the lolo country, a practically unknown land in central asia. in connection with the work of simpson at the base station, i must not forget the telephones. certain telephones and equipment sufficient for our needs were presented to us in by the staff of the national telephone co., and they were very largely used in scientific work at the base station as well as for connecting cape evans to hut point, fifteen miles away. simpson made the cape evans-hut point connection in september, , by laying the bare aluminium wire along the surface of the snow-covered sea ice, and for a long time there was no difficulty in ringing up by means of magnetos. however, when the sun came back and its rays became reasonably powerful, difficulty in ringing and speaking was experienced. we used the telephones almost daily for taking time, and simpson used to stand inside the hut at the sidereal clock whilst i took astronomical observations outside in the cold. we also telephoned time to the ice cave in which the pendulums were being swung when determining the force of gravity. telephones were quite efficient in temperatures of degrees and more below zero. midwinter day arrived on june , and here one must pay an affectionate and grateful tribute to bowers, wilson, cherry-garrard, and clissold the cook. to start with, we had to discuss whether we would hold the midwinter festival on the nd or rd of june, because in reality the sun reached its farthest northern declination at . a.m. on the rd by the standard time which we were keeping. we decided to hold it on the evening of the nd, this being the dinner time nearest the actual culmination. a buszard's cake extravagantly iced was placed on the tea-table by cherry-garrard, his gift to us, and this was the first of the dainties with which we proceeded to stuff ourselves on this memorable day. although in england it was mid-summer we could not help thinking of those at home in christmas vein. the day here was to all intents and purposes christmas day; but it meant a great deal more than that, it meant that the sun was to come speeding back slowly to begin with, and then faster and faster until in another four months or so we should find ourselves setting out to achieve our various purposes. it meant that before another year had passed some of us, perhaps all of us, would be back in civilisation taking up again the reins of our ordinary careers which, of necessity, would lead us to different corners of the earth. the probability was that we should never all sit down together in a peopled land, for simpson was bound to be racing back to india with bowers and probably oates, whose regiment was at mhow; gran would away to norway, and the other ubdugs to australia. one or two of us had been tempted to settle in new zealand, and the old antarctics amongst us knew how useless it had been to arrange those antarctic dinners which never came off as intended. but to return to the menu for midwinter day. when we sat down in the evening we were confronted with a beautiful water-colour drawing of our winter quarters, with erebus's gray shadow looming large in the background, from the summit of which a rose-tinted smoke-cloud delicately trended northward, and, standing out from the whole picture a neatly printed tablet which proclaimed the nature of this much-looked-forward-to meal: consomme seal. roast beef and yorkshire pudding. horseradish sauce. potatoes a la mode and brussels sprouts. plum pudding. mince pies. caviare antarctic. crystallised fruits. chocolate bonbons. butter bonbons. walnut toffee. almonds and raisins. _wines._ sherry, champagne, brandy punch, liqueur. cigars, cigarettes, and tobacco. snapdragon. pineapple custard. raspberry jellies. and what was left of the buszard's cake! the menu was, needless to say, wilson's work, the exquisite dishes clissold produced, the maitre d'hotel was birdie, and cherry-garrard the producer of surprises in the shape of toys which adorned the christmas tree that followed on the dinner. everybody got something from the tree, which was in reality no tree at all, for it was a cleverly constructed dummy, with sticks for branches and coloured paper leaves. still, it carried little fairy candles and served its purpose well. then i must not forget the greatest treat of all: an exhibition of slides showing the life about our winter quarters and the general work of the expedition from the starting away in new zealand to this actual day almost in the hut. the slides were wonderful and they showed every stage of the ice through which we had come and in which we lived. there were penguin pictures, whales and seals, bird life in the pack, flash light photographs of people and ponies, pictures of erebus and other splendid and familiar landmarks, and, in short, a magnificent pictorial record of events, for ponting had been everywhere with his camera, and it is only to be regretted that the expedition did not take him to the pole. this was, of course, impossible, when everything had to give way to food. following the photographic display and the christmas tree came the only antarctic dance we enjoyed. few of us remember much about it for we were very merry, thanks to the wine, and there was considerable horseplay. i remember dancing with the cook whilst oates danced with anton. everybody took a turn, and associated with this dance i might mention that clissold so far forgot himself as to call scott "good old truegg." truegg was the composition used by us for cooking in various ways omelets, buttered eggs, puddings, and cakes of all kinds, and, although it was a great boon to the expedition, we had by this time tired of it. still, we used it as a term of endearment, but nobody in his sober senses would have dreamt of calling our much respected commander "good old truegg"; the brandy punch must have been responsible for clissold's mixing up of names! we had now arrived at the stage when it was time to shut up, the officers became interested in an aurora display and gradually rolled off to bed. it was left to me to see the seamen turned in; they were good-humoured but obstreperous, and not until a.m. did silence and order once more reign in the hut. very wisely our leader decided on june being kept as a day of rest; our digestions were upset and we took this time off to make and mend clothes, and returned to our winter routine, a little subdued perhaps, on june . chapter ix preliminary explorations so much for the winter life up to date; no great excitements, nothing untoward, but a remarkable bonhomie obtaining in our little company despite the tedium of so many days of winter gloom. on june dr. wilson with bowers and cherry-garrard started on a remarkable journey to cape crozier, nearly seventy miles distant from cape evans, via hut point and the barrier. the object of these intrepid souls was to observe the incubation of the emperor penguins at their rookery, which was known to exist near the junction point of the barrier edge with the rocky cliff south of cape crozier. it must be borne in mind that this was the first antarctic midwinter journey, and that the three men must of necessity face abnormally low temperature's and unheard of hardships whilst making the sledge journey over the icy barrier. we had gathered enough knowledge on the autumn sledge journeys and in the days of the discovery expedition to tell us this, so that it was not without considerable misgivings that captain scott permitted wilson to carry the winter expedition to cape crozier into being. the scope of my little volume only permits me to tell this story in brief. no very detailed account has yet been published, although cherry-garrard, the only survivor of the three, wrote the far too modest memoir of the journey which has been published in volume ii of "scott's last expedition." apart from the zoological knowledge wilson hoped to gain from the cape crozier visit in mid-winter, there was a wealth of other information to be collected concerning the barrier conditions, particularly the meteorological conditions, but above all we knew that with such quick and reliable observers as wilson and his companions we must derive additional experience in the matter of sledging rations, for the party had agreed to make experiments in order to arrive at the standard ration to be adopted for the colder weather we must face during the second half of the forthcoming polar journey. wilson took two small ft. sledges, and after being photographed was helped out to glacier tongue by a small hurrah party. in the bad light he was handicapped from the very first, and it took the party two days to get on to the ice barrier. their progress was dreadfully slow, which was not to be wondered at, for they were pulling loads of lb. per man, the surfaces were beyond anything they had faced hitherto, and the temperatures seldom above degrees. relay work had to be resorted to, and in consequence the party took eighteen days to reach cape crozier. they met with good weather, that is, calm weather, to begin with, but the bad surfaces handicapped them severely. after rounding cape mackay they reached a wind-swept area and met with a series of blizzards. their best light was moonlight, and they were denied this practically by overcast skies. picture their hardships: frozen bags to sleep in, frozen finnesko to put their feet in every time they struck camp, finger-tips always getting frost-bitten and sometimes toes and heels; no comfort was to be derived within camp, for, at the best, they could only sit and shiver when preparing the food, and once the bags were unrolled to sleep in more trouble came. it is on record that cherry-garrard took as long as three-quarters of an hour to break his way into his sleeping-bag, and once inside it he merely shook and froze. the party used a double tent for this journey, that is to say, a light lining was fitted on the inner side of the five bamboo tent poles, so that when the ordinary wind-proof tent cloth was spread over the poles an air space was provided. there was, i may say, a sharp difference of opinion as to the value of the tent; wilson's party swore by it and scott was always loud in its praise. the sailors hated it and despised it; they always argued, when consulted on the subject of the double tent, that it collected snow and rime and added much to the weights we had to drag along. perhaps they were right, and i remember one occasion when two members of the expedition dumped the inner lining after carrying it many hundred miles with the remark, "good-bye, you blighter, you've had a damn good ride!" the scene inside the little green tent baffles description: the three men's breath and the steam from the cooker settles in no time on the sides of the tent in a thick, white rime; the least movement shakes this down in a shower which brings clammy discomfort to all; the dimmest of light is given by the sledging lantern with its edible candle (for messrs. price and co. had made our candles eatable and not poisonous), everything is frozen stiff, fur boots, bags and fur mitts break if roughly handled, for they are as hard as boards. the cold has carved deep ruts in the faces of the little company who, despite their sufferings and discomforts, smile and keep cheerful without apparent effort. this cheerfulness and the fragrant smell of the cooking pemmican are the two redeeming features of a dreadful existence, but the discomforts are only a foretaste of what is to come--one night the temperature fell to degrees below zero, that is degrees of frost. there is practically no record of such low temperature, although captain scott found that roald amundsen in one of his northern journeys encountered something nearly as bad. one cannot wonder that wilson's party scarcely slept at all, but their outward experiences were nothing to what they put up with at cape crozier, which was reached on july . to get on to the slopes of mount terror near crozier the party climbed over great pressure ridges and up a steep slope to a position between the end of a moraine terrace and the conspicuous hillock known as the knoll. in the gap here the last camp was made in a windswept snow hollow, a stone hut was constructed behind a land ridge above this hollow, the party using a quantity of loose rocks and hard snow to build with. cherry-garrard did most of the building, while the others provided the material, for, in his methodical way, cherry had built a model hut before leaving cape evans. the hut was ft. above sea-level, roofed with canvas, with one of the sledges as a rafter to support the canvas roof. on the th july the party descended by the snow slopes to the emperor penguin rookery. they had great trouble in making this descent, on account of crevasses in the ice slopes which overhung the level way under the rock cliffs. as a matter of fact, the attempt on the th proved abortive, although the little band got close to the rookery. they reached it successfully on the th when the light was almost failing, and were mortified to find only about one hundred emperor penguins in place of the two or three thousand birds which the rookery had been found to contain in the "discovery" days. possibly the early date accounted for the absence of emperors; however, half a dozen eggs were collected, and three of these found their way home to england. wilson picked up rounded pieces of ice at the rookery which the stupid emperors had been cherishing, fondly imagining they were eggs; evidently the maternal instinct of the emperor penguin is very strong. the party killed and skinned three birds and then returned to the shelter of the stone hut, not without difficulty, it is true. it is worthy of note that the three birds killed by the party were very thickly blubbered, and the oil obtained from them burned well. the ross sea was found to be frozen over as far as the horizon. when the party got back to their shelter two eggs had burst and saturated cherry-garrard's mitts. this optimistic young man found good even in this, for he said that on the way home to cape evans his mitts thawed out far more easily than bowers's did, and attributed the little triumph to the grease in the broken egg! that night they slept for the first time in the stone hut; perhaps it was fortunate that they did so for it was blowing hard and the wind developed into a terrific storm. one of the hurricane gusts of wind swept the roof of the hut away, and for two days the unfortunate party lay in their bags half smothered by fine drifting snow. the second day was dr. wilson's birthday; he told me afterwards that had the gale not abated when it did all three men must have perished. they had not dared to stir out of the meagre shelter afforded by their sleeping-bags. wilson prayed hard that they might be spared. his prayer was answered, it is true, but before another year had passed two of this courageous little band lost their lives in their eager thirst for scientific knowledge. when the three men crept out of their bags into the dull winter gloom they groped about and searched for their tent, which had blown away from its pitch near the stone hut. by an extraordinary piece of good fortune it was recovered, scarcely damaged, a quarter of a mile away. cherry-garrard describes the roar of the wind as it whistled in their shelter to have been just like the rush of an express train through a tunnel. wilson, bowers, and cherry-garrard started home after this, but were caught by another blizzard, which imprisoned them in their tent for another forty-eight hours. they were now running short of oil for warming and cooking purposes, but the little party won through after a very rough march full of horrible hardships and discomforts, and reached cape evans on the st august, when they had faced the dreadful winter weather conditions on the cruel ice barrier for five weeks. what forlorn objects they did look: it was pathetic to see them as they staggered into the hut. wilson, when he could give a collected account of what he and his party had faced, was loud in the praise of birdy and cherry. the party were examined by atkinson, who gave some direction and advice concerning their immediate diet--they seemed to want bread, butter, and jam most, and the little loaves provided by clissold disappeared with extraordinary speed. they were suffering from want of sleep, but were all right in a few days. one of the remarkable features of this journey was the increase of weights due to ice collecting in their sleeping-bags, gear and equipment. their three bags, which weighed forty-seven pounds on leaving cape evans, had increased their weight to one hundred and eighteen at the conclusion of the trip. other weights increased in the same proportion, and the sledge had dragged very heavily in consequence. the three men when they arrived were almost encased with ice, and i well remember undressing poor wilson in the cubicle which he and i shared. his clothes had almost to be cut off him. from this journey, as stated, we evolved the final sledging ration for the summit, it was to consist of: ozs. biscuit. " pemmican. " sugar. " butter. . " tea. . " cocoa. daily . ozs. it may seem little enough for a hungry sledger, but, no one could possibly eat that amount in a temperate climate; it was a fine filling ration even for the antarctic. the pemmican consisted of the finest beef extract, with per cent. pure fat, and it cooked up into a thick tasty soup. it was specially made for us by messrs. beauvais of copenhagen. no casualties occurred during the winter, but dr. atkinson sustained a severely frost-bitten hand on july when we had one of our winter blizzards. certain thermometers had been placed in positions on the sea ice and up on the ramp by simpson, and these we were in the habit of visiting during the course of our exercise; the thermometer reading was done by volunteers who signified their intention to simpson in order to avoid duplication of observation. on blizzard days we left them alone, but atkinson, seeing that the wind had modified in the afternoon, zealously started out over the ice and was absent from dinner. search parties were sent in various directions, each taking a sledge with sleeping-bags, brandy flask, thermos full of cocoa, and first-aid equipment. flares were lit and kept going on wind vale hill, simpson's meteorological station overlooking the hut. search was made in all directions by us, and difficulty was experienced due to light snowfall. atkinson fetched up at tent island, apparently, which he walked round for hours, and, in trying to make the cape again, became hopelessly lost, and, losing one of his mitts for a time, fell into a tide crack and did not get home till close upon midnight. search parties came in one by one and were glad to hear the good news of atkinson's return. my own party, working to the south of cape evans, did not notice how time was passing, and we--nelson, forde, hooper, and myself--fetched up at a.m. to be met by captain scott and comforted with cocoa. atkinson's hand was dreadful to behold; he had blisters like great puffed-out slugs on the last three fingers of his right hand, while on the forefinger were three more bulbous-looking blisters, one of them an inch in diameter. for days and days the hand had constantly to be bandaged, p. o. evans doing nurse and doing it exceedingly well. considering all things, we were fairly free of frostbite in the scott expedition, and there is no doubt that atkinson's accident served as an example to all of us to "ca' canny." although we had our proportion of blizzard days i do not think our meteorological record showed any undue frequency of high wind and blizzards; but, as simpson in his meteorological discussion points out, we suffered far more in this respect than amundsen, who camped on the ice barrier far from the land. it is a bitter pill to swallow, but in the light of after events one is compelled to state that had we stuck to our original plan and made our landing four hundred miles or so to the eastward of ross island, we should have escaped, in all probability, the greater part of the bad weather experienced by us. comparison with framheim, amundsen's observation station, shows that we at cape evans had ten times as much high wind as the norwegians experienced. our wind velocities reached greater speeds than miles an hour, whereas there does not appear to be any record of wind higher than miles an hour at amundsen's base at the bay of whales. some of our anemometer records were very interesting. in the month of july, when wilson's party was absent, we recorded hours of blizzards, that is, of southerly winds of more than miles an hour speed. this was the record for the winter months, but while we were depot-laying and waiting for the sea to freeze over at hut point, no less than hours of blizzard were recorded in one month--march. think of it, well over half the month was blizzard, with its consequent discomfort and danger. the blizzard which nearly caused the loss of the cape crozier party measured a wind force up to miles an hour; no wonder the canvas roof of the stone hut there was swept away! our minimum temperature at the hut meteorological station was degrees below zero in july, , and the maximum temperature during the winter occurred in june when the thermometer stood as high as + degrees. our ten ponies stood the winter very well, all things being considered. one nearly died with cramp, but he pulled round in extraordinary fashion after keeping oates and myself up all night nursing him. in spite of the names we assigned to the animals, largely on account of their being presented to us by certain schools, institutions, and individuals, the ponies were called by names conferred on them by the sailors and those who led them out for exercise. the ten animals that now survived were james pigg, christopher, victor, nobby, jehu, michael, snatcher, bones, snippets, and a manchurian animal called chinaman, who behaved very badly in that he was always squealing, biting, and kicking the other ponies. a visitor to the stables, if he lent a hand to stir up the blubber which was usually cooking there, found himself generally welcome and certain to be entertained. oates and meares, his constant companions, had both served through the south african war, and had many delightful stories to tell of their experiences in this campaign; their anecdotes are not all printable, but no matter. of oates it is correct to say that he was more popular with the seamen than any other officer. he understood these men perfectly and could get any amount of work out of them, this was a great advantage, because he only had his russian groom permanently to assist him, and he generally used volunteer labour after working hours to carry out his operations. in the two lectures he gave us on "the care and management of horses," to which reference has been made, oates showed how much time and thought he had devoted to his charges, and to the forthcoming pony-sledge work over the great ice barrier. during the latter half of the winter oates and i saw a good deal of one another, as we daily exercised our ponies on the sea ice when wilson's party was away and afterwards also till the weather was light enough for me to continue surveying. oates led two ponies out generally-- christopher, the troublesome, and jehu, the indolent while the care of the rogue pony, chinaman, devolved on myself. when the ponies went well, which was usually the case, when they did not suffer from the weather, we used to have long yarns about our respective services and mutual friends. oates would often discuss the forthcoming southern journey, and his ambition was to reach the top of the beardmore glacier; he did not expect to be selected for the southern party, which was planned to contain four men only--two of these must have special knowledge of navigation, to check one another's observations--the third would be a doctor, and it was expected that a seaman would be chosen for the fourth. so oates was convinced that he had no chance, never for a moment appreciating his own sterling qualities. by the spring the ponies were all ready to start their serious training for the southern journey, and the proper leaders now took charge to daily exercise their animals in harness. the older sledges were used with dummy loads, varying in weight according to the condition and strength of the pony. so well in fact and so carefully did oates tend his charges, that by the time they were required for the southern journey only jehu caused him any anxiety, even so this beast managed to haul a reasonable load for a distance of nearly miles. as to the dogs, the list was as follows: poodle--killed during gale outward in ship. mannike rabchick (little grouse)--died from fall into crevasse. vashka--died suddenly, cause unknown. sera uki (gray ears)--died after cramp and paralysis of hind legs. seri do. do. deek do. do. stareek (old man)--sent back with first supporting party. deek the wild one. brodiaga (robber). biele glas (white eye). wolk (wolf). mannike noogis (little leader). kesoi (one eye). julik (scamp). tresor (treasure). vida. kumugai. biela noogis (white leader). hohol (little russian). krisraviza (beauty). lappe uki (lap ears). petichka (little bird). cigane (gipsy). giliak (indian). osman. seri (gray). sukoi (lean). borup. rabchick (grouse). ostre nos (long nose). makaka (monkey). chorne stareek (black old man). peary. _note._--borup and peary were from the american north polar expedition puppies. borup was used in dimitri's dog team which got right on to the beardmore glacier, but peary was never any use except for the other dogs to sharpen their teeth on. he was a regular pariah. apart from the sledge dogs, we had a bitch called lassie for breeding purposes, but she was a rotten dog and killed her puppies, so we might as well have left her in new zealand, where we got her. the dogs came through the winter very well, and during blizzards they merely coiled themselves up into round balls of fur and let the snow drift over them. meares and dimitri kept a very watchful eye over the dog teams, and protected them against the prevailing winds with substantial snow-shelters, always taking the weaker or sick animals into the annexe where birdie kept his stores, or else into the small dog hospital, which was made by dimitri and perfected by meares. the sun returned to us on the nd august. we were denied a sight of it owing to bad weather, for on the nd and rd august we had a blizzard with very heavy snowfall, and the drift was so great that, when it became necessary to leave the hut for any purpose, the densely packed flakes almost stifled us. we hoped to see the sun at noon on the rd when it was denied us on the previous day, but no such luck, the sun's return was heralded by one of our worst blizzards, which continued with very occasional lulls until august , when we actually saw the sun, just a bit of it. i saw the upper limb from out on the sea ice, and sunny jim at the same time got a sight of it from his observatory hill. how glad we were. we drank champagne to honour the sun, people made poetry concerning it, some of which--birdie bowers's lines--found their way eventually into the "south polar times." the animals went half dotty over it, frisking, kicking, and breaking away even from their leaders; they seemed to understand so well, these little ponies, that the worst part of the winter was gone--poor ponies! long before the sun again disappeared below the northern horizon the ponies were no more. there is not so very much in the statement that the sun had now returned, but the fact, of little enough significance to those without the antarctic circle, left something in our minds, an impression never to be effaced--the snowed-up hut surrounded by a great expanse of white, the rather surprised look an the dogs' faces, the sniffing at one's knees and the wagging of tails as one approached to pat their heads, the twitching of the ponies' ears and nostrils, and the rather impish attitude the fitter animals adopted, the occasional kick out, probably meant quite playfully, and above all the grins on the faces of the russian grooms. yes, we were all smiling when the sun came back, even the horizon smiled kindly at us from the north. the barne glacier's snout lost its inexorable hard gray look and took on softer hues, and erebus's slopes were now bathed in every shade of orange, pink, and purple. to begin with, we had very little of this lovely colouring, but soon the gladdening tints stretched out over morning and afternoon. we were never idle in the hut, but the sun's return seemed to make fingers lighter as well as hearts. chapter x spring depot journey however well equipped an expedition may be, there are always special arrangements and adaptions necessary to further the labour-saving contrivances and extend the radius of action. for this reason the short autumn journeys had been undertaken to test the equipment as well as to give us sledging experience and carry weights of stores out on to the barrier. and now that wilson had added yet more knowledge to what we were up against, we set evans and his seamen companions on to the most strenuous preparations for going south with sledges. thus, while one lot of men were skilfully fitting sledges with convenient straps to secure the loads against the inevitable bumping, jolting, and capsizing, and lashing tank-like contrivances of waterproof canvas on, to contain the component units of food, another set of people would be fastening light wicker or venesta boxes athwart the sledge ends for carrying instruments and such perishable things as the primus stoves and methylated spirit bottles. these sledges were under the particular charge of petty officer evans, and he took delightful pride in his office. what little gray dawn there was enabled him gleefully to inspect the completed sledges as they stood ready in their special groups outside our hut. the more general type would be the ft. sledge, constructed of light elm with hickory runners. on it were secured venesta wood trays for the tins of paraffin, usually in front, the aforesaid capacious canvas tank, and behind everything the oblong instrument box surmounted by light wooden chocks for holding the aluminium cooker. all sledges had small manilla rope spans, secured in most seamanlike fashion, to take the towing strain and throw it fairly through the structure of these light but wonderfully strong sledges. while the sledging equipment advanced, bowers, aided by cherry-garrard, sorted out the rations, which he weighed and packed in the most business-like manner. bowers was always well served, for he had the happy knack of enlisting volunteers for whatever his particular purpose called. by september scott must have felt that no portion of his preparations was incomplete, for the travelling equipment had been taken in hand with a thoroughness that was the outcome of zeal and thoughtful attention to detail. previous to the departure of the large caravan for the polar journey, a spring journey was proposed for the purpose of laying a small depot at corner camp and generally reconnoitring. on account of the low spring temperatures no animals were used for this trip, which was carried out by gran, forde, and myself. we started on ski, pulling a heavy load of over six hundred pounds. we marched from eight o'clock in the morning until nine at night, with a short interval for lunch, and that first day out we covered twenty miles and arrived on the great ice barrier at the close of our march. the barrier in its bleak loneliness is probably the most desolate portion of the earth's surface, with the possible exception of the high plateau which forms the ice cap of the great antarctic mountain ranges. although only twenty miles from our winter quarters at cape evans, the temperature was degrees lower, as we afterwards found by comparison. we were all three anxious to acquit ourselves well, and although the temperature on camping was degrees below zero we had not experienced any great discomfort until we encountered a sharp, cold breeze off cape armitage, which resulted in forde having his nose badly frost-bitten. directly this was noticed we quickly unpacked our sledge, erected our tent, and whilst gran cooked the supper i applied what warmth i could to forde's nose to bring the frozen part of it back to life. needless to say, the sharp air had keened our appetites, and we were all eager for the fragrant smelling pemmican. we sat round on our rolled-up fur sleeping-bags, warming our hands over the primus stove, and literally yearning for the moment to arrive when the pemmican would boil and we could absorb the delicious beverage and derive some badly needed warmth therefrom. following the pemmican and biscuit came a fine brew of cocoa. this finished, the bags were unstrapped and laid out, when the three of us soon curled up and, huddling together for warmth, endeavoured to get to sleep. the thermometer, however, fell to degrees below zero, and the cold seemed to grip us particularly about the feet and loins. all night we shivered and fidgeted, feeling the want of extra beat in the small of our backs more than elsewhere. we got little or no sleep that night, and my companions were as glad as i was myself when daylight came and we got busy with our breakfast. we arrived at the old pony-food depot, safety camp, during the forenoon of september , and dug out the stores and bales of compressed hay, which we carefully tallied and marked by setting up a large black flag. then we continued towards corner camp. we covered only eight or nine miles this second day on account of spending much time in digging out the depot at safety camp. the temperature seemed to fall as we advanced into the barrier, and this night the thermometer fell to degrees below zero, which meant more shivering and even more discomfort, because now the moisture from our bodies and our breath formed ice in the fur of our sleeping-bags, especially at the head, hips, and feet. one can never forget the horrible ice-clammy feeling of one's face against the frozen fur. how i yearned for a whiff of mild new zealand air and an hour of its glorious sunshine to thaw my frozen form. in spite of the low temperature we did sleep this second night, for we were tired men, and nature nursed us somehow into a sort of mild unconsciousness. on the third day of our march a considerable effort was necessary to bring the sledge out of its settled position in the hard snow, but we soon got going, like willing horses swaying at our load. the day was very cold and our breath came out grayly steaming in the clear, crisp air. at first our faces, feet, and fingers were quite painful from the cold, which bit right through, but as the march progressed the temperature rose kindly, until towards noon it was only about degrees below zero, warm enough after what we had experienced earlier. as we trudged along we watched the mist which clothed the distant hills uncurl from their summits and roll back into rising sheets of vapour which finally dispersed and left a cloudless sky. the awful absence of life struck strong notes within us. even our feet made no noise at all, clad in their soft fur boots, for we could no longer pull on ski owing to the increasing weight of ice collecting in our sleeping-bags and on the sledging equipment. we were disappointed as the day progressed, for the sky became overcast and the wind blew stronger and stronger from the w.s.w: with low drifts, and at . p.m., it being too dark to see properly, we camped. by the time our tent was pitched a fair blizzard was upon us, and by o'clock the camp was well snowed up. in spite of the howling wind we made all snug inside, and the temperature rose to such an extent that we got quite a good night's rest. the blizzard continued throughout the night, but on the following day the wind took off somewhat, and by the afternoon it was fine enough for us to make a start again, which we did in a biting cold wind. we marched on until nightfall, covering about seven and a half miles. on the th september, having shivered in my bag all night, at five o'clock i told my companions to get up, both of them being awake. the cold had been so dreadful that none of us had slept a wink, and we were not at all surprised on looking at the thermometer when we found the temperature was . degrees below zero, fahrenheit. we cooked a meal and then prepared to scout for corner camp. i got a glimpse of observation hill, a well-known landmark, and took a bearing of that and another hill. this gave me our whereabouts, and then we struck southward for a short distance until we saw just the top of the flagstaff of corner camp, which had been entirely buried up by the winter's snow-drifts. when we reached the camp we pitched our tent and dug out all the forenoon, until eventually we had got all the stores repacked in an accessible fashion at the top of a great snow cairn constructed by the three of us. it was about the coldest day's work i ever remember doing. the job finished, we made ourselves some tea and then started to march back to hut point, nearly thirty-five miles away. we proposed to do this distance without camping, except for a little food, for we had no wish to remain another minute at corner camp, where it was blowing a strong breeze with a temperature of degrees below zero all the time we were digging, in fact about as much as we could stick. when four miles on our homeward journey the wind dropped to a calm, and at . we had some pemmican and tea, having covered nine and a half miles according to our sledge meter. we started again at midnight, and, steering by stars, kept our course correct. the hot tea seemed to run through my veins; its effect was magical, and the ice-bitten feeling of tired men gave way once more to vigour and alertness. as we started out again we witnessed a magnificent auroral display, and as we dragged the now light sledge onward we watched the gold white streamers waving and playing in the heavens. the atmosphere, was extraordinarily clear, and we seemed to be marching in fairyland, but for the cold which made our breath come in gasps. we were cased lightly in ice about the shoulders, loins, and feet, and we were also covered with the unpleasant rime which our backs had brushed off the tent walls when we had camped. on we went, however, confident but silent. no other sound now but the swish, swish of our ski as we sped through the soft new snow. in the light of the aurora objects stood out with the razor-edge sharpness of an after-blizzard atmosphere, and the temperature seemed to fall even lower than at midnight. our fingers seemed to be cut with the frost burn, and frost bites played all round our faces, making us wince with pain. we were marching, as, it were, under the shadow of erebus, the great antarctic volcano, and on this never-to-be-forgotten night the southern lights played for hours. if for nothing else, it was worth making such a sledge journey to witness the display. first, vertical shafts ascended in a fan of electric flame, and then the shafts all merged into a filmy, pale chrome sheet. this faded and intensified alternately, and then in an instant disappeared, but more flaming lights burst into view in other parts of the heavens, and a phantom curtain of glittering electric violet trembled between the lights and the stars. no wonder wilson and bowers stated that the aurora effects were much better and more variegated in colour this southern side of mount erebus. the awful splendour of this majestic vision gave us all a most eerie feeling, and we forgot our fatigue and the cold whilst we watched. the southern lights continued for some hours, only vanishing with the faint appearance of dawn. with daylight the well-known hills which surrounded our winter quarters thrust themselves into view, and gladdened by this sight we redoubled our efforts. at a.m. we had alight breakfast of tea and biscuits. we were off again before six, and we continued marching until we came to the edge of the great ice barrier shortly before p.m. we did not stop for lunch, but marched straight to hut point, arriving at three o'clock at the hut. we cooked ourselves a tremendous meal, which we ate steadily from to . , and then we discussed marching on to our winter quarters at cape evans, fifteen miles farther. had we started we might have got in by a.m., but not before. we had marched all through one night, and besides digging out corner camp, we had covered nearly thirty-five miles, which on top of a day's work we considered good enough. we therefore prepared the hut for the night; two of us turned in about seven and soon fell asleep. gran remained sitting at the stove, as his bag was in such a shockingly iced-up condition that he could not yet get into it. he awoke us about p.m. with more food, cocoa and porridge, both of which were excellent. i full well remember that he put about four ounces of butter into each bowl of porridge, which we mightily enjoyed. we then slept again till morning--a long, warm, dreamless sleep. we had an easy march back to cape evans on the sea ice, and arrived in the evening at the main hut, which appeared to us like a palace after our cold spring journey. chapter xi preparations and plans for the summer season whilst the spring depot-laying party was absent, scott, on september , took a small sledge party counting bowers, seaman evans, and simpson away westward. they covered over geographical miles, and commenced by taking over to butter point a quantity of stores for griffith taylor's forthcoming western summer journey. the provisions deposited, scott marched up the ferrar glacier to cathedral rocks and did some scientific work and surveying. he found that the ferrar glacier moved feet in seven months. he then came back down the glacier and continued his march on sea ice, following the coast into the five mile deep bay known as new harbour, thence outward and north eastward to cape bernacchi and on past marble point, where the broken-off portion of glacier tongue was found aground as stated already. after an examination of this ice mass the party pressed on past spike point to dunlop island, sledging coastwise parallel to the piedmont glacier, named by griffith taylor after dr. wilson. a thorough examination was made of dunlop island, revealing many facts of extraordinary scientific interest. on th september the sledge team retraced their steps from dunlop island to a camp near marble point, and, after spending a night close to the remnant of glacier tongue, they shaped course direct for cape evans, which was reached about a.m. on th september. travelling mostly on sea ice, and well away from the frigidity of the ice barrier, scott was not troubled with any particularly low temperatures, but he experienced a nasty blizzard on the two days preceding his return to headquarters. apart from the value of this journey in observations of a technical nature, scott gleaned much information, which he was able to impart to griffith taylor concerning the very important journey to be undertaken by the latter. once back in the hut, scott set to work to put the final touches to his elaborate plans, drew up instructions, got his correspondence in order lest he should miss the "terra nova" through a late return from the pole, and even wrote a special letter urging that special promotion to commander's rank should be given to pennell and myself. about this time he called on us severally to relieve him if we could of the responsibility of paying us for the second season. most of us signed the document, but not all could afford to do so. the general outline plan for the polar journey was now understood by all concerned in it to be as follows: _the motor party._--day, lashly, hooper, and myself to leave winter quarters about october , the two motors dragging fuel and forage. _the pony party,_ consisting of scott, wilson, oates, bowers, cherry-garrard, atkinson, wright, petty officer evans, crean, and keohane, to be independent of the success of the motors, to work light loads and easy distances out to corner camp, full loads and easy distances to one ton camp, and full distances beyond this point. _the dog teams,_ starting later, to rejoin scott at one ton camp. the first object was to get twelve men with weekly food units provision (four men per weekly unit) to the foot of beardmore glacier. thence, with units of four men and units of provision, it was hoped to extend the advance unit (polar party of four men) the required distance. the route intended was the actual one taken, as shown on the accompanying map. all our instructions were clear, and we knew what was expected of us long before the start for the southern journey was made. the plans and instructions complete, we had a full month for our own individual work. i had plenty to do in conjunction largely with debenham, and accordingly he, i, and gran set out on september with sledge, tent, and a week's food supply to complete and extend our surveys, and in debenham's case to "geologise." we had an interesting but somewhat chilly time. theodolite and plane table work are not suited to very cold climates. we all three worked long hours, usually turning out between and a.m. and not wasting time over meals. whilst away surveying we mostly worked on the sea ice, and pitched our tent there. on october at, midnight a terrific squall struck our tent. we knew what wilson's experience had been and consequently we were out of our bags in a moment. being close to land we got gran to collect rocks on the valance, while debenham and i held on for our lives to it, otherwise the tent would have blown away via mcmurdo sound into the ross sea. eventually all was serene, the tent securely anchored by rocks piled close around, and we three were snoring in our bags. we lay still until the following afternoon, by which time the blizzard had abated, and one could see a mile or two; accordingly we were up and about, so that when the visibility suited, debenham and i were once more at work and gran was away to cape evans for the purpose of replenishing our food bag. it is worthy of mention that gran could easily carry sixty pounds weight in a "rygsaek," (norwegian knapsack for ski running and towing) and hung about him whilst keeping up a speed on ski that made the best of us sweat. debenham whilst in the neighbourhood of the turk's head found much of interest to geologists, and was pleased at what we collected in the way of information. "deb" was one of the best cooks in the expedition, so we fared well whilst he was with gran and myself. gran kept us alive with his reminiscences, which were always amusing, and he certainly possessed the liveliest imagination in the expedition. he ought to have been a brigand chief. sometimes his imaginative foresight led him to commit slight breaches of discipline, as the following anecdote will show. on midwinter night when our table was gay and festive gran noticed an unopened pint bottle of champagne towards the end of the feast, when "bubbley" was being superseded by port and liqueurs. cleverly he coaxed the champagne bottle on to his lap, under his jersey, and finally into his bunk, where it remained hidden until such opportunity should arise for its consumption. gran was too generous to finish it himself, and too wise to divide it with many--a pint was for two and no more. it so happened that whilst we two were working around glacier tongue this spring doing survey work we had to come in to cape evans for some purpose. we had a hard run out on ski to our camp, and my short legs found great effort necessary to keep pace with the swarthy ski-runner. once arrived at the survey camp i puffed and blew and sank nearly exhausted on my sleeping-bag in the tent. i told gran we must have some tea before re-commencing work, and reached out to get the cooker ready. gran asked me what i fancied most in the world, and my reply was--a pint of champagne. he laughed and asked me what i would give him for that same, to which i articulated, "five pounds," and sank my tired head between my knees. noiselessly the norwegian glided from the tent to reappear with the stolen champagne bottle. i smiled delightedly, and soon we were hard at work cooking the champagne into its liquid state once more, for it was of course hard frozen in the low temperature. when we got the stuff melted it had lost its "fizz," but it tasted nectar-like even from our aluminium sledge mugs, and such was the stimulus from it that we worked until darkness had set in. i have never paid the five pounds, for the reason that gran chose a dinner party at the grand hotel, christiania instead: from a financial point of view i should have gained by paying--but that is another story and has no connection with the frozen south. on october we finished the coast survey in mcmurdo sound: generally the weather was wretched, but this notwithstanding we got along fairly well with our work. once back in the hut there was plenty to be done preparing for the southern journey. my particular work consisted of rating chronometers, sewing, packing, stowing, making sundials, calibrating instruments, and preparing little charts which could be rolled up on a bamboo stick and carried in the instrument boxes of the sledges. poor clissold, our cook, fell off an iceberg while posing for ponting, and was on account of his severe shaking unable to accompany the motor party for which scott had detailed him. after dinner on october day started his motors, and amidst a perfect furore of excitement he got one motor sledge down on to the sea ice. at the ice foot, alas, one of the rear axle cases fractured badly and the car was out of action yards from the garage. the other car wouldn't start. from the th until the th october, day and lashly were at work repairing the disabled car, and they made an excellent job of it, so that there was no delay in the starting date for the pioneer party with the motors. we got all news by telephone from hut point with reference to the state of the surface on the great ice barrier, as meares and dimitri returned on october from a flying journey to corner camp and back with depot stores. meares's dogs on this trip covered the seventy statute miles, out and home, in thirty-six hours, including their resting time. scott handed me my instructions on october , which read as follows: _instructions for motor party._ proceed at convenient speed to corner camp, thence to one ton camp, and thence due south to latitude / degrees south. if motors successful (i) carry forward from corner camp bags forage, bag of oilcake; _but_ see that provision for ponies is intact, _viz._: sacks oats, bag oilcake, bags of forage. if motors pulling very well you can also take cases emergency biscuit. (ii) in addition carry forward from one ton camp all man food and fuel in depot, _viz._: units bagged provisions, boxes biscuit, gallons paraffin, but see that provision for ponies is intact, _viz._: sacks oats; and deposit second bag of oil-cake brought from corner camp. if motors pulling very well you can also take or bales of compressed fodder. it being important that i should have latest news of your success i am arranging for dog teams to follow your tracks for some distance. if motors break down temporarily you will have time for repairs. if motors break down irretrievably, take weeks' provision and gallons extra summit oil on foot sledge and continue south easy marches. arrange as best you can for ponies to overtake you three or four marches due south one ton camp. advance as much weight (man food) as you can conveniently carry from one ton camp, but i do not wish you to tire any of party. the object is to relieve the ponies as much as possible on leaving one ton camp, but you must not risk chance of your tracks being obliterated and pony party missing you. (signed) r. f. scott. on october i wrote my final letters to my wife and friends lest i should get back to cape evans after the departure of the "terra nova": we had by now decided that another winter was imperious, and as far as possible those who were likely to remain a second winter wrote to this effect, and left their letters in simpson's charge. before my departure with the motors i also spent some time with my leader, and he gave me all his instructions to the various parties to read. they are so explicit and comprehensive that i may well append certain of them here, for they clearly show how scott's organisation covered the work of the ship, the base, the western party, the dog teams, and even the arrangements for campbell's party. i.--instructions for commanding officer, "terra nova." _october_, . the expedition suffered a considerable loss of ponies in march, but enough remain to carry out the southern plan, under favourable circumstances. this loss and experience with the remaining animals have decided me to start the southern journey at a later date than originally intended. as at present arranged the southern party leaves at the end of this month (october), and it is estimated that if all goes well the earliest date at which the most advanced party can return to mcmurdo sound is march . as it is probable the ship will be obliged to leave the sound before this party has returned, arrangements have been made to pass a second winter at cape evans, and as is clearly desirable, the scientific staff will remain to continue their work. if fresh transport is brought by the ship, other members of the expedition will remain to work it, and it is probable that an attempt will be made to cross the barrier in a s.s.e.ly direction in - . the ship must be prepared to return to the sound in - to relieve those that remain for the second winter. details concerning past events can be learned from the bearers of these instructions. in all that follows i want you to understand clearly that you should proceed in accordance with your judgment rather than the letter of these instructions, where the further information you possess may cause it to appear more expedient. subject to this condition i wish you to carry out the following programme:-- i assume that you arrive at the rendezvous, granite harbour, on or about january , and pick up the western geological party as arranged. the party will consist of griffith-taylor, debenham, gran, and forde. the first copy of this document may be found by you at the depot made by this party on the bluff at the entrance of the harbour, but i hope that taylor himself will hand it to you. in case the party should be absent it is well to quote taylor's plan in brief: to november --exploring along coast north of granite harbour. november to --exploring coast and inland south of granite harbour. december to january -exploring inland of granite harbour region. taylor will make every effort to return to granite harbour in time to meet you, and should the party be absent you may assume that it has probably been delayed inland. on the chance that it may have been cut off you may proceed to search the coast in a southerly direction if ice conditions permit. the time occupied in the search must be left to your judgment, observing that the party will reach granite harbour with sufficient provision to last till april, , and should be able to work its way back to this depot. all things considered, i do not think you need be anxious about the party, even if you find a search impracticable, having regard to your future movements, and you will remember that the search will be more easily prosecuted as the season advances. should the party be recovered at once, as is most probable, i wish you to take it to evans coves, and land it without delay. the provisions carried by the party should be sufficient to support it for about two months, to provide for the possibility of the failure of the ship to return. i imagine this landing will be effected about january or , and the party should be instructed to be prepared to be re-embarked on february . it will, of course, be under your orders, and you should be careful that the place for relief is thoroughly understood by all concerned. after landing this party you will proceed to cape evans, and should you reach it on or about january you will have three weeks in mcmurdo sound before proceeding to finally relieve the geological party. there will be a great deal of work to be done and very little assistance: the order in which it is performed must depend on the state of the ice, etc., but of course the practical work of relieving the station must take precedence in point of importance. simpson will remain in charge of the station, and is provided with complete lists of the stores remaining, together with the requirements for the future. bowers will have left a letter for you concerning these matters. it is probable that a good many of the stores you bring will not be required on shore, and in any case you will easily determine what is wanted. if tons of patent fuel remain, we shall not require more than tons of additional fuel. in addition to stores i hope you will be landing some fresh transport animals. oates has drawn a plan for extending the stable accommodation, which will be left with simpson. the carpenter should be landed for this work and for the few small alterations in the hut accommodation which may be necessary. the discovery hut at cape armitage has now been put into fairly good order, and anticipating that returning parties may have to remain there for some time, as we did last year, i am arranging to transport a quantity of stores to hut point. in case the ponies are unable to finish this work, i should like you to complete it at some convenient season. according to circumstances you will probably wait till the ice has broken well back. mails and letters for members of the southern party should be taken to hut point and left in clearly marked boxes. simpson will inform you of the plan on which the southern journey is being worked. the first returning parties from the south should reach hut point towards the end of january. at as early a date as convenient i should like you to proceed to the western side of the sound (i) to find a snug berth in which the ship can take shelter during gales. (ii) to erect the meteorological hut if you have brought it with you. from a recent sledge trip to the west i am inclined to think that excellent shelter could be found for the ship alongside the fast ice in the ferrar glacier inlet or in new harbour, and it might be well to make headquarters in such a place in time of disturbance. but it would be wise to keep an eye to the possibility of ice pressure across the sound. it might be possible to moor the ship under the shelter of butter point by a hawser secured to balks of timber buried deep in the snow; she should he easy at a long scope. in regards to the hut my idea is to place it in as sheltered a spot as possible, at or near a spot which commands a view of the strait, the main object being to make it a station from which the phenomena of blizzards, etc., can be observed. simpson, who was with me in the west, will give you some idea of our impressions. you will understand that neither of the above objects are of vital importance. on the proper date you will return to evans coves to pick up the geological party. i must assume that campbell has been landed in the region of robertson bay in a place that is fairly accessible at this season. if this is so i think it is desirable that you should visit his station after leaving evans coves to communicate fresh instructions to him. campbell was directed to be prepared to embark on february , and it is probable that he will have returned a few days before that date. in view of the return of the ship in - i propose to give campbell's party the choice of remaining another winter in their station under certain conditions or of returning to new zealand. should they decide to stay, the necessary stores for them can now be landed. should they decide to return, inform priestley that he is at liberty to remain at cape evans for a second winter if he wishes to do so. should the party be absent from the station you must leave the instructions and return to mcmurdo sound. i do not think you should delay beyond february on this service. you should be back in mcmurdo sound at the end of february or march, and after collecting fresh news, i hope you will be able to moor the ship and await developments for at least ten days. the term of this stay must be left entirely to your judgment, observing that whilst it is highly undesirable for you to miss the latest possible news, it would be more undesirable for you to be caught in the ice and forced to winter. concerning this matter i can only give you information as to what had happened in previous years: last year the bays froze permanently on march . last year the sound froze permanently on may or . by the bays i mean the water south of hut point, inside turtle back island, south of glacier tongue, inside the islands north of glacier tongue, and, i think, the western shores of the sound. the following gives the ice movements in the sound in more detail: march .- . ice forming and opening with leads. " . sea clear. " . strait apparently freezing. " (early). ice over whole sound. " . all ice gone. " . freezing over. april . ice out, etc. this sort of thing continued till may, with lengthening intervals, but never more than three days of frozen sea. the dates of freezing over in were approximately the same, except that the sound continued to open beyond the glacier tongue throughout the winter. in the bays did not break out, but the sound was freezing and opening in march and april as in the other years. i think it is certain that the old ice lately broken as well as all the broken young ice drifts to the west, and that a ship on the western side of the sound would be pretty certainly entangled at this season of the year. i think it more than probable that you will find all the old ice broken out when you return from the north, and the bay south of cape armitage completely open. if so, this seems to me to be a good place for you to wait, moored to the edge of the barrier, if possible. young ice will constantly form about you, but i do not think you need fear its detaining you until after the third week in march. i am afraid it may be very cold and unpleasant waiting in such a situation, and possibly better and safer conditions for the ship can be found farther to the west and nearer to the decayed glacier ice south of black island. moored here the ship would have a clear sea to leeward, whereas in the bay beyond cape armitage she might have a lee shore. you will know best how to make a good permanent ice anchor. there are shoals off cape armitage which may extend for one or even two miles, and careful navigation is needed in this immediate vicinity. the shoals off hut point and the west side of the peninsula do not extend more than a ship's length from the shore. otherwise, except inside the islands, i believe the sound to be free from such dangers. in case you choose to wait in a spot somewhat remote from hut point i am arranging to attract your attention in the following manner:--very's lights will be discharged and as large a flare as possible will be burnt at hut point at midnight or noon (you will remember we are keeping time for th meridian). as large a flag as possible will be displayed on the skyline of the heights near by, and attempts to heliograph with a looking-glass will be made. with a keen lookout for such signals you need not frequently approach the hut. in the above i have referred to the young ice in the sound only; there is no means of knowing what is happening farther north, but i am of opinion that as long as the "terra nova" is free to move in the southern bays, she will have no great difficulty in leaving the ross sea. you will understand that the foregoing remarks are intended as helpful suggestions and that i do not wish them to interfere with your judgment of the situation as it stands; above all, i would not have them to prompt you to take a risk in detaining the ship beyond the time which you think proper for her departure. i fully realise that at this critical time, when gales are very frequent, your position will be beset with difficulties, and i much regret that it is necessary to ask you to undertake such an uncomfortable service. apart from, but concurrently with, the services which have been discussed, i know that you will be anxious to help forward the scientific objects of the expedition. having regard to your interests in such matters, they also are left mainly to your judgment, and i wish only to specify some lines on which any soundings taken would be especially important. these seem to be: . in the space occupied by the old glacier tongue (some two miles of the tongue was broken off last summer). . across the sound in one or two places to give a section of the bottom elevations. . across any fiords on the coast such as the ferrar glacier inlet. . off the end of ice tongues or the edge of ice walls. . off the old pinnacled ice north of black island. . from a boat near the barne glacier. . from a boat around grounded bergs. i have now to mention various matters of lesser importance to which i should like attention given if time and circumstances permit. . the hut galley is not in a very satisfactory condition. i should like williams to overhaul it and try to make it more serviceable for a second season. . the coast of victoria land has been redrawn over the "discovery" track. i should be glad to have definite evidence on this point. any replotting of coast will of course be valuable. . boot-leather, stout boot-nails, and useful paper are requirements which i hope you will be able to supply sufficiently for a second season. . the only want for the second season which i can foresee is reindeer pelts for repairing sleeping-bags. i very much fear you will not have brought any: anything you can provide to make good the want would be acceptable. . if convenient williams might look at the blubber cooking stove in the discovery hut and provide some sheet metal, etc., to keep it in good repair. . one of the old blubber stoves adapted as in stables and some chimney pipe should be placed in the meteorological hut if it is erected to the west. . to provide for possible difficulty in keeping up supply of blubber for discovery hut stove in march and april it might be useful to have a few bags of coal there, if you can spare them and land them conveniently. last year we managed very well without coal. . if when erecting the stables, etc., the carpenter has not time to see to smaller matters, such as the repairing of the porch entrance, etc., will you please leave sufficient wood for the purpose. a drift screen would be an advantage outside door of porch. . if you erect the meteorological hut, and can conveniently do so, it would help for you to leave a few cases of provisions in it. bowers leaves a note with simpson on this point. . if at any time during the season it is convenient to you without undue expenditure of coal to land at cape crozier, i should like you to leave a small depot of provisions there. the object of this depot is to support a sledge party to visit the region early next season. bowers leaves a note with simpson concerning the stores required. they should be placed near the discovery record post. . to assist the signalling to you from hut point you might land rockets or port-fires. in regard to the constitution of the wintering party for the second winter, much must remain in doubt. the following members will return in any case: . taylor, whose leave of absence transpires. . ponting, who will have completed his work. . anton, who has had enough of it. _anton_ took the dark season very badly; it preyed on his superstitions, but he has worked like a trojan and is an excellent little man. please recommend him highly if he wants to get work in new zealand. _meares_ may possibly return; it depends on letters from home. the following are certain to stay: bowers, simpson, debenham, wright, nelson, atkinson, clissold, hooper, dimitri. the movements of the following depend (i) on the date of the return from the south; (ii) on the fresh transport which you have brought: myself, wilson, evans, oates, cherry-garrard, gran, day, and the seamen. if you have brought fresh transport the probability is that all these will remain. if you have not brought fresh transport the majority, if not all, who are able to catch the ship will return. the decision is in every case voluntary and subject to alteration on receipt of home news or from other causes. it is impossible for me to speak too highly of any member of the expedition who has remained in this party, and you must do your best to see that the reasons of returning members are generally understood. in regard to my agreement with the central news i am leaving with simpson under separate cover a telegraphic despatch concerning the doings of this party, containing about words. i hope you will duly receive letters from me through returning sections of the southern party. i must leave it to you to complete the despatch with this material, with news from campbell, and with an account of your own doings. you will remember that the agreement is for a minimum of words, and we must not fail in the performance of our part, drake must take special care to have the "hereward" message correct. as a matter of form, it will be well for you to remind every one returning in the ship of the terms of the ship's articles. ponting will be in charge of all the photographic material returning, and will see to the observance of the various agreements concerning it. his own work is of the greatest importance, and it is probable that he will wish to be in the ship during your trip to recover the geological party and communicate with campbell. i should like you to give him every facility you can for his work, but of course you will remember that he is an enthusiast, and in certain circumstances might undervalue his own safety or that of the ship. i don't want you to run risks to get pictures. i have hitherto made no mention of amundsen, as we have no news of him beyond that which you brought. the circumstances do not appear to me to make it incumbent on you to attempt to visit his station. but should the "fram" not have been heard of, or public opinion seem to point to the advisability, you are of course at liberty to go along the barrier and to rearrange this programme as necessary for the purpose. finally, i wish you every sort of good fortune in the work that is to do, and better weather than you encountered last year. i am sure that you will do all that is possible under the circumstances. (signed) r.f. scott. ii.--instructions to dr. g. c. simpson. my dear simpson,--in leaving you in charge of the cape evans station i have little to do beyond expressing the hearty wish that all may be well with yourself and the other members of the expedition remaining with you. i leave in your charge a box containing instructions for the commanding officer of the "terra nova" and other documents which i wish you to deliver to the proper persons. i think you are fully aware of my plans and wishes, beyond their expression in the various statements you have seen, and that it is needless to go further with written explanations. as you know, it is arranged for ponting, hooper, and anton to make a journey to the s.w. in december. ponting will leave with you a written statement giving an outline of his intended movements. later in the season he will probably visit cape royds and other interesting localities: please give him what assistance you can in his important work. from time to time meares may be visiting the station, and i hope that by this means, or through the telephone, you may receive information as to the progress of the southern party. the thawing of the drifts in summer will have to be carefully watched and such measures as are necessary taken to avoid injury to the hut and the stores. cases should not be exposed to wet or tins to rust. the breaking of the sea ice should be carefully watched, noted, and reported to hut point when possible. bowers will leave notes with you concerning store requirements and desirable expenditure. i anticipate the ship may have some difficulty in reprovisioning the station. you will of course render all the assistance you can. details as to the improvement of the hut for a second winter will become more evident as the season advances. in addition to the probable renovation of the stables i can only suggest the following points at present: . an extension or rebuilding of the entrance porch so that the outer door faces north. regard must be had to the possibility of bringing sledges into hut. . a shelter extension to latrine. . the construction of an air-tight embankment or other device at the base of the hut walls to keep the floor warmer. . the betterment of insulation in your corner, and the provision of a definite air inlet there. . the caulking of small holes and slits in the inner roof. . the whale boat should be looked to and probably filled with water under advice from ship. after departure of southern party all mattresses and bedding should be rolled up, and as opportunity occurs they should be thoroughly dried in the sun. you will remember that as the summer advances certain places in the solid floe become dangerously weak. it should be well to keep watch on such places, especially should they occur on the road to hut point, over which parties may be travelling at any time. it is probable there will be a rearrangement of the currents in the region of tent island since the breaking of the glacier tongue. (signed) r.f. scott. iii.--instructions leader of western party. . the objects of your journey have been discussed, and need not here be particularised. in general they comprise the geological exploration of the coast of victoria land. your party will consist of debenham, gran, and forde, and you will cross the sound to butter point on or about october. you will depart from butter point with provision as under: weeks' pemmican. gallons oil. weeks' remainder. lb. cooking fat. and make along the coast to granite harbour. you will leave at butter point two weeks' provision for your party, for use in case you are forced to retreat along the coast late in the season, and for the same eventuality you will depot a week's provision at cape bernacchi. on arrival in granite harbour you will choose a suitable place to depot the main bulk of your provision. as the commanding officer of the "terra nova" has been referred to the bluff headland, shown in the photograph on page "voyage of the 'discovery'," as the place near which you are likely to be found, it is obviously desirable that your depot should be in this vicinity. i approve your plan to employ your time thereafter approximately as follows: during what remains of the first fortnight of november in exploring north of granite harbour. during the last fortnight in november in exploring south of granite harbour. the only importance attached to the observance of this programme, apart from a consideration of the work to be done, lies in the fact that in case of an early break up of the sea ice and your inability to reach the rendezvous, the ship is directed to search the coast south of granite harbour. you should act accordingly in modifying your plans. it will certainly be wise for you to confine your movements to the regions of granite harbour during the second week in january. you will carry a copy of my instructions to the commanding officer of the "terra nova," which you are at liberty to peruse. this should be left at your depot and the depot marked, so that the ship has a good chance of finding it in case of your absence. you will, of course, make every effort to be at the rendezvous at the proper time, january , and you need not be surprised if the ship does not appear on the exact date. the commanding officer has been instructed in the following words: "i wish the ship to be at granite harbour on or about january .... no anxiety need be felt if she is unable to reach this point within a week or so of the date named." you are now in possession of all the information i can give you on this point, and it must be left to your discretion to act in accordance with unforeseen circumstances. should the ship fail to find you it is probable she will not make a protracted search before going to cape evans to gather further particulars and land stores; it is to be remembered also that an extent of fast ice or pack may prevent a search of the coast at this early season. should the ship fail to appear within a fortnight of the date named you should prepare to retreat on hut point, but i am of opinion that the retreat should not be commenced until the bays have refrozen, probably towards the end of march. an attempt to retreat over land might involve you in difficulties, whereas you could build a stone hut, provision it with seal meat, and remain in safety in any convenient station on the coast. in no case is an early retreat along the coast to be attempted without the full concurrence of the members of your party. should the ship embark you on or about the proper date, you will take on board your depot stores, except one week's provision. these stores should serve your travelling needs for the remainder of the season. whilst expressing my wishes to the commanding officer of the "terra nova," i have given him full discretion to act according to circumstances, in carrying out the further programme of the season. you will, of course, be under his orders and receive his instructions concerning your further movements. in your capacity as leader of a party i cannot too strongly impress on you the necessity for caution in your movements. although you will probably travel under good weather conditions, you must remember that violent storms occasionally sweep up the coast and that the changes of weather are quite sudden, even in summer. i urge this the more especially because i think your experiences of last year are likely to be misleading. i am confident that it is not safe for a party in these regions to be at a great distance from its camp, and that, for instance, it would be dangerous to be without shelter in such storms as that encountered by the "discovery" off coulman island early in january, . with camp equipment a party is always safe, though it is not easy to pitch tent in a high wind. i can forsee no object before you which can justify the risk of accident to yourself or to the other members of your party. i wish you to show these instructions to debenham, who will take charge of the party in case you should be incapacitated. i sincerely hope you will be able to accomplish your work without difficulty, and i am sure that pennell will do his best to help you. yours, (signed) r.f. scott. iv.--instructions for dog teams. _october_ . dear meares,--in order that there may be no mistake concerning the important help which it is hoped the dog teams will give to the southern party, i have thought it best to set down my wishes as under: assuming that you carry two bags of oilcake to hut point, i want you to take these with five bags of forage to corner camp before the end of the month. this will leave two bags of forage at hut point. if the motors pass hut point en route for the barrier, i should be glad to get all possible information of their progress. about a day after they have passed if you are at hut point i should like you to run along their tracks for half a day with this object. the motors will pick up the two bags of forage at hut point--they should be placed in a convenient position for this purpose. the general scheme of your work in your first journey over the barrier has been thoroughly discussed, and the details are contained in table viii of my plan of which you should have a copy. i leave you to fix the date of your departure from hut point, observing that i should like you to join me at one ton camp, or very shortly after. we cannot afford to wait. look for a note from me at corner camp. the date of your return must be arranged according to circumstances. under favourable conditions you should be back at hut point by december at latest. after sufficient rest i should like you to transport to hut point such emergency stores as have not yet been sent from cape evans. at this time you should see that the discovery hut is provisioned to support the southern party and yourself in the autumn in case the ship does not arrive. at some time during this month or early in january you should make your second journey to one ton camp and leave there: units x.s. ration. cases of biscuit. gallons of oil. as much dog food as you can conveniently carry (for third journey). this depot should be laid not later than january , in case of rapid return of first unit of southern party. supposing that you have returned to hut point by january , there will be nothing for you to do on the southern road for at least three weeks. in this case, and supposing the ice conditions to be favourable, i should like you to go to cape evans and await the arrival of the ship. the ship will be short-handed and may have difficulty in landing stores. i should like you to give such assistance as you can without tiring the dogs. about the first week of february i should like you to start your third journey to the south, the object being to hasten the return of the third southern unit and give it a chance to catch the ship. the date of your departure must depend on news received from returning units, the extent of the depot of dog food you have been able to leave at one ton camp, the state of the dogs, etc. assuming that the ship will have to leave the sound soon after the middle of march, it looks at present as though you should aim at meeting the returning party about march in latitude or . . if you are then in a position to advance a few short marches or "mark time" for five or six days on food brought, or ponies killed, you should have a good chance of affecting your object. you will carry with you beyond one ton camp one x.s. ration, including biscuit and one gallon of paraffin, and of course you will not wait beyond the time when you can safely return on back depots. you will of course understand that whilst the object of your third journey is important, that of the second is vital. at all hazards three x.s. units of provision must be got to one ton camp by the date named, and if the dogs are unable to perform this service, a man party must be organised. (signed) r.f. scott. v.--instructions to lieut. victor campbell. cape evans, _october_, . my dear campbell,--this letter assumes that you are landed somewhere to the north of this station and that pennell is able to place it in your hands in the third week of february before he returns to mcmurdo sound. from pennell's instructions, which i have asked him to show you, you will see that there is a probability of some change in the future plans whereby some members of the expedition remain for a second winter at cape evans. you will learn the details of the situation and the history of this station from pennell and others, and i need not go into these matters. if things should turn out as expected, arrangements will have to be made for the "terra nova" to return to the ross sea in the open season - . under these circumstances an opportunity offers for the continuance of useful work in all directions. i have therefore to offer you the choice of remaining in your present station for a second year or of returning in the "terra nova." i shall not expect you to stay unless: ( ) all your party are willing or can be replaced by volunteers. ( ) the work in view justifies the step. ( ) your food supplies are adequate. ( ) your party is in a position to be relieved with certainty on and after february , . ( ) levick and priestley are willing to forgo all legal title to expeditionary salary for the second year. i should explain that this last condition is made only because i am in ignorance of the state of the expeditionary finances. should you decide to stay i hope that pennell may be able to supply all your requirements. should you decide to return please inform priestley that he is at liberty to stay at cape evans for the second winter. the same invitation is extended to yourself should you wish to see more of this part of the continent. we could not afford to receive more of your party. should you not have returned from your sledge trip in time to meet the "terra nova" when she bears this letter, you will understand that the choice of staying or returning is equally open to you when she returns in march. in this case it would of course be impossible for any of your party to stay at cape evans. should you see pennell in february and decide to return, you could remain at your station till the ship sails north in march if you think it advisable. being so much in the dark concerning all your movements and so doubtful as to my ability to catch the ship, i am unable to give more definite instructions, but i know that both you and pennell will make the best of the circumstances, and always deserve my approval of your actions. in this connection i conclude by thanking you for the work described in your report of february last. i heartily approve your decision not to winter in king edward's land, your courteous conduct towards amundsen, and your forethought in returning the two ponies to this station. i hope that all has been well with you and that you have been able to do good work. i am sure that you have done everything that circumstances permitted and shall be very eager to see your report. with best wishes, etc., (signed) r.f. scott. chapter xii southern journey--motor sledges advance on october , , the advance guard of the southern party, consisting of day, lashly, hooper, and myself, left cape evans with two motor sledges as planned. we had with us three tons of stores, pony food, and petrol, carried on five ft. sledges, and our own tent, etc., on a smaller sledge. the object of sending forward such a weight of stores was to save the ponies' legs over the variable sea ice, which was in some places hummocky and in others too slippery to stand on. also the first thirty miles of barrier was known to be bad travelling and likely to tire the ponies unnecessarily unless they marched light, so here again it was desirable to employ the motors for a heavy drag. we had fine weather when at . a.m. we started off, with the usual concourse of well-wishers, and after one or two stops and sniffs we really got under way, and worked our loads clear of the cape on to the smoother stretch of sea ice, which improved steadily as we proceeded. hooper accompanied lashly's car and i worked with day. a long shaft protruded ft. clear each end of the motors. to the foremost end we attached the steering rope, just a set of man-harness with a long trace, and to the after end of the shaft we made fast the towing lanyard or span according to whether we hauled sledges abreast or in single line. many doubts were expressed as to the use of the despised motors--but we heeded not the gibes of our friends who came out to speed us on our way. they knew we were doing our best to make the motors successful, and their expressed sneers covered their sincere wishes that we should manage to get our loads well on to the barrier. we made a mile an hour speed to begin with and stopped at razorback island after / miles. we had lunch at razorback, and after that we "lumped," man-hauled, and persuaded the two motors and three tons of food and stores another mile onward. the trouble was not on account of the motors failing, but because of a smooth, blue ice surface. we camped at p.m. and all slept the sleep of tired men. october was ushered in with a hard wind, and it appeared in the morning as if our cars were not going to start. we had breakfast at a.m. and got started on both motors at . , but soon found that we were unable to move the full loads owing to the blue ice surface, so took to relaying. we advanced under three miles after ten hours' distracting work--mostly pulling the sledges ourselves, jerking, heaving, straining, and cursing--it was tug-of-war work and should have broken our hearts, but in spite of our adversity we all ended up smiling and camped close on p.m. the day turned out beautifully fine and calm, but the hard ice was absolutely spoiling the rollers of both cars. whilst we were preparing for bed, simpson and gran passed our tent and called on us. they were bound for hut point. i told simpson our troubles about the surface, and he promised to telephone from hut point to captain scott. next day we got going with certain difficulties, and met gran and simpson four miles from hut point. they told us that a large man-hauling party was on its way out from cape evans to assist us. the weather was superb and we all got very sunburnt. captain scott and seven others came up with us at p.m., but both motors were then forging ahead, so they went on to hut point without waiting. meantime we lunched, and afterwards struck a bad patch of surface which caused us frequent stops. we reached hut point at p.m. after stopping the motors near cape armitage, and spent the night in the hut there, camping with scott's party, meares and dimitri. the motor engines were certainly good in moderate temperatures, but our slow advance was due to the chains slipping on hard ice. scott was concerned, but he made it quite clear that if we got our loads clear of the strait between white island and ross isle, he would be more than satisfied. meares and bowers cooked a fine seal fry for us all, and we spent a happy evening at hut point. the hut, thanks to meares and dimitri, was now, for these latitudes, a regular mayfair dwelling. the blubber stove was now a bricked-in furnace, with substantial chimney, and hot plates, with cooking space sufficient for our needs, however many, were being accommodated. on october i woke the cooks at . a.m., and we breakfasted about o'clock, then went up to the motors off cape armitage. lashly's car got away and did about three miles with practically no stop. our carburettor continually got cold, and we stopped a good deal. eventually about p.m. we passed lashly's car and made our way up a gentle slope on to the barrier, waved to the party, and went on about three-quarters of a mile. here we waited for lashly and hooper, who came up at . , having had much trouble with their engine, due to overheating, we thought. when day's car glided from the sea ice, over the tide crack and on to the great ice barrier itself, scott and his party cheered wildly, and day acknowledged their applause with a boyish smile of triumph. as soon as lashly got on to the barrier, scott took his party away and they returned to cape evans. it would have been a disappointment to them if they had known that we shortly afterwards heard an ominous rattle, which turned out to be the big end brass of one of the connecting rods churning up--due to a bad casting. luckily we had a spare, which day and lashly fitted, while hooper and i went on with the ft. sledge to safety camp. here we dug out our provisions according to instructions and brought them back to our camp to avoid further delay in repacking sledges. we then made day and lashly some tea to warm them up. they worked nobly and had the car ready by p.m. we pushed on till midnight in our anxiety to acquit ourselves and our motors creditably. the thermometer showed - . degrees on camping, and temperature fell to - degrees during the night. october was my birthday; all hands wished me many happy returns of the day, and i was given letters from my wife and from forde and keohane, who somehow remembered the date from last year--these two, with browning and dickason, i had brought into the expedition from h.m.s. "talbot," one of my old ships. but to continue: we were all ready to start at a.m. in a stiff, cold breeze, when i discovered that my personal bag had been taken off by the man-hauling party that came to assist us, so i put on ski and went to hut point, six miles back. i found meares there, and he gave me a surprised but hearty welcome and wished me "happy returns, teddy." i explained what had happened; it had been done of course the night before when my namesake had taken my personal bag in to hut point from cape armitage to save me the trouble of carrying it after a hard day's work with the motors. as i had had no need of it, i never noticed its presence at hut point, so there it was. meares made me laugh by an in the most friendly way, as if i was calling on him in his english home, "stay and have lunch, won't you, teddy?" of course i did, but as i was wanted by the motor party it was a somewhat hurried meal, fried seal liver and bacon. we were not allowed to eat bacon on account of scurvy precaution, but still, it was my birthday, and nobody let me forget it. feeling much better and less angry after this unlooked for ski-run, i swung out to the barrier edge, over the sea ice, up the barrier slope, and on to the barrier itself, where i picked up the tracks of the motors and followed them for seven miles. i remember that ski run well: i felt so very lonely all by myself on the silent barrier, surrounded as i was by lofty white mountains, which lifted their summits to the blue peaceful heavens. i thought over the future of the southern party and wondered how things would be one year hence; this was indeed facing the unknown. i enjoyed the keen air, and the crisp surface was so easy to negotiate after my former barrier visits with a heavy sledge dragging one back, but the very easiness i was enjoying made me think of amundsen and his dogs. if the norwegians could glide along like this, it would be "good-bye" to our hopes of planting queen alexandra's flag first at the south pole. as a matter of fact, while i was then making my way along to overtake the motors, amundsen and his polar party were beyond the th parallel, forcing their way southward and hourly increasing their distance from us and from captain scott, who had not even started. yes, amundsen was over miles farther south, and his sledge runners were slithering over the snow, casting its powdered particles aside in beautiful little clouds while i was rapidly overhauling the motors with their labouring, sorely taxed custodians, day, lashly, and hooper. it seems very cruel to say this, but there's no good in shutting one's eyes to truth, however unpleasantly clad she may be. i caught the motors late in the afternoon after running nine miles; they had only done three miles whilst i had been doing fifteen. we continued crawling along with our loads, stopping to cool the engines every few minutes, it seemed, but at p.m. they overheated to such an extent that we stopped for the night. i was fairly done, but not too tired to enjoy the supper which hooper cooked, with its many luxuries produced by him. hooper had informed bowers of my birthday, and obtained all kinds of good things, which we despatched huddled together in our tents; for it was about degrees below zero when we turned in well after midnight. we intentionally lay in our bags until . next morning, but didn't get those dreadful motors to start until . a.m. even then they only gave a few sniffs before breaking down and stopping, so that we could not advance perceptibly until . . we had troubles all day, and were forced to camp on account of day's sledge giving out at p.m.--we daren't stop for lunch earlier, for once stopped one never could say when a re-start could be made. we depoted here four big tins of petrol and two drums of filtrate to lighten load of day's sledge. started off at six and soon found that the big end brass on no. cylinder of this sledge had given out, so dropped two more tins of petrol and a case of filtrate oils. we thereupon continued at a snail's pace, until at . the connecting rod broke through the piston. we decided to abandon this sledge, and made a depot of the spare clothing, seal meat, xmas fare, ski belonging to atkinson and wright, and four heavy cases of dog biscuit. i left a note in a conspicuous position on the depot, which we finished constructing at midnight. we wasted no time in turning in. the clouds were radiating from the s.e., a precursor of blizzard, we feared, and sure enough we got it next day, when it burst upon us whilst we were putting on our footgear after breakfast. there was nothing for it but to get back into our sleeping-bags, wherein we spent the day. on the st we were out of our bags and about, soon after six, to find it still drifting but showing signs of clearing. after breakfast we dug out sledges, and lashly and day got the snow out of the motor, a long and rotten job. the weather cleared about a.m. and we got under way at noon. it turned out very fine and we advanced our weights miles yards, camping at . . p.m. as will be seen, these were long days, and although he did not say it, day must have felt the crushing disappointment of the failure of the motors--it was not his fault, it was a question of trial and experience. nowadays we have far more knowledge of air-cooled engines and such crawling juggernauts as tanks, for it may well be argued that scott's motor sledges were the forerunners of the tanks. on november we advanced six miles and the motor then gave out. day and lashly give it their undivided attention for hours, and the next day we coaxed the wretched thing to corner camp and ourselves dragged the loads there. arrived at this important depot we deposited the dog pemmican and took on three sacks of oats, but after proceeding under motor power for / miles, the big end brass of no. cylinder went, so we discarded the car and slogged on foot with a six weeks' food supply for one -man unit. our actual weights were lb. per man. we got the whole lb. on to the ft. sledge, but with a head wind it was rather a heavy load. we kept going at a mile an hour pace until p.m. i had left a note at the corner camp depot which told scott of our trying experiences: how the engines overheated so that we had to stop, how by the time they were reasonably cooled the carburettor would refuse duty and must be warmed up with a blow lamp, what trouble day and lashly had had in starting the motors, and in short how we all four would heave with all our might on the spans of the towing sledges to ease the starting strain, and how the engines would give a few sniffs and then stop--but we must not omit the great point in their favour: the motors advanced the necessaries for the southern journey miles over rough, slippery, and crevassed ice and gave the ponies the chance to march light as far as corner camp--this is all that oates asked for. it was easier work now to pull our loads straight-forwardly south than to play about and expend our uttermost effort daily on those "qualified" motors. even day confessed that his relief went hand in hand with his disappointment. he and hooper stood both over six feet, neither of them had an ounce of spare flesh on them. lashly and i were more solid and squat, and we fixed our party up in harness so that the tall men pulled in front while the short, heavy pair dragged as "wheelers." scott described our sledging here as "exceedingly good going," we were only just starting, that is lashly and myself, for we two were in harness for more than three months on end. i was very proud of the motor party, and determined that they should not be overtaken by the ponies to become a drag on the main body. as it happened, there was never a chance of this occurrence, for scott purposely kept down his marches to give the weaker animals a chance. as will be seen, we were actually out-distancing the animal transport by our average marches, for in spite of our full load we covered the distances of / to miles daily, until we were sure that we could not be overtaken, before arriving at the appointed rendezvous in latitude degrees minutes. now was the time for marching though, fine weather, good surfaces, and not too cold. the best idea, of our routine can be gleaned by a type specimen diary page of this stage of the journey: "_november_ , .--called tent at . a.m. and after building a cairn started out at . . marched up to 'blossom' cairn (lat. degrees minutes seconds s. long. degrees minutes seconds e.) where we tied a piece of black bunting to pull crean's leg--mourning for his pony. we lunched here and then marched on till . p.m., when we camped, our day's march being miles yards. i built a snow cairn while supper was being prepared. surface was very good and we could have easily marched miles, but, we were not record breaking, but going easy till the ponies came up. all the same we shall have to march pretty hard to keep ahead of them. minimum temperature: - . degrees, temperature on camping + degrees." we were very happy in our party, and when cooking we all sang and yarned, nobody ever seemed tired once we got quit of the motors. we built cairns at certain points to guide the returning parties. we had a light snowfall on november and occasional overcast, misty weather, but in general the visibility was good, and although far out on the barrier we got some view of the victoria land mountain ranges. very beautiful they looked, too, but their very presence gave an awful feeling of loneliness. i must admit it all had a dreadful fascination for me, and after the others had got into their sleeping-bags i used to build up a large snow cairn, and whilst resting, now and again i gazed wonderingly at that awful country. the bluff stood up better than the rest, as of course it was so much nearer to us, and the green tent looked pitifully small and inadequate by itself on the barrier, nothing else human about us. just the sledge trail and the thrown-up snow on the tent valance, a confused whirl of sastrugi leading in no direction particularly, a glistening sparkle here, there, and everywhere when the sun was shining, and the far distant land sitting sphinx-like on the western horizon, with its shaded white slopes, and its bare outcrops of black basalt. wilson in our "south polar times" wrote some lines entitled, "the barrier silence"--sometimes the silence was broken by howling blizzard, then and only then, except by the puny handful of men who have passed this way. only in scott's first and shackleton's "nimrod" expedition had men ever come thus far. we reached one top depot on november , and took on four cases of biscuits and one pair of ski, which brought our loads up to lb. per man. even this extra weight permitted us to keep our marches over miles, but we had the virtue of being very early risers, a sledging habit to which i owe my life. we snatched many an hour outward and home, ward due to this. in latitude degrees we found an extraordinary change in the surface: so soft in fact that we found ourselves sinking in from to inches--this gave us a very hard day on th november when, with load averaging over lb. per man, we hauled through it for miles. fears were expressed for the ponies at this stretch, for here they would be pulling full loads. the th offered no better conditions of surface, but we stuck it out for hours' solid foot slogging, when we camped after hauling miles. apart from the surface we enjoyed the weather, a wonderful calm and beautiful blue sky. on november , after building a guiding snow cairn, we continued southward to lat. degrees minutes seconds s. long. degrees minutes e., where we camped to await scott, his party, and the ponies. i proposed to build an enormous cairn here to mark the / degree depot, so after lunch we inspected ourselves and found nothing worse than sunburnt faces and a slight thinning down all round. we commenced the cairn after a short rest. november passed quietly with no signs of the ponies, and on november we remained in camp all day wondering rather why the ponies had not come up with us. we thought they must be doing very poor marching. to employ our time we worked hours at the cairn, which soon assumed gigantic proportions. we called it mount hooper after our youngest member. day amused us very distinctly at mount hooper camp. day, gaunt and gay, but what a lovable nature if one can apply such an adjective to him. he entertained the rest of us for a week out of "pickwick papers." the proper number of hours in the forenoon were spent in building the giant depot cairn, then lunch, and then the cosy sleeping-bags and day's reading. it was unforgettable, and i think we all watched his face, which took somehow the expression of the character he was reading about. we put in a good deal of sleep in those days and went walks, such as they were, in a direct line away from the tent and directly back to the tent. we must surely have been the first in the world to spend a week holiday-making on that frozen sahara, the great ice barrier. there is little enough to record during this wait at mount hooper. we could have eaten more than our ration, and to save fuel we occasionally had dry hoosh for supper, which means that we broke all our biscuits up and melted the pemmican over the primus, half fried the biscuit in the fat pemmican, and made a filling dish. the temperature varied between twenty below zero and a couple of degrees above. november found us growing impatient, for i find in my diary that day: "once again we find no signs of the ponies: we all say d---- and look forward to the next meal: day reads more pickwick to us and keeps us out of mischief. i got sights for error and rate of chronometer watches, but these are not satisfactory with so short an epoch as our stay at mount hooper, when change in altitude is so slow. beyond working out the sights i did really nothing. temperature at p.m. + degrees, wind south-west - . cirrus clouds radiating from s.w. minimum temperature - degrees." but at last relief from our inactivity came to us. on st november, just before a.m., lashly woke me and said the ponies had arrived. out we all popped to find atkinson with poor, old "jehu," wright with "chinaman," and keohane with my old friend "james pigg." they looked tired, the ponies' leaders, and we looked as though we had come out of a bull fight in a barn, with our hair grown long and full of the loose reindeer hairs from the sleeping-bags, all mixed with our beards and jerseys. after hallos and handshakes, smiles and grunts, we asked for news, and were gratified to find that all was well with men and beasts alike. what delay there was was due to blizzards and to the marches being purposely kept down to give the weaker animals a chance: day facetiously remarked, "we haven't seen anything of amundsen"--seeing that the valiant norseman was in latitude degrees minutes s. nearly eleven thousand feet up above the altitude of the barrier at this date one is not surprised. for all our peace of mind it was well we did not know it. we yarned away about ourselves and our experiences, then got our cooker under way to have breakfast and to await the arrival of captain scott and the seven lustier ponies. they arrived before our breakfast was ready; more greetings and much joy in the motor party. scott expressed his satisfaction at our share in the advance, hurriedly gave us further instructions, and then proceeded, leaving us to join at their camp / miles farther south: accordingly we deposited a unit of provisions at the cairn, put up a bamboo with a large black flag on it, left two of the boxes of biscuit from one ton depot and three tins of paraffin, and then set out. we came up to the main camp at o'clock in the forenoon, pitched our tent, had a conference with captain scott, cadged some biscuits, and then cooked lunch and got into our sleeping-bags to await the hour of p.m. before commencing our southward march as pioneers and trail breakers. scott had with him the following, leading ponies: wilson, oates, bowers, cherry-garrard, edgar evans, and crean, besides the aforesaid three with the "crocks." meares and dimitri drove dog teams and every one was in good health and sparkling spirits. our leader ordered the motor party, or man-hauling party, as we were now termed, to go forward and advance miles daily, and to erect cairns at certain prearranged distances, surveying, navigating, and selecting the camping site. the ponies were to march by night and rest when the sun was high and the air warmer. meares's dogs were to bring up the rear--and start some hours after the ponies since their speed was so much greater. so we started away at . p.m., marched miles and a bittock to lunch, putting up a "top-hat" cairn at miles, two cairns at the lunch camp, one cairn three miles beyond, and so on according to plan. atkinson's tent gave us some biscuit, cheese, and seal liver, so that day we lived high. after lunch we continued until the prescribed distance had been fully covered. we noticed that there were ice crystals like spikes, with no glide about them, and the surface continued thus until a.m. when there was a sudden change for the better. quite substantial pony walls were built by the horsemen when they camped--all these marks ensuring a homeward marching route like a buoyed channel. chapter xiii the barrier stage depots were made every miles: they were marked by big black flags flying from bamboos, and we saw one of them, mount hooper, nine miles away. each depot contained one week's rations for every returning unit. that outward barrier march will long be remembered, it was so full of life, health, and hope--our only sad days came when the ponies were killed, one by one. but hunger soon defeated sentiment, and we grew to relish our pony-meat cooked in the pemmican "hoosh." on november oates slew poor old "jehu" by a pistol shot in latitude degrees minutes--this being the first pony to go. the dogs had a fine feed from the poor animal's carcass, and meares was very glad, likewise dimitri. incidentally, the dogs were not the only ones who feasted on "jehu's" flesh. pony-meat cooks very well, and it was a rare delicacy to us, the man-haulers. as will be gathered, scott proposed to kill pony after pony as a readjustment to full load became possible with the food and fodder consumption. the travelling now was a vastly different matter to the work of the autumn. the weather was fine and the going easy. every day made sledging more pleasant, for the ponies had got into their swing, and the sun's rays shed appreciable warmth. although we spoke of day and night still, it must be remembered that there was really no longer night, for the sun merely travelled round our heavens throughout the twenty-four hours. its altitude at midnight would be about or degrees, whilst at noon it would have risen to or . some of the days of travel were without incident almost, the men leading their ponies in monotonous file across the great white waste. the ponies gave little trouble; meares's dogs, with more dash, contained their drivers' attention always. day and hooper turned back in latitude degrees minutes at "jehu's" grave, and atkinson, his erstwhile leader, joined the man-haulers. the two who now made their way homeward found considerable difficulty in hauling the sledge, so they bisected it and packed all their gear on a half sledge. they were accompanied by two invalid dogs, cigane and stareek, and their adventures homeward bound were more amusing than dangerous--the dogs were rogues and did their best to rob the sledge during the sleeping hours. in due course day and hooper reached cape evans none the worse for their barrier trudge. wright's pony, chinaman, was shot on november , and the canadian joined the man-haulers. we were glad of his company and his extra weight. on november we passed scott's farthest south, ( degrees minutes), and near this date had light snow and thick weather. on november we had a very hard pull, the barrier surface being covered with prismatic crystals--without any glide we felt we might as well be hauling the sledges over ground glass, but diversion in the shape of land-oh: i think i sighted mount hope refracted up, and pointed it out to captain scott. on december we began to converge the coast rapidly, and we were only thirty miles from the nearest land. the view magnificent, though lonely and awful in its silence. one would very soon go mad without company down here. december saw the end of "christopher," but as the soldier fired his pistol at him the pony threw up his head and the bullet failed to kill, although passing through the beast's forehead. christopher ran to the lines bleeding profusely, but keohane and i kept him from the other ponies, and oates shortly after put another bullet into the wretched animal, which dropped him. christopher was no loss, as he gave endless trouble on the barrier march. however, he was tender enough, as we found when meares cut him up for the dogs and brought our tent a fine piece of undercut. on december we had a trying time, starting off in a perfectly poisonous light, which strained our eyes and made them very painful. it snowed almost incessantly throughout the day. nevertheless we had a dim, sickly sun visible which helped the steering. as the pony food was running short the pony "victor" was shot on camping. i visited meares and dimitri in the dog-tent, and they gave me some "overs" in the shape of cocoa and biscuit, for which i was truly grateful, as i had been hungry for a month. a blizzard started on december , which delayed us for some hours. our party found it had a surplus of whole biscuits--no one could account for this; we told bowers, however, and he did not seem surprised, so i think he shoved in a few biscuits here and there. he told me that some tins carried lb. more than was marked on them. we covered about miles despite the bad weather beginning the day. on december we arrived within miles of shackleton's gap or southern gateway: we could see the outflow of the beardmore glacier stretching away to our left like a series of huge tumbling waves. as we advanced southwards hopes ran high, for we still had the dogs and five ponies to help us. scott expected to camp on the beardmore itself after the next march, but bad luck, alas, was against us. the land visible extended from s.s.w. through s. to n.w. more wonderful peaks or wedge-shaped spines of snow-capped rock. the first and least exciting stage of our journey was practically complete. a fifth pony was sacrificed to the hungry dogs--"michael," of whom cherry garrard had only good words to say--but then the altruistic cherry only spoke good words. we did over miles on december , heading for the little tributary glacier which shackleton named the gap; it bore s. degrees e. fifteen miles distant when we put up our tent. whilst marching well ahead of the pony party we unconsciously dropped into a hollow of an undulation, and foolishly did not spot it when we paused to build a cairn. continuing our march we looked back to find no cairn. this first indicated to us the existence of undulations in the neighbourhood, and we frequently lost the ponies to view. we appreciated that we were outdistancing them, however, and camped at p.m. it being my cooking week, and, as we fondly imagined, our penultimate day on the great ice barrier, combined with a very good march and a very bright outlook, we had an extra fine hoosh; it contained the full allowance of pemmican, a pannikin full of pony flesh cut in little slices, about / pints of crushed biscuit from our surplus, and some four ounces of cornflour with pepper and salt. i also had the pleasure of issuing four biscuits each, or twice the ration, meares and dimitri having given us eight whole biscuits which they spared from their supply. the dog drivers were not so ravenous as the man-hauling party, which was natural, but still it was uncommonly generous of them to give us part of their ration for nothing. i made an extra strong whack of cocoa, as we still had some of my private tea left, so could save cocoa. i brought tea in lieu of tobacco in my personal bag. at least that night the man-hauling party turned in on full stomachs. we were all tired out and asleep in no time, confident and expectant, but before enjoying the comfort and warmth of our sleeping-bags had an admiring look at the land stretched out before us, and particular application of the eye to the gap or southern gateway, which seemed to say "come on." so far on the journey i have not mentioned the word "blizzard" seriously, for we had not hitherto been hampered severely. the th december was in truth a black day for all. once more the demon of bad luck held the trump cards against us. another blizzard started, which tore our chances of any great success to ribbons--it was the biggest knock-down blow that scott sustained in the whole history of his expedition to date. here he was, a day's march from the beardmore glacier, with fourteen men, in health and high fettle, with dogs, ponies, food, and everything requisite for a great advance, but it was not to be, our progress was barred for four whole days, and during that period we had essentially to be kept on full ration, for it would have availed us nothing to lose strength in view of what we must yet face in the way of physical effort and hardship--we were but one day's march from mount hope, our ponies had to be fed, the dogs had to be fed, but they could do no work for their food. there was nothing for it but cheerful resignation. our tent breakfasted at the aristocratic hour of . a.m., and atkinson and i went out to fill the cooker afterwards--the drift was terrible and the snow not fine as usual, but in big flakes driving in a hard wind from s.s.e. it was not very cold, perhaps it would have helped things later if it had been. our tents quickly snowed up for nearly three feet to leeward. in the camp we could only sleep and eat, the tent space became more and more congested, and those lying closest to the walls of the tents were cramped by the weight of snow which bore down on the canvas. the blizzard on the second day pursued its course with unabated violence, the temperature increased, however, and we experienced driving sleet. the tent floor cloths had pools of water on them, and water dripped on our faces as we lay in our sleeping-bags. outside the scene was miserable enough, the poor ponies cowering behind their snow walls the picture of misery. their more fortunate companions, the dogs, lay curled in snug balls covered in snow and apparently oblivious to the inclemency of the weather. our lunch at . broke the monotony of the day. we had supper somewhere near p.m. and then slept again. december found still greater discomfort, for we had sleet and actually rain alternating. the wind continued and ploughed and furrowed the surface into a mash. our tents became so drifted up that we had hardly room to lie down in our bags. i fancied the man-haulers were better off than the other tents through having made a better spread, but no doubt each tent company was sorrier for the others than for itself. we occasionally got out of our bags to clear up as far as we were able, but we couldn't sit around and look foolish, so when not cooking and eating we spent our time in the now saturated bags. the temperature rose above freezing point, and the barrier surface was inches deep in slush. water percolated everywhere, trickling down the tent poles and dripping constantly at the tent door. we caught this water in the aluminium tray of our cooker. the ponies arrived at the state of having to be dug out every now and again. they were wretchedness itself, standing heads down, feet together, knees bent, the picture of despair. hard and cruel as it may seem, it was planned that we should keep them alive, ekeing out their fodder until december , when it was proposed that we should use them to drag our loads for miles and shoot them, the last pound of work extracted from the wretched little creatures. i am ashamed to say i was guilty of an unuttered complaint after visiting the ponies, for i wrote in my diary for december concerning the five remaining siberian ponies: "i think it would be fairer to shoot them now, far what is a possible miles' help? we could now, pulling lb. per man, start off with the proper man-hauling parties and our total weights, so why keep these wretched animals starving and shivering in the blizzard on a mere chance of their being able to give us a little drag? why, our party have never been out of harness for nearly miles, so why should not the other eight men buckle to and do some dragging instead of saving work in halfpenny numbers?" still, it is worthy of mention that on the day the ponies did their last march every man amongst their leaders gave half his biscuit ration to his little animal. this dreadful blizzard was a terrific blow to oates. he of all men set himself to better the ponies' state during the bad weather. the animals lost condition with a rapidity that was horrible to observe. the cutting wind whirling the sleet round the ponies gave them a very sorry time, but whenever one peeped out of the tent door there was oates, wet to the skin, trying to keep life in his charges. i think the poor soldier suffered as much as the ponies. he had felt that every time he re-entered his tent (which was also captain scott's) that he took in more wet snow and helped to increase the general discomfort. this being the case when he went out to the ponies, he stopped out, and kept his vigil crouching behind a drifted up pony-wall. we others could not help laughing at him, after the blizzard, when he wrung the icy water out of his clothing. his personal bag was in a fearful state, his sodden tobacco had discoloured everything, and as he squeezed his spare socks and gloves a stream of nicotine-stained water flowed out. i am unable to reproduce his observations on the subject--they were dry, picturesque, and to the point, and even our bluejackets, who were none too particular about language, looked at oates with undisguised astonishment at the length and variety of his emergency vocabulary. december showed no change: the blizzard was continuous, food our only comfort. personally i read atkinson's copy of "little dorrit," for it sufficed nothing to despair; we could not move, and one had to be patient. next day we had less wind, but it snowed most of the day. we did, all the same, get glimpses of the sun and one of the land. dug out all sledges and hauled them clear, then tried the surface, and to scott's and our own surprise my party hauling on ski dragged the sledge with four big men sitting on it over the surface as much as we chose. i had thought it beyond our power, it is true. we then returned to camp. without ski one sank more than knee deep in the snow. the horses were quite unable to progress, sinking to their bellies, so no start was made. we shifted our tent and re-spread it on new snow well trampled down. this brief respite from our sleeping-bags freed our cramped limbs. weather improved and we did not find it necessary after all to get back into our bags, for it was still warm and quite pleasant sitting in the tent. what a sight the camp had presented before we started digging out. the ponies like drowned rats, their manes and tails dank and dripping, a saturated blotting-paper look about their green horse cloths, eyes half closed, mouths flabby and wet, each animal half buried in this antarctic morass, the old snow walls like sand dunes after a storm. the green tents just peeping through the snow, mottled and beaten in, as it were, all sledges well under, except for here and there a red paraffin oil tin and the corner of an instrument box peeping out. our ski-sticks and ski alone stood up above it all, and those sleeping-bags, ugh--rightly the place was christened "shambles camp." on december the blizzard was really over; we completed the digging out of sledges and stores and wallowed sometimes thigh-deep whilst getting the ponies out of their snow-drifted shelters. then we faced probably the hardest physical test we had had since the bailing out in the great gale a year ago. we had breakfast and got away somewhere about a.m. my party helped the pony sledges to get away for a mile or two; the poor brutes had a fearful struggle, and so did we in the man-hauling team. we panted and sweated alongside the sledges, and when at last captain scott sent us back to bring up our own sledge and tent we were quite done. arrived at the shambles camp we cooked a little tea, and then wearily hauled our sledge for hour after hour until we came up with the boss, dead cooked--we had struggled and wallowed for nearly hours. the others had certainly an easier time but a far sadder time, for, they had to coax the exhausted ponies along and watch their sufferings, knowing that they must kill the little creatures on halting. oh, lord--what a day we had of it. fortunately we man-haulers missed the "slaughter of the innocents," as some one termed the pony killing. when we got to the stopping place all five ponies had been shot and cut up for dog and man food. this concluded our barrier march: the last was tragic enough in its disappointment, but one felt proud to be included in such a party, and none, of us survivors can forget the splendid efforts of the last five ponies. meantime roald amundsen had a gale in lat. - degrees on december , with falling and drifting snow, yet not too bad to stop his party travelling: he was , feet above our level at this time and covering miles a day. he also experienced thick weather but light wind on the th december and on the day of our sorrowful march he was scuttling along beyond shackleton's farthest south, indeed close upon the th parallel. it is just as well we did not know it too. chapter xiv on the beardmore glacier and beyond probably no part of the southern journey was enjoyed more thoroughly than that stage which embraced the ascent of the beardmore glacier. those who survive it can only have refreshing reminiscences of this bright chapter in our great sledge excursion. scientifically it was by far the most interesting portion travelled over, and to the non-scientific it presented something interesting every day, if only in the shape, colour, and size of the fringing rocks and mountains--a vast relief from the monotony of the barrier travel. first we had mount hope at the lower end of the glacier. mount hope is a nunatak of granite, about feet in height, of which the summit is strewn with erratics, giving evidence of former glaciation of far greater extent. this was the first land we had passed close to since leaving hut point six weeks previously, and now we had roughly miles of travelling, with something to look at, some relief for the eyes to rest on in place of that dazzling white expanse of barrier ice, with its glitter and sparkle, so tiring to the eyes. we knew that we must expect crevasses now, hidden and bare, and we also knew that we must every day rise our camps until we reached the plateau summit in , feet. the beardmore itself is about miles in length and from to miles wide. we had no geologist with us, but specimens have been collected by shackleton's people, and our own members, particularly scott's polar sledge party, which are sufficient to give a history of this part of antarctica. december showed our party on to the glacier, but we were not "out of the wood" by this date. for we had some hard graft marching up the steep incline called by shackleton the southern gateway. we had made a depot of three ten-foot sledges in good condition to be used for the homeward journey over the barrier by each returning unit--realising that the descent of the glacier would knock our sledges about and most likely break them up to some extent. we were now organised into three teams of four, pulling lb. per man, and in this formation we made the advance up the glacier. the teams were as follows: .--scott. .--evans (lieut.) .--bowers. wilson. atkinson. cherry-garrard oates. wright. crean. evans (seaman). lashly. keohane. with us we kept the dog teams pulling lb. of our own weights and the lb. gross for placing in the lower glacier depot. soft snow made the dragging very heavy, and in the afternoon, working on ski, i am sorry to say my party dropped astern and got into camp an hour late--it could not be helped, we had borne the brunt of the hard work; lashly and i had man-hauled daily for five weeks, and atkinson and wright for some time also. i had a long talk next morning after breakfast with captain scott. he was disappointed with our inability to keep up with the speed of the main party, but i pointed out that we could not expect to do the same as fresh men--the other eight had only put on the sledge harness for the first time on december : scott agreed, but seemed worried and fretful. however that may be, we got into the lunch camp first of the three sledges, to have our short-lived triumph turned to disaster by a very poor show after the meal--scott was much disappointed and dissatisfied: he appeared to think atkinson was done; wilson said wright was played out and lashly tired. they both seemed to think i was all right, but all the same i felt that my unit had been called on to do more than its share and was suffering as a natural consequence. the depot was built in a conspicuous position, and this done, meares's work ended. he and dimitri came along with us for a while and then turned back for a long, lonely run over the inhospitable barrier. to help us meares and the russian dog-boy had travelled farther south than their return rations allowed for, and for the mile northward march to cape evans the two of them went short one meal a day rather than deplete the depots. it is a dreadful thing on an antarctic sledge journey to forfeit a whole meal daily, and meares's generosity should not be forgotten. the advance of scott's men up the beardmore was retarded considerably by the deep, wet snow which had accumulated in the lower reaches of the glacier. panting and sweating we could only make mile marches until the th december, and even then the soft snow was inches deep. on the th we made a good miles, but only by dint of our utmost efforts--we worked on ski, and i tremble to think what we should have done here without them. the aneroids gave us a rise of about feet a day. things were improving now, and on december we passed the degree parallel--about this time we succeeded in covering to miles daily, and to do this we marched that same number of hours. a good deal of snow covering the mountain ranges, but some remarkable outcrops of rock to vary the scenery. the temperature was very high, and we were punished severely on this account, for the snow was like beef dripping, and we flopped about in it and hove our sledges along with no glide whatever to help us move forward. such panting, puffing, and sweating, but all in good humour and bent on doing our best. snowing hard in the latter part of the afternoon just as the surface was improving--we were forced to camp before the proper time on this account. on camping we calculated that we were feet above the barrier, the surface promising better things, for there was hard blue ice six inches from the surface, and the snow itself was fairly close-packed and good for ski. on december we were out of our sleeping bags at and we were under way by a.m., marching till noon, when we lunched and took sights and angles. the surface remained fairly good until p.m., when it took an unaccountable turn for the worse. we covered miles. several of us dropped a leg down crevasses here and there, nothing alarming. we reached feet altitude, and the day ended in the most perfect weather. for the first time since leaving corner camp we felt that our ration was sufficient; we had now commenced the "summit ration," which contained considerable extra fats. snow-blindness caused trouble here and there, due principally to our removing our goggles when they clouded up--due to sweating so much in the high temperature. the goggles, which wilson was responsible for, served excellently. yellow and orange glasses were popular, but some preferred green. as we progressed and our eyes had to be used for long periods without glasses for clearing crevasses, etc., we found that a double glass acted best, and used this whenever the going was easy and goggles could be used. the contrast between the goggled and the ungoggled state was extraordinary--when one lifted one's orange-tinted snow glasses it was to find a blaze of light that could scarcely be endured. snow-blindness gave one much the same sensations as those experienced by standing over a smoking bonfire keeping eyes open. sunday, december , differed from the preceding days, for we got into huge pressure ridges--we hauled our sledges up these and tobogganed down the other sides, progressing half the forenoon thus. we wore our excellent crampons and made lighter work of our loads than we had done since facing the beardmore, and now that the summer season was well advanced the surface snow on the glacier had mostly disappeared through the effects of the all day sun added to the early summer winds. the clouding of our goggles made the crevasses more difficult to spot, and one or other of the party got legs or feet down pretty often. this and the following day were precursors to good marches and easy times. we made the mid-glacier depot in latitude degrees minutes seconds s., longitude degrees minutes seconds e., and set therein one half-week's provision. we marked the depot cairn with bamboo and red flag to show up against the ice as well as to contrast with the land. hitherto only black flags had been employed to mark depots. the weather and surface were both in our favour at last. it was sunny, warm, and clear now, and there was nothing to impede us. wilson did a large amount of sketching on the beardmore--his sketches, besides being wonderful works of art, helped us very much in our surveys. fringing the great glittering river of ice were dark granite and dolerite hills, some were snow-clad and some quite bare, for their steepness resisted the white cloak of this freezing clime. the new hills were surveyed, headlands plotted, and names bestowed where shackleton had not already done so. of course we had shackleton's charts, diaries, and experience to help us. we often discussed shackleton's journey, and were amazed at his fine performance. we always had full rations, which shackleton's party never enjoyed at this stage. after december our marches worked up from to miles a day. shackleton bestowed the name of queen alexandra range on the huge mountains to the westward of the beardmore. the most conspicuous is the "cloudmaker," which he gives as . --i like the foot when heights are so hard to determine hereabouts! to the three secondary ranges, on the s.w. extreme of the beardmore, nearly in degrees, he gave the names adams, marshall, and wild, after his three companions on the farthest south march. to get into one's head what we had to look at on the upper half of the beardmore, imagine a moderate straight slope: this is the glacier like a giant road, white except where the sun has melted the snow and bared the blue ice. looking up the glacier an overhang of ice-falls and disturbances, with three nunataks or mountains sticking through the ice-sheet like islands--the disturbance is mostly to the left (eastwards) of these, and the road here looks cruelly steep even where it is not broken up. down the glacier the great white way is broken here and there where tributary glaciers join it, and above the cloudmaker the glacier is cut up badly in several places, how badly we were not to know until the middle of january, --but of that more anon. to the left (s.e.) a great broad river of ice, the mill glacier, and so on. the land is extraordinary--gigantic snow drifts like huge waves breaking against a stone pier beset the lower cliff faces and steeper slopes, then dark red-brown rock carved by glaciers long since vanished, and above this rocky bands of limestone, sandstone; and dolerite. some rocky talus showing through the big snow drifts, and in some cases talus alone. from my letter to be taken by the next homeward party in case i missed the ship: "the wild range is extraordinary in its curious stratification, and one feels when gazing at it some-thing of a wish to scramble along the crests, if only to feel land underfoot instead of ice, ice, ice. "the prevailing colours here are blacks, grays, reds, like the cliffs at teignmouth and exmouth, and another more chocolate red. then the whites in all kind of shade--fancy different shades of white, but there are here any amount of them, and a certain sparkle of blue ice down the glacier where the sun is shining on it that reminds one of a tropical sea. except when marching we don't spend much time out of our tents, but i take a breather now and again when surveying, and then i sit on a sledge-box and wonder what is in store for us and where all this will lead us. amundsen has certainty not come this way, although dogs could work here easily enough." on december scott came into our tent after supper and told us that the first return party would be atkinson (in charge), wright, cherry-garrard, and keohane, and that they would turn back after the next day's march. we were all very sad, but each one thus detailed loyally abided by the decision of our chief. i worked till nearly midnight getting out copy of route and bearings for wright to navigate back on. here is a specimen page of my diary: "_december_ . "out at . a.m. and away at . had a very heavy pull up steep slope close to s.e. point of buckley island. passed over many crevasses and dropped into some. once i fell right down in a bottomless chasm to the length of my harness. i was pulled out by the others, bowers and cherry helping with their alpine rope. not hurt but amused. all of us dropped often to our waists and atkinson completely disappeared once, but we got him out. we got into a very bad place at noon, and a fog coming on had to stop and lunch as one could not see far. this has been our worst day for crevasses up to now, some of them are feet across, but well bridged. "it was very cold, with a sharp southerly wind when we started, but later on got quite warm. we rose feet in the forenoon and made miles yards up to lunch. we started again at o'clock, and the fog lifting, we made a good march for the day: miles yards geographical (stat. miles yards). in the afternoon we had a very heavy drag and did not camp till . p.m., about miles s. degrees w. of mount darwin (summit), latitude degrees minutes s., longitude degrees minutes e. "our height above the barrier is feet by aneroid. "had a fine hoosh with a full pannikin of pony meat added to celebrate our 'de-tenting,' which takes place to-morrow morning. we make a depot here with half a week's provision for two parties." we repacked the sledges after breakfast. this place was called the upper glacier depot--and it marked the commencement of the third and final stage of the poleward journey. we said good-bye to atkinson's party, and they started down the glacier after depositing the foodstuffs they had sledged up the beardmore for the polar party and the last supporting party. atkinson and his tent-mates now had to face a homeward march of miles. they spent christmas day collecting geological specimens, and reached cape evans on january . they had some sickness in the shape of enteritis and slight scurvy, but dr. atkinson's care and medical knowledge brought them through safely. captain scott with his two sledge teams now pushed forward, keeping an average speed of miles per day, with full loads of lb. a man. when we started off we were: scott. self. wilson. bowers. oates. crean. seaman evans lashly. we steered s.w. to begin with to avoid the great pressure ridges and ice falls which barred our way to the south. we began to rise very perceptibly, and, looking back after our march, realised what enormous frozen falls stretch across the top of the beardmore. i noted that these, with scott's consent should be called "the shackleton ice falls," according to _his_ track he went _up_ them. when we looked back on starting our march we could see the depot cairn with a black flag tied to a pair of foot sledge runners for quite three miles--it promised well for picking up. next day we were away early, marching / miles to lunch camp, and getting amongst crevasses as big as regent street, all snow bridged. we rushed these and had no serious falls; the dangerous part is at the edge of the snow bridge, and we frequently fell through up to our armpits just stepping on to or leaving the bridge. we began now to experience the same tingling wind that shackleton speaks of, and men's noses were frequently frost-bitten. on christmas eve we were feet above the barrier, and we imagined we were clear of crevasses and pressure ridges. we now felt the cold far more when marching than we had done on the beardmore. the wind all the time turned our breath into cakes of ice on our beards. taking sights when we stopped was a bitterly cold job: fingers had to be bared to work the little theodolite screws, and in the biting wind one's finger-tips soon went. over miles were laid behind us on christmas eve when we reached latitude degrees minutes s., longitude degrees minutes e. i obtained the variation of the compass here-- degrees minutes e., so that we were between the magnetic and geographical poles. the temperature down to degrees below zero made observing unpleasant, when one had cooled down and lost vitality at the end of the day's march. christmas day, , found our two tiny green tents pitched on the king edward vii. plateau--the only objects that broke the monotony of the great white glittering waste that stretches from the beardmore glacier head to the south pole. a light wind was blowing from the south, and little whirls of fine snow, as fine as dust, would occasionally sweep round the tents and along the sides of the sledge runners, streaming away almost like smoke to the northward. inside the tents breathing heavily were our eight sleeping figures--in these little canvas shelters soon after a.m. the sleepers became restless and occasionally one would wake, glance at one's watch, and doze again. exactly at a.m. our leader shouted "evans," and both of us of that name replied, "right-o, sir." immediately all was bustle, we scrambled out of our sleeping-bags, only the cook remaining in each tent. the others with frantic haste filled the aluminium cookers with the gritty snow that here lay hard and windswept. the cookers filled and passed in, we, gathered socks, finnesko, and putties off the clothes lines which we had rigged between the ski which struck upright in the snow to save them from being drifted over in the night. the indefatigable bowers swung his thermometer in the shade until it refused to register any lower, glanced at the clouds, made a note or two in his miniature meteorological log book, and then blew on his tingling fingers, noted the direction of the wind, and ran to our tent. inside all had lashed up their bags and converted them into seats, the primus stove burnt with a curious low roar, and peculiar smell of paraffin permeated the tent. by the time we had changed our footgear the savoury smell of the pemmican proclaimed that breakfast was ready. the meal was eaten with the same haste that had already made itself apparent. a very short smoke sufficed, and captain scott gave the signal to strike camp. out went everything through the little round door, down came both tents, all was packed in a jiffy on the two -foot sledges, each team endeavouring to be first, and in an incredibly short space of time both teams swung southward, keeping step, and with every appearance of perfect health. but a close observer, a man trained to watch over men's health, over athletes training, perhaps, would have seem something amiss. the two teams, in spite of the christmas spirit, and the "happy christmas" greetings, they exchanged to begin with, soon lost their springy step, the sledges dragged more slowly, and we gazed ahead almost wistfully. yes, the strain was beginning to tell, though none of us would have confessed it. lashly and i had already pulled a sledge of varying weight--but mostly a loaded one--over miles, and all had marched this distance. during the forenoon something was seen ahead like the tide race over a rocky ledge--it was another ice fall stretching from east to west, and it had to be crossed, there could be no more deviation, for since atkinson's party turned we had been five points west of our course at times. alas, more wear for the runners of the sledge, which meant more labour to the eight of us, so keen to succeed in our enterprise--soon we are in the thick of it; first one slips and is thrown violently down, then a sledge runs over the slope of a great ice wave. the man trying to hold it back is relentlessly thrown, and the bow of the sledge crashes on to the heel of the hindermost of those hauling ahead with a thud that means "pain." but the victim utters no sound, just smiles in answer to the anxious questioning gaze of his comrades. something happened in the last half of that christmas forenoon. lashly, whose th birthday it was, celebrated the occasion by falling into a crevasse feet wide. our sledge just bridged the chasm with very little to spare each end, and poor lashly was suspended below, spinning round at the full length of his harness, with feet of clear space beneath him. we had great difficulty in hauling him upon account of his being directly under the sledge. we got him to the surface by using the alpine rope. lashly was none the worse for his fall, and one of my party wished him a "happy christmas," and another "many happy returns of the day," when he had regained safety. lashly's reply was unprintable. soon after this accident we topped the ice fall or ridge, and halted for lunch--we had risen over feet, according to aneroid; it seemed funny enough to find the barometer standing at inches instead of . lunch camp, what a change. the primus stove fiercely roaring, the men light up their pipes and talk christmas--dear, cheery souls, how proud scott must have been of them; no reference to the discomforts of the forenoon march, just brightness and the nicest thoughts for one another, and for "those," as poor wilson unconsciously describes them, by humming: "keep our loved ones, now far absent, 'neath thy care." after a mug of warming tea and two biscuits we strike camp, and are soon slogging on. but the crevasses and icefalls have been overcome, the travelling is better, and with nothing but the hard, white horizon before us, thoughts wander away to the homeland--sweet little houses with well-kept gardens, glowing fires on bright hearths, clean, snowy tablecloths and polished silver, and then the dimpled, smiling faces of those we are winning our spurs for. next christmas may we hope for it? yes, it must be. but with the exception of lashly and crean that daydream never came true, for alas, those whose dearest lived for that christmas _never_ came home, and the one other spared lost his wife, besides his five companions. the two teams struggled on until after p.m., when at last scott signalled to camp. how tired we were--almost cross. but no sooner were the tents up than eyes looked out gladly from our dirty, bearded faces. once again the cooker boiled, and for that night we had a really good square meal--more than enough of everything--pemmican with pieces of pony meat in it, a chocolate biscuit, "ragout" raisins, caramels, ginger, cocoa, butter, and a double ration of biscuits. how we watched bowers cook that extra thick pemmican. had he put too much pepper in? would he upset it? how many pieces of pony meat would we get each? but the careful little bowers neither burnt nor upset the hoosh: it was up to our wildest expectations. no one could have eaten more. after the meal we gasped, we felt so comfortable. but we had such yarns of home, such plans were made for next christmas, and after all we got down our fur sleeping-bags, and for a change we were quite warm owing to the full amount of food which we so sorely needed. after the others in my tent were asleep, little birdie bowers, bidding me "good-night," said, "teddy, if all is well next christmas we will get hold of all the poor children we can and just stuff them full of nice things, won't we?" it was unthinkable then that five out of the eight of us would soon be lying frozen on the great ice barrier, their lives forfeited by a series of crushing defeats brought about by nature, who alone metes out success or failure to win back for those who venture into the heart of that ice-bound continent. our latitude was now degrees minutes s., we were feet above the barrier. temperature - degrees, with a fresh southerly wind, but we didn't care that night how hard it blew or whether it was christmas or easter. we had done miles distance and success lay within our grasp apparently. on the following day we were up at six and marched a good miles south with no opposition from crevasses or pressure ridges. the march over the plateau continued without incident--excepting that on december my team had a great struggle to keep up with captain scott's. the surface was awfully soft, and though we discarded our outer garments we sweated tremendously. at about a.m. scott and i changed places. i found his sledge simply glided along whereas he found no such thing. the difference was considerable. after lunch we changed sledges and left scott's team behind with ease. we stopped at the appointed time, and after supper captain scott came into our tent and told us that we had distorted our sledge by bad strapping or bad loading. this was, i think, correct, because oates had dropped his sleeping-bag off a few days back through erring in the other direction and not strapping securely--we meant to have no recurrence and probably racked our sledge by heaving too hard on the straps. the th was another day of very hard pulling. we were more than feet up--very nearly at the "summit of the summit." quoting my diary i find set down for december and as follows. "saturday, _december_ . "away at a.m. had a hell of a day's hauling. we worked independently of the other sledge, camping for lunch at p.m. about half a mile astern of them. then off again, and hauled till . p.m., when we reached captain scott's camp, he being then stopped / -hour. the surface was frightful and they had a heavy drag. our distance to-day was miles yards statute. we all turned in after our welcome hoosh, too tired to write up diaries even. "bill came in and had a yarn while we drank our cocoa. "we are now about feet above the barrier, temperature falls to about - degrees now. position degrees minutes seconds s., degrees minutes e." "_december_ . "out at . , and then after a yarn with captain scott and our welcome pemmican, tea and biscuit. we in our tent depoted our ski, alpine rope, and ski shoes, saving a considerable weight. we then started off a few minutes ahead of captain scott, and his team never got near us, in fact they actually lost ground. we marched for / hours solid, and had a good heavy drag, but not enough to distress us. we stopped at . p.m., having done miles yards statute. after our lunch we made a depot and put two weekly units in the snow cairn, which we built and marked with a black flag. the seamen (evans and crean) and lashly spent the afternoon converting the foot sledges to foot with the spare runners, while the remainder of us foregathered in captain scott's tent, which evans fitted with a lining to-day, making it beautifully warm. we sat in the tents with the door open and the sun shining in--doing odd jobs. i worked out sights and wrote up this diary, which was a few days adrift. temperature - degrees. "we are now past shackleton's position for december , and it does look as if captain scott were bound to reach the pole. position degrees minutes minutes s., degrees minutes e. "at p.m. captain scott cooked tea for all hands. "at p.m. the first sledge was finished and the men went straight on with the second. this was finished by midnight, and, having seen the new year in, we had a fine pemmican hoosh and went to bed." new year's day found us in latitude degrees minutes s. height, feet above barrier--a southerly wind, with temperature degrees below zero. on nd january i found the variation to be exactly degrees. a skua gull appeared from the south and hovered round the sledges during the afternoon, then it settled on the snow once or twice and we tried to catch it. did miles with ease, but we were now only pulling lb. per man. on january scott came into my tent before we began the day's march and informed me that he was taking his own team to the pole. he also asked me to spare bowers from mine if i thought i could make the return journey of miles short-handed--this, of course, i consented to do, and so little bowers left us to join the polar party. captain scott said he felt that i was the only person capable of piloting the last supporting party back without a sledge meter. i felt very sorry for him having to break the news to us, although i had foreseen it--for lashly and i knew we could never hope to be in the polar party after our long drag out from cape evans itself. we could not all go to the pole--food would not allow this. briefly then it was a disappointment, but not too great to bear; it would have been an unbearable blow to us had we known that almost in sight were amundsen's tracks, and that all our dragging and straining at the trace had been in vain. on th january we took four days' provision for three men and handed over the rest of our load to scott. then we three, lashly, crean, and myself, marched south to latitude degrees minutes s. with the polar party, and, seeing that they were travelling rapidly yet easily, halted, shook hands all round, and said good-bye, and since no traces of the successful norwegian had been found so far, we fondly imagined that our flag would be the first to fly at the south pole. we gave three huge cheers for the southern party, as they stepped off, and then turned our sledge and commenced our homeward march of between and statute miles. we frequently looked back until we saw the last of captain scott and his four companions--a tiny black speck on the horizon, and little did we think that we would be the last to see them alive, that our three cheers on that bleak and lonely plateau summit would be the last appreciation they would ever know. this day the excitement was intense, for it was obvious that with five fit men--the pole being only geographical miles away--the achievement was merely a matter of or days' good sledging. oates's last remark was cheerful: "i'm afraid, teddy, you won't have much of a 'slope' going back, but old christopher is waiting to be eaten on the barrier when you get there." chapter xv return of the last supporting party scott had already made a great geographical journey in spite of adverse weather conditions, which had severely handicapped him throughout, but he was nevertheless behindhand in his expectations, and although the attainment of the pole was practically within his grasp, the long mile march homeward from that spot had to be considered. it was principally on this account that captain scott changed his marching organisation and took bowers from the last supporting party. after the first day's homeward march i realised that the nine hours' marching day was insufficient. we had to make average daily marches of miles in order to remain on full provisions whilst returning over that featureless snow-capped plateau. although the first day northward bound was radiantly fine and the travelling surface all that could be desired, we were compelled to push on until quite late to ensure covering the prescribed distance--for a short march on the first day would have augured a gloomy future for us. reluctant as i was to confess it to myself, i soon realised that the ceding of one man from my party had been too great a sacrifice, but there was no denying it, and i was eventually compelled to explain the situation to lashly and crean and lay bare the naked truth. no man was ever better served than i was by these two; they cheerfully accepted the inevitable, and throughout our home-ward march the three of us literally stole minutes and seconds from each day in order to add to our marches, but it was a fight for life: the rarified air made our breathing more difficult, and we suffered from shortness of breath whenever the inequalities of the surface became severe, and sudden jerks conveyed themselves to our tired bodies through the medium of the rope traces. day after day we fought our way northward over the high polar tableland. the silence now that we had no other party with us was ghastly, for beyond the sound of our own voices and the groaning of the sledge runners when the surface was bad there was no sound whatever to remind us of the outer world. as mile after mile was covered our thoughts wandered from the expedition to those in our homeland, and thought succeeded thought while the march progressed until the satisfying effect of the last meal had vanished and life became one vast yearning for food. three days after leaving captain scott we encountered a blizzard and were forced to continue our marches although faced with navigational difficulties which made it impossible for us to maintain more than a very rough northward direction. muffled up tightly in our wind-proof clothing, -we did all in our power to prevent the dust-fine snow-flakes which whirled around from penetrating into the tiniest opening in our clothes. the blizzard blinded and baffled us, forcing us always to turn our faces from it. the stinging wind cut and slashed our cheeks like the constant jab of a thousand frozen needle points. this first blizzard which fell upon us lasted for three whole days, and at the end of that time we found ourselves considerably wide of our course. on the th january, in spite of a temperature of degrees below zero, a fresh southerly wind and driving snow, lashly, crean, and myself laid miles behind us. on the th we again covered this distance, although the weather was so bad that we entirely lost the track, and on the following day, when the blizzard was at its worst, we fought our way forward for over miles. when the blizzard eventually abated we had hazy weather, but got an occasional glimpse of the sun, with which we corrected our course, and on the th january my party found itself right above the shackleton icefalls, and gazed down upon the more regular surface of the beardmore glacier hundreds of feet below us. to reach the glacier we were faced with two alternatives: either to march right round the icefalls, as we had done coming south, and thus waste three whole days, or to take our lives in our hands and attempt to get the sledge slap over the falls. this would mean facing tremendous drops, which might end in a catastrophe. the discussion was very short-lived, and with rather a sinking feeling the descent of the great ice falls was commenced. we packed our ski on the sledge, attached spiked crampons to our finnesko, and guided the sledge through the maze of hummocks and crevasses. the travelling surface was wind-swept and consequently too easy, for the sledge would charge down a slippery slope of blue ice and capsize time after time. in places the way became so steep that our united efforts were needed to avoid the yawning chasms which beset our path. we were compelled to remain attached to the sledge by our harness, for otherwise there was always the danger of our slipping into one of the very crevasses that we were keeping the sledge clear of, and in this manner, with the jumping and jolting of that awful descent, frequent cases of over-running occurred, the sledge fouling our traces and whisking us off our feet. we encountered fall after fall, bruises, cuts, and abrasions were sustained, but we vied with one another in bringing all our grit and patience to bear; scarcely a complaint was heard, although one or other of us would be driven almost sick with pain as the sledge cannoned into this or that man's heel with a thud that made the victim clench his teeth to avoid crying out. the whole forenoon we worked down towards the more even surface of the great glacier itself, but the actual descent of the steep part of the shackleton icefalls was accomplished in half an hour. we came down many hundred feet in that time. none of us can ever forget that exciting descent. the speed of the sledge at one point must have been miles an hour. we glissaded down a steep blue ice slope; to brake was impossible, for the sledge had taken charge. one or other of us may have attempted to check the sledge with his foot, but to stop it in any way would have meant a broken leg. we held on for our lives, lying face downwards on the sledge. suddenly it seemed to spring into the air, we had left the ice and shot over one yawning crevasse before we had known of its existence almost--i do not imagine we were more than a second in the air, but in that brief space of time i looked at crean, who raised his eyebrows as if to say, "what next!" then we crashed on to the ice ridge beyond this crevasse, the sledge capsized and rolled over and over, dragging us three with it until it came to a standstill. how we ever escaped entirely uninjured is beyond me to explain. when we had recovered our breath we examined ourselves and our sledge. one of my ski-sticks had caught on a piece of ice during our headlong flight and torn itself from the sledge. it rolled into the great blue-black chasm over which we had come, and its fate made me feel quite cold when i thought of what might have happened to us. when my heart had stopped beating so rapidly from fright, and i had recovered enough to look round, i realised that we were practically back on the beardmore again, and that our bold escapade had saved us three days' solid foot slogging and that amount of food. so we pitched our little tent, had a good filling meal, and then, delighted with our progress, we marched on until p.m. that night in our sleeping-bags we felt like three bruised pears, but being in pretty hard condition in those days, our bruises and slight cuts in no way kept us from hours of perfect, contented slumber. i see in my diary for january , , i have noted that we came down feet, but i doubt if it really was as much--we then had no means of measuring. january found us up at . (really only . , because in order not to make my seamen companions anxious i handicapped my watch after first day's homeward march, putting the hands on one hour each morning before rising, and back when i got the chance, so that we marched from to hours a day). we hauled our sledge for six hours until we reached the upper glacier depot under mount darwin. here we took / days' stores as arranged, and after sorting up and repacking the depot had lunch and away down the glacier, camping at . p.m. off buckley island, fairly close to the land. temperature rose above zero that night. next day we were away at a.m. with our crampons on, we came down several steep ice slopes, blue ice like glass, lashly hauling ahead and crean and i holding on to the sledge. we bumped a lot, and occasionally the sledge capsized. but we made good nearly miles. we covered between and miles on january , and were in high glee at our progress. we camped, however, in amongst pressure ridges and huge crevasses, miles from the cloudmaker or mid-glacier depot. we hoped next day to reach this depot. january was a pleasant day, its ending peaceful, with a sufficiency of excellent sledging rations and the promise of a similar day to succeed it. on this day hopes had run high; our clothes were dry, the weather mild and promising, besides which, we were camped in the full satisfaction of having a good many miles in hand. we cheerfully discussed our arrival at the next depot, after which we knew that no anxieties need be felt, given even moderately good luck and weather, that did not include too great a proportion of blizzard days. the musical roar of the primus and the welcome smell of the cooking pemmican whetted our appetites deliciously, and as the three of us sat around the cooker on our rolled up fur bags, the contented expression on our dirty brown faces made our bearded ugliness almost handsome. we built wonderful castles in the air as to what luxuries lashly, who was a famous cook, should prepare on our return to winter quarters. there we had still some of the new zealand beef and mutton stored in my glacier cave, and one thing i had set my heart on was a steak and kidney pudding which my friend lashly swore to make me. after the meal we unrolled our sleeping-bags and luxuriantly got into them, for the recent fine weather had given us a chance to dry thoroughly the fur and get the bags clear of that uncomfortable clamminess due to the moisture from our bodies freezing until the sleeping-bags afforded but little comfort. the weather looked glorious, there was not a cloud in the sky, and towards o'clock the sun was still visible to the s.s.w. we could see it through the thin, green canvas tent wall as we turned in, still in broad daylight, and the warmth derived from it made sleep come to us quite easily. i woke at five the next morning, and, rousing my companions, we were up and about in a minute. the primus stove and cooking apparatus were brought into the tent once more; our sleeping foot-gear was changed for our marching finneskoe and good steel-spiked crampons fixed to the soft fur boots to give us grip in places where the ice was blue and slippery. by a.m. the little green tent was struck, the sledge securely packed, and the three of us commenced a day's march, the details of which, although it occurred over nine years ago, are so fresh in my memory that i have not even to refer to my sledging diary. we commenced the day unluckily, for a low stratus cloud had spread like a tablecloth over the beardmore and filled up the glacier with mist. this added tremendously to our difficulties in steering, for we had no landmarks by which to set our course, although i knew the approximate direction of descent and could make this by means of a somewhat inadequate compass. the refinements in steering were not sufficient to keep us on the good blue ice surface down which we could have threaded our way had we commanded a full view of the glacier. our route led us over rougher ice than we should normally have chosen, and the outlook was distinctly displeasing. the air was thick with countless myriads of tiny floating ice crystals, and the great hummocks of ice stood weirdly shapen as they loomed through the frozen mist. i appreciated that we were getting into trouble, but hoped that the fog would disperse as the sun increased its altitude. we fell about a good deal, and to my consternation the surface became worse and worse. we were, however, covering distance in an approximately northward direction, and our team achieved with stubborn purpose what would have appeared impossible to us when we first visited this great, white, silent continent. it was no good going back, and we could not tell whether the good track was to the right or the left of our line of advance. as new and more troublesome obstacles presented themselves, the more valiantly did my companions set themselves to win through. crean and lashly had the hearts of lions. the uncertain light of the mist worried us all three, and we were forced to take off our goggles to see to advance at all. we continued until midday, when to my great relief the mist showed signs of dispersing, and the sun, a sickly yellow orb, eventually showed through. it was surrounded by a halo which was reflected in rainbow colouring in the minute floating ice crystals. i looked round for a spot suitable for camping, for we were pretty well exhausted, and it was worth while waiting for the mist to disperse. no time would be wasted since the halt would do for our lunch. with the greatest difficulty we found amongst the hummocky ice a place to set up our tent. a space was found somehow, and rather gloomily the three of us made a cooker full of tea. we munched our biscuit in silence, for we were too tired to talk. from time to time i went outside the tent, and certainly the atmosphere was clearer. odd shapes to the east and west showed themselves to be the fringing mountains which so few eyes had ever rested on. gradually they took form and i was able more or less to identify our whereabouts. we finished our lunch, crean had a smoke, and then we got under way. a little discussion, a lot of support, and a wealth of whole-hearted good-fellowship from my companions gave me the encouragement which made leading these two men so easy. warmed by the tea, cheered by the meal, and rested by the halt, we pushed on once more, although to go forward was uncertain and to work back impossible since we were too exhausted to do such pulling upward as would be necessary to reach a place from whence a new start could be made, even if we succeeded in re-discovering our night camp of yesterday. for hours we fought on, sometimes overcoming crevasses by bridging them with the sledge where its length enabled this to be done. the summer sun had cleared the snow from this part of the glacier, laying bare the great blue, black cracks, and they were horrible to behold. if the breadth of a crevasse was too large to be crossed we worked along the bank until an ice bridge presented itself along which we could go. as the sun's rays grew more powerful, the visibility became perfect, and i must confess we were disappointed to see before us the most disheartening wilderness of pressure ridges and disturbances. we were in the heart of the great ice fall which is to be found half-way down the beardmore glacier. we struggled along, for there is no other expression which aptly describes our case. had we not been in superb physical training and in really hard condition all three of us must have collapsed. we literally carried the sledge, which weighed nearly four hundred pounds. when the afternoon march had already extended for hours we found ourselves travelling mile after mile across the line of our intended route to circumvent the crevasses. they seemed to grow bigger and bigger. at about p.m. we were travelling on a ridge between two stupendous open gulfs, and we found a connecting bridge which stretched obliquely across. i saw that it was necessary to move round or across a number of these wide open chasms to reach the undulations which we knew from our ice experience must terminate this broken up part of the glacier. in vain i told myself that these undulations could not be so far away. to cross by the connecting bridge which i have just spoken about was, to say the least of it, a precarious proceeding. but it would save us a mile or two, and in our tired state this was worth considering. after a minutes rest we placed the sledge on this ice bridge, and, as crean described it afterwards, "we went along the crossbar to the h of hell." it was not all misnamed either, for lashly, who went ahead, dared not walk upright. he actually sat astride the bridge and was paid out at the end of our alpine rope. he shuffled his way across, fearful to look down into the inky blue chasm below, but he fixed his eyes on the opposite wall of ice and hoped the rope would be long enough to allow him to reach it and climb up, for he never would have dared to come back. the cord _was_ sufficient in length, and he contrived finally to make his way on to the top of the ridge before him. he then turned round and looked scaredly at crean and myself. i think all of us felt the tension of the moment, but we wasted no time in commencing the passage. the method of procedure was this. the sledge rested on the narrow bridge which was indeed so shaped that the crest only admitted of the runners resting one on each side of it; the slope away was like an inverted "v" and while lashly sat gingerly on the opposite ridge, hauling carefully but not too strongly on the rope, crean and i, facing one another, held on to the sledge sides, balancing the whole concern. it was one of the most exciting moments of our lives. we launched the sled across foot by foot as i shouted "one, two, three--heave." each time the signal was obeyed we got nearer to the opposite ice slope. the balance was preserved, of course, by crean and myself, and we had to exercise a most careful judgment. neither of us spoke, except for the launching signal, but each looked steadfastly into the other's eyes--nor did we two look down. a false movement might have precipitated the whole gang and the sledge itself into the blue-black space of awful depth beneath. the danger was very real, but this crossing was necessary to our final safety. as in other cases of peril, the tense quiet of the moment left its mark on the memories of our party for ever. little absurd details attracted all our attention, for instance, i noticed the ruts in the cheeks of my grimy _vis-à-vis_, for crean had recently clipped his beard and whiskers. my gaze was also riveted on a cut, or rather open crack caused in one of his lips by the combined sun and wind. thousands of little fleeting thoughts chased one another through our brains, as we afterwards found by comparison, and finally we were so close to lashly that he could touch the sledge. he reached down, for the bridge was depressed somewhat where it met the slope on which he sat. he held on tight, and somehow crean and i wriggled off the bridge, sticking our crampons firmly into the ice and crawling up to where lashly was. we all three held on to the alpine line, and in some extraordinary fashion got to the top of the ridge, where we anchored ourselves and prepared to haul up the sledge. as i said before, it weighed about lb., and to three exhausted men the strain which came upon us when we hauled the sledge off the bridge tested us to the limit of our strength. the wretched thing slipped sideways and capsized on the slope, nearly dragging us down into that icy chasm, but our combined efforts saved us, and once again the perils of the moment were forgotten as we got into our sledge harness and started to make the best of our way to the depot. by now we were exhausted, rudely shaken, and our eyes were smarting with the glare and the glint of the sun's reflections from that awful maze of ice falls. i felt my heart would burst from the sustained effort of launching that sledge, which now seemed to weigh a ton. there seemed no way out of this confused mass of pressure ridges and, crevasses. we were "all out," and come what may i had to change our tactics, accordingly i ordered a halt. no room could be found to pitch our tent and i could not see any possibility of saving my party. we could stagger on no farther with the dreadfully heavy sledge. the prospect was hopeless and our food was nearly gone. some rest must be obtained to give us strength for this absolute battle for life. the great strain of the day's efforts had thoroughly exhausted us, and it took me back to the last day of the december blizzard which caused the eventual loss of the polar party and the ruin of captain scott's so excellently laid plans. i remembered the poor ponies after their fourteen hours' march, their flanks heaving, their black eyes dull, shrivelled and wasted. the poor beasts had stood, with their legs stuck out in strange attitudes, mere wrecks of the beautiful little animals that we took away from new zealand, and i could not help likening our condition to theirs on that painful day. the three of us sat on the sledge--hollow-eyed and gaunt looking. we were done, our throats were dry, and we could scarcely speak. there was no wind, the atmosphere was perfectly still, and the sun slowly crept towards the southern meridian, clear cut in the steel blue sky. it gave us all the sympathy it could, for it shed warm rays upon us as it silently moved on its way like a great eye from heaven, looking but unable to help. we should have gone mad with another day like this, and there were times when we came perilously close to being insane. something had to be done. i got up from the sledge, cast my harness adrift, and said, "i am going to look for a way out; we can't go on." my companions at first persuaded me not to go, but i pointed out that we could not continue in our exhausted condition. if only we could find a camping place, and we could rest, perhaps we should be able to make a final effort to get clear. i moved along a series of ice bridges, and the excitement gave me strength once more. i was surprised at myself for not being more giddy when i walked along the narrow ice spines, but the crampons attached to my finneskoe were like cat's claws, and without the weight of the sledge i seemed to develop a panther-like tenacity, for i negotiated the dangerous parts with the utmost ease. after some twenty minutes hunting round i came to a great ice hollow. down into it i went and up the other side. this hollow was free from crevasses, and when i got to the top of the ice mound opposite i saw yet another hollow. turning round i gazed back towards where i had left our sledge. two tiny, disconsolate figures were silhouetted against the sunlight--my two companions on our great homeward march, one sitting and one standing, probably looking for my reappearance as i vanished and was sighted again from time to time. i felt a tremendous love for those two men that day. they had trusted me so implicitly and believed in my ability to win through. i turned northward again, stepped down into the next hollow and stopped. i was in an enormous depression but not a crevasse to be seen, for the sides of the depression met quite firmly at the bottom in smooth, blue, solid ice. in a flash i called to mind the view of the ice fall from the glacier on our outward journey with captain scott, i remembered the huge frozen waves, and hoped with all my optimistic nature that this might be the end of the great disturbance. i stood still and surveyed the wonderful valley of ice, and then fell on my knees and prayed to god that a way out would be shown me. then i sprang to my feet, and hurried on boldly. clambering up the opposite slope of ice, i found a smooth, round crest over which i ran into a similar valley beyond. frozen waves here followed in succession, and hollow followed hollow, each less in magnitude than its forerunner. suddenly i saw before me the smooth, shining bed of the glacier itself, and away to the north-west was the curious reddish rock under which the mid glacier depot had been placed. my feelings hardly bear setting down. i was overcome with emotion, but my prayer was answered and we were saved. i had considerable difficulty in working back to the party amongst the labyrinth of ice bridges, but i fortunately found a patch of hard snow whereon my crampons had made their mark. from here i easily traced my footmarks back, and was soon in company with my friends. they were truly relieved at my news. on consulting my watch i found that i had been away one hour. it took us actually three times as long to work our sledge out into the smooth ice of the glacier, but this reached, we camped and made some tea before marching on to the depot, which lay but a few miles from us. we ate the last of our biscuits at this camp and finished everything but tea and sugar, then, new men, we struck our little camp, harnessed up and swept down over the smooth ice with scarcely an effort needed to move the sledge along. when we reached the depot we had another meal and slept through the night and well on into the next day. consulting my old antarctic diary i see that the last sentence written on the th january says, "i had to keep my goggles off all day as it was a matter of life or death with us, and snow blindness must be risked after ..." (a gap follows here until th january). the next day i had an awful attack of snow blindness, but the way down the glacier was so easy that it did not matter. i forgot whether lashly or crean led then, but i marched alongside, keeping in touch with the trace by hitching the lanyard of my sundial on to it and holding this in my hand. i usually carried the sundial slung round my neck, so that it was easy to pick it up and consult it. that day i was in awful pain, and although we had some dope for putting on our eyes when so smitten, i found that the greatest relief of all was obtained by bandaging my eyes with a poultice made of tea leaves after use--quaint places, quaint practices but the tip is worth considering for future generations of explorers and alpine climbers. our homeward march continued for day after day with no very exciting incidents. we met no more crevasses that were more than a foot or so wide, and we worked our way down on to the great ice barrier with comparatively easy marches, although the distances we covered were surprising to us all--seventeen miles a day we averaged. on the th january lashly and i had been fourteen weeks out, and we had exhausted practically every topic of conversation beyond food, distances made good, temperatures, and the weather. crean, as already set down, had started with the main southern party a week after lashly and i had first set out as the pioneers with those wretched failures, the motor sledges. by this time i had made the unpleasant discovery that i was suffering from scurvy. it came on with a stiffening of the knee joints, then i could not straighten my legs, and finally they were horrible to behold, swollen, bruised, and green. as day followed day my condition became worse: my gums were ulcerated and my teeth loose. then finally i got haemorrhage. crean and lashly were dreadfully concerned on my behalf, and how they nursed me and helped me along no words of mine can properly describe. what men they were. those awful days--i trudged on with them for hundreds of miles, and each step hurt me more. i had done too much on the outward journey, for what with building all the depot cairns ahead of the pony party, and what with the effects of the spring sledge journey, too much had been asked of me. i had never been out of harness from the day i left hut point, for even with the motor sledges we practically pulled them along. crean had had an easier time, for he had led a pony up to the foot of the beardmore glacier, and lashly had not done the spring sledging journey, which took a certain amount out of me with its temperatures falling to degrees below zero. the disappointment of not being included in the polar party had not helped me much, and i must admit that my prospects of winning through became duller day by day. i suffered absolute agonies in forcing my way along, and eventually i could only push myself by means of a ski-stick, for i could not step out properly. i somehow waddled on ski until one day i fainted when striving to start a march. crean and lashly picked me up, and crean thought i was dead. his hot tears fell on my face, and as i came to i gave a weak kind of laugh. they rigged the camp up once more and put me in my bag, and then those two gallant fellows held a short council of war. i endeavoured to get them to leave me when they came in with their suggestions, but it was useless to argue with them, and i now felt that i had shot my bolt. i vainly tried to persuade them to leave me in my sleeping-bag with what food they could spare, but they put me on the sledge, bag and all, and strapped me as comfortably as they could with their own sleeping-bags spread under me to make for greater ease. how weary their marches must have been--ten miles of foot slogging each day. i could see them from the sledge by raising my head--how slowly their legs seemed to move--wearily but nobly they fought on until one day a blizzard came and completely spoilt the surface. the two men had been marching nearly miles, their strength was spent, and great though their hearts were, they had now to give up. in vain they tried to move the sledge with my wasted weight upon it--it was hopeless. very seriously and sadly they re-erected our tent and put me once again inside. i thought i was being put into my grave. outside i heard them talking, low notes of sadness, but with a certain thread of determination running through what they said. they were discussing which should go and which should stay. crean had done, if anything, the lighter share of the work, as already explained, and he therefore set out to march thirty-five miles with no food but a few biscuits and a little stick of chocolate. he hoped to find relief at hut point. failing this, he would go on if possible to cape evans. crean came in to say good-bye to me. i thanked him for what he was doing in a weak, broken sort of way, and lashly held open the little round tent door to let me see the last of him. he strode out nobly and finely--i wondered if i should ever see him, again. then lashly came in to me, shut the tent door, and made me a little porridge out of some oatmeal we got from the last depot we had passed. after i had eaten it he made me comfortable by laying me on crean's sleeping-bag, which made my own seem softer, for i was very, very sore after being dragged a hundred miles on a jolting, jumping sledge. then i slept and awoke to find lashly's kind face looking down at me. there were very few wounded men in the great war nursed as i was by him. a couple of days passed, and every now and then lashly would open up the tent door, go out and search the horizon for some possible sign of relief. the end had nearly come, and i was past caring; we had no food, except a few paraffin saturated biscuits, and lashly in his weakened state without food could never have marched in. he took it all very quietly--a noble, steel true man--but relief did come at the end of that day when everything looked its blackest. we heard the baying of the dogs, first once, then again. lashly, who was lying down by my side quietly talking, sprang to his feet, looked out, and saw! they galloped right up to the tent door, and the leader, a beautiful gray dog named krisravitsa, seemed to understand the situation, for he came right into the tent and licked my hands and face. i put my poor weak hands up and gripped his furry ears. perhaps to hide my feelings i kissed his old hairy, siberian face with the kiss that was meant for lashly. we were both dreadfully affected at our rescue. atkinson and the russian dog-boy, dimitri, had come out hot-foot to save us, and of all men in the expedition none could have been better chosen than "little aitch," our clever naval doctor. after resting his dogs and feeding me with carefully prepared foodstuffs, he got me on one sledge and lashly on the other, the dogs were given their head, and in little more than three hours we covered the thirty-five miles into hut point, where i was glad to see crean's face once more and to hear first hand about his march. it had taken him eighteen hours' plodding through those awful snows from our camp to hut point, where fortunately he met atkinson and dimitri and told them of my condition. after the expedition was over the king gave lashly and crean the albert medal for their bravery in helping me win through. it is little enough tribute that i have dedicated this book to these two gallant fellows. chapter xvi the pole attained--scott's last marches the details of scott's final march to the pole, and the heartrending account of his homeward journey, of evans's sad death, of oates's noble sacrifice, and of the martyr like end of wilson, bowers, and scott himself have been published throughout the length and breadth of the civilised world. in "scott's last expedition"--vol. i. the great explorer's journals are practically reproduced in their entirety. mr. leonard huxley, who arranged them in , had had to do with scott's first work, "the voyage of the 'discovery'," and, as mr. huxley has said, these two works needed but little editing. scott's last fine book was written as he went along, and those of us who have survived the expedition and the great war, and we are few, are more than proud to count ourselves among the company he chose. a synopsis of his march from degrees minutes to the south pole, and a recapitulation of the events which marked the homeward march must certainly find their way into this book, which is after all only the husk of the real story. however much the story is retold--and it has been retold by members of the expedition as well as by others--the re-telling will never approach the story as told by scott himself: for the kernel one must turn to volume i, of "scott's last expedition": however, perhaps i can give something of interest; here is what little bowers says in extracts from his diary, given me by his mother: "_january_ .--packed up sledge with four weeks and three days' food for five men, five sleeping-bags, etc. i had my farewell breakfast with teddy evans, crean and lashly. teddy was frightfully cut up at not going to the pole, he had set his heart on it so. "i am afraid it was a very great disappointment to him, and i felt very sorry about it. poor teddy, i am sure it was for his wife's sake he wanted to go. he gave me a little silk flag she had given him to fly on the pole. after so little sleep the previous night i rather dreaded the march. "we gave our various notes, messages, and letters to the returning party and started off. they accompanied us for about a mile before turning, to see that all was going on well. "our party was on ski with the exception of myself. i first made fast to the central span, but afterwards connected up to the bow of the sledge, pulling in the centre between the inner ends of captain scott's and dr. wilson's traces. "this was found to be the best place, as i had to go my own step. teddy and party gave us three cheers and crean was half in tears. they had a featherweight sledge to go back with, of course, and ought to run down their distance easily. "we found we could manage our load easily, and did . miles before lunch, completing . by . p.m. our marching hours are nine per day. it is a long slog with a well-loaded sledge, and more tiring for me than the others as i have no ski. however, as long as i can do my share all day and keep fit, it does not matter much one way or the other. "we had our first north wind on the plateau to-day, and a deposit of snow crystals made the surface like sand latterly on the march. the sledge dragged like lead. in the evening it fell calm, and although the temperature was degrees it was positively pleasant to stand about outside the tent and bask in the sun's rays. it was our first calm since we reached the summit too. our socks and other damp articles which we hang out to dry at night became immediately covered with long feathery crystals exactly like plumes. "socks, mitts, and finneskoe dry splendidly up here during the night. we have little trouble with them compared with spring and winter journeys. i generally spread my bag out in the sun during the / hours of lunch time, which gives the reindeer hair a chance to get rid of the damage done by the deposit of breath and any perspiration during the night...." he seemed to have made no entry for some days after this, but he is interesting to quote later. the polar party covered the geographical miles that remained in a fortnight; on the th january they reached apparently the summit of the plateau, , ft. in latitude degrees minutes seconds s. longitude degrees minutes e., but their marches fell short of expectations due to the bad surfaces met with. scott kept copious notes in his diary of everything that mattered. he was delighted with his final selection, and as usual pithy and to the point when describing. here, for example, is something of what he wrote of his companions: (from scott's last expedition, vol. ) "wilson.--quick, careful and dexterous, ever thinking of some fresh expedient to help the camp life; tough as steel on the traces, never wavering from start to finish. "petty officer evans.--a giant worker, with a really remarkable headpiece--he is responsible for every sledge, every sledge-fitting, tents, sleeping-bags, harness, and when one cannot recall a single expression of dissatisfaction with any one of these items, it shows what an invaluable assistant he has been.... "bowers.--little bowers remains a marvel--he is thoroughly enjoying himself. i leave all the provision arrangements in his hands, and at all times he knows exactly how we stand ... nothing comes amiss to him, and no work is too hard.... "oates.--each is invaluable. oates had his invaluable period with the ponies: now he is a foot slogger and goes hard the whole time, does his share of camp work and stands the hardships as well as any of us. i would not like to be without him either. so our five people are perhaps as happily selected as it is possible to imagine." certainly no living man could have taken scott's place effectively as leader of our expedition--there was none other like him. he was the heart, brain, and master. on january just the slightest descent had been made, the height up being now , ft., but it will be noticed that they were then getting temperatures as low as degrees below zero: my party on that date got degrees higher thermometer readings. surface troubles continued to waylay them, and their distances, even with five men, were disappointing, due undoubtedly to this. on th both bowers and scott write of a surface like sand, and of tugging and straining when they ought to be moving easily. on th some members began to feel the cold unmistakably, and on the following day the whole party were quite done on camping. the saddest note on the outward march is struck on january when bowers sighted a cairn of snow and a black speck, which turned out to be a black flag tied to a sledge runner, near the remains of a camp--this after such a hopeful day on the th, when a depot of nine days food was made only miles from the pole--and scott wrote in his diary: "... it ought to be a certain thing now, and the only appalling possibility the sight of the norwegian flag forestalling ours...." still, there it was, dog tracks, many of them, were picked up and followed to the polar area. scott, wilson, oates, bowers, and seaman evans reached the south pole on th january, , a horrible day, temperature degrees below zero. the party fixed the exact spot by means of one of our little four-inch theodolites, and the result of their careful observations located the pole at a point which only differed from amundsen's "fix" by half a mile, as shown by his flag. this difference actually meant that the british and norwegian observers differed by _one scale division on the theodolite_, which was graduated to half a minute of arc. experts in navigation and surveying will always look on this splendidly accurate determination as a fine piece of work by our own people as well as by the norwegian expedition. lady scott has remarked on the magnificent spirit shown by her husband and his four specially-selected tent-mates when they knew that queen alexandra's little silk union jack had been anticipated by the flag of another nation. scott and his companions had done their best, and never from one of them came an uncharitable remark. in our expedition committee minute book it is recorded that the following were found at the pole: a letter from captain amundsen to captain scott: "poleheim, th _december_, . "dear captain scott,--as you probably are the first to reach this area after us, i will ask you kindly to forward this letter to king haakon vii. if you can use any of the articles left in the tent please do not hesitate to do so. the sledge left outside may be of use to you. with kind regards i wish you a safe return. "yours truly, roald amundsen." also another note: "the norwegian home, poleheim, is situated in degrees minutes s. lat. s.e. by e. compass miles. (signed) roald amundsen. " th _december_, ." the norwegian explorers' names recorded at poleheim were: roald amundsen, olaf bjaaland, helmer hanssen, oskar wisting, sverre hassel. scott left a note in the norwegian tent with the names of himself and his companions, and in his diary he agreed that the norwegian explorers had made thoroughly sure of their work and fully carried out their programme. scott considered the pole to be feet above the barrier-- feet lower than the plateau altitude in degrees. bowers took the sights to fix the south pole. on the th january the northward march was commenced: the party had before them then a distance of over miles (statute). bowers writes on this date quite nonchalantly: " ... a splendid clear morning, with fine s.w'ly wind blowing--during breakfast time i sewed a flap attachment on to my green hat so as to prevent the wind from blowing down my neck on the march. we got up the mast and sail on the sledge and headed north, picking up amundsen's cairn and our outgoing tracks shortly afterwards. along this we travelled until we struck the other cairn and finally the black flag where we had made our sixth (?) outward camp. we then with much relief left all traces of the norwegian behind, and i headed on my own track till lunch camp, when we had come . miles. in the afternoon we passed no. cairn of the british route, and fairly slithered along with a fresh breeze. it was heavy travelling for me, not being on ski, but one does not mind being tired if a good march is made. we did altogether for the day, and so should pick up our last depot to-morrow afternoon. the weather became fairly thick soon after noon, and at the end of the afternoon there was considerable drift with a mist caused by ice crystals and parhelion. "_january_ .--good sailing breeze again this morning; it is a great pleasure to have one's back to the wind instead of having to face it. it came on thicker later, but we sighted the last depot soon after p.m. and reached it at - p.m. the red flag on the bamboo pole was blowing out merrily to welcome us back from the pole, with its supply of the necessaries of life below. we are absolutely dependent on our depots to get off the plateau alive, and so welcome the lovely little cairns gladly. at this one, called the 'last depot,' we picked up four days' food, a can of oil, some methylated spirit (for lighting purposes), and some personal gear we had left there. the bamboo was bent on to the floor-cloth as a yard for our sail instead of a broken sledge runner of amundsen's, which we had found at the pole and made a temporary yard of. as we had marched extra long in the forenoon in order to reach the depot, our afternoon march was shorter than usual. the wind increased to a moderate gale, with heavy gusts and considerable drift. we would have had a bad time had we been facing it. after an hour i had to shift my harness aft so as to control the motions of the sledge. "unfortunately the surface got very sandy latterly, but we finished up with . miles to our credit and camped in a stiff breeze, which rendered itself into a blizzard a few hours later. i was glad we had our depot safe. "_january_ .-wind increased to force during night, with heavy drift; in the morning it was blizzing like blazes, and marching was out of the question. the wind would have been of great assistance to us, but the drift was so thick that steering a course would have been next to impossible, so we decided to await developments and get under way as soon as it showed any signs of clearing. fortunately it was short lived, and instead of lasting the regulation two days it went off in the afternoon, and . found us off with our sail full. it was good running on ski, but soft plodding for me on foot. i shall be jolly glad to pick up my dear old ski. they are nearly miles away yet, however. the breeze fell altogether latterly, and i shifted up into my old place, a middle number of the five. our distance completed was . miles when camp was made again. our old cairns are of great assistance, also the tracks, which are obliterated in places by heavy drift and hard sastrugi, but can be followed easily. "_january_ .--we came across evans's sheep-skin boots this evening. they were almost covered after their long spell since they fell off the sledge. the breeze was in from the s.s.w., but got bright and light. at lunch camp we had completed . miles. in the afternoon the breeze fell altogether and the surface acted on by the sun became perfect sand-dust. the light sledge pulled by five men came along like a drag without a particle of slide or go in it. we were all glad to camp soon after p.m. i think we were all pretty tired out. we did altogether . miles for the day. we are now only miles from the / degree depot and should reach it in two marches with any luck. "_january_ .--started off with a bit of a breeze which helped us a little. after the first two hours it increased to force s.s.w., and filling the sail we sped along merrily, doing / miles before lunch. in the afternoon it was even stronger. i had to go back in the sledge and act as guide and brakesman. we had to lower the sail a bit, but even then she ran like a bird. we are picking up our old cairns famously. evans got his nose frost-bitten, not an unusual thing with him, and as we were all getting pretty cold latterly, we stopped at a quarter to seven, having done / miles. we camped with considerable difficulty owing to the force of the wind. "_january_ .--evans got his fingers all blistered with frostbites, otherwise we are all well, but thinning, and in spite of our good rations getting hungrier daily. "i sometimes spend much thought on the march with plans for making a pig of myself on the first opportunity. as this will be after a farther walk of miles they will be a bit premature. it was blowing a gale when we started, and it increased in force. finally, with the sail half down, one man detached tracking ahead, and titus and i breaking back, we could not always keep the sledge from over-running. the blizzard got worse and worse, till having done only miles we had to camp soon after o'clock. we had a most difficult job camping, and it has been blowing like blazes all the afternoon. i think it is moderating now-- p.m. "we are only miles from our depot and the delay is exasperating. "_january_ .--it was no use turning out at our usual time ( . a.m.) as the blizzard was as furious as ever. "we therefore decided on a late breakfast and no lunch unless able to march. we have only three days' food with us and shall be in queer street if we miss the depot. "our bags are getting steadily wetter, so are our clothes. "it shows a tendency to clear off now (breakfast time), so, d.v., we may march after all. i am in tribulation as regards meals now, as we have run out of salt, one of my favourite commodities. it was owing to atkinson's party taking back an extra tin by mistake from the upper glacier depot. "fortunately we have some depoted there, so i will only have to endure another two weeks without it. " p.m.--we have got in a march after all, thank the lord. "assisted by the wind we made an excellent run down to our / depot, where the big red flag was blowing out of driving drift. here we picked up cans of oil, and one week's food for five men, together with some personal gear depoted. "we left the bamboo and the flag on the cairn. i was much relieved to pick up this depot; now we have only one other source of anxiety in the endless snow summit, viz., the third depot in latitude degrees minutes s. in the afternoon we did . miles. it was a miserable march, blizzard all the time and our sledge either sticking on sastrugi or overrunning the traces. we had to lower the sail half down, and titus and i hung on to her--it was most strenuous work as well as much colder than pulling ahead. most of the time we had to brake back with all our strength to keep the sledge from overrunning. bill got a bad go of sun-glare from following the track without goggles on. "_january_ .--this day last year we started the depot journey. i did not think so short a time would turn me into an old hand at polar travelling, neither did i imagine all the time that i would be returning from the pole. "_january_ .--our record march to-day. with a good breeze and improving surface we were soon in amongst the double tracks where the supporting party left us. then we picked up the memorable camp where i transferred to the advance party. how glad i was to change over. the camp was much drifted up, and immense sastrugi . . . etc." day's marches, temperatures, and so on, then his diary commences missing days out and only contains two line entries in short, sharp notes such as: "_january_ .--picked up depot . a.m. picked up my ski . p.m. no wind latterly--heavy surface. / --bill's leg--evans's fingers--extra biscuits, etc."; and "_february_ .--very heavy surface--ice crystals--movement of upper currents--evans cook--finer weather--lower temperature--sastrugi. run . ." it was probably the beginning of the end. february brought little to the party but bad luck and reverses. wilson had strained a tendon in his leg. evans's fingers were in a bad state through frostbite, and on the first of the month scott himself had fallen and shaken himself badly. temperatures low, too low for any good surface. february found the party amongst crevasses, both scott and evans falling into them. notwithstanding all their troubles they made a fine pace over the ice-capped plateau and down the beardmore. evans's fall on february crocked him up a good deal, and he suffered from facial frostbites. his condition all the time now was causing the gravest anxiety. the summit journey ended on february . on the th valuable geological specimens were collected and brought along, and then the descent of the great glacier commenced. the beardmore temperatures to begin with were rather high, and scott seems to have considered this a disadvantage, for he says it made the party feel slack. evans was rested half-way down the beardmore, oates looking after him, while the other made a halt for geological investigation by the cloudmaker depot. but poor evans had sustained a severe concussion through falling and hitting his head on the th, and the party on his account was so delayed that the surplus foodstuffs rapidly diminished, and the outlook became serious. bad weather was again encountered, and on february , near the foot of the glacier, seaman evans died. wilson expressed the opinion that evans must have injured his brain by the fall. it was a great surprise to all of us to hear of evans failing so early, as he was known to be a man of enormous strength, and a tried sledger. he was also a veteran in antarctic experience, having made some wonderful journeys under scott in the "discovery" days. after reaching the lower glacier depot on the th the bereaved little band pushed northward with fine perseverance, although they must have known by their gradually shortening marches that little hope of reaching their winter quarters remained. their best march on the barrier was only miles, and in the later stages their marches dropped to . the depots were, as stated, some miles apart, but the temperatures fell as they advanced, instead of rising, as expected, and we find them recording - . degrees one night. surfaces were terrible--"like pulling over desert sand, not the least glide in the world." poor oates's feet and hands were badly frostbitten--he constantly appealed to wilson for advice. what should he do, what could he do? poor, gallant soldier, we thought such worlds of him. wilson could only answer "slog on, just slog on." on march , which was oates's birthday, he walked out to his death in a noble endeavour to save his three companions beset with hardships, and as captain scott himself wrote, "it was the act of a brave man and an english gentleman--we all hope to meet the end with a similar spirit, and assuredly the end is not far." scott, wilson, and bowers fought on until march , only doing about miles in the four days, and then they were forced to camp miles south of one ton depot. they were kept in camp by a blizzard which was too violent to permit them to move, and on march captain scott wrote his great message to the public: message to the public the causes of the disaster are not due to faulty organisation, but to misfortune in all risks which had to be undertaken. .--the loss of pony transport in march, , obliged me to start later than i had intended, and obliged the limits of stuff transported to be narrowed. . the weather throughout the outward journey, and especially the long gale in degrees s., stopped us. . the soft snow in lower reaches of glacier again reduced pace. we fought these untoward events with a will and conquered, but it cut into our provision reserve. every detail of our food supplies, clothing, and depots made on the interior ice sheet and over that long stretch of miles to the pole and back worked out to perfection. the advance party would have returned to the glacier in fine form and with surplus of food, but for the astonishing failure of the man whom we had least expected to fail. edgar evans was thought the strongest man of the party. the beardmore glacier is not difficult in fine weather, but on our return we did not get a single completely fine day; this with a sick companion enormously increased our anxieties. as i have said elsewhere we got into frightfully rough ice, and edgar evans received a concussion of the brain--he died a natural death, but left us a shaken party, with the season unduly advanced. but all the facts above enumerated were as nothing to the surprise which awaited us on the barrier. i maintain that our arrangements for returning were quite adequate, and that no one in the world would have expected the temperatures and surfaces which we encountered at this time of the year. on the summit in latitude degrees degrees we had - degrees - degrees. on the barrier in latitude degrees, , feet lower, we had - degrees in the day, - degrees at night pretty regularly, with continuous head wind during our day marches. it is clear that these circumstances come on very suddenly, and our wreck is certainly due to this sudden advent of severe weather, which does not seem to have any satisfactory cause. i do not think human beings ever came through such a month as we have come through, and we should have got through in spite of the weather but for the sickening of a second companion, captain oates, and a shortage of fuel in our depots, for which i cannot account, and finally, but for the storm which has fallen on us within miles of the depot at which we hoped to secure our final supplies. surely misfortune could scarcely have exceeded this last blow. we arrived within miles of our old one ton camp with fuel for one last meal and food for two days. for four days we have been unable to leave the tent--the gale howling about us. we are weak, writing is difficult, but for my own sake i do not regret this journey, which has shown that englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past. we took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of providence, determined still to do our best to the last. but if we have been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honour of our country, i appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend on us are properly cared for. had we lived, i should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every englishman. these rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for. (signed) r. scott. this chapter would be incomplete without wilson's own beautiful lines from the "south polar times"; the barrier silence the silence was deep with a breath like sleep as our sledge runner slid on the snow, and the fateful fall of our fur-clad feet struck mute like a silent blow. on a questioning "hush," as the settling crust shrank shivering over the floe; and the sledge in its track sent a whisper back which was lost in a white-fog bow. and this was the thought that the silence wrought as it scorched and froze us through, though secrets hidden are all forbidden till god means man to know. we might be the men god meant should know the heart of the barrier snow, in the heat of the sun, and the glow and the glare from the glistening floe, as it scorched and froze us through and through with the bite of the drifting snow. chapter xvii the second winter--finding of the polar party the foregoing story of triumph and disaster going hand in hand to scott dwarfed the remaining chapters of the expedition's history into insignificance. i venture, however, to give a resume of what was happening elsewhere in this region at the time. the norwegian explorers commenced their trip homeward to framheim in the bay of whales, a distance of english miles, on december , and made the amazing marching average of / miles a day for this distance. on january , , at a.m., amundsen's men regained the shelter of their winter quarters, when poor scott was still only miles from the pole on his return journey. this undoubtedly establishes the superiority of dogs in great numbers for polar sledge travelling, for scott delayed his start on account of the inability of his ponies to face the severity of the barrier weather conditions before november . peary in the north had already with dogs achieved what amundsen did in the south. captain amundsen has always expressed his wonder at our performance--and in his modest way he told me he himself could never have manhauled as scott's men did. concerning the attempts to support the southern party, scott's instructions were quite clear, and they were certainly obeyed. as a matter of fact there was never any anxiety felt for the southern party until after march . they themselves never imagined they would reach hut point before that time, and as the last supporting party had won through short-handed, and after pulling in harness for miles, it was not considered likely that the southern party would fail--unless overtaken by scurvy. what actually happened was this. stores were landed by those at the base station on the re-arrival of the "terra nova," and atkinson, who was the senior member of those not now returning in her to civilisation, took over the dogs according to scott's directions. he proceeded to hut point with dimitri and the two dog teams on th february, and was kept in camp by bad weather until th, when crean reached the hut and brought in the news of my breakdown and collapse at corner camp. a blizzard precluded a start for the purpose of relieving me, but this expedition was undertaken immediately the weather abated. it was only during a temporary clear that lashly and i were rescued. considering my condition, atkinson judged that if help could be obtained from cape evans, his duty was to stay with me and save my life if possible, and to depute cherry-garrard or wright to take the dog-teams out to one ton camp with dimitri. scott would have preferred wright to remain at cape evans, because he had now relieved simpson as physicist--simpson being recalled by the indian government. so it was decided that cherry-garrard should take out the teams, which he did, with twenty-four days' food for his own unit and two weeks' surplus stores for the southern party, with all kinds of special delicacies. the real object of this trip was to hasten the southern party's return rather than to succour them. cherry-garrard and dimitri had a tough time of it. they, however, reached one ton camp on march, and were held there by blizzard weather, which made travelling impossible. temperatures of degrees below zero and lower were experienced, the dogs were suffering acutely, and cherry-garrard had to decide on the better course--to remain at one ton camp, which scott would surely make, if thus far north, with two competent navigators in his team, or to scout and risk missing the party, whilst using up the dogs' remaining strength. he very properly remained at one ton camp and made his depot on th march, and after satisfying himself that over a month's travelling rations were in the depot, cherry-garrard started homeward, but he had by no means a sinecure in this journey back--his dogs went wild at the start, smashed the sledge-meter adrift, fought, and would keep no definite direction, thick weather set in, and they had a fearful time marching northwards. the season was rapidly closing, and without the practice in fog navigation which the naval officers had, the situation of the unit was alarming. the two men got into severe pressure and found great open crevasses--this with their dogs ravenous and out of hand. dimitri practically collapsed, and being unable to express himself properly in english, one can picture what cherry-garrard had to contend with. late on march they won through to hut point in exceedingly bad condition. atkinson was seriously alarmed, and had two more sick men to nurse back to strength. the dogs were frost-bitten, gaunt, and quite unfit for further work that season. meantime during the absence of the dog teams, before there was anxiety on scott's account, pennell, responding to atkinson's letter for help, brought the "terra nova" up towards hut point, and a party under rennick conveyed me in pitiful state to the ship in my sleeping-bag. i was placed in the captain's cabin, and given drake and day as nurses. i owe them a great debt too. atkinson had still to remain at my side, for i was even then at death's door--and, it is only due to atkinson's unremitting care that i am alive to-day. he came up therefore in the ship and participated in the search for campbell in the vicinity of evans's coves, but after several unsuccessful attempts the "terra nova" temporarily abandoned her objective and returned to cape evans on march . here keohane was picked up and taken with atkinson to hut point--pennell relieved atkinson of further responsibility on my account and then landed him with keohane here. it was impressed on atkinson that there was very little chance of relieving campbell with ice conditions as they were. they laid up a store of seal meat and blubber against the return of scott's company, while the ship made another fruitless attempt to relieve campbell. she did not return south after this on account of the sea freezing and her own coal shortage, but proceeded back to new zealand, in accordance with her commanding officer's instructions. pennell was not justified in keeping the "terra nova" any later in the mcmurdo sound. now let us consider poor atkinson. he had dimitri and cherry-garrard at hut point in a state of collapse--he had on th march the knowledge that the polar party were still on the barrier with a season closing in and a certainty of low temperature--there was no communication with cape evans, for the ice had gone out and left open water between the two positions. after discussing the situation fully, atkinson and keohane started out alone to succour scott's party. it was on march that atkinson and keohane set out, this being later in the year than we had sledged in , when it will be remembered we gave up depot-laying on account of the hardship entailed, although we were fresh men and had not undergone the severe test of a long season's sledge work. atkinson could only manage about nine miles daily, he and keohane got practically no sleep owing to the cold, and they turned homeward after depositing a week's food supply at corner camp, in case it could be made use of. atkinson was morally certain that the polar party had perished by this time, and, as he states in his record of proceedings ("the last year at cape evans, 'scott's last expedition,' vol. ii."), scott's last diary entry was made before he and keohane reached corner camp. atkinson arrived back at hut point on april , , utterly worn out, and in great concern on campbell's account, for the northern party were known to be somewhere on the coast. he could do nothing without assistance from cape evans, and he awaited, therefore, the opportunity of reaching the base station as we all had done when stranded at hut point twelve months previously. on april , leaving cherry-garrard to tend the dogs, atkinson, keohane, and dimitri made their way to cape evans via the castle rock, glacier tongue route, as described in the earlier part of this narrative, but, as it happens, under almost unparalleled conditions, for they sailed over the ice, riding on their sledge, such was the excellence of the sea-ice surface. the indefatigable atkinson called the members together to discuss plans and decide as to future relief work. the idea of making a farther journey on to the ice barrier to succour scott was rejected as useless--for there was no hope whatever for the southern party, and atkinson himself knew what the barrier travelling was like. there was, however, a chance of relieving campbell and his five companions, known to have been set ashore in the neighbourhood of terra nova bay, and with this end in view, atkinson, wright, keohane, williamson, gran, and dimitri set off on april . the last two were left at hut point whilst atkinson and the other three worked round the southern end of mcmurdo sound on the sea-ice and up the coast to butter point. it was a dangerous proceeding, but atkinson was undaunted by the perils of the sea ice breaking up, and he carried out a tip-and-run sort of journey with great pluck and endurance, establishing a depot of a fortnight's foodstuffs at butter point. on april. the ice was seen to break up and drift seawards from butter point, thus finally putting a stop to any further search or relief work. a somewhat hazardous return journey landed atkinson's team at hut point, and his whole party was re-collected at the cape evans base by may with the dogs. here lashly was looking after the seven mules presented by the indian government, which the ship had brought down to enable scott to explore further the extent of the victoria land coast, s.e. of the beardmore. everything at cape evans in the scientific line was carried on as in the preceding winter, and although the staff was reduced the records and observations were continued as heretofore. the second winter party consisted of: _officers_--atkinson, wright, debenham, nelson, cherry-garrard, gran. _men_--archer, williamson, crean, lashly, keohane, dimitri, hooper. mr. archer, our capable chief cook and steward, replaced clissold, and williamson exchanged with forde. the winter work of the hut was reorganised by atkinson, so that every one was detailed to do that for which he was best suited. considering what the party had faced already, that they were living in the shadow of a great disaster, and that campbell's fate was in doubt, one must feel that in a way they had the hardest time of all in the expedition. they had to sit down, as it were, and wait in uncertainty for the winter to pass, then go out in search to ascertain the fate of their leader, and probably that of campbell. i can only give a brief summary of the second winter, taken from atkinson's and gran's accounts: the weather was probably exceptional from the persistency of the early winter blizzards. there was a great dearth of seal-meat, due to the ice blowing out from the north bay and to the lack of ice everywhere in may month. debenham gave great joy to the company after examining the geological specimens brought by atkinson's supporting party from the beardmore. fossils of plants and small marine animals were found amongst them. ice formed at the end of may, but again blew out in june--close on to midwinter, when the sea was seen to be phosphorescent, and atkinson writes: "we had a wonderful show of phosphorescence--we saw a seal chasing a school of fish, the fish outlined with phosphorescence, and the seal with a glowing snout and all his body bright in hot pursuit." on midwinter day, after the attendant festivities, atkinson called the members together and outlined his plans for the coming season. he says, "two alternatives lay before us. one was to go south and try to discover the fate of captain scott's party. i thought it most likely that they had been lost in a crevasse on the beardmore glacier. whether their bodies could be found or not, it was highly desirable to go even as far as the upper glacier depot, nearly miles from the base, in the hope of finding a note left in some depot which could tell whether they had fulfilled their task or turned back before reaching the pole. on general grounds it was of great importance not to leave the record of the expedition incomplete, with one of its most striking chapters a blank. "the other alternative was to go west and north to relieve campbell and his party, always supposing they had survived the winter. if they had come through the winter every day of advancing summer would improve their chances of living on in terra nova bay. at the same time there was good prospect of their ultimately being relieved by the ship, if indeed she had not taken them off in the autumn. as for ourselves, it seemed most improbable that we could journey up the coast owing to the abnormal state of the ice. instead of being frozen for the winter, the whole sound to the north and west of inaccessible island was open water during july; the ice was driven out by the exceptionally strong and frequent winds, and there was little chance of a firm road forming for the spring. under these conditions officers and men unanimously supported the decision to go south." an important fact is noted by atkinson which is worth including for the guidance of future expeditions. six new sledges came down per "terra nova" from messrs. hagen of christiania, with tapered runners--the breadth of the runner in front being inches, diminishing to / on the after part of the sledge. compared with our original -foot pattern the new sledges contrasted to great advantage over the old. the idea seems to be that the broad iron portion should run over and smooth the track for the after tapered portion. the sun returned after its four months' absence on august and found the little party in excellent health and cheerful spirits. the mules and dogs had been carefully exercised to be ready and fit for the new journey south. a depot was laid miles south of corner camp in mid-october, and another by the dogs soon after. on october wright, nelson, gran, lashly, crean, williamson, keohane, and hooper left with six mules, sledges, and a considerable provision store to search for captain scott and the polar party. atkinson followed with cherry-garrard and dimitri on st november, taking the best available dogs in two teams. without any great trouble they reached one ton camp on november , having joined forces with the mule party. atkinson notes that here he found, as we had done before, an oil shortage from paraffin tins in the depot leaking, although there was no hole discernible. some stores had been spoilt in consequence. on the morning of th november the party found what they sought--scott's tent, snowed up and presenting a cairn-like appearance. from gran's diary the following is taken: "it has happened--horrible, ugly fate, only miles from one ton depot, scott, wilson, and birdie. all ghastly. i will never forget it as long as i live: a terrible nightmare could not have shown more horror than this 'campo santo.' in a tent, snow covered to above the door, we found the three bodies. scott in the middle, half out of his bag, birdie on his right, and uncle bill on the left, lying head towards the door. .. bowers and wilson seem to have passed away in a kind of sleep.... concerning our unlucky polar party we learned that petty officer evans died at the lower glacier depot; he was done, and had fallen coming down the glacier: death was the result of a concussion of the brain. on the barrier they met with extreme low temperatures. down to - degrees in the night time for weeks, also head wind. "'soldier' had got his feet frost-bitten badly and suffered enormously. he understood that the salvation of the party depended on his death--but as death would not relieve him he went out of the tent in a blizzard to meet it. the three others arrived here at this camp march with food for two days and fuel for one meal. a terrible blizzard prevented them from getting in, and on march all was finished. "scott writes in his diary: 'there is no more hope, and so god look after our people....' all this only a day's march from plenty.... we buried them this morning, a solemn undertaking. how strange it was to see men bareheaded whilst the wind blew with the thermometer at - degrees. we are now going to look for 'soldier' and then return to look for campbell. i must say our expedition is not given much luck ... the sun is shining beautifully in this place of death: over the bluff this morning stood a distinct cross in clouds." it continues: "november , lunch time: "we have built a cairn--a -foot cairn--and put a cross made of a pair of skis on it...." gran says later, and it is worth quoting: "when i saw those three poor souls the other day, i just felt that i envied them. they died having done something great. how hard death must be for those who meet it having done nothing." atkinson in his account says: "we recovered all their gear and dug out the sledge with their belongings on it. amongst these were lb. of very important geological specimens which had been collected on the moraines of the beardmore glacier: at doctor wilson's request they had stuck to these up to the very end, even when disaster stared them in the face and they knew that the specimens were so much weight added to what they had to pull...." the following record was left: "november , , latitude degrees, minutes, south. this cross and cairn are erected over the bodies of captain scott, c.v.o., r.n., doctor e.a. wilson, m.b., b.c., cantab., and lieutenant h.r. bowers, royal indian marine--a slight token to perpetuate their successful and gallant attempt to reach the pole. this they did on january , , after the norwegian expedition had already done so. inclement weather with lack of fuel was the cause of their death. also to commemorate their two gallant comrades, captain l.e.g. oates of the inniskilling dragoons, who walked to his death in a blizzard to save his comrades, about eighteen miles south of this position; also of seaman edgar evans, who died at the foot of the beardmore glacier. 'the lord gave and the lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the lord.'" this was signed by all the members of the party. "i decided then to march twenty miles south with the whole of the expedition and try to find the body of captain oates. for half the day we proceeded south, as far as possible along the line of the previous season's march. on one of the old pony walls, which was simply marked by a ridge of the surface of the snow, we found oates's sleeping-bag, which they had brought along with them after he had left. "the next day we proceeded thirteen miles more south, hoping and searching to find his body. when we arrived at the place where he had left them, we saw that there was no chance of doing so. the kindly snow had covered his body, giving him a fitting burial. here, again, as near to the site of the death as we could judge, we built another cairn to his memory, and placed thereon a small cross and the following record: 'hereabouts died a very gallant gentleman, captain l.e.g. oates of the inniskilling dragoons. in march, , returning from the pole, he walked willingly to his death in a blizzard, to try and save his comrades, beset by hardships. this note is left by the relief expedition of .'" atkinson writes also, and it should be inserted most certainly here, referring to their return after hunting for poor oates's body: "on the second day we came again to the resting place of the three and bade them there a final farewell. there alone in their greatness they will lie without change or bodily decay, with the most fitting tomb in the world above them." atkinson could not have expressed himself more beautifully. my book should end here, but there is an epilogue to it: it is the illuminating story of campbell and his northern party, with a short indication of what was done elsewhere by the expedition's men. the homeward journey was made in sorrow and doubt, for atkinson's little band of brothers had to shoulder another responsibility--the determination of campbell's fate. on november , , gran's diary gives as follows: "great news again--great, good news. campbell here and his party safe at cape evans. they just missed us going out. they lived a winter à la eskimo, igloo and so on, and have been quite comfortable, so they say. campbell is looking very well. he is now in command, and intends to do only small trips--erebus and so on...." atkinson now handed over to campbell, and whilst mentioning this it is just as well to call attention to the splendid services of dr. atkinson. grit and loyalty were his outstanding qualities. he was later on specially promoted to surgeon commander for his work in the expedition. chapter xviii adventures of the northern party to set forth concisely the adventurous story of campbell's northern party in a single chapter is no light task. raymond priestley has written it in book form already, just as griffith-taylor has published his particular narrative of the western journey in "the silver lining." both books are of absorbing interest to those who are fond of polar literature. i have, i hope, made clear the reason of campbell's landing at cape adare. mr. borchgrevink in his "southern cross" antarctic expedition used this position as his winter quarters, and found, just as campbell did, that it was not a suitable part of the antarctic continent for making extensive sledge journeys from. still, king edward's land was denied him. amundsen was established before him in the bay of whales, and in spite of diligent search the cape adare choice was the only one left to victor campbell and his five companions. scott's instructions have already been reproduced in this volume: he mentioned robertson bay, and cape adare is at the n.e. extreme of the promontory bounding the bay to the eastward. campbell was by no means satisfied with his landing place, but coal was short in the "terra nova" and the season drawing in. he had vainly searched for a more profitable wintering place, and it was not until february that he got his chance of landing here even. the party and their stores were put ashore on the beach which the "southern cross" expedition had chosen, for want of a better spot where their stuff could be set safely on land. loose ice and surf hampered operations, for owing to shallow water, boats had to convey hut, gear, and equipment from the ship instead of sledges taking it over fast ice, as was the case at cape evans. it was truly a case of bundling campbell and co. out of the ship, and only their great optimism and _bonhomie_ kept this party from despair. as it turned out they had some of the best of the expedition game, since neither disaster nor terrific disappointment dogged their steps as in scott's case, for up till the very last they were in blissful ignorance of our dreadful plight in the main party. the old huts left by borchgrevink in were much dilapidated: one snowed up inside, and the other roofless and full of penguin guano. the snow was all removed from the snow-choked hut, and this shack used as a temporary shelter during the building of the chateau campbell. the work of landing stores from the "terra nova" was accomplished in two days, and the ship, after tooting a farewell to the little party on her siren, steamed away and left them to their own devices. the cape adare locality is a famous penguin rookery, and campbell's men might for all the world have been erecting their hut on hampstead heath during a bank holiday, for the penguins gathered in their thousands around them in a cawing, squawking crowd. penguins are the true inhabitants of antarctica, and have flourished for countless ages in these parts. surgeon levick, campbell's doctor, has written a splendid little book entitled "antarctic penguins" (heinemann), which tells all about the little beggars in popular language. the members landed with lieutenant victor campbell were: levick . . . surgeon and zoologist. priestley . . geologist. abbott . . . seaman. browning . . seaman. dickason . . seaman. the three seamen were chosen by campbell after careful observation on the outward voyage. the northern party hut was completed and first inhabited by march . an ice house for the storage of fresh meat was constructed, or rather hollowed out of an iceberg grounded close to. unfortunately, this had to be evacuated owing to a surf causing the berg to disintegrate, and v campbell puts it, "we had only just time to rescue the forty penguins with which we had stocked it, and carry the little corpses to a near ice-house built of empty cases filled with ice." to appreciate best the surrounding hereabouts one may as well give a brief description of the cape adare and robertson bay environment. the place on which the hut was built is a small triangular beach cut off from the mainland by inaccessible cliffs. a fine bay, containing an area of perhaps nine hundred square miles, lies to the westward, and south and behind this the admiralty range of mountains rises in snowy splendour to heights of , feet or more; other ranges are visible far to the westward, whilst black basalt rocks overhang the station. several wall-faced glaciers are visible, but according to campbell none are possible to climb on to, nor do they lead up to the inland plateau. on this account the party were unable to accomplish any serious sledging whilst landed here. other things were undertaken, and the members did excellent meteorological, geological, and magnetic work, while campbell himself made some good surveys. priestley has added, greatly to our geological knowledge, and he, with his previous antarctic experience, made himself invaluable to his chief. the aurora observations show much more variegated results than we got at cape evans, where, as pointed out, there was a great absence of colour beyond pale yellow in the displays. the principal drawback of the beach here was its covering of guano and manure dust from the myriads of penguins and their predecessors. i had gone ashore at cape adare as a sub-lieutenant on january , , to leave a record, and i remember that we had literally to trample on the penguins to get across the beach to borchgrevink's hut--how interesting it all was, my first landing on this inhospitable continent: my impressions left a wonderful memory of mouse-coloured, woolly little young of the adelie penguin--i even remember taking one away and trying unsuccessfully to bring it up. it must have taken campbell's crew a long time to get accustomed to the pungent odour thereabouts. levick dressed the ground with bleaching powder to help dispel that dreadful odour of guano before campbell's men put down their hut floor. there is little to be set down concerning the cape adare winter--the routine much resembled our own winter routine at cape evans; it was much warmer, however, and being six degrees farther north the sun left the party nearly a month later and returned the same amount earlier; they had little more than two months with the sun below the horizon in fact. there is a certain amount of quiet humour about campbell's record; for instance, he states that they used their "pram" or norwegian skiff and tried trawling for biological specimens on march --"our total catch was one sea-louse, one sea-slug, and one spider." it is very interesting to note that in march they had aurora in which "an arc of yellow stretched from n.w. to n.e., while a green and red curtain extended from the n.w. horizon to the zenith." the "pram" was campbell's gift to the expedition. he was always alive in the matter of small boats and their uses, and he was the first to use "kayaks" by making canvas boats to fit round the sledges; these were light enough and might have well been used by us in the main party. had poor mackintosh possessed one in shackleton's last expedition he and his companions would probably have saved themselves--if they had carried a canvas cover on a sledge with them however it is always easy to be wise after the event. levick's medical duties were very light indeed: they included the stopping of one of campbell's teeth, and the latter says, "as he had been flensing a seal a few days before, his fingers tasted strongly of blubber." priestly took charge of the meteorology for this station in addition to his own special subjects. abbott was the carpenter, browning the acetylene gas-man, and dickason the cook and baker. with these ends in view mr. archer had had dickason in the galley on board during the outward voyage. this hut of theirs was stayed down with wire hawser on account of the gales recorded by the "southern cross" expedition. the company's alarm clock, an invention of browning's, deserves the description taken from campbell's diary: "we have felt the want of an alarm clock, as in such a small party it seems undesirable that any one should have to remain awake the whole night to take the - a.m. observations, but browning has come to the rescue with a wonderful contrivance. it consists of a bamboo spring held back by a piece of cotton rove through a candle which is marked off in hours. the other end of the cotton is attached to the trigger of the gramophone, and whoever takes the midnight observations winds the gramophone, 'sets' the cotton, lights the candle, and turns the trumpet towards priestley, who has to turn out for the a.m. at ten minutes to two the candle burns the thread and releases the bamboo spring, which being attached to the trigger, starts the gramophone in the sleeper's ear, and he turns out and stops the tune; this arrangement works beautifully and can be timed to five minutes." curiously enough campbell's men sustained far more frostbites than we at cape evans did: in all my four antarctic voyages i have never been frost-bitten beyond a touch here and there on the finger-tips working instruments, yet i occasionally now get chilblains in an ordinary english winter. a short expedition was made by campbell, priestley, and abbott on july , to determine the travelling condition and find out what sort of surface would be met with for coastwise sledging to come when the season opened. speed worked out at little over seven miles a day on the outward trip to duke of york island. the salt-flecked, smooth ice was heavier going than much rougher stuff where pressure obtained. on august a small two-day geological expedition was undertaken, and prepared to start on a more extensive journey westward; the party were disappointed to find the ice had all blown out and left them water-girdled; a blizzard of unusual violence followed the exit of ice, and the storehouse roof was torn away. it must have been a severe blow to the energetic campbell that he was denied serious sledging while quartered at cape adare. minor expeditions were undertaken and some useful information gleaned, but unsafe ice and unsatisfactory conditions all round prevented any of the really long journeys campbell would otherwise have made. the "terra nova" was sighted on january , and in two days campbell, his party and belongings were safely on board and proceeding along the coast eager to try their fortunes farther south, evans coves in latitude degrees being the next objective. the ship was placed alongside the piedmont here on january , near a big moraine close north of the coves. a depot of provisions was established, and an arrangement was come to between pennell and campbell that the latter should be picked up on february . reference to the sketch charts will show the part of victoria land in which campbell was now working. it was proposed to sledge round mount melbourne to wood bay, and examine the neighbourhood geologically and geographically. the sledge team found some remarkable ice structures and new and interesting glaciers. they had, a crop of small adventures, and found sandstone rock containing fossil wood and many other excellent fossils, garnets, etc., besides which campbell did good work surveying. a new glacier was named after priestley and another after campbell. more fossils were discovered on february , and a quantity of lichens, shells, worm casts, and sponge spicules were discovered in the locality of evans coves, to which the party returned. on february they began to look for the "terra nova," but as time went on and she did not put in an appearance campbell prepared to winter. pennell as we know had met with ice conditions that were insuperable, and he never got the ship within miles of the coast. pennell, rennick, and bruce did all that men could do to work the "terra nova" through, but communication was impossible that season, and the northern party was left to face the rigours of a polar winter with nothing more than four weeks' sledging ration and lb. of biscuits extra. his companions could not have been better chosen to help campbell through this ordeal. the leader knew his men absolutely, and they themselves were lucky in having such a resourceful and determined officer in charge. on march victor campbell selected a hard snow slope for the winter home, and into this he and his men cut and burrowed until they had constructed an igloo or snow house, feet by : they insulated this with blocks of snow and seaweed. a trench roofed with sealskins and snow formed the entrance, and at the sides of this passage they had their store rooms and larder. all the time this house was under construction a party was employed killing penguins and seals, for which they kept a constant lookout. by march their larder contained penguins and seals. after this date gale succeeded gale and the winter set in with a long run of bad weather. campbell and his companions led a very primitive existence here for six and a half months. they only had their light summer sledging clothes to wear, and these soon became saturated with blubber: their hair and beards grew, and they were soon recognisable only by their voices. some idea of their discomforts will be gleaned by a description of their diet. owing to their prospective journey to cape evans, campbell had first to reduce the biscuit supply from eight to two biscuits a day, and then to one. generally their diet consisted of one mug of "pemmican and seal hoosh" and a biscuit for breakfast, _nothing_ for lunch, a mug and a half of seal, one biscuit and three-quarters of a pint of thin cocoa for supper. on sundays weak tea was substituted for cocoa, this they re-boiled for mondays' supper, and the dried leaves were used for tobacco on tuesdays. their only luxuries were a piece of chocolate and twelve lumps of sugar, weekly, and twenty-five raisins apiece were kept for birthdays. one lucky find was thirty-six fish in the stomach of a seal, which fried in blubber proved excellent. the biscuit ration had to be stopped entirely from july to september. the six men cooked their food in sea-water as they had no salt, and seaweed was used as a vegetable. priestley is reported to have disliked it, and no wonder, for it has probably rotted in the sun for years, and the penguins have trampled it all down, apart from anything worse. campbell kept a wonderful discipline in his party, and as they were sometimes confined to the igloo for days, swedish drill was introduced to keep them healthy. a glance at their weather record shows how necessary this was. we find one day snowing hard, next day blowing hard, and the third day blowing and snowing hard, nearly all through the winter. but there was never a complaint. on sunday divine service was performed, which consisted of campbell reading a chapter of the bible, followed by hymns. they had no hymn book, but priestley remembered several, while abbott, browning and dickason had all been at some time or other in a choir. to add to their discomfort, owing to the state of their clothing and meagre food supply, they were very susceptible to frostbites, and jack frost made havoc with feet, fingers, and faces. we should here give a little thought to the dark dreariness of their surroundings. this party was not so very far north of cape evans, and their winter was only about three weeks shorter if measured by the sun's absence below the horizon--the contrast between the "palace" at cape evans and the ice-cave at campbell's position is ridiculous, and to think that the little crew remained cheerful and in harmony under such troglodyte conditions, it makes one wonder more and more at the manner of the men. they had none of the comfort, entertainment, and good feeling of their co-explorers at the base, the very dimensions of their habitation explains for itself the cramped nature of their existence, and yet no complaints, and nothing but unswerving loyalty to their boss. weaker minded men would have broken down mentally under the strain of living through that winter. the sunlight went at the beginning of may, gradually leaving them with those peculiar drawn-out half lights, which we all grew to know so well--the whimpering purple clouds, the sad-looking hills, and the desolate ice slopes and snow drifts--the six men were imprisoned with sullen hills and unassailable mountains for jailers, until they had undergone their sentence--the sea their chief jailer, for the sea had set them there and it was for the sea to decide on the time of their release. boots had long since given out, and they had to guard against ruining their finneskoe or it would have been good-bye to any sledging round to cape evans when the sea did freeze. seal blubber was utilised for cooking, and whenever seals were killed the chunks of this greasy stuff had to be carried to the igloo on the men's backs--this meant that their clothes soon smelt very badly, which circumstance added to the misery of their living conditions. on may campbell's party sustained a severe disappointment, for they saw what appeared to be four men coming towards them. immediately they jumped to the conclusion that the ship had been frozen in and that this was a search party. the four figures turned out to be emperor penguins, and although disappointing in one way they served to replenish the larder, and so had their use. here are three specimen diary pages extracted from campbell's journey: april .--warmer to-day. we saw a small seal on a floe but were unable to reach him. the bay remains open still. on the still days a thin film of ice forms, but blows out as soon as the wind comes up. in these early days, before we had perfected our cooking and messing arrangements, a great part of our day was taken up with cooking and preparing the food, but later on we got used to the ways of a blubber stove, and things went more smoothly. we had landed all our spare paraffin from the ship, and this gave us enough oil to use the primus for breakfast, provided we melted the ice over the blubber fire the day before. the blubber stove was made of an old oil tin cut down. in this we put some old seal bones taken from the carcasses we found on the beach. "a piece of blubber skewered on to a marline-spike and held over the flame dripped oil on the bones and fed the fire. in this way we could cook hoosh nearly as quickly as we could on the primus. of course the stove took several weeks of experimenting before it reached this satisfactory state. with certain winds we were nearly choked with a black, oily smoke that hurt our eyes and brought on much the same symptoms as accompany snow-blindness. "we take it in turns to be cook and messman, working in pairs: abbott and i, levick and browning, priestley and dickason, and thus each has one day on in three. the duties of the cooks are to turn out at and cook and serve out the breakfast, the others remaining in their bags for the meal. then we all have a siesta till . , when we turn out for the day's work: the cook starts the blubber stove and melts blubber for the lamps. the mess-man takes an ice-axe and chips frozen seal meat in the passage by the light of a blubber lamp. a cold job this and trying to the temper, as scraps of meat fly in all directions and have to be care-fully collected afterwards. the remainder carry up the meat and blubber, or look for seals. by p.m. all except the cooks are in their bags, and we have supper. after supper the cooks melt ice for the morning, prepare breakfast, and clear up." "may .--a blizzard with heavy drift has been blowing all day, so it was a good job we got the penguins. we have got the roof on the shaft now, but in these blizzards the entrance is buried in snow, and we have a job to keep the shaft clear. priestley has found his last year's journal, and reads some to us every evening. "from now till the end of the month strong gales again reduced our outside work to a minimum, and most of our energies were directed to improving our domestic routine. "we have now a much better method for cutting up the meat for the hoosh. until now we had to take the frozen joints and hack them in pieces with an ice-axe. we have now fixed up an empty biscuit tin on a bamboo tripod over the blubber fire. the small pieces of meat we put in this to thaw: the larger joints hang from the bamboo. in this way they thaw sufficiently in the twenty-four hours to cut up with a knife, and we find this cleaner and more economical. "we celebrated two special occasions on this month, my wedding day on the th, and the anniversary, to use a paradox, of the commissioning of the hut on the th, and each time the commissariat officer relaxed his hold to the extent of ten raisons each. "levick is saving his biscuit to see how it feels to go without cereals for a week. he also wants to have one real good feed at the end of the week. his idea is that by eating more blubber he will not feel the want of the biscuit very much." "july .--southerly wind, with snow, noise of pressure at sea and the ice in the bay breaking up. evidently there is wind coming, and the sea ice which has recently formed will go out again like the rest. it is getting rather a serious question as to whether there will be any sea ice for us to get down the coast on. i only hope that to the south of the drygalski ice tongue, where the south-easterlies are the prevailing winds, we shall find the ice has held. otherwise it will mean that we shall have to go over the plateau, climbing up by mount larsen, and coming down the ferrar glacier, and if so we cannot start until november, and the food will be a problem. "we made a terrible discovery in a hoosh tonight: a penguin's flipper. abbott and i prepared the hoosh. i can remember using a flipper to clean the pot with, and in the dark abbott cannot have seen it when he filled the pot. however, i assured every one it was a fairly clean flipper, and certainly the hoosh was a good one." in this diary are some remarkable entries. attempts were made to vary the flavour of the "hooshes"--one entry is very queer reading: it related how after trying one or two other expedients levick used a mustard plaster in the pemmican and seal stew. the unanimous decision was that it must have been a linseed poultice, for mustard could not be tasted at all, yet the flavour of linseed was most distinct. campbell says that midwinter day gave them seasonable weather, pitch dark, with wind and a smothering drift outside. the men awoke early and were so eager and impatient for their full ration on this special occasion that they could not remain in their sleeping-bags, but turned out to cook a "full hoosh breakfast" for the first time for many weeks--that evening they repeated the hoosh and augmented it by cocoa with sugar in it, then four citric acid and two ginger tabloids. the day concluded with a smoke and a sing-song, a little tobacco having been put by for the event. soon after midwinter day a heavy snowstorm blocked the igloo entrance completely; in consequence the air became so bad that the primus stove went out and the lights would not burn. the inmates had to dig their way out to avoid being suffocated. this impoverishment of air had already happened through the same cause on other occasions, so the flickering and going out of the lamps warned immediately of danger, and a watch was set. normally the chimney would have served, but this itself was buried under the snow until built up afresh. the winter passed in dismal hardship, and even when the rare spells of fine weather occurred the party dare not venture far afield in their meagre, oil-saturated clothing--severe frostbite would have spelt disaster. what the place must have looked like by moonlight i hate to think; by daylight with sunshine it looked bad enough, but from levick's description it looked, when the moon was shining through storm cloud, like an inferno, with its lugubrious ridges, its inky shadows, and wicked ice-gleams. the odd figures of the blubber-smeared, grimy men added the dante touch. the sun came back at last, and with it the party's spirits rose considerably; they indulged in bets and jokes at one another's expense. browning and dickason were undoubtedly the wittiest, and "the fish supper bet" is worth inclusion. short said these two started an argument on the name of a certain public-house situate on portsmouth hard. one said one name, one argued another, until dr. levick was invited to settle the dispute by arbitration, the loser to stand the winner a fish supper. eventually browning was adjudged to be correct, and dickason in a fit of generosity shouted, "all right, old man, and for every fish you eat i'll stand you a quart of beer." "right-o, the only fish i cares for is whitebait," replied browning. towards the end of the winter, owing to the unusual diet, sickness set in in the shape of enteritis. browning suffered dreadfully, but always remained cheerful. the ravages of the illness weakened the party sadly, and details are too horrible to write about--suffice it that the party lost control of their organs, a circumstance that rendered existence in their wintering place a nightmare of privations. preparations were made for the party's departure in the spring and the sledges overhauled. a depot of geological specimens was established and marked by a bamboo. a curious ailment developed itself, which was named "igloo back," from constant bending in the low-roofed igloo. it was due to the stretching of the ligaments around the spine and was a painful thing for the "cave-dwellers." campbell and his companions started for cape evans on september . progress was slow and the party weak, but thanks to their grit and to campbell's splendid leadership, the northern party all got through to the winter quarters alive. browning had to be carried on the sledge part of the way, but fortunately they picked up one of griffith-taylor's depots, and the biscuit found here quite altered browning's condition. poor campbell was glad to get his party out of the dirt and dark of the igloo, but they were so weak that they could only march a mile from the first day, however the sledging ration contained good foodstuff compared to what they had eaten for weeks previously; and, oh, wise precaution! campbell had deposited a small store of spare wind clothing and woollen underclothes against the journey over the sea to cape evans. this he issued on leaving that awful "igloo," and the luxury of getting into dry, clean clothing after the greasy rags they discarded was indescribable. for nine months had they worn those dirty garments without change. the second day homeward at most gave five miles, but although tired out the party were in good spirits "at leaving the dirt and squalor of the hut behind." they were making their way south along the coast, sledging over the "piedmont." shortly after starting, the company were faced with an enormous crevasse, but this was safely negotiated by means of a snow bridge " paces across." pace gradually lengthened and strengthened, and on th october miles was covered, and on camping erebus and mount melbourne were both in sight. i do not propose to write a description of this journey back, it was not so dangerous as others had been, because seals and emperor penguins were met with along the route, and so they ran no risk of starving; but they ran a great risk of losing browning, who caused the doctor the gravest concern. they laboured home, however, and the leader's diary for one red letter, and two black letter days must be included here, for they explain themselves: "october .--turned out at . a.m. a fine day, but a bank of cloud to the south and a cold westerly wind. a two hours' march brought us to cape roberts, where i saw through my glasses a bamboo stuck on the top of the cape. leaving the sledges, priestley and i climbed the cape, when we found a record left by the western party last year before they were picked up, and giving their movements, while near by was a depot of provisions they had left behind. we gave such a yell the others ran up the slope at once. it seemed almost too good to be true. "we found two tins of biscuits, one slightly broached, and a small bag each of raisins, tea, cocoa, butter, and lard. "there were also clothes, diaries, and specimens from granite harbour. i decided to camp here and have a day off. "dividing the provisions between the two tents, we soon had hoosh going and such a feed of biscuit, butter; and lard as we had not had for nine months, and we followed this up with sweet, thick cocoa. after this we killed and cut up a seal, as we are getting short of meat and there is every prospect of a blizzard coming on. "levick and abbott saw a desperate fight between two bull seals to-day. they gashed each other right through skin and blubber till they were bleeding badly. "we had another hoosh and more biscuit and lard in the evening; then we turned into our bags and, quite torpid with food, discussed our plans on arriving at cape evans. we had quite decided we should find no one there, for we believed the whole party had been blown north in the ship while trying to reach us. still discussing plans we fell asleep. "what with news from the main party and food (although both were a year old), it was the happiest day since we last saw the ship. i awoke in the night, finished my share of the butter and most of my lard, then dozed off again." "november .--another fine day. we marched till p.m., when our sledge broke down, the whole runner coming off. as we were only one mile from hut point i camped. priestley, dickason, and i walked in to look for news and get another sledge, as i was sure some would be there. "as we neared the point we noticed fresh tracks of mule and dogs. i pointed them out to priestley, and said, 'i hope there is nothing wrong with the pole party, as i do not like the look of these.' he said, 'no more do i' we ran up to the hut and found a letter from atkinson to the 'commanding officer, terra nova.' i opened this and learnt the sad news of the loss of the polar party. the names of the party were not given, and finding atkinson in charge of the search party which had started, i was afraid units, or men, were lost. finding a sledge only slightly damaged, i took that back to the camp, getting back there about p.m. "we were all rather tired, so instead of starting straight on to cape evans, we had supper and went to sleep. before turning in we made a depot of the broken sledge, all rock specimens, clothes and food, so as to travel light to cape evans. i was very anxious to get there as soon as possible, as i thought there was a chance that there might be one or two mules or enough dogs to enable me to follow the search party. it had been a great disappointment for us to have missed them by a week, as we were all anxious to join in the search." "november .-- a.m. a lovely morning. after a hasty breakfast we were off, arriving at cape evans at p.m. we found no one at home, but a letter on the door of the hut gave us all the news and the names of the lost party. very soon debenham and archer returned, giving us a most hearty, welcome, and no one can realise what it meant to us to see new faces and to be home after our long winter. "our clothes, letters, etc., had been landed from the ship, and we were able to read our home letters, which we had only time to glance at in the ship in february. archer provided a sumptuous dinner that night, and we sailed into it in a way that made debenham hold his breath. a bath and change of clothes completed the transformation." chapter xix narrative of the "terra nova" the second ascent of mount erebus was carried out in december, , by a party under raymond priestley, and although it cannot be described in a little volume like this a really fine scientific journey was made by griffith-taylor, debenham, gran, and petty officer forde. they had the best time of the lot, for they carried out their explorations in blissful ignorance of the tribulations of scott, campbell, atkinson and myself, whose stories i have tried to summarise. for breezy reading and real bright narrative commend me to griffith-taylor. volume ii. of "scott's last expedition" contains the story of the "western journeys" as written by him, and they give quite truly the silver lining to the cloud which formed about the rest of our expedition. for lightheartedness and good fellowship our australian geologists should be given first prize. it is of little use writing about distances covered and dangers overcome in this connection, but if one considers that the western geological party surveyed, examined, charted, photographed, and to some extent plodded over a mountainous, heavily glaciated land lying in an area of the entire acreage of kent, sussex, hants, dorset, devon, and cornwall, one gets a fair idea of what "griff" and co. were playing at. taylor was the first professional physiographer to visit the antarctic continent, and besides being an all round man of science he was an admirable fellow, with the widest outlook on life of any man amongst us. i cannot pretend to write on geology; taylor, debenham, and priestley are still drawing up reports on antarctic physiography and glacial geology on our fossils collected, on the barrier movement, and the retreating ice of that frozen wonderland. some day another expedition, more up to date than ours, will force its way into the heart of that frigid zone. if this expedition sets out soon, i hope i may command it when i am still fresh and fit--if that great good fortune comes my way i shall telegraph to griff and ask him to be my "uncle bill," and to help me as wilson helped scott. as this is only a popular version of the last scott antarctic expedition i have not collected any scientific appendices, and i have tried not to throw any bouquets at one member more than another--if i have failed i have done it accidentally, for one has no favourites after nearly ten years. my especial friends in the expedition were the lieutenants, campbell, pennell, rennick, bowers, and bruce, and of the scientists i was most fond of nelson. the concluding part of this narrative is concerned with our little ship, for which we had such affection. to connect the story up one must go back to the time when on march , , the "terra nova" made her last call for the year at cape evans--here she embarked those members returning home, who for various causes had not been collected before. then it will be remembered that keohane was taken to hut point and landed with atkinson, and afterwards, owing to the thickening up of the ice in mcmurdo sound, the ship's head was turned northward. the ice conditions off the bay where campbell was landed were terrific, and the little whaler had a tough time forcing her way out into the ross sea once more after failure to relieve him. she arrived in new zealand on april , to learn of amundsen's success, and i went home a physical wreck with francis drake, the secretary, to carry out scott's wishes in the matter of finance. it was many months before i could get about in comfort; but my wife nursed me back to health. several scientific and other members dispersed to their respective duties in civil life. pennell temporarily paid off the seamen who had joined in new zealand, and took the ship away to survey admiralty bay in the sounds according to arrangements made with the new zealand government. during this operation we had the great misfortune to lose by drowning stoker petty officer robert brissenden. finally the little "terra nova" filled up with coal and left for the south to pick up scott and his expedition. she was once more under my command as her original captain, pennell very gracefully and unselfishly standing down to the position of second in command. the programme included an extensive sounding cruse, guided to some degree by what professor david of sydney university wished for, to throw further light on the great earth folds. the voyage was like its predecessors, except that we purposely kept in longitude w. to sound over new portions of the ocean, every opportunity being taken to gain fresh information and fulfil the requirements of the biological programme too. we had hardly our share of gales this voyage, and although we expected to meet with the pack in about s. latitude, it was not reached until we had attained the th parallel--two degrees farther south than we had found it in the "terra nova"'s first two voyages. the only other expedition that had explored the eastern part of the ross sea so far was that under ross in the "erebus" and "terror." we did not gain anything by forcing the pack so far east, however, for we encountered a heavy belt of ice through which we fought our way for miles. the weather mostly served us well, and great credit is due to rennick, lillie, and pennell for their sounding, biological, and magnetic work respectively--they were indefatigable, and even though it blew hard on occasions, thanks to rennick's expert handling of the lucas machine we obtained several soundings in fathoms when less ardent hydrographers would have surrendered to the bad weather. january found us passing through loose pack--sometimes the ship was in large open leads--we stopped on one of these and sounded. to our surprise we found fathoms, volcanic rock--in degrees minutes s., degrees minutes w. we found the depth fathoms, so we had struck the continental shelf right enough in latitude degrees. by p.m. we were in even shallower water--in fact we discovered a shoal in only fathoms--it was a great discovery for us, and lillie immediately put over the agassiz trawl. after dragging it along the bottom for half an hour we hauled in and found the net full of stuff. big-mouthed fish, worms, spiders, anemones, sea-cucumbers, polyzoa, prawns, little fish like sardines, one spiky fish like nothing on earth, starfish and octopus, limpets with jointed shells, sponges, ascidians; isopods, and all kinds of sea lice. enough to keep lillie busy for weeks. the evening before we finally broke through into open water was beautifully still, and a low cloud settled down in the form of a thick fog--it was a change from the fine, clear weather--frost rime settled everywhere, and for a time we had to stop. there was a weird stillness over all, and whenever the ship was moved amongst the ice-floes a curious hiss was heard; this sound is well known to all ice navigators: it is the sear of the floe against the greenheart sheathing which protects the little ship, and it is to the ice-master what the strange smell of the china seas is to the far eastern navigator, what the mediterranean "cheesy odours" and the eucalyptus scents of australia are to the p. and o. officers, and what the pungent peat smoke of ireland is to the north atlantic seaman. i suppose the memory of the pack ice hissing around a wooden ship is one of the little voices that call--and they sometimes call as the memory of "a tall ship and a star to steer her by" calls john masefield's seamen "down to the sea again." i sometimes feel a mute fool at race meetings, society dinner parties, and dances, the lure of the little voices i know then at its strongest. it is felt by the polar explorer in peace times and in the hey-day of prosperity, and it is surely that which called scott away, when he had everything that man wants, and made him write as he lay nobly dying out there in the snowy wild: "how much better has it been than lounging in too great comfort at home." but this is yielding dream to my narrative, and i must apologise and continue with the closing chapter. after this fog, which held us up awhile, we got into one more lot of pack varying in thickness and containing some fine long water lanes, and then we made for cape bird, which we rounded on january , to find open water right up to cape evans. a tremendous feast was prepared, the table in the wardroom decked with little flags and silk ribbons. letters were done up in neat packets for each member, and even champagne was got up from the store: chocolates, cigarettes, cigars, and all manner of luxury placed in readiness. the ship was specially scrubbed and cleaned, yards were squared, ropes hauled taut and neatly coiled down, and our best jacks and ensigns hoisted in gala fashion to meet and acclaim our leader and our comrades. glasses were levelled on the beach, and soon we discerned little men running hither and thither in wild excitement; a lump stuck in my throat at the idea of greeting the polar party with the knowledge that amundsen had anticipated us, it was something like having to congratulate a dear friend on winning second prize in a great hard won race--which is exactly what it was. but it was not even to be that: the ship rapidly closed the beach, engines were stopped, and a thrill of excitement ran through us. the shore party gave three cheers, which we on board replied to, and espying campbell i was overjoyed, for i feared more on his behalf than on the others, owing to the small amount of provisions he had left him at evans coves. i shouted out, "campbell, is every one well," and after a moment's hesitation he replied, "the southern party reached the south pole on the th january, last year, but were all lost on the return journey--we have their records." it was a moment of hush and overwhelming sorrow--a great stillness ran through the ship's little company and through the party on shore. i have been reminded of it particularly on the anniversaries of armistice day. the great silence was broken by the order to let the anchor fall: the splash which followed and the rattle of the chain gave us relief, and then campbell and atkinson came off in a boat to tell us in detail how misfortune after misfortune had befallen our leader and his four brave comrades. slowly and with infinite sadness the flags were lowered from the mastheads and scott's little "terra nova" stood bareheaded at the gate of the great ice barrier. from the bridge one heard the occasional clatter of plates and cutlery, for the steward was busy removing the table dressings and putting away the things that we had no heart for any longer. the undelivered letters were taken out of the bunks, which had been spread with white clean linen for our chief and the polar team, and drake sealed them up for return to the wives and mothers who had given up so much in order that their men might achieve. a great cross was now carved of australian jarrah, on which was carved by davis: in memoriam capt. r.f. scott, r.n., dr. e.a. wilson, capt. l.e.g. oates, ins. drgs. lt. h.r. bowers, r.i.m., petty officer e. evans, r.n., who died on their return from the pole-march, . to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. this cross was borne on a sledge over the frozen sea to hut point, and thence carried by atkinson, and those who had taken part in the search for captain scott, to the top of observation hill, which is in full view of cape evans, and also of captain scott's original winter quarters in the discovery expedition. the cross overlooks also his resting place: the great ice barrier. as there is nothing to cause this wooden cross to rot, it will remain standing for an indefinite time. we left a year's stores for a dozen people at cape evans and re-embarked the remainder of our possessions. the collections and specimens were carefully stowed in our holds, and then we took the ship to cape royds and granite harbour, where geological depots had been made by priestley, taylor, and debenham. finally we revisited evans coves, and secured the ship to a natural wharf of very hard sea ice, which stretches out some distance from the piedmont. priestley here secured his party's geological dump, and while he was away the remainder of the expedition in little relays visited the igloo where campbell and his party spent the previous winter. concerning the igloo, the following are my impressions, taken from my diary: "never in my life have i experienced such sensations as i did on this occasion. the visit to the igloo explained in itself a story of hardship that brought home to us what campbell never would have told. there was only one corner of it where a short man could stand upright. in odd corners were discarded clothes, saturated in blubber and absolutely black with smoke; the weight of these garments was extraordinary, and how campbell's party ever lived through what they did i don't know: "although the igloo was once white inside, blubber stoves had blackened it throughout. no cell prisoners ever had such discomforts. (campbell's simple narrative i read aloud to bruce from campbell's diary. it was a tale of altruism and grit, so simply told, full of disappointments and privations, all of which they accepted with fortitude and never a complaint. i had to stop reading it as it brought tears to my eyes and made my voice thick--ditto old bruce.) after spending half an hour at the igloo, and after pennell had done some magnetic work, picked up our ice anchors and steamed away." on th january, , after breakfast, i called the staff together in the wardroom and read out my plans for the future, officially assumed the command and control of the expedition. i then appointed lieuts. campbell, pennell, bruce, surgeon e.l. atkinson, and mr. francis drake as an executive committee, with myself as president, to assist me in satisfactorily terminating the expedition. i asked every member of the staff publicly if he had any questions to put, and also if he could suggest any better combination for the committee. as all were unanimous in the fairness of the selection, it stands. the minutes of the proceedings were taken down and my remarks placed verbatim among the records of the expedition. we left a depot of provisions at the head of the bay, its position being marked by a bamboo and flag. this depot contains enough foodstuffs to enable a party of five or six men to make their way to butter point, where, another large depot exists. early on th january we left these inhospitable coasts, and those who were on deck watched the familiar rocky, snow-capped shores fast disappearing from view. we had been happy there before disaster overtook our expedition, but now we were glad to leave, and some of us must have realised that these ice-girt rocks and mountains were not meant for human beings to associate their lives with. for centuries, perhaps for all time, no other human being will set foot upon the beardmore, and it is doubtful if ever the great inland plateau will be re-visited, except perhaps by aeroplane. when we left it was a "good-night" scene for most of us. the great white plateau and peaks were grimly awaiting winter, and they seemed to mock our departing exploring ship as though glad to be left in their loneland silence. * * * * * corrections made to collins edition: p. 'mearse' to 'meares' p. 'steamiug' to 'steaming' p. 'pennel' to 'pennell' p. 'when the time for her' to 'when the time came for her' p. 'fedruary' to 'february' p. 'saftey camp' to 'safety camp' p. 'athelete' to 'athlete' p. 'cherry-garrad' to 'cherry-garrard' p. 'anchored ourselved' to 'anchored ourselves' p. 'cornwell' to 'cornwall' this ebook was converted to html and given additional editing by jose menendez from the text edition produced by geoffrey cowling gcowling@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au. illustrations added by eric eldred. computer-generated mp audio was generated by bud alverson. ___________________________________________________________________ south! the story of shackleton's last expedition - by sir ernest shackleton c.v.o. to my comrades who fell in the white warfare of the south and on the red fields of france and flanders contents i. into the weddell sea ii. new land iii. winter months iv. loss of the 'endurance' v. ocean camp vi. the march between vii. patience camp viii. escape from the ice ix. the boat jouy x. across south georgia xi. the rescue xii. elephant island xiii. the ross sea party xiv. wintering in mcmurdo sound xv. laying the depots xvi. the 'aurora's' drift xvii. the last relief xviii. the final phase appendix i: scientific work sea-ice nomenclature meteorology physics south atlantic whales and whaling appendix ii: the expedition huts at mcmurdo sound index preface after the conquest of the south pole by amundsen, who, by a narrow margin of days only, was in advance of the british expedition under scott, there remained but one great main object of antarctic journeyings--the crossing of the south polar continent from sea to sea. when i returned from the 'nimrod' expedition on which we had to turn back from our attempt to plant the british flag on the south pole, being beaten by stress of circumstances within ninety-seven miles of our goal, my mind turned to the crossing of the continent, for i was morally certain that either amundsen or scott would reach the pole on our own route or a parallel one. after hearing of the norwegian success i began to make preparations to start a last great journey--so that the first crossing of the last continent should be achieved by a british expedition. we failed in this object, but the story of our attempt is the subject for the following pages, and i think that though failure in the actual accomplishment must be recorded, there are chapters in this book of high adventure, strenuous days, lonely nights, unique experiences, and, above all, records of unflinching determination, supreme loyalty, and generous self-sacrifice on the part of my men which, even in these days that have witnessed the sacrifices of nations and regardlessness of self on the part of individuals, still will be of interest to readers who now turn gladly from the red horror of war and the strain of the last five years to read, perhaps with more understanding minds, the tale of the white warfare of the south. the struggles, the disappointments, and the endurance of this small party of britishers, hidden away for nearly two years in the fastnesses of the polar ice, striving to carry out the ordained task and ignorant of the crises through which the world was passing, make a story which is unique in the history of antarctic exploration. owing to the loss of the 'endurance' and the disaster to the 'aurora', certain documents relating mainly to the organization and preparation of the expedition have been lost; but, anyhow, i had no intention of presenting a detailed account of the scheme of preparation, storing, and other necessary but, to the general reader, unimportant affairs, as since the beginning of this century, every book on antarctic exploration has dealt fully with this matter. i therefore briefly place before you the inception and organization of the expedition, and insert here the copy of the programme which i prepared in order to arouse the interest of the general public in the expedition. "the trans-continental party. "the first crossing of the antarctic continent, from sea to sea via the pole, apart from its historic value, will be a journey of great scientific importance. "the distance will be roughly miles, and the first half of this, from the weddell sea to the pole, will be over unknown ground. every step will be an advance in geographical science. it will be learned whether the great victoria chain of mountains, which has been traced from the ross sea to the pole, extends across the continent and thus links up (except for the ocean break) with the andes of south america, and whether the great plateau around the pole dips gradually towards the weddell sea. "continuous magnetic observations will be taken on the journey. the route will lead towards the magnetic pole, and the determination of the dip of the magnetic needle will be of importance in practical magnetism. the meteorological conditions will be carefully noted, and this should help to solve many of our weather problems. "the glaciologist and geologist will study ice formations and the nature of the mountains, and this report will prove of great scientific interest. "scientific work by other parties. "while the trans-continental party is carrying out, for the british flag, the greatest polar journey ever attempted, the other parties will be engaged in important scientific work. "two sledging parties will operate from the base on the weddell sea. one will travel westwards towards graham land, making observations, collecting geological specimens, and proving whether there are mountains in that region linked up with those found on the other side of the pole. "another party will travel eastward toward enderby land, carrying out a similar programme, and a third, remaining at the base, will study the fauna of the land and sea, and the meteorological conditions. "from the ross sea base, on the other side of the pole, another party will push southward and will probably await the arrival of the trans- continental party at the top of the beardmore glacier, near mount buckley, where the first seams of coal were discovered in the antarctic. this region is of great importance to the geologist, who will be enabled to read much of the history of the antarctic in the rocks. "both the ships of the expedition will be equipped for dredging, sounding, and every variety of hydrographical work. the weddell sea ship will endeavour to trace the unknown coast-line of graham land, and from both the vessels, with their scientific staffs, important results may be expected. "the several shore parties and the two ships will thus carry out geographical and scientific work on a scale and over an area never before attempted by any one polar expedition. "this will be the first use of the weddell sea as a base for exploration, and all the parties will open up vast stretches of unknown land. it is appropriate that this work should be carried out under the british flag, since the whole of the area southward to the pole is british territory. in july , letters patent were issued under the great seal declaring that the governor of the falkland islands should be the governor of graham land (which forms the western side of the weddell sea), and another section of the same proclamation defines the area of british territory as 'situated in the south atlantic ocean to the south of the th parallel of south latitude, and lying between degrees and degrees west longitude.' reference to a map will show that this includes the area in which the present expedition will work. "how the continent will be crossed. "the weddell sea ship, with all the members of the expedition operating from that base, will leave buenos ayres in october , and endeavour to land in november in latitude degrees south. "should this be done, the trans-continental party will set out on their -mile journey at once, in the hope of accomplishing the march across the pole and reaching the ross sea base in five months. should the landing be made too late in the season, the party will go into winter quarters, lay out depots during the autumn and the following spring, and as early as possible in set out on the journey. "the trans-continental party will be led by sir ernest shackleton, and will consist of six men. it will take dogs with sledges, and two motor-sledges with aerial propellers. the equipment will embody everything that the experience of the leader and his expert advisers can suggest. when this party has reached the area of the pole, after covering miles of unknown ground, it will strike due north towards the head of the beardmore glacier, and there it is hoped to meet the outcoming party from the ross sea. both will join up and make for the ross sea base, where the previous expedition had its winter quarters. "in all, fourteen men will be landed by the 'endurance' on the weddell sea. six will set out on the trans-continental journey, three will go westward, three eastward, and two remain at the base carrying on the work already outlined. "the 'aurora' will land six men at the ross sea base. they will lay down depots on the route of the trans-continental party, and make a march south to assist that party, and to make geological and other observations as already described. "should the trans-continental party succeed, as is hoped, in crossing during the first season, its return to civilization may be expected about april . the other sections in april . "the ships of the expedition. "the two ships for the expedition have now been selected. "the 'endurance', the ship which will take the trans-continental party to the weddell sea, and will afterwards explore along an unknown coast- line, is a new vessel, specially constructed for polar work under the supervision of a committee of polar explorers. she was built by christensen, the famous norwegian constructor of sealing vessels, at sandefjord. she is barquentine rigged, and has triple-expansion engines giving her a speed under steam of nine to ten knots. to enable her to stay longer at sea, she will carry oil fuel as well as coal. she is of about tons, and built of selected pine, oak, and greenheart. this fine vessel, equipped, has cost the expedition £ , . "the 'aurora', the ship which will take out the ross sea party, has been bought from dr. mawson. she is similar in all respects to the terra nova, of captain scott's last expedition. she had extensive alterations made by the government authorities in australia to fit her for dr. mawson's expedition, and is now at hobart, tasmania, where the ross sea party will join her in october next." i started the preparations in the middle of , but no public announcement was made until january , . for the last six months of i was engaged in the necessary preliminaries, solid mule work, showing nothing particular to interest the public, but essential for an expedition that had to have a ship on each side of the continent, with a land journey of eighteen hundred miles to be made, the first nine hundred miles to be across an absolutely unknown land mass. on january , , having received a promised financial support sufficient to warrant the announcement of the expedition, i made it public. the first result of this was a flood of applications from all classes of the community to join the adventure. i received nearly five thousand applications, and out of these were picked fifty-six men. in march, to my great disappointment and anxiety, the promised financial help did not materialize, and i was now faced with the fact that i had contracted for a ship and stores, and had engaged the staff, and i was not in possession of funds to meet these liabilities. i immediately set about appealing for help, and met with generous response from all sides. i cannot here give the names of all who supported my application, but whilst taking this opportunity of thanking every one for their support, which came from parts as far apart as the interior of china, japan, new zealand, and australia, i must particularly refer to the munificent donation of £ , from the late sir james caird, and to one of £ , from the british government. i must also thank mr. dudley docker, who enabled me to complete the purchase of the 'endurance', and miss elizabeth dawson lambton, who since has always been a firm friend to antarctic exploration, and who again, on this occasion, assisted largely. the royal geographical society made a grant of £ ; and last, but by no means least, i take this opportunity of tendering my grateful thanks to dame janet stancomb wills, whose generosity enabled me to equip the 'endurance' efficiently, especially as regards boats (which boats were the means of our ultimate safety), and who not only, at the inception of the expedition, gave financial help, but also continued it through the dark days when we were overdue, and funds were required to meet the need of the dependents of the expedition. the only return and privilege an explorer has in the way of acknowledgment for the help accorded him is to record on the discovered lands the names of those to whom the expedition owes its being. owing to the exigencies of the war the publication of this book has been long delayed, and the detailed maps must come with the scientific monographs. i have the honour to place on the new land the names of the above and other generous donors to the expedition. the two hundred miles of new coast-line i have called caird coast. also, as a more personal note, i named the three ship's boats, in which we ultimately escaped from the grip of the ice, after the three principal donors to the expedition--the 'james caird', the 'stancomb wills' and the 'dudley docker'. the two last-named are still on the desolate sandy spit of elephant island, where under their shelter twenty-two of my comrades eked out a bare existence for four and a half months. the 'james caird' is now in liverpool, having been brought home from south georgia after her adventurous voyage across the sub-antarctic ocean. most of the public schools of england and scotland helped the expedition to purchase the dog teams, and i named a dog after each school that helped. but apart from these particular donations i again thank the many people who assisted us. so the equipment and organization went on. i purchased the 'aurora' from sir douglas mawson, and arranged for mackintosh to go to australia and take charge of her, there sending sledges, equipment and most of the stores from this side, but depending somewhat on the sympathy and help of australia and new zealand for coal and certain other necessities, knowing that previously these two countries had always generously supported the exploration of what one might call their hinterland. towards the end of july all was ready, when suddenly the war clouds darkened over europe. it had been arranged for the 'endurance' to proceed to cowes, to be inspected by his majesty on the monday of cowes week. but on friday i received a message to say that the king would not be able to go to cowes. my readers will remember how suddenly came the menace of war. naturally, both my comrades and i were greatly exercised as to the probable outcome of the danger threatening the peace of the world. we sailed from london on friday, august , , and anchored off southend all saturday. on sunday afternoon i took the ship off margate, growing hourly more anxious as the ever-increasing rumours spread; and on monday morning i went ashore and read in the morning paper the order for general mobilization. i immediately went on board and mustered all hands and told them that i proposed to send a telegram to the admiralty offering the ships, stores, and, if they agreed, our own services to the country in the event of war breaking out. all hands immediately agreed, and i sent off a telegram in which everything was placed at the disposal of the admiralty. we only asked that, in the event of the declaration of war, the expedition might be considered as a single unit, so as to preserve its homogeneity. there were enough trained and experienced men amongst us to man a destroyer. within an hour i received a laconic wire from the admiralty saying "proceed." within two hours a longer wire came from mr. winston churchill, in which we were thanked for our offer, and saying that the authorities desired that the expedition, which had the full sanction and support of the scientific and geographical societies, should go on. so, according to these definite instructions, the 'endurance' sailed to plymouth. on tuesday the king sent for me and handed me the union jack to carry on the expedition. that night, at midnight, war broke out. on the following saturday, august , the 'endurance' sailed from plymouth, obeying the direct order of the admiralty. i make particular reference to this phase of the expedition as i am aware that there was a certain amount of criticism of the expedition having left the country, and regarding this i wish further to add that the preparation of the expedition had been proceeding for over a year, and large sums of money had been spent. we offered to give the expedition up without even consulting the donors of this money, and but few thought that the war would last through these five years and involve the whole world. the expedition was not going on a peaceful cruise to the south sea islands, but to a most dangerous, difficult, and strenuous work that has nearly always involved a certain percentage of loss of life. finally, when the expedition did return, practically the whole of those members who had come unscathed through the dangers of the antarctic took their places in the wider field of battle, and the percentage of casualties amongst the members of this expedition is high. the voyage out to buenos ayres was uneventful, and on october we sailed from that port for south georgia, the most southerly outpost of the british empire. here, for a month, we were engaged in final preparation. the last we heard of the war was when we left buenos ayres. then the russian steam-roller was advancing. according to many the war would be over within six months. and so we left, not without regret that we could not take our place there, but secure in the knowledge that we were taking part in a strenuous campaign for the credit of our country. apart from private individuals and societies i here acknowledge most gratefully the assistance rendered by the dominion government of new zealand and the commonwealth government of australia at the start of the ross sea section of the expedition; and to the people of new zealand and the dominion government i tender my most grateful thanks for their continued help, which was invaluable during the dark days before the relief of the ross sea party. mr. james allen (acting premier), the late mr. mcnab (minister of marine), mr. leonard tripp, mr. mabin, and mr. toogood, and many others have laid me under a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. this is also the opportunity for me to thank the uruguayan government for their generous assistance in placing the government trawler, 'instituto de pesca', for the second attempt at the relief of my men on elephant island. finally, it was the chilian government that was directly responsible for the rescue of my comrades. this southern republic was unwearied in its efforts to make a successful rescue, and the gratitude of our whole party is due to them. i especially mention the sympathetic attitude of admiral muñoz hurtado, head of the chilian navy, and captain luis pardo, who commanded the 'yelcho' on our last and successful venture. sir daniel gooch came with us as far as south georgia. i owe him my special thanks for his help with the dogs, and we all regretted losing his cheery presence, when we sailed for the south. chapter i into the weddell sea i decided to leave south georgia about december , and in the intervals of final preparation scanned again the plans for the voyage to winter quarters. what welcome was the weddell sea preparing for us? the whaling captains at south georgia were generously ready to share with me their knowledge of the waters in which they pursued their trade, and, while confirming earlier information as to the extreme severity of the ice conditions in this sector of the antarctic, they were able to give advice that was worth attention. it will be convenient to state here briefly some of the considerations that weighed with me at that time and in the weeks that followed. i knew that the ice had come far north that season and, after listening to the suggestions of the whaling captains, had decided to steer to the south sandwich group, round ultima thule, and work as far to the eastward as the fifteenth meridian west longitude before pushing south. the whalers emphasized the difficulty of getting through the ice in the neighbourhood of the south sandwich group. they told me they had often seen the floes come right up to the group in the summer-time, and they thought the expedition would have to push through heavy pack in order to reach the weddell sea. probably the best time to get into the weddell sea would be the end of february or the beginning of march. the whalers had gone right round the south sandwich group and they were familiar with the conditions. the predictions they made induced me to take the deck-load of coal, for if we had to fight our way through to coats' land we would need every ton of fuel the ship could carry. i hoped that by first moving to the east as far as the fifteenth meridian west we would be able to go south through looser ice, pick up coats' land and finally reach vahsel bay, where filchner made his attempt at landing in . two considerations were occupying my mind at this juncture. i was anxious for certain reasons to winter the 'endurance' in the weddell sea, but the difficulty of finding a safe harbour might be very great. if no safe harbour could be found, the ship must winter at south georgia. it seemed to me hopeless now to think of making the journey across the continent in the first summer, as the season was far advanced and the ice conditions were likely to prove unfavourable. in view of the possibility of wintering the ship in the ice, we took extra clothing from the stores at the various stations in south georgia. the other question that was giving me anxious thought was the size of the shore party. if the ship had to go out during the winter, or if she broke away from winter quarters, it would be preferable to have only a small, carefully selected party of men ashore after the hut had been built and the stores landed. these men could proceed to lay out depots by man-haulage and make short journeys with the dogs, training them for the long early march in the following spring. the majority of the scientific men would live aboard the ship, where they could do their work under good conditions. they would be able to make short journeys if required, using the 'endurance' as a base. all these plans were based on an expectation that the finding of winter quarters was likely to be difficult. if a really safe base could be established on the continent, i would adhere to the original programme of sending one party to the south, one to the west round the head of the weddell sea towards graham land, and one to the east towards enderby land. we had worked out details of distances, courses, stores required, and so forth. our sledging ration, the result of experience as well as close study, was perfect. the dogs gave promise, after training, of being able to cover fifteen to twenty miles a day with loaded sledges. the trans-continental journey, at this rate, should be completed in days unless some unforeseen obstacle intervened. we longed keenly for the day when we could begin this march, the last great adventure in the history of south polar exploration, but a knowledge of the obstacles that lay between us and our starting-point served as a curb on impatience. everything depended upon the landing. if we could land at filchner's base there was no reason why a band of experienced men should not winter there in safety. but the weddell sea was notoriously inhospitable and already we knew that its sternest face was turned toward us. all the conditions in the weddell sea are unfavourable from the navigator's point of view. the winds are comparatively light, and consequently new ice can form even in the summer-time. the absence of strong winds has the additional effect of allowing the ice to accumulate in masses, undisturbed. then great quantities of ice sweep along the coast from the east under the influence of the prevailing current, and fill up the bight of the weddell sea as they move north in a great semicircle. some of this ice doubtless describes almost a complete circle, and is held up eventually, in bad seasons, against the south sandwich islands. the strong currents, pressing the ice masses against the coasts, create heavier pressure than is found in any other part of the antarctic. this pressure must be at least as severe as the pressure experienced in the congested north polar basin, and i am inclined to think that a comparison would be to the advantage of the arctic. all these considerations naturally had a bearing upon our immediate problem, the penetration of the pack and the finding of a safe harbour on the continental coast. the day of departure arrived. i gave the order to heave anchor at . a.m. on december , , and the clanking of the windlass broke for us the last link with civilization. the morning was dull and overcast, with occasional gusts of snow and sleet, but hearts were light aboard the 'endurance'. the long days of preparation were over and the adventure lay ahead. we had hoped that some steamer from the north would bring news of war and perhaps letters from home before our departure. a ship did arrive on the evening of the th, but she carried no letters, and nothing useful in the way of information could be gleaned from her. the captain and crew were all stoutly pro-german, and the "news" they had to give took the unsatisfying form of accounts of british and french reverses. we would have been glad to have had the latest tidings from a friendlier source. a year and a half later we were to learn that the 'harpoon', the steamer which tends the grytviken station, had arrived with mail for us not more than two hours after the 'endurance' had proceeded down the coast. the bows of the 'endurance' were turned to the south, and the good ship dipped to the south-westerly swell. misty rain fell during the forenoon, but the weather cleared later in the day, and we had a good view of the coast of south georgia as we moved under steam and sail to the south-east. the course was laid to carry us clear of the island and then south of south thule, sandwich group. the wind freshened during the day, and all square sail was set, with the foresail reefed in order to give the look-out a clear view ahead; for we did not wish to risk contact with a "growler," one of those treacherous fragments of ice that float with surface awash. the ship was very steady in the quarterly sea, but certainly did not look as neat and trim as she had done when leaving the shores of england four months earlier. we had filled up with coal at grytviken, and this extra fuel was stored on deck, where it impeded movement considerably. the carpenter had built a false deck, extending from the poop-deck to the chart-room. we had also taken aboard a ton of whale-meat for the dogs. the big chunks of meat were hung up in the rigging, out of reach but not out of sight of the dogs, and as the 'endurance' rolled and pitched, they watched with wolfish eyes for a windfall. i was greatly pleased with the dogs, which were tethered about the ship in the most comfortable positions we could find for them. they were in excellent condition, and i felt that the expedition had the right tractive-power. they were big, sturdy animals, chosen for endurance and strength, and if they were as keen to pull our sledges as they were now to fight one another all would be well. the men in charge of the dogs were doing their work enthusiastically, and the eagerness they showed to study the natures and habits of their charges gave promise of efficient handling and good work later on. during december the 'endurance' made good progress on a south- easterly course. the northerly breeze had freshened during the night and had brought up a high following sea. the weather was hazy, and we passed two bergs, several growlers, and numerous lumps of ice. staff and crew were settling down to the routine. bird life was plentiful, and we noticed cape pigeons, whale-birds, terns, mollymauks, nellies, sooty, and wandering albatrosses in the neighbourhood of the ship. the course was laid for the passage between sanders island and candlemas volcano. december brought the first check. at six o'clock that morning the sea, which had been green in colour all the previous day, changed suddenly to a deep indigo. the ship was behaving well in a rough sea, and some members of the scientific staff were transferring to the bunkers the coal we had stowed on deck. sanders island and candlemas were sighted early in the afternoon, and the 'endurance' passed between them at p.m. worsley's observations indicated that sanders island was, roughly, three miles east and five miles north of the charted position. large numbers of bergs, mostly tabular in form, lay to the west of the islands, and we noticed that many of them were yellow with diatoms. one berg had large patches of red-brown soil down its sides. the presence of so many bergs was ominous, and immediately after passing between the islands we encountered stream-ice. all sail was taken in and we proceeded slowly under steam. two hours later, fifteen miles north-east of sanders island, the 'endurance' was confronted by a belt of heavy pack-ice, half a mile broad and extending north and south. there was clear water beyond, but the heavy south- westerly swell made the pack impenetrable in our neighbourhood. this was disconcerting. the noon latitude had been ° ´ s., and i had not expected to find pack-ice nearly so far north, though the whalers had reported pack-ice right up to south thule. the situation became dangerous that night. we pushed into the pack in the hope of reaching open water beyond, and found ourselves after dark in a pool which was growing smaller and smaller. the ice was grinding around the ship in the heavy swell, and i watched with some anxiety for any indication of a change of wind to the east, since a breeze from that quarter would have driven us towards the land. worsley and i were on deck all night, dodging the pack. at a.m. we ran south, taking advantage of some openings that had appeared, but met heavy rafted pack- ice, evidently old; some of it had been subjected to severe pressure. then we steamed north-west and saw open water to the north-east. i put the 'endurance's' head for the opening, and, steaming at full speed, we got clear. then we went east in the hope of getting better ice, and five hours later, after some dodging, we rounded the pack and were able to set sail once more. this initial tussle with the pack had been exciting at times. pieces of ice and bergs of all sizes were heaving and jostling against each other in the heavy south-westerly swell. in spite of all our care the 'endurance' struck large lumps stem on, but the engines were stopped in time and no harm was done. the scene and sounds throughout the day were very fine. the swell was dashing against the sides of huge bergs and leaping right to the top of their icy cliffs. sanders island lay to the south, with a few rocky faces peering through the misty, swirling clouds that swathed it most of the time, the booming of the sea running into ice-caverns, the swishing break of the swell on the loose pack, and the graceful bowing and undulating of the inner pack to the steeply rolling swell, which here was robbed of its break by the masses of ice to windward. we skirted the northern edge of the pack in clear weather with a light south-westerly breeze and an overcast sky. the bergs were numerous. during the morning of december an easterly breeze brought hazy weather with snow, and at . p.m. we encountered the edge of pack-ice in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. it was one-year-old ice interspersed with older pack, all heavily snow-covered and lying west- south-west to east-north-east. we entered the pack at p.m., but could not make progress, and cleared it again at . p.m. then we steered east-north-east and spent the rest of the night rounding the pack. during the day we had seen adelie and ringed penguins, also several humpback and finner whales. an ice-blink to the westward indicated the presence of pack in that direction. after rounding the pack we steered s. ° e., and at noon on the th had reached lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. observations showed the compass variation to be ½° less than the chart recorded. i kept the 'endurance' on the course till midnight, when we entered loose open ice about ninety miles south-east of our noon position. this ice proved to fringe the pack, and progress became slow. there was a long easterly swell with a light northerly breeze, and the weather was clear and fine. numerous bergs lay outside the pack. the 'endurance' steamed through loose open ice till a.m. on the th, when we entered the pack in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. we could have gone farther east, but the pack extended far in that direction, and an effort to circle it might have involved a lot of northing. i did not wish to lose the benefit of the original southing. the extra miles would not have mattered to a ship with larger coal capacity than the 'endurance' possessed, but we could not afford to sacrifice miles unnecessarily. the pack was loose and did not present great difficulties at this stage. the foresail was set in order to take advantage of the northerly breeze. the ship was in contact with the ice occasionally and received some heavy blows. once or twice she was brought up all standing against solid pieces, but no harm was done. the chief concern was to protect the propeller and rudder. if a collision seemed to be inevitable the officer in charge would order "slow" or "half speed" with the engines, and put the helm over so as to strike floe a glancing blow. then the helm would be put over towards the ice with the object of throwing the propeller clear of it, and the ship would forge ahead again. worsley, wild, and i, with three officers, kept three watches while we were working through the pack, so that we had two officers on deck all the time. the carpenter had rigged a six-foot wooden semaphore on the bridge to enable the navigating officer to give the seamen or scientists at the wheel the direction and the exact amount of helm required. this device saved time, as well as the effort of shouting. we were pushing through this loose pack all day, and the view from the crow's-nest gave no promise of improved conditions ahead. a weddell seal and a crab-eater seal were noticed on the floes, but we did not pause to secure fresh meat. it was important that we should make progress towards our goal as rapidly as possible, and there was reason to fear that we should have plenty of time to spare later on if the ice conditions continued to increase in severity. on the morning of december we were working through loose pack which later became thick in places. the sky was overcast and light snow was falling. i had all square sail set at a.m. in order to take advantage of the northerly breeze, but it had to come in again five hours later when the wind hauled round to the west. the noon position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., and the run for the twenty-four hours had been only miles. the ice was still badly congested, and we were pushing through narrow leads and occasional openings with the floes often close abeam on either side. antarctic, snow and stormy petrels, fulmars, white-rumped terns, and adelies were around us. the quaint little penguins found the ship a cause of much apparent excitement and provided a lot of amusement aboard. one of the standing jokes was that all the adelies on the floe seemed to know clark, and when he was at the wheel rushed along as fast as their legs could carry them, yelling out "clark! clark!" and apparently very indignant and perturbed that he never waited for them or even answered them. we found several good leads to the south in the evening, and continued to work southward throughout the night and the following day. the pack extended in all directions as far as the eye could reach. the noon observation showed the run for the twenty-four hours to be miles, a satisfactory result under the conditions. wild shot a young ross seal on the floe, and we manoeuvred the ship alongside. hudson jumped down, bent a line on to the seal, and the pair of them were hauled up. the seal was ft. in. long and weighed about ninety pounds. he was a young male and proved very good eating, but when dressed and minus the blubber made little more than a square meal for our twenty-eight men, with a few scraps for our breakfast and tea. the stomach contained only amphipods about an inch long, allied to those found in the whales at grytviken. the conditions became harder on december . there was a misty haze, and occasional falls of snow. a few bergs were in sight. the pack was denser than it had been on the previous days. older ice was intermingled with the young ice, and our progress became slower. the propeller received several blows in the early morning, but no damage was done. a platform was rigged under the jib-boom in order that hurley might secure some kinematograph pictures of the ship breaking through the ice. the young ice did not present difficulties to the 'endurance', which was able to smash a way through, but the lumps of older ice were more formidable obstacles, and conning the ship was a task requiring close attention. the most careful navigation could not prevent an occasional bump against ice too thick to be broken or pushed aside. the southerly breeze strengthened to a moderate south-westerly gale during the afternoon, and at p.m. we hove to, stem against a floe, it being impossible to proceed without serious risk of damage to rudder or propeller. i was interested to notice that, although we had been steaming through the pack for three days, the north-westerly swell still held with us. it added to the difficulties of navigation in the lanes, since the ice was constantly in movement. the 'endurance' remained against the floe for the next twenty-four hours, when the gale moderated. the pack extended to the horizon in all directions and was broken by innumerable narrow lanes. many bergs were in sight, and they appeared to be travelling through the pack in a south-westerly direction under the current influence. probably the pack itself was moving north-east with the gale. clark put down a net in search of specimens, and at two fathoms it was carried south-west by the current and fouled the propeller. he lost the net, two leads, and a line. ten bergs drove to the south through the pack during the twenty-four hours. the noon position was ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. the gale had moderated at p.m., and we made five miles to the south before midnight and then we stopped at the end of a long lead, waiting till the weather cleared. it was during this short run that the captain, with semaphore hard-a-port, shouted to the scientist at the wheel: "why in paradise don't you port!" the answer came in indignant tones: "i am blowing my nose." the 'endurance' made some progress on the following day. long leads of open water ran towards the south-west, and the ship smashed at full speed through occasional areas of young ice till brought up with a heavy thud against a section of older floe. worsley was out on the jib- boom end for a few minutes while wild was conning the ship, and he came back with a glowing account of a novel sensation. the boom was swinging high and low and from side to side, while the massive bows of the ship smashed through the ice, splitting it across, piling it mass on mass and then shouldering it aside. the air temperature was ° fahr., pleasantly warm, and the water temperature ° fahr. we continued to advance through fine long leads till a.m. on december , when the ice became difficult again. very large floes of six- months-old ice lay close together. some of these floes presented a square mile of unbroken surface, and among them were patches of thin ice and several floes of heavy old ice. many bergs were in sight, and the course became devious. the ship was blocked at one point by a wedge-shaped piece of floe, but we put the ice-anchor through it, towed it astern, and proceeded through the gap. steering under these conditions required muscle as well as nerve. there was a clatter aft during the afternoon, and hussey, who was at the wheel, explained that "the wheel spun round and threw me over the top of it!" the noon position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., and the run for the preceding twenty-four hours had been miles in a south-westerly direction. we saw three blue whales during the day and one emperor penguin, a -lb. bird, which was added to the larder. the morning of december found the 'endurance' proceeding amongst large floes with thin ice between them. the leads were few. there was a northerly breeze with occasional snow-flurries. we secured three crab-eater seals--two cows and a bull. the bull was a fine specimen, nearly white all over and ft. in. long; he weighed lbs. shortly before noon further progress was barred by heavy pack, and we put an ice-anchor on the floe and banked the fires. i had been prepared for evil conditions in the weddell sea, but had hoped that in december and january, at any rate, the pack would be loose, even if no open water was to be found. what we were actually encountering was fairly dense pack of a very obstinate character. pack-ice might be described as a gigantic and interminable jigsaw-puzzle devised by nature. the parts of the puzzle in loose pack have floated slightly apart and become disarranged; at numerous places they have pressed together again; as the pack gets closer the congested areas grow larger and the parts are jammed harder till finally it becomes "close pack," when the whole of the jigsaw-puzzle becomes jammed to such an extent that with care and labour it can be traversed in every direction on foot. where the parts do not fit closely there is, of course, open water, which freezes over, in a few hours after giving off volumes of "frost-smoke." in obedience to renewed pressure this young ice "rafts," so forming double thicknesses of a toffee-like consistency. again the opposing edges of heavy floes rear up in slow and almost silent conflict, till high "hedgerows" are formed round each part of the puzzle. at the junction of several floes chaotic areas of piled-up blocks and masses of ice are formed. sometimes -ft. to -ft. piles of evenly shaped blocks of ice are seen so neatly laid that it seems impossible for them to be nature's work. again, a winding canyon may be traversed between icy walls ft. to ft. high, or a dome may be formed that under renewed pressure bursts upward like a volcano. all the winter the drifting pack changes--grows by freezing, thickens by rafting, and corrugates by pressure. if, finally, in its drift it impinges on a coast, such as the western shore of the weddell sea, terrific pressure is set up and an inferno of ice-blocks, ridges, and hedgerows results, extending possibly for or miles off shore. sections of pressure ice may drift away subsequently and become embedded in new ice. i have given this brief explanation here in order that the reader may understand the nature of the ice through which we pushed our way for many hundreds of miles. another point that may require to be explained was the delay caused by wind while we were in the pack. when a strong breeze or moderate gale was blowing the ship could not safely work through any except young ice, up to about two feet in thickness. as ice of that nature never extended for more than a mile or so, it followed that in a gale in the pack we had always to lie to. the ship was ft. in. down by the stern, and while this saved the propeller and rudder a good deal, it made the 'endurance' practically unmanageable in close pack when the wind attained a force of six miles an hour from ahead, since the air currents had such a big surface forward to act upon. the pressure of wind on bows and the yards of the foremast would cause the bows to fall away, and in these conditions the ship could not be steered into the narrow lanes and leads through which we had to thread our way. the falling away of the bows, moreover, would tend to bring the stern against the ice, compelling us to stop the engines in order to save the propeller. then the ship would become unmanageable and drift away, with the possibility of getting excessive sternway on her and so damaging rudder or propeller, the achilles' heel of a ship in pack-ice. while we were waiting for the weather to moderate and the ice to open, i had the lucas sounding-machine rigged over the rudder-trunk and found the depth to be fathoms. the bottom sample was lost owing to the line parting fathoms from the end. during the afternoon three adelie penguins approached the ship across the floe while hussey was discoursing sweet music on the banjo. the solemn-looking little birds appeared to appreciate "it's a long way to tipperary," but they fled in horror when hussey treated them to a little of the music that comes from scotland. the shouts of laughter from the ship added to their dismay, and they made off as fast as their short legs would carry them. the pack opened slightly at . p.m., and we proceeded through lanes for three hours before being forced to anchor to a floe for the night. we fired a hjort mark harpoon, no. , into a blue whale on this day. the conditions did not improve during december . a fresh to strong northerly breeze brought haze and snow, and after proceeding for two hours the 'endurance' was stopped again by heavy floes. it was impossible to manoeuvre the ship in the ice owing to the strong wind, which kept the floes in movement and caused lanes to open and close with dangerous rapidity. the noon observation showed that we had made six miles to the south-east in the previous twenty-four hours. all hands were engaged during the day in rubbing shoots off our potatoes, which were found to be sprouting freely. we remained moored to a floe over the following day, the wind not having moderated; indeed, it freshened to a gale in the afternoon, and the members of the staff and crew took advantage of the pause to enjoy a vigorously contested game of football on the level surface of the floe alongside the ship. twelve bergs were in sight at this time. the noon position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., showing that we had drifted about six miles in a north-easterly direction. monday, december , was beautifully fine, with a gentle west-north- westerly breeze. we made a start at a.m. and proceeded through the pack in a south-westerly direction. at noon we had gained seven miles almost due east, the northerly drift of the pack having continued while the ship was apparently moving to the south. petrels of several species, penguins, and seals were plentiful, and we saw four small blue whales. at noon we entered a long lead to the southward and passed around and between nine splendid bergs. one mighty specimen was shaped like the rock of gibraltar but with steeper cliffs, and another had a natural dock that would have contained the 'aquitania'. a spur of ice closed the entrance to the huge blue pool. hurley brought out his kinematograph-camera, in order to make a record of these bergs. fine long leads running east and south-east among bergs were found during the afternoon, but at midnight the ship was stopped by small, heavy ice- floes, tightly packed against an unbroken plain of ice. the outlook from the mast-head was not encouraging. the big floe was at least miles long and miles wide. the edge could not be seen at the widest part, and the area of the floe must have been not less than square miles. it appeared to be formed of year-old ice, not very thick and with very few hummocks or ridges in it. we thought it must have been formed at sea in very calm weather and drifted up from the south-east. i had never seen such a large area of unbroken ice in the ross sea. we waited with banked fires for the strong easterly breeze to moderate or the pack to open. at . p.m. on december some lanes opened and we were able to move towards the south again. the following morning found us working slowly through the pack, and the noon observation gave us a gain of miles s. ° w. for the seventeen and a half hours under steam. many year-old adelies, three crab-eaters, six sea- leopards, one weddell and two blue whales were seen. the air temperature, which had been down to ° fahr. on december , had risen to ° fahr. while we were working along leads to the southward in the afternoon, we counted fifteen bergs. three of these were table-topped, and one was about ft high and miles long. evidently it had come from a barrier-edge. the ice became heavier but slightly more open, and we had a calm night with fine long leads of open water. the water was so still that new ice was forming on the leads. we had a run of miles to our credit at noon on december , the position being lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. all the dogs except eight had been named. i do not know who had been responsible for some of the names, which seemed to represent a variety of tastes. they were as follows rugby, upton bristol, millhill, songster, sandy, mack, mercury, wolf, amundsen, hercules, hackenschmidt, samson, sammy, skipper, caruso, sub, ulysses, spotty, bosun, slobbers, sadie, sue, sally, jasper, tim, sweep, martin, splitlip, luke, saint, satan, chips, stumps, snapper, painful, bob, snowball, jerry, judge, sooty, rufus, sidelights, simeon, swanker, chirgwin, steamer, peter, fluffy, steward, slippery, elliott, roy, noel, shakespeare, jamie, bummer, smuts, lupoid, spider, and sailor. some of the names, it will be noticed, had a descriptive flavour. heavy floes held up the ship from midnight till a.m. on december , christmas day. then they opened a little and we made progress till . a.m., when the leads closed again. we had encountered good leads and workable ice during the early part of the night, and the noon observation showed that our run for the twenty-four hours was the best since we entered the pack a fortnight earlier. we had made miles s. ° w. the ice held us up till the evening, and then we were able to follow some leads for a couple of hours before the tightly packed floes and the increasing wind compelled a stop. the celebration of christmas was not forgotten. grog was served at midnight to all on deck. there was grog again at breakfast, for the benefit of those who had been in their bunks at midnight. lees had decorated the wardroom with flags and had a little christmas present for each of us. some of us had presents from home to open. later there was a really splendid dinner, consisting of turtle soup, whitebait, jugged hare, christmas pudding, mince-pies, dates, figs and crystallized fruits, with rum and stout as drinks. in the evening everybody joined in a "sing-song." hussey had made a one-stringed violin, on which, in the words of worsley, he "discoursed quite painlessly." the wind was increasing to a moderate south-easterly gale and no advance could be made, so we were able to settle down to the enjoyments of the evening. the weather was still bad on december and , and the 'endurance' remained anchored to a floe. the noon position on the th was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. we made another sounding on this day with the lucas machine and found bottom at fathoms. the specimen brought up was a terrigenous blue mud (glacial deposit) with some radiolaria. every one took turns at the work of heaving in, two men working together in ten-minute spells. sunday, december , was a quiet day aboard. the southerly gale was blowing the snow in clouds off the floe and the temperature had fallen to ° fahr. the dogs were having an uncomfortable time in their deck quarters. the wind had moderated by the following morning, but it was squally with snow-flurries, and i did not order a start till p.m. the pack was still close, but the ice was softer and more easily broken. during the pause the carpenter had rigged a small stage over the stern. a man was stationed there to watch the propeller and prevent it striking heavy ice, and the arrangement proved very valuable. it saved the rudder as well as the propeller from many blows. the high winds that had prevailed for four and a half days gave way to a gentle southerly breeze in the evening of december . owing to the drift we were actually eleven miles farther north than we had been on december . but we made fairly good progress on the th in fine, clear weather. the ship followed a long lead to the south-east during the afternoon and evening, and at p.m. we crossed the antarctic circle. an examination of the horizon disclosed considerable breaks in the vast circle of pack-ice, interspersed with bergs of different sizes. leads could be traced in various directions, but i looked in vain for an indication of open water. the sun did not set that night, and as it was concealed behind a bank of clouds we had a glow of crimson and gold to the southward, with delicate pale green reflections in the water of the lanes to the south-east. the ship had a serious encounter with the ice on the morning of december . we were stopped first by floes closing around us, and then about noon the 'endurance' got jammed between two floes heading east-north-east. the pressure heeled the ship over six degrees while we were getting an ice-anchor on to the floe in order to heave astern and thus assist the engines, which were running at full speed. the effort was successful. immediately afterwards, at the spot where the 'endurance' had been held, slabs of ice ft. by ft. and ft. thick were forced ten or twelve feet up on the lee floe at an angle of °. the pressure was severe, and we were not sorry to have the ship out of its reach. the noon position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., and the run for the preceding twenty-four hours was miles s. ° e. "since noon the character of the pack has improved," wrote worsley on this day. "though the leads are short, the floes are rotten and easily broken through if a good place is selected with care and judgment. in many cases we find large sheets of young ice through which the ship cuts for a mile or two miles at a stretch. i have been conning and working the ship from the crow's-nest and find it much the best place, as from there one can see ahead and work out the course beforehand, and can also guard the rudder and propeller, the most vulnerable parts of a ship in the ice. at midnight, as i was sitting in the 'tub' i heard a clamorous noise down on the deck, with ringing of bells, and realized that it was the new year." worsley came down from his lofty seat and met wild, hudson, and myself on the bridge, where we shook hands and wished one another a happy and successful new year. since entering the pack on december we had come miles, through loose and close pack- ice. we had pushed and fought the little ship through, and she had stood the test well, though the propeller had received some shrewd blows against hard ice and the vessel had been driven against the floe until she had fairly mounted up on it and slid back rolling heavily from side to side. the rolling had been more frequently caused by the operation of cracking through thickish young ice, where the crack had taken a sinuous course. the ship, in attempting to follow it, struck first one bilge and then the other, causing her to roll six or seven degrees. our advance through the pack had been in a s. ° e. direction, and i estimated that the total steaming distance had exceeded miles. the first miles had been through loose pack, but the greatest hindrances had been three moderate south-westerly gales, two lasting for three days each and one for four and a half days. the last miles had been through close pack alternating with fine long leads and stretches of open water. during the weeks we spent manoeuvring to the south through the tortuous mazes of the pack it was necessary often to split floes by driving the ship against them. this form of attack was effective against ice up to three feet in thickness, and the process is interesting enough to be worth describing briefly. when the way was barred by a floe of moderate thickness we would drive the ship at half speed against it, stopping the engines just before the impact. at the first blow the 'endurance' would cut a v-shaped nick in the face of the floe, the slope of her cutwater often causing her bows to rise till nearly clear of the water, when she would slide backwards, rolling slightly. watching carefully that loose lumps of ice did not damage the propeller, we would reverse the engines and back the ship off to yds. she would then be driven full speed into the v, taking care to hit the centre accurately. the operation would be repeated until a short dock was cut, into which the ship, acting as a large wedge, was driven. at about the fourth attempt, if it was to succeed at all, the floe would yield. a black, sinuous line, as though pen- drawn on white paper, would appear ahead, broadening as the eye traced it back to the ship. presently it would be broad enough to receive her, and we would forge ahead. under the bows and alongside, great slabs of ice were being turned over and slid back on the floe, or driven down and under the ice or ship. in thus way the 'endurance' would split a -ft. to -ft. floe a square mile in extent. occasionally the floe, although cracked across, would be so held by other floes that it would refuse to open wide, and so gradually would bring the ship to a standstill. we would then go astern for some distance and again drive her full speed into the crack, till finally the floe would yield to the repeated onslaughts. chapter ii new land the first day of the new year (january , ) was cloudy, with a gentle northerly breeze and occasional snow-squalls. the condition of the pack improved in the evening, and after p.m. we forged ahead rapidly through brittle young ice, easily broken by the ship. a few hours later a moderate gale came up from the east, with continuous snow. after a.m. on the nd we got into thick old pack-ice, showing signs of heavy pressure. it was much hummocked, but large areas of open water and long leads to the south-west continued until noon. the position then was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., and the run for the twenty-four hours had been miles s. ° w. this was cheering. the heavy pack blocked the way south after midday. it would have been almost impossible to have pushed the ship into the ice, and in any case the gale would have made such a proceeding highly dangerous. so we dodged along to the west and north, looking for a suitable opening towards the south. the good run had given me hope of sighting the land on the following day, and the delay was annoying. i was growing anxious to reach land on account of the dogs, which had not been able to get exercise for four weeks, and were becoming run down. we passed at least two hundred bergs during the day, and we noticed also large masses of hummocky bay-ice and ice-foot. one floe of bay-ice had black earth upon it, apparently basaltic in origin, and there was a large berg with a broad band of yellowish brown right through it. the stain may have been volcanic dust. many of the bergs had quaint shapes. there was one that exactly resembled a large two-funnel liner, complete in silhouette except for smoke. later in the day we found an opening in the pack and made miles to the south-west, but at a.m. on january the lead ended in hummocky ice, impossible to penetrate. a moderate easterly gale had come up with snow-squalls, and we could not get a clear view in any direction. the hummocky ice did not offer a suitable anchorage for the ship, and we were compelled to dodge up and down for ten hours before we were able to make fast to a small floe under the lee of a berg ft. high. the berg broke the wind and saved us drifting fast to leeward. the position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. we made a move again at p.m., when we took in the ice-anchor and proceeded south, and at p.m. we passed a small berg that the ship had nearly touched twelve hours previously. obviously we were not making much headway. several of the bergs passed during this day were of solid blue ice, indicating true glacier origin. by midnight of the rd we had made miles to the south, and then came to a full stop in weather so thick with snow that we could not learn if the leads and lanes were worth entering. the ice was hummocky, but, fortunately, the gale was decreasing, and after we had scanned all the leads and pools within our reach we turned back to the north-east. two sperm and two large blue whales were sighted, the first we had seen for miles. we saw also petrels, numerous adelies, emperors, crab- eaters, and sea-leopards. the clearer weather of the morning showed us that the pack was solid and impassable from the south-east to the south- west, and at a.m. on the th we again passed within five yards of the small berg that we had passed twice on the previous day. we had been steaming and dodging about over an area of twenty square miles for fifty hours, trying to find an opening to the south, south-east, or south-west, but all the leads ran north, north-east, or north-west. it was as though the spirits of the antarctic were pointing us to the backward track--the track we were determined not to follow. our desire was to make easting as well as southing so as to reach the land, if possible, east of ross's farthest south and well east of coats' land. this was more important as the prevailing winds appeared to be to easterly, and every mile of easting would count. in the afternoon we went west in some open water, and by p.m. we were making west-south- west with more water opening up ahead. the sun was shining brightly, over three degrees high at midnight, and we were able to maintain this direction in fine weather till the following noon. the position then was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., and the run had been miles s. ° w. at a.m. there had been open water from north round by west to south-west, but impenetrable pack to the south and east. at p.m. the way to the south-west and west-north-west was absolutely blocked, and as we experienced a set to the west, i did not feel justified in burning more of the reduced stock of coal to go west or north. i took the ship back over our course for four miles, to a point where some looser pack gave faint promise of a way through; but, after battling for three hours with very heavy hummocked ice and making four miles to the south, we were brought up by huge blocks and floes of very old pack. further effort seemed useless at that time, and i gave the order to bank fires after we had moored the 'endurance' to a solid floe. the weather was clear, and some enthusiastic football-players had a game on the floe until, about midnight, worsley dropped through a hole in rotten ice while retrieving the ball. he had to be retrieved himself. solid pack still barred the way to the south on the following morning (january ). there was some open water north of the floe, but as the day was calm and i did not wish to use coal in a possibly vain search for an opening to the southward, i kept the ship moored to the floe. this pause in good weather gave an opportunity to exercise the dogs, which were taken on to the floe by the men in charge of them. the excitement of the animals was intense. several managed to get into the water, and the muzzles they were wearing did not prevent some hot fights. two dogs which had contrived to slip their muzzles fought themselves into an icy pool and were hauled out still locked in a grapple. however, men and dogs enjoyed the exercise. a sounding gave a depth of fathoms, with a blue mud bottom. the wind freshened from the west early the next morning, and we started to skirt the northern edge of the solid pack in an easterly direction under sail. we had cleared the close pack by noon, but the outlook to the south gave small promise of useful progress, and i was anxious now to make easting. we went north-east under sail, and after making thirty-nine miles passed a peculiar berg that we had been abreast of sixty hours earlier. killer-whales were becoming active around us, and i had to exercise caution in allowing any one to leave the ship. these beasts have a habit of locating a resting seal by looking over the edge of a floe and then striking through the ice from below in search of a meal; they would not distinguish between seal and man. the noon position on january was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. we had made miles in a north-easterly direction during the preceding twenty-four hours. the course during the afternoon was east-south-east through loose pack and open water, with deep hummocky floes to the south. several leads to the south came in view, but we held on the easterly course. the floes were becoming looser, and there were indications of open water ahead. the ship passed not fewer than five hundred bergs that day, some of them very large. a dark water-sky extended from east to south-south-east on the following morning, and the 'endurance', working through loose pack at half speed, reached open water just before noon. a rampart berg ft. high and a quarter of a mile long lay at the edge of the loose pack, and we sailed over a projecting foot of this berg into rolling ocean, stretching to the horizon. the sea extended from a little to the west of south, round by east to north-north-east, and its welcome promise was supported by a deep water-sky to the south. i laid a course south by east in an endeavour to get south and east of ross's farthest south (lat. ° ´ s.). we kept the open water for a hundred miles, passing many bergs but encountering no pack. two very large whales, probably blue whales, came up close to the ship, and we saw spouts in all directions. open water inside the pack in that latitude might have the appeal of sanctuary to the whales, which are harried by man farther north. the run southward in blue water, with a path clear ahead and the miles falling away behind us, was a joyful experience after the long struggle through the ice-lanes. but, like other good things, our spell of free movement had to end. the 'endurance' encountered the ice again at a.m. on the th. loose pack stretched to east and south, with open water to the west and a good watersky. it consisted partly of heavy hummocky ice showing evidence of great pressure, but contained also many thick, flat floes evidently formed in some sheltered bay and never subjected to pressure or to much motion. the swirl of the ship's wash brought diatomaceous scum from the sides of this ice. the water became thick with diatoms at a.m., and i ordered a cast to be made. no bottom was found at fathoms. the 'endurance' continued to advance southward through loose pack that morning. we saw the spouts of numerous whales and noticed some hundreds of crab-eaters lying on the floes. white-rumped terns, antarctic petrels and snow petrels were numerous, and there was a colony of adelies on a low berg. a few killer-whales, with their characteristic high dorsal fin, also came in view. the noon position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., and the run for the twenty-four hours had been miles s. ° e. we were now in the vicinity of the land discovered by dr. w. s. bruce, leader of the 'scotia' expedition, in , and named by him coats' land. dr. bruce encountered an ice-barrier in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° w., stretching from north-east to south-west. he followed the barrier-edge to the south-west for miles and reached lat. ° ´ s., long. ° w. he saw no naked rock, but his description of rising slopes of snow and ice, with shoaling water off the barrier-wall, indicated clearly the presence of land. it was up those slopes, at a point as far south as possible, that i planned to begin the march across the antarctic continent. all hands were watching now for the coast described by dr. bruce, and at p.m. the look-out reported an appearance of land to the south-south-east. we could see a gentle snow- slope rising to a height of about one thousand feet. it seemed to be an island or a peninsula with a sound on its south side, and the position of its most northerly point was about ° ´ s., ° ´ w. the 'endurance' was passing through heavy loose pack, and shortly before midnight she broke into a lead of open sea along a barrier-edge. a sounding within one cable's length of the barrier-edge gave no bottom with fathoms of line. the barrier was ft. high, with cliffs of about ft. the 'scotia' must have passed this point when pushing to bruce's farthest south on march , , and i knew from the narrative of that voyage, as well as from our own observation, that the coast trended away to the south-west. the lead of open water continued along the barrier-edge, and we pushed forward without delay. an easterly breeze brought cloud and falls of snow during the morning of january . the barrier trended south-west by south, and we skirted it for fifty miles until am. the cliffs in the morning were ft. high, and by noon they had increased to and ft. the brow apparently rose to ft. higher. we were forced away from the barrier once for three hours by a line of very heavy pack-ice. otherwise there was open water along the edge, with high loose pack to the west and north-west. we noticed a seal bobbing up and down in an apparent effort to swallow a long silvery fish that projected at least eighteen inches from its mouth. the noon position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., and a sounding then gave fathoms at a distance of a mile from the barrier. the bottom consisted of large igneous pebbles. the weather then became thick, and i held away to the westward, where the sky had given indications of open water, until p.m., when we laid the ship alongside a floe in loose pack. heavy snow was falling, and i was anxious lest the westerly wind should bring the pack hard against the coast and jam the ship. the 'nimrod' had a narrow escape from a misadventure of this kind in the ross sea early in . we made a start again at a.m. the next morning (january ) in overcast weather with mist and snow-showers, and four hours later broke through loose pack-ice into open water. the view was obscured, but we proceeded to the south-east and had gained miles by noon, when three soundings in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. gave , , and fathoms, with a bottom of sand, pebbles, and mud. clark got a good haul of biological specimens in the dredge. the 'endurance' was now close to what appeared to be the barrier, with a heavy pack-ice foot containing numerous bergs frozen in and possibly aground. the solid ice turned away towards the north-west, and we followed the edge for miles n. ° w. to clear it. now we were beyond the point reached by the 'scotia', and the land underlying the ice-sheet we were skirting was new. the northerly trend was unexpected, and i began to suspect that we were really rounding a huge ice-tongue attached to the true barrier-edge and extending northward. events confirmed this suspicion. we skirted the pack all night, steering north-west; then went west by north till a.m. and round to south-west. the course at a.m. on the th was south-south- west. the barrier at midnight was low and distant, and at a.m. there was merely a narrow ice-foot about two hundred yards across separating it from the open water. by noon there was only an occasional shelf of ice-foot. the barrier in one place came with an easy sweep to the sea. we could have landed stores there without difficulty. we made a sounding ft. off the barrier but got no bottom at fathoms. at p.m., still following the barrier to the south-west, we reached a corner and found it receding abruptly to the south-east. our way was blocked by very heavy pack, and after spending two hours in a vain search for an opening, we moored the 'endurance' to a floe and banked fires. during that day we passed two schools of seals, swimming fast to the north-west and north-north-east. the animals swam in close order, rising and blowing like porpoises, and we wondered if there was any significance in their journey northward at that time of the year. several young emperor penguins had been captured and brought aboard on the previous day. two of them were still alive when the 'endurance' was brought alongside the floe. they promptly hopped on to the ice, turned round, bowed gracefully three times, and retired to the far side of the floe. there is something curiously human about the manners and movements of these birds. i was concerned about the dogs. they were losing condition and some of them appeared to be ailing. one dog had to be shot on the th. we did not move the ship on the th. a breeze came from the east in the evening, and under its influence the pack began to work off shore. before midnight the close ice that had barred our way had opened and left a lane along the foot of the barrier. i decided to wait for the morning, not wishing to risk getting caught between the barrier and the pack in the event of the wind changing. a sounding gave fathoms, with a bottom of glacial mud. the noon observation showed the position to be lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. we cast off at a.m. on the th in hazy weather with a north-easterly breeze, and proceeded along the barrier in open water. the course was south-east for sixteen miles, then south-south-east. we now had solid pack to windward, and at p.m. we passed a bight probably ten miles deep and running to the north-east. a similar bight appeared at p.m. these deep cuts strengthened the impression we had already formed that for several days we had been rounding a great mass of ice, at least fifty miles across, stretching out from the coast and possibly destined to float away at some time in the future. the soundings--roughly, fathoms at the landward side and fathoms at the seaward side--suggested that this mighty projection was afloat. seals were plentiful. we saw large numbers on the pack and several on low parts of the barrier, where the slope was easy. the ship passed through large schools of seals swimming from the barrier to the pack off shore. the animals were splashing and blowing around the 'endurance', and hurley made a record of this unusual sight with the kinematograph-camera. the barrier now stretched to the south-west again. sail was set to a fresh easterly breeze, but at p.m. it had to be furled, the 'endurance' being held up by pack-ice against the barrier for an hour. we took advantage of the pause to sound and got fathoms with glacial mud and pebbles. then a small lane appeared ahead. we pushed through at full speed, and by . p.m. the 'endurance' was moving southward with sails set in a fine expanse of open water. we continued to skirt the barrier in clear weather. i was watching for possible landing-places, though as a matter of fact i had no intention of landing north of vahsel bay, in luitpold land, except under pressure of necessity. every mile gained towards the south meant a mile less sledging when the time came for the overland journey. shortly before midnight on the th we came abreast of the northern edge of a great glacier or overflow from the inland ice, projecting beyond the barrier into the sea. it was or ft. high, and at its edge was a large mass of thick bay-ice. the bay formed by the northern edge of this glacier would have made an excellent landing- place. a flat ice-foot nearly three feet above sea-level looked like a natural quay. from this ice-foot a snow-slope rose to the top of the barrier. the bay was protected from the south-easterly wind and was open only to the northerly wind, which is rare in those latitudes. a sounding gave fathoms, indicating that the glacier was aground. i named the place glacier bay, and had reason later to remember it with regret. the 'endurance' steamed along the front of this ice-flow for about seventeen miles. the glacier showed huge crevasses and high pressure ridges, and appeared to run back to ice-covered slopes or hills or ft. high. some bays in its front were filled with smooth ice, dotted with seals and penguins. at a.m. on the th we reached the edge of another huge glacial overflow from the ice-sheet. the ice appeared to be coming over low hills and was heavily broken. the cliff- face was to ft. high, and the ice surface two miles inland was probably ft. high. the cliff-front showed a tide-mark of about ft., proving that it was not afloat. we steamed along the front of this tremendous glacier for miles and then, at . a.m., we were held up by solid pack-ice, which appeared to be held by stranded bergs. the depth, two cables off the barrier-cliff, was fathoms. no further advance was possible that day, but the noon observation, which gave the position as lat. ° ´ s. long. ° ´ w., showed that we had gained miles to the south-west during the preceding twenty-four hours. the afternoon was not without incident. the bergs in the neighbourhood were very large, several being over ft. high, and some of them were firmly aground, showing tidemarks. a barrier-berg bearing north-west appeared to be about miles long. we pushed the ship against a small banded berg, from which wordie secured several large lumps of biotite granite. while the 'endurance' was being held slow ahead against the berg a loud crack was heard, and the geologist had to scramble aboard at once. the bands on this berg were particularly well defined; they were due to morainic action in the parent glacier. later in the day the easterly wind increased to a gale. fragments of floe drifted past at about two knots, and the pack to leeward began to break up fast. a low berg of shallow draught drove down into the grinding pack and, smashing against two larger stranded bergs, pushed them off the bank. the three went away together pell- mell. we took shelter under the lee of a large stranded berg. a blizzard from the east-north-east prevented us leaving the shelter of the berg on the following day (sunday, january ). the weather was clear, but the gale drove dense clouds of snow off the land and obscured the coast-line most of the time. "the land, seen when the air is clear, appears higher than we thought it yesterday; probably it rises to ft. above the head of the glacier. caird coast, as i have named it, connects coats' land, discovered by bruce in , with luitpold land, discovered by filchner in . the northern part is similar in character to coats' land. it is fronted by an undulating barrier, the van of a mighty ice-sheet that is being forced outward from the high interior of the antarctic continent and apparently is sweeping over low hills, plains, and shallow seas as the great arctic ice-sheet once pressed over northern europe. the barrier surface, seen from the sea, is of a faint golden brown colour. it terminates usually in cliffs ranging from to ft. in height, but in a very few places sweeps down level with the sea. the cliffs are of dazzling whiteness, with wonderful blue shadows. far inland higher slopes can be seen, appearing like dim blue or faint golden fleecy clouds. these distant slopes have increased in nearness and clearness as we have come to the south-west, while the barrier cliffs here are higher and apparently firmer. we are now close to the junction with luitpold land. at this southern end of the caird coast the ice-sheet, undulating over the hidden and imprisoned land, is bursting down a steep slope in tremendous glaciers, bristling with ridges and spikes of ice and seamed by thousands of crevasses. along the whole length of the coast we have seen no bare land or rock. not as much as a solitary nunatak has appeared to relieve the surface of ice and snow. but the upward sweep of the ice-slopes towards the horizon and the ridges, terraces, and crevasses that appear as the ice approaches the sea tell of the hills and valleys that lie below." the 'endurance' lay under the lee of the stranded berg until a.m. on january . the gale had moderated by that time, and we proceeded under sail to the south-west through a lane that had opened along the glacier-front. we skirted the glacier till . a.m., when it ended in two bays, open to the north-west but sheltered by stranded bergs to the west. the coast beyond trended south-south-west with a gentle land- slope. "the pack now forces us to go west miles, when we break through a long line of heavy brash mixed with large lumps and 'growlers' we do this under the fore-topsail only, the engines being stopped to protect the propeller. this takes us into open water, where we make s. ° w. for miles. then we again encounter pack which forces us to the north-west for miles, when we are brought up by heavy snow-lumps, brash, and large, loose floes. the character of the pack shows change. the floes are very thick and are covered by deep snow. the brash between the floes is so thick and heavy that we cannot push through without a great expenditure of power, and then for a short distance only. we therefore lie to for a while to see if the pack opens at all when this north-east wind ceases." our position on the morning of the th was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. the weather was good, but no advance could be made. the ice had closed around the ship during the night, and no water could be seen in any direction from the deck. a few lanes were in sight from the mast-head. we sounded in fathoms, finding mud, sand, and pebbles. the land showed faintly to the east. we waited for the conditions to improve, and the scientists took the opportunity to dredge for biological and geological specimens. during the night a moderate north- easterly gale sprang up, and a survey of the position on the th showed that the ship was firmly beset. the ice was packed heavily and firmly all round the 'endurance' in every direction as far as the eye could reach from the masthead. there was nothing to be done till the conditions changed, and we waited through that day and the succeeding days with increasing anxiety. the east-north-easterly gale that had forced us to take shelter behind the stranded berg on the th had veered later to the north-east, and it continued with varying intensity until the nd. apparently this wind had crowded the ice into the bight of the weddell sea, and the ship was now drifting south-west with the floes which had enclosed it. a slight movement of the ice round the ship caused the rudder to become dangerously jammed on the st, and we had to cut away the ice with ice-chisels, heavy pieces of iron with -ft. wooden hafts. we kept steam up in readiness for a move if the opportunity offered, and the engines running full speed ahead helped to clear the rudder. land was in sight to the east and south about sixteen miles distant on the nd. the land-ice seemed to be faced with ice-cliffs at most points, but here and there slopes ran down to sea-level. large crevassed areas in terraces parallel with the coast showed where the ice was moving down over foot-hills. the inland ice appeared for the most part to be undulating, smooth, and easy to march over, but many crevasses might have been concealed from us by the surface snow or by the absence of shadows. i thought that the land probably rose to a height of ft. forty or fifty miles inland. the accurate estimation of heights and distances in the antarctic is always difficult, owing to the clear air, the confusing monotony of colouring, and the deceptive effect of mirage and refraction. the land appeared to increase in height to the southward, where we saw a line of land or barrier that must have been seventy miles, and possibly was even more distant. sunday, january , was a clear sunny day, with gentle easterly and southerly breezes. no open water could be seen from the mast-head, but there was a slight water-sky to the west and north-west. "this is the first time for ten days that the wind has varied from north-east and east, and on five of these days it has risen to a gale. evidently the ice has become firmly packed in this quarter, and we must wait patiently till a southerly gale occurs or currents open the ice. we are drifting slowly. the position to-day was ° ´ s., ° ´ w. worsley and james, working on the floe with a kew magnetometer, found the variation to be six degrees west." just before midnight a crack developed in the ice five yards wide and a mile long, fifty yards ahead of the ship. the crack had widened to a quarter of a mile by a.m. on the th, and for three hours we tried to force the ship into this opening with engines at full speed ahead and all sails set. the sole effect was to wash some ice away astern and clear the rudder, and after convincing myself that the ship was firmly held i abandoned the attempt. later in the day crean and two other men were over the side on a stage chipping at a large piece of ice that had got under the ship and appeared to be impeding her movement. the ice broke away suddenly, shot upward and overturned, pinning crean between the stage and the haft of the heavy -ft. iron pincher. he was in danger for a few moments, but we got him clear, suffering merely from a few bad bruises. the thick iron bar had been bent against him to an angle of degrees. the days that followed were uneventful. moderate breezes from the east and south-west had no apparent effect upon the ice, and the ship remained firmly held. on the th, the tenth day of inactivity, i decided to let the fires out. we had been burning half a ton of coal a day to keep steam in the boilers, and as the bunkers now contained only tons, representing thirty-three days' steaming, we could not afford to continue this expenditure of fuel. land still showed to the east and south when the horizon was clear. the biologist was securing some interesting specimens with the hand-dredge at various depths. a sounding on the th gave fathoms, and another on the th fathoms. the drift was to the west, and an observation on the st (sunday) showed that the ship had made eight miles during the week. james and hudson rigged the wireless in the hope of hearing the monthly message from the falkland islands. this message would be due about . a.m. on the following morning, but james was doubtful about hearing anything with our small apparatus at a distance of miles from the dispatching station. we heard nothing, as a matter of fact, and later efforts were similarly unsuccessful. the conditions would have been difficult even for a station of high power. we were accumulating gradually a stock of seal meat during these days of waiting. fresh meat for the dogs was needed, and seal-steaks and liver made a very welcome change from the ship's rations aboard the 'endurance'. four crab-eaters and three weddells, over a ton of meat for dog and man, fell to our guns on february , and all hands were occupied most of the day getting the carcasses back to the ship over the rough ice. we rigged three sledges for man-haulage and brought the seals about two miles, the sledging parties being guided among the ridges and pools by semaphore from the crow's-nest. two more seals were sighted on the far side of a big pool, but i did not allow them to be pursued. some of the ice was in a treacherous condition, with thin films hiding cracks and pools, and i did not wish to risk an accident. a crack about four miles long opened in the floe to the stern of the ship on the rd. the narrow lane in front was still open, but the prevailing light breezes did not seem likely to produce any useful movement in the ice. early on the morning of the th a north-easterly gale sprang up, bringing overcast skies and thick snow. soon the pack was opening and closing without much loosening effect. at noon the ship gave a sudden start and heeled over three degrees. immediately afterwards a crack ran from the bows to the lead ahead and another to the lead astern. i thought it might be possible to reeve the ship through one of these leads towards open water, but we could see no water through the thick snow; and before steam was raised, and while the view was still obscured, the pack closed again. the northerly gale had given place to light westerly breezes on the th. the pack seemed to be more solid than ever. it stretched almost unbroken to the horizon in every direction, and the situation was made worse by very low temperatures in succeeding days. the temperature was down to zero on the night of the th and was two degrees below zero on the th. this cold spell in midsummer was most unfortunate from our point of view, since it cemented the pack and tightened the grip of the ice upon the ship. the slow drift to the south-west continued, and we caught occasional glimpses of distant uplands on the eastern horizon. the position on the th was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. soundings on the th and th found glacial mud at and fathoms. the 'endurance' was lying in a pool covered by young ice on the th. the solid floes had loosened their grip on the ship itself, but they were packed tightly all around. the weather was foggy. we felt a slight northerly swell coming through the pack, and the movement gave rise to hope that there was open water near to us. at a.m. a long crack developed in the pack, running east and west as far as we could see through the fog, and i ordered steam to be raised in the hope of being able to break away into this lead. the effort failed. we could break the young ice in the pool, but the pack defied us. the attempt was renewed on the th, a fine clear day with blue sky. the temperature was still low, - ° fahr. at midnight. after breaking through some young ice the 'endurance' became jammed against soft floe. the engines running full speed astern produced no effect until all hands joined in "sallying" ship. the dog-kennels amidships made it necessary for the people to gather aft, where they rushed from side to side in a mass in the confined space around the wheel. this was a ludicrous affair, the men falling over one another amid shouts of laughter without producing much effect on the ship. she remained fast, while all hands jumped at the word of command, but finally slid off when the men were stamping hard at the double. we were now in a position to take advantage of any opening that might appear. the ice was firm around us, and as there seemed small chance of making a move that day, i had the motor crawler and warper put out on the floe for a trial run. the motor worked most successfully, running at about six miles an hour over slabs and ridges of ice hidden by a foot or two of soft snow. the surface was worse than we would expect to face on land or barrier-ice. the motor warped itself back on a -fathom steel wire and was taken aboard again. "from the mast-head the mirage is continually giving us false alarms. everything wears an aspect of unreality. icebergs hang upside down in the sky; the land appears as layers of silvery or golden cloud. cloud-banks look like land, icebergs masquerade as islands or nunataks, and the distant barrier to the south is thrown into view, although it really is outside our range of vision. worst of all is the deceptive appearance of open water, caused by the refraction of distant water, or by the sun shining at an angle on a field of smooth snow or the face of ice-cliffs below the horizon." the second half of february produced no important change in our situation. early in the morning of the th i ordered a good head of steam on the engines and sent all hands on to the floe with ice- chisels, prickers, saws, and picks. we worked all day and throughout most of the next day in a strenuous effort to get the ship into the lead ahead. the men cut away the young ice before the bows and pulled it aside with great energy. after twenty-four hours' labour we had got the ship a third of the way to the lead. but about yards of heavy ice, including old rafted pack, still separated the 'endurance' from the water, and reluctantly i had to admit that further effort was useless. every opening we made froze up again quickly owing to the unseasonably low temperature. the young ice was elastic and prevented the ship delivering a strong, splitting blow to the floe, while at the same time it held the older ice against any movement. the abandonment of the attack was a great disappointment to all hands. the men had worked long hours without thought of rest, and they deserved success. but the task was beyond our powers. i had not abandoned hope of getting clear, but was counting now on the possibility of having to spend a winter in the inhospitable arms of the pack. the sun, which had been above the horizon for two months, set at midnight on the th, and, although it would not disappear until april, its slanting rays warned us of the approach of winter. pools and leads appeared occasionally, but they froze over very quickly. we continued to accumulate a supply of seal meat and blubber, and the excursions across the floes to shoot and bring in the seals provided welcome exercise for all hands. three crab-eater cows shot on the st were not accompanied by a bull, and blood was to be seen about the hole from which they had crawled. we surmised that the bull had become the prey of one of the killer-whales. these aggressive creatures were to be seen often in the lanes and pools, and we were always distrustful of their ability or willingness to discriminate between seal and man. a lizard-like head would show while the killer gazed along the floe with wicked eyes. then the brute would dive, to come up a few moments later, perhaps, under some unfortunate seal reposing on the ice. worsley examined a spot where a killer had smashed a hole ft. by ft. in ½ in. of hard ice, covered by ½ in. of snow. big blocks of ice had been tossed on to the floe surface. wordie, engaged in measuring the thickness of young ice, went through to his waist one day just as a killer rose to blow in the adjacent lead. his companions pulled him out hurriedly. on the nd the 'endurance' reached the farthest south point of her drift, touching the th parallel of latitude in long. ° w. the summer had gone; indeed the summer had scarcely been with us at all. the temperatures were low day and night, and the pack was freezing solidly around the ship. the thermometer recorded ° below zero fahr. at a.m. on the nd. some hours earlier we had watched a wonderful golden mist to the southward, where the rays of the declining sun shone through vapour rising from the ice. all normal standards of perspective vanish under such conditions, and the low ridges of the pack, with mist lying between them, gave the illusion of a wilderness of mountain-peaks like the bernese oberland. i could not doubt now that the 'endurance' was confined for the winter. gentle breezes from the east, south, and south-west did not disturb the hardening floes. the seals were disappearing and the birds were leaving us. the land showed still in fair weather on the distant horizon, but it was beyond our reach now, and regrets for havens that lay behind us were vain. "we must wait for the spring, which may bring us better fortune. if i had guessed a month ago that the ice would grip us here, i would have established our base at one of the landing-places at the great glacier. but there seemed no reason to anticipate then that the fates would prove unkind. this calm weather with intense cold in a summer month is surely exceptional. my chief anxiety is the drift. where will the vagrant winds and currents carry the ship during the long winter months that are ahead of us? we will go west, no doubt, but how far? and will it be possible to break out of the pack early in the spring and reach vahsel bay or some other suitable landing-place? these are momentous questions for us." on february we ceased to observe ship routine, and the 'endurance' became a winter station. all hands were on duty during the day and slept at night, except a watchman who looked after the dogs and watched for any sign of movement in the ice. we cleared a space of ft. by ft. round the rudder and propeller, sawing through ice ft. thick, and lifting the blocks with a pair of tongs made by the carpenter. crean used the blocks to make an ice-house for the dog sally, which had added a little litter of pups to the strength of the expedition. seals appeared occasionally, and we killed all that came within our reach. they represented fuel as well as food for men and dogs. orders were given for the after-hold to be cleared and the stores checked, so that we might know exactly how we stood for a siege by an antarctic winter. the dogs went off the ship on the following day. their kennels were placed on the floe along the length of a wire rope to which the leashes were fastened. the dogs seemed heartily glad to leave the ship, and yelped loudly and joyously as they were moved to their new quarters. we had begun the training of teams, and already there was keen rivalry between the drivers. the flat floes and frozen leads in the neighbourhood of the ship made excellent training grounds. hockey and football on the floe were our chief recreations, and all hands joined in many a strenuous game. worsley took a party to the floe on the th and started building a line of igloos and "dogloos" round the ship. these little buildings were constructed, esquimaux fashion, of big blocks of ice, with thin sheets for the roofs. boards or frozen sealskins were placed over all, snow was piled on top and pressed into the joints, and then water was thrown over the structures to make everything firm. the ice was packed down flat inside and covered with snow for the dogs, which preferred, however, to sleep outside except when the weather was extraordinarily severe. the tethering of the dogs was a simple matter. the end of a chain was buried about eight inches in the snow, some fragments of ice were pressed around it, and a little water poured over all. the icy breath of the antarctic cemented it in a few moments. four dogs which had been ailing were shot. some of the dogs were suffering badly from worms, and the remedies at our disposal, unfortunately, were not effective. all the fit dogs were being exercised in the sledges, and they took to the work with enthusiasm. sometimes their eagerness to be off and away produced laughable results, but the drivers learned to be alert. the wireless apparatus was still rigged, but we listened in vain for the saturday-night time signals from new year island, ordered for our benefit by the argentine government. on sunday the th, hudson waited at a.m. for the port stanley monthly signals, but could hear nothing. evidently the distances were too great for our small plant. chapter iii winter months the month of march opened with a severe north-easterly gale. five weddells and two crab-eaters were shot on the floe during the morning of march , and the wind, with fine drifting snow, sprang up while the carcasses were being brought in by sledging parties. the men were compelled to abandon some of the blubber and meat, and they had a struggle to get back to the ship over the rough ice in the teeth of the storm. this gale continued until the rd, and all hands were employed clearing out the 'tween decks, which was to be converted into a living- and dining-room for officers and scientists. the carpenter erected in this room the stove that had been intended for use in the shore hut, and the quarters were made very snug. the dogs appeared indifferent to the blizzard. they emerged occasionally from the drift to shake themselves and bark, but were content most of the time to lie, curled into tight balls, under the snow. one of the old dogs, saint, died on the night of the nd, and the doctors reported that the cause of death was appendicitis. when the gale cleared we found that the pack had been driven in from the north-east and was now more firmly consolidated than before. a new berg, probably fifteen miles in length, had appeared on the northern horizon. the bergs within our circle of vision had all become familiar objects, and we had names for some of them. apparently they were all drifting with the pack. the sighting of a new berg was of more than passing interest, since in that comparatively shallow sea it would be possible for a big berg to become stranded. then the island of ice would be a centre of tremendous pressure and disturbance amid the drifting pack. we had seen something already of the smashing effect of a contest between berg and floe, and had no wish to have the helpless 'endurance' involved in such a battle of giants. during the rd the seal meat and blubber was re-stowed on hummocks around the ship. the frozen masses had been sinking into the floe. ice, though hard and solid to the touch, is never firm against heavy weights. an article left on the floe for any length of time is likely to sink into the surface-ice. then the salt water will percolate through and the article will become frozen into the body of the floe. clear weather followed the gale, and we had a series of mock suns and parhelia. minus temperatures were the rule, ° below zero fahr. being recorded on the th. we made mattresses for the dogs by stuffing sacks with straw and rubbish, and most of the animals were glad to receive this furnishing in their kennels. some of them had suffered through the snow melting with the heat of their bodies and then freezing solid. the scientific members of the expedition were all busy by this time. the meteorologist had got his recording station, containing anemometer, barograph, and thermograph, rigged over the stern. the geologist was making the best of what to him was an unhappy situation; but was not altogether without material. the pebbles found in the penguins were often of considerable interest, and some fragments of rock were brought up from the sea floor with the sounding-lead and the drag-net. on the th wordie and worsley found some small pebbles, a piece of moss, a perfect bivalve shell, and some dust on a berg fragment, and brought their treasure-trove proudly to the ship. clark was using the drag-net frequently in the leads and secured good hauls of plankton, with occasional specimens of greater scientific interest. seals were not plentiful, but our store of meat and blubber grew gradually. all hands ate seal meat with relish and would not have cared to become dependent on the ship's tinned meat. we preferred the crab-eater to the weddell, which is a very sluggish beast. the crab-eater seemed cleaner and healthier. the killer-whales were still with us. on the th we examined a spot where the floe-ice had been smashed up by a blow from beneath, delivered presumably by a large whale in search of a breathing- place. the force that had been exercised was astonishing. slabs of ice ft. thick, and weighing tons, had been tented upwards over a circular area with a diameter of about ft., and cracks radiated outwards for more than ft. the quarters in the 'tween decks were completed by the th, and the men took possession of the cubicles that had been built. the largest cubicle contained macklin, mcilroy, hurley, and hussey and it was named "the billabong." clark and wordie lived opposite in a room called "auld reekie." next came the abode of "the nuts" or engineers, followed by "the sailors' rest," inhabited by cheetham and mcneish. "the anchorage" and "the fumarole" were on the other side. the new quarters became known as "the ritz," and meals were served there instead of in the ward room. breakfast was at a.m., lunch at p.m., tea at p.m., and dinner at p.m. wild, marston, crean, and worsley established themselves in cubicles in the wardroom, and by the middle of the month all hands had settled down to the winter routine. i lived alone aft. worsley, hurley, and wordie made a journey to a big berg, called by us the rampart berg, on the th. the distance out was ½ miles, and the party covered a total distance of about miles. hurley took some photographs and wordie came back rejoicing with a little dust and some moss. "within a radius of one mile round the berg there is thin young ice, strong enough to march over with care," wrote worsley. "the area of dangerous pressure, as regards a ship, does not seem to extend for more than a quarter of a mile from the berg. here there are cracks and constant slight movement, which becomes exciting to the traveller when he feels a piece of ice gradually upending beneath his feet. close to the berg the pressure makes all sorts of quaint noises. we heard tapping as from a hammer, grunts, groans and squeaks, electric trams running, birds singing, kettles boiling noisily, and an occasional swish as a large piece of ice, released from pressure, suddenly jumped or turned over. we noticed all sorts of quaint effects, such as huge bubbles or domes of ice, ft. across and or ft. high. large sinuous pancake-sheets were spread over the floe in places, and in one spot we counted five such sheets, each about ½ in. thick, imbricated under one another. they look as though made of barley-sugar and are very slippery." the noon position on the th was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. the land was visible faintly to the south-east, distant about miles. a few small leads could be seen from the ship, but the ice was firm in our neighbourhood. the drift of the 'endurance' was still towards the north-west. i had the boilers blown down on the th, and the consumption of cwt. of coal per day to keep the boilers from freezing then ceased. the bunkers still contained tons of coal, and the daily consumption in the stoves was about ½ cwt. there would not be much coal left for steaming purposes in the spring, but i anticipated eking out the supply with blubber. a moderate gale from the north-east on the th brought fine, penetrating snow. the weather cleared in the evening, and a beautiful crimson sunset held our eyes. at the same time the ice- cliffs of the land were thrown up in the sky by mirage, with an apparent reflection in open water, though the land itself could not be seen definitely. the effect was repeated in an exaggerated form on the following day, when the ice-cliffs were thrown up above the horizon in double and treble parallel lines, some inverted. the mirage was due probably to lanes of open water near the land. the water would be about ° warmer than the air and would cause warmed strata to ascend. a sounding gave fathoms, with a bottom of glacial mud. six days later, on the th, the depth was fathoms. we were drifting steadily, and the constant movement, coupled with the appearance of lanes near the land, convinced me that we must stay by the ship till she got clear. i had considered the possibility of making a landing across the ice in the spring, but the hazards of such an undertaking would be too great. the training of the dogs in sledge teams was making progress. the orders used by the drivers were "mush" (go on), "gee" (right), "haw" (left), and "whoa" (stop). these are the words that the canadian drivers long ago adopted, borrowing them originally from england. there were many fights at first, until the dogs learned their positions and their duties, but as days passed drivers and teams became efficient. each team had its leader, and efficiency depended largely on the willingness and ability of this dog to punish skulking and disobedience. we learned not to interfere unless the disciplinary measures threatened to have a fatal termination. the drivers could sit on the sledge and jog along at ease if they chose. but the prevailing minus temperatures made riding unpopular, and the men preferred usually to run or walk alongside the teams. we were still losing dogs through sickness, due to stomach and intestinal worms. dredging for specimens at various depths was one of the duties during these days. the dredge and several hundred fathoms of wire line made a heavy load, far beyond the unaided strength of the scientists. on the rd, for example, we put down a ft. dredge and fathoms of wire. the dredge was hove in four hours later and brought much glacial mud, several pebbles and rock fragments, three sponges, some worms, brachiapods, and foraminiferae. the mud was troublesome. it was heavy to lift, and as it froze rapidly when brought to the surface, the recovery of the specimens embedded in it was difficult. a haul made on the th brought a prize for the geologist in the form of a lump of sandstone weighing lbs., a piece of fossiliferous limestone, a fragment of striated shale, sandstone-grit, and some pebbles. hauling in the dredge by hand was severe work, and on the th we used the girling tractor-motor, which brought in fathoms of line in thirty minutes, including stops. one stop was due to water having run over the friction gear and frozen. it was a day or two later that we heard a great yell from the floe and found clark dancing about and shouting scottish war-cries. he had secured his first complete specimen of an antarctic fish, apparently a new species. mirages were frequent. barrier-cliffs appeared all around us on the th, even in places where we knew there was deep water. "bergs and pack are thrown up in the sky and distorted into the most fantastic shapes. they climb, trembling, upwards, spreading out into long lines at different levels, then contract and fall down, leaving nothing but an uncertain, wavering smudge which comes and goes. presently the smudge swells and grows, taking shape until it presents the perfect inverted reflection of a berg on the horizon, the shadow hovering over the substance. more smudges appear at different points on the horizon. these spread out into long lines till they meet, and we are girdled by lines of shining snow-cliffs, laved at their bases by waters of illusion in which they appear to be faithfully reflected. so the shadows come and go silently, melting away finally as the sun declines to the west. we seem to be drifting helplessly in a strange world of unreality. it is reassuring to feel the ship beneath one's feet and to look down at the familiar line of kennels and igloos on the solid floe." the floe was not so solid as it appeared. we had reminders occasionally that the greedy sea was very close, and that the floe was but a treacherous friend, which might open suddenly beneath us. towards the end of the month i had our store of seal meat and blubber brought aboard. the depth as recorded by a sounding on the last day of march was fathoms. the continuous shoaling from fathoms in a drift of miles n. ° w. in thirty days was interesting. the sea shoaled as we went north, either to east or to west, and the fact suggested that the contour-lines ran east and west, roughly. our total drift between january , when the ship was frozen in, and march , a period of seventy-one days, had been miles in a n. ° w. direction. the icebergs around us had not changed their relative positions. the sun sank lower in the sky, the temperatures became lower, and the 'endurance' felt the grip of the icy hand of winter. two north-easterly gales in the early part of april assisted to consolidate the pack. the young ice was thickening rapidly, and though leads were visible occasionally from the ship, no opening of a considerable size appeared in our neighbourhood. in the early morning of april we listened again for the wireless signals from port stanley. the crew had lashed three -ft. rickers to the mast-heads in order to increase the spread of our aerials, but still we failed to hear anything. the rickers had to come down subsequently, since we found that the gear could not carry the accumulating weight of rime. soundings proved that the sea continued to shoal as the 'endurance' drifted to the north-west. the depth on april was fathoms, with a bottom of glacial mud. four weeks later a sounding gave fathoms. the presence of grit in the bottom samples towards the end of the month suggested that we were approaching land again. the month was not uneventful. during the night of the rd we heard the ice grinding to the eastward, and in the morning we saw that young ice was rafted to ft. high in places. this was the first murmur of the danger that was to reach menacing proportions in later months. the ice was heard grinding and creaking during the th and the ship vibrated slightly. the movement of the floe was sufficiently pronounced to interfere with the magnetic work. i gave orders that accumulations of snow, ice, and rubbish alongside the 'endurance' should be shovelled away, so that in case of pressure there would be no weight against the topsides to check the ship rising above the ice. all hands were busy with pick and shovel during the day, and moved many tons of material. again, on the th, there were signs of pressure. young ice was piled up to a height of ft. astern of the ship, and the old floe was cracked in places. the movement was not serious, but i realized that it might be the beginning of trouble for the expedition. we brought certain stores aboard and provided space on deck for the dogs in case they had to be removed from the floe at short notice. we had run a -fathom steel wire round the ship, snow-huts, and kennels, with a loop out to the lead ahead, where the dredge was used. this wire was supported on ice-pillars, and it served as a guide in bad weather when the view was obscured by driving snow and a man might have lost himself altogether. i had this wire cut in five places, since otherwise it might have been dragged across our section of the floe with damaging effect in the event of the ice splitting suddenly. the dogs had been divided into six teams of nine dogs each. wild, crean, macklin, mcilroy, marston, and hurley each had charge of a team, and were fully responsible for the exercising, training, and feeding of their own dogs. they called in one of the surgeons when an animal was sick. we were still losing some dogs through worms, and it was unfortunate that the doctors had not the proper remedies. worm-powders were to have been provided by the expert canadian dog-driver i had engaged before sailing for the south, and when this man did not join the expedition the matter was overlooked. we had fifty-four dogs and eight pups early in april, but several were ailing, and the number of mature dogs was reduced to fifty by the end of the month. our store of seal meat amounted now to about lbs., and i calculated that we had enough meat and blubber to feed the dogs for ninety days without trenching upon the sledging rations. the teams were working well, often with heavy loads. the biggest dog was hercules, who tipped the beam at lbs. samson was lbs. lighter, but he justified his name one day by starting off at a smart pace with a sledge carrying lbs. of blubber and a driver. a new berg that was going to give us some cause for anxiety made its appearance on the th. it was a big berg, and we noticed as it lay on the north-west horizon that it had a hummocky, crevassed appearance at the east end. during the day this berg increased its apparent altitude and changed its bearing slightly. evidently it was aground and was holding its position against the drifting pack. a sounding at a.m. gave fathoms, with a hard stony or rocky bottom. during the next twenty-four hours the 'endurance' moved steadily towards the crevassed berg, which doubled its altitude in that time. we could see from the mast-head that the pack was piling and rafting against the mass of ice, and it was easy to imagine what would be the fate of the ship if she entered the area of disturbance. she would be crushed like an egg-shell amid the shattering masses. worsley was in the crow's-nest on the evening of the th, watching for signs of land to the westward, and he reported an interesting phenomenon. the sun set amid a glow of prismatic colours on a line of clouds just above the horizon. a minute later worsley saw a golden glow, which expanded as he watched it, and presently the sun appeared again and rose a semi-diameter clear above the western horizon. he hailed crean, who from a position on the floe ft. below the crow's- nest also saw the re-born sun. a quarter of an hour later from the deck worsley saw the sun set a second time. this strange phenomenon was due to mirage or refraction. we attributed it to an ice-crack to the westward, where the band of open water had heated a stratum of air. the drift of the pack was not constant, and during the succeeding days the crevassed berg alternately advanced and receded as the 'endurance' moved with the floe. on sunday, april , it was only seven miles distant from the ship. "it is a large berg, about three-quarters of a mile long on the side presented to us and probably well over ft. high. it is heavily crevassed, as though it once formed the serac portion of a glacier. two specially wide and deep chasms across it from south-east to north-west give it the appearance of having broken its back on the shoal-ground. huge masses of pressure-ice are piled against its cliffs to a height of about ft., showing the stupendous force that is being brought to bear upon it by the drifting pack. the berg must be very firmly aground. we swing the arrow on the current-meter frequently and watch with keen attention to see where it will come to rest. will it point straight for the berg, showing that our drift is in that direction? it swings slowly round. it points to the north-east end of the berg, then shifts slowly to the centre and seems to stop; but it moves again and swings degrees clear of our enemy to the south-west.... we notice that two familiar bergs, the rampart berg and the peak berg, have moved away from the ship. probably they also have grounded or dragged on the shoal." a strong drift to the westward during the night of the th relieved our anxiety by carrying the 'endurance' to the lee of the crevassed berg, which passed out of our range of vision before the end of the month. we said good-bye to the sun on may and entered the period of twilight that would be followed by the darkness of midwinter. the sun by the aid of refraction just cleared the horizon at noon and set shortly before p.m. a fine aurora in the evening was dimmed by the full moon, which had risen on april and would not set again until may . the disappearance of the sun is apt to be a depressing event in the polar regions, where the long months of darkness involve mental as well as physical strain. but the 'endurance's' company refused to abandon their customary cheerfulness, and a concert in the evening made the ritz a scene of noisy merriment, in strange contrast with the cold, silent world that lay outside. "one feels our helplessness as the long winter night closes upon us. by this time, if fortune had smiled upon the expedition, we would have been comfortably and securely established in a shore base, with depots laid to the south and plans made for the long march in the spring and summer. where will we make a landing now? it is not easy to forecast the future. the ice may open in the spring, but by that time we will be far to the north-west. i do not think we shall be able to work back to vahsel bay. there are possible landing- places on the western coast of the weddell sea, but can we reach any suitable spot early enough to attempt the overland journey next year? time alone will tell. i do not think any member of the expedition is disheartened by our disappointment. all hands are cheery and busy, and will do their best when the time for action comes. in the meantime we must wait." the ship's position on sunday, may , was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. the temperature at noon was ° below zero fahr., and the sky was overcast. a seal was sighted from the mast-head at lunch-time, and five men, with two dog teams, set off after the prize. they had an uncomfortable journey outward in the dim, diffused light, which cast no shadows and so gave no warning of irregularities in the white surface. it is a strange sensation to be running along on apparently smooth snow and to fall suddenly into an unseen hollow, or bump against a ridge. "after going out three miles to the eastward," wrote worsley in describing this seal-hunt, "we range up and down but find nothing, until from a hummock i fancy i see something apparently a mile away, but probably little more than half that distance. i ran for it, found the seal, and with a shout brought up the others at the double. the seal was a big weddell, over ft. long and weighing more than lbs. but soldier, one of the team leaders, went for its throat without a moment's hesitation, and we had to beat off the dogs before we could shoot the seal. we caught five or six gallons of blood in a tin for the dogs, and let the teams have a drink of fresh blood from the seal. the light was worse than ever on our return, and we arrived back in the dark. sir ernest met us with a lantern and guided us into the lead astern and thence to the ship." this was the first seal we had secured since march , and the meat and blubber made a welcome addition to the stores. three emperor penguins made their appearance in a lead west of the ship on may . they pushed their heads through the young ice while two of the men were standing by the lead. the men imitated the emperor's call and walked slowly, penguin fashion, away from the lead. the birds in succession made a magnificent leap ft. clear from the water on to the young ice. thence they tobogganed to the bank and followed the men away from the lead. their retreat was soon cut off by a line of men. "we walk up to them, talking loudly and assuming a threatening aspect. notwithstanding our bad manners, the three birds turn towards us, bowing ceremoniously. then, after a closer inspection, they conclude that we are undesirable acquaintances and make off across the floe. we head them off and finally shepherd them close to the ship, where the frenzied barking of the dogs so frightens them that they make a determined effort to break through the line. we seize them. one bird of philosophic mien goes quietly, led by one flipper. the others show fight, but all are imprisoned in an igloo for the night.... in the afternoon we see five emperors in the western lead and capture one. kerr and cheetham fight a valiant action with two large birds. kerr rushes at one, seizes it, and is promptly knocked down by the angered penguin, which jumps on his chest before retiring. cheetham comes to kerr's assistance; and between them they seize another penguin, bind his bill and lead him, muttering muffled protests, to the ship like an inebriated old man between two policemen. he weighs lbs., or lbs. less than the heaviest emperor captured previously. kerr and cheetham insist that he is nothing to the big fellow who escaped them." this penguin's stomach proved to be filled with freshly caught fish up to in. long. some of the fish were of a coastal or littoral variety. two more emperors were captured on the following day, and, while wordie was leading one of them towards the ship, wild came along with his team. the dogs, uncontrollable in a moment, made a frantic rush for the bird, and were almost upon him when their harness caught upon an ice-pylon, which they had tried to pass on both sides at once. the result was a seething tangle of dogs, traces, and men, and an overturned sled, while the penguin, three yards away, nonchalantly and indifferently surveyed the disturbance. he had never seen anything of the kind before and had no idea at all that the strange disorder might concern him. several cracks had opened in the neighbourhood of the ship, and the emperor penguins, fat and glossy of plumage, were appearing in considerable numbers. we secured nine of them on may , an important addition to our supply of fresh food. the sun, which had made "positively his last appearance" seven days earlier, surprised us by lifting more than half its disk above the horizon on may . a glow on the northern horizon resolved itself into the sun at a.m. that day. a quarter of an hour later the unseasonable visitor disappeared again, only to rise again at . a.m., set at p.m., rise at . p.m., and set lingeringly at . p.m. these curious phenomena were due to refraction, which amounted to ° ´ at . p.m. the temperature was ° below zero fahr. and we calculated that the refraction was ° above normal. in other words, the sun was visible miles farther south than the refraction tables gave it any right to be. the navigating officer naturally was aggrieved. he had informed all hands on may that they would not see the sun again for seventy days, and now had to endure the jeers of friends who affected to believe that his observations were inaccurate by a few degrees. the 'endurance' was drifting north-north-east under the influence of a succession of westerly and south-westerly breezes. the ship's head, at the same time, swung gradually to the left, indicating that the floe in which she was held was turning. during the night of the th a very pronounced swing occurred, and when daylight came at noon on the th we observed a large lead running from the north-west horizon towards the ship till it struck the western lead, circling ahead of the ship, then continuing to the south-south-east. a lead astern connected with this new lead on either side of the 'endurance', thus separating our floe completely from the main body of the pack. a blizzard from the south-east swept down during the th. at p.m. the blizzard lulled for five minutes; then the wind jumped round to the opposite quarter and the barometer rose suddenly. the centre of a cyclonic movement had passed over us, and the compass recorded an extraordinarily rapid swing of the floe. i could see nothing through the mist and snow, and i thought it possible that a magnetic storm or a patch of local magnetic attraction had caused the compass, and not the floe, to swing, our floe was now about ½ miles long north and south and miles wide east and west. the month of may passed with few incidents of importance. hurley, our handy man, installed our small electric-lighting plant and placed lights for occasional use in the observatory, the meteorological station, and various other points. we could not afford to use the electric lamps freely. hurley also rigged two powerful lights on poles projecting from the ship to port and starboard. these lamps would illuminate the "dogloos" brilliantly on the darkest winter's day and would be invaluable in the event of the floe breaking during the dark days of winter. we could imagine what it would mean to get fifty dogs aboard without lights while the floe was breaking and rafting under our feet. may , empire day, was celebrated with the singing of patriotic songs in the ritz, where all hands joined in wishing a speedy victory for the british arms. we could not know how the war was progressing, but we hoped that the germans had already been driven from france and that the russian armies had put the seal on the allies' success. the war was a constant subject of discussion aboard the 'endurance', and many campaigns were fought on the map during the long months of drifting. the moon in the latter part of may was sweeping continuously through our starlit sky in great high circles. the weather generally was good, with constant minus temperatures. the log on may recorded: "brilliantly fine clear weather with bright moonlight throughout. the moon's rays are wonderfully strong, making midnight seem as light as an ordinary overcast midday in temperate climes. the great clearness of the atmosphere probably accounts for our having eight hours of twilight with a beautiful soft golden glow to the northward. a little rime and glazed frost are found aloft. the temperature is - ° fahr. a few wisps of cirrus-cloud are seen and a little frost-smoke shows in one or two directions, but the cracks and leads near the ship appear to have frozen over again." crean had started to take the pups out for runs, and it was very amusing to see them with their rolling canter just managing to keep abreast by the sledge and occasionally cocking an eye with an appealing look in the hope of being taken aboard for a ride. as an addition to their foster-father, crean, the pups had adopted amundsen. they tyrannized over him most unmercifully. it was a common sight to see him, the biggest dog in the pack, sitting out in the cold with an air of philosophic resignation while a corpulent pup occupied the entrance to his "dogloo." the intruder was generally the pup nelson, who just showed his forepaws and face, and one was fairly sure to find nelly, roger, and toby coiled up comfortably behind him. at hoosh-time crean had to stand by amundsen's food, since otherwise the pups would eat the big dog's ration while he stood back to give them fair play. sometimes their consciences would smite them and they would drag round a seal's head, half a penguin, or a large lump of frozen meat or blubber to amundsen's kennel for rent. it was interesting to watch the big dog play with them, seizing them by throat or neck in what appeared to be a fierce fashion, while really quite gentle with them, and all the time teaching them how to hold their own in the world and putting them up to all the tricks of dog life. the drift of the 'endurance' in the grip of the pack continued without incident of importance through june. pressure was reported occasionally, but the ice in the immediate vicinity of the ship remained firm. the light was now very bad except in the period when the friendly moon was above the horizon. a faint twilight round about noon of each day reminded us of the sun, and assisted us in the important work of exercising the dogs. the care of the teams was our heaviest responsibility in those days. the movement of the floes was beyond all human control, and there was nothing to be gained by allowing one's mind to struggle with the problems of the future, though it was hard to avoid anxiety at times. the conditioning and training of the dogs seemed essential, whatever fate might be in store for us, and the teams were taken out by their drivers whenever the weather permitted. rivalries arose, as might have been expected, and on the th of the month a great race, the "antarctic derby," took place. it was a notable event. the betting had been heavy, and every man aboard the ship stood to win or lose on the result of the contest. some money had been staked, but the wagers that thrilled were those involving stores of chocolate and cigarettes. the course had been laid off from khyber pass, at the eastern end of the old lead ahead of the ship, to a point clear of the jib-boom, a distance of about yds. five teams went out in the dim noon twilight, with a zero temperature and an aurora flickering faintly to the southward. the starting signal was to be given by the flashing of a light on the meteorological station. i was appointed starter, worsley was judge, and james was timekeeper. the bos'n, with a straw hat added to his usual antarctic attire, stood on a box near the winning-post, and was assisted by a couple of shady characters to shout the odds, which were displayed on a board hung around his neck-- to on wild, "evens" on crean, to against hurley, to against macklin, and to against mcilroy. canvas handkerchiefs fluttered from an improvised grand stand, and the pups, which had never seen such strange happenings before, sat round and howled with excitement. the spectators could not see far in the dim light, but they heard the shouts of the drivers as the teams approached and greeted the victory of the favourite with a roar of cheering that must have sounded strange indeed to any seals or penguins that happened to be in our neighbourhood. wild's time was min. sec., or at the rate of ½ miles per hour for the course. we celebrated midwinter's day on the nd. the twilight extended over a period of about six hours that day, and there was a good light at noon from the moon, and also a northern glow with wisps of beautiful pink cloud along the horizon. a sounding gave fathoms with a mud bottom. no land was in sight from the mast-head, although our range of vision extended probably a full degree to the westward. the day was observed as a holiday, necessary work only being undertaken, and, after the best dinner the cook could provide, all hands gathered in the ritz, where speeches, songs, and toasts occupied the evening. after supper at midnight we sang "god save the king" and wished each other all success in the days of sunshine and effort that lay ahead. at this time the 'endurance' was making an unusually rapid drift to the north under the influence of a fresh southerly to south-westerly breeze. we travelled miles to the north in five days before a breeze that only once attained the force of a gale and then for no more than an hour. the absence of strong winds, in comparison with the almost unceasing winter blizzards of the ross sea, was a feature of the weddell sea that impressed itself upon me during the winter months. another race took place a few days after the "derby." the two crack teams, driven by hurley and wild, met in a race from khyber pass. wild's team, pulling lbs., or lbs. per dog, covered the yds. in min. sec., or at the rate of . miles per hour. hurley's team, with the same load, did the run in min. sec. the race was awarded by the judge to hurley owing to wild failing to "weigh in" correctly. i happened to be a part of the load on his sledge, and a skid over some new drift within fifty yards of the winning post resulted in my being left on the snow. it should be said in justice to the dogs that this accident, while justifying the disqualification, could not have made any material difference in the time. the approach of the returning sun was indicated by beautiful sunrise glows on the horizon in the early days of july. we had nine hours' twilight on the th, and the northern sky, low to the horizon, was tinted with gold for about seven hours. numerous cracks and leads extended in all directions to within yds. of the ship. thin wavering black lines close to the northern horizon were probably distant leads refracted into the sky. sounds of moderate pressure came to our ears occasionally, but the ship was not involved. at midnight on the th a crack in the lead ahead of the 'endurance' opened out rapidly, and by a.m. was over yds. wide in places with an area of open water to the south-west. sounds of pressure were heard along this lead, which soon closed to a width of about yds. and then froze over. the temperature at that time was - ° fahr. the most severe blizzard we had experienced in the weddell sea swept down upon the 'endurance' on the evening of the th, and by breakfast- time on the following morning the kennels to the windward, or southern side of the ship were buried under ft. of drift. i gave orders that no man should venture beyond the kennels. the ship was invisible at a distance of fifty yards, and it was impossible to preserve one's sense of direction in the raging wind and suffocating drift. to walk against the gale was out of the question. face and eyes became snowed up within two minutes, and serious frost-bites would have been the penalty of perseverance. the dogs stayed in their kennels for the most part, the "old stagers" putting out a paw occasionally in order to keep open a breathing-hole. by evening the gale had attained a force of or miles an hour, and the ship was trembling under the attack. but we were snug enough in our quarters aboard until the morning of the th, when all hands turned out to shovel the snow from deck and kennels. the wind was still keen and searching, with a temperature of something like - ° fahr., and it was necessary for us to be on guard against frost-bite. at least tons of snow were piled against the bows and port side, where the weight of the drift had forced the floe downward. the lead ahead had opened out during the night, cracked the pack from north to south and frozen over again, adding yds. to the distance between the ship and "khyber pass." the breakdown gang had completed its work by lunch-time. the gale was then decreasing and the three- days-old moon showed as a red crescent on the northern horizon. the temperature during the blizzard had ranged from - ° to - . ° fahr. it is usual for the temperature to rise during a blizzard, and the failure to produce any föhn effect of this nature suggested an absence of high land for at least miles to the south and south-west. the weather did not clear until the th. we saw then that the appearance of the surrounding pack had been altered completely by the blizzard. the "island" floe containing the 'endurance' still stood fast, but cracks and masses of ice thrown up by pressure could be seen in all directions. an area of open water was visible on the horizon to the north, with a water indication in the northern sky. the ice-pressure, which was indicated by distant rumblings and the appearance of formidable ridges, was increasingly a cause of anxiety. the areas of disturbance were gradually approaching the ship. during july we could bear the grinding and crashing of the working floes to the south-west and west and could see cracks opening, working, and closing ahead. "the ice is rafting up to a height of or ft. in places, the opposing floes are moving against one another at the rate of about yds. per hour. the noise resembles the roar of heavy, distant surf. standing on the stirring ice one can imagine it is disturbed by the breathing and tossing of a mighty giant below." early on the afternoon of the nd a -ft. crack, running south-west and north-east for a distance of about two miles, approached to within yds. of the port quarter. i had all the sledges brought aboard and set a special watch in case it became necessary to get the dogs off the floe in a hurry. this crack was the result of heavy pressure yds. away on the port bow, where huge blocks of ice were piled up in wild and threatening confusion. the pressure at that point was enormous. blocks weighing many tons were raised ft. above the level of the floe. i arranged to divide the night watches with worsley and wild, and none of us had much rest. the ship was shaken by heavy bumps, and we were on the alert to see that no dogs had fallen into cracks. the morning light showed that our island had been reduced considerably during the night. our long months of rest and safety seemed to be at an end, and a period of stress had begun. during the following day i had a store of sledging provisions, oil, matches, and other essentials placed on the upper deck handy to the starboard quarter boat, so as to be in readiness for a sudden emergency. the ice was grinding and working steadily to the southward, and in the evening some large cracks appeared on the port quarter, while a crack alongside opened out to yds. the blizzard seemed to have set the ice in strong movement towards the north, and the south- westerly and west-south-westerly winds that prevailed two days out of three maintained the drift. i hoped that this would continue unchecked, since our chance of getting clear of the pack early in the spring appeared to depend upon our making a good northing. soundings at this time gave depths of from to fathoms, with a glacial mud bottom. no land was in sight. the light was improving. a great deal of ice- pressure was heard and observed in all directions during the th, much of it close to the port quarter of the ship. on the starboard bow huge blocks of ice, weighing many tons and ft. in thickness, were pushed up on the old floe to a height of to ft. the floe that held the 'endurance' was swung to and fro by the pressure during the day, but came back to the old bearing before midnight. "the ice for miles around is much looser. there are numerous cracks and short leads to the north-east and south-east. ridges are being forced up in all directions, and there is a water-sky to the south- east. it would be a relief to be able to make some effort on our own behalf; but we can do nothing until the ice releases our ship. if the floes continue to loosen, we may break out within the next few weeks and resume the fight. in the meantime the pressure continues, and it is hard to foresee the outcome. just before noon to-day (july ) the top of the sun appeared by refraction for one minute, seventy-nine days after our last sunset. a few minutes earlier a small patch of the sun had been thrown up on one of the black streaks above the horizon. all hands are cheered by the indication that the end of the winter darkness is near.... clark finds that with returning daylight the diatoms are again appearing. his nets and line are stained a pale yellow, and much of the newly formed ice has also a faint brown or yellow tinge. the diatoms cannot multiply without light, and the ice formed since february can be distinguished in the pressure-ridges by its clear blue colour. the older masses of ice are of a dark earthy brown, dull yellow, or reddish brown." the break-up of our floe came suddenly on sunday, august , just one year after the 'endurance' left the south-west india docks on the voyage to the far south. the position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. the morning brought a moderate south-westerly gale with heavy snow, and at a.m., after some warning movements of the ice, the floe cracked yds. off the starboard bow. two hours later the floe began to break up all round us under pressure and the ship listed over degrees to starboard. i had the dogs and sledges brought aboard at once and the gangway hoisted. the animals behaved well. they came aboard eagerly as though realizing their danger, and were placed in their quarters on deck without a single fight occurring. the pressure was cracking the floe rapidly, rafting it close to the slip and forcing masses of ice beneath the keel. presently the 'endurance' listed heavily to port against the gale, and at the same time was forced ahead, astern, and sideways several times by the grinding floes. she received one or two hard nips, but resisted them without as much as a creak. it looked at one stage as if the ship was to be made the plaything of successive floes, and i was relieved when she came to a standstill with a large piece of our old "dock" under the starboard bilge. i had the boats cleared away ready for lowering, got up some additional stores, and set a double watch. all hands were warned to stand by, get what sleep they could, and have their warmest clothing at hand. around us lay the ruins of "dog town" amid the debris of pressure- ridges. some of the little dwellings had been crushed flat beneath blocks of ice; others had been swallowed and pulverized when the ice opened beneath them and closed again. it was a sad sight, but my chief concern just then was the safety of the rudder, which was being attacked viciously by the ice. we managed to pole away a large lump that had become jammed between the rudder and the stern-post, but i could see that damage had been done, though a close examination was not possible that day. after the ship had come to a standstill in her new position very heavy pressure was set up. some of the trenails were started and beams buckled slightly under the terrific stresses. but the 'endurance' had been built to withstand the attacks of the ice, and she lifted bravely as the floes drove beneath her. the effects of the pressure around us were awe-inspiring. mighty blocks of ice, gripped between meeting floes, rose slowly till they jumped like cherry-stones squeezed between thumb and finger. the pressure of millions of tons of moving ice was crushing and smashing inexorably. if the ship was once gripped firmly her fate would be sealed. the gale from the south-west blew all night and moderated during the afternoon of the nd to a stiff breeze. the pressure had almost ceased. apparently the gale had driven the southern pack down upon us, causing congestion in our area; the pressure had stopped when the whole of the pack got into motion. the gale had given us some northing, but it had dealt the 'endurance' what might prove to be a severe blow. the rudder had been driven hard over to starboard and the blade partially torn away from the rudder-head. heavy masses of ice were still jammed against the stern, and it was impossible to ascertain the extent of the damage at that time. i felt that it would be impossible in any case to effect repairs in the moving pack. the ship lay steady all night, and the sole sign of continuing pressure was an occasional slight rumbling shock. we rigged shelters and kennels for the dogs inboard. the weather on august was overcast and misty. we had nine hours of twilight, with good light at noon. there was no land in sight for ten miles from the mast-head. the pack as far as the eye could reach was in a condition of chaos, much rafted and consolidated, with very large pressure-ridges in all directions. at p.m. a rough altitude of canopus gave the latitude as ° ´ ´´ s. the drift, therefore, had been about miles to the north in three days. four of the poorest dogs were shot this day. they were suffering severely from worms, and we could not afford to keep sick dogs under the changed conditions. the sun showed through the clouds on the northern horizon for an hour on the th. there was no open water to be seen from aloft in any direction. we saw from the masthead to west-south-west an appearance of barrier, land, or a very long iceberg, about odd miles away, but the horizon clouded over before we could determine its nature. we tried twice to make a sounding that day, but failed on each occasion. the kelvin machine gave no bottom at the full length of the line, fathoms. after much labour we made a hole in the ice near the stern- post large enough for the lucas machine with a -lb. lead; but this appeared to be too light. the machine stopped at fathoms, leaving us in doubt as to whether bottom had been reached. then in heaving up we lost the lead, the thin wire cutting its way into the ice and snapping. all hands and the carpenter were busy this day making and placing kennels on the upper deck, and by nightfall all the dogs were comfortably housed, ready for any weather. the sun showed through the clouds above the northern horizon for nearly an hour. the remaining days of august were comparatively uneventful. the ice around the ship froze firm again and little movement occurred in our neighbourhood. the training of the dogs, including the puppies, proceeded actively, and provided exercise as well as occupation. the drift to the north-west continued steadily. we had bad luck with soundings, the weather interfering at times and the gear breaking on several occasions, but a big increase in the depth showed that we had passed over the edge of the weddell sea plateau. a sounding of about fathoms on august agreed fairly well with filchner's fathoms, miles east of our then position. an observation at noon of the th had given us lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. minus temperatures prevailed still, but the daylight was increasing. we captured a few emperor penguins which were making their way to the south-west. ten penguins taken on the th were all in poor condition, and their stomachs contained nothing but stones and a few cuttle-fish beaks. a sounding on the th gave fathoms, miles west of the charted position of morell land. no land could be seen from the mast- head, and i decided that morell land must be added to the long list of antarctic islands and continental coasts that on close investigation have resolved themselves into icebergs. on clear days we could get an extended view in all directions from the mast-head, and the line of the pack was broken only by familiar bergs. about one hundred bergs were in view on a fine day, and they seemed practically the same as when they started their drift with us nearly seven months earlier. the scientists wished to inspect some of the neighbouring bergs at close quarters, but sledge travelling outside the well-trodden area immediately around the ship proved difficult and occasionally dangerous. on august , for example, worsley, hurley, and greenstreet started off for the rampart berg and got on to a lead of young ice that undulated perilously beneath their feet. a quick turn saved them. a wonderful mirage of the fata morgana type was visible on august . the day was clear and bright, with a blue sky overhead and some rime aloft. "the distant pack is thrown up into towering barrier-like cliffs, which are reflected in blue lakes and lanes of water at their base. great white and golden cities of oriental appearance at close intervals along these clifftops indicate distant bergs, some not previously known to us. floating above these are wavering violet and creamy lines of still more remote bergs and pack. the lines rise and fall, tremble, dissipate, and reappear in an endless transformation scene. the southern pack and bergs, catching the sun's rays, are golden, but to the north the ice-masses are purple. here the bergs assume changing forms, first a castle, then a balloon just clear of the horizon, that changes swiftly into an immense mushroom, a mosque, or a cathedral. the principal characteristic is the vertical lengthening of the object, a small pressure-ridge being given the appearance of a line of battlements or towering cliffs. the mirage is produced by refraction and is intensified by the columns of comparatively warm air rising from several cracks and leads that have opened eight to twenty miles away north and south." we noticed this day that a considerable change had taken place in our position relative to the rampart berg. it appeared that a big lead had opened and that there had been some differential movement of the pack. the opening movement might presage renewed pressure. a few hours later the dog teams, returning from exercise, crossed a narrow crack that had appeared ahead of the ship. this crack opened quickly to ft. and would have given us trouble if the dogs had been left on the wrong side. it closed on the th and pressure followed in its neighbourhood. on august we were two miles north of the latitude of morell's farthest south, and over ° of longitude, or more than miles, west of his position. from the mast-head no land could be seen within twenty miles, and no land of over ft. altitude could have escaped observation on our side of long. ° w. a sounding of fathoms on august was further evidence of the non-existence of new south greenland. there was some movement of the ice near the ship during the concluding days of the month. all hands were called out in the night of august , sounds of pressure having been followed by the cracking of the ice alongside the ship, but the trouble did not develop immediately. late on the night of the st the ice began to work ahead of the ship and along the port side. creaking and groaning of timbers, accompanied by loud snapping sounds fore and aft, told their story of strain. the pressure continued during the following day, beams and deck planks occasionally buckling to the strain. the ponderous floes were grinding against each other under the influence of wind and current, and our ship seemed to occupy for the time being an undesirable position near the centre of the disturbance; but she resisted staunchly and showed no sign of water in the bilges, although she had not been pumped out for six months. the pack extended to the horizon in every direction. i calculated that we were miles from the nearest known land to the westward, and more than miles from the nearest outpost of civilization, wilhelmina bay. i hoped we would not have to undertake a march across the moving ice-fields. the 'endurance' we knew to be stout and true; but no ship ever built by man could live if taken fairly in the grip of the floes and prevented from rising to the surface of the grinding ice. these were anxious days. in the early morning of september the ship jumped and shook to the accompaniment of cracks and groans, and some of the men who had been in the berths hurried on deck. the pressure eased a little later in the day, when the ice on the port side broke away from the ship to just abaft the main rigging. the 'endurance' was still held aft and at the rudder, and a large mass of ice could be seen adhering to the port bow, rising to within three feet of the surface. i wondered if this ice had got its grip by piercing the sheathing. chapter iv loss of the 'endurance' the ice did not trouble us again seriously until the end of september, though during the whole month the floes were seldom entirely without movement. the roar of pressure would come to us across the otherwise silent ice-fields, and bring with it a threat and a warning. watching from the crow's-nest, we could see sometimes the formation of pressure- ridges. the sunshine glittered on newly riven ice-surfaces as the masses of shattered floe rose and fell away from the line of pressure. the area of disturbance would advance towards us, recede, and advance again. the routine of work and play on the 'endurance' proceeded steadily. our plans and preparations for any contingency that might arise during the approaching summer had been made, but there seemed always plenty to do in and about our prisoned ship. runs with the dogs and vigorous games of hockey and football on the rough snow-covered floe kept all hands in good fettle. the record of one or two of these september days will indicate the nature of our life and our surroundings: "september .--temperature, - . ° fahr. light easterly breeze, blue sky, and stratus clouds. during forenoon notice a distinct terra-cotta or biscuit colour in the stratus clouds to the north. this travelled from east to west and could conceivably have come from some of the graham land volcanoes, now about miles distant to the north-west. the upper current of air probably would come from that direction. heavy rime. pack unbroken and unchanged as far as visible. no land for miles. no animal life observed." "september .--temperature, - . ° fahr. moderate easterly to southerly winds, overcast and misty, with light snow till midnight, when weather cleared. blue sky and fine clear weather to noon. much rime aloft. thick fresh snow on ship and floe that glistens brilliantly in the morning sunlight. little clouds of faint violet- coloured mist rise from the lower and brinier portions of the pack, which stretches unbroken to the horizon. very great refraction all round. a tabular berg about fifty feet high ten miles west is a good index of the amount of refraction. on ordinary days it shows from the mast-head, clear-cut against the sky; with much refraction, the pack beyond at the back of it lifts up into view; to-day a broad expanse of miles of pack is seen above it. numerous other bergs generally seen in silhouette are, at first sight, lost, but after a closer scrutiny they appear as large lumps or dark masses well below the horizon. refraction generally results in too big an altitude when observing the sun for position, but to-day, the horizon is thrown up so much that the altitude is about ´ too small. no land visible for twenty miles. no animal life observed. lower clark's tow-net with fathoms of wire, and hoist it up at two and a half miles an hour by walking across the floe with the wire. result rather meagre--jelly-fish and some fish larvae. exercise dogs in sledge teams. the young dogs, under crean's care, pull as well, though not so strongly, as the best team in the pack. hercules for the last fortnight or more has constituted himself leader of the orchestra. two or three times in the twenty-four hours he starts a howl--a deep, melodious howl--and in about thirty seconds he has the whole pack in full song, the great deep, booming, harmonious song of the half-wolf pack." by the middle of september we were running short of fresh meat for the dogs. the seals and penguins seemed to have abandoned our neighbourhood altogether. nearly five months had passed since we killed a seal, and penguins had been seen seldom. clark, who was using his trawl as often as possible, reported that there was a marked absence of plankton in the sea, and we assumed that the seals and the penguins had gone in search of their accustomed food. the men got an emperor on the rd. the dogs, which were having their sledging exercise, became wildly excited when the penguin, which had risen in a crack, was driven ashore, and the best efforts of the drivers failed to save it alive. on the following day wild, hurley, macklin, and mcilroy took their teams to the stained berg, about seven miles west of the ship, and on their way back got a female crab-eater, which they killed, skinned, and left to be picked up later. they ascended to the top of the berg, which lay in about lat. ° ´ s., long. ° w., and from an elevation of ft. could see no land. samples of the discoloured ice from the berg proved to contain dust with black gritty particles or sand-grains. another seal, a bull weddell, was secured on the th. the return of seal-life was opportune, since we had nearly finished the winter supply of dog-biscuit and wished to be able to feed the dogs on meat. the seals meant a supply of blubber, moreover, to supplement our small remaining stock of coal when the time came to get up steam again. we initiated a daylight-saving system on this day by putting forward the clock one hour. "this is really pandering to the base but universal passion that men, and especially seafarers, have for getting up late, otherwise we would be honest and make our routine earlier instead of flogging the clock." during the concluding days of september the roar of the pressure grew louder, and i could see that the area of disturbance was rapidly approaching the ship. stupendous forces were at work and the fields of firm ice around the 'endurance' were being diminished steadily. september was a bad day. it began well, for we got two penguins and five seals during the morning. three other seals were seen. but at p.m. cracks that had opened during the night alongside the ship commenced to work in a lateral direction. the ship sustained terrific pressure on the port side forward, the heaviest shocks being under the forerigging. it was the worst squeeze we had experienced. the decks shuddered and jumped, beams arched, and stanchions buckled and shook. i ordered all hands to stand by in readiness for whatever emergency might arise. even the dogs seemed to feel the tense anxiety of the moment. but the ship resisted valiantly, and just when it appeared that the limit of her strength was being reached the huge floe that was pressing down upon us cracked across and so gave relief. "the behaviour of our ship in the ice has been magnificent," wrote worsley. "since we have been beset her staunchness and endurance have been almost past belief again and again. she has been nipped with a million-ton pressure and risen nobly, falling clear of the water out on the ice. she has been thrown to and fro like a shuttlecock a dozen times. she has been strained, her beams arched upwards, by the fearful pressure; her very sides opened and closed again as she was actually bent and curved along her length, groaning like a living thing. it will be sad if such a brave little craft should be finally crushed in the remorseless, slowly strangling grip of the weddell pack after ten months of the bravest and most gallant fight ever put up by a ship." the 'endurance' deserved all that could be said in praise of her. shipwrights had never done sounder or better work; but how long could she continue the fight under such conditions? we were drifting into the congested area of the western weddell sea, the worst portion of the worst sea in the world, where the pack, forced on irresistibly by wind and current, impinges on the western shore and is driven up in huge corrugated ridges and chaotic fields of pressure. the vital question for us was whether or not the ice would open sufficiently to release us, or at least give us a chance of release, before the drift carried us into the most dangerous area. there was no answer to be got from the silent bergs and the grinding floes, and we faced the month of october with anxious hearts. the leads in the pack appeared to have opened out a little on october , but not sufficiently to be workable even if we had been able to release the 'endurance' from the floe. the day was calm, cloudy and misty in the forenoon and clearer in the afternoon, when we observed well-defined parhelia. the ship was subjected to slight pressure at intervals. two bull crab-eaters climbed on to the floe close to the ship and were shot by wild. they were both big animals in prime condition, and i felt that there was no more need for anxiety as to the supply of fresh meat for the dogs. seal-liver made a welcome change in our own menu. the two bulls were marked, like many of their kind, with long parallel scars about three inches apart, evidently the work of the killers. a bull we killed on the following day had four parallel scars, sixteen inches long, on each side of its body; they were fairly deep and one flipper had been nearly torn away. the creature must have escaped from the jaws of a killer by a very small margin. evidently life beneath the pack is not always monotonous. we noticed that several of the bergs in the neighbourhood of the ship were changing their relative positions more than they had done for months past. the floes were moving. our position on sunday, october , was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. during the night the floe holding the ship aft cracked in several places, and this appeared to have eased the strain on the rudder. the forenoon was misty, with falls of snow, but the weather cleared later in the day and we could see that the pack was breaking. new leads had appeared, while several old leads had closed. pressure-ridges had risen along some of the cracks. the thickness of the season's ice, now about days old, was ft. in. under or in. of snow. this ice had been slightly thicker in the early part of september, and i assumed that some melting had begun below. clark had recorded plus temperatures at depths of and fathoms in the concluding days of september. the ice obviously had attained its maximum thickness by direct freezing, and the heavier older floes had been created by the consolidation of pressure-ice and the overlapping of floes under strain. the air temperatures were still low, - . ° fahr. being recorded on october . the movement of the ice was increasing. frost-smoke from opening cracks was showing in all directions during october . it had the appearance in one place of a great prairie fire, rising from the surface and getting higher as it drifted off before the wind in heavy, dark, rolling masses. at another point there was the appearance of a train running before the wind, the smoke rising from the locomotive straight upwards; and the smoke columns elsewhere gave the effect of warships steaming in line ahead. during the following day the leads and cracks opened to such an extent that if the 'endurance' could have been forced forward for thirty yards we could have proceeded for two or three miles; but the effort did not promise any really useful result. the conditions did not change materially during the rest of that week. the position on sunday, october , was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. a thaw made things uncomfortable for us that day. the temperature had risen from - ° fahr. to + . ° fahr., the highest we had experienced since january, and the ship got dripping wet between decks. the upper deck was clear of ice and snow and the cabins became unpleasantly messy. the dogs, who hated wet, had a most unhappy air. undoubtedly one grows to like familiar conditions. we had lived long in temperatures that would have seemed distressingly low in civilized life, and now we were made uncomfortable by a degree of warmth that would have left the unaccustomed human being still shivering. the thaw was an indication that winter was over, and we began preparations for reoccupying the cabins on the main deck. i had the shelter-house round the stern pulled down on the th and made other preparations for working the ship as soon as she got clear. the carpenter had built a wheel-house over the wheel aft as shelter in cold and heavy weather. the ice was still loosening and no land was visible for twenty miles. the temperature remained relatively high for several days. all hands moved to their summer quarters in the upper cabins on the th, to the accompaniment of much noise and laughter. spring was in the air, and if there were no green growing things to gladden our eyes, there were at least many seals, penguins, and even whales disporting themselves in the leads. the time for renewed action was coming, and though our situation was grave enough, we were facing the future hopefully. the dogs were kept in a state of uproar by the sight of so much game. they became almost frenzied when a solemn-looking emperor penguin inspected them gravely from some point of vantage on the floe and gave utterance to an apparently derisive "knark!" at p.m. on the th the ship broke free of the floe on which she had rested to starboard sufficiently to come upright. the rudder freed itself, but the propeller was found to be athwartship, having been forced into that position by the floe some time after august . the water was very clear and we could see the rudder, which appeared to have suffered only a slight twist to port at the water-line. it moved quite freely. the propeller, as far as we could see, was intact, but it could not be moved by the hand-gear, probably owing to a film of ice in the stern gland and sleeve. i did not think it advisable to attempt to deal with it at that stage. the ship had not been pumped for eight months, but there was no water and not much ice in the bilges. meals were served again in the wardroom that day. the south-westerly breeze freshened to a gale on the th, and the temperature fell from + ° fahr. to - ° fahr. at midnight the ship came free from the floe and drifted rapidly astern. her head fell off before the wind until she lay nearly at right-angles across the narrow lead. this was a dangerous position for rudder and propeller. the spanker was set, but the weight of the wind on the ship gradually forced the floes open until the 'endurance' swung right round and drove yds. along the lead. then the ice closed and at a.m. we were fast again. the wind died down during the day and the pack opened for five or six miles to the north. it was still loose on the following morning, and i had the boiler pumped up with the intention of attempting to clear the propeller; but one of the manholes developed a leak, the packing being perished by cold or loosened by contraction, and the boiler had to be emptied out again. the pack was rather closer on sunday the th. top-sails and head- sails were set in the afternoon, and with a moderate north-easterly breeze we tried to force the ship ahead out of the lead; but she was held fast. later that day heavy pressure developed. the two floes between which the 'endurance' was lying began to close and the ship was subjected to a series of tremendously heavy strains. in the engine- room, the weakest point, loud groans, crashes, and hammering sounds were heard. the iron plates on the floor buckled up and overrode with loud clangs. meanwhile the floes were grinding off each other's projecting points and throwing up pressure-ridges. the ship stood the strain well for nearly an hour and then, to my great relief, began to rise with heavy jerks and jars. she lifted ten inches forward and three feet four inches aft, at the same time heeling six degrees to port. the ice was getting below us and the immediate danger had passed. the position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. the next attack of the ice came on the afternoon of october th. the two floes began to move laterally, exerting great pressure on the ship. suddenly the floe on the port side cracked and huge pieces of ice shot up from under the port bilge. within a few seconds the ship heeled over until she had a list of thirty degrees to port, being held under the starboard bilge by the opposing floe. the lee boats were now almost resting on the floe. the midship dog-kennels broke away and crashed down on to the lee kennels, and the howls and barks of the frightened dogs assisted to create a perfect pandemonium. everything movable on deck and below fell to the lee side, and for a few minutes it looked as if the 'endurance' would be thrown upon her beam ends. order was soon restored. i had all fires put out and battens nailed on the deck to give the dogs a foothold and enable people to get about. then the crew lashed all the movable gear. if the ship had heeled any farther it would have been necessary to release the lee boats and pull them clear, and worsley was watching to give the alarm. hurley meanwhile descended to the floe and took some photographs of the ship in her unusual position. dinner in the wardroom that evening was a curious affair. most of the diners had to sit on the deck, their feet against battens and their plates on their knees. at p.m. the floes opened, and within a few minutes the 'endurance' was nearly upright again. orders were given for the ice to be chipped clear of the rudder. the men poled the blocks out of the way when they had been detached from the floe with the long ice-chisels, and we were able to haul the ship's stern into a clear berth. then the boiler was pumped up. this work was completed early in the morning of october , and during that day the engineer lit fires and got up steam very slowly, in order to economize fuel and avoid any strain on the chilled boilers by unequal heating. the crew cut up all loose lumber, boxes, etc., and put them in the bunkers for fuel. the day was overcast, with occasional snowfalls, the temperature + ° fahr. the ice in our neighbourhood was quiet, but in the distance pressure was at work. the wind freshened in the evening, and we ran a wire-mooring astern. the barometer at p.m. stood at . , the lowest since the gales of july. an uproar among the dogs attracted attention late in the afternoon, and we found a -ft. whale cruising up and down in our pool. it pushed its head up once in characteristic killer fashion, but we judged from its small curved dorsal fin that it was a specimen of balaenoptera acutorostrata, not orca gladiator. a strong south-westerly wind was blowing on october and the pack was working. the 'endurance' was imprisoned securely in the pool, but our chance might come at any time. watches were set so as to be ready for working ship. wild and hudson, greenstreet and cheetham, worsley and crean, took the deck watches, and the chief engineer and second engineer kept watch and watch with three of the a.b.'s for stokers. the staff and the forward hands, with the exception of the cook, the carpenter and his mate, were on "watch and watch"--that is, four hours on deck and four hours below, or off duty. the carpenter was busy making a light punt, which might prove useful in the navigation of lanes and channels. at a.m. we gave the engines a gentle trial turn astern. everything worked well after eight months of frozen inactivity, except that the bilge-pump and the discharge proved to be frozen up; they were cleared with some little difficulty. the engineer reported that to get steam he had used one ton of coal, with wood-ashes and blubber. the fires required to keep the boiler warm consumed one and a quarter to one and a half hundred-weight of coal per day. we had about fifty tons of coal remaining in the bunkers. october and were days of low temperature, which caused the open leads to freeze over. the pack was working, and ever and anon the roar of pressure came to our ears. we waited for the next move of the gigantic forces arrayed against us. the rd brought a strong north- westerly wind, and the movement of the floes and pressure-ridges became more formidable. then on sunday, october , there came what for the 'endurance' was the beginning of the end. the position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. we had now twenty-two and a half hours of daylight, and throughout the day we watched the threatening advance of the floes. at . p.m. the ship sustained heavy pressure in a dangerous position. the attack of the ice is illustrated roughly in the appended diagram. the shaded portions represent the pool, covered with new ice that afforded no support to the ship, and the arrows indicate the direction of the pressure exercised by the thick floes and pressure-ridges. the onslaught was all but irresistible. the 'endurance' groaned and quivered as her starboard quarter was forced against the floe, twisting the sternpost and starting the heads and ends of planking. the ice had lateral as well as forward movement, and the ship was twisted and actually bent by the stresses. she began to leak dangerously at once. i had the pumps rigged, got up steam, and started the bilge-pumps at p.m. the pressure by that time had relaxed. the ship was making water rapidly aft, and the carpenter set to work to make a coffer-dam astern of the engines. all hands worked, watch and watch, throughout the night, pumping ship and helping the carpenter. by morning the leak was being kept in check. the carpenter and his assistants caulked the coffer-dam with strips of blankets and nailed strips over the seams wherever possible. the main or hand pump was frozen up and could not be used at once. after it had been knocked out worsley, greenstreet, and hudson went down in the bunkers and cleared the ice from the bilges. "this is not a pleasant job," wrote worsley. "we have to dig a hole down through the coal while the beams and timbers groan and crack all around us like pistol-shots. the darkness is almost complete, and we mess about in the wet with half-frozen hands and try to keep the coal from slipping back into the bilges. the men on deck pour buckets of boiling water from the galley down the pipe as we prod and hammer from below, and at last we get the pump clear, cover up the bilges to keep the coal out, and rush on deck, very thankful to find ourselves safe again in the open air." monday, october , dawned cloudy and misty, with a minus temperature and a strong south-easterly breeze. all hands were pumping at intervals and assisting the carpenter with the coffer-dam. the leak was being kept under fairly easily, but the outlook was bad. heavy pressure- ridges were forming in all directions, and though the immediate pressure upon the ship was not severe, i realized that the respite would not be prolonged. the pack within our range of vision was being subjected to enormous compression, such as might be caused by cyclonic winds, opposing ocean currents, or constriction in a channel of some description. the pressure-ridges, massive and threatening, testified to the overwhelming nature of the forces that were at work. huge blocks of ice, weighing many tons, were lifted into the air and tossed aside as other masses rose beneath them. we were helpless intruders in a strange world, our lives dependent upon the play of grim elementary forces that made a mock of our puny efforts. i scarcely dared hope now that the 'endurance' would live, and throughout that anxious day i reviewed again the plans made long before for the sledging journey that we must make in the event of our having to take to the ice. we were ready, as far as forethought could make us, for every contingency. stores, dogs, sledges, and equipment were ready to be moved from the ship at a moment's notice. the following day brought bright clear weather, with a blue sky. the sunshine was inspiriting. the roar of pressure could be heard all around us. new ridges were rising, and i could see as the day wore on that the lines of major disturbance were drawing nearer to the ship. the 'endurance' suffered some strains at intervals. listening below, i could hear the creaking and groaning of her timbers, the pistol-like cracks that told of the starting of a trenail or plank, and the faint, indefinable whispers of our ship's distress. overhead the sun shone serenely; occasional fleecy clouds drifted before the southerly breeze, and the light glinted and sparkled on the million facets of the new pressure-ridges. the day passed slowly. at p.m. very heavy pressure developed, with twisting strains that racked the ship fore and aft. the butts of planking were opened four and five inches on the starboard side, and at the same time we could see from the bridge that the ship was bending like a bow under titanic pressure. almost like a living creature, she resisted the forces that would crush her; but it was a one-sided battle. millions of tons of ice pressed inexorably upon the little ship that had dared the challenge of the antarctic. the 'endurance' was now leaking badly, and at p.m. i gave the order to lower boats, gear, provisions, and sledges to the floe, and move them to the flat ice a little way from the ship. the working of the ice closed the leaks slightly at midnight, but all hands were pumping all night. a strange occurrence was the sudden appearance of eight emperor penguins from a crack yds. away at the moment when the pressure upon the ship was at its climax. they walked a little way towards us, halted, and after a few ordinary calls proceeded to utter weird cries that sounded like a dirge for the ship. none of us had ever before heard the emperors utter any other than the most simple calls or cries, and the effect of this concerted effort was almost startling. then came a fateful day--wednesday, october . the position was lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. the temperature was - . ° fahr., a gentle southerly breeze was blowing and the sun shone in a clear sky. "after long months of ceaseless anxiety and strain, after times when hope beat high and times when the outlook was black indeed, the end of the 'endurance' has come. but though we have been compelled to abandon the ship, which is crushed beyond all hope of ever being righted, we are alive and well, and we have stores and equipment for the task that lies before us. the task is to reach land with all the members of the expedition. it is hard to write what i feel. to a sailor his ship is more than a floating home, and in the 'endurance' i had centred ambitions, hopes, and desires. now, straining and groaning, her timbers cracking and her wounds gaping, she is slowly giving up her sentient life at the very outset of her career. she is crushed and abandoned after drifting more than miles in a north-westerly direction during the days since she became locked in the ice. the distance from the point where she became beset to the place where she now rests mortally hurt in the grip of the floes is miles, but the total drift through all observed positions has been miles, and probably we actually covered more than miles. we are now miles from paulet island, the nearest point where there is any possibility of finding food and shelter. a small hut built there by the swedish expedition in is filled with stores left by the argentine relief ship. i know all about those stores, for i purchased them in london on behalf of the argentine government when they asked me to equip the relief expedition. the distance to the nearest barrier west of us is about miles, but a party going there would still be about miles from paulet island and there would be no means of sustaining life on the barrier. we could not take from here food enough for the whole journey; the weight would be too great. "this morning, our last on the ship, the weather was clear, with a gentle south-south-easterly to south-south-westerly breeze. from the crow's-nest there was no sign of land of any sort. the pressure was increasing steadily, and the passing hours brought no relief or respite for the ship. the attack of the ice reached its climax at p.m. the ship was hove stern up by the pressure, and the driving floe, moving laterally across the stern, split the rudder and tore out the rudder- post and stern-post. then, while we watched, the ice loosened and the 'endurance' sank a little. the decks were breaking upwards and the water was pouring in below. again the pressure began, and at p.m. i ordered all hands on to the ice. the twisting, grinding floes were working their will at last on the ship. it was a sickening sensation to feel the decks breaking up under one's feet, the great beams bending and then snapping with a noise like heavy gunfire. the water was overmastering the pumps, and to avoid an explosion when it reached the boilers i had to give orders for the fires to be drawn and the steam let down. the plans for abandoning the ship in case of emergency had been made well in advance, and men and dogs descended to the floe and made their way to the comparative safety of an unbroken portion of the floe without a hitch. just before leaving, i looked down the engine- room skylight as i stood on the quivering deck, and saw the engines dropping sideways as the stays and bed-plates gave way. i cannot describe the impression of relentless destruction that was forced upon me as i looked down and around. the floes, with the force of millions of tons of moving ice behind them, were simply annihilating the ship." essential supplies had been placed on the floe about yds. from the ship, and there we set about making a camp for the night. but about p.m., after the tents were up, the ice we were occupying became involved in the pressure and started to split and smash beneath our feet. i had the camp moved to a bigger floe about yds. away, just beyond the bow of the ship. boats, stores, and camp equipment had to be conveyed across a working pressure-ridge. the movement of the ice was so slow that it did not interfere much with our short trek, but the weight of the ridge had caused the floes to sink on either side and there were pools of water there. a pioneer party with picks and shovels had to build a snow-causeway before we could get all our possessions across. by p.m. the camp had been pitched again. we had two pole- tents and three hoop-tents. i took charge of the small pole-tent, no. , with hudson, hurley, and james as companions; wild had the small hoop-tent, no. , with wordie, mcneish, and mcilroy. these hoop-tents are very easily shifted and set up. the eight forward hands had the large hoop-tent, no. ; crean had charge of no. hoop-tent with hussey, marston, and cheetham; and worsley had the other pole-tent, no. , with greenstreet, lees, clark, kerr, rickenson, macklin, and blackborrow, the last named being the youngest of the forward hands. "to-night the temperature has dropped to - ° fahr., and most of the men are cold and uncomfortable. after the tents had been pitched i mustered all hands and explained the position to them briefly and, i hope, clearly. i have told them the distance to the barrier and the distance to paulet island, and have stated that i propose to try to march with equipment across the ice in the direction of paulet island. i thanked the men for the steadiness and good morale they have shown in these trying circumstances, and told them i had no doubt that, provided they continued to work their utmost and to trust me, we will all reach safety in the end. then we had supper, which the cook had prepared at the big blubber-stove, and after a watch had been set all hands except the watch turned in." for myself, i could not sleep. the destruction and abandonment of the ship was no sudden shock. the disaster had been looming ahead for many months, and i had studied my plans for all contingencies a hundred times. but the thoughts that came to me as i walked up and down in the darkness were not particularly cheerful. the task now was to secure the safety of the party, and to that i must bend my energies and mental power and apply every bit of knowledge that experience of the antarctic had given me. the task was likely to be long and strenuous, and an ordered mind and a clear programme were essential if we were to come through without loss of life. a man must shape himself to a new mark directly the old one goes to ground. at midnight i was pacing the ice, listening to the grinding floe and to the groans and crashes that told of the death-agony of the 'endurance', when i noticed suddenly a crack running across our floe right through the camp. the alarm-whistle brought all hands tumbling out, and we moved the tents and stores lying on what was now the smaller portion of the floe to the larger portion. nothing more could be done at that moment, and the men turned in again; but there was little sleep. each time i came to the end of my beat on the floe i could just see in the darkness the uprearing piles of pressure-ice, which toppled over and narrowed still further the little floating island we occupied. i did not notice at the time that my tent, which had been on the wrong side of the crack, had not been erected again. hudson and james had managed to squeeze themselves into other tents, and hurley had wrapped himself in the canvas of no. tent. i discovered this about a.m. all night long the electric light gleamed from the stern of the dying 'endurance'. hussey had left this light switched on when he took a last observation, and, like a lamp in a cottage window, it braved the night until in the early morning the 'endurance' received a particularly violent squeeze. there was a sound of rending beams and the light disappeared. the connexion had been cut. morning came in chill and cheerless. all hands were stiff and weary after their first disturbed night on the floe. just at daybreak i went over to the 'endurance' with wild and hurley, in order to retrieve some tins of petrol that could be used to boil up milk for the rest of the men. the ship presented a painful spectacle of chaos and wreck. the jib-boom and bowsprit had snapped off during the night and now lay at right angles to the ship, with the chains, martingale, and bob-stay dragging them as the vessel quivered and moved in the grinding pack. the ice had driven over the forecastle and she was well down by the head. we secured two tins of petrol with some difficulty, and postponed the further examination of the ship until after breakfast. jumping across cracks with the tins, we soon reached camp, and built a fireplace out of the triangular water-tight tanks we had ripped from the lifeboat. this we had done in order to make more room. then we pierced a petrol-tin in half a dozen places with an ice-axe and set fire to it. the petrol blazed fiercely under the five-gallon drum we used as a cooker, and the hot milk was ready in quick time. then we three ministering angels went round the tents with the life-giving drink, and were surprised and a trifle chagrined at the matter-of-fact manner in which some of the men accepted this contribution to their comfort. they did not quite understand what work we had done for them in the early dawn, and i heard wild say, "if any of you gentlemen would like your boots cleaned just put them outside." this was his gentle way of reminding them that a little thanks will go a long way on such occasions. the cook prepared breakfast, which consisted of biscuit and hoosh, at a.m., and i then went over to the 'endurance' again and made a fuller examination of the wreck. only six of the cabins had not been pierced by floes and blocks of ice. every one of the starboard cabins had been crushed. the whole of the after part of the ship had been crushed concertina fashion. the forecastle and the ritz were submerged, and the wardroom was three-quarters full of ice. the starboard side of the wardroom had come away. the motor-engine forward had been driven through the galley. petrol-cases that had been stacked on the fore- deck had been driven by the floe through the wall into the wardroom and had carried before them a large picture. curiously enough, the glass of this picture had not been cracked, whereas in the immediate neighbourhood i saw heavy iron davits that had been twisted and bent like the ironwork of a wrecked train. the ship was being crushed remorselessly. under a dull, overcast sky i returned to camp and examined our situation. the floe occupied by the camp was still subject to pressure, and i thought it wise to move to a larger and apparently stronger floe about yds. away, off the starboard bow of the ship. this camp was to become known as dump camp, owing to the amount of stuff that was thrown away there. we could not afford to carry unnecessary gear, and a drastic sorting of equipment took place. i decided to issue a complete new set of burberrys and underclothing to each man, and also a supply of new socks. the camp was transferred to the larger floe quickly, and i began there to direct the preparations for the long journey across the floes to paulet island or snow hill. hurley meanwhile had rigged his kinematograph-camera and was getting pictures of the 'endurance' in her death-throes. while he was engaged thus, the ice, driving against the standing rigging and the fore-, main- and mizzen-masts, snapped the shrouds. the foretop and topgallant-mast came down with a run and hung in wreckage on the fore-mast, with the fore-yard vertical. the main-mast followed immediately, snapping off about ft. above the main deck. the crow's-nest fell within ft. of where hurley stood turning the handle of his camera, but he did not stop the machine, and so secured a unique, though sad, picture. the issue of clothing was quickly accomplished. sleeping-bags were required also. we had eighteen fur bags, and it was necessary, therefore, to issue ten of the jaeger woollen bags in order to provide for the twenty-eight men of the party. the woollen bags were lighter and less warm than the reindeer bags, and so each man who received one of them was allowed also a reindeer-skin to lie upon. it seemed fair to distribute the fur bags by lot, but some of us older hands did not join in the lottery. we thought we could do quite as well with the jaegers as with the furs. with quick dispatch the clothing was apportioned, and then we turned one of the boats on its side and supported it with two broken oars to make a lee for the galley. the cook got the blubber- stove going, and a little later, when i was sitting round the corner of the stove, i heard one man say, "cook, i like my tea strong." another joined in, "cook, i like mine weak." it was pleasant to know that their minds were untroubled, but i thought the time opportune to mention that the tea would be the same for all hands and that we would be fortunate if two months later we had any tea at all. it occurred to me at the time that the incident had psychological interest. here were men, their home crushed, the camp pitched on the unstable floes, and their chance of reaching safety apparently remote, calmly attending to the details of existence and giving their attention to such trifles as the strength of a brew of tea. during the afternoon the work continued. every now and then we heard a noise like heavy guns or distant thunder, caused by the floes grinding together. "the pressure caused by the congestion in this area of the pack is producing a scene of absolute chaos. the floes grind stupendously, throw up great ridges, and shatter one another mercilessly. the ridges, or hedgerows, marking the pressure-lines that border the fast- diminishing pieces of smooth floe-ice, are enormous. the ice moves majestically, irresistibly. human effort is not futile, but man fights against the giant forces of nature in a spirit of humility. one has a sense of dependence on the higher power. to-day two seals, a weddell and a crabeater, came close to the camp and were shot. four others were chased back into the water, for their presence disturbed the dog teams, and this meant floggings and trouble with the harness. the arrangement of the tents has been completed and their internal management settled. each tent has a mess orderly, the duty being taken in turn on an alphabetical rota. the orderly takes the hoosh-pots of his tent to the galley, gets all the hoosh he is allowed, and, after the meal, cleans the vessels with snow and stores them in sledge or boat ready for a possible move." "october .--we passed a quiet night, although the pressure was grinding around us. our floe is a heavy one and it withstood the blows it received. there is a light wind from the north-west to north-north- west, and the weather is fine. we are twenty-eight men with forty-nine dogs, including sue's and sallie's five grown-up pups. all hands this morning were busy preparing gear, fitting boats on sledges, and building up and strengthening the sledges to carry the boats.... the main motor-sledge, with a little fitting from the carpenter, carried our largest boat admirably. for the next boat four ordinary sledges were lashed together, but we were dubious as to the strength of this contrivance, and as a matter of fact it broke down quickly under strain.... the ship is still afloat, with the spurs of the pack driven through her and holding her up. the forecastle-head is under water, the decks are burst up by the pressure, the wreckage lies around in dismal confusion, but over all the blue ensign flies still. "this afternoon sallie's three youngest pups, sue's sirius, and mrs. chippy, the carpenter's cat, have to be shot. we could not undertake the maintenance of weaklings under the new conditions. macklin, crean, and the carpenter seemed to feel the loss of their friends rather badly. we propose making a short trial journey to-morrow, starting with two of the boats and the ten sledges. the number of dog teams has been increased to seven, greenstreet taking charge of the new additional team, consisting of snapper and sallie's four oldest pups. we have ten working sledges to relay with five teams. wild's and hurley's teams will haul the cutter with the assistance of four men. the whaler and the other boats will follow, and the men who are hauling them will be able to help with the cutter at the rough places. we cannot hope to make rapid progress, but each mile counts. crean this afternoon has a bad attack of snow-blindness." the weather on the morning of october was overcast and misty, with occasional falls of snow. a moderate north-easterly breeze was blowing. we were still living on extra food, brought from the ship when we abandoned her, and the sledging and boating rations were intact. these rations would provide for twenty-eight men for fifty-six days on full rations, but we could count on getting enough seal and penguin meat to at least double this time. we could even, if progress proved too difficult and too injurious to the boats, which we must guard as our ultimate means of salvation, camp on the nearest heavy floe, scour the neighbouring pack for penguins and seals, and await the outward rift of the pack, to open and navigable water. "this plan would avoid the grave dangers we are now incurring of getting entangled in impassable pressure-ridges and possibly irretrievably damaging the boats, which are bound to suffer in rough ice; it would also minimize the peril of the ice splitting under us, as it did twice during the night at our first camp. yet i feel sure that it is the right thing to attempt a march, since if we can make five or seven miles a day to the north-west our chance of reaching safety in the months to come will be increased greatly. there is a psychological aspect to the question also. it will be much better for the men in general to feel that, even though progress is slow, they are on their way to land than it will be simply to sit down and wait for the tardy north-westerly drift to take us out of this cruel waste of ice. we will make an attempt to move. the issue is beyond my power either to predict or to control." that afternoon wild and i went out in the mist and snow to find a road to the north-east. after many devious turnings to avoid the heavier pressure-ridges, we pioneered a way for at least a mile and a half. and then returned by a rather better route to the camp. the pressure now was rapid in movement and our floe was suffering from the shakes and jerks of the ice. at p.m., after lunch, we got under way, leaving dump camp a mass of debris. the order was that personal gear must not exceed two pounds per man, and this meant that nothing but bare necessaries was to be taken on the march. we could not afford to cumber ourselves with unnecessary weight. holes had been dug in the snow for the reception of private letters and little personal trifles, the lares and penates of the members of the expedition, and into the privacy of these white graves were consigned much of sentimental value and not a little of intrinsic worth. i rather grudged the two pounds allowance per man, owing to my keen anxiety to keep weights at a minimum, but some personal belongings could fairly be regarded as indispensable. the journey might be a long one, and there was a possibility of a winter in improvised quarters on an inhospitable coast at the other end. a man under such conditions needs something to occupy his thoughts, some tangible memento of his home and people beyond the seas. so sovereigns were thrown away and photographs were kept. i tore the fly-leaf out of the bible that queen alexandra had given to the ship, with her own writing in it, and also the wonderful page of job containing the verse: out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? the waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. [job : - ] the other bible, which queen alexandra had given for the use of the shore party, was down below in the lower hold in one of the cases when the ship received her death-blow. suitcases were thrown away; these were retrieved later as material for making boots, and some of them, marked "solid leather," proved, to our disappointment, to contain a large percentage of cardboard. the manufacturer would have had difficulty in convincing us at the time that the deception was anything short of criminal. the pioneer sledge party, consisting of wordie, hussey, hudson, and myself, carrying picks and shovels, started to break a road through the pressure-ridges for the sledges carrying the boats. the boats, with their gear and the sledges beneath them, weighed each more than a ton. the cutter was smaller than the whaler, but weighed more and was a much more strongly built boat. the whaler was mounted on the sledge part of the girling tractor forward and two sledges amidships and aft. these sledges were strengthened with cross-timbers and shortened oars fore and aft. the cutter was mounted on the aero-sledge. the sledges were the point of weakness. it appeared almost hopeless to prevent them smashing under their heavy loads when travelling over rough pressure- ice which stretched ahead of us for probably miles. after the pioneer sledge had started the seven dog teams got off. they took their sledges forward for half a mile, then went back for the other sledges. worsley took charge of the two boats, with fifteen men hauling, and these also had to be relayed. it was heavy work for dogs and men, but there were intervals of comparative rest on the backward journey, after the first portion of the load had been taken forward. we passed over two opening cracks, through which killers were pushing their ugly snouts, and by p.m. had covered a mile in a north-north-westerly direction. the condition of the ice ahead was chaotic, for since the morning increased pressure had developed and the pack was moving and crushing in all directions. so i gave the order to pitch camp for the night on flat ice, which, unfortunately, proved to be young and salty. the older pack was too rough and too deeply laden with snow to offer a suitable camping-ground. although we had gained only one mile in a direct line, the necessary deviations made the distance travelled at least two miles, and the relays brought the distance marched up to six miles. some of the dog teams had covered at least ten miles. i set the watch from p.m. to a.m., one hour for each man in each tent in rotation. during the night snow fell heavily, and the floor-cloths of the tents got wet through, as the temperature had risen to + ° fahr. one of the things we hoped for in those days was a temperature in the neighbourhood of zero, for then the snow surface would be hard, we would not be troubled by damp, and our gear would not become covered in soft snow. the killers were blowing all night, and a crack appeared about ft. from the camp at a.m. the ice below us was quite thin enough for the killers to break through if they took a fancy to do so, but there was no other camping-ground within our reach and we had to take the risk. when morning came the snow was falling so heavily that we could not see more than a few score yards ahead, and i decided not to strike camp. a path over the shattered floes would be hard to find, and to get the boats into a position of peril might be disastrous. rickenson and worsley started back for dump camp at a.m. to get some wood and blubber for the fire, and an hour later we had hoosh, with one biscuit each. at a.m. hurley and hudson left for the old camp in order to bring some additional dog-pemmican, since there were no seals to be found near us. then, as the weather cleared, worsley and i made a prospect to the west and tried to find a practicable road. a large floe offered a fairly good road for at least another mile to the north- west, and we went back prepared for another move. the weather cleared a little, and after lunch we struck camp. i took rickenson, kerr, wordie, and hudson as a breakdown gang to pioneer a path among the pressure-ridges. five dog teams followed. wild's and hurley's teams were hitched on to the cutter and they started off in splendid style. they needed to be helped only once; indeed fourteen dogs did as well or even better than eighteen men. the ice was moving beneath and around us as we worked towards the big floe, and where this floe met the smaller ones there was a mass of pressed-up ice, still in motion, with water between the ridges. but it is wonderful what a dozen men can do with picks and shovels. we could cut a road through a pressure-ridge about ft. high in ten minutes and leave a smooth, or comparatively smooth, path for the sledges and teams. chapter v ocean camp in spite of the wet, deep snow and the halts occasioned by thus having to cut our road through the pressure-ridges, we managed to march the best part of a mile towards our goal, though the relays and the deviations again made the actual distance travelled nearer six miles. as i could see that the men were all exhausted i gave the order to pitch the tents under the lee of the two boats, which afforded some slight protection from the wet snow now threatening to cover everything. while so engaged one of the sailors discovered a small pool of water, caused by the snow having thawed on a sail which was lying in one of the boats. there was not much--just a sip each; but, as one man wrote in his diary, "one has seen and tasted cleaner, but seldom more opportunely found water." next day broke cold and still with the same wet snow, and in the clearing light i could see that with the present loose surface, and considering how little result we had to show for all our strenuous efforts of the past four days, it would be impossible to proceed for any great distance. taking into account also the possibility of leads opening close to us, and so of our being able to row north-west to where we might find land, i decided to find a more solid floe and there camp until conditions were more favourable for us to make a second attempt to escape from our icy prison. to this end we moved our tents and all our gear to a thick, heavy old floe about one and a half miles from the wreck and there made our camp. we called this "ocean camp." it was with the utmost difficulty that we shifted our two boats. the surface was terrible--like nothing that any of us had ever seen around us before. we were sinking at times up to our hips, and everywhere the snow was two feet deep. i decided to conserve our valuable sledging rations, which would be so necessary for the inevitable boat journey, as much as possible, and to subsist almost entirely on seals and penguins. a party was sent back to dump camp, near the ship, to collect as much clothing, tobacco, etc., as they could find. the heavy snow which had fallen in the last few days, combined with the thawing and consequent sinking of the surface, resulted in the total disappearance of a good many of the things left behind at this dump. the remainder of the men made themselves as comfortable as possible under the circumstances at ocean camp. this floating lump of ice, about a mile square at first but later splitting into smaller and smaller fragments, was to be our home for nearly two months. during these two months we made frequent visits to the vicinity of the ship and retrieved much valuable clothing and food and some few articles of personal value which in our light- hearted optimism we had thought to leave miles behind us on our dash across the moving ice to safety. the collection of food was now the all-important consideration. as we were to subsist almost entirely on seals and penguins, which were to provide fuel as well as food, some form of blubber-stove was a necessity. this was eventually very ingeniously contrived from the ship's steel ash-shoot, as our first attempt with a large iron oil-drum did not prove eminently successful. we could only cook seal or penguin hooshes or stews on this stove, and so uncertain was its action that the food was either burnt or only partially cooked; and, hungry though we were, half-raw seal meat was not very appetizing. on one occasion a wonderful stew made from seal meat, with two or three tins of irish stew that had been salved from the ship, fell into the fire through the bottom of the oil-drum that we used as a saucepan becoming burnt out on account of the sudden intense heat of the fire below. we lunched that day on one biscuit and a quarter of a tin of bully-beef each, frozen hard. this new stove, which was to last us during our stay at ocean camp, was a great success. two large holes were punched, with much labour and few tools, opposite one another at the wider or top end of the shoot. into one of these an oil-drum was fixed, to be used as the fireplace, the other hole serving to hold our saucepan. alongside this another hole was punched to enable two saucepans to be boiled at a time; and farther along still a chimney made from biscuit-tins completed a very efficient, if not a very elegant, stove. later on the cook found that he could bake a sort of flat bannock or scone on this stove, but he was seriously hampered for want of yeast or baking-powder. an attempt was next made to erect some sort of a galley to protect the cook against the inclemencies of the weather. the party which i had sent back under wild to the ship returned with, amongst other things, the wheel-house practically complete. this, with the addition of some sails and tarpaulins stretched on spars, made a very comfortable storehouse and galley. pieces of planking from the deck were lashed across some spars stuck upright into the snow, and this, with the ship's binnacle, formed an excellent look-out from which to look for seals and penguins. on this platform, too, a mast was erected from which flew the king's flag and the royal clyde yacht club burgee. i made a strict inventory of all the food in our possession, weights being roughly determined with a simple balance made from a piece of wood and some string, the counter-weight being a -lb. box of provisions. the dog teams went off to the wreck early each morning under wild, and the men made every effort to rescue as much as possible from the ship. this was an extremely difficult task as the whole of the deck forward was under a foot of water on the port side, and nearly three feet on the starboard side. however, they managed to collect large quantities of wood and ropes and some few cases of provisions. although the galley was under water, bakewell managed to secure three or four saucepans, which later proved invaluable acquisitions. quite a number of boxes of flour, etc., had been stowed in a cabin in the hold, and these we had been unable to get out before we left the ship. having, therefore, determined as nearly as possible that portion of the deck immediately above these cases, we proceeded to cut a hole with large ice-chisels through the -in. planking of which it was formed. as the ship at this spot was under ft. of water and ice, it was not an easy job. however, we succeeded in making the hole sufficiently large to allow of some few cases to come floating up. these were greeted with great satisfaction, and later on, as we warmed to our work, other cases, whose upward progress was assisted with a boat-hook, were greeted with either cheers or groans according to whether they contained farinaceous food or merely luxuries such as jellies. for each man by now had a good idea of the calorific value and nutritive and sustaining qualities of the various foods. it had a personal interest for us all. in this way we added to our scanty stock between two and three tons of provisions, about half of which was farinaceous food, such as flour and peas, of which we were so short. this sounds a great deal, but at one pound per day it would only last twenty-eight men for three months. previous to this i had reduced the food allowance to nine and a half ounces per man per day. now, however, it could be increased, and "this afternoon, for the first time for ten days, we knew what it was to be really satisfied." i had the sledges packed in readiness with the special sledging rations in case of a sudden move, and with the other food, allowing also for prospective seals and penguins, i calculated a dietary to give the utmost possible variety and yet to use our precious stock of flour in the most economical manner. all seals and penguins that appeared anywhere within the vicinity of the camp were killed to provide food and fuel. the dog-pemmican we also added to our own larder, feeding the dogs on the seals which we caught, after removing such portions as were necessary for our own needs. we were rather short of crockery, but small pieces of venesta-wood served admirably as plates for seal steaks; stews and liquids of all sorts were served in the aluminium sledging-mugs, of which each man had one. later on, jelly-tins and biscuit-tin lids were pressed into service. monotony in the meals, even considering the circumstances in which we found ourselves, was what i was striving to avoid, so our little stock of luxuries, such as fish-paste, tinned herrings, etc., was carefully husbanded and so distributed as to last as long as possible. my efforts were not in vain, as one man states in his diary: "it must be admitted that we are feeding very well indeed, considering our position. each meal consists of one course and a beverage. the dried vegetables, if any, all go into the same pot as the meat, and every dish is a sort of hash or stew, be it ham or seal meat or half and half. the fact that we only have two pots available places restrictions upon the number of things that can be cooked at one time, but in spite of the limitation of facilities, we always seem to manage to get just enough. the milk-powder and sugar are necessarily boiled with the tea or cocoa. "we are, of course, very short of the farinaceous element in our diet, and consequently have a mild craving for more of it. bread is out of the question, and as we are husbanding the remaining cases of our biscuits for our prospective boat journey, we are eking out the supply of flour by making bannocks, of which we have from three to four each day. these bannocks are made from flour, fat, water, salt, and a little baking-powder, the dough being rolled out into flat rounds and baked in about ten minutes on a hot sheet of iron over the fire. each bannock weighs about one and a half to two ounces, and we are indeed lucky to be able to produce them." a few boxes of army biscuits soaked with sea-water were distributed at one meal. they were in such a state that they would not have been looked at a second time under ordinary circumstances, but to us on a floating lump of ice, over three hundred miles from land, and that quite hypothetical, and with the unplumbed sea beneath us, they were luxuries indeed. wild's tent made a pudding of theirs with some dripping. although keeping in mind the necessity for strict economy with our scanty store of food, i knew how important it was to keep the men cheerful, and that the depression occasioned by our surroundings and our precarious position could to some extent be alleviated by increasing the rations, at least until we were more accustomed to our new mode of life. that this was successful is shown in their diaries. "day by day goes by much the same as one another. we work; we talk; we eat. ah, how we eat! no longer on short rations, we are a trifle more exacting than we were when we first commenced our 'simple life,' but by comparison with home standards we are positive barbarians, and our gastronomic rapacity knows no bounds. "all is eaten that comes to each tent, and everything is most carefully and accurately divided into as many equal portions as there are men in the tent. one member then closes his eyes or turns his head away and calls out the names at random, as the cook for the day points to each portion, saying at the same time, 'whose?' "partiality, however unintentional it may be, is thus entirely obviated and every one feels satisfied that all is fair, even though one may look a little enviously at the next man's helping, which differs in some especially appreciated detail from one's own. we break the tenth commandment energetically, but as we are all in the same boat in this respect, no one says a word. we understand each other's feelings quite sympathetically. "it is just like school-days over again, and very jolly it is too, for the time being!" later on, as the prospect of wintering in the pack became more apparent, the rations had to be considerably reduced. by that time, however, everybody had become more accustomed to the idea and took it quite as a matter of course. our meals now consisted in the main of a fairly generous helping of seal or penguin, either boiled or fried. as one man wrote: "we are now having enough to eat, but not by any means too much; and every one is always hungry enough to eat every scrap he can get. meals are invariably taken very seriously, and little talking is done till the hoosh is finished." our tents made somewhat cramped quarters, especially during meal-times. "living in a tent without any furniture requires a little getting used to. for our meals we have to sit on the floor, and it is surprising how awkward it is to eat in such a position; it is better by far to kneel and sit back on one's heels, as do the japanese." each man took it in turn to be the tent "cook" for one day, and one writes: "the word 'cook' is at present rather a misnomer, for whilst we have a permanent galley no cooking need be done in the tent. "really, all that the tent cook has to do is to take his two hoosh- pots over to the galley and convey the hoosh and the beverage to the tent, clearing up after each meal and washing up the two pots and the mugs. there are no spoons, etc., to wash, for we each keep our own spoon and pocket-knife in our pockets. we just lick them as clean as possible and replace them in our pockets after each meal. "our spoons are one of our indispensable possessions here. to lose one's spoon would be almost as serious as it is for an edentate person to lose his set of false teeth." during all this time the supply of seals and penguins, if not inexhaustible, was always sufficient for our needs. seal- and penguin-hunting was our daily occupation, and parties were sent out in different directions to search among the hummocks and the pressure-ridges for them. when one was found a signal was hoisted, usually in the form of a scarf or a sock on a pole, and an answering signal was hoisted at the camp. then wild went out with a dog team to shoot and bring in the game. to feed ourselves and the dogs, at least one seal a day was required. the seals were mostly crab-eaters, and emperor penguins were the general rule. on november , however, an adelie was caught, and this was the cause of much discussion, as the following extract shows: "the man on watch from a.m. to a.m. caught an adelie penguin. this is the first of its kind that we have seen since january last, and it may mean a lot. it may signify that there is land somewhere near us, or else that great leads are opening up, but it is impossible to form more than a mere conjecture at present." no skuas, antarctic petrels, or sea-leopards were seen during our two months' stay at ocean camp. in addition to the daily hunt for food, our time was passed in reading the few books that we had managed to save from the ship. the greatest treasure in the library was a portion of the "encyclopaedia britannica." this was being continually used to settle the inevitable arguments that would arise. the sailors were discovered one day engaged in a very heated discussion on the subject of money and exchange. they finally came to the conclusion that the encyclopaedia, since it did not coincide with their views, must be wrong. "for descriptions of every american town that ever has been, is, or ever will be, and for full and complete biographies of every american statesman since the time of george washington and long before, the encyclopaedia would be hard to beat. owing to our shortage of matches we have been driven to use it for purposes other than the purely literary ones though; and one genius having discovered that the paper, used for its pages had been impregnated with saltpetre, we can now thoroughly recommend it as a very efficient pipe-lighter." we also possessed a few books on antarctic exploration, a copy of browning and one of "the ancient mariner." on reading the latter, we sympathized with him and wondered what he had done with the albatross; it would have made a very welcome addition to our larder. the two subjects of most interest to us were our rate of drift and the weather. worsley took observations of the sun whenever possible, and his results showed conclusively that the drift of our floe was almost entirely dependent upon the winds and not much affected by currents. our hope, of course, was to drift northwards to the edge of the pack and then, when the ice was loose enough, to take to the boats and row to the nearest land. we started off in fine style, drifting north about twenty miles in two or three days in a howling south-westerly blizzard. gradually, however, we slowed up, as successive observations showed, until we began to drift back to the south. an increasing north- easterly wind, which commenced on november and lasted for twelve days, damped our spirits for a time, until we found that we had only drifted back to the south three miles, so that we were now seventeen miles to the good. this tended to reassure us in our theories that the ice of the weddell sea was drifting round in a clockwise direction, and that if we could stay on our piece long enough we must eventually be taken up to the north, where lay the open sea and the path to comparative safety. the ice was not moving fast enough to be noticeable. in fact, the only way in which we could prove that we were moving at all was by noting the change of relative positions of the bergs around us, and, more definitely, by fixing our absolute latitude and longitude by observations of the sun. otherwise, as far as actual visible drift was concerned, we might have been on dry land. for the next few days we made good progress, drifting seven miles to the north on november and another seven miles in the next forty- eight hours. we were all very pleased to know that although the wind was mainly south-west all this time, yet we had made very little easting. the land lay to the west, so had we drifted to the east we should have been taken right away to the centre of the entrance to the weddell sea, and our chances of finally reaching land would have been considerably lessened. our average rate of drift was slow, and many and varied were the calculations as to when we should reach the pack-edge. on december , , one man wrote: "once across the antarctic circle, it will seem as if we are practically halfway home again; and it is just possible that with favourable winds we may cross the circle before the new year. a drift of only three miles a day would do it, and we have often done that and more for periods of three or four weeks. "we are now only miles from paulet island, but too much to the east of it. we are approaching the latitudes in which we were at this time last year, on our way down. the ship left south georgia just a year and a week ago, and reached this latitude four or five miles to the eastward of our present position on january , , crossing the circle on new year's eve." thus, after a year's incessant battle with the ice, we had returned, by many strange turns of fortune's wheel, to almost identically the same latitude that we had left with such high hopes and aspirations twelve months previously; but under what different conditions now! our ship crushed and lost, and we ourselves drifting on a piece of ice at the mercy of the winds. however, in spite of occasional setbacks due to unfavourable winds, our drift was in the main very satisfactory, and this went a long way towards keeping the men cheerful. as the drift was mostly affected by the winds, the weather was closely watched by all, and hussey, the meteorologist, was called upon to make forecasts every four hours, and some times more frequently than that. a meteorological screen, containing thermometers and a barograph, had been erected on a post frozen into the ice, and observations were taken every four hours. when we first left the ship the weather was cold and miserable, and altogether as unpropitious as it could possibly have been for our attempted march. our first few days at ocean camp were passed under much the same conditions. at nights the temperature dropped to zero, with blinding snow and drift. one-hour watches were instituted, all hands taking their turn, and in such weather this job was no sinecure. the watchman had to be continually on the alert for cracks in the ice, or any sudden changes in the ice conditions, and also had to keep his eye on the dogs, who often became restless, fretful, and quarrelsome in the early hours of the morning. at the end of his hour he was very glad to crawl back into the comparative warmth of his frozen sleeping-bag. on november a dull, overcast day developed into a howling blizzard from the south-west, with snow and low drift. only those who were compelled left the shelter of their tent. deep drifts formed everywhere, burying sledges and provisions to a depth of two feet, and the snow piling up round the tents threatened to burst the thin fabric. the fine drift found its way in through the ventilator of the tent, which was accordingly plugged up with a spare sock. this lasted for two days, when one man wrote: "the blizzard continued through the morning, but cleared towards noon, and it was a beautiful evening; but we would far rather have the screeching blizzard with its searching drift and cold damp wind, for we drifted about eleven miles to the north during the night." for four days the fine weather continued, with gloriously warm, bright sun, but cold when standing still or in the shade. the temperature usually dropped below zero, but every opportunity was taken during these fine, sunny days to partially dry our sleeping-bags and other gear, which had become sodden through our body-heat having thawed the snow which had drifted in on to them during the blizzard. the bright sun seemed to put new heart into all. the next day brought a north-easterly wind with the very high temperature of ° fahr.--only ° below freezing. "these high temperatures do not always represent the warmth which might be assumed from the thermometrical readings. they usually bring dull, overcast skies, with a raw, muggy, moisture-laden wind. the winds from the south, though colder, are nearly always coincident with sunny days and clear blue skies." the temperature still continued to rise, reaching ° fahr. on november . the thaw consequent upon these high temperatures was having a disastrous effect upon the surface of our camp. "the surface is awful!--not slushy, but elusive. you step out gingerly. all is well for a few paces, then your foot suddenly sinks a couple of feet until it comes to a hard layer. you wade along in this way step by step, like a mudlark at portsmouth hard, hoping gradually to regain the surface. soon you do, only to repeat the exasperating performance ad lib., to the accompaniment of all the expletives that you can bring to bear on the subject. what actually happens is that the warm air melts the surface sufficiently to cause drops of water to trickle down slightly, where, on meeting colder layers of snow, they freeze again, forming a honeycomb of icy nodules instead of the soft, powdery, granular snow that we are accustomed to." these high temperatures persisted for some days, and when, as occasionally happened, the sky was clear and the sun was shining it was unbearably hot. five men who were sent to fetch some gear from the vicinity of the ship with a sledge marched in nothing but trousers and singlet, and even then were very hot; in fact they were afraid of getting sunstroke, so let down flaps from their caps to cover their necks. their sleeves were rolled up over their elbows, and their arms were red and sunburnt in consequence. the temperature on this occasion was ° fahr., or ° below freezing. for five or six days more the sun continued, and most of our clothes and sleeping-bags were now comparatively dry. a wretched day with rainy sleet set in on november , but one could put up with this discomfort as the wind was now from the south. the wind veered later to the west, and the sun came out at p.m. for at this time, near the end of november, we had the midnight sun. "a thrice-blessed southerly wind" soon arrived to cheer us all, occasioning the following remarks in one of the diaries: "to-day is the most beautiful day we have had in the antarctic--a clear sky, a gentle, warm breeze from the south, and the most brilliant sunshine. we all took advantage of it to strike tents, clean out, and generally dry and air ground-sheets and sleeping-bags." i was up early-- a.m.--to keep watch, and the sight was indeed magnificent. spread out before one was an extensive panorama of ice- fields, intersected here and there by small broken leads, and dotted with numerous noble bergs, partly bathed in sunshine and partly tinged with the grey shadows of an overcast sky. as one watched one observed a distinct line of demarcation between the sunshine and the shade, and this line gradually approached nearer and nearer, lighting up the hummocky relief of the ice-field bit by bit, until at last it reached us, and threw the whole camp into a blaze of glorious sunshine which lasted nearly all day. "this afternoon we were treated to one or two showers of hail-like snow. yesterday we also had a rare form of snow, or, rather, precipitation of ice-spicules, exactly like little hairs, about a third of an inch long. "the warmth in the tents at lunch-time was so great that we had all the side-flaps up for ventilation, but it is a treat to get warm occasionally, and one can put up with a little stuffy atmosphere now and again for the sake of it. the wind has gone to the best quarter this evening, the south-east, and is freshening." on these fine, clear, sunny days wonderful mirage effects could be observed, just as occur over the desert. huge bergs were apparently resting on nothing, with a distinct gap between their bases and the horizon; others were curiously distorted into all sorts of weird and fantastic shapes, appearing to be many times their proper height. added to this, the pure glistening white of the snow and ice made a picture which it is impossible adequately to describe. later on, the freshening south-westerly wind brought mild, overcast weather, probably due to the opening up of the pack in that direction. i had already made arrangements for a quick move in case of a sudden break-up of the ice. emergency orders were issued; each man had his post allotted and his duty detailed; and the whole was so organized that in less than five minutes from the sounding of the alarm on my whistle, tents were struck, gear and provisions packed, and the whole party was ready to move off. i now took a final survey of the men to note their condition, both mental and physical. for our time at ocean camp had not been one of unalloyed bliss. the loss of the ship meant more to us than we could ever put into words. after we had settled at ocean camp she still remained nipped by the ice, only her stern showing and her bows overridden and buried by the relentless pack. the tangled mass of ropes, rigging, and spars made the scene even more desolate and depressing. it was with a feeling almost of relief that the end came. "november , .--this evening, as we were lying in our tents we heard the boss call out, 'she's going, boys!' we were out in a second and up on the look-out station and other points of vantage, and, sure enough, there was our poor ship a mile and a half away struggling in her death-agony. she went down bows first, her stern raised in the air. she then gave one quick dive and the ice closed over her for ever. it gave one a sickening sensation to see it, for, mastless and useless as she was, she seemed to be a link with the outer world. without her our destitution seems more emphasized, our desolation more complete. the loss of the ship sent a slight wave of depression over the camp. no one said much, but we cannot be blamed for feeling it in a sentimental way. it seemed as if the moment of severance from many cherished associations, many happy moments, even stirring incidents, had come as she silently up-ended to find a last resting-place beneath the ice on which we now stand. when one knows every little nook and corner of one's ship as we did, and has helped her time and again in the fight that she made so well, the actual parting was not without its pathos, quite apart from one's own desolation, and i doubt if there was one amongst us who did not feel some personal emotion when sir ernest, standing on the top of the look-out, said somewhat sadly and quietly, 'she's gone, boys.' "it must, however, be said that we did not give way to depression for long, for soon every one was as cheery as usual. laughter rang out from the tents, and even the boss had a passage-at-arms with the storekeeper over the inadequacy of the sausage ration, insisting that there should be two each 'because they were such little ones,' instead of the one and a half that the latter proposed." the psychological effect of a slight increase in the rations soon neutralized any tendency to downheartedness, but with the high temperatures surface-thaw set in, and our bags and clothes were soaked and sodden. our boots squelched as we walked, and we lived in a state of perpetual wet feet. at nights, before the temperature had fallen, clouds of steam could be seen rising from our soaking bags and boots. during the night, as it grew colder, this all condensed as rime on the inside of the tent, and showered down upon us if one happened to touch the side inadvertently. one had to be careful how one walked, too, as often only a thin crust of ice and snow covered a hole in the floe, through which many an unwary member went in up to his waist. these perpetual soakings, however, seemed to have had little lasting effect, or perhaps it was not apparent owing to the excitement of the prospect of an early release. a north-westerly wind on december and retarded our progress somewhat, but i had reason to believe that it would help to open the ice and form leads through which we might escape to open water. so i ordered a practice launching of the boats and stowage of food and stores in them. this was very satisfactory. we cut a slipway from our floe into a lead which ran alongside, and the boats took the water "like a bird," as one sailor remarked. our hopes were high in anticipation of an early release. a blizzard sprang up, increasing the next day and burying tents and packing-cases in the drift. on december it had moderated somewhat and veered to the south-east, and the next day the blizzard had ceased, but a good steady wind from south and south-west continued to blow us north. "december , .--the continuance of southerly winds is exceeding our best hopes, and raising our spirits in proportion. prospects could not be brighter than they are just now. the environs of our floe are continually changing. some days we are almost surrounded by small open leads, preventing us from crossing over to the adjacent floes." after two more days our fortune changed, and a strong north-easterly wind brought "a beastly cold, windy day" and drove us back three and a quarter miles. soon, however, the wind once more veered to the south and south-west. these high temperatures, combined with the strong changeable winds that we had had of late, led me to conclude that the ice all around us was rotting and breaking up and that the moment of our deliverance from the icy maw of the antarctic was at hand. on december , after discussing the question with wild, i informed all hands that i intended to try and make a march to the west to reduce the distance between us and paulet island. a buzz of pleasurable anticipation went round the camp, and every one was anxious to get on the move. so the next day i set off with wild, crean, and hurley, with dog teams, to the westward to survey the route. after travelling about seven miles we mounted a small berg, and there as far as we could see stretched a series of immense flat floes from half a mile to a mile across, separated from each other by pressure-ridges which seemed easily negotiable with pick and shovel. the only place that appeared likely to be formidable was a very much cracked-up area between the old floe that we were on and the first of the series of young flat floes about half a mile away. december was therefore kept as christmas day, and most of our small remaining stock of luxuries was consumed at the christmas feast. we could not carry it all with us, so for the last time for eight months we had a really good meal--as much as we could eat. anchovies in oil, baked beans, and jugged hare made a glorious mixture such as we have not dreamed of since our school-days. everybody was working at high pressure, packing and repacking sledges and stowing what provisions we were going to take with us in the various sacks and boxes. as i looked round at the eager faces of the men i could not but hope that this time the fates would be kinder to us than in our last attempt to march across the ice to safety. chapter vi the march between with the exception of the night-watchman we turned in at p.m., and at a.m. on december all hands were roused for the purpose of sledging the two boats, the 'james caird' and the 'dudley docker', over the dangerously cracked portion to the first of the young floes, whilst the surface still held its night crust. a thick sea-fog came up from the west, so we started off finally at . a.m., after a drink of hot coffee. practically all hands had to be harnessed to each boat in succession, and by dint of much careful manipulation and tortuous courses amongst the broken ice we got both safely over the danger-zone. we then returned to ocean camp for the tents and the rest of the sledges, and pitched camp by the boats about one and a quarter miles off. on the way back a big seal was caught which provided fresh food for ourselves and for the dogs. on arrival at the camp a supper of cold tinned mutton and tea was served, and everybody turned in at p.m. it was my intention to sleep by day and march by night, so as to take advantage of the slightly lower temperatures and consequent harder surfaces. at p.m. the men were roused, and after a meal of cold mutton and tea, the march was resumed. a large open lead brought us to a halt at p.m., whereupon we camped and turned in without a meal. fortunately just at this time the weather was fine and warm. several men slept out in the open at the beginning of the march. one night, however, a slight snow-shower came on, succeeded immediately by a lowering of the temperature. worsley, who had hung up his trousers and socks on a boat, found them iced-up and stiff; and it was quite a painful process for him to dress quickly that morning. i was anxious, now that we had started, that we should make every effort to extricate ourselves, and this temporary check so early was rather annoying. so that afternoon wild and i ski-ed out to the crack and found that it had closed up again. we marked out the track with small flags as we returned. each day, after all hands had turned in, wild and i would go ahead for two miles or so to reconnoitre the next day's route, marking it with pieces of wood, tins, and small flags. we had to pick the road which though it might be somewhat devious, was flattest and had least hummocks. pressure-ridges had to be skirted, and where this was not possible the best place to make a bridge of ice-blocks across the lead or over the ridge had to be found and marked. it was the duty of the dog-drivers to thus prepare the track for those who were toiling behind with the heavy boats. these boats were hauled in relays, about sixty yards at a time. i did not wish them to be separated by too great a distance in case the ice should crack between them, and we should be unable to reach the one that was in rear. every twenty yards or so they had to stop for a rest and to take breath, and it was a welcome sight to them to see the canvas screen go up on some oars, which denoted the fact that the cook had started preparing a meal, and that a temporary halt, at any rate, was going to be made. thus the ground had to be traversed three times by the boat-hauling party. the dog-sledges all made two, and some of them three, relays. the dogs were wonderful. without them we could never have transported half the food and gear that we did. we turned in at p.m. that night, and at a.m. next day, the th, and the third day of our march, a breakfast of sledging ration was served. by a.m. we were on the march again. we wished one another a merry christmas, and our thoughts went back to those at home. we wondered, too, that day, as we sat down to our "lunch" of stale, thin bannock and a mug of thin cocoa, what they were having at home. all hands were very cheerful. the prospect of a relief from the monotony of life on the floe raised all our spirits. one man wrote in his diary: "it's a hard, rough, jolly life, this marching and camping; no washing of self or dishes, no undressing, no changing of clothes. we have our food anyhow, and always impregnated with blubber-smoke; sleeping almost on the bare snow and working as hard as the human physique is capable of doing on a minimum of food." we marched on, with one halt at a.m., till half-past eleven. after a supper of seal steaks and tea we turned in. the surface now was pretty bad. high temperatures during the day made the upper layers of snow very soft, and the thin crust which formed at night was not sufficient to support a man. consequently, at each step we went in over our knees in the soft wet snow. sometimes a man would step into a hole in the ice which was hidden by the covering of snow, and be pulled up with a jerk by his harness. the sun was very hot and many were suffering from cracked lips. two seals were killed to-day. wild and mcilroy, who went out to secure them, had rather an exciting time on some very loose, rotten ice, three killer-whales in a lead a few yards away poking up their ugly heads as if in anticipation of a feast. next day, december , we started off again at a.m. "the surface was much better than it has been for the last few days, and this is the principal thing that matters. the route, however, lay over very hummocky floes, and required much work with pick and shovel to make it passable for the boat-sledges. these are handled in relays by eighteen men under worsley. it is killing work on soft surfaces." at a.m. we were brought up by a wide open lead after an unsatisfactorily short march. while we waited, a meal of tea and two small bannocks was served, but as a.m. came and there were no signs of the lead closing we all turned in. it snowed a little during the day and those who were sleeping outside got their sleeping-bags pretty wet. at . p.m. that night we were off again. i was, as usual, pioneering in front, followed by the cook and his mate pulling a small sledge with the stove and all the cooking gear on. these two, black as two mohawk minstrels with the blubber-soot, were dubbed "potash and perlmutter." next come the dog teams, who soon overtake the cook, and the two boats bring up the rear. were it not for these cumbrous boats we should get along at a great rate, but we dare not abandon them on any account. as it is we left one boat, the 'stancomb wills', behind at ocean camp, and the remaining two will barely accommodate the whole party when we leave the floe. we did a good march of one and a half miles that night before we halted for "lunch" at a.m., and then on for another mile, when at a.m. we camped by a little sloping berg. blackie, one of wild's dogs, fell lame and could neither pull nor keep up with the party even when relieved of his harness, so had to be shot. nine p.m. that night, the th, saw us on the march again. the first yds. took us about five hours to cross, owing to the amount of breaking down of pressure-ridges and filling in of leads that was required. the surface, too, was now very soft, so our progress was slow and tiring. we managed to get another three-quarters of a mile before lunch, and a further mile due west over a very hummocky floe before we camped at . a.m. greenstreet and macklin killed and brought in a huge weddell seal weighing about lbs., and two emperor penguins made a welcome addition to our larder. i climbed a small tilted berg nearby. the country immediately ahead was much broken up. great open leads intersected the floes at all angles, and it all looked very unpromising. wild and i went out prospecting as usual, but it seemed too broken to travel over. "december .--after a further reconnaissance the ice ahead proved quite un-negotiable, so at . p.m. last night, to the intense disappointment of all, instead of forging ahead, we had to retire half a mile so as to get on a stronger floe, and by p.m. we had camped and all hands turned in again. the extra sleep was much needed, however disheartening the check may be." during the night a crack formed right across the floe, so we hurriedly shifted to a strong old floe about a mile and a half to the east of our present position. the ice all around was now too broken and soft to sledge over, and yet there was not sufficient open water to allow us to launch the boats with any degree of safety. we had been on the march for seven days; rations were short and the men were weak. they were worn out with the hard pulling over soft surfaces, and our stock of sledging food was very small. we had marched seven and a half miles in a direct line and at this rate it would take us over three hundred days to reach the land away to the west. as we only had food for forty-two days there was no alternative, therefore, but to camp once more on the floe and to possess our souls with what patience we could till conditions should appear more favourable for a renewal of the attempt to escape. to this end, we stacked our surplus provisions, the reserve sledging rations being kept lashed on the sledges, and brought what gear we could from our but lately deserted ocean camp. our new home, which we were to occupy for nearly three and a half months, we called "patience camp." chapter vii patience camp the apathy which seemed to take possession of some of the men at the frustration of their hopes was soon dispelled. parties were sent out daily in different directions to look for seals and penguins. we had left, other than reserve sledging rations, about lbs. of pemmican, including the dog-pemmican, and lbs. of flour. in addition there was a little tea, sugar, dried vegetables, and suet. i sent hurley and macklin to ocean camp to bring back the food that we had had to leave there. they returned with quite a good load, including lbs. of dry milk, about lbs. each of dog-pemmican and jam, and a few tins of potted meats. when they were about a mile and a half away their voices were quite audible to us at ocean camp, so still was the air. we were, of course, very short of the farinaceous element in our diet. the flour would last ten weeks. after that our sledging rations would last us less than three months. our meals had to consist mainly of seal and penguin; and though this was valuable as an anti-scorbutic, so much so that not a single case of scurvy occurred amongst the party, yet it was a badly adjusted diet, and we felt rather weak and enervated in consequence. "the cook deserves much praise for the way he has stuck to his job through all this severe blizzard. his galley consists of nothing but a few boxes arranged as a table, with a canvas screen erected around them on four oars and the two blubber-stoves within. the protection afforded by the screen is only partial, and the eddies drive the pungent blubber-smoke in all directions." after a few days we were able to build him an igloo of ice-blocks, with a tarpaulin over the top as a roof. "our rations are just sufficient to keep us alive, but we all feel that we could eat twice as much as we get. an average day's food at present consists of ½ lb. of seal with ¾ pint of tea for breakfast, a - oz. bannock with milk for lunch, and ¾ pint of seal stew for supper. that is barely enough, even doing very little work as we are, for of course we are completely destitute of bread or potatoes or anything of that sort. some seem to feel it more than others and are continually talking of food; but most of us find that the continual conversation about food only whets an appetite that cannot be satisfied. our craving for bread and butter is very real, not because we cannot get it, but because the system feels the need of it." owing to this shortage of food and the fact that we needed all that we could get for ourselves, i had to order all the dogs except two teams to be shot. it was the worst job that we had had throughout the expedition, and we felt their loss keenly. i had to be continually rearranging the weekly menu. the possible number of permutations of seal meat were decidedly limited. the fact that the men did not know what was coming gave them a sort of mental speculation, and the slightest variation was of great value. "we caught an adelie to-day (january ) and another whale was seen at close quarters, but no seals. "we are now very short of blubber, and in consequence one stove has to be shut down. we only get one hot beverage a day, the tea at breakfast. for the rest we have iced water. sometimes we are short even of this, so we take a few chips of ice in a tobacco-tin to bed with us. in the morning there is about a spoonful of water in the tin, and one has to lie very still all night so as not to spill it." to provide some variety in the food, i commenced to use the sledging ration at half strength twice a week. the ice between us and ocean camp, now only about five miles away and actually to the south-west of us, was very broken, but i decided to send macklin and hurley back with their dogs to see if there was any more food that could be added to our scanty stock. i gave them written instructions to take no undue risk or cross any wide-open leads, and said that they were to return by midday the next day. although they both fell through the thin ice up to their waists more than once, they managed to reach the camp. they found the surface soft and sunk about two feet. ocean camp, they said, "looked like a village that had been razed to the ground and deserted by its inhabitants." the floor-boards forming the old tent-bottoms had prevented the sun from thawing the snow directly underneath them, and were in consequence raised about two feet above the level of the surrounding floe. the storehouse next the galley had taken on a list of several degrees to starboard, and pools of water had formed everywhere. they collected what food they could find and packed a few books in a venesta sledging- case, returning to patience camp by about p.m. i was pleased at their quick return, and as their report seemed to show that the road was favourable, on february i sent back eighteen men under wild to bring all the remainder of the food and the third boat, the 'stancomb wills'. they started off at a.m., towing the empty boat-sledge on which the 'james caird' had rested, and reached ocean camp about . a.m. "we stayed about three hours at the camp, mounting the boat on the sledge, collecting eatables, clothing, and books. we left at a.m., arriving back at patience camp with the boat at . p.m., taking exactly three times as long to return with the boat as it did to pull in the empty sledge to fetch it. on the return journey we had numerous halts while the pioneer party of four were busy breaking down pressure- ridges and filling in open cracks with ice-blocks, as the leads were opening up. the sun had softened the surface a good deal, and in places it was terribly hard pulling. every one was a bit exhausted by the time we got back, as we are not now in good training and are on short rations. every now and then the heavy sledge broke through the ice altogether and was practically afloat. we had an awful job to extricate it, exhausted as we were. the longest distance which we managed to make without stopping for leads or pressure-ridges was about three quarters of a mile. "about a mile from patience camp we had a welcome surprise. sir ernest and hussey sledged out to meet us with dixies of hot tea, well wrapped up to keep them warm. "one or two of the men left behind had cut a moderately good track for us into the camp, and they harnessed themselves up with us, and we got in in fine style. "one excellent result of our trip was the recovery of two cases of lentils weighing lbs. each." the next day i sent macklin and crean back to make a further selection of the gear, but they found that several leads had opened up during the night, and they had to return when within a mile and a half of their destination. we were never able to reach ocean camp again. still, there was very little left there that would have been of use to us. by the middle of february the blubber question was a serious one. i had all the discarded seals' heads and flippers dug up and stripped of every vestige of blubber. meat was very short too. we still had our three months' supply of sledging food practically untouched; we were only to use this as a last resort. we had a small supply of dog- pemmican, the dogs that were left being fed on those parts of the seals that we could not use. this dog-pemmican we fried in suet with a little flour and made excellent bannocks. our meat supply was now very low indeed; we were reduced to just a few scraps. fortunately, however, we caught two seals and four emperor penguins, and next day forty adelies. we had now only forty days' food left, and the lack of blubber was being keenly felt. all our suet was used up, so we used seal-blubber to fry the meat in. once we were used to its fishy taste we enjoyed it; in fact, like oliver twist, we wanted more. on leap year day, february , we held a special celebration, more to cheer the men up than for anything else. some of the cynics of the party held that it was to celebrate their escape from woman's wiles for another four years. the last of our cocoa was used to-day. henceforth water, with an occasional drink of weak milk, is to be our only beverage. three lumps of sugar were now issued to each man daily. one night one of the dogs broke loose and played havoc with our precious stock of bannocks. he ate four and half of a fifth before he could be stopped. the remaining half, with the marks of the dog's teeth on it, i gave to worsley, who divided it up amongst his seven tent-mates; they each received about half a square inch. lees, who was in charge of the food and responsible for its safe keeping, wrote in his diary: "the shorter the provisions the more there is to do in the commissariat department, contriving to eke out our slender stores as the weeks pass by. no housewife ever had more to do than we have in making a little go a long way. "writing about the bannock that peter bit makes one wish now that one could have many a meal that one has given to the dog at home. when one is hungry, fastidiousness goes to the winds and one is only too glad to eat up any scraps regardless of their antecedents. one is almost ashamed to write of all the titbits one has picked up here, but it is enough to say that when the cook upset some pemmican on to an old sooty cloth and threw it outside his galley, one man subsequently made a point of acquiring it and scraping off the palatable but dirty compound." another man searched for over an hour in the snow where he had dropped a piece of cheese some days before, in the hopes of finding a few crumbs. he was rewarded by coming across a piece as big as his thumb- nail, and considered it well worth the trouble. by this time blubber was a regular article of our diet--either raw, boiled, or fried. "it is remarkable how our appetites have changed in this respect. until quite recently almost the thought of it was nauseating. now, however, we positively demand it. the thick black oil which is rendered down from it, rather like train-oil in appearance and cod-liver oil in taste, we drink with avidity." we had now about enough farinaceous food for two meals all round, and sufficient seal to last for a month. our forty days' reserve sledging rations, packed on the sledges, we wished to keep till the last. but, as one man philosophically remarked in his diary: "it will do us all good to be hungry like this, for we will appreciate so much more the good things when we get home." seals and penguins now seemed to studiously avoid us, and on taking stock of our provisions on march i found that we had only sufficient meat to last us for ten days, and the blubber would not last that time even, so one biscuit had to be our midday meal. our meals were now practically all seal meat, with one biscuit at midday; and i calculated that at this rate, allowing for a certain number of seals and penguins being caught, we could last for nearly six months. we were all very weak though, and as soon as it appeared likely that we should leave our floe and take to the boats i should have to considerably increase the ration. one day a huge sea-leopard climbed on to the floe and attacked one of the men. wild, hearing the shouting, ran out and shot it. when it was cut up, we found in its stomach several undigested fish. these we fried in some of its blubber, and so had our only "fresh" fish meal during the whole of our drift on the ice. "as fuel is so scarce we have had to resort to melting ice for drinking-water in tins against our bodies, and we treat the tins of dog- pemmican for breakfast similarly by keeping them in our sleeping-bags all night. "the last two teams of dogs were shot to-day (april ) the carcasses being dressed for food. we had some of the dog-meat cooked, and it was not at all bad--just like beef, but, of course, very tough." on april we killed two seals, and this, with the sea-leopard of a few days before, enabled us to slightly increase our ration. everybody now felt much happier; such is the psychological effect of hunger appeased. on cold days a few strips of raw blubber were served out to all hands, and it is wonderful how it fortified us against the cold. our stock of forty days' sledging rations remained practically untouched, but once in the boats they were used at full strength. when we first settled down at patience camp the weather was very mild. new year's eve, however, was foggy and overcast, with some snow, and next day, though the temperature rose to ° fahr., it was "abominably cold and wet underfoot." as a rule, during the first half of january the weather was comparatively warm, so much so that we could dispense with our mitts and work outside for quite long periods with bare hands. up till the th it was exasperatingly warm and calm. this meant that our drift northwards, which was almost entirely dependent on the wind, was checked. a light southerly breeze on the th raised all our hopes, and as the temperature was dropping we were looking forward to a period of favourable winds and a long drift north. on the th it had developed into a howling south-westerly gale, rising next day to a regular blizzard with much drift. no one left the shelter of his tent except to feed the dogs, fetch the meals from the galley for his tent, or when his turn as watchman came round. for six days this lasted, when the drift subsided somewhat, though the southerly wind continued, and we were able to get a glimpse of the sun. this showed us to have drifted miles north in six days, the longest drift we had made. for weeks we had remained on the th parallel, and it seemed as though some obstruction was preventing us from passing it. by this amazing leap, however, we had crossed the antarctic circle, and were now miles from the nearest land to the west of us--snow hill-- and miles from the south orkneys, the first land directly to the north of us. as if to make up for this, an equally strong north-easterly wind sprang up next day, and not only stopped our northward drift but set us back three miles to the south. as usual, high temperatures and wet fog accompanied these northerly winds, though the fog disappeared on the afternoon of january , and we had the unusual spectacle of bright hot sun with a north-easterly wind. it was as hot a day as we had ever had. the temperature was ° fahr. in the shade and nearly ° fahr. inside the tents. this had an awful effect on the surface, covering it with pools and making it very treacherous to walk upon. ten days of northerly winds rather damped our spirits, but a strong southerly wind on february , backing later, to south-east, carried us north again. high temperatures and northerly winds soon succeeded this, so that our average rate of northerly drift was about a mile a day in february. throughout the month the diaries record alternately "a wet day, overcast and mild," and "bright and cold with light southerly winds." the wind was now the vital factor with us and the one topic of any real interest. the beginning of march brought cold, damp, calm weather, with much wet snow and overcast skies. the effect of the weather on our mental state was very marked. all hands felt much more cheerful on a bright sunny day, and looked forward with much more hope to the future, than when it was dull and overcast. this had a much greater effect than an increase in rations. a south-easterly gale on the th lasting for five days sent us twenty miles north, and from now our good fortune, as far as the wind was concerned, never left us for any length of time. on the th we experienced the worst blizzard we had had up to that time, though worse were to come after landing on elephant island. thick snow fell, making it impossible to see the camp from thirty yards off. to go outside for a moment entailed getting covered all over with fine powdery snow, which required a great deal of brushing off before one could enter again. as the blizzard eased up, the temperature dropped and it became bitterly cold. in our weak condition, with torn, greasy clothes, we felt these sudden variations in temperature much more than we otherwise would have done. a calm, clear, magnificently warm day followed, and next day came a strong southerly blizzard. drifts four feet deep covered everything, and we had to be continually digging up our scanty stock of meat to prevent its being lost altogether. we had taken advantage of the previous fine day to attempt to thaw out our blankets, which were frozen stiff and could be held out like pieces of sheet- iron; but on this day, and for the next two or three also, it was impossible to do anything but get right inside one's frozen sleeping- bag to try and get warm. too cold to read or sew, we had to keep our hands well inside, and pass the time in conversation with each other. "the temperature was not strikingly low as temperatures go down here, but the terrific winds penetrate the flimsy fabric of our fragile tents and create so much draught that it is impossible to keep warm within. at supper last night our drinking-water froze over in the tin in the tent before we could drink it. it is curious how thirsty we all are." two days of brilliant warm sunshine succeeded these cold times, and on march we experienced, to us, the most amazing weather. it began to rain hard, and it was the first rain that we had seen since we left south georgia sixteen months ago. we regarded, it as our first touch with civilization, and many of the men longed for the rain and fogs of london. strong south winds with dull, overcast skies and occasional high temperatures were now our lot till april , when the mist lifted and we could make out what appeared to be land to the north. although the general drift of our ice-floe had indicated to us that we must eventually drift north, our progress in that direction was not by any means uninterrupted. we were at the mercy of the wind, and could no more control our drift than we could control the weather. a long spell of calm, still weather at the beginning of january caused us some anxiety by keeping us at about the latitude that we were in at the beginning of december. towards the end of january, however, a long drift of eighty-four miles in a blizzard cheered us all up. this soon stopped and we began a slight drift to the east. our general drift now slowed up considerably, and by february we were still eighty miles from paulet island, which now was our objective. there was a hut there and some stores which had been taken down by the ship which went to the rescue of nordenskjold's expedition in , and whose fitting out and equipment i had charge of. we remarked amongst ourselves what a strange turn of fate it would be if the very cases of provisions which i had ordered and sent out so many years before were now to support us during the coming winter. but this was not to be. march found us about forty miles south of the longitude of paulet island, but well to the east of it; and as the ice was still too much broken up to sledge over, it appeared as if we should be carried past it. by march we were exactly on a level with paulet island but sixty miles to the east. it might have been six hundred for all the chance that we had of reaching it by sledging across the broken sea-ice in its present condition. our thoughts now turned to the danger islands, thirty-five miles away. "it seems that we are likely to drift up and down this coast from south- west to north-east and back again for some time yet before we finally clear the point of joinville island; until we do we cannot hope for much opening up, as the ice must be very congested against the south- east coast of the island, otherwise our failure to respond to the recent south-easterly gale cannot be well accounted for. in support of this there has been some very heavy pressure on the north-east side, of our floe, one immense block being up-ended to a height of ft. we saw a dominican gull fly over to-day, the first we have seen since leaving south georgia; it is another sign of our proximity to land. we cut steps in this -ft. slab, and it makes a fine look-out. when the weather clears we confidently expect to see land." a heavy blizzard obscured our view till march . "'land in sight' was reported this morning. we were sceptical, but this afternoon it showed up unmistakably to the west, and there can be no further doubt about it. it is joinville island, and its serrated mountain ranges, all snow- clad, are just visible on the horizon. this barren, inhospitable- looking land would be a haven of refuge to us if we could but reach it. it would be ridiculous to make the attempt though, with the ice all broken up as it is. it is too loose and broken to march over, yet not open enough to be able to launch the boats." for the next two or three days we saw ourselves slowly drifting past the land, longing to reach it yet prevented from doing so by the ice between, and towards the end of march we saw mount haddington fade away into the distance. our hopes were now centred on elephant island or clarence island, which lay miles almost due north of us. if we failed to reach either of them we might try for south georgia, but our chances of reaching it would be very small. chapter viii escape from the ice on april at daylight the long-desired peak of clarence island came into view, bearing nearly north from our camp. at first it had the appearance of a huge berg, but with the growing light we could see plainly the black lines of scree and the high, precipitous cliffs of the island, which were miraged up to some extent. the dark rocks in the white snow were a pleasant sight. so long had our eyes looked on icebergs that apparently grew or dwindled according to the angles at which the shadows were cast by the sun; so often had we discovered rocky islands and brought in sight the peaks of joinville land, only to find them, after some change of wind or temperature, floating away as nebulous cloud or ordinary berg; that not until worsley, wild, and hurley had unanimously confirmed my observation was i satisfied that i was really looking at clarence island. the land was still more than sixty miles away, but it had to our eyes something of the appearance of home, since we expected to find there our first solid footing after all the long months of drifting on the unstable ice. we had adjusted ourselves to the life on the floe, but our hopes had been fixed all the time on some possible landing-place. as one hope failed to materialize, our anticipations fed themselves on another. our drifting home had no rudder to guide it, no sail to give it speed. we were dependent upon the caprice of wind and current; we went whither those irresponsible forces listed. the longing to feel solid earth under our feet filled our hearts. in the full daylight clarence island ceased to look like land and had the appearance of a berg of more than eight or ten miles away, so deceptive are distances in the clear air of the antarctic. the sharp white peaks of elephant island showed to the west of north a little later in the day. "i have stopped issuing sugar now, and our meals consist of seal meat and blubber only, with ozs. of dried milk per day for the party," i wrote. "each man receives a pinch of salt, and the milk is boiled up to make hot drinks for all hands. the diet suits us, since we cannot get much exercise on the floe and the blubber supplies heat. fried slices of blubber seem to our taste to resemble crisp bacon. it certainly is no hardship to eat it, though persons living under civilized conditions probably would shudder at it. the hardship would come if we were unable to get it." i think that the palate of the human animal can adjust itself to anything. some creatures will die before accepting a strange diet if deprived of their natural food. the yaks of the himalayan uplands must feed from the growing grass, scanty and dry though it may be, and would starve even if allowed the best oats and corn. "we still have the dark water-sky of the last week with us to the south-west and west, round to the north-east. we are leaving all the bergs to the west and there are few within our range of vision now. the swell is more marked to-day, and i feel sure we are at the verge of the floe-ice. one strong gale, followed by a calm would scatter the pack, i think, and then we could push through. i have been thinking much of our prospects. the appearance of clarence island after our long drift seems, somehow, to convey an ultimatum. the island is the last outpost of the south and our final chance of a landing-place. beyond it lies the broad atlantic. our little boats may be compelled any day now to sail unsheltered over the open sea with a thousand leagues of ocean separating them from the land to the north and east. it seems vital that we shall land on clarence island or its neighbour, elephant island. the latter island has attraction for us, although as far as i know nobody has ever landed there. its name suggests the presence of the plump and succulent sea-elephant. we have an increasing desire in any case to get firm ground under our feet. the floe has been a good friend to us, but it is reaching the end of its journey, and it is liable at any time now to break up and fling us into the unplumbed sea." a little later, after reviewing the whole situation in the light of our circumstances, i made up my mind that we should try to reach deception island. the relative positions of clarence, elephant, and deception islands can be seen on the chart. the two islands first named lay comparatively near to us and were separated by some eighty miles of water from prince george island, which was about miles away from our camp on the berg. from this island a chain of similar islands extends westward, terminating in deception island. the channels separating these desolate patches of rock and ice are from ten to fifteen miles wide. but we knew from the admiralty sailing directions that there were stores for the use of shipwrecked mariners on deception island, and it was possible that the summer whalers had not yet deserted its harbour. also we had learned from our scanty records that a small church had been erected there for the benefit of the transient whalers. the existence of this building would mean to us a supply of timber, from which, if dire necessity urged us, we could construct a reasonably seaworthy boat. we had discussed this point during our drift on the floe. two of our boats were fairly strong, but the third, the 'james caird', was light, although a little longer than the others. all of them were small for the navigation of these notoriously stormy seas, and they would be heavily loaded, so a voyage in open water would be a serious undertaking. i fear that the carpenter's fingers were already itching to convert pews into topsides and decks. in any case, the worst that could befall us when we had reached deception island would be a wait until the whalers returned about the middle of november. another bit of information gathered from the records of the west side of the weddell sea related to prince george island. the admiralty "sailing directions," referring to the south shetlands, mentioned a cave on this island. none of us had seen that cave or could say if it was large or small, wet or dry; but as we drifted on our floe and later, when navigating the treacherous leads and making our uneasy night camps, that cave seemed to my fancy to be a palace which in contrast would dim the splendours of versailles. the swell increased that night and the movement of the ice became more pronounced. occasionally a neighbouring floe would hammer against the ice on which we were camped, and the lesson of these blows was plain to read. we must get solid ground under our feet quickly. when the vibration ceased after a heavy surge, my thoughts flew round to the problem ahead. if the party had not numbered more than six men a solution would not have been so hard to find; but obviously the transportation of the whole party to a place of safety, with the limited means at our disposal, was going to be a matter of extreme difficulty. there were twenty-eight men on our floating cake of ice, which was steadily dwindling under the influence of wind, weather, charging floes, and heavy swell. i confess that i felt the burden of responsibility sit heavily on my shoulders; but, on the other hand, i was stimulated and cheered by the attitude of the men. loneliness is the penalty of leadership, but the man who has to make the decisions is assisted greatly if he feels that there is no uncertainty in the minds of those who follow him, and that his orders will be carried out confidently and in expectation of success. the sun was shining in the blue sky on the following morning (april ). clarence island showed clearly on the horizon, and elephant island could also be distinguished. the single snow-clad peak of clarence island stood up as a beacon of safety, though the most optimistic imagination could not make an easy path of the ice and ocean that separated us from that giant, white and austere. "the pack was much looser this morning, and the long rolling swell from the north-east is more pronounced than it was yesterday. the floes rise and fall with the surge of the sea. we evidently are drifting with the surface current, for all the heavier masses of floe, bergs, and hummocks are being left behind. there has been some discussion in the camp as to the advisability of making one of the bergs our home for the time being and drifting with it to the west. the idea is not sound. i cannot be sure that the berg would drift in the right direction. if it did move west and carried us into the open water, what would be our fate when we tried to launch the boats down the steep sides of the berg in the sea-swell after the surrounding floes had left us? one must reckon, too, the chance of the berg splitting or even overturning during our stay. it is not possible to gauge the condition of a big mass of ice by surface appearance. the ice may have a fault, and when the wind, current, and swell set up strains and tensions, the line of weakness may reveal itself suddenly and disastrously. no, i do not like the idea of drifting on a berg. we must stay on our floe till conditions improve and then make another attempt to advance towards the land." at . p.m. a particularly heavy shock went through our floe. the watchman and other members of the party made an immediate inspection and found a crack right under the 'james caird' and between the other two boats and the main camp. within five minutes the boats were over the crack and close to the tents. the trouble was not caused by a blow from another floe. we could see that the piece of ice we occupied had slewed and now presented its long axis towards the oncoming swell. the floe, therefore, was pitching in the manner of a ship, and it had cracked across when the swell lifted the centre, leaving the two ends comparatively unsupported. we were now on a triangular raft of ice, the three sides measuring, roughly, , , and yds. night came down dull and overcast, and before midnight the wind had freshened from the west. we could see that the pack was opening under the influence of wind, wave, and current, and i felt that the time for launching the boats was near at hand. indeed, it was obvious that even if the conditions were unfavourable for a start during the coming day, we could not safely stay on the floe many hours longer. the movement of the ice in the swell was increasing, and the floe might split right under our camp. we had made preparations for quick action if anything of the kind occurred. our case would be desperate if the ice broke into small pieces not large enough to support our party and not loose enough to permit the use of the boats. the following day was sunday (april ), but it proved no day of rest for us. many of the important events of our expedition occurred on sundays, and this particular day was to see our forced departure from the floe on which we had lived for nearly six months, and the start of our journeyings in the boats. "this has been an eventful day. the morning was fine, though somewhat overcast by stratus and cumulus clouds; moderate south-south-westerly and south-easterly breezes. we hoped that with this wind the ice would drift nearer to clarence island. at a.m. lanes of water and leads could be seen on the horizon to the west. the ice separating us from the lanes was loose, but did not appear to be workable for the boats. the long swell from the north-west was coming in more freely than on the previous day and was driving the floes together in the utmost confusion. the loose brash between the masses of ice was being churned to mudlike consistency, and no boat could have lived in the channels that opened and closed around us. our own floe was suffering in the general disturbance, and after breakfast i ordered the tents to be struck and everything prepared for an immediate start when the boats could be launched." i had decided to take the 'james caird' myself, with wild and eleven men. this was the largest of our boats, and in addition to her human complement she carried the major portion of the stores. worsley had charge of the 'dudley docker' with nine men, and hudson and crean were the senior men on the 'stancomb wills'. soon after breakfast the ice closed again. we were standing by, with our preparations as complete as they could be made, when at a.m. our floe suddenly split right across under the boats. we rushed our gear on to the larger of the two pieces and watched with strained attention for the next development. the crack had cut through the site of my tent. i stood on the edge of the new fracture, and, looking across the widening channel of water, could see the spot where for many months my head and shoulders had rested when i was in my sleeping-bag. the depression formed by my body and legs was on our side of the crack. the ice had sunk under my weight during the months of waiting in the tent, and i had many times put snow under the bag to fill the hollow. the lines of stratification showed clearly the different layers of snow. how fragile and precarious had been our resting-place! yet usage had dulled our sense of danger. the floe had become our home, and during the early months of the drift we had almost ceased to realize that it was but a sheet of ice floating on unfathomed seas. now our home was being shattered under our feet, and we had a sense of loss and incompleteness hard to describe. the fragments of our floe came together again a little later, and we had our lunch of seal meat, all hands eating their fill. i thought that a good meal would be the best possible preparation for the journey that now seemed imminent, and as we would not be able to take all our meat with us when we finally moved, we could regard every pound eaten as a pound rescued. the call to action came at p.m. the pack opened well and the channels became navigable. the conditions were not all one could have desired, but it was best not to wait any longer. the 'dudley docker' and the 'stancomb wills' were launched quickly. stores were thrown in, and the two boats were pulled clear of the immediate floes towards a pool of open water three miles broad, in which floated a lone and mighty berg. the 'james caird' was the last boat to leave, heavily loaded with stores and odds and ends of camp equipment. many things regarded by us as essentials at that time were to be discarded a little later as the pressure of the primitive became more severe. man can sustain life with very scanty means. the trappings of civilization are soon cast aside in the face of stern realities, and given the barest opportunity of winning food and shelter, man can live and even find his laughter ringing true. the three boats were a mile away from our floe home at p.m. we had made our way through the channels and had entered the big pool when we saw a rush of foam-clad water and tossing ice approaching us, like the tidal bore of a river. the pack was being impelled to the east by a tide-rip, and two huge masses of ice were driving down upon us on converging courses. the 'james caird' was leading. starboarding the helm and bending strongly to the oars, we managed to get clear. the two other boats followed us, though from their position astern at first they had not realized the immediate danger. the 'stancomb wills' was the last boat and she was very nearly caught, but by great exertion she was kept just ahead of the driving ice. it was an unusual and startling experience. the effect of tidal action on ice is not often as marked as it was that day. the advancing ice, accompanied by a large wave, appeared to be travelling at about three knots; and if we had not succeeded in pulling clear we would certainly have been swamped. we pulled hard for an hour to windward of the berg that lay in the open water. the swell was crashing on its perpendicular sides and throwing spray to a height of sixty feet. evidently there was an ice- foot at the east end, for the swell broke before it reached the berg- face and flung its white spray on to the blue ice-wall. we might have paused to have admired the spectacle under other conditions; but night was coming on apace, and we needed a camping-place. as we steered north-west, still amid the ice-floes, the 'dudley docker' got jammed between two masses while attempting to make a short cut. the old adage about a short cut being the longest way round is often as true in the antarctic as it is in the peaceful countryside. the 'james caird' got a line aboard the 'dudley docker', and after some hauling the boat was brought clear of the ice again. we hastened forward in the twilight in search of a flat, old floe, and presently found a fairly large piece rocking in the swell. it was not an ideal camping-place by any means, but darkness had overtaken us. we hauled the boats up, and by p.m. had the tents pitched and the blubber-stove burning cheerily. soon all hands were well fed and happy in their tents, and snatches of song came to me as i wrote up my log. some intangible feeling of uneasiness made me leave my tent about p.m. that night and glance around the quiet camp. the stars between the snow-flurries showed that the floe had swung round and was end on to the swell, a position exposing it to sudden strains. i started to walk across the floe in order to warn the watchman to look carefully for cracks, and as i was passing the men's tent the floe lifted on the crest of a swell and cracked right under my feet. the men were in one of the dome-shaped tents, and it began to stretch apart as the ice opened. a muffled sound, suggestive of suffocation, came from beneath the stretching tent. i rushed forward, helped some emerging men from under the canvas, and called out, "are you all right?" "there are two in the water," somebody answered. the crack had widened to about four feet, and as i threw myself down at the edge, i saw a whitish object floating in the water. it was a sleeping-bag with a man inside. i was able to grasp it, and with a heave lifted man and bag on to the floe. a few seconds later the ice-edges came together again with tremendous force. fortunately, there had been but one man in the water, or the incident might have been a tragedy. the rescued bag contained holness, who was wet down to the waist but otherwise unscathed. the crack was now opening again. the 'james caird' and my tent were on one side of the opening and the remaining two boats and the rest of the camp on the other side. with two or three men to help me i struck my tent; then all hands manned the painter and rushed the 'james caird' across the opening crack. we held to the rope while, one by one, the men left on our side of the floe jumped the channel or scrambled over by means of the boat. finally i was left alone. the night had swallowed all the others and the rapid movement of the ice forced me to let go the painter. for a moment i felt that my piece of rocking floe was the loneliest place in the world. peering into the darkness; i could just see the dark figures on the other floe. i hailed wild, ordering him to launch the 'stancomb wills', but i need not have troubled. his quick brain had anticipated the order and already the boat was being manned and hauled to the ice-edge. two or three minutes later she reached me, and i was ferried across to the camp. we were now on a piece of flat ice about ft. long and ft. wide. there was no more sleep for any of us that night. the killers were blowing in the lanes around, and we waited for daylight and watched for signs of another crack in the ice. the hours passed with laggard feet as we stood huddled together or walked to and fro in the effort to keep some warmth in our bodies. we lit the blubber-stove at a.m., and with pipes going and a cup of hot milk for each man, we were able to discover some bright spots in our outlook. at any rate, we were on the move at last, and if dangers and difficulties lay ahead we could meet and overcome them. no longer were we drifting helplessly at the mercy of wind and current. the first glimmerings of dawn came at a.m., and i waited anxiously for the full daylight. the swell was growing, and at times our ice was surrounded closely by similar pieces. at . a.m. we had hot hoosh, and then stood by waiting for the pack to open. our chance came at , when we launched the boats, loaded them, and started to make our way through the lanes in a northerly direction. the 'james caird' was in the lead, with the 'stancomb wills' next and the 'dudley docker' bringing up the rear. in order to make the boats more seaworthy we had left some of our shovels, picks, and dried vegetables on the floe, and for a long time we could see the abandoned stores forming a dark spot on the ice. the boats were still heavily loaded. we got out of the lanes, and entered a stretch of open water at a.m. a strong easterly breeze was blowing, but the fringe of pack lying outside protected us from the full force of the swell, just as the coral-reef of a tropical island checks the rollers of the pacific. our way was across the open sea, and soon after noon we swung round the north end of the pack and laid a course to the westward, the 'james caird' still in the lead. immediately our deeply laden boats began to make heavy weather. they shipped sprays, which, freezing as they fell, covered men and gear with ice, and soon it was clear that we could not safely proceed. i put the 'james caird' round and ran for the shelter of the pack again, the other boats following. back inside the outer line of ice the sea was not breaking. this was at p.m., and all hands were tired and cold. a big floeberg resting peacefully ahead caught my eye, and half an hour later we had hauled up the boats and pitched camp for the night. it was a fine, big, blue berg with an attractively solid appearance, and from our camp we could get a good view of the surrounding sea and ice. the highest point was about ft. above sea- level. after a hot meal all hands, except the watchman, turned in. every one was in need of rest after the troubles of the previous night and the unaccustomed strain of the last thirty-six hours at the oars. the berg appeared well able to withstand the battering of the sea, and too deep and massive to be seriously affected by the swell; but it was not as safe as it looked. about midnight the watchman called me and showed me that the heavy north-westerly swell was undermining the ice. a great piece had broken off within eight feet of my tent. we made what inspection was possible in the darkness, and found that on the westward side of the berg the thick snow covering was yielding rapidly to the attacks of the sea. an ice-foot had formed just under the surface of the water. i decided that there was no immediate danger and did not call the men. the north-westerly wind strengthened during the night. the morning of april was overcast and misty. there was a haze on the horizon, and daylight showed that the pack had closed round our berg, making it impossible in the heavy swell to launch the boats. we could see no sign of the water. numerous whales and killers were blowing between the floes, and cape pigeons, petrels, and fulmars were circling round our berg. the scene from our camp as the daylight brightened was magnificent beyond description, though i must admit that we viewed it with anxiety. heaving hills of pack and floe were sweeping towards us in long undulations, later to be broken here and there by the dark lines that indicated open water. as each swell lifted around our rapidly dissolving berg it drove floe-ice on to the ice- foot, shearing off more of the top snow-covering and reducing the size of our camp. when the floes retreated to attack again the water swirled over the ice-foot, which was rapidly increasing in width. the launching of the boats under such conditions would be difficult. time after time, so often that a track was formed, worsley, wild, and i, climbed to the highest point of the berg and stared out to the horizon in search of a break in the pack. after long hours had dragged past, far away on the lift of the swell there appeared a dark break in the tossing field of ice. aeons seemed to pass, so slowly it approached. i noticed enviously the calm peaceful attitudes of two seals which lolled lazily on a rocking floe. they were at home and had no reason for worry or cause for fear. if they thought at all, i suppose they counted it an ideal day for a joyous journey on the tumbling ice. to us it was a day that seemed likely to lead to no more days. i do not think i had ever before felt the anxiety that belongs leadership quite so keenly. when i looked down at the camp to rest my eyes from the strain of watching the wide white expanse broken by that one black ribbon of open water, i could see that my companions were waiting with more than ordinary interest to learn what i thought about it all. after one particularly heavy collision somebody shouted sharply, "she has cracked in the middle." i jumped off the look-out station and ran to the place the men were examining. there was a crack, but investigation showed it to be a mere surface break in the snow with no indication of a split in the berg itself. the carpenter mentioned calmly that earlier in the day he had actually gone adrift on a fragment of ice. he was standing near the edge of our camping-ground when the ice under his feet parted from the parent mass. a quick jump over the widening gap saved him. the hours dragged on. one of the anxieties in my mind was the possibility that we would be driven by the current through the eighty- mile gap between clarence island and prince george island into the open atlantic; but slowly the open water came nearer, and at noon it had almost reached us. a long lane, narrow but navigable, stretched out to the south-west horizon. our chance came a little later. we rushed our boats over the edge of the reeling berg and swung them clear of the ice- foot as it rose beneath them. the 'james caird' was nearly capsized by a blow from below as the berg rolled away, but she got into deep water. we flung stores and gear aboard and within a few minutes were away. the 'james caird' and 'dudley docker' had good sails and with a favourable breeze could make progress along the lane, with the rolling fields of ice on either side. the swell was heavy and spray was breaking over the ice-floes. an attempt to set a little rag of sail on the 'stancomb wills' resulted in serious delay. the area of sail was too small to be of much assistance, and while the men were engaged in this work the boat drifted down towards the ice-floe, where her position was likely to be perilous. seeing her plight, i sent the 'dudley docker' back for her and tied the 'james caird' up to a piece of ice. the 'dudley docker' had to tow the 'stancomb wills', and the delay cost us two hours of valuable daylight. when i had the three boats together again we continued down the lane, and soon saw a wider stretch of water to the west; it appeared to offer us release from the grip of the pack. at the head of an ice-tongue that nearly closed the gap through which we might enter the open space was a wave-worn berg shaped like some curious antediluvian monster, an icy cerberus guarding the way. it had head and eyes and rolled so heavily that it almost overturned. its sides dipped deep in the sea, and as it rose again the water seemed to be streaming from its eyes, as though it were weeping at our escape from the clutch of the floes. this may seem fanciful to the reader, but the impression was real to us at the time. people living under civilized conditions, surrounded by nature's varied forms of life and by all the familiar work of their own hands, may scarcely realize how quickly the mind, influenced by the eyes, responds to the unusual and weaves about it curious imaginings like the firelight fancies of our childhood days. we had lived long amid the ice, and we half- unconsciously strove to see resemblances to human faces and living forms in the fantastic contours and massively uncouth shapes of berg and floe. at dusk we made fast to a heavy floe, each boat having its painter fastened to a separate hummock in order to avoid collisions in the swell. we landed the blubber-stove, boiled some water in order to provide hot milk, and served cold rations. i also landed the dome tents and stripped the coverings from the hoops. our experience of the previous day in the open sea had shown us that the tents must be packed tightly. the spray had dashed over the bows and turned to ice on the cloth, which had soon grown dangerously heavy. other articles off our scanty equipment had to go that night. we were carrying only the things that had seemed essential, but we stripped now to the barest limit of safety. we had hoped for a quiet night, but presently we were forced to cast off, since pieces of loose ice began to work round the floe. drift-ice is always attracted to the lee side of a heavy floe, where it bumps and presses under the influence of the current. i had determined not to risk a repetition of the last night's experience and so had not pulled the boats up. we spent the hours of darkness keeping an offing from the main line of pack under the lee of the smaller pieces. constant rain and snow squalls blotted out the stars and soaked us through, and at times it was only by shouting to each other that we managed to keep the boats together. there was no sleep for anybody owing to the severe cold, and we dare not pull fast enough to keep ourselves warm since we were unable to see more than a few yards ahead. occasionally the ghostly shadows of silver, snow, and fulmar petrels flashed close to us, and all around we could hear the killers blowing, their short, sharp hisses sounding like sudden escapes of steam. the killers were a source of anxiety, for a boat could easily have been capsized by one of them coming up to blow. they would throw aside in a nonchalant fashion pieces of ice much bigger than our boats when they rose to the surface, and we had an uneasy feeling that the white bottoms of the boats would look like ice from below. shipwrecked mariners drifting in the antarctic seas would be things not dreamed of in the killers' philosophy, and might appear on closer examination to be tasty substitutes for seal and penguin. we certainly regarded the killers with misgivings. early in the morning of april the weather improved and the wind dropped. dawn came with a clear sky, cold and fearless. i looked around at the faces of my companions in the 'james caird' and saw pinched and drawn features. the strain was beginning to tell. wild sat at the rudder with the same calm, confident expression that he would have worn under happier conditions; his steel-blue eyes looked out to the day ahead. all the people, though evidently suffering, were doing their best to be cheerful, and the prospect of a hot breakfast was inspiriting. i told all the boats that immediately we could find a suitable floe the cooker would be started and hot milk and bovril would soon fix everybody up. away we rowed to the westward through open pack, floes of all shapes and sizes on every side of us, and every man not engaged in pulling looking eagerly for a suitable camping-place. i could gauge the desire for food of the different members by the eagerness they displayed in pointing out to me the floes they considered exactly suited to our purpose. the temperature was about ° fahr., and the burberry suits of the rowers crackled as the men bent to the oars. i noticed little fragments of ice and frost falling from arms and bodies. at eight o'clock a decent floe appeared ahead and we pulled up to it. the galley was landed, and soon the welcome steam rose from the cooking food as the blubber-stove flared and smoked. never did a cook work under more anxious scrutiny. worsley, crean, and i stayed in our respective boats to keep them steady and prevent collisions with the floe, since the swell was still running strong, but the other men were able to stretch their cramped limbs and run to and fro "in the kitchen," as somebody put it. the sun was now rising gloriously. the burberry suits were drying and the ice was melting off our beards. the steaming food gave us new vigour, and within three-quarters of an hour we were off again to the west with all sails set. we had given an additional sail to the 'stancomb wills' and she was able to keep up pretty well. we could see that we were on the true pack-edge, with the blue, rolling sea just outside the fringe of ice to the north. white-capped waves vied with the glittering floes in the setting of blue water, and countless seals basked and rolled on every piece of ice big enough to form a raft. we had been making westward with oars and sails since april , and fair easterly winds had prevailed. hopes were running high as to the noon observation for position. the optimists thought that we had done sixty miles towards our goal, and the most cautious guess gave us at least thirty miles. the bright sunshine and the brilliant scene around us may have influenced our anticipations. as noon approached i saw worsley, as navigating officer, balancing himself on the gunwale of the 'dudley docker' with his arm around the mast, ready to snap the sun. he got his observation and we waited eagerly while he worked out the sight. then the 'dudley docker' ranged up alongside the 'james caird' and i jumped into worsley's boat in order to see the result. it was a grievous disappointment. instead of making a good run to the westward we had made a big drift to the south-east. we were actually thirty miles to the east of the position we had occupied when we left the floe on the th. it has been noted by sealers operating in this area that there are often heavy sets to the east in the belgica straits, and no doubt it was one of these sets that we had experienced. the originating cause would be a north-westerly gale off cape horn, producing the swell that had already caused us so much trouble. after a whispered consultation with worsley and wild, i announced that we had not made as much progress as we expected, but i did not inform the hands of our retrograde movement. the question of our course now demanded further consideration. deception island seemed to be beyond our reach. the wind was foul for elephant island, and as the sea was clear to the south-west; i discussed with worsley and wild the advisability of proceeding to hope bay on the mainland of the antarctic continent, now only eighty miles distant. elephant island was the nearest land, but it lay outside the main body of pack, and even if the wind had been fair we would have hesitated at that particular time to face the high sea that was running in the open. we laid a course roughly for hope bay, and the boats moved on again. i gave worsley a line for a berg ahead and told him, if possible, to make fast before darkness set in. this was about three o'clock in the afternoon. we had set sail, and as the 'stancomb wills' could not keep up with the other two boats i took her in tow, not being anxious to repeat the experience of the day we left the reeling berg. the 'dudley docker' went ahead, but came beating down towards us at dusk. worsley had been close to the berg, and he reported that it was unapproachable. it was rolling in the swell and displaying an ugly ice- foot. the news was bad. in the failing light we turned towards a line of pack, and found it so tossed and churned by the sea that no fragment remained big enough to give us an anchorage and shelter. two miles away we could see a larger piece of ice, and to it we managed, after some trouble, to secure the boats. i brought my boat bow on to the floe, whilst howe, with the painter in his hand, stood ready to jump. standing up to watch our chance, while the oars were held ready to back the moment howe had made his leap, i could see that there would be no possibility of getting the galley ashore that night. howe just managed to get a footing on the edge of the floe, and then made the painter fast to a hummock. the other two boats were fastened alongside the 'james caird'. they could not lie astern of us in a line, since cakes of ice came drifting round the floe and gathering under its lee. as it was we spent the next two hours poling off the drifting ice that surged towards us. the blubber-stove could not be used, so we started the primus lamps. there was a rough, choppy sea, and the 'dudley docker' could not get her primus under way, something being adrift. the men in that boat had to wait until the cook on the 'james caird' had boiled up the first pot of milk. the boats were bumping so heavily that i had to slack away the painter of the 'stancomb wills' and put her astern. much ice was coming round the floe and had to be poled off. then the 'dudley docker', being the heavier boat, began to damage the 'james caird', and i slacked the 'dudley docker' away. the 'james caird' remained moored to the ice, with the 'dudley docker' and the 'stancomb wills' in line behind her. the darkness had become complete, and we strained our eye to see the fragments of ice that threatened us. presently we thought we saw a great berg bearing down upon us, its form outlined against the sky, but this startling spectacle resolved itself into a low-lying cloud in front of the rising moon. the moon appeared in a clear sky. the wind shifted to the south-east as the light improved and drove the boats broadside on towards the jagged edge of the floe. we had to cut the painter of the 'james caird' and pole her off, thus losing much valuable rope. there was no time to cast off. then we pushed away from the floe, and all night long we lay in the open, freezing sea, the 'dudley docker' now ahead, the 'james caird' astern of her, and the 'stancomb wills' third in the line. the boats were attached to one another by their painters. most of the time the 'dudley docker' kept the 'james caird' and the 'stancomb wills' up to the swell, and the men who were rowing were in better pass than those in the other boats, waiting inactive for the dawn. the temperature was down to ° below zero, and a film of ice formed on the surface of the sea. when we were not on watch we lay in each other's arms for warmth. our frozen suits thawed where our bodies met, and as the slightest movement exposed these comparatively warm spots to the biting air, we clung motionless, whispering each to his companion our hopes and thoughts. occasionally from an almost clear sky came snow-showers, falling silently on the sea and laying a thin shroud of white over our bodies and our boats. the dawn of april came clear and bright, with occasional passing clouds. most of the men were now looking seriously worn and strained. their lips were cracked and their eyes and eyelids showed red in their salt-encrusted faces. the beards even of the younger men might have been those of patriarchs, for the frost and the salt spray had made them white. i called the 'dudley docker' alongside and found the condition of the people there was no better than in the 'james caird'. obviously we must make land quickly, and i decided to run for elephant island. the wind had shifted fair for that rocky isle, then about one hundred miles away, and the pack that separated us from hope bay had closed up during the night from the south. at p.m. we made a distribution of stores among the three boats, in view of the possibility of their being separated. the preparation of a hot breakfast was out of the question. the breeze was strong and the sea was running high in the loose pack around us. we had a cold meal, and i gave orders that all hands might eat as much as they pleased, this concession being due partly to a realization that we would have to jettison some of our stores when we reached open sea in order to lighten the boats. i hoped, moreover, that a full meal of cold rations would compensate to some extent for the lack of warm food and shelter. unfortunately, some of the men were unable to take advantage of the extra food owing to seasickness. poor fellows, it was bad enough to be huddled in the deeply laden, spray-swept boats, frost-bitten and half- frozen, without having the pangs of seasickness added to the list of their woes. but some smiles were caused even then by the plight of one man, who had a habit of accumulating bits of food against the day of starvation that he seemed always to think was at hand, and who was condemned now to watch impotently while hungry comrades with undisturbed stomachs made biscuits, rations, and sugar disappear with extraordinary rapidity. we ran before the wind through the loose pack, a man in the bow of each boat trying to pole off with a broken oar the lumps of ice that could not be avoided. i regarded speed as essential. sometimes collisions were not averted. the 'james caird' was in the lead, where she bore the brunt of the encounter with lurking fragments, and she was holed above the water-line by a sharp spur of ice, but this mishap did not stay us. later the wind became stronger and we had to reef sails, so as not to strike the ice too heavily. the 'dudley docker' came next to the 'james caird' and the 'stancomb wills' followed. i had given order that the boats should keep or yds. apart, so as to reduce the danger of a collision if one boat was checked by the ice. the pack was thinning, and we came to occasional open areas where thin ice had formed during the night. when we encountered this new ice we had to shake the reef out of the sails in order to force a way through. outside of the pack the wind must have been of hurricane force. thousands of small dead fish were to be seen, killed probably by a cold current and the heavy weather. they floated in the water and lay on the ice, where they had been cast by the waves. the petrels and skua- gulls were swooping down and picking them up like sardines off toast. we made our way through the lanes till at noon we were suddenly spewed out of the pack into the open ocean. dark blue and sapphire green ran the seas. our sails were soon up, and with a fair wind we moved over the waves like three viking ships on the quest of a lost atlantis. with the sheet well out and the sun shining bright above, we enjoyed for a few hours a sense of the freedom and magic of the sea, compensating us for pain and trouble in the days that had passed. at last we were free from the ice, in water that our boats could navigate. thoughts of home, stifled by the deadening weight of anxious days and nights, came to birth once more, and the difficulties that had still to be overcome dwindled in fancy almost to nothing. during the afternoon we had to take a second reef in the sails, for the wind freshened and the deeply laden boats were shipping much water and steering badly in the rising sea. i had laid the course for elephant island and we were making good progress. the 'dudley docker' ran down to me at dusk and worsley suggested that we should stand on all night; but already the 'stancomb wills' was barely discernible among the rollers in the gathering dusk, and i decided that it would be safer to heave to and wait for the daylight. it would never have done for the boats to have become separated from one another during the night. the party must be kept together, and, moreover, i thought it possible that we might overrun our goal in the darkness and not be able to return. so we made a sea-anchor of oars and hove to, the 'dudley docker' in the lead, since she had the longest painter. the 'james caird' swung astern of the 'dudley docker' and the 'stancomb wills' again had the third place. we ate a cold meal and did what little we could to make things comfortable for the hours of darkness. rest was not for us. during the greater part of the night the sprays broke over the boats and froze in masses of ice, especially at the stern and bows. this ice had to be broken away in order to prevent the boats growing too heavy. the temperature was below zero and the wind penetrated our clothes and chilled us almost unbearably. i doubted if all the men would survive that night. one of our troubles was lack of water. we had emerged so suddenly from the pack into the open sea that we had not had time to take aboard ice for melting in the cookers, and without ice we could not have hot food. the 'dudley docker' had one lump of ice weighing about ten pounds, and this was shared out among all hands. we sucked small pieces and got a little relief from thirst engendered by the salt spray, but at the same time we reduced our bodily heat. the condition of most of the men was pitiable. all of us had swollen mouths and we could hardly touch the food. i longed intensely for the dawn. i called out to the other boats at intervals during the night, asking how things were with them. the men always managed to reply cheerfully. one of the people on the 'stancomb wills' shouted, "we are doing all right, but i would like some dry mitts." the jest brought a smile to cracked lips. he might as well have asked for the moon. the only dry things aboard the boats were swollen mouths and burning tongues. thirst is one of the troubles that confront the traveller in polar regions. ice may be plentiful on every hand, but it does not become drinkable until it is melted, and the amount that may be dissolved in the mouth is limited. we had been thirsty during the days of heavy pulling in the pack, and our condition was aggravated quickly by the salt spray. our sleeping-bags would have given us some warmth, but they were not within our reach. they were packed under the tents in the bows, where a mail-like coating of ice enclosed them, and we were so cramped that we could not pull them out. at last daylight came, and with the dawn the weather cleared and the wind fell to a gentle south-westerly breeze. a magnificent sunrise heralded in what we hoped would be our last day in the boats. rose- pink in the growing light, the lofty peak of clarence island told of the coming glory of the sun. the sky grew blue above us and the crests of the waves sparkled cheerfully. as soon as it was light enough we chipped and scraped the ice off the bows and sterns. the rudders had been unshipped during the night in order to avoid the painters catching them. we cast off our ice-anchor and pulled the oars aboard. they had grown during the night to the thickness of telegraph-poles while rising and falling in the freezing seas, and had to be chipped clear before they could be brought inboard. we were dreadfully thirsty now. we found that we could get momentary relief by chewing pieces of raw seal meat and swallowing the blood, but thirst came back with redoubled force owing to the saltness of the flesh. i gave orders, therefore, that meat was to be served out only at stated intervals during the day or when thirst seemed to threaten the reason of any particular individual. in the full daylight elephant island showed cold and severe to the north-north-west. the island was on the bearings that worsley had laid down, and i congratulated him on the accuracy of his navigation under difficult circumstances, with two days dead reckoning while following a devious course through the pack- ice and after drifting during two nights at the mercy of wind and waves. the 'stancomb wills' came up and mcilroy reported that blackborrow's feet were very badly frost-bitten. this was unfortunate, but nothing could be done. most of the people were frost-bitten to some extent, and it was interesting to notice that the "oldtimers," wild, crean, hurley, and i, were all right. apparently we were acclimatized to ordinary antarctic temperature, though we learned later that we were not immune. all day, with a gentle breeze on our port bow, we sailed and pulled through a clear sea. we would have given all the tea in china for a lump of ice to melt into water, but no ice was within our reach. three bergs were in sight and we pulled towards them, hoping that a trail of brash would be floating on the sea to leeward; but they were hard and blue, devoid of any sign of cleavage, and the swell that surged around them as they rose and fell made it impossible for us to approach closely. the wind was gradually hauling ahead, and as the day wore on the rays of the sun beat fiercely down from a cloudless sky on pain- racked men. progress was slow, but gradually elephant island came nearer. always while i attended to the other boats, signalling and ordering, wild sat at the tiller of the 'james caird'. he seemed unmoved by fatigue and unshaken by privation. about four o'clock in the afternoon a stiff breeze came up ahead and, blowing against the current, soon produced a choppy sea. during the next hour of hard pulling we seemed to make no progress at all. the 'james caird' and the 'dudley docker' had been towing the 'stancomb wills' in turn, but my boat now took the 'stancomb wills' in tow permanently, as the 'james caird' could carry more sail than the 'dudley docker' in the freshening wind. we were making up for the south-east side of elephant island, the wind being between north-west and west. the boats, held as close to the wind as possible, moved slowly, and when darkness set in our goal was still some miles away. a heavy sea was running. we soon lost sight of the 'stancomb wills', astern of the 'james caird' at the length of the painter, but occasionally the white gleam of broken water revealed her presence. when the darkness was complete i sat in the stern with my hand on the painter, so that i might know if the other boat broke away, and i kept that position during the night. the rope grew heavy with the ice as the unseen seas surged past us and our little craft tossed to the motion of the waters. just at dusk i had told the men on the 'stancomb wills' that if their boat broke away during the night and they were unable to pull against the wind, they could run for the east side of clarence island and await our coming there. even though we could not land on elephant island, it would not do to have the third boat adrift. it was a stern night. the men, except the watch, crouched and huddled in the bottom of the boat, getting what little warmth they could from the soaking sleeping-bags and each other's bodies. harder and harder blew the wind and fiercer and fiercer grew the sea. the boat plunged heavily through the squalls and came up to the wind, the sail shaking in the stiffest gusts. every now and then, as the night wore on, the moon would shine down through a rift in the driving clouds, and in the momentary light i could see the ghostly faces of men, sitting up to trim the boat as she heeled over to the wind. when the moon was hidden its presence was revealed still by the light reflected on the streaming glaciers of the island. the temperature had fallen very low, and it seemed that the general discomfort of our situation could scarcely have been increased; but the land looming ahead was a beacon of safety, and i think we were all buoyed up by the hope that the coming day would see the end of our immediate troubles. at least we would get firm land under our feet. while the painter of the 'stancomb wills' tightened and drooped under my hand, my thoughts were busy with plans for the future. towards midnight the wind shifted to the south-west, and this change enabled us to bear up closer to the island. a little later the 'dudley docker' ran down to the 'james caird', and worsley shouted a suggestion that he should go ahead and search for a landing-place. his boat had the heels of the 'james caird', with the 'stancomb wills' in tow. i told him he could try, but he must not lose sight of the 'james caird'. just as he left me a heavy snow-squall came down, and in the darkness the boats parted. i saw the 'dudley docker' no more. this separation caused me some anxiety during the remaining hours of the night. a cross-sea was running and i could not feel sure that all was well with the missing boat. the waves could not be seen in the darkness, though the direction and force of the wind could be felt, and under such conditions, in an open boat, disaster might overtake the most experienced navigator. i flashed our compass-lamp on the sail in the hope that the signal would be visible on board the 'dudley docker', but could see no reply. we strained our eyes to windward in the darkness in the hope of catching a return signal and repeated our flashes at intervals. my anxiety, as a matter of fact, was groundless. i will quote worsley's own account of what happened to the 'dudley docker': "about midnight we lost sight of the 'james caird' with the 'stancomb wills' in tow, but not long after saw the light of the 'james caird's' compass-lamp, which sir ernest was flashing on their sail as a guide to us. we answered by lighting our candle under the tent and letting the light shine through. at the same time we got the direction of the wind and how we were hauling from my little pocket-compass, the boat's compass being smashed. with this candle our poor fellows lit their pipes, their only solace, as our raging thirst prevented us from eating anything. by this time we had got into a bad tide-rip, which, combined with the heavy, lumpy sea, made it almost impossible to keep the 'dudley docker' from swamping. as it was we shipped several bad seas over the stern as well as abeam and over the bows, although we were 'on a wind.' lees, who owned himself to be a rotten oarsman, made good here by strenuous baling, in which he was well seconded by cheetham. greenstreet, a splendid fellow, relieved me at the tiller and helped generally. he and macklin were my right and left bowers as stroke-oars throughout. mcleod and cheetham were two good sailors and oars, the former a typical old deep-sea salt and growler, the latter a pirate to his finger-tips. in the height of the gale that night cheetham was buying matches from me for bottles of champagne, one bottle per match (too cheap; i should have charged him two bottles). the champagne is to be paid when he opens his pub in hull and i am able to call that way.... we had now had one hundred and eight hours of toil, tumbling, freezing, and soaking, with little or no sleep. i think sir ernest, wild, greenstreet, and i could say that we had no sleep at all. although it was sixteen months since we had been in a rough sea, only four men were actually seasick, but several others were off colour. "the temperature was ° below freezing-point; fortunately, we were spared the bitterly low temperature of the previous night. greenstreet's right foot got badly frost-bitten, but lees restored it by holding it in his sweater against his stomach. other men had minor frost-bites, due principally to the fact that their clothes were soaked through with salt water.... we were close to the land as the morning approached, but could see nothing of it through the snow and spindrift. my eyes began to fail me. constant peering to windward, watching for seas to strike us, appeared to have given me a cold in the eyes. i could not see or judge distance properly, and found myself falling asleep momentarily at the tiller. at a.m. greenstreet relieved me there. i was so cramped from long hours, cold, and wet, in the constrained position one was forced to assume on top of the gear and stores at the tiller, that the other men had to pull me amidships and straighten me out like a jack-knife, first rubbing my thighs, groin, and stomach. "at daylight we found ourselves close alongside the land, but the weather was so thick that we could not see where to make for a landing. having taken the tiller again after an hour's rest under the shelter (save the mark!) of the dripping tent, i ran the 'dudley docker' off before the gale, following the coast around to the north. this course for the first hour was fairly risky, the heavy sea before which we were running threatening to swamp the boat, but by a.m. we had obtained a slight lee from the land. then i was able to keep her very close in, along a glacier front, with the object of picking up lumps of fresh- water ice as we sailed through them. our thirst was intense. we soon had some ice aboard, and for the next hour and a half we sucked and chewed fragments of ice with greedy relish. "all this time we were coasting along beneath towering rocky cliffs and sheer glacier-faces, which offered not the slightest possibility of landing anywhere. at . a.m. we spied a narrow, rocky beach at the base of some very high crags and cliff, and made for it. to our joy, we sighted the 'james caird' and the 'stancomb wills' sailing into the same haven just ahead of us. we were so delighted that we gave three cheers, which were not heard aboard the other boats owing to the roar of the surf. however, we soon joined them and were able to exchange experiences on the beach." our experiences on the 'james caird' had been similar, although we had not been able to keep up to windward as well as the 'dudley docker' had done. this was fortunate as events proved, for the 'james caird' and 'stancomb wills' went to leeward of the big bight the 'dudley docker' entered and from which she had to turn out with the sea astern. we thus avoided the risk of having the 'stancomb wills' swamped in the following sea. the weather was very thick in the morning. indeed at a.m. we were right under the cliffs, which plunged sheer into the sea, before we saw them. we followed the coast towards the north, and ever the precipitous cliffs and glacier-faces presented themselves to our searching eyes. the sea broke heavily against these walls and a landing would have been impossible under any conditions. we picked up pieces of ice and sucked them eagerly. at a.m. at the north-west end of the island we saw a narrow beach at the foot of the cliffs. outside lay a fringe of rocks heavily beaten by the surf but with a narrow channel showing as a break in the foaming water. i decided that we must face the hazards of this unattractive landing-place. two days and nights without drink or hot food had played havoc with most of the men, and we could not assume that any safer haven lay within our reach. the 'stancomb wills' was the lighter and handier boat--and i called her alongside with the intention of taking her through the gap first and ascertaining the possibilities of a landing before the 'james caird' made the venture. i was just climbing into the 'stancomb wills' when i saw the 'dudley docker' coming up astern under sail. the sight took a great load off my mind. rowing carefully and avoiding the blind rollers which showed where sunken rocks lay, we brought the 'stancomb wills' towards the opening in the reef. then, with a few strong strokes we shot through on the top of a swell and ran the boat on to a stony beach. the next swell lifted her a little farther. this was the first landing ever made on elephant island, and a thought came to me that the honour should belong to the youngest member of the expedition, so i told blackborrow to jump over. he seemed to be in a state almost of coma, and in order to avoid delay i helped him, perhaps a little roughly, over the side of the boat. he promptly sat down in the surf and did not move. then i suddenly realized what i had forgotten, that both his feet were frost- bitten badly. some of us jumped over and pulled him into a dry place. it was a rather rough experience for blackborrow, but, anyhow, he is now able to say that he was the first man to sit on elephant island. possibly at the time he would have been willing to forgo any distinction of the kind. we landed the cook with his blubber-stove, a supply of fuel and some packets of dried milk, and also several of the men. then the rest of us pulled out again to pilot the other boats through the channel. the 'james caird' was too heavy to be beached directly, so after landing most of the men from the 'dudley docker' and the 'stancomb wills' i superintended the transhipment of the 'james caird's' gear outside the reef. then we all made the passage, and within a few minutes the three boats were aground. a curious spectacle met my eyes when i landed the second time. some of the men were reeling about the beach as if they had found an unlimited supply of alcoholic liquor on the desolate shore. they were laughing uproariously, picking up stones and letting handfuls of pebbles trickle between their fingers like misers gloating over hoarded gold. the smiles and laughter, which caused cracked lips to bleed afresh, and the gleeful exclamations at the sight of two live seals on the beach made me think for a moment of that glittering hour of childhood when the door is open at last and the christmas-tree in all its wonder bursts upon the vision. i remember that wild, who always rose superior to fortune, bad and good, came ashore as i was looking at the men and stood beside me as easy and unconcerned as if he had stepped out of his car for a stroll in the park. soon half a dozen of us had the stores ashore. our strength was nearly exhausted and it was heavy work carrying our goods over the rough pebbles and rocks to the foot of the cliff, but we dare not leave anything within reach of the tide. we had to wade knee-deep in the icy water in order to lift the gear from the boats. when the work was done we pulled the three boats a little higher on the beach and turned gratefully to enjoy the hot drink the cook had prepared. those of us who were comparatively fit had to wait until the weaker members of the party had been supplied; but every man had his pannikin of hot milk in the end, and never did anything taste better. seal steak and blubber followed, for the seals that had been careless enough to await our arrival on the beach had already given up their lives. there was no rest for the cook. the blubber-stove flared and spluttered fiercely as he cooked, not one meal, but many meals, which merged into a day-long bout of eating. we drank water and ate seal meat until every man had reached the limit of his capacity. the tents were pitched with oars for supports, and by p.m. our camp was in order. the original framework of the tents had been cast adrift on one of the floes in order to save weight. most of the men turned in early for a safe and glorious sleep, to be broken only by the call to take a turn on watch. the chief duty of the watchman was to keep the blubber-stove alight, and each man on duty appeared to find it necessary to cook himself a meal during his watch, and a supper before he turned in again. wild, worsley, and hurley accompanied me on an inspection of our beach before getting into the tents. i almost wished then that i had postponed the examination until after sleep, but the sense of caution that the uncertainties of polar travel implant in one's mind had made me uneasy. the outlook we found to be anything but cheering. obvious signs showed that at spring tides the little beach would be covered by the water right up to the foot of the cliffs. in a strong north- easterly gale, such as we might expect to experience at any time, the waves would pound over the scant barrier of the reef and break against the sheer sides of the rocky wall behind us. well-marked terraces showed the effect of other gales, and right at the back of the beach was a small bit of wreckage not more than three feet long, rounded by the constant chafing it had endured. obviously we must find some better resting-place. i decided not to share with the men the knowledge of the uncertainties of our situation until they had enjoyed the full sweetness of rest untroubled by the thought that at any minute they might be called to face peril again. the threat of the sea had been our portion during many, many days, and a respite meant much to weary bodies and jaded minds. the accompanying plan will indicate our exact position more clearly than i can describe it. the cliffs at the back of the beach were inaccessible except at two points where there were steep snow-slopes. we were not worried now about food, for, apart from our own rations, there were seals on the beach and we could see others in the water outside the reef. every now and then one of the animals would rise in the shallows and crawl up on the beach, which evidently was a recognized place of resort for its kind. a small rocky island which protected us to some extent from the north-westerly wind carried a ringed-penguin rookery. these birds were of migratory habit and might be expected to leave us before the winter set in fully, but in the meantime they were within our reach. these attractions, however, were overridden by the fact that the beach was open to the attack of wind and sea from the north-east and east. easterly gales are more prevalent than western in that area of the antarctic during the winter. before turning in that night i studied the whole position and weighed every chance of getting the boats and our stores into a place of safety out of reach of the water. we ourselves might have clambered a little way up the snow-slopes, but we could not have taken the boats with us. the interior of the island was quite inaccessible. we climbed up one of the slopes and found ourselves stopped soon by overhanging cliffs. the rocks behind the camp were much weathered, and we noticed the sharp, unworn boulders that had fallen from above. clearly there was a danger from overhead if we camped at the back of the beach. we must move on. with that thought in mind i reached my tent and fell asleep on the rubbly ground, which gave a comforting sense of stability. the fairy princess who would not rest on her seven downy mattresses because a pea lay underneath the pile might not have understood the pleasure we all derived from the irregularities of the stones, which could not possibly break beneath us or drift away; the very searching lumps were sweet reminders of our safety. early next morning (april ) all hands were astir. the sun soon shone brightly and we spread out our wet gear to dry, till the beach looked like a particularly disreputable gipsy camp. the boots and clothing had suffered considerably during our travels. i had decided to send wild along the coast in the 'stancomb wills' to look for a new camping-ground, and he and i discussed the details of the journey while eating our breakfast of hot seal steak and blubber. the camp i wished to find was one where the party could live for weeks or even months in safety, without danger from sea or wind in the heaviest winter gale. wild was to proceed westwards along the coast and was to take with him four of the fittest men, marston, crean, vincent, and mccarthy. if he did not return before dark we were to light a flare, which would serve him as a guide to the entrance of the channel. the 'stancomb wills' pushed off at a.m. and quickly passed out of sight around the island. then hurley and i walked along the beach towards the west, climbing through a gap between the cliff and a great detached pillar of basalt. the narrow strip of beach was cumbered with masses of rock that had fallen from the cliffs. we struggled along for two miles or more in the search for a place where we could get the boats ashore and make a permanent camp in the event of wild's search proving fruitless, but after three hours' vain toil we had to turn back. we had found on the far side of the pillar of basalt a crevice in the rocks beyond the reach of all but the heaviest gales. rounded pebbles showed that the seas reached the spot on occasions. here i decided to depot ten cases of bovril sledging ration in case of our having to move away quickly. we could come back for the food at a later date if opportunity offered. returning to the camp, we found the men resting or attending to their gear. clark had tried angling in the shallows off the rocks and had secured one or two small fish. the day passed quietly. rusty needles were rubbed bright on the rocks and clothes were mended and darned. a feeling of tiredness--due, i suppose, to reaction after the strain of the preceding days--overtook us, but the rising tide, coming farther up the beach than it had done on the day before, forced us to labour at the boats, which we hauled slowly to a higher ledge. we found it necessary to move our makeshift camp nearer the cliff. i portioned out the available ground for the tents, the galley, and other purposes, as every foot was of value. when night arrived the 'stancomb wills' was still away, so i had a blubber-flare lit at the head of the channel. about p.m. we heard a hail in the distance. we could see nothing, but soon like a pale ghost out of the darkness came the boat, the faces of the men showing white in the glare of the fire. wild ran her on the beach with the swell, and within a couple of minutes we had dragged her to a place of safety. i was waiting wild's report with keen anxiety, and my relief was great when he told me that he had discovered a sandy spit seven miles to the west, about yds. long, running out at right angles to the coast and terminating at the seaward end in a mass of rock. a long snow-slope joined the spit at the shore end, and it seemed possible that a "dugout" could be made in the snow. the spit, in any case, would be a great improvement on our narrow beach. wild added that the place he described was the only possible camping-ground he had seen. beyond, to the west and south-west, lay a frowning line of cliffs and glaciers, sheer to the water's edge. he thought that in very heavy gales either from the south-west or east the spit would be spray-blown, but that the seas would not actually break over it. the boats could be run up on a shelving beach. after hearing this good news i was eager to get away from the beach camp. the wind when blowing was favourable for the run along the coast. the weather had been fine for two days and a change might come at any hour. i told all hands that we would make a start early on the following morning. a newly killed seal provided a luxurious supper of steak and blubber, and then we slept comfortably till the dawn. the morning of april came fine and clear. the sea was smooth, but in the offing we could see a line of pack, which seemed to be approaching. we had noticed already pack and bergs being driven by the current to the east and then sometimes coming back with a rush to the west. the current ran as fast as five miles an hour, and it was a set of this kind that had delayed wild on his return from the spit. the rise and fall of the tide was only about five feet at this time, but the moon was making for full and the tides were increasing. the appearance of ice emphasized the importance of getting away promptly. it would be a serious matter to be prisoned on the beach by the pack. the boats were soon afloat in the shallows, and after a hurried breakfast all hands worked hard getting our gear and stores aboard. a mishap befell us when we were launching the boats. we were using oars as rollers, and three of these were broken, leaving us short for the journey that had still to be undertaken. the preparations took longer than i had expected; indeed, there seemed to be some reluctance on the part of several men to leave the barren safety of the little beach and venture once more on the ocean. but the move was imperative, and by a.m. we were away, the 'james caird' leading. just as we rounded the small island occupied by the ringed penguins the "willywaw" swooped down from the -ft. cliffs behind us, a herald of the southerly gale that was to spring up within half an hour. soon we were straining at the oars with the gale on our bows. never had we found a more severe task. the wind shifted from the south to the south-west, and the shortage of oars became a serious matter. the 'james caird', being the heaviest boat, had to keep a full complement of rowers, while the 'dudley docker' and the 'stancomb wills' went short and took turns using the odd oar. a big swell was thundering against the cliffs and at times we were almost driven on to the rocks by swirling green waters. we had to keep close inshore in order to avoid being embroiled in the raging sea, which was lashed snow-white and quickened by the furious squalls into a living mass of sprays. after two hours of strenuous labour we were almost exhausted, but we were fortunate enough to find comparative shelter behind a point of rock. overhead towered the sheer cliffs for hundreds of feet, the sea- birds that fluttered from the crannies of the rock dwarfed by the height. the boats rose and fell in the big swell, but the sea was not breaking in our little haven, and we rested there while we ate our cold ration. some of the men had to stand by the oars in order to pole the boats off the cliff-face. after half an hour's pause i gave the order to start again. the 'dudley docker' was pulling with three oars, as the 'stancomb wills' had the odd one, and she fell away to leeward in a particularly heavy squall. i anxiously watched her battling up against wind and sea. it would have been useless to take the 'james caird' back to the assistance of the 'dudley docker' since we were hard pressed to make any progress ourselves in the heavier boat. the only thing was to go ahead and hope for the best. all hands were wet to the skin again and many men were feeling the cold severely. we forged on slowly and passed inside a great pillar of rock standing out to sea and towering to a height of about ft. a line of reef stretched between the shore and this pillar, and i thought as we approached that we would have to face the raging sea outside; but a break in the white surf revealed a gap in the reef and we laboured through, with the wind driving clouds of spray on our port beam. the 'stancomb wills' followed safely. in the stinging spray i lost sight of the 'dudley docker' altogether. it was obvious she would have to go outside the pillar as she was making so much leeway, but i could not see what happened to her and i dared not pause. it was a bad time. at last, about p.m., the 'james caird' and the 'stancomb wills' reached comparatively calm water and we saw wild's beach just ahead of us. i looked back vainly for the 'dudley docker'. rocks studded the shallow water round the spit and the sea surged amongst them. i ordered the 'stancomb wills' to run on to the beach at the place that looked smoothest, and in a few moments the first boat was ashore, the men jumping out and holding her against the receding wave. immediately i saw she was safe i ran the 'james caird' in. some of us scrambled up the beach through the fringe of the surf and slipped the painter round a rock, so as to hold the boat against the backwash. then we began to get the stores and gear out, working like men possessed, for the boats could not be pulled up till they had been emptied. the blubber-stove was quickly alight and the cook began to prepare a hot drink. we were labouring at the boats when i noticed rickenson turn white and stagger in the surf. i pulled him out of reach of the water and sent him up to the stove, which had been placed in the shelter of some rocks. mcilroy went to him and found that his heart had been temporarily unequal to the strain placed upon it. he was in a bad way and needed prompt medical attention. there are some men who will do more than their share of work and who will attempt more than they are physically able to accomplish. rickenson was one of these eager souls. he was suffering, like many other members of the expedition, from bad salt-water boils. our wrists, arms, and legs were attacked. apparently this infliction was due to constant soaking with sea-water, the chafing of wet clothes, and exposure. i was very anxious about the 'dudley docker', and my eyes as well as my thoughts were turned eastward as we carried the stores ashore; but within half an hour the missing boat appeared, labouring through the spume-white sea, and presently she reached the comparative calm of the bay. we watched her coming with that sense of relief that the mariner feels when he crosses the harbour-bar. the tide was going out rapidly, and worsley lightened the 'dudley docker' by placing some cases on an outer rock, where they were retrieved subsequently. then he beached his boat, and with many hands at work we soon had our belongings ashore and our three craft above high-water mark. the spit was by no means an ideal camping-ground; it was rough, bleak, and inhospitable--just an acre or two of rock and shingle, with the sea foaming around it except where the snow-slope, running up to a glacier, formed the landward boundary. but some of the larger rocks provided a measure of shelter from the wind, and as we clustered round the blubber-stove, with the acrid smoke blowing into our faces, we were quite a cheerful company. after all, another stage of the homeward journey had been accomplished and we could afford to forget for an hour the problems of the future. life was not so bad. we ate our evening meal while the snow drifted down from the surface of the glacier, and our chilled bodies grew warm. then we dried a little tobacco at the stove and enjoyed our pipes before we crawled into our tents. the snow had made it impossible for us to find the tide-line and we were uncertain how far the sea was going to encroach upon our beach. i pitched my tent on the seaward side of the camp so that i might have early warning of danger, and, sure enough, about a.m. a little wave forced its way under the tent- cloth. this was a practical demonstration that we had not gone far enough back from the sea, but in the semi-darkness it was difficult to see where we could find safety. perhaps it was fortunate that experience had inured us to the unpleasantness of sudden forced changes of camp. we took down the tents and re-pitched them close against the high rocks at the seaward end of the spit, where large boulders made an uncomfortable resting-place. snow was falling heavily. then all hands had to assist in pulling the boats farther up the beach, and at this task we suffered a serious misfortune. two of our four bags of clothing had been placed under the bilge of the 'james caird', and before we realized the danger a wave had lifted the boat and carried the two bags back into the surf. we had no chance of recovering them. this accident did not complete the tale of the night's misfortunes. the big eight-man tent was blown to pieces in the early morning. some of the men who had occupied it took refuge in other tents, but several remained in their sleeping-bags under the fragments of cloth until it was time to turn out. a southerly gale was blowing on the morning of april and the drifting snow was covering everything. the outlook was cheerless indeed, but much work had to be done and we could not yield to the desire to remain in the sleeping-bags. some sea-elephants were lying about the beach above high-water mark, and we killed several of the younger ones for their meat and blubber. the big tent could not be replaced, and in order to provide shelter for the men we turned the 'dudley docker' upside down and wedged up the weather side with boulders. we also lashed the painter and stern-rope round the heaviest rocks we could find, so as to guard against the danger of the boat being moved by the wind. the two bags of clothing were bobbing about amid the brash and glacier-ice to the windward side of the spit, and it did not seem possible to reach them. the gale continued all day, and the fine drift from the surface of the glacier was added to the big flakes of snow falling from the sky. i made a careful examination of the spit with the object of ascertaining its possibilities as a camping- ground. apparently, some of the beach lay above high-water mark and the rocks that stood above the shingle gave a measure of shelter. it would be possible to mount the snow-slope towards the glacier in fine weather, but i did not push my exploration in that direction during the gale. at the seaward end of the spit was the mass of rock already mentioned. a few thousand ringed penguins, with some gentoos, were on these rocks, and we had noted this fact with a great deal of satisfaction at the time of our landing. the ringed penguin is by no means the best of the penguins from the point of view of the hungry traveller, but it represents food. at a.m. that morning i noticed the ringed penguins mustering in orderly fashion close to the water's edge, and thought that they were preparing for the daily fishing excursion; but presently it became apparent that some important move was on foot. they were going to migrate, and with their departure much valuable food would pass beyond our reach. hurriedly we armed ourselves with pieces of sledge-runner and other improvised clubs, and started towards the rookery. we were too late. the leaders gave their squawk of command and the columns took to the sea in unbroken ranks. following their leaders, the penguins dived through the surf and reappeared in the heaving water beyond. a very few of the weaker birds took fright and made their way back to the beach, where they fell victims later to our needs; but the main army went northwards and we saw them no more. we feared that the gentoo penguins might follow the example of their ringed cousins, but they stayed with us; apparently they had not the migratory habit. they were comparatively few in number, but from time to time they would come in from the sea and walk up our beach. the gentoo is the most strongly marked of all the smaller varieties of penguins as far as colouring is concerned, and it far surpasses the adelie in weight of legs and breast, the points that particularly appealed to us. the deserted rookery was sure to be above high-water mark at all times; and we mounted the rocky ledge in search of a place to pitch our tents. the penguins knew better than to rest where the sea could reach them even when the highest tide was supported by the strongest gale. the disadvantages of a camp on the rookery were obvious. the smell was strong, to put it mildly, and was not likely to grow less pronounced when the warmth of our bodies thawed the surface. but our choice of places was not wide, and that afternoon we dug out a site for two tents in the debris of the rookery, levelling it off with snow and rocks. my tent, no. , was pitched close under the cliff, and there during my stay on elephant island i lived. crean's tent was close by, and the other three tents, which had fairly clean snow under them, were some yards away. the fifth tent was a ramshackle affair. the material of the torn eight-man tent had been drawn over a rough framework of oars, and shelter of a kind provided for the men who occupied it. the arrangement of our camp, the checking of our gear, the killing and skinning of seals and sea-elephants occupied us during the day, and we took to our sleeping-bags early. i and my companions in no. tent were not destined to spend a pleasant night. the heat of our bodies soon melted the snow and refuse beneath us and the floor of the tent became an evil smelling yellow mud. the snow drifting from the cliff above us weighted the sides of the tent, and during the night a particularly stormy gust brought our little home down on top of us. we stayed underneath the snow-laden cloth till the morning, for it seemed a hopeless business to set about re-pitching the tent amid the storm that was raging in the darkness of the night. the weather was still bad on the morning of april . some of the men were showing signs of demoralization. they were disinclined to leave the tents when the hour came for turning out, and it was apparent they were thinking more of the discomforts of the moment than of the good fortune that had brought us to sound ground and comparative safety. the condition of the gloves and headgear shown me by some discouraged men illustrated the proverbial carelessness of the sailor. the articles had frozen stiff during the night, and the owners considered, it appeared, that this state of affairs provided them with a grievance, or at any rate gave them the right to grumble. they said they wanted dry clothes and that their health would not admit of their doing any work. only by rather drastic methods were they induced to turn to. frozen gloves and helmets undoubtedly are very uncomfortable, and the proper thing is to keep these articles thawed by placing them inside one's shirt during the night. the southerly gale, bringing with it much snow, was so severe that as i went along the beach to kill a seal i was blown down by a gust. the cooking-pots from no. tent took a flying run into the sea at the same moment. a case of provisions which had been placed on them to keep them safe had been capsized by a squall. these pots, fortunately, were not essential, since nearly all our cooking was done over the blubber- stove. the galley was set up by the rocks close to my tent, in a hole we had dug through the debris of the penguin rookery. cases of stores gave some shelter from the wind and a spread sail kept some of the snow off the cook when he was at work. he had not much idle time. the amount of seal and sea-elephant steak and blubber consumed by our hungry party was almost incredible. he did not lack assistance--the neighbourhood of the blubber-stove had attractions for every member of the party; but he earned everybody's gratitude by his unflagging energy in preparing meals that to us at least were savoury and satisfying. frankly, we needed all the comfort that the hot food could give us. the icy fingers of the gale searched every cranny of our beach and pushed relentlessly through our worn garments and tattered tents. the snow, drifting from the glacier and falling from the skies, swathed us and our gear and set traps for our stumbling feet. the rising sea beat against the rocks and shingle and tossed fragments of floe-ice within a few feet of our boats. once during the morning the sun shone through the racing clouds and we had a glimpse of blue sky; but the promise of fair weather was not redeemed. the consoling feature of the situation was that our camp was safe. we could endure the discomforts, and i felt that all hands would be benefited by the opportunity for rest and recuperation. chapter ix the boat journey the increasing sea made it necessary for us to drag the boats farther up the beach. this was a task for all hands, and after much labour we got the boats into safe positions among the rocks and made fast the painters to big boulders. then i discussed with wild and worsley the chances of reaching south georgia before the winter locked the seas against us. some effort had to be made to secure relief. privation and exposure had left their mark on the party, and the health and mental condition of several men were causing me serious anxiety. blackborrow's feet, which had been frost-bitten during the boat journey, were in a bad way, and the two doctors feared that an operation would be necessary. they told me that the toes would have to be amputated unless animation could be restored within a short period. then the food-supply was a vital consideration. we had left ten cases of provisions in the crevice of the rocks at our first camping-place on the island. an examination of our stores showed that we had full rations for the whole party for a period of five weeks. the rations could be spread over three months on a reduced allowance and probably would be supplemented by seals and sea-elephants to some extent. i did not dare to count with full confidence on supplies of meat and blubber, for the animals seemed to have deserted the beach and the winter was near. our stocks included three seals and two and a half skins (with blubber attached). we were mainly dependent on the blubber for fuel, and, after making a preliminary survey of the situation, i decided that the party must be limited to one hot meal a day. a boat journey in search of relief was necessary and must not be delayed. that conclusion was forced upon me. the nearest port where assistance could certainly be secured was port stanley, in the falkland islands, miles away, but we could scarcely hope to beat up against the prevailing north-westerly wind in a frail and weakened boat with a small sail area. south georgia was over miles away, but lay in the area of the west winds, and i could count upon finding whalers at any of the whaling-stations on the east coast. a boat party might make the voyage and be back with relief within a month, provided that the sea was clear of ice and the boat survive the great seas. it was not difficult to decide that south georgia must be the objective, and i proceeded to plan ways and means. the hazards of a boat journey across miles of stormy sub-antarctic ocean were obvious, but i calculated that at worst the venture would add nothing to the risks of the men left on the island. there would be fewer mouths to feed during the winter and the boat would not require to take more than one month's provisions for six men, for if we did not make south georgia in that time we were sure to go under. a consideration that had weight with me was that there was no chance at all of any search being made for us on elephant island. the case required to be argued in some detail, since all hands knew that the perils of the proposed journey were extreme. the risk was justified solely by our urgent need of assistance. the ocean south of cape horn in the middle of may is known to be the most tempestuous storm-swept area of water in the world. the weather then is unsettled, the skies are dull and overcast, and the gales are almost unceasing. we had to face these conditions in a small and weather-beaten boat, already strained by the work of the months that had passed. worsley and wild realized that the attempt must be made, and they both asked to be allowed to accompany me on the voyage. i told wild at once that he would have to stay behind. i relied upon him to hold the party together while i was away and to make the best of his way to deception island with the men in the spring in the event of our failure to bring help. worsley i would take with me, for i had a very high opinion of his accuracy and quickness as a navigator, and especially in the snapping and working out of positions in difficult circumstances--an opinion that was only enhanced during the actual journey. four other men would be required, and i decided to call for volunteers, although, as a matter of fact, i pretty well knew which of the people i would select. crean i proposed to leave on the island as a right-hand man for wild, but he begged so hard to be allowed to come in the boat that, after consultation with wild, i promised to take him. i called the men together, explained my plan, and asked for volunteers. many came forward at once. some were not fit enough for the work that would have to be done, and others would not have been much use in the boat since they were not seasoned sailors, though the experiences of recent months entitled them to some consideration as seafaring men. mcilroy and macklin were both anxious to go but realized that their duty lay on the island with the sick men. they suggested that i should take blackborrow in order that he might have shelter and warmth as quickly as possible, but i had to veto this idea. it would be hard enough for fit men to live in the boat. indeed, i did not see how a sick man, lying helpless in the bottom of the boat, could possibly survive in the heavy weather we were sure to encounter. i finally selected mcneish, mccarthy, and vincent in addition to worsley and crean. the crew seemed a strong one, and as i looked at the men i felt confidence increasing. the decision made, i walked through the blizzard with worsley and wild to examine the 'james caird'. the -ft. boat had never looked big; she appeared to have shrunk in some mysterious way when i viewed her in the light of our new undertaking. she was an ordinary ship's whaler, fairly strong, but showing signs of the strains she had endured since the crushing of the 'endurance'. where she was holed in leaving the pack was, fortunately, about the water-line and easily patched. standing beside her, we glanced at the fringe of the storm-swept, tumultuous sea that formed our path. clearly, our voyage would be a big adventure. i called the carpenter and asked him if he could do anything to make the boat more seaworthy. he first inquired if he was to go with me, and seemed quite pleased when i said "yes." he was over fifty years of age and not altogether fit, but he had a good knowledge of sailing-boats and was very quick. mccarthy said that he could contrive some sort of covering for the 'james caird' if he might use the lids of the cases and the four sledge-runners that we had lashed inside the boat for use in the event of a landing on graham land at wilhelmina bay. this bay, at one time the goal of our desire, had been left behind in the course of our drift, but we had retained the runners. the carpenter proposed to complete the covering with some of our canvas; and he set about making his plans at once. noon had passed and the gale was more severe than ever. we could not proceed with our preparations that day. the tents were suffering in the wind and the sea was rising. we made our way to the snow-slope at the shoreward end of the spit, with the intention of digging a hole in the snow large enough to provide shelter for the party. i had an idea that wild and his men might camp there during my absence, since it seemed impossible that the tents could hold together for many more days against the attacks of the wind; but an examination of the spot indicated that any hole we could dig probably would be filled quickly by the drift. at dark, about p.m., we all turned in, after a supper consisting of a pannikin of hot milk, one of our precious biscuits, and a cold penguin leg each. the gale was stronger than ever on the following morning (april ). no work could be done. blizzard and snow, snow and blizzard, sudden lulls and fierce returns. during the lulls we could see on the far horizon to the north-east bergs of all shapes and sizes driving along before the gale, and the sinister appearance of the swift-moving masses made us thankful indeed that, instead of battling with the storm amid the ice, we were required only to face the drift from the glaciers and the inland heights. the gusts might throw us off our feet, but at least we fell on solid ground and not on the rocking floes. two seals came up on the beach that day, one of them within ten yards of my tent. so urgent was our need of food and blubber that i called all hands and organized a line of beaters instead of simply walking up to the seal and hitting it on the nose. we were prepared to fall upon this seal en masse if it attempted to escape. the kill was made with a pick-handle, and in a few minutes five days' food and six days' fuel were stowed in a place of safety among the boulders above high-water mark. during this day the cook, who had worked well on the floe and throughout the boat journey, suddenly collapsed. i happened to be at the galley at the moment and saw him fall. i pulled him down the slope to his tent and pushed him into its shelter with orders to his tent-mates to keep him in his sleeping-bag until i allowed him to come out or the doctors said he was fit enough. then i took out to replace the cook one of the men who had expressed a desire to lie down and die. the task of keeping the galley fire alight was both difficult and strenuous, and it took his thoughts away from the chances of immediate dissolution. in fact, i found him a little later gravely concerned over the drying of a naturally not over-clean pair of socks which were hung up in close proximity to our evening milk. occupation had brought his thoughts back to the ordinary cares of life. there was a lull in the bad weather on april , and the carpenter started to collect material for the decking of the 'james caird'. he fitted the mast of the 'stancomb wills' fore and aft inside the 'james caird' as a hog-back and thus strengthened the keel with the object of preventing our boat "hogging"--that is, buckling in heavy seas. he had not sufficient wood to provide a deck, but by using the sledge- runners and box-lids he made a framework extending from the forecastle aft to a well. it was a patched-up affair, but it provided a base for a canvas covering. we had a bolt of canvas frozen stiff, and this material had to be cut and then thawed out over the blubber-stove, foot by foot, in order that it might be sewn into the form of a cover. when it had been nailed and screwed into position it certainly gave an appearance of safety to the boat, though i had an uneasy feeling that it bore a strong likeness to stage scenery, which may look like a granite wall and is in fact nothing better than canvas and lath. as events proved, the covering served its purpose well. we certainly could not have lived through the voyage without it. another fierce gale was blowing on april , interfering with our preparations for the voyage. the cooker from no. tent came adrift in a gust, and, although it was chased to the water's edge, it disappeared for good. blackborrow's feet were giving him much pain, and mcilroy and macklin thought it would be necessary for them to operate soon. they were under the impression then that they had no chloroform, but they found some subsequently in the medicine-chest after we had left. some cases of stores left on a rock off the spit on the day of our arrival were retrieved during this day. we were setting aside stores for the boat journey and choosing the essential equipment from the scanty stock at our disposal. two ten-gallon casks had to be filled with water melted down from ice collected at the foot of the glacier. this was a rather slow business. the blubber-stove was kept going all night, and the watchmen emptied the water into the casks from the pot in which the ice was melted. a working party started to dig a hole in the snow-slope about forty feet above sea-level with the object of providing a site for a camp. they made fairly good progress at first, but the snow drifted down unceasingly from the inland ice, and in the end the party had to give up the project. the weather was fine on april , and we hurried forward our preparations. it was on this day i decided finally that the crew for the 'james caird' should consist of worsley, crean, mcneish, mccarthy, vincent, and myself. a storm came on about noon, with driving snow and heavy squalls. occasionally the air would clear for a few minutes, and we could see a line of pack-ice, five miles out, driving across from west to east. this sight increased my anxiety to get away quickly. winter was advancing, and soon the pack might close completely round the island and stay our departure for days or even for weeks, i did not think that ice would remain around elephant island continuously during the winter, since the strong winds and fast currents would keep it in motion. we had noticed ice and bergs, going past at the rate of four or five knots. a certain amount of ice was held up about the end of our spit, but the sea was clear where the boat would have to be launched. worsley, wild, and i climbed to the summit of the seaward rocks and examined the ice from a better vantage-point than the beach offered. the belt of pack outside appeared to be sufficiently broken for our purposes, and i decided that, unless the conditions forbade it, we would make a start in the 'james caird' on the following morning. obviously the pack might close at any time. this decision made, i spent the rest of the day looking over the boat, gear, and stores, and discussing plans with worsley and wild. our last night on the solid ground of elephant island was cold and uncomfortable. we turned out at dawn and had breakfast. then we launched the 'stancomb wills' and loaded her with stores, gear, and ballast, which would be transferred to the 'james caird' when the heavier boat had been launched. the ballast consisted of bags made from blankets and filled with sand, making a total weight of about lbs. in addition we had gathered a number of round boulders and about lbs. of ice, which would supplement our two casks of water. the stores taken in the 'james caird', which would last six men for one month, were as follows: boxes of matches. ½ gallons paraffin. tin methylated spirit. boxes of flamers. box of blue lights. primus stoves with spare parts and prickers. nansen aluminium cooker. sleeping-bags. a few spare socks. a few candles and some blubber-oil in an oil-bag. food: cases sledging rations = rations. cases nut food = " cases biscuits = biscuits. case lump sugar. packets of trumilk. tin. of bovril cubes. tin of cerebos salt. gallons of water. lbs. of ice. instruments: sextant. sea-anchor. binoculars. charts. prismatic compass. aneroid. the swell was slight when the 'stancomb wills' was launched and the boat got under way without any difficulty; but half an hour later, when we were pulling down the 'james caird', the swell increased suddenly. apparently the movement of the ice outside had made an opening and allowed the sea to run in without being blanketed by the line of pack. the swell made things difficult. many of us got wet to the waist while dragging the boat out--a serious matter in that climate. when the 'james caird' was afloat in the surf she nearly capsized among the rocks before we could get her clear, and vincent and the carpenter, who were on the deck, were thrown into the water. this was really bad luck, for the two men would have small chance of drying their clothes after we had got under way. hurley, who had the eye of the professional photographer for "incidents," secured a picture of the upset, and i firmly believe that he would have liked the two unfortunate men to remain in the water until he could get a "snap" at close quarters; but we hauled them out immediately, regardless of his feelings. the 'james caird' was soon clear of the breakers. we used all the available ropes as a long painter to prevent her drifting away to the north-east, and then the 'stancomb wills' came alongside, transferred her load, and went back to the shore for more. as she was being beached this time the sea took her stern and half filled her with water. she had to be turned over and emptied before the return journey could be made. every member of the crew of the 'stancomb wills' was wet to the skin. the water-casks were towed behind the 'stancomb wills' on this second journey, and the swell, which was increasing rapidly, drove the boat on to the rocks, where one of the casks was slightly stove in. this accident proved later to be a serious one, since some sea-water had entered the cask and the contents were now brackish. by midday the 'james caird' was ready for the voyage. vincent and the carpenter had secured some dry clothes by exchange with members of the shore party (i heard afterwards that it was a full fortnight before the soaked garments were finally dried), and the boat's crew was standing by waiting for the order to cast off. a moderate westerly breeze was blowing. i went ashore in the 'stancomb wills' and had a last word with wild, who was remaining in full command, with directions as to his course of action in the event of our failure to bring relief, but i practically left the whole situation and scope of action and decision to his own judgment, secure in the knowledge that he would act wisely. i told him that i trusted the party to him and said good-bye to the men. then we pushed off for the last time, and within a few minutes i was aboard the 'james caird'. the crew of the 'stancomb wills' shook hands with us as the boats bumped together and offered us the last good wishes. then, setting our jib, we cut the painter and moved away to the north-east. the men who were staying behind made a pathetic little group on the beach, with the grim heights of the island behind them and the sea seething at their feet, but they waved to us and gave three hearty cheers. there was hope in their hearts and they trusted us to bring the help that they needed. i had all sails set, and the 'james caird' quickly dipped the beach and its line of dark figures. the westerly wind took us rapidly to the line of pack, and as we entered it i stood up with my arm around the mast, directing the steering, so as to avoid the great lumps of ice that were flung about in the heave of the sea. the pack thickened and we were forced to turn almost due east, running before the wind towards a gap i had seen in the morning from the high ground. i could not see the gap now, but we had come out on its bearing and i was prepared to find that it had been influenced by the easterly drift. at four o'clock in the afternoon we found the channel, much narrower than it had seemed in the morning but still navigable. dropping sail, we rowed through without touching the ice anywhere, and by . p.m. we were clear of the pack with open water before us. we passed one more piece of ice in the darkness an hour later, but the pack lay behind, and with a fair wind swelling the sails we steered our little craft through the night, our hopes centred on our distant goal. the swell was very heavy now, and when the time came for our first evening meal we found great difficulty in keeping the primus lamp alight and preventing the hoosh splashing out of the pot. three men were needed to attend to the cooking, one man holding the lamp and two men guarding the aluminium cooking-pot, which had to be lifted clear of the primus whenever the movement of the boat threatened to cause a disaster. then the lamp had to be protected from water, for sprays were coming over the bows and our flimsy decking was by no means water-tight. all these operations were conducted in the confined space under the decking, where the men lay or knelt and adjusted themselves as best they could to the angles of our cases and ballast. it was uncomfortable, but we found consolation in the reflection that without the decking we could not have used the cooker at all. the tale of the next sixteen days is one of supreme strife amid heaving waters. the sub-antarctic ocean lived up to its evil winter reputation. i decided to run north for at least two days while the wind held and so get into warmer weather before turning to the east and laying a course for south georgia. we took two-hourly spells at the tiller. the men who were not on watch crawled into the sodden sleeping- bags and tried to forget their troubles for a period; but there was no comfort in the boat. the bags and cases seemed to be alive in the unfailing knack of presenting their most uncomfortable angles to our rest-seeking bodies. a man might imagine for a moment that he had found a position of ease, but always discovered quickly that some unyielding point was impinging on muscle or bone. the first night aboard the boat was one of acute discomfort for us all, and we were heartily glad when the dawn came and we could set about the preparation of a hot breakfast. this record of the voyage to south georgia is based upon scanty notes made day by day. the notes dealt usually with the bare facts of distances, positions, and weather, but our memories retained the incidents of the passing days in a period never to be forgotten. by running north for the first two days i hoped to get warmer weather and also to avoid lines of pack that might be extending beyond the main body. we needed all the advantage that we could obtain from the higher latitude for sailing on the great circle, but we had to be cautious regarding possible ice-streams. cramped in our narrow quarters and continually wet by the spray, we suffered severely from cold throughout the journey. we fought the seas and the winds and at the same time had a daily struggle to keep ourselves alive. at times we were in dire peril. generally we were upheld by the knowledge that we were making progress towards the land where we would be, but there were days and nights when we lay hove to, drifting across the storm-whitened seas and watching with eyes interested rather than apprehensive the uprearing masses of water, flung to and fro by nature in the pride of her strength. deep seemed the valleys when we lay between the reeling seas. high were the hills when we perched momentarily on the tops of giant combers. nearly always there were gales. so small was our boat and so great were the seas that often our sail flapped idly in the calm between the crests of two waves. then we would climb the next slope and catch the full fury of the gale where the wool-like whiteness of the breaking water surged around us. we had our moments of laughter--rare, it is true, but hearty enough. even when cracked lips and swollen mouths checked the outward and visible signs of amusement we could see a joke of the primitive kind. man's sense of humour is always most easily stirred by the petty misfortunes of his neighbours, and i shall never forget worsley's efforts on one occasion to place the hot aluminium stand on top of the primus stove after it had fallen off in an extra heavy roll. with his frost-bitten fingers he picked it up, dropped it, picked it up again, and toyed with it gingerly as though it were some fragile article of lady's wear. we laughed, or rather gurgled with laughter. the wind came up strong and worked into a gale from the north-west on the third day out. we stood away to the east. the increasing seas discovered the weaknesses of our decking. the continuous blows shifted the box-lids and sledge-runners so that the canvas sagged down and accumulated water. then icy trickles, distinct from the driving sprays, poured fore and aft into the boat. the nails that the carpenter had extracted from cases at elephant island and used to fasten down the battens were too short to make firm the decking. we did what we could to secure it, but our means were very limited, and the water continued to enter the boat at a dozen points. much baling was necessary, and nothing that we could do prevented our gear from becoming sodden. the searching runnels from the canvas were really more unpleasant than the sudden definite douches of the sprays. lying under the thwarts during watches below, we tried vainly to avoid them. there were no dry places in the boat, and at last we simply covered our heads with our burberrys and endured the all-pervading water. the baling was work for the watch. real rest we had none. the perpetual motion of the boat made repose impossible; we were cold, sore, and anxious. we moved on hands and knees in the semi-darkness of the day under the decking. the darkness was complete by p.m., and not until a.m. of the following day could we see one another under the thwarts. we had a few scraps of candle, and they were preserved carefully in order that we might have light at meal-times. there was one fairly dry spot in the boat, under the solid original decking at the bows, and we managed to protect some of our biscuit from the salt water; but i do not think any of us got the taste of salt out of our mouths during the voyage. the difficulty of movement in the boat would have had its humorous side if it had not involved us in so many aches and pains. we had to crawl under the thwarts in order to move along the boat, and our knees suffered considerably. when watch turned out it was necessary for me to direct each man by name when and where to move, since if all hands had crawled about at the same time the result would have been dire confusion and many bruises. then there was the trim of the boat to be considered. the order of the watch was four hours on and four hours off, three men to the watch. one man had the tiller-ropes, the second man attended to the sail, and the third baled for all he was worth. sometimes when the water in the boat had been reduced to reasonable proportions, our pump could be used. this pump, which hurley had made from the flinder's bar case of our ship's standard compass, was quite effective, though its capacity was not large. the man who was attending the sail could pump into the big outer cooker, which was lifted and emptied overboard when filled. we had a device by which the water could go direct from the pump into the sea through a hole in the gunwale, but this hole had to be blocked at an early stage of the voyage, since we found that it admitted water when the boat rolled. while a new watch was shivering in the wind and spray, the men who had been relieved groped hurriedly among the soaked sleeping-bags and tried to steal a little of the warmth created by the last occupants; but it was not always possible for us to find even this comfort when we went off watch. the boulders that we had taken aboard for ballast had to be shifted continually in order to trim the boat and give access to the pump, which became choked with hairs from the moulting sleeping-bags and finneskoe. the four reindeer-skin sleeping-bags shed their hair freely owing to the continuous wetting, and soon became quite bald in appearance. the moving of the boulders was weary and painful work. we came to know every one of the stones by sight and touch, and i have vivid memories of their angular peculiarities even to-day. they might have been of considerable interest as geological specimens to a scientific man under happier conditions. as ballast they were useful. as weights to be moved about in cramped quarters they were simply appalling. they spared no portion of our poor bodies. another of our troubles, worth mention here, was the chafing of our legs by our wet clothes, which had not been changed now for seven months. the insides of our thighs were rubbed raw, and the one tube of hazeline cream in our medicine-chest did not go far in alleviating our pain, which was increased by the bite of the salt water. we thought at the time that we never slept. the fact was that we would doze off uncomfortably, to be aroused quickly by some new ache or another call to effort. my own share of the general unpleasantness was accentuated by a finely developed bout of sciatica. i had become possessor of this originally on the floe several months earlier. our meals were regular in spite of the gales. attention to this point was essential, since the conditions of the voyage made increasing calls upon our vitality. breakfast, at a.m., consisted of a pannikin of hot hoosh made from bovril sledging ration, two biscuits, and some lumps of sugar. lunch came at p.m., and comprised bovril sledging ration, eaten raw, and a pannikin of hot milk for each man. tea, at p.m., had the same menu. then during the night we had a hot drink, generally of milk. the meals were the bright beacons in those cold and stormy days. the glow of warmth and comfort produced by the food and drink made optimists of us all. we had two tins of virol, which we were keeping for an emergency; but, finding ourselves in need of an oil- lamp to eke out our supply of candles, we emptied one of the tins in the manner that most appealed to us, and fitted it with a wick made by shredding a bit of canvas. when this lamp was filled with oil it gave a certain amount of light, though it was easily blown out, and was of great assistance to us at night. we were fairly well off as regarded fuel, since we had ½ gallons of petroleum. a severe south-westerly gale on the fourth day out forced us to heave to. i would have liked to have run before the wind, but the sea was very high and the 'james caird' was in danger of broaching to and swamping. the delay was vexatious, since up to that time we had been making sixty or seventy miles a day, good going with our limited sail area. we hove to under double-reefed mainsail and our little jigger, and waited for the gale to blow itself out. during that afternoon we saw bits of wreckage, the remains probably of some unfortunate vessel that had failed to weather the strong gales south of cape horn. the weather conditions did not improve, and on the fifth day out the gale was so fierce that we were compelled to take in the double-reefed mainsail and hoist our small jib instead. we put out a sea-anchor to keep the 'james caird's' head up to the sea. this anchor consisted of a triangular canvas bag fastened to the end of the painter and allowed to stream out from the bows. the boat was high enough to catch the wind, and, as she drifted to leeward, the drag of the anchor kept her head to windward. thus our boat took most of the seas more or less end on. even then the crests of the waves often would curl right over us and we shipped a great deal of water, which necessitated unceasing baling and pumping. looking out abeam, we would see a hollow like a tunnel formed as the crest of a big wave toppled over on to the swelling body of water. a thousand times it appeared as though the 'james caird' must be engulfed; but the boat lived. the south-westerly gale had its birthplace above the antarctic continent, and its freezing breath lowered the temperature far towards zero. the sprays froze upon the boat and gave bows, sides, and decking a heavy coat of mail. this accumulation of ice reduced the buoyancy of the boat, and to that extent was an added peril; but it possessed a notable advantage from one point of view. the water ceased to drop and trickle from the canvas, and the spray came in solely at the well in the after part of the boat. we could not allow the load of ice to grow beyond a certain point, and in turns we crawled about the decking forward, chipping and picking at it with the available tools. when daylight came on the morning of the sixth day out we saw and felt that the 'james caird' had lost her resiliency. she was not rising to the oncoming seas. the weight of the ice that had formed in her and upon her during the night was having its effect, and she was becoming more like a log than a boat. the situation called for immediate action. we first broke away the spare oars, which were encased in ice and frozen to the sides of the boat, and threw them overboard. we retained two oars for use when we got inshore. two of the fur sleeping- bags went over the side; they were thoroughly wet, weighing probably lbs. each, and they had frozen stiff during the night. three men constituted the watch below, and when a man went down it was better to turn into the wet bag just vacated by another man than to thaw out a frozen bag with the heat of his unfortunate body. we now had four bags, three in use and one for emergency use in case a member of the party should break down permanently. the reduction of weight relieved the boat to some extent, and vigorous chipping and scraping did more. we had to be very careful not to put axe or knife through the frozen canvas of the decking as we crawled over it, but gradually we got rid of a lot of ice. the 'james caird' lifted to the endless waves as though she lived again. about a.m. the boat suddenly fell off into the trough of the sea. the painter had parted and the sea-anchor had gone. this was serious. the 'james caird' went away to leeward, and we had no chance at all of recovering the anchor and our valuable rope, which had been our only means of keeping the boat's head up to the seas without the risk of hoisting sail in a gale. now we had to set the sail and trust to its holding. while the 'james caird' rolled heavily in the trough, we beat the frozen canvas until the bulk of the ice had cracked off it and then hoisted it. the frozen gear worked protestingly, but after a struggle our little craft came up to the wind again, and we breathed more freely. skin frost-bites were troubling us, and we had developed large blisters on our fingers and hands. i shall always carry the scar of one of these frost-bites on my left hand, which became badly inflamed after the skin had burst and the cold had bitten deeply. we held the boat up to the gale during that day, enduring as best we could discomforts that amounted to pain. the boat tossed interminably on the big waves under grey, threatening skies. our thoughts did not embrace much more than the necessities of the hour. every surge of the sea was an enemy to be watched and circumvented. we ate our scanty meals, treated our frost-bites, and hoped for the improved conditions that the morrow might bring. night fell early, and in the lagging hours of darkness we were cheered by a change for the better in the weather. the wind dropped, the snow-squalls became less frequent, and the sea moderated. when the morning of the seventh day dawned there was not much wind. we shook the reef out of the sail and laid our course once more for south georgia. the sun came out bright and clear, and presently worsley got a snap for longitude. we hoped that the sky would remain clear until noon, so that we could get the latitude. we had been six days out without an observation, and our dead reckoning naturally was uncertain. the boat must have presented a strange appearance that morning. all hands basked in the sun. we hung our sleeping-bags to the mast and spread our socks and other gear all over the deck. some of the ice had melted off the 'james caird' in the early morning after the gale began to slacken; and dry patches were appearing in the decking. porpoises came blowing round the boat, and cape pigeons wheeled and swooped within a few feet of us. these little black-and-white birds have an air of friendliness that is not possessed by the great circling albatross. they had looked grey against the swaying sea during the storm as they darted about over our heads and uttered their plaintive cries. the albatrosses, of the black or sooty variety, had watched with hard, bright eyes, and seemed to have a quite impersonal interest in our struggle to keep afloat amid the battering seas. in addition to the cape pigeons an occasional stormy petrel flashed overhead. then there was a small bird, unknown to me, that appeared always to be in a fussy, bustling state, quite out of keeping with the surroundings. it irritated me. it had practically no tail, and it flitted about vaguely as though in search of the lost member. i used to find myself wishing it would find its tail and have done with the silly fluttering. we revelled in the warmth of the sun that day. life was not so bad, after all. we felt we were well on our way. our gear was drying, and we could have a hot meal in comparative comfort. the swell was still heavy, but it was not breaking and the boat rode easily. at noon worsley balanced himself on the gunwale and clung with one hand to the stay of the mainmast while he got a snap of the sun. the result was more than encouraging. we had done over miles and were getting on for half-way to south georgia. it looked as though we were going to get through. the wind freshened to a good stiff breeze during the afternoon, and the 'james caird' made satisfactory progress. i had not realized until the sunlight came how small our boat really was. there was some influence in the light and warmth, some hint of happier days, that made us revive memories of other voyages, when we had stout decks beneath our feet, unlimited food at our command, and pleasant cabins for our ease. now we clung to a battered little boat, "alone, alone--all, all alone; alone on a wide, wide sea." so low in the water were we that each succeeding swell cut off our view of the sky-line. we were a tiny speck in the vast vista of the sea--the ocean that is open to all and merciful to none, that threatens even when it seems to yield, and that is pitiless always to weakness. for a moment the consciousness of the forces arrayed against us would be almost overwhelming. then hope and confidence would rise again as our boat rose to a wave and tossed aside the crest in a sparkling shower like the play of prismatic colours at the foot of a waterfall. my double-barrelled gun and some cartridges had been stowed aboard the boat as an emergency precaution against a shortage of food, but we were not disposed to destroy our little neighbours, the cape pigeons, even for the sake of fresh meat. we might have shot an albatross, but the wandering king of the ocean aroused in us something of the feeling that inspired, too late, the ancient mariner. so the gun remained among the stores and sleeping- bags in the narrow quarters beneath our leaking deck, and the birds followed us unmolested. the eighth, ninth, and tenth days of the voyage had few features worthy of special note. the wind blew hard during those days, and the strain of navigating the boat was unceasing, but always we made some advance towards our goal. no bergs showed on our horizon, and we knew that we were clear of the ice-fields. each day brought its little round of troubles, but also compensation in the form of food and growing hope. we felt that we were going to succeed. the odds against us had been great, but we were winning through. we still suffered severely from the cold, for, though the temperature was rising, our vitality was declining owing to shortage of food, exposure, and the necessity of maintaining our cramped positions day and night. i found that it was now absolutely necessary to prepare hot milk for all hands during the night, in order to sustain life till dawn. this meant lighting the primus lamp in the darkness and involved an increased drain on our small store of matches. it was the rule that one match must serve when the primus was being lit. we had no lamp for the compass and during the early days of the voyage we would strike a match when the steersman wanted to see the course at night; but later the necessity for strict economy impressed itself upon us, and the practice of striking matches at night was stopped. we had one water-tight tin of matches. i had stowed away in a pocket, in readiness for a sunny day, a lens from one of the telescopes, but this was of no use during the voyage. the sun seldom shone upon us. the glass of the compass got broken one night, and we contrived to mend it with adhesive tape from the medicine-chest. one of the memories that comes to me from those days is of crean singing at the tiller. he always sang while he was steering, and nobody ever discovered what the song was. it was devoid of tune and as monotonous as the chanting of a buddhist monk at his prayers; yet somehow it was cheerful. in moments of inspiration crean would attempt "the wearing of the green." on the tenth night worsley could not straighten his body after his spell at the tiller. he was thoroughly cramped, and we had to drag him beneath the decking and massage him before he could unbend himself and get into a sleeping-bag. a hard north-westerly gale came up on the eleventh day (may ) and shifted to the south-west in the late afternoon. the sky was overcast and occasional snow-squalls added to the discomfort produced by a tremendous cross-sea--the worst, i thought, that we had experienced. at midnight i was at the tiller and suddenly noticed a line of clear sky between the south and south-west. i called to the other men that the sky was clearing, and then a moment later i realized that what i had seen was not a rift in the clouds but the white crest of an enormous wave. during twenty-six years' experience of the ocean in all its moods i had not encountered a wave so gigantic. it was a mighty upheaval of the ocean, a thing quite apart from the big white-capped seas that had been our tireless enemies for many days. i shouted, "for god's sake, hold on! it's got us!" then came a moment of suspense that seemed drawn out into hours. white surged the foam of the breaking sea around us. we felt our boat lifted and flung forward like a cork in breaking surf. we were in a seething chaos of tortured water; but somehow the boat lived through it, half- full of water, sagging to the dead weight and shuddering under the blow. we baled with the energy of men fighting for life, flinging the water over the sides with every receptacle that came to our hands, and after ten minutes of uncertainty we felt the boat renew her life beneath us. she floated again and ceased to lurch drunkenly as though dazed by the attack of the sea. earnestly we hoped that never again would we encounter such a wave. the conditions in the boat, uncomfortable before, had been made worse by the deluge of water. all our gear was thoroughly wet again. our cooking-stove had been floating about in the bottom of the boat, and portions of our last hoosh seemed to have permeated everything. not until a.m., when we were all chilled almost to the limit of endurance, did we manage to get the stove alight and make ourselves hot drinks. the carpenter was suffering particularly, but he showed grit and spirit. vincent had for the past week ceased to be an active member of the crew, and i could not easily account for his collapse. physically he was one of the strongest men in the boat. he was a young man, he had served on north sea trawlers, and he should have been able to bear hardships better than mccarthy, who, not so strong, was always happy. the weather was better on the following day (may ), and we got a glimpse of the sun. worsley's observation showed that we were not more than a hundred miles from the north-west corner of south georgia. two more days with a favourable wind and we would sight the promised land. i hoped that there would be no delay, for our supply of water was running very low. the hot drink at night was essential, but i decided that the daily allowance of water must be cut down to half a pint per man. the lumps of ice we had taken aboard had gone long ago. we were dependent upon the water we had brought from elephant island, and our thirst was increased by the fact that we were now using the brackish water in the breaker that had been slightly stove in in the surf when the boat was being loaded. some sea-water had entered at that time. thirst took possession of us. i dared not permit the allowance of water to be increased since an unfavourable wind might drive us away from the island and lengthen our voyage by many days. lack of water is always the most severe privation that men can be condemned to endure, and we found, as during our earlier boat voyage, that the salt water in our clothing and the salt spray that lashed our faces made our thirst grow quickly to a burning pain. i had to be very firm in refusing to allow any one to anticipate the morrow's allowance, which i was sometimes begged to do. we did the necessary work dully and hoped for the land. i had altered the course to the east so as to make sure of our striking the island, which would have been impossible to regain if we had run past the northern end. the course was laid on our scrap of chart for a point some thirty miles down the coast. that day and the following day passed for us in a sort of nightmare. our mouths were dry and our tongues were swollen. the wind was still strong and the heavy sea forced us to navigate carefully, but any thought of our peril from the waves was buried beneath the consciousness of our raging thirst. the bright moments were those when we each received our one mug of hot milk during the long, bitter watches of the night. things were bad for us in those days, but the end was coming. the morning of may broke thick and stormy, with squalls from the north-west. we searched the waters ahead for a sign of land, and though we could see nothing more than had met our eyes for many days, we were cheered by a sense that the goal was near at hand. about ten o'clock that morning we passed a little bit of kelp, a glad signal of the proximity of land. an hour later we saw two shags sitting on a big mass of kelp, and knew then that we must be within ten or fifteen miles of the shore. these birds are as sure an indication of the proximity of land as a lighthouse is, for they never venture far to sea. we gazed ahead with increasing eagerness, and at . p.m., through a rift in the clouds, mccarthy caught a glimpse of the black cliffs of south georgia, just fourteen days after our departure from elephant island. it was a glad moment. thirst-ridden, chilled, and weak as we were, happiness irradiated us. the job was nearly done. we stood in towards the shore to look for a landing-place, and presently we could see the green tussock-grass on the ledges above the surf-beaten rocks. ahead of us and to the south, blind rollers showed the presence of uncharted reefs along the coast. here and there the hungry rocks were close to the surface, and over them the great waves broke, swirling viciously and spouting thirty and forty feet into the air. the rocky coast appeared to descend sheer to the sea. our need of water and rest was well-nigh desperate, but to have attempted a landing at that time would have been suicidal. night was drawing near, and the weather indications were not favourable. there was nothing for it but to haul off till the following morning, so we stood away on the starboard tack until we had made what appeared to be a safe offing. then we hove to in the high westerly swell. the hours passed slowly as we waited the dawn, which would herald, we fondly hoped, the last stage of our journey. our thirst was a torment and we could scarcely touch our food; the cold seemed to strike right through our weakened bodies. at a.m. the wind shifted to the north-west and quickly increased to one of the worst hurricanes any of us had ever experienced. a great cross-sea was running and the wind simply shrieked as it tore the tops off the waves and converted the whole seascape into a haze of driving spray. down into valleys, up to tossing heights, straining until her seams opened, swung our little boat, brave still but labouring heavily. we knew that the wind and set of the sea was driving us ashore, but we could do nothing. the dawn showed us a storm-torn ocean, and the morning passed without bringing us a sight of the land; but at p.m., through a rift in the flying mists, we got a glimpse of the huge crags of the island and realized that our position had become desperate. we were on a dead lee shore, and we could gauge our approach to the unseen cliffs by the roar of the breakers against the sheer walls of rock. i ordered the double-reefed mainsail to be set in the hope that we might claw off, and this attempt increased the strain upon the boat. the 'james caird' was bumping heavily, and the water was pouring in everywhere. our thirst was forgotten in the realization of our imminent danger, as we baled unceasingly, and adjusted our weights from time to time; occasional glimpses showed that the shore was nearer. i knew that annewkow island lay to the south of us, but our small and badly marked chart showed uncertain reefs in the passage between the island and the mainland, and i dared not trust it, though as a last resort we could try to lie under the lee of the island. the afternoon wore away as we edged down the coast, with the thunder of the breakers in our ears. the approach of evening found us still some distance from annewkow island, and, dimly in the twilight, we could see a snow-capped mountain looming above us. the chance of surviving the night, with the driving gale and the implacable sea forcing us on to the lee shore, seemed small. i think most of us had a feeling that the end was very near. just after p.m., in the dark, as the boat was in the yeasty backwash from the seas flung from this iron-bound coast, then, just when things looked their worst, they changed for the best. i have marvelled often at the thin line that divides success from failure and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety. the wind suddenly shifted, and we were free once more to make an offing. almost as soon as the gale eased, the pin that locked the mast to the thwart fell out. it must have been on the point of doing this throughout the hurricane, and if it had gone nothing could have saved us; the mast would have snapped like a carrot. our backstays had carried away once before when iced up and were not too strongly fastened now. we were thankful indeed for the mercy that had held that pin in its place throughout the hurricane. we stood off shore again, tired almost to the point of apathy. our water had long been finished. the last was about a pint of hairy liquid, which we strained through a bit of gauze from the medicine- chest. the pangs of thirst attacked us with redoubled intensity, and i felt that we must make a landing on the following day at almost any hazard. the night wore on. we were very tired. we longed for day. when at last the dawn came on the morning of may there was practically no wind, but a high cross-sea was running. we made slow progress towards the shore. about a.m. the wind backed to the north- west and threatened another blow. we had sighted in the meantime a big indentation which i thought must be king haakon bay, and i decided that we must land there. we set the bows of the boat towards the bay and ran before the freshening gale. soon we had angry reefs on either side. great glaciers came down to the sea and offered no landing- place. the sea spouted on the reefs and thundered against the shore. about noon we sighted a line of jagged reef, like blackened teeth, that seemed to bar the entrance to the bay. inside, comparatively smooth water stretched eight or nine miles to the head of the bay. a gap in the reef appeared, and we made for it. but the fates had another rebuff for us. the wind shifted and blew from the east right out of the bay. we could see the way through the reef, but we could not approach it directly. that afternoon we bore up, tacking five times in the strong wind. the last tack enabled us to get through, and at last we were in the wide mouth of the bay. dusk was approaching. a small cove, with a boulder-strewn beach guarded by a reef, made a break in the cliffs on the south side of the bay, and we turned in that direction. i stood in the bows directing the steering as we ran through the kelp and made the passage of the reef. the entrance was so narrow that we had to take in the oars, and the swell was piling itself right over the reef into the cove; but in a minute or two we were inside, and in the gathering darkness the 'james caird' ran in on a swell and touched the beach. i sprang ashore with the short painter and held on when the boat went out with the backward surge. when the 'james caird' came in again three of the men got ashore, and they held the painter while i climbed some rocks with another line. a slip on the wet rocks twenty feet up nearly closed my part of the story just at the moment when we were achieving safety. a jagged piece of rock held me and at the same time bruised me sorely. however, i made fast the line, and in a few minutes we were all safe on the beach, with the boat floating in the surging water just off the shore. we heard a gurgling sound that was sweet music in our ears, and, peering around, found a stream of fresh water almost at our feet. a moment later we were down on our knees drinking the pure, ice-cold water in long draughts that put new life into us. it was a splendid moment. the next thing was to get the stores and ballast out of the boat, in order that we might secure her for the night. we carried the stores and gear above high-water mark and threw out the bags of sand and the boulders that we knew so well. then we attempted to pull the empty boat up the beach, and discovered by this effort how weak we had become. our united strength was not sufficient to get the 'james caird' clear of the water. time after time we pulled together, but without avail. i saw that it would be necessary to have food and rest before we beached the boat. we made fast a line to a heavy boulder and set a watch to fend the 'james caird' off the rocks of the beach. then i sent crean round to the left side of the cove, about thirty yards away, where i had noticed a little cave as we were running in. he could not see much in the darkness, but reported that the place certainly promised some shelter. we carried the sleeping-bags round and found a mere hollow in the rock-face, with a shingle floor sloping at a steep angle to the sea. there we prepared a hot meal, and when the food was finished i ordered the men to turn in. the time was now about p.m., and i took the first watch beside the 'james caird', which was still afloat in the tossing water just off the beach. fending the 'james caird' off the rocks in the darkness was awkward work. the boat would have bumped dangerously if allowed to ride in with the waves that drove into the cove. i found a flat rock for my feet, which were in a bad way owing to cold, wetness, and lack of exercise in the boat, and during the next few hours i laboured to keep the 'james caird' clear of the beach. occasionally i had to rush into the seething water. then, as a wave receded, i let the boat out on the alpine rope so as to avoid a sudden jerk. the heavy painter had been lost when the sea-anchor went adrift. the 'james caird' could be seen but dimly in the cove, where the high black cliffs made the darkness almost complete, and the strain upon one's attention was great. after several hours had passed i found that my desire for sleep was becoming irresistible, and at a.m. i called crean. i could hear him groaning as he stumbled over the sharp rocks on his way down the beach. while he was taking charge of the 'james caird' she got adrift, and we had some anxious moments. fortunately, she went across towards the cave and we secured her, unharmed. the loss or destruction of the boat at this stage would have been a very serious matter, since we probably would have found it impossible to leave the cove except by sea. the cliffs and glaciers around offered no practicable path towards the head of the bay. i arranged for one-hour watches during the remainder of the night and then took crean's place among the sleeping men and got some sleep before the dawn came. the sea went down in the early hours of the morning (may ), and after sunrise we were able to set about getting the boat ashore, first bracing ourselves for the task with another meal. we were all weak still. we cut off the topsides and took out all the movable gear. then we waited for byron's "great ninth wave," and when it lifted the 'james caird' in we held her and, by dint of great exertion, worked her round broadside to the sea. inch by inch we dragged her up until we reached the fringe of the tussock-grass and knew that the boat was above high-water mark. the rise of the tide was about five feet, and at spring tide the water must have reached almost to the edge of the tussock-grass. the completion of this job removed our immediate anxieties, and we were free to examine our surroundings and plan the next move. the day was bright and clear. king haakon bay is an eight-mile sound penetrating the coast of south georgia in an easterly direction. we had noticed that the northern and southern sides of the sound were formed by steep mountain-ranges, their flanks furrowed by mighty glaciers, the outlets of the great ice-sheet of the interior. it was obvious that these glaciers and the precipitous slopes of the mountains barred our way inland from the cove. we must sail to the head of the sound. swirling clouds and mist- wreaths had obscured our view of the sound when we were entering, but glimpses of snow-slopes had given us hope that an overland journey could be begun from that point. a few patches of very rough, tussocky land, dotted with little tarns, lay between the glaciers along the foot of the mountains, which were heavily scarred with scree-slopes. several magnificent peaks and crags gazed out across their snowy domains to the sparkling waters of the sound. our cove lay a little inside the southern headland of king haakon bay. a narrow break in the cliffs, which were about a hundred feet high at this point, formed the entrance to the cove. the cliffs continued inside the cove on each side and merged into a hill which descended at a steep slope to the boulder beach. the slope, which carried tussock- grass, was not continuous. it eased at two points into little peaty swamp terraces dotted with frozen pools and drained by two small streams. our cave was a recess in the cliff on the left-hand end of the beach. the rocky face of the cliff was undercut at this point, and the shingle thrown up by the waves formed a steep slope, which we reduced to about one in six by scraping the stones away from the inside. later we strewed the rough floor with the dead, nearly dry underleaves of the tussock-grass, so as to form a slightly soft bed for our sleeping-bags. water had trickled down the face of the cliff and formed long icicles, which hung down in front of the cave to the length of about fifteen feet. these icicles provided shelter, and when we had spread our sails below them, with the assistance of oars, we had quarters that, in the circumstances, had to be regarded as reasonably comfortable. the camp at least was dry, and we moved our gear there with confidence. we built a fireplace and arranged our sleeping-bags and blankets around it. the cave was about ft. deep and ft. wide at the entrance. while the camp was being arranged crean and i climbed the tussock slope behind the beach and reached the top of a headland overlooking the sound. there we found the nests of albatrosses, and, much to our delight, the nests contained young birds. the fledgelings were fat and lusty, and we had no hesitation about deciding that they were destined to die at an early age. our most pressing anxiety at this stage was a shortage of fuel for the cooker. we had rations for ten more days, and we knew now that we could get birds for food; but if we were to have hot meals we must secure fuel. the store of petroleum carried in the boat was running very low, and it seemed necessary to keep some quantity for use on the overland journey that lay ahead of us. a sea- elephant or a seal would have provided fuel as well as food, but we could see none in the neighbourhood. during the morning we started a fire in the cave with wood from the top-sides of the boat, and though the dense smoke from the damp sticks inflamed our tired eyes, the warmth and the prospect of hot food were ample compensation. crean was cook that day, and i suggested to him that he should wear his goggles, which he happened to have brought with him. the goggles helped him a great deal as he bent over the fire and tended the stew. and what a stew it was! the young albatrosses weighed about fourteen pounds each fresh killed, and we estimated that they weighed at least six pounds each when cleaned and dressed for the pot. four birds went into the pot for six men, with a bovril ration for thickening. the flesh was white and succulent, and the bones, not fully formed, almost melted in our mouths. that was a memorable meal. when we had eaten our fill, we dried our tobacco in the embers of the fire and smoked contentedly. we made an attempt to dry our clothes, which were soaked with salt water, but did not meet with much success. we could not afford to have a fire except for cooking purposes until blubber or driftwood had come our way. the final stage of the journey had still to be attempted. i realized that the condition of the party generally, and particularly of mcneish and vincent, would prevent us putting to sea again except under pressure of dire necessity. our boat, moreover, had been weakened by the cutting away of the topsides, and i doubted if we could weather the island. we were still miles away from stromness whaling-station by sea. the alternative was to attempt the crossing of the island. if we could not get over, then we must try to secure enough food and fuel to keep us alive through the winter, but this possibility was scarcely thinkable. over on elephant island twenty-two men were waiting for the relief that we alone could secure for them. their plight was worse than ours. we must push on somehow. several days must elapse before our strength would be sufficiently recovered to allow us to row or sail the last nine miles up to the head of the bay. in the meantime we could make what preparations were possible and dry our clothes by taking advantage of every scrap of heat from the fires we lit for the cooking of our meals. we turned in early that night, and i remember that i dreamed of the great wave and aroused my companions with a shout of warning as i saw with half-awakened eyes the towering cliff on the opposite side of the cove. shortly before midnight a gale sprang up suddenly from the north-east with rain and sleet showers. it brought quantities of glacier-ice into the cove, and by a.m. (may ) our little harbour was filled with ice, which surged to and fro in the swell and pushed its way on to the beach. we had solid rock beneath our feet and could watch without anxiety. when daylight came rain was falling heavily, and the temperature was the highest we had experienced for many months. the icicles overhanging our cave were melting down in streams and we had to move smartly when passing in and out lest we should be struck by falling lumps. a fragment weighing fifteen or twenty pounds crashed down while we were having breakfast. we found that a big hole had been burned in the bottom of worsley's reindeer sleeping-bag during the night. worsley had been awakened by a burning sensation in his feet, and had asked the men near him if his bag was all right; they looked and could see nothing wrong. we were all superficially frostbitten about the feet, and this condition caused the extremities to burn painfully, while at the same time sensation was lost in the skin. worsley thought that the uncomfortable heat of his feet was due to the frost-bites, and he stayed in his bag and presently went to sleep again. he discovered when he turned out in the morning that the tussock-grass which we had laid on the floor of the cave had smouldered outwards from the fire and had actually burned a large hole in the bag beneath his feet. fortunately, his feet were not harmed. our party spent a quiet day, attending to clothing and gear, checking stores, eating and resting. some more of the young albatrosses made a noble end in our pot. the birds were nesting on a small plateau above the right-hand end of our beach. we had previously discovered that when we were landing from the boat on the night of may we had lost the rudder. the 'james caird' had been bumping heavily astern as we were scrambling ashore, and evidently the rudder was then knocked off. a careful search of the beach and the rocks within our reach failed to reveal the missing article. this was a serious loss, even if the voyage to the head of the sound could be made in good weather. at dusk the ice in the cove was rearing and crashing on the beach. it had forced up a ridge of stones close to where the 'james caird' lay at the edge of the tussock-grass. some pieces of ice were driven right up to the canvas wall at the front of our cave. fragments lodged within two feet of vincent, who had the lowest sleeping-place, and within four feet of our fire. crean and mccarthy had brought down six more of the young albatrosses in the afternoon, so we were well supplied with fresh food. the air temperature that night probably was not lower than ° or ° fahr., and we were rendered uncomfortable in our cramped sleeping quarters by the unaccustomed warmth. our feelings towards our neighbours underwent a change. when the temperature was below ° fahr, we could not get too close to one another--every man wanted to cuddle against his neighbour; but let the temperature rise a few degrees and the warmth of another man's body ceased to be a blessing. the ice and the waves had a voice of menace that night, but i heard it only in my dreams. the bay was still filled with ice on the morning of saturday, may , but the tide took it all away in the afternoon. then a strange thing happened. the rudder, with all the broad atlantic to sail in and the coasts of two continents to search for a resting-place, came bobbing back into our cove. with anxious eyes we watched it as it advanced, receded again, and then advanced once more under the capricious influence of wind and wave. nearer and nearer it came as we waited on the shore, oars in hand, and at last we were able to seize it. surely a remarkable salvage! the day was bright and clear; our clothes were drying and our strength was returning. running water made a musical sound down the tussock slope and among the boulders. we carried our blankets up the hill and tried to dry them in the breeze ft. above sea-level. in the afternoon we began to prepare the 'james caird' for the journey to the head of king haakon bay. a noon observation on this day gave our latitude as ° ´ ´´ s., but according to the german chart the position should have been ° ´ s. probably worsley's observation was the more accurate. we were able to keep the fire alight until we went to sleep that night, for while climbing the rocks above the cove i had seen at the foot of a cliff a broken spar, which had been thrown up by the waves. we could reach this spar by climbing down the cliff, and with a reserve supply of fuel thus in sight we could afford to burn the fragments of the 'james caird's' topsides more freely. during the morning of this day (may ) worsley and i tramped across the hills in a north-easterly direction with the object of getting a view of the sound and possibly gathering some information that would be useful to us in the next stage of our journey. it was exhausting work, but after covering about ½ miles in two hours, we were able to look east, up the bay. we could not see very much of the country that we would have to cross in order to reach the whaling-station on the other side of the island. we had passed several brooks and frozen tarns, and at a point where we had to take to the beach on the shore of the sound we found some wreckage--an -ft. pine-spar (probably part of a ship's topmast), several pieces of timber, and a little model of a ship's hull, evidently a child's toy. we wondered what tragedy that pitiful little plaything indicated. we encountered also some gentoo penguins and a young sea-elephant, which worsley killed. when we got back to the cave at p.m., tired, hungry, but rather pleased with ourselves, we found a splendid meal of stewed albatross chicken waiting for us. we had carried a quantity of blubber and the sea-elephant's liver in our blouses, and we produced our treasures as a surprise for the men. rough climbing on the way back to camp had nearly persuaded us to throw the stuff away, but we had held on (regardless of the condition of our already sorely tried clothing), and had our reward at the camp. the long bay had been a magnificent sight, even to eyes that had dwelt on grandeur long enough and were hungry for the simple, familiar things of everyday life. its green-blue waters were being beaten to fury by the north-westerly gale. the mountains, "stern peaks that dared the stars," peered through the mists, and between them huge glaciers poured down from the great ice-slopes and fields that lay behind. we counted twelve glaciers and heard every few minutes the reverberating roar caused by masses of ice calving from the parent streams. on may we made our preparations for an early start on the following day if the weather held fair. we expected to be able to pick up the remains of the sea-elephant on our way up the sound. all hands were recovering from the chafing caused by our wet clothes during the boat journey. the insides of our legs had suffered severely, and for some time after landing in the cove we found movement extremely uncomfortable. we paid our last visit to the nests of the albatrosses, which were situated on a little undulating plateau above the cave amid tussocks, snow-patches, and little frozen tarns. each nest consisted of a mound over a foot high of tussock-grass, roots, and a little earth. the albatross lays one egg and very rarely two. the chicks, which are hatched in january, are fed on the nest by the parent birds for almost seven months before they take to the sea and fend for themselves. up to four months of age the chicks are beautiful white masses of downy fluff, but when we arrived on the scene their plumage was almost complete. very often one of the parent birds was on guard near the nest. we did not enjoy attacking these birds, but our hunger knew no law. they tasted so very good and assisted our recuperation to such an extent that each time we killed one of them we felt a little less remorseful. may was a great day. we made our hoosh at . a.m. then we loaded up the boat and gave her a flying launch down the steep beach into the surf. heavy rain had fallen in the night and a gusty north- westerly wind was now blowing, with misty showers. the 'james caird' headed to the sea as if anxious to face the battle of the waves once more. we passed through the narrow mouth of the cove with the ugly rocks and waving kelp close on either side, turned to the east, and sailed merrily up the bay as the sun broke through the mists and made the tossing waters sparkle around us. we were a curious-looking party on that bright morning, but we were feeling happy. we even broke into song, and, but for our robinson crusoe appearance, a casual observer might have taken us for a picnic party sailing in a norwegian fiord or one of the beautiful sounds of the west coast of new zealand. the wind blew fresh and strong, and a small sea broke on the coast as we advanced. the surf was sufficient to have endangered the boat if we had attempted to land where the carcass of the sea-elephant was lying, so we decided to go on to the head of the bay without risking anything, particularly as we were likely to find sea-elephants on the upper beaches. the big creatures have a habit of seeking peaceful quarters protected from the waves. we had hopes, too, of finding penguins. our expectation as far as the sea-elephants were concerned was not at fault. we heard the roar of the bulls as we neared the head of the bay, and soon afterwards saw the great unwieldy forms of the beasts lying on a shelving beach towards the bay-head. we rounded a high, glacier-worn bluff on the north side, and at . p.m. we ran the boat ashore on a low beach of sand and pebbles, with tussock growing above high-water mark. there were hundreds of sea-elephants lying about, and our anxieties with regard to food disappeared. meat and blubber enough to feed our party for years was in sight. our landing-place was about a mile and a half west of the north-east corner of the bay. just east of us was a glacier-snout ending on the beach but giving a passage towards the head of the bay, except at high water or when a very heavy surf was running. a cold, drizzling rain had begun to fall, and we provided ourselves with shelter as quickly as possible. we hauled the 'james caird' up above highwater mark and turned her over just to the lee or east side of the bluff. the spot was separated from the mountain-side by a low morainic bank, rising twenty or thirty feet above sea-level. soon we had converted the boat into a very comfortable cabin à la peggotty, turfing it round with tussocks, which we dug up with knives. one side of the 'james caird' rested on stones so as to afford a low entrance, and when we had finished she looked as though she had grown there. mccarthy entered into this work with great spirit. a sea-elephant provided us with fuel and meat, and that evening found a well-fed and fairly contented party at rest in peggotty camp. our camp, as i have said, lay on the north side of king haakon bay near the head. our path towards the whaling-stations led round the seaward end of the snouted glacier on the east side of the camp and up a snow-slope that appeared to lead to a pass in the great allardyce range, which runs north-west and south-east and forms the main backbone of south georgia. the range dipped opposite the bay into a well- defined pass from east to west. an ice-sheet covered most of the interior, filling the valleys and disguising the configurations of the land, which, indeed, showed only in big rocky ridges, peaks, and nunataks. when we looked up the pass from peggotty camp the country to the left appeared to offer two easy paths through to the opposite coast, but we knew that the island was uninhabited at that point (possession bay). we had to turn our attention farther east, and it was impossible from the camp to learn much of the conditions that would confront us on the overland journey. i planned to climb to the pass and then be guided by the configuration of the country in the selection of a route eastward to stromness bay, where the whaling-stations were established in the minor bays, leith, husvik, and stromness. a range of mountains with precipitous slopes, forbidding peaks, and large glaciers lay immediately to the south of king haakon bay and seemed to form a continuation of the main range. between this secondary range and the pass above our camp a great snow-upland sloped up to the inland ice-sheet and reached a rocky ridge that stretched athwart our path and seemed to bar the way. this ridge was a right-angled offshoot from the main ridge. its chief features were four rocky peaks with spaces between that looked from a distance as though they might prove to be passes. the weather was bad on tuesday, may , and we stayed under the boat nearly all day. the quarters were cramped but gave full protection from the weather, and we regarded our little cabin with a great deal of satisfaction. abundant meals of sea-elephant steak and liver increased our contentment. mcneish reported during the day that he had seen rats feeding on the scraps, but this interesting statement was not verified. one would not expect to find rats at such a spot, but there was a bare possibility that they had landed from a wreck and managed to survive the very rigorous conditions. a fresh west-south-westerly breeze was blowing on the following morning (wednesday, may ), with misty squalls, sleet, and rain. i took worsley with me on a pioneer journey to the west with the object of examining the country to be traversed at the beginning of the overland journey. we went round the seaward end of the snouted glacier, and after tramping about a mile over stony ground and snow- coated debris, we crossed some big ridges of scree and moraines. we found that there was good going for a sledge as far as the north-east corner of the bay, but did not get much information regarding the conditions farther on owing to the view becoming obscured by a snow- squall. we waited a quarter of an hour for the weather to clear but were forced to turn back without having seen more of the country. i had satisfied myself, however, that we could reach a good snow-slope leading apparently to the inland ice. worsley reckoned from the chart that the distance from our camp to husvik, on an east magnetic course, was seventeen geographical miles, but we could not expect to follow a direct line. the carpenter started making a sledge for use on the overland journey. the materials at his disposal were limited in quantity and scarcely suitable in quality. we overhauled our gear on thursday, may ; and hauled our sledge to the lower edge of the snouted glacier. the vehicle proved heavy and cumbrous. we had to lift it empty over bare patches of rock along the shore, and i realized that it would be too heavy for three men to manage amid the snow-plains, glaciers, and peaks of the interior. worsley and crean were coming with me, and after consultation we decided to leave the sleeping-bags behind us and make the journey in very light marching order. we would take three days' provisions for each man in the form of sledging ration and biscuit. the food was to be packed in three sacks, so that each member of the party could carry his own supply. then we were to take the primus lamp filled with oil, the small cooker, the carpenter's adze (for use as an ice-axe), and the alpine rope, which made a total length of fifty feet when knotted. we might have to lower ourselves down steep slopes or cross crevassed glaciers. the filled lamp would provide six hot meals, which would consist of sledging ration boiled up with biscuit. there were two boxes of matches left, one full and the other partially used. we left the full box with the men at the camp and took the second box, which contained forty-eight matches. i was unfortunate as regarded footgear, since i had given away my heavy burberry boots on the floe, and had now a comparatively light pair in poor condition. the carpenter assisted me by putting several screws in the sole of each boot with the object of providing a grip on the ice. the screws came out of the 'james caird'. we turned in early that night, but sleep did not come to me. my mind was busy with the task of the following day. the weather was clear and the outlook for an early start in the morning was good. we were going to leave a weak party behind us in the camp. vincent was still in the same condition, and he could not march. mcneish was pretty well broken up. the two men were not capable of managing for themselves and mccarthy must stay to look after them. he might have a difficult task if we failed to reach the whaling station. the distance to husvik, according to the chart, was no more than seventeen geographical miles in a direct line, but we had very scanty knowledge of the conditions of the interior. no man had ever penetrated a mile from the coast of south georgia at any point, and the whalers i knew regarded the country as inaccessible. during that day, while we were walking to the snouted glacier, we had seen three wild duck flying towards the head of the bay from the eastward. i hoped that the presence of these birds indicated tussock-land and not snow-fields and glaciers in the interior, but the hope was not a very bright one. we turned out at a.m. on the friday morning and had our hoosh ready an hour later. the full moon was shining in a practically cloudless sky, its rays reflected gloriously from the pinnacles and crevassed ice of the adjacent glaciers. the huge peaks of the mountains stood in bold relief against the sky and threw dark shadows on the waters of the sound. there was no need for delay, and we made a start as soon as we had eaten our meal. mcneish walked about yds with us; he could do no more. then we said good-bye and he turned back to the camp. the first task was to get round the edge of the snouted glacier, which had points like fingers projecting towards the sea. the waves were reaching the points of these fingers, and we had to rush from one recess to another when the waters receded. we soon reached the east side of the glacier and noticed its great activity at this point. changes had occurred within the preceding twenty-four hours. some huge pieces had broken off, and the masses of mud and stone that were being driven before the advancing ice showed movement. the glacier was like a gigantic plough driving irresistibly towards the sea. lying on the beach beyond the glacier was wreckage that told of many ill-fated ships. we noticed stanchions of teakwood, liberally carved, that must have came from ships of the older type; iron-bound timbers with the iron almost rusted through; battered barrels and all the usual debris of the ocean. we had difficulties and anxieties of our own, but as we passed that graveyard of the sea we thought of the many tragedies written in the wave-worn fragments of lost vessels. we did not pause, and soon we were ascending a snow-slope heading due east on the last lap of our long trail. the snow-surface was disappointing. two days before we had been able to move rapidly on hard, packed snow; now we sank over our ankles at each step and progress was slow. after two hours' steady climbing we were ft. above sea-level. the weather continued fine and calm, and as the ridges drew nearer and the western coast of the island spread out below, the bright moonlight showed us that the interior was broken tremendously. high peaks, impassable cliffs, steep snow-slopes, and sharply descending glaciers were prominent features in all directions, with stretches of snow-plain over laying the ice-sheet of the interior. the slope we were ascending mounted to a ridge and our course lay direct to the top. the moon, which proved a good friend during this journey, threw a long shadow at one point and told us that the surface was broken in our path. warned in time, we avoided a huge hole capable of swallowing an army. the bay was now about three miles away, and the continued roaring of a big glacier at the head of the bay came to our ears. this glacier, which we had noticed during the stay at peggotty camp, seemed to be calving almost continuously. i had hoped to get a view of the country ahead of us from the top of the slope, but as the surface became more level beneath our feet, a thick fog drifted down. the moon became obscured and produced a diffused light that was more trying than darkness, since it illuminated the fog without guiding our steps. we roped ourselves together as a precaution against holes, crevasses, and precipices, and i broke trail through the soft snow. with almost the full length of the rope between myself and the last man we were able to steer an approximately straight course, since, if i veered to the right or the left when marching into the blank wall of the fog, the last man on the rope could shout a direction. so, like a ship with its "port," "starboard," "steady," we tramped through the fog for the next two hours. then, as daylight came, the fog thinned and lifted, and from an elevation of about ft. we looked down on what seemed to be a huge frozen lake with its farther shores still obscured by the fog. we halted there to eat a bit of biscuit while we discussed whether we would go down and cross the flat surface of the lake, or keep on the ridge we had already reached. i decided to go down, since the lake lay on our course. after an hour of comparatively easy travel through the snow we noticed the thin beginnings of crevasses. soon they were increasing in size and showing fractures, indicating that we were travelling on a glacier. as the daylight brightened the fog dissipated; the lake could be seen more clearly, but still we could not discover its east shore. a little later the fog lifted completely, and then we saw that our lake stretched to the horizon, and realized suddenly that we were looking down upon the open sea on the east coast of the island. the slight pulsation at the shore showed that the sea was not even frozen; it was the bad light that had deceived us. evidently we were at the top of possession bay, and the island at that point could not be more than five miles across from the head of king haakon bay. our rough chart was inaccurate. there was nothing for it but to start up the glacier again. that was about seven o'clock in the morning, and by nine o'clock we had more than recovered our lost ground. we regained the ridge and then struck south-east, for the chart showed that two more bays indented the coast before stromness. it was comforting to realize that we would have the eastern water in sight during our journey, although we could see there was no way around the shore line owing to steep cliffs and glaciers. men lived in houses lit by electric light on the east coast. news of the outside world waited us there, and, above all, the east coast meant for us the means of rescuing the twenty-two men we had left on elephant island. chapter x across south georgia the sun rose in the sky with every appearance of a fine day, and we grew warmer as we toiled through the soft snow. ahead of us lay the ridges and spurs of a range of mountains, the transverse range that we had noticed from the bay. we were travelling over a gently rising plateau, and at the end of an hour we found ourselves growing uncomfortably hot. years before, on an earlier expedition, i had declared that i would never again growl at the heat of the sun, and my resolution had been strengthened during the boat journey. i called it to mind as the sun beat fiercely on the blinding white snow-slope. after passing an area of crevasses we paused for our first meal. we dug a hole in the snow about three feet deep with the adze and put the primus into it. there was no wind at the moment, but a gust might come suddenly. a hot hoosh was soon eaten and we plodded on towards a sharp ridge between two of the peaks already mentioned. by a.m. we were almost at the crest. the slope had become precipitous and it was necessary to cut steps as we advanced. the adze proved an excellent instrument for this purpose, a blow sufficing to provide a foothold. anxiously but hopefully i cut the last few steps and stood upon the razor-back, while the other men held the rope and waited for my news. the outlook was disappointing. i looked down a sheer precipice to a chaos of crumpled ice ft. below. there was no way down for us. the country to the east was a great snow upland, sloping upwards for a distance of seven or eight miles to a height of over ft. to the north it fell away steeply in glaciers into the bays, and to the south it was broken by huge outfalls from the inland ice-sheet. our path lay between the glaciers and the outfalls, but first we had to descend from the ridge on which we stood. cutting steps with the adze, we moved in a lateral direction round the base of a dolomite, which blocked our view to the north. the same precipice confronted us. away to the north-east there appeared to be a snow-slope that might give a path to the lower country, and so we retraced our steps down the long slope that had taken us three hours to climb. we were at the bottom in an hour. we were now feeling the strain of the unaccustomed marching. we had done little walking since january and our muscles were out of tune. skirting the base of the mountain above us, we came to a gigantic bergschrund, a mile and a half long and ft. deep. this tremendous gully, cut in the snow and ice by the fierce winds blowing round the mountain, was semicircular in form, and it ended in a gentle incline. we passed through it, under the towering precipice of ice, and at the far end we had another meal and a short rest. this was at : p.m. half a pot of steaming bovril ration warmed us up, and when we marched again ice-inclines at angles of degrees did not look quite as formidable as before. once more we started for the crest. after another weary climb we reached the top. the snow lay thinly on blue ice at the ridge, and we had to cut steps over the last fifty yards. the same precipice lay below, and my eyes searched vainly for a way down. the hot sun had loosened the snow, which was now in a treacherous condition, and we had to pick our way carefully. looking back, we could see that a fog was rolling up behind us and meeting in the valleys a fog that was coming up from the east. the creeping grey clouds were a plain warning that we must get down to lower levels before becoming enveloped. the ridge was studded with peaks, which prevented us getting a clear view either to the right or to the left. the situation in this respect seemed no better at other points within our reach, and i had to decide that our course lay back the way we had come. the afternoon was wearing on and the fog was rolling up ominously from the west. it was of the utmost importance for us to get down into the next valley before dark. we were now up ft. and the night temperature at that elevation would be very low. we had no tent and no sleeping-bags, and our clothes had endured much rough usage and had weathered many storms during the last ten months. in the distance, down the valley below us, we could see tussock-grass close to the shore, and if we could get down it might be possible to dig out a hole in one of the lower snow-banks, line it with dry grass, and make ourselves fairly comfortable for the night. back we went, and after a detour we reached the top of another ridge in the fading light. after a glance over the top i turned to the anxious faces of the two men behind me and said, "come on, boys." within a minute they stood beside me on the ice-ridge. the surface fell away at a sharp incline in front of us, but it merged into a snow- slope. we could not see the bottom clearly owing to mist and bad light, and the possibility of the slope ending in a sheer fall occurred to us; but the fog that was creeping up behind allowed no time for hesitation. we descended slowly at first, cutting steps in the snow; then the surface became softer, indicating that the gradient was less severe. there could be no turning back now, so we unroped and slid in the fashion of youthful days. when we stopped on a snow-bank at the foot of the slope we found that we had descended at least ft. in two or three minutes. we looked back and saw the grey fingers of the fog appearing on the ridge, as though reaching after the intruders into untrodden wilds. but we had escaped. the country to the east was an ascending snow upland dividing the glaciers of the north coast from the outfalls of the south. we had seen from the top that our course lay between two huge masses of crevasses, and we thought that the road ahead lay clear. this belief and the increasing cold made us abandon the idea of camping. we had another meal at p.m. a little breeze made cooking difficult in spite of the shelter provided for the cooker by a hole. crean was the cook, and worsley and i lay on the snow to windward of the lamp so as to break the wind with our bodies. the meal over, we started up the long, gentle ascent. night was upon us, and for an hour we plodded along in almost complete darkness, watching warily for signs of crevasses. then about p.m. a glow which we had seen behind the jagged peaks resolved itself into the full moon, which rose ahead of us and made a silver pathway for our feet. along that pathway in the wake of the moon we advanced in safety, with the shadows cast by the edges of crevasses showing black on either side of us. onwards and upwards through soft snow we marched, resting now and then on hard patches which had revealed themselves by glittering ahead of us in the white light. by midnight we were again at an elevation of about ft. still we were following the light, for as the moon swung round towards the north- east, our path curved in that direction. the friendly moon seemed to pilot our weary feet. we could have had no better guide. if in bright daylight we had made that march we would have followed the course that was traced for us that night. midnight found us approaching the edge of a great snowfield, pierced by isolated nunataks which cast long shadows like black rivers across the white expanse. a gentle slope to the north-east lured our all-too- willing feet in that direction. we thought that at the base of the slope lay stromness bay. after we had descended about ft. a thin wind began to attack us. we had now been on the march for over twenty hours, only halting for our occasional meals. wisps of cloud drove over the high peaks to the southward, warning us that wind and snow were likely to come. after a.m. we cut a pit in the snow, piled up loose snow around it, and started the primus again. the hot food gave us another renewal of energy. worsley and crean sang their old songs when the primus was going merrily. laughter was in our hearts, though not on our parched and cracked lips. we were up and away again within half an hour, still downward to the coast. we felt almost sure now that we were above stromness bay. a dark object down at the foot of the slope looked like mutton island, which lies off husvik. i suppose our desires were giving wings to our fancies, for we pointed out joyfully various landmarks revealed by the now vagrant light of the moon, whose friendly face was cloud-swept. our high hopes were soon shattered. crevasses warned us that we were on another glacier, and soon we looked down almost to the seaward edge of the great riven ice-mass. i knew there was no glacier in stromness and realized that this must be fortuna glacier. the disappointment was severe. back we turned and tramped up the glacier again, not directly tracing our steps but working at a tangent to the south-east. we were very tired. at a.m. we were at the foot of the rocky spurs of the range. we were tired, and the wind that blew down from the heights was chilling us. we decided to get down under the lee of a rock for a rest. we put our sticks and the adze on the snow, sat down on them as close to one another as possible, and put our arms round each other. the wind was bringing a little drift with it and the white dust lay on our clothes. i thought that we might be able to keep warm and have half an hour's rest this way. within a minute my two companions were fast asleep. i realized that it would be disastrous if we all slumbered together, for sleep under such conditions merges into death. after five minutes i shook them into consciousness again, told them that they had slept for half an hour, and gave the word for a fresh start. we were so stiff that for the first two or three hundred yards we marched with our knees bent. a jagged line of peaks with a gap like a broken tooth confronted us. this was the ridge that runs in a southerly direction from fortuna bay, and our course eastward to stromness lay across it. a very steep slope led up to the ridge and an icy wind burst through the gap. we went through the gap at a.m. with anxious hearts as well as weary bodies. if the farther slope had proved impassable our situation would have been almost desperate; but the worst was turning to the best for us. the twisted, wave-like rock formations of husvik harbour appeared right ahead in the opening of dawn. without a word we shook hands with one another. to our minds the journey was over, though as a matter of fact twelve miles of difficult country had still to be traversed. a gentle snow-slope descended at our feet towards a valley that separated our ridge from the hills immediately behind husvik, and as we stood gazing worsley said solemnly, "boss, it looks too good to be true!" down we went, to be checked presently by the sight of water ft. below. we could see the little wave-ripples on the black beach, penguins strutting to and fro, and dark objects that looked like seals lolling lazily on the sand. this was an eastern arm of fortuna bay, separated by the ridge from the arm we had seen below us during the night. the slope we were traversing appeared to end in a precipice above this beach. but our revived spirits were not to be damped by difficulties on the last stage of the journey, and we camped cheerfully for breakfast. whilst worsley and crean were digging a hole for the lamp and starting the cooker i climbed a ridge above us, cutting steps with the adze, in order to secure an extended view of the country below. at . a.m. i thought i heard the sound of a steam-whistle. i dared not be certain, but i knew that the men at the whaling-station would be called from their beds about that time. descending to the camp i told the others, and in intense excitement we watched the chronometer for seven o'clock, when the whalers would be summoned to work. right to the minute the steam-whistle came to us, borne clearly on the wind across the intervening miles of rock and snow. never had any one of us heard sweeter music. it was the first sound created by outside human agency that had come to our ears since we left stromness bay in december . that whistle told us that men were living near, that ships were ready, and that within a few hours we should be on our way back to elephant island to the rescue of the men waiting there under the watch and ward of wild. it was a moment hard to describe. pain and ache, boat journeys, marches, hunger and fatigue seemed to belong to the limbo of forgotten things, and there remained only the perfect contentment that comes of work accomplished. my examination of the country from a higher point had not provided definite information, and after descending i put the situation before worsley and crean. our obvious course lay down a snow-slope in the direction of husvik. "boys," i said, "this snow-slope seems to end in a precipice, but perhaps there is no precipice. if we don't go down we shall have to make a detour of at least five miles before we reach level going what shall it be?" they both replied at once, "try the slope." so we started away again downwards. we abandoned the primus lamp, now empty, at the breakfast camp and carried with us one ration and a biscuit each. the deepest snow we had yet encountered clogged our feet, but we plodded downward, and after descending about ft., reducing our altitude to ft. above sea-level, we thought we saw the way clear ahead. a steep gradient of blue ice was the next obstacle. worsley and crean got a firm footing in a hole excavated with the adze and then lowered me as i cut steps until the full ft. of our alpine rope was out. then i made a hole big enough for the three of us, and the other two men came down the steps. my end of the rope was anchored to the adze and i had settled myself in the hole braced for a strain in case they slipped. when we all stood in the second hole i went down again to make more steps, and in this laborious fashion we spent two hours descending about ft. halfway down we had to strike away diagonally to the left, for we noticed that the fragments of ice loosened by the adze were taking a leap into space at the bottom of the slope. eventually we got off the steep ice, very gratefully, at a point where some rocks protruded, and we could see then that there was a perilous precipice directly below the point where we had started to cut steps. a slide down a slippery slope, with the adze and our cooker going ahead, completed this descent, and incidentally did considerable damage to our much-tried trousers. when we picked ourselves up at the bottom we were not more than ft. above the sea. the slope was comparatively easy. water was running beneath the snow, making "pockets" between the rocks that protruded above the white surface. the shells of snow over these pockets were traps for our feet; but we scrambled down, and presently came to patches of tussock. a few minutes later we reached the sandy beach. the tracks of some animals were to be seen, and we were puzzled until i remembered that reindeer, brought from norway, had been placed on the island and now ranged along the lower land of the eastern coast. we did not pause to investigate. our minds were set upon reaching the haunts of man, and at our best speed we went along the beach to another rising ridge of tussock. here we saw the first evidence of the proximity of man, whose work, as is so often the ease, was one of destruction. a recently killed seal was lying there, and presently we saw several other bodies bearing the marks of bullet-wounds. i learned later that men from the whaling-station at stromness sometimes go round to fortuna bay by boat to shoot seals. noon found us well up the slope on the other side of the bay working east-south-east, and half an hour later we were on a flat plateau, with one more ridge to cross before we descended into husvik. i was leading the way over this plateau when i suddenly found myself up to my knees in water and quickly sinking deeper through the snow-crust. i flung myself down and called to the others to do the same, so as to distribute our weight on the treacherous surface. we were on top of a small lake, snow-covered. after lying still for a few moments we got to our feet and walked delicately, like agag, for yds., until a rise in the surface showed us that we were clear of the lake. at . p.m. we climbed round a final ridge and saw a little steamer, a whaling-boat, entering the bay ft, below. a few moments later, as we hurried forward, the masts of a sailing-ship lying at a wharf came in sight. minute figures moving to and fro about the boats caught our gaze, and then we saw the sheds and factory of stromness whaling- station. we paused and shook hands, a form of mutual congratulation that had seemed necessary on four other occasions in the course of the expedition. the first time was when we landed on elephant island, the second when we reached south georgia, and the third when we reached the ridge and saw the snow-slope stretching below on the first day of the overland journey, then when we saw husvik rocks. cautiously we started down the slope that led to warmth and comfort. the last lap of the journey proved extraordinarily difficult. vainly we searched for a safe, or a reasonably safe, way down the steep ice- clad mountain-side. the sole possible pathway seemed to be a channel cut by water running from the upland. down through icy water we followed the course of this stream. we were wet to the waist, shivering, cold, and tired. presently our ears detected an unwelcome sound that might have been musical under other conditions. it was the splashing of a waterfall, and we were at the wrong end. when we reached the top of this fall we peered over cautiously and discovered that there was a drop of or ft., with impassable ice-cliffs on both sides. to go up again was scarcely thinkable in our utterly wearied condition. the way down was through the waterfall itself. we made fast one end of our rope to a boulder with some difficulty, due to the fact that the rocks had been worn smooth by the running water. then worsley and i lowered crean, who was the heaviest man. he disappeared altogether in the falling water and came out gasping at the bottom. i went next, sliding down the rope, and worsley, who was the lightest and most nimble member of the party, came last. at the bottom of the fall we were able to stand again on dry land. the rope could not be recovered. we had flung down the adze from the top of the fall and also the logbook and the cooker wrapped in one of our blouses. that was all, except our wet clothes, that we brought out of the antarctic, which we had entered a year and a half before with well-found ship, full equipment, and high hopes. that was all of tangible things; but in memories we were rich. we had pierced the veneer of outside things. we had "suffered, starved, and triumphed, grovelled down yet grasped at glory, grown bigger in the bigness of the whole." we had seen god in his splendours, heard the text that nature renders. we had reached the naked soul of man. shivering with cold, yet with hearts light and happy, we set off towards the whaling-station, now not more than a mile and a half distant. the difficulties of the journey lay behind us. we tried to straighten ourselves up a bit, for the thought that there might be women at the station made us painfully conscious of our uncivilized appearance. our beards were long and our hair was matted. we were unwashed and the garments that we had worn for nearly a year without a change were tattered and stained. three more unpleasant-looking ruffians could hardly have been imagined. worsley produced several safety-pins from some corner of his garments and effected some temporary repairs that really emphasized his general disrepair. down we hurried, and when quite close to the station we met two small boys ten or twelve years of age. i asked these lads where the manager's house was situated. they did not answer. they gave us one look--a comprehensive look that did not need to be repeated. then they ran from us as fast as their legs would carry them. we reached the outskirts of the station and passed through the "digesting-house," which was dark inside. emerging at the other end, we met an old man, who started as if he had seen the devil himself and gave us no time to ask any question. he hurried away. this greeting was not friendly. then we came to the wharf, where the man in charge stuck to his station. i asked him if mr. sorlle (the manager) was in the house. "yes," he said as he stared at us. "we would like to see him," said i. "who are you?" he asked. "we have lost our ship and come over the island," i replied. "you have come over the island?" he said in a tone of entire disbelief. the man went towards the manager's house and we followed him. i learned afterwards that he said to mr. sorlle: "there are three funny- looking men outside, who say they have come over the island and they know you. i have left them outside." a very necessary precaution from his point of view. mr. sorlle came out to the door and said, "well?" "don't you know me?" i said. "i know your voice," he replied doubtfully. "you're the mate of the daisy." "my name is shackleton," i said. immediately he put out his hand and said, "come in. come in." "tell me, when was the war over?" i asked. "the war is not over," he answered. "millions are being killed. europe is mad. the world is mad." mr. sorlle's hospitality had no bounds. he would scarcely let us wait to remove our freezing boots before he took us into his house and gave us seats in a warm and comfortable room. we were in no condition to sit in anybody's house until we had washed and got into clean clothes, but the kindness of the station-manager was proof even against the unpleasantness of being in a room with us. he gave us coffee and cakes in the norwegian fashion, and then showed us upstairs to the bathroom, where we shed our rags and scrubbed ourselves luxuriously. mr. sorlle's kindness did not end with his personal care for the three wayfarers who had come to his door. while we were washing he gave orders for one of the whaling-vessels to be prepared at once in order that it might leave that night for the other side of the island and pick up the three men there. the whalers knew king haakon bay, though they never worked on that side of the island. soon we were clean again. then we put on delightful new clothes supplied from the station stores and got rid of our superfluous hair. within an hour or two we had ceased to be savages and had become civilized men again. then came a splendid meal, while mr. sorlle told us of the arrangements he had made and we discussed plans for the rescue of the main party on elephant island. i arranged that worsley should go with the relief ship to show the exact spot where the carpenter and his two companions were camped, while i started to prepare for the relief of the party on elephant island. the whaling-vessel that was going round to king haakon bay was expected back on the monday morning, and was to call at grytviken harbour, the port from which we had sailed in december , in order that the magistrate resident there might be informed of the fate of the 'endurance'. it was possible that letters were awaiting us there. worsley went aboard the whaler at ten o'clock that night and turned in. the next day the relief ship entered king haakon bay and he reached peggotty camp in a boat. the three men were delighted beyond measure to know that we had made the crossing in safety and that their wait under the upturned 'james caird' was ended. curiously enough, they did not recognize worsley, who had left them a hairy, dirty ruffian and had returned his spruce and shaven self. they thought he was one of the whalers. when one of them asked why no member of the party had come round with the relief, worsley said, "what do you mean?" "we thought the boss or one of the others would come round," they explained. "what's the matter with you?" said worsley. then it suddenly dawned upon them that they were talking to the man who had been their close companion for a year and a half. within a few minutes the whalers had moved our bits of gear into their boat. they towed off the 'james caird' and hoisted her to the deck of their ship. then they started on the return voyage. just at dusk on monday afternoon they entered stromness bay, where the men of the whaling-station mustered on the beach to receive the rescued party and to examine with professional interest the boat we had navigated across miles of the stormy ocean they knew so well. when i look back at those days i have no doubt that providence guided us, not only across those snowfields, but across the storm-white sea that separated elephant island from our landing-place on south georgia. i know that during that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of south georgia it seemed to me often that we were four, not three. i said nothing to my companions on the point, but afterwards worsley said to me, "boss, i had a curious feeling on the march that there was another person with us." crean confessed to the same idea. one feels "the dearth of human words, the roughness of mortal speech" in trying to describe things intangible, but a record of our journeys would be incomplete without a reference to a subject very near to our hearts. chapter xi the rescue our first night at the whaling-station was blissful. crean and i shared a beautiful room in mr. sorlle's house, with electric light and two beds, warm and soft. we were so comfortable that we were unable to sleep. late at night a steward brought us tea, bread and butter and cakes, and we lay in bed, revelling in the luxury of it all. outside a dense snow-storm, which started two hours after our arrival and lasted until the following day, was swirling and driving about the mountain- slopes. we were thankful indeed that we had made a place of safety, for it would have gone hard with us if we had been out on the mountains that night. deep snow lay everywhere when we got up the following morning. after breakfast mr. sorlle took us round to husvik in a motor-launch. we were listening avidly to his account of the war and of all that had happened while we were out of the world of men. we were like men arisen from the dead to a world gone mad. our minds accustomed themselves gradually to the tales of nations in arms, of deathless courage and unimagined slaughter, of a world-conflict that had grown beyond all conceptions, of vast red battlefields in grimmest contrast with the frigid whiteness we had left behind us. the reader may not realize quite how difficult it was for us to envisage nearly two years of the most stupendous war of history. the locking of the armies in the trenches, the sinking of the 'lusitania', the murder of nurse cavell, the use of poison-gas and liquid fire, the submarine warfare, the gallipoli campaign, the hundred other incidents of the war, almost stunned us at first, and then our minds began to compass the train of events and develop a perspective. i suppose our experience was unique. no other civilized men could have been as blankly ignorant of world- shaking happenings as we were when we reached stromness whaling station. i heard the first rumour of the 'aurora's' misadventures in the ross sea from mr. sorlle. our host could tell me very little. he had been informed that the 'aurora' had broken away from winter quarters in mcmurdo sound and reached new zealand after a long drift, and that there was no news of the shore party. his information was indefinite as to details, and i had to wait until i reached the falkland islands some time later before getting a definite report concerning the 'aurora'. the rumour that had reached south georgia, however, made it more than ever important that i should bring out the rest of the weddell sea party quickly, so as to free myself for whatever effort was required on the ross sea side. when we reached husvik that sunday morning we were warmly greeted by the magistrate (mr. bernsten), whom i knew of old, and the other members of the little community. moored in the harbour was one of the largest of the whalers, the 'southern sky', owned by an english company but now laid up for the winter. i had no means of getting into communication with the owners without dangerous delay, and on my accepting all responsibility mr. bernsten made arrangements for me to take this ship down to elephant island. i wrote out an agreement with lloyd's for the insurance of the ship. captain thom, an old friend of the expedition, happened to be in husvik with his ship, the 'orwell', loading oil for use in britain's munition works, and he at once volunteered to come with us in any capacity. i asked him to come as captain of the 'southern sky'. there was no difficulty about getting a crew. the whalers were eager to assist in the rescue of men in distress. they started work that sunday to prepare and stow the ship. parts of the engines were ashore, but willing hands made light labour. i purchased from the station stores all the stores and equipment required, including special comforts for the men we hoped to rescue, and by tuesday morning the 'southern sky' was ready to sail. i feel it is my duty as well as my pleasure to thank here the norwegian whalers of south georgia for the sympathetic hands they stretched out to us in our need. among memories of kindness received in many lands sundered by the seas, the recollection of the hospitality and help given to me in south georgia ranks high. there is a brotherhood of the sea. the men who go down to the sea in ships, serving and suffering, fighting their endless battle against the caprice of wind and ocean, bring into their own horizons the perils and troubles of their brother sailormen. the 'southern sky' was ready on tuesday morning, and at nine o'clock we steamed out of the bay, while the whistles of the whaling-station sounded a friendly farewell. we had forgathered aboard captain thom's ship on the monday night with several whaling captains who were bringing up their sons to their own profession. they were "old stagers" with faces lined and seamed by the storms of half a century, and they were even more interested in the story of our voyage from elephant island than the younger generation was. they congratulated us on having accomplished a remarkable boat journey. i do not wish to belittle our success with the pride that apes humility. under providence we had overcome great difficulties and dangers, and it was pleasant to tell the tale to men who knew those sullen and treacherous southern seas. mccarthy, mcneish, and vincent had been landed on the monday afternoon. they were already showing some signs of increasing strength under a regime of warm quarters and abundant food. the carpenter looked woefully thin after he had emerged from a bath. he must have worn a lot of clothes when he landed from the boat, and i did not realize how he had wasted till i saw him washed and changed. he was a man over fifty years of age, and the strain had told upon him more than upon the rest of us. the rescue came just in time for him. the early part of the voyage down to elephant island in the southern sky was uneventful. at noon on tuesday, may , we were at sea and steaming at ten knots on a south-westerly course. we made good progress, but the temperature fell very low, and the signs gave me some cause for anxiety as to the probability of encountering ice. on the third night out the sea seemed to grow silent. i looked over the side and saw a thin film of ice. the sea was freezing around us and the ice gradually grew thicker, reducing our speed to about five knots. then lumps of old pack began to appear among the new ice. i realized that an advance through pack-ice was out of the question. the 'southern sky' was a steel-built steamer, and her structure, while strong to resist the waves, would not endure the blows of masses of ice. so i took the ship north, and at daylight on friday we got clear of the pancake-ice. we skirted westward, awaiting favourable conditions. the morning of the th was dull and overcast, with little wind. again the ship's head was turned to the south-west, but at p.m. a definite line of pack showed up on the horizon. we were about miles from elephant island, but there was no possibility of taking the steamer through the ice that barred the way. north-west again we turned. we were directly north of the island on the following day, and i made another move south. heavy pack formed an impenetrable barrier. to admit failure at this stage was hard, but the facts had to be faced. the 'southern sky' could not enter ice of even moderate thickness. the season was late, and we could not be sure that the ice would open for many months, though my opinion was that the pack would not become fast in that quarter even in the winter, owing to the strong winds and currents. the 'southern sky' could carry coal for ten days only, and we had been out six days. we were miles from the falkland islands and about miles from south georgia. so i determined that, since we could not wait about for an opening, i would proceed to the falklands, get a more suitable vessel either locally or from england, and make a second attempt to reach elephant island from that point. we encountered very bad weather on the way up, but in the early afternoon of may we arrived at port stanley, where the cable provided a link with the outer world. the harbour-master came out to meet us, and after we had dropped anchor i went ashore and met the governor, mr. douglas young. he offered me his assistance at once. he telephoned to mr. harding, the manager of the falkland islands station, and i learned, to my keen regret, that no ship of the type required was available at the islands. that evening i cabled to london a message to his majesty the king, the first account of the loss of the 'endurance' and the subsequent adventures of the expedition. the next day i received the following message from the king: "rejoice to hear of your safe arrival in the falkland islands and trust your comrades on elephant island may soon be rescued. "george r.i." the events of the days that followed our arrival at the falkland islands i will not attempt to describe in detail. my mind was bent upon the rescue of the party on elephant island at the earliest possible moment. winter was advancing, and i was fully conscious that the lives of some of my comrades might be the price of unnecessary delay. a proposal had been made to send a relief ship from england, but she could not reach the southern seas for many weeks. in the meantime i got into communication with the governments of the south american republics by wireless and cable and asked if they had any suitable ship i could use for a rescue. i wanted a wooden ship capable of pushing into loose ice, with fair speed and a reasonable coal capacity. messages of congratulation and goodwill were reaching me from all parts of the world, and the kindness of hundreds of friends in many lands was a very real comfort in a time of anxiety and stress. the british admiralty informed me that no suitable vessel was available in england and that no relief could be expected before october. i replied that october would be too late. then the british minister in montevideo telegraphed me regarding a trawler named 'instituto de pesca no. ', belonging to the uruguayan government. she was a stout little vessel, and the government had generously offered to equip her with coal, provisions, clothing, etc., and send her across to the falkland islands for me to take down to elephant island. i accepted this offer gladly, and the trawler was in port stanley on june . we started south at once. the weather was bad but the trawler made good progress, steaming steadily at about six knots, and in the bright, clear dawn of the third day we sighted the peaks of elephant island. hope ran high; but our ancient enemy the pack was lying in wait, and within twenty miles of the island the trawler was stopped by an impenetrable barrier of ice. the pack lay in the form of a crescent, with a horn to the west of the ship stretching north. steaming north-east, we reached another horn and saw that the pack, heavy and dense, then trended away to the east. we made an attempt to push into the ice, but it was so heavy that the trawler was held up at once and began to grind in the small thick floes, so we cautiously backed out. the propeller, going slowly, was not damaged, though any moment i feared we might strip the blades. the island lay on our starboard quarter, but there was no possibility of approaching it. the uruguayan engineer reported to me that he had three days' coal left, and i had to give the order to turn back. a screen of fog hid the lower slopes of the island, and the men watching from the camp on the beach could not have seen the ship. northward we steamed again, with the engines knocking badly, and after encountering a new gale, made port stanley with the bunkers nearly empty and the engines almost broken down. h.m.s. 'glasgow' was in the port, and the british sailors gave us a hearty welcome as we steamed in. the uruguayan government offered to send the trawler to punta arenas and have her dry-docked there and made ready for another effort. one of the troubles on the voyage was that according to estimate the trawler could do ten knots on six tons of coal a day, which would have given us a good margin to allow for lying off the ice; but in reality, owing to the fact that she had not been in dock for a year, she only developed a speed of six knots on a consumption of ten tons a day. time was precious and these preparations would have taken too long. i thanked the government then for its very generous offer, and i want to say now that the kindness of the uruguayans at this time earned my warmest gratitude. i ought to mention also the assistance given me by lieut. ryan, a naval reserve officer who navigated the trawler to the falklands and came south on the attempt at relief. the 'instituto de pesca' went off to montevideo and i looked around for another ship. a british mail-boat, the 'orita' called at port stanley opportunely, and i boarded her with worsley and crean and crossed to punta arenas in the magellan straits. the reception we received there was heartening. the members of the british association of magellanes took us to their hearts. mr. allan mcdonald was especially prominent in his untiring efforts to assist in the rescue of our twenty-two companions on elephant island. he worked day and night, and it was mainly due to him that within three days they had raised a sum of £ amongst themselves, chartered the schooner 'emma' and equipped her for our use. she was a forty-year-old oak schooner, strong and seaworthy, with an auxiliary oil-engine. out of the complement of ten men all told who were manning the ship, there were eight different nationalities; but they were all good fellows and understood perfectly what was wanted. the chilian government lent us a small steamer, the 'yelcho', to tow us part of the way. she could not touch ice, though, as she was built of steel. however, on july we passed her our tow-rope and proceeded on our way. in bad weather we anchored next day, and although the wind increased to a gale i could delay no longer, so we hove up anchor in the early morning of the th. the strain on the tow-rope was too great. with the crack of a gun the rope broke. next day the gale continued, and i will quote from the log of the 'emma', which worsley kept as navigating officer. " a.m.--fresh, increasing gale; very rough, lumpy sea. a.m.--tow- rope parted. noon. similar weather. p.m.--tow-rope parted again. set foresail and forestay-sail and steered south-east by south. p.m.-- 'yelcho' hailed us and said that the ship's bilges were full of water (so were our decks) and they were short of coal. sir ernest told them that they could return to harbour. after this the 'yelcho' steamed into san sebastian bay." after three days of continuous bad weather we were left alone to attempt once more to rescue the twenty-two men on elephant island, for whom by this time i entertained very grave fears. at dawn of friday, july , we were within a hundred miles of the island, and we encountered the ice in the half-light. i waited for the full day and then tried to push through. the little craft was tossing in the heavy swell, and before she had been in the pack for ten minutes she came down on a cake of ice and broke the bobstay. then the water- inlet of the motor choked with ice. the schooner was tossing like a cork in the swell, and i saw after a few bumps that she was actually lighter than the fragments of ice around her. progress under such conditions was out of the question. i worked the schooner out of the pack and stood to the east. i ran her through a line of pack towards the south that night, but was forced to turn to the north-east, for the ice trended in that direction as far as i could see. we hove to for the night, which was now sixteen hours long. the winter was well advanced and the weather conditions were thoroughly bad. the ice to the southward was moving north rapidly. the motor-engine had broken down and we were entirely dependent on the sails. we managed to make a little southing during the next day, but noon found us miles from the island. that night we lay off the ice in a gale, hove to, and morning found the schooner iced up. the ropes, cased in frozen spray, were as thick as a man's arm, and if the wind had increased much we would have had to cut away the sails, since there was no possibility of lowering them. some members of the scratch crew were played out by the cold and the violent tossing. the schooner was about seventy feet long, and she responded to the motions of the storm-racked sea in a manner that might have disconcerted the most seasoned sailors. i took the schooner south at every chance, but always the line of ice blocked the way. the engineer, who happened to be an american, did things to the engines occasionally, but he could not keep them running, and, the persistent south winds were dead ahead. it was hard to turn back a third time, but i realized we could not reach the island under those conditions, and we must turn north in order to clear the ship of heavy masses of ice. so we set a northerly course, and after a tempestuous passage reached port stanley once more. this was the third reverse, but i did not abandon my belief that the ice would not remain fast around elephant island during the winter, whatever the arm-chair experts at home might say. we reached port stanley in the schooner on august , and i learned there that the ship discovery was to leave england at once and would be at the falkland islands about the middle of september. my good friend the governor said i could settle down at port stanley and take things quietly for a few weeks. the street of that port is about a mile and a half long. it has the slaughter-house at one end and the graveyard at the other. the chief distraction is to walk from the slaughter-house to the graveyard. for a change one may walk from the graveyard to the slaughter-house. ellaline terriss was born at port stanley--a fact not forgotten by the residents, but she has not lived there much since. i could not content myself to wait for six or seven weeks, knowing that six hundred miles away my comrades were in dire need. i asked the chilian government to send the 'yelcho', the steamer that had towed us before, to take the schooner across to punta arenas, and they consented promptly, as they had done to every other request of mine. so in a north-west gale we went across, narrowly escaping disaster on the way, and reached punta arenas on august . there was no suitable ship to be obtained. the weather was showing some signs of improvement, and i begged the chilian government to let me have the 'yelcho' for a last attempt to reach the island. she was a small steel-built steamer, quite unsuitable for work in the pack, but i promised that i would not touch the ice. the government was willing to give me another chance, and on august i started south on the fourth attempt at relief. this time providence favoured us. the little steamer made a quick run down in comparatively fine weather, and i found as we neared elephant island that the ice was open. a southerly gale had sent it northward temporarily, and the 'yelcho' had her chance to slip through. we approached the island in a thick fog. i did not dare to wait for this to clear, and at a.m. on august we passed some stranded bergs. then we saw the sea breaking on a reef, and i knew that we were just outside the island. it was an anxious moment, for we had still to locate the camp and the pack could not be trusted to allow time for a prolonged search in thick weather; but presently the fog lifted and revealed the cliffs and glaciers of elephant island. i proceeded to the east, and at . a.m. worsley's keen eyes detected the camp, almost invisible under its covering of snow. the men ashore saw us at the same time, and we saw tiny black figures hurry to the beach and wave signals to us. we were about a mile and a half away from the camp. i turned the 'yelcho' in, and within half an hour reached the beach with crean and some of the chilian sailors. i saw a little figure on a surf-beaten rock and recognized wild. as i came nearer i called out, "are you all well?" and he answered, "we are all well, boss," and then i heard three cheers. as i drew close to the rock i flung packets of cigarettes ashore; they fell on them like hungry tigers, for well i knew that for months tobacco was dreamed of and talked of. some of the hands were in a rather bad way, but wild had held the party together and kept hope alive in their hearts. there was no time then to exchange news or congratulations. i did not even go up the beach to see the camp, which wild assured me had been much improved. a heavy sea was running and a change of wind might bring the ice back at any time. i hurried the party aboard with all possible speed, taking also the records of the expedition and essential portions of equipment. everybody was aboard the 'yelcho' within an hour, and we steamed north at the little steamer's best speed. the ice was open still, and nothing worse than an expanse of stormy ocean separated us from the south american coast. during the run up to punta arenas i heard wild's story, and blessed again the cheerfulness and resource that had served the party so well during four and a half months of privation. the twenty-two men on elephant island were just at the end of their resources when the 'yelcho' reached them. wild had husbanded the scanty stock of food as far as possible and had fought off the devils of despondency and despair on that little sand-spit, where the party had a precarious foothold between the grim ice-fields and the treacherous, ice-strewn sea. the pack had opened occasionally, but much of the time the way to the north had been barred. the 'yelcho' had arrived at the right moment. two days earlier she could not have reached the island, and a few hours later the pack may have been impenetrable again. wild had reckoned that help would come in august, and every morning he had packed his kit, in cheerful anticipation that proved infectious, as i have no doubt it was meant to be. one of the party to whom i had said "well, you all were packed up ready," replied, "you see, boss, wild never gave up hope, and whenever the sea was at all clear of ice he rolled up his sleeping-bag and said to all hands, 'roll up your sleeping-bags, boys; the boss may come to-day.'" and so it came to pass that we suddenly came out of the fog, and, from a black outlook, in an hour all were in safety homeward bound. the food was eked out with seal and penguin meat, limpets, and seaweed. seals had been scarce, but the supply of penguins had held out fairly well during the first three months. the men were down to the last bovril ration, the only form of hot drink they had, and had scarcely four days' food in hand at the time of the rescue. the camp was in constant danger of being buried by the snow, which drifted heavily from the heights behind, and the men moved the accumulations with what implements they could provide. there was danger that the camp would become completely invisible from the sea, so that a rescue party might look for it in vain. "it had been arranged that a gun should be fired from the relief ship when she got near the island," said wild. "many times when the glaciers were 'calving,' and chunks fell off with a report like a gun, we thought that it was the real thing, and after a time we got to distrust these signals. as a matter of fact, we saw the 'yelcho' before we heard any gun. it was an occasion one will not easily forget. we were just assembling for lunch to the call of 'lunch o!' and i was serving out the soup, which was particularly good that day, consisting of boiled seal's backbone, limpets, and seaweed, when there was another hail from marston of 'ship o!' some of the men thought it was 'lunch o!' over again, but when there was another yell from marston lunch had no further attractions. the ship was about a mile and a half away and steaming past us. a smoke-signal was the agreed sign from the shore, and, catching up somebody's coat that was lying about, i struck a pick into a tin of kerosene kept for the purpose, poured it over the coat, and set it alight. it flared instead of smoking; but that didn't matter, for you had already recognized the spot where you had left us and the 'yelcho' was turning in." we encountered bad weather on the way back to punta arenas, and the little 'yelcho' laboured heavily; but she had light hearts aboard. we entered the straits of magellan on september and reached rio secco at a.m. i went ashore, found a telephone, and told the governor and my friends at punta arenas that the men were safe. two hours later we were at punta arenas, where we were given a welcome none of us is likely to forget. the chilian people were no less enthusiastic than the british residents. the police had been instructed to spread the news that the 'yelcho' was coming with the rescued men, and lest the message should fail to reach some people, the fire-alarm had been rung. the whole populace appeared to be in the streets. it was a great reception, and with the strain of long, anxious months lifted at last, we were in a mood to enjoy it. the next few weeks were crowded ones, but i will not attempt here to record their history in detail. i received congratulations and messages of friendship and good cheer from all over the world, and my heart went out to the good people who had remembered my men and myself in the press of terrible events on the battlefields. the chilian government placed the 'yelcho' at my disposal to take the men up to valparaiso and santiago. we reached valparaiso on september . everything that could swim in the way of a boat was out to meet us, the crews of chilian warships were lined up, and at least thirty thousand thronged the streets. i lectured in santiago on the following evening for the british red cross and a chilian naval charity. the chilian flag and the union jack were draped together, the band played the chilian national anthem, "god save the king," and the "marseillaise," and the chilian minister for foreign affairs spoke from the platform and pinned an order on my coat. i saw the president and thanked him for the help that he had given a british expedition. his government had spent £ on coal alone. in reply he recalled the part that british sailors had taken in the making of the chilian navy. the chilian railway department provided a special train to take us across the andes, and i proceeded to montevideo in order to thank personally the president and government of uruguay for the help they had given generously in the earlier relief voyages. we were entertained royally at various spots en route. we went also to buenos ayres on a brief call. then we crossed the andes again. i had made arrangements by this time for the men and the staff to go to england. all hands were keen to take their places in the empire's fighting forces. my own immediate task was the relief of the marooned ross sea party, for news had come to me of the 'aurora's' long drift in the ross sea and of her return in a damaged condition to new zealand. worsley was to come with me. we hurried northwards via panama, steamship and train companies giving us everywhere the most cordial and generous assistance, and caught at san francisco a steamer that would get us to new zealand at the end of november. i had been informed that the new zealand government was making arrangements for the relief of the ross sea party, but my information was incomplete, and i was very anxious to be on the spot myself as quickly as possible. chapter xii elephant island the twenty-two men who had been left behind on elephant island were under the command of wild, in whom i had absolute confidence, and the account of their experiences during the long four and a half months' wait while i was trying to get help to them, i have secured from their various diaries, supplemented by details which i obtained in conversation on the voyage back to civilization. the first consideration, which was even more important than that of food, was to provide shelter. the semi-starvation during the drift on the ice-floe, added to the exposure in the boats, and the inclemencies of the weather encountered after our landing on elephant island, had left its mark on a good many of them. rickenson, who bore up gamely to the last, collapsed from heart-failure. blackborrow and hudson could not move. all were frost-bitten in varying degrees and their clothes, which had been worn continuously for six months, were much the worse for wear. the blizzard which sprang up the day that we landed at cape wild lasted for a fortnight, often blowing at the rate of seventy to ninety miles an hour, and occasionally reaching even higher figures. the tents which had lasted so well and endured so much were torn to ribbons, with the exception of the square tent occupied by hurley, james, and hudson. sleeping-bags and clothes were wringing wet, and the physical discomforts were tending to produce acute mental depression. the two remaining boats had been turned upside down with one gunwale resting on the snow, and the other raised about two feet on rocks and cases, and under these the sailors and some of the scientists, with the two invalids, rickenson and blackborrow, found head-cover at least. shelter from the weather and warmth to dry their clothes was imperative, so wild hastened the excavation of the ice-cave in the slope which had been started before i left. the high temperature, however, caused a continuous stream of water to drip from the roof and sides of the ice-cave, and as with twenty-two men living in it the temperature would be practically always above freezing, there would have been no hope of dry quarters for them there. under the direction of wild they, therefore, collected some big flat stones, having in many cases to dig down under the snow which was covering the beach, and with these they erected two substantial walls four feet high and nineteen feet apart. "we are all ridiculously weak, and this part of the work was exceedingly laborious and took us more than twice as long as it would have done had we been in normal health. stones that we could easily have lifted at other times we found quite beyond our capacity, and it needed two or three of us to carry some that would otherwise have been one man's load. our difficulties were added to by the fact that most of the more suitable stones lay at the farther end of the spit, some one hundred and fifty yards away. our weakness is best compared with that which one experiences on getting up from a long illness; one 'feels' well, but physically enervated. "the site chosen for the hut was the spot where the stove had been originally erected on the night of our arrival. it lay between two large boulders, which, if they would not actually form the walls of the hut, would at least provide a valuable protection from the wind. further protection was provided to the north by a hill called penguin hill at the end of the spit. as soon as the walls were completed and squared off, the two boats were laid upside down on them side by side. the exact adjustment of the boats took some time, but was of paramount importance if our structure was to be the permanent affair that we hoped it would be. once in place they were securely chocked up and lashed down to the rocks. the few pieces of wood that we had were laid across from keel to keel, and over this the material of one of the torn tents was spread and secured with guys to the rocks. the walls were ingeniously contrived and fixed up by marston. first he cut the now useless tents into suitable lengths; then he cut the legs of a pair of seaboots into narrow strips, and using these in much the same way that the leather binding is put round the edge of upholstered chairs, he nailed the tent-cloth all round the insides of the outer gunwales of the two boats in such a way that it hung down like a valance to the ground, where it was secured with spars and oars. a couple of overlapping blankets made the door, superseded later by a sack-mouth door cut from one of the tents. this consisted of a sort of tube of canvas sewn on to the tent-cloth, through which the men crawled in or out, tying it up as one would the mouth of a sack as soon as the man had passed through. it is certainly the most convenient and efficient door for these conditions that has ever been invented. "whilst the side walls of the hut were being fixed, others proceeded to fill the interstices between the stones of the end walls with snow. as this was very powdery and would not bind well, we eventually had to supplement it with the only spare blanket and an overcoat. all this work was very hard on our frost-bitten fingers, and materials were very limited. "at last all was completed and we were invited to bring in our sodden bags, which had been lying out in the drizzling rain for several hours; for the tents and boats that had previously sheltered them had all been requisitioned to form our new residence. "we took our places under wild's direction. there was no squabbling for best places, but it was noticeable that there was something in the nature of a rush for the billets up on the thwarts of the boats. "rickenson, who was still very weak and ill, but very cheery, obtained a place in the boat directly above the stove, and the sailors having lived under the 'stancomb wills' for a few days while she was upside down on the beach, tacitly claimed it as their own, and flocked up on to its thwarts as one man. there was one 'upstair' billet left in this boat, which wild offered to hussey and lees simultaneously, saying that the first man that got his bag up could have the billet. whilst lees was calculating the pros and cons hussey got his bag, and had it up just as lees had determined that the pros had it. there were now four men up on the thwarts of the 'dudley docker', and the five sailors and hussey on those of the 'stancomb wills', the remainder disposing themselves on the floor." the floor was at first covered with snow and ice, frozen in amongst the pebbles. this was cleared out, and the remainder of the tents spread out over the stones. within the shelter of these cramped but comparatively palatial quarters cheerfulness once more reigned amongst the party. the blizzard, however, soon discovered the flaws in the architecture of their hut, and the fine drift-snow forced its way through the crevices between the stones forming the end walls. jaeger sleeping-bags and coats were spread over the outside of these walls, packed over with snow and securely frozen up, effectively keeping out this drift. at first all the cooking was done outside under the lee of some rocks, further protection being provided by a wall of provision-cases. there were two blubber-stoves made from old oil-drums, and one day, when the blizzard was unusually severe, an attempt was made to cook the meals inside the hut. there being no means of escape for the pungent blubber- smoke, the inmates had rather a bad time, some being affected with a form of smoke-blindness similar to snow-blindness, very painful and requiring medical attention. a chimney was soon fitted, made by kerr out of the tin lining of one of the biscuit-cases, and passed through a close-fitting tin grummet sewn into the canvas of the roof just between the keels of the two boats, and the smoke nuisance was soon a thing of the past. later on, another old oil-drum was made to surround this chimney, so that two pots could be cooked at once on the one stove. those whose billets were near the stove suffered from the effects of the local thaw caused by its heat, but they were repaid by being able to warm up portions of steak and hooshes left over from previous meals, and even to warm up those of the less fortunate ones, for a consideration. this consisted generally of part of the hoosh or one or two pieces of sugar. the cook and his assistant, which latter job was taken by each man in turn, were called about a.m., and breakfast was generally ready by about a.m. provision-cases were then arranged in a wide circle round the stove, and those who were fortunate enough to be next to it could dry their gear. so that all should benefit equally by this, a sort of "general post" was carried out, each man occupying his place at meal-times for one day only, moving up one the succeeding day. in this way eventually every man managed to dry his clothes, and life began to assume a much brighter aspect. the great trouble in the hut was the absence of light. the canvas walls were covered with blubber-soot, and with the snowdrifts accumulating round the hut its inhabitants were living in a state of perpetual night. lamps were fashioned out of sardine-tins, with bits of surgical bandage for wicks; but as the oil consisted of seal-oil rendered down from the blubber, the remaining fibrous tissue being issued very sparingly at lunch, by the by, and being considered a great delicacy, they were more a means of conserving the scanty store of matches than of serving as illuminants. wild was the first to overcome this difficulty by sewing into the canvas wall the glass lid of a chronometer box. later on three other windows were added, the material in this case being some celluloid panels from a photograph case of mine which i had left behind in a bag. this enabled the occupants of the floor billets who were near enough to read and sew, which relieved the monotony of the situation considerably. "our reading material consisted at this time of two books of poetry, one book of 'nordenskjold's expedition,' one or two torn volumes of the 'encyclopaedia britannica,' and a penny cookery book, owned by marston. our clothes, though never presentable, as they bore the scars of nearly ten months of rough usage, had to be continually patched to keep them together at all." as the floor of the hut had been raised by the addition of loads of clean pebbles, from which most of the snow had been removed, during the cold weather it was kept comparatively dry. when, however, the temperature rose to just above freezing-point, as occasionally happened, the hut became the drainage-pool of all the surrounding hills. wild was the first to notice it by remarking one morning that his sleeping-bag was practically afloat. other men examined theirs with a like result, so baling operations commenced forthwith. stones were removed from the floor and a large hole dug, and in its gloomy depths the water could be seen rapidly rising. using a saucepan for a baler, they baled out over gallons of dirty water. the next day gallons were removed, the men taking it in turns to bale at intervals during the night; more gallons were baled out during the next twenty-four hours, till one man rather pathetically remarked in his diary, "this is what nice, mild, high temperatures mean to us: no wonder we prefer the cold." eventually, by removing a portion of one wall a long channel was dug nearly down to the sea, completely solving the problem. additional precautions were taken by digging away the snow which surrounded the hut after each blizzard, sometimes entirely obscuring it. a huge glacier across the bay behind the hut nearly put an end to the party. enormous blocks of ice weighing many tons would break off and fall into the sea, the disturbance thus caused giving rise to great waves. one day marston was outside the hut digging up the frozen seal for lunch with a pick, when a noise "like an artillery barrage" startled him. looking up he saw that one of these tremendous waves, over thirty feet high, was advancing rapidly across the bay, threatening to sweep hut and inhabitants into the sea. a hastily shouted warning brought the men tumbling out, but fortunately the loose ice which filled the bay damped the wave down so much that, though it flowed right under the hut, nothing was carried away. it was a narrow escape, though, as had they been washed into the sea nothing could have saved them. although they themselves gradually became accustomed to the darkness and the dirt, some entries in their diaries show that occasionally they could realize the conditions under which they were living. "the hut grows more grimy every day. everything is a sooty black. we have arrived at the limit where further increments from the smoking stove, blubber-lamps, and cooking-gear are unnoticed. it is at least comforting to feel that we can become no filthier. our shingle floor will scarcely bear examination by strong light without causing even us to shudder and express our disapprobation at its state. oil mixed with reindeer hair, bits of meat, sennegrass, and penguin feathers form a conglomeration which cements the stones together. from time to time we have a spring cleaning, but a fresh supply of flooring material is not always available, as all the shingle is frozen up and buried by deep rifts. such is our home sweet home." "all joints are aching through being compelled to lie on the hard, rubbly floor which forms our bedsteads." again, later on, one writes: "now that wild's window allows a shaft of light to enter our hut, one can begin to 'see' things inside. previously one relied upon one's sense of touch, assisted by the remarks from those whose faces were inadvertently trodden on, to guide one to the door. looking down in the semi-darkness to the far end, one observes two very small smoky flares that dimly illuminate a row of five, endeavouring to make time pass by reading or argument. these are macklin, kerr, wordie, hudson, and blackborrow--the last two being invalids. "the centre of the hut is filled with the cases which do duty for the cook's bed, the meat and blubber boxes, and a mummified-looking object, which is lees in his sleeping-bag. the near end of the floor space is taken up with the stove, with wild and mcilroy on one side, and hurley and james on the other. marston occupies a hammock most of the night-- and day--which is slung across the entrance. as he is large and the entrance very small, he invariably gets bumped by those passing in and out. his vocabulary at such times is interesting. "in the attic, formed by the two upturned boats, live ten unkempt and careless lodgers, who drop boots, mitts, and other articles of apparel on to the men below. reindeer hairs rain down incessantly day and night, with every movement that they make in their moulting bags. these, with penguin feathers and a little grit from the floor, occasionally savour the hooshes. thank heaven man is an adaptable brute! if we dwell sufficiently long in this hut, we are likely to alter our method of walking, for our ceiling, which is but four feet six inches high at its highest part, compels us to walk bent double or on all fours. "our doorway--cheetham is just crawling in now, bringing a shower of snow with him--was originally a tent entrance. when one wishes to go out, one unties the cord securing the door, and crawls or wriggles out, at the same time exclaiming 'thank goodness i'm in the open air!' this should suffice to describe the atmosphere inside the hut, only pleasant when charged with the overpowering yet appetizing smell of burning penguin steaks. "from all parts there dangles an odd collection of blubbery garments, hung up to dry, through which one crawls, much as a chicken in an incubator. our walls of tent-canvas admit as much light as might be expected from a closed venetian blind. it is astonishing how we have grown accustomed to inconveniences, and tolerate, at least, habits which a little time back were regarded with repugnance. we have no forks, but each man has a sheath-knife and a spoon, the latter in many cases having been fashioned from a piece of box lid. the knife serves many purposes. with it we kill, skin, and cut up seals and penguins, cut blubber into strips for the fire, very carefully scrape the snow off our hut walls, and then after a perfunctory rub with an oily penguin-skin, use it at meals. we are as regardless of our grime and dirt as is the esquimaux. we have been unable to wash since we left the ship, nearly ten months ago. for one thing we have no soap or towels, only bare necessities being brought with us; and, again, had we possessed these articles, our supply of fuel would only permit us to melt enough ice for drinking purposes. had one man washed, half a dozen others would have had to go without a drink all day. one cannot suck ice to relieve the thirst, as at these low temperatures it cracks the lips and blisters the tongue. still, we are all very cheerful." during the whole of their stay on elephant island the weather was described by wild as "simply appalling." stranded as they were on a narrow, sandy beach surrounded by high mountains, they saw little of the scanty sunshine during the brief intervals of clear sky. on most days the air was full of snowdrift blown from the adjacent heights. elephant island being practically on the outside edge of the pack, the winds which passed over the relatively warm ocean before reaching it clothed it in a "constant pall of fog and snow." on april , the day after i left for south georgia, the island was beset by heavy pack-ice, with snow and a wet mist. next day was calmer, but on the th, to quote one of the diaries, they experienced "the most wretched weather conceivable. raining all night and day, and blowing hard. wet to the skin." the following day brought heavy fog and sleet, and a continuance of the blizzard. april ended with a terrific windstorm which nearly destroyed the hut. the one remaining tent had to be dismantled, the pole taken down, and the inhabitants had to lie flat all night under the icy canvas. this lasted well into may, and a typical may day is described as follows: "a day of terrific winds, threatening to dislodge our shelter. the wind is a succession of hurricane gusts that sweep down the glacier immediately south-south- west of us. each gust heralds its approach by a low rumbling which increases to a thunderous roar. snow, stones, and gravel are flying about, and any gear left unweighted by very heavy stones is carried away to sea." heavy bales of sennegrass, and boxes of cooking-gear, were lifted bodily in the air and carried away out of sight. once the wind carried off the floor-cloth of a tent which six men were holding on to and shaking the snow off. these gusts often came with alarming suddenness; and without any warning. hussey was outside in the blizzard digging up the day's meat, which had frozen to the ground, when a gust caught him and drove him down the spit towards the sea. fortunately, when he reached the softer sand and shingle below high-water mark, he managed to stick his pick into the ground and hold on with both hands till the squall had passed. on one or two rare occasions they had fine, calm, clear days. the glow of the dying sun on the mountains and glaciers filled even the most materialistic of them with wonder and admiration. these days were sometimes succeeded by calm, clear nights, when, but for the cold, they would have stayed out on the sandy beach all night. about the middle of may a terrific blizzard sprang up, blowing from sixty to ninety miles an hour, and wild entertained grave fears for their hut. one curious feature noted in this blizzard was the fact that huge ice-sheets as big as window-panes, and about a quarter of an inch thick, were being hurled about by the wind, making it as dangerous to walk about outside as if one were in an avalanche of splintered glass. still, these winds from the south and south-west, though invariably accompanied by snow and low temperatures, were welcome in that they drove the pack-ice away from the immediate vicinity of the island, and so gave rise on each occasion to hopes of relief. north- east winds, on the other hand, by filling the bays with ice and bringing thick misty weather, made it impossible to hope for any ship to approach them. towards the end of may a period of dead calm set in, with ice closely packed all round the island. this gave place to north-east winds and mist, and at the beginning of june came another south-west blizzard, with cold driving snow. "the blizzard increased to terrific gusts during the night, causing us much anxiety for the safety of our hut. there was little sleep, all being apprehensive of the canvas roof ripping off, and the boats being blown out to sea." thus it continued, alternating between south-west blizzards, when they were all confined to the hut, and north-east winds bringing cold, damp, misty weather. on june a severe storm from north-west was recorded, accompanied by strong winds and heavy seas, which encroached upon their little sandy beach up to within four yards of their hut. towards the end of july and the beginning of august they had a few fine, calm, clear days. occasional glimpses of the sun, with high temperatures, were experienced, after south-west winds had blown all the ice away, and the party, their spirits cheered by wild's unfailing optimism, again began to look eagerly for the rescue ship. the first three attempts at their rescue unfortunately coincided with the times when the island was beset with ice, and though on the second occasion we approached close enough to fire a gun, in the hope that they would hear the sound and know that we were safe and well, yet so accustomed were they to the noise made by the calving of the adjacent glacier that either they did not hear or the sound passed unnoticed. on august pack was observed on the horizon, and next day the bay was filled with loose ice, which soon consolidated. soon afterwards huge old floes and many bergs drifted in. "the pack appears as dense as we have ever seen it. no open water is visible, and 'ice-blink' girdles the horizon. the weather is wretched--a stagnant calm of air and ocean alike, the latter obscured by dense pack through which no swell can penetrate, and a wet mist hangs like a pall over land and sea. the silence is oppressive. there is nothing to do but to stay in one's sleeping-bag, or else wander in the soft snow and become thoroughly wet." fifteen inches of snow fell in the next twenty-four hours, making over two feet between august and . a slight swell next day from the north-east ground up the pack-ice, but this soon subsided, and the pack became consolidated once more. on august a strong west- south-west wind sprang up and drove all this ice out of the bay, and except for some stranded bergs left a clear ice-free sea through which we finally made our way from punta arenas to elephant island. as soon as i had left the island to get help for the rest of the expedition, wild set all hands to collect as many seals and penguins as possible, in case their stay was longer than was at first anticipated. a sudden rise in temperature caused a whole lot to go bad and become unfit for food, so while a fair reserve was kept in hand too much was not accumulated. at first the meals, consisting mostly of seal meat with one hot drink per day, were cooked on a stove in the open. the snow and wind, besides making it very unpleasant for the cook, filled all the cooking- pots with sand and grit, so during the winter the cooking was done inside the hut. a little cerebos salt had been saved, and this was issued out at the rate of three-quarters of an ounce per man per week. some of the packets containing the salt had broken, so that all did not get the full ration. on the other hand, one man dropped his week's ration on the floor of the hut, amongst the stones and dirt. it was quickly collected, and he found to his delight that he had enough now to last him for three weeks. of course it was not all salt. the hot drink consisted at first of milk made from milk-powder up to about one- quarter of its proper strength. this was later on diluted still more, and sometimes replaced by a drink made from a pea-soup-like packing from the bovril sledging rations. for midwinter's day celebrations, a mixture of one teaspoonful of methylated spirit in a pint of hot water, flavoured with a little ginger and sugar, served to remind some of cock- tails and veuve cliquot. at breakfast each had a piece of seal or half a penguin breast. luncheon consisted of one biscuit on three days a week, nut-food on thursdays, bits of blubber, from which most of the oil had been extracted for the lamps, on two days a week, and nothing on the remaining day. on this day breakfast consisted of a half-strength sledging ration. supper was almost invariably seal and penguin, cut up very finely and fried with a little seal blubber. there were occasionally very welcome variations from this menu. some paddies--a little white bird not unlike a pigeon--were snared with a loop of string, and fried, with one water-sodden biscuit, for lunch. enough barley and peas for one meal all round of each had been saved, and when this was issued it was a day of great celebration. sometimes, by general consent, the luncheon biscuit would be saved, and, with the next serving of biscuit, was crushed in a canvas bag into a powder and boiled, with a little sugar, making a very satisfying pudding. when blubber was fairly plentiful there was always a saucepan of cold water, made from melting down the pieces of ice which had broken off from the glacier, fallen into the sea, and been washed ashore, for them to quench their thirst in. as the experience of arctic explorers tended to show that sea-water produced a form of dysentery, wild was rather diffident about using it. penguin carcasses boiled in one part of sea- water to four of fresh were a great success, though, and no ill-effects were felt by anybody. the ringed penguins migrated north the day after we landed at cape wild, and though every effort was made to secure as large a stock of meat and blubber as possible, by the end of the month the supply was so low that only one hot meal a day could be served. twice the usual number of penguin steaks were cooked at breakfast, and the ones intended for supper were kept hot in the pots by wrapping up in coats, etc. "clark put our saucepanful in his sleeping-bag to-day to keep it hot, and it really was a great success in spite of the extra helping of reindeer hairs that it contained. in this way we can make ten penguin skins do for one day." some who were fortunate enough to catch penguins with fairly large undigested fish in their gullets used to warm these up in tins hung on bits of wire round the stove. "all the meat intended for hooshes is cut up inside the hut, as it is too cold outside. as the boards which we use for the purpose are also used for cutting up tobacco, when we still have it, a definite flavour is sometimes imparted to the hoosh, which, if anything, improves it." their diet was now practically all meat, and not too much of that, and all the diaries bear witness to their craving for carbohydrates, such as flour, oatmeal, etc. one man longingly speaks of the cabbages which grow on kerguelen island. by june there were only nine hundred lumps of sugar left, i.e., just over forty pieces each. even my readers know what shortage of sugar means at this very date, but from a different cause. under these circumstances it is not surprising that all their thoughts and conversation should turn to food, past and future banquets, and second helpings that had been once refused. a census was taken, each man being asked to state just what he would like to eat at that moment if he were allowed to have anything that he wanted. all, with but one exception, desired a suet pudding of some sort--the "duff" beloved of sailors. macklin asked for many returns of scrambled eggs on hot buttered toast. several voted for "a prodigious devonshire dumpling," while wild wished for "any old dumpling so long as it was a large one." the craving for carbohydrates, such as flour and sugar, and for fats was very real. marston had with him a small penny cookery book. from this he would read out one recipe each night, so as to make them last. this would be discussed very seriously, and alterations and improvements suggested, and then they would turn into their bags to dream of wonderful meals that they could never reach. the following conversation was recorded in one diary: "wild: 'do you like doughnuts?' "mcilroy: 'rather!' "wild: 'very easily made, too. i like them cold with a little jam.' "mcilroy: 'not bad; but how about a huge omelette?' "wild: 'fine!' (with a deep sigh). "overhead, two of the sailors are discussing, some extraordinary mixture of hash, apple-sauce, beer, and cheese. marston is in his hammock reading from his penny cookery book. farther down, some one eulogizes scotch shortbread. several of the sailors are talking of spotted dog, sea-pie, and lockhart's with great feeling. some one mentions nut-food, whereat the conversation becomes general, and we all decide to buy one pound's worth of it as soon as we get to civilization, and retire to a country house to eat it undisturbed. at present we really mean it, too!" midwinter's day, the great polar festival, was duly observed. a "magnificent breakfast" of sledging ration hoosh, full strength and well boiled to thicken it, with hot milk was served. luncheon consisted of a wonderful pudding, invented by wild, made of powdered biscuit boiled with twelve pieces of mouldy nut-food. supper was a very finely cut seal hoosh flavoured with sugar. after supper they had a concert, accompanied by hussey on his "indispensable banjo." this banjo was the last thing to be saved off the ship before she sank, and i took it with us as a mental tonic. it was carried all the way through with us, and landed on elephant island practically unharmed, and did much to keep the men cheerful. nearly every saturday night such a concert was held, when each one sang a song about some other member of the party. if that other one objected to some of the remarks, a worse one was written for the next week. the cook, who had carried on so well and for so long, was given a rest on august , and each man took it in turns to be cook for one week. as the cook and his "mate" had the privilege of scraping out the saucepans, there was some anxiety to secure the job, especially amongst those with the larger appetites. "the last of the methylated spirit was drunk on august , and from then onwards the king's health, 'sweethearts and wives,' and 'the boss and crew of the 'caird',' were drunk in hot water and ginger every saturday night." the penguins and seals which had migrated north at the beginning of winter had not yet returned, or else the ice-foot, which surrounded the spit to a thickness of six feet, prevented them from coming ashore, so that food was getting short. old seal-bones, that had been used once for a meal and then thrown away, were dug up and stewed down with sea- water. penguin carcasses were treated likewise. limpets were gathered from the pools disclosed between the rocks below high tide, after the pack-ice had been driven away. it was a cold job gathering these little shell-fish, as for each one the whole hand and arm had to be plunged into the icy water, and many score of these small creatures had to be collected to make anything of a meal. seaweed boiled in sea-water was used to eke out the rapidly diminishing stock of seal and penguin meat. this did not agree with some of the party. though it was acknowledged to be very tasty it only served to increase their appetite--a serious thing when there was nothing to satisfy it with! one man remarked in his diary: "we had a sumptuous meal to-day--nearly five ounces of solid food each." it is largely due to wild, and to his energy, initiative, and resource, that the whole party kept cheerful all along, and, indeed, came out alive and so well. assisted by the two surgeons, drs. mcilroy and macklin, he had ever a watchful eye for the health of each one. his cheery optimism never failed, even when food was very short and the prospect of relief seemed remote. each one in his diary speaks with admiration of him. i think without doubt that all the party who were stranded on elephant island owe their lives to him. the demons of depression could find no foothold when he was around; and, not content with merely "telling," he was "doing" as much as, and very often more than, the rest. he showed wonderful capabilities of leadership and more than justified the absolute confidence that i placed in him. hussey, with his cheeriness and his banjo, was another vital factor in chasing away any tendency to downheartedness. once they were settled in their hut, the health of the party was quite good. of course, they were all a bit weak, some were light-headed, all were frost-bitten, and others, later, had attacks of heart failure. blackborrow, whose toes were so badly frost-bitten in the boats, had to have all five amputated while on the island. with insufficient instruments and no proper means of sterilizing them, the operation, carried out as it was in a dark, grimy hut, with only a blubber-stove to keep up the temperature and with an outside temperature well below freezing, speaks volumes for the skill and initiative of the surgeons. i am glad to be able to say that the operation was very successful, and after a little treatment ashore, very kindly given by the chilian doctors at punta arenas, he has now completely recovered and walks with only a slight limp. hudson, who developed bronchitis and hip disease, was practically well again when the party was rescued. all trace of the severe frost-bites suffered in the boat journey had disappeared, though traces of recent superficial ones remained on some. all were naturally weak when rescued, owing to having been on such scanty rations for so long, but all were alive and very cheerful, thanks to frank wild. august , , is described in their diaries as a "day of wonders." food was very short, only two days' seal and penguin meat being left, and no prospect of any more arriving. the whole party had been collecting limpets and seaweed to eat with the stewed seal bones. lunch was being served by wild, hurley and marston waiting outside to take a last long look at the direction from which they expected the ship to arrive. from a fortnight after i had left, wild would roll up his sleeping-bag each day with the remark, "get your things ready, boys, the boss may come to-day." and sure enough, one day the mist opened and revealed the ship for which they had been waiting and longing and hoping for over four months. "marston was the first to notice it, and immediately yelled out 'ship o!' the inmates of the hut mistook it for a call of 'lunch o!' so took no notice at first. soon, however, we heard him pattering along the snow as fast as he could run, and in a gasping, anxious voice, hoarse with excitement, he shouted, 'wild, there's a ship! hadn't we better light a flare?' we all made one dive for our narrow door. those who could not get through tore down the canvas walls in their hurry and excitement. the hoosh-pot with our precious limpets and seaweed was kicked over in the rush. there, just rounding the island which had previously hidden her from our sight, we saw a little ship flying the chilian flag. "we tried to cheer, but excitement had gripped our vocal chords. macklin had made a rush for the flagstaff, previously placed in the most conspicuous position on the ice-slope. the running-gear would not work, and the flag was frozen into a solid, compact mass so he tied his jersey to the top of the pole for a signal. "wild put a pick through our last remaining tin of petrol, and soaking coats, mitts, and socks with it, carried them to the top of penguin hill at the end of our spit, and soon, they were ablaze. "meanwhile most of us had gathered on the foreshore watching with anxious eyes for any signs that the ship had seen us, or for any answering signals. as we stood and gazed she seemed to turn away as if she had not seen us. again and again we cheered, though our feeble cries could certainly not have carried so far. suddenly she stopped, a boat was lowered, and we could recognize sir ernest's figure as he climbed down the ladder. simultaneously we burst into a cheer, and then one said to the other, 'thank god, the boss is safe.' for i think that his safety was of more concern to us than was our own. "soon the boat approached near enough for the boss, who was standing up in the bows, to shout to wild, 'are you all well?' to which he replied, 'all safe, all well,' and we could see a smile light up the boss's face as he said, 'thank god!' "before he could land he threw ashore handsful of cigarettes and tobacco; and these the smokers, who for two months had been trying to find solace in such substitutes as seaweed, finely chopped pipe-bowls, seal meat, and sennegrass, grasped greedily. "blackborrow, who could not walk, had been carried to a high rock and propped up in his sleeping-bag, so that he could view the wonderful scene. "soon we were tumbling into the boat, and the chilian sailors, laughing up at us, seemed as pleased at our rescue as we were. twice more the boat returned, and within an hour of our first having sighted the boat we were heading northwards to the outer world from which we had had no news since october , over twenty-two months before. we are like men awakened from a long sleep. we are trying to acquire suddenly the perspective which the rest of the world has acquired gradually through two years of war. there are many events which have happened of which we shall never know. "our first meal, owing to our weakness and the atrophied state of our stomachs, proved disastrous to a good many. they soon recovered though. our beds were just shake-downs on cushions and settees, though the officer on watch very generously gave up his bunk to two of us. i think we got very little sleep that night. it was just heavenly to lie and listen to the throb of the engines, instead of to the crack of the breaking floe, the beat of the surf on the ice-strewn shore, or the howling of the blizzard. "we intend to keep august as a festival for the rest of our lives." you readers can imagine my feelings as i stood in the little cabin watching my rescued comrades feeding. chapter xiii the ross sea party i now turn to the fortunes and misfortunes of the ross sea party and the 'aurora'. in spite of extraordinary difficulties occasioned by the breaking out of the 'aurora' from her winter quarters before sufficient stores and equipment had been landed, captain Æneas mackintosh and the party under his command achieved the object of this side of the expedition. for the depot that was the main object of the expedition was laid in the spot that i had indicated, and if the transcontinental party had been fortunate enough to have crossed they would have found the assistance, in the shape of stores, that would have been vital to the success of their undertaking. owing to the dearth of stores, clothing, and sledging equipment, the depot party was forced to travel more slowly and with greater difficulty than would have otherwise been the case. the result was that in making this journey the greatest qualities of endurance, self-sacrifice, and patience were called for, and the call was not in vain, as you reading the following pages will realize. it is more than regrettable that after having gone through those many months of hardship and toil, mackintosh and hayward should have been lost. spencer-smith during those long days, dragged by his comrades on the sledge, suffering but never complaining, became an example to all men. mackintosh and hayward owed their lives on that journey to the unremitting care and strenuous endeavours of joyce, wild, and richards, who, also scurvy-stricken but fitter than their comrades, dragged them through the deep snow and blizzards on the sledges. i think that no more remarkable story of human endeavour has been revealed than the tale of that long march which i have collated from various diaries. unfortunately, the diary of the leader of this side of the expedition was lost with him. the outstanding feature of the ross sea side was the journey made by these six men. the earlier journeys for the first year did not produce any sign of the qualities of leadership amongst the others. mackintosh was fortunate for the long journey in that he had these three men with him: ernest wild, richards, and joyce. before proceeding with the adventures of this party i want to make clear in these pages how much i appreciate the assistance i received both in australia and new zealand, especially in the latter dominion. and amongst the many friends there it is not invidious on my part to lay special stress on the name of leonard tripp, who has been my mentor, counsellor, and friend for many years, and who, when the expedition was in precarious and difficult circumstances, devoted his energy, thought, and gave his whole time and advice to the best interests of our cause. i also must thank edward saunders, who for the second time has greatly helped me in preparing an expedition record for publication. to the dominion government i tender my warmest thanks. to the people of new zealand, and especially to those many friends--too numerous to mention here--who helped us when our fortunes were at a low ebb, i wish to say that their kindness is an ever-green memory to me. if ever a man had cause to be grateful for assistance in dark days, i am he. the 'aurora', under the command of captain Æneas mackintosh, sailed from hobart for the ross sea on december , . the ship had refitted in sydney, where the state and federal governments had given generous assistance, and would be able, if necessary, to spend two years in the antarctic. my instructions to captain mackintosh, in brief, were to proceed to the ross sea, make a base at some convenient point in or near mcmurdo sound, land stores and equipment, and lay depots on the great ice barrier in the direction of the beardmore glacier for the use of the party that i expected to bring overland from the weddell sea coast. this programme would involve some heavy sledging, but the ground to be covered was familiar, and i had not anticipated that the work would present any great difficulties. the 'aurora' carried materials for a hut, equipment for landing and sledging parties, stores and clothing of all the kinds required, and an ample supply of sledges. there were also dog teams and one of the motor- tractors. i had told captain mackintosh that it was possible the transcontinental journey would be attempted in the - season in the event of the landing on the weddell sea coast proving unexpectedly easy, and it would be his duty, therefore, to lay out depots to the south immediately after his arrival at his base. i had directed him to place a depot of food and fuel-oil at lat. ° s. in - , with cairns and flags as guides to a sledging party approaching from the direction of the pole. he would place depots farther south in the - season. the 'aurora' had an uneventful voyage southwards. she anchored off the sealing-huts at macquarie island on christmas day, december . the wireless station erected by sir douglas mawson's australian antarctic expedition could be seen on a hill to the north-west with the expedition's hut at the base of the hill. this hut was still occupied by a meteorological staff, and later in the day the meteorologist, mr. tulloch, came off to the ship and had dinner aboard. the 'aurora' had some stores for the macquarie island party, and these were sent ashore during succeeding days in the boats. the landing-place was a rough, kelp-guarded beach, where lay the remains of the new zealand barque clyde. macquarie island anchorages are treacherous, and several ships engaged in the sealing and whaling trade have left their bones on the rocky shores, where bask great herds of seals and sea-elephants. the 'aurora' sailed from the island on december , and three days later they sighted the first iceberg, a tabular berg rising ft. above the sea. this was in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ e. the next day, in lat. ° ´ ´´ s., the 'aurora' passed through the first belt of pack-ice. at a.m. on january , mount sabine, a mighty peak of the admiralty range, south victoria land, was sighted seventy-five miles distant. it had been proposed that a party of three men should travel to cape crozier from winter quarters during the winter months in order to secure emperor penguins' eggs. the ship was to call at cape crozier, land provisions, and erect a small hut of fibro-concrete sheets for the use of this party. the ship was off the cape on the afternoon of january , and a boat put off with stenhouse, cope, joyce, ninnis, mauger, and aitken to search for a landing-place. "we steered in towards the barrier," wrote stenhouse, "and found an opening leading into a large bight which jutted back to eastward into the barrier. we endeavoured without success to scale the steep ice-foot under the cliffs, and then proceeded up the bay. pulling along the edge of perpendicular ice, we turned into a bay in the ice-cliff and came to a cul-de-sac, at the head of which was a grotto. at the head of the grotto and on a ledge of snow were perched some adelie penguins. the beautiful green and blue tints in the ice-colouring made a picture as unreal as a stage setting. coming back along the edge of the bight towards the land, we caught and killed one penguin, much to the surprise of another, which ducked into a niche in the ice and, after much squawking, was extracted with a boat-hook and captured. we returned to our original landing, and were fortunate in our time, for no sooner had we cleared the ledge where ninnis had been hanging in his endeavour to catch the penguin than the barrier calved and a piece weighing hundreds of tons toppled over into the sea. "since we left the ship a mist had blown up from the south, and when we arrived back at the entrance to the bay the ship could be but dimly seen. we found a slope on the ice-foot, and joyce and i managed, by cutting steps, to climb up to a ledge of debris between the cliffs and the ice, which we thought might lead to the vicinity of the emperor penguin rookery. i sent the boat back to the ship to tell the captain of our failure to find a spot where we could depot the hut and stores, and then, with joyce, set out to walk along the narrow land between the cliffs and the ice to the southward in hopes of finding the rookery. we walked for about a mile along the foot of the cliffs, over undulating paths, sometimes crawling carefully down a gully and then over rocks and debris which had fallen from the steep cliffs which towered above us, but we saw no signs of a rookery or any place where a rookery could be. close to the cliffs and separated from them by the path on which we travelled, the barrier in its movement towards the sea had broken and showed signs of pressure. seeing a turn in the cliffs ahead, which we thought might lead to better prospects, we trudged on, and were rewarded by a sight which joyce admitted as being the grandest he had ever witnessed. the barrier had come into contact with the cliffs and, from where we viewed it, it looked as if icebergs had fallen into a tremendous cavern and lay jumbled together in wild disorder. looking down into that wonderful picture one realized a little the 'eternalness' of things. "we had not long to wait, and, much as we wished to go ahead, had to turn back. i went into a small crevasse; no damage. arriving back at the place where we left the boat we found it had not returned, so sat down under an overhang and smoked and enjoyed the sense of loneliness. soon the boat appeared out of the mist, and the crew had much news for us. after we left the ship the captain manoeuvred her in order to get close to the barrier, but, unfortunately, the engines were loath to be reversed when required to go astern and the ship hit the barrier end on. the barrier here is about twenty feet high, and her jib-boom took the weight and snapped at the cap. when i returned thompson was busy getting the broken boom and gear aboard. luckily the cap was not broken and no damage was done aloft, but it was rather a bad introduction to the antarctic. there is no place to land the cape crozier hut and stores, so we must build a hut in the winter here, which will mean so much extra sledging from winter quarters. bad start, good finish! joyce and i went aloft to the crow's-nest, but could see no opening in the barrier to eastward where a ship might enter and get farther south." mackintosh proceeded into mcmurdo sound. heavy pack delayed the ship for three days, and it was not until january that she reached a point off cape evans, where he landed ten tons of coal and ninety-eight cases of oil. during succeeding days captain mackintosh worked the 'aurora' southward, and by january he was within nine miles of hut point. there he made the ship fast to sea-ice, then breaking up rapidly, and proceeded to arrange sledging parties. it was his intention to direct the laying of the depots himself and to leave his first officer, lieut. j. r. stenhouse, in command of the 'aurora', with instructions to select a base and land a party. the first objective was hut point, where stands the hut erected by the discovery expedition in . an advance party, consisting of joyce (in charge), jack, and gaze, with dogs and fully loaded sledges, left the ship on january ; mackintosh, with wild and smith, followed the next day; and a supporting party, consisting of cope (in charge), stevens, ninnis, haywood, hooke, and richards, left the ship on january . the first two parties had dog teams. the third party took with it the motor-tractor, which does not appear to have given the good service that i had hoped to get from it. these parties had a strenuous time during the weeks that followed. the men, fresh from shipboard, were not in the best of training, and the same was true of the dogs. it was unfortunate that the dogs had to be worked so early after their arrival in the antarctic. they were in poor condition and they had not learned to work together as teams. the result was the loss of many of the dogs, and this proved a serious matter in the following season. captain mackintosh's record of the sledging in the early months of is fairly full. it will not be necessary here to follow the fortunes of the various parties in detail, for although the men were facing difficulties and dangers, they were on well-travelled ground, which has been made familiar to most readers by the histories of earlier expeditions. captain mackintosh and his party left the 'aurora' on the evening of january . they had nine dogs and one heavily loaded sledge, and started off briskly to the accompaniment of a cheer from their shipmates. the dogs were so eager for exercise after their prolonged confinement aboard the ship that they dashed forward at their best speed, and it was necessary for one man to sit upon the sledge in order to moderate the pace. mackintosh had hoped to get to hut point that night, but luck was against him. the weather broke after he had travelled about five miles, and snow, which completely obscured all landmarks, sent him into camp on the sea-ice. the weather was still thick on the following morning, and the party, making a start after breakfast, missed its way. "we shaped a course where i imagined hut point to be," wrote captain mackintosh in his diary, "but when the sledge-meter showed thirteen miles fifty yards, which is four miles in excess of the distance from the slip to hut point, i decided to halt again. the surface was changing considerably and the land was still obscured. we have been travelling over a thick snow surface, in which we sink deeply, and the dogs are not too cheerful about it." they started again at noon on january , when the weather had cleared sufficiently to reveal the land, and reached hut point at p.m. the sledge-meter showed that the total distance travelled had been over seventeen miles. mackintosh found in the hut a note from joyce, who had been there on the th, and who reported that one of his dogs had been killed in a fight with its companions. the hut contained some stores left there by earlier expeditions. the party stayed there for the night. mackintosh left a note for stenhouse directing him to place provisions in the hut in case the sledging parties did not return in time to be taken off by the ship. early next morning joyce reached the hut. he had encountered bad ice and had come back to consult with mackintosh regarding the route to be followed. mackintosh directed him to steer out towards black island in crossing the head of the sound beyond hut point. mackintosh left hut point on january . he had taken some additional stores, and he mentions that the sledge now weighed lbs. this was a heavy load, but the dogs were pulling well and he thought it practicable. he encountered difficulty almost at once after descending the slope from the point to the sea-ice, for the sledge stuck in soft snow and the party had to lighten the load and relay until they reached a better surface. they were having trouble with the dogs, which did not pull cheerfully, and the total distance covered in the day was under four miles. the weather was warm and the snow consequently was soft. mackintosh had decided that it would be best to travel at night. a fall of snow held up the party throughout the following day, and they did not get away from their camp until shortly before midnight. "the surface was abominably soft," wrote mackintosh. "we harnessed ourselves on to the sledge and with the dogs made a start, but we had a struggle to get off. we had not gone very far when in deeper snow we stopped dead. try as we would, no movement could be produced. reluctantly we unloaded and began the tedious task of relaying. the work, in spite of the lighter load on the sledge, proved terrific for ourselves and for the dogs. we struggled for four hours, and then set camp to await the evening, when the sun would not be so fierce and the surface might be better. i must say i feel somewhat despondent, as we are not getting on as well as i expected, nor do we find it as easy as one would gather from reading." the two parties met again that day. joyce also had been compelled to relay his load, and all hands laboured strenuously and advanced slowly. they reached the edge of the barrier on the night of january and climbed an easy slope to the barrier surface, about thirty feet above the sea-ice. the dogs were showing signs of fatigue, and when mackintosh camped at . a.m. on january , he reckoned that the distance covered in twelve and a half hours had been about two and a half miles. the men had killed a seal at the edge of the sea-ice and placed the meat on a cairn for future use. one dog, having refused to pull, had been left behind with a good feed of meat, and mackintosh hoped the animal would follow. the experiences of the party during the days that followed can be indicated by some extracts from mackintosh's diary. "sunday, january .--started off this afternoon at p.m. surface too dreadful for words. we sink into snow at times up to our knees, the dogs struggling out of it panting and making great efforts. i think the soft snow must be accounted for by a phenomenally fine summer without much wind. after proceeding about yds. i spotted some poles on our starboard side. we shaped course for these and found captain scott's safety camp. we unloaded a relay here and went back with empty sledge for the second relay. it took us four hours to do just this short distance. it is exasperating. after we had got the second load up we had lunch. then we dug round the poles, while snow fell, and after getting down about three feet we came across, first, a bag of oats, lower down two cases of dog-biscuit--one with a complete week's ration, the other with seal meat. a good find. about forty paces away we found a venesta-lid sticking out of the snow. smith scraped round this with his ice-axe and presently discovered one of the motor-sledges captain scott used. everything was just as it had been left, the petrol-tank partly filled and apparently undeteriorated. we marked the spot with a pole. the snow clearing, we proceeded with a relay. we got only half a mile, still struggling in deep snow, and then went back for the second load. we can still see the cairn erected at the barrier edge and a black spot which we take to be the dog. "february .--we turned out at . p.m., and after a meal broke camp. we made a relay of two and a half miles. the sledge-meter stopped during this relay. perhaps that is the cause of our mileage not showing. we covered seven and a half miles in order to bring the load two and a half miles. after lunch we decided, as the surface was getting better, to make a shot at travelling with the whole load. it was a back-breaking job. wild led the team, while smith and i pulled in harness. the great trouble is to get the sledge started after the many unavoidable stops. we managed to cover one mile. this even is better than relaying. we then camped--the dogs being entirely done up, poor brutes. "february .--we were awakened this afternoon, while in our bags, by hearing joyce's dogs barking. they have done well and have caught us up. joyce's voice was heard presently, asking us the time. he is managing the full load. we issued a challenge to race him to the bluff, which he accepted. when we turned out at . p.m. his camp was seen about three miles ahead. about p.m., after our hoosh, we made a start, and reached joyce's camp at a.m. the dogs had been pulling well, seeing the camp ahead, but when we arrived off it they were not inclined to go on. after a little persuasion and struggle we got off, but not for long. this starting business is terrible work. we have to shake the sledge and its big load while we shout to the dogs to start. if they do not pull together it is useless. when we get the sledge going we are on tenter-hooks lest it stop again on the next soft slope, and this often occurs. sledging is real hard work; but we are getting along." the surface was better on february , and the party covered six miles without relaying. they camped in soft snow, and when they started the next day they were two hours relaying over one hundred and fifty yards. then they got into joyce's track and found the going better. mackintosh overtook joyce on the morning of february and went ahead, his party breaking trail during the next march. they covered ten miles on the night of the th. one dog had "chucked his hand in" on the march, and mackintosh mentions that he intended to increase the dogs' allowance of food. the surface was harder, and during the night of february mackintosh covered eleven miles twenty-five yards, but he finished with two dogs on the sledge. joyce was travelling by day, so that the parties passed one another daily on the march. a blizzard came from the south on february and the parties were confined to their tents for over twenty-four hours. the weather moderated on the morning of the next day, and at a.m. mackintosh camped beside joyce and proceeded to rearrange the parties. one of his dogs had died on the th, and several others had ceased to be worth much for pulling. he had decided to take the best dogs from the two teams and continue the march with joyce and wild, while smith, jack, and gaze went back to hut point with the remaining dogs. this involved the adjustment of sledge-loads in order that the proper supplies might be available for the depots. he had eight dogs and smith had five. a depot of oil and fuel was laid at this point and marked by a cairn with a bamboo pole rising ten feet above it. the change made for better progress. smith turned back at once, and the other party went ahead fairly rapidly, the dogs being able to haul the sledge without much assistance from the men. the party built a cairn of snow after each hour's travelling to serve as guides to the depot and as marks for the return journey. another blizzard held the men up on february , and they had an uncomfortable time in their sleeping-bags owing to low temperature. during succeeding days the party plodded forward. they were able to cover from five to twelve miles a day, according to the surface and weather. they built the cairns regularly and checked their route by taking bearings of the mountains to the west. they were able to cover from five to twelve miles a day, the dogs pulling fairly well. they reached lat. ° s. on the afternoon of february . mackintosh had hoped to find a depot laid in that neighbourhood by captain scott, but no trace of it was seen. the surface had been very rough during the afternoon, and for that reason the depot to be laid there was named rocky mountain depot. the stores were to be placed on a substantial cairn, and smaller cairns were to be built at right angles to the depot as a guide to the overland party. "as soon as breakfast was over," wrote mackintosh the next day, "joyce and wild went off with a light sledge and the dogs to lay out the cairns and place flags to the eastward, building them at every mile. the outer cairn had a large flag and a note indicating the position of the depot. i remained behind to get angles and fix our position with the theodolite. the temperature was very low this morning, and handling the theodolite was not too warm a job for the fingers. my whiskers froze to the metal while i was taking a sight. after five hours the others arrived back. they had covered ten miles, five miles out and five miles back. during the afternoon we finished the cairn, which we have built to a height of eight feet. it is a solid square erection which ought to stand a good deal of weathering, and on top we have placed a bamboo pole with a flag, making the total height twenty-five feet. building the cairn was a fine warming jab, but the ice on our whiskers often took some ten minutes thawing out. to-morrow we hope to lay out the cairns to the westward, and then to shape our course for the bluff." the weather, became bad again during the night. a blizzard kept the men in their sleeping-bags on february , and it was not until the afternoon of the rd that mackintosh and joyce made an attempt to lay out the cairns to the west. they found that two of the dogs had died during the storm, leaving seven dogs to haul the sledge. they marched a mile and a half to the westward and built a cairn, but the weather was very thick and they did not think it wise to proceed farther. they could not see more than a hundred yards and the tent was soon out of sight. they returned to the camp, and stayed there until the morning of february , when they started the return march with snow still falling. "we did get off from our camp," says mackintosh, "but had only proceeded about four hundred yards when the fog came on so thick that we could scarcely see a yard ahead, so we had to pitch the tent again, and are now sitting inside hoping the weather will clear. we are going back with only ten days' provisions, so it means pushing on for all we are worth. these stoppages are truly annoying. the poor dogs are feeling hungry; they eat their harness or any straps that may be about. we can give them nothing beyond their allowance of three biscuits each as we are on bare rations ourselves; but i feel sure they require more than one pound a day. that is what they are getting now.... after lunch we found it a little clearer, but a very bad light. we decided to push on. it is weird travelling in this light. there is no contrast or outline; the sky and the surface are one, and we cannot discern undulations, which we encounter with disastrous results. we picked up the first of our outward cairns. this was most fortunate. after passing a second cairn everything became blotted out, and so we were forced to camp, after covering miles yds. the dogs are feeling the pangs of hunger and devouring everything they see. they will eat anything except rope. if we had not wasted those three days we might have been able to give them a good feed at the bluff depot, but now that is impossible. it is snowing hard." the experiences of the next few days were unhappy. another blizzard brought heavy snow and held the party up throughout the th and th. "outside is a scene of chaos. the snow, whirling along with the wind, obliterates everything. the dogs are completely buried, and only a mound with a ski sticking up indicates where the sledge is. we long to be off, but the howl of the wind shows how impossible it is. the sleeping-bags are damp and sticky, so are our clothes. fortunately, the temperature is fairly high and they do not freeze. one of the dogs gave a bark and joyce went out to investigate. he found that major, feeling hungry, had dragged his way to joyce's ski and eaten off the leather binding. another dog has eaten all his harness, canvas, rope, leather, brass, and rivets. i am afraid the dogs will not pull through; they all look thin and these blizzards do not improve matters.... we have a week's provisions and one hundred and sixty miles to travel. it appears that we will have to get another week's provisions from the depot, but don't wish it. will see what luck to-morrow. of course, at bluff we can replenish." "we are now reduced to one meal in the twenty-four hours," wrote mackintosh a day later. "this going without food keeps us colder. it is a rotten, miserable time. it is bad enough having this wait, but we have also the wretched thought of having to use the provisions already depot-ed, for which we have had all this hard struggle." the weather cleared on the th, and in the afternoon mackintosh and joyce went back to the depot, while wild remained behind to build a cairn and attempt to dry the sleeping-bags in the sun. the stores left at the depot had been two and a quarter tins of biscuit ( lbs. to the tin), rations for three men for three weeks in bags, each intended to last one week, and three tins of oil. mackintosh took one of the weekly bags from the depot and returned to the camp. the party resumed the homeward journey the next morning, and with a sail on the sledge to take advantage of the southerly breeze, covered nine miles and a half during the day. but the dogs had reached almost the limit of their endurance; three of them fell out, unable to work longer, while on the march. that evening, for the first time since leaving the 'aurora', the men saw the sun dip to the horizon in the south, a reminder that the antarctic summer was nearing its close. the remaining four dogs collapsed on march . "after lunch we went off fairly well for half an hour. then nigger commenced to wobble about, his legs eventually giving under him. we took him out of his harness and let him travel along with us, but he has given us all he can, and now can only lie down. after nigger, my friend pompey collapsed. the drift, i think, accounts a good deal for this. pompey has been splendid of late, pulling steadily and well. then scotty, the last dog but one, gave up. they are all lying down in our tracks. they have a painless death, for they curl up in the snow and fall into a sleep from which they will never wake. we are left with one dog, pinkey. he has not been one of the pullers, but he is not despised. we can afford to give him plenty of biscuit. we must nurse him and see if we cannot return with one dog at least. we are now pulling ourselves, with the sail (the floor-cloth of the tent) set and pinkey giving a hand. at one stage a terrific gust came along and capsized the sledge. the sail was blown off the sledge, out of its guys, and we prepared to camp, but the wind fell again to a moderate breeze, so we repaired the sledge and proceeded. "it is blowing hard this evening, cold too. another wonderful sunset. golden colours illuminate the sky. the moon casts beautiful rays in combination with the more vivid ones from the dipping sun. if all was as beautiful as the scene we could consider ourselves in some paradise, but it is dark and cold in the tent and i shiver in a frozen sleeping- bag. the inside fur is a mass of ice, congealed from my breath. one creeps into the bag, toggles up with half-frozen fingers, and hears the crackling of the ice. presently drops of thawing ice are falling on one's head. then comes a fit of shivers. you rub yourself and turn over to warm the side of the bag which has been uppermost. a puddle of water forms under the body. after about two hours you may doze off, but i always wake with the feeling that i have not slept a wink." the party made only three and a half miles on march . they were finding the sledge exceedingly heavy to pull, and mackintosh decided to remove the outer runners and scrape the bottom. these runners should have been taken off before the party started, and the lower runners polished smooth. he also left behind all spare gear, including dog- harness in order to reduce weight, and found the lighter sledge easier to pull. the temperature that night was - ° fahr., the lowest recorded during the journey up to that time. "we are struggling along at a mile an hour," wrote mackintosh on the th. "it is a very hard pull, the surface being very sticky. pinkey still accompanies us. we hope we can get him in. he is getting all he wants to eat. so he ought." the conditions of travel changed the next day. a southerly wind made possible the use of the sail, and the trouble was to prevent the sledge bounding ahead over rough sastrugi and capsizing. the handling of ropes and the sail caused many frost-bites, and occasionally the men were dragged along the surface by the sledge. the remaining dog collapsed during the afternoon and had to be left behind. mackintosh did not feel that he could afford to reduce the pace. the sledge-meter, had got out of order, so the distance covered in the day was not recorded. the wind increased during the night, and by the morning of the th was blowing with blizzard force. the party did not move again until the morning of the th. they were still finding the sledge very heavy and were disappointed at their slow progress, their marches being six to eight miles a day. on the th they got the bluff peak in line with mount discovery. my instructions had been that the bluff depot should be laid on this line, and as the depot had been placed north of the line on the outward journey, owing to thick weather making it impossible to pick up the landmarks, mackintosh intended now to move the stores to the proper place. he sighted the depot flag about four miles away, and after pitching camp at the new depot site, he went across with joyce and wild and found the stores as he had left them. "we loaded the sledge with the stores, placed the large mark flag on the sledge, and proceeded back to our tent, which was now out of sight. indeed it was not wise to come out as we did without tent or bag. we had taken the chance, as the weather had promised fine. as we proceeded it grew darker and darker, and eventually we were travelling by only the light of stars, the sun having dipped. after four and a half hours we sighted the little green tent. it was hard pulling the last two hours and weird travelling in the dark. we have put in a good day, having had fourteen hours' solid marching. we are now sitting in here enjoying a very excellent thick hoosh. a light has been improvised out of an old tin with methylated spirit." the party spent the next day in their sleeping-bags, while a blizzard raged outside. the weather was fine again on march , and they built a cairn for the depot. the stores placed on this cairn comprised a six weeks' supply of biscuit and three weeks' full ration for three men, and three tins of oil. early in the afternoon the men resumed their march northwards and made three miles before camping. "our bags are getting into a bad state," wrote mackintosh, "as it is some time now since we have had an opportunity of drying them. we use our bodies for drying socks and such-like clothing, which we place inside our jerseys and produce when required. wild carries a regular wardrobe in this position, and it is amusing to see him searching round the back of his clothes for a pair of socks. getting away in the mornings is our bitterest time. the putting on of the finneskoe is a nightmare, for they are always frozen stiff, and we have a great struggle to force our feet into them. the icy sennegrass round one's fingers is another punishment that causes much pain. we are miserable until we are actually on the move, then warmth returns with the work. our conversation now is principally conjecture as to what can have happened to the other parties. we have various ideas." saturday, march , was another day spent in the sleeping-bags. a blizzard was raging and everything was obscured. the men saved food by taking only one meal during the day, and they felt the effect of the short rations in lowered vitality. both joyce and wild had toes frost- bitten while in their bags and found difficulty in getting the circulation restored. wild suffered particularly in this way and his feet were very sore. the weather cleared a little the next morning, but the drift began again before the party could break camp, and another day had to be spent in the frozen bags. the march was resumed on march . "about p.m. last night the temperature commenced to get lower and the gale also diminished. the lower temperature caused the bags, which were moist, to freeze hard. we had no sleep and spent the night twisting and turning. the morning brought sunshine and pleasure, for the hot hoosh warmed our bodies and gave a glow that was most comforting. the sun was out, the weather fine and clear but cold. at . a.m. we made a start. we take a long time putting on our finneskoe, although we get up earlier to allow for this. this morning we were over four hours' getting away. we had a fine surface this morning for marching, but we did not make much headway. we did the usual four miles before lunch. the temperature was - ° fahr. a mirage made the sastrugi appear to be dancing like some ice-goblins. joyce calls them 'dancing jimmies.' after lunch we travelled well, but the distance for the day was only miles yds. we are blaming our sledge-meter for the slow rate of progress. it is extraordinary that on the days when we consider we are making good speed we do no more than on days when we have a tussle." "march .--the air temperature this morning was - ° fahr. last night was one of the worst i have ever experienced. to cap everything, i developed toothache, presumably as a result of frost-bitten cheek. i was in positive agony. i groaned and moaned, got the medicine-chest, but could find nothing there to stop the pain. joyce, who had wakened up, suggested methylated spirit, so i damped some cotton-wool, then placed it in the tooth, with the result that i burnt the inside of my mouth. all this time my fingers, being exposed (it must have been at least ° below zero), were continually having to be brought back. after putting on the methylated spirit i went back to the bag, which, of course, was frozen stiff. i wriggled and moaned till morning brought relief by enabling me to turn out. joyce and wild both had a bad night, their feet giving them trouble. my feet do not affect me so much as theirs. the skin has peeled off the inside of my mouth, exposing a raw sore, as the result of the methylated spirit. my tooth is better though. we have had to reduce our daily ration. frost-bites are frequent in consequence. the surface became very rough in the afternoon, and the light, too, was bad owing to cumulus clouds being massed over the sun. we are continually falling, for we are unable to distinguish the high and low parts of the sastrugi surface. we are travelling on our ski. we camped at p.m. after travelling miles yds. i am writing this sitting up in the bag. this is the first occasion i have been able to do thus for some time, for usually the cold has penetrated through everything should one have the bag open. the temperature is a little higher to-night, but still it is - ° fahr. ( ° of frost). our matches, among other things, are running short, and we have given up using any except for lighting the primus." the party found the light bad again the next day. after stumbling on ski among the sastrugi for two hours, the men discarded the ski and made better progress; but they still had many falls, owing to the impossibility of distinguishing slopes and irregularities in the grey, shadowless surface of the snow. they made over nine and a half miles that day, and managed to cover ten miles on the following day, march , one of the best marches of the journey. "i look forward to seeing the ship. all of us bear marks of our tramp. wild takes first place. his nose is a picture for punch to be jealous of; his ears, too, are sore, and one big toe is a black sore. joyce has a good nose and many minor sores. my jaw is swollen from the frost-bite i got on the cheek, and i also have a bit of nose.... we have discarded the ski, which we hitherto used, and travel in the finneskoe. this makes the sledge go better but it is not so comfortable travelling as on ski. we encountered a very high, rough sastrugi surface, most remarkably high, and had a cold breeze in our faces during the march. our beards and moustaches are masses of ice. i will take care i am clean-shaven next time i come out. the frozen moustache makes the lobes of the nose freeze more easily than they would if there was no ice alongside them.... i ask myself why on earth one comes to these parts of the earth. here we are, frostbitten in the day, frozen at night. what a life!" the temperature at p.m. that day was - ° fahr., i.e. ° of frost. the men camped abreast of "corner camp," where they had been on february , on the evening of march . the next day, after being delayed for some hours by bad weather, they turned towards castle rock and proceeded across the disturbed area where the barrier impinges upon the land. joyce put his foot through the snow-covering of a fairly large crevasse, and the course had to be changed to avoid this danger. the march for the day was only miles yds. mackintosh felt that the pace was too slow, but was unable to quicken it owing to the bad surfaces. the food had been cut down to close upon half-rations, and at this reduced rate the supply still in hand would be finished in two days. the party covered miles yds. on the st, and the hoosh that night was "no thicker than tea." "the first thought this morning was that we must do a good march," wrote mackintosh on march . "once we can get to safety camp (at the junction of the barrier with the sea-ice) we are right. of course, we can as a last resort abandon the sledge and take a run into hut point, about twenty-two miles away.... we have managed quite a respectable forenoon march. the surface was hard, so we took full advantage of it. with our low food the cold is penetrating. we had lunch at p.m., and then had left over one meal at full rations and a small quantity of biscuits. the temperature at lunch-time was - ° fahr. erebus is emitting large volumes of smoke, travelling in a south-easterly direction, and a red glare is also discernible. after lunch we again accomplished a good march, the wind favouring us for two hours. we are anxiously looking out for safety camp." the distance for the day was miles yds. "march , .--no sooner had we camped last night than a blizzard with drift came on and has continued ever since. this morning finds us prisoners. the drift is lashing into the sides of the tent and everything outside is obscured. this weather is rather alarming, for if it continues we are in a bad way. we have just made a meal of cocoa mixed with biscuit-crumbs. this has warmed us up a little, but on empty stomachs the cold is penetrating." the weather cleared in the afternoon, but too late for the men to move that day. they made a start at a.m. on the th after a meal of cocoa and biscuit-crumbs. "we have some biscuit-crumbs in the bag and that is all. our start was made under most bitter circumstances, all of us being attacked by frost-bites. it was an effort to bare hands for an instant. after much rubbing and 'bringing back' of extremities we started. wild is a mass of bites, and we are all in a bad way. we plugged on, but warmth would not come into our bodies. we had been pulling about two hours when joyce's smart eyes picked up a flag. we shoved on for all we were worth, and as we got closer, sure enough, the cases of provisions loomed up. then what feeds we promised to give ourselves. it was not long before we were putting our gastronomic capabilities to the test. pemmican was brought down from the depot, with oatmeal to thicken it, as well as sugar. while wild was getting the primus lighted he called out to us that he believed his ear had gone. this was the last piece of his face left whole--nose, cheeks, and neck all having bites. i went into the tent and had a look. the ear was a pale green. i quickly put the palm of my hand to it and brought it round. then his fingers went, and to stop this and bring back the circulation he put them over the lighted primus, a terrible thing to do. as a result he was in agony. his ear was brought round all right, and soon the hot hoosh sent warmth tingling through us. we felt like new beings. we simply ate till we were full, mug after mug. after we had been well satisfied, we replaced the cases we had pulled down from the depot and proceeded towards the gap. just before leaving joyce discovered a note left by spencer-smith and richards. this told us that both the other parties had returned to the hut and apparently all was well. so that is good. when we got to the barrier-edge we found the ice-cliff on to the newly formed sea-ice not safe enough to bear us, so we had to make a detour along the barrier-edge and, if the sea ice was not negotiable, find a way up by castle rock. at p.m., not having found any suitable place to descend to the sea-ice we camped. to-night we have the primus going and warming our frozen selves. i hope to make hut point to- morrow." mackintosh and his companions broke camp on the morning of march , with the thermometer recording ° of frost, and, after another futile search for a way down the ice-cliff to the sea-ice, they proceeded towards castle rock. while in this course they picked up sledge- tracks, and, following these, they found a route down to the sea-ice. mackintosh decided to depot the sledge on top of a well-marked undulation and proceed without gear. a short time later the three men, after a scramble over the cliffs of hut point, reached the door of the hut. "we shouted. no sound. shouted again, and presently a dark object appeared. this turned out to be cope, who was by himself. the other members of the party had gone out to fetch the gear off their sledge, which they also had left. cope had been laid up, so did not go with them. we soon were telling each other's adventures, and we heard then how the ship had called here on march and picked up spencer-smith, richards, ninnis, hooke, and gaze, the present members here being cope, hayward, and jack. a meal was soon prepared. we found here even a blubber-fire, luxurious, but what a state of dirt and grease! however, warmth and food are at present our principal objects. while we were having our meal jack and hayward appeared.... late in the evening we turned into dry bags. as there are only three bags here, we take it in turns to use them. our party have the privilege.... i got a letter here from stenhouse giving a summary of his doings since we left him. the ship's party also have not had a rosy time." mackintosh learned here that spencer-smith, jack, and gaze, who had turned back on february , had reached hut point without difficulty. the third party, headed by cope, had also been out on the barrier but had not done much. this party had attempted to use the motor-tractor, but had failed to get effective service from the machine and had not proceeded far afield. the motor was now lying at hut point. spencer- smith's party and cope's party had both returned to hut point before the end of february. the six men now at hut point were cut off from the winter quarters of the expedition at cape evans by the open water of mcmurdo sound. mackintosh naturally was anxious to make the crossing and get in touch with the ship and the other members of the shore party; but he could not make a move until the sea-ice became firm, and, as events occurred, he did not reach cape evans until the beginning of june. he went out with cope and hayward on march to get his sledge and brought it as far as pram point, on the south side of hut point. he had to leave the sledge there owing to the condition of the sea-ice. he and his companions lived an uneventful life under primitive conditions at the hut. the weather was bad, and though the temperatures recorded were low, the young sea-ice continually broke away. the blubber-stove in use at the hut seemed to have produced soot and grease in the usual large quantities, and the men and their clothing suffered accordingly. the whites of their eyes contrasted vividly with the dense blackness of their skins. wild and joyce had a great deal of trouble with their frost-bites. joyce had both feet blistered, his knees were swollen, and his hands also were blistered. jack devised some blubber-lamps, which produced an uncertain light and much additional smoke. mackintosh records that the members of the party were contented enough but "unspeakably dirty," and he writes longingly of baths and clean clothing. the store of seal-blubber ran low early in april, and all hands kept a sharp look-out for seals. on april several seals were seen and killed. the operations of killing and skinning made worse the greasy and blackened clothes of the men. it is to be regretted that though there was a good deal of literature available, especially on this particular district, the leaders of the various parties had not taken advantage of it and so supplemented their knowledge. joyce and mackintosh of course had had previous antarctic experience: but it was open to all to have carefully studied the detailed instructions published in the books of the three last expeditions in this quarter. chapter xiv wintering in mcmurdo sound the 'aurora', after picking up six men at hut point on march , had gone back to cape evans. the position chosen for the winter quarters of the 'aurora' was at cape evans, immediately off the hut erected by captain scott on his last expedition. the ship on march lay about forty yards off shore, bows seaward. two anchors had been taken ashore and embedded in heavy stone rubble, and to these anchors were attached six steel hawsers. the hawsers held the stern, while the bow was secured by the ordinary ship's anchors. later, when the new ice had formed round the 'aurora', the cable was dragged ashore over the smooth surface and made fast. the final moorings thus were six hawsers and one cable astern, made fast to the shore anchors, and two anchors with about seventy fathoms of cable out forward. on march mr. stenhouse landed a party consisting of stevens, spencer-smith, gaze, and richards in order that they might carry out routine observations ashore. these four men took up their quarters in captain scott's hut. they had been instructed to kill seals for meat and blubber. the landing of stores, gear, and coal did not proceed at all rapidly, it being assumed that the ship would remain at her moorings throughout the winter. some tons of coal were taken ashore during april, but most of it stayed on the beach, and much of it was lost later when the sea-ice went out. this shore party was in the charge of stevens, and his report, handed to me much later, gives a succinct account of what occurred, from the point of view of the men at the hut: "cape evans, ross island, july , . "on the rd march, , a party consisting of spencer-smith, richards, and gaze was landed at cape evans hut in my charge. spencer-smith received independent instructions to devote his time exclusively to photography. i was verbally instructed that the main duty of the party was to obtain a supply of seals for food and fuel. scientific work was also to be carried on. "meteorological instruments were at once installed, and experiments were instituted on copper electrical thermometers in order to supplement our meagre supply of instruments and enable observations of earth, ice, and sea temperatures to be made. other experimental work was carried on, and the whole of the time of the scientific members of the party was occupied. all seals seen were secured. on one or two occasions the members of the shore party were summoned to work on board ship. "in general the weather was unsettled, blizzards occurring frequently and interrupting communication with the ship across the ice. only small, indispensable supplies of stores and no clothes were issued to the party on shore. only part of the scientific equipment was able to be transferred to the shore, and the necessity to obtain that prevented some members of the party landing all their personal gear. "the ship was moored stern on to the shore, at first well over one hundred yards from it. there were two anchors out ahead and the vessel was made fast to two others sunk in the ground ashore by seven wires. the strain on the wires was kept constant by tightening up from time to time such as became slack, and easing cables forward, and in this way the ship was brought much closer inshore. a cable was now run out to the south anchor ashore, passed onboard through a fair-lead under the port end of the bridge, and made fast to bollards forward. subsequent strain due to ice and wind pressure on the ship broke three of the wires. though i believe it was considered on board that the ship was secure, there was still considerable anxiety felt. the anchors had held badly before, and the power of the ice-pressure on the ship was uncomfortably obvious. "since the ship had been moored the bay had frequently frozen over, and the ice had as frequently gone out on account of blizzards. the ice does not always go out before the wind has passed its maximum. it depends on the state of tides and currents; for the sea-ice has been seen more than once to go out bodily when a blizzard had almost completely calmed down. "on the th may the ice was in and people passed freely between the shore and the ship. at p.m. the wind was south, backing to south- east, and blew at forty miles per hour. the ship was still in her place. at a.m. on the th the wind had not increased to any extent, but ice and ship had gone. as she was not seen to go we are unable to say whether the vessel was damaged. the shore end of the cable was bent twice sharply, and the wires were loose. on the afternoon of the th the weather cleared somewhat, but nothing was seen of the ship. the blizzard only lasted some twelve hours. next day the wind became northerly, but on the th there was blowing the fiercest blizzard we have so far experienced from the south-east. nothing has since been seen or heard of the ship, though a look-out was kept. "immediately the ship went as accurate an inventory as possible of all stores ashore was made, and the rate of consumption of food-stuffs so regulated that they would last ten men for not less than one hundred weeks. coal had already been used with the utmost economy. little could be done to cut down the consumption, but the transference to the neighbourhood of the hut of such of the coal landed previously by the ship as was not lost was pushed on. meat also was found to be very short; it was obvious that neither it nor coal could be made to last two years, but an evidently necessary step in the ensuing summer would be the ensuring of an adequate supply of meat and blubber, for obtaining which the winter presented little opportunity. meat and coal were, therefore, used with this consideration in mind, as required but as carefully as possible. "a. stevens." the men ashore did not at once abandon hope of the ship returning before the sound froze firmly. new ice formed on the sea whenever the weather was calm, and it had been broken up and taken out many times by the blizzards. during the next few days eager eyes looked seaward through the dim twilight of noon, but the sea was covered with a dense black mist and nothing was visible. a northerly wind sprang up on may and continued for a few hours, but it brought no sign of the ship, and when on may the most violent blizzard yet experienced by the party commenced, hope grew slender. the gale continued for three days, the wind attaining a velocity of seventy miles an hour. the snowdrift was very thick and the temperature fell to - ° fahr. the shore party took a gloomy view of the ship's chances of safety among the ice-floes of the ross sea under such conditions. stevens and his companions made a careful survey of their position and realized that they had serious difficulties to face. no general provisions and no clothing of the kind required for sledging had been landed from the ship. much of the sledging gear was also aboard. fortunately, the hut contained both food and clothing, left there by captain scott's expedition. the men killed as many seals as possible and stored the meat and blubber. june brought a welcome addition to the party in the form of the men who had been forced to remain at hut point until the sea-ice became firm. mackintosh and those with him had incurred some risk in making the crossing, since open water had been seen on their route by the cape evans party only a short time before. there were now ten men at cape evans--namely, mackintosh, spencer- smith, joyce, wild, cope, stevens, hayward, gaze, jack, and richards. the winter had closed down upon the antarctic and the party would not be able to make any move before the beginning of september. in the meantime they overhauled the available stores and gear, made plans for the work of the forthcoming spring and summer, and lived the severe but not altogether unhappy life of the polar explorer in winter quarters. mackintosh, writing on june , surveyed his position: "the decision of stenhouse to make this bay the wintering place of the ship was not reached without much thought and consideration of all eventualities. stenhouse had already tried the glacier tongue and other places, but at each of them the ship had been in an exposed and dangerous position. when this bay was tried the ship withstood several severe blizzards, in which the ice remained in on several occasions. when the ice did go out the moorings held. the ship was moored bows north. she had both anchors down forward and two anchors buried astern, to which the stern moorings were attached with seven lengths of wire. taking all this into account, it was quite a fair judgment on his part to assume that the ship would be secure here. the blizzard that took the ship and the ice out of the bay was by no means as severe as others she had weathered. the accident proves again the uncertainty of conditions in these regions. i only pray and trust that the ship and those aboard are safe. i am sure they will have a thrilling story to tell when we see them." the 'aurora' could have found safe winter quarters farther up mcmurdo sound, towards hut point, but would have run the risk of being frozen in over the following summer, and i had given instructions to mackintosh before he went south that this danger must be avoided. "meanwhile we are making all preparations here for a prolonged stay. the shortage of clothing is our principal hardship. the members of the party from hut point have the clothes we wore when we left the ship on january . we have been without a wash all that time, and i cannot imagine a dirtier set of people. we have been attempting to get a wash ever since we came back, but owing to the blow during the last two days no opportunity has offered. all is working smoothly here, and every one is taking the situation very philosophically. stevens is in charge of the scientific staff and is now the senior officer ashore. joyce is in charge of the equipment and has undertaken to improvise clothes out of what canvas can be found here. wild is working with joyce. he is a cheerful, willing soul. nothing ever worries or upsets him, and he is ever singing or making some joke or performing some amusing prank. richards has taken over the keeping of the meteorological log. he is a young australian, a hard, conscientious worker, and i look forward to good results from his endeavours. jack, another young australian, is his assistant. hayward is the handy man, being responsible for the supply of blubber. gaze, another australian, is working in conjunction with hayward. spencer-smith, the padre, is in charge of photography, and, of course, assists in the general routine work. cope is the medical officer. "the routine here is as follows: four of us, myself, stevens, richards, and spencer-smith, have breakfast at a.m. the others are called at a.m., and their breakfast is served. then the table is cleared, the floor is swept, and the ordinary work of the day is commenced. at p.m. we have what we call 'a counter lunch,' that is, cold food and cocoa. we work from p.m. till p.m. after p.m. people can do what they like. dinner is at . the men play games, read, write up diaries. we turn in early, since we have to economize fuel and light. night-watches are kept by the scientific men, who have the privilege of turning in during the day. the day after my arrival here i gave an outline of our situation and explained the necessity for economy in the use of fuel, light, and stores, in view of the possibility that we may have to stay here for two years.... we are not going to commence work for the sledging operations until we know more definitely the fate of the 'aurora'. i dare not think any disaster has occurred." during the remaining days of june the men washed and mended clothes, killed seals, made minor excursions in the neighbourhood of the hut, and discussed plans for the future. they had six dogs, two being bitches without experience of sledging. one of these bitches had given birth to a litter of pups, but she proved a poor mother and the young ones died. the animals had plenty of seal meat and were tended carefully. mackintosh called a meeting of all hands on june for the discussion of the plans he had made for the depot-laying expedition to be undertaken during the following spring and summer. "i gave an outline of the position and invited discussion from the members. several points were brought up. i had suggested that one of our party should remain behind for the purpose of keeping the meteorological records and laying in a supply of meat and blubber. this man would be able to hand my instructions to the ship and pilot a party to the bluff. it had been arranged that richards should do this. several objected on the ground that the whole complement would be necessary, and, after the matter had been put to the vote, it was agreed that we should delay the decision until the parties had some practical work and we had seen how they fared. the shortage of clothing was discussed, and joyce and wild have agreed to do their best in this matter. october sledging (on the barrier) was mentioned as being too early, but is to be given a trial. these were the most important points brought up, and it was mutually and unanimously agreed that we could do no more.... i know we are doing our best." the party was anxious to visit cape royds, north of cape evans, but at the end of june open water remained right across the sound and a crossing was impossible. at cape royds is the hut used by the shackleton expedition of - , and the stores and supplies it contains might have proved very useful. joyce and wild made finneskoe (fur boots) from spare sleeping-bags. mackintosh mentions that the necessity of economizing clothing and footgear prevented the men taking as much exercise as they would otherwise have done. a fair supply of canvas and leather had been found in the hut, and some men tried their hands at making shoes. many seals had been killed and brought in, and the supply of meat and blubber was ample for present needs. during july mackintosh made several trips northwards on the sea-ice, but found always that he could not get far. a crack stretched roughly from inaccessible island to the barne glacier, and the ice beyond looked weak and loose. the improving light told of the returning sun. richards and jack were weighing out stores in readiness for the sledging expeditions. mackintosh, from the hill behind the hut, saw open water stretching westward from inaccessible island on august , and noted that probably mcmurdo sound was never completely frozen over. a week later the extent of the open water appeared to have increased, and the men began to despair of getting to cape royds. blizzards were frequent and persistent. a few useful articles were found in the neighbourhood of the hut as the light improved, including some discarded socks and underwear, left by members of the scott expedition, and a case of candied peel, which was used for cakes. a small fire broke out in the hut on august . the acetylene-gas lighting plant installed in the hut by captain scott had been rigged, and one day it developed a leak. a member of the party searched for the leak with a lighted candle, and the explosion that resulted fired some woodwork. fortunately the outbreak was extinguished quickly. the loss of the hut at this stage would have been a tragic incident. mackintosh and stevens paid a visit to cape royds on august . they had decided to attempt the journey over the barne glacier, and after crossing a crevassed area they got to the slopes of cape barne and thence down to the sea-ice. they found this ice to be newly formed, but sufficiently strong for their purpose, and soon reached the cape royds hut. "the outer door of the hut we found to be off," wrote mackintosh. "a little snow had drifted into the porch, but with a shovel, which we found outside, this was soon cleared away. we then entered, and in the centre of the hut found a pile of snow and ice, which had come through the open ventilator in the roof of the hut. we soon closed this. stevens prepared a meal while i cleared the ice and snow away from the middle of the hut. after our meal we commenced taking an inventory of the stores inside. tobacco was our first thought. of this we found one tin of navy cut and a box of cigars. soap, too, which now ensures us a wash and clean clothes when we get back. we then began to look round for a sleeping-bag. no bags were here, however, but on the improvised beds of cases we found two mattresses, an old canvas screen, and two blankets. we took it in turns to turn in. stevens started first, while i kept the fire going. no coal or blubber was here, so we had to use wood, which, while keeping the person alongside it warm, did not raise the temperature of the hut over freezing-point. over the stove in a conspicuous place we found a notice by scott's party that parties using the hut should leave the dishes clean." mackintosh and stevens stayed at the cape royds over the next day and made a thorough examination of the stores there. they found outside the hut a pile of cases containing meats, flour, dried vegetables, and sundries, at least a year's supply for a party of six. they found no new clothing, but made a collection of worn garments, which could be mended and made serviceable. carrying loads of their spoils, they set out for cape evans on the morning of august across the sea-ice. very weak ice barred the way and they had to travel round the coast. they got back to cape evans in two hours. during their absence wild and gaze had climbed inaccessible island, gaze having an ear badly frost-bitten on the journey. the tobacco was divided among the members of the party. a blizzard was raging the next day, and mackintosh congratulated himself on having chosen the time for his trip fortunately. the record of the remaining part of august is not eventful. all hands were making preparations for the sledging, and were rejoicing in the increasing daylight. the party tried the special sledging ration prepared under my own direction, and "all agreed it was excellent both in bulk and taste." three emperor penguins, the first seen since the landing, were caught on august . by that time the returning sun was touching with gold the peaks of the western mountains and throwing into bold relief the massive form of erebus. the volcano was emitting a great deal of smoke, and the glow of its internal fires showed occasionally against the smoke-clouds above the crater. stevens, spencer-smith, and cope went to cape royds on the th, and were still there when the sun made its first appearance over erebus on the th. preceding days had been cloudy, and the sun, although above the horizon, had not been visible. "the morning broke clear and fine," wrote mackintosh. "over erebus the sun's rays peeped through the massed cumulus and produced the most gorgeous cloud effects. the light made us all blink and at the same time caused the greatest exuberance of spirits. we felt like men released from prison. i stood outside the hut and looked at the truly wonderful scenery all round. the west mountains were superb in their wild grandeur. the whole outline of peaks, some eighty or ninety distant, showed up, stencilled in delicate contrast to the sky-line. the immense ice-slopes shone white as alabaster against dark shadows. the sky to the west over the mountains was clear, except for low-lying banks at the foot of the slopes round about mount discovery. to the south hard streaks of stratus lay heaped up to degrees above the horizon.... then erebus commenced to emit volumes of smoke, which rose hundreds of feet and trailed away in a north-westerly direction. the southern slopes of erebus were enveloped in a mass of cloud." the party from cape royds returned that afternoon, and there was disappointment at their report that no more tobacco had been found. the sledging of stores to hut point, in preparation for the depot- laying journeys on the barrier, was to begin on september . mackintosh, before that date, had discussed plans fully with the members of his party. he considered that sufficient sledging provisions were available at cape evans, the supply landed from the ship being supplemented by the stores left by the scott expedition of - and the shackleton expedition of - . the supply of clothing and tents was more difficult. garments brought from the ship could be supplemented by old clothing found at hut point and cape evans. the burberry wind-proof outer garments were old and in poor order for the start of a season's sledging. old sleeping-bags had been cut up to make finneskoe (fur boots) and mend other sleeping-bags. three tents were available, one sound one landed from the 'aurora', and two old ones left by captain scott. mackintosh had enough sledges, but the experience of the first journey with the dogs had been unfortunate, and there were now only four useful dogs left. they did not make a full team and would have to be used merely as an auxiliary to man-haulage. the scheme adopted by mackintosh, after discussion with the members of his party, was that nine men, divided into three parties of three each, should undertake the sledging. one man would be left at cape evans to continue the meteorological observations during the summer. the motor- tractor, which had been left at hut point, was to be brought to cape evans and, if possible, put into working order. mackintosh estimated that the provisions required for the consumption of the depot parties, and for the depots to be placed southward to the foot of the beardmore glacier, would amount to lbs. the first depot was to be placed off minna bluff, and from there southward a depot was to be placed on each degree of latitude. the final depot would be made at the foot of the beardmore glacier. the initial task would be the haulage of stores from cape evans to hut point, a distance of miles. all the sledging stores had to be taken across, and mackintosh proposed to place additional supplies there in case a party, returning late from the barrier, had to spend winter months at hut point. the first party, consisting of mackintosh, richards, and spencer- smith, left cape evans on september with lbs. of stores on one sledge, and had an uneventful journey to hut point. they pitched a tent half-way across the bay, on the sea-ice, and left it there for the use of the various parties during the month. at hut point they cleared the snow from the motor-tractor and made some preliminary efforts to get it into working order. they returned to cape evans on the rd. the second trip to hut point was made by a party of nine, with three sledges. two sledges, man-hauled, were loaded with lbs. of stores, and a smaller sledge, drawn by the dogs, carried the sleeping- bags. this party encountered a stiff southerly breeze, with low temperature, and, as the men were still in rather soft condition, they suffered much from frost bites. joyce and gaze both had their heels badly blistered. mackintosh's face suffered, and other men had fingers and ears "bitten." when they returned gaze had to travel on a sledge, since he could not set foot to the ground. they tried to haul the motor to cape evans on this occasion, but left it for another time after covering a mile or so. the motor was not working and was heavy to pull. eight men made the third journey to hut point, gaze and jack remaining behind. they took lbs. of oil and lbs. of stores. from hut point the next day (september ) the party proceeded with loaded sledges to safety camp, on the edge of the barrier. this camp would be the starting-point for the march over the barrier to the minna bluff depot. they left the two sledges, with lbs. of oil and lbs. of oatmeal, sugar, and sundries, at safety camp and returned to hut point. the dogs shared the work on this journey. the next day mackintosh and his companions took the motor to cape evans, hauling it with its grip- wheels mounted on a sledge. after a pause due to bad weather, a party of eight men took another load to hut point on september , and on to safety camp the next day. they got back to cape evans on the th. richards meanwhile had overhauled the motor and given it some trial runs on the sea-ice. but he reported that the machine was not working satisfactorily, and mackintosh decided not to persevere with it. "everybody is up to his eyes in work," runs the last entry in the journal left by mackintosh at cape evans. "all gear is being overhauled, and personal clothing is having the last stitches. we have been improvising shoes to replace the finneskoe, of which we are badly short. wild has made an excellent shoe out of an old horse-rug he found here, and this is being copied by other men. i have made myself a pair of mitts out of an old sleeping-bag. last night i had a bath, the second since being here.... i close this journal to-day (september ) and am packing it with my papers here. to-morrow we start for hut point. nine of us are going on the sledge party for laying depots-- namely, stevens, spencer-smith, joyce, wild, cope, hayward, jack, richards, and myself. gaze, who is still suffering from bad feet, is remaining behind and will probably be relieved by stevens after our first trip. with us we take three months' provisions to leave at hut point. i continue this journal in another book, which i keep with me." the nine men reached hut point on october . they took the last loads with them. three sledges and three tents were to be taken on to the barrier, and the parties were as follows: no. : mackintosh, spencer-smith, and wild; no. : joyce, cope, and richards; no. : jack, hayward, and gaze. on october and some stores left at half-way camp were brought in, and other stores were moved on to safety camp. bad weather delayed the start of the depot- laying expedition from hut point until october . chapter xv laying the depots mackintosh's account of the depot-laying journeys undertaken by his parties in the summer of - unfortunately is not available. the leader of the parties kept a diary, but he had the book with him when he was lost on the sea-ice in the following winter. the narrative of the journeys has been compiled from the notes kept by joyce, richards, and other members of the parties, and i may say here that it is a record of dogged endeavour in the face of great difficulties and serious dangers. it is always easy to be wise after the event, and one may realize now that the use of the dogs, untrained and soft from shipboard inactivity, on the comparatively short journey undertaken immediately after the landing in was a mistake. the result was the loss of nearly all the dogs before the longer and more important journeys of - were undertaken. the men were sledging almost continuously during a period of six months; they suffered from frost- bite, scurvy, snow-blindness, and the utter weariness of overtaxed bodies. but the they placed the depots in the required positions, and if the weddell sea party had been able to make the crossing of the antarctic continent, the stores and fuel would have been waiting for us where we expected to find them. the position on october was that the nine men at hut point had with them the stores required for the depots and for their own maintenance throughout the summer. the remaining dogs were at cape evans with gaze, who had a sore heel and had been replaced temporarily by stevens in the sledging party. a small quantity of stores had been conveyed already to safety camp on the edge of the barrier beyond hut point. mackintosh intended to form a large depot off minna bluff, seventy miles out from hut point. this would necessitate several trips with heavy loads. then he would use the bluff depot as a base for the journey to mount hope, at the foot of the beardmore glacier, where the final depot was to be laid. the party left hut point on the morning of october , the nine men hauling on one rope and trailing three loaded sledges. they reached safety camp in the early afternoon, and, after repacking the sledges with a load of about lbs., they began the journey over the barrier. the pulling proved exceedingly heavy, and they camped at the end of half a mile. it was decided next day to separate the sledges, three men to haul each sledge. mackintosh hoped that better progress could be made in this way. the distance for the day was only four miles, and the next day's journey was no better. joyce mentions that he had never done harder pulling, the surface being soft, and the load amounting to lbs. per man. the new arrangement was not a success, owing to differences in hauling capacity and inequalities in the loading of the sledges; and on the morning of the th, mackintosh, after consultation, decided to push forward with wild and spencer- smith, hauling one sledge and a relatively light load, and leave joyce and the remaining five men to bring two sledges and the rest of the stores at their best pace. this arrangement was maintained on the later journeys. the temperatures were falling below - ° fahr. at some hours, and, as the men perspired freely while hauling their heavy loads in the sun, they suffered a great deal of discomfort in the damp and freezing clothes at night. joyce cut down his load on the th by depot-ing some rations and spare clothing, and made better progress. he was building snow-cairns as guide-posts for use on the return journey. he mentions passing some large crevasses during succeeding days. persistent head winds with occasional drift made the conditions unpleasant and caused many frost-bites. when the surface was hard, and the pulling comparatively easy, the men slipped and fell continually, "looking much like classical dancers." on the th a northerly wind made possible the use of a sail, and joyce's party made rapid progress. jack sighted a bamboo pole during the afternoon; and joyce found that marked a depot he had laid for my own "farthest south" party in . he dug down in the hope of finding some stores, but the depot had been cleared. the party reached the bluff depot on the evening of the st and found that mackintosh had been there on the th. mackintosh had left lbs. of provisions, and joyce left one sledge and lbs. of stores. the most interesting incident of the return journey was the discovery of a note left by mr. cherry garrard for captain scott on march , , only a few days before the latter perished at his camp farther south. an upturned sledge at this point was found to mark a depot of dog-biscuit and motor- oil, laid by one of captain scott's parties. joyce reached safety camp on the afternoon of the th, and, after dumping all spare gear, pushed on to hut point in a blizzard. the sledges nearly went over a big drop at the edge of the barrier, and a few moments later stevens dropped down a crevasse to the length of his harness. "had a tough job getting him up, as we had no alpine rope and had to use harness," wrote joyce. "got over all right and had a very hard pull against wind and snow, my face getting frost-bitten as i had to keep looking up to steer. we arrived at the hut about . p.m. after a very hard struggle. we found the captain and his party there. they had been in for three days. gaze was also there with the dogs. we soon had a good feed and forgot our hard day's work." mackintosh decided to make use of the dogs on the second journey to the bluff depot. he thought that with the aid of the dogs heavier loads might be hauled. this plan involved the dispatch of a party to cape evans to get dog-pemmican. mackintosh himself, with wild and spencer-smith, started south again on october . their sledge overturned on the slope down to the sea-ice, and the rim of their tent- spread was broken. the damage did not appear serious, and the party soon disappeared round cape armitage. joyce remained in charge at hut point, with instructions to get dog food from cape evans and make a start south as soon as possible. he sent stevens, hayward, and cope to cape evans the next day, and busied himself with the repair of sledging- gear. cope, hayward, and gaze arrived back from cape evans on november , stevens having stayed at the base. a blizzard delayed the start southward, and the party did not get away until november . the men pulled in harness with the four dogs, and, as the surface was soft and the loads on the two sledges were heavy, the advance was slow. the party covered miles yards on the th, miles yards on the th, and miles yards on the th, with the aid of a light northerly wind. they passed on the th a huge bergstrom, with a drop of about feet from the flat surface of the barrier. joyce thought that a big crevasse had caved in. "we took some photographs," wrote joyce. "it is a really extraordinary fill-in of ice, with cliffs of blue ice about feet high, and heavily crevassed, with overhanging snow-curtains. one could easily walk over the edge coming from the north in thick weather." another bergstrom, with crevassed ice around it, was encountered on the th. joyce reached the bluff depot on the evening of the th and found that he could leave lbs. of provisions. mackintosh had been there several days earlier and had left lbs. of stores. joyce made hut point again on november after an adventurous day. the surface was good in the morning and he pushed forward rapidly. about . a.m. the party encountered heavy pressure-ice with crevasses, and had many narrow escapes. "after lunch we came on four crevasses quite suddenly. jack fell through. we could not alter course, or else we should have been steering among them, so galloped right across. we were going so fast that the dogs that went through were jerked out. it came on very thick at p.m. every bit of land was obscured, and it was hard to steer. decided to make for hut point, and arrived at . p.m., after doing twenty-two miles, a very good performance. i had a bad attack of snow-blindness and had to use cocaine. hayward also had a bad time. i was laid up and had to keep my eyes bandaged for three days. hayward, too." the two men were about again on november , and the party started south on its third journey to the bluff on the th. mackintosh was some distance ahead, but the two parties met on the th and had some discussion as to plans. mackintosh was proceeding to the bluff depot with the intention of taking a load of stores to the depot placed on lat. ° s. in the first season's sledging. joyce, after depositing his third load at the bluff, would return to hut point for a fourth and last load, and the parties would then join forces for the journey southward to mount hope. joyce left lbs. at the bluff depot on december , reached hut point on december , and, after allowing dogs and men a good rest, he moved southward again on december . this proved to be the worst journey the party had made. the men had much trouble with crevasses, and they were held up by blizzards on december , , , , , , and . they spent christmas day struggling through soft snow against an icy wind and drift. the party reached the bluff depot on december , and found that mackintosh, who had been much delayed by the bad weather, had gone south two days earlier on his way to the ° s. depot. he had not made much progress and his camp was in sight. he had left instructions for joyce to follow him. the bluff depot was now well stocked. between and lbs. of provisions had been dragged to the depot for the use of parties working to the south of this point. this quantity was in addition to stores placed there earlier in the year. joyce left the bluff depot on december , and the parties were together two days later. mackintosh handed joyce instructions to proceed with his party to lat. ° s and place a depot there. he was then to send three men back to hut point and proceed to lat. ° s., where he would lay another depot. then if provisions permitted he would push south as far as lat. °. mackintosh himself was reinforcing the depot at lat. ° s. and would then carry on southward. apparently his instructions to joyce were intended to guard against the contingency of the parties failing to meet. the dogs were hauling well, and though their number was small they were of very great assistance. the parties were now ninety days out from cape evans, and "all hands were feeling fit." the next incident of importance was the appearance of a defect in one of the two primus lamps used by joyce's party. the lamps had all seen service with one or other of captain scott's parties, and they had not been in first-class condition when the sledging commenced. the threatened failure of a lamp was a matter of grave moment, since a party could not travel without the means of melting snow and preparing hot food. if joyce took a faulty lamp past the ° s. depot, his whole party might have to turn back at lat. ° s., and this would imperil the success of the season's sledging. he decided, therefore, to send three men back from the ° s. depot, which he reached on january , . cope, gaze, and jack were the men to return. they took the defective primus and a light load, and by dint of hard travelling, without the aid of dogs, they reached cape evans on january . joyce, richards, and hayward went forward with a load of lbs., comprising twelve weeks' sledging rations, dog food and depot supplies, in addition to the sledging-gear. they built cairns at short intervals as guides to the depots. joyce was feeding the dogs well and giving them a hot hoosh every third night. "it is worth it for the wonderful amount of work they are doing. if we can keep them to ° s. i can honestly say it is through their work we have got through." on january mackintosh joined joyce, and from that point the parties, six men strong, went forward together. they marched in thick weather during january , , and , keeping the course by means of cairns, with a scrap of black cloth on top of each one. it was possible, by keeping the cairns in line behind the sledges and building new ones as old ones disappeared, to march on an approximately straight line. on the evening of the th they reached lat. ° s., and built a large cairn for the depot. the stores left here were three weeks' rations for the ordinary sledging unit of three men. this quantity would provide five days' rations for twelve men, half for the use of the overland party, and half for the depot party on its return journey. the party moved southwards again on january in bad weather. "after a little consultation we decided to get under way," wrote joyce. "although the weather is thick, and snow is falling, it is worth while to make the effort. a little patience with the direction and the cairns, even if one has to put them up yds. apart, enables us to advance, and it seems that this weather will never break. we have cut up an old pair of trousers belonging to richards to place on the sides of the cairns, so as to make them more prominent. it was really surprising to find how we got on in spite of the snow and the pie-crust surface. we did miles yds. before lunch. the dogs are doing splendidly. i really don't know how we should manage if it were not for them.... the distance for the day was miles yds., a splendid performance considering surface and weather." the weather cleared on the th; and the men were able to get bearings from the mountains to the westward. they advanced fairly rapidly during succeeding days, the daily distances being from ten to twelve miles, and reached lat. ° s. on the morning of january . the depot here, like the depot at ° s., contained five days' provisions for twelve men. mackintosh was having trouble with the primus lamp in his tent, and this made it inadvisable to divide the party again. it was decided, therefore, that all should proceed, and that the next and last depot should be placed on the base of mount hope, at the foot of the beardmore glacier, in lat. ° ´ s. the party proceeded at once and advanced five miles beyond the depot before camping on the evening of the th. the sledge loads were now comparatively light, and on the th the party covered miles yds. a new trouble was developing, for spencer-smith was suffering from swollen and painful legs, and was unable to do much pulling. joyce wrote on the st that smith was worse, and that mackintosh was showing signs of exhaustion. a mountain that he believed to be mount hope could be seen right ahead, over thirty miles away. spencer-smith, who had struggled forward gamely and made no unnecessary complaints, started with the party the next morning and kept going until shortly before noon. then he reported his inability to proceed, and mackintosh called a halt. spencer-smith suggested that he should be left with provisions and a tent while the other members of the party pushed on to mount hope, and pluckily assured mackintosh that the rest would put him right and that he would be ready to march when they returned. the party agreed, after a brief consultation, to adopt this plan. mackintosh felt that the depot must be laid, and that delay would be dangerous. spencer-smith was left with a tent, one sledge, and provisions, and told to expect the returning party in about a week. the tent was made as comfortable as possible inside, and food was placed within the sick man's reach. spencer-smith bade his companions a cheery good-bye after lunch, and the party was six or seven miles away before evening. five men had to squeeze into one tent that night, but with a minus temperature they did not object to being crowded. on january a thick fog obscured all landmarks, and as bearings of the mountains were now necessary the party had to camp at a.m., after travelling only four miles. the thick weather continued over the th, and the men did not move again until the morning of the th. they did ¾ miles that day, and camped at p.m. on the edge of "the biggest ice-pressure" joyce had ever seen. they were steering in towards the mountains and were encountering the tremendous congestion created by the flow of the beardmore glacier into the barrier ice. "we decided to keep the camp up," ran joyce's account of the work done on january . "skipper, richards, and myself roped ourselves together, i taking the lead, to try and find a course through this pressure. we came across very wide crevasses, went down several, came on top of a very high ridge, and such a scene! imagine thousands of tons of ice churned up to a depth of about ft. we took a couple of photographs, then carried on to the east. at last we found a passage through, and carried on through smaller crevasses to mount hope, or we hoped it was the mountain by that name. we can see a great glacier ahead which we take for the beardmore, which this mountain is on, but the position on the chart seems wrong. [it was not.--e.h.s.] we nearly arrived at the ice-foot when richards saw something to the right, which turned out to be two of captain scott's sledges, upright, but three- quarters buried in snow. then we knew for certain this was the place we had struggled to get to. so we climbed the glacier on the slope and went up about one and a quarter miles, and saw the great beardmore glacier stretching to the south. it is about twenty-five miles wide--a most wonderful sight. then we returned to our camp, which we found to be six miles away. we left at a.m. and arrived back at p.m., a good morning's work. we then had lunch. about p.m. we got under way and proceeded with the two sledges and camped about o'clock. wild, hayward and myself then took the depot up the glacier, a fortnight's provisions. we left it lashed to a broken sledge and put up a large flag. i took two photographs of it. we did not arrive back until . p.m. it was rather a heavy pull up. i was very pleased to see our work completed at last.... turned in o'clock. the distance done during day miles." the party remained in camp until . p.m. on the th, owing to a blizzard with heavy snow. then they made a start in clearer weather and got through the crevassed area before camping at p.m. joyce was suffering from snow-blindness. they were now homeward bound, with miles to go. they covered ½ miles on the th, with joyce absolutely blind and hanging to the harness for guidance, "but still pulling his whack." they reached spencer-smith's camp the next afternoon and found him in his sleeping-bag, quite unable to walk. joyce's diary of this date contains a rather gloomy reference to the outlook, since he guessed that mackintosh also would be unable to make the homeward march. "the dogs are still keeping fit," he added. "if they will only last to ° s. we shall then have enough food to take them in, and then if the ship is in i guarantee they will live in comfort the remainder of their lives." no march could be made on the th, since a blizzard was raging. the party made miles on the st, with spencer-smith on one of the sledges in his sleeping-bag. the sufferer was quite helpless, and had to be lifted and carried about, but his courage did not fail him. his words were cheerful even when his physical suffering and weakness were most pronounced. the distance for february was miles. the next morning the party abandoned one sledge in order to lighten the load, and proceeded with a single sledge, spencer-smith lying on top of the stores and gear. the distance for the day was ½ miles. they picked up the ° s. depot on february , and took one week's provisions, leaving two weeks' rations for the overland party. joyce, wild, richards, and hayward were feeling fit. mackintosh was lame and weak; spencer-smith's condition was alarming. the party was being helped by strong southerly winds, and the distances covered were decidedly good. the sledge-meter recorded miles yds. on february , miles yds. on the th, miles yds. on the th, and miles yds. on the th, when the ° s. depot was picked up at . a.m., and one week's stores taken, two weeks' rations being left. the march to the next depot, at ° s., was uneventful. the party made good marches in spite of bad surfaces and thick weather, and reached the depot late in the afternoon of february . the supply of stores at this depot was ample, and the men took a fortnight's rations (calculated on a three-man basis), leaving nearly four weeks' rations. spencer-smith seemed a little better, and all hands were cheered by the rapid advance. february , , and were bad days, the soft surface allowing the men to sink to their knees at times. the dogs had a rough time, and the daily distances fell to about eight miles. mackintosh's weakness was increasing. then on the th, when the party was within twelve miles of the bluff depot, a furious blizzard made travelling impossible. this blizzard raged for five days. rations were reduced on the second day, and the party went on half-rations the third day. "still blizzarding," wrote joyce on the th. "things are serious, what with our patient and provisions running short. dog provisions are nearly out, and we have to halve their rations. we are now on one cup of hoosh among the three of us, with one biscuit and six lumps of sugar. the most serious of calamities is that our oil is running out. we have plenty of tea, but no fuel to cook it with." the men in mackintosh's tent were in no better plight. mackintosh himself was in a bad way. he was uncertain about his ability to resume the march, but was determined to try. "still blizzarding," wrote joyce again on the st. "we are lying in pools of water made by our bodies through staying in the same place for such a long time. i don't know what we shall do if this does not ease. it has been blowing continuously without a lull. the food for to-day was one cup of pemmican amongst three of us, one biscuit each, and two cups of tea among the three." the kerosene was exhausted, but richards improvised a lamp by pouring some spirit (intended for priming the oil- lamp) into a mug, lighting it, and holding another mug over it. it took half an hour to heat a mug of melted snow in this way. "same old thing, no ceasing of this blizzard," was joyce's note twenty-four hours later. "hardly any food left except tea and sugar. richards, hayward, and i, after a long talk, decided to get under way to-morrow in any case, or else we shall be sharing the fate of captain scott and his party. the other tent seems to be very quiet, but now and again we hear a burst of song from wild, so they are in the land of the living. we gave the dogs the last of their food to-night, so we shall have to push, as a great deal depends on them." further quotations from joyce's diary tell their own story. "february , wednesday.--about o'clock saw a break in the clouds and the sun showing. decided to have the meal we kept for getting under way. sang out to the skipper's party that we should shift as soon as we had a meal. i asked wild, and found they had a bag of oatmeal, some bovril cubes, one bag of chocolate, and eighteen biscuits, so they are much better off than we are. after we had our meal we started to dig out our sledge, which we found right under. it took us two hours, and one would hardly credit how weak we were. two digs of the shovel and we were out of breath. this was caused through our lying up on practically no food. after getting sledge out we took it around to the skipper's tent on account of the heavy sastrugi, which was very high. got under way about . . had to stop very often on account of sail, etc. about . the skipper, who had tied himself to the rear of the sledge, found it impossible to proceed. so after a consultation with wild and party, decided to pitch their tent, leaving wild to look after the skipper and spencer-smith, and make the best of our way to the depot, which is anything up to twelve miles away. so we made them comfortable and left them about . . i told wild i should leave as much as possible and get back th or th, weather permitting, but just as we left them it came on to snow pretty hard, sun going in, and we found even with the four dogs we could not make more than one-half to three-quarters of a mile an hour. the surface is so bad that sometimes you go in up to your waist; still in spite of all this we carried on until . . camped in a howling blizzard. i found my left foot badly frost-bitten. now after this march we came into our banquet--one cup of tea and half a biscuit. turned in at o'clock. situation does not look very cheerful. this is really the worst surface i have ever come across in all my journeys here." mackintosh had stayed on his feet as long as was humanly possible. the records of the outward journey show clearly that he was really unfit to continue beyond the ° s. depot, and other members of the party would have liked him to have stayed with spencer-smith at lat. ° s. but the responsibility for the work to be done was primarily his, and he would not give in. he had been suffering for several weeks from what he cheerfully called "a sprained leg," owing to scurvy. he marched for half an hour on the rd before breaking down, but had to be supported partly by richards. spencer-smith was sinking. wild, who stayed in charge of the two invalids, was in fairly good condition. joyce, richards, and hayward, who had undertaken the relief journey, were all showing symptoms of scurvy, though in varying degrees. their legs were weak, their gums swollen. the decision that the invalids, with wild, should stay in camp from february , while joyce's party pushed forward to bluff depot, was justified fully by the circumstances. joyce, richards, and hayward had difficulty in reaching the depot with a nearly empty sledge. an attempt to make their journey with two helpless men might have involved the loss of the whole party. "february , thursday.--up at : ; had one cup of tea, half biscuit; under way after . weather, snowing and blowing like yesterday. richards, laying the cairns had great trouble in getting the compass within ° on account of wind. during the forenoon had to stop every quarter of an hour on account of our breath. every time the sledge struck a drift she stuck in (although only lbs.), and in spite of three men and four dogs we could only shift her with the - - haul. i wonder if this weather will ever clear up. camped in an exhausted condition about . . lunch, half cup of weak tea and quarter biscuit, which took over half an hour to make. richards and hayward went out of tent to prepare for getting under way, but the force of wind and snow drove them back. the force of wind is about seventy to eighty miles per hour. we decided to get the sleeping-bags in, which took some considerable time. the worst of camping is the poor dogs and our weak condition, which means we have to get out of our wet sleeping-bags and have another half cup of tea without working for it. with scrapings from dog-tank it is a very scanty meal. this is the second day the dogs have been without food, and if we cannot soon pick up depot and save the dogs it will be almost impossible to drag our two invalids back the one hundred miles which we have to go. the wind carried on with unabating fury until o'clock, and then came a lull. we at once turned out, but found it snowing so thickly that it was impossible to proceed on account of our weakness. no chance must we miss. turned in again. wind sprang up again with heavy drift . . in spite of everything my tent-mates are very cheerful and look on the bright side of everything. after a talk we decided to wait and turned in. it is really wonderful what dreams we have, especially of food. trusting in providence for fine weather to-morrow. "february , friday.--turned out . . richards prepared our usual banquet, half cup of tea, quarter biscuit, which we relished. under way at , carried on, halting every ten minutes or quarter of an hour. weather, snowing and blowing same as yesterday. we are in a very weak state, but we cannot give in. we often talk about poor captain scott and the blizzard that finished him and party. if we had stayed in our tent another day i don't think we should have got under way at all, and we would have shared the same fate. but if the worst comes we have made up our minds to carry on and die in harness. if any one were to see us on trek they would be surprised, three men staggering on with four dogs, very weak; practically empty sledge with fair wind and just crawling along; our clothes are all worn out, finneskoe and sleeping bags torn. tent is our worst point, all torn in front, and we are afraid to camp on account of it, as it is too cold to mend it. we camped for our grand lunch at noon. after five hours' struggling i think we did about three miles. after lunch sat in our tent talking over the situation. decided to get under way again as soon as there is any clearance. snowing and blowing, force about fifty or sixty miles an hour. "february , saturday.--richards went out . a.m. and found it clearing a bit, so we got under way as soon as possible, which was . a.m. about . richards sighted depot, which seemed to be right on top of us. i suppose we camped no more than three-quarters of a mile from it. the dogs sighted it, which seemed to electrify them. they had new life and started to run, but we were so weak that we could not go more than yds. and then spell. i think another day would have seen us off. arrived at depot . ; found it in a dilapidated condition, cases all about the place. i don't suppose there has ever been a weaker party arrive at any depot, either north or south. after a hard struggle got our tent up and made camp. then gave the dogs a good feed of pemmican. if ever dogs saved the lives of any one they have saved ours. let us hope they will continue in good health, so that we can get out to our comrades. i started on our cooking. not one of us had any appetite, although we were in the land of plenty, as we call this depot; plenty of biscuit, etc., but we could not eat. i think it is the reaction, not only in arriving here, but also finding no news of the ship, which was arranged before we left. we all think there has been a calamity there. let us hope for the best. we decided to have rolled-oats and milk for a start, which went down very well, and then a cup of tea. how cheery the primus sounds. it seems like coming out of a thick london fog into a drawing-room. after a consultation we decided to have a meal of pemmican in four hours, and so on, until our weakness was gone. later.--still the same weather. we shall get under way and make a forced march back as soon as possible. i think we shall get stronger travelling and feeding well. later.-- weather will not permit us to travel yet. mended our torn tent with food-bags. this took four hours. feeding the dogs every four hours, and richards and hayward built up depot. it is really surprising to find it takes two men to lift a -lb. case; it only shows our weakness. weather still the same; force of wind at times about seventy to ninety miles an hour; really surprising how this can keep on so long. "february , sunday.--wind continued with fury the whole night. expecting every minute to have the tent blown off us. up o'clock; found it so thick one could not get out of the tent. we are still very weak, but think we can do the twelve miles to our comrades in one long march. if only it would clear up for just one day we would not mind. this is the longest continuous blizzard i have ever been in. we have not had a travelling day for eleven days, and the amount of snow that has fallen is astonishing. later.--had a meal . and decided to get under way in spite of the wind and snow. under way o'clock. we have three weeks' food on sledge, about lbs., and one week's dog- food, lbs. the whole weight, all told, about lbs., and also taking an extra sledge to bring back captain mackintosh. to our surprise we could not shift the sledges. after half an hour we got about ten yards. we turned the sledge up and scraped runners; it went a little better after. i am afraid our weakness is much more than we think. hayward is in rather a bad way about his knees, which are giving him trouble and are very painful; we will give him a good massage when we camp. the dogs have lost all heart in pulling; they seem to think that going south again is no good to them; they seem to just jog along, and one cannot do more. i don't suppose our pace is more than one-half or three-quarters of a mile per hour. the surface is rotten, snow up to one's knees, and what with wind and drift a very bad outlook. lunched about . . carried on until . , when we camped. it was very dark making our dinner, but soon got through the process. then richards spent an hour or so in rubbing hayward with methylated spirits, which did him a world of good. if he were to break up now i should not know what to do. turned in about . . it is now calm, but overcast with light falling snow. "february , monday.--up at o'clock; can just see a little sky- line. under way at o'clock. the reason of delay, had to mend finneskoe, which are in a very dilapidated condition. i got my feet badly frost-bitten yesterday. about o'clock came on to snow, everything overcast. we ought to reach our poor boys in three or four hours, but fate wills otherwise, as it came on again to blizzard force about . . camped at noon. i think the party must be within a very short distance, but we cannot go on as we might pass them, and as we have not got any position to go on except compass. later.--kept on blizzarding all afternoon and night. "february , tuesday.--up at o'clock; still very thick. it cleared up a little to the south about o'clock, when richards sighted something black to the north of us, but could not see properly what it was. after looking round sighted camp to the south, so we got under way as soon as possible. got up to the camp about . , when wild came out to meet us. we gave him a cheer, as we fully expected to find all down. he said he had taken a little exercise every day; they had not any food left. the skipper then came out of the tent, very weak and as much as he could do to walk. he said, 'i want to thank you for saving our lives.' i told wild to go and give them a feed and not to eat too much at first in case of reaction, as i am going to get under way as soon as they have had a feed. so we had lunch, and the skipper went ahead to get some exercise, and after an hour's digging out got everything ready for leaving. when we lifted smith we found he was in a great hole which he had melted through. this party had been in one camp for twelve days. we got under way and picked the skipper up; he had fallen down, too weak to walk. we put him on the sledge we had brought out, and we camped about o'clock. i think we did about three miles, rather good with two men on the sledges and hayward in a very bad way. i don't think there has been a party, either north or south, in such straits, three men down and three of us very weak; but the dogs seem to have new life since we turned north. i think they realize they are homeward bound. i am glad we kept them, even when we were starving. i knew they would have to come in at the finish. we have now to look forward to southerly winds for help, which i think we shall get at this time of year. let us hope the temperature will keep up, as our sleeping-bags are wet through and worn out, and all our clothes full of holes, and finneskoe in a dilapidated condition; in fact, one would not be out on a cold day in civilization with the rotten clothes we have on. turned in o'clock, wet through, but in a better frame of mind. hope to try and reach the depot to-morrow, even if we have to march overtime. "march , wednesday.--turned out usual time; a good south wind, but, worse luck, heavy drift. set sail; put the skipper on rear sledge. the temperature has gone down and it is very cold. bluff in sight. we are making good progress, doing a good mileage before lunch. after lunch a little stronger wind. hayward still hanging on to sledge; skipper fell off twice. reached depot . . when camping found we had dropped our tent-poles, so richards went back a little way and spotted them through the binoculars about half a mile off, and brought them back. hayward and i were very cold by that time, the drift very bad. moral: see everything properly secured. we soon had our tent up, cooked our dinner in the dark, and turned in about o'clock. "march , thursday.--up as usual. strong south-west wind with heavy drift. took two weeks' provisions from the depot. i think that will last us through, as there is another depot about fifty miles north from here; i am taking the outside course on account of the crevasses, and one cannot take too many chances with two men on sledges and one crippled. under way about o'clock; lunched noon in a heavy drift; took an hour to get the tents up, etc., the wind being so heavy. found sledges buried under snow after lunch, took some time to get under way. wind and drift very heavy; set half-sail on the first sledge and under way about . . the going is perfect; sometimes sledges overtaking us. carried on until o'clock, doing an excellent journey for the day; distance about eleven or twelve miles. gives one a bit of heart to carry on like this; only hope we can do this all the way. had to cook our meals in the dark, but still we did not mind. turned in about o'clock, pleased with ourselves, although we were wet through with snow, as it got through all the holes in our clothes, and the sleeping- bags are worse than awful. "march , friday.--up the usual time. it has been blowing a raging blizzard all night. found to our disgust utterly impossible to carry on. another few hours of agony in these rotten bags. later.--blizzard much heavier. amused myself mending finneskoe and burberrys, mitts and socks. had the primus while this operation was in force. hoping for a fine day to-morrow. "march , saturday.--up . . still blizzarding, but have decided to get under way as we will have to try and travel through everything, as hayward is getting worse, and one doesn't know who is the next. no mistake it is scurvy, and the only possible cure is fresh food. i sincerely hope the ship is in; if not we shall get over the hills by castle rock, which is rather difficult and will delay another couple of days. smith is still cheerful; he has hardly moved for weeks and he has to have everything done for him. got under way . . it took some two hours to dig out dogs and sledges, as they were completely buried. it is the same every morning now. set sail, going along pretty fair. hayward gets on sledge now and again. lunched as usual; sledges got buried again at lunch-time. it takes some time to camp now, and in this drift it is awful. in the afternoon wind eased a bit and drift went down. found it very hard pulling with the third man on sledge, as hayward has been on all the afternoon. wind veered two points to south, so we had a fair wind. an hour before we camped erebus and terror showing up, a welcome sight. only hope wind will continue. drift is worst thing to contend with as it gets into our clothes, which are wet through now. camped o'clock. cooked in the dark, and turned in in our wet sleeping-bags about o'clock. distance about eight or nine miles. "march , sunday.--turned out . . overslept a little; very tired after yesterday. sun shining brightly and no wind. it seemed strange last night, no flapping of tent in one's ears. about . came on to drift again. under way . , both sails set. sledge going hard, especially in soft places. if hayward had not broken down we should not feel the weight so much. lunch . . under way at . wind and drift very heavy. a good job it is blowing some, or else we should have to relay. all land obscured. distance about ten or eleven miles, a very good performance. camped . in the dark. patients not in the best of trim. i hope to get in, bar accidents, in four days. "march , monday.--under way . . picked up thirty-two mile depot o'clock. going with a fair wind in the forenoon, which eased somewhat after lunch and so caused very heavy work in pulling. it seems to me we shall have to depot someone if the wind eases at all. distance during day about eight miles. "march , tuesday.--under way o'clock. although we turn out at it seems a long time to get under way. there is double as much work to do now with our invalids. this is the calmest day we have had for weeks. the sun is shining and all land in sight. it is very hard going. had a little breeze about o'clock, set sail, but work still very, very heavy. hayward and skipper going on ahead with sticks, very slow pace, but it will buck them up and do them good. if one could only get some fresh food! about o'clock decided to camp and overhaul sledges and depot all gear except what is actually required. under way again at , but surface being so sticky did not make any difference. after a consultation the skipper decided to stay behind in a tent with three weeks' provisions whilst we pushed on with smith and hayward. it seems hard, only about thirty miles away, and yet cannot get any assistance. our gear is absolutely rotten, no sleep last night, shivering all night in wet bags. i wonder what will be the outcome of it all after our struggle. trust in providence. distance about three and a half miles. "march , wednesday.--under way . . wished the skipper good-bye; took smith and hayward on. had a fair wind, going pretty good. hope to arrive in hut point in four days. lunched at no. depot. distance about four and a half miles. under way as usual after lunch; head wind, going very heavy. carried on until . . distance about eight or nine miles. "march , thursday.--had a very bad night, cold intense. temperature down to - ° all night. at a.m. spencer-smith called out that he was feeling queer. wild spoke to him. then at . richards suddenly said, 'i think he has gone.' poor smith, for forty days in pain he had been dragged on the sledge, but never grumbled or complained. he had a strenuous time in his wet bag, and the jolting of the sledge on a very weak heart was not too good for him. sometimes when we lifted him on the sledge he would nearly faint, but during the whole time he never complained. wild looked after him from the start. we buried him in his bag at o'clock at the following position: ereb. °--obs. hill °. we made a cross of bamboos, and built a mound and cairn, with particulars. after that got under way with hayward on sledge. found going very hard, as we had a northerly wind in our faces, with a temperature below °. what with frost-bites, etc., we are all suffering. even the dogs seem like giving in; they do not seem to take any interest in their work. we have been out much too long, and nothing ahead to cheer us up but a cold, cheerless hut. we did about two and a half miles in the forenoon; hayward toddling ahead every time we had a spell. during lunch the wind veered to the south with drift, just right to set sail. we carried on with hayward on sledge and camped in the dark about o'clock. turned in at , weary, worn, and sad. hoping to reach depot to-morrow. "march , friday.--turned out as usual. beam wind, going pretty fair, very cold. came into very soft snow about ; arrived at safety camp o'clock. got to edge of ice barrier; found passage over in a bay full of seals. dogs got very excited; had a job to keep them away. by the glass it looked clear right to cape armitage, which is four and a half miles away. arrived there o'clock, very dark and bad light. found open water. turned to climb slopes against a strong north- easterly breeze with drift. found a place about a mile away, but we were so done up that it took until . to get gear up. this slope was about yds. up, and every three paces we had to stop and get breath. eventually camped and turned in about o'clock. i think this is the worst day i ever spent. what with the disappointment of not getting round the point, and the long day and the thought of getting hayward over the slopes, it is not very entertaining for sleep. "march , saturday.--up at o'clock; took binoculars and went over the slope to look around the cape. to my surprise found the open water and pack at the cape only extended for about a mile. came down and gave the boys the good news. i think it would take another two hard days to get over the hills, and we are too weak to do much of that, as i am afraid of another collapsing. richards and wild climbed up to look at the back of the bay and found the ice secure. got under way . , went round the cape and found ice; very slushy, but continued on. no turning now; got into hard ice shortly after, eventually arriving at hut point about o'clock. it seems strange after our adventures to arrive back at the old hut. this place has been standing since we built it in , and has been the starting-point of a few expeditions since. when we were coming down the bay i could fancy the discovery there when scott arrived from his farthest south in , the ship decorated rainbow fashion, and lieutenant armitage giving out the news that captain scott had got to ° ´ s. we went wild that day. but now our homecoming is quite different. hut half-full of snow through a window being left open and drift getting in; but we soon got it shipshape and hayward in. i had the fire going and plenty of vegetables on, as there was a fair supply of dried vegetables. then after we had had a feed, richards and wild went down the bay and killed a couple of seals. i gave a good menu of seal meat at night, and we turned in about o'clock, full--too full, in fact. as there is no news here of the ship, and we cannot see her, we surmise she has gone down with all hands. i cannot see there is any chance of her being afloat or she would be here. i don't know how the skipper will take it. "march , sunday.--heard groans proceeding from the sleeping-bags all night; all hands suffering from over-eating. hayward not very well. turned out o'clock. good breakfast--porridge, seal, vegetables, and coffee; more like a banquet to us. after breakfast richards and wild killed a couple of seals whilst i made the hut a bit comfy. hayward can hardly move. all of us in a very bad state, but we must keep up exercise. my ankles and knees badly swollen, gums prominent. wild, very black around joints, and gums very black. richards about the best off. after digging hut out i prepared food which i think will keep the scurvy down. the dogs have lost their lassitude and are quite frisky, except oscar, who is suffering from over-feeding. after a strenuous day's work turned in o'clock. "march , monday.--turned out o'clock. carried on much the same as yesterday, bringing in seal blubber and meat. preparing for departure to-morrow; hope every one will be all right. made new dog harness and prepared sledges. in afternoon cooked sufficient seal meat for our journey out and back, and same for dogs. turned in o'clock, feeling much better. "march , tuesday.--a beautiful day. under way after lunch. one would think, looking at our party, that we were the most ragged lot one could meet in a day's march; all our clothes past mending, our faces as black as niggers'--a sort of crowd one would run away from. going pretty good. as soon as we rounded cape armitage a dead head wind with a temperature of - ° fahr., so we are not in for a pleasant time. arrived at safety camp o'clock, turned in . , after getting everything ready. "march , wednesday.--under way as usual. nice calm day. had a very cold night, temperature going down to - ° fahr. going along at a rattling good rate; in spite of our swollen limbs we did about fifteen miles. very cold when we camped; temperature - ° fahr. turned in o'clock. "march , thursday.--up before the sun, . a.m. had a very cold night, not much sleep. under way early. going good. passed smith's grave . a.m. and had lunch at depot. saw skipper's camp just after, and looking through glass found him outside tent, much to the joy of all hands, as we expected him to be down. picked him up . p.m. broke the news of smith's death and no ship. i gave him the date of the th to look out for our returning, so he had a surprise. we struck his camp and went north for about a mile and camped. we gave the skipper a banquet of seal, vegetables, and black currant jam, the feed of his life. he seems in a bad way. i hope to get him in in three days, and i think fresh food will improve him. we turned in o'clock. distance done during day sixteen miles. "march , friday.--up at o'clock. under way a.m. skipper feeling much better after feeding him up. lunched a few yards past smith's grave. had a good afternoon, going fair. distance about sixteen miles. very cold night, temperature - ° fahr. what with wet bags and clothes, rotten. "march , saturday.--turned out o'clock. had rather a cold night. temperature - ° fahr. surface very good. the skipper walked for a little way, which did him good. lunched as usual. pace good. after lunch going good. arrived at safety camp . p.m. to our delight found the sea-ice in the same condition and arrived at hut point at o'clock. found hayward still about same. set to, made a good dinner, and all hands seem in the best of spirits. now we have arrived and got the party in, it remains to themselves to get better. plenty of exercise and fresh food ought to do miracles. we have been out days, and done a distance of miles, a good record. i think the irony of fate was poor smith going under a day before we got in. i think we shall all soon be well. turned in . p.m. before turning in skipper shook us by the hand with great emotion, thanking us for saving his life." richards, summarizing the work of the parties, says that the journeys made between september and march , a period of days, totalled miles. the main journey, from hut point to mount hope and return, was miles. "the equipment," he adds, "was old at the commencement of the season, and this told severely at the later stages of the journey. three primus lamps gave out on the journeys, and the old tent brought back by one of the last parties showed rents several feet in length. this hampered the travelling in the long blizzards. finneskoe were also in pieces at the end, and time had frequently to be lost through repairs to clothing becoming imperative. this account would not be complete without some mention of the unselfish service rendered by wild to his two ill tent- mates. from the time he remained behind at the long blizzard till the death of spencer-smith he had two helpless men to attend to, and despite his own condition he was ever ready, night or day, to minister to their wants. this, in a temperature of - ° fahr. at times, was no light task. "without the aid of four faithful friends, oscar, con, gunner, and towser, the party could never have arrived back. these dogs from november accompanied the sledging parties, and, although the pace was often very slow, they adapted themselves well to it. their endurance was fine. for three whole days at one time they had not a scrap of food, and this after a period on short rations. though they were feeble towards the end of the trip, their condition usually was good, and those who returned with them will ever remember the remarkable service they rendered. "the first indication of anything wrong with the general health of the party occurred at about lat. ° ´ s., when spencer-smith complained of stiffness in the legs and discolouration. he attributed this to holes in his windproof clothing. at lat. ° s., when he gave way, it was thought that the rest would do him good. about the end of january captain mackintosh showed very serious signs of lameness. at this time his party had been absent from hut point, and consequently from fresh food, about three months. "on the journey back spencer-smith gradually became weaker, and for some time before the end was in a very weak condition indeed. captain mackintosh, by great efforts, managed to keep his feet until the long blizzard was encountered. here it was that hayward was first found to be affected with the scurvy, his knees being stiff. in his case the disease took him off his feet very suddenly, apparently causing the muscles of his legs to contract till they could be straightened hardly more than a right angle. he had slight touches in the joints of the arms. in the cases of joyce, wild, and richards, joints became stiff and black in the rear, but general weakness was the worst symptom experienced. captain mackintosh's legs looked the worst in the party." the five men who were now at hut point found quickly that some of the winter months must be spent there. they had no news of the ship, and were justified in assuming that she had not returned to the sound, since if she had some message would have been awaiting them at hut point, if not farther south. the sea-ice had broken and gone north within a mile of the point, and the party must wait until the new ice became firm as far as cape evans. plenty of seal meat was available, as well as dried vegetables, and the fresh food improved the condition of the patients very rapidly. richards massaged the swollen joints and found that this treatment helped a good deal. before the end of march mackintosh and hayward, the worst sufferers, were able to take exercise. by the second week of april mackintosh was free of pain, though the backs of his legs were still discoloured. a tally of the stores at the hut showed that on a reasonable allowance the supply would last till the middle of june. richards and wild killed many seals, so that there was no scarcity of meat and blubber. a few penguins were also secured. the sole means of cooking food and heating the hut was an improvised stove of brick, covered with two sheets of iron. this had been used by the former expedition. the stove emitted dense smoke and often made the hut very uncomfortable, while at the same time it covered the men and all their gear with clinging and penetrating soot. cleanliness was out of the question, and this increased the desire of the men to get across to cape evans. during april the sea froze in calm weather, but winds took the ice out again. on april joyce walked four miles to the north, partly on young ice two inches thick, and he thought then that the party might be able to reach cape evans within a few days. but a prolonged blizzard took the ice out right up to the point, so that the open water extended at the end of april right up to the foot of vinie's hill. then came a spell of calm weather, and during the first week of may the sea-ice formed rapidly. the men made several short trips over it to the north. the sun had disappeared below the horizon in the middle of april, and would not appear again for over four months. the disaster that followed is described by both richards and joyce. "and now a most regrettable incident occurred," wrote richards. "on the morning of may , before breakfast, captain mackintosh asked joyce what he thought of his going to cape evans with hayward. captain mackintosh considered the ice quite safe, and the fine morning no doubt tempted him to exchange the quarters at the hut for the greater comfort and better food at cape evans." (mackintosh naturally would be anxious to know if the men at cape evans were well and had any news of the ship.) "he was strongly urged at the time not to take the risk, as it was pointed out that the ice, although firm, was very young, and that a blizzard was almost sure to take part of it out to sea." however, at about p.m., with the weather apparently changing for the worse, mackintosh and hayward left, after promising to turn back if the weather grew worse. the last sight the watching party on the hill gained of them was when they were about a mile away, close to the shore, but apparently making straight for cape evans. at p.m. a moderate blizzard was raging, which later increased in fury, and the party in the hut had many misgivings for the safety of the absent men. on may , the first day possible, the three men left behind walked over new ice to the north to try and discover some trace as to the fate of the others. the footmarks were seen clearly enough raised up on the ice, and the track was followed for about two miles in a direction leading to cape evans. here they ended abruptly, and in the dim light a wide stretch of water, very lightly covered with ice, was seen as far as the eye could reach. it was at once evident that part of the ice over which they had travelled had gone out to sea. the whole party had intended, if the weather had held good, to have attempted the passage across with the full moon about may . on the date on which mackintosh and hayward left it was impossible that a sledge should travel the distance over the sea-ice owing to the sticky nature of the surface. hence their decision to go alone and leave the others to follow with the sledge and equipment when the surface should improve. that they had actually been lost was learned only on july , on which date the party from hut point arrived at cape evans. the entry in joyce's diary shows that he had very strong forebodings of disaster when mackintosh and hayward left. he warned them not to go, as the ice was still thin and the weather was uncertain. mackintosh seems to have believed that he and hayward, travelling light, could get across to cape evans quickly before the weather broke, and if the blizzard had come two or three hours later they probably would have been safe. the two men carried no sleeping-bags and only a small meal of chocolate and seal meat. the weather during june was persistently bad. no move had been possible on may , the sea-ice being out, and joyce decided to wait until the next full moon. when this came the weather was boisterous, and so it was not until the full moon of july that the journey to cape evans was made. during june and july seals got very scarce, and the supply of blubber ran short. meals consisted of little but seal meat and porridge. the small stock of salt was exhausted, but the men procured two and a half pounds by boiling down snow taken from the bottom layer next to the sea-ice. the dogs recovered condition rapidly and did some hunting on their own account among the seals. the party started for cape evans on july . they had expected to take advantage of the full moon, but by a strange chance they had chosen the period of an eclipse, and the moon was shadowed most of the time they were crossing the sea-ice. the ice was firm, and the three men reached cape evans without difficulty. they found stevens, cope, gaze, and jack at the cape evans hut, and learned that nothing had been seen of captain mackintosh and hayward. the conclusion that these men had perished was accepted reluctantly. the party at the base consisted now of stevens, cope, joyce, richards, gaze, wild, and jack. the men settled down now to wait for relief. when opportunity offered joyce led search-parties to look for the bodies or any trace of the missing men, and he subsequently handed me the following report: "i beg to report that the following steps were taken to try and discover the bodies of captain mackintosh and mr. hayward. after our party's return to the hut at cape evans, july , , it was learned that captain mackintosh and mr. hayward had not arrived; and, being aware of the conditions under which they were last seen, all the members of the wintering party were absolutely convinced that these two men were totally lost and dead--that they could not have lived for more than a few hours at the outside in the blizzard that they had encountered, they being entirely unprovided with equipment of any sort. "there was the barest chance that after the return of the sun some trace of their bodies might be found, so during the spring--that is, august and september --and in the summer--december and january - --the following searches were carried out: "( ) wild and i thoroughly searched inaccessible island at the end of august . "( ) various parties in september searched along the shore to the vicinity of turk's head. "( ) in company with messrs. wild and gaze i started from hut point, december , , at a.m., and a course was steered inshore as close as possible to the cliffs in order to search for any possible means of ascent. at a distance of half a mile from hut point we passed a snow slope which i had already ascended in june ; three and a half miles farther on was another snow slope, which ended in blue ice glacier slope, which we found impossible to climb, snow slope being formed by heavy winter snowfall. these were the only two places accessible. distance on this day, miles yds covered. on january search was continued round the south side of glacier tongue from the base towards the seaward end. there was much heavy pressure; it was impossible to reach the summit owing to the wide crack. distance covered miles yds. on january thick weather caused party to lay up. on rd, glacier was further examined, and several slopes formed by snow led to top of glacier, but crevasses between slope and the tongue prevented crossing. the party then proceeded round the tongue to tent island, which was also searched, a complete tour of the island being made. it was decided to make for cape evans, as thick weather was approaching. we arrived at p.m. distance miles yds. "i remain, etc., "ernest e. joyce. "to sir ernest shackleton, c.v.o., "commander, i.t.a.e." in september richards was forced to lay up at the hut owing to a strained heart, due presumably to stress of work on the sledging journeys. early in october a party consisting of joyce, gaze, and wild spent several days at cape royds, where they skinned specimens. they sledged stores back to cape evans in case it should be found necessary to remain there over another winter. in september, joyce, gaze, and wild went out to spencer-smith's grave with a wooden cross, which they erected firmly. relief arrived on january , , but it is necessary now to turn back to the events of may , when the 'aurora' was driven from her moorings off cape evans. chapter xvi the 'aurora's' drift after mackintosh left the 'aurora' on january , , stenhouse kept the ship with difficulty off tent island. the ice-anchors would not hold, owing to the continual breaking away of the pack, and he found it necessary much of the time to steam slow ahead against the floes. the third sledging party, under cope, left the ship on the afternoon of the st, with the motor-tractor towing two sledges, and disappeared towards hut point. cope's party returned to the ship on february and left again on february , after a delay caused by the loose condition of the ice. two days later, after more trouble with drifting floes, stenhouse proceeded to cape evans, where he took a line of soundings for the winter quarters. during the next month the 'aurora' occupied various positions in the neighbourhood of cape evans. no secure moorings were available. the ship had to keep clear of threatening floes, dodge "growlers" and drifting bergs, and find shelter from the blizzards. a sudden shift of wind on february , when the ship was sheltering in the lee of glacier tongue, caused her to be jammed hard against the low ice off the glacier, but no damage was done. early in march stenhouse sent moorings ashore at cape evans, and on march he proceeded to hut point, where he dropped anchor in discovery bay. here he landed stores, amounting to about two months' full rations for twelve men, and embarked spencer-smith, stevens, hook, richards, ninnis, and gaze, with two dogs. he returned to cape evans that evening. "we had a bad time when we were 'sculling' about the sound, first endeavouring to make hut point to land provisions, and then looking for winter quarters in the neighbourhood of glacier tongue," wrote stenhouse afterwards. "the ice kept breaking away in small floes, and we were apparently no nearer to anywhere than when the sledges left; we were frustrated in every move. the ship broke away from the fast ice in blizzards, and then we went dodging about the sound from the ross island side to the western pack, avoiding and clearing floes and growlers in heavy drift when we could see nothing, our compasses unreliable and the ship short-handed. in that homeless time i kept watch and watch with the second officer, and was hard pressed to know what to do. was ever ship in such predicament? to the northward of cape royds was taboo, as also was the coast south of glacier tongue. in a small stretch of ice-bound coast we had to find winter quarters. the ice lingered on, and all this time we could find nowhere to drop anchor, but had to keep steam handy for emergencies. once i tried the north bay of cape evans, as it apparently was the only ice-free spot. i called all hands, and making up a boat's crew with one of the firemen sent the whaler away with the second officer in charge to sound. no sooner had the boat left ship than the wind freshened from the northward, and large bergs and growlers, setting into the bay, made the place untenable. the anchorage i eventually selected seemed the best available--and here we are drifting, with all plans upset, when we ought to be lying in winter quarters." a heavy gale came up on march , and the 'aurora', then moored off cape evans, dragged her anchor and drifted out of the bay. she went northward past cape barne and cape royds in a driving mist, with a heavy storm-sea running. this gale was a particularly heavy one. the ship and gear were covered with ice, owing to the freezing of spray, and stenhouse had anxious hours amid the heavy, ice-encumbered waters before the gale moderated. the young ice, which was continually forming in the very low temperature, helped to reduce the sea as soon as the gale moderated, and the 'aurora' got back to cape evans on the evening of the th. ice was forming in the bay, and on the morning of the th stenhouse took the ship into position for winter moorings. he got three steel hawsers out and made fast to the shore anchors. these hawsers were hove tight, and the 'aurora' rested then, with her stern to the shore, in seven fathoms. two more wires were taken ashore the next day. young ice was forming around the ship, and under the influence of wind and tide this ice began early to put severe strains upon the moorings. stenhouse had the fires drawn and the boiler blown down on the th, and the engineer reported at that time that the bunkers contained still tons of coal. the ice broke away between cape evans and cape barne on the rd, and pressure around the ship shattered the bay ice and placed heavy strains on the stern moorings. the young ice, about four inches thick, went out eventually and left a lead along the shore. the ship had set in towards the shore, owing to the pressure, and the stern was now in four- and-a-half fathoms. stenhouse tightened the moorings and ran out an extra wire to the shore anchor. the nature of the ice movements is illustrated by a few extracts from the log: "march , p.m.--ice broke away from shore and started to go out. p.m.--light southerly airs; fine; ice setting out to north-west; heavy pressure of ice on starboard side and great strain on moorings. p.m.--ice clear of ship. "march .--new ice forming over bay. a.m.--ice which went out last watch set in towards bay. a.m.--ice coming in and overriding newly formed bay-ice; heavy pressure on port side of ship; wires frozen into ice. a.m.--calm and fine; new ice setting out of bay. p.m.--new ice formed since morning cleared from bay except area on port side of ship and stretching abeam and ahead for about yds., which is held by bights of wire; new ice forming. "march , . p.m.--new ice going out. p.m.--hands on floe on port quarter clearing wires; stern in three fathoms; hauled wires tight, bringing stern more to eastward and in four fathoms; hove in about one fathom of starboard cable, which had dragged during recent pressure. "april , . p.m.--ice breaking from shore under influence of south- east wind. two starboard quarter wires parted; all bights of stern wires frozen in ice; chain taking weight. p.m.--ice opened, leaving ice in bay in line from cape to landward of glacier. p.m.--fresh wind; ship holding ice in bay; ice in sound wind-driven to north-west. "april , am.--pressure increased and wind shifted to north-west. ice continued to override and press into shore until o'clock; during this time pressure into bay was very heavy; movement of ice in straits causing noise like heavy surf. ship took ground gently at rudder-post during pressure; bottom under stern shallows very quickly. p.m.-- ice-moving out of bay to westward; heavy strain on after moorings and cables, which are cutting the floe." stenhouse continued to nurse his moorings against the onslaughts of the ice during the rest of april and the early days of may. the break- away from the shore came suddenly and unexpectedly on the evening of may : "may , .--fine morning with light breezes from east-south- east.... . p.m.--ice nearly finished. sent hands ashore for sledge- load. p.m.--wind freshening with blizzardy appearance of sky. p.m.--. . . heavy strain on after-moorings. . p.m.--the ice parted from the shore; all moorings parted. most fascinating to listen to waves and chain breaking. in the thick haze i saw the ice astern breaking up and the shore receding. i called all hands and clapped relieving tackles ( -in. manila luff tackles) on to the cables on the forepart of the windlass. the bos'n had rushed along with his hurricane lamp, and shouted, 'she's away wi' it!' he is a good fellow and very conscientious. i ordered steam on main engines, and the engine-room staff, with hooke and ninnis, turned to. grady, fireman, was laid up with a broken rib. as the ship, in the solid floe, set to the north-west, the cables rattled and tore at the hawse-pipes; luckily the anchors, lying as they were on a strip-sloping bottom, came away easily, without damage to windlass or hawse-pipes. slowly as we disappeared into sound, the light in the hut died away. at . p.m. the ice around us started to break up, the floes playing tattoo on the ship's sides. we were out in the sound and catching the full force of the wind. the moon broke through the clouds after midnight and showed us the pack, stretching continuously to northward, and about one mile to the south. as the pack from the southward came up and closed in on the ship, the swell lessened and the banging of floes alongside eased a little. "may , a.m.--wind east-south-east. moderate gale with thick drift. the ice around ship is packing up and forming ridges about two feet high. the ship is lying with head to the eastward, cape bird showing to north-east. when steam is raised i have hopes of getting back to the fast ice near the glacier tongue. since we have been in winter quarters the ice has formed and, held by the islands and land at cape evans, has remained north of the tongue. if we can return we should be able now to moor to the fast ice. the engineers are having great difficulty with the sea connexions, which are frozen. the main bow-down cock, from which the boiler is 'run up,' has been tapped and a screw plug put into it to allow of a hot iron rod being inserted to thaw out the ice between the cock and the ship's side--about two feet of hard ice. . p.m.--the hot iron has been successful. donolly (second engineer) had the pleasure of stopping the first spurt of water through the pipe; he got it in the eye. fires were lit in furnaces, and water commenced to blow in the boiler--the first blow in our defence against the terrific forces of nature in the antarctic. p.m.--the gale has freshened, accompanied by thick drift." the 'aurora' drifted helplessly throughout may . on the morning of may the weather cleared a little and the western mountains became indistinctly visible. cape bird could also be seen. the ship was moving northwards with the ice. the daylight was no more than a short twilight of about two hours' duration. the boiler was being filled with ice, which had to be lifted aboard, broken up, passed through a small porthole to a man inside, and then carried to the manhole on top of the boiler. stenhouse had the wireless aerial rigged during the afternoon, and at p.m. was informed that the watering of the boiler was complete. the wind freshened to a moderate southerly gale, with thick drift, in the night, and this gale continued during the following day, the th. the engineer reported at noon that he had -lb. pressure in the boiler and was commencing the thawing of the auxiliary sea- connexion pump by means of a steam-pipe. "cape bird is the only land visible, bearing north-east true about eight miles distant," wrote, stenhouse on the afternoon of the th. "so this is the end of our attempt to winter in mcmurdo sound. hard luck after four months' buffeting, for the last seven weeks of which we nursed our moorings. our present situation calls for increasing vigilance. it is five weeks to the middle of winter. there is no sun, the light is little and uncertain, and we may expect many blizzards. we have no immediate water-supply, as only a small quantity of fresh ice was aboard when we broke drift. "the 'aurora' is fast in the pack and drifting god knows where. well, there are prospects of a most interesting winter drift. we are all in good health, except grady, whose rib is mending rapidly; we have good spirits and we will get through. but what of the poor beggars at cape evans, and the southern party? it is a dismal prospect for them. there are sufficient provisions at cape evans, hut point, and, i suppose, cape royds, but we have the remaining burberrys, clothing, etc., for next year's sledging still on board. i see little prospect of getting back to cape evans or anywhere in the sound. we are short of coal and held firmly in the ice. i hope she drifts quickly to the north-east. then we can endeavour to push through the pack and make for new zealand, coal and return to the barrier eastward of cape crozier. this could be done, i think, in the early spring, september. we must get back to aid the depot-laying next season." a violent blizzard raged on may and . "i never remember such wind-force," said stenhouse. "it was difficult to get along the deck." the weather moderated on the th, and a survey of the ship's position was possible. "we are lying in a field of ice with our anchors and seventy-five fathoms of cable on each hanging at the bows. the after- moorings were frozen into the ice astern of us at cape evans. previous to the date of our leaving our winter berth four small wires had parted. when we broke away the chain two of the heavy ( -in.) wires parted close to shore; the other wire went at the butts. the chain and two wires are still fast in the ice and will have to be dug out. this morning we cleared the ice around the cables, but had to abandon the heaving-in, as the steam-froze in the return pipes from the windlass exhaust, and the joints had to be broken and the pipe thawed out. hooke was 'listening in' from . p.m. to . a.m. for the macquarie island wireless station ( miles away) or the bluff (new zealand) station ( miles away), but had no luck." the anchors were hove in by dint of much effort on the th and th, ice forming on the cable as it was hoisted through a hole cut in the floe. both anchors had broken, so the 'aurora' had now one small kedge- anchor left aboard. the ship's position on may was approximately forty-five miles north, thirty-four west of cape evans. "in one week we have drifted forty-five miles (geographical). most of this distance was covered during the first two days of the drift. we appear to be nearly stationary. what movement there is in the ice seems to be to the north-west towards the ice-bound coast. hands who were after penguins yesterday reported much noise in the ice about one mile from the ship. i hope the floe around the ship is large enough to take its own pressure. we cannot expect much pressure from the south, as mcmurdo sound should soon be frozen over and the ice holding. north- east winds would drive the pack in from the ross sea. i hope for the best. plans for future development are ready, but probably will be checkmated again.... i took the anchors aboard. they are of no further use as separate anchors, but they ornament the forecastle head, so we put them in their places.... the supply of fresh water is a problem. the engineer turned steam from the boiler into the main water-tank (starboard) through a pipe leading from the main winch-pipe to the tank top. the steam condenses before reaching the tank. i hope freezing does not burst the tank. a large tabular iceberg, calved from the barrier, is silhouetted against the twilight glow in the sky about ten miles away. the sight of millions of tons of fresh ice is most tantalizing. it would be a week's journey to the berg and back over pack and pressure, and probably we could bring enough ice to last two days." the record of the early months of the 'aurora's' long drift in the ross sea is not eventful. the galley condenser was rigged, but the supply of fresh water remained a problem. the men collected fresh- fallen snow when possible and hoped to get within reach of fresh ice. hooke and ninnis worked hard at the wireless plant with the object of getting into touch with macquarie island, and possibly sending news of the ship's movements to cape evans. they got the wireless motor running and made many adjustments of the instruments and aerials, but their efforts were not successful. emperor penguins approached the ship occasionally, and the birds were captured whenever possible for the fresh meat they afforded. the 'aurora' was quite helpless in the grip of the ice, and after the engine-room bilges had been thawed and pumped out the boilers were blown down. the pressure had been raised to sixty pounds, but there was no chance of moving the ship, and the supply of coal was limited. the story of the 'aurora's' drift during long months can be told briefly by means of extracts from stenhouse's log: "may .--early this morning there appeared to be movements in the ice. the grating and grinding noise makes one feel the unimportance of man in circumstances like ours. twilight towards noon showed several narrow, open leads about two cables from ship and in all directions. unable to get bearing, but imagine that there is little or no alteration in ship's position, as ship's head is same, and western mountains appear the same.... hope all is well at cape evans and that the other parties have returned safely. wish we could relieve their anxiety. "may .--obtained good bearings of beaufort island, cape ross, and dunlop island, which put the ship in a position eighteen miles south ° east (true) from cape ross. since the th, when reliable bearings were last obtained, we have drifted north-west by north seven miles. "may .--blizzard from south-south-east continued until p.m., when it moderated, and at . p.m. wind shifted to north-west, light, with snow. quite a lot of havoc has been caused during this blow, and the ship has made much northing. in the morning the crack south of the ship opened to about three feet. at p.m. felt heavy shock and the ship heeled to port about °. found ice had cracked from port gangway to north-west, and parted from ship from gangway along to stern. crack extended from stern to south-east. . p.m.--ice cracked from port fore chains, in line parallel to previous crack. the ice broke again between the cracks and drifted to north-west for about ten yards. the ice to southward then commenced to break up, causing heavy strain on ship, and setting apparently north in large broken fields. ship badly jammed in. . p.m.--ice closed in again around ship. two heavy windsqualls with a short interval between followed by cessation of wind. we are in a labyrinth of large rectangular floes (some with their points pressing heavily against ship) and high pressure-ridges. "may .--in middle watch felt pressure occasionally. twilight showed a scene of chaos all around; one floe about three feet in thickness had upended, driven under ship on port quarter. as far as can be seen there are heavy blocks of ice screwed up on end, and the scene is like a graveyard. i think swell must have come up under ice from seaward (north-east), mcmurdo sound, and broken the ice, which afterwards started to move under the influence of the blizzard. hardly think swell came from the sound, as the cracks were wending from north-west to south-east, and also as the sound should be getting icebound by now. if swell came from north-east then there is open water not far away. i should like to know. i believe the ross sea is rarely entirely ice- covered. have bright moonlight now, which accentuates everything--the beauty and loneliness of our surroundings, and uselessness of ourselves, while in this prison: so near to cape evans and yet we might as well be anywhere as here. have made our sledging-ration scales, and crew are busy making harness and getting sledging equipment ready for emergencies. temperature - ° fahr. "may .--if the ship is nipped in the ice, the ship's company (eighteen hands) will take to four sledges with one month's rations and make for nearest land. six men and one sledge will endeavour to make cape evans via the western land, butler point, hut point, etc. the remaining twelve will come along with all possible speed, but no forced marches, killing and depot-ing penguins and seals for emergency retreats. if the ship remains here and makes no further drift to the north, towards latter end of july light will be making. the sun returns august . the sea-ice should be fairly safe, and a party of three, with one month's rations, will proceed to cape evans. if the ice sets north and takes the ship clear of land, we will proceed to new zealand, bunker, get extra officer and four volunteers, provisions, etc., push south with all speed to the barrier, put party on to the barrier, about two miles east of cape crozier, and land all necessary stores and requirements. the ship will stand off until able to reach cape evans. if necessary, party will depot all stores possible at corner camp and go on to cape evans. if worst has happened my party will lay out the depot at the beardmore for shackleton. if the ship is released from the ice after september we must endeavour to reach cape evans before going north to bunker. we have not enough coal to hang about the sound for many days. "may .--by the position obtained by meridian altitude of stars and bearing of mount melbourne, we have drifted thirty-six miles north-east from last bearings taken on rd inst. the most of this must have been during the blizzard of the th. mount melbourne is one hundred and eleven miles due north of us, and there is some doubt in my mind as to whether the peak which we can see is this mountain. there may be a mirage.... in the evening had the football out on the ice by the light of a beautiful moon. the exercise and break from routine are a splendid tonic. ice-noises sent all hands on board. "june .--thick, hazy weather. in the afternoon a black streak appeared in the ice about a cable's length to the westward and stretching north and south. p.m.--the black line widened and showed long lane of open water. apparently we are fast in a floe which has broken from the main field. with thick weather we are uncertain of our position and drift. it will be interesting to find out what this crack in the ice signifies. i am convinced that there is open water, not far distant, in the ross sea.... to-night hooke is trying to call up cape evans. if the people at the hut have rigged the set which was left there, they will hear 'all well' from the 'aurora'. i hope they have. [the messages were not received.] "june .--made our latitude ° ´ s. by altitude of sirius. this is a very monotonous life, but all hands appear to be happy and contented. find that we are not too well off for meals and will have to cut rations a little. grady is taking exercise now and should soon be well again. he seems very anxious to get to work again, and is a good man. no wireless calls to-night, as there is a temporary breakdown--condenser jar broken. there is a very faint display of aurora in northern sky. it comes and goes almost imperceptibly, a most fascinating sight. the temperature is - ° fahr.; ° of frost is much too cold to allow one to stand for long. "june .--walked over to a very high pressure-ridge about a quarter of a mile north-north-west of the ship. in the dim light walking over the ice is far from being monotonous, as it is almost impossible to see obstacles, such as small, snowed-up ridges, which makes us wary and cautious. a dip in the sea would be the grand finale, but there is little risk of this as the water freezes as soon as a lane opens in the ice. the pressure-ridge is about fifteen to twenty feet high for several hundred feet, and the ice all about it is bent up in a most extraordinary manner. at p.m. hooke called cape evans, 'all well-- 'aurora', etc.; p.m., weather reports for p.m. sent to wellington, new zealand, and melbourne, via macquarie island. [the dispatch of messages from the 'aurora' was continued, but it was learned afterwards that none of them had been received by any station.] "june .--the temperature in the chart-room ranges from zero to a little above freezing-point. this is a very disturbing factor in rates of the chronometers (five in number, g.m.t. and sid.t.), which are kept in cases in a padded box, each case covered by a piece of blanket, and the box covered by a heavy coat. in any enclosed place where people pass their time, the niches and places where no heat penetrates are covered with frozen breath. there will be a big thaw-out when the temperature rises. "june .--mount melbourne is bearing north ° w (true). our approximate position is forty miles east-north-east of nordenskjold ice tongue. at p.m. hooke called cape evans and sent weather reports to wellington and melbourne via macquarie island. hooke and ninnis on several evenings at about o'clock have heard what happened to be faint messages, but unreadable. he sent word to macquarie island of this in hopes that they would hear and increase the power. "june .--during this last blow with its accompanying drift-snow there has been much leakage of current from the aerial during the sending of reports. this is apparently due to induction caused by the snow accumulating on the insulators aloft, and thus rendering them useless, and probably to increased inductive force of the current in a body of snowdrift. hooke appears to be somewhat downhearted over it, and, after discussing the matter, gave me a written report on the non- success (up to the present time) of his endeavours to establish communication. he thinks that the proximity of the magnetic pole and aurora australis might affect things. the radiation is good and sufficient for normal conditions. his suggestion to lead the down lead wires out to the ahead and astern would increase scope, but i cannot countenance it owing to unsettled state of ice and our too lofty poles. "june .--blowing gale from south-west throughout day, but for short spell of westerly breeze about p.m. light drift at frequent intervals, very hazy, and consequently no land in sight during short twilight. very hard up for mitts and clothing. what little we have on board i have put to one side for the people at the hut. have given thompson instructions to turn crew to making pair mitts and helmet out of jaeger fleece for all hands forward. with strict economy we should make things spin out; cannot help worrying over our people at the hut. although worrying does no good, one cannot do otherwise in this present impotent state. p.m.--wind howling and whistling through rigging. outside, in glare of moon, flying drift and expanse of ice-field. desolation! "june .--to-day the sun has reached the limit of his northern declination and now he will start to come south. observed this day as holiday, and in the evening had hands aft to drink to the health of the king and the expedition. all hands are happy, but miss the others at cape evans. i pray to god we may soon be clear of this prison and in a position to help them. we can live now for sunlight and activity. "july .--the st of july! thank god. the days pass quickly. through all my waking hours one long thought of the people at cape evans, but one must appear to be happy and take interest in the small happenings of shipboard. "july .--rather hazy with very little light. moderate west-north- west to south-west winds until noon, when wind veered to south and freshened. no apparent change in ship's position; the berg is on the same bearing ( point on the port quarter) and apparently the same distance off. mount melbourne was hidden behind a bank of clouds. this is our only landmark now, as franklin island is towered in perpetual gloom. although we have had the berg in sight during all the time of our drift from the entrance to mcmurdo sound, we have not yet seen it in a favourable light, and, were it not for its movement, we might mistake it for a tabular island. it will be interesting to view our companion in the returning light--unless we are too close to it! "july .--dull grey day (during twilight) with light, variable, westerly breezes. all around hangs a heavy curtain of haze, and, although very light snow is falling, overhead is black and clear with stars shining. as soon as the faint noon light fades away the heavy low haze intensifies the darkness and makes one thankful that one has a good firm 'berth' in the ice. i don't care to contemplate the scene if the ice should break up at the present time. "july .--last night i thought i saw open water in the shape of a long black lane to the southward of the ship and extending in an easterly and westerly direction, but owing to the haze and light snow i could not be sure; this morning the lane was distinctly visible and appeared to be two or three hundred yards wide and two miles long.... at p.m. loud pressure-noises would be heard from the direction of the open lane and continued throughout the night. shortly after o'clock the grinding and hissing spread to our starboard bow (west-south-west), and the vibration caused by the pressure could be felt intermittently on board the ship.... the incessant grinding and grating of the ice to the southward, with seething noises, as of water rushing under the ship's bottom, and ominous sounds, kept me on the qui vive all night, and the prospect of a break-up of the ice would have wracked my nerves had i not had them numbed by previous experiences. "july .--at noon the sky to the northward had cleared sufficiently to allow of seeing mount melbourne, which appears now as a low peak to the north-west. ship's position is twenty-eight miles north-north-east of franklin island. on the port bow and ahead of the ship there are some enormous pressure-ridges; they seem to be the results of the recent and present ice-movements. pressure heard from the southward all day. "july .--at p.m. very heavy pressure was heard on the port beam and bow (south) and very close to the ship. this occurred again at irregular intervals. quite close to the ship the ice could be seen bending upwards, and occasional jars were felt on board. i am inclined to think that we have set into a cul-de-sac and that we will now experience the full force of pressure from the south. we have prepared for the worst and can only hope for the best--a release from the ice with a seaworthy vessel under us. "july .--this has been a day of events. about a.m. the horizon to the north became clear and, as the light grew, the more westerly land showed up. this is the first clear day that we have had since the th of the month, and we have set a considerable distance to the north-east in the meantime. by meridian altitudes of stars and bearings of the land, which proved to be coulman islands, mount murchison, and mount melbourne, our position shows seventy-eight miles (geographical) north- east by north of franklin island. during the last three days we have drifted forty miles (geographical), so there has been ample reason for all the grinding and growling of pressure lately. the ship endured some severe squeezes this day. "july .--shortly before breakfast the raucous voice of the emperor penguin was heard, and afterwards two were seen some distance from the ship.... the nearest mainland (in vicinity of cape washington) is ninety miles distant, as also is coulman island. franklin island is eighty miles south-east by south, and the pack is in motion. this is the emperor's hatching season, and here we meet them out in the cheerless desert of ice.... . p.m.--heavy pressure around ship, lanes opened and ship worked astern about twenty feet. the wires in the ice took the strain (lashings at mizzen chains carried away) and carried away fair-lead bollard on port side of forecastle head. "july , a.m.--lanes opened to about ft. wide. ship in open pool about ft. wide. heavy pressure in vicinity of ship. called all hands and cut wires at the forecastle head. [these wires had remained frozen in the ice after the ship broke away from her moorings, and they had served a useful purpose at some times by checking ice- movements close to the ship.] a.m.--ship swung athwart lane as the ice opened, and the floes on the port side pressed her stern round. . a.m.--pack of killer whales came up in the lane around the ship. some broke soft ice (about one inch thick) and pushed their heads through, rising to five or six feet perpendicularly out of the water. they were apparently having a look round. it is strange to see killers in this immense field of ice; open water must be near, i think. . p.m.--new ice of lanes cracked and opened. floes on port side pushed stern on to ice (of floe); floes then closed in and nipped the ship fore and aft. the rudder was bent over to starboard and smashed. the solid oak and iron went like matchwood. p.m.--moderate south-south- west gale with drift. much straining of timbers with pressure. p.m.-- extra hard nip fore and aft; ship visibly hogged. heavy pressure. "july .--ship in bad position in newly frozen lane, with bow and stern jammed against heavy floes; heavy strain with much creaking and groaning. a.m.--called all hands to stations for sledges, and made final preparations for abandoning ship. allotted special duties to several hands to facilitate quickness in getting clear should ship be crushed. am afraid the ship's back will be broken if the pressure continues, but cannot relieve her. p.m.--ship lying easier. poured sulphuric acid on the ice astern in hopes of rotting crack and relieving pressure on stern-post, but unsuccessfully. very heavy pressure on and around ship (taking strain fore and aft and on starboard quarter). ship, jumping and straining and listing badly. p.m.--ship has crushed her way into new ice on starboard side and slewed aslant lane with stern-post clear of land-ice. p.m.--ship is in safer position; lanes opening in every direction. "july .--caught glimpse of coulman island through haze. position of ship south ° east (true), eighty miles off coulman island. pressure continued intermittently throughout the day and night, with occasional very heavy squeezes to the ship which made timbers crack and groan. the ship's stern is now in a more or less soft bed, formed of recently frozen ice of about one foot in thickness. i thank god that we have been spared through this fearful nightmare. i shall never forget the concertina motions of the ship during yesterday's and wednesday's fore and aft nips. "july .--compared with previous days this is a quiet one. the lanes have been opening and closing, and occasionally the ship gets a nasty squeeze against the solid floe on our starboard quarter. the more lanes that open the better, as they form 'springs' (when covered with thin ice, which makes to a thickness of three or four inches in a few hours) between the solid and heavier floes and fields. surely we have been guided by the hands of providence to have come in heavy grinding pack for over two hundred miles (geographical), skirting the ice-bound western shore, around and to the north of franklin island, and now into what appears a clear path to the open sea! in view of our precarious position and the lives of men in jeopardy, i sent this evening an aerogram to h. m. king george asking for a relief ship. i hope the wireless gets through. i have sent this message after much consideration, and know that in the event of our non-arrival in new zealand on the specified date (november ) a relief ship will be sent to aid the southern party. "july .--very heavy pressure about the ship. during the early hours a large field on the port quarter came charging up, and on meeting our floe tossed up a ridge from ten to fifteen feet high. the blocks of ice as they broke off crumbled and piled over each other to the accompaniment of a thunderous roar. throughout the day the pressure continued, the floes alternately opening and closing, and the ship creaking and groaning during the nips between floes. "august .--for nine days we have had southerly winds, and the last four we have experienced howling blizzards. i am sick of the sound of the infernal wind. din! din! din! and darkness. we should have seen the sun to-day, but a bank of cumulus effectually hid him, although the daylight is a never-ending joy. "august .--the wind moderated towards a.m., and about breakfast time, with a clear atmosphere, the land from near cape cotter to cape adare was visible. what a day of delights! after four days of thick weather we find ourselves in sight of cape adare in a position about forty-five miles east of possession isles; in this time we have been set one hundred miles. good going. mount sabine, the first land seen by us when coming south, lies away to the westward, forming the highest peak ( , ft.) of a majestic range of mountains covered in eternal snow. due west we can see the possession islands, lying under the stupendous bluff of cape downshire, which shows large patches of black rock. the land slopes down to the north-west of cape downshire, and rises again into the high peninsula about cape adore. we felt excited this morning in anticipation of seeing the sun, which rose about nine- thirty (local time). it was a glorious, joyful sight. we drank to something, and with very light hearts gave cheers for the sun. "august .--donolly got to work on the rudder again. it is a long job cutting through the iron sheathing-plates of the rudder, and not too safe at present, as the ice is treacherous. hooke says that the conditions are normal now. i wish for his sake that he could get through. he is a good sportsman and keeps on trying, although, i am convinced, he has little hope with this inadequate aerial. "august .--the ship's position is lat. ° ´ s., forty miles north ° east of cape adare. the distance drifted from august to was one hundred miles, and from the th to the th eighty-eight miles. "august .--by observation and bearings of land we are forty-five miles north-east of cape adare, in lat. ° ´ s. this position is a little to the eastward of the position on the th. the bearings as laid off on a small scale chart of gnomonic projection are very inaccurate, and here we are handicapped, as our chronometers have lost all regularity. donolly and grade are having quite a job with the iron platings on the rudder, but should finish the cutting to-morrow. a jury-rudder is nearly completed. this afternoon we mixed some concrete for the lower part, and had to use boiling water, as the water froze in the mixing. the carpenter has made a good job of the rudder, although he has had to construct it on the quarterdeck in low temperatures and exposed to biting blasts. "august .--we are 'backing and filling' about forty miles north-east of cape adare. this is where we expected to have made much mileage. however, we cannot grumble and must be patient. there was much mirage to the northward, and from the crow's-nest a distinct appearance of open water could be seen stretching from north-north-west to north-east. "august .--a glorious day! land is distinctly visible, and to the northward the black fringe of water-sky over the horizon hangs continuously. hooke heard macquarie island 'speaking' hobart. the message heard was the finish of the weather reports. we have hopes now of news in the near future. "august .--saw the land in the vicinity of cape north. to the south- south-west the white cliffs and peaks of the inland ranges were very distinct, and away in the distance to the south-west could be seen a low stretch of undulating land. at times mount sabine was visible through the gloom. the latitude, is ° ½´ s. we are fifty-eight miles north, forty miles east of cape north. "august .--we lifted the rudder out of the ice and placed it clear of the stern, athwart the fore-and-aft line of the ship. we had quite a job with it (weight, four and a half tons), using treble- and double- sheaved-blocks purchase, but with the endless-chain tackle from the engine-room, and plenty of 'beef' and leverage, we dragged it clear. all the pintles are gone at the fore part of the rudder; it is a clean break and bears witness to the terrific force exerted on the ship during the nip. i am glad to see the rudder upon the ice and clear of the propeller. the blade itself (which is solid oak and sheathed on two sides and after part half-way down, with three-quarter-inch iron plating) is undamaged, save for the broken pintles; the twisted portion is in the rudder trunk. "august , p.m.--hooke has just been in with the good tidings that he has heard macquarie and the bluff (new zealand) sending their weather reports and exchanging signals. can this mean that they have heard our recent signals and are trying to get us now? our motor has been out of order. "august .--the carpenter has finished the jury-rudder and is now at work on the lower end of the rudder truck, where the rudder burst into the stern timbers. we are lucky in having this opportunity to repair these minor damages, which might prove serious in a seaway. "august , . a.m.--very loud pressure-noises to the south-east. i went aloft after breakfast and had the pleasure of seeing many open lanes in all directions. the lanes of yesterday are frozen over, showing what little chance there is of a general and continued break-up of the ice until the temperature rises. land was visible, but far too distant for even approximate bearings. the berg still hangs to the north-west of the ship. we seem to have pivoted outwards from the land. we cannot get out of this too quickly, and although every one has plenty of work, and is cheerful, the uselessness of the ship in her present position palls. "september .--the mizzen wireless mast came down in a raging blizzard to-day. in the forenoon i managed to crawl to windward on the top of the bridge-house, and under the lee of the chart-house watched the mast bending over with the wind and swaying like the branch of a tree, but after the aerial had stood throughout the winter i hardly thought the mast would carry away. luckily, as it is dangerous to life to be on deck in this weather (food is brought from the galley in relays through blinding drift and over big heaps of snow), no one was about when the mast carried away. "september .--this is dull, miserable weather. blow, snow, and calm for an hour or two. sometimes it blows in this neighbourhood without snow and sometimes with--this seems to be the only difference. i have two patients now, larkman and mugridge. larkman was frost-bitten on the great and second toes of the left foot some time ago, and has so far taken little notice of them. now they are causing him some alarm as gangrene has set in. mugridge is suffering from an intermittent rash, with red, inflamed skin and large, short-lived blisters. i don't know what the deuce it is, but the nearest description to it in a 'materia medica,' etc., is pemphigus, so pemphigus it is, and he has been 'tonic- ed' and massaged. "september .--this is the first day for a long time that we have registered a minimum temperature above zero for the twenty-four hours. it is pleasant to think that from noon to noon throughout the night the temperature never fell below + ° ( ° frost), and with the increase of daylight it makes one feel that summer really is approaching. "september .--all around the northern horizon there is the appearance of an open water-sky, but around the ship the prospect is dreary. the sun rose at . a.m. and set at . p.m. ship's time eleven hours five minutes of sunlight and seventeen hours light. three hours twilight morning and evening. the carpenter is dismantling the taffrail (to facilitate the landing and, if necessary, the boarding of the jury-rudder) and will construct a temporary, removable rail. "september .--there has been much mirage all around the horizon, and to the eastward through south to south-west heavy frost-smoke has been rising. over the northern horizon a low bank of white fog hangs as though over the sea. i do not like these continued low temperatures. i am beginning to have doubts as to our release until the sun starts to rot the ice. "september .--this is the anniversary of our departure from london. there are only four of the original eleven on board--larkman, ninnis, mauger, and i. much has happened since friday, september , , and i can recall the scene as we passed down the thames with submarines and cruisers, in commission and bent on business, crossing our course. i can also remember the regret at leaving it all and the consequent 'fedupness.' "september .--the sun is making rapid progress south, and we have had to-day over seventeen hours' light and twelve hours' sunlight. oh for a release! the monotony and worry of our helpless position is deadly. i suppose shackleton and his party will have started depot- laying now and will be full of hopes for the future. i wonder whether the 'endurance' wintered in the ice or went north. i cannot help thinking that if she wintered in the weddell sea she will be worse off than the 'aurora'. what a lot we have to look for in the next six months--news of shackleton and the 'endurance', the party at cape evans, and the war. "september .--lat. ° ´ s.; long. ° ´ e. sturge island (balleny group) is bearing north (true) ninety miles distant. light north-west airs with clear, fine weather. sighted sturge island in the morning, bearing due north of us and appearing like a faint low shadow on the horizon. it is good to get a good landmark for fixing positions again, and it is good to see that we are making northerly progress, however small. since breaking away from cape evans we have drifted roughly seven hundred and five miles around islands and past formidable obstacles, a wonderful drift! it is good to think that it has not been in vain, and that the knowledge of the set and drill of the pack will be a valuable addition to the sum of human knowledge. the distance from cape evans to our present position is seven hundred and five miles (geographical). "september .--the temperature in my room last night was round about zero, rather chilly, but warm enough under the blankets. hooke has dismantled his wireless gear. he feels rather sick about not getting communication, although he does not show it. "september .--ninnis has been busy now for the week on the construction of a new tractor. he is building the body and will assemble the motor in the fore 'tween decks, where it can be lashed securely when we are released from the ice. i can see leads of open water from the masthead, but we are still held firmly. how long? "october .--as time wears on the possibility of getting back to the barrier to land a party deserves consideration; if we do not get clear until late in the season we will have to turn south first, although we have no anchors and little moorings, no rudder and a short supply of coal. to leave a party on the barrier would make us very short-handed; still, it can be done, and anything is preferable to the delay in assisting the people at cape evans. at a.m. a beautiful parhelion formed around the sun. the sight so impressed the bos'n that he roused me out to see it." during the month of october the 'aurora' drifted uneventfully. stenhouse mentions that there was often an appearance of open water on the northern and eastern horizon. but anxious eyes were strained in vain for indications that the day of the ship's release was near at hand. hooke had the wireless plant running again and was trying daily to get into touch with macquarie island, now about eight hundred and fifty miles distant. the request for a relief ship was to be renewed if communication could be established, for by this time, if all had gone well with the 'endurance', the overland party from the weddell sea would have been starting. there was considerable movement of the ice towards the end of the month, lanes opening and closing, but the floe, some acres in area, into which the 'aurora' was frozen, remained firm until the early days of november. the cracks appeared close to the ship, due apparently to heavy drift causing the floe to sink. the temperatures were higher now, under the influence of the sun, and the ice was softer. thawing was causing discomfort in the quarters aboard. the position on november was reckoned to be lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ ´´ e. stenhouse made a sounding on november , in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ e., and found bottom at fathoms. the bottom sample was mud and a few small stones. the sounding-line showed a fairly strong undercurrent to the north-west. "we panned out some of the mud," says stenhouse, "and in the remaining grit found several specks of gold." two days later the trend of the current was south- easterly. there was a pronounced thaw on the nd. the cabins were in a dripping state, and recently fallen snow was running off the ship in little streams. all hands were delighted, for the present discomfort offered promise of an early break-up of the pack. "november .--at a.m. young island, balleny group, was seen bearing north ° east (true). the island, which showed up clearly on the horizon, under a heavy stratus-covered sky, appeared to be very far distant. by latitude at noon we are in ° ´ s. as this is the charted latitude of peak foreman, young island, the bearing does not agree. land was seen at a.m. bearing south ° west (true). this, which would appear to be cape hudson, loomed up through the mists in the form of a high, bold headland, with low undulating land stretching away to the south-south-east and to the westward of it. the appearance of this headland has been foretold for the last two days, by masses of black fog, but it seems strange that land so high should not have been seen before, as there is little change in the atmospheric conditions. "november .--overcast and hazy during forenoon. cloudy, clear, and fine in afternoon and evening. not a vestige of land can be seen, so cape hudson is really 'cape flyaway.' this is most weird. all hands saw the headland to the south-west, and some of us sketched it. now (afternoon), although the sky is beautifully clear to the south-west, nothing can be seen. we cannot have drifted far from yesterday's position. no wonder wilkes reported land. p.m.--a low fringe of land appears on the horizon bearing south-west, but in no way resembles our cape of yesterday. this afternoon we took a cast of the lead through the crack yds. west of the ship, but found no bottom at fathoms." an interesting incident on november was the discovery of an emperor penguin rookery. ninnis and kavenagh took a long walk to the north- west, and found the deserted rookery. the depressions in the ice, made by the birds, were about eighteen inches long and contained a greyish residue. the rookery was in a hollow surrounded by pressure ridges six feet high. apparently about twenty birds had been there. no pieces of egg-shell were seen, but the petrels and skuas had been there in force and probably would have taken all scraps of this kind. the floes were becoming soft and "rotten," and walking was increasingly difficult. deep pools of slush and water covered with thin snow made traps for the men. stenhouse thought that a stiff blizzard would break up the pack. his anxiety was increasing with the advance of the season, and his log is a record of deep yearning to be free and active again. but the grip of the pack was inexorable. the hands had plenty of work on the 'aurora', which was being made shipshape after the buffeting of the winter storms. seals and penguins were seen frequently, and the supply of fresh meat was maintained. the jury-rudder was ready to be shipped when the ship was released, but in the meantime it was not being exposed to the attacks of the ice. "no appreciable change in our surroundings," was the note for december . "every day past now reduces our chance of getting out in time to go north for rudder, anchors, and coal. if we break out before january we might get north to new zealand and down to cape evans again in time to pick up the parties. after that date we can only attempt to go south in our crippled state, and short of fuel. with only nine days' coal on board we would have little chance of working through any ross sea pack, or of getting south at all if we encountered many blizzards. still there is a sporting chance and luck may be with us.... shackleton may be past the pole now. i wish our wireless calls had got through." christmas day, with its special dinner and mild festivities, came and passed, and still the ice remained firm. the men were finding some interest in watching the moulting of emperor penguins, who were stationed at various points in the neighbourhood of the ship. they had taken station to leeward of hummocks, and appeared to move only when the wind changed or the snow around them had become foul. they covered but a few yards on these journeys, and even then stumbled in their weakness. one emperor was brought on board alive, and the crew were greatly amused to see the bird balancing himself on heels and tail, with upturned toes, the position adopted when the egg is resting on the feet during the incubation period. the threat of a stiff "blow" aroused hopes of release several times, but the blizzard--probably the first antarctic blizzard that was ever longed for--did not arrive. new year's day found stenhouse and other men just recovering from an attack of snow-blindness, contracted by making an excursion across the floes without snow-goggles. at the end of the first week in january the ship was in lat. ° ´ s. the pack was well broken a mile from the ship, and the ice was rolling fast. under the bows and stern the pools were growing and stretching away in long lanes to the west. a seal came up to blow under the stern on the th, proving that there was an opening in the sunken ice there. stenhouse was economizing in food. no breakfast was served on the ship, and seal or penguin meat was used for at least one of the two meals later in the day. all hands were short of clothing, but stenhouse was keeping intact the sledging gear intended for the use of the shore party. strong, variable winds on the th raised hopes again, and on the morning of the th the ice appeared to be well broken from half a mile to a mile distant from the ship in all directions. "it seems extraordinary that the ship should be held in an almost unbroken floe of about a mile square, the more so as this patch was completely screwed and broken during the smash in july, and contains many faults. in almost any direction at a distance of half a mile from the ship there are pressure ridges of eight-inch ice piled twenty feet high. it was provident that although so near these ridges were escaped." the middle of january was passed and the 'aurora' lay still in the ice. the period of continuous day was drawing towards its close, and there was an appreciable twilight at midnight. a dark water-sky could be seen on the northern horizon. the latitude on january was ° ½´ s. towards the end of the month stenhouse ordered a thorough overhaul of the stores and general preparations for a move. the supply of flour and butter was ample. other stores were running low, and the crew lost no opportunity of capturing seals and penguins. adelies were travelling to the east-south-east in considerable numbers, but they could not be taken unless they approached the ship closely, owing to the soft condition of the ice. the wireless plant, which had been idle during the months of daylight, had been rigged again, and hooke resumed his calls to macquarie island on february . he listened in vain for any indication that he had been heard. the pack was showing much movement, but the large floe containing the ship remained firm. the break-up of the floe came on february . strong north-east to south-east winds put the ice in motion and brought a perceptible swell. the ship was making some water, a fore-taste of a trouble to come, and all hands spent the day at the pumps, reducing the water from three feet eight and a half inches in the well to twelve inches, in spite of frozen pipes and other difficulties. work had just finished for the night when the ice broke astern and quickly split in all directions under the influence of the swell. the men managed to save some seal meat which had been cached in a drift near the gangway. they lost the flagstaff, which had been rigged as a wireless mast out on the floe, but drew in the aerial. the ship was floating now amid fragments of floe, and bumping considerably in the swell. a fresh southerly wind blew during the night, and the ship started to forge ahead gradually without sail. at . a.m. on the th stenhouse set the foresail and foretopmast staysail, and the 'aurora' moved northward slowly, being brought up occasionally by large floes. navigation under such conditions, without steam and without a rudder, was exceedingly difficult, but stenhouse wished if possible to save his small remaining stock of coal until he cleared the pack, so that a quick run might be made to mcmurdo sound. the jury-rudder could not be rigged in the pack. the ship was making about three and a half feet of water in the twenty-four hours, a quantity easily kept in check by the pumps. during the th the 'aurora' worked very slowly northward through heavy pack. occasionally the yards were backed or an ice-anchor put into a floe to help her out of difficult places, but much of the time she steered herself. the jury-rudder boom was topped into position in the afternoon, but the rudder was not to be shipped until open pack or open water was reached. the ship was held up all day on the th in lat. ° ´ s. heavy floes barred progress in every direction. attempts were made to work the ship by trimming sails and warping with ice-anchors, but she could not be manoeuvred smartly enough to take advantage of leads that opened and closed. this state of affairs continued throughout the th. that night a heavy swell was rolling under the ice and the ship had a rough time. one pointed floe ten or twelve feet thick was steadily battering, with a three-feet send, against the starboard side, and fenders only partially deadened the shock. "it is no use butting against this pack with steam-power," wrote stenhouse. "we would use all our meagre supply of coal in reaching the limit of the ice in sight, and then we would be in a hole, with neither ballast nor fuel.... but if this stagnation lasts another week we will have to raise steam and consume our coal in an endeavour to get into navigable waters. i am afraid our chances of getting south are very small now." the pack remained close, and on the st a heavy swell made the situation dangerous. the ship bumped heavily that night and fenders were of little avail. with each "send" of the swell the ship would bang her bows on the floe ahead, then bounce back and smash into another floe across her stern-post. this floe, about six feet thick and ft. across, was eventually split and smashed by the impacts. the pack was jammed close on the rd, when the noon latitude was ° ½´ s. the next change was for the worse. the pack loosened on the night of the th, and a heavy north-west swell caused the ship to bump heavily. this state of affairs recurred at intervals in succeeding days. "the battering and ramming of the floes increased in the early hours [of february ] until it seemed as if some sharp floe or jagged underfoot must go through the ship's hull. at a.m. we converted a large coir-spring into a fender, and slipped it under the port quarter, where a pressured floe with twenty to thirty feet underfoot was threatening try knock the propeller and stern-post off altogether. at a.m., after pumping ship, the engineer reported a leak in the way of the propeller-shaft aft near the stern-post on the port side. the carpenter cut part of the lining and filled the space between the timbers with stockholm tar, cement, and oakum. he could not get at the actual leak, but his makeshift made a little difference. i am anxious about the propeller. this pack is a dangerous place for a ship now; it seems miraculous that the old barky still floats." the ice opened out a little on march . it was imperative to get the ship out of her dangerous situation quickly; as winter was approaching, and stenhouse therefore ordered steam to be raised. next morning he had the spanker gaff rigged over the stern for use as a temporary rudder while in the heavy pack. steam had been raised to working pressure at . p.m. on the nd, and the 'aurora' began to work ahead to the westward. progress was very slow owing to heavy floes and deep underfoots, which necessitated frequent stoppages of the engines. open water was in sight to the north and north-west the next morning, after a restless night spent among the rocking floes. but progress was very slow. the 'aurora' went to leeward under the influence of a west-south- west breeze, and steering by means of the yards and a warp-anchor was a ticklish business. the ship came to a full stop among heavy floes before noon on the rd, and three hours later, after vain attempts to warp ahead by means of ice-anchors, stenhouse had the fires partially drawn (to save coal) and banked. no advance was made on march and . a moderate gale from the east- north-east closed the ice and set it in motion, and the 'aurora', with banked fires, rolled and bumped, heavily. seventeen bergs were in sight, and one of them was working southwards into the pack and threatening to approach the ship. during the night the engines were turned repeatedly by the action of ice on the propeller blades. "all theories about the swell being non-existent in the pack are false," wrote the anxious master. "here we are with a suggestion only of open water-sky, and the ship rolling her scuppers under and sitting down bodily on the floes." the ice opened when the wind moderated, and on the afternoon of the th the 'aurora' moved northward again. "without a rudder (no jury-rudder can yet be used amongst these swirling, rolling floes) the ship requires a lot of attention. her head must be pointed between floes by means of ice-anchors and warps, or by mooring to a floe and steaming round it. we kept a fairly good course between two bergs to our northward and made about five miles northing till, darkness coming on, the men could no longer venture on the floes with safety to fix the anchors." the next three days were full of anxiety. the 'aurora' was held by the ice, and subjected to severe buffeting, while two bergs approached from the north. on the morning of the th the nearest berg was within three cables of the ship. but the pack had opened and by . a.m. the ship was out of the danger zone and headed north-north-east. the pack continued to open during the afternoon, and the 'aurora' passed through wide stretches of small loose floes and brash. progress was good until darkness made a stop necessary. the next morning the pack was denser. stenhouse shipped a preventer jury-rudder (the weighted spanker gaff), but could not get steerage way. broad leads were sighted to the north- west in the afternoon, and the ship got within a quarter of a mile of the nearest lead before being held up by heavy pack. she again bumped severely during the night, and the watch stood by with fenders to ease the more dangerous blows. early next morning stenhouse lowered a jury-rudder, with steering pennants to drag through the water, and moved north to north-west through heavy pack. he made sixteen miles that day on an erratic course, and then spent an anxious night with the ship setting back into the pack and being pounded heavily. attempts to work forward to an open lead on the morning of the th were unsuccessful. early in the afternoon a little progress was made, with all hands standing by to fend off high ice, and at . p.m. the 'aurora' cleared the main pack. an hour was spent shipping the jury-rudder under the counter, and then the ship moved slowly northward. there was pack still ahead, and the bergs and growlers were a constant menace in the hours of darkness. some anxious work remained to be done, since bergs and scattered ice extended in all directions, but at p.m. on march the 'aurora' cleared the last belt of pack in lat. ° . ´ s., long. ° ´ e. "we 'spliced the main brace,'" says stenhouse, "and blew three blasts of farewell to the pack with the whistle." the 'aurora' was not at the end of her troubles, but the voyage up to new zealand need not be described in detail. any attempt to reach mcmurdo sound was now out of the question. stenhouse had a battered, rudderless ship, with only a few tons of coal left in the bunkers, and he struggled northward in heavy weather against persistent adverse winds and head seas. the jury-rudder needed constant nursing, and the shortage of coal made it impossible to get the best service from the engines. there were times when the ship could make no progress and fell about helplessly in a confused swell or lay hove to amid mountainous seas. she was short-handed, and one or two of the men were creating additional difficulties. but stenhouse displayed throughout fine seamanship and dogged perseverance. he accomplished successfully one of the most difficult voyages on record, in an ocean area notoriously stormy and treacherous. on march he established wireless communication with bluff station, new zealand, and the next day was in touch with wellington and hobart. the naval officer in new zealand waters offered assistance, and eventually it was arranged that the otago harbour board's tug plucky should meet the 'aurora' outside port chalmers. there were still bad days to be endured. the jury- rudder partially carried away and had to be unshipped in a heavy sea. stenhouse carried on, and in the early morning of april the 'aurora' picked up the tug and was taken in tow. she reached port chalmers the following morning, and was welcomed with the warm hospitality that new zealand has always shown towards antarctic explorers. chapter xvii the last relief when i reached new zealand at the beginning of december , i found that the arrangements for the relief were complete. the new zealand government had taken the task in hand earlier in the year, before i had got into touch with the outside world. the british and australian governments were giving financial assistance. the 'aurora' had been repaired and refitted at port chalmers during the year at considerable cost, and had been provisioned and coaled for the voyage to mcmurdo sound. my old friend captain john k. davis, who was a member of my first antarctic expedition in - , and who subsequently commanded dr. mawson's ship in the australian antarctic expedition, had been placed in command of the 'aurora' by the governments, and he had engaged officers, engineers, and crew. captain davis came to wellington to see me on my arrival there, and i heard his account of the position. i had interviews also with the minister for marine, the late dr. robert mcnab, a kindly and sympathetic scotsman who took a deep personal interest in the expedition. stenhouse also was in wellington, and i may say again here that his account of his voyage and drift in the 'aurora' filled me with admiration for his pluck, seamanship, and resourcefulness. after discussing the situation fully with dr. mcnab, i agreed that the arrangements already made for the relief expedition should stand. time was important and there were difficulties about making any change of plans or control at the last moment. after captain davis had been at work for some months the government agreed to hand the 'aurora' over to me free of liability on her return to new zealand. it was decided, therefore, that captain davis should take the ship down to mcmurdo sound, and that i should go with him to take charge of any shore operations that might be necessary. i "signed on" at a salary of s. a month, and we sailed from port chalmers on december , . a week later we sighted ice again. the 'aurora' made a fairly quick passage through the pack and entered the open water of the ross sea on january , . captain davis brought the 'aurora' alongside the ice edge off cape royds on the morning of january , and i went ashore with a party to look for some record in the hut erected there by my expedition in . i found a letter stating that the ross sea party was housed at cape evans, and was on my way back to the ship when six men, with dogs and sledge, were sighted coming from the direction of cape evans. at p.m. this party arrived on board, and we learned that of the ten members of the expedition left behind when the 'aurora' broke away on may , , seven had survived, namely, a. stevens, e. joyce, h. e. wild, j. l. cope, r. w. richards, a. k. jack, i. o. gaze. these seven men were all well, though they showed traces of the ordeal through which they had passed. they told us of the deaths of mackintosh, spencer-smith, and hayward, and of their own anxious wait for relief. all that remained to be done was to make a final search for the bodies of mackintosh and hayward. there was no possibility of either man being alive. they had been without equipment when the blizzard broke the ice they were crossing. it would have been impossible for them to have survived more than a few days, and eight months had now elapsed without news of them. joyce had already searched south of glacier tongue. i considered that further search should be made in two directions, the area north of glacier tongue, and the old depot off butler point, and i made a report to captain davis to this effect. on january the ship reached a point five and a half miles east of butler point. i took a party across rubbly and waterlogged ice to within thirty yards of the piedmont ice, but owing to high cliffs and loose slushy ice could not make a landing. the land-ice had broken away at the point cut by the cross-bearings of the depot, but was visible in the form of two large bergs grounded to the north of cape bernacchi. there was no sign of the depot or of any person having visited the vicinity. we returned to the ship and proceeded across the sound to cape bernacchi. the next day i took a party ashore with the object of searching the area north of glacier tongue, including razorback island, for traces of the two missing men. we reached the cape evans hut at . p.m., and joyce and i left at p.m. for the razorbacks. we conducted a search round both islands, returning to the hut at p.m. the search had been fruitless. on the th i started with joyce to search the north side of glacier tongue, but the surface drift, with wind from south-east, decided me not to continue, as the ice was moving rapidly at the end of cape evans, and the pool between the hut and inaccessible island was growing larger. the wind increased in the afternoon. the next day a south-east blizzard was blowing, with drift half up the islands. i considered it unsafe to sledge that day, especially as the ice was breaking away from the south side of cape evans into the pool. we spent the day putting the hut in order. we got up at a.m. on the th. the weather was fine and calm. i started at . with joyce to the south at the greatest possible speed. we reached glacier tongue about one and a half miles from the seaward end. wherever there were not precipitous cliffs there was an even snow- slope to the top. from the top we searched with glasses; there was nothing to be seen but blue ice, crevassed, showing no protuberances. we came down and, half running, half walking, worked about three miles towards the root of the glacier; but i could see there was not the slightest chance of finding any remains owing to the enormous snowdrifts wherever the cliffs were accessible. the base of the steep cliffs had drifts ten to fifteen feet high. we arrived back at the hut at . , and left almost immediately for the ship. i considered that all places likely to hold the bodies of mackintosh and hayward had now been searched. there was no doubt to my mind that they met their deaths on the breaking of the thin ice when the blizzard arose on may , . during my absence from the hut wild and jack had erected a cross to the memory of the three men who had lost their lives in the service of the expedition. captain davis took the ship northward on january . the ice conditions were unfavourable and pack barred the way. we stood over to the western coast towards dunlop island and followed it to granite harbour. no mark or depot of any kind was seen. the 'aurora' reached the main pack, about sixty miles from cape adare, on january . the ice was closed ahead, and davis went south in open water to wait for better conditions. a north-west gale on january enabled the ship to pass between the pack and the land off cape adare, and we crossed the antarctic circle on the last day of the month. on february davis sent a formal report to the new zealand government by wireless, and on february the 'aurora' was berthed at wellington. we were welcomed like returned brothers by the new zealand people. chapter xviii the final phase the foregoing chapters of this book represent the general narrative of our expedition. that we failed in accomplishing the object we set out for was due, i venture to assert, not to any neglect or lack of organization, but to the overwhelming natural obstacles, especially the unprecedentedly severe summer conditions on the weddell sea side. but though the expedition was a failure in one respect, i think it was successful in many others. a large amount of important scientific work was carried out. the meteorological observations in particular have an economic bearing. the hydrographical work in the weddell sea has done much to clear up the mystery of this, the least known of all the seas. i have appended a short scientific memorandum to this volume, but the more detailed scientific results must wait until a more suitable time arrives, when more stable conditions prevail. then results will be worked out. to the credit side of the expedition one can safely say that the comradeship and resource of the members of the expedition was worthy of the highest traditions of polar service; and it was a privilege to me to have had under my command men who, through dark days and the stress and strain of continuous danger, kept up their spirits and carried out their work regardless of themselves and heedless of the limelight. the same energy and endurance that they showed in the antarctic they brought to the greater war in the old world. and having followed our fortunes in the south you may be interested to know that practically every member of the expedition was employed in one or other branches of the active fighting forces during the war. several are still abroad, and for this very reason it has been impossible for me to obtain certain details for this book. of the fifty-three men who returned out of the fifty-six who left for the south, three have since been killed and five wounded. four decorations have been won, and several members of the expedition have been mentioned in dispatches. mccarthy, the best and most efficient of the sailors, always cheerful under the most trying circumstances, and who for these very reasons i chose to accompany me on the boat journey to south georgia, was killed at his gun in the channel. cheetham, the veteran of the antarctic, who had been more often south of the antarctic circle than any man, was drowned when the vessel he was serving in was torpedoed, a few weeks before the armistice. ernest wild, frank wild's brother, was killed while minesweeping in the mediterranean. mauger, the carpenter on the 'aurora', was badly wounded while serving with the new zealand infantry, so that he is unable to follow his trade again. he is now employed by the new zealand government. the two surgeons, macklin and mcilroy, served in france and italy, mcilroy being badly wounded at ypres. frank wild, in view of his unique experience of ice and ice conditions, was at once sent to the north russian front, where his zeal and ability won him the highest praise. macklin served first with the yorks and later transferred as medical officer to the tanks, where he did much good work. going to the italian front with his battalion, he won the military cross for bravery in tending wounded under fire. james joined the royal engineers, sound ranging section, and after much front-line work was given charge of a sound ranging school to teach other officers this latest and most scientific addition to the art of war. wordie went to france with the royal field artillery and was badly wounded at armentières. hussey was in france for eighteen months with the royal garrison artillery, serving in every big battle from dixmude to saint-quentin. worsley, known to his intimates as depth-charge bill, owing to his success with that particular method of destroying german submarines, has the distinguished service order and three submarines to his credit. stenhouse, who commanded the 'aurora' after mackintosh landed, was with worsley as his second in command when one of the german submarines was rammed and sunk, and received the d.s.c. for his share in the fight. he was afterwards given command of a mystery ship, and fought several actions with enemy submarines. clark served on a mine-sweeper. greenstreet was employed with the barges on the tigris. rickenson was commissioned as engineer- lieutenant, r.n. kerr returned to the merchant service as an engineer. most of the crew of the 'endurance' served on minesweepers. of the ross sea party, mackintosh, hayward, and spencer-smith died for their country as surely as any who gave up their lives on the fields of france and flanders. hooke, the wireless operator, now navigates an airship. nearly all of the crew of the 'aurora' joined the new zealand field forces and saw active service in one or other of the many theatres of war. several have been wounded, but it has been impossible to obtain details. on my return, after the rescue of the survivors of the ross sea party, i offered my services to the government, and was sent on a mission to south america. when this was concluded i was commissioned as major and went to north russia in charge of arctic equipment and transport, having with me worsley, stenhouse, hussey, macklin, and brocklehurst, who was to have come south with us, but who, as a regular officer, rejoined his unit on the outbreak of war. he has been wounded three times and was in the retreat from mons. worsley was sent across to the archangel front, where he did excellent work, and the others served with me on the murmansk front. the mobile columns there had exactly the same clothing, equipment, and sledging food as we had on the expedition. no expense was spared to obtain the best of everything for them, and as a result not a single case of avoidable frost-bite was reported. taking the expedition as a unit, out of fifty-six men three died in the antarctic, three were killed in action, and five have been wounded, so that our casualties have been fairly high. though some have gone there are enough left to rally round and form a nucleus for the next expedition, when troublous times are over and scientific exploration can once more be legitimately undertaken. appendix i scientific work by j. m. wordie, m.a. (cantab.), lieut. r.f.a. the research undertaken by the expedition was originally planned for a shore party working from a fixed base on land, but it was only in south georgia that this condition of affairs was fully realized. on this island, where a full month was spent, the geologist made very extensive collections, and began the mapping of the country; the magnetician had some of his instruments in working order for a short while; and the meteorologist was able to co-operate with the argentine observer stationed at grytviken. it had been realized how important the meteorological observations were going to be to the argentine government, and they accordingly did all in their power to help, both before and at the end of the expedition. the biologist devoted most of his time, meanwhile, to the whaling industry, there being no less than seven stations on the island; he also made collections of the neritic fauna, and, accompanied by the photographer, studied the bird life and the habits of the sea-elephants along the east coast. by the time the actual southern voyage commenced, each individual had his own particular line of work which he was prepared to follow out. the biologist at first confined himself to collecting the plankton, and a start was made in securing water samples for temperature and salinity. in this, from the beginning, he had the help of the geologist, who also gave instructions for the taking of a line of soundings under the charge of the ship's officers. this period of the southward voyage was a very busy time so far as the scientists were concerned, for, besides their own particular work, they took the full share of looking after the dogs and working the ship watch by watch. at the same time, moreover, the biologist had to try and avoid being too lavish with his preserving material at the expense of the shore station collections which were yet to make. when it was finally known that the ship had no longer any chance of getting free of the ice in the - season, a radical change was made in the arrangements. the scientists were freed, as far as possible, from ship's duties, and were thus able to devote themselves almost entirely to their own particular spheres. the meteorological investigations took on a more definite shape; the instruments intended for the land base were set up on board ship, including self-recording barographs, thermometers, and a dines anemometer, with which very satisfactory results were got. the physicist set up his quadrant electrometer after a good deal of trouble, but throughout the winter had to struggle constantly with rime forming on the parts of his apparatus exposed to the outer air. good runs were being thus continually spoilt. the determination of the magnetic constants also took up a good part of his time. besides collecting plankton the biologist was now able to put down one or other of his dredges at more frequent intervals, always taking care, however, not to exhaust his store of preserving material, which was limited. the taking of water samples was established on a better system, so that the series should be about equally spaced out over the ship's course. the geologist suppressed all thought of rocks, though occasionally they were met with in bottom samples; his work became almost entirely oceanographical, and included a study of the sea-ice, of the physiography of the sea floor as shown by daily soundings, and of the bottom deposits; besides this he helped the biologist in the temperature and salinity observations. the work undertaken and accomplished by each member was as wide as possible; but it was only in keeping with the spirit of the times that more attention should be paid to work from which practical and economic results were likely to accrue. the meteorologist had always in view the effect of antarctic climate on the other southern continents, the geologist looked on ice from a seaman's point of view, and the biologist not unwillingly put whales in the forefront of his programme. the accounts which follow on these very practical points show how closely scientific work in the antarctica is in touch with, and helps on the economic development of, the inhabited lands to the north. sea-ice nomenclature by j. m. wordie, m.a. (cantab.), lieut. r.f.a. during the voyage of the 'endurance' it was soon noticed that the terms being used to describe different forms of ice were not always in agreement with those given in markham's and mill's glossary in "the antarctic manual," . it was the custom, of course, to follow implicitly the terminology used by those of the party whose experience of ice dated back to captain scott's first voyage, so that the terms used may be said to be common to all antarctic voyages of the present century. the principal changes, therefore, in nomenclature must date from the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when there was no one to pass on the traditional usage from the last naval arctic expedition in to the discovery expedition of . on the latter ship markham's and mill's glossary was, of course, used, but apparently not slavishly; founded, as far as sea-ice went, on scoresby's, made in , it might well have been adopted in its entirety, for no writer could have carried more weight than scoresby the younger, combining as he did more than ten years' whaling experience with high scientific attainments. above all others he could be accepted both by practical seamen and also by students of ice forms. that the old terms of scoresby did not all survive the period of indifference to polar work, in spite of markham and mill, is an indication either that their usefulness has ceased or that the original usage has changed once and for all. a restatement of terms is therefore now necessary. where possible the actual phrases of scoresby and of his successors, markham and mill, are still used. the principle adopted, however, is to give preference to the words actually used by the polar seamen themselves. the following authorities have been followed as closely as possible: w. scoresby, jun., "an account of the arctic regions," , vol. i, pp. - , - . c. r. markham and h. r. mill in "the antarctic manual," , pp. xiv-xvi. j. payer, "new lands within the arctic circle," , vol. i, pp. - . w. s. bruce, "polar exploration" in home university library, c. , pp. - . reference should also be made to the annual publication of the danish meteorological institute showing the arctic ice conditions of the previous summer. this is published in both danish and english, so that the terms used there are bound to have a very wide acceptance; it is hoped, therefore, that they may be the means of preventing the antarctic terminology following a different line of evolution; for but seldom is a seaman found nowadays who knows both polar regions. on the danish charts six different kinds of sea-ice are marked--namely, unbroken polar ice; land-floe; great ice-fields; tight pack-ice; open ice; bay-ice and brash. with the exception of bay-ice, which is more generally known as young ice, all these terms pass current in the antarctic. "slush" or "sludge". the initial stages in the freezing of sea-water, when its consistency becomes gluey or soupy. the term is also used (but not commonly) for brash-ice still further broken down. "pancake-ice". small circular floes with raised rims; due to the break- up in a gently ruffled sea of the newly formed ice into pieces which strike against each other, and so form turned-up edges. "young ice". applied to all unhummocked ice up to about a foot in thickness. owing to the fibrous or platy structure, the floes crack easily, and where the ice is not over thick a ship under steam cuts a passage without much difficulty. young ice may originate from the coalescence of "pancakes," where the water is slightly ruffled or else be a sheet of "black ice," covered maybe with "ice-flowers," formed by the freezing of a smooth sheet of sea-water. in the arctic it has been the custom to call this form of ice "bay- ice"; in the antarctic, however, the latter term is wrongly used for land-floes (fast-ice, etc.), and has been so misapplied consistently for fifteen years. the term bay-ice should possibly, therefore, be dropped altogether, especially since, even in the arctic, its meaning is not altogether a rigid one, as it may denote firstly the gluey "slush," which forms when sea-water freezes, and secondly the firm level sheet ultimately produced. "land floes". heavy but not necessarily hummocked ice, with generally a deep snow covering, which has remained held up in the position of growth by the enclosing nature of some feature of the coast, or by grounded bergs throughout the summer season when most of the ice breaks out. its thickness is, therefore, above the average. has been called at various times "fast-ice," "coast-ice," "land-ice," "bay-ice" by shackleton and david and the charcot expedition; and possibly what drygalski calls "schelfeis" is not very different. "floe". an area of ice, level or hummocked, whose limits are within sight. includes all sizes between brash on the one hand and fields on the other. "light-floes" are between one and two feet in thickness (anything thinner being "young-ice"). those exceeding two feet in thickness are termed "heavy floes," being generally hummocked, and in the antarctic, at any rate, covered by fairly deep snow. "field". a sheet of ice of such extent that its limits cannot be seen from the masthead. "hummocking". includes all the processes of pressure formation whereby level young ice becomes broken up and built up into "hummocky floes". the most suitable term for what has also been called "old pack" and "screwed pack" by david and "scholleneis" by german writers. in contrast to young ice, the structure is no longer fibrous, but becomes spotted or bubbly, a certain percentage of salt drains away, and the ice becomes almost translucent. the pack is a term very often used in a wide sense to include any area of sea-ice, no matter what form it takes or how disposed. the french term is "banquise de derive". "pack-ice". a more restricted use than the above, to include hummocky floes or close areas of young ice and light floes. pack-ice is "close" or "tight" if the floes constituting it are in contact; "open" if, for the most part, they do not touch. in both cases it hinders, but does not necessarily check, navigation; the contrary holds for "drift-ice". loose open ice, where the area of water exceeds that of ice. generally drift-ice is within reach of the swell, and is a stage in the breaking down of pack-ice, the size of the floes being much smaller than in the latter. (scoresby's use of the term drift-ice for pieces of ice intermediate in size between floes and brash has, however, quite died out). the antarctic or arctic pack usually has a girdle or fringe of drift-ice. "brash". small fragments and roundish nodules; the wreck of other kinds of ice. "bergy bits". pieces, about the size of a cottage, of glacier-ice or of hummocky pack washed clear of snow. "growlers". still smaller pieces of sea-ice than the above, greenish in colour, and barely showing above water-level. "crack". any sort of fracture or rift in the sea-ice covering. "lead" or "lane". where a crack opens out to such a width as to be navigable. in the antarctic it is customary to speak of these as leads, even when frozen over to constitute areas of young ice. "pools". any enclosed water areas in the pack, where length and breadth are about equal. meteorology by l. d. a. hussey, b.sc., (lond.), capt. r.g.a. the meteorological results of the expedition, when properly worked out and correlated with those from other stations in the southern hemisphere, will be extremely valuable, both for their bearing on the science of meteorology in general, and for their practical and economic applications. south america is, perhaps, more intimately concerned than any other country, but australia, new zealand, and south africa are all affected by the weather conditions of the antarctic. researches are now being carried on which tend to show that the meteorology of the two hemispheres is more interdependent than was hitherto believed, so that a meteorological disturbance in one part of the world makes its presence felt, more or less remotely perhaps, all over the world. it is evident, therefore, that a complete knowledge of the weather conditions in any part of the world, which it is understood carries with it the ability to make correct forecasts, can never be obtained unless the weather conditions in every other part are known. this makes the need for purely scientific polar expeditions so imperative, since our present knowledge of arctic and antarctic meteorology is very meagre, and to a certain extent unsystematic. what is wanted is a chain of observing stations well equipped with instruments and trained observers stretching across the antarctic continent. a series of exploring ships could supplement these observations with others made by them while cruising in the antarctic seas. it would pay to do this, even for the benefit accruing to farmers, sailors, and others who are so dependent on the weather. as an instance of the value of a knowledge of antarctic weather conditions, it may be mentioned that, as the result of observations and researches carried out at the south orkneys--a group of sub-antarctic islands at the entrance to the weddell sea--it has been found that a cold winter in that sea is a sure precursor of a drought over the maize and cereal bearing area of argentina three and a half years later. to the farmers, the value of this knowledge so far in advance is enormous, and since england has some three hundred million pounds sterling invested in argentine interests, antarctic expeditions have proved, and will prove, their worth even from a purely commercial point of view. i have given just this one instance to satisfy those who question the utility of polar expeditions, but many more could be cited. as soon as it was apparent that no landing could be made, and that we should have to spend a winter in the ship drifting round with the pack, instruments were set up and observations taken just as if we had been ashore. a meteorological screen or box was erected on a platform over the stern, right away from the living quarters, and in it were placed the maximum and minimum thermometers, the recording barograph, and thermograph--an instrument which writes every variation of the temperature and pressure on a sheet of paper on a revolving drum--and the standard thermometer, a very carefully manufactured thermometer, with all its errors determined and tabulated. the other thermometers were all checked from this one. on top of the screen a robinson's anemometer was screwed. this consisted of an upright rod, to the top of which were pivoted four arms free to revolve in a plane at right angles to it. at the end of these arms hemispherical cups were screwed. these were caught by the wind and the arms revolved at a speed varying with the force of the wind. the speed of the wind could be read off on a dial below the arms. in addition there was an instrument called a dines anemometer which supplied interesting tracings of the force, duration, and direction of the wind. there was an added advantage in the fact that the drum on which these results were recorded was comfortably housed down below, so that one could sit in a comparatively warm room and follow all the varying phases of the blizzard which was raging without. the barometer used was of the kew standard pattern. when the ship was crushed, all the monthly records were saved, but the detailed tracings, which had been packed up in the hold, were lost. though interesting they were not really essential. continuous observations were made during the long drift on the floe and while on elephant island the temperature was taken at midday each day as long as the thermometers lasted. the mortality amongst these instruments, especially those which were tied to string and swung round, was very high. a few extracts from the observations taken during --the series for that year being practically complete--may be of interest. january was dull and overcast, only per cent. of the observations recording a clear blue sky, per cent. being completely overcast. the percentage of clear sky increased steadily up till june and july, these months showing respectively per cent. and . per cent. in august per cent. of the observations were clear sky, while september showed a sudden drop to per cent. october weather was much the same, and november was practically overcast the whole time, clear sky showing at only per cent. of the observations. in december the sky was completely overcast for nearly per cent. of the time. temperatures on the whole were fairly high, though a sudden unexpected drop in february, after a series of heavy north-easterly gales, caused the ship to be frozen in, and effectually put an end to any hopes of landing that year. the lowest temperature experienced was in july, when - ° fahr., i.e. ° below freezing, was reached. fortunately, as the sea was one mass of consolidated pack, the air was dry, and many days of fine bright sunshine occurred. later on, as the pack drifted northwards and broke up, wide lanes of water were formed, causing fogs and mist and dull overcast weather generally. in short, it may be said that in the weddell sea the best weather comes in winter. unfortunately during that season the sun also disappears, so that one cannot enjoy it as much as one would like. as a rule, too, southerly winds brought fine clear weather, with marked fall in the temperature, and those from the north were accompanied by mist, fog, and overcast skies, with comparatively high temperatures. in the antarctic a temperature of °, i.e. ° below freezing, is considered unbearably hot. the greatest difficulty that was experienced was due to the accumulation of rime on the instruments. in low temperatures everything became covered with ice-crystals, deposited from the air, which eventually grew into huge blocks. sometimes these blocks became dislodged and fell, making it dangerous to walk along the decks. the rime collected on the thermometers, the glass bowl of the sunshine recorder, and the bearings of the anemometer, necessitating the frequent use of a brush to remove it, and sometimes effectively preventing the instruments from recording at all. one of our worst blizzards occurred on august , , which was, for the ship, the beginning of the end. it lasted for four days, with cloudy and overcast weather for the three following days, and from that time onwards we enjoyed very little sun. the weather that we experienced on elephant island can only be described as appalling. situated as we were at the mouth of a gully, down which a huge glacier was slowly moving, with the open sea in front and to the left, and towering, snow-covered mountains on our right, the air was hardly ever free from snowdrift, and the winds increased to terrific violence through being forced over the glacier and through the narrow gully. huge blocks of ice were hurled about like pebbles, and cases of clothing and cooking utensils were whisked out of our hands and carried away to sea. for the first fortnight after our landing there, the gale blew, at times, at over one hundred miles an hour. fortunately it never again quite reached that intensity, but on several occasions violent squalls made us very fearful for the safety of our hut. the island was almost continuously covered with a pall of fog and snow, clear weather obtaining occasionally when pack-ice surrounded us. fortunately a series of south-westerly gales had blown all the ice away to the north-east two days before the rescue ship arrived, leaving a comparatively clear sea for her to approach the island. being one solitary moving station in the vast expanse of the weddell sea, with no knowledge of what was happening anywhere around us, forecasting was very difficult and at times impossible. great assistance in this direction was afforded by copies of mr. r. c. mossmann's researches and papers on antarctic meteorology, which he kindly supplied to us. i have tried to make this very brief account of the meteorological side of the expedition rather more "popular" than scientific, since the publication and scientific discussion of the observations will be carried out elsewhere; but if, while showing the difficulties under which we had to work, it emphasizes the value of antarctic expeditions from a purely utilitarian point of view, and the need for further continuous research into the conditions obtaining in the immediate neighbourhood of the pole, it will have achieved its object. physics by r. w. james, m.a. (cantab.), b.sc. (lond.), capt. r.e. owing to the continued drift of the ship with the ice, the programme of physical observations originally made out had to be considerably modified. it had been intended to set up recording magnetic instruments at the base, and to take a continuous series of records throughout the whole period of residence there, absolute measurements of the earth's horizontal magnetic force, of the dip and declination being taken at frequent intervals for purposes of calibration. with the ice continually drifting, and the possibility of the floe cracking at any time, it proved impracticable to set up the recording instruments, and the magnetic observations were confined to a series of absolute measurements taken whenever opportunity occurred. these measurements, owing to the drift of the ship, extend over a considerable distance, and give a chain of values along a line stretching, roughly from ° s. lat. to ° s. lat. this is not the place to give the actual results; it is quite enough to state that, as might have been expected from the position of the magnetic pole, the values obtained correspond to a comparatively low magnetic latitude, the value of the dip ranging from ° to °. so far as possible, continuous records of the electric potential gradient in the atmosphere were taken, a form of quadrant electrometer with a boom and ink recorder, made by the cambridge scientific instrument company, being employed. here again, the somewhat peculiar conditions made work difficult, as the instrument was very susceptible to small changes of level, such as occurred from time to time owing to the pressure of the ice on the ship. an ionium collector, for which the radioactive material was kindly supplied by mr. f. h. glew, was used. the chief difficulty to contend with was the constant formation of thick deposits of rime, which either grew over the insulation and spoiled it, or covered up the collector so that it could no longer act. nevertheless, a considerable number of good records were obtained, which have not yet been properly worked out. conditions during the expedition were very favourable for observations on the physical properties and natural history of sea-ice, and a considerable number of results were obtained, which are, however, discussed elsewhere, mention of them being made here since they really come under the heading of physics. in addition to these main lines of work, many observations of a miscellaneous character were made, including those on the occurrence and nature of parhelia or "mock suns," which were very common, and generally finely developed, and observations of the auroral displays, which were few and rather poor owing to the comparatively low magnetic latitude. since most of the observations made are of little value without a knowledge of the place where they were made, and since a very complete set of soundings were also taken, the daily determination of the ship's position was a matter of some importance. the drift of the ship throws considerable light on at least one geographical problem, that of the existence of morrell land. the remainder of this appendix will therefore be devoted to a discussion of the methods used to determine the positions of the ship from day to day. the latitude and longitude were determined astronomically every day when the sun or stars were visible, the position thus determined serving as the fixed points between which the position on days when the sky was overcast could be interpolated by the process known as "dead reckoning," that is to say, by estimating the speed and course of the ship, taking into account the various causes affecting it. the sky was often overcast for several days at a stretch, and it was worth while to take a certain amount of care in the matter. captain worsley constructed an apparatus which gave a good idea of the direction of drift at any time. this consisted of an iron rod, which passed through an iron tube, frozen vertically into the ice, into the water below. at the lower end of the rod, in the water, was a vane. the rod being free to turn, the vane took up the direction of the current, the direction being shown by an indicator attached to the top of the rod. the direction shown depended, of course, on the drift of the ice relative to the water, and did not take into account any actual current which may have been carrying the ice with it, but the true current seems never to have been large, and the direction of the vane probably gave fairly accurately the direction of the drift of the ice. no exact idea of the rate of drift could be obtained from the apparatus, although one could get an estimate of it by displacing the vane from its position of rest and noticing how quickly it returned to it, the speed of return being greater the more rapid the drift. another means of estimating the speed and direction of the drift was from the trend of the wire when a sounding was being taken. the rate and direction of drift appeared to depend almost entirely on the wind-velocity and direction at the time. if any true current-effect existed, it is not obvious from a rough comparison of the drift with the prevailing wind, but a closer investigation of the figures may show some outstanding effect due to current.* -------------------------------------------------------------------- * cf. "scientific results of norwegian north polar expedition, - ," vol. iii, p. . -------------------------------------------------------------------- the drift was always to the left of the actual wind-direction. this effect is due to the rotation of the earth, a corresponding deviation to the right of the wind direction being noted by nansen during the drift of the fram. a change in the direction of the wind was often preceded by some hours by a change in the reading of the drift vane. this is no doubt due to the ice to windward being set in motion, the resulting disturbance travelling through the ice more rapidly than the approaching wind. for the astronomical observations either the sextant or a theodolite was used. the theodolite employed was a light ´´ vernier instrument by carey porter, intended for sledging work. this instrument was fairly satisfactory, although possibly rigidity had been sacrificed to lightness to rather too great an extent. another point which appears worth mentioning is the following: the foot-screws were of brass, the tribrach, into which they fitted, was made of aluminium for the sake of lightness. the two metals have a different coefficient of expansion, and while the feet fitted the tribrach at ordinary temperatures, they were quite loose at temperatures in the region of ° fahr. below zero. in any instrument designed for use at low temperatures, care should be taken that parts which have to fit together are made of the same material. for determining the position in drifting pack-ice, the theodolite proved to be a more generally useful instrument than the sextant. the ice-floes are quite steady in really thick pack-ice, and the theodolite can be set up and levelled as well as on dry land. the observations, both for latitude and longitude, consist in measuring altitude of the sun or of a star. the chief uncertainty in this measurement is that introduced by the refraction of light by the air. at very low temperatures, the correction to be applied on this account is uncertain, and, if possible, observations should always be made in pairs with a north star and a south star for a latitude, and an east star and a west star for a longitude. the refraction error will then usually mean out. this error affects observations both with the theodolite and the sextant, but in the case of the sextant another cause of error occurs. in using the sextant, the angle between the heavenly body and the visible horizon is measured directly. even in dense pack-ice, if the observations are taken from the deck of the ship or from a hummock or a low berg, the apparent horizon is usually sharp enough for the purpose. in very cold weather, however, and particularly if there are open leads and pools between the observer and the horizon, there is frequently a great deal of mirage, and the visible horizon may be miraged up several minutes. this will reduce the altitude observed, and corrections on this account are practically impossible to apply. this error may be counterbalanced to some extent by pairing observations as described above, but it by no means follows that the mirage effect will be the same in the two directions. then again, during the summer months, no stars will be visible, and observations for latitude will have to depend on a single noon sight of the sun. if the sun is visible at midnight its altitude will be too low for accurate observations, and in any case atmospheric conditions will be quite different from those prevailing at noon. in the antarctic, therefore, conditions are peculiarly difficult for getting really accurate observations, and it is necessary to reduce the probability of error in a single observation as much as possible. when possible, observations of the altitude of a star or of the sun should be taken with the theodolite, since the altitude is referred to the spirit-level of the instrument, and is independent of any apparent horizon. during the drift of the 'endurance' both means of observation were generally employed. a comparison of the results showed an agreement between sextant and theodolite, within the errors of the instrument if the temperature was above about ° fahr. at lower temperatures there were frequently discrepancies which could generally be attributed to the mirage effects described above. as the 'endurance' was carried by the ice-drift well to the west of the weddell sea, towards the position of the supposed morrell land, the accurate determination of longitude became a matter of moment in view of the controversy as to the existence of this land. during a long voyage latitude can always be determined with about the same accuracy, the accuracy merely depending on the closeness with which altitudes can be measured. in the case of longitude matters are rather different. the usual method employed consists in the determination of the local time by astronomical observations, and the comparison of this time with greenwich time, as shown by the ship's chronometer, an accurate knowledge of the errors and rate of the chronometer being required. during the voyage of the 'endurance' about fifteen months elapsed during which no check on the chronometers could be obtained by the observation of known land, and had no other check been applied there would have been the probability of large errors in the longitudes. for the purpose of checking the chronometers a number of observations of occultations were observed during the winter of . an occultation is really the eclipse of a star by the moon. a number of such eclipses occur monthly, and are tabulated in the "nautical almanac." from the data given there it is possible to compute the greenwich time at which the phenomenon ought to occur for an observer situated at any place on the earth, provided his position is known within a few miles, which will always be the case. the time of disappearance of the star by the chronometer to be corrected is noted. the actual greenwich time of the occurrence is calculated, and the error of the chronometer is thus determined. with ordinary care the chronometer error can be determined in this way to within a few seconds, which is accurate enough for purposes of navigation. the principal difficulties of this method lie in the fact that comparatively few occultations occur, and those which do occur are usually of stars of the fifth magnitude or lower. in the antarctic, conditions for observing occultation are rather favourable during the winter, since, fifth-magnitude stars can be seen with a small telescope at any time during the twenty-four hours if the sky is clear, and the moon is also often above the horizon for a large fraction of the time. in the summer, however, the method is quite impossible, since, for some months, stars are not to be seen. no chronometer check could be applied until june . on june a series of four occultations were observed; and the results of the observations showed an error in longitude of a whole degree. in july, august, and september further occultations were observed, and a fairly reliable rate was worked out for the chronometers and watches. after the crushing of the ship on october , , no further occultations were observed, but the calculated rates for the watches were employed, and the longitude deduced, using these rates on march , , was only about ´ of arc in error, judging by the observations of joinville land made on that day. it is thus fairly certain that no large error can have been made in the determination of the position of the 'endurance' at any time during the drift, and her course can be taken as known with greater certainty than is usually the case in a voyage of such length. south atlantic whales and whaling by robert s. clark, m.a., b.sc., lieut. r.n.v.r. modern whaling methods were introduced into sub-antarctic seas in , and operations commenced in the following year at south georgia. so successful was the initial venture that several companies were floated, and the fishing area was extended to the south shetlands, the south orkneys, and as far as ° s. along the western coast of graham land. this area lies within the dependencies of the falkland islands, and is under the control of the british government, and its geographical position offers exceptional opportunities for the successful prosecution of the industry by providing a sufficient number of safe anchorages and widely separated islands, where shore stations have been established. the dependencies of the falkland islands lie roughly within latitude ° and ° s. and longitude ° and ° w., and include the falkland islands, south georgia, south sandwich, south orkney, and south shetland islands, and part of graham land. the industry is prosperous, and the products always find a ready market. in this sub-antarctic area alone, the resulting products more than doubled the world's supply. the total value of the falkland island dependencies in amounted to £ , , , in to £ , , , in to £ , , , and in to £ , , . this has resulted chiefly from the marketing of whale oil and the by-product, guano, and represents for each total a season's capture of several thousand whales. in , the number of whales captured in this area was , , which included for south georgia alone. whale oil, which is now the product of most economic value in the whaling industry, is produced in four grades (some companies adding a fifth). these are nos. , i, ii, iii, iv, which in sold at £ , £ , £ , and £ respectively per ton, net weight, barrels included (there are six barrels to a ton). the prices have increased to £ s. per ton (barrels included) less ½ per cent. £ per ton (barrels included) less ½ per cent. £ " " " " " " " £ " " " " " " " whale oil can be readily transformed into glycerine: it is used in the manufacture of soap, and quite recently, both in this country and in norway, it has been refined by means of a simple hardening process into a highly palatable and nutritious margarine. wartime conditions emphasized the importance of the whale oil, and fortunately the supply was fairly constant for the production of the enormous quantities of glycerine required by the country in the manufacture of explosives. in relation to the food supply, it was no less important in saving the country from a "fat" famine, when the country was confronted with the shortage of vegetable and other animal oils. the production of guano, bone-meal, and flesh-meal may pay off the running expenses of a whaling- station, but their value lies, perhaps, more in their individual properties. flesh-meal makes up into cattle-cake, which forms an excellent fattening food for cattle, while bone-meal and guano are very effective fertilizers. guano is the meat--generally the residue of distillation--which goes through a process of drying and disintegration, and is mixed with the crushed bone in the proportion of two parts flesh to one part bone. this is done chiefly at the shore stations, and, to a less extent on floating factories, though so far on the latter it has not proved very profitable. whale flesh, though slightly greasy perhaps and of strong flavour, is quite palatable, and at south georgia, it made a welcome addition to our bill of fare--the flesh of the hump back being used. a large supply of whale flesh was "shipped" as food for the dogs on the journey south, and this was eaten ravenously. it is interesting to note also the successful rearing of pigs at south georgia--chiefly, if not entirely, on the whale products. the whalebone or baleen plates, which at one time formed the most valuable article of the arctic fishery, may here be regarded as of secondary importance. the baleen plates of the southern right whale reach only a length of about ft., and have been valued at £ per ton, but the number of these whales captured is very small indeed. in the case of the other whalebone whales, the baleen plates are much smaller and of inferior quality--the baleen of the sei whale probably excepted, and this only makes about £ per ton, sperm whales have been taken at south georgia and the south shetlands, but never in any quantity, being more numerous in warmer areas. the products and their value are too well known to be repeated. the 'endurance' reached south georgia on november , , and anchored in king edward cove, cumberland bay, off grytviken, the shore station of the argentina pesca company. during the month's stay at the island a considerable amount of time was devoted to a study of the whales and the whaling industry, in the intervals of the general routine of expedition work, and simultaneously with other studies on the general life of this interesting sub-antarctic island. visits were made to six of the seven existing stations, observations were made on the whales landed, and useful insight was gathered as to the general working of the industry. from south georgia the track of the 'endurance' lay in a direct line to the south sandwich group, between saunders and candlemas islands. then south-easterly and southerly courses were steered to the coats' land barrier, along which we steamed for a few hundred miles until forced westward, when we were unfortunately held up in about lat. ° ´ s. and long. ° ´ w. on january , , by enormous masses of heavy pack-ice. the ship drifted to lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. on march , , and then west and north until crushed in lat. ° ´ s. and long. ° ´ w. on october , . we continued drifting gradually north, afloat on ice-floes, past graham land and joinville island, and finally took to the boats on april , , and reached elephant island on april . the falkland island dependencies were thus practically circumnavigated, and it may be interesting to compare the records of whales seen in the region outside and to the south of this area with the records and the percentage of each species captured in the intensive fishing area. the most productive part of the south atlantic lies south of latitude ° s., where active operations extend to and even beyond the antarctic circle. it appears to be the general rule in antarctic waters that whales are more numerous the closer the association with ice conditions, and there seems to be reasonable grounds for supposing that this may explain the comparatively few whales sighted by expeditions which have explored the more northerly and more open seas, while the whalers themselves have even asserted that their poor seasons have nearly always coincided with the absence of ice, or with poor ice conditions. at all events, those expeditions which have penetrated far south and well into the pack-ice have, without exception, reported the presence of whales in large numbers, even in the farthest south latitudes, so that our knowledge of the occurrence of whales in the antarctic has been largely derived from these expeditions, whose main object was either the discovery of new land or the pole itself. the largest number of antarctic expeditions has concentrated on the two areas of the south atlantic and the ross sea, and the records of the occurrences of whales have, in consequence, been concentrated in these two localities. in the intervening areas, however, expeditions, notably the 'belgica' on the western side and the 'gauss' on the eastern side of the antarctic continent, have reported whales in moderately large numbers, so that the stock is by no means confined to the two areas above mentioned. the effective fishing area may be assumed to lie within a radius of a hundred miles from each shore station and floating-factory anchorage, and a rough estimate of all the falkland stations works out at , square miles. the total for the whole falkland area is about , , square miles, which is roughly less than a sixth of the total antarctic sea area. the question then arises as to how far the "catch percentage" during the short fishing season affects the total stock, but so far one can only conjecture as to the actual results from a comparison of the numbers seen, chiefly by scientific and other expeditions, in areas outside the intensive fishing area with the numbers and percentage of each species captured in the intensive fishing area. sufficient evidence, however, seems to point quite definitely to one species--the humpback--being in danger of extermination, but the blue and fin whales--the other two species of rorquals which form the bulk of the captures--appear to be as frequent now as they have ever been. the whales captured at the various whaling-stations of the falkland area are confined largely to three species--blue whale (balaenoptera musculus), fin whale (balaenoptera physalis), and humpback (megaptera nodosa); sperm whales (physeter catodon) and right whales (balaena glacialis) being only occasional and rare captures, while the sei whale (balaenoptera borealis) appeared in the captures at south georgia in , and now forms a large percentage of the captures at the falkland islands. during the earlier years of whaling at south georgia, and up to the fishing season - , humpbacks formed practically the total catch. in - the following were the percentages for the three rorquals in the captures at south georgia and south shetlands: humpback per cent., fin whale per cent., blue whale per cent. of late years the percentages have altered considerably, blue whales and fin whales predominating, humpbacks decreasing rapidly. in , the south georgia whaling company (messrs. salvesen, leith) captured whales, consisting of per cent. humpback, per cent. fin whales, per cent. blue whales, and right whales. in the same year the captures of three companies at the south shetlands gave whales, and the percentages worked out at per cent. humpbacks, per cent. fin whales, and per cent. blue whales. in , the southern whaling and sealing company captured (at stromness, south georgia) whales, of which per cent. were humpbacks, per cent. fin whales, and per cent. blue whales. these captures do not represent the total catch, but are sufficiently reliable to show how the species are affected. the reduction in numbers of the humpback is very noticeable, and even allowing for the possible increase in size of gear for the capture of the larger and more lucrative blue and fin whales, there is sufficient evidence to warrant the fears that the humpback stock is threatened with extinction. in the immediate northern areas--in the region from latitude ° s. northward to the equator, which is regarded as next in importance quantitatively to the sub-antarctic, though nothing like being so productive, the captures are useful for a comparative study in distribution. at saldanha bay, cape colony, in , whales were captured and the percentages were as follows: per cent. humpback, per cent. fin whale, per cent. blue whale, per cent. sei whale, while nearer the equator, at port alexander, the total capture was whales, and the percentages gave per cent. humpback, and only captures each of fin and sei whales. in , at south africa (chiefly saldanha bay and durban), out of a total of whales per cent. were humpback, per cent. fin whales, and per cent. blue whales. in , out of a total of whales per cent. were humpback, per cent. fin whales, per cent. blue whales, per cent. sperm whales, and per cent. sei whales. in chilian waters, in , a total of whales gave per cent. humpbacks, per cent. fin whales, per cent. blue whales, per cent. sperm whales, and right whales. there seems then to be a definite interrelation between the two areas. the same species of whales are captured, and the periods of capture alternate with perfect regularity, the fishing season occurring from the end of november to april in the sub-antarctic and from may to november in the sub-tropics. a few of the companies, however, carry on operations to a limited extent at south georgia and at the falkland islands during the southern winter, but the fishing is by no means a profitable undertaking, though proving the presence of whales in this area during the winter months. the migrations of whales are influenced by two causes: ( ) the distribution of their food-supply; ( ) the position of their breeding-grounds. in the antarctic, during the summer months, there is present in the sea an abundance of plant and animal life, and whales which feed on the small plankton organisms are correspondingly numerous, but in winter this state of things is reversed, and whales are poorly represented or absent, at least in the higher latitudes. during the drift of the 'endurance' samples of plankton were taken almost daily during an antarctic summer and winter. from december to march, a few minutes haul of a tow-net at the surface was sufficient to choke up the meshes with the plant and animal life, but this abundance of surface life broke off abruptly in april, and subsequent hauls contained very small organisms until the return of daylight and the opening up of the pack- ice. the lower water strata, down to about fathoms, were only a little more productive, and euphausiae were taken in the hauls--though sparingly. during the winter spent at elephant island, our total catch of gentoo penguins amounted to for the period april to august , . all these birds were cut up, the livers and hearts were extracted for food, and the skins were used as fuel. at the same time the stomachs were invariably examined, and a record kept of the contents. the largest proportion of these contained the small crustacean euphausia, and this generally to the exclusion of other forms. occasionally, however, small fish were recorded. the quantity of euphausiae present in most of the stomachs was enormous for the size of the birds. these penguins were migrating, and came ashore only when the bays were clear of ice, as there were several periods of fourteen consecutive days when the bays and the surrounding sea were covered over with a thick compact mass of ice-floes, and then penguins were entirely absent. euphausiae, then, seem to be present in sufficient quantity in certain, if not in all, sub-antarctic waters during the southern winter. we may assume then that the migration to the south, during the antarctic summer, is definitely in search of food. observations have proved the existence of a northern migration, and it seems highly improbable that this should also be in search of food, but rather for breeding purposes, and it seems that the whales select the more temperate regions for the bringing forth of their young. this view is strengthened by the statistical foetal records, which show the pairing takes place in the northern areas, that the foetus is carried by the mother during the southern migration to the antarctic, and that the calves are born in the more congenial waters north of the sub- antarctic area. we have still to prove, however, the possibility of a circumpolar migration, and we are quite in the dark as to the number of whales that remain in sub-antarctic areas during the southern winter. the following is a rough classification of whales, with special reference to those known to occur in the south atlantic: . whalebone whales (mystacoceti) | ____________________|__________________ | | right whales (balaenidae) rorquals (balaenopteridae) | ________________|_________ southern right whale | | (balaena glacialis) finner whales humpback (balaenoptera) (megaptera nodosa) | | blue whale (b. musculus) fin whale (b. physalis) sei whale (b. borealis) piked whale (b. acutorostrata) bryde's whale (b. brydei) . toothed whales (odontoceti) | _________________________|________________________ | | | sperm whale beaked whales dolphins (physeter catodon) (including bottlenose whales) ( ) killer (hyperoodon rostratus) (orcinus orca) ( ) black fish (globicephalus melas) ( ) porpoises (lagenorhynchus sp.) the subdivision of whalebone whales is one of degree in the size of the whalebone. these whales have enormously muscular tongues, which press the water through the whalebone lamellae and thus, by a filtering process, retain the small food organisms. the food of the whalebone whales is largely the small crustacea which occur in the plankton, though some whales (humpback, fin whales, and sei whales) feed also on fish. the stomachs examined at south georgia during december , belonged to the three species, humpbacks, fin whales, and blue whales, and all contained small crustacea--euphausiae, with a mixture of amphipods. the toothed whales--sperms and bottlenoses--are known to live on squids, and that there is an abundance of this type of food in the weddell sea was proved by an examination of penguin and seal stomachs. emperor penguins (and hundreds of these were examined) were invariably found to contain cephalopod "beaks," while large, partly digested squids were often observed in weddell seals. a dorsal fin is present in the rorquals but absent in right whales. with other characters, notably the size of the animal, it serves as a ready mark of identification, but is occasionally confusing owing to the variation in shape in some of the species. with the exception of several schools of porpoises very few whales were seen during the outward voyage. not till we approached the falkland area did they appear in any numbers. four small schools of fin whales and a few humpbacks were sighted on october and , , in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. and in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., while globicephalus melas was seen only once, in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., on october , . at south georgia, the whales captured at the various stations in december , were blue whales, fin whales, and humpbacks (arranged respectively according to numbers captured). during the fishing season - (from december to march) in the area covered--south georgia to the south sandwich islands and along coats' land to the head of the weddell sea--the records of whales were by no means numerous. two records only could with certainty be assigned to the humpback, and these were in the neighbourhood of the south sandwich islands. pack-ice was entered in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., and blue whales were recorded daily until about ° s. between lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., on december , , and lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., on january , , no whales were seen. on january , however, in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w., two large sperm whales appeared close ahead of the ship in fairly open water, and were making westward. they remained sufficiently long on the surface to render their identification easy. farther south, blue whales were only seen occasionally, and fin whales could only be identified in one or two cases. killers, however, were numerous, and the lesser piked whale was quite frequent. there was no doubt about the identity of this latter species as it often came close alongside the ship. from april to september (inclusive) the sea was frozen over (with the exception of local "leads"), and whales were found to be absent. in october whales again made their appearance, and from then onwards they were a daily occurrence. identification of the species, however, was a difficult matter, for the 'endurance' was crushed and had sunk, and observations were only possible from the ice-floe, or later on from the boats. the high vertical "spout" opening out into a dense spray was often visible, and denoted the presence of blue and fin whales. the lesser piked whale again appeared in the "leads" close to our "camp" floe, and was easily identified. an exceptional opportunity was presented to us on december , , when a school of eight bottlenose whales (hyperoodon rostratus) appeared in small "pool" alongside "ocean" camp in lat. ° ´ s., long. ° ´ w. these ranged from about ft. to a little over ft. in length, and were of a uniform dark dun colour--the large specimens having a dull yellow appearance. there were no white spots. at the edge of the pack-ice during the first half of april , about lat. ° s. and long. ° w. (entrance to bransfield strait), whales were exceedingly numerous, and these were chiefly fin whales, though a few seemed to be sei whales. it is interesting to note that the fishing season - was exceptionally productive--no less than , whales having been captured in the falkland area alone. the south atlantic whaling industry, then, has reached a critical stage in development. it is now dependent on the captures of the large fin and blue whales, humpbacks having been rapidly reduced in numbers, so that the total stock appears to have been affected. with regard to the other species, the southern right whale has never been abundant in the captures, the sperm whale and the sei whale have shown a good deal of seasonal variation, though never numerous, and the bottlenose and lesser piked whale have so far not been hunted, except in the case of the latter for human food. the vigorous slaughter of whales both in the sub-antarctic and in the sub-tropics, for the one area reacts on the other, calls for universal legislation to protect the whales from early commercial extinction, and the industry, which is of world-wide economic importance, from having to be abandoned. the british government, with the control of the world's best fisheries, is thoroughly alive to the situation, and an inter-departmental committee, under the direction of the colonial office, is at present devising a workable scheme for suitable legislation for the protection of the whales and for the welfare of the industry. appendix ii the expedition huts at mcmurdo sound by sir e. h. shackleton the following notes are designed for the benefit of future explorers who may make mcmurdo sound a base for inland operations, and to clear any inaccuracies or ambiguities concerning the history, occupation, and state of these huts. ( ) the national antarctic expedition's hut at hut point--the head of mcmurdo sound this hut was constructed by captain scott in , by the expedition sent out by the royal geographical society, the royal society, the government, and by private subscription. captain robert f. scott was appointed to the command of the expedition. i served as third lieutenant until february , when i was invalided home through a broken blood vessel in the lungs, the direct result of scurvy contracted on the southern journey. the discovery hut was a large strong building, but was so draughty and cold in comparison with the ship, which was moored one hundred yards away, that it was, during the first year, never used for living quarters. its sole use was as a storehouse, and a large supply of rough stores, such as flour, cocoa, coffee, biscuit, and tinned meat, was left there in the event of its being used as a place of retreat should any disaster overtake the ship. during the second year occasional parties camped inside the hut, but no bunks or permanent sleeping quarters were ever erected. the discomfort of the hut was a byword on the expedition, but it formed an excellent depot and starting-point for all parties proceeding to the south. when the discovery finally left mcmurdo sound, the hut was stripped of all gear, including the stove, but there was left behind a large depot of the stores mentioned above. i was not aware of this until i returned to mcmurdo sound in february , when i sent adams, joyce, and wild across to the hut whilst the 'nimrod' was lying off the ice. on the return of the party they reported that the door had been burst open, evidently by a southerly blizzard, and was jammed by snow outside and in, so they made an entrance through one of the lee windows. they found the hut practically clear of snow, and the structure quite intact. i used the hut in the spring, i.e. september and october , as a storehouse for the large amount of equipment, food, and oil that we were to take on the southern journey. we built a sort of living- room out of the cases of provisions, and swept out the debris. the southern party elected to sleep there before the start, but the supporting party slept outside in the tents, as they considered it warmer. we still continued to use the lee window as means of ingress and egress to avoid continual shovelling away of the snow, which would be necessary as every southerly blizzard blocked up the main entrance. the various depot parties made use of the hut for replenishing their stores, which had been sledged from my own hut to hut point. on the night of march , , i arrived with the southern party, with a sick man, having been absent on the march days. our position was bad, as the ship was north of us. we tried to burn the magnetic hut in the hope of attracting attention from the ship, but were not able to get it to light. we finally managed to light a flare of carbide, and the ship came down to us in a blizzard, and all were safely aboard at a.m. on march , . before leaving the hut we jammed the window up with baulks of timber, to the best of our ability, in the storm and darkness. the hut was used again by the ross sea section of this last expedition. the snow was cleared out and extra stores were placed in it. from reports i have received the discovery hut was in as good condition in as it was in . the stores placed there in are intact. there are a few cases of extra provisions and oil in the hut, but no sleeping gear, or accommodation, nor stoves, and it must not be looked upon as anything else than a shelter and a most useful pied-à-terre for the start of any southern journey. no stores nor any equipment have been taken from it during either of my two expeditions. ( ) cape royds hut for several reasons, when i went into mcmurdo sound in in command of my own expedition, known as the british antarctic expedition, after having failed to land on king edward vii land, i decided to build our hut at cape royds--a small promontory twenty-three miles north of hut point. here the whole shore party lived in comfort through the winter of . when spring came stores were sledged to hut point, so that should the sea-ice break up early between these two places we might not be left in an awkward position. after the return of the southern party we went direct north to civilization, so i never visited my hut again. i had left, however, full instructions with professor david as to the care of the hut, and before the whole expedition left, the hut was put in order. a letter was pinned in a conspicuous place inside, stating that there were sufficient provisions and equipment to last fifteen men for one year, indicating also the details of these provisions and the position of the coal store. the stove was in good condition, and the letter ended with an invitation for any succeeding party to make what use they required of stores and hut. the hut was then locked and the key nailed on the door in a conspicuous place. from the report of captain scott's last expedition the hut was in good condition, and from a still later report from the ross sea side of this present expedition, the hut was still intact. ( ) cape evans hut this large and commodious hut was constructed by captain scott at cape evans on his last expedition. the party lived in it in comfort, and it was left well supplied with stores in the way of food and oil, and a certain amount of coal. several of the scientific staff of this present expedition were ashore in it, when the 'aurora', which was to have been the permanent winter quarters, broke adrift in may , and went north with the ice. the hut became the permanent living quarters for the ten marooned men, and thanks to the stores they were able to sustain life in comparative comfort, supplementing these stores from my hut at cape royds. in january , after i had rescued the survivors, i had the hut put in order and locked up. to sum up, there are three available huts in mcmurdo sound. (a) the discovery hut with a certain amount of rough stores, and only of use as a point of departure for the south. (b) cape royds hut with a large amount of general stores, but no clothing or equipment now. (c) cape evans hut with a large amount of stores, but no clothing or equipment and only a few sledges. ( ) depots south of hut point in spite of the fact that several depots have been laid to the south of hut point on the barrier, the last being at the gap (the entrance to the beardmore glacier), no future expedition should depend on them as the heavy snowfall obliterates them completely. there is no record of the depots of any expedition being made use of by any subsequent expedition. no party in any of my expeditions has used any depot laid down by a previous expedition. index adare, cape admiralty range agag aitken albatross allardyce range allen, james amphipods amundsen (dog) "ancient mariner" animal life in weddell sea see also penguins seals and bird life annewkow island antarctic circle derby argentine armitage, cape lieut. atmospheric effects see also mirage and sun attempt to cut ship out 'aurora' aurora australis australia bakewell barne glacier barrier great ice surface beardmore glacier beaufort island belgica straits bergs bergschrund bernsten, mr. bird life in weddell sea black island blackborrow blizzards, severe blue ice glacier bluff depot boats bovril british territory brocklehurst, capt. h. courtney browning bruce, dr. w. s. buenos ayres burberry clothing butler point depot caird coast sir james 'caird, james' (boat) candlemas volcano cape barne bernacchi bird cotter crozier evans horn weather hudson pigeons ross royds valentine wild castle rock cave cove cheetham chile christmas celebrations clarence island clark coal, antarctic on deck coats' land con (dog) cook cope corner camp coulman islands crean current meter cyclone danger islands davis, captain john k. daylight saving deception islands diatoms discovery discovery bay mount distances, ross sea party dog-pemmican dogs dominican gulls dudley docker mr. 'dudley docker' (boat) dunlop island dump camp eclipse of moon elephant island 'emma' empire day celebrations encyclopaedia britannica enderby land 'endurance' abandoned beset crushed sunk erebus mount expedition ships first made public mawson scott shackleton swedish falkland islands wireless listened for farthest south scott's filchner financial help, appeal for failure to materialize promised fish, dead from sea-leopard new species föhn effect fortuna bay glacier franklin island galley gallipoli garrard, mr. cherry gaze girling tractor-motor glacier bay tongue 'glasgow', h.m.s. gold graham land greenstreet grytviken gunner (dog) half-way camp harding, mr. 'harpoon' hayward hercules (dog) hobart holness hooke hope bay mountain howe hudson hurley hurtado, admiral muñoz hussey husvik hut, cape evans cape royds elephant island at hut point; hut point ice-blink ice-hole inaccessible island 'instituto de pesca' jack jaeger sleeping-bags james joinville land joyce kavenagh kelvin sounding machine kerr khyber pass killer whales king haakon bay king george v, flag to inspect 'endurance' telegram from telegram to lambton, miss elizabeth dawson lamps larkman leap year day leith lucas sounding machine luitpold land 'lusitania' mackintosh macklin macquarie island magnetic pole storm variation magellan straits marston mauger mccarthy mcdonald, allen mcilroy mcleod mcmurdo sound mcnab, dr. mcneish meteorology midwinter's day celebrations minna bluff mirage montevideo morell land morell's farthest south motor crawler sledge tractor mount haddington melbourne murchison sabine mugridge mutton island new south greenland new year island new zealand nigger (dog) 'nimrod' ninnis nordenskjold ice tongue north polar basin norwegian whalers nurse cavell orde-lees 'orita' 'orwell' oscar (dog) pack-ice described see also pressure paddies pardo, captain luis paulet island peak berg foreman peggotty camp penguins adelie emperor gentoo ringed peter (dog) petrels see also bird life pinkey (dog) plankton pompey (dog) porpoises port chalmers positions possession bay islands potash and perlmutter pram point pressure in ross sea in weddell sea see also pack-ice prince george island programme of expedition public schools punta arenas pups queen alexandra radiolaria rain rats on south georgia rampart berg razorback island reeling berg refraction, see atmospheric effects reindeer richards rickenson rio secco rocky mountain depot ross island sea sea party royal geographical society ryan, lieut. r.n.r. safety camp saint (dog) sally (dog) samson (dog) sanders island santiago saunders, edward scientific observations commenced work proposed 'scotia' scott sea-elephants sea-leopard seal blubber meat seals crab-eater ross weddell semaphore for sledging parties on bridge shags shackleton, sir e. shoaling, of sea-floor shore party sledging parties, proposed snapper (dog) snow hill soldier (dog) sorlle, mr. south georgia orkneys sandwich group 'southern sky' spencer-smith splitting ice-floes stained berg stancomb wills, dame janet 'stancomb wills' (boat) stenhouse stevens stove stromness sue (dog) sun disappears see also atmospheric effects swell temperature, air sea tent island tents orderlies terns, see also bird life terriss, ellaline "the ritz" thom, captain thompson tide-rip tobacco substitutes towser (dog) transcontinental party tripp, mr. leonard talloch, mr. turk's head uruguayan government vahsel bay victoria mountains vincent vinie's hill virol wave, enormous weddell sea ice conditions in plateau winds in weather at cape evans at elephant island at ocean camp at patience camp, see also temperatures western mountains whales blue humpback and finner seen sperm wilhelmina bay willywaw winston churchill wild, ernest frank wordie worsley wreckage at south georgia yaks 'yelcho' young, mr. douglas young island none the south pole an account of the norwegian antarctic expedition in the "fram," -- by roald amundsen translated from the norwegian by a. g. chater to my comrades, the brave little band that promised in funchal roads to stand by me in the struggle for the south pole, i dedicate this book. roald amundsen. uranienborg, august , . chapter the first account introduction, by fridtjof nansen i. the history of the south pole ii. plan and preparations iii. on the way to the south iv. from madeira to the barrier v. on the barrier vi. depot journeys vii. preparing for winter viii. a day at framheim ix. the end of the winter x. the start for the pole xi. through the mountains xii. at the pole xiii. the return to framheim xiv. northward xv. the eastern sledge journey by lieutenant k. prestrud xvi. the voyage of the "fram" by first-lieutenant thorvald nilsen i. from norway to the barrier ii. off the barrier iii. from the bay of whales to buenos aires iv. the oceanographical cruise v. at buenos aires vi. from buenos aires to the ross barrier vii. from the barrier to buenos aires, via hobart appendix i : the "fram" by commodore christian blom appendix ii. : remarks on the meteorological observations at framheim by b. j. birkeland appendix iii: geology by j. schetelig appendix iv.: the astronomical observations at the pole by a. alexander, with note by professor h. geelmuyden appendix v.: oceanography by professors bjorn helland-hansen and fridtjof nansen list of illustrations roald amundsen approximate bird's-eye view, drawn from the first telegraphic account reproduced by permission of the daily chronicle the opening of roald amundsen's manuscript helmer hanssen, ice pilot, a member of the polar party the "fram's" pigsty the pig's toilet hoisting the flag a patient some members of the expedition sverre hassel oscar wisting in the north-east trades in the rigging taking an observation ronne felt safer when the dogs were muzzled starboard watch on the bridge olav bjaaland, a member of the polar party in the absence of lady partners, ronne takes a turn with the dogs an albatross in warmer regions a fresh breeze in the west wind belt the propeller lifted in the westerlies the "fram's" saloon decorated for christmas eve ronne at a sailor's job the "fram" in drift-ice drift-ice in ross sea a clever method of landing the "fram" under sail cape man's head on the barrier seal-hunting the "fram" the crew of the "fram" in the bay of whales the "fram" in the bay of whales the first dog-camp digging the foundations of framheim building the hut unloading the six sledge-drivers polar transport penguins the provision store framheim, january, suggen, arne, and the colonel mikkel, ravn, and mas-mas framheim, february, prestrud in winter dress bjaaland in winter dress the "fram" veteran, lindstrom: the only man who has sailed round the continent of america the start of the first depot journey a page from the sledge diary, giving details of depots i. and ii. framheim, march, killing seals for the depot the meat tent the meteorological screen inside a dog-tent a winter evening at framheim the carpenters' shop entrance to the hut entrance to the western workshop prestrud in his observatory wisting at the sewing-machine packing sledges in the "crystal palace" lindstrom with the buckwheat cakes on his "native heath": a dog on the barrier ice dogs exercising helmer hanssen on a seal-hunt hanssen and wisting lashing the new sledges passage in the ice johansen packing provisions in the "crystal palace" a corner of the kitchen stubberud taking it easy johansen packing biscuits in the "crystal palace" hassel and the vapour-bath midwinter day, june, our ski-binding in its final form at work on personal outfit trying on patent goggles hassel in the oil-store deep in thought funcho the loaded sledges in the clothing store sledges ready for use being hauled out of the store-room at the depot in lat. deg. s. some of the land party in winter costume general map of the south polar region roald amundsen in polar kit a snow beacon on the barrier surface crevassed surface on the barrier depot in degrees s. depot in degrees s. at the depot in lat. degrees s. the depot and mountains in lat. degrees s. ascending mount betty mount fridtjof nansen, , feet above the sea at the end of a day's march: the pole expedition the tent after a blizzard a large filled crevasse on the devil's glacier hell's gate on the devil's glacier mount thorvald nilsen the sledges packed for the final march taking an observation at the pole at the south pole: oscar wisting and his team arrive at the goal a page from the observation book, december , at the south pole, december and , mount don pedro christophersen framheim on the return of the polar party lindstrom in the kitchen farewell to the barrier bjaaland as tinker dogs landed at hobart for dr. mawson's expedition members of the japanese antarctic expedition lieutenant prestrud an original inhabitant of the antarctic stubberud reviews the situation camp on the barrier: eastern expedition a broken-off cape off to the east the junction of the great barrier and king edward land improvised sounding tackle the leader of the eastern expedition, prestrud, on scott's nunatak first in king edward land in king edward land: after a three days' storm on scott's nunatak scott's nunatak the "fram" at the ice-edge, january, the "kainan maru" seals on sea-ice near the barrier seals: mother and calf a group of adelie penguins a quiet pipe first-lieutenant thorvald nilsen, norwegian navy the second in command takes a nap the "fram" sighted on the ice-edge, january, our last moorings on the ice-foot a hunting expedition at the foot of the barrier beck steers the "fram" through unknown waters our cook, cheerful and contented as usual sectional diagrams of the "fram" list of maps and charts fig. chart of the immediate surroundings of the south pole to face chart of the ross sea chart of the bay of whales . hypothetical representation of the surface currents in the northern atlantic in april . the "fram's" route from june to july , . temperature and salinity in the "fram's" southern section, june, . temperature and salinity in the "fram's" northern section, july, . the "fram's" stations in the south atlantic (june -- august, ) . currents in the south atlantic (june -- august, ) . salinities and temperatures at the surface in the south atlantic (june -- august, ) . temperatures (centigrade) at a depth of metres ( fathoms) . temperatures at station (in the benguela current, july , ), and at station (in the brazil current, august , ) . salinities at station (in the benguela current, july , ), and at station (in the brazil current, august , ) . salinities and temperatures in the southern section (june -- july, ) . salinities and temperatures in the northern section (july -- august, ) . temperatures at one of the "fram's" and one of the "challenger's" stations, to the south of the south equatorial current . temperatures at one of the "fram's" and one of the "valdivia's" stations, in the benguela current . temperatures at the "planet's" station , and the "fram's" station -- both in the neighbourhood of st. helena . salinities at the "planet's" station (march , ), and the "fram's" station (july , ) chart of the antarctic region the first account on february , , we started for the south to establish depots, and continued our journey until april . we formed three depots and stored in them tons of provisions, including hundredweight of seal meat. as there were no landmarks, we had to indicate the position of our depots by flags, which were posted at a distance of about four miles to the east and west. the first barrier afforded the best going, and was specially adapted for dog-sledging. thus, on february we did sixty-two miles with sledges. each sledge weighed pounds, and we had six dogs for each. the upper barrier ("barrier surface") was smooth and even. there were a few crevasses here and there, but we only found them dangerous at one or two points. the barrier went in long, regular undulations. the weather was very favourable, with calms or light winds. the lowest temperature at this station was - ° f., which was taken on march . when we returned to winter quarters on february from a first trip, we found that the fram had already left us. with joy and pride we heard from those who had stayed behind that our gallant captain had succeeded in sailing her farther south than any former ship. so the good old fram has shown the flag of norway both farthest north and farthest south. the most southerly latitude reached by the fram was ° '. before the winter set in we had tons of seal meat in our winter quarters; this was enough for ourselves and our dogs. we had built eight kennels and a number of connecting tents and snow huts. when we had provided for the dogs, we thought of ourselves. our little hut was almost entirely covered with snow. not till the middle of april did we decide to adopt artificial light in the hut. this we did with the help of a lux lamp of candle-power, which gave an excellent light and kept the indoor temperature at about ° f. throughout the winter. the ventilation was very satisfactory, and we got sufficient fresh air. the hut was directly connected with the house in which we had our workshop, larder, storeroom, and cellar, besides a single bathroom and observatory. thus we had everything within doors and easily got at, in case the weather should be so cold and stormy that we could not venture out. the sun left us on april , and we did not see it again for four months. we spent the winter in altering our whole equipment, which our depot journeys had shown to be too heavy and clumsy for the smooth barrier surface. at the same time we carried out all the scientific work for which there was opportunity. we made a number of surprising meteorological observations. there was very little snow, in spite of there being open water in the neighbourhood. we had expected to observe higher temperatures in the course of the winter, but the thermometer remained very low. during five months temperatures were observed varying between - ° and - ° f. we had the lowest (- ° f.) on august ; the weather was calm. on august we had - ° f. with a wind of thirteen miles an hour. the mean temperature for the year was - ° f. we expected blizzard after blizzard, but had only two moderate storms. we made many excellent observations of the aurora australis in all parts of the heavens. our bill of health was the best possible throughout the whole winter. when the sun returned on august it shone upon men who were healthy in mind and body, and ready to begin the task that lay before them. we had brought the sledges the day before to the starting-point of the southern journey. at the beginning of september the temperature rose, and it was decided to commence the journey. on september a party of eight men set out, with seven sledges and ninety dogs, provisioned for ninety days. the surface was excellent, and the temperature not so bad as it might have been. but on the following day we saw that we had started too early. the temperature then fell, and remained for some days between - ° and - ° f. personally we did not suffer at all, as we had good fur clothing, but with the dogs it was another matter. they grew lanker and lanker every day, and we soon saw that they would not be able to stand it in the long run. at our depot in lat. ° we agreed to turn back and await the arrival of spring. after having stored our provisions, we returned to the hut. excepting the loss of a few dogs and one or two frostbitten heels, all was well. it was not till the middle of october that the spring began in earnest. seals and birds were sighted. the temperature remained steady, between - ° and - ° f. meanwhile we had abandoned the original plan, by which all were to go to the south. five men were to do this, while three others made a trip to the east, to visit king edward vii. land. this trip did not form part of our programme, but as the english did not reach this land last summer, as had been their intention, we agreed that it would be best to undertake this journey in addition. on october the southern party left. it consisted of five men with four sledges and fifty-two dogs, and had provisions for four months. everything was in excellent order, and we had made up our minds to take it easy during the first part of the journey, so that we and the dogs might not be too fatigued, and we therefore decided to make a little halt on the nd at the depot that lay in lat. °. however, we missed the mark owing to thick fog, but after two or three miles' march we found the place again. when we had rested here and given the dogs as much seal meat as they were able to eat, we started again on the th. the temperature remained steady, between - ° and - ° f. at first we had made up our minds not to drive more than twelve to eighteen miles a day; but this proved to be too little, thanks to our strong and willing animals. at lat. ° we began to erect snow beacons, about the height of a man, to show us the way home. on the st we reached the depot in lat. °. we halted for a day and fed the dogs on pemmican. on november we reached the depot in °, where for the last time the dogs got as much to eat as they could manage. on the th we started southward again, and now made a daily march of about thirty miles. in order to relieve the heavily laden sledges, we formed a depot at every parallel we reached. the journey from lat. ° to ° was a pure pleasure trip, on account of the surface and the temperature, which were as favourable as one could wish. everything went swimmingly until the th, when we sighted south victoria land and the continuation of the mountain chain, which shackleton gives on his map, running southeast from beardmore glacier. on the same day we reached lat. °, and established here depot no. . on the th we made the interesting discovery that the ross barrier ended in an elevation on the south-east, formed between a chain of mountains running south-eastward from south victoria land and another chain on the opposite side, which runs south-westward in continuation of king edward vii. land. on the th we reached lat. °, where we established a depot. on the th we got to °, where again we formed a depot. from our winter quarters at framheim we had marched due south the whole time. on november , in lat. °, we came to a spot where the land barrier intersected our route, though for the time being this did not cause us any difficulty. the barrier here rises in the form of a wave to a height of about feet, and its limit is shown by a few large fissures. here we established our main depot. we took supplies for sixty days on the sledges and left behind enough provisions for thirty days. the land under which we now lay, and which we were to attack, looked perfectly impossible, with peaks along the barrier which rose to heights of from , to , feet. farther south we saw more peaks, of , feet or higher. next day we began to climb. the first part of the work was easy, as the ground rose gradually with smooth snow-slopes below the mountain-side. our dogs working well, it did not take us long to get over these slopes. at the next point we met with some small, very steep glaciers, and here we had to harness twenty dogs to each sledge and take the four sledges in two journeys. some places were so steep that it was difficult to use our ski. several times we were compelled by deep crevasses to turn back. on the first day we climbed , feet. the next day we crossed small glaciers, and camped at a height of , feet. on the third day we were obliged to descend the great axel heiberg glacier, which separates the mountains of the coast from those farther south. on the following day the longest part of our climbing began. many detours had to be made to avoid broad fissures and open crevasses. most of them were filled up, as in all probability the glacier had long ago ceased to move; but we had to be very careful, nevertheless, as we could never know the depth of snow that covered them. our camp that night was in very picturesque surroundings, at a height of about , feet. the glacier was here imprisoned between two mountains of , feet, which we named after fridtjof nansen and don pedro christophersen. at the bottom of the glacier we saw ole engelstad's great snow-cone rising in the air to , feet. the glacier was much broken up in this narrow defile; enormous crevasses seemed as if they would stop our going farther, but fortunately it was not so bad as it looked. our dogs, which during the last few days had covered a distance of nearly miles, put in a very good piece of work that day, as they did twenty-two miles on ground rising to , feet. it was an almost incredible record. it only took us four days from the barrier to reach the immense inland plateau. we camped at a height of , feet. here we had to kill twenty-four of our brave dogs, keeping eighteen -- six for each of our three sledges. we halted here for four days on account of bad weather. on november we were tired of waiting, and started again. on the th we were overtaken by a raging blizzard. in the thick, driving snow we could see absolutely nothing; but we felt that, contrary to what we had expected -- namely, a further ascent -- we were going rapidly downhill. the hypsometer that day showed a descent of feet. we continued our march next day in a strong wind and thick, driving snow. our faces were badly frozen. there was no danger, but we simply could see nothing. next day, according to our reckoning, we reached lat. °. the hypsometer showed a fall of feet. the following day passed in the same way. the weather cleared up about noon, and there appeared to our astonished eyes a mighty mountain range to the east of us, and not far away. but the vision only lasted a moment, and then disappeared again in the driving snow. on the th the weather became calmer and the sun shone -- a pleasant surprise. our course lay over a great glacier, which ran in a southerly direction. on its eastern side was a chain of mountains running to the southeast. we had no view of its western part, as this was lost in a thick fog. at the foot of the devil's glacier we established a depot in lat. ° ', calculated for six days. the hypsometer showed , feet above sea level. on november we began to ascend the glacier. the lower part was much broken up and dangerous, and the thin bridges of snow over the crevasses often broke under us. from our camp that evening we had a splendid view of the mountains to the east. mount helmer hansen was the most remarkable of them all; it was , feet high, and covered by a glacier so rugged that in all probability it would have been impossible to find foothold on it. here were also mounts oskar wisting, sverre hassel, and olav bjaaland, grandly lighted up by the rays of the sun. in the distance, and only visible from time to time through the driving mists, we saw mount thorvald nilsen, with peaks rising to , feet. we could only see those parts of them that lay nearest to us. it took us three days to get over the devil's glacier, as the weather was unusually misty. on december we left the glacier in high spirits. it was cut up by innumerable crevasses and holes. we were now at a height of , feet. in the mist and driving snow it looked as if we had a frozen lake before us; but it proved to be a sloping plateau of ice, full of small blocks of ice. our walk across this frozen lake was not pleasant. the ground under our feet was evidently hollow, and it sounded as if we were walking on empty barrels. first a man fell through, then a couple of dogs; but they got up again all right. we could not, of course, use our ski on this smooth-polished ice, but we got on fairly well with the sledges. we called this place the devil's ballroom. this part of our march was the most unpleasant of the whole trip. on december we reached our greatest elevation. according to the hypsometer and our aneroid barometer we were at a height of , feet -- this was in lat. ° '. on december the bad weather came to an end, the sun shone on us once more, and we were able to take our observations again. it proved that the observations and our reckoning of the distance covered gave exactly the same result -- namely, ° ' s. lat. before us lay an absolutely flat plateau, only broken by small crevices. in the afternoon we passed ° ', shackleton's farthest south. we pitched our camp in ° ', and established our last depot -- no. . from ° ' the plateau began to descend evenly and very slowly. we reached ° ' on december . on december , ° '; december , ° '; december , ° '; december , ° '. up to this moment the observations and our reckoning had shown a surprising agreement. we reckoned that we should be at the pole on december . on the afternoon of that day we had brilliant weather -- a light wind from the south-east with a temperature of - ° f. the sledges were going very well. the day passed without any occurrence worth mentioning, and at three o'clock in the afternoon we halted, as according to our reckoning we had reached our goal. we all assembled about the norwegian flag -- a handsome silken flag -- which we took and planted all together, and gave the immense plateau on which the pole is situated the name of "king haakon vii.'s plateau." it was a vast plain of the same character in every direction, mile after mile. during the afternoon we traversed the neighbourhood of the camp, and on the following day, as the weather was fine, we were occupied from six in the morning till seven in the evening in taking observations, which gave us ° ' as the result. in order to take observations as near the pole as possible, we went on, as near true south as we could, for the remaining kilometres. on december we pitched our camp in brilliant sunshine, with the best conditions for taking observations. four of us took observations every hour of the day -- twenty-four in all. the results of these will be submitted to the examination of experts. we have thus taken observations as near to the pole as was humanly possible with the instruments at our disposal. we had a sextant and artificial horizon calculated for a radius of kilometres. on december we were ready to go. we raised on the spot a little circular tent, and planted above it the norwegian flag and the fram's pennant. the norwegian camp at the south pole was given the name of "polheim." the distance from our winter quarters to the pole was about english miles, so that we had covered on an average / miles a day. we began the return journey on december . the weather was unusually favourable, and this made our return considerably easier than the march to the pole. we arrived at "framheim," our winter quarters, in january, , with two sledges and eleven dogs, all well. on the homeward journey we covered an average of / miles a day. the lowest temperature we observed on this trip was - ° f., and the highest + ° f. the principal result -- besides the attainment of the pole -- is the determination of the extent and character of the ross barrier. next to this, the discovery of a connection between south victoria land and, probably, king edward vii. land through their continuation in huge mountain-ranges, which run to the south-east and were seen as far south as lat. ° ', but which in all probability are continued right across the antarctic continent. we gave the name of "queen maud's mountains" to the whole range of these newly discovered mountains, about miles in length. the expedition to king edward vii. land, under lieutenant prestrud, has achieved excellent results. scott's discovery was confirmed, and the examination of the bay of whales and the ice barrier, which the party carried out, is of great interest. good geological collections have been obtained from king edward vii. land and south victoria land. the fram arrived at the bay of whales on january , having been delayed in the "roaring forties" by easterly winds. on january the japanese expedition arrived at the bay of whales, and landed on the barrier near our winter quarters. we left the bay of whales on january . we had a long voyage on account of contrary wind. we are all in the best of health. roald amundsen. hobart, march , . introduction when the explorer comes home victorious, everyone goes out to cheer him. we are all proud of his achievement -- proud on behalf of the nation and of humanity. we think it is a new feather in our cap, and one we have come by cheaply. how many of those who join in the cheering were there when the expedition was fitting out, when it was short of bare necessities, when support and assistance were most urgently wanted? was there then any race to be first? at such a time the leader has usually found himself almost alone; too often he has had to confess that his greatest difficulties were those he had to overcome at home before he could set sail. so it was with columbus, and so it has been with many since his time. so it was, too, with roald amundsen -- not only the first time, when he sailed in the gjöa with the double object of discovering the magnetic north pole and of making the north-west passage, but this time again, when in he left the fjord on his great expedition in the fram, to drift right across the north polar sea. what anxieties that man has gone through, which might have been spared him if there had been more appreciation on the part of those who had it in their power to make things easier! and amundsen had then shown what stuff he was made of: both the great objects of the gjöa's expedition were achieved. he has always reached the goal he has aimed at, this man who sailed his little yacht over the whole arctic ocean, round the north of america, on the course that had been sought in vain for four hundred years. if he staked his life and abilities, would it not have been natural if we had been proud of having such a man to support? but was it so? for a long time he struggled to complete his equipment. money was still lacking, and little interest was shown in him and his work, outside the few who have always helped so far as was in their power. he himself gave everything he possessed in the world. but this time, as last, he nevertheless had to put to sea loaded with anxieties and debts, and, as before, he sailed out quietly on a summer night. autumn was drawing on. one day there came a letter from him. in order to raise the money he could not get at home for his north polar expedition he was going to the south pole first. people stood still -- did not know what to say. this was an unheard-of thing, to make for the north pole by way of the south pole! to make such an immense and entirely new addition to his plans without asking leave! some thought it grand; more thought it doubtful; but there were many who cried out that it was inadmissible, disloyal -- nay, there were some who wanted to have him stopped. but nothing of this reached him. he had steered his course as he himself had set it, without looking back. then by degrees it was forgotten, and everyone went on with his own affairs. the mists were upon us day after day, week after week -- the mists that are kind to little men and swallow up all that is great and towers above them. suddenly a bright spring day cuts through the bank of fog. there is a new message. people stop again and look up. high above them shines a deed, a man. a wave of joy runs through the souls of men; their eyes are bright as the flags that wave about them. why? on account of the great geographical discoveries, the important scientific results? oh no; that will come later, for the few specialists. this is something all can understand. a victory of human mind and human strength over the dominion and powers of nature; a deed that lifts us above the grey monotony of daily life; a view over shining plains, with lofty mountains against the cold blue sky, and lands covered by ice-sheets of inconceivable extent; a vision of long-vanished glacial times; the triumph of the living over the stiffened realm of death. there is a ring of steeled, purposeful human will -- through icy frosts, snowstorms, and death. for the victory is not due to the great inventions of the present day and the many new appliances of every kind. the means used are of immense antiquity, the same as were known to the nomad thousands of years ago, when he pushed forward across the snow-covered plains of siberia and northern europe. but everything, great and small, was thoroughly thought out, and the plan was splendidly executed. it is the man that matters, here as everywhere. like everything great, it all looks so plain and simple. of course, that is just as it had to be, we think. apart from the discoveries and experiences of earlier explorers -- which, of course, were a necessary condition of success -- both the plan and its execution are the ripe fruit of norwegian life and experience in ancient and modern times. the norwegians' daily winter life in snow and frost, our peasants' constant use of ski and ski-sledge in forest and mountain, our sailors' yearly whaling and sealing life in the polar sea, our explorers' journeys in the arctic regions -- it was all this, with the dog as a draught animal borrowed from the primitive races, that formed the foundation of the plan and rendered its execution possible -- when the man appeared. therefore, when the man is there, it carries him through all difficulties as if they did not exist; every one of them has been foreseen and encountered in advance. let no one come and prate about luck and chance. amundsen's luck is that of the strong man who looks ahead. how like him and the whole expedition is his telegram home -- as simple and straightforward as if it concerned a holiday tour in the mountains. it speaks of what is achieved, not of their hardships. every word a manly one. that is the mark of the right man, quiet and strong. it is still too early to measure the extent of the new discoveries, but the cablegram has already dispersed the mists so far that the outlines are beginning to shape themselves. that fairyland of ice, so different from all other lands, is gradually rising out of the clouds. in this wonderful world of ice amundsen has found his own way. from first to last he and his companions have traversed entirely unknown regions on their ski, and there are not many expeditions in history that have brought under the foot of man so long a range of country hitherto unseen by human eye. people thought it a matter of course that he would make for beardmore glacier, which shackleton had discovered, and by that route come out on to the high snow plateau near the pole, since there he would be sure of getting forward. we who knew amundsen thought it would be more like him to avoid a place for the very reason that it had been trodden by others. happily we were right. not at any point does his route touch that of the englishmen -- except by the pole itself. this is a great gain to research. when in a year's time we have captain scott back safe and sound with all his discoveries and observations on the other route, amundsen's results will greatly increase in value, since the conditions will then be illuminated from two sides. the simultaneous advance towards the pole from two separate points was precisely the most fortunate thing that could happen for science. the region investigated becomes so much greater, the discoveries so many more, and the importance of the observations is more than doubled, often multiplied many times. take, for instance, the meteorological conditions: a single series of observations from one spot no doubt has its value, but if we get a simultaneous series from another spot in the same region, the value of both becomes very much greater, because we then have an opportunity of understanding the movements of the atmosphere. and so with other investigations. scott's expedition will certainly bring back rich and important results in many departments, but the value of his observations will also be enhanced when placed side by side with amundsen's. an important addition to amundsen's expedition to the pole is the sledge journey of lieutenant prestrud and his two companions eastward to the unknown king edward vii. land, which scott discovered in . it looks rather as if this land was connected with the masses of land and immense mountain-chains that amundsen found near the pole. we see new problems looming up. but it was not only these journeys over ice-sheets and mountain-ranges that were carried out in masterly fashion. our gratitude is also due to captain nilsen and his men. they brought the fram backwards and forwards, twice each way, through those ice-filled southern waters that many experts even held to be so dangerous that the fram would not be able to come through them, and on both trips this was done with the speed and punctuality of a ship on her regular route. the fram's builder, the excellent colin archer, has reason to be proud of the way in which his "child" has performed her latest task -- this vessel that has been farthest north and farthest south on our globe. but captain nilsen and the crew of the fram have done more than this; they have carried out a work of research which in scientific value may be compared with what their comrades have accomplished in the unknown world of ice, although most people will not be able to recognize this. while amundsen and his companions were passing the winter in the south, captain nilsen, in the fram, investigated the ocean between south america and africa. at no fewer than sixty stations they took a number of temperatures, samples of water, and specimens of the plankton in this little-known region, to a depth of , fathoms and more. they thus made the first two sections that have ever been taken of the south atlantic, and added new regions of the unknown ocean depths to human knowledge. the fram's sections are the longest and most complete that are known in any part of the ocean. would it be unreasonable if those who have endured and achieved so much had now come home to rest? but amundsen points onward. so much for that; now for the real object. next year his course will be through behring strait into the ice and frost and darkness of the north, to drift right across the north polar sea -- five years, at least. it seems almost superhuman; but he is the man for that, too. fram is his ship, "forward" is his motto, and he will come through.[ ] he will carry out his main expedition, the one that is now before him, as surely and steadily as that he has just come from. but while we are waiting, let us rejoice over what has already been achieved. let us follow the narrow sledge-tracks that the little black dots of dogs and men have drawn across the endless white surface down there in the south -- like a railroad of exploration into the heart of the unknown. the wind in its everlasting flight sweeps over these tracks in the desert of snow. soon all will be blotted out. but the rails of science are laid; our knowledge is richer than before. and the light of the achievement shines for all time. fridtjof nansen. lysaker, may , . figure the opening of roald amundsen's manuscript. to face page i, vol. i. chapter i the history of the south pole[ ] "life is a ball in the hands of chance." brisbane, queensland, april , . here i am, sitting in the shade of palms, surrounded by the most wonderful vegetation, enjoying the most magnificent fruits, and writing -- the history of the south pole. what an infinite distance seems to separate that region from these surroundings! and yet it is only four months since my gallant comrades and i reached the coveted spot. i write the history of the south pole! if anyone had hinted a word of anything of the sort four or five years ago, i should have looked upon him as incurably mad. and yet the madman would have been right. one circumstance has followed on the heels of another, and everything has turned out so entirely different from what i had imagined. on december , , five men stood at the southern end of our earth's axis, planted the norwegian flag there, and named the region after the man for whom they would all gladly have offered their lives -- king haakon vii. thus the veil was torn aside for all time, and one of the greatest of our earth's secrets had ceased to exist. since i was one of the five who, on that december afternoon, took part in this unveiling, it has fallen to my lot to write -- the history of the south pole. antarctic exploration is very ancient. even before our conception of the earth's form had taken definite shape, voyages to the south began. it is true that not many of the explorers of those distant times reached what we now understand by the antarctic regions, but still the intention and the possibility were there, and justify the name of antarctic exploration. the motive force of these undertakings was -- as has so often been the case -- the hope of gain. rulers greedy of power saw in their mind's eye an increase of their possessions. men thirsting for gold dreamed of an unsuspected wealth of the alluring metal. enthusiastic missionaries rejoiced at the thought of a multitude of lost sheep. the scientifically trained world waited modestly in the background. but they have all had their share: politics, trade, religion, and science. the history of antarctic discovery may be divided at the outset into two categories. in the first of these i would include the numerous voyagers who, without any definite idea of the form or conditions of the southern hemisphere, set their course toward the south, to make what landfall they could. these need only be mentioned briefly before passing to the second group, that of antarctic travellers in the proper sense of the term, who, with a knowledge of the form of the earth, set out across the ocean, aiming to strike the antarctic monster -- in the heart, if fortune favoured them. we must always remember with gratitude and admiration the first sailors who steered their vessels through storms and mists, and increased our knowledge of the lands of ice in the south. people of the present day, who are so well supplied with information about the most distant parts of the earth, and have all our modern means of communication at their command, find it difficult to understand the intrepid courage that is implied by the voyages of these men. they shaped their course toward the dark unknown, constantly exposed to being engulfed and destroyed by the vague, mysterious dangers that lay in wait for them somewhere in that dim vastness. the beginnings were small, but by degrees much was won. one stretch of country after another was discovered and subjected to the power of man. knowledge of the appearance of our globe became ever greater and took more definite shape. our gratitude to these first discoverers should be profound. and yet even to-day we hear people ask in surprise: what is the use of these voyages of exploration? what good do they do us? little brains, i always answer to myself, have only room for thoughts of bread and butter. the first name on the roll of discovery is that of prince henry of portugal, surnamed the navigator, who is ever to be remembered as the earliest promoter of geographical research. to his efforts was due the first crossing of the equator, about . with bartholomew diaz another great step in advance was made. sailing from lisbon in , he reached algoa bay, and without doubt passed the fortieth parallel on his southward voyage. vasco da gama's voyage of is too well known to need description. after him came men like cabral and vespucci, who increased our knowledge, and de gonneville, who added to the romance of exploration. we then meet with the greatest of the older explorers, ferdinand magellan, a portuguese by birth, though sailing in the service of spain. setting out in , he discovered the connection between the atlantic and pacific oceans in the strait that bears his name. no one before him had penetrated so far south -- to about lat. ° s. one of his ships, the victoria, accomplished the first circumnavigation of the world, and thus established in the popular mind the fact that the earth was really round. from that time the idea of the antarctic regions assumed definite shape. there must be something in the south: whether land or water the future was to determine. in we come to the renowned english seaman, sir francis drake. though he was accounted a buccaneer, we owe him honour for the geographical discoveries he made. he rounded cape horn and proved that tierra del fuego was a great group of islands and not part of an antarctic continent, as many had thought. the dutchman, dirk gerritsz, who took part in a plundering expedition to india in by way of the straits of magellan, is said to have been blown out of his course after passing the straits, and to have found himself in lat. ° s. under high land covered with snow. this has been assumed to be the south shetland islands, but the account of the voyage is open to doubt. in the seventeenth century we have the discoveries of tasman, and towards its close english adventurers reported having reached high latitudes in the south atlantic. the english astronomer royal, halley, undertook a scientific voyage to the south in for the purpose of making magnetic observations, and met with ice in ° s., from which latitude he returned to the north. the frenchman, bouvet ( ), was the first to follow the southern ice-pack for any considerable distance, and to bring reports of the immense, flat-topped antarctic icebergs. in the spanish trading-ship leon came home and reported high, snow-covered land in lat. ° s. to the east of cape horn. the probability is that this was what we now know by the name of south georgia. the frenchman, marion-dufresne, discovered, in , the marion and crozet islands. in the same year joseph de kerguélen-trémarec -- another frenchman -- reached kerguelen land. this concludes the series of expeditions that i have thought it proper to class in the first group. "antarctica," the sixth continent itself, still lay unseen and untrodden. but human courage and intelligence were now actively stirred to lift the veil and reveal the many secrets that were concealed within the antarctic circle. captain james cook -- one of the boldest and most capable seamen the world has known -- opens the series of antarctic expeditions properly so called. the british admiralty sent him out with orders to discover the great southern continent, or prove that it did not exist. the expedition, consisting of two ships, the resolution and the adventure, left plymouth on july , . after a short stay at madeira it reached cape town on october . here cook received news of the discovery of kerguelen and of the marion and crozet islands. in the course of his voyage to the south cook passed miles to the south of the land reported by bouvet, and thereby established the fact that the land in question -- if it existed -- was not continuous with the great southern continent. on january , , the antarctic circle was crossed for the first time -- a memorable day in the annals of antarctic exploration. shortly afterwards a solid pack was encountered, and cook was forced to return to the north. a course was laid for the newly discovered islands -- kerguelen, marion, and the crozets -- and it was proved that they had nothing to do with the great southern land. in the course of his further voyages in antarctic waters cook completed the most southerly circumnavigation of the globe, and showed that there was no connection between any of the lands or islands that had been discovered and the great mysterious "antarctica." his highest latitude (january , ) was ° ' s. cook's voyages had important commercial results, as his reports of the enormous number of seals round south georgia brought many sealers, both english and american, to those waters, and these sealers, in turn, increased the field of geographical discovery. in the discovery of the south shetlands by the englishman, captain william smith, is to be recorded. and this discovery led to that of the palmer archipelago to the south of them. the next scientific expedition to the antarctic regions was that despatched by the emperor alexander i. of russia, under the command of captain thaddeus von bellingshausen. it was composed of two ships, and sailed from cronstadt on july , . to this expedition belongs the honour of having discovered the first land to the south of the antarctic circle -- peter i. island and alexander i. land. the next star in the antarctic firmament is the british seaman, james weddell. he made two voyages in a sealer of tons, the jane of leith, in and , being accompanied on the second occasion by the cutter beaufoy. in february, , weddell had the satisfaction of beating cook's record by reaching a latitude of ° ' s. in the sea now known as weddell sea, which in that year was clear of ice. the english firm of shipowners, enderby brothers, plays a not unimportant part in antarctic exploration. the enderbys had carried on sealing in southern waters since . they were greatly interested, not only in the commercial, but also in the scientific results of these voyages, and chose their captains accordingly. in the firm sent out john biscoe on a sealing voyage in the antarctic ocean with the brig tula and the cutter lively. the result of this voyage was the sighting of enderby land in lat. ° ' s., long. ° ' e. in the following year adelaide, biscoe, and pitt islands, on the west coast of graham land were charted, and graham land itself was seen for the first time. kemp, another of enderby's skippers, reported land in lat. ° s., and about long. ° e. in yet another skipper of the same firm, john balleny, in the schooner eliza scott, discovered the balleny islands. we then come to the celebrated french sailor, admiral jules sébastien dumont d'urville. he left toulon in september, , with a scientifically equipped expedition, in the ships astrolabe and zélée. the intention was to follow in weddell's track, and endeavour to carry the french flag still nearer to the pole. early in louis philippe land and joinville island were discovered and named. two years later we again find d'urville's vessels in antarctic waters, with the object of investigating the magnetic conditions in the vicinity of the south magnetic pole. land was discovered in lat. ° ' s. and long. ° ' e. with the exception of a few bare islets, the whole of this land was completely covered with snow. it was given the name of adélie land, and a part of the ice-barrier lying to the west of it was called c^ote clarie, on the supposition that it must envelop a line of coast. the american naval officer, lieutenant charles wilkes, sailed in august, , with a fleet of six vessels. the expedition was sent out by congress, and carried twelve scientific observers. in february, , the whole of this imposing antarctic fleet was collected in orange harbour in the south of tierra del fuego, where the work was divided among the various vessels. as to the results of this expedition it is difficult to express an opinion. certain it is that wilkes land has subsequently been sailed over in many places by several expeditions. of what may have been the cause of this inaccurate cartography it is impossible to form any opinion. it appears, however, from the account of the whole voyage, that the undertaking was seriously conducted. then the bright star appears -- the man whose name will ever be remembered as one of the most intrepid polar explorers and one of the most capable seamen the world has produced -- admiral sir james clark ross. the results of his expedition are well known. ross himself commanded the erebus and commander francis crozier the terror. the former vessel, of tons, had been originally built for throwing bombs; her construction was therefore extraordinarily solid. the terror, tons, had been previously employed in arctic waters, and on this account had been already strengthened. in provisioning the ships, every possible precaution was taken against scurvy, with the dangers of which ross was familiar from his experience in arctic waters. the vessels sailed from england in september, , calling at many of the atlantic islands, and arrived in christmas harbour, kerguelen land, in the following may. here they stayed two months, making magnetic observations, and then proceeded to hobart. sir john franklin, the eminent polar explorer, was at that time governor of tasmania, and ross could not have wished for a better one. interested as franklin naturally was in the expedition, he afforded it all the help he possibly could. during his stay in tasmania ross received information of what had been accomplished by wilkes and dumont d'urville in the very region which the admiralty had sent him to explore. the effect of this news was that ross changed his plans, and decided to proceed along the th meridian e., and if possible to reach the magnetic pole from the eastward. here was another fortuitous circumstance in the long chain of events. if ross had not received this intelligence, it is quite possible that the epoch-making geographical discoveries associated with his name would have been delayed for many years. on november , , sir john franklin went on board the erebus to accompany his friend ross out of port. strange are the ways of life! there stood franklin on the deck of the ship which a few years later was to be his deathbed. little did he suspect, as he sailed out of hobart through storm bay -- the bay that is now wreathed by the flourishing orchards of tasmania -- that he would meet his death in a high northern latitude on board the same vessel, in storms and frost. but so it was. after calling at the auckland islands and at campbell island, ross again steered for the south, and the antarctic circle was crossed on new year's day, . the ships were now faced by the ice-pack, but to ross this was not the dangerous enemy it had appeared to earlier explorers with their more weakly constructed vessels. ross plunged boldly into the pack with his fortified ships, and, taking advantage of the narrow leads, he came out four days later, after many severe buffets, into the open sea to the south. ross had reached the sea now named after him, and the boldest voyage known in antarctic exploration was accomplished. few people of the present day are capable of rightly appreciating this heroic deed; this brilliant proof of human courage and energy. with two ponderous craft -- regular "tubs" according to our ideas -- these men sailed right into the heart of the pack, which all previous polar explorers had regarded as certain death. it is not merely difficult to grasp this; it is simply impossible -- to us, who with a motion of the hand can set the screw going, and wriggle out of the first difficulty we encounter. these men were heroes -- heroes in the highest sense of the word. it was in lat. ° ' s. and long. ° ' e. that ross found the open sea. on the following day the horizon was perfectly clear of ice. what joy that man must have felt when he saw that he had a clear way to the south! the course was set for the magnetic pole, and the hope of soon reaching it burned in the hearts of all. then -- just as they had accustomed themselves to the idea of open sea, perhaps to the magnetic pole itself -- the crow's-nest reported "high land right ahead." this was the mountainous coast of south victoria land. what a fairyland this must have seemed to the first voyagers who approached it! mighty mountain-ranges with summits from , to , feet high, some covered with snow and some quite bare -- lofty and rugged, precipitous and wild. it became apparent that the magnetic pole was some miles distant -- far inland, behind the snow-covered ridges. on the morning of january they came close under a little island, and ross with a few companions rowed ashore and took possession of the country. they could not reach the mainland itself on account of the thick belt of ice that lay along the coast. the expedition continued to work its way southward, making fresh discoveries. on january the two lofty summits, mount erebus and mount terror, were sighted for the first time. the former was seen to be an active volcano, from which smoke and flames shot up into the sky. it must have been a wonderfully fine sight, this flaming fire in the midst of the white, frozen landscape. captain scott has since given the island, on which the mountains lie, the name of ross island, after the intrepid navigator. naturally there were great expectations on board. if they had penetrated so far south, there might be no limit to their further progress. but, as had happened so many times before, their hopes were disappointed. from ross island, as far to the eastward as the eye could see, there extended a lofty, impenetrable wall of ice. to sail through it was as impossible as sailing through the cliffs of dover, ross says in his description. all they could do was to try to get round it. and then began the first examination of that part of the great antarctic barrier which has since been named the ross barrier. the wall of ice was followed to the eastward for a distance of miles. its upper surface was seen to be perfectly flat. the most easterly point reached was long. ° w., and the highest latitude ° ' s. no opening having been found, the ships returned to the west, in order to try once more whether there was any possibility of reaching the magnetic pole. but this attempt soon had to be abandoned on account of the lateness of the season, and in april, , ross returned to hobart. his second voyage was full of dangers and thrilling incidents, but added little to the tale of his discoveries. on february , , the ships came in sight of the barrier, and, following it to the east, found that it turned north-eastward. here ross recorded an "appearance of land" in the very region in which captain scott, sixty years later, discovered king edward vii. land. on december , , ross set out on his third and last antarctic voyage. his object this time was to reach a high latitude along the coast of louis philippe land, if possible, or alternatively by following weddell's track. both attempts were frustrated by the ice conditions. on sighting joinville land, the officers of the terror thought they could see smoke from active volcanoes, but ross and his men did not confirm this. about fifty years later active volcanoes were actually discovered by the norwegian, captain c. a. larsen, in the jason. a few minor geographical discoveries were made, but none of any great importance. this concluded ross's attempts to reach the south pole. a magnificent work had been achieved, and the honour of having opened up the way by which, at last, the pole was reached must be ascribed to ross. the pagoda, commanded by lieutenant moore, was the next vessel to make for the south. her chief object was to make magnetic observations in high latitudes south of the indian ocean. the first ice was met with in lat. ° ' s., on january , . on february the antarctic circle was crossed in long. ° ' e. the most southerly latitude attained on this voyage was ° ', in long. ° ' e. this was the last expedition to visit the antarctic regions in a ship propelled by sails alone. the next great event in the history of the southern seas is the challenger expedition. this was an entirely scientific expedition, splendidly equipped and conducted. the achievements of this expedition are, however, so well known over the whole civilized world that i do not think it necessary to dwell upon them. less known, but no less efficient in their work, were the whalers round the south shetlands and in the regions to the south of them. the days of sailing-ships were now past, and vessels with auxiliary steam appear on the scene. before passing on to these, i must briefly mention a man who throughout his life insisted on the necessity and utility of antarctic expeditions -- professor georg von neumayer. never has antarctic research had a warmer, nobler, and more high-minded champion. so long as "antarctica" endures, the name of neumayer will always be connected with it. the steam whaler grönland left hamburg on july , , in command of captain eduard dallmann, bound for the south shetlands. many interesting geographical discoveries were made on this voyage. amongst other whalers may be mentioned the balæna, the diana, the active, and the polar star of dundee. in the whole of this fleet stood to the south to hunt for whales in the vicinity of the south shetlands. they each brought home with them some fresh piece of information. on board the balæna was dr. william s. bruce. this is the first time we meet with him on his way to the south, but it was not to be the last. simultaneously with the scottish whaling fleet, the norwegian whaling captain, c. a. larsen, appears in the regions to the south of the south shetlands. it is not too much to say of captain larsen that of all those who have visited the antarctic regions in search of whales, he has unquestionably brought home the best and most abundant scientific results. to him we owe the discovery of large stretches of the east coast of graham land, king oscar ii. land, foyn's land, etc. he brought us news of two active volcanoes, and many groups of islands. but perhaps the greatest interest attaches to the fossils he brought home from seymour island -- the first to be obtained from the antarctic regions. in november, , captain evensen in the hertha succeeded in approaching nearer to alexander i. land than either bellingshausen or biscoe. but the search for whales claimed his attention, and he considered it his duty to devote himself to that before anything else. a grand opportunity was lost: there can be no doubt that, if captain evensen had been free, he would here have had a chance of achieving even better work than he did -- bold, capable, and enterprising as he is. the next whaling expedition to make its mark in the south polar regions is that of the antarctic, under captain leonard kristensen. kristensen was an extraordinarily capable man, and achieved the remarkable record of being the first to set foot on the sixth continent, the great southern land -- "antarctica." this was at cape adare, victoria land, in january, . an epoch-making phase of antarctic research is now ushered in by the belgian expedition in the belgica, under the leadership of commander adrien de gerlache. hardly anyone has had a harder fight to set his enterprise on foot than gerlache. he was successful, however, and on august , , the belgica left antwerp. the scientific staff had been chosen with great care, and gerlache had been able to secure the services of exceedingly able men. his second in command, lieutenant g. lecointe, a belgian, possessed every qualification for his difficult position. it must be remembered that the belgica's company was as cosmopolitan as it could be -- belgians, frenchmen, americans, norwegians, swedes, rumanians, poles, etc. -- and it was the business of the second in command to keep all these men together and get the best possible work out of them. and lecointe acquitted himself admirably; amiable and firm, he secured the respect of all. as a navigator and astronomer he was unsurpassable, and when he afterwards took over the magnetic work he rendered great services in this department also. lecointe will always be remembered as one of the main supports of this expedition. lieutenant emile danco, another belgian, was the physicist of the expedition. unfortunately this gifted young man died at an early stage of the voyage -- a sad loss to the expedition. the magnetic observations were then taken over by lecointe. the biologist was the rumanian, emile racovitza. the immense mass of material racovitza brought home speaks better than i can for his ability. besides a keen interest in his work, he possessed qualities which made him the most agreeable and interesting of companions. henryk arçtowski and antoine dobrowolski were both poles. their share of the work was the sky and the sea; they carried out oceanographical and meteorological observations. henry arçtowski was also the geologist of the expedition -- an all-round man. it was a strenuous task he had, that of constantly watching wind and weather. conscientious as he was, he never let slip an opportunity of adding to the scientific results of the voyage. frederick a. cook, of brooklyn, was surgeon to the expedition -- beloved and respected by all. as a medical man, his calm and convincing presence had an excellent effect. as things turned out, the greatest responsibility fell upon cook, but he mastered the situation in a wonderful way. through his practical qualities he finally became indispensable. it cannot be denied that the belgian antarctic expedition owes a great debt to cook. the object of the expedition was to penetrate to the south magnetic pole, but this had to be abandoned at an early stage for want of time. a somewhat long stay in the interesting channels of tierra del fuego delayed their departure till january , . on that date the belgica left staten island and stood to the south. an interesting series of soundings was made between cape horn and the south shetlands. as these waters had not previously been investigated, these soundings were, of course, of great importance. the principal work of the expedition, from a geographical point of view, was carried out on the north coast of graham land. a large channel running to the south-west was discovered, dividing a part of palmer land from the mainland -- danco's land. the strait was afterwards named by the belgian authorities "gerlache strait." three weeks were spent in charting it and making scientific observations. an excellent collection of material was made. this work was completed by february , and the belgica left gerlache strait southward along the coast of graham land, at a date when all previous expeditions had been in a hurry to turn their faces homeward. on the th the antarctic circle was crossed on a south-westerly course. next day they sighted alexander land, but could not approach nearer to it than twenty miles on account of impenetrable pack-ice. on february they had reached lat. ° ' s. and long. ° w. then a breeze from the north sprang up and opened large channels in the ice, leading southward. they turned to the south, and plunged at haphazard into the antarctic floes. on march they reached lat. ° ' s., where all further progress was hopeless. an attempt to get out again was in vain -- they were caught in the trap. they then had to make the best of it. many have been disposed to blame gerlache for having gone into the ice, badly equipped as he was, at a time of year when he ought rather to have been making his way out, and they may be right. but let us look at the question from the other side as well. after years of effort he had at last succeeded in getting the expedition away. gerlache knew for a certainty that unless he returned with results that would please the public, he might just as well never return at all. then the thickly packed ice opened, and long channels appeared, leading as far southward as the eye could reach. who could tell? perhaps they led to the pole itself. there was little to lose, much to gain; he decided to risk it. of course, it was not right, but we can easily understand it. the belgica now had thirteen long months before her. preparations were commenced at once for the winter. as many seals and penguins as could be found were shot, and placed in store. the scientific staff was constantly active, and brilliant oceanographical, meteorological, and magnetic work was accomplished. on may the sun disappeared, not to be seen again for seventy days. the first antarctic night had begun. what would it bring? the belgica was not fitted for wintering in the ice. for one thing, personal equipment was insufficient. they had to do the best they could by making clothes out of blankets, and the most extraordinary devices were contrived in the course of the winter. necessity is the mother of invention. on june danco died of heart-failure. on the same day they had a narrow escape of being squeezed in the ice. fortunately the enormous block of ice passed under the vessel and lifted her up without doing her any damage. otherwise, the first part of the winter passed off well. afterwards sickness appeared, and threatened the most serious danger to the expedition -- scurvy and insanity. one of them by itself would have been bad enough. scurvy especially increased, and did such havoc that finally there was not a single man who escaped being attacked by this fearful disease. cook's behaviour at this time won the respect and devotion of all. it is not too much to say that cook was the most popular man of the expedition, and he deserved it. from morning to night he was occupied with his many patients, and when the sun returned it happened not infrequently that, after a strenuous day's work, the doctor sacrificed his night's sleep to go hunting seals and penguins, in order to provide the fresh meat that was so greatly needed by all. on july the sun returned. it was not a pleasant sight that it shone upon. the antarctic winter had set its mark upon all, and green, wasted faces stared at the returning light. time went on, and the summer arrived. they waited day by day to see a change in the ice. but no; the ice they had entered so light-heartedly was not to be so easy to get out of again. new year's day came and went without any change in the ice. the situation now began to be seriously threatening. another winter in the ice would mean death and destruction on a large scale. disease and insufficient nourishment would soon make an end of most of the ship's company. again cook came to the aid of the expedition. in conjunction with racovitza he had thought out a very ingenious way of sawing a channel, and thus reaching the nearest lead. the proposal was submitted to the leader of the expedition and accepted by him; both the plan and the method of carrying it out were well considered. after three weeks' hard work, day and night, they at last reached the lead. cook was incontestably the leading spirit in this work, and gained such honour among the members of the expedition that i think it just to mention it. upright, honourable, capable, and conscientious in the extreme -- such is the memory we retain of frederick a. cook from those days. little did his comrades suspect that a few years later he would be regarded as one of the greatest humbugs the world has ever seen. this is a psychological enigma well worth studying to those who care to do so. but the belgica was not yet clear of the ice. after having worked her way out into the lead and a little way on, she was stopped by absolutely close pack, within sight of the open sea. for a whole month the expedition lay here, reaping the same experiences as ross on his second voyage with the erebus and terror. the immense seas raised the heavy ice high in the air, and flung it against the sides of the vessel. that month was a hell upon earth. strangely enough, the belgica escaped undamaged, and steamed into punta arenas in the straits of magellan on march , . modern scientific antarctic exploration had now been initiated, and de gerlache had won his place for all time in the first rank of antarctic explorers. while the belgica was trying her hardest to get out of the ice, another vessel was making equally strenuous efforts to get in. this was the southern cross, the ship of the english expedition, under the leadership of carstens borchgrevink. this expedition's field of work lay on the opposite side of the pole, in ross's footsteps. on february , , the southern cross entered ross sea in lat. ° s. and long. ° e., nearly sixty years after ross had left it. a party was landed at cape adare, where it wintered. the ship wintered in new zealand. in january, , the land party was taken off, and an examination of the barrier was carried out with the vessel. this expedition succeeded for the first time in ascending the barrier, which from ross's day had been looked upon as inaccessible. the barrier formed a little bight at the spot where the landing was made, and the ice sloped gradually down to the sea. we must acknowledge that by ascending the barrier, borchgrevink opened a way to the south, and threw aside the greatest obstacle to the expeditions that followed. the southern cross returned to civilization in march, . the valdivia's expedition, under professor chun, of leipzig, must be mentioned, though in our day it can hardly be regarded as an antarctic expedition. on this voyage the position of bouvet island was established once for all as lat. ° ' s., long. ° ' e. the ice was followed from long. ° e. to ° e., as closely as the vessel could venture to approach. abundance of oceanographical material was brought home. antarctic exploration now shoots rapidly ahead, and the twentieth century opens with the splendidly equipped british and german expeditions in the discovery and the gauss, both national undertakings. captain robert f. scott was given command of the discovery's expedition, and it could not have been placed in better hands. the second in command was lieutenant armitage, who had taken part in the jackson-harmsworth north polar expedition. the other officers were royds, barne, and shackleton. lieutenant skelton was chief engineer and photographer to the expedition. two surgeons were on board -- dr. koettlitz, a former member of the jackson-harmsworth expedition, and dr. wilson. the latter was also the artist of the expedition. bernacchi was the physicist, hodgson the biologist, and ferrar the geologist. on august , , the expedition left cowes, and arrived at simon's bay on october . on the th it sailed again for new zealand. the official plan was to determine as accurately as possible the nature and extent of the south polar lands that might be found, and to make a magnetic survey. it was left to the leader of the expedition to decide whether it should winter in the ice. it was arranged beforehand that a relief ship should visit and communicate with the expedition in the following year. the first ice was met with in the neighbourhood of the antarctic circle on january , , and a few days later the open ross sea was reached. after several landings had been made at cape adare and other points, the discovery made a very interesting examination of the barrier to the eastward. at this part of the voyage king edward vii. land was discovered, but the thick ice-floes prevented the expedition from landing. on the way back the ship entered the same bight that borchgrevink had visited in , and a balloon ascent was made on the barrier. the bay was called balloon inlet. from here the ship returned to mcmurdo bay, so named by ross. here the discovery wintered, in a far higher latitude than any previous expedition. in the course of the autumn it was discovered that the land on which the expedition had its winter quarters was an island, separated from the mainland by mcmurdo sound. it was given the name of ross island. sledge journeys began with the spring. depots were laid down, and the final march to the south was begun on november , , by scott, shackleton, and wilson. they had nineteen dogs to begin with. on november they passed the th parallel. owing to the nature of the ground their progress was not rapid; the highest latitude was reached on december -- ° ' s. new land was discovered -- a continuation of south victoria land. one summit after another rose higher and higher to the south. the return journey was a difficult one. the dogs succumbed one after another, and the men themselves had to draw the sledges. it went well enough so long as all were in health; but suddenly shackleton was incapacitated by scurvy, and there were only two left to pull the sledges. on february they reached the ship again, after an absence of ninety-three days. meanwhile armitage and skelton had reached, for the first time in history, the high antarctic inland plateau at an altitude of , feet above the sea. the relief ship morning had left lyttelton on december . on her way south scott island was discovered, and on january the discovery's masts were seen. but mcmurdo sound lay icebound all that year, and the morning returned home on march . the expedition passed a second winter in the ice, and in the following spring captain scott led a sledge journey to the west on the ice plateau. in january, , the morning returned, accompanied by the terra nova, formerly a newfoundland sealing vessel. they brought orders from home that the discovery was to be abandoned if she could not be got out. preparations were made for carrying out the order, but finally, after explosives had been used, a sudden break-up of the ice set the vessel free. all the coal that could be spared was put on board the discovery from the relief ships, and scott carried his researches further. if at that time he had had more coal, it is probable that this active explorer would have accomplished even greater things than he did. wilkes's "ringgold's knoll" and "eld's peak" were wiped off the map, and nothing was seen of "cape hudson," though the discovery passed well within sight of its supposed position. on march scott anchored in ross harbour, auckland islands. with rich results, the expedition returned home in september, . meanwhile the german expedition under professor erich von drygalski had been doing excellent work in another quarter. the plan of the expedition was to explore the antarctic regions to the south of kerguelen land, after having first built a station on that island and landed a scientific staff, who were to work there, while the main expedition proceeded into the ice. its ship, the gauss, had been built at kiel with the fram as a model. the gauss's navigator was captain hans ruser, a skilful seaman of the hamburg-american line. drygalski had chosen his scientific staff with knowledge and care, and it is certain that he could not have obtained better assistants. the expedition left kiel on august , , bound for cape town. an extraordinarily complete oceanographical, meteorological, and magnetic survey was made during this part of the voyage. after visiting the crozet islands, the gauss anchored in royal sound, kerguelen land, on december . the expedition stayed here a month, and then steered for the south to explore the regions between kemp land and knox land. they had already encountered a number of bergs in lat. ° s. on february they made a sounding of , fathoms near the supposed position of wilkes's termination land. progress was very slow hereabout on account of the thick floes. suddenly, on february , they had a sounding of fathoms, and on the morning of february land was sighted, entirely covered with ice and snow. a violent storm took the gauss by surprise, collected a mass of icebergs around her, and filled up the intervening space with floes, so that there could be no question of making any way. they had to swallow the bitter pill, and prepare to spend the winter where they were. observatories were built of ice, and sledge journeys were undertaken as soon as the surface permitted. they reached land in three and a half days, and there discovered a bare mountain, about , feet high, fifty miles from the ship. the land was named kaiser wilhelm ii. land, and the mountain the gaussberg. they occupied the winter in observations of every possible kind. the weather was extremely stormy and severe, but their winter harbour, under the lee of great stranded bergs, proved to be a good one. they were never once exposed to unpleasant surprises. on february , , the gauss was able to begin to move again. from the time she reached the open sea until her arrival at cape town on june , scientific observations were continued. high land had been seen to the eastward on the bearing of wilkes's termination land, and an amount of scientific work had been accomplished of which the german nation may well be proud. few antarctic expeditions have had such a thoroughly scientific equipment as that of the gauss, both as regards appliances and personnel. the swedish antarctic expedition under dr. otto nordenskjöld left gothenburg on october , , in the antarctic, commanded by captain c. a. larsen, already mentioned. the scientific staff was composed of nine specialists. after calling at the falkland islands and staten island, a course was made for the south shetlands, which came in sight on january , . after exploring the coast of louis philippe land, the ship visited weddell sea in the hope of getting southward along king oscar ii. land, but the ice conditions were difficult, and it was impossible to reach the coast. nordenskjöld and five men were then landed on snow hill island, with materials for an observatory and winter quarters and the necessary provisions. the ship continued her course northward to the open sea. the first winter on snow hill island was unusually stormy and cold, but during the spring several interesting sledge journeys were made. when summer arrived the antarctic did not appear, and the land party were obliged to prepare for a second winter. in the following spring, october, , nordenskjöld made a sledge journey to explore the neighbourhood of mount haddington, and a closer examination showed that the mountain lay on an island. in attempting to work round this island, he one day stumbled upon three figures, doubtfully human, which might at first sight have been taken for some of our african brethren straying thus far to the south. it took nordenskjöld a long time to recognize in these beings dr. gunnar andersson, lieutenant duse, and their companion during the winter, a norwegian sailor named grunden. the way it came about was this. the antarctic had made repeated attempts to reach the winter station, but the state of the ice was bad, and they had to give up the idea of getting through. andersson, duse and grunden were then landed in the vicinity, to bring news to the winter quarters as soon as the ice permitted them to arrive there. they had been obliged to build themselves a stone hut, in which they had passed the winter. this experience is one of the most interesting one can read of in the history of the polar regions. badly equipped as they were, they had to have recourse, like robinson crusoe, to their inventive faculties. the most extraordinary contrivances were devised in the course of the winter, and when spring came the three men stepped out of their hole, well and hearty, ready to tackle their work. this was such a remarkable feat that everyone who has some knowledge of polar conditions must yield them his admiration. but there is more to tell. on november , when both parties were united at snow hill, they were unexpectedly joined by captain irizar, of the argentine gunboat uruguay, and one of his officers. some anxiety had been felt owing to the absence of news of the antarctic, and the argentine government had sent the uruguay to the south to search for the expedition. but what in the world had become of captain larsen and the antarctic? this was the question the others asked themselves. the same night -- it sounds almost incredible -- there was a knock at the door of the hut, and in walked captain larsen with five of his men. they brought the sad intelligence that the good ship antarctic was no more. the crew had saved themselves on the nearest island, while the vessel sank, severely damaged by ice. they, too, had had to build themselves a stone hut and get through the winter as best they could. they certainly did not have an easy time, and i can imagine that the responsibility weighed heavily on him who had to bear it. one man died; the others came through it well. much of the excellent material collected by the expedition was lost by the sinking of the antarctic, but a good deal was brought home. both from a scientific and from a popular point of view this expedition may be considered one of the most interesting the south polar regions have to show. we then come to the scotsman, dr. william s. bruce, in the scotia. we have met with bruce before: first in the balæna in , and afterwards with mr. andrew coats in spitzbergen. the latter voyage was a fortunate one for bruce, as it provided him with the means of fitting out his expedition in the scotia to antarctic waters. the vessel left the clyde on november , , under the command of captain thomas robertson, of dundee. bruce had secured the assistance of mossman, rudmose brown and dr. pirie for the scientific work. in the following february the antarctic circle was crossed, and on the nd of that month the ship was brought to a standstill in lat. ° ' s. the winter was spent at laurie island, one of the south orkneys. returning to the south, the scotia reached, in march, , lat. ° ' s., long. ° w., where the sea rapidly shoaled to fathoms. further progress was impossible owing to ice. hilly country was sighted beyond the barrier, and named "coats land," after bruce's chief supporters. in the foremost rank of the antarctic explorers of our time stands the french savant and yachtsman, dr. jean charcot. in the course of his two expeditions of -- and -- he succeeded in opening up a large extent of the unknown continent. we owe to him a closer acquaintance with alexander i. land, and the discovery of loubet, fallières and charcot lands is also his work. his expeditions were splendidly equipped, and the scientific results were extraordinarily rich. the point that compels our special admiration in charcot's voyages is that he chose one of the most difficult fields of the antarctic zone to work in. the ice conditions here are extremely unfavourable, and navigation in the highest degree risky. a coast full of submerged reefs and a sea strewn with icebergs was what the frenchmen had to contend with. the exploration of such regions demands capable men and stout vessels. sir ernest shackleton! -- the name has a brisk sound. at its mere mention we see before us a man of indomitable will and boundless courage. he has shown us what the will and energy of a single man can perform. he gained his first experience of antarctic exploration as a member of the british expedition in the discovery, under captain scott. it was a good school. scott, wilson, and shackleton, formed the southern party, with the highest latitude as their goal. they reached ° ' s. -- a great record at that time. being attacked by scurvy, shackleton had to go home at the first opportunity. shortly after his return shackleton began to make active preparations. few people had any faith in shackleton. wasn't it he who was sent home from the discovery after the first year? what does he want to go out for again? he has shown well enough that he can't stand the work! shackleton had a hard struggle to find the necessary funds. he left england unheeded and loaded with debts in august, , on board the nimrod, bound for the south pole. with surprising frankness he declared his intention of trying to reach the pole itself. so far as i know, he was the first who ventured to say straight out that the pole was his object. this hearty frankness was the first thing that struck me, and made me look more closely at the man. later on i followed his steps with the greatest interest. the expedition, unnoticed when it left england, was soon forgotten. at most, people connected the name of shackleton with the rank of "lieutenant r.n.r." and the months went by .... then suddenly came a piece of news that made a great stir. it was in the latter half of march, . the telegraphic instruments were busy all over the world; letter by letter, word by word, they ticked out the message, until it could be clearly read that one of the most wonderful achievements of polar exploration had been accomplished. everyone was spellbound. was it possible? could it be true? shackleton, lieutenant r.n.r., had fought his way to lat. ° ' s. seldom has a man enjoyed a greater triumph; seldom has a man deserved it better. as the details of sir ernest shackleton's expedition will be fresh in the minds of english readers, it is unnecessary to recapitulate them here. a few points may, however, be noted, for comparison with the fram's expedition. the plan was to leave new zealand at the beginning of and go into winter quarters on the antarctic continent with the necessary provisions and equipment, while the vessel returned to new zealand and came back to take off the land party in the following year. the land party that wintered in the south was divided into three. one party was to go eastward to king edward vii. land and explore it, the second was to go westward to the south magnetic pole, and the third southward toward the geographical pole. in the plan submitted to the royal geographical society shackleton says: "i do not intend to sacrifice the scientific utility of the expedition to a mere record-breaking journey, but say frankly, all the same, that one of my great efforts will be to reach the southern geographical pole." it was further intended that the nimrod should explore wilkes land. as draught animals shackleton had both ponies and dogs, but chiefly ponies. the dogs were regarded more as a reserve. shackleton's experience was that the ice barrier was best suited for ponies. they also took a motor-car, besides the usual equipment of sledges, ski, tents, etc. leaving lyttelton on january , , the nimrod reached the ice-pack on the th, and arrived in the open ross sea in lat. ° ' s., long. ° ' e. the ross barrier was sighted on january . the original intention was to follow this, and try to land the shore party in barrier inlet, which was practically the beginning of king edward vii. land; but it was found that barrier inlet had disappeared, owing to miles of the barrier having calved away. in its place was a long, wide bay, which shackleton named the bay of whales. this discovery determined him not to attempt to winter on the barrier, but on solid land. at this part of the voyage the course of the nimrod coincided very nearly with that of the fram on her second outward trip. after an unsuccessful attempt to reach king edward vii. land, shackleton turned to the west and took up his winter quarters on ross island in mcmurdo sound. the southern party, composed of shackleton, adams, marshall, and wild, started on october , , with four sledges, four ponies, and provisions for ninety-one days. on november scott's farthest south, ° ' s. was passed. by the time lat. ° was reached all the ponies were dead, and the men had to draw the sledges themselves. they were then faced by the long and difficult ascent of beardmore glacier, and it was not until seventeen days later that they came out on the high plateau surrounding the pole. at last, on january , , they were compelled to return by shortness of provisions, having planted queen alexandra's flag in lat. ° ' s., long. ° e. everyone who reads shackleton's diary must feel a boundless admiration for these four heroes. history can scarcely show a clearer proof of what men can accomplish when they exert their full strength of will and body. these men have raised a monument, not only to themselves and their achievement, but also to the honour of their native land and the whole of civilized humanity. shackleton's exploit is the most brilliant incident in the history of antarctic exploration. the distance covered, out and back, was , geographical miles. the time occupied was days -- days out and days back. the average daily march was about miles. meanwhile the other party, composed of professor david, mawson, and mackay, had set off to determine the position of the south magnetic pole. they had neither ponies nor dogs, and had therefore to depend solely on their own powers. it seems almost incredible, but these men succeeded in working their way on foot over sea-ice and land-ice, cracks and crevasses, hard snow and loose snow, to the magnetic pole, and making observations there. what was better still, they all came back safe and sound. the total distance covered was , geographical miles. it must have been a proud day for the two parties of the expedition when they met again on the deck of the nimrod, and could tell each other of their experiences. more than any of their predecessors, these men had succeeded in raising the veil that lay over "antarctica." but a little corner remained. chapter ii plan and preparations "the deity of success is a woman, and she insists on being won, not courted. you've got to seize her and bear her off, instead of standing under her window with a mandolin." -- rex beach. "the north pole is reached." in a flash the news spread over the world. the goal of which so many had dreamed, for which so many had laboured and suffered and sacrificed their lives, was attained. it was in september, , that the news reached us. at the same instant i saw quite clearly that the original plan of the fram's third voyage -- the exploration of the north polar basin -- hung in the balance. if the expedition was to be saved, it was necessary to act quickly and without hesitation. just as rapidly as the message had travelled over the cables i decided on my change of front -- to turn to the right-about, and face to the south. it was true that i had announced in my plan that the fram's third voyage would be in every way a scientific expedition, and would have nothing to do with record-breaking; it was also true that many of the contributors who had so warmly supported me had done so with the original plan before them; but in view of the altered circumstances, and the small prospect i now had of obtaining funds for my original plan, i considered it neither mean nor unfair to my supporters to strike a blow that would at once put the whole enterprise on its feet, retrieve the heavy expenses that the expedition had already incurred, and save the contributions from being wasted. it was therefore with a clear conscience that i decided to postpone my original plan for a year or two, in order to try in the meantime to raise the funds that were still lacking. the north pole, the last problem but one of popular interest in polar exploration, was solved. if i was now to succeed in arousing interest in my undertaking, there was nothing left for me but to try to solve the last great problem -- the south pole. i know that i have been reproached for not having at once made the extended plan public, so that not only my supporters, but the explorers who were preparing to visit the same regions might have knowledge of it. i was well aware that these reproaches would come, and had therefore carefully weighed this side of the matter. as regards the former -- the contributors to my expedition -- my mind was soon at rest. they were all men of position, and above discussing the application of the sums they had dedicated to the enterprise. i knew that i enjoyed such confidence among these people that they would all judge the circumstances aright, and know that when the time came their contributions would be used for the purpose for which they were given. and i have already received countless proofs that i was not mistaken. nor did i feel any great scruples with regard to the other antarctic expeditions that were being planned at the time. i knew i should be able to inform captain scott of the extension of my plans before he left civilization, and therefore a few months sooner or later could be of no great importance. scott's plan and equipment were so widely different from my own that i regarded the telegram that i sent him later, with the information that we were bound for the antarctic regions, rather as a mark of courtesy than as a communication which might cause him to alter his programme in the slightest degree. the british expedition was designed entirely for scientific research. the pole was only a side-issue, whereas in my extended plan it was the main object. on this little détour science would have to look after itself; but of course i knew very well that we could not reach the pole by the route i had determined to take without enriching in a considerable degree several branches of science. our preparations were entirely different, and i doubt whether captain scott, with his great knowledge of antarctic exploration, would have departed in any point from the experience he had gained and altered his equipment in accordance with that which i found it best to employ. for i came far short of scott both in experience and means. as regards lieutenant shirase in the kainan maru, i understood it to be his plan to devote his whole attention to king edward vii. land. after thus thoroughly considering these questions, i came to the conclusions i have stated, and my plan was irrevocably fixed. if at that juncture i had made my intention public, it would only have given occasion for a lot of newspaper discussion, and possibly have ended in the project being stifled at its birth. everything had to be got ready quietly and calmly. my brother, upon whose absolute silence i could blindly rely, was the only person i let into the secret of my change of plan, and he did me many important services during the time when we alone shared the knowledge. then lieutenant thorvald nilsen -- at that time first officer of the fram, now her commander -- returned home, and i considered it my duty to inform him immediately of my resolve. the way in which he received it made me feel safe in my choice of him. i saw that in him i had found not only a capable and trustworthy man, but a good comrade as well; and this was a point of the highest importance. if the relations between the chief and the second in command are good, much unpleasantness and many unnecessary worries can be avoided. besides which, a good understanding in this quarter gives an example to the whole ship. it was a great relief to me when captain nilsen came home in january, , and was able to help -- which he did with a good will, a capability, and a reliability that i have no words to commend. the following was the plan of the fram's southern voyage: departure from norway at latest before the middle of august. madeira was to be the first and only place of call. from there a course was to be made on the best route for a sailing-ship -- for the fram cannot be regarded as anything else -- southward through the atlantic, and then to the east, passing to the south of the cape of good hope and australia, and finally pushing through the pack and into ross sea about new year, . as a base of operations i had chosen the most southerly point we could reach with the vessel -- the bay of whales in the great antarctic barrier. we hoped to arrive here about january . after having landed the selected shore party -- about ten men -- with materials for a house, equipment, and provisions for two years, the fram was to go out again and up to buenos aires, in order to carry out from there an oceanographical voyage across the atlantic to the coast of africa and back. in october she was to return to the bay of whales and take off the shore party. so much, but no more, could be settled beforehand. the further progress of the expedition could only be determined later, when the work in the south was finished. my knowledge of the ross barrier was due to descriptions alone; but i had so carefully studied all the literature that treats of these regions, that, on first encountering this mighty mass of ice, i felt as if i had known it for many years. after thorough consideration, i fixed upon the bay of whales as a winter station, for several reasons. in the first place, because we could there go farther south in the ship than at any other point -- a whole degree farther south than scott could hope to get in mcmurdo sound, where he was to have his station. and this would be of very great importance in the subsequent sledge journey toward the pole. another great advantage was that we came right on to our field of work, and could see from our hut door the conditions and surface we should have to deal with. besides this, i was justified in supposing that the surface southward from this part of the barrier would be considerably better, and offer fewer difficulties than the piled-up ice along the land. in addition, animal life in the bay of whales was, according to the descriptions, extraordinarily rich, and offered all the fresh meat we required in the form of seals, penguins, etc. besides these purely technical and material advantages which the barrier seemed to possess as a winter station, it offered a specially favourable site for an investigation of the meteorological conditions, since here one would be unobstructed by land on all sides. it would be possible to study the character of the barrier by daily observations on the very spot better than anywhere else. such interesting phenomena as the movement, feeding, and calving of this immense mass of ice could, of course, be studied very fully at this spot. last, but not least, there was the enormous advantage that it was comparatively easy to reach in the vessel. no expedition had yet been prevented from coming in here. i knew that this plan of wintering on the barrier itself would be exposed to severe criticism as recklessness, foolhardiness, and so forth, for it was generally assumed that the barrier was afloat here, as in other places. indeed, it was thought to be so even by those who had themselves seen it. shackleton's description of the conditions at the time of his visit did not seem very promising. mile after mile had broken away, and he thanked god he had not made his camp there. although i have a very great regard for shackleton, his work and his experience, i believe that in this case his conclusion was too hasty -- fortunately, i must add. for if, when shackleton passed the bay of whales on january, , , and saw the ice of the bay in process of breaking up and drifting out, he had waited a few hours, or at the most a couple of days, the problem of the south pole would probably have been solved long before december, . with his keen sight and sound judgment, it would not have taken him long to determine that the inner part of the bay does not consist of floating barrier, but that the barrier there rests upon a good, solid foundation, probably in the form of small islands, skerries, or shoals, and from this point he and his able companions would have disposed of the south polar question once for all. but circumstances willed it otherwise, and the veil was only lifted, not torn away. i had devoted special study to this peculiar formation in the barrier, and had arrived at the conclusion that the inlet that exists to-day in the ross barrier under the name of the bay of whales is nothing else than the self-same bight that was observed by sir james clark ross -- no doubt with great changes of outline, but still the same. for seventy years, then, this formation -- with the exception of the pieces that had broken away -- had persisted in the same place. i therefore concluded that it could be no accidental formation. what, once, in the dawn of time, arrested the mighty stream of ice at this spot and formed a lasting bay in its edge, which with few exceptions runs in an almost straight line, was not merely a passing whim of the fearful force that came crashing on, but something even stronger than that -- something that was firmer than the hard ice -- namely, the solid land. here in this spot, then, the barrier piled itself up and formed the bay we now call the bay of whales. the observations we made during our stay there confirm the correctness of this theory. i therefore had no misgivings in placing our station on this part of the barrier. the plan of the shore party was, as soon as the hut was built and provisions landed, to carry supplies into the field, and lay down depots as far to the south as possible. i hoped to get such a quantity of provisions brought down to lat. ° s., that we should be able to regard this latitude as the real starting-place of the actual sledge journey to the pole. we shall see later that this hope was more than fulfilled, and a labour many times greater than this was performed. by the time this depot work was accomplished winter would be before us, and with the knowledge we had of the conditions in the antarctic regions, every precaution would have to be taken to meet the coldest and probably the most stormy weather that any polar expedition had hitherto encountered. my object was, when winter had once set in, and everything in the station was in good working order, to concentrate all our forces upon the one object -- that of reaching the pole. i intended to try to get people with me who were specially fitted for outdoor work in the cold. even more necessary was it to find men who were experienced dog-drivers; i saw what a decisive bearing this would have on the result. there are advantages and disadvantages in having experienced people with one on an expedition like this. the advantages are obvious. if a variety of experiences are brought together and used with common sense, of course a great deal can be achieved. the experience of one man will often come in opportunely where that of another falls short. the experiences of several will supplement each other, and form something like a perfect whole; this is what i hoped to obtain. but there is no rose without a thorn; if it has its advantages, it also has its drawbacks. the drawback to which one is liable in this case is that someone or other may think he possesses so much experience that every opinion but his own is worthless. it is, of course, regrettable when experience takes this turn, but with patience and common sense it can be broken of it. in any case, the advantages are so great and predominant that i had determined to have experienced men to the greatest extent possible. it was my plan to devote the entire winter to working at our outfit, and to get it as near to perfection as possible. another thing to which we should have to give some time was the killing of a sufficient number of seals to provide fresh meat both for ourselves and our dogs for the whole time. scurvy, the worst enemy of polar expeditions, must be kept off at all costs, and to achieve this it was my intention to use fresh meat every day. it proved easy to carry out this rule, since everyone, without exception, preferred seal meat to tinned foods. and when spring came i hoped that my companions and i would be ready, fit and well, with an outfit complete in every way. the plan was to leave the station as early in the spring as possible. if we had set out to capture this record, we must at any cost get there first. everything must be staked upon this. from the very moment when i had formed the plan, i had made up my mind that our course from the bay of whales must be set due south, and follow the same meridian, if possible, right up to the pole. the effect of this would be that we should traverse an entirely new region, and gain other results besides beating the record. i was greatly astonished to hear, on my return from the south, that some people had actually believed we had set our course from the bay of whales for beardmore glacier -- shackleton's route -- and followed it to the south. let me hasten to assure them that this idea never for a single instant crossed my mind when i made the plan. scott had announced that he was going to take shackleton's route, and that decided the matter. during our long stay at framheim not one of us ever hinted at the possibility of such a course. without discussion scott's route was declared out of bounds. no; due south was our way, and the country would have to be difficult indeed to stop our getting on to the plateau. our plan was to go south, and not to leave the meridian unless we were forced to do so by insuperable difficulties. i foresaw, of course, that there would be some who would attack me and accuse me of "shabby rivalry," etc., and they would perhaps have had some shadow of justification if we had really thought of taking captain scott's route. but it never occurred to us for a moment. our starting-point lay geographical miles from scott's winter quarters in mcmurdo sound, so there could be no question of encroaching upon his sphere of action. moreover, professor nansen, in his direct and convincing way, has put an end once for all to this twaddle, so that i need not dwell upon it any longer. i worked out the plan, as here given, at my home on bundefjord, near christiania, in september, , and as it was laid, so was it carried out to the last detail. that my estimate of the time it would take was not so very far out is proved by the final sentence of the plan: "thus we shall be back from the polar journey on january ." it was on january , , that we came into framheim after our successful journey to the pole. this was not the only time our calculations proved correct; captain nilsen showed himself to be a veritable magician in this way. while i contented myself with reckoning dates, he did not hesitate to go into hours. he calculated that we should reach the barrier on january , ; this is a distance of , geographical miles from norway. we were at the barrier on january , one day before the time. there was not much wrong with that estimate. in accordance with the storthing's resolution of february , , the fram was lent for the use of the expedition, and a sum of , kroner ( , pounds sterling) was voted for repairs and necessary alterations. the provisions were chosen with the greatest care, and packed with every precaution. all groceries were soldered in tin boxes, and then enclosed in strong wooden cases. the packing of tinned provisions is of enormous importance to a polar expedition; it is impossible to give too much attention to this part of the supplies. any carelessness, any perfunctory packing on the part of the factory, will as a rule lead to scurvy. it is an interesting fact that on the four norwegian polar expeditions -- the three voyages of the fram and the gjöa's voyage -- not a single case of scurvy occurred. this is good evidence of the care with which these expeditions were provisioned. in this matter we owe a deep debt of gratitude above all to professor sophus torup, who has always been the supervising authority in the matter of provisioning, this time as well as on the former occasions. great praise is also due to the factories that supplied our tinned goods. by their excellent and conscientious work they deserved well of the expedition. in this case a part of the supplies was entrusted to a stavanger factory, which, in addition to the goods supplied to order, with great generosity placed at the disposal of the expedition provisions to the value of , kroner (£ ). the other half of the tinned foods required was ordered from a firm at moss. the manager of this firm undertook at the same time to prepare the necessary pemmican for men and dogs, and executed this commission in a way that i cannot sufficiently praise. thanks to this excellent preparation, the health both of men and dogs on the journey to the pole was always remarkably good. the pemmican we took was essentially different from that which former expeditions had used. previously the pemmican had contained nothing but the desired mixture of dried meat and lard; ours had, besides these, vegetables and oatmeal, an addition which greatly improves its flavour, and, as far as we could judge, makes it easier to digest. this kind of pemmican was first produced for the use of the norwegian army; it was intended to take the place of the "emergency ration." the experiment was not concluded at the time the expedition left, but it may be hoped that the result has proved satisfactory. a more stimulating, nourishing, and appetizing food, it would be impossible to find. but besides the pemmican for ourselves, that for our dogs was equally important, for they are just as liable to be attacked by scurvy as we men. the same care had therefore to be devoted to the preparation of their food. we obtained from moss two kinds of pemmican, one made with fish and the other with meat. both kinds contained, besides the dried fish (or meat) and lard, a certain proportion of dried milk and middlings. both kinds were equally excellent, and the dogs were always in splendid condition. the pemmican was divided into rations of pound . ounces, and could be served out to the dogs as it was. but before we should be able to use this pemmican we had a five months' voyage before us, and for this part of the expedition i had to look for a reliable supply of dried fish. this i found through the agent of the expedition at tromsö, mr. fritz zappfe. two well-known firms also placed large quantities of the best dried fish at my disposal. with all this excellent fish and some barrels of lard we succeeded in bringing our dogs through in the best of condition. one of the most important of our preparations was to find good dogs. as i have said, i had to act with decision and promptitude if i was to succeed in getting everything in order. the day after my decision was made, therefore, i was on my way to copenhagen, where the inspectors for greenland, messrs. daugaard-jensen and bentzen, were to be found at that moment. the director of the royal greenland trading company, mr. rydberg, showed, as before, the most friendly interest in my undertaking, and gave the inspectors a free hand. i then negotiated with these gentlemen, and they undertook to provide of the finest greenland dogs and to deliver them in norway in july, . the dog question was thus as good as solved, since the choice was placed in the most expert hands. i was personally acquainted with inspector daugaard-jensen from former dealings with him, and knew that whatever he undertook would be performed with the greatest conscientiousness. the administration of the royal greenland trading company gave permission for the dogs to be conveyed free of charge on board the hans egede and delivered at christiansand. before i proceed to our further equipment, i must say a few more words about the dogs. the greatest difference between scott's and my equipment lay undoubtedly in our choice of draught animals. we had heard that scott, relying on his own experience, and that of shackleton, had come to the conclusion that manchurian ponies were superior to dogs on the barrier. among those who were acquainted with the eskimo dog, i do not suppose i was the only one who was startled on first hearing this. afterwards, as i read the different narratives and was able to form an accurate opinion of the conditions of surface and going, my astonishment became even greater. although i had never seen this part of the antarctic regions, i was not long in forming an opinion diametrically opposed to that of shackleton and scott, for the conditions both of going and surface were precisely what one would desire for sledging with eskimo dogs, to judge from the descriptions of these explorers. if peary could make a record trip on the arctic ice with dogs, one ought, surely, with equally good tackle, to be able to beat peary's record on the splendidly even surface of the barrier. there must be some misunderstanding or other at the bottom of the englishmen's estimate of the eskimo dog's utility in the polar regions. can it be that the dog has not understood his master? or is it the master who has not understood his dog? the right footing must be established from the outset; the dog must understand that he has to obey in everything, and the master must know how to make himself respected. if obedience is once established, i am convinced that the dog will be superior to all other draught animals over these long distances. another very important reason for using the dog is that this small creature can much more easily cross the numerous slight snow-bridges that are not to be avoided on the barrier and on the glaciers. if a dog falls into a crevasse there is no great harm done; a tug at his harness and he is out again; but it is another matter with a pony. this comparatively large and heavy animal of course falls through far more easily, and if this happens, it is a long and stiff job to get the beast hauled up again -- unless, indeed, the traces have broken and the pony lies at the bottom of a crevasse , feet deep. and then there is the obvious advantage that dog can be fed on dog. one can reduce one's pack little by little, slaughtering the feebler ones and feeding the chosen with them. in this way they get fresh meat. our dogs lived on dog's flesh and pemmican the whole way, and this enabled them to do splendid work. and if we ourselves wanted a piece of fresh meat we could cut off a delicate little fillet; it tasted to us as good as the best beef. the dogs do not object at all; as long as they get their share they do not mind what part of their comrade's carcass it comes from. all that was left after one of these canine meals was the teeth of the victim -- and if it had been a really hard day, these also disappeared. if we take a step farther, from the barrier to the plateau, it would seem that every doubt of the dog's superiority must disappear. not only can one get the dogs up over the huge glaciers that lead to the plateau, but one can make full use of them the whole way. ponies, on the other hand, have to be left at the foot of the glacier, while the men themselves have the doubtful pleasure of acting as ponies. as i understand shackleton's account, there can be no question of hauling the ponies over the steep and crevassed glaciers. it must be rather hard to have to abandon one's motive power voluntarily when only a quarter of the distance has been covered. i for my part prefer to use it all the way. from the very beginning i saw that the first part of our expedition, from norway to the barrier, would be the most dangerous section. if we could only reach the barrier with our dogs safe and well, the future would be bright enough. fortunately all my comrades took the same view of the matter, and with their cooperation we succeeded not only in bringing the dogs safely to our field of operations, but in landing them in far better condition than when we received them. their number was also considerably increased on the way, which seems to be another proof of a flourishing state of things. to protect them against damp and heat we laid a loose deck of planed boards about inches above the fixed deck, an arrangement by which all the rain and spray ran underneath the dogs. in this way we kept them out of the water, which must always be running from side to side on the deck of a deep-laden vessel on her way to the antarctic ocean. going through the tropics this loose deck did double service. it always afforded a somewhat cool surface, as there was a fresh current of air between the two decks. the main deck, which was black with tar, would have been unbearably hot for the animals; the false deck was high, and kept fairly white during the whole voyage. we carried awnings in addition, chiefly on account of the dogs. these awnings could be stretched over the whole vessel and give the dogs constant protection from the burning sun. i still cannot help smiling when i think of the compassionate voices that were raised here and there -- and even made their way into print -- about the "cruelty to animals" on board the fram. presumably these cries came from tender-hearted individuals who themselves kept watch-dogs tied up. besides our four-footed companions, we took with us a two-footed one, not so much on account of the serious work in the polar regions as for pleasant entertainment on the way. this was our canary "fridtjof." it was one of the many presents made to the expedition, and not the least welcome of them. it began to sing as soon as it came on board, and has now kept it going on two circumnavigations through the most inhospitable waters of the earth. it probably holds the record as a polar traveller among its kind. later on we had a considerable collection of various families: pigs, fowls, sheep, cats, and -- rats. yes, unfortunately, we knew what it was to have rats on board, the most repulsive of all creatures, and the worst vermin i know of. but we have declared war against them, and off they shall go before the fram starts on her next voyage. we got them in buenos aires, and the best thing will be to bury them in their native land. on account of the rather straitened circumstances the expedition had to contend with, i had to look twice at every shilling before i spent it. articles of clothing are an important factor in a polar expedition, and i consider it necessary that the expedition should provide each of its members with the actual "polar clothing." if one left this part of the equipment to each individual, i am afraid things would look badly before the journey was done. i must admit that there was some temptation to do this. it would have been very much cheaper if i had simply given each man a list of what clothes he was required to provide for himself. but by so doing i should have missed the opportunity of personally supervising the quality of the clothing to the extent i desired. it was not an outfit that cut a dash by its appearance, but it was warm and strong. from the commissariat stores at horten i obtained many excellent articles. i owe captain pedersen, the present chief of the commissariat department, my heartiest thanks for the courtesy he always showed me when i came to get things out of him. through him i had about blankets served out to me. now, the reader must not imagine a bed and bedding, such as he may see exhibited in the windows of furniture shops, with thick, white blankets, so delicate that in spite of their thickness they look as if they might float away of their own accord, so light and fine do they appear. it was not blankets like these that captain pedersen gave us; we should not have known what to do with them if he had. the blankets the commissariat gave us were of an entirely different sort. as to their colour -- well, i can only call it indeterminable -- and they did not give one the impression that they would float away either, if one let go of them. no, they would keep on the ground right enough; they were felted and pressed together into a thick, hard mass. from the dawn of time they had served our brave warriors at sea, and it is by no means impossible that some of them had gruesome stories to tell of the days of tordenskjold. the first thing i did, on obtaining possession of these treasures, was to get them into the dyeing-vat. they were unrecognizable when i got them back -- in ultramarine blue, or whatever it was called. the metamorphosis was complete: their warlike past was wiped out. my intention was to have these two hundred blankets made into polar clothing, and i took counsel with myself how i might get this done. to disclose the origin of the stuff would be an unfortunate policy. no tailor in the world would make clothes out of old blankets, i was pretty sure of that. i had to hit upon some stratagem. i heard of a man who was a capable worker at his trade, and asked him to come and see me. my office looked exactly like a woollen warehouse, with blankets everywhere. the tailor arrived. "was that the stuff?" "yes, that was it. just imported from abroad. a great bargain. a lot of samples dirt cheap." i had put on my most innocent and unconcerned expression. i saw the tailor glance at me sideways; i suppose he thought the samples were rather large. "a closely woven stuff," said he, holding it up to the light. "i could almost swear it was 'felted.'" we went carefully through every single sample, and took the number. it was a long and tedious business, and i was glad when i saw that at last we were nearing the end. over in a corner there lay a few more; we had reached the one hundred and ninety-third, so there could not be many in the pile. i was occupied with something else, and the tailor went through the remainder by himself. i was just congratulating myself on the apparently fortunate result of the morning's work when i was startled by an exclamation from the man in the corner. it sounded like the bellow of a mad bull. alas! there stood the tailor enveloped in ultramarine, and swinging over his head a blanket, the couleur changeante of which left no doubt as to the origin of the "directly imported" goods. with a look of thunder the man quitted me, and i sank in black despair. i never saw him again. the fact was that in my hurry i had forgotten the sample blanket that captain pedersen had sent me. that was the cause of the catastrophe. well, i finally succeeded in getting the work executed, and it is certain that no expedition has ever had warmer and stronger clothing than this. it was in great favour on board. i also thought it best to provide good oilskins, and especially good sea-boots for every man. the sea-boots were therefore made to measure, and of the very best material. i had them made by the firm i have always regarded as the best in that branch. how, then, shall i describe our grief when, on the day we were to wear our beautiful sea-boots, we discovered that most of them were useless? some of the men could dance a hornpipe in theirs without taking the boots off the deck. others, by exerting all their strength, could not squeeze their foot through the narrow way and reach paradise. the leg was so narrow that even the most delicate little foot could not get through it, and to make up for this the foot of the boot was so huge that it could comfortably accommodate twice as much as its owner could show. very few were able to wear their boots. we tried changing, but that was no use; the boots were not made for any creatures of this planet. but sailors are sailors wherever they may be; it is not easy to beat them. most of them knew the proverb that one pair of boots that fit is better than ten pairs that you can't put on, and had brought their own with them. and so we got out of that difficulty. we took three sets of linen underclothing for every man, to wear in the warm regions. this part of the equipment was left to each individual; most men possess a few old shirts, and not much more is wanted through the tropics. for the cold regions there were two sets of extra thick woollen underclothing, two thick hand-knitted woollen jerseys, six pairs of knitted stockings, iceland and other lighter jackets, socks and stockings from the penitentiary. besides these we had a quantity of clothing from the army depots. i owe many thanks to general keilhau for the kind way in which he fell in with all my wishes. from this quarter we obtained outer clothing for both cold and warm climates, underclothes, boots, shoes, wind-clothing, and cloths of different kinds. as the last item of our personal equipment i may mention that each man had a suit of sealskin from greenland. then there were such things as darning-wool, sewing-yarn, needles of all possible sizes, buttons, scissors, tapes -- broad and narrow, black and white, blue and red. i may safely assert that nothing was forgotten; we were well and amply equipped in every way. another side of our preparations which claimed some attention was the fitting up of the quarters we were to inhabit, the saloons and cabins. what an immense difference it makes if one lives in comfortable surroundings. for my part, i can do twice the amount of work when i see tidiness and comfort around me. the saloons on the fram were very handsomely and tastefully fitted. here we owe, in the first place, our respectful thanks to king haakon and queen maud for the photographs they presented to us; they were the most precious of our gifts. the ladies of horten gave us a number of pretty things for decorating the cabins, and they will no doubt be glad to hear of the admiration they aroused wherever we went. "is this really a polar ship?" people asked; "we expected to see nothing but wooden benches and bare walls." and they began to talk about "boudoirs" and things of that sort. besides splendid embroideries, our walls were decorated with the most wonderful photographs; it would have rejoiced the giver of these to hear all the words of praise that have been bestowed upon them. the sleeping quarters i left to individual taste: every man could take a bit of his home in his own little compartment. the bedclothes came from the naval factory at horten; they were first-class work, like everything else that came from there. we owe our best thanks to the giver of the soft blankets that have so often been our joy and put warmth into us after a bitter day; they came from a woollen mill at trondhjem. i must also mention our paper-supply, which was in all respects as fine and elegant as it could possibly be: the most exquisite notepaper, stamped with a picture of the fram and the name of the expedition, in large and small size, broad and narrow, old style and new style -- every kind of notepaper, in fact. of pens and penholders, pencils, black and coloured, india-rubber, indian ink, drawing-pins and other kinds of pins, ink and ink-powder, white chalk and red chalk, gum arabic and other gums, date-holders and almanacs, ship's logs and private diaries, notebooks and sledging diaries, and many other things of the same sort, we have such a stock that we shall be able to circumnavigate the earth several times more before running short. this gift does honour to the firm which sent it; every time i have sent a letter or written in my diary, i have had a grateful thought for the givers. from one of the largest houses in christiania we had a complete set of kitchen utensils and breakfast and dinner services, all of the best kind. the cups, plates, knives, forks, spoons, jugs, glasses, etc., were all marked with the ship's name. we carried an extraordinarily copious library; presents of books were showered upon us in great quantities. i suppose the fram's library at the present moment contains at least , volumes. for our entertainment we also had a good many different games. one of these became our favourite pastime in leisure evenings down in the south. packs of cards we had by the dozen, and many of them have already been well used. a gramophone with a large supply of records was, i think, our best friend. of musical instruments we had a piano, a violin, a flute, mandolins, not forgetting a mouth-organ and an accordion. all the publishers had been kind enough to send us music, so that we could cultivate this art as much as we wished. christmas presents streamed in from all sides; i suppose we had about five hundred on board. christmas-trees and decorations for them, with many other things to amuse us at christmas, were sent with us by friends and acquaintances. people have indeed been kind to us, and i can assure the givers that all their presents have been, and are still, much appreciated. we were well supplied with wines and spirits, thanks to one of the largest firms of wine-merchants in christiania. an occasional glass of wine or a tot of spirits were things that we all, without exception, were very glad of. the question of alcohol on polar expeditions has often been discussed. personally, i regard alcohol, used in moderation, as a medicine in the polar regions -- i mean, of course, so long as one is in winter quarters. it is another matter on sledge journeys: there we all know from experience that alcohol must be banished -- not because a drink of spirits can do any harm, but on account of the weight and space. on sledging journeys one has, of course, to save weight as much as possible, and to take only what is strictly necessary; and i do not include alcohol under the head of strictly necessary things. nor was it only in winter quarters that we had use for alcohol, but also on the long, monotonous voyage through raw, cold, and stormy regions. a tot of spirits is often a very good thing when one goes below after a bitter watch on deck and is just turning in. a total abstainer will no doubt turn up his nose and ask whether a cup of good warm coffee would not do as well. for my part, i think the quantity of coffee people pour into themselves at such times is far more harmful than a little lysholmer snaps. and think of the important part a glass of wine or toddy plays in social gatherings on such a voyage. two men who have fallen out a little in the course of the week are reconciled at once by the scent of rum; the past is forgotten, and they start afresh in friendly co-operation. take alcohol away from these little festivities, and you will soon see the difference. it is a sad thing, someone will say, that men absolutely must have alcohol to put them in a good humour -- and i am quite ready to agree. but seeing that our nature is what it is, we must try to make the best of it. it seems as though we civilized human beings must have stimulating drinks, and that being so, we have to follow our own convictions. i am for a glass of toddy. let who will eat plum-cake and swill hot coffee -- heartburn and other troubles are often the result of this kind of refreshment. a little toddy doesn't hurt anybody. the consumption of alcohol on the fram's third voyage was as follows: one dram and fifteen drops at dinner on wednesdays and sundays, and a glass of toddy on saturday evenings. on holidays there was an additional allowance. we were all well supplied with tobacco and cigars from various firms at home and abroad. we had enough cigars to allow us one each on saturday evenings and after dinner on sundays. two christiania manufacturers sent us their finest bonbons and drops, and a foreign firm gave us "gala peter," so that it was no rare thing to see the polar explorers helping themselves to a sweetmeat or a piece of chocolate. an establishment at drammen gave us as much fruit syrup as we could drink, and if the giver only knew how many times we blessed the excellent product he supplied, i am sure he would be pleased. on the homeward march from the pole we looked forward every day to getting nearer to our supply of syrup. from three different firms in christiania we received all our requirements in the way of cheese, biscuits, tea, sugar, and coffee. the packing of the last-named was so efficient that, although the coffee was roasted, it is still as fresh and aromatic as the day it left the warehouse. another firm sent us soap enough for five years, and one uses a good deal of that commodity even on a polar voyage. a man in christiania had seen to the care of our skin, hair, and teeth, and it is not his fault if we have not delicate skins, abundant growth of hair, and teeth like pearls, for the outfit was certainly complete enough. an important item of the equipment is the medical department, and here my advisers were dr. jacob roll and dr. holth; therefore nothing was wanting. a chemist in christiania supplied all the necessary medicines as a contribution, carefully chosen, and beautifully arranged. unfortunately no doctor accompanied the expedition, so that i was obliged to take all the responsibility myself. lieutenant gjertsen, who had a pronounced aptitude both for drawing teeth and amputating legs, went through a "lightning course" at the hospital and the dental hospital. he clearly showed that much may be learnt in a short time by giving one's mind to it. with surprising rapidity and apparent confidence lieutenant gjertsen disposed of the most complicated cases -- whether invariably to the patient's advantage is another question, which i shall leave undecided. he drew teeth with a dexterity that strongly reminded one of the conjurer's art; one moment he showed an empty pair of forceps, the next there was a big molar in their grip. the yells one heard while the operation was in progress seemed to indicate that it was not entirely painless. a match factory gave us all the safety matches we wanted. they were packed so securely that we could quite well have towed the cases after us in the sea all the way, and found the matches perfectly dry on arrival. we had a quantity of ammunition and explosives. as the whole of the lower hold was full of petroleum, the fram had a rather dangerous cargo on board. we therefore took all possible precautions against fire; extinguishing apparatus was fitted in every cabin and wherever practicable, and pumps with hose were always in readiness on deck. the necessary ice-tools, such as saws from to metres long, ice-drills, etc., were not forgotten. we had a number of scientific instruments with us. professors nansen and helland-hansen had devoted many an hour to our oceanographical equipment, which was therefore a model of what such an equipment should be. lieutenants prestrud and gjertsen had both gone through the necessary course in oceanography under helland-hansen at the bergen biological station. i myself had spent a summer there, and taken part in one of the oceanographical courses. professor helland-hansen was a brilliant teacher; i am afraid i cannot assert that i was an equally brilliant pupil. professor mohn had given us a complete meteorological outfit. among the instruments belonging to the fram i may mention a pendulum apparatus, an excellent astronomical theodolite, and a sextant. lieutenant prestrud studied the use of the pendulum apparatus under professor schiotz and the use of the astronomical theodolite under professor geelmuyden. we had in addition several sextants and artificial horizons, both glass and mercury. we had binoculars of all sizes, from the largest to the smallest. so far i have been dealing with our general outfit, and shall now pass to the special equipment of the shore party. the hut we took out was built on my property on bundefjord, so that i was able to watch the work as it progressed. it was built by the brothers hans and jörgen stubberud, and was throughout a splendid piece of work, which did honour to both the brothers. the materials proved excellent in every way. the hut was feet long by feet wide; its height from the floor to the ridge of the roof was about feet. it was built as an ordinary norwegian house, with pointed gable, and had two rooms. one of these was / feet long, and was to serve as our dormitory, dining-room, and sitting-room; the other room was / feet long, and was to be lindström's kitchen. from the kitchen a double trap-door led to the loft, where we intended to keep a quantity of provisions and outfit. the walls consisted of -inch planks, with air space between; panels outside and inside, with air space between them and the plank walling. for insulation we used cellulose pulp. the floor and the ceiling between the rooms and the loft were double, while the upper roof was single. the doors were extraordinarily thick and strong, and fitted into oblique grooves, so that they closed very tightly. there were two windows -- a triple one in the end wall of the main room, and a double one in the kitchen. for the covering of the roof we took out roofing-paper, and for the floor linoleum. in the main room there were two air-pipes, one to admit fresh air, the other for the exhaust. there were bunks for ten men in two stages, six on one wall and four on the other. the furniture of the room consisted of a table, a stool for each man, and a lux lamp. one half of the kitchen was occupied by the range, the other by shelves and cooking utensils. the hut was tarred several times, and every part was carefully marked, so that it could easily be set up. to fasten it to the ground and prevent the antarctic storms from blowing it away i had strong eyebolts screwed into each end of the roof-ridge and the four corners of the roof; we carried six strong eyebolts, a metre long, to be rammed into the barrier; between these bolts and those on the hut, steel wires were to be stretched, which could be drawn quite tight. we also had two spare cables, which could be stretched over the roof if the gales were too severe. the two ventilating pipes and the chimney were secured outside with strong stays. as will be seen, every precaution was taken to make the hut warm and comfortable, and to hold it down on the ground. we also took on board a quantity of loose timber, boards and planks. besides the hut we took with us fifteen tents for sixteen men each. ten of these were old, but good; they were served out to us from the naval stores; the other five were new, and we bought them from the army depots. it was our intention to use the tents as temporary houses; they were easily and quickly set up, and were strong and warm. on the voyage to the south rönne sewed new floors of good, strong canvas to the five new tents. all cases of provisions that were intended for winter quarters were marked and stowed separately in the hold in such a way that they could be put out on to the ice at once. we had ten sledges made by a firm of sporting outfitters in christiania. they were built like the old nansen sledges, but rather broader, and were feet long. the runners were of the best american hickory, shod with steel. the other parts were of good, tough norwegian ash. to each sledge belonged a pair of spare runners, which could easily be fitted underneath by means of clamps, and as easily removed when not required. the steel shoeing of the runners was well coated with red lead, and the spare runners with tar. these sledges were extremely strongly built, and could stand all kinds of work on every sort of surface. at that time i did not know the conditions on the barrier as i afterwards came to know them. of course, these sledges were very heavy. we took twenty pairs of ski, all of the finest hickory; they were feet long, and proportionately narrow. i chose them of this length with a view to being able to cross the numerous cracks in the glaciers; the greater the surface over which the weight could be distributed, the better prospect we should have of slipping over the snow-bridges. we had forty ski-poles, with ebonite points. the ski-bindings were a combination of the huitfeldt and the höyer ellefsen bindings. we also had quantities of loose straps. we had six three-man tents, all made in the navy workshops. the workmanship could not have been better; they were the strongest and most practical tents that have ever been used. they were made of the closest canvas, with the floor in one piece. one man was sufficient to set up the tent in the stiffest breeze; i have come to the conclusion that the fewer poles a tent has, the easier it is to set up, which seems quite natural. these tents have only one pole. how often one reads in narratives of polar travel that it took such and such a time -- often hours -- to set up the tent, and then, when at last it was up, one lay expecting it to be blown down at any moment. there was no question of this with our tents. they were up in a twinkling, and stood against all kinds of wind; we could lie securely in our sleeping-bags, and let it blow. the arrangement of the door was on the usual sack principle, which is now recognized as the only serviceable one for the polar regions. the sack patent is quite simple, like all patents that are any good. you cut an opening in the tent of the size you wish; then you take a sack, which you leave open at both ends, and sew one end fast round the opening of the tent. the funnel formed by the open sack is then the entrance. when you have come in, you gather up the open end of the funnel or sack, and tie it together. not a particle of snow can get into a tent with the floor sewed on and an entrance of this kind, even in the worst storm. the cases for sledging provisions were made of fairly thin, tough ash, which came from the estate of palsgaard in jutland, and the material did all it promised. these cases were foot square and / inches high. they had only a little round opening on the top, closed with an aluminium lid, which fitted exactly like the lid of a milk-can. large lids weaken the cases, and i had therefore chosen this form. we did not have to throw off the lashing of the case to get the lid off, and this is a very great advantage; we could always get at it. a case with a large lid, covered by the lashing, gives constant trouble; the whole lashing has to be undone for every little thing one wants out of the case. this is not always convenient; if one is tired and slack, it may sometimes happen that one will put off till to-morrow what ought to be done to-day, especially when it is bitterly cold. the handier one's sledging outfit, the sooner one gets into the tent and to rest, and that is no small consideration on a long journey. our outfit of clothing was abundant and more complete, i suppose, than that of any former polar expedition. we may divide it into two classes, the outfit for specially low temperatures and that for more moderate temperatures. it must be remembered that no one had yet wintered on the barrier, so we had to be prepared for anything. in order to be able to grapple with any degree of cold, we were supplied with the richest assortment of reindeer-skin clothing; we had it specially thick, medium, and quite light. it took a long time to get these skin clothes prepared. first the reindeer-skins had to be bought in a raw state, and this was done for me by mr. zappfe at tromsö, karasjok, and kaatokeino. let me take the opportunity of thanking this man for the many and great services he has rendered me, not only during my preparations for the third voyage of the fram, but in the fitting out of the gjöa expedition as well. with his help i have succeeded in obtaining things that i should otherwise never have been able to get. he shrank from no amount of work, but went on till he had found what i wanted. this time he procured nearly two hundred and fifty good reindeer-skins, dressed by the lapps, and sent them to christiania. here i had great trouble in finding a man who could sew skins, but at last i found one. we then went to work to make clothes after the pattern of the netchelli eskimo, and the sewing went on early and late -- thick anoraks and thin ones, heavy breeches and light, winter stockings and summer stockings. we also had a dozen thin sleeping-bags, which i thought of using inside the big thick ones if the cold should be too severe. everything was finished, but not until the last moment. the outer sleeping-bags were made by mr. brandt, furrier, of bergen, and they were so excellent, both in material and making-up, that no one in the world could have done better; it was a model piece of work. to save this outer sleeping-bag, we had it provided with a cover of the lightest canvas, which was a good deal longer than the bag itself. it was easy to tie the end of the cover together like the mouth of the sack, and this kept the snow out of the bag during the day's march. in this way we always kept ourselves free from the annoyance of drifting snow. we attached great importance to having the bags made of the very best sort of skin, and took care that the thin skin of the belly was removed. i have seen sleeping-bags of the finest reindeer-skin spoilt in a comparatively short time if they contained a few patches of this thin skin, as of course the cold penetrates more easily through the thin skin, and gives rise to dampness in the form of rime on meeting the warmth of the body. these thin patches remain damp whenever one is in the bag, and in a short time they lose their hair. the damp spreads, like decay in wood, and continually attacks the surrounding skin, with the result that one fine day you find yourself with a hairless sleeping-bag. one cannot be too careful in the choice of skins. for the sake of economy, the makers of reindeer-skin sleeping-bags are in the habit of sewing them in such a way that the direction of the hair is towards the opening of the bag. of course this suits the shape of the skins best, but it does not suit the man who is going to use the bag. for it is no easy matter to crawl into a sleeping-bag which is only just wide enough to allow one to get in, and if the way of the hair is against one it is doubly difficult. i had them all made as one-man bags, with lacing round the neck; this did not, of course, meet with the approval of all, as will be seen later. the upper part of this thick sleeping-bag was made of thinner reindeer-skin, so that we might be able to tie it closely round the neck; the thick skin will not draw so well and fit so closely as the thin. our clothing in moderate temperatures consisted of thick woollen underclothing and burberry windproof overalls. this underclothing was specially designed for the purpose; i had myself watched the preparation of the material, and knew that it contained nothing but pure wool. we had overalls of two different materials: burberry "gabardine" and the ordinary green kind that is used in norway in the winter. for sledge journeys, where one has to save weight, and to work in loose, easy garments, i must unhesitatingly recommend burberry. it is extraordinarily light and strong, and keeps the wind completely out. for hard work i prefer the green kind. it keeps out the wind equally well, but is heavier and more bulky, and less comfortable to wear on a long march. our burberry wind-clothes were made in the form of anorak (blouse) and trousers, both very roomy. the others consisted of trousers and jacket with hood. our mits were for the most part such as one can buy in any shop; we wanted nothing else in and around winter quarters. outside the mits we wore an outer covering of windproof material, so as not to wear them out too quickly. these mits are not very strong, though they are good and warm. besides these, we had ten pairs of ordinary kid mits, which were bought at a glove-shop in christiania, and were practically impossible to wear out. i wore mine from framheim to the pole and back again, and afterwards on the voyage to tasmania. the lining, of course, was torn in places, but the seams of the mits were just as perfect as the day i bought them. taking into consideration the fact that i went on ski the whole way and used two poles, it will be understood that the mits were strongly made. we also had a number of woollen gloves, which, curiously enough, the others greatly prized. for myself, i was never able to wear such things; they simply freeze the fingers off me. but most important of all is the covering of the feet, for the feet are the most exposed members and the most difficult to protect. one can look after the hands; if they grow cold it is easy to beat them into warmth again. not so with the feet; they are covered up in the morning, and this is a sufficiently troublesome piece of work to make one disinclined to undo it again until one is turning in. they cannot be seen in the course of the day, and one has to depend entirely on feeling; but feeling in this case often plays curious tricks. how often has it happened that men have had their feet frozen off without knowing it! for if they had known it, they could not possibly have let it go so far. the fact is that in this case sensation is a somewhat doubtful guide, for the feet lose all sensation. it is true that there is a transitional stage, when one feels the cold smarting in one's toes, and tries to get rid of it by stamping the feet. as a rule this is successful; the warmth returns, or the circulation is restored; but it occasionally happens that sensation is lost at the very moment when these precautions are taken. and then one must be an old hand to know what has happened. many men conclude that, as they no longer feel the unpleasant smarting sensation, all is well; and at the evening inspection a frozen foot of tallow-like appearance presents itself. an event of this kind may ruin the most elaborately prepared enterprise, and it is therefore advisable in the matter of feet to carry one's caution to lengths which may seem ridiculous. now, it is a fact that if one can wear soft foot-gear exclusively the risk of frost-bite is far less than if one is compelled to wear stiff boots; in soft foot-gear, of course, the foot can move far more easily and keep warm. but we were to take ski and to get full use out of them, so that in any case we had to have a stiff sole for the sake of the bindings. it is of no use to have a good binding unless you can use it in the right way. in my opinion, on a long journey such as that we had before us, the ski must be perfectly steady. i do not know anything that tires me more than a bad fastening -- that is, one that allows the foot to shift in the binding. i want the ski to be a part of oneself, so that one always has full command of them. i have tried many patents, for i have always been afraid of a stiff fastening in cold temperatures; but all these patents, without exception, are worthless in the long-run. i decided this time to try a combination of stiff and soft foot-gear, so that we could use the splendid huitfeldt-höyer ellefsen bindings; but this was no easy matter. of our whole outfit nothing caused me more worry or gave us all more work in the course of the expedition than the stiff outer covering which we had to have; but we solved the problem at last. i applied to one of the leading makers of ski-boots in christiania, and explained the difficulty to him; fortunately i had found a man who was evidently interested in the question. we agreed that he should make a sample pair after the pattern of ski-boots. the sole was to be thick and stiff -- for we had to be prepared to use crampons -- but the uppers as soft as possible. in order to avoid leather, which usually becomes stiff and easily cracked in the cold, he was to use a combination of leather and thin canvas for the uppers -- leather nearest the sole, and canvas above it. the measurements were taken from my foot, which is not exactly a child's foot, with two pairs of reindeer-skin stockings on, and ten pairs were made. i well remember seeing these boots in civilized christiania. they were exhibited in the bootmaker's windows -- i used to go a long way round to avoid coming face to face with these monsters in public. we are all a trifle vain, and dislike having our own shortcomings shown up in electric light. if i had ever cherished any illusions on the subject of "a dainty little foot," i am sure the last trace of such vanity died out on the day i passed the shoemaker's window and beheld my own boots. i never went that way again until i was certain that the exhibition was closed. one thing is certain, that the boots were a fine piece of workmanship. we shall hear later on of the alterations they had to undergo before we at last made them as large as we wanted, for the giant boots turned out much too small! among other equipment i must mention our excellent primus cooking apparatus. this all came complete from a firm in stockholm. for cooking on sledge journeys the primus stove ranks above all others; it gives a great deal of heat, uses little oil, and requires no attention -- advantages which are important enough anywhere, but especially when sledging. there is never any trouble with this apparatus; it has come as near perfection as possible. we took five nansen cookers with us. this cooker utilizes the heat more completely than any other; but i have one objection to make to it -- it takes up space. we used it on our depot journeys, but were unfortunately obliged to give it up on the main southern journey. we were so many in a tent, and space was so limited, that i dared not risk using it. if one has room enough, it is ideal in my opinion. we had with us ten pairs of snow-shoes and one hundred sets of dog-harness of the alaska eskimo pattern. the alaska eskimo drive their dogs in tandem; the whole pull is thus straight ahead in the direction the sledge is going, and this is undoubtedly the best way of utilizing the power. i had made up my mind to adopt the same system in sledging on the barrier. another great advantage it had was that the dogs would pass singly across fissures, so that the danger of falling through was considerably reduced. the exertion of pulling is also less trying with alaska harness than with the greenland kind, as the alaska harness has a shallow, padded collar, which is slipped over the animal's head and makes the weight of the pull come on his shoulders, whereas the greenland harness presses on his chest. raw places, which occur rather frequently with the greenland harness, are almost entirely avoided with the other. all the sets of harness were made in the navy workshops, and after their long and hard use they are as good as ever. there could be no better recommendation than this. of instruments and apparatus for the sledge journeys we carried two sextants, three artificial horizons, of which two were glass horizons with dark glasses, and one a mercury horizon, and four spirit compasses, made in christiania. they were excellent little compasses, but unfortunately useless in cold weather -- that is to say, when the temperature went below - ° f.; at this point the liquid froze. i had drawn the maker's attention to this beforehand and asked him to use as pure a spirit as possible. what his object was i still do not know, but the spirit he employed was highly dilute. the best proof of this was that the liquid in our compasses froze before the spirits in a flask. we were naturally inconvenienced by this. besides these we had an ordinary little pocket-compass, two pairs of binoculars, one by zeiss and the other by goertz, and snow-goggles from dr. schanz. we had various kinds of glasses for these, so that we could change when we were tired of one colour. during the whole stay on the barrier i myself wore a pair of ordinary spectacles with yellow glasses of quite a light tint. these are prepared by a chemical process in such a way that they nullify the harmful colours in the sun's rays. how excellent these glasses are appears clearly enough from the fact that i never had the slightest touch of snow-blindness on the southern journey, although the spectacles were perfectly open and allowed the light to enter freely everywhere. it will perhaps be suggested that i am less susceptible to this ailment than others, but i know from personal experience that such is not the case. i have previously had several severe attacks of snow-blindness. we had two photographic cameras, an air thermometer, two aneroids with altitude scale to , feet, and two hypsometers. the hypsometer is only an instrument for determining the boiling-point, which gives one the height above the sea. the method is both simple and reliable. the medical stores for sledging were given by a london firm, and the way in which the things were packed speaks for the whole outfit. there is not a speck of rust on needles, scissors, knives, or anything else, although they have been exposed to much damp. our own medical outfit, which was bought in christiania, and according to the vendor's statement unusually well packed, became in a short time so damaged that the whole of it is now entirely spoilt. the sledging provisions must be mentioned briefly. i have already spoken of the pemmican. i have never considered it necessary to take a whole grocer's shop with me when sledging; the food should be simple and nourishing, and that is enough -- a rich and varied menu is for people who have no work to do. besides the pemmican, we had biscuits, milk-powder, and chocolate. the biscuits were a present from a well-known norwegian factory, and did all honour to their origin. they were specially baked for us, and were made of oatmeal with the addition of dried milk and a little sugar; they were extremely nourishing and pleasant to the taste. thanks to efficient packing, they kept fresh and crisp all the time. these biscuits formed a great part of our daily diet, and undoubtedly contributed in no small degree to the successful result. milk-powder is a comparatively new commodity with us, but it deserves to be better known. it came from the district of jæderen. neither heat nor cold, dryness nor wet, could hurt it; we had large quantities of it lying out in small, thin linen bags in every possible state of the weather: the powder was as good the last day as the first. we also took dried milk from a firm in wisconsin; this milk had an addition of malt and sugar, and was, in my opinion, excellent; it also kept good the whole time. the chocolate came from a world-renowned firm, and was beyond all praise. the whole supply was a very acceptable gift. we are bringing all the purveyors of our sledging provisions samples of their goods that have made the journey to the south pole and back, in gratitude for the kind assistance they afforded us. chapter iii on the way to the south the month of may, , ran its course, beautiful as only a spring month in norway can be -- a lovely dream of verdure and flowers. but unfortunately we had little time to admire all the splendour that surrounded us; our watchword was "away" -- away from beautiful sights, as quickly as possible. from the beginning of the month the fram lay moored to her buoy outside the old walls of akershus. fresh and trim she came from the yard at horten; you could see the shine on her new paint a long way off. involuntarily one thought of holidays and yachting tours at the sight of her; but the thought was soon banished. the first day after her arrival, the vessel's deck assumed the most everyday appearance that could be desired: the loading had begun. a long procession of cases of provisions made its way unceasingly from the basement of the historical museum down into the roomy hold of the fram, where lieutenant nilsen and the three nordlanders were ready to receive them. this process was not an altogether simple one; on the contrary, it was a very serious affair. it was not enough to know that all the cases were duly on board; the problem was to know exactly where each particular case was placed, and, at the same time, to stow them all in such a way that they could easily be got at in future. this was a difficult piece of work, and it was not rendered any more easy by the attention that had to be paid to the numerous hatches leading down into the lower hold, where the big petroleum tanks stood. all these hatches had to be left accessible, otherwise we should have been cut off from pumping the oil into the engine-room. however, nilsen and his assistants accomplished their task with brilliant success. among the hundreds of cases there was not one that was misplaced; not one that was stowed so that it could not instantly be brought into the light of day. while the provisioning was going on, the rest of the equipment was also being taken on board. each member of the expedition was busily engaged in looking after the needs of his own department in the best way possible. nor was this a question of trifles: one may cudgel one's brains endlessly in advance, but some new requirement will constantly be cropping up -- until one puts a full stop to it by casting off and sailing. this event was becoming imminent with the arrival of june. the day before leaving christiania we had the honour and pleasure of receiving a visit from the king and queen of norway on board the fram. having been informed beforehand of their majesties' coming, we endeavoured as far as possible to bring some order into the chaos that reigned on board. i do not know that we were particularly successful, but i am sure that every one of the fram's crew will always remember with respectful gratitude king haakon's cordial words of farewell. on the same occasion the expedition received from their majesties the gift of a beautiful silver jug, which afterwards formed the most handsome ornament of our table on every festive occasion. on june , early in the forenoon, the fram left christiania, bound at first for my home on bundefjord. the object of her call there was to take on board the house for the winter station, which stood ready built in the garden. our excellent carpenter jörgen stubberud had superintended the construction of this strong building. it was now rapidly taken to pieces, and every single plank and beam was carefully numbered. we had quite an imposing pile of materials to get aboard, where even before there was not much room to spare. the bulk of it was stowed forward, and the remainder in the hold. the more experienced among the members of the expedition were evidently absorbed in profound conjectures as to the meaning of this "observation house," as the newspapers had christened it. it may willingly be admitted that they had good reason for their speculations. by an observation house is usually meant a comparatively simple construction, sufficient to provide the necessary shelter from wind and weather. our house, on the other hand, was a model of solidity, with three double walls, double roof and floor. its arrangements included ten inviting bunks, a kitchener, and a table; the latter, moreover, had a brand-new american-cloth cover. "i can understand that they want to keep themselves warm when they're making observations," said helmer hanssen; "but what they want with a cloth on the table i can't make out." on the afternoon of june it was announced that everything was ready, and in the evening we all assembled at a simple farewell supper in the garden. i took the opportunity of wishing good luck to every man in turn, and finally we united in a "god preserve the king and fatherland!" then we broke up. the last man to get into the boat was the second in command; he arrived armed with a horseshoe. in his opinion it is quite incredible what luck an old horseshoe will bring. possibly he is right. anyhow, the horseshoe was firmly nailed to the mast in the fram's saloon, and there it still hangs. when on board, we promptly set to work to get up the anchor. the bolinder motor hummed, and the heavy cable rattled in through the hawse-hole. precisely at midnight the anchor let go of the bottom, and just as the seventh of june[ ], rolled in over us, the fram stood out of christiania fjord for the third time. twice already had a band of stout-hearted men brought this ship back with honour after years of service. would it be vouchsafed to us to uphold this honourable tradition? such were, no doubt, the thoughts with which most of us were occupied as our vessel glided over the motionless fjord in the light summer night. the start was made under the sign of the seventh of june, and this was taken as a promising omen; but among our bright and confident hopes there crept a shadow of melancholy. the hillsides, the woods, the fjord -- all were so bewitchingly fair and so dear to us. they called to us with their allurement, but the diesel motor knew no pity. its tuff-tuff went on brutally through the stillness. a little boat, in which were some of my nearest relations, dropped gradually astern. there was a glimpse of white handkerchiefs in the twilight, and then -- farewell! the next morning we were moored in the inner harbour at horten. an apparently innocent lighter came alongside at once, but the lighter's cargo was not quite so innocent as its appearance. it consisted of no less than half a ton of gun-cotton and rifle ammunition, a somewhat unpleasant, but none the less necessary, item of our equipment. besides taking on board the ammunition, we availed ourselves of the opportunity of completing our water-supply. when this was done, we lost no time in getting away. as we passed the warships lying in the harbour they manned ship, and the bands played the national anthem. outside vealös we had the pleasure of waving a last farewell to a man to whom the expedition will always owe a debt of gratitude, captain christian blom, superintendent of the dockyard, who had supervised the extensive repairs to the fram with unrelaxing interest and obligingness. he slipped past us in his sailing-boat; i do not remember if he got a cheer. if he did not, it was a mistake. now we were on our way to the south, as the heading of this chapter announces, though not yet in earnest. we had an additional task before us: the oceanographical cruise in the atlantic. this necessitated a considerable détour on the way. the scientific results of this cruise will be dealt with by specialists in due course; if it is briefly referred to here, this is chiefly for the sake of continuity. after consultation with professor nansen, the plan was to begin investigations in the region to the south of ireland, and thence to work our way westward as far as time and circumstances permitted. the work was to be resumed on the homeward voyage in the direction of the north of scotland. for various reasons this programme afterwards had to be considerably reduced. for the first few days after leaving norway we were favoured with the most splendid summer weather. the north sea was as calm as a millpond; the fram had little more motion than when she was lying in bundefjord. this was all the better for us, as we could hardly be said to be absolutely ready for sea when we passed færder, and came into the capricious skagerak. hard pressed as we had been for time, it had not been possible to lash and stow the last of our cargo as securely as was desirable; a stiff breeze at the mouth of the fjord would therefore have been rather inconvenient. as it was, everything was arranged admirably, but to do this we had to work night and day. i have been told that on former occasions sea-sickness made fearful ravages on board the fram, but from this trial we also had an easy escape. nearly all the members of the expedition were used to the sea, and the few who, perhaps, were not so entirely proof against it had a whole week of fine weather to get into training. so far as i know, not a single case occurred of this unpleasant and justly dreaded complaint. after passing the dogger bank we had a very welcome north-east breeze; with the help of the sails we could now increase the not very reckless speed that the motor was capable of accomplishing. before we sailed, the most contradictory accounts were current of the fram's sailing qualities. there were some who asserted that the ship could not be got through the water at all, while with equal force the contrary view was maintained -- that she was a notable fast sailer. as might be supposed, the truth as usual lay about half-way between these two extremes. the ship was no racer, nor was she an absolute log. we ran before the north-east wind towards the english channel at a speed of about seven knots, and with that we were satisfied for the time being. the important question for us was whether we should keep the favourable wind till we were well through the straits of dover, and, preferably, a good way down channel. our engine power was far too limited to make it of any use trying to go against the wind, and we should have been obliged in that case to have recourse to the sailing-ship's method -- beating. tacking in the english channel -- the busiest part of the world's seas -- is in itself no very pleasant work; for us it would be so much the worse, as it would greatly encroach on the time that could be devoted to oceanographical investigations. but the east wind held with praiseworthy steadiness. in the course of a few days we were through the channel, and about a week after leaving norway we were able to take the first oceanographical station at the point arranged according to the plan. hitherto everything had gone as smoothly as we could wish, but now, for a change, difficulties began to appear, first in the form of unfavourable weather when the north-wester begins to blow in the north atlantic, it is generally a good while before it drops again, and this time it did not belie its reputation. far from getting to the westward, we were threatened for a time with being driven on to the irish coast. it was not quite so bad as that, but we soon found ourselves obliged to shorten the route originally laid down very considerably. a contributing cause of this determination was the fact that the motor was out of order. whether it was the fault of the oil or a defect in the engine itself our engineer was not clear. it was therefore necessary to make for home in good time, in case of extensive repairs being required. in spite of these difficulties, we had a quite respectable collection of samples of water and temperatures at different depths before we set our course for norway at the beginning of july, with bergen as our destination. during the passage from the pentland firth we had a violent gale from the north, which gave us an opportunity of experiencing how the fram behaved in bad weather. the trial was by no means an easy one. it was blowing a gale, with a cross sea; we kept going practically under full sail, and had the satisfaction of seeing our ship make over nine knots. in the rather severe rolling the collar of the mast in the fore-cabin was loosened a little; this let the water in, and there was a slight flooding of lieutenant nilsen's cabin and mine. the others, whose berths were to port, were on the weather side, and kept dry. we came out of it all with the loss of a few boxes of cigars, which were wet through. they were not entirely lost for all that; rönne took charge of them, and regaled himself with salt and mouldy cigars for six months afterwards. going eight or nine knots an hour, we did not make much of the distance between scotland and norway. on the afternoon of saturday, july , the wind dropped, and at the same time the lookout reported land in sight. this was siggen on bömmelö. in the course of the night we came under the coast, and on sunday morning, july , we ran into sælbjömsfjord. we had no detailed chart of this inlet, but after making a great noise with our powerful air-siren, we at last roused the inmates of the pilot-station, and a pilot came aboard. he showed visible signs of surprise when he found out, by reading the name on the ship's side, that it was the fram he had before him. "lord, i thought you were a russian!" he exclaimed. this supposition was presumably intended to serve as a sort of excuse for his small hurry in coming on board. it was a lovely trip through the fjords to bergen, as warm and pleasant in here as it had been bitter and cold outside. we had a dead calm all day, and with the four knots an hour, which was all the motor could manage, it was late in the evening when we anchored off the naval dockyard in solheimsvik. our stay in bergen happened at the time of the exhibition, and the committee paid the expedition the compliment of giving all its members free passes. business of one kind and another compelled me to go to christiania, leaving the fram in charge of lieutenant nilsen. they had their hands more than full on board. diesel's firm in stockholm sent their experienced fitter, aspelund, who at once set to work to overhaul the motor thoroughly. the work that had to be done was executed gratis by the laxevaag engineering works. after going into the matter thoroughly, it was decided to change the solar oil we had on board for refined petroleum. through the courtesy of the west of norway petroleum company, we got this done on very favourable terms at the company's storage dock in skaalevik. this was troublesome work, but it paid in the future. the samples of water from our trip were taken to the biological station, where kutschin at once went to work with the filtering (determination of the proportion of chlorine). our german shipmate, the oceanographer schroer, left us at bergen. on july the fram left bergen, and arrived on the following day at christiansand, where i met her. here we again had a series of busy days. in one of the custom-house warehouses were piled a quantity of things that had to go on board: no less than bundles of dried fish, all our ski and sledging outfit, a waggon-load of timber, etc. at fredriksholm, out on flekkerö, we had found room for perhaps the most important of all -- the passengers, the ninety-seven eskimo dogs, which had arrived from greenland in the middle of july on the steamer hans egede. the ship had had a rather long and rough passage, and the dogs were not in very good condition on their arrival, but they had not been many days on the island under the supervision of hassel and lindström before they were again in full vigour. a plentiful supply of fresh meat worked wonders. the usually peaceful island, with the remains of the old fortress, resounded day by day, and sometimes at night, with the most glorious concerts of howling. these musical performances attracted a number of inquisitive visitors, who were anxious to submit the members of the chorus to a closer examination, and therefore, at certain times, the public were admitted to see the animals. it soon turned out that the majority of the dogs, far from being ferocious or shy, were, on the contrary, very appreciative of these visits. they sometimes came in for an extra tit-bit in the form of a sandwich or something of the sort. besides which, it was a little diversion in their life of captivity, so uncongenial to an arctic dog; for every one of them was securely chained up. this was necessary, especially to prevent fighting among themselves. it happened not infrequently that one or more of them got loose, but the two guardians were always ready to capture the runaways. one enterprising rascal started to swim over the sound to the nearest land -- the object of his expedition was undoubtedly certain unsuspecting sheep that were grazing by the shore -- but his swim was interrupted in time. after the fram's arrival wisting took over the position of dog-keeper in hassel's place. he and lindström stayed close to the island where the dogs were. wisting had a way of his own with his four-footed subjects, and was soon on a confidential footing with them. he also showed himself to be possessed of considerable veterinary skill -- an exceedingly useful qualification in this case, where there was often some injury or other to be attended to. as i have already mentioned, up to this time no member of the expedition, except lieutenant nilsen, knew anything of the extension of plan that had been made. therefore, amongst the things that came on board, and amongst the preparations that were made during our stay at christiansand, there must have been a great deal that appeared very strange to those who, for the present, were only looking forward to a voyage round cape horn to san francisco. what was the object of taking all these dogs on board and transporting them all that long way? and if it came to that, would any of them survive the voyage round the formidable promontory? besides, were there not dogs enough, and good dogs too, in alaska? why was the whole after-deck full of coal? what was the use of all these planks and boards? would it not have been much more convenient to take all that kind of goods on board in 'frisco? these and many similar questions began to pass from man to man; indeed, their very faces began to resemble notes of interrogation. not that anyone asked me -- far from it; it was the second in command who had to bear the brunt and answer as well as he could -- an extremely thankless and unpleasant task for a man who already had his hands more than full. in order to relieve his difficult situation, i resolved, shortly before leaving christiansand, to inform lieutenants prestrud and gjertsen of the true state of affairs. after having signed an undertaking of secrecy, they received full information of the intended dash to the south pole, and an explanation of the reasons for keeping the whole thing secret. when asked whether they wished to take part in the new plan, they both answered at once in the affirmative, and that settled it. there were now three men on board -- all the officers -- who were acquainted with the situation, and were thus in a position to parry troublesome questions and remove possible anxieties on the part of the uninitiated. two of the members of the expedition joined during the stay at christiansand -- hassel and lindström -- and one change was made: the engineer eliassen was discharged. it was no easy matter to find a man who possessed the qualifications for taking over the post of engineer to the fram. few, or perhaps no one, in norway could be expected to have much knowledge of motors of the size of ours. the only thing to be done was to go to the place where the engine was built -- to sweden. diesel's firm in stockholm helped us out of the difficulty; they sent us the man, and it afterwards turned out that he was the right man. knut sundbeck was his name. a chapter might be written on the good work that man did, and the quiet, unostentatious way in which he did it. from the very beginning he had assisted in the construction of the fram's motor, so that he knew his engine thoroughly. he treated it as his darling; therefore there was never anything the matter with it. it may truly be said that he did honour to his firm and the nation to which he belongs. meanwhile we were hard at work, getting ready to sail. we decided to leave before the middle of august -- the sooner the better. the fram had been in dry dock, where the hull was thoroughly coated with composition. heavily laden as the ship was, the false keel was a good deal injured by the severe pressure on the blocks, but with the help of a diver the damage was quickly made good. the many hundred bundles of dried fish were squeezed into the main hold, full as it was. all sledging and ski outfit was carefully stowed away, so as to be protected as far as possible from damp. these things had to be kept dry, otherwise they, would become warped and useless. bjaaland had charge of this outfit, and he knew how it should be treated. as is right and proper, when all the goods had been shipped, it was the turn of the passengers. the fram was anchored off fredriksholm, and the necessary preparations were immediately made for receiving our four-footed friends. under the expert direction of bjaaland and stubberud, as many as possible of the crew were set to work with axe and saw, and in the course of a few hours the fram had got a new deck. this consisted of loose pieces of decking, which could easily be raised and removed for flushing and cleaning. this false deck rested on three-inch planks nailed to the ship's deck; between the latter and the loose deck there was therefore a considerable space, the object of which was a double one -- namely, to let the water, which would unavoidably be shipped on such a voyage, run off rapidly, and to allow air to circulate, and thus keep the space below the animals as cool as possible. the arrangement afterwards proved very successful. the bulwarks on the fore-part of the fram's deck consisted of an iron railing covered with wire-netting. in order to provide both shade and shelter from the wind, a lining of boards was now put up along the inside of the railing, and chains were fastened in all possible and impossible places to tie the dogs up to. there could be no question of letting them go loose -- to begin with, at any rate; possibly, we might hope to be able to set them free later on, when they knew their masters better and were more familiar with their surroundings generally. late in the afternoon of august we were ready to receive our new shipmates, and they were conveyed across from the island in a big lighter, twenty at a time. wisting and lindström superintended the work of transport, and maintained order capitally. they had succeeded in gaining the dogs' confidence, and at the same time their complete respect -- just what was wanted, in fact. at the fram's gangway the dogs came in for an active and determined reception, and before they had recovered from their surprise and fright, they were securely fastened on deck and given to understand with all politeness that the best thing they could do for the time being was to accept the situation with calmness. the whole proceeding went so rapidly that in the course of a couple of hours we had all the ninety-seven dogs on board and had found room for them; but it must be added that the fram's deck was utilized to the utmost. we had thought we should be able to keep the bridge free, but this could not be done if we were to take them all with us. the last boat-load, fourteen in number, had to be accommodated there. all that was left was a little free space for the man at the wheel. as for the officer of the watch, it looked as if he would be badly off for elbow-room; there was reason to fear that he would be compelled to kill time by standing stock-still in one spot through the whole watch; but just then there was no time for small troubles of this sort. no sooner was the last dog on board than we set about putting all visitors ashore, and then the motor began working the windlass under the forecastle. "the anchor's up!" full speed ahead, and the voyage towards our goal, , miles away, was begun. quietly and unobserved we went out of the fjord at dusk; a few of our friends accompanied us out. after the pilot had left us outside flekkerö, it was not long before the darkness of the august evening hid the outlines of the country from our view; but oxö and ryvingen flashed their farewells to us all through the night. we had been lucky with wind and weather at the commencement of our atlantic cruise in the early summer; this time we were, if possible, even more favoured. it was perfectly calm when we sailed, and the north sea lay perfectly calm for several days after. what we had to do now was to become familiar with and used to, all these dogs, and this was enormously facilitated by the fact that for the first week we experienced nothing but fine weather. before we sailed there was no lack of all kinds of prophecies of the evil that would befall us with our dogs. we heard a number of these predictions; presumably a great many more were whispered about, but did not reach our ears. the unfortunate beasts were to fare terribly badly. the heat of the tropics would make short work of the greater part of them. if any were left, they would have but a miserable respite before being washed overboard or drowned in the seas that would come on deck in the west wind belt. to keep them alive with a few bits of dried fish was an impossibility, etc. as everyone knows, all these predictions were very far from being fulfilled; the exact opposite happened. since then i expect most of us who made the trip have been asked the question -- was not that voyage to the south an excessively wearisome and tedious business? didn't you get sick of all those dogs? how on earth did you manage to keep them alive? it goes without saying that a five months' voyage in such waters as we were navigating must necessarily present a good deal of monotony; how much will depend on what resources one has for providing occupation. in this respect we had in these very dogs just what was wanted. no doubt it was work that very often called for the exercise of patience; nevertheless, like any other work, it furnished diversion and amusement, and so much the more since we here had to deal with living creatures that had sense enough fully to appreciate and reciprocate in their own way any advance that was made to them. from the very first i tried in every way to insist upon the paramount importance to our whole enterprise of getting our draught animals successfully conveyed to our destination. if we had any watchword at this time it was: "dogs first, and dogs all the time." the result speaks best for the way in which this watchword was followed. the following was the arrangement we made: the dogs, who at first were always tied up on the same spot, were divided into parties of ten; to each party one or two keepers were assigned, with full responsibility for their animals and their treatment. for my own share i took the fourteen that lived on the bridge. feeding the animals was a manoeuvre that required the presence of all hands on deck; it therefore took place when the watch was changed. the arctic dog's greatest enjoyment in life is putting away his food; it may be safely asserted that the way to his heart lies through his dish of meat. we acted on this principle, and the result did not disappoint us. after the lapse of a few days the different squads were the best of friends with their respective keepers. as may be supposed, it was not altogether to the taste of the dogs to stand chained up all the time; their temperament is far too lively for that. we would gladly have allowed them the pleasure of running about and thus getting healthy exercise, but for the present we dared not run the risk of letting the whole pack loose. a little more education was required first. it was easy enough to win their affection; to provide them with a good education was of course a more difficult matter. it was quite touching to see their joy and gratitude when one gave up a little time to their entertainment. one's first meeting with them in the morning was specially cordial. their feelings were then apt to find vent in a chorus of joyful howls; this was called forth by the very sight of their masters, but they asked more than that. they were not satisfied until we had gone round, patting and talking to every one. if by chance one was so careless as to miss a dog, he at once showed the most unmistakable signs of disappointment. there can hardly be an animal that is capable of expressing its feelings to the same extent as the dog. joy, sorrow, gratitude, scruples of conscience, are all reflected as plainly as could be desired in his behaviour, and above all in his eyes. we human beings are apt to cherish the conviction that we have a monopoly of what is called a living soul; the eyes, it is said, are the mirror of this soul. that is all right enough; but now take a look at a dog's eyes, study them attentively. how often do we see something "human" in their expression, the same variations that we meet with in human eyes. this, at all events, is something that strikingly resembles "soul." we will leave the question open for those who are interested in its solution, and will here only mention another point, which seems to show that a dog is something more than a mere machine of flesh and blood -- his pronounced individuality. there were about a hundred dogs on board the fram. gradually, as we got to know each one of them by daily intercourse, they each revealed some characteristic trait, some peculiarity. hardly two of them were alike, either in disposition or in appearance. to an observant eye there was here ample opportunity for the most amusing exercise. if now and then one grew a little tired of one's fellow-men -- which, i must admit, seldom happened -- there was, as a rule, diversion to be found in the society of the animals. i say, as a rule; there were, of course, exceptions. it was not an unmixed pleasure having the whole deck full of dogs for all those months; our patience was severely tested many a time. but in spite of all the trouble and inconvenience to which the transport of the dogs necessarily gave rise, i am certainly right in saying that these months of sea voyage would have seemed far more monotonous and tedious if we had been without our passengers. during the first four or five days we had now been making our way towards the straits of dover, and the hope began to dawn within us that this time, as last, we should slip through without any great difficulty. there had been five days of absolute calm; why should it not last out the week? but it did not. as we passed the lightship at the western end of the goodwins the fine weather left us, and in its place came the south-west wind with rain, fog, and foul weather in its train. in the course of half an hour it became so thick that it was impossible to see more than two or three ship's lengths ahead; but if we could see nothing, we heard all the more. the ceaseless shrieks of many steam-whistles and sirens told us only too plainly what a crowd of vessels we were in. it was not exactly a pleasant situation; our excellent ship had many good points, but they did not prevent her being extraordinarily slow and awkward in turning. this is an element of great danger in these waters. it must be remembered that a possible accident -- whether our own fault or not -- would to us be absolutely fatal. we had so little time to spare that the resulting delay might ruin the whole enterprise. an ordinary trading vessel can take the risk; by careful manoeuvring a skipper can almost always keep out of the way. collisions are, as a rule, the result of rashness or carelessness on one side or the other. the rash one has to pay; the careful one may perhaps make money out of it. carefulness on our part was a matter of course; it would have been a poor consolation to us if another ship had had to pay for her carelessness. we could not take that risk; therefore, little as we liked doing so, we put into the downs and anchored there. right opposite to us we had the town of deal, then in the height of its season. the only amusement we had was to observe all these apparently unconcerned people, who passed their time in bathing, or walking about the white, inviting sands. they had no need to worry themselves much about what quarter the wind blew from. our only wish was that it would veer, or in any case drop. our communication with the land was limited to sending ashore telegrams and letters for home. by the next morning our patience was already quite exhausted, but not so with the south-wester. it kept going as steadily as ever, but it was clear weather, and therefore we decided at once to make an attempt to get to the west. there was nothing to be done but to have recourse to the ancient method of beating. we cleared one point, and then another, but more than that we could not manage for the time being. we took one bearing after another; no, there was no visible progress. off dungeness we had to anchor again, and once more console ourselves with the much-vaunted balm of patience. this time we escaped with passing the night there. the wind now thought fit to veer sufficiently to let us get out at daybreak, but it was still a contrary wind, and we had to beat almost all the way down the english channel. a whole week was spent in doing these three hundred miles; that was rather hard, considering the distance we had to go. i fancy most of us gave a good sigh of relief when at last we were clear of the scilly isles. the everlasting south-west wind was still blowing, but that did not matter so much now. the main thing was that we found ourselves in open sea with the whole atlantic before us. perhaps one must have sailed in the fram to be able fully to understand what a blessing it was to feel ourselves altogether clear of the surrounding land and the many sailing-ships in the channel -- to say nothing of constantly working the ship with a deck swarming with dogs. on our first voyage through the channel in june we had caught two or three carrier pigeons, which had come to rest in the rigging utterly tired out. on the approach of darkness we were able to get hold of them without difficulty. their numbers and marks were noted, and after they had been taken care of for a couple of days and had recovered their strength, we let them go. they circled once or twice round the mast-heads, and then made for the english coast. i think this episode led to our taking a few carrier pigeons with us when we left christiansand; lieutenant nilsen, as a former owner of pigeons, was to take charge of them. then a nice house was made for them, and the pigeons lived happily in their new abode on the top of the whale-boat amidships. now, in some way or other the second in command found out that the circulation of air in the pigeon-house was faulty; to remedy this defect, he one day set the door a little ajar. air certainly got into the house, but the pigeons came out. a joker, on discovering that the birds had flown, wrote up "to let" in big letters on the wall of the pigeon-house. the second in command was not in a very gentle frame of mind that day. as far as i know, this escape took place in the channel. the pigeons found their way home to norway. the bay of biscay has a bad name among seamen, and it fully deserves it; that tempestuous corner of the sea conceals for ever in its depths so many a stout ship and her crew. we for our part, however, had good hopes of escaping unharmed, considering the time of year, and our hopes were fulfilled. we had better luck than we dared to anticipate. our stubborn opponent, the south-west wind, got tired at last of trying to stop our progress; it was no use. we went slowly, it was true, but still we got along. of the meteorological lessons of our youth, we especially recalled at that moment the frequent northerly winds off the coast of portugal, and as a pleasant surprise we already had them far up in the bay. this was an agreeable change after all our close-hauled tacking in the channel. the north wind held almost as bravely as the south-west had done before, and at what was to our ideas quite a respectable rate, we went southward day after day towards the fine-weather zone, where we could be sure of a fair wind, and where a sailor's life is, as a rule, a pleasant one. for that matter, as far as seamanship was concerned, our work had gone on smoothly enough, even during these first difficult weeks. there were always willing and practised hands enough for what was wanted, even though the work to be done was frequently of a not very pleasant kind. take washing decks, for instance. every seaman will have something to say about what this is like on board ships that carry live animals, especially when these are carried on deck, in the way of all work that has to be done. i have always held the opinion that a polar ship ought not, any more than any other vessel, to be a wholesale establishment for dirt and filth, however many dogs there may be on board. on the contrary, i should say that on voyages of this kind it is more than ever vitally necessary to keep one's surroundings as clean and sweet as possible. the important thing is to get rid of anything that may have a demoralizing and depressing effect. the influence of uncleanliness in this way is so well known that it is needless to preach about it here. my views were shared by everyone on board the fram, and everything was done to act in accordance with them, in spite of what may be considered great difficulties. twice a day the whole deck was thoroughly washed down, besides all the extra turns at odd times with bucket and scrubber. at least once a week the whole of the loose deck was taken up, and each separate part of it thoroughly washed, until it was as clean as when it was laid down at christiansand. this was a labour that required great patience and perseverance on the part of those who had to perform it, but i never saw any shortcomings. "let's just see and get it clean," they said. at night, when it was not always easy to see what one was doing, it might often happen that one heard some more or less heated exclamations from those who had to handle coils of rope in working the ship. i need not hint more explicitly at the cause of them, if it is remembered that there were dogs lying about everywhere, who had eaten and drunk well in the course of the day. but after a time the oaths gave way to jokes. there is nothing in the world that custom does not help us to get over. it is the universal practice on board ship to divide the day and night into watches of four hours; the two watches into which the crew is divided relieve each other every four hours. but on vessels that sail to the arctic ocean, it is customary to have watches of six hours. we adopted the latter plan, which, on its being put to the vote, proved to have a compact majority in its favour. by this arrangement of watches we only had to turn out twice in the course of twenty-four hours, and the watch below had had a proper sleep whenever it turned out. if one has to eat, smoke, and perhaps chat a little during four hours' watch below, it does not leave much time for sleeping; and if there should be a call for all hands on deck, it means no sleep at all. to cope with the work of the engine-room, we had from the beginning the two engineers, sundbeck and nödtvedt; they took watch and watch, four hours each. when the motor was in use for a long time continuously, this was a rather severe duty, and on the whole it was just as well to have a man in reserve. i therefore decided to have a third man trained as reserve engineer. kristensen applied for this post, and it may be said in his praise that he accomplished the change remarkably well. thorough deck-hand as he was, there might have been reason to fear that he would repent of the transfer; but no, he quickly became life and soul an engineer. this did not prevent our seeing him on deck again many a time during the passage through the west wind belt, when there was need of a good man during a gale. the motor, which during the atlantic cruise had been a constant source of uneasiness and anxiety, regained our entire confidence under sundbeck's capable command; it hummed so that it was a pleasure to hear it. to judge from the sound of the engine-room, one would have thought the fram was moving through the water with the speed of a torpedo-boat. if this was not the case, the engine was not to blame; possibly, the screw had a share of it. the latter ought probably to have been somewhat larger, though experts are not agreed about this; in any case, there was something radically wrong with our propeller. whenever there was a little seaway, it was apt to work loose in the brasses. this disadvantage is of very common occurrence in vessels which have to be fitted with lifting propellers on account of the ice, and we did not escape it. the only remedy was to lift the whole propeller-frame and renew the brasses -- an extremely difficult work when it had to be done in the open sea and on as lively a ship as the fram. day by day we had the satisfaction of seeing how the dogs found themselves more and more at home on board. perhaps, even among ourselves, there were one or two who had felt some doubt at first of what the solution of the dog question would be, but in any case all such doubts were soon swept away. even at an early stage of the voyage we had every reason to hope that we should land our animals safe and sound. what we had to see to in the first place was to let them have as much and as good food as circumstances permitted. as already mentioned, we had provided ourselves with dried fish for their consumption. eskimo dogs do not suffer very greatly from daintiness, but an exclusive diet of dried fish would seem rather monotonous in the long-run, even to their appetites, and a certain addition of fatty substances was necessary, otherwise we should have some trouble with them. we had on board several great barrels of tallow or fat, but our store was not so large that we did not have to economize. in order to make the supply of fat last, and at the same time to induce our boarders to take as much dried fish as possible, we invented a mixture which was called by a sailor's term -- dænge. this must not be confused with "thrashing,"[ ] which was also served out liberally from time to time, but the dænge was more in demand. it consisted of a mixture of chopped-up fish, tallow, and maize-meal, all boiled together into a sort of porridge. this dish was served three times a week, and the dogs were simply mad for it. they very soon learned to keep count of the days when this mess was to be expected, and as soon as they heard the rattling of the tin dishes in which the separate portions were carried round, they set up such a noise that it was impossible to hear oneself speak. both the preparation and the serving out of this extra ration were at times rather troublesome, but it was well worth it. it is quite certain that our complement of dogs would have made a poor show on arrival at the bay of whales if we had shrunk from the trouble. the dried fish was not nearly so popular as the dænge, but to make up for that there was plenty of it. not that the dogs themselves ever thought they could have enough; indeed, they were always stealing from their neighbours, perhaps more for the sake of the sport than for anything else. in any case, as a sport it was extremely popular, and it took many a good hiding to get the rascals to understand that it could not be allowed. i am afraid, though, that they kept up their thieving even after they knew very well that it was wrong; the habit was too old to be corrected. another habit, and a very bad one, that these eskimo dogs have fallen into in the course of ages, and of which we tried to break them, at all events during the sea voyage, is their tendency to hold howling concerts. what the real meaning of these performances may be, whether they are a pastime, or an expression of gratification or the reverse, we could never decide to our satisfaction. they began suddenly and without warning. the whole pack might be lying perfectly still and quiet, when a single individual, who for that occasion had taken upon himself the part of leader of the chorus, would set up a long, blood-curdling yowl. if they were left to themselves, it was not long before the whole pack joined in, and this infernal din was kept going at full steam for two or three minutes. the only amusing thing about the entertainment was its conclusion. they all stopped short at the same instant, just as a well-trained chorus obeys the baton of its conductor. those of us, however, who happened to be in our bunks, found nothing at all amusing in these concerts, either in the finale or anything else, for they were calculated to tear the soundest sleeper from his slumbers. but if one only took care to stop the leader in his efforts the whole affair was nipped in the bud, and we usually succeeded in doing this. if there were some who at first were anxious about their night's rest, these fears were soon dispersed. on leaving norway we had ninety-seven dogs in all, and of these no less than ten were bitches. this fact justified us in expecting an increase of the canine population on our voyage to the south, and our expectations were very soon fulfilled. the first "happy event " occurred when we had been no more than three weeks at sea. an incident of this kind may seem in itself of no great importance; to us, living under conditions in which one day was almost exactly like another, it was more than enough to be an object of the greatest interest. therefore, when the report went round that "camilla" had got four shapely youngsters, there was general rejoicing. two of the pups, who happened to be of the male sex, were allowed to live; the females were sent out of this world long before their eyes were opened to its joys and sorrows. it might be thought that, seeing we had nearly a hundred grown-up dogs on board, there would be little opportunity for looking after puppies; that this was done, nevertheless, with all the care that could be wished, is due in the first instance to the touching affection of the second in command for the little ones. from the very first moment he was their avowed protector. gradually, as the numbers increased, there was a difficulty in finding room on the already well-occupied deck. "i'll take them in my bunk," said the second in command. it did not come to that, but if it had been necessary he would certainly have done so. the example was catching. later on, when the little chaps were weaned, and had begun to take other nourishment, one might see regularly, after every meal, one after another of the crew coming on deck with some carefully scraped-up bits of food on his plate; the little hungry mouths were to have what was left over. something more than patience and punctual performance of duty is displayed in such things as those of which i have been speaking; it is love of, and a living interest in, one's work. from what i saw and heard every day, i was certain that these necessary incentives were present; although, as far as most of the men were concerned, our object was still the protracted one of drifting for years in the arctic ice. the extension of the plan -- the far more imminent battle with the ice-floes of the south -- was still undreamt of by the majority of the ship's company. i considered it necessary to keep it to myself for a little while yet -- until our departure from the port we were now making for: funchal, madeira. it may possibly appear to many people that i was running a pretty big risk in thus putting off till the last moment the duty of informing my comrades of the very considerable détour we were to make. suppose some, or perhaps all, of them had objected! it must be admitted that it was a big risk, but there were so many risks that had to be taken at that time. however, as i got to know each man during these first few weeks of our long voyage, i soon arrived at the conviction that there was nobody on board the fram who would try to put difficulties in the way. on the contrary, i had more and more reason to hope that they would all receive the news with joy when they heard it; for then their whole prospect would be so different. everything had gone with surprising ease up to this time; in future it would go even better. it was not without a certain longing that i looked forward to our arrival at madeira: it would be grand to be able to speak out! no doubt the others who knew of the plan were equally eager. secrets are neither amusing nor easy to carry about -- least of all on board a ship, where one has to live at such close quarters as we had. we were chatting together every day, of course, and the uninitiated could not be deterred from leading the conversation round to the ugly difficulties that would embitter our lives and hinder our progress when rounding the horn. it was likely enough that we should manage to bring the dogs safely through the tropics once, but whether we should succeed in doing so twice was more doubtful; and so on to infinity. it is easier to imagine than to describe how awkward all this was, and how cunningly one had to choose one's words to avoid saying too much. among inexperienced men there would have been no great difficulty, but it must be remembered that on the fram pretty nearly every second man had spent years of his life in polar voyages: a single slight hint to them would have been enough to expose the whole plan. that neither those on board nor anyone else discovered it prematurely can only be explained by its being so obvious. our ship was a good deal too dependent on wind and weather to enable us to make any accurate estimate of the time our voyage would occupy, especially as regards those latitudes in which the winds are variable. the estimate for the whole voyage was based on an average speed of four knots, and at this very modest rate, as it may seem, we ought to arrive at the lce barrier about the middle of january, . as will be seen later, this was realized with remarkable exactness. for reaching madeira we had allowed a month as a reasonable time. we did a good deal better than this, as we were able to leave funchal a month to the day after our departure from christiansand. we were always ready to forgive the estimate when it was at fault in this way. the delay to which we had been subjected in the english channel was fortunately made up along the coast of spain and to the south of it. the north wind held until we were in the north-east trade, and then we were all right. on september our observations at noon told us that we might expect to see the lights that evening, and at p.m. the light of san lorenzo on the little island of fora, near madeira, was reported from the rigging. chapter iv from madeira to the barrier on the following morning we anchored in funchal roads. my brother was to arrive at funchal, by arrangement, early enough to be sure of preceding us there. it was, however, a good while before we saw anything of him, and we were already flattering ourselves that we had arrived first when he was suddenly observed in a boat coming under our stern. we were able to tell him that all was well on board, and he brought us a big packet of letters and newspapers that gave us news of home. a little officious gentleman, who said he was a doctor, and as such had come in an official capacity to inquire as to the state of our health, was in an amazing hurry to leave the ship again when, at the top of the gangway, he found himself confronted with a score of dogs' jaws, which at the moment were opened wide on account of the heat. the learned man's interest in our health had suddenly vanished; his thoughts flew to the safety of his own life and limbs. as funchal was the last place where we could communicate with the outside world, arrangements were made for completing our supplies in every possible way, and in particular we had to take on board all the fresh water we could. the consumption of this commodity would be very large, and the possibility of running short had to be avoided at any price. for the time being we could do no more than fill all our tanks and every imaginable receptacle with the precious fluid, and this was done. we took about , gallons in the long-boat that was carried just above the main hatch. this was rather a risky experiment, which might have had awkward consequences in the event of the vessel rolling; but we consoled ourselves with the hope of fine weather and a smooth sea during the next few weeks. during the stay at funchal the dogs had two good meals of fresh meat as a very welcome variety in their diet; a fair-sized carcass of a horse disappeared with impressive rapidity at each of these banquets. for our own use we naturally took a plentiful supply of vegetables and fruits, which were here to be had in abundance; it was the last opportunity we should have of regaling ourselves with such luxuries. our stay at funchal was somewhat longer than was intended at first, as the engineers found it necessary to take up the propeller and examine the brasses. this work would occupy two days, and while the three mechanics were toiling in the heat, the rest of the ship's company took the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the town and its surroundings; the crew had a day's leave, half at a time. an excursion was arranged to one of the numerous hotels that are situated on the heights about the town. the ascent is easily made by means of a funicular railway, and in the course of the half-hour it takes to reach the top one is able to get an idea of the luxuriant fertility of the island. at the hotels one finds a good cuisine, and, of course, still better wine. it is scarcely necessary to add that we did full justice to both. for the descent a more primitive means of transport was employed: we came down on sledges. it may be startling to hear of sledging in madeira, but i must explain that the sledges had wooden runners, and that the road was paved with a black stone that was very smooth. we went at a creditable pace down the steep inclines, each sledge being drawn or pushed by three or four swarthy natives, who seemed to be possessed of first-rate legs and lungs. it may be mentioned as a curiosity that the newspapers of funchal did not hesitate to connect our expedition with the south pole. the native journalists had no idea of the value of the startling piece of news they were circulating. it was a canard invented on the supposition that when a polar ship steers to the south, she must, of course, be making for the south pole. in this case the canard happened to be true. fortunately for us, it did not fly beyond the shores of madeira. by the afternoon of september we could begin to make our preparations for departure. the engineers had replaced the propeller and tested it; all supplies were on board, and the chronometers had been checked. all that remained was to get rid of the importunate bumboat -- men who swarmed round the vessel in their little craft, each looking like a small floating shop. these obtrusive fellows were quickly sent off down the gangway: besides ourselves only my brother was left on board. now that we were thus completely isolated from the outer world, the long-expected moment had arrived when i could proceed to inform all my comrades of my decision, now a year old, to make for the south. i believe all who were on board will long remember that sultry afternoon in funchal roads. all hands were called on deck: what they thought of i do not know, but it was hardly antarctica and the south pole. lieutenant nilsen carried a big rolled-up chart; i could see that this chart was the object of many interrogative glances. not many words were needed before everyone could see where the wind lay, and what course we should steer henceforward. the second in command unrolled his big chart of the southern hemisphere, and i briefly explained the extended plan, as well as my reasons for keeping it secret until this time. now and again i had to glance at their faces. at first, as might be expected, they showed the most unmistakable signs of surprise; but this expression swiftly changed, and before i had finished they were all bright with smiles. i was now sure of the answer i should get when i finally asked each man whether he was willing to go on, and as the names were called, every single man had his "yes" ready. although, as i have said, i had expected it to turn out as it did, it is difficult to express the joy i felt at seeing how promptly my comrades placed themselves at my service on this momentous occasion. it appeared, however, that i was not the only one who was pleased. there was so much life and good spirits on board that evening that one would have thought the work was successfully accomplished instead of being hardly begun. for the present, however, there was not much time to spare for discussing the news. we had first to see about getting away; afterwards there would be many months before us. two hours' grace was allowed, in which every man could write to his people at home about what had just passed. the letters were probably not very long ones; at all events, they were soon finished. the mail was handed over to my brother to take to christiania, from whence the letters were sent to their respective destinations; but this did not take place until after the alteration of our plans had been published in the press. it had been easy enough to tell my comrades the news, and they could not have given it a better reception; it was another question what people at home would say when the intelligence reached their ears. we afterwards heard that both favourable and unfavourable opinions were expressed. for the moment we could not trouble ourselves very greatly with that side of the matter; my brother had undertaken to announce the way we had taken, and i cannot say that i envied him the task. after we had all given him a final hearty shake of the hand he left us, and thereby our communication with the busy world was broken off. we were left to our own resources. no one can say that the situation oppressed us greatly. our long voyage was entered upon as though it were a dance; there was not a trace of the more or less melancholy feeling that usually accompanies any parting. the men joked and laughed, while witticisms, both good and bad, were bandied about on the subject of our original situation. the anchor came up more quickly than usual, and after the motor had helped us to escape from the oppressive heat of the harbour, we had the satisfaction of seeing every sail filled with the fresh and cooling north-east trade. the dogs, who must have found the stay at funchal rather too warm for their taste, expressed their delight at the welcome breeze by getting up a concert. we felt we could not grudge them the pleasure this time. it was pure enjoyment to come on deck the morning after leaving madeira; there was an added note of friendliness in every man's "good-morning," and a smile twinkled in the corner of every eye. the entirely new turn things had taken, and the sudden change to fresh fields for thought and imagination, acted as a beneficent stimulus to those who, the day before, had contemplated a trip round the horn. i think what chiefly amused them was their failure to smell a rat before. "how could i have been such an ass as not to think of it long ago?" said beck, as he sent a nearly new quid into the sea. "of course, it was as plain as a pikestaff. here we are with all these dogs, this fine 'observation house,' with its big kitchen-range and shiny cloth on the table, and everything else. any fool might have seen what it meant." i consoled him with the remark that it is always easy to be wise after the event, and that i thought it very lucky no one had discovered our destination prematurely. those of us who had been obliged hitherto to keep to themselves what they knew, and to resort to all kinds of stratagems to avoid making any disclosure, were certainly no less pleased at being rid of the secret; now they could talk freely to their heart's content. if we had previously had to resort to mystification, there was now nothing to prevent our laying our cards on the table. so many a conversation had come to a standstill because those who had a number of questions to ask did not dare to put them, and those who could have told held their tongues. hereafter it would be a very long time before we were at a loss for subjects of conversation; a theme had suddenly presented itself, so varied and comprehensive that it was difficult at first to know where to begin. there were many men on board the fram with a wealth of experience gained during years spent within the arctic circle, but to almost all of us the great antarctic continent was a terra incognita. i myself was the only man on board who had seen antarctica; perhaps one or two of my companions had in former days passed in the vicinity of an antarctic iceberg on a voyage round cape horn, but that was all. what had previously been accomplished in the way of exploration in the south, and the narratives of the men who had endeavoured to extend our knowledge of that inhospitable continent, were also things that very few of the ship's company had had time or opportunity to study, nor had they perhaps had any reason to do so. now there was every possible reason. i considered it an imperative necessity that every man should acquaint himself as far as possible with the work of previous expeditions; this was the only way of becoming in some measure familiar with the conditions in which we should have to work. for this reason the fram carried a whole library of antarctic literature, containing everything that has been written by the long succession of explorers in these regions, from james cook and james clark ross to captain scott and sir ernest shackleton. and, indeed, good use was made of this library. the works of the two last-named explorers were in chief request; they were read from cover to cover by all who could do so, and, well written and excellently illustrated as these narratives are, they were highly instructive. but if ample time was thus devoted to the theoretical study of our problem, the practical preparations were not neglected. as soon as we were in the trade-winds, where the virtually constant direction and force of the wind permitted a reduction of the watch on deck, the various specialists went to work to put our extensive wintering outfit in the best possible order. it is true that every precaution had been taken beforehand to have every part of the equipment as good and as well adapted to its purpose as possible, but the whole of it, nevertheless, required a thorough overhauling. with so complicated an outfit as ours was, one is never really at the end of one's work; it will always be found that some improvement or other can be made. it will appear later that we had our hands more than full of the preparations for the sledge journey, not only during the long sea voyage, but also during the still longer antarctic winter. our sailmaker, rönne, was transformed into a -- well, let us call it tailor. rönne's pride was a sewing-machine, which he had obtained from the yard at horten after considerable use of his persuasive tongue. his greatest sorrow on the voyage was that, on arriving at the barrier, he would be obliged to hand over his treasure to the shore party. he could not understand what we wanted with a sewing-machine at framheim. the first thing he did when the fram reached buenos aires was to explain to the local representative of the singer sewing machine company how absolutely necessary it was to have his loss made good. his gift of persuasion helped him again, and he got a new machine. for that matter, it was not surprising that rönne was fond of his machine. he could use it for all sorts of things -- sailmaker's, shoemaker's, saddler's, and tailor's work was all turned out with equal celerity. he established his workshop in the chart-house, and there the machine hummed incessantly through the tropics, the west wind belt, and the ice-floes too; for, quick as our sailmaker was with his fingers, the orders poured in even more quickly. rönne was one of those men whose ambition it is to get as much work as possible done in the shortest possible time, and with increasing astonishment he saw that here he would never be finished; he might go at it as hard as he liked -- there was always something more. to reckon up all that he delivered from his workshop during these months would take us too long; it is enough to say that all the work was remarkably well done, and executed with admirable rapidity. perhaps one of the things he personally prided himself most on having made was the little three-man tent which was afterwards left at the south pole. it was a little masterpiece of a tent, made of thin silk, which, when folded together, would easily have gone into a fair-sized pocket, and weighed hardly a kilogram. at this time we could not count with certainty on the possibility of all those who made the southern journey reaching latitude °. on the contrary, we had to be prepared for the probability of some of the party being obliged to turn back. it was intended that we should use the tent in question, in case it might be decided to let two or three men make the final dash, and therefore it was made as small and light as possible. fortunately we had no need to use it, as every man reached the goal; and we then found that the best way of disposing of rönne's work of art was to let it stay there as a mark. our sailmaker had no dogs of his own to look after; he had no time for that. on the other hand, he often assisted me in attending to my fourteen friends up on the bridge; but he seemed to have some difficulty in getting on terms of familiarity with the dogs and all that belonged to them. it did not quite agree with his idea of life on board ship to have a deck swarming with dogs. he regarded this abnormal state of things with a sort of scornful compassion. "so you carry dogs, too, aboard this ship," he would say, every time he came on deck and found himself face to face with the "brutes." the poor brutes, i am sure, made no attempt to attack rönne's person more than anyone else's, but he seemed for a long time to have great doubts about it. i don't think he felt perfectly safe until the dogs had been muzzled. a part of our equipment to which we gave special care was, of course, the ski; in all probability they would be our chief weapon in the coming fight. however much we might have to learn from scott's and shackleton's narratives, it was difficult for us to understand their statements that the use of ski on the barrier was not a success. from the descriptions that were given of the nature of the surface and the general conditions, we were forced to the opposite conclusion, that ski were the only means to employ. nothing was spared to provide a good skiing outfit, and we had an experienced man in charge of it -- olav bjaaland. it is sufficient to mention his name. when, on leaving norway, it was a question of finding a good place for our twenty pairs of ski, we found we should have to share our own quarters with them; they were all disposed under the ceiling of the fore-cabin. at any rate, we had no better place to put them. bjaaland, who during the last month or two had tried his hand at the unaccustomed work of a seaman, went back to his old trade of ski-maker and carpenter when we came into the trade-winds. both ski and bindings were delivered ready for use by hagen and co., of christiania; it remained to adapt them, and fit the backstraps to each man's boots, so that all might be ready for use on arrival at the barrier. a full skiing outfit had been provided for every man, so that those who were to be left on board might also have a run now and then during their stay at the ice edge. for each of our ten sledges, bjaaland made during the voyage a pair of loose runners, which it was intended to use in the same way as the eskimo use theirs. these primitive people have -- or, at all events, had -- no material that was suited for shoeing sledge-runners. they get over the difficulty by covering the runners with a coating of ice. no doubt it requires a great deal of practice and patience to put on this kind of shoeing properly, but when it is once on there can be no question that this device throws all others into the shade. as i say, we had intended to try this on the barrier; we found, however, that the pulling power of our teams was so good as to allow us to retain our steel-shod runners with an easy conscience. for the first fourteen days after leaving madeira the north-east trade was fresh enough to enable us to keep up our average rate, or a little more, with the help of the sails alone. the engine was therefore allowed a rest, and the engineers had an opportunity of cleaning and polishing it; this they did early and late, till it seemed as if they could never get it bright enough. nödtvedt now had a chance of devoting himself to the occupation which is his delight in this world -- that of the blacksmith; and, indeed, there was opportunity enough for his use of the hammer and anvil. if rönne had plenty of sewing, nödtvedt had no less forging -- sledge-fittings, knives, pickaxes, bars and bolts, patent hooks by the hundred for dogs, chains, and so on to infinity. the clang and sparks of the anvil were going all day long till we were well into the indian ocean. and in the westerly belt the blacksmith's lot was not an enviable one; it is not always easy to hit the nail on the head when one's feet rest on so unstable a foundation as the fram's deck, nor is it altogether pleasant when the forge is filled with water several times a day. while we were fitting out for the voyage, the cry was constantly raised in certain quarters at home that the old fram's hull was in a shocking state. it was said to be in bad repair, to leak like a sieve -- in fact, to be altogether rotten. it throws a curious light on these reports when we look at the voyages that the fram has accomplished in the last two years. for twenty months out of twenty-four she has kept going in open sea, and that, too, in waters which make very serious demands on a vessel's strength. she is just as good as when she sailed, and could easily do it all over again without any repairs. we who were on board all knew perfectly well before we sailed how groundless and foolish these cries about her "rottenness" were; we knew, too, that there is scarcely a wooden ship afloat on which it is not necessary to use the pumps now and then. when the engine was stopped, we found it was sufficient to take a ten minutes' turn at the hand-pump every morning; that was all the "leaking" amounted to. oh no! there was nothing wrong with the fram's hull. on the other hand, there might be a word or two to say about the rigging; if this was not all it should have been, the fault lay entirely with the plaguy considerations of our budget. on the foremast we had two squaresails; there ought to have been four. on the jib-boom there were two staysails; there was room enough for three, but the money would not run to it. in the trades we tried to make up for the deficiency by rigging a studding-sail alongside the foresail and a sky-sail above the topsail. i will not assert that these improvised sails contributed to improve the vessel's appearance, but they got her along, and that is a great deal more important. we made very fair progress southward during these september days, and before the month was half over we had come a good way into the tropical belt. no particularly tropical heat was felt, at any rate by us men; and as a rule the heat is not severely felt on board ship in open sea so long as the vessel is moving. on a sailing-ship, lying becalmed with the sun in the zenith, it might be warmer than one would wish; but in case of calms we had the engine to help us, so that there was always a little breeze -- that is, on deck. down below it was worse; sometimes "hoggishly mild," as beck used to put it. our otherwise comfortable cabins had one fault; there were no portholes in the ship's side, and therefore we could not get a draught; but most of us managed without shifting our quarters. of the two saloons, the fore-saloon was decidedly preferable in warm weather; in a cold climate probably the reverse would be the case. we were able to secure a thorough draught of air forward through the alleyway leading to the forecastle; it was difficult to get a good circulation aft, where they also had the warm proximity of the engine. the engineers, of course, had the hottest place, but the ever-inventive sundbeck devised a means of improving the ventilation of the engine-room, so that even there they were not so badly off under the circumstances. one often hears it asked, which is to be preferred, severe heat or severe cold? it is not easy to give a definite answer; neither of the two is pleasant, and it must remain a matter of taste which is least so. on board ship no doubt most people will vote for heat, as, even if the days are rather distressing, one has the glorious nights to make up for them. a bitterly cold day is poorly compensated for by an even colder night. one decided advantage of a warm climate for men who have to be frequently in and out of their clothes and their bunks is the simplicity of costume which it allows. when you wear hardly anything it takes a very short time to dress. if we had been able to take the opinion of our dogs on their existence in the tropics, they would probably have answered as one dog: "thanks, let us get back to rather cooler surroundings." their coats were not exactly calculated for a temperature of ° in the shade, and the worst of it was that they could not change them. it is, by the way, a misunderstanding to suppose that these animals absolutely must have hard frost to be comfortable; on the contrary, they prefer to be nice and warm. here in the tropics of course they had rather too much of a good thing, but they did not suffer from the heat. by stretching awnings over the whole ship we contrived that they should all be constantly in the shade, and so long as they were not directly exposed to the sun's rays, there was no fear of anything going wrong. how well they came through it appears best from the fact that not one of them was on the sick-list on account of the heat. during the whole voyage only two deaths occurred from sickness -- one was the case of a bitch that died after giving birth to eight pups -- which might just as easily have caused her death under other conditions. what was the cause of death in the other case we were unable to find out; at any rate, it was not an infectious disease. one of our greatest fears was the possibility of an epidemic among the dogs, but thanks to the care with which they had been picked, there was never a sign of anything of the sort. in the neighbourhood of the equator, between the north-east and the south-east trades, lies what is called the "belt of calms." the position and extent of this belt vary somewhat with the season. if you are extremely lucky, it may happen that one trade-wind will practically take you over into the other; but, as a rule, this region will cause quite a serious delay to sailing-ships; either there are frequent calms, or shifting and unsteady winds. we arrived there at an unfavourable time of the year and lost the north-east trade as early as ten degrees north of the line. if we had had the calms we looked for, we could have got across with the help of the engine in a reasonably short time, but we saw very little sign of calms. as a rule, there was an obstinate south wind blowing, and it would not have taken very much of it to make the last few degrees of north latitude stiffer than we cared for. the delay was annoying enough, but we had another disappointment of a more serious kind, for, curiously enough, we never had a proper shower of rain. generally in these latitudes one encounters extremely heavy downpours, which make it possible to collect water by the barrelful in a very short space of time. we had hoped in this way to increase our store of fresh water, which was not so large but that extreme economy had to be practised if we were to avoid running short. however, this hope failed us, practically speaking. we managed to catch a little water, but it was altogether insufficient, and the husbanding of our supply had to be enforced in future with authority. the dogs required their daily ration, and they got it -- measured out to a hair's-breadth. our own consumption was limited to what was strictly necessary; soups were banished from the bill of fare, they used too much of the precious fluid; washing in fresh water was forbidden. it must not be supposed from this that we had no opportunity of washing. we had a plentiful supply of soap, which lathered just as well in salt water as in fresh, and was thus capable of keeping ourselves and our clothes as clean as before. if for a time we had felt a certain anxiety about our water-supply, these fears were banished comparatively quickly, as the reserve we had taken in the long-boat on deck lasted an incredibly long time, almost twice as long as we had dared to hope, and this saved the situation, or very nearly so. if the worst came to the worst, we should be obliged to call at one of the numerous groups of islands that would lie in our route later on. for over six weeks the dogs had now been chained up in the places assigned to them when they came on board. in the course of that time most of them had become so tame and tractable that we thought we might soon let them loose. this would be a welcome change for them, and, what was more important, it would give them an opportunity for exercise. to tell the truth, we also expected some amusement from it; there would certainly be a proper shindy when all this pack got loose. but before we gave them their liberty we were obliged to disarm them, otherwise the inevitable free fight would be liable to result in one or more of them being left on the battle-field, and we could not afford that. every one of them was provided with a strong muzzle; then we let them loose and waited to see what would happen. at first nothing at all happened; it looked as if they had abandoned once for all the thought of ever moving from the spot they had occupied so long at last a solitary individual had the bright idea of attempting a walk along the deck. but he should not have done so; it was dangerous to move about here. the unaccustomed sight of a loose dog at once aroused his nearest neighbours. a dozen of them flung themselves upon the unfortunate animal who had been the first to leave his place, rejoicing in the thought of planting their teeth in his sinful body. but to their disappointment the enjoyment was not so great as they expected. the confounded strap round their jaws made it impossible to get hold of the skin; the utmost they could do was to pull a few tufts of hair out of the object of their violent onslaught. this affair of outposts gave the signal for a general engagement all along the line. what an unholy row there was for the next couple of hours! the hair flew, but skins remained intact. the muzzles saved a good many lives that afternoon. these fights are the chief amusement of the eskimo dogs; they follow the sport with genuine passion. there would be no great objection to it if they had not the peculiar habit of always combining to set upon a single dog, who is chosen as their victim for the occasion; they all make for this one, and if they are left to themselves they will not stop until they have made an end of the poor beast. in this way a valuable dog may be destroyed in a moment. we therefore naturally made every effort from the first to quench their love of fighting, and the dogs very soon began to understand that we were not particularly fond of their combats; but we had here to deal with a natural characteristic, which it was impossible to eradicate; in any case, one could never be sure that nature would not reassert itself over discipline. when the dogs had once been let loose, they remained free to run about wherever they liked for the remainder of the voyage; only at meal-times were they tied up. it was quite extraordinary how they managed to hide themselves in every hole and comer; on some mornings there was hardly a dog to be seen when daylight came. of course they visited every place where they ought not to have gone. several of them repeatedly took the opportunity of tumbling into the forehold, when the hatches were open; but a fall of feet did not seem to trouble them in the least. one even found his way into the engine-room, difficult as it might seem to gain access to it, and curled himself up between the piston-rods. fortunately for the visitor, the engine was not started while he was there. when the first furious battles had been fought out, a calm soon settled upon the dogs' spirits. it was easy to notice a feeling of shame and disappointment in the champions when they found that all their efforts led to nothing. the sport had lost its principal charm as soon as they saw what a poor chance there was of tasting blood. from what has here been said, and perhaps from other accounts of the nature of arctic dogs, it may appear as though the mutual relations of these animals consisted exclusively of fighting. this, however, is far from being the case. on the contrary, they very often form friendships, which are sometimes so strong that one dog simply cannot live without the other. before we let the dogs loose we had remarked that there were a few who, for some reason or other, did not seem as happy as they should have been: they were more shy and restless than the others. no particular notice was taken of this, and no one tried to find out the cause of it. the day we let them loose we discovered what had been the matter with the ones that had moped: they had some old friend who had chanced to be placed in some other part of the deck, and this separation had been the cause of their low spirits. it was really touching to see the joy they showed on meeting again; they became quite different animals. of course in these cases a change of places was arranged between the different groups, so that those who had associated from their own inclination would in future be members of the same team. we had expected to reach the equator by october , but the unfavourable conditions of wind that we met with to the north of it caused us to be a little behind our reckoning, though not much. on the afternoon of october the fram crossed the line. thus an important stage of the voyage was concluded: the feeling that we had now reached southern latitudes was enough to put us all in holiday humour, and we felt we must get up a modest entertainment. according to ancient custom, crossing the line should be celebrated by a visit from father neptune himself, whose part is taken for the occasion by someone chosen from among the ship's company. if in the course of his inspection this august personage comes upon anyone who is unable to prove that he has already crossed the famous circle, he is handed over at once to the attendants, to be "shaved and baptized." this process, which is not always carried out with exaggerated gentleness, causes much amusement, and forms a welcome variety in the monotonous life of a long sea voyage, and probably many on board the fram looked forward with eagerness to neptune's visit, but he did not come. there simply was no room for him on our already well-occupied deck. we contented ourselves with a special dinner, followed by coffee, liqueurs, and cigars. coffee was served on the fore-deck, where by moving a number of the dogs we had contrived to get a few square yards of space. there was no lack of entertainment. a violin and mandolin orchestra, composed of prestrud, sundbeck, and beck, contributed several pieces, and our excellent gramophone was heard for the first time. just as it started the waltz from "the count of luxembourg," there appeared in the companion-way a real ballet-girl, masked, and in very short skirts. this unexpected apparition from a better world was greeted with warm applause, which was no less vigorous when the fair one had given proof of her skill in the art of dancing. behind the mask could be detected gjertsen's face, but both costume and dance were in the highest degree feminine. rönne was not satisfied until he had the "lady" on his knees -- hurrah for illusion! the gramophone now changed to a swinging american cake-walk, and at the same moment there opportunely appeared on the scene a nigger in a tail-coat, a silk hat, and -- a pair of wooden shoes. black as he was, we saw at once that it was the second in command who had thus disguised himself. the mere sight of him was enough to set us all shrieking with laughter, but he made his great success when he began to dance. he was intensely amusing. it did us a great deal of good to have a little amusement just then, for this part of the voyage was a trial of patience more than anything else. possibly we were rather hard to please, but the south-east trade, which we were expecting to meet every day, was, in our opinion, far too late in coming, and when at length it arrived, it did not behave at all as becomes a wind that has the reputation of being the steadiest in the world. besides being far too light, according to our requirements, it permitted itself such irregularities as swinging between the points of south and east, but was mostly in the neighbourhood of the former. for us, who had to lie all the time close-hauled to the westward, this had the effect of increasing our western longitude a great deal faster than our latitude. we were rapidly approaching the north-eastern point of south america -- cape san roque. fortunately we escaped any closer contact with this headland, which shoots so far out into the atlantic. the wind at last shifted aft, but it was so light that the motor had to be constantly in use. slowly but surely we now went southward, and the temperature again began to approach the limits that are fitting according to a northerner's ideas. the tiresome, rather low awning could be removed, and it was a relief to be rid of it, as one could then walk upright everywhere. on october , according to the observations at noon, we were in the vicinity of the island of south trinidad, one of the lonely oases in the watery desert of the south atlantic. it was our intention to go close under the island, and possibly to attempt a landing; but unfortunately the motor had to be stopped for cleaning, and this prevented our approaching it by daylight. we caught a glimpse of the land at dusk, which was, at all events, enough to check our chronometers. south of the th degree of latitude the south-east trade was nearly done with, and we were really not sorry to be rid of it; it remained light and scant to the last, and sailing on a wind is not a strong point with the fram. in the part of the ocean where we now were there was a hope of getting a good wind, and it was wanted if we were to come out right: we had now covered , miles, but there were still , before us, and the days went by with astonishing rapidity. the end of october brought the change we wanted; with a fresh northerly breeze she went gallantly southward, and before the end of the month we were down in lat. °. here we had reached the waters where we were almost certain to have all the wind we wished, and from the right quarter. from now our course was eastward along what is known as the southern west wind belt. this belt extends between the th and th parallels all round the earth, and is distinguished by the constant occurrence of westerly winds, which as a rule blow with great violence. we had put our trust in these west winds; if they failed us we should be in a mess. but no sooner had we reached their domain than they were upon us with full force; it was no gentle treatment that we received, but the effect was excellent -- we raced to the eastward. an intended call at gough island had to be abandoned; the sea was running too high for us to venture to approach the narrow little harbour. the month of october had put us a good deal behindhand, but now we were making up the distance we had lost. we had reckoned on being south of the cape of good hope within two months after leaving madeira, and this turned out correct. the day we passed the meridian of the cape we had the first regular gale; the seas ran threateningly high, but now for the first time our splendid little ship showed what she was worth. a single one of these gigantic waves would have cleared our decks in an instant if it had come on board, but the fram did not permit any such impertinence. when they came up behind the vessel, and we might expect at any moment to see them break over the low after-deck, she just raised herself with an elegant movement, and the wave had to be content with slipping underneath. an albatross could not have managed the situation better. it is said that the fram was built for the ice, and that cannot, of course, be denied; but at the same time it is certain that when colin archer created his famous masterpiece of an ice boat, she was just as much a masterpiece of a sea boat -- a vessel it would be difficult to match for seaworthiness. to be able to avoid the seas as the fram did, she had to roll, and this we had every opportunity of finding out. the whole long passage through the westerly belt was one continual rolling; but in course of time one got used even to that discomfort. it was awkward enough, but less disagreeable than shipping water. perhaps it was worse for those who had to work in the galley: it is no laughing matter to be cook, when for weeks together you cannot put down so much as a coffee-cup without its immediately turning a somersault. it requires both patience and strong will to carry it through, but the two -- lindström and olsen -- who looked after our food under these difficult conditions, had the gift of taking it all from the humorous point of view, and that was well. as regards the dogs, it mattered little to them whether a gale was blowing, so long as the rain kept off. they hate rain; wet in any form is the worst one can offer an arctic dog. if the deck was wet, they would not lie down, but would remain standing motionless for hours, trying to take a nap in that uncomfortable position. of course, they did not get much sleep in that way, but to make up for it they could sleep all day and all night when the weather was fine. south of the cape we lost two dogs; they went overboard one dark night when the ship was rolling tremendously. we had a coal-bunker on the port side of the after-deck, reaching up to the height of the bulwarks; probably these fellows had been practising boarding drill, and lost their balance. we took precautions that the same thing should not happen again. fortunately for our animals, the weather in the westerly belt was subject to very frequent changes. no doubt they had many a sleepless night, with rain, sleet, and hail; but on the other hand they never had to wait very long for a cheerful glimpse of the sun. the wind is for the most part of cyclonic character, shifting suddenly from one quarter to another, and these shifts always involve a change of weather. when the barometer begins to fall, it is a sure warning of an approaching north-westerly wind, which is always accompanied by precipitation, and increases in force until the fall of the barometer ceases. when this occurs, there follows either a short pause, or else the wind suddenly shifts to the south-west, and blows from that quarter with increasing violence, while the barometer rises rapidly. the change of wind is almost always followed by a clearing of the weather. a circumstance which contributes an element of risk to navigation in the latitudes where we found ourselves is the possibility of colliding with an iceberg in darkness or thick weather; for it sometimes happens that these sinister monsters in the course of their wanderings find their way well up into the "forties." the probability of a collision is of course in itself not very great, and it can be reduced to a minimum by taking proper precautions. at night an attentive and practised look-out man will always be able to see the blink of the ice at a fairly long distance. from the time when we had to reckon with any likelihood of meeting icebergs, the temperature of the water was also taken every two hours during the night. as kerguelen island lay almost directly in the course we intended to follow, it was decided for several reasons that we should call there, and pay a visit to the norwegian whaling-station. latterly many of the dogs had begun to grow thin, and it seemed probable that this was owing to their not having enough fatty substances in their food; on kerguelen island there would presumably be an opportunity of getting all the fat we wanted. as to water, we had, it was true, just enough to last us with economy, but it would do no harm to fill up the tanks. i was also hoping that there would be a chance of engaging three or four extra hands, for the fram would be rather short-handed with only ten men to sail her out of the ice and round the horn to buenos aires after the rest of us had been landed on the barrier. another reason for the contemplated visit was that it would be an agreeable diversion. we now only had to get there as quickly as possible, and the west wind helped us splendidly; one stiff breeze succeeded another, without our having any excessive weather. our daily distance at this time amounted as a rule to about one hundred and fifty miles; in one twenty-four hours we made one hundred and seventy-four miles. this was our best day's work of the whole voyage, and it is no bad performance for a vessel like the fram, with her limited sail area and her heavily-laden hull. on the afternoon of november we sighted land. it was only a barren rocky knoll, and according to our determination of the position it would be the island called bligh's cap, which lies a few miles north of kerguelen island; but as the weather was not very clear, and we were unacquainted with the channels, we preferred to lie-to for the night before approaching any nearer. early next morning the weather cleared, and we got accurate bearings. a course was laid for royal sound, where we supposed the whaling-station to be situated. we were going well in the fresh morning breeze, and were just about to round the last headland, when all at once a gale sprang up again, the bare and uninviting coast was hidden in heavy rain, and we had the choice of waiting for an indefinite time or continuing our voyage. without much hesitation we chose the latter alternative. it might be tempting enough to come in contact with other men, especially as they were fellow-countrymen, but it was even more tempting to have done with the remaining , miles that lay between us and the barrier as quickly as possible. it turned out that we had chosen rightly. december brought us a fair wind, even fresher than that of november, and by the middle of the month we had already covered half the distance between kerguelen island and our goal. we fortified the dogs from time to time with a liberal allowance of butter, which had a marvellous effect. there was nothing wrong with ourselves; we were all in the best of health, and our spirits rose as we drew nearer our goal. that the state of our health was so remarkably good during the whole voyage must be ascribed in a material degree to the excellence of our provisions. during the trip from home to madeira we had lived sumptuously on some little pigs that we took with us, but after these luxuries we had to take to tinned meat for good. the change was not felt much, as we had excellent and palatable things with us. there was a separate service for the two cabins, but the food was precisely the same in each. breakfast was at eight, consisting of american hot cakes, with marmalade or jam, cheese, fresh bread, and coffee or cocoa. dinner as a rule was composed of one dish of meat and sweets. as has already been said, we could not afford to have soup regularly on account of the water it required, and it was only served on sundays. the second course usually consisted of californian fruit. it was our aim all through to employ fruit, vegetables, and jam, to the greatest possible extent; there is undoubtedly no better means of avoiding sickness. at dinner we always drank syrup and water; every wednesday and saturday we were treated to a glass of spirits. i knew from my own experience how delicious a cup of coffee tastes when one turns out to go on watch at night. however sleepy and grumpy one may be, a gulp of hot coffee quickly makes a better man of one; therefore coffee for the night watch was a permanent institution on board the fram. by about christmas we had reached nearly the th meridian in lat. ° s. this left not much more than miles before we might expect to meet with the pack-ice. our glorious west wind, which had driven us forward for weeks, and freed us from all anxiety about arriving too late, was now a thing of the past. for a change we again had to contend for some days with calms and contrary wind. the day before christmas eve brought rain and a gale from the south-west, which was not very cheerful. if we were to keep christmas with any festivity, fine weather was wanted, otherwise the everlasting rolling would spoil all our attempts. no doubt we should all have got over it if it had fallen to our lot to experience a christmas eve with storm, shortened sail, and other delights; worse things had happened before. on the other hand, there was not one of us who would not be the better for a little comfort and relaxation; our life had been monotonous and commonplace enough for a long time. but, as i said, the day before christmas eve was not at all promising. the only sign of the approaching holiday was the fact that lindström, in spite of the rolling, was busy baking christmas cakes. we suggested that he might just as well give us each our share at once, as it is well known that the cakes are best when they come straight out of the oven, but lindström would not hear of it. his cakes vanished for the time being under lock and key, and we had to be content with the smell of them. christmas eve arrived with finer weather and a smoother sea than we had seen for weeks. the ship was perfectly steady, and there was nothing to prevent our making every preparation for the festivity. as the day wore on christmas was in full swing. the fore-cabin was washed and cleaned up till the ripolin paint and the brass shone with equal brilliance; rönne decorated the workroom with signal flags, and the good old "happy christmas" greeted us in a transparency over the door of the saloon. inside nilsen was busily engaged, showing great talents as a decorator. the gramophone was rigged up in my cabin on a board hung from the ceiling. a proposed concert of piano, violin, and mandolin had to be abandoned, as the piano was altogether out of tune. the various members of our little community appeared one after another, dressed and tidied up so that many of them were scarcely recognizable. the stubbly chins were all smooth, and that makes a great difference. at five o'clock the engine was stopped, and all hands assembled in the fore-cabin, leaving only the man at the wheel on deck. our cosy cabins had a fairy-like appearance in the subdued light of the many-coloured lamps, and we were all in the christmas humour at once. the decorations did honour to him who had carried them out and to those who had given us the greater part of them -- mrs. schroer, and the proprietor of the oyster cellar at christiania, mr. ditlev-hansen. then we took our seats round the table, which groaned beneath lindström's masterpieces in the culinary art. i slipped behind the curtain of my cabin for an instant, and set the gramophone going. herold sang us "glade jul." the song did not fail of its effect; it was difficult to see in the subdued light, but i fancy that among the band of hardy men that sat round the table there was scarcely one who had not a tear in the corner of his eye. the thoughts of all took the same direction, i am certain -- they flew homeward to the old country in the north, and we could wish nothing better than that those we had left behind should be as well off as ourselves. the melancholy feeling soon gave way to gaiety and laughter; in the course of the dinner the first mate fired off a topical song written by himself, which had an immense success. in each verse the little weaknesses of someone present were exhibited in more or less strong relief, and in between there were marginal remarks in prose. both in text and performance the author fully attained the object of his work -- that of thoroughly exercising our risible muscles. in the after-cabin a well-furnished coffee-table was set out, on which there was a large assortment of lindström's christmas baking, with a mighty kransekake from hansen's towering in the midst. while we were doing all possible honour to these luxuries, lindström was busily engaged forward, and when we went back after our coffee we found there a beautiful christmas-tree in all its glory. the tree was an artificial one, but so perfectly imitated that it might have come straight from the forest. this was also a present from mrs. schroer. then came the distribution of christmas presents. among the many kind friends who had thought of us i must mention the ladies' committees in horten and fredrikstad, and the telephone employées of christiania. they all have a claim to our warmest gratitude for the share they had in making our christmas what it was -- a bright memory of the long voyage. by ten o'clock in the evening the candles of the christmas-tree were burnt out, and the festivity was at an end. it had been successful from first to last, and we all had something to live on in our thoughts when our everyday duties again claimed us. in that part of the voyage which we now had before us -- the region between the australian continent and the antarctic belt of pack-ice -- we were prepared for all sorts of trials in the way of unfavourable weather conditions. we had read and heard so much of what others had had to face in these waters that we involuntarily connected them with all the horrors that may befall a sailor. not that we had a moment's fear for the ship; we knew her well enough to be sure that it would take some very extraordinary weather to do her any harm. if we were afraid of anything, it was of delay. but we were spared either delay or any other trouble; by noon on christmas day we had just what was wanted to keep our spirits at festival pitch; a fresh north-westerly wind, just strong enough to push us along handsomely toward our destination. it afterwards hauled a little more to the west, and lasted the greater part of christmas week, until on december we were in long. ° e. and lat. ° s. with that we had at last come far enough to the east, and could now begin to steer a southerly course; hardly had we put the helm over before the wind changed to a stiff northerly breeze nothing could possibly be better; in this way it would not take us long to dispose of the remaining degrees of latitude. our faithful companions of the westerly belt -- the albatrosses -- had now disappeared, and we could soon begin to look out for the first representatives of the winged inhabitants of antarctica. after a careful consideration of the experiences of our predecessors, it was decided to lay our course so that we should cross the th parallel in long. ° e. what we had to do was to get as quickly as possible through the belt of pack-ice that blocked the way to ross sea to the south of it, which is always open in summer. some ships had been detained as much as six weeks in this belt of ice; others had gone through in a few hours. we unhesitatingly preferred to follow the latter example, and therefore took the course that the luckier ones had indicated. of course, the width of the ice-belt may be subject to somewhat fortuitous changes, but it seems, nevertheless, that as a rule the region between the th and the th degrees of longitude offers the best chance of getting through rapidly; in any case, one ought not to enter the ice farther to the west. at noon on new year's eve we were in lat. ° ' s. we had reached the end of the old year, and really it had gone incredibly quickly. like all its predecessors, the year had brought its share of success and failure; but the main thing was that at its close we found ourselves pretty nearly where we ought to be to make good our calculations -- and all safe and well. conscious of this, we said good-bye to in all friendliness over a good glass of toddy in the evening, and wished each other all possible luck in . at three in the morning of new year's day the officer of the watch called me with news that the first iceberg was in sight. i had to go up and see it. yes, there it lay, far to windward, shining like a castle in the rays of the morning sun. it was a big, flat-topped berg of the typical antarctic form. it will perhaps seem paradoxical when i say that we all greeted this first sight of the ice with satisfaction and joy; an iceberg is usually the last thing to gladden sailors' hearts, but we were not looking at the risk just then. the meeting with the imposing colossus had another significance that had a stronger claim on our interest -- the pack-ice could not be far off. we were all longing as one man to be in it; it would be a grand variation in the monotonous life we had led for so long, and which we were beginning to be a little tired of. merely to be able to run a few yards on an ice-floe appeared to us an event of importance, and we rejoiced no less at the prospect of giving our dogs a good meal of seal's flesh, while we ourselves would have no objection to a little change of diet. the number of icebergs increased during the afternoon and night, and with such neighbours it suited us very well to have daylight all through the twenty-four hours, as we now had. the weather could not have been better -- fine and clear, with a light but still favourable wind. at p.m. on january the antarctic circle was crossed, and an hour or two later the crow's-nest was able to report the ice-belt ahead. for the time being it did not look like obstructing us to any great extent; the floes were collected in long lines, with broad channels of open water between them. we steered right in. our position was then long. ° e. and lat. ° ' s. the ice immediately stopped all swell, the vessel's deck again became a stable platform, and after two months' incessant exercise of our sea-legs we could once more move about freely. that was a treat in itself. at nine in the morning of the next day we had our first opportunity of seal-hunting; a big weddell seal was observed on a floe right ahead. it took our approach with the utmost calmness, not thinking it worth while to budge an inch until a couple of rifle-bullets had convinced it of the seriousness of the situation. it then made an attempt to reach the water, but it was too late. two men were already on the floe, and the valuable spoil was secured. in the course of a quarter of an hour the beast lay on our deck, flayed and cut up by practised hands; this gave us at one stroke at least four hundredweight of dog food, as well as a good many rations for men. we made the same coup three times more in the course of the day, and thus had over a ton of fresh meat and blubber. it need scarcely be said that there was a great feast on board that day. the dogs did their utmost to avail themselves of the opportunity; they simply ate till their legs would no longer carry them, and we could grant them this gratification with a good conscience. as to ourselves, it may doubtless be taken for granted that we observed some degree of moderation, but dinner was polished off very quickly. seal steak had many ardent adherents already, and it very soon gained more. seal soup, in which our excellent vegetables showed to advantage, was perhaps even more favourably received. for the first twenty-four hours after we entered the ice it was so loose that we were able to hold our course and keep up our speed for practically the whole time. on the two following days things did not go quite so smoothly; at times the lines of floes were fairly close, and occasionally we had to go round. we did not meet with any considerable obstruction, however; there were always openings enough to enable us to keep going. in the course of january a change took place, the floes became narrower and the leads broader. by p.m. there was open sea on every side as far as the eye could reach. the day's observations gave our position as lat. ° s., long. ° e. our passage through the pack had been a four days' pleasure trip, and i have a suspicion that several among us looked back with secret regret to the cruise in smooth water through the ice-floes when the swell of the open ross sea gave the fram another chance of showing her rolling capabilities. but this last part of the voyage was also to be favoured by fortune. these comparatively little-known waters had no terrors to oppose to us. the weather continued surprisingly fine; it could not have been better on a summer trip in the north sea. of icebergs there was practically none; a few quite small floebergs were all we met with in the four days we took to cross ross sea. about midday on january a marked brightening of the southern sky announced that it was not far to the goal we had been struggling to reach for five months. at . p.m. we came in sight of the great ice barrier. slowly it rose up out of the sea until we were face to face with it in all its imposing majesty. it is difficult with the help of the pen to give any idea of the impression this mighty wall of ice makes on the observer who is confronted with it for the first time. it is altogether a thing which can hardly be described; but one can understand very well that this wall of feet in height was regarded for a generation as an insuperable obstacle to further southward progress. we knew that the theory of the barrier's impregnability had long ago been overthrown; there was an opening to the unknown realm beyond it. this opening -- the bay of whales -- ought to lie, according to the descriptions before us, about a hundred miles to the east of the position in which we were. our course was altered to true east, and during a cruise of twenty-four hours along the barrier we had every opportunity of marvelling at this gigantic work of nature. it was not without a certain feeling of suspense that we looked forward to our arrival at the harbour we were seeking what state should we find it in? would it prove impossible to land at all conveniently? one point after another was passed, but still our anxious eyes were met by nothing but the perpendicular wall. at last, on the afternoon of january , the wall opened. this agreed with our expectations; we were now in long. °, the selfsame point where our predecessors had previously found access. we had before us a great bay, so deep that it was impossible to see the end of it from the crow's-nest; but for the moment there was no chance of getting in. the bay was full of great floes -- sea-ice -- recently broken up. we therefore went on a little farther to the eastward to await developments. next morning we returned, and after the lapse of a few hours the floes within the bay began to move. one after another they came sailing out: the passage was soon free. as we steered up the bay, we soon saw clearly that here we had every chance of effecting a landing. all we had to do was to choose the best place. chapter v on the barrier we had thus arrived on january -- a day earlier than we had reckoned -- at this vast, mysterious, natural phenomenon -- the barrier. one of the most difficult problems of the expedition was solved -- that of conveying our draught animals in sound condition to the field of operations. we had taken dogs on board at christiansand; the number had now increased to , and practically all of these would be fit to serve in the final march to the south. the next great problem that confronted us was to find a suitable place on the barrier for our station. my idea had been to get everything -- equipment and provisions -- conveyed far enough into the barrier to secure us against the unpleasant possibility of drifting out into the pacific in case the barrier should be inclined to calve. i had therefore fixed upon ten miles as a suitable distance from the edge of the barrier. but even our first impression of the conditions seemed to show that we should be spared a great part of this long and troublesome transport. along its outer edge the barrier shows an even, flat surface; but here, inside the bay, the conditions were entirely different. even from the deck of the fram we were able to observe great disturbances of the surface in every direction; huge ridges with hollows between them extended on all sides. the greatest elevation lay to the south in the form of a lofty, arched ridge, which we took to be about feet high on the horizon. but it might be assumed that this ridge continued to rise beyond the range of vision. our original hypothesis that this bay was due to underlying land seemed, therefore, to be immediately confirmed. it did not take long to moor the vessel to the fixed ice-foot, which here extended for about a mile and a quarter beyond the edge of the barrier. everything had been got ready long before. bjaaland had put our ski in order, and every man had had his right pairs fitted. ski-boots had long ago been tried on, time after time, sometimes with one, sometimes with two pairs of stockings. of course it turned out that the ski-boots were on the small side. to get a bootmaker to make roomy boots is, i believe, an absolute impossibility. however, with two pairs of stockings we could always get along in the neighbourhood of the ship. for longer journeys we had canvas boots, as already mentioned. of the remainder of our outfit i need only mention the alpine ropes, which had also been ready for some time. they were about yards long, and were made of very fine rope, soft as silk, specially suited for use in low temperatures. after a hurried dinner four of us set out. this first excursion was quite a solemn affair; so much depended on it. the weather was of the very best, calm with brilliant sunshine, and a few light, feathery clouds in the beautiful, pale blue sky. there was warmth in the air which could be felt, even on this immense ice-field. seals were lying along the ice-foot as far as the eye could reach -- great, fat mountains of flesh; food enough to last us and the dogs for years. the going was ideal; our ski glided easily and pleasantly through the newly fallen loose snow. but none of us was exactly in training after the long five months' sea voyage, so that the pace was not great. after half an hour's march we were already at the first important point -- the connection between the sea-ice and the barrier. this connection had always haunted our brains. what would it be like? a high, perpendicular face of ice, up which we should have to haul our things laboriously with the help of tackles? or a great and dangerous fissure, which we should not be able to cross without going a long way round? we naturally expected something of the sort. this mighty and terrible monster would, of course, offer resistance in some form or other. the mystic barrier! all accounts without exception, from the days of ross to the present time, had spoken of this remarkable natural formation with apprehensive awe. it was as though one could always read between the lines the same sentence: "hush, be quiet! the mystic barrier!" one, two, three, and a little jump, and the barrier was surmounted! we looked at each other and smiled; probably the same thought was in the minds of all of us. the monster had begun to lose something of its mystery, the terror something of its force; the incomprehensible was becoming quite easy to understand. without striking a blow we had entered into our kingdom. the barrier was at this spot about feet high, and the junction between it and the sea-ice was completely filled up with driven snow, so that the ascent took the form of a little, gentle slope. this spot would certainly offer us no resistance. hitherto we had made our advance without a rope. the sea-ice, we knew, would offer no hidden difficulties; but what would be the condition of things beyond the barrier was another question. and as we all thought it would be better to have the rope on before we fell into a crevasse than afterwards, our further advance was made with a rope between the first two. we proceeded in an easterly direction up through a little valley formed by "mount nelson" on one side, and "mount rönniken" on the other. the reader must not, however, imagine from these imposing names that we were walking between any formidable mountain-ranges. mounts nelson and rönniken were nothing but two old pressure ridges that had been formed in those far-off days when the mighty mass of ice had pushed on with awful force without meeting hindrance or resistance, until at this spot it met a superior power that clove and splintered it, and set a bound to its further advance. it must have been a frightful collision, like the end of a world. but now it was over: peace -- an air of infinite peace lay over it all. nelson and rönniken were only two pensioned veterans. regarded as pressure ridges they were huge, raising their highest summits over feet in the air. here in the valley the surface round nelson was quite filled up, while rönniken still showed a deep scar -- a fissure or hollow. we approached it cautiously. it was not easy to see how deep it was, and whether it had an invisible connection with nelson on the other side of the valley. but this was not the case. on a closer examination this deep cleft proved to have a solid, filled-up bottom. between the ridges the surface was perfectly flat, and offered an excellent site for a dog-camp. captain nilsen and i had worked out a kind of programme of the work to be done, and in this it was decided that the dogs should be brought on to the barrier as quickly as possible, and there looked after by two men. we chose this place for the purpose. the old pressure ridges told the history of the spot plainly enough; we had no need to fear any kind of disturbance here. the site had the additional advantage that we could see the ship from it, and would always be in communication with those on board. from here the valley turned slightly to the south. after having marked the spot where our first tent was to be set up, we continued our investigations. the valley sloped gradually upwards, and reached the ridge at a height of feet. from this elevation we had an excellent view over the valley we had been following, and all the other surroundings. on the north the barrier extended, level and straight, apparently without interruption, and ended on the west in the steep descent of cape man's head, which formed the eastern limit of the inner part of the bay of whales, and afforded a snug little corner, where we had found room for our ship. there lay the whole of the inner part of the bay, bounded on all sides by ice, ice and nothing but ice-barrier as far as we could see, white and blue. this spot would no doubt show a surprising play of colour later on; it promised well in this way. the ridge we were standing on was not broad -- about two hundred yards, i think -- and in many places it was swept quite bare by the wind, showing the blue ice itself. we passed over it and made for the pass of thermopylae, which extended in a southerly direction from the ridge and after a very slight descent was merged in a great plain, surrounded by elevations on all sides -- a basin, in fact. the bare ridge we passed over to descend into the basin was a good deal broken up; but the fissures were narrow, and almost entirely filled up again with drift, so that they were not dangerous. the basin gave us the impression of being sheltered and cosy, and, above all, it looked safe and secure. this stretch of ice was -- with the exception of a few quite small hummocks of the shape of haycocks -- perfectly flat and free from crevasses. we crossed it, and went up on the ridge that rose very gently on the south. from the top of this all was flat and even as far as we could see; but that was not saying much. for a little while we continued along the ridge in an easterly direction without finding any place that was specially suited for our purpose. our thoughts returned to the basin as the best sheltered place we had seen. from the height we were now on, we could look down into the south-eastern part of the bay of whales. in contrast to that part of the ice-foot to which we had made fast, the inner bay seemed to consist of ice that had been forced up by pressure. but we had to leave a closer examination of this part till later. we all liked the basin, and agreed to choose it as our future abode, and so we turned and went back again. it did not take long to reach the plain in our own tracks. on making a thorough examination of the surface and discussing the various possibilities, we came to the conclusion that a site for the hut was to be looked for on the little elevation that rose to the east. it seemed that we should be more snug there than anywhere else, and we were not mistaken. we soon made up our minds that we had chosen the best place the barrier had to offer. on the spot where the hut was to stand we set up another ski-pole, and then went home. the good news that we had already found a favourable place for the hut naturally caused great satisfaction on all sides. everyone had been silently dreading the long and troublesome transport over the ice barrier. there was teeming life on the ice. wherever we turned we saw great herds of seals -- weddells and crab-eaters. the great sea-leopard, which we had seen occasionally on the floes, was not to be found here. during our whole stay in the bay of whales we did not see a single specimen of it. nor did we ever see the ross seal. penguins had not shown themselves particularly often, only a few here and there; but we appreciated them all the more. the few we saw were almost all adélie penguins. while we were at work making the ship fast, a flock of them suddenly shot up out of the water and on to the ice. they looked about them in surprise for a moment: men and ships do not come their way every day. but it seemed as if their astonishment soon gave way to a desire to see what was happening. they positively sat and studied all our movements. only now and then they grunted a little and took a turn over the ice. what specially interested them was evidently our work at digging holes in the snow for the grapnels. they flocked about the men who were engaged in this, laid their heads on one side, and looked as if they found it immensely interesting. they did not appear to be the least afraid of us, and for the most part we left them in peace. but some of them had to lose their lives; we wanted them for our collection. an exciting seal-hunt took place the same day. three crab-eaters had ventured to approach the ship, and were marked down to increase our store of fresh meat. we picked two mighty hunters to secure the prey for us; they approached with the greatest caution, though this was altogether unnecessary, for the seals lay perfectly motionless. they crept forward in indian fashion, with their heads down and their backs bent. this looks fine; i chuckle and laugh, but still with a certain decorum. then there is a report. two of the sleeping seals give a little spasm, and do not move again. it is otherwise with the third. with snakelike movements it wriggles away through the loose snow with surprising speed. it is no longer target practice, but hunting real game, and the result is in keeping with it. bang! bang! and bang again. it is a good thing we have plenty of ammunition. one of the hunters uses up all his cartridges and has to go back, but the other sets off in pursuit of the game. oh, how i laughed! decorum was no longer possible; i simply shook with laughter. away they went through the loose snow, the seal first and the hunter after. i could see by the movements of the pursuer that he was furious. he saw that he was in for something which he could not come out of with dignity. the seal made off at such a pace that it filled the air with snow. although the snow was fairly deep and loose, the seal kept on the surface. not so the hunter: he sank over the knees at every step, and in a short time was completely outdistanced. from time to time he halted, aimed, and fired. he himself afterwards asserted that every shot had hit. i had my doubts. in any case the seal seemed to take no notice of them, for it went on with undiminished speed. at last the mighty man gave up and turned back. "beastly hard to kill," i heard him say, as he came on board. i suppressed a smile -- did not want to hurt the fellow's feelings. what an evening! the sun is high in the heavens in spite of the late hour. over all this mountainous land of ice, over the mighty barrier running south, there lies a bright, white, shining light, so intense that it dazzles the eyes. but northward lies the night. leaden grey upon the sea, it passes into deep blue as the eye is raised, and pales by degrees until it is swallowed up in the radiant gleam from the barrier. what lies behind the night -- that smoke-black mass -- we know. that part we have explored, and have come off victorious. but what does the dazzling day to the south conceal? inviting and attractive the fair one lies before us. yes, we hear you calling, and we shall come. you shall have your kiss, if we pay for it with our lives. the following day -- sunday -- brought the same fine weather. of course, there could now be no thought of sunday for us. not one of us would have cared to spend the day in idleness. we were now divided into two parties: the sea party and the land party. the sea party -- ten men -- took over the fram, while on this day the land party took up their abode on the barrier for a year or two, or whatever it might be. the sea party was composed of nilsen, gjertsen, beck, sundbeck, ludvig hansen, kristensen, rönne, nödtvedt, kutschin, and olsen. the land party consisted of prestrud, johansen, helmer hanssen, hassel, bjaaland, stubberud, lindström, and myself. lindström was to stay on board for a few days longer, as we still had to take most of our meals on the ship. the plan was that one party, composed of six men, should camp in a sixteen-man tent in the space between rönniken and nelson, while another party of two were to live in a tent up at the but site and build the hut. the two last were, of course, our capable carpenters, bjaaland and stubberud. by eleven o'clock in the morning we were at last ready to start. we had one sledge, eight dogs and provisions and equipment weighing altogether pounds. it was my team that was to open the ball. the sea party had all collected on deck to witness the first start. all was now ready; after countless efforts on our part, or, if it is preferred, after a thorough thrashing for every dog, we had at last got them in a line before the sledge in alaska harness. with a flourish and a crack of the whip we set off. i glanced at the ship. yes; as i thought -- all our comrades were standing in a row, admiring the fine start. i am not quite sure that i did not hold my head rather high and look round with a certain air of triumph. if i did so, it was foolish of me. i ought to have waited; the defeat would have been easier to bear. for defeat it was, and a signal one. the dogs had spent half a year in lying about and eating and drinking, and had got the impression that they would never have anything else to do. not one of them appeared to understand that a new era of toil had begun. after moving forward a few yards, they all sat down, as though at a word of command, and stared at each other. the most undisguised astonishment could be read in their faces. when at last we had succeeded, with another dose of the whip, in making them understand that we really asked them to work, instead of doing as they were told they flew at each other in a furious scrimmage. heaven help me! what work we had with those eight dogs that day! if it was going to be like this on the way to the pole, i calculated in the midst of the tumult that it would take exactly a year to get there, without counting the return journey. during all this confusion i stole another glance at the ship, but the sight that met me made me quickly withdraw my eyes again. they were simply shrieking with laughter, and loud shouts of the most infamous encouragement reached us. "if you go on like that, you'll get there by christmas," or, "well done! stick to it. now you're off." we were stuck faster than ever. things looked desperate. at last, with the combined strength of all the animals and men, we got the sledge to move again. so our first sledge trip could not be called a triumph. we then set up our first tent on the barrier, between mounts nelson and rönniken -- a large, strong tent for sixteen men, with the sheet for the floor sewed on. round the tent wire ropes were stretched in a triangle, fifty yards on each side. to these the dogs were to be tethered. the tent was furnished with five sleeping-bags and a quantity of provisions. the distance we had come was . geographical miles, or . kilometres, measured by sledge-meter. after finishing this work, we went on up to the site selected for the station. here we set up the tent -- a similar tent to the other, for sixteen men -- for the use of the carpenters, and marked out the hut site. according to the lie of the ground we elected to make the house face east and west, and not north and south, as one might have been tempted to do, since it was usually supposed that the most frequent and violent winds came from the south. we chose rightly. the prevailing wind was from the east, and thus caught our house on its most protected short wall. the door faced west. when this work was done, we marked out the way from here to the encampment below and thence to the vessel with dark flags at every fifteen paces. in this way we should be able to drive with certainty from one place to another without losing time if a storm should set in. the distance from the hut site to the vessel was . geographical miles, or kilometres. on monday, january , work began in earnest. about eighty dogs -- six teams -- drove up to the first encampment with all the provisions and equipment that could be loaded on the sledges, and twenty dogs -- stubberud's and bjaaland's teams -- went with a full load up to the other camp. we had some work indeed, those first days, to get the dogs to obey us. time after time they tried to take the command from their masters and steer their own course. more than once it cost us a wet shirt to convince them that we really were the masters. it was strenuous work, but it succeeded in the end. poor dogs! they got plenty of thrashing in those days. our hours were long; we seldom turned in before eleven at night, and were up again at five. but it did not seem particularly hard; we were all alike eager for the work to be finished as soon as possible, so that the fram might get away. the harbour arrangements were not of the best. the quay she was moored to suddenly broke in pieces, and all hands had to turn out to make her fast to a new quay. perhaps they had just got to sleep again when the same operation had to be repeated; for the ice broke time after time, and kept the unfortunate "sea-rovers" in constant activity. it is enervating work being always at one's post, and sleeping with one eye open. they had a hard time to contend with, our ten comrades, and the calm way in which they took everything was extraordinary. they were always in a good humour, and always had a joke ready. it was the duty of the sea party to bring up all the provisions and outfit for the wintering party from the hold, and put them on the ice. then the land party removed them. this work proceeded very smoothly, and it was rare that one party had to wait for the other. during the first few days of sledging all the members of the land party became quite hoarse, some of them so badly that they almost lost their voices. this came from the continual yelling and shouting that we had to do at first to make the dogs go. but this gave the sea party a welcome opportunity of finding us a nickname; we were called "the chatterers." apart from the unpleasantness of constantly changing the anchorage, on account of the breaking up and drifting out of the ice, the harbour must in other respects be regarded as very good. a little swell might set in from time to time and cause some disagreeable bumping, but never anything to embarrass the vessel. one very great advantage was that the currents in this corner always set outward, and thus kept off all icebergs. the sledging between the ship and the barrier was done by five men to begin with, as the carpenters were engaged in building the house. one man had also to be told off as tent guard, for we could not use more than half our teams -- six dogs -- at a time. if we harnessed the full team of twelve, we only had trouble and fights. the dogs which were thus left behind had to be looked after, and a man was required for this duty. another of the duties of the tent guard was to cook the day's food and keep the tent tidy. it was a coveted position, and lots were cast for it. it gave a little variety in the continual sledging. on january the carpenters began to dig the foundations of the house. the effect of all we had heard about the antarctic storms was that we decided to take every possible precaution to make the house stand on an even keel. the carpenters therefore began by digging a foundation feet down into the barrier. this was not easy work; feet below the surface they came upon hard, smooth ice, and had to use pickaxes. the same day a stiff easterly breeze sprang up, whirling the snow high into the air, and filling up the foundations as fast as the men dug them. but it would take more than that to stop those fellows in their work. they built a wind-screen of planks, and did it so well that they were able to work all day, unhindered by drifts, until, when evening came, they had the whole foundation dug out. there is no difficulty in doing good work when one has such people to work for one. the stormy weather interfered somewhat with our sledging, and as we found our alaska harness unsuitable to the conditions, we went on board and began the preparation of greenland harness for our dogs. all hands worked at it. our excellent sailmaker, rönne, sewed forty-six sets of harness in the course of the month. the rest of us spliced the ropes and made the necessary tackles, while others spliced wire-rope shafts to our sledges. when evening came we had an entirely new set of tackle for all our sledges and dogs. this was very successful, and in a few days the whole was working smoothly. we had now divided ourselves between the two tents, so that five men slept in the lower tent, while the two carpenters and i inhabited the upper one. that evening a rather amusing thing happened to us. we were just turning in when suddenly we heard a penguin's cry immediately outside the tent. we were out in a moment. there, a few yards from the door, sat a big emperor penguin, making bow after bow. it gave exactly the impression of having come up simply to pay us its respects. we were sorry to repay its attention so poorly, but such is the way of the world. with a final bow it ended its days in the frying-pan. on january we began bringing up the materials for the hut, and as soon as they arrived the builders began to put them up. it is no exaggeration to say that everything went like a well-oiled machine. one sledge after another drove up to the site and discharged its load. the dogs worked splendidly, and their drivers no less, and as fast as the materials arrived our future home rose into the air. all the parts had been marked before leaving norway, and were now discharged from the ship in the order in which they were wanted. besides which, stubberud himself had built the house, so that he knew every peg of it. it is with gladness and pride that i look back upon those days. with gladness, because no discord was ever heard in the course of this fairly severe labour; with pride, because i was at the head of such a body of men. for men they were, in the true sense of the word. everyone knew his duty, and did it. during the night the wind dropped and the morning brought the finest weather, calm and clear. it was a pleasure to work on days like this. both men and dogs were in the best of spirits. on these journeys between the ship and the station we were constantly hunting seals, but we only took those that came in our way. we never had to go far to find fresh meat. we used to come suddenly upon a herd of them; they were then shot, flayed, and loaded on the sledges with the provisions and building materials. the dogs feasted in those days -- they had as much warm flesh as they wanted. on january we had taken up all the building materials, and could then turn our attention to provisions and stores. the work went merrily, backwards and forwards, and the journey to the fram in the morning with empty sledges was specially enjoyable. the track was now well worn and hard, and resembled a good norwegian country road more than anything else. the going was splendid. on coming out of the tent at six o'clock in the morning one was instantly greeted with joy by one's own twelve dogs. they barked and howled in emulation, tugged and jerked at their chains to get to their master, and jumped and danced about with joy. then one would first go down the line and say "good-morning" to each of them in turn, patting them and saying a few words. splendid beasts they were. the one who was taken notice of showed every sign of happiness. the most petted of our domestic dogs could not have shown greater devotion than these tamed wolves. all the time the others were yelling and pulling at their chains to get at the one who was being petted, for they are jealous in the extreme. when they had all received their share of attention the harness was brought out, and then the jubilation broke out afresh. strange as it may seem, i can assert that these animals love their harness. although they must know that it means hard work, they all show signs of the greatest rapture at the sight of it. i must hasten to add, however, that this only happens at home. long and fatiguing sledge journeys show a very different state of things. when it came to harnessing, the first trouble of the day began. it was impossible to get them to stand still. the full meal of the previous evening, followed by the night's rest, had given them such a superabundance of energy and joy of life that nothing could make them stand still. they had to have a taste of the whip, and yet it was a pity to start that. after having securely anchored the sledge, one was ready at last with one's team of six dogs harnessed. now it might be thought that all was plain sailing and that one had only to cast off one's moorings and be taken straight down to the ship. but that was far from being the case. round about the camp a number of objects had collected in a short time, such as packing-cases, building materials, empty sledges, etc., and to steer clear of these was the great problem of the morning. the dogs' greatest interest was, of course, concentrated upon these objects, and one had to be extremely lucky to avoid a spill. let us follow one of these morning drives. the men are all ready and have their dogs well harnessed. one, two, three, and we let them all go at once. we are off like the wind, and before one has time to swing the whip one finds oneself in the middle of a heap of building materials. the dogs have achieved the desire of their lives -- to be able to make a thorough investigation of these materials in the way that is so characteristic of the dog and so incomprehensible to us. while this process is going on with the greatest enjoyment, the driver has got clear of the sledge and begins to distentangle the traces, which have wound themselves round planks and posts and whatever else maybe lying handy. he is far from having achieved the desire of his life -- to judge from the expressions he uses. at last he is clear again. he looks round first and finds he is not the only one who has met with difficulties in the way. over there among the cases he sees a performance going on which makes his heart leap with joy. one of the old hands has come to grief, and in so decisive a fashion that it will take him a long time to get clear again. with a triumphant smile he throws himself on the sledge and drives off. so long as he is on the barrier as a rule everything goes well; there is nothing here to distract the dogs. it is otherwise when he comes down to the sea-ice. here seals lie scattered about in groups basking in the sunshine, and it may easily happen that his course will be rather crooked. if a team of fresh dogs have made up their minds to turn aside in the direction of a herd of seals, it takes a very experienced driver to get them in the right way again. personally, on such occasions, i used the only remedy i could see -- namely, capsizing the sledge. in loose snow with the sledge upset they soon pulled up. then, if one was wise, one put them on the right course again quietly and calmly, hoisted the sledge on to an even keel, and went on. but one is not always wise, unfortunately. the desire to be revenged on the disobedient rascals gets the upper hand, and one begins to deal out punishment. but this is not so easy as it seems. so long as you are sitting on the capsized sledge it makes a good anchor, but now -- without a load -- it is no use, and the dogs know that. so while you are thrashing one the others start off, and the result is not always flattering to the driver. if he is lucky he gets on to the capsized sledge again, but we have seen dogs and sledges arrive without drivers. all this trouble in the early morning sets the blood in active circulation, and one arrives at the ship drenched with perspiration, in spite of a temperature of - °f. but it sometimes happens that there is no interruption, and then the drive is soon over. the dogs want no encouragement; they are willing enough. the mile and a quarter from the lower camp to the fram is then covered in a few minutes. when we came out of the tent on the morning of january we were greatly surprised. we thought we must be mistaken, rubbed our eyes, opened them wider; but no, it was no good. the fram was no longer to be seen. it had been blowing pretty strongly during the night, with snow-squalls. presumably the weather had forced them to put out. we could also hear the roar of the sea dashing against the barrier. meanwhile we lost no time. the day before captain nilsen and kristensen had shot forty seals, and of these we had brought in half the same day. we now began to fetch in the rest. during the forenoon, while we were flaying and shooting seals, we heard the old, well-known sound -- put, put, put -- of the fram's motor, and presently the crow's-nest appeared above the barrier. but she did not get into her old berth before evening. a heavy swell had forced her to go outside. meanwhile the carpenters were busily constructing the hut. by january the roof was on, and the rest of the work could thus be done under cover. this was a great comfort to the men; at that time their job was undoubtedly the worst of any. bitterly cold it was for them, but i never heard them talk about it. when i came up to the tent after the day's work, one of them was busy cooking. the meal always consisted of pancakes and pitch-black, strong coffee. how good it tasted! a rivalry soon arose between the two cook-carpenters as to which of them could make the best pancakes. i think they were both clever at it. in the morning we had pancakes again -- crisp, hot, delicate pancakes, with the most glorious coffee -- before i was even out of my sleeping-bag. that is what the carpenters had to offer me at five o'clock in the morning. no wonder i enjoyed their society. nor did the men in the lower camp suffer any privation. wisting showed himself to be possessed of eminent talents as cook for the day. his special dish was penguins and skua gulls in cream sauce. it was served under the name of ptarmigan, of which it really reminded one. that sunday we all went on board -- with the exception of the necessary tent guards for both camps -- and enjoyed life. we had worked hard enough that week. on monday, january , we began to carry up the provisions. in order to save time, we had decided not to bring the provisions right up to the hut, but to store them for the time being on an elevation that lay on the other side, to the south of mount nelson. this spot was not more than yards from the hut, but as the surface was rather rough here, we should save a good deal in the long-run. afterwards when the fram had sailed, we could take them the rest of the way. as it turned out, we never had time for this, so that our main store remained here. sledging up to this point offered some difficulties at first. the dogs, who were accustomed to take the road to the lower camp -- between nelson and rönniken -- could not understand why they might not do the same now. the journey with empty sledges down to the ship was often particularly troublesome. from this point the dogs could hear their companions on the other side of nelson in the lower camp, and then it happened more than once that the dogs took command. if they once got in the humour for playing tricks of that sort, it was by no means easy to get them under control. we all of us had this experience without exception. not one of us escaped this little extra turn. as the provisions came up each driver took them off his sledge, and laid the cases in the order in which they should lie. we began by placing each sort by itself in small groups over the slope. this plan had the advantage that everything would be easy to find. the load was usually pounds, or cases to each sledge. we had about cases to bring up, and reckoned that we should have them all in place in the course of a week. everything went remarkably well according to our reckoning. by noon on saturday, january , the hut was ready, and all the cases were in place. the depot of provisions had quite an imposing appearance. great rows of cases stood in the snow, all with their numbers outward, so that we could find what we wanted at once. and there was the house, all finished, exactly as it had stood in its native place on bundefjord. but it would be difficult to imagine more different surroundings: there, green pinewoods and splashing water; here, ice, nothing but ice. but both scenes were beautiful; i stood thinking which i preferred. my thoughts travelled far -- thousands of miles in a second. it was the forest that gained the day. as i have already mentioned, we had everything with us for fastening the but down to the barrier, but the calm weather we had had all the time led us to suppose that the conditions would not be so bad as we had expected. we were therefore satisfied with the foundation dug in the barrier. the outside of the but was tarred, and the roof covered with tarred paper, so that it was very visible against the white surroundings. that afternoon we broke up both camps, and moved into our home, "framheim." what a snug, cosy, and cleanly impression it gave us when we entered the door! bright, new linoleum everywhere -- in the kitchen as well as in our living-room. we had good reason to be happy. another important point had been got over, and in much shorter time than i had ever hoped. our path to the goal was opening up; we began to have a glimpse of the castle in the distance. the beauty is still sleeping, but the kiss is coming, the kiss that shall wake her! it was a happy party that assembled in the hut the first evening, and drank to the future to the music of the gramophone. all the full-grown dogs were now brought up here, and were fastened to wire ropes stretched in a square, yards on each side. it may be believed that they gave us some music. collected as they were, they performed under the leadership of some great singer or other daily, and, what was worse, nightly concerts. strange beasts! what can they have meant by this howling? one began, then two, then a few more, and, finally, the whole hundred. as a rule, during a concert like this they sit well down, stretch their heads as high in the air as they can, and howl to their hearts' content. during this act they seem very preoccupied, and are not easily disturbed. but the strangest thing is the way the concert comes to an end. it stops suddenly along the whole line -- no stragglers, no "one cheer more." what is it that imposes this simultaneous stop? i have observed and studied it time after time without result. one would think it was a song that had been learnt. do these animals possess a power of communicating with each other? the question is extraordinarily interesting. no one among us, who has had long acquaintance with eskimo dogs, doubts that they have this power. i learned at last to understand their different sounds so well that i could tell by their voices what was going on without seeing them. fighting, play, love-making, etc., each had its special sound. if they wanted to express their devotion and affection for their master, they would do it in a quite different way. if one of them was doing something wrong -- something they knew they were not allowed to do, such as breaking into a meat-store, for example -- the others, who could not get in, ran out and gave vent to a sound quite different from those i have mentioned. i believe most of us learned to distinguish these different sounds. there can hardly be a more interesting animal to observe, or one that offers greater variety of study, than the eskimo dog. from his ancestor the wolf he has inherited the instinct of self-preservation -- the right of the stronger -- in a far higher degree than our domestic dog. the struggle for life has brought him to early maturity, and given him such qualities as frugality and endurance in an altogether surprising degree. his intelligence is sharp, clear, and well developed for the work he is born to, and the conditions in which he is brought up. we must not call the eskimo dog slow to learn because he cannot sit up and take sugar when he is told; these are things so widely separated from the serious business of his life that he will never be able to understand them, or only with great difficulty. among themselves the right of the stronger is the only law. the strongest rules, and does as he pleases undisputedly; everything belongs to him. the weaker ones get the crumbs. friendship easily springs up between these animals -- always combined with respect and fear of the stronger. the weaker, with his instinct of self-preservation, seeks the protection of the stronger. the stronger accepts the position of protector, and thereby secures a trusty helper, always with the thought of one stronger than himself. the instinct of self-preservation is to be found everywhere, and it is so, too, with their relations with man. the dog has learnt to value man as his benefactor, from whom he receives everything necessary for his support. affection and devotion seem also to have their part in these relations, but no doubt on a closer examination the instinct of self-preservation is at the root of all. as a consequence of this, his respect for his master is far greater than in our domestic dog, with whom respect only exists as a consequence of the fear of a beating. i could without hesitation take the food out of the mouth of any one of my twelve dogs; not one of them would attempt to bite me. and why? because their respect, as a consequence of the fear of getting nothing next time, was predominant. with my dogs at home i certainly should not try the same thing. they would at once defend their food, and, if necessary, they would not shrink from using their teeth; and this in spite of the fact that these dogs have to all appearance the same respect as the others. what, then, is the reason? it is that this respect is not based on a serious foundation -- the instinct of self-preservation -- but simply on the fear of a hiding. a case like this proves that the foundation is too weak; the desire of food overcomes the fear of the stick, and the result is a snap. a few days later the last member of the wintering party -- adolf henrik lindström -- joined us, and with his arrival our arrangements might be regarded as complete. he had stayed on board hitherto, attending to the cooking there, but now he was no longer necessary. his art would be more appreciated among the "chatterers." the youngest member of the expedition -- the cook karinius olsen -- took over from that day the whole of the cooking on the fram, and performed this work in an extremely conscientious and capable way until the ship reached hobart in march, , when he again had assistance. this was well done for a lad of twenty. i wish we had many like him. with lindström, then, the kitchen and the daily bread were in order. the smoke rose gaily from the shining black chimney, and proclaimed that now the barrier was really inhabited. how cosy it was, when we came sledging up after the day's work, to see that smoke rising into the air. it is a little thing really, but nevertheless it means so much. with lindström came not only food, but light and air -- both of them his specialities. the lux lamp was the first thing he rigged up, giving us a light that contributed much to the feeling of comfort and well-being through the long winter. he also provided us with air, but in this he had stubberud as a partner. these two together managed to give us the finest, purest barrier air in our room during the whole stay. it is true that this was not done without hard work, but they did not mind that. the ventilation was capricious, and liable to fail now and then. this usually happened when there was a dead calm. many were the ingenious devices employed by the firm to set the business going again. generally a primus stove was used under the exhaust pipe, and ice applied to the supply pipe. while one of them lay on his stomach with the primus under the exhaust, drawing the air up that way, the other ran up to the roof and dropped big lumps of snow down the supply to get the air in that way. in this fashion they could keep it going by the hour together without giving up. it finally ended in the ventilation becoming active again without visible cause. there is no doubt that the system of ventilation in a winter-station like ours is of great importance, both to health and comfort. i have read of expeditions, the members of which were constantly suffering from cold and damp and resulting sickness. this is nothing but a consequence of bad ventilation. if the supply of fresh air is sufficient, the fuel will be turned to better account, and the production of warmth will, of course, be greater. if the supply of air is insufficient, a great part of the fuel will be lost in an unconsumed state, and cold and damp will be the result. there must, of course, be a means of regulating the ventilation in accordance with requirements. we used only the lux lamp in our hut, besides the stove in the kitchen, and with this we kept our room so warm that those of us in the upper berths were constantly complaining of the warmth. originally there were places for ten bunks in the room, but as there were only nine of us, one of the bunks was removed and the space used for our chronometer locker. this contained three ordinary ship's chronometers. we had, in addition, six chronometer watches, which we wore continually, and which were compared throughout the whole winter. the meteorological instruments found a place in the kitchen -- the only place we had for them. lindström undertook the position of sub-director of the framheim meteorological station and instrument-maker to the expedition. under the roof were stowed all the things that would not stand severe frost, such as medicines, syrup, jam, cream, pickles, and sauces, besides all our sledge-boxes. a place was also made for the library under the roof. the week beginning on monday, january , was spent in bringing up coal, wood, oil, and our whole supply of dried fish. the temperature this summer varied between + ° and - °f. -- a grand summer temperature. we also shot many seals daily, and we already had a great pile of about a hundred of them lying just outside the door of the hut. one evening as we were sitting at supper lindström came in to tell us that we need not go down any more to the sea-ice to shoot them, as they were coming up to us. we went out and found he was right. not far away, and making straight for the hut, came a crab-eater, shining like silver in the sun. he came right up, was photographed, and -- shot. one day i had a rather curious experience. my best dog, lassesen, had his left hind-paw frozen quite white. it happened while we were all out sledging. lassesen was a lover of freedom, and had seen his chance of getting loose when unobserved. he used his freedom, like most of these dogs, for fighting. they love fighting, and cannot resist it. he had picked a quarrel with odin and thor, and started a battle with them. in the course of the fight the chains that fastened these two had got wound round lassesen's leg, and twisted so that the circulation was stopped. how long he had been standing so i do not know. but when i came, i saw at once that the dog was in the wrong place. on a closer examination i discovered the frost-bite. i then spent half an hour in restoring the circulation. i succeeded in doing this by holding the paw continuously in my warm hand. at first, while there was no feeling in the limb, it went well; but when the blood began to flow back, of course it was painful, and lassesen became impatient. he whined, and motioned with his head towards the affected place, as though he wanted to tell me that he found the operation unpleasant. he made no attempt to snap. the paw swelled a good deal after this treatment, but next day lassesen was as well as ever, though a little lame in that leg. the entries in my diary at this time are all in telegraphic style, no doubt owing to the amount of work. thus an entry in february ends with the following words: "an emperor penguin just come on a visit -- soup-kettle." he did not get a very long epitaph. during this week we relieved the sea party of the last of the dogs -- about twenty puppies. there was rejoicing on board when the last of them left the deck, and, indeed, one could not be surprised. with the thermometer about - °f., as it had been lately, it was impossible to keep the deck clean, as everything froze at once. after they had all been brought on to the ice, the crew went to work with salt and water, and in a short time we recognized the fram again. the puppies were put into boxes and driven up. we had put up a sixteen-man tent to receive them. from the very first moment they declined to stay in it, and there was nothing to be done but to let them out. all these puppies passed a great part of the winter in the open air. so long as the seals' carcasses were lying on the slope, they stayed there; afterwards they found another place. but the tent, despised by the youngsters, came in useful after all. any bitch that was going to have a litter was put in there, and the tent went by the name of "the maternity hospital." then one tent after another was put up, and framheim looked quite an important place. eight of the sixteen-man tents were set up for our eight teams, two for dried fish, one for fresh meat, one for cases of provisions, and one for coal and wood -- fourteen altogether. they were arranged according to a plan drawn up beforehand, and when they were all up they had quite the appearance of a camp. at this time our dog-harness underwent important alterations, as one of the members of the expedition had the happy idea of combining the alaska and the greenland harness. the result satisfied all requirements; in future we always used this construction, and we all agreed that it was much superior to any other harness. the dogs also seemed to be more comfortable in it. that they worked better and more easily is certain, and raw places, so common with greenland harness, were absolutely unknown. february was an eventful day. as usual, we all came down to the fram, driving our empty sledges, at half-past six in the morning. when the first man got to the top of the ridge, he began to wave his arms about and gesticulate like a madman. i understood, of course, that he saw something, but what? the next man gesticulated even worse, and tried to shout to me. but it was no use; i could not make anything of it. then it was my turn to go over the ridge, and, as was natural, i began to feel rather curious. i had only a few yards more to go -- and then it was explained. along the edge of the ice, just to the south of the fram, a large barque lay moored. we had talked of the possibility of meeting the terra nova -- captain scott's vessel -- when she was on her way to king edward vii. land; but it was a great surprise all the same. now it was my turn to wave my arms, and i am sure i did it no worse than the two first. and the same thing was repeated with all of us, as soon as each one reached the top of the ridge. what the last man did i have never been able to find out for certain -- but no doubt he waved his arms too. if a stranger had stood and watched us that morning on the ridge, he would surely have taken us for a lot of incurable lunatics. the way seemed long that day, but at last we got there and heard the full explanation. the terra nova had come in at midnight. our watchman had just gone below for a cup of coffee -- there was no harm in that -- and when he came up again, there was another ship lying off the foot of the barrier. he rubbed his eyes, pinched his leg, and tried other means of convincing himself that he was asleep, but it was no good. the pinch especially, he told us afterwards, was horribly painful, and all this led him to the conclusion that there really was a second vessel there. lieutenant campbell, the leader of the eastern party, which was to explore king edward vii. land, came on board first, and paid nilsen a visit. he brought the news that they had not been able to reach land, and were now on their way back to mcmurdo sound. from thence it was their intention to go to cape north and explore the land there. immediately after my arrival lieutenant campbell came on board again and gave me the news himself. we then loaded our sledges and drove home. at nine o'clock we had the great pleasure of receiving lieutenant pennell, the commander of the terra nova, lieutenant campbell, and the surgeon of the expedition, as the first guests in our new home. we spent a couple of very agreeable hours together. later in the day three of us paid a visit to the terra nova, and stayed on board to lunch. our hosts were extremely kind, and offered to take our mail to new zealand. if i had had time, i should have been glad to avail myself of this friendly offer, but every hour was precious. it was no use to think of writing now. at two o'clock in the afternoon the terra nova cast off again, and left the bay of whales. we made a strange discovery after this visit. nearly all of us had caught cold. it did not last long -- only a few hours -- and then it was over. the form it took was sneezing and cold in the head. the next day -- sunday, february -- the "sea rovers," as we called the fram party, were our guests. we had to have them in two detachments, as they could not all leave the ship at the same time. four came to dinner and six to supper. we had not much to offer, but we invited them, not so much for the sake of the entertainment as to show them our new home and wish them a successful voyage. chapter vi depot journeys there was now too little work for eight of us in bringing up stores from the fram, and it became evident that some of us might be more usefully employed elsewhere. it was therefore decided that four men should bring ashore the little that remained, while the other four went southward to lat. ° s., partly to explore the immediate neighbourhood, and partly to begin the transport of provisions to the south. this arrangement gave us all enough to do. the four who were to continue the work at the station -- wisting, hassel, stubberud, and bjaaland -- now had as much as their sledges could carry. the rest of us were busy getting ready. for that matter, everything was prepared in advance, but as yet we had had no experience of a long journey. that was what we were going to get now. our departure was fixed for friday, february . on the th i went on board to say good-bye, as presumably the fram would have sailed when we came back. i had so much to thank all these plucky fellows for. i knew it was hard for all of them -- almost without exception -- to have to leave us now, at the most interesting time, and go out to sea to battle for months with cold and darkness, ice and storms, and then have the same voyage over again the next year when they came to fetch us. it was certainly a hard task, but none of them complained. they had all promised to do their best to promote our common object, and therefore all went about their duty without grumbling. i left written orders with the commander of the fram, captain nilsen. the substance of these orders may be given in a few words: carry out our plan in the way you may think best. i knew the man i was giving orders to. a more capable and honourable second in command i could never have had. i knew that the fram was safe in his hands. lieutenant prestrud and i made a trip to the south to find a suitable place for ascending the barrier on the other side of the bay. the sea-ice was fairly even for this distance; only a few cracks here and there. farther up the bay there were, curiously enough, long rows of old hummocks. what could this mean? this part was really quite protected from the sea, so that these formations could not be attributed to its action. we hoped to have an opportunity of investigating the conditions more closely later on; there was no time for it now. the shortest and most direct way to the south was the one we were on now. the bay was not wide here. the distance from framheim to this part of the barrier was about three miles. the ascent of the barrier was not difficult; with the exception of a few fissures it was quite easy. it did not take long to get up, except perhaps in the steepest part. the height was feet. it was quite exciting to go up; what should we see at the top? we had never yet had a real uninterrupted view over the barrier to the south; this was the first time. as it happened, we were not surprised at what we saw when we got up -- an endless plain, that was lost in the horizon on the extreme south. our course, we could see, would take us just along the side of the ridge before mentioned -- a capital mark for later journeys. the going was excellent; a thin layer of conveniently loose snow was spread over a hard under-surface, and made it very suitable for skiing. the lie of the ground told us at once that we had the right pattern of ski -- the kind for level ground, long and narrow. we had found what we wanted -- an ascent for our southern journeys and an open road. this spot was afterwards marked with a flag, and went by the name of "the starting-place." on the way back, as on the way out, we passed large herds of seals, lying asleep. they did not take the least notice of us. if we went up and woke them, they just raised their heads a little, looked at us for a moment, and then rolled over on the other side and went to sleep again. it was very evident that these animals here on the ice have no enemies. they would certainly have set a watch, as their brothers in the north do, if they had had anything to fear. on this day we used skin clothing for the first time -- reindeer-skin clothes of eskimo cut -- but they proved to be too warm. we had the same experience later. in low temperatures these reindeer clothes are beyond comparison the best, but here in the south we did not as a rule have low temperatures on our sledge journeys. on the few occasions when we experienced any cold worth talking about, we were always in skins. when we returned in the evening after our reconnoitring, we had no need of a turkish bath. on february , at . a.m., the first expedition left for the south. we were four men, with three sledges and eighteen dogs, six for each sledge. the load amounted to about pounds of provisions per sledge, besides the provisions and outfit for the journey. we could not tell, even approximately, how long the journey would take, as everything was unknown. the chief thing we took on our sledges was dogs' pemmican for the depot, pounds per sledge. we also took a quantity of seal meat cut into steaks, blubber, dried fish, chocolate, margarine, and biscuits. we had ten long bamboo poles, with black flags, to mark the way. the rest of our outfit consisted of two three-man tents, four one-man sleeping-bags, and the necessary cooking utensils. the dogs were very willing, and we left framheim at full gallop. along the barrier we went well. going down to the sea-ice we had to pass through a number of big hummocks -- a fairly rough surface. nor was this without consequences; first one sledge, then another, swung round. but no harm was done; we got our gear tested, and that is always an advantage. we also had to pass rather near several large groups of seals, and the temptation was too great. away went the dogs to one side in full gallop towards the seals. but this time the load was heavy, and they were soon tired of the extra work. in the bay we were in sight of the fram. the ice had now given way entirely, so that she lay close to the barrier itself. our four comrades, who were to stay at home, accompanied us. in the first place, they wanted to see us on our way, and in the second, they would be able to lend us a hand in getting up the barrier, for we were rather apprehensive that it would cost us a wet shirt. finally, they were to hunt seals. there was plenty of opportunity here; where-ever one looked there were seals -- fat heavy beasts. i had put the home party under wisting's command, and given them enough work to do. they were to bring up the remainder of the stores from the ship, and to build a large, roomy pent-house against the western wall of the hut, so that we should not have to go directly on to the ice from the kitchen. we also intended to use this as a carpenter's workshop. but they were not to forget the seal-hunting, early and late. it was important to us to get seals enough to enable us all, men and dogs, to live in plenty. and there were enough to be had. if we ran short of fresh meat in the course of the winter, it would be entirely our own fault. it was a good thing we had help for the climb. short as it was, it caused us a good deal of trouble; but we had dogs enough, and by harnessing a sufficient number we got the sledges up. i should like to know what they thought on board. they could see we were already hard put to it to get up here. what would it be like when we had to get on to the plateau? i do not know whether they thought of the old saying: practice makes perfect. we halted at the starting-place, where we were to separate from our comrades. none of us was particularly sentimental. an honest shake of the hand, and so "good-bye." the order of our march was as follows: prestrud first on ski, to show the direction and encourage the dogs. we always went better with someone going in front. next came helmer hanssen. he kept this place on all our journeys -- the leading sledge. i knew him well from our previous work together, and regarded him as the most efficient dog-driver i had met. he carried the standard compass on his sledge and checked prestrud's direction. after him came johansen, also with a compass. lastly, i came, with sledge-meter and compass. i preferred to take the last sledge because it enabled me to see what was happening. however careful one may be, it is impossible to avoid dropping things from sledges in making a journey. if the last man keeps a lookout for such things, great inconvenience may often be avoided. i could mention many rather important things that were dropped in the course of our journeys and picked up again by the last man. the hardest work, of course, falls on the first man. he has to open up the road and drive his dogs forward, while we others have only to follow. all honour, then, to the man who performed this task from the first day to the last -- helmer hanssen. the position of the "forerunner" is not a very enviable one either. of course he escapes all bother with dogs, but it is confoundedly tedious to walk there alone, staring at nothing. his only diversion is a shout from the leading sledge: "a little to the right," "a little to the left." it is not so much these simple words that divert him as the tone in which they are called. now and then the cry comes in a way that makes him feel he is acquitting himself well. but sometimes it sends a cold shiver down his back; the speaker might just as well have added the word "duffer!" -- there is no mistaking his tone. it is no easy matter to go straight on a surface without landmarks. imagine an immense plain that you have to cross in thick fog; it is dead calm, and the snow lies evenly, without drifts. what would you do? an eskimo can manage it, but none of us. we should turn to the right or to the left, and give the leading dog-driver with the standard compass endless trouble. it is strange how this affects the mind. although the man with the compass knows quite well that the man in front cannot do any better, and although he knows that he could not do better himself, he nevertheless gets irritated in time and works himself into the belief that the unsuspecting, perfectly innocent leader only takes these turns to annoy him; and so, as i have said, the words "a little to the left" imply the unspoken addition -- perfectly understood on both sides -- "duffer!" i have personal experience of both duties. with the dog-driver time passes far more quickly. he has his dogs to look after, and has to see that all are working and none shirking. many other points about a team claim his attention, and he must always keep an eye on the sledge itself. if he does not do this, some slight unevenness may throw the runners in the air before he knows where he is. and to right a capsized sledge, weighing about eight hundredweight, is no fun. so, instead of running this risk, he gives his whole attention to what is before him. from the starting-place the barrier rises very slightly, until at a cross-ridge it passes into the perfect level. here on the ridge we halt once more. our comrades have disappeared and gone to their work, but in the distance the fram lies, framed in shining, blue-white ice. we are but human; uncertainty always limits our prospect. shall we meet again? and if so, under what conditions? much lay between that moment and the next time we should see her. the mighty ocean on one side, and the unknown region of ice on the other; so many things might happen. her flag floats out, waves us a last adieu, and disappears. we are on our way to the south. this first inland trip on the barrier was undeniably exciting. the ground was absolutely unknown, and our outfit untried. what kind of country should we have to deal with? would it continue in this boundless plain without hindrance of any kind? or would nature present insurmountable difficulties? were we right in supposing that dogs were the best means of transport in these regions, or should we have done better to take reindeer, ponies, motor-cars, aeroplanes, or anything else? we went forward at a rattling pace; the going was perfect. the dogs' feet trod on a thin layer of loose snow, just enough to give them a secure hold. the weather conditions were not quite what we should have wished in an unknown country. it is true that it was calm and mild, and altogether pleasant for travelling, but the light was not good. a grey haze, the most unpleasant kind of light after fog, lay upon the landscape, making the barrier and the sky merge into one. there was no horizon to be seen. this grey haze, presumably a younger sister of fog, is extremely disagreeable. one can never be certain of one's surroundings. there are no shadows; everything looks the same. in a light like this it is a bad thing to be the forerunner; he does not see the inequalities of the ground until too late -- until he is right on them. this often ends in a fall, or in desperate efforts to keep on his feet. it is better for the drivers, they can steady themselves with a hand on the sledge. but they also have to be on the lookout for inequalities, and see that the sledges do not capsize. this light is also very trying to the eyes, and one often hears of snow-blindness after such a day. the cause of this is not only that one strains one's eyes continually; it is also brought about by carelessness. one is very apt to push one's snow-goggles up on to one's forehead, especially if they are fitted with dark glasses. however, we always came through it very well; only a few of us had a little touch of this unpleasant complaint. curiously enough, snow-blindness has something in common with seasickness. if you ask a man whether he is seasick, in nine cases out of ten he will answer: "no, not at all -- only a little queer in the stomach." it is the same, in a slightly different way, with snow-blindness. if a man comes into the tent in the evening with an inflamed eye and you ask him whether he is snow-blind, you may be sure he will be almost offended. "snow-blind? is it likely? no, not at all, only a little queer about the eye." we did seventeen miles[ ] that day without exertion. we had two tents, and slept two in a tent. these tents were made for three men, but were too small for four. cooking was only done in one, both for the sake of economy, so that we might leave more at the depot, and because it was unnecessary, as the weather was still quite mild. on this first trip, as on all the depot journeys, our morning arrangements took far too long. we began to get ready at four, but were not on the road till nearly eight. i was always trying some means of remedying this, but without success. it will naturally be asked, what could be the cause of this? and i will answer candidly -- it was dawdling and nothing else. on these depot journeys it did not matter so much, but on the main journey we had to banish dawdling relentlessly. next day we did the allotted seventeen miles in six hours, and pitched our camp early in the afternoon. the dogs were rather tired, as it had been uphill work all day. to-day, from a distance of twenty-eight miles, we could look down into the bay of whales; this shows that we had ascended considerably. we estimated our camp that evening to be feet above the sea. we were astonished at this rise, but ought not to have been so really, since we had already estimated this ridge at feet when we first saw it from the end of the bay. but however it may be, most of us have a strong propensity for setting up theories and inventing something new. what others have seen does not interest us, and on this occasion we took the opportunity -- i say we, because i was one of them -- of propounding a new theory -- that of an evenly advancing ice-slope from the antarctic plateau. we saw ourselves in our mind's eye ascending gradually to the top, and thus avoiding a steep and laborious climb among the mountains. the day had been very warm, + . ° f., and i had been obliged to throw off everything except the most necessary underclothes. my costume may be guessed from the name i gave to the ascent -- singlet hill. there was a thick fog when we turned out next morning, exceedingly unpleasant. here every inch was over virgin ground, and we had to do it blindly. that day we had a feeling of going downhill. at one o'clock land was reported right ahead. from the gesticulations of those in front i made out that it must be uncommonly big. i saw absolutely nothing, but that was not very surprising. my sight is not specially good, and the land did not exist. the fog lifted, and the surface looked a little broken. the imaginary land lasted till the next day, when we found out that it had only been a descending bank of fog. that day we put on the pace, and did twenty-five miles instead of our usual seventeen. we were very lightly clad. there could be no question of skins; they were laid aside at once. very light wind-clothing was all we wore over our underclothes. on this journey most of us slept barelegged in the sleeping-bags. next day we were surprised by brilliantly clear weather and a dead calm. for the first time we had a good view. towards the south the barrier seemed to continue, smooth and even, without ascending. towards the east, on the other hand, there was a marked rise -- presumably towards king edward vii. land, we thought then. in the course of the afternoon we passed the first fissure we had met with. it had apparently been filled up long ago. our distance that day was twenty-three miles. on these depot journeys we were always very glad of our thermos flasks. in the middle of the day we made a halt, and took a cup of scalding hot chocolate, and it was very pleasant to be able to get one without any trouble in the middle of the snow plateau. on the final southern journey we did not take thermos flasks. we had no lunch then. on february , after a march of eleven and a half miles, we reached ° s. unfortunately we did not succeed in getting any astronomical observation on this trip, as the theodolite we had brought with us went wrong, but later observations on several occasions gave ° ' s. not so bad in fog. we had marked out the route up to this point with bamboo poles and flags at every kilometres. now, as we had not fixed the position by astronomical observation, we found that the flags would not be sufficient, and we had to look for some other means of marking the spot. a few empty cases were broken up and gave a certain number of marks, but not nearly enough. then our eyes fell upon a bundle of dried fish lying on one of the sledges, and our marking pegs were found. i should like to know whether any road has been marked out with dried fish before; i doubt it. immediately on our arrival in lat. ° -- at eleven in the morning -- we began to erect the depot. it was made quite solid, and was feet high. the going here in ° was quite different from what we had had all the rest of the way. deep, loose snow every-where gave us the impression that it must have fallen in perfectly still weather. generally when we passed by here -- but not always -- we found this loose snow. when the depot was finished and had been photographed, we threw ourselves on the sledges and began the homeward journey. it was quite a treat to sit and be drawn along, a thing that otherwise never happened. prestrud sat with me. hanssen drove first, but as he now had the old track to follow, he wanted no one in front. on the last sledge we had the marking pegs. prestrud kept an eye on the sledge-meter, and sang out at every half-kilometre, while at the same time i stuck a dried fish into the snow. this method of marking the route proved a brilliant one. not only did the dried fish show us the right way on several occasions, but they also came in very useful on the next journey, when we returned with starving dogs. that day we covered forty-three miles. we did not get to bed till one o'clock at night, but this did not prevent our being up again at four and off at half-past seven. at half-past nine in the evening we drove into framheim, after covering sixty-two miles that day. our reason for driving that distance was not to set up any record for the barrier, but to get home, if possible, before the fram sailed, and thus have an opportunity of once more shaking hands with our comrades and wishing them a good voyage. but as we came over the edge of the barrier we saw that, in spite of all our pains, we had come too late. the fram was not there. it gave us a strange and melancholy feeling, not easy to understand. but the next moment common sense returned, and our joy at her having got away from the barrier undamaged after the long stay was soon uppermost. we heard that she had left the bay at noon the same day -- just as we were spurting our hardest to reach her. this depot journey was quite sufficient to tell us what the future had in store. after this we were justified in seeing it in a rosy light. we now had experience of the three important factors -- the lie of the ground, the going, and the means of traction -- and the result was that nothing could be better. everything was in the most perfect order. i had always had a high opinion of the dog as a draught animal, but after this last performance my admiration for these splendid animals rose to the pitch of enthusiasm. let us look at what my dogs accomplished on this occasion: on february they went eleven miles southward with a load of pounds, and on the same day thirty-two miles northward -- only four of them, the "three musketeers" and lassesen, as fix and snuppesen refused to do any work. the weight they started with from °s. was that of the sledge, pounds; prestrud, pounds; and myself, pounds. add to this pounds for sleeping-bags, ski, and dried fish, and we have a total weight of pounds, or about pounds per dog. the last day they did sixty-two miles. i think the dogs showed on this occasion that they were well suited for sledging on the barrier. in addition to this brilliant result, we arrived at several other conclusions. in the first place, the question of the long time spent in our morning preparations thrust itself on our notice: this could not be allowed to occur on the main journey. at least two hours might be saved, i had no doubt of that -- but how? i should have to take time to think it over. what required most alteration was our heavy outfit. the sledges were constructed with a view to the most difficult conditions of ground. the surface here was of the easiest kind, and consequently permitted the use of the lightest outfit. we ought to be able to reduce the weight of the sledges by at least half -- possibly more. our big canvas ski-boots were found to need thorough alteration. they were too small and too stiff, and had to be made larger and softer. foot-gear had such an important bearing on the success of the whole expedition that we had to do all that could be done to get it right. the four who had stayed at home had accomplished a fine piece of work. framheim was hardly recognizable with the big new addition on its western wall. this pent-house was of the same width as the hut -- feet -- and measured about feet the other way. windows had been put in -- two of them -- and it looked quite bright and pleasant when one came in; but this was not to last for long. our architects had also dug a passage, feet wide, round the whole hut, and this was now covered over, simply by prolonging the sloping roof down to the snow to form a roof over this passage. on the side facing east a plank was fixed across the gable at the required height, and from this boards were brought down to the snow. the lower part of this new extension of the roof was well strengthened, as the weight of snow that would probably accumulate upon it in the course of the winter would be very great. this passage was connected with the pent-house by a side-door in the northern wall. the passage was constructed to serve as a place for storing tinned foods and fresh meat, besides which its eastern end afforded an excellent place to get snow for melting. here lindström could be sure of getting as much clean snow as he wanted, which was an impossibility outside the house. we had dogs running about, and they were not particular as to the purpose for which we might want the snow. but here in this snow wall lindström had no need to fear the dogs. another great advantage was that he would not have to go out in bad weather, darkness, and cold, every time he wanted a piece of ice. we now had to turn our attention in the first place, before the cold weather set in, to the arrangement of our dog tents. we could not leave them standing as they were on the snow; if we did so, we should soon find that dogs' teeth are just as sharp as knives; besides which, they would be draughty and cold for the animals. to counteract this, the floor of each tent was sunk feet below the surface of the barrier. a great part of this excavation had to be done with axes, as we soon came to the bare ice. one of these dog tents, when finished, had quite an important appearance, when one stood at the bottom and looked up. it measured feet from the floor to the peak of the tent, and the diameter of the floor was feet. then twelve posts were driven into the ice of the floor at equal intervals round the wall of the tent, and the dogs were tethered to them. from the very first day the dogs took a liking to their quarters, and they were right, as they were well off there. i do not remember once seeing frost-rime on the coats of my dogs down in the tent. they enjoyed every advantage there -- air, without draughts, light, and sufficient room. round the tent-pole we left a pillar of snow standing in the middle of the tent to the height of a man. it took us two days to put our eight dog tents in order. before the fram sailed one of the whale-boats had been put ashore on the barrier. one never knew; if we found ourselves in want of a boat, it would be bad to have none, and if we did not have to use it, there was no great harm done. it was brought up on two sledges drawn by twelve dogs, and was taken some distance into the barrier. the mast stood high in the air, and showed us its position clearly. besides all their other work, the four men had found time for shooting seals while we were away, and large quantities of meat were now stowed everywhere. we had to lose no time in getting ready the tent in which we stored our chief supply of seal meat. it would not have lasted long if we had left it unprotected on the ground. to keep off the dogs, we built a wall feet high of large blocks of snow. the dogs themselves saw to its covering with ice, and for the time being all possibility of their reaching the meat was removed. we did not let the floor grow old under our feet; it was time to be off again to the south with more food. our departure was fixed for february , and before that time we had a great deal to do. all the provisions had first to be brought from the main depot and prepared for the journey. then we had to open the cases of pemmican, take out the boxes in which it was soldered, four rations in each, cut these open, and put the four rations back in the case without the tin lining. by doing this we saved so much weight, and at the same time avoided the trouble of having this work to do later on in the cold. the tin packing was used for the passage through the tropics, where i was afraid the pemmican might possibly melt and run into the hold of the ship. this opening and repacking took a long time, but we got through it. we used the pent-house as a packing-shed. another thing that took up a good deal of our time was our personal outfit. the question of boots was gone into thoroughly. most of us were in favour of the big outer boots, but in a revised edition. there were a few -- but extremely few -- who declared for nothing but soft foot-gear. in this case it did not make so much difference, since they all knew that the big boots would have to be brought on the final journey on account of possible work on glaciers. those, therefore, who wanted to wear soft foot-gear, and hang their boots on the sledge, might do so if they liked. i did not want to force anyone to wear boots he did not care for; it might lead to too much unpleasantness and responsibility. everyone, therefore, might do as he pleased. personally i was in favour of boots with stiff soles, so long as the uppers could be made soft and sufficiently large to give room for as many stockings as one wished to wear. it was a good thing the boot-maker could not look in upon us at framheim just then -- and many times afterwards, for that matter. the knife was mercilessly applied to all his beautiful work, and all the canvas, plus a quantity of the superfluous leather, was cut away. as i had no great knowledge of the shoemaker's craft, i gladly accepted wisting's offer to operate on mine. the boots were unrecognizable when i got them back from him. as regards shape, they were perhaps just as smart before the alteration, but as that is a very unimportant matter in comparison with ease and comfort, i considered them improved by many degrees. the thick canvas was torn off and replaced by thin weather-proof fabric. big wedges were inserted in the toes, and allowed room for several more pairs of stockings. besides this, one of the many soles was removed, thus increasing the available space. it appeared to me that now i had foot-gear that combined all the qualities i demanded -- stiff soles, on which huitfeldt-höyer ellefsen ski-bindings could be used, and otherwise soft, so that the foot was not pinched anywhere. in spite of all these alterations, my boots were once more in the hands of the operator before the main journey, but then they were made perfect. the boots of all the others underwent the same transformation, and every day our outfit became more complete. a number of minor alterations in our wardrobe were also carried out. one man was an enthusiast for blinkers on his cap; another did not care for them. one put on a nose-protector; another took his off; and if there was a question of which was right, each was prepared to defend his idea to the last. these were all alterations of minor importance, but being due to individual judgment, they helped to raise the spirits and increase self-confidence. patents for braces also became the fashion. i invented one myself, and was very proud of it for a time -- indeed, i had the satisfaction of seeing it adopted by one of my rivals. but that rarely happened; each of us wanted to make his own inventions, and to be as original as possible. any contrivance that resembled something already in use was no good. but we found, like the farmer, that the old way often turned out to be the best. by the evening of february we were again ready to start. the sledges -- seven in number -- stood ready packed, and were quite imposing in appearance. tempted by the favourable outcome of our former trip, we put too much on our sledges this time -- on some of them, in any case. mine was overloaded. i had to suffer for it afterwards -- or, rather, my noble animals did. on february , at . a.m., the caravan moved off -- eight men, seven sledges, and forty-two dogs -- and the most toilsome part of our whole expedition began. as usual, we began well from framheim. lindström, who was to stay at home alone and look after things, did not stand and wave farewells to us. beaming with joy, he made for the hut as soon as the last sledge was in motion. he was visibly relieved. but i knew very well that before long he would begin to take little turns outside to watch the ridge. would they soon be coming? there was a light breeze from the south, dead against us, and the sky was overcast. newly fallen snow made the going heavy, and the dogs had hard work with their loads. our former tracks were no longer visible, but we were lucky enough to find the first flag, which stood eleven miles inland. from there we followed the dried fish, which stood out sharply against the white snow and were very easy to see. we pitched our camp at six o'clock in the evening, having come a distance of seventeen miles. our camp was quite imposing -- four tents for three men apiece, with two in each. in two of them the housekeeping arrangements were carried on. the weather had improved during the afternoon, and by evening we had the most brilliantly clear sky. next day the going was even heavier, and the dogs were severely tried. w e did no more than twelve and a half miles after eight hours' march. the temperature remained reasonable, + ° f. we had lost our dried fish, and for the last few hours were going only by compass. february began badly -- a strong wind from the south-east, with thick driving snow. we could see nothing, and had to steer our course by compass. it was bitter going against the wind, although the temperature was no worse than - . ° f. we went all day without seeing any mark. the snow stopped falling about noon, and at three o'clock it cleared. as we were looking about for a place to pitch the tents, we caught sight of one of our flags. when we reached it, we found it was flag no. -- all our bamboos were numbered, so we knew the exact position of the flag. no. was forty-four and a half miles from framheim. this agreed well with the distance recorded -- forty-four miles. the next day was calm and clear, and the temperature began to descend, - ° f. but in spite of this lower temperature the air felt considerably milder, as it was quite still. we followed marks and fish the whole way, and at the end of our day's journey we had covered eighteen miles -- a good distance for heavy going. we then had a couple of days of bitter cold with fog, so that we did not see much of our surroundings. we followed the fish and the marks most of the way. we had already begun to find the fish useful as extra food; the dogs took it greedily. the forerunner had to take up each fish and throw it on one side; then one of the drivers went out, took it up, and put it on his sledge. if the dogs had come upon the fish standing in the snow we should soon have had fierce fights. even now, before we reached the depot in ° s., the dogs began to show signs of exhaustion, probably as a result of the cold weather (- . ° f.) and the hard work. they were stiff in the legs in the morning and difficult to set going. on february , at . a.m., we reached the depot in ° s. the depot was standing as we had left it, and no snow-drifts had formed about it, from which we concluded that the weather conditions had been quiet. the snow, which we had found very loose when we were there before, was now hardened by the cold. we were lucky with the sun, and got the position of the depot accurately determined. on our way across these endless plains, where no landmarks of any kind are to be found, we had repeatedly thought of a means of marking our depots so that we might be perfectly sure of finding them again. our fight for the pole was entirely dependent on this autumn work, in laying down large supplies of provisions as far to the south as possible in such a way that we could be certain of finding them again. if we missed them, the battle would probably be lost. as i have said, we had discussed the question thoroughly, and come to the conclusion that we should have to try to mark our depots at right angles to the route, in an east and west direction, instead of in a line with the route, north and south. these marks along the line of the route may easily be missed in fog, if they are not close enough together; and if one thus gets out of the line, there is a danger of not picking it up again. according to this new arrangement we therefore marked this depot in ° s. with high bamboo poles carrying black flags. we used twenty of these -- ten on each side of the depot. between each two flags there was a distance of yards ( metres), so that the distance marked on each side of the depot was five and a half miles (nine kilometres). each bamboo was marked with a number, so that we should always be able to tell from this number on which side the depot lay, and how far off. this method was entirely new and untried, but proved afterwards to work with absolute certainty. our compasses and sledge-meters had, of course, been carefully adjusted at the station, and we knew that we could rely on them. having put this in order, we continued our journey on the following day. the temperature fell steadily as we went inland; if it continued in this way it would be cold before one got to the pole. the surface remained as before -- flat and even. we ourselves had a feeling that we were ascending, but, as the future will show, this was only imagination. we had had no trouble with fissures, and it almost looked as if we should avoid them altogether, since, of course, it might be supposed that the part of the barrier nearest the edge would be the most fissured, and we had already left that behind us. south of ° we found the going easier, but the dogs were now beginning to be stiff and sore-footed, and it was hard work to get them started in the morning. the sore feet i am speaking of here are not nearly so bad as those the dogs are liable to on the sea-ice of the arctic regions. what caused sore feet on this journey was the stretches of snow-crust we had to cross; it was not strong enough to bear the dogs, and they broke through and cut their paws. sore feet were also caused by the snow caking and sticking between the toes. but the dog that has to travel on sea-ice in spring and summer is exposed to worse things -- the sharp ice cuts the paws and the salt gets in. to prevent this kind of sore feet one is almost obliged to put socks on the dogs. with the kind of foot-trouble our dogs experienced it is not necessary to take any such precautions. as a result of the long sea voyage their feet had become unusually tender and could not stand much. on our spring journey we noticed no sore-footedness, in spite of the conditions being worse rather than better; probably their feet had got into condition in the course of the winter. on march we reached ° s. the temperature was then - . ° f., and it did not feel pleasant. the change had come too rapidly; this could be seen both in men and in dogs. we pitched our camp at three in the afternoon, and went straight into the tents. the following day was employed in building and marking the depot. that night was the coldest we observed on the trip, as the temperature was - ° f. when we turned out in the morning. if one compares the conditions of temperature in the arctic and antarctic regions, it will be seen that this temperature is an exceptionally low one. the beginning of march corresponds, of course, to the beginning of september in the northern hemisphere -- a time of year when summer still prevails. we were astonished to find this low temperature while summer ought still to have lasted, especially when i remembered the moderate temperatures shackleton had observed on his southern sledge journey. the idea at once occurred to me of the existence of a local pole of maximum cold extending over the central portion of the ross barrier. a comparison with the observations recorded at captain scott's station in mcmurdo sound might to some extent explain this. in order to establish it completely one would require to have information about the conditions in king edward land as well. the observations dr. mawson is now engaged upon in adélie land and on the barrier farther west will contribute much to the elucidation of this question. in ° s. we laid down a depot consisting of fourteen cases of dogs' pemmican -- , pounds. for marking this depot we had no bamboo poles, so there was nothing to be done but to break up some cases and use the pieces as marks; this was, at any rate, better than nothing. personally, i considered these pieces of wood, feet high, good enough, considering the amount of precipitation i had remarked since our arrival in these regions. the precipitation we had observed was very slight, considering the time of year -- spring and summer. if, then, the snowfall was so inconsiderable at this time of the year and along the edge of the barrier, what might it not be in autumn and winter in the interior? as i have said, something was better than nothing, and bjaaland, hassel, and stubberud, who were to return to lindström's flesh-pots on the following day, were given the task of setting up these marks. as with the former depot, this one was marked for nine kilometres on each side from east to west. so that we might know where the depot was, in case we should come upon one of these marks in a fog, all those on the east were marked with a little cut of an axe. i must confess they looked insignificant, these little bits of wood that were soon lost to sight on the boundless plain, and the idea that they held the key of the castle where the fair one slept made me smile. they looked altogether too inconsiderable for such an honour. meanwhile, we others, who were to go on to the south, took it easy. the rest was good for the dogs especially, though the cold prevented their enjoying it as they should have done. at eight o'clock next morning we parted company with the three who went north. i had to send home one of my dogs, odin, who had got an ugly raw place -- i was using greenland harness on him -- and i went on with five dogs. these were very thin, and apparently worn out; but in any case we had to reach ° s. before we gave up. i had had some hope that we might have got to °, but it began to look as if we had a poor chance of that. after ° s. the barrier began to take on a slightly different appearance instead of the absolutely flat surface, we saw on the first day a good many small formations of the shape of haycocks. at that time we did not pay much attention to these apparently insignificant irregularities, but later on we learned to keep our eyes open and our feet active when passing in their vicinity. on this first day southward from ° s. we noticed nothing; the going was excellent, the temperature not so bad as it had been, - . ° f., and the distance covered very creditable. the next day we got our first idea of the meaning of these little mounds, as the surface was cut up by crevasse after crevasse. these fissures were not particularly wide, but were bottomless, as far as we could see. about noon hanssen's three leading dogs, helge, mylius, and ring, fell into one of them, and remained hanging by their harness; and it was lucky the traces held, as the loss of these three would have been severely felt. when the rest of the team saw these three disappear, they stopped short. fortunately, they had a pronounced fear of these fissures, and always stopped when anything happened. we understood now that the haycock formations were the result of pressure, and that crevasses were always found in their neighbourhood. that day was for the most part thick and hazy, with a northerly wind, and snow-showers from time to time. between the showers we caught sight of lofty -- very lofty -- pressure ridges, three or four of them, to the eastward. we estimated their distance at about six miles. next day, march , we had the same experience that shackleton mentions on several occasions. the morning began clear and fine, with a temperature of - ° f. in the course of the forenoon a breeze sprang up from the south-east, and increased to a gale during the afternoon. the temperature rose rapidly, and when we pitched our camp at three in the afternoon it was only - . ° f. at our camping-place that morning we left a case of dogs' pemmican, for use on the homeward journey, and marked the way to the south with splinters of board at every kilometre. our distance that day was only twelve and a half miles. our dogs, especially mine, looked miserable -- terribly emaciated. it was clear that they could only reach ° s. at the farthest. even then the homeward journey would be a near thing. we decided that evening to be satisfied with reaching °, and then return. during this latter part of the trip we put up our two tents front to front, so that the openings joined; in this way we were able to send the food direct from one tent to the other without going outside, and that was a great advantage. this circumstance led to a radical alteration in our camping system, and gave us the idea of the best five-man tent that has probably yet been seen in the polar regions. as we lay dozing that evening in our sleeping-bags, thinking of everything and nothing, the idea suddenly occurred to us that if the tents were sewed together as they now stood -- after the fronts had been cut away -- we should get one tent that would give us far more room for five than the two separate tents as they were. the idea was followed up, and the fruit of it was the tent we used on the journey to the pole -- an ideal tent in every way. yes, circumstances work wonders; for i suppose one need not make providence responsible for these trifles? on march we reached ° s., and it was the utmost my five dogs could manage. indeed, as will shortly be seen, it was already too much. they were completely worn out, poor beasts. this is the only dark memory of my stay in the south -- the over-taxing of these fine animals -- i had asked more of them than they were capable of doing. my consolation is that i did not spare myself either. to set this sledge, weighing nearly half a ton, in motion with tired-out dogs was no child's play. and setting it in motion was not always the whole of it: sometimes one had to push it forward until one forced the dogs to move. the whip had long ago lost its terrors. when i tried to use it, they only crowded together, and got their heads as much out of the way as they could; the body did not matter so much. many a time, too, i failed altogether to get them to go, and had to have help. then two of us shoved the sledge forward, while the third used the whip, shouting at the same time for all he was worth. how hard and unfeeling one gets under such conditions; how one's whole nature may be changed! i am naturally fond of all animals, and try to avoid hurting them. there is none of the "sportsman's" instinct in me; it would never occur to me to kill an animal -- rats and flies excepted -- unless it was to support life. i think i can say that in normal circumstances i loved my dogs, and the feeling was undoubtedly mutual. but the circumstances we were now in were not normal -- or was it, perhaps, myself who was not normal? i have often thought since that such was really the case. the daily hard work and the object i would not give up had made me brutal, for brutal i was when i forced those five skeletons to haul that excessive load. i feel it yet when i think of thor -- a big, fine, smooth-haired dog -- uttering his plaintive howls on the march, a thing one never hears a dog do while working. i did not understand what it meant -- would not understand, perhaps. on he had to go -- on till he dropped. when we cut him open we found that his whole chest was one large abscess. the altitude at noon gave us ° ' '', and we therefore went the other six miles to the south, and pitched our camp at . p.m. in ° s. we had latterly had a constant impression that the barrier was rising, and in the opinion of all of us we ought now to have been at a height of about , feet and a good way up the slope leading to the pole. personally i thought the ground continued to rise to the south. it was all imagination, as our later measurements showed. we had now reached our highest latitude that autumn, and had reason to be well satisfied. we laid down , pounds here, chiefly dogs' pemmican. we did nothing that afternoon, only rested a little. the weather was brisk, clear and calm, - ° f. the distance this last day was thirteen and a half miles. next day we stayed where we were, built our depot, and marked it. the marking was done in the same way as in ° s., with this difference, that here the pieces of packing-case had small, dark blue strips of cloth fastened to the top, which made them easier to see. we made this depot very secure, so that we could be certain it would stand bad weather in the course of the winter. i also left my sledge behind, as i saw the impossibility of getting it home with my team; besides which, an extra sledge at this point might possibly be useful later. this depot -- feet high -- was marked with a bamboo and a flag on the top, so that it could be seen a great way off. on march we took the road for home. i had divided my dogs between wisting and hanssen, but they got no assistance from these bags of bones, only trouble. the other three teams had held out well. there was hardly anything wrong to be seen with hanssen's. wisting's team was looked upon as the strongest, but his dogs had got very thin; however, they did their work well. wisting's sledge had also been overloaded; it was even heavier than mine. johansen's animals had originally been regarded as the weakest, but they proved themselves very tough in the long-run. they were no racers, but always managed to scramble along somehow. their motto was: "if we don't get there to-day, we'll get there to-morrow." they all came home. our original idea was that the homeward journey should be a sort of pleasure trip, that we should sit on the sledges and take it easy; but in the circumstances this was not to be thought of. the dogs had quite enough to do with the empty sledges. the same day we reached the place where we had left a case of dogs' pemmican, and camped there, having done twenty-nine and three-quarter miles. the weather was cold and raw; temperature, - . ° f. this weather took the last remnant of strength out of my dogs; instead of resting at night, they lay huddled together and freezing. it was pitiful to see them. in the morning they had to be lifted up and put on their feet; they had not strength enough to raise themselves. when they had staggered on a little way and got some warmth into their bodies, they seemed to be rather better -- at any rate, they could keep up with us. the following day we did twenty-four and three-quarter miles; temperature, - . ° f. on the th we passed the depot in ° s. the big pressure ridges to the east were easily visible, and we got a good bearing, which would possibly come in useful later for fixing the position of the depot. that day we did twenty-four and three-quarter miles; temperature, - ° f. march began calm and fine, but by half-past ten in the morning a strong wind had sprung up from the east-south-east with thick driving snow. so as not to lose the tracks we had followed so far, we pitched our camp, to wait till the storm was over. the wind howled and took hold of the tents, but could not move them. the next day it blew just as hard from the same quarter, and we decided to wait. the temperature was as usual, with the wind in this quarter; - . ° f. the wind did not moderate till . a.m. on the th, when we were able to make a start. what a sight there was outside! how were we going to begin to bring order out of this chaos? the sledges were completely snowed up; whips, ski-bindings, and harness largely eaten up. it was a nice predicament. fortunately we were well supplied with alpine rope, and that did for the harness; spare straps came in for ski-bindings, but the whips were not so easy to make good. hanssen, who drove first, was bound to have a fairly serviceable whip; the others did not matter so much, though it was rather awkward for them. in some way or other he provided himself with a whip that answered his purpose. i saw one of the others armed with a tent-pole, and he used it till we reached framheim. at first the dogs were much afraid of this monster of a whip, but they soon found out that it was no easy matter to reach them with the pole, and then they did not care a scrap for it. at last everything seemed to be in order, and then we only had to get the dogs up and in their places. several of them were so indifferent that they had allowed themselves to be completely snowed under, but one by one we got them out and put them on their feet. thor, however, refused absolutely. it was impossible to get him to stand up; he simply lay and whined. there was nothing to be done but to put an end to him, and as we had no firearms, it had to be done with an axe. it was quite successful; less would have killed him. wisting took the carcass on his sledge to take it to the next camp, and there cut it up. the day was bitterly cold -- fog and snow with a southerly breeze; temperature, - . ° f. we were lucky enough to pick up our old tracks of the southern journey, and could follow them. lurven, wisting's best dog, fell down on the march, and died on the spot. he was one of those dogs who had to work their hardest the whole time; he never thought of shirking for a moment; he pulled and pulled until he died. all sentimental feeling had vanished long ago; nobody thought of giving lurven the burial he deserved. what was left of him, skin and bones, was cut up and divided among his companions. on march we advanced seventeen miles; temperature, - . ° f. jens, one of my gallant "three musketeers," had been given a ride all day on wisting's sledge; he was too weak to walk any longer. thor was to have been divided among his companions that evening, but, on account of the abscess in his chest, we changed our minds. he was put into an empty case and buried. during the night we were wakened by a fearful noise. the dogs were engaged in a fierce fight, and it was easy to guess from their howls that it was all about food. wisting, who always showed himself quickest in getting out of the bag, was instantly on the spot, and then it was seen that they had dug up thor, and were now feasting on him. it could not be said that they were hard to please in the way of food. associations of ideas are curious things; "sauce hollandaise" suddenly occurred to my mind. wisting buried the carcass again, and we had peace for the rest of the night. on the th it felt bitterly cold, with - . ° f., and a sharp snowstorm from the south-east. lassesen, one of my dogs, who had been following the sledges loose, was left behind this morning at the camping-place; we did not miss him till late in the day. rasmus, one of the "three musketeers," fell to-day. like lurven, he pulled till he died. jens was very ill, could not touch food, and was taken on wisting's sledge. we reached our depot in ° s. that evening, and were able to give the dogs a double ration. the distance covered was twenty-one and three-quarter miles. the surface about here had changed in our absence; great, high snow-waves were now to be seen in all directions. on one of the cases in the depot bjaaland had written a short message, besides which we found the signal arranged with hassel -- a block of snow on the top of the depot to show that they had gone by, and that all was well. the cold continued persistently. the following day we had - . ° f. ola and jens, the two survivors of the "three musketeers," had to be put an end to that day; it was a shame to keep them alive any longer. and with them the "three musketeers" disappear from this history. they were inseparable friends, these three; all of them almost entirely black. at flekkerö, near christiansand, where we kept our dogs for several weeks before taking them on board, rasmus had got loose, and was impossible to catch. he always came and slept with his two friends, unless he was being hunted. we did not succeed in catching him until a few days before we took them on board, and then he was practically wild. they were all three tied up on the bridge on board, where i was to have my team, and from that day my closer acquaintance with the trio is dated. they were not very civilly disposed for the first month. i had to make my advances with a long stick -- scratch them on the back. in this way i insinuated myself into their confidence, and we became very good friends. but they were a terrible power on board; wherever these three villains showed themselves, there was always a row. they loved fighting. they were our fastest dogs. in our races with empty sledges, when we were driving around framheim, none of the others could beat these three. i was always sure of leaving the rest behind when i had them in my team. i had quite given up lassesen, who had been left behind that morning, and i was very sorry for it, as he was my strongest and most willing beast. i was glad, therefore, when he suddenly appeared again, apparently fit and well. we presumed that he had dug up thor again, and finished him. it must have been food that had revived him. from ° s. home he did remarkably good work in wisting's team. that day we had a curious experience, which was useful for the future. the compass on hanssen's sledge, which had always been reliability itself, suddenly began to go wrong; at any rate, it did not agree with the observations of the sun, which we fortunately had that day. we altered our course in accordance with our bearings. in the evening, when we took our things into the tent, the housewife, with scissors, pins, needles, etc., had lain close against the compass. no wonder it turned rebellious. on march we had a breeze from the south-east and - . ° f. "rather fresh," i find noted in my diary. not long after we had started that morning, hanssen caught sight of our old tracks. he had splendid eyesight -- saw everything long before anyone else. bjaaland also had good sight, but he did not come up to hanssen. the way home was now straightforward, and we could see the end of our journey. meanwhile a gale sprang up from the south-east, which stopped us for a day; temperature, - . ° f. next day the temperature had risen, as usual, with a south-east wind; we woke up to find it + . ° f. on the morning of the st. that was a difference that could be felt, and not an unpleasant one; we had had more than enough of - °. it was curious weather that night: violent gusts of wind from the east and south-east, with intervals of dead calm -- just as if they came off high land. on our way northward that day we passed our flag no. , and then knew that we were fifty-three miles from framheim. pitched our camp that evening at thirty-seven miles from the station. we had intended to take this stretch of the way in two days, seeing how tired the dogs were; but it turned out otherwise, for we lost our old tracks during the forenoon, and in going on we came too far to the east, and high up on the ridge mentioned before. suddenly hanssen sang out that he saw something funny in front -- what it was he did not know. when that was the case, we had to apply to the one who saw even better than hanssen, and that was my glass. up with the glass, then -- the good old glass that has served me for so many years. yes, there was certainly something curious. it must be the bay of whales that we were looking down into, but what were those black things moving up and down? they are our fellows hunting seals, someone suggested, and we all agreed. yes, of course, it was so clear that there was no mistaking it. "i can see a sledge -- and there's another -- and there's a third." we nearly had tears in our eyes to see how industrious they were. "now they're gone. no; there they are again. strange how they bob up and down, those fellows!" it proved to be a mirage; what we saw was framheim with all its tents. our lads, we were sure, were just taking a comfortable midday nap, and the tears we were nearly shedding were withdrawn. now we could survey the situation calmly. there lay framheim, there was cape man's head, and there west cape, so that we had come too far to the east. "hurrah for framheim! half-past seven this evening," shouted one. "yes, that's all we can do," cried another; and away we went. we set our course straight for the middle of the bay. we must have got pretty high up, as we went down at a terrific pace. this was more than the forerunner could manage; he flung himself on a sledge as it went by. i had a glimpse of hanssen, who was busy making a whip-handle, as i passed; the soles of his feet were then very prominent. i myself was lying on hanssen's sledge, shaking with laughter; the situation was too comical. hanssen picked himself up again just as the last sledge was passing and jumped on. we all collected in a mass below the ridge -- sledges and dogs mixed up together. the last part of the way was rather hard work. we now found the tracks that we had lost early in the day; one dried fish after another stuck up out of the snow and led us straight on. we reached framheim at seven in the evening, half an hour earlier than we had thought. it was a day's march of thirty-seven miles -- not so bad for exhausted dogs. lassesen was the only one i brought home out of my team. odin, whom i had sent home from ° s., died after arriving there. we lost altogether eight dogs on this trip; two of stubberud's died immediately after coming home from ° s. probably the cold was chiefly responsible; i feel sure that with a reasonable temperature they would have come through. the three men who came home from ° s. were safe and sound. it is true that they had run short of food and matches the last day, but if the worst came to the worst, they had the dogs. since their return they had shot, brought in, cut up, and stowed away, fifty seals -- a very good piece of work. lindström had been untiring during our absence; he had put everything in splendid order. in the covered passage round the hut he had cut out shelves in the snow and filled them with slices of seal meat. here alone there were steaks enough for the whole time we should spend here. on the outer walls of the hut, which formed the other side of the passage, he had put up shelves, and there all kinds of tinned foods were stored. all was in such perfect order that one could put one's hand on what one wanted in the dark. there stood salt meat and bacon by themselves, and there were fish-cakes. there you read the label on a tin of caramel pudding, and you could be sure that the rest of the caramel puddings were in the vicinity. quite right; there they stood in a row, like a company of soldiers. oh, lindström, how long will this order last? well, that was, of course, a question i put to myself in the strictest secrecy. let me turn over my diary. on thursday, july , i find the following entry: "the provision passage turns our days into chaotic confusion. how my mind goes back to the time when one could find what one wanted without a light of any kind! if you put out your hand to get a plum-pudding and shut it again, you could be sure it was a plum-pudding you had hold of. and so it was throughout lindström's department. but now -- good heavens! i am ashamed to put down what happened to me yesterday. i went out there in the most blissful ignorance of the state of things now prevailing, and, of course, i had no light with me, for everything had its place. i put out my hand and grasped. according to my expectation i ought to have been in possession of a packet of candles, but the experiment had failed. that which i held in my hand could not possibly be a packet of candles. it was evident from the feel that it was something of a woollen nature. i laid the object down, and had recourse to the familiar expedient of striking a match. do you know what it was? a dirty old -- pair of pants! and do you want to know where i found it? well, it was between the butter and the sweetmeats. that was mixing things up with a vengeance." but lindström must not have all the blame. in this passage everyone was running backwards and forwards, early and late, and as a rule in the dark. and if they knocked something down on the way, i am not quite sure that they always stopped to pick it up again. then he had painted the ceiling of the room white. how cosy it looked when we put our heads in that evening! he had seen us a long way off on the barrier, the rascal, and now the table was laid with all manner of dainties. but seal-steaks and the smell of coffee were what attracted us, and it was no small quantity that disappeared that evening. home! -- that word has a good sound, wherever it may be, at sea, on land, or on -- the barrier. how comfortable we made ourselves that night! the first thing we did now was to dry all our reindeer-skin clothes; they were wet through. this was not to be done in a hurry. we had to stretch the garments that were to be dried on lines under the ceiling of the room, so that we could not dry very much at a time. we got everything ready, and made some improvements in our outfit for a last depot journey before the winter set in. this time the destination was ° s., with about a ton and a quarter of fresh seal meat. how immensely important it would be on the main journey if we could give our dogs as much seal meat as they could eat at ° s.; we all saw the importance of this, and were eager to carry it out. we set to work once more at the outfit; the last trip had taught us much that was new. thus prestrud and johansen had come to the conclusion that a double sleeping-bag was preferable to two single ones. i will not enter upon the discussion that naturally arose on this point. the double bag has many advantages, and so has the single bag; let it therefore remain a matter of taste. those two were, however, the only ones who made this alteration. hanssen and wisting were busy carrying out the new idea for the tents, and it was not long before they had finished. these tents are as much like a snow hut in form as they can be; instead of being entirely round, they have a more oblong form, but there is no flat side, and the wind has no point of attack. our personal outfit also underwent some improvements. the bay of whales -- the inner part of it, from man's head to west cape -- was now entirely frozen over, but outside the sea lay immense and dark. our house was now completely covered with snow. most of this was lindström's work; the blizzard had not helped him much. this covering with snow has a great deal to do with keeping the hut snug and warm. our dogs -- in number -- mostly look like pigs getting ready for christmas; even the famished ones that made the last trip are beginning to recover. it is an extraordinary thing how quickly such an animal can put on flesh. it was interesting to watch the home-coming of the dogs from the last trip. they showed no sign of surprise when we came into camp; they might have been there all the time. it is true they were rather more hungry than the rest. the meeting between lassesen and fix was comic. these two were inseparable friends; the first-named was boss, and the other obeyed him blindly. on this last trip i had left fix at home, as he did not give me the impression of being quite up to the work; he had therefore put on a lot of flesh, big eater as he was. i stood and watched their meeting with intense curiosity. would not fix take advantage of the occasion to assume the position of boss? in such a mass of dogs it took some little time before they came across each other. then it was quite touching. fix ran straight up to the other, began to lick him, and showed every sign of the greatest affection and joy at seeing him again. lassesen, on his part, took it all with a very superior air, as befits a boss. without further ceremony, he rolled his fat friend in the snow and stood over him for a while -- no doubt to let him know that he was still absolute master, beyond dispute. poor fix! -- he looked quite crestfallen. but this did not last long; he soon avenged himself on the other, knowing that he could tackle him with safety. in order to give a picture of our life as it was at this time, i will quote a day from my diary. march -- saturday: "beautiful mild weather, + . ° f. all day. very light breeze from the south-east. our seal-hunters -- the party that came home from ° s. -- were out this morning, and brought back three seals. this makes sixty-two seals altogether since their return on march . we have now quite enough fresh meat both for ourselves and for all our dogs. we get to like seal-steak more and more every day. we should all be glad to eat it at every meal, but we think it safer to make a little variety. for breakfast -- eight o'clock -- we now have regularly hot cakes with jam, and lindström knows how to prepare them in a way that could not be surpassed in the best american houses. in addition, we have bread, butter, cheese, and coffee. for dinner we mostly have seal meat (we introduced rather more tinned meat into the menu in the course of the winter), and sweets in the form of tinned californian fruit, tarts, and tinned puddings. for supper, seal-steak, with whortleberry jam, cheese, bread, butter, and coffee. every saturday evening a glass of toddy and a cigar. i must frankly confess that i have never lived so well. and the consequence is that we are all in the best of health, and i feel certain that the whole enterprise will be crowned with success. "it is strange indeed here to go outside in the evening and see the cosy, warm lamp-light through the window of our little snow-covered hut, and to feel that this is our snug, comfortable home on the formidable and dreaded barrier. all our little puppies -- as round as christmas pigs -- are wandering about outside, and at night they lie in crowds about the door. they never take shelter under a roof at night. they must be hardy beasts. some of them are so fat that they waddle just like geese." the aurora australis was seen for the first time on the evening of march . it was composed of shafts and bands, and extended from the south-west to the north-east through the zenith. the light was pale green and red. we see many fine sunsets here, unique in the splendour of their colour. no doubt the surroundings in this fairyland of blue and white do much to increase their beauty. the departure of the last depot journey was fixed for friday, march . a few days before, the seal-hunting party went out on the ice and shot six seals for the depot. they were cleaned and all superfluous parts removed, so that they should not be too heavy. the weight of these six seals was then estimated at about , pounds. on march , at a.m., the last depot party started. it consisted of seven men, six sledges, and thirty-six dogs. i did not go myself this time. they had the most beautiful weather to begin their journey -- dead calm and brilliantly clear. at seven o'clock that morning, when i came out of the hut, i saw a sight so beautiful that i shall never forget it. the whole surroundings of the station lay in deep, dark shadow, in lee of the ridge to the east. but the sun's rays reached over the barrier farther to the north, and there the barrier lay golden red, bathed in the morning sun. it glittered and shone, red and gold, against the jagged row of mighty masses of ice that bounds our barrier on the north. a spirit of peace breathed over all. but from framheim the smoke ascended quietly into the air, and proclaimed that the spell of thousands of years was broken. the sledges were heavily loaded when they went southward. i saw them slowly disappear over the ridge by the starting-place. it was a quiet time that followed after all the work and hurry of preparation. not that we two who stayed at home sat still doing nothing. we made good use of the time. the first thing to be done was to put our meteorological station in order. on april all the instruments were in use. in the kitchen were hung our two mercury barometers, four aneroids, barograph, thermograph, and one thermometer. they were placed in a well-protected corner, farthest from the stove. we had no house as yet for our outside instruments, but the sub-director went to work to prepare one as quickly as possible, and so nimble were his hands that when the depot party returned there was the finest instrument-screen standing ready on the hill, painted white so that it shone a long way off: the wind-vane was a work of art, constructed by our able engineer, sundbeck. no factory could have supplied a more handsome or tasteful one. in the instrument-screen we had a thermograph, hygrometer, and thermometers. observations were made at a.m., p.m., and p.m. when i was at home i took them, and when i was away it was lindström's work. on the night before april something or other fell down in the kitchen -- according to lindström, a sure sign that the travellers might be expected home that day. and, sure enough, at noon we caught sight of them up at the starting-place. they came across at such a pace that the snow was scattered all round them, and in an hour's time we had them back. they had much to tell us. in the first place, that everything had been duly taken to the depot in °s. then they surprised me with an account of a fearfully crevassed piece of surface that they had come upon, forty-six and a half miles from the station, where they had lost two dogs. this was very strange; we had now traversed this stretch of surface four times without being particularly troubled with anything of this sort, and then, all of a sudden, when they thought the whole surface was as solid as a rock, they found themselves in danger of coming to grief altogether. in thick weather they had gone too far to the west; then, instead of arriving at the ridge, as we had done before, they came down into the valley, and there found a surface so dangerous that they nearly had a catastrophe. it was a precisely similar piece of surface to that already mentioned to the south of ° s., but full of small hummocks everywhere. the ground was apparently solid enough, and this was just the most dangerous thing about it; but, as they were crossing it, large pieces of the surface fell away just in rear of them, disclosing bottomless crevasses, big enough to swallow up everything -- men, dogs, and sledges. with some difficulty they got out of this ugly place by steering to the east. now we knew of it, and we should certainly be very careful not to come that way again. in spite of this, however, we afterwards had an even more serious encounter with this nasty trap. one dog had also been left behind on the way; it had a wound on one of its feet, and could not be harnessed in the sledge. it had been let loose a few miles to the north of the depot, doubtless with the idea that it would follow the sledges. but the dog seemed to have taken another view of the matter, and was never seen again. there were some who thought that the dog had probably returned to the depot, and was now passing its days in ease and luxury among the laboriously transported seals' carcasses. i must confess that this idea was not very attractive to me; there was, indeed, a possibility that such a thing had happened, and that the greater part of our seal meat might be missing when we wanted it. but our fears proved groundless; cook -- that was the name of the dog; we had a peary as well, of course -- was gone for ever. the improved outfit was in every way successful. praises of the new tent were heard on every hand, and prestrud and johansen were in the seventh heaven over their double sleeping-bag. i fancy the others were very well satisfied with their single ones. and with this the most important part of the autumn's work came to an end. the foundation was solidly laid; now we had only to raise the edifice. let us briefly sum up the work accomplished between january and april : the complete erection of the station, with accommodation for nine men for several years; provision of fresh meat for nine men and a hundred and fifteen dogs for half a year -- the weight of the seals killed amounted to about tons; and, finally, the distribution of tons of supplies in the depots in latitudes °, °, and °s. the depot in °s. contained seal meat, dogs' pemmican, biscuits, butter, milk-powder, chocolate, matches, and paraffin, besides a quantity of outfit. the total weight of this depot was , pounds. in °s., / ton of dogs' pemmican. in °s., pemmican, both for men and dogs, biscuits, milk-powder, chocolate, and paraffin, besides a quantity of outfit. the weight of this depot amounted to , pounds. chapter vii preparing for winter winter! i believe most people look upon winter as a time of storms, cold, and discomfort. they look forward to it with sadness, and bow before the inevitable -- providence ordains it so. the prospect of a ball or two cheers them up a little, and makes the horizon somewhat brighter; but, all the same -- darkness and cold -- ugh, no! let us have summer, they say. what my comrades thought about the winter that was approaching i cannot say; for my part, i looked forward to it with pleasure. when i stood out there on the snow hill, and saw the light shining out of the kitchen window, there came over me an indescribable feeling of comfort and well-being. and the blacker and more stormy the winter night might be, the greater would be this feeling of well-being inside our snug little house. i see the reader's questioning look, and know what he will say: "but weren't you awfully afraid the barrier would break off, and float you out to sea?" i will answer this question as frankly as possible. with one exception, we were all at this time of the opinion that the part of the barrier on which the hut stood rested on land, so that any fear of a sea voyage was quite superfluous. as to the one who thought we were afloat, i think i can say very definitely that he was not afraid. i believe, as a matter of fact, that he gradually came round to the same view as the rest of us. if a general is to win a battle, he must always be prepared. if his opponent makes a move, he must see that he is able to make a counter-move; everything must be planned in advance, and nothing unforeseen. we were in the same position; we had to consider beforehand what the future might bring, and make our arrangements accordingly while there was time. when the sun had left us, and the dark period had set in, it would be too late. what first of all claimed our attention and set our collective brain-machinery to work was the female sex. there was no peace for us even on the barrier. what happened was that the entire feminine population -- eleven in number -- had thought fit to appear in a condition usually considered "interesting," but which, under the circumstances, we by no means regarded in that light. our hands were indeed full enough without this. what was to be done? great deliberation. eleven maternity hospitals seemed rather a large order, but we knew by experience that they all required first aid. if we left several of them in the same place there would be a terrible scene, and it would end in their eating up each other's pups. for what had happened only a few days before? kaisa, a big black-and-white bitch, had taken a three-months-old pup when no one was looking, and made a meal off it. when we arrived we saw the tip of its tail disappearing, so there was not much to be done. now, it fortunately happened that one of the dog-tents became vacant, as prestrud's team was divided among the other tents; as "forerunner," he had no use for dogs. here, with a little contrivance, we could get two of them disposed of; a dividing wall could be put up. when first laying out the station, we had taken this side of life into consideration, and a "hospital" in the shape of a sixteen-man tent had been erected; but this was not nearly enough. we then had recourse to the material of which there is such superabundance in these parts of the earth-snow. we erected a splendid big snow-hut. besides this, lindström in his leisure hours had erected a little building, which was ready when we returned from the second depot journey. we had none of us asked what it was for, but now we knew lindström's kind heart. with these arrangements at our disposal we were able to face the winter. camilla, the sly old fox, had taken things in time; she knew what it meant to bring up children in the dark, and, in truth, it was no pleasure. she had therefore made haste, and was ready as soon as the original "hospital" was prepared. she could now look forward to the future with calmness in the last rays of the disappearing sun; when darkness set in, her young ones would be able to look after themselves. camilla, by the way, had her own views of bringing up her children. what there was about the hospital that she did not like i do not know, but it is certain that she preferred any other place. it was no rare thing to come across camilla in a tearing gale and a temperature twenty below zero with one of her offspring in her mouth. she was going out to look for a new place. meanwhile, the three others, who had to wait, were shrieking and howling. the places she chose were not, as a rule, such as we should connect with the idea of comfort; a case, for instance, standing on its side, and fully exposed to the wind, or behind a stack of planks, with a draught coming through that would have done credit to a factory chimney. but if she liked it, there was nothing to be said. if the family were left alone in such a place, she would spend some days there before moving on again. she never returned to the hospital voluntarily, but it was not a rare thing to see johansen, who was guardian to the family, hauling off the lady and as many of her little ones as he could get hold of in a hurry. they then disappeared into the hospital with words of encouragement. at the same time we introduced a new order of things with our dogs. hitherto we had been obliged to keep them tied up on account of seal-hunting; otherwise they went off by themselves and ravaged. there were certain individuals who specially distinguished themselves in this way, like wisting's major. he was a born hunter, afraid of nothing. then there was hassel's svarten; but a good point about him was that he went off alone, while the major always had a whole staff with him. they usually came back with their faces all covered with blood. to put a stop to this sport we had been obliged to keep them fast; but now that the seals had left us, we could let them loose. naturally the first use to which they put their liberty was fighting. in the course of time -- for reasons impossible to discover -- bitter feelings and hatred had arisen between certain of the dogs, and now they were offered an opportunity of deciding which was the stronger, and they seized upon it with avidity. but after a time their manners improved, and a regular fight became a rarity. there were, of course, a few who could never see each other without flying at one another's throats, like lassesen and hans, for instance; but we knew their ways, and could keep an eye on them. the dogs soon knew their respective tents, and their places in them. they were let loose as soon as we came out in the morning, and were chained up again in the evening when they were to be fed. they got so used to this that we never had much trouble; they all reported themselves cheerfully when we came in the evening to fasten them up, and every animal knew his own master and tent, and knew at once what was expected of him. with howls of delight the various dogs collected about their masters, and made for the tents in great jubilation. we kept up this arrangement the whole time. their food consisted of seal's flesh and blubber one day, and dried fish the next; as a rule, both disappeared without any objection, though they certainly preferred the seal. throughout the greater part of the winter we had carcasses of seals lying on the slope, and these were usually a centre of great interest. the spot might be regarded as the market-place of framheim, and it was not always a peaceful one. the customers were many and the demand great, so that sometimes lively scenes took place. our own store of seal's flesh was in the "meat-tent." about a hundred seals had been cut up and stacked there. as already mentioned, we built a wall of snow, two yards high, round this tent, as a protection against the dogs. although they had as much to eat as they wanted, and although they knew they were not allowed to try to get in -- or possibly this prohibition was just the incentive -- they were always casting longing eyes in that direction, and the number of claw-marks in the wall spoke eloquently of what went on when we were not looking. snuppesen, in particular, could not keep herself away from that wall, and she was extremely light and agile, so that she had the best chance. she never engaged in this sport by herself, but always enticed out her attendant cavaliers, fix and lasse; these, however, were less active, and had to be content with looking on. while she jumped inside the wall -- which she only succeeded in doing once or twice -- they ran round yelling. as soon as we heard their howls, we knew exactly what was happening, and one of us went out, armed with a stick. it required some cunning to catch her in the act, for as soon as one approached, her cavaliers stopped howling, and she understood that something was wrong. her red fox's head could then be seen over the top, looking round. it need scarcely be said that she did not jump into the arms of the man with the stick, but, as a rule, he did not give up until he had caught and punished her. fix and lasse also had their turns; it was true they had done nothing wrong, but they might. they knew this, and watched snuppesen's chastisement at a distance. the tent where we kept the dried fish stood always open; none of them attempted to take fish. the sun continued its daily course, lower and lower. we did not see much of it after the return from the last depot journey; on april it came, and vanished again at once. easter came round on the barrier, as in other parts of the globe, and had to be kept. holidays with us were marked by eating a little more than usual; there was no other sign. we did not dress differently, nor did we introduce any other change. in the evening of a holiday we generally had a little gramophone, a glass of toddy, and a cigar; but we were careful with the gramophone. we knew we should soon get tired of it if we used it too often; therefore we only brought it out on rare occasions, but we enjoyed its music all the more when we heard it. when easter was over, a sigh of relief escaped us all; these holidays are always tiring. they are tedious enough in places which have more amusements to offer than the barrier, but here they were insufferably long. our manner of life was now completely in order, and everything worked easily and well. the chief work of the winter would be the perfecting of our outfit for the coming sledge journey to the south. our object was to reach the pole -- everything else was secondary. the meteorological observations were in full swing and arranged for the winter. observations were made at a.m., p.m., and p.m. we were so short-handed that i could not spare anyone for night duty, besides which, living as we did in a small space, it would have a disturbing effect if there were always someone moving about; there would never be any peace. my special aim was that everyone should be happy and comfortable, so that, when the spring came, we might all be fresh and well and eager to take up the final task. it was not my intention that we should spend the winter in idleness -- far from it. to be contented and well, a man must always be occupied. i therefore expected everyone to be busy during the hours that were set apart for work. at the end of the day each man was free to do what he pleased. we had also to keep some sort of order and tidiness, as well as circumstances permitted. it was therefore decided that each of us should take a week's duty as "orderly." this duty consisted in sweeping the floor every morning, emptying ash-trays, etc. to secure plenty of ventilation -- especially in our sleeping-places -- a rule was made that no one might have anything under his bunk except the boots he had in wear. each man had two pegs to hang his clothes on, and this was sufficient for what he was wearing every day; all superfluous clothing was stuffed into our kit-bags and put out. in this way we succeeded in maintaining some sort of tidiness; in any case, the worst of the dirt was got rid of. whether a fastidious housekeeper would have found everything in order is doubtful. everyone had his regular work. prestrud, with the assistance of johansen, looked after the astronomical observations and the pendulum observations. hassel was set in authority over coal, wood, and paraffin; he was responsible for the supply lasting out. as manager of the framheim coal and wood business, he, of course, received the title of director, and this dignity might possibly have gone to his head if the occupation of errand-boy had not been combined with it. but it was. besides receiving the orders, he had to deliver the goods, and he discharged his duties with distinction. he succeeded in hoodwinking his largest customer -- lindström -- to such an extent that, in the course of the winter, he saved a good deal of coal. hanssen had to keep the depot in order and bring in everything we required. wisting had charge of the whole outfit, and was responsible that nothing was touched without permission. bjaaland and stubberud were to look after the pent-house and the passage round the hut. lindström was occupied in the kitchen -- the hardest and most thankless work on an expedition like this. no one says anything so long as the food is good; but let the cook be unlucky and burn the soup one day, and he will hear something. lindström had the excellent disposition of a man who is never put out; whatever people might say, it was "all the same" to him. on april we saw the sun for the last time, since it then went below our horizon -- the ridge to the north. it was intensely red, and surrounded by a sea of flame, which did not disappear altogether until the st. now everything was well. as far as the hut was concerned, it could not be better; but the pent-house, which it was originally intended to use as a workroom, soon proved too small, dark, and cold, besides which all the traffic went through that room, so that work would be constantly interrupted or stopped altogether at times. except this dark hole we had no workroom, and we had a lot of work to do. of course, we might use our living-room, but then we should be in each other's way all day long; nor would it be a good plan to give up the only room where we could sometimes find peace and comfort to be a workshop. i know it is the usual custom to do so, but i have always found it a bad arrangement. now, indeed, we were at our wits' end, but circumstances once more came to our aid. for we may just as well confess it: we had forgotten to bring out a tool which is a commonplace necessity on a polar expedition -- namely, a snow-shovel. a well-equipped expedition, as ours was to a certain extent, ought to have at least twelve strong, thick iron spades. we had none. we had two remnants, but they did not help us very far. fortunately, however, we had a very good, solid iron plate with us, and now bjaaland stepped into the breach, and made a whole dozen of the very best spades. stubberud managed the handles, and they might all have been turned out by a big factory. this circumstance had very important results for our future well-being, as will be seen. if we had had the shovels with us from the start, we should have cleared the snow away from our door every morning, like tidy people. but as we had none, the snow had increased daily before our door, and, before bjaaland was ready with the spades, had formed a drift extending from the entrance along the western side of the house. this snow-drift, which was as big as the house itself, naturally caused some frowns, when one morning all hands turned out, armed with the new shovels, to make a clearance. as we stood there, afraid to begin, one of us -- it must have been lindström, or hanssen perhaps, or was it myself? well, it doesn't matter -- one of us had the bright idea of taking nature in hand, and working with her instead of against her. the proposal was that we should dig out a carpenter's shop in the big snow-drift, and put it in direct communication with the hut. this was no sooner suggested than adopted unanimously. and now began a work of tunnelling which lasted a good while, for one excavation led to another, and we did not stop until we had a whole underground village -- probably one of the most interesting works ever executed round a polar station. let us begin with the morning when we thrust the first spade into the drift; it was thursday, april . while three men went to work to dig right into the drift from the hut door westward, three more were busy connecting it with the hut. this was done by stretching boards -- the same that we had used on the fram as a false deck for the dogs -- from the drift up to the roof of the pent-house. the open part between the drift and the pent-house on the northern side was filled up entirely into a solid wall, which went up to join the roof that had just been put on. the space between the pent-house and the drift on the south wall was left open as an exit. but now we had the building fever on us, and one ambitious project succeeded another. thus we agreed to dig a passage the whole length of the drift, and terminate it by a large snow-hut, in which we were to have a vapour bath. that was something like a plan -- a vapour bath in °s. hanssen, snow-hut builder by profession, went to work at it. he built it quite small and solid, and extended it downward, so that, when at last it was finished, it measured feet from floor to roof. here we should have plenty of room to fit up a vapour bath. meanwhile the tunnellers were advancing; we could hear the sound of their pickaxes and spades coming nearer and nearer. this was too much for hanssen. as he had now finished the hut, he set to work to dig his way to the others; and when he begins a thing, it does not take him very long. we could hear the two parties continually nearing each other. the excitement increases. will they meet? or are they digging side by side on different lines? the simplon, mont cenis, and other engineering works, flashed through my brain. if they were going to hit it off, we must be -- hullo! i was interrupted in my studies by a glistening face, which was thrust through the wall just as i was going to dig my spade into it. it was wisting, pioneer of the framheim tunnel. he had good reason to be glad he escaped with his nose safe and sound. in another instant i should have had it on my spade. it was a fine sight, this long, white passage, ending in the high, shining dome. as we dug forward, we dug down at the same time so as not to weaken the roof. there was plenty to take down below; the barrier was deep enough. when this was finished, we began to work on the carpenter's shop. this had to be dug considerably deeper, as the drift was rounded off a little to the side. we therefore dug first into the drift, and then right down; as far as i remember, we went feet down into the barrier here. the shop was made roomy, with space enough for both carpenters and length enough for our sledges. the planing-bench was cut out in the wall and covered with boards. the workshop terminated at its western end in a little room, where the carpenters kept their smaller tools. a broad stairway, cut in the snow and covered with boards, led from the shop into the passage. as soon as the workshop was finished, the workmen moved in, and established themselves under the name of the carpenters' union. here the whole sledging outfit for the polar journey was remodelled. opposite the carpenters came the smithy, dug to the same depth as the other; this was less used. on the other side of the smithy, nearer to the hut, a deep hole was dug to receive all the waste water from the kitchen. between the carpenters' union and the entrance to the pent-house, opposite the ascent to the barrier, we built a little room, which, properly speaking, deserves a very detailed explanation; but, for want of space, this must be deferred till later. the ascent to the barrier, which had been left open while all these works were in progress, was now closed by a contrivance which is also worth mentioning. there are a great many people who apparently have never learnt to shut a door after them; where two or three are gathered together, you generally find at least one who suffers from this defect. how many would there be among us, who numbered nine? it is no use asking a victim of this complaint to shut the door after him; he is simply incapable of doing it. i was not yet well enough acquainted with my companions as regards the door-shutting question, and in order to be on the safe side we might just as well put up a self-closing door. this was done by stubberud, by fixing the door-frame into the wall in an oblique position just like a cellar-door at home. now the door could not stay open; it had to fall to. i was glad when i saw it finished; we were secured against an invasion of dogs. four snow steps covered with boards led from the door down into the passage. in addition to all these new rooms, we had thus gained an extra protection for our house. while this work was in progress, our instrument-maker had his hands full; the clockwork mechanism of the thermograph had gone wrong: the spindle was broken, i believe. this was particularly annoying, because this thermograph had been working so well in low temperatures. the other thermograph had evidently been constructed with a view to the tropics; at any rate, it would not go in the cold. our instrument-maker has one method of dealing with all instruments -- almost without exception. he puts them in the oven, and stokes up the fire. this time it worked remarkably well, since it enabled him to ascertain beyond a doubt that the thing was useless. the thermograph would not work in the cold. meanwhile he got it cleared of all the old oil that stuck to it everywhere, on wheels and pins, like fish-glue; then it was hung up to the kitchen ceiling. the temperature there may possibly revive it, and make it think it is in the tropics. in this way we shall have the temperature of the "galley" registered, and later on we shall probably be able to reckon up what we have had for dinner in the course of the week. whether professor mohn will be overjoyed with this result is another question, which the instrument-maker and director did not care to go into. besides these instruments we have a hygrograph -- we are well supplied; but this takes one of us out of doors once in the twenty-four hours. lindström has cleaned it and oiled it and set it going. in spite of this, at three in the morning it comes to a stop. but i have never seen lindström beaten yet. after many consultations he was given the task of trying to construct a thermograph out of the hygrograph and the disabled thermograph; this was just the job for him. the production he showed me a few hours later made my hair stand on end. what would steen say? do you know what it was? well, it was an old meat-tin circulating inside the thermograph case. heavens! what an insult to the self-registering meteorological instruments! i was thunderstruck, thinking, of course, that the man was making a fool of me. i had carefully studied his face all the time to find the key to this riddle, and did not know whether to laugh or weep. lindström's face was certainly serious enough; if it afforded a measure of the situation, i believe tears would have been appropriate. but when my eye fell upon the thermograph and read, "stavanger preserving co.'s finest rissoles," i could contain myself no longer. the comical side of it was too much for me, and i burst into a fit of laughter. when my laughter was subdued, i heard the explanation. the cylinder did not fit, so he had tried the tin, and it went splendidly. the rissole-thermograph worked very well as far as - ° c., but then it gave up. our forces were now divided into two working parties. one of them was to dig out some forty seals we had lying about feet under the snow; this took two days. the heavy seals' carcasses, hard as flint, were difficult to deal with. the dogs were greatly interested in these proceedings. each carcass, on being raised to the surface, was carefully inspected; they were piled up in two heaps, and would provide food enough for the dogs for the whole winter. meanwhile the other party were at work under hassel's direction on a petroleum cellar. the barrels which had been laid up at the beginning of february were now deep below the snow. they now dug down at both ends of the store, and made a passage below the surface along the barrels; at the same time they dug far enough into the barrier to give the requisite height for the barrels. when the snow had been thrown out, one hole was walled up again, while a large entrance was constructed over the other. stubberud's knowledge of vaulting came in useful here, and he has the credit of having built the splendid arched entrance to the oil-store. it was a pleasure to go down into it; probably no one has had so fine a storehouse for petroleum before. but hassel did not stop here; he had the building fever on him in earnest. his great project of connecting the coal and wood store with the house below the surface nearly took my breath away; it seemed to me an almost superhuman labour, but they did it. the distance from the coal-tent to the house was about ten yards. here hassel and stubberud laid out their line so that it would strike the passage round the house at the south-east angle. when they had done this, they dug a gigantic hole down into the barrier half-way between the tent and the house, and then dug in both directions from here and soon finished the work. but now prestrud had an idea. while the hole remained open he wished to avail himself of the opportunity of arranging an observatory for his pendulum apparatus, and he made a very good one. he did it by digging at right angles to the passage, and had his little observatory between the coal-tent and the house. when all the snow was cleared out, the big hole was covered over again, and now we could go from the kitchen direct to the coal-store without going out. first we followed the passage round the house -- you remember where all the tinned provisions stood in such perfect order -- then, on reaching the south-east angle of the house, this new passage opened out and led across to the coal-tent. in the middle of the passage, on the right-hand side, a door led into the pendulum observatory. continuing along the passage, one came first to some steps leading down, and then the passage ended in a steep flight of steps which led up through a hole in the snow surface. on going up this one suddenly found oneself in the middle of the coal-tent. it was a fine piece of work, and did all honour to its designers. it paid, too -- hassel could now fetch coal at any time under cover, and escaped having to go out of doors. but this was not the end of our great underground works. we wanted a room where wisting could store all the things in his charge; he was specially anxious about the reindeer-skin clothing, and wished to have it under a roof. we therefore decided upon a room sufficiently large to house all these articles, and at the same time to provide working-space for wisting and hanssen, who would have to lash all the sledges as fast as they came from bjaaland. wisting elected to build this room in a big snow-drift that had formed around the tent in which he had kept all his stuff; the spot lay to the north-east of the house. the clothing store, as this building was called, was fairly large, and provided space not only for all our equipment, but also for a workshop. from it a door led into a very small room, where wisting set up his sewing-machine and worked on it all through the winter. continuing in a north-easterly direction, we came to another big room, called the crystal palace, in which all the ski and sledging cases were stored. here all the provisions for the sledge journey were packed. for the time being this room remained separate from the others, and we had to go out of doors to reach it. later, when lindström had dug out an enormous hole in the barrier at the spot where he took all the snow and ice for cooking, we connected this with the two rooms last mentioned, and were thus finally able to go everywhere under the snow. the astronomical observatory had also arisen; it lay right alongside the crystal palace. but it had an air of suffering from debility, and before very long it passed peacefully away. prestrud afterwards invented many patents; he used an empty barrel for a time as a pedestal, then an old block of wood. his experience of instrument-stands is manifold. all these undertakings were finished at the beginning of may. one last piece of work remained, and then at last we should be ready. this was the rebuilding of the depot. the small heaps in which the cases were piled proved unsatisfactory, as the passages between the different piles offered a fine site for snow-drifts. all the cases were now taken out and laid in two long rows, with sufficient intervals between them to prevent their offering resistance to the drifting snow. this work was carried out in two days. the days were now fairly short, and we were ready to take up our indoor work. the winter duties were assigned as follows: prestrud, scientific observations; johansen, packing of sledging provisions; hassel had to keep lindström supplied with coal, wood, and paraffin, and to make whip-lashes -- an occupation he was very familiar with from the fram's second expedition; stubberud was to reduce the weight of the sledge cases to a minimum, besides doing a lot of other things. there was nothing he could not turn his hand to, so the programme of his winter work was left rather vague. i knew he would manage a great deal more than the sledge cases, though it must be said that it was a tiresome job he had. bjaaland was allotted the task which we all regarded with intense interest -- the alteration of the sledges. we knew that an enormous amount of weight could be saved, but how much? hanssen and wisting had to lash together the different parts as they were finished; this was to be done in the clothing store. these two had also a number of other things on their programme for the winter. there are many who think that a polar expedition is synonymous with idleness. i wish i had had a few adherents of this belief at framheim that winter; they would have gone away with a different opinion. not that the hours of work were excessively long, the circumstances forbade that. but during those hours the work was brisk. on several previous sledge journeys i had made the experience that thermometers are very fragile things. it often happens that at the beginning of a journey one breaks all one's thermometers, and is left without any means of determining the temperature. if in such circumstances one had accustomed oneself to guess the temperature, it would have given the mean temperature for the month with a fair degree of accuracy. the guesses for single days might vary somewhat from reality on one side or the other, but, as i say, one would arrive at a fair estimate of the mean temperature. with this in my mind i started a guessing competition. as each man came in in the morning he gave his opinion of the temperature of the day, and this was entered in a book. at the end of the month the figures were gone through, and the one who had guessed correctly the greatest number of times won the prize -- a few cigars. besides giving practice in guessing the temperature, it was a very good diversion to begin the day with. when one day is almost exactly like another, as it was with us, the first hour of the morning is often apt to be a little sour, especially before one has had one's cup of coffee. i may say at once that this morning grumpiness very seldom showed itself with us. but one never knows -- one cannot always be sure. the most amiable man may often give one a surprise before the coffee has had its effect. in this respect the guessing was an excellent thing; it took up everyone's attention, and diverted the critical moments. each man's entrance was awaited with excitement, and one man was not allowed to make his guess in the hearing of the next -- that would undoubtedly have exercised an influence. therefore they had to speak as they came in, one by one. "now, stubberud, what's the temperature to-day?" stubberud had his own way of calculating, which i never succeeded in getting at. one day, for instance, he looked about him and studied the various faces. "it isn't warm to-day," he said at last, with a great deal of conviction. i could immediately console him with the assurance that he had guessed right. it was - °f. the monthly results were very interesting. so far as i remember, the best performance the competition could show in any month was eight approximately correct guesses. a man might keep remarkably close to the actual temperature for a long time, and then suddenly one day make an error of °. it proved that the winner's mean temperature agreed within a few tenths of a degree with the actual mean temperature of the month, and if one took the mean of all the competitors' mean temperatures, it gave a result which, practically speaking, agreed with the reality. it was especially with this object in view that this guessing was instituted. if later on we should be so unlucky as to lose all our thermometers, we should not be entirely at a loss. it may be convenient to mention here that on the southern sledge journey we had four thermometers with us. observations were taken three times daily, and all four were brought home in undamaged condition. wisting had charge of this scientific branch, and i think the feat he achieved in not breaking any thermometers is unparalleled. chapter viii a day at framheim in order to understand our daily life better, we will now make a tour of framheim. it is june , early in the morning. perfect stillness lies over the barrier -- such stillness as no one who has not been in these regions has any idea of. we come up the old sledge road from the place where the fram used to lie. you will stop several times on the way and ask whether this can be real; anything so inconceivably beautiful has never yet been seen. there lies the northern edge of the fram barrier, with mounts nelson and rönniken nearest; behind them, ridge after ridge, peak after peak, the venerable pressure masses rise, one higher than another. the light is so wonderful; what causes this strange glow? it is clear as daylight, and yet the shortest day of the year is at hand. there are no shadows, so it cannot be the moon. no; it is one of the few really intense appearances of the aurora australis that receives us now. it looks as though nature wished to honour our guests, and to show herself in her best attire. and it is a gorgeous dress she has chosen. perfectly calm, clear with a starry sparkle, and not a sound in any direction. but wait: what is that? like a stream of fire the light shoots across the sky, and a whistling sound follows the movement. hush! can't you hear? it shoots forward again, takes the form of a band, and glows in rays of red and green. it stands still for a moment, thinking of what direction it shall take, and then away again, followed by an intermittent whistling sound. so nature has offered us on this wonderful morning one of her most mysterious, most incomprehensible, phenomena -- the audible southern light. "now you will be able to go home and tell your friends that you have personally seen and heard the southern lights, for i suppose you have no doubt that you have really done so?" "doubt? how can one be in doubt about what one has heard with one's own ears and seen with one's own eyes?" and yet you have been deceived, like so many others! the whistling northern and southern lights have never existed. they are only a creation of your own yearning for the mystical, accompanied by your own breath, which freezes in the cold air. goodbye, beautiful dream! it vanishes from the glorious landscape." perhaps it was stupid of me to call attention to that; my guests have now lost much of the beautiful mystery, and the landscape no longer has the same attraction. meanwhile we have come up past nelson and rönniken, and are just climbing the first ridge. not far away a big tent rises before us, and in front of it we see two long, dark lines. it is our main depot that we are coming to, and you can see that we keep our things in good order, case upon case, as if they had been placed in position by an expert builder. and they all point the same way; all the numbers face the north. "what made you choose that particular direction?" is the natural question. "had you any special object?" "oh yes, we had. if you will look towards the east, you will notice that on the horizon the sky has a rather lighter, brighter colour there than in any other part. that is the day as we see it now. at present we cannot see to do anything by its light. it would have been impossible to see that these cases were lying with their numbers to the north if it had not been for the brilliant aurora australis. but that light colour will rise and grow stronger. at nine o'clock it will be in the north-east, and we shall be able to trace it ten degrees above the horizon. you would not then think it gave so much light as it really does, but you would be able without an effort to read the numbers. what is more, you would be able to read the makers' names which are marked on several of the cases, and when the flush of daylight has moved to the north, you will be able to see them even more clearly. no doubt these figures and letters are big -- about inches high and inches broad -- but it shows, nevertheless, that we have daylight here at the darkest time of the year, so there is not the absolute darkness that people think. the tent that stands behind there contains dried fish; we have a great deal of that commodity, and our dogs can never suffer hunger. but now we must hurry on, if we are to see how the day begins at framheim. "what we are passing now is the mark-flag. we have five of them standing between the camp and the depot; they are useful on dark days, when the east wind is blowing and the snow falling. and there on the slope of the hill you see framheim. at present it looks like a dark shadow on the snow, although it is not far away. the sharp peaks you see pointing to the sky are all our dog tents. the but itself you cannot see; it is completely snowed under and hidden in the barrier. "but i see you are getting warm with walking. we will go a little more slowly, so that you won't perspire too much. it is not more than - °, so you have every reason to be warm walking. with that temperature and calm weather like to-day one soon feels warm if one moves about a little .... the flat place we have now come down into is a sort of basin; if you bend down and look round the horizon, you will be able with an effort to follow the ridges and hummocks the whole way round. our house lies on the slope we are now approaching. we chose that particular spot, as we thought it would offer the best protection, and it turned out that we were right. the wind we have had has nearly always come from the east, when there was any strength in it, and against such winds the slope provides an excellent shelter. if we had placed our house over there where the depot stands, we should have felt the weather much more severely. but now you must be careful when we come near to the house, so that the dogs don't hear us. we have now about a hundred and twenty of them, and if they once start making a noise, then good-bye to the peaceful polar morning. now we are there, and in such daylight as there is, you can see the immediate surroundings. you can't see the house, you say. no; i can quite believe it. that chimney sticking out of the snow is all there is left above the barrier. this trap-door we are coming to you might take for a loose piece of boarding thrown out on the snow, but that is not the case: it is the way down into our home. you must stoop a bit when you go down into the barrier. everything is on a reduced scale here in the polar regions; we can't afford to be extravagant. now you have four steps down; take care, they are rather high. luckily we have come in time to see the day started. i see the passage-lamp is not yet lighted, so lindström has not turned out. take hold of the tail of my anorak and follow me. this is a passage in the snow that we are in, leading to the pent-house. oh! i'm so sorry; you must forgive me! did you hurt yourself? i quite forgot to tell you to look out for the threshold of the pent-house door. it is not the first time someone has fallen over it. that's a trap we have all fallen into; but now we know it, and it doesn't catch us any more. "if you will wait a second i'll strike a match, and then we shall see our way. here we are in the kitchen. now make yourself invisible and follow me all day, and you will see what our life is like. as you know, it is st. john's eve, so we shall only work during the forenoon; but you will be able to see how we spend a holiday evening. when you send your account home, you must promise me not to paint it in too strong colours. good-bye for the present." br-r-r-r-r-r! there's the alarm-clock. i wait and wait and wait. at home i am always accustomed to hear that noise followed by the passage of a pair of bare feet across the floor, and a yawn or so. here -- not a sound. when amundsen left me he forgot to say where i could best put myself. i tried to follow him into the room, but the atmosphere there -- no thanks! i could easily guess that nine men were sleeping in a room feet by feet; it did not require anyone to tell me that. still not a sound. i suppose they only keep that alarm-clock to make themselves imagine they are turning out. wait a minute, though. "lindtrom! lindtrom!" he went by the name of lindtrom, not lindström. "now, by jove! you've got to get up! the clock's made row enough." that's wisting; i know his voice -- i know him at home. he was always an early bird. a frightful crash! that's lindström slipping out of his bunk. but if he was late in turning out, it did not take him long to get into his clothes. one! two! three! and there he stood in the doorway, with a little lamp in his hand. it was now six o'clock. he looked well; round and fat, as when i saw him last. he is in dark blue clothes, with a knitted helmet over his head. i should like to know why; it is certainly not cold in here. for that matter, i have often felt it colder in kitchens at home in the winter, so that cannot be the reason. oh, i have it! he is bald, and doesn't like to show it. that is often the way with bald men; they hate anyone seeing it. the first thing he does is to lay the fire. the range is under the window, and takes up half the feet by feet kitchen. his method of laying a fire is the first thing that attracts my attention. at home we generally begin by splitting sticks and laying the wood in very carefully. but lindström just shoves the wood in anyhow, all over the place. well, if he can make that barn, he's clever. i am still wondering how he will manage it, when he suddenly stoops down and picks up a can. without the slightest hesitation, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, he pours paraffin over the wood. not one or two drops -- oh no; he throws on enough to make sure. a match -- and then i understood how lindström got it to light. it was smartly done, i must say -- but hassel ought to have seen it! amundsen had told me something of their arrangements on the way up, and i knew hassel was responsible for coal, wood, and oil. the water-pot had been filled the evening before, and he had only to push it to one side to make room for the kettle, and this did not take long to boil with the heat he had set going. the fire burned up so that it roared in the chimney -- this fellow is not short of fuel. strange, what a hurry he is in to get that coffee ready! i thought breakfast was at eight, and it is now not more than a quarter past six. he grinds the coffee till his cheeks shake to and fro -- incessantly. if the quality is in proportion to the quantity, it must be good enough. "devil take it" -- lindström's morning greeting -- "this coffee-mill is not worth throwing to the pigs! might just as well chew the beans. it wouldn't take so long." and he is right; after a quarter of an hour's hard work he has only ground just enough. now it is half-past six. on with the coffee! ah, what a perfume! i would give something to know where amundsen got it from. meanwhile the cook has taken out his pipe, and is smoking away gaily on an empty stomach; it does not seem to do him any harm. hullo! there's the coffee boiling over. while the coffee was boiling and lindström smoked, i was still wondering why he was in such a hurry to get the coffee ready. you ass! i thought; can't you see? of course, he is going to give himself a drink of fresh, hot coffee before the others are up; that's clear enough. when the coffee was ready, i sat down on a camp-stool that stood in a corner, and watched him. but i must say he surprised me again. he pushed the coffee-kettle away from the fire and took down a cup from the wall; then went to a jug that stood on the bench and poured out -- would you believe it? -- a cup of cold tea! if he goes on in this way, we shall have surprises enough before evening, i thought to myself. then he began to be deeply interested in an enamelled iron bowl, which stood on a shelf above the range. the heat, which was now intense (i looked at the thermograph which hung from the ceiling; it registered °f.), did not seem to be sufficient for its mysterious contents. it was also wrapped up in towels and cloths, and gave me the impression of having caught a severe cold. the glances he threw into it from time to time were anxious; he looked at the clock, and seemed to have something on his mind. then suddenly i saw his face brighten; he gave a long, not very melodious whistle, bent down, seized a dust-pan, and hurried out into the pent-house. now i was really excited. what was coming next? he came back at once with a happy smile all over his face, and the dust-pan full of -- coal! if i had been curious before, i was now anxious. i withdrew as far as possible from the range, sat down on the floor itself, and fixed my eyes on the thermograph. as i thought, the pen began to move upward with rapid steps. this was too bad. i made up my mind to pay a visit to the meteorological institute as soon as i got home, and tell them what i had seen with my own eyes. but now the heat seemed intolerable down on the floor, where i was sitting; what must it be like -- heavens above, the man was sitting on the stove! he must have gone out of his mind. i was just going to give a cry of terror, when the door opened, and in came amundsen from the room. i gave a deep sigh. now it would be all right the time was ten minutes past seven. "'morning, fatty!" -- "'morning." -- "what's it like outside?" -- "easterly breeze and thick when i was out; but that's a good while ago." this fairly took my breath away he stood there with the coolest air in the world and talked about the weather, and i could take my oath he had not been outside the door that morning. "how's it getting on to-day -- is it coming?" amundsen looks with interest at the mysterious bowl. lindström takes another peep under the cloth. "yes, it's coming at last; but i've had to give it a lot to-day." -- "yes, it feels like it," answers the other, and goes out. my interest is now divided between "it" in the bowl and amundsen's return, with the meteorological discussion that will ensue. it is not long before he reappears; evidently the temperature outside is not inviting. "let's hear again, my friend" -- he seats himself on the camp-stool beside which i am sitting on the floor -- "what kind of weather did you say it was?" i prick up my ears; there is going to be fun. "it was an easterly breeze and thick as a wall, when i was out at six o'clock." -- "hm! then it has cleared remarkably quickly. it's a dead calm now, and quite clear." -- "ah, that's just what i should have thought! i could see it was falling light, and it was getting brighter in the east." he got out of that well. meanwhile it was again the turn of the bowl. it was taken down from the shelf over the range and put on the bench; the various cloths were removed one by one until it was left perfectly bare. i could not resist any longer; i had to get up and look. and indeed it was worth looking at. the bowl was filled to the brim with golden-yellow dough, full of air-bubbles, and showing every sign that he had got it to rise. now i began to respect lindström; he was a devil of a fellow. no confectioner in our native latitudes could have shown a finer dough. it was now . ; everything seems to go by the clock here. lindström threw a last tender glance at his bowl, picked up a little bottle of spirit, and went into the next room. i saw my chance of following him in. there was not going to be any fun out there with amundsen, who was sitting on the camp-stool half asleep. in the other room it was pitch-dark, and an atmosphere -- no, ten atmospheres at least! i stood still in the doorway and breathed heavily. lindström stumbled forward in the darkness, felt for and found the matches. he struck one, and lighted a spirit-holder that hung beneath a hanging lamp. there was not much to be seen by the light of the spirit flame; one could still only guess. hear too, perhaps. they were sound sleepers, those boys. one grunted here and another there; they were snoring in every corner. the spirit might have been burning for a couple of minutes, when lindström had to set to work in a hurry. he was off just as the flame went out, leaving the room in black darkness. i heard the spirit bottle and the nearest stool upset, and what followed i don't know, as i was unfamiliar with the surroundings -- but there was a good deal of it. i heard a click -- had no idea what it was -- and then the same movement back again to the lamp. of course, he now fell over the stool he had upset before. meanwhile there was a hissing sound, and a stifling smell of paraffin. i was thinking of making my escape through the door, when suddenly, just as i suppose it happened on the first day of creation, in an instant there was light. but it was a light that defies description; it dazzled and hurt the eyes, it was so bright. it was perfectly white and extremely agreeable -- when one was not looking at it. evidently it was one of the -candle lux lamps. my admiration for lindström had now risen to enthusiasm. what would i not have given to be able to make myself visible, embrace him, and tell him what i thought of him! but that could not be; i should not then be able to see life at framheim as it really was. so i stood still. lindström first tried to put straight what he had upset in his struggle with the lamp. the spirit had, of course, run out of the bottle when it fell, and was now flowing all over the table. this did not seem to make the slightest impression on him; a little scoop with his hand, and it all landed on johansen's clothes, which were lying close by. this fellow seemed to be as well off for spirit as for paraffin. then he vanished into the kitchen, but reappeared immediately with plates, cups, knives and forks. lindström's laying of the breakfast-table was the finest clattering performance i have ever heard. if he wanted to put a spoon into a cup, he did not do it in the ordinary way; no, he put down the cup, lifted the spoon high in the air, and then dropped it into the cup. the noise he made in this way was infernal. now i began to see why amundsen had got up so early; he wanted to escape this process of laying the table, i expect. but this gave me at once an insight into the good-humour of the gentlemen in bed: if this had happened anywhere else, lindström would have had a boot at his head. but here -- they must have been the most peaceable men in the world. meanwhile i had had time to look around me. close to the door where i was standing a pipe came down to the floor. it struck me at once that this was a ventilating-pipe. i bent down and put my hand over the opening; there was not so much as a hint of air to be felt. so this was the cause of the bad atmosphere. the next things that caught my eye were the bunks -- nine of them: three on the right hand and six on the left. most of the sleepers -- if they could be regarded as such while the table was being laid -- slept in bags -- sleeping-bags. they must have been warm enough. the rest of the space was taken up by a long table, with small stools on two sides of it. order appeared to reign; most of the clothes were hung up. of course, a few lay on the floor, but then lindström had been running about in the dark, and perhaps he had pulled them down. on the table, by the window, stood a gramophone and some tobacco-boxes and ash-trays. the furniture was not plentiful, nor was it in the style of louis quinze or louis seize, but it was sufficient. on the wall with the window hung a few paintings, and on the other portraits of the king, queen, and crown prince olav, apparently cut out of an illustrated paper, and pasted on blue cardboard. in the corner nearest the door on the right, where there was no bunk, the space seem to be occupied by clothes, some hanging on the wall, some on lines stretched across. so that was the drying-place, modest in its simplicity. under the table were some varnished boxes -- heaven knows what they were for! now there seemed to be life in one of the bunks. it was wisting, who was getting tired of the noise that still continued. lindström took his time, rattling the spoons, smiling maliciously to himself, and looking up at the bunks. he did not make all this racket for nothing. wisting, then, was the first to respond, and apparently the only one; at any rate, there was not a sign of movement in any of the others. "good-morning, fatty!" "thought you were going to stop there till dinner." this is lindström's greeting. "look after yourself, old 'un. if i hadn't got you out, you'd have been asleep still." that was paying him in his own coin: wisting was evidently not to be trifled with. however, they smiled and nodded to each other in a way that showed that there was no harm meant. at last lindström had got rid of the last cup, and brought down the curtain on that act with the dropping of the final spoon. i thought now that he would go back to his work in the kitchen; but it looked as if he had something else to do first. he straightened himself, thrust his chin in the air and put his head back -- reminding me very forcibly of a young cockerel preparing to crow -- and roared with the full force of his lungs: "turn out, boys, and look sharp!" now he had finished his morning duty there. the sleeping-bags seemed suddenly to awake to life, and such remarks as, "that's a devil of a fellow!" or "shut up, you old chatterbox!" showed that the inhabitants of framheim were now awake. beaming with joy, the cause of the trouble disappeared into the kitchen. and now, one after the other they stick their heads out, followed by the rest of them. that must be helmer hanssen, who was on the gjöa; he looks as if he could handle a rope. ah, and there we have olav olavson bjaaland! i could have cried aloud for joy -- my old friend from holmenkollen. the great long-distance runner, you remember. and he managed the jump, too -- metres, i think -- standing. if amundsen has a few like him, he will get to the pole all right. and there comes stubberud, the man the aftenpost said was so clever at double-entry book-keeping. as i see him now, he does not give me the impression of being a book-keeper -- but one can't tell. and here come hassel, johansen, and prestrud; now they are all up, and will soon begin the day's work. "stubberud!" it is lindström putting his head in at the door. "if you want any hot cakes, you must get some air down." stubberud merely smiles; he looks as if he felt sure of getting them, all the same. what was it he talked about? hot cakes? they must be connected with the beautiful dough and the delicate, seductive smell of cooking that is now penetrating through the crack of the door. stubberud is going, and i must go with him. yes, as i thought -- there stands lindström in all his glory before the range, brandishing the weapon with which he turns the cakes; and in a pan lie three brownish-yellow buckwheat cakes quivering with the heat of the fire. heavens, how hungry it made me! i take up my old position, so as not to be in anyone's way, and watch lindström. he's the man -- he produces hot cakes with astonishing dexterity; it almost reminds one of a juggler throwing up balls, so rapid and regular is the process. the way he manipulates the cake-slice shows a fabulous proficiency. with the skimmer in one hand he dumps fresh dough into the pan, and with the cake-slice in the other he removes those that are done, all at the same time; it seems almost more than human! there comes wisting, salutes, and holds out a little tin mug. flattered by the honour, the cook fills his mug with boiling water, and he disappears into the pent-house. but this interruption puts lindström off his jugglery with the hot cakes-one of them rolls down on to the floor. this fellow is extraordinarily phlegmatic; i can't make out whether he missed that cake or not. i believe the sigh that escaped him at the same instant meant something like: "well, we must leave some for the dogs." and now they all come in single file with their little mugs, and get each a drop of boiling water. i get up, interested in this proceeding, and slip out with one of them into the pent-house and so on to the barrier. you will hardly believe me, when i tell you what i saw -- all the polar explorers standing in a row, brushing their teeth! what do you say to that? so they are not such absolute pigs, after all. there was a scent of stomatol everywhere. here comes amundsen. he has evidently been out taking the meteorological observations, as he holds the anemometer in one hand. i follow him through the passage, and, when no one is looking, take the opportunity of slapping him on the shoulder and saying "a grand lot of boys." he only smiled; but a smile may often say more than many words. i understood what it meant; he had known that a long while and a good deal more. it was now eight o'clock. the door from the kitchen to the room was left wide open, and the warmth streamed in and mixed with the fresh air that stubberud had now forced to come down the right way. now it was pleasanter inside -- fresh, warm air everywhere. then came a very interesting scene. as the tooth-brushing gentlemen returned, they had to guess the temperature, one by one. this gave occasion for much joking and fun, and, amid laughter and chat, the first meal of the day was taken. in after-dinner speeches, amid toasts and enthusiasm, our polar explorers are often compared with our forefathers, the bold vikings. this comparison never occurred to me for a moment when i saw this assemblage of ordinary, everyday men-brushing their teeth. but now that they were busy with the dishes, i was bound to acknowledge its aptitude; for our forefathers the vikings could not possibly have attacked their food with greater energy than these nine men did. one pile of "hot-chek" after another disappeared as if they had been made of air -- and i, in my simplicity, had imagined that one of them was a man's ration! spread with butter and surmounted with jam, these cakes slipped down with fabulous rapidity. with a smile i thought of the conjurer, holding an egg in his hand one minute and making it disappear the next. if it is a cook's best reward to see his food appreciated, then, indeed, lindström had good wages. the cakes were washed down with big bowls of strong, aromatic coffee. one could soon trace the effect, and conversation became general. the first great subject was a novel, which was obviously very popular, and was called "the rome express." it appeared to me, from what was said -- i have unfortunately never read this celebrated work -- that a murder had been committed in this train, and a lively discussion arose as to who had committed it. i believe the general verdict was one of suicide. i have always supposed that subjects of conversation must be very difficult to find on expeditions like these, where the same people mix day after day for years; but there was certainly no sign of any such difficulty here. no sooner had the express vanished in the distance than in steamed -- the language question. and it came at full steam, too. it was clear that there were adherents of both camps present. for fear of hurting the feelings of either party, i shall abstain from setting down what i heard: but i may say as much as this -- that the party of reform ended by declaring the maal[ ] to be the only proper speech of norway, while their opponents maintained the same of their language. after a while pipes came out, and the scent of "plug" soon struggled with the fresh air for supremacy. over the tobacco the work for the day was discussed. "well, i'll have enough to do supplying that woodswallower over the holiday," said hassel. i gave a chuckle. if hassel had known of the way the paraffin was used that morning, he would have added something about the "oil-drinker," i expect. it was now half-past eight, and stubberud and bjaaland got up. from the number of different garments they took out and put on, i guessed they were going out. without saying anything, they trudged out. meanwhile the others continued their morning smoke, and some even began to read, but by about nine they were all on the move. they put on their skin clothing and made ready to go out. by this time bjaaland and stubberud had returned from a walk, as i understood from such remarks as "beastly cold," "sharp snow by the depot," and the like. prestrud was the only one who did not get ready to go out; he went to an open space underneath the farthest bunk, where there was a box. he raised the lid of this, and three chronometers appeared; at the same moment three of the men produced their watches, and a comparison was made and entered in a book. after each watch had been compared, its owner went outside, taking his watch with him. i took the opportunity of slipping out with the last man -- prestrud and his chronometers were too serious for me; i wanted to see what the others were about. there was plenty of life outside; dogs' howls in every key came from the tents. some of those who had left the house before us were out of sight, so they had probably gone to their respective tents, and presently one could see by the lights that they were in the act of letting their dogs loose. how well the lighted-up tents looked against the dark, star-strewn sky! though it could no longer be called dark: the little flush of dawn had spread and overpowered the glow of the aurora australis, which had greatly decreased since i last saw it; evidently it was near its end. now the four-footed band began to swarm out, darting like rockets from the tents. here were all colours-grey, black, red, brown, white, and a mixture of all of them. what surprised me was that they were all so small; but otherwise they looked splendid. plump and round, well kept and groomed, bursting with life. they instantly collected into little groups of from two to five, and it was easy to see that these groups consisted of intimate friends -- they absolutely petted each other. in each of these clusters there was one in particular who was made much of; all the others came round him, licked him, fawned upon him, and gave him every sign of deference. they all run about without a sign of unfriendliness. their chief interest seems to be centred in two large black mounds that are visible in the foreground of the camp; what they are i am unable to make out -- there is not light enough for that -- but i am probably not far wrong in guessing that they are seals. they are rather hard eating, anyhow, for i can hear them crunching under the dogs' teeth. here there is an occasional disturbance of the peace; they do not seem to agree so well over their food, but there is never a regular battle. a watchman is present, armed with a stick, and when he shows himself and makes his voice heard, they soon separate. they appear to be well disciplined. what appealed to me most was the youngsters and the youngest of all. the young ones, to judge from their appearance, were about ten months old. they were perfect in every way; one could see they had been well cared for from their birth. their coats were surprisingly thick -- much more so than those of the older dogs. they were remarkably plucky, and would not give in to anyone. and there are the smallest of all -- like little balls of wool; they roll themselves in the snow and have great fun. i am astonished that they can stand the cold as they do; i should never have thought that such young animals could live through the winter. afterwards i was told that they not only bore the cold well, but were far more hardy than the older ones. while the grown-up dogs were glad to go into their tents in the evening, the little ones refused to do so; they preferred to sleep outside. and they did so for a great part of the winter. now all the men have finished unchaining their dogs, and, with their lanterns in their hands, they move in various directions and disappear -- apparently into the barrier surface. there will be many interesting things to see here in the course of the day -- i can understand that. what on earth became of all these people? there we have amundsen; he is left alone, and appears to be in charge of the dogs. i go up to him and make myself known. "ah, i'm glad you came," he says; "now i can introduce you to some of our celebrities. to begin with, here is the trio -- fix, lasse, and snuppesen. they always behave like this when i am out -- could not think of leaving me in peace for an instant. fix, that big grey one that looks like a wolf, has many a snap on his conscience. his first exploit was on flekkerö, near christiansand, where all the dogs were kept for a month after they arrived from greenland; there he gave lindström a nasty bite when his back was turned. what do you think of a bite of a mouth like that?" fix is now tame, and without a growl allows his master to take hold of his upper and under jaws and open his mouth -- ye gods, what teeth! i inwardly rejoice that i was not in lindström's trousers that day. "if you notice," he continues, with a smile, "you will see that lindström still sits down cautiously. i myself have a mark on my left calf, and a good many more of us have the same. there are several of us who still treat him with respect. and here we have lassesen -- that's his pet name; he was christened lasse -- almost pure black, as you see. i believe he was the wildest of the lot when they came on board. i had him fastened up on the bridge with my other dogs, beside fix -- those two were friends from their greenland days. but i can tell you that when i had to pass lasse, i always judged the distance first. as a rule, he just stood looking down at the deck -- exactly like a mad bull. if i tried to make overtures, he didn't move -- stood quite still; but i could see how he drew back his upper lip and showed a row of teeth, with which i had no desire to become acquainted. a fortnight passed in this way. then at last the upper lip sank and the head was raised a little, as though he wanted to see who it was that brought him food and water every day. but the way from that to friendship was long and tortuous. in the time that followed, i used to scratch him on the back with a stick; at first he jumped round, seized the stick, and crushed it between his teeth. i thought myself lucky that it was not my hand. i came a little nearer to him every day, until one day i risked my hand. he gave me an ugly look, but did nothing; and then came the beginning of our friendship. day by day we became better friends, and now you can see what footing we are on. the third is snuppesen, a dark red lady; she is their sworn friend, and never leaves them. she is the quickest and most active of our dogs. you can see that she is fond of me; she is generally on her hind legs, and makes every effort to get at my face. i have tried to get her out of the way of that, but in vain; she will have her own way. i have no other animals for the moment that are worth showing -- unless you would care to hear a song. if so, there is uranus, who is a professional singer. we'll take the trio with us, and you shall hear." we made for two black-and-white dogs that were lying by themselves on the snow a little way off, while the three jumped and danced about us. as we approached the other two, and they caught sight of the trio, they both jumped up as though at a word of command, and i guessed that we had found the singer. lord save us, what an awful voice! i could see that the concert was for lasse's benefit, and uranus kept it up as long as we stood in his vicinity. but then my attention was suddenly aroused by the appearance of another trio, which made an extraordinary favourable impression. i turned to my companion for information. "yes," he continued, "those are three of hanssen's team; probably some of our best animals. the big black-and-white one is called zanko -- he appears to be rather old; the two others, which look like sausages with matches underneath, are ring and mylius. as you see, they are not very big, rather on the small side, but they are undoubtedly among our best workers. from their looks we have concluded that they are brothers -- they are as like as two drops of water. now we will go straight through the mass and see whether we come across any more celebrities. there we have karenius, sauen, schwartz, and lucy; they belong to stubberud, and are a power in the camp. bjaaland's tent is close by; his favourites are lying there -- kvaen, lap, pan, gorki, and jaala. they are small, all of them, but fine dogs. there, in the south-east corner, stands hassel's tent, but we shall not see any of his dogs here now. they are all lying outside the entrance to the oil-store, where he is generally to be found. the next tent is wisting's. we must take a turn round there and see if we can find his lot. there they are -- those four playing there. the big, reddish-brown one on the right is the colonel, our handsomest animal. his three companions are suggen, arne, and brun. i must tell you a little story about the colonel when he was on flekkerö. he was perfectly wild then, and he broke loose and jumped into the sea. he wasn't discovered till he was half-way between flekkerö and the mainland, where he was probably going in search of a joint of mutton. wisting and lindström, who were then in charge of the dogs, put off in a boat, and finally succeeded in overtaking him, but they had a hard tussle before they managed to get him on board. afterwards wisting had a swimming-race with the colonel, but i don't remember what was the result. we can expect a great deal of these dogs. there's johansen's tent over in the corner; there is not much to be said about his dogs. the most remarkable of them is camilla. she is an excellent mother, and brings up her children very well; she usually has a whole army of them, too. "now i expect you have seen dogs enough, so, if you have no objection, i will show you underground framheim and what goes on there. i may just as well add that we are proud of this work, and you will probably find that we have a right to be. we'll begin with hassel, as his department is nearest." we now went in the direction of the house, passed its western end, and soon arrived at an erection that looked like a derrick. underneath it was a large trap-door. where the three legs of the derrick met, there was made fast a small block, and through the block ran a rope, made fast at one end to the trap-door. a weight hung at the other end, some feet above the surface of the snow. "now we are at hassel's," said my companion. it was a good thing he could not see me, for i must have looked rather foolish. at hassel's? i said to myself. what in the world does the man mean? we were standing on the bare barrier. "do you hear that noise? that's hassel sawing wood." now he bent down and raised the heavy trap-door easily with the help of the weight. broad steps of snow led down, deep down, into the barrier. we left the trap-door open, so as to have the benefit of the little daylight there was. my host went first; i followed. after descending four or five steps, we came to a doorway which was covered with a woollen curtain. we pushed this aside. the sound that had first reached me as a low rumbling now became sharper, and i could plainly hear that it was caused by sawing. we went in. the room we entered was long and narrow, cut out of the barrier. on a solid shelf of snow there lay barrel after barrel arranged in exemplary order; if they were all full of paraffin, i began to understand lindström's extravagance in lighting his fire in the morning: here was paraffin enough for several years. in the middle of the room a lantern was hanging, an ordinary one with wire netting round the glass. in a dark room it certainly would not have given much light, but in these white surroundings it shone like the sun. a primus lamp was burning on the floor. the thermometer, which hung a little way from the primus, showed - ° f., so hassel could hardly complain of the heat, but he had to saw, so it did not matter. we approached hassel. he looked as if he had plenty to do, and was sawing away so that the sawdust was flying. "'morning." -- "'morning." the sawdust flew faster and faster. "you seem to be busy to-day." -- "oh yes!" -- the saw was now working with dangerous rapidity -- "if i'm to get finished for the holiday, i must hurry up." -- how's the coal-supply getting on?" that took effect. the saw stopped instantly, was raised, and put down by the wall. i waited for the next step in suppressed excitement; something hitherto undreamt of must be going to happen. hassel looked round -- one can never be careful enough -- approached my host, and whispered, with every sign of caution "i did him out of twenty-five kilos last week." i breathed again; i had expected something much worse than that. with a smile of satisfaction hassel resumed his interrupted work, and i believe nothing in the world would have stopped him again. the last i saw as we returned through the doorway was hassel surrounded by a halo of sawdust. we were back on the barrier surface; a touch of the finger, and the trap-door swung over and fell noiselessly into its place. i could see that hassel was capable of other things besides sawing birchwood. outside lay his team, guarding all his movements -- mikkel, ræven, masmas, and else. they all looked well. now we were going to see the others. we went over to the entrance of the hut and raised the trap-door; a dazzling light met my eyes. in the wall of the steps leading down from the surface a recess had been cut to hold a wooden case lined with bright tin; this contained a little lamp which produced this powerful light. but it was the surroundings that made it so bright -- ice and snow everywhere. now i could look about me for the first time; it had been dark when i came in the morning. there was the snow-tunnel leading to the pent-house; i could see that by the threshold that grinned at me. but there, in the opposite direction, what was there? i could see that the passage was continued, but where did it lead? standing in the bright light, it looked quite dark in the tunnel. "now we will go and see bjaaland first." with these words my companion bent down, and set off through the dark passage. "look there, in the snow-wall -- just under our feet -- can you see the light?" by degrees my eyes had accustomed themselves to the darkness of the tunnel, and i could see a greenish light shining through the snow-wall where he pointed. and now another noise fell on my ears -- a monotonous sound -- coming from below. "look out for the steps!" yes, he could be sure of that; i had come one cropper that day, and it was enough. we once more descended into the barrier by broad, solid snow-steps covered with boards. suddenly a door was opened -- a sliding-door in the snow-wall -- and i stood in bjaaland's and stubberud's premises. the place might be about feet high, feet long, and feet wide. on the floor lay masses of shavings, which made it warm and cosy. at one end stood a primus lamp with a large tin case over it, from which steam was issuing. "how is it going?" -- "all right. we're just bending the runners. i've made a rough estimate of the weight, and find i can bring it down to pounds." this seemed to me almost incredible. amundsen had told me on the way up this morning of the heavy sledges they had -- pounds each. and now bjaaland was going to bring them down to pounds, less than a third of their original weight. in the snow-walls of the room were fixed hooks and shelves, where the tools were kept. bjaaland's carpenter's bench was massive enough -- cut out in the snow and covered with boards. along the opposite wall was another planing-bench, equally massive, but somewhat shorter than the first. this was evidently stubberud's place. he was not here to-day, but i could see that he was engaged in planing down the sledge cases and making them lighter. one of them was finished; i leaned forward and looked at it. on the top, where a little round aluminium lid was let in, was written: "original weight, kilos; reduced weight, kilos." i could understand what this saving of weight meant to men who were going on such a journey as these had before them. one lamp provided all the illumination, but it gave an excellent light. we left bjaaland. i felt sure that the sledging outfit was in the best of hands. we then made our way into the pent-house, and here we met stubberud. he was engaged in cleaning up and putting things straight for the holiday. all the steam that came out of the kitchen, when the door was opened, had condensed on the roof and walls in the form of rime several inches thick, and stubberud was now clearing this off with a long broom. everything was going to be shipshape for midwinter eve; i could see that. we went in. dinner was on, humming and boiling. the kitchen floor was scrubbed clean, and the linoleum with which it was covered shone gaily. it was the same in the living-room; everything was cleaned. the linoleum on the floor and the american cloth on the table were equally bright. the air was pure -- absolutely pure. all the bunks were made tidy, and the stools put in their places. there was no one here. "you have only seen a fraction of our underground palaces, but i thought we would take a turn in the loft first and see what it is like. follow me." we went out into the kitchen, and then up some steps fastened in the wall, and through the trap-door to the loft. with the help of a little electric lamp, we were able to look about us. the first thing that met my eyes was the library. there stood the framheim library, and it made the same good impression as everything else -- books numbered from to in three shelves. the catalogue lay by the side of them, and i cast my eye over it. here were books to suit all tastes; "librarian, adolf henrik lindström," i read at the end. so he was librarian, too-truly a many-sided man. long rows of cases stood here, full of whortleberry jam, cranberries, syrup, cream, sugar, and pickles. in one corner i saw every sign of a dark-room; a curtain was hung up to keep the light off, and there was an array of developing-dishes, measuring-glasses, etc. this loft was made good use of. we had now seen everything, and descended again to continue our inspection. just as we reached the pent-house, lindström came in with a big bucket of ice; i understood that it was to be used in the manufacture of water. my companion had armed himself with a large and powerful lantern, and i saw that we were going to begin our underground travels. in the north wall of the pent-house there was a door, and through this we went, entering a passage built against the house, and dark as the grave. the lantern had lost its power of illumination; it burned with a dull, dead light, which did not seem to penetrate beyond the glass. i stretched my hands in front of me. my host stopped and gave me a lecture on the wonderful order and tidiness they had succeeded in establishing among them. i was a willing listener, for i had already seen enough to be able to certify the truth of what he told me without hesitation. but in the place we were now in, i had to take his word for it, for it was all as black as bilge-water. we had just started to move on again, and i felt so secure, after all he had told me about the orderly way things were kept, that i let go my guide's anorak, which i had been holding. but that was foolish of me. smack! i went down at full length. i had trodden on something round -- something that brought me down. as i fell, i caught hold of something -- also round -- and i lay convulsively clutching it. i wanted to convince myself of what it was that lay about on the floor of such a tidy house. the glimmer of the lantern, though not particularly strong, was enough to show me what i held in my arms -- a dutch cheese! i put it back in the same place -- for the sake of tidiness -- sat up, and looked down at my feet. what was it i had stumbled over? a dutch cheese -- if it wasn't another of the same family! i began to form my own opinion of the tidiness now, but said nothing. but i should like to know why he didn't fall over the cheeses, as he was walking in front. oh, i answered myself, i guess he knew what sort of order the place was in. at the eastern end of the house the passage was brilliantly lighted up by the window that looked out on this side; i could now see more clearly where i was. opposite the window, in the part of the barrier that here formed the other wall of the passage, a great hole had been dug; nothing was to be seen in it but black darkness. my companion knew his way, so i could rely upon him, but i should have hesitated to go in there alone. the hole extended into the barrier, and finally formed a fairly large room with a vaulted roof. a spade and an axe on the floor were all i saw. what in the world was this hall used for? "you see, all the ice and snow from here has gone to our water-supply." so this was lindström's quarry, from which he had hewn out ice and snow all these months for cooking, drinking, and washing. in one of the walls, close to the floor, there was a little hole just big enough for a man to crawl through. "now you must make yourself small and follow me; we are going to visit hanssen and wisting." and my companion disappeared like a snake into the hole. i threw myself down, quick as lightning, and followed. i would not have cared to be left alone there in pitch-darkness. i managed to get hold of one of his calves, and did not let go until i saw light on the other side. the passage we crept through was equally narrow all the way, and forced one to crawl on hands and knees; fortunately, it was not long. it ended in a fairly large, square room. a low table stood in the middle of the floor, and on it helmer hanssen was engaged in lashing sledges. the room gave one the impression of being badly lighted, though it had a lamp and candles. on a closer examination, i found that this was due to the number of dark objects the place contained. against one of the walls there was clothing -- immense piles of skin -- clothing. over this were spread blankets to protect it from the rime that was formed on the roof and fell down. against the opposite wall was a stack of sledges, and at the end, opposite the door, were piles of woollen underclothing. any outfitter in christiania might have envied this stock; here one saw iceland jackets, sweaters, underclothes of immense thickness and dimensions, stockings, mits, etc. in the corner formed by this wall and the one where the sledges stood was the little hole by which we had entered. beyond the sledges, in the same wall, there was a door with a curtain in front of it, and from within it came a strange humming. i was much interested to know what this might be, but had to hear first what these two had to say. "what do you think of the lashings now, hanssen?" "oh, they'll hold right enough; at any rate, they'll be better than they were before. look here, how they've pointed the ends!" i leaned forward to see what was wrong with the sledge-lashings, and, i must say, what i saw surprised me. is such a thing possible? the pointing of a lashing is a thing a sailor is very careful about. he knows that if the end is badly pointed, it does not matter how well the lashing is put on; therefore it is an invariable rule that lashings must be pointed as carefully as possible. when i looked at this one, what do you think i saw? why, the end of the lashing was nailed down with a little tack, such as one would use to fasten labels. "that would be a nice thing to take to the pole!" this final observation of hanssen's was doubtless the mildest expression of what he thought of the work. i saw how the new lashings were being put on, and i was quite ready to agree with hanssen that they would do the work. it was, by the way, no easy job, this lashing at - °f., as the thermometer showed, but hanssen did not seem to mind it. i had heard that wisting also took part in this work, but he was not to be seen. where could he be? my eyes involuntarily sought the curtain, behind which the humming sound was audible. i was now ready to burst with curiosity. at last the lashing question appears to be thrashed out, and my companion shows signs of moving on. he leaves his lantern and goes up to the curtain. "wisting!" -- "yes!" the answer seems to come from a far distance. the humming ceases, and the curtain is thrust aside. then i am confronted by the sight that has impressed me most of all on this eventful day. there sits wisting, in the middle of the barrier, working a sewing-machine. the temperature outside is now - °f. this seems to me to require some explanation; i slink through the opening to get a closer view. then -- ugh! i am met by a regular tropical blast. i glance at the thermometer; it shows + ° f. but how can this be? here he is, sewing in an ice-cellar at + °. i was told in my school-days that ice melts at about + °. if the same law is still in operation, he ought to be sitting in a shower-bath. i go right in; the sewing-room is not large, about feet each way. besides the sewing-machine -- a modern treadle-machine -- the room contains a number of instruments, compasses, and so forth, besides the large tent he is now working on. but what interests me most is the way in which he circumvents the shower-bath. i see it now; it is very cleverly contrived. he has covered the roof and walls with tin and canvas, so arranged that all the melting ice goes the same way, and runs into a wash-tub that stands below. in this manner he collects washing water, which is such a precious commodity in these regions -- wily man! i afterwards hear that nearly all the outfit for the polar journey is being made in this little ice-cabin. well, with men like these i don't think amundsen will deserve any credit for reaching the pole. he ought to be thrashed if he doesn't. now we have finished here, and must in all probability have seen everything. my guide goes over to the wall where the clothing is lying and begins to rummage in it. a clothing inspection, i say to myself; there's no great fun in that. i sit down on the pile of sledges by the opposite wall, and am going over in my mind all i have seen, when suddenly he thrusts his head forward -- like a man who is going to make a dive -- and disappears among the bundles of skins. i jump up and make for the piles of clothing; i am beginning to feel quite lost in this mysterious world. in my hurry i collide with hanssen's sledge, which falls off the table; he looks round furiously. it is a good thing he could not see me; he looked like murder. i squeeze in between the bundles of clothing, and what do i see? another hole in the wall; another low, dark passage. i pluck up courage and plunge in. this tunnel is rather higher than the other, and i can walk, bending double. fortunately, the light at the other end shows up at once, so that my journey in the dark is not a long one this time. i come out into another large room of about the same size as the last, and afterwards learn that it is known as the crystal palace. the name is appropriate, as crystals sparkle on every side. against one wall a number of pairs of ski are resting; elsewhere there are cases, some yellow and some black. i guess the meaning of this at once, after my visit to stubberud. the yellow cases are the original ones, and the black the improved ones. they think of everything here. of course, in snow black is a far better colour than light yellow; the cases will be pleasanter to look at, and very much easier to see at a distance. and if they happen to run short of marks, all they need do will be to break up a case and make as many black marks as they want; they will be easily seen in the snow. the lids of these cases surprise me. they are no bigger than ordinary large milk-can lids, and of the same form; they are loose, as with a milk-can, and are put on in the same way. then it suddenly occurs to me. when i was sitting on the sledges in hanssen's workshop, i noticed little pieces of wire rope fixed to both ribs of the sledge. there were eight of them on each side -- just the right number. they are lashings for four cases, and they will hardly take more than that on a sledge. on one rib all the wire ropes ended in eyes; on the other they ended in thin lashings. obviously there were four of them to each case -- two forward and two aft of the lid. if these were reeved and drawn taut, the cases would be held as in a vice, and the lids could be taken off freely at any time. it was an ingenious idea, which would save a lot of work. but there sits johansen in the middle of the palace, packing. he seems to have a difficult problem to solve; he looks so profoundly thoughtful. before him is a case half packed, marked "sledge no. v., case no. ." more singular contents i have never seen -- a mixture of pemmican and sausage. i have never heard of sausages on a sledge journey; it must be something quite new. the pieces of pemmican are cylindrical in shape, about inches high and and / inches in diameter; when they are packed, there will be large star-shaped openings between every four of them. each of these openings is filled up with a sausage, which stands straight up and down, and is of exactly the height of the case. but sausage -- let me see. ah! there's a sausage with a tear in its skin; i run across and look at it. oh, the cunning rascals! if it isn't milk-powder they are smuggling in like this! so every bit of space is utilized. the gaps left by these round pieces of pemmican at the sides of the cases are, of course, only half as large as the rest, and so cannot take a milk-sausage; but don't imagine that the space is wasted. no; chocolate is broken up into small pieces and stowed in there. when all these cases are packed, they will be as full as if they were of solid wood. there is one ready packed; i must see what it contains. biscuits -- , biscuits is marked on the lid. they say that angels are specially gifted with patience, but theirs must be a trifle compared with johansen's. there was absolutely not a fraction of an inch left in that case. the crystal palace at present reminds one strongly of a grocer's and chandler's store -- pemmican, biscuits, chocolate, and milk-sausage, lie about everywhere. in the other wall, opposite the ski, there is an opening. i see my companion making for it, but this time i intend to keep an eye on him. he goes up two steps, pushes a trap-door, and there he stands on the barrier -- but i am there, too. the trap-door is replaced, and i see that we are close to another door in the barrier, but this is a modern sliding-door. it leads into the clothing store. i turn to my host and give him my best thanks for the interesting circular trip through the barrier, expressing my admiration of all the fine engineering works i have seen, and so on. he cuts me short with the remark that we are not nearly done yet. he has only brought me up this way to save my having to crawl back again. "we are going in now," he adds, "to continue our journey under the surface." i see that there is no getting out of it, although i am beginning to have enough of these underground passages. my host seems to guess my thoughts, as he adds: "we must see them now when the men are working. afterwards they will not have the same interest." i see that he is right, pull myself together, and follow him. but fate wills it otherwise. as we come out on the barrier, hanssen is standing there with his sledge and six fresh dogs harnessed. my companion has just time to whisper to me, "jump on; i'll wait here," when the sledge starts off at a terrific pace with me as a passenger, unsuspected by hanssen. we went along so that the snow dashed over us. he had his dogs well in hand, this fellow, i could see that; but they were a wild lot of rascals he had to deal with. i heard the names of hok and togo in particular; they seemed inclined for mischief. all of a sudden they darted back on their companions under the traces, and got the whole team in a tangle; but they were not able to do very much, as the whip, which was wielded with great dexterity, constantly sang about their ears. the two sausages i had noticed on the slope -- ring and mylius -- were leaders; they, too, were full of pranks, but kept their places. hai and rap were also in the team. rap, whose ear was split, would have liked very much to get his friend hai to join in a little fight with hok and togo, but for the whip. it swished to and fro, in and out, among them without mercy, and made them behave like good boys. after us, some yards behind, came zanko. he seemed to be put out because he had not been harnessed. meanwhile we went at a gallop up the hill to the depot, and the last flag was passed. there was a marked difference in the daylight here now. it was eleven o'clock, and the flush of dawn had risen a good way in the sky and was approaching the north. the numbers and marks on the cases were easily visible. hanssen drew up smartly by the rows of cases and halted. we stepped off the sledge. he stood still for a moment and looked round, then turned the sledge over, with the runners in the air. i supposed he did this to prevent the dogs making off when his back was turned; personally, i thought it was a poor safeguard. i jumped up on a case, and sat there to await what developments might come. and they came in the form of zanko. hanssen had moved off a little way with a piece of paper in his hand, and seemed to be examining the cases as he went along. zanko had now reached his friends, ring and mylius, and the meeting was a very cordial one on both sides. this was too much for hok; he was on to them like a rocket, followed by his friend togo. hai and rap never let such an opportunity escape them, and they eagerly flung themselves into the thick of the fight. "stop that, you blackguards!" it was hanssen who threw this admonition in advance, as he came rushing back. zanko, who was free, had kept his head sufficiently to observe the approaching danger; without much hesitation, he cut away and made for framheim with all possible speed. whether the others missed their sixth combatant, or whether they, too, became aware of hanssen's threatening approach, i am unable to determine; certain it is that they all got clear of each other, as though at a given signal, and made off the same way. the capsized sledge made no difference to them; they went like the wind over the slope, and disappeared by the flagstaff. hanssen did not take long to make up his mind, but what was the use? he went as fast as he could, no doubt, but had reached no farther than to the flagstaff, when the dogs, with the capsized sledge behind them, ran into framheim and were stopped there. i went quietly back, well pleased with the additional experience. down on the level i met hanssen on his way to the depot a second time; he looked extremely angry, and the way in which he used the whip did not promise well for the dogs' backs. zanko was now harnessed in the team. on my return to framheim i saw no one, so i slipped into the pent-house, and waited for an opportunity of getting into the kitchen. this was not long in coming. puffing and gasping like a small locomotive, lindström swung in from the passage that led round the house. in his arms he again carried the big bucket full of ice, and an electric lamp hung from his mouth. in order to open the kitchen-door, he had only to give it a push with his knee; i slipped in. the house was empty. now, i thought, i shall have a good chance of seeing what lindström does when he is left alone. he put down the bucket of ice, and gradually filled up the water-pot which was on the fire. then he looked at the clock: a quarter-past eleven -- good; dinner will be ready in time. he drew a long, deep sigh, then went into the room, filled and lit his pipe. thereupon he sat down and took up a doll that was sitting on a letter-weight. his whole face lighted up; one could see how pleased he was. he wound up the doll and put it on the table; as soon as he let it go, it began to turn somersaults, one after another, endlessly. and lindström? well, he laughed till he must have been near convulsions, crying out all the while: "that's right, olava; go it again!" i then looked at the doll carefully, and it was certainly something out of the common. the head was that of an old woman -- evidently a disagreeable old maid -- with yellow hair, a hanging under-jaw, and a love-sick expression. she wore a dress of red-and-white check, and when she turned head over heels it caused, as might be expected, some disturbance of her costume. the figure, one could see, had originally been an acrobat, but these ingenious polar explorers had transformed it into this hideous shape. when the experiment was repeated, and i understood the situation, i could not help roaring, too, but lindström was so deeply occupied that he did not hear me. after amusing himself for about ten minutes with this, he got tired of olava, and put her up on the weight again. she sat there nodding and bowing until she was forgotten. meanwhile lindström had gone to his bunk, and was lying half in it. now, i thought to myself, he is going to take a little nap before dinner. but no; he came out again at once, holding a tattered old pack of cards in his hand. he went back to his place, and began a quiet and serious game of patience. it did not take long, and was probably not very complicated, but it served its purpose. one could see what a pleasure it was to him whenever a card came in its right place. finally, all the cards were in order; he had finished the game. he sat a little while longer, enjoying the sight of the finished packs; then he picked them all up with a sigh, and rose, mumbling: "yes, he'll get to the pole, that's sure; and, what's more, he'll get there first." he put the cards back on the shelf in his bunk, and looked well pleased with himself. then the process of laying the table began once more, but with far less noise than in the morning; there was nobody to be annoyed by it now. at five minutes to twelve a big ship's bell was rung, and not long after the diners began to arrive. they did not make any elaborate toilet, but sat down to table at once. the dishes were not many: a thick, black seal soup, with all manner of curious things in it -- seal meat cut into "small dice" is no doubt the expression, but it would be misleading here; "large dice" we had better call them -- with potatoes, carrots, cabbage, turnips, peas, celery, prunes, and apples. i should like to know what our cooks at home would call that dish. two large jugs of syrup and water stood on the table. now i had another surprise; i was under the impression that a dinner like this passed off in silence, but that was by no means the case here. they talked the whole time, and the conversation chiefly turned on what they had been doing during the forenoon. for dessert they had some green plums. pipes and books soon made their appearance. by about two o'clock the boys gave fresh signs of life. i knew they were not going to work that afternoon -- st. hans' eve -- but habit is a strange thing. bjaaland rose in a peremptory fashion, and asked who was going to have the first turn. after a lot of questions and answers, it was decided that hassel should be the first. what it was i could not make out. i heard them talk about one or two primuses, and say that half an hour was the most one could stand, but that did not mean anything to me. i should have to stick to hassel; he was going first. if there should be no second man, i should, at any rate, have seen what the first one did. everything became quiet again; it was only in the kitchen that one could tell that the barrier was inhabited. at half-past two bjaaland, who had been out, came in and announced that now it was all a mass of steam. i watched hassel anxiously. yes; this announcement seemed to put life into him. he got up and began to undress. very strange, i thought; what can this be? i tried the sherlock holmes method -- first bjaaland goes out; that is fact number one. then he comes back; that i could also make sure of. so far the method worked well. but then comes the third item "it is all a mass of steam." what in the world does that mean? the man has gone out -- if not out on to the barrier, then certainly into it -- into snow-ice, and then he comes back and says that it is all a mass of steam. it seems ridiculous -- absurd. i send sherlock holmes to the deuce, and watch hassel with increasing excitement; if he takes any more off -- i felt i was blushing, and half turned my head, but there he stopped. then he picked up a towel, and away we went: out through the pent-house door -- it was all i could do to follow him -- along the snow tunnel in nothing but -- here steam really began to meet us, getting thicker and thicker as we came into the barrier. the tunnel became so full of steam that i could see nothing. i thought with longing of the tail of amundsen's anorak that was so useful on such occasions, but here there was nothing to take hold of. far away in the fog i could see a light, and made my way to it with caution. before i knew where i was, i stood at the other end of the passage, which led into a large room, covered with rime, and closed overhead by a mighty dome of ice. the steam was troublesome, and spoilt my view of the room. but what had become of hassel? i could only see bjaaland. then suddenly the fog seemed to clear for an instant, and i caught sight of a bare leg disappearing into a big black box, and a moment later i saw hassel's smiling face on the top of the box. a shudder passed through my frame -- he looked as if he had been decapitated. on further consideration, his features were too smiling; the head could not be severed from the body yet. now the steam began to clear away little by little, and at last one could see clearly what was going on. i had to laugh; it was all very easy to understand now. but i think sherlock holmes would have found it a hard-nut to crack if he had been set down blindfold on the antarctic barrier, as i was, so to speak, and asked to explain the situation. it was one of those folding american vapour-baths that hassel sat in. the bathroom, which had looked so spacious and elegant in the fog, reduced itself to a little snow-hut of insignificant appearance. the steam was now collected in the bath, and one could see by the face above that it was beginning to be warm there. the last thing i saw bjaaland do was to pump two primus lamps that were placed just under the bath up to high pressure, and then disappear. what a lesson an actor might have had in watching the face before me! it began with such a pleasant expression -- well-being was written upon it in the brightest characters -- then by degrees the smile wore off, and gave place to seriousness. but this did not last long; there was a trembling of the nostrils, and very soon it could clearly be seen that the bath was no longer of a pleasant nature. the complexion, from being normal, had changed to an ultra-violet tint; the eyes opened wider and wider, and i was anxiously awaiting a catastrophe. it came, but in a very different form from that i had expected. suddenly and noiselessly the bath was raised, and the steam poured out, laying a soft white curtain over what followed. i could see nothing; only heard that the two primuses were turned down. i think it took about five minutes for the steam to disappear, and what did i see then? -- hassel, bright as a new shilling, dressed in his best for st. hans' eve. i availed myself of the opportunity to examine the first, and probably the only, vapour-bath on the antarctic barrier. it was, like everything else i had seen, very ingeniously contrived. the bath was a high box without bottom, and with a hole, large enough for the head, in the top. ail the walls were double and were made of windproof material, with about an inch between for the air to circulate. this box stood on a platform, which was raised a couple of feet above the snow surface. the box fitted into a groove, and was thus absolutely tight. in the platform immediately under the bath a rectangular opening was cut, lined round with rubber packing, and into this opening a tin box fitted accurately. under the tin box stood two primus lamps, and now everyone will be able to understand why hassel felt warm. a block hung from the top of the hut, with a rope reeved in it; one end was made fast to the upper edge of the bath, and the other went down into the bath. in this way the bather himself could raise the bath without assistance, and free himself when the heat became too great. the temperature outside the snow-wall was - ° f. cunning lads! i afterwards heard that bjaaland and hassel had constructed this ingenious bath. i now went back to the house, and saw how they all -- almost -- made use of the vapour-bath. by a quarter-past five all the bathing was concluded, and everyone put on his furs; it was evident that they were going out. i followed the first man who left the hut; he was provided with a lantern, and indeed it was wanted. the weather had changed: a south-west wind had sprung up suddenly, and now the air was thick with snow. it was not a fall of snow, for one could see the stars in the zenith, but snow caught up by the wind and whirled along. a man had to know the surroundings well to find his way now; one had to feel -- it was impossible to keep one's eyes open. i took up a position in lee of a snow-drift, and waited to see what would happen. the dogs did not seem to be inconvenienced by the change of weather; some of them lay curled up in a ring, with their nose under their tail, on the snow, while others were running about. one by one the men came out; each had a lantern in his hand. as they arrived at the place where the dogs were, each was surrounded by his team, who followed him to the tents with joyous howls. but everything did not pass off peacefully; i heard -- i think it was in bjaaland's tent -- a deafening noise going on, and looked in at the door. down there, deep below the surface, they were having a warm time. all the dogs were mixed up together in one mass: some were biting, some shrieking, some howling. in the midst of this mass of raging dogs i saw a human figure swinging round, with a bunch of dog-collars in one hand, while he dealt blows right and left with the other, and blessed the dogs all the time. i thought of my calves and withdrew. but the human figure that i had seen evidently won the mastery, as the noise gradually subsided and all became quiet. as each man got his dogs tied up, he went over to the meat-tent and took a box of cut-up seal meat, which stood on the wall out of the dogs' reach. this meat had been cut up earlier in the day by two men. they took it in turns, i heard; two men had this duty daily. the dogs were then fed, and half an hour after this was done the camp again lay as i had found it in the morning, quiet and peaceful. with a temperature of - ° f., and a velocity of twenty-two miles an hour, the south-wester swept over the barrier, and whirled the snow high into the air above framheim; but in their tents the dogs lay, full-fed and contented, and felt nothing of the storm. in the hut preparations for a feast were going on, and now one could really appreciate a good house. the change from the howling wind, the driving snow, the intense cold, and the absolute darkness, was great indeed when one came in. everything was newly washed, and the table was gaily decorated. small norwegian flags were everywhere, on the table and walls. the festival began at six, and all the "vikings" came merrily in. lindström had done his best, and that is not saying a little. i specially admired his powers and his liberality -- and i think, even in the short time i have observed him, he has shown no sign of being stingy -- when he appeared with the "napoleon" cakes. now i must tell you that these cakes were served after every man had put away a quarter of a plum-pudding. the cakes were delightful to look at -- the finest puff-pastry, with layers of vanilla custard and cream. they made my mouth water. but the size of them! -- there could not be one of those mountains of cake to every man? one among them all, perhaps -- if they could be expected to eat napoleon cakes at all after plum-pudding. but why had he brought in eight -- two enormous dishes with four on each? good heavens! -- one of the vikings had just started, and was making short work of his mountain. and one after another they all walked into them, until the whole eight had disappeared. i should have nothing to say about hunger, misery, and cold, when i came hone. my head was going round; the temperature must have been as many degrees above zero in here as it was below zero outside. i looked up at wisting's bunk, where a thermometer was hanging: + ° f. the vikings did not seem to take the slightest notice of this trifle; their work with the "napoleons" continued undisturbed. soon the gorgeous cake was a thing of the past, and cigars came out. everyone, without exception, allowed himself this luxury. up to now they had not shown much sign of abstinence; i wanted to know what was their attitude with regard to strong drinks. i had heard, of course, that indulgence in alcohol on polar expeditions was very harmful, not to say dangerous. "poor boys!" i thought to myself; "that must be the reason of your fondness for cake. a man must have one vice, at least. deprived of the pleasure of drinking, they make up for it in gluttony." yes, now i could see it quite plainly, and i was heartily sorry for them. i wondered how the "napoleons" felt now; they looked rather depressed. no doubt the cake took some time to settle down. lindström, who now seemed unquestionably the most wideawake of them all, came in and began to clear the table. i expected to see every man roll into his bunk to digest. but no; that side of the question did not appear to trouble them much. they remained seated, as though expecting more. oh yes, of course; there was coffee to come. lindström was already in the doorway with cups and jugs. a cup of coffee would be just the thing after such a meal. "stubberud!" -- this was lindström's voice, calling from some place in the far distance -- "hurry up, before they get warm!" i rushed after stubberud to see what the things were that were not to get warm; i thought it might possibly be something that was to be taken outside. great heaven! there was lindström lying on his stomach up in the loft, and handing down through the trap-door -- what do you think? -- a bottle of benedictine and a bottle of punch, both white with frost! now i could see that the fish were to swim -- what's more, they were to be drowned. a happier smile than that with which stubberud received the bottles, or more careful and affectionate handling than they received on their way through the kitchen, i have never seen. i was touched. ah, these boys knew how a liqueur should be served! "must be served cold," was on the label of the punch bottle. i can assure p. a. larsen that his prescription was followed to the letter that evening. then the gramophone made its appearance, and it did me good to see the delight with which it was received. they seemed to like this best, after all, and every man had music to suit his taste. all agreed to honour the cook for all his pains, and the concert therefore began with "tarara-boom-de-ay," followed by the "apache" waltz. his part of the programme was concluded with a humorous recitation. meanwhile he stood in the doorway with a beatific smile; this did him good. in this way the music went the round, and all had their favourite tunes. certain numbers were kept to the last; i could see that they were to the taste of all. first came an air from "the huguenots," sung by michalowa; this showed the vikings to be musical. it was beautifully sung. "but look here," cried an impatient voice: "aren't we going to have borghild bryhn to-night?" "yes," was the answer; "here she comes." and solveig's song followed. it was a pity borghild bryhn was not there; i believe the most rapturous applause would not have moved her so much as the way her song was received here that evening. as the notes rang clear and pure through the room, one could see the faces grow serious. no doubt the words of the poem affected them all as they sat there in the dark winter night on the vast wilderness of ice, thousands and thousands of miles from all that was dear to them. i think that was so; but it was the lovely melody, given with perfect finish and rich natural powers, that opened their hearts. one could see how it did them good; it was as though they were afraid of the sound of their own voices afterwards. at last one of them could keep silence no longer. "my word, how beautifully she sings!" he exclaimed; "especially the ending. i was a little bit afraid that she would give the last note too sharp, in spite of the masterly way in which she controls her voice. and it is outrageously high, too. but instead of that, the note came so pure and soft and full that it alone was enough to make a better man of one." and then this enthusiastic listener tells them how he once heard the same song, but with a very different result. "it went quite well," he says, "until it came to the final note. then you could see the singer fill her mighty bosom for the effort, and out came a note so shrill that -- well, you remember the walls of jericho." after this the gramophone is put away. no one seems to want any more. now it is already half-past eight, it must be nearly bed-time. the feast has lasted long enough, with food, drink, and music. then they all get on their feet, and there is a cry of "bow and arrows." now, i say to myself, as i withdraw into the corner where the clothes are hanging -- now the alcohol is beginning to take effect. it is evident that something extraordinarily interesting is going to take place, as they are all so active. one of them goes behind the door and fetches out a little cork target, and another brings out of his bunk a box of darts. so it is dart-throwing -- the children must be amused. the target is hung up on the door of the kitchen leading to the pent-house, and the man who is to throw first takes up his position at the end of the table at a distance of three yards. and now the shooting competition begins, amid laughter and noise. there are marksmen of all kinds, good, bad, and indifferent. here comes the champion -- one can see that by the determined way in which he raises the dart and sends it flying; his will, no doubt, be the top score. that is stubberud; of the five darts he throws, two are in the bull's-eye and three close to it. the next is johansen; he is not bad, either, but does not equal the other's score. then comes bjaaland; i wonder whether he is as smart at this game as he is on ski? he places himself at the end of the table, like the others, but takes a giant's stride forward. he is a leery one, this; now he is not more than a yard and a half from the target. he throws well; the darts describe a great round arch. this is what is known as throwing "with a high trajectory," and it is received with great applause. the trajectory turns out to be too high, and all his darts land in the wall above the door. hassel throws with "calculation." what he calculates it is not easy to understand. not on hitting the target, apparently; but if his calculations have to do with the kitchen-door, then they are more successful. whether amundsen "calculates" or not makes very little difference; his are all misses in any case. wisting's form is the same. prestrud is about half-way between the good shots and the bad. hanssen throws like a professional, slinging his dart with great force. he evidently thinks he is hunting walrus. all the scores are carefully entered in a book, and prizes will be given later on. meanwhile lindström is playing patience; his day's work is now done. but, besides his cards, he is much interested in what is going on round the target, and puts in a good word here and there. then he gets up with a determined look; he has one more duty to perform. this consists of changing the light from the big lamp under the ceiling to two small lamps, and the reason for the change is that the heat of the big lamp would be too strongly felt in the upper bunks. this operation is a gentle hint that the time has come for certain people to turn in. the room looks dark now that the great sun under the ceiling is extinguished; the two lamps that are now alight are good enough, but one seems, nevertheless, to have made a retrograde step towards the days of pine-wood torches. by degrees, then, the vikings began to retire to rest. my description of the day's life at framheim would be incomplete if i did not include this scene in it. lindström's chief pride, i had been told, was that he was always the first man in bed; he would willingly sacrifice a great deal to hold this record. as a rule, he had no difficulty in fulfilling his desire, as nobody tried to be before him; but this evening it was otherwise. stubberud was far advanced with his undressing when lindström came in, and, seeing a chance at last of being "first in bed," at once challenged the cook. lindström, who did not quite grasp the situation, accepted the challenge, and then the race began, and was followed by the others with great excitement. now stubberud is ready, and is just going to jump into his bunk, which is over lindström's, when he suddenly feels himself clutched by the leg and held back. lindström hangs on to the leg with all his force, crying out, in the most pitiable voice: "wait a bit, old man, till i'm undressed too!" it reminded me rather of the man who was going to fight, and called out: "wait till i get a hold of you!" but the other was not to be persuaded; he was determined to win. then lindström let go, tore off his braces -- he had no time for more -- and dived head first into his bunk. stubberud tried to protest; this was not fair, he was not undressed, and so on. "that doesn't matter," replied the fat man; "i was first, all the same." the scene was followed with great amusement and shouts of encouragement, and ended in a storm of applause when lindström disappeared into his bunk with his clothes on. but that was not the end of the business, for his leap into the bunk was followed by a fearful crash, to which no one paid any attention in the excitement of the moment, himself least of all. but now the consequences appeared. the shelf along the side of his bunk, on which he kept a large assortment of things, had fallen down, and filled the bunk with rifles, ammunition, gramophone-discs, tool-boxes, sweetmeat-boxes, pipes, tins of tobacco, ash-trays, boxes of matches, etc., and there was no room left for the man himself. he had to get out again, and his defeat was doubly hard. with shame he acknowledged stubberud as the victor; "but," he added, "you shan't be first another time." one by one the others turned in; books were produced -- here and there a pipe as well -- and in this way the last hour was passed. at eleven o'clock precisely the lamps were put out, and the day was at an end. soon after, my host goes to the door, and i follow him out. i had told him i had to leave again this evening, and he is going to see me off. "i'll take you as far as the depot," he says; "the rest of the way you can manage by yourself." the weather has improved considerably, but it is dark -- horribly dark. "so that we may find the way more easily," he says, "i'll take my trio. if they don't see the way, they'll smell it out." having let loose the three dogs, who evidently wonder what the meaning of it may be, he puts a lantern on a stack of timber -- to show him the way back, i suppose -- and we go off. the dogs are evidently accustomed to go this way, for they set off at once in the direction of the depot. "yes," says my companion, "it's not to be wondered at that they know the way. they have gone it every day -- once at least, often two or three times -- since we came here. there are three of us who always take our daily walk in this direction -- bjaaland, stubberud, and i. as you saw this morning, those two went out at half-past eight. they did that so as to be back to work at nine. we have so much to do that we can't afford to lose any time. so they take their walk to the depot and back; at nine i generally do the same. the others began the winter with the same good resolution; they were all so enthusiastic for a morning walk. but the enthusiasm didn't last long, and now we three are the only enthusiasts left. but, short as the way is -- about yards -- we should not venture to go without those marks that you saw, and without our dogs. i have often hung out a lantern, too; but when it is as cold as this evening, the paraffin freezes and the light goes out. losing one's way here might be a very serious matter, and i don't want to run the risk of it. " here we have the first mark-post; we were lucky to come straight upon it. the dogs are on ahead, making for the depot. another reason for being very careful on the way to the depot is that there is a big hole, feet deep, just by a hummock on that slope where, you remember, the last flag stands. if one missed one's way and fell into it, one might get hurt." we passed close to the second mark. "the next two marks are more difficult to hit off -- they are so low; and i often wait and call the dogs to me to find the way -- as i am going to do now, for instance. it is impossible to see anything unless you come right on it, so we must wait and let the dogs help us. i know exactly the number of paces between each mark, and when i have gone that number, i stop and first examine the ground close by. if that is no good, i whistle for the dogs, who come at once. now you'll see" -- a long whistle -- "it won't be long before they are here. i can hear them already." he was right; the dogs came running out of the darkness straight towards us. "to let them see that we want to find the way to the depot, we must begin to walk on." we did so. as soon as the dogs saw this, they went forward again, but this time at a pace that allowed us to keep up with them at a trot, and soon after we were at the last mark. "as you see, my lantern over at the camp is just going out, so i hope you will excuse my accompanying you farther. you know your way, anyhow." with these words we parted, and my host went back, followed by the faithful trio, whilst i ... chapter ix the end of the winter after midwinter day the time began to pass even more quickly than before. the darkest period was over, and the sun was daily drawing nearer. in the middle of the darkest time, hassel came in one morning and announced that else had eight puppies. six of these were ladies, so their fate was sealed at once; they were killed and given to their elder relations, who appreciated them highly. it could hardly be seen that they chewed them at all; they went down practically whole. there could be no doubt of their approval, as the next day the other two had also disappeared. the weather conditions we encountered down here surprised us greatly. in every quarter of the antarctic regions of which we had any information, the conditions had always proved very unsettled. on the belgica, in the drift-ice to the west of graham land, we always had rough, unpleasant weather. nordenskjöld's stay in the regions to the east of the same land gave the same report -- storm after storm the whole time. and from the various english expeditions that have visited mcmurdo sound we hear of continual violent winds. indeed, we know now that while we were living on the barrier in the most splendid weather -- calms or light breezes -- scott at his station some four hundred miles to the west of us was troubled by frequent storms, which greatly hindered his work. i had expected the temperature to remain high, as throughout the winter we could very clearly see the dark sky over the sea. whenever the state of the air was favourable, the dark, heavy water-sky was visible in a marked degree, leaving no doubt that a large extent of ross sea was open the whole year round. nevertheless, the temperature went very low, and without doubt the mean temperature shown by our observations for the year is the lowest that has ever been recorded. our lowest temperature, on august , , was - . °f. for five months of the year we were able to record temperatures below - °f. the temperature rose with every wind, except the south-west; with that it more usually went down. we observed the aurora australis many times, but only a few of its appearances were specially powerful. they were of all possible forms, though the form of ribbon-like bands seemed to be commonest. most of the auroræ were multicoloured -- red and green. my hypothesis of the solidity of the barrier -- that is, of its resting upon underlying land -- seems to be confirmed at all points by our observations during our twelve months' stay on it. in the course of the winter and spring the pack-ice is forced up against the barrier into pressure-ridges of as much as feet in height. this took place only about a mile and a quarter from our hut, without our noticing its effect in the slightest degree. in my opinion, if this barrier had been afloat, the effect of the violent shock which took place at its edge would not merely have been noticeable, but would have shaken our house. while building the house, stubberud and bjaaland heard a loud noise a long way off, but could feel nothing. during our whole stay we never heard a sound or felt a movement on this spot. another very good proof seems to be afforded by the large theodolite that prestrud used. it would take next to nothing to disturb its level -- a slight change of temperature might be enough. so delicate an instrument would have soon shown an inclination if the barrier had been afloat. the day we entered the bay for the first time, a small piece of its western cape broke away. during the spring the drift-ice pressed in an insignificant part of one of the many points on the outer edge of the barrier. with these exceptions, we left the barrier as we found it, entirely unaltered. the soundings, which showed a rapid rise in the bottom as the fram changed her position southward along the barrier, are also a clear sign that land is close at hand. finally, the formations of the barrier appear to be the best proof. it could not rise to , feet -- which we measured as the rise from framheim to a point about thirty-one miles to the south -- without subjacent land. work now proceeded on the sledging outfit with feverish haste. we had for a long time been aware that we should have to do our utmost and make the best use of our time if we were to have the general outfit for our common use ready by the middle of august. for preparing our personal outfit we had to use our leisure time. by the first half of august we could begin to see the end of our labour. bjaaland had now finished the four sledges. it was a masterly piece of work that he had carried out in the course of the winter; they were extremely lightly constructed, but very strong. they were of the same length as the original sledges -- about feet -- and were not shod. we should have a couple of the old fram sledges with us, and these were shod with strong steel plates, so that they could be used if the surface and going rendered it necessary. the average weight of the new sledges was pounds. we had thus saved as much as pounds per sledge. when bjaaland had finished them, they were taken into the "clothing store." the way in which hanssen and wisting lashed the various parts together was a guarantee of their soundness; in fact, the only way in which one can expect work to be properly and carefully carried out is to have it done by the very men who are to use the things. they know what is at stake. they do it so that they may reach their destination; more than that, they do it so that they may come back again. every piece of binding is first carefully examined and tested; then it is put on, cautiously and accurately. every turn is hauled taut, taking care that it is in its right place. and, finally, the lashing is pointed in such a way that one would do best to use a knife or an axe if it has to be undone again; there is no danger of jerking it out with the fingers. a sledge journey of the kind we had before us is a serious undertaking, and the work has to be done seriously. it was no warm and comfortable workshop that they had for doing this. the clothing store was always the coldest place, probably because there was always a draught through it. there was a door out on to the barrier, and an open passage leading to the house. fresh air was constantly passing through, though not in any very great quantity; but it does not take much to make itself felt when the air is at a temperature of about - °f., and when one is working with bare fingers. there were always some degrees of frost here. in order to keep the lashings pliable while they were being put on, they used a primus lamp on a stone close to where they were working. i often admired their patience when i stood watching them; i have seen them more than once working barehanded by the hour together in a temperature of about - °f. this may pass for a short time; but through the coldest and darkest part of the winter, working day after day, as they did, it is pretty severe, and a great trial of patience. nor were their feet very well off either; it makes hardly any difference what one puts on them if one has to stay still. here, as elsewhere in the cold, it was found that boots with wooden soles were the best for sedentary work; but for some reason or other the occupants of the clothing store would not give their adherence to the wooden-sole principle, and continued to work all through the winter in their reindeer-skin and sealskin boots. they preferred stamping their feet to acknowledging the incontestable superiority of wooden soles in such conditions. as the sledges were finished, they were numbered from one to seven, and stored in the clothing department. the three old sledges we should have to use were made for the fram's second expedition. they were extremely strong, and, of course, heavier than the new ones. they were all carefully overhauled; all the bindings and lashings were examined, and replaced wherever necessary. the steel shoes were taken off one, but retained on the other two, in case we should meet with conditions where they would be required. in addition to this work of lashing, these two had plenty of other occupation. whenever wisting was not taken up by the work on the sledges, one could hear the hum of his sewing-machine. he had a thousand different things to do in his sewing-room, and was in there nearly every day till late in the evening. it was only when the target and darts came out at half-past eight that he showed himself, and if it had not been that he had undertaken the position of marker at these competitions, we should hardly have seen him even then. his first important piece of work was making four three-man tents into two. it was not easy to manage these rather large tents in the little hole that went by the name of the sewing-room; of course, he used the table in the clothing store for cutting out, but, all the same, it is a mystery how he contrived to get hold of the right seams when he sat in his hole. i was prepared to see the most curious-looking tents when once they were brought out and set up in daylight; one might imagine that the floor of one would be sewed on to the side of another. but nothing of the sort happened. when the tents were brought out for the first time and set up, they proved to be perfect. one would have thought they had been made in a big sail-loft instead of in a snow-drift. neat-fingered fellows like this are priceless on such an expedition as ours. on the second fram expedition they used double tents, and as, of course, nothing is so good and serviceable as the thing one has not got, the praises of double tents were now sung in every key. well, i naturally had to admit that a house with double walls is warmer than one with single walls, but, at the same time, one must not lose sight of the fact that the double-walled house is also twice as heavy; and when one has to consider the weight of a pocket-handkerchief, it will be understood that the question of the real advantages of the double-walled house had to be thoroughly considered before taking the step of committing oneself to it. i had thought that with double walls one would possibly avoid some of the rime that is generally so troublesome in the tents, and often becomes a serious matter. if, then, the double walls would in any way prevent or improve this condition of things, i could see the advantage of having them; for the increased weight caused by the daily deposit of rime would in a short time be equal to, if not greater than, the additional weight of the double tent. these double tents are made so that the outer tent is fast and the inner loose. in the course of our discussion, it appeared that the deposit of rime occurred just as quickly on a double tent as on a single one, and thus the utility of the double tent appeared to me to be rather doubtful. if the object was merely to have it a few degrees warmer in the tent, i thought it best to sacrifice this comfort to the weight we should thereby save. moreover, we were so plentifully supplied with warm sleeping things that we should not have to suffer any hardship. but another question cropped up as a result of this discussion -- the question of what was the most useful colour for a tent. we were soon agreed that a dark-coloured tent was best, for several reasons: in the first place, as a relief to the eyes. we knew well enough what a comfort it would be to come into a dark tent after travelling all day on the glistening barrier surface. in the next place, the dark colour would make the tent a good deal warmer when the sun was up -- another important consideration. one may easily prove this by walking in dark clothes in a hot sun, and afterwards changing to white ones. and, finally, a dark tent would be far easier to see on the white surface than a light one. when all these questions had been discussed, and the superiority of a dark tent admitted, we were doubly keen on it, since all our tents happened to be light, not to say white, and the possibility of getting dark ones was not very apparent. it is true that we had a few yards of darkish "gabardine," or light windproof material, which would have been extremely suitable for this purpose, but every yard of it had long ago been destined for some other use, so that did not get us out of the difficulty. "but," said somebody -- and he had a very cunning air as he uttered that "but" -- "but haven't we got ink and ink-powder that we can dye our tents dark with?" yes, of course! we all smiled indulgently; the thing was so plain that it was almost silly to mention it, but all the same -- the man was forgiven his silliness, and dye-works were established. wisting accepted the position of dyer, in addition to his other duties, and succeeded so well that before very long we had two dark blue tents instead of the white ones. these looked very well, no doubt, freshly dyed as they were, but the question was, what would they look like after a couple of months' use? the general opinion was that they would probably, to a great extent, have reverted to their original colour -- or lack of colour. some better patent had to be invented. as we were sitting over our coffee after dinner one day, someone suddenly suggested: "but look here -- suppose we took our bunk -- curtains and made an outer tent of them?" this time the smile that passed over the company, as they put down their cups, was almost compassionate. nothing was said, but the silence meant something like: "poor chap! -- as if we hadn't all thought of that long ago!" the proposal was adopted without discussion, and wisting had another long job, in addition to all the rest. our bunk-curtains were dark red, and made of very light material; they were sewed together, curtain to curtain, and finally the whole was made into an outer tent. the curtains only sufficed for one tent, but, remembering that half a loaf is better than no bread, we had to be satisfied with this. the red tent, which was set up a few days after, met with unqualified approval; it would be visible some miles away in the snow. another important advantage was that it would protect and preserve the main tent. inside, the effect of the combination of red and blue was to give an agreeably dark shade. another question was how to protect the tent from a hundred loose dogs, who were no better behaved than others of their kind. if the tent became stiff and brittle, it might be spoilt in a very short time. and the demands we made on our tents were considerable; we expected them to last at least days. i therefore got wisting to make two tent-protectors, or guards. these guards consisted simply of a piece of gabardine long enough to stretch all round the tent, and to act as a fence in preventing the dogs from coming in direct contact with the tents. the guards were made with loops, so that they could be stretched upon ski-poles. they looked very fine when they were finished, but they never came to be used; for, as soon as we began the journey, we found a material that was even more suitable and always to be had -- snow. idiots! -- of course, we all knew that, only we wouldn't say so. well, that was one against us. however, the guards came in well as reserve material on the trip, and many were the uses they were put to. in the next place, wisting had to make wind-clothing for every man. that we had brought out proved to be too small, but the things he made were big enough. there was easily room for two more in my trousers; but they have to be so. in these regions one soon finds out that everything that is roomy is warm and comfortable, while everything that is tight -- foot-gear, of course, excepted -- is warm and uncomfortable. one quickly gets into a perspiration, and spoils the clothes. besides the breeches and anorak of light wind-cloth, he made stockings of the same material. i assumed that these stockings -- worn among the other stockings we had on -- would have an insulating effect. opinions were greatly divided on this point; but i must confess -- in common with my four companions on the polar journey -- that i would never make a serious trip without them. they fulfilled all our expectations. the rime was deposited on them freely, and was easily brushed off. if they got wet, it was easy to dry them in almost all weathers; i know of no material that dries so quickly as this windproof stuff. another thing was that they protected the other stockings against tears, and made them last much longer than would otherwise have been the case. as evidence of how pleased we who took part in the long sledge journey were with these stockings, i may mention that when we reached the depot in °s. -- on the homeward trip, be it noted; that is, when we looked upon the journey as over -- we found there some bags with various articles of clothing. in one of these were two pairs of windproof stockings -- the bag presumably belonged to an opponent of the idea -- and it may be imagined that there was some fun. we all wanted them -- all, without exception. the two lucky ones each seized his pair and hid it, as if it was the most costly treasure. what they wanted with them i cannot guess, as we were at home; but this example shows how we had learnt to appreciate them. i recommend them most warmly to men who are undertaking similar expeditions. but -- i must add -- they must give themselves the trouble of taking off their foot-gear every evening, and brushing the rime off their stockings; if one does not do this, of course, the rime will thaw in the course of the night, and everything will be soaking wet in the morning. in that case you must not blame the stockings, but yourself. after this it was the turn of the underclothing; there was nothing in the tailoring and outfitting department that wisting could not manage. among our medical stores we had two large rolls of the most beautiful fine light flannel, and of this he made underclothing for all of us. what we had brought out from home was made of extremely thick woollen material, and we were afraid this would be too warm. personally, i wore wisting's make the whole trip, and have never known anything so perfect. then he had covers for the sleeping-bags to sew and patch, and one thing and another. some people give one the impression of being able to make anything, and to get it done in no time -- others not. hanssen had his days well occupied, industrious and handy as he was. he was an expert at anything relating to sledges, and knew exactly what had to be done. whatever he had a hand in, i could feel sure of; he never left anything to chance. besides lashing the sledges, he had a number of other things to do. amongst them, he was to prepare all the whips we required -- two for each driver, or fourteen altogether. stubberud was to supply the handles. in consultation with the "carpenters' union," i had chosen a handle made of three narrow strips of hickory. i assumed that if these were securely lashed together, and the lashings covered with leather, they would make as strong a handle as one could expect to get. the idea of the composite handle of three pieces of wood was that it would give and bend instead of breaking. we knew by experience that a solid whip-handle did not last very long. it was arranged, then, that the handles were to be made by stubberud, and passed on to hanssen. the whip-lashes were made by hassel, in the course of the winter, on the eskimo model. they were round and heavy -- as they should be -- and dangerous to come near, when they were wielded by an experienced hand. hanssen received these different parts to join them together and make the whip. as usual, this was done with all possible care. three strong lashings were put on each handle, and these again were covered with leather. personally, hanssen was not in favour of the triple hickory handle, but he did the work without raising any objection. we all remarked, it is true, that at this time, contrary to his habit, he spent the hours after supper with wisting. i wondered a little at this, as i knew hanssen was very fond of a game of whist after supper, and never missed it unless he had work to do. i happened one evening to express my surprise at this, and stubberud answered at once: "he's making handles." -- "what sort of handles?" -- "whip-handles; but," stubberud added, "i'll guarantee those hickory handles i'm making. you can't have anything tougher and stronger than those." he was rather sore about it, that was easy to see; the idea was his own, too. then -- talk of the devil -- in walked hanssen, with a fine big whip in his hand. i, of course, appeared extremely surprised. "what," i said, "more whips?" -- "yes," said he; "i don't believe in those i'm making in the daytime. but here's a whip that i can trust." i must admit that it looked well. the whole handle was covered, so that one could not see what it was made of. "but," i ventured to object, "are you sure it is as strong as the others?" -- "oh, as to that," he answered, "i'm quite ready to back it against any of those -- " he did not say the word, nor was there any need. his meaning was unmistakable, and "rotten whips" sounded in our ears as plainly as if he had shouted it. i had no time to observe the effect of this terrible utterance, for a determined voice called out: "we'll see about that!" i turned round, and there was stubberud leaning against the end of the table, evidently hurt by hanssen's words, which he took as a personal affront. "if you dare risk your whip, come on." he had taken down one of the insulted triple-handled whips from the shelf in his bunk, and stood in a fighting attitude. this promised well. we all looked at hanssen. he had gone too far to be able to draw back; he had to fight. he took his weapon in his hand, and entered the "ring." the conditions were arranged and accepted by both parties; they were to fight until one of the handles was broken. and then the whip duel began. the opponents were very serious over it. one, two, three -- the first blow fell, handle against handle. the combatants had shut their eyes and awaited the result; when they opened them again, they shone with happy surprise -- both handles were as whole as before. now each of them was really delighted with his own handle, and the blows fell faster. stubberud, who was standing with his back to the table, got so excited over the unexpected result that, every time he raised his weapon, he gave the edge of the table a resounding smack without knowing it. how many rounds had been fought i do not know, when i heard a crack, followed by the words: "there you can see, old man!" as stubberud left the ring, i was able to see hanssen. he stood on the battle-field, eyeing his whip; it looked like a broken lily. the spectators had not been silent; they had followed the fight with excitement, amid laughter and shouts. "that's right, stubberud. don't give in!" "bravo, hanssen! that's a good one!" the whips afterwards turned out remarkably well -- not that they lasted out the trip, but they held together for a long while. whip-handles are a very perishable commodity; if one used nothing but the lash, they would be everlasting, but, as a rule, one is not long satisfied with that. it is when one gives a "confirmation," as we call it, that the handle breaks. a confirmation is generally held when some sinner or other has gone wrong and refuses to obey. it consists in taking the first opportunity, when the sledge stops, of going in among the dogs, taking out the defiant one, and laying into him with the handle. these confirmations, if they occur frequently, may use up a lot of handles. it was also arranged that hanssen should prepare goggles in the eskimo fashion, and he began this work; but it soon appeared that everyone had some patent of his own which was much better. therefore it was given up, and every man made his own goggles. stubberud's chief work was making the sledge cases lighter, and he succeeded in doing this, but not without hard work. it took far longer than one would have thought. the wood had a good many knots, and he often had to work against the grain; the planing was therefore rather difficult and slow. he planed a good deal off them, but could "guarantee them," as he said. their sides were not many millimetres thick; to strengthen them in the joints, corners of aluminium were put on. in addition to remaking the sledges, bjaaland had to get the ski ready. to fit the big, broad boots we should wear, the huitfeldt fittings had to be much broader than usual, and we had such with us, so that bjaaland had only to change them. the ski-bindings were like the snow-goggles; everyone had his own patent. i found the bindings that bjaaland had put on for himself so efficient that i had no hesitation in ordering similar ones for myself; and it may be said to their honour, and to the honour of him who made them, that they were first-rate, and served me well during the whole trip. they were, after all, only a retention of the old system, but, with the help of hooks and eyes, they could be put on and taken off in an instant. and those were the conditions we demanded of our bindings -- that they should hold the foot as firmly as a vice, and should be easy to hook on and take off. for we always had to take them off on the journey; if one left one's bindings out for a night, they were gone in the morning. the dogs looked upon them as a delicacy. the toe-strap also had to be removed in the evening; in other words, the ski had to be left absolutely bare. johansen, besides his packing, was occupied in making weights and tent-pegs. the weights were very ingeniously made; the steelyard system was adopted. if they were never used, it was not the fault of the weights -- they were good enough. but the reason was that we had all our provisions so arranged that they could be taken without being weighed. we were all weighed on august , and it then appeared that lindström was the heaviest, with st. lbs. on that occasion he was officially christened "fatty." the tent-pegs johansen made were the opposite of what such pegs usually are; in other words, they were flat instead of being high. we saw the advantage at once. besides being so much lighter, they were many times stronger. i do not know that we ever broke a peg on the trip; possibly we lost one or two. most of them were brought home undamaged. hassel worked at his whip-lashes down in the petroleum store. it was an uncomfortable place for him -- always cold; but he had the lashes ready by the time he had promised them. prestrud made charts and copied out tables. six of us were to have these copies. in each sledge there was a combined provision and observation book, bearing the same number as the sledge. it contained, first, an exact list of the provisions contained in each case on that sledge, and, in addition, the necessary tables for our astronomical observations. in these books each man kept a daily account of every scrap of provisions he took out; in this way we could always check the contents of the cases, and know what quantity of provisions we had. farther on in the book the observations were entered, and the distance covered for the day, course, and so on. that is a rough outline of what we were doing in the course of the winter in "working hours." besides this there were, of course, a hundred things that every man had to do for his personal equipment. during the winter each man had his outfit served out to him, so that he might have time to make whatever alterations he found necessary. every man received a heavy and a lighter suit of reindeer-skin, as well as reindeer-skin mits and stockings. he also had dogskin stockings and sealskin kamiks. in addition, there was a complete outfit of underclothing and wind-clothes. all were served alike; there was no priority at all. the skin clothing was the first to be tackled, and here there was a good deal to be done, as nothing had been made to measure. one man found that the hood of his anorak came too far down over his eyes, another that it did not come down far enough; so both had to set to work at alterations, one cutting off, the other adding a piece. one found his trousers too long, another too short, and they had to alter those. however, they managed it; the needle was always at work, either for sewing a piece on, or for hemming the shortened piece. although we began this work in good time, it looked as if we should never have finished. the room orderly had to sweep out huge piles of strips and reindeer-hair every morning, but the next morning there were just as many. if we had stayed there, i am sure we should still be sitting and sewing away at our outfit. a number of patents were invented. of course, the everlasting mask for the face was to the fore, and took the form of nose-protectors. i, too, allowed myself to be beguiled into experimenting, with good reason, as i thought, but with extremely poor results. i had hit upon something which, of course, i thought much better than anything that had been previously tried. the day i put on my invention, i not only got my nose frozen, but my forehead and cheek as well. i never tried it again. hassel was great at new inventions; he wore nose-protectors all over him. these patents are very good things for passing the time; when one actually takes the field, they all vanish. they are useless for serious work. the sleeping-bags were also a great source of interest. johansen was at work on the double one he was so keen on. heaven knows how many skins he put into it! i don't, nor did i ever try to find out. bjaaland was also in full swing with alterations to his. he found the opening at the top inconvenient, and preferred to have it in the middle; his arrangement of a flap, with buttons and loops, made it easy to mistake him for a colonel of dragoons when he was in bed. he was tremendously pleased with it; but so he was with his snow-goggles, in spite of the fact that he could not see with them, and that they allowed him to become snow-blind. the rest of us kept our sleeping-bags as they were, only lengthening or shortening them as required. we were all greatly pleased with the device for closing them -- on the plan of a sack. outside our bags we had a cover of very thin canvas; this was extremely useful, and i would not be without it for anything. in the daytime the sleeping-bag was always well protected by this cover; no snow could get in. at night it was perhaps even more useful, as it protected the bag from the moisture of the breath. instead of condensing on the skin and making it wet, this settled on the cover, forming in the course of the night a film of ice, which disappeared again during the day, breaking off while the bag ay stretched on the sledge. this cover ought to be of ample size; it is important that it should be rather longer than the sleeping-bag, so that one may have plenty of it round the neck, and thus prevent the breath from penetrating into the bag. we all had double bags -- an inner and an outer one. the inner one was of calf-skin or thin female reindeer-skin, and quite light; the outer one was of heavy buck reindeer-skin, and weighed about pounds. both were open at the end, like a sack, and were laced together round the neck. i have always found this pattern the easiest, simplest, most comfortable, and best. we recommend it to all. novelties in the way of snow-goggles were many. this was, of course, a matter of the greatest importance and required study -- it was studied, too! the particular problem was to find good goggles without glass. it is true that i had worn nothing but a pair of ordinary spectacles, with light yellow glasses, all the autumn, and that they had proved excellent; but for the long journey i was afraid these would give insufficient protection. i therefore threw myself into the competition for the best patent. the end of it was that we all went in for leather goggles, with a little slit for the eyes. the bjaaland patent won the prize, and was most adopted. hassel had his own invention, combined with a nose-protector; when spread out it reminded me of the american eagle. i never saw him use it. nor did any of us use these new goggles, except bjaaland. he used his own goggles the whole way, but then, he was the only one who became snow-blind. the spectacles i wore -- hanssen had the same; they were the only two pairs we had -- gave perfect protection; not once did i have a sign of snow-blindness. they were exactly like other spectacles, without any gauze at all round the glasses; the light could penetrate everywhere. dr. schanz, of dresden, who sent me these glasses, has every right to be satisfied with his invention; its beats anything i have ever tried or seen. the next great question was our boots. i had expressly pointed out that boots must be taken, whether the person concerned intended to wear them or not; for boots were indispensable, in case of having to cross any glacier, which was a contingency we had to reckon with, from the descriptions we had read of the country. with this proviso everyone might do as he pleased, and all began by improving their boots in accordance with our previous experience. the improvement consisted in making them larger. wisting took mine in hand again, and began once more to pull them to pieces. it is only by tearing a thing to pieces that one can see what the work is like. we gained a good insight into the way our boots had been made; stronger or more conscientious work it would be impossible to find. it was hard work pulling them to pieces. this time mine lost a couple more soles. how many that made altogether i do not remember, but now i got what i had always called for -- room enough. besides being able to wear all the foot-coverings i had, i could also find room for a wooden sole. that made me happy; my great object was achieved. now the temperature could be as low as it liked; it would not get through the wooden soles and my various stockings -- seven pairs, i think, in all. i was pleased that evening, as the struggle had been a long one; it had taken me nearly two years to arrive at this result. and then there was the dog-harness, which we must all have in order. the experience of the last depot journey, when two dogs fell into a crevasse through faulty harness, must not be allowed to repeat itself, we therefore devoted great care and attention to this gear, and used all the best materials we had. the result rewarded our pains; we had good, strong harness for every team. this description will, perhaps, open the eyes of some people, and show them that the equipment of an expedition such as we were about to enter upon is not the affair of a day. it is not money alone that makes for the success of such an expedition -- though, heaven knows, it is a good thing to have -- but it is in a great measure -- indeed, i may say that this is the greatest factor -- the way in which the expedition is equipped -- the way in which every difficulty is foreseen, and precautions taken for meeting or avoiding it. victory awaits him who has everything in order -- luck, people call it. defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck. but pray do not think this is an epitaph i wish to have inscribed on my own tomb. no; honour where honour is due -- honour to my faithful comrades, who, by their patience, perseverance and experience, brought our equipment to the limit of perfection, and thereby rendered our victory possible. on august we began to pack our sledges; two were placed in the crystal palace and two in the clothing store. it was a great advantage to be able to do this work under cover; at this time the temperature was dancing a cancan between - ° and - °f., with an occasional refreshing breeze of thirteen or fourteen miles an hour. it would have been almost an impossibility to pack the sledges out of doors under these conditions if it was to be done carefully and firmly; and, of course, it had to be so done. our fixed wire-rope lashings had to be laced together with lengths of thin rope, and this took time; but when properly done, as it was now, the cases were held as though in a vice, and could not move. the zinc plates we had had under the sledges to keep them up in loose snow had been taken off; we could not see that we should have any use for them. in their place we had lashed a spare ski under each sledge, and these were very useful later. by august all the sledges were ready, waiting to be driven away. the dogs did not like the cold weather we had now had for so long; when the temperature went down between - ° and - ° f., one could see by their movements that they felt it. they stood still and raised their feet from the ground in turn, holding each foot up for a while before putting it down again on the cold surface. they were cunning and resourceful in the extreme. they did not care very much for fish, and some of them were difficult to get into the tents on the evenings when they knew there was fish. stubberud, especially, had a great deal of trouble with one of the young dogs -- funcho was his name. he was born at madeira during our stay there in september, . on meat evenings each man, after fastening up his dogs, went, as has been described, up to the wall of the meat-tent and took his box of chopped-up meat, which was put out there. funcho used to watch for this moment. when he saw stubberud take the box, he knew there was meat, and then he came quietly into the tent, as though there was nothing the matter. if, on the other hand, stubberud showed no sign of fetching the box, the dog would not come, nor was it possible to get hold of him. this happened a few times, but then stubberud hit upon a stratagem. when funcho, as usual -- even on a fish evening -- watched the scene of chaining up the other dogs from a distance, stubberud went calmly up to the wall, took the empty box that lay there, put it on his shoulder, and returned to the tent. funcho was taken in. he hurried joyfully into the tent, delighted, no doubt, with stubberud's generosity in providing meat two evenings running. but there, to his great surprise, a very different reception awaited him from that he expected. he was seized by the neck and made fast for the night. after an ugly scowl at the empty box, he looked at stubberud; what he thought, i am not sure. certain it is that the ruse was not often successful after that. funcho got a dried fish for supper, and had to be content with it. we did not lose many dogs in the course of the winter. two -- jeppe and jakob -- died of some disease or other. knægten was shot, as he lost almost all his hair over half his body. madeiro, born at madeira, disappeared early in the autumn; tom disappeared later -- both these undoubtedly fell into crevasses. we had a very good opportunity -- twice -- of seeing how this might happen; both times we saw the dog disappear into the crevasse, and could watch him from the surface. he went quite quietly backwards and forwards down below without uttering a sound. these crevasses were not deep, but they were steep-sided, so that the dog could not get out without help. the two dogs i have mentioned undoubtedly met their death in this way: a slow death it must be, when one remembers how tenacious of life a dog is. it happened several times that dogs disappeared, were absent for some days, and then came back; possibly they had been down a crevasse, and had finally succeeded in getting out of it again. curiously enough, they did not pay much attention to the weather when they went on trips of this kind. when the humour took them, they would disappear, even if the temperature was down in the fifties below zero, with wind and driving snow. thus jaala, a lady belonging to bjaaland, took it into her head to go off with three attendant cavaliers. we came upon them later; they were then lying quietly behind a hummock down on the ice, and seemed to be quite happy. they had been away for about eight days without food, and during that time the temperature had seldom been above - ° f. august arrived: calm, partly overcast, and - . °f. finer weather for taking out our sledges and driving them over to the starting-point could not be imagined. they had to be brought up through the door of the clothing store; it was the largest and the easiest to get through. we had first to dig away the snow, which latterly had been allowed to collect there, as the inmates of this department had for some time past used the inner passage. the snow had blotted out everything, so that no sign of the entrance could be seen; but with a couple of strong shovels, and a couple of strong men to use them, the opening was soon laid bare. to get the sledges up was a longer business; they weighed pounds apiece, and the way up to the surface was steep. a tackle was rigged, and by hauling and shoving they slowly, one by one, came up into daylight. we dragged them away to a place near the instrument-screen, so as to get a clear start away from the house. the dogs were fresh and wild, and wanted plenty of room; a case, not to mention a post, still less the instrument-screen, would all have been objects of extreme interest, to which, if there had been the slightest opportunity, their course would infallibly have been directed. the protests of their drivers would have been of little avail. the dogs had not been let loose that morning, and every man was now in his tent harnessing them. meanwhile i stood contemplating the packed sledges that stood there ready to begin the long journey. i tried to work up a little poetry -- "the ever-restless spirit of man" -- "the mysterious, awe-inspiring wilderness of ice" -- but it was no good; i suppose it was too early in the morning. i abandoned my efforts, after coming to the conclusion that each sledge gave one more the idea of a coffin than of anything else, all the cases being painted black. it was as we had expected: the dogs were on the verge of exploding. what a time we had getting them all into the traces! they could not stand still an instant; either it was a friend they wanted to wish good-morning, or it was an enemy they were longing to fly at. there was always something going on; when they kicked out with their hind-legs, raising a cloud of snow, or glared defiantly at each other, it often caused their driver an anxious moment. if he had his eye on them at this stage, he might, by intervening quickly and firmly, prevent the impending battle; but one cannot be everywhere at once, and the result was a series of the wildest fights. strange beasts! they had been going about the place comparatively peacefully the whole winter, and now, as soon as they were in harness, they must needs fight as if their lives depended on it. at last we were all ready and away. it was the first time we had driven with teams of twelve, so that we were anxious to see the result. it went better than we had expected; of course, not like an express train, but we could not expect that the first time. some of the dogs had grown too fat in the course of the winter, and had difficulty in keeping up; for them this first trip was a stiff pull. but most of them were in excellent condition -- fine, rounded bodies, not lumpish. it did not take long to get up the hill this time; most of them had to stop and get their wind on the slope, but there were some that did it without a halt. up at the top everything looked just as we had left it in april. the flag was still standing where we had planted it, and did not look much the worse for wear. and, what was still stranger, we could see our old tracks southward. we drove all our sledges well up, unharnessed the dogs, and let them go. we took it for granted that they would all rush joyfully home to the flesh-pots, nor did the greater number disappoint us. they set off gaily homewards, and soon the ice was strewn with dogs. they did not behave altogether like good children. in some places there was a sort of mist over the ice; this was the cloud of snow thrown up by the combatants. but on their return they were irreproachable; one could not take any notice of a halt here and there. at the inspection that evening, it appeared that ten of them were missing. that was strange -- could all ten have gone down crevasses? it seemed unlikely. next morning two men went over to the starting-point to look for the missing dogs. on the way they crossed a couple of crevasses, but there was no dog to be seen. when they arrived at the place where the sledges stood, there lay all ten curled up asleep. they were lying by their own sledges, and did not seem to take the slightest notice of the men's arrival. one or two of them may have opened an eye, but that was all. when they were roused and given to understand by unmistakable signs that their presence was desired at home, they seemed astonished beyond all bounds. some of them simply declined to believe it; they merely turned round a few times and lay down again on the same spot. they had to be flogged home. can anything more inexplicable be imagined? there they lay, three miles from their comfortable home, where they knew that abundance of food awaited them -- in a temperature of - °f. although they had now been out for twenty-four hours, none of them gave a sign of wanting to leave the spot. if it had been summer, with warm sunshine, one might have understood it; but as it was -- no! that day -- august -- the sun appeared above the barrier again for the first time in four months. he looked very smiling, with a friendly nod for the old pressure-ridges he had seen for so many years; but when his first beams reached the starting-point, his face might well show surprise. "well, if they're not first, after all! and i've been doing all i could to get here!" it could not be denied; we had won the race, and reached the barrier a day before him. the day for our actual start could not be fixed; we should have to wait until the temperature moderated somewhat. so long as it continued to grovel in the depths, we could not think of setting out. all our things were now ready up on the barrier, and nothing remained but to harness the dogs and start. when i say all our things were ready, this is not the impression anyone would have gained who looked in on us; the cutting out and sewing were going on worse than ever. what had previously occurred to one as a thing of secondary importance, which might be done if there was time, but might otherwise quite well be dropped, now suddenly appeared as the most important part of the whole outfit; and then out came the knife and cut away, until great heaps of offcuts and hair lay about the floor; then the needle was produced, and seam after seam added to those there were already. the days went by, and the temperature would give no sign of spring; now and then it would make a jump of about thirty degrees, but only to sink just as rapidly back to - ° f. it is not at all pleasant to hang about waiting like this; i always have the idea that i am the only one who is left behind, while all the others are out on the road. and i could guess that i was not the only one of us who felt this. "i'd give something to know how far scott is to-day." "oh, he's not out yet, bless you! it's much too cold for his ponies." "ah, but how do you know they have it as cold as this? i expect it's far warmer where they are, among the mountains; and you can take your oath they're not lying idle. those boys have shown what they can do." this was the sort of conversation one could hear daily. the uncertainty was worrying many of us -- not all -- and, personally, i felt it a great deal. i was determined to get away as soon as it was at all possible, and the objection that much might be lost by starting too early did not seem to me to have much force. if we saw that it was too cold, all we had to do was to turn back; so that i could not see there was any risk. september came, with - . ° f. that is a temperature that one can always stand, but we had better wait and see what it is going to do; perhaps it will only play its old tricks again. next day, - . ° f.; calm and clear. september , - . ° f. at last the change had come, and we thought it was high time. next day, - . ° f. the little slant of wind that came from the east felt quite like a mild spring breeze. well, at any rate, we now had a good temperature to start in. every man ready; to-morrow we are off. september arrived. we turned out as usual, had breakfast, and were then on the move. we had not much to do. the empty sledges we were to use for driving up to the starting-point were ready; we only had to throw a few things on to them. but it turned out that the mere fact of having so few things was the cause of its taking a long time. we were to harness twelve dogs to the empty sledges, and we had an idea that it would cost us a struggle to get away. we helped each other, two and two, to bring the dogs to the sledges and harness them. those who were really careful had anchored their sledges to a peg firmly fixed in the snow; others had contented themselves with capsizing their sledges; and others, again, were even more reckless. we all had to be ready before the first man could start; otherwise, it would have been impossible for those who were behind to hold in their dogs, and the result would have been a false start. our dogs were in a fearful state of excitement and confusion that morning, but at last everything was ready, barring one or two trifles. then i suddenly heard a wild yell, and, spinning round, i saw a team tearing off without a driver. the next driver rushed forward to help, with the result that his dogs made off after the others. the two sledges were on ahead, and the two drivers after them in full gallop; but the odds were too unequal -- in a few moments the drivers were beaten. the two runaway teams had made off in a south-westerly direction, and were going like the wind. the men had hard work; they had long ago stopped running, and were now following in the tracks of the sledges. the dogs had disappeared behind the ridges, which the men did not reach till much later. meanwhile the rest of us waited. the question was, what would those two do when at last they had come up with their sledges? would they turn and go home, or would they drive up to the starting-point? waiting was no fun under any circumstances, and so we decided to go on to the starting-point, and, if necessary, wait there. no sooner said than done, and away we went. now we should see what command the fellows had over their dogs, for, in all canine probability, these teams would now try to follow the same course that the runaways had taken. this fear turned out not to be groundless; three managed to turn their dogs and put them in the right direction, but the other two were off on the new course. afterwards, of course, they tried to make out that they thought we were all going that way. i smiled, but said nothing. it had happened more than once that my own dogs had taken charge; no doubt i had felt rather foolish at the time, but after all .... it was not till noon that we all assembled with our sledges. the drivers of the runaways had had stiff work to catch them, and were wet through with their exertions. i had some thoughts of turning back, as three young puppies had followed us; if we went on, we should have to shoot them. but to turn back after all this work, and then probably have the same thing over again next morning, was not a pleasant prospect. and, above all, to see lindström standing at the door, shaking with laughter -- no, we had better go on. i think we were all agreed in this. the dogs were now harnessed to the loaded sledges, and the empty ones were stacked one above another. at . p.m. we were off. the old tracks were soon lost sight of, but we immediately picked up the line of flags that had been set up at every second kilometre on the last depot journey. the going was splendid, and we went at a rattling pace to the south. we did not go very far the first day -- eleven and three-quarter miles -- and pitched our camp at . p.m. the first night out is never very pleasant, but this time it was awful. there was such a row going on among our ninety dogs that we could not close our eyes. it was a blessed relief when four in the morning came round, and we could begin to get up. we had to shoot the three puppies when we stopped for lunch that day. the going was the same; nothing could be better. the flags we were following stood just as we had left them; they showed no trace of there having been any snowfall in the interval. that day we did fifteen and a half miles. the dogs were not yet in training, but were picking up every hour. by the th they seemed to have reached their full vigour; that day none of us could hold in his team. they all wanted to get forward, with the result that one team ran into another, and confusion followed. this was a tiresome business; the dogs wore themselves out to no purpose, and, of course, the time spent in extricating them from one another was lost. they were perfectly wild that day. when lassesen, for instance, caught sight of his enemy hans, who was in another team, he immediately encouraged his friend fix to help him. these two then put on all the speed they could, with the result that the others in the same team were excited by the sudden acceleration, and joined in the spurt. it made no difference how the driver tried to stop them; they went on just as furiously, until they reached the team that included the object of lassesen's and fix's endeavours. then the two teams dashed into each other, and we had ninety-six dogs' legs to sort out. the only thing that could be done was to let those who could not hold in their teams unharness some of the dogs and tie them on the sledge. in this way we got things to work satisfactorily at last. we covered eighteen and a half miles that day. on monday, the th, we woke up to a temperature of - . ° f. the weather was splendid, calm, and clear. we could see by the dogs that they were not feeling happy, as they had kept comparatively quiet that night. the cold affected the going at once; it was slow and unyielding. we came across some crevasses, and hanssen's sledge was nearly in one; but it was held up, and he came out of it without serious consequences. the cold caused no discomfort on the march; on the contrary, at times it was too warm. one's breath was like a cloud, and so thick was the vapour over the dogs that one could not see one team from the next, though the sledges were being driven close to one another. on the th it was - . ° f., with a breeze dead against us. this was undeniably bitter. it was easy to see that the temperature was too much for the dogs; in the morning, especially, they were a pitiful sight. they lay rolled up as tightly as possible, with their noses under their tails, and from time to time one could see a shiver run through their bodies; indeed, some of them were constantly shivering. we had to lift them up and put them into their harness. i had to admit that with this temperature it would not pay to go on; the risk was too great. we therefore decided to drive on to the depot in ° s., and unload our sledges there. on that day, too, we made the awkward discovery that the fluid in our compasses had frozen, rendering them useless. the weather had become very thick, and we could only guess vaguely the position of the sun. our progress under these circumstances was very doubtful; possibly we were on the right course, but it was just as probable -- nay, more so -- that we were off it. the best thing we could do, therefore, was to pitch our camp, and wait for a better state of things. we did not bless the instrument-maker who had supplied those compasses. it was a.m. when we stopped. in order to have a good shelter for the long day before us, we decided to build two snow-huts. the snow was not good for this purpose, but, by fetching blocks from all sides, we managed to put up the huts. hanssen built one and wisting the other. in a temperature such as we now had, a snow-hut is greatly preferable to a tent, and we felt quite comfortable when we came in and got the primus going. that night we heard a strange noise round us. i looked under my bag to see whether we had far to drop, but there was no sign of a disturbance anywhere. in the other but they had heard nothing. we afterwards discovered that the sound was only due to snow "settling." by this expression i mean the movement that takes place when a large extent of the snow surface breaks and sinks (settles down). this movement gives one the idea that the ground is sinking under one, and it is not a pleasant feeling. it is followed by a dull roar, which often makes the dogs jump into the air -- and their drivers, too, for that matter. once we heard this booming on the plateau so loud that it seemed like the thunder of cannon. we soon grew accustomed to it. next day the temperature was - . ° f., calm, and perfectly clear. we did eighteen and a half miles, and kept our course as well as we could with the help of the sun. it was - . ° f. when we camped. this time i had done a thing that i have always been opposed to: i had brought spirits with me in the form of a bottle of norwegian aquavit and a bottle of gin. i thought this a suitable occasion to bring in the gin. it was as hard as flint right through. while we were thawing it the bottle burst, and we threw it out into the snow, with the result that all the dogs started to sneeze. the next bottle -- "aquavit, no. " -- was like a bone, but we had learnt wisdom by experience, and we succeeded with care in thawing it out. we waited till we were all in our bags, and then we had one. i was greatly disappointed; it was not half so good as i had thought. but i am glad i tried it, as i shall never do so again. the effect was nil; i felt nothing, either in my head or my feet. the th was cool -- the temperature remained at - . ° f. fortunately it was clear, so that we could see where we were going. we had not gone far before a bright projection appeared on the level surface. out with the glasses -- the depot! there it lay, right in our course. hanssen, who had driven first the whole way, without a forerunner, and for the most part without a compass, had no need to be ashamed of his performance. we agreed that it was well done, and that, no doubt, was all the thanks he got. we reached it at . a.m., and unloaded our sledges at once. wisting undertook the far from pleasant task of getting us a cup of warm milk at - . ° f. he put the primus behind one of the cases of provisions, and set it going; strangely enough, the paraffin was still liquid in the vessel, but this was no doubt because it had been well protected in the case. a cup of horlick's malted milk tasted better that day than the last time i had tried it -- in a restaurant in chicago. having enjoyed that, we threw ourselves on the almost empty sledges, and set our course for home. the going was difficult, but, with the light weight they now had to pull, the dogs went along well. i sat with wisting, as i considered his team the strongest. the cold held on unchanged, and i was often surprised that it was possible to sit still on the sledges, as we did, without freezing; but we got on quite well. one or two i saw off their sledges all day, and most of us jumped off from time to time and ran by the side to get warm. i myself took to my ski and let myself be pulled along. this so-called sport has never appealed to me, but under the circumstances it was permissible; it warmed my feet, and that was the object of it. i again had recourse to this "sport" of ski-driving later on, but that was for another reason. on the th, as we sat in the tent cooking and chatting, hanssen suddenly said: "why, i believe my heel's gone!" off came his stockings, and there was a big, dead heel, like a lump of tallow. it did not look well. he rubbed it until he thought he "could feel something again," and then put his feet back in his stockings and got into his bag. now it was stubberud's turn. "blest if i don't think there's something wrong with mine, too." same proceeding -- same result. this was pleasant -- two doubtful heels, and forty-six miles from framheim! when we started next morning it was fortunately milder -- "almost summer": - ° f. it felt quite pleasant. the difference between - ° and - ° is, in my opinion, very perceptible. it may perhaps be thought that when one gets so far down, a few degrees one way or the other do not make any difference, but they do. while driving that day we were obliged to let loose several of the dogs, who could not keep up; we supposed that they would follow our tracks. adam and lazarus were never seen again. sara fell dead on the way without any previous symptom. camilla was also among those let loose. on the way home we kept the same order as on the previous days. hanssen and wisting, as a rule, were a long way ahead, unless they stopped and waited. we went at a tearing pace. we had thought of halting at the sixteen-mile flag, as we called it -- the mark at thirty kilometres from framheim -- and waiting for the others to come up, but as the weather was of the best, calm and clear, and with our tracks on the way south perfectly plain, i decided to go on. the sooner we got the bad heels into the house, the better. the two first sledges arrived at p.m.; the next at , and the two following ones at . . the last did not come in till . a.m. heaven knows what they had been doing on the way! with the low temperatures we experienced on this trip, we noticed a curious snow-formation that i had never seen before. fine -- extremely fine -- drift-snow collected, and formed small cylindrical bodies of an average diameter of / inches, and about the same height; they were, however, of various sizes. they generally rolled over the surface like a wheel, and now and then collected into large heaps, from which again, one by one, or several together, they continued their rolling. if you took one of these bodies in the hand, there was no increase of weight to be felt -- not the very slightest. if you took one of the largest and crushed it, there was, so to speak, nothing left. with the temperature in the - 's, we did not see them. as soon as we came home, we attended to the heels. prestrud had both his heels frozen, one slightly, the other more severely, though, so far as i could determine, not so badly as the other two. the first thing we did was to lance the big blisters that had formed and let out the fluid they contained; afterwards we put on boracic compresses, night and morning. we kept up this treatment for a long time; at last the old skin could be removed, and the new lay there fresh and healthy. the heel was cured. circumstances had arisen which made me consider it necessary to divide the party into two. one party was to carry out the march to the south; the other was to try to reach king edward vii. land, and see what was to be done there, besides exploring the region around the bay of whales. this party was composed of prestrud, stubberud, and johansen, under the leadership of the first-named. the advantages of this new arrangement were many. in the first place, a smaller party could advance more rapidly than a larger one. our numbers, both of men and dogs, on several of the previous trips had clearly shown the arrangement to be unfortunate. the time we took to get ready in the morning -- four hours -- was one of the consequences of being a large party. with half the number, or only one tent full, i hoped to be able to reduce this time by half. the importance of the depots we had laid down was, of course, greatly increased, since they would now only have to support five members of the party originally contemplated, and would thus be able to furnish them with supplies for so much more time. from a purely scientific point of view, the change offered such obvious advantages that it is unnecessary to insist upon them. henceforward, therefore, we worked, so to speak, in two parties. the polar party was to leave as soon as spring came in earnest. i left it to prestrud himself to fix the departure of the party he was to lead; there was no such hurry for them -- they could take things more easily. then the same old fuss about the outfit began all over again, and the needles were busy the whole time. two days after our return, wisting and bjaaland went out to the thirty-kilometre mark with the object of bringing in the dogs that had been let loose on that part of the route and had not yet returned. they made the trip of sixty kilometres (thirty-seven and a half miles) in six hours, and brought all the stragglers -- ten of them -- back with them. the farthest of them were found lying by the flag; none of them showed a sign of getting up when the sledges came. they had to be picked up and harnessed, and one or two that had sore feet were driven on the sledges. in all probability most of them would have returned in a few days. but it is incomprehensible that healthy, plucky dogs, as many of them were, should take it into their heads to stay behind like that. on september we had the first tidings of spring, when bjaaland came back from the ice and told us he had shot a seal. so the seals had begun to come up on to the ice; this was a good sign. the next day we went out to bring it in, and we got another at the same time. there was excitement among the dogs when they got fresh meat, to say nothing of fresh blubber. nor were we men inclined to say no to a fresh steak. on september we removed the roof that had covered over the window of our room. we had to carry the light down through a long wooden channel, so that it was considerably reduced by the time it came in; but it was light -- genuine daylight -- and it was much appreciated. on the th camilla came back, after an absence of ten days. she had been let loose sixty-eight miles from framheim on the last trip. when she came in, she was as fat as ever; probably she had been feasting in her solitude on one of her comrades. she was received with great ovations by her many admirers. on september a still more certain sign of spring appeared -- a flight of antarctic petrels. they came flying up to us to bring the news that now spring had come -- this time in earnest. we were delighted to see these fine, swift birds again. they flew round the house several times to see whether we were all there still; and we were not long in going out to receive them. it was amusing to watch the dogs: at first the birds flew pretty near the ground; when the dogs caught sight of them, they rushed out -- the whole lot of them -- to catch them. they tore along, scouring the ground, and, of course, all wanted to be first. then the birds suddenly rose into the air, and presently the dogs lost sight of them. they stood still for a moment, glaring at each other, evidently uncertain of what was the best thing to do. such uncertainty does not, as a rule, last long. they made up their minds with all desirable promptitude and flew at each other's throats. so now spring had really arrived; we had only to cure the frost-bitten heels and then away. chapter x the start for the pole at last we got away, on october . the weather for the past few days had not been altogether reliable; now windy, now calm -- now snowing, now clear: regular spring weather, in other words. that day it continued unsettled; it was misty and thick in the morning, and did not promise well for the day, but by . there was a light breeze from the east, and at the same time it cleared. there was no need for a prolonged inquiry into the sentiments of the party. -- what do you think? shall we start?" -- yes, of course. let's be jogging on." there was only one opinion about it. our coursers were harnessed in a jiffy, and with a little nod -- as much as to say, "see you to-morrow" -- we were off. i don't believe lindström even came out of doors to see us start. "such an everyday affair: what's the use of making a fuss about it?" there were five of us -- hanssen, wisting, hassel, bjaaland, and myself. we had four sledges, with thirteen dogs to each. at the start our sledges were very light, as we were only taking supplies for the trip to ° s., where all our cases were waiting for us; we could therefore sit on the sledges and flourish our whips with a jaunty air. i sat astride on wisting's sledge, and anyone who had seen us would no doubt have thought a polar journey looked very inviting. down on the sea-ice stood prestrud with the cinematograph, turning the crank as fast as he could go as we went past. when we came up on to the barrier on the other side, he was there again, turning incessantly. the last thing i saw, as we went over the top of the ridge and everything familiar disappeared, was a cinematograph; it was coming inland at full speed. i had been engaged in looking out ahead, and turned round suddenly to throw a last glance in the direction of the spot that to us stood for all that was beautiful on earth, when i caught sight of -- what do you think? a cinematograph. "he can't be taking anything but air now, can he?" -- "hardly that." the cinematograph vanished below the horizon. the going was excellent, but the atmosphere became thicker as we went inland. for the first twelve miles from the edge of the barrier i had been sitting with hassel, but, seeing that wisting's dogs could manage two on the sledge better than the others, i moved. hanssen drove first; he had to steer by compass alone, as the weather had got thicker. after him came bjaaland, then hassel, and, finally, wisting and i. we had just gone up a little slope, when we saw that it dropped rather steeply on the other side; the descent could not be more than yards long. i sat with my back to the dogs, looking aft, and was enjoying the brisk drive. then suddenly the surface by the side of the sledge dropped perpendicularly, and showed a yawning black abyss, large enough to have swallowed us all, and a little more. a few inches more to one side, and we should have taken no part in the polar journey. we guessed from this broken surface that we had come too far to the east, and altered our course more westerly. when we had reached safer ground, i took the opportunity of putting on my ski and driving so; in this way the weight was more distributed. before very long it cleared a little, and we saw one of our mark-flags straight ahead. we went up to it; many memories clung to the spot -- cold and slaughter of dogs. it was there we had killed the three puppies on the last trip. we had then covered seventeen miles, and we camped, well pleased with the first day of our long journey. my belief that, with all in one tent, we should manage our camping and preparations much better than before was fully justified. the tent went up as though it arose out of the ground, and everything was done as though we had had long practice. we found we had ample room in the tent, and our arrangements worked splendidly the whole time. they were as follows: as soon as we halted, all took a hand at the tent. the pegs in the valance of the tent were driven in, and wisting crept inside and planted the pole, while the rest of us stretched the guy-ropes. when this was done, i went in, and all the things that were to go inside were handed in to me -- sleeping-bags, kit-bags, cookers, provisions. everything was put in its place, the primus lighted, and the cooker filled with snow. meanwhile the others fed their dogs and let them loose. instead of the "guard," we shovelled loose snow round the tent; this proved to be sufficient protection -- the dogs respected it. the bindings were taken off all our ski, and either stowed with other loose articles in a provision-case, or hung up together with the harness on the top of the ski, which were lashed upright to the front of the sledge. the tent proved excellent in every way; the dark colour subdued the light, and made it agreeable. neptune, a fine dog, was let loose when we had come six miles over the plain; he was so fat that he could not keep up. we felt certain that he would follow us, but he did not appear. we then supposed that he had turned back and made for the flesh-pots, but, strangely enough, he did not do that either. he never arrived at the station; it is quite a mystery what became of him. rotta, another fine animal, was also set free; she was not fit for the journey, and she afterwards arrived at home. ulrik began by having a ride on the sledge; he picked up later. björn went limping after the sledge. peary was incapacitated; he was let loose and followed for a time, but then disappeared. when the eastern party afterwards visited the depot in ° s., they found him there in good condition. he was shy at first, but by degrees let them come near him and put the harness on. he did very good service after that. uranus and fuchs were out of condition. this was pretty bad for the first day, but the others were all worth their weight in gold. during the night it blew a gale from the east, but it moderated in the morning, so that we got away at a.m. the weather did not hold for long; the wind came again with renewed force from the same quarter, with thick driving snow. however, we went along well, and passed flag after flag. after going nineteen and a quarter miles, we came to a snow beacon that had been erected at the beginning of april, and had stood for seven months; it was still quite good and solid. this gave us a good deal to think about: so we could depend upon these beacons; they would not fall down. from the experience thus gained, we afterwards erected the whole of our extensive system of beacons on the way south. the wind went to the south-east during the day; it blew, but luckily it had stopped snowing. the temperature was - . ° f., and bitter enough against the wind. when we stopped in the evening and set our tent, we had just found our tracks from the last trip; they were sharp and clear, though six weeks old. we were glad to find them, as we had seen no flag for some time, and were beginning to get near the ugly trap, forty-six and a half miles from the house, that had been found on the last depot journey, so we had to be careful. the next day, the st, brought very thick weather: a strong breeze from the south-east, with thick driving snow. it would not have been a day for crossing the trap if we had not found our old tracks. it was true that we could not see them far, but we could still see the direction they took. so as to be quite safe, i now set our course north-east by east -- two points east was the original course. and compared with our old tracks, this looked right, as the new course was considerably more easterly than the direction of the tracks. one last glance over the camping-ground to see whether anything was forgotten, and then into the blizzard. it was really vile weather, snowing from above and drifting from below, so that one was quite blinded. we could not see far; very often we on the last sledge had difficulty in seeing the first. bjaaland was next in front of us. for a long time we had been going markedly downhill, and this was not in accordance with our reckoning; but in that weather one could not make much of a reckoning. we had several times passed over crevasses, but none of any size. suddenly we saw bjaaland's sledge sink over. he jumped off and seized the trace. the sledge lay on its side for a few seconds, then began to sink more and more, and finally disappeared altogether. bjaaland had got a good purchase in the snow, and the dogs lay down and dug their claws in. the sledge sank more and more -- all this happened in a few moments. "now i can't hold it any longer." we -- wisting and i -- had just come up. he was holding on convulsively, and resisting with all his force, but it was no use -- inch by inch the sledge sank deeper. the dogs, too, seemed to understand the gravity of the situation; stretched out in the snow, they dug their claws in, and resisted with all their strength. but still, inch by inch, slowly and surely, it went down into the abyss. bjaaland was right enough when he said he couldn't hold on any longer. a few seconds more, and his sledge and thirteen dogs would never have seen the light of day again. help came at the last moment. hanssen and hassel, who were a little in advance when it happened, had snatched an alpine rope from a sledge and came to his assistance. they made the rope fast to the trace, and two of us -- bjaaland and i -- were now able, by getting a good purchase, to hold the sledge suspended. first the dogs were taken out; then hassel's sledge was drawn back and placed across the narrowest part of the crevasse, where we could see that the edges were solid. then by our combined efforts the sledge, which was dangling far below, was hoisted up as far as we could get it, and made fast to hassel's sledge by the dogs' traces. now we could slack off and let go: one sledge hung securely enough by the other. we could breathe a little more freely. the next thing to be done was to get the sledge right, up, and before we could manage that it had to be unloaded. a man would have to go down on the rope, cast off the lashings of the cases, and attach them again for drawing up. they all wanted this job, but wisting had it; he fastened the alpine rope round his body and went down. bjaaland and i took up our former positions, and acted as anchors; meanwhile wisting reported what he saw down below. the case with the cooker was hanging by its last thread; it was secured, and again saw the light of day. hassel and hanssen attended to the hauling up of the cases, as wisting had them ready. these two fellows moved about on the brink of the chasm with a coolness that i regarded at first with approving eyes. i admire courage and contempt for danger. but the length to which they carried it at last was too much of a good thing; they were simply playing hide-and-seek with fate. wisting's information from below -- that the cornice they were standing on was only a few inches thick -- did not seem to have the slightest effect on them; on the contrary, they seemed to stand all the more securely. "we've been lucky," said wisting; "this is the only place where the crevasse is narrow enough to put a sledge across. if we had gone a little more to the left" -- hanssen looked eagerly in that direction -- "none of us would have escaped. there is no surface there; only a crust as thin as paper. it doesn't look very inviting down below, either; immense spikes of ice sticking up everywhere, which would spit you before you got very far down." this description was not attractive; it was well we had found "such a good place." meanwhile wisting had finished his work, and was hauled up. when asked whether he was not glad to be on the surface again, he answered with a smile that "it was nice and warm down there." we then hauled the sledge up, and for the time being all was well. "but," said hassel, "we must be careful going along here, because i was just on the point of going in when hanssen and i were bringing up the sledge." he smiled as though at a happy memory. hassel had seen that it was best to be careful. there was no need to look for crevasses; there was literally nothing else to be seen. there could be no question of going farther into the trap, for we had long ago come to the conclusion that, in spite of our precautions, we had arrived at this ugly place. we should have to look about for a place for the tent, but that was easier said than done. there was no possibility of finding a place large enough for both the tent and the guy-ropes; the tent was set up on a small, apparently solid spot, and the guys stretched across crevasses in all directions. we were beginning to be quite familiar with the place. that crevasse ran there and there, and it had a side-fissure that went so and so -- just like schoolboys learning a lesson. meanwhile we had brought all our things as far as possible into a place of safety; the dogs lay harnessed to reduce the risk of losing them. wisting was just going over to his sledge -- he had gone the same way several times before -- when suddenly i saw nothing but his head, shoulders and arms above the snow. he had fallen through, but saved himself by stretching his arms out as he fell. the crevasse was bottomless, like the rest. we went into the tent and cooked lobscouse. leaving the weather to take care of itself, we made ourselves as comfortable as we could. it was then one o'clock in the afternoon. the wind had fallen considerably since we came in, and before we knew what was happening, it was perfectly calm. it began to brighten a little about three, and we went out to look at it. the weather was evidently improving, and on the northern horizon there was a sign of blue sky. on the south it was thick. far off, in the densest part of the mist, we could vaguely see the outline of a dome-like elevation, and wisting and hanssen went off to examine it. the dome turned out to be one of the small haycock formations that we had seen before in this district. they struck at it with their poles, and just as they expected -- it was hollow, and revealed the darkest abyss. hanssen was positively chuckling with delight when he told us about it; hassel sent him an envious glance. by p.m. it cleared, and a small reconnoitring party, composed of three, started to find a way out of this. i was one of the three, so we had a long alpine rope between us; i don't like tumbling in, if i can avoid it by such simple means. we set out to the east -- the direction that had brought us out of the same broken ground before -- and we had not gone more than a few paces when we were quite out of it. it was now clear enough to look about us. our tent stood at the north-eastern corner of a tract that was full of hummocks; we could decide beyond a doubt that this was the dreaded trap. we continued a little way to the east until we saw our course clearly, and then returned to camp. we did not waste much time in getting things ready and leaving the place. it was a genuine relief to find ourselves once more on good ground, and we resumed our journey southward at a brisk pace. that we were not quite out of the dangerous zone was shown by a number of small hummocks to the south of us. they extended across our course at right angles. we could also see from some long but narrow crevasses we crossed that we must keep a good look-out. when we came into the vicinity of the line of hummocks that lay in our course, we stopped and discussed our prospects. "we shall save a lot of time by going straight on through here instead of going round," said hanssen. i had to admit this; but, on the other hand, the risk was much greater. "oh, let's try it," he went on; "if we can't do it, we can't." i was weak, and allowed myself to be persuaded, and away we went among the haycocks. i could see how hanssen was enjoying himself; this was just what he wanted. we went faster and faster. curiously enough, we passed several of these formations without noticing anything, and began to hope that we should get through. then suddenly hanssen's three leading dogs disappeared, and the others stopped abruptly. he got them hauled up without much trouble and came over. we others, who were following, crossed without accident, but our further progress seemed doubtful, for after a few more paces the same three dogs fell in again. we were now in exactly the same kind of place as before; crevasses ran in every direction, like a broken pane of glass. i had had enough, and would take no more part in this death-ride. i announced decisively that we must turn back, follow our tracks, and go round it all. hanssen looked quite disappointed. "well," he said, "but we shall be over it directly." "i dare say we shall," i replied; "but we must go back first." this was evidently hard on him; there was one formation in particular that attracted him, and he wanted to try his strength with it. it was a pressure-mass that, as far as appearance went, might just as well have been formed out in the drift-ice. it looked as if it was formed of four huge lumps of ice raised on end against each other. we knew what it contained without examination -- a yawning chasm. hanssen cast a last regretful glance upon it, and then turned back. we could now see all our surroundings clearly. this place lay, as we had remarked before, in a hollow; we followed it round, and came up the rise on the south without accident. here we caught sight of one of our flags; it stood to the east of us, and thus confirmed our suspicion that we had been going too far to the west. we had one more contact with the broken ground, having to cross some crevasses and pass a big hole; but then it was done, and we could once more rejoice in having solid ice beneath us. hanssen, however, was not satisfied till he had been to look into the hole. in the evening we reached the two snow-huts we had built on the last trip, and we camped there, twenty-six miles from the depot. the huts were drifted up with snow, so we left them in peace, and as the weather was now so mild and fine, we preferred the tent. it had been an eventful day, and we had reason to be satisfied that we had come off so easily. the going had been good, and it had all gone like a game. when we started the next morning it was overcast and thick, and before we had gone very far we were in the midst of a south-wester, with snow so thick that we could hardly see ten sledge-lengths ahead of us. we had intended to reach the depot that day, but if this continued, it was more than doubtful whether we should find it. meanwhile we put on the pace. it was a long way on, so there was no danger of driving past it. during this while it had remained clear in the zenith, and we had been hoping that the wind and snow would cease; but we had no such luck -- it increased rather than dropped. our best sledge-meter -- one we knew we could depend on -- was on wisting's sledge; therefore he had to check the distance. at . p.m. he turned round to me, and pointed out that we had gone the exact distance; i called out to hanssen to use his eyes well. then, at that very moment, the depot showed up a few sledge-lengths to the left of us, looking like a regular palace of snow in the thick air. this was a good test both for the sledge-meter and the compass. we drove up to it and halted. there were three important points to be picked up on our way south, and one of them was found; we were all glad and in good spirits. the ninety-nine miles from framheim to this point had been covered in four marches, and we could now rest our dogs, and give them as much seal's flesh as they were capable of eating. thus far the trip had been a good one for the animals; with one exception, they were all in the best condition. this exception was uranus. we had never been able to get any fat on his bones; he remained thin and scraggy, and awaited his death at the depot, a little later, in ° s. if uranus was lanky to look at, the same could not be said of jaala, poor beast! in spite of her condition, she struggled to keep up; she did her utmost, but unless her dimensions were reduced before we left ° s., she would have to accompany uranus to another world. the cases of provisions and outfit that we had left here on the last trip were almost entirely snowed under, but it did not take long to dig them out. the first thing to be done was to cut up the seals for the dogs. these grand pieces of meat, with the blubber attached, did not have to be thrown at the dogs; they just helped themselves as long as there was any meat cut up, and when that was finished, they did not hesitate to attack the "joint." it was a pleasure to see them, as they lay all over the place, enjoying their food; it was all so delightfully calm and peaceful, to begin with. they were all hungry, and thought of nothing but satisfying their immediate cravings; but when this was done there was an end of the truce. although hai had only half finished his share, he must needs go up to rap and take away the piece he was eating. of course, this could not happen without a great row, which resulted in the appearance of hanssen; then hai made himself scarce. he was a fine dog, but fearfully obstinate; if he had once taken a thing into his head, it was not easy to make him give it up. on one of our depot journeys it happened that i was feeding hanssen's dogs. hai had made short work of his pemmican, and looked round for more. ah! there was rap enjoying his -- that would just do for him. in a flash hai was upon him, forced him to give up his dinner, and was about to convert it to his own use. meanwhile i had witnessed the whole scene, and before hai knew anything about it, i was upon him in turn. i hit him over the nose with the whip-handle, and tried to take the pemmican from him, but it was not so easy. neither of us would give in, and soon we were both rolling over and over in the snow struggling for the mastery. i came off victorious after a pretty hot fight, and rap got his dinner again. any other dog would have dropped it at once on being hit over the nose, but not hai. it was a treat to get into the tent; the day had been a bitter one. during the night the wind went round to the north, and all the snow that had been blown northward by the wind of the previous day had nothing to do but to come back again; the road was free. and it made the utmost use of its opportunity; nothing could be seen for driving snow when we turned out next morning. we could only stay where we were, and console ourselves with the thought that it made no difference, as it had been decided that we were to remain here two days. but staying in a tent all day is never very amusing, especially when one is compelled to keep to one's sleeping-bag the whole time. you soon get tired of talking, and you can't write all day long, either. eating is a good way of passing the time, if you can afford it, and so is reading, if you have anything to read; but as the menu is limited, and the library as a rule somewhat deficient on a sledging trip, these two expedients fall to the ground. there is, however, one form of entertainment that may be indulged in under these circumstances without scruple, and that is a good nap. happy the man who can sleep the clock round on days like these; but that is a gift that is not vouchsafed to all, and those who have it will not own up to it. i have heard men snore till i was really afraid they would choke, but as for acknowledging that they had been asleep -- never! some of them even have the coolness to assert that they suffer from sleeplessness, but it was not so bad as that with any of us. in the course of the day the wind dropped, and we went out to do some work. we transferred the old depot to the new one. we now had here three complete sledge-loads, for which there would be little use, and which, therefore, were left behind. the eastern party availed themselves of part of these supplies on their journey, but not much. this depot is a fairly large one, and might come in useful if anyone should think of exploring the region from king edward land southward. as things were, we had no need of it. at the same time the sledges were packed, and when evening came everything was ready for our departure. there had really been no hurry about this, as we were going to stay here on the following day as well; but one soon learns in these regions that it is best to take advantage of good weather when you have it -- you never know how long it will last. there was, however, nothing to be said about the day that followed; we could doze and doze as much as we liked. the work went on regularly, nevertheless. the dogs gnawed and gnawed, storing up strength with every hour that went by. we will now take a trip out to our loaded sledges, and see what they contain. hanssen's stands first, bow to the south; behind it come wisting's, bjaaland's and hassel's. they all look pretty much alike, and as regards provisions their loads are precisely similar. case no. contains about , biscuits, and weighs pounds. case no. : rations of dogs' pemmican; bags of dried milk, chocolate, and biscuits. total gross weight, pounds. case no. : rations of dogs' pemmican; bags of dried milk and biscuits. gross weight, pounds. case no. : rations of dogs' pemmican; rations of men's pemmican; bags of dried milk and biscuits. gross weight, pounds. case no. : rations of dogs' pemmican. weight, pounds. total net weight of provisions per sledge, pounds. with the outfit and the weight of the sledge itself, the total came to pretty nearly pounds. hanssen's sledge differed from the others, in that it had aluminium fittings instead of steel and no sledge-meter, as it had to be free from iron on account of the steering-compass he carried. each of the other three sledges had a sledge-meter and compass. we were thus equipped with three sledge-meters and four compasses. the instruments we carried were two sextants and three artificial horizons -- two glass and one mercury -- a hypsometer for measuring heights, and one aneroid. for meteorological observations, four thermometers. also two pairs of binoculars. we took a little travelling case of medicines from burroughs wellcome and co. our surgical instruments were not many: a dental forceps and -- a beard-clipper. our sewing outfit was extensive. we carried a small, very light tent in reserve; it would have to be used if any of us were obliged to turn back. we also carried two primus lamps. of paraffin we had a good supply: twenty-two and a half gallons divided among three sledges. we kept it in the usual cans, but they proved too weak; not that we lost any paraffin, but bjaaland had to be constantly soldering to keep them tight. we had a good soldering outfit. every man carried his own personal bag, in which he kept reserve clothing, diaries and observation books. we took a quantity of loose straps for spare ski-bindings. we had double sleeping-bags for the first part of the time; that is to say, an inner and an outer one. there were five watches among us, of which three were chronometer watches. we had decided to cover the distance between ° and ° s. in daily marches of seventeen miles. we could easily have done twice this, but as it was more important to arrive than to show great speed, we limited the distance; besides which, here between the depots we had sufficient food to allow us to take our time. we were interested in seeing how the dogs would manage the loaded sledges. we expected them to do well, but not so well as they did. on october we left ° s. with a light north-westerly breeze, clear and mild. i was now to take up my position in advance of the sledges, and placed myself a few paces in front of hanssen's, with my ski pointing in the right direction. a last look behind me: "all ready?" and away i went. i thought -- no; i didn't have time to think. before i knew anything about it, i was sent flying by the dogs. in the confusion that ensued they stopped, luckily, so that i escaped without damage, as far as that went. to tell the truth, i was angry, but as i had sense enough to see that the situation, already sufficiently comic, would be doubly ridiculous if i allowed my annoyance to show itself, i wisely kept quiet. and, after all, whose fault was it? i was really the only one to blame; why in the world had i not got away faster? i now changed my plan entirely -- there is nothing to be ashamed of in that, i hope -- and fell in with the awkward squad; there i was more successful. "all ready? go!" and go they did. first hanssen went off like a meteor; close behind him came wisting, and then bjaaland and hassel. they all had ski on, and were driving with a line. i had made up my mind to follow in the rear, as i thought the dogs would not keep this up for long, but i soon had enough of it. we did the first six and a quarter miles in an hour. i thought that would do for me, so i went up to wisting, made a rope fast to his sledge, and there i stood till we reached ° ' s. -- three hundred and forty miles. yes; that was a pleasant surprise. we had never dreamed of anything of the sort -- driving on ski to the pole! thanks to hanssen's brilliant talents as a dog-driver, we could easily do this. he had his dogs well in hand, and they knew their master. they knew that the moment they failed to do their duty they would be pulled up, and a hiding all round would follow. of course, as always happens, nature occasionally got the better of discipline; but the "confirmation" that resulted checked any repetition of such conduct for a long while. the day's march was soon completed in this way, and we camped early. on the following day we were already in sight of the large pressure-ridges on the east, which we had seen for the first time on the second depot journey between ° and ° s., and this showed that the atmosphere must be very clear. we could not see any greater number than the first time, however. from our experience of beacons built of snow, we could see that if we built such beacons now, on our way south, they would be splendid marks for our return journey; we therefore decided to adopt this system of landmarks to the greatest possible extent. we built in all beacons, feet high, and used in their construction , blocks, cut out of the snow with specially large snow-knives. in each of them was deposited a paper, giving the number and position of the beacon, and indicating the distance and the direction to be taken to reach the next beacon to the north. it may appear that my prudence was exaggerated, but it always seemed to me that one could not be too careful on this endless, uniform surface. if we lost our way here, it would be difficult enough to reach home. besides which, the building of these beacons had other advantages, which we could all see and appreciate. every time we stopped to build one, the dogs had a rest, and they wanted this, if they were to keep up the pace. we erected the first beacon in ° ' s. to begin with, we contented ourselves with putting them up at every thirteenth or fifteenth kilometre. on the th we shot the first dog, hanssen's bone. he was too old to keep up, and was only a hindrance. he was placed in depot under a beacon, and was a great joy to us -- or rather to the dogs -- later on. on the same day we reached the second important point -- the depot in ° s. our course took us very slightly to the east of it. the small pieces of packing-case that had been used as marks on each side of the depot could be seen a long way off. on a subsequent examination they showed no sign of snowfall; they stood just as they had been put in. in the neighbourhood of the depot we crossed two quite respectable crevasses; they were apparently filled up, and caused us no trouble. we reached the depot at p.m.; everything was in the best of order. the flag was flying, and hardly looked as if it had been up a day, although it had now been waving there for nearly eight months. the drifts round the depot were about / feet high. the next day was brilliant -- calm and clear. the sun really baked the skin of one's face. we put all our skin clothing out to dry; a little rime will always form at the bottom of a sleeping-bag. we also availed ourselves of this good opportunity to determine our position and check our compasses; they proved to be correct. we replaced the provisions we had consumed on the way, and resumed our journey on october . there was a thick fog next morning, and very disagreeable weather; perhaps we felt it more after the previous fine day. when we passed this way for the first time going south, hanssen's dogs had fallen into a crevasse, but it was nothing to speak of; otherwise we had no trouble. nor did we expect any this time; but in these regions what one least expects frequently happens. the snow was loose and the going heavy; from time to time we crossed a narrow crevasse. once we saw through the fog a large open hole; we could not have been very far from it, or we should not have seen it, the weather was so thick. but all went well till we had come thirteen and a half miles. then hanssen had to cross a crevasse a yard wide, and in doing it he was unlucky enough to catch the point of his ski in the traces of the hindmost dogs, and fall right across the crevasse. this looked unpleasant. the dogs were across, and a foot or two on the other side, but the sledge was right over the crevasse, and had twisted as hanssen fell, so that a little more would bring it into line with the crevasse, and then, of course, down it would go. the dogs had quickly scented the fact that their lord and master was for the moment incapable of administering a "confirmation," and they did not let slip the golden opportunity. like a lot of roaring tigers, the whole team set upon each other and fought till the hair flew. this naturally produced short, sharp jerks at the traces, so that the sledge worked round more and more, and at the same time the dogs, in the heat of the combat, were coming nearer and nearer to the brink. if this went on, all was irretrievably lost. one of us jumped the crevasse, went into the middle of the struggling team, and, fortunately, got them to stop. at the same time, wisting threw a line to hanssen and hauled him out of his unpleasant position -- although, i thought to myself, as we went on: i wonder whether hanssen did not enjoy the situation? stretched across a giddy abyss, with the prospect of slipping down it at any moment -- that was just what he would like. we secured the sledge, completed our seventeen miles, and camped. from ° s. we began to erect beacons at every nine kilometres. the next day we observed the lowest temperature of the whole of this journey: - . ° f the wind was south-south-east, but not very strong. it did not feel like summer, all the same. we now adopted the habit which we kept up all the way to the south -- of taking our lunch while building the beacon that lay half-way in our day's march. it was nothing very luxurious -- three or four dry oatmeal biscuits, that was all. if one wanted a drink, one could mix snow with the biscuit -- "bread and water." it is a diet that is not much sought after in our native latitudes, but latitude makes a very great difference in this world. it anybody had offered us more "bread and water," we should gladly have accepted it. that day we crossed the last crevasse for a long time to come, and it was only a few inches wide. the surface looked grand ahead of us; it went in very long, almost imperceptible undulations. we could only notice them by the way in which the beacons we put up often disappeared rather rapidly. on november we had a gale from the south, with heavy snow. the going was very stiff, but the dogs got the sledges along better than we expected. the temperature rose, as usual, with a wind from this quarter: + ° f. it was a pleasure to be out in such a temperature, although it did blow a little. the day after we had a light breeze from the north. the heavy going of the day before had completely disappeared; instead of it we had the best surface one could desire, and it made our dogs break into a brisk gallop. that was the day we were to reach the depot in ° s., but as it was extremely thick, our chances of doing so were small. in the course of the afternoon the distance was accomplished, but no depot was visible. however, our range of vision was nothing to boast of -- ten sledge-lengths; not more. the most sensible thing to do, under the circumstances, was to camp and wait till it cleared. at four o'clock next morning the sun broke through. we let it get warm and disperse the fog, and then went out. what a morning it was -- radiantly clear and mild. so still, so still lay the mighty desert before us, level and white on every side. but, no; there in the distance the level was broken: there was a touch of colour on the white. the third important point was reached, the extreme outpost of civilization. our last depot lay before us; that was an unspeakable relief. the victory now seemed half won. in the fog we had come about three and a half miles too far to the west; but we now saw that if we had continued our march the day before, we should have come right into our line of flags. there they stood, flag after flag, and the little strip of black cloth seemed to wave quite proudly, as though it claimed credit for the way in which it had discharged its duty. here, as at the depot in ° s., there was hardly a sign of snowfall. the drift round the depot had reached the same height as there -- / feet. clearly the same conditions of weather had prevailed all over this region. the depot stood as we had made it, and the sledge as we had left it. falling snow and drift had not been sufficient to cover even this. the little drift that there was offered an excellent place for the tent, being hard and firm. we at once set about the work that had to be done. first, uranus was sent into the next world, and although he had always given us the impression of being thin and bony, it was now seen that there were masses of fat along his back; he would be much appreciated when we reached here on the return. jaala did not look as if she would fulfil the conditions, but we gave her another night. the dogs' pemmican in the depot was just enough to give the dogs a good feed and load up the sledges again. we were so well supplied with all other provisions that we were able to leave a considerable quantity behind for the return journey. next day we stayed here to give the dogs a thorough rest for the last time. we took advantage of the fine weather to dry our outfit and check our instruments. when evening came we were all ready, and now we could look back with satisfaction to the good work of the autumn; we had fully accomplished what we aimed at -- namely, transferring our base from ° ' to ° s. jaala had to follow uranus; they were both laid on the top of the depot, beside eight little ones that never saw the light of day. during our stay here we decided to build beacons at every fifth kilometre, and to lay down depots at every degree of latitude. although the dogs were drawing the sledges easily at present, we knew well enough that in the long-run they would find it hard work if they were always to have heavy weights to pull. the more we could get rid of, and the sooner we could begin to do so, the better. on november , at a.m., we left ° s. now the unknown lay before us; now our work began in earnest. the appearance of the barrier was the same everywhere -- flat, with a splendid surface. at the first beacon we put up we had to shoot lucy. we were sorry to put an end to this beautiful creature, but there was nothing else to be done. her friends -- karenius, sauen, and schwartz -- scowled up at the beacon where she lay as they passed, but duty called, and the whip sang dangerously near them, though they did not seem to hear it. we had now extended our daily march to twenty-three miles; in this way we should do a degree in three days. on the th we decided to stop for a day's rest. the dogs had been picking up wonderfully every day, and were now at the top of their condition, as far as health and training went. with the greatest ease they covered the day's march at a pace of seven and a half kilometres (four miles and two-thirds) an hour. as for ourselves, we never had to move a foot; all we had to do was to let ourselves be towed. the same evening we had to put an end to the last of our ladies -- else. she was hassel's pride and the ornament of his team; but there was no help for it. she was also placed at the top of a beacon. when we halted that evening in ° ' s., we saw on the south-western horizon several heavy masses of drab-coloured cloud, such as are usually to be seen over land. we could make out no land that evening, however; but when we came out next morning and directed our glasses to that quarter, the land lay there, lofty and clear in the morning sun. we were now able to distinguish several summits, and to determine that this was the land extending south-eastward from beardmore glacier in south victoria land. our course had been true south all the time; at this spot we were about miles to the east of beardmore glacier. our course would continue to be true south. the same evening -- november -- we reached ° s. by dead reckoning. the noon altitude next day gave ° ' s. the depot we built here contained provisions for five men and twelve dogs for four days; it was made square -- feet each way -- of hard, solid blocks of snow. a large flag was placed on the top. that evening a strange thing happened -- three dogs deserted, going northward on our old tracks. they were lucy's favourites, and had probably taken it into their heads that they ought to go back and look after their friend. it was a great loss to us all, but especially to bjaaland; they were all three first-rate animals, and among the best we had. he had to borrow a dog from hanssen's team, and if he did not go quite so smoothly as before, he was still able to keep up. on the th we got a bearing of the mountain chain right down in south by west true. each day we drew considerably nearer the land, and could see more and more of its details: mighty peaks, each loftier and wilder than the last, rose to heights of , feet. what struck us all were the bare sides that many of these mountains showed; we had expected to see them far more covered with snow. mount fridtjof nansen, for example, had quite a blue-black look. only quite at the summit was it crowned by a mighty hood of ice that raised its shining top to some , feet. farther to the south rose mount don pedro christophersen; it was more covered with snow, but the long, gabled summit was to a great extent bare. still farther south mounts alice wedel jarlsberg, alice gade, and ruth gade, came in sight; all snow-clad from peak to base. i do not think i have ever seen a more beautiful or wilder landscape. even from where we were, we seemed to be able to see a way up from several places. there lay liv's glacier,[ ] for instance, which would undoubtedly afford a good and even ascent, but it lay too far to the north. it is of enormous extent, and would prove interesting to explore. crown prince olav's mountains looked less promising, but they also lay too far to the north. a little to the west of south lay an apparently good way up. the mountains nearest to the barrier did not seem to offer any great obstruction. what one might find later, between mounts pedro christophersen and fridtjof nansen, was not easy to say. on the th we reached ° s. on that day we made the interesting discovery of a chain of mountains running to the east; this, as it appeared from the spot where we were, formed a semicircle, where it joined the mountains of south victoria land. this semicircle lay true south, and our course was directed straight towards it. in the depot in ° s. we left, besides the usual quantity of provisions for five men and twelve dogs for four days, a can of paraffin, holding litres (about gallons). we had abundance of matches, and could therefore distribute them over all the depots. the barrier continued as flat as before, and the going was as good as it could possibly be. we had thought that a day's rest would be needed by the dogs for every degree of latitude, but this proved superfluous; it looked as if they could no longer be tired. one or two had shown signs of bad feet, but were now perfectly well; instead of losing strength, the dogs seemed to become stronger and more active every day. now they, too, had sighted the land, and the black mass of mount fridtjof nansen seemed specially to appeal to them; hanssen often had hard work to keep them in the right course. without any longer stay, then, we left ° s. the next day, and steered for the bay ahead. that day we went twenty-three miles in thick fog, and saw nothing of the land. it was hard to have to travel thus blindly off an unknown coast, but we could only hope for better weather. during the previous night we had heard, for a change, a noise in the ice. it was nothing very great, and sounded like scattered infantry fire -- a few rifle-shots here and there underneath our tent; the artillery had not come up yet. we took no notice of it, though i heard one man say in the morning: "blest if i didn't think i got a whack on the ear last night." i could witness that it had not cost him his sleep, as that night he had very nearly snored us all out of the tent. during the forenoon we crossed a number of apparently newly-formed crevasses; most of them only about an inch wide. there had thus been a small local disturbance occasioned by one of the numerous small glaciers on land. on the following night all was quiet again, and we never afterwards heard the slightest sound. on november we reached ° ' s. we were now rapidly approaching land; the mountain range on the east appeared to turn north-eastward. our line of ascent, which we had chosen long ago and now had our eyes fixed upon as we went, would take us a trifle to the west of south, but so little that the digression was of no account. the semicircle we saw to the south made a more disquieting impression, and looked as if it would offer great irregularities. on the following day the character of the surface began to change; great wave-like formations seemed to roll higher and higher as they approached the land, and in one of the troughs of these we found the surface greatly disturbed. at some bygone time immense fissures and chasms would have rendered its passage practically impossible, but now they were all drifted up, and we had no difficulty in crossing. that day -- november -- we reached ° s., and camped at the top of one of these swelling waves. the valley we were to cross next day was fairly broad, and rose considerably on the other side. on the west, in the direction of the nearest land, the undulation rose to such a height that it concealed a great part of the land from us. during the afternoon we built the usual depot, and continued our journey on the following day. as we had seen from our camping-ground, it was an immense undulation that we had to traverse; the ascent on the other side felt uncomfortably warm in the powerful sun, but it was no higher than feet by the aneroid. from the top of this wave the barrier stretched away before us, flat at first, but we could see disturbances of the surface in the distance. now we are going to have some fun in getting to land, i thought, for it seemed very natural that the barrier, hemmed in as it was here, would be much broken up. the disturbances we had seen consisted of some big, old crevasses, which were partly filled up; we avoided them easily. now there was another deep depression before us; with a correspondingly high rise on the other side. we went over it capitally; the surface was absolutely smooth, without a sign of fissure or hole anywhere. then we shall get them when we are on the top, i thought. it was rather stiff work uphill, unaccustomed as we were to slopes. i stretched my neck more and more to get a view. at last we were up; and what a sight it was that met us! not an irregularity, not a sign of disturbance; quietly and evenly the ascent continued. i believe that we were then already above land; the large crevasses that we had avoided down below probably formed the boundary. the hypsometer gave feet above the sea. we were now immediately below the ascent, and made the final decision of trying it here. this being settled, we pitched our camp. it was still early in the day, but we had a great deal to arrange before the morrow. here we should have to overhaul our whole supply of provisions, take with us what was absolutely necessary for the remainder of the trip, and leave the rest behind in depot. first, then, we camped, worked out our position, fed the dogs and let them loose again, and then went into our tent to have something to eat and go through the provision books. we had now reached one of the most critical points of our journey. our plan had now to be laid so that we might not only make the ascent as easily as possible, but also get through to the end. our calculations had to be made carefully, and every possibility taken into account. as with every decision of importance, we discussed the matter jointly. the distance we had before us, from this spot to the pole and back, was miles. reckoning with the ascent that we saw before us, with other unforeseen obstructions, and finally with the certain factor that the strength of our dogs would be gradually reduced to a fraction of what it now was, we decided to take provisions and equipment for sixty days on the sledges, and to leave the remaining supplies -- enough for thirty days -- and outfit in depot. we calculated, from the experience we had had, that we ought to be able to reach this point again with twelve dogs left. we now had forty-two dogs. our plan was to take all the forty-two up to the plateau; there twenty-four of them were to be slaughtered, and the journey continued with three sledges and eighteen dogs. of these last eighteen, it would be necessary, in our opinion, to slaughter six in order to bring the other twelve back to this point. as the number of dogs grew less, the sledges would become lighter and lighter, and when the time came for reducing their number to twelve, we should only have two sledges left. this time again our calculations came out approximately right; it was only in reckoning the number of days that we made a little mistake -- we took eight days less than the time allowed. the number of dogs agreed exactly; we reached this point again with twelve. after the question had been well discussed and each had given his opinion, we went out to get the repacking done. it was lucky the weather was so fine, otherwise this taking stock of provisions might have been a bitter piece of work. all our supplies were in such a form that we could count them instead of weighing them. our pemmican was in rations of kilogram ( pound ounces). the chocolate was divided into small pieces, as chocolate always is, so that we knew what each piece weighed. our milk-powder was put up in bags of ounces just enough for a meal. our biscuits possessed the same property -- they could be counted, but this was a tedious business, as they were rather small. on this occasion we had to count , biscuits. our provisions consisted only of these four kinds, and the combination turned out right enough. we did not suffer from a craving either for fat or sugar, though the want of these substances is very commonly felt on such journeys as ours. in our biscuits we had an excellent product, consisting of oatmeal, sugar, and dried milk. sweetmeats, jam, fruit, cheese, etc., we had left behind at framheim. we took our reindeer-skin clothing, for which we had had no use as yet, on the sledges. we were now coming on to the high ground, and it might easily happen that it would be a good thing to have. we did not forget the temperature of - ° f. that shackleton had experienced in ° s., and if we met with the same, we could hold out a long while if we had the skin clothing. otherwise, we had not very much in our bags. the only change we had with us was put on here, and the old clothes hung out to air. we reckoned that by the time we came back, in a couple of months, they would be sufficiently aired, and we could put them on again. as far as i remember, the calculation proved correct. we took more foot-gear than anything else: if one's feet are well shod, one can hold out a long time. when all this was finished, three of us put on our ski and made for the nearest visible land. this was a little peak, a mile and three-quarters away -- mount betty. it did not look lofty or imposing, but was, nevertheless, , feet above the sea. small as it was, it became important to us, as it was there we got all our geological specimens. running on ski felt quite strange, although i had now covered miles on them; but we had driven the whole way, and were somewhat out of training. we could feel this, too, as we went up the slope that afternoon. after mount betty the ascent became rather steep, but the surface was even, and the going splendid, so we got on fast. first we came up a smooth mountain-side, about , feet above the sea, then over a little plateau; after that another smooth slope like the first, and then down a rather long, flat stretch, which after a time began to rise very gradually, until it finally passed into small glacier formations. our reconnaissance extended to these small glaciers. we had ascertained that the way was practicable, as far as we were able to see; we had gone about five and a half miles from the tent, and ascended , feet. on the way back we went gloriously; the last two slopes down to the barrier gave us all the speed we wanted. bjaaland and i had decided to take a turn round by mount betty for the sake of having real bare ground under our feet; we had not felt it since madeira in september, , and now we were in november, . no sooner said than done. bjaaland prepared for an elegant "telemark swing," and executed it in fine style. what i prepared to do, i am still not quite sure. what i did was to roll over, and i did it with great effect. i was very soon on my feet again, and glanced at bjaaland; whether he had seen my tumble, i am not certain. however, i pulled myself together after this unfortunate performance, and remarked casually that it is not so easy to forget what one has once learnt. no doubt he thought that i had managed the "telemark swing"; at any rate, he was polite enough to let me think so. mount betty offered no perpendicular crags or deep precipices to stimulate our desire for climbing; we only had to take off our ski, and then we arrived at the top. it consisted of loose screes, and was not an ideal promenade for people who had to be careful of their boots. it was a pleasure to set one's foot on bare ground again, and we sat down on the rocks to enjoy the scene. the rocks very soon made themselves felt, however, and brought us to our feet again. we photographed each other in "picturesque attitudes," took a few stones for those who had not yet set foot on bare earth, and strapped on our ski. the dogs, after having been so eager to make for bare land when they first saw it, were now not the least interested in it; they lay on the snow, and did not go near the top. between the bare ground and the snow surface there was bright, blue-green ice, showing that at times there was running water here. the dogs did what they could to keep up with us on the way down, but they were soon left behind. on our return, we surprised our comrades with presents from the country, but i fear they were not greatly appreciated. i could hear such words as, "norway-stones -- heaps of them," and i was able to put them together and understand what was meant. the "presents" were put in depot, as not absolutely indispensable on the southern journey. by this time the dogs had already begun to be very voracious. everything that came in their way disappeared; whips, ski-bindings, lashings, etc., were regarded as delicacies. if one put down anything for a moment, it vanished. with some of them this voracity went so far that we had to chain them. chapter xi through the mountains on the following day -- november -- we began the ascent. to provide for any contingency, i left in the depot a paper with information of the way we intended to take through the mountains, together with our plan for the future, our outfit, provisions, etc. the weather was fine, as usual, and the going good. the dogs exceeded our expectations; they negotiated the two fairly steep slopes at a jog-trot. we began to think there was no difficulty they could not surmount; the five miles or so that we had gone the day before, and imagined would be more than enough for this day's journey, were now covered with full loads in shorter time. the small glaciers higher up turned out fairly steep, and in some places we had to take two sledges at a time with double teams. these glaciers had an appearance of being very old, and of having entirely ceased to move. there were no new crevasses to be seen; those that there were, were large and wide, but their edges were rounded off everywhere, and the crevasses themselves were almost entirely filled with snow. so as not to fall into these on the return, we erected our beacons in such a way that the line between any two of them would take us clear of any danger. it was no use working in polar clothing among these hills; the sun, which stood high and clear, was uncomfortably warm, and we were obliged to take off most of our things. we passed several summits from , to , feet high; the snow on one of them had quite a reddish-brown tint. our distance this first day was eleven and a half miles, with a rise of , feet. our camp that evening lay on a little glacier among huge crevasses; on three sides of us were towering summits. when we had set our tent, two parties went out to explore the way in advance. one party -- wisting and hanssen -- took the way that looked easiest from the tent -- namely, the course of the glacier; it here rose rapidly to , feet, and disappeared in a south-westerly direction between two peaks. bjaaland formed the other party. he evidently looked upon this ascent as too tame, and started up the steepest part of the mountain -- side. i saw him disappear up aloft like a fly. hassel and i attended to the necessary work round about and in the tent. we were sitting inside chatting, when we suddenly heard someone come swishing down towards the tent. we looked at each other; that fellow had some pace on. we had no doubt as to who it was -- bjaaland, of course. he must have gone off to refresh old memories. he had a lot to tell us; amongst other things, he had found "the finest descent" on the other side. what he meant by "fine" i was not certain. if it was as fine as the ascent he had made, then i asked to be excused. we now heard the others coming, and these we could hear a long way off. they had also seen a great deal, not to mention "the finest descent." but both parties agreed in the mournful intelligence that we should have to go down again. they had both observed the immense glacier that stretched beneath us running east and west. a lengthy discussion took place between the two parties, who mutually scorned each other's "discoveries." "yes; but look here, bjaaland, we could see that from where you were standing there's a sheer drop--" -- "you couldn't see me at all. i tell you i was to the west of the peak that lies to the south of the peak that" i gave up trying to follow the discussion any longer. the way in which the different parties had disappeared and come in sight again gave me every reason to decide in favour of the route the last arrivals had taken. i thanked these keen gentlemen for their strenuous ramble in the interests of the expedition, and went straight off to sleep. i dreamed of mountains and precipices all night, and woke up with bjaaland whizzing down from the sky. i announced once more that i had made up my mind for the other course, and went to sleep again. we debated next morning whether it would not be better to take the sledges two by two to begin with; the glacier before us looked quite steep enough to require double teams. it had a rise of , feet in quite a short distance. but we would try first with the single teams. the dogs had shown that their capabilities were far above our expectation; perhaps they would be able to do even this. we crept off: the ascent began at once -- good exercise after a quart of chocolate. we did not get on fast, but we won our way. it often looked as if the sledge would stop, but a shout from the driver and a sharp crack of the whip kept the dogs on the move. it was a fine beginning to the day, and we gave them a well-deserved rest when we got up. we then drove in through the narrow pass and out on the other side. it was a magnificent panorama that opened before us. from the pass we had come out on to a very small flat terrace, which a few yards farther on began to drop steeply to a long valley. round about us lay summit after summit on every side. we had now come behind the scenes, and could get our bearings better. we now saw the southern side of the immense mount nansen; don pedro christophersen we could see in his full length. between these two mountains we could follow the course of a glacier that rose in terraces along their sides. it looked fearfully broken and disturbed, but we could follow a little connected line among the many crevasses; we saw that we could go a long way, but we also saw that the glacier forbade us to use it in its full extent. between the first and second terraces the ice was evidently impassable. but we could see that there was an unbroken ledge up on the side of the mountain; don pedro would help us out. on the north along the nansen mountain there was nothing but chaos, perfectly impossible to get through. we put up a big beacon where we were standing, and took bearings from it all round the compass. i went back to the pass to look out over the barrier for the last time. the new mountain chain lay there sharp and clear; we could see how it turned from the east up to east-north-east, and finally disappeared in the north-east -- as we judged, about ° s. from the look of the sky, it appeared that the chain was continued farther. according to the aneroid, the height of the terrace on which we stood was , feet above the sea. from here there was only one way down, and we began to go. in making these descents with loaded sledges, one has to use the greatest care, lest the speed increase to such a degree that one loses command over the sledge. if this happens, there is a danger, not only of running over the dogs, but of colliding with the sledge in front and smashing it. this was all the more important in our case, as the sledges carried sledge-meters. we therefore put brakes of rope under our runners when we were to go downhill. this was done very simply by taking a few turns with a thin piece of rope round each runner; the more of these turns one took, the more powerful, of course, was the brake. the art consisted in choosing the right number of turns, or the right brake; this was not always attained, and the consequence was that, before we had come to the end of these descents, there were several collisions. one of the drivers, in particular, seemed to have a supreme contempt for a proper brake; he would rush down like a flash of lightning, and carry the man in front with him. with practice we avoided this, but several times things had an ugly look. the first drop took us down feet; then we had to cross a wide, stiff piece of valley before the ascent began again. the snow between the mountains was loose and deep, and gave the dogs hard work. the next ascent was up very steep glaciers, the last of which was the steepest bit of climbing we had on the whole journey -- stiff work even for double teams. going in front of the dogs up these slopes was, i could see, a business that bjaaland would accomplish far more satisfactorily than i, and i gave up the place to him. the first glacier was steep, but the second was like the side of a house. it was a pleasure to watch bjaaland use his ski up there; one could see that he had been up a hill before. nor was it less interesting to see the dogs and the drivers go up. hanssen drove one sledge alone; wisting and hassel the other. they went by jerks, foot by foot, and ended by reaching the top. the second relay went somewhat more easily in the tracks made by the first. our height here was , feet, the last ascent having brought us up , feet; we had arrived on a plateau, and after the dogs had rested we continued our march. now, as we advanced, we had a better view of the way we were going; before this the nearest mountains had shut us in. the mighty glacier opened out before us, stretching, as we could now see, right up from the barrier between the lofty mountains running east and west. it was by this glacier that we should have to gain the plateau; we could see that. we had one more descent to make before reaching it, and from above we could distinguish the edges of some big gaps in this descent, and found it prudent to examine it first. as we thought, there was a side-glacier coming down into it, with large, ugly crevasses in many places; but it was not so bad as to prevent our finally reaching, with caution and using good brakes, the great main ice-field -- axel heiberg glacier. the plan we had proposed to ourselves was to work our way up to the place where the glacier rose in abrupt masses between the two mountains. the task we had undertaken was greater than we thought. in the first place, the distance was three times as great as any of us had believed; and, in the second place, the snow was so loose and deep that it was hard work for the dogs after all their previous efforts. we set our course along the white line that we had been able to follow among the numerous crevasses right up to the first terrace. here tributary glaciers came down on all sides from the mountains and joined the main one; it was one of these many small arms that we reached that evening, directly under don pedro christophersen. the mountain below which we had our camp was covered with a chaos of immense blocks of ice. the glacier on which we were was much broken up, but, as with all the others, the fissures were of old date, and, to a large extent, drifted up. the snow was so loose that we had to trample a place for the tent, and we could push the tent-pole right down without meeting resistance; probably it would be better higher up. in the evening hanssen and bjaaland went out to reconnoitre, and found the conditions as we had seen them from a distance. the way up to the first terrace was easily accessible; what the conditions would be like between this and the second terrace we had still to discover. it was stiff work next day getting up to the first terrace. the arm of the glacier that led up was not very long, but extremely steep and full of big crevasses; it had to be taken in relays, two sledges at a time. the state of the going was, fortunately, better than on the previous day, and the surface of the glacier was fine and hard, so that the dogs got a splendid hold. bjaaland went in advance up through this steep glacier, and had his work cut out to keep ahead of the eager animals. one would never have thought we were between ° and ° s.; the heat was positively disagreeable, and, although lightly clad, we sweated as if we were running races in the tropics. we were ascending rapidly, but, in spite of the sudden change of pressure, we did not yet experience any difficulty of breathing, headache, or other unpleasant results. that these sensations would make their appearance in due course was, however, a matter of which we could be certain. shackleton's description of his march on the plateau, when headache of the most violent and unpleasant kind was the order of the day, was fresh in the memory of all of us. in a comparatively short time we reached the ledge in the glacier that we had noticed a long way off; it was not quite flat, but sloped slightly towards the edge. when we came to the place to which hanssen and bjaaland had carried their reconnaissance on the previous evening, we had a very fine prospect of the further course of the glacier. to continue along it was an impossibility; it consisted here -- between the two vast mountains -- of nothing but crevasse after crevasse, so huge and ugly that we were forced to conclude that our further advance that way was barred. over by fridtjof nansen we could not go; this mountain here rose perpendicularly, in parts quite bare, and formed with the glacier a surface so wild and cut up that all thoughts of crossing the ice-field in that direction had to be instantly abandoned. our only chance lay in the direction of don pedro christophersen; here, so far as we could see, the connection of the glacier and the land offered possibilities of further progress. without interruption the glacier was merged in the snow-clad mountain-side, which rose rapidly towards the partially bare summit. our view, however, did not extend very far. the first part of the mountain-side was soon bounded by a lofty ridge running east and west, in which we could see huge gaps here and there. from the place where we were standing, we had the impression that we should be able to continue our course up there under the ridge between these gaps, and thus come out beyond the disturbed tract of glacier. we might possibly succeed in this, but we could not be certain until we were up on the ridge itself. we took a little rest -- it was not a long one -- and then started. we were impatient to see whether we could get forward up above. there could be no question of reaching the height without double teams; first we had to get hanssen's and wisting's sledges up, and then the two others. we were not particularly keen on thus covering the ground twice, but the conditions made it imperative. we should have been pleased just then if we had known that this was to be the last ascent that would require double teams; but we did not know this, and it was more than any of us dared to hope. the same hard work, and the same trouble to keep the dogs at an even pace, and then we were up under the ridge amongst the open chasms. to go farther without a careful examination of the ground was not to be thought of. doubtless, our day's march had not been a particularly long one, but the piece we had covered had indeed been fatiguing enough. we therefore camped, and set our tent at an altitude of , feet above the sea. we at once proceeded to reconnoitre, and the first thing to be examined was the way we had seen from below. this led in the right direction -- that is, in the direction of the glacier, east and west -- and was thus the shortest. but it is not always the shortest way that is the best; here, in any case, it was to be hoped that another and longer one would offer better conditions. the shortest way was awful -- possibly not altogether impracticable, if no better was to be found. first we had to work our way across a hard, smooth slope, which formed an angle of degrees, and ended in a huge, bottomless chasm. it was no great pleasure to cross over here on ski, but with heavily-laden sledges the enjoyment would be still less. the prospect of seeing sledge, driver, and dogs slide down sideways and disappear into the abyss was a great one. we got across with whole skins on ski, and continued our exploration. the mountain-side along which we were advancing gradually narrowed between vast fissures above and vaster fissures below, and finally passed by a very narrow bridge -- hardly broader than the sledges -- into the glacier. on each side of the bridge, one looked down into a deep blue chasm. to cross here did not look very inviting; no doubt we could take the dogs out and haul the sledges over, and thus manage it -- presuming the bridge held -- but our further progress, which would have to be made on the glacier, would apparently offer many surprises of an unpleasant kind. it was quite possible that, with time and patience, one would be able to tack through the apparently endless succession of deep crevasses; but we should first have to see whether something better than this could not be found in another direction. we therefore returned to camp. here in the meantime everything had been put in order, the tent set up, and the dogs fed. now came the great question: what was there on the other side of the ridge? was it the same desperate confusion, or would the ground offer better facilities? three of us went off to see. excitement rose as we neared the saddle; so much depended on finding a reasonable way. one more pull and we were up; it was worth the trouble. the first glance showed us that this was the way we had to go. the mountain-side ran smooth and even under the lofty summit-like a gabled church tower -- of mount don pedro christophersen, and followed the direction of the glacier. we could see the place where this long, even surface united with the glacier; to all appearance it was free from disturbance. we saw some crevasses, of course, but they were far apart, and did not give us the idea that they would be a hindrance. but we were still too far from the spot to be able to draw any certain conclusions as to the character of the ground; we therefore set off towards the bottom to examine the conditions more closely. the surface was loose up here, and the snow fairly deep; our ski slipped over it well, but it would be heavy for dogs. we advanced rapidly, and soon came to the huge crevasses. they were big enough and deep enough, but so scattered that, without much trouble, we could find a way between them. the hollow between the two mountains, which was filled by the heiberg glacier, grew narrower and narrower towards the end, and, although appearances were still very pleasant, i expected to find some disturbance when we arrived at the point where the mountain-side passed into the glacier. but my fears proved groundless; by keeping right under don pedro we went clear of all trouble, and in a short time, to our great joy, we found ourselves above and beyond that chaotic part of the heiberg glacier which had completely barred our progress. up here all was strangely peaceful; the mountain-side and the glacier united in a great flat terrace -- a plain, one might call it -- without disturbance of any kind. we could see depressions in the surface where the huge crevasses had formerly existed, but now they were entirely filled up, and formed one with the surrounding level. we could now see right to the end of this mighty glacier, and form some idea of its proportions. mount wilhelm christophersen and mount ole engelstad formed the end of it; these two beehive-shaped summits, entirely covered with snow, towered high into the sky. we understood now that the last of the ascent was before us, and that what we saw in the distance between these two mountains was the great plateau itself. the question, then, was to find a way up, and to conquer this last obstruction in the easiest manner. in the radiantly clear air we could see the smallest details with our excellent prismatic glasses, and make our calculations with great confidence. it would be possible to clamber up don pedro himself; we had done things as difficult before. but here the side of the mountain was fairly steep, and full of big crevasses and a fearful quantity of gigantic blocks of ice. between don pedro and wilhelm christophersen an arm of the glacier went up on to the plateau, but it was so disturbed and broken up that it could not be used. between wilhelm christophersen and ole engelstad there was no means of getting through. between ole engelstad and fridtjof nansen, on the other hand, it looked more promising, but as yet the first of these mountains obstructed our view so much that we could not decide with certainty. we were all three rather tired, but agreed to continue our excursion, and find out what was here concealed. our work to-day would make our progress to-morrow so much the easier. we therefore went on, and laid our course straight over the topmost flat terrace of the heiberg glacier. as we advanced, the ground between nansen and engelstad opened out more and more, and without going any farther we were able to decide from the formations that here we should undoubtedly find the best way up. if the final ascent at the end of the glacier, which was only partly visible, should present difficulties, we could make out from where we stood that it would be possible, without any great trouble, to work our way over the upper end of the nansen mountain itself, which here passed into the plateau by a not too difficult glacier. yes, now we were certain that it was indeed the great plateau and nothing else that we saw before us. in the pass between the two mountains, and some little distance within the plateau, helland hansen showed up, a very curious peak to look at. it seemed to stick its nose up through the plateau, and no more; its shape was long, and it reminded one of nothing so much as the ridge of a roof. although this peak was thus only just visible, it stood , feet above the sea. after we had examined the conditions here, and found out that on the following day -- if the weather permitted -- we should reach the plateau, we turned back, well satisfied with the result of our trip. we all agreed that we were tired, and longing to reach camp and get some food. the place where we turned was, according to the aneroid, , feet above the sea; we were therefore , feet higher than our tent down on the hill-side. going down in our old tracks was easier work, though the return journey was somewhat monotonous. in many places the slope was rapid, and not a few fine runs were made. on approaching our camping-ground we had the sharpest descent, and here, reluctant as we might be, we found it wiser to put both our poles together and form a strong brake. we came down smartly enough, all the same. it was a grand and imposing sight we had when we came out on the ridge under which -- far below -- our tent stood. surrounded on all sides by huge crevasses and gaping chasms, it could not be said that the site of our camp looked very inviting. the wildness of the landscape seen from this point is not to be described; chasm after chasm, crevasse after crevasse, with great blocks of ice scattered promiscuously about, gave one the impression that here nature was too powerful for us. here no progress was to be thought of. it was not without a certain satisfaction that we stood there and contemplated the scene. the little dark speck down there -- our tent -- in the midst of this chaos, gave us a feeling of strength and power. we knew in our hearts that the ground would have to be ugly indeed if we were not to manoeuvre our way across it and find a place for that little home of ours. crash upon crash, roar upon roar, met our ears. now it was a shot from mount nansen, now from one of the others; we could see the clouds of snow rise high into the air. it was evident that these mountains were throwing off their winter mantles and putting on a more spring-like garb. we came at a tearing pace down to the tent, where our companions had everything in most perfect order. the dogs lay snoring in the heat of the sun, and hardly condescended to move when we came scudding in among them. inside the tent a regular tropical heat prevailed; the sun was shining directly on to the red cloth and warming it. the primus hummed and hissed, and the pemmican-pot bubbled and spurted. we desired nothing better in the world than to get in, fling ourselves down, eat, and drink. the news we brought was no trifling matter -- the plateau to-morrow. it sounded almost too good to be true; we had reckoned that it would take us ten days to get up, and now we should do it in four. in this way we saved a great deal of dog food, as we should be able to slaughter the superfluous animals six days earlier than we had calculated. it was quite a little feast that evening in the tent; not that we had any more to eat than usual -- we could not allow ourselves that -- but the thought of the fresh dog cutlets that awaited us when we got to the top made our mouths water. in course of time we had so habituated ourselves to the idea of the approaching slaughter that this event did not appear to us so horrible as it would otherwise have done. judgment had already been pronounced, and the selection made of those who were worthy of prolonged life and those who were to be sacrificed. this had been, i may add, a difficult problem to solve, so efficient were they all. the rumblings continued all night, and one avalanche after another exposed parts of the mountain-sides that had been concealed from time immemorial. the following day, november , we were up and away at the usual time, about a.m. the weather was splendid, calm and clear. getting up over the saddle was a rough beginning of the day for our dogs, and they gave a good account of themselves, pulling the sledges up with single teams this time. the going was heavy, as on the preceding day, and our advance through the loose snow was not rapid. we did not follow our tracks of the day before, but laid our course directly for the place where we had decided to attempt the ascent. as we approached mount ole engelstad, under which we had to pass in order to come into the arm of the glacier between it and mount nansen, our excitement began to rise. what does the end look like? does the glacier go smoothly on into the plateau, or is it broken up and impassable? we rounded mount engelstad more and more; wider and wider grew the opening. the surface looked extremely good as it gradually came into view, and it did not seem as though our assumption of the previous day would be put to shame. at last the whole landscape opened out, and without obstruction of any kind whatever the last part of the ascent lay before us. it was both long and steep from the look of it, and we agreed to take a little rest before beginning the final attack. we stopped right under mount engelstad in a warm and sunny place, and allowed ourselves on this occasion a little lunch, an indulgence that had not hitherto been permitted. the cooking-case was taken out, and soon the primus was humming in a way that told us it would not be long before the chocolate was ready. it was a heavenly treat, that drink. we had all walked ourselves warm, and our throats were as dry as tinder. the contents of the pot were served round by the cook -- hanssen. it was no use asking him to share alike; he could not be persuaded to take more than half of what was due to him -- the rest he had to divide among his comrades. the drink he had prepared this time was what he called chocolate, but i had some difficulty in believing him. he was economical, was hanssen, and permitted no extravagance; that could be seen very well by his chocolate. well, after all, to people who were accustomed to regard "bread and water" as a luxury, it tasted, as i have said, heavenly. it was the liquid part of the lunch that was served extra; if anyone wanted something to eat, he had to provide it himself -- nothing was offered him. happy was he who had saved some biscuits from his breakfast! our halt was not a very long one. it is a queer thing that, when one only has on light underclothing and windproof overalls, one cannot stand still for long without feeling cold. although the temperature was no lower than - ° f., we were glad to be on the move again. the last ascent was fairly hard work, especially the first half of it. we never expected to do it with single teams, but tried it all the same. for this last pull up i must give the highest praise both to the dogs and their drivers; it was a brilliant performance on both sides. i can still see the situation clearly before me. the dogs seemed positively to understand that this was the last big effort that was asked of them; they lay flat down and hauled, dug their claws in and dragged themselves forward. but they had to stop and get breath pretty often, and then the driver's strength was put to the test. it is no child's play to set a heavily-laden sledge in motion time after time. how they toiled, men and beasts, up that slope! but they got on, inch by inch, until the steepest part was behind them. before them lay the rest of the ascent in a gentle rise, up which they could drive without a stop. it was stiff, nevertheless, and it took a long time before we were all up on the plateau on the southern side of mount engelstad. we were very curious and anxious to see what the plateau looked. like. we had expected a great, level plain, extending boundlessly towards the south; but in this we were disappointed. towards the south-west it looked very level and fine, but that was not the way we had to go. towards the south the ground continued to rise in long ridges running east and west, probably a continuation of the mountain chain running to the south-east, or a connection between it and the plateau. we stubbornly continued our march; we would not give in until we had the plain itself before us. our hope was that the ridge projecting from mount don pedro christophersen would be the last; we now had it before us. the going changed at once up here; the loose snow disappeared, and a few wind-waves (sastrugi) began to show themselves. these were specially unpleasant to deal with on this last ridge; they lay from south-east to north-west, and were as hard as flints and as sharp as knives. a fall among them might have had very serious consequences. one would have thought the dogs had had enough work that day to tire them, but this last ridge, with its unpleasant snow-waves, did not seem to trouble them in the least. we all drove up gaily, towed by the sledges, on to what looked to us like the final plateau, and halted at p.m. the weather had held fine, and we could apparently see a very long way. in the far distance, extending to the north-west, rose peak after peak; this was the chain of mountains running to the south-east, which we now saw from the other side. in our own vicinity, on the other band, we saw nothing but the backs of the mountains so frequently mentioned. we afterwards learned how deceptive the light can be. i consulted the aneroid immediately on our arrival at the camping-ground, and it showed , feet above the sea, which the hypsometer afterwards confirmed. all the sledge-meters gave seventeen geographical miles, or thirty-one kilometres (nineteen and a quarter statute miles). this day's work -- nineteen and a quarter miles, with an ascent of , feet -- gives us some idea of what can be performed by dogs in good training. our sledges still had what might be considered heavy loads; it seems superfluous to give the animals any other testimonial than the bare fact. it was difficult to find a place for the tent, so hard was the snow up here. we found one, however, and set the tent. sleeping-bags and kit-bags were handed in to me, as usual, through the tent-door, and i arranged everything inside. the cooking-case and the necessary provisions for that evening and the next morning were also passed in; but the part of my work that went more quickly than usual that night was getting the primus started, and pumping it up to high-pressure. i was hoping thereby to produce enough noise to deaden the shots that i knew would soon be heard -- twenty-four of our brave companions and faithful helpers were marked out for death. it was hard -- but it had to be so. we had agreed to shrink from nothing in order to reach our goal. each man was to kill his own dogs to the number that had been fixed. the pemmican was cooked remarkably quickly that evening, and i believe i was unusually industrious in stirring it. there went the first shot -- i am not a nervous man, but i must admit that i gave a start. shot now followed upon shot -- they had an uncanny sound over the great plain. a trusty servant lost his life each time. it was long before the first man reported that he had finished; they were all to open their dogs, and take out the entrails to prevent the meat being contaminated. the entrails were for the most part devoured warm on the spot by the victims' comrades, so voracious were they all. suggen, one of wisting's dogs, was especially eager for warm entrails; after enjoying this luxury, he could be seen staggering about in a quite misshapen condition. many of the dogs would not touch them at first, but their appetite came after a while. the holiday humour that ought to have prevailed in the tent that evening -- our first on the plateau -- did not make its appearance; there was depression and sadness in the air -- we had grown so fond of our dogs. the place was named the "butcher's shop." it had been arranged that we should stop here two days to rest and eat dog. there was more than one among us who at first would not hear of taking any part in this feast; but as time went by, and appetites became sharper, this view underwent a change, until, during the last few days before reaching the butcher's shop, we all thought and talked of nothing but dog cutlets, dog steaks, and the like. but on this first evening we put a restraint on ourselves; we thought we could not fall upon our four-footed friends and devour them before they had had time to grow cold. we quickly found out that the butcher's shop was not a hospitable locality. during the night the temperature sank, and violent gusts of wind swept over the plain; they shook and tore at the tent, but it would take more than that to get a hold of it. the dogs spent the night in eating; we could hear the crunching and grinding of their teeth whenever we were awake for a moment. the effect of the great and sudden change of altitude made itself felt at once; when i wanted to turn round in my bag, i had to do it a bit at a time, so as not to get out of breath. that my comrades were affected in the same way, i knew without asking them; my ears told me enough. it was calm when we turned out, but the weather did not look altogether promising; it was overcast and threatening. we occupied the forenoon in flaying a number of dogs. as i have said, all the survivors were not yet in a mood for dog's flesh, and it therefore had to be served in the most enticing form. when flayed and cut up, it went down readily all along the line; even the most fastidious then overcame their scruples. but with the skin on we should not have been able to persuade them all to eat that morning; probably this distaste was due to the smell clinging to the skins, and i must admit that it was not appetizing. the meat itself, as it lay there cut up, looked well enough, in all conscience; no butcher's shop could have exhibited a finer sight than we showed after flaying and cutting up ten dogs. great masses of beautiful fresh, red meat, with quantities of the most tempting fat, lay spread over the snow. the dogs went round and sniffed at it. some helped themselves to a piece; others were digesting. we men had picked out what we thought was the youngest and tenderest one for ourselves. the whole arrangement was left to wisting, both the selection and the preparation of the cutlets. his choice fell upon rex, a beautiful little animal -- one of his own dogs, by the way. with the skill of an expert, he hacked and cut away what he considered would be sufficient for a meal. i could not take my eyes off his work; the delicate little cutlets had an absolutely hypnotizing effect as they were spread out one by one over the snow. they recalled memories of old days, when no doubt a dog cutlet would have been less tempting than now -- memories of dishes on which the cutlets were elegantly arranged side by side, with paper frills on the bones, and a neat pile of petits pois in the middle. ah, my thoughts wandered still farther afield -- but that does not concern us now, nor has it anything to do with the south pole. i was aroused from my musings by wisting digging his axe into the snow as a sign that his work was done, after which he picked up the cutlets, and went into the tent. the clouds had dispersed somewhat, and from time to time the sun appeared, though not in its most genial aspect. we succeeded in catching it just in time to get our latitude determined -- ° ' s. we were lucky, as not long after the wind got up from the east-south-east, and, before we knew what was happening, everything was in a cloud of snow. but now we snapped our fingers at the weather; what difference did it make to us if the wind howled in the guy-ropes and the snow drifted? we had, in any case, made up our minds to stay here for a while, and we had food in abundance. we knew the dogs thought much the same so long as we have enough to eat, let the weather go hang. inside the tent wisting was getting on well when we came in after making these observations. the pot was on, and, to judge by the savoury smell, the preparations were already far advanced. the cutlets were not fried; we had neither frying-pan nor butter. we could, no doubt, have got some lard out of the pemmican, and we might have contrived some sort of a pan, so that we could have fried them if it had been necessary; but we found it far easier and quicker to boil them, and in this way we got excellent soup into the bargain. wisting knew his business surprisingly well; he had put into the soup all those parts of the pemmican that contained most vegetables, and now he served us the finest fresh meat soup with vegetables in it. the clou of the repast was the dish of cutlets. if we had entertained the slightest doubt of the quality of the meat, this vanished instantly on the first trial. the meat was excellent, quite excellent, and one cutlet after another disappeared with lightning-like rapidity. i must admit that they would have lost nothing by being a little more tender, but one must not expect too much of a dog. at this first meal i finished five cutlets myself, and looked in vain in the pot for more. wisting appeared not to have reckoned on such a brisk demand. we employed the afternoon in going through our stock of provisions, and dividing the whole of it among three sledges; the fourth -- hassel's -- was to be left behind. the provisions were thus divided. sledge no. (wisting's) contained biscuits, , (daily ration, biscuits per man). dogs' pemmican, / pounds ( / kilogram, or pound / ounces per dog per day). men's pemmican, / pounds ( grams, or . ounces per man per day). chocolate, / pounds ( grams, or . ounces per man per day). milk-powder, / pounds ( grams, or . ounces per man per day). the other two sledges had approximately the same supplies, and thus permitted us on leaving this place to extend our march over a period of sixty days with full rations. our eighteen surviving dogs were divided into three teams, six in each. according to our calculation, we ought to be able to reach the pole from here with these eighteen, and to leave it again with sixteen. hassel, who was to leave his sledge at this point, thus concluded his provision account, and the divided provisions were entered in the books of the three others. all this, then, was done that day on paper. it remained to make the actual transfer of provisions later, when the weather permitted. to go out and do it that afternoon was not advisable. next day, november , the wind had gone round to the north-east, with comparatively manageable weather, so at seven in the morning we began to repack the sledges. this was not an altogether pleasant task; although the weather was what i have called "comparatively manageable," it was very far from being suitable for packing provisions. the chocolate, which by this time consisted chiefly of very small pieces, had to be taken out, counted, and then divided among the three sledges. the same with the biscuits; every single biscuit had to be taken out and counted, and as we had some thousands of them to deal with, it will readily be understood what it was to stand there in about - ° f. and a gale of wind, most of the time with bare hands, fumbling over this troublesome occupation. the wind increased while we were at work, and when at last we had finished, the snow was so thick that we could scarcely see the tent. our original intention of starting again as soon as the sledges were ready was abandoned. we did not lose very much by this; on the contrary, we gained on the whole. the dogs -- the most important factor of all -- had a thorough rest, and were well fed. they had undergone a remarkable change since our arrival at the butcher's shop; they now wandered about, fat, sleek, and contented, and their former voracity had completely disappeared. as regards ourselves, a day or two longer made no difference; our most important article of diet, the pemmican, was practically left untouched, as for the time being dog had completely taken its place. there was thus no great sign of depression to be noticed when we came back into the tent after finishing our work, and had to while away the time. as i went in, i could descry wisting a little way off kneeling on the ground, and engaged in the manufacture of cutlets. the dogs stood in a ring round him, and looked on with interest. the north-east wind whistled and howled, the air was thick with driving snow, and wisting was not to be envied. but he managed his work well, and we got our dinner as usual. during the evening the wind moderated a little, and went more to the east; we went to sleep with the best hopes for the following day. saturday, november , came; it was a grand day in many respects. i had already seen proofs on several occasions of the kind of men my comrades were, but their conduct that day was such that i shall never forget it, to whatever age i may live. in the course of the night the wind had gone back to the north, and increased to a gale. it was blowing and snowing so that when we came out in the morning we could not see the sledges; they were half snowed under. the dogs had all crept together, and protected themselves as well as they could against the blizzard. the temperature was not so very low (- . ° f.), but low enough to be disagreeably felt in a storm. we had all taken a turn outside to look at the weather, and were sitting on our sleeping-bags discussing the poor prospect. "it's the devil's own weather here at the butcher's," said one; "it looks to me as if it would never get any better. this is the fifth day, and it's blowing worse than ever." we all agreed. "there's nothing so bad as lying weather-bound like this," continued another; "it takes more out of you than going from morning to night." personally, i was of the same opinion. one day may be pleasant enough, but two, three, four, and, as it now seemed, five days -- no, it was awful. "shall we try it?" no sooner was the proposal submitted than it was accepted unanimously and with acclamation. when i think of my four friends of the southern journey, it is the memory of that morning that comes first to my mind. all the qualities that i most admire in a man were clearly shown at that juncture: courage and dauntlessness, without boasting or big words. amid joking and chaff, everything was packed, and then -- out into the blizzard. it was practically impossible to keep one's eyes open; the fine drift-snow penetrated everywhere, and at times one had a feeling of being blind. the tent was not only drifted up, but covered with ice, and in taking it down we had to handle it with care. so as not to break it in pieces. the dogs were not much inclined to start, and it took time to get them into their harness, but at last we were ready. one more glance over the camping-ground to see that nothing we ought to have with us had been forgotten. the fourteen dogs' carcasses that were left were piled up in a heap, and hassel's sledge was set up against it as a mark. the spare sets of dog-harness, some alpine ropes, and all our crampons for ice-work, which we now thought would not be required, were left behind. the last thing to be done was planting a broken ski upright by the side of the depot. it was wisting who did this, thinking, presumably, that an extra mark would do no harm. that it was a happy thought the future will show. and then we were off: it was a hard pull to begin with, both for men and beasts, as the high sastrugi continued towards the south, and made it extremely difficult to advance. those who had sledges to drive had to be very attentive, and support them so that they did not capsize on the big waves, and we who had no sledges found great difficulty in keeping our feet, as we had nothing to lean against. we went on like this, slowly enough, but the main thing was that we made progress. the ground at first gave one the impression of rising, though not much. the going was extremely heavy; it was like dragging oneself through sand. meanwhile the sastrugi grew smaller and smaller, and finally they disappeared altogether, and the surface became quite flat. the going also improved by degrees, for what reason it is difficult to say, as the storm continued unabated, and the drift -- now combined with falling snow -- was thicker than ever. it was all the driver could do to see his own dogs. the surface, which had become perfectly level, had the appearance at times of sinking; in any case, one would have thought so from the pace of the sledges. now and again the dogs would set off suddenly at a gallop. the wind aft, no doubt, helped the pace somewhat, but it alone could not account for the change. i did not like this tendency of the ground to fall away. in my opinion, we ought to have done with anything of that sort after reaching the height at which we were; a slight slope upward, possibly, but down -- no, that did not agree with my reckoning. so far the incline had not been so great as to cause uneasiness, but if it seriously began to go downhill, we should have to stop and camp. to run down at full gallop, blindly and in complete ignorance of the ground, would be madness. we might risk falling into some chasm before we had time to pull up. hanssen, as usual, was driving first. strictly speaking, i should now have been going in advance, but the uneven surface at the start and the rapid pace afterwards had made it impossible to walk as fast the dogs could pull. i was therefore following by the side of wisting's sledge, and chatting with him. suddenly i saw hanssen's dogs shoot ahead, and downhill they went at the wildest pace, wisting after them. i shouted to hanssen to stop, and he succeeded in doing so by twisting his sledge. the others, who were following, stopped when they came up to him. we were in the middle of a fairly steep descent; what there might be below was not easy to decide, nor would we try to find out in that weather. was it possible that we were on our way down through the mountains again? it seemed more probable that we lay on one of the numerous ridges; but we could be sure of nothing before the weather cleared. we trampled down a place for the tent in the loose snow, and soon got it up. it was not a long day's march that we had done -- eleven and three-quarter miles -- but we had put an end to our stay at the butcher's shop, and that was a great thing. the boiling-point test that evening showed that we were , feet above the sea, and that we had thus gone down feet from the butcher's. we turned in and went to sleep. as soon as it brightened, we should have to be ready to jump out and look at the weather; one has to seize every opportunity in these regions. if one neglects to do so, it may mean a long wait and much may be lost. we therefore all slept with one eye open, and we knew well that nothing could happen without our noticing it. at three in the morning the sun cut through the clouds and we through the tent-door. to take in the situation was more than the work of a moment. the sun showed as yet like a pat of butter, and had not succeeded in dispersing the thick mists; the wind had dropped somewhat, but was still fairly strong. this is, after all, the worst part of one's job -- turning out of one's good, warm sleeping-bag, and standing outside for some time in thin clothes, watching the weather. we knew by experience that a gleam like this, a clearing in the weather, might come suddenly, and then one had to be on the spot. the gleam came; it did not last long, but long enough. we lay on the side of a ridge that fell away pretty steeply. the descent on the south was too abrupt, but on the south-east it was better and more gradual, and ended in a wide, level tract. we could see no crevasses or unpleasantness of any kind. it was not very far that we could see, though; only our nearest surroundings. of the mountains we saw nothing, neither fridtjof nansen nor don pedro christophersen. well content with our morning's work, we turned in again and slept till a.m., when we began our morning preparations. the weather, which had somewhat improved during the night, had now broken loose again, and the north-easter was doing all it could. however, it would take more than storm and snow to stop us now, since we had discovered the nature of our immediate surroundings; if we once got down to the plain, we knew that we could always feel our way on. after putting ample brakes on the sledge-runners, we started off downhill in a south-easterly direction. the slight idea of the position that we had been able to get in the morning proved correct. the descent was easy and smooth, and we reached the plain without any adventure. we could now once more set our faces to the south, and in thick driving snow we continued our way into the unknown, with good assistance from the howling north-easterly gale. we now recommenced the erection of beacons, which had not been necessary during the ascent. in the course of the forenoon we again passed over a little ridge, the last of them that we encountered. the surface was now fine enough, smooth as a floor and without a sign of sastrugi. if our progress was nevertheless slow and difficult, this was due to the wretched going, which was real torture to all of us. a sledge journey through the sahara could not have offered a worse surface to move over. now the forerunners came into their own, and from here to the pole hassel. and i took it in turns to occupy the position. the weather improved in the course of the day, and when we camped in the afternoon it looked quite smiling. the sun came through and gave a delightful warmth after the last few bitter days. it was not yet clear, so that we could see nothing of our surroundings. the distance according to our three sledge-meters was eighteen and a half miles; taking the bad going into consideration, we had reason to be well satisfied with it. our altitude came out at , feet above the sea, or a drop of feet in the course of the day. this surprised me greatly. what did it mean? instead of rising gradually, we were going slowly down. something extraordinary must await us farther on, but, what? according to dead reckoning our latitude that evening was ° s. november did not bring us the desired weather; the night was filled with sharp gusts from the north; the morning came with a slack wind, but accompanied by mist and snowfall. this was abominable; here we were, advancing over absolutely virgin ground, and able to see nothing. the surface remained about the same -- possibly rather more undulating. that it had been blowing here at some time, and violently too, was shown by the under-surface, which was composed of sastrugi as hard as iron. luckily for us, the snowfall of the last few days had filled these up, so as to present a level surface. it was heavy going, though better than on the previous day. as we were advancing, still blindly, and fretting at the persistently thick weather, one of us suddenly called out: "hullo, look there!" a wild, dark summit rose high out of the mass of fog to the east-south-east. it was not far away -- on the contrary, it seemed threateningly near and right over us. we stopped and looked at the imposing sight, but nature did not expose her objects of interest for long. the fog rolled over again, thick, heavy and dark, and blotted out the view. we knew now that we had to be prepared for surprises. after we had gone about ten miles the fog again lifted for a moment, and we saw quite near -- a mile or so away -- two long, narrow mountain ridges to the west of us, running north and south, and completely covered with snow. these -- helland hansen's mountains -- were the only ones we saw on our right hand during the march on the plateau; they were between , and , feet high, and would probably serve as excellent landmarks on the return journey. there was no connection to be traced between these mountains and those lying to the east of them; they gave us the impression of being entirely isolated summits, as we could not make out any lofty ridge running east and west. we continued our course in the constant expectation of finding some surprise or other in our line of route. the air ahead of us was as black as pitch, as though it concealed something. it could not be a storm, or it would have been already upon us. but we went on and on, and nothing came. our day's march was eighteen and a half miles. i see that my diary for november does not begin very promisingly: "fog, fog -- and again fog. also fine falling snow, which makes the going impossible. poor beasts, they have toiled hard to get the sledges forward to-day." but the day did not turn out so badly after all, as we worked our way out of this uncertainty and found out what was behind the pitch-dark clouds. during the forenoon the sun came through and thrust aside the fog for a while; and there, to the south-east, not many miles away, lay an immense mountain mass. from this mass, right across our course, ran a great, ancient glacier; the sun shone down upon it and showed us a surface full of huge irregularities. on the side nearest to the mountain these disturbances were such that a hasty glance was enough to show us the impossibility of advancing that way. but right in our line of route -- straight on to the glacier -- it looked, as far as we could see, as though we could get along. the fog came and went, and we had to take advantage of the clear intervals to get our bearings. it would, no doubt, have been better if we could have halted, set up our tent, and waited for decently clear weather, so that we might survey the ground at our ease and choose the best way. going forward without an idea of what the ground was like, was not very pleasant. but how long should we have to wait for clear weather? that question was unanswerable; possibly a week, or even a fortnight, and we had no time for that. better go straight on, then, and take what might come. what we could see of the glacier appeared to be pretty steep; but it was only between the south and south-east, under the new land, that the fog now and again lifted sufficiently to enable us to see anything. from the south round to the west the fog lay as thick as gruel. we could see that the big crevasses lost themselves in it, and the question of what the glacier looked like on the west had to be put aside for the moment. it was to the south we had to go, and there it was possible to go forward a little way. we continued our march until the ground began to show signs of the glacier in the form of small crevasses, and then we halted. it was our intention to lighten our sledges before tackling the glacier; from the little we could see of it, it was plain enough that we should have stiff work. it was therefore important to have as little as possible on the sledges. we set to work at once to build the depot; the snow here was excellent for this purpose -- as hard as glass. in a short time an immense erection of adamantine blocks of snow rose into the air, containing provisions for five men for six days and for eighteen dogs for five days. a number of small articles were also left behind. while we were thus occupied, the fog had been coming and going; some of the intervals had been quite clear, and had given me a good view of the nearest part of the range. it appeared to be quite isolated, and to consist of four mountains; one of these -- mount helmer hanssen -- lay separated from the rest. the other three -- mounts oscar wisting, sverre hassel, and olav bjaaland -- lay closer together. behind this group the air had been heavy and black the whole time, showing that more land must be concealed there. suddenly, in one of the brightest intervals, there came a rift in this curtain, and the summits of a colossal mountain mass appeared. our first impression was that this mountain -- mount thorvald nilsen -- must be something over , feet high; it positively took our breath away, so formidable did it appear. but it was only a glimpse that we had, and then the fog enclosed it once more. we had succeeded in taking a few meagre bearings of the different summits of the nearest group; they were not very grand, but better ones were not to be obtained. for that matter, the site of the depot was so well marked by its position under the foot of the glacier that we agreed it would be impossible to miss it. having finished the edifice, which rose at least feet into the air, we put one of our black provision cases on the top of it, so as to be able to see it still more easily on the way back. an observation we had contrived to take while the work was in progress gave us our latitude as ° ' s. this did not agree very well with the latitude of our dead reckoning -- ° ' s. meanwhile the fog had again enveloped everything, and a fine, light snow was falling. we had taken a bearing of the line of glacier that was most free of crevasses, and so we moved on again. it was some time before we felt our way up to the glacier. the crevasses at its foot were not large, but we had no sooner entered upon the ascent than the fun began. there was something uncanny about this perfectly blind advance among crevasses and chasms on all sides. we examined the compass from time to time, and went forward cautiously. hassel and i went in front on a rope; but that, after all, was not much of a help to our drivers. we naturally glided lightly on our ski over places where the dogs would easily fall through. this lowest part of the glacier was not entirely free from danger, as the crevasses were often rendered quite invisible by a thin overlying layer of snow. in clear weather it is not so bad to have to cross such a surface, as the effect of light and shade is usually to show up the edges of these insidious pitfalls, but on a day like this, when everything looked alike, one's advance is doubtful. we kept it going, however, by using the utmost caution. wisting came near to sounding the depth of one of these dangerous crevasses with sledge, dogs and all, as the bridge he was about to cross gave way. thanks to his presence of mind and a lightning-like movement -- some would call it luck -- he managed to save himself. in this way we worked up about feet, but then we came upon such a labyrinth of yawning chasms and open abysses that we could not move. there was nothing to be done but to find the least disturbed spot, and set the tent there. as soon as this was done hanssen and i set out to explore. we were roped, and therefore safe enough. it required some study to find a way out of the trap we had run ourselves into. towards the group of mountains last described -- which now lay to the east of us -- it had cleared sufficiently to give us a fairly good view of the appearance of the glacier in that direction. what we had before seen at a distance, was now confirmed. the part extending to the mountains was so ground up and broken that there was positively not a spot where one could set one's foot. it looked as if a battle had been fought here, and the ammunition had been great blocks of ice. they lay pell-mell, one on the top of another, in all directions, and evoked a picture of violent confusion. thank god we were not here while this was going on, i thought to myself, as i stood looking out over this battlefield; it must have been a spectacle like doomsday, and not on a small scale either. to advance in that direction, then, was hopeless, but that was no great matter, since our way was to the south. on the south we could see nothing; the fog lay thick and heavy there. all we could do was to try to make our way on, and we therefore crept southward. on leaving our tent we had first to cross a comparatively narrow snow-bridge, and then go along a ridge or saddle, raised by pressure, with wide open crevasses on both sides. this ridge led us on to an icewave about feet high -- a formation which was due to the pressure having ceased before the wave had been forced to break and form hummocks. we saw well enough that this would be a difficult place to pass with sledges and dogs, but in default of anything better it would have to be done. from the top of this wave-formation we could see down on the other side, which had hitherto been hidden from us. the fog prevented our seeing far, but the immediate surroundings were enough to convince us that with caution we could beat up farther. from the height on which we stood, every precaution would be required to avoid going down on the other side; for there the wave ended in an open crevasse, specially adapted to receive any drivers, sledges or dogs that might make a slip. this trip that hanssen and i took to the south was made entirely at random, as we saw absolutely nothing; our object was to make tracks for the following day's journey. the language we used about the glacier as we went was not altogether complimentary; we had endless tacking and turning to get on. to go one yard forward, i am sure we had to go at least ten to one side. can anyone be surprised that we called it the devil's glacier? at any rate, our companions acknowledged the justness of the name with ringing acclamations when we told them of it. at hell's gate hanssen and i halted. this was a very remarkable formation; the glacier had here formed a long ridge about feet high; then, in the middle of this ridge, a fissure had opened, making a gateway about feet wide. this formation -- like every -- thing else on the glacier-was obviously very old, and for the most part filled with snow. from this point the glacier, as far as our view extended to the south, looked better and better; we therefore turned round and followed our tracks in the comforting conviction that we should manage to get on. our companions were no less pleased with the news we brought of our prospects. our altitude that evening was , feet above the sea -- that is to say, at the foot of the glacier we had reached an altitude of , feet, or a drop from the butcher's of , feet. we now knew very well that we should have this ascent to make again, perhaps even more; and this idea did not arouse any particular enthusiasm. in my diary i see that i conclude the day with the following words "what will the next surprise be, i wonder?" it was, in fact, an extraordinary journey that we were undertaking, through new regions, new mountains, glaciers, and so on, without being able to see. that we were prepared for surprises was perhaps quite natural. what i liked least about this feeling one's way forward in the dark was that it would be difficult -- very difficult indeed -- to recognize the ground again on the way back. but with this glacier lying straight across our line of route, and with the numerous beacons we had erected, we reassured ourselves on this score. it would take a good deal to make us miss them on the return. the point for us, of course, was to find our descent on to the barrier again -- a mistake there might be serious enough. and it will appear later in this narrative that my fear of our not being able to recognize the way was not entirely groundless. the beacons we had put up came to our aid, and for our final success we owe a deep debt of gratitude to our prudence and thoughtfulness in adopting this expedient. next morning, november , brought considerably clearer weather, and allowed us a very good survey of our position. we could now see that the two mountain ranges uniting in ° s. were continued in a mighty chain running to the south-east, with summits from , to , feet. mount thorvald nilsen was the most southerly we could see from this point. mounts hanssen, wisting, bjaaland, and hassel formed, as we had thought the day before, a group by themselves, and lay separated from the main range. the drivers had a warm morning's work. they had to drive with great circumspection and patience to grapple with the kind of ground we had before us; a slight mistake might be enough to send both sledge and dogs with lightning rapidity into the next world. it took, nevertheless, a remarkably short time to cover the distance we had explored on the previous evening; before we knew it, we were at hell's gate. bjaaland took an excellent photograph here, which gives a very good idea of the difficulties this part of the journey presented. in the foreground, below the high snow-ridge that forms one side of a very wide but partly filled-up crevasse, the marks of ski can be seen in the snow. this was the photographer, who, in passing over this snow-bridge, struck his ski into it to try the strength of the support. close to the tracks can be seen an open piece of the crevasse; it is a pale blue at the top, but ends in the deepest black -- in a bottomless abyss. the photographer got over the bridge and back with a whole skin, but there could be no question of risking sledges and dogs on it, and it can be seen in the photograph that the sledges have been turned right round to try another way. the two small black figures in the distance, on the right, are hassel and i, who are reconnoitring ahead. it was no very great distance that we put behind us that day-nine and a quarter miles in a straight line. but, taking into account all the turns and circuits we had been compelled to make, it was not so short after all. we set our tent on a good, solid foundation, and were well pleased with the day's work. the altitude was , feet above the sea. the sun was now in the west, and shining directly upon the huge mountain masses. it was a fairy landscape in blue and white, red and black, a play of colours that defies description. clear as it now appeared to be, one could understand that the weather was not all that could be wished, for the south-eastern end of mount thorvald nilsen lost itself in a dark, impenetrable cloud, which led one to suspect a continuation in that direction, though one could not be certain. mount nilsen -- ah! anything more beautiful, taking it altogether, i have never seen. peaks of the most varied forms rose high into the air, partly covered with driving clouds. some were sharp, but most were long and rounded. here and there one saw bright, shining glaciers plunging wildly down the steep sides, and merging into the underlying ground in fearful confusion. but the most remarkable of them all was mount helmer hanssen; its top was as round as the bottom of a bowl, and covered by an extraordinary ice-sheet, which was so broken up and disturbed that the blocks of ice bristled in every direction like the quills of a porcupine. it glittered and burned in the sunlight -- a glorious spectacle. there could only be one such mountain in the world, and as a landmark it was priceless. we knew that we could not mistake that, however the surroundings might appear on the return journey, when possibly the conditions of lighting might be altogether different. after camping, two of us went out to explore farther. the prospect from the tent was not encouraging, but we might possibly find things better than we expected. we were lucky to find the going so fine as it was on the glacier; we had left our crampons behind at the butcher's shop, and if we had found smooth ice, instead of a good, firm snow surface, such as we now had, it would have caused us much trouble. up -- still up, among monsters of crevasses, some of them hundreds of feet wide and possibly thousands of feet deep. our prospects of advancing were certainly not bright; as far as we could see in the line of our route one immense ridge towered above another, concealing on their farther sides huge, wide chasms, which all had to be avoided. we went forward -- steadily forward -- though the way round was both long and troublesome. we had no rope on this time, as the irregularities were so plain that it would have been difficult to go into them. it turned out, however, at several points, that the rope would not have been out of place. we were just going to cross over one of the numerous ridges -- the surface here looked perfectly whole -- when a great piece broke right under the back half of hanssen's ski. we could not deny ourselves the pleasure of glancing down into the hole. the sight was not an inviting one, and we agreed to avoid this place when we came on with our dogs and sledges. every day we had occasion to bless our ski. we often used to ask each other where we should now have been without these excellent appliances. the usual answer was: most probably at the bottom of some crevasse. when we first read the different accounts of the aspect and nature of the barrier, it was clear to all of us, who were born and bred with ski on our feet, that these must be regarded as indispensable. this view was confirmed and strengthened every day, and i am not giving too much credit to our excellent ski when i say that they not only played a very important part, but possibly the most important of all, on our journey to the south pole. many a time we traversed stretches of surface so cleft and disturbed that it would have been an impossibility to get over them on foot. i need scarcely insist on the advantages of ski in deep, loose snow. after advancing for two hours, we decided to return. from the raised ridge on which we were then standing, the surface ahead of us looked more promising than ever; but we had so often been deceived on the glacier that we had now become definitely sceptical. how often, for instance, had we thought that beyond this or that undulation our trials would be at an end, and that the way to the south would lie open and free; only to reach the place and find that the ground behind the ridge was, if possible, worse than what we had already been struggling with. but this time we seemed somehow to feel victory in the air. the formations appeared to promise it, and yet -- had we been so often deceived by these formations that we now refused to offer them a thought? was it possibly instinct that told us this? i do not know, but certain it is that hanssen and i agreed, as we stood there discussing our prospects, that behind the farthest ridge we saw, we should conquer the glacier. we had a feverish desire to go and have a look at it; but the way round the many crevasses was long, and -- i may as well admit it -- we were beginning to get tired. the return, downhill as it was, did not take long, and soon we were able to tell our comrades that the prospects for the morrow were very promising. while we had been away, hassel had measured the nilsen mountain, and found its height to be , feet above the sea. how well i remember that evening, when we stood contemplating the glorious sight that nature offered, and believing the air to be so clear that anything within range of vision must have shown itself; and how well, too, i remember our astonishment on the return journey on finding the whole landscape completely transformed! if it had not been for mount helmer hanssen, it would have been difficult for us to know where we were. the atmosphere in these regions may play the most awkward tricks. absolutely clear as it seemed to us that evening, it nevertheless turned out later that it had been anything but clear. one has, therefore, to be very careful about what one sees or does not see. in most cases it has proved that travellers in the polar regions have been more apt to see too much than too little; if, however, we had charted this tract as we saw it the first time, a great part of the mountain ranges would have been omitted. during the night a gale sprang up from the south-east, and blew so that it howled in the guy-ropes of the tent; it was well that the tent-pegs had a good hold. in the morning, while we were at breakfast, it was still blowing, and we had some thoughts of waiting for a time; but suddenly, without warning, the wind dropped to such an extent that all our hesitation vanished. what a change the south-east wind had produced! the splendid covering of snow that the day before had made ski-running a pleasure, was now swept away over great stretches of surface, exposing the hard substratum. our thoughts flew back; the crampons we had left behind seemed to dance before my eyes, backwards and forwards, grinning and pointing fingers at me. it would be a nice little extra trip back to the butcher's to fetch them. meanwhile, we packed and made everything ready. the tracks of the day before were not easy to follow; but if we lost them now and again on the smooth ice surface, we picked them up later on a snow-wave that had resisted the attack of the wind. it was hard and strenuous work for the drivers. the sledges were difficult to manage over the smooth, sloping ice; sometimes they went straight, but just as often cross-wise, requiring sharp attention to keep them from capsizing. and this had to be prevented at all costs, as the thin provision cases would not stand many bumps on the ice; besides which, it was such hard work righting the sledges again that for this reason alone the drivers exercised the greatest care. the sledges were put to a severe test that day, with the many great and hard irregularities we encountered on the glacier; it is a wonder they survived it, and is a good testimonial for bjaaland's work. the glacier that day presented the worst confusion we had yet had to deal with. hassel and i went in front, as usual, with the rope on. up to the spot hanssen and i had reached the evening before our progress was comparatively easy; one gets on so much quicker when one knows that the way is practicable. after this point it became worse; indeed, it was often so bad that we had to stop for a long time and try in various directions, before finding a way. more than once the axe had to be used to hack away obstructions. at one time things looked really serious; chasm after chasm, hummock after hummock, so high and steep that they were like mountains. here we went out and explored in every direction to find a passage; at last we found one, if, indeed, it deserved the name of a passage. it was a bridge so narrow that it scarcely allowed room for the width of the sledge; a fearful abyss on each side. the crossing of this place reminded me of the tight-rope walker going over niagara. it was a good thing none of us was subject to giddiness, and that the dogs did not know exactly what the result of a false step would be. on the other side of this bridge we began to go downhill, and our course now lay in a long valley between lofty undulations on each side. it tried our patience severely to advance here, as the line of the hollow was fairly long and ran due west. we tried several times to lay our course towards the south and clamber up the side of the undulation, but these efforts did not pay us. we could always get up on to the ridge, but we could not come down again on the other side; there was nothing to be done but to follow the natural course of the valley until it took us into the tract lying to the south. it was especially the drivers whose patience was sorely tried, and i could see them now and then take a turn up to the top of the ridge, not satisfied with the exploration hassel and i had made. but the result was always the same; they had to submit to nature's caprices and follow in our tracks. our course along this natural line was not entirely free from obstruction; crevasses of various dimensions constantly crossed our path. the ridge or undulation, at the top of which we at last arrived, had quite an imposing effect. it terminated on the east in a steep drop to the underlying surface, and attained at this point a height of over feet. on the west it sloped gradually into the lower ground and allowed us to advance that way. in order to have a better view of the surroundings we ascended the eastern and highest part of the ridge, and from here we at once had a confirmation of our supposition of the day before. the ridge we had then seen, behind which we hoped to find better conditions, could now be seen a good way ahead. and what we then saw made our hearts beat fast with joy. could that great white, unbroken plain over there be real, or was it only an illusion? time would show. meanwhile hassel and i jogged on, and the others followed. we had to get through a good many difficulties yet before we reached that point, but, compared with all the breakneck places we had already crossed, these were of a comparatively tame description. it was with a sigh of relief that we arrived at the plain that promised so well; its extent was not very great, but we were not very exacting either in this respect, after our last few days' march over the broken surface. farther to the south we could still see great masses piled up by pressure, but the intervals between them were very great and the surface was whole. this was, then, the first time since we tackled the devil's glacier that we were able to steer true south for a few minutes. as we progressed, it could be seen that we had really come upon another kind of ground; for once we had not been made fools of. not that we had an unbroken, level surface to go upon -- it would be a long time before we came to that -- but we were able to keep our course for long stretches at a time. the huge crevasses became rarer, and so filled up at both ends that we were able to cross them without going a long way round. there was new life in all of us, both dogs and men, and we went rapidly southward. as we advanced, the conditions improved more and more. we could see in the distance some huge dome-shaped formations, that seemed to tower high into the air: these turned out to be the southernmost limit of the big crevasses and to form the transition to the third phase of the glacier. it was a stiff climb to get up these domes, which were fairly high and swept smooth by the wind. they lay straight in our course, and from their tops we had a good view. the surface we were entering upon was quite different from that on the northern side of the domes. here the big crevasses were entirely filled with snow and might be crossed anywhere. what specially attracted one's attention here was an immense number of small formations in the shape of haycocks. great stretches of the surface were swept bare, exposing the smooth ice. it was evident that these various formations or phases in the glacier were due to the underlying ground. the first tract we had passed, where the confusion was so extreme, must be the part that lay nearest the bare land; in proportion as the glacier left the land, it became less disturbed: in the haycock district the disturbance had not produced cracks in the surface to any extent, only upheaval here and there. how these haycocks were formed and what they looked like inside we were soon to find out. it was a pleasure to be able to advance all the time, instead of constantly turning and going round; only once or twice did we have to turn aside for the larger haycocks, otherwise we kept our course. the great, clean-swept stretches of surface that we came upon from time to time were split in every direction, but the cracks were very narrow -- about half an inch wide. we had difficulty in finding a place for the tent that evening; the surface was equally hard everywhere, and at last we had to set it on the bare ice. luckily for our tent-pegs, this ice was not of the bright, steely variety; it was more milky in appearance and not so hard, and we were thus able to knock in the pegs with the axe. when the tent was up, hassel went out as usual to fetch snow for the cooker. as a rule he performed this task with a big knife, specially made for snow; but this evening he went out armed with an axe. he was very pleased with the abundant and excellent material that lay to his hand; there was no need to go far. just outside the tent door, two feet away, stood a fine little haycock, that looked as if it would serve the purpose well. hassel raised his axe and gave a good sound blow; the axe met with no resistance, and went in up to the haft. the haycock was hollow. as the axe was pulled out the surrounding part gave way, and one could hear the pieces of ice falling down through the dark hole. it appeared, then, that two feet from our door we had a most convenient way down into the cellar. hassel looked as if he enjoyed the situation. "black as a sack," he smiled; "couldn't see any bottom." hanssen was beaming; no doubt he would have liked the tent a little nearer. the material provided by the haycock was of the best quality, and well adapted for cooking purposes. the next day, december , was a very fatiguing one for us all. from early morning a blinding blizzard raged from the south-east, with a heavy fall of snow. the going was of the very worst kind -- polished ice. i stumbled forward on ski, and had comparatively easy work. the drivers had been obliged to take off their ski and put them on the loads, so as to walk by the side, support the sledges, and give the dogs help when they came to a difficult place; and that was pretty often, for on this smooth ice surface there were a number of small scattered sastrugi, and these consisted of a kind of snow that reminded one more of fish-glue than of anything else when the sledges came in contact with it. the dogs could get no hold with their claws on the smooth ice, and when the sledge came on to one of these tough little waves, they could not manage to haul it over, try as they might. the driver then had to put all his strength into it to prevent the sledge stopping. thus in most cases the combined efforts of men and dogs carried the sledge on. in the course of the afternoon the surface again began to be more disturbed, and great crevasses crossed our path time after time. these crevasses were really rather dangerous; they looked very innocent, as they were quite filled up with snow, but on a nearer acquaintance with them we came to understand that they were far more hazardous than we dreamed of at first. it turned out that between the loose snow-filling and the firm ice edges there was a fairly broad, open space, leading straight down into the depths. the layer of snow which covered it over was in most cases quite thin. in driving out into one of these snow-filled crevasses nothing happened as a rule; but it was in getting off on the other side that the critical moment arrived. for here the dogs came up on to the smooth ice surface, and could get no hold for their claws, with the result that it was left entirely to the driver to haul the the sledge up. the strong pull he then had to give sent him through the thin layer of snow. under these circumstances he took a good, firm hold of the sledge-lashing, or of a special strap that had been made with a view to these accidents. but familiarity breeds contempt, even with the most cautious, and some of the drivers were often within an ace of going down into "the cellar." if this part of the journey was trying for the dogs, it was certainly no less so for the men. if the weather had even been fine, so that we could have looked about us, we should not have minded it so much, but in this vile weather it was, indeed, no pleasure. our time was also a good deal taken up with thawing noses and cheeks as they froze -- not that we stopped; we had no time for that. we simply took off a mit, and laid the warm hand on the frozen spot as we went; when we thought we had restored sensation, we put the hand back into the mit. by this time it would want warming. one does not keep one's hands bare for long with the thermometer several degrees below zero and a storm blowing. in spite of the unfavourable conditions we had been working in, the sledge-meters that evening showed a distance of fifteen and a half miles. we were well satisfied with the day's work when we camped. let us cast a glance into the tent this evening. it looks cosy enough. the inner half of the tent is occupied by three sleeping-bags, whose respective owners have found it both comfortable and expedient to turn in, and may now be seen engaged with their diaries. the outer half -- that nearest the door -- has only two sleeping-bags, but the rest of the space is taken up with the whole cooking apparatus of the expedition. the owners of these two bags are still sitting up. hanssen is cook, and will not turn in until the food is ready and served. wisting is his sworn comrade and assistant, and is ready to lend him any aid that may be required. hanssen appears to be a careful cook; he evidently does not like to burn the food, and his spoon stirs the contents of the pot incessantly. "soup!" the effect of the word is instantaneous. everyone sits up at once with a cup in one hand and a spoon in the other. each one in his turn has his cup filled with what looks like the most tasty vegetable soup. scalding hot it is, as one can see by the faces, but for all that it disappears with surprising rapidity. again the cups are filled, this time with more solid stuff pemmican. with praiseworthy despatch their contents are once more demolished, and they are filled for the third time. there is nothing the matter with these men's appetites. the cups are carefully scraped, and the enjoyment of bread and water begins. it is easy to see, too, that it is an enjoyment -- greater, to judge by the pleasure on their faces, than the most skilfully devised menu could afford. they positively caress the biscuits before they eat them. and the water -- ice-cold water they all call for -- this also disappears in great quantities, and procures, i feel certain from their expression, a far greater pleasure and satisfaction than the finest wine that was ever produced. the primus hums softly during the whole meal, and the temperature in the tent is quite pleasant. when the meal is over, one of them calls for scissors and looking-glass, and then one may see the polar explorers dressing their hair for the approaching sunday. the beard is cut quite short with the clipper every saturday evening; this is done not so much from motives of vanity as from considerations of utility and comfort. the beard invites an accumulation of ice, which may often be very embarrassing. a beard in the polar regions seems to me to be just as awkward and unpractical as -- well, let us say, walking with a tall hat on each foot. as the beard-clipper and the mirror make their round, one after the other disappears into his bag, and with five "good-nights," silence falls upon the tent. the regular breathing soon announces that the day's work demands its tribute. meanwhile the south-easter howls, and the snow beats against the tent. the dogs have curled themselves up, and do not seem to trouble themselves about the weather. the storm continued unabated on the following day, and on account of the dangerous nature of the ground we decided to wait awhile. in the course of the morning -- towards noon, perhaps -- the wind dropped a little, and out we went. the sun peeped through at times, and we took the welcome opportunity of getting an altitude -- ° ' s. was the result. at this camp we left behind all our delightful reindeer-skin clothing, as we could see that we should have no use for it, the temperature being far too high. we kept the hoods of our reindeer coats, however; we might be glad of them in going against the wind. our day's march was not to be a long one; the little slackening of the wind about midday was only a joke. it soon came on again in earnest, with a sweeping blizzard from the same quarter -- the south-east. if we had known the ground, we should possibly have gone on; but in this storm and driving snow, which prevented our keeping our eyes open, it was no use. a serious accident might happen and ruin all. two and half miles was therefore our whole distance. the temperature when we camped was - . ° f. height above the sea, , feet. in the course of the night the wind veered from south-east to north, falling light, and the weather cleared. this was a good chance for us, and we were not slow to avail ourselves of it. a gradually rising ice surface lay before us, bright as a mirror. as on the preceding days, i stumbled along in front on ski, while the others, without their ski, had to follow and support the sledges. the surface still offered filled crevasses, though perhaps less frequently than before. meanwhile small patches of snow began to show themselves on the polished surface, and soon increased in number and size, until before very long they united and covered the unpleasant ice with a good and even layer of snow. then ski were put on again, and we continued our way to the south with satisfaction. we were all rejoicing that we had now conquered this treacherous glacier, and congratulating ourselves on having at last arrived on the actual plateau. as we were going along, feeling pleased about this, a ridge suddenly appeared right ahead, telling us plainly that perhaps all our sorrows were not yet ended. the ground had begun to sink a little, and as we came nearer we could see that we had to cross a rather wide, but not deep, valley before we arrived under the ridge. great lines of hummocks and haycock-shaped pieces of ice came in view on every side; we could see that we should have to keep our eyes open. and now we came to the formation in the glacier that we called the devil's ballroom. little by little the covering of snow that we had praised in such high terms disappeared, and before us lay this wide valley, bare and gleaming. at first it went well enough; as it was downhill, we were going at a good pace on the smooth ice. suddenly wisting's sledge cut into the surface, and turned over on its side. we all knew what had happened -- one of the runners was in a crevasse. wisting set to work, with the assistance of hassel, to raise the sledge, and take it out of its dangerous position; meanwhile bjaaland had got out his camera and was setting it up. accustomed as we were to such incidents, hanssen and i were watching the scene from a point a little way in advance, where we had arrived when it happened. as the photography took rather a long time, i assumed that the crevasse was one of the filled ones and presented no particular danger, but that bjaaland wanted to have a souvenir among his photographs of the numerous crevasses and ticklish situations we had been exposed to. as to the crack being filled up, there was of course no need to inquire. i hailed them, and asked how they were getting on. "oh, all right," was the answer; "we've just finished." -- "what does the crevasse look like?" -- "oh, as usual," they shouted back; "no bottom." i mention this little incident just to show how one can grow accustomed to anything in this world. there were these two -- wisting and hassel -- lying over a yawning, bottomless abyss, and having their photograph taken; neither of them gave a thought to the serious side of the situation. to judge from the laughter and jokes we heard, one would have thought their position was something quite different. when the photographer had quietly and leisurely finished his work -- he got a remarkably good picture of the scene -- the other two together raised the sledge, and the journey was continued. it was at this crevasse that we entered his majesty's ballroom. the surface did not really look bad. true, the snow was blown away, which made it difficult to advance, but we did not see many cracks. there were a good many pressure-masses, as already mentioned, but even in the neighbourhood of these we could not see any marked disturbance. the first sign that the surface was more treacherous than it appeared to be was when hanssen's leading dogs went right through the apparently solid floor. they remained hanging by their harness, and were easily pulled up again. when we looked through the hole they had made in the crust, it did not give us the impression of being very dangerous, as, or feet below the outer crust, there lay another surface, which appeared to consist of pulverized ice. we assumed that this lower surface was the solid one, and that therefore there was no danger in falling through the upper one. but bjaaland was able to tell us a different story. he had, in fact, fallen through the outer crust, and was well on his way through the inner one as well, when he got hold of a loop of rope on his sledge and saved himself in the nick of time. time after time the dogs now fell through, and time after time the men went in. the effect of the open space between the two crusts was that the ground under our feet sounded unpleasantly hollow as we went over it. the drivers whipped up their dogs as much as they could, and with shouts and brisk encouragement they went rapidly over the treacherous floor. fortunately this curious formation was not of great extent, and we soon began to observe a change for the better as we came up the ridge. it soon appeared that the ballroom was the glacier's last farewell to us. with it all irregularities ceased, and both surface and going improved by leaps and bounds, so that before very long we had the satisfaction of seeing that at last we had really conquered all these unpleasant difficulties. the surface at once became fine and even, with a splendid covering of snow everywhere, and we went rapidly on our way to the south with a feeling of security and safety. chapter xii at the pole in lat. ° s. -- according to dead reckoning -- we saw the last of the land to the north-east. the atmosphere was then apparently as clear as could be, and we felt certain that our view covered all the land there was to be seen from that spot. we were deceived again on this occasion, as will be seen later. our distance that day (december ) was close upon twenty-five miles; height above the sea, , feet. the weather did not continue fine for long. next day (december ) there was a gale from the north, and once more the whole plain was a mass of drifting snow. in addition to this there was thick falling snow, which blinded us and made things worse, but a feeling of security had come over us and helped us to advance rapidly and without hesitation, although we could see nothing. that day we encountered new surface conditions -- big, hard snow-waves (sastrugi). these were anything but pleasant to work among, especially when one could not see them. it was of no use for us "forerunners" to think of going in advance under these circumstances, as it was impossible to keep on one's feet. three or four paces was often the most we managed to do before falling down. the sastrugi were very high, and often abrupt; if one came on them unexpectedly, one required to be more than an acrobat to keep on one's feet. the plan we found to work best in these conditions was to let hanssen's dogs go first; this was an unpleasant job for hanssen, and for his dogs too, but it succeeded, and succeeded well. an upset here and there was, of course, unavoidable, but with a little patience the sledge was always righted again. the drivers had as much as they could do to support their sledges among these sastrugi, but while supporting the sledges, they had at the same time a support for themselves. it was worse for us who had no sledges, but by keeping in the wake of them we could see where the irregularities lay, and thus get over them. hanssen deserves a special word of praise for his driving on this surface in such weather. it is a difficult matter to drive eskimo dogs forward when they cannot see; but hanssen managed it well, both getting the dogs on and steering his course by compass. one would not think it possible to keep an approximately right course when the uneven ground gives such violent shocks that the needle flies several times round the compass, and is no sooner still again than it recommences the same dance; but when at last we got an observation, it turned out that hanssen had steered to a hair, for the observations and dead reckoning agreed to a mile. in spite of all hindrances, and of being able to see nothing, the sledge-meters showed nearly twenty-five miles. the hypsometer showed , feet above the sea; we had therefore reached a greater altitude than the butcher's. december brought the same weather: thick snow, sky and plain all one, nothing to be seen. nevertheless we made splendid progress. the sastrugi gradually became levelled out, until the surface was perfectly smooth; it was a relief to have even ground to go upon once more. these irregularities that one was constantly falling over were a nuisance; if we had met with them in our usual surroundings it would not have mattered so much; but up here on the high ground, where we had to stand and gasp for breath every time we rolled over, it was certainly not pleasant. that day we passed ° s., and camped in ° ' s. a great surprise awaited us in the tent that evening. i expected to find, as on the previous evening, that the boiling-point had fallen somewhat; in other words, that it would show a continued rise of the ground, but to our astonishment this was not so. the water boiled at exactly the same temperature as on the preceding day. i tried it several times, to convince myself that there was nothing wrong, each time with the same result. there was great rejoicing among us all when i was able to announce that we had arrived on the top of the plateau. december began like the th, with absolutely thick weather, but, as they say, you never know what the day is like before sunset. possibly i might have chosen a better expression than this last -- one more in agreement with the natural conditions -- but i will let it stand. though for several weeks now the sun had not set, my readers will not be so critical as to reproach me with inaccuracy. with a light wind from the north-east, we now went southward at a good speed over the perfectly level plain, with excellent going. the uphill work had taken it out of our dogs, though not to any serious extent. they had turned greedy -- there is no denying that -- and the half kilo of pemmican they got each day was not enough to fill their stomachs. early and late they were looking for something -- no matter what -- to devour. to begin with they contented themselves with such loose objects as ski-bindings, whips, boots, and the like; but as we came to know their proclivities, we took such care of everything that they found no extra meals lying about. but that was not the end of the matter. they then went for the fixed lashings of the sledges, and -- if we had allowed it -- would very quickly have resolved the various sledges into their component parts. but we found a way of stopping that: every evening, on halting, the sledges were buried in the snow, so as to hide all the lashings. that was successful; curiously enough, they never tried to force the "snow rampart." i may mention as a curious thing that these ravenous animals, that devoured everything they came across, even to the ebonite points of our ski-sticks, never made any attempt to break into the provision cases. they lay there and went about among the sledges with their noses just on a level with the split cases, seeing and scenting the pemmican, without once making a sign of taking any. but if one raised a lid, they were not long in showing themselves. then they all came in a great hurry and flocked about the sledges in the hope of getting a little extra bit. i am at a loss to explain this behaviour; that bashfulness was not at the root of it, i am tolerably certain. during the forenoon the thick, grey curtain of cloud began to grow thinner on the horizon, and for the first time for three days we could see a few miles about us. the feeling was something like that one has on waking from a good nap, rubbing one's eyes and looking around. we had become so accustomed to the grey twilight that this positively dazzled us. meanwhile, the upper layer of air seemed obstinately to remain the same and to be doing its best to prevent the sun from showing itself. we badly wanted to get a meridian altitude, so that we could determine our latitude. since ° ' s. we had had no observation, and it was not easy to say when we should get one. hitherto, the weather conditions on the high ground had not been particularly favourable. although the prospects were not very promising, we halted at a.m. and made ready to catch the sun if it should be kind enough to look out. hassel and wisting used one sextant and artificial horizon, hanssen and i the other set. i don't know that i have ever stood and absolutely pulled at the sun to get it out as i did that time. if we got an observation here which agreed with our reckoning, then it would be possible, if the worst came to the worst, to go to the pole on dead reckoning; but if we got none now, it was a question whether our claim to the pole would be admitted on the dead reckoning we should be able to produce. whether my pulling helped or not, it is certain that the sun appeared. it was not very brilliant to begin with, but, practised as we now were in availing ourselves of even the poorest chances, it was good enough. down it came, was checked by all, and the altitude written down. the curtain of cloud was rent more and more, and before we had finished our work -- that is to say, caught the sun at its highest, and convinced ourselves that it was descending again -- it was shining in all its glory. we had put away our instruments and were sitting on the sledges, engaged in the calculations. i can safely say that we were excited. what would the result be, after marching blindly for so long and over such impossible ground, as we had been doing? we added and subtracted, and at last there was the result. we looked at each other in sheer incredulity: the result was as astonishing as the most consummate conjuring trick -- ° ' s., precisely to a minute the same as our reckoning, ° ' s. if we were forced to go to the pole on dead reckoning, then surely the most exacting would admit our right to do so. we put away our observation books, ate one or two biscuits, and went at it again. we had a great piece of work before us that day nothing less than carrying our flag farther south than the foot of man had trod. we had our silk flag ready; it was made fast to two ski-sticks and laid on hanssen's sledge. i had given him orders that as soon as we had covered the distance to °s., which was shackleton's farthest south, the flag was to be hoisted on his sledge. it was my turn as forerunner, and i pushed on. there was no longer any difficulty in holding one's course; i had the grandest cloud-formations to steer by, and everything now went like a machine. first came the forerunner for the time being, then hanssen, then wisting, and finally bjaaland. the forerunner who was not on duty went where he liked; as a rule he accompanied one or other of the sledges. i had long ago fallen into a reverie -- far removed from the scene in which i was moving; what i thought about i do not remember now, but i was so preoccupied that i had entirely forgotten my surroundings. then suddenly i was roused from my dreaming by a jubilant shout, followed by ringing cheers. i turned round quickly to discover the reason of this unwonted occurrence, and stood speechless and overcome. i find it impossible to express the feelings that possessed me at this moment. all the sledges had stopped, and from the foremost of them the norwegian flag was flying. it shook itself out, waved and flapped so that the silk rustled; it looked wonderfully well in the pure, clear air and the shining white surroundings. ° ' was past; we were farther south than any human being had been. no other moment of the whole trip affected me like this. the tears forced their way to my eyes; by no effort of will could i keep them back. it was the flag yonder that conquered me and my will. luckily i was some way in advance of the others, so that i had time to pull myself together and master my feelings before reaching my comrades. we all shook hands, with mutual congratulations; we had won our way far by holding together, and we would go farther yet -- to the end. we did not pass that spot without according our highest tribute of admiration to the man, who -- together with his gallant companions -- had planted his country's flag so infinitely nearer to the goal than any of his precursors. sir ernest shackleton's name will always be written in the annals of antarctic exploration in letters of fire. pluck and grit can work wonders, and i know of no better example of this than what that man has accomplished. the cameras of course had to come out, and we got an excellent photograph of the scene which none of us will ever forget. we went on a couple of miles more, to ° ', and then camped. the weather had improved, and kept on improving all the time. it was now almost perfectly calm, radiantly clear, and, under the circumstances, quite summer-like: - . ° f. inside the tent it was quite sultry. this was more than we had expected. after much consideration and discussion we had come to the conclusion that we ought to lay down a depot -- the last one -- at this spot. the advantages of lightening our sledges were so great that we should have to risk it. nor would there be any great risk attached to it, after all, since we should adopt a system of marks that would lead even a blind man back to the place. we had determined to mark it not only at right angles to our course -- that is, from east to west -- but by snow beacons at every two geographical miles to the south. we stayed here on the following day to arrange this depot. hanssen's dogs were real marvels, all of them; nothing seemed to have any effect on them. they had grown rather thinner, of course, but they were still as strong as ever. it was therefore decided not to lighten hanssen's sledge, but only the two others; both wisting's and bjaaland's teams had suffered, especially the latter's. the reduction in weight that was effected was considerable -- nearly pounds on each of the two sledges; there was thus about pounds in the depot. the snow here was ill-adapted for building, but we put up quite a respectable monument all the same. it was dogs' pemmican and biscuits that were left behind; we carried with us on the sledges provisions for about a month. if, therefore, contrary to expectation, we should be so unlucky as to miss this depot, we should nevertheless be fairly sure of reaching our depot in ° ' before supplies ran short. the cross-marking of the depot was done with sixty splinters of black packing-case on each side, with paces between each. every other one had a shred of black cloth on the top. the splinters on the east side were all marked, so that on seeing them we should know instantly that we were to the east of the depot. those on the west had no marks. the warmth of the past few days seemed to have matured our frost-sores, and we presented an awful appearance. it was wisting, hanssen, and i who had suffered the worst damage in the last south-east blizzard; the left side of our faces was one mass of sore, bathed in matter and serum. we looked like the worst type of tramps and ruffians, and would probably not have been recognized by our nearest relations. these sores were a great trouble to us during the latter part of the journey. the slightest gust of wind produced a sensation as if one's face were being cut backwards and forwards with a blunt knife. they lasted a long time, too; i can remember hanssen removing the last scab when we were coming into hobart -- three months later. we were very lucky in the weather during this depot work; the sun came out all at once, and we had an excellent opportunity of taking some good azimuth observations, the last of any use that we got on the journey. december arrived with the same fine weather and sunshine. true, we felt our frost-sores rather sharply that day, with - . ° f. and a little breeze dead against us, but that could not be helped. we at once began to put up beacons -- a work which was continued with great regularity right up to the pole. these beacons were not so big as those we had built down on the barrier; we could see that they would be quite large enough with a height of about feet, as it was, very easy to see the slightest irregularity on this perfectly flat surface. while thus engaged we had an opportunity of becoming thoroughly acquainted with the nature of the snow. often -- very often indeed -- on this part of the plateau, to the south of ° ', we had difficulty in getting snow good enough -- that is, solid enough for cutting blocks. the snow up here seemed to have fallen very quietly, in light breezes or calms. we could thrust the tent-pole, which was feet long, right down without meeting resistance, which showed that there was no hard layer of snow. the surface was also perfectly level; there was not a sign of sastrugi in any direction. every step we now took in advance brought us rapidly nearer the goal; we could feel fairly certain of reaching it on the afternoon of the th. it was very natural that our conversation should be chiefly concerned with the time of arrival. none of us would admit that he was nervous, but i am inclined to think that we all had a little touch of that malady. what should we see when we got there? a vast, endless plain, that no eye had yet seen and no foot yet trodden; or -- no, it was an impossibility; with the speed at which we had travelled, we must reach the goal first, there could be no doubt about that. and yet -- and yet -- wherever there is the smallest loophole, doubt creeps in and gnaws and gnaws and never leaves a poor wretch in peace. "what on earth is uroa scenting?" it was bjaaland who made this remark, on one of these last days, when i was going by the side of his sledge and talking to him. "and the strange thing is that he's scenting to the south. it can never be--" mylius, ring, and suggen, showed the same interest in the southerly direction; it was quite extraordinary to see how they raised their heads, with every sign of curiosity, put their noses in the air, and sniffed due south. one would really have thought there was something remarkable to be found there. from ° ' s. the barometer and hypsometer indicated slowly but surely that the plateau was beginning to descend towards the other side. this was a pleasant surprise to us; we had thus not only found the very summit of the plateau, but also the slope down on the far side. this would have a very important bearing for obtaining an idea of the construction of the whole plateau. on december observations and dead reckoning agreed within a mile. the same result again on the th: observation kilometres behind reckoning. the weather and going remained about the same as on the preceding days: light south-easterly breeze, temperature - . ° f. the snow surface was loose, but ski and sledges glided over it well. on the th, the same weather conditions. temperature - ° f. observation and reckoning again agreed exactly. our latitude was ° ' s. on the th we reached ° ', reckoning kilometre behind observation. going and surface as good as ever. weather splendid -- calm with sunshine. the noon observation on the th gave ° ' s. reckoning ° . ' s. we halted in the afternoon, after going eight geographical miles, and camped in ° ', according to reckoning. the weather during the forenoon had been just as fine as before; in the afternoon we had some snow-showers from the south-east. it was like the eve of some great festival that night in the tent. one could feel that a great event was at hand. our flag was taken out again and lashed to the same two ski-sticks as before. then it was rolled up and laid aside, to be ready when the time came. i was awake several times during the night, and had the same feeling that i can remember as a little boy on the night before christmas eve -- an intense expectation of what was going to happen. otherwise i think we slept just as well that night as any other. on the morning of december the weather was of the finest, just as if it had been made for arriving at the pole. i am not quite sure, but i believe we despatched our breakfast rather more quickly than usual and were out of the tent sooner, though i must admit that we always accomplished this with all reasonable haste. we went in the usual order -- the forerunner, hanssen, wisting, bjaaland, and the reserve forerunner. by noon we had reached ° ' by dead reckoning, and made ready to take the rest in one stage. at a.m. a light breeze had sprung up from the south-east, and it had clouded over, so that we got no noon altitude; but the clouds were not thick, and from time to time we had a glimpse of the sun through them. the going on that day was rather different from what it had been; sometimes the ski went over it well, but at others it was pretty bad. we advanced that day in the same mechanical way as before; not much was said, but eyes were used all the more. hanssen's neck grew twice as long as before in his endeavour to see a few inches farther. i had asked him before we started to spy out ahead for all he was worth, and he did so with a vengeance. but, however keenly he stared, he could not descry anything but the endless flat plain ahead of us. the dogs had dropped their scenting, and appeared to have lost their interest in the regions about the earth's axis. at three in the afternoon a simultaneous "halt!" rang out from the drivers. they had carefully examined their sledge-meters, and they all showed the full distance -- our pole by reckoning. the goal was reached, the journey ended. i cannot say -- though i know it would sound much more effective -- that the object of my life was attained. that would be romancing rather too bare-facedly. i had better be honest and admit straight out that i have never known any man to be placed in such a diametrically opposite position to the goal of his desires as i was at that moment. the regions around the north pole -- well, yes, the north pole itself -- had attracted me from childhood, and here i was at the south pole. can anything more topsy-turvy be imagined? we reckoned now that we were at the pole. of course, every one of us knew that we were not standing on the absolute spot; it would be an impossibility with the time and the instruments at our disposal to ascertain that exact spot. but we were so near it that the few miles which possibly separated us from it could not be of the slightest importance. it was our intention to make a circle round this camp, with a radius of twelve and a half miles ( kilometres), and to be satisfied with that. after we had halted we collected and congratulated each other. we had good grounds for mutual respect in what had been achieved, and i think that was just the feeling that was expressed in the firm and powerful grasps of the fist that were exchanged. after this we proceeded to the greatest and most solemn act of the whole journey -- the planting of our flag. pride and affection shone in the five pairs of eyes that gazed upon the flag, as it unfurled itself with a sharp crack, and waved over the pole. i had determined that the act of planting it -- the historic event -- should be equally divided among us all. it was not for one man to do this; it was for all who had staked their lives in the struggle, and held together through thick and thin. this was the only way in which i could show my gratitude to my comrades in this desolate spot. i could see that they understood and accepted it in the spirit in which it was offered. five weather-beaten, frost-bitten fists they were that grasped the pole, raised the waving flag in the air, and planted it as the first at the geographical south pole. "thus we plant thee, beloved flag, at the south pole, and give to the plain on which it lies the name of king haakon vii.'s plateau." that moment will certainly be remembered by all of us who stood there. one gets out of the way of protracted ceremonies in those regions -- the shorter they are the better. everyday life began again at once. when we had got the tent up, hanssen set about slaughtering helge, and it was hard for him to have to part from his best friend. helge had been an uncommonly useful and good-natured dog; without making any fuss he had pulled from morning to night, and had been a shining example to the team. but during the last week he had quite fallen away, and on our arrival at the pole there was only a shadow of the old helge left. he was only a drag on the others, and did absolutely no work. one blow on the skull, and helge had ceased to live. "what is death to one is food to another," is a saying that can scarcely find a better application than these dog meals. helge was portioned out on the spot, and within a couple of hours there was nothing left of him but his teeth and the tuft at the end of his tail. this was the second of our eighteen dogs that we had lost. the major, one of wisting's fine dogs, left us in )deg) ' s., and never returned. he was fearfully worn out, and must have gone away to die. we now had sixteen dogs left, and these we intended to divide into two equal teams, leaving bjaaland's sledge behind. of course, there was a festivity in the tent that evening -- not that champagne corks were popping and wine flowing -- no, we contented ourselves with a little piece of seal meat each, and it tasted well and did us good. there was no other sign of festival indoors. outside we heard the flag flapping in the breeze. conversation was lively in the tent that evening, and we talked of many things. perhaps, too, our thoughts sent messages home of what we had done. everything we had with us had now to be marked with the words "south pole" and the date, to serve afterwards as souvenirs. wisting proved to be a first-class engraver, and many were the articles he had to mark. tobacco -- in the form of smoke -- had hitherto never made its appearance in the tent. from time to time i had seen one or two of the others take a quid, but now these things were to be altered. i had brought with me an old briar pipe, which bore inscriptions from many places in the arctic regions, and now i wanted it marked "south pole." when i produced my pipe and was about to mark it, i received an unexpected gift wisting offered me tobacco for the rest of the journey. he had some cakes of plug in his kit-bag, which he would prefer to see me smoke. can anyone grasp what such an offer meant at such a spot, made to a man who, to tell the truth, is very fond of a smoke after meals? there are not many who can understand it fully. i accepted the offer, jumping with joy, and on the way home i had a pipe of fresh, fine-cut plug every evening. ah! that wisting, he spoiled me entirely. not only did he give me tobacco, but every evening -- and i must confess i yielded to the temptation after a while, and had a morning smoke as well -- he undertook the disagreeable work of cutting the plug and filling my pipe in all kinds of weather. but we did not let our talk make us forget other things. as we had got no noon altitude, we should have to try and take one at midnight. the weather had brightened again, and it looked as if midnight would be a good time for the observation. we therefore crept into our bags to get a little nap in the intervening hours. in good time -- soon after p.m. -- we were out again, and ready to catch the sun; the weather was of the best, and the opportunity excellent. we four navigators all had a share in it, as usual, and stood watching the course of the sun. this was a labour of patience, as the difference of altitude was now very slight. the result at which we finally arrived was of great interest, as it clearly shows how unreliable and valueless a single observation like this is in these regions. at . a.m. we put our instruments away, well satisfied with our work, and quite convinced that it was the midnight altitude that we had observed. the calculations which were carried out immediately afterwards gave us ° ' s. we were all well pleased with this result. the arrangement now was that we should encircle this camp with a radius of about twelve and a half miles. by encircling i do not, of course, mean that we should go round in a circle with this radius; that would have taken us days, and was not to be thought of. the encircling was accomplished in this way: three men went out in three different directions, two at right angles to the course we had been steering, and one in continuation of that course. to carry out this work i had chosen wisting, hassel, and bjaaland. having concluded our observations, we put the kettle on to give ourselves a drop of chocolate; the pleasure of standing out there in rather light attire had not exactly put warmth into our bodies. as we were engaged in swallowing the scalding drink, bjaaland suddenly observed: "i'd like to tackle this encircling straight away. we shall have lots of time to sleep when we get back." hassel and wisting were quite of the same opinion, and it was agreed that they should start the work immediately. here we have yet another example of the good spirit that prevailed in our little community. we had only lately come in from our day's work -- a march of about eighteen and a half miles -- and now they were asking to be allowed to go on another twenty-five miles. it seemed as if these fellows could never be tired. we therefore turned this meal into a little breakfast -- that is to say, each man ate what he wanted of his bread ration, and then they began to get ready for the work. first, three small bags of light windproof stuff were made, and in each of these was placed a paper, giving the position of our camp. in addition, each of them carried a large square flag of the same dark brown material, which could be easily seen at a distance. as flag-poles we elected to use our spare sledge-runners, which were both long -- feet -- and strong, and which we were going to take off here in any case, to lighten the sledges as much as possible for the return journey. thus equipped, and with thirty biscuits as an extra ration, the three men started off in the directions laid down. their march was by no means free from danger, and does great honour to those who undertook it, not merely without raising the smallest objection, but with the greatest keenness. let us consider for a moment the risk they ran. our tent on the boundless plain, without marks of any kind, may very well be compared with a needle in a haystack. from this the three men were to steer out for a distance of twelve and a half miles. compasses would have been good things to take on such a walk, but our sledge-compasses were too heavy and unsuitable for carrying. they therefore had to go without. they had the sun to go by, certainly, when they started, but who could say how long it would last? the weather was then fine enough, but it was impossible to guarantee that no sudden change would take place. if by bad luck the sun should be hidden, then their own tracks might help them. but to trust to tracks in these regions is a dangerous thing. before you know where you are the whole plain may be one mass of driving snow, obliterating all tracks as soon as they are made. with the rapid changes of weather we had so often experienced, such a thing was not impossible. that these three risked their lives that morning, when they left the tent at . , there can be no doubt at all, and they all three knew it very well. but if anyone thinks that on this account they took a solemn farewell of us who stayed behind, he is much mistaken. not a bit; they all vanished in their different directions amid laughter and chaff. the first thing we did -- hanssen and i -- was to set about arranging a lot of trifling matters; there was something to be done here, something there, and above all we had to be ready for the series of observations we were to carry out together, so as to get as accurate a determination of our position as possible. the first observation told us at once how necessary this was. for it turned out that this, instead of giving us a greater altitude than the midnight observation, gave us a smaller one, and it was then clear that we had gone out of the meridian we thought we were following. now the first thing to be done was to get our north and south line and latitude determined, so that we could find our position once more. luckily for us, the weather looked as if it would hold. we measured the sun's altitude at every hour from a.m. to p.m., and from these observations found, with some degree of certainty, our latitude and the direction of the meridian. by nine in the morning we began to expect the return of our comrades; according to our calculation they should then have covered the distance -- twenty-five miles. it was not till ten o'clock that hanssen made out the first black dot on the horizon, and not long after the second and third appeared. we both gave a sigh of relief as they came on; almost simultaneously the three arrived at the tent. we told them the result of our observations up to that time; it looked as if our camp was in about ° ' '' s., and that with our encircling we had therefore included the actual pole. with this result we might very well have been content, but as the weather was so good and gave the impression that it would continue so, and our store of provisions proved on examination to be very ample, we decided to go on for the remaining ten kilometres (five and a half geographical miles), and get our position determined as near to the pole as possible. meanwhile the three wanderers turned in -- not so much because they were tired, as because it was the right thing to do -- and hanssen and i continued the series of observations. in the afternoon we again went very carefully through our provision supply before discussing the future. the result was that we had food enough for ourselves and the dogs for eighteen days. the surviving sixteen dogs were divided into two teams of eight each, and the contents of bjaaland's sledge were shared between hanssen's and wisting's. the abandoned sledge was set upright in the snow, and proved to be a splendid mark. the sledge-meter was screwed to the sledge, and we left it there; our other two were quite sufficient for the return journey; they had all shown themselves very accurate. a couple of empty provision cases were also left behind. i wrote in pencil on a piece of case the information that our tent -- "polheim" -- would be found five and a half geographical miles north-west quarter west by compass from the sledge. having put all these things in order the same day, we turned in, very well satisfied. early next morning, december , we were on our feet again. bjaaland, who had now left the company of the drivers and been received with jubilation into that of the forerunners, was immediately entrusted with the honourable task of leading the expedition forward to the pole itself. i assigned this duty, which we all regarded as a distinction, to him as a mark of gratitude to the gallant telemarkers for their pre-eminent work in the advancement of ski spot. the leader that day had to keep as straight as a line, and if possible to follow the direction of our meridian. a little way after bjaaland came hassel, then hanssen, then wisting, and i followed a good way behind. i could thus check the direction of the march very accurately, and see that no great deviation was made. bjaaland on this occasion showed himself a matchless forerunner; he went perfectly straight the whole time. not once did he incline to one side or the other, and when we arrived at the end of the distance, we could still clearly see the sledge we had set up and take its bearing. this showed it to be absolutely in the right direction. it was a.m. when we reached our destination. while some of us were putting up the tent, others began to get everything ready for the coming observations. a solid snow pedestal was put up, on which the artificial horizon was to be placed, and a smaller one to rest the sextant on when it was not in use. at . a.m. the first observation was taken. we divided ourselves into two parties -- hanssen and i in one, hassel and wisting in the other. while one party slept, the other took the observations, and the watches were of six hours each. the weather was altogether grand, though the sky was not perfectly bright the whole time. a very light, fine, vaporous curtain would spread across the sky from time to time, and then quickly disappear again. this film of cloud was not thick enough to hide the sun, which we could see the whole time, but the atmosphere seemed to be disturbed. the effect of this was that the sun appeared not to change its altitude for several hours, until it suddenly made a jump. observations were now taken every hour through the whole twenty-four. it was very strange to turn in at p.m., and then on turning out again at midnight to find the sun apparently still at the same altitude, and then once more at a.m. to see it still no higher. the altitude had changed, of course, but so slightly that it was imperceptible with the naked eye. to us it appeared as though the sun made the circuit of the heavens at exactly the same altitude. the times of day that i have given here are calculated according to the meridian of framheim; we continued to reckon our time from this. the observations soon told us that we were not on the absolute pole, but as close to it as we could hope to get with our instruments. the observations, which have been submitted to mr. anton alexander, will be published, and the result given later in this book. on december at noon we had completed our observations, and it is certain that we had done all that could be done. in order if possible to come a few inches nearer to the actual pole, hanssen and bjaaland went out four geographical miles (seven kilometres) in the direction of the newly found meridian. bjaaland astonished me at dinner that day. speeches had not hitherto been a feature of this journey, but now bjaaland evidently thought the time had come, and surprised us all with a really fine oration. my amazement reached its culmination when, at the conclusion of his speech, he produced a cigar-case full of cigars and offered it round. a cigar at the pole! what do you say to that? but it did not end there. when the cigars had gone round, there were still four left. i was quite touched when he handed the case and cigars to me with the words: "keep this to remind you of the pole." i have taken good care of the case, and shall preserve it as one of the many happy signs of my comrades' devotion on this journey. the cigars i shared out afterwards, on christmas eve, and they gave us a visible mark of that occasion. when this festival dinner at the pole was ended, we began our preparations for departure. first we set up the little tent we had brought with us in case we should be compelled to divide into two parties. it had been made by our able sailmaker, rionne, and was of very thin windproof gabardine. its drab colour made it easily visible against the white surface. another pole was lashed to the tent-pole, making its total height about feet. on the top of this a little norwegian flag was lashed fast, and underneath it a pennant, on which "fram" was painted. the tent was well secured with guy-ropes on all sides. inside the tent, in a little bag, i left a letter, addressed to h.m. the king, giving information of what we had accomplished. the way home was a long one, and so many things might happen to make it impossible for us to give an account of our expedition. besides this letter, i wrote a short epistle to captain scott, who, i assumed, would be the first to find the tent. other things we left there were a sextant with a glass horizon, a hypsometer case, three reindeer-skin foot-bags, some kamiks and mits. when everything had been laid inside, we went into the tent, one by one, to write our names on a tablet we had fastened to the tent-pole. on this occasion we received the congratulations of our companions on the successful result, for the following messages were written on a couple of strips of leather, sewed to the tent "good luck," and "welcome to °." these good wishes, which we suddenly discovered, put us in very good spirits. they were signed by beck and rönne. they had good faith in us. when we had finished this we came out, and the tent-door was securely laced together, so that there was no danger of the wind getting a hold on that side. and so good-bye to polheim. it was a solemn moment when we bared our heads and bade farewell to our home and our flag. and then the travelling tent was taken down and the sledges packed. now the homeward journey was to begin -- homeward, step by step, mile after mile, until the whole distance was accomplished. we drove at once into our old tracks and followed them. many were the times we turned to send a last look to polheim. the vaporous, white air set in again, and it was not long before the last of polheim, our little flag, disappeared from view. chapter xiii the return to framheim the going was splendid and all were in good spirits, so we went along at a great pace. one would almost have thought the dogs knew they were homeward bound. a mild, summer-like wind, with a temperature of - ° f., was our last greeting from the pole. when we came to our last camp, where the sledge was left, we stopped and took a few things with us. from this point we came into the line of beacons. our tracks had already become very indistinct, but, thanks to his excellent sight, bjaaland kept in them quite well. the beacons, however, served their purpose so satisfactorily that the tracks were almost superfluous. although these beacons were not more than about feet high, they were extremely conspicuous on the level surface. when the sun was on them, they shone like electric lighthouses; and when the sun was on the other side, they looked so dark in the shadow that one would have taken them for black rocks. we intended in future to travel at night; the advantages of this were many and great. in the first place, we should have the sun behind us, which meant a good deal to our eyes. going against the sun on a snow surface like this tells fearfully on the eyes, even if one has good snow-goggles; but with the sun at one's back it is only play. another great advantage -- which we did not reap till later -- was that it gave us the warmest part of the twenty-four hours in the tent, during which time we had an opportunity of drying wet clothes, and so on. this last advantage was, however, a doubtful one, as we shall see in due course. it was a great comfort to turn our backs to the south. the wind, which had nearly always been in this quarter, had often been very painful to our cracked faces; now we should always have it at our backs, and it would help us on our way, besides giving our faces time to heal. another thing we were longing for was to come down to the barrier again, so that we could breathe freely. up here we were seldom able to draw a good long breath; if we only had to say "yes," we had to do it in two instalments. the asthmatic condition in which we found ourselves during our six weeks' stay on the plateau was anything but pleasant. we had fixed fifteen geographical miles (seventeen and three-eighths statute miles) as a suitable day's march on the homeward journey. we had, of course, many advantages now as compared with the southward journey, which would have enabled us to do longer marches than this; but we were afraid of overworking the dogs, and possibly using them up before we had gone very far, if we attempted too great a distance daily. it soon proved, however, that we had underestimated our dogs' powers; it only took us five hours to cover the appointed distance, and our rest was therefore a long one. on december we killed the first dog on the homeward trip. this was lasse, my own favourite dog. he had worn himself out completely, and was no longer worth anything. he was divided into fifteen portions, as nearly equal as possible, and given to his companions. they had now learnt to set great store by fresh meat, and it is certain that the extra feeds, like this one, that took place from time to time on the way home, had no small share in the remarkably successful result. they seemed to benefit by these meals of fresh meat for several days afterwards, and worked much more easily. december began with bitter weather, a breeze from the south-east, grey and thick. we lost the trail, and for some time had to go by compass. but as usual it suddenly cleared, and once more the plain lay before us, light and warm. yes, too warm it was. we had to take off everything -- nearly -- and still the sweat poured off us. it was not for long that we were uncertain of the way: our excellent beacons did us brilliant service, and one after another they came up on the horizon, flashed and shone, and drew us on to our all-important depot in ° ' s. we were now going slightly uphill, but so slightly that it was unnoticeable. the hypsometer and barometer, however, were not to be deceived, and both fell in precisely the same degree as they had risen before. even if we had not exactly noticed the rise, the feeling of it was present. it may perhaps be called imagination, but i certainly thought i could notice the rise by my breathing. our appetite had increased alarmingly during the last few days. it appeared that we ski-runners evinced a far greater voracity than the drivers. there were days -- only a few days, be it said -- when i believe any of us three -- bjaaland, hassel, and myself -- would have swallowed pebbles without winking. the drivers never showed such signs of starvation. it has occurred to me that this may possibly have been due to their being able to lean on the sledges as they went along, and thus have a rest and support which we had to do without. it seems little enough simply to rest one's hand on a sledge on the march, but in the long run, day after day, it may perhaps make itself felt. fortunately we were so well supplied that when this sensation of hunger came over us, we could increase our daily rations. on leaving the pole we added to our pemmican ration, with the result that our wild-beast appetites soon gave way and shrank to an ordinary good, everyday twist. our daily programme on entering upon the return journey was so arranged that we began to get breakfast ready at p.m., and by p.m. we were usually quite ready to start the day's march. an hour or so after midnight the fifteen geographical miles were accomplished, and we could once more put up our tent, cook our food, and seek our rest. but this rest soon became so insufferably long. and then there was the fearful heat -- considering the circumstances -- which often made us get out of our sleeping-bags and lie with nothing over us. these rests of twelve, fourteen, sometimes as much as sixteen hours, were what most tried our patience during the early part of the return journey. we could see so well that all this rest was unnecessary, but still we kept it up as long as we were on the high ground. our conversation at this time used to turn very often on the best way of filling up these long, unnecessary waits. that day -- december -- per -- good, faithful, conscientious per -- broke down utterly and had to be taken on the sledge the last part of the way. on arrival at the camping-ground he had his reward. a little blow of the back of the axe was enough for him; without making a sound the worn-out animal collapsed. in him wisting lost one of his best dogs. he was a curious animal -- always went about quietly and peaceably, and never took part in the others' battles; from his looks and behaviour one would have judged him, quite mistakenly, to be a queer sort of beast who was good for nothing. but when he was in harness he showed what he could do. without needing any shouts or cuts of the whip, he put himself into it from morning to night, and was priceless as a draught dog. but, like others of the same character, he could not keep it going any longer; he collapsed, was killed and eaten. christmas eve was rapidly approaching. for us it could not be particularly festive, but we should have to try to make as much of it as circumstances would permit. we ought, therefore, to reach our depot that evening, so as to keep christmas with a dish of porridge. the night before christmas eve we slaughtered svartflekken. there was no mourning on this occasion svartflekken was one of hassel's dogs, and had always been a reprobate. i find the following in my diary, written the same evening: "slaughtered svartflekken this evening. he would not do any more, although there was not much wrong with his looks. bad character. if a man, he would have ended in penal servitude." he was comparatively fat, and was consumed with evident satisfaction. christmas eve came; the weather was rather changeable -- now overcast, now clear -- when we set out at p.m. the night before. we had not far to go before reaching our depot. at midnight we arrived there in the most glorious weather, calm and warm. now we had the whole of christmas eve before us, and could enjoy it at our ease. our depot was at once taken down and divided between the two sledges. all crumbs of biscuit were carefully collected by wisting, the cook for the day, and put into a bag. this was taken into the tent and vigorously beaten and kneaded; the result was pulverized biscuit. with this product and a sausage of dried milk, wisting succeeded in making a capital dish of christmas porridge. i doubt whether anyone at home enjoyed his christmas dinner so much as we did that morning in the tent. one of bjaaland's cigars to follow brought a festival spirit over the whole camp. another thing we had to rejoice about that day was that we had again reached the summit of the plateau, and after two or three more days' march would begin to go downhill, finally reaching the barrier and our old haunts. our daily march had hitherto been interrupted by one or two halts; we stopped to rest both the dogs and ourselves. on christmas eve we instituted a new order of things, and did the whole distance -- fifteen geographical miles -- without a stop. we liked this arrangement best, after all, and it seemed as if the dogs did the same. as a rule it was hard to begin the march again after the rest; one got rather stiff lazy, too, perhaps -- and had to become supple again. on the th we passed ° s., going well. the surface appeared to have been exposed to powerful sunshine since we left it, as it had become quite polished. going over these polished levels was like crossing smooth ice, but with the important difference that here the dogs had a good foothold. this time we sighted high land even in °, and it had great surprises in store for us. it was clear that this was the same mighty range running to the south-east as we had seen before, but this time it stretched considerably farther to the south. the weather was radiantly clear, and we could see by the land that the range of vision was very great. summit after summit the range extended to the south-east, until it gradually disappeared; but to judge from the atmosphere, it was continued beyond our range of vision in the same direction. that this chain traverses the antarctic continent i therefore consider beyond a doubt. here we had a very good example of how deceptive the atmosphere is in these regions. on a day that appeared perfectly clear we had lost sight of the mountains in °, and now we saw them as far as the eye could reach in °. that we were astonished is a mild expression. we looked and looked, entirely unable to recognize our position; little did we guess that the huge mountain-mass that stood up so high and clear on the horizon was mount thorvald nilsen. how utterly different it had looked in the misty air when we said good-bye to it. it is amusing to read my diary of this time and see how persistently we took the bearings of land every day, and thought it was new. we did not recognize that vast mountain until mount helmer hanssen began to stick up out of the plain. on december we left the summit of the plateau, and began the descent. although the incline was not perceptible to the naked eye, its effect could easily be seen in the dogs. wisting now used a sail on his sledge, and was thus able to keep up with hanssen. if anyone had seen the procession that came marching over the plateau at that time, he would hardly have thought we had been out for seventy days at a stretch, for we came at a swinging pace. we always had the wind at our backs, with sunshine and warmth the whole time. there was never a thought of using the whip now; the dogs were bursting with health, and tugged at their harness to get away. it was a hard time for our worthy forerunner; he often had to spurt as much as he could to keep clear of hanssen's dogs. wisting in full sail, with his dogs howling for joy, came close behind. hassel had his work cut out to follow, and, indeed, i had the same. the surface was absolutely polished, and for long stretches at a time we could push ourselves along with our sticks. the dogs were completely changed since we had left the pole; strange as it may sound, it is nevertheless true that they were putting on flesh day by day, and getting quite fat. i believe it must have been feeding them on fresh meat and pemmican together that did this. we were again able to increase our ration of pemmican from december ; the daily ration was pound ( grams) per man, and we could not manage more -- at least, i think not. on december we went downhill more and more, and it was indeed tough work being a ski-runner. the drivers stood so jauntily by the side of their sledges, letting themselves be carried over the plain at a phenomenal pace. the surface consisted of sastrugi, alternating with smooth stretches like ice. heaven help me, how we ski-runners had to struggle to keep up! it was all very well for bjaaland; he had flown faster on even worse ground. but for hassel and me it was different. i saw hassel put out, now an arm; now a leg, and make the most desperate efforts to keep on his feet. fortunately i could not see myself; if i had been able to, i am sure i should have been in fits of laughter. early that day mount helmer hanssen appeared. the ground now went in great undulations -- a thing we had not noticed in the mist when we were going south. so high were these undulations that they suddenly hid the view from us. the first we saw of mount hanssen was from the top of one of these big waves; it then looked like the top of a pressure hummock that was just sticking up above the surface. at first we did not understand at all what it was; it was not till the next day that we really grasped it, when the pointed blocks of ice covering the top of the mountain came into view. as i have said, it was only then that we made sure of being on the right course; all the rest of the land that we saw was so entirely strange to us. we recognized absolutely nothing. on the th we passed ° s., and were thus rapidly nearing the devil's ballroom and glacier. the next day was brilliantly fine-temperature - . ° f. -- with a good breeze right aft. to our great joy, we got sight of the land around the butcher's shop. it was still a long way off, of course, but was miraged up in the warm, sunny air. we were extraordinarily lucky on our homeward trip; we escaped the devil's ballroom altogether. on january we ought, according to our reckoning, to reach the devil's glacier, and this held good. we could see it at a great distance; huge hummocks and ice-waves towered into the sky. but what astonished us was that between these disturbances and on the far side of them, we seemed to see an even, unbroken plain, entirely unaffected by the broken surface. mounts hassel, wisting, and bjaaland, lay as we had left them; they were easy to recognize when we came a little nearer to them. now mount helmer hanssen again towered high into the air; it flashed and sparkled like diamonds as it lay bathed in the rays of the morning sun. we assumed that we had come nearer to this range than when we were going south, and that this was the reason of our finding the ground so changed. when we were going south, it certainly looked impassable between us and the mountains; but who could tell? perhaps in the middle of all the broken ground that we then saw there was a good even stretch, and that we had now been lucky enough to stumble upon it. but it was once more the atmosphere that deceived us, as we found out on the following day, for instead of being nearer the range we had come farther out from it, and this was the reason of our only getting a little strip of this undesirable glacier. we had our camp that evening in the middle of a big, filled-up crevasse. we were a trifle anxious as to what kind of surface we should find farther on; that these few hummocks and old crevasses were all the glacier had to offer us this time, was more than we dared to hope. but the nd came, and brought -- thank god! -- no disappointment. with incredible luck we had slipped past all those ugly and dangerous places, and now, before we knew where we were, we found ourselves safe and sound on the plain below the glacier. the weather was not first-rate when we started at seven in the evening. it was fairly thick, and we could only just distinguish the top of mount bjaaland. this was bad, as we were now in the neighbourhood of our depot, and would have liked clear weather to find out where it lay; but instead of clearing, as we hoped, it grew thicker and thicker, and when we had gone about six and three-quarter miles, it was so bad that we thought it best to stop and wait for a while. we had all the time been going on the erroneous assumption that we had come too far to the east-that is, too near the mountains -- and under the circumstances -- in the short gleams that had come from time to time -- we had not been able to recognize the ground below the glacier. according to our idea, we were on the east of the depot. the bearings, which had been taken in thick air, and were now to guide us in this heavy mist, gave no result whatever. there was no depot to be seen. we had just swallowed the grateful warm pemmican when the sun suddenly showed itself. i don't think the camp was ever broken and the sledges packed in such a short time. from the moment we jumped out of our bags till the sledges were ready, it only took us fifteen minutes, which is incredibly quick. "what on earth is that shining over there through the fog?" the question came from one of the lads. the mist had divided, and was rolling away on both sides; in the western bank something big and white peeped through -- along ridge running north and south. hurrah! it's helland hansen. can't possibly be anything else. our only landmark on the west. we all shouted with joy on meeting this old acquaintance. but in the direction of the depot the fog hung thick. we held a brief consultation, and agreed to let it go, to steer for the butcher's and put on the pace. we had food enough, anyhow. no sooner said than done, and we started off. it rapidly cleared, and then, on our way towards helland hansen, we found out that we had come, not too far to the east, but too far to the west. but to turn round and begin to search for our depot was not to our liking. below mount helland hansen we came up on a fairly high ridge. we had now gone our fixed distance, and so halted. behind us, in the brightest, clearest weather, lay the glacier, as we had seen it for the first time on our way to the south: break after break, crevasse after crevasse. but in among all this nastiness there ran a white, unbroken line, the very path we had stood and looked at a few weeks back. and directly below that white stripe we knew, as sure as anything could be, that our depot lay. we stood there expressing our annoyance rather forcibly at the depot having escaped us so easily, and talking of how jolly it would have been to have picked up all our depots from the plain we had strewed them over. dead tired as i felt that evening, i had not the least desire to go back the fifteen miles that separated us from it. "if anybody would like to make the trip, he shall have many thanks." they all wanted to make it -- all as one man. there was no lack of volunteers in that company. i chose hanssen and bjaaland. they took nearly everything off the sledge, and went away with it empty. it was then five in the morning. at three in the afternoon they came back to the tent, bjaaland running in front, hanssen driving the sedge. that was a notable feat, both for men and dogs. hanssen, bjaaland, and that team had covered about fifty miles that day, at an average rate of three to three and a half miles an hour. they had found the depot without much search. their greatest difficulty had been in the undulating surface; for long stretches at a time they were in the hollows between the waves, which shut in their view entirely. ridge succeeded ridge, endlessly. we had taken care that everything was ready for their return -- above all great quantities of water. water, water was the first thing, and generally the last, that was in request. when their thirst was a little quenched, great interest was shown in the pemmican. while these two were being well looked after, the depot they had brought in was divided between the two sledges, and in a short time all was ready for our departure. meanwhile, the weather had been getting finer and finer, and before us lay the mountains, sharp and clear. we thought we recognized fridtjof nansen and don pedro christophersen, and took good bearings of them in case the fog should return. with most of us the ideas of day and night began to get rather mixed. "six o'clock," someone would answer, when asked the time. "yes, in the morning," remarks the other. "no; what are you talking about?" answers the first one again; "it's evening, of course." the date was hopeless; it was a good thing if we remembered the year. only when writing in our diaries and observation books did we come across such things as dates; while at work we had not the remotest idea of them. splendid weather it was when we turned out on the morning of january . we had now agreed to go as it suited us, and take no notice of day or night; for some time past we had all been sick of the long hours of rest, and wanted to break them up at any price. as i have said, the weather could not have been finer brilliantly clear and a dead calm. the temperature of - . ° f. felt altogether like summer in this bright, still air. before we began our march all unnecessary clothes were taken off and put on the sledges. it almost looked as if everything would be considered superfluous, and the costume in which we finally started would no doubt have been regarded as somewhat unseemly in our latitudes. we smiled and congratulated ourselves that at present no ladies had reached the antarctic regions, or they might have objected to our extremely comfortable and serviceable costume. the high land now stood out still more sharply. it was very interesting to see in these conditions the country we had gone through on, the southward trip in the thickest blizzard. we had then been going along the foot of this immense mountain chain without a suspicion of how near we were to it, or how colossal it was. the ground was fortunately quite undisturbed in this part. i say fortunately, as heaven knows what would have happened to us if we had been obliged to cross a crevassed surface in such weather as we then had. perhaps we should have managed it -- perhaps not. the journey before us was a stiff one, as the butcher's lay , feet higher than the place where we were. we had been expecting to stumble upon one of our beacons before long, but this did not happen until we had gone twelve and a half miles. then one of them suddenly came in sight, and was greeted with joy. we knew well enough that we were on the right track, but an old acquaintance like this was very welcome all the same. the sun had evidently been at work up here while we were in the south, as some of the beacons were quite bent over, and great icicles told us clearly enough how powerful the sunshine had been. after a march of about twenty-five miles we halted at the beacon we had built right under the hill, where we had been forced to stop by thick weather on november . january was one of the days to which we looked forward with anxiety, as we were then due at our depot at the butcher's, and had to find it. this depot, which consisted of the finest, fresh dogs' flesh, was of immense importance to us. not only had our animals got into the way of preferring this food to pemmican, but, what was of still greater importance, it had an extremely good effect on the dogs' state of health. no doubt our pemmican was good enough -- indeed, it could not have been better -- but a variation of diet is a great consideration, and seems, according to my experience, to mean even more to the dogs than to the men on a long journey like this. on former occasions i have seen dogs refuse pemmican, presumably because they were tired of it, having no variety; the result was that the dogs grew thin and weak, although we had food enough. the pemmican i am referring to on that occasion was made for human use, so that their distaste cannot have been due to the quality. it was . a.m. when we set out. we had not had a long sleep, but it was very important to avail ourselves of this fine, clear weather while it lasted; we knew by experience that up here in the neighbourhood of the butcher's the weather was not to be depended upon. from the outward journey we knew that the distance from the beacon where our camp was to the depot at the butcher's was thirteen and a half miles. we had not put up more than two beacons on this stretch, but the ground was of such a nature that we thought we could not go wrong. that it was not so easy to find the way, in spite of the beacons, we were soon to discover. in the fine, clear weather, and with hanssen's sharp eyes, we picked up both our beacons. meanwhile we were astonished at the appearance of the mountains. as i have already mentioned, we thought the weather was perfectly clear when we reached the butcher's for the first time, on november . i then took a bearing from the tent of the way we had come up on to the plateau between the mountains, and carefully recorded it. after passing our last beacon, when we were beginning to approach the butcher's -- as we reckoned -- we were greatly surprised at the aspect of our surroundings. last time -- on november -- we had seen mountains on the west and north, but a long way off: now the whole of that part of the horizon seemed to be filled with colossal mountain masses, which were right over us. what in the world was the meaning of this? was it witchcraft? i am sure i began to think so for a moment. i would readily have taken my most solemn oath that i had never seen that landscape before in my life. we had now gone the full distance, and according to the beacons we had passed, we ought to be on the spot. this was very strange; in the direction in which i had taken the bearing of our ascent, we now only saw the side of a perfectly unknown mountain, sticking up from the plain. there could be absolutely no way down in that precipitous wall. only on the north-west did the ground give the impression of allowing a descent; there a natural depression seemed to be formed, running down towards the barrier, which we could see far, far away. we halted and discussed the situation. "hullo!" hanssen suddenly exclaimed, "somebody has been here before." -- "yes," broke in wisting; "i'm hanged if that isn't my broken ski that i stuck up by the depot." so it was wisting's broken ski that brought us out of this unpleasant situation. it was a good thing he put it there -- very thoughtful, in any case. i now examined the place with the glasses, and by the side of a snow mound, which proved to be our depot, but might easily have escaped our notice, we could see the ski sticking up out of the snow. we cheerfully set our course for the spot, but did not reach it until we had gone three miles. there was rejoicing in our little band when we arrived and saw that what we had considered the most important point of our homeward journey had been reached. it was not so much for the sake of the food it contained that we considered it so necessary to find this spot, as for discovering the way down to the barrier again. and now that we stood there, we recognized this necessity more than ever. for although we now knew, from our bearings, exactly where the descent lay, we could see nothing of it at all. the plateau there seemed to go right up to the mountain, without any opening towards the lower ground beyond; and yet the compass told us that such an opening must exist, and would take us down. the mountain, on which we had thus walked all day on the outward journey, without knowing anything of it, was mount fridtjof nansen. yes, the difference in the light made a surprising alteration in the appearance of things. the first thing we did on reaching the depot was to take out the dogs' carcasses that lay there and cut them into big lumps, that were divided among the dogs. they looked rather surprised; they had not been accustomed to such rations. we threw three carcasses on to the sledges, so as to have a little extra food for them on the way down. the butcher's was not a very friendly spot this time, either. true, it was not the same awful weather as on our first visit, but it was blowing a fresh breeze with a temperature of - . ° f., which, after the heat of the last few days, seemed to go to one's marrow, and did not invite us to stay longer than was absolutely necessary. therefore, as soon as we had finished feeding the dogs and putting our sledges in order, we set out. although the ground had not given us the impression of sloping, we soon found out that it did so when we got under way. it was not only downhill, but the pace became so great that we had to stop and put brakes under the sledges. as we advanced, the apparently unbroken wall opened more and more, and showed us at last our old familiar ascent. there lay mount ole engelstad, snowclad and cold, as we saw it the first time. as we rounded it we came on to the severe, steep slope, where, on the way south, i had so much admired the work done by my companions and the dogs that day. but now i had an even better opportunity of seeing how steep this ascent really had been. many were the brakes we had to put on before we could reduce the speed to a moderate pace, but even so we came down rapidly, and soon the first part of the descent lay behind us. so as not to be exposed to possible gusts from the plain, we went round mount engelstad and camped under the lee of it, well content with the day's work. the snow lay here as on our first visit, deep and loose, and it was difficult to find anything like a good place for the tent. we could soon feel that we had descended a couple of thousand feet and come down among the mountains. it was still, absolutely still, and the sun broiled us as on a day of high summer at home. i thought, too, that i could notice a difference in my breathing; it seemed to work much more easily and pleasantly -- perhaps it was only imagination. at one o'clock on the following morning we were out again. the sight that met our eyes that morning, when we came out of the tent, was one of those that will always live in our memories. the tent stood in the narrow gap between fridtjof nansen and ole engelstad. the sun, which now stood in the south, was completely hidden by the latter mountain, and our camp was thus in the deepest shadow; but right against us on the other side the nansen mountain raised its splendid ice-clad summit high towards heaven, gleaming and sparkling in the rays of the midnight sun. the shining white passed gradually, very gradually, into pale blue, then deeper and deeper blue, until the shadow swallowed it up. but down below, right on the heiberg glacier, its ice-covered side was exposed -- dark and solemn the mountain mass stood out. mount engelstad lay in shadow, but on its summit rested a beautiful light little cirrus cloud, red with an edge of gold. down over its side the blocks of ice lay scattered pell-mell. and farther down on the east rose don pedro christophersen, partly in shadow, partly gleaming in the sun -- a marvellously beautiful sight. and all was so still; one almost feared to disturb the incomparable splendour of the scene. we now knew the ground well enough to be able to go straight ahead without any detours. the huge avalanches were more frequent than on the outward journey. one mass of snow after another plunged down; don pedro was getting rid of his winter coat. the going was precisely the same -- loose, fairly deep snow. we went quite easily over it, however, and it was all downhill. on the ridge where the descent to the glacier began we halted to make our preparations. brakes were put under the sledges, and our two ski-sticks were fastened together to make one strong one; we should have to be able to stop instantly if surprised by a crevasse as we were going. we ski-runners went in front. the going was ideal here on the steep slope, just enough loose snow to give one good steering on ski. we went whizzing down, and it was not many minutes before we were on the heiberg glacier. for the drivers it was not quite such plain sailing: they followed our tracks, but had to be extremely careful on the steep fall. we camped that evening on the selfsame spot where we had had our tent on november , at about , feet above the sea. from here one could see the course of the axel heiberg glacier right down to its junction with the barrier. it looked fine and even, and we decided to follow it instead of climbing over the mountain, as we had done on the way south. perhaps the distance would be somewhat longer, but probably we should make a considerable saving of time. we had now agreed upon a new arrangement of our time; the long spells of rest were becoming almost unbearable. another very important side of the question was that, by a reasonable arrangement, we should be able to save a lot of time, and reach home several days sooner than we had reckoned. after a great deal of talk on one side and on the other, we agreed to arrange matters thus: we were to do our fifteen geographical miles, or twenty-eight kilometres, and then have a sleep of six hours, turn out again and do fifteen miles more, and so on. in this way we should accomplish a very good average distance on our day's march. we kept to this arrangement for the rest of the journey, and thus saved a good many days. our progress down the heiberg glacier did not encounter any obstructions; only at the transition from the glacier to the barrier were there a few crevasses that had to be circumvented. at a.m. on january we halted at the angle of land that forms the entrance to the heiberg glacier, and thence extends northward. we had not yet recognized any of the land we lay under, but that was quite natural, as we now saw it from the opposite side. we knew, though, that we were not far away from our main depot in ° ' s. on the afternoon of the same day we were off again. from a little ridge we crossed immediately after starting, bjaaland thought he could see the depot down on the barrier, and it was not very long before we came in sight of mount betty and our way up. and now we could make sure with the glasses that it really was our depot that we saw -- the same that bjaaland thought he had seen before. we therefore set our course straight for it, and in a few minutes we were once more on the barrier -- january , p.m. -- after a stay of fifty-one days on land. it was on november that we had begun the ascent. we reached the depot, and found everything in order. the heat here must have been very powerful; our lofty, solid depot was melted by the sun into a rather low mound of snow. the pemmican rations that had been exposed to the direct action of the sun's rays had assumed the strangest forms, and, of course, they had become rancid. we got the sledges ready at once, taking all the provisions out of the depot and loading them. we left behind some of the old clothes we had been wearing all the way from here to the pole and back. when we had completed all this repacking and had everything ready, two of us went over to mount betty, and collected as many different specimens of rock as we could lay our hands on. at the same time we built a great cairn, and left there a can of litres of paraffin, two packets of matches -- containing twenty boxes -- and an account of our expedition. possibly someone may find a use for these things in the future. we had to kill frithjof, one of bjaaland's dogs, at this camp. he had latterly been showing marked signs of shortness of breath, and finally this became so painful to the animal that we decided to put an end to him. thus brave frithjof ended his career. on cutting him open it appeared that his lungs were quite shrivelled up; nevertheless, the remains disappeared pretty quickly into his companions' stomachs. what they had lost in quantity did not apparently affect their quality. nigger, one of hassel's dogs, had been destroyed on the way down from the plateau. we thus reached this point again with twelve dogs, as we had reckoned on doing, and left it with eleven. i see in my diary the following remark: "the dogs look just as well as when we left framheim." on leaving the place a few hours later we had provisions for thirty-five days on the sledges. besides this, of course, we had a depot at every degree of latitude up to °. it looked as though we had found our depot at the right moment, for when we came out to continue our journey the whole barrier was in a blizzard. a gale was blowing from the south, with a sky completely clouded over; falling snow and drift united in a delightful dance, and made it difficult to see. the lucky thing was that now we had the wind with us, and thus escaped getting it all in our eyes, as, we had been accustomed to. the big crevasse, which, as we knew, lay right across the line of our route, made us go very carefully. to avoid any risk, bjaaland and hassel, who went in advance, fastened an alpine rope between them. the snow was very deep and loose, and the going very heavy. fortunately, we were warned in time of our approach to the expected cracks by the appearance of some bare ice ridges. these told us clearly enough that disturbances had taken place here, and that even greater ones might be expected, probably near at hand. at that moment the thick curtain of cloud was torn asunder, and the sun pierced the whirling mass of snow. instantly hanssen shouted: "stop, bjaaland!" he was just on the edge of the yawning crevasse. bjaaland himself has splendid sight, but his excellent snow-goggles -- his own patent -- entirely prevented his seeing. well, bjaaland would not have been in any serious danger if he had fallen into the crevasse, as he was roped to hassel, but it would have been confoundedly unpleasant all the same. as i have said before, i assume that these great disturbances here mark the boundary between the barrier and the land. this time, curiously enough, they seemed also to form a boundary between good and bad weather, for on the far side of them -- to the north -- the barrier lay bathed in sunshine. on the south the blizzard raged worse than ever. mount betty was the last to send us its farewell. south victoria land had gone into hiding, and did not show itself again. as soon as we came into the sunshine, we ran upon one of our beacons; our course lay straight towards it. that was not bad steering in the dark. at p.m. we reached the depot in ° s. now we could begin to be liberal with the dogs' food, too; they had double pemmican rations, besides as many oatmeal biscuits as they would eat. we had such masses of biscuits now that we could positively throw them about. of course, we might have left a large part of these provisions behind; but there was a great satisfaction in being so well supplied with food, and the dogs did not seem to mind the little extra weight in the least. as long as things went so capitally as they were going -- that is, with men and dogs exactly keeping pace with one another -- we could ask for nothing better. but the weather that had cheered us was not of long duration. "same beastly weather," my diary says of the next stage. the wind had shifted to the north-west, with overcast, thick weather, and very troublesome drifting snow. in spite of these unfavourable conditions, we passed beacon after beacon, and at the end of our march had picked up all the beacons we had erected on this distance of seventeen miles and three-eighths. but, as before, we owed this to hanssen's good eyes. on our way southward we had taken a good deal of seal meat and had divided it among the depots we built on the barrier in such a way that we were now able to eat fresh meat every day. this had not been done without an object; if we should be visited with scurvy, this fresh meat would be invaluable. as we were -- sound and healthy as we had never been before -- the seal-beef was a pleasant distraction in our menu, nothing more. the temperature had risen greatly since we came down on to the barrier, and kept steady at about + ° f. we were so warm in our sleeping-bags that we had to turn them with the hair out. that was better; we breathed more freely and felt happier. "just like going into an ice-cellar," somebody remarked. the same feeling as when on a really warm summer day one comes out of the hot sun into cool shade. january . -- "same beastly weather; snow, snow, snow, nothing but snow. is there no end to it? thick too, so that we have not been able to see ten yards ahead. temperature + . ° f. thawing everywhere on the sledges. everything getting wet. have not found a single beacon in this blind man's weather. the snow was very deep to begin with and the going exceedingly heavy, but in spite of this the dogs managed their sledges very well." that evening the weather improved, fortunately, and became comparatively clear by the time we resumed our journey at p.m. not long after we sighted one of our beacons. it lay to the west, about yards away. we were thus not far out of our course; we turned aside and went up to it, as it was interesting to see whether our reckoning was in order. the beacon was somewhat damaged by sunshine and storms, but we found the paper left in it, which told us that this beacon was erected on november , in ° ' s. it also told us what course to steer by compass to reach the next beacon, which lay five kilometres from this one. as we were leaving this old friend and setting our course as it advised, to our unspeakable astonishment two great birds -- skua gulls -- suddenly came flying straight towards us. they circled round us once or twice and then settled on the beacon. can anyone who reads these lines form an idea of the effect this had upon us? it is hardly likely. they brought us a message from the living world into this realm of death -- a message of all that was dear to us. i think the same thoughts filled us all. they did not allow themselves a long rest, these first messengers from another world; they sat still a while, no doubt wondering who we were, then rose aloft and flew on to the south. mysterious creatures! they were now exactly half-way between framheim and the pole, and yet they were going farther inland. were they going over to the other side? our march ended this time at one of our beacons, in ° '. it felt so good and safe to lie beside one of these; it always gave us a sure starting-point for the following stage. we were up at a.m. and left the place a few hours later, with the result that the day's march brought us thirty-four miles nearer framheim. with our present arrangement, we had these long-day marches every other day. our dogs need no better testimonial than this -- one day seventeen miles, the next day thirty-four, and fresh all the way home. the two birds, agreeably as their first appearance had affected me, led my thoughts after a while in another direction, which was anything but agreeable. it occurred to me that these two might only be representatives of a larger collection of these voracious birds, and that the remainder might now be occupied in consuming all the fresh meat we had so laboriously transported with us and spread all over the plain in our depots. it is incredible what a flock of these birds of prey can get rid of; it would not matter if the meat were frozen as hard as iron, they would have managed it, even if it had been a good deal harder than iron. of the seals' carcasses we had lying in °, i saw in my thoughts nothing but the bones. of the various dogs we had killed on our way south and laid on the tops of beacons i did not see even so much as that. well, it was possible that my thoughts had begun to assume too dark a hue; perhaps the reality would be brighter. weather and going began by degrees to right themselves; it looked as if things would improve in proportion to our distance from land. finally, both became perfect; the sun shone from a cloudless sky, and the sledges ran on the fine, even surface with all the ease and speed that could be desired. bjaaland, who had occupied the position of forerunner all the way from the pole, performed his duties admirably; but the old saying that nobody is perfect applied even to him. none of us -- no matter who it may be -- can keep in a straight line, when he has no marks to follow. all the more difficult is this when, as so often happened with us, one has to go blindly. most of us, i suppose, would swerve now to one side, now to the other, and possibly end, after all this groping, by keeping pretty well to the line. not so with bjaaland; he was a right-hand man. i can see him now; hanssen has given him the direction by compass, and bjaaland turns round, points his ski in the line indicated and sets of with decision. his movements clearly show that he has made up his mind, cost what it may, to keep in the right direction. he sends his ski firmly along, so that the snow spurts from them, and looks straight before him. but the result is the same; if hanssen had let bjaaland go on without any correction, in the course of an hour or so the latter would probably have described a beautiful circle and brought himself back to the spot from which he had started. perhaps. after all, this was not a fault to complain of, since we always knew with absolute certainty that, when we had got out of the line of beacons, we were to the right of it and had to search for the beacons to the west. this conclusion proved very useful to us more than once, and we gradually became so familiar with bjaaland's right-handed tendencies that we actually counted on them. on january , according to our reckoning, we ought to reach the depot in ° s. this was the last of our depots that was not marked at right angles to the route, and therefore the last critical point. the day was not altogether suited for finding the needle in the haystack. it was calm with a thick fog, so thick that we could only see a few yards in front of us. we did not see a single beacon on the whole march. at p.m. we had completed the distance, according to the sledge-meters, and reckoned that we ought to be in ° s., by the depot; but there was nothing to be seen. we decided, therefore, to set our tent and wait till it cleared. while we were at work with this, there was a rift in the thick mass of fog, and there, not many yards away -- to the west, of course -- lay our depot. we quickly took the tent down again, packed it on the sledge, and drove up to our food mound, which proved to be quite in order. there was no sign of the birds having paid it a visit. but what was that? fresh, well-marked dog-tracks in the newly-fallen snow. we soon saw that they must be the tracks of the runaways that we had lost here on the way south. judging by appearances, they must have lain under the lee of the depot for a considerable time; two deep hollows in the snow told us that plainly. and evidently they must have had enough food, but where on earth had they got it from? the depot was absolutely untouched, in spite of the fact that the lumps of pemmican lay exposed to the light of day and were very easy to get at; besides which, the snow on the depot was not so hard as to prevent the dogs pulling it down and eating up all the food. meanwhile the dogs had left the place again, as shown by the fresh trail, which pointed to the north. we examined the tracks very closely, and agreed that they were not more than two days old. they went northward, and we followed them from time to time on our next stage. at the beacon in ° ', where we halted, we saw them still going to the north. in ° ' the trail began to be much confused, and ended by pointing due west. that was the last we saw of the tracks; but we had not done with these dogs, or rather with their deeds. we stopped at the beacon in ° '. else, who had been laid on the top of it, had fallen down and lay by the side; the sun had thawed away the lower part of the beacon. so the roving dogs had not been here; so much was certain, for otherwise we should not have found else as we did. we camped at the end of that stage by the beacon in ° ', and shared out else's body. although she had been lying in the strong sunshine, the flesh was quite good, when we had scraped away a little mouldiness. it smelt rather old, perhaps, but our dogs were not fastidious when it was a question of meat. on january we arrived at the depot in ° s. we could see from a long way off that the order in which we had left it no longer prevailed. when we came up to it, we saw at once what had happened. the innumerable dog-tracks that had trampled the snow quite hard round the depot declared plainly enough that the runaways had spent a good deal of time here. several of the cases belonging to the depot had fallen down, presumably from the same cause as else, and the rascals had succeeded in breaking into one of them. of the biscuits and pemmican which it had contained, nothing, of course, was left; but that made no difference to us now, as we had food in abundance. the two dogs' carcasses that we had placed on the top of the depot -- uranus and jaala -- were gone, not even the teeth were to be seen. yet they had left the teeth of lucy, whom they had eaten in ° '. jaala's eight puppies were still lying on the top of a case; curiously enough, they had not fallen down. in addition to all the rest, the beasts had devoured some ski-bindings and things of that sort. it was no loss to us, as it happened; but who could tell which way these creatures had gone? if they had succeeded in finding the depot in ° s., they would probably by this time have finished our supply of seal meat there. of course it would be regrettable if this had happened, although it would entail no danger either to ourselves or our animals. if we got as far as °, we should come through all right. for the time being, we had to console ourselves with the fact that we could see no continuation of the trail northward. we permitted ourselves a little feast here in °. the "chocolate pudding" that wisting served as dessert is still fresh in my memory; we all agreed that it came nearer perfection than anything it had hitherto fallen to our lot to taste. i may disclose the receipt: biscuit-crumbs, dried milk and chocolate are put into a kettle of boiling water. what happens afterwards, i don't know; for further information apply to wisting. between ° and ° we came into our old marks of the second depot journey; on that trip we had marked this distance with splinters of packing-case at every geographical mile. that was in march, , and now we were following these splinters in the second half of january, . apparently they stood exactly as they had been put in. this marking stopped in ° ' s., with two pieces of case on a snow pedestal. the pedestal was still intact and good. i shall let my diary describe what we saw on january : "unusually fine weather to-day. light south-south-west breeze, which in the course of our march cleared the whole sky. in ° ' we came abreast of our old big pressure ridges. we now saw far more of them than ever before. they extended as far as the eye could see, running north-east to south-west, in ridges and peaks. great was our surprise when, a short time after, we made out high, bare land in the same direction, and not long after that two lofty, white summits to the south-east, probably in about ° s. it could be seen by the look of the sky that the land extended from north-east to south-west. this must be the same land that we saw lose itself in the horizon in about °s., when we stood at a height of about , feet and looked out over the barrier, during our ascent. we now have sufficient indications to enable us without hesitation to draw this land as continuous -- carmen land. the surface against the land is violently disturbed -- crevasses and pressure ridges, waves and valleys, in all directions. we shall no doubt feel the effect of it to-morrow." although what we have seen apparently justifies us in concluding that carmen land extends from ° s. to this position -- about ° ' s. -- and possibly farther to the north-east, i have not ventured to lay it down thus on the map. i have contented myself with giving the name of carmen land to the land between ° and °, and have called the rest "appearance of land." it will be a profitable task for an explorer to investigate this district more closely. as we had expected, on our next stage we were made to feel the effect of the disturbances. three times we had now gone over this stretch of the barrier without having really clear weather. this time we had it, and were able to see what it actually looked like. the irregularities began in ° ' s., and did not extend very far from north to south-possibly about five kilometres (three and a quarter miles). how far they extended from east to west it is difficult to say, but at any rate as far as the eye could reach. immense pieces of the surface had fallen away and opened up the most horrible yawning gulfs, big enough to swallow many caravans of the size of ours. from these open holes, ugly wide cracks ran out in all directions; besides which, mounds and haycocks were everywhere to be seen. perhaps the most remarkable thing of all was that we had passed over here unharmed. we went across as light-footedly as possible, and at top speed. hanssen went halfway into a crevasse, but luckily got out of it again without difficulty. the depot in ° s. was in perfect order; no dog-tracks to be seen there. our hopes that the depot in ° s. would be intact rose considerably. in ° ' s. lay the first dog we had killed -- bone. he was particularly fat, and was immensely appreciated. the dogs no longer cared very much for pemmican. on january we passed our last beacon, which stood in ° ' s. glad as we were to leave it behind, i cannot deny that it was with a certain feeling of melancholy that we saw it vanish. we had grown so fond of our beacons, and whenever we met them we greeted them as old friends. many and great were the services these silent watchers did us on our long and lonely way. on the same day we reached our big depot in ° s., and now we considered that we were back. we could see at once that others had been at the depot since we had left it, and we found a message from lieutenant prestrud, the leader of the eastern party, saying that he, with stubberud and johansen, had passed here on november , with two sledges, sixteen dogs, and supplies for thirty days. everything thus appeared to be in the best of order. immediately on arriving at the depot we let the dogs loose, and they made a dash for the heap of seal's flesh, which had been attacked neither by birds nor dogs in our absence. it was not so much for the sake of eating that our dogs made their way to the meat mound, as for the sake of fighting. now they really had something to fight about. they went round the seals' carcasses a few times, looked askance at the food and at each other, and then flung themselves into the wildest scrimmage. when this had been duly brought to a conclusion, they went away and lay round their sledges. the depot in ° s. is still large, well supplied and well marked, so it is not impossible that it may be found useful later. the journey from ° s. to framheim has been so often described that there is nothing new to say about it. on january , at a.m., we reached our good little house again, with two sledges and eleven dogs; men and animals all hale and hearty. we stood and waited for each other outside the door in the early morning; our appearance must be made all together. it was so still and quiet -- they must be all asleep. we came in. stubberud started up in his bunk and glared at us; no doubt he took us for ghosts. one after another they woke up -- not grasping what was happening. then there was a hearty welcome home on all sides "where's the fram?" was of course our first question our joy was great when we heard all was well. "and what about the pole? have you been there?" -- "yes, of course; otherwise you would hardly have seen us again." then the coffee kettle was put on, and the perfume of "hot cakes" rose as in old days. we agreed that it was good outside, but still better at home. ninety-nine days the trip had taken. distance about , miles. the franz had come in to the barrier on january , after a three months' voyage from buenos aires; all were well on board. meanwhile, bad weather had forced her to put out again. on the following day the lookout man reported that the fram was approaching there was life in the camp; on with furs and out with the dogs. they should see that our dogs were not worn out yet. we heard the engine panting and grunting, saw the crow's-nest appear over the edge of the barrier, and at last she glided in, sure and steady. it was with a joyful heart i went on board and greeted all these gallant men, who had brought the franz to her destination through so many fatigues and perils, and had accomplished so much excellent work on the way. they all looked pleased and happy, but nobody asked about the pole. at last it slipped out of gjertsen: "have you been there?" joy is a poor name for the feeling that beamed in my comrades' faces; it was something more. i shut myself up in the chart-house with captain nilsen, who gave me my mail and all the news. three names stood high above the rest, when i was able to understand all that had happened -- the names of the three who gave me their support when it was most needed. i shall always remember them in respectful gratitude -- h. m. the king, professor fridtjof nansen, don pedro christophersen. chapter xiv northward after two days of bustle in getting on board the things we were to take with us, we managed to be ready for sea on the afternoon of january . there could scarcely have been anything at that moment that rejoiced us more than just that fact, that we were able at so early a date to set our course northward and thus take the first step on the way to that world which, as we knew, would soon begin to expect news from us, or of us. and yet, i wonder whether there was not a little feeling of melancholy in the midst of all our joy? it can hardly be doubted that such was really the case, although to many this may seem a flat contradiction. but it is not altogether so easy to part from a place that has been one's home for any length of time, even though this home lie in the th degree of latitude, more or less buried in snow and ice. we human beings are far too dependent on habit to be able to tear ourselves abruptly from the surroundings with which we have been obliged to be familiar for many months. that outsiders would perhaps pray all the powers of goodness to preserve them from such surroundings, does not counteract the full validity of this rule. to an overwhelming majority of our fellow-men framheim will certainly appear as one of those spots on our planet where they would least of all wish to find themselves -- a god-forsaken, out-of-the-way hole that could offer nothing but the very climax of desolation, discomfort, and boredom. to us nine, who stood on the gangway ready to leave this place, things appeared somewhat differently. that strong little house, that now lay entirely hidden beneath the snow behind mount nelson, had for a whole year been our home, and a thoroughly good and comfortable home it was, where after so many a hard day's work we had found all the rest and quiet we wanted. through the whole antarctic winter -- and it is a winter -- those four walls had protected us so well that many a poor wretch in milder latitudes would have envied us with all his heart, if he could have seen us. in conditions so hard that every form of life flies headlong from them, we had lived on at framheim undisturbed and untroubled, and lived, be it said, not as animals, but as civilized human beings, who had always within their reach most of the good things that are found in a well-ordered home. darkness and cold reigned outside, and the blizzards no doubt did their best to blot out most traces of our activity, but these enemies never came within the door of our excellent dwelling; there we shared quarters with light and warmth and comfort. what wonder was it that this spot exercised a strong attraction upon each of us at the moment when we were to turn our backs upon it for good? outside the great world beckoned to us, that is true; and it might have much to offer us that we had had to forego for a long time; but in what awaited us there was certainly a great deal that we would gladly have put off for as long as possible. when everyday life came with its cares and worries, it might well happen that we should look back with regret to our peaceful and untroubled existence at framheim. however, this feeling of melancholy was hardly so strong that we could not all get over it comparatively quickly. judging by the faces, at any rate, one would have thought that joy was the most predominant mood. and why not? it was no use dwelling on the past, however attractive it might seem just then, and as to the future, we had every right to expect the best of it. who cared to think of coming troubles? no one. therefore the fram was dressed with flags from stem to stern, and therefore faces beamed at each other as we said good-bye to our home on the barrier. we could leave it with the consciousness that the object of our year's stay had been attained, and, after all, this consciousness was of considerably more weight than the thought that we had been so happy there. one thing that in the course of our two years' association on this expedition contributed enormously to making time pass easily and keeping each of us in full vigour was the entire absence of what i may call "dead periods." as soon as one problem was solved, another instantly appeared. no sooner was one goal reached, than the next one beckoned from afar. in this way we always had our hands full, and when that is the case, as everyone knows, time flies quickly. one often hears it asked, how is it possible to make the time pass on such a trip? my good friends, i would answer, if anything caused us worry, it was the thought of how we should find time enough for all we had to do. perhaps to many this assertion will bear the stamp of improbability; it is, nevertheless, absolutely true. those who have read this narrative through will, in any case, have received the impression that unemployment was an evil that was utterly unknown in our little community. at the stage where we now found ourselves, with the main object of our enterprise achieved, there might have been reason to expect a certain degree of relaxation of interest. this, however, was not the case. the fact was that what we had done would have no real value until it was brought to the knowledge of mankind, and this communication had to be made with as little loss of time as possible. if anyone was interested in being first in the market it was certainly ourselves. the probability was, no doubt, that we were out in good time; but, in spite of all, it was only a probability. on the other hand, it was absolutely certain that we had a voyage of , nautical miles to hobart, which had been selected as our first port of call; and it was almost equally certain that this voyage would be both slow and troublesome. a year before our trip through ross sea had turned out almost like a pleasure cruise, but that was in the middle of summer. now we were in february, and autumn was at hand. as regards the belt of drift-ice, captain nilsen thought that would cause us no delay in future. he had discovered a patent and infallible way of getting through! this sounded like a rather bold assertion, but, as will be seen later, he was as good as his word. our worst troubles would be up in the westerlies, where we should this time be exposed to the unpleasant possibility of having to beat. the difference in longitude between the bay of whales and hobart is nearly fifty degrees. if we could have sailed off this difference in longitude in the latitudes where we then were, and where a degree of longitude is only about thirteen nautical miles, it would all have been done in a twinkling; but the mighty mountain ranges of north victoria land were a decisive obstacle. we should first have to follow a northerly course until we had rounded the antarctic continent's northern outpost, cape adare, and the balleny islands to the north of it. not till then would the way be open for us to work to the west; but then we should be in a region where in all probability the wind would be dead against us, and as to tacking with the fram -- no, thank you! every single man on board knew enough of the conditions to be well aware of what awaited us, and it is equally certain that the thoughts of all were centred upon how we might conquer our coming difficulties in the best and quickest way. it was the one great, common object that still bound, and would continue to bind, us all together in our joint efforts. among the items of news that we had just received from the outer world was the message that the australian antarctic expedition under dr. douglas mawson would be glad to take over some of our dogs, if we had any to spare. the base of this expedition was hobart, and as far as that went, this suited us very well. it chanced that we were able to do our esteemed colleague this small service. on leaving the barrier we could show a pack of thirty-nine dogs, many of which had grown up during our year's stay there; about half had survived the whole trip from norway, and eleven had been at the south pole. it had been our intention only to keep a suitable number as the progenitors of a new pack for the approaching voyage in the arctic ocean, but dr. mawson's request caused us to take all the thirty-nine on board. of these dogs, if nothing unforeseen happened, we should be able to make over twenty-one to him. when the last load was brought down, there was nothing to do but to pull the dogs over the side, and then we were ready. it was quite curious to see how several of the old veterans seemed at home again on the fram's deck. wisting's brave dog, the old colonel, with his two adjutants, suggen and arne, at once took possession of the places where they had stood for so many a long day on the voyage south -- on the starboard side of the mainmast; the two twins, mylius and ring, helmer hanssen's special favourites, began their games away in the corner of the fore-deck to port, as though nothing had happened. to look at those two merry rascals no one would have thought they had trotted at the head of the whole caravan both to and from the pole. one solitary dog could be seen stalking about, lonely and reserved, in a continual uneasy search. this was the boss of bjaaland's team. he was unaffected by any advances; no one could take the place of his fallen comrade and friend, frithjof, who had long ago found a grave in the stomachs of his companions many hundreds of miles across the barrier. no sooner was the last dog helped on board, and the two ice-anchors released, than the engine-room telegraph rang, and the engine was at once set going to keep us from any closer contact with the ice-foot in the bay of whales. our farewell to this snug harbour took almost the form of a leap from one world to another; the fog hung over us as thick as gruel, concealing all the surrounding outlines behind its clammy curtain, as we stood out. after a lapse of three or four hours, it lifted quite suddenly, but astern of us the bank of fog still stood like a wall; behind it the panorama, which we knew would have looked wonderful in clear weather, and which we should so gladly have let our eyes rest upon as long as we could, was entirely concealed. the same course we had steered when coming in a year before could safely be taken in the opposite direction now we were going out. the outlines of the bay had remained absolutely unchanged during the year that had elapsed. even the most projecting point of the wall on the west side of the bay, cape man's head, stood serenely in its old place, and it looked as if it was in no particular hurry to remove itself. it will probably stay where it is for many a long day yet, for if any movement of the ice mass is taking place at the inner end of the bay, it is in any case very slight. only in one respect did the condition of things differ somewhat this year from the preceding. whereas in the greater part of the bay was free of sea-ice as early as january , in there was no opening until about fourteen days later. the ice-sheet had stubbornly held on until the fresh north-easterly breeze, that appeared on the very day the southern party returned, had rapidly provided a channel of open water. the breaking up of the ice could not possibly have taken place at a more convenient moment; the breeze in question saved us a great deal, both of time and trouble, as the way to the place where the fram lay before the ice broke up was about five times as long as the distance we now had to go. this difference of fourteen days in the time of the disappearance of the ice in two summers showed us how lucky we had been to choose that particular year -- -- for our landing here. the work which we carried out in three weeks in , thanks to the early breaking up of the ice, would certainly have taken us double the time in , and would have caused us far more difficulty and trouble. the thick fog that, as i have said, lay over the bay of whales when we left it, prevented us also from seeing what our friends the japanese were doing. the kainan maru had put to sea in company with the fram during the gale of january , and since that time we had seen nothing of them. those members of the expedition who had been left behind in a tent on the edge of the barrier to the north of framheim had also been very retiring of late. on the day we left the place, one of our own party had an interview with two of the foreigners. prestrud had gone to fetch the flag that had been set up on cape man's head as a signal to the fram that all had returned. by the side of the flag a tent had been put up, which was intended as a shelter for a lookout man, in case the fram had been delayed. when prestrud came up, he was no doubt rather surprised to find himself face to face with two sons of nippon, who were engaged in inspecting our tent and its contents, which, however, only consisted of a sleeping-bag and a primus. the japanese had opened the conversation with enthusiastic phrases about "nice day" and "plenty ice"; when our man had expressed his absolute agreement on these indisputable facts, he tried to get information on matters of more special interest. the two strangers told him that for the moment they were the only inhabitants of the tent out on the edge of the barrier. two of their companions had gone on a tour into the barrier to make meteorological observations, and were to be away about a week. the kainan maru had gone on another cruise in the direction of king edward land. as far as they knew, it was intended that the ship should be back before february , and that all the members of the expedition should then go on board and sail to the north. prestrud had invited his two new acquaintances to visit us at framheim, the sooner the better; they delayed their coming too long, however, for us to be able to wait for them. if they have since been at framheim, they will at any rate be able to bear witness that we did our best to make things comfortable for any successors. when the fog lifted, we found ourselves surrounded by open sea, practically free from ice, on all sides. a blue-black sea, with a heavy, dark sky above it, is not usually reckoned among the sights that delight the eye. to our organs of vision it was a real relief to come into surroundings where dark colours predominated. for months we had been staring at a dazzling sea of white, where artificial means had constantly to be employed to protect the eyes against the excessive flood of light. as a rule, it was even necessary to limit the exposure of the pupils to a minimum, and to draw the eyelids together. now we could once more look on the world with open eyes, literally "without winking "; even such a commonplace thing as this is an experience in one's life. ross sea showed itself again on its most favourable side. a cat's paw of south-westerly wind enabled us to use the sails, so that after a lapse of two days we were already about two hundred miles from the barrier. modest as this distance may be in itself, when seen on the chart it looked quite imposing in our eyes. it must be remembered that, with the means of transport we had employed on land, it cost us many a hard day's march to cover a distance of two hundred geographical miles. nilsen had marked on the chart the limits of the belt of drift-ice during the three passages the fram had already made. the supposition that an available opening is always to be found in the neighbourhood of the th meridian appears to be confirmed. the slight changes in the position of the channel were only caused, according to nilsen's experiences, by variations in the direction of the wind. he had found that it always answered his purpose to turn and try to windward, if the pack showed signs of being close. this mode of procedure naturally had the effect of making the course somewhat crooked, but to make up for this it had always resulted in his finding open water. on this trip we reached the edge of the pack-ice belt three days after leaving the barrier. the position of the belt proved to be very nearly the same as on previous passages. after we had held our course for some hours, however, the ice became so thick that it looked badly for our further progress. now was the time to try nilsen's method: the wind, which, by the way, was quite light, came about due west, and accordingly the helm was put to starboard and the bow turned to the west. for a good while we even steered true south, but it proved that this fairly long turn had not been made in vain; after we had worked our way to windward for a few hours, we found openings in numbers. if we had held our course as we began, it is not at all impossible that we should have been delayed for a long time, with a free passage a few miles away. after having accomplished this first long turn, we escaped having to make any more in future. the ice continued slack, and on february the rapidly increasing swell told us that we had done with the antarctic drift-ice for good. i doubt if we saw a single seal during our passage through the ice-belt this time; and if we had seen any, we should scarcely have allowed the time for shooting them. there was plenty of good food both for men and dogs this time, without our having recourse to seal-beef. for the dogs we had brought all our remaining store of the excellent dogs' pemmican, and that was not a little. besides this, we had a good lot of dried fish. they had fish and pemmican on alternate days. on this diet the animals kept in such splendid condition that, when on arrival at hobart they had shed most of their rough winter coats, they looked as if they had been in clover for a year. for the nine of us who had just joined the ship, our comrades on board had brought all the way from buenos aires several fat pigs, that were now living in luxury in their pen on the after-deck; in addition to these, three fine sheep's carcasses hung in the workroom. it need scarcely be said that we were fully capable of appreciating these unexpected luxuries. seal-beef, no doubt, had done excellent service, but this did not prevent roast mutton and pork being a welcome change, especially as they came as a complete surprise. i hardly think one of us had counted on the possibility of getting fresh meat before we were back again in civilization. on her arrival at the bay of whales there were eleven men on board the fram, all included. instead of kutschin and nödtvedt, who had gone home from buenos aires while the ship was there in the autumn of , three new men were engaged -- namely, halvorsen, olsen and steller; the two first-named were from bergen; steller was a german, who had lived for several years in norway, and talked norwegian like a native. all three were remarkably efficient and friendly men; it was a pleasure to have any dealings with them. i venture to think that they, too, found themselves at home in our company; they were really only engaged until the fram called at the first port, but they stayed on board all the way to buenos aires, and will certainly go with us farther still. when the shore party came on board, lieutenant prestrud took up his old position as first officer; the others began duty at once. all told, we were now twenty men on board, and after the fram had sailed for a year rather short-handed, she could now be said to have a full crew again. on this voyage we had no special work outside the usual sea routine, and so long as the weather was fair, we had thus a comparatively quiet life on board. but the hours of watch on deck passed quickly enough, i expect; there was material in plenty for many a long chat now. if we, who came from land, showed a high degree of curiosity about what had been going on in the world, the sea-party were at least as eager to have full information of every detail of our year-long stay on the barrier. one must almost have experienced something similar oneself to be able to form an idea of the hail of questions that is showered upon one on such an occasion. what we land-lubbers had to relate has been given in outline in the preceding chapters. of the news we heard from outside, perhaps nothing interested us so much as the story of how the change in the plan of the expedition had been received at home and abroad. it must have been at least a week before there was any noticeable ebb in the flood of questions and answers. that week went by quickly; perhaps more quickly than we really cared for, since it proved that the fram was not really able to keep pace with time. the weather remained quite well behaved, but not exactly in the way we wished. we had reckoned that the south-easterly and easterly winds, so frequent around framheim, would also show themselves out in ross sea, but they entirely forgot to do so. we had little wind, and when there was any, it was, as a rule, a slant from the north, always enough to delay our honest old ship. it was impossible to take any observations for the first eight days, the sky was continuously overcast. if one occasionally asked the skipper about her position, he usually replied that the only thing that could be said for certain was that we were in ross sea. on february , however, according to a fairly good noon observation, we were well to the north of cape adare, and therefore beyond the limits of the antarctic continent. on the way northward we passed cape adare at a distance hardly greater than could have been covered with a good day's sailing; but our desire of making this detour had to give way to the chief consideration -- northward, northward as quickly as possible. there is usually plenty of wind in the neighbourhood of bold promontories, and cape adare is no exception in this respect; it is well known as a centre of bad weather. nor did we slip by without getting a taste of this; but it could not have been more welcome, as it happened that the wind was going the same way as ourselves. two days of fresh south-east wind took us comparatively quickly past the balleny islands, and on february we could congratulate ourselves on being well out of the south frigid zone. it was with joy that we had crossed the antarctic circle over a year ago, going south; perhaps we rejoiced no less at crossing it this time in the opposite direction. in the bustle of getting away from our winter-quarters there had been no time for any celebration of the fortunate reunion of the land and sea parties. as this occasion for festivity had been let slip, we had to look out for another, and we agreed that the day of our passage from the frigid to the temperate zone afforded a very good excuse. the pre-arranged part of the programme was extremely simple: an extra cup of coffee, duly accompanied by punch and cigars, and some music on the gramophone. our worthy gramophone could not offer anything that had the interest of novelty to us nine who had wintered at framheim: we knew the whole repertoire pretty well by heart; but the well-known melodies awakened memories of many a pleasant saturday evening around the toddy table in our cosy winter home down at the head of the bay of whales -- memories which we need not be ashamed of recalling. on board the fram gramophone music had not been heard since christmas eve, , and the members of the sea party were glad enough to encore more than one number. outside the limits of the programme we were treated to an extra number by a singer, who imitated the gramophone in utilizing a big megaphone, to make up for the deficiencies of his voice -- according to his own statement. he hid behind the curtain of captain nilsen's cabin, and through the megaphone came a ditty intended to describe life on the barrier from its humorous side. it was completely successful, and we again had a laugh that did us good. performances of this kind, of course, only have a value to those who have taken part in or are acquainted with the events to which they refer. in case any outsider may be interested in seeing what our entertainment was like, a few of the verses are given here. it must be remarked that the author composed his production in the supposition that we should be able to meet by christmas, and he therefore proposed that for the moment we should imagine ourselves to be celebrating that festival. we made no difficulty about acceding to his request: well, here we are assembled to jollity once more, some from off the ocean and the rest from off the shore. a year has passed since last we met and all are safe and sound, then let us banish all our cares and join our hands all round. christmas, happy christmas! let us pass the flowing bowl, fill your glasses all, and let's make "sails" a wee bit full. for all i'll say is this -- that it's in his country's cause; if he staggers just a little, it is in his country's cause. now you sailor boys shall hear about the time we have gone through: the winter -- well, it wasn't long, we had so much to do. there was digging snow, and sleeping -- you can bet we're good at that -- and eating, too -- no wonder that we're all a little fat. we had hot cakes for our breakfast and "hermetik" each day, mutton pies, ragouts and curries, for that is lindström's way. but all i'll say is this -- that 'twas in our country's cause, if we stuffed ourselves with dainties, it was in our country's cause. september came and off we went -- that trip was pretty tough; our compasses all went on strike, they thought it cold enough. the brandy in the captain's flask froze to a lump of ice; we all agreed, both men and dogs, such weather wasn't nice. so back we went to framheim to thaw our heels and toes; it could not be quite healthy when our feet and fingers froze. but all i say is this -- that 'twas in our country's cause, and we did not mind a frost-bite when 'twas in our country's cause. the sun came up and warmed us then a little day by day; five men went out again and toiled along the southern way. this time they conquered snow and ice, and all the world may hear that norway's flag flies at the pole. now, boys, a ringing cheer for him who led them forward through the mountains and the plain, up to the goal they aimed at, and safely back again. but all i'll say is this -- that 'twas in his country's cause; if he went through and won the pole, 'twas in his country's cause. it could soon be noticed, in one way and another, that we had reached latitudes where existence took a very different aspect from what we had been accustomed to south of the th parallel. one welcome change was the rise in temperature; the mercury now climbed well above freezing-point, and those individuals on board who were still more or less clad in skins, shed the last remnants of their polar garb for a lighter and more convenient costume. those who waited longest before making the change were the ones who belonged to the shore party. the numerous people who imagine that a long stay in the polar regions makes a man less susceptible of cold than other mortals are completely mistaken. the direct opposite is more likely to be the case. a man who stays some time in a place where the everyday temperature is down in the fifties below zero, or more than that, will not trouble himself greatly about the cold, so long as he has good and serviceable skin clothing. let the same man, rigged out in civilized clothes, be suddenly put down in the streets of christiania on a winter day, with thirty or thirty-five degrees of frost, and the poor fellow's teeth will chatter till they fall out of his mouth. the fact is, that on a polar trip one defends oneself effectively against the cold; when one comes back, and has to go about with the protection afforded by an overcoat, a stiff collar, and a hard hat -- well, then one feels it. a less welcome consequence of the difference in latitude was the darkening of the nights. it may be admitted that continual daylight would be unpleasant in the long run ashore, but aboard ship an everlasting day would certainly be preferred, if such a thing could be had. even if we might now consider that we had done with the principal mass of antarctic ice, we still had to reckon with its disagreeable outposts -- the icebergs. it has already been remarked that a practised look-out man can see the blink of one of the larger bergs a long way off in the dark, but when it is a question of one of the smaller masses of ice, of which only an inconsiderable part rises above the surface, there is no such brightness, and therefore no warning. a little lump like this is just as dangerous as a big berg; you run the same risks in a possible collision of knocking a hole in the bows or carrying away the rigging. in these transitional regions, where the temperature of the water is always very low, the thermometer is a very doubtful guide. the waters in which we were sailing are not yet so well known as to exclude the possibility of meeting with land. captain colbeck, who commanded one of the relief ships sent south during scott's first expedition, came quite unexpectedly upon a little island to the east of cape adare; this island was afterwards named after captain scott. when captain colbeck made his discovery, he was about on the course that has usually been taken by ships whose destination was within the limits of ross sea. there is still a possibility that in going out of one's course, voluntarily or involuntarily, one may find more groups of islands in that part. on the current charts of the south pacific there are marked several archipelagoes and islands, the position of which is not a little doubtful. one of these -- emerald island -- is charted as lying almost directly in the course we had to follow to reach hobart. captain davis, who took shackleton's ship, the nimrod, home to england in , sailed, however, right over the point where emerald island should be found according to the chart without seeing anything of it. if it exists at all, it is, at any rate, incorrectly charted. in order to avoid its vicinity, and still more in order to get as far as possible to the west before we came into the westerly belt proper, we pressed on as much as we could for one hard week, or perhaps nearer two; but a continual north-west wind seemed for a long time to leave us only two disagreeable possibilities, either of drifting to the eastward, or of finding ourselves down in the drift-ice to the north of wilkes land. those weeks were a very severe trial of patience to the many on board who were burning with eagerness to get ashore with our news, and perhaps to hear some in return. when the first three weeks of february were past, we were not much more than half-way; with anything like favourable conditions we ought to have arrived by that time. the optimists always consoled us by saying that sooner or later there would be a change for the better, and at last it came. a good spell of favourable wind took us at a bound well to the windward both of the doubtful emerald island and of the authentic macquarie group to the north of it. it may be mentioned in passing, that at the time we went by, the most southerly wireless telegraphy station in the world was located on one of the macquarie islands. the installation belonged to dr. mawson's antarctic expedition. dr. mawson also took with him apparatus for installing a station on the antarctic continent itself, but, so far as is known, no connection was accomplished the first year. during this fortunate run we had come so far to the west that our course to hobart was rapidly approaching true north. on the other hand, we should have liked to be able to take advantage of the prevailing winds, -- the westerlies. these vary little from one year to another, and we found them much the same as we had been accustomed to before: frequent, stiff breezes from the north-west, which generally held for about twelve hours, and then veered to west or south-west. so long as the north-wester was blowing, there was nothing to do but to lie to with shortened sail; when the change of wind came, we made a few hours' progress in the right direction. in this way we crept step by step northward to our destination. it was slow enough, no doubt; but every day the line of our course on the chart grew a little longer, and towards the end of february the distance between us and the southern point of tasmania had shrunk to very modest dimensions. with the constant heavy westerly swell, the fram, light as she now was, surpassed herself in rolling, and that is indeed saying a great deal. this rolling brought us a little damage to the rigging, the gaff of the mainsail breaking; however, that affair did not stop us long. the broken spar was quickly replaced by a spare gaff. our hopes of arriving before the end of february came to naught, and a quarter of march went by before our voyage was at an end. on the afternoon of march , we had our first glimpse of land; but, as the weather was by no means clear and we had not been able to determine our longitude with certainty for two days, we were uncertain which point of tasmania we had before us. to explain the situation, a short description of the coast-line is necessary. the southern angle of tasmania runs out in three promontories; off the easternmost of these, and only divided from it by a very narrow channel, lies a steep and apparently inaccessible island, called tasman island. it is, however, accessible, for on the top of it -- feet above the sea -- stands a lighthouse. the middle promontory is called tasman head, and between this and the eastern one we have storm bay, which forms the approach to hobart; there, then, lay our course. the question was, which of the three heads we had sighted. this was difficult, or rather impossible, to decide, so indistinct was the outline of the land in the misty air; it was also entirely unknown to us, as not one of us had ever before been in this corner of the world. when darkness came on, a heavy rain set in, and without being able to see anything at all, we lay there feeling our way all night. with the appearance of daylight a fresh south-west wind came and swept away most of the rain, so that we could again make out the land. we decided that what we saw was the middle promontory, tasman head, and gaily set our course into storm bay -- as we thought. with the rapidly strengthening breeze we went spinningly, and the possibility of reaching hobart in a few hours began to appear as a dead certainty. with this comfortable feeling we had just sat down to the breakfast table in the fore-saloon, when the door was pulled open with what seemed unnecessary violence, and the face of the officer of the watch appeared in the doorway. "we're on the wrong side of the head," was the sinister message, and the face disappeared. good-bye to our pleasant plans, good-bye to our breakfast! all hands went on deck at once, and it was seen only too well that the melancholy information was correct. we had made a mistake in the thick rain. the wind, that had now increased to a stiff breeze, had chased the rain-clouds from the tops of the hills, and on the point we had taken for tasman head, we now saw the lighthouse. it was therefore tasman island, and instead of being in storm bay, we were out in the open pacific, far to leeward of the infamous headland. there was nothing to be done but to beat and attempt to work our way back to windward, although we knew it would be practically labour in vain. the breeze increased to a gale, and instead of making any headway we had every prospect of drifting well to leeward; that was the usual result of trying to beat with the fram. rather annoyed though we were, we set to work to do what could be done, and with every square foot of canvas set the fram pitched on her way close-hauled. to begin with, it looked as if we held our own more or less, but as the distance from land increased and the wind got more force, our bearings soon showed us that we were going the way the hen kicks. about midday we went about and stood in towards land again; immediately after came a violent squall which tore the outer jib to ribbons; with that we were also obliged to take in the mainsail, otherwise it would pretty soon have been caught aback, and there would have been further damage to the rigging. with the remaining sails any further attempt was useless; there was nothing left but to get as close under the lee of the land as we could and try with the help of the engine to hold our own till the weather moderated. how it blew that afternoon! one gust after another came dancing down the slopes of the hills, and tore at the rigging till the whole vessel shook. the feeling on board was, as might be expected, somewhat sultry, and found an outlet in various expressions the reverse of gentle. wind, weather, fate, and life in general were inveighed against, but this availed little. the peninsula that separated us from storm bay still lay there firm and immovable, and the gale went on as if it was in no hurry to let us get round. the whole day went by, and the greater part of the night, without any change taking place. not till the morning of the th did our prospects begin to improve. the wind became lighter and went more to the south; that was, of course, the way we had to go, but by hugging the shore, where we had perfectly smooth water, we succeeded in working our way down to tasman island before darkness fell. the night brought a calm, and that gave us our chance. the engine worked furiously, and a slight favourable current contributed to set us on our way. by dawn on the th we were far up storm bay and could at last consider ourselves masters of the situation. it was a sunny day, and our faces shone in rivalry with the sun; all trace of the last two days' annoyances had vanished. and soon the fram, too, began to shine. the white paint on deck had a thorough overhauling with soap and water in strong solution. the ripolin was again as fresh as when new. when this had been seen to, the outward appearance of the men also began to undergo a striking change. the iceland jackets and "blanket costumes" from horten gave way to "shore clothes" of the most varied cut, hauled out after a two years' rest; razors and scissors had made a rich harvest, and sailmaker rönne's fashionable burberry caps figured on most heads. even lindström, who up to date had held the position among the land party of being its heaviest, fattest, and blackest member, showed unmistakable signs of having been in close contact with water. meanwhile we were nearing a pilot station, and a bustling little motor launch swung alongside. "want a pilot, captain?" one positively started at the sound of the first new human voice. communication with the outer world was again established. the pilot -- a brisk, good-humoured old man -- looked about him in surprise when he came up on to our deck. "i should never have imagined things were so clean and bright on board a polar ship," he said; "nor should i have thought from the look of you that you had come from antarctica. you look as if you had had nothing but a good time." we could assure him of that, but as to the rest, it was not our intention just yet to allow ourselves to be pumped, and the old man could see that. he had no objection to our pumping him, though he had no very great store of news to give us. he had heard nothing of the terra nova; on the other hand, he was able to tell us that dr. mawson's ship, the aurora, commanded by captain davis, might be expected at hobart any day. they had been looking out for the fram since the beginning of february, and had given us up long ago. that was a surprise, anyhow. our guest evidently had no desire to make the acquaintance of our cuisine; at any rate, he very energetically declined our invitation to breakfast. presumably he was afraid of being treated to dog's flesh or similar original dishes. on the other hand, he showed great appreciation of our norwegian tobacco. he had his handbag pretty nearly full when he left us. hobart town lies on the bank of the derwent river, which runs into storm bay. the surroundings are beautiful, and the soil evidently extremely fertile; but woods and fields were almost burnt up on our arrival; a prolonged drought had prevailed, and made an end of all green things. to our eyes it was, however, an unmixed delight to look upon meadows and woods, even if their colours were not absolutely fresh. we were not very difficult to please on that score. the harbour of hobart is an almost ideal one, large and remarkably well protected. as we approached the town, the usual procession of harbour-master, doctor, and custom-house officers came aboard. the doctor soon saw that there was no work for his department, and the custom-house officers were easily convinced that we had no contraband goods. the anchor was dropped, and we were free to land. i took my cablegrams, and accompanied the harbour-master ashore. chapter xv the eastern sledge journey by lieutenant k. prestrud on october , , the southern party started on their long journey. the departure took place without much ceremony, and with the smallest possible expenditure of words. a hearty grasp of the hand serves the purpose quite as well on such occasions. i accompanied them to the place we called the starting-point, on the south side of the bay. after a final "good luck" to our chief and comrades -- as sincere a wish as i have ever bestowed upon anyone -- i cinematographed the caravan, and very soon after it was out of sight. those fellows went southward at a great pace, helmer hanssen's quick-footed team leading as usual. there i stood, utterly alone, and i cannot deny that i was a prey to somewhat mixed feelings. when should we see those five again, who had just disappeared from view on the boundless plain, and in what conditions? what sort of a report would they bring of the result? there was plenty of room for guesses here, and abundant opportunity for weighing every possibility, good and bad; but there was very little to be gained by indulging in speculations of that sort. the immediate facts first claimed attention. one fact, amongst others, was that framheim was a good three miles away; another was that the cinematograph apparatus weighed a good many pounds; and a third that lindström would be mightily put out if i arrived too late for dinner. our chef insisted on a high standard of punctuality in the matter of meal-times. homeward, then, at the best speed possible. the speed, however, was not particularly good, and i began to prepare for the consequences of a long delay. on the other side of the bay i could just make out a little black speck, that seemed to be in motion towards me. i thought at first it was a seal, but, fortunately, it turned out to be jörgen stubberud with six dogs and a sledge. this was quite encouraging: in the first place, i should get rid of my unmanageable burden, and in the second i might expect to get on faster. stubberud's team consisted, however, of four intractable puppies, besides puss and another courser of similar breed; the result was that our pace was a modest one and our course anything but straight, so that we arrived at framheim two hours after the time appointed for dinner. those who know anything of master lindström and his disposition will easily be able from this explanation to form an idea of his state of mind at the moment when we entered the door. yes, he was undoubtedly angry, but we were at least equally hungry; and if anything can soften the heart of a norwegian caterer, it is a ravenous appetite in those he has to feed, provided, of course, that he have enough to offer them, and lindström's supplies were practically unlimited. i remember that dinner well: at the same table where eight of us had sat for so many months, there were now only three left -- johansen, stubberud, and i. we had more room, it is true, but that gain was a poor satisfaction. we missed those who had gone very badly, and our thoughts were always following them. the first thing we discussed on this occasion was how many miles they might be expected to do that day: nor was this the last dispute we had on the same theme. during the weeks and months that followed, it was constantly to the fore, and gave plenty of material for conversation when we had exhausted our own concerns. as regards these latter, my instructions were . to go to king edward vii. land, and there carry out what exploration time and circumstances might permit. . to survey and map the bay of whales and its immediate surroundings. . as far as possible to keep the station at framheim in order, in case we might have to spend another winter there. as regards time, my orders were to be back at framheim before we could reasonably expect the arrival of the fram. this was, and would necessarily remain, somewhat uncertain. no doubt we all had a great idea of the fram's capacity for keeping time, and lieutenant nilsen had announced his intention of being back by christmas or the new year; but nevertheless a year is a long time, and there are many miles in a trip round the world. if we assumed that no mishap had occurred to the fram, and that she had left buenos aires at the time fixed in the plan -- october , -- she would in all probability be able to arrive at the bay of whales about the middle of january, . on the basis of this calculation we decided, if possible, to get the sledge journey to king edward land done before christmas, while the surveying work around the bay would have to be postponed to the first half of january, . i thought, however, seeing the advantages of working while the bay was still frozen over, that it would pay to devote a few days -- immediately following the departure of the southern party -- to the preparatory work of measuring. but this did not pay at all. we had reckoned without the weather, and in consequence were well taken in. when one thinks over it afterwards, it seems reasonable enough that the final victory of mild weather over the remains of the antarctic winter cannot be accomplished without serious disturbances of the atmospheric conditions. the expulsion of one evil has to be effected by the help of another; and the weather was bad with a vengeance. during the two weeks that followed october there were only three or four days that offered any chance of working with the theodolite and plane-table. we managed to get a base-line measured, , metres long, and to lay out the greater part of the east side of the bay, as well as the most prominent points round the camp; but one had positively to snatch one's opportunities by stealth, and every excursion ended regularly in bringing the instruments home well covered with snow. if the bad weather thus put hindrances in the way of the work we were anxious to do, it made up for it by providing us with a lot of extra work which we could very well have done without. there was incessant shovelling of snow to keep any sort of passage open to the four dog-tents that were left standing, as well as to our own underground dwelling, over which the snow covering had been growing constantly higher. the fairly high wall that we had originally built on the east side of the entrance door was now entirely buried in the snow-drift. it had given us good protection; now the drift had unimpeded access, and the opening, like the descent into a cellar, that led down to the door, was filled up in the course of a few hours when the wind was in the right quarter. lindström shook his head when we sometimes asked him how he would get on by himself if the weather continued in this way. "so long as there's nothing but snow in the way, i'll manage to get out," said he. one day he came and told us that he could no longer get at the coal, and on further investigation it looked rather difficult. the roof of the place where the coal was stored had yielded to the pressure of the mass of snow, and the whole edifice had collapsed. there was nothing to be done but to set to work at once, and after a great deal of hard labour we got the remainder of the precious fuel moved into the long snow tunnel that led from the house to the coal-store. with that our "black diamonds" were in safety for the time being. this job made us about as black as the "diamonds." when we came in the cook, as it happened, had just been doing a big wash on his own account -- a comparatively rare event -- and there was surprise on both sides. the cook was as much taken aback at seeing us so black as we were at seeing him so clean. all the snow-shovelling that resulted from the continued bad weather, in conjunction with the necessary preparations for the sledge journey, gave us plenty of occupation, but i will venture to say that none of us would care to go through those days again. we were delayed in our real work, and delay, which is unpleasant enough in any circumstances, was all the more unwelcome down here, where time is so precious. as we only had two sledges on which to transport supplies for three men and sixteen dogs, besides all our outfit, and as on our trip we should have no depots to fall back on, the duration of the journey could not be extended much beyond six weeks. in order to be back again by christmas, we had, therefore, to leave before the middle of november. it would do no harm, however, to be off before this, and as soon as november arrived we took the first opportunity of disappearing. on account of getting on the right course, we preferred that the start should take place in clear weather. the fact was that we were obliged to go round by the depot in ° s. as king edward land lies to the east, or rather north-east, of framheim, this was a considerable detour; it had to be made, because in september we had left at this depot all the packed sledging provisions, a good deal of our personal equipment, and, finally, some of the necessary instruments. on the way to the depot, about thirty geographical miles south of framheim, we had the nasty crevassed surface that had been met with for the first time on the third depot journey in the autumn of -- in the month of april. at that time we came upon it altogether unawares, and it was somewhat remarkable that we escaped from it with the loss of two dogs. this broken surface lay in a depression about a mile to the west of the route originally marked out; but, however it may have been, it seems ever since that time to have exercised an irresistible attraction. on our first attempt to go south, in september, , we came right into the middle of it, in spite of the fact that it was then perfectly clear. i afterwards heard that in spite of all their efforts, the southern party, on their last trip, landed in this dangerous region, and that one man had a very narrow escape of falling in with sledge and dogs. i had no wish to expose myself to the risk of such accidents -- at any rate, while we were on familiar ground. that would have been a bad beginning to my first independent piece of work as a polar explorer. a day or two of fine weather to begin with would enable us to follow the line originally marked out, and thus keep safe ground under our feet until the ugly place was passed. in the opening days of november the weather conditions began to improve somewhat; in any case, there was not the continual driving snow. lindström asked us before we left to bring up a sufficient quantity of seals, to save him that work as long as possible. the supply we had had during the winter was almost exhausted; there was only a certain amount of blubber left. we thought it only fair to accede to his wish, as it is an awkward business to transport those heavy beasts alone, especially when one has only a pack of unbroken puppies to drive. we afterwards heard that lindström had some amusing experiences with them during the time he was left alone. leaving the transport out of the question, this seal-hunting is a very tame sport. an old arctic hand or an eskimo would certainly be astounded to see the placid calm with which the antarctic seal allows itself to be shot and cut up. to them antarctica would landed in this dangerous region, and that one man had a very narrow escape of falling in with sledge and dogs. i had no wish to expose myself to the risk of such accidents -- at any rate, while we were on familiar ground. that would have been a bad beginning to my first independent piece of work as a polar explorer. a day or two of fine weather to begin with would enable us to follow the line originally marked out, and thus keep safe ground under our feet until the ugly place was passed. in the opening days of november the weather conditions began to improve somewhat; in any case, there was not the continual driving snow. lindström asked us before we left to bring up a sufficient quantity of seals, to save him that work as long as possible. the supply we had had during the winter was almost exhausted; there was only a certain amount of blubber left. we thought it only fair to accede to his wish, as it is an awkward business to transport those heavy beasts alone, especially when one has only a pack of unbroken puppies to drive. we afterwards heard that lindström had some amusing experiences with them during the time he was left alone. leaving the transport out of the question, this seal-hunting is a very tame sport. an old arctic hand or an eskimo would certainly be astounded to see the placid calm with which the antarctic seal allows itself to be shot and cut up. to them antarctica would but it seldom removes itself many yards at a time, for the motions of the seal are just as clumsy and slow on land as they are active and swift in the water. when it has crawled with great pains to a little distance, there is no sign that the interruption has made any lasting impression on it. it looks more as if it took it all as an unpleasant dream or nightmare, which it would be best to sleep off as soon as possible. if one shoots a single seal, this may happen without those lying round so much as raising their heads. indeed, we could open and cut up a seal right before the noses of its companions without this making the slightest impression on them. about the beginning of november the seals began to have their young. so far as we could make out, the females kept out of the water for several days without taking any food, until the young one was big enough to be able to go to sea; otherwise, it did not seem that the mothers cared very much for their little ones. some, it is true, made a sort of attempt to protect their offspring if they were disturbed, but the majority simply left their young ones in the lurch. as far as we were concerned, we left the females and their young as much as possible in peace. we killed two or three new-born seals to get the skins for our collection. it was another matter with the dogs. with them seal-hunting was far too favourite a sport for the opportunity to be neglected. against a full-grown seal, however, they could do nothing; its body offered no particularly vulnerable spots, and the thick, tight-fitting skin was too much even for dogs' teeth. the utmost the rascals could accomplish was to annoy and torment the object of their attack. it was quite another matter when the young ones began to arrive. among this small game the enterprising hunters could easily satisfy their inborn craving for murder, for the scoundrels only killed for the sake of killing; they were not at all hungry, as they had as much food as they liked. of course, we did all we could to put a stop to this state of things, and so long as there were several of us at the hut, we saw that the whole pack was tied up; but when lindström was left by himself, he could not manage to hold them fast. his tents were altogether snowed under in the weather that prevailed on the seaboard in december. there were not many dogs left in his charge, but i am afraid those few wrought great havoc among the young seals out on the ice of the bay. the poor mothers could hardly have done anything against a lot of dogs, even if they had been more courageous. their enemies were too active. for them it was the work of a moment to snatch the young one from the side of its mother, and then they were able to take the poor thing's life undisturbed. unfortunately, there were no sea-leopards in the neighbourhood of framheim. these, which are far quicker in their movements than the weddell seal, and are, moreover, furnished with a formidable set of teeth, would certainly have made the four-footed seal-hunters more careful in their behaviour. after we had brought up to the house enough seals' carcasses to keep the ten or twelve dogs that would be left supplied for a good while, and had cut up a sufficient quantity for our own use on the way to ° s., we took the first opportunity of getting away. before i pass on to give an account of our trip, i wish to say a few words about my companions -- johansen and stubberud. it goes without saying that it gave me, as a beginner, a great feeling of security to have with me such a man as johansen, who possessed many years' experience of all that pertains to sledging expeditions; and as regards stubberud, i could not have wished for a better travelling companion than him either -- a first-rate fellow, steady and efficient in word and deed. as it turned out, we were not to encounter very many difficulties, but one never escapes scot-free on a sledge journey in these regions. i owe my comrades thanks for the way in which they both did their best to smooth our path. johansen and stubberud drove their dog-teams; i myself acted as "forerunner." the drivers had seven dogs apiece. we took so many, because we were not quite sure of what the animals we had were fit for. as was right and proper, the southern party had picked out the best. among those at our disposal there were several that had previously shown signs of being rather quickly tired. true, this happened under very severe conditions. as it turned out, our dogs exceeded all our expectations in the easier conditions of work that prevailed during the summer. on the first part of the way -- as far as the depot in ° s. -- the loads were quite modest. besides the tent, the sleeping-bags, our personal outfit, and instruments, we only had provisions for eight days-seals' flesh for the dogs, and tinned food for ourselves. our real supplies were to be taken from the depot, where there was enough of everything. on november we left framheim, where in future lindström was to reside as monarch of all he surveyed. the weather was as fine as could be wished. i was out with the cinematograph apparatus, in order if possible to immortalize the start. to complete the series of pictures, lindström was to take the forerunner, who was now, be it said, a good way behind those he was supposed to be leading. with all possible emphasis i enjoined lindström only to give the crank five or six turns, and then started off to catch up the drivers. when i had nearly reached the provision store i pulled up, struck by a sudden apprehension. yes, i was right on looking back i discovered that incorrigible person still hard at work with the crank, as though he were going to be paid a pound for every yard of film showing the back view of the forerunner. by making threatening gestures with a ski-pole i stopped the too persistent cinematograph, and then went on to join stubberud, who was only a few yards ahead. johansen had disappeared like a meteor. the last i saw of him was the soles of his boots, as he quite unexpectedly made an elegant backward somersault off the sledge when it was passing over a little unevenness by the provision store. the dogs, of course, made off at full speed, and johansen after them like the wind. we all met again safe and sound at the ascent to the barrier. here a proper order of march was formed, and we proceeded southward. the barrier greeted us with a fresh south wind, that now and then made an attempt to freeze the tip of one's nose; it did not succeed in this, but it delayed us a little. it does not take a great deal of wind on this level plain to diminish the rate of one's progress. but the sun shone too gaily that day to allow a trifle of wind to interfere very much with our enjoyment of life. the surface was so firm that there was hardly a sign of drift-snow. as it was perfectly clear, the mark-flags could be followed the whole time, thus assuring us that, at any rate, the first day's march would be accomplished without any deviation from the right track. at five o'clock we camped, and when we had fed the dogs and come into the tent we could feel how much easier and pleasanter everything was at this season than on the former journeys in autumn and spring. we could move freely in a convenient costume; if we wished, there was nothing to prevent our performing all the work of the camp with bare hands and still preserving our finger-tips unharmed. as i had no dog-team to look after, i undertook the duty of attending to our own needs; that is to say, i acted as cook. this occupation also was considerably easier now than it had been when the temperature was below - ° f. at that time it took half an hour to turn the snow in the cooker into water; now it was done in ten minutes, and the cook ran no risk whatever of getting his fingers frozen in the process. ever since we landed on the barrier in january, , we had been expecting to hear a violent cannonade as the result of the movement of the mass of ice. we had now lived a whole winter at framheim without having observed, as far as i know, the slightest sign of a sound. this was one of many indications that the ice round our winter-quarters was not in motion at all. no one, i believe, had noticed anything of the expected noise on the sledge journeys either, but at the place where we camped on the night of november we did hear it. there was a report about once in two minutes, not exactly loud, but still, there it was. it sounded just as if there was a whole battery of small guns in action down in the depths below us. a few hundred yards to the west of the camp there were a number of small hummocks, which might indicate the presence of crevasses, but otherwise the surface looked safe enough. the small guns kept up a lively crackle all through the night, and combined with a good deal of uproar among the dogs to shorten our sleep. but the first night of a sledge journey is almost always a bad one. stubberud declared that he could not close his eyes on account of "that filthy row." he probably expected the ice to open and swallow him up every time he heard it. the surface, however, held securely, and we turned out to the finest day one could wish to see. it did not require any very great strength of mind to get out of one's sleeping-bag now. the stockings that had been hung up in the evening could be put on again as dry as a bone; the sun had seen to that. our ski boots were as soft as ever; there was not a sign of frost on them. it is quite curious to see the behaviour of the dogs when the first head appears through the tent-door in the morning. they greet their lord and master with the most unmistakable signs of joy, although, of course, they must know that his arrival will be followed by many hours of toil, with, perhaps, a few doses of the whip thrown in; but from the moment he begins to handle the sledge, the dogs look as if they had no desire in the world but to get into the harness as soon as possible and start away. on days like this their troubles would be few; with the light load and good going we had no difficulty in covering nineteen geographical miles in eight hours. johansen's team was on my heels the whole time, and stubberud's animals followed faithfully behind. from time to time we saw sledge-tracks quite plainly; we also kept the mark-flags in sight all day. in the temperatures we now had to deal with our costume was comparatively light -- certainly much lighter than most people imagine; for there is a kind of summer even in antarctica, although the daily readings of the thermometer at this season would perhaps rather remind our friends at home of what they are accustomed to regard as winter. in undertaking a sledge journey down there in autumn or spring, the most extraordinary precautions have to be taken to protect oneself against the cold. skin clothing is then the only thing that is of any use; but at this time of year, when the sun is above the horizon for the whole twenty-four hours, one can go for a long time without being more heavily clad than a lumberman working in the woods. during the march our clothing was usually the following: two sets of woollen underclothes, of which that nearest the skin was quite thin. outside the shirt we wore either an ordinary waistcoat or a comparatively light knitted woollen jersey. outside all came our excellent burberry clothes -- trousers and jacket. when it was calm, with full sunshine, the burberry jacket was too warm; we could then go all day in our shirt-sleeves. to be provided for emergencies, we all had our thinnest reindeer-skin clothes with us; but, so far as i know, these were never used, except as pillows or mattresses. the subject of sleeping-bags has no doubt been thoroughly threshed out on every polar expedition. i do not know how many times we discussed this question, nor can i remember the number of more or less successful patents that were the fruit of these discussions. in any case, one thing is certain, that the adherents of one-man bags were in an overwhelming majority, and no doubt rightly. as regards two-man bags, it cannot be denied that they enable their occupants to keep warm longer; but it is always difficult to find room for two big men in one sack, and if the sack is to be used for sleeping in, and one of the big men takes to snoring into the other's ear, the situation may become quite unendurable. in the temperatures we had on the summer journeys there was no difficulty in keeping warm enough with the one-man bags, and they were used by all of us. on the first southern journey, in september, johansen and i used a double bag between us; in the intense cold that prevailed at that time we managed to get through the night without freezing; but if the weather is so cold that one cannot keep warmth in one's body in good, roomy one-man bags, then it is altogether unfit for sledging journeys. november . -- immediately after the start this morning we tried how we could get on without a forerunner. as long as we were in the line of flags this answered very well; the dogs galloped from one flag to another, while i was able to adopt the easy method of hanging on to stubberud's sledge. about midday we were abreast of the depression already mentioned, where, on the third depot journey last autumn, we ran into a regular net of crevasses. this time we were aware of the danger, and kept to the left; but at the last moment the leading team ran out to the wrong side, and we cut across the eastern part of the dangerous zone. fortunately it was taken at full gallop. it is quite possible that i inwardly wished we were all a few pounds lighter, as our little caravan raced across those thin snow bridges, through which could be seen the blue colour of the ugly gulfs below. but after the lapse of a few long minutes we could congratulate ourselves on getting over with our full numbers. not for anything would i have gone that mile without ski on my feet; it would practically have meant falling in and going out. it is, perhaps, saying a good deal to claim that with ski on, one is absolutely secured against the danger these crevasses present; if misfortunes are abroad, anything may happen. but it would require a very considerable amount of bad luck for man and ski to fall through. november . -- in weather like this, going on the march is like going to a dance: tent, sleeping-bags, and clothes keep soft and dry as a bone. the thermometer is about - ° f. a fellow-man suddenly put down in our midst from civilized surroundings would possibly shake his head at so many degrees of frost, but it must be remembered that we have long ago abandoned the ordinary ideas of civilized people as to what is endurable in the way of temperature. we are enthusiastic about the spring-like weather, especially when we remember what it was like down here two months ago, when the thermometer showed - ° f., and the rime hung an inch thick inside the tent, ready to drop on everything and everybody at the slightest movement. now there is no rime to be seen; the sun clears it away. for now there is a sun; not the feeble imitation of one that stuck its red face above the northern horizon in august, but our good old acquaintance of lower latitudes, with his wealth of light and warmth. after two hours' march we came in sight, at ten o'clock in the morning, of the two snow-huts that were built on the last trip. we made straight for them, thinking we might possibly find some trace of the southern party. so we did, though in a very different way from what we expected. we were, perhaps, about a mile off when we all three suddenly halted and stared at the huts. "there are men," said stubberud. at any rate there was something black that moved, and after confused thoughts of japanese, englishmen, and the like had flashed through our minds, we at last got out the glasses. it was not men, but a dog. well, the presence of a live dog here, seventy-five miles up the barrier, was in itself a remarkable thing. it must, of course, be one of the southern party's dogs, but how the runaway had kept himself alive all that time was for the present a mystery. on coming to closer quarters we soon found that it was one of hassel's dogs, peary by name. he was a little shy to begin with, but when he heard his name he quickly understood that we were friends come on a visit, and no longer hesitated to approach us. he was fat and round, and evidently pleased to see us again. the hermit had lived on the lamentable remains of poor sara, whom we had been obliged to kill here in september. sara's lean and frozen body did not seem particularly adapted for making anyone fat, and yet our newly-found friend peary looked as if he had been feasting for weeks. possibly he had begun by devouring neptune, another of his companions, who had also given the southern party the slip on the way to the depot in ° s. however this may be, peary's rest cure came to an abrupt conclusion. stubberud took him and put him in his team. we had thought of reaching the depot before the close of the day, and this we could easily have done if the good going had continued; but during the afternoon the surface became so loose that the dogs sank in up to their chests, and when -- at about six in the evening -- the sledge-meter showed twenty-one geographical miles, the animals were so done up that it was no use going on. at eleven o'clock the next morning -- sunday, november -- we reached the depot. captain amundsen had promised to leave a brief report when the southern party left here, and the first thing we did on arrival was, of course, to search for the document in the place agreed upon. there were not many words on the little slip of paper, but they gave us the welcome intelligence: "all well so far." we had expected that the southern party's dogs would have finished the greater part, if not the whole, of the seal meat that was laid down here in april; but fortunately this was not the case. there was a great quantity left, so that we could give our own dogs a hearty feed with easy consciences. they had it, too, and it was no trifling amount that they got through. the four days' trot from framheim had been enough to produce an unusual appetite. there was a puppy in johansen's team that was exposed for the first time in his life to the fatigues of a sledge journey. this was a plucky little chap that went by the name of lillegut. the sudden change from short commons to abundance was too much for his small stomach, and the poor puppy lay shrieking in the snow most of the afternoon. we also looked after ourselves that day, and had a good meal of fresh seal meat; after that we supplied ourselves from the large stores that lay here with the necessary provisions for a sledge journey of five weeks: three cases of dogs' pemmican, one case of men's pemmican, containing ninety rations, pounds of dried milk, pounds of oatmeal biscuits, and three tins of malted milk, besides instruments, alpine rope, and clothing. the necessary quantity of chocolate had been brought with us from framheim, as there was none of this to spare out in the field. our stock of paraffin was / gallons, divided between two tanks, one on each sledge. our cooking outfit was exactly the same as that used by the southern party. the instruments we carried were a theodolite, a hypsometer, two aneroids, one of which was no larger than an ordinary watch, two thermometers, one chronometer watch, one ordinary watch, and one photographic camera (kodak x inches), adapted for using either plates or films. we had three spools of film, and one dozen plates. our medical outfit was exceedingly simple. it consisted of nothing but a box of laxative pills, three small rolls of gauze bandage, and a small pair of scissors, which also did duty for beard-cutting. both pills and gauze were untouched when we returned; it may therefore be safely said that our state of health during the journey was excellent. while the drivers were packing and lashing their loads, which now weighed nearly pounds, i wrote a report to the chief, and took an azimuth observation to determine the direction of our course. according to our instructions we should really have taken a north-easterly course from here; but as our dogs seemed to be capable of more and better work than we had expected, and as there was believed to be a possibility that bare land was to be found due east of the spot where we were, it was decided to make an attempt in that direction. our old enemy the fog had made its appearance in the course of the night, and now hung, grey and disgusting, under the sky, when we broke camp at the depot on the morning of november . however, it was not so bad as to prevent our following the flags that marked the depot on the east. my duty as forerunner was immediately found to be considerably lighter than before. with the greatly increased weight behind them the dogs had all they could do to follow, if i went at an ordinary walking pace. at a.m. we passed the easternmost flag, at five geographical miles from the depot, and then we found ourselves on untrodden ground. a light southerly breeze appeared very opportunely and swept away the fog; the sun again shed its light over the barrier, which lay before us, shining and level, as we had been accustomed to see it. there was, however, one difference: with every mile we covered there was the possibility of seeing something new. the going was excellent, although the surface was rather looser than one could have wished. the ski flew over it finely, of course, while dogs' feet and sledge-runners sank in. i hope i shall never have to go here without ski; that would be a terrible punishment; but with ski on one's feet and in such weather it was pure enjoyment. meanwhile the new sights we expected were slow in coming. we marched for four days due east without seeing a sign of change in the ground; there was the same undulating surface that we knew so well from previous expeditions. the readings of the hypsometer gave practically the same result day after day; the ascent we were looking for failed to appear. stubberud, who for the first day or two after leaving the depot had been constantly stretching himself on tiptoe and looking out for mountain-tops, finally gave it as his heartfelt conviction that this king edward land we were hunting for was only a confounded "flyaway land," which had nothing to do with reality. we others were not yet quite prepared to share this view; for my own part, in any case, i was loth to give up the theory that assumed a southward continuation of king edward land along the th meridian; this theory had acquired a certain force during the winter, and was mainly supported by the fact that on the second depot journey we had seen, between the st and nd parallels, some big pressure-ridges, which suggested the presence of bare land in a south-easterly direction. on november we found ourselves at the th meridian, but on every side the eye encountered the level, uninterrupted snow surface and nothing else. should we go on? it was tempting enough, as the probability was that sooner or later we should come upon something; but there was a point in our instructions that had to be followed, and it said: go to the point where land is marked on the chart. this point was now about geographical miles to the north of us. therefore, instead of going on to the east in uncertainty, we decided to turn to the left and go north. the position of the spot where we altered our course was determined, and it was marked by a snow beacon feet high, on the top of which was placed a tin box containing a brief report. on that part of the way which we now had before us there was little prospect of meeting with surprises; nor did any fall to our lot. in day's marches that varied from seventeen to twenty geographical miles, we went forward over practically level ground. the nature of the surface was at first ideal; but as we came farther north and thus nearer to the sea, our progress was impeded by a great number of big snow-waves (sastrugi), which had probably been formed during the long period of bad weather that preceded our departure from framheim. we did not escape damage on this bad surface. stubberud broke the forward part of the spare ski he had lashed under his sledge, and johansen's sledge also suffered from the continual bumping against the hard sastrugi. luckily he had been foreseeing enough to bring a little hickory bar, which came in very handy as a splint for the broken part. as we were now following the direction of the meridian, or in other words, as our course was now true north, the daily observations of latitude gave a direct check on the readings of the sledge-meter. as a rule they agreed to the nearest minute. whilst i was taking the noon altitude my companions had the choice of standing by the side of their sledges and eating their lunch, or setting the tent and taking shelter. they generally chose the latter alternative, making up for it by going an hour longer in the afternoon. besides the astronomical observations, the barometric pressure, temperature, force and direction of the wind, and amount of cloud were noted three times daily; every evening a hypsometer reading was taken. if i were to undertake the description of a long series of days like those that passed while we were travelling on the flat barrier, i am afraid the narrative would be strikingly reminiscent of the celebrated song of a hundred and twenty verses, all with the same rhyme. one day was very much like another. one would think that this monotony would make the time long, but the direct opposite was the case. i have never known time fly so rapidly as on these sledge journeys, and seldom have i seen men more happy and contented with their existence than we three, when after a successful day's march we could set about taking our simple meal, with a pipe of cut plug to follow. the bill of fare was identically the same every day, perhaps a fault in the eyes of many; variety of diet is supposed to be the thing. hang variety, say i; appetite is what matters. to a man who is really hungry it is a very subordinate matter what he shall eat; the main thing is to have something to satisfy his hunger. after going north for seven days, we found that according to observations and sledge-meter we ought to be in the neighbourhood of the sea. this was correct. my diary for november reads: "to-day we were to see something besides sky and snow. an hour after breaking camp this morning two snowy petrels came sailing over us; a little while later a couple of skua gulls. we welcomed them as the first living creatures we had seen since leaving winter-quarters. the constantly increasing 'water-sky' to the north had long ago warned us that we were approaching the sea; the presence of the birds told us it was not far off. the skua gulls settled very near us, and the dogs, no doubt taking them for baby seals, were of course ready to break the line of march, and go off hunting, but their keenness soon passed when they discovered that the game had wings. "the edge of the barrier was difficult to see, and, profiting by previous experience of how easy it is to go down when the light is bad, we felt our way forward step by step. at four o'clock we thought we could see the precipice. a halt was made at a safe distance, and i went in advance to look over. to my surprise i found that there was open water right in to the wall of ice. we had expected the sea-ice to extend a good way out still, seeing it was so early in summer; but there lay the sea, almost free of ice as far as the horizon. black and threatening it was to look at, but still a beneficent contrast to the everlasting snow surface on which we had now tramped for geographical miles. the perpendicular drop of feet that forms the boundary between the dead barrier and the sea, with its varied swarm of life, is truly an abrupt and imposing transition. the panorama from the top of the ice-wall is always grand, and it can be beautiful as well. on a sunny day, or still more on a moonlit night, it has a fairylike beauty. to-day a heavy, black sky hung above a still blacker sea, and the ice-wall, which shines in the light with a dazzling white purity, looked more like an old white-washed wall than anything else. there was not a breath of wind; the sound of the surf at the bottom of the precipice now and then reached my ears -- this was the only thing that broke the vast silence. one's own dear self becomes so miserably small in these mighty surroundings; it was a sheer relief to get back to the company of my comrades." as things now were, with open water up to the barrier itself, our prospect of getting seals here at the edge of the ice seemed a poor one. next morning, however, we found, a few miles farther east, a bay about four miles long, and almost entirely enclosed. it was still frozen over, and seals were lying on the ice by the dozen. here was food enough to give both ourselves and the dogs an extra feed and to replenish our supplies. we camped and went off to examine the ground more closely. there were plenty of crevasses, but a practicable descent was found, and in a very short time three full-grown seals and a fat young one were despatched. we hauled half a carcass up to the camp with the alpine rope. as we were hard at work dragging our spoil up the steep slope, we heard stubberud sing out, "below, there!" -- and away he went like a stone in a well. he had gone through the snow-bridge on which we were standing, but a lucky projection stopped our friend from going very far down, besides which he had taken a firm round turn with the rope round his wrist. it was, therefore, a comparatively easy matter to get him up on the surface again. this little intermezzo would probably have been avoided if we had not been without our ski, but the slope was so steep and smooth that we could not use them. after a few more hauls we had the seal up by the tent, where a large quantity of it disappeared in a surprisingly short time down the throats of fifteen hungry dogs. the ice of the bay was furrowed by numerous leads, and while the hunters were busy cutting up the seals, i tried to get a sounding, but the thirty fathoms of alpine rope i had were not enough; no bottom was reached. after having something to eat we went down again, in order if possible to find out the depth. this time we were better supplied with sounding tackle two reels of thread, a marlinspike, and our geological hammer. first the marlinspike was sent down with the thread as a line. an inquisitive lout of a seal did all it could to bite through the thread, but whether this was too strong or its teeth too poor, we managed after a lot of trouble to coax the marlinspike up again, and the interfering rascal, who had to come up to the surface now and then to take breath, got the spike of a ski-pole in his thick hide. this unexpected treatment was evidently not at all to his liking, and after acknowledging it by a roar of disgust, he vanished into the depths. now we got on better. the marlinspike sank and sank until it had drawn with it fathoms of thread. a very small piece of seaweed clung to the thread as we hauled it in again; on the spike there was nothing to be seen. as its weight was rather light for so great a depth -- a possible setting of current might have carried it a little to one side -- we decided to try once more with the hammer, which was considerably heavier, in order to check the result. the hammer, on the other hand, was so heavy, that with the delicate thread as a line the probability of successfully carrying out the experiment seemed small, but we had to risk it. the improvised sinker was well smeared with blubber, and this time it sank so rapidly to the bottom as to leave no doubt of the correctness of the sounding -- fathoms again. by using extreme care we succeeded in getting the hammer up again in safety, but no specimen of the bottom was clinging to it. on the way back to camp we dragged with us the carcass of the young seal. it was past three when we got into our sleeping-bags that night, and, in consequence, we slept a good deal later than usual the next morning. the forenoon was spent by johansen and stubberud in hauling up another seal from the bay and packing as much flesh on the sledges as possible. as fresh meat is a commodity that takes up a great deal of space in proportion to its weight, the quantity we were able to take with us was not large. the chief advantage we had gained was that a considerable supply could be stored on the spot, and it might be useful to fall back upon in case of delay or other mishaps. i took the observation for longitude and latitude, found the height by hypsometer, and took some photographs. after laying down the depot and erecting beacons, we broke camp at p.m. south of the head of the bay there were a number of elevations and pressure masses, exactly like the formations to be found about framheim. to the east a prominent ridge appeared, and with the glass it could be seen to extend inland in a south-easterly direction. according to our observations this must be the same that captain scott has marked with land-shading on his chart. we made a wide detour outside the worst pressure-ridges, and then set our course east-north-east towards the ridge just mentioned. it was a pretty steep rise, which was not at all a good thing for the dogs. they had overeaten themselves shockingly, and most of the seal's flesh came up again. so that their feast should not be altogether wasted, we stopped as soon as we had come far enough up the ridge to be able to regard the surface as comparatively safe; for in the depression round the bay it was somewhat doubtful. on the following morning -- sunday, november -- there was a gale from the north-east with sky and barrier lost in driving snow. that put an end to our plans of a long sunday march. in the midst of our disappointment i had a sudden bright idea. it was queen maud's birthday! if we could not go on, we could at least celebrate the day in a modest fashion. in one of the provision cases there was still a solitary stavanger tin, containing salt beef and peas. it was opened at once, and its contents provided a banquet that tasted better to us than the most carefully chosen menu had ever done. in this connection i cannot help thinking of the joy it would bring to many a household in this world if its master were possessed of an appetite like ours. the wife would then have no need to dread the consequences, however serious the shortcomings of the cuisine might be. but to return to the feast. her majesty's health was drunk in a very small, but, at the same time, very good tot of aquavit, served in enamelled iron mugs. carrying alcohol was, of course, against regulations, strictly speaking; but, as everyone knows, prohibition is not an easy thing to put into practice. even in antarctica this proved to be the case. lindström had a habit of sending a little surprise packet with each sledging party that went out, and on our departure he had handed us one of these, with the injunction that the packet was only to be opened on some festive occasion; we chose as such her majesty's birthday. on examination the packet was found to contain a little flask of spirits, in which we at once agreed to drink the queen's health. the th brought the same nasty weather, and the th was not much better, though not bad enough to stop us. after a deal of hard work in hauling our buried belongings out of the snow, we got away and continued our course to the north-eastward. it was not exactly an agreeable morning: a brisk wind with driving snow right in one's face. after trudging against this for a couple of hours i heard stubberud call "halt!" -- half his team were hanging by the traces in a crevasse. i had gone across without noticing anything; no doubt owing to the snow in my face. one would think the dogs would be suspicious of a place like this; but they are not -- they plunge on till the snow-bridge breaks under them. luckily the harness held, so that it was the affair of a moment to pull the poor beasts up again. even a dog might well be expected to be a trifle shaken after hanging head downwards over such a fearful chasm; but apparently they took it very calmly, and were quite prepared to do the same thing over again. for my own part i looked out more carefully after this, and although there were a good many ugly fissures on the remaining part of the ascent, we crossed them all without further incident. unpleasant as these crevasses are, they do not involve any direct danger, so long as the weather is clear and the light favourable. one can then judge by the appearance of the surface whether there is danger ahead; and if crevasses are seen in time, there is always a suitable crossing to be found. the case is somewhat different in fog, drift, or when the light is such that the small inequalities marking the course of the crevasse do not show up. this last is often the case in cloudy weather, when even a fairly prominent rise will not be noticed on the absolutely white surface until one falls over it. in such conditions it is safest to feel one's way forward with the ski-pole; though this mode of proceeding is more troublesome than effective. in the course of the th the ascent came to an end, and with it the crevasses. the wind fell quite light, and the blinding drift was succeeded by clear sunshine. we had now come sufficiently high up to have a view of the sea far to the north-west. during the high wind a quantity of ice had been driven southward, so that for a great distance there was no open water to be seen, but a number of huge icebergs. from the distance of the sea horizon we guessed our height to be about , feet, and in the evening the hypsometer showed the guess to be very nearly right. november . -- weather and going all that could be wished on breaking camp this morning; before us we had a level plateau, which appeared to be quite free from unpleasant obstructions. when we halted for the noon observation the sledge-meter showed ten geographical miles, and before evening we had brought the day's distance up to twenty. the latitude was then ° '. the distance to the barrier edge on the north was, at a guess, about twenty geographical miles. we were now a good way along the peninsula, the northern point of which captain scott named cape colbeck, and at the same time a good way to the east of the meridian in which he put land-shading on his chart. our height above the sea, which was now about , feet, was evidence enough that we had firm land under us, but it was still sheathed in ice. in that respect the landscape offered no change from what we had learnt to know by the name of "barrier." it cannot be denied that at this juncture i began to entertain a certain doubt of the existence of bare land in this quarter. this doubt was not diminished when we had done another good day's march to the eastward on november . according to our observations we were then just below the point where the alexandra mountains should begin, but there was no sign of mountain ranges; the surface was a little rougher, perhaps. however, it was still too soon to abandon the hope. it would be unreasonable to expect any great degree of accuracy of the chart we had to go by; its scale was far too large for that. it was, moreover, more than probable that our own determination of longitude was open to doubt. assuming the approximate accuracy of the chart, by holding on to the north-east we ought soon to come down to the seaboard, and with this object in view we continued our march. on december , in the middle of the day, we saw that everything agreed. from the top of an eminence the sea was visible due north, and on the east two domed summits were outlined, apparently high enough to be worthy of the name of mountains. they were covered with snow, but on the north side of them there was an abrupt precipice, in which many black patches showed up sharply against the white background. it was still too soon to form an idea as to whether they were bare rock or not; they might possibly be fissures in the mass of ice. the appearance of the summits agreed exactly with captain scott's description of what he saw from the deck of the discovery in . he assumed that the black patches were rocks emerging from the snow-slopes. as will be seen later, our respected precursor was right. in order to examine the nature of the seaboard, we began by steering down towards it; but in the meantime the weather underwent an unfavourable change. the sky clouded over and the light became as vile as it could be. the point we were anxious to clear up was whether there was any barrier wall here, or whether the land and sea-ice gradually passed into each other in an easy slope. as the light was, there might well have been a drop of feet without our seeing anything of it. securely roped together we made our way down, until our progress was stopped by a huge pressure-ridge, which, as far as could be made out, formed the boundary between land and sea-ice. it was, however, impossible in the circumstances to get any clear view of the surroundings, and after trudging back to the sledges, which had been left up on the slope, we turned to the east to make a closer examination of the summits already mentioned. i went in front, as usual, in the cheerful belief that we had a fairly level stretch before us, but i was far out in my calculation. my ski began to slip along at a terrific speed, and it was advisable to put on the brake. this was easily done as far as i was concerned, but with the dogs it was a different matter. nothing could stop them when they felt that the sledge was running by its own weight; they went in a wild gallop down the slope, the end of which could not at present be seen. i suppose it will sound like a tall story, but it is a fact, nevertheless, that to our eyes the surface appeared to be horizontal all the time. snow, horizon and sky all ran together in a white chaos, in which all lines of demarcation were obliterated. fortunately nothing came of our expectation that the scamper would have a frightful ending in some insidious abyss. it was stopped quite naturally by an opposing slope, which appeared to be as steep as the one we had just slid down. if the pace had been rather too rapid before, there was now no ground of complaint on that score. step by step we crawled up to the top of the ridge; but the ground was carefully surveyed before we proceeded farther. in the course of the afternoon we groped our way forward over a whole series of ridges and intervening depressions. although nothing could be seen, it was obvious enough that our surroundings were now of an entirely different character from anything we had previously been accustomed to. the two mountain summits had disappeared in the fleecy mist, but the increasing unevenness of the ground showed that we were approaching them. meanwhile i considered it inadvisable to come to close quarters with them so long as we were unable to use our eyes, and, remembering what happens when the blind leads the blind, we camped. for the first time during the trip i had a touch of snow-blindness that afternoon. this troublesome and rightly dreaded complaint was a thing that we had hitherto succeeded in keeping off by a judicious use of our excellent snow-goggles. among my duties as forerunner was that of maintaining the direction, and this, at times, involved a very severe strain on the eyes. in thick weather it is only too easy to yield to the temptation of throwing off the protective goggles, with the idea that one can see better without them. although i knew perfectly well what the consequence would be, i had that afternoon broken the commandment of prudence. the trifling smart i felt in my eyes was cured by keeping the goggles on for a couple of hours after we were in the tent. like all other ills, snow-blindness may easily be dispelled by taking it in time. next morning the sun's disc could just be made out through a veil of thin stratus clouds, and then the light was more or less normal again. as soon as we could see what our surroundings were, it was clear enough that we had done right in stopping the game of blind man's buff we had been playing on the previous day. it might otherwise have had an unpleasant ending. right across our line of route and about yards from our camp the surface was so broken up that it was more like a sieve than anything else. in the background the masses of snow were piled in huge drifts down a steep slope on the north-west side of the two mountains. it was impossible to take the sledges any farther on the way we had hitherto been following, but in the course of the day we worked round by a long detour to the foot of the most westerly of the mountains. we were then about , feet above the sea; to the north of us we had the abrupt descent already mentioned, to the south it was quite flat. our view to the east was shut in by the two mountains, and our first idea was to ascend to the tops of them, but the powers of the weather again opposed us with their full force. a stiff south-east wind set in and increased in the course of half an hour to a regular blizzard. little as it suited our wishes, there was nothing to be done but to creep back into the tent. for a whole month now we had seen scarcely anything but fair weather, and the advance of summer had given us hopes that it would hold; but just when it suited us least of all came a dismal change. the light antarctic summer night ran its course, while the gusts of wind tugged and tore at the thin sides of our tent; no snowfall accompanied the south-easterly wind, but the loose snow of the surface was whirled up into a drift that stood like an impenetrable wall round the tent. after midnight it moderated a little, and by four o'clock there was comparatively fair weather. we were on our feet at once, put together camera, glasses, aneroids, axe, alpine rope, with some lumps of pemmican to eat on the way, and then went off for a morning walk with the nearer of the two hills as our goal. all three of us went, leaving the dogs in charge of the camp. they were not so fresh now that they would not gladly accept all the rest that was offered them. we had no need to fear any invasion of strangers; the land we had come to appeared to be absolutely devoid of living creatures of any kind. the hill was farther off and higher than it appeared at first; the aneroid showed a rise of feet when we reached the top. as our camp lay at a height of , feet, this gave us , feet as the height of this hill above the sea. the side we went up was covered by névé, which, to judge from the depth of the cracks, must have been immense. as we approached the summit and our view over the surrounding ground became wider, the belief that we should see so much as a crag of this king edward land grew weaker and weaker. there was nothing but white on every side, not a single consolatory little black patch, however carefully we looked. and to think that we had been dreaming of great mountain masses in the style of mcmurdo sound, with sunny slopes, penguins by the thousand, seals and all the rest! all these visions were slowly but surely sunk in an endless sea of snow, and when at last we stood on the highest point, we certainly thought there could be no chance of a revival of our hopes. but the unexpected happened after all. on the precipitous northern side of the adjacent hill our eyes fell upon bare rock -- the first glimpse we had had of positive land during the year we had been in antarctica. our next thought was of how to get to it and take specimens, and with this object we at once began to scale the neighbouring hill, which was a trifle higher than the one we had first ascended. the precipice was, however, perpendicular, with a huge snow cornice over-hanging it. lowering a man on the rope would be rather too hazardous a proceeding; besides which, a length of thirty yards would not go very far. if we were to get at the rock, it would have to be from below. in the meantime we availed ourselves of the opportunity offered by the clear weather to make a closer examination of our surroundings. from the isolated summit, , feet high, on which we stood, the view was fairly extensive. down to the sea on the north the distance was about five geographical miles. the surface descended in terraces towards the edge of the water, where there was quite a low barrier wall. as might be expected, this stretch of the ice-field was broken by innumerable crevasses, rendering any passage across it impossible. on the east extended a well-marked mountain-ridge, about twenty geographical miles in length, and somewhat lower than the summit on which we stood. this was the alexandra mountains. it could not be called an imposing range, and it was snow-clad from one end to the other. only on the most easterly spur was the rock just visible. on the south and south-west nothing was to be seen but the usual undulating barrier surface. biscoe bay, as captain scott has named it, was for the moment a gathering-place for numerous icebergs; one or two of these seemed to be aground. the inmost corner of the bay was covered with sea-ice. on its eastern side the barrier edge could be seen to continue northward, as marked in captain scott's chart; but no indication of bare land was visible in that quarter. having built a snow beacon, feet high, on the summit, we put on our ski again and went down the eastern slope of the hill at a whizzing pace. on this side there was an approach to the level on the north of the precipice, and we availed ourselves of it. seen from below the mountain crest looked quite grand, with a perpendicular drop of about , feet. the cliff was covered with ice up to a height of about feet, and this circumstance threatened to be a serious obstacle to our obtaining specimens of the rocks. but in one place a nunatak about feet high stood out in front of the precipice, and the ascent of this offered no great difficulty. a wall of rock of very ordinary appearance is not usually reckoned among things capable of attracting the attention of the human eye to any marked extent; nevertheless, we three stood and gazed at it, as though we had something of extraordinary beauty and interest before us. the explanation is very simple, if we remember the old saying about the charm of variety. a sailor, who for months has seen nothing but sea and sky, will lose himself in contemplation of a little islet, be it never so barren and desolate. to us, who for nearly a year had been staring our eyes out in a dazzling white infinity of snow and ice, it was indeed an experience to see once more a bit of the earth's crust. that this fragment was as poor and bare as it could be was not taken into consideration at the moment. the mere sight of the naked rock was, however, only an anticipatory pleasure. a more substantial one was the feeling of again being able to move on ground that afforded a sure and trustworthy foothold. it is possible that we behaved rather like children on first reaching bare land. one of us, in any case, found immense enjoyment in rolling one big block after another down the steep slopes of the nunatak. at any rate, the sport had the interest of novelty. this little peak was built up of very heterogenous materials. as the practical result of our visit, we brought away a fairly abundant collection of specimens of all the rocks to be found there. not being a specialist, i cannot undertake any classification of the specimens. it will be the task of geologists to deal with them, and to obtain if possible some information as to the structure of the country. i will only mention that some of the stones were so heavy that they must certainly have contained metallic ore of one kind or another. on returning to camp that evening, we tried them with the compass-needle, and it showed very marked attraction in the case of one or two of the specimens. these must, therefore, contain iron-ore. this spur, which had been severely handled by ice-pressure and the ravages of time, offered a poor chance of finding what we coveted most -- namely, fossils -- and the most diligent search proved unsuccessful in this respect. from finds that have been made in other parts of antarctica it is known that in former geological periods -- the jurassic epoch -- even this desolate continent possessed a rich and luxurious vegetation. the leader of the swedish expedition to graham land, dr. nordenskjöld, and his companion, gunnar andersson, were the first to make this exceedingly interesting and important discovery. while it did not fall to our lot to furnish any proof of the existence of an earlier flora in king edward land, we found living plants of the most primitive form. even on that tiny islet in the ocean of snow the rock was in many places covered with thick moss. how did that moss come there? its occurrence might, perhaps, be quoted in support of the hypothesis of the genesis of organic life from, dead matter. this disputed question must here be left open, but it may be mentioned in the same connection that we found the remains of birds' nests in many places among the rocks. possibly the occupants of these nests may have been instrumental in the conveyance of the moss. otherwise, the signs of bird life were very few. one or two solitary snowy petrels circled round the summit while we were there; that was all. it was highly important to obtain some successful photographs from this spot, and i was setting about the necessary preparations, when one of my companions made a remark about the changed appearance of the sky. busy with other things, i had entirely neglected to keep an eye on the weather, an omission for which, as will be seen, we might have had to pay dearly. fortunately, another had been more watchful than i, and the warning came in time. a glance was enough to convince me of the imminent approach of a snow-storm; the fiery red sky and the heavy ring round the sun spoke a language that was only too clear. we had a good hour's march to the tent, and the possibility of being surprised by the storm before we arrived was practically equivalent to never arriving at all. we very soon put our things together, and came down the nunatak even more quickly. on the steep slopes leading up to the plateau on which the tent stood the pace was a good deal slower, though we made every possible effort to hurry. there was no need to trouble about the course; we had only to follow the trail of our own ski -- so long as it was visible. but the drift was beginning to blot it out, and if it once did that, any attempt at finding the tent would be hopeless. for a long and anxious quarter of an hour it looked as if we should be too late, until at last the tent came in sight, and we were saved. we had escaped the blizzard so far; a few minutes later it burst in all its fury, and the whirling snow was so thick that it would have been impossible to see the tent at a distance of ten paces, but by then we were all safe and sound inside. ravenously hungry after the twelve hours that had passed since our last proper meal, we cooked an extra large portion of pemmican and the same of chocolate, and with this sumptuous repast we celebrated the event of the day -- the discovery of land. from what we had seen in the course of the day it might be regarded as certain that we should be disappointed in our hopes of finding any great and interesting field for our labours in this quarter; king edward land was still far too well hidden under eternal snow and ice to give us that. but even the establishment of this, to us, somewhat unwelcome fact marked an increase of positive human knowledge of the territory that bears the name of king edward vii.; and with the geological specimens that we had collected, we were in possession of a tangible proof of the actual existence of solid ground in a region which otherwise bore the greatest resemblance to what we called "barrier" elsewhere, or in any case to the barrier as it appears in the neighbourhood of our winter-quarters at framheim. monday, december . -- the gale kept on at full force all night, and increased rather than moderated as the day advanced. as usual, the storm was accompanied by a very marked rise of temperature. at the noon observation to-day the reading was + . ° f. this is the highest temperature we have had so far on this trip, and a good deal higher than we care about. when the mercury comes so near freezing-point as this, the floor of the tent is always damp. to-day, for once in a way, we have falling snow, and enough of it. it is snowing incessantly -- big, hard flakes, almost like hail. when the cooker was filled to provide water for dinner, the half-melted mass looked like sago. the heavy flakes of snow make a noise against the tent that reminds one of the safety-valve of a large boiler blowing off: inside the tent it is difficult to hear oneself speak; when we have anything to say to each other we have to shout. these days of involuntary idleness on a sledge journey may safely be reckoned among the experiences it is difficult to go through without a good deal of mental suffering. i say nothing of the purely physical discomfort of having to pass the day in a sleeping-bag. that may be endured; in any case, so long as the bag is fairly dry. it is a far worse matter to reconcile oneself to the loss of the many solid hours that might otherwise have been put to a useful purpose, and to the irritating consciousness that every bit of food that is consumed is so much wasted of the limited store. at this spot of all others we should have been so glad to spend the time in exploring round about, or still more in going farther. but if we are to go on, we must be certain of having a chance of getting seals at a reasonable distance from here. with our remaining supply of dogs' food we cannot go on for more than three days. what we have left will be just enough for the return journey, even if we should not find the depot of seals' flesh left on the way. there remained the resource of killing dogs, if it was a question of getting as far to the east as possible, but for many reasons i shrank from availing myself of that expedient. we could form no idea of what would happen to the southern party's animals. the probability was that they would have none left on their return. supposing their return were delayed so long as to involve spending another winter on the barrier, the transport of supplies from the ship could hardly be carried out in the necessary time with the ten untrained puppies that were left with lindström. we had picked out the useful ones, and i thought that, should the necessity arise, they could be used with greater advantage for this work than we should derive from slaughtering them here, and thereby somewhat prolonging the distance covered; the more so as, to judge from all appearance, there was a poor prospect of our finding anything of interest within a reasonable time. tuesday, december . -- it looks as if our patience is to be given a really hard trial this time. outside the same state of things continues, and the barometer is going down. a mass of snow has fallen in the last twenty-four hours. the drift on the windward side of the tent is constantly growing; if it keeps on a little longer it will be as high as the top of the tent. the sledges are completely snowed under, and so are the dogs; we had to haul them out one by one in the middle of the day. most of them are now loose, as there is nothing exposed to the attacks of their teeth. it is now blowing a regular gale; the direction of the wind is about true east. occasionally squalls of hurricane-like violence occur. fortunately the big snow-drift keeps us comfortable, and we are under the lee of a hill, otherwise it would look badly for our tent. hitherto it has held well, but it is beginning to be rather damp inside. the temperature remains very high (+ . ° f. at noon to-day), and the mass of snow pressing against the tent causes the formation of rime. in order to while away the time to some extent under depressing circumstances like these, i put into my diary on leaving framheim a few loose leaves of a russian grammar; johansen solaced himself with a serial cut out of the aftenpost; as far as i remember, the title of it was "the red rose and the white." unfortunately the story of the two roses was very soon finished; but johansen had a good remedy for that: he simply began it over again. my reading had the advantage of being incomparably stiffer. russian verbs are uncommonly difficult of digestion, and not to be swallowed in a hurry. for lack of mental nutriment, stubberud with great resignation consoled himself with a pipe, but his enjoyment must have been somewhat diminished by the thought that his stock of tobacco was shrinking at an alarming rate. every time he filled his pipe, i could see him cast longing looks in the direction of my pouch, which was still comparatively full. i could not help promising a fraternal sharing in case he should run short; and after that our friend puffed on with an easy mind. although i look at it at least every half-hour, the barometer will not go up. at p.m. it was down to . . if this means anything, it can only be that we shall have the pleasure of being imprisoned here another day. some poor consolation is to be had in the thought of how lucky we were to reach the tent at the last moment the day before yesterday. a storm as lasting as this one would in all probability have been too much for us if we had not got in. wednesday, december . -- the third day of idleness has at last crept away after its predecessors. we have done with it. it has not brought any marked variation. the weather has been just as violent, until now -- p.m. -- the wind shows a slight tendency to moderate. it is, surely, time it did; three days and nights should be enough for it. the heavy snowfall continues. big, wet flakes come dancing down through the opening in the drift in which the peak of the tent still manages to show itself. in the course of three days we have had more snowfall here than we had at framheim in ten whole months. it will be interesting to compare our meteorological log with lindström's; probably he has had his share of the storm, and in that case it will have given him some exercise in snow-shovelling. the moisture is beginning to be rather troublesome now; most of our wardrobe is wet through, and the sleeping-bags will soon meet with the same fate. the snow-drift outside is now so high that it shuts out most of the daylight; we are in twilight. to-morrow we shall be obliged to dig out the tent, whatever the weather is like, otherwise we shall be buried entirely, and run the additional risk of having the tent split by the weight of snow. i am afraid it will be a day's work to dig out the tent and the two sledges; we have only one little shovel to do it with. a slight rise of both barometer and thermometer tells us that at last we are on the eve of the change we have been longing for. stubberud is certain of fair weather to-morrow, he says. i am by no means so sure, and offer to bet pretty heavily that there will be no change. two inches of norwegian plug tobacco is the stake, and with a heartfelt desire that jörgen may win i await the morrow. thursday, december . -- early this morning i owned to having lost my bet, as the weather, so far as i could tell, was no longer of the same tempestuous character; but stubberud thought the contrary. "it seems to me just as bad," said he. he was right enough, as a matter of fact, but this did not prevent my persuading him to accept payment. meanwhile we were obliged to make an attempt to dig out the tent, regardless of the weather; the situation was no longer endurable. we waited all the forenoon in the hope of an improvement; but as none came, we set to work at twelve o'clock. our implements showed some originality and diversity: a little spade, a biscuit-tin, and a cooker. the drift did its best to undo our work as fast as we dug, but we managed to hold our own against it. digging out the tent-pegs gave most trouble. after six hours' hard work we got the tent set up a few yards to windward of its first position; the place where it had stood was now a well about seven feet deep. unfortunately there was no chance of immortalizing this scene of excavation. it would have been amusing enough to have it on the plate; but drifting snow is a serious obstacle to an amateur photographer -- besides which, my camera was on stubberud's sledge, buried at least four feet down. in the course of our digging we had had the misfortune to make two or three serious rents in the thin canvas of the tent, and the drift was not long in finding a way through these when the tent was up again. to conclude my day's work i had, therefore, a longish tailor's job, while the other two men were digging out a good feed for the dogs, who had been on half-rations for the last two days. that night we went rather short of sleep. vulcan, the oldest dog in johansen's team, was chiefly to blame for this. in his old age vulcan was afflicted with a bad digestion, for even eskimo dogs may be liable to this infirmity, hardy as they generally are. the protracted blizzard had given the old fellow a relapse, and he proclaimed this distressing fact by incessant howling. this kind of music was not calculated to lull us to sleep, and it was three or four in the morning before we could snatch a nap. during a pause i was just dropping off, when the sun showed faintly through the tent. this unwonted sight at once banished all further thoughts of sleep; the primus was lighted, a cup of chocolate swallowed, and out we went. stubberud and johansen set to work at the hard task of digging out the sledges; they had to go down four feet to get hold of them. i dragged our wet clothes, sleeping-bags, and so forth out of the tent, and hung them all up to dry. in the course of the morning observations were taken for determining the geographical longitude and latitude, as well as a few photographs, which will give some idea of what our camp looked like after the blizzard. having made good the damage and put everything fairly in order, we hurried away to our peaks, to secure some photographs while the light was favourable. this time we were able to achieve our object. "scott's nunataks," as they were afterwards named -- after captain scott, who first saw them -- were now for the first time recorded by the camera. before we left the summit the norwegian flag was planted there, a snow beacon erected, and a report of our visit deposited in it. the weather would not keep clear; before we were back at the camp there was a thick fog, and once more we had to thank the tracks of our ski for showing us the way. during the time we had been involuntarily detained at this spot, our store of provisions had decreased alarmingly; there was only a bare week's supply left, and in less than a week we should hardly be able to make home; probably it would take more than a week, but in that case we had the depot at our bay of seals to fall back upon. in the immediate neighbourhood of our present position we could not reckon on being able to replenish our supply in the continued unfavourable state of the weather. we therefore made up our minds on the morning of december to break off the journey and turn our faces homeward. for three days more we had to struggle with high wind and thick snow, but as things now were, we had no choice but to keep going, and by the evening of the th we had dragged ourselves fifty geographical miles to the west. the weather cleared during the night, and at last, on december , we had a day of real sunshine. all our discomforts were forgotten; everything went easily again. in the course of nine hours we covered twenty-six geographical miles that day, without any great strain on either dogs or men. at our midday rest we found ourselves abreast of the bay, where, on the outward journey, we had laid down our depot of seals' flesh. i had intended to turn aside to the depot and replenish our supply of meat as a precaution, but johansen suggested leaving out this detour and going straight on. we might thereby run the risk of having to go on short rations; but johansen thought it a greater risk to cross the treacherous ground about the bay, and, after some deliberation, i saw he was right. it was better to go on while we were about it. from this time on we met with no difficulty, and rapidly drew near to our destination in regular daily marches of twenty geographical miles. after men and dogs had received their daily ration on the evening of the th, our sledge cases were practically empty; but, according to our last position, we should not have more than twenty geographical miles more to framheim. saturday, december . -- we broke camp at the usual time, in overcast but perfectly clear weather, and began what was to be our last day's march on this trip. a dark water-sky hung over the barrier on the west and north-west, showing that there was open sea off the mouth of the bay of whales. we went on till . , our course being true west, when we made out far to the north-west an ice-cape that was taken to be the extreme point on the western side of the bay. immediately after we were on the edge of the barrier, the direction of which was here south-west and north-east. we altered our course and followed the edge at a proper distance until we saw a familiar iceberg that had broken off to the north of framheim, but had been stopped by the sea-ice from drifting out. with this excellent mark in view the rest of the way was plain sailing. the sledge-meter showed . geographical miles, when in the afternoon we came in sight of our winter home. quiet and peaceful it lay there, if possible more deeply covered in snow than when we had left it. at first we could see no sign of life, but soon the glasses discovered a lonely wanderer on his way from the house to the "meteorological institute." so lindström was still alive and performing his duties. when we left, our friend had expressed his satisfaction at "getting us out of the way"; but i have a suspicion that he was quite as pleased to see us back again. i am not quite certain, though, that he did see us for the moment, as he was about as snow-blind as a man can be. lindström was the last person we should have suspected of that malady. on our asking him how it came about, he seemed at first unwilling to give any explanation; but by degrees it came out that the misfortune had happened a couple of days before, when he had gone out after seals. his team, composed of nothing but puppies, had run away and pulled up at a big hummock out by the western cape, ten miles from the station. but lindström, who is a determined man, would not give up before he had caught the runaways; and this was too much for his eyes, as he had no goggles with him. "when i got home i couldn't see what the time was," he said; "but it must have been somewhere about six in the morning." when we had made him put on plenty of red eye-ointment and supplied him with a proper pair of goggles, he was soon cured. framheim had had the same protracted storms with heavy snowfall. on several mornings the master of the house had had to dig his way out through the snow-wall outside the door; but during the last three fine days he had managed to clear a passage, not only to the door, but to the window as well. daylight came down into the room through a well nine feet deep. this had been a tremendous piece of work; but, as already hinted, nothing can stop lindström when he makes up his mind. his stock of seals' flesh was down to a minimum; the little there was vanished on the appearance of our ravenous dogs. we ourselves were in no such straits; sweets were the only things in special demand. we stayed at home one day. after bringing up two loads of seals' flesh, filling our empty provision cases, carrying out a number of small repairs, and checking our watches, we were again on the road on monday the th. we were not very loth to leave the house; indoor existence had become rather uncomfortable on account of constant dripping from the ceiling. in the course of the winter a quantity of ice had formed in the loft. as the kitchen fire was always going after our return, the temperature became high enough to melt the ice, and the water streamed down. lindström was annoyed and undertook to put a stop to it. he disappeared into the loft, and sent down a hail of ice, bottle-straw, broken cases, and other treasures through the trap-door. we fled before the storm and drove away. this time we had to carry out our instructions as to the exploration of the long eastern arm of the bay of whales. during the autumn several sunday excursions had been made along this remarkable formation; but although some of these ski-runs had extended as far as twelve miles in one direction, there was no sign of the hummocks coming to an end. these great disturbances of the ice-mass must have a cause, and the only conceivable one was that the subjacent land had brought about this disruption of the surface. for immediately to the south there was undoubtedly land, as there the surface rose somewhat rapidly to a height of , feet; but it was covered with snow. there was a possibility that the rock might project among the evidences of heavy pressure at the foot of this slope; and with this possibility in view we made a five days' trip, following the great fissure, or "bay," as we generally called it, right up to its head, twenty-three geographical miles to the east of our winter-quarters. although we came across no bare rock, and in that respect the journey was a disappointment, it was nevertheless very interesting to observe the effects of the mighty forces that had here been at work, the disruption of the solid ice-sheath by the still more solid rock. the day before christmas eve we were back at framheim. lindström had made good use of his time in our absence. the ice had disappeared from the loft, and therewith the rain from the ceiling. new linoleum had been laid down over half the floor, and marks of the paint-brush were visible on the ceiling. these efforts had possibly been made with an eye to the approaching festival, but in other respects we abstained from any attempt at keeping christmas. it did not agree with the time of year; constant blazing sunshine all through the twenty-four hours could not be reconciled with a northerner's idea of christmas. and for that reason we had kept the festival six months before. christmas eve fell on a sunday, and it passed just like any ordinary sunday. perhaps the only difference was that we used a razor that day instead of the usual beard-clipper. on christmas day we took a holiday, and lindström prepared a banquet of skua gulls. despise this dish as one may, it tasted undeniably of -- bird. the numerous snow-houses were now in a sad way. under the weight of the constantly increasing mass, the roofs of most of the rooms were pressed so far in that there was just enough space to crawl on hands and knees. in the crystal palace and the clothing store we kept all our skin clothing, besides a good deal of outfit, which it was intended to take on board the fram when she and the southern party arrived. if the sinking continued, it would be a long business digging these things out again, and in order to have everything ready we made up our minds to devote a few days to this work at once. we hauled the snow up from these two rooms through a well twelve feet deep by means of tackles. it was a long job, but when we had finished this part of the labyrinth was as good as ever. we had no time to deal with the vapour-bath or the carpenter's shop just then. there still remained the survey of the south-western corner of the bay of whales and its surroundings. on an eight days' sledge journey, starting at the new year, we ranged about this district, where we were surprised to find the solid barrier divided into small islands, separated by comparatively broad sounds. these isolated masses of ice could not possibly be afloat, although the depth in one or two places, where we had a chance of making soundings, proved to be as much as fathoms. the only rational explanation we could think of was that there must be a group of low-lying islands here, or in any case shoals. these "ice islands," if one may call them so, had a height of feet and sloped evenly down to the water on the greater part of their circumference. one of the sounds, that penetrated into the barrier a short distance inside the western cape of the bay, continued southward and gradually narrowed to a mere fissure. we followed this until it lost itself, thirty geographical miles within the barrier. the last day of this trip -- thursday, january -- will always be fixed in our memory; it was destined to bring us experiences of the kind that are never forgotten. our start in the morning was made at exactly the same time and in exactly the same way as so many times before. we felt pretty certain of reaching framheim in the course of the day, but that prospect was for the moment of minor importance. in the existing state of the weather our tent offered us as comfortable quarters as our snowed-up winter home. what made us look forward to our return with some excitement was the possibility of seeing the fram again, and this thought was no doubt in the minds of all of us that january morning, though we did not say much about it. after two hours' march we caught sight of west cape, at the entrance to the bay, in our line of route, and a little later we saw a black strip of sea far out on the horizon. as usual, a number of bergs of all sizes were floating on this strip, in every variety of shade from white to dark grey, as the light fell on them. one particular lump appeared to us so dark that it could hardly be made of ice; but we had been taken in too many times to make any remark about it. as the dogs now had a mark to go by, johansen was driving in front without my help; i went by the side of stubberud's sledge. the man at my side kept staring out to sea, without uttering a word. on my asking him what in the world he was looking at, he replied "i could almost swear it was a ship, but of course it's only a wretched iceberg." we were just agreed upon this, when suddenly johansen stopped short and began a hurried search for his long glass. "are you going to look at the fram?" i asked ironically. "yes, i am," he said; and while he turned the telescope upon the doubtful object far out in ross sea, we two stood waiting for a few endless seconds. "it's the fram sure enough, as large as life!" was the welcome announcement that broke our suspense. i glanced at stubberud and saw his face expanding into its most amiable smile. though i had not much doubt of the correctness of johansen's statement, i borrowed his glass, and a fraction of a second was enough to convince me. that ship was easily recognized; she was our own old fram safely back again. we had still fourteen long miles to framheim and an obstinate wind right in our faces, but that part of the way was covered in a remarkably short time. on arriving at home at two in the afternoon we had some expectation of finding a crowd of people in front of the house; but there was not a living soul to be seen. even lindström remained concealed, though as a rule he was always about when anyone arrived. thinking that perhaps our friend had had a relapse of snow-blindness, i went in to announce our return. lindström was standing before his range in the best of health when i entered the kitchen. "the fram's come!" he shouted, before i had shut the door. "tell me something i don't know," said i, "and be so kind as to give me a cup of water with a little syrup in it if you can." i thought somehow that the cook had a sly grin on his face when he brought what i asked for, but with the thirst i had after the stiff march, i gave a great part of my attention to the drink. i had consumed the best part of a quart, when lindström went off to his bunk and asked if i could guess what he had hidden there. there was no time to guess anything before the blankets were thrown on to the floor, and after them bounded a bearded ruffian clad in a jersey and a pair of overalls of indeterminable age and colour. "hullo!" said the ruffian, and the voice was that of lieutenant gjertsen. lindström was shaking with laughter while i stood open-mouthed before this apparition; i had been given a good surprise. we agreed to treat johansen and stubberud in the same way, and as soon as they were heard outside, gjertsen hid himself again among the blankets. but stubberud had smelt a rat in some way or other. "there are more than two in this room," he said, as soon as he came in. it was no surprise to him to find a man from the fram in lindström's bunk. when we heard that the visitor had been under our roof for a whole day, we assumed that in the course of that time he had heard all about our own concerns from lindström. we were therefore not inclined to talk about ourselves; we wanted news from without, and gjertsen was more than ready to give us them. the fram had arrived two days before, all well. after lying at the ice edge for a day and a night, keeping a constant lookout for the "natives," gjertsen had grown so curious to know how things were at framheim that he had asked captain nilsen for "shore leave." the careful skipper had hesitated a while before giving permission; it was a long way up to the house, and the sea-ice was scored with lanes, some of them fairly wide. finally gjertsen had his way, and he left the ship, taking a signal flag with him. he found it rather difficult to recognize his surroundings, to begin with; one ice cape was very like another, and ugly ideas of calvings suggested themselves, until at last he caught sight of cape man's head, and then he knew that the foundations of framheim had not given way. cheered by this knowledge, he made his way towards mount nelson, but on arriving at the top of this ridge, from which there was a view over framheim, the eager explorer felt his heart sink. where our new house had made such a brave show a year before on the surface of the barrier, there was now no house at all to be seen. all that met the eyes of the visitor was a sombre pile of ruins. but his anxiety quickly vanished when a man emerged from the confusion. the man was lindström, and the supposed ruin was the most ingenious of all winter-quarters. lindström was ignorant of the fram's arrival, and the face he showed on seeing gjertsen must have been worth some money to look at. when our first curiosity was satisfied, our thoughts turned to our comrades on board the fram. we snatched some food, and then went down to the sea-ice, making our way across the little bay due north of the house. our well-trained team were not long in getting there, but we had some trouble with them in crossing the cracks in the ice, as some of the dogs, especially the puppies, had a terror of water. the fram was cruising some way out, but when we came near enough for them to see us, they made all haste to come in to the ice-foot. yes, there lay our good little ship, as trim as when we had last seen her; the long voyage round the world had left no mark on her strong hull. along the bulwarks appeared a row of smiling faces, which we were able to recognize in spite of the big beards that half concealed many of them. while clean-shaven chins had been the fashion at framheim, almost every man on board appeared with a flowing beard. as we came over the gangway questions began to hail upon us. i had to ask for a moment's grace to give the captain and crew a hearty shake of the hand, and then i collected them all about me and gave a short account of the most important events of the past year. when this was done, captain nilsen pulled me into the chart-house, where we had a talk that lasted till about four the next morning -- to both of us certainly one of the most interesting we have ever had. on nilsen's asking about the prospects of the southern party, i ventured to assure him that in all probability we should have our chief and his companions back in a few days with the pole in their pockets. our letters from home brought nothing but good news. what interested us most in the newspapers was, of course, the account of how the expedition's change of route had been received. at a.m. we left the fram and returned home. for the next few days we were occupied with the work of surveying and charting, which went comparatively quickly in the favourable weather. when we returned after our day's work on the afternoon of the th, we found lieutenant gjertsen back at the hut. he asked us if we could guess the news, and as we had no answer ready, he told us that the ship of the japanese expedition had arrived. we hurriedly got out the cinematograph apparatus and the camera, and went off as fast as the dogs could go, since gjertsen thought this visit would not be of long duration. when we caught sight of the fram she had her flag up, and just beyond the nearest cape lay the kainan maru, with the ensign of the rising sun at the peak. banzai! we had come in time. although it was rather late in the evening, nilsen and i decided to pay her a visit, and if possible to see the leader of the expedition. we were received at the gangway by a young, smiling fellow, who beamed still more when i produced the only japanese word i knew: oheio -- good-day. there the conversation came to a full stop, but soon a number of the inquisitive sons of nippon came up, and some of them understood a little english. we did not get very far, however. we found out that the kainan maru had been on a cruise in the direction of king edward vii. land; but we could not ascertain whether any landing had been attempted or not. as the leader of the expedition and the captain of the ship had turned in, we did not want to disturb them by prolonging our visit; but we did not escape before the genial first officer had offered us a glass of wine and a cigar in the chart-house. with an invitation to come again next day, and permission to take some photographs, we returned to the fram; but nothing came of the projected second visit to our japanese friends. both ships put out to sea in a gale that sprang up during the night, and before we had another opportunity of going on board the kainan maru the southern party had returned. the days immediately preceding the departure of the expedition for the north fell about the middle of the short antarctic summer, just at the time when the comparatively rich animal life of the bay of whales shows itself at its best. the name of the bay of whales is due to shackleton, and is appropriate enough; for from the time of the break-up of the sea-ice this huge inlet in the barrier forms a favourite playground for whales, of which we often saw schools of as many as fifty disporting themselves for hours together. we had no means of disturbing their peaceful sport, although the sight of all these monsters, each worth a small fortune, was well calculated to make our fingers itch. it was the whaling demon that possessed us. for one who has no special knowledge of the industry it is difficult to form an adequate opinion as to whether this part of antarctica is capable of ever becoming a field for whaling enterprise. in any case, it will probably be a long time before such a thing happens. in the first place, the distance to the nearest inhabited country is very great -- over , geographical miles -- and in the second, there is a serious obstruction on this route in the shape of the belt of pack-ice, which, narrow and loose as it may be at times, will always necessitate the employment of timber-built vessels for the work of transport. the conditions prevailing in the bay of whales must presumably offer a decisive obstacle to the establishment of a permanent station. our winter house was snowed under in the course of two months, and to us this was only a source of satisfaction, as our quarters became all the warmer on this account; but whether a whaling station would find a similar fate equally convenient is rather doubtful. lastly, it must be said that, although in the bay itself huge schools of whales were of frequent occurrence, we did not receive the impression that there was any very great number of them out in ross sea. the species most commonly seen was the finner; after that the blue whale. as regards seals, they appeared in great quantities along the edge of the barrier so long as the sea-ice still lay there; after the break-up of the ice the bay of whales was a favourite resort of theirs all through the summer. this was due to its offering them an easy access to the dry surface, where they could abandon themselves to their favourite occupation of basking in the sunshine. during our whole stay we must have killed some two hundred and fifty of them, by far the greater number of which were shot in the autumn immediately after our arrival. this little inroad had no appreciable effect. the numerous survivors, who had been eye-witnesses of their companions' sudden death, did not seem to have the slightest idea that the bay of whales had become for the time being a somewhat unsafe place of residence. as early as september, while the ice still stretched under in the course of two months, and to us this was only a source of satisfaction, as our quarters became all the warmer on this account; but whether a whaling station would find a similar fate equally convenient is rather doubtful. lastly, it must be said that, although in the bay itself huge schools of whales were of frequent occurrence, we did not receive the impression that there was any very great number of them out in ross sea. the species most commonly seen was the finner; after that the blue whale. as regards seals, they appeared in great quantities along the edge of the barrier so long as the sea-ice still lay there; after the break-up of the ice the bay of whales was a favourite resort of theirs all through the summer. this was due to its offering them an easy access to the dry surface, where they could abandon themselves to their favourite occupation of basking in the sunshine. during our whole stay we must have killed some two hundred and fifty of them, by far the greater number of which were shot in the autumn immediately after our arrival. this little inroad had no appreciable effect. the numerous survivors, who had been eye-witnesses of their companions' sudden death, did not seem to have the slightest idea that the bay of whales had become for the time being a somewhat unsafe place of residence. as early as september, while the ice still stretched the name crab-eater may possibly evoke ideas of some ferocious creature; in that case it is misleading. the animal that bears it is, without question, the most amicable of the three species. it is of about the same size as our native seal, brisk and active in its movements, and is constantly exercising itself in high jumps from the water on to the ice-foot. even on the ice it can work its way along so fast that it is all a man can do to keep up. its skin is extraordinarily beautiful -- grey, with a sheen of silver and small dark spots. one is often asked whether seal's flesh does not taste of train oil. it seems to be a common assumption that it does so. this, however, is a mistake; the oil and the taste of it are only present in the layer of blubber, an inch thick, which covers the seal's body like a protective armour. the flesh itself contains no fat; on the other hand, it is extremely rich in blood and its taste in consequence reminds one of black-puddings. the flesh of the weddell seal is very dark in colour; in the frying-pan it turns quite black. the flesh of the crab-eater is of about the same colour as beef, and to us, at any rate, its taste was equally good. we therefore always tried to get crab-eater when providing food for ourselves. we found the penguins as amusing as the seals were useful. so much has been written recently about these remarkable creatures, and they have been photographed and cinematographed so many times, that everyone is acquainted with them. nevertheless, anyone who sees a living penguin for the first time will always be attracted and interested, both by the dignified emperor penguin, with his three feet of stature, and by the bustling little adelie. not only in their upright walk, but also in their manners and antics, these birds remind one strikingly of human beings. it has been remarked that an emperor is the very image of "an old gentleman in evening dress," and the resemblance is indeed very noticeable. it becomes still more so when the emperor -- as is always his habit -- approaches the stranger with a series of ceremonious bows; such is their good breeding! when this ceremony is over, the penguin will usually come quite close; he is entirely unsuspecting and is not frightened even if one goes slowly towards him. on the other hand, if one approaches rapidly or touches him, he is afraid and immediately takes to flight. it sometimes happens, though, that he shows fight, and then it is wiser to keep out of range of his flippers; for in these he has a very powerful weapon, which might easily break a man's arm. if you wish to attack him, it is better to do so from behind; both flippers must be seized firmly at the same time and bent backwards along his back; then the fight is over. the little adelie is always comic. on meeting a flock of these little busybodies the most ill-humoured observer is forced to burst into laughter. during the first weeks of our stay in the bay of whales, while we were still unloading stores, it was always a welcome distraction to see a flock of adélie penguins, to the number of a dozen or so, suddenly jump out of the water, as though at a word of command, and then sit still for some moments, stiff with astonishment at the extraordinary things they saw. when they had recovered from the first surprise, they generally dived into the sea again, but their intense curiosity soon drove them back to look at us more closely. in contradistinction to their calm and self-controlled relative, the emperor penguin, these active little creatures have an extremely fiery temperament, which makes them fly into a passion at the slightest interference with their affairs; and this, of course, only makes them still more amusing. the penguins are birds of passage; they spend the winter on the various small groups of islands that are scattered about the southern ocean. on the arrival of spring they betake themselves to antarctica, where they have their regular rookeries in places where there is bare ground. they have a pronounced taste for roaming, and as soon as the chicks are grown they set out, young and old together, on their travels. it was only as tourists that the penguins visited framheim and its environs; for there was, of course, no bare land in our neighbourhood that might offer them a place of residence. for this reason we really saw comparatively little of them; an emperor was a very rare visitor; but the few occasions on which we met these peculiar "bird people" of antarctica will remain among the most delightful memories of our stay in the bay of whales. chapter xvi the voyage of the "fram" by first-lieutenant thorvald nilsen from norway to the barrier. after the fram had undergone extensive repairs in horten dockyard, and had loaded provisions and equipment in christiania, we left the latter port on june , . according to the plan we were first to make an oceanographical cruise of about two months in the north atlantic, and then to return to norway, where the fram was to be docked and the remaining outfit and dogs taken on board. this oceanographical cruise was in many respects successful. in the first place, we gained familiarity with the vessel, and got everything shipshape for the long voyage to come; but the best of all was, that we acquired valuable experience of our auxiliary engine. this is a h.p. diesel motor, constructed for solar oil, of which we were taking about , litres (about , gallons). in this connection it may be mentioned that we consumed about litres (about gallons) a day, and that the fram's radius of action was thus about six months. for the first day or two the engine went well enough, but after that it went slower and slower, and finally stopped of its own accord. after this it was known as the "whooping cough." this happened several times in the course of the trip; the piston-rods had constantly to be taken out and cleared of a thick black deposit. as possibly our whole south polar expedition would depend on the motor doing its work properly, the result of this was that the projected cruise was cut short, and after a lapse of three weeks our course was set for bergen, where we changed the oil for refined paraffin, and at the same time had the motor thoroughly overhauled. since then there has never been anything wrong with the engine. from bergen we went to christiansand, where the fram was docked, and, as already mentioned, the remaining outfit, with the dogs and dog-food, was taken on board. the number of living creatures on board when we left norway was nineteen men, ninety-seven dogs, four pigs, six carrier pigeons, and one canary. at last we were ready to leave christiansand on thursday, august , , and at nine o'clock that evening the anchor was got up and the motor started. after the busy time we had had, no doubt we were all glad to get off. as our departure had not been made public, only the pilot and a few acquaintances accompanied us a little way out. it was glorious weather, and everyone stayed on deck till far into the light night, watching the land slowly disappear. all the ninety-seven dogs were chained round the deck, on which we also had coal, oil, timber and other things, so that there was not much room to move about. the rest of the vessel was absolutely full. to take an example, in the fore-saloon we had placed forty-three sledging cases, which were filled with books, christmas presents, underclothing, and the like. in addition to these, one hundred complete sets of dog-harness, all our ski, ski-poles, snow-shoes, etc. smaller articles were stowed in the cabins, and every man had something. when i complained, as happened pretty often, that i could not imagine where this or that was to be put, the chief of the expedition used generally to say: "oh, that's all right; you can just put it in your cabin!" thus it was with every imaginable thing -- from barrels of paraffin and new-born pups to writing materials and charts. as the story of this voyage has already been told, it may be rapidly passed over here. after much delay through headwinds in the channel, we picked up the north-east trade in about the latitude of gibraltar, and arrived at madeira on september . at p.m. on september we weighed anchor for the last time, and left madeira. as soon as we were clear of the land we got the north-east trade again, and it held more or less fresh till about lat. ° n. after our departure from madeira i took over the morning watch, from to a.m.; prestrud and gjertsen divided the remainder of the twenty-four hours. in order if possible to get a little more way on the ship, a studding-sail and a skysail were rigged up with two awnings; it did not increase our speed very much, but no doubt it helped a little. the highest temperature we observed was ° f. in the trade winds we constantly saw flying-fish, but as far as i know not one was ever found on deck; those that came on board were of course instantly snapped up by the dogs. in about lat. ° n. we lost the north-east trade, and thus came into the "belt of calms," a belt that extends on each side of the equator, between the north-east and south-east trades. here, as a rule, one encounters violent rain-squalls; to sailing ships in general and ourselves in particular this heavy rain is welcome, as water-tanks can be filled up. only on one day were we lucky enough to have rain, but as it was accompanied by a strong squall of wind, we did not catch all the water we wanted. all hands were on deck carrying water, some in oilskins, some in adam's costume; the chief in a white tropical suit, and, as far as i remember, clogs. as the latter were rather slippery, and the fram suddenly gave an unexpected lurch, he was carried off his legs, and left sitting on the deck, while his bucket of water poured all over him. but "it was all in his country's cause," so he did not mind. we caught about tons of water, and then had our tanks full, or about tons, when the shower passed off; later in the voyage we filled a bucket now and again, but it never amounted to much, and if we had not been as careful as we were, our water-supply would hardly have lasted out. on october we crossed the equator. the south-east trade was not so fresh as we had expected, and the engine had to be kept going the whole time. at the beginning of november we came down into the west wind belt, or the "roaring forties," as they are called, and from that time we ran down our easting at a great rate. we were very lucky there, and had strong fair winds for nearly seven weeks at a stretch. in the heavy sea we found out what it was to sail in the fram; she rolls incessantly, and there is never a moment's rest. the dogs were thrown backwards and forwards over the deck, and when one of them rolled into another, it was taken as a personal insult, and a fight followed at once. but for all that the fram is a first-rate sea boat, and hardly ever ships any water. if this had been otherwise, the dogs would have been far worse off than they were. the weather in the "foggy fifties" varied between gales, calms, fogs, snowstorms, and other delights. as a rule, the engine was now kept constantly ready, in case of our being so unlucky as to come too near an iceberg. fortunately, however, we did not meet any of these until early on the morning of january , , when we saw some typical antarctic bergs; that is to say, entirely tabular. our latitude was then a little over ° s., and we were not far off the pack. on the st and nd we sailed southward without seeing anything but scattered bergs and a constantly increasing number of lumps of ice, which showed us we were getting near. by p.m. on the nd we came into slack drift-ice; the weather was foggy, and we therefore kept going as near as might be on the course to the bay of whales, which was destined to be our base. a good many seals were lying on the ice-floes, and as we went forward we shot some. as soon as the first seal was brought on board, all our dogs had their first meat meal since madeira; they were given as much as they wanted, and ate as much as they could. we, too, had our share of the seal, and from this time forward we had fresh seal-steak for breakfast at least every day; it tasted excellent to us, who for nearly half a year had been living on nothing but tinned meat. with the steak whortleberries were always served, which of course helped to make it appreciated. the biggest seal we got in the pack-ice was about feet long, and weighed nearly half a ton. a few penguins were also shot, mostly adélie penguins; these are extraordinarily amusing, and as inquisitive as an animal can be. when any of them saw us, they at once came nearer to get a better view of the unbidden guests. if they became too impertinent, we did not hesitate to take them, for their flesh, especially the liver, was excellent. the albatrosses, which had followed us through the whole of the west wind belt, had now departed, and in their place came the beautiful snowy petrels and antarctic petrels. we had more or less fog all through the pack-ice. only on the night of the th did we have sun and fine weather, when we saw the midnight sun for the first time. a more beautiful morning it would be difficult to imagine: radiantly clear, with thick ice everywhere, as far as the eye could see; the lanes of water between the floes gleamed in the sun, and the ice-crystals glittered like thousands of diamonds. it was a pure delight to go on deck and drink in the fresh air; one felt altogether a new man. i believe everyone on board found this passage through the pack the most interesting part of the whole voyage, and, of course, it all had the charm of novelty. those who had not been in the ice before, myself among them, and who were hunting for the first time, ran about after seals and penguins, and amused themselves like children. at p.m. on the th we were already out of the ice after a passage of exactly four days; we had been extremely lucky, and the fram went very easily through the ice. after coming out of the pack, our course was continued through the open ross sea to the bay of whales, which from the previous description was to be found in about long. ° w. on the afternoon of the th we had strong ice-blink ahead, by which is meant the luminous stripe that is seen above a considerable accumulation of ice; the nearest thing one can compare it to is the glare that is always seen over a great city on approaching it at night. we knew at once that this was the glare of the mighty ross barrier, named after sir james clark ross, who first saw it in . the barrier is a wall of ice, several hundred miles long, and about feet high, which forms the southern boundary of ross sea. we were, of course, very intent upon seeing what it looked like, but to me it did not appear so imposing as i had imagined it. possibly this was because i had become familiar with it, in a way, from the many descriptions of it. from these descriptions we had expected to find a comparatively narrow opening into balloon bight, as shown in the photographs we had before us; but as we went along the barrier, on the th, we could find no opening. in long. ° w., on the other hand, there was a great break in the wall, forming a cape (west cape); from here to the other side of the barrier was about eight geographical miles, and southward, as far as we could see, lay loose bay ice. we held on to the east outside this drift-ice and along the eastern barrier till past midnight, but as balloon bight was not to be found, we returned to the above-mentioned break or cape, where we lay during the whole forenoon of the th, as the ice was too thick to allow us to make any progress. after midday, however, the ice loosened, and began to drift out; at the same time we went in, and having gone as far as possible, the fram was moored to the fast ice-foot on the western side of the great bay we had entered. it proved that balloon bight and another bight had merged to form a great bay, exactly as described by sir ernest shackleton, and named by him the bay of whales. after mooring here, the chief and one or two others went on a reconnoitring tour; but it began to snow pretty thickly, and, as far as i am aware, nothing was accomplished beyond seeing that the barrier at the southernmost end of the bay sloped evenly down to the sea-ice; but between the latter and the slope there was open water, so that they could not go any farther. we lay all night drifting in the ice, which was constantly breaking up, and during this time several seals and penguins were shot. towards morning on the th it became quite clear, and we had a splendid view of the surroundings. right over on the eastern side of the bay it looked as if there was more open water; we therefore went along the fast ice-foot and moored off the eastern barrier at about three in the afternoon. the cape in the barrier, under which we lay, was given the name of "man's head," on account of its resemblance to a human profile. all the time we were going along the ice we were shooting seals, so that on arrival at our final moorings we already had a good supply of meat. for my part i was rather unlucky on one of these hunts: four seals were lying on the ice-foot, and i jumped down with rifle and five cartridges; to take any cartridges in reserve did not occur to me, as, of course, i regarded myself as a mighty hunter, and thought that one shot per seal was quite enough. the three first died without a groan; but the fourth took the alarm, and made off as fast as it could. i fired my fourth cartridge, but it did not hit as it ought to have done, and the seal was in full flight, leaving a streak of blood behind it. i was not anxious to let a wounded seal go, and as i had only one cartridge left, and the seal had its tail turned towards me, i wanted to come to close quarters to make sure of it. i therefore ran as hard as i could, but the seal was quicker, and it determined the range. after running half-way to the south pole, i summoned my remaining strength and fired the last shot. whether the bullet went above or below, i have no idea. all i know is, that on arriving on board i was met by scornful smiles and had to stand a good deal of chaff. as already mentioned, we left norway on august , , and arrived at our final moorings on january , , in the course of which time we had only called at madeira. the barrier is , geographical miles from norway, a distance which we took five months to cover. from madeira we had had days in open sea, and therewith the first part of the voyage was brought to an end. off the barrier. as soon as we had moored, the chief, prestrud, johansen and i went up on to the barrier on a tour of reconnaissance. the ascent from the sea-ice to the barrier was fine, a perfectly even slope. when no more than a mile from the ship, we found a good site for the first dog-camp, and another mile to the south it was decided that the house was to stand, on the slope of a hill, where it would be least exposed to the strong south-easterly gales which might be expected from previous descriptions. up on the barrier all was absolutely still, and there was not a sign of life; indeed, what should anything live on? this delightful ski-run was extended a little farther to the south, and after a couple of hours we returned on board. here in the meantime the slaughtering of seals had been going on, and there were plenty to be had, as several hundreds of them lay about on the ice. after the rather long sea voyage, and the cramped quarters on board, i must say it was a pleasure to have firm ground under one's feet and to be able to move about a little. the dogs evidently thought the same; when they came down on to the ice, they rolled in the snow and ran about, wild with delight. during our whole stay a great part of the time was spent in ski-runs and seal-hunts, and an agreeable change it was. sunday the th was spent in setting up tents at the first dog-camp and at framheim, as the winter station was named. a team of dogs was used, and, as they were unused to being driven, it is not surprising that some lay down, others fought, a few wanted to go on board, but hardly any of them appreciated the seriousness of the situation or understood that their good time had come to an end. on monday all the dogs were landed, and on the following day the supplies began to be put ashore. the landing of the cases was done in this way: the sea-party brought up on deck as many cases as the drivers could take in one journey; as the sledges came down to the vessel, the cases were sent down on to the ice on skids, so that it all went very rapidly. we would not put the cases out on the ice before the sledges came back, as, in case the ice should break up, we should be obliged to heave them all on board again, or we might even lose them. at night no one was ever allowed to stay on the ice. before we reached the ice, we had counted on having per cent. of idle days -- that is, from previous descriptions we had reckoned on having such bad weather half the time that the fram would be obliged to leave her moorings. in this respect we were far luckier than we expected, and only had to put out twice. the first time was on the night of january , when we had a stiff breeze from the north with some sea, so that the vessel was bumping rather hard against the ice. drifting floes came down upon us, and so as not to be caught by any iceberg that might suddenly come sailing in from the point of the barrier we called man's head, we took our moorings on board and went. when the shore party next morning came down as usual at a swinging pace, they saw to their astonishment that the fram was gone. in the course of the day the weather became fine, and we tried to go back about noon; but the bay was so full of drift-ice that we could not come in to the fast ice-foot. about nine in the evening we saw from the crow's nest that the ice was loosening; we made the attempt, and by midnight we were again moored. but the day was not wasted by the shore party, for on the day before kristensen, l. hansen and i had been out on ski and had shot forty seals, which were taken up to the station while we were away. only once or twice more did we have to leave our berth, until on february , when almost all the ice had left the bay, we were able to moor alongside the low, fast barrier, where we lay in peace until we went for good. there was a great deal of animal life about us. a number of whales came close in to the vessel, where they stayed still to look at the uninvited guests. on the ice seals came right up to the ship, as did large and small flocks of penguins, to have a look at us. these latter were altogether extraordinarily inquisitive creatures. two emperor penguins often came to our last moorings to watch us laying out an ice-anchor or hauling on a hawser, while they put their heads on one side and jabbered, and they were given the names of "the harbour-master and his missis." a great number of birds, skua gulls, snowy petrels and antarctic petrels, flew round the ship and gave us many a good "roast ptarmigan." on the morning of february , about a.m., the watchman, beck, came and called me with the news that a vessel was coming in. i guessed at once, of course, that it was the terra nova; but i must confess that i did not feel inclined to turn out and look at her. we hoisted the colours, however. as soon as she was moored, beck told me, some of her party went ashore, presumably to look for the house. they did not find it, though, and at a.m. beck came below again, and said that now they were coming on board. so then i turned out and received them. they were lieutenant campbell, the leader of captain scott's second shore party, and lieutenant pennell, the commander of the terra nova. they naturally asked a number of questions, and evidently had some difficulty in believing that it was actually the fram that was lying here. we had at first been taken for a whaler. they offered to take our mail to new zealand; but we had no mail ready, and had to decline the offer with thanks. later in the day a number of the terra nova's officers went to breakfast at framheim, and the chief, prestrud and i lunched with them. at about two in the afternoon the terra nova sailed again. on friday, february , a number of the shore party started on the first trip to lay down depots. we cleared up, filled our water-tanks with snow, and made the ship ready for sea. we had finished this by the evening of the th. from the bay of whales to buenos aires. the sea party consisted of the following ten men thorvald nilsen, l. hansen, h. kristensen and j. nödtvedt; h. f. gjertsen, a. beck, m. rönne, a. kutschin and o. k. sundbeck. the first four formed one watch, from eight to two, and the last five the other, from two to eight. last, but not least, comes k. olsen, cook. having made ready for sea, we let go our moorings on the ice barrier at a.m. on february , . hassel, wisting, bjaaland, and stubberud came down to see us off. as in the course of the last few days the ice had broken up right to the end of the bay, we went as far south as possible to take a sounding; the shallowest we got was / fathoms ( metres). the bay ended in a ridge of ice on the east, which was continued in a northerly direction, so that at the spot where we were stopped by the barrier, we reached the most southerly point that a vessel can attain, so long as the barrier remains as it is now. highest latitude ° ' s. when the terra nova was here, her latitude and ours was ° ' s. the last two days before our departure had been calm, and a thick, dense sludge lay over the whole bay; so dense was it that the fram lost her way altogether, and we had to keep going ahead and astern until we came out into a channel. seals by the hundred were lying on the floes, but as we had a quantity of seal's flesh, we left them in peace for a change. before the chief began the laying out of depots, i received from him the following orders: "to first-lieutenant thorvald nilsen. with the departure of the fram from the ice barrier, you will take over the command on board. in accordance with the plan we have mutually agreed upon " . you will sail direct to buenos aires, where the necessary repairs will be executed, provisions taken on board, and the crew completed. when this has been done, " . you will sail from buenos aires to carry out oceanographical observations in the south atlantic ocean. it would be desirable if you could investigate the conditions between south america and africa in two sections. these investigations must, however, be dependent on the prevailing conditions, and on the time at your disposal. when the time arrives you will return to buenos aires, where the final preparations will be made for " . your departure for the ice barrier to take off the shore party. the sooner you can make your way in to the barrier in , the better. i mention no time, as everything depends on circumstances, and i leave it to you to act according to your judgment. "in all else that concerns the interests of the expedition, i leave you entire freedom of action. "if on your return to the barrier you should find that i am prevented by illness or death from taking over the leadership of the expedition, i place this in your hands, and beg you most earnestly to endeavour to carry out the original plan of the expedition -- the exploration of the north polar basin. "with thanks for the time we have spent together, and in the hope that when we meet again we shall have reached our respective goals, "i am, "yours sincerely, "roald amundsen." when sir james ross was in these waters for the first time, in , he marked "appearance of land" in long. ° w., and lat. about ° s. afterwards, in , captain scott named this land "king edward vii. land." one of the terra nova's objects was to explore this land; but when we met the ship on february , they told us on board that on account of the ice conditions they had not been able to land. as no one had ever been ashore there, i thought it might be interesting to go and see what it looked like. consequently our course was laid north-eastward along the barrier. during the night a thick sea-fog came on, and it was only now and then that we could see the barrier over our heads. all of a sudden we were close upon a lofty iceberg, so that we had to put the helm hard over to go clear. the fram steers splendidly, however, when she is in proper trim, and turns as if on a pivot; besides which, it was calm. as the day advanced, the weather cleared more and more, and by noon it was perfectly clear. the sight that then met us was the lofty barrier to starboard, and elsewhere all round about some fifty icebergs, great and small. the barrier rose from about feet at its edge to something like , feet. we followed the barrier for some distance, but in the neighbourhood of cape colbeck we met the drift-ice, and as i had no wish to come between this and the barrier, we stood out in a north-westerly direction. there is, besides, the disadvantage about a propeller like ours, that it is apt to wear out the brasses, so that these have to be renewed from time to time. it was imperative that this should be done before we came into the pack-ice, and the sooner the better. when, therefore, we had gone along the barrier for about a day and a half without seeing any bare land, we set our course north-west in open water, and after we had come some way out we got a slant of easterly wind, so that the sails could be set. we saw the snow-covered land and the glare above it all night. the date had not yet been changed, but as this had to be done, it was changed on february .[ ] at noon on the th the propeller was lifted, and by the evening of the th the job was done -- a record in spite of the temperature. capital fellows to work, our engineers. on the night of the th we saw the midnight sun unfortunately for the last time. the same night something dark was sighted on the port bow; in that light it looked very like an islet. the sounding apparatus was got ready, and we who were on watch of course saw ourselves in our minds as great discoverers. i was already wondering what would be the most appropriate name to give it, but, alas! the "discovery" became clearer and the name -- well, it was a rather prosaic one: "dead whale islet"; for it turned out to be a huge inflated whale, that was drifting, covered with birds. we went rather slowly north-westward under sail alone. on the morning of the th we saw ice-blink on the starboard bow, and about noon we were close to the pack itself; it was here quite thick, and raised by pressure, so that an attempt to get through it was out of the question. we were, therefore, obliged to follow the ice to the west. due aft we saw in the sky the same glare as above the great ice barrier, which may possibly show that the barrier turns towards the north and north-west; besides which, the masses of pressure-ice that collect here must go to show that it encounters an obstruction, probably the barrier. when we went out in the ice lay in exactly the same place and in the same way. our course was still to the west along the pack-ice, and it was not till the th that we could turn her nose northward again. for a change we now had a stiff breeze from the south-east, with thick snow, so we got on very well. on the whole, the fram goes much more easily through the water now than on the way south. her bottom has probably been cleaned by the cold water and all the scraping against the ice; besides which, we have no more than a third of the load with which we left norway. on the night of the th we had to light the binnacle-lamps again, and now the days grew rapidly shorter. it may possibly be a good thing to have dark nights on land, but at sea it ought always to be light, especially in these waters, which are more or less unknown, and full of drifting icebergs. at p.m. on the nd we entered the drift-ice in lat. . ° s., long. . ° e. the ice was much higher and uglier than when we were going south, but as there was nothing but ice as far as we could see both east and west, and it was fairly loose, we had to make the attempt where there seemed to be the best chance of getting through. the seals, which to the south of the ice had been following us in decreasing numbers, had now disappeared almost entirely, and curiously enough we saw very few seals in the pack. luckily, however, lieutenant gjertsen's watch got three seals, and for a week we were able to enjoy seal-beef, popularly known as "crocodile beef," three times a day. seal-beef and fresh whortleberries -- delicioso! we went comparatively well through the ice, though at night -- from eleven to one -- we had to slacken speed, as it was impossible to steer clear on account of the darkness, and towards morning we had a heavy fall of snow, so that nothing could be seen, and the engine had to be stopped. when it cleared, at about a.m., we had come into a dam, out of which we luckily managed to turn fairly easily, coming out into a bay. this was formed by over a hundred icebergs, many of which lay in contact with each other and had packed the ice close together. on the west was the outlet, which we steered for, and by p.m. on february we were already out of the ice and in open water. our latitude was then ° s., longitude . ° e. it is very curious to find such calm weather in ross sea; in the two months we have been here we have hardly had a strong breeze. thus, when i was relieved at a.m. on the th, i wrote in my diary `. . . it is calm, not a ripple on the water. the three men forming the watch walk up and down the deck. now and then one hears the penguins' cry, kva, kva, but except these there is no other sound than the tuff, tuff of the motor, times a minute. ah, that motor! it goes unweariedly. it has now gone for , hours without being cleaned, while on our atlantic cruise last year it stopped dead after going for eighty hours. . . . right over us we have the southern cross, all round glow the splendid southern lights, and in the darkness can be seen the gleaming outline of an iceberg. . . ." on the th we crossed the antarctic circle, and the same day the temperature both of air and water rose above ° f. it was with sorrow in our hearts that we ate our last piece of "crocodile beef," but i hoped we should get a good many albatrosses, which we saw as soon as we came out of the ice. they were mostly the sooty albatross, that tireless bird that generally circles alone about the ship and is so difficult to catch, as he seldom tries to bite at the pork that is used as bait. when i saw these birds for the first time, as a deck boy, i was told they were called parsons, because they were the souls of ungodly clergymen, who had to wait down here till doomsday without rest. more or less in our course to cape horn there are supposed to be two groups of islands, the nimrod group in about long. ° w., and dougherty island in about long. ° w. they are both marked "d" (doubtful) on the english charts. lieutenant shackleton's vessel, the nimrod, captain davis, searched for both, but found neither; dougherty island, however, is said to have been twice sighted. the fram's course was therefore laid for the nimrod group. for a time things went very well, but then we had a week of northerly winds -- that is, head winds -- and when at last we had a fair wind again, we were so far to the south-east of them that there was no sense in sailing back to the north-west to look for doubtful islands; it would certainly have taken us weeks. consequently, our course was laid for dougherty island. we had westerly winds for about two weeks, and were only two or three days' sail from the island in question, when suddenly we had a gale from the north-east, which lasted for three days, and ended in a hurricane from the same quarter. when this was over, we had come according to dead reckoning about eighty nautical miles to the south-east of the island; the heavy swell, which lasted for days, made it out of the question to attempt to go against it with the motor. we hardly had a glimpse of sun or stars, and weeks passed without our being able to get an observation, so that for that matter we might easily be a degree or two out in our reckoning. for the present, therefore, we must continue to regard these islands as doubtful. moral: don't go on voyages of discovery, my friend; you're no good at it! as soon as we were out of ross sea and had entered the south pacific ocean, the old circus started again -- in other words, the fram began her everlasting rolling from one side to the other. when this was at its worst, and cups and plates were dancing the fandango in the galley, its occupant's only wish was, "oh, to be in buenos aires!" for that matter, it is not a very easy job to be cook in such circumstances, but ours was always in a good humour, singing and whistling all day long. how well the fram understands the art of rolling is shown by the following little episode. one afternoon a couple of us were sitting drinking coffee on a tool-box that stood outside the galley. as ill-luck would have it, during one of the lurches the lashing came loose, and the box shot along the deck. suddenly it was checked by an obstacle, and one of those who were sitting on it flew into the air, through the galley door, and dashed past the cook with a splendid tiger's leap, until he landed face downwards at the other end of the galley, still clinging like grim death to his cup, as though he wanted something to hold on to. the face he presented after this successful feat of aviation was extremely comical, and those who saw it had a hearty fit of laughter. as has already been said, we went very well for a time after reaching the pacific, a fair wind for fourteen days together, and i began to hope that we were once more in what are called the "westerlies." however, nothing is perfect in this world, and we found that out here, as we had icebergs every day, and were constantly bothered by snow-squalls or fog; the former were, of course, to be preferred, as it was at any rate clear between the squalls; but fog is the worst thing of all. it sometimes happened that all hands were on deck the whole night to work the ship at a moment's notice, and there were never less than two men on the lookout forward. the engine, too, was always ready to be started instantly. a little example will show how ready the crew were at any time. one sunday afternoon, when hansen, kristensen and i were on watch, the wind began to draw ahead, so that we had to beat. it was blowing quite freshly, but i did not want to call the watch below, as they might need all the sleep they could get, and hansen and i were to put the ship about. kristensen was steering, but gave us a hand when he could leave the wheel. as the ship luffed up into the wind and the sails began to flap pretty violently, the whole of the watch below suddenly came rushing on deck in nothing but their unmentionables and started to haul. chance willed it that at the same moment an iceberg came out of the fog, right in front of our bows. it was not many minutes, either, before we were on the other tack, and the watch below did not linger long on deck. with so few clothes on it was no pleasure to be out in that cold, foggy air. they slept so lightly, then, that it took no more noise than that to wake them. when i afterwards asked one of them -- i think it was beck -- what made them think of coming up, he replied that they thought we were going to run into an iceberg and were trying to get out of the way. it has happened at night that i have seen the ice-blink as far off as eight miles, and then there is nothing to fear; but sometimes in the middle of the day we have sailed close to icebergs that have only been seen a few minutes before we were right on them. as the voyage was long, we sailed as fast as we could, as a rule; but on two or three nights we had to reduce our way to a minimum, as we could not see much farther than the end of the bowsprit. after two or three weeks' sailing the icebergs began gradually to decrease, and i hoped we should soon come to the end of them; but on sunday, march , when it was fairly clear, we saw about midday a whole lot of big bergs ahead. one of the watch below, who had just come on deck, exclaimed: "what the devil is this beastly mess you fellows have got into?" he might well ask, for in the course of that afternoon we passed no less than about a hundred bergs. they were big tabular bergs, all of the same height, about feet, or about as high as the crow's-nest of the fram. the bergs were not the least worn, but looked as if they had calved quite recently. as i said, it was clear enough, we even got an observation that day (lat. ° s., long. ° w.), and as we had a west wind, we twisted quite elegantly past one iceberg after another. the sea, which during the morning had been high enough for the spray to dash over the tops of the bergs, gradually went down, and in the evening, when we were well to leeward of them all, it was as smooth as if we had been in harbour. in the course of the night we passed a good many more bergs, and the next day we only saw about twenty. in the various descriptions of voyages in these waters, opinions are divided as to the temperature of the water falling in the neighbourhood of icebergs. that it falls steadily as one approaches the pack-ice is certain enough, but whether it falls for one or a few scattered icebergs, no doubt depends on circumstances. one night at o'clock we had a temperature in the water of . ° f., at a.m. . ° f., and at a.m. . ° f.; at a.m. we passed an iceberg. at noon the temperature had risen to . ° f. in this case one might say that the temperature gave warning, but, as a rule, in high latitudes it has been constant both before and after passing an iceberg. on christmas eve, , when on our second trip southward we saw the first real iceberg, the temperature of the water fell in four hours from . ° f. to . ° f., which was the temperature when the bergs were passed, after which it rose rather rapidly to ° f. in the west wind belt i believe one can tell with some degree of certainty when one is approaching ice. in the middle of november, , between prince edward island and the crozet islands (about lat. ° s.) the temperature fell. towards morning i remarked to someone: "the temperature of the water is falling as if we were getting near the ice." on the forenoon of the same day we sailed past a very small berg; the temperature again rose to the normal, and we met no more ice until christmas eve. on saturday, march , the day before we met that large collection of bergs, the temperature fell pretty rapidly from . ° f. to . ° f. we had not then seen ice for nearly twenty-four hours. at the same time the colour of the water became unusually green, and it is possible that we had come into a cold current. the temperature remained as low as this till sunday morning, when at a. m. it rose to . ° f.; at noon, close to a berg, to . ° f., and a mile to lee of it, to ° f. it continued to rise, and at p.m., when the bergs were thickest, it was . ° f.; at p.m. . ° f., and at midnight . ° f. if there had been a fog, we should certainly have thought we were leaving the ice instead of approaching it; it is very curious, too, that the temperature of the water should not be more constant in the presence of such a great quantity of ice; but, as i have said, it may have been a current. in the course of the week following march the bergs became rarer, but the same kind of weather prevailed. our speed was irreproachable, and in one day's work (from noon to noon) we covered a distance of nautical miles, or an average of about knots an hour, which was the best day's work the fram had done up to that time. the wind; which had been westerly and north-westerly, went by degrees to the north, and ended in a hurricane from the north-east on sunday, march . i shall quote here what i wrote about this in my diary on the th: "well, now we have experienced the first hurricane on the fram. on saturday afternoon, the th, the wind went to the north-east, as an ordinary breeze with rain. the barometer had been steady between . inches ( millimetres) and . inches ( millimetres). during the afternoon it began to fall, and at p.m. it was . inches ( millimetres) without the wind having freshened at all. the outer jib was taken in, however. by midnight the barometer had fallen to . inches ( millimetres), while the wind had increased to a stiff breeze. we took in the foresail, mainsail, and inner jib, and had now only the topsail and a storm-trysail left. the wind gradually increased to a gale. at a.m. on sunday the barometer had fallen again to . inches ( millimetres), and at a.m. the topsail was made fast.[ ] the wind increased and the seas ran higher, but we did not ship much water. at a.m. the barometer was . inches ( millimetres), and at a.m. . inches ( millimetres), when at last it stopped going down and remained steady till about noon, during which time a furious hurricane was blowing. the clouds were brown, the colour of chocolate; i cannot remember ever having seen such an ugly sky. little by little the wind went to the north, and we sailed large under two storm-trysails. finally, we had the seas on our beam, and now the fram showed herself in all her glory as the best sea-boat in the world. it was extraordinary to watch how she behaved. enormous seas came surging high to windward, and we, who were standing on the bridge, turned our backs to receive them, with some such remark as: 'ugh, that's a nasty one coming.' but the sea never came. a few yards from the ship it looked over the bulwarks and got ready to hurl itself upon her. but at the last moment the fram gave a wriggle of her body and was instantly at the top of the wave, which slipped under the vessel. can anyone be surprised if one gets fond of such a ship? then she went down with the speed of lightning from the top of the wave into the trough, a fall of fourteen or fifteen yards. when we sank like this, it gave one the same feeling as dropping from the twelfth to the ground-floor in an american express elevator, 'as if everything inside you was coming up.' it was so quick that we seemed to be lifted off the deck. we went up and down like this all the afternoon and evening, till during the night the wind gradually dropped and it became calm. that the storm would not be of long duration might almost be assumed from its suddenness, and the english rule -- long foretold, long last; short notice, soon past' -- may thus be said to have held good. "when there is a strong wind on her beam, the fram does not roll so much as usual, except for an occasional leeward lurch; nor was any excessive quantity of water shipped in this boisterous sea. the watch went below as usual when they were relieved, and, as somebody very truly remarked, all hands might quite well have turned in, if we had not had to keep a lookout for ice. and fortune willed it that the day of the hurricane was the first since we had left the barrier that we did not see ice -- whether this was because the spray was so high that it hid our view, or because there really was none. be that as it may, the main thing was that we saw no ice. during the night we had a glimpse of the full moon, which gave the man at the wheel occasion to call out 'hurrah!' -- and with good reason, as we had been waiting a long time for the moon to help us in looking out for ice. "in weather like this one notices nothing out of the ordinary below deck. here hardly anything is heard of the wind, and in the after-saloon, which is below the water-line, it is perfectly comfortable. the cook, who resides below, therefore reckons 'ugly weather' according to the motion of the vessel, and not according to storms, fog, or rain. on deck we do not mind much how it blows, so long as it is only clear, and the wind is not against us. how little one hears below deck may be understood from the fact that yesterday morning, while it was blowing a hurricane, the cook went about as usual, whistling his two verses of 'the whistling bowery boy.' while he was in the middle of the first, i came by and told him that it was blowing a hurricane if he cared to see what it looked like. 'oh, yes,' he said, 'i could guess it was blowing, for the galley fire has never drawn so well; the bits of coal are flying up the chimney'; and then he whistled through the second verse. all the same, he could not resist going up to see. it was not long before he came down again, with a 'my word, it is blowing, and waves up to the sky!' no; it was warmer and more cosy below among his pots and pans. "for dinner, which was eaten as usual amid cheerful conversation, we had green-pea soup, roast sirloin, with a glass of aquavit, and caramel pudding; so it may be seen that the cook was not behindhand in opening tins, even in a hurricane. after dinner we enjoyed our usual sunday cigar, while the canary, which has become kristensen's pet, and hangs in his cabin, sang at the top of its voice." on march we saw the last iceberg; during the whole trip we had seen and passed between and bergs. the wind held steady from the north-east for a week and a half, and i was beginning to think we should be stuck down here to play the flying dutchman. there was every possible sign of a west wind, but it did not come. on the night of the th it cleared; light cirrus clouds covered the sky, and there was a ring about the moon. this, together with the heavy swell and the pronounced fall of the barometer, showed that something might be expected. and, sure enough, on sunday, march , we were in a cyclone. by manoeuvring according to the rules for avoiding a cyclone in the southern hemisphere, we at any rate went well clear of one semicircle. about p.m. on sunday afternoon the barometer was down to . inches ( millimetres), the lowest barometer reading i have ever heard of. from noon to p.m. there was a calm, with heavy sea. immediately after a gale sprang up from the north-west, and in the course of a couple of days it slowly moderated to a breeze from the same quarter. sunday, march , a hundred icebergs; sunday march , a hurricane; and sunday, march , a cyclone: truly three pleasant "days of rest." the curves given on the next page, which show the course of barometric pressure for a week, from monday to monday, are interesting. by way of comparison a third curve is given from the north-east trade, where there is an almost constant breeze and fine weather. on this trip the fore-saloon was converted into a sail-loft, where rönne and hansen carried on their work, each in his watch. the after-saloon was used as a common mess-room, as it is warmer, and the motion is far less felt than forward. from the middle of march it looked as if the equinoctial gales were over, for we had quite fine weather all the way to buenos aires. cape horn was passed on march in the most delightful weather -- a light westerly breeze, not a cloud in the sky, and only a very slight swell from the west. who would have guessed that such splendid weather was to be found in these parts? -- and that in march, the most stormy month of the year. lieutenant gjertsen and kutschin collected plankton all the time; the latter smiled all over his face whenever he chanced to get one or two "tadpoles" in his tow-net. from the falkland islands onward the fram was washed and painted, so that we might not present too "polar" an appearance on arrival at buenos aires. it may be mentioned as a curious fact that the snow with which we filled our water-tanks on the barrier did not melt till we were in the river la plata, which shows what an even temperature is maintained in the fram's hold. about midday on easter sunday we were at the mouth of the river la plata, without seeing land, however. during the night the weather became perfect, a breeze from the south, moonlight and starry, and we went up the river by soundings and observations of the stars until at a.m. on monday, when we had the recalada light-ship right ahead. we had not seen any light since we left madeira on september . at . the same morning we got a pilot aboard, and at seven in the evening we anchored in the roads of buenos aires. we had then been nearly once round the world, and for over seven months the anchor had not been out. we had reckoned on a two months' voyage from the ice, and it had taken us sixty-two days. the oceanographical cruise. according to the programme, the fram was to go on an oceanographical cruise in the south atlantic, and my orders were that this was to be arranged to suit the existing circumstances. i had reckoned on a cruise of about three months. we should have to leave buenos aires at the beginning of october to be down in the ice at the right time (about the new year). as we were too short-handed to work the ship, take soundings, etc., the following four seamen were engaged: h. halvorsen, a. olsen, f. steller, and j. andersen. at last we were more or less ready, and the fram sailed from buenos aires on june , , the anniversary of our leaving horten on our first hydrographic cruise in the north atlantic. i suppose there was no one on board on june , , who dreamed that a year later we should go on a similar cruise in the south. we had a pilot on board as far as montevideo, where we arrived on the afternoon of the th; but on account of an increasing wind (pampero) we had to lie at anchor here for a day and a half, as the pilot could not be taken off. on saturday afternoon, the th, he was fetched off by a big tug-boat, on board of which was the secretary of the norwegian consulate. this gentleman asked us if we could not come into the harbour, as "people would like to see the ship." i promised to come in on the way back, "if we had time." on sunday morning, the th, we weighed anchor, and went out in the most lovely weather that can be imagined. gradually the land disappeared, and in the course of the evening we lost the lights; we were once more out in the atlantic, and immediately everything resumed its old course. in order to save our supply of preserved provisions as much as possible, we took with us a quantity of live poultry, and no fewer than twenty live sheep, which were quartered in the "farmyard" on the port side of the vessel's fore-deck. sheep and hens were all together, and there was always a most beautiful scent of hay, so that we had not only sea air, but "country air." in spite of all this delightful air, three or four of the crew were down with influenza, and had to keep their berths for some days. i reckoned on being back at buenos aires by the beginning of september, and on getting, if possible, one station a day. the distance, according to a rough calculation, was about , nautical miles, and i laid down the following plan: to go about east by north with the prevailing northerly and north-westerly winds to the coast of africa, and there get hold of the south-east trade. if we could not reach africa before that date, then to turn on july and lay our course with the south-east trade for st. helena, which we could reach before august ; from there again with the same wind to south trinidad (august or ); on again with easterly and north-easterly winds on a south-westerly course until about august , when the observations were to be concluded, and we should try to make buenos aires in the shortest time. that was the plan that we attempted. on account of the fresh water from the river la plata, we did not begin at once to take samples of water, and with a head-wind, north-east, we lay close-hauled for some days. we also had a pretty stiff breeze, which was another reason for delaying the soundings until the th. for taking samples of water a winch is used, with a sounding-line of, let us say, , metres ( , fathoms), on which are hung one or more tubes for catching water; we used three at once to save time. now, supposing water and temperatures are to be taken at depths of , , and metres ( , , and fathoms), apparatus iii. (see diagram) is first hung on, about metres ( fathoms) from the end of the line, where a small weight (a) hangs; then it is lowered until the indicator-wheel, over which the line passes, shows metres ( fathoms); apparatus ii. is then put on, and it is lowered again for another metres, when apparatus i. is put on and the line paid out for metres ( fathoms) -- that is, until the indicator-wheel shows metres ( fathoms). the upper apparatus (i.) is then at metres ( fathoms), no. ii. at metres ( fathoms), and no. iii. at metres ( fathoms). under apparatus i. and ii. is hung a slipping sinker (about centimetres, or / inches, long, and centimetres, or / inches, in diameter). to the water-samplers are attached thermometers (b) in tubes arranged for the purpose. the water-samplers themselves consist of a brass cylinder (c), about centimetres ( inches) long and centimetres ( / inches) in diameter (about half a litre of water), set in a frame (d). at about the middle of the cylinder are pivots, which rest in bearings on the frame, so that the cylinder can be swung degrees (straight up and down). the cylinder, while being lowered in an inverted position, is open at both ends, so that the water can pass through. but at its upper and lower ends are valves, working on hinges and provided with packing. when the apparatus is released, the cylinder swings round, and these valves then automatically close the ends of the cylinder. the water that is thus caught in the cylinder at the required depth remains in it while it is being heaved up, and is collected in bottles. when the apparatus is released, the column of mercury in the thermometer is broken, and the temperature of the water is read at the same depth as the water is taken from. the release takes place in the following manner: when all the cylinders have been lowered to the required depths, they are left hanging for a few minutes, so that the thermometers may be set at the right temperature before the column of mercury is broken. then a slipping sinker is sent down the line. when this sinker strikes the first apparatus, a spring is pressed, a hook (e) which has held the cylinder slips loose, and the cylinder turns completely over (apparatus i.). as it does this, the valves, as already mentioned, close the ends of the cylinder, which is fixed in its new position by a hook in the bottom of the frame. at the same instant the slipping sinker that hangs under apparatus i. is released, and continues the journey to apparatus ii., where the same thing happens. it is then repeated with apparatus iii. when they are all ready, they are heaved in. by holding one's finger on the line one can feel, at all events in fairly calm weather, when the sinkers strike against the cylinders; but i used to look at my watch, as it takes about half a minute for the sinker to go down metres. the necessary data are entered in a book. on the morning of the th, then, the sails were clewed up, and the fram began to roll even worse than with the sails set. we first tried taking soundings with a sinker of pounds, and a tube for taking specimens of the sea-bed. at , metres ( , fathoms) or more the line (piano wire) broke, so that sinker, tube, and over , metres of line continued their way unhindered to the bottom. i had thought of taking samples of water at , , , , and , metres ( , , , , , fathoms), and so on, and water-cylinders were put on from to , metres. this, however, took six hours. next day, on account of the heavy sea, only a few samples from to metres ( fathoms) were taken. on the third day we made another attempt to get the bottom. this time we got specimens of the sea-bed from about , metres (about , fathoms); but the heaving in and taking of water samples and temperatures occupied eight hours, from a.m. till p.m., or a third part of the twenty-four hours. in this way we should want at least nine months on the route that had been laid down; but as, unfortunately, this time was not at our disposal, we at once gave up taking specimens of the bottom and samples of water at greater depths than , metres ( fathoms). for the remainder of the trip we took temperatures and samples of water at the following depths: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and , metres ( , / , / , / , , , , , , , , , , , and fathoms), in all, fifteen samples from each station, and from this time forward we went on regularly with one station every day. finally, we managed to heave up two water-cylinders on the same line by hand without great difficulty. at first this was done with the motor and sounding-machine, but this took too long, and we afterwards used nothing but a light hand-winch. before very long we were so practised that the whole business only took two hours. these two hours were those we liked best of the twenty-four. all kinds of funny stories were told, especially about experiences in buenos aires, and every day there was something new. here is a little yarn: one of the members of the expedition had been knocked down by a motor-car in one of the busiest streets; the car stopped and of course a crowd collected at once. our friend lay there, wondering whether he ought not to be dead, or at least to have broken a leg, so as to get compensation. while he lay thus, being prodded and examined by the public, he suddenly remembered that he had half a dollar in his pocket. with all that money it didn't matter so much about the compensation; up jumped our friend like an india-rubber ball, and in a second he had vanished in the crowd, who stood open-mouthed, gazing after the "dead" man. our speed on this cruise was regulated as nearly as possible so that there might be about nautical miles between each station, and i must say we were uncommonly lucky in the weather. we made two fairly parallel sections with comparatively regular intervals between the stations; as regular, in any case, as one can hope to get with a vessel like the fram, which really has too little both of sail area and engine power. the number of stations was in all and samples of water were taken. of plankton specimens were sent home. the further examination of these specimens in norway will show whether the material collected is of any value, and whether the cruise has yielded satisfactory results. as regards the weather on the trip, it was uniformly good the whole time; we had a good deal of wind now and then, with seas and rolling, but for the most part there was a fresh breeze. in the south-east trade we sailed for four weeks at a stretch without using the engine, which then had a thorough overhauling. at the same time we had a good opportunity of smartening up the ship, which she needed badly. all the iron was freed from rust, and the whole vessel painted both below and above deck. the decks themselves were smeared with a mixture of oil, tar and turpentine, after being scoured. all the rigging was examined. at the anchorage at buenos aires nearly the whole ship was painted again, masts and yards, the outside of the vessel and everything inboard, both deck-houses, the boats and the various winches, pumps, etc. in the engine-room everything was either shining bright or freshly painted, everything hung in its place and such order and cleanliness reigned that it was a pleasure to go down there. the result of all this renovating and smartening up was that, when we fetched up by the quay at buenos aires, the fram looked brighter than i suppose she has ever done since she was new. during the trip the holds were also cleaned up, and all the provisions re-stowed and an inventory made of them. a whole suit of sails was completely worn out on this voyage; but what can one expect when the ship is being worked every single day, with clewing up, making fast and setting of sails both in calms and winds? this work every day reminded me of the corvette ellida, when the order was "all hands aloft." as a rule, though, it was only clewing up the sails that had to be done, as we always had to take soundings on the weather side, so that the sounding-line should not foul the bottom of the vessel and smash the apparatus. and we did not lose more than one thermometer in about nine hundred soundings. on account of all this wear and tear of sails rönne was occupied the whole time, both at sea and in buenos aires, in making and patching sails, as there was not much more than the leeches left of those that had been used, and on the approaching trip (to the ice barrier) we should have to have absolutely first-class things in the "roaring forties." june , , is a red-letter day in the fram's history, as on that day we intersected our course from norway to the barrier, and the franz thus completed her first circumnavigation of the globe. bravo, fram! it was well done, especially after the bad character you have been given as a sailer and a sea-boat. in honour of the occasion we had a better dinner than usual, and the franz was congratulated by all present on having done her work well. on the evening of july st. helena was passed. it was the first time i had seen this historic island. it was very strange to think that "the greatest spirit of a hundred centuries," as some author has called napoleon, should have ending his restless life on this lonely island of the south atlantic. on august , when daylight came, we sighted the little martin vaz islands ahead, and a little later south trinidad (in this island was passed on october ). we checked our chronometers, which, however, proved to be correct. from noon till p.m., while we were lying still and taking our daily hydrographic observations, a sailing ship appeared to the north of us, lying close-hauled to the south. she bore down on us and ran up her flag, and we exchanged the usual greetings; she was a norwegian barque bound for australia. otherwise we did not see more than four or five ships on the whole voyage, and those were pretty far off: never since leaving madeira (september, ) had we been troubled with animals or insects of any kind whatever; but when we were in buenos aires for the first time, at least half a million flies came aboard to look at the vessel. i hoped they would go ashore when the fram sailed; but no, they followed us, until by degrees they passed peacefully away on fly-paper. well, flies are one thing, but we had something else that was worse -- namely, rats -- our horror and dread, and for the future our deadly enemies. the first signs of them i found in my bunk and on the table in the fore-saloon; they were certainly not particular. what i said on that occasion had better not be printed, though no expression could be strong enough to give vent to one's annoyance at such a discovery. we set traps, but what was the use of that, when the cargo consisted exclusively of provisions? one morning, as rönne was sitting at work making sails, he observed a "shadow" flying past his feet, and, according to his account, into the fore-saloon. the cook came roaring: "there's a rat in the fore-saloon!" then there was a lively scene; the door was shut, and all hands started hunting. all the cabins were emptied and rummaged, the piano, too; everything was turned upside down, but the rat had vanished into thin air. about a fortnight later i noticed a corpse-like smell in hassel's cabin, which was empty. on closer sniffing and examination it turned out to be the dead rat, a big black one, unfortunately a male rat. the poor brute, that had starved to death, had tried to keep itself alive by devouring a couple of novels that lay in a locked drawer. how the rat got into that drawer beats me. on cleaning out the provision hold nests were found with several rats in them: six were killed, but at least as many escaped, so now no doubt we have a whole colony. a reward was promised of ten cigars for each rat; traps were tried again, but all this did very little good. when we were in buenos aires for the second time we got a cat on board; it certainly kept the rats down, but it was shot on the barrier. at hobart we provided a few traps, which caught a good many; but we shall hardly get rid of them altogether until we have landed most of the provisions, and smoked them out. we have also had a lot of moth; at present they have done nothing beyond eating a couple of holes in my best trousers. during the whole of this cruise we had a fishing-line hanging out, but it hung for a whole month without there being a sign of a fish, in spite of the most delicate little white rag that was attached to the hook. one morning the keenest of our fishermen came up as usual and felt the line. yes, by jove! at last there was one, and a big one, too, as he could hardly haul in the line by himself. there was a shout for assistance. "hi, you beggar! come and lend a hand; there's a big fish!" help came in a second, and they both hauled for all they were worth. "ah! he's a fine, glistening fish; it'll be grand to get fresh fish for dinner!" at last the fish appeared over the rail; but, alas! it was seen to have no head. it was an ordinary stockfish, about three-quarters of a yard long, that some joker had hung on the line during the night. that we all had a hearty laugh goes without saying, the fishermen included, as they took it all in good part. as a fishing-boat the fram is on the whole not very successful. the only fish we caught, besides the above-mentioned stockfish, was a real live fish; but, unfortunately, it fell off the hook as it was being hauled in. according to the account of eye-witnesses, this fish was . . . six feet long and one broad. now we don't fish any more. on august the hydrographic observations were brought to an end, and a course was laid for buenos aires, where we anchored in the roads at midnight on september . at buenos aires. to arrive at buenos aires in the early part of was not an unmixed pleasure, especially when one had no money. the fram expedition was apparently not very popular at that time, and our cash balance amounted to about forty pesos (about (l) s.), but that would not go very far; our supply of provisions had shrunk to almost nothing, and we had not enough to be able to leave the port. i had been told that a sum had been placed to the credit of the fram for our stay in buenos aires, but i neither saw nor heard anything of it while we were there, and it was no doubt somewhat imaginary. if we were to be at all able to go down and take off the shore party money must be found. we had come to the end of sail-cloth and ropes, we had too little food and a minimum of oil; all this would have to be provided. at the worst the oceanographical cruise could be cut out, and we could lie still at buenos aires; then, as our comrades could not very well be left to perish on the ice, enough would have to be sent us from norway to enable us to go down there; but that would finish the whole expedition, as in such a case the fram had orders to go back to norway. as usual, however, the fram's luck helped her again. a few days before we left norway our distinguished compatriot in buenos aires, don pedro christophersen, had cabled that he would supply us with what provisions we might require, if, after leaving madeira, we would call at buenos aires. of course, he did not know at that time that the voyage would be extended to include the south pole, and that the fram on arrival at buenos aires would be almost empty instead of having a full cargo, but that did not prevent his helping us. i immediately called on him and his brother, the norwegian minister; fortunately, they were both very enthusiastic about our chief's change of plan. when, on a subsequent occasion, i expressed my astonishment at not hearing from home, i was told that the funds of the expedition were exhausted, and mr. christophersen promised me, on hearing what straits we were in, to pay all our expenses in buenos aires, and to supply us with provisions and fuel. that brought us out of our difficulties at a bound, and we had no more need to take thought for the morrow. everyone on board received a sum of money for his personal expenses from the norwegian colony of the river plate, and we were invited to their dinner on independence day, may . our second stay at buenos aires was very pleasant; everyone was amiability itself, and festivities were even got up for us. we took on board provisions that had been sent out from norway by mr. christophersen's orders, about , litres ( , gallons) of petroleum, ship's stores, and so on; enough for a year. but this was not all. just before we sailed mr. christophersen said he would send a relief expedition, if the fram did not return to australia by a certain date; but, as everyone knows, this was happily unnecessary. during the three weeks we were lying at the quay in buenos aires we were occupied in getting everything on board, and making the vessel ready for sea. we had finished this by the afternoon of wednesday, october , and next morning the pram was ready to continue her second circumnavigation of the globe. in buenos aires we lay at the same quay as the deutschland, the german antarctic expedition's ship. a. kutschin and the second engineer, j. nödtvedt, went home, and seaman j. andersen was discharged. from buenos aires to the ross barrier. on the trip from buenos aires to the barrier the watches were divided as follows: from eight to two: t. nilsen, l. hansen, h. halvorsen, and a. olsen. from two to eight: h. gjertsen, a. beck, m. rönne, and f. steller. in the engine-room: k. sundbeck and h. kristensen. lastly, k. olsen, cook. in all eleven men. it is said that "well begun is half done," and it almost seems as if a bad beginning were likely to have a similar continuation. when we left the northern basin on the morning of october , there was a head wind, and it was not till twenty-four hours later that we could drop the pilot at the recalada lightship. after a time it fell calm, and we made small progress down the river la plata, until, on the night of the th, we were clear of the land, and the lights disappeared on the horizon. properly speaking, we ought to have been in the west wind belt as soon as we came out, and the drift of the clouds and movement of the barograph were examined at least twenty-four times a day, but it still remained calm. at last, after the lapse of several days, we had a little fresh south-westerly wind with hail showers, and then, of course, i thought we had made a beginning; but unfortunately it only lasted a night, so that our joy was short-lived. we took with us from buenos aires fifteen live sheep and fifteen live little pigs, for which two houses were built on the after-deck; as, however, one of the pigs was found dead on the morning after the south-westerly breeze just mentioned, i assumed that this was on account of the cold, and another house was at once built for them between decks (in the work-room), where it was very warm. they were down here the whole time; but as their house was cleaned out twice a day and dry straw put on the floor, they did not cause us much inconvenience; besides which, their house was raised more than half a foot above the deck itself, so that the space below could always be kept clean. the pigs thrived so well down here that we could almost see them growing; on arrival at the barrier we had no fewer than nine alive. the sheep had a weather-tight house with a tarpaulin over the roof, and they grew fatter and fatter; we had every opportunity of noticing this, as we killed one of them regularly every saturday until we came into the pack-ice and got seal-meat. we had four sheep left on reaching the barrier. we did wretchedly in october -- calms and east winds, nothing but east winds; as regards distance it was the worst month we had had since leaving norway, notwithstanding that the fram had been in dry dock, had a clean bottom and a light cargo. when close-hauled with any head sea, we scarcely move; a stiff fair wind is what is wanted if we are to get on. somebody said we got on so badly because we had thirteen pigs on board; another said it was because we caught so many birds, and i had caught no less than fourteen albatrosses and four cape pigeons. altogether there is quite enough of what i will call superstition at sea. one particular bird brings fine weather, another storms; it is very important to notice which way the whale swims or the dolphin leaps; the success of seal-hunting depends on whether the first seal is seen ahead or astern, and so on. enough of that. october went out and november came in with a fresh breeze from the south-south-west, so that we did nine and a half knots. this promised well for november, but the promise was scarcely fulfilled. we had northerly wind or southerly wind continually, generally a little to the east of north or south, and i believe i am not saying too much when i state that in the "west wind belt" with an easterly course we lay close-hauled on one tack or the other for about two-thirds of the way. for only three days out of three months did we have a real west wind, a wind which, with south-westerly and north-westerly winds, i had reckoned on having for per cent. of the trip from buenos aires to about the longitude of tasmania. in my enthusiasm over the west wind in question, i went so far as to write in my diary at a.m. on november : "there is a gale from the west, and we are making nine knots with foresail and topsail. the sea is pretty high and breaking on both sides of the vessel, so that everything about us is a mass of spray. in spite of this, not a drop of water comes on deck, and it is so dry that the watch are going about in clogs. for my part i am wearing felt slippers, which will not stand wet. sea-boots and oilskins hang ready in the chart-house, in case it should rain. on a watch like to-night, when the moon is kind enough to shine, everyone on deck is in the best of humours, whistling, chattering, and singing. somebody comes up with the remark that 'she took that sea finely,' or 'now she's flying properly.' 'fine' is almost too feeble an expression; one ought to say 'lightly and elegantly' when speaking of the fram . . . . what more can one wish?" etc. but whatever time adam may have spent in paradise, we were not there more than three days, and then the same wretched state of things began again. what i wrote when there was a head wind or calm, i should be sorry to reproduce. woe to him who then came and said it was fine weather. it was lucky for us that the fram sails so much more easily now than in , otherwise we should have taken six months to reach the barrier. when we had wind, we used it to the utmost; but we did not do this without the loss of one or two things; the new jib-sheet broke a couple of times, and one night we carried away the outer bobstay of the jib-boom. the foresail and topsail were neither made fast nor reefed during the whole trip. the last time the jib-sheet broke there was a strong breeze from the south-west with a heavy sea; all sail was set with the exception of the spanker, as the ship would not steer with that. there was an extra preventer on the double jib-sheet, but in spite of that the sheets broke and the jib was split with a fearful crack. within a minute the mainsail and gaff-topsail were hauled down, so that the ship might fall off, and the jib hauled down. this was instantly unbent and a new one bent. the man at the helm, of course, got the blame for this, and the first thing he said to me was "i couldn't help it, she was twisting on the top of a wave." we were then making ten knots, and more than that we shall not do. the fram rolled well that day. a little earlier in the afternoon, at two o'clock, when the watch had gone below to dinner and were just eating the sweet, which on that occasion consisted of preserved pears, we felt that there was an unusually big lurch coming. although, of course, we had fiddles on the table, the plates, with meat, potatoes, etc., jumped over the fiddles, which they didn't care a button for, into beck's cabin. i caught one of the pears in its flight, but the plate with the rest of them went on its way. of course there was a great shout of laughter, which stopped dead as we heard a violent noise on deck, over our heads; i guessed at once it was an empty water-tank that had broken loose, and with my mouth full of pear i yelled "tank!" and flew on deck with the whole watch below at my heels. a sea had come in over the after-deck, and had lifted the tank up from its lashings. all hands threw themselves upon the tank, and held on to it till the water had poured off the deck, when it was again fixed in its place. when this was done, my watch went below again and lit their pipes as if nothing had happened. on november we passed the northernmost of the prince edward islands, and on the th close to penguin island, the most south-westerly of the crozets. in the neighbourhood of the latter we saw a great quantity of birds, a number of seals and penguins, and even a little iceberg. i went close to the land to check the chronometers, which an observation and bearings of the islands showed to be correct. our course was then laid for kerguelen island, but we went too far north to see it, as for two weeks the wind was south-easterly and southerly, and the leeway we made when sailing close-hauled took us every day a little to the north of east. when we were in the same waters in , there was gale after gale; then we did not put in at kerguelen on account of the force of the wind; this time we could not approach the island because of the wind's direction. in no respect can the second trip be compared with the first; i should never have dreamed that there could be so much difference in the "roaring forties" in two different years at the same season. in the "foggy fifties" the weather was calm and fine, and we had no fog until lat. ° s. as regards the distance sailed, november, , is the best month the fram has had. in december, which began with a speed of one and a half knots, calm, swell against us, and the engine at full speed, we had a fair wind for three days, all the rest calms and head winds; the first part of the month from the north-east and east, so that we came much too far south; even in long. e. we were in lat. ° s. in christmas week we had calms and light winds from the south-east, so that we managed to steal eastward to long. ° e. and lat. ° s., where, on the edge of the pack-ice, we had a stiff breeze from the north-north-east, that is, straight on to the ice. between buenos aires and the pack-ice we caught, as i have said, a good many birds, mostly albatrosses, and about thirty skins were prepared by l. hansen. the largest albatross we got measured twelve feet between the tips of its wings, and the smallest bird was of a land species, not much bigger than a humming-bird. talking of albatrosses, it is both amusing and interesting to watch their elegant flight in a high wind. without a movement of the wings they sail, now with, now against, the wind; at one instant they touch the surface of the water with the points of their wings, at the next they go straight into the air like an arrow. an interesting and instructive study for an aviator. in a wind, when there is generally a number of them hovering about the vessel, they will dash down after anything that is thrown overboard; but of course it is useless to try to catch them when the ship has so much way. this must be done the next day, when the wind is lighter. the birds are caught with an iron triangle, which ought to be enclosed in wood, so that it will float on the water. at the apex, which is very acute, the iron is filed as sharp as a knife, and pork is hung on each of the sides. when this is thrown in the wake of the ship, the bird settles on the water to feed. the upper part of its beak is hooked like that of a bird of prey, and as the albatross opens its beak and bites at the pork, you give a jerk, so that the triangle catches the upper part of the beak by two small notches, and the bird is left hanging. if the line should break, the whole thing simply falls off and the bird is unharmed. in hauling in, therefore, you have to be very careful to hold the line quite tight, even if the bird flies towards you, otherwise it will easily fall off: a bird may be pulled half-way in several times, and will immediately take the bait again. on the night of december an unusually beautiful aurora was seen; it lasted over an hour, and moved in a direction from west to east. on the th all the white paint was washed; the temperature was ° f., and we were in shirt-sleeves. for a whole week before christmas the cook was busy baking christmas cakes. i am bound to say he is industrious; and the day before christmas eve one of the little pigs, named tulla, was killed. the swineherd, a. olsen, whose special favourite this pig was, had to keep away during the operation, that we might not witness his emotion. early on the morning of christmas eve we saw the three first icebergs; there was an absolute calm all day, with misty air. to keep christmas the engine was stopped at p.m., and then all hands came to dinner. unfortunately we had no gramophone to sing to us, as in ; as a substitute the "orchestra" played "glade jul, hellige jul," when all were seated. the orchestra was composed of beck on the violin, sundbeck on the mandolin, and the undersigned on the flute. i puffed out my cheeks as much as i could, and that is not saying a little, so that the others might see how proficient i was. i hardly think it was much of a musical treat; but the public was neither critical nor ceremonious, and the prevalent costume was jerseys. the dinner consisted of soup, roast pork, with fresh potatoes and whortleberries, ten-years-old aquavit and norwegian bock beer, followed by wine-jelly and "kransekake," with -- champagne. the toasts of their majesties the king and queen, don pedro christophersen, captain amundsen, and the fram were drunk. i had decorated the saloon in a small way with artificial flowers, embroideries, and flags, to give a little colour. dinner was followed by cigars and the distribution of christmas presents. l. hansen played the accordion, and lieutenant gjertsen and rönne danced "folk dances"; the latter was, as usual, so amusing that he kept us in fits of laughter. at ten o'clock it was all over, the engine was started again, one watch went to bed and the other on deck; olsen cleaned out the pigsty, as usual at this time of night. that finished christmas for this year. as has been said before, sir james ross was down here in the 's. two years in succession he sailed from the pacific into ross sea with two ships that had no auxiliary steam-power. i assumed, therefore, that if he could get through so easily, there must be some place between south victoria land and the barrier (or land) on the other side, where there was little or no ice. following this assumption, i intended to go down to the western pack-ice (that lying off south victoria land) and steer along it till we were in ross sea, or, at all events, until we found a place where we could easily get through. it is quite possible that ross was very lucky in the time at which he encountered the ice, and that he only sailed in clear weather. we had no time to spare, however, but had to make use of whatever wind there was, even if we could not see very far. as early as december , at p.m., in lat. ° s. and long. . ° e., it was reported that we were off the pack. i was a good deal surprised, as recent expeditions had not met the pack until . ° s., or about one hundred nautical miles farther south, nor had there been any sign of our being so near the ice. the wind for the last few days had been south-easterly, but for the moment it was calm; we therefore held on to the east along the edge of the pack, with the ice to starboard. about midnight the wind freshened from the north, and we lay close-hauled along the edge of the ice till midday on the th, when the direction of the ice became more southerly. the northerly wind, which gradually increased to a stiff breeze, was good enough for getting us on, but it must inevitably bring fog and snow in its train. these came, sure enough, as thick as a wall, and for a couple of days we sailed perfectly blindly. outside the pack-ice proper lie long streams of floes and loose scattered lumps, which become more frequent as one nears the pack. for two days we sailed simply by the lumps of ice; the more of them we saw, the more easterly was our course, until they began to decrease, when we steered more to the south. in this way we went in forty-eight hours from lat. ° s. and long. ° e. to lat. ° s. and long. ° e., a distance of about two hundred and fifty nautical miles, without entering the pack. once we very nearly went into the trap, but fortunately got out again. the wind was so fresh that we did as much as eight and a half knots; when sailing at such a rate through a loose stream of ice, we sometimes ran upon a floe, which went under the ship's bottom, and came up alongside the other way up. during the afternoon of the st the streams of ice became closer and closer, and then i made the mistake of continuing to sail to the eastward; instead of this, i ought to have stood off, and steered due south or to the west of south, with this ice on ourport side. the farther we advanced, the more certain i was that we had come into the eastern pack-ice. it must be remembered, however, that owing to fog and thick snow we had seen nothing for over two days. observations there were none, of course; our speed had varied between two and eight and a half knots, and we had steered all manner of courses. that our dead reckoning was not very correct in such circumstances goes without saying, and an observation on january showed us that we were somewhat farther to the east than we had reckoned. on the evening of december the fog lifted for a while, and we saw nothing but ice all round. our course was then set due south. we had come right down in lat. . ° s., and i hoped soon to be clear altogether; in we got out of the ice in °s., and were then in the same longitude as now. now, indeed, our progress began to be slow, and the old year went out in a far from pleasant fashion. the fog was so thick that i may safely say we did not see more than fifty yards from the ship, whereas we ought to have had the midnight sun; ice and snow-sludge were so thick that at times we lay still. the wind had, unfortunately, fallen off, but we still had a little breeze from the north, so that both sails and engine could be used. we went simply at haphazard; now and then we were lucky enough to come into great open channels and even lakes, but then the ice closed again absolutely tight. it could hardly be called real ice, however, but was rather a snow-sludge, about two feet thick, and as tough as dough; it looked as if it had all just been broken off a single thick mass. the floes lay close together, and we could see how one floe fitted into the other. the ice remained more or less close until we were right down in lat. °s. and long. ° w.; the last part of it was old drift-ice. from here to the bay of whales we saw a few scattered streams of floes and some icebergs. a few seals were shot in the ice, so that we had fresh meat enough, and could save the sheep and pigs until the shore party came on board. i was sure they would appreciate fresh roast pork. the chart of ross sea has been drawn chiefly as a guide to future expeditions. it may be taken as certain that the best place to go through the ice is between long. ° e. and °, and that the best time is about the beginning of february. take, for instance, our southward route in -- : as has been said, the ice was met with as early as in ° s., and we were not clear of it till about ° s.; between ° s. and ° s. the line is interrupted, and it was there that i ought to have steered to the south. now follow the course from the bay of whales in . only in about ° s. was ice seen (almost as in ), and we followed it. after that time we saw absolutely no more ice, as the chart shows; therefore in the course of about a month and a half all the ice that we met when going south had drifted out. the stippled line shows how i assume the ice to have lain; the heavy broken line shows what our course ought to have been. the midnight sun was not seen till the night of january , , to the south of lat. ° s.; it was already . ° above the horizon. on the night of january we arrived off the barrier in extremely bitter weather. south-westerly and southerly winds had held for a few days, with fair weather; but that night there was thick snow, and the wind gradually fell calm, after which a fresh breeze sprang up from the south-east, with biting snow, and at the same time a lot of drift-ice. the engine went very slowly, and the ship kept head to wind. about midnight the weather cleared a little, and a dark line, which proved to be the barrier, came in sight. the engine went ahead at full speed, and the sails were set, so that we might get under the lee of the perpendicular wall. by degrees the ice-blink above the barrier became lighter and lighter, and before very long we were so close under it that we only just had room to go about. the barrier here runs east and west, and with a south-easterly wind we went along it to the east. the watch that had gone below at eight o'clock, when we were still in open sea, came up again at two to find us close to the long-desired wall of ice. some hours passed in the same way, but then, of course, the wind became easterly -- dead ahead -- so that we had tack after tack till p.m. the same day, when we were at the western point of the bay of whales. the ice lay right out to west cape, and we sailed across the mouth of the bay and up under the lee of the eastern barrier, in order, if possible, to find slack ice or open water; but no, the fast ice came just as far on that side. it turned out that we could not get farther south than ° ' -- that is, eleven nautical miles farther north than the previous year, and no less than fifteen nautical miles from framheim, taking into consideration the turn in the bay. we were thus back at the same place we had left on february , , and had since been round the world. the distance covered on this voyage of circumnavigation was , nautical miles, of which , belong to the oceanographical cruise in the south atlantic. we did not lie under the lee of the eastern barrier for more than four hours; the wind, which had so often been against us, was true to its principles to the last. of course it went to the north and blew right up the bay; the drift-ice from ross sea came in, and at midnight (january -- ) we stood out again. i had thought of sending a man up to framheim to report that we had arrived, but the state of the weather did not allow it. besides, i had only one pair of private ski on board and should therefore only have been able to send one man. it would have been better if several had gone together. during the forenoon of the l th it gradually cleared, the wind fell light and we stood inshore again. as at the same time the barometer was rising steadily, lieutenant gjertsen went ashore on ski about one o'clock. later in the afternoon a dog came running out across the sea-ice, and i thought it had come down on lieutenant gjertsen's track; but i was afterwards told it was one of the half-wild dogs that ran about on the ice and did not show themselves up at the hut. meanwhile the wind freshened again; we had to put out for another twenty-four hours and lay first one way and then the other with shortened sail; then there was fine weather again and we came in. at p.m. on the th lieutenant gjertsen returned with lieutenant prestrud, johansen and stubberud. of course we were very glad to see one another again and all sorts of questions were asked on both sides. the chief and the southern party were not yet back. they stayed on board till the th, got their letters and a big pile of newspapers and went ashore again; we followed them with the glasses as far as possible, so as to take them on board again if they could not get across the cracks in the ice. during the days that followed we lay moored to the ice or went out, according to the weather. at p.m. on the th we were somewhat surprised to see a vessel bearing down. for my part, i guessed her to be the aurora, dr. mawson's ship. she came very slowly, but at last what should we see but the japanese flag! i had no idea that expedition was out again. the ship came right in, went past us twice and moored alongside the loose ice. immediately afterwards ten men armed with picks and shovels went up the barrier, while the rest rushed wildly about after penguins, and their shots were heard all night. next morning the commander of the kainan maru, whose name was homura, came on board. the same day a tent was set up on the edge of the barrier, and cases, sledges, and so on, were put out on the ice. kainan maru means, i have been told, "the ship that opens the south." prestrud and i went on board her later in the day, to see what she was like, but we met neither the leader of the expedition nor the captain of the ship. prestrud had the cinematograph apparatus with him, and a lot of photographs were also taken. the leader of the japanese expedition has written somewhere or other that the reason of shackleton's losing all his ponies was that the ponies were not kept in tents at night, but had to lie outside. he thought the ponies ought to be in the tents and the men outside. from this one would think they were great lovers of animals, but i must confess that was not the impression i received. they had put penguins into little boxes to take them alive to japan! round about the deck lay dead and half-dead skua gulls in heaps. on the ice close to the vessel was a seal ripped open, with part of its entrails on the ice; but the seal was still alive. neither prestrud nor i had any sort of weapon that we could kill the seal with, so we asked the japanese to do it, but they only grinned and laughed. a little way off two of them were coming across the ice with a seal in front of them; they drove it on with two long poles, with which they pricked it when it would not go. if it fell into a crack, they dug it up again as you would see men quarrying stone at home; it had not enough life in it to be able to escape its tormentors. all this was accompanied by laughter and jokes. on arrival at the ship the animal was nearly dead, and it was left there till it expired. on the th we had a fresh south-westerly wind and a lot of ice went out. the japanese were occupied most of the night in going round among the floes and picking up men, dogs, cases, and so on, as they had put a good deal on to the ice in the course of the day. as the ice came out, so the fram went in, right up to fat. ° ' s., while the kainan maru drifted farther and farther out, till at last she disappeared. nor did we see the vessel again, but a couple of men with a tent stayed on the barrier as long as we were in the bay. on the night of the th there was a stiff breeze from the west, and we drifted so far out in the thick snow that it was only on the afternoon of the th that we could make our way in again through a mass of ice. in the course of these two days so much ice had broken up that we came right in to fat. ° ' s., or almost to framheim, and that was very lucky. as we stood in over the bay of whales, we caught sight of a big norwegian naval ensign flying on the barrier at cape man's head, and i then knew that the southern party had arrived. we went therefore as far south as possible and blew our powerful siren; nor was it very long before eight men came tearing down. there was great enthusiasm. the first man on board was the chief; i was so certain he had reached the goal that i never asked him. not till an hour later, when we had discussed all kinds of other things, did i enquire "well, of course you have been at the south pole?" we lay there for a couple of days; on account of the short distance from framheim, provisions, outfit, etc., were brought on board. if such great masses of ice had not drifted out in the last few days, it would probably have taken us a week or two to get the same quantity on board. at . p.m. on january , , in a thick fog, we took our moorings on board and waved a last farewell to the mighty barrier. from the barrier to buenos aires, via hobart. the first day after our departure from the barrier everything we had taken on board was stowed away, so that one would not have thought our numbers were doubled, or that we had taken several hundred cases and a lot of outfit on board. the change was only noticed on deck, where thirty-nine powerful dogs made an uproar all day long, and in the fore-saloon, which was entirely changed. this saloon, after being deserted for a year, was now full of men, and it was a pleasure to be there; especially as everyone had something to tell -- the chief of his trip, prestrud of his, and gjertsen and i of the fram's. however, there was not very much time for yarning. the chief at once began writing cablegrams and lectures, which prestrud and i translated into english, and the chief then copied again on a typewriter. in addition to this i was occupied the whole time in drawing charts, so that on arrival at hobart everything was ready; the time passed quickly, though the voyage was fearfully long. as regards the pack-ice we were extremely lucky. it lay in exactly the same spot where we had met with it in -- that is, in about lat. ° s. we went along the edge of it for a very short time, and then it was done with. to the north of ° we saw nothing but a few small icebergs. we made terribly slow progress to the northward, how slow may perhaps be understood if i quote my diary for february : "this trip is slower than anything we have had before; now and then we manage an average rate of two knots an hour in a day's run. in the last four days we have covered a distance that before would have been too little for a single day. we have been at it now for nearly a month, and are still only between lat. ° and ° s. gales from the north are almost the order of the day," etc. however, it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good, and the time was well employed with all we had to do. after a five weeks' struggle we at last reached hobart and anchored in the splendid harbour on march . our fresh provisions from buenos aires just lasted out; the last of the fresh potatoes were finished a couple of days before our arrival, and the last pig was killed when we had been at hobart two days. the fram remained here for thirteen days, which were chiefly spent in repairing the propeller and cleaning the engine; in addition to this the topsail-yard, which was nearly broken in the middle, was spliced, as we had no opportunity of getting a new one. the first week was quiet on board, as, owing to the circumstances, there was no communication with the shore; but after that the ship was full of visitors, so that we were not very sorry to get away again. twenty-one of our dogs were presented to dr. mawson, the leader of the australian expedition, and only those dogs that had been to the south pole and a few puppies, eighteen in all, were left on board. while we lay in hobart, dr. mawson's ship, the aurora, came in. i went aboard her one day, and have thus been on board the vessels of all the present antarctic expeditions. on the terra nova, the british, on february , , in the bay of whales; on the deutschland, the german, in september and october, , in buenos aires; on the kainan maru, the japanese, on january , , in the bay of whales; and finally on the aurora in hobart. not forgetting the fram, which, of course, i think best of all. on march the fram weighed anchor and left tasmania. we made very poor progress to begin with, as we had calms for nearly three weeks, in spite of its being the month of march in the west wind belt of the south pacific. on the morning of easter sunday, april , the wind first freshened from the north-west and blew day after day, a stiff breeze and a gale alternately, so that we went splendidly all the way to the falkland islands, in spite of the fact that the topsail was reefed for nearly five weeks on account of the fragile state of the yard. i believe most of us wanted to get on fast; the trip was now over for the present, and those who had families at home naturally wanted to be with them as soon as they could; perhaps that was why we went so well. on april mrs. snuppesen gave birth to eight pups; four of these were killed, while the rest, two of each sex, were allowed to live. on maundy thursday, april , we were in long. ° and changed the date, so that we had two maundy thursdays in one week; this gave us a good many holidays running, and i cannot say the effect is altogether cheerful; it was a good thing when easter tuesday came round as an ordinary week-day. on may we passed cape horn in very fair weather; it is true we, had a snow-squall of hurricane violence, but it did not last much more than half an hour. for a few days the temperature was a little below freezing-point, but it rose rapidly as soon as we were out in the atlantic. from hobart to cape horn we saw no ice. after passing the falkland islands we had a head wind, so that the last part of the trip was nothing to boast of. on the night of may we passed montevideo, where the chief had arrived a few hours before. from here up the river la plata we went so slowly on account of head wind that we did not anchor in the roads of buenos aires till the afternoon of the rd, almost exactly at the same time as the chief landed at buenos aires. when i went ashore next morning and met mr. p. christophersen, he was in great good-humour. "this is just like a fairy tale," he said; and it could not be denied that it was an amusing coincidence. the chief, of course, was equally pleased. on the th, the argentine national fête, the fram was moored at the same quay that we had left on october , . at our departure there were exactly seven people on board to say good-bye, but, as far as i could see, there were more than this when we arrived; and i was able to make out, from newspapers and other sources, that in the course of a couple of months the third fram expedition had grown considerably in popularity. in conclusion i will give one or two data. since the fram left christiania on june , , we have been two and a half times round the globe; the distance covered is about , nautical miles; the lowest reading of the barometer during this time was . inches ( millimetres) in march, , in the south pacific, and the highest . inches ( millimetres) in october, , in the south atlantic. on june , , the second anniversary of our leaving christiania, all the members of the expedition, except the chief and myself, left for norway, and the first half of the expedition was thus brought to a fortunate conclusion. chapter i the "fram" by commodore christian blom colin archer says in his description of the fram, in fridtjof nansen's account of the norwegian arctic expedition, -- , that the successful result of an expedition such as that planned and carried out by dr. nansen in the years -- must depend on the care with which all possible contingencies are foreseen, and precautions taken to meet them, and the choice of every detail of the equipment with special regard to the use to which it will be put. to no part of the equipment, he says, could this apply with greater force than to the ship which was to carry dr. nansen and his companions on their adventurous voyage. colin archer then built the ship -- fram was her name -- and she showed -- first on fridtjof nansen's famous voyage, and afterwards on sverdrup's long wintering expedition in ellesmere land, that she answered her purpose completely, nay, she greatly exceeded the boldest expectations. then roald amundsen decided to set out on a voyage not less adventurous than the two former, and he looked about for a suitable ship. it was natural that he should think of the fram, but she was old -- about sixteen years -- and had been exposed to many a hard buffet; it was said that she was a good deal damaged by decay. roald amundsen, however, did not allow himself to be discouraged by these misgivings, but wished to see for himself what kind of a craft the fram was after her two commissions. he therefore came down to horten with colin archer on june , , and made a thorough examination of the vessel. he then, in the spring of , requested the naval dockyard at horten to repair the ship and carry out the alterations he considered necessary for his enterprise. before giving an account of the repairs and alterations to the vessel in -- , we shall briefly recapitulate, with the author's permission, a part of the description of the fram in fridtjof nansen's work, especially as regards the constructive peculiarities of the vessel. the problem which it was sought to solve in the construction of the fram was that of providing a ship which could survive the crushing embrace of the arctic drift-ice. to fit her for this was the object before which all other considerations had to give way. but apart from the question of mere strength of construction, there were problems of design and model which, it was thought, would play an important part in the attainment of the chief object. it is sometimes prudent in an encounter to avoid the full force of a blow instead of resisting it, even if it could be met without damage; and there was reason to think that by a judicious choice of model something might be done to break the force of the ice-pressure, and thus lessen its danger. examples of this had been seen in small norwegian vessels that had been caught in the ice near spitzbergen and novaya zemlya. it often happens that they are lifted right out of the water by the pressure of the ice without sustaining serious damage; and these vessels are not particularly strong, but have, like most small sailing-ships, a considerable dead rising and sloping sides. the ice encounters these sloping sides and presses in under the bilge on both sides, until the ice-edges meet under the keel, and the ship is raised up into the bed that is formed by the ice itself. in order to turn this principle to account, it was decided to depart entirely from the usual flat-bottomed frame-section, and to adopt a form that would offer no vulnerable point on the ship's side, but would cause the increasing horizontal pressure of the ice to effect a raising of the ship, as described above. in the construction of the fram it was sought to solve this problem by avoiding plane or concave surfaces, thus giving the vessel as far as possible round and full lines. besides increasing the power of resistance to external pressure, this form has the advantage of making it easy for the ice to glide along the bottom in any direction. the fram was a three-masted fore-and-aft schooner with an auxiliary engine of indicated horse-power, which was calculated to give her a speed of knots, when moderately loaded, with a coal consumption of . tons a day. the vessel was designed to be only large enough to carry the necessary coal-supply, provisions, and other equipment for a period of five years, and to give room for the crew. her principal dimensions are: length of keel . english feet length of waterline ' length over all ' beam on waterline ' greatest beam ' depth . ' her displacement, with a draught of . feet, is tons. the measurements are taken to the outside of the planks, but do not include the ice-skin. by custom-house measurement she was found to be gross tons register, and tons net. the ship, with engines and boilers, was calculated to weigh about tons. with the draught above mentioned, which gives a freeboard of feet, there would thus be tons available for cargo. this weight was actually exceeded by tons, which left a freeboard of only inches when the ship sailed on her first voyage. this additional immersion could only have awkward effects when the ship came into the ice, as its effect would then be to retard the lifting by the ice, on which the safety of the ship was believed to depend in a great measure. not only was there a greater weight to lift, but there was a considerably greater danger of the walls of ice, that would pile themselves against the ship's sides, falling over the bulwarks and covering the deck before the ice began to raise her. the load would, however, be lightened by the time the ship was frozen fast. events showed that she was readily lifted when the ice-pressure set in, and that the danger of injury from falling blocks of ice was less than had been expected. the fram's keel is of american elm in two lengths, inches square; the room and space is feet. the frame-timbers are almost all of oak obtained from the naval dockyard at horten, where they had lain for many years, thus being perfectly seasoned. the timbers were all grown to shape. the frames consist of two tiers of timbers everywhere, each timber measuring to inches fore and aft; the two tiers of timbers are fitted together and bolted, so that they form a solid and compact whole. the joints of the frame-timbers are covered with iron plates. the lining consists of pitch-pine in good lengths and of varying thickness from to inches. the keelson is also of pitch-pine, in two layers, one above the other; each layer inches square from the stem to the engine-room. under the boiler and engine there was only room for one keelson. there are two decks. the beams of the main-deck are of american or german oak, those of the lower deck and half-deck of pitch-pine and norwegian fir. all the deck planks are of norwegian fir, inches in the main-deck and inches elsewhere. the beams are fastened to the ship's sides by knees of norwegian spruce, of which about were used. wooden knees were, as a rule, preferred to iron ones, as they are more elastic. a good many iron knees were used, however, where wood was less suitable. in the boiler and engine room the beams of the lower deck had to be raised about feet to give sufficient height for the engines. the upper deck was similarly raised from the stern-post to the mainmast, forming a half-deck, under which the cabins were placed. on this half-deck, immediately forward of the funnel, a deck-house was placed, arranged as a chart-house, from which two companions (one on each side) led down to the cabins. besides the ice-skin, there is a double layer of outside planking of oak. the two first strakes (garboard strakes), however, are single, inches thick, and are bolted both to the keel and to the frame-timbers. the first (inner) layer of planks is inches thick, and is only fastened with nails; outside this comes a layer of -inch planks, fastened with oak trenails and through bolts, as usual. the two top strakes are single again, and inches thick. the ice-skin is of greenheart, and covers the whole ship's side from the keel to inches from the sheer strake. it is only fastened with nails and jagged bolts. each layer of planks was caulked and pitched before the next one was laid. thus only about or inches of the keel projects below the planking, and this part of the keel is rounded off so as not to hinder the ice from passing under the ship's bottom. the intervals between the timbers were filled with a mixture of coal-tar, pitch, and sawdust, heated together and put in warm. the ship's side thus forms a compact mass varying in thickness from to inches. as a consequence of all the intervals between the timbers being filled up, there is no room for bilge-water under the lining. a loose bottom was therefore laid a few inches above the lining on each side of the keelson. in order to strengthen the ship's sides still more, and especially to prevent stretching, iron braces were placed on the lining, running from the clamps of the top deck down to well past the floor-timbers. the stem consists of three massive oak beams, one inside the other, forming together feet of solid oak fore and aft, with a breadth of inches. the three external plankings as well as the lining are all rabbeted into the stem. the propeller-post is in two thicknesses, placed side by side, and measures inches athwart-ship and inches fore and aft. it will be seen from the plan that the overhang aft runs out into a point, and that there is thus no transom. to each side of the stern-post is fitted a stout stern-timber parallel to the longitudinal midship section, forming, so to speak, a double stern-post, and the space between them forms a well, which goes right up through the top deck. the rudder-post is placed in the middle of this well, and divides it into two parts, one for the propeller and one for the rudder. in this way it is possible to lift both the rudder and the screw out of the water. the rudder is so hung that the rudder-stock, which is cylindrical, turns on its own axis, to prevent the rudder being jammed if the well should be filled with ice. aft of the rudder-well the space between the stern-timbers is filled with solid wood, and the whole is securely bolted together with bolts running athwart-ship. the frame-timbers join the stern-timbers in this part, and are fastened to them by means of knees. the stem and stern-post are connected to the keelson and to the keel by stout knees of timber, and both the ship's sides are bound together with solid breasthooks and crutches of wood or iron. although the fram was not specially built for ramming, it was probable that now and then she would be obliged to force her way through the ice. her bow and stern were therefore shod in the usual way. on the forward side of the stem a segment-shaped iron was bolted from the bobstay-bolt to some way under the keel. outside this iron plates ( x / inches) were fastened over the stem, and for feet on each side of it. these iron plates were placed close together, and thus formed a continuous armour-plating to a couple of feet from the keel. the sharp edge of the stern was protected in the same way, and the lower sides of the well were lined with thick iron plates. the rudder-post, which owing to its exposed position may be said to form the achilles' heel of the ship, was strengthened with three heavy pieces of iron, one in the opening for the screw and one on each side of the two posts and the keel, and bolted together with bolts running athwart-ship. extraordinary precautions were taken for strengthening the ship's sides, which were particularly exposed to destruction by ice-pressure, and which, on account of their form, compose the weakest part of the hull. these precautions will best be seen in the sections (figs. and ). under each beam in both decks were placed diagonal stays of fir ( x inches), almost at right angles to the ship's sides, and securely fastened to the sides and to the beams by wooden knees. there are of these stays distributed over the ship. in addition, there are under the beams three rows of vertical stanchions between decks, and one row in the lower hold from the keelson. these are connected to the keelson, to the beams, and to each other by iron bands. the whole of the ship's interior is thus filled with a network of braces and stays, arranged in such a way as to transfer and distribute the pressure from without, and give rigidity to the whole construction. in the engine and boiler room it was necessary to modify the arrangement of stays, so as to give room for the engines and boiler. all the iron, with the exception of the heaviest forgings, is galvanized. when otto sverdrup was to use the fram for his polar expedition, he had a number of alterations carried out. the most important of these consisted in laying a new deck in the fore part of the ship, from the bulkhead forward of the engine-room to the stem, at a height of feet inches (to the upper side of the planks) above the old fore-deck. the space below the new deck was fitted as a fore-cabin, with a number of state-rooms leading out of it, a large workroom, etc. the old chart-house immediately forward of the funnel was removed, and in its place a large water-tank was fitted. the foremast was raised and stepped in the lower deck. a false keel, inches deep and inches broad, was placed below the keel. a number of minor alterations were also carried out. after the fram returned in from her second expedition under captain sverdrup, she was sent down to horten to be laid up in the naval dockyard. not long after the vessel had arrived at the dockyard, captain sverdrup proposed various repairs and alterations. the repairs were carried out in part, but the alterations were postponed pending a decision as to the future employment of the vessel. the fram then lay idle in the naval harbour until , when she was used by the marine artillery as a floating magazine. in the same year a good deal of the vessel's outfit (amongst other things all her sails and most of her rigging) was lost in a fire in one of the naval storehouses, where these things were stored. in the ship's keel and stem (which are of elm and oak) were sheathed with zinc, while the outer sheathing (ice-skin), which is of greenheart, was kept coated with coal-tar and copper composition. in the whole outer sheathing below the water-line was covered with zinc; this was removed in when the ship was prepared for her third commission under roald amundsen. in a thorough examination of the vessel was made, as it was suspected that the timber inside the thick cork insulation that surrounded the cabins had begun to decay. on previous expeditions the cabins, provision hold aft, and workrooms forward of the fore-cabin, had been insulated with several thicknesses of wooden panelling. the interstices were filled with finely-divided cork, alternately with reindeer hair and thick felt and linoleum. in the course of years damp had penetrated into the non-conducting material, with the result that fungus and decay had spread in the surrounding woodwork. thus it was seen during the examination in that the panelling and ceiling of the cabins in question were to a great extent rotten or attacked by fungus. in the same way the under side of the upper deck over these cabins was partly attacked by fungus, as were its beams, knees, and carlings. the lower deck, on the other hand, was better preserved. the filling-in timbers of spruce or fir between the frame-timbers in the cabins were damaged by fungus, while the frame-timbers themselves, which were of oak, were good. the outer lining outside the insulated parts was also somewhat damaged by fungus. in the coal-bunkers over the main-deck the spruce knees were partly rotten, as were some of the beams, while the lining was here fairly good. the masts and main-topmast were somewhat attacked by decay, while the rest of the spars were good. during and after the examination all the panelling and insulation was removed, the parts attacked by fungus or decay were also removed, and the woodwork coated with carbolineum or tar. the masts and various stores and fittings were taken ashore at the same time. it was found that the rest of the vessel-that is, the whole of the lower part of the hull right up to the cabin deck-was perfectly sound, and as good as new. nor was there any sign of strain anywhere. it is difficult to imagine any better proof of the excellence of the vessel's construction; after two protracted expeditions to the most northern regions to which any ship has ever penetrated, where the vessel was often exposed to the severest ice-pressure, and in spite of her being (in ) fifteen years old, the examination showed that her actual hull, the part of the ship that has to resist the heavy strain of water and ice, was in just as good condition as when she was new. the vessel was then left in this state until, as already mentioned, roald amundsen and her builder, colin archer, came down to the dockyard on june , , and with the necessary assistance made an examination of her. after some correspondence and verbal conferences between roald amundsen and the dockyard, the latter, on march , , made a tender for the repairs and alterations to the fram. the repairs consisted of making good the damage to the topsides referred to above. the alterations were due in the first instance to the circumstance that the steam-engine and boiler (the latter had had its flues burnt out on sverdrup's expedition) were to be replaced by an oil-motor; as a consequence of this the coal-bunkers would disappear, while, on the other hand, a large number of oil-tanks, capable of containing about tons of oil, were to be put in. it was also considered desirable to rig square-sails on the foremast in view of the great distances that were to be sailed on the proposed expedition. the present arrangement of the vessel will best be followed by referring to the elevation and plan (figs. and ). in the extreme after-part of the lower hold is placed the horse-power diesel engine, surrounded by its auxiliary machinery and air-reservoirs. in addition, some of the tanks containing the fuel itself are placed in the engine-room (marked o); the other tanks shown in the engine-room (marked ) serve for storing lubricating oil. the existing engine-room was formerly the engine and boiler room, with coal-bunkers on both sides in the forward part. forward of the watertight bulkhead of the engine-room we have, in the lower hold, the main store of oil-fuel, contained in tanks (marked o) of various sizes, on account of their having to be placed among the numerous diagonal stays. the tanks are filled and emptied by means of a pump and a petroleum hose through a manhole in the top, over which, again, are hatches in the deck above; no connecting pipes are fitted between the different tanks, for fear they might be damaged by frost or shock, thus involving a risk of losing oil. the main supply tank for fuel is placed over the forward side of the engine-room, where it is supported on strong steel girders; inside this tank, again, there are two smaller ones -- settling tanks -- from which the oil is conveyed in pipes to the engine-pumps. the main tank is of irregular shape -- as will be seen from the drawing -- since a square piece is taken out of its starboard after-corner for a way down into the engine-room. besides this way down, an emergency way leads up from the engine-room, right aft, to one of the after-cabins. the oil hold is closed forward by a watertight bulkhead, which goes up to the main-deck. the hold forward of the oil-supply is unaltered, and serves for stowing cargo (mainly provisions), as does the hold above the oil-supply and below the main-deck. on the main-deck right aft we now find a space arranged on each side of the well for the propeller and rudder; the lower part of this space is occupied by two tanks for lamp-oil, and above the tanks is a thin partition, which forms the floor of two small sail-rooms, with hatches to the deck above. around the mizzenmast is the after-saloon, with eight cabins leading out of it. from the forward end of the after-saloon two passages lead to the large workroom amidships. these passages run past what were formerly coal-bunkers, but are now arranged as cabins, intended only to be used in milder climates, as they are not provided with any special insulation. from the port passage a door leads to the engine-room companion. in the after-part of the large workroom is the galley. this room is entirely lined with zinc, both on walls and ceiling (on account of the danger of fire), while the deck is covered with lead, on which tiles are laid in cement. forward of the galley is the main hatch, and two large water-tanks are fitted here, one on each side. the remainder of the workroom affords space for carpenter's benches, turning-lathes, a forge, vices, etc. from the workroom two doors lead into the fore-saloon with its adjoining cabins. amundsen's cabin is the farthest forward on the starboard side, and communicates with an instrument-room. from the fore-saloon a door leads out forward, past a sixth cabin. in the space forward on the main-deck we have the fore-hatch, and by the side of this a room entirely lined with zinc plates, which serves for storing furs. forward of the fur store is fitted a horse-power one-cylinder bolinder motor for working the capstan; the main features of its working will be seen in the drawing. there are two independent transmissions: by belt and by chain. the former is usually employed. the chain transmission was provided as a reserve, since it was feared that belt-driving might prove unserviceable in a cold climate. this fear, however, has hitherto been ungrounded. forward of the motor there is a large iron tank to supply water for cooling it. in the same space are chain-pipes to the locker below and the heel of the bowsprit. this space also serves as cable-tier. on the upper deck we find aft, the opening of the rudder-well and that of the propeller-well, covered with gratings. a piece was added to the lower part of the rudder to give more rudder area. forward of the propeller-well comes the reserve steering-gear, almost in the same position formerly occupied by the only steering-gear; the ordinary steering-gear is now moved to the bridge. the old engine-room companion aft is now removed, and forward of the after-wheel is only the skylight of the after-saloon. up through the latter comes the exhaust-pipe of the main engine. forward of and round the mizzenmast is the bridge, which is partly formed by the roofs of the large chart-house and laboratory amidships and the two houses on each side. the chart-house occupies the place of the old boiler-room ventilator, and abuts on the fore-deck. (it is thus a little aft of the place occupied by the chart-house on nansen's expedition.) it is strongly built of timbers standing upright, securely bolted to the deck. on both sides of this timber work there are panels, inches thick on the outside and inch on the inside, and the space between is filled with finely-divided cork. floor and roof are insulated in a similar way, as is also the door; the windows are double, of thick plate-glass. inside the chart-house, besides the usual fittings for its use as such, there is a companion-way to the engine-room, and a hatch over the manhole to the main supply tank for oil-fuel. the opening in the deck has a hatch, made like the rest of the deck (in two thicknesses, with cork insulation between); the intention is to cut off the engine-room altogether, and remove the entrance of this companion during the drift in the ice through the polar sea. the side houses are constructed of iron, and are not panelled; they are intended for w.c. and lamp-room. on the roof of the chart-house are the main steering-gear and the engine-room telegraph. on the port side, on the forward part of the after-deck, a downton pump is fitted, which can either be worked by hand or by a small motor, which also serves to drive the sounding-machine, and is set up on the after-deck. forward of the starboard side house is the spare rudder, securely lashed to deck and bulwarks. on each side of the chart-house a bridge leads to the fore-deck, with ways down to the workroom and fore-saloon. on the fore-deck, a little forward of the mainmast, we find the two ship's pumps proper, constructed of wood. the suction-pipe is of wood, covered on the outside with lead, so as to ]prevent leakage through possible cracks in the wood; the valves are of leather, and the piston of wood, with a leather covering. the pump-action is the usual nickel action, that was formerly general on our ships, and is still widely used on smacks. these simple pumps have been shown by experience to work better than any others in severe cold. the fore-deck also has skylights over the fore-saloon, the main and fore hatches, and finally the capstan. this is of the ordinary horizontal type, from pusnes engineering works; it is driven by the motor below, as already mentioned. the capstan can also be used as a winch, and it can be worked by hand-power. the fram carries six boats: one large decked boat ( x x feet) -- one of the two large boats carried on nansen's expedition -- placed between the mainmast and the foremast, over the skylight; three whale-boats ( x feet), and one large and one small pram; the two last are carried on davits as shown in the drawing. one of these whale-boats was left behind on the ice barrier, where it was buried in snow when the ship left. it was brought ashore that the wintering party might have a boat at their disposal after the fram had sailed. for warming the vessel it is intended to use only petroleum. for warming the laboratory (chart-house) there is an arrangement by which hot air from the galley is brought up through its forward wall. the vessel was provided with iron chain plates bolted to the timbers above the ice-skin. the mizzenmast is new. there was a crack in the beam that forms the support for the mizzenmast; it was therefore strengthened with two heavy iron plates, secured by through-bolts. two strong steel stanchions were also placed on each side of the engine, carried down to the frame-timbers. the old mizzenmast has been converted into a bowsprit and jib-boom in one piece. there are now standing gaffs on all three masts. the sail area is about , square feet. all the cabins are insulated in the same way as before, though it has been found possible to simplify this somewhat. in general the insulation consists of: . in the cabins, against the ship's side and under the upper deck, there is first a layer of cork, and over that a double panelling of wood with tarred felt between. . above the orlop deck aft there is a layer of cork, and above this a floor of boards covered with linoleum. . under the orlop deck forward there is wooden panelling, with linoleum over the deck. bulkheads abutting on parts of the ship that are not warmed consist of three thicknesses of boards or planks with various non-conducting materials, such as cork or felt, between them. when the vessel was docked before leaving horten, the zinc sheathing was removed, as already stated, since fears were entertained that it would be torn by the ice, and would then prevent the ice from slipping readily under the bottom during pressure. the vessel has two anchors, but the former port anchor has been replaced by a considerably heavier one ( ton / hundredweight), with a correspondingly heavier chain-cable. this was done with a special view to the voyage round cape horn. in order to trim the ship as much as possible by the stern, which was desirable on account of her carrying a weather helm, a number of heavy spare stores, such as the old port anchor and its cable, were stowed aft, and the extreme after-peak was filled with cement containing round pieces of iron punched out of plates. along the railing round the fore-deck strong netting has been placed to prevent the dogs falling overboard. for the upper deck a loose wooden grating has been made, so that the dogs shall not lie on the wet deck. awnings are provided over the whole deck, with only the necessary openings for working the ship. in this way the dogs have been given dry and, as far as possible, cool quarters for the voyage through the tropics. it is proposed to use the ship's spars as supports for a roof of boards, to be put up during the drift through the ice as a protection against falling masses of ice. the fram's new engine is a direct reversible marine-polar-motor, built by the diesel motor co., of stockholm. it is a diesel engine, with four working and two air-pump cylinders, and develops normally at revolutions per minute effective horse-power, with a consumption of oil of about / ounces per effective horse-power per hour. with this comparatively small consumption, the fram's fuel capacity will carry her much farther than if she had a steam-engine, a consideration of great importance in her forthcoming long voyage in the arctic sea. with her oil capacity of about tons, she will thus be able to go uninterruptedly for about , hours, or about days. if we reckon her speed under engine power alone at / knots, she will be able to go about , nautical miles without replenishing her oil-supply. it is a fault in the new engine that its number of revolutions is very high, which necessitates the use of a propeller of small diameter ( feet inches), and thus of low efficiency in the existing conditions. this is the more marked on account of the unusual thickness of the fram's propeller-post, which masks the propeller to a great extent. the position of the engine will be seen in fig. . the exhaust gases from the engine are sent up by a pipe through the after-saloon, through its skylight, and up to a large valve on the bridge; from this valve two horizontal pipes run along the after side of the bridge, one to each side: by means of the valve the gases can be diverted to one side or the other, according to the direction of the wind, besides the usual auxiliary engines, the main engine drives a large centrifugal bilge-pump, an ordinary machine bilge-pump, and a fan for use in the tropics. when the fram left christiania in the spring of , after taking her cargo on board, she drew feet forward and feet inches aft. this corresponds to a displacement (measured outside the ice-skin) of about , tons. the ice-skin was then / inches above the waterline amidships. chapter ii remarks on the meteorological observations at framheim by b. j. birkeland on account of the improvised character of the south polar expedition, the meteorological department on the fram was not so complete as it ought to have been. it had not been possible to provide the aerological outfit at the time of sailing, and the meteorologist of the expedition was therefore left behind in norway. but certain things were wanting even to complete the equipment of an ordinary meteorological station, such as minimum thermometers and the necessary instructions that should have accompanied one or two of the instruments. fortunately, among the veterans of the expedition there were several practised observers, and, notwithstanding all drawbacks, a fine series of observations was obtained during ten months' stay in winter-quarters on the antarctic continent. these observations will provide a valuable supplement to the simultaneous records of other expeditions, especially the british in mcmurdo sound and the german in weddell sea, above all as regards the hypsometer observations (for the determination of altitude) on sledge journeys. it may be hoped, in any case, that it will be possible to interpolate the atmospheric pressure at sea-level in all parts of the antarctic continent that were traversed by the sledging expeditions. for this reason the publication of a provisional working out of the observations is of great importance at the present moment, although the general public will, perhaps, look upon the long rows of figures as tedious and superfluous. the complete working out of these observations can only be published after a lapse of some years. as regards the accuracy of the figures here given, it must be noted that at present we know nothing about possible alterations in the errors of the different instruments, as it will not be possible to have the instruments examined and compared until we arrive at san francisco next year. we have provisionally used the errors that were determined at the norwegian meteorological institute before the expedition sailed; it does not appear, however, that they have altered to any great extent. the meteorological outfit on the fram consisted of the following instruments and apparatus: three mercury barometers, namely: one normal barometer by fuess, no. . one kew standard barometer by adie, no. . one kew marine barometer by adie, no. . five aneroid barometers: one large instrument with thermometer attached, without name or number. two pocket aneroids by knudsen, copenhagen, one numbered , . two pocket aneroids by cary, london, nos. , and , , for altitudes up to , metres ( , feet). two hypsometers by casella, with several thermometers. mercury thermometers: twelve ordinary standard (psychrometer-) thermometers, divided to fifths of a degree (centigrade). ten ordinary standard thermometers, divided to degrees. four sling thermometers, divided to half degrees. three maximum thermometers, divided to degrees. one normal thermometer by mollenkopf, no. . toluene thermometers: eighteen sling thermometers, divided to degrees. three normal thermometers-by tounelot, no. , , and baudin, nos. , and , . two torsion hair hygrometers of russeltvedt's construction, nos. and . one cup and cross anemometer of professor mohn's construction, with spare cross. one complete set of precipitation gauges, with nipher's shield, gauges for snow density, etc. registering instruments: two barographs. two thermographs. one hair hygrograph. a number of spare parts, and a supply of paper and ink for seven years. in addition, various books were taken, such as mohn's "meteorology," the meteorological institute's "guide," psychrometric tables, wiebe's steam-pressure tables for hypsometer observations, etc. the marine barometer, the large aneroid, and one of the barographs, the four mercury sling thermometers, and two whole-degree standard thermometers, were kept on board the fram, where they were used for the regular observations every four hours on the vessel's long voyages backwards and forwards. as will be seen, the shore party was thus left without mercury sling thermometers, besides having no minimum thermometers; the three maximum thermometers proved to be of little use. there were also various defects in the clockwork of the registering instruments. the barographs and thermographs have been used on all the norwegian polar expeditions; the hygrograph is also an old instrument, which, in the course of its career, has worked for over ten years in christiania, where the atmosphere is by no means merciful to delicate instruments. its clockwork had not been cleaned before it was sent to the fram, as was done in the case of the other four instruments. the barographs worked irreproachably the whole time, but one of the thermographs refused absolutely to work in the open air, and unfortunately the spindle pivot of the other broke as early as april . at first the clockwork of the hygrograph would not go at all, as the oil had become thick, and it was not until this had been removed by prolonged severe heating (baking in the oven for several days) that it could be set going; but then it had to be used for the thermograph, the mechanism of which was broken, so that no registration was obtained of the humidity of the air. the resulting registrations are then as follows: from framheim, one set of barograms and two sets of thermograms, of which one gives the temperature of the air and the other the temperature inside the house, where the barometers and barograph were placed; from the fram we have barograms for the whole period from her leaving christiania, in , to her arrival at buenos aires for the third time, in . of course, none of these registrations can be taken into account in the provisional working out, as they will require many months' work, which, moreover, cannot be carried out with advantage until we have ascertained about possible changes of error in the instruments. but occasional use has been made of them for purposes of checking, and for supplying the only observation missing in the ten months. the meteorological station at framheim was arranged in this way: the barometers, barograph, and one thermograph hung inside the house; they were placed in the kitchen, behind the door of the living-room, which usually stood open, and thus protected them from the radiant heat of the range. a thermometer, a hygrometer, and the other thermograph were placed in a screen on high posts, and with louvred sides, which stood at a distance of fifteen yards to the south-west of the house. a little way beyond the screen, again, stood the wind-vane and anemometer. at the end of september the screen had to be moved a few yards to the east; the snow had drifted about it until it was only / feet above the surface, whereas it ought to stand at the height of a man. at the same time the wind-vane was moved. the screen was constructed by lindström from his recollection of the old fram screen. the two mercury barometers, the fuess normal, and the adie standard barometer, reached framheim in good condition; as has been said, they were hung in the kitchen, and the four pocket aneroids were hung by the side of them. all six were read at the daily observations at a.m., p.m., and p.m. the normal barometer, the instructions for which were missing, was used as a siphon barometer, both the mercury levels being read, and the bottom screw being locked fast; the usual mode of reading it, on the other hand, is to set the lower level at zero on the scale by turning the bottom screw at every observation, whereupon the upper level only is set and read. the adie standard barometer is so arranged that it is only necessary to read the summit of the mercury. it appears that there is some difference between the atmospheric pressure values of the two instruments, but this is chiefly due to the difficult and extremely variable conditions of temperature. there may be a difference of as much as five degrees (centigrade) between the thermometers of the two barometers, in spite of their hanging side by side at about the same height from the floor. on the other hand, the normal barometer is not suited to daily observations, especially in the polar regions, and the double reading entails greater liability of error. that the adie barometer is rather less sensitive than the other is of small importance, as the variations of atmospheric pressure at framheim were not very great. in the provisional working out, therefore, the readings of the adie barometer alone have been used; those of the normal barometer, however, have been experimentally reduced for the first and last months, april and january. the readings have been corrected for the temperature of the mercury, the constant error of the instrument, and the variation of the force of gravity from the normal in latitude °. the reduction to sea-level, on the other hand, has not been made; it amounts to . millimetre at an air temperature of - ° centigrade. the observations show that the pressure of the atmosphere is throughout low, the mean for the ten months being . inches ( . millimetres). it is lower in winter than in summer, july having . inches ( . millimetres), and december . inches ( . millimetres), as the mean for the month, a difference of . millimetres. the highest observation was . inches ( . millimetres) on december , and the lowest . inches ( . millimetres) on may , ; difference, millimetres. air temperature and thermometers. as has already been stated, minimum thermometers and mercury sling thermometers were wanting. for the first six months only toluene sling thermometers were used. sling thermometers are short, narrow glass thermometers, with a strong loop at the top; before being read they are briskly swung round at the end of a string about half a yard long, or in a special apparatus for the purpose. the swinging brings the thermometer in contact with a great volume of air, and it therefore gives the real temperature of the air more readily than if it were hanging quietly in the screen. from october a mercury thermometer was also placed in the screen, though only one divided to whole degrees; those divided to fifths of a degree would, of course, have given a surer reading. but it is evident, nevertheless, that the toluene thermometers used are correct to less than half a degree (centigrade), and even this difference may no doubt be explained by one thermometer being slung while the other was fixed. the observations are, therefore, given without any corrections. only at the end of december was exclusive use made of mercury thermometers. the maximum thermometers taken proved of so little use that they were soon discarded; the observations have not been included here. it was due to a misunderstanding that mercury thermometers were not also used in the first half-year, during those periods when the temperature did not go below the freezing-point of mercury (- ° c.). but the toluene thermometers in use were old and good instruments, so that the observations for this period may also be regarded as perfectly reliable. of course, all the thermometers had been carefully examined at the norwegian meteorological institute, and at framheim the freezing-point was regularly tested in melting snow. the results show that the winter on the barrier was about .° c. ( . ° f.) colder than it usually is in mcmurdo sound, where the british expeditions winter. the coldest month is august, with a mean temperature of - . ° c. (- . ° f.); on fourteen days during this month the temperature was below - ° c. (- ° f.). the lowest temperature occurred on august : - . ° c. (- . ° f.); the warmest day in that month had a temperature of - ° c. (- . ° f.). in october spring begins to approach, and in december the temperature culminates with a mean for the month of - . ° c. (+ o.l° f.), and a highest maximum temperature of - . ° c. (+ . ° f.). the temperature was thus never above freezing-point, even in the warmest part of the summer. the daily course of the temperature -- warmest at noon and coldest towards morning -- is, of course, not noticeable in winter, as the sun is always below the horizon. but in april there is a sign of it, and from september onward it is fairly marked, although the difference between p.m. and the mean of a.m. and p.m. only amounts to ° c. in the monthly mean. humidity of the air. for determining the relative humidity of the air the expedition had two of russeltvedt's torsion hygrometers. this instrument has been accurately described in the meteorologische zeitschrift, , p. . it has the advantage that there are no axles or sockets to be rusted or soiled, or filled with rime or drift-snow. fig. . fig. . fig. . the two horsehairs (h, h') that are used, are stretched tight by a torsion clamp (z, z', and l), which also carries the pointer; the position of the pointer varies with the length of the hairs, which, again, is dependent on the degree of humidity of the air. (see the diagrams.) these instruments have been in use in norway for several years, especially at inland stations, where the winter is very cold, and they have shown themselves superior to all others in accuracy and durability; but there was no one on the fram who knew anything about them, and there is therefore a possibility that they were not always in such good order as could be wished. on september , especially, the variations are very remarkable; but on october the second instrument, no. , was hung out, and there can be no doubt of the correctness of the subsequent observations. it is seen that the relative humidity attains its maximum in winter, in the months of july and august, with a mean of per cent. the driest air occurs in the spring month of november, with a mean of per cent. the remaining months vary between and per cent., and the mean of the whole ten months is per cent. the variations quoted must be regarded as very small. on the other hand, the figures themselves are very high, when the low temperatures are considered, and this is doubtless the result of there being open water not very far away. the daily course of humidity is contrary to the course of the temperature, and does not show itself very markedly, except in january. the absolute humidity, or partial pressure of aqueous vapour in the air, expressed in millimetres in the height of the mercury in the same way as the pressure of the atmosphere, follows in the main the temperature of the air. the mean value for the whole period is only . millimetre ( . inch); december has the highest monthly mean with . millimetres ( . inch), august the lowest with . millimetre ( . inch). the absolutely highest observation occurred on december with . millimetres ( . inch), while the lowest of all is less than . millimetre, and can therefore only be expressed by . ; it occurred frequently in the course of the winter. precipitation. any attempt to measure the quantity of precipitation -- even approximately -- had to be abandoned. snowfall never occurred in still weather, and in a wind there was always a drift that entirely filled the gauge. on june and actual snowfall was observed, but it was so insignificant that it could not be measured; it was, however, composed of genuine flakes of snow. it sometimes happened that precipitation of very small particles of ice was noticed; these grains of ice can be seen against the observation lantern, and heard on the observer's headgear; but on returning to the house, nothing can be discovered on the clothing. where the sign for snow occurs in the column for remarks, it means drift; these days are included among days of precipitation. sleet was observed only once, in december. rain never. cloudiness. the figures indicate how many tenths of the visible heavens are covered by clouds (or mist). no instrument is used in these observations; they depend on personal estimate. they had to be abandoned during the period of darkness, when it is difficult to see the sky. wind. for measuring the velocity of the wind the expedition had a cup and cross anemometer, which worked excellently the whole time. it consists of a horizontal cross with a hollow hemisphere on each of the four arms of the cross; the openings of the hemispheres are all turned towards the same side of the cross-arms, and the cross can revolve with a minimum of friction on a vertical axis at the point of junction. the axis is connected with a recording mechanism, which is set in motion at each observation and stopped after a lapse of half a minute, when the figure is read off. this figure denotes the velocity of the wind in metres per second, and is directly transferred to the tables (here converted into feet per second). the monthly means vary between . metres ( . feet) in may, and . metres ( feet) in october; the mean for the whole ten months is . metres ( . feet) per second. these velocities may be characterized as surprisingly small; and the number of stormy days agrees with this low velocity. their number for the whole period is only , fairly evenly divided between the months; there are, however, five stormy days in succession in the spring months october and november. the frequency of the various directions of the wind has been added up for each month, and gives the same characteristic distribution throughout the whole period. as a mean we have the following table, where the figures give the percentage of the total number of wind observations: n. n.e. e. s.e. s. s.w. w. n.w. calm. . . . . . . . . . almost every third direction is e., next to which come s.w. and s. real s.e., on the other hand, occurs comparatively rarely. of n., n. w., and w. there is hardly anything. it may be interesting to see what the distribution is when only high winds are taken into account -- that is, winds with a velocity of metres ( . feet) per second or more. we then have the following table of percentages: n. n.e. e. s.e. s. s.w. w. n.w. here again, e. is predominant, as half the high winds come from this quarter. w. and n.w. together have only per cent. the total number of high winds is , or . per cent. of the total of wind observations. the most frequent directions of storms are also e. and n.e. the aurora australis. during the winter months auroral displays were frequently seen -- altogether on sixty-five days in six months, or an average of every third day -- but for want of apparatus no exhaustive observations could be attempted. the records are confined to brief notes of the position of the aurora at the times of the three daily observations. the frequency of the different directions, reckoned in percentages of the total number of directions given, as for the wind, will be found in the following table: n. n.e. e. s.e. s. s.w. w. n.w. zenith. n. and n.e. are the most frequent, and together make up one-third of all the directions recorded; but the nearest points on either side of this maximum -- e. and n.w. -- are also very frequent, so that these four points together -- n.w., n., n.e., e. -- have per cent. of the whole. the rarest direction is s.w., with only per cent. (from the position of the magnetic pole in relation to framheim, one would rather have expected e. to be the most frequent, and w. the rarest, direction.) probably the material before us is somewhat scanty for establishing these directions. meteorological record from framheim. april, -- january, . height above sea-level, feet. gravity correction, . inch at . inches. latitude, ° ' s. longitude, ° ' w. explanation of signs in the tables. snow signifies snow. mist ,, mist. aurora ,, aurora. ringsun ,, large ring round the sun. ringmoon ,, ,, ,, moon. storm ,, storm sq. ,, squalls a. ,, a.m. p. ,, p.m. i., ii, iii., signify respectively a.m., p.m., and p.m. ° (e.g., snow°) signifies slight. (e.g., snow ) ,, heavy. times of day are always in local time. the date was not changed on crossing the th meridian chapter iii geology provisional remarks on the examination of the geological specimens brought by roald amundsen's south polar expedition from the antarctic continent (south victoria land and king edward vii. land). by j. schetelig, secretary of the mineralogical institute of christiania university the collection of specimens of rocks brought back by mr. roald amundsen from his south polar expedition has been sent by him to the mineralogical institute of the university, the director of which, professor w. c. brögger, has been good enough to entrust to me the work of examining this rare and valuable material, which gives us information of the structure of hitherto untrodden regions. roald amundsen himself brought back altogether about twenty specimens of various kinds of rock from mount betty, which lies in lat. ° ' s. lieutenant prestrud's expedition to king edward vii. land collected in all about thirty specimens from scott's nunatak, which was the only mountain bare of snow that this expedition met with on its route. a number of the stones from scott's nunatak were brought away because they were thickly overgrown with lichens. these specimens of lichens have been sent to the botanical museum of the university. a first cursory examination of the material was enough to show that the specimens from mount betty and scott's nunatak consist exclusively of granitic rocks and crystalline schists. there were no specimens of sedimentary rocks which, by possibly containing fossils, might have contributed to the determination of the age of these mountains. another thing that was immediately apparent was the striking agreement that exists between the rocks from these two places, lying so far apart. the distance from mount betty to scott's nunatak is between seven and eight degrees of latitude. i have examined the specimens microscopically. from mount betty there are several specimens of white granite, with dark and light mica; it has a great resemblance to the white granites from sogn, the dovre district, and nordland, in norway. there is one very beautiful specimen of shining white, fine-grained granite aplite, with small, pale red garnets. these granites show in their exterior no sign of pressure structure. the remaining rocks from mount betty are gneissic granite, partly very rich in dark mica, and gneiss (granitic schist); besides mica schist, with veins of quartz. from scott's nunatak there are also several specimens of white granite, very like those from mount betty. the remaining rocks from here are richer in lime and iron, and show a series of gradual transitions from micacious granite, through grano-diorite to quartz diorite, with considerable quantities of dark mica, and green hornblende. in one of the specimens the quantity of free quartz is so small that the rock is almost a quartz-free diorite. the quartz diorites are: some medium-grained, some coarse-grained (quartz-diorite-pegmatite), with streaks of black mica. the schistose rocks from scott's nunatak are streaked, and, in part, very fine-grained quartz diorite schists. mica schists do not occur among the specimens from this mountain. our knowledge of the geology of south victoria land is mainly due to scott's expedition of -- , with h. t. ferrar as geologist, and shackleton's expedition of -- , with professor david and r. priestley as geologists. according to the investigations of these expeditions, south victoria land consists of a vast, ancient complex of crystalline schists and granitic rocks, large extents of which are covered by a sandstone formation ("beacon sandstone," ferrar), on the whole horizontally bedded, which is at least , feet thick, and in which shackleton found seams of coal and fossil wood (a coniferous tree). this, as it belongs to the upper devonian or lower carboniferous, determines a lower limit for the age of the sandstone formation. shackleton also found in lat. ° ' s. beds of limestone, which he regards as underlying and being older than the sandstone. in the limestone, which is also on the whole horizontally bedded, only radiolaria have been found. the limestone is probably of older palæozoic age (? silurian). it is, therefore, tolerably certain that the underlying older formation of gneisses, crystalline schists and granites, etc., is of archæan age, and belongs to the foundation rocks. volcanic rocks are only found along the coast of ross sea and on a range of islands parallel to the coast. shackleton did not find volcanic rocks on his ascent from the barrier on his route towards the south pole. g. t. prior, who has described the rocks collected by scott's expedition, gives the following as belonging to the complex of foundation rocks: gneisses, granites, diorites, banatites, and other eruptive rocks, as well as crystalline limestone, with chondrodite. professor david and r. priestley, the geologists of shackleton's expedition, refer to ferrar's and prior's description of the foundation rocks, and state that according to their own investigations the foundation rocks consist of banded gneiss, gneissic granite, grano-diorite, and diorite rich in sphene, besides coarse crystalline limestone as enclosures in the gneiss. this list of the most important rocks belonging to the foundation series of the parts of south victoria land already explored agrees so closely with the rocks from mount betty and scott's nunatak, that there can be no doubt that the latter also belong to the foundation rocks. from the exhaustive investigations carried out by scott's and shackleton's expeditions it appears that south victoria land is a plateau land, consisting of a foundation platform, of great thickness and prominence, above which lie remains, of greater or less extent, of palæozoic formations, horizontally bedded. from the specimens of rock brought home by roald amundsen's expedition it is established that the plateau of foundation rocks is continued eastward to amundsen's route to the south pole, and that king edward vii. land is probably a northern continuation, on the eastern side of ross sea, of the foundation rock plateau of south victoria land. christiania, september , . chapter iv the astronomical observations at the pole note by professor h. geelmuyden christiania, september , . when requested this summer to receive the astronomical observations from roald amundsen's south pole expedition, for the purpose of working them out, i at once put myself in communication with mr. a. alexander (a mathematical master) to get him to undertake this work, while indicating the manner in which the materials could be best dealt with. as mr. alexander had in a very efficient manner participated in the working out of the observations from nansen's fram expedition, and since then had calculated the astronomical observations from amundsen's gjöa expedition, and from captain isachsen's expeditions to spitzbergen, i knew by experience that he was not only a reliable and painstaking calculator, but that he also has so full an insight into the theoretical basis, that he is capable of working without being bound down by instructions. (signed) h. geelmuyden, professor of astronomy, the observatory of the university, christiania. mr. alexander's report. captain roald amundsen, at your request i shall here give briefly the result of my examination of the observations from your south pole expedition. my calculations are based on the longitude for framheim given to me by lieutenant prestrud, ° ' w. of greenwich. he describes this longitude as provisional, but only to such an extent that the final result cannot differ appreciably from it. my own results may also be somewhat modified on a final treatment of the material. but these modifications, again, will only be immaterial, and, in any case, will not affect the result of the investigations given below as to the position of the two polar stations. at the first polar station, on december , , eighteen altitudes of the sun were taken in all with each of the expedition's sextants. the latitude calculated from these altitudes is, on an average of both sextants, very near ° ', with a mean error of +- '. the longitude calculated from the altitudes is about t ( °) e.; but, as might be expected in this high latitude, the aberrations are very considerable. we may, however, assume with great certainty that this station lies between lat. ° ' and ° ' s., and between long. ° and ° e. the variation of the compass at the first polar station was determined by a series of bearings of the sun. this gives us the absolute direction of the last day's line of route. the length of this line was measured as five and a half geographical miles. with the help of this we are able to construct for polheim a field of the same form and extent as that within which the first polar station must lie. at polheim, during a period of twenty-four hours (december -- ), observations were taken every hour with one of the sextants. the observations show an upper culmination altitude of ° . ', and a resulting lower culmination altitude of ° '. these combining the above two altitudes, an equal error on the same side in each will have no influence on the result. the combination gives a latitude of ° . '. that this result must be nearly correct is confirmed by the considerable displacement of the periods of culmination which is indicated by the series of observations, and which in the immediate neighbourhood of the pole is caused by the change in the sun's declination. on the day of the observations this displacement amounted to thirty minutes in ° ', forty-six minutes in ° ', and over an hour and a half in ° '. the upper culmination occurred so much too late, and the lower culmination so much too early. the interval between these two periods was thus diminished by double the amount of the displacements given. now the series of observations shows that the interval between the upper and the lower culmination amounted at the most to eleven hours; the displacement of the periods of culmination was thus at least half an hour. it results that polheim must lie south of ° ', while at the same time we may assume that it cannot lie south of ° '. the moments of culmination could, of course, only be determined very approximately, and in the same way the observations as a whole are unserviceable for the determination of longitude. it may, however, be stated with some certainty that the longitude must be between ° and ° e. the latitude, as already mentioned, is between ° ' and ° ', and the probable position of polheim may be given roughly as lat. ° . ' s., and long. ° e. on the accompanying sketch-chart the letters abcd indicate the field within which the first polar station must lie; abcd is the field which is thereby assigned to polheim; efgh the field within which polheim must lie according to the observations taken on the spot itself; p the probable position of polheim, and l the resulting position of the first polar station. the position thus assigned to the latter agrees as well as could be expected with the average result of the observations of december . according to this, polheim would be assumed to lie one and a half geographical miles, or barely three kilometres, from the south pole, and certainly not so much as six kilometres from it. from your verbal statement i learn that helmer hanssen and bjaaland walked four geographical miles from polheim in the direction taken to be south on the basis of the observations. on the chart the letters efgh give the field within which the termination of their line of route must lie. it will be seen from this that they passed the south pole at a distance which, on the one hand, can hardly have been so great as two and a half kilometres, and on the other, hardly so great as two kilometres; that, if the assumed position of polheim be correct, they passed the actual pole at a distance of between and metres; and that it is very probable that they passed the actual pole at a distance of a few hundred metres, perhaps even less. i am, etc., (signed) anton alexander. christiania, september , . chapter v oceanography remarks of the oceanographical investigation carried out by the "fram" in the north atlantic in and in the south atlantic in . by professor björn helland-hansen and professor fridtjof nansen in the earliest ages of the human race the sea formed an absolute barrier. men looked out upon its immense surface, now calm and bright, now lashed by storms, and always mysteriously attractive; but they could not grapple with it. then they learned to make boats; at first small, simple craft, which could only be used when the sea was calm. but by degrees the boats were made larger and more perfect, so that they could venture farther out and weather a storm if it came. in antiquity the peoples of europe accomplished the navigation of the mediterranean, and the boldest maritime nation was able to sail round africa and find the way to india by sea. then came voyages to the northern waters of europe, and far back in the middle ages enterprising seamen crossed from norway to iceland and greenland and the north-eastern part of north america. they sailed straight across the north atlantic, and were thus the true discoverers of that ocean. even in antiquity the greek geographers had assumed that the greater part of the globe was covered by sea, but it was not till the beginning of the modern age that any at all accurate idea arose of the extent of the earth's great masses of water. the knowledge of the ocean advanced with more rapid steps than ever before. at first this knowledge only extended to the surface, the comparative area of oceans, their principal currents, and the general distribution of temperature. in the middle of the last century maury collected all that was known, and drew charts of the currents and winds for the assistance of navigation. this was the beginning of the scientific study of the oceanic waters; at that time the conditions below the surface were still little known. a few investigations, some of them valuable, had been made of the sea fauna, even at great depths, but very little had been done towards investigating the physical conditions. it was seen, however, that there was here a great field for research, and that there were great and important problems to be solved; and then, half a century ago, the great scientific expeditions began, which have brought an entire new world to our knowledge. it is only forty years since the challenger sailed on the first great exploration of the oceans. although during these forty years a quantity of oceanographical observations has been collected with a constant improvement of methods, it is, nevertheless, clear that our knowledge of the ocean is still only in the preliminary stage. the ocean has an area twice as great as that of the dry land, and it occupies a space thirteen times as great as that occupied by the land above sea-level. apart from the great number of soundings for depth alone, the number of oceanographical stations -- with a series of physical and biological observations at various depths -- is very small in proportion to the vast masses of water; and there are still extensive regions of the ocean of the conditions of which we have only a suspicion, but no certain knowledge. this applies also to the atlantic ocean, and especially to the south atlantic. scientific exploration of the ocean has several objects. it seeks to explain the conditions governing a great and important part of our earth, and to discover the laws that control the immense masses of water in the ocean. it aims at acquiring a knowledge of its varied fauna and flora, and of the relations between this infinity of organisms and the medium in which they live. these were the principal problems for the solution of which the voyage of the challenger and other scientific expeditions were undertaken. maury's leading object was to explain the conditions that are of practical importance to navigation; his investigations were, in the first instance, applied to utilitarian needs. but the physical investigation of the ocean has yet another very important bearing. the difference between a sea climate and a continental climate has long been understood; it has long been known that the sea has an equalizing effect on the temperature of the air, so that in countries lying near the sea there is not so great a difference between the heat of summer and the cold of winter as on continents far from the sea-coast. it has also long been understood that the warm currents produce a comparatively mild climate in high latitudes, and that the cold currents coming from the polar regions produce a low temperature. it has been known for centuries that the northern arm of the gulf stream makes northern europe as habitable as it is, and that the polar currents on the shores of greenland and labrador prevent any richer development of civilization in these regions. but it is only recently that modern investigation of the ocean has begun to show the intimate interaction between sea and air; an interaction which makes it probable that we shall be able to forecast the main variations in climate from year to year, as soon as we have a sufficiently large material in the shape of soundings. in order to provide new oceanographical material by modern methods, the plan of the fram expedition included the making of a number of investigations in the atlantic ocean. in june, , the fram went on a trial cruise in the north atlantic to the west of the british isles. altogether twenty-five stations were taken in this region during june and july before the fram's final departure from norway. the expedition then went direct to the antarctic and landed the shore party on the barrier. neither on this trip nor on the fram's subsequent voyage to buenos aires were any investigations worth mentioning made, as time was too short; but in june, , captain nilsen took the fram on a cruise in the south atlantic and made in all sixty valuable stations along two lines between south america and africa. an exhaustive working out of the very considerable material collected on these voyages has not yet been possible. we shall here only attempt to set forth the most conspicuous results shown by a preliminary examination. besides the meteorological observations and the collection of plankton -- in fine silk tow-nets -- the investigations consisted of taking temperatures and samples of water at different depths the temperatures below the surface were ascertained by the best modern reversing thermometers (richter's); these thermometers are capable of giving the temperature to within a few hundredths of a degree at any depth. samples of water were taken for the most part with ekman's reversing water-sampler; it consists of a brass tube, with a valve at each end. when it is lowered the valves are open, so that the water passes freely through the tube. when the apparatus has reached the depth from which a sample is to be taken, a small slipping sinker is sent down along the line. when the sinker strikes the sampler, it displaces a small pin, which holds the brass tube in the position in which the valves remain open. the tube then swings over, and this closes the valves, so that the tube is filled with a hermetically enclosed sample of water. these water samples were put into small bottles, which were afterwards sent to bergen, where the salinity of each sample was determined. on the first cruise, in june and july, , the observations on board were carried out by mr. adolf schröer, besides the permanent members of the expedition. the observations in the south atlantic in the following year were for the most part carried out by lieutenant gjertsen and kutschin. the atlantic ocean is traversed by a series of main currents, which are of great importance on account of their powerful influence on the physical conditions of the surrounding regions of sea and atmosphere. by its oceanographical investigations in and the fram expedition has made important contributions to our knowledge of many of these currents. we shall first speak of the investigations in the north atlantic in , and afterwards of those in the south atlantic in . investigations in the north atlantic in june and july, . the waters of the northern atlantic ocean, to the north of lats. ° and ° n., are to a great extent in drifting motion north-eastward and eastward from the american to the european side. this drift is what is popularly called the gulf stream. to the west of the bay of biscay the eastward flow of water divides into two branches, one going south-eastward and southward, which is continued in the canary current, and the other going north-eastward and northward outside the british isles, which sends comparatively warm streams of water both in the direction of iceland and past the shetlands and faroes into the norwegian sea and north-eastward along the west coast of norway. this last arm of the gulf stream in the norwegian sea has been well explored during the last ten or fifteen years; its course and extent have been charted, and it has been shown to be subject to great variations from year to year, which again appear to be closely connected with variations in the development and habitat of several important species of fish, such as cod, coal-fish, haddock, etc., as well as with variations in the winter climate of norway, the crops, and other important conditions. by closely following the changes in the gulf stream from year to year, it looks as if we should be able to predict a long time in advance any great changes in the cod and haddock fisheries in the north sea, as well as variations in the winter climate of north-western europe. but the cause or causes of these variations in the gulf stream are at present unknown. in order to solve this difficult question we must be acquainted with the conditions in those regions of the atlantic itself through which this mighty ocean current flows, before it sends its waters into the norwegian sea. but here we are met by the difficulty that the investigations that have been made hitherto are extremely inadequate and deficient; indeed, we have no accurate (fig. . -- hypothetical representation of the surface currents in the northern atlantic in april. after nansen, in the internationale revue der gesamten hydrobiologie and hydrographie, .) knowledge even of the course and extent of the current in this ocean. a thorough investigation of it with the improved methods of our time is therefore an inevitable necessity. as the gulf stream is of so great importance to northern europe in general, but especially to us norwegians, it was not a mere accident that three separate expeditions left norway in the same year, -- murray and hjort's expedition in the michael sars, amundsen's trial trip in the fram, and nansen's voyage in the gunboat frithjof -- all with the object of investigating the conditions in the north atlantic. the fact that on these three voyages observations were made approximately at the same time in different parts of the ocean increases their value in a great degree, since they can thus be directly compared; we are thus able to obtain, for instance, a reliable survey of the distribution of temperature and salinity, and to draw important conclusions as to the extent of the currents and the motion of the masses of water. amundsen's trial trip in the fram and nansen's voyage in the frithjof were made with the special object of studying the gulf stream in the ocean to the west of the british isles, and by the help of these investigations it is now possible to chart the current and the extent of the various volumes of water at different depths in this region at that time. a series of stations taken within the same region during murray and hjort's expedition completes the survey, and provides valuable material for comparison. after sailing from norway over the north sea, the fram passed through the english channel in june, , and the first station was taken on june , to the south of ireland, in lat. ° ' n. and long. ° ' w., after which thirteen stations were taken to the westward, to lat. ° ' n. and long. ° ' w., where the ship was on june . her course then went in a northerly direction to lat. ° ' n. and long. ° ' w., from which point a section of eleven stations (nos. -- ) was made straight across the gulf stream to the bank on the north of scotland, in lat. ° ' n. and long. ° ' w. the voyage and the stations are represented in fig. . temperatures and samples of water were taken at all the twenty-four stations at the following depths: surface, , , , , , , , , , , , , and metres ( . , . , . , . , . , . , . , . , . , , . , , and . fathoms) -- or less, where the depth was not so great. the fram's southerly section, from station to (see fig. ) is divided into two parts at station , on the porcupine bank, south-west of ireland. the eastern part, between stations and , extends over to the bank south of ireland, while the three stations of the western part lie in the deep sea west of the porcupine bank. [fig. and caption: fig. . -- the "fram's" route from june to july , (given in an unbroken line -- the figures denote the stations). the dotted line gives the frithjof's route, and the squares give five of the michael sars's stations.] in both parts of this section there are, as shown in fig. , two great volumes of water, from the surface down to depths greater than metres, which have salinities between . and . per mille. they have also comparatively high temperatures; the isotherm for ° c. goes down to a depth of about metres in both these parts. it is obvious that both these comparatively salt and warm volumes of water belong to the gulf stream. the more westerly of them, at stations and , and in part , in the deep sea to the west of the porcupine bank, is probably in motion towards the north-east along the outside of this bank and then into rockall channel -- between rockall bank and the bank to the west of the [fig. and caption: fig. . -- temperature and salinity in the "fram's" southern section, june, .] british isles -- where a corresponding volume of water, with a somewhat lower salinity, is found again in the section which was taken a few weeks later by the frithjof from ireland to the west-north-west across the rockall bank. this volume of water has a special interest for us, since, as will be mentioned later, it forms the main part of that arm of the gulf stream which enters the norwegian sea, but which is gradually cooled on its way and mixed with fresher water, so that its salinity is constantly decreasing. this fresher water is evidently derived in great measure directly from precipitation, which is here in excess of the evaporation from the surface of the sea. the volume of gulf stream water that is seen in the eastern part (east of station ) of the southern fram section, can only flow north-eastward to a much less extent, as the porcupine bank is connected with the bank to the west of ireland by a submarine ridge (with depths up to about metres), which forms a great obstacle to such a movement. the two volumes of gulf stream water in the fram's southern section of are divided by a volume of water, which lies over the porcupine bank, and has a lower salinity and also a somewhat lower average temperature. on the bank to the south of ireland (stations and ) the salinity and average temperature are also comparatively low. the fact that the water on the banks off the coast has lower salinities, and in part lower temperatures, than the water outside in the deep sea, has usually been explained by its being mixed with the coast water, which is diluted with river water from the land. this explanation may be correct in a great measure; but, of course, it will not apply to the water over banks that lie out in the sea, far from any land. it appears, nevertheless, on the porcupine bank, for instance, and, as we shall see later, on the rockall bank, that the water on these ocean banks is -- in any case in early summer -- colder and less salt than the surrounding water of the sea. it appears from the frithjof section across the rockall bank, as well as from the two fram sections, that this must be due to precipitation combined with the vertical currents near the surface, which are produced by the cooling of the surface of the sea in the course of the winter. for, as the surface water cools, it becomes heavier than the water immediately below, and must then sink, while it is replaced by water from below. these vertical currents extend deeper and deeper as the cooling proceeds in the course of the winter, and bring about an almost equal temperature and salinity in the upper waters of the sea during the winter, as far down as this vertical circulation reaches. but as the precipitation in these regions is constantly decreasing the salinity of the surface water, this vertical circulation must bring about a diminution of salinity in the underlying waters, with which the sinking surface water is mixed into a homogeneous volume of water. the frithjof section in particular seems to show that the vertical circulation in these regions reaches to a depth of or metres at the close of the winter. if we consider, then, what must happen over a bank in the ocean, where the depth is less than this, it is obvious that the vertical circulation will here be prevented by the bottom from reaching the depth it otherwise would, and there will be a smaller volume of water to take part in this circulation and to be mixed with the cooled and diluted surface water. but as the cooling of the surface and the precipitation are the same there as in the surrounding regions, the consequence must be that the whole of this volume of water over the bank will be colder and less salt than the surrounding waters. and as this bank water, on account of its lower temperature, is heavier than the water of the surrounding sea, it will have a tendency to spread itself outwards along the bottom, and to sink down along the slopes from the sides of the bank. this obviously contributes to increase the opposition that such banks offer to the advance of ocean currents, even when they lie fairly deep. these conditions, which in many respects are of great importance, are clearly shown in the two fram sections and the frithjof section. the northern fram section went from a point to the north-west of the rockall bank (station ), across the northern end of this bank (station ), and across the northern part of the wide channel (rockall channel) between it and scotland. as might be expected, both temperature and salinity are lower in this section than in the southern one, since in the course of their slow northward movement the waters are cooled, especially by the vertical circulation in winter already mentioned, and are mixed with water containing less salt, especially precipitated water. while in the southern section the isotherm for ° c. went down to metres, it here lies at a depth of between and metres. in the comparatively short distance between the two sections, the whole volume of water has been cooled between ° and ° c. this represents a great quantity of warmth, and it is chiefly given off to the air, which is thus warmed over a great area. water contains more than , times as much warmth as the same volume of air at the same temperature. for example, if cubic metre of water is cooled °, and the whole quantity of warmth thus taken from the water is given [fig. . -- temperature and salinity in the "fram's" northern section, july ] to the air, it is sufficient to warm more than , cubic metres of air °, when subjected to the pressure of one atmosphere. in other words, if the surface water of a region of the sea is cooled ° to a depth of metre, the quantity of warmth thus taken from the sea is sufficient to warm the air of the same region ° up to a height of much more than , metres, since at high altitudes the air is subjected to less pressure, and consequently a cubic metre there contains less air than at the sea-level. but it is not a depth of metre of the gulf stream that has been cooled ° between these two sections; it is a depth of about metres or more, and it has been cooled between ° and ° c. it will thus be easily understood that this loss of warmth from the gulf stream must have a profound influence on the temperature of the air over a wide area; we see how it comes about that warm currents like this are capable of rendering the climate of countries so much milder, as is the case in europe; and we see further how comparatively slight variations in the temperature of the current from year to year must bring about considerable variations in the climate; and how we must be in a position to predict these latter changes when the temperature of the currents becomes the object of extensive and continuous investigation. it may be hoped that this is enough to show that far-reaching problems are here in question. the salinity of the gulf stream water decreases considerably between the fram's southern and northern sections. while in the former it was in great part between . and . per mille, in the latter it is throughout not much more than . per mille. in this section, also, the waters of the gulf stream are divided by an accumulation of less salt and somewhat colder bank water, which here lies over the rockall bank (station ). on the west side of this bank there is again (station ) salter and warmer gulf stream water, though not quite so warm as on the east. from the frithjof section, a little farther south, it appears that this western volume of gulf stream water is comparatively small. the investigations of the fram and the frithjof show that the part of the gulf stream which penetrates into the norwegian sea comes in the main through the rockall channel, between the rockall bank and the bank to the west of the british isles; its width in this region is thus considerably less than was usually supposed. evidently this is largely due to the influence of the earth's rotation, whereby currents in the northern hemisphere are deflected to the right, to a greater degree the farther north they run. in this way the ocean currents, especially in northern latitudes, are forced against banks and coasts lying to the right of them, and frequently follow the edges, where the coast banks slope down to the deep. the conclusion given above, that the gulf stream comes through the rockall channel, is of importance to future investigations; it shows that an annual investigation of the water of this channel would certainly contribute in a valuable way to the understanding of the variations of the climate of western europe. we shall not dwell at greater length here on the results of the fram's oceanographical investigations in . only when the observations then collected, as well as those of the frithjof's and michael sars's voyages, have been fully worked out shall we be able to make a complete survey of what has been accomplished. investigations in the south atlantic, june to august, . in the south atlantic we have the southward brazil current on the american side, and the northward benguela current on the african side. in the southern part of the ocean there is a wide current flowing from west to east in the west wind belt. and in its northern part, immediately south of the equator, the south equatorial current flows from east to west. we have thus in the south atlantic a vast circle of currents, with a motion contrary to that of the hands of a clock. the fram expedition has now made two full sections across the central part of the south atlantic; these sections take in both the brazil current and the benguela current, and they lie between the eastward current on the south and the westward current on the north. this is the first time that such complete sections have been obtained between south america and africa in this part of the ocean. and no doubt a larger number of stations were taken on the fram's voyage than have been taken -- with the same amount of detail -- in the whole south atlantic by all previous expeditions put together. when the fram left buenos aires in june, , the expedition went eastward through the brazil current. the first station was taken in lat. ° ' s. and long. ° ' w.; this was on june . her course was then north-east or east until station in lat. ° ' s. and long. ° ' e.; this station lay in the benguela current, about miles from the coast of africa, and it was taken on july . from there she went in a gentle curve [fig. and caption] past st. helena and trinidad back to america. the last station (no. ) was taken on august in the brazil current in lat. ° ' s. and about long. ° w.; this station lay about miles south-east of rio de janeiro. there was an average distance of nautical miles between one station and the next. at nearly all the stations investigations were made at the following depths: surface, , , , , , , , , , , , , and , metres ( . , . , . , . , . , . , , . , . , , . , and fathoms). at one or two of the stations observations were also taken at , and , metres ( . and , fathoms). the investigations were thus carried out from about the middle of july to the middle of august, in that part of the southern winter which corresponds to the period between the middle of [fig. ] fig. . -- currents in the south atlantic (june -- august, ). december and the middle of february in the northern hemisphere we must first see what the conditions were on the surface in those regions in the middle of the winter of . it must be remembered that the currents on the two sides of the ocean flow in opposite directions. along the coast of africa, we have the benguela current, flowing from south to north; on the american side the brazil current flows from the tropics southward. the former current is therefore comparatively cold and the latter comparatively warm. this is clearly seen on the chart, which shows the distribution of temperatures and salinities on the surface. in lat. ° s. it was only about ° c. off the african coast, while it was about ° c. off the coast of brazil. the salinity depends on the relation between evaporation and the addition of fresh water. the benguela current comes from [fig. ] fig. . -- salinities and temperatures at the surface in the south atlantic (june -- august, ) regions where the salinity is comparatively low; this is due to the acquisition of fresh water in the antarctic ocean, where the evaporation from the surface is small and the precipitation comparatively large. a part of this fresh water is also acquired by the sea in the form of icebergs from the antarctic continent. these icebergs melt as they drift about the sea. immediately off the african coast there is a belt where the salinity is under per mille on the surface; farther out in the benguela current the salinity is for the most part between and per mille. as the water is carried northward by the current, evaporation becomes greater and greater; the air becomes comparatively warm and dry. thereby the salinity is raised. the benguela current is then continued westward in the south equatorial current; a part of this afterwards turns to the north-west, and crosses the equator into the north atlantic, where it joins the north equatorial current. this part must thus pass through the belt of calms in the tropics. in this region falls of rain occur, heavy enough to decrease the surface salinity again. but the other part of the south equatorial current turns southward along the coast of brazil, and is then given the name of the brazil current. the volume of water that passes this way receives at first only small additions of precipitation; the air is so dry and warm in this region that the salinity on the surface rises to over per mille. this will be clearly seen on the chart; the saltest water in the whole south atlantic is found in the northern part of the brazil current. farther to the south in this current the salinity decreases again, as the water is there mixed with fresher water from the south. the river la plata sends out enormous quantities of fresh water into the ocean. most of this goes northward, on account of the earth's rotation; the effect of this is, of course, to deflect the currents of the southern hemisphere to the left, and those of the northern hemisphere to the right. besides the water from the river la plata, there is a current flowing northward along the coast of patagonia -- namely, the falkland current. like the benguela current, it brings water with lower salinities than those of the waters farther north; therefore, in proportion as the salt water of the brazil current is mixed with the water from the river la plata and the falkland current, its salinity decreases. these various conditions give the explanation of the distribution of salinity and temperature that is seen in the chart. between the two long lines of section there is a distance of between ten and fifteen degrees of latitude. there is, therefore, a considerable difference in temperature. in the southern section the average surface temperature at stations to (june to july ) was . ° c.; in the northern section at stations to (july to august ) it was . ° c. there was thus a difference of . ° c. if all the stations had been taken simultaneously, the difference would have been somewhat greater; the northern section was, of course, taken later in the winter, and the temperatures were therefore proportionally lower than in the southern section. the difference corresponds fairly accurately with that which kr:ummel has calculated from previous observations. we must now look at the conditions below the surface in that part of the south atlantic which was investigated by the fram expedition. the observations show in the first place that both temperatures and salinities at every one of the stations give the same values from the surface downward to somewhere between and metres ( . and . fathoms). this equalization of temperature and salinity is due to the vertical currents produced by cooling in winter; we shall return to it later. but below these depths the temperatures and salinities decrease rather rapidly for some distance. the conditions of temperature at metres ( fathoms) below the surface are shown in the next little chart. this chart is based on the fram expedition, and, as regards the other parts of the ocean, on schott's comparison of the results of previous expeditions. it will be seen that the fram's observations agree very well with previous soundings, but are much more detailed. the chart shows clearly that it is much warmer at metres ( fathoms) in the central part of the south atlantic than either farther north -- nearer the equator -- or farther south. on the equator there is a fairly large area where the temperature is only ° or ° c. at metres, whereas in lats. o° to ° s. there are large regions where it is above ° c.; sometimes above ° c., or even °c. south of lat. ° s. the temperature decreases again rapidly; in the chart no lines are drawn for temperatures below ° c., as we have not sufficient observations to show the course of these lines properly. but we know that the temperature at metres sinks to about ° c. in the antarctic ocean. [fig. ] fig. . -- temperatures (centigrade) at a depth of metres ( fathoms). at these depths, then, we find the warmest water within the region investigated by the fram. if we now compare the distribution of temperature at metres with the chart of currents in the south atlantic, we see that the warm region lies in the centre of the great circulation of which mention was made above. we see that there are high temperatures on the left-hand side of the currents, and low on the right-hand side. this, again, is an effect of the earth's rotation, for the high temperatures mean as a rule that the water is comparatively light, and the low that it is comparatively heavy. now, the effect of the earth's rotation in the southern hemisphere is that the light (warm) water from above is forced somewhat down on the left-hand side of the current, and that the heavy (cold) water from below is raised somewhat. in the northern hemisphere the contrary is the case. this explains the cold water at a depth of metres on the equator; it also explains the fact that the water immediately off the coasts of africa and south america is considerably colder than farther out in the ocean. we now have data for studying the relation between the currents and the distribution of warmth in the volumes of water in a way which affords valuable information as to the movements themselves. the material collected by the fram will doubtless be of considerable importance in this way when it has been finally worked out. below metres ( fathoms) the temperature further decreases everywhere in the south atlantic, at first rapidly to a depth between and , metres ( . and fathoms), afterwards very slowly. it is possible, however, that at the greatest depths it rises a little again, but this will only be a question of hundredths, or, in any case, very few tenths of a degree. it is known from previous investigations in the south atlantic, that the waters at the greatest depths, several thousand metres below the surface, have a temperature of between ° and ° c. along the whole atlantic, from the extreme north (near iceland) to the extreme south, there runs a ridge about half-way between europe and africa on the one side, and the two american continents on the other. a little to the north of the equator there is a slight elevation across the ocean floor between south america and africa. farther south (between lats. ° and ° s.) another irregular ridge runs across between these continents. we therefore have four deep regions in the south atlantic, two on the west (the brazilian deep and the argentine deep) and two on the east (the west african deep and the south african deep). now it has been found that the "bottom water" in these great deeps -- the bottom lies more than , metres ( , fathoms) below the surface -- is not always the same. in the two western deeps, off south america, the temperature is only a little above ° c. we find about the same temperatures in the south african deep, and farther eastward in a belt that is continued round the whole earth. to the south, between this belt and antarctica, the temperature of the great deeps is much lower, below ° c. but in the west african deep the temperature is about ° c. higher; we find there the same temperatures of between ° and . ° c. as are found everywhere in the deepest parts of the north atlantic. the explanation of this must be that the bottom water in the western part of the south atlantic comes from the south, while in the north-eastern part it comes from the north. this is connected with the earth's rotation, which has a tendency to deflect currents to the left in the southern hemisphere. the bottom water coming from the south goes to the left -- that is, to the south american side; that which comes from the north also goes to the left -- that is, to the african side. the salinity also decreases from the surface downward to to metres (about to fathoms), where it is only a little over per mille, but under . per mille; lower down it rises to about . per mille in the bottom water that comes from the south, and to about . per mille in that which comes from the north atlantic. we mentioned that the benguela current is colder and less salt at the surface than the brazil current. the same thing is found in those parts of the currents that lie below the surface. this is clearly shown in fig. , which gives the distribution of temperature at station in the benguela current, and at station in the brazil current; at the various depths down to metres ( . fathoms) it was between ° and ° c. colder in the former than in the latter. deeper down the difference becomes less, and at , metres ( fathoms) there was only a difference of one or two tenths of a degree. fig. shows a corresponding difference in salinities; in the first metres below the surface the water was about [fig. .] fig. . -- temperatures at station (in the benguela current, july , ), and at station o (in the brazil current, august , ). per mille more saline in the brazil current than in the benguela current. both these currents are confined to the upper waters; the former probably goes down to a depth of about , metres ( fathoms), while the latter does not reach a depth of much more than metres. below the two currents the conditions are fairly homogeneous, and there is no difference worth mentioning in the salinities. the conditions between the surface and a depth of , metres along the two main lines of course are clearly shown in the two sections (figs. and l ). in these the isotherms for every second degree are drawn in broken lines. lines connecting points with the same salinity (isohalins) are drawn unbroken, and, in addition, salinities above per mille are shown by shading. above is a series of figures, giving the numbers of the stations. to understand [fig. and caption] the sections rightly it must be borne in mind that the vertical scale is , times greater than the horizontal. many of the conditions we have already mentioned are clearly apparent in the sections: the small variations between the surface and a depth of about metres at each station; the decrease of temperature and salinity as the depth increases; the high values both of temperature and salinity in the western part as compared with the eastern. we see from the sections how nearly the isotherms and isohalins follow each other. thus, where the temperature is ° c., the water almost invariably has a salinity very near per mille. this water at ° c., with a salinity of per mille, is found in the western part of the area (in the brazil current) at a depth of to metres, but in the eastern part (in the benguela current) no deeper than to metres ( to fathoms). we see further in both sections, and especially in the southern one, that the isotherms and isohalins often have an undulating course, since the conditions at one station may be different from those at the neighbouring stations. to point to one or two examples: at station the water a few hundred metres down was comparatively warm; it was, for instance, ° c. at about metres ( fathoms) at this station; while the same temperature was found at about metres ( fathoms) at both the neighbouring stations, and . at station it was relatively cold, as cold as it was a few hundred metres deeper down at stations and . these undulating curves of the isotherms and isohalins are familiar to us in the norwegian sea, where they have been shown in most sections taken in recent years. they may be explained in more than one way. they may be due to actual waves, which are transmitted through the central waters of the sea. many things go to show that such waves may actually occur far below the surface, in which case they must attain great dimensions; they must, indeed, be more than metres high at times, and yet -- fortunately -- they are not felt on the surface. in the norwegian sea we have frequently found these wave-like rises and falls. or the curves may be due to differences in the rapidity and direction of the currents. here the earth's rotation comes into play, since, as mentioned above, it causes zones of water to be depressed on one side and raised on the other; and the degree of force with which this takes place is dependent on the rapidity of the current and on the geographical latitude. the effect is slight in the tropics, but great in high latitudes. this, so far as it goes, agrees with the [fig. and captions] fact that the curves of the isotherms and isohalins are more marked in the more southerly of our two sections than in the more northerly one, which lies or degrees nearer the equator. but the probability is that the curves are due to the formation of eddies in the currents. in an eddy the light and warm water will be depressed to greater depths if the eddy goes contrary to the hands of a clock and is situated in the southern hemisphere. we appear to have such an eddy around station , for example. around station an eddy appears to be going the other way; that is, the same way as the hands of a clock. on the chart of currents we have indicated some of these eddies from the observations of the distribution of salinity and temperature made by the fram expedition. while this, then, is the probable explanation of the irregularities shown by the lines of the sections, it is not impossible that they may be due to other conditions, such as, for instance, the submarine waves alluded to above. another possibility is that they may be a consequence of variations in the rapidity of the current, produced, for instance, by wind. the periodical variations caused by the tides will hardly be an adequate explanation of what happens here, although during murray and hjort's atlantic expedition in the michael sars (in ), and recently during nansen's voyage to the arctic ocean in the veslemöy (in ), the existence of tidal currents in the open ocean was proved. it may be hoped that the further examination of the fram material will make these matters clearer. but however this may be, it is interesting to establish the fact that in so great and deep an ocean as the south atlantic very considerable variations of this kind may occur between points which lie near together and in the same current. as we have already mentioned in passing, the observations show that the same temperatures and salinities as are found at the surface are continued downward almost unchanged to a depth of between and metres; on an average it is about metres. this is a typical winter condition, and is due to the vertical circulation already mentioned, which is caused by the surface water being cooled in winter, thus becoming heavier than the water below, so that it must sink and give place to lighter water which rises. in this way the upper zones of water become mixed, and acquire almost equal temperatures and salinities. it thus appears that the vertical currents reached a depth of about metres in july, , in the central part of the south atlantic. this cooling of the water is a gain to the air, and what happens is that not only the surface gives off warmth to the air, but also the sub-surface waters, to as great a depth as is reached by the vertical circulation. this makes it a question of enormous values. this state of things is clearly apparent in the sections, where the isotherms and isohalins run vertically for some way below the surface. it is also clearly seen when we draw the curves of distribution of salinity and temperature at the different stations, as we have done in the two diagrams for stations and (fig. ). the temperatures had fallen several degrees at the surface at the time the fram's investigations were made. and if we are to judge from the general appearance of the station curves, and from the form they usually assume in summer in these regions, we shall arrive at the conclusion that the whole volume of water from the surface down to a depth of metres must be cooled on an average about ° c. as already pointed out, a simple calculation gives the following: if a cubic metre of water is cooled ° c., and the whole quantity of warmth thus taken from the water is given to the air, it will be sufficient to warm more than , cubic metres of air ° c. a few figures will give an impression of what this means. the region lying between lats. ° and ° s. and between south america and africa -- roughly speaking, the region investigated by the fram expedition -- has an area of , , square kilometres. we may now assume that this part of the ocean gave off so much warmth to the air that a zone of water metres in depth was thereby cooled on an average ° c. this zone of water weighs about . trillion kilogrammes, and the quantity of warmth given off thus corresponds to about . trillion great calories. it has been calculated that the whole atmosphere of the earth weighs . trillion kilogrammes, and it will require something over trillion great calories to warm the whole of this mass of air °c. from this it follows that the quantity of warmth which, according to our calculation, is given off to the air from that part of the south atlantic lying between lats. ° and ° s., will be sufficient to warm the whole atmosphere of the earth about ° c., and this is only a comparatively small part of the ocean. these figures give one a powerful impression of the important part played by the sea in relation to the air. the sea stores up warmth when it absorbs the rays of the sun; it gives off warmth again when the cold season comes. we may compare it with earthenware stoves, which continue to warm our rooms long after the fire in them has gone out. in a similar way the sea keeps the earth warm long after summer has gone and the sun's rays have lost their power. now it is a familiar fact that the average temperature of the air for the whole year is a little lower than that of the sea; in winter it is, as a rule, considerably lower. the sea endeavours to raise the temperature of the air; therefore, the warmer the sea is, the higher the temperature of the air will rise. it is not surprising, then, that after several years' investigations in the norwegian sea we have found that the winter in northern europe is milder than usual when the water of the norwegian sea contains more than the average amount of warmth. this is perfectly natural. but we ought now to be able to go a step farther and say beforehand whether the winter air will be warmer or colder than the normal after determining the amount of warmth in the sea. it has thus been shown that the amount of warmth in that part of the ocean which we call the norwegian sea varies from year to year. it was shown by the atlantic expedition of the michael sars in that the central part of the north atlantic was considerably colder in than in , when the challenger expedition made investigations there; but the temperatures in [fig. ] fig. . -- temperatures at one of the "fram's" and one of the "challenger's" stations, to the south of the south equatorial current were about the same as those of , when the challenger was on her way back to england. we can now make similar comparisons as regards the south atlantic. in the challenger took a number of stations in about the same region as was investigated by the fram. the challenger's station at the end of march, , lies near the point where the fram's station was taken at the beginning of august, . both these stations lay in about lat. . ° s., approximately half-way between africa and south america -- that is, in the region where a relatively slack current runs westward, to the south of the south equatorial current. we can note the difference in fig. , which shows the distribution of temperature at the two stations. the challenger's station was taken during the autumn and the fram's during the winter. it was therefore over ° c. warmer at the surface in march, , than in august, . the curve for the challenger station shows the usual distribution of temperature immediately below the surface in summer; the temperature falls constantly from the surface downward. at the fram's station we see the typical winter conditions; we there find the same temperature from the surface to a depth of metres, on account of cooling and vertical circulation. in summer, at the beginning of the year , the temperature curve for the fram's station would have taken about the same form as the other curve; but it would have shown higher temperatures, as it does in the deeper zones, from metres down to about metres. for we see that in these zones it was throughout ° c. or so warmer in than in ; that is to say, there was a much greater store of warmth in this part of the ocean in than in . may not the result of this have been that the air in this region, and also in the east of south america and the west of africa, was warmer during the winter of than during that of ? we have not sufficient data to be able to say with certainty whether this difference in the amount of warmth in the two years applied generally to the whole ocean, or only to that part which surrounds the position of the station; but if it was general, we ought probably to be able to find a corresponding difference in the climate of the neighbouring regions. between and metres ( and fathoms) the temperatures were exactly the same in both years, and at and , metres ( and fathoms) there was only a difference of two or three tenths of a degree. in these deeper parts of the ocean the conditions are probably very similar; we have there no variations worth mentioning, because the warming of the surface and sub-surface waters by the sun has no effect there, unless, indeed, the currents at these depths may vary so [fig. ] fig. . -- temperatures at one of the "fram's" and one of the "valdivia's" stations, in the benguela current. much that there may be a warm current one year and a cold one another year. but this is improbable out in the middle of the ocean. in the neighbourhood of the african coast, on the other hand, it looks as if there may be considerable variations even in the deeper zones below metres ( fathoms). during the valdivia expedition in a station (no. ) was taken in the benguela current in the middle of october, not far from the point at which the fram's station lay. the temperature curves from here show that it was much warmer (over . ° c.) in than in in the zones between and metres ( and fathoms). probably the currents may vary considerably here. but in the upper waters of the benguela current itself, from the surface down to metres, it was considerably warmer in than in ; this difference corresponds to that which we found in the previous comparison of the challenger's and fram's stations of and . between and metres ( and fathoms) there was no difference between and ; nor was there at , metres ( fathoms). in some investigations of the eastern part of the south atlantic were conducted by the planet. in the middle of march a station was taken (no. ) not far from st. helena and in the neighbourhood of the fram's station , at the end of july, . here, also, we find great variations; it was much warmer in than in , apart from the winter cooling by vertical circulation of the sub-surface waters. at a depth of only metres ( . fathoms) it was ° c. warmer in than in ; at metres ( fathoms) the difference was over °, and even at metres ( fathoms) it was about . ° c. warmer in than in . at , metres ( fathoms) the difference was only . °. from the planet's station we also have problems of salinity, determined by modern methods. it appears that the salinities at the planet station, in any case to a depth of metres, were lower, and in part much lower, than those of the fram expedition. at metres the difference was even greater than . per mille; this is a great deal in the same region of open sea. now, it must be remembered that the current in the neighbourhood of st. helena may be regarded as a continuation of the benguela current, which comes from the south and has relatively low salinities. it looks, therefore, as if there were yearly variations of salinity in these [fig. ] fig. . -- temperatures at the "planet's" station , and the "fram's" station -- both in the neighbourhood of st. helena [fig. ] fig. . -- salinities at the "planet's" station (march , ) and the "fram's" station (july , ). regions. this may either be due to corresponding variations in the benguela current -- partly because the relation between precipitation and evaporation may vary in different years, and partly because there may be variations in the acquisition of less saline water from the antarctic ocean. or it may be due to the benguela current in the neighbourhood of st. helena having a larger admixture of the warm and salt water to the west of it in one year than in another. in either case we may expect a relatively low salinity (as in as compared with ) to be accompanied by a relatively low temperature, such as we have found by a comparison of the planet's observations with those of the fram. we require a larger and more complete material for comparison; but even that which is here referred to shows that there may be considerable yearly variations both in the important, relatively cold benguela current, and in the currents in other parts of the south atlantic. it is a substantial result of the observations made on the fram's voyage that they give us an idea of great annual variations in so important a region as the south atlantic ocean. when the whole material has been further examined it will be seen whether it may also contribute to an understanding of the climatic conditions of the nearest countries, where there is a large population, and where, in consequence, a more accurate knowledge of the variations of climate will have more than a mere scientific interest. notes [ ] -- fram means "forward," "out of," "through." -- tr. [ ] -- this retrospective chapter has here been greatly condensed, as the ground is already covered, for english readers, by dr. h. r. mill's "the siege of the south pole," sir ernest shackleton's "the heart of the antarctic," and other works. -- tr. [ ] -- anniversary of the dissolution of the union with sweden. -- tr. [ ] -- daengealso means "thrash." -- tr. [ ] -- unless otherwise stated, "miles" means english statute miles. -- tr. [ ] -- a language based on that of the country districts, as opposed to the literary language, which is practically the same as danish. the maal is more closely related to old norse. -- tr. [ ] -- named after dr. nansen's daughter. -- tr. [ ] -- a vessel sailing continuously to the eastward puts the clock on every day, one hour for every fifteen degrees of longitude; one sailing westward puts it back in the same way. in long. deg. one of them has gone twelve hours forward, the other twelve hours back; the difference is thus twenty-four hours. in changing the longitude, therefore, one has to change the date, so that, in passing from east to west longitude, one will have the same day twice over, and in passing from west to east longitude a day must be missed. [ ] -- for the benefit of those who know what a buntline on a sail is, i may remark that besides the usual topsail buntlines we had six extra buntlines round the whole sail, so that when it was clewed up it was, so to speak, made fast. we got the sail clewed up without its going to pieces, but it took us over an hour. we had to take this precaution, of having so many buntlines, as we were short-handed. none the boy aviators' polar dash or facing death in the antarctic by captain wilbur lawton (pseudonym for john henry goldfrap) boy aviators' series by captain wilbur lawton the boy aviators in nicaragua; or, in league with the insurgents. the boy aviators on secret service; or, working with wireless. the boy aviators in africa; or, an aerial ivory trail. the boy aviators' treasure quest; or, the golden galleon. the boy aviators in record flight; or, the rival aeroplane. the boy aviators' polar dash; or, facing death in the antarctic. contents. chapter i. the polar ship ii. a mysterious robbery iii. off for the south pole iv. a message from the air v. a tragedy of the skies vi. a strange collision vii. adrift on a floating island viii. caught in the flames ix. a queer accident x. the professor is kidnapped xi. a battle in the air xii. adrift xiii. the ship of olaf the viking xiv. marooned on an ice floe xv. dynamiting the reef xvi. a polar storm xvii. the great barrier xviii. the professor takes a cold bath xix. facing the polar night xx. a mysterious light xxi. a penguin hunt xxii. the flaming mountain xxiii. adrift above the snows xxiv. swallowed by a crevasse xxv. the viking's ship xxvi. caught in a trap xxvii. the fate of the dirigible xxviii. the heart of the antarctic the boy aviators' polar dash or facing death in the antarctic chapter i. the polar ship. "oh, it's southward ho, where the breezes blow; we're off for the pole, yo, ho! heave ho!" "is that you, harry?" asked a lad of about seventeen, without looking up from some curious-looking frames and apparatus over which he was working in the garage workshop back of his new york home on madison avenue. "ay! ay! my hearty," responded his brother, giving his trousers a nautical hitch; "you seem to have forgotten that to-day is the day we are to see the polar ship." "not likely," exclaimed frank chester, flinging down his wrench and passing his hand through a mop of curly hair; "what time is it?" "almost noon; we must be at the eric basin at two o'clock." "as late as that? well, building a motor sledge and fixing up the golden eagle certainly occupies time." "come on; wash up and then we'll get dinner and start over." "will captain hazzard be there?" "yes, they are getting the supplies on board now." "say, that sounds good, doesn't it? mighty few boys get such a chance. the south pole,--ice-bergs--sea-lions,--and--and--oh, heaps of things." arm in arm the two boys left the garage on the upper floor of which they had fitted up their aeronautical workshop. there the golden eagle, their big twin-screw aeroplane, had been planned and partially built, and here, too, they were now working on a motor-sledge for the expedition which now occupied most of their waking--and sleeping--thoughts. the erie basin is an enclosed body of water which forms at once a repair shop and a graveyard for every conceivable variety of vessel, steam and sail, and is not the warmest place in the world on a chill day in late november, yet to the two lads, as they hurried along a narrow string-piece in the direction of a big three-masted steamer, which lay at a small pier projecting in an l-shaped formation, from the main wharf, the bitter blasts that swept round warehouse corners appeared to be of not the slightest consequence--at least to judge by their earnest conversation. "what a muss!" exclaimed harry, the younger of the two lads. "well," commented the other, "you'd hardly expect to find a wharf, alongside which a south polar ship is fitting up, on rush orders, to be as clean swept as a drawing-room, would you?" as harry chester had said, the wharf was "a muss." everywhere were cases and barrels all stenciled "ship southern cross, u. s. south polar expedition." as fast as a gang of stevedores, their laboring bodies steaming in the sharp air, could handle the muddle, the numerous cases and crates were hauled aboard the vessel we have noticed and lowered into her capacious holds by a rattling, fussy cargo winch. the shouts of the freight handlers and the sharp shrieks of the whistle of the boss stevedore, as he started or stopped the hoisting engine, all combined to form a picture as confused as could well be imagined, and yet one which was in reality merely an orderly loading of a ship of whose existence, much less her destination, few were aware. as the readers of the boy aviators in record flight; or, the rival aeroplane, will recall, the chester boys, in their overland trip for the big newspaper prize, encountered captain robert hazzard, a young army officer in pursuit of a band of renegade indians. on that occasion he displayed much interest in the aeroplane in which they were voyaging over plains, mountains and rivers on their remarkable trip. they in turn were equally absorbed in what he had to tell them about his hopes of being selected for the post of commander of the expedition to the south pole, which the government was then considering fitting out for the purpose of obtaining meteorological and geographical data. the actual attainment of the pole was, of course, the main object of the dash southward, but the expedition was likewise to do all in its power to add to the slender stock of the world's knowledge concerning the great silences south of the th parallel. about a month before this story opens the young captain had realized his wish and the southern cross--formerly a stanch bark-rigged whaler--had been purchased for uses of the expedition. their friend had not forgotten the boys and their aeroplane and in fact had lost no time in communicating with them, and a series of consultations and councils of war had ended in the boys being signed on as the aviators of the expedition. they also had had assigned to their care the mechanical details of the equipment, including a motor sledge, which latter will be more fully described later. that the consent of the boys' parents to their long and hazardous trip had not been gained without a lot of coaxing and persuasion goes without saying. mrs. chester had held out till the last against what she termed "a hare-brained project," but the boys with learned discourses on the inestimable benefits that would redound to humanity's benefit from the discovery of the south pole, had overborne even her rather bewildered opposition, and the day before they stood on the wharf in the erie basin, watching the southern cross swallowing her cargo, like a mighty sea monster demolishing a gigantic meal, they had received their duly signed and witnessed commissions as aviators to the expedition--documents of which they were not a little proud. "well, boys, here you are, i see. come aboard." the two boys gazed upward at the high side of the ship from whence the hail had proceeded. in the figure that had addressed them they had at first no little difficulty in recognizing captain hazzard. in grimy overalls, with a battered woolen cap of the tam o' shanter variety on his head, and his face liberally smudged with grime and dust,--for on the opposite side of the southern cross three lighters were at work coaling her,--a figure more unlike that of the usually trim and trig officer could scarcely be imagined. the lads' confusion was only momentary, however, and ended in a hearty laugh as they nimbly ascended the narrow gangway and gained the deck by their friend's side. after a warm handshake, frank exclaimed merrily: "i suppose we are now another part of the miscellaneous cargo, sir. if we are in the way tell us and we'll go ashore again." "no, i've got you here now and i don't mean to let you escape," laughed the other in response; "in my cabin--its aft there under the break in the poop, you'll find some more overalls, put them on and then i'll set you both to work as tallyers." harry looked blank at this. he had counted on rambling over the ship and examining her at his leisure. it seemed, however, that they were to be allowed no time for skylarking. frank, however, obeyed with alacrity. "ay, ay, sir!" he exclaimed, with a sailor-like hitch at his trousers; "come, harry, my hearty, tumble aft, we might as well begin to take orders now as any other time." "that's the spirit, my boy," exclaimed the captain warmly, as harry, looking a bit shamefaced at his temporary desire to protest, followed his brother to the stern of the ship. once on board there was no room to doubt that the southern cross had once been a whaler under the prosaic name of eben a. thayer. in fact if there had been any indecision about the matter the strong smell of oil and blubber which still clung to her, despite new coats of paint and a thorough cleaning, would have dispelled it. the engine-room, as is usual in vessels of the type of the converted whaler, was as far aft as it could be placed, and the boys noticed with satisfaction as they entered the officers' quarters aft, that the radiators had been connected with the boilers and had warmed the place up to a comfortable temperature. a japanese steward showed them into captain hazzard's cabin, and they selected a suit of overalls each from a higgledy-piggledy collection of oil-skins, rough pilot-cloth suits and all manner of headgear hanging on one of the cabin bulkheads. they had encased themselves in them, and were laughing at the whimsical appearance they made in the clumsy garments, when the captain himself entered the cabin. "the stevedores have knocked off for a rest spell and a smoke and the lighters are emptied," he announced, "so i might as well show you boys round a bit. would you care to?" would they care to? two hearty shouts of assent left the young commander no doubt on this score. the former eben a. thayer had been a beamy ship, and the living quarters of her officers astern left nothing to be desired in the way of room. on one side of the cabin, extending beneath the poop deck, with a row of lights in the circular wall formed by the stern, were the four cabins to be occupied by captain hazzard, the chief engineer, a middle-aged scotchman named gavin mackenzie, professor simeon sandburr, the scientist of the expedition, and the surgeon, a doctor watson gregg. the four staterooms on the other side were to be occupied by the boys, whom the lieutenant assigned to the one nearest the stern, the second engineer and the mate were berthed next to them. then came the cabin of captain pent barrington, the navigating officer of the ship, and his first mate, a new englander, as dry as salt cod, named darius green. the fourth stateroom was empty. the steward bunked forward in a little cabin rigged up in the same deck-house as the galley which snuggled up to the foot of the foremast. summing up what the boys saw as they followed their conductor over the ship they found her to be a three-masted, bark-rigged vessel with a cro' nest, like a small barrel, perched atop of her mainmast. her already large coal bunkers had been added to until she was enabled to carry enough coal to give her a tremendous cruising radius. it was in order to economize on fuel she was rigged for the carrying of sail when she encountered a good slant of wind. her forecastle, originally the dark, wet hole common to whalers, had been built up till it was a commodious chamber fitted with bunks at the sides and a swinging table in the center, which could be hoisted up out of the way when not in use. like the officers' cabins, it was warmed by radiators fed from the main boilers when under way and from the donkey, or auxiliary, boiler when hove to. besides the provisions, which the stevedores, having completed their "spell," were now tumbling into the hold with renewed ardor, the deck was piled high with a strange miscellany of articles. there were sledges, bales of canvas, which on investigation proved to be tents, coils of rope, pick-axes, shovels, five portable houses in knock-down form, a couple of specially constructed whale boats, so made as to resist any ordinary pressure that might be brought to bear on them in the polar drift, and nail-kegs and tool-chests everywhere. peeping into the hold the boys saw that each side of it had been built up with big partitions, something like the pigeon-holes in which bolts of cloth are stored in dry-goods shops--only much larger. each of these spaces was labeled in plain letters with the nature of the stores to be placed there so that those in charge of the supplies would have no difficulty in laying their hands at once on whatever happened to be needed. each space was provided with a swiveled bar of stout timber which could be pulled across the front of the opening in heavy weather, and which prevented anything plunging out. captain hazzard explained that the heavy stores were stowed forward and the provisions aft. a gallery ran between the shelves from stem to stern and provided ready access to any part of the holds. a system of hot steam-pipes had been rigged in the holds so that in the antarctic an equable temperature could be maintained. the great water tanks were forward immediately below the forecastle. the inspection of the engines came last. the southern cross had been fitted with new water-tube boilers--two of them--that steamed readily on small fuel consumption. her engine was triple expansion, especially installed, as the boilers had been, to take the place of the antiquated machinery boasted by the old thayer. "hoot, mon, she's as fine as a liner," commented old mackenzie, the "chief," who had taken charge of the boys on this part of their expedition over the vessel, which was destined to be their home for many months. "some day," said frank, "every vessel will be equipped with gasoline motors and all this clumsy arrangement of boilers and complicated piping will be done away with." the old scotch engineer looked at him queerly. "oh, ay," he sniffed, "and some day we'll all go to sea in pea-soup bowls nae doot." "well, a man in connecticut has built a schooner out of cement," declared harry. the engineer looked at him and slowly wiped his hands on a bit of waste. "i ken his head must be a muckle thicker nor that," was his comment, at which both the boys laughed as they climbed the steel ladders that led from the warm and oily regions to the deck. the engineer, with a "dour" scot's grin, gazed after them. "hoots-toots," he muttered to his gauges and levers, "the great ice has a wonderful way with lads as cocksure as them twa." chapter ii. a mysterious robbery. their inspection of the southern cross completed, the delighted boys accompanied captain hazzard back to the main cabin, where he unfolded before them a huge chart of the polar regions. the chart was traced over in many places with tiny red lines which made zig-zags and curves over the blankness of the region south of the eightieth parallel. "these lines mark the points reached by different explorers," explained the captain. "see, here is scott's furthest south, and here the most recent advance into south polar regions, that of sir ernest shackleton. in my opinion shackleton might have reached his goal if he had used a motor sledge, capable of carrying heavy weights, and not placed his sole dependence on ponies." the boys nodded; frank had read the explorer's narrative and realized that what captain hazzard said was in all probability correct. "it remains for your expedition to carry the stars and stripes further to the southward yet," exclaimed frank, enthusiastically, as captain hazzard rolled up the map. "not only for us," smiled the captain; "we have a rival in the field." "a rival expedition?" exclaimed frank. "exactly. some time this month a japanese expedition under lieutenant saki is to set out from yokahama for wilkes land. "they are to be towed by a man-of-war until they are in the polar regions so as to save the supply of coal on the small steamer they are using," went on the captain. "everything has been conducted with the utmost secrecy and it is their intention to beat us there if possible--hence all this haste." "how did our government get wind of the fact that the japs are getting ready another expedition?" inquired frank, somewhat puzzled. "by means of our secret service men. i don't doubt that the japanese secret service men in this country have also notified their government of our expedition. england also is in the race but the scott expedition will not be ready for some time yet." "you think, then, that the japs have secret agents keeping track of us?" was frank's next question. the captain's reply was cut short by a loud crash. they all started up at the interruption. so intent had they been in their conversation that they had not noticed the jap steward standing close behind them and his soft slippers had prevented them hearing his approach. the crash had been caused by a metal tray he had let drop. he now stood with as much vexation on his impassive countenance as it ever was possible for it to betray. "what on earth are you doing, oyama?" sharply questioned captain hazzard. "i was but about to inquire if the cap-it-an and the boys would not have some refreshments," rejoined the jap. "not now, we are busy," replied captain hazzard, with what was for him some show of irritation. "be off to your pantry now. i will ring if i want you." with an obsequious bow the jap withdrew; but if they could have seen his face as he turned into his small pantry, a cubby-hole for dishes and glasses, they would have noticed that it bore a most singular expression. "it seems curious that while we were talking of jap secret service men that your man should have been right behind us," commented frank. "i don't know that i ought to ask such a question--but can you trust him?" the captain laughed. "oh, implicitly," he said easily, "oyama was with me in the philippines, and has always been a model of all that a good servant should be." soon after this the conference broke up, the boys having promised to have their aeroplane on board early the next day. frank explained that the machine was all ready and in shape for shipping and all that remained to do was to "knock it down," encase it in its boxes and get a wagon to haul it to the pier. "say, harry," said frank earnestly, as the boys, having bade their leave of captain hazzard, who remained on board owing to press of business on the ship, made their way along the maze of wharves and toward a street car. "say it," responded harry cheerfully, his spirits at the tip-top of excitement at the idea of an almost immediate start for the polar regions. "well, it's about that jap." "oh that yellow-faced bit of soft-footed putty--well, what about him?" "well, that 'yellow-faced bit of putty,' as you call him, is not so easily dismissed from my mind as all that. i'm pretty sure that he had some stronger reason than the one he gave for coming up behind us as silently as a cat while we were talking." "but captain hazzard says that he has had him for years. that he can trust him implicitly," protested harry. "just the same i can't get it out of my mind that there is something wrong about the fellow. i wish he hadn't seen that map and the proposed route of our expedition." "oh bosh, you are thinking of what captain hazzard said about the jap secret service. our friend oyama is much too thick to be a secret service man." "he simply looks unimpressive," rejoined frank. "for that reason alone he would make a good man for any such purpose." "well, here comes a car," interrupted harry, "so let's board it and forget our japanese friend. depend upon it you'll find out that he is all o. k. long before we sight an iceberg." "i hope so, i'm sure," agreed frank; but there was a troubled look on his face as he spoke. however, not later than the next morning, as they were screwing up the last of the big blue cases that contained the various parts of the golden eagle, billy barnes, the young reporter who had accompanied the two boys in all of their expeditions, including the one to nicaragua, where, with their aeroplane they helped make central american history, as related in the boy aviators in nicaragua; or, leagued with the insurgents,--billy barnes, the irrepressible, bounced into the garage which they used as a workshop, and which was situated in the rear of their house on madison avenue, with what proved to be important news of the jap. "aha, my young scotts and shackletons, i behold you on the verge of your departure for the land of perpetual ice, polar bears and esquimaux," exclaimed the reporter, striking an attitude like that assumed by commander peary in some of his pictures. "hullo, billy barnes," exclaimed both boys, continuing their work, as they were pretty well used to the young reporter's unceremonious calls, "what brings you out so early?" "oh, a little story to cover in the yorkville court and i thought as i was up this way i'd drop off and pay my respects. say, bring me back a polar bear skin, will you?" "a polar bear skin?" laughed frank, "why there aren't any polar bears at the south pole." "no polar bears," repeated billy lugubriously, "what's the good of a pole without polar bears. me for the frozen north then. i suppose you'll tell me next there are no natives at the south pole either." "well, there are not," rejoined frank. "but there are sea-elephants and ice-leopards and--" began harry. "and sea-cats, i suppose," interrupted billy. "no," exclaimed harry, rather nettled at the young reporter's joking tone, "but there is the ship of olaf--" frank was up like a shot. "didn't we give our word to the captain not to mention a word about that?" he demanded. "that's so," assented harry, abashed, "but i just wanted to show this young person here that he can't treat our expedition with levity." "the ship of olaf, eh?" mused the young reporter, "sounds like a story. who was olaf, if i may ask?" "you may not ask," was frank's rejoinder. "as you know, billy, we have been frank with you, of course under the pledge of secrecy which we know you too well to dream of your breaking. you know we are bound for the south polar regions. you know also that the object of captain hazzard is to discover the pole, if possible; in any event to bring back scientific data of inestimable value; but there's one thing you don't know and of which we ourselves know very little, and that is the thing that harry let slip." "all right, frank," said the young reporter, readily, "i won't say any more about it, only it did sound as if it had possibilities. hullo! ten o'clock; i've got to be jogging along." "what are you going to court about?" inquired frank. "oh, a small case. doesn't look as if it would amount to a row of pins. a jap who was arrested last night, more for safe-keeping than anything else, i guess. he was found near the consulate of his country and appeared to be under the influence of some drug. anyhow, he couldn't look after himself, so a policeman took him to a station-house. of course, there might be a story back of it and that's why i'm on the job." "a jap, eh?" mused frank curiously. "yes; do you number any among your acquaintance?" inquired billy. "well, we do number one; don't we, harry?" laughed frank. at that moment the telephone bell rang sharply in the booth erected in the workshop in order to keep out noise when anyone was conversing over the wire. "wait a second, i'll see what that call is," exclaimed frank, bolting into the booth. he was in it several seconds and when he came out his face was flushed and he seemed excited. "what's the matter--trouble?" inquired billy, noting his apparent perturbation. "yes, it is trouble in a way," assented frank, "i guess we'll take a run to court with you and look over this jap of yours, billy." "think you know him?" "that's just what i want to see." "you seem very anxious about it. anything wrong?" "yes, very wrong. that was captain hazzard on the wire, and a mysterious theft has occurred on the southern cross." chapter iii. off for the south pole. the court-room was crowded as the boys entered it, but armed with billy's police card they soon made their way through a rail that separated the main body of the place from the space within which the magistrate was seated. on the way over frank had related his conversation over the wire with captain hazzard. it appeared that oyama, the jap, was missing and that several papers bearing on the objects of the expedition which were,--except in a general way,--a mystery to the boys themselves, had been stolen. putting two and two together, frank had made up his mind that the jap whose case billy had been assigned to investigate was none other than oyama himself, and as they entered the space described above his eyes eagerly swept the row of prisoners seated in the "pen." "i was sure of it," the boy exclaimed as his eyes encountered an abject, huddled-up figure seated next a ragged, besotted-looking tramp. "sure of what?" demanded harry. "why, that oyama was the man who stole the papers from the southern cross." "well?" "well, there he is now." frank indicated the abject object in the corner who at the same moment raised a yellow face and bloodshot eyes and gazed blearily at him. there was no sign of recognition in the face, however. in fact the jap appeared to be in a stupor of some sort. "is that little jap known to you?" frank turned: a gray moustached man with a red face and keen eyes was regarding him and had put the question. "he is--yes," replied the boy, "but----" "oh, you need not hesitate to talk to me," replied the stranger, "i am dr. mcguire, the prison surgeon, and i take a professional interest in his case. the man is stupefied with opium or some drug that seems to have numbed his senses." "do you think it was self-administered?" asked the boy. "oh, undoubtedly. those fellows go on regular opium debauches sometimes. in this case perhaps it is very fortunate for some one that he was imprudent enough to take such heavy doses of the drug that the policeman picked him up, for a lot of papers were found on him. they are meaningless to me, but perhaps you can throw some light on them." "the papers, we believe, are the property of captain hazzard, the head of the government's south polar expedition," exclaimed frank, whose suspicions had rapidly become convictions at the sight of the jap. "we have no right to examine into their contents, but i suppose there would be no harm in our looking at them to make sure. i can then notify the captain." "you are friends of his?" "we are attached to the expedition," replied frank, "but i must ask you not to mention it, as i do not know but we are breaking our promise of secrecy even in such an important matter as this." "you can depend that i shall not violate your confidence," promised dr. mcguire. it was the matter of few moments only to secure the papers from the court clerk. there was quite a bundle of them, some of them sealed. apparently the thief, elated over his success in stealing them, had indulged himself in his beloved drug before he had even taken the trouble to examine fully into his finds. one paper, however, had been opened and seemed to be, as frank could not help noticing, a sort of document containing "general orders" to the expedition. it consisted of several closely typewritten pages, and on the first one frank lit on the magic words,--"--and concerning the ship of olaf, the viking rover, you will proceed across the barrier, using all discretion, as a rival nation has also some inkling of the presence of the long-lost vessel and,--" though the boy would have given a good deal to do so he felt that he could not honorably read more. he resolutely, therefore, closed the paper and restored it to its place in the mass of other documents. there was, of course, no question that the papers were the property of captain hazzard, and that the jap had stolen them. the latter was therefore sentenced to spend the next six weeks on blackwell's island, by the expiration of which time the southern cross would be well on her voyage toward the great barrier. as the boys left the court, having been told that captain hazzard's papers would be sealed and restored him when he called for them and made a formal demand for their delivery, they were deep in excited talk. "well, if this doesn't beat all," exclaimed frank, "we always seem to be getting snarled up with those chaps. you remember what a tussle they gave us in the everglades." "not likely to forget it," was the brief rejoinder from harry. "i'll never forget winging that submarine of captain bellman's," put in billy. "well, boys, exciting as our experiences were down there, i think that we are on the verge of adventures and perils that will make them look insignificant," exclaimed frank. "don't," groaned billy. "don't what?" "don't talk that way. here am i a contented reporter working hard and hoping that some day my opportunity will come and i shall be a great writer or statesman or something and then you throw me off my base by talking about adventure," was the indignant response. "upon my word, billy barnes, i think you are hinting that you would like to come along." "well, would that be so very curious. oh cracky! if i only could get a chance." "you think you could get a leave of absence?" "two of 'em. but what's the use," billy broke off with a groan, "captain hazzard wouldn't have me and that's all there is to it. no, i'll be stuck here in new york while you fellows are shooting polar bears--oh, i forgot, there aren't any,--well, anyhow, while you're having a fine time,--just my luck." "if you aren't the most contrary chap," laughed frank. "here a short time ago you never even dreamed of coming and now you talk as if you'd been expecting to go right along, and had been meanly deprived of your rights." "i wonder if the captain----," hesitated harry. "would take billy along?" frank finished for him, "well, we will do this much. we have got to go over to the erie basin now and tell captain hazzard about the recovery of his papers. billy can come along if he wants and we will state his case for him, it will take three boys to manage that sledge anyway," went on frank, warming up to the new plan. "i think we can promise you to fix it somehow, billy." "you think you can," burst out the delighted reporter, "oh, frank, if you do, i'll--i'll make you famous. i'll write you up as the discoverer of the ship of olaf and--" "that's enough," suddenly interrupted frank, "if you want to do me a favor, billy, never mention any more about that till captain hazzard himself decides to tell us about it. we only let what we know of the secret slip out by accident and we have no right to speculate on what captain hazzard evidently wishes kept a mystery till the time comes to reveal it." "i'm sorry, frank," contritely said billy, "i won't speak any more about it; but," he added to himself, "you can't keep me from thinking about it." as frank had anticipated, captain hazzard agreed to ship billy barnes as a member of the expedition. he was to be a sort of general secretary and assist the boys with the aeroplane and motor sledge when the time came. the reporter's face, when after a brief conference it was announced to him that he might consider himself one of the southern cross's ship's company, was a study. it was all he could do to keep from shouting at the top of his voice. the contrast between the dignity he felt he ought to assume before captain hazzard and the desire he felt to skip about and express his feelings in some active way produced such a ludicrous mixture of emotions on billy's face that both the boys and the captain himself had to burst into uncontrollable laughter at it. laughter in which the good natured billy, without exactly understanding its cause, heartily joined. a week later the final good-byes were said and the southern cross was ready for sea. she was to meet a coal-ship at monte video in the argentine republic which would tow her as far as the great barrier. this was to conserve her own coal supply. the other vessel would then discharge her cargo of coal,--thus leaving the adventurers a plentiful supply of fuel in case the worst came to worst, and they were frozen in for a second winter. in case nothing was heard of them by the following fall a relief ship was to be despatched which would reach them roughly about the beginning of december, when the antarctic summer is beginning to draw to a close. the commander of the southern cross expected to reach the great southern ice-barrier in about the beginning of february, when the winter, which reaches its climax in august, would be just closing in. the winter months were to be devoted to establishing a camp, from which in the following spring--answering to our fall--the expedition would be sent out. "hurray! a winter in the polar ice," shouted the boys as the program was explained to them. "and a dash for the pole to cap it off," shouted the usually unemotional frank, his face shining at the prospect. as has been said, the southern cross was an old whaler. built rather for staunchness than beauty, she was no ideal of a mariner's dream as she unobtrusively cleared from her wharf one gray, chilly morning which held a promise of snow in its leaden sky. there were few but the stevedores, who always hang about "the basin," and some idlers, to watch her as she cast off her lines and a tug pulled her head round till she pointed for the opening of the berth in which she had lain so long. of these onlookers not one had any more than a hazy idea of where the vessel was bound and why. as the southern cross steamed steadily on down the bay, past the bleak hills of staten island, on by sandy hook, reaching out its long, desolate finger as if pointing ships out to the ocean beyond, the three boys stood together in a delighted group in the lee of a pile of steel drums, each containing twenty gallons of gasolene. "well, old fellow, we're off at last," cried frank, his eye kindling as the southern cross altered her course a bit and stood due south down the jersey coast. "that's it," cried billy, with a wave of his soft cap, "off at last; we're the three luckiest boys on this globe, i say." "same here," was harry's rejoinder. the blunt bows of the southern cross began to lift to the long heave of the ever restless atlantic. she slid over the shoulder of one big wave and into the trough of another with a steady rhythmic glide that spoke well for her seaworthy qualities. frank, snugly out of the nipping wind in the shelter of the gasolene drums, was silent for several minutes musing over the adventurous voyage on which they were setting out. thus he had not noticed a change coming over harry and billy. suddenly a groan fell on his ear. startled, the boy looked round. on the edge of the hatch sat billy and beside him, his head sunk in his hands, was harry. "what's the matter with you fellows?" demanded frank. at that instant an unusually large breaker came rolling towards the southern cross and caught her fair and square on the side of the bow. deep laden as she was it broke over her and a wall of green water came tumbling and sweeping along the decks. frank avoided it by leaping upward and seizing a stanchion used to secure the framework holding down the deck load. but neither harry nor billy moved, except a few minutes later when another heavy roll sent them sliding into the scuppers. "come, you fellows, you'd better get up, and turn in aft," said frank. "oh, leave me alone," groaned billy. "i'm going to die, i think," moaned harry. at this moment the new steward, a raw boy from vermont, who had been at sea for several years, came up to where the two boys were suffering. "breakfast's ready," he announced, "there's some nice fat bacon and fried eggs and jam and----" it was too much. with what strength they had left billy and harry tumbled to their feet and aimed simultaneous blows at him. it was a final effort and as the southern cross plunged onward toward her mysterious goal she carried with her two of the most sea-sick boys ever recorded on a ship's manifest. chapter iv. a message from the air. it was a bright, sunshiny morning a week later. the southern cross was now in sub-tropic waters, steaming steadily along under blue skies and through smooth azure water flecked here and there with masses of yellow gulf weed. the boys were in a group forward watching the flying fish that fled like coveys of frightened birds as the bow of the polar ship cut through the water. under dr. gregg's care billy and harry had quite recovered from their sea-sickness. "off there to the southeast somewhere is the treasure galleon and the sargasso sea," said harry, indicating the purplish haze that hung on the horizon. [footnote: see vol. of this series, the boy aviators' treasure quest; or, the golden galleon.] "yes, and off there is the south pole," rejoined frank, pointing due south, "i wish the old southern cross could make better speed, i'm impatient to be there." "and i'm impatient to solve some of the mystery of this voyage," put in billy, "here we've been at sea a week and captain hazzard hasn't told us yet anything about that--that,--well you know, that ship you spoke about, frank." "he will tell us all in good time," rejoined the other, "and now instead of wasting speculation on something we are bound not to find out till we do find it out, let's go aft to the wireless room and polish up a bit." the southern cross carried a wireless apparatus which had been specially installed for her polar voyage. the aerials stretched from her main to mizzen mast and a small room, formerly a storeroom, below the raised poop containing the cabins had been fitted up for a wireless room. in this the boys had spent a good deal of time during their convalescence from sea-sickness and had managed to "pick-up" many vessels within their radius,--which was fifteen hundred miles under favorable conditions. frank was the first to clap on the head-receiver this morning and he sat silently for a while absently clicking out calls, to none of which he obtained an answer. suddenly, however, his face grew excited. "hullo," he cried, "here's something." "what?" demanded harry. "i don't know yet," he held up his hand to demand silence. "that's queer," he exclaimed, after a pause, in which the receiver had buzzed and purred its message into his ear. the others looked their questions. "there's something funny about this message," he went on. "i cannot understand it. whoever is calling has a very weak sending current. i can hardly hear it. one thing is certain though, it's someone in distress." the others leaned forward eagerly, but their curiosity was not satisfied immediately by frank. instead his face became set in concentration once more. after some moments of silence, broken only by the slight noise of the receiver, he pressed his hand on the sending apparatus and the southern cross's wireless began to crackle and spit and emit a leaping blue flame. "what's he sending?" asked billy, turning to harry. "wait a second," was the rejoinder. the wireless continued to crackle and flash. "cracky," suddenly cried harry, "hark at that, billy." "what," sputtered the reporter, "that stuff doesn't mean anything to me. what's he done, picked up a ship or a land station or what?" "no," was the astounding response, "he's picked up an airship!" "oh, get out," protested the amazed billy. "that's right," snapped frank, "as far as i can make out it's a dirigible balloon that has been blown out to sea. they tried to give me their position, and as near as i can comprehend their message, they are between us and the shore somewhere within a radius of about twenty miles." "are they in distress?" demanded billy. "yes. the heat has expanded their gas and they fear that the bag of the ship may explode at any moment. they cut off suddenly. the accident may have occurred already." "why don't they open the valve?" "i suppose because in that case they'd stand every chance of dropping into the sea," responded frank, disconnecting the instrument and removing the head-piece. "i have sent word to them that we will try to rescue them, but i'm afraid it's a slim chance. i must tell captain hazzard at once." followed by the other two, frank dashed up the few steps leading to the deck and unceremoniously burst into the captain's cabin where the latter was busy with a mass of charts and documents in company with captain barrington, the navigating commander. "i beg your pardon," exclaimed frank, as captain hazzard looked up, "but i have picked up a most important message by wireless,--two men, in an airship, are in deadly peril not far from us." the two commanders instantly became interested. "an airship!" cried captain hazzard. "what's that!" exclaimed captain barrington. "did they give you their position?" he added quickly. "yes," replied the boy, and rapidly repeated the latitude and longitude as he had noted it. "that means they are to the west of us," exclaimed captain barrington as the boy concluded. he hastily picked up a speaking tube and hailed the wheel-house, giving instructions to change the course. he then emerged on deck followed by captain hazzard and the boys. the next hour was spent in anxiously scanning the surrounding sea. suddenly a man who had been sent into the crow's nest on the main mast gave a hail. "i see something, sir," he cried, pointing to the southwest. "what is it," demanded the captain. "looks like a big bird," was the response. slinging his binoculars round his neck by their strap, captain barrington himself clambered into the main shrouds. when he had climbed above the cross-trees he drew out his glasses and gazed in the direction the lookout indicated. the next minute he gave a shout of triumph. "there's your dirigible, boys," he exclaimed, and even billy overcame his dislike to clambering into the rigging for a chance to get a look at the airship they hoped to save. viewed even through the glasses she seemed a speck, no larger than a shoe button, drifting aimlessly toward the south, but as the southern cross drew nearer to her she stood out in more detail. the watchers could then see that she was a large air craft for her type and carried two men, who were running back and forth in apparent panic on her suspended deck. suddenly one of them swung himself into the rigging and began climbing up the distended sides of the big cigar-shaped gas bag. "what can he be going to do?" asked captain hazzard. "i think i know," said frank. "the valve must be stuck and they have decided now that as we are so near they will take a chance and open it and risk a drop into the sea rather than have the over-distended bag blow up." "of course. i never thought of that," rejoined the captain, "that's just what they are doing." "that man is taking a desperate chance," put in professor simeon sandburr, who had climbed up and joined the party and looked with his long legs and big round glasses, like some queer sort of a bird perched in the rigging. "hydrogen gas is deadly and if he should inhale any of it he would die like a bug in a camphor bottle." interest on board the southern cross was now intense in the fate of the dirigible. even the old chief engineer had left his engines and wiping his hands with a bit of waste, stood gazing at the distressed cloud clipper. "the mon moost be daft," he exclaimed, "any mon that wud go tae sea in sic a craft moost be daft. it's fair temptin' o' providence." at that instant there was a sharp and sudden collapse of the balloon bag. it seemed to shrivel like a bit of burned paper, and the structure below it fell like a stone into the ocean, carrying with it the man who had remained on it. of the other, the one who had climbed the bag, not a trace could be seen. even as the onlookers gazed horror-stricken at the sudden blotting out of the dirigible before their eyes the loud roar of the explosion of its superheated gas reached their ears. "every pound of steam you've got, chief," sharply commanded captain barrington, almost before the dirigible vanished, "we must save them yet." the old engineer dived into his engine room and the southern cross, with her gauges registering every pound of steam her boilers could carry, rushed through the water as she never had before in all her plodding career. "heaven grant we may not be too late," breathed captain hazzard, as, followed by the boys, he clambered out of the rigging. "if only they can swim we may save them." "or perhaps they have on life-belts," suggested billy. "neither will do them much good," put in a voice at his elbow grimly. it was professor sandburr. "why?" demanded frank, "we will be alongside in a few minutes now and if they can only keep up we can save them." "the peril of drowning is not so imminent as another grave danger they face," spoke the professor. "what's that?" "sharks," was the reply, "these waters swarm with them." chapter v. a tragedy of the skies. it was soon evident that the two men were supporting themselves in the water. their heads made black dots on the surface beneath which the heavy deck structure of the dirigible had vanished. through the glasses it could be seen that they were swimming about awaiting the arrival of the vessel which was rushing at her top speed to their aid. soon the southern cross was alongside and a dozen ropes and life buoys were hastily cast over the side. but even as one of the men grasped a rope's end he gave a scream of terror that long rang in the boys' ears. at the same instant a huge, dark body shot through the water and then there was a whitish gleam as the monster shark turned on its back with its jaws open displaying a triple row of saw-like teeth. "quick, shoot him," cried captain hazzard. but nobody had a rifle or revolver. frank hastily darted into his cabin for his magazine weapon but when he reappeared there was only a crimson circle on the water to mark where the terrible, man-killing shark had vanished with his prey. attracted, no doubt, by the mysterious sense that tells these sea tigers where they can snap up a meal, other dark fins now began to cut through the water in all directions. the second man, almost overcome by the horror of his companion's fate, however, had presence of mind enough to grasp a rope's end. in a few seconds he had been hauled to the vessel's side and several of the crew were preparing to hoist him on board when two of the monsters made a simultaneous rush at him, frank's revolver cracked at the same instant and the sea tigers, with savage snaps of their jaws, which, however, fell short of their intended prey, rolled over and vanished. the rescued man when hauled on deck was a pitiable object. but even in his half famished condition and with the great beard that he wore there was something very familiar--strangely so--about him to the boys. frank was the first to solve the mystery. "ben stubbs," he exclaimed. "who's that that called ben stubbs," exclaimed the man over whom a dozen sailors and the doctor had been bending. "it's me," shouted frank, regardless of grammar, "frank chester." the amazement on the face of the old salt who had accompanied the boys in africa and the everglades and shared their perils in the sargasso sea, was comical to behold. "well, what in the name of the great horn-spoon air you boys doing here," he gasped, for harry and billy had now come forward and were warmly shaking his hand. "well, answer us first: what are you doing here?" demanded frank. "coming mighty near my finish like my poor mate," was the reply. "perhaps your friend had better come in the cabin and have something to eat while he talks," suggested captain hazzard to the boys. all agreed that that would be a good idea and the castaway was escorted to the cabin table on which hiram scroggs the vermonter soon spread a fine meal. "wall, first and foremost," began ben, the meal being dispatched, "i 'spose you want to know how i come to be out here skydoodling around in a dirigible?" "that's it," cried billy. "it's just this way," resumed the old sailor drawing out his aged pipe. "yer see, my pardner, james melville,--that's the poor feller that's dead,--and me was trying out his new air-craft when we got blown out ter sea. we'd been goin' fer two days when you picked up the wireless call for help he was sending out. i used ter say that wireless was a fool thing ter have on an air-ship, but i owe my life ter it all right. "ter go back a bit, i met melville soon after we got back from the treasure hunt. he was a friend of my sister's husband and as full of ideas as a bird dog of fleas. but he didn't have no money to carry out his inventions and as i had a pocketful i couldn't exactly figure how to use, i agreed to back him in his wireless dirigible. we tried her out several times ashore and then shipped her to floridy, meaning to try to fly to cuba. but day afore yesterday while we was up on a trial flight the wind got up in a hurry and at the same moment something busted on the engine and, before we knew where we was, we was out at sea." "you must have been scared to death," put in professor sandburr who was an interested listener. "not at first we wasn't. poor melville in fact seemed to think it was a fine chance to test his ship. he managed to tinker up the engine after working all night and part of yesterday on it and as we had plenty to eat and drink on board--for we had stocked the boat up preparatory to flying to cuba--we didn't worry much. "howsomever, early this morning, after we'd had the engine going all night we found we was still in the same position and for a mighty good reason--one of the blades of the propeller had snapped off and there we were,--practically just where we'd been the night before and with no chance doing anything but drift about and wait for help. melville never lost his nerve though. "'we'll be all right, ben,' says he to me, and though i didn't feel near so confident, still i chirped up a little for i had been feeling pretty blue, i tell you. "right after we had had a bite to eat he starts in hammering away at the wireless, sending out calls for help while i just sat around and hoped something would turn up. some observations we took showed that we had not drifted very much further from land in the night on account of there being no wind. this looked good for it meant that we were, or should be, in the path of ships. the only thing that worried me was that mighty few coasting vessels carry wireless, and i was surprised when we got an answer from what i knew later was the southern cross. "it was just as melville was getting your answer that i noticed the bag. the air had grown hot as an oven as the sun rose higher and about noon i looked up just to see if there wasn't a cloud in the sky that might mean a storm, and perhaps a change of wind that maybe would blow us back over land again. what i saw scared me. the bag was blown out as tight as the skin of a sausage, and it didn't look to me as if it could swell much more without busting. "i pointed it out to melville and he went up in the air--worried to death. "'the gas is expanding,' he explains, 'it's the sun that's doing it. if we don't let some gas out we'll bust.' "and if we do we'll drop into the sea," says i. "'yes, that's very likely,' he replied, as cool as a cucumber, 'when the evening comes and the gas condenses, with what we've lost, if we pull the valve open, we won't have enough to keep the ship in the air.' "'there's only one thing to do,' he went on, 'we must wait till this ship i've been speaking to by wireless comes in sight. then we'll take a chance. if the worst comes to worst we can float about till they pick us up.' "that seemed a good plan to me and i never gave the sharks a thought. but when you drew near and it seemed as if the bag was going to bust in a second's time and we tried to open the valve--we couldn't. the halliards that work it had got twisted in the gale that blew us out to sea and they wouldn't come untangled. "melville takes a look at the pressure gauge. then he gave a long whistle. "'if we don't do something she'll bust in five seconds,' he says. "then i suddenly made up my mind. without saying a word to him i kicked off my boots and started to climb into the rigging. "'what are you going to do?' asked melville. "open that valve, says i. "we saw you climbing and could not imagine what you were doing," put in billy. "wall," continued the old sailor, "i managed fine at first, although that thar gas sausage was stretched as smooth and tight as a drum. the network around it gave me a foothold though, and once i was half-way round the lower bulge of the bag--where i was clinging on upside down,--i was all right. "i had the valve lever in my hand and was just going to open it when i felt everything cave in around me like something had been pulled from under my feet--or as if i had been sitting on a cloud and it had melted. "the dirigible had blown up. "luckily i kept my wits about me and deliberately made a dive for the sea. it was a good height but i struck it clean. down and down i went till i thought i'd never come up again. my ear-drums felt like they'd bust and my head seemed to have been hit with an axe. but come up i did eventually as you know, and found poor george melville there, too. of the dirigible there was not so much of as a match-stick left. the rest you know." ben's voice shook a little as he reached the latter part of his narrative. the rugged sailor's face grew soft and he winked back a tear. the others said nothing for a few seconds and then captain hazzard looked up. "since you have become one of us in such a strange way, i presume you would like to know where we are bound for?" "wall, if it ain't askin' too much i would," rejoined the rugged adventurer. "we are bound for the south pole." ben never flicked an eyelid. "ay, ay, sir," was all he said. "i have a proposition to make to you," continued the captain. "we need a bos'n, will you sign on? if you do not care to we will put you ashore at the first convenient port or hail a homeward-bound ship and have you transferred." the old sailor looked positively hurt. "what; me lose an opportunity to see the south pole, to shoot polar bears--" "there aren't any," put in billy. "wall, whatever kind of critters there are there," went on the old man, "no, sir; ben stubbs ain't the man to hold back on a venture like this. sign me on as bos'n, and if i don't help nail uncle sam's colors to the south pole call me a doodle-bug." "a doodle-bug," exclaimed professor sandburr, "what kind of a bug is that? if you know where to find them i hope you will catch one and forward it to me." ben grinned. "i guess doodle-bugs is like south polar bears," he said. "how is that, my dear sea-faring friend?" "there ain't any," laughed ben, blotting his big, scrawling signature on the ship's books. on and on toward the pole plied the southern cross. one night when she was about two hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the amazon, the boys, as it was one of the soft tropical nights peculiar to those regions, were all grouped forward trying to keep cool and keeping a sharp lookout for the real southern cross. this wonderful, heavenly body might be expected to be visible almost any night now, captain hazzard had told them. old ben shared their watch. the little group was seated right on the forefoot or "over-hang" of the polar ship, their legs dangling over the bow above the water. beneath their feet they could see the bright phosphorous gleam as the ship ploughed onward. they were rather silent. in fact, except for desultory conversation, the throb of the engines and the regular sounding of the ship's bell as it marked the hours were the only sounds to be heard. it was past eight bells and everyone on the ship but the helmsman had turned in, leaving the boys and ben on watch, when there came a terrific shock that caused the vessel to quiver and creak as if she had run bow on into solid land. captain hazzard was thrown from his bunk and all over the vessel there was the wildest confusion. shouts and cries filled the air as captain hazzard, not able to imagine what had happened rushed out on deck in his night clothes. the sky had become overcast and it was terribly black. it was hardly possible for one to see his hand before his face. a heavy sulphurous smell was in the air. "what is it? what has happened? did we hit another ship?" shouted captain barrington, appearing from his cabin. the helmsman could give no explanation. there had been a sudden shock and he had been knocked off his feet. what had struck the ship or what she had struck he could not make out. captain barrington knew there were no rocks so far out at sea and he also knew that he could not be near land. the only explanation was a collision with another ship, but had that been the case surely, he argued, they would have heard shouts and cries on the other vessel. "send forward for the boys and ben stubbs, they had the watch," he commanded. a man hurried forward to execute his order but he was soon back with a white scared face. "the young lads and bos'n stubbs aren't there," he exclaimed in a frightened tone. "not there," repeated captain hazzard. "no, sir. not a trace of them. beggin' your pardon, sir, i think it's ghosts." "don't talk nonsense," sharply commanded his superior. "have the ship searched for them." "very good, sir," and the man, with a tug at his forelock, hastened away to spread the word. but a search of every nook and cranny of the ship only added to the mystery. neither the boys nor ben were to be found. had ghosts indeed snatched them into aerial regions, as some of the more superstitious men seemed inclined to believe they could not have vanished more utterly. chapter vi. a strange collision. we must now turn back and ascertain what has become of our young adventurers and their rugged old companion. we left them sitting on the bow--or rather perched there in positions none too secure in case of a sudden lurch of the ship. "i smell land," had been ben's sudden exclamation after one of the prolonged silences which, as has been said, possessed them that night. the boys laughed. "laugh away," declared ben, "but i do. any old sailor can tell it." "but we are two hundred miles at sea," objected frank. "don't make no difference, i smell land," stubbornly repeated the old sailor. "maybe the wind is off shore and that's the reason," suggested billy. "a sensible suggestion, youngster," approved ben. "i guess that is the reason for there is no island in this part of the world that i ever heard tell of. but say," he broke off suddenly, "what's come over the weather. it's getting black and the stars are blotted out. there's a storm brewing and a bad one, or i'm mistaken." the boys agreed that there did seem to be every indication of an approaching tropical disturbance of some kind. the air had suddenly grown heavy and sulphurous. there was an oppressive quality in it. "i'm going aft to tell the captain that there's a bad blow coming on or i'm a dutchman," exclaimed ben, starting to scramble to his feet. "better hold onto that stay or you'll topple overboard," warned frank, as ben, balancing himself, got into a standing posture. "what me, an old sailor topple over," shouted ben, "not much younker, why i--" the sentence was never finished. at that instant the shock that had aroused captain hazzard and terrified the whole ship's company hurled him headlong into the night and the boys, balanced as they were on the prow of the trembling ship, were shot after him into the darkness as if they had been hurled out of catapults. frank's feelings as he fell through the darkness he could not afterward describe, still less his amazement when, instead of falling into the sea, fully prepared to swim for his life, he found himself instead plunged into a sticky ooze. for several seconds, in fact, he was too amazed to utter a sound or move. it seemed he must be dreaming. then he extended his hands and almost gave a cry so great was his amazement. he had encountered an unmistakable tree trunk! he was on land--not dry land--for the boy was mired to the knees in sticky mud,--but nevertheless land. land in midocean. hardly had he recovered from his first shock of surprise when he heard a voice exclaim: "can anyone tell me am i awake or dreaming in my bunk?" "what's the matter, billy?" hailed frank, overjoyed to know that one at least of his comrades was safe. before billy could reply harry's voice hailed through the darkness. "i'm up to my neck in mud. where are we, anyhow?" "we're on dry land in midocean, shiver my timbers if we ain't," came a deep throated hail, which proceeded from ben stubbs. "thank heaven we are all safe anyhow," cried frank, "this mud is mighty uncomfortable, though." "well, if it hadn't been here we'd have been eaten by sharks by this time," billy assured them; an observation all felt to be true. "where can the ship be?" exclaimed harry's voice suddenly. "miles off by this time," said frank. "i don't suppose they have even missed us and even if they have it's so black they could never find us." "let's see where we are," suggested ben, "anyhow i'm going to try to get out of this mud. it's like a pig-pen." his observation struck the boys as a good suggestion and they all wallowed in a direction they deemed was forward and soon were rewarded for their efforts by finding themselves on real dry land. by stretching out their hands they could feel tree trunks and dense brush all about them. "it's no dream," declared frank, "we are really on land. but where?" "maybe the ship was way off her course and we are stranded on the coast of brazil," suggested harry. "not likely," corrected ben, "and besides if we'd hit land the ship would be ashore." "then what can we be on?" demanded frank. "give it up," said billy. "anybody got a match?" asked frank. luckily there were no lack of these and as the boys carried them in the waterproof boxes they had used on their previous expeditions they were dry. some were soon struck and a bonfire built of the brush and wood they found about them. it was a strange tropical scene the glare illuminated. all about were palm trees and tropic growth of various kinds; many of the plants bearing fruits unfamiliar to the boys. some large birds, scared by the light, flapped screaming out of the boughs above them as the bonfire blazed up. they could now see that they had been pitched out of the ship onto a muddy beach, the ooze of which stuck to their clothes like clay. the spot in which they stood was a few feet above the sea level. "well, there's no use trying to do anything till daylight," said frank, "we had better sleep as well as we can and start out to try and find a house of some sort in the morning." all agreed this was a good plan and soon they were wrapped in slumber. frank's sleep was restless and broken, however, and once or twice he had an uneasy feeling that something or somebody was prowling about the "camp." once he could have sworn he saw a pair of eyes, like two flaming points of fire, glare at him out of the blackness; but as it was not repeated, he assured himself that it was only his nervous imagination and composed himself to sleep once more. a sharp thunder storm raged above them shortly before daybreak and they were compelled to seek what shelter they could under a fallen tree trunk. the storm was the one that had blackened the sky some hours before. luckily it was as short as it was sharp, and when the sun rose it showed them a scene of glistening tropic beauty. but the boys had little eye for scenery. "what are we going to do for breakfast?" was billy's manner of voicing the general question that beset them all after they had washed off some of the mud of the night before. "tighten our belts," grinned harry. "not much; not while them oysters is there waiting to be picked," exclaimed ben pointing to some branches which dipped in the sea and to which bunches of the bivalves were clinging. "i've got some biscuits in my pocket," said frank, "i brought them on deck with me last night in case i got hungry on watch." "well, we'll do fine," cheerfully said ben, as having heated some stones he set the oysters to broil on them. despite his cheerful tone, however, not one of the little party was there that did not think with longing regrets of the snowy linen and bountiful meals aboard the southern cross. breakfast over, ben announced that the first thing to do was to try to find out where they could be. it was agreed for this purpose to advance along the beach for five miles or so in opposite directions, the group being formed into two parties for the purpose. harry and frank paired off in one party and ben stubbs and billy formed the other. they were to meet at noon or as soon thereafter as possible and compare notes. frank and harry tramped resolutely along the beach under a baking hot sun till they felt as if they were going to drop, but they held pluckily on, fortunately having found several springs along their line of march. from time to time they eagerly scanned the expanse of sparkling sea that stretched before them; but it was as empty of life as a desert. "do you suppose the ship will make a search for us?" asked frank. "how can we tell," rejoined his brother, "they will have found out we are gone by this time and will naturally conclude that we fell overboard and were drowned or eaten by sharks." both agreed that such was probably likely to be the fact and that if the coast on which they were cast away proved to be uninhabited their situation might be very serious. "on the other hand, the ship may have gone down after the collision," suggested harry, "how she ever came to graze this land and then escape i can't make out." "i've been puzzling over that, too," replied frank, "there's a lot that's very mysterious about this whole thing. the southern cross is, as you know, equipped with a submarine bell which should give warning when she approaches shallow water. why didn't it sound last night?" "because there must be deep water right up to this coast," was the only explanation harry could offer. "that's just it," argued his brother. "but what is a coast doing here at all. we are two hundred miles out in the south atlantic, or rather, we were last night." "the charts don't show any land out there, do they?" "not so much as a pin point. some of the deepest parts of the ocean are encountered there." "then the ship must have been off her course." "it seems impossible. she is in charge of experienced navigators. her compasses and other instruments are the most perfect of their kind." "maybe it is a dream after all, and we'll wake up and find ourselves in our bunks," was all harry could say. before frank could find anything to reply to this extraordinary suggestion he gave a sudden tense cry of: "hark!" both boys stopped and above their quick breathing they could hear the beating of their hearts. human voices were coming toward them. luckily frank had his revolver, having been using it the day before in shooting at huge turtles that floated lazily by. he had by a lucky oversight neglected to take it off when he had finished his target practice, merely thrusting it back into its holster. he drew the weapon now, and grasping harry by the arm pulled him down beside him into a clump of brush. "we'll hide here till we see who it is coming," he said. chapter vii. adrift on a floating island. the voices grew nearer and suddenly to his amazement frank heard his own name mentioned. the next moment both lads broke into a loud exclamation of surprise. those approaching their place of concealment were billy barnes and ben stubbs. it would be difficult to say which pair of adventurers were more astonished as they met on the beach. "shiver my timbers!" exclaimed ben, "whar did you boys come from? did you turn back?" "turn back?" echoed frank, "no, we've been keeping right on." "wall," drawled ben, "then what i was afeard of at first is true." "what's that, ben?" "why, that we are on an island." "on an island!" "yes, a floating island." for a moment they were all dumb with amazement. then ben went on: "i've heard old sailors tell of such things off of this yer coast. these islands--as they are called--are nothing more or less than huge sections of forest torn from the banks of the amazon when it is in flood and floated out ter sea on its current." "but how can they keep afloat?" asked harry. "why the tangled roots and tree limbs keep 'em up for a long time," rejoined ben, "and then they sink." "i hope our island isn't sinking," exclaimed frank, anxiously looking about him. "not much fear of that; but it's moving, all right," replied the old sailor, "just fix your eyes on that cloud for a minute." the boys did as directed, and, sure enough, the island, as they now knew it, was moving slowly along, doubtless urged by some current of the ocean. "suppose the ship never finds us," gasped billy. "now, just put thoughts like that out of your head, youngster," exclaimed ben sharply. "i've been in worse fixes than this and got out of them. what we had best do now is to gather up some of those big cocoanuts that's scattered about there and make waterholders out of them." "but there's plenty of water flowing from the springs. we passed several of them," objected harry. "that's just the water that has soaked into the ground after the rain," said ben. "it will soon dry up as the day goes on." the adventurers at once set to work gathering up cocoanuts and with their knives scooping out their shells so as to form sort of pots out of them. these were filled with water at the nearest of the little springs and placed in the shade. "now to gather some more oysters and we'll have dinner," said ben, when the boys had filled what he pronounced to be a sufficient number of the improvised pots. the boys set to work at the task at once, stripping from the low hanging branches the oysters that clung to them. these were roasted in the same manner as the previous night and washed down with water and cocoanut milk. "well, we shan't starve for a while, anyhow," said ben, as they concluded their meal. "if the worst comes to the worst i guess we can live on cocoanuts for a while." after some talk about their situation and the prospects of their being rescued from it ben announced that he was going to explore the interior of the island and see if he could find some tree up which it would be possible to swarm and attach a sort of signal or at any rate obtain an extended view of the sea. the boys, who felt tired and dispirited, said that they would remain in the camp--if camp it could be called. ben had been gone perhaps half an hour, when they were aroused by a sudden shout. at the sound they all sprang to their feet from the restful postures they had assumed. there was a note of terror in the cry. "help, boys, help!" the sound rang through the forest and then died away, as if the shouter had been suddenly silenced. "it's ben," shouted frank. "what can have happened?" gasped harry. "he is in trouble of some kind," shouted billy barnes. "come on, boys," exclaimed frank, drawing his revolver, "get your knives ready, we may need all the weapons we have." they plunged into the forest in the direction from which they judged the cries had proceeded and after a few minutes pushing through the dense brush, which greatly hampered their progress, they heard a tremendous noise of breaking tree limbs and a violent threshing about as if some huge body was rushing through the woods. "what can it be?" gasped frank, his face pale at the sound of the struggle. in almost the same breath his question was answered. pushing aside some brush the boys saw before them a small glade or clearing. in the midst of this stood ben, his face transfixed with horror and brandishing a seaman's knife. facing him, and seemingly about to dart forward, was the largest serpent they had ever seen; the sunlight checkered its bright colored folds. its red tongue darted wickedly in and out as it faced the brave seaman. "shoot, frank. shoot and kill it," implored harry. with a white, tense face the elder boy leveled his revolver. he pulled the trigger and, before the sharp report that followed had died away, the monstrous, snake was threshing its huge body about in agony. but as they started to cheer the effect of the shot a cry of horror broke from the boys. in its struggles the monster had convulsed its folds till frank, who was caught off his guard, was within their reach. in a second he was wrapped in the giant reptile's grip without having time to utter even an outcry. powerless, with only their puny knives with which to give battle to the serpent, the boys stood petrified with terror. even ben, to whom his rescue and frank's peril had been unfolded so swiftly that he was half-dazed, seemed unable to determine what to do. but indecision only held for a moment. then with a cry he jumped forward and picked up frank's revolver, which the boy had dropped when the serpent seized him. with a prayer on his lips the old sailor fired. almost with the rapidity of a single bullet the whole contents of the automatic's magazine poured out and every missile took effect in the reptile's huge head. in its death agony it straightened out its folds and frank's senseless body dropped from them, seemingly limp and lifeless. the boys started to rush in, but ben held them back with a warning hand. "hold on; it may not be dead yet," he warned. but a brief inspection proved that the great snake had succumbed to ben's fusillade and, this settled, they dragged frank to a low bank, where the extent of his injuries could be ascertained. "no bones broken," pronounced ben, after a careful examination. it was not long before the boy opened his eyes and in a short time he declared he felt as well as ever. the serpent on being measured with frank's pocket rule proved to be a trifle over twenty feet long and of great girth. "it's an anaconda," said ben, "there are lots of 'em up along the amazon and they are as deadly a snake as there is. i've heard tell they can crush a horse in their folds." "i hope there are no more of them on the island," exclaimed billy. "we shall have to be careful," rejoined ben, "there may be other dangerous creatures here, too. this island, as i should judge, must be all of six miles around and there's room for a lot of ugly critters in that space." leaving the dead body of the snake the adventurers made their way back to camp. the first thing that all wanted was a drink of water. they made for the place in which the drinking fluid had been left. as soon as his eyes fell on the row of improvised water pots frank gave an exclamation of dismay. "look here," he shouted, "there's some one on this island besides ourselves." "what!" was the amazed chorus. "there must be," went on the lad, "see here, there were twenty cocoanut shells of water when we went away, and now there are only fifteen." "five gone!" exclaimed ben in an alarmed voice, "and the spring has already dried up." "hullo! what's that?" suddenly cried billy, as something came crashing through the branches. the next moment one of the missing shells was rolled with great violence into the middle of the group of adventurers. before they had recovered from their astonishment a strange sharp scream filled the forest. there was a derisive note in its tones. a strange fear filled the boys' hearts. their faces paled. "the island is haunted!" shouted ben. chapter viii. caught in the flames. "nonsense," said frank, sharply, although he had been considerably startled by the inexplicable occurrence himself, "you know there are no such things as ghosts, ben." "and if there were they wouldn't throw cocoanut shells at us," went on harry. "wall," said ben, stubbornly, "what else could it have been?" "a wild man," suggested billy; "perhaps a whole tribe of them." this was not a pleasant suggestion. frank had but a few cartridges left and the others had only their knives. these would be small protection against savages if any of the forest dwellers had really gone adrift on the floating island. it was not a cheerful party that sat down to another meal of oysters and fruit that evening. moreover the water supply of the little party was almost exhausted and without water they faced a terrible death. because of the unknown dangers which, it was felt, surrounded them it was decided to set a watch that night and keep the fire burning through the dark hours. harry and ben were to share the first watch and frank and billy agreed to take the second one. nothing had occurred when ben, at midnight, aroused frank and the young reporter and told them it was time to go on duty. the boys had been on sentry duty for perhaps an hour with nothing but the lapping of the waves against the shore of the floating island to break the deep stillness, when suddenly both were startled by a strange and terrible cry that rang through the forest. with beating hearts they leaped to their feet and strained their ears to see if they could ascertain the origin of the uncanny cry, but they heard nothing more. hardly had they resumed their places by the fire, however, before the wild screams rang out again. "it's some human being," cried frank. "they are being killed or something!" cried the affrighted billy barnes. by this time ben stubbs and harry had awakened and were sitting up with scared looks on their faces. "seems to come from near at hand," suggested ben. suddenly the yell sounded quite close, and at the same instant it was echoed by the boys as a dozen or more dark forms dashed out of the dark shades of the forest and rushed toward them. half unnerved with alarm at this sudden and inexplicable attack, frank fired point-blank into the onrush, and two of the dark forms fell. their comrades, with the same wild shrieks that had so alarmed the boys, instantly turned and fled, awakening the echoes of the woods with their terrifying clamor. "a good thing i killed those two," cried frank; "throw some wood on the fire, ben, and we'll see who or what it is that i've shot." in the bright blaze the adventurers bent over the two still forms that lay on the ground as they had fallen. "why, they're great apes!" exclaimed frank in amazement; "what monsters!" "howling monkeys, that's what they call 'em," declared ben, "i've heard of 'em. no wonder we were scared, though. did you ever hear such cries?" "i wonder why they attacked the camp?" asked billy. "i don't suppose it was an attack at all," said frank, "most likely they smelled the food and thought they'd come and help themselves to some broiled oysters." "i'll bet it was the monkeys that took our water and then threw the shells at us," cried harry. "i guess you are right, boy," said ben; "them monkeys are terrors for mischief." "i hope they don't take it into their heads to annoy us any more," said harry. "not likely," declared ben, "i guess the firing of the revolver and the sight of them two mates of theirs falling dead scared them out of two years' growth." ben's surmise was right. the adventurers passed the remainder of the night in peace. as soon as day broke over a sea unmarred by a single ripple, there was an eager scrutiny of the horizon by all the castaways, but to their bitter disappointment not a sign of the southern cross, or any other vessel, could be descried. "looks like we'll have to spend some more time on 'monkey island'," said ben with a shrug. "we can't spend much more time," said frank, grimly. "why not?" demanded ben. "what are we to do for water?" things did, indeed, look black. breakfast was eaten in comparative silence, and after the meal was concluded, at frank's suggestion, it was decided to explore the island for a spring that could be tapped for further water supply. the boys all admitted to themselves that the chance of finding one was remote, but they determined to try and locate one in any event. at any rate frank felt it would keep their minds off their troubles to have something to do. the best part of the morning was spent in the search and although they came across occasional driblets of water,--the remnants of springs started by the heavy rain that marked their first night on the island,--they found nothing that promised an available supply. at noon they sat down in the shade of a huge palm to rest and made a meal off the nuts that lay at its foot. the milk of these proved cool and refreshing and was drunk out of the shell after one end of it had been hacked off with frank's hunting knife. "well, we might as well make a start back for our camp," suggested frank, after some moments had passed in silence. "camp," repeated harry, bitterly, "that's a fine camp. why, there's nothing there but trees and sand and howling monkeys." nevertheless a start was made for the resting place of the previous night, the party trudging along the narrow beach in indian file. all at once ben, who was in the lead, stopped short. "look!" he exclaimed, pointing overhead. the boys followed his finger and gave a shout of astonishment. "smoke!" cried frank. "hurrah," cheered harry, "it's the southern cross." he waved his hat at the dark wreaths of vapor that were blowing across the island overhead. the smoke scudded across the sky like small fleecy clouds, but it momentarily grew thicker and blacker. "she's smoking up all right," laughed billy barnes, all his fears gone now that rescue seemed at hand. ben alone of the party seemed troubled. "i'm not so sure that that's steamer smoke," he said slowly. "why, what else can it be?" demanded frank. "i don't know,"--sniff,--"but it seems to me,"--sniff,--"that's a whole lot of smoke for a steamer to be making, and"--sniff--"i don't like the looks of it." "what else could make such smoke?" demanded harry. for reply ben asked what seemed a strange question. "did you put the fire out when we left the camp?" in an instant they all perceived without his speaking a word, what the sailor feared. the island was on fire! a few minutes later the smell of the burning trees and the crash as they fell, while the flames leaped through the brushwood beneath them, was clearly borne to them. they were marooned on a floating island, and the island was in flames. the dense smoke of the fire had by this time blotted out the sky and all they could see above them was a thick canopy of smoke. it rose in a huge pillar blotting out the sky and poisoning the air. "what are we to do?" gasped billy. "i don't see what we can do," was frank's reply, "our escape is cut off. we shall burn to death." indeed it seemed as if the boys were doomed to death in the flames. with incredible rapidity the fire, undoubtedly started by their carelessness in not extinguishing their camp fire, came leaping and roaring through the forest. suddenly out of the woods directly in front of them leaped a lithe spotted form, and without glancing to right or left, the creature shot into the sea. it swam quite a distance and then sank. "a jaguar," exclaimed ben; "a good thing it was too scared to attack us." "yes, i haven't got a cartridge left," said frank, gazing ruefully at his empty revolver. "i don't think that would do us much good if you had; we might as well die by a jaguar's teeth and claws as by being burned to death," said harry. the boys were now witnesses of a strange scene. driven by the heat of the fire scores of terrified animals passed them. there were small agoutis or wild pigs, monkeys, birds of various kinds,--including huge macaws and numerous snakes. the creatures paid not the least attention to the boys, but, crazed with fear, made for the sea. the birds alone soared off and doubtless the stronger winged of them reached land. "if we only had the golden eagle here," sighed frank. "hurrah," suddenly shouted ben, capering about, "hurrah, i've got a plan." for a minute or two the boys regarded him as one might an insane person, but as he went on to explain his plan they grasped at it as a last resort. two large tree trunks lay near to where they stood. they had fallen apparently in some tropical storm, so that their bulk rested on some smaller trees. it was as if they were on rollers. "we will lash those together with some withes and make a raft," exclaimed ben. "how are you going to get them into the water?" asked billy. "by the natural rollers that are underneath them," replied the sailor; "come, we have no time to lose if we are to escape." indeed they had not. the fire was now so close that they could feel its ardent breath. sparks were falling about them in red-hot showers and already some of the brush in their vicinity was beginning to smoke. soon it would burst into flame and then they were doomed. feverishly they worked and soon had the two trunks lashed together firmly with long "lianas" or creepers of tough fibre that grew in great profusion everywhere. the work of getting the trunks into the water was, thanks to the natural rollers, not so hard as might have been anticipated. ben and frank managed the placing of the rollers, which were carried in front of the logs as fast as its hinder end cleared some of them. in this manner their "raft," if such it could be called, was soon afloat. it seemed a terribly insecure contrivance with which to risk a voyage, but they had no choice. the whole island, except the spot in which they had worked, was now one raging furnace, and had their situation not been so critical, the party would have been compelled to admire the wild magnificence of the spectacle. great red tongues of flame shot up through the blanket of dark smoke, dying it crimson. occasionally there would be a dull crash as some huge forest monarch fell prostrate, or the dying scream of some creature overtaken by the flames rang out. "quick, onto the raft," shouted frank as the clumsy craft floated at last. it did not take the adventurers long to follow his directions. the heat from the fire was now intense and they lost no time in putting the two branches they had cut to use as paddles into action. it was hard work but they found to their delight that their raft moved when they dug into the water with their clumsy means of propulsion. "hurrah!" shouted billy as they began to glide slowly over the waves, "we are saved from the floating island." "yes, but for how long," exclaimed frank; "we have no provisions and no water. how long can we live without them?" "we must hope to be picked up," said harry. "that is our only hope," rejoined frank, "if we are not---" there was no need for him to finish the sentence, even had he been able to, for while he was still speaking a startling thing happened. the raft was about twenty feet from the shore, but despite the distance a dusky form that had rushed out of the wood with a wild howl, shot through the air and landed fairly upon it. [illustration: "with a wild howl, shot through the air."] with its menacing eyes of green, like balls of angry flame, dull yellow hide, catlike form, and twitching tail, the boys had no difficulty in recognizing it for what it was. a giant panther. there was no possibility of escape. as the creature growled menacingly the boys realized that they were practically without means of protection against this new enemy. as the panther, too, realized its position, it drew back on its haunches and, lashing its tail wickedly, prepared to spring. chapter ix. a queer accident. it was no time for words. almost before any of them realized just what had happened, the savage creature that had taken refuge from the flames on their frail craft, launched its yellow body at them in a great leap. but the brute miscalculated its spring this time. with a howl of dismay it shot beyond its mark and fell into the sea. "quick, boys, get your knives ready," shouted ben, "we've got a fighting chance now." hastily the boys, though they felt skeptical as to the effectiveness of these small weapons against such a formidable enemy, got out their hunting knives. but they were not destined to use them. the howl of dismay which the panther had uttered as it found itself plunged into the water was quickly changed to a shrill scream of terror from its huge throat. at the same instant a number of triangular fins dashed through the water toward it. "sharks!" shouted harry. attracted by the number of animals that had taken to the water to escape the fire the creatures had gathered in great numbers about the island and were devouring the fugitives right and left. fully a dozen of the monsters rushed at the panther which, formidable as it was on land, was, like most of the cat tribe, at a great disadvantage in the water. it could make no resistance but a few feeble snaps to the avalanche of sharks that rushed at it, and a few seconds after the onslaught the water was crimsoned with the blood of the panther and the boys were safe from that peril. but the sharks now offered almost as great a danger as had the land monster. made furious by the taste of so much food they cruised alongside the rickety raft gazing with their little eyes at its occupants till shudders ran through them. the boys tried to scare them away by flourishing the branches used as oars, but this, while it scared them at first, soon lost its effect on the sea-tigers, who seemed determined to keep alongside the raft, evidently hoping that sooner or later they would get a meal. all the afternoon the boys took turns paddling with their branches and by this means, and impelled also by one of the ocean currents that abound in this latitude, the smoking island gradually drew further and further away. but the sharks still cruised alongside and now and again one bolder than the others would turn partly on his back and nose up against the raft, showing his cruel, saw-like teeth and monstrous mouth as he did so. "i don't wonder they call them sea-tigers," said frank, "more terrible looking monsters i never saw." the tropic night soon closed and darkness shut down with great rapidity. far off the boys could see the red glare cast by the flaming island. "that's queer," exclaimed frank suddenly. he had been regarding the island intensely for some time. "what's queer?" demanded billy. "why, do you see that long wavering ray of light shooting up near the island," he cried, pointing in that direction, "what can it be?" the others looked and to their amazement, as soon as ben's eyes fell on the strange ray of white light, the old sailor began dancing a sort of jig to the imminent danger of his tumbling in among the sharks. "hurray! hurray!" he shouted, "douse my topsails and keel-haul my main-jibboom, if that ain't the best sight i've seen for a long time." "have you gone crazy?" asked harry. "not much, my boy," shouted the old tar, "that queer light--as you call it--yonder is a ship's searchlight. the southern cross like as not." "she must have seen the smoke from the burning island and sailed in that direction," exclaimed frank. "how can we attract their attention?" cried billy. "easy enough," said ben, pulling off his shirt, "this is a good shirt, but i'd rather have my life than a whole trunk full of shirts. now for some matches and we'll make a night signal." the matches were soon produced and the old sailor set fire to the garment. it flared up brightly and made a fine illumination, but as the flare died out there was nothing about the movement of the searchlight to indicate that the signal had been seen. "we must try again," said ben. it was harry's turn to sacrifice a shirt this time, and he lost no time in ripping it off. as frank prepared to light it, however, an unfortunate--or even disastrous--accident occurred. the waterproof box of matches slipped from his fingers in his excitement, and before any of them could recover it, it was overboard. the rush of a great body through the water at the same instant told them that one of the watchful sharks had swallowed it. "i wish they'd burn his insides out," cried billy. "everybody search their pockets for a match," commanded frank. a prolonged scrutiny resulted in yielding just one match. it came from ben's pocket. frank lit it with great care. for one terrible moment, as they all hung breathless over it, it seemed as if it was going out. it finally caught, however, and flared up bravely. "now the shirt," cried frank. it was thrust into his hands and he waved the blazing garment above his head till the flames streaked out in the night. this time a cheer went up from the castaways on the raft. their signal had been seen. at least so it appeared, for the searchlight, which had been sweeping about near the island, suddenly shot its long finger of light in their direction. as the vessel bearing it neared them a bright glow enveloped the figures on the raft, who were alternately hugging each other and shaking hands over the prospect of their speedy deliverance. a few minutes later all doubt was dissolved. the approaching vessel was the southern cross, and the adventurers were soon answering to excited hails from her bridge. to lower a boat and get them on board once more did not take long, and it was not till late that night that, the story of their perils having been told and retold at least twenty times, they managed to get to their old bunks. never had the mattresses seemed so soft or the sheets so comfortable as they did to the tired boys. their heads had hardly touched the pillows before they were off in dreamland--a region in which, on that night at least, fires, panthers and sharks raged in inextricable confusion. before they retired they heard from the lips of captain hazzard the puzzle their disappearance from the ship had proved. the southern cross, it appeared, on the day following her collision with the floating island, had cruised in the vicinity in the hope of finding some trace of the castaways. her search was kept up until hope had been about abandoned. the sight of the glare of the blazing island had, however, determined her commander to ascertain its cause, with the result that while her searchlight was centered on the strange phenomenon the boys' tiny fire signal had been seen by a lookout in the crow's nest and the ship at once headed for the little point of light. for his part the commander was much interested in hearing of the floating island. it cleared up what had been a great mystery, namely, the nature of the obstruction they had struck, and proved interesting from a scientific point of view. captain hazzard told the boys that these great tracts of land were, as ben had said, not uncommon off the mouth of the amazon, but that it was rarely one ever got so far out to sea. two weeks later, after an uneventful voyage through tropic waters, during which the boys had had the interesting experience of crossing the equator, and had been initiated by being ducked in a huge canvas pool full of salt water placed on the fore deck, the southern cross steamed into the harbor of monte video, where she was to meet her consort, the brutus, which vessel was to tow her down into the polar regions. a few interesting days were spent in monte video and the boys sent many letters home and captain hazzard forwarded his log books and data as obtained up to date. professor sandburr spent his time among the natives collecting memoranda about their habits while the boys roamed at their leisure about the city. they saw a bull fight, a spectacle that speedily disgusted them, and witnessed the driving into the stock-yards of a huge herd of cattle rounded up by wild and savage-looking gauchos on wiry ponies. one day, while they were walking through a back street leading to some handsome buildings, they heard terrible cries coming from a small hut in unmistakably american tones. "come on, let's see what is the matter?" shouted frank. followed by billy and harry, the lad ran toward the mud hut from which the cries had issued. as they neared it a terrible-looking figure dashed out. its white duck suit was streaming with red and the same color was daubed all over its face and head. "oh, boys, save me!" it cried as it ran towards the three lads. "why, it's professor sandburr!" exclaimed harry, gazing at the crimson-daubed figure; "whatever is the matter?" "oh-oh-oh-oh," howled the professor, dancing about, "it's a woman in that hut. she threw some stinging stuff all over me." "why, it's chile con-carne!" exclaimed frank, examining the red stuff that daubed the unfortunate professor from head to foot; "good gracious, what a scare you gave us; we thought you had been attacked with knives and terribly cut." there was a trough of water near by and to it the boys conducted the professor, who was half-blinded by the stinging spanish dish, which is a sort of pepper stew. it took a long time to clean him, during which quite a crowd gathered and laughed and jeered, but at last they had the luckless scientist looking more presentable. "now tell us what happened?" asked frank, as they started back toward the city in a hired "volante," or native carriage, that had been passing, by good luck, as they finished their cleaning process. "well, my dear boys, it's an outrage. i will see the mayor or the president about it, or whoever is in charge of those things in this land. i saw a fine looking specimen of a hopping sand-toad going into that house and i dashed in after it with my net extended. as soon as i rushed in i upset a sort of baby carriage that stood by the door. two children, who were in it, started howling in a terrible manner. i know a little spanish and i tried to explain, but before i could do so the mother threw a whole pot of that hot stuff over me and called me a kidnapper, a robber, a thief. upon my word i think i may be considered lucky that she didn't shoot me." "i think you may, indeed," agreed the boys, who could hardly keep from laughing at the comical sight the professor presented with his head cocked on one side and all daubed with the traces of his "hot bath." early the next day the brutus passed a steel hawser to the southern cross and the two vessels proceeded out of the harbor of monte video. "well, we're really off for the pole at last," exclaimed frank, as the shores grew dim behind them and the long ocean swell made itself felt. "yes," rejoined the professor, who was busy getting specimens of jelly-fish in a bucket he lowered overboard by a line. "i wonder what sort of creatures i can catch in the ice there. i don't care so much about the pole, but i do want to get a 'pollywoginisius polaris.'" "whatever is that?" asked frank. "it's a sort of large pollywog with fur on it like seal," replied the professor gravely. "a sort of fur overcoat," suggested billy, nudging frank mischievously. "exactly," said the professor gravely; "if you see one will you catch it for me?" "i certainly will," replied billy gravely. for several days the brutus and the vessel she was towing kept on down the coast. at last one morning the captain announced that they were off the coast of patagonia, where the famous giant tribes of aborigines and a kind of ostrich are to be found. the professor was greatly excited at this and begged to have the ships stopped and be allowed to go ashore. "i am afraid that will be impossible," rejoined captain hazzard; "we must get into the polar regions before the winter sets in, and if we delay we shall not be able to do so. no, we must keep on, i am afraid." the brutus was making good speed at the moment, and her tow was cutting obediently through the water after her. sail had been set on all the masts, as there was a favoring breeze. suddenly there came a jarring shock that threw everybody from their feet. the tow-line parted under the strain with a report like that of a gun. "we have struck something," shouted the captain. "a sunken wreck, probably," said the professor, who did not seem at all disturbed. "is there any danger?" asked billy with rather a white face. "we cannot tell yet till the ship has been examined," replied the captain. he gave orders to sound the well and sent some men forward to examine the vessel's bow. soon the ship's carpenter and ben stubbs came hurrying aft with scared faces. "what is it?" demanded the captain, "are we seriously damaged?" "we have sprung a leak forward and the water is pouring in," was the alarming reply. chapter x. the professor is kidnapped. the faces of all grew grave. a leak at sea is a serious menace. the point at which the water was entering the southern cross was soon found to be through a sprained plank a little below the water line. captain hazzard ordered canvas weighted and dropped overboard around the leak so that the pressure of water would hold it there. the carpenter's gang then set to work to calk the hole temporarily. in the meantime the brutus had put back, blowing her whistle inquiringly. "send them a wireless message telling them what has happened," the commander ordered frank, who hastened to obey. the captain of the brutus ordered out his boat as soon as frank's message had been conveyed to him and came aboard the southern cross. he agreed, after a consultation with captain hazzard, that it would be necessary to put in somewhere to refit. "we are now off the mouth of the santa cruz river in patagonia," said captain barrington, "it is a good place to lie to. i was there once on a passenger steamer that met with an accident. we can shift the cargo to the stern till we have raised the bow of the southern cross, and then we can patch up her prow easily," he said. all agreed that this was a good plan. there was only one objection, and that was the so-called giants of patagonia, who are hostile to all strangers. in view of the large force of men on board the two ships, however, and the numerous weapons carried, it was agreed that there was not much to be feared from the patagonians. the broken steel hawser was at once detached and a new one put in place and the two vessels headed for the shore, about one hundred and fifty miles distant. they arrived off the mouth of the santa cruz river the next day and the boys, who had been up before dawn in their anxiety to get their first glimpse of "the land of the giants," were rather disappointed to see stretched before them a dreary looking coast with a few bare hills rising a short distance inland. there were no trees or grass ashore, but a sort of dull-colored bush grew abundantly. "i thought the giants lived in dense forests," said billy, disgustedly; "this place is a desert." "it was a fortunate accident though that brought us to this shore," said a voice behind them and professor sandburr's bony, spectacled face was thrust forward. "i would not have missed it for a great deal. i would like to capture a specimen of a patagonian alive and take him home in a cage. the patagonian dog-flea, too, i understand, is very curious." the boys all laughed at this, but the professor was perfectly serious. there is no doubt that he would have liked to have done so and caged up a patagonian where he could have studied him at his leisure. the brutus, with leadsmen stationed in her bows to test the depth of the water, proceeded cautiously up the river and finally came to anchor with her tow behind her about two miles from its mouth. the work of shifting some of the cargo of the southern cross to the stern so as to elevate her bow, was begun at once; as time was an important consideration. soon all was declared ready for the carpenters to start work and they were lowered on stages over the side and at once began to rectify the trouble. some of them worked from a boat secured to the bow. "do you think you can persuade the captain to let us go ashore with you?" asked frank of the professor, who was busy at once getting out all his paraphernalia in anticipation of going on what billy called "a bug hunt." "certainly," declared the scientist confidently, "come along. i should like above all things to have you boys go ashore with me. besides, i may teach you all to become faunal naturalists." the delighted boys followed the old man to captain hazzard's cabin, but, to their disappointment, he forbade the expedition peremptorily. "the patagonians are dangerous savages," he said, "and i will not assume the responsibility of allowing you to risk your lives." nor did any persuasion of which the boys or the professor could make have any effect in causing the commander to change his mind. he was firm as adamant and reluctantly the boys made their way forward and watched the carpenters fix the leak, and when that palled they were compelled to fall back on fishing for an amusement. the professor joined ardently in this sport despite his disappointment at not being allowed to go ashore. he managed to fix up a net attached to an iron ring with which he scooped up all kinds of queer fish out of the river, many of which were so ugly as to be repulsive to the boys. but the professor seemed to be delighted with them all. "ah, there, my beautiful 'piscatorius animata catfisio,'" he would say, as he seized a struggling sea monster with a firm grip and plunged it into one of his tin tanks. "i'll dissect you to-night. you are the finest specimen of your kind i have ever seen." the boys were suddenly interrupted in their fishing by blood-curdling yells from the old scientist. looking up in alarm they saw him dancing about on the deck holding his arm as if in great pain, while in front of him on the deck a queer-looking, flat fish with a long barbed tail flopped about, its great goggle eyes projecting hideously. frank ran forward to pick up the creature and throw it overboard, but as he grasped it he experienced a shock that knocked him head over heels. as he fell backward he collided with the professor and the two sprawled on the deck with the professor howling louder than ever. "no wonder they're hurt," shouted ben stubbs, coming up with a long boat-hook, "that's an electric ray." "an electric what?" asked billy. "an electric ray. they carry enough electricity in them to run a small lamp, and when they wish they can give you a powerful shock. they kill their prey that way." "ouch--," exclaimed the professor, who had by this time got up, "the ray nearly killed me. let me look at the brute so that i'll know one of them again." "why don't you put him in your collection?" asked frank with a smile, although his arm still hurt him where the electric ray had shocked it. "i want no such fish as that round me, sir," said the professor indignantly, and ordered ben to throw the creature overboard with his boat-hook. after supper that night the boys hung about the decks till bedtime. the hours passed slowly and they amused themselves by watching the moonlit shores and speculating on the whereabouts of the patagonians. suddenly billy seized frank's arm. "look," he exclaimed, pointing to a low ridge that stood out blackly in the moonlight. behind the low eminence frank could distinctly see a head cautiously moving about, seemingly reconnoitering the two ships. in a few seconds it vanished as the apparent spy retreated behind the ridge. "that must have been a patagonian," said frank. "just think, they are so near to us and we cannot go ashore," sighed the professor, who was one of the group. "i wonder if they have any dogs with them?" "i have a good mind to go, anyway," said the old man, suddenly, "i would like to write a paper on the habits of the patagonians and how can i if i don't study them at first hand?" "what if they chopped your head off?" asked billy. "they would not do that," rejoined the scientist, with a superior smile. "i have a friend who lived with them for a time and then wrote a book about them. according to him captain hazzard is wrong; they are not hostile, but, on the contrary, are friendly to white men." "then you think that captain hazzard doesn't know much about them?" asked billy. "i did not say that," replied the professor; "but he may be mistaken just like i was about the electric ray, which i thought was a south atlantic skate. just the same, i mean to find out for myself," he went on. "to-night when everyone is asleep but the man on duty, i am going to watch my opportunity and go ashore in the boat the carpenters left at the bow this afternoon. there are ropes hanging from the prow down which i can climb." soon after this the boys determined to turn in and, naturally, the professor's decision occupied a great deal of their conversation. "do you think we ought to tell the captain about what professor sandburr means to do?" asked frank of the others. "i don't think so," said billy. "he is much older than we are and doubtless he knows what he is about. at the same time, though, i think we should watch and if he gets into trouble should try and help him out of it." "very well, then we will all be out on deck at midnight," said frank, "and if we find that the professor is really serious in his intention to go ashore in the boat we will try and stop him. if he still persists we shall have to tell the captain." the others agreed that the course that frank recommended was the best one, and they all decided to adopt his plan. but the boys were heavy sleepers and besides were tired out when they sought their bunks, so that when frank, who was the first to wake, opened his eyes it was past one in the morning. with a start the boy jumped out of bed and hastily called the others. "we may not be too late yet," he said, as he hastily slipped into trousers, shirt and slippers. but the boys were too late. when they reached the bow they could see by peering over that the boat had gone and that the professor had penetrated alone into the country of the patagonians. suddenly there came a shot from the shore and a loud cry of: "help!" "it's the professor!" exclaimed frank; "he's in serious trouble this time." chapter xi. a battle in the air. to raise an alarm throughout the ship was the work of a few minutes and the watchman, whose carelessness had allowed the professor to slip away unnoticed, aroused the indignation of captain hazzard, who blamed him bitterly for his oversight. several shots followed the one the boys had heard and more cries, but they grew rapidly fainter and at the same time the sound of horses galloping away in the distance was heard. "they have carried him off," cried captain hazzard. "can we not chase them and rescue him?" asked billy, "we've got plenty of men and arms." "that would be of little use to us," was the reply, "the patagonians are mounted and by this time they have got such a start on us that we could never hope to catch up to them on foot." "not on foot," put in frank quietly, "but there is another way." "what do you mean, boy?" "that we can assemble the golden eagle in a couple of hours if you will give us the men to help." captain hazzard thought a minute. "it seems to be the only chance," he said at last, "but i don't know that i ought to let you assume such responsibility." "we will be in no greater danger than the professor is; much less, in fact," urged frank. "please let us go. if we can save his life it is worth running the risk." "perhaps you are right, my boy," said captain hazzard at length, "at any rate, promise me to run no unnecessary danger." the promise was readily given and with a cheer the men set to work to hoist the cases containing the sections of the aeroplane over the side and row them ashore. the work was carried on under the glare of the searchlights of the two ships. in two hours' time the golden eagle was ready for an engine test which showed her machinery to be in perfectly good trim. "she is fit for the flight of her life," declared frank, as he stopped the engine. "is everything ready?" asked captain hazzard. "yes," was the reply, "except for two canteens of water, some condensed soup tablets and two tins of biscuit." "you have your weapons?" "i have sent to the ship for two 'express' rifles, each carrying a heavy charge and explosive bullets. in addition we have our revolvers and some dynamite bombs--the ones that were designed to be used in blasting polar ice," said frank. "one moment," said captain hazzard. he turned and hailed the ship: "bring over six of the naval rockets from the armory!" he ordered. "if you should need help," he said, in explanation of his order, "send up a rocket. they are made so that they are visible by day as well as night. in the daylight their explosion produces a dense cloud of black smoke visible at several miles. they also make a terrific report that is audible for a long distance." the same boat that brought the boys' weapons carried the rockets and their provisions and at about four a. m. they were ready for their dash through the air. at the last minute it was decided to take billy barnes along as he knew something about handling an aeroplane and in a pinch could make himself useful. "good-bye and good luck," said captain hazzard fervently as the engine was once more started, with a roar like the discharge of a battery of gatling guns. from the exhausts blue flames shot out and the air was filled with the pungent odor of exploding gasolene. with a wave of the hand and amid a cheer that seemed to rend the sky the golden eagle shot forward as frank set the starting lever and rushed along over the level plane like a thing of life. after a short run she rose skyward in a long level sweep, just as the daylight began to show in a faint glow in the east. it rapidly grew lighter as the boys rose and as they attained a height of , feet and flew forward at sixty miles an hour above the vast level tract of gravelly desert, by looking backward they could see the forms of the two ships, like tiny toys, far behind and below them. on and on they flew, without seeing a trace of the professor or the band that had undoubtedly made him prisoner. "we must have overshot the mark," said frank, as he set a lever so as to swing the aeroplane round. "we shall have to fly in circles till we can locate the spot where the patagonians have taken him." they flew in this manner for some time, sometimes above rugged broken land with great sun-baked clefts in it, and sometimes above level plains overgrown with the same dull colored brush they had noticed fringing the coast. suddenly billy called attention to a strange thing. all about them were circling the forms of huge birds. some of them measured fully ten feet from wing tip to wing tip. they had bald, evil-looking heads and huge, hooked beaks. "they are south american condors, the largest birds in existence," cried harry, as the monstrous fowls, of which fully a hundred were now circling about the invaders of their realm, seemed to grow bolder and closed in about the aeroplane. "they mean to attack us," cried frank, suddenly. [illustration: "they mean to attack us."] as he spoke one immense condor drove full at him, its evil head outstretched as if it meant to tear him with its hooked beak. the boy struck at it with one arm while he controlled the aeroplane with the other and the monstrous bird seemed nonplussed for a moment. with a scream of rage it rejoined its mates and they continued to circle about the aeroplane, every minute growing, it seemed, more numerous and bold. "we shall have to fire at them," cried frank at last. "if they keep on increasing in numbers they may attack us all at once and wreck our airship." hastily harry and billy unslung their heavy "express" rifles and began firing. ordinarily it is no easy task to hit a bird on the wing with a rifle, but so large a target did the huge bodies present that four fell at the first volley. as they dropped some of their cannibal companions fell on them and tore them to ribbons in midair. it was a horrible sight, but the boys had little time to observe it. their attention was now fully occupied with beating off the infuriated mates of the dead birds, who beat the air about the aeroplane with their huge wings until the air-storm created threatened to overbalance it. again and again the boys fired, but failed to hit any more of the birds, although feathers flew from some of the great bodies as the bullets whizzed past them. all at once the condors seemed to come to a decision unanimously. uttering their harsh, screaming cries they rushed at the aeroplane, tearing and snapping with beak and claws. the machine yawed under their attack till it seemed it must turn over. still, so far, frank managed to keep it on an even keel. "bang! bang!" cracked the rifles again and again, but the loud angry cries of the birds almost drowned the sharp sound of the artillery. it was a battle in the clouds between a man-made bird and nature's fliers. suddenly frank gave a shout. "the dynamite bombs!" swiftly and cautiously harry got one of the deadly explosives ready. they were provided with a cap that set them off when they encountered any solid substance, as, for instance, when they struck the earth, but a small, mechanical contrivance enabled them to be adjusted also so that they could be exploded in midair. "isn't there danger of upsetting the aeroplane?" gasped billy, as he saw the preparations. "we'll have to chance that," was harry's brisk response, "the birds are too much for us." as he spoke he leaned out from the chassis and hurled the bomb high in the air. as he cast it out there was a slight click as the automatic exploder set itself. "hold tight," shouted frank, setting the sinking planes. the aeroplane rushed downward like a stone. suddenly a terrific roar filled the air and the boys felt as if their ear drums would be fractured. the aeroplane swayed dizzily and frank worked desperately at his levers and adjusters. for one terrible moment it seemed that the golden eagle was doomed to destruction, but the brave craft righted herself and soared on. the bomb had done its work. of the huge flock of condors that had attacked the golden eagle only a bare dozen or so remained. the rest had been killed or wounded by the bomb. the survivors were far too terrified to think of pursuing the boys and their craft further. "thank goodness we have escaped that peril," exclaimed harry, as they sailed onward through the air; "who would ever have thought that such birds would have attacked an aeroplane." "they frequently, so naturalists say, carry off babies and small animals to their rocky nests," was frank's response, "and birds as bold as that i suppose resented the appearance of what seemed another and larger bird in their realm." for an hour more the aeroplane soared and wheeled above the baking hot plains intersected by their deep gullies, but without result. the boys with sinking hearts were beginning to conclude that the professor had been carried off and hidden beyond hope of recovery, when harry, who had been peering ahead through the glasses, indicated a distant spot behind a ridge with much excitement. "i can see a horse tethered there," he cried. the aeroplane was at once shot off in that direction and soon all doubt that they were in the vicinity of a band of patagonians vanished. as the air craft rushed forward several tethered horses became visible and a column of smoke was seen rising from a deep gully behind the ridge. no doubt the patagonians thought themselves well hid. so secure did they feel, seemingly, that not even a sentry was visible. "do you think they are the same band that kidnapped the professor?" asked billy. "there's not much doubt of it," said frank. "at any rate we shall soon see," concluded harry, as the aeroplane shot directly above the encampment of the giant patagonians. gazing downward the boys could see one of the savages, a huge figure more than six feet tall, in a feather mantle and armed with a formidable looking spear, pacing up and down, as if he were a chief of some kind. this belief was confirmed when one of the other tribesmen approached the man in the long cloak and addressed something to him with a low obeisance. frank had by this time put the muffler in operation and throttled down the engine so that the aeroplane swung in lazy circles above the patagonians, entirely unnoticed by them. while they gazed the boys saw a figure led from a rude tent by several of the patagonians, of whom there seemed to be two or three hundred in the camp. instantly a loud yelling went up and several of the natives began a sort of dance, shaking their spears menacingly and wrapping their feather cloaks tightly about their tall figures. "it's the professor!" shouted frank, indicating the captive who had been taken from the tent. "they are going to burn him alive!" shouted harry in a voice of horror the next moment, pointing to the fire. indeed, it seemed so. the patagonians began piling fresh bundles of wood on their fire, the smoke of which the boys had seen from far off. their savage yells and cries filled the air. chapter xii. adrift! six of the huge warriors picked up the unfortunate professor, who was bound hand and foot, and were preparing to carry him toward the fire when there came a startling interruption to their plans. with a roar as if the desolate mountains about them were toppling about their ears one of the dynamite bombs carried by the boys was dropped and exploded a short distance from the camp. a huge hole was torn in the earth and a great cloud of dust arose. shrieks and cries filled the air and, although none of them was hurt, the patagonians rushed about like ants when some one has stirred up their nests. suddenly one of them happened to look upwards and gave a wild yell. instantly the tribesmen, without waiting to pick up any of their possessions, fled for their horses and mounting them rode out of sight without daring to look round. to accelerate their progress the boys sent another dynamite bomb and two rockets after them, and then descended to pick up the professor who, bound as he was, had been left on the ground and was quite as much in the dark as to what he owed his escape to as the indians were. "oh, boys!" he exclaimed, as the machine glided to earth and the boys stepped out, "you were just in time. i really believe they meant to make soup out of me. they were worse than the electric ray, a great deal. oh, dear, i wish i had obeyed captain hazzard, but i wanted to get a specimen of a patagonian dog-flea. they are very rare." "did you get one?" asked frank, laughing in spite of himself at the woe-begone figure of the professor, who, his bonds having been cut, now stood upright with his spectacles perched crookedly on his nose. "i did not," moaned the man of science, who seemed more grieved over his failure to collect the rare specimen than he did over his own narrow escape, "there is every other kind of flea around here, though, i found that out while i was in the tent." "come, we had better be going," said frank at length, after they had explored the camp and picked up some fine feather robes and curious weapons which the patagonians had left behind them in their hurry to escape. "the patagonians might take it into their heads to come back and attack us and then we should be in a serious fix." all agreed that it was wise not to linger too long in the camp and so a few minutes later the golden eagle was sent into the air again, this time with an added passenger. "dear me, this is very remarkable," said the professor, "quite like flying. i feel like a bird," and he flapped his long arms till the boys had to laugh once more at the comical man of learning. as they flew along the professor explained to them that after he had taken the boat he had heard a dog barking ashore, and being confident that the patagonians were friendly people and that it was a patagonian dog he heard, he determined to do some exploring in search of the patagonian dog-flea. he had only crawled a few steps from the river bank, however, when he felt himself seized and carried swiftly away. it was then that he had fired the shot the boys heard. later he had managed to break loose and then had discharged his revolver some more, without hitting anybody, however. the patagonians had then bound him and tied him to the back of a horse and rapidly borne him into the interior. they might not have meant any harm to him at first, he thought, but when they found him examining a dog with great care they were convinced the simple-minded old man was a witch doctor and at once sentenced him to be burned to death. "how about your friend that said that the patagonians were a friendly race?" asked billy, as the professor concluded his narrative. "i shall write a book exposing his book," said the professor, with great dignity. nothing more occurred till, as they drew near the ships, frank waved his handkerchief and the others fired their revolvers in token of the fact that they had been successful in their quest. in reply to these joyous signals the rapid-fire gun of the southern cross was fired and the air was so full of noise that any patagonians within twenty miles must have fled in terror. the professor, looking very shamefaced, was summoned to captain hazzard's cabin soon after he had arrived on board and put on clean garments. what was said to him nobody ever knew, but he looked downcast as one of his own bottled specimens when he left the cabin. by sundown, however, he had quite recovered his spirits and had to be rescued from the claws of a big lobster he had caught and which grabbed him by the toe as soon as he landed it on deck. in the meantime the aeroplane was "taken down" and packed up once more while the boys came in for warm congratulations on the successful outcome of their aerial dash to the rescue. captain hazzard himself sent for them and complimented them highly on their skill and courage. "i shall mention your achievement in the despatches i shall send north by the brutus," he said in conclusion to the happy boys. the damage to her bow being repaired, there was nothing more to keep the southern cross and her escort in the dreary river, and with no regrets at leaving such a barren, inhospitable country behind them, the pole-seekers weighed anchor early the next day. ever southward they forged till the weather began to grow chilly and warm garments were served out to the men from the storerooms of the southern cross. to the boys the cold was welcome, as it meant that they were approaching the goal of their journey. captain barrington doubled watches day and night now, for at any moment they might expect an encounter with a huge iceberg. in the antarctic these great ice mountains attain such bulk that they could crush the most powerful ship like an eggshell. it behooves all mariners venturing into those regions, therefore, to keep a most careful lookout for them. one day soon after dinner, while the boys were on the fore peak chatting with ben stubbs, the old bos'n suddenly elevated his nose, drew in a long breath and announced: "i smell ice." recollecting that ben had said that he "smelled land" on another memorable occasion, the boys checked their disposition to laugh, although the professor, who was trying to dissect a strange little fish he had caught the day before, ridiculed the idea. "ice being a substance consisting of frozen water and without odor, what you say is a contradiction in terms," he pronounced with much solemnity. "all right, professor," said ben, with a wink at the boys, "maybe ice ain't as easy to tell as an electric ray, but just the same i'm an old whaling man and i can smell ice as far as you can smell beefsteak frying." this was touching on the scientist's weak spot, for like many men of eminence, he was nevertheless fond of a good dinner and his alacrity in answering meal calls had become a joke on board. "you are arguing 'ad hominum,' my dear sir," spoke the professor with dignity. "ice and beefsteak have no affinity for one another, nor do they partake of the same qualities or analyses." whatever ben might have said to this crushing rejoinder was lost forever, for at this moment there was a great disturbance in the water a short distance from the ship. the boys saw a whale's huge dark form leap from the waves not forty feet from the bow and settle back with a crash that sent the water flying up in the air like a fountain. "whale ho!" shouted ben, greatly excited. "hullo," he exclaimed the next instant, "now you'll see some fighting worth seeing." as he spoke, a form dimly seen, so near to the surface was it, rushed through the water and crashed headlong into the whale. "what is it, another whale?" asked billy. "no, it's a monster sword-fish," cried ben, "and they are going to fight." the water grew crimson as the sword-fish plunged his cruel weapon into the great whale's side, but the monster itself, maddened by its wound, the next instant charged the sword-fish. its great jaws opened wide as it rushed at its smaller enemy, for which however, it was no match,--for the sword-fish doubled and swam rapidly away. the next instant it dived, and coming up rammed the whale with its sword once more. with a mighty leap the sea monster mounted clear of the water once more, the blood spouting from its wounds. but its strength was gone and it crashed heavily downward while it was in mid-spring. a warning shout from ben called the attention of everybody who had been watching the fight to a more imminent danger to the ship. the giant cetacean in falling to its death had struck the towing cable and snapped it under its huge bulk as if the stout hawser had been a pack thread. "we are adrift," shouted captain barrington, rushing forward with captain hazzard by his side. another cry of alarm mingled with his as he uttered it. "the iceberg!" cried ben. the old sailor pointed ahead and there, like a huge ghost drifting toward them, was a mighty structure of ice--the first berg the boys had ever seen. with its slow advance came another peril. the air grew deathly cold and a mist began to rise from the chilled sea. "signal the brutus!" shouted captain barrington, but the fires had been extinguished on the southern cross when she was taken in tow, and she had nothing to signal with but her rapid firing gun. this was fired again and again and soon through the mist there came back the low moan of the siren of the brutus. "they won't dare to put back after us in this," exclaimed captain barrington, as he stood on the bridge with the boys beside him, "we shall have to drift helplessly here till the iceberg passes or--" "until we are crushed," put in captain hazzard quietly, "wouldn't it be as well to have the boats made ready for lowering," he went on. "a good idea," agreed captain barrington. ben stubbs was summoned aft and told to give the necessary orders, and soon the men were at work clearing the life-boats in case things should come to the worst. the mist grew momentarily denser and the cold more intense, yet so critical was the situation that nobody thought of leaving the decks to don warmer clothing. the fog, caused by the immense berg chilling the warmer ocean currents, was now so thick that of the mighty berg itself they could perceive nothing. the knowledge that the peril was invisible did not make the minds of those on board the drifting vessel any the easier. "if only we had steam we could get out of the berg's path," said captain barrington, stamping his foot. "couldn't we hoist sail," suggested frank. "there is no wind. i wish there were," replied the captain, "then it would blow this mist away and we could at least see where we are driving to." in breathless silence and surrounded by the dense curtain of freezing mist the polar ship drifted helplessly on, those on board realizing that at any moment there might come the crash and disaster that would follow a collision with the monster berg. suddenly there came a shock that almost threw those on the bridge off their feet. hoarse cries and shouts sounded through the mist from the bow of the ship, which was no longer visible in the dense smother. above all the confused noises one rang out clear and terrible. "the berg has struck us. we are sinking!" was the terrible cry. chapter xiii. the ship of olaf the viking. "stop all that confusion," roared captain barrington through his megaphone, which he had snatched from its place on the bridge. silence instantly followed, only to be succeeded by a tearing and rending sound. the rigging of the foremast had caught in a projecting ridge of the berg and was being torn out. the ship trembled and shook as if a giant hand was crushing her, but so far her heavy timbers seemed to have stood the shock. presently the noises ceased and the air began to grow less chilly. "i believe we are free of the berg!" shouted captain hazzard. the rapid clearing away of the dense fog that had hung like a pall about the seemingly doomed ship confirmed this belief. by great good fortune the southern cross had been spared the fate of many ships that venture into the polar seas, and the boys gazing backward from the bridge could see the mighty berg, looking as huge as a cathedral, slowly increasing its distance from them, as it was borne along on the current. "hurrah, we are safe!" cried harry. "don't be too sure," warned captain barrington. "i hope we are, but the vessel will have to be examined before we can be certain. in any event our foremast and bowsprit are sad wrecks." the portions of the ship he referred to were, indeed, badly damaged. the shrouds supporting the foremast had been ripped out by the berg on the port or left hand side of the vessel, and her jibboom had been snapped off short where the berg struck her. two boats had, besides, been broken and the paint scraped off the polar ship's sides. "we look like a wreck," exclaimed billy. "we may think ourselves lucky we got off so easily," said captain barrington, "we have just gone through the deadliest peril an antarctic ship can undergo." the brutus now came gliding up, and after congratulations had been exchanged between the two ships, a new hawser was rigged and the southern cross was once more taken in tow. "i don't want any more encounters with icebergs," said billy, as the ship proceeded toward her goal once more. "nor i," spoke the others. "it's a pity this isn't at the north pole," said the professor, who was varnishing dried fish in the cabin, where this conversation took place. "why?" asked frank. "because, if it had been, there might have been a polar bear on that iceberg. i have read that sometimes they drift away on bergs that become detached and are sighted by steamers quite far south." "why,--do you want a polar bear skin," asked billy, "you can buy lots of them in new york." "oh, i don't care about the polar bear," said the professor quickly, "but the creatures have a kind of flea on them that is very rare." at the idea of hunting such great animals as polar bears for such insignificant things as fleas, the boys all had to laugh. the professor, who was very good-natured, was not at all offended. "small animals are sometimes quite as interesting as large ones," was all he said. the next day the rigging and bowsprit were refitted and further and further south steamed the brutus with the polar ship in tow. the fires of the southern cross had now been started and her acetylene gas plant started going as the heat and light were needed. icebergs were now frequently met with and the boys often remained on deck at night, snugly wrapped in furs, to watch the great masses of ice drift by. although they were as dangerous as ever, now that the ships were in cooler water the bergs did not create a fog as they did in the warmer region further north. by keeping a sharp lookout during the day and using the searchlights at night, captain barrington felt fairly confident of avoiding another encounter with an ice mountain. the damage the ship had sustained in her narrow escape from annihilation had proved quite difficult to repair, though before the vessel reached the sixtieth parallel it had been adjusted. "well, boys," announced captain hazzard one day at noon, "we are now not more than three hundred miles from the great barrier." "beyond which lies the polar mystery," exclaimed frank. captain hazzard glanced at him quickly. "yes, the polar mystery," he repeated, "perhaps now is as good a time as any for telling you boys the secret of this voyage. come to my cabin and i will tell you one of the objects of our expedition, which hitherto has been kept a secret from all but the officers." the excitement of the boys may be imagined as they followed the captain to his cabin and seated themselves on a seat arranged above the radiator. "it's the ship of olaf," whispered billy to harry. "of course," began captain hazzard, "the main object of this expedition is to plant the flag of the united states at 'furthest south,' even if not at the pole itself." "and to capture a south polar flea and a fur-bearing pollywog," put in the professor, who had included himself in the invitation to the boys. "exactly," smiled the captain, "but there is still another object scarcely of less importance than the ones that i and the professor," he added with a smile, "have enumerated." "you boys have all heard of the daring rovers who set out centuries ago in their ships to explore unknown oceans?" the boys nodded. "you mean the vikings?" asked frank. "yes," replied the captain. "well, some time ago a member of one of our great scientific bodies, while traveling in sweden, discovered in a remote village an odd legend concerning some sailors who claimed to have seen an old viking ship frozen in the ice near the great barrier. they were poor and superstitious whalemen and did not dare to disturb it, but they brought home the story." "and you think the ship is still there," broke in harry. "if they really saw such a thing there is every reason to suppose that it is," rejoined the lieutenant. "in the ice anything might be preserved almost indefinitely. providing the yarn of the whalemen is true, we now come to the most interesting part of the story. the scientist, who has a large acquaintance among librarians and custodians of old manuscripts in european libraries, happened to mention one night to a friend what he had heard in the little norwegian fishing village. his friend instantly surprised him by declaring that he had an idea what the ship was. "to make a long story short, he told him that years before, while examining some manuscripts in stockholm, he had read an account of a viking ship that in company with another had sailed for what must have been the extreme south pacific. one of the ships returned laden with ivory and gold, which latter may have been obtained from some mine whose location has long since been lost, but the other never came back. that missing ship was the ship of olaf the rover, and as her consort said, she had last been seen in the south pacific. the manuscript said that the returned rovers stated that they had become parted from the ship of olaf in a terrific gale amid much ice and great ice mountains. that must have meant the antarctic regions. this much they do know, that olaf's ship was stripped of her sails and helpless when they were compelled by stress of weather to abandon her. it is my theory and the theory of a man high in the government, who has authorized me to make this search, that the ship of olaf was caught in a polar current and that the story heard so many years after about the frozen ship in the ice is true." "then somewhere down there along the great barrier there is a viking ship full of ivory and gold, you believe?" asked frank. "i do," said the captain. "and the ice has preserved it all intact?" shouted billy. "if the ship is there at all she is undoubtedly preserved exactly as she entered the great ice," was the calm reply. "gosh!" was the only thing billy could think of to say. "sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it?" gasped harry. "maybe some viking fleas got frozen up, too," chirped the professor, hopefully. "what a fine chance for me if we find the ship." "have you the latitude and longitude in which the whalers saw the frozen vessel?" asked frank. "i have them, yes," replied the captain, "and when the winter is over we will set out on a search for it. on our march toward the pole that will make only a slight detour." "was it for this that you wanted to have our aeroplane along?" asked frank, his eyes sparkling. "yes," was the reply, "in an airship you can skim high above the ice-fields and at a pace that would make an attempt to cover unknown tracts on foot ridiculous. if the viking ship is to be found it will have to be your achievement." captain hazzard was called out on deck at this juncture and the boys, once he was out of the room, joined in a war dance round the swinging cabin table. "boys, will you take me along when you go?" asked the professor anxiously. "if there is any chance of getting a viking flea i would like to. it would make my name famous. i could write a book about it, too." "but you've got a book to write already about the patagonians," objected frank. "bless me, so i have," exclaimed the absent-minded old man. "however that can wait. a viking flea would be a novelty indeed." at this moment loud tramplings on the deck overhead and shouts apprised them that something out of the ordinary must be occurring. just as they were about to emerge from the cabin the captain rushed in. he seemed much excited. "my fur coat, quick," he cried, seizing the garment from frank, who had snatched it from its peg and handed it to him. "what has happened?" asked frank. the words had hardly left his lips before there came a terrible grinding and jarring and the southern cross came to a standstill. her bow seemed to tilt up, while her stern sank, till the cabin floor attained quite a steep slope. "what can be the matter?" cried the professor, as he dashed out after the boys and the captain, the latter of whom had been much too excited to answer frank's question. chapter xiv. marooned on an ice floe. "we have struck a polar reef!" it was captain barrington who uttered these words after a brief examination. "do you think we will be able to get off?" frank asked ben stubbs, who with the boys and the rest of the crew was in the bow peering down at what appeared to be rocks beneath the vessel's bow, except that their glitter in the lanterns that were hung over the side showed that the ship was aground on solid ice. "hard to say," pronounced ben. "these polar reefs are bad things. they float along a little below the surface and many a ship that has struck them has had her bottom ripped off before you could say 'knife.'" "are we seriously damaged?" asked billy, anxiously gazing at the scared faces around him. "i hope not," said the old salt; "there is one thing in our favor and that is that we were being towed so that our bow was raised quite a bit, and instead of hitting the ice fair and square we glided up on top of it." another point in favor of the ship's getting off was that there had been no time to reshift the cargo, which, it will be recalled, had been stowed astern when her bow was sprung off patagonia, so that she rode "high by the head," as sailors say. so far as they could see in the darkness about twenty feet of her bow had driven up onto the polar reef. the brutus had stopped towing in response to the signal gun of the southern cross in time to prevent the towing-bitts being rooted out bodily or the cable parting. "there is nothing to be done till daylight," pronounced captain barrington, after an examination of the hold had shown that the vessel was perfectly dry. "the glass indicates fair weather and we'll have to stay where we are till we get daylight." little sleep was had by any aboard that night, and bright and early in the morning the boys, together with most of the crew, were on deck and peering over the bow. the day was a glorious one with the temperature at two below zero. the sun sparkled and flashed on the great ice-reef on which they had grounded, and which in places raised crested heads above the greenish surface of the sea. no water had been taken on in the night, to the great relief of the captain, and soon a string of gaudy signal flags were set which notified the brutus, lying at anchor about a mile away, to stand by. the hawser had been cast off over night and so the brutus was free to steam to any position her captain thought advisable. as soon as the signalling was completed he heaved anchor and stood for a point about half-a-mile to the leeward of the southern cross, where he came to anchor once more. breakfast, a solid meal as befitted the latitude in which they were, was hastily despatched and the boys bundled themselves up in polar clothes and hurried out on deck to see what was going forward. captain barrington, after a short consultation with captain hazzard, decided to order out boat parties to explore the length and depth of the ice-reef so that he could make plans to free his ship off her prison. the boys begged to be allowed to accompany one of the boat parties and so did the professor. their requests were finally acceded to by the two captains and they formed part of the crew of boat no. , in charge of ben stubbs. "wait a minute," shouted the professor, as, after the boat to which they were assigned lay ready for lowering, the boys clambered into her. "what's the matter?" demanded the boys. "i want to get my dredging bucket," exclaimed the man of science, "this is a fine opportunity for me to acquire some rare specimens." he dived into his cabin, the two ends of his woolen scarf flying out behind him like the tail of some queer bird. he reappeared in a second with the bucket, an ordinary galvanized affair, but with a wire-net bottom and a long rope attached, to allow of it being dragged along the depths of the sea. "all ready!" shouted frank, as the professor clambered into the boat. the "falls" rattled through the blocks and the boat struck the water with a splash, almost upsetting the professor, who was peering over the side through his thick spectacles as if he expected to see some queer polar fish at once. the crew swarmed down the "falls," and as ben gave the order, pulled away for the outer end of the reef, the station assigned to them. in accordance with their instructions when they arrived at the end of the reef, the crew, headed by ben stubbs, left the boat and tramping about on the slippery ice tried to ascertain its thickness and how far under water it extended. the boys soon tired of sitting idle in the boat and, as they had been forbidden to land on the treacherous ice of the reef, cast about for something to do. the professor soon provided a digression. "look there," he suddenly shouted, pointing at a black triangular shaped object that was moving about on the green water a short distance from the boat. "what can it be?" wondered billy. "some sort of rare fish, i don't doubt," rejoined the professor. "let's row out and see." the boys, nothing loath, shoved off, and as ben and the crew of the boat were far too busy sounding and poking about on the reef to notice them, they rowed off unobserved. the triangular object proved elusive, and after rowing some time, the boys found they had come quite a distance from the ship without getting much nearer to it. suddenly a great, shining black back curved itself out of the water and the boys saw that the sharp triangular thing was an immense dorsal fin attached to the back of a species of whale they had not so far seen, although they had sighted many varieties since entering the antarctic regions. "let's give it a shot," cried billy, and before any one could stop him, the young reporter fired at the creature. to their amazement, instead of diving, as do most whales when injured by a bullet or otherwise, the creature raised its blunt head and gazed at them out of a wicked little red eye. "what--what--what's the matter with him do you suppose?" gasped billy. as he spoke the whale began lashing the water with its tail till the white foam spread all about it, slightly flecked with red here and there, in token that billy's shot had struck it. "i'm afraid that we are in for serious trouble," suddenly said the professor. "why, you don't mean that the creature is bold enough to attack us?" gasped billy. "that's just what i do," exclaimed the professor, apprehensively. "the creature is a killer whale--an animal as ferocious as a shark and far more bold. i should have recognized what it was when i saw that sharp fin cruising about." "we must row back," shouted frank, and he and harry sprang to the oars. but they were too late. with a flashing whisk of its tail the ferocious killer whale dived, and when it came up its head was within twenty feet of the boat. "pull for that floe!" shouted the professor, pointing to a small island of ice floating about not far from them. it was their only chance of escape, and the boys gave way with a will. but pull as they would their enemy was faster than they. just as the nose of their boat scraped the floe the great "killer" charged. frank had just time to spring onto the floe and drag harry after him when the monster's head rammed the boat, splitting it to kindling wood with a terrible crackling sound. the stout timbers might as well have been a matchbox, so far as resistance to the terrific onslaught was concerned. billy jumped just as the boat collapsed under him, and gained the floe. but where was the professor? for an instant the terrible thought that he had perished flashed across the boys' minds, but just then a cry made them look round, and they saw the unfortunate scientist, blue with cold and dripping with icy water, come clambering over the other side of the little floe on which they stood. he had been hurled out of the boat when the whale charged and cast into the water. his teeth were chattering so that he could hardly speak, but he still had his bucket, and insisted on examining it to see if any creatures had been caught in it when he took his involuntary plunge. the whale, after its charge and the terrific bump with which it struck the boat, seemed to be stunned and lay quietly on the water a few feet from the floe, from which it had rebounded. "i'll bet he's got a headache," exclaimed billy. "headache or no headache, i don't see how we are going to get off this floe unless we can attract the attention of the ship, and we are drifting further away from it every minute," said frank, gravely. "let's fire our pistols," suggested billy. "i didn't bring mine," said frank. "nor i," said harry. "n-n-n-n-or i," chattered the shivering professor. "gee whitakers," shouted billy, "and to top the bad luck, i left mine in the boat. i laid it on a seat after i had fired at the whale." "b-b-b-b-boys, w-w-w-w-w-hat are we g-g-g-oing to d-d-d-do?" shivered the scientist. "shout," said frank; "come on, all together." they shouted at the tops of their voices, but in the clear polar air, rarified as it is, sound does not carry as well as in northern latitudes, and there was no response. all the time the floe, slowly revolving in the current like a floating bottle, was drifting further and further from the ships. the situation was serious, and, moreover, the scientist was evidently suffering acutely, although he made no complaint, not wishing to add to their anxieties. frank, however, insisted on their each shedding a garment for the professor's benefit, and although the scientist at first refused them, he finally consented to don the articles of dry apparel and seemed to be much comforted by their warmth. faster and faster the floe drifted, and they were now almost out of sight of the ships. the boys' faces, although they tried not to show their fear, grew very pale. there seemed to be no prospect of their being saved, and in the rigorous cold of that climate they knew they could not survive many hours without food or drink. suddenly frank, who had been gloomily watching the progress of the floe, gave a shout of surprise. "what's the matter?" said harry. "are we g-g-g-g-going d-d-d-d-down?" gasped the professor. chapter xv. dynamiting the reef. "no," shouted the boy, "not that, but i think i see a chance of our being saved!" "have they seen us from the ships?" asked billy. "no, but the floe has struck a different current and we are drifting back." "are you s-s-s-sure of t-t-t-this?" asked the professor. "certain," replied frank; "i have been watching the progress of other pieces of drifting ice and the current seems to take a distinct curve here and radiate backward toward the pole." "then we are saved--hurray!" shouted billy, dancing about on the slippery ice, and falling headlong, in his excitement, on the treacherous footing it afforded. "no use hollering till we are out of the woods," said frank; "the current may make another turn before we land near the ships." this checked the enthusiasm and the boys all fell to anxiously watching the course their floe was likely to pursue. "there's our whale," shouted billy, suddenly. "look what a smash on the nose he got." the great monster seemed to have recovered from its swoon and was now swimming in slow circles round the floe, eyeing the boys malevolently, but not offering to attack them. evidently it was wondering, in its own mind, what it had struck when it collided with the boat and the floe. the floe drifted onward, with the vessels' forms every moment growing larger to the boys' view. all at once a welcome sound rang out on the nipping polar air. "boom!" "they have missed us and are firing the gun," cried frank. "that's what," rejoined billy; "and we are going to get a terrible lecture when we get back on board, too." soon the floe, drifting steadily southward, by the strange freak of the antarctic current, came in view of the lookouts on the ships, who had been posted as soon as the boys were missed. the boats were at once despatched, and headed for the little ice island. the killer whale suddenly took it into his head, as the boats drew near, to try one more attack, but dr. watson gregg, the ship's surgeon, who stood in the bow of the first boat, saw the ferocious monster coming and, with three quick bullets from a magazine rifle, ended the great brute's career forever. his huge, black bulk, with its whitish belly and great jaws, floated on the surface for a few minutes, and the boys estimated his length at about thirty feet. "room enough there to have swallowed us all up," commented billy, as they gazed at the monster. "well, young men, what have you got to say for yourselves?" asked dr. gregg, as the boats drew alongside. the boys all looked shamefaced as they got into the boat, and two sailors assisted the half-frozen professor into it. they realized that they had been guilty of a breach of discipline in taking off the boat, and that, moreover, their disobedience had cost the expedition one of its valuable assets, for there was no hope of ever putting the smashed craft together again. on their return to the ship captain hazzard did not say much to them, but what he did say, as billy remarked afterward, "burned a hole in you." however, after a hearty dinner and a change of clothing, they all, even the professor--who seemed none the worse for the effects of his cold bath--cheered up a bit, more especially as captain barrington had announced that he had a plan for getting the ship off the reef. ben stubbs, who had, with his crew, been taken off the end of the obstruction by another boat, had announced that the depth of the obstruction did not seem to exceed twenty feet and its greatest width forty. where the ship's bow rested the breadth was about thirty feet and the depth not more than twenty. "my gracious," suddenly cried the professor as the boys came out from dinner; "i have suffered a terrible loss!" his face was so grave, and he seemed so worried, that the boys inquired sympathetically what it was that he had lost. "my bucket, my dredging bucket," wailed the scientist. "i was too cold to examine it thoroughly and i recollect now that i am sure it had some sort of sea-creatures in the bottom of it." "what has become of it?" asked frank, hardly able to keep from laughing. "i left it on the ice floe," wailed the professor. "i must have it." "well, if it's on the floe it will have to stay there," remarked frank. "there seems to be no way of getting it off." "i wonder if the captain wouldn't send out some men in a boat to look for it," hopefully exclaimed the collector, suddenly. "i shouldn't advise you to ask him," remarked ben stubbs, who just then came up, his arms laden with packages. "we've lost one boat through going after peppermints or specimints, or whatever you call 'em." "possibly, as you say, it would not be wise," agreed the professor; "never mind, perhaps i can catch a fur-bearing pollywog at the south pole." he seemed quite cheered up at this reflection and smiled happily at the thought of achieving his dream. "what have you got there, ben?" asked billy, pointing to the queer-looking boxes and packages the boatswain was carrying. "dynamite, battery boxes, and fuses," replied the old sailor. "whatever for?" asked the young reporter. "are you going to blow up the ship?" "not exactly, but we are going to blow her out." "dynamite the ice, you mean?" "that's it." "hurray, we'll soon be free of the ice-drift," cried harry, as they followed the boatswain forward and watched while he and several of the crew drilled holes in the ice and adjusted the dynamite on either side of the bow, at a distance of about two hundred feet from the ship in either direction. caps of fulminate of mercury were then affixed to the explosive and wires led from it to the battery boxes. "how will that free us?" asked the professor, who, like most men who devote all their time to one subject, was profoundly ignorant of anything but deep sea life and natural history. "it is the nature of dynamite to explode downwards," said frank. "when that charge is set off it will blow the ice away on either side and we shall float freely once more." "wonderful," exclaimed the professor. "i had better get my deep sea net. the explosion may kill some curious fish when it goes off." he hurried away to get the article in question, while the boys stood beside captain hazzard, who was about to explode the heavy charges. everybody was ordered to hold tight to something, and then the commander pushed the switch. "click!" a mighty roar followed and the ship seemed to rise in the air. but only for an instant. the next minute she settled back and those on board her broke out in a cheer as they realized that they once more floated free of the great ice-reef. the two ends of the obstruction having been blown off by the dynamite, the center portion was not buoyant enough to support the weight of the southern cross, and went scraping and bumping beneath her to bob up harmlessly to the surface at her stern. there was only one dissenting voice in the general enthusiasm that reigned on board at the thought that they were now able to proceed, and that was the professor's. he had been untangling a forgotten rare specimen of deep-sea lobster from his net, when the explosion came. in his agitation at the vessel's sudden heave and the unexpected noise, he had let his hand slip and the creature had seized him by the thumb. with a roar of pain the professor flung it from him and it flopped overboard. "hurray! we are off the reef, professor," shouted frank, running aft to help adjust a stern cable that had been thrown out when the southern cross grounded. "so i see, but i have lost a rare specimen of deep-sea lobster," groaned the professor, peering over the side of the ship to see if there were any hope of recapturing his prize. the anchor of the southern cross was dropped to hold her firmly while the steel hawser was reconnected with the brutus, and soon the coal ship and her consort were steaming steadily onward toward the barrier and the polar night. it grew steadily colder, but the boys did not mind the exhilarating atmosphere. they had games of ball and clambered about in the rigging, and kept in a fine glow in this way. the professor tried to join them at these games, but a tumble from halfway up the slippery main shrouds into a pile of snow, in which he was half smothered, soon checked his enthusiasm, and he thereafter devoted himself to classifying his specimens. great albatross now began to wheel round the vessel and the sailors caught some of the monster white and gray birds with long strings to which they had attached bits of bread and other bait. these were flung out into the air and the greedy creatures, making a dive for them, soon found themselves choking. they were then easily hauled to deck. captain hazzard, who disliked unnecessary cruelty, had given strict orders that the birds were to be released after their capture, and this was always done. the birds, however, seemed in no wise to profit by their lessons, for one bird, on the leg of which a copper ring had been placed to identify him, was captured again and again. the professor, particularly, was interested in this sport, and devised a sort of lasso with a wire ring in it, with which he designed to capture the largest of the great birds, a monster with a wing spread of fully ten feet. day after day he patiently coaxed the creature near with bits of bread, but the bird, with great cunning, came quite close to get the bread, but as soon as it saw the professor getting ready to swing his "lariat" it vanished. "ah-ha, my beauty, i'll get you yet," was all the professor said on these occasions. his patience was marvelous. one day, as the ships were plunging along through ice-strewn seas, not far to the eastward of the inhospitable and bleak shetland islands, the professor accomplished his wish, and nearly ended his own career simultaneously. the boys, who were amidships talking to ben stubbs, were apprised by a loud yell that something unusual was occurring aft, and ran quickly in that direction. there they saw a strange sight. the professor, with his feet hooked into a deck ring, was holding with both hands to the end of his lasso, while the albatross, which he had at last succeeded in looping, was flapping with all its might to escape. "help, help, he'll pull me overboard," screamed the professor. "let go the halliards!" roared ben, who saw that there was, indeed, danger of what the professor feared happening. "i can't let him escape. help me!" yelled the professor. "my feet are slipping!" he went on. "let go of the albatross," shouted the boys, who with ben were hastening up the ladder leading to the raised stern. it did not look, however, as if they could reach there before the professor was carried overboard like the tail of a kite, by the huge bird he had lassoed. suddenly, with a howl of terror, the professor, who never seemed to entertain the thought of letting go of the bird, was jerked from his foothold by a sudden lurch of the ship. ben stubbs was just in time. he sprang forward with wonderful agility and seized the professor's long legs just as the man of science was being pulled over the rail into space by the great albatross. "let go, dod gast you!" he bellowed, jerking the lasso out of the professor's hands, while the albatross went flapping off, a long streamer of rope hanging from its neck. "i've lost my albatross," wailed the scientist. "and blamed near lost yer own life," angrily exclaimed ben. "why didn't you let go?" "why, then i'd have lost the bird," said the professor, simply. "but i thank you for saving my life." "well, don't go doin' such fool things again," said ben, angrily, for he had feared that he would not be in time to save the bigoted scientist's life. the professor, however, was quite unruffled, and went about for some hours lamenting the loss of the huge antarctic bird. he consoled himself later, however, by shooting a beautiful little snow petrel, which he stuffed and mounted and presented to ben stubbs, who was quite mollified by the kind-hearted, if erratic, professor's gift. chapter xvi. a polar storm. early in february the voyagers, whose progress had been slow, found themselves in a veritable sea of "pancake ice." everywhere in a monotonous waste the vast white field seemed to stretch, with only a few albatrosses and petrels dotting its lonely surface. the thermometer dropped to ten below zero, and the boys found the snug warmth of the steam-heated cabins very desirable. there was a fair wind, and sail had been set on the southern cross to aid the work of towing her, and she was driving through the ice with a continuous rushing and crashing sound that at first was alarming, but to which her company soon grew accustomed. captain barrington announced at noon that day that they were then in lat. degrees minutes, and longitude degrees minutes west--bearings which showed that they would be, before many days had past, at the great barrier itself. excitement ran high among the boys at the receipt of this news, and frank and harry, who had fitted up a kind of work-room in the warmed hold, worked eagerly at their auto-sledge, which was expected to be of much use in transporting heavy loads to and from the ship to the winter quarters. before the two vessels reached the barrier, however, they were destined to encounter a spell of bad weather. one evening ben stubbs announced to the boys, who had been admiring a sunset of a beauty seldom seen in northern climes, that they were in for a hard blow, and before midnight his prediction was realized. frank awoke in his bunk, to find himself alternately standing, as it seemed, on his head and his feet. the southern cross was evidently laboring heavily and every plank and bolt in her was complaining. now and again a heavy sea would hit the rudder with a force that threatened to tear it from its pintles, solidly though it was contrived. somewhat alarmed, the boy aroused the others, and they hastened out on deck. as they emerged from the cabin the wind seemed to blow their breath back into their bodies and an icy hand seemed to grip them. it was a polar-storm that was raging in all its fury. as she rose on a wave, far ahead the boys could see the lights of the brutus. only for a second, however, for the next minute she would vanish in the trough of a huge comber, and then they could hear the strained towing cable "twang" like an overstretched piano wire. "will it hold?" that was the thought in the minds of all. in order to ease the hawser as much as possible, captain barrington, when he had noted the drop of the barometer, had ordered a "bridle," or rope attachment, placed on the end of the cable, so as to give it elasticity and lessen the effect of sudden strains, but the mountainous seas that pounded against the blunt bows of the southern cross were proving the stout steel strand to the uttermost. the boys tried to speak, but their words were torn from their lips by the wind and sent scattering. in the dim light they could see the forms of the sailors hurrying about the decks fastening additional lashings to the deck cargo and making things as snug as possible. suddenly there came a shout forward, followed by a loud "bang!" that made itself audible even above the roar of the hurricane. the cable had parted! considering the mountainous seas in which they were laboring and the violence of the storm, this was a terrifying piece of intelligence. it meant that at any moment they might drift helplessly into some mighty berg and be crushed like an egg-shell on its icy sides. captain barrington muffled up in polar clothes and oilskins, rushed past the boys like a ghost and ran forward shouting some order. the first and second officers followed him. presently the voice of the rapid-fire gun was heard, and the boys could see its sharp needles of white fire splitting the black night. a blue glare far away answered the explosions. it was the brutus signaling her consort. but that was all she could do. in the terrific sea that was running it would have been impossible to rig a fresh cable. the only thing for the two ships to do was to keep burning flare lights, in order that they might keep apart and not crash together in the tempest. "shall we go down, do you think?" asked billy, shivering in spite of himself, as a huge wave towered above them as if it would engulf the polar ship, and then as she rose gallantly to its threatening bulk, went careening away to leeward as if angry at being cheated of its prey. "we can only hope for the best," said a voice at his elbow. it was captain hazzard. "i have implicit confidence in captain barrington. he is a sailor of rare mettle." these remarks were shouted at the top of the two speakers' voices, but they sounded, in the midst of the turbulent uproar that raged about them, like the merest whispers. time and again it seemed that one of the great waves that came sweeping out of the darkness must engulf them, but so far the southern cross rode them like a race-horse, rising pluckily to them as they rushed at her. captain barrington and his officers were trying to get some headsail put on the vessel to keep her head up to the huge waves, but they were unwilling to imperil any one's life by ordering him out on the plunging bowsprit, that was now reared heavenward and again plunged downward as if pointing to the bottom of the sea. ben stubbs it was who finally volunteered to crawl out, and two other american seamen followed him. they succeeded, although in deadly peril half a dozen times, in getting the jib gaskets cast loose, and then crawled back half frozen to receive the warm plaudits of the officers and more substantial rewards later on. with her jib hoisted, the southern cross made better weather of it, but the seas were fast becoming more mountainous and threatening. the wind screeched through the rigging like a legion of demons. to add to the turmoil some casks got loose and went rolling and crashing about till they finally went overboard as a great wave toppled aboard. "we must see how the professor is getting on," said, or rather yelled, frank suddenly. he and the boys entered the cabin structure aft, which seemed warm and cosy with its light and warmth after the turmoil of the terrific battle of the elements outside. but a prolonged search failed to reveal any trace of the man of science. where could he be? a scrutiny of his cabin, even looking under the bunk, failed to reveal him. the boys began to fear he might have been swept overboard, when suddenly frank exclaimed: "perhaps he is in his laboratory." "hiding there?" asked billy. "no, i don't think so. the professor, whatever his oddities may be, is no coward," rejoined frank. "no, his search for the patagonian dog-flea proved that," agreed harry. frank lost no time in opening the trap-door in the floor of the main cabin, which led into what had formerly been the "valuables room" of the southern cross, but which had been fitted up now as a laboratory for the professor. "there's a light burning in it," announced frank, as he peered down. "oh, professor--professor sandburr, are you there?" he shouted the next moment. "what is it? is the ship going down?" came back from the depths in the voice of the professor. he seemed as calm as if it was a summer's day. "no, but she is having a terrible fight with the waves," replied the boy. "she has broken loose from the towing ship. the cable has snapped!" added harry. "is that so?" asked the professor calmly. "will you boys come down here for a minute? i want to see you." wondering what their eccentric friend could possibly wish in the way of conversation at such a time, the boys, not without some difficulty, clambered down the narrow ladder leading into the professor's den. they found him balancing himself on his long legs and trying to secure his bottles and jars, every one of which held some queer creature preserved in alcohol. the boys aided him in adjusting emergency racks arranged for such a purpose, but not before several bottles had broken and several strange-looking snakes and water animals, emitting a most evil smell, had fallen on the floor. these the professor carefully gathered up, though it was hard work to stand on the plunging floor, and placed in new receptacles. he seemed to place great value on them. "so," he said finally, "you think the ship may go down?" "we hope for the best, but anything may happen," rejoined frank; "we are in a serious position. practically helpless, we may drift into a berg at any moment." "in that case we would sink?" "almost to a certainty." "then i want you to do something for me. will you?" the boys, wondering greatly what could be coming next, agreed readily to the old scientist's wish. thereupon he drew out three slips of paper. he handed one to each of the boys. "i wrote these out when i first thought there was danger of our sinking," he said. the boys looked at the writing on their slips. they were all the same, and on each was inscribed: "the man who told me that the patagonians were a friendly race is a traitor to science. i, professor simeon sandburr, brand him a teller of untruths. for professor thomas tapper, who told me about the fur-bearing pollywog of the south polar seas, i have the warmest respect. i leave all my books, bottled fishes and reptiles to the smithsonian institute. my servant, james, may have my stuffed wogoliensuarious. my sister is to have my entire personal and real estate. this is my last will and testament. "simeon sandburr. "m.a.-f.r.g.s.-m.r.h.s.-etc., etc." "what are we to do with these papers?" asked frank, hardly able, even in the serious situation in which they then were, to keep from laughing. "one of you boys may escape, even if the ship does go down," said the professor, gravely: "if any of us should get back to civilization i want the world to know that the patagonians are not a friendly race, and that i died hoping to capture the fur-bearing pollywog of the south polar seas." at this moment a sudden shock hurled them headlong against the glass-filled shelves, smashing several bottles and releasing the slimy, finny contents, and sending them all in a heap on the floor. "we have struck something!" cried frank. "something terrible has happened!" shouted harry and billy. "we are sinking, boys," yelled the professor; "don't forget my last will and testament." chapter xvii. the great barrier. to rush on deck was the work of a few moments. if it was a scene of confusion the boys had left, the sight that now met their eyes was far more turbulent. "the boats! the boats! we are sinking!" "we are going down!" "the iceberg has sunk us!" these and a hundred other cries of terror filled the air, for the wind seemed to have died down, though the sea still ran high, and sounds were now more audible. off to the starboard side of the ship the boys perceived a mighty towering form, which they knew must be the iceberg they had encountered. the crew fought madly for the boats. suddenly a sharp voice rang out: "i'll shoot the first man that lays a hand on the boats!" it was captain barrington. he stood on the stern deck steadying himself against the rail. in his hands gleamed two revolvers. beside him stood captain hazzard, a look of stern determination on his face. ben stubbs and several other seamen, who had not lost their heads, were grouped behind them prepared to quell any onslaught on the boats. the members of the crew, who had become panic-stricken when the helpless ship encountered the iceberg, paused and looked shamefaced. "we've a right to save our lives," they muttered angrily. "and prove yourselves cowards," exclaimed captain barrington. "you ought to be ashamed to bear the names of american seamen! get forward, all of you, and let me see no more of this." the stern voice of their commander and his evident command of himself reassured the panic-stricken crew and they withdrew to the forecastle. their shame was the more keen when it was found that, while the southern cross had been severely bumped by the iceberg, her stout timbers had sustained no damage. by daybreak the sea had calmed down somewhat, and the wind had still further moderated. but the danger was by no means over till they could get in communication with the brutus. frank was set to work on the wireless and soon "raised" the towing ship, the captain of which was delighted to hear of his consort's safety. the position of the southern cross being ascertained, her bearings were wirelessed to the brutus, and she then cast anchor to await the arrival of the towing ship. as the line was once more made fast, having been spliced till it was as strong as new, the professor came up to the boys. he looked rather sheepish. "would you mind giving me back those papers i gave you last night," he said. "you mean the last will and testament?" frank could not help saying. "that's it. i have changed my mind. i will show up that patagonian fellow in a book." the professor, as he received the little slips of paper, scattered them into tiny bits and threw them overboard. "you are quite sure you have not been fooled also on the fur-bearing pollywog?" asked frank. "quite," replied the professor, solemnly. "professor tapper is one of our greatest savants." "but so was your friend who told you the patagonians were a friendly tribe," argued frank. "i am quite sure that professor tapper could not have been mistaken, however." "has professor tapper ever been in the south polar regions?" asked billy, seriously. "why, no," admitted the professor; "but he has proved that there must be a fur-bearing pollywog down here." "in what manner has he been able to prove it?" asked harry. "he has written three volumes about it. they are in the congressional library. then he contributed a prize-essay on it to the smithsonian institute, which has bound it up with my report on the canadian bull frog. he is a very learned man." "but the south polar pollywog is then only a theory?" "well, yes--so far," admitted the professor; "but it is reserved for me to gain the honor of positively proving the strange creature's existence." "and if there should be no such thing in existence?" asked frank. "then i shall write a book denouncing professor tapper," said the professor, with an air of finality, and turning away to examine the water through a pair of binoculars. on moved the ships and at last, early one day, captain barrington called the boys on deck and, with a wave of the hand, indicated a huge white cliff, or palisade, which rose abruptly from the green water and seemed to stretch to infinity in either direction. "the great barrier," he said, simply. "which will be our home for almost a year," added captain hazzard. the boys gazed in wonder at the mighty wall of snow and ice as it glittered in the sunlight. it was, indeed, a great barrier. at the point where they lay it rose to a height of feet or more from the water, which was filled with great detached masses of ice. further on it seemed to sweep to even greater heights. this was the barrier at which lieutenant wilkes, on his unlucky expedition, had gazed. the mighty wall that shackleton and scott, the englishmen, had scaled and then fought their way to "furthest south" beyond. the names of many other explorers, french, english, danish, and german, rushed into the boys' minds as they gazed. were they destined to penetrate the great mysteries that lay beyond it? would their airship be successful in wresting forth the secret of the great white silence? "well?" said captain barrington, breaking the silence at length, with a smile; "pretty big proposition, eh?" the boys gazed up at him awe-struck. "we never dreamed it was anything like this," said frank. "i always pictured the great barrier as something more or less imaginary." "pretty solid bit of imagination, that ice-wall yonder," laughed captain hazzard. "how are we ever going to get on the top of it?" asked billy. "we must steam along to the westward till we find a spot where it shelves," was the reply. "then it is not as high as this all the way round the polar regions?" "no, in places it shelves down till to make a landing in boats is simple. we must look for one of those spots." "what is the nature of the country beyond?" asked frank, deeply interested. "ice and snow in great plateaus, with here and there monster glaciers," was the reply of captain hazzard. "in places, too, immense rocky cliffs tower up, seeming to bar all further progress into the mystery of the south pole." "mountains?" gasped billy. "yes, and even volcanoes. this has given rise to a supposition that at the pole itself there may be flaming mountains, the warmth of which would have caused an open polar sea to form." "nobody knows for certain, then?" asked frank. "no, nobody knows for certain," repeated captain hazzard, his eyes fixed on the great white wall. "perhaps we shall find out." "perhaps," echoed frank, quite carried away by the idea. "what is known about the location of the pole?" asked billy. "it is supposed to lie on an immensely high plateau, possibly , feet above sea level. shackleton got within a hundred miles of it he believes." "and then he had to turn back," added captain barrington. "yes; lack of provisions and the impossibility of traveling quickly after his manchurian ponies had died compelled him to leave the mystery unsolved. let us hope it remains for the american flag to be planted at the pole." "are there any animals or sea-creatures there, do you know?" inquired the professor, who had been an interested listener. "if there is an open polar sea there is no doubt that there is life in it," was the answer, with a smile; "but what form such creatures would assume we cannot tell." "perhaps hideous monsters?" suggested the imaginative billy. "more likely creatures like whales or seals," returned captain hazzard. "if there is such a thing as a creature with a south polar flea in its fur i would like to catch it," hopefully announced the scientist. "seals are covered with them," rejoined the officer. "pooh, those are just common seal-fleas," returned the professor. "i would like to find an insect that makes its home at the pole itself." "well, perhaps you will," was the rejoinder. "i hope so," said the professor. "it would be very interesting." all this time the two vessels were steaming slowly westward along the inhospitable barrier that seemed, as frank said, to have been erected by nature to keep intruders away from the south polar regions. as the professor concluded his last remark the lookout gave a sudden hail. "shipwrecked sailors!" "where away?" shouted captain barrington. "off to the starboard bow, sir," came back the hail. captain barrington raised his glasses and looked in the direction indicated. the boys, too, brought binoculars to bear. they were greatly excited to see what seemed to be four men standing up and waving their arms on a raft drifting at some distance away. "lower a boat," commanded captain barrington. the command was speedily complied with--in a few seconds one of the stanch lifeboats lay alongside. "do you boys want to go?" asked captain hazzard. "do we?" asked billy. "i should say." "all right, away with you." "can i go, too? i might get some specimens," asked the professor, eagerly. "yes, but don't try to catch any more killer whales," was the answer, which brought a general laugh. chapter xviii. the professor takes a cold bath. "give way, men!" shouted ben stubbs, who was in command of the boat; "them poor fellers must be perishin' of cold and hunger." the boat fairly flew through the water, skillfully avoiding, under ben's careful steering, the great floes of ice which were drifting about. the boys and the professor were in the bow, eagerly scanning the raft with the four black figures upon it. the castaways kept waving their arms in the most pitiable fashion. suddenly the professor exclaimed: "there's something queer about those men!" "you'd be queer, too, if you was drifting about the polar seas on an old raft," returned ben stubbs. all the men laughed at this and the professor said no more. but he scanned the "castaways" carefully, and so did the boys. as they drew nearer, the latter also began to observe that they were the funniest looking men they had ever seen. "they've got on long black coats with white waistcoats to their knees," cried billy. "so they have," exclaimed harry. "if it wasn't too ridiculous, you'd say they had on evening clothes." "they're not men at all," suddenly shouted the professor, with an air of triumph. "i thought i was not mistaken." "not men!" roared ben. "what are the poor critters, then--females?" "neither men nor women," was the astonishing reply. "they are penguins." all the men turned at this, and one of them, who had sailed in the polar regions before, announced, with a shout of laughter: "the doc is right. them's emperor penguins, sure enough--taking a joy-ride through the ice." the queer birds betrayed not the slightest excitement at the approach of the boat, but stood gazing solemnly at it, waving their little flippers,--somewhat like those of a seal, only feathered,--up and down in a rhythmic way. "they act like band leaders," was frank's remark. "better go back to the ship," said ben, much disgusted at the upshoot of the expedition, and somewhat chagrined, too, if the truth must be told, at the professor's triumph over him. "no, let us catch one," urged the professor. "i would like to see if it is possible to tame one." "yes, let's go up to them and see what they look like at close range," cried frank. "all right, if we don't waste too much time," agreed ben. "give way, men." they soon drew near the strange south polar birds who blinked solemnly at them as if to say: "and who may you be?" as they bobbed up and down on the piece of drift wood the boys had mistaken for a raft, the sight was so ludicrous that the boys burst into a hearty laugh. "hush," warned the professor, holding up his hand; "you may scare them." they were big birds of their kind, standing fully four feet, and it was not strange that from the ship they had been mistaken for shipwrecked men; indeed, it is not the first time such an incident has occurred in the south polar climes. "steady now, men," said the professor, bowing his lean form over the bow of the boat as they drew near to the penguins. "ah! my feathered beauties, if you will only stay there and not move, i will soon have one of you," he whispered to himself, as the boat,--the men rowing as silently as possible,--glided alongside. the birds made no sign of moving, and evidently had not the slightest fear of the strange beings, such as the newcomers must have seemed to them. instead, they seemed mildly curious and stretched their necks out inquiringly. "here, chick-chick-chicky," called the professor, by an odd inspiration, as if he were calling to the chickens in the barnyard at home. "here, chick-chick-chicky. pretty chick-chick-chicky." suddenly he made a grab for the nearest penguin, and at the same instant the boys gave a shout of dismay. as he seized it, the creature--affrighted when it felt the professor's bony arms about it,--had dived and the scientist, losing his balance, had followed it into the water. this might not have been so serious, but the other penguins, seeing the professor's plight, started to attack him, beating him back into the icy water every time he came to the surface. "ouch, you brute--oh, boys, help--o-o-o-h, this water is cold. get me out, somebody. scat, get away, you penguins." these were some of the cries uttered by the luckless professor, as he struggled to get to the inside of the boat. when they could, for laughing at the ludicrous plight, the men and the boys beat off the big penguins with the oars and hauled the professor into the boat. his nose was pecked badly and was of a ruddy hue from his misadventure. fortunately, one of the men had some stimulant with him and this was given to the professor to drink and the strong stuff quickly revived him. he sat up in the boat and talked with animation while the boat was being rowed back to the ship. "bless my soul, what an adventure," he puffed. "ouch, my poor nose. i thought the penguins would peck it off. boys, that penguin was as slippery as a greased pig and as fat as butter. oh, dear, what a misadventure, and i've ruined a good suit of clothes and broken a bottle of specimens i had in the pockets. never mind, i can catch some more." thus the professor rattled on, from time to time feeling his very prominent nose, apparently in some doubt as to whether he still retained the feature. "i guess you are cured of penguin hunting?" remarked frank. "who, i?" asked the professor, in mild surprise. "oh, no, my dear boy. i will get a penguin yet, even if i have to fight a regiment of them. i'll get one, never fear, and tame him to eat out of my hand." "i hope so, i'm sure," said frank, with a smile at the odd old man's enthusiasm. "hullo, what's that?" cried billy, suddenly pointing. "what?" chorused the boys. "why that creature off there on the ice flapping about,--it seems to be in distress." "there is certainly something the matter with it," agreed frank. what seemed to be a huge bird was struggling and flapping about on the floes at no great distance from them. "other birds are attacking it!" cried billy. it was so, indeed. numerous albatrosses and other large sea birds and gulls were hovering above the struggling creature, from time to time diving and pecking it. "what in the world can it be?" cried frank. "we might go and see, but the professor is wet and should get back to the ship," said ben. "oh, my dear sir, don't mind me," demurred that individual. "if i could have a little more of the stimulant--ah, thank you--as i was saying, i am never in a hurry to go anywhere when there is an interesting question of natural history to be solved." "very well, then," said ben, heading the boat about; "if you catch cold, don't blame me." "oh dear, no. i wouldn't think of such a thing," said the professor, his eyes eagerly fixed on the disturbance of the birds. "it's a big wounded albatross!" suddenly exclaimed billy, as the boat drew near to the object the other birds were attacking. "so it is," cried harry. "a monster, too," supplemented the professor. "it would be a great find for any collection." "perhaps we can catch it and stuff it," cried billy. "perhaps so; but we must hurry or the others will have pecked it to bits." the boat flew through the water, and soon they were near enough to drive the other birds away. the wounded albatross, however, did not rise, but lay flapping on the ice. "why, bless my soul, how very extraordinary!" cried the professor, forgetting his wet clothes and his chill in his excitement. "what is?" asked frank. "why something seems to be holding the bird down under water," was the answer. "it's a string!" suddenly cried ben, standing up in the stern of the boat. "a string?" echoed the professor. "sure enough," was the reply. and so it proved. the albatross was held down by a bit of string encircling its neck so tightly as to almost choke it, and which had become caked with ice till it was quite heavy. "i know that bird," shouted the professor, suddenly, as they drew alongside it. "you know it?" echoed the others, thinking the old man had taken leave of his senses. "yes, yes," cried the professor. "it's the one that nearly dragged me overboard. see whether the wire loop is still round its neck." "it sure is," exclaimed ben, as, disregarding the pecks of the big bird, he dragged it struggling into the boat and pinioned its wings. "well, this is a most extraordinary happening," smiled the professor, as happy as if he had been left a million dollars. "this will be most interesting to scientists and will make my name famous. 'the sandburr albatross, which flew many scores of miles with my lasso round its neck.' wonderful. poor creature. i suppose as it dipped into the waves for its food a thin film of ice formed on the cord till it grew too heavy for it to carry." "that's right," said ben, who had cut the lasso and released the creature from its hampering weight. "i'll bet this weighs ten or twelve pounds." he held out a huge chunk of ice for their inspection. "that's great weight for a bird to carry so many miles," said frank. "it is, indeed," said the professor, patting the bound albatross on the head. "that makes it all the more remarkable." "what are you going to do with the albatross, now that you have him?" inquired billy barnes. "i must make a cage for him out of packing cases, and perhaps we can tame him," said the professor. all agreed that this would be an interesting experiment, and the boat pulled back to the ship with one passenger more than she had left it with. as for the professor, he was in the seventh heaven of delight all the way back. he sat on a stern seat by the albatross, which was looking wildly about, and kept talking to it as if he thought it could understand him. "ah, my beauty, i'll astonish professor tapper with you when i get home," he said; "you are worthy to be ranked with the fur-bearing south polar pollywog. i will feed you till your feathers shine and you are the envied of all birds. i am the most fortunate man in the world." all hands enjoyed a hearty laugh as, on the return to the ship, their adventures were narrated. "the poor professor never seems to go out but what he gets into some pickle or other," laughed captain barrington, who was joined in his merriment by captain hazzard. "but, dear me," he went on, "where is the professor?" they ran out on deck and found the man of science seated in the boat, which had not yet been hauled up, as the vessels were not to weigh anchor till the next day,--the berth where they lay being a snug one. "why don't you come on board, professor?" asked captain hazzard, indicating the accommodation ladder, which had been lowered. "i-i'd like to, but i can't," responded the professor. "you can't? why, what on earth do you mean? you'll freeze to death down there," roared captain barrington. "i wish you'd send down a small stove," wailed the scientist. "a small stove; why, what do you want with that?" "why the fact is, i'm sozzen to the feet--i mean frozen to the seat, and if you can't send down a stove, send down another pair of trousers!" was the calm reply. when the perfect tempest of laughter at the poor professor's expense had subsided, he was hauled to the deck in the boat and handed a long coat. only till then would he consent to get up from the seat, an operation which was attended by a loud sound of ripping and tearing. "ha, ha, ha," roared captain hazzard. "first the professor nearly loses his life, and then he loses his trousers!" chapter xix. facing the polar night. after steaming for several hours the next day, the great barrier opened into a small bight with shelving shores, which seemed to promise an easy landing place. a boat party, including the professor and the boys, was organized and the pull to the shore begun, after the two ships had swung to anchor. the beach was a shelving one, formed of what seemed broken-off portions of volcanic rock. a short distance back from the shore there were several rocky plateaus, clear of snow, which seemed to offer a good site for pitching camp. from the height, too, the boys could see, at no great distance, stretched out on the snow, several dark forms that looked not unlike garden slugs at that distance. "what are they?" asked billy. "seals," replied the professor; "though of what variety i do not know, and it is impossible to tell at this distance." captain barrington and captain hazzard, after viewing the landing place and its surroundings, decided that a better spot could hardly be found, and the men were set to work at once marking out a site for the portable hut, which was to form the main eating and dwelling place, and the smaller structure in which the officers of the expedition were to make their homes. the work of setting up the main hut, which had double walls, the space between being filled with cork dust and felt, was soon accomplished, and it was then divided off into small rooms. in the center a big table was set up and at one end a huge stove was placed for heating and cooking. at the other end the acetylene gas-plant, for providing light during the antarctic night, was provided. a big porch provided means of entrance and egress. this porch was fitted with double doors to prevent any cold air or snow being driven into the house when it was opened. captain barrington and captain hazzard each had a small hut, another was shared by doctor gregg and the first officer, while the boys and the professor occupied still another. the engineer and ben stubbs were placed in charge of the main hut, in which the twelve men who were to be left behind after the brutus sailed north, were to find quarters. when everything had been fixed in position, a task that took more than a week, the work of unloading the provisions and supplies was begun. the cases which did not hold perishable goods, or ones likely to be affected by cold, were piled about the walls of the main hut as an additional protection against snow and cold. the glass jars of fruit and others of the supplies were stored inside the main hut, where they could be kept from freezing. the various scientific instruments of the expedition were stored in the huts occupied by captain barrington and captain hazzard. these huts, as well as the one occupied by the boys and professor sandburr, were all warmed by a system of hot-air pipes leading from the main stove in the hut. specially designed oil heaters were also provided. a short distance away the aeroplane shed or "hanger" was set up. the coal, wood, oil and fuel the expedition would need in its long sojourn were stored in a canvas and wood shelter some distance from the main camp, so as to avoid any danger of fire. when all was completed and big steel stays passed above the roofs of the huts to keep them in position, even in the wildest gale, a tall flag-pole, brought for the purpose, was set up and the stars and stripes hoisted. while all these preparations had been going on, the boys and the professor had made several hunting trips over the ice and snow in the neighborhood of the camp. some little distance back from the barrier they had been delighted to find two small lakes, connected by a narrow neck of water, which they promptly christened green lake. the water in these was warmish, and the professor said he had little doubt it was fed by volcanic springs. the lakes swarmed with seals, and the boys' first seal hunt was an experience they were not likely to forget. armed with light rifles, they and the professor set out for the seal grounds one morning on which the thermometer recorded seven degrees below zero. all wore their antarctic suits, however, and none felt the cold, severe as it was. as they neared the seal grounds the soft-eyed creatures raised their heads and regarded them with mild astonishment. a few of them dived into the waters of green lake, but the rest stood their ground. "there is one with a young one," shouted the professor, suddenly. "i must have it. i will tame it." he dashed upon the mother seal, who promptly raised herself up and struck the professor a violent blow with her fin. the professor was caught off his guard and, losing his footing, staggered back several steps. as he did so frank cried a note of warning. the steep icy bank above green lake was below the scientist's heel. before he had time to heed the boys' warning cry the professor, with a yell of amazement, slid backwards into the green pool, from which he emerged, blowing and puffing as if he had been a seal. luckily, the water was warm and he suffered no serious consequences, but thereafter he was much more careful. the boys could not bring themselves to kill the seals that seemed so gentle and helpless, but some of the men acted as butchers later on, for seal meat is a valuable ration in the antarctic. "wait till you lads encounter a leopard seal, or a sea elephant," said captain hazzard, when the boys confided their scruples to him. "sea leopards!" exclaimed frank. "sea elephants!" echoed harry. "yes, certainly," laughed the captain. "the creatures are well named, too. the sea leopard is as formidable as his namesake on land. the sea elephant is his big brother in size and ferocity." "i shall give them a wide berth," said the professor. "that killer whale was enough for me." "you will be wise, too," was the rejoinder, and the captain turned to busy himself with his books and papers, for this conversation occurred about noon in his hut. the next day there were good-byes to be said. the polar winter was near at hand, when the sea for miles beyond the barrier would freeze solid and it would have been foolhardy for the brutus, which had discharged all her coal but that necessary to steam north with, to have remained longer. she sailed early in the morning, bearing with her letters to their friends in the north, which the boys could not help thinking might be the last they would ever write them. unknown perils and adventures lay before them. how they would emerge from them they did not know. all experienced a feeling of sadness as the ship that had gallantly towed them into their polar berth lessened on the horizon, and then vanished altogether in the direction of the north. the southern cross alone remained now, but she was no longer their floating home, most of her stores and comforts having been removed to the shore. her boilers were emptied and piping disconnected in preparation for her sojourn in the ice. with so much to be done, however, the adventurers could not long feel melancholy, even though they knew their letters from home would not reach them till the arrival of the relief ship late in the next autumn. the first duty tackled by captain hazzard was to call all the members of the expedition into the main hut and give them a little talk on the dangers, difficulties and responsibilities that lay before them. the men cheered him to the echo when he had finished, and each set about the duties assigned to him. ben stubbs was ordered to set the watches for the nights and adjust any minor details that might occur to him. "i want to speak to you boys for a minute," said captain hazzard, as he left the hut and returned to his own. wondering what he could have to say to them the boys followed him. "as you boys know, we are not alone in our anxiety to reach the pole," he began. "there is another nation anxious to achieve the glory also. how much of our plans they have gained possession of, i do not know. no doubt, not as much as they would have in their possession if the jap had not been captured. i am pretty confident that they know nothing of the treasure ship, for instance. but it is probable that they will watch us, as they have some suspicion that we are after more than the pole itself, and have an ulterior object." "then you think that the japanese expedition has landed?" asked frank. "they must have, if they made any sort of time," replied captain hazzard. "our own progress down the coast was very slow, and they have probably established a camp already." "where?" "that, of course, i have no means of knowing," was the reply. "i suppose that they are somewhere to the west of us, however. what i wanted to impress on you, however, is that some time ago a big dirigible was purchased abroad, and it is believed that it was for the use of the japanese polar expedition, as it had means provided specially to warm the gas and prevent its condensation in extremely cold climates." the boys nodded, but did not interrupt. "it would be an easy matter for them to scout in such a ship and maybe discover our camp," said the captain. "for that reason i want to ask you boys to set an extra night watch of your own. nobody else need know anything about it. i feel that i can rely on you more than any of the other subordinates of the expedition, excepting ben stubbs, and he is too busy to do everything." the boys willingly agreed to keep out a watch for any airship that might appear, although privately they thought it was a bit of extra caution that was unnecessary. "i don't see why any one who could keep out of the cold at night, would want to go scooting around in an airship in the dark for," said billy, when they were all seated in their own hut. "captain hazzard knows best," said frank, shortly. "you and harry had better take the first watch tonight, and i and--" he stopped, puzzled. who was to take the other watch with him? after some reflection they decided on asking the captain if a colored man, who acted as cook, couldn't be placed on to be frank's companion. he was the only person they could think of whose duties would permit him to take the job, as his duties were only to cook for the officers, and were consequently light. moreover, he was a trustworthy man and not likely to gossip if he saw anything strange. captain hazzard readily gave his consent to the colored man, whose name was rastus redwing, being frank's companion on the night watch. "we can have our breakfast cooked by the other man," he said, "and then all rastus will have to do will be to prepare lunch and dinner and extra pay." but rastus, when the plan was broached to him, was by no means so willing. "wha' me tramp, tramp, tramp roun' in dat dar ice and snow all de night time?" he gasped. "laws a me massa frank, wha' kin' of man yo all tink dese yar darky am?" "it only means a few hours' more work, and you get double pay for it," said frank. "oh-ho, dat alters de circumference ob de question," said rastus, scratching his head, when this had been explained to him. "all right, massa frank, yo' count on me at twelve to-night fo' sho." "very well," said frank. "i shall--and see that you are there." "ah'll be dar, don' you nebbe fear fo' dat," chuckled the colored man. "huh-huh double pay and no brakfus' ter git. dat's what i calls livin'--yas, sah." as frank, well pleased at having adjusted the business of the night watches so easily, was striding over the snow-powdered rocks toward the boys' hut, he heard a sudden disturbance behind the main hut and loud cries of: "help! help!" the person who was uttering them seemed to be in great distress and was apparently in dire need of aid. "it's the professor," shouted frank, as the cries were repeated. "whatever can have happened to him now." as he spoke, the professor came dashing toward the camp, his arms were outstretched as if in entreaty, and his long legs going up and down like piston rods, at such speed was he running. "whatever is that caught to his coat tails?" exclaimed frank, as he saw that a large, heavy creature of some kind was clinging fast to the flying professor's garment. chapter xx. a mysterious light. "take him off,--take him off. if i were not running he'll bite me," shrieked the scientist as he sped along. "whatever is it?" shouted frank, regarding the strange sight with amazement. "it's a sea-leopard. ouch!--he bit me then. shoot him or something," screamed the professor, scooting round in circles like a professional runner; for he knew that if he stopped the creature would surely nip him hard. frank hastily ran into the hut for his rifle and returned in a moment followed by the others. half the occupants of the camp were out by this time to watch the outcome of the professor's quandary. frank raised his rifle and took careful aim--or as careful aim as he could with the professor rushing along at such a pace, but even as the rifle cracked the professor tripped on a snow hummock and down he came. the yell he set up echoed back from the naked, rocky crags that towered at the back of the camp. "don't holler so, the creature's dead," cried frank, as he and the boys came running up to where the recumbent professor lay howling in the snow. "oh, dear, i do seem to have the worst luck," moaned the scientist. "first, i'm nearly drowned by a killer whale, then i'm almost pollowed by a swenguin--no, i mean swallowed by a penguin, and now a sea leopard attacks me." as he spoke the professor got to his feet and the dead sea-leopard, as he called it, fell over on the snow. it was a ponderous creature, much like a seal, but with huge tusks and a savage expression, even in death. it was about five feet in length. "what made it tackle you?" asked harry. "i was down by the beach collecting some curious specimens of polar sea-slugs, when i felt a tug at my coat-tails," said the scientist. "i looked round and saw this creature glaring at me." "why didn't you shoot at it?" asked billy, noting the outline of the professor's revolver under his coattail. "i had placed a specimen of antarctic star-moss in the barrel of my revolver for safe-keeping, and didn't wish to disturb it," explained the professor; "so i thought the best thing to do under the circumstances was to run. i never dreamed the creature would cling on." "well it did, and like a bull-dog, too," said billy. "we'll have to be careful and not get snarled up with any sea-leopards," said harry, who had been examining the dead animal. "look at the monster's tusks." "yes, he could make a fine meal off any of you boys," remarked the professor. suddenly he fell on his knees beside the sea-leopard and began examining it carefully. "what in the world are you doing, now?" asked frank. "i thought i might find a sea-leopard flea," was the response of the engrossed scientist. "ah," he exclaimed, making a sudden dart; "here is one, a beauty, too. ah, ha, my fine fellow, no use your wriggling, i have you fast." as he spoke he drew out one of the bottles of which receptacles his pockets seemed to be always full, and popped the sea-leopard flea into it. "that will be a very valuable addition to science," he said, looking round triumphantly. a few days after this incident the polar night began to shut down in grim earnest. sometimes for days the boys and the other adventurers would be confined to the huts. entertainments were organized and phonograph concerts given, and, when it was possible to venture out, hunting trips in a neighboring seal-ground were attempted. all these things helped to while away the monotony of the long darkness. in the meantime the commanders of the expedition laid their plans for the spring campaign, when the boys' aerial dash was to be made. on one of the milder nights, when frank and rastus were on watch, their first intimation that a strange and mysterious presence shared their lonely vigil was made manifest. it was rastus who called frank's attention to what was eventually to prove a perplexing puzzle to the pole hunters. as the colored man and frank were pacing outside the huts, keeping their watch, the negro suddenly gripped the boy's arm. "fo' de lub ob goodness, man, wha's dat?" he exclaimed, getting as pale as it is possible for a negro to become. "what?" demanded the boy. "i can't see anything." he stared about him in the gloom. "ain't nuffin ter see," rejoined rastus, in a low, awed tone. "but, hark!" the negro's ears, sharper than those of the white boy, had caught a sound that later became audible to frank. it was a most peculiar sound. coming from no one direction that one could indicate with certainty, it seemed to fill the whole air with a buzzing noise that beat almost painfully on the eardrums. while he gazed about, in perplexity at the phenomenon, frank suddenly descried something that almost startled him into an outcry. in the sky far to the westward and, seemingly, high in the air, there hovered a bright light! the next instant it vanished so suddenly as to leave some doubt in the boy's mind as to whether he had really seen it,--and, if he had, if it might not have been a star or some other heavenly body. he turned to his companion. "rastus, did you see a light in the sky there a second ago?" the boy pointed in the direction in which the mystery had appeared. "a light--?" repeated the puzzled negro, still scared at the buzzing sound, which had now ceased. "you done say a light--a reg'lar light, light?" "yes, yes," impatiently; "did you see one?" "no, sah, no, indeedy," was the indignant response; "ah don' see no lights." "that's strange," said frank, half to himself. "you are quite sure?" again the negro denied all knowledge of having beheld such a thing. "ef ah'd done seed anyfing lak dat," he declared; "ah'd hev bin skedaddlin' fer ther hut lak er chicken wif a hungry coon afta' it,--yas, sah." thoroughly convinced that his imagination had played him a trick, frank did not mention the incident, to his fellow adventurers and soon almost forgot it. it was recalled to his mind in a startling manner a few nights later. this time it was rastus that saw the strange light, and the yell that he set up alarmed the entire camp. "oh, lordy--oo-o-o-o-ow, lawdy!" he shrieked; "ah done see a ghosess way up in dar sky, massa frank!" frank seized the black by the arm, as he started to run. "what do you mean, you big black coward," he exclaimed. "what's the matter with you?" "oh, dat dar light," wailed rastus. "dat ain't no human light dat ain't; dat light's a way up in dar sky. it's a polar ghosess, dat's wha' dat is--de ghos' ob some dead sailor." "don't talk nonsense," sharply ordered frank, as the others, hastily bundled in their furs, came rushing out. "whatever is the matter?" demanded captain hazzard, gazing sternly at the trembling negro. "oh, massa hazzard, ah done see a ghos' light in dar sky," he yelled. "silence, sir, and stop that abominable noise. frank, what do you know about this?" "only that i really believe he saw such a thing, sir." "what, a light in the sky!" echoed captain barrington. "did you see it, too?" "not to-night, sir." "then it has appeared before?" "yes, it has," was the reply. "but you said nothing of it," exclaimed captain hazzard. "no; i thought it might be imagination. it appeared for such a short time that i could not be certain if it was not a trick of the imagination." "well, it begins to look as if rastus is telling the truth," was the officer's comment. "yas, sah, yas sah, i'se tellin' de truf, de whole truf, and everything but de truf," eagerly stuttered the negro. "where did you first see the light?" demanded captain hazzard. "right ober de grable (gable) ob de ruuf ob de big hut," was the reply. "that's about where i saw it," burst out frank. "was it stationary?" asked captain hazzard. "yas, sah; it's station was airy, dat's a fac'," grinned rastus. "it was high up in de air." "that's not what i mean, at all," snapped captain hazzard. "was it moving or standing still?" "oh, ah see what yo' mean, captain hazzard,--no, sir, der was no circumlocution ob de objec', in fac', sah, it was standin' still." "for how long did you watch it?" "wall, sah, it jes flash lak de wink ob an eye and den it was gone." "possibly it was some sort of antarctic lightning-bug," ventured the professor, who had been intently listening to the account of the strange light. "hardly likely," smiled captain barrington. "tell us, rastus, what it looked most like to you--what did it resemble?" "wall, sah, it presembled mos'ly dat big laight what yo' see on a snortermobile befo' it runs ober you. yas, sah, cap't barranton, dat's what it looked lak, fo' sho." "does that tally with your impression of it, frank?" asked captain hazzard. "yes, sir, rastus has put it very well. it was more like an automobile headlight than anything else." "well, nobody could be driving an automobile in the sky," put in the professor, decisively, as if the matter were disposed of in this way without any more argument being wasted. "no, but there are other vehicles that are capable of rising above the earth," spoke captain hazzard, thoughtfully. "for instance--?" breathed frank, with a half-formed idea of what he meant. "for instance, airships," was the quiet reply. "airships," exclaimed captain barrington. "then you think---?" "that we have some very undesirable neighbors at close quarters," rejoined captain hazzard. chapter xxi. a penguin hunt. although, as may be imagined, a closer watch than ever was kept during the period of darkness, nothing more was seen that winter of the mysterious light. the dim twilight preceding spring began to appear in february without there being any recurrence of the mysterious incident. the coming of the season in which they hoped to accomplish such great things, found the camp of the adventurers in splendid trim. everyone from captain hazzard down to the professor's albatross, which by this time had become quite tame, was in fine health, and there had been not the slightest trace of illness among the adventurers. the motor-sledge was put together as soon as the september spring began to advance, and was found to work perfectly. as it has not been described in detail hitherto, a few words may be devoted to it at this point. it was a contrivance, about twenty feet long by three wide, supported on hollow "barrels" of aluminum. the sledge itself was formed of a vanadium steel frame with spruce planking, and was capable of carrying a load of a thousand pounds at thirty miles an hour over even the softest snow, as its cylindrical supports did not sink into the snow as ordinary wheels would have done. the motor was a forty-horse power automobile machine with a crank-case enclosed in an outer case in which a vacuum had been created--on the principle of the bottles which keep liquids cold or warm. in this instance the vacuum served to keep the oil in the crank-case, which was poured in warm, at an even temperature. the gasolene tank, which held twenty gallons, was also vacuum-enclosed, and as an additional precaution the warm gases from the exhaust were inducted around it, and the space used for storing extra cans of fuel. specially prepared oils and a liberal mixing of alcohol with the gasolene afforded a safeguard against any sudden freezing of the vital fluids. the engine was, of course, jacketed, but was air-cooled, as water circulation would have been impracticable in the polar regions. the test of the weird-looking contrivance was made on a day in early spring, when, as far as the eye could reach, a great solid sea of ice spread to the northward, and to the south only a vast expanse of snowy level was visible,--with far in the distance the outlines of some mountains which, in captain hazzard's belief, guarded the plateau on the summit of which perhaps lay the south pole. the southern cross lay sheathed in ice, and the open sea, through which she had approached the great barrier, was now a solid ocean of glacial ice. if it did not break up as the spring advanced the prospect was bad for the adventurers getting out that year, but at this time they were too engrossed with other projects to give their ultimate release much thought. but to return to the motor-sledge. with frank at the steering wheel in front and harry, billy barnes, the professor, and rastus distributed about its "deck," it was started across the snow, amid a cheer from the men, without a hitch. so splendidly did it answer that the boys drove on and on over the white wastes without giving much thought to the distance they traversed. with the return of spring, skua gulls and penguins had become plentiful and in answer to the professor's entreaties the boys finally stopped the sledge near a rookery of the latter, in which the queer birds were busy over the nests. these nests are rough piles of stones, on which the eggs are laid. soon the chickens--fuzzy little brown creatures--appear, and there is a lot of fuss in the rookery; the penguins getting their families mixed and fighting furiously over each small, bewildered chick. it was egg-laying time, however, when the boys rolled up on their queer motor-sledge to the neighborhood of the breeding ground the professor had espied. the man of science was off the sledge in a trice, and while the boys, who wished to examine the motor, remained with the vehicle, he darted off for the penguins' habitat. with him went rastus, carrying a large basket, which the professor had ordered him to bring in case they needed it to carry back any finds of interest. "perfusser, is dem dar penguins good ter eat?" asked rastus, as he and his learned companion strode through the snow to the rookery. "they are highly esteemed as food," was the reply. "former expeditions to the south pole have eaten them and declare that their flesh is as good as chicken." "as good as chicking!" exclaimed rastus, delightedly. "my, my, yo' make mah mouf watah. don' you fink we could ketch one an' hev a fricassee, perfusser?" "i am only going in search of eggs and would, of course, like to catch a flea--a penguin-flea, i mean," said the professor; "and i should not advise you to meddle with any of the creatures, rastus." "why, dey look as tame as elingfants in de zoo," protested the colored man, as he gazed at the penguins, who in turn gazed back at him with their beady black eyes. "yes, and ordinarily they are, but in the breeding season they get savage if molested, although it is safe enough to walk among them." "huh," grunted rastus to himself; "dis yer perfusser am a fusser fer sho. ef dem birds tas' lak chicking ah'm a-goin 'ter ketch one while he's a huntin' fer fleas and other foolishnesseses." "what's that you said, rastus?" inquired the professor, as they began to thread their way among the piles of stones, each of which marked a nest. "ah said de perfusser am a wonderful man wid his fleas and other scientificnesses," rejoined the colored man. "ah, rastus," cried the professor, highly flattered; "if i can only catch the fur-bearing pollywog, then i shall, indeed, have some claim on fortune and fame, till then--let us hunt penguin eggs." in the meantime the boys were busy examining the motor. they found that the specially prepared oil worked perfectly and that, although it changed color in the low temperature, it showed no disposition to freeze. the gasolene, too, was successfully kept at the right temperature by means of the vacuum casing of the tank. "we could go to the pole itself in this motor-sledge," cried billy, enthusiastically. "how would we pass the mountains?" asked frank, pointing to the south, where stood the snowy sentinels guarding the mystery of the antarctic. "that's so," agreed billy, hurriedly. "that's a job for the golden eagle." "and she's going to do it, too," rejoined frank, earnestly. "that is if it is humanly possible." "you bet she is," began harry, enthusiastically. "hullo, what's happened to the professor now?" he broke off. indeed, it seemed that some serious trouble had again overtaken the luckless naturalist. "oh, boys! boys!" came his cries from the direction of the penguin rookery. "help! the menguins are plurdering us--i mean the penguins are murdering us!" "fo' de lawd's sake, come quick!" came a yell in rastus's tones. "we're done bin eated alive by dese yar pencilguins." the rookery lay in a slight depression and was not visible from where the boys stood, so that they were unable to imagine what was taking place. "they are in serious trouble of some sort again," cried frank. "come on, boys, let's go to their rescue." the motor-sledge was soon speeding over the snow and in a few minutes was at the edge of the declivity in which lay the penguin rookery. gazing down into it the boys could hardly keep from laughing. indeed, billy did burst into loud roars of merriment as he beheld the strange figures cut by the professor and rastus, as they strove to escape the onslaught of the whole colony of penguins, which, with sharp shrieks of rage were attacking them with their beaks and beating them with their wings. [illustration: "they strove to escape the onslaught of the penguins."] "oh, please, good mistah pencilguins, i didn't mean no harm," roared rastus, who seemed to think the human-looking birds could understand him. "go afta' de perfusser, it was him dat tole me youalls tasted lak chicking." "stop that, you greedy black rascal," retorted the professor, laying about him with the egg-basket. "if you hadn't tried to grab that penguin we wouldn't have been in this trouble." this was true enough. the penguins had not seemed to resent their nests being interfered with at all, but had gathered round the invaders with much curiosity. the trouble all originated when rastus had sneaked up to a small penguin while the professor was busy extracting an egg from a nest, and with a cry of: "oh, you lubly lilly chickin, ah hev yo fer supper, sho nuff," had grabbed the creature. it instantly sent up a loud cry of fear and rage, which its mates seemed to regard as a battle cry, for they all fell on the rash invaders of their realm at once. as the boys dashed down the snowbank into the rookery, with their revolvers drawn, the professor, with a loud yell, fell backward into a well-filled nest. he arose with yellow yolks streaming from him and covered with down, feathers and eggshell, that made him look like a spectacled penguin himself. rastus fared no better and was being beaten and pecked unmercifully when the boys rushed down to the rescue. "fire your revolvers in the air!" cried frank. "don't kill the poor things." "fo' goodness sake kill dis big feller dat's a-peckin' mah nose off!" yelled rastus, struggling on the ground in the midst of a mass of broken eggs. the fusillade that went up from the boys' pistols made the penguins stop their attack and waddle off in affright, while the professor and rastus, both sorry figures, scrambled to their feet and tried to brush off some of the eggshells and yellow yolks that covered them from head to foot. "come on back to the auto," cried frank, when he saw they were safe. "what, aren't you going to kill some of the birds?" demanded the professor. "no, certainly not," replied frank. "what for?" "why they attacked us and frightened the life out of me," protested the professor. "an' dem pesky pencilguins mos' bited mah nose off," roared rastus, rubbing that not over prominent feature. "well, you had no business in their rookery, anyhow," rejoined frank, unfeelingly. "why did you go?" "why, my dear sir," said the professor, regarding him with sorrowful egg-stained countenance; "in the interests of science, of course. we would not have been attacked at all if rastus had not tried to catch a penguin. what for, i cannot imagine." "why, perfusser, you done say dey tas' lak chickin," ruefully cried the black man. "did i?" exclaimed the man of science. "well, bless my soul, so i did. that was very foolish of me. i ought to have known that rastus would not be able to resist such an idea." "ah dunno 'bout de idah," observed rastus, as he cranked up the machine, and the boys and the professor climbed on board; "but ah couldn' resis' de chicking." chapter xxii. the flaming mountain. a few days after the events described in the last chapter, captain hazzard summoned the boys to him and informed them that it was time to start out and establish "depots" for the storing of food and blankets as far as was practicable, in the direction of the pole. this was in order that any parties sent out to explore might not run the chance of being lost in the antarctic snows without having some place to which they could retreat. the "depots" were to be marked as rapidly as they were made with tall bamboo poles, each of which bore a black flag. the boys pitched in to this occupation with great enthusiasm and, with the aid of the motor-sledge, soon had established three depots, covering a radius of some eighty miles from the camp. this work brought them to the verge of the chain of snow-mountains, beyond whose white crests they believed lay the pole. somewhere along the coast line of this chain of mountains, too, so the lieutenant calculated, lay the viking ship, which, in the years that had elapsed since the whalemen had seen her, must have drifted towards their bases on the ever-shifting polar currents. for the great barrier, solid as it seems, is not stationary, and many scientists hold that it is subject to violent earthquakes, caused by the subsidence of great areas of icy land into the boiling craters of polar volcanoes. a careful study of the position, in which the whalemen set down they had spied the ship, and a calculation of the polar drift during the time that had elapsed from their discovery, had enabled captain hazzard to come, as he believed, very nearly locating the exact situation of the mysterious vessel. "somewhere to the southeast, at the foot of the snow-mountains, i firmly believe that we shall find her," he said. it was a week after the establishment of the last depot that the boys were ready to make their first flight in polar regions. the golden eagle's vacuum tank and crank-case were attached and a supply of non-freezing oils and gasolene drums, carefully covered with warm felt, taken on board. "your instructions are," were captain hazzard's parting words, "to fly to the southward for a distance of a hundred miles or so, but no further. you will report the nature of the country and bring back your observations made with the instruments." the golden eagle, which had been assembled earlier in the spring, was wheeled out of her shed and, after a brief "grooming," was ready for her first flight in the antarctic regions. "it seems queer," observed frank, "to be flying an aeroplane, that has been through so many tropical adventures, in the frozen regions of the south pole." "it does, indeed," said the professor, who, with billy barnes, had obtained permission to accompany the boys. captain hazzard, himself, would have come but that he and captain barrington had determined to make surveys of the ice surrounding the southern cross, in order to decide whether the ship had a speedy chance of delivery from her frozen bondage. the golden eagle shot into the icy air at exactly ten minutes past nine on the morning of the th of september. it was a perfect day, with the thermometer registering above zero. so accustomed had they become to the bitter cold of the polar winter that even this low temperature seemed oppressive to the boys, and they wore only their ordinary leather aviation garments and warm underclothes. a plentiful supply of warm clothing was, however, taken along in case of need. plenty of provisions and a specially contrived stove for melting snow into water were also carried, as well as blankets and sleeping bags. the shout of farewell from the sojourners at the camp had hardly died out before the aviators found themselves flying at a height of three hundred feet above the frozen wastes. viewed from that height, the aspect stretched below them was, indeed, a desolate one. as far as the eye could reach was nothing but the great whiteness. had it not been for the colored snow goggles they wore the boys might have been blinded by the brilliancy of the expanse, as cases of snow blindness are by no means uncommon in the antarctic. on and on they flew toward the mighty snow mountains which towered like guardian giants ahead of them. the barograph showed that after some hours of flying they had now attained a height of two thousand feet, which was sufficient to enable them to clear the ridge. viewed from above, the snow mountains looked like any other mountains. they were scarred by gullies and valleys in the snow, and only the lack of vegetation betrayed them as frozen heaps. perhaps not mountains in the ordinary sense at all, but simply mighty masses of ice thrown up by the action of the polar drift. "look, look," quavered billy barnes, as they cleared the range and their eyes fell on the expanse beyond. the boy's exclamation had been called forth by the sight of an immense mountain far to the southward of them. from its summit was emerging a cloud of black smoke. "a volcano!" exclaimed frank, in blank astonishment. "such another as mount erebus and mount terror, also within the antarctic circle, but not either of which is as big as this one. i should imagine," said the professor. "boys, let us head for it," he exclaimed; "it must be warm in the vicinity of the crater and perhaps we may find some sort of life existent there. even the fur-bearing pollywog may reside there. who knows?" all agreed, without much argument, that it came within the scope of their duties to investigate the volcano, and they soon were winging toward it. as they neared the smoking cone they observed that its sides were formed of some sort of black stone, and with that, mingled with the smoke that erupted from its mouth, came an occasional burst of flame. "it's in eruption," gasped billy. "we'd better not get too near to it." "i apprehend no danger," said the professor. "both scott and shackleton and our own wilkes examined the craters of mounts erebus and terror, when steam and flames were occasionally spurting from them, without suffering any bad consequences." acting on the professor's advice the aeroplane was grounded at a point some distance from the summit of the mountain, on a small flat plateau. the warmth was perceptible, and some few stunted bushes and trees clung to the sides of the flaming mountain. the professor was delighted to find, flitting among the vegetation, a small fly with pink and blue wings, which he promptly christened the sanburritis antarcticitis americanus. he netted it without difficulty and popped it into a camphor bottle and turned, with the boys, to regarding the mountain. "let's climb it and examine the crater," exclaimed frank, suddenly, the instinct of the explorer strong in him. "bully," cried billy; "i'm on." "and me," exploded harry. "i should dearly love to," spoke the professor; "perhaps we can discover some more strange insects at the summit." the climb was a tedious one, even with the aid of the rope they had brought with them from the golden eagle; and with which part of the party hauled the others over seemingly impassable places. at last, panting, and actually perspiring in the warm air, they stood on the lip of the crater and gazed down. it was an awe-inspiring sight. the crater was about half-a-mile across the top, and its rocky sides glowed everywhere with the glare of the subterranean fires. a reek of sulphurous fumes filled the air and made the adventurers feel dizzy. they, therefore, worked round on the windward side of the crater, and after that felt no ill consequences. for a long time they stood regarding the depths from which the heavy black smoke rolled up. "there's no danger of an eruption, is there?" asked billy, somewhat apprehensively. "i don't apprehend so," rejoined the professor. "a survey of the sides of the crater convinces me that it is many years since the volcano was active." "it is a wonderful feeling to think that we are the first human beings who have ever seen it," exclaimed frank, impulsively. "it is, indeed," agreed the professor. "this is a great discovery and we must take possession of it in the name of the united states. let us call it mount hazzard in commemoration of this expedition." and so with a cheer the great antarctic volcano was named in honor of the leader of the expedition. at the foot of the flaming mountain, originated no doubt by the warmth, were numerous large lakes filled with water of a deep greenish blue hue. "i wonder if there aren't some fish in those lakes?" wondered the professor, gazing at the bodies of water so far below them. "at any rate there may be some kinds of creatures there that are very uncommon. conditions such as they must exist under would make them unlike any others on earth, provided the waters are inhabited." "it's easy enough to see," said frank. "how so?" "we can clamber down the mountain side and get in the aeroplane and fly down to examine the lakes," said the boy. "bless my soul, that's so," ejaculated the man of science. "do you know, for a moment i had quite forgotten how it was possible to get here. that is a wonderful machine that you boys have there." the climb down the mountain side was almost more difficult and dangerous than the ascent, but at last all, even the professor, were once more at the side of the golden eagle. they were soon on board, and in long spirals, frank dropped to the earth, landing not far from the edge of one of the small lakes. "how curiously honeycombed the rocks are," exclaimed frank, as they got out of the craft. indeed the face of the cliff that towered above the lakes did present a singular appearance, there being myriads of holes in its face at a height of a few inches above the surface of the water. "doubtless some freak of the volcanic nature of the earth hereabouts," explained the professor; "but they do, indeed, look curious." the water of the lake, on being tested, was found to be quite fresh and agreeable to the taste though it was warmish and seemed to have an admixture of iron in it. all about them--strangest freak of all--small geysers of hot water bubbled, sending up clouds of steam into the air. "this is like an enchanted land," was billy's comment, as he gazed about him. indeed, what with the towering black mountain above them with its perpetual cloud of smoke hovering above its crest, the green lakes of warm water and the bubbling, steaming geysers, it did seem like another world than ours. some time was occupied by a thorough investigation of the small lake and the boys and their scientific companion then advanced on a larger one that lay at some distance. "do you think it is wise to go so far from the aeroplane?" asked harry. "why, there's nothing here that could attack us," the professor was beginning, when he stopped short suddenly with an exclamation. "look there!" he exclaimed, pointing down at the ground. "a human track." the boys looked and saw the imprint of a foot! yet, on inspection, it was unlike a human foot and seemed more like the track of a bear. several other prints of a similar nature became visible now that they examined the spongy soil carefully. "whatever do you think it is?" frank asked of the professor, who was examining the imprints with some care. "i don't know, my dear boy," he replied. "it looks like the foot of a bear, and yet it appears to be webbed as if it might be that of some huge water animal." "yes, but look at the size of it," argued billy. "why, the animal whose foot that is must be an immense creature." "it's certainly strange," mused the professor, "and suggests to me that we had better be getting back to our aeroplane." "you think it is dangerous to remain here, then?" asked harry, with some dismay. "i do, yes," was the naturalist's prompt reply. "i do not know what manner of animal it can be that left that track, and i know the tracks of every known species of mammal." "perhaps some hitherto unknown creature made it," suggested billy. "that's just what i think, my boy," was the reply. "i have, as i said, not the remotest conception of what sort of a creature it could be, but i have an idea from the size of that track that it must be the imprint of a most formidable brute." "might it not be some prehistoric sort of creature like the mammoths of the north pole or the dinosauras, or huge flying-lizard?" suggested frank. "i'm inclined to think that that is what the creature is," rejoined the scientist. "it would be most interesting to remain here and try to get a specimen, but in the position we are in at present we should be cut off from the aeroplane in case an attack came from in front of us." "that's so," agreed frank. "come on, boys, let's get a move on. we can come back here with heavy rifles some day, and then we can afford to take chances. i don't like the idea of facing what are possibly formidable monsters with only a pistol." "my revolver can--," began billy, drawing the weapon in question--when he stopped short. the faces of all blanched as they, too, noted the cause of the interruption. a harsh roar had suddenly filled the air, booming and reverberating against the gloomy cliffs like distant thunder. suddenly billy, with a shout that was half a scream, called attention to the holes they had noticed at the foot of the acclivity. "look, look at that!" he chattered, his teeth clicking like castanets with sheer terror. "we are lost!" shouted the professor, starting back with blanched cheeks. from the strange holes they had previously noticed at the foot of the cliffs, dozens of huge creatures of a form and variety unknown to any in the party, were crawling and flopping into the lake. that their intentions were hostile was evident. as they advanced in a line that would bring them between the boys and their aeroplane, they emitted the same harsh, menacing roar that had first started the adventurers. "run for your lives," shouted frank, as the monsters cleaved the water, every minute bringing them nearer. chapter xxiii. adrift above the snows. "whatever are they?" gasped billy, as they ran for the aeroplane. "prehistoric monsters," rejoined the professor, who was almost out of breath. the next minute he stumbled on a bit of basalt and fell headlong. had it not been for this accident they could have gained the aeroplane in time, but, as it was, the brief space it took to aid the scientist to his feet gave the creatures of the cliff a chance to intercept the little party. as the creatures drew themselves out of the green warm water of the lake with hideous snarls the boys saw that the animals were great creatures that must have weighed several hundred pounds each and were coated with shaggy hair. their heads and bodies were shaped not unlike seals except that they had huge tusks; but each monster had two short legs in front and a pair of large flippers behind. their appearance was sufficiently hideous to alarm the most callous venturer into the antarctic. "we've got to make the aeroplane," exclaimed frank, "come on, get your guns out and fire when i give the word. if we can only kill a few of them perhaps the rest will take fright." "a good idea," assented the professor producing his revolver, a weapon that might have proved fatal to a butterfly, but certainly would not be of any effect against the shaggy foes they now faced. "fire!" cried frank, when the others had their heavy magazine weapons ready. a volley of lead poured into the ranks of the monsters and several of them, with horribly human shrieks, fled wounded toward the lake. a strong sickening odor of musk filled the air as the creatures bled. but far from alarming the rest of the monsters the attack seemed to render them ten times more savage than before. with roars of rage they advanced toward the boys, making wonderful speed on their legs and flippers. "let 'em have it again," shouted frank as he noted with anxiety that the first fusillade had been a failure, the rough coats and thick hide of the monsters deflecting the bullets. once more the adventurers emptied their pistols, but the shaggy coats of the great creatures still seemed to prevent the bullets doing any serious injury. the boys' position was ominous indeed. an order from frank to reload resulted in the discovery that he alone of any of the party had a belt full of cartridges; the others had all used up the few they had carried. "we're goners sure," gasped billy as the creatures hesitated before another scattering discharge of bullets, but still advanced, despite the fact that this time two were killed. suddenly, however, their leader with a strange cry threw his head upward and seemed to sniff at the air as if in apprehension. at the same instant a slight trembling of the ground on which the adventurers stood was perceptible. "it's an earthquake," cried billy, recollecting his experience in nicaragua. with wild cries the monsters all plunged into the lake. they seemed to be in terror. behind them they left several of their wounded, the latter making pitiful efforts to reach the water. "whatever is going to happen?" cried billy in dismay, at the animals' evident terror of some mysterious event that was about to transpire, and the now marked disturbance of the earth. as he spoke, the earth shook violently once more and a rumbling sound like subterranean thunder filled the air. "it's the mountain!" shouted the professor, who had been gazing about, "it's going to erupt." from the crater they had explored there were now rolling up great masses of bright, yellow smoke in sharp contrast to the dark vapors that had hitherto poured from it. a mighty rumbling and roaring proceeded from its throat as the smoke poured out, and vivid, blue flames shot through the sulphurous smother from time to time. "we've no time to lose," cried frank, "come on, we must get to the aeroplane in a hurry." they all took to their heels over the trembling ground, not stopping to gaze behind them. the monsters had all disappeared, and as they had not been seen to re-enter their holes they were assumed to be hiding at the bottom of the lake. as the boys gained the aeroplane and clambered in, frank uttered an exclamation: "where's the professor?" in a few seconds they espied him carefully bending over the dead body of one of the slain monsters several yards away. "come on, professor," they shouted, "there's no time to lose." "one second and i have him," the scientist called back. at the same instant he made a dart at the dead creature's shaggy fur and appeared to grasp something. he hastily drew out a bottle and dropped whatever he had seized into it and then started leaping and bounding toward the aeroplane, his long legs looking like stilts as he advanced over the uneven ground. he was just in time. as the aeroplane left the ground the water in the lakes became violently agitated and steam arose from fissures in the mountain side. flames shot up to a considerable height above the crater and a torrent of black lava began to flow toward the lakes, falling into them with a loud hissing sound that was audible to the boys, even after they had put many miles between themselves and the burning mountain. "that will be the last of those monsters, i expect," remarked harry as they flew steadily northward. "i don't know," observed the professor, "they may have caves under water where they can keep cool. they evidently knew what to expect when they felt the first rumblings and shaking of the earth and must have had previous experience. i guess i was mistaken in thinking the volcano inactive." "it was a piece of great good luck for us that the eruption came when it did," said frank. "it was a terrific one," commented billy. the professor laughed. "terrific," he echoed, "why, my boy, you ought to see a real eruption. this was nothing. see, the smoke is already dying down. it is over." "well, it may not have been a big one, but you were in a mighty hurry to get to the aeroplane," said billy with a grin. "that was so that i could get my volcano monster's flea back safe and sound," exclaimed the man of science. "see here." he took from his pocket and held up a small bottle. "look there," he exclaimed in triumph. "well," said the others, who, all but frank, who was steering, were regarding the naturalist. "well," he repeated somewhat querulously, "don't you see it?" "see what?" asked billy, after a prolonged scrutiny of the bottle. "why, the flea, the little insect i caught in the shaggy fur of the volcano monster?" "no," cried both boys simultaneously. the professor gazed at the bottle in a puzzled way. "bless my soul, you are right," he exclaimed, angrily, "the little creature eluded me. oh, dear, this is a bitter day for science. i was in such a hurry to pop my specimen into the bottle that i held him carelessly and he evidently hopped away. oh, this is a terrible, an irreparable, loss." although the boys tried to comfort him they could not. he seemed overcome by grief. "cheer up," said billy at length, "remember there is always the fur-bearing pollywog to be captured." "ah, yes," agreed the professor, "but a bug in the hand is worth two in the air." as they talked, there suddenly came a loud explosion from the engine and two of the cylinders went out of commission. the speed of the aeroplane at once decreased and she began to drop. the dismay of the boys may be imagined. they were several miles from the camp and below them was nothing but the desolate expanse of the snow wastes that lay at the foot of the barrier range. "shall we have to go down?" asked billy. "nothing else to do," said frank with a grave face, "there's something wrong with the engine and we can't repair it up here. if we were not in this rarified atmosphere we could fly on the cylinders that are firing all right, but this atmosphere would not support us." "do you think it is anything serious?" asked the professor. "i can't tell yet," was the grave reply, "that explosion sounded like a back-fire and that may be all that's the matter. in such a case we can drain the crank case and put in fresh oil; for if it was really a back-fire it was most likely caused by 'flooding.'" ten minutes later they landed on the firm, hard snow and lost no time in getting things in shape to spend the night where they were; for it was unlikely that repairs could be effected in time for them to fly back to the camp before dark. the canvas curtains at the sides of the aeroplane's body were drawn up, forming a snug tent. the stove was set going and soup and canned meats and vegetables warmed and eaten by the light of a lantern. in the meantime frank had discovered that the breakdown had been caused by a defect in the ignition apparatus which it would take some time to repair. both he and harry went to work on it after supper, however, and by midnight they had it adjusted. they were just preparing to turn in, the professor and billy having wrapped themselves in their blankets some time before, when a sudden sound, breaking on the stillness of the antarctic night, made them pause. both boys strained their ears intently and the sound came once more. this time there was no mistaking it. it was the same sound to which rastus had called frank's attention the night they were on watch outside the hut. pulling the curtain open, the boys gazed out, determined to unravel the mystery once and for all. the night was perfectly still except for the buzzing noise, and a bright moon showed them the snow lying white and undisturbed about them. the sound did not proceed from the ground, that was evident, but from the air. the atmosphere seemed filled with it. "what can it be?" exclaimed harry. "look--look there!" shouted frank, at the same instant clutching his brother's arm in his excitement. both boys gazed upward and as they did so a dark, shadowy form passed above them far overhead. for an instant a brilliant light gleamed from it and then it vanished, going steadily eastward with the strange thrumming sound growing fainter as it receded. the boys looked at each other in amazement and the words of captain hazzard flashed across frank's mind. "we have some very undesirable neighbors at close quarters," the captain had said. undoubtedly he was right. "what did you make it out for?" asked harry at length. "a dirigible and no small one," was the reply, "and you?" "same here. you can't mistake the sound of an airship's engine. the question is what is the explanation of it all?" "simple." "simple, well i--" "that aeroplane is the one which was bought in europe. it is specially provided with radiators which electrically heat its gas, allowing it to navigate in these regions without fear of the gas condensing and causing the ship to descend." "yes, but whose is it? what are they doing in it?" "the first question is easy to answer. that ship is the ship of the rival expedition." "the japanese one, you mean?" "that's it. it must have been the light of it that i saw during the winter. i suppose they were experimenting with it then." "experimenting--what for?" "for the work they are using it on to-night." "and that is?" "to forestall us in the discovery of the viking ship and the south pole." chapter xxiv. swallowed by a crevasse. the early morning following the discovery of the night trip of the dirigible saw the golden eagle rising into the chill air and winging her way to the camp. the boys, as soon as they descended, hastened to captain hazzard's hut and detailed their adventures. as may be supposed, while both the leader of the expedition and the captain of the southern cross were deeply interested in the account of the flaming mountain and the prehistoric seal-like creatures, they were more deeply concerned over the boys' sighting of the airship. "it means we have earnest rivals to deal with," was captain hazzard's comment, "we must set about finding the viking ship at once. the search will not take long, for if she is not somewhere near where i have calculated she ought to be it would be waste of time to seek her at all." full of excitement at the prospect of embarking on the search for the ship, before long the boys dispersed for breakfast only to gather later on in captain hazzard's hut. the officer informed them that they were to fly to the position he indicated the next day and institute a thorough search for the lost craft. the golden eagle was to carry her wireless and a message was to be flashed to the camp's wireless receiving station if important discoveries were made. in the event of treasure being found, the boys were to at once "wireless" full details and bearings of the find and a relay of men and apparatus for saving the treasure would be sent from the ship to their aid on the motor-sledge. in the event of their not discovering the viking ship they were to spend not more than three days on the search, wirelessing the camp at the end of the third day for further instructions. the rest of that day was spent in putting the golden eagle's wireless in working order and stretching the long "aerials" above her upper plane. the instruments were then tested till they were in tune for transmitting messages from a long distance. the apparatus, after a little adjustment, was found to work perfectly. captain hazzard warned the boys that, in the event of the rival expedition discovering them, they were on no account to resort to violence but to "wireless" the camp at once and he would decide on the best course to pursue. "but if they attack us?" urged frank. "in that case you will have to defend yourselves as effectively as possible till aid arrives," said the commander. early the next day, with a plentiful supply of cordite bombs and dynamite on board for blasting the viking ship free of the ice casing which it was to be expected surrounded her, the golden eagle soared away from the camp. the boys were off at last on the expedition they had longed for. the professor accompanied them with a formidable collection of nets and bottles and bags. he had had prepared a lot of other miscellaneous lumber which it had been explained to him he could not transport on an aeroplane and which he had therefore reluctantly left behind. the engine worked perfectly and frank anticipated no further trouble from it. as they sped along harry from time to time tested the wireless and sent short messages back to the camp. it worked perfectly and the spark was as strong as if only a few miles separated airship and camp. nor did there seem to be any weakening as the distance between the two grew greater. they passed high above snow-barrens and seal-rookeries and colonies of penguins, the inhabitants of which latter cocked their heads up inquiringly at the big bird flying by far above them. their course carried them to the eastward and as they advanced the character of the scenery changed. what were evidently bays opened up into the land and some of them seemed to run back for miles, cutting deep into the many ranges that supported the plateau of the interior on which they had found the volcano. these bays or inlets were ice covered but it was easy to see that with the advance of summer they would be free of ice. at noon, frank landed the aeroplane and made an observation. it showed him they were still some distance from the spot near which captain hazzard believed the viking ship was imprisoned. after a hasty lunch, cooked on the stove, the aeroplane once more ascended and kept steadily on her course till nightfall. as dark set in, the boys found themselves at a spot in which the water that lapped the foot of the great barrier washed--or would when the ice left it--at the very bases of the mountains, which here were no more than mere hills. they were cut into in all directions by deep gulches into which during the summer it was evident the sea must penetrate. "we are now not more than one hundred and fifty miles from the spot in which captain hazzard believes the ship is ice-bound," announced frank that night as they turned in inside the snugly curtained chassis. sleep that night was fitful. the thought of the discovery of which they might be even then on the brink precluded all thought of sound sleep. even the usually calm professor was excited. he hoped to find some strange creatures amid the mouldering timbers of the viking ship if they ever found her. dawn found the adventurers up and busily disposing of breakfast. as soon as possible the golden eagle rose once more and penetrated further into the unknown on her search. several wireless messages were sent out that day and the camp managed to "catch" every one of them. the wireless seemed to work better in that dry, cold air than in the humid atmosphere of the northern climes. the character of the country had not changed. deep gullies still scarred the white hills that fringed the barrier, but not one of these yielded the secret the boys had come so far to unravel. "i'm beginning to think this is a wild goose chase," began billy, as at noon frank landed, took his bearings, and then announced that they were within a few minutes of the spot in which the ship ought to lie. "she seems as elusive as the fur-bearing pollywog," announced the professor. "you still believe there is such a creature?" asked harry. "professor tapper says so," was the reply, "i must believe it. i will search everywhere till i can find it." "i think he was mistaken," said billy, "i can't imagine what such a creature could look like." "you may think he was mistaken," rejoined the professor, "but i do not. professor tapper is never wrong." "but suppose you cannot find such an animal?" "if i don't find one before we leave the south polar regions, then, and not till then, will i believe that he was mistaken," returned the man of science with considerable dignity. this colloquy took place while they were getting ready to reascend after a hasty lunch and was interrupted by a sudden cry from frank, who had been gazing about while the others talked. "what's that sticking above the snow hill yonder?" he exclaimed, pointing to a spot where a deep gully "valleyed" the hills at a spot not very far from where they stood. "it looks like the stump of a tree," observed the professor, squinting through his spectacles. "or-or-the mast of a ship," quavered harry, trembling with excitement. "it's the viking ship--hurray!" "don't go so fast," said frank, though his voice shook, "it may be nothing but a plank set up there by some former explorer, but it certainly does look like the top of a mast." "the best way is to go and see," suggested the professor, whose calm alone remained unruffled. the distance between the boys and the object that had excited their attention was not considerable and the snow was smooth and unmarked by impassable gullies. the professor's suggestion was therefore at once adopted and the young adventurers were soon on their way across the white expanse which luckily was frozen hard and not difficult to traverse. the boys all talked in excited tones as they made their way forward. if the object sticking above the gully's edge proved actually to be a mast it was in all probability a spar of the ship they sought. the thought put new life into every one and they hurried forward over the hard snow at their swiftest pace. the professor was in the lead, talking away at a great rate, his long legs opening and shutting like scissor blades. "perhaps i may find a fur-bearing pollywog after all," he cried; "if you boys have found your ship surely it is reasonable to suppose that i can find my pollywog?" "wouldn't you rather find a viking ship filled with gold and ivory, and frozen in the ice for hundreds of years, than an old fur-bearing pollywog?" demanded billy. "i would not," rejoined the professor with much dignity; "the one is only of a passing interest to science and a curious public. the other is an achievement that will go ringing down the corridors of time making famous the name of the man who braved with his life the rigors of the south polar regions to bring back alive a specimen of the strange creature whose existence was surmised by professor thomas tapper, a.m., f.r.g.s., m.z., and f.o.x.i.--ow! great heavens!" as the professor uttered this exclamation an amazing thing happened. the snow seemed to open under his feet and with a cry of real terror which was echoed by the boys, who a second before had been listening with somewhat amused faces to his oratory, he vanished as utterly as if the earth had swallowed him--which it seemed it had indeed. "the professor has fallen into a crevasse!" shouted frank, who was the first of the group to realize what had occurred. billy and harry were darting forward toward the hole in the snow through which the scientist had vanished when a sharp cry from the elder boy stopped them. "don't go a step further," he cried. "why not,--the professor is down that hole," cried harry, "we must do something to save him." "you can do more by keeping cool-headed than any other way," rejoined frank. "a crevasse, into one of which the professor has fallen, is not 'a hole' as you call it, but a long rift in the earth above which snow has drifted. sometimes they are so covered up that persons can cross in safety, at other times the snow 'bridge' gives way under their weight and they are precipitated into the crevasse itself,--an ice-walled chasm." "then we may never get the professor out," cried billy in dismay. "how deep is that crevasse likely to be?" "perhaps only ten or twenty feet. perhaps several hundred," was the alarming reply. chapter xxv. the viking's ship. suddenly, from the depths as it seemed, there came a faint cry. it was the professor's voice feebly calling for aid. frank hastened forward but dared not venture too near the edge of the hole through which the scientist had vanished. "are you hurt, professor?" he cried, eagerly, and hung on the answer. "no," came back the reply, "not much, but i can't hold on much longer." "are you at the bottom of the chasm?" "no, i am clinging to a ledge. it is very slippery and if i should fall it would be to the bottom of the rift, which seems several hundred feet deep." even in his extreme danger the professor seemed cool and frank took heart from him. luckily they had with them a coil of rope brought from the golden eagle for the purpose of lowering one of their number over the edge of the gulf onto the viking ship--if the mast they had seen proved to be hers. it was the work of a moment to form a loop in this and then frank hailed the professor once more. "we are going to lower a rope to you. can you grasp it?" "i think so. i'll try," came up the almost inaudible response. the rope was lowered over the edge of the rift and soon to their joy the boys felt it jerked this way and that as the professor caught it. "tie it under your arms," enjoined frank. "all right," came the answer a few seconds later. "haul away. i can't endure the cold down here much longer." the three boys were strong and they pulled with all their might, but for a time it seemed doubtful if they could lift the professor out of the crevasse as, despite his leanness, he was a fairly heavy man. he aided them, however, by digging his heels in the wall of the crevasse as they hoisted and in ten minutes' time they were able to grasp his hands and pull him into safety. a draught from the vacuum bottle containing hot coffee which frank carried soon restored the professor and he was able to describe to them how, as he was walking along, declaiming concerning the fur-bearing pollywog, the ground seemed to suddenly open under his feet and he felt himself tumbling into an abyss of unknown depth. as the chasm narrowed, he managed to jam himself partially across the rift and in this way encountered an ice-coated ledge. one glance down showed him that if he had not succeeded in doing this his plunge would have ended in death, for the crevasse seemed to exist to an unknown depth beneath the surface of the earth. "and now that i am safe and sound," said the professor, "let us hurry on. the fall hasn't reduced my eagerness to see the wrecked viking ship." "but the crevasse, how are we to pass that?" asked frank. "we must make a detour to the south," said the professor, "i noticed when i was down there that the rift did not extend more than a few feet in that direction. in fact, had i dared to move i might have clambered out." the boys, not without some apprehension, stepped forward in continuance of their journey, and a few minutes later, after they had made the detour suggested by the professor, realized to their joy that they had passed the dangerous abyss in safety. "and now," shouted frank, "forward for the viking ship or--" "or a sell!" shouted the irrepressible billy. "or a sell," echoed frank. with fast beating hearts they dashed on and a few minutes later stood on the edge of the mastmarked abyss, gazing downward into it. as they did so a shout--such a shout as had never disturbed the great silences of that region--rent the air-- "the viking ship at last. hurray!" the gully was about thirty feet deep and at the bottom of it, glazed with the thick ice that covered it, lay a queerly formed ship with a high prow,--carved like a raven's head. it was the viking ship. after all the centuries that had elapsed since she went adrift she was at last found, and to be ransacked of the treasure her dead sailors had amassed. the first flush of the excitement over the discovery quickly passed and the boys grew serious. the problem of how to blast the precious derelict out of the glassy coat of ice without sinking her was a serious one. frank, after a brief survey, concluded, however, that the ice "cradle" about her hull was sufficiently thick to hold her steady while they blasted a way from above to her decks and hold. it was useless to linger there, as they had not brought the needful apparatus with them, so they at once started back for the golden eagle. frank's first care, arrived once more at the aeroplane, was to send out the good news, and it was received with "wireless acclaim" by those at camp hazzard. "will be there in two days by motor-sledge. commence operations at once," was the order that was flashed back after congratulations had been extended. as it was too late to do anything more that night, the boys decided to commence work on the derelict in the morning. after a hearty supper they retired to bed in the chassis of the aeroplane, all as tired out as it is possible for healthy boys to be. nevertheless, frank, who always--as he put it--"slept with one eye open," was awakened at about midnight by a repetition of the noise of the mysterious airship. there was no mistaking it. it was the same droning "burr" they had heard on the night following their discovery of the flaming mountain. waking harry, the two lads peered upward and saw the stars blotted out as the shadowy form of the air-ship passed above them--between the sky and themselves. all at once a bright ray of light shot downward and, after shifting about over the frozen surface for a time, it suddenly glared full on to the boys' camp. both lads almost uttered a cry as the bright light bathed them and made it certain that their rivals had discovered their aeroplane; but before they could utter a word the mysterious craft had extinguished the search glare and was off with the rapidity of the wind toward the west. "they must be scared of us," said harry at length, after a long awe-stricken silence. "not much, i'm afraid," rejoined frank, with a woeful smile. "well, they hauled off and darted away as soon as they saw us," objected harry. "i'm afraid that that is no guarantee they won't come back," remarked frank, with a serious face. "you mean that they--" "have gone to get reinforcements and attack us," was the instant reply, "they must have trailed us with the powerful lenses of which the japanese have the secret and which are used in their telescopes. they are now certain that we have found the ship and are coming back. it's simple, isn't it?" the professor, when he and billy awakened in the morning, fully shared the boys' apprehensions over the nocturnal visitor. "if they think we have discovered the ship they won't rest till they have wrested it from us," he said soberly. "i'm afraid that we are indeed in for serious trouble," said frank, in a worried tone. "you see, captain hazzard and his men can't get here, even with the motor-sledge, for two days." "well, don't you think we had better abandon the ship and fly back to the camp?" suggested billy. "and leave that ship for them to rifle at their leisure--no," rejoined frank, with lips compressed in determination, "we won't do that. we'll just go ahead and do the best we can--that's all." "that's the way to talk," approved the professor, "now as soon as you boys have had breakfast we'll start for the ship, for, from what you have related, there is clearly no time to be lost." the thought that their mysterious enemies might return at any time caused the boys to despatch the meal consisting of hot chocolate, canned fruit, pemmican, and salt beef, with even more haste than usual. before they sat down to eat, however, frank flashed a message to the camp telling them of their plight. "will start at once," was the reply, "keep up your courage. we are coming to the rescue." this message cheered the boys up a good deal and they set out for the viking ship with lighter hearts than they had had since the sighting of the night-flier. they packed with them plenty of stout rope, drills and dynamite. harry carried the battery boxes and the rolls of wire to be used in setting off the charges when they were placed. arrived at the edge of the gully, a hole was drilled in the ice and an upright steel brace, one of the extra parts of the aeroplane, was imbedded in it as an upright, to which to attach the rope. it was soon adjusted and frank, after they had drawn lots for the honor of being the first on board, climbed down it. he was quickly followed by the others, but any intention they might have had of exploring the ship at that time was precluded by the ice that coated her deck with the accumulation of centuries of drifting in the polar currents. with the drill several holes were soon bored in the glassy coating and sticks of dynamite inserted. these were then capped with fulminate of mercury caps, and harry climbed the rope to the surface of the narrow gully with the wires which were to carry the explosive spark. the others followed, and then, carrying the battery box to which the wires had been attached, withdrew to what was considered a safe distance. "ready?" asked frank, his hand on the switch, when all had been adjusted. "let 'er go," cried billy. there was a click, and a split of blue flame followed by a roar that shook the ground under their feet. from the gully a great fountain of ice shot up mingled with smoke. "i'm afraid i gave her too much," regretted frank apprehensively, as the noise subsided and the smoke blew away. "i hope we haven't sunk her." "that would be a calamity," exclaimed the professor, "but i imagine the ice beneath her was too thick to release her, even with such a heavy charge as you fired." "let's hope so," was the rejoinder. billy led the others on the rush back to the gulf. all uttered a cry of amazement as they gazed over its edge. the explosion had shattered the coating of ice above the vessel's decks and had also exposed her hold at a spot at which the deck itself had been blown in. "i can't believe my eyes," shouted billy, as he gazed. "it's there, right enough," gasped frank, "the old manuscript was right after all." as for the professor and harry, they stood speechless, literally petrified with astonishment. below them, exposed to view, where the deck had been torn away, was revealed the vessel's hold packed full, apparently, of yellow walrus ivory and among the tusks there glittered dully bars of what seemed solid gold. frank was the first down the rope. the explosion had certainly done enough damage, and if the ice "cradle" beneath the vessel's keel had not been so thick she must have been sunk with the shock of the detonation. the ice "blanket" that covered her though had been shattered like a pane of glass--and, with picks thrown down onto the decks from above the boys soon cleared a path to the door of a sort of raised cabin aft. then they paused. a nameless dread was on them of disturbing the secrets of the long dead vikings. before them was the cabin door which they longed to open but somehow none of them seemed to have the courage to do so. the portal was of massive oak but had been sprung by the explosion till it hung on its hinges weakly. one good push would have shoved it down. "say, billy, come and open this door," cried harry, but billy was intently gazing into the hold, now and then jumping down into it and handling the ivory and bar gold with an awe-stricken face. "well, are you boys going to open that door?" asked the professor at last. he had been busy in another part of the ship examining the rotten wood to see if he could find any sort of insects in it. "well--er, you see, professor--" stammered harry. "what--you are scared," exclaimed the professor, laughing. "no; not exactly scared, but--," quavered frank, "it doesn't seem just right to invade that place. it's like breaking open a tomb." "nonsense," exclaimed the scientist, who had no more sentiment about him than a steel hack-saw, "watch me." he bounded forward and put his shoulder to the mouldering door. it fell inward with a dull crash and as it did so the professor leaped backward with a startled cry, stumbling over a deck beam and sprawling in a heap. "w-w-what's the matter?" gasped harry, with a queer feeling at the back of his scalp and down his spine. "t-t-there's someone in there!" was the startling reply from the recumbent scientist. chapter xxvi. caught in a trap. "someone in there?" frank echoed the exclamation in amazed tones. "y-y-yes," stammered the scared professor, "he's sitting at a table." "it must be one of the long dead vikings," said frank, after a moment's thought, "in these frozen regions and incased in ice as the ship has been, i suppose that a human body could be kept in perfect preservation indefinitely." "i reckon that's it," exclaimed the professor, much relieved at this explanation, "but, boys, it gave me a dreadful start. he was looking right at me and i thought i saw his head move. perhaps it was olaf himself." "nonsense," said frank sharply, who, now that the door was actually open, had lost his queer feeling of scare; "come on, let's explore the cabin. that poor dead viking can't hurt us." followed by the others he entered the dark, mouldy cabin and could himself hardly repress a start as he found himself facing a man who must have been of gigantic stature. the dead sea rover was seated at a rough oak table with his head resting on his hand as if in deep thought. he had a mighty yellow beard reaching almost to his waist and wore a loose garment of some rough material. had it not been for a green-mold on his features he must have seemed a living man. the cabin contained some rude couches and rough bunks of dark wood lined its sides, but otherwise, with the exception of the table and chairs, it was bare of furniture. some curious looking weapons, including several shields and battle axes, were littered about the place and some quaint instruments of navigation which frank guessed were crude foreshadows of the sextent and the patent log, lay on a shelf. "how do you suppose he died?" asked billy in an awed whisper, indicating the dead man. "i don't know--frozen to death perhaps," was frank's reply. "but where are the others? the crew,--his companions?" "perhaps they rowed away; perhaps they went out to seek for food and never came back--we can't tell and never shall be able to," was the rejoinder. the bare, dark cabin was soon explored and the boys, marveling a good deal at the temerity of the old-time sailors who made their way across unknown seas in such frail ships, emerged into the air once more. they determined to throw off in work the gloomy feelings that had oppressed them in the moldering cabin of the viking ship. "the first thing to do," announced frank, "is to get all we can of this stuff to the surface." he indicated the hold. with this end in view a block and tackle was rigged on the surface of the plateau, and the ivory and gold hauled out as fast as the boys could load it. the professor at the top attended to the hauling and dumping of each load. soon a good pile of the valuable stuff lay beside him and he hailed the boys and suggested that it was time for a rest. nothing loath to knock off their fatiguing task for a while, the boys clambered up to the surface by the rope and soon were busy eating the lunch they had brought with them. they washed it down with smoking hot chocolate which they had poured into their vacuum bottles at breakfast time. the hot stuff was grateful and invigorating in the chill air, and they ate and drank with keen appetites. so excited were they by the events of the morning, and so much was there to talk about, that the big dirigible had entirely slipped from their minds till they suddenly were jolted into abrupt recollection by a happening that brought them all to their feet with a shout of alarm. from high in the air a voice had hailed them. they looked up with startled eyes to see hovering directly over them the mysterious dirigible. her deck seemed to be supporting several men, some of whom gazed curiously at the boys; but what caught the adventurers' attention, and riveted it, was the sight of several rifles aimed at them. "keep still, and we will not shoot," shouted a man who appeared to be in command, "we do not wish to harm you." "hum," said billy, "i don't see what they want to aim those shooting irons at us for, then." "it would be useless to try to run, i suppose," said the professor. "it would be dangerous to try it," decided frank, "those fellows evidently mean to kill us if we try to disobey their orders." as he spoke the dirigible was brought to the ground by her operators and as she touched the snow several of her crew gave a shout of surprise at the sight of the pile of treasure already excavated by the boys. they started to run toward it; but were checked by a sharp cry from their officer. they obeyed him instantly and marshaled in a motionless line waiting his next command, but he left them and strode through the snow toward the boys. he was a dapper little brown man, dressed in the uniform of the mikado's manchurian troops. a heavy, fur collar encircled his neck and a fur cap was pulled over his ears. "don't make any hostile move or it will mean your death," he warned as he advanced toward them. the boys stood motionless, but the professor, in a high, angry voice, broke out: "what do you mean, sir, by approaching american citizens in this manner? if it is the viking ship you are after we have already claimed it in the name of the united states." "that matters little here,--where we are," said the little officer, with a smile, "we are now in a country where might is right; and i think you will acknowledge that we have the might on our side." the boys gazed at the twelve men who stood facing them with leveled rifles and could not help but acknowledge the truth of these words. it seemed that they were utterly in the power of the japanese. "your government shall hear about this," sputtered the professor angrily. "it will not countenance such a high-handed proceeding. we are not at war with your country. you have no right under the law of nations, or any other law, to interfere with us." "you will oblige me by stepping into the cabin of my dirigible," was the response in an even tone. the others had paid not the slightest attention to the professor's harangue. "and if we refuse?" demanded the professor. "if you refuse you will be shot, and do not, i beg, make the mistake of thinking that i don't mean what i say." there was nothing to do, under the circumstances, but to obey and, with sinking hearts, they advanced in the direction of the big air-ship. with great courtesy the interloper ushered them inside. they found a warm and comfortable interior, well cushioned and even luxurious in its appointments. once they were well inside the little man, with a bow, remarked: "i now beg to be excused. you will find books and the professor something to smoke if he wishes it. don't make any attempt to escape as i should regret to be compelled to have any of you shot." he was gone. closing the door behind him with a "click," that told the boys that they were locked in. "prisoners," exclaimed billy. "that's it, and just as we have accomplished our wish," said frank bitterly; "it's too bad." "well, it can't be helped," said the professor, "let's look about and see if there is not some way we can get out if an opportunity presents itself." they approached a window and through it could see the new arrivals examining the edge of the gulf and peeping down at the viking ship. but as soon as they opened the casement and peered out a man with a rifle appeared, as if from out of the earth, and sharply told them to get inside. "well, we've got to spend the time somehow, we might as well examine the ship," said the professor closing the window. somewhat cheered by his philosophical manner, the boys followed him as he led the way from the main cabin through a steel door which they found led into the engine-room. the engines were cut off, but a small motor was operating a dynamo with a familiar buzzing sound. this was the sound the boys had heard when the ship passed above them at night. "what have they got the dynamo going for?" demanded harry. "i don't know. to warm the ship by electric current, or something i suppose," said frank listlessly. "i wonder where the engineer is? the ship seems deserted." "i guess he's out with the rest looking over our treasure," said the professor bitterly. "ours no longer,--might is right, you know," quoted harry miserably. frank had been examining the machinery with some care. even as a prisoner he felt some interest in the completeness of the engine room of the japanese dirigible. he bent over her twin fifty-horse-power motors with admiring appreciation and examined the other machinery with intense interest. the purring dynamo next came in for his attention and he was puzzling over the utility of several wires that led from it through the engine room roof when a sudden thought flashed into his mind. with a cry of triumph he bent over a small lever marked "accelerator," beside which was a small gauge. he rapidly adjusted the gauge, so that it would not register any more than the pressure it recorded at that moment and then shoved the lever over to its furthest extent. "whatever are you doing?" demanded harry, much mystified at these actions, at the conclusion of which he had strolled up. "you know that the gas in the bag of this dirigible is heated by electric radiators in order to avoid condensation of the gas?" was the seemingly incoherent reply. "yes," was the astonished answer, "but what has that--?" "hold on a minute," cried frank, raising his hand, "and that gas when expanded by heat soon becomes too buoyant for its container, and will, if allowed to continue expanding, burst its confines." harry nodded his head. "well, then," frank went on, "that's what's going to happen on this ship." "whatever do you mean? i suppose i'm dense, but i don't see yet." "i mean," said frank, "that i've fixed the gas-heating radiators so that in a few hours the bag above our head will be ripped into tatters by a gas explosion. the resistance coils are now heating and expanding the gas at a rate of ten times above the normal and the gauge i have adjusted so that an inspection of it will show nothing to be the matter." "but what good will that do us?" urged harry. "it may save our lives. in any event the viking treasure will never be taken from here by another nation." chapter xxvii. the fate of the dirigible. "have you any idea what time the explosion will take place?" asked harry, anxiously, almost dumbfounded by the other's cool manner. "soon after dark has fallen. don't be scared, it won't hurt us; at least i think not, but in the confusion that is certain to follow we must make a dash for the golden eagle." "it's a desperate chance." "we are in a desperate fix," was the brief reply. an hour later something occurred which caused frank, who had in the meantime communicated his plan to the others, considerable anxiety. the despoilers of the adventurers' treasure hoard returned to the ship laden down with bar gold and ivory and, from what the captain was saying to his minor officers, it seemed, though he spoke in a low tone, that it was planned to sail right off back to the camp of the men the boys had now come justifiably to regard as their enemies. "if they do that, we are lost," said frank, after he had whispered his fears to harry. "you mean they will discover the trick we have played on them?" "no, i mean that the explosion will come off in midair and we shall all be dashed to death together." "phew!--would it not be better to tell them what we have done and take our chances?" "if the worst comes to the worst i shall do that. it would be imperiling our lives uselessly to go aloft with the overheated gas that is now in the bag." but the "worst did not come to the worst." the little captain who had paid small or no attention to his prisoners, evidently realizing that they could not get away, didn't like the look of the weather, it seemed, and made frequent consultations of the barometer with his fellows. the glass was falling fast and there was evidently a blizzard or sharp storm of some kind approaching. at this time a fresh fear crossed frank's mind. what if the japs had destroyed the golden eagle? so far as he could judge they had not molested her, evidently not thinking it worth while to waste time they judged better spent on looting the viking ship of its treasure. but if they had disabled her, the boy knew that in the event of his companions escaping they faced an alternative between death by freezing and starvation, or being shot down by the rifles of their captors. however, frank resolved to put such gloomy speculations out of his mind. it was useless to worry. things, if they were as he half feared, would not mend for thinking about them. supper, a well-cooked, well-served meal, was eaten under this painful strain. the boys and the professor put the best countenance they could on things, considering that their minds were riveted on the great gasbag above them which even now, as they knew, was swollen almost to bursting point with its superheated gases. "it is too bad that the weather threatens so," remarked their captor, who was politeness itself, to his prisoners; "otherwise we should now be in the air on our way back to my camp. in three more trips we shall be able, however, to carry off the rest of the treasure. we were well repaid for keeping our eyes on you." the boys answered something, they hardly knew what. frank in his nervousness looked at his watch. the strain was becoming painful. at last, to their intense relief, they rose from supper and the little officer shut himself in his own cabin. outside, the boys could hear the feet of the two armed sentries crunching on the snow. "the outrush of gas will stupefy them," whispered frank, "we shall have nothing to fear from them after the explosion takes place." "when is it due?" gasped billy, with a ghastly attempt at a smile. "at any moment now. it is impossible to calculate the exact time. but within half an hour we should know our fate." silently the boys and the professor waited, although the scientist was so nervous that he strode up and down the cabin floor. suddenly the silence was shattered by a loud shout from the engine room. "the gas! the gas! we are--" the sentence was never finished. there was a sudden convulsion of the entire fabric of the big dirigible--as if a giant hand from without were shaking her like a puppy shakes a rat. she seemed to lift from the ground in a convulsive leap and settled back with a crash that smashed every pane of glass and split her stout sides. at the same instant, there was an ear-splitting roar as if a boiler had exploded and a flash of ruddy flame. the exploding gas had caught fire--possibly from a spark from the electric radiators as the bag and their supporting framework was ripped apart by the explosion. dazed and half stunned, the boys groped about in total darkness; for the explosion had extinguished every light on the ship. "boys, where are you?" it was frank calling. "great heavens, what a sensation!" gasped the professor, half choked by the powerful fumes of the hydrogen gas which filled the air. rapidly the others answered to frank and groped through the darkness toward his voice. before them was the shattered side of the cabin. through the gap was the sky. they could see the bright antarctic stars gleaming. beyond the rent they knew lay freedom, provided the marauders had not molested their aeroplane. it was the work of a second to stagger through the opening made by the explosion and gain the fresh air, which they inhaled in great mouthfuls. then began the dash for the aeroplane. in the wild confusion that reigned following the explosion, their absence, so far as they could perceive, had not been noticed. as frank had guessed, the two sentries were knocked senseless by the explosion and the fugitives stumbled over their unconscious figures recumbent on the snow. gasping and staggering they plunged on in the direction they knew the golden eagle lay. it was not more than a mile distant, but before they reached their goal the professor gave out and the boys had to half-drag, half-carry him over the frozen surface. they were bitterly cold, too, and the thought of the blankets and warm clothing aboard the golden eagle lent them additional strength--as much so, in fact, as the peril that lay behind them. "can you see her?" gasped harry, after about fifteen minutes of this heart-breaking work. "yes. i think so at least. there seems to be a dark object on the snow ahead. if only they have not molested her," panted frank. "if they have, it's all up," exclaimed billy barnes. at the same moment harry breathed: "hark!" borne over the frozen ground they could hear shouts. "they have discovered our escape!" exclaimed frank, "it's a race for life now." [illustration: "it's a race for life now."] his words threw fresh determination into all. even the professor made a desperate struggle. a few more paces and there was no doubt that the dark object ahead was the golden eagle. only one anxiety now remained. was she unharmed? bang! it was a shot from the men of the dirigible. "they are firing after us," exclaimed billy. "they can fire all they want to if they come as wide of the mark as that," said frank; "they are shooting at random to scare us." a few seconds later they gained the side of the golden eagle and, worn and harried as they were, they could not forbear setting up a cheer as they found that the aeroplane was in perfect shape. hastily they cranked the golden eagle motor up, blue flame and sharp reports bursting from her exhausts as they did so. the engine was working perfectly,--every cylinder taking up its work as the sparks began to occur rhythmically. "we've put the fat in the fire now," exclaimed frank, as he took his seat at the steering wheel. "if they could not locate us before, the noise of the exhaust and the blue flame will betray us to them." "well, it can't be helped," shouted harry, above the roar of the engine. "we've got to get every ounce of power out of her to-night." the other lad nodded and as he did so a sound like a bee in flight fell on the adventurers' ears--a bullet. it was followed by several reports. "they've got the range," cried harry. "they won't have it long," said his brother as he threw in the clutch and rapidly the golden eagle sped forward, crashing faster and faster over the frozen surface as her young driver worked the engine up to full speed. in a few seconds more they felt the aeroplane begin to lift and soar into the night air. they were exploding skyward to safety, while far below them their baffled captors were firing aimlessly in the hope of a random shot shattering some vital part of the aeroplane. but no such thing happened and as the boys sped toward the west, bound for camp hazzard, they sent out a wireless message. again and again they tried but without success. they could not raise an answer. "of course we can't raise them. they are on the march!" shouted frank suddenly. "on the motor-sledge bound for the viking ship," cried billy, "they should be there to-morrow." "say, fellows, we have done it now," cried frank, with a sudden twinge. "what's the matter?" inquired the professor. "why, they will arrive there to find the others in possession and no sign of us. they'll think we ran away without even putting up a fight." "we'll have to try to pick them up in the daylight," was the reply; "we know about the route along which they'll drive and from this altitude we can't miss them if they are anywhere within miles of us." the boys were then at a height of about , feet. the air was bitter chill and warm wraps and furs had been donned long before. suddenly the aeroplane gave a sickening sidewise dip and seemed about to capsize. frank caught and righted her just in time. the gyroscopic balance whizzed furiously. a curious moaning sound became perceptible in the rigging and a wind, which they had not noticed before, lashed their faces with a stinging sensation. the recollection of the falling barometer flashed across frank's mind. they were in for a storm. the boy gazed at the compass beneath its binnacle light. as he did so he gave a gasp. "we are way off our course," he cried, "the wind is out of the north and it is blowing us due south." "due south!" exclaimed harry. "that's it. and the worst of it is i can do nothing. with this load on board i don't dare try to buck the wind and it's freshening every minute." "but if we are being blown due south from here, where on earth will we fetch up?" cried billy, in dismayed tones. they all looked blank as they awaited the reply. frank glanced at his watch and then at the compass and made a rapid mental calculation. "at the rate we are going we should be over the south pole, roughly speaking, at about midnight," he said. chapter xxviii. the heart of the antarctic. the professor was the first to break the tense silence that followed frank's words. "into the heart of the antarctic," he breathed. there seemed to be something in the words that threw a spell of awed silence over them all. little was said as on and on through the polar night the aeroplane drove,--the great wind of the roof of the world harassing her savagely, viciously,--as if it resented her intrusion into the long hidden arcana of the polar plateau. it grew so bitter cold that the chill ate even through their furs and air-proofed clothing. the canvas curtains were hoisted for a short distance to keep off the freezing gale. they dared not set them fully for fear they might act as sails and drive the ship before the gale so fast that all control would be lost. at ten o'clock frank, his hands frozen almost rigid, surrendered the wheel to harry. it now began to snow. not a heavy snowfall but a sort of frozen flurry more like hail in its texture. frank glanced at his watch. eleven o'clock. "how's she headed?" shouted harry, above the song of the polar gale. "due south," was the short reply as the other boy bent over the compass. "well, wherever we are going, we are bound for the pole, there's some grim satisfaction in that," remarked frank. on and on through the cold they drove. the snow had stopped now and suddenly billy called attention to a strange phenomenon in the southern sky. it became lit with prismatic colors like a huge curtain, gorgeously illuminated in its ample folds by the rays of myriad colored searchlights. "whatever is it?" gasped billy in an awed tone as the mystic lights glowed and danced in almost blinding radiance and cast strange colored lights about the laboring aeroplane. "the aurora australis," said the professor in an almost equally subdued voice, "the most beautiful of all the polar sky displays." "the aurora australis," cried frank, "then we are near the pole indeed." half past eleven. the lights in the sky began to dim and soon the aeroplane was driving on through solid blackness. the suspense was cruel. not one of the adventurers had any idea of the conditions they were going to meet. a nameless dread oppressed all. suddenly frank, after a prolonged scrutiny of the compass, voiced what was becoming a general fear. "what if we are being drawn by magnetic force toward the pole?" "and be dashed to destruction as we reach it?" the professor finished for him. brave as they were, the adventurers gave a shudder that was not born of the gnawing cold as the possibility occurred to them. frank glanced at the barograph. fifteen hundred feet. they were then holding their own in altitude. this was a cheering sign. ten minutes to twelve. the strange lights began to reappear. glowing in fantastic forms they seemed alive with lambent fire. as the boys gazed at each other they could see that their features were tinted with the weird fires of the polar sky. twelve o'clock. frank gave a hurried dash toward the compass and drew back with a shout. "look," he shouted, "we are within the polar influence." the needle of the instrument was spinning round and round at an almost perpendicular angle in the binnacle with tremendous velocity. the pointer tore round its points like the hands of a crazy clock. "what does it mean?" quavered harry. "the south pole, or as near to it as we are ever likely to get," exclaimed frank, peering over the side. far below illuminated fantastically by the lights of the dancing, flickering aurora he could see a vast level plain of snow stretching, so it seemed, to infinity. there was no open sea. no strange land. nothing but a vast plateau of silent snow. "fire your revolvers, boys," shouted frank, as, suiting the action to the word, he drew from his holster his magazine weapon and saluted the silent skies. "the south pole--hurrah!" it was a quavering cry, but the first human sound that had ever broken the peace of the mysterious solitudes above which they were winging. suddenly in the midst of the "celebration" the aeroplane was violently twisted about. every bolt and stay in her creaked and strained under the stress, but so well and truly had she been built that nothing started despite frank's fears that the voyage to the pole was to end right there in disaster. the adventurers were thrown about violently. all, that is, but frank, who had now resumed the wheel and steadied himself with it. as they scrambled to their feet billy chattered: "whatever happened--did a cyclone strike us?" for answer frank bent over the compass and gave a puzzled cry. "i don't understand this," he exclaimed. "don't understand what?" asked harry, coming to his side. "why look here--what do you make of that?" "the needle has steadied and is pointing north!" cried harry, as he gazed at the compass. "north," echoed the professor. "there's no question about it," rejoined frank, knitting his brows. "what is your explanation of this sudden reversal of the wind?" asked the professor. "i know no more than you," replied the puzzled young aviator, "the only reason i can advance is that at the polar cap some strange influences rule the wind currents and that we are caught in a polar eddy, as it were." "if it holds we are saved," cried the professor, who had begun to fear that they might never be able to emerge from their newly discovered region. hold it did and daybreak found the aeroplane above the same illimitable expanse of snow that marked the pole, but several miles to the north. "i'm going down to take an observation," said frank, suddenly, "and also, has it occurred to you fellows that we haven't eaten a bite since last night?" "jiminy crickets," exclaimed billy barnes, his natural flow of spirits now restored, "that's so. i'm hungry enough to eat even a fur-bearing pollywog, if there's one around here." "boys," began the professor solemnly as billy concluded, "i have a confession to make." "a confession?" cried harry, "what about?" "why for some time i have entertained a doubt in my mind and that doubt has now crystallized to a certainty. i don't believe there is such a creature as the fur-bearing pollywog." "then professor tapper is wrong?" asked harry, amazed at the scientist's tone. "i am convinced he is. i shall expose him when we return--if we ever do," declared the scientist. a few minutes later they landed on the firm snow and soon a hearty meal of hot canned mutton, vegetables, soup, and even a can of plum pudding, warmed on their stove and washed down with boiling tea, was being disposed of. "and now," said frank, as he absorbed the last morsels on his plate, "let's see whereabouts on the ridgepole of the earth we have lighted." the boy's observation showed that they were at a point some two hundred miles to the southwest of the spot in which they had left the crippled dirigible and the viking ship. the wind had dropped, however, and conditions were favorable for making a fast flight to the place they were now all impatient to reach frank, after a few minutes' figuring, announced that dusk ought to find them at the viking ship and, if all went well, in communication with their friends. no time was lost in replenishing the gasolene tank from the reserve "drums," and carefully inspecting the engine and then a long farewell was bade to the polar plateau. without a stop the golden eagle winged steadily toward the northeast, and as the wonderful polar sunset was beginning to paint the western sky they made out the black form of the disabled dirigible on the snow barrens not far from the viking ship's gully. as they gazed they broke into a cheer, for advancing toward the other dark object at a rapid rate was another blot on the white expanse, which a moment's scrutiny through the glasses showed them was the motor-sledge packed with men on whose rifles the setting sun glinted brightly. the golden eagle ten minutes later swooped to earth at a spot not twenty yards from her original landing place and a few moments later the boys were shaking hands and executing a sort of war dance about captain barrington and captain hazzard, while ben stubbs was imploring some one to "shiver his timbers" or "carry away his top-sails" or "keel-haul him" or something to relieve his feelings. eagerly the officers pressed for details of the polar discovery, but frank, after a rapid sketching of conditions as they had observed them at the world's southern axis, went on to describe the events that had led up to their wild flight and urged immediate negotiations with the rival explorers. both leaders agreed to advance at once, convinced that their force was sufficiently formidable to overcome the japs. "steady, men, and be ready for trouble but make no hostile move till you get the word," warned captain hazzard, as the somewhat formidable looking party advanced on the stricken dirigible. at first no sign of life was visible about her, but as they neared the ship frank saw that the wrecked cabin had been patched up with canvas, and parts of the balloon bag that had not burned, till it formed a fairly snug tent. they were within a hundred paces of it before anyone appeared to have taken any notice of their arrival and then the little officer, who had directed the capture of the adventurers, appeared. as billy said afterward, he "never turned a hair," over the conditions that confronted him. he was a beaten man and knew it; but his manner was perfectly suave and calm. "good evening, gentlemen," was all he said, with a wave of his hand toward the viking ship and the pile of ivory and gold that still lay on the edge of the gully, "to the victors belong the spoils and you are without doubt the victors." he gazed at the array of armed men that backed up the two officers and the boys. "we have come to take formal possession in the name of the united states, of the remains of the viking ship," said captain hazzard, somewhat coldly, for, after what he had heard from the boys, he felt in no way amiably disposed toward the smiling, suave, little man. "if you have pen and ink and paper in your cabin we will draw up a formal agreement which will hold good in an international court," supplemented captain barrington. a flash of resentment passed across the other's face but it was gone in an instant. "certainly, sir, if you wish it," he said, "but, if it had not been for those boys we should by this time have been far away." "i do not doubt it," said captain barrington, dryly, "and, now, if you please, we will draw up and sign the paper." ten minutes later, with the boys' signatures on it as witnesses, the important document was drawn up and sealed with a bit of wax that captain hazzard had in his pocket writing-set. and so ended the episode of the attempt to seize the treasure of the viking ship. now only remains to be told the manner of its transporting to the southern cross and the last preparations before bidding farewell to the inhospitable land in which they had spent so much time. first, however, the castaways of the dirigible were given transportation on the motor-sledge to their ship which, to the astonishment of all the american party, they found was snugly quartered in a deep gulf, not more than twenty miles to the westward of the berth of the southern cross. this accounted for the light and the buzzing of the air-ship being heard so plainly by the southern crucians. the defeated japs sailed at once for the north, departing as silently as they had arrived. it took many trips of the motor-sledge before the last load of the viking ship's strange cargo was snugly stored in the hold of the southern cross. at captain hazzard's command the dead viking was buried with military honors and his tomb still stands in the "white silence." then came the dismantling of the golden eagle and the packing of the aeroplane in its big boxes. "like putting it in a coffin," grunted billy, as he watched the last cover being screwed on. all the time this work was going forward the nights and days were disturbed with mighty reports like those of a heavy gun. the ice was breaking up. the frozen sea was beginning to be instinct with life. the time for the release of the southern cross was close at hand. at last the tedious period of waiting passed and one night with a mighty crash the ice "cradle" in which the southern cross rested parted from the ice-field and the ship floated free. the engineers' force had been busy for a week and in the engine-room all was ready for the start north, but another tedious wait occurred while they waited for the field-ice to commence its weary annual drift. at last, one morning in early december, captain barrington and captain hazzard gave the magic order: "weigh anchor!" "homeward bound!" shouted ben stubbs, racing forward like a boy. a week later, as the southern cross was ploughing steadily northward, a dark cloud of smoke appeared on the horizon. it was not made out positively for the relief ship brutus till an hour had passed and then the rapid-fire gun crackled and the remainder of the daylight rockets were shot off in joyous celebration. in the midst of the uproar billy barnes appeared with a broom. "whatever are you going to do with that?" demanded captain hazzard, with a smile, as the lad, his eyes shining with eagerness, approached. "please, captain hazzard, have it run up to the main-mast head," beseeched billy. "have halliards reeved and run it up, hazzard," said captain barrington, who came up at this moment, "the lads have certainly made a clean sweep." so it came about that a strange emblem that much puzzled the captain of the brutus was run up to the main-mast head as the two ships drew together. "that's the boy aviators' standard," said billy, proudly surveying it. "we win." shortly afterward a boat from the brutus came alongside with the mail. "letters from home," what magic there is in these words to adventurers who have long sojourned in the solitary places of the earth! eagerly the boys seized theirs and bore them off to quiet corners of the deck. "hurrah," cried billy, after he had skimmed through his epistles. "i'm commissioned to write up the trip for two newspapers and a magazine. how's your news, boys, good?" the boys looked up from their pile of correspondence. "i'm afraid we're going to have a regular reception when we get home," said frank rather apprehensively. "hurray! brass-bands--speeches--red-fire and big-talk," cried billy. "none of that for us," said harry, "i guess we'll retire to the country for a while, till it blows over." but they did not escape, for on the arrival of the polar ships in new york the boys and the commanders of the expedition were seized on and lionized till newer idols caught the popular taste. then, and not till then, were they allowed to settle down in peace and quiet to tabulate the important scientific results of the expedition. as for the professor, what he wrote about professor tapper--a screed by the way that nearly caused a mortal combat between the two savants--may be read in his massive volume entitled "the confutation of the tapper theory of a south polar fur-bearing pollywog, by professor simeon sandburr." it weighs twelve pounds, and can be found in any large library. conclusion. and here, although the author would dearly like to detail their further adventures, we must bid the boy aviators "farewell." those who have followed this series know, however, that the lads were not likely to remain long inactive without seeking further aerial adventures. whether the tale of these will ever be set down cannot at this time be forecast. the chester boys adventures have been recorded, not as the deeds of paragons or phenomenons, but as examples of what pluck, energy, and a mixture of brains, can accomplish,--and with this valedictory we will once more bid "god speed" to "the boy aviators." the end. scott's last expedition in two volumes vol. i. being the journals of captain r. f. scott, r.n., c.v.o. vol. ii. being the reports of the journeys and the scientific work undertaken by dr. e. a. wilson and the surviving members of the expedition arranged by leonard huxley with a preface by sir clements r. markham, k.c.b., f.r.s. with photogravure frontispieces, original sketches in photogravure by dr. e. a. wilson, coloured plates ( from drawings by dr. wilson), full page and smaller illustrations from photographs taken by herbert g. ponting and other members of the expedition, panoramas and maps volume i new york preface fourteen years ago robert falcon scott was a rising naval officer, able, accomplished, popular, highly thought of by his superiors, and devoted to his noble profession. it was a serious responsibility to induce him to take up the work of an explorer; yet no man living could be found who was so well fitted to command a great antarctic expedition. the undertaking was new and unprecedented. the object was to explore the unknown antarctic continent by land. captain scott entered upon the enterprise with enthusiasm tempered by prudence and sound sense. all had to be learnt by a thorough study of the history of arctic travelling, combined with experience of different conditions in the antarctic regions. scott was the initiator and founder of antarctic sledge travelling. his discoveries were of great importance. the survey and soundings along the barrier cliffs, the discovery of king edward land, the discovery of ross island and the other volcanic islets, the examination of the barrier surface, the discovery of the victoria mountains--a range of great height and many hundreds of miles in length, which had only before been seen from a distance out at sea--and above all the discovery of the great ice cap on which the south pole is situated, by one of the most remarkable polar journeys on record. his small but excellent scientific staff worked hard and with trained intelligence, their results being recorded in twelve large quarto volumes. the great discoverer had no intention of losing touch with his beloved profession though resolved to complete his antarctic work. the exigencies of the naval service called him to the command of battleships and to confidential work of the admiralty; so that five years elapsed before he could resume his antarctic labours. the object of captain scott's second expedition was mainly scientific, to complete and extend his former work in all branches of science. it was his ambition that in his ship there should be the most completely equipped expedition for scientific purposes connected with the polar regions, both as regards men and material, that ever left these shores. in this he succeeded. he had on board a fuller complement of geologists, one of them especially trained for the study of physiography, biologists, physicists, and surveyors than ever before composed the staff of a polar expedition. thus captain scott's objects were strictly scientific, including the completion and extension of his former discoveries. the results will be explained in the second volume of this work. they will be found to be extensive and important. never before, in the polar regions, have meteorological, magnetic and tidal observations been taken, in one locality, during five years. it was also part of captain scott's plan to reach the south pole by a long and most arduous journey, but here again his intention was, if possible, to achieve scientific results on the way, especially hoping to discover fossils which would throw light on the former history of the great range of mountains which he had made known to science. the principal aim of this great man, for he rightly has his niche among the polar dii majores, was the advancement of knowledge. from all aspects scott was among the most remarkable men of our time, and the vast number of readers of his journal will be deeply impressed with the beauty of his character. the chief traits which shone forth through his life were conspicuous in the hour of death. there are few events in history to be compared, for grandeur and pathos, with the last closing scene in that silent wilderness of snow. the great leader, with the bodies of his dearest friends beside him, wrote and wrote until the pencil dropped from his dying grasp. there was no thought of himself, only the earnest desire to give comfort and consolation to others in their sorrow. his very last lines were written lest he who induced him to enter upon antarctic work should now feel regret for what he had done. 'if i cannot write to sir clements, tell him i thought much of him, and never regretted his putting me in command of the _discovery_.' clements r. markham. sept. . contents of the first volume contents chapter i through stormy seas general stowage--a last scene in new zealand--departure--on deck with the dogs--the storm--the engine-room flooded--clearing the pumps--cape crozier as a station--birds of the south--a pony's memory--tabular bergs--an incomparable scene--formation of the pack--movements of the floes ... chapter ii in the pack a reported island--incessant changes--the imprisoning ice--ski-ing and sledging on the floes--movement of bergs--opening of the pack--a damaged rudder--to stop or not to stop--nicknames--ski exercise--penguins and music--composite floes--banked fires--christmas in the ice--the penguins and the skua--ice movements--state of the ice-house--still in the ice--life in the pack--escape from the pack--a calm--the pack far to the north--science in the ice ... chapter iii land land at last--reach cape crozier--cliffs of cape crozier--landing impossible--penguins and killers--cape evans as winter station--the ponies landed--penguins' fatuous conduct--adventure with killer whales--habits of the killer whale--landing stores--the skuas nesting--ponies and their ways--dangers of the rotting ice ... chapter iv settling in loss of a motor--a dog dies--result of six days' work--restive ponies--an ice cave--loading ballast--pony prospects--first trip to hut point--return: prospects of sea ice--a secure berth--the hut--home fittings and autumn plans--the pianola--seal rissoles--the ship stranded--ice begins to go. ... chapter v depot laying to one ton camp dogs and ponies at work--stores for depots--old stores at discovery hut--to encourage the pony--depôt plans--pony snowshoes--impressions on the march--further impressions--sledging necessities and luxuries--a better surface--chaos without; comfort within--after the blizzard--marching routine--the weakest ponies return--bowers and cherry-garrard--snow crusts and blizzards--a resented frostbite--one ton camp. ... chapter vi adventure and peril dogs' and ponies' ways--the dogs in a crevasse--rescue work--chances of a snow bridge--the dog rations--a startling mail--cross the other party--the end of weary willy--the ice breaks--the ponies on the floe--safely back. ... chapter vii at discovery hut fitting up the old hut--a possible land route--the geological party arrives--clothing--exceptional gales--geology at hut point--an ice foot exposed--stabling at hut point--waiting for the ice--a clear day--pancake ice--life at hut point--from hut point to cape evans--a blizzard on the sea ice--dates of the sea freezing. ... chapter viii home impressions and an excursion baseless fears about the hut--the death of 'hackenschmidt'--the dark room--the biologists' cubicle--an artificer cook--a satisfactory organisation--up an ice face--an icy run--on getting hot ... chapter ix the work and the workers balloons--occupations--many talents--the young ice goes out--football: inverted temperatures--of rainbows--football: new ice--individual scientific work--individuals at work--thermometers on the floe--floe temperatures--a bacterium in the snow--return of the hut point party--personal harmony ... chapter x in winter quarters: modern style on penguins--the electrical instruments--on horse management--on ice problems--the aurora--the nimrod hut--continued winds--modern interests--the sense of cold--on the floes--a tribute to wilson ... chapter xi to midwinter day ventilation--on the meteorological instruments--magnesium flashlight--on the beardmore glacier--lively discussions--action of sea water on ice--a theory of blizzards--on arctic surveying--ice structure--ocean life--on volcanoes--daily routine--on motor sledging--crozier party's experiments--midwinter day dinner--a christmas tree--an ethereal glory ... chapter xii awaiting the crozier party threats of a blizzard--start of the crozier party--strange winds--a current vane--pendulum observations--lost on the floe--the wanderer returns--pony parasites--a great gale--the ways of storekeepers--a sick pony--a sudden recovery--effects of lack of light--winds of hurricane force--unexpected ice conditions--telephones at work--the cold on the winter journey--shelterless in a blizzard--a most gallant story--winter clothing nearly perfect. chapter xiii the return of the sun the indomitable bowers--a theory of blizzards--ponies' tricks--on horse management--the two esquimaux dogs--balloon records--on scurvy--from tent island--on india--storms and acclimatisation--on physiography--another lost dog returns--the debris cones--on chinese adventures--inverted temperature. ... chapter xiv preparations: the spring journey on polar clothing--prospects of the motor sledges--south polar times, ii--the spring western journey--the broken glacier tongue--marching against a blizzard--the value of experience--general activity--final instructions ... chapter xv the last weeks at cape evans clissold's accident--various invalids--christopher's capers--a motor mishap--dog sickness--some personal sketches--a pony accident--a football knee--value of the motors--the balance of heat and cold--the first motor on the barrier--last days at cape evans. ... chapter xvi southern journey: the barrier stage midnight lunches--a motor breaks down--the second motor fails--curious features of the blizzard--ponies suffer in a blizzard--ponies go well--a head wind--bad conditions continue--at one ton camp--winter minimum temperature--daily rest in the sun--steady plodding--the first pony shot--a trying march--the second pony shot--dogs, ponies, and driving--the southern mountains appear--the third blizzard--a fourth blizzard--the fifth and long blizzard--patience and resolution--still held up--the end of the barrier journey. ... chapter xvii on the beardmore glacier difficulties with deep snow--with full loads--after-effects of the great storm--a fearful struggle--less snow and better going--the valley of the beardmore--wilson snow blind--the upper glacier basin--return of the first party--upper glacier depot. ... chapter xviii the summit journey to the pole pressures under mount darwin--a change for the better--running of a sledge--lost time made up--comfort of double tent--last supporting party returns--hard work on the summit--accident to evans--the members of the party--mishap to a watch--a chill in the air--a critical time--forestalled--at the pole. ... chapter xix the return from the pole a hard time on the summit--first signs of weakening--difficulty in following tracks--getting hungrier--accidents multiply--accident to scott--the ice-fall--end of the summit journey--happy moments on firm land--in a maze of crevasses--mid-glacier depôt reached--a sick comrade--death of p.o. evans. ... chapter xx the last march snow like desert sand--a gloomy prospect--no help from the wind--the grip of cold--three blows of misfortune--from bad to worse--a sick comrade--oates' case hopeless--the death of oates--scott frostbitten--the last camp--farewell letters--the last message. ... appendix ... illustrations in the first volume photogravure plates portrait of captain robert f. scott, r.n., c.v.o. _frontispiece_ from a painting by harrington mann from sketches by dr. edward a. wilson a lead in the pack on the way to the pole 'black flag camp'--amundsen's black flag within a few miles of the south pole amundsen's tent at the south pole cairn left by the norwegians s.s.w. from black flag camp and amundsen's south pole mark mount buckley, one of the last of many pencil sketches made on the return journey from the pole coloured plates from water-colour drawings by dr. edward a. wilson the great ice barrier, looking east from cape crozier _facing p_. hut point, midnight, march , a sunset from hut point, april , mount erebus lunar corona paraselene, june , 'birdie' bowers reading the thermometer on the ramp, june , iridescent clouds. looking north from cape evans exercising the ponies mr. ponting lecturing on japan panoramas from photographs by herbert g. ponting the western mountains as seen from captain scott's winter quarters at cape evans _facing p._ mount terror and its glaciers the royal society mountains of victoria land--telephoto study from cape evans mount erebus and glaciers to the turk's head full page plates the full page plates are from photographs by herbert g. ponting, except where otherwise stated the crew of the 'terra nova' _facing p._ captain oates and ponies on the 'terra nova' 'vaida' 'krisravitsa' 'stareek' malingering manning the pumps the first iceberg albatross soaring albatrosses foraging in the wake of the 'terra nova' dr. wilson and dr. atkinson loading the harpoon gun a. b. cheetham--the boatswain of the 'terra nova' evening scene in the pack lieut. evans in the crow's nest furling sail in the pack a berg breaking up in the pack moonlight in the pack christmas eve ( ) in the pack 'i don't care what becomes of me' an adelie about to dive open water in the ross sea in the pack--a lead opening up cape crozier: the end of the great ice barrier ice-blink over the barrier the barrier and mount terror the midnight sun in mcmurdo sound entering mcmurdo sound--cape bird and mount erebus surf breaking against stranded ice at cape evans the 'terra nova' in mcmurdo sound disembarking the ponies ponies tethered out on the sea ice facing p. lieut. h. e. de p. rennick lieut. rennick and a friendly penguin the arch berg from within something of a phenomenon--a fresh water cascade the arch berg from without ponting cinematographs the bow of the 'terra nova' breaking through the ice-floes landing a motor-sledge lieut. evans and nelson cutting a cave for cold storage the condition of affairs a week after landing killer whales rising to blow hut point and observation hill the tenements plan of hut page the point of the barne glacier facing p. winter quarters at cape evans lillie and dr. levick sorting a trawl catch seals basking on newly-formed pancake ice off cape evans lieut. tryggve gran captain scott on skis summer time: the ice opening up spray ridges of ice after a blizzard a berg drifting in mcmurdo sound pancake ice forming into floes off cape evans ponting developing a plate in the dark room the falling of the long polar night depot laying and western parties on their return to cape evans a blizzard approaching across the sea ice the barne glacier: a crevasse with a thin snow bridge dr. wilson working up the sketch which is given at p. dr. simpson at the unifilar magnetometer dr. atkinson in his laboratory winter work dr. atkinson and clissold hauling up the fish trap the freezing up of the sea whale-back clouds over mount erebus (photo by f. debenham) the hut and the western mountains from the top of the ramp cape royds, looking north the castle berg facing p. captain scott's last birthday dinner captain scott in his 'den' dr. wilson and lieut bowers reading the ramp thermometer in the winter night, - ° fahrenheit--a flashlight photograph finnesko ski-shoes for use with finnesko finnesko fitted with the ski-shoes finnesko with crampons dr. atkinson's frostbitten hand petty officer evans binding up dr. atkinson's hand pony takes whisky the stables in winter oates and meares at the blubber stove in the stables petty officers crean and evans exercising their ponies in the winter oates and meares out skiing in the night remarkable cirrus clouds over the barne glacier lieut. evans observing an occultation of jupiter dr. simpson in the hut at the other end of the telephone timing the observation 'birdie' (lieut. h. r. bowers) the summit of mount erebus capt. l. e. g. oates by the stable door debenham, gran, and taylor in their cubicle nelson and his gear dr. simpson sending up a balloon the polar party's sledging ration an ice grotto--tent island in distance dr. wilson watching the first rays of sunlight being recorded after the long winter night the return of the sun c. h. meares and 'osman,' the leader of the dogs meares and demetri at 'discovery' hut the main party at cape evans after the winter, the castle berg at the end of the winter mount erebus over a water-worn iceberg on the summit of an iceberg dr. wilson and pony 'nobby' cherry-garrard giving his pony 'michael' a roll in the snow surveying party's tent after a blizzard facing p (photo by lieut t gran) dogs with stores about to leave hut point dogs galloping towards the barrier meares and demetri with their dog-teams leaving hut point dr. wilson preparing sledges for polar journey day's motor under way one of the motor sledges meares and demetri at the blubber stove in the 'discovery' hut the motor party h. g. ponting and one of his cinematograph cameras members of the polar party having a meal in camp (enlarged from a cinematograph film) members of the polar party getting into their sleeping-bags (enlarged from a cinematograph film) ponies behind their shelter in camp on the barrier (photo by capt. r. f. scott) ponies on the march (photo by f. debenham) captain scott wearing the wallet in which he carried his sledging journals pressure on the beardmore below the cloudmaker mountain (photo by c. s. wright) mount kyffin (photo by lieut. h. r. bowers) camp under the wild range (photo by capt. r. f. scott) dr. wilson sketching on the beardmore (photo by capt. r. f. scott) some members of the supporting parties as they appeared on their return from the polar journey camp at three degree depot (photo by lieut. h. r. bowers) chief stoker lashly petty officer crean pitching the double tent on the summit (photo by lieut h r bowers) the polar party on the trail (photo by lieut. h. r. bowers) at the south pole (photo by lieut. h. r. bowers) amundsen's tent at the south pole facing p. (photo by lieut. h. r. bowers) sastrugi the cloudmaker mountain (photo by lieut. h. r. bowers) petty officer edgar evans, r.n. facsimile of the last words of the journal facsimile of message to the public map british antarctic expedition, - --track chart of main southern journey at end of text british antarctic expedition, shore parties officers name. rank, &c. robert falcon scott captain, r.n., c.v.o. edward r. g. r. evans commander, r.n. victor l. a. campbell lieutenant, r.n. (emergency list). henry r. bowers lieutenant, r.n. lawrence e. g. oates captain th inniskilling dragoons. g. murray levick surgeon, r.n. edward l. atkinson surgeon, r.n., parasitologist. scientific staff edward adrian wilson m.a., m.b., chief of the scientific staff, and zoologist. george c. simpson d.sc., meteorologist. t. griffith taylor b.a., b.sc., b.e., geologist. edward w. nelson biologist. frank debenham b.a., b.sc., geologist. charles s. wright b.a., physicist. raymond e. priestley geologist. herbert g. ponting f.r.g.s., camera artist. cecil h. meares in charge of dogs. bernard c. day motor engineer. apsley cherry-garrard b.a., asst. zoologist. tryggve gran sub-lieutenant, norwegian n.r., ski expert. men w. lashly chief stoker. w. w. archer chief steward. thomas clissold cook, late r.n. edgar evans petty officer, r.n. robert forde petty officer, r.n. thomas crean petty officer, r.n. thomas s. williamson petty officer, r.n. patrick keohane petty officer, r.n. george p. abbott petty officer, r.n. frank v. browning petty officer, nd class, r.n. harry dickason able seaman, r.n. f. j. hooper steward, late r.n. anton omelchenko groom. demetri gerof dog driver. ship's party officers, &c. harry l. l. pennell lieutenant, r.n. henry e. de p. rennick lieutenant, r.n. wilfred m. bruce lieutenant, r.n.r. francis r. h. drake asst. paymaster, r.n. (retired), secretary & meteorologist in ship. dennis g. lillie m.a., biologist in ship. james r. denniston in charge of mules in ship. alfred b. cheetham r.n.r., boatswain. william williams, o.n. chief engine-room artificer, r.n., engineer. william a. horton, o.n. eng. rm. art., rd cl., r.n., nd engr. francis e. c. davies, o.n. shipwright, r.n., carpenter. frederick parsons petty officer, r.n. william l. heald late p.o., r.n. arthur s. bailey petty officer, nd class, r.n. albert balson leading seaman, r.n. joseph leese, o.n. able seaman, r.n. john hugh mather, o.n. petty officer, r.n.v.r. robert oliphant able seaman. thomas f. mcleon ,, ,, mortimer mccarthy ,, ,, william knowles ,, ,, charles williams ,, ,, james skelton ,, ,, william mcdonald ,, ,, james paton ,, ,, robert brissenden leading stoker, r.n. edward a. mckenzie ,, ,, ,, william burton leading stoker, r.n. bernard j. stone ,, ,, ,, angus mcdonald fireman. thomas mcgillon ,, charles lammas ,, w. h. neale steward. glossary _barrier_. the immense sheet of ice, over miles wide and of still greater length, which lies south of ross island to the west of victoria land. _brash_. small ice fragments from a floe that is breaking up. _drift_. snow swept from the ground like dust and driven before the wind. _finnesko_. fur boots. _flense, flence_. to cut the blubber from a skin or carcase. _frost_ _smoke_. a mist of water vapour above the open leads, condensed by the severe cold. _hoosh_. a thick camp soup with a basis of pemmican. _ice-foot_. properly the low fringe of ice formed about polar lands by the sea spray. more widely, the banks of ice of varying height which skirt many parts of the antarctic shores. _piedmont_. coastwise stretches of the ancient ice sheet which once covered the antarctic continent, remaining either on the land, or wholly or partially afloat. _pram_. a norwegian skiff, with a spoon bow. _primus_. a portable stove for cooking. _ramp_. a great embankment of morainic material with ice beneath, once part of the glacier, on the lowest slopes of erebus at the landward end of c. evans. _saennegras_. a kind of fine norwegian hay, used as packing in the finnesko to keep the feet warm and to make the fur boot fit firmly. _sastrugus_. an irregularity formed by the wind on a snowplain. 'snow wave' is not completely descriptive, as the sastrugus has often a fantastic shape unlike the ordinary conception of a wave. _skua_. a large gull. _working_ _crack_. an open crack which leaves the ice free to move with the movement of the water beneath. note. passages enclosed in inverted commas are taken from home letters of captain scott. a number following a word in the text refers to a corresponding note in the appendix to this volume. scott's last expedition chapter i through stormy seas the final preparations in new zealand the first three weeks of november have gone with such a rush that i have neglected my diary and can only patch it up from memory. the dates seem unimportant, but throughout the period the officers and men of the ship have been unremittingly busy. on arrival the ship was cleared of all the shore party stores, including huts, sledges, &c. within five days she was in dock. bowers attacked the ship's stores, surveyed, relisted, and restowed them, saving very much space by unstowing numerous cases and stowing the contents in the lazarette. meanwhile our good friend miller attacked the leak and traced it to the stern. we found the false stem split, and in one case a hole bored for a long-stem through-bolt which was much too large for the bolt. miller made the excellent job in overcoming this difficulty which i expected, and since the ship has been afloat and loaded the leak is found to be enormously reduced. the ship still leaks, but the amount of water entering is little more than one would expect in an old wooden vessel. the stream which was visible and audible inside the stern has been entirely stopped. without steam the leak can now be kept under with the hand pump by two daily efforts of a quarter of an hour to twenty minutes. as the ship was, and in her present heavily laden condition, it would certainly have taken three to four hours each day. before the ship left dock, bowers and wyatt were at work again in the shed with a party of stevedores, sorting and relisting the shore party stores. everything seems to have gone without a hitch. the various gifts and purchases made in new zealand were collected--butter, cheese, bacon, hams, some preserved meats, tongues. meanwhile the huts were erected on the waste ground beyond the harbour works. everything was overhauled, sorted, and marked afresh to prevent difficulty in the south. davies, our excellent carpenter, forde, abbott, and keohane were employed in this work. the large green tent was put up and proper supports made for it. when the ship came out of dock she presented a scene of great industry. officers and men of the ship, with a party of stevedores, were busy storing the holds. miller's men were building horse stalls, caulking the decks, resecuring the deckhouses, putting in bolts and various small fittings. the engine-room staff and anderson's people on the engines; scientists were stowing their laboratories; the cook refitting his galley, and so forth--not a single spot but had its band of workers. we prepared to start our stowage much as follows: the main hold contains all the shore party provisions and part of the huts; above this on the main deck is packed in wonderfully close fashion the remainder of the wood of the huts, the sledges, and travelling equipment, and the larger instruments and machines to be employed by the scientific people; this encroaches far on the men's space, but the extent has been determined by their own wish; they have requested, through evans, that they should not be considered: they were prepared to pig it anyhow, and a few cubic feet of space didn't matter--such is their spirit. the men's space, such as it is, therefore, extends from the fore hatch to the stem on the main deck. under the forecastle are stalls for fifteen ponies, the maximum the space would hold; the narrow irregular space in front is packed tight with fodder. immediately behind the forecastle bulkhead is the small booby hatch, the only entrance to the men's mess deck in bad weather. next comes the foremast, and between that and the fore hatch the galley and winch; on the port side of the fore hatch are stalls for four ponies--a very stout wooden structure. abaft the fore hatch is the ice-house. we managed to get tons of ice, carcases of mutton, and three carcases of beef, besides some boxes of sweetbreads and kidneys, into this space. the carcases are stowed in tiers with wooden battens between the tiers--it looks a triumph of orderly stowage, and i have great hope that it will ensure fresh mutton throughout our winter. on either side of the main hatch and close up to the ice-house are two out of our three motor sledges; the third rests across the break of the poop in a space formerly occupied by a winch. in front of the break of the poop is a stack of petrol cases; a further stack surmounted with bales of fodder stands between the main hatch and the mainmast, and cases of petrol, paraffin, and alcohol, arranged along either gangway. we have managed to get tons of coal in bunkers and main hold, tons in a space left in the fore hold, and a little over tons on the upper deck. the sacks containing this last, added to the goods already mentioned, make a really heavy deck cargo, and one is naturally anxious concerning it; but everything that can be done by lashing and securing has been done. the appearance of confusion on deck is completed by our thirty-three dogs_ _ chained to stanchions and bolts on the ice-house and on the main hatch, between the motor sledges. with all these stores on board the ship still stood two inches above her load mark. the tanks are filled with compressed forage, except one, which contains tons of fresh water, enough, we hope, to take us to the ice. _forage_.--i originally ordered tons of compressed oaten hay from melbourne. oates has gradually persuaded us that this is insufficient, and our pony food weight has gone up to tons, besides or tons for immediate use. the extra consists of tons of hay, or tons of oil-cake, or tons of bran, and some crushed oats. we are not taking any corn. we have managed to wedge in all the dog biscuits, the total weight being about tons; meares is reluctant to feed the dogs on seal, but i think we ought to do so during the winter. we stayed with the kinseys at their house 'te han' at clifton. the house stands at the edge of the cliff, feet above the sea, and looks far over the christchurch plains and the long northern beach which limits it; close beneath one is the harbour bar and winding estuary of the two small rivers, the avon and waimakariri. far away beyond the plains are the mountains, ever changing their aspect, and yet farther in over this northern sweep of sea can be seen in clear weather the beautiful snow-capped peaks of the kaikouras. the scene is wholly enchanting, and such a view from some sheltered sunny corner in a garden which blazes with masses of red and golden flowers tends to feelings of inexpressible satisfaction with all things. at night we slept in this garden under peaceful clear skies; by day i was off to my office in christchurch, then perhaps to the ship or the island, and so home by the mountain road over the port hills. it is a pleasant time to remember in spite of interruptions--and it gave time for many necessary consultations with kinsey. his interest in the expedition is wonderful, and such interest on the part of a thoroughly shrewd business man is an asset of which i have taken full advantage. kinsey will act as my agent in christchurch during my absence; i have given him an ordinary power of attorney, and i think have left him in possession of all facts. his kindness to us was beyond words. the voyage out _saturday, november _.--we advertised our start at p.m., and at three minutes to that hour the _terra nova_ pushed off from the jetty. a great mass of people assembled. k. and i lunched with a party in the new zealand company's ship _ruapehu_. mr. kinsey, ainsley, the arthur and george rhodes, sir george clifford, &c._ _ k. and i went out in the ship, but left her inside the heads after passing the _cambrian_, the only naval ship present. we came home in the harbour tug; two other tugs followed the ship out and innumerable small boats. ponting busy with cinematograph. we walked over the hills to sumner. saw the terra nova, a little dot to the s.e. _monday, november_ .--caught o'clock express to port chalmers, kinsey saw us off. wilson joined train. rhodes met us timaru. telegram to say _terra nova_ had arrived sunday night. arrived port chalmers at . . found all well. _tuesday, november_ .--saw fenwick _re central news_ agreement--to town. thanked glendenning for handsome gift, grey jerseys. to town hall to see mayor. found all well on board. we left the wharf at . --bright sunshine--very gay scene. if anything more craft following us than at lyttelton--mrs. wilson, mrs. evans, and k. left at heads and back in harbour tug. other tugs followed farther with volunteer reserve gunboat--all left about . . pennell 'swung' the ship for compass adjustment, then 'away.' _evening_.--loom of land and cape saunders light blinking. _wednesday, november_ .--noon no miles. light breeze from northward all day, freshening towards nightfall and turning to n.w. bright sunshine. ship pitching with south-westerly swell. all in good spirits except one or two sick. we are away, sliding easily and smoothly through the water, but burning coal-- tons in hours reported p.m. _thursday, december_ .--the month opens well on the whole. during the night the wind increased; we worked up to , to , and to . knots. stiff wind from n.w. and confused sea. awoke to much motion. the ship a queer and not altogether cheerful sight under the circumstances. below one knows all space is packed as tight as human skill can devise--and on deck! under the forecastle fifteen ponies close side by side, seven one side, eight the other, heads together and groom between--swaying, swaying continually to the plunging, irregular motion. one takes a look through a hole in the bulkhead and sees a row of heads with sad, patient eyes come swinging up together from the starboard side, whilst those on the port swing back; then up come the port heads, whilst the starboard recede. it seems a terrible ordeal for these poor beasts to stand this day after day for weeks together, and indeed though they continue to feed well the strain quickly drags down their weight and condition; but nevertheless the trial cannot be gauged from human standards. there are horses which never lie down, and all horses can sleep standing; anatomically they possess a ligament in each leg which takes their weight without strain. even our poor animals will get rest and sleep in spite of the violent motion. some or tons of fodder and the ever watchful anton take up the remainder of the forecastle space. anton is suffering badly from sea-sickness, but last night he smoked a cigar. he smoked a little, then had an interval of evacuation, and back to his cigar whilst he rubbed his stomach and remarked to oates 'no good'--gallant little anton! there are four ponies outside the forecastle and to leeward of the fore hatch, and on the whole, perhaps, with shielding tarpaulins, they have a rather better time than their comrades. just behind the ice-house and on either side of the main hatch are two enormous packing-cases containing motor sledges, each × × ; mounted as they are several inches above the deck they take a formidable amount of space. a third sledge stands across the break of the poop in the space hitherto occupied by the after winch. all these cases are covered with stout tarpaulin and lashed with heavy chain and rope lashings, so that they may be absolutely secure. the petrol for these sledges is contained in tins and drums protected in stout wooden packing-cases which are ranged across the deck immediately in front of the poop and abreast the motor sledges. the quantity is / tons and the space occupied considerable. round and about these packing-cases, stretching from the galley forward to the wheel aft, the deck is stacked with coal bags forming our deck cargo of coal, now rapidly diminishing. we left port chalmers with tons of coal on board, rather a greater quantity than i had hoped for, and yet the load mark was inches above the water. the ship was over feet by the stern, but this will soon be remedied. upon the coal sacks, upon and between the motor sledges and upon the ice-house are grouped the dogs, thirty-three in all. they must perforce be chained up and they are given what shelter is afforded on deck, but their position is not enviable. the seas continually break on the weather bulwarks and scatter clouds of heavy spray over the backs of all who must venture into, the waist of the ship. the dogs sit with their tails to this invading water, their coats wet and dripping. it is a pathetic attitude, deeply significant of cold and misery; occasionally some poor beast emits a long pathetic whine. the group forms a picture of wretched dejection; such a life is truly hard for these poor creatures. we manage somehow to find a seat for everyone at our cabin table, although the wardroom contains twenty-four officers. there are generally one or two on watch, which eases matters, but it is a squash. our meals are simple enough, but it is really remarkable to see the manner in which our two stewards, hooper and neald, provide for all requirements, washing up, tidying cabin, and making themselves generally useful in the cheerfullest manner. with such a large number of hands on board, allowing nine seamen in each watch, the ship is easily worked, and meares and oates have their appointed assistants to help them in custody of dogs and ponies, but on such a night as the last with the prospect of dirty weather, the 'after guard' of volunteers is awake and exhibiting its delightful enthusiasm in the cause of safety and comfort--some are ready to lend a hand if there is difficulty with ponies and dogs, others in shortening or trimming sails, and others again in keeping the bunkers filled with the deck coal. i think priestley is the most seriously incapacitated by sea-sickness--others who might be as bad have had some experience of the ship and her movement. ponting cannot face meals but sticks to his work; on the way to port chalmers i am told that he posed several groups before the cinematograph, though obliged repeatedly to retire to the ship's side. yesterday he was developing plates with the developing dish in one hand and an ordinary basin in the other! we have run miles to-day: a good start, but inconvenient in one respect--we have been making for campbell island, but early this morning it became evident that our rapid progress would bring us to the island in the middle of the night, instead of to-morrow, as i had anticipated. the delay of waiting for daylight would not be advisable under the circumstances, so we gave up this item of our programme. later in the day the wind has veered to the westward, heading us slightly. i trust it will not go further round; we are now more than a point to eastward of our course to the ice, and three points to leeward of that to campbell island, so that we should not have fetched the island anyhow. _friday, december_ .--a day of great disaster. from o'clock last night the wind freshened with great rapidity, and very shortly we were under topsails, jib, and staysail only. it blew very hard and the sea got up at once. soon we were plunging heavily and taking much water over the lee rail. oates and atkinson with intermittent assistance from others were busy keeping the ponies on their legs. cases of petrol, forage, etc., began to break loose on the upper deck; the principal trouble was caused by the loose coal-bags, which were bodily lifted by the seas and swung against the lashed cases. 'you know how carefully everything had been lashed, but no lashings could have withstood the onslaught of these coal sacks for long'; they acted like battering rams. 'there was nothing for it but to grapple with the evil, and nearly all hands were labouring for hours in the waist of the ship, heaving coal sacks overboard and re-lashing the petrol cases, etc., in the best manner possible under such difficult and dangerous circumstances. the seas were continually breaking over these people and now and again they would be completely submerged. at such times they had to cling for dear life to some fixture to prevent themselves being washed overboard, and with coal bags and loose cases washing about, there was every risk of such hold being torn away.' 'no sooner was some semblance of order restored than some exceptionally heavy wave would tear away the lashing and the work had to be done all over again.' the night wore on, the sea and wind ever rising, and the ship ever plunging more distractedly; we shortened sail to main topsail and staysail, stopped engines and hove to, but to little purpose. tales of ponies down came frequently from forward, where oates and atkinson laboured through the entire night. worse was to follow, much worse--a report from the engine-room that the pumps had choked and the water risen over the gratings. from this moment, about a.m., the engine-room became the centre of interest. the water gained in spite of every effort. lashley, to his neck in rushing water, stuck gamely to the work of clearing suctions. for a time, with donkey engine and bilge pump sucking, it looked as though the water would be got under; but the hope was short-lived: five minutes of pumping invariably led to the same result--a general choking of the pumps. the outlook appeared grim. the amount of water which was being made, with the ship so roughly handled, was most uncertain. 'we knew that normally the ship was not making much water, but we also knew that a considerable part of the water washing over the upper deck must be finding its way below; the decks were leaking in streams. the ship was very deeply laden; it did not need the addition of much water to get her water-logged, in which condition anything might have happened.' the hand pump produced only a dribble, and its suction could not be got at; as the water crept higher it got in contact with the boiler and grew warmer--so hot at last that no one could work at the suctions. williams had to confess he was beaten and must draw fires. what was to be done? things for the moment appeared very black. the sea seemed higher than ever; it came over lee rail and poop, a rush of green water; the ship wallowed in it; a great piece of the bulwark carried clean away. the bilge pump is dependent on the main engine. to use the pump it was necessary to go ahead. it was at such times that the heaviest seas swept in over the lee rail; over and over [again] the rail, from the forerigging to the main, was covered by a solid sheet of curling water which swept aft and high on the poop. on one occasion i was waist deep when standing on the rail of the poop. the scene on deck was devastating, and in the engine-room the water, though really not great in quantity, rushed over the floor plates and frames in a fashion that gave it a fearful significance. the afterguard were organised in two parties by evans to work buckets; the men were kept steadily going on the choked hand pumps--this seemed all that could be done for the moment, and what a measure to count as the sole safeguard of the ship from sinking, practically an attempt to bale her out! yet strange as it may seem the effort has not been wholly fruitless--the string of buckets which has now been kept going for four hours, [ ] together with the dribble from the pump, has kept the water under--if anything there is a small decrease. meanwhile we have been thinking of a way to get at the suction of the pump: a hole is being made in the engine-room bulkhead, the coal between this and the pump shaft will be removed, and a hole made in the shaft. with so much water coming on board, it is impossible to open the hatch over the shaft. we are not out of the wood, but hope dawns, as indeed it should for me, when i find myself so wonderfully served. officers and men are singing chanties over their arduous work. williams is working in sweltering heat behind the boiler to get the door made in the bulkhead. not a single one has lost his good spirits. a dog was drowned last night, one pony is dead and two others in a bad condition--probably they too will go. 'occasionally a heavy sea would bear one of them away, and he was only saved by his chain. meares with some helpers had constantly to be rescuing these wretched creatures from hanging, and trying to find them better shelter, an almost hopeless task. one poor beast was found hanging when dead; one was washed away with such force that his chain broke and he disappeared overboard; the next wave miraculously washed him on board again and he is now fit and well.' the gale has exacted heavy toll, but i feel all will be well if we can only cope with the water. another dog has just been washed overboard--alas! thank god, the gale is abating. the sea is still mountainously high, but the ship is not labouring so heavily as she was. i pray we may be under sail again before morning. _saturday, december_ .--yesterday the wind slowly fell towards evening; less water was taken on board, therefore less found its way below, and it soon became evident that our baling was gaining on the engine-room. the work was steadily kept going in two-hour shifts. by p.m. the hole in the engine-room bulkhead was completed, and (lieut.) evans, wriggling over the coal, found his way to the pump shaft and down it. he soon cleared the suction 'of the coal balls (a mixture of coal and oil) which choked it,' and to the joy of all a good stream of water came from the pump for the first time. from this moment it was evident we should get over the difficulty, and though the pump choked again on several occasions the water in the engine-room steadily decreased. it was good to visit that spot this morning and to find that the water no longer swished from side to side. in the forenoon fires were laid and lighted--the hand pump was got into complete order and sucked the bilges almost dry, so that great quantities of coal and ashes could be taken out. now all is well again, and we are steaming and sailing steadily south within two points of our course. campbell and bowers have been busy relisting everything on the upper deck. this afternoon we got out the two dead ponies through the forecastle skylight. it was a curious proceeding, as the space looked quite inadequate for their passage. we looked into the ice-house and found it in the best order. though we are not yet safe, as another gale might have disastrous results, it is wonderful to realise the change which has been wrought in our outlook in twenty-four hours. the others have confessed the gravely serious view of our position which they shared with me yesterday, and now we are all hopeful again. as far as one can gather, besides the damage to the bulwarks of the ship, we have lost two ponies, one dog, ' tons of coal,' gallons of petrol, and a case of the biologists' spirit--a serious loss enough, but much less than i expected. 'all things considered we have come off lightly, but it was bad luck to strike a gale at such a time.' the third pony which was down in a sling for some time in the gale is again on his feet. he looks a little groggy, but may pull through if we don't have another gale. osman, our best sledge dog, was very bad this morning, but has been lying warmly in hay all day, and is now much better. 'several more were in a very bad way and needed nursing back to life.' the sea and wind seem to be increasing again, and there is a heavy southerly swell, but the glass is high; we ought not to have another gale till it falls._ _ _monday, december_ .--lat. ° '.--the barometer has been almost steady since saturday, the wind rising and falling slightly, but steady in direction from the west. from a point off course we have crept up to the course itself. everything looks prosperous except the ponies. up to this morning, in spite of favourable wind and sea, the ship has been pitching heavily to a south-westerly swell. this has tried the animals badly, especially those under the forecastle. we had thought the ponies on the port side to be pretty safe, but two of them seem to me to be groggy, and i doubt if they could stand more heavy weather without a spell of rest. i pray there may be no more gales. we should be nearing the limits of the westerlies, but one cannot be sure for at least two days. there is still a swell from the s.w., though it is not nearly so heavy as yesterday, but i devoutly wish it would vanish altogether. so much depends on fine weather. december ought to be a fine month in the ross sea; it always has been, and just now conditions point to fine weather. well, we must be prepared for anything, but i'm anxious, anxious about these animals of ours. the dogs have quite recovered since the fine weather--they are quite in good form again. our deck cargo is getting reduced; all the coal is off the upper deck and the petrol is re-stored in better fashion; as far as that is concerned we should not mind another blow. campbell and bowers have been untiring in getting things straight on deck. the idea of making our station cape crozier has again come on the tapis. there would be many advantages: the ease of getting there at an early date, the fact that none of the autumn or summer parties could be cut off, the fact that the main barrier could be reached without crossing crevasses and that the track to the pole would be due south from the first:--the mild condition and absence of blizzards at the penguin rookery, the opportunity of studying the emperor penguin incubation, and the new interest of the geology of terror, besides minor facilities, such as the getting of ice, stones for shelters, &c. the disadvantages mainly consist in the possible difficulty of landing stores--a swell would make things very unpleasant, and might possibly prevent the landing of the horses and motors. then again it would be certain that some distance of bare rock would have to be traversed before a good snow surface was reached from the hut, and possibly a climb of or feet would intervene. again, it might be difficult to handle the ship whilst stores were being landed, owing to current, bergs, and floe ice. it remains to be seen, but the prospect is certainly alluring. at a pinch we could land the ponies in mcmurdo sound and let them walk round. the sun is shining brightly this afternoon, everything is drying, and i think the swell continues to subside. _tuesday, december_ .--lat. ° '. long. ° ' e. made good s. e. ; ' to circle. the promise of yesterday has been fulfilled, the swell has continued to subside, and this afternoon we go so steadily that we have much comfort. i am truly thankful mainly for the sake of the ponies; poor things, they look thin and scraggy enough, but generally brighter and fitter. there is no doubt the forecastle is a bad place for them, but in any case some must have gone there. the four midship ponies, which were expected to be subject to the worst conditions, have had a much better time than their fellows. a few ponies have swollen legs, but all are feeding well. the wind failed in the morning watch and later a faint breeze came from the eastward; the barometer has been falling, but not on a steep gradient; it is still above normal. this afternoon it is overcast with a scotch mist. another day ought to put us beyond the reach of westerly gales. we still continue to discuss the project of landing at cape crozier, and the prospect grows more fascinating as we realise it. for instance, we ought from such a base to get an excellent idea of the barrier movement, and of the relative movement amongst the pressure ridges. there is no doubt it would be a tremendous stroke of luck to get safely landed there with all our paraphernalia. everyone is very cheerful--one hears laughter and song all day--it's delightful to be with such a merry crew. a week from new zealand to-day. _wednesday, december_ .--lat. ° '. long. ° ' w. made good s. e. ; ant. circle '. the barometer descended on a steep regular gradient all night, turning suddenly to an equally steep up grade this morning. with the turn a smart breeze sprang up from the s.w. and forced us three points off our course. the sea has remained calm, seeming to show that the ice is not far off; this afternoon temperature of air and water both °, supporting the assumption. the wind has come fair and we are on our course again, going between and knots. quantities of whale birds about the ship, the first fulmars and the first mccormick skua seen. last night saw 'hour glass' dolphins about. sooty and black-browed albatrosses continue, with cape chickens. the cold makes people hungry and one gets just a tremor on seeing the marvellous disappearance of consumables when our twenty-four young appetites have to be appeased. last night i discussed the western geological party, and explained to ponting the desirability of his going with it. i had thought he ought to be in charge, as the oldest and most experienced traveller, and mentioned it to him--then to griffith taylor. the latter was evidently deeply disappointed. so we three talked the matter out between us, and ponting at once disclaimed any right, and announced cheerful agreement with taylor's leadership; it was a satisfactory arrangement, and shows ponting in a very pleasant light. i'm sure he's a very nice fellow. i would record here a symptom of the spirit which actuates the men. after the gale the main deck under the forecastle space in which the ponies are stabled leaked badly, and the dirt of the stable leaked through on hammocks and bedding. not a word has been said; the men living in that part have done their best to fend off the nuisance with oilskins and canvas, but without sign of complaint. indeed the discomfort throughout the mess deck has been extreme. everything has been thrown about, water has found its way down in a dozen places. there is no daylight, and air can come only through the small fore hatch; the artificial lamplight has given much trouble. the men have been wetted to the skin repeatedly on deck, and have no chance of drying their clothing. all things considered, their cheerful fortitude is little short of wonderful. _first ice_.--there was a report of ice at dinner to-night. evans corroborated cheetham's statement that there was a berg far away to the west, showing now and again as the sun burst through the clouds. _thursday, december_ .-- ° '. ° '. s. e. '; to circle '. the wind increased in the first watch last night to a moderate gale. the ship close hauled held within two points of her course. topgallant sails and mainsail were furled, and later in the night the wind gradually crept ahead. at a.m. we were obliged to furl everything, and throughout the day we have been plunging against a stiff breeze and moderate sea. this afternoon by keeping a little to eastward of the course, we have managed to get fore and aft sail filled. the barometer has continued its steady upward path for twenty-four hours; it shows signs of turning, having reached within / th of inches. it was light throughout last night (always a cheerful condition), but this head wind is trying to the patience, more especially as our coal expenditure is more than i estimated. we manage or revolutions on about tons, but have to distil every three days at expense of half a ton, and then there is a weekly half ton for the cook. it is certainly a case of fighting one's way south. i was much disturbed last night by the motion; the ship was pitching and twisting with short sharp movements on a confused sea, and with every plunge my thoughts flew to our poor ponies. this afternoon they are fairly well, but one knows that they must be getting weaker as time goes on, and one longs to give them a good sound rest with the ship on an even keel. poor patient beasts! one wonders how far the memory of such fearful discomfort will remain with them--animals so often remember places and conditions where they have encountered difficulties or hurt. do they only recollect circumstances which are deeply impressed by some shock of fear or sudden pain, and does the remembrance of prolonged strain pass away? who can tell? but it would seem strangely merciful if nature should blot out these weeks of slow but inevitable torture. the dogs are in great form again; for them the greatest circumstance of discomfort is to be constantly wet. it was this circumstance prolonged throughout the gale which nearly lost us our splendid leader 'osman.' in the morning he was discovered utterly exhausted and only feebly trembling; life was very nearly out of him. he was buried in hay, and lay so for twenty-four hours, refusing food--the wonderful hardihood of his species was again shown by the fact that within another twenty-four hours he was to all appearance as fit as ever. antarctic petrels have come about us. this afternoon one was caught. later, about p.m. evans saw two icebergs far on the port beam; they could only be seen from the masthead. whales have been frequently seen--balænoptera sibbaldi--supposed to be the biggest mammal that has ever existed._ _ _friday, december_ .-- ° '. ° '. made good s. w. '; scott island s. w. '. at six this morning bergs and pack were reported ahead; at first we thought the pack might consist only of fragments of the bergs, but on entering a stream we found small worn floes--the ice not more than two or three feet in thickness. 'i had hoped that we should not meet it till we reached latitude / or at least .' we decided to work to the south and west as far as the open water would allow, and have met with some success. at p.m., as i write, we are still in open water, having kept a fairly straight course and come through five or six light streams of ice, none more than yards across. we have passed some very beautiful bergs, mostly tabular. the heights have varied from to feet, and i am getting to think that this part of the antarctic yields few bergs of greater altitude. two bergs deserve some description. one, passed very close on port hand in order that it might be cinematographed, was about feet in height, and tabular. it seemed to have been calved at a comparatively recent date. the above picture shows its peculiarities, and points to the desirability of close examination of other berg faces. there seemed to be a distinct difference of origin between the upper and lower portions of the berg, as though a land glacier had been covered by layer after layer of seasonal snow. then again, what i have described as 'intrusive layers of blue ice' was a remarkable feature; one could imagine that these layers represent surfaces which have been transformed by regelation under hot sun and wind. this point required investigation. the second berg was distinguished by innumerable vertical cracks. these seemed to run criss-cross and to weaken the structure, so that the various séracs formed by them had bent to different angles and shapes, giving a very irregular surface to the berg, and a face scarred with immense vertical fissures. one imagines that such a berg has come from a region of ice disturbance such as king edward's land. we have seen a good many whales to-day, rorquals with high black spouts--_balænoptera sibbaldi_. the birds with us: antarctic and snow petrel--a fulmar--and this morning cape pigeon. we have pack ice farther north than expected, and it's impossible to interpret the fact. one hopes that we shall not have anything heavy, but i'm afraid there's not much to build upon. p.m.--we have made good progress throughout the day, but the ice streams thicken as we advance, and on either side of us the pack now appears in considerable fields. we still pass quantities of bergs, perhaps nearly one-half the number tabular, but the rest worn and fantastic. the sky has been wonderful, with every form of cloud in every condition of light and shade; the sun has continually appeared through breaks in the cloudy heavens from time to time, brilliantly illuminating some field of pack, some steep-walled berg, or some patch of bluest sea. so sunlight and shadow have chased each other across our scene. to-night there is little or no swell--the ship is on an even keel, steady, save for the occasional shocks on striking ice. it is difficult to express the sense of relief this steadiness gives after our storm-tossed passage. one can only imagine the relief and comfort afforded to the ponies, but the dogs are visibly cheered and the human element is full of gaiety. the voyage seems full of promise in spite of the imminence of delay. if the pack becomes thick i shall certainly put the fires out and wait for it to open. i do not think it ought to remain close for long in this meridian. to-night we must be beyond the th parallel. _saturday, december_ .--dead reckoning ° '. long. ° '. made good s. w. . c. crozier '. stayed on deck till midnight. the sun just dipped below the southern horizon. the scene was incomparable. the northern sky was gloriously rosy and reflected in the calm sea between the ice, which varied from burnished copper to salmon pink; bergs and pack to the north had a pale greenish hue with deep purple shadows, the sky shaded to saffron and pale green. we gazed long at these beautiful effects. the ship made through leads during the night; morning found us pretty well at the end of the open water. we stopped to water ship from a nice hummocky floe. we made about tons of water. rennick took a sounding, fathoms; the tube brought up two small lumps of volcanic lava with the usual globigerina ooze. wilson shot a number of antarctic petrel and snowy petrel. nelson got some crustaceans and other beasts with a vertical tow net, and got a water sample and temperatures at metres. the water was warmer at that depth. about . we proceeded at first through fairly easy pack, then in amongst very heavy old floes grouped about a big berg; we shot out of this and made a détour, getting easier going; but though the floes were less formidable as we proceeded south, the pack grew thicker. i noticed large floes of comparatively thin ice very sodden and easily split; these are similar to some we went through in the _discovery_, but tougher by a month. at three we stopped and shot four crab-eater seals; to-night we had the livers for dinner--they were excellent. to-night we are in very close pack--it is doubtful if it is worth pushing on, but an arch of clear sky which has shown to the southward all day makes me think that there must be clearer water in that direction; perhaps only some miles away--but miles is much under present conditions. as i came below to bed at p.m. bruce was slogging away, making fair progress, but now and again brought up altogether. i noticed the ice was becoming much smoother and thinner, with occasional signs of pressure, between which the ice was very thin. 'we had been very carefully into all the evidence of former voyages to pick the best meridian to go south on, and i thought and still think that the evidence points to the w. as the best. we entered the pack more or less on this meridian, and have been rewarded by encountering worse conditions than any ship has had before. worse, in fact, than i imagined would have been possible on any other meridian of those from which we could have chosen. 'to understand the difficulty of the position you must appreciate what the pack is and how little is known of its movements. 'the pack in this part of the world consists ( ) of the ice which has formed over the sea on the fringe of the antarctic continent during the last winter; ( ) of very heavy old ice floes which have broken out of bays and inlets during the previous summer, but have not had time to get north before the winter set in; ( ) of comparatively heavy ice formed over the ross sea early in the last winter; and ( ) of comparatively thin ice which has formed over parts of the ross sea in middle or towards the end of the last winter. 'undoubtedly throughout the winter all ice-sheets move and twist, tear apart and press up into ridges, and thousands of bergs charge through these sheets, raising hummocks and lines of pressure and mixing things up; then of course where such rents are made in the winter the sea freezes again, forming a newer and thinner sheet. 'with the coming of summer the northern edge of the sheet decays and the heavy ocean swell penetrates it, gradually breaking it into smaller and smaller fragments. then the whole body moves to the north and the swell of the ross sea attacks the southern edge of the pack. 'this makes it clear why at the northern and southern limits the pieces or ice-floes are comparatively small, whilst in the middle the floes may be two or three miles across; and why the pack may and does consist of various natures of ice-floes in extraordinary confusion. 'further it will be understood why the belt grows narrower and the floes thinner and smaller as the summer advances. 'we know that where thick pack may be found early in january, open water and a clear sea may be found in february, and broadly that the later the date the easier the chance of getting through. 'a ship going through the pack must either break through the floes, push them aside, or go round them, observing that she cannot push floes which are more than or yards across. 'whether a ship can get through or not depends on the thickness and nature of the ice, the size of the floes and the closeness with which they are packed together, as well as on her own power. 'the situation of the main bodies of pack and the closeness with which the floes are packed depend almost entirely on the prevailing winds. one cannot tell what winds have prevailed before one's arrival; therefore one cannot know much about the situation or density. 'within limits the density is changing from day to day and even from hour to hour; such changes depend on the wind, but it may not necessarily be a local wind, so that at times they seem almost mysterious. one sees the floes pressing closely against one another at a given time, and an hour or two afterwards a gap of a foot or more may be seen between each. 'when the floes are pressed together it is difficult and sometimes impossible to force a way through, but when there is release of pressure the sum of many little gaps allows one to take a zigzag path.' chapter ii in the pack _sunday, december_ ll.--the ice grew closer during the night, and at it seemed hopeless to try and get ahead. the pack here is very regular; the floes about / feet thick and very solid. they are pressed closely together, but being irregular in shape, open spaces frequently occur, generally triangular in shape. it might be noted that such ice as this occupies much greater space than it originally did when it formed a complete sheet--hence if the ross sea were wholly frozen over in the spring, the total quantity of pack to the north of it when it breaks out must be immense. this ice looks as though it must have come from the ross sea, and yet one is puzzled to account for the absence of pressure. we have lain tight in the pack all day; the wind from a.m. strong from w. and n.w., with snow; the wind has eased to-night, and for some hours the glass, which fell rapidly last night, has been stationary. i expect the wind will shift soon; pressure on the pack has eased, but so far it has not opened. this morning rennick got a sounding at fathoms from bottom similar to yesterday, with small pieces of basic lava; these two soundings appear to show a great distribution of this volcanic rock by ice. the line was weighed by hand after the soundings. i read service in the wardroom. this afternoon all hands have been away on ski over the floes. it is delightful to get the exercise. i'm much pleased with the ski and ski boots--both are very well adapted to our purposes. this waiting requires patience, though i suppose it was to be expected at such an early season. it is difficult to know when to try and push on again. _monday, december_ .--the pack was a little looser this morning; there was a distinct long swell apparently from n.w. the floes were not apart but barely touching the edges, which were hard pressed yesterday; the wind still holds from n.w., but lighter. gran, oates, and bowers went on ski towards a reported island about which there had been some difference of opinion. i felt certain it was a berg, and it proved to be so; only of a very curious dome shape with very low cliffs all about. fires were ordered for , and at . we started steaming with plain sail set. we made, and are making fair progress on the whole, but it is very uneven. we escaped from the heavy floes about us into much thinner pack, then through two water holes, then back to the thinner pack consisting of thin floes of large area fairly easily broken. all went well till we struck heavy floes again, then for half an hour we stopped dead. then on again, and since alternately bad and good--that is, thin young floes and hoary older ones, occasionally a pressed up berg, very heavy. the best news of yesterday was that we drifted miles to the s.e., so that we have not really stopped our progress at all, though it has, of course, been pretty slow. i really don't know what to think of the pack, or when to hope for open water. we tried atkinson's blubber stove this afternoon with great success. the interior of the stove holds a pipe in a single coil pierced with holes on the under side. these holes drip oil on to an asbestos burner. the blubber is placed in a tank suitably built around the chimney; the overflow of oil from this tank leads to the feed pipe in the stove, with a cock to regulate the flow. a very simple device, but as has been shown a very effective one; the stove gives great heat, but, of course, some blubber smell. however, with such stoves in the south one would never lack cooked food or warm hut. discussed with wright the fact that the hummocks on sea ice always yield fresh water. we agreed that the brine must simply run down out of the ice. it will be interesting to bring up a piece of sea ice and watch this process. but the fact itself is interesting as showing that the process producing the hummock is really producing fresh water. it may also be noted as phenomenon which makes _all_ the difference to the ice navigator._ _ truly the getting to our winter quarters is no light task; at first the gales and heavy seas, and now this continuous fight with the pack ice. p.m.--we are getting on with much bumping and occasional 'hold ups.' _tuesday, december_ .--i was up most of the night. never have i experienced such rapid and complete changes of prospect. cheetham in the last dog watch was running the ship through sludgy new ice, making with all sail set four or five knots. bruce, in the first, took over as we got into heavy ice again; but after a severe tussle got through into better conditions. the ice of yesterday loose with sludgy thin floes between. the middle watch found us making for an open lead, the ice around hard and heavy. we got through, and by sticking to the open water and then to some recently frozen pools made good progress. at the end of the middle watch trouble began again, and during this and the first part of the morning we were wrestling with the worst conditions we have met. heavy hummocked bay ice, the floes standing or feet out of water, and very deep below. it was just such ice as we encountered at king edward's land in the _discovery_. i have never seen anything more formidable. the last part of the morning watch was spent in a long recently frozen lead or pool, and the ship went well ahead again. these changes sound tame enough, but they are a great strain on one's nerves--one is for ever wondering whether one has done right in trying to come down so far east, and having regard to coal, what ought to be done under the circumstances. in the first watch came many alterations of opinion; time and again it looks as though we ought to stop when it seemed futile to be pushing and pushing without result; then would come a stretch of easy going and the impression that all was going very well with us. the fact of the matter is, it is difficult not to imagine the conditions in which one finds oneself to be more extensive than they are. it is wearing to have to face new conditions every hour. this morning we met at breakfast in great spirits; the ship has been boring along well for two hours, then cheetham suddenly ran her into a belt of the worst and we were held up immediately. we can push back again, i think, but meanwhile we have taken advantage of the conditions to water ship. these big floes are very handy for that purpose at any rate. rennick got a sounding fathoms, similar bottom _including_ volcanic lava. _december_ (_cont_.).-- ° ' s. ° ' w. made good s. e. '. c. crozier s. w. '.--we got in several tons of ice, then pushed off and slowly and laboriously worked our way to one of the recently frozen pools. it was not easily crossed, but when we came to its junction with the next part to the s.w. (in which direction i proposed to go) we were quite hung up. a little inspection showed that the big floes were tending to close. it seems as though the tenacity of the or inches of recent ice over the pools is enormously increased by lateral pressure. but whatever the cause, we could not budge. we have decided to put fires out and remain here till the conditions change altogether for the better. it is sheer waste of coal to make further attempts to break through as things are at present. we have been set to the east during the past days; is it the normal set in the region, or due to the prevalence of westerly winds? possibly much depends on this as concerns our date of release. it is annoying, but one must contain one's soul in patience and hope for a brighter outlook in a day or two. meanwhile we shall sound and do as much biological work as is possible. the pack is a sunless place as a rule; this morning we had bright sunshine for a few hours, but later the sky clouded over from the north again, and now it is snowing dismally. it is calm. _wednesday, december_ .--position, n. ', w. / '. the pack still close around. from the masthead one can see a few patches of open water in different directions, but the main outlook is the same scene of desolate hummocky pack. the wind has come from the s.w., force ; we have bright sunshine and good sights. the ship has swung to the wind and the floes around are continually moving. they change their relative positions in a slow, furtive, creeping fashion. the temperature is °, the water . ° to . °. under such conditions the thin sludgy ice ought to be weakening all the time; a few inches of such stuff should allow us to push through anywhere. one realises the awful monotony of a long stay in the pack, such as nansen and others experienced. one can imagine such days as these lengthening into interminable months and years. for us there is novelty, and everyone has work to do or makes work, so that there is no keen sense of impatience. nelson and lillie were up all night with the current meter; it is not quite satisfactory, but some result has been obtained. they will also get a series of temperatures and samples and use the vertical tow net. the current is satisfactory. both days the fixes have been good--it is best that we should go north and west. i had a great fear that we should be drifted east and so away to regions of permanent pack. if we go on in this direction it can only be a question of time before we are freed. we have all been away on ski on the large floe to which we anchored this morning. gran is wonderfully good and gives instruction well. it was hot and garments came off one by one--the soldier [ ] and atkinson were stripped to the waist eventually, and have been sliding round the floe for some time in that condition. nearly everyone has been wearing goggles; the glare is very bad. ponting tried to get a colour picture, but unfortunately the ice colours are too delicate for this. to-night campbell, evans, and i went out over the floe, and each in turn towed the other two; it was fairly easy work--that is, to pull to lbs. one could pull it perhaps more easily on foot, yet it would be impossible to pull such a load on a sledge. what a puzzle this pulling of loads is! if one could think that this captivity was soon to end there would be little reason to regret it; it is giving practice with our deep sea gear, and has made everyone keen to learn the proper use of ski. the swell has increased considerably, but it is impossible to tell from what direction it comes; one can simply note that the ship and brash ice swing to and fro, bumping into the floe. we opened the ice-house to-day, and found the meat in excellent condition--most of it still frozen. _thursday, december_ .-- ° ' s. ° ' w. sit. n. ', e. / '.--in the morning the conditions were unaltered. went for a ski run before breakfast. it makes a wonderful difference to get the blood circulating by a little exercise. after breakfast we served out ski to the men of the landing party. they are all very keen to learn, and gran has been out morning and afternoon giving instruction. meares got some of his dogs out and a sledge--two lots of seven--those that looked in worst condition (and several are getting very fat) were tried. they were very short of wind--it is difficult to understand how they can get so fat, as they only get two and a half biscuits a day at the most. the ponies are looking very well on the whole, especially those in the outside stalls. rennick got a sounding to-day fathoms; reversible thermometers were placed close to bottom and fathoms up. we shall get a very good series of temperatures from the bottom up during the wait. nelson will try to get some more current observations to-night or to-morrow. it is very trying to find oneself continually drifting north, but one is thankful not to be going east. to-night it has fallen calm and the floes have decidedly opened; there is a lot of water about the ship, but it does not look to extend far. meanwhile the brash and thinner floes are melting; everything of that sort must help--but it's trying to the patience to be delayed like this. we have seen enough to know that with a north-westerly or westerly wind the floes tend to pack and that they open when it is calm. the question is, will they open more with an easterly or south-easterly wind--that is the hope. signs of open water round and about are certainly increasing rather than diminishing. _friday, december_ .--the wind sprang up from the n.e. this morning, bringing snow, thin light hail, and finally rain; it grew very thick and has remained so all day. early the floe on which we had done so much ski-ing broke up, and we gathered in our ice anchors, then put on head sail, to which she gradually paid off. with a fair wind we set sail on the foremast, and slowly but surely she pushed the heavy floes aside. at lunch time we entered a long lead of open water, and for nearly half an hour we sailed along comfortably in it. entering the pack again, we found the floes much lighter and again pushed on slowly. in all we may have made as much as three miles. i have observed for some time some floes of immense area forming a chain of lakes in this pack, and have been most anxious to discover their thickness. they are most certainly the result of the freezing of comparatively recent pools in the winter pack, and it follows that they must be getting weaker day by day. if one could be certain firstly, that these big areas extend to the south, and, secondly, that the ship could go through them, it would be worth getting up steam. we have arrived at the edge of one of these floes, and the ship will not go through under sail, but i'm sure she would do so under steam. is this a typical floe? and are there more ahead? one of the ponies got down this afternoon--oates thinks it was probably asleep and fell, but the incident is alarming; the animals are not too strong. on this account this delay is harassing--otherwise we should not have much to regret. _saturday, december_ .-- ° '. ° '. drift for hours s. e. . '. it rained hard and the glass fell rapidly last night with every sign of a coming gale. this morning the wind increased to force from the west with snow. at noon the barograph curve turned up and the wind moderated, the sky gradually clearing. to-night it is fairly bright and clear; there is a light south-westerly wind. it seems rather as though the great gales of the westerlies must begin in these latitudes with such mild disturbances as we have just experienced. i think it is the first time i have known rain beyond the antarctic circle--it is interesting to speculate on its effect in melting the floes. we have scarcely moved all day, but bergs which have become quite old friends through the week are on the move, and one has approached and almost circled us. evidently these bergs are moving about in an irregular fashion, only they must have all travelled a little east in the forty-eight hours as we have done. another interesting observation to-night is that of the slow passage of a stream of old heavy floes past the ship and the lighter ice in which she is held. there are signs of water sky to the south, and i'm impatient to be off, but still one feels that waiting may be good policy, and i should certainly contemplate waiting some time longer if it weren't for the ponies. everyone is wonderfully cheerful; there is laughter all day long. nelson finished his series of temperatures and samples to-day with an observation at metres. series of sea temperatures depth metres temp. (uncorrected) dec. - . ,, - . ,, - . ,, - . ,, - . ,, - . ,, - . ,, - . ,, - . ,, . ,, . ,, . dec. . ,, . dec. . ,, . ,, - . no sample ,, bottom dec. ( fms.) . ° c. ,, ( fms.) . ° c. ,, bottom a curious point is that the bottom layer is tenths higher on the th, remaining in accord with the same depth on the th. _sunday, december_ .--in the night it fell calm and the floes opened out. there is more open water between the floes around us, yet not a great deal more. in general what we have observed on the opening of the pack means a very small increase in the open water spaces, but enough to convey the impression that the floes, instead of wishing to rub shoulders and grind against one another, desire to be apart. they touch lightly where they touch at all--such a condition makes much difference to the ship in attempts to force her through, as each floe is freer to move on being struck. if a pack be taken as an area bounded by open water, it is evident that a small increase of the periphery or a small outward movement of the floes will add much to the open water spaces and create a general freedom. the opening of this pack was reported at a.m., and orders were given to raise steam. the die is cast, and we must now make a determined push for the open southern sea. there is a considerable swell from the n.w.; it should help us to get along. _evening_.--again extraordinary differences of fortune. at first things looked very bad--it took nearly half an hour to get started, much more than an hour to work away to one of the large area floes to which i have referred; then to my horror the ship refused to look at it. again by hard fighting we worked away to a crack running across this sheet, and to get through this crack required many stoppages and engine reversals. then we had to shoot away south to avoid another unbroken floe of large area, but after we had rounded this things became easier; from o'clock we were almost able to keep a steady course, only occasionally hung up by some thicker floe. the rest of the ice was fairly recent and easily broken. at the leads of recent ice became easier still, and at we entered a long lane of open water. for a time we almost thought we had come to the end of our troubles, and there was much jubilation. but, alas! at the end of the lead we have come again to heavy bay ice. it is undoubtedly this mixture of bay ice which causes the open leads, and i cannot but think that this is the king edward's land pack. we are making s.w. as best we can. what an exasperating game this is!--one cannot tell what is going to happen in the next half or even quarter of an hour. at one moment everything looks flourishing, the next one begins to doubt if it is possible to get through. _new fish_.--just at the end of the open lead to-night we capsized a small floe and thereby jerked a fish out on top of another one. we stopped and picked it up, finding it a beautiful silver grey, genus _notothenia_--i think a new species. snow squalls have been passing at intervals--the wind continues in the n.w. it is comparatively warm. we saw the first full-grown emperor penguin to-night. _monday, december_ .--on the whole, in spite of many bumps, we made good progress during the night, but the morning (present) outlook is the worst we've had. we seem to be in the midst of a terribly heavy screwed pack; it stretches in all directions as far as the eye can see, and the prospects are alarming from all points of view. i have decided to push west--anything to get out of these terribly heavy floes. great patience is the only panacea for our ill case. it is bad luck. we first got amongst the very thick floes at a.m., and jammed through some of the most monstrous i have ever seen. the pressure ridges rose feet above the surface--the ice must have extended at least feet below. the blows given us gave the impression of irresistible solidity. later in the night we passed out of this into long lanes of water and some of thin brash ice, hence the progress made. i'm afraid we have strained our rudder; it is stiff in one direction. we are in difficult circumstances altogether. this morning we have brilliant sunshine and no wind. noon ° . ' s., ° ' w. made good s. w. '; c. crozier '. fog has spread up from the south with a very light southerly breeze. there has been another change of conditions, but i scarcely know whether to call it for the better or the worse. there are fewer heavy old floes; on the other hand, the one year's floes, tremendously screwed and doubtless including old floes in their mass, have now enormously increased in area. a floe which we have just passed must have been a mile across--this argues lack of swell and from that one might judge the open water to be very far. we made progress in a fairly good direction this morning, but the outlook is bad again--the ice seems to be closing. again patience, we must go on steadily working through. . .--we passed two immense bergs in the afternoon watch, the first of an irregular tabular form. the stratified surface had clearly faulted. i suggest that an uneven bottom to such a berg giving unequal buoyancy to parts causes this faulting. the second berg was domed, having a twin peak. these bergs are still a puzzle. i rather cling to my original idea that they become domed when stranded and isolated. these two bergs had left long tracks of open water in the pack. we came through these making nearly knots, but, alas! only in a direction which carried us a little east of south. it was difficult to get from one tract to another, but the tracts themselves were quite clear of ice. i noticed with rather a sinking that the floes on either side of us were assuming gigantic areas; one or two could not have been less than or miles across. it seemed to point to very distant open water. but an observation which gave greater satisfaction was a steady reduction in the thickness of the floes. at first they were still much pressed up and screwed. one saw lines and heaps of pressure dotted over the surface of the larger floes, but it was evident from the upturned slopes that the floes had been thin when these disturbances took place. at about . we came to a group of six or seven low tabular bergs some or feet in height. it was such as these that we saw in king edward's land, and they might very well come from that region. three of these were beautifully uniform, with flat tops and straight perpendicular sides, and others had overhanging cornices, and some sloped towards the edges. no more open water was reported on the other side of the bergs, and one wondered what would come next. the conditions have proved a pleasing surprise. there are still large floes on either side of us, but they are not much hummocked; there are pools of water on their surface, and the lanes between are filled with light brash and only an occasional heavy floe. the difference is wonderful. the heavy floes and gigantic pressure ice struck one most alarmingly--it seemed impossible that the ship could win her way through them, and led one to imagine all sorts of possibilities, such as remaining to be drifted north and freed later in the season, and the contrast now that the ice all around is little more than or feet thick is an immense relief. it seems like release from a horrid captivity. evans has twice suggested stopping and waiting to-day, and on three occasions i have felt my own decision trembling in the balance. if this condition holds i need not say how glad we shall be that we doggedly pushed on in spite of the apparently hopeless outlook. in any case, if it holds or not, it will be a great relief to feel that there is this plain of negotiable ice behind one. saw two sea leopards this evening, one in the water making short, lazy dives under the floes. it had a beautiful sinuous movement. i have asked pennell to prepare a map of the pack; it ought to give some idea of the origin of the various forms of floes, and their general drift. i am much inclined to think that most of the pressure ridges are formed by the passage of bergs through the comparatively young ice. i imagine that when the sea freezes very solid it carries bergs with it, but obviously the enormous mass of a berg would need a great deal of stopping. in support of this view i notice that most of the pressure ridges are formed by pieces of a sheet which did not exceed one or two feet in thickness--also it seems that the screwed ice which we have passed has occurred mostly in the regions of bergs. on one side of the tabular berg passed yesterday pressure was heaped to a height of feet--it was like a ship's bow wave on a large scale. yesterday there were many bergs and much pressure; last night no bergs and practically no pressure; this morning few bergs and comparatively little pressure. it goes to show that the unconfined pack of these seas would not be likely to give a ship a severe squeeze. saw a young emperor this morning, and whilst trying to capture it one of wilson's new whales with the sabre dorsal fin rose close to the ship. i estimated this fin to be feet high. it is pretty to see the snow petrel and antarctic petrel diving on to the upturned and flooded floes. the wash of water sweeps the euphausia [ ] across such submerged ice. the antarctic petrel has a pretty crouching attitude. notes on nicknames evans teddy wilson bill, uncle bill, uncle simpson sunny jim ponting ponco meares day campbell the mate, mr. mate pennell penelope rennick parnie bowers birdie taylor griff and keir hardy nelson marie and bronte gran cherry-garrard cherry wright silas, toronto priestley raymond debenham deb bruce drake francis atkinson jane, helmin, atchison oates titus, soldier, 'farmer hayseed' (by bowers) levick toffarino, the old sport lillie lithley, hercules, lithi_ _ _tuesday, december_ .--noon ° ' s., ° ' w. made good s. w. ; c. crozier s. w. '.--the good conditions held up to midnight last night; we went from lead to lead with only occasional small difficulties. at o'clock we passed along the western edge of a big stream of very heavy bay ice--such ice as would come out late in the season from the inner reaches and bays of victoria sound, where the snows drift deeply. for a moment one imagined a return to our bad conditions, but we passed this heavy stuff in an hour and came again to the former condition, making our way in leads between floes of great area. bowers reported a floe of square miles in the middle watch. we made very fair progress during the night, and an excellent run in the morning watch. before eight a moderate breeze sprang up from the west and the ice began to close. we have worked our way a mile or two on since, but with much difficulty, so that we have now decided to bank fires and wait for the ice to open again; meanwhile we shall sound and get a haul with tow nets. i'm afraid we are still a long way from the open water; the floes are large, and where we have stopped they seem to be such as must have been formed early last winter. the signs of pressure have increased again. bergs were very scarce last night, but there are several around us to-day. one has a number of big humps on top. it is curious to think how these big blocks became perched so high. i imagine the berg must have been calved from a region of hard pressure ridges. [later] this is a mistake--on closer inspection it is quite clear that the berg has tilted and that a great part of the upper strata, probably feet deep, has slipped off, leaving the humps as islands on top. it looks as though we must exercise patience again; progress is more difficult than in the worst of our experiences yesterday, but the outlook is very much brighter. this morning there were many dark shades of open water sky to the south; the westerly wind ruffling the water makes these cloud shadows very dark. the barometer has been very steady for several days and we ought to have fine weather: this morning a lot of low cloud came from the s.w., at one time low enough to become fog--the clouds are rising and dissipating, and we have almost a clear blue sky with sunshine. _evening_.--the wind has gone from west to w.s.w. and still blows nearly force . we are lying very comfortably alongside a floe with open water to windward for or yards. the sky has been clear most of the day, fragments of low stratus occasionally hurry across the sky and a light cirrus is moving with some speed. evidently it is blowing hard in the upper current. the ice has closed--i trust it will open well when the wind lets up. there is a lot of open water behind us. the berg described this morning has been circling round us, passing within yards; the bearing and distance have altered so un-uniformly that it is evident that the differential movement between the surface water and the berg-driving layers (from to metres down) is very irregular. we had several hours on the floe practising ski running, and thus got some welcome exercise. coal is now the great anxiety--we are making terrible inroads on our supply--we have come miles since we first entered the pack streams. the sounding to-day gave fathoms--the water bottle didn't work, but temperatures were got at and bottom. the temperature was down to ° last night and kept or degrees below freezing all day. the surface for ski-ing to-day was very good. _wednesday, december_ .--the wind was still strong this morning, but had shifted to the south-west. with an overcast sky it was very cold and raw. the sun is now peeping through, the wind lessening and the weather conditions generally improving. during the night we had been drifting towards two large bergs, and about breakfast time we were becoming uncomfortably close to one of them--the big floes were binding down on one another, but there seemed to be open water to the s.e., if we could work out in that direction. (_note_.--all directions of wind are given 'true' in this book.) _noon position_.-- ° ' s., ° ' w. made good s. e. . '. set of current n., e. . '. made good hours--n. e. '. we got the steam up and about a.m. commenced to push through. once or twice we have spent nearly twenty minutes pushing through bad places, but it looks as though we are getting to easier water. it's distressing to have the pack so tight, and the bergs make it impossible to lie comfortably still for any length of time. ponting has made some beautiful photographs and wilson some charming pictures of the pack and bergs; certainly our voyage will be well illustrated. we find quite a lot of sketching talent. day, taylor, debenham, and wright all contribute to the elaborate record of the bergs and ice features met with. p.m.--the wind has settled to a moderate gale from s.w. we went / miles this morning, then became jammed again. the effort has taken us well clear of the threatening bergs. some others to leeward now are a long way off, but they _are_ there and to leeward, robbing our position of its full measure of security. oh! but it's mighty trying to be delayed and delayed like this, and coal going all the time--also we are drifting n. and e.--the pack has carried us ' n. and ' e. it really is very distressing. i don't like letting fires go out with these bergs about. wilson went over the floe to capture some penguins and lay flat on the surface. we saw the birds run up to him, then turn within a few feet and rush away again. he says that they came towards him when he was singing, and ran away again when he stopped. they were all one year birds, and seemed exceptionally shy; they appear to be attracted to the ship by a fearful curiosity._ _ a chain of bergs must form a great obstruction to a field of pack ice, largely preventing its drift and forming lanes of open water. taken in conjunction with the effect of bergs in forming pressure ridges, it follows that bergs have a great influence on the movement as well as the nature of pack. _thursday, december_ .--noon ° ' '' s., ° ' '' w. sit. n. e. . '.--no change. the wind still steady from the s.w., with a clear sky and even barometer. it looks as though it might last any time. this is sheer bad luck. we have let the fires die out; there are bergs to leeward and we must take our chance of clearing them--we cannot go on wasting coal. there is not a vestige of swell, and with the wind in this direction there certainly ought to be if the open water was reasonably close. no, it looks as though we'd struck a streak of real bad luck; that fortune has determined to put every difficulty in our path. we have less than tons of coal left in a ship that simply eats coal. it's alarming--and then there are the ponies going steadily down hill in condition. the only encouragement is the persistence of open water to the east and south-east to south; big lanes of open water can be seen in that position, but we cannot get to them in this pressed up pack. atkinson has discovered a new tapeworm in the intestines of the adélie penguin--a very tiny worm one-eighth of an inch in length with a propeller-shaped head. a crumb of comfort comes on finding that we have not drifted to the eastward appreciably. _friday, december_ .--the wind fell light at about ten last night and the ship swung round. sail was set on the fore, and she pushed a few hundred yards to the north, but soon became jammed again. this brought us dead to windward of and close to a large berg with the wind steadily increasing. not a very pleasant position, but also not one that caused much alarm. we set all sail, and with this help the ship slowly carried the pack round, pivoting on the berg until, as the pressure relieved, she slid out into the open water close to the berg. here it was possible to 'wear ship,' and we saw a fair prospect of getting away to the east and afterwards south. following the leads up we made excellent progress during the morning watch, and early in the forenoon turned south, and then south-west. we had made / ' s. e. and about ' s.s.w. by p.m., and could see a long lead of water to the south, cut off only by a broad strip of floe with many water holes in it: a composite floe. there was just a chance of getting through, but we have stuck half-way, advance and retreat equally impossible under sail alone. steam has been ordered but will not be ready till near midnight. shall we be out of the pack by christmas eve? the floes to-day have been larger but thin and very sodden. there are extensive water pools showing in patches on the surface, and one notes some that run in line as though extending from cracks; also here and there close water-free cracks can be seen. such floes might well be termed '_composite_' floes, since they evidently consist of old floes which have been frozen together--the junction being concealed by more recent snow falls. a month ago it would probably have been difficult to detect inequalities or differences in the nature of the parts of the floes, but now the younger ice has become waterlogged and is melting rapidly, hence the pools. i am inclined to think that nearly all the large floes as well as many of the smaller ones are 'composite,' and this would seem to show that the cementing of two floes does not necessarily mean a line of weakness, provided the difference in the thickness of the cemented floes is not too great; of course, young ice or even a single season's sea ice cannot become firmly attached to the thick old bay floes, and hence one finds these isolated even at this season of the year. very little can happen in the personal affairs of our company in this comparatively dull time, but it is good to see the steady progress that proceeds unconsciously in cementing the happy relationship that exists between the members of the party. never could there have been a greater freedom from quarrels and trouble of all sorts. i have not heard a harsh word or seen a black look. a spirit of tolerance and good humour pervades the whole community, and it is glorious to realise that men can live under conditions of hardship, monotony, and danger in such bountiful good comradeship. preparations are now being made for christmas festivities. it is curious to think that we have already passed the longest day in the southern year. saw a whale this morning--estimated to feet. wilson thinks a new species. find adélie penguins in batches of twenty or so. do not remember having seen so many together in the pack. _after midnight, december_ .--steam was reported ready at p.m. after some pushing to and fro we wriggled out of our ice prison and followed a lead to opener waters. we have come into a region where the open water exceeds the ice; the former lies in great irregular pools or miles or more across and connecting with many leads. the latter, and the fact is puzzling, still contain floes of enormous dimensions; we have just passed one which is at least miles in diameter. in such a scattered sea we cannot go direct, but often have to make longish detours; but on the whole in calm water and with a favouring wind we make good progress. with the sea even as open as we find it here it is astonishing to find the floes so large, and clearly there cannot be a southerly swell. the floes have water pools as described this afternoon, and none average more than feet in thickness. we have two or three bergs in sight. _saturday, december , christmas eve_.-- ° ' s., ° ' w. s. e. '; c. crozier '. alas! alas! at a.m. this morning we were brought up with a solid sheet of pack extending in all directions, save that from which we had come. i must honestly own that i turned in at three thinking we had come to the end of our troubles; i had a suspicion of anxiety when i thought of the size of the floes, but i didn't for a moment suspect we should get into thick pack again behind those great sheets of open water. all went well till four, when the white wall again appeared ahead--at five all leads ended and we entered the pack; at seven we were close up to an immense composite floe, about as big as any we've seen. she wouldn't skirt the edge of this and she wouldn't go through it. there was nothing to do but to stop and bank fires. how do we stand?--any day or hour the floes may open up, leaving a road to further open water to the south, but there is no guarantee that one would not be hung up again and again in this manner as long as these great floes exist. in a fortnight's time the floes will have crumbled somewhat, and in many places the ship will be able to penetrate them. what to do under these circumstances calls for the most difficult decision. if one lets fires out it means a dead loss of over tons, when the boiler has to be heated again. but this tons would only cover a day under banked fires, so that for anything longer than twenty-four hours it is economy to put the fires out. at each stoppage one is called upon to decide whether it is to be for more or less than twenty-four hours. last night we got some five or six hours of good going ahead--but it has to be remembered that this costs tons of coal in addition to that expended in doing the distance. if one waits one probably drifts north--in all other respects conditions ought to be improving, except that the southern edge of the pack will be steadly augmenting. rough summary of current in pack dec. current wind - s. e. '? n. by w. to - n. w. ' n.w. by w. - - n. e. . ' s.w. - - apparently little current variable light - n. e. . n.w. to w.s.w. to - n. e. . west to the above seems to show that the drift is generally with the wind. we have had a predominance of westerly winds in a region where a predominance of easterly might be expected. now that we have an easterly, what will be the result? _sunday, december_ , _christmas day_.--dead reckoning ° ' s., ° ' e. the night before last i had bright hopes that this christmas day would see us in open water. the scene is altogether too christmassy. ice surrounds us, low nimbus clouds intermittently discharging light snow flakes obscure the sky, here and there small pools of open water throw shafts of black shadow on to the cloud--this black predominates in the direction from whence we have come, elsewhere the white haze of ice blink is pervading. we are captured. we do practically nothing under sail to push through, and could do little under steam, and at each step forward the possibility of advance seems to lessen. the wind which has persisted from the west for so long fell light last night, and to-day comes from the n.e. by n., a steady breeze from to in force. since one must have hope, ours is pinned to the possible effect of a continuance of easterly wind. again the call is for patience and again patience. here at least we seem to enjoy full security. the ice is so thin that it could not hurt by pressure--there are no bergs within reasonable distance--indeed the thinness of the ice is one of the most tantalising conditions. in spite of the unpropitious prospect everyone on board is cheerful and one foresees a merry dinner to-night. the mess is gaily decorated with our various banners. there was full attendance at the service this morning and a lusty singing of hymns. should we now try to go east or west? i have been trying to go west because the majority of tracks lie that side and no one has encountered such hard conditions as ours--otherwise there is nothing to point to this direction, and all through the last week the prospect to the west has seemed less promising than in other directions; in spite of orders to steer to the s.w. when possible it has been impossible to push in that direction. an event of christmas was the production of a family by crean's rabbit. she gave birth to , it is said, and crean has given away ! i don't know what will become of the parent or family; at present they are warm and snug enough, tucked away in the fodder under the forecastle. _midnight_.--to-night the air is thick with falling snow; the temperature °. it is cold and slushy without. a merry evening has just concluded. we had an excellent dinner: tomato soup, penguin breast stewed as an entrée, roast beef, plum-pudding, and mince pies, asparagus, champagne, port and liqueurs--a festive menu. dinner began at and ended at . for five hours the company has been sitting round the table singing lustily; we haven't much talent, but everyone has contributed more or less, 'and the choruses are deafening. it is rather a surprising circumstance that such an unmusical party should be so keen on singing. on xmas night it was kept up till a.m., and no work is done without a chanty. i don't know if you have ever heard sea chanties being sung. the merchant sailors have quite a repertoire, and invariably call on it when getting up anchor or hoisting sails. often as not they are sung in a flat and throaty style, but the effect when a number of men break into the chorus is generally inspiriting.' the men had dinner at midday--much the same fare, but with beer and some whisky to drink. they seem to have enjoyed themselves much. evidently the men's deck contains a very merry band. there are three groups of penguins roosting on the floes quite close to the ship. i made the total number of birds . we could easily capture these birds, and so it is evident that food can always be obtained in the pack. to-night i noticed a skua gull settle on an upturned block of ice at the edge of the floe on which several penguins were preparing for rest. it is a fact that the latter held a noisy confabulation with the skua as subject--then they advanced as a body towards it; within a few paces the foremost penguin halted and turned, and then the others pushed him on towards the skua. one after another they jibbed at being first to approach their enemy, and it was only with much chattering and mutual support that they gradually edged towards him. they couldn't reach him as he was perched on a block, but when they got quite close the skua, who up to that time had appeared quite unconcerned, flapped away a few yards and settled close on the other side of the group of penguins. the latter turned and repeated their former tactics until the skua finally flapped away altogether. it really was extraordinarily interesting to watch the timorous protesting movements of the penguins. the frame of mind producing every action could be so easily imagined and put into human sentiments. on the other side of the ship part of another group of penguins were quarrelling for the possession of a small pressure block which offered only the most insecure foothold. the scrambling antics to secure the point of vantage, the ousting of the bird in possession, and the incontinent loss of balance and position as each bird reached the summit of his ambition was almost as entertaining as the episode of the skua. truly these little creatures afford much amusement. _monday, december _.--obs. ° ' s., ° ' w. made good hours, s. e. '.--the position to-night is very cheerless. all hope that this easterly wind will open the pack seems to have vanished. we are surrounded with compacted floes of immense area. openings appear between these floes and we slide crab-like from one to another with long delays between. it is difficult to keep hope alive. there are streaks of water sky over open leads to the north, but everywhere to the south we have the uniform white sky. the day has been overcast and the wind force to from the e.n.e.--snow has fallen from time to time. there could scarcely be a more dreary prospect for the eye to rest upon. as i lay in my bunk last night i seemed to note a measured crush on the brash ice, and to-day first it was reported that the floes had become smaller, and then we seemed to note a sort of measured send alongside the ship. there may be a long low swell, but it is not helping us apparently; to-night the floes around are indisputably as large as ever and i see little sign of their breaking or becoming less tightly locked. it is a very, very trying time. we have managed to make or miles in a s.w. (?) direction under sail by alternately throwing her aback, then filling sail and pressing through the narrow leads; probably this will scarcely make up for our drift. it's all very disheartening. the bright side is that everyone is prepared to exert himself to the utmost--however poor the result of our labours may show. rennick got a sounding again to-day, fathoms. one is much struck by our inability to find a cause for the periodic opening and closing of the floes. one wonders whether there is a reason to be found in tidal movement. in general, however, it seems to show that our conditions are governed by remote causes. somewhere well north or south of us the wind may be blowing in some other direction, tending to press up or release pressure; then again such sheets of open water as those through which we passed to the north afford space into which bodies of pack can be pushed. the exasperating uncertainty of one's mind in such captivity is due to ignorance of its cause and inability to predict the effect of changes of wind. one can only vaguely comprehend that things are happening far beyond our horizon which directly affect our situation. _tuesday, december_ .--dead reckoning ° ' s., ° ' w. we made nearly miles in the first watch--half push, half drift. then the ship was again held up. in the middle the ice was close around, even pressing on us, and we didn't move a yard. the wind steadily increased and has been blowing a moderate gale, shifting in direction to e.s.e. we are reduced to lower topsails. in the morning watch we began to move again, the ice opening out with the usual astonishing absence of reason. we have made a mile or two in a westerly direction in the same manner as yesterday. the floes seem a little smaller, but our outlook is very limited; there is a thick haze, and the only fact that can be known is that there are pools of water at intervals for a mile or two in the direction in which we go. we commence to move between two floes, make or yards, and are then brought up bows on to a large lump. this may mean a wait of anything from ten minutes to half an hour, whilst the ship swings round, falls away, and drifts to leeward. when clear she forges ahead again and the operation is repeated. occasionally when she can get a little way on she cracks the obstacle and slowly passes through it. there is a distinct swell--very long, very low. i counted the period as about nine seconds. everyone says the ice is breaking up. i have not seen any distinct evidence myself, but wilson saw a large floe which had recently cracked into four pieces in such a position that the ship could not have caused it. the breaking up of the big floes is certainly a hopeful sign. 'i have written quite a lot about the pack ice when under ordinary conditions i should have passed it with few words. but you will scarcely be surprised when i tell you what an obstacle we have found it on this occasion.' i was thinking during the gale last night that our position might be a great deal worse than it is. we were lying amongst the floes perfectly peacefully whilst the wind howled through the rigging. one felt quite free from anxiety as to the ship, the sails, the bergs or ice pressures. one calmly went below and slept in the greatest comfort. one thought of the ponies, but after all, horses have been carried for all time in small ships, and often enough for very long voyages. the eastern party [ ] will certainly benefit by any delay we may make; for them the later they get to king edward's land the better. the depot journey of the western party will be curtailed, but even so if we can get landed in january there should be time for a good deal of work. one must confess that things might be a great deal worse and there would be little to disturb one if one's release was certain, say in a week's time. i'm afraid the ice-house is not going on so well as it might. there is some mould on the mutton and the beef is tainted. there is a distinct smell. the house has been opened by order when the temperature has fallen below °. i thought the effect would be to 'harden up' the meat, but apparently we need air circulation. when the temperature goes down to-night we shall probably take the beef out of the house and put a wind sail in to clear the atmosphere. if this does not improve matters we must hang more carcasses in the rigging. _later_, p.m.--the wind has backed from s.e. to e.s.e. and the swell is going down--this seems to argue open water in the first but not in the second direction and that the course we pursue is a good one on the whole. the sky is clearing but the wind still gusty, force to ; the ice has frozen a little and we've made no progress since noon. p.m.--one of the ponies went down to-night. he has been down before. it may mean nothing; on the other hand it is not a circumstance of good omen. otherwise there is nothing further to record, and i close this volume of my journal under circumstances which cannot be considered cheerful. a fresh ms. book. - . [_on the flyleaf_] 'and in regions far such heroes bring ye forth as those from whom we came and plant our name under that star not known unto our north.' 'to the virginian voyage.' drayton. 'but be the workemen what they may be, let us speake of the worke; that is, the true greatnesse of kingdom and estates; and the meanes thereof.' bacon. still in the ice _wednesday, december , _.--obs. noon, ° ' s., ° ' w. made good since th s. w. '; c. crozier s. w. '. the gale has abated. the sky began to clear in the middle watch; now we have bright, cheerful, warm sunshine (temp. °). the wind lulled in the middle watch and has fallen to force to . we made / miles in the middle and have added nearly a mile since. this movement has brought us amongst floes of decidedly smaller area and the pack has loosened considerably. a visit to the crow's nest shows great improvement in the conditions. there is ice on all sides, but a large percentage of the floes is quite thin and even the heavier ice appears breakable. it is only possible to be certain of conditions for three miles or so--the limit of observation from the crow's nest; but as far as this limit there is no doubt the ship could work through with ease. beyond there are vague signs of open water in the southern sky. we have pushed and drifted south and west during the gale and are now near the th meridian again. it seems impossible that we can be far from the southern limit of the pack. on strength of these observations we have decided to raise steam. i trust this effort will carry us through. the pony which fell last night has now been brought out into the open. the poor beast is in a miserable condition, very thin, very weak on the hind legs, and suffering from a most irritating skin affection which is causing its hair to fall out in great quantities. i think a day or so in the open will help matters; one or two of the other ponies under the forecastle are also in poor condition, but none so bad as this one. oates is unremitting in his attention and care of the animals, but i don't think he quite realises that whilst in the pack the ship must remain steady and that, therefore, a certain limited scope for movement and exercise is afforded by the open deck on which the sick animal now stands. if we can get through the ice in the coming effort we may get all the ponies through safely, but there would be no great cause for surprise if we lost two or three more. these animals are now the great consideration, balanced as they are against the coal expenditure. this morning a number of penguins were diving for food around and under the ship. it is the first time they have come so close to the ship in the pack, and there can be little doubt that the absence of motion of the propeller has made them bold. the adélie penguin on land or ice is almost wholly ludicrous. whether sleeping, quarrelling, or playing, whether curious, frightened, or angry, its interest is continuously humorous, but the adélie penguin in the water is another thing; as it darts to and fro a fathom or two below the surface, as it leaps porpoise-like into the air or swims skimmingly over the rippling surface of a pool, it excites nothing but admiration. its speed probably appears greater than it is, but the ability to twist and turn and the general control of movement is both beautiful and wonderful. as one looks across the barren stretches of the pack, it is sometimes difficult to realise what teeming life exists immediately beneath its surface. a tow-net is filled with diatoms in a very short space of time, showing that the floating plant life is many times richer than that of temperate or tropic seas. these diatoms mostly consist of three or four well-known species. feeding on these diatoms are countless thousands of small shrimps (_euphausia_); they can be seen swimming at the edge of every floe and washing about on the overturned pieces. in turn they afford food for creatures great and small: the crab-eater or white seal, the penguins, the antarctic and snowy petrel, and an unknown number of fish. these fish must be plentiful, as shown by our capture of one on an overturned floe and the report of several seen two days ago by some men leaning over the counter of the ship. these all exclaimed together, and on inquiry all agreed that they had seen half a dozen or more a foot or so in length swimming away under a floe. seals and penguins capture these fish, as also, doubtless, the skuas and the petrels. coming to the larger mammals, one occasionally sees the long lithe sea leopard, formidably armed with ferocious teeth and doubtless containing a penguin or two and perhaps a young crab-eating seal. the killer whale (_orca gladiator_), unappeasably voracious, devouring or attempting to devour every smaller animal, is less common in the pack but numerous on the coasts. finally, we have the great browsing whales of various species, from the vast blue whale (_balænoptera sibbaldi_), the largest mammal of all time, to the smaller and less common bottle-nose and such species as have not yet been named. great numbers of these huge animals are seen, and one realises what a demand they must make on their food supply and therefore how immense a supply of small sea beasts these seas must contain. beneath the placid ice floes and under the calm water pools the old universal warfare is raging incessantly in the struggle for existence. both morning and afternoon we have had brilliant sunshine, and this afternoon all the after-guard lay about on the deck sunning themselves. a happy, care-free group. p.m.--we made our start at eight, and so far things look well. we have found the ice comparatively thin, the floes to feet in thickness except where hummocked; amongst them are large sheets from inches to foot in thickness as well as fairly numerous water pools. the ship has pushed on well, covering at least miles an hour, though occasionally almost stopped by a group of hummocked floes. the sky is overcast: stratus clouds come over from the n.n.e. with wind in the same direction soon after we started. this may be an advantage, as the sails give great assistance and the officer of the watch has an easier time when the sun is not shining directly in his eyes. as i write the pack looks a little closer; i hope to heavens it is not generally closing up again--no sign of open water to the south. alas! p.m.--saw two sea leopards playing in the wake. _thursday, december_ .--no sights. at last the change for which i have been so eagerly looking has arrived and we are steaming amongst floes of small area evidently broken by swell, and with edges abraded by contact. the transition was almost sudden. we made very good progress during the night with one or two checks and one or two slices of luck in the way of open water. in one pool we ran clear for an hour, capturing good miles. this morning we were running through large continuous sheets of ice from inches to foot in thickness, with occasional water holes and groups of heavier floes. this forenoon it is the same tale, except that the sheets of thin ice are broken into comparatively regular figures, none more than yards across. it is the hopefullest sign of the approach to the open sea that i have seen. the wind remains in the north helping us, the sky is overcast and slight sleety drizzle is falling; the sun has made one or two attempts to break through but without success. last night we had a good example of the phenomenon called 'glazed frost.' the ship everywhere, on every fibre of rope as well as on her more solid parts, was covered with a thin sheet of ice caused by a fall of light super-cooled rain. the effect was pretty and interesting. our passage through the pack has been comparatively uninteresting from the zoologist's point of view, as we have seen so little of the rarer species of animals or of birds in exceptional plumage. we passed dozens of crab-eaters, but have seen no ross seals nor have we been able to kill a sea leopard. to-day we see very few penguins. i'm afraid there can be no observations to give us our position. release after twenty days in the pack _friday, december_ .--obs. ° ' s. ° ' e. made good in hours, s. w. '; c. crozier s. w. '. we are out of the pack at length and at last; one breathes again and hopes that it will be possible to carry out the main part of our programme, but the coal will need tender nursing. yesterday afternoon it became darkly overcast with falling snow. the barometer fell on a very steep gradient and the wind increased to force from the e.n.e. in the evening the snow fell heavily and the glass still galloped down. in any other part of the world one would have felt certain of a coming gale. but here by experience we know that the barometer gives little indication of wind. throughout the afternoon and evening the water holes became more frequent and we came along at a fine speed. at the end of the first watch we were passing through occasional streams of ice; the wind had shifted to north and the barometer had ceased to fall. in the middle watch the snow held up, and soon after-- a.m.--bowers steered through the last ice stream. at six this morning we were well in the open sea, the sky thick and overcast with occasional patches of fog. we passed one small berg on the starboard hand with a group of antarctic petrels on one side and a group of snow petrels on the other. it is evident that these birds rely on sea and swell to cast their food up on ice ledges--only a few find sustenance in the pack where, though food is plentiful, it is not so easily come by. a flight of antarctic petrel accompanied the ship for some distance, wheeling to and fro about her rather than following in the wake as do the more northerly sea birds. it is [good] to escape from the captivity of the pack and to feel that a few days will see us at cape crozier, but it is sad to remember the terrible inroad which the fight of the last fortnight has made on our coal supply. p.m.--the wind failed in the forenoon. sails were clewed up, and at eleven we stopped to sound. the sounding showed fathoms--we appear to be on the edge of the continental shelf. nelson got some samples and temperatures. the sun is bursting through the misty sky and warming the air. the snowstorm had covered the ropes with an icy sheet--this is now peeling off and falling with a clatter to the deck, from which the moist slush is rapidly evaporating. in a few hours the ship will be dry--much to our satisfaction; it is very wretched when, as last night, there is slippery wet snow underfoot and on every object one touches. our run has exceeded our reckoning by much. i feel confident that our speed during the last two days had been greatly under-estimated and so it has proved. we ought to be off c. crozier on new year's day. p.m.--our calm soon came to an end, the breeze at p.m. coming strong from the s.s.w., dead in our teeth--a regular southern blizzard. we are creeping along a bare knots. i begin to wonder if fortune will ever turn her wheel. on every possible occasion she seems to have decided against us. of course, the ponies are feeling the motion as we pitch in a short, sharp sea--it's damnable for them and disgusting for us. summary of the pack we may be said to have entered the pack at p.m. on the th in latitude / s. we left it at a.m. on th in latitude / s. we have taken twenty days and some odd hours to get through, and covered in a direct line over miles--an average of miles a day. we entered the pack with tons of coal and left with tons; we have, therefore, expended tons in forcing our way through--an average of miles to the ton. these are not pleasant figures to contemplate, but considering the exceptional conditions experienced i suppose one must conclude that things might have been worse. th. loose streams, steaming. th. close pack. th. a.m. close pack, stopped. th. . a.m. started. th. a.m. heavy pack, stopped; p.m. out fires. th. fires out. th. ... th. ... th. ... th. noon, heavy pack and leads, steaming th. noon, heavy pack and leads, steaming. th. forenoon, banked fires. st. a.m. started. a.m. banked. nd. ,, ,, rd. midnight, started. th. a.m. stopped th. fires out. th. ,, ,, th. ,, ,, th. . p.m. steaming. th. steaming. th. steaming. these columns show that we were steaming for nine out of twenty days. we had two long stops, one of _five_ days and one of _four and a half_ days. on three other occasions we stopped for short intervals without drawing fires. i have asked wright to plot the pack with certain symbols on the chart made by pennell. it promises to give a very graphic representation of our experiences. 'we hold the record for reaching the northern edge of the pack, whereas three or four times the open ross sea has been gained at an earlier date. 'i can imagine few things more trying to the patience than the long wasted days of waiting. exasperating as it is to see the tons of coal melting away with the smallest mileage to our credit, one has at least the satisfaction of active fighting and the hope of better fortune. to wait idly is the worst of conditions. you can imagine how often and how restlessly we climbed to the crow's nest and studied the outlook. and strangely enough there was generally some change to note. a water lead would mysteriously open up a few miles away or the place where it had been would as mysteriously close. huge icebergs crept silently towards or past us, and continually we were observing these formidable objects with range finder and compass to determine the relative movement, sometimes with misgiving as to our ability to clear them. under steam the change of conditions was even more marked. sometimes we would enter a lead of open water and proceed for a mile or two without hindrance; sometimes we would come to big sheets of thin ice which broke easily as our iron-shod prow struck them, and sometimes even a thin sheet would resist all our attempts to break it; sometimes we would push big floes with comparative ease and sometimes a small floe would bar our passage with such obstinacy that one would almost believe it possessed of an evil spirit; sometimes we passed through acres of sludgy sodden ice which hissed as it swept along the side, and sometimes the hissing ceased seemingly without rhyme or reason, and we found our screw churning the sea without any effect. 'thus the steaming days passed away in an ever changing environment and are remembered as an unceasing struggle. 'the ship behaved splendidly--no other ship, not even the _discovery_, would have come through so well. certainly the _nimrod_ would never have reached the south water had she been caught in such pack. as a result i have grown strangely attached to the _terra nova_. as she bumped the floes with mighty shocks, crushing and grinding a way through some, twisting and turning to avoid others, she seemed like a living thing fighting a great fight. if only she had more economical engines she would be suitable in all respects. 'once or twice we got among floes which stood or feet above water, with hummocks and pinnacles as high as feet. the ship could have stood no chance had such floes pressed against her, and at first we were a little alarmed in such situations. but familiarity breeds contempt; there never was any pressure in the heavy ice, and i'm inclined to think there never would be. 'the weather changed frequently during our journey through the pack. the wind blew strong from the west and from the east; the sky was often darkly overcast; we had snowstorms, flaky snow, and even light rain. in all such circumstances we were better placed in the pack than outside of it. the foulest weather could do us little harm. during quite a large percentage of days, however, we had bright sunshine, which, even with the temperature well below freezing, made everything look bright and cheerful. the sun also brought us wonderful cloud effects, marvellously delicate tints of sky, cloud, and ice, such effects as one might travel far to see. in spite of our impatience we would not willingly have missed many of the beautiful scenes which our sojourn in the pack afforded us. ponting and wilson have been busy catching these effects, but no art can reproduce such colours as the deep blue of the icebergs. 'scientifically we have been able to do something. we have managed to get a line of soundings on our route showing the raising of the bottom from the ocean depths to the shallow water on the continental shelf, and the nature of the bottom. with these soundings we have obtained many interesting observations of the temperature of different layers of water in the sea. 'then we have added a great deal to the knowledge of life in the pack from observation of the whales, seals, penguins, birds, and fishes as well as of the pelagic beasts which are caught in tow-nets. life in one form or another is very plentiful in the pack, and the struggle for existence here as elsewhere is a fascinating subject for study. 'we have made a systematic study of the ice also, both the bergs and sea ice, and have got a good deal of useful information concerning it. also pennell has done a little magnetic work. 'but of course this slight list of activity in the cause of science is a very poor showing for the time of our numerous experts; many have had to be idle in regard to their own specialities, though none are idle otherwise. all the scientific people keep night watch when they have no special work to do, and i have never seen a party of men so anxious to be doing work or so cheerful in doing it. when there is anything to be done, such as making or shortening sail, digging ice from floes for the water supply, or heaving up the sounding line, it goes without saying that all the afterguard turn out to do it. there is no hesitation and no distinction. it will be the same when it comes to landing stores or doing any other hard manual labour. 'the spirit of the enterprise is as bright as ever. every one strives to help every one else, and not a word of complaint or anger has been heard on board. the inner life of our small community is very pleasant to think upon and very wonderful considering the extremely small space in which we are confined. 'the attitude of the men is equally worthy of admiration. in the forecastle as in the wardroom there is a rush to be first when work is to be done, and the same desire to sacrifice selfish consideration to the success of the expedition. it is very good to be able to write in such high praise of one's companions, and i feel that the possession of such support ought to ensure success. fortune would be in a hard mood indeed if it allowed such a combination of knowledge, experience, ability, and enthusiasm to achieve nothing.' chapter iii land _saturday, december_ . _new year's eve_.--obs. ° ' s., ° ' e. made good s. w. '; c. crozier s. w. '.--'the new year's eve found us in the ross sea, but not at the end of our misfortunes.' we had a horrible night. in the first watch we kept away points and set fore and aft sail. it did not increase our comfort but gave us greater speed. the night dragged slowly through. i could not sleep thinking of the sore strait for our wretched ponies. in the morning watch the wind and sea increased and the outlook was very distressing, but at six ice was sighted ahead. under ordinary conditions the safe course would have been to go about and stand to the east. but in our case we must risk trouble to get smoother water for the ponies. we passed a stream of ice over which the sea was breaking heavily and one realised the danger of being amongst loose floes in such a sea. but soon we came to a compacter body of floes, and running behind this we were agreeably surprised to find comparatively smooth water. we ran on for a bit, then stopped and lay to. now we are lying in a sort of ice bay--there is a mile or so of pack to windward, and two horns which form the bay embracing us. the sea is damped down to a gentle swell, although the wind is as strong as ever. as a result we are lying very comfortably. the ice is drifting a little faster than the ship so that we have occasionally to steam slowly to leeward. so far so good. from a dangerous position we have achieved one which only directly involved a waste of coal. the question is, which will last longest, the gale or our temporary shelter? rennick has just obtained a sounding of fathoms; taken in conjunction with yesterday's fathoms and ross's sounding of , this is interesting, showing the rapid gradient of the continental shelf. nelson is going to put over the feet agassiz trawl. unfortunately we could not clear the line for the trawl--it is stowed under the fodder. a light dredge was tried on a small manilla line--very little result. first the weights were insufficient to carry it to the bottom; a second time, with more weight and line, it seems to have touched for a very short time only; there was little of value in the catch, but the biologists are learning the difficulties of the situation. _evening_.--our protection grew less as the day advanced but saved us much from the heavy swell. at p.m. we started to steam west to gain fresh protection, there being signs of pack to south and west; the swell is again diminishing. the wind which started south yesterday has gone to s.s.w. (true), the main swell in from s.e. by s. or s.s.e. there seems to be another from south but none from the direction from which the wind is now blowing. the wind has been getting squally: now the squalls are lessening in force, the sky is clearing and we seem to be approaching the end of the blow. i trust it may be so and that the new year will bring us better fortune than the old. if so, it will be some pleasure to write for the last time.--land oh! at p.m. to-night as the clouds lifted to the west a distant but splendid view of the great mountains was obtained. all were in sunshine; sabine and whewell were most conspicuous--the latter from this view is a beautiful sharp peak, as remarkable a landmark as sabine itself. mount sabine was miles away when we saw it. i believe we could have seen it at a distance of or miles farther--such is the wonderful clearness of the atmosphere. finis _sunday, january_ .--obs. ° ' s. ° ' e. made good s. w. . ; c. crozier s. w. '.--at a.m. we proceeded, steaming slowly to the s.e. the wind having gone to the s.w. and fallen to force as we cleared the ice, we headed into a short steep swell, and for some hours the ship pitched most uncomfortably. at a.m. the ship was clear of the ice and headed south with fore and aft sail set. she is lying easier on this course, but there is still a good deal of motion, and would be more if we attempted to increase speed. oates reports that the ponies are taking it pretty well. soon after a.m. the sky cleared, and we have had brilliant sunshine throughout the day; the wind came from the n.w. this forenoon, but has dropped during the afternoon. we increased to revolutions at a.m. the swell is subsiding but not so quickly as i had expected. to-night it is absolutely calm, with glorious bright sunshine. several people were sunning themselves at o'clock! sitting on deck and reading. the land is clear to-night. coulman island miles west. sounding at p.m., fathoms. sounding at a.m., ,, _monday, january_ .--obs. ° ', ° '. made good s. w. '; c. crozier s. w. '.--it has been a glorious night followed by a glorious forenoon; the sun has been shining almost continuously. several of us drew a bucket of sea water and had a bath with salt water soap on the deck. the water was cold, of course, but it was quite pleasant to dry oneself in the sun. the deck bathing habit has fallen off since we crossed the antarctic circle, but bowers has kept going in all weathers. there is still a good deal of swell--difficult to understand after a day's calm--and less than miles of water to wind-ward. wilson saw and sketched the new white stomached whale seen by us in the pack. at . we sighted mount erebus, distant about miles; the sky is covered with light cumulus and an easterly wind has sprung up, force to . with all sail set we are making very good progress. _tuesday, january_ , a.m.--the conditions are very much the same as last night. we are only miles from c. crozier and the land is showing up well, though erebus is veiled in stratus cloud. it looks finer to the south and we may run into sunshine soon, but the wind is alarming and there is a slight swell which has little effect on the ship, but makes all the difference to our landing. for the moment it doesn't look hopeful. we have been continuing our line of soundings. from the bank we crossed in latitude ° the water has gradually got deeper, and we are now getting to fathoms against on the bank. the _discovery_ soundings give depths up to fathoms east of ross island. p.m.--no good!! alas! cape crozier with all its attractions is denied us. we came up to the barrier five miles east of the cape soon after p.m. the swell from the e.n.e. continued to the end. the barrier was not more than feet in height. from the crow's nest one could see well over it, and noted that there was a gentle slope for at least a mile towards the edge. the land of black (or white?) island could be seen distinctly behind, topping the huge lines of pressure ridges. we plotted the barrier edge from the point at which we met it to the crozier cliffs; to the eye it seems scarcely to have changed since _discovery_ days, and wilson thinks it meets the cliff in the same place. the barrier takes a sharp turn back at or miles from the cliffs, runs back for half a mile, then west again with a fairly regular surface until within a few hundred yards of the cliffs; the interval is occupied with a single high pressure ridge--the evidences of pressure at the edge being less marked than i had expected. ponting was very busy with cinematograph and camera. in the angle at the corner near the cliffs rennick got a sounding of fathoms and nelson some temperatures and samples. when lowering the water bottle on one occasion the line suddenly became slack at metres, then after a moment's pause began to run out again. we are curious to know the cause, and imagine the bottle struck a seal or whale. meanwhile, one of the whale boats was lowered and wilson, griffith taylor, priestley, evans, and i were pulled towards the shore. the after-guard are so keen that the proper boat's crew was displaced and the oars manned by oates, atkinson, and cherry-garrard, the latter catching several crabs. the swell made it impossible for us to land. i had hoped to see whether there was room to pass between the pressure ridge and the cliff, a route by which royds once descended to the emperor rookery; as we approached the corner we saw that a large piece of sea floe ice had been jammed between the barrier and the cliff and had buckled up till its under surface stood or ft. above the water. on top of this old floe we saw an old emperor moulting and a young one shedding its down. (the down had come off the head and flippers and commenced to come off the breast in a vertical line similar to the ordinary moult.) this is an age and stage of development of the emperor chick of which we have no knowledge, and it would have been a triumph to have secured the chick, but, alas! there was no way to get at it. another most curious sight was the feet and tails of two chicks and the flipper of an adult bird projecting from the ice on the under side of the jammed floe; they had evidently been frozen in above and were being washed out under the floe. finding it impossible to land owing to the swell, we pulled along the cliffs for a short way. these crozier cliffs are remarkably interesting. the rock, mainly volcanic tuff, includes thick strata of columnar basalt, and one could see beautiful designs of jammed and twisted columns as well as caves with whole and half pillars very much like a miniature giant's causeway. bands of bright yellow occurred in the rich brown of the cliffs, caused, the geologists think, by the action of salts on the brown rock. in places the cliffs overhung. in places, the sea had eaten long low caves deep under them, and continued to break into them over a shelving beach. icicles hung pendant everywhere, and from one fringe a continuous trickle of thaw water had swollen to a miniature waterfall. it was like a big hose playing over the cliff edge. we noticed a very clear echo as we passed close to a perpendicular rock face. later we returned to the ship, which had been trying to turn in the bay--she is not very satisfactory in this respect owing to the difficulty of starting the engines either ahead or astern--several minutes often elapse after the telegraph has been put over before there is any movement of the engines. it makes the position rather alarming when one is feeling one's way into some doubtful corner. when the whaler was hoisted we proceeded round to the penguin rookery; hopes of finding a quiet landing had now almost disappeared. there were several small grounded bergs close to the rookery; going close to these we got repeated soundings varying from down to fathoms. there is evidently a fairly extensive bank at the foot of the rookery. there is probably good anchorage behind some of the bergs, but none of these afford shelter for landing on the beach, on which the sea is now breaking incessantly; it would have taken weeks to land the ordinary stores and heaven only knows how we could have got the ponies and motor sledges ashore. reluctantly and sadly we have had to abandon our cherished plan--it is a thousand pities. every detail of the shore promised well for a wintering party. comfortable quarters for the hut, ice for water, snow for the animals, good slopes for ski-ing, vast tracks of rock for walks. proximity to the barrier and to the rookeries of two types of penguins--easy ascent of mount terror--good ground for biological work--good peaks for observation of all sorts--fairly easy approach to the southern road, with no chance of being cut off--and so forth. it is a thousand pities to have to abandon such a spot. on passing the rookery it seemed to me we had been wrong in assuming that all the guano is blown away. i think there must be a pretty good deposit in places. the penguins could be seen very clearly from the ship. on the large rookery they occupy an immense acreage, and one imagines have extended as far as shelter can be found. but on the small rookery they are patchy and there seems ample room for the further extension of the colonies. such unused spaces would have been ideal for a wintering station if only some easy way could have been found to land stores. i noted many groups of penguins on the snow slopes over-looking the sea far from the rookeries, and one finds it difficult to understand why they meander away to such places. a number of killer whales rose close to the ship when we were opposite the rookery. what an excellent time these animals must have with thousands of penguins passing to and fro! we saw our old _discovery_ post-office pole sticking up as erect as when planted, and we have been comparing all we have seen with old photographs. no change at all seems to have taken place anywhere, and this is very surprising in the case of the barrier edge. from the penguin rookeries to the west it is a relentless coast with high ice cliffs and occasional bare patches of rock showing through. even if landing were possible, the grimmest crevassed snow slopes lie behind to cut one off from the barrier surface; there is no hope of shelter till we reach cape royds. meanwhile all hands are employed making a running survey. i give an idea of the programme opposite. terror cleared itself of cloud some hours ago, and we have had some change in views of it. it is quite certain that the ascent would be easy. the bay on the north side of erebus is much deeper than shown on the chart. the sun has been obstinate all day, peeping out occasionally and then shyly retiring; it makes a great difference to comfort. _programme_ bruce continually checking speed with hand log. bowers taking altitudes of objects as they come abeam. nelson noting results. pennell taking verge plate bearings on bow and quarter. cherry-garrard noting results. evans taking verge plate bearings abeam. atkinson noting results. campbell taking distances abeam with range finder. wright noting results. rennick sounding with thomson machine. drake noting results. beaufort island looks very black from the south. . .--we find pack off cape bird; we have passed through some streams and there is some open water ahead, but i'm afraid we may find the ice pretty thick in the strait at this date. _wednesday, january_ , a.m.--we are around cape bird and in sight of our destination, but it is doubtful if the open water extends so far. we have advanced by following an open water lead close along the land. cape bird is a very rounded promontory with many headlands; it is not easy to say which of these is the cape. the same grim unattainable ice-clad coast line extends continuously from the cape crozier rookery to cape bird. west of c. bird there is a very extensive expanse of land, and on it one larger and several small penguin rookeries. on the uniform dark reddish brown of the land can be seen numerous grey spots; these are erratic boulders of granite. through glasses one could be seen perched on a peak at least feet above the sea. another group of killer whales were idly diving off the penguin rookery; an old one with a very high straight dorsal fin and several youngsters. we watched a small party of penguins leaping through the water towards their enemies. it seemed impossible that they should have failed to see the sinister fins during their frequent jumps into the air, yet they seemed to take no notice whatever--stranger still, the penguins must have actually crossed the whales, yet there was no commotion whatever, and presently the small birds could be seen leaping away on the other side. one can only suppose the whales are satiated. as we rounded cape bird we came in sight of the old well-remembered land marks--mount discovery and the western mountains--seen dimly through a hazy atmosphere. it was good to see them again, and perhaps after all we are better this side of the island. it gives one a homely feeling to see such a familiar scene. a.m.--the steep exposed hill sides on the west side of cape bird look like high cliffs as one gets south of them and form a most conspicuous land mark. we pushed past these cliffs into streams of heavy bay ice, making fair progress; as we proceeded the lanes became scarcer, the floes heavier, but the latter remain loose. 'many of us spent the night on deck as we pushed through the pack.' we have passed some very large floes evidently frozen in the strait. this is curious, as all previous evidence has pointed to the clearance of ice sheets north of cape royds early in the spring. i have observed several floes with an entirely new type of surface. they are covered with scales, each scale consisting of a number of little flaky ice sheets superimposed, and all 'dipping' at the same angle. it suggests to me a surface with sastrugi and layers of fine dust on which the snow has taken hold. we are within miles of cape royds and ought to get there. _wednesday, january_ , p.m..--this work is full of surprises. at a.m. we came through the last of the strait pack some three miles north of cape royds. we steered for the cape, fully expecting to find the edge of the pack ice ranging westward from it. to our astonishment we ran on past the cape with clear water or thin sludge ice on all sides of us. past cape royds, past cape barne, past the glacier on its south side, and finally round and past inaccessible island, a good miles south of cape royds. 'the cape itself was cut off from the south.' we could have gone farther, but the last sludge ice seemed to be increasing in thickness, and there was no wintering spot to aim for but cape armitage. [ ] 'i have never seen the ice of the sound in such a condition or the land so free from snow. taking these facts in conjunction with the exceptional warmth of the air, i came to the conclusion that it had been an exceptionally warm summer. at this point it was evident that we had a considerable choice of wintering spots. we could have gone to either of the small islands, to the mainland, the glacier tongue, or pretty well anywhere except hut point. my main wish was to choose a place that would not be easily cut off from the barrier, and my eye fell on a cape which we used to call the skuary a little behind us. it was separated from old _discovery_ quarters by two deep bays on either side of the glacier tongue, and i thought that these bays would remain frozen until late in the season, and that when they froze over again the ice would soon become firm.' i called a council and put these propositions. to push on to the glacier tongue and winter there; to push west to the 'tombstone' ice and to make our way to an inviting spot to the northward of the cape we used to call 'the skuary.' i favoured the latter course, and on discussion we found it obviously the best, so we turned back close around inaccessible island and steered for the fast ice off the cape at full speed. after piercing a small fringe of thin ice at the edge of the fast floe the ship's stem struck heavily on hard bay ice about a mile and a half from the shore. here was a road to the cape and a solid wharf on which to land our stores. we made fast with ice anchors. wilson, evans, and i went to the cape, which i had now rechristened cape evans in honour of our excellent second in command. a glance at the land showed, as we expected, ideal spots for our wintering station. the rock of the cape consists mainly of volcanic agglomerate with olivine kenyte; it is much weathered and the destruction had formed quantities of coarse sand. we chose a spot for the hut on a beach facing n.w. and well protected by numerous small hills behind. this spot seems to have all the local advantages (which i must detail later) for a winter station, and we realised that at length our luck had turned. the most favourable circumstance of all is the stronge chance of communication with cape armitage being established at an early date. it was in connection with this fact that i had had such a strong desire to go to mount terror, and such misgivings if we had been forced to go to cape royds. it is quite evident that the ice south of cape royds does not become secure till late in the season, probably in may. before that, all evidence seems to show that the part between cape royds and cape barne is continually going out. how, i ask myself, was our depot party to get back to home quarters? i feel confident we can get to the new spot we have chosen at a comparatively early date; it will probably only be necessary to cross the sea ice in the deep bays north and south of the glacier tongue, and the ice rarely goes out of there after it has first formed. even if it should, both stages can be seen before the party ventures upon them. after many frowns fortune has treated us to the kindest smile--for twenty-four hours we have had a calm with brilliant sunshine. such weather in such a place comes nearer to satisfying my ideal of perfection than any condition that i have ever experienced. the warm glow of the sun with the keen invigorating cold of the air forms a combination which is inexpressibly health-giving and satisfying to me, whilst the golden light on this wonderful scene of mountain and ice satisfies every claim of scenic magnificence. no words of mine can convey the impressiveness of the wonderful panorama displayed to our eyes. ponting is enraptured and uses expressions which in anyone else and alluding to any other subject might be deemed extravagant. the landing: a week's work whilst we were on shore campbell was taking the first steps towards landing our stores. two of the motor sledges were soon hoisted out, and day with others was quickly unpacking them. our luck stood again. in spite of all the bad weather and the tons of sea water which had washed over them the sledges and all the accessories appeared as fresh and clean as if they had been packed on the previous day--much credit is due to the officers who protected them with tarpaulins and lashings. after the sledges came the turn of the ponies--there was a good deal of difficulty in getting some of them into the horse box, but oates rose to the occasion and got most in by persuasion, whilst others were simply lifted in by the sailors. though all are thin and some few looked pulled down i was agreeably surprised at the evident vitality which they still possessed--some were even skittish. i cannot express the relief when the whole seventeen were safely picketed on the floe. from the moment of getting on the snow they seemed to take a new lease of life, and i haven't a doubt they will pick up very rapidly. it really is a triumph to have got them through safely and as well as they are. poor brutes, how they must have enjoyed their first roll, and how glad they must be to have freedom to scratch themselves! it is evident all have suffered from skin irritation--one can imagine the horror of suffering from such an ill for weeks without being able to get at the part that itched. i note that now they are picketed together they administer kindly offices to each other; one sees them gnawing away at each other's flanks in most amicable and obliging manner. meares and the dogs were out early, and have been running to and fro most of the day with light loads. the great trouble with them has been due to the fatuous conduct of the penguins. groups of these have been constantly leaping on to our floe. from the moment of landing on their feet their whole attitude expressed devouring curiosity and a pig-headed disregard for their own safety. they waddle forward, poking their heads to and fro in their usually absurd way, in spite of a string of howling dogs straining to get at them. 'hulloa,' they seem to say, 'here's a game--what do all you ridiculous things want?' and they come a few steps nearer. the dogs make a rush as far as their leashes or harness allow. the penguins are not daunted in the least, but their ruffs go up and they squawk with semblance of anger, for all the world as though they were rebuking a rude stranger--their attitude might be imagined to convey 'oh, that's the sort of animal you are; well, you've come to the wrong place--we aren't going to be bluffed and bounced by you,' and then the final fatal steps forward are taken and they come within reach. there is a spring, a squawk, a horrid red patch on the snow, and the incident is closed. nothing can stop these silly birds. members of our party rush to head them off, only to be met with evasions--the penguins squawk and duck as much as to say, 'what's it got to do with you, you silly ass? let us alone.' with the first spilling of blood the skua gulls assemble, and soon, for them at least, there is a gruesome satisfaction to be reaped. oddly enough, they don't seem to excite the dogs; they simply alight within a few feet and wait for their turn in the drama, clamouring and quarrelling amongst themselves when the spoils accrue. such incidents were happening constantly to-day, and seriously demoralising the dog teams. meares was exasperated again and again. the motor sledges were running by the afternoon, day managing one and nelson the other. in spite of a few minor breakdowns they hauled good loads to the shore. it is early to call them a success, but they are certainly extremely promising. the next thing to be got out of the ship was the hut, and the large quantity of timber comprising it was got out this afternoon. and so to-night, with the sun still shining, we look on a very different prospect from that of or even hours ago. i have just come back from the shore. the site for the hut is levelled and the erecting party is living on shore in our large green tent with a supply of food for eight days. nearly all the timber, &c., of the hut is on shore, the remainder half-way there. the ponies are picketed in a line on a convenient snow slope so that they cannot eat sand. oates and anton are sleeping ashore to watch over them. the dogs are tied to a long length of chain stretched on the sand; they are coiled up after a long day, looking fitter already. meares and demetri are sleeping in the green tent to look after them. a supply of food for ponies and dogs as well as for the men has been landed. two motor sledges in good working order are safely on the beach. a fine record for our first day's work. all hands start again at a.m. to-morrow. it's splendid to see at last the effect of all the months of preparation and organisation. there is much snoring about me as i write ( p.m.) from men tired after a hard day's work and preparing for such another to-morrow. i also must sleep, for i have had none for hours--but it should be to dream happily. _thursday, january_ .--all hands were up at this morning and at work at . words cannot express the splendid way in which everyone works and gradually the work gets organised. i was a little late on the scene this morning, and thereby witnessed a most extraordinary scene. some or killer whales, old and young, were skirting the fast floe edge ahead of the ship; they seemed excited and dived rapidly, almost touching the floe. as we watched, they suddenly appeared astern, raising their snouts out of water. i had heard weird stories of these beasts, but had never associated serious danger with them. close to the water's edge lay the wire stern rope of the ship, and our two esquimaux dogs were tethered to this. i did not think of connecting the movements of the whales with this fact, and seeing them so close i shouted to ponting, who was standing abreast of the ship. he seized his camera and ran towards the floe edge to get a close picture of the beasts, which had momentarily disappeared. the next moment the whole floe under him and the dogs heaved up and split into fragments. one could hear the 'booming' noise as the whales rose under the ice and struck it with their backs. whale after whale rose under the ice, setting it rocking fiercely; luckily ponting kept his feet and was able to fly to security. by an extraordinary chance also, the splits had been made around and between the dogs, so that neither of them fell into the water. then it was clear that the whales shared our astonishment, for one after another their huge hideous heads shot vertically into the air through the cracks which they had made. as they reared them to a height of or feet it was possible to see their tawny head markings, their small glistening eyes, and their terrible array of teeth--by far the largest and most terrifying in the world. there cannot be a doubt that they looked up to see what had happened to ponting and the dogs. the latter were horribly frightened and strained to their chains, whining; the head of one killer must certainly have been within feet of one of the dogs. after this, whether they thought the game insignificant, or whether they missed ponting is uncertain, but the terrifying creatures passed on to other hunting grounds, and we were able to rescue the dogs, and what was even more important, our petrol-- or tons of which was waiting on a piece of ice which was not split away from the main mass. of course, we have known well that killer whales continually skirt the edge of the floes and that they would undoubtedly snap up anyone who was unfortunate enough to fall into the water; but the facts that they could display such deliberate cunning, that they were able to break ice of such thickness (at least / feet), and that they could act in unison, were a revelation to us. it is clear that they are endowed with singular intelligence, and in future we shall treat that intelligence with every respect. notes on the killer or grampus (_orca gladiator_) one killed at greenwich, feet. teeth about / inches above jaw; about / inches total length. _'british quadrupeds'--bell:_ 'the fierceness and voracity of the killer, in which it surpasses all other known cetaceans.' in stomach of a ft. specimen were found remains of porpoises and seals. a herd of white whales has been seen driven into a bay and literally torn to pieces. teeth, large, conical, and slightly recurred, or on each side of either jaw. _'mammals'--flower and lydekker:_ 'distinguished from all their allies by great strength and ferocity.' 'combine in packs to hunt down and destroy . . . full sized whales.' '_marine mammalia'--scammon_: adult males average feet; females feet. strong sharp conical teeth which interlock. combines great strength with agility. spout 'low and bushy.' habits exhibit a boldness and cunning peculiar to their carnivorous propensities. three or four do not hesitate to grapple the largest baleen whales, who become paralysed with terror--frequently evince no efforts to escape. instances have occurred where a band of orcas laid siege to whales in tow, and although frequently lanced and cut with boat spades, made away with their prey. inclined to believe it rarely attacks larger cetaceans. possessed of great swiftness. sometimes seen peering above the surface with a seal in their bristling jaws, shaking and crushing their victims and swallowing them apparently with gusto. tear white whales into pieces. ponting has been ravished yesterday by a view of the ship seen from a big cave in an iceberg, and wished to get pictures of it. he succeeded in getting some splendid plates. this fore-noon i went to the iceberg with him and agreed that i had rarely seen anything more beautiful than this cave. it was really a sort of crevasse in a tilted berg parallel to the original surface; the strata on either side had bent outwards; through the back the sky could be seen through a screen of beautiful icicles--it looked a royal purple, whether by contrast with the blue of the cavern or whether from optical illusion i do not know. through the larger entrance could be seen, also partly through icicles, the ship, the western mountains, and a lilac sky; a wonderfully beautiful picture. ponting is simply entranced with this view of mt. erebus, and with the two bergs in the foreground and some volunteers he works up foregrounds to complete his picture of it. i go to bed very satisfied with the day's work, but hoping for better results with the improved organisation and familiarity with the work. to-day we landed the remainder of the woodwork of the hut, all the petrol, paraffin and oil of all descriptions, and a quantity of oats for the ponies besides odds and ends. the ponies are to begin work to-morrow; they did nothing to-day, but the motor sledges did well--they are steadying down to their work and made nothing but non-stop runs to-day. one begins to believe they will be reliable, but i am still fearing that they will not take such heavy loads as we hoped. day is very pleased and thinks he's going to do wonders, and nelson shares his optimism. the dogs find the day work terribly heavy and meares is going to put them on to night work. the framework of the hut is nearly up; the hands worked till a.m. this morning and were at it again at a.m.--an instance of the spirit which actuates everyone. the men teams formed of the after-guard brought in good loads, but they are not yet in condition. the hut is about or feet above the water as far as i can judge. i don't think spray can get so high in such a sheltered spot even if we get a northerly gale when the sea is open. in all other respects the situation is admirable. this work makes one very tired for diary-writing. _friday, january_ .--we got to work at again this morning. wilson, atkinson, cherry-garrard, and i took each a pony, returned to the ship, and brought a load ashore; we then changed ponies and repeated the process. we each took three ponies in the morning, and i took one in the afternoon. bruce, after relief by rennick, took one in the morning and one in the afternoon--of the remaining five oates deemed two unfit for work and three requiring some breaking in before getting to serious business. i was astonished at the strength of the beasts i handled; three out of the four pulled hard the whole time and gave me much exercise. i brought back loads of lbs. and on one occasion over lbs. with ponies, motor sledges, dogs, and men parties we have done an excellent day of transporting--another such day should practically finish all the stores and leave only fuel and fodder ( tons) to complete our landing. so far it has been remarkably expeditious. the motor sledges are working well, but not very well; the small difficulties will be got over, but i rather fear they will never draw the loads we expect of them. still they promise to be a help, and they are lively and attractive features of our present scene as they drone along over the floe. at a little distance, without silencers, they sound exactly like threshing machines. the dogs are getting better, but they only take very light loads still and get back from each journey pretty dead beat. in their present state they don't inspire confidence, but the hot weather is much against them. the men parties have done splendidly. campbell and his eastern party made eight journeys in the day, a distance over miles. everyone declares that the ski sticks greatly help pulling; it is surprising that we never thought of using them before. atkinson is very bad with snow blindness to-night; also bruce. others have a touch of the same disease. it's well for people to get experience of the necessity of safeguarding their eyes. the only thing which troubles me at present is the wear on our sledges owing to the hard ice. no great harm has been done so far, thanks to the excellent wood of which the runners are made, but we can't afford to have them worn. wilson carried out a suggestion of his own to-night by covering the runners of a -ft. sledge with strips from the skin of a seal which he killed and flensed for the purpose. i shouldn't wonder if this acted well, and if it does we will cover more sledges in a similar manner. we shall also try day's new under-runners to-morrow. after hours of brilliant sunshine we have a haze over the sky. list of sledges: ft. in use spare ft. not now used ft. in use to-day i walked over our peninsula to see what the southern side was like. hundreds of skuas were nesting and attacked in the usual manner as i passed. they fly round shrieking wildly until they have gained some altitude. they then swoop down with great impetus directly at one's head, lifting again when within a foot of it. the bolder ones actually beat on one's head with their wings as they pass. at first it is alarming, but experience shows that they never strike except with their wings. a skua is nesting on a rock between the ponies and the dogs. people pass every few minutes within a pace or two, yet the old bird has not deserted its chick. in fact, it seems gradually to be getting confidence, for it no longer attempts to swoop at the intruder. to-day ponting went within a few feet, and by dint of patience managed to get some wonderful cinematograph pictures of its movements in feeding and tending its chick, as well as some photographs of these events at critical times. the main channel for thaw water at cape evans is now quite a rushing stream. evans, pennell, and rennick have got sight for meridian distance; we ought to get a good longitude fix. _saturday, january_ .--the sun has returned. to-day it seemed better than ever and the glare was blinding. there are quite a number of cases of snow blindness. we have done splendidly. to-night all the provisions except some in bottles are ashore and nearly all the working paraphernalia of the scientific people--no light item. there remains some hut furniture, / tons of carbide, some bottled stuff, and some odds and ends which should occupy only part of to-morrow; then we come to the two last and heaviest items--coal and horse fodder. if we are not through in the week we shall be very near it. meanwhile the ship is able to lay at the ice edge without steam; a splendid saving. there has been a steady stream of cases passing along the shore route all day and transport arrangements are hourly improving. two parties of four and three officers made ten journeys each, covering over miles and dragging loads one way which averaged to lbs. per man. the ponies are working well now, but beginning to give some excitement. on the whole they are fairly quiet beasts, but they get restive with their loads, mainly but indirectly owing to the smoothness of the ice. they know perfectly well that the swingle trees and traces are hanging about their hocks and hate it. (i imagine it gives them the nervous feeling that they are going to be carried off their feet.) this makes it hard to start them, and when going they seem to appreciate the fact that the sledges will overrun them should they hesitate or stop. the result is that they are constantly fretful and the more nervous ones tend to become refractory and unmanageable. oates is splendid with them--i do not know what we should do without him. i did seven journeys with ponies and got off with a bump on the head and some scratches. one pony got away from debenham close to the ship, and galloped the whole way in with its load behind; the load capsized just off the shore and the animal and sledge dashed into the station. oates very wisely took this pony straight back for another load. two or three ponies got away as they were being harnessed, and careered up the hill again. in fact there were quite a lot of minor incidents which seemed to endanger life and limb to the animals if not the men, but which all ended safely. one of meares' dog teams ran away--one poor dog got turned over at the start and couldn't get up again (muk/aka). he was dragged at a gallop for nearly half a mile; i gave him up as dead, but apparently he was very little hurt. the ponies are certainly going to keep things lively as time goes on and they get fresher. even as it is, their condition can't be half as bad as we imagined; the runaway pony wasn't much done even after the extra trip. the station is beginning to assume the appearance of an orderly camp. we continue to find advantages in the situation; the long level beach has enabled bowers to arrange his stores in the most systematic manner. everything will be handy and there will never be a doubt as to the position of a case when it is wanted. the hut is advancing apace--already the matchboarding is being put on. the framework is being clothed. it should be extraordinarily warm and comfortable, for in addition to this double coating of insulation, dry seaweed in quilted sacking, i propose to stack the pony fodder all around it. i am wondering how we shall stable the ponies in the winter. the only drawback to the present position is that the ice is getting thin and sludgy in the cracks and on some of the floes. the ponies drop their feet through, but most of them have evidently been accustomed to something of the sort; they make no fuss about it. everything points to the desirability of the haste which we are making--so we go on to-morrow, sunday. a whole host of minor ills besides snow blindness have come upon us. sore faces and lips, blistered feet, cuts and abrasions; there are few without some troublesome ailment, but, of course, such things are 'part of the business.' the soles of my feet are infernally sore. 'of course the elements are going to be troublesome, but it is good to know them as the only adversary and to feel there is so small a chance of internal friction.' ponting had an alarming adventure about this time. bent on getting artistic photographs with striking objects, such as hummocked floes or reflecting water, in the foreground, he used to depart with his own small sledge laden with cameras and cinematograph to journey alone to the grounded icebergs. one morning as he tramped along harnessed to his sledge, his snow glasses clouded with the mist of perspiration, he suddenly felt the ice giving under his feet. he describes the sensation as the worst he ever experienced, and one can well believe it; there was no one near to have lent assistance had he gone through. instinctively he plunged forward, the ice giving at every step and the sledge dragging through water. providentially the weak area he had struck was very limited, and in a minute or two he pulled out on a firm surface. he remarked that he was perspiring very freely! looking back it is easy to see that we were terribly incautious in our treatment of this decaying ice. chapter iv settling in _sunday, january _.--a day of disaster. i stupidly gave permission for the third motor to be got out this morning. this was done first thing and the motor placed on firm ice. later campbell told me one of the men had dropped a leg through crossing a sludgy patch some yards from the ship. i didn't consider it very serious, as i imagined the man had only gone through the surface crust. about a.m. i started for the shore with a single man load, leaving campbell looking about for the best crossing for the motor. i sent meares and the dogs over with a can of petrol on arrival. after some twenty minutes he returned to tell me the motor had gone through. soon after campbell and day arrived to confirm the dismal tidings. it appears that getting frightened of the state of affairs campbell got out a line and attached it to the motor--then manning the line well he attempted to rush the machine across the weak place. a man on the rope, wilkinson, suddenly went through to the shoulders, but was immediately hauled out. during the operation the ice under the motor was seen to give, and suddenly it and the motor disappeared. the men kept hold of the rope, but it cut through the ice towards them with an ever increasing strain, obliging one after another to let go. half a minute later nothing remained but a big hole. perhaps it was lucky there was no accident to the men, but it's a sad incident for us in any case. it's a big blow to know that one of the two best motors, on which so much time and trouble have been spent, now lies at the bottom of the sea. the actual spot where the motor disappeared was crossed by its fellow motor with a very heavy load as well as by myself with heavy ponies only yesterday. meares took campbell back and returned with the report that the ice in the vicinity of the accident was hourly getting more dangerous. it was clear that we were practically cut off, certainly as regards heavy transport. bowers went back again with meares and managed to ferry over some wind clothes and odds and ends. since that no communication has been held; the shore party have been working, but the people on board have had a half holiday. at i went to the ice edge farther to the north. i found a place where the ship could come and be near the heavy ice over which sledging is still possible. i went near the ship and semaphored directions for her to get to this place as soon as she could, using steam if necessary. she is at present wedged in with the pack, and i think pennell hopes to warp her along when the pack loosens. meares and i marked the new trail with kerosene tins before returning. so here we are waiting again till fortune is kinder. meanwhile the hut proceeds; altogether there are four layers of boarding to go on, two of which are nearing completion; it will be some time before the rest and the insulation is on. it's a big job getting settled in like this and a tantalising one when one is hoping to do some depot work before the season closes. we had a keen north wind to-night and a haze, but wind is dropping and sun shining brightly again. to-day seemed to be the hottest we have yet had; after walking across i was perspiring freely, and later as i sat in the sun after lunch one could almost imagine a warm summer day in england. this is my first night ashore. i'm writing in one of my new domed tents which makes a very comfortable apartment. _monday, january_ .--i didn't poke my nose out of my tent till . , and the first object i saw was the ship, which had not previously been in sight from our camp. she was now working her way along the ice edge with some difficulty. i heard afterwards that she had started at . and she reached the point i marked yesterday at . . after breakfast i went on board and was delighted to find a good solid road right up to the ship. a flag was hoisted immediately for the ponies to come out, and we commenced a good day's work. all day the sledges have been coming to and fro, but most of the pulling work has been done by the ponies: the track is so good that these little animals haul anything from to cwt. both dogs and men parties have been a useful addition to the haulage--no party or no single man comes over without a load averaging lbs. per man. the dogs, working five to a team, haul to cwt. and of course they travel much faster than either ponies or men. in this way we transported a large quantity of miscellaneous stores; first about tons of coal for present use, then / tons of carbide, all the many stores, chimney and ventilators for the hut, all the biologists' gear--a big pile, the remainder of the physicists' gear and medical stores, and many old cases; in fact a general clear up of everything except the two heavy items of forage and fuel. later in the day we made a start on the first of these, and got tons ashore before ceasing work. we close with a good day to our credit, marred by an unfortunate incident--one of the dogs, a good puller, was seen to cough after a journey; he was evidently trying to bring something up--two minutes later he was dead. nobody seems to know the reason, but a post-mortem is being held by atkinson and i suppose the cause of death will be found. we can't afford to lose animals of any sort. all the ponies except three have now brought loads from the ship. oates thinks these three are too nervous to work over this slippery surface. however, he tried one of the hardest cases to-night, a very fine pony, and got him in successfully with a big load. to-morrow we ought to be running some twelve or thirteen of these animals. griffith taylor's bolted on three occasions, the first two times more or less due to his own fault, but the third owing to the stupidity of one of the sailors. nevertheless a third occasion couldn't be overlooked by his messmates, who made much merriment of the event. it was still funnier when he brought his final load (an exceptionally heavy one) with a set face and ardent pace, vouchsafing not a word to anyone he passed. we have achieved fair organisation to-day. evans is in charge of the road and periodically goes along searching for bad places and bridging cracks with boards and snow. bowers checks every case as it comes on shore and dashes off to the ship to arrange the precedence of different classes of goods. he proves a perfect treasure; there is not a single case he does not know or a single article of any sort which he cannot put his hand on at once. rennick and bruce are working gallantly at the discharge of stores on board. williamson and leese load the sledges and are getting very clever and expeditious. evans (seaman) is generally superintending the sledging and camp outfit. forde, keohane, and abbott are regularly assisting the carpenter, whilst day, lashly, lillie, and others give intermittent help. wilson, cherry-garrard, wright, griffith taylor, debenham, crean, and browning have been driving ponies, a task at which i have assisted myself once or twice. there was a report that the ice was getting rotten, but i went over it myself and found it sound throughout. the accident with the motor sledge has made people nervous. the weather has been very warm and fine on the whole, with occasional gleams of sunshine, but to-night there is a rather chill wind from the south. the hut is progressing famously. in two more working days we ought to have everything necessary on shore. _tuesday, january_ .--we have been six days in mcmurdo sound and to-night i can say we are landed. were it impossible to land another pound we could go on without hitch. nothing like it has been done before; nothing so expeditious and complete. this morning the main loads were fodder. sledge after sledge brought the bales, and early in the afternoon the last (except for about a ton stowed with eastern party stores) was brought on shore. some addition to our patent fuel was made in the morning, and later in the afternoon it came in a steady stream. we have more than tons and could make this do if necessity arose. in addition to this oddments have been arriving all day--instruments, clothing, and personal effects. our camp is becoming so perfect in its appointments that i am almost suspicious of some drawback hidden by the summer weather. the hut is progressing apace, and all agree that it should be the most perfectly comfortable habitation. 'it amply repays the time and attention given to the planning.' the sides have double boarding inside and outside the frames, with a layer of our excellent quilted seaweed insulation between each pair of boardings. the roof has a single matchboarding inside, but on the outside is a matchboarding, then a layer of -ply 'ruberoid,' then a layer of quilted seaweed, then a second matchboarding, and finally a cover of -ply 'ruberoid.' the first floor is laid, but over this there will be a quilting, a felt layer, a second boarding, and finally linoleum; as the plenteous volcanic sand can be piled well up on every side it is impossible to imagine that draughts can penetrate into the hut from beneath, and it is equally impossible to imagine great loss of heat by contact or radiation in that direction. to add to the wall insulation the south and east sides of the hut are piled high with compressed forage bales, whilst the north side is being prepared as a winter stable for the ponies. the stable will stand between the wall of the hut and a wall built of forage bales, six bales high and two bales thick. this will be roofed with rafters and tarpaulin, as we cannot find enough boarding. we shall have to take care that too much snow does not collect on the roof, otherwise the place should do excellently well. some of the ponies are very troublesome, but all except two have been running to-day, and until this evening there were no excitements. after tea oates suggested leading out the two intractable animals behind other sledges; at the same time he brought out the strong, nervous grey pony. i led one of the supposedly safe ponies, and all went well whilst we made our journey; three loads were safely brought in. but whilst one of the sledges was being unpacked the pony tied to it suddenly got scared. away he dashed with sledge attached; he made straight for the other ponies, but finding the incubus still fast to him he went in wider circles, galloped over hills and boulders, narrowly missing ponting and his camera, and finally dashed down hill to camp again pretty exhausted--oddly enough neither sledge nor pony was much damaged. then we departed again in the same order. half-way over the floe my rear pony got his foreleg foul of his halter, then got frightened, tugged at his halter, and lifted the unladen sledge to which he was tied--then the halter broke and away he went. but by this time the damage was done. my pony snorted wildly and sprang forward as the sledge banged to the ground. i just managed to hold him till oates came up, then we started again; but he was thoroughly frightened--all my blandishments failed when he reared and plunged a second time, and i was obliged to let go. he galloped back and the party dejectedly returned. at the camp evans got hold of the pony, but in a moment it was off again, knocking evans off his legs. finally he was captured and led forth once more between oates and anton. he remained fairly well on the outward journey, but on the homeward grew restive again; evans, who was now leading him, called for anton, and both tried to hold him, but to no purpose--he dashed off, upset his load, and came back to camp with the sledge. all these troubles arose after he had made three journeys without a hitch and we had come to regard him as a nice, placid, gritty pony. now i'm afraid it will take a deal of trouble to get him safe again, and we have three very troublesome beasts instead of two. i have written this in some detail to show the unexpected difficulties that arise with these animals, and the impossibility of knowing exactly where one stands. the majority of our animals seem pretty quiet now, but any one of them may break out in this way if things go awry. there is no doubt that the bumping of the sledges close at the heels of the animals is the root of the evil. the weather has the appearance of breaking. we had a strongish northerly breeze at midday with snow and hail storms, and now the wind has turned to the south and the sky is overcast with threatenings of a blizzard. the floe is cracking and pieces may go out--if so the ship will have to get up steam again. the hail at noon made the surface very bad for some hours; the men and dogs felt it most. the dogs are going well, but meares says he thinks that several are suffering from snow blindness. i never knew a dog get it before, but day says that shackleton's dogs suffered from it. the post-mortem on last night's death revealed nothing to account for it. atkinson didn't examine the brain, and wonders if the cause lay there. there is a certain satisfaction in believing that there is nothing infectious. _wednesday, january_ ll.--a week here to-day--it seems quite a month, so much has been crammed into a short space of time. the threatened blizzard materialised at about four o'clock this morning. the wind increased to force six or seven at the ship, and continued to blow, with drift, throughout the forenoon. campbell and his sledging party arrived at the camp at . a.m. bringing a small load: there seemed little object, but i suppose they like the experience of a march in the blizzard. they started to go back, but the ship being blotted out, turned and gave us their company at breakfast. the day was altogether too bad for outside work, so we turned our attention to the hut interior, with the result that to-night all the matchboarding is completed. the floor linoleum is the only thing that remains to be put down; outside, the roof and ends have to be finished. then there are several days of odd jobs for the carpenter, and all will be finished. it is a first-rate building in an extraordinarily sheltered spot; whilst the wind was raging at the ship this morning we enjoyed comparative peace. campbell says there was an extraordinary change as he approached the beach. i sent two or three people to dig into the hard snow drift behind the camp; they got into solid ice immediately, became interested in the job, and have begun the making of a cave which is to be our larder. already they have tunnelled or feet in and have begun side channels. in a few days they will have made quite a spacious apartment--an ideal place to keep our meat store. we had been speculating as to the origin of this solid drift and attached great antiquity to it, but the diggers came to a patch of earth with skua feathers, which rather knocks our theories on the head. the wind began to drop at midday, and after lunch i went to the ship. i was very glad to learn that she can hold steam at two hours' notice on an expenditure of cwt. the ice anchors had held well during the blow. as far as i can see the open water extends to an east and west line which is a little short of the glacier tongue. to-night the wind has dropped altogether and we return to the glorious conditions of a week ago. i trust they may last for a few days at least. _thursday, january_ .--bright sun again all day, but in the afternoon a chill wind from the s.s.w. again we are reminded of the shelter afforded by our position; to-night the anemometers on observatory hill show a -mile wind--down in our valley we only have mild puffs. sledging began as usual this morning; seven ponies and the dog teams were hard at it all the forenoon. i ran six journeys with five dogs, driving them in the siberian fashion for the first time. it was not difficult, but i kept forgetting the russian words at critical moments: 'ki'--'right'; 'tchui'--'left'; 'itah'--'right ahead'; [here is a blank in memory and in diary]--'get along'; 'paw'--'stop.' even my short experience makes me think that we may have to reorganise this driving to suit our particular requirements. i am inclined for smaller teams and the driver behind the sledge. however, it's early days to decide such matters, and we shall learn much on the depot journey. early in the afternoon a message came from the ship to say that all stores had been landed. nothing remains to be brought but mutton, books and pictures, and the pianola. so at last we really are a self-contained party ready for all emergencies. we are landed eight days after our arrival--a very good record. the hut could be inhabited at this moment, but probably we shall not begin to live in it for a week. meanwhile the carpenter will go on steadily fitting up the dark room and various other compartments as well as simpson's corner. [ ] the grotto party are making headway into the ice for our larder, but it is slow and very arduous work. however, once made it will be admirable in every way. to-morrow we begin sending ballast off to the ship; some tons will be sledged off by the ponies. the hut and grotto parties will continue, and the arrangements for the depot journey will be commenced. i discussed these with bowers this afternoon--he is a perfect treasure, enters into one's ideas at once, and evidently thoroughly understands the principles of the game. i have arranged to go to hut point with meares and some dogs to-morrow to test the ice and see how the land lies. as things are at present we ought to have little difficulty in getting the depot party away any time before the end of the month, but the ponies will have to cross the cape [ ] without loads. there is a way down on the south side straight across, and another way round, keeping the land on the north side and getting on ice at the cape itself. probably the ship will take the greater part of the loads. _saturday, january_ .--the completion of our station is approaching with steady progress. the wind was strong from the s.s.e. yesterday morning, sweeping over the camp; the temperature fell to °, the sky became overcast. to the south the land outlines were hazy with drift, so my dog tour was abandoned. in the afternoon, with some moderation of conditions, the ballast party went to work, and wrought so well that more than tons were got off before night. the organisation of this work is extremely good. the loose rocks are pulled up, some or feet up the hillside, placed on our heavy rough sledges and rushed down to the floe on a snow track; here they are laden on pony sledges and transported to the ship. i slept on board the ship and found it colder than the camp--the cabins were below freezing all night and the only warmth existed in the cheery spirit of the company. the cold snap froze the water in the boiler and williams had to light one of the fires this morning. i shaved and bathed last night (the first time for days) and wrote letters from breakfast till tea time to-day. meanwhile the ballast team has been going on merrily, and to-night pennell must have some tons on board. it was good to return to the camp and see the progress which had been made even during such a short absence. the grotto has been much enlarged and is, in fact, now big enough to hold all our mutton and a considerable quantity of seal and penguin. close by simpson and wright have made surprising progress in excavating for the differential magnetic hut. they have already gone in feet and, turning a corner, commenced the chamber, which is to be feet × feet. the hard ice of this slope is a godsend and both grottoes will be ideal for their purposes. the cooking range and stove have been placed in the hut and now chimneys are being constructed; the porch is almost finished as well as the interior; the various carpenters are busy with odd jobs and it will take them some time to fix up the many small fittings that different people require. i have been making arrangements for the depôt journey, telling off people for ponies and dogs, &c._ _ to-morrow is to be our first rest day, but next week everything will be tending towards sledging preparations. i have also been discussing and writing about the provisions of animals to be brought down in the _terra nova_ next year. the wind is very persistent from the s.s.e., rising and falling; to-night it has sprung up again, and is rattling the canvas of the tent. some of the ponies are not turning out so well as i expected; they are slow walkers and must inevitably impede the faster ones. two of the best had been told off for campbell by oates, but i must alter the arrangement. 'then i am not quite sure they are going to stand the cold well, and on this first journey they may have to face pretty severe conditions. then, of course, there is the danger of losing them on thin ice or by injury sustained in rough places. although we have fifteen now (two having gone for the eastern party) it is not at all certain that we shall have such a number when the main journey is undertaken next season. one can only be careful and hope for the best.' _sunday, january_ .--we had decided to observe this day as a 'day of rest,' and so it has been. at one time or another the majority have employed their spare hours in writing letters. we rose late, having breakfast at nine. the morning promised well and the day fulfilled the promise: we had bright sunshine and practically no wind. at a.m. the men and officers streamed over from the ship, and we all assembled on the beach and i read divine service, our first service at the camp and impressive in the open air. after service i told campbell that i should have to cancel his two ponies and give him two others. he took it like the gentleman he is, thoroughly appreciating the reason. he had asked me previously to be allowed to go to cape royds over the glacier and i had given permission. after our talk we went together to explore the route, which we expected to find much crevassed. i only intended to go a short way, but on reaching the snow above the uncovered hills of our cape i found the surface so promising and so free from cracks that i went quite a long way. eventually i turned, leaving campbell, gran, and nelson roped together and on ski to make their way onward, but not before i felt certain that the route to cape royds would be quite easy. as we topped the last rise we saw taylor and wright some way ahead on the slope; they had come up by a different route. evidently they are bound for the same goal. i returned to camp, and after lunch meares and i took a sledge and nine dogs over the cape to the sea ice on the south side and started for hut point. we took a little provision and a cooker and our sleeping-bags. meares had found a way over the cape which was on snow all the way except about yards. the dogs pulled well, and we went towards the glacier tongue at a brisk pace; found much of the ice uncovered. towards the glacier tongue there were some heaps of snow much wind blown. as we rose the glacier we saw the _nimrod_ depot some way to the right and made for it. we found a good deal of compressed fodder and boxes of maize, but no grain crushed as expected. the open water was practically up to the glacier tongue. we descended by an easy slope / mile from the end of the glacier tongue, but found ourselves cut off by an open crack some feet across and had to get on the glacier again and go some / mile farther in. we came to a second crack, but avoided it by skirting to the west. from this point we had an easy run without difficulty to hut point. there was a small pool of open water and a longish crack off hut point. i got my feet very wet crossing the latter. we passed hundreds of seals at the various cracks. on the arrival at the hut to my chagrin we found it filled with snow. shackleton reported that the door had been forced by the wind, but that he had made an entrance by the window and found shelter inside--other members of his party used it for shelter. but they actually went away and left the window (which they had forced) open; as a result, nearly the whole of the interior of the hut is filled with hard icy snow, and it is now impossible to find shelter inside. meares and i were able to clamber over the snow to some extent and to examine the neat pile of cases in the middle, but they will take much digging out. we got some asbestos sheeting from the magnetic hut and made the best shelter we could to boil our cocoa. there was something too depressing in finding the old hut in such a desolate condition. i had had so much interest in seeing all the old landmarks and the huts apparently intact. to camp outside and feel that all the old comfort and cheer had departed, was dreadfully heartrending. i went to bed thoroughly depressed. it stems a fundamental expression of civilised human sentiment that men who come to such places as this should leave what comfort they can to welcome those who follow. _monday, january_ .--we slept badly till the morning and, therefore, late. after breakfast we went up the hills; there was a keen s.e. breeze, but the sun shone and my spirits revived. there was very much less snow everywhere than i had ever seen. the ski run was completely cut through in two places, the gap and observation hill almost bare, a great bare slope on the side of arrival heights, and on top of crater heights an immense bare table-land. how delighted we should have been to see it like this in the old days! the pond was thawed and the #confervae green in fresh water. the hole which we had dug in the mound in the pond was still there, as meares discovered by falling into it up to his waist and getting very wet. on the south side we could see the pressure ridges beyond pram point as of old--horseshoe bay calm and unpressed--the sea ice pressed on pram point and along the gap ice foot, and a new ridge running around c. armitage about miles off. we saw ferrar's old thermometer tubes standing out of the snow slope as though they'd been placed yesterday. vince's cross might have been placed yesterday--the paint was so fresh and the inscription so legible. the flagstaff was down, the stays having carried away, but in five minutes it could be put up again. we loaded some asbestos sheeting from the old magnetic hut on our sledges for simpson, and by standing / mile off hut point got a clear run to glacier tongue. i had hoped to get across the wide crack by going west, but found that it ran for a great distance and had to get on the glacier at the place at which we had left it. we got to camp about teatime. i found our larder in the grotto completed and stored with mutton and penguins--the temperature inside has never been above °, so that it ought to be a fine place for our winter store. simpson has almost completed the differential magnetic cave next door. the hut stove was burning well and the interior of the building already warm and homelike--a day or two and we shall be occupying it. i took ponting out to see some interesting thaw effects on the ice cliffs east of the camp. i noted that the ice layers were pressing out over thin dirt bands as though the latter made the cleavage lines over which the strata slid. it has occurred to me that although the sea ice may freeze in our bays early in march it will be a difficult thing to get ponies across it owing to the cliff edges at the side. we must therefore be prepared to be cut off for a longer time than i anticipated. i heard that all the people who journeyed towards c. royds yesterday reached their destination in safety. campbell, levick, and priestley had just departed when i returned._ _ _tuesday, january_ .--we took up our abode in the hut to-day and are simply overwhelmed with its comfort. after breakfast this morning i found bowers making cubicles as i had arranged, but i soon saw these would not fit in, so instructed him to build a bulkhead of cases which shuts off the officers' space from the men's, i am quite sure to the satisfaction of both. the space between my bulkhead and the men's i allotted to five: bowers, oates, atkinson, meares, and cherry-garrard. these five are all special friends and have already made their dormitory very habitable. simpson and wright are near the instruments in their corner. next come day and nelson in a space which includes the latter's 'lab.' near the big window; next to this is a space for three--debenham, taylor, and gran; they also have already made their space part dormitory and part workshop. it is fine to see the way everyone sets to work to put things straight; in a day or two the hut will become the most comfortable of houses, and in a week or so the whole station, instruments, routine, men and animals, &c., will be in working order. it is really wonderful to realise the amount of work which has been got through of late. it will be a _fortnight to-morrow_ since we arrived in mcmurdo sound, and here we are absolutely settled down and ready to start on our depôt journey directly the ponies have had a proper chance to recover from the effects of the voyage. i had no idea we should be so expeditious. it snowed hard all last night; there were about three or four inches of soft snow over the camp this morning and simpson tells me some six inches out by the ship. the camp looks very white. during the day it has been blowing very hard from the south, with a great deal of drift. here in this camp as usual we do not feel it much, but we see the anemometer racing on the hill and the snow clouds sweeping past the ship. the floe is breaking between the point and the ship, though curiously it remains fast on a direct route to the ship. now the open water runs parallel to our ship road and only a few hundred yards south of it. yesterday the whaler was rowed in close to the camp, and if the ship had steam up she could steam round to within a few hundred yards of us. the big wedge of ice to which the ship is holding on the outskirts of the bay can have very little grip to keep it in and must inevitably go out very soon. i hope this may result in the ship finding a more sheltered and secure position close to us. a big iceberg sailed past the ship this afternoon. atkinson declares it was the end of the cape barne glacier. i hope they will know in the ship, as it would be interesting to witness the birth of a glacier in this region. it is clearing to-night, but still blowing hard. the ponies don't like the wind, but they are all standing the cold wonderfully and all their sores are healed up. _wednesday, january_ .--the ship had a poor time last night; steam was ordered, but the floe began breaking up fast at a.m., and the rest of the night was passed in struggling with ice anchors; steam was reported ready just as the ship broke adrift. in the morning she secured to the ice edge on the same line as before but a few hundred yards nearer. after getting things going at the hut, i walked over and suggested that pennell should come round the corner close in shore. the ice anchors were tripped and we steamed slowly in, making fast to the floe within yards of the ice foot and yards of the hut. for the present the position is extraordinarily comfortable. with a southerly blow she would simply bind on to the ice, receiving great shelter from the end of the cape. with a northerly blow she might turn rather close to the shore, where the soundings run to fathoms, but behind such a stretch of ice she could scarcely get a sea or swell without warning. it looks a wonderfully comfortable little nook, but, of course, one can be certain of nothing in this place; one knows from experience how deceptive the appearance of security may be. pennell is truly excellent in his present position--he's invariably cheerful, unceasingly watchful, and continuously ready for emergencies. i have come to possess implicit confidence in him. the temperature fell to ° last night, with a keen s.s.e. breeze; it was very unpleasant outside after breakfast. later in the forenoon the wind dropped and the sun shone forth. this afternoon it fell almost calm, but the sky clouded over again and now there is a gentle warm southerly breeze with light falling snow and an overcast sky. rather significant of a blizzard if we had not had such a lot of wind lately. the position of the ship makes the casual transport that still proceeds very easy, but the ice is rather thin at the edge. in the hut all is marching towards the utmost comfort. bowers has completed a storeroom on the south side, an excellent place to keep our travelling provisions. every day he conceives or carries out some plan to benefit the camp. simpson and wright are worthy of all admiration: they have been unceasingly active in getting things to the fore and i think will be ready for routine work much earlier than was anticipated. but, indeed, it is hard to specialise praise where everyone is working so indefatigably for the cause. each man in his way is a treasure. clissold the cook has started splendidly, has served seal, penguin, and skua now, and i can honestly say that i have never met these articles of food in such a pleasing guise; 'this point is of the greatest practical importance, as it means the certainty of good health for any number of years.' hooper was landed to-day, much to his joy. he got to work at once, and will be a splendid help, freeing the scientific people of all dirty work. anton and demetri are both most anxious to help on all occasions; they are excellent boys. _thursday, january_ .--the hut is becoming the most comfortable dwelling-place imaginable. we have made unto ourselves a truly seductive home, within the walls of which peace, quiet, and comfort reign supreme. such a noble dwelling transcends the word 'hut,' and we pause to give it a more fitting title only from lack of the appropriate suggestion. what shall we call it? 'the word "hut" is misleading. our residence is really a house of considerable size, in every respect the finest that has ever been erected in the polar regions; ft. long by wide and ft. to the eaves. 'if you can picture our house nestling below this small hill on a long stretch of black sand, with many tons of provision cases ranged in neat blocks in front of it and the sea lapping the icefoot below, you will have some idea of our immediate vicinity. as for our wider surroundings it would be difficult to describe their beauty in sufficiently glowing terms. cape evans is one of the many spurs of erebus and the one that stands closest under the mountain, so that always towering above us we have the grand snowy peak with its smoking summit. north and south of us are deep bays, beyond which great glaciers come rippling over the lower slopes to thrust high blue-walled snouts into the sea. the sea is blue before us, dotted with shining bergs or ice floes, whilst far over the sound, yet so bold and magnificent as to appear near, stand the beautiful western mountains with their numerous lofty peaks, their deep glacial valley and clear cut scarps, a vision of mountain scenery that can have few rivals. 'ponting is the most delighted of men; he declares this is the most beautiful spot he has ever seen and spends all day and most of the night in what he calls "gathering it in" with camera and cinematograph.' the wind has been boisterous all day, to advantage after the last snow fall, as it has been drifting the loose snow along and hardening the surfaces. the horses don't like it, naturally, but it wouldn't do to pamper them so soon before our journey. i think the hardening process must be good for animals though not for men; nature replies to it in the former by growing a thick coat with wonderful promptitude. it seems to me that the shaggy coats of our ponies are already improving. the dogs seem to feel the cold little so far, but they are not so exposed. a milder situation might be found for the ponies if only we could picket them off the snow. bowers has completed his southern storeroom and brought the wing across the porch on the windward side, connecting the roofing with that of the porch. the improvement is enormous and will make the greatest difference to those who dwell near the door. the carpenter has been setting up standards and roof beams for the stables, which will be completed in a few days. internal affairs have been straightening out as rapidly as before, and every hour seems to add some new touch for the better. this morning i overhauled all the fur sleeping-bags and found them in splendid order--on the whole the skins are excellent. since that i have been trying to work out sledge details, but my head doesn't seem half as clear on the subject as it ought to be. i have fixed the th as the date for our departure. evans is to get all the sledges and gear ready whilst bowers superintends the filling of provision bags. griffith taylor and his companions have been seeking advice as to their western trip. wilson, dear chap, has been doing his best to coach them. ponting has fitted up his own dark room--doing the carpentering work with extraordinary speed and to everyone's admiration. to-night he made a window in the dark room in an hour or so. meares has become enamoured of the gramophone. we find we have a splendid selection of records. the pianola is being brought in sections, but i'm not at all sure it will be worth the trouble. oates goes steadily on with the ponies--he is perfectly excellent and untiring in his devotion to the animals. day and nelson, having given much thought to the proper fitting up of their corner, have now begun work. there seems to be little doubt that these ingenious people will make the most of their allotted space. i have done quite a lot of thinking over the autumn journeys and a lot remains to be done, mainly on account of the prospect of being cut off from our winter quarters; for this reason we must have a great deal of food for animals and men. _friday, january_ .--our house has assumed great proportions. bowers' annexe is finished, roof and all thoroughly snow tight; an excellent place for spare clothing, furs, and ready use stores, and its extension affording complete protection to the entrance porch of the hut. the stables are nearly finished--a thoroughly stout well-roofed lean-to on the north side. nelson has a small extension on the east side and simpson a prearranged projection on the s.e. corner, so that on all sides the main building has thrown out limbs. simpson has almost completed his ice cavern, light-tight lining, niches, floor and all. wright and forde have almost completed the absolute hut, a patchwork building for which the framework only was brought--but it will be very well adapted for our needs. gran has been putting 'record' on the ski runners. record is a mixture of vegetable tar, paraffin, soft soap, and linseed oil, with some patent addition which prevents freezing--this according to gran. p.o. evans and crean have been preparing sledges; evans shows himself wonderfully capable, and i haven't a doubt as to the working of the sledges he has fitted up. we have been serving out some sledging gear and wintering boots. we are delighted with everything. first the felt boots and felt slippers made by jaeger and then summer wind clothes and fur mits--nothing could be better than these articles. finally to-night we have overhauled and served out two pairs of finnesko (fur boots) to each traveller. they are excellent in quality. at first i thought they seemed small, but a stiffness due to cold and dryness misled me--a little stretching and all was well. they are very good indeed. i have an idea to use putties to secure our wind trousers to the finnesko. but indeed the whole time we are thinking of devices to make our travelling work easier. 'we have now tried most of our stores, and so far we have not found a single article that is not perfectly excellent in quality and preservation. we are well repaid for all the trouble which was taken in selecting the food list and the firms from which the various articles could best be obtained, and we are showering blessings on mr. wyatt's head for so strictly safeguarding our interests in these particulars. 'our clothing is as good as good. in fact first and last, running through the whole extent of our outfit, i can say with some pride that there is not a single arrangement which i would have had altered.' an emperor penguin was found on the cape well advanced in moult, a good specimen skin. atkinson found cysts formed by a tapeworm in the intestines. it seems clear that this parasite is not transferred from another host, and that its history is unlike that of any other known tapeworm--in fact, atkinson scores a discovery in parasitology of no little importance. the wind has turned to the north to-night and is blowing quite fresh. i don't much like the position of the ship as the ice is breaking away all the time. the sky is quite clear and i don't think the wind often lasts long under such conditions. the pianola has been erected by rennick. he is a good fellow and one feels for him much at such a time--it must be rather dreadful for him to be returning when he remembers that he was once practically one of the shore party._ _ the pianola has been his special care, and it shows well that he should give so much pains in putting it right for us. day has been explaining the manner in which he hopes to be able to cope with the motor sledge difficulty. he is hopeful of getting things right, but i fear it won't do to place more reliance on the machines. everything looks hopeful for the depot journey if only we can get our stores and ponies past the glacier tongue. we had some seal rissoles to-day so extraordinarily well cooked that it was impossible to distinguish them from the best beef rissoles. i told two of the party they were beef, and they made no comment till i enlightened them after they had eaten two each. it is the first time i have tasted seal without being aware of its particular flavour. but even its own flavour is acceptable in our cook's hands--he really is excellent. _saturday, january_ .--my anxiety for the ship was not unfounded. fearing a little trouble i went out of the hut in the middle of the night and saw at once that she was having a bad time--the ice was breaking with a northerly swell and the wind increasing, with the ship on dead lee shore; luckily the ice anchors had been put well in on the floe and some still held. pennell was getting up steam and his men struggling to replace the anchors. we got out the men and gave some help. at steam was up, and i was right glad to see the ship back out to windward, leaving us to recover anchors and hawsers. she stood away to the west, and almost immediately after a large berg drove in and grounded in the place she had occupied. we spent the day measuring our provisions and fixing up clothing arrangements for our journey; a good deal of progress has been made. in the afternoon the ship returned to the northern ice edge; the wind was still strong (about n. w.) and loose ice all along the edge--our people went out with the ice anchors and i saw the ship pass west again. then as i went out on the floe came the report that she was ashore. i ran out to the cape with evans and saw that the report was only too true. she looked to be firmly fixed and in a very uncomfortable position. it looked as though she had been trying to get round the cape, and therefore i argued she must have been going a good pace as the drift was making rapidly to the south. later pennell told me he had been trying to look behind the berg and had been going astern some time before he struck. my heart sank when i looked at her and i sent evans off in the whaler to sound, recovered the ice anchors again, set the people to work, and walked disconsolately back to the cape to watch. visions of the ship failing to return to new zealand and of sixty people waiting here arose in my mind with sickening pertinacity, and the only consolation i could draw from such imaginations was the determination that the southern work should go on as before--meanwhile the least ill possible seemed to be an extensive lightening of the ship with boats as the tide was evidently high when she struck--a terribly depressing prospect. some three or four of us watched it gloomily from the shore whilst all was bustle on board, the men shifting cargo aft. pennell tells me they shifted tons in a very short time. the first ray of hope came when by careful watching one could see that the ship was turning very slowly, then one saw the men running from side to side and knew that an attempt was being made to roll her off. the rolling produced a more rapid turning movement at first and then she seemed to hang again. but only for a short time; the engines had been going astern all the time and presently a slight movement became apparent. but we only knew she was getting clear when we heard cheers on board and more cheers from the whaler. then she gathered stern way and was clear. the relief was enormous. the wind dropped as she came off, and she is now securely moored off the northern ice edge, where i hope the greater number of her people are finding rest. for here and now i must record the splendid manner in which these men are working. i find it difficult to express my admiration for the manner in which the ship is handled and worked under these very trying circumstances. from pennell down there is not an officer or man who has not done his job nobly during the past weeks, and it will be a glorious thing to remember the unselfish loyal help they are giving us. pennell has been over to tell me all about it to-night; i think i like him more every day. campbell and his party returned late this afternoon--i have not heard details. meares and oates went to the glacier tongue and satisfied themselves that the ice is good. it only has to remain another three days, and it would be poor luck if it failed in that time. _sunday, january_ .--a quiet day with little to record. the ship lies peacefully in the bay; a brisk northerly breeze in the forenoon died to light airs in the evening--it is warm enough, the temperature in the hut was ° this evening. we have had a long busy day at clothing--everyone sewing away diligently. the eastern party ponies were put on board the ship this morning. _monday, january_ .--placid conditions last for a very short time in these regions. i got up at this morning to find the weather calm and beautiful, but to my astonishment an opening lane of water between the land and the ice in the bay. the latter was going out in a solid mass. the ship discovered it easily, got up her ice anchors, sent a boat ashore, and put out to sea to dredge. we went on with our preparations, but soon meares brought word that the ice in the south bay was going in an equally rapid fashion. this proved an exaggeration, but an immense piece of floe had separated from the land. meares and i walked till we came to the first ice. luckily we found that it extends for some miles along the rock of our cape, and we discovered a possible way to lead ponies down to it. it was plain that only the ponies could go by it--no loads. since that everything has been rushed--and a wonderful day's work has resulted; we have got all the forage and food sledges and equipment off to the ship--the dogs will follow in an hour, i hope, with pony harness, &c., that is everything to do with our depôt party, except the ponies. as at present arranged they are to cross the cape and try to get over the southern road [ ] to-morrow morning. one breathes a prayer that the road holds for the few remaining hours. it goes in one place between a berg in open water and a large pool of the glacier face--it may be weak in that part, and at any moment the narrow isthmus may break away. we are doing it on a very narrow margin. if all is well i go to the ship to-morrow morning after the ponies have started, and then to glacier tongue. chapter v depôt laying to one ton camp _tuesday, january_ .--people were busy in the hut all last night--we got away at a.m. a boat from the _terra nova_ fetched the western party and myself as the ponies were led out of the camp. meares and wilson went ahead of the ponies to test the track. on board the ship i was taken in to see lillie's catch of sea animals. it was wonderful, quantities of sponges, isopods, pentapods, large shrimps, corals, &c., &c.--but the _pièce de résistance_ was the capture of several buckets full of cephalodiscus of which only seven pieces had been previously caught. lillie is immensely pleased, feeling that it alone repays the whole enterprise. in the forenoon we skirted the island, getting and fathoms of water north and west of inaccessible island. with a telescope we could see the string of ponies steadily progressing over the sea ice past the razor back islands. as soon as we saw them well advanced we steamed on to the glacier tongue. the open water extended just round the corner and the ship made fast in the narrow angle made by the sea ice with the glacier, her port side flush with the surface of the latter. i walked over to meet the ponies whilst campbell went to investigate a broad crack in the sea ice on the southern road. the ponies were got on to the tongue without much difficulty, then across the glacier, and picketed on the sea ice close to the ship. meanwhile campbell informed me that the big crack was feet across: it was evident we must get past it on the glacier, and i asked campbell to peg out a road clear of cracks. oates reported the ponies ready to start again after tea, and they were led along campbell's road, their loads having already been taken on the floe--all went well until the animals got down on the floe level and oates led across an old snowed-up crack. his and the next pony got across, but the third made a jump at the edge and sank to its stomach in the middle. it couldn't move, and with such struggles as it made it sank deeper till only its head and forelegs showed above the slush. with some trouble we got ropes on these, and hauling together pulled the poor creature out looking very weak and miserable and trembling much. we led the other ponies round farther to the west and eventually got all out on the floe, gave them a small feed, and started them off with their loads. the dogs meanwhile gave some excitement. starting on hard ice with a light load nothing could hold them, and they dashed off over everything--it seemed wonderful that we all reached the floe in safety. wilson and i drive one team, whilst evans and meares drive the other. i withhold my opinion of the dogs in much doubt as to whether they are going to be a real success--but the ponies are going to be real good. they work with such extraordinary steadiness, stepping out briskly and cheerfully, following in each other's tracks. the great drawback is the ease with which they sink in soft snow: they go through in lots of places where the men scarcely make an impression--they struggle pluckily when they sink, but it is trying to watch them. we came with the loads noted below and one bale of fodder ( lbs.) added to each sledge. we are camped miles from the glacier and from hut point--a cold east wind; to-night the temperature °. _autumn party to start january , _ men, [ ] ponies, dogs. first load estimated lbs., including weeks' food and fuel for men--taken to cache no. . ship transports following to glacier tongue: lbs. bales compressed fodder , cases dog biscuit , sacks of oats , ? ------ , teams return to ship to transport this load to cache no. . dog teams also take on lbs. of biscuit from hut point. pony sledges lbs. on all sledges sledge with straps and tank pony furniture driver's ski and sleeping-bag, &c. nos. & cooker and primus instruments tank containing biscuit sack of oats tent and poles alpine rope oil can and spirit can --- nos. & oil tank contents: food bags ready provision bag picks --- nos. & oil tank contents: biscuit sack of oats shovels --- nos. & box with tools, &c. cookers, &c. tank contents food bags sack of oats long bamboos and spare gear --- spare gear per man pairs under socks pairs outer socks pair hair socks pair night socks pyjama jacket pyjama trousers woollen mits finnesko skein = lbs. books, diaries, tobacco, &c. ,, -- lbs. dress vest and drawers woollen shirt jersey balaclava wind suit two pairs socks ski boots. dogs no. . lbs. sledge straps and tanks drivers' ski and bags cooker primus and instruments tank contents: biscuit alpine rope lamps and candles shovels ready provision bag sledge meter --- no. . lbs. sledge straps and tanks drivers' ski and bags tank contents: food bags tent and poles --- -ft. sledge: men's harness, extra tent. _thursday, january _.--yesterday i went to the ship with a dog team. all went well till the dogs caught sight of a whale breeching in the ft. lead and promptly made for it! it was all we could do to stop them before we reached the water. spent the day writing letters and completing arrangements for the ship--a brisk northerly breeze sprang up in the night and the ship bumped against the glacier until the pack came in as protection from the swell. ponies and dogs arrived about p.m., and at we all went out for the final start. a little earlier pennell had the men aft and i thanked them for their splendid work. they have behaved like bricks and a finer lot of fellows never sailed in a ship. it was good to get their hearty send off. before we could get away ponting had his half-hour photographing us, the ponies and the dog teams--i hope he will have made a good thing of it. it was a little sad to say farewell to all these good fellows and campbell and his men. i do most heartily trust that all will be successful in their ventures, for indeed their unselfishness and their generous high spirit deserves reward. god bless them. so here we are with all our loads. one wonders what the upshot will be. it will take three days to transport the loads to complete safety; the break up of the sea ice ought not to catch us before that. the wind is from the s.e. again to-night. _friday, january_ .--camp . started at . and moved a load of fodder / miles south--returned to camp to lunch--then shifted camp and provisions. our weights are now divided into three loads: two of food for ponies, one of men's provisions with some ponies' food. it is slow work, but we retreat slowly but surely from the chance of going out on the sea ice. we are camped about a mile south of c. armitage. after camping i went to the east till abreast of pram point, finding the ice dangerously thin off c. armitage. it is evident we must make a considerable détour to avoid danger. the rest of the party went to the _discovery_ hut to see what could be done towards digging it out. the report is unfavourable, as i expected. the drift inside has become very solid--it would take weeks of work to clear it. a great deal of biscuit and some butter, cocoa, &c., was seen, so that we need not have any anxiety about provisions if delayed in returning to cape evans. the dogs are very tired to-night. i have definitely handed the control of the second team to wilson. he was very eager to have it and will do well i'm sure--but certainly also the dogs will not pull heavy loads-- pounds proved a back-breaking load for dogs to-day--they brought it at a snail's pace. meares has estimated to give them two-thirds of a pound of biscuit a day. i have felt sure he will find this too little. the ponies are doing excellently. their loads run up to and lbs. and they make very light of them. oates said he could have gone on for some time to-night. _saturday, january_ .--camp . the ponies went back for the last load at camp , and i walked south to find a way round the great pressure ridge. the sea ice south is covered with confused irregular sastrugi well remembered from _discovery_ days. the pressure ridge is new. the broken ice of the ridge ended east of the spot i approached and the pressure was seen only in a huge domed wave, the hollow of which on my left was surrounded with a countless number of seals--these lay about sleeping or apparently gambolling in the shallow water. i imagine the old ice in this hollow has gone well under and that the seals have a pool above it which may be warmer on such a bright day. it was evident that the ponies could be brought round by this route, and i returned to camp to hear that one of the ponies (keohane's) had gone lame. the soldier took a gloomy view of the situation, but he is not an optimist. it looks as though a tendon had been strained, but it is not at all certain. bowers' pony is also weak in the forelegs, but we knew this before: it is only a question of how long he will last. the pity is that he is an excellently strong pony otherwise. atkinson has a bad heel and laid up all day--his pony was tied behind another sledge, and went well, a very hopeful sign. in the afternoon i led the ponies out / miles south to the crossing of the pressure ridge, then east / till we struck the barrier edge and ascended it. going about / mile in we dumped the loads--the ponies sank deep just before the loads were dropped, but it looked as though the softness was due to some rise in the surface. we saw a dark object a quarter of a mile north as we reached the barrier. i walked over and found it to be the tops of two tents more than half buried--shackleton's tents we suppose. a moulting emperor penguin was sleeping between them. the canvas on one tent seemed intact, but half stripped from the other. the ponies pulled splendidly to-day, as also the dogs, but we have decided to load both lightly from now on, to march them easily, and to keep as much life as possible in them. there is much to be learnt as to their powers of performance. keohane says 'come on, lad, you'll be getting to the pole' by way of cheering his animal--all the party is cheerful, there never were a better set of people. _sunday, january_ .--camp . this morning after breakfast i read prayers. excellent day. the seven good ponies have made two journeys to the barrier, covering geographical miles, half with good loads--none of them were at all done. oates' pony, a spirited, nervous creature, got away at start when his head was left for a moment and charged through the camp at a gallop; finally his sledge cannoned into another, the swingle tree broke, and he galloped away, kicking furiously at the dangling trace. oates fetched him when he had quieted down, and we found that nothing had been hurt or broken but the swingle tree. gran tried going on ski with his pony. all went well while he was alongside, but when he came up from the back the swish of the ski frightened the beast, who fled faster than his pursuer--that is, the pony and load were going better than the norwegian on ski. gran is doing very well. he has a lazy pony and a good deal of work to get him along, and does it very cheerfully. the dogs are doing excellently--getting into better condition every day. they ran the first load mile yards past the stores on the barrier, to the spot chosen for 'safety camp,' the big home depot. i don't think that any part of the barrier is likely to go, but it's just as well to be prepared for everything, and our camp must deserve its distinctive title of 'safety.' in the afternoon the dogs ran a second load to the same place--covering over geographical miles in the day--an excellent day's work._ _ evans and i took a load out on foot over the pressure ridge. the camp load alone remains to be taken to the barrier. once we get to safety camp we can stay as long as we like before starting our journey. it is only when we start that we must travel fast. most of the day it has been overcast, but to-night it has cleared again. there is very little wind. the temperatures of late have been ranging from ° at night to ° in the day. very easy circumstances for sledging. _monday, january_ .--camp . safety camp. bearings: lat. . ; cape armitage n. w.; camel's hump of blue glacier left, extreme; castle rock n. w. called the camp at . . finally left with ponies at . . there was a good deal to do, which partly accounts for delays, but we shall have to 'buck up' with our camp arrangement. atkinson had his foot lanced and should be well in a couple of days. i led the lame pony; his leg is not swelled, but i fear he's developed a permanent defect--there are signs of ring bone and the hoof is split. a great shock came when we passed the depôted fodder and made for this camp. the ponies sank very deep and only brought on their loads with difficulty, getting pretty hot. the distance was but / miles, but it took more out of them than the rest of the march. we camped and held a council of war after lunch. i unfolded my plan, which is to go forward with five weeks' food for men and animals: to depôt a fortnight's supply after twelve or thirteen days and return here. the loads for ponies thus arranged work out a little over lbs., for the dog teams lbs., both apart from sledges. the ponies ought to do it easily if the surface is good enough for them to walk, which is doubtful--the dogs may have to be lightened--such as it is, it is the best we can do under the circumstances! this afternoon i went forward on ski to see if the conditions changed. in or miles i could see no improvement. bowers, garrard, and the three men went and dug out the _nimrod_ tent. they found a cooker and provisions and remains of a hastily abandoned meal. one tent was half full of hard ice, the result of thaw. the willesden canvas was rotten except some material used for the doors. the floor cloth could not be freed. the soldier doesn't like the idea of fetching up the remainder of the loads to this camp with the ponies. i think we will bring on all we can with the dogs and take the risk of leaving the rest. the _nimrod_ camp was evidently made by some relief or ship party, and if that has stood fast for so long there should be little fear for our stuff in a single season. to-morrow we muster stores, build the depot, and pack our sledges. _tuesday, january_ .--camp . we have everything ready to start--but this afternoon we tried our one pair of snow-shoes on 'weary willy.' the effect was magical. he strolled around as though walking on hard ground in places where he floundered woefully without them. oates hasn't had any faith in these shoes at all, and i thought that even the quietest pony would need to be practised in their use. immediately after our experiment i decided that an effort must be made to get more, and within half an hour meares and wilson were on their way to the station more than miles away. there is just the chance that the ice may not have gone out, but it is a very poor one i fear. at present it looks as though we might double our distance with the snow-shoes. atkinson is better to-day, but not by any means well, so that the delay is in his favour. we cannot start on till the dogs return with or without the shoes. the only other hope for this journey is that the barrier gets harder farther out, but i feel that the prospect of this is not very bright. in any case it is something to have discovered the possibilities of these shoes. low temperature at night for first time. min. . °. quite warm in tent. _wednesday, february_ .--camp . a day of comparative inactivity and some disappointment. meares and wilson returned at noon, reporting the ice out beyond the razor back island--no return to cape evans--no pony snow-shoes--alas! i have decided to make a start to-morrow without them. late to-night atkinson's foot was examined: it is bad and there's no possibility of its getting right for some days. he must be left behind--i've decided to leave crean with him. most luckily we now have an extra tent and cooker. how the ponies are to be led is very doubtful. well, we must do the best that circumstances permit. poor atkinson is in very low spirits. i sent gran to the _discovery_ hut with our last mail. he went on ski and was nearly hours away, making me rather anxious, as the wind had sprung up and there was a strong surface-drift; he narrowly missed the camp on returning and i am glad to get him back. our food allowance seems to be very ample, and if we go on as at present we shall thrive amazingly. _thursday, february_ .--camp . made a start at last. roused out at , left camp about . . atkinson and crean remained behind--very hard on the latter. atkinson suffering much pain and mental distress at his condition--for the latter i fear i cannot have much sympathy, as he ought to have reported his trouble long before. crean will manage to rescue some more of the forage from the barrier edge--i am very sorry for him. on starting with all the ponies (i leading atkinson's) i saw with some astonishment that the animals were not sinking deeply, and to my pleased surprise we made good progress at once. this lasted for more than an hour, then the surface got comparatively bad again--but still most of the ponies did well with it, making miles. birdie's [ ] animal, however, is very heavy and flounders where the others walk fairly easily. he is eager and tries to go faster as he flounders. as a result he was brought in, in a lather. i inquired for our one set of snow-shoes and found they had been left behind. the difference in surface from what was expected makes one wonder whether better conditions may not be expected during the night and in the morning, when the temperatures are low. my suggestion that we should take to night marching has met with general approval. even if there is no improvement in the surface the ponies will rest better during the warmer hours and march better in the night. so we are resting in our tents, waiting to start to-night. gran has gone back for the snow-shoes--he volunteered good-naturedly--certainly his expertness on ski is useful. last night the temperature fell to - ° after the wind dropped--to-day it is warm and calm. _impressions_ the seductive folds of the sleeping-bag. the hiss of the primus and the fragrant steam of the cooker issuing from the tent ventilator. the small green tent and the great white road. the whine of a dog and the neigh of our steeds. the driving cloud of powdered snow. the crunch of footsteps which break the surface crust. the wind blown furrows. the blue arch beneath the smoky cloud. the crisp ring of the ponies' hoofs and the swish of the following sledge. the droning conversation of the march as driver encourages or chides his horse. the patter of dog pads. the gentle flutter of our canvas shelter. its deep booming sound under the full force of a blizzard. the drift snow like finest flour penetrating every hole and corner--flickering up beneath one's head covering, pricking sharply as a sand blast. the sun with blurred image peeping shyly through the wreathing drift giving pale shadowless light. the eternal silence of the great white desert. cloudy columns of snow drift advancing from the south, pale yellow wraiths, heralding the coming storm, blotting out one by one the sharp-cut lines of the land. the blizzard, nature's protest--the crevasse, nature's pitfall--that grim trap for the unwary--no hunter could conceal his snare so perfectly--the light rippled snow bridge gives no hint or sign of the hidden danger, its position unguessable till man or beast is floundering, clawing and struggling for foothold on the brink. the vast silence broken only by the mellow sounds of the marching column. _friday, february_ , a.m.--camp . roused the camp at p.m. and we started marching at . . at first surface bad, but gradually improving. we had two short spells and set up temporary camp to feed ourselves and ponies at . . started again at and marched till . in all covered miles. surface seemed to have improved during the last part of the march till just before camping time, when bowers, who was leading, plunged into soft snow. several of the others following close on his heels shared his fate, and soon three ponies were plunging and struggling in a drift. garrard's pony, which has very broad feet, found hard stuff beyond and then my pony got round. forde and keohane led round on comparatively hard ground well to the right, and the entangled ponies were unharnessed and led round from patch to patch till firmer ground was reached. then we camped and the remaining loads were brought in. then came the _triumph of the snow-shoe_ again. we put a set on bowers' big pony--at first he walked awkwardly (for a few minutes only) then he settled down, was harnessed to his load, brought that in and another also--all over places into which he had been plunging. if we had more of these shoes we could certainly put them on seven out of eight of our ponies--and after a little i think on the eighth, oates' pony, as certainly the ponies so shod would draw their loads over the soft snow patches without any difficulty. it is trying to feel that so great a help to our work has been left behind at the station. _impressions_ it is pathetic to see the ponies floundering in the soft patches. the first sink is a shock to them and seems to brace them to action. thus they generally try to rush through when they feel themselves sticking. if the patch is small they land snorting and agitated on the harder surface with much effort. and if the patch is extensive they plunge on gamely until exhausted. most of them after a bit plunge forward with both forefeet together, making a series of jumps and bringing the sledge behind them with jerks. this is, of course, terribly tiring for them. now and again they have to stop, and it is horrid to see them half engulfed in the snow, panting and heaving from the strain. now and again one falls and lies trembling and temporarily exhausted. it must be terribly trying for them, but it is wonderful to see how soon they recover their strength. the quiet, lazy ponies have a much better time than the eager ones when such troubles arise. the soft snow which gave the trouble is evidently in the hollow of one of the big waves that continue through the pressure ridges at cape crozier towards the bluff. there are probably more of these waves, though we crossed several during the last part of the march--so far it seems that the soft parts are in patches only and do not extend the whole length of the hollow. our course is to pick a way with the sure-footed beasts and keep the others back till the road has been tested. what extraordinary uncertainties this work exhibits! every day some new fact comes to light--some new obstacle which threatens the gravest obstruction. i suppose this is the reason which makes the game so well worth playing. _impressions_ the more i think of our sledging outfit the more certain i am that we have arrived at something near a perfect equipment for civilised man under such conditions. the border line between necessity and luxury is vague enough. we might save weight at the expense of comfort, but all possible saving would amount to but a mere fraction of one's loads. supposing it were a grim struggle for existence and we were forced to drop everything but the barest necessities, the total saving on this three weeks' journey would be: lbs. fuel for cooking cooking apparatus personal clothing, &c., say tent, say instruments, &c. --- this is half of one of ten sledge loads, or about one-twentieth of the total weight carried. if this is the only part of our weights which under any conceivable circumstances could be included in the category of luxuries, it follows the sacrifice to comfort is negligible. certainly we could not have increased our mileage by making such a sacrifice. but beyond this it may be argued that we have an unnecessary amount of food: oz. per day per man is our allowance. i well remember the great strait of hunger to which we were reduced in after four or five weeks on oz., and am perfectly confident that we were steadily losing stamina at that time. let it be supposed that oz. per day per man might conceivably be saved. we have then a lbs. a day saved in the camp, or lbs. in the three weeks, or / th part of our present loads. the smallness of the fractions on which the comfort and physical well-being of the men depend is due to the fact of travelling with animals whose needs are proportionately so much greater than those of the men. it follows that it must be sound policy to keep the men of a sledge party keyed up to a high pitch of well-fed physical condition as long as they have animals to drag their loads. the time for short rations, long marches and carefullest scrutiny of detail comes when the men are dependent on their own traction efforts. p.m.--it has been blowing from the s.w., but the wind is dying away--the sky is overcast--i write after hours' sleep, the others still peacefully slumbering. work with animals means long intervals of rest which are not altogether easily occupied. with our present routine the dogs remain behind for an hour or more, trying to hit off their arrival in the new camp soon after the ponies have been picketed. the teams are pulling very well, meares' especially. the animals are getting a little fierce. two white dogs in meares' team have been trained to attack strangers--they were quiet enough on board ship, but now bark fiercely if anyone but their driver approaches the team. they suddenly barked at me as i was pointing out the stopping place to meares, and osman, my erstwhile friend, swept round and nipped my leg lightly. i had no stick and there is no doubt that if meares had not been on the sledge the whole team, following the lead of the white dogs, would have been at me in a moment. hunger and fear are the only realities in dog life: an empty stomach makes a fierce dog. there is something almost alarming in the sudden fierce display of natural instinct in a tame creature. instinct becomes a blind, unreasoning, relentless passion. for instance the dogs are as a rule all very good friends in harness: they pull side by side rubbing shoulders, they walk over each other as they settle to rest, relations seem quite peaceful and quiet. but the moment food is in their thoughts, however, their passions awaken; each dog is suspicious of his neighbour, and the smallest circumstance produces a fight. with like suddenness their rage flares out instantaneously if they get mixed up on the march--a quiet, peaceable team which has been lazily stretching itself with wagging tails one moment will become a set of raging, tearing, fighting devils the next. it is such stern facts that resign one to the sacrifice of animal life in the effort to advance such human projects as this. the corner camp. [bearings: obs. hill < bluff °; obs. hill < knoll / °; mt. terror n. w.; obs. hill n. w.] _saturday, february_ , a.m., .--camp . a satisfactory night march covering miles and some hundreds of yards. roused party at , when it was blowing quite hard from the s.e., with temperature below zero. it looked as though we should have a pretty cold start, but by the end of breakfast the wind had dropped and the sun shone forth. started on a bad surface--ponies plunging a good deal for miles or so, bowers' 'uncle bill' walking steadily on his snow-shoes. after this the surface improved and the marching became steadier. we camped for lunch after miles. going still better in the afternoon, except that we crossed several crevasses. oates' pony dropped his legs into two of these and sank into one--oddly the other ponies escaped and we were the last. some miles from our present position the cracks appeared to cease, and in the last march we have got on to quite a hard surface on which the ponies drag their loads with great ease. this part seems to be swept by the winds which so continually sweep round cape crozier, and therefore it is doubtful if it extends far to the south, but for the present the going should be good. had bright moonshine for the march, but now the sky has clouded and it looks threatening to the south. i think we may have a blizzard, though the wind is northerly at present. the ponies are in very good form; 'james pigg' remarkably recovered from his lameness. p.m.--it is blowing a blizzard--wind moderate--temperature mild. _impressions_ the deep, dreamless sleep that follows the long march and the satisfying supper. the surface crust which breaks with a snap and sinks with a snap, startling men and animals. custom robs it of dread but not of interest to the dogs, who come to imagine such sounds as the result of some strange freak of hidden creatures. they become all alert and spring from side to side, hoping to catch the creature. the hope clings in spite of continual disappointment._ _ a dog must be either eating, asleep, or _interested_. his eagerness to snatch at interest, to chain his attention to something, is almost pathetic. the monotony of marching kills him. this is the fearfullest difficulty for the dog driver on a snow plain without leading marks or objects in sight. the dog is almost human in its demand for living interest, yet fatally less than human in its inability to foresee. the dog lives for the day, the hour, even the moment. the human being can live and support discomfort for a future. _sunday, february_ .--corner camp, no. . the blizzard descended on us at about p.m. yesterday; for twenty-four hours it continued with moderate wind, then the wind shifting slightly to the west came with much greater violence. now it is blowing very hard and our small frail tent is being well tested. one imagines it cannot continue long as at present, but remembers our proximity to cape crozier and the length of the blizzards recorded in that region. as usual we sleep and eat, conversing as cheerfully as may be in the intervals. there is scant news of our small outside world--only a report of comfort and a rumour that bowers' pony has eaten one of its putties!! p.m.--still blowing hard--a real blizzard now with dusty, floury drift--two minutes in the open makes a white figure. what a wonderful shelter our little tent affords! we have just had an excellent meal, a quiet pipe, and fireside conversation within, almost forgetful for the time of the howling tempest without;--now, as we lie in our bags warm and comfortable, one can scarcely realise that 'hell' is on the other side of the thin sheet of canvas that protects us. _monday, february_ .--corner camp, no. . p.m. the wind increased in the night. it has been blowing very hard all day. no fun to be out of the tent--but there are no shirkers with us. oates has been out regularly to feed the ponies; meares and wilson to attend to the dogs--the rest of us as occasion required. the ponies are fairly comfortable, though one sees now what great improvements could be made to the horse clothes. the dogs ought to be quite happy. they are curled snugly under the snow and at meal times issue from steaming warm holes. the temperature is high, luckily. we are comfortable enough in the tent, but it is terribly trying to the patience--over fifty hours already and no sign of the end. the drifts about the camp are very deep--some of the sledges almost covered. it is the old story, eat and sleep, sleep and eat--and it's surprising how much sleep can be put in. _tuesday, february_ , p.m.--corner camp, no. . the wind kept on through the night, commencing to lull at a.m. at a.m. one could see an arch of clear sky to the s.w. and w., white island, the bluff, and the western mountains clearly defined. the wind had fallen very light and we were able to do some camp work, digging out sledges and making the ponies more comfortable. at a low dark cloud crept over the southern horizon and there could be no doubt the wind was coming upon us again. at p.m. the drift was all about us once more and the sun obscured. one began to feel that fortune was altogether too hard on us--but now as i write the wind has fallen again to a gentle breeze, the sun is bright, and the whole southern horizon clear. a good sign is the freedom of the bluff from cloud. one feels that we ought to have a little respite for the next week, and now we must do everything possible to tend and protect our ponies. all looks promising for the night march. _wednesday, february_ .--no. camp. bearings: lat. ° '; mt. terror n. w.; erebus / terror nd peak from south; pk. white island terror; castle rk. terror. night march just completed. miles, yards. the ponies were much shaken by the blizzard. one supposes they did not sleep--all look listless and two or three are visibly thinner than before. but the worst case by far is forde's little pony; he was reduced to a weight little exceeding lbs. on his sledge and caved in altogether on the second part of the march. the load was reduced to lbs., and finally forde pulled this in, leading the pony. the poor thing is a miserable scarecrow and never ought to have been brought--it is the same pony that did so badly in the ship. to-day it is very fine and bright. we are giving a good deal of extra food to the animals, and my hope is that they will soon pick up again--but they cannot stand more blizzards in their present state. i'm afraid we shall not get very far, but at all hazards we must keep the greater number of the ponies alive. the dogs are in fine form--the blizzard has only been a pleasant rest _for them_. _memo_.--left no. camp. bales of fodder. _thursday, february_ .--no. camp. made good miles. good night march; surface excellent, but we are carrying very light loads with the exception of one or two ponies. forde's poor 'misery' is improving slightly. it is very keen on its feed. its fate is much in doubt. keohane's 'jimmy pigg' is less lame than yesterday. in fact there is a general buck up all round. it was a coldish march with light head wind and temperature ° or ° below zero, but it was warm in the sun all yesterday and promises to be warm again to-day. if such weather would hold there would be nothing to fear for the ponies. we have come to the conclusion that the principal cause of their discomfort is the comparative thinness of their coats. we get the well-remembered glorious views of the western mountains, but now very distant. no crevasses to-day. i shall be surprised if we pass outside all sign of them. one begins to see how things ought to be worked next year if the ponies hold out. ponies and dogs are losing their snow blindness. _friday, february_ .--no. camp. miles yards. cold march, very chilly wind, overcast sky, difficult to see surface or course. noticed sledges, ponies, &c., cast shadows all round. surface very good and animals did splendidly. we came over some undulations during the early part of the march, but the last part appeared quite flat. i think i remember observing the same fact on our former trip. the wind veers and backs from s. to w. and even to n., coming in gusts. the sastrugi are distinctly s.s.w. there isn't a shadow of doubt that the prevailing wind is along the coast, taking the curve of the deep bay south of the bluff. the question now is: shall we by going due southward keep this hard surface? if so, we should have little difficulty in reaching the beardmore glacier next year. we turn out of our sleeping-bags about p.m. somewhere about . i shout to the soldier 'how are things?' there is a response suggesting readiness, and soon after figures are busy amongst sledges and ponies. it is chilling work for the fingers and not too warm for the feet. the rugs come off the animals, the harness is put on, tents and camp equipment are loaded on the sledges, nosebags filled for the next halt; one by one the animals are taken off the picketing rope and yoked to the sledge. oates watches his animal warily, reluctant to keep such a nervous creature standing in the traces. if one is prompt one feels impatient and fretful whilst watching one's more tardy fellows. wilson and meares hang about ready to help with odds and ends. still we wait: the picketing lines must be gathered up, a few pony putties need adjustment, a party has been slow striking their tent. with numbed fingers on our horse's bridle and the animal striving to turn its head from the wind one feels resentful. at last all is ready. one says 'all right, bowers, go ahead,' and birdie leads his big animal forward, starting, as he continues, at a steady pace. the horses have got cold and at the word they are off, the soldier's and one or two others with a rush. finnesko give poor foothold on the slippery sastrugi, and for a minute or two drivers have some difficulty in maintaining the pace on their feet. movement is warming, and in ten minutes the column has settled itself to steady marching. the pace is still brisk, the light bad, and at intervals one or another of us suddenly steps on a slippery patch and falls prone. these are the only real incidents of the march--for the rest it passes with a steady tramp and slight variation of formation. the weaker ponies drop a bit but not far, so that they are soon up in line again when the first halt is made. we have come to a single halt in each half march. last night it was too cold to stop long and a very few minutes found us on the go again. as the end of the half march approaches i get out my whistle. then at a shrill blast bowers wheels slightly to the left, his tent mates lead still farther out to get the distance for the picket lines; oates and i stop behind bowers and evans, the two other sledges of our squad behind the two other of bowers'. so we are drawn up in camp formation. the picket lines are run across at right angles to the line of advance and secured to the two sledges at each end. in a few minutes ponies are on the lines covered, tents up again and cookers going. meanwhile the dog drivers, after a long cold wait at the old camp, have packed the last sledge and come trotting along our tracks. they try to time their arrival in the new camp immediately after our own and generally succeed well. the mid march halt runs into an hour to an hour and a half, and at the end we pack up and tramp forth again. we generally make our final camp about o'clock, and within an hour and a half most of us are in our sleeping-bags. such is at present the daily routine. at the long halt we do our best for our animals by building snow walls and improving their rugs, &c. _saturday, february_ .--no. camp. bearings: lat. ° '. bluff s. w.; left extreme bluff °; bluff a white island near sound. miles. covered and miles between halts. the surface has got a good deal softer. in the next two marches we should know more certainly, but it looks as though the conditions to the south will not be so good as those we have had hitherto. blossom, evans' pony, has very small hoofs and found the going very bad. it is less a question of load than one of walking, and there is no doubt that some form of snow-shoe would help greatly. the question is, what form? all the ponies were a little done when we stopped, but the weather is favourable for a good rest; there is no doubt this night marching is the best policy. even the dogs found the surface more difficult to-day, but they are pulling very well. meares has deposed osman in favour of rabchick, as the former was getting either very disobedient or very deaf. the change appears excellent. rabchick leads most obediently. mem. for next year. a stout male bamboo shod with a spike to sound for crevasses. _sunday, february_ .--no. camp. miles. depot one bale of fodder. variation e. south true = n. e. by compass. the surface is getting decidedly worse. the ponies sink quite deep every now and again. we marched / miles before lunch, blossom dropping considerably behind. he lagged more on the second march and we halted at miles. evans said he might be dragged for another mile and we went on for that distance and camped. the sky was overcast: very dark and snowy looking in the south--very difficult to steer a course. mt. discovery is in line with the south end of the bluff from the camp and we are near the th parallel. we must get exact bearings for this is to be called the 'bluff camp' and should play an important part in the future. bearings: bluff ° '; black island rht. ex. i have decided to send e. evans, forde, and keohane back with the three weakest ponies which they have been leading. the remaining five ponies which have been improving in condition will go on for a few days at least, and we must see how near we can come to the th parallel. to-night we have been making all the necessary arrangements for this plan. cherry-garrard is to come into our tent. _monday, february_ .--no. camp. miles yds. the wind got up from the south with drift before we started yesterday--all appearance of a blizzard. but we got away at . and marched through drift for miles. it was exceedingly cold at first. just at starting the sky cleared in the wonderfully rapid fashion usual in these regions. we saw that our camp had the southern edge of the base rock of the bluff in line with mt. discovery, and white island well clear of the eastern slope of mt. erebus. a fairly easy alignment to pick up. at lunch time the sky lightened up and the drift temporarily ceased. i thought we were going to get in a good march, but on starting again the drift came thicker than ever and soon the course grew wild. we went on for miles and then i decided to camp. so here we are with a full blizzard blowing. i told wilson i should camp if it grew thick, and hope he and meares have stopped where they were. they saw evans start back from no. camp before leaving. i trust they have got in something of a march before stopping. this continuous bad weather is exceedingly trying, but our own ponies are quite comfortable this time, i'm glad to say. we have built them extensive snow walls behind which they seem to get quite comfortable shelter. we are five in a tent yet fairly comfortable. our ponies' coats are certainly getting thicker and i see no reason why we shouldn't get to the th parallel if only the weather would give us a chance. bowers is wonderful. throughout the night he has worn no head-gear but a common green felt hat kept on with a chin stay and affording no cover whatever for the ears. his face and ears remain bright red. the rest of us were glad to have thick balaclavas and wind helmets. i have never seen anyone so unaffected by the cold. to-night he remained outside a full hour after the rest of us had got into the tent. he was simply pottering about the camp doing small jobs to the sledges, &c. cherry-garrard is remarkable because of his eyes. he can only see through glasses and has to wrestle with all sorts of inconveniences in consequence. yet one could never guess it--for he manages somehow to do more than his share of the work. _tuesday, february_ .-- camp. miles yards. a disappointing day: the weather had cleared, the night was fine though cold, temperature well below zero with a keen s.w. breeze. soon after the start we struck very bad surface conditions. the ponies sank lower than their hocks frequently and the soft patches of snow left by the blizzard lay in sandy heaps, making great friction for the runners. we struggled on, but found gran with weary willy dropping to the rear. i consulted oates as to distance and he cheerfully proposed miles for the day! this piqued me somewhat and i marched till the sledge meter showed / miles. by this time weary willy had dropped about three-quarters of a mile and the dog teams were approaching. suddenly we heard much barking in the distance, and later it was evident that something had gone wrong. oates and then i hurried back. i met meares, who told me the dogs of his team had got out of hand and attacked weary willy when they saw him fall. finally they had been beaten off and w.w. was being led without his sledge. w.w. had been much bitten, but luckily i think not seriously: he appears to have made a gallant fight, and bit and shook some of the dogs with his teeth. gran did his best, breaking his ski stick. meares broke his dog stick--one way and another the dogs must have had a rocky time, yet they seemed to bear charmed lives when their blood is up, as apparently not one of them has been injured. after lunch four of us went back and dragged up the load. it taught us the nature of the surface more than many hours of pony leading!! the incident is deplorable and the blame widespread. i find w.w.'s load was much heavier than that of the other ponies. i blame myself for not supervising these matters more effectively and for allowing w.w. to get so far behind. we started off again after lunch, but when we had done two-thirds of a mile, w.w.'s condition made it advisable to halt. he has been given a hot feed, a large snow wall, and some extra sacking--the day promises to be quiet and warm for him, and one can only hope that these measures will put him right again. but the whole thing is very annoying. _memo_.--arrangements for ponies. . hot bran or oat mashes. . clippers for breaking wires of bales. . pickets for horses. . lighter ponies to take ft. sledges? the surface is so crusty and friable that the question of snow-shoes again becomes of great importance. all the sastrugi are from s.w. by s. to s.w. and all the wind that we have experienced in this region--there cannot be a doubt that the wind sweeps up the coast at all seasons. a point has arisen as to the deposition. david [ ] called the crusts seasonal. this must be wrong; they mark blizzards, but after each blizzard fresh crusts are formed only over the patchy heaps left by the blizzard. a blizzard seems to leave heaps which cover anything from one-sixth to one-third of the whole surface--such heaps presumably turn hollows into mounds with fresh hollows between--these are filled in turn by ensuing blizzards. if this is so, the only way to get at the seasonal deposition would be to average the heaps deposited and multiply this by the number of blizzards in the year. _monday, february_ .-- camp. miles yards. the surface was wretched to-day, the two drawbacks of yesterday (the thin crusts which let the ponies through and the sandy heaps which hang on the runners) if anything exaggerated. bowers' pony refused work at intervals for the first time. his hind legs sink very deep. weary willy is decidedly better. the soldier takes a gloomy view of everything, but i've come to see that this is a characteristic of him. in spite of it he pays every attention to the weaker horses. we had frequent halts on the march, but managed miles before lunch and / after. the temperature was - ° at the lunch camp. it was cold sitting in the tent waiting for the ponies to rest. the thermometer is now - °, but there is a bright sun and no wind, which makes the air feel quite comfortable: one's socks and finnesko dry well. our provision allowance is working out very well. in fact all is well with us except the condition of the ponies. the more i see of the matter the more certain i am that we must save all the ponies to get better value out of them next year. it would have been ridiculous to have worked some out this year as the soldier wished. even now i feel we went too far with the first three. one thing is certain. a good snow-shoe would be worth its weight in gold on this surface, and if we can get something really practical we ought to greatly increase our distances next year. _mems_.--storage of biscuit next year, lashing cases on sledges. look into sledgemeter. picket lines for ponies. food tanks to be size required. two sledges altered to take steel runners. stowage of pony food. enough sacks for ready bags. _thursday, february_ .-- miles yards. camp. the surface a good deal better, but the ponies running out. three of the five could go on without difficulty. bowers' pony might go on a bit, but weary willy is a good deal done up, and to push him further would be to risk him unduly, so to-morrow we turn. the temperature on the march to-night fell to - ° with a brisk s.w. breeze. bowers started out as usual in his small felt hat, ears uncovered. luckily i called a halt after a mile and looked at him. his ears were quite white. cherry and i nursed them back whilst the patient seemed to feel nothing but intense surprise and disgust at the mere fact of possessing such unruly organs. oates' nose gave great trouble. i got frostbitten on the cheek lightly, as also did cherry-garrard. tried to march in light woollen mits to great discomfort. _friday, february_ .--camp . lat. ° / ' s. it clouded over yesterday--the temperature rose and some snow fell. wind from the south, cold and biting, as we turned out. we started to build the depot. i had intended to go on half a march and return to same camp, leaving weary willy to rest, but under the circumstances did not like to take risk. stores left in depôt: lat. ° '. depot. lbs. weeks' full provision bags for unit days' provision bags for unit weeks' tea weeks' extra butter lbs. biscuit ( weeks full biscuit) / gallons oil ( weeks oil for unit) sacks of oats bales of fodder tank of dog biscuit cases of biscuit ---- skein white line set breast harness ft. sledges pair ski, pair ski sticks minimum thermometer tin rowntree cocoa tin matches with packing we have landed considerably over a ton of stuff. it is a pity we couldn't get to °, but as it is we shall have a good leg up for next year and can at least feed the ponies full up to this point. our camp is very well marked, i think. besides the flagstaff and black flag we have piled biscuit boxes, filled and empty, to act as reflectors--secured tea tins to the sledges, which are planted upright in the snow. the depot cairn is more than ft. above the surface, very solid and large; then there are the pony protection walls; altogether it should show up for many miles. i forgot to mention that looking back on the th we saw a cairn built on a camp / miles behind--it was miraged up. it seems as though some of our party will find spring journeys pretty trying. oates' nose is always on the point of being frostbitten; meares has a refractory toe which gives him much trouble--this is the worst prospect for summit work. i have been wondering how i shall stick the summit again, this cold spell gives ideas. i think i shall be all right, but one must be prepared for a pretty good doing. chapter vi adventure and peril _saturday, february_ .--camp . north miles yards. i scattered some oats yards east of depôt. [ ] the minimum thermometer showed - ° when we left camp: _inform simpson!_ the ponies started off well, gran leading my pony with weary willy behind, the soldier leading his with cherry's behind, and bowers steering course as before with a light sledge. [ ] we started half an hour later, soon overtook the ponies, and luckily picked up a small bag of oats which they had dropped. we went on for / miles and stopped for lunch. after lunch to our astonishment the ponies appeared, going strong. they were making for a camp some miles farther on, and meant to remain there. i'm very glad to have seen them making the pace so well. they don't propose to stop for lunch at all but to march right through or miles a day. i think they will have little difficulty in increasing this distance. for the dogs the surface has been bad, and one or another of us on either sledge has been running a good part of the time. but we have covered miles: three marches out. we have four days' food for them and ought to get in very easily. as we camp late the temperature is evidently very low and there is a low drift. conditions are beginning to be severe on the barrier and i shall be glad to get the ponies into more comfortable quarters. _sunday, february_ .--started p.m. camped . . nearly miles to our credit. the dogs went very well and the surface became excellent after the first or miles. at the bluff camp, no. , we picked up evans' track and found that he must have made excellent progress. no. camp was much snowed up: i should imagine our light blizzard was severely felt along this part of the route. we must look out to-morrow for signs of evans being 'held up.' the old tracks show better here than on the softer surface. during this journey both ponies and dogs have had what under ordinary circumstances would have been a good allowance of food, yet both are desperately hungry. both eat their own excrement. with the ponies it does not seem so horrid, as there must be a good deal of grain, &c., which is not fully digested. it is the worst side of dog driving. all the rest is diverting. the way in which they keep up a steady jog trot for hour after hour is wonderful. their legs seem steel springs, fatigue unknown--for at the end of a tiring march any unusual incident will arouse them to full vigour. osman has been restored to leadership. it is curious how these leaders come off and go off, all except old stareek, who remains as steady as ever. we are all acting like seasoned sledge travellers now, such is the force of example. our tent is up and cooker going in the shortest time after halt, and we are able to break camp in exceptionally good time. cherry-garrard is cook. he is excellent, and is quickly learning all the tips for looking after himself and his gear. what a difference such care makes is apparent now, but was more so when he joined the tent with all his footgear iced up, whilst wilson and i nearly always have dry socks and finnesko to put on. this is only a point amongst many in which experience gives comfort. every minute spent in keeping one's gear dry and free of snow is very well repaid. _monday, february_ .-- miles. lunch. excellent run on hard wind-swept surface--_covered nearly seventeen miles_. very cold at starting and during march. suddenly wind changed and temperature rose so that at the moment of stopping for final halt it appeared quite warm, almost sultry. on stopping found we had covered miles, some statute miles. the dogs are weary but by no means played out--during the last part of the journey they trotted steadily with a wonderfully tireless rhythm. i have been off the sledge a good deal and trotting for a good many miles, so should sleep well. e. evans has left a bale of forage at camp and has not taken on the one which he might have taken from the depôt--facts which show that his ponies must have been going strong. i hope to find them safe and sound the day after to-morrow. we had the most wonderfully beautiful sky effects on the march with the sun circling low on the southern horizon. bright pink clouds hovered overhead on a deep grey-blue background. gleams of bright sunlit mountains appeared through the stratus. here it is most difficult to predict what is going to happen. sometimes the southern sky looks dark and ominous, but within half an hour all has changed--the land comes and goes as the veil of stratus lifts and falls. it seems as though weather is made here rather than dependent on conditions elsewhere. it is all very interesting. _tuesday, february_ .--new camp about miles from safety camp. / miles. we made a start as usual about p.m. the light was good at first, but rapidly grew worse till we could see little of the surface. the dogs showed signs of wearying. about an hour and a half after starting we came on mistily outlined pressure ridges. we were running by the sledges. suddenly wilson shouted 'hold on to the sledge,' and i saw him slip a leg into a crevasse. i jumped to the sledge, but saw nothing. five minutes after, as the teams were trotting side by side, the middle dogs of our team disappeared. in a moment the whole team were sinking--two by two we lost sight of them, each pair struggling for foothold. osman the leader exerted all his great strength and kept a foothold--it was wonderful to see him. the sledge stopped and we leapt aside. the situation was clear in another moment. we had been actually travelling along the bridge of a crevasse, the sledge had stopped on it, whilst the dogs hung in their harness in the abyss, suspended between the sledge and the leading dog. why the sledge and ourselves didn't follow the dogs we shall never know. i think a fraction of a pound of added weight must have taken us down. as soon as we grasped the position, we hauled the sledge clear of the bridge and anchored it. then we peered into the depths of the crack. the dogs were howling dismally, suspended in all sorts of fantastic positions and evidently terribly frightened. two had dropped out of their harness, and we could see them indistinctly on a snow bridge far below. the rope at either end of the chain had bitten deep into the snow at the side of the crevasse, and with the weight below, it was impossible to move it. by this time wilson and cherry-garrard, who had seen the accident, had come to our assistance. at first things looked very bad for our poor team, and i saw little prospect of rescuing them. i had luckily inquired about the alpine rope before starting the march, and now cherry-garrard hurriedly brought this most essential aid. it takes one a little time to make plans under such sudden circumstances, and for some minutes our efforts were rather futile. we could get not an inch on the main trace of the sledge or on the leading rope, which was binding osman to the snow with a throttling pressure. then thought became clearer. we unloaded our sledge, putting in safety our sleeping-bags with the tent and cooker. choking sounds from osman made it clear that the pressure on him must soon be relieved. i seized the lashing off meares' sleeping-bag, passed the tent poles across the crevasse, and with meares managed to get a few inches on the leading line; this freed osman, whose harness was immediately cut. then securing the alpine rope to the main trace we tried to haul up together. one dog came up and was unlashed, but by this time the rope had cut so far back at the edge that it was useless to attempt to get more of it. but we could now unbend the sledge and do that for which we should have aimed from the first, namely, run the sledge across the gap and work from it. we managed to do this, our fingers constantly numbed. wilson held on to the anchored trace whilst the rest of us laboured at the leader end. the leading rope was very small and i was fearful of its breaking, so meares was lowered down a foot or two to secure the alpine rope to the leading end of the trace; this done, the work of rescue proceeded in better order. two by two we hauled the animals up to the sledge and one by one cut them out of their harness. strangely the last dogs were the most difficult, as they were close under the lip of the gap, bound in by the snow-covered rope. finally, with a gasp we got the last poor creature on to firm snow. we had recovered eleven of the thirteen._ a_ then i wondered if the last two could not be got, and we paid down the alpine rope to see if it was long enough to reach the snow bridge on which they were coiled. the rope is feet, and the amount remaining showed that the depth of the bridge was about feet. i made a bowline and the others lowered me down. the bridge was firm and i got hold of both dogs, which were hauled up in turn to the surface. then i heard dim shouts and howls above. some of the rescued animals had wandered to the second sledge, and a big fight was in progress. all my rope-tenders had to leave to separate the combatants; but they soon returned, and with some effort i was hauled to the surface. all is well that ends well, and certainly this was a most surprisingly happy ending to a very serious episode. we felt we must have refreshment, so camped and had a meal, congratulating ourselves on a really miraculous escape. if the sledge had gone down meares and i _must_ have been badly injured, if not killed outright. the dogs are wonderful, but have had a terrible shaking--three of them are passing blood and have more or less serious internal injuries. many were held up by a thin thong round the stomach, writhing madly to get free. one dog better placed in its harness stretched its legs full before and behind and just managed to claw either side of the gap--it had continued attempts to climb throughout, giving vent to terrified howls. two of the animals hanging together had been fighting at intervals when they swung into any position which allowed them to bite one another. the crevasse for the time being was an inferno, and the time must have been all too terribly long for the wretched creatures. it was twenty minutes past three when we had completed the rescue work, and the accident must have happened before one-thirty. some of the animals must have been dangling for over an hour. i had a good opportunity of examining the crack. the section seemed such as i have shown. it narrowed towards the east and widened slightly towards the west. in this direction there were curious curved splinters; below the snow bridge on which i stood the opening continued, but narrowing, so that i think one could not have fallen many more feet without being wedged. twice i have owed safety to a snow bridge, and it seems to me that the chance of finding some obstruction or some saving fault in the crevasse is a good one, but i am far from thinking that such a chance can be relied upon, and it would be an awful situation to fall beyond the limits of the alpine rope. we went on after lunch, and very soon got into soft snow and regular surface where crevasses are most unlikely to occur. we have pushed on with difficulty, for the dogs are badly cooked and the surface tries them. we are all pretty done, but luckily the weather favours us. a sharp storm from the south has been succeeded by ideal sunshine which is flooding the tent as i write. it is the calmest, warmest day we have had since we started sledging. we are only about miles from safety camp, and i trust we shall push on without accident to-morrow, but i am anxious about some of the dogs. we shall be lucky indeed if all recover. my companions to-day were excellent; wilson and cherry-garrard if anything the most intelligently and readily helpful. i begin to think that there is no avoiding the line of cracks running from the bluff to cape crozier, but my hope is that the danger does not extend beyond a mile or two, and that the cracks are narrower on the pony road to corner camp. if eight ponies can cross without accident i do not think there can be great danger. certainly we must rigidly adhere to this course on all future journeys. we must try and plot out the danger line. [ ] i begin to be a little anxious about the returning ponies. i rather think the dogs are being underfed--they have weakened badly in the last few days--more than such work ought to entail. now they are absolutely ravenous. meares has very dry feet. whilst we others perspire freely and our skin remains pink and soft his gets horny and scaly. he amused us greatly to-night by scraping them. the sound suggested the whittling of a hard wood block and the action was curiously like an attempt to shape the feet to fit the finnesko! summary of marches made on the depôt journey distances in geographical miles. variation e. m. yds. safety no. to e. s. e. | to s. e. | . s. e. | to s. e. var. / e. corner to s. to s. ? to s. to s. bluff camp to s. var. / e. to s. to s. to s. bowers to s. --- ---- return th- th to n. th- th to midway between & n. th- th lunch camp n. th- th camp n. th- st n. to w. st- nd safety camp n. & w. _wednesday, february_ .--safety camp. got away at again: surface fairly heavy: dogs going badly. the dogs are as thin as rakes; they are ravenous and very tired. i feel this should not be, and that it is evident that they are underfed. the ration must be increased next year and we _must_ have some properly thought out diet. the biscuit alone is not good enough. meares is excellent to a point, but ignorant of the conditions here. one thing is certain, the dogs will never continue to drag heavy loads with men sitting on the sledges; we must all learn to run with the teams and the russian custom must be dropped. meares, i think, rather imagined himself racing to the pole and back on a dog sledge. this journey has opened his eyes a good deal. we reached safety camp (dist. miles) at . a.m.; found evans and his party in excellent health, but, alas! with only one pony. as far as i can gather forde's pony only got miles back from the bluff camp; then a blizzard came on, and in spite of the most tender care from forde the pony sank under it. evans says that forde spent hours with the animal trying to keep it going, feeding it, walking it about; at last he returned to the tent to say that the poor creature had fallen; they all tried to get it on its feet again but their efforts were useless. it couldn't stand, and soon after it died. then the party marched some miles, but the blizzard had had a bad effect on blossom--it seemed to have shrivelled him up, and now he was terribly emaciated. after this march he could scarcely move. evans describes his efforts as pathetic; he got on yards, then stopped with legs outstretched and nose to the ground. they rested him, fed him well, covered him with rugs; but again all efforts were unavailing. the last stages came with painful detail. so blossom is also left on the southern road. the last pony, james pigg, as he is called, has thriven amazingly--of course great care has been taken with him and he is now getting full feed and very light work, so he ought to do well. the loss is severe; but they were the two oldest ponies of our team and the two which oates thought of least use. atkinson and crean have departed, leaving no trace--not even a note. crean had carried up a good deal of fodder, and some seal meat was found buried. after a few hours' sleep we are off for hut point. there are certain points in night marching, if only for the glorious light effects which the coming night exhibits. _wednesday, february_ .-- p.m. safety camp. turned out at this morning after hours' sleep. wilson, meares, evans, cherry-garrard, and i went to hut point. found a great enigma. the hut was cleared and habitable--but no one was there. a pencil line on the wall said that a bag containing a mail was inside, but no bag could be found. we puzzled much, then finally decided on the true solution, viz. that atkinson and crean had gone towards safety camp as we went to hut point--later we saw their sledge track leading round on the sea ice. then we returned towards safety camp and endured a very bad hour in which we could see the two bell tents but not the domed. it was an enormous relief to find the dome securely planted, as the ice round cape armitage is evidently very weak; i have never seen such enormous water holes off it. but every incident of the day pales before the startling contents of the mail bag which atkinson gave me--a letter from campbell setting out his doings and the finding of amundsen established in the bay of whales. one thing only fixes itself definitely in my mind. the proper, as well as the wiser, course for us is to proceed exactly as though this had not happened. to go forward and do our best for the honour of the country without fear or panic. there is no doubt that amundsen's plan is a very serious menace to ours. he has a shorter distance to the pole by miles--i never thought he could have got so many dogs safely to the ice. his plan for running them seems excellent. but above and beyond all he can start his journey early in the season--an impossible condition with ponies. the ice is still in at the glacier tongue: a very late date--it looks as though it will not break right back this season, but off cape armitage it is so thin that i doubt if the ponies could safely be walked round. _thursday, february_ .--spent the day preparing sledges, &c., for party to meet bowers at corner camp. it was blowing and drifting and generally uncomfortable. wilson and meares killed three seals for the dogs. _friday, february_ .--roused out at . started marching at . self, crean, and cherry-garrard one sledge and tent; evans, atkinson, forde, second sledge and tent; keohane leading his pony. we pulled on ski in the forenoon; the second sledge couldn't keep up, so we changed about for half the march. in the afternoon we pulled on foot. on the whole i thought the labour greater on foot, so did crean, showing the advantage of experience. there is no doubt that very long days' work could be done by men in hard condition on ski. the hanging back of the second sledge was mainly a question of condition, but to some extent due to the sledge. we have a ft., whilst the other party has a ft.; the former is a distinct advantage in this case. it has been a horrid day. we woke to find a thick covering of sticky ice crystals on everything--a frost _rime_. i cleared my ski before breakfast arid found more on afterwards. there was the suggestion of an early frosty morning at home--such a morning as develops into a beautiful sunshiny day; but in our case, alas! such hopes were shattered: it was almost damp, with temperature near zero and a terribly bad light for travelling. in the afternoon erebus and terror showed up for a while. now it is drifting hard with every sign of a blizzard--a beastly night. this marching is going to be very good for our condition and i shall certainly keep people at it. _saturday, february_ .--fine bright day--easy marching--covered miles and a bit yesterday and the same to-day. should reach corner camp before lunch to-morrow. turned out at a.m. and saw a short black line on the horizon towards white island. thought it an odd place for a rock exposure and then observed movement in it. walked / miles towards it and made certain that it was oates, bowers, and the ponies. they seemed to be going very fast and evidently did not see our camp. to-day we have come on their tracks, and i fear there are only four ponies left. james pigg, our own pony, limits the length of our marches. the men haulers could go on much longer, and we all like pulling on ski. everyone must be practised in this. _sunday, february_ .--marched on corner camp, but second main party found going very hard and eventually got off their ski and pulled on foot. james pigg also found the surface bad, so we camped and had lunch after doing miles. except for our tent the camp routine is slack. shall have to tell people that we are out on business, not picnicking. it was another miles to depot after lunch. found signs of bowers' party having camped there and glad to see five pony walls. left six full weeks' provision: bag of oats, / of a bale of fodder. then cherry-garrard, crean, and i started for home, leaving the others to bring the pony by slow stages. we covered / miles in direct line, then had some tea and marched another . we must be less than miles from safety camp. pitched tent at p.m., very dark for cooking. _monday, february_ .--awoke to find it blowing a howling blizzard--absolutely confined to tent at present--to step outside is to be covered with drift in a minute. we have managed to get our cooking things inside and have had a meal. very anxious about the ponies--am wondering where they can be. the return party [ ] has had two days and may have got them into some shelter--but more probably they were not expecting this blow--i wasn't. the wind is blowing force or ; heavy gusts straining the tent; the temperature is evidently quite low. this is poor luck. _tuesday, february_ .--safety camp. packed up at a.m. and marched into safety camp. found everyone very cold and depressed. wilson and meares had had continuous bad weather since we left, bowers and oates since their arrival. the blizzard had raged for two days. the animals looked in a sorry condition but all were alive. the wind blew keen and cold from the east. there could be no advantage in waiting here, and soon all arrangements were made for a general shift to hut point. packing took a long time. the snowfall had been prodigious, and parts of the sledges were or feet under drift. about o'clock the two dog teams got safely away. then the pony party prepared to go. as the clothes were stripped from the ponies the ravages of the blizzard became evident. the animals without exception were terribly emaciated, and weary willy was in a pitiable condition. the plan was for the ponies to follow the dog tracks, our small party to start last and get in front of the ponies on the sea ice. i was very anxious about the sea ice passage owing to the spread of the water holes. the ponies started, but weary willy, tethered last without a load, immediately fell down. we tried to get him up and he made efforts, but was too exhausted. then we rapidly reorganised. cherry-garrard and crean went on whilst oates and gran stayed with me. we made desperate efforts to save the poor creature, got him once more on his legs and gave him a hot oat mash. then after a wait of an hour oates led him off, and we packed the sledge and followed on ski; yards away from the camp the poor creature fell again and i felt it was the last effort. we camped, built a snow wall round him, and did all we possibly could to get him on his feet. every effort was fruitless, though the poor thing made pitiful struggles. towards midnight we propped him up as comfortably as we could and went to bed. _wednesday, march_ , a.m.--our pony died in the night. it is hard to have got him back so far only for this. it is clear that these blizzards are terrible for the poor animals. their coats are not good, but even with the best of coats it is certain they would lose condition badly if caught in one, and we cannot afford to lose condition at the beginning of a journey. it makes a late start _necessary for next year_. well, we have done our best and bought our experience at a heavy cost. now every effort must be bent on saving the remaining animals, and it will be good luck if we get four back to cape evans, or even three. jimmy pigg may have fared badly; bowers' big pony is in a bad way after that frightful blizzard. i cannot remember such a bad storm in february or march: the temperature was - °. bowers incident i note the events of the night of march whilst they are yet fresh in my memory. _thursday, march_ , a.m.--the events of the past hours bid fair to wreck the expedition, and the only one comfort is the miraculous avoidance of loss of life. we turned out early yesterday, oates, gran, and i, after the dismal night of our pony's death, and pulled towards the forage depot [ ] on ski. as we approached, the sky looked black and lowering, and mirage effects of huge broken floes loomed out ahead. at first i thought it one of the strange optical illusions common in this region--but as we neared the depot all doubt was dispelled. the sea was full of broken pieces of barrier edge. my thoughts flew to the ponies and dogs, and fearful anxieties assailed my mind. we turned to follow the sea edge and suddenly discovered a working crack. we dashed over this and slackened pace again after a quarter of a mile. then again cracks appeared ahead and we increased pace as much as possible, not slackening again till we were in line between the safety camp and castle rock. meanwhile my first thought was to warn evans. we set up tent, and gran went to the depot with a note as oates and i disconsolately thought out the situation. i thought to myself that if either party had reached safety either on the barrier or at hut point they would immediately have sent a warning messenger to safety camp. by this time the messenger should have been with us. some half-hour passed, and suddenly with a 'thank god!' i made certain that two specks in the direction of pram point were human beings. i hastened towards them and found they were wilson and meares, who had led the homeward way with the dog teams. they were astonished to see me--they said they feared the ponies were adrift on the sea ice--they had seen them with glasses from observation hill. they thought i was with them. they had hastened out without breakfast: we made them cocoa and discussed the gloomiest situation. just after cocoa wilson discovered a figure making rapidly for the depot from the west. gran was sent off again to intercept. it proved to be crean--he was exhausted and a little incoherent. the ponies had camped at . a.m. on the sea ice well beyond the seal crack on the previous night. in the middle of the night... _friday, march_ , a.m.--i was interrupted when writing yesterday and continue my story this morning.... in the middle of the night at . bowers got out of the tent and discovered the ice had broken all round him: a crack ran under the picketing line, and one pony had disappeared. they had packed with great haste and commenced jumping the ponies from floe to floe, then dragging the loads over after--the three men must have worked splendidly and fearlessly. at length they had worked their way to heavier floes lying near the barrier edge, and at one time thought they could get up, but soon discovered that there were gaps everywhere off the high barrier face. in this dilemma crean volunteering was sent off to try to reach me. the sea was like a cauldron at the time of the break up, and killer whales were putting their heads up on all sides. luckily they did not frighten the ponies. he travelled a great distance over the sea ice, leaping from floe to floe, and at last found a thick floe from which with help of ski stick he could climb the barrier face. it was a desperate venture, but luckily successful. as soon as i had digested crean's news i sent gran back to hut point with wilson and meares and started with my sledge, crean, and oates for the scene of the mishap. we stopped at safety camp to load some provisions and oil and then, marching carefully round, approached the ice edge. to my joy i caught sight of the lost party. we got our alpine rope and with its help dragged the two men to the surface. i pitched camp at a safe distance from the edge and then we all started salvage work. the ice had ceased to drift and lay close and quiet against the barrier edge. we got the men at . p.m. and all the sledges and effects on to the barrier by a.m. as we were getting up the last loads the ice showed signs of drifting off, and we saw it was hopeless to try and move the ponies. the three poor beasts had to be left on their floe for the moment, well fed. none of our party had had sleep the previous night and all were dog tired. i decided we must rest, but turned everyone out at . yesterday morning. before breakfast we discovered the ponies had drifted away. we had tried to anchor their floe with the alpine rope, but the anchors had drawn. it was a sad moment. at breakfast we decided to pack and follow the barrier edge: this was the position when i last wrote, but the interruption came when bowers, who had taken the binoculars, announced that he could see the ponies about a mile to the n.w. we packed and went on at once. we found it easy enough to get down to the poor animals and decided to rush them for a last chance of life. then there was an unfortunate mistake: i went along the barrier edge and discovered what i thought and what proved to be a practicable way to land a pony, but the others meanwhile, a little overwrought, tried to leap punch across a gap. the poor beast fell in; eventually we had to kill him--it was awful. i recalled all hands and pointed out my road. bowers and oates went out on it with a sledge and worked their way to the remaining ponies, and started back with them on the same track. meanwhile cherry and i dug a road at the barrier edge. we saved one pony; for a time i thought we should get both, but bowers' poor animal slipped at a jump and plunged into the water: we dragged him out on some brash ice--killer whales all about us in an intense state of excitement. the poor animal couldn't rise, and the only merciful thing was to kill it. these incidents were too terrible. at p.m. we sadly broke our temporary camp and marched back to the one i had first pitched. even here it seemed unsafe, so i walked nearly two miles to discover cracks: i could find none, and we turned in about midnight. so here we are ready to start our sad journey to hut point. everything out of joint with the loss of the ponies, but mercifully with all the party alive and well. _saturday, march_ , a.m.--we had a terrible pull at the start yesterday, taking four hours to cover some three miles to march on the line between safety camp and fodder depot. from there bowers went to safety camp and found my notes to evans had been taken. we dragged on after lunch to the place where my tent had been pitched when wilson first met me and where we had left our ski and other loads. all these had gone. we found sledge tracks leading in towards the land and at length marks of a pony's hoofs. we followed these and some ski tracks right into the land, coming at length to the highest of the pram point ridges. i decided to camp here, and as we unpacked i saw four figures approaching. they proved to be evans and his party. they had ascended towards castle rock on friday and found a good camp site on top of the ridge. they were in good condition. it was a relief to hear they had found a good road up. they went back to their camp later, dragging one of our sledges and a light load. atkinson is to go to hut point this morning to tell wilson about us. the rest ought to meet us and help us up the hill--just off to march up the hill, hoping to avoid trouble with the pony._ _ _sunday, march_ , a.m.--marched up the hill to evans' camp under castle rock. evans' party came to meet us and helped us up with the loads--it was a steep, stiff pull; the pony was led up by oates. as we camped for lunch atkinson and gran appeared, the former having been to hut point to carry news of the relief. i sent gran on to safety camp to fetch some sugar and chocolate, left evans, oates, and keohane in camp, and marched on with remaining six to hut point. it was calm at evans' camp, but blowing hard on the hill and harder at hut point. found the hut in comparative order and slept there. chapter vii at discovery hut _monday, march_ , a.m.--roused the hands at . . wilson, bowers, garrard, and i went out to castle rock. we met evans just short of his camp and found the loads had been dragged up the hill. oates and keohane had gone back to lead on the ponies. at the top of the ridge we harnessed men and ponies to the sledges and made rapid progress on a good surface towards the hut. the weather grew very thick towards the end of the march, with all signs of a blizzard. we unharnessed the ponies at the top of ski slope--wilson guided them down from rock patch to rock patch; the remainder of us got down a sledge and necessaries over the slope. it is a ticklish business to get the sledge along the ice foot, which is now all blue ice ending in a drop to the sea. one has to be certain that the party has good foothold. all reached the hut in safety. the ponies have admirably comfortable quarters under the verandah. after some cocoa we fetched in the rest of the dogs from the gap and another sledge from the hill. it had ceased to snow and the wind had gone down slightly. turned in with much relief to have all hands and the animals safely housed. _tuesday, march_ , a.m.--yesterday went over to pram point with wilson. we found that the corner of sea ice in pram point bay had not gone out--it was crowded with seals. we killed a young one and carried a good deal of the meat and some of the blubber back with us. meanwhile the remainder of the party had made some progress towards making the hut more comfortable. in the afternoon we all set to in earnest and by supper time had wrought wonders. we have made a large l-shaped inner apartment with packing-cases, the intervals stopped with felt. an empty kerosene tin and some firebricks have been made into an excellent little stove, which has been connected to the old stove-pipe. the solider fare of our meals is either stewed or fried on this stove whilst the tea or cocoa is being prepared on a primus. the temperature of the hut is low, of course, but in every other respect we are absolutely comfortable. there is an unlimited quantity of biscuit, and our discovery at pram point means an unlimited supply of seal meat. we have heaps of cocoa, coffee, and tea, and a sufficiency of sugar and salt. in addition a small store of luxuries, chocolate, raisins, lentils, oatmeal, sardines, and jams, which will serve to vary the fare. one way and another we shall manage to be very comfortable during our stay here, and already we can regard it as a temporary home. _thursday, march_ , a.m.--yesterday and to-day very busy about the hut and overcoming difficulties fast. the stove threatened to exhaust our store of firewood. we have redesigned it so that it takes only a few chips of wood to light it and then continues to give great heat with blubber alone. to-day there are to be further improvements to regulate the draught and increase the cooking range. we have further housed in the living quarters with our old _discovery_ winter awning, and begin already to retain the heat which is generated inside. we are beginning to eat blubber and find biscuits fried in it to be delicious. we really have everything necessary for our comfort and only need a little more experience to make the best of our resources. the weather has been wonderfully, perhaps ominously, fine during the last few days. the sea has frozen over and broken up several times already. the warm sun has given a grand opportunity to dry all gear. yesterday morning bowers went with a party to pick up the stores rescued from the floe last week. evans volunteered to join the party with meares, keohane, atkinson, and gran. they started from the hut about a.m.; we helped them up the hill, and at . i saw them reach the camp containing the gear, some miles away. i don't expect them in till to-morrow night. it is splendid to see the way in which everyone is learning the ropes, and the resource which is being shown. wilson as usual leads in the making of useful suggestions and in generally providing for our wants. he is a tower of strength in checking the ill-usage of clothes--what i have come to regard as the greatest danger with englishmen. _friday, march_ , a.m.--went yesterday to castle rock with wilson to see what chance there might be of getting to cape evans. [ ] the day was bright and it was quite warm walking in the sun. there is no doubt the route to cape evans lies over the worst corner of erebus. from this distance the whole mountain side looks a mass of crevasses, but a route might be found at a level of or ft. the hut is getting warmer and more comfortable. we have very excellent nights; it is cold only in the early morning. the outside temperatures range from ° or so in the day to ° at night. to-day there is a strong s.e. wind with drift. we are going to fetch more blubber for the stove. _saturday, march , a.m._--went yesterday morning to pram point to fetch in blubber--wind very strong to gap but very little on pram point side. in the evening went half-way to castle rock; strong bitter cold wind on summit. could not see the sledge party, but after supper they arrived, having had very hard pulling. they had had no wind at all till they approached the hut. their temperatures had fallen to - ° and - °, but with bright clear sunshine in the daytime. they had thoroughly enjoyed their trip and the pulling on ski. life in the hut is much improved, but if things go too fast there will be all too little to think about and give occupation in the hut. it is astonishing how the miscellaneous assortment of articles remaining in and about the hut have been put to useful purpose. this deserves description._ _ _monday, march_ , a.m.--the weather grew bad on saturday night and we had a mild blizzard yesterday. the wind went to the south and increased in force last night, and this morning there was quite a heavy sea breaking over the ice foot. the spray came almost up to the dogs. it reminds us of the gale in which we drove ashore in the _discovery._ we have had some trouble with our blubber stove and got the hut very full of smoke on saturday night. as a result we are all as black as sweeps and our various garments are covered with oily soot. we look a fearful gang of ruffians. the blizzard has delayed our plans and everyone's attention is bent on the stove, the cooking, and the various internal arrangements. nothing is done without a great amount of advice received from all quarters, and consequently things are pretty well done. the hut has a pungent odour of blubber and blubber smoke. we have grown accustomed to it, but imagine that ourselves and our clothes will be given a wide berth when we return to cape evans. _wednesday, march_ , a.m.--it was blowing continuously from the south throughout sunday, monday, and tuesday--i never remember such a persistent southerly wind. both monday and tuesday i went up crater hill. i feared that our floe at pram point would go, but yesterday it still remained, though the cracks are getting more open. we should be in a hole if it went. [ ] as i came down the hill yesterday i saw a strange figure advancing and found it belonged to griffith taylor. he and his party had returned safely. they were very full of their adventures. the main part of their work seems to be rediscovery of many facts which were noted but perhaps passed over too lightly in the _discovery_--but it is certain that the lessons taught by the physiographical and ice features will now be thoroughly explained. a very interesting fact lies in the continuous bright sunshiny weather which the party enjoyed during the first four weeks of their work. they seem to have avoided all our stormy winds and blizzards. but i must leave griffith taylor to tell his own story, which will certainly be a lengthy one. the party gives evans [p.o.] a very high character. to-day we have a large seal-killing party. i hope to get in a good fortnight's allowance of blubber as well as meat, and pray that our floe will remain. _friday, march_ , a.m.--we killed eleven seals at pram point on wednesday, had lunch on the point, and carried some half ton of the blubber and meat back to camp--it was a stiff pull up the hill. yesterday the last corner party started: evans, wright, crean, and forde in one team; bowers, oates, cherry-garrard, and atkinson in the other. it was very sporting of wright to join in after only a day's rest. he is evidently a splendid puller. debenham has become principal cook, and evidently enjoys the task. taylor is full of good spirits and anecdote, an addition to the party. yesterday after a beautifully fine morning we got a strong northerly wind which blew till the middle of the night, crowding the young ice up the strait. then the wind suddenly shifted to the south, and i thought we were in for a blizzard; but this morning the wind has gone to the s.e.--the stratus cloud formed by the north wind is dissipating, and the damp snow deposited in the night is drifting. it looks like a fine evening. steadily we are increasing the comforts of the hut. the stove has been improved out of all recognition; with extra stove-pipes we get no back draughts, no smoke inside, whilst the economy of fuel is much increased. insulation inside and out is the subject we are now attacking. the young ice is going to and fro, but the sea refuses to freeze over so far--except in the region of pram point, where a bay has remained for some four days holding some pieces of barrier in its grip. these pieces have come from the edge of the barrier and some are crumbling already, showing a deep and rapid surface deposit of snow and therefore the probability that they are drifted sea ice not more than a year or two old, the depth of the drift being due to proximity to an old barrier edge. i have just taken to pyjama trousers and shall don an extra shirt--i have been astonished at the warmth which i have felt throughout in light clothing. so far i have had nothing more than a singlet and jersey under pyjama jacket and a single pair of drawers under wind trousers. a hole in the drawers of ancient date means that one place has had no covering but the wind trousers, yet i have never felt cold about the body. in spite of all little activities i am impatient of our wait here. but i shall be impatient also in the main hut. it is ill to sit still and contemplate the ruin which has assailed our transport. the scheme of advance must be very different from that which i first contemplated. the pole is a very long way off, alas! bit by bit i am losing all faith in the dogs--i'm afraid they will never go the pace we look for. _saturday, march_ , a.m.--still blowing and drifting. it seems as though there can be no peace at this spot till the sea is properly frozen over. it blew very hard from the s.e. yesterday--i could scarcely walk against the wind. in the night it fell calm; the moon shone brightly at midnight. then the sky became overcast and the temperature rose to + . now the wind is coming in spurts from the south--all indications of a blizzard. with the north wind of friday the ice must have pressed up on hut point. a considerable floe of pressed up young ice is grounded under the point, and this morning we found a seal on this. just as the party started out to kill it, it slid off into the water--it had evidently finished its sleep--but it is encouraging to have had a chance to capture a seal so close to the hut. _monday, march_ .--on saturday night it blew hard from the south, thick overhead, low stratus and drift. the sea spray again came over the ice foot and flung up almost to the dogs; by sunday morning the wind had veered to the s.e., and all yesterday it blew with great violence and temperature down to - ° and - °. we were confined to the hut and its immediate environs. last night the wind dropped, and for a few hours this morning we had light airs only, the temperature rising to - °. the continuous bad weather is very serious for the dogs. we have strained every nerve to get them comfortable, but the changes of wind made it impossible to afford shelter in all directions. some five or six dogs are running loose, but we dare not allow the stronger animals such liberty. they suffer much from the cold, but they don't get worse. the small white dog which fell into the crevasse on our home journey died yesterday. under the best circumstances i doubt if it could have lived, as there had evidently been internal injury and an external sore had grown gangrenous. three other animals are in a poor way, but may pull through with luck. we had a stroke of luck to-day. the young ice pressed up off hut point has remained fast--a small convenient platform jutting out from the point. we found two seals on it to-day and killed them--thus getting a good supply of meat for the dogs and some more blubber for our fire. other seals came up as the first two were being skinned, so that one may now hope to keep up all future supplies on this side of the ridge. as i write the wind is blowing up again and looks like returning to the south. the only comfort is that these strong cold winds with no sun must go far to cool the waters of the sound. the continuous bad weather is trying to the spirits, but we are fairly comfortable in the hut and only suffer from lack of exercise to work off the heavy meals our appetites demand. _tuesday, march_ .--the wind returned to the south at last night. it gradually increased in force until a.m., when it was blowing from the s.s.w., force to . the sea was breaking constantly and heavily on the ice foot. the spray carried right over the point--covering all things and raining on the roof of the hut. poor vince's cross, some feet above the water, was enveloped in it. of course the dogs had a very poor time, and we went and released two or three, getting covered in spray during the operation--our wind clothes very wet. this is the third gale from the south since our arrival here. any one of these would have rendered the bay impossible for a ship, and therefore it is extraordinary that we should have entirely escaped such a blow when the _discovery_ was in it in . the effects of this gale are evident and show that it is a most unusual occurrence. the rippled snow surface of the ice foot is furrowed in all directions and covered with briny deposit--a condition we have never seen before. the ice foot at the s.w. corner of the bay is broken down, bare rock appearing for the first time. the sledges, magnetic huts, and in fact every exposed object on the point are thickly covered with brine. our seal floe has gone, so it is good-bye to seals on this side for some time. the dogs are the main sufferers by this continuance of phenomenally terrible weather. at least four are in a bad state; some six or seven others are by no means fit and well, but oddly enough some ten or a dozen animals are as fit as they can be. whether constitutionally harder or whether better fitted by nature or chance to protect themselves it is impossible to say--osman, czigane, krisravitsa, hohol, and some others are in first-rate condition, whilst lappa is better than he has ever been before. it is so impossible to keep the dogs comfortable in the traces and so laborious to be continually attempting it, that we have decided to let the majority run loose. it will be wonderful if we can avoid one or two murders, but on the other hand probably more would die if we kept them in leash. we shall try and keep the quarrelsome dogs chained up. the main trouble that seems to come on the poor wretches is the icing up of their hindquarters; once the ice gets thoroughly into the coat the hind legs get half paralysed with cold. the hope is that the animals will free themselves of this by running about. well, well, fortune is not being very kind to us. this month will have sad memories. still i suppose things might be worse; the ponies are well housed and are doing exceedingly well, though we have slightly increased their food allowance. yesterday afternoon we climbed observation hill to see some examples of spheroidal weathering--wilson knew of them and guided. the geologists state that they indicate a columnar structure, the tops of the columns being weathered out. the specimens we saw were very perfect. had some interesting instruction in geology in the evening. i should not regret a stay here with our two geologists if only the weather would allow us to get about. this morning the wind moderated and went to the s.e.; the sea naturally fell quickly. the temperature this morning was + °; minimum + °. but now the wind is increasing from the s.e. and it is momentarily getting colder. _thursday, march_ , a.m.--no signs of depot party, which to-night will have been a week absent. on tuesday afternoon we went up to the big boulder above ski slope. the geologists were interested, and we others learnt something of olivines, green in crystal form or oxidized to bright red, granites or granulites or quartzites, hornblende and feldspars, ferrous and ferric oxides of lava acid, basic, plutonic, igneous, eruptive--schists, basalts &c. all such things i must get clearer in my mind. [ ] tuesday afternoon a cold s.e. wind commenced and blew all night. yesterday morning it was calm and i went up crater hill. the sea of stratus cloud hung curtain-like over the strait--blue sky east and south of it and the western mountains bathed in sunshine, sharp, clear, distinct, a glorious glimpse of grandeur on which the curtain gradually descended. in the morning it looked as though great pieces of barrier were drifting out. from the hill one found these to be but small fragments which the late gale had dislodged, leaving in places a blue wall very easily distinguished from the general white of the older fractures. the old floe and a good extent of new ice had remained fast in pram point bay. great numbers of seals up as usual. the temperature was up to + ° at noon. in the afternoon a very chill wind from the east, temperature rapidly dropping till zero in the evening. the strait obstinately refuses to freeze. we are scoring another success in the manufacture of blubber lamps, which relieves anxiety as to lighting as the hours of darkness increase. the young ice in pram point bay is already being pressed up. _friday, march_ , a.m.--skuas still about, a few--very shy--very dark in colour after moulting. went along arrival heights yesterday with very keen over-ridge wind--it was difficult to get shelter. in the evening it fell calm and has remained all night with temperature up to + °. this morning it is snowing with fairly large flakes. yesterday for the first time saw the ice foot on the south side of the bay, a wall some or ft. above water and or ft. below; the sea bottom quite clear with the white wall resting on it. this must be typical of the ice foot all along the coast, and the wasting of caves at sea level alone gives the idea of an overhanging mass. very curious and interesting erosion of surface of the ice foot by waves during recent gale. the depot party returned yesterday morning. they had thick weather on the outward march and missed the track, finally doing miles between safety camp and corner camp. they had a hard blow up to force on the night of our gale. started n.w. and strongest s.s.e. the sea wants to freeze--a thin coating of ice formed directly the wind dropped; but the high temperature does not tend to thicken it rapidly and the tide makes many an open lead. we have been counting our resources and arranging for another twenty days' stay. _saturday, march_ , a.m.--we have had two days of surprisingly warm weather, the sky overcast, snow falling, wind only in light airs. last night the sky was clearing, with a southerly wind, and this morning the sea was open all about us. it is disappointing to find the ice so reluctant to hold; at the same time one supposes that the cooling of the water is proceeding and therefore that each day makes it easier for the ice to form--the sun seems to have lost all power, but i imagine its rays still tend to warm the surface water about the noon hours. it is only a week now to the date which i thought would see us all at cape evans. the warmth of the air has produced a comparatively uncomfortable state of affairs in the hut. the ice on the inner roof is melting fast, dripping on the floor and streaming down the sides. the increasing cold is checking the evil even as i write. comfort could only be ensured in the hut either by making a clean sweep of all the ceiling ice or by keeping the interior at a critical temperature little above freezing-point. _sunday, march_ , p.m.--yesterday morning went along arrival heights in very cold wind. afternoon to east side observation hill. as afternoon advanced, wind fell. glorious evening--absolutely calm, smoke ascending straight. sea frozen over--looked very much like final freezing, but in night wind came from s.e., producing open water all along shore. wind continued this morning with drift, slackened in afternoon; walked over gap and back by crater heights to arrival heights. sea east of cape armitage pretty well covered with ice; some open pools--sea off shore west of the cape frozen in pools, open lanes close to shore as far as castle rock. bays either side of glacier tongue _look_ fairly well frozen. hut still dropping water badly. held service in hut this morning, read litany. one skua seen to-day. _monday, march_ , p.m.--strong easterly wind on ridge to-day rushing down over slopes on western side. ice holding south from about hut point, but cleared / to / mile from shore to northward. cleared in patches also, i am told, on both sides of glacier tongue, which is annoying. a regular local wind. the barrier edge can be seen clearly all along, showing there is little or no drift. have been out over the gap for walk. glad to say majority of people seem anxious to get exercise, but one or two like the fire better. the dogs are getting fitter each day, and all save one or two have excellent coats. i was very pleased to find one or two of the animals voluntarily accompanying us on our walk. it is good to see them trotting against a strong drift. _tuesday, march_ .--slowly but surely the sea is freezing over. the ice holds and thickens south of hut point in spite of strong easterly wind and in spite of isolated water holes which obstinately remain open. it is difficult to account for these--one wonders if the air currents shoot downward on such places; but even so it is strange that they do not gradually diminish in extent. a great deal of ice seems to have remained in and about the northern islets, but it is too far to be sure that there is a continuous sheet. we are building stabling to accommodate four more ponies under the eastern verandah. when this is complete we shall be able to shelter seven animals, and this should be enough for winter and spring operations. _thursday, march_ .--the ice holds south of hut point, though not thickening rapidly--yesterday was calm and the same ice conditions seemed to obtain on both sides of the glacier tongue. it looks as though the last part of the road to become safe will be the stretch from hut point to turtleback island. here the sea seems disinclined to freeze even in calm weather. to-day there is more strong wind from the east. white horse all along under the ridge. the period of our stay here seems to promise to lengthen. it is trying--trying--but we can live, which is something. i should not be greatly surprised if we had to wait till may. several skuas were about the camp yesterday. i have seen none to-day. two rorquals were rising close to hut point this morning--although the ice is nowhere thick it was strange to see them making for the open leads and thin places to blow. _friday, march_ .--i studied the wind blowing along the ridge yesterday and came to the conclusion that a comparatively thin shaft of air was moving along the ridge from erebus. on either side of the ridge it seemed to pour down from the ridge itself--there was practically no wind on the sea ice off pram point, and to the westward of hut point the frost smoke was drifting to the n.w. the temperature ranges about zero. it seems to be almost certain that the perpetual wind is due to the open winter. meanwhile the sea refuses to freeze over. wright pointed out the very critical point which zero temperature represents in the freezing of salt water, being the freezing temperature of concentrated brine--a very few degrees above or below zero would make all the difference to the rate of increase of the ice thickness. yesterday the ice was inches in places east of cape armitage and inches in our bay: it was said to be fast to the south of the glacier tongue well beyond turtleback island and to the north out of the islands, except for a strip of water immediately north of the tongue. we are good for another week in pretty well every commodity and shall then have to reduce luxuries. but we have plenty of seal meat, blubber and biscuit, and can therefore remain for a much longer period if needs be. meanwhile the days are growing shorter and the weather colder. _saturday, april_ .--the wind yesterday was blowing across the ridge from the top down on the sea to the west: very little wind on the eastern slopes and practically none at pram point. a seal came up in our bay and was killed. taylor found a number of fish frozen into the sea ice--he says there are several in a small area. the pressure ridges in pram point bay are estimated by wright to have set up about feet. this ice has been 'in' about ten days. it is now safe to work pretty well anywhere south of hut point. went to third crater (next castle rock) yesterday. the ice seems to be holding in the near bay from a point near hulton rocks to glacier; also in the whole of the north bay except for a tongue of open water immediately north of the glacier. the wind is the same to-day as yesterday, and the open water apparently not reduced by a square yard. i'm feeling impatient. _sunday, april_ , a.m.--went round cape armitage to pram point on sea ice for first time yesterday afternoon. ice solid everywhere, except off the cape, where there are numerous open pools. can only imagine layers of comparatively warm water brought to the surface by shallows. the ice between the pools is fairly shallow. one emperor killed off the cape. several skuas seen--three seals up in our bay--several off pram point in the shelter of horse shoe bay. a great many fish on sea ice--mostly small, but a second species or inches long: imagine they are chased by seals and caught in brashy ice where they are unable to escape. came back over hill: glorious sunset, brilliant crimson clouds in west. returned to find wind dropping, the first time for three days. it turned to north in the evening. splendid aurora in the night; a bright band of light from s.s.w. to e.n.e. passing within ° of the zenith with two waving spirals at the summit. this morning sea to north covered with ice. min. temp, for night - °, but i think most of the ice was brought in by the wind. things look more hopeful. ice now continuous to cape evans, but very thin as far as glacier tongue; three or four days of calm or light winds should make everything firm. _wednesday, april_ , a.m.--the east wind has continued with a short break on sunday for five days, increasing in violence and gradually becoming colder and more charged with snow until yesterday, when we had a thick overcast day with falling and driving snow and temperature down to - °. went beyond castle rock on sunday and monday mornings with griffith taylor. think the wind fairly local and that the strait has frozen over to the north, as streams of drift snow and ice crystals (off the cliffs) were building up the ice sheet towards the wind. monday we could see the approaching white sheet--yesterday it was visibly closer to land, though the wind had not decreased. walking was little pleasure on either day: yesterday climbed about hills to see all possible. no one else left the hut. in the evening the wind fell and freezing continued during night (min.-- °). this morning there is ice everywhere. i cannot help thinking it has come to stay. in arrival bay it is to inches thick, but the new pools beyond have only i inch of the regular elastic sludgy new ice. the sky cleared last night, and this morning we have sunshine for the first time for many days. if this weather holds for a day we shall be all right. we are getting towards the end of our luxuries, so that it is quite time we made a move--we are very near the end of the sugar. the skuas seem to have gone, the last was seen on sunday. these birds were very shy towards the end of their stay, also very dark in plumage; they did not seem hungry, and yet it must have been difficult for them to get food. the seals are coming up in our bay--five last night. luckily the dogs have not yet discovered them or the fact that the sea ice will bear them. had an interesting talk with taylor on agglomerate and basaltic dykes of castle rock. the perfection of the small cone craters below castle rock seem to support the theory we have come to, that there have been volcanic disturbances since the recession of the greater ice sheet. it is a great thing having wright to fog out the ice problems, and he has had a good opportunity of observing many interesting things here. he is keeping notes of ice changes and a keen eye on ice phenomena; we have many discussions. yesterday wilson prepared a fry of seal meat with penguin blubber. it had a flavour like cod-liver oil and was not much appreciated--some ate their share, and i think all would have done so if we had had sledging appetites--shades of _discovery_ days!!_ _ this emperor weighed anything from to lbs., and therefore approximated to or exceeded the record. the dogs are doing pretty well with one or two exceptions. deek is the worst, but i begin to think all will pull through. _thursday, april_ , a.m.--the weather continued fine and clear yesterday--one of the very few fine days we have had since our arrival at the hut. the sun shone continuously from early morning till it set behind the northern hills about p.m. the sea froze completely, but with only a thin sheet to the north. a fairly strong northerly wind sprang up, causing this thin ice to override and to leave several open leads near the land. in the forenoon i went to the edge of the new ice with wright. it looked at the limit of safety and we did not venture far. the over-riding is interesting: the edge of one sheet splits as it rises and slides over the other sheet in long tongues which creep onward impressively. whilst motion lasts there is continuous music, a medley of high pitched but tuneful notes--one might imagine small birds chirping in a wood. the ice sings, we say. p.m.--in the afternoon went nearly two miles to the north over the young ice; found it about / inches thick. at supper arranged programme for shift to cape evans--men to go on saturday--dogs sunday--ponies monday--all subject to maintenance of good weather of course. _friday, april_ .--went north over ice with atkinson, bowers, taylor, cherry-garrard; found the thickness nearly inches everywhere except in open water leads, which remain open in many places. as we got away from the land we got on an interesting surface of small pancakes, much capped and pressed up, a sort of mosaic. this is the ice which was built up from lee side of the strait, spreading across to windward against the strong winds of monday and tuesday. another point of interest was the manner in which the overriding ice sheets had scraped the under floes. taylor fell in when rather foolishly trying to cross a thinly covered lead--he had a very scared face for a moment or two whilst we hurried to the rescue, but hauled himself out with his ice axe without our help and walked back with cherry. the remainder of us went on till abreast of the sulphur cones under castle rock, when we made for the shore, and with a little mutual help climbed the cliff and returned by land. as far as one can see all should be well for our return to-morrow, but the sky is clouding to-night and a change of weather seems imminent. three successive fine days seem near the limit in this region. we have picked up quite a number of fish frozen in the ice--the larger ones about the size of a herring and the smaller of a minnow. we imagined both had been driven into the slushy ice by seals, but to-day gran found a large fish frozen in the act of swallowing a small one. it looks as though both small and large are caught when one is chasing the other. we have achieved such great comfort here that one is half sorry to leave--it is a fine healthy existence with many hours spent in the open and generally some interesting object for our walks abroad. the hill climbing gives excellent exercise--we shall miss much of it at cape evans. but i am anxious to get back and see that all is well at the latter, as for a long time i have been wondering how our beach has withstood the shocks of northerly winds. the thought that the hut may have been damaged by the sea in one of the heavy storms will not be banished. a sketch of the life at hut point we gather around the fire seated on packing-cases to receive them with a hunk of butter and a steaming pannikin of tea, and life is well worth living. after lunch we are out and about again; there is little to tempt a long stay indoors and exercise keeps us all the fitter. the falling light and approach of supper drives us home again with good appetites about or o'clock, and then the cooks rival one another in preparing succulent dishes of fried seal liver. a single dish may not seem to offer much opportunity of variation, but a lot can be done with a little flour, a handful of raisins, a spoonful of curry powder, or the addition of a little boiled pea meal. be this as it may, we never tire of our dish and exclamations of satisfaction can be heard every night--or nearly every night, for two nights ago [april ] wilson, who has proved a genius in the invention of 'plats,' almost ruined his reputation. he proposed to fry the seal liver in penguin blubber, suggesting that the latter could be freed from all rankness. the blubber was obtained and rendered down with great care, the result appeared as delightfully pure fat free from smell; but appearances were deceptive; the 'fry' proved redolent of penguin, a concentrated essence of that peculiar flavour which faintly lingers in the meat and should not be emphasised. three heroes got through their pannikins, but the rest of us decided to be contented with cocoa and biscuit after tasting the first mouthful. after supper we have an hour or so of smoking and conversation--a cheering, pleasant hour--in which reminiscences are exchanged by a company which has very literally had world-wide experience. there is scarce a country under the sun which one or another of us has not travelled in, so diverse are our origins and occupations. an hour or so after supper we tail off one by one, spread out our sleeping-bags, take off our shoes and creep into comfort, for our reindeer bags are really warm and comfortable now that they have had a chance of drying, and the hut retains some of the heat generated in it. thanks to the success of the blubber lamps and to a fair supply of candles, we can muster ample light to read for another hour or two, and so tucked up in our furs we study the social and political questions of the past decade. we muster no less than sixteen. seven of us pretty well cover the floor of one wing of the l-shaped enclosure, four sleep in the other wing, which also holds the store, whilst the remaining five occupy the annexe and affect to find the colder temperature more salubrious. everyone can manage eight or nine hours' sleep without a break, and not a few would have little difficulty in sleeping the clock round, which goes to show that our extremely simple life is an exceedingly healthy one, though with faces and hands blackened with smoke, appearances might not lead an outsider to suppose it. _sunday, april_ , a.m.--on friday night it grew overcast and the wind went to the south. during the whole of yesterday and last night it blew a moderate blizzard--the temperature at highest + °, a relatively small amount of drift. on friday night the ice in the strait went out from a line meeting the shore / mile north of hut point. a crack off hut point and curving to n.w. opened to about or feet, the opening continuing on the north side of the point. it is strange that the ice thus opened should have remained. ice cleared out to the north directly wind commenced--it didn't wait a single instant, showing that our journey over it earlier in the day was a very risky proceeding--the uncertainty of these conditions is beyond words, but there shall be no more of this foolish venturing on young ice. this decision seems to put off the return of the ponies to a comparatively late date. yesterday went to the second crater, arrival heights, hoping to see the condition of the northerly bays, but could see little or nothing owing to drift. a white line dimly seen on the horizon seemed to indicate that the ice drifted out has not gone far. some skuas were seen yesterday, a very late date. the seals disinclined to come on the ice; one can be seen at cape armitage this morning, but it is two or three days since there was one up in our bay. it will certainly be some time before the ponies can be got back. _monday, april_ , p.m.--intended to make for cape evans this morning. called hands early, but when we were ready for departure after breakfast, the sky became more overcast and snow began to fall. it continued off and on all day, only clearing as the sun set. it would have been the worst condition possible for our attempt, as we could not have been more than yards. conditions look very unfavourable for the continued freezing of the strait. _thursday, april_ .--started from hut point a.m. tuesday. party consisted of self, bowers, p.o. evans, taylor, one tent; evans, gran, crean, debenham, and wright, second tent. left wilson in charge at hut point with meares, forde, keohane, oates, atkinson, and cherry-garrard. all gave us a pull up the ski slope; it had become a point of honour to take this slope without a 'breather.' i find such an effort trying in the early morning, but had to go through with it. weather fine; we marched past castle rock, east of it; the snow was soft on the slopes, showing the shelter afforded--continued to traverse the ridge for the first time--found quite good surface much wind swept--passed both cones on the ridge on the west side. caught a glimpse of fast ice in the bays either side of glacier as expected, but in the near bay its extent was very small. evidently we should have to go well along the ridge before descending, and then the problem would be how to get down over the cliffs. on to hulton rocks / miles from the start--here it was very icy and wind swept, inhospitable--the wind got up and light became bad just at the critical moment, so we camped and had some tea at p.m. a clearance half an hour later allowed us to see a possible descent to the ice cliffs, but between hulton rocks and erebus all the slope was much cracked and crevassed. we chose a clear track to the edge of the cliffs, but could find no low place in these, the lowest part being feet sheer drop. arriving here the wind increased, the snow drifting off the ridge--we had to decide quickly; i got myself to the edge and made standing places to work the rope; dug away at the cornice, well situated for such work in harness. got three people lowered by the alpine rope--evans, bowers, and taylor--then sent down the sledges, which went down in fine style, fully packed--then the remainder of the party. for the last three, drove a stake hard down in the snow and used the rope round it, the men being lowered by people below--came down last myself. quite a neat and speedy bit of work and all done in minutes without serious frostbite--quite pleased with the result. we found pulling to glacier tongue very heavy over the surface of ice covered with salt crystals, and reached glacier tongue about . ; found a low place and got the sledges up the ft. wall pretty easily. stiff incline, but easy pulling on hard surface--the light was failing and the surface criss-crossed with innumerable cracks; several of us fell in these with risk of strain, but the north side was well snow-covered and easy, with a good valley leading to a low ice cliff--here a broken piece afforded easy descent. i decided to push on for cape evans, so camped for tea at . at . found darkness suddenly arrived; it was very difficult to see anything--we got down on the sea ice, very heavy pulling, but plodded on for some hours; at arrived close under little razor back island, and not being able to see anything ahead, decided to camp and got to sleep at . in no very comfortable circumstances. the wind commenced to rise during night. we found a roaring blizzard in the morning. we had many alarms for the safety of the ice on which the camp was pitched. bowers and taylor climbed the island; reported wind terrific on the summit--sweeping on either side but comparatively calm immediately to windward and to leeward. waited all day in hopes of a lull; at i went round the island myself with bowers, and found a little ice platform close under the weather side; resolved to shift camp here. it took two very cold hours, but we gained great shelter, the cliffs rising almost sheer from the tents. only now and again a whirling wind current eddied down on the tents, which were well secured, but the noise of the wind sweeping over the rocky ridge above our heads was deafening; we could scarcely hear ourselves speak. settled down for our second night with little comfort, and slept better, knowing we could not be swept out to sea, but provisions were left only for one more meal. during the night the wind moderated and we could just see outline of land. i roused the party at a.m. and we were soon under weigh, with a desperately cold and stiff breeze and frozen clothes; it was very heavy pulling, but the distance only two miles. arrived off the point about ten and found sea ice continued around it. it was a very great relief to see the hut on rounding it and to hear that all was well. another pony, hackenschmidt, and one dog reported dead, but this certainly is not worse than expected. all the other animals are in good form. delighted with everything i see in the hut. simpson has done wonders, but indeed so has everyone else, and i must leave description to a future occasion. _friday, april_ .--good friday. peaceful day. wind continuing to miles per hour. had divine service. _saturday, april_ .--weather continuing thoroughly bad. wind blowing from to miles an hour all day; drift bad, and to-night snow falling. i am waiting to get back to hut point with relief stores. to-night sent up signal light to inform them there of our safe arrival--an answering flare was shown. _sunday, april_ .--same wind as yesterday up to o'clock, when it fell calm with gusts from the north. have exercised the ponies to-day and got my first good look at them. i scarcely like to express the mixed feelings with which i am able to regard this remnant. freezing of bays. cape evans _march_ .--general young ice formed. _march_ .--bay cleared except strip inside inaccessible and razor back islands to corner turk's head. _march_ .--everything cleared. _march_ .--sea froze over inside islands for good. _march_ .--sea frozen as far as seen. _march_ .--remaining only inside islands. _april_ .--limit cape to island. _april_ .--present limit freezing in strait and in north bay. _april_ .--strait cleared except former limit and _some_ ice in north bay likely to remain. chapter viii home impressions and an excursion _impressions on returning to the hut, april_ , in choosing the site of the hut on our home beach i had thought of the possibility of northerly winds bringing a swell, but had argued, firstly, that no heavy northerly swell had ever been recorded in the sound; secondly, that a strong northerly wind was bound to bring pack which would damp the swell; thirdly, that the locality was excellently protected by the barne glacier, and finally, that the beach itself showed no signs of having been swept by the sea, the rock fragments composing it being completely angular. when the hut was erected and i found that its foundation was only feet above the level of the sea ice, i had a slight misgiving, but reassured myself again by reconsidering the circumstances that afforded shelter to the beach. the fact that such question had been considered makes it easier to understand the attitude of mind that readmitted doubt in the face of phenomenal conditions. the event has justified my original arguments, but i must confess a sense of having assumed security without sufficient proof in a case where an error of judgment might have had dire consequences. it was not until i found all safe at the home station that i realised how anxious i had been concerning it. in a normal season no thought of its having been in danger would have occurred to me, but since the loss of the ponies and the breaking of the glacier tongue i could not rid myself of the fear that misfortune was in the air and that some abnormal swell had swept the beach; gloomy thoughts of the havoc that might have been wrought by such an event would arise in spite of the sound reasons which had originally led me to choose the site of the hut as a safe one. the late freezing of the sea, the terrible continuance of wind and the abnormalities to which i have referred had gradually strengthened the profound distrust with which i had been forced to regard our mysterious antarctic climate until my imagination conjured up many forms of disaster as possibly falling on those from whom i had parted for so long. we marched towards cape evans under the usually miserable conditions which attend the breaking of camp in a cold wind after a heavy blizzard. the outlook was dreary in the grey light of early morning, our clothes were frozen stiff and our fingers, wet and cold in the tent, had been frostbitten in packing the sledges. a few comforting signs of life appeared as we approached the cape; some old footprints in the snow, a long silk thread from the meteorologist's balloon; but we saw nothing more as we neared the rocks of the promontory and the many grounded bergs which were scattered off it. to my surprise the fast ice extended past the cape and we were able to round it into the north bay. here we saw the weather screen on wind vane hill, and a moment later turned a small headland and brought the hut in full view. it was intact--stables, outhouses and all; evidently the sea had left it undisturbed. i breathed a huge sigh of relief. we watched two figures at work near the stables and wondered when they would see us. in a moment or two they did so, and fled inside the hut to carry the news of our arrival. three minutes later all nine occupants [ ] were streaming over the floe towards us with shouts of welcome. there were eager inquiries as to mutual welfare and it took but a minute to learn the most important events of the quiet station life which had been led since our departure. these under the circumstances might well be considered the deaths of one pony and one dog. the pony was that which had been nicknamed hackenschmidt from his vicious habit of using both fore and hind legs in attacking those who came near him. he had been obviously of different breed from the other ponies, being of lighter and handsomer shape, suggestive of a strain of arab blood. from no cause which could be discovered either by the symptoms of his illness or the post-mortem held by nelson could a reason be found for his death. in spite of the best feeding and every care he had gradually sickened until he was too weak to stand, and in this condition there had been no option but to put him out of misery. anton considers the death of hackenschmidt to have been an act of 'cussedness'--the result of a determination to do no work for the expedition!! although the loss is serious i remember doubts which i had as to whether this animal could be anything but a source of trouble to us. he had been most difficult to handle all through, showing a vicious, intractable temper. i had foreseen great difficulties with him, especially during the early part of any journey on which he was taken, and this consideration softened the news of his death. the dog had been left behind in a very sick condition, and this loss was not a great surprise. these items were the worst of the small budget of news that awaited me; for the rest, the hut arrangements had worked out in the most satisfactory manner possible and the scientific routine of observations was in full swing. after our primitive life at cape armitage it was wonderful to enter the precincts of our warm, dry cape evans home. the interior space seemed palatial, the light resplendent, and the comfort luxurious. it was very good to eat in civilised fashion, to enjoy the first bath for three months, and have contact with clean, dry clothing. such fleeting hours of comfort (for custom soon banished their delight) are the treasured remembrance of every polar traveller. they throw into sharpest contrast the hardships of the past and the comforts of the present, and for the time he revels in the unaccustomed physical contentment that results. i was not many hours or even minutes in the hut before i was haled round to observe in detail the transformation which had taken place during my absence, and in which a very proper pride was taken by those who had wrought it. simpson's corner was the first visited. here the eye travelled over numerous shelves laden with a profusion of self-recording instruments, electric batteries and switchboards, whilst the ear caught the ticking of many clocks, the gentle whir of a motor and occasionally the trembling note of an electric bell. but such sights and sounds conveyed only an impression of the delicate methodical means by which the daily and hourly variations of our weather conditions were being recorded--a mere glimpse of the intricate arrangements of a first-class meteorological station--the one and only station of that order which has been established in polar regions. it took me days and even months to realise fully the aims of our meteorologist and the scientific accuracy with which he was achieving them. when i did so to an adequate extent i wrote some description of his work which will be found in the following pages of this volume. [ ] the first impression which i am here describing was more confused; i appreciated only that by going to 'simpson's corner' one could ascertain at a glance how hard the wind was blowing and had been blowing, how the barometer was varying, to what degree of cold the thermometer had descended; if one were still more inquisitive he could further inform himself as to the electrical tension of the atmosphere and other matters of like import. that such knowledge could be gleaned without a visit to the open air was an obvious advantage to those who were clothing themselves to face it, whilst the ability to study the variation of a storm without exposure savoured of no light victory of mind over matter. the dark room stands next to the parasitologist's side of the bench which flanks sunny jim's corner--an involved sentence. to be more exact, the physicists adjust their instruments and write up books at a bench which projects at right angles to the end wall of the hut; the opposite side of this bench is allotted to atkinson, who is to write with his back to the dark room. atkinson being still absent his corner was unfurnished, and my attention was next claimed by the occupant of the dark room beyond atkinson's limit. the art of photography has never been so well housed within the polar regions and rarely without them. such a palatial chamber for the development of negatives and prints can only be justified by the quality of the work produced in it, and is only justified in our case by the possession of such an artist as ponting. he was eager to show me the results of his summer work, and meanwhile my eye took in the neat shelves with their array of cameras, &c., the porcelain sink and automatic water tap, the two acetylene gas burners with their shading screens, and the general obviousness of all conveniences of the photographic art. here, indeed, was encouragement for the best results, and to the photographer be all praise, for it is mainly his hand which has executed the designs which his brain conceived. in this may be clearly seen the advantage of a traveller's experience. ponting has had to fend for himself under primitive conditions in a new land; the result is a 'handy man' with every form of tool and in any circumstances. thus, when building operations were to the fore and mechanical labour scarce, ponting returned to the shell of his apartment with only the raw material for completing it. in the shortest possible space of time shelves and tanks were erected, doors hung and windows framed, and all in a workmanlike manner commanding the admiration of all beholders. it was well that speed could be commanded for such work, since the fleeting hours of the summer season had been altogether too few to be spared from the immediate service of photography. ponting's nervous temperament allowed no waste of time--for him fine weather meant no sleep; he decided that lost opportunities should be as rare as circumstances would permit. this attitude was now manifested in the many yards of cinematograph film remaining on hand and yet greater number recorded as having been sent back in the ship, in the boxes of negatives lying on the shelves and a well-filled album of prints. of the many admirable points in this work perhaps the most notable are ponting's eye for a picture and the mastery he has acquired of ice subjects; the composition of most of his pictures is extraordinarily good, he seems to know by instinct the exact value of foreground and middle distance and of the introduction of 'life,' whilst with more technical skill in the manipulation of screens and exposures he emphasises the subtle shadows of the snow and reproduces its wondrously transparent texture. he is an artist in love with his work, and it was good to hear his enthusiasm for results of the past and plans of the future. long before i could gaze my fill at the contents of the dark room i was led to the biologists' cubicle; nelson and day had from the first decided to camp together, each having a habit of methodical neatness; both were greatly relieved when the arrangement was approved, and they were freed from the chance of an untidy companion. no attempt had been made to furnish this cubicle before our departure on the autumn journey, but now on my return i found it an example of the best utilisation of space. the prevailing note was neatness; the biologist's microscope stood on a neat bench surrounded by enamel dishes, vessels, and books neatly arranged; behind him, when seated, rose two neat bunks with neat, closely curtained drawers for clothing and neat reflecting sconces for candles; overhead was a neat arrangement for drying socks with several nets, neatly bestowed. the carpentering to produce this effect had been of quite a high order, and was in very marked contrast with that exhibited for the hasty erections in other cubicles. the pillars and boarding of the bunks had carefully finished edges and were stained to mahogany brown. nelson's bench is situated very conveniently under the largest of the hut windows, and had also an acetylene lamp, so that both in summer and winter he has all conveniences for his indoor work. day appeared to have been unceasingly busy during my absence. everyone paid tribute to his mechanical skill and expressed gratitude for the help he had given in adjusting instruments and generally helping forward the scientific work. he was entirely responsible for the heating, lighting, and ventilating arrangements, and as all these appear satisfactory he deserved much praise. particulars concerning these arrangements i shall give later; as a first impression it is sufficient to note that the warmth and lighting of the hut seemed as good as could be desired, whilst for our comfort the air seemed fresh and pure. day had also to report some progress with the motor sledges, but this matter also i leave for future consideration. my attention was very naturally turned from the heating arrangements to the cooking stove and its custodian, clissold. i had already heard much of the surpassingly satisfactory meals which his art had produced, and had indeed already a first experience of them. now i was introduced to the cook's corner with its range and ovens, its pots and pans, its side tables and well-covered shelves. much was to be gathered therefrom, although a good meal by no means depends only on kitchen conveniences. it was gratifying to learn that the stove had proved itself economical and the patent fuel blocks a most convenient and efficient substitute for coal. save for the thickness of the furnace cheeks and the size of the oven clissold declared himself wholly satisfied. he feared that the oven would prove too small to keep up a constant supply of bread for all hands; nevertheless he introduced me to this oven with an air of pride which i soon found to be fully justified. for connected therewith was a contrivance for which he was entirely responsible, and which in its ingenuity rivalled any of which the hut could boast. the interior of the oven was so arranged that the 'rising' of the bread completed an electric circuit, thereby ringing a bell and switching on a red lamp. clissold had realised that the continuous ringing of the bell would not be soothing to the nerves of our party, nor the continuous burning of the lamp calculated to prolong its life, and he had therefore added the clockwork mechanism which automatically broke the circuit after a short interval of time; further, this clockwork mechanism could be made to control the emersion of the same warning signals at intervals of time varied according to the desire of the operator;--thus because, when in bed, he would desire a signal at short periods, but if absent from the hut he would wish to know at a glance what had happened when he returned. judged by any standard it was a remarkably pretty little device, but when i learnt that it had been made from odds and ends, such as a cog-wheel or spring here and a cell or magnet there, begged from other departments, i began to realise that we had a very exceptional cook. later when i found that clissold was called in to consult on the ailments of simpson's motor and that he was capable of constructing a dog sledge out of packing cases, i was less surprised, because i knew by this time that he had had considerable training in mechanical work before he turned his attention to pots and pans. my first impressions include matters to which i was naturally eager to give an early half-hour, namely the housing of our animals. i found herein that praise was as justly due to our russian boys as to my fellow englishmen. anton with lashly's help had completed the furnishing of the stables. neat stalls occupied the whole length of the 'lean to,' the sides so boarded that sprawling legs could not be entangled beneath and the front well covered with tin sheet to defeat the 'cribbers.' i could but sigh again to think of the stalls that must now remain empty, whilst appreciating that there was ample room for the safe harbourage of the ten beasts that remain, be the winter never so cold or the winds so wild. later we have been able to give double space to all but two or three of our animals, in which they can lie down if they are so inclined. the ponies look fairly fit considering the low diet on which they have been kept; their coats were surprisingly long and woolly in contrast with those of the animals i had left at hut point. at this time they were being exercised by lashly, anton, demetri, hooper, and clissold, and as a rule were ridden, the sea having only recently frozen. the exercise ground had lain on the boulder-strewn sand of the home beach and extending towards the skua lake; and across these stretches i soon saw barebacked figures dashing at speed, and not a few amusing incidents in which horse and rider parted with abrupt lack of ceremony. i didn't think this quite the most desirable form of exercise for the beasts, but decided to leave matters as they were till our pony manager returned. demetri had only five or six dogs left in charge, but these looked fairly fit, all things considered, and it was evident the boy was bent on taking every care of them, for he had not only provided shelters, but had built a small 'lean to' which would serve as a hospital for any animal whose stomach or coat needed nursing. such were in broad outline the impressions i received on my first return to our home station; they were almost wholly pleasant and, as i have shown, in happy contrast with the fears that had assailed me on the homeward route. as the days went by i was able to fill in the detail in equally pleasant fashion, to watch the development of fresh arrangements and the improvement of old ones. finally, in this way i was brought to realise what an extensive and intricate but eminently satisfactory organisation i had made myself responsible for. _notes on flyleaf of fresh ms. book_ genus homo, species sapiens! flotsam wm. barents' house in novaya zemlya built . found by capt. carlsen ( years later) intact, everything inside as left! what of this hut? the ocean girt continent. 'might have seemed almost heroic if any higher end than excessive love of gain and traffic had animated the design.'--milton. 'he is not worthy to live at all, who, for fear and danger of death shunneth his country's service or his own honour, since death is inevitable and the fame of virtue immortal.'--sir humphrey gilbert. there is no part of the world that _can_ not be reached by man. when the 'can be' is turned to 'has been' the geographical society will have altered its status. 'at the whirring loom of time unawed i weave the living garment of god.'--goethe. by all means think yourself big but don't think everyone else small! the man who knows everyone's job isn't much good at his own. 'when you are attacked unjustly avoid the appearance of evil, but avoid also the appearance of being too good!' 'a man can't be too good, but he can appear too good.' _monday, april_ .--started from c. evans with two ft. sledges. party . self, lashly, day, demetri. ,, . bowers, nelson, crean, hooper. we left at a.m., taking our personal equipment, a week's provision of sledging food, and butter, oatmeal, flour, lard, chocolate, &c., for the hut. two of the ponies hauled the sledges to within a mile of the glacier tongue; the wind, which had been north, here suddenly shifted to s.e., very biting. (the wind remained north at c. evans during the afternoon, the ponies walked back into it.) sky overcast, very bad light. found the place to get on the glacier, but then lost the track-crossed more or less direct, getting amongst many cracks. came down in bay near the open water--stumbled over the edge to an easy drift. more than once on these trips i as leader have suddenly disappeared from the sight of the others, affording some consternation till they got close enough to see what has happened. the pull over sea ice was very heavy and in face of strong wind and drift. every member of the party was frostbitten about the face, several with very cold feet. pushed on after repairs. found drift streaming off the ice cliff, a new cornice formed and our rope buried at both ends. the party getting cold, i decided to camp, have tea, and shift foot gear. whilst tea was preparing, bowers and i went south, then north, along the cliffs to find a place to ascend--nearly everywhere ascent seemed impossible in the vicinity of hulton rocks or north, but eventually we found an overhanging cornice close to our rope. after lunch we unloaded a sledge, which, held high on end by four men, just reached the edge of the cornice. clambering up over backs and up sledge i used an ice-axe to cut steps over the cornice and thus managed to get on top, then cut steps and surmounted the edge of the cornice. helped bowers up with the rope; others followed--then the gear was hauled up piecemeal. for crean, the last man up, we lowered the sledge over the cornice and used a bowline in the other end of the rope on top of it. he came up grinning with delight, and we all thought the ascent rather a cunning piece of work. it was fearfully cold work, but everyone working with rare intelligence, we eventually got everything up and repacked the sledge; glad to get in harness again. then a heavy pull up a steep slope in wretched light, making detour to left to avoid crevasses. we reached the top and plodded on past the craters as nearly as possible as on the outward route. the party was pretty exhausted and very wet with perspiration. approaching castle rock the weather and light improved. camped on barrier slope north of castle rock about p.m. night cold but calm, - ° during night; slept pretty well. _tuesday, april_ .--hut point. good moonlight at a.m.--had breakfast. broke camp very quickly--lashly splendid at camp work as of old--very heavy pull up to castle rock, sweated much. this sweating in cold temperature is a serious drawback. reached hut point p.m. found all well in excellent spirits--didn't seem to want us much!! party reported very bad weather since we left, cold blizzard, then continuous s.w. wind with - ° and below. the open water was right up to hut point, wind absolutely preventing all freezing along shore. wilson reported skua gull seen monday. found party much shorter of blubber than i had expected--they were only just keeping themselves supplied with a seal killed two days before and one as we arrived. actually less fast ice than when we left! _wednesday, april_ .--hut point. calm during night, sea froze over at noon, / inches thick off hut point, showing how easily the sea will freeze when the chance is given. three seals reported on the ice; all hands out after breakfast and the liver and blubber of all three seals were brought in. this relieves one of a little anxiety, leaving a twelve days' stock, in which time other seals ought to be coming up. i am making arrangements to start back to-morrow, but at present it is overcast and wind coming up from the south. this afternoon, all ice frozen last night went out quietly; the sea tried to freeze behind it, but the wind freshened soon. the ponies were exercised yesterday and to-day; they look pretty fit, but their coats are not so good as those in winter quarters--they want fatty foods. am preparing to start to-morrow, satisfied that the _discovery_ hut is very comfortable and life very liveable in it. the dogs are much the same, all looking pretty fit except vaida and rabchick--neither of which seem to get good coats. i am greatly struck with the advantages of experience in crean and lashly for all work about camps. _thursday, april_ .--hut point. everything ready for starting this morning, but of course it 'blizzed.' weather impossible--much wind and drift from south. wind turned to s.e. in afternoon--temperatures low. went for walk to cape armitage, but it is really very unpleasant. the wind blowing round the cape is absolutely blighting, force and temperature below - °. sea a black cauldron covered with dark frost smoke. no ice can form in such weather. _friday, april_ .--started homeward at . . left meares in charge of station with demetri to help with dogs, lashly and keohane to look out for ponies, nelson and day and forde to get some idea of the life and experience. homeward party, therefore: self bowers wilson oates atkinson cherry-garrard crean hooper as usual all hands pulled up ski slope, which we took without a halt. lashly and demetri came nearly to castle rock--very cold side wind and some frostbites. we reached the last downward slope about . ; at the cliff edge found the cornice gone--heavy wind and drift worse than before, if anything. we bustled things, and after tantalising delays with the rope got bowers and some others on the floe, then lowered the sledges packed; three men, including crean and myself, slid down last on the alpine rope--doubled and taken round an ash stave, so that we were able to unreeve the end and recover the rope--we recovered also most of the old alpine rope, all except a piece buried in snow on the sea ice and dragged down under the slush, just like the _discovery_ boats; i could not have supposed this could happen in so short a time._ _ by the time all stores were on the floe, with swirling drift about us, everyone was really badly cold--one of those moments for quick action. we harnessed and dashed for the shelter of the cliffs; up tents, and hot tea as quick as possible; after this and some shift of foot gear all were much better. heavy plod over the sea ice, starting at . --very bad light on the glacier, and we lost our way as usual, stumbling into many crevasses, but finally descended in the old place; by this time sweating much. crean reported our sledge pulling much more heavily than the other one. marched on to little razor back island without halt, our own sledge dragging fearfully. crean said there was great difference in the sledges, though loads were equal. bowers politely assented when i voiced this sentiment, but i'm sure he and his party thought it the plea of tired men. however there was nothing like proof, and he readily assented to change sledges. the difference was really extraordinary; we felt the new sledge a featherweight compared with the old, and set up a great pace for the home quarters regardless of how much we perspired. we arrived at the hut (two miles away) ten minutes ahead of the others, who by this time were quite convinced as to the difference in the sledges. the difference was only marked when pulling over the salt-covered sea ice; on snow the sledges seemed pretty much the same. it is due to the grain of the wood in the runners and is worth looking into. we all arrived bathed in sweat--our garments were soaked through, and as we took off our wind clothes showers of ice fell on the floor. the accumulation was almost incredible and shows the whole trouble of sledging in cold weather. it would have been very uncomfortable to have camped in the open under such conditions, and assuredly a winter and spring party cannot afford to get so hot if they wish to retain any semblance of comfort. our excellent cook had just the right meal prepared for us--an enormous dish of rice and figs, and cocoa in a bucket! the hut party were all very delighted to see us, and the fittings and comforts of the hut are amazing to the newcomers. _saturday, april_ .--cape evans, winter quarters. the sledging season is at an end. it's good to be back in spite of all the losses we have sustained. to-day we enjoy a very exceptional calm. the sea is freezing over of course, but unfortunately our view from observatory hill is very limited. oates and the rest are exercising the ponies. i have been sorting my papers and getting ready for the winter work. chapter ix the work and the workers _sunday, april_ .--winter quarters. the last day of the sun and a very glorious view of its golden light over the barne glacier. we could not see the sun itself on account of the glacier, the fine ice cliffs of which were in deep shadow under the rosy rays. _impression_.--the long mild twilight which like a silver clasp unites to-day with yesterday; when morning and evening sit together hand in hand beneath the starless sky of midnight. it blew hard last night and most of the young ice has gone as expected. patches seem to be remaining south of the glacier tongue and the island and off our own bay. in this very queer season it appears as though the final freezing is to be reached by gradual increments to the firmly established ice. had divine service. have only seven hymn-books, those brought on shore for our first service being very stupidly taken back to the ship. i begin to think we are too comfortable in the hut and hope it will not make us slack; but it is good to see everyone in such excellent spirits--so far not a rift in the social arrangements. _monday, april _.--a night watchman has been instituted mainly for the purpose of observing the aurora, of which the displays have been feeble so far. the observer is to look round every hour or oftener if there is aught to be seen. he is allowed cocoa and sardines with bread and butter--the cocoa can be made over an acetylene bunsen burner, part of simpson's outfit. i took the first turn last night; the remainder of the afterguard follow in rotation. the long night hours give time to finish up a number of small tasks--the hut remains quite warm though the fires are out. simpson has been practising with balloons during our absence. this morning he sent one up for trial. the balloon is of silk and has a capacity of cubic metre. it is filled with hydrogen gas, which is made in a special generator. the generation is a simple process. a vessel filled with water has an inverted vessel within it; a pipe is led to the balloon from the latter and a tube of india-rubber is attached which contains calcium hydrate. by tipping the tube the amount of calcium hydrate required can be poured into the generator. as the gas is made it passes into the balloon or is collected in the inner vessel, which acts as a bell jar if the stop cock to the balloon is closed. the arrangements for utilising the balloon are very pretty. an instrument weighing only / oz. and recording the temperature and pressure is attached beneath a small flag and hung to ft. below the balloon with balloon silk thread; this silk thread is of such fine quality that miles of it only weighs ozs., whilst its breaking strain is / lbs. the lower part of the instrument is again attached to the silk thread, which is cunningly wound on coned bobbins from which the balloon unwinds it without hitch or friction as it ascends. in order to spare the silk any jerk as the balloon is released two pieces of string united with a slow match carry the strain between the instrument and the balloon until the slow match is consumed. the balloon takes about a quarter of an hour to inflate; the slow match is then lit, and the balloon released; with a weight of oz. and a lifting power of / lbs. it rises rapidly. after it is lost to ordinary vision it can be followed with glasses as mile after mile of thread runs out. theoretically, if strain is put on the silk thread it should break between the instrument and the balloon, leaving the former free to drop, when the thread can be followed up and the instrument with its record recovered. to-day this was tried with a dummy instrument, but the thread broke close to the bobbins. in the afternoon a double thread was tried, and this acted successfully. to-day i allotted the ponies for exercise. bowers, cherry-garrard, hooper, clissold, p.o. evans, and crean take animals, besides anton and oates. i have had to warn people that they will not necessarily lead the ponies which they now tend. wilson is very busy making sketches. _tuesday, april_ .--it was comparatively calm all day yesterday and last night, and there have been light airs only from the south to-day. the temperature, at first comparatively high at - °, has gradually fallen to - °; as a result the strait has frozen over at last and it looks as though the hut point party should be with us before very long. if the blizzards hold off for another three days the crossing should be perfectly safe, but i don't expect meares to hurry. although we had very good sunset effects at hut point, ponting and others were much disappointed with the absence of such effects at cape evans. this was probably due to the continual interference of frost smoke; since our return here and especially yesterday and to-day the sky and sea have been glorious in the afternoon. ponting has taken some coloured pictures, but the result is not very satisfactory and the plates are much spotted; wilson is very busy with pencil and brush. atkinson is unpacking and setting up his sterilizers and incubators. wright is wrestling with the electrical instruments. evans is busy surveying the cape and its vicinity. oates is reorganising the stable, making bigger stalls, &c. cherry-garrard is building a stone house for taxidermy and with a view to getting hints for making a shelter at cape crozier during the winter. debenham and taylor are taking advantage of the last of the light to examine the topography of the peninsula. in fact, everyone is extraordinarily busy. i came back with the impression that we should not find our winter walks so interesting as those at hut point, but i'm rapidly altering my opinion; we may miss the hill climbing here, but in every direction there is abundance of interest. to-day i walked round the shores of the north bay examining the kenyte cliffs and great masses of morainic material of the barne glacier, then on under the huge blue ice cliffs of the glacier itself. with the sunset lights, deep shadows, the black islands and white bergs it was all very beautiful. simpson and bowers sent up a balloon to-day with a double thread and instrument attached; the line was checked at about miles, and soon after the instrument was seen to disengage. the balloon at first went north with a light southerly breeze till it reached or ft., then it turned to the south but did not travel rapidly; when miles of thread had gone it seemed to be going north again or rising straight upward. in the afternoon simpson and bowers went to recover their treasure, but somewhere south of inaccessible island they found the thread broken and the light was not good enough to continue the search. the sides of the galley fire have caved in--there should have been cheeks to prevent this; we got some fire clay cement to-day and plastered up the sides. i hope this will get over the difficulty, but have some doubt. _wednesday, april_ .--calm. went round cape evans--remarkable effects of icicles on the ice foot, formed by spray of southerly gales. _thursday, april_ .--the fourth day in succession without wind, but overcast. light snow has fallen during the day--to-night the wind comes from the north. we should have our party back soon. the temperature remains about - ° and the ice should be getting thicker with rapidity. went round the bergs off cape evans--they are very beautiful, especially one which is pierced to form a huge arch. it will be interesting to climb around these monsters as the winter proceeds. to-day i have organised a series of lectures for the winter; the people seem keen and it ought to be exceedingly interesting to discuss so many diverse subjects with experts. we have an extraordinary diversity of talent and training in our people; it would be difficult to imagine a company composed of experiences which differed so completely. we find one hut contains an experience of every country and every clime! what an assemblage of motley knowledge! _friday, april_ .--another comparatively calm day--temp. - °, clear sky. went to ice caves on glacier s. of cape; these are really very wonderful. ponting took some photographs with long exposure and wright got some very fine ice crystals. the glacier tongue comes close around a high bluff headland of kenyte; it is much cracked and curiously composed of a broad wedge of white névé over blue ice. the faults in the dust strata in these surfaces are very mysterious and should be instructive in the explanation of certain ice problems. it looks as though the sea had frozen over for good. if no further blizzard clears the strait it can be said for this season that: the bays froze over on march . the strait ,, ,, ,, april . ,, ,, dissipated april . ,, ,, froze over on april . later. the hut point record of freezing is: night th- th. ice forming mid-day th, opened with leads. th. ice all out, sound apparently open. th. strait apparently freezing. early th. ice over whole strait. th. all ice gone. th. freezing over. may th. broad lead opened along land to castle rock, to yds. wide. party intended to start on th, if weather fine. very fine display of aurora to-night, one of the brightest i have ever seen--over erebus; it is conceded that a red tinge is seen after the movement of light. _saturday, april_ .--went to inaccessible island with wilson. the agglomerates, kenytes, and lavas are much the same as those at cape evans. the island is ft. high, and it is a steep climb to reach the summit over very loose sand and boulders. from the summit one has an excellent view of our surroundings and the ice in the strait, which seemed to extend far beyond cape royds, but had some ominous cracks beyond the island. we climbed round the ice foot after descending the hill and found it much broken up on the south side; the sea spray had washed far up on it. it is curious to find that all the heavy seas come from the south and that it is from this direction that protection is most needed. there is some curious weathering on the ice blocks on the n. side; also the snow drifts show interesting dirt bands. the island had a good sprinkling of snow, which will all be gone, i expect, to-night. for as we reached the summit we saw a storm approaching from the south; it had blotted out the bluff, and we watched it covering black island, then hut point and castle rock. by the time we started homeward it was upon us, making a harsh chatter as it struck the high rocks and sweeping along the drift on the floe. the blow seems to have passed over to-night and the sky is clear again, but i much fear the ice has gone out in the strait. there is an ominous black look to the westward. _sunday, april_ .--as i feared last night, the morning light revealed the havoc made in the ice by yesterday's gale. from wind vane hill ( feet) it appeared that the strait had not opened beyond the island, but after church i went up the ramp with wilson and steadily climbed over the glacier ice to a height of about feet. from this elevation one could see that a broad belt of sea ice had been pushed bodily to seaward, and it was evident that last night the whole stretch of water from hut point to turtle island must have been open--so that our poor people at hut point are just where they were. the only comfort is that the strait is already frozen again; but what is to happen if every blow clears the sea like this? had an interesting walk. one can go at least a mile up the glacier slope before coming to crevasses, and it does not appear that these would be serious for a good way farther. the view is magnificent, and on a clear day like this, one still enjoys some hours of daylight, or rather twilight, when it is possible to see everything clearly. have had talks of the curious cones which are such a feature of the ramp--they are certainly partly produced by ice and partly by weathering. the ponds and various forms of ice grains interest us. to-night have been naming all the small land features of our vicinity. _tuesday, may_ .--it was calm yesterday. a balloon was sent up in the morning, but only reached a mile in height before the instrument was detached (by slow match). in the afternoon went out with bowers and his pony to pick up instrument, which was close to the shore in the south bay. went on past inaccessible island. the ice outside the bergs has grown very thick, inches or more, but there were freshly frozen pools beyond the island. in the evening wilson opened the lecture series with a paper on 'antarctic flying birds.' considering the limits of the subject the discussion was interesting. the most attractive point raised was that of pigmentation. does the absence of pigment suggest absence of reserve energy? does it increase the insulating properties of the hair or feathers? or does the animal clothed in white radiate less of his internal heat? the most interesting example of polar colouring here is the increased proportion of albinos amongst the giant petrels found in high latitudes. to-day have had our first game of football; a harassing southerly wind sprang up, which helped my own side to the extent of three goals. this same wind came with a clear sky and jumped up and down in force throughout the afternoon, but has died away to-night. in the afternoon i saw an ominous lead outside the island which appeared to extend a long way south. i'm much afraid it may go across our pony track from hut point. i am getting anxious to have the hut party back, and begin to wonder if the ice to the south will ever hold in permanently now that the glacier tongue has gone. _wednesday, may_ .--another calm day, very beautiful and clear. wilson and bowers took our few dogs for a run in a sledge. walked myself out over ice in north bay--there are a good many cracks and pressures with varying thickness of ice, showing how tide and wind shift the thin sheets--the newest leads held young ice of inches. the temperature remains high, the lowest yesterday - °; it should be much lower with such calm weather and clear skies. a strange fact is now very commonly noticed: in calm weather there is usually a difference of ° or ° between the temperature at the hut and that on wind vane hill ( feet), the latter being the higher. this shows an inverted temperature. as i returned from my walk the southern sky seemed to grow darker, and later stratus cloud was undoubtedly spreading up from that direction--this at about p.m. about a moderate north wind sprang up. this seemed to indicate a southerly blow, and at about the wind shifted to that quarter and blew gustily, to m.p.h. one cannot see the result on the strait, but i fear it means that the ice has gone out again in places. the wind dropped as suddenly as it had arisen soon after midnight. in the evening simpson gave us his first meteorological lecture--the subject, 'coronas, halos, rainbows, and auroras.' he has a remarkable power of exposition and taught me more of these phenomena in the hour than i had learnt by all previous interested inquiries concerning them. i note one or two points concerning each phenomenon. _corona_.--white to brown inside ring called aureola--outside are sometimes seen two or three rings of prismatic light in addition. caused by diffraction of light round drops of water or ice crystals; diameter of rings inversely proportionate to size of drops or crystals--mixed sizes of ditto causes aureola without rings. _halos_.--caused by refraction and reflection through and from ice crystals. in this connection the hexagonal, tetrahedonal type of crystallisation is first to be noted; then the infinite number of forms in which this can be modified together with result of fractures: two forms predominate, the plate and the needle; these forms falling through air assume definite position--the plate falls horizontally swaying to and fro, the needle turns rapidly about its longer axis, which remains horizontal. simpson showed excellent experiments to illustrate; consideration of these facts and refraction of light striking crystals clearly leads to explanation of various complicated halo phenomena such as recorded and such as seen by us on the great barrier, and draws attention to the critical refraction angles of ° and °, the radius of inner and outer rings, the position of mock suns, contra suns, zenith circles, &c. further measurements are needed; for instance of streamers from mock suns and examination of ice crystals. (record of ice crystals seen on barrier surface.) _rainbows_.--caused by reflection and refraction from and through _drops of water_--colours vary with size of drops, the smaller the drop the lighter the colours and nearer to the violet end of the spectrum--hence white rainbow as seen on the barrier, very small drops. double bows--diameters must be ° and °--again from laws of refraction--colours: inner, red outside; outer, red inside--i.e. reds come together. wanted to see more rainbows on barrier. in this connection a good rainbow was seen to n.w. in february from winter quarters. reports should note colours and relative width of bands of colour. _iridescent clouds_.--not yet understood; observations required, especially angular distance from the sun. _auroras_.--clearly most frequent and intense in years of maximum sun spots; this argues connection with the sun. points noticed requiring confirmation: arch: centre of arch in magnetic meridian. shafts: take direction of dipping needle. bands and curtains with convolutions--not understood. corona: shafts meeting to form. notes required on movement and direction of movement--colours seen--supposed red and possibly green rays preceding or accompanying movement. auroras are sometimes accompanied by magnetic storms, but not always, and vice versa--in general significant signs of some connection--possible common dependents on a third factor. the phenomenon further connects itself in form with lines of magnetic force about the earth. (curious apparent connection between spectrum of aurora and that of a heavy gas, 'argon.' may be coincidence.) two theories enunciated: _arrhenius_.--bombardments of minute charged particles from the sun gathered into the magnetic field of the earth. _birkeland_.--bombardment of free negative electrons gathered into the magnetic field of the earth. it is experimentally shown that minute drops of water are deflected by light. it is experimentally shown that ions are given off by dried calcium, which the sun contains. professor störmer has collected much material showing connection of the phenomenon with lines of magnetic force. _thursday, may_ .--from the small height of wind vane hill ( feet) it was impossible to say if the ice in the strait had been out after yesterday's wind. the sea was frozen, but after twelve hours' calm it would be in any case. the dark appearance of the ice is noticeable, but this has been the case of late since the light is poor; little snow has fallen or drifted and the ice flowers are very sparse and scattered. we had an excellent game of football again to-day--the exercise is delightful and we get very warm. atkinson is by far the best player, but hooper, p.o. evans, and crean are also quite good. it has been calm all day again. went over the sea ice beyond the arch berg; the ice half a mile beyond is only inches. i think this must have been formed since the blow of yesterday, that is, in sixteen hours or less. such rapid freezing is a hopeful sign, but the prompt dissipation of the floe under a southerly wind is distinctly the reverse. i am anxious to get our people back from hut point, mainly on account of the two ponies; with so much calm weather there should have been no difficulty for the party in keeping up its supply of blubber; an absence of which is the only circumstance likely to discomfort it. the new ice over which i walked is extraordinarily slippery and free from efflorescence. i think this must be a further sign of rapid formation. _friday, may_ .--another calm day following a quiet night. once or twice in the night a light northerly wind, soon dying away. the temperature down to - °. what is the meaning of this comparative warmth? as usual in calms the wind vane hill temperature is ° or ° higher. it is delightful to contemplate the amount of work which is being done at the station. no one is idle--all hands are full, and one cannot doubt that the labour will be productive of remarkable result. i do not think there can be any life quite so demonstrative of character as that which we had on these expeditions. one sees a remarkable reassortment of values. under ordinary conditions it is so easy to carry a point with a little bounce; self-assertion is a mask which covers many a weakness. as a rule we have neither the time nor the desire to look beneath it, and so it is that commonly we accept people on their own valuation. here the outward show is nothing, it is the inward purpose that counts. so the 'gods' dwindle and the humble supplant them. pretence is useless. one sees wilson busy with pencil and colour box, rapidly and steadily adding to his portfolio of charming sketches and at intervals filling the gaps in his zoological work of _discovery_ times; withal ready and willing to give advice and assistance to others at all times; his sound judgment appreciated and therefore a constant referee. simpson, master of his craft, untiringly attentive to the working of his numerous self-recording instruments, observing all changes with scientific acumen, doing the work of two observers at least and yet ever seeking to correlate an expanded scope. so the current meteorological and magnetic observations are taken as never before by polar expeditions. wright, good-hearted, strong, keen, striving to saturate his mind with the ice problems of this wonderful region. he has taken the electrical work in hand with all its modern interest of association with radio-activity. evans, with a clear-minded zeal in his own work, does it with all the success of result which comes from the taking of pains. therefrom we derive a singularly exact preservation of time--an important consideration to all, but especially necessary for the physical work. therefrom also, and including more labour, we have an accurate survey of our immediate surroundings and can trust to possess the correctly mapped results of all surveying data obtained. he has gran for assistant. taylor's intellect is omnivorous and versatile--his mind is unceasingly active, his grasp wide. whatever he writes will be of interest--his pen flows well. debenham's is clearer. here we have a well-trained, sturdy worker, with a quiet meaning that carries conviction; he realises the conceptions of thoroughness and conscientiousness. to bowers' practical genius is owed much of the smooth working of our station. he has a natural method in line with which all arrangements fall, so that expenditure is easily and exactly adjusted to supply, and i have the inestimable advantage of knowing the length of time which each of our possessions will last us and the assurance that there can be no waste. active mind and active body were never more happily blended. it is a restless activity, admitting no idle moments and ever budding into new forms. so we see the balloons ascending under his guidance and anon he is away over the floe tracking the silk thread which held it. such a task completed, he is away to exercise his pony, and later out again with the dogs, the last typically self-suggested, because for the moment there is no one else to care for these animals. now in a similar manner he is spreading thermometer screens to get comparative readings with the home station. he is for the open air, seemingly incapable of realising any discomfort from it, and yet his hours within doors spent with equal profit. for he is intent on tracking the problems of sledging food and clothing to their innermost bearings and is becoming an authority on past records. this will be no small help to me and one which others never could have given. adjacent to the physicist's corner of the hut atkinson is quietly pursuing the subject of parasites. already he is in a new world. the laying out of the fish trap was his action and the catches are his field of labour. constantly he comes to ask if i would like to see some new form and i am taken to see some protozoa or ascidian isolated on the slide plate of his microscope. the fishes themselves are comparatively new to science; it is strange that their parasites should have been under investigation so soon. atkinson's bench with its array of microscopes, test-tubes, spirit lamps, &c., is next the dark room in which ponting spends the greater part of his life. i would describe him as sustained by artistic enthusiasm. this world of ours is a different one to him than it is to the rest of us--he gauges it by its picturesqueness--his joy is to reproduce its pictures artistically, his grief to fail to do so. no attitude could be happier for the work which he has undertaken, and one cannot doubt its productiveness. i would not imply that he is out of sympathy with the works of others, which is far from being the case, but that his energies centre devotedly on the minutiae of his business. cherry-garrard is another of the open-air, self-effacing, quiet workers; his whole heart is in the life, with profound eagerness to help everyone. 'one has caught glimpses of him in tight places; sound all through and pretty hard also.' indoors he is editing our polar journal, out of doors he is busy making trial stone huts and blubber stoves, primarily with a view to the winter journey to cape crozier, but incidentally these are instructive experiments for any party which may get into difficulty by being cut off from the home station. it is very well to know how best to use the scant resources that nature provides in these regions. in this connection i have been studying our arctic library to get details concerning snow hut building and the implements used for it. oates' whole heart is in the ponies. he is really devoted to their care, and i believe will produce them in the best possible form for the sledging season. opening out the stores, installing a blubber stove, &c., has kept _him_ busy, whilst his satellite, anton, is ever at work in the stables--an excellent little man. evans and crean are repairing sleeping-bags, covering felt boots, and generally working on sledging kit. in fact there is no one idle, and no one who has the least prospect of idleness. _saturday, may_ .--two more days of calm, interrupted with occasional gusts. yesterday, friday evening, taylor gave an introductory lecture on his remarkably fascinating subject--modern physiography. these modern physiographers set out to explain the forms of land erosion on broad common-sense lines, heedless of geological support. they must, in consequence, have their special language. river courses, they say, are not temporary--in the main they are archaic. in conjunction with land elevations they have worked through _geographical cycles_, perhaps many. in each geographical cycle they have advanced from _infantile_ v-shaped forms; the courses broaden and deepen, the bank slopes reduce in angle as maturer stages are reached until the level of sea surface is more and more nearly approximated. in _senile_ stages the river is a broad sluggish stream flowing over a plain with little inequality of level. the cycle has formed a _peneplain._ subsequently, with fresh elevation, a new cycle is commenced. so much for the simple case, but in fact nearly all cases are modified by unequal elevations due to landslips, by variation in hardness of rock, &c. hence modification in positions of river courses and the fact of different parts of a single river being in different stages of cycle. taylor illustrated his explanations with examples: the red river, canada--plain flat though elevated, water lies in pools, river flows in 'v' 'infantile' form. the rhine valley--the gorgeous scenery from mainz down due to infantile form in recently elevated region. the russian plains--examples of 'senility.' greater complexity in the blue mountains--these are undoubted earth folds; the nepean river flows through an offshoot of a fold, the valley being made as the fold was elevated--curious valleys made by erosion of hard rock overlying soft. river _piracy--domestic_, the short circuiting of a _meander_, such as at coo in the ardennes; _foreign_, such as shoalhaven river, australia--stream has captured river. landslips have caused the isolation of lake george and altered the watershed of the whole country to the south. later on taylor will deal with the effects of ice and lead us to the formation of the scenery of our own region, and so we shall have much to discuss. _sunday, may_ .--daylight now is very short. one wonders why the hut point party does not come. bowers and cherry-garrard have set up a thermometer screen containing maximum thermometers and thermographs on the sea floe about / ' n.w. of the hut. another smaller one is to go on top of the ramp. they took the screen out on one of day's bicycle wheel carriages and found it ran very easily over the salty ice where the sledges give so much trouble. this vehicle is not easily turned, but may be very useful before there is much snowfall. yesterday a balloon was sent up and reached a very good height (probably to miles) before the instrument disengaged; the balloon went almost straight up and the silk fell in festoons over the rocky part of the cape, affording a very difficult clue to follow; but whilst bowers was following it, atkinson observed the instrument fall a few hundred yards out on the bay--it was recovered and gives the first important record of upper air temperature. atkinson and crean put out the fish trap in about fathoms of water off the west beach; both yesterday morning and yesterday evening when the trap was raised it contained over forty fish, whilst this morning and this evening the catches in the same spot have been from twenty to twenty-five. we had fish for breakfast this morning, but an even more satisfactory result of the catches has been revealed by atkinson's microscope. he had discovered quite a number of new parasites and found work to last quite a long time. last night it came to my turn to do night watchman again, so that i shall be glad to have a good sleep to-night. yesterday we had a game of football; it is pleasant to mess about, but the light is failing. clissold is still producing food novelties; to-night we had galantine of seal--it was _excellent_. _monday, may_ --tuesday, may .--as one of the series of lectures i gave an outline of my plans for next season on monday evening. everyone was interested naturally. i could not but hint that in my opinion the problem of reaching the pole can best be solved by relying on the ponies and man haulage. with this sentiment the whole company appeared to be in sympathy. everyone seems to distrust the dogs when it comes to glacier and summit. i have asked everyone to give thought to the problem, to freely discuss it, and bring suggestions to my notice. it's going to be a tough job; that is better realised the more one dives into it. to-day (tuesday) debenham has been showing me his photographs taken west. with wright's and taylor's these will make an extremely interesting series--the ice forms especially in the region of the koettlitz glacier are unique. the strait has been frozen over a week. i cannot understand why the hut point party doesn't return. the weather continues wonderfully calm though now looking a little unsettled. perhaps the unsettled look stops the party, or perhaps it waits for the moon, which will be bright in a day or two. any way i wish it would return, and shall not be free from anxiety till it does. cherry-garrard is experimenting in stone huts and with blubber fires--all with a view to prolonging the stay at cape crozier. bowers has placed one thermometer screen on the floe about / ' out, and another smaller one above the ramp. oddly, the floe temperature seems to agree with that on wind vane hill, whilst the hut temperature is always ° or ° colder in calm weather. to complete the records a thermometer is to be placed in south bay. science--the rock foundation of all effort!! _wednesday, may_ .--it has been blowing from the south to miles per hour since last night; the ice remains fast. the temperature - ° to - °. the party does not come. i went well beyond inaccessible island till hut point and castle rock appeared beyond tent island, that is, well out on the space which was last seen as open water. the ice is inches thick, not much for eight or nine days' freezing; but it is very solid--the surface wet but very slippery. i suppose meares waits for inches in thickness, or fears the floe is too slippery for the ponies. yet i wish he would come. i took a thermometer on my walk to-day; the temperature was - ° inside inaccessible island, but only - ° on the sea ice outside--the wind seemed less outside. coming in under lee of island and bergs i was reminded of the difficulty of finding shelter in these regions. the weather side of hills seems to afford better shelter than the lee side, as i have remarked elsewhere. may it be in part because all lee sides tend to be filled by drift snow, blown and weathered rock debris? there was a good lee under one of the bergs; in one corner the ice sloped out over me and on either side, forming a sort of grotto; here the air was absolutely still. ponting gave us an interesting lecture on burmah, illustrated with fine slides. his descriptive language is florid, but shows the artistic temperament. bowers and simpson were able to give personal reminiscences of this land of pagodas, and the discussion led to interesting statements on the religion, art, and education of its people, their philosophic idleness, &c. our lectures are a real success. _friday, may_ .--yesterday morning was quiet. played football in the morning; wind got up in the afternoon and evening. all day it has been blowing hard, to miles an hour; it has never looked very dark overhead, but a watery cirrus has been in evidence for some time, causing well marked paraselene. i have not been far from the hut, but had a great fear on one occasion that the ice had gone out in the strait. the wind is dropping this evening, and i have been up to wind vane hill. i now think the ice has remained fast. there has been astonishingly little drift with the wind, probably due to the fact that there has been so very little snowfall of late. atkinson is pretty certain that he has isolated a very motile bacterium in the snow. it is probably air borne, and though no bacteria have been found in the air, this may be carried in upper currents and brought down by the snow. if correct it is an interesting discovery. to-night debenham gave a geological lecture. it was elementary. he gave little more than the rough origin and classification of rocks with a view to making his further lectures better understood. _saturday, may_ .--the wind dropped about last night. this morning it was calm and clear save for a light misty veil of ice crystals through which the moon shone with scarce clouded brilliancy, surrounded with bright cruciform halo and white paraselene. mock moons with prismatic patches of colour appeared in the radiant ring, echoes of the main source of light. wilson has a charming sketch of the phenomenon. i went to inaccessible island, and climbing some way up the steep western face, reassured myself concerning the ice. it was evident that there had been no movement in consequence of yesterday's blow. in climbing i had to scramble up some pretty steep rock faces and screens, and held on only in anticipation of gaining the top of the island and an easy descent. instead of this i came to an impossible overhanging cliff of lava, and was forced to descend as i had come up. it was no easy task, and i was glad to get down with only one slip, when i brought myself up with my ice axe in the nick of time to prevent a fall over a cliff. this island is very steep on all sides. there is only one known place of ascent; it will be interesting to try and find others. after tea atkinson came in with the glad tidings that the dog team were returning from hut point. we were soon on the floe to welcome the last remnant of our wintering party. meares reported everything well and the ponies not far behind. the dogs were unharnessed and tied up to the chains; they are all looking remarkably fit--apparently they have given no trouble at all of late; there have not even been any fights. half an hour later day, lashly, nelson, forde, and keohane arrived with the two ponies--men and animals in good form. it is a great comfort to have the men and dogs back, and a greater to contemplate all the ten ponies comfortably stabled for the winter. everything seems to depend on these animals. i have not seen the meteorological record brought back, but it appears that the party had had very fine calm weather since we left them, except during the last three days when wind has been very strong. it is curious that we should only have got one day with wind. i am promised the sea-freezing record to-morrow. four seals were got on april , the day after we left, and others have been killed since, so that there is a plentiful supply of blubber and seal meat at the hut--the rest of the supplies seem to have been pretty well run out. some more forage had been fetched in from the depot. a young sea leopard had been killed on the sea ice near castle rock three days ago, this being the second only found in the sound. it is a strange fact that none of the returning party seem to greatly appreciate the food luxuries they have had since their return. it would have been the same with us had we not had a day or two in tents before our return. it seems more and more certain that a very simple fare is all that is needed here--plenty of seal meat, flour, and fat, with tea, cocoa, and sugar; these are the only real requirements for comfortable existence. the temperatures at hut point have not been as low as i expected. there seems to have been an extraordinary heat wave during the spell of calm recorded since we left--the thermometer registering little below zero until the wind came, when it fell to - °. thus as an exception we have had a fall instead of a rise of temperature with wind. [the exact inventory of stores at hut point here recorded has no immediate bearing on the history of the expedition, but may be noted as illustrating the care and thoroughness with which all operations were conducted. other details as to the carbide consumed in making acetylene gas may be briefly quoted. the first tin was opened on february , the second on march . the seventh on may , the next eight at the average interval of / days.] _sunday, may_ .--grey and dull in the morning. exercised the ponies and held the usual service. this morning i gave wright some notes containing speculations on the amount of ice on the antarctic continent and on the effects of winter movements in the sea ice. i want to get into his head the larger bearing of the problems which our physical investigations involve. he needs two years here to fully realise these things, and with all his intelligence and energy will produce little unless he has that extended experience. the sky cleared at noon, and this afternoon i walked over the north bay to the ice cliffs--such a very beautiful afternoon and evening--the scene bathed in moonlight, so bright and pure as to be almost golden, a very wonderful scene. at such times the bay seems strangely homely, especially when the eye rests on our camp with the hut and lighted windows. i am very much impressed with the extraordinary and general cordiality of the relations which exist amongst our people. i do not suppose that a statement of the real truth, namely, that there is no friction at all, will be credited--it is so generally thought that the many rubs of such a life as this are quietly and purposely sunk in oblivion. with me there is no need to draw a veil; there is nothing to cover. there are no strained relations in this hut, and nothing more emphatically evident than the universally amicable spirit which is shown on all occasions. such a state of affairs would be delightfully surprising under any conditions, but it is much more so when one remembers the diverse assortment of our company. this theme is worthy of expansion. to-night oates, captain in a smart cavalry regiment, has been 'scrapping' over chairs and tables with debenham, a young australian student. it is a triumph to have collected such men. the temperature has been down to - °, the lowest yet recorded here--doubtless we shall soon get lower, for i find an extraordinary difference between this season as far as it has gone and those of - . chapter x in winter quarters: modern style _monday, may_ .--the wind has been strong from the north all day--about miles an hour. a bank of stratus cloud about or feet (measured by erebus) has been passing rapidly overhead _towards_ the north; it is nothing new to find the overlying layers of air moving in opposite directions, but it is strange that the phenomenon is so persistent. simpson has frequently remarked as a great feature of weather conditions here the seeming reluctance of the air to 'mix'--the fact seems to be the explanation of many curious fluctuations of temperature. went for a short walk, but it was not pleasant. wilson gave an interesting lecture on penguins. he explained the primitive characteristics in the arrangement of feathers on wings and body, the absence of primaries and secondaries or bare tracts; the modification of the muscles of the wings and in the structure of the feet (the metatarsal joint). he pointed out (and the subsequent discussion seemed to support him) that these birds probably branched at a very early stage of bird life--coming pretty directly from the lizard bird archaeopteryx of the jurassic age. fossils of giant penguins of eocene and miocene ages show that there has been extremely little development since. he passed on to the classification and habitat of different genera, nest-making habits, eggs, &c. then to a brief account of the habits of the emperors and adelies, which was of course less novel ground for the old hands. of special points of interest i recall his explanation of the desirability of embryonic study of the emperor to throw further light on the development of the species in the loss of teeth, &c.; and ponting's contribution and observation of adult adelies teaching their young to swim--this point has been obscure. it has been said that the old birds push the young into the water, and, per contra, that they leave them deserted in the rookery--both statements seemed unlikely. it would not be strange if the young adelie had to learn to swim (it is a well-known requirement of the northern fur seal--sea bear), but it will be interesting to see in how far the adult birds lay themselves out to instruct their progeny. during our trip to the ice and sledge journey one of our dogs, vaida, was especially distinguished for his savage temper and generally uncouth manners. he became a bad wreck with his poor coat at hut point, and in this condition i used to massage him; at first the operation was mistrusted and only continued to the accompaniment of much growling, but later he evidently grew to like the warming effect and sidled up to me whenever i came out of the hut, though still with some suspicion. on returning here he seemed to know me at once, and now comes and buries his head in my legs whenever i go out of doors; he allows me to rub him and push him about without the slightest protest and scampers about me as i walk abroad. he is a strange beast--i imagine so unused to kindness that it took him time to appreciate it. _tuesday, may_ .--the north wind continued all night but dropped this forenoon. conveniently it became calm at noon and we had a capital game of football. the light is good enough, but not much more than good enough, for this game. had some instruction from wright this morning on the electrical instruments. later went into our carbide expenditure with day: am glad to find it sufficient for two years, but am not making this generally known as there are few things in which economy is less studied than light if regulations allow of waste. electrical instruments for measuring the ordinary potential gradient we have two self-recording quadrant electrometers. the principle of this instrument is the same as that of the old kelvin instrument; the clockwork attached to it unrolls a strip of paper wound on a roller; at intervals the needle of the instrument is depressed by an electromagnet and makes a dot on the moving paper. the relative position of these dots forms the record. one of our instruments is adjusted to give only / th the refinement of measurement of the other by means of reduction in the length of the quartz fibre. the object of this is to continue the record in snowstorms, &c., when the potential difference of air and earth is very great. the instruments are kept charged with batteries of small daniels cells. the clocks are controlled by a master clock. the instrument available for radio-activity measurements is a modified type of the old gold-leaf electroscope. the measurement is made by the mutual repulsion of quartz fibres acting against a spring--the extent of the repulsion is very clearly shown against a scale magnified by a telescope. the measurements to be made with instrument are various: the _ionization of the air_. a length of wire charged with volts (negative) is exposed to the air for several hours. it is then coiled on a frame and its rate of discharge measured by the electroscope. the _radio-activity of the various rocks_ of our neighbourhood; this by direct measurement of the rock. the _conductivity of the air_, that is, the relative movement of ions in the air; by movement of air past charged surface. rate of absorption of + and - ions is measured, the negative ion travelling faster than the positive. _wednesday, may_ .--for the first time this season we have a rise of temperature with a southerly wind. the wind force has been about since yesterday evening; the air is fairly full of snow and the temperature has risen to - ° from - °. i heard one of the dogs barking in the middle of the night, and on inquiry learned that it was one of the 'serais,' [ ] that he seemed to have something wrong with his hind leg, and that he had been put under shelter. this morning the poor brute was found dead. i'm afraid we can place but little reliance on our dog teams and reflect ruefully on the misplaced confidence with which i regarded the provision of our transport. well, one must suffer for errors of judgment. this afternoon wilson held a post-mortem on the dog; he could find no sufficient cause of death. this is the third animal that has died at winter quarters without apparent cause. wilson, who is nettled, proposes to examine the brain of this animal to-morrow. went up the ramp this morning. there was light enough to see our camp, and it looked homely, as it does from all sides. somehow we loom larger here than at cape armitage. we seem to be more significant. it must be from contrast of size; the larger hills tend to dwarf the petty human element. to-night the wind has gone back to the north and is now blowing fresh. this sudden and continued complete change of direction is new to our experience. oates has just given us an excellent little lecture on the management of horses. he explained his plan of feeding our animals 'soft' during the winter, and hardening them up during the spring. he pointed out that the horse's natural food being grass and hay, he would naturally employ a great number of hours in the day filling a stomach of small capacity with food from which he could derive only a small percentage of nutriment. hence it is desirable to feed horses often and light. his present routine is as follows: morning.--chaff. noon, after exercise.--snow. chaff and either oats or oil-cake alternate days. evening, p.m.--snow. hot bran mash with oil-cake or boiled oats and chaff; finally a small quantity of hay. this sort of food should be causing the animals to put on flesh, but is not preparing them for work. in october he proposes to give 'hard' food, all cold, and to increase the exercising hours. as concerning the food we possess he thinks: the _chaff_ made of young wheat and hay is doubtful; there does not seem to be any grain with it--and would farmers cut young wheat? there does not seem to be any 'fat' in this food, but it is very well for ordinary winter purposes. n.b.--it seems to me this ought to be inquired into. _bran_ much discussed, but good because it causes horses to chew the oats with which mixed. _oil-cake_, greasy, producing energy--excellent for horses to work on. _oats_, of which we have two qualities, also very good working food--our white quality much better than the brown. our trainer went on to explain the value of training horses, of getting them 'balanced' to pull with less effort. he owns it is very difficult when one is walking horses only for exercise, but thinks something can be done by walking them fast and occasionally making them step backwards. oates referred to the deeds that had been done with horses by foreigners in shows and with polo ponies by englishmen when the animals were trained; it is, he said, a sort of gymnastic training. the discussion was very instructive and i have only noted the salient points. _thursday, may_ .--the wind dropped in the night; to-day it is calm, with slight snowfall. we have had an excellent football match--the only outdoor game possible in this light. i think our winter routine very good, i suppose every leader of a party has thought that, since he has the power of altering it. on the other hand, routine in this connection must take into consideration the facilities of work and play afforded by the preliminary preparations for the expedition. the winter occupations of most of our party depend on the instruments and implements, the clothing and sledging outfit, provided by forethought, and the routine is adapted to these occupations. the busy winter routine of our party may therefore be excusably held as a subject for self-congratulation. _friday, may_ .--wind from the north in the morning, temperature comparatively high (about - °). we played football during the noon hour--the game gets better as we improve our football condition and skill. in the afternoon the wind came from the north, dying away again late at night. in the evening wright lectured on 'ice problems.' he had a difficult subject and was nervous. he is young and has never done original work; is only beginning to see the importance of his task. he started on the crystallisation of ice, and explained with very good illustrations the various forms of crystals, the manner of their growth under different conditions and different temperatures. this was instructive. passing to the freezing of salt water, he was not very clear. then on to glaciers and their movements, theories for same and observations in these regions. there was a good deal of disconnected information--silt bands, crevasses were mentioned. finally he put the problems of larger aspect. the upshot of the discussion was a decision to devote another evening to the larger problems such as the great ice barrier and the interior ice sheet. i think i will write the paper to be discussed on this occasion. i note with much satisfaction that the talks on ice problems and the interest shown in them has had the effect of making wright devote the whole of his time to them. that may mean a great deal, for he is a hard and conscientious worker. atkinson has a new hole for his fish trap in fathoms; yesterday morning he got a record catch of forty-three fish, but oddly enough yesterday evening there were only two caught. _saturday, may_ .--blowing hard from the south, with some snow and very cold. few of us went far; wilson and bowers went to the top of the ramp and found the wind there force to , temperature - °; as a consequence they got frost-bitten. there was lively cheering when they reappeared in this condition, such is the sympathy which is here displayed for affliction; but with wilson much of the amusement arises from his peculiarly scant headgear and the confessed jealousy of those of us who cannot face the weather with so little face protection. the wind dropped at night. _sunday, may_ .--observed as usual. it blew from the north in the morning. had an idea to go to cape royds this evening, but it was reported that the open water reached to the barne glacier, and last night my own observation seemed to confirm this. this afternoon i started out for the open water. i found the ice solid off the barne glacier tongue, but always ahead of me a dark horizon as though i was within a very short distance of its edge. i held on with this appearance still holding up to c. barne itself and then past that cape and half way between it and c. royds. this was far enough to make it evident that the ice was continuous to c. royds, and has been so for a long time. under these circumstances the continual appearance of open water to the north is most extraordinary and quite inexplicable. have had some very interesting discussions with wilson, wright, and taylor on the ice formations to the west. how to account for the marine organisms found on the weathered glacier ice north of the koettlitz glacier? we have been elaborating a theory under which this ice had once a negative buoyancy due to the morainic material on top and in the lower layers of the ice mass, and had subsequently floated when the greater amount of this material had weathered out. have arranged to go to c. royds to-morrow. the temperatures have sunk very steadily this year; for a long time they hung about zero, then for a considerable interval remained about - °; now they are down in the minus twenties, with signs of falling (to-day - °). bowers' meteorological stations have been amusingly named archibald, bertram, clarence--they are entered by the initial letter, but spoken of by full title. to-night we had a glorious auroral display--quite the most brilliant i have seen. at one time the sky from n.n.w. to s.s.e. as high as the zenith was massed with arches, band, and curtains, always in rapid movement. the waving curtains were especially fascinating--a wave of bright light would start at one end and run along to the other, or a patch of brighter light would spread as if to reinforce the failing light of the curtain. auroral notes the auroral light is of a palish green colour, but we now see distinctly a red flush preceding the motion of any bright part. the green ghostly light seems suddenly to spring to life with rosy blushes. there is infinite suggestion in this phenomenon, and in that lies its charm; the suggestion of life, form, colour and movement never less than evanescent, mysterious,--no reality. it is the language of mystic signs and portents--the inspiration of the gods--wholly spiritual--divine signalling. remindful of superstition, provocative of imagination. might not the inhabitants of some other world (mars) controlling mighty forces thus surround our globe with fiery symbols, a golden writing which we have not the key to decipher? there is argument on the confession of ponting's inability to obtain photographs of the aurora. professor stormer of norway seems to have been successful. simpson made notes of his method, which seems to depend merely on the rapidity of lens and plate. ponting claims to have greater rapidity in both, yet gets no result even with long exposure. it is not only a question of aurora; the stars are equally reluctant to show themselves on ponting's plate. even with five seconds exposure the stars become short lines of light on the plate of a fixed camera. stormer's stars are points and therefore his exposure must have been short, yet there is detail in some of his pictures which it seems impossible could have been got with a short exposure. it is all very puzzling. _monday, may_ .--wilson, bowers, atkinson, evans (p.o.), clissold, and self went to c. royds with a 'go cart' carrying our sleeping-bags, a cooker, and a small quantity of provision. the 'go cart' consists of a framework of steel tubing supported on four bicycle wheels. the surface of the floes carries to inches of snow, barely covering the salt ice flowers, and for this condition this vehicle of day's is excellent. the advantage is that it meets the case where the salt crystals form a heavy frictional surface for wood runners. i'm inclined to think that there are great numbers of cases when wheels would be more efficient than runners on the sea ice. we reached cape royds in / hours, killing an emperor penguin in the bay beyond c. barne. this bird was in splendid plumage, the breast reflecting the dim northern light like a mirror. it was fairly dark when we stumbled over the rocks and dropped on to shackleton's hut. clissold started the cooking-range, wilson and i walked over to the black beach and round back by blue lake. the temperature was down at - ° and the interior of the hut was very cold. _tuesday, may_ .--we spent the morning mustering the stores within and without the hut, after a cold night which we passed very comfortably in our bags. we found a good quantity of flour and danish butter and a fair amount of paraffin, with smaller supplies of assorted articles--the whole sufficient to afford provision for such a party as ours for about six or eight months if well administered. in case of necessity this would undoubtedly be a very useful reserve to fall back upon. these stores are somewhat scattered, and the hut has a dilapidated, comfortless appearance due to its tenantless condition; but even so it seemed to me much less inviting than our old _discovery_ hut at c. armitage. after a cup of cocoa there was nothing to detain us, and we started back, the only useful articles added to our weights being a scrap or two of leather and _five hymn-books_. hitherto we have been only able to muster seven copies; this increase will improve our sunday services. _wednesday, may_ .--a quiet day with northerly wind; the temperature rose gradually to zero. having the night duty, did not go out. the moon has gone and there is little to attract one out of doors. atkinson gave us an interesting little discourse on parasitology, with a brief account of the life history of some ecto- and some endo-parasites--nematodes, trematodes. he pointed out how that in nearly every case there was a secondary host, how in some cases disease was caused, and in others the presence of the parasite was even helpful. he acknowledged the small progress that had been made in this study. he mentioned ankylostomiasis, blood-sucking worms, bilhartsia (trematode) attacking bladder (egypt), filaria (round tapeworm), guinea worm, trichina (pork), and others, pointing to disease caused. from worms he went to protozoa-trypanosomes, sleeping sickness, host tsetse-fly--showed life history comparatively, propagated in secondary host or encysting in primary host--similarly malarial germs spread by anopheles mosquitoes--all very interesting. in the discussion following wilson gave some account of the grouse disease worm, and especially of the interest in finding free living species almost identical; also part of the life of disease worm is free living. here we approached a point pressed by nelson concerning the degeneration consequent on adoption of the parasitic habit. all parasites seem to have descended from free living beasts. one asks 'what is degeneration?' without receiving a very satisfactory answer. after all, such terms must be empirical. _thursday, may_ .--it has been blowing from south with heavy gusts and snow, temperature extraordinarily high, - °. this has been a heavy gale. the weather conditions are certainly very interesting; simpson has again called attention to the wind in february, march, and april at cape evans--the record shows an extraordinary large percentage of gales. it is quite certain that we scarcely got a fraction of the wind on the barrier and doubtful if we got as much at hut point. _friday, may_ .--a calm and clear day--a nice change from recent weather. it makes an enormous difference to the enjoyment of this life if one is able to get out and stretch one's legs every day. this morning i went up the ramp. no sign of open water, so that my fears for a broken highway in the coming season are now at rest. in future gales can only be a temporary annoyance--anxiety as to their result is finally allayed. this afternoon i searched out ski and ski sticks and went for a short run over the floe. the surface is quite good since the recent snowfall and wind. this is satisfactory, as sledging can now be conducted on ordinary lines, and if convenient our parties can pull on ski. the young ice troubles of april and may have passed away. it is curious that circumstances caused us to miss them altogether during our stay in the _discovery._ we are living extraordinarily well. at dinner last night we had some excellent thick seal soup, very much like thick hare soup; this was followed by an equally tasty seal steak and kidney pie and a fruit jelly. the smell of frying greeted us on awaking this morning, and at breakfast each of us had two of our nutty little _notothenia_ fish after our bowl of porridge. these little fish have an extraordinarily sweet taste--bread and butter and marmalade finished the meal. at the midday meal we had bread and butter, cheese, and cake, and to-night i smell mutton in the preparation. under the circumstances it would be difficult to conceive more appetising repasts or a regime which is likely to produce scorbutic symptoms. i cannot think we shall get scurvy. nelson lectured to us to-night, giving a very able little elementary sketch of the objects of the biologist. a fact struck one in his explanation of the rates of elimination. two of the offspring of two parents alone survive, speaking broadly; this the same of the human species or the 'ling,' with , , eggs in the roe of each female! he talked much of evolution, adaptation, &c. mendelism became the most debated point of the discussion; the transmission of characters has a wonderful fascination for the human mind. there was also a point striking deep in the debate on professor loeb's experiments with sea urchins; how far had he succeeded in reproducing the species without the male spermatozoa? not very far, it seemed, when all was said. a theme for a pen would be the expansion of interest in polar affairs; compare the interests of a winter spent by the old arctic voyagers with our own, and look into the causes. the aspect of everything changes as our knowledge expands. the expansion of human interest in rude surroundings may perhaps best be illustrated by comparisons. it will serve to recall such a simple case as the fact that our ancestors applied the terms horrid, frightful, to mountain crags which in our own day are more justly admired as lofty, grand, and beautiful. the poetic conception of this natural phenomenon has followed not so much an inherent change of sentiment as the intimacy of wider knowledge and the death of superstitious influence. one is much struck by the importance of realising limits. _saturday, may_ .--a very unpleasant, cold, windy day. annoyed with the conditions, so did not go out. in the evening bowers gave his lecture on sledging diets. he has shown great courage in undertaking the task, great perseverance in unearthing facts from books, and a considerable practical skill in stringing these together. it is a thankless task to search polar literature for dietary facts and still more difficult to attach due weight to varying statements. some authors omit discussion of this important item altogether, others fail to note alterations made in practice or additions afforded by circumstances, others again forget to describe the nature of various food stuffs. our lecturer was both entertaining and instructive when he dealt with old time rations; but he naturally grew weak in approaching the physiological aspect of the question. he went through with it manfully and with a touch of humour much appreciated; whereas, for instance, he deduced facts from 'the equivalent of mr. joule, a gentleman whose statements he had no reason to doubt.' wilson was the mainstay of the subsequent discussion and put all doubtful matters in a clearer light. 'increase your fats (carbohydrate)' is what science seems to say, and practice with conservativism is inclined to step cautiously in response to this urgence. i shall, of course, go into the whole question as thoroughly as available information and experience permits. meanwhile it is useful to have had a discussion which aired the popular opinions. feeling went deepest on the subject of tea versus cocoa; admitting all that can be said concerning stimulation and reaction, i am inclined to see much in favour of tea. why should not one be mildly stimulated during the marching hours if one can cope with reaction by profounder rest during the hours of inaction? _sunday, may_ .--quite an excitement last night. one of the ponies (the grey which i led last year and salved from the floe) either fell or tried to lie down in his stall, his head being lashed up to the stanchions on either side. in this condition he struggled and kicked till his body was twisted right round and his attitude extremely uncomfortable. very luckily his struggles were heard almost at once, and his head ropes being cut, oates got him on his feet again. he looked a good deal distressed at the time, but is now quite well again and has been out for his usual exercise. held service as usual. this afternoon went on ski around the bay and back across. little or no wind; sky clear, temperature - °. it was wonderfully mild considering the temperature--this sounds paradoxical, but the sensation of cold does not conform to the thermometer--it is obviously dependent on the wind and less obviously on the humidity of the air and the ice crystals floating in it. i cannot very clearly account for this effect, but as a matter of fact i have certainly felt colder in still air at - ° than i did to-day when the thermometer was down to - °, other conditions apparently equal. the amazing circumstance is that by no means can we measure the humidity, or indeed the precipitation or evaporation. i have just been discussing with simpson the insuperable difficulties that stand in the way of experiment in this direction, since cold air can only hold the smallest quantities of moisture, and saturation covers an extremely small range of temperature. _monday, may_ .--another beautiful calm day. went out both before and after the mid-day meal. this morning with wilson and bowers towards the thermometer off inaccessible island. on the way my companionable dog was heard barking and dimly seen--we went towards him and found that he was worrying a young sea leopard. this is the second found in the strait this season. we had to secure it as a specimen, but it was sad to have to kill. the long lithe body of this seal makes it almost beautiful in comparison with our stout, bloated weddells. this poor beast turned swiftly from side to side as we strove to stun it with a blow on the nose. as it turned it gaped its jaws wide, but oddly enough not a sound came forth, not even a hiss. after lunch a sledge was taken out to secure the prize, which had been photographed by flashlight. ponting has been making great advances in flashlight work, and has opened up quite a new field in which artistic results can be obtained in the winter. lecture--japan. to-night ponting gave us a charming lecture on japan with wonderful illustrations of his own. he is happiest in his descriptions of the artistic side of the people, with which he is in fullest sympathy. so he took us to see the flower pageants. the joyful festivals of the cherry blossom, the wistaria, the iris and chrysanthemum, the sombre colours of the beech blossom and the paths about the lotus gardens, where mankind meditated in solemn mood. we had pictures, too, of nikko and its beauties, of temples and great buddhas. then in more touristy strain of volcanoes and their craters, waterfalls and river gorges, tiny tree-clad islets, that feature of japan--baths and their bathers, ainos, and so on. his descriptions were well given and we all of us thoroughly enjoyed our evening. _tuesday, may_ .--am busy with my physiological investigations. [ ] atkinson reported a sea leopard at the tide crack; it proved to be a crab-eater, young and very active. in curious contrast to the sea leopard of yesterday in snapping round it uttered considerable noise, a gasping throaty growl. went out to the outer berg, where there was quite a collection of people, mostly in connection with ponting, who had brought camera and flashlight. it was beautifully calm and comparatively warm. it was good to hear the gay chatter and laughter, and see ponies and their leaders come up out of the gloom to add liveliness to the scene. the sky was extraordinarily clear at noon and to the north very bright. we have had an exceptionally large tidal range during the last three days--it has upset the tide gauge arrangements and brought a little doubt on the method. day is going into the question, which we thoroughly discussed to-day. tidal measurements will be worse than useless unless we can be sure of the accuracy of our methods. pools of salt water have formed over the beach floes in consequence of the high tide, and in the chase of the crab eater to-day very brilliant flashes of phosphorescent light appeared in these pools. we think it due to a small cope-pod. i have just found a reference to the same phenomena in nordenskiöld's 'vega.' he, and apparently bellot before him, noted the phenomenon. an interesting instance of bi-polarity. another interesting phenomenon observed to-day was a cirrus cloud lit by sunlight. it was seen by wilson and bowers ° above the northern horizon--the sun is ° below our horizon, and without refraction we calculate a cloud could be seen which was miles high. allowing refraction the phenomenon appears very possible. _wednesday, may_ .--the sky was overcast this morning and the temperature up to - °. went out after lunch to 'land's end.' the surface of snow was sticky for ski, except where drifts were deep. there was an oppressive feel in the air and i got very hot, coming in with head and hands bare. at , from dead calm the wind suddenly sprang up from the south, force miles per hour, and since that it has been blowing a blizzard; wind very gusty, from to miles. i have never known a storm come on so suddenly, and it shows what possibility there is of individuals becoming lost even if they only go a short way from the hut. to-night wilson has given us a very interesting lecture on sketching. he started by explaining his methods of rough sketch and written colour record, and explained its suitability to this climate as opposed to coloured chalks, &c.--a very practical method for cold fingers and one that becomes more accurate with practice in observation. his theme then became the extreme importance of accuracy, his mode of expression and explanation frankly ruskinesque. don't put in meaningless lines--every line should be from observation. so with contrast of light and shade--fine shading, subtle distinction, everything--impossible without care, patience, and trained attention. he raised a smile by generalising failures in sketches of others of our party which had been brought to him for criticism. he pointed out how much had been put in from preconceived notion. 'he will draw a berg faithfully as it is now and he studies it, but he leaves sea and sky to be put in afterwards, as he thinks they must be like sea and sky everywhere else, and he is content to try and remember how these _should_ be done.' nature's harmonies cannot be guessed at. he quoted much from ruskin, leading on a little deeper to 'composition,' paying a hearty tribute to ponting. the lecture was delivered in the author's usual modest strain, but unconsciously it was expressive of himself and his whole-hearted thoroughness. he stands very high in the scale of human beings--how high i scarcely knew till the experience of the past few months. there is no member of our party so universally esteemed; only to-night i realise how patiently and consistently he has given time and attention to help the efforts of the other sketchers, and so it is all through; he has had a hand in almost every lecture given, and has been consulted in almost every effort which has been made towards the solution of the practical or theoretical problems of our polar world. the achievement of a great result by patient work is the best possible object lesson for struggling humanity, for the results of genius, however admirable, can rarely be instructive. the chief of the scientific staff sets an example which is more potent than any other factor in maintaining that bond of good fellowship which is the marked and beneficent characteristic of our community. chapter xi to midwinter day _thursday, june_ .--the wind blew hard all night, gusts arising to m.p.h.; the anemometer choked five times--temperature + °. it is still blowing this morning. incidentally we have found that these heavy winds react very conveniently on our ventilating system. a fire is always a good ventilator, ensuring the circulation of inside air and the indraught of fresh air; its defect as a ventilator lies in the low level at which it extracts inside air. our ventilating system utilises the normal fire draught, but also by suitable holes in the funnelling causes the same draught to extract foul air at higher levels. i think this is the first time such a system has been used. it is a bold step to make holes in the funnelling as obviously any uncertainty of draught might fill the hut with smoke. since this does not happen with us it follows that there is always strong suction through our stovepipes, and this is achieved by their exceptionally large dimensions and by the length of the outer chimney pipe. with wind this draught is greatly increased and with high winds the draught would be too great for the stoves if it were not for the relief of the ventilating holes. in these circumstances, therefore, the rate of extraction of air automatically rises, and since high wind is usually accompanied with marked rise of temperature, the rise occurs at the most convenient season, when the interior of the hut would otherwise tend to become oppressively warm. the practical result of the system is that in spite of the numbers of people living in the hut, the cooking, and the smoking, the inside air is nearly always warm, sweet, and fresh. there is usually a drawback to the best of arrangements, and i have said 'nearly' always. the exceptions in this connection occur when the outside air is calm and warm and the galley fire, as in the early morning, needs to be worked up; it is necessary under these conditions to temporarily close the ventilating holes, and if at this time the cook is intent on preparing our breakfast with a frying-pan we are quickly made aware of his intentions. a combination of this sort is rare and lasts only for a very short time, for directly the fire is aglow the ventilator can be opened again and the relief is almost instantaneous. this very satisfactory condition of inside air must be a highly important factor in the preservation of health. i have to-day regularised the pony 'nicknames'; i must leave it to drake to pull out the relation to the 'proper' names according to our school contracts! [ ] the nicknames are as follows: james pigg keohane bones crean michael clissold snatcher evans (p.o.) jehu china christopher hooper victor bowers snippets (windsucker) nobby lashly _friday, june_ .--the wind still high. the drift ceased at an early hour yesterday; it is difficult to account for the fact. at night the sky cleared; then and this morning we had a fair display of aurora streamers to the n. and a faint arch east. curiously enough the temperature still remains high, about + °. the meteorological conditions are very puzzling. _saturday, june_ .--the wind dropped last night, but at a.m. suddenly sprang up from a dead calm to miles an hour. almost instantaneously, certainly within the space of one minute, there was a temperature rise of nine degrees. it is the most extraordinary and interesting example of a rise of temperature with a southerly wind that i can remember. it is certainly difficult to account for unless we imagine that during the calm the surface layer of cold air is extremely thin and that there is a steep inverted gradient. when the wind arose the sky overhead was clearer than i ever remember to have seen it, the constellations brilliant, and the milky way like a bright auroral streamer. the wind has continued all day, making it unpleasant out of doors. i went for a walk over the land; it was dark, the rock very black, very little snow lying; old footprints in the soft, sandy soil were filled with snow, showing quite white on a black ground. have been digging away at food statistics. simpson has just given us a discourse, in the ordinary lecture series, on his instruments. having already described these instruments, there is little to comment upon; he is excellently lucid in his explanations. as an analogy to the attempt to make a scientific observation when the condition under consideration is affected by the means employed, he rather quaintly cited the impossibility of discovering the length of trousers by bending over to see! the following are the instruments described: features the outside (bimetallic) thermograph. the inside thermograph (alcohol) alcohol in spiral, small lead pipe--float vessel. the electrically recording anemometer cam device with contact on wheel; slowing arrangement, inertia of wheel. the dynes anemometer parabola on immersed float. the recording wind vane metallic pen. the magnetometer horizontal force measured in two directions--vertical force in one--timing arrangement. the high and low potential apparatus of the balloon thermograph spotting arrangement and difference, see _ante_. simpson is admirable as a worker, admirable as a scientist, and admirable as a lecturer. _sunday, june_ .--a calm and beautiful day. the account of this, a typical sunday, would run as follows: breakfast. a half-hour or so selecting hymns and preparing for service whilst the hut is being cleared up. the service: a hymn; morning prayer to the psalms; another hymn; prayers from communion service and litany; a final hymn and our special prayer. wilson strikes the note on which the hymn is to start and i try to hit it after with doubtful success! after church the men go out with their ponies. to-day wilson, bowers, cherry-garrard, lashly, and i went to start the building of our first 'igloo.' there is a good deal of difference of opinion as to the best implement with which to cut snow blocks. cherry-garrard had a knife which i designed and lashly made, wilson a saw, and bowers a large trowel. i'm inclined to think the knife will prove most effective, but the others don't acknowledge it _yet_. as far as one can see at present this knife should have a longer handle and much coarser teeth in the saw edge--perhaps also the blade should be thinner. we must go on with this hut building till we get good at it. i'm sure it's going to be a useful art. we only did three courses of blocks when tea-time arrived, and light was not good enough to proceed after tea. sunday afternoon for the men means a 'stretch of the land.' i went over the floe on ski. the best possible surface after the late winds as far as inaccessible island. here, and doubtless in most places along the shore, this, the first week of june, may be noted as the date by which the wet, sticky salt crystals become covered and the surface possible for wood runners. beyond the island the snow is still very thin, barely covering the ice flowers, and the surface is still bad. there has been quite a small landslide on the s. side of the island; seven or eight blocks of rock, one or two tons in weight, have dropped on to the floe, an interesting instance of the possibility of transport by sea ice. ponting has been out to the bergs photographing by flashlight. as i passed south of the island with its whole mass between myself and the photographer i saw the flashes of magnesium light, having all the appearance of lightning. the light illuminated the sky and apparently objects at a great distance from the camera. it is evident that there may be very great possibilities in the use of this light for signalling purposes and i propose to have some experiments. n.b.--magnesium flashlight as signalling apparatus in the summer. another crab-eater seal was secured to-day; he had come up by the bergs. _monday, june_ .--the wind has been s. all day, sky overcast and air misty with snow crystals. the temperature has gone steadily up and to-night rose to + °. everything seems to threaten a blizzard which cometh not. but what is to be made of this extraordinary high temperature heaven only knows. went for a walk over the rocks and found it very warm and muggy. taylor gave us a paper on the beardmore glacier. he has taken pains to work up available information; on the ice side he showed the very gradual gradient as compared with the ferrar. if crevasses are as plentiful as reported, the motion of glacier must be very considerable. there seem to be three badly crevassed parts where the glacier is constricted and the fall is heavier. geologically he explained the rocks found and the problems unsolved. the basement rocks, as to the north, appear to be reddish and grey granites and altered slate (possibly bearing fossils). the cloudmaker appears to be diorite; mt. buckley sedimentary. the suggested formation is of several layers of coal with sandstone above and below; interesting to find if it is so and investigate coal. wood fossil conifer appears to have come from this--better to get leaves--wrap fossils up for protection. mt. dawson described as pinkish limestone, with a wedge of dark rock; this very doubtful! limestone is of great interest owing to chance of finding cambrian fossils (archeocyathus). he mentioned the interest of finding here, as in dry valley, volcanic cones of recent date (later than the recession of the ice). as points to be looked to in geology and physiography: . hope island shape. . character of wall facets. . type of tributary glacierscliff or curtain, broken. . do tributaries enter 'at grade'? . lateral gullies pinnacled, &c., shape and size of slope. . do tributaries cut out gullies--empty unoccupied cirques, hangers, &c. . do upland moraines show tesselation? . arrangement of strata, inclusion of. . types of moraines, distance of blocks. . weathering of glaciers. types of surface. (thrust mark? rippled, snow stool, glass house, coral reef, honeycomb, ploughshare, bastions, piecrust.) . amount of water silt bands, stratified, or irregular folded or broken. . cross section, of valleys ° slopes? . weather slopes debris covered, height to which. . nunataks, height of rounded, height of any angle in profile, erratics. . evidence of order in glacier delta. debenham in discussion mentioned usefulness of small chips of rock--many chips from several places are more valuable than few larger specimens. we had an interesting little discussion. i must enter a protest against the use made of the word 'glaciated' by geologists and physiographers. to them a 'glaciated land' is one which appears to have been shaped by former ice action. the meaning i attach to the phrase, and one which i believe is more commonly current, is that it describes a land at present wholly or partly covered with ice and snow. i hold the latter is the obvious meaning and the former results from a piracy committed in very recent times. the alternative terms descriptive of the different meanings are ice covered and ice eroded. to-day i have been helping the soldier to design pony rugs; the great thing, i think, is to get something which will completely cover the hindquarters. _tuesday, june_ .--the temperature has been as high as + ° to-day; the south wind persisted until the evening with clear sky except for fine effects of torn cloud round about the mountain. to-night the moon has emerged from behind the mountain and sails across the cloudless northern sky; the wind has fallen and the scene is glorious. it is my birthday, a fact i might easily have forgotten, but my kind people did not. at lunch an immense birthday cake made its appearance and we were photographed assembled about it. clissold had decorated its sugared top with various devices in chocolate and crystallised fruit, flags and photographs of myself. after my walk i discovered that great preparations were in progress for a special dinner, and when the hour for that meal arrived we sat down to a sumptuous spread with our sledge banners hung about us. clissold's especially excellent seal soup, roast mutton and red currant jelly, fruit salad, asparagus and chocolate--such was our menu. for drink we had cider cup, a mystery not yet fathomed, some sherry and a liqueur. after this luxurious meal everyone was very festive and amiably argumentative. as i write there is a group in the dark room discussing political progress with discussions--another at one corner of the dinner table airing its views on the origin of matter and the probability of its ultimate discovery, and yet another debating military problems. the scraps that reach me from the various groups sometimes piece together in ludicrous fashion. perhaps these arguments are practically unprofitable, but they give a great deal of pleasure to the participants. it's delightful to hear the ring of triumph in some voice when the owner imagines he has delivered himself of a well-rounded period or a clinching statement concerning the point under discussion. they are boys, all of them, but such excellent good-natured ones; there has been no sign of sharpness or anger, no jarring note, in all these wordy contests! all end with a laugh. nelson has offered taylor a pair of socks to teach him some geology! this lulls me to sleep! _wednesday, june_ .--a very beautiful day. in the afternoon went well out over the floe to the south, looking up nelson at his icehole and picking up bowers at his thermometer. the surface was polished and beautifully smooth for ski, the scene brightly illuminated with moonlight, the air still and crisp, and the thermometer at - °. perfect conditions for a winter walk. in the evening i read a paper on 'the ice barrier and inland ice.' i have strung together a good many new points and the interest taken in the discussion was very genuine--so keen, in fact, that we did not break up till close on midnight. i am keeping this paper, which makes a very good basis for all future work on these subjects. (see vol. ii.) shelters to iceholes time out of number one is coming across rediscoveries. of such a nature is the building of shelters for iceholes. we knew a good deal about it in the _discovery_, but unfortunately did not make notes of our experiences. i sketched the above figures for nelson, and found on going to the hole that the drift accorded with my sketch. the sketches explain themselves. i think wall 'b' should be higher than wall 'a.' my night on duty. the silent hours passed rapidly and comfortably. to bed a.m. _thursday, june_ .--did not turn out till p.m., then with a bad head, an inevitable sequel to a night of vigil. walked out to and around the bergs, bright moonlight, but clouds rapidly spreading up from south. tried the snow knife, which is developing. debenham and gran went off to hut point this morning; they should return to-morrow. _friday, june_ .--no wind came with the clouds of yesterday, but the sky has not been clear since they spread over it except for about two hours in the middle of the night when the moonlight was so bright that one might have imagined the day returned. otherwise the web of stratus which hangs over us thickens and thins, rises and falls with very bewildering uncertainty. we want theories for these mysterious weather conditions; meanwhile it is annoying to lose the advantages of the moonlight. this morning had some discussion with nelson and wright regarding the action of sea water in melting barrier and sea ice. the discussion was useful to me in drawing attention to the equilibrium of layers of sea water. in the afternoon i went round the razor back islands on ski, a run of or miles; the surface was good but in places still irregular with the pressures formed when the ice was 'young.' the snow is astonishingly soft on the south side of both islands. it is clear that in the heaviest blizzard one could escape the wind altogether by camping to windward of the larger island. one sees more and more clearly what shelter is afforded on the weather side of steep-sided objects. passed three seals asleep on the ice. two others were killed near the bergs. _saturday, june_ .--the impending blizzard has come; the wind came with a burst at . this morning. simpson spent the night turning over a theory to account for the phenomenon, and delivered himself of it this morning. it seems a good basis for the reference of future observations. he imagines the atmosphere a c in potential equilibrium with large margin of stability, i.e. the difference of temperature between a and c being much less than the adiabatic gradient. in this condition there is a tendency to cool by radiation until some critical layer, b, reaches its due point. a stratus cloud is thus formed at b; from this moment a b continues to cool, but b c is protected from radiating, whilst heated by radiation from snow and possibly by release of latent heat due to cloud formation. the condition now rapidly approaches unstable equilibrium, b c tending to rise, a b to descend. owing to lack of sun heat the effect will be more rapid in south than north and therefore the upset will commence first in the south. after the first start the upset will rapidly spread north, bringing the blizzard. the facts supporting the theory are the actual formation of a stratus cloud before a blizzard, the snow and warm temperature of the blizzard and its gusty nature. it is a pretty starting-point, but, of course, there are weak spots. atkinson has found a trypanosome in the fish--it has been stained, photographed and drawn--an interesting discovery having regard to the few species that have been found. a trypanosome is the cause of 'sleeping sickness.' the blizzard has continued all day with a good deal of drift. i went for a walk, but the conditions were not inviting. we have begun to consider details of next season's travelling equipment. the crampons, repair of finnesko with sealskin, and an idea for a double tent have been discussed to-day. p.o. evans and lashly are delightfully intelligent in carrying out instructions. _sunday, june_ .--a fine clear morning, the moon now revolving well aloft and with full face. for exercise a run on ski to the south bay in the morning and a dash up the ramp before dinner. wind and drift arose in the middle of the day, but it is now nearly calm again. at our morning service cherry-garrard, good fellow, vamped the accompaniment of two hymns; he received encouraging thanks and will cope with all three hymns next sunday. day by day news grows scant in this midwinter season; all events seem to compress into a small record, yet a little reflection shows that this is not the case. for instance i have had at least three important discussions on weather and ice conditions to-day, concerning which many notes might be made, and quite a number of small arrangements have been made. if a diary can be so inadequate here how difficult must be the task of making a faithful record of a day's events in ordinary civilised life! i think this is why i have found it so difficult to keep a diary at home. _monday, june_ .--the weather is not kind to us. there has not been much wind to-day, but the moon has been hid behind stratus cloud. one feels horribly cheated in losing the pleasure of its light. i scarcely know what the crozier party can do if they don't get better luck next month. debenham and gran have not yet returned; this is their fifth day of absence. bowers and cherry-garrard went to cape royds this afternoon to stay the night. taylor and wright walked there and back after breakfast this morning. they returned shortly after lunch. went for a short spin on ski this morning and again this afternoon. this evening evans has given us a lecture on surveying. he was shy and slow, but very painstaking, taking a deal of trouble in preparing pictures, &c. i took the opportunity to note hurriedly the few points to which i want attention especially directed. no doubt others will occur to me presently. i think i now understand very well how and why the old surveyors (like belcher) failed in the early arctic work. . every officer who takes part in the southern journey ought to have in his memory the approximate variation of the compass at various stages of the journey and to know how to apply it to obtain a true course from the compass. the variation changes very slowly so that no great effort of memory is required. . he ought to know what the true course is to reach one depôt from another. . he should be able to take an observation with the theodolite. . he should be able to work out a meridian altitude observation. . he could advantageously add to his knowledge the ability to work out a longitude observation or an ex-meridian altitude. . he should know how to read the sledgemeter. . he should note and remember the error of the watch he carries and the rate which is ascertained for it from time to time. . he should assist the surveyor by noting the coincidences of objects, the opening out of valleys, the observation of new peaks, &c._ _ _tuesday, june_ .--a very beautiful day. we revelled in the calm clear moonlight; the temperature has fallen to - °. the surface of the floe perfect for ski--had a run to south bay in forenoon and was away on a long circuit around inaccessible island in the afternoon. in such weather the cold splendour of the scene is beyond description; everything is satisfying, from the deep purple of the starry sky to the gleaming bergs and the sparkle of the crystals under foot. some very brilliant patches of aurora over the southern shoulder of the mountain. observed an exceedingly bright meteor shoot across the sky to the northward. on my return found debenham and gran back from cape armitage. they had intended to start back on sunday, but were prevented by bad weather; they seemed to have had stronger winds than we. on arrival at the hut they found poor little 'mukaka' coiled up outside the door, looking pitifully thin and weak, but with enough energy to bark at them. this dog was run over and dragged for a long way under the sledge runners whilst we were landing stores in january (the th). he has never been worth much since, but remained lively in spite of all the hardships of sledging work. at hut point he looked a miserable object, as the hair refused to grow on his hindquarters. it seemed as though he could scarcely continue in such a condition, and when the party came back to cape evans he was allowed to run free alongside the sledge. on the arrival of the party i especially asked after the little animal and was told by demetri that he had returned, but later it transpired that this was a mistake--that he had been missed on the journey and had not turned up again later as was supposed. i learned this fact only a few days ago and had quite given up the hope of ever seeing the poor little beast again. it is extraordinary to realise that this poor, lame, half-clad animal has lived for a whole month by himself. he had blood on his mouth when found, implying the capture of a seal, but how he managed to kill it and then get through its skin is beyond comprehension. hunger drives hard. _wednesday, june_ .--storms are giving us little rest. we found a thin stratus over the sky this morning, foreboding ill. the wind came, as usual with a rush, just after lunch. at first there was much drift--now the drift has gone but the gusts run up to m.p.h. had a comfortless stroll around the hut; how rapidly things change when one thinks of the delights of yesterday! paid a visit to wright's ice cave; the pendulum is installed and will soon be ready for observation. wright anticipates the possibility of difficulty with ice crystals on the agate planes. he tells me that he has seen some remarkably interesting examples of the growth of ice crystals on the walls of the cave and has observed the same unaccountable confusion of the size of grains in the ice, showing how little history can be gathered from the structure of ice. this evening nelson gave us his second biological lecture, starting with a brief reference to the scientific classification of the organism into kingdom, phylum, group, class, order, genus, species; he stated the justification of a biologist in such an expedition, as being 'to determine the condition under which organic substances exist in the sea.' he proceeded to draw divisions between the bottom organisms without power of motion, benthon, the nekton motile life in mid-water, and the plankton or floating life. then he led very prettily on to the importance of the tiny vegetable organisms as the basis of all life. in the killer whale may be found a seal, in the seal a fish, in the fish a smaller fish, in the smaller fish a copepod, and in the copepod a diatom. if this be regular feeding throughout, the diatom or vegetable is essentially the base of all. light is the essential of vegetable growth or metabolism, and light quickly vanishes in depth of water, so that all ocean life must ultimately depend on the phyto-plankton. to discover the conditions of this life is therefore to go to the root of matters. at this point came an interlude--descriptive of the various biological implements in use in the ship and on shore. the otter trawl, the agassiz trawl, the 'd' net, and the ordinary dredger. a word or two on the using of 'd' nets and then explanation of sieves for classifying the bottom, its nature causing variation in the organisms living on it. from this he took us amongst the tow-nets with their beautiful silk fabrics, meshes running to the inch and materials costing guineas the yard--to the german tow-nets for quantitative measurements, the object of the latter and its doubtful accuracy, young fish trawls. from this to the chemical composition of sea water, the total salt about . per cent, but variable: the proportions of the various salts do not appear to differ, thus the chlorine test detects the salinity quantitatively. physically plankton life must depend on this salinity and also on temperature, pressure, light, and movement. (if plankton only inhabits surface waters, then density, temperatures, &c., of surface waters must be the important factors. why should biologists strive for deeper layers? why should not deep sea life be maintained by dead vegetable matter?) here again the lecturer branched off into descriptions of water bottles, deep sea thermometers, and current-meters, the which i think have already received some notice in this diary. to what depth light may extend is the difficult problem and we had some speculation, especially in the debate on this question. simpson suggested that laboratory experiment should easily determine. atkinson suggested growth of bacteria on a scratched plate. the idea seems to be that vegetable life cannot exist without red rays, which probably do not extend beyond feet or so. against this is an extraordinary recovery of _holosphera firidis_ by german expedition from fathoms; this seems to have been confirmed. bowers caused much amusement by demanding to know 'if the pycnogs (pycnogonids) were more nearly related to the arachnids (spiders) or crustaceans.' as a matter of fact a very sensible question, but it caused amusement because of its sudden display of long names. nelson is an exceedingly capable lecturer; he makes his subject very clear and is never too technical. _thursday, june_ .--keen cold wind overcast sky till . p.m. spent an idle day. jimmy pigg had an attack of colic in the stable this afternoon. he was taken out and doctored on the floe, which seemed to improve matters, but on return to the stable he was off his feed. this evening the soldier tells me he has eaten his food, so i hope all be well again. _friday, june_ .--overcast again--little wind but also little moonlight. jimmy pigg quite recovered. went round the bergs in the afternoon. a great deal of ice has fallen from the irregular ones, showing that a great deal of weathering of bergs goes on during the winter and hence that the life of a berg is very limited, even if it remains in the high latitudes. to-night debenham lectured on volcanoes. his matter is very good, but his voice a little monotonous, so that there were signs of slumber in the audience, but all woke up for a warm and amusing discussion succeeding the lecture. the lecturer first showed a world chart showing distribution of volcanoes, showing general tendency of eruptive explosions to occur in lines. after following these lines in other parts of the world he showed difficulty of finding symmetrical linear distribution near mcmurdo sound. he pointed out incidentally the important inference which could be drawn from the discovery of altered sandstones in the erebus region. he went to the shapes of volcanoes: the massive type formed by very fluid lavas--mauna loa (hawaii), vesuvius, examples. the more perfect cones formed by ash talus--fujiama, discovery. the explosive type with parasitic cones--erebus, morning, etna. fissure eruption--historic only in iceland, but best prehistoric examples deccan (india) and oregon (u.s.). there is small ground for supposing relation between adjacent volcanoes--activity in one is rarely accompanied by activity in the other. it seems most likely that vent tubes are entirely separate. _products of volcanoes_.--the lecturer mentioned the escape of quantities of free hydrogen--there was some discussion on this point afterwards; that water is broken up is easily understood, but what becomes of the oxygen? simpson suggests the presence of much oxidizable material. co_ as a noxious gas also mentioned and discussed--causes mythical 'upas' tree--sulphurous fumes attend final stages. practically little or no heat escapes through sides of a volcano. there was argument over physical conditions influencing explosions--especially as to barometric influence. there was a good deal of disjointed information on lavas, ropy or rapid flowing and viscous--also on spatter cones and caverns. in all cases lavas cool slowly--heat has been found close to the surface after years. on etna there is lava over ice. the lecturer finally reviewed the volcanicity of our own neighbourhood. he described various vents of erebus, thinks castle rock a 'plug'--here some discussion--observation hill part of old volcano, nothing in common with crater hill. inaccessible island seems to have no connection with erebus. finally we had a few words on the origin of volcanicity and afterwards some discussion on an old point--the relation to the sea. why are volcanoes close to sea? debenham thinks not cause and effect, but two effects resulting from same cause. great argument as to whether effect of barometric changes on erebus vapour can be observed. not much was said about the theory of volcanoes, but debenham touched on american theories--the melting out from internal magma. there was nothing much to catch hold of throughout, but discussion of such a subject sorts one's ideas. _saturday, june_ .--northerly wind, temperature changeable, dropping to - °. wind doubtful in the afternoon. moon still obscured--it is very trying. feeling dull in spirit to-day. _sunday, june_ .--another blizzard--the weather is distressing. it ought to settle down soon, but unfortunately the moon is passing. held the usual morning service. hymns not quite successful to-day. to-night atkinson has taken the usual monthly measurement. i don't think there has been much change. _monday, june_ .--a pleasant change to find the air calm and the sky clear--temperature down to - °. at . the moon vanished behind the western mountains, after which, in spite of the clear sky, it was very dark on the floe. went out on ski across the bay, then round about the cape, and so home, facing a keen northerly wind on return. atkinson is making a new fish trap hole; from one cause and another, the breaking of the trap, and the freezing of the hole, no catch has been made for some time. i don't think we shall get good catches during the dark season, but atkinson's own requirements are small, and the fish, though nice enough, are not such a luxury as to be greatly missed from our 'menu.' our daily routine has possessed a settled regularity for a long time. clissold is up about a.m. to start the breakfast. at . hooper starts sweeping the floor and setting the table. between and . the men are out and about, fetching ice for melting, &c. anton is off to feed the ponies, demetri to see the dogs; hooper bursts on the slumberers with repeated announcements of the time, usually a quarter of an hour ahead of the clock. there is a stretching of limbs and an interchange of morning greetings, garnished with sleepy humour. wilson and bowers meet in a state of nature beside a washing basin filled with snow and proceed to rub glistening limbs with this chilling substance. a little later with less hardihood some others may be seen making the most of a meagre allowance of water. soon after . i manage to drag myself from a very comfortable bed and make my toilet with a bare pint of water. by about ten minutes to my clothes are on, my bed is made, and i sit down to my bowl of porridge; most of the others are gathered about the table by this time, but there are a few laggards who run the nine o'clock rule very close. the rule is instituted to prevent delay in the day's work, and it has needed a little pressure to keep one or two up to its observance. by . breakfast is finished, and before the half-hour has struck the table has been cleared. from . to . the men are steadily employed on a programme of preparation for sledging, which seems likely to occupy the greater part of the winter. the repair of sleeping-bags and the alteration of tents have already been done, but there are many other tasks uncompleted or not yet begun, such as the manufacture of provision bags, crampons, sealskin soles, pony clothes, &c. hooper has another good sweep up the hut after breakfast, washes the mess traps, and generally tidies things. i think it a good thing that in these matters the officers need not wait on themselves; it gives long unbroken days of scientific work and must, therefore, be an economy of brain in the long run. we meet for our mid-day meal at . or . , and spend a very cheerful half-hour over it. afterwards the ponies are exercised, weather permitting; this employs all the men and a few of the officers for an hour or more--the rest of us generally take exercise in some form at the same time. after this the officers go on steadily with their work, whilst the men do odd jobs to while away the time. the evening meal, our dinner, comes at . , and is finished within the hour. afterwards people read, write, or play games, or occasionally finish some piece of work. the gramophone is usually started by some kindly disposed person, and on three nights of the week the lectures to which i have referred are given. these lectures still command full audiences and lively discussions. at p.m. the acetylene lights are put out, and those who wish to remain up or to read in bed must depend on candle-light. the majority of candles are extinguished by midnight, and the night watchman alone remains awake to keep his vigil by the light of an oil lamp. day after day passes in this fashion. it is not a very active life perhaps, but certainly not an idle one. few of us sleep more than eight hours out of the twenty-four. on saturday afternoon or sunday morning some extra bathing takes place; chins are shaven, and perhaps clean garments donned. such signs, with the regular service on sunday, mark the passage of the weeks. to-night day has given us a lecture on his motor sledge. he seems very hopeful of success, but i fear is rather more sanguine in temperament than his sledge is reliable in action. i wish i could have more confidence in his preparations, as he is certainly a delightful companion. _tuesday, june_ .--last night the temperature fell to - °, the lowest we have had this year. on the ramp the minimum was - °, not the first indication of a reversed temperature gradient. we have had a calm day, as is usual with a low thermometer. it was very beautiful out of doors this morning; as the crescent moon was sinking in the west, erebus showed a heavy vapour cloud, showing that the quantity is affected by temperature rather than pressure. i'm glad to have had a good run on ski. the cape crozier party are preparing for departure, and heads have been put together to provide as much comfort as the strenuous circumstances will permit. i came across a hint as to the value of a double tent in sverdrup's book, 'new land,' and (p.o.) evans has made a lining for one of the tents; it is secured on the inner side of the poles and provides an air space inside the tent. i think it is going to be a great success, and that it will go far to obviate the necessity of considering the question of snow huts--though we shall continue our efforts in this direction also. another new departure is the decision to carry eiderdown sleeping-bags inside the reindeer ones. with such an arrangement the early part of the journey is bound to be comfortable, but when the bags get iced difficulties are pretty certain to arise. day has been devoting his energies to the creation of a blubber stove, much assisted of course by the experience gained at hut point. the blubber is placed in an annular vessel, a. the oil from it passes through a pipe, b, and spreads out on the surface of a plate, c, with a containing flange; _d d_ are raised points which serve as heat conductors; _e e_ is a tin chimney for flame with air holes at its base. to start the stove the plate c must be warmed with spirit lamp or primus, but when the blubber oil is well alight its heat is quite sufficient to melt the blubber in and keep up the oil supply--the heat gradually rises until the oil issues from b in a vaporised condition, when, of course, the heat given off by the stove is intense. this stove was got going this morning in five minutes in the outer temperature with the blubber hard frozen. it will make a great difference to the crozier party if they can manage to build a hut, and the experience gained will be everything for the western party in the summer. with a satisfactory blubber stove it would never be necessary to carry fuel on a coast journey, and we shall deserve well of posterity if we can perfect one. the crozier journey is to be made to serve a good many trial ends. as i have already mentioned, each man is to go on a different food scale, with a view to determining the desirable proportion of fats and carbohydrates. wilson is also to try the effect of a double wind-proof suit instead of extra woollen clothing. if two suits of wind-proof will keep one as warm in the spring as a single suit does in the summer, it is evident that we can face the summit of victoria land with a very slight increase of weight. i think the new crampons, which will also be tried on this journey, are going to be a great success. we have returned to the last _discovery_ type with improvements; the magnalium sole plates of our own crampons are retained but shod with / -inch steel spikes; these plates are rivetted through canvas to an inner leather sole, and the canvas is brought up on all sides to form a covering to the 'finnesko' over which it is laced--they are less than half the weight of an ordinary ski boot, go on very easily, and secure very neatly. midwinter day, the turn of the season, is very close; it will be good to have light for the more active preparations for the coming year. _wednesday, june_ .--the temperature low again, falling to - °. a curious hazy look in the sky, very little wind. the cold is bringing some minor troubles with the clockwork instruments in the open and with the acetylene gas plant--no insuperable difficulties. went for a ski run round the bergs; found it very dark and uninteresting. the temperature remained low during night and taylor reported a very fine display of aurora. _thursday, june _.--midwinter. the sun reached its maximum depression at about . p.m. on the nd, greenwich mean time: this is . a.m. on the rd according to the local time of the th meridian which we are keeping. dinner to-night is therefore the meal which is nearest the sun's critical change of course, and has been observed with all the festivity customary at xmas at home. at tea we broached an enormous buzzard cake, with much gratitude to its provider, cherry-garrard. in preparation for the evening our 'union jacks' and sledge flags were hung about the large table, which itself was laid with glass and a plentiful supply of champagne bottles instead of the customary mugs and enamel lime juice jugs. at seven o'clock we sat down to an extravagant bill of fare as compared with our usual simple diet. beginning on seal soup, by common consent the best decoction that our cook produces, we went on to roast beef with yorkshire pudding, fried potatoes and brussels sprouts. then followed a flaming plum-pudding and excellent mince pies, and thereafter a dainty savoury of anchovy and cod's roe. a wondrous attractive meal even in so far as judged by our simple lights, but with its garnishments a positive feast, for withal the table was strewn with dishes of burnt almonds, crystallised fruits, chocolates and such toothsome kickshaws, whilst the unstinted supply of champagne which accompanied the courses was succeeded by a noble array of liqueur bottles from which choice could be made in the drinking of toasts. i screwed myself up to a little speech which drew attention to the nature of the celebration as a half-way mark not only in our winter but in the plans of the expedition as originally published. (i fear there are some who don't realise how rapidly time passes and who have barely begun work which by this time ought to be in full swing.) we had come through a summer season and half a winter,and had before us half a winter and a second summer. we ought to know how we stood in every respect; we did know how we stood in regard to stores and transport, and i especially thanked the officer in charge of stores and the custodians of the animals. i said that as regards the future, chance must play a part, but that experience showed me that it would have been impossible to have chosen people more fitted to support me in the enterprise to the south than those who were to start in that direction in the spring. i thanked them all for having put their shoulders to the wheel and given me this confidence. we drank to the success of the expedition. then everyone was called on to speak, starting on my left and working round the table; the result was very characteristic of the various individuals--one seemed to know so well the style of utterance to which each would commit himself. needless to say, all were entirely modest and brief; unexpectedly, all had exceedingly kind things to say of me--in fact i was obliged to request the omission of compliments at an early stage. nevertheless it was gratifying to have a really genuine recognition of my attitude towards the scientific workers of the expedition, and i felt very warmly towards all these kind, good fellows for expressing it. if good will and happy fellowship count towards success, very surely shall we deserve to succeed. it was matter for comment, much applauded, that there had not been a single disagreement between any two members of our party from the beginning. by the end of dinner a very cheerful spirit prevailed, and the room was cleared for ponting and his lantern, whilst the gramophone gave forth its most lively airs. when the table was upended, its legs removed, and chairs arranged in rows, we had quite a roomy lecture hall. ponting had cleverly chosen this opportunity to display a series of slides made from his own local negatives. i have never so fully realised his work as on seeing these beautiful pictures; they so easily outclass anything of their kind previously taken in these regions. our audience cheered vociferously. after this show the table was restored for snapdragon, and a brew of milk punch was prepared in which we drank the health of campbell's party and of our good friends in the _terra nova_. then the table was again removed and a set of lancers formed. by this time the effect of stimulating liquid refreshment on men so long accustomed to a simple life became apparent. our biologist had retired to bed, the silent soldier bubbled with humour and insisted on dancing with anton. evans, p.o., was imparting confidences in heavy whispers. pat' keohane had grown intensely irish and desirous of political argument, whilst clissold sat with a constant expansive smile and punctuated the babble of conversation with an occasional 'whoop' of delight or disjointed witticism. other bright-eyed individuals merely reached the capacity to enjoy that which under ordinary circumstances might have passed without evoking a smile. in the midst of the revelry bowers suddenly appeared, followed by some satellites bearing an enormous christmas tree whose branches bore flaming candles, gaudy crackers, and little presents for all. the presents, i learnt, had been prepared with kindly thought by miss souper (mrs. wilson's sister) and the tree had been made by bowers of pieces of stick and string with coloured paper to clothe its branches; the whole erection was remarkably creditable and the distribution of the presents caused much amusement. whilst revelry was the order of the day within our hut, the elements without seemed desirous of celebrating the occasion with equal emphasis and greater decorum. the eastern sky was massed with swaying auroral light, the most vivid and beautiful display that i had ever seen--fold on fold the arches and curtains of vibrating luminosity rose and spread across the sky, to slowly fade and yet again spring to glowing life. the brighter light seemed to flow, now to mass itself in wreathing folds in one quarter, from which lustrous streamers shot upward, and anon to run in waves through the system of some dimmer figure as if to infuse new life within it. it is impossible to witness such a beautiful phenomenon without a sense of awe, and yet this sentiment is not inspired by its brilliancy but rather by its delicacy in light and colour, its transparency, and above all by its tremulous evanescence of form. there is no glittering splendour to dazzle the eye, as has been too often described; rather the appeal is to the imagination by the suggestion of something wholly spiritual, something instinct with a fluttering ethereal life, serenely confident yet restlessly mobile. one wonders why history does not tell us of 'aurora' worshippers, so easily could the phenomenon be considered the manifestation of 'god' or 'demon.' to the little silent group which stood at gaze before such enchantment it seemed profane to return to the mental and physical atmosphere of our house. finally when i stepped within, i was glad to find that there had been a general movement bedwards, and in the next half-hour the last of the roysterers had succumbed to slumber. thus, except for a few bad heads in the morning, ended the high festival of midwinter. there is little to be said for the artificial uplifting of animal spirits, yet few could take great exception to so rare an outburst in a long run of quiet days. after all we celebrated the birth of a season which for weal or woe must be numbered amongst the greatest in our lives. chapter xii awaiting the crozier party _friday, june_ --_saturday, june_ .--two quiet, uneventful days and a complete return to routine. _sunday, june_ .--i find i have made no mention of cherry-garrard's first number of the revived _south polar times_, presented to me on midwinter day. it is a very good little volume, bound by day in a really charming cover of carved venesta wood and sealskin. the contributors are anonymous, but i have succeeded in guessing the identity of the greater number. the editor has taken a statistical paper of my own on the plans for the southern journey and a well-written serious article on the geological history of our region by taylor. except for editorial and meteorological notes the rest is conceived in the lighter vein. the verse is mediocre except perhaps for a quaint play of words in an amusing little skit on the sleeping-bag argument; but an article entitled 'valhalla' appears to me to be altogether on a different level. it purports to describe the arrival of some of our party at the gates proverbially guarded by st. peter; the humour is really delicious and nowhere at all forced. in the jokes of a small community it is rare to recognise one which would appeal to an outsider, but some of the happier witticisms of this article seem to me fit for wider circulation than our journal enjoys at present. above all there is distinct literary merit in it--a polish which leaves you unable to suggest the betterment of a word anywhere. i unhesitatingly attribute this effort to taylor, but wilson and garrard make meares responsible for it. if they are right i shall have to own that my judgment of attributes is very much at fault. i must find out. [ ] a quiet day. read church service as usual; in afternoon walked up the ramp with wilson to have a quiet talk before he departs. i wanted to get his ideas as to the scientific work done. we agreed as to the exceptionally happy organisation of our party. i took the opportunity to warn wilson concerning the desirability of complete understanding with ponting and taylor with respect to their photographs and records on their return to civilisation. the weather has been very mysterious of late; on the rd and th it continuously threatened a blizzard, but now the sky is clearing again with all signs of fine weather. _monday, june_ .--with a clear sky it was quite twilighty at noon to-day. already such signs of day are inspiriting. in the afternoon the wind arose with drift and again the prophets predicted a blizzard. after an hour or two the wind fell and we had a calm, clear evening and night. the blizzards proper seem to be always preceded by an overcast sky in accordance with simpson's theory. taylor gave a most interesting lecture on the physiographic features of the region traversed by his party in the autumn. his mind is very luminous and clear and he treated the subject with a breadth of view which was delightful. the illustrative slides were made from debenham's photographs, and many of them were quite beautiful. ponting tells me that debenham knows quite a lot about photography and goes to work in quite the right way. the lecture being a précis of taylor's report there is no need to recapitulate its matter. with the pictures it was startling to realise the very different extent to which tributary glaciers have carved the channels in which they lie. the canadian glacier lies dead, but at 'grade' it has cut a very deep channel. the 'double curtain' hangs at an angle of °, with practically no channel. mention was made of the difference of water found in lake bonney by me in december and the western party in february . it seems certain that water must go on accumulating in the lake during the two or three summer months, and it is hard to imagine that all can be lost again by the winter's evaporation. if it does, 'evaporation' becomes a matter of primary importance. there was an excellent picture showing the find of sponges on the koettlitz glacier. heaps of large sponges were found containing corals and some shells, all representative of present-day fauna. how on earth did they get to the place where found? there was a good deal of discussion on the point and no very satisfactory solution offered. cannot help thinking that there is something in the thought that the glacier may have been weighted down with rubble which finally disengaged itself and allowed the ice to rise. such speculations are interesting. preparations for the start of the crozier party are now completed, and the people will have to drag lbs. per man--a big weight. day has made an excellent little blubber lamp for lighting; it has an annular wick and talc chimney; a small circular plate over the wick conducts the heat down and raises the temperature of combustion, so that the result is a clear white flame. we are certainly within measurable distance of using blubber in the most effective way for both heating and lighting, and this is an advance which is of very high importance to the future of antarctic exploration. _tuesday, june_ .--the crozier party departed this morning in good spirits--their heavy load was distributed on two -feet sledges. ponting photographed them by flashlight and attempted to get a cinematograph picture by means of a flash candle. but when the candle was ignited it was evident that the light would not be sufficient for the purpose and there was not much surprise when the film proved a failure. the three travellers found they could pull their load fairly easily on the sea ice when the rest of us stood aside for the trial. i'm afraid they will find much more difficulty on the barrier, but there was nothing now to prevent them starting, and off they went. with helping contingent i went round the cape. taylor and nelson left at the razor back island and report all well. simpson, meares and gran continued and have not yet returned. gran just back on ski; left party at / miles. says meares and simpson are returning on foot. reports a bad bit of surface between tent island and glacier tongue. it was well that the party had assistance to cross this. this winter travel is a new and bold venture, but the right men have gone to attempt it. all good luck go with them. coal consumption bowers reports that present consumption (midwinter) = blocks per day ( lbs.). an occasional block is required for the absolute magnetic hut. he reports / tons used since landing. this is in excess of blocks per day as follows: / tons in days = lbs. per diem. = lbs. per week, or nearly cwt. = / tons per year. _report august_ . used to date = tons = , lbs. say days at lbs. per day. coal remaining / tons. estimate tons to return of ship. total estimate for year, tons. we should have or tons for next year. a fresh ms. book _quotations on the flyleaf_ 'where the (queen's) law does not carry it is irrational to exact an observance of other and weaker rules.'--rudyard kipling. confident of his good intentions but doubtful of his fortitude. 'so far as i can venture to offer an opinion on such a matter, the purpose of our being in existence, the highest object that human beings can set before themselves is not the pursuit of any such chimera as the annihilation of the unknown; but it is simply the unwearied endeavour to remove its boundaries a little further from our little sphere of action.'--huxley. _wednesday, june_ .--the temperature has been hovering around - ° with a clear sky--at midday it was exceptionally light, and even two hours after noon i was able to pick my way amongst the boulders of the ramp. we miss the crozier party. lectures have ceased during its absence, so that our life is very quiet. _thursday, june_ .--it seemed rather stuffy in the hut last night--i found it difficult to sleep, and noticed a good many others in like case. i found the temperature was only °, but that the small uptake on the stove pipe was closed. i think it would be good to have a renewal of air at bed time, but don't quite know how to manage this. it was calm all night and when i left the hut at . . at the wind suddenly rose to m.p.h. and at the same moment the temperature rose °. the wind and temperature curves show this sudden simultaneous change more clearly than usual. the curious circumstance is that this blow comes out of a clear sky. this will be disturbing to our theories unless the wind drops again very soon. the wind fell within an hour almost as suddenly as it had arisen; the temperature followed, only a little more gradually. one may well wonder how such a phenomenon is possible. in the middle of a period of placid calm and out of a clear sky there suddenly rushed upon one this volume of comparatively warm air; it has come and gone like the whirlwind. whence comes it and whither goeth? went round the bergs after lunch on ski--splendid surface and quite a good light. we are now getting good records with the tide gauge after a great deal of trouble. day has given much of his time to the matter, and after a good deal of discussion has pretty well mastered the principles. we brought a self-recording instrument from new zealand, but this was passed over to campbell. it has not been an easy matter to manufacture one for our own use. the wire from the bottom weight is led through a tube filled with paraffin as in _discovery_ days, and kept tight by a counter weight after passage through a block on a stanchion rising feet above the floe. in his first instrument day arranged for this wire to pass around a pulley, the revolution of which actuated the pen of the recording drum. this should have been successful but for the difficulty of making good mechanical connection between the recorder and the pulley. backlash caused an unreliable record, and this arrangement had to be abandoned. the motion of the wire was then made to actuate the recorder through a hinged lever, and this arrangement holds, but days and even weeks have been lost in grappling the difficulties of adjustment between the limits of the tide and those of the recording drum; then when all seemed well we found that the floe was not rising uniformly with the water. it is hung up by the beach ice. when we were considering the question of removing the whole apparatus to a more distant point, a fresh crack appeared between it and the shore, and on this 'hinge' the floe seems to be moving more freely. _friday, june_ , .--the temperature is steadily falling; we are descending the scale of negative thirties and to-day reached its limit, - °. day has manufactured a current vane, a simple arrangement: up to the present he has used this near the cape. there is little doubt, however, that the water movement is erratic and irregular inside the islands, and i have been anxious to get observations which will indicate the movement in the 'strait.' i went with him to-day to find a crack which i thought must run to the north from inaccessible island. we discovered it about to / miles out and found it to be an ideal place for such work, a fracture in the ice sheet which is constantly opening and therefore always edged with thin ice. have told day that i think a bottle weighted so as to give it a small negative buoyancy, and attached to a fine line, should give as good results as his vane and would be much handier. he now proposes to go one better and put an electric light in the bottle. we found that our loose dogs had been attacking a seal, and then came across a dead seal which had evidently been worried to death some time ago. it appears demetri saw more seal further to the north, and this afternoon meares has killed a large one as well as the one which was worried this morning. it is good to find the seals so close, but very annoying to find that the dogs have discovered their resting-place. the long spell of fine weather is very satisfactory. _saturday, july_ , .--we have designed new ski boots and i think they are going to be a success. my object is to stick to the huitfeldt binding for sledging if possible. one must wear finnesko on the barrier, and with finnesko alone a loose binding is necessary. for this we brought 'finon' bindings, consisting of leather toe straps and thong heel binding. with this arrangement one does not have good control of his ski and stands the chance of a chafe on the 'tendon achillis.' owing to the last consideration many had decided to go with toe strap alone as we did in the _discovery_. this brought into my mind the possibility of using the iron cross bar and snap heel strap of the huitfeldt on a suitable overshoe. evans, p.o., has arisen well to the occasion as a boot maker, and has just completed a pair of shoes which are very nearly what we require. the soles have two thicknesses of seal skin cured with alum, stiffened at the foot with a layer of venesta board, and raised at the heel on a block of wood. the upper part is large enough to contain a finnesko and is secured by a simple strap. a shoe weighs oz. against lbs. for a single ski boot--so that shoe and finnesko together are less weight than a boot. if we can perfect this arrangement it should be of the greatest use to us. wright has been swinging the pendulum in his cavern. prodigious trouble has been taken to keep the time, and this object has been immensely helped by the telephone communication between the cavern, the transit instrument, and the interior of the hut. the timekeeper is perfectly placed. wright tells me that his ice platform proves to be five times as solid as the fixed piece of masonry used at potsdam. the only difficulty is the low temperature, which freezes his breath on the glass window of the protecting dome. i feel sure these gravity results are going to be very good. the temperature has been hanging in the minus thirties all day with calm and clear sky, but this evening a wind has sprung up without rise of temperature. it is now - °, with a wind of m.p.h.--a pretty stiff condition to face outside! _sunday, july_ .--there was wind last night, but this morning found a settled calm again, with temperature as usual about - °. the moon is rising again; it came over the shoulder of erebus about p.m., in second quarter. it will cross the meridian at night, worse luck, but such days as this will be pleasant even with a low moon; one is very glad to think the crozier party are having such a peaceful time. sunday routine and nothing much to record. _monday, july_ .--another quiet day, the sky more suspicious in appearance. thin stratus cloud forming and dissipating overhead, curling stratus clouds over erebus. wind at cape crozier seemed a possibility. our people have been far out on the floe. it is cheerful to see the twinkling light of some worker at a water hole or hear the ring of distant voices or swish of ski. _tuesday, july_ .--a day of blizzard and adventure. the wind arose last night, and although the temperature advanced a few degrees it remained at a very low point considering the strength of the wind. this forenoon it was blowing to m.p.h. with a temperature - ° to - °. no weather to be in the open. in the afternoon the wind modified slightly. taylor and atkinson went up to the ramp thermometer screen. after this, entirely without my knowledge, two adventurous spirits, atkinson and gran, decided to start off over the floe, making respectively for the north and south bay thermometers, 'archibald' and 'clarence.' this was at . ; gran was back by dinner at . , and it was only later that i learned that he had gone no more than or yards from the land and that it had taken him nearly an hour to get back again. atkinson's continued absence passed unnoticed until dinner was nearly over at . , although i had heard that the wind had dropped at the beginning of dinner and that it remained very thick all round, with light snow falling. although i felt somewhat annoyed, i had no serious anxiety at this time, and as several members came out of the hut i despatched them short distances to shout and show lanterns and arranged to have a paraffin flare lit on wind vane hill. evans, p.o., crean and keohane, being anxious for a walk, were sent to the north with a lantern. whilst this desultory search proceeded the wind sprang up again from the south, but with no great force, and meanwhile the sky showed signs of clearing and the moon appeared dimly through the drifting clouds. with such a guide we momentarily looked for the return of our wanderer, and with his continued absence our anxiety grew. at . evans, p.o., and his party returned without news of him, and at last there was no denying the possibility of a serious accident. between . and proper search parties were organised, and i give the details to show the thoroughness which i thought necessary to meet the gravity of the situation. i had by this time learnt that atkinson had left with comparatively light clothing and, still worse, with leather ski boots on his feet; fortunately he had wind clothing. p.o. evans was away first with crean, keohane, and demetri, a light sledge, a sleeping-bag, and a flask of brandy. his orders were to search the edge of the land and glacier through the sweep of the bay to the barne glacier and to cape barne beyond, then to turn east along an open crack and follow it to inaccessible island. evans (lieut.), with nelson, forde, and hooper, left shortly after, similarly equipped, to follow the shore of the south bay in similar fashion, then turn out to the razor back and search there. next wright, gran, and lashly set out for the bergs to look thoroughly about them and from thence pass round and examine inaccessible island. after these parties got away, meares and debenham started with a lantern to search to and fro over the surface of our promontory. simpson and oates went out in a direct line over the northern floe to the 'archibald' thermometer, whilst ponting and taylor re-examined the tide crack towards the barne glacier. meanwhile day went to and fro wind vane hill to light at intervals upon its crest bundles of tow well soaked in petrol. at length clissold and i were left alone in the hut, and as the hours went by i grew ever more alarmed. it was impossible for me to conceive how an able man could have failed to return to the hut before this or by any means found shelter in such clothing in such weather. atkinson had started for a point a little more than a mile away; at . he had been five hours away; what conclusion could be drawn? and yet i felt it most difficult to imagine an accident on open floe with no worse pitfall than a shallow crack or steep-sided snow drift. at least i could feel that every spot which was likely to be the scene of such an accident would be searched. thus o'clock came without change, then . with its hours of absence. but at . i heard voices from the cape, and presently the adventure ended to my extreme relief when meares and debenham led our wanderer home. he was badly frostbitten in the hand and less seriously on the face, and though a good deal confused, as men always are on such occasions, he was otherwise well. his tale is confused, but as far as one can gather he did not go more than a quarter of a mile in the direction of the thermometer screen before he decided to turn back. he then tried to walk with the wind a little on one side on the bearing he had originally observed, and after some time stumbled on an old fish trap hole, which he knew to be yards from the cape. he made this yards in the direction he supposed correct, and found nothing. in such a situation had he turned east he must have hit the land somewhere close to the hut and so found his way to it. the fact that he did not, but attempted to wander straight on, is clear evidence of the mental condition caused by that situation. there can be no doubt that in a blizzard a man has not only to safeguard the circulation in his limbs, but must struggle with a sluggishness of brain and an absence of reasoning power which is far more likely to undo him. in fact atkinson has really no very clear idea of what happened to him after he missed the cape. he seems to have wandered aimlessly up wind till he hit an island; he walked all round this; says he couldn't see a yard at this time; fell often into the tide crack; finally stopped under the lee of some rocks; here got his hand frostbitten owing to difficulty of getting frozen mit on again, finally got it on; started to dig a hole to wait in. saw something of the moon and left the island; lost the moon and wanted to go back; could find nothing; finally stumbled on another island, perhaps the same one; waited again, again saw the moon, now clearing; shaped some sort of course by it--then saw flare on cape and came on rapidly--says he shouted to someone on cape quite close to him, greatly surprised not to get an answer. it is a rambling tale to-night and a half thawed brain. it is impossible to listen to such a tale without appreciating that it has been a close escape or that there would have been no escape had the blizzard continued. the thought that it would return after a short lull was amongst the worst with me during the hours of waiting. a.m.--the search parties have returned and all is well again, but we must have no more of these very unnecessary escapades. yet it is impossible not to realise that this bit of experience has done more than all the talking i could have ever accomplished to bring home to our people the dangers of a blizzard. _wednesday, july_ .--atkinson has a bad hand to-day, immense blisters on every finger giving them the appearance of sausages. to-night ponting has photographed the hand. as i expected, some amendment of atkinson's tale as written last night is necessary, partly due to some lack of coherency in the tale as first told and partly a reconsideration of the circumstances by atkinson himself. it appears he first hit inaccessible island, and got his hand frostbitten before he reached it. it was only on arrival in its lee that he discovered the frostbite. he must have waited there some time, then groped his way to the western end thinking he was near the ramp. then wandering away in a swirl of drift to clear some irregularities at the ice foot, he completely lost the island when he could only have been a few yards from it. he seems in this predicament to have clung to the old idea of walking up wind, and it must be considered wholly providential that on this course he next struck tent island. it was round this island that he walked, finally digging himself a shelter on its lee side under the impression that it was inaccessible island. when the moon appeared he seems to have judged its bearing well, and as he travelled homeward he was much surprised to see the real inaccessible island appear on his left. the distance of tent island, to miles, partly accounts for the time he took in returning. everything goes to confirm the fact that he had a very close shave of being lost altogether. for some time past some of the ponies have had great irritation of the skin. i felt sure it was due to some parasite, though the soldier thought the food responsible and changed it. to-day a tiny body louse was revealed under atkinson's microscope after capture from 'snatcher's' coat. a dilute solution of carbolic is expected to rid the poor beasts of their pests, but meanwhile one or two of them have rubbed off patches of hair which they can ill afford to spare in this climate. i hope we shall get over the trouble quickly. the day has been gloriously fine again, with bright moonlight all the afternoon. it was a wondrous sight to see erebus emerge from soft filmy clouds of mist as though some thin veiling had been withdrawn with infinite delicacy to reveal the pure outline of this moonlit mountain. _thursday, july_ , _continued_.--the temperature has taken a plunge--to - ° last night. it is now - °, with a ten-mile breeze from the south. frostbiting weather! went for a short run on foot this forenoon and a longer one on ski this afternoon. the surface is bad after the recent snowfall. a new pair of sealskin overshoes for ski made by evans seem to be a complete success. he has modified the shape of the toe to fit the ski irons better. i am very pleased with this arrangement. i find it exceedingly difficult to settle down to solid work just at present and keep putting off the tasks which i have set myself. the sun has not yet risen a degree of the eleven degrees below our horizon which it was at noon on midwinter day, and yet to-day there was a distinct red in the northern sky. perhaps such sunset colours have something to do with this cold snap. _friday, july_ .--the temperature fell to - ° last night--our record so far, and likely to remain so, one would think. this morning it was fine and calm, temperature - °. but this afternoon a -mile wind sprang up from the s.e., and the temperature only gradually rose to - °, never passing above that point. i thought it a little too strenuous and so was robbed of my walk. the dogs' coats are getting pretty thick, and they seem to take matters pretty comfortably. the ponies are better, i think, but i shall be glad when we are sure of having rid them of their pest. i was the victim of a very curious illusion to-day. on our small heating stove stands a cylindrical ice melter which keeps up the supply of water necessary for the dark room and other scientific instruments. this iron container naturally becomes warm if it is not fed with ice, and it is generally hung around with socks and mits which require drying. i put my hand on the cylindrical vessel this afternoon and withdrew it sharply with the sensation of heat. to verify the impression i repeated the action two or three times, when it became so strong that i loudly warned the owners of the socks, &c., of the peril of burning to which they were exposed. upon this meares said, 'but they filled the melter with ice a few minutes ago,' and then, coming over to feel the surface himself, added, 'why, it's cold, sir.' and indeed so it was. the slightly damp chilled surface of the iron had conveyed to me the impression of excessive heat. there is nothing intrinsically new in this observation; it has often been noticed that metal surfaces at low temperatures give a sensation of burning to the bare touch, but none the less it is an interesting variant of the common fact. apropos. atkinson is suffering a good deal from his hand: the frostbite was deeper than i thought; fortunately he can now feel all his fingers, though it was twenty-four hours before sensation returned to one of them. _monday, july_ .--we have had the worst gale i have ever known in these regions and have not yet done with it. the wind started at about mid-day on friday, and increasing in violence reached an average of miles for one hour on saturday, the gusts at this time exceeding m.p.h. this force of wind, although exceptional, has not been without parallel earlier in the year, but the extraordinary feature of this gale was the long continuance of a very cold temperature. on friday night the thermometer registered - °. throughout saturday and the greater part of sunday it did not rise above - °. late yesterday it was in the minus twenties, and to-day at length it has risen to zero. needless to say no one has been far from the hut. it was my turn for duty on saturday night, and on the occasions when i had to step out of doors i was struck with the impossibility of enduring such conditions for any length of time. one seemed to be robbed of breath as they burst on one--the fine snow beat in behind the wind guard, and ten paces against the wind were sufficient to reduce one's face to the verge of frostbite. to clear the anemometer vane it is necessary to go to the other end of the hut and climb a ladder. twice whilst engaged in this task i had literally to lean against the wind with head bent and face averted and so stagger crab-like on my course. in those two days of really terrible weather our thoughts often turned to absentees at cape crozier with the devout hope that they may be safely housed. they are certain to have been caught by this gale, but i trust before it reached them they had managed to get up some sort of shelter. sometimes i have imagined them getting much more wind than we do, yet at others it seems difficult to believe that the emperor penguins have chosen an excessively wind-swept area for their rookery. to-day with the temperature at zero one can walk about outside without inconvenience in spite of a -mile wind. although i am loath to believe it there must be some measure of acclimatisation, for it is certain we should have felt to-day's wind severely when we first arrived in mcmurdo sound. _tuesday, july_ .--never was such persistent bad weather. to-day the temperature is up to ° to °, the wind to m.p.h., the air thick with snow, and the moon a vague blue. this is the fourth day of gale; if one reflects on the quantity of transported air (nearly , miles) one gets a conception of the transference which such a gale effects and must conclude that potentially warm upper currents are pouring into our polar area from more temperate sources. the dogs are very gay and happy in the comparative warmth. i have been going to and fro on the home beach and about the rocky knolls in its environment--in spite of the wind it was very warm. i dug myself a hole in a drift in the shelter of a large boulder and lay down in it, and covered my legs with loose snow. it was so warm that i could have slept very comfortably. i have been amused and pleased lately in observing the manners and customs of the persons in charge of our stores; quite a number of secret caches exist in which articles of value are hidden from public knowledge so that they may escape use until a real necessity arises. the policy of every storekeeper is to have something up his sleeve for a rainy day. for instance, evans (p.o.), after thoroughly examining the purpose of some individual who is pleading for a piece of canvas, will admit that he may have a small piece somewhere which could be used for it, when, as a matter of fact, he possesses quite a number of rolls of that material. tools, metal material, leather, straps and dozens of items are administered with the same spirit of jealous guardianship by day, lashly, oates and meares, while our main storekeeper bowers even affects to bemoan imaginary shortages. such parsimony is the best guarantee that we are prepared to face any serious call. _wednesday, july_ .--all night and to-day wild gusts of wind shaking the hut; long, ragged, twisted wind-cloud in the middle heights. a watery moon shining through a filmy cirrostratus--the outlook wonderfully desolate with its ghostly illumination and patchy clouds of flying snow drift. it would be hardly possible for a tearing, raging wind to make itself more visible. at wind vane hill the anemometer has registered miles between and a.m.--a record. the gusts at the hut frequently exceed m.p.h.--luckily the temperature is up to °, so that there is no hardship for the workers outside. _thursday, july_ .--the wind continued to blow throughout the night, with squalls of even greater violence than before; a new record was created by a gust of m.p.h. shown by the anemometer. the snow is so hard blown that only the fiercest gusts raise the drifting particles--it is interesting to note the balance of nature whereby one evil is eliminated by the excess of another. for an hour after lunch yesterday the gale showed signs of moderation and the ponies had a short walk over the floe. out for exercise at this time i was obliged to lean against the wind, my light overall clothes flapping wildly and almost dragged from me; later when the wind rose again it was quite an effort to stagger back to the hut against it. this morning the gale still rages, but the sky is much clearer; the only definite clouds are those which hang to the southward of erebus summit, but the moon, though bright, still exhibits a watery appearance, showing that there is still a thin stratus above us. the work goes on very steadily--the men are making crampons and ski boots of the new style. evans is constructing plans of the dry valley and koettlitz glacier with the help of the western party. the physicists are busy always, meares is making dog harness, oates ridding the ponies of their parasites, and ponting printing from his negatives. science cannot be served by 'dilettante' methods, but demands a mind spurred by ambition or the satisfaction of ideals. our most popular game for evening recreation is chess; so many players have developed that our two sets of chessmen are inadequate. _friday, july_ .--we have had a horrible fright and are not yet out of the wood. at noon yesterday one of the best ponies, 'bones,' suddenly went off his feed--soon after it was evident that he was distressed and there could be no doubt that he was suffering from colic. oates called my attention to it, but we were neither much alarmed, remembering the speedy recovery of 'jimmy pigg' under similar circumstances. later the pony was sent out for exercise with crean. i passed him twice and seemed to gather that things were well, but crean afterwards told me that he had had considerable trouble. every few minutes the poor beast had been seized with a spasm of pain, had first dashed forward as though to escape it and then endeavoured to lie down. crean had had much difficulty in keeping him in, and on his legs, for he is a powerful beast. when he returned to the stable he was evidently worse, and oates and anton patiently dragged a sack to and fro under his stomach. every now and again he attempted to lie down, and oates eventually thought it wiser to let him do so. once down, his head gradually drooped until he lay at length, every now and again twitching very horribly with the pain and from time to time raising his head and even scrambling to his legs when it grew intense. i don't think i ever realised before how pathetic a horse could be under such conditions; no sound escapes him, his misery can only be indicated by those distressing spasms and by dumb movements of the head turned with a patient expression always suggestive of appeal. although alarmed by this time, remembering the care with which the animals are being fed i could not picture anything but a passing indisposition. but as hour after hour passed without improvement, it was impossible not to realise that the poor beast was dangerously ill. oates administered an opium pill and later on a second, sacks were heated in the oven and placed on the poor beast; beyond this nothing could be done except to watch--oates and crean never left the patient. as the evening wore on i visited the stable again and again, but only to hear the same tale--no improvement. towards midnight i felt very downcast. it is so very certain that we cannot afford to lose a single pony--the margin of safety has already been far overstepped, we are reduced to face the circumstance that we must keep all the animals alive or greatly risk failure. so far everything has gone so well with them that my fears of a loss had been lulled in a growing hope that all would be well--therefore at midnight, when poor 'bones' had continued in pain for twelve hours and showed little sign of improvement, i felt my fleeting sense of security rudely shattered. it was shortly after midnight when i was told that the animal seemed a little easier. at . i was again in the stable and found the improvement had been maintained; the horse still lay on its side with outstretched head, but the spasms had ceased, its eye looked less distressed, and its ears pricked to occasional noises. as i stood looking it suddenly raised its head and rose without effort to its legs; then in a moment, as though some bad dream had passed, it began to nose at some hay and at its neighbour. within three minutes it had drunk a bucket of water and had started to feed. i went to bed at with much relief. at noon to-day the immediate cause of the trouble and an indication that there is still risk were disclosed in a small ball of semi-fermented hay covered with mucus and containing tape worms; so far not very serious, but unfortunately attached to this mass was a strip of the lining of the intestine. atkinson, from a humanly comparative point of view, does not think this is serious if great care is taken with the food for a week or so, and so one can hope for the best. meanwhile we have had much discussion as to the first cause of the difficulty. the circumstances possibly contributing are as follows: fermentation of the hay, insufficiency of water, overheated stable, a chill from exercise after the gale--i think all these may have had a bearing on the case. it can scarcely be coincidence that the two ponies which have suffered so far are those which are nearest the stove end of the stable. in future the stove will be used more sparingly, a large ventilating hole is to be made near it and an allowance of water is to be added to the snow hitherto given to the animals. in the food line we can only exercise such precautions as are possible, but one way or another we ought to be able to prevent any more danger of this description. _saturday, july_ .--there was strong wind with snow this morning and the wind remained keen and cold in the afternoon, but to-night it has fallen calm with a promising clear sky outlook. have been up the ramp, clambering about in my sealskin overshoes, which seem extraordinarily satisfactory. oates thinks a good few of the ponies have got worms and we are considering means of ridding them. 'bones' seems to be getting on well, though not yet quite so buckish as he was before his trouble. a good big ventilator has been fitted in the stable. it is not easy to get over the alarm of thursday night--the situation is altogether too critical. _sunday, july_ .--another slight alarm this morning. the pony 'china' went off his feed at breakfast time and lay down twice. he was up and well again in half an hour; but what on earth is it that is disturbing these poor beasts? usual sunday routine. quiet day except for a good deal of wind off and on. the crozier party must be having a wretched time. _monday, july_ .--the weather still very unsettled--the wind comes up with a rush to fade in an hour or two. clouds chase over the sky in similar fashion: the moon has dipped during daylight hours, and so one way and another there is little to attract one out of doors. yet we are only nine days off the 'light value' of the day when we left off football--i hope we shall be able to recommence the game in that time. i am glad that the light is coming for more than one reason. the gale and consequent inaction not only affected the ponies, ponting is not very fit as a consequence--his nervous temperament is of the quality to take this wintering experience badly--atkinson has some difficulty in persuading him to take exercise--he managed only by dragging him out to his own work, digging holes in the ice. taylor is another backslider in the exercise line and is not looking well. if we can get these people to run about at football all will be well. anyway the return of the light should cure all ailments physical and mental. _tuesday, july_ .--a very brilliant red sky at noon to-day and enough light to see one's way about. this fleeting hour of light is very pleasant, but of course dependent on a clear sky, very rare. went round the outer berg in the afternoon; it was all i could do to keep up with 'snatcher' on the homeward round--speaking well for his walking powers. _wednesday, july_ .--again calm and pleasant. the temperature is gradually falling down to - °. went out to the old working crack [ ] north of inaccessible island--nelson and evans had had great difficulty in rescuing their sounding sledge, which had been left near here before the gale. the course of events is not very clear, but it looks as though the gale pressed up the crack, raising broken pieces of the thin ice formed after recent opening movements. these raised pieces had become nuclei of heavy snow drifts, which in turn weighing down the floe had allowed water to flow in over the sledge level. it is surprising to find such a big disturbance from what appears to be a simple cause. this crack is now joined, and the contraction is taking on a new one which has opened much nearer to us and seems to run to c. barne. we have noticed a very curious appearance of heavenly bodies when setting in a north-westerly direction. about the time of midwinter the moon observed in this position appeared in a much distorted shape of blood red colour. it might have been a red flare or distant bonfire, but could not have been guessed for the moon. yesterday the planet venus appeared under similar circumstances as a ship's side-light or japanese lantern. in both cases there was a flickering in the light and a change of colour from deep orange yellow to blood red, but the latter was dominant. _thursday, july_ , _friday_ , _saturday_ .--there is very little to record--the horses are going on well, all are in good form, at least for the moment. they drink a good deal of water in the morning. _saturday, july_ , _continued_.--this and the better ventilation of the stable make for improvement we think--perhaps the increase of salt allowance is also beneficial. to-day we have another raging blizzard--the wind running up to m.p.h. in gusts--one way and another the crozier party must have had a pretty poor time. [ ] i am thankful to remember that the light will be coming on apace now. _monday, july_ .--the blizzard continued throughout yesterday (sunday), in the evening reaching a record force of m.p.h. the vane of our anemometer is somewhat sheltered: simpson finds the hill readings per cent. higher. hence in such gusts as this the free wind must reach nearly m.p.h.--a hurricane force. to-day nelson found that his sounding sledge had been turned over. we passed a quiet sunday with the usual service to break the week-day routine. during my night watch last night i could observe the rapid falling of the wind, which on dying away left a still atmosphere almost oppressively warm at °. the temperature has remained comparatively high to-day. i went to see the crack at which soundings were taken a week ago--then it was several feet open with thin ice between--now it is pressed up into a sharp ridge to feet high: the edge pressed up shows an inch thickness--this is of course an effect of the warm weather. _tuesday, july_ , _wednesday, july_ .--there is really very little to be recorded in these days, life proceeds very calmly if somewhat monotonously. everyone seems fit, there is no sign of depression. to all outward appearance the ponies are in better form than they have ever been; the same may be said of the dogs with one or two exceptions. the light comes on apace. to-day (wednesday) it was very beautiful at noon: the air was very clear and the detail of the western mountains was revealed in infinitely delicate contrasts of light. _thursday, july_ , _friday, july_ .--calmer days: the sky rosier: the light visibly advancing. we have never suffered from low spirits, so that the presence of day raises us above a normal cheerfulness to the realm of high spirits. the light, merry humour of our company has never been eclipsed, the good-natured, kindly chaff has never ceased since those early days of enthusiasm which inspired them--they have survived the winter days of stress and already renew themselves with the coming of spring. if pessimistic moments had foreseen the growth of rifts in the bond forged by these amenities, they stand prophetically falsified; there is no longer room for doubt that we shall come to our work with a unity of purpose and a disposition for mutual support which have never been equalled in these paths of activity. such a spirit should tide us [over] all minor difficulties. it is a good omen. _saturday, july_ , _sunday, july_ .--two quiet days, temperature low in the minus thirties--an occasional rush of wind lasting for but a few minutes. one of our best sledge dogs, 'julick,' has disappeared. i'm afraid he's been set on by the others at some distant spot and we shall see nothing more but his stiffened carcass when the light returns. meares thinks the others would not have attacked him and imagines he has fallen into the water in some seal hole or crack. in either case i'm afraid we must be resigned to another loss. it's an awful nuisance. gran went to c. royds to-day. i asked him to report on the open water, and so he went on past the cape. as far as i can gather he got half-way to c. bird before he came to thin ice; for at least or miles past c. royds the ice is old and covered with wind-swept snow. this is very unexpected. in the _discovery_ first year the ice continually broke back to the glacier tongue: in the second year it must have gone out to c. royds very early in the spring if it did not go out in the winter, and in the _nimrod_ year it was rarely fast beyond c. royds. it is very strange, especially as this has been the windiest year recorded so far. simpson says the average has exceeded m.p.h. since the instruments were set up, and this figure has for comparison and m.p.h. for the two _discovery_ years. there remains a possibility that we have chosen an especially wind-swept spot for our station. yet i can scarcely believe that there is generally more wind here than at hut point. i was out for two hours this morning--it was amazingly pleasant to be able to see the inequalities of one's path, and the familiar landmarks bathed in violet light. an hour after noon the northern sky was intensely red. _monday, july_ .--it was overcast to-day and the light not quite so good, but this is the last day of another month, and august means the sun. one begins to wonder what the crozier party is doing. it has been away five weeks. the ponies are getting buckish. chinaman squeals and kicks in the stable, nobby kicks without squealing, but with even more purpose--last night he knocked down a part of his stall. the noise of these animals is rather trying at night--one imagines all sorts of dreadful things happening, but when the watchman visits the stables its occupants blink at him with a sleepy air as though the disturbance could not possibly have been there! there was a glorious northern sky to-day; the horizon was clear and the flood of red light illuminated the under side of the broken stratus cloud above, producing very beautiful bands of violet light. simpson predicts a blizzard within twenty-four hours--we are interested to watch results. _tuesday, august_ .--the month has opened with a very beautiful day. this morning i took a circuitous walk over our land 'estate,' winding to and fro in gulleys filled with smooth ice patches or loose sandy soil, with a twofold object. i thought i might find the remains of poor julick--in this i was unsuccessful; but i wished further to test our new crampons, and with these i am immensely pleased--they possess every virtue in a footwear designed for marching over smooth ice--lightness, warmth, comfort, and ease in the putting on and off. the light was especially good to-day; the sun was directly reflected by a single twisted iridescent cloud in the north, a brilliant and most beautiful object. the air was still, and it was very pleasant to hear the crisp sounds of our workers abroad. the tones of voices, the swish of ski or the chipping of an ice pick carry two or three miles on such days--more than once to-day we could hear the notes of some blithe singer--happily signalling the coming of the spring and the sun. this afternoon as i sit in the hut i find it worthy of record that two telephones are in use: the one keeping time for wright who works at the transit instrument, and the other bringing messages from nelson at his ice hole three-quarters of a mile away. this last connection is made with a bare aluminium wire and earth return, and shows that we should have little difficulty in completing our circuit to hut point as is contemplated. account of the winter journey _wednesday, august_ .--the crozier party returned last night after enduring for five weeks the hardest conditions on record. they looked more weather-worn than anyone i have yet seen. their faces were scarred and wrinkled, their eyes dull, their hands whitened and creased with the constant exposure to damp and cold, yet the scars of frostbite were very few and this evil had never seriously assailed them. the main part of their afflictions arose, and very obviously arose, from sheer lack of sleep, and to-day after a night's rest our travellers are very different in appearance and mental capacity. the story of a very wonderful performance must be told by the actors. it is for me now to give but an outline of the journey and to note more particularly the effects of the strain which they have imposed on themselves and the lessons which their experiences teach for our future guidance. wilson is very thin, but this morning very much his keen, wiry self--bowers is quite himself to-day. cherry-garrard is slightly puffy in the face and still looks worn. it is evident that he has suffered most severely--but wilson tells me that his spirit never wavered for a moment. bowers has come through best, all things considered, and i believe he is the hardest traveller that ever undertook a polar journey, as well as one of the most undaunted; more by hint than direct statement i gather his value to the party, his untiring energy and the astonishing physique which enables him to continue to work under conditions which are absolutely paralysing to others. never was such a sturdy, active, undefeatable little man. so far as one can gather, the story of this journey in brief is much as follows: the party reached the barrier two days after leaving c. evans, still pulling their full load of lbs. per man; the snow surface then changed completely and grew worse and worse as they advanced. for one day they struggled on as before, covering miles, but from this onward they were forced to relay, and found the half load heavier than the whole one had been on the sea ice. meanwhile the temperature had been falling, and now for more than a week the thermometer fell below - °. on one night the minimum showed - °, and on the next - °, ° of frost. although in this truly fearful cold the air was comparatively still, every now and again little puffs of wind came eddying across the snow plain with blighting effect. no civilised being has ever encountered such conditions before with only a tent of thin canvas to rely on for shelter. we have been looking up the records to-day and find that amundsen on a journey to the n. magnetic pole in march encountered temperatures similar in degree and recorded a minimum of °; but he was with esquimaux who built him an igloo shelter nightly; he had a good measure of daylight; the temperatures given are probably 'unscreened' from radiation, and finally, he turned homeward and regained his ship after five days' absence. our party went outward and remained absent for _five weeks_. it took the best part of a fortnight to cross the coldest region, and then rounding c. mackay they entered the wind-swept area. blizzard followed blizzard, the sky was constantly overcast and they staggered on in a light which was little better than complete darkness; sometimes they found themselves high on the slopes of terror on the left of their track, and sometimes diving into the pressure ridges on the right amidst crevasses and confused ice disturbance. reaching the foothills near c. crozier, they ascended feet, then packed their belongings over a moraine ridge and started to build a hut. it took three days to build the stone walls and complete the roof with the canvas brought for the purpose. then at last they could attend to the object of the journey. the scant twilight at midday was so short that they must start in the dark and be prepared for the risk of missing their way in returning without light. on the first day in which they set forth under these conditions it took them two hours to reach the pressure ridges, and to clamber over them roped together occupied nearly the same time; finally they reached a place above the rookery where they could hear the birds squawking, but from which they were quite unable to find a way down. the poor light was failing and they returned to camp. starting again on the following day they wound their way through frightful ice disturbances under the high basalt cliffs; in places the rock overhung, and at one spot they had to creep through a small channel hollowed in the ice. at last they reached the sea ice, but now the light was so far spent they were obliged to rush everything. instead of the or nesting birds which had been seen here in _discovery_ days, they could now only count about ; they hastily killed and skinned three to get blubber for their stove, and collecting six eggs, three of which alone survived, they dashed for camp. it is possible the birds are deserting this rookery, but it is also possible that this early date found only a small minority of the birds which will be collected at a later one. the eggs, which have not yet been examined, should throw light on this point. wilson observed yet another proof of the strength of the nursing instinct in these birds. in searching for eggs both he and bowers picked up rounded pieces of ice which these ridiculous creatures had been cherishing with fond hope. the light had failed entirely by the time the party were clear of the pressure ridges on their return, and it was only by good luck they regained their camp. that night a blizzard commenced, increasing in fury from moment to moment. they now found that the place chosen for the hut for shelter was worse than useless. they had far better have built in the open, for the fierce wind, instead of striking them directly, was deflected on to them in furious whirling gusts. heavy blocks of snow and rock placed on the roof were whirled away and the canvas ballooned up, tearing and straining at its securings--its disappearance could only be a question of time. they had erected their tent with some valuables inside close to the hut; it had been well spread and more than amply secured with snow and boulders, but one terrific gust tore it up and whirled it away. inside the hut they waited for the roof to vanish, wondering what they could do if it went, and vainly endeavouring to make it secure. after fourteen hours it went, as they were trying to pin down one corner. the smother of snow was on them, and they could only dive for their sleeping-bags with a gasp. bowers put his head out once and said, 'we're all right,' in as near his ordinary tones as he could compass. the others replied 'yes, we're all right,' and all were silent for a night and half a day whilst the wind howled on; the snow entered every chink and crevasse of the sleeping-bags, and the occupants shivered and wondered how it would all end. this gale was the same (july ) in which we registered our maximum wind force, and it seems probable that it fell on c. crozier even more violently than on us. the wind fell at noon the following day; the forlorn travellers crept from their icy nests, made shift to spread their floor-cloth overhead, and lit their primus. they tasted their first food for forty-eight hours and began to plan a means to build a shelter on the homeward route. they decided that they must dig a large pit nightly and cover it as best they could with their floorcloth. but now fortune befriended them; a search to the north revealed the tent lying amongst boulders a quarter of a mile away, and, strange to relate, practically uninjured, a fine testimonial for the material used in its construction. on the following day they started homeward, and immediately another blizzard fell on them, holding them prisoners for two days. by this time the miserable condition of their effects was beyond description. the sleeping-bags were far too stiff to be rolled up, in fact they were so hard frozen that attempts to bend them actually split the skins; the eiderdown bags inside wilson's and c.-g.'s reindeer covers served but to fitfully stop the gaps made by such rents. all socks, finnesko, and mits had long been coated with ice; placed in breast pockets or inside vests at night they did not even show signs of thawing, much less of drying. it sometimes took c.-g. three-quarters of an hour to get into his sleeping-bag, so flat did it freeze and so difficult was it to open. it is scarcely possible to realise the horrible discomforts of the forlorn travellers as they plodded back across the barrier with the temperature again constantly below - °. in this fashion they reached hut point and on the following night our home quarters. wilson is disappointed at seeing so little of the penguins, but to me and to everyone who has remained here the result of this effort is the appeal it makes to our imagination as one of the most gallant stories in polar history. that men should wander forth in the depth of a polar night to face the most dismal cold and the fiercest gales in darkness is something new; that they should have persisted in this effort in spite of every adversity for five full weeks is heroic. it makes a tale for our generation which i hope may not be lost in the telling. moreover the material results are by no means despicable. we shall know now when that extraordinary bird the emperor penguin lays its eggs, and under what conditions; but even if our information remains meagre concerning its embryology, our party has shown the nature of the conditions which exist on the great barrier in winter. hitherto we have only imagined their severity; now we have proof, and a positive light is thrown on the local climatology of our strait. experience of sledging rations and equipment for our future sledge work several points have been most satisfactorily settled. the party went on a very simple food ration in different and extreme proportions; they took pemmican, butter, biscuit and tea only. after a short experience they found that wilson, who had arranged for the greatest quantity of fat, had too much of it, and c.-g., who had gone for biscuit, had more than he could eat. a middle course was struck which gave a general proportion agreeable to all, and at the same time suited the total quantities of the various articles carried. in this way we have arrived at a simple and suitable ration for the inland plateau. the only change suggested is the addition of cocoa for the evening meal. the party contented themselves with hot water, deeming that tea might rob them of their slender chance of sleep. on sleeping-bags little new can be said--the eiderdown bag may be a useful addition for a short time on a spring journey, but they soon get iced up. bowers did not use an eiderdown bag throughout, and in some miraculous manner he managed to turn his reindeer bag two or three times during the journey. the following are the weights of sleeping-bags before and after: starting weight. final weight. wilson, reindeer and eiderdown bowers, reindeer only c.-garrard, reindeer and eiderdown this gives some idea of the ice collected. the double tent has been reported an immense success. it weighed about lbs. at starting and lbs. on return: the ice mainly collected on the inner tent. the crampons are much praised, except by bowers, who has an eccentric attachment to our older form. we have discovered a hundred details of clothes, mits, and footwear: there seems no solution to the difficulties which attach to these articles in extreme cold; all wilson can say, speaking broadly, is 'the gear is excellent, excellent.' one continues to wonder as to the possibilities of fur clothing as made by the esquimaux, with a sneaking feeling that it may outclass our more civilised garb. for us this can only be a matter of speculation, as it would have been quite impossible to have obtained such articles. with the exception of this radically different alternative, i feel sure we are as near perfection as experience can direct. at any rate we can now hold that our system of clothing has come through a severer test than any other, fur included. _effect of journey_.--wilson lost / lbs.; bowers lost / lbs.; c.-garrard lost lb. chapter xiii the return of the sun _thursday, august_ .--we have had such a long spell of fine clear weather without especially low temperatures that one can scarcely grumble at the change which we found on waking this morning, when the canopy of stratus cloud spread over us and the wind came in those fitful gusts which promise a gale. all day the wind force has been slowly increasing, whilst the temperature has risen to - °, but there is no snow falling or drifting as yet. the steam cloud of erebus was streaming away to the n.w. this morning; now it is hidden. our expectations have been falsified so often that we feel ourselves wholly incapable as weather prophets--therefore one scarce dares to predict a blizzard even in face of such disturbance as exists. a paper handed to simpson by david, [ ] and purporting to contain a description of approaching signs, together with the cause and effect of our blizzards, proves equally hopeless. we have not obtained a single scrap of evidence to verify its statements, and a great number of our observations definitely contradict them. the plain fact is that no two of our storms have been heralded by the same signs. the low barrier temperatures experienced by the crozier party has naturally led to speculation on the situation of amundsen and his norwegians. if his thermometers continuously show temperatures below - °, the party will have a pretty bad winter and it is difficult to see how he will keep his dogs alive. i should feel anxious if campbell was in that quarter. [ ] _saturday, august_ .--the sky has continued to wear a disturbed appearance, but so far nothing has come of it. a good deal of light snow has been falling to-day; a brisk northerly breeze is drifting it along, giving a very strange yet beautiful effect in the north, where the strong red twilight filters through the haze. the crozier party tell a good story of bowers, who on their return journey with their recovered tent fitted what he called a 'tent downhaul' and secured it round his sleeping-bag and himself. if the tent went again, he determined to go with it. our lecture programme has been renewed. last night simpson gave a capital lecture on general meteorology. he started on the general question of insolation, giving various tables to show proportion of sun's heat received at the polar and equatorial regions. broadly, in latitude ° one would expect about per cent, of the heat received at a spot on the equator. he dealt with the temperature question by showing interesting tabular comparisons between northern and southern temperatures at given latitudes. so far as these tables go they show the south polar summer to be ° colder than the north polar, but the south polar winter ° warmer than the north polar, but of course this last figure would be completely altered if the observer were to winter on the barrier. i fancy amundsen will not concede those °!! from temperatures our lecturer turned to pressures and the upward turn of the gradient in high southern latitudes, as shown by the _discovery_ expedition. this bears of course on the theory which places an anticyclone in the south polar region. lockyer's theories came under discussion; a good many facts appear to support them. the westerly winds of the roaring forties are generally understood to be a succession of cyclones. lockyer's hypothesis supposes that there are some eight or ten cyclones continually revolving at a rate of about ° of longitude a day, and he imagines them to extend from the th parallel to beyond the th, thus giving the strong westerly winds in the forties and easterly and southerly in ° to °. beyond ° there appears to be generally an irregular outpouring of cold air from the polar area, with an easterly component significant of anticyclone conditions. simpson evolved a new blizzard theory on this. he supposes the surface air intensely cooled over the continental and barrier areas, and the edge of this cold region lapped by warmer air from the southern limits of lockyer's cyclones. this would produce a condition of unstable equilibrium, with great potentiality for movement. since, as we have found, volumes of cold air at different temperatures are very loath to mix, the condition could not be relieved by any gradual process, but continues until the stream is released by some minor cause, when, the ball once started, a huge disturbance results. it seems to be generally held that warm air is passing polewards from the equator continuously at the high levels. it is this potentially warm air which, mixed by the disturbance with the cold air of the interior, gives to our winds so high a temperature. such is this theory--like its predecessor it is put up for cockshies, and doubtless by our balloon work or by some other observations it will be upset or modified. meanwhile it is well to keep one's mind alive with such problems, which mark the road of advance. _sunday, august_ .--sunday with its usual routine. hymn singing has become a point on which we begin to take some pride to ourselves. with our full attendance of singers we now get a grand volume of sound. the day started overcast. chalky is an excellent adjective to describe the appearance of our outlook when the light is much diffused and shadows poor; the scene is dull and flat. in the afternoon the sky cleared, the moon over erebus gave a straw colour to the dissipating clouds. this evening the air is full of ice crystals and a stratus forms again. this alternation of clouded and clear skies has been the routine for some time now and is accompanied by the absence of wind which is delightfully novel. the blood of the crozier party, tested by atkinson, shows a very slight increase of acidity--such was to be expected, and it is pleasing to note that there is no sign of scurvy. if the preserved foods had tended to promote the disease, the length of time and severity of conditions would certainly have brought it out. i think we should be safe on the long journey. i have had several little chats with wilson on the happenings of the journey. he says there is no doubt cherry-garrard felt the conditions most severely, though he was not only without complaint, but continuously anxious to help others. apropos, we both conclude that it is the younger people that have the worst time; gran, our youngest member ( ), is a very clear example, and now cherry-garrard at . wilson ( ) says he never felt cold less than he does now; i suppose that between and is the best all round age. bowers is a wonder of course. he is . when past the forties it is encouraging to remember that peary was !! _thursday, august_ .--there has been very little to record of late and my pen has been busy on past records. the weather has been moderately good and as before wholly incomprehensible. wind has come from a clear sky and from a clouded one; we had a small blow on tuesday but it never reached gale force; it came without warning, and every sign which we have regarded as a warning has proved a bogey. the fact is, one must always be prepared for wind and never expect it. the daylight advances in strides. day has fitted an extra sash to our window and the light admitted for the first time through triple glass. with this device little ice collects inside. the ponies are very fit but inclined to be troublesome: the quiet beasts develop tricks without rhyme or reason. chinaman still kicks and squeals at night. anton's theory is that he does it to warm himself, and perhaps there is something in it. when eating snow he habitually takes too large a mouthful and swallows it; it is comic to watch him, because when the snow chills his inside he shuffles about with all four legs and wears a most fretful, aggrieved expression: but no sooner has the snow melted than he seizes another mouthful. other ponies take small mouthfuls or melt a large one on their tongues--this act also produces an amusing expression. victor and snippets are confirmed wind suckers. they are at it all the time when the manger board is in place, but it is taken down immediately after feeding time, and then they can only seek vainly for something to catch hold of with their teeth. 'bones' has taken to kicking at night for no imaginable reason. he hammers away at the back of his stall merrily; we have covered the boards with several layers of sacking, so that the noise is cured, if not the habit. the annoying part of these tricks is that they hold the possibility of damage to the pony. i am glad to say all the lice have disappeared; the final conquest was effected with a very simple remedy--the infected ponies were washed with water in which tobacco had been steeped. oates had seen this decoction used effectively with troop horses. the result is the greater relief, since we had run out of all the chemicals which had been used for the same purpose. i have now definitely told off the ponies for the southern journey, and the new masters will take charge on september . they will continually exercise the animals so as to get to know them as well as possible. the arrangement has many obvious advantages. the following is the order: bowers victor. evans (p.o.) snatcher. wilson nobby. crean bones. atkinson jehu. keohane jimmy pigg. wright chinaman. oates christopher. cherry-garrard michael. myself & oates snippets. the first balloon of the season was sent up yesterday by bowers and simpson. it rose on a southerly wind, but remained in it for feet or less, then for or feet it went straight up, and after that directly south over razor back island. everything seemed to go well, the thread, on being held, tightened and then fell slack as it should do. it was followed for two miles or more running in a straight line for razor back, but within a few hundred yards of the island it came to an end. the searchers went round the island to try and recover the clue, but without result. almost identically the same thing happened after the last ascent made, and we are much puzzled to find the cause. the continued proximity of the south moving air currents above is very interesting. the crozier party are not right yet, their feet are exceedingly sore, and there are other indications of strain. i must almost except bowers, who, whatever his feelings, went off as gaily as usual on the search for the balloon. saw a very beautiful effect on my afternoon walk yesterday: the full moon was shining brightly from a quarter exactly opposite to the fading twilight and the icebergs were lit on one side by the yellow lunar light and on the other by the paler white daylight. the first seemed to be gilded, while the diffused light of day gave to the other a deep, cold, greenish-blue colour--the contrast was strikingly beautiful. _friday, august_ .--the long-expected blizzard came in the night; it is still blowing hard with drift. yesterday evening oates gave his second lecture on 'horse management.' he was brief and a good deal to the point. 'not born but made' was his verdict on the good manager of animals. 'the horse has no reasoning power at all, but an excellent memory'; sights and sounds recall circumstances under which they were previously seen or heard. it is no use shouting at a horse: ten to one he will associate the noise with some form of trouble, and getting excited, will set out to make it. it is ridiculous for the rider of a bucking horse to shout 'whoa!'--'i know,' said the soldier, 'because i have done it.' also it is to be remembered that loud talk to one horse may disturb other horses. the great thing is to be firm and quiet. a horse's memory, explained the soldier, warns it of events to come. he gave instances of hunters and race-horses which go off their feed and show great excitement in other ways before events for which they are prepared; for this reason every effort should be made to keep the animals quiet in camp. rugs should be put on directly after a halt and not removed till the last moment before a march. after a few hints on leading the lecturer talked of possible improvements in our wintering arrangements. a loose box for each animal would be an advantage, and a small amount of litter on which he could lie down. some of our ponies lie down, but rarely for more than minutes--the soldier thinks they find the ground too cold. he thinks it would be wise to clip animals before the winter sets in. he is in doubt as to the advisability of grooming. he passed to the improvements preparing for the coming journey--the nose bags, picketing lines, and rugs. he proposes to bandage the legs of all ponies. finally he dealt with the difficult subjects of snow blindness and soft surfaces: for the first he suggested dyeing the forelocks, which have now grown quite long. oates indulges a pleasant conceit in finishing his discourses with a merry tale. last night's tale evoked shouts of laughter, but, alas! it is quite unprintable! our discussion hinged altogether on the final subjects of the lecture as concerning snow blindness--the dyed forelocks seem inadequate, and the best suggestion seems the addition of a sun bonnet rather than blinkers, or, better still, a peak over the eyes attached to the headstall. i doubt if this question will be difficult to settle, but the snow-shoe problem is much more serious. this has been much in our minds of late, and petty officer evans has been making trial shoes for snatcher on vague ideas of our remembrance of the shoes worn for lawn mowing. besides the problem of the form of the shoes, comes the question of the means of attachment. all sorts of suggestions were made last night as to both points, and the discussion cleared the air a good deal. i think that with slight modification our present pony snow-shoes made on the grating or racquet principle may prove best after all. the only drawback is that they are made for very soft snow and unnecessarily large for the barrier; this would make them liable to be strained on hard patches. the alternative seems to be to perfect the principle of the lawn mowing shoe, which is little more than a stiff bag over the hoof. perhaps we shall come to both kinds: the first for the quiet animals and the last for the more excitable. i am confident the matter is of first importance. _monday, august_ .--since the comparatively short storm of friday, in which we had a temperature of - ° with a m.p.h. wind, we have had two delightfully calm days, and to-day there is every promise of the completion of a third. on such days the light is quite good for three to four hours at midday and has a cheering effect on man and beast. the ponies are so pleased that they seize the slightest opportunity to part company with their leaders and gallop off with tail and heels flung high. the dogs are equally festive and are getting more exercise than could be given in the dark. the two esquimaux dogs have been taken in hand by clissold, as i have noted before. he now takes them out with a leader borrowed from meares, usually little 'noogis.' on saturday the sledge capsized at the tide crack; clissold was left on the snow whilst the team disappeared in the distance. noogis returned later, having eaten through his harness, and the others were eventually found some two miles away, 'foul' of an ice hummock. yesterday clissold took the same team to cape royds; they brought back a load of lbs. a dog in about two hours. it would have been a good performance for the best dogs in the time, and considering that meares pronounced these two dogs useless, clissold deserves a great deal of credit. yesterday we had a really successful balloon ascent: the balloon ran out four miles of thread before it was released, and the instrument fell without a parachute. the searchers followed the clue about / miles to the north, when it turned and came back parallel to itself, and only about yards distant from it. the instrument was found undamaged and with the record properly scratched. nelson has been out a good deal more of late. he has got a good little run of serial temperatures with water samples, and however meagre his results, they may be counted as exceedingly accurate; his methods include the great scientific care which is now considered necessary for this work, and one realises that he is one of the few people who have been trained in it. yesterday he got his first net haul from the bottom, with the assistance of atkinson and cherry-garrard. atkinson has some personal interest in the work. he has been getting remarkable results himself and has discovered a host of new parasites in the seals; he has been trying to correlate these with like discoveries in the fishes, in hope of working out complete life histories in both primary and secondary hosts. but the joint hosts of the fishes may be the mollusca or other creatures on which they feed, and hence the new fields for atkinson in nelson's catches. there is a relative simplicity in the round of life in its higher forms in these regions that would seem especially hopeful for the parasitologist. my afternoon walk has become a pleasure; everything is beautiful in this half light and the northern sky grows redder as the light wanes. _tuesday, august_ .--the instrument recovered from the balloon shows an ascent of / miles, and the temperature at that height only ° or ° c. below that at the surface. if, as one must suppose, this layer extends over the barrier, it would there be at a considerably higher temperature than the surface simpson has imagined a very cold surface layer on the barrier. the acetylene has suddenly failed, and i find myself at this moment writing by daylight for the first time. the first addition to our colony came last night, when 'lassie' produced six or seven puppies--we are keeping the family very quiet and as warm as possible in the stable. it is very pleasant to note the excellent relations which our young russians have established with other folk; they both work very hard, anton having most to do. demetri is the more intelligent and begins to talk english fairly well. both are on the best terms with their mess-mates, and it was amusing last night to see little anton jamming a felt hat over p.o. evans' head in high good humour. wright lectured on radium last night. the transformation of the radio-active elements suggestive of the transmutation of metals was perhaps the most interesting idea suggested, but the discussion ranged mainly round the effect which the discovery of radio-activity has had on physics and chemistry in its bearing on the origin of matter, on geology as bearing on the internal heat of the earth, and on medicine in its curative powers. the geologists and doctors admitted little virtue to it, but of course the physicists boomed their own wares, which enlivened the debate. _thursday, august_ .--the weather has been extremely kind to us of late; we haven't a single grumble against it. the temperature hovers pretty constantly at about - °, there is very little wind and the sky is clear and bright. in such weather one sees well for more than three hours before and after noon, the landscape unfolds itself, and the sky colours are always delicate and beautiful. at noon to-day there was bright sunlight on the tops of the western peaks and on the summit and steam of erebus--of late the vapour cloud of erebus has been exceptionally heavy and fantastic in form. the balloon has become a daily institution. yesterday the instrument was recovered in triumph, but to-day the threads carried the searchers in amongst the icebergs and soared aloft over their crests--anon the clue was recovered beyond, and led towards tent island, then towards inaccessible, then back to the bergs. never was such an elusive thread. darkness descended with the searchers on a strong scent for the razor backs: bowers returned full of hope. the wretched lassie has killed every one of her litter. she is mother for the first time, and possibly that accounts for it. when the poor little mites were alive she constantly left them, and when taken back she either trod on them or lay on them, till not one was left alive. it is extremely annoying. as the daylight comes, people are busier than ever. it does one good to see so much work going on. _friday, august_ .--atkinson lectured on 'scurvy' last night. he spoke clearly and slowly, but the disease is anything but precise. he gave a little summary of its history afloat and the remedies long in use in the navy. he described the symptoms with some detail. mental depression, debility, syncope, petechiae, livid patches, spongy gums, lesions, swellings, and so on to things that are worse. he passed to some of the theories held and remedies tried in accordance with them. ralph came nearest the truth in discovering decrease of chlorine and alkalinity of urine. sir almroth wright has hit the truth, he thinks, in finding increased acidity of blood--acid intoxication--by methods only possible in recent years. this acid condition is due to two salts, sodium hydrogen carbonate and sodium hydrogen phosphate; these cause the symptoms observed and infiltration of fat in organs, leading to feebleness of heart action. the method of securing and testing serum of patient was described (titration, a colorimetric method of measuring the percentage of substances in solution), and the test by litmus paper of normal or super-normal solution. in this test the ordinary healthy man shows normal to : the scurvy patient normal . lactate of sodium increases alkalinity of blood, but only within narrow limits, and is the only chemical remedy suggested. so far for diagnosis, but it does not bring us much closer to the cause, preventives, or remedies. practically we are much as we were before, but the lecturer proceeded to deal with the practical side. in brief, he holds the first cause to be tainted food, but secondary or contributory causes may be even more potent in developing the disease. damp, cold, over-exertion, bad air, bad light, in fact any condition exceptional to normal healthy existence. remedies are merely to change these conditions for the better. dietetically, fresh vegetables are the best curatives--the lecturer was doubtful of fresh meat, but admitted its possibility in polar climate; lime juice only useful if regularly taken. he discussed lightly the relative values of vegetable stuffs, doubtful of those containing abundance of phosphates such as lentils. he touched theory again in continuing the cause of acidity to bacterial action--and the possibility of infection in epidemic form. wilson is evidently slow to accept the 'acid intoxication' theory; his attitude is rather 'non proven.' his remarks were extremely sound and practical as usual. he proved the value of fresh meat in polar regions. scurvy seems very far away from us this time, yet after our _discovery_ experience, one feels that no trouble can be too great or no precaution too small to be adopted to keep it at bay. therefore such an evening as last was well spent. it is certain we shall not have the disease here, but one cannot foresee equally certain avoidance in the southern journey to come. all one can do is to take every possible precaution. ran over to tent island this afternoon and climbed to the top--i have not been there since . was struck with great amount of loose sand; it seemed to get smaller in grain from s. to n. fine view from top of island: one specially notices the gap left by the breaking up of the glacier tongue. the distance to the top of the island and back is between and statute miles, and the run in this weather is fine healthy exercise. standing on the island to-day with a glorious view of mountains, islands, and glaciers, i thought how very different must be the outlook of the norwegians. a dreary white plain of barrier behind and an uninviting stretch of sea ice in front. with no landmarks, nothing to guide if the light fails, it is probable that they venture but a very short distance from their hut. the prospects of such a situation do not smile on us. the weather remains fine--this is the sixth day without wind. _sunday, august_ .--the long-expected blizzard came yesterday--a good honest blow, the drift vanishing long before the wind. this and the rise of temperature (to °) has smoothed and polished all ice or snow surfaces. a few days ago i could walk anywhere in my soft finnesko with sealskin soles; to-day it needed great caution to prevent tumbles. i think there has been a good deal of ablation. the sky is clear to-day, but the wind still strong though warm. i went along the shore of the north bay and climbed to the glacier over one of the drifted faults in the ice face. it is steep and slippery, but by this way one can arrive above the ramp without touching rock and thus avoid cutting soft footwear. the ice problems in our neighbourhood become more fascinating and elusive as one re-examines them by the returning light; some will be solved. _monday, august_ .--weights and measurements last evening. we have remained surprisingly constant. there seems to have been improvement in lung power and grip is shown by spirometer and dynamometer, but weights have altered very little. i have gone up nearly lbs. in winter, but the increase has occurred during the last month, when i have been taking more exercise. certainly there is every reason to be satisfied with the general state of health. the ponies are becoming a handful. three of the four exercised to-day so far have run away--christopher and snippets broke away from oates and victor from bowers. nothing but high spirits, there is no vice in these animals; but i fear we are going to have trouble with sledges and snow-shoes. at present the soldier dare not issue oats or the animals would become quite unmanageable. bran is running low; he wishes he had more of it. _tuesday, august_ .--i am renewing study of glacier problems; the face of the ice cliff yards east of the homestead is full of enigmas. yesterday evening ponting gave us a lecture on his indian travels. he is very frank in acknowledging his debt to guide-books for information, nevertheless he tells his story well and his slides are wonderful. in personal reminiscence he is distinctly dramatic--he thrilled us a good deal last night with a vivid description of a sunrise in the sacred city of benares. in the first dim light the waiting, praying multitude of bathers, the wonderful ritual and its incessant performance; then, as the sun approaches, the hush--the effect of thousands of worshippers waiting in silence--a silence to be felt. finally, as the first rays appear, the swelling roar of a single word from tens of thousands of throats: 'ambah!' it was artistic to follow this picture of life with the gruesome horrors of the ghat. this impressionist style of lecturing is very attractive and must essentially cover a great deal of ground. so we saw jeypore, udaipore, darjeeling, and a confusing number of places--temples, monuments and tombs in profusion, with remarkable pictures of the wonderful taj mahal--horses, elephants, alligators, wild boars, and flamingoes--warriors, fakirs, and nautch girls--an impression here and an impression there. it is worth remembering how attractive this style can be--in lecturing one is inclined to give too much attention to connecting links which join one episode to another. a lecture need not be a connected story; perhaps it is better it should not be. it was my night on duty last night and i watched the oncoming of a blizzard with exceptional beginnings. the sky became very gradually overcast between and a.m. about . the temperature rose on a steep grade from - ° to - °; the barometer was falling, rapidly for these regions. soon after the wind came with a rush, but without snow or drift. for a time it was more gusty than has ever yet been recorded even in this region. in one gust the wind rose from to m.p.h. and fell again to m.p.h. within a minute; another reached m.p.h., but not from such a low point of origin. the effect in the hut was curious; for a space all would be quiet, then a shattering blast would descend with a clatter and rattle past ventilator and chimneys, so sudden, so threatening, that it was comforting to remember the solid structure of our building. the suction of such a gust is so heavy that even the heavy snow-covered roof of the stable, completely sheltered on the lee side of the main building, is violently shaken--one could well imagine the plight of our adventurers at c. crozier when their roof was destroyed. the snow which came at lessened the gustiness and brought the ordinary phenomena of a blizzard. it is blowing hard to-day, with broken windy clouds and roving bodies of drift. a wild day for the return of the sun. had it been fine to-day we should have seen the sun for the first time; yesterday it shone on the lower foothills to the west, but to-day we see nothing but gilded drift clouds. yet it is grand to have daylight rushing at one. _wednesday, august_ .--we toasted the sun in champagne last night, coupling victor campbell's name as his birthday coincides. the return of the sun could not be appreciated as we have not had a glimpse of it, and the taste of the champagne went wholly unappreciated; it was a very mild revel. meanwhile the gale continues. its full force broke last night with an average of nearly m.p.h. for some hours: the temperature has been up to ° and the snowfall heavy. at seven this morning the air was thicker with whirling drift than it has ever been. it seems as though the violence of the storms which succeed our rare spells of fine weather is in proportion to the duration of the spells. _thursday, august_ .--another night and day of furious wind and drift, and still no sign of the end. the temperature has been as high as °. now and again the snow ceases and then the drift rapidly diminishes, but such an interval is soon followed by fresh clouds of snow. it is quite warm outside, one can go about with head uncovered--which leads me to suppose that one does get hardened to cold to some extent--for i suppose one would not wish to remain uncovered in a storm in england if the temperature showed degrees of frost. this is the third day of confinement to the hut: it grows tedious, but there is no help, as it is too thick to see more than a few yards out of doors. _friday, august_ .--the gale continued all night and it blows hard this morning, but the sky is clear, the drift has ceased, and the few whale-back clouds about erebus carry a promise of improving conditions. last night there was an intensely black cloud low on the northern horizon--but for earlier experience of the winter one would have sworn to it as a water sky; but i think the phenomenon is due to the shadow of retreating drift clouds. this morning the sky is clear to the north, so that the sea ice cannot have broken out in the sound. during snowy gales it is almost necessary to dress oneself in wind clothes if one ventures outside for the briefest periods--exposed woollen or cloth materials become heavy with powdery crystals in a minute or two, and when brought into the warmth of the hut are soon wringing wet. where there is no drift it is quicker and easier to slip on an overcoat. it is not often i have a sentimental attachment for articles of clothing, but i must confess an affection for my veteran uniform overcoat, inspired by its persistent utility. i find that it is twenty-three years of age and can testify to its strenuous existence. it has been spared neither rain, wind, nor salt sea spray, tropic heat nor arctic cold; it has outlived many sets of buttons, from their glittering gilded youth to green old age, and it supports its four-stripe shoulder straps as gaily as the single lace ring of the early days which proclaimed it the possession of a humble sub-lieutenant. withal it is still a very long way from the fate of the 'one-horse shay.' taylor gave us his final physiographical lecture last night. it was completely illustrated with slides made from our own negatives, ponting's alpine work, and the choicest illustrations of certain scientific books. the preparation of the slides had involved a good deal of work for ponting as well as for the lecturer. the lecture dealt with ice erosion, and the pictures made it easy to follow the comparison of our own mountain forms and glacial contours with those that have received so much attention elsewhere. noticeable differences are the absence of moraine material on the lower surfaces of our glaciers, their relatively insignificant movement, their steep sides, &c.... it is difficult to convey the bearing of the difference or similarity of various features common to the pictures under comparison without their aid. it is sufficient to note that the points to which the lecturer called attention were pretty obvious and that the lecture was exceedingly instructive. the origin of 'cirques' or 'cwms,' of which we have remarkably fine examples, is still a little mysterious--one notes also the requirement of observation which might throw light on the erosion of previous ages. after taylor's effort ponting showed a number of very beautiful slides of alpine scenery--not a few are triumphs of the photographer's art. as a wind-up ponting took a flashlight photograph of our hut converted into a lecture hall: a certain amount of faking will be required, but i think this is very allowable under the circumstances. oates tells me that one of the ponies, 'snippets,' will eat blubber! the possible uses of such an animal are remarkable! the gravel on the north side of the hut against which the stable is built has been slowly but surely worn down, leaving gaps under the boarding. through these gaps and our floor we get an unpleasantly strong stable effluvium, especially when the wind is strong. we are trying to stuff the holes up, but have not had much success so far. _saturday, august_ .--a dying wind and clear sky yesterday, and almost calm to-day. the noon sun is cut off by the long low foot slope of erebus which runs to cape royds. went up the ramp at noon yesterday and found no advantage--one should go over the floe to get the earliest sight, and yesterday afternoon evans caught a last glimpse of the upper limb from that situation, whilst simpson saw the same from wind vane hill. the ponies are very buckish and can scarcely be held in at exercise; it seems certain that they feel the return of daylight. they were out in morning and afternoon yesterday. oates and anton took out christopher and snippets rather later. both ponies broke away within yards of the stable and galloped away over the floe. it was nearly an hour before they could be rounded up. such escapades are the result of high spirits; there is no vice in the animals. we have had comparatively little aurora of late, but last night was an exception; there was a good display at a.m. p.m.--just before lunch the sunshine could be seen gilding the floe, and ponting and i walked out to the bergs. the nearest one has been overturned and is easily climbed. from the top we could see the sun clear over the rugged outline of c. barne. it was glorious to stand bathed in brilliant sunshine once more. we felt very young, sang and cheered--we were reminded of a bright frosty morning in england--everything sparkled and the air had the same crisp feel. there is little new to be said of the return of the sun in polar regions, yet it is such a very real and important event that one cannot pass it in silence. it changes the outlook on life of every individual, foul weather is robbed of its terrors; if it is stormy to-day it will be fine to-morrow or the next day, and each day's delay will mean a brighter outlook when the sky is clear. climbed the ramp in the afternoon, the shouts and songs of men and the neighing of horses borne to my ears as i clambered over its kopjes. we are now pretty well convinced that the ramp is a moraine resting on a platform of ice. the sun rested on the sunshine recorder for a few minutes, but made no visible impression. we did not get our first record in the _discovery_ until september. it is surprising that so little heat should be associated with such a flood of light. _sunday, august_ .--overcast sky and chill south-easterly wind. sunday routine, no one very active. had a run to south bay over 'domain.' _monday, august_ .--ponting and gran went round the bergs late last night. on returning they saw a dog coming over the floe from the north. the animal rushed towards and leapt about them with every sign of intense joy. then they realised that it was our long lost julick. his mane was crusted with blood and he smelt strongly of seal blubber--his stomach was full, but the sharpness of back-bone showed that this condition had only been temporary, daylight he looks very fit and strong, and he is evidently very pleased to be home again. we are absolutely at a loss to account for his adventures. it is exactly a month since he was missed--what on earth can have happened to him all this time? one would give a great deal to hear his tale. everything is against the theory that he was a wilful absentee--his previous habits and his joy at getting back. if he wished to get back, he cannot have been lost anywhere in the neighbourhood, for, as meares says, the barking of the station dogs can be heard at least or miles away in calm weather, besides which there are tracks everywhere and unmistakable landmarks to guide man or beast. i cannot but think the animal has been cut off, but this can only have happened by his being carried away on broken sea ice, and as far as we know the open water has never been nearer than or miles at the least. it is another enigma. on saturday last a balloon was sent up. the thread was found broken a mile away. bowers and simpson walked many miles in search of the instrument, but could find no trace of it. the theory now propounded is that if there is strong differential movement in air currents, the thread is not strong enough to stand the strain as the balloon passes from one current to another. it is amazing, and forces the employment of a new system. it is now proposed to discard the thread and attach the instrument to a flag and staff, which it is hoped will plant itself in the snow on falling. the sun is shining into the hut windows--already sunbeams rest on the opposite walls. i have mentioned the curious cones which are the conspicuous feature of our ramp scenery--they stand from to feet in height, some irregular, but a number quite perfectly conical in outline. to-day taylor and gran took pick and crowbar and started to dig into one of the smaller ones. after removing a certain amount of loose rubble they came on solid rock, kenyte, having two or three irregular cracks traversing the exposed surface. it was only with great trouble they removed one or two of the smallest fragments severed by these cracks. there was no sign of ice. this gives a great 'leg up' to the 'debris' cone theory. demetri and clissold took two small teams of dogs to cape royds to-day. they found some dog footprints near the hut, but think these were not made by julick. demetri points far to the west as the scene of that animal's adventures. parties from c. royds always bring a number of illustrated papers which must have been brought down by the _nimrod_ on her last visit. the ostensible object is to provide amusement for our russian companions, but as a matter of fact everyone finds them interesting. _tuesday, august_ .--i find that the card of the sunshine recorder showed an hour and a half's burn yesterday and was very faintly marked on saturday; already, therefore, the sun has given us warmth, even if it can only be measured instrumentally. last night meares told us of his adventures in and about lolo land, a wild central asian country nominally tributary to lhassa. he had no pictures and very makeshift maps, yet he held us really entranced for nearly two hours by the sheer interest of his adventures. the spirit of the wanderer is in meares' blood: he has no happiness but in the wild places of the earth. i have never met so extreme a type. even now he is looking forward to getting away by himself to hut point, tired already of our scant measure of civilisation. he has keen natural powers of observation for all practical facts and a quite prodigious memory for such things, but a lack of scientific training causes the acceptance of exaggerated appearances, which so often present themselves to travellers when unfamiliar objects are first seen. for instance, when the spoor of some unknown beast is described as inches across, one shrewdly guesses that a cold scientific measurement would have reduced this figure by nearly a half; so it is with mountains, cliffs, waterfalls, &c. with all deduction on this account the lecture was extraordinarily interesting. meares lost his companion and leader, poor brook, on the expedition which he described to us. the party started up the yangtse, travelling from shanghai to hankow and thence to ichang by steamer--then by house-boat towed by coolies through wonderful gorges and one dangerous rapid to chunking and chengtu. in those parts the travellers always took the three principal rooms of the inn they patronised, the cost cash, something less than fourpence--oranges a penny--the coolies with lb. loads would cover to miles a day--salt is got in bores sunk with bamboos to nearly a mile in depth; it takes two or three generations to sink a bore. the lecturer described the chinese frontier town quanchin, its people, its products, chiefly medicinal musk pods from musk deer. here also the wonderful ancient damming of the river, and a temple to the constructor, who wrote, twenty centuries ago, 'dig out your ditches, but keep your banks low.' on we were taken along mountain trails over high snow-filled passes and across rivers on bamboo bridges to wassoo, a timber centre from which great rafts of lumber are shot down the river, over fearsome rapids, freighted with chinamen. 'they generally come through all right,' said the lecturer. higher up the river (min) live the peaceful ching ming people, an ancient aboriginal stock, and beyond these the wild tribes, the lolo themselves. they made doubtful friends with a chief preparing for war. meares described a feast given to them in a barbaric hall hung with skins and weapons, the men clad in buckskin dyed red, and bristling with arms; barbaric dishes, barbaric music. then the hunt for new animals; the chinese tarkin, the parti-coloured bear, blue mountain sheep, the golden-haired monkey, and talk of new fruits and flowers and a host of little-known birds. more adventures among the wild tribes of the mountains; the white lamas, the black lamas and phallic worship. curious prehistoric caves with ancient terra-cotta figures resembling only others found in japan and supplying a curious link. a feudal system running with well oiled wheels, the happiest of communities. a separation (temporary) from brook, who wrote in his diary that tribes were very friendly and seemed anxious to help him, and was killed on the day following--the truth hard to gather--the recovery of his body, &c. as he left the country the nepaulese ambassador arrives, returning from pekin with large escort and bound for lhassa: the ambassador half demented: and meares, who speaks many languages, is begged by ambassador and escort to accompany the party. he is obliged to miss this chance of a lifetime. this is the meagrest outline of the tale which meares adorned with a hundred incidental facts--for instance, he told us of the lolo trade in green waxfly--the insect is propagated seasonally by thousands of chinese who subsist on the sale of the wax produced, but all insects die between seasons. at the commencement of each season there is a market to which the wild hill lolos bring countless tiny bamboo boxes, each containing a male and female insect, the breeding of which is their share in the industry. we are all adventurers here, i suppose, and wild doings in wild countries appeal to us as nothing else could do. it is good to know that there remain wild corners of this dreadfully civilised world. we have had a bright fine day. this morning a balloon was sent up without thread and with the flag device to which i have alluded. it went slowly but steadily to the north and so over the barne glacier. it was difficult to follow with glasses frequently clouding with the breath, but we saw the instrument detached when the slow match burned out. i'm afraid there is no doubt it fell on the glacier and there is little hope of recovering it. we have now decided to use a thread again, but to send the bobbin up with the balloon, so that it unwinds from that end and there will be no friction where it touches the snow or rock. this investigation of upper air conditions is proving a very difficult matter, but we are not beaten yet. _wednesday, august_ .--fine bright day. the thread of the balloon sent up to-day broke very short off through some fault in the cage holding the bobbin. by good luck the instrument was found in the north bay, and held a record. this is the fifth record showing a constant inversion of temperature for a few hundred feet and then a gradual fall, so that the temperature of the surface is not reached again for or feet. the establishment of this fact repays much of the trouble caused by the ascents. _thursday, august_ .--went round about the domain and ramp with wilson. we are now pretty well decided as to certain matters that puzzled us at first. the ramp is undoubtedly a moraine supported on the decaying end of the glacier. a great deal of the underlying ice is exposed, but we had doubts as to whether this ice was not the result of winter drifting and summer thawing. we have a little difference of opinion as to whether this morainic material has been brought down in surface layers or pushed up from the bottom ice layers, as in alpine glaciers. there is no doubt that the glacier is retreating with comparative rapidity, and this leads us to account for the various ice slabs about the hut as remains of the glacier, but a puzzling fact confronts this proposition in the discovery of penguin feathers in the lower strata of ice in both ice caves. the shifting of levels in the morainic material would account for the drying up of some lakes and the terrace formations in others, whilst curious trenches in the ground are obviously due to cracks in the ice beneath. we are now quite convinced that the queer cones on the ramp are merely the result of the weathering of big blocks of agglomerate. as weathering results they appear unique. we have not yet a satisfactory explanation of the broad roadway faults that traverse every small eminence in our immediate region. they must originate from the unequal weathering of lava flows, but it is difficult to imagine the process. the dip of the lavas on our cape corresponds with that of the lavas of inaccessible island, and points to an eruptive centre to the south and not towards erebus. here is food for reflection for the geologists. the wind blew quite hard from the n.n.w. on wednesday night, fell calm in the day, and came from the s.e. with snow as we started to return from our walk; there was a full blizzard by the time we reached the hut. chapter xiv preparations: the spring journey _friday, september_ .--a very windy night, dropping to gusts in morning, preceding beautifully calm, bright day. if september holds as good as august we shall not have cause of complaint. meares and demetri started for hut point just before noon. the dogs were in fine form. demetri's team came over the hummocky tide crack at full gallop, depositing the driver on the snow. luckily some of us were standing on the floe. i made a dash at the bow of the sledge as it dashed past and happily landed on top; atkinson grasped at the same object, but fell, and was dragged merrily over the ice. the weight reduced the pace, and others soon came up and stopped the team. demetri was very crestfallen. he is extremely active and it's the first time he's been unseated. there is no real reason for meares' departure yet awhile, but he chose to go and probably hopes to train the animals better when he has them by themselves. as things are, this seems like throwing out the advance guard for the summer campaign. i have been working very hard at sledging figures with bowers' able assistance. the scheme develops itself in the light of these figures, and i feel that our organisation will not be found wanting, yet there is an immense amount of detail, and every arrangement has to be more than usually elastic to admit of extreme possibilities of the full success or complete failure of the motors. i think our plan will carry us through without the motors (though in that case nothing else must fail), and will take full advantage of such help as the motors may give. our spring travelling is to be limited order. e. evans, gran, and forde will go out to find and re-mark 'corner camp.' meares will then carry out as much fodder as possible with the dogs. simpson, bowers, and i are going to stretch our legs across to the western mountains. there is no choice but to keep the rest at home to exercise the ponies. it's not going to be a light task to keep all these frisky little beasts in order, as their food is increased. to-day the change in masters has taken place: by the new arrangement wilson takes nobby cherry-garrard takes michael wright takes chinaman atkinson takes jehu. the new comers seem very pleased with their animals, though they are by no means the pick of the bunch. _sunday, september_ .--the weather still remains fine, the temperature down in the minus thirties. all going well and everyone in splendid spirits. last night bowers lectured on polar clothing. he had worked the subject up from our polar library with critical and humorous ability, and since his recent journey he must be considered as entitled to an authoritative opinion of his own. the points in our clothing problems are too technical and too frequently discussed to need special notice at present, but as a result of a new study of arctic precedents it is satisfactory to find it becomes more and more evident that our equipment is the best that has been devised for the purpose, always excepting the possible alternative of skins for spring journeys, an alternative we have no power to adopt. in spite of this we are making minor improvements all the time. _sunday, september_ .--a whole week since the last entry in my diary. i feel very negligent of duty, but my whole time has been occupied in making detailed plans for the southern journey. these are finished at last, i am glad to say; every figure has been checked by bowers, who has been an enormous help to me. if the motors are successful, we shall have no difficulty in getting to the glacier, and if they fail, we shall still get there with any ordinary degree of good fortune. to work three units of four men from that point onwards requires no small provision, but with the proper provision it should take a good deal to stop the attainment of our object. i have tried to take every reasonable possibility of misfortune into consideration, and to so organise the parties as to be prepared to meet them. i fear to be too sanguine, yet taking everything into consideration i feel that our chances ought to be good. the animals are in splendid form. day by day the ponies get fitter as their exercise increases, and the stronger, harder food toughens their muscles. they are very different animals from those which we took south last year, and with another month of training i feel there is not one of them but will make light of the loads we shall ask them to draw. but we cannot spare any of the ten, and so there must always be anxiety of the disablement of one or more before their work is done. e. r. evans, forde, and gran left early on saturday for corner camp. i hope they will have no difficulty in finding it. meares and demetri came back from hut point the same afternoon--the dogs are wonderfully fit and strong, but meares reports no seals up in the region, and as he went to make seal pemmican, there was little object in his staying. i leave him to come and go as he pleases, merely setting out the work he has to do in the simplest form. i want him to take fourteen bags of forage ( lbs. each) to corner camp before the end of october and to be ready to start for his supporting work soon after the pony party--a light task for his healthy teams. of hopeful signs for the future none are more remarkable than the health and spirit of our people. it would be impossible to imagine a more vigorous community, and there does not seem to be a single weak spot in the twelve good men and true who are chosen for the southern advance. all are now experienced sledge travellers, knit together with a bond of friendship that has never been equalled under such circumstances. thanks to these people, and more especially to bowers and petty officer evans, there is not a single detail of our equipment which is not arranged with the utmost care and in accordance with the tests of experience. it is good to have arrived at a point where one can run over facts and figures again and again without detecting a flaw or foreseeing a difficulty. i do not count on the motors--that is a strong point in our case--but should they work well our earlier task of reaching the glacier will be made quite easy. apart from such help i am anxious that these machines should enjoy some measure of success and justify the time, money, and thought which have been given to their construction. i am still very confident of the possibility of motor traction, whilst realising that reliance cannot be placed on it in its present untried evolutionary state--it is satisfactory to add that my own view is the most cautious one held in our party. day is quite convinced he will go a long way and is prepared to accept much heavier weights than i have given him. lashly's opinion is perhaps more doubtful, but on the whole hopeful. clissold is to make the fourth man of the motor party. i have already mentioned his mechanical capabilities. he has had a great deal of experience with motors, and day is delighted to have his assistance. we had two lectures last week--the first from debenham dealing with general geology and having special reference to the structures of our region. it cleared up a good many points in my mind concerning the gneissic base rocks, the beacon sand-stone, and the dolerite intrusions. i think we shall be in a position to make fairly good field observations when we reach the southern land. the scientific people have taken keen interest in making their lectures interesting, and the custom has grown of illustrating them with lantern slides made from our own photographs, from books, or from drawings of the lecturer. the custom adds to the interest of the subject, but robs the reporter of notes. the second weekly lecture was given by ponting. his store of pictures seems unending and has been an immense source of entertainment to us during the winter. his lectures appeal to all and are fully attended. this time we had pictures of the great wall and other stupendous monuments of north china. ponting always manages to work in detail concerning the manners and customs of the peoples in the countries of his travels; on friday he told us of chinese farms and industries, of hawking and other sports, most curious of all, of the pretty amusement of flying pigeons with aeolian whistling pipes attached to their tail feathers. ponting would have been a great asset to our party if only on account of his lectures, but his value as pictorial recorder of events becomes daily more apparent. no expedition has ever been illustrated so extensively, and the only difficulty will be to select from the countless subjects that have been recorded by his camera--and yet not a single subject is treated with haste; the first picture is rarely counted good enough, and in some cases five or six plates are exposed before our very critical artist is satisfied. this way of going to work would perhaps be more striking if it were not common to all our workers here; a very demon of unrest seems to stir them to effort and there is now not a single man who is not striving his utmost to get good results in his own particular department. it is a really satisfactory state of affairs all round. if the southern journey comes off, nothing, not even priority at the pole, can prevent the expedition ranking as one of the most important that ever entered the polar regions. on friday cherry-garrard produced the second volume of the s.p.t.--on the whole an improvement on the first. poor cherry perspired over the editorial, and it bears the signs of labour--the letterpress otherwise is in the lighter strain: taylor again the most important contributor, but now at rather too great a length; nelson has supplied a very humorous trifle; the illustrations are quite delightful, the highwater mark of wilson's ability. the humour is local, of course, but i've come to the conclusion that there can be no other form of popular journal. the weather has not been good of late, but not sufficiently bad to interfere with exercise, &c. _thursday, september_ .--another interregnum. i have been exceedingly busy finishing up the southern plans, getting instruction in photographing, and preparing for our jaunt to the west. i held forth on the 'southern plans' yesterday; everyone was enthusiastic, and the feeling is general that our arrangements are calculated to make the best of our resources. although people have given a good deal of thought to various branches of the subject, there was not a suggestion offered for improvement. the scheme seems to have earned full confidence: it remains to play the game out. the last lectures of the season have been given. on monday nelson gave us an interesting little resume of biological questions, tracing the evolutionary development of forms from the simplest single-cell animals. to-night wright tackled 'the constitution of matter' with the latest ideas from the cavendish laboratory: it was a tough subject, yet one carries away ideas of the trend of the work of the great physicists, of the ends they achieve and the means they employ. wright is inclined to explain matter as velocity; simpson claims to be with j.j. thomson in stressing the fact that gravity is not explained. these lectures have been a real amusement and one would be sorry enough that they should end, were it not for so good a reason. i am determined to make some better show of our photographic work on the southern trip than has yet been accomplished--with ponting as a teacher it should be easy. he is prepared to take any pains to ensure good results, not only with his own work but with that of others--showing indeed what a very good chap he is. to-day i have been trying a colour screen--it is an extraordinary addition to one's powers. to-morrow bowers, simpson, petty officer evans, and i are off to the west. i want to have another look at the ferrar glacier, to measure the stakes put out by wright last year, to bring my sledging impressions up to date (one loses details of technique very easily), and finally to see what we can do with our cameras. i haven't decided how long we shall stay away or precisely where we shall go; such vague arrangements have an attractive side. we have had a fine week, but the temperature remains low in the twenties, and to-day has dropped to - °. i shouldn't wonder if we get a cold snap. _sunday, october_ .--returned on thursday from a remarkably pleasant and instructive little spring journey, after an absence of thirteen days from september . we covered geographical miles by sledging ( statute miles) in marching days. it took us / days to reach butter point ( / miles geog.), carrying a part of the western party stores which brought our load to lbs. a man. everything very comfortable; double tent great asset. the th: a most glorious day till p.m., then cold southerly wind. we captured many frost-bites. surface only fairly good; a good many heaps of loose snow which brought sledge up standing. there seems a good deal more snow this side of the strait; query, less wind. bowers insists on doing all camp work; he is a positive wonder. i never met such a sledge traveller. the sastrugi all across the strait have been across, the main s. by e. and the other e.s.e., but these are a great study here; the hard snow is striated with long wavy lines crossed with lighter wavy lines. it gives a sort of herringbone effect. after depositing this extra load we proceeded up the ferrar glacier; curious low ice foot on left, no tide crack, sea ice very thinly covered with snow. we are getting delightfully fit. bowers treasure all round, evans much the same. simpson learning fast. find the camp life suits me well except the turning out at night! three times last night. we were trying nose nips and face guards, marching head to wind all day. we reached cathedral rocks on the th. here we found the stakes placed by wright across the glacier, and spent the remainder of the day and the whole of the th in plotting their position accurately. (very cold wind down glacier increasing. in spite of this bowers wrestled with theodolite. he is really wonderful. i have never seen anyone who could go on so long with bare fingers. my own fingers went every few moments.)we saw that there had been movement and roughly measured it as about feet. (the old ferrar glacier is more lively than we thought.) after plotting the figures it turns out that the movement varies from to feet at different stakes--this is / months. this is an extremely important observation, the first made on the movement of the coastal glaciers; it is more than i expected to find, but small enough to show that the idea of comparative stagnation was correct. bowers and i exposed a number of plates and films in the glacier which have turned out very well, auguring well for the management of the camera on the southern journey. on the st we came down the glacier and camped at the northern end of the foot. (there appeared to be a storm in the strait; cumulus cloud over erebus and the whalebacks. very stormy look over lister occasionally and drift from peaks; but all smiling in our happy valley. evidently this is a very favoured spot.) from thence we jogged up the coast on the following days, dipping into new harbour and climbing the moraine, taking angles and collecting rock specimens. at cape bernacchi we found a quantity of pure quartz _in situ_, and in it veins of copper ore. i got a specimen with two or three large lumps of copper included. this is the first find of minerals suggestive of the possibility of working. the next day we sighted a long, low ice wall, and took it at first for a long glacier tongue stretching seaward from the land. as we approached we saw a dark mark on it. suddenly it dawned on us that the tongue was detached from the land, and we turned towards it half recognising familiar features. as we got close we saw similarity to our old erebus glacier tongue, and finally caught sight of a flag on it, and suddenly realised that it might be the piece broken off our old erebus glacier tongue. sure enough it was; we camped near the outer end, and climbing on to it soon found the depot of fodder left by campbell and the line of stakes planted to guide our ponies in the autumn. so here firmly anchored was the huge piece broken from the glacier tongue in march, a huge tract about miles long, which has turned through half a circle, so that the old western end is now towards the east. considering the many cracks in the ice mass it is most astonishing that it should have remained intact throughout its sea voyage. at one time it was suggested that the hut should be placed on this tongue. what an adventurous voyage the occupants would have had! the tongue which was miles south of c. evans is now miles w.n.w. of it. from the glacier tongue we still pushed north. we reached dunlop island on the th just before the fog descended on us, and got a view along the stretch of coast to the north which turns at this point. dunlop island has undoubtedly been under the sea. we found regular terrace beaches with rounded waterworn stones all over it; its height is feet. after visiting the island it was easy for us to trace the same terrace formation on the coast; in one place we found waterworn stones over feet above sea-level. nearly all these stones are erratic and, unlike ordinary beach pebbles, the under sides which lie buried have remained angular. unlike the region of the ferrar glacier and new harbour, the coast to the north of c. bernacchi runs on in a succession of rounded bays fringed with low ice walls. at the headlands and in irregular spots the gneissic base rock and portions of moraines lie exposed, offering a succession of interesting spots for a visit in search of geological specimens. behind this fringe there is a long undulating plateau of snow rounding down to the coast; behind this again are a succession of mountain ranges with deep-cut valleys between. as far as we went, these valleys seem to radiate from the region of the summit reached at the head of the ferrar glacier. as one approaches the coast, the 'tablecloth' of snow in the foreground cuts off more and more of the inland peaks, and even at a distance it is impossible to get a good view of the inland valleys. to explore these over the ice cap is one of the objects of the western party. so far, i never imagined a spring journey could be so pleasant. on the afternoon of the th we turned back, and covering nearly eleven miles, camped inside the glacier tongue. after noon on the th we made a direct course for c. evans, and in the evening camped well out in the sound. bowers got angles from our lunch camp and i took a photographic panorama, which is a good deal over exposed. we only got / miles on the th when a heavy blizzard descended on us. we went on against it, the first time i have ever attempted to march into a blizzard; it was quite possible, but progress very slow owing to wind resistance. decided to camp after we had done two miles. quite a job getting up the tent, but we managed to do so, and get everything inside clear of snow with the help of much sweeping. with care and extra fuel we have managed to get through the snowy part of the blizzard with less accumulation of snow than i ever remember, and so everywhere all round experience is helping us. it continued to blow hard throughout the th, and the th proved the most unpleasant day of the trip. we started facing a very keen, frostbiting wind. although this slowly increased in force, we pushed doggedly on, halting now and again to bring our frozen features round. it was o'clock before we could find a decent site for a lunch camp under a pressure ridge. the fatigue of the prolonged march told on simpson, whose whole face was frostbitten at one time--it is still much blistered. it came on to drift as we sat in our tent, and again we were weather-bound. at the drift ceased, and we marched on, wind as bad as ever; then i saw an ominous yellow fuzzy appearance on the southern ridges of erebus, and knew that another snowstorm approached. foolishly hoping it would pass us by i kept on until inaccessible island was suddenly blotted out. then we rushed for a camp site, but the blizzard was on us. in the driving snow we found it impossible to set up the inner tent, and were obliged to unbend it. it was a long job getting the outer tent set, but thanks to evans and bowers it was done at last. we had to risk frostbitten fingers and hang on to the tent with all our energy: got it secured inch by inch, and not such a bad speed all things considered. we had some cocoa and waited. at p.m. the snow drift again took off, and we were now so snowed up, we decided to push on in spite of the wind. we arrived in at . a.m., pretty well done. the wind never let up for an instant; the temperature remained about - °, and the statute miles which we marched in the day must be remembered amongst the most strenuous in my memory. except for the last few days, we enjoyed a degree of comfort which i had not imagined impossible on a spring journey. the temperature was not particularly high, at the mouth of the ferrar it was - °, and it varied between - ° and - ° throughout. of course this is much higher than it would be on the barrier, but it does not in itself promise much comfort. the amelioration of such conditions we owe to experience. we used one-third more than the summer allowance of fuel. this, with our double tent, allowed a cosy hour after breakfast and supper in which we could dry our socks, &c., and put them on in comfort. we shifted our footgear immediately after the camp was pitched, and by this means kept our feet glowingly warm throughout the night. nearly all the time we carried our sleeping-bags open on the sledges. although the sun does not appear to have much effect, i believe this device is of great benefit even in the coldest weather--certainly by this means our bags were kept much freer of moisture than they would have been had they been rolled up in the daytime. the inner tent gets a good deal of ice on it, and i don't see any easy way to prevent this. the journey enables me to advise the geological party on their best route to granite harbour: this is along the shore, where for the main part the protection of a chain of grounded bergs has preserved the ice from all pressure. outside these, and occasionally reaching to the headlands, there is a good deal of pressed up ice of this season, together with the latest of the old broken pack. travelling through this is difficult, as we found on our return journey. beyond this belt we passed through irregular patches where the ice, freezing at later intervals in the season, has been much screwed. the whole shows the general tendency of the ice to pack along the coast. the objects of our little journey were satisfactorily accomplished, but the greatest source of pleasure to me is to realise that i have such men as bowers and p.o. evans for the southern journey. i do not think that harder men or better sledge travellers ever took the trail. bowers is a little wonder. i realised all that he must have done for the c. crozier party in their far severer experience. in spite of the late hour of our return everyone was soon afoot, and i learned the news at once. e.r. evans, gran, and forde had returned from the corner camp journey the day after we left. they were away six nights, four spent on the barrier under very severe conditions--the minimum for one night registered - °. i am glad to find that corner camp showed up well; in fact, in more than one place remains of last year's pony walls were seen. this removes all anxiety as to the chance of finding the one ton camp. on this journey forde got his hand badly frostbitten. i am annoyed at this, as it argues want of care; moreover there is a good chance that the tip of one of the fingers will be lost, and if this happens or if the hand is slow in recovery, forde cannot take part in the western party. i have no one to replace him. e.r. evans looks remarkably well, as also gran. the ponies look very well and all are reported to be very buckish. _wednesday, october_ .--we have had a very bad weather spell. friday, the day after we returned, was gloriously fine--it might have been a december day, and an inexperienced visitor might have wondered why on earth we had not started to the south, saturday supplied a reason; the wind blew cold and cheerless; on sunday it grew worse, with very thick snow, which continued to fall and drift throughout the whole of monday. the hut is more drifted up than it has ever been, huge piles of snow behind every heap of boxes, &c., all our paths a foot higher; yet in spite of this the rocks are rather freer of snow. this is due to melting, which is now quite considerable. wilson tells me the first signs of thaw were seen on the th. yesterday the weather gradually improved, and to-day has been fine and warm again. one fine day in eight is the record immediately previous to this morning. e.r. evans, debenham, and gran set off to the turk's head on friday morning, evans to take angles and debenham to geologise; they have been in their tent pretty well all the time since, but have managed to get through some work. gran returned last night for more provisions and set off again this morning, taylor going with him for the day. debenham has just returned for food. he is immensely pleased at having discovered a huge slicken-sided fault in the lavas of the turk's head. this appears to be an unusual occurrence in volcanic rocks, and argues that they are of considerable age. he has taken a heap of photographs and is greatly pleased with all his geological observations. he is building up much evidence to show volcanic disturbance independent of erebus and perhaps prior to its first upheaval. meares has been at hut point for more than a week; seals seem to be plentiful there now. demetri was back with letters on friday and left on sunday. he is an excellent boy, full of intelligence. ponting has been doing some wonderfully fine cinematograph work. my incursion into photography has brought me in close touch with him and i realise what a very good fellow he is; no pains are too great for him to take to help and instruct others, whilst his enthusiasm for his own work is unlimited. his results are wonderfully good, and if he is able to carry out the whole of his programme, we shall have a cinematograph and photographic record which will be absolutely new in expeditionary work. a very serious bit of news to-day. atkinson says that jehu is still too weak to pull a load. the pony was bad on the ship and almost died after swimming ashore from the ship--he was one of the ponies returned by campbell. he has been improving the whole of the winter and oates has been surprised at the apparent recovery; he looks well and feeds well, though a very weedily built animal compared with the others. i had not expected him to last long, but it will be a bad blow if he fails at the start. i'm afraid there is much pony trouble in store for us. oates is having great trouble with christopher, who didn't at all appreciate being harnessed on sunday, and again to-day he broke away and galloped off over the floe. on such occasions oates trudges manfully after him, rounds him up to within a few hundred yards of the stable and approaches cautiously; the animal looks at him for a minute or two and canters off over the floe again. when christopher and indeed both of them have had enough of the game, the pony calmly stops at the stable door. if not too late he is then put into the sledge, but this can only be done by tying up one of his forelegs; when harnessed and after he has hopped along on three legs for a few paces, he is again allowed to use the fourth. he is going to be a trial, but he is a good strong pony and should do yeoman service. day is increasingly hopeful about the motors. he is an ingenious person and has been turning up new rollers out of a baulk of oak supplied by meares, and with simpson's small motor as a lathe. the motors _may_ save the situation. i have been busy drawing up instructions and making arrangements for the ship, shore station, and sledge parties in the coming season. there is still much work to be done and much, far too much, writing before me. time simply flies and the sun steadily climbs the heavens. breakfast, lunch, and supper are now all enjoyed by sunlight, whilst the night is no longer dark. notes at end of volume 'when they after their headstrong manner, conclude that it is their duty to rush on their journey all weathers; ... '--'pilgrim's progress.' 'has any grasped the low grey mist which stands ghostlike at eve above the sheeted lands.' a bad attack of integrity!! 'who is man and what his place, anxious asks the heart perplext, in the recklessness of space, worlds with worlds thus intermixt, what has he, this atom creature, in the infinitude of nature?' f.t. palgrave. it is a good lesson--though it may be a hard one--for a man who had dreamed of a special (literary) fame and of making for himself a rank among the world's dignitaries by such means, to slip aside out of the narrow circle in which his claims are recognised, and to find how utterly devoid of significance beyond that circle is all he achieves and all he aims at. he might fail from want of skill or strength, but deep in his sombre soul he vowed that it should never be from want of heart. 'every durable bond between human beings is founded in or heightened by some element of competition.'--r.l. stevenson. 'all natural talk is a festival of ostentation.'--r.l. stevenson. 'no human being ever spoke of scenery for two minutes together, which makes me suspect we have too much of it in literature. the weather is regarded as the very nadir and scoff of conversational topics.'--r.l. stevenson. chapter xv the last weeks at cape evans _friday, october_ .--with the rise of temperature there has been a slight thaw in the hut; the drips come down the walls and one has found my diary, as its pages show. the drips are already decreasing, and if they represent the whole accumulation of winter moisture it is extraordinarily little, and speaks highly for the design of the hut. there cannot be very much more or the stains would be more significant. yesterday i had a good look at jehu and became convinced that he is useless; he is much too weak to pull a load, and three weeks can make no difference. it is necessary to face the facts and i've decided to leave him behind--we must do with nine ponies. chinaman is rather a doubtful quantity and james pigg is not a tower of strength, but the other seven are in fine form and must bear the brunt of the work somehow. if we suffer more loss we shall depend on the motor, and then! ... well, one must face the bad as well as the good. it is some comfort to know that six of the animals at least are in splendid condition--victor, snippets, christopher, nobby, bones are as fit as ponies could well be and are naturally strong, well-shaped beasts, whilst little michael, though not so shapely, is as strong as he will ever be. to-day wilson, oates, cherry-garrard, and crean have gone to hut point with their ponies, oates getting off with christopher after some difficulty. at o'clock the hut point telephone bell suddenly rang (the line was laid by meares some time ago, but hitherto there has been no communication). in a minute or two we heard a voice, and behold! communication was established. i had quite a talk with meares and afterwards with oates. not a very wonderful fact, perhaps, but it seems wonderful in this primitive land to be talking to one's fellow beings miles away. oates told me that the ponies had arrived in fine order, christopher a little done, but carrying the heaviest load. if we can keep the telephone going it will be a great boon, especially to meares later in the season. the weather is extraordinarily unsettled; the last two days have been fairly fine, but every now and again we get a burst of wind with drift, and to-night it is overcast and very gloomy in appearance. the photography craze is in full swing. ponting's mastery is ever more impressive, and his pupils improve day by day; nearly all of us have produced good negatives. debenham and wright are the most promising, but taylor, bowers and i are also getting the hang of the tricky exposures. _saturday, october_ .--as though to contradict the suggestion of incompetence, friend 'jehu' pulled with a will this morning--he covered / miles without a stop, the surface being much worse than it was two days ago. he was not at all distressed when he stopped. if he goes on like this he comes into practical politics again, and i am arranging to give -feet sledges to him and chinaman instead of -feet. probably they will not do much, but if they go on as at present we shall get something out of them. long and cheerful conversations with hut point and of course an opportunity for the exchange of witticisms. we are told it was blowing and drifting at hut point last night, whereas here it was calm and snowing; the wind only reached us this afternoon. _sunday, october_ .--a very beautiful day. everyone out and about after service, all ponies going well. went to pressure ridge with ponting and took a number of photographs. so far good, but the afternoon has brought much worry. about five a telephone message from nelson's igloo reported that clissold had fallen from a berg and hurt his back. bowers organised a sledge party in three minutes, and fortunately atkinson was on the spot and able to join it. i posted out over the land and found ponting much distressed and clissold practically insensible. at this moment the hut point ponies were approaching and i ran over to intercept one in case of necessity. but the man# party was on the spot first, and after putting the patient in a sleeping-bag, quickly brought him home to the hut. it appears that clissold was acting as ponting's 'model' and that the two had been climbing about the berg to get pictures. as far as i can make out ponting did his best to keep clissold in safety by lending him his crampons and ice axe, but the latter seems to have missed his footing after one of his 'poses'; he slid over a rounded surface of ice for some feet, then dropped feet on to a sharp angle in the wall of the berg. he must have struck his back and head; the latter is contused and he is certainly suffering from slight concussion. he complained of his back before he grew unconscious and groaned a good deal when moved in the hut. he came to about an hour after getting to the hut, and was evidently in a good deal of pain; neither atkinson nor wilson thinks there is anything very serious, but he has not yet been properly examined and has had a fearful shock at the least. i still feel very anxious. to-night atkinson has injected morphia and will watch by his patient. troubles rarely come singly, and it occurred to me after clissold had been brought in that taylor, who had been bicycling to the turk's head, was overdue. we were relieved to hear that with glasses two figures could be seen approaching in south bay, but at supper wright appeared very hot and said that taylor was exhausted in south bay--he wanted brandy and hot drink. i thought it best to despatch another relief party, but before they were well round the point taylor was seen coming over the land. he was fearfully done. he must have pressed on towards his objective long after his reason should have warned him that it was time to turn; with this and a good deal of anxiety about clissold, the day terminates very unpleasantly. _tuesday, october_ .--still anxious about clissold. he has passed two fairly good nights but is barely able to move. he is unnaturally irritable, but i am told this is a symptom of concussion. this morning he asked for food, which is a good sign, and he was anxious to know if his sledging gear was being got ready. in order not to disappoint him he was assured that all would be ready, but there is scarce a slender chance that he can fill his place in the programme. meares came from hut point yesterday at the front end of a blizzard. half an hour after his arrival it was as thick as a hedge. he reports another loss--deek, one of the best pulling dogs, developed the same symptoms which have so unaccountably robbed us before, spent a night in pain, and died in the morning. wilson thinks the cause is a worm which gets into the blood and thence to the brain. it is trying, but i am past despondency. things must take their course. forde's fingers improve, but not very rapidly; it is hard to have two sick men after all the care which has been taken. the weather is very poor--i had hoped for better things this month. so far we have had more days with wind and drift than without. it interferes badly with the ponies' exercise. _friday, october_ .--the past three days have seen a marked improvement in both our invalids. clissold's inside has been got into working order after a good deal of difficulty; he improves rapidly in spirits as well as towards immunity from pain. the fiction of his preparation to join the motor sledge party is still kept up, but atkinson says there is not the smallest chance of his being ready. i shall have to be satisfied if he practically recovers by the time we leave with the ponies. forde's hand took a turn for the better two days ago and he maintains this progress. atkinson thinks he will be ready to start in ten days' time, but the hand must be carefully nursed till the weather becomes really summery. the weather has continued bad till to-day, which has been perfectly beautiful. a fine warm sun all day--so warm that one could sit about outside in the afternoon, and photographic work was a real pleasure. the ponies have been behaving well, with exceptions. victor is now quite easy to manage, thanks to bowers' patience. chinaman goes along very steadily and is not going to be the crock we expected. he has a slow pace which may be troublesome, but when the weather is fine that won't matter if he can get along steadily. the most troublesome animal is christopher. he is only a source of amusement as long as there is no accident, but i am always a little anxious that he will kick or bite someone. the curious thing is that he is quiet enough to handle for walking or riding exercise or in the stable, but as soon as a sledge comes into the programme he is seized with a very demon of viciousness, and bites and kicks with every intent to do injury. it seems to be getting harder rather than easier to get him into the traces; the last two turns, he has had to be thrown, as he is unmanageable even on three legs. oates, bowers, and anton gather round the beast and lash up one foreleg, then with his head held on both sides oates gathers back the traces; quick as lightning the little beast flashes round with heels flying aloft. this goes on till some degree of exhaustion gives the men a better chance. but, as i have mentioned, during the last two days the period has been so prolonged that oates has had to hasten matters by tying a short line to the other foreleg and throwing the beast when he lashes out. even when on his knees he continues to struggle, and one of those nimble hind legs may fly out at any time. once in the sledge and started on three legs all is well and the fourth leg can be released. at least, all has been well until to-day, when quite a comedy was enacted. he was going along quietly with oates when a dog frightened him: he flung up his head, twitched the rope out of oates' hands and dashed away. it was not a question of blind fright, as immediately after gaining freedom he set about most systematically to get rid of his load. at first he gave sudden twists, and in this manner succeeded in dislodging two bales of hay; then he caught sight of other sledges and dashed for them. they could scarcely get out of his way in time; the fell intention was evident all through, to dash his load against some other pony and sledge and so free himself of it. he ran for bowers two or three times with this design, then made for keohane, never going off far and dashing inward with teeth bared and heels flying all over the place. by this time people were gathering round, and first one and then another succeeded in clambering on to the sledge as it flew by, till oates, bowers, nelson, and atkinson were all sitting on it. he tried to rid himself of this human burden as he had of the hay bales, and succeeded in dislodging atkinson with violence, but the remainder dug their heels into the snow and finally the little brute was tired out. even then he tried to savage anyone approaching his leading line, and it was some time before oates could get hold of it. such is the tale of christopher. i am exceedingly glad there are not other ponies like him. these capers promise trouble, but i think a little soft snow on the barrier may effectually cure them. e.r. evans and gran return to-night. we received notice of their departure from hut point through the telephone, which also informed us that meares had departed for his first trip to corner camp. evans says he carried eight bags of forage and that the dogs went away at a great pace. in spite of the weather evans has managed to complete his survey to hut point. he has evidently been very careful with it and has therefore done a very useful bit of work. _sunday, october_ .--both of our invalids progress favourably. clissold has had two good nights without the aid of drugs and has recovered his good spirits; pains have departed from his back. the weather is very decidedly warmer and for the past three days has been fine. the thermometer stands but a degree or two below zero and the air feels delightfully mild. everything of importance is now ready for our start and the ponies improve daily. clissold's work of cooking has fallen on hooper and lashly, and it is satisfactory to find that the various dishes and bread bakings maintain their excellence. it is splendid to have people who refuse to recognise difficulties. _tuesday, october_ .--things not going very well; with ponies all pretty well. animals are improving in form rapidly, even jehu, though i have ceased to count on that animal. to-night the motors were to be taken on to the floe. the drifts make the road very uneven, and the first and best motor overrode its chain; the chain was replaced and the machine proceeded, but just short of the floe was thrust to a steep inclination by a ridge, and the chain again overrode the sprockets; this time by ill fortune day slipped at the critical moment and without intention jammed the throttle full on. the engine brought up, but there was an ominous trickle of oil under the back axle, and investigation showed that the axle casing (aluminium) had split. the casing has been stripped and brought into the hut; we may be able to do something to it, but time presses. it all goes to show that we want more experience and workshops. i am secretly convinced that we shall not get much help from the motors, yet nothing has ever happened to them that was unavoidable. a little more care and foresight would make them splendid allies. the trouble is that if they fail, no one will ever believe this. meares got back from corner camp at a.m. sunday morning--he got through on the telephone to report in the afternoon. he must have made the pace, which is promising for the dogs. sixty geographical miles in two days and a night is good going--about as good as can be. i have had to tell clissold that he cannot go out with the motor party, to his great disappointment. he improves very steadily, however, and i trust will be fit before we leave with the ponies. hooper replaces him with the motors. i am kept very busy writing and preparing details. we have had two days of northerly wind, a very unusual occurrence; yesterday it was blowing s.e., force , temp. - °, whilst here the wind was north, force , temp. - °. this continued for some hours--a curious meteorological combination. we are pretty certain of a southerly blizzard to follow, i should think. _wednesday, october_ .--the southerly blizzard has burst on us. the air is thick with snow. a close investigation of the motor axle case shows that repair is possible. it looks as though a good strong job could be made of it. yesterday taylor and debenham went to cape royds with the object of staying a night or two. _sunday, october_ .--the motor axle case was completed by thursday morning, and, as far as one can see, day made a very excellent job of it. since that the motor party has been steadily preparing for its departure. to-day everything is ready. the loads are ranged on the sea ice, the motors are having a trial run, and, all remaining well with the weather, the party will get away to-morrow. meares and demetri came down on thursday through the last of the blizzard. at one time they were running without sight of the leading dogs--they did not see tent island at all, but burst into sunshine and comparative calm a mile from the station. another of the best of the dogs, 'czigane,' was smitten with the unaccountable sickness; he was given laxative medicine and appears to be a little better, but we are still anxious. if he really has the disease, whatever it may be, the rally is probably only temporary and the end will be swift. the teams left on friday afternoon, czigane included; to-day meares telephones that he is setting out for his second journey to corner camp without him. on the whole the weather continues wretchedly bad; the ponies could not be exercised either on thursday or friday; they were very fresh yesterday and to-day in consequence. when unexercised, their allowance of oats has to be cut down. this is annoying, as just at present they ought to be doing a moderate amount of work and getting into condition on full rations. the temperature is up to zero about; this probably means about - ° on the barrier. i wonder how the motors will face the drop if and when they encounter it. day and lashly are both hopeful of the machines, and they really ought to do something after all the trouble that has been taken. the wretched state of the weather has prevented the transport of emergency stores to hut point. these stores are for the returning depots and to provision the _discovery_ hut in case the _terra nova_ does not arrive. the most important stores have been taken to the glacier tongue by the ponies to-day. in the transport department, in spite of all the care i have taken to make the details of my plan clear by lucid explanation, i find that bowers is the only man on whom i can thoroughly rely to carry out the work without mistake, with its arrays of figures. for the practical consistent work of pony training oates is especially capable, and his heart is very much in the business. '_october,_ .--i don't know what to think of amundsen's chances. if he gets to the pole, it must be before we do, as he is bound to travel fast with dogs and pretty certain to start early. on this account i decided at a very early date to act exactly as i should have done had he not existed. any attempt to race must have wrecked my plan, besides which it doesn't appear the sort of thing one is out for. 'possibly you will have heard something before this reaches you. oh! and there are all sorts of possibilities. in any case you can rely on my not doing or saying anything foolish--only i'm afraid you must be prepared for the chance of finding our venture much belittled. 'after all, it is the work that counts, not the applause that follows. 'words must always fail me when i talk of bill wilson. i believe he really is the finest character i ever met--the closer one gets to him the more there is to admire. every quality is so solid and dependable; cannot you imagine how that counts down here? whatever the matter, one knows bill will be sound, shrewdly practical, intensely loyal and quite unselfish. add to this a wider knowledge of persons and things than is at first guessable, a quiet vein of humour and really consummate tact, and you have some idea of his values. i think he is the most popular member of the party, and that is saying much. 'bowers is all and more than i ever expected of him. he is a positive treasure, absolutely trustworthy and prodigiously energetic. he is about the hardest man amongst us, and that is saying a good deal--nothing seems to hurt his tough little body and certainly no hardship daunts his spirit. i shall have a hundred little tales to tell you of his indefatigable zeal, his unselfishness, and his inextinguishable good humour. he surprises always, for his intelligence is of quite a high order and his memory for details most exceptional. you can imagine him, as he is, an indispensable assistant to me in every detail concerning the management and organisation of our sledging work and a delightful companion on the march. 'one of the greatest successes is wright. he is very thorough and absolutely ready for anything. like bowers he has taken to sledging like a duck to water, and although he hasn't had such severe testing, i believe he would stand it pretty nearly as well. nothing ever seems to worry him, and i can't imagine he ever complained of anything in his life. 'i don't think i will give such long descriptions of the others, though most of them deserve equally high praise. taken all round they are a perfectly excellent lot.' the soldier is very popular with all--a delightfully humorous cheery old pessimist--striving with the ponies night and day and bringing woeful accounts of their small ailments into the hut. x.... has a positive passion for helping others--it is extraordinary what pains he will take to do a kind thing unobtrusively. 'one sees the need of having one's heart in one's work. results can only be got down here by a man desperately eager to get them. 'y.... works hard at his own work, taking extraordinary pains with it, but with an astonishing lack of initiative he makes not the smallest effort to grasp the work of others; it is a sort of character which plants itself in a corner and will stop there. 'the men are equally fine. edgar evans has proved a useful member of our party; he looks after our sledges and sledge equipment with a care of management and a fertility of resource which is truly astonishing--on 'trek' he is just as sound and hard as ever and has an inexhaustible store of anecdote. 'crean is perfectly happy, ready to do anything and go anywhere, the harder the work, the better. evans and crean are great friends. lashly is his old self in every respect, hard working to the limit, quiet, abstemious, and determined. you see altogether i have a good set of people with me, and it will go hard if we don't achieve something. 'the study of individual character is a pleasant pastime in such a mixed community of thoroughly nice people, and the study of relationships and interactions is fascinating--men of the most diverse upbringings and experience are really pals with one another, and the subjects which would be delicate ground of discussion between acquaintances are just those which are most freely used for jests. for instance the soldier is never tired of girding at australia, its people and institutions, and the australians retaliate by attacking the hide-bound prejudices of the british army. i have never seen a temper lost in these discussions. so as i sit here i am very satisfied with these things. i think that it would have been difficult to better the organisation of the party--every man has his work and is especially adapted for it; there is no gap and no overlap--it is all that i desired, and the same might be said of the men selected to do the work.' it promised to be very fine to-day, but the wind has already sprung up and clouds are gathering again. there was a very beautiful curved 'banner' cloud south of erebus this morning, perhaps a warning of what is to come. another accident! at one o'clock 'snatcher,' one of the three ponies laying the depot, arrived with single trace and dangling sledge in a welter of sweat. forty minutes after p.o. evans, his driver, came in almost as hot; simultaneously wilson arrived with nobby and a tale of events not complete. he said that after the loads were removed bowers had been holding the three ponies, who appeared to be quiet; suddenly one had tossed his head and all three had stampeded--snatcher making for home, nobby for the western mountains, victor, with bowers still hanging to him, in an indefinite direction. running for two miles, he eventually rounded up nobby west of tent island and brought him in._ _ half an hour after wilson's return, bowers came in with victor distressed, bleeding at the nose, from which a considerable fragment hung semi-detached. bowers himself was covered with blood and supplied the missing link--the cause of the incident. it appears that the ponies were fairly quiet when victor tossed his head and caught his nostril in the trace hook on the hame of snatcher's harness. the hook tore skin and flesh and of course the animal got out of hand. bowers hung to him, but couldn't possibly keep hold of the other two as well. victor had bled a good deal, and the blood congealing on the detached skin not only gave the wound a dismal appearance but greatly increased its irritation. i don't know how bowers managed to hang on to the frightened animal; i don't believe anyone else would have done so. on the way back the dangling weight on the poor creature's nose would get on the swing and make him increasingly restive; it was necessary to stop him repeatedly. since his return the piece of skin has been snipped off and proves the wound not so serious as it looked. the animal is still trembling, but quite on his feed, which is a good sign. i don't know why our sundays should always bring these excitements. two lessons arise. firstly, however quiet the animals appear, they must not be left by their drivers; no chance must be taken; secondly, the hooks on the hames of the harness must be altered in shape. i suppose such incidents as this were to be expected, one cannot have ponies very fresh and vigorous and expect them to behave like lambs, but i shall be glad when we are off and can know more definitely what resources we can count on. another trying incident has occurred. we have avoided football this season especially to keep clear of accidents, but on friday afternoon a match was got up for the cinematograph and debenham developed a football knee (an old hurt, i have since learnt, or he should not have played). wilson thinks it will be a week before he is fit to travel, so here we have the western party on our hands and wasting the precious hours for that period. the only single compensation is that it gives forde's hand a better chance. if this waiting were to continue it looks as though we should become a regular party of 'crocks.' clissold was out of the hut for the first time to-day; he is better but still suffers in his back. the start of the motor sledges _tuesday, october_ .--two fine days for a wonder. yesterday the motors seemed ready to start and we all went out on the floe to give them a 'send off.' but the inevitable little defects cropped up, and the machines only got as far as the cape. a change made by day in the exhaust arrangements had neglected the heating jackets of the carburetters; one float valve was bent and one clutch troublesome. day and lashly spent the afternoon making good these defects in a satisfactory manner. this morning the engines were set going again, and shortly after a.m. a fresh start was made. at first there were a good many stops, but on the whole the engines seemed to be improving all the time. they are not by any means working up to full power yet, and so the pace is very slow. the weights seem to me a good deal heavier than we bargained for. day sets his motor going, climbs off the car, and walks alongside with an occasional finger on the throttle. lashly hasn't yet quite got hold of the nice adjustments of his control levers, but i hope will have done so after a day's practice. the only alarming incident was the slipping of the chains when day tried to start on some ice very thinly covered with snow. the starting effort on such heavily laden sledges is very heavy, but i thought the grip of the pattens and studs would have been good enough on any surface. looking at the place afterwards i found that the studs had grooved the ice. now as i write at . the machines are about a mile out in the south bay; both can be seen still under weigh, progressing steadily if slowly. i find myself immensely eager that these tractors should succeed, even though they may not be of great help to our southern advance. a small measure of success will be enough to show their possibilities, their ability to revolutionise polar transport. seeing the machines at work to-day, and remembering that every defect so far shown is purely mechanical, it is impossible not to be convinced of their value. but the trifling mechanical defects and lack of experience show the risk of cutting out trials. a season of experiment with a small workshop at hand may be all that stands between success and failure. at any rate before we start we shall certainly know if the worst has happened, or if some measure of success attends this unique effort. the ponies are in fine form. victor, practically recovered from his wound, has been rushing round with a sledge at a great rate. even jehu has been buckish, kicking up his heels and gambolling awkwardly. the invalids progress, clissold a little alarmed about his back, but without cause. atkinson and keohane have turned cooks, and do the job splendidly. this morning meares announced his return from corner camp, so that all stores are now out there. the run occupied the same time as the first, when the routine was: first day miles out; second day out, and home; early third day run in. if only one could trust the dogs to keep going like this it would be splendid. on the whole things look hopeful. p.m. motors reported off razor back island, nearly miles out--come, come! _thursday, october_ .--couldn't see the motors yesterday till i walked well out on the south bay, when i discovered them with glasses off the glacier tongue. there had been a strong wind in the forenoon, but it seemed to me they ought to have got further--annoyingly the telephone gave no news from hut point, evidently something was wrong. after dinner simpson and gran started for hut point. this morning simpson has just rung up. he says the motors are in difficulties with the surface. the trouble is just that which i noted as alarming on monday--the chains slip on the very light snow covering of hard ice. the engines are working well, and all goes well when the machines get on to snow. i have organised a party of eight men including myself, and we are just off to see what can be done to help. _friday, october_ .--we were away by . yesterday. walked to the glacier tongue with gloomy forebodings; but for one gust a beautifully bright inspiriting day. seals were about and were frequently mistaken for the motors. as we approached the glacier tongue, however, and became more alive to such mistakes, we realised that the motors were not in sight. at first i thought they must have sought better surface on the other side of the tongue, but this theory was soon demolished and we were puzzled to know what had happened. at length walking onward they were descried far away over the floe towards hut point; soon after we saw good firm tracks over a snow surface, a pleasant change from the double tracks and slipper places we had seen on the bare ice. our spirits went up at once, for it was not only evident that the machines were going, but that they were negotiating a very rough surface without difficulty. we marched on and overtook them about / miles from hut point, passing simpson and gran returning to cape evans. from the motors we learnt that things were going pretty well. the engines were working well when once in tune, but the cylinders, especially the two after ones, tended to get too hot, whilst the fan or wind playing on the carburetter tended to make it too cold. the trouble was to get a balance between the two, and this is effected by starting up the engines, then stopping and covering them and allowing the heat to spread by conductivity--of course, a rather clumsy device. we camped ahead of the motors as they camped for lunch. directly after, lashly brought his machine along on low gear and without difficulty ran it on to cape armitage. meanwhile day was having trouble with some bad surface; we had offered help and been refused, and with evans alone his difficulties grew, whilst the wind sprang up and the snow started to drift. we had walked into the hut and found meares, but now we all came out again. i sent for lashly and hooper and went back to help day along. we had exasperating delays and false starts for an hour and then suddenly the machine tuned up, and off she went faster than one could walk, reaching cape armitage without further hitch. it was blizzing by this time; the snow flew by. we all went back to the hut; meares and demetri have been busy, the hut is tidy and comfortable and a splendid brick fireplace had just been built with a brand new stove-pipe leading from it directly upward through the roof. this is really a most creditable bit of work. instead of the ramshackle temporary structures of last season we have now a solid permanent fireplace which should last for many a year. we spent a most comfortable night. this morning we were away over the floe about a.m. i was anxious to see how the motors started up and agreeably surprised to find that neither driver took more than to minutes to get his machine going, in spite of the difficulties of working a blow lamp in a keen cold wind. lashly got away very soon, made a short run of about / mile, and then after a short halt to cool, a long non-stop for quite miles. the barrier, five geographical miles from cape armitage, now looked very close, but lashly had overdone matters a bit, run out of lubricant and got his engine too hot. the next run yielded a little over a mile, and he was forced to stop within a few hundred yards of the snow slope leading to the barrier and wait for more lubricant, as well as for the heat balance in his engine to be restored. this motor was going on second gear, and this gives a nice easy walking speed, / to miles an hour; it would be a splendid rate of progress if it was not necessary to halt for cooling. this is the old motor which was used in norway; the other machine has modified gears. [ ] meanwhile day had had the usual balancing trouble and had dropped to a speck, but towards the end of our second run it was evident he had overcome these and was coming along at a fine speed. one soon saw that the men beside the sledges were running. to make a long story short, he stopped to hand over lubricating oil, started at a gallop again, and dashed up the slope without a hitch on his top speed--the first man to run a motor on the great barrier! there was great cheering from all assembled, but the motor party was not wasting time on jubilation. on dashed the motor, and it and the running men beside it soon grew small in the distance. we went back to help lashly, who had restarted his engine. if not so dashingly, on account of his slower speed, he also now took the slope without hitch and got a last handshake as he clattered forward. his engine was not working so well as the other, but i think mainly owing to the first overheating and a want of adjustment resulting therefrom. thus the motors left us, travelling on the best surface they have yet encountered--hard windswept snow without sastrugi--a surface which meares reports to extend to corner camp at least. providing there is no serious accident, the engine troubles will gradually be got over; of that i feel pretty confident. every day will see improvement as it has done to date, every day the men will get greater confidence with larger experience of the machines and the conditions. but it is not easy to foretell the extent of the result of older and earlier troubles with the rollers. the new rollers turned up by day are already splitting, and one of lashly's chains is in a bad way; it may be possible to make temporary repairs good enough to cope with the improved surface, but it seems probable that lashly's car will not get very far. it is already evident that had the rollers been metal cased and the runners metal covered, they would now be as good as new. i cannot think why we had not the sense to have this done. as things are i am satisfied we have the right men to deal with the difficulties of the situation. the motor programme is not of vital importance to our plan and it is possible the machines will do little to help us, but already they have vindicated themselves. even the seamen, who have remained very sceptical of them, have been profoundly impressed. evans said, 'lord, sir, i reckon if them things can go on like that you wouldn't want nothing else'--but like everything else of a novel nature, it is the actual sight of them at work that is impressive, and nothing short of a hundred miles over the barrier will carry conviction to outsiders. parting with the motors, we made haste back to hut point and had tea there. my feet had got very sore with the unaccustomed soft foot-gear and crinkly surface, but we decided to get back to cape evans. we came along in splendid weather, and after stopping for a cup of tea at razor back, reached the hut at p.m., averaging / stat. miles an hour. during the day we walked / stat. miles, not a bad day's work considering condition, but i'm afraid my feet are going to suffer for it. _saturday, october_ .--my feet sore and one 'tendon achillis' strained (synovitis); shall be right in a day or so, however. last night tremendous row in the stables. christopher and chinaman discovered fighting. gran nearly got kicked. these ponies are getting above themselves with their high feeding. oates says that snippets is still lame and has one leg a little 'heated'; not a pleasant item of news. debenham is progressing but not very fast; the western party will leave after us, of that there is no doubt now. it is trying that they should be wasting the season in this way. all things considered, i shall be glad to get away and put our fortune to the test. _monday, october_ .--we had another beautiful day yesterday, and one began to feel that the summer really had come; but to-day, after a fine morning, we have a return to blizzard conditions. it is blowing a howling gale as i write. yesterday wilson, crean, p.o. evans, and i donned our sledging kit and camped by the bergs for the benefit of ponting and his cinematograph; he got a series of films which should be about the most interesting of all his collection. i imagine nothing will take so well as these scenes of camp life. on our return we found meares had returned; he and the dogs well. he told us that (lieut.) evans had come into hut point on saturday to fetch a personal bag left behind there. evans reported that lashly's motor had broken down near safety camp; they found the big end smashed up in one cylinder and traced it to a faulty casting; they luckily had spare parts, and day and lashly worked all night on repairs in a temperature of - °. by the morning repairs were completed and they had a satisfactory trial run, dragging on loads with both motors. then evans found out his loss and returned on ski, whilst, as i gather, the motors proceeded; i don't quite know how, but i suppose they ran one on at a time. on account of this accident and because some of our hardest worked people were badly hit by the two days' absence helping the machines, i have decided to start on wednesday instead of to-morrow. if the blizzard should blow out, atkinson and keohane will set off to-morrow for hut point, so that we may see how far jehu is to be counted on. _tuesday, october_ .--the blizzard has blown itself out this morning, and this afternoon it has cleared; the sun is shining and the wind dropping. meares and ponting are just off to hut point. atkinson and keohane will probably leave in an hour or so as arranged, and if the weather holds, we shall all get off to-morrow. so here end the entries in this diary with the first chapter of our history. the future is in the lap of the gods; i can think of nothing left undone to deserve success. chapter xvi southern journey: the barrier stage _november_ .--last night we heard that jehu had reached hut point in about / hours. this morning we got away in detachments--michael, nobby, chinaman were first to get away about a.m. the little devil christopher was harnessed with the usual difficulty and started in kicking mood, oates holding on for all he was worth. bones ambled off gently with crean, and i led snippets in his wake. ten minutes after evans and snatcher passed at the usual full speed. the wind blew very strong at the razor back and the sky was threatening--the ponies hate the wind. a mile south of this island bowers and victor passed me, leaving me where i best wished to be--at the tail of the line. about this place i saw that one of the animals ahead had stopped and was obstinately refusing to go forward again. i had a great fear it was chinaman, the unknown quantity, but to my relief found it was my old friend 'nobby' in obstinate mood. as he is very strong and fit the matter was soon adjusted with a little persuasion from anton behind. poor little anton found it difficult to keep the pace with short legs. snatcher soon led the party and covered the distance in four hours. evans said he could see no difference at the end from the start--the little animal simply romped in. bones and christopher arrived almost equally fresh, in fact the latter had been bucking and kicking the whole way. for the present there is no end to his devilment, and the great consideration is how to safeguard oates. some quiet ponies should always be near him, a difficult matter to arrange with such varying rates of walking. a little later i came up to a batch, bowers, wilson, cherry, and wright, and was happy to see chinaman going very strong. he is not fast, but very steady, and i think should go a long way. victor and michael forged ahead again, and the remaining three of us came in after taking a little under five hours to cover the distance. we were none too soon, as the weather had been steadily getting worse, and soon after our arrival it was blowing a gale. _thursday, november_ .--hut point. the march teaches a good deal as to the paces of the ponies. it reminded me of a regatta or a somewhat disorganised fleet with ships of very unequal speed. the plan of further advance has now been evolved. we shall start in three parties--the very slow ponies, the medium paced, and the fliers. snatcher starting last will probably overtake the leading unit. all this requires a good deal of arranging. we have decided to begin night marching, and shall get away after supper, i hope. the weather is hourly improving, but at this season that does not count for much. at present our ponies are very comfortably stabled. michael, chinaman and james pigg are actually in the hut. chinaman kept us alive last night by stamping on the floor. meares and demetri are here with the dog team, and ponting with a great photographic outfit. i fear he won't get much chance to get results. _friday, november_ .--camp . a keen wind with some drift at hut point, but we sailed away in detachments. atkinson's party, jehu, chinaman and jimmy pigg led off at eight. just before ten wilson, cherry-garrard and i left. our ponies marched steadily and well together over the sea ice. the wind dropped a good deal, but the temperature with it, so that the little remaining was very cutting. we found atkinson at safety camp. he had lunched and was just ready to march out again; he reports chinaman and jehu tired. ponting arrived soon after we had camped with demetri and a small dog team. the cinematograph was up in time to catch the flying rearguard which came along in fine form, snatcher leading and being stopped every now and again--a wonderful little beast. christopher had given the usual trouble when harnessed, but was evidently subdued by the barrier surface. however, it was not thought advisable to halt him, and so the party fled through in the wake of the advance guard. after lunch we packed up and marched on steadily as before. i don't like these midnight lunches, but for man the march that follows is pleasant when, as to-day, the wind falls and the sun steadily increases its heat. the two parties in front of us camped miles beyond safety camp, and we reached their camp some half or three-quarters of an hour later. all the ponies are tethered in good order, but most of them are tired--chinaman and jehu _very tired_. nearly all are inclined to be off feed, but this is very temporary, i think. we have built walls, but there is no wind and the sun gets warmer every minute. _mirage_.--very marked waving effect to east. small objects greatly exaggerated and showing as dark vertical lines. p.m.--feeding time. woke the party, and oates served out the rations--all ponies feeding well. it is a sweltering day, the air breathless, the glare intense--one loses sight of the fact that the temperature is low (- °)--one's mind seeks comparison in hot sunlit streets and scorching pavements, yet six hours ago my thumb was frostbitten. all the inconveniences of frozen footwear and damp clothes and sleeping-bags have vanished entirely. a petrol tin is near the camp and a note stating that the motor passed at p.m. th, going strong--they have to days' lead and should surely keep it. 'bones has eaten christopher's goggles.' this announcement by crean, meaning that bones had demolished the protecting fringe on christopher's bridle. these fringes promise very well--christopher without his is blinking in the hot sun. _saturday, november_ .--camp . led march--started in what i think will now become the settled order. atkinson went at , ours at , bowers, oates and co. at . . just after starting picked up cheerful note and saw cheerful notices saying all well with motors, both going excellently. day wrote 'hope to meet in ° ' (lat.).' poor chap, within miles he must have had to sing a different tale. it appears they had a bad ground on the morning of the th. i suppose the surface was bad and everything seemed to be going wrong. they 'dumped' a good deal of petrol and lubricant. worse was to follow. some miles out we met a tin pathetically inscribed, 'big end day's motor no. cylinder broken.' half a mile beyond, as i expected, we found the motor, its tracking sledges and all. notes from evans and day told the tale. the only spare had been used for lashly's machine, and it would have taken a long time to strip day's engine so that it could run on three cylinders. they had decided to abandon it and push on with the other alone. they had taken the six bags of forage and some odds and ends, besides their petrol and lubricant. so the dream of great help from the machines is at an end! the track of the remaining motor goes steadily forward, but now, of course, i shall expect to see it every hour of the march. the ponies did pretty well--a cruel soft surface most of the time, but light loads, of course. jehu is better than i expected to find him, chinaman not so well. they are bad crocks both of them. it was pretty cold during the night, - ° when we camped, with a crisp breeze blowing. the ponies don't like it, but now, as i write, the sun is shining through a white haze, the wind has dropped, and the picketing line is comfortable for the poor beasts. this, p.m., is the feeding hour--the animals are not yet on feed, but they are coming on. the wind vane left here in the spring shows a predominance of wind from the s.w. quarter. maximum scratching, about s.w. by w. _sunday, november_ .--camp . 'corner camp.' we came over the last lap of the first journey in good order--ponies doing well in soft surface, but, of course, lightly loaded. to-night will show what we can do with the heavier weights. a very troubled note from evans (with motor) written on morning of nd, saying maximum speed was about miles per day. they have taken on nine bags of forage, but there are three black dots to the south which we can only imagine are the deserted motor with its loaded sledges. the men have gone on as a supporting party, as directed. it is a disappointment. i had hoped better of the machines once they got away on the barrier surface. the appetites of the ponies are very fanciful. they do not like the oil cake, but for the moment seem to take to some fodder left here. however, they are off that again to-day. it is a sad pity they won't eat well now, because later on one can imagine how ravenous they will become. chinaman and jehu will not go far i fear. _monday, november_ .--camp . we started in the usual order, arranging so that full loads should be carried if the black dots to the south prove to be the motor. on arrival at these we found our fears confirmed. a note from evans stated a recurrence of the old trouble. the big end of no. cylinder had cracked, the machine otherwise in good order. evidently the engines are not fitted for working in this climate, a fact that should be certainly capable of correction. one thing is proved; the system of propulsion is altogether satisfactory. the motor party has proceeded as a man-hauling party as arranged. with their full loads the ponies did splendidly, even jehu and chinaman with loads over lbs. stepped out well and have finished as fit as when they started. atkinson and wright both think that these animals are improving. the better ponies made nothing of their loads, and my own snippets had over lbs., sledge included. of course, the surface is greatly improved; it is that over which we came well last year. we are all much cheered by this performance. it shows a hardening up of ponies which have been well trained; even oates is pleased! as we came to camp a blizzard threatened, and we built snow walls. one hour after our arrival the wind was pretty strong, but there was not much snow. this state of affairs has continued, but the ponies seem very comfortable. their new rugs cover them well and the sheltering walls are as high as the animals, so that the wind is practically unfelt behind them. the protection is a direct result of our experience of last year, and it is good to feel that we reaped some reward for that disastrous journey. i am writing late in the day and the wind is still strong. i fear we shall not be able to go on to-night. christopher gave great trouble again last night--the four men had great difficulty in getting him into his sledge; this is a nuisance which i fear must be endured for some time to come. the temperature, - °, is lower than i like in a blizzard. it feels chilly in the tent, but the ponies don't seem to mind the wind much. the incidence of this blizzard had certain characters worthy of note:-- before we started from corner camp there was a heavy collection of cloud about cape crozier and mount terror, and a black line of stratus low on the western slopes of erebus. with us the sun was shining and it was particularly warm and pleasant. shortly after we started mist formed about us, waxing and waning in density; a slight southerly breeze sprang up, cumulo-stratus cloud formed overhead with a rather windy appearance (radial e. and w.). at the first halt ( miles s.) atkinson called my attention to a curious phenomenon. across the face of the low sun the strata of mist could be seen rising rapidly, lines of shadow appearing to be travelling upwards against the light. presumably this was sun-warmed air. the accumulation of this gradually overspread the sky with a layer of stratus, which, however, never seemed to be very dense; the position of the sun could always be seen. two or three hours later the wind steadily increased in force, with the usual gusty characteristic. a noticeable fact was that the sky was clear and blue above the southern horizon, and the clouds seemed to be closing down on this from time to time. at intervals since, it has lifted, showing quite an expanse of clear sky. the general appearance is that the disturbance is created by conditions about us, and is rather spreading from north to south than coming up with the wind, and this seems rather typical. on the other hand, this is not a bad snow blizzard; although the wind holds, the land, obscured last night, is now quite clear and the bluff has no mantle. [added in another hand, probably dictated: before we felt any air moving, during our a.m. march and the greater part of the previous march, there was dark cloud over ross sea off the barrier, which continued over the eastern barrier to the s.e. as a heavy stratus, with here and there an appearance of wind. at the same time, due south of us, dark lines of stratus were appearing, miraged on the horizon, and while we were camping after our a.m. march, these were obscured by banks of white fog (or drift?), and the wind increasing the whole time. my general impression was that the storm came up from the south, but swept round over the eastern part of the barrier before it became general and included the western part where we were.] _tuesday, november_ .--camp . the blizzard has continued throughout last night and up to this time of writing, late in the afternoon. starting mildly, with broken clouds, little snow, and gleams of sunshine, it grew in intensity until this forenoon, when there was heavy snowfall and the sky overspread with low nimbus cloud. in the early afternoon the snow and wind took off, and the wind is dropping now, but the sky looks very lowering and unsettled. last night the sky was so broken that i made certain the end of the blow had come. towards morning the sky overhead and far to the north was quite clear. more cloud obscured the sun to the south and low heavy banks hung over ross island. all seemed hopeful, except that i noted with misgiving that the mantle on the bluff was beginning to form. two hours later the whole sky was overcast and the blizzard had fully developed. this tuesday evening it remains overcast, but one cannot see that the clouds are travelling fast. the bluff mantle is a wide low bank of stratus not particularly windy in appearance; the wind is falling, but the sky still looks lowering to the south and there is a general appearance of unrest. the temperature has been - ° all day. the ponies, which had been so comparatively comfortable in the earlier stages, were hit as usual when the snow began to fall. we have done everything possible to shelter and protect them, but there seems no way of keeping them comfortable when the snow is thick and driving fast. we men are snug and comfortable enough, but it is very evil to lie here and know that the weather is steadily sapping the strength of the beasts on which so much depends. it requires much philosophy to be cheerful on such occasions. in the midst of the drift this forenoon the dog party came up and camped about a quarter of a mile to leeward. meares has played too much for safety in catching us so soon, but it is satisfactory to find the dogs will pull the loads and can be driven to face such a wind as we have had. it shows that they ought to be able to help us a good deal. the tents and sledges are badly drifted up, and the drifts behind the pony walls have been dug out several times. i shall be glad indeed to be on the march again, and oh! for a little sun. the ponies are all quite warm when covered by their rugs. some of the fine drift snow finds its way under the rugs, and especially under the broad belly straps; this melts and makes the coat wet if allowed to remain. it is not easy to understand at first why the blizzard should have such a withering effect on the poor beasts. i think it is mainly due to the exceeding fineness of the snow particles, which, like finely divided powder, penetrate the hair of the coat and lodge in the inner warmths. here it melts, and as water carries off the animal heat. also, no doubt, it harasses the animals by the bombardment of the fine flying particles on tender places such as nostrils, eyes, and to lesser extent ears. in this way it continually bothers them, preventing rest. of all things the most important for horses is that conditions should be placid whilst they stand tethered. _wednesday, november_ .--camp . wind with overcast threatening sky continued to a late hour last night. the question of starting was open for a long time, and many were unfavourable. i decided we must go, and soon after midnight the advance guard got away. to my surprise, when the rugs were stripped from the 'crocks' they appeared quite fresh and fit. both jehu and chinaman had a skittish little run. when their heads were loose chinaman indulged in a playful buck. all three started with their loads at a brisk pace. it was a great relief to find that they had not suffered at all from the blizzard. they went out six geographical miles, and our section going at a good round pace found them encamped as usual. after they had gone, we waited for the rearguard to come up and joined with them. for the next miles the bunch of seven kept together in fine style, and with wind dropping, sun gaining in power, and ponies going well, the march was a real pleasure. one gained confidence every moment in the animals; they brought along their heavy loads without a hint of tiredness. all take the patches of soft snow with an easy stride, not bothering themselves at all. the majority halt now and again to get a mouthful of snow, but little christopher goes through with a non-stop run. he gives as much trouble as ever at the start, showing all sorts of ingenious tricks to escape his harness. yesterday when brought to his knees and held, he lay down, but this served no end, for before he jumped to his feet and dashed off the traces had been fixed and he was in for the miles of steady work. oates holds like grim death to his bridle until the first freshness is worn off, and this is no little time, for even after miles he seized a slight opportunity to kick up. some four miles from this camp evans loosed snatcher momentarily. the little beast was off at a canter at once and on slippery snow; it was all evans could do to hold to the bridle. as it was he dashed across the line, somewhat to its danger. six hundred yards from this camp there was a bale of forage. bowers stopped and loaded it on his sledge, bringing his weights to nearly lbs. his pony victor stepped out again as though nothing had been added. such incidents are very inspiriting. of course, the surface is very good; the animals rarely sink to the fetlock joint, and for a good part of the time are borne up on hard snow patches without sinking at all. in passing i mention that there are practically no places where ponies sink to their hocks as described by shackleton. on the only occasion last year when our ponies sank to their hocks in one soft patch, they were unable to get their loads on at all. the feathering of the fetlock joint is borne up on the snow crust and its upward bend is indicative of the depth of the hole made by the hoof; one sees that an extra inch makes a tremendous difference. we are picking up last year's cairns with great ease, and all show up very distinctly. this is extremely satisfactory for the homeward march. what with pony walls, camp sites and cairns, our track should be easily followed the whole way. everyone is as fit as can be. it was wonderfully warm as we camped this morning at o'clock; the wind has dropped completely and the sun shines gloriously. men and ponies revel in such weather. one devoutly hopes for a good spell of it as we recede from the windy northern region. the dogs came up soon after we had camped, travelling easily. _thursday, november_ .--camp . sticking to programme, we are going a little over the miles (geo.) nightly. atkinson started his party at and went on for miles to escape a cold little night breeze which quickly dropped. he was some time at his lunch camp, so that starting to join the rearguard we came in together the last miles. the experience showed that the slow advance guard ponies are forced out of their place by joining with the others, whilst the fast rearguard is reduced in speed. obviously it is not an advantage to be together, yet all the ponies are doing well. an amusing incident happened when wright left his pony to examine his sledgemeter. chinaman evidently didn't like being left behind and set off at a canter to rejoin the main body. wright's long legs barely carried him fast enough to stop this fatal stampede, but the ridiculous sight was due to the fact that old jehu caught the infection and set off at a sprawling canter in chinaman's wake. as this is the pony we thought scarcely capable of a single march at start, one is agreeably surprised to find him still displaying such commendable spirit. christopher is troublesome as ever at the start; i fear that signs of tameness will only indicate absence of strength. the dogs followed us so easily over the miles that meares thought of going on again, but finally decided that the present easy work is best. things look hopeful. the weather is beautiful--temp. - °, with a bright sun. some stratus cloud about discovery and over white island. the sastrugi about here are very various in direction and the surface a good deal ploughed up, showing that the bluff influences the wind direction even out as far as this camp. the surface is hard; i take it about as good as we shall get. there is an annoying little southerly wind blowing now, and this serves to show the beauty of our snow walls. the ponies are standing under their lee in the bright sun as comfortable as can possibly be. _friday, november_ .--camp . a very horrid march. a strong head wind during the first part-- miles (geo.)--then a snowstorm. wright leading found steering so difficult after three miles (geo.) that the party decided to camp. luckily just before camping he rediscovered evans' track (motor party) so that, given decent weather, we shall be able to follow this. the ponies did excellently as usual, but the surface is good distinctly. the wind has dropped and the weather is clearing now that we have camped. it is disappointing to miss even / miles. christopher was started to-day by a ruse. he was harnessed behind his wall and was in the sledge before he realised. then he tried to bolt, but titus hung on. _saturday, november_ .--camp . it cleared somewhat just before the start of our march, but the snow which had fallen in the day remained soft and flocculent on the surface. added to this we entered on an area of soft crust between a few scattered hard sastrugi. in pits between these in places the snow lay in sandy heaps. a worse set of conditions for the ponies could scarcely be imagined. nevertheless they came through pretty well, the strong ones excellently, but the crocks had had enough at / miles. such a surface makes one anxious in spite of the rapidity with which changes take place. i expected these marches to be a little difficult, but not near so bad as to-day. it is snowing again as we camp, with a slight north-easterly breeze. it is difficult to make out what is happening to the weather--it is all part of the general warming up, but i wish the sky would clear. in spite of the surface, the dogs ran up from the camp before last, over miles, in the night. they are working splendidly so far. _sunday, november_ .--camp . our marches are uniformly horrid just at present. the surface remains wretched, not quite so heavy as yesterday, perhaps, but very near it at times. five miles out the advance party came straight and true on our last year's bluff depot marked with a flagstaff. here following i found a note from evans, cheerful in tone, dated a.m. th inst. he is, therefore, the best part of five days ahead of us, which is good. atkinson camped a mile beyond this cairn and had a very gloomy account of chinaman. said he couldn't last more than a mile or two. the weather was horrid, overcast, gloomy, snowy. one's spirits became very low. however, the crocks set off again, the rearguard came up, passed us in camp, and then on the march about miles on, so that they camped about the same time. the soldier thinks chinaman will last for a good many days yet, an extraordinary confession of hope for him. the rest of the animals are as well as can be expected--jehu rather better. these weather appearances change every minute. when we camped there was a chill northerly breeze, a black sky, and light falling snow. now the sky is clearing and the sun shining an hour later. the temperature remains about - ° in the daytime. _monday, november _.--camp . another horrid march in a terrible light, surface very bad. ponies came through all well, but they are being tried hard by the surface conditions. we followed tracks most of the way, neither party seeing the other except towards camping time. the crocks did well, all repeatedly. either the whole sky has been clear, or the overhanging cloud has lifted from time to time to show the lower rocks. had we been dependent on land marks we should have fared ill. evidently a good system of cairns is the best possible travelling arrangement on this great snow plain. meares and demetri up with the dogs as usual very soon after we camped. this inpouring of warm moist air, which gives rise to this heavy surface deposit at this season, is certainly an interesting meteorological fact, accounting as it does for the very sudden change in barrier conditions from spring to summer. _wednesday, november_ .--camp . found our one ton camp without any difficulty [ geographical miles from cape evans]. about or miles. after / miles to lunch camp, chinaman was pretty tired, but went on again in good form after the rest. all the other ponies made nothing of the march, which, however, was over a distinctly better surface. after a discussion we had decided to give the animals a day's rest here, and then to push forward at the rate of geographical miles a day. oates thinks the ponies will get through, but that they have lost condition quicker than he expected. considering his usually pessimistic attitude this must be thought a hopeful view. personally i am much more hopeful. i think that a good many of the beasts are actually in better form than when they started, and that there is no need to be alarmed about the remainder, always excepting the weak ones which we have always regarded with doubt. well, we must wait and see how things go. a note from evans dated the th, stating his party has gone on to ° ', carrying four boxes of biscuit. he has done something over miles (geo.) in / days--exceedingly good going. i only hope he has built lots of good cairns. it was a very beautiful day yesterday, bright sun, but as we marched, towards midnight, the sky gradually became overcast; very beautiful halo rings formed around the sun. four separate rings were very distinct. wilson descried a fifth--the orange colour with blue interspace formed very fine contrasts. we now clearly see the corona ring on the snow surface. the spread of stratus cloud overhead was very remarkable. the sky was blue all around the horizon, but overhead a cumulo-stratus grew early; it seemed to be drifting to the south and later to the east. the broken cumulus slowly changed to a uniform stratus, which seems to be thinning as the sun gains power. there is a very thin light fall of snow crystals, but the surface deposit seems to be abating the evaporation for the moment, outpacing the light snowfall. the crystals barely exist a moment when they light on our equipment, so that everything on and about the sledges is drying rapidly. when the sky was clear above the horizon we got a good view of the distant land all around to the west; white patches of mountains to the w.s.w. must be miles distant. during the night we saw discovery and the royal society range, the first view for many days, but we have not seen erebus for a week, and in that direction the clouds seem ever to concentrate. it is very interesting to watch the weather phenomena of the barrier, but one prefers the sunshine to days such as this, when everything is blankly white and a sense of oppression is inevitable. the temperature fell to - ° last night, with a clear sky; it rose to ° directly the sky covered and is now just ° to °. most of us are using goggles with glass of light green tint. we find this colour very grateful to the eyes, and as a rule it is possible to see everything through them even more clearly than with naked vision. the hard sastrugi are now all from the w.s.w. and our cairns are drifted up by winds from that direction; mostly, though, there has evidently been a range of snow-bearing winds round to south. this observation holds from corner camp to this camp, showing that apparently all along the coast the wind comes from the land. the minimum thermometer left here shows - °, rather less than expected; it has been excellently exposed and evidently not at all drifted up with snow at any time. i cannot find the oats i scattered here--rather fear the drift has covered them, but other evidences show that the snow deposit has been very small. _thursday, november_ .--camp . resting. a stiff little southerly breeze all day, dropping towards evening. the temperature - °. ponies pretty comfortable in rugs and behind good walls. we have reorganised the loads, taking on about lbs. with the stronger ponies, odd with the others. _friday, november_ .--camp . atkinson started about . . we came on about , the whole of the remainder. the lunch camp was / miles. atkinson left as we came in. he was an hour before us at the final camp, / (geo.) miles. on the whole, and considering the weights, the ponies did very well, but the surface was comparatively good. christopher showed signs of trouble at start, but was coaxed into position for the traces to be hooked. there was some ice on his runner and he had a very heavy drag, therefore a good deal done on arrival; also his load seems heavier and deader than the others. it is early days to wonder whether the little beasts will last; one can only hope they will, but the weakness of breeding and age is showing itself already. the crocks have done wonderfully, so there is really no saying how long or well the fitter animals may go. we had a horribly cold wind on the march. temp. - °, force . the sun was shining but seemed to make little difference. it is still shining brightly, temp. °. behind the pony walls it is wonderfully warm and the animals look as snug as possible. _saturday, november_ .--camp . the ponies are not pulling well. the surface is, if anything, a little worse than yesterday, but i should think about the sort of thing we shall have to expect henceforward. i had a panic that we were carrying too much food and this morning we have discussed the matter and decided we can leave a sack. we have done the usual miles (geog.) with a few hundred yards to make the statute. the temperature was - ° when we camped last night, now it is - °. the crocks are going on, very wonderfully. oates gives chinaman at least three days, and wright says he may go for a week. this is slightly inspiriting, but how much better would it have been to have had ten really reliable beasts. it's touch and go whether we scrape up to the glacier; meanwhile we get along somehow. at any rate the bright sunshine makes everything look more hopeful. _sunday, november_ .--camp . we have struck a real bad surface, sledges pulling well over it, but ponies sinking very deep. the result is to about finish jehu. he was terribly done on getting in to-night. he may go another march, but not more, i think. considering the surface the other ponies did well. the ponies occasionally sink halfway to the hock, little michael once or twice almost to the hock itself. luckily the weather now is glorious for resting the animals, which are very placid and quiet in the brilliant sun. the sastrugi are confused, the underlying hard patches appear as before to have been formed by a w.s.w. wind, but there are some surface waves pointing to a recent south-easterly wind. have been taking some photographs, bowers also. _monday, november_ .--camp . the surface a little better. sastrugi becoming more and more definite from s.e. struck a few hard patches which made me hopeful of much better things, but these did not last long. the crocks still go. jehu seems even a little better than yesterday, and will certainly go another march. chinaman reported bad the first half march, but bucked up the second. the dogs found the surface heavy. to-morrow i propose to relieve them of a forage bag. the sky was slightly overcast during the march, with radiating cirro-stratus s.s.w.-n.n.e. now very clear and bright again. temp, at night - °, now °. a very slight southerly breeze, from which the walls protect the animals well. i feel sure that the long day's rest in the sun is very good for all of them. our ponies marched very steadily last night. they seem to take the soft crusts and difficult plodding surface more easily. the loss of condition is not so rapid as noticed to one ton camp, except perhaps in victor, who is getting to look very gaunt. nobby seems fitter and stronger than when he started; he alone is ready to go all his feed at any time and as much more as he can get. the rest feel fairly well, but they are getting a very big strong ration. i am beginning to feel more hopeful about them. christopher kicked the bow of his sledge in towards the end of the march. he must have a lot left in him though. _tuesday, november_ .--camp . lat. ° '. the surface decidedly better and the ponies very steady on the march. none seem overtired, and now it is impossible not to take a hopeful view of their prospect of pulling through. (temp. - °, night.) the only circumstance to be feared is a reversion to bad surfaces, and that ought not to happen on this course. we marched to the usual lunch camp and saw a large cairn ahead. two miles beyond we came on the motor party in lat. ° '. we learned that they had been waiting for six days. they all look very fit, but declare themselves to be very hungry. this is interesting as showing conclusively that a ration amply sufficient for the needs of men leading ponies is quite insufficient for men doing hard pulling work; it therefore fully justifies the provision which we have made for the summit work. even on that i have little doubt we shall soon get hungry. day looks very thin, almost gaunt, but fit. the weather is beautiful--long may it so continue. (temp. + °, a.m.) it is decided to take on the motor party in advance for three days, then day and hooper return. we hope jehu will last three days; he will then be finished in any case and fed to the dogs. it is amusing to see meares looking eagerly for the chance of a feed for his animals; he has been expecting it daily. on the other hand, atkinson and oates are eager to get the poor animal beyond the point at which shackleton killed his first beast. reports on chinaman are very favourable, and it really looks as though the ponies are going to do what is hoped of them. _wednesday, november_ .--camp . everything much the same. the ponies thinner but not much weaker. the crocks still going along. jehu is now called 'the barrier wonder' and chinaman 'the thunderbolt.' two days more and they will be well past the spot at which shackleton killed his first animal. nobby keeps his pre-eminence of condition and has now the heaviest load by some lbs.; most of the others are under lbs. load, and i hope will be eased further yet. the dogs are in good form still, and came up well with their loads this morning (night temp. - °). it looks as though we ought to get through to the glacier without great difficulty. the weather is glorious and the ponies can make the most of their rest during the warmest hours, but they certainly lose in one way by marching at night. the surface is much easier for the sledges when the sun is warm, and for about three hours before and after midnight the friction noticeably increases. it is just a question whether this extra weight on the loads is compensated by the resting temperature. we are quite steady on the march now, and though not fast yet get through with few stops. the animals seem to be getting accustomed to the steady, heavy plod and take the deep places less fussily. there is rather an increased condition of false crust, that is, a crust which appears firm till the whole weight of the animal is put upon it, when it suddenly gives some three or four inches. this is very trying for the poor beasts. there are also more patches in which the men sink, so that walking is getting more troublesome, but, speaking broadly, the crusts are not comparatively bad and the surface is rather better than it was. if the hot sun continues this should still further improve. one cannot see any reason why the crust should change in the next miles. (temp. + °.) the land is visible along the western horizon in patches. bowers points out a continuous dark band. is this the dolerite sill? _thursday, november_ .--camp . getting along. i think the ponies will get through; we are now geographical miles from the glacier. but it is still rather touch and go. if one or more ponies were to go rapidly down hill we might be in queer street. the surface is much the same i think; before lunch there seemed to be a marked improvement, and after lunch the ponies marched much better, so that one supposed a betterment of the friction. it is banking up to the south (t. + °) and i'm afraid we may get a blizzard. i hope to goodness it is not going to stop one marching; forage won't allow that. _friday, november ._--camp . there was a cold wind changing from south to s.e. and overcast sky all day yesterday. a gloomy start to our march, but the cloud rapidly lifted, bands of clear sky broke through from east to west, and the remnants of cloud dissipated. now the sun is very bright and warm. we did the usual march very easily over a fairly good surface, the ponies now quite steady and regular. since the junction with the motor party the procedure has been for the man-hauling people to go forward just ahead of the crocks, the other party following or hours later. to-day we closed less than usual, so that the crocks must have been going very well. however, the fiat had already gone forth, and this morning after the march poor old jehu was led back on the track and shot. after our doubts as to his reaching hut point, it is wonderful to think that he has actually got eight marches beyond our last year limit and could have gone more. however, towards the end he was pulling very little, and on the whole it is merciful to have ended his life. chinaman seems to improve and will certainly last a good many days yet. the rest show no signs of flagging and are only moderately hungry. the surface is tiring for walking, as one sinks two or three inches nearly all the time. i feel we ought to get through now. day and hooper leave us to-night. _saturday, november ._--camp . the surface during the first march was very heavy owing to a liberal coating of ice crystals; it improved during the second march becoming quite good towards the end (t.- °). now that it is pretty warm at night it is obviously desirable to work towards day marching. we shall start hours later to-night and again to-morrow night. last night we bade farewell to day and hooper and set out with the new organisation (t.- °). all started together, the man-haulers, evans, lashly, and atkinson, going ahead with their gear on the -ft. sledge. chinaman and james pigg next, and the rest some ten minutes behind. we reached the lunch camp together and started therefrom in the same order, the two crocks somewhat behind, but not more than yards at the finish, so we all got into camp very satisfactorily together. the men said the first march was extremely heavy (t.-(- °). the sun has been shining all night, but towards midnight light mist clouds arose, half obscuring the leading parties. land can be dimly discerned nearly ahead. the ponies are slowly tiring, but we lighten loads again to-morrow by making another depôt. meares has just come up to report that jehu made four feeds for the dogs. he cut up very well and had quite a lot of fat on him. meares says another pony will carry him to the glacier. this is very good hearing. the men are pulling with ski sticks and say that they are a great assistance. i think of taking them up the glacier. jehu has certainly come up trumps after all, and chinaman bids fair to be even more valuable. only a few more marches to feel safe in getting to our first goal. _sunday, november_ .--camp . lunch camp. marched here fairly easily, comparatively good surface. started at a.m. (midnight, local time). we now keep a steady pace of miles an hour, very good going. the sky was slightly overcast at start and between two and three it grew very misty. before we camped we lost sight of the men-haulers only yards ahead. the sun is piercing the mist. here in lat. ° ' we are leaving our 'middle barrier depôt,' one week for each re unit as at mount hooper. camp .--snow began falling during the second march; it is blowing from the w.s.w., force to , with snow pattering on the tent, a kind of summery blizzard that reminds one of april showers at home. the ponies came well on the second march and we shall start hours later again to-morrow, i.e. at a.m. (t.+ °). from this it will be a very short step to day routine when the time comes for man-hauling. the sastrugi seem to be gradually coming more to the south and a little more confused; now and again they are crossed with hard westerly sastrugi. the walking is tiring for the men, one's feet sinking or inches at each step. chinaman and jimmy pigg kept up splendidly with the other ponies. it is always rather dismal work walking over the great snow plain when sky and surface merge in one pall of dead whiteness, but it is cheering to be in such good company with everything going on steadily and well. the dogs came up as we camped. meares says the best surface he has had yet. _monday, november_ .--camp . (t. + °, p.m.; + °, a.m.; + °, a.m.; + °, p.m.) quite the most trying march we have had. the surface very poor at start. the advance party got away in front but made heavy weather of it, and we caught them up several times. this threw the ponies out of their regular work and prolonged the march. it grew overcast again, although after a summery blizzard all yesterday there was promise of better things. starting at a.m. we did not get to lunch camp much before . the second march was even worse. the advance party started on ski, the leading marks failed altogether, and they had the greatest difficulty in keeping a course. at the midcairn building halt the snow suddenly came down heavily, with a rise of temperature, and the ski became hopelessly clogged (bad fahrer, as the norwegians say). at this time the surface was unspeakably heavy for pulling, but in a few minutes a south wind sprang up and a beneficial result was immediately felt. pulling on foot, the advance had even greater difficulty in going straight until the last half mile, when the sky broke slightly. we got off our march, but under the most harassing circumstances and with the animals very tired. it is snowing hard again now, and heaven only knows when it will stop. if it were not for the surface and bad light, things would not be so bad. there are few sastrugi and little deep snow. for the most part men and ponies sink to a hard crust some or inches beneath the soft upper snow. tiring for the men, but in itself more even, and therefore less tiring for the animals. meares just come up and reporting very bad surface. we shall start hour later to-morrow, i.e. at a.m., making hours' delay on the conditions of three days ago. our forage supply necessitates that we should plug on the (geographical) miles daily under all conditions, so that we can only hope for better things. it is several days since we had a glimpse of land, which makes conditions especially gloomy. a tired animal makes a tired man, i find, and none of us are very bright now after the day's march, though we have had ample sleep of late. _tuesday, november_ .--camp . the most dismal start imaginable. thick as a hedge, snow falling and drifting with keen southerly wind. the men pulled out at . with chinaman and james pigg. we followed at . , just catching the party at the lunch camp at . . things got better half way; the sky showed signs of clearing and the steering improved. now, at lunch, it is getting thick again. when will the wretched blizzard be over? the walking is better for ponies, worse for men; there is nearly everywhere a hard crust some to inches down. towards the end of the march we crossed a succession of high hard south-easterly sastrugi, widely dispersed. i don't know what to make of these. second march almost as horrid as the first. wind blowing strong from the south, shifting to s.e. as the snowstorms fell on us, when we could see little or nothing, and the driving snow hit us stingingly in the face. the general impression of all this dirty weather is that it spreads in from the s.e. we started at a.m., and i think i shall stick to that custom for the present. these last four marches have been fought for, but completed without hitch, and, though we camped in a snowstorm, there is a more promising look in the sky, and if only for a time the wind has dropped and the sun shines brightly, dispelling some of the gloomy results of the distressing marching. chinaman, 'the thunderbolt,' has been shot to-night. plucky little chap, he has stuck it out well and leaves the stage but a few days before his fellows. we have only four bags of forage (each one lbs.) left, but these should give seven marches with all the remaining animals, and we are less than miles from the glacier. bowers tells me that the barometer was phenomenally low both during this blizzard and the last. this has certainly been the most unexpected and trying summer blizzard yet experienced in this region. i only trust it is over. there is not much to choose between the remaining ponies. nobby and bones are the strongest, victor and christopher the weakest, but all should get through. the land doesn't show up yet. _wednesday, november_ .--camp . lat. ° '. things much better. the land showed up late yesterday; mount markham, a magnificent triple peak, appearing wonderfully close, cape lyttelton and cape goldie. we did our march in good time, leaving about . , and getting into this camp at . . about / hours on the march. i suppose our speed throughout averages stat. miles an hour. the land showed hazily on the march, at times looking remarkably near. sheety white snowy stratus cloud hung about overhead during the first march, but now the sky is clearing, the sun very warm and bright. land shows up almost ahead now, our pony goal less than miles away. the ponies are tired, but i believe all have five days' work left in them, and some a great deal more. chinaman made four feeds for the dogs, and i suppose we can count every other pony as a similar asset. it follows that the dogs can be employed, rested, and fed well on the homeward track. we could really get though now with their help and without much delay, yet every consideration makes it desirable to save the men from heavy hauling as long as possible. so i devoutly hope the miles will come in the present order of things. snippets and nobby now walk by themselves, following in the tracks well. both have a continually cunning eye on their driver, ready to stop the moment he pauses. they eat snow every few minutes. it's a relief not having to lead an animal; such trifles annoy one on these marches, the animal's vagaries, his everlasting attempts to eat his head rope, &c. yet all these animals are very full of character. some day i must write of them and their individualities. the men-haulers started / hours before us and got here a good hour ahead, travelling easily throughout. such is the surface with the sun on it, justifying my decision to work towards day marching. evans has suggested the word 'glide' for the quality of surface indicated. 'surface' is more comprehensive, and includes the crusts and liability to sink in them. from this point of view the surface is distinctly bad. the ponies plough deep all the time, and the men most of the time. the sastrugi are rather more clearly s.e.; this would be from winds sweeping along the coast. we have a recurrence of 'sinking crusts'--areas which give way with a report. there has been little of this since we left one ton camp until yesterday and to-day, when it is again very marked. certainly the open barrier conditions are different from those near the coast. altogether things look much better and everyone is in excellent spirits. meares has been measuring the holes made by ponies' hooves and finds an average of about inches since we left one ton camp. he finds many holes a foot deep. this gives a good indication of the nature of the work. in bowers' tent they had some of chinaman's undercut in their hoosh yesterday, and say it was excellent. i am cook for the present. have been discussing pony snowshoes. i wish to goodness the animals would wear them--it would save them any amount of labour in such surfaces as this. _thursday, november_ .--camp . a very pleasant day for marching, but a very tiring march for the poor animals, which, with the exception of nobby, are showing signs of failure all round. we were slower by half an hour or more than yesterday. except that the loads are light now and there are still eight animals left, things don't look too pleasant, but we should be less than miles from our first point of aim. the surface was much worse to-day, the ponies sinking to their knees very often. there were a few harder patches towards the end of the march. in spite of the sun there was not much 'glide' on the snow. the dogs are reported as doing very well. they are going to be a great standby, no doubt. the land has been veiled in thin white mist; it appeared at intervals after we camped and i had taken a couple of photographs. _friday, december_ .--camp . lat. ° '. the ponies are tiring pretty rapidly. it is a question of days with all except nobby. yet they are outlasting the forage, and to-night against some opinion i decided christopher must go. he has been shot; less regret goes with him than the others, in remembrance of all the trouble he gave at the outset, and the unsatisfactory way he has gone of late. here we leave a depôt [ ] so that no extra weight is brought on the other ponies; in fact there is a slight diminution. three more marches ought to bring us through. with the seven crocks and the dog teams we _must_ get through i think. the men alone ought not to have heavy loads on the surface, which is extremely trying. nobby was tried in snowshoes this morning, and came along splendidly on them for about four miles, then the wretched affairs racked and had to be taken off. there is no doubt that these snowshoes are _the_ thing for ponies, and had ours been able to use them from the beginning they would have been very different in appearance at this moment. i think the sight of land has helped the animals, but not much. we started in bright warm sunshine and with the mountains wonderfully clear on our right hand, but towards the end of the march clouds worked up from the east and a thin broken cumulo-stratus now overspreads the sky, leaving the land still visible but dull. a fine glacier descends from mount longstaff. it has cut very deep and the walls stand at an angle of at least °. otherwise, although there are many cwms on the lower ranges, the mountains themselves seem little carved. they are rounded massive structures. a cliff of light yellow-brown rock appears opposite us, flanked with black or dark brown rock, which also appears under the lighter colour. one would be glad to know what nature of rock these represent. there is a good deal of exposed rock on the next range also. _saturday, december_ .--camp . lat. °. started under very bad weather conditions. the stratus spreading over from the s.e. last night meant mischief, and all day we marched in falling snow with a horrible light. the ponies went poorly on the first march, when there was little or no wind and a high temperature. they were sinking deep on a wretched surface. i suggested to oates that he should have a roving commission to watch the animals, but he much preferred to lead one, so i handed over snippets very willingly and went on ski myself. it was very easy work for me and i took several photographs of the ponies plunging along--the light very strong at (watkins actinometer). the ponies did much better on the second march, both surface and glide improved; i went ahead and found myself obliged to take a very steady pace to keep the lead, so we arrived in camp in flourishing condition. sad to have to order victor's end--poor bowers feels it. he is in excellent condition and will provide five feeds for the dogs. (temp. + °.) we must kill now as the forage is so short, but we have reached the rd parallel and are practically safe to get through. to-night the sky is breaking and conditions generally more promising--it is dreadfully dismal work marching through the blank wall of white, and we should have very great difficulty if we had not a party to go ahead and show the course. the dogs are doing splendidly and will take a heavier load from to-morrow. we kill another pony to-morrow night if we get our march off, and shall then have nearly three days' food for the other five. in fact everything looks well if the weather will only give us a chance to see our way to the glacier. wild, in his diary of shackleton's journey, remarks on december , that it is the first day for a month that he could not record splendid weather. with us a fine day has been the exception so far. however, we have not lost a march yet. it was so warm when we camped that the snow melted as it fell, and everything got sopping wet. oates came into my tent yesterday, exchanging with cherry-garrard. the lists now: self, wilson, oates, and keohane. bowers, p.o. evans, cherry and crean. man-haulers: e. r. evans, atkinson, wright, and lashly. we have all taken to horse meat and are so well fed that hunger isn't thought of. _sunday, december_ .--camp . our luck in weather is preposterous. i roused the hands at . a.m., intending to get away at . it was thick and snowy, yet we could have got on; but at breakfast the wind increased, and by . it was blowing a full gale from the south. the pony wall blew down, huge drifts collected, and the sledges were quickly buried. it was the strongest wind i have known here in summer. at it began to take off. at . we got up and had lunch and got ready to start. the land appeared, the clouds broke, and by . we were in bright sunshine. we were off at p.m., the land showing all round, and, but for some cloud to the s.e., everything promising. at . i saw the south-easterly cloud spreading up; it blotted out the land miles away at . and was on us before . the sun went out, snow fell thickly, and marching conditions became horrible. the wind increased from the s.e., changed to s.w., where it hung for a time, and suddenly shifted to w.n.w. and then n.n.w., from which direction it is now blowing with falling and drifting snow. the changes of conditions are inconceivably rapid, perfectly bewildering. in spite of all these difficulties we have managed to get / miles south and to this camp at p.m.-the conditions of marching simply horrible. the man-haulers led out miles (geo.) and then camped. i think they had had enough of leading. we passed them, bowers and i ahead on ski. we steered with compass, the drifting snow across our ski, and occasional glimpse of south-easterly sastrugi under them, till the sun showed dimly for the last hour or so. the whole weather conditions seem thoroughly disturbed, and if they continue so when we are on the glacier, we shall be very awkwardly placed. it is really time the luck turned in our favour--we have had all too little of it. every mile seems to have been hardly won under such conditions. the ponies did splendidly and the forage is lasting a little better than expected. victor was found to have quite a lot of fat on him and the others are pretty certain to have more, so that vwe should have no difficulty whatever as regards transport if only the weather was kind. _monday, december_ .--camp , a.m. i roused the party at . during the night the wind had changed from n.n.w. to s.s.e.; it was not strong, but the sun was obscured and the sky looked heavy; patches of land could be faintly seen and we thought that at any rate we could get on, but during breakfast the wind suddenly increased in force and afterwards a glance outside was sufficient to show a regular white floury blizzard. we have all been out building fresh walls for the ponies--an uninviting task, but one which greatly adds to the comfort of the animals, who look sleepy and bored, but not at all cold. the dogs came up with us as we camped last night arid the man-haulers arrived this morning as we finished the pony wall. so we are all together again. the latter had great difficulty in following our tracks, and say they could not have steered a course without them. it is utterly impossible to push ahead in this weather, and one is at a complete loss to account for it. the barometer rose from . to . last night, a phenomenal rise. evidently there is very great disturbance of atmospheric conditions. well, one must stick it out, that is all, and hope for better things, but it makes me feel a little bitter to contrast such weather with that experienced by our predecessors. camp .--the wind fell in the forenoon, at . the sky began to clear, by the sun shone, by p.m. we were away, and by p.m. camped here with miles to the good. the land was quite clear throughout the march and the features easily recognised. there are several uncharted glaciers of large dimensions, a confluence of three under mount reid. the mountains are rounded in outline, very massive, with small excrescent peaks and undeveloped 'cwms' (t. + °). the cwms are very fine in the lower foot-hills and the glaciers have carved deep channels between walls at very high angles; one or two peaks on the foot-hills stand bare and almost perpendicular, probably granite; we should know later. ahead of us is the ice-rounded, boulder-strewn mount hope and the gateway to the glacier. we should reach it easily enough on to-morrow's march if we can compass miles. the ponies marched splendidly to-day, crossing the deep snow in the undulations without difficulty. they must be in very much better condition than shackleton's animals, and indeed there isn't a doubt they would go many miles yet if food allowed. the dogs are simply splendid, but came in wanting food, so we had to sacrifice poor little michael, who, like the rest, had lots of fat on him. all the tents are consuming pony flesh and thoroughly enjoying it. we have only lost or miles on these two wretched days, but the disturbed condition of the weather makes me anxious with regard to the glacier, where more than anywhere we shall need fine days. one has a horrid feeling that this is a real bad season. however, sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. we are practically through with the first stage of our journey. looking from the last camp towards the s.s.e., where the farthest land can be seen, it seemed more than probable that a very high latitude could be reached on the barrier, and if amundsen journeying that way has a stroke of luck, he may well find his summit journey reduced to miles or so. in any case it is a fascinating direction for next year's work if only fresh transport arrives. the dips between undulations seem to be about to feet. to-night we get puffs of wind from the gateway, which for the moment looks uninviting. four days' delay _tuesday, december_ .--camp . noon. we awoke this morning to a raging, howling blizzard. the blows we have had hitherto have lacked the very fine powdery snow--that especial feature of the blizzard. to-day we have it fully developed. after a minute or two in the open one is covered from head to foot. the temperature is high, so that what falls or drives against one sticks. the ponies--head, tails, legs, and all parts not protected by their rugs--are covered with ice; the animals are standing deep in snow, the sledges are almost covered, and huge drifts above the tents. we have had breakfast, rebuilt the walls, and are now again in our bags. one cannot see the next tent, let alone the land. what on earth does such weather mean at this time of year? it is more than our share of ill-fortune, i think, but the luck may turn yet. i doubt if any party could travel in such weather even with the wind, certainly no one could travel against it. is there some widespread atmospheric disturbance which will be felt everywhere in this region as a bad season, or are we merely the victims of exceptional local conditions? if the latter, there is food for thought in picturing our small party struggling against adversity in one place whilst others go smilingly forward in the sunshine. how great may be the element of luck! no foresight--no procedure--could have prepared us for this state of affairs. had we been ten times as experienced or certain of our aim we should not have expected such rebuffs. p.m.--it has blown hard all day with quite the greatest snowfall i remember. the drifts about the tents are simply huge. the temperature was + ° this forenoon, and rose to + ° in the afternoon, at which time the snow melted as it fell on anything but the snow, and, as a consequence, there are pools of water on everything, the tents are wet through, also the wind clothes, night boots, &c.; water drips from the tent poles and door, lies on the floorcloth, soaks the sleeping-bags, and makes everything pretty wretched. if a cold snap follows before we have had time to dry our things, we shall be mighty uncomfortable. yet after all it would be humorous enough if it were not for the seriousness of delay--we can't afford that, and it's real hard luck that it should come at such a time. the wind shows signs of easing down, but the temperature does not fall and the snow is as wet as ever--not promising signs of abatement. keohane's rhyme! the snow is all melting and everything's afloat, if this goes on much longer we shall have to turn the _tent_ upside down and use it as a boat. _wednesday, december_ .--camp . noon. miserable, utterly miserable. we have camped in the 'slough of despond.' the tempest rages with unabated violence. the temperature has gone to °; everything in the tent is soaking. people returning from the outside look exactly as though they had been in a heavy shower of rain. they drip pools on the floorcloth. the snow is steadily climbing higher about walls, ponies, tents, and sledges. the ponies look utterly desolate. oh! but this is too crushing, and we are only miles from the glacier. a hopeless feeling descends on one and is hard to fight off. what immense patience is needed for such occasions! p.m.--at there came signs of a break at last, and now one can see the land, but the sky is still overcast and there is a lot of snow about. the wind also remains fairly strong and the temperature high. it is not pleasant, but if no worse in the morning we can get on at last. we are very, very wet. _thursday, december_ .--camp . the storm continues and the situation is now serious. one small feed remains for the ponies after to-day, so that we must either march to-morrow or sacrifice the animals. that is not the worst; with the help of the dogs we could get on, without doubt. the serious part is that we have this morning started our summer rations, that is to say, the food calculated from the glacier depot has been begun. the first supporting party can only go on a fortnight from this date and so forth. the storm shows no sign of abatement and its character is as unpleasant as ever. the promise of last night died away about a.m., when the temperature and wind rose again, and things reverted to the old conditions. i can find no sign of an end, and all of us agree that it is utterly impossible to move. resignation to misfortune is the only attitude, but not an easy one to adopt. it seems undeserved where plans were well laid and so nearly crowned with a first success. i cannot see that any plan would be altered if it were to do again, the margin for bad weather was ample according to all experience, and this stormy december--our finest month--is a thing that the most cautious organiser might not have been prepared to encounter. it is very evil to lie here in a wet sleeping-bag and think of the pity of it, whilst with no break in the overcast sky things go steadily from bad to worse (t. °). meares has a bad attack of snow blindness in one eye. i hope this rest will help him, but he says it has been painful for a long time. there cannot be good cheer in the camp in such weather, but it is ready to break out again. in the brief spell of hope last night one heard laughter. midnight. little or no improvement. the barometer is rising--perhaps there is hope in that. surely few situations could be more exasperating than this of forced inactivity when every day and indeed one hour counts. to be here watching the mottled wet green walls of our tent, the glistening wet bamboos, the bedraggled sopping socks and loose articles dangling in the middle, the saddened countenances of my companions--to hear the everlasting patter of the falling snow and the ceaseless rattle of the fluttering canvas--to feel the wet clinging dampness of clothes and everything touched, and to know that without there is but a blank wall of white on every side--these are the physical surroundings. add the stress of sighted failure of our whole plan, and anyone must find the circumstances unenviable. but yet, after all, one can go on striving, endeavouring to find a stimulation in the difficulties that arise. _friday, december_ .--camp . hoped against hope for better conditions, to wake to the mournfullest snow and wind as usual. we had breakfast at , and at noon the wind dropped. we set about digging out the sledges, no light task. we then shifted our tent sites. all tents had been reduced to the smallest volume by the gradual pressure of snow. the old sites are deep pits with hollowed-in wet centres. the re-setting of the tent has at least given us comfort, especially since the wind has dropped. about the sky showed signs of breaking, the sun and a few patches of land could be dimly discerned. the wind shifted in light airs and a little hope revived. alas! as i write the sun has disappeared and snow is again falling. our case is growing desperate. evans and his man-haulers tried to pull a load this afternoon. they managed to move a sledge with four people on it, pulling in ski. pulling on foot they sank to the knees. the snow all about us is terribly deep. we tried nobby and he plunged to his belly in it. wilson thinks the ponies finished,_ _ but oates thinks they will get another march in spite of the surface, _if it comes to-morrow_. if it should not, we must kill the ponies to-morrow and get on as best we can with the men on ski and the dogs. but one wonders what the dogs can do on such a surface. i much fear they also will prove inadequate. oh! for fine weather, if only to the glacier. the temperature remains °, and everything is disgustingly wet. p.m.--the wind has gone to the north, the sky is really breaking at last, the sun showing less sparingly, and the land appearing out of the haze. the temperature has fallen to °, and the water nuisance is already bating. with so fair a promise of improvement it would be too cruel to have to face bad weather to-morrow. there is good cheer in the camp to-night in the prospect of action. the poor ponies look wistfully for the food of which so very little remains, yet they are not hungry, as recent savings have resulted from food left in their nosebags. they look wonderfully fit, all things considered. everything looks more hopeful to-night, but nothing can recall four lost days. _saturday, december_ .--camp . i turned out two or three times in the night to find the weather slowly improving; at . we all got up, and at got away with the ponies--a most painful day. the tremendous snowfall of the late storm had made the surface intolerably soft, and after the first hour there was no glide. we pressed on the poor half-rationed animals, but could get none to lead for more than a few minutes; following, the animals would do fairly well. it looked as we could never make headway; the man-haulers were pressed into the service to aid matters. bowers and cherry-garrard went ahead with one -foot sledge,--thus most painfully we made about a mile. the situation was saved by p.o. evans, who put the last pair of snowshoes on snatcher. from this he went on without much pressing, the other ponies followed, and one by one were worn out in the second place. we went on all day without lunch. three or four miles (t. °) found us engulfed in pressures, but free from difficulty except the awful softness of the snow. by p.m. we had reached within a mile or so of the slope ascending to the gap which shackleton called the gateway._ _ i had hoped to be through the gateway with the ponies still in hand at a very much earlier date and, but for the devastating storm, we should have been. it has been a most serious blow to us, but things are not yet desperate, if only the storm has not hopelessly spoilt the surface. the man-haulers are not up yet, in spite of their light load. i think they have stopped for tea, or something, but under ordinary conditions they would have passed us with ease. at p.m. the ponies were quite done, one and all. they came on painfully slowly a few hundred yards at a time. by this time i was hauling ahead, a ridiculously light load, and yet finding the pulling heavy enough. we camped, and the ponies have been shot. [ ] poor beasts! they have done wonderfully well considering the terrible circumstances under which they worked, but yet it is hard to have to kill them so early. the dogs are going well in spite of the surface, but here again one cannot get the help one would wish. (t. °.) i cannot load the animals heavily on such snow. the scenery is most impressive; three huge pillars of granite form the right buttress of the gateway, and a sharp spur of mount hope the left. the land is much more snow covered than when we saw it before the storm. in spite of some doubt in our outlook, everyone is very cheerful to-night and jokes are flying freely around. chapter xvii on the beardmore glacier _sunday, december_ .--camp . [ ] i was very anxious about getting our loads forward over such an appalling surface, and that we have done so is mainly due to the ski. i roused everyone at , but it was noon before all the readjustments of load had been made and we were ready to start. the dogs carried lbs. of our weight besides the depot ( lbs.). it was greatly to my surprise when we--my own party--with a 'one, two, three together' started our sledge, and we found it running fairly easily behind us. we did the first mile at a rate of about miles an hour, having previously very carefully scraped and dried our runners. the day was gloriously fine and we were soon perspiring. after the first mile we began to rise, and for some way on a steep slope we held to our ski and kept going. then the slope got steeper and the surface much worse, and we had to take off our ski. the pulling after this was extraordinarily fatiguing. we sank above our finnesko everywhere, and in places nearly to our knees. the runners of the sledges got coated with a thin film of ice from which we could not free them, and the sledges themselves sank to the crossbars in soft spots. all the time they were literally ploughing the snow. we reached the top of the slope at , and started on after tea on the down grade. on this we had to pull almost as hard as on the upward slope, but could just manage to get along on ski. we camped at . , when a heavy wind coming down the glacier suddenly fell on us; but i had decided to camp before, as evans' party could not keep up, and wilson told me some very alarming news concerning it. it appears that atkinson says that wright is getting played out and lashly is not so fit as he was owing to the heavy pulling since the blizzard. i have not felt satisfied about this party. the finish of the march to-day showed clearly that something was wrong. they fell a long way behind, had to take off ski, and took nearly half an hour to come up a few hundred yards. true, the surface was awful and growing worse every moment. it is a very serious business if the men are going to crack up. as for myself, i never felt fitter and my party can easily hold its own. p.o. evans, of course, is a tower of strength, but oates and wilson are doing splendidly also. here where we are camped the snow is worse than i have ever seen it, but we are in a hollow. every step here one sinks to the knees and the uneven surface is obviously insufficient to support the sledges. perhaps this wind is a blessing in disguise, already it seems to be hardening the snow. all this soft snow is an aftermath of our prolonged storm. hereabouts shackleton found hard blue ice. it seems an extraordinary difference in fortune, and at every step s.'s luck becomes more evident. i take the dogs on for half a day to-morrow, then send them home. we have lbs. to add to each sledge load and could easily do it on a reasonable surface, but it looks very much as though we shall be forced to relay if present conditions hold. there is a strong wind down the glacier to-night. '_beardmore glacier_.--just a tiny note to be taken back by the dogs. things are not so rosy as they might be, but we keep our spirits up and say the luck must turn. this is only to tell you that i find i can keep up with the rest as well as of old.' _monday, december_ .--camp . a very good day from one point of view, very bad from another. we started straight out over the glacier and passed through a good deal of disturbance. we pulled on ski and the dogs followed. i cautioned the drivers to keep close to their sledges and we must have passed over a good many crevasses undiscovered by us, thanks to ski, and by the dogs owing to the soft snow. in one only seaman evans dropped a leg, ski and all. we built our depot [ ] before starting, made it very conspicuous, and left a good deal of gear there. the old man-hauling party made heavy weather at first, but when relieved of a little weight and having cleaned their runners and re-adjusted their load they came on in fine style, and, passing us, took the lead. starting about , by o'clock we were clear of the pressure, and i camped the dogs, discharged our loads, and we put them on our sledges. it was a very anxious business when we started after lunch, about . . could we pull our full loads or not? my own party got away first, and, to my joy, i found we could make fairly good headway. every now and again the sledge sank in a soft patch, which brought us up, but we learned to treat such occasions with patience. we got sideways to the sledge and hauled it out, evans (p.o.) getting out of his ski to get better purchase. the great thing is to keep the sledge moving, and for an hour or more there were dozens of critical moments when it all but stopped, and not a few in it brought up altogether. the latter were very trying and tiring. but suddenly the surface grew more uniform and we more accustomed to the game, for after a long stop to let the other parties come up, i started at and ran on till , pulling easily without a halt at the rate of about miles an hour. i was very jubilant; all difficulties seemed to be vanishing; but unfortunately our history was not repeated with the other parties. bowers came up about half an hour after us. they also had done well at the last, and i'm pretty sure they will get on all right. keohane is the only weak spot, and he only, i think, because blind (temporarily). but evans' party didn't get up till . they started quite well, but got into difficulties, did just the wrong thing by straining again and again, and so, tiring themselves, went from bad to worse. their ski shoes, too, are out of trim. just as i thought we were in for making a great score, this difficulty overtakes us--it is dreadfully trying. the snow around us to-night is terribly soft, one sinks to the knee at every step; it would be impossible to drag sledges on foot and very difficult for dogs. ski are the thing, and here are my tiresome fellow-countrymen too prejudiced to have prepared themselves for the event. the dogs should get back quite easily; there is food all along the line. the glacier wind sprang up about ; the morning was very fine and warm. to-night there is some stratus cloud forming--a hint no more bad weather in sight. a plentiful crop of snow blindness due to incaution--the sufferers evans, bowers, keohane, lashly, oates--in various degrees. this forenoon wilson went over to a boulder poised on the glacier. it proved to be a very coarse granite with large crystals of quartz in it. evidently the rock of which the pillars of the gateway and other neighbouring hills are formed. _tuesday, december_ .--camp . we have had a hard day, and during the forenoon it was my team which made the heaviest weather of the work. we got bogged again and again, and, do what we would, the sledge dragged like lead. the others were working hard but nothing to be compared to us. at . i halted for lunch, pretty well cooked, and there was disclosed the secret of our trouble in a thin film with some hard knots of ice on the runners. evans' team had been sent off in advance, and we didn't--couldn't!--catch them, but they saw us camp and break camp and followed suit. i really dreaded starting after lunch, but after some trouble to break the sledge out, we went ahead without a hitch, and in a mile or two recovered our leading place with obvious ability to keep it. at i saw the other teams were flagging and so camped at , meaning to turn out earlier to-morrow and start a better routine. we have done about or perhaps miles (stat.)--the sledge-meters are hopeless on such a surface. it is evident that what i expected has occurred. the whole of the lower valley is filled with snow from the recent storm, and if we had not had ski we should be hopelessly bogged. on foot one sinks to the knees, and if pulling on a sledge to half-way between knee and thigh. it would, therefore, be absolutely impossible to advance on foot with our loads. considering all things, we are getting better on ski. a crust is forming over the soft snow. in a week or so i have little doubt it will be strong enough to support sledges and men. at present it carries neither properly. the sledges get bogged every now and again, sinking to the crossbars. needless to say, the hauling is terrible when this occurs. we steered for the commonwealth range during the forenoon till we reached about the middle of the glacier. this showed that the unnamed glacier to the s.w. raised great pressure. observing this, i altered course for the 'cloudmaker' and later still farther to the west. we must be getting a much better view of the southern side of the main glacier than shackleton got, and consequently have observed a number of peaks which he did not notice. we are about or / days behind him as a result of the storm, but on this surface our sledges could not be more heavily laden than they are, in fact we have not nearly enough runner surface as it is. moreover, the sledges are packed too high and therefore capsize too easily. i do not think the glacier can be so broad as s. shows it. certainly the scenery is not nearly so impressive as that of the ferrar, but there are interesting features showing up--a distinct banded structure on mount elizabeth, which we think may well be a recurrence of the beacon sandstone--more banding on the commonwealth range. during the three days we have been here the wind has blown down the glacier at night, or rather from the s.w., and it has been calm in the morning--a sort of nightly land-breeze. there is also a very remarkable difference in temperature between day and night. it was + ° when we started, and without hard work we were literally soaked through with perspiration. it is now + °. evans' party kept up much better to-day; we had their shoes into our tent this morning, and p.o. evans put them into shape again. _wednesday, december_ .--camp . a most _damnably_ dismal day. we started at eight--the pulling terribly bad, though the glide decidedly good; a new crust in patches, not sufficient to support the ski, but without possibility of hold. therefore, as the pullers got on the hard patches they slipped back. the sledges plunged into the soft places and stopped dead. evans' party got away first; we followed, and for some time helped them forward at their stops, but this proved altogether too much for us, so i forged ahead and camped at p.m., as the others were far astern. during lunch i decided to try the -feet runners under the crossbars and we spent three hours in securing them. there was no delay on account of the slow progress of the other parties. evans passed us, and for some time went forward fairly well up a decided slope. the sun was shining on the surface by this time, and the temperature high. bowers started after evans, and it was easy to see the really terrible state of affairs with them. they made desperate efforts to get along, but ever got more and more bogged--evidently the glide had vanished. when we got away we soon discovered how awful the surface had become; added to the forenoon difficulties the snow had become wet and sticky. we got our load along, soon passing bowers, but the toil was simply awful. we were soaked with perspiration and thoroughly breathless with our efforts. again and again the sledge got one runner on harder snow than the other, canted on its side, and refused to move. at the top of the rise i found evans reduced to relay work, and bowers followed his example soon after. we got our whole load through till p.m., camping time, but only with repeated halts and labour which was altogether too strenuous. the other parties certainly cannot get a full load along on the surface, and i much doubt if we could continue to do so, but we must try again to-morrow. i suppose we have advanced a bare miles to-day and the aspect of things is very little changed. our height is now about , feet; i had pinned my faith on getting better conditions as we rose, but it looks as though matters were getting worse instead of better. as far as the cloudmaker the valley looks like a huge basin for the lodgement of such snow as this. we can but toil on, but it is woefully disheartening. i am not at all hungry, but pretty thirsty. (t. + °.) i find our summit ration is even too filling for the present. two skuas came round the camp at lunch, no doubt attracted by our 'shambles' camp. _thursday, december_ .--camp . indigestion and the soggy condition of my clothes kept me awake for some time last night, and the exceptional exercise gives bad attacks of cramp. our lips are getting raw and blistered. the eyes of the party are improving, i am glad to say. we are just starting our march with no very hopeful outlook. (t. + °.) _evening._ (height about feet.) evans' party started first this morning; for an hour they found the hauling stiff, but after that, to my great surprise, they went on easily. bowers followed without getting over the ground so easily. after the first yards my own party came on with a swing that told me at once that all would be well. we soon caught the others and offered to take on more weight, but evans' pride wouldn't allow such help. later in the morning we exchanged sledges with bowers, pulled theirs easily, whilst they made quite heavy work with ours. i am afraid cherry-garrard and keohane are the weakness of that team, though both put their utmost into the traces. however, we all lunched together after a satisfactory morning's work. in the afternoon we did still better, and camped at . with a very marked change in the land bearings. we must have come or miles (stat.). we got fearfully hot on the march, sweated through everything and stripped off jerseys. the result is we are pretty cold and clammy now, but escape from the soft snow and a good march compensate every discomfort. at lunch the blue ice was about feet beneath us, now it is barely a foot, so that i suppose we shall soon find it uncovered. to-night the sky is overcast and wind has been blowing up the glacier. i think there will be another spell of gloomy weather on the barrier, and the question is whether this part of the glacier escapes. there are crevasses about, one about eighteen inches across outside bowers' tent, and a narrower one outside our own. i think the soft snow trouble is at an end, and i could wish nothing better than a continuance of the present surface. towards the end of the march we were pulling our loads with the greatest ease. it is splendid to be getting along and to find some adequate return for the work we are putting into the business. _friday, december_ .--camp . (height about . lat. about ° '.) got away at ; marched till ; the surface improving and snow covering thinner over the blue ice, but the sky overcast and glooming, the clouds ever coming lower, and evans' is now decidedly the slowest unit, though bowers' is not much faster. we keep up and overhaul either without difficulty. it was an enormous relief yesterday to get steady going without involuntary stops, but yesterday and this morning, once the sledge was stopped, it was very difficult to start again--the runners got temporarily stuck. this afternoon for the first time we could start by giving one good heave together, and so for the first time we are able to stop to readjust footgear or do any other desirable task. this is a second relief for which we are most grateful. at the lunch camp the snow covering was less than a foot, and at this it is a bare nine inches; patches of ice and hard névé are showing through in places. i meant to camp at . , but before . the sky came down on us with falling snow. we could see nothing, and the pulling grew very heavy. at . there seemed nothing to do but camp--another interrupted march. our luck is really very bad. we should have done a good march to-day, as it is we have covered about miles (stat.). since supper there are signs of clearing again, but i don't like the look of things; this weather has been working up from the s.e. with all the symptoms of our pony-wrecking storm. pray heaven we are not going to have this wretched snow in the worst part of the glacier to come. the lower part of this glacier is not very interesting, except from an ice point of view. except mount kyffen, little bare rock is visible, and its structure at this distance is impossible to determine. there are no moraines on the surface of the glacier either. the tributary glaciers are very fine and have cut very deep courses, though they do not enter at grade. the walls of this valley are extraordinarily steep; we count them at least ° in places. the ice-falls descending over the northern sides are almost continuous one with another, but the southern steep faces are nearly bare; evidently the sun gets a good hold on them. there must be a good deal of melting and rock weathering, the talus heaps are considerable under the southern rock faces. higher up the valley there is much more bare rock and stratification, which promises to be very interesting, but oh! for fine weather; surely we have had enough of this oppressive gloom. _saturday, december _.--camp . a gloomy morning, clearing at noon and ending in a gloriously fine evening. although constantly anxious in the morning, the light held good for travelling throughout the day, and we have covered miles (stat.), altering the aspect of the glacier greatly. but the travelling has been very hard. we started at , lunched at . , and marched on till . --over ten hours on the march--the limit of time to be squeezed into one day. we began on ski as usual, evans' team hampering us a bit; the pulling very hard after yesterday's snowfall. in the afternoon we continued on ski till after two hours we struck a peculiarly difficult surface--old hard sastrugi underneath, with pits and high soft sastrugi due to very recent snowfalls. the sledges were so often brought up by this that we decided to take to our feet, and thus made better progress, but for the time with very excessive labour. the crust, brittle, held for a pace or two, then let one down with a bump some or inches. now and again one's leg went down a crack in the hard ice underneath. we drew up a slope on this surface and discovered a long icefall extending right across our track, i presume the same pressure which caused shackleton to turn towards the cloudmaker. we made in for that mountain and soon got on hard, crevassed, undulating ice with quantities of soft snow in the hollows. the disturbance seems to increase, but the snow to diminish as we approach the rocks. we shall look for a moraine and try and follow it up to-morrow. the hills on our left have horizontally stratified rock alternating with snow. the exposed rock is very black; the brownish colour of the cloudmaker has black horizontal streaks across it. the sides of the glacier north of the cloudmaker have a curious cutting, the upper part less steep than the lower, suggestive of different conditions of glacier-flow in succeeding ages. we must push on all we can, for we are now days behind shackleton, all due to that wretched storm. so far, since we got amongst the disturbances we have not seen such alarming crevasses as i had expected; certainly dogs could have come up as far as this. at present one gets terrible hot and perspiring on the march, and quickly cold when halted, but the sun makes up for all evils. it is very difficult to know what to do about the ski; their weight is considerable and yet under certain circumstances they are extraordinarily useful. everyone is very satisfied with our summit ration. the party which has been man-hauling for so long say they are far less hungry than they used to be. it is good to think that the majority will keep up this good feeding all through. _sunday, december_ .--camp . soon after starting we found ourselves in rather a mess; bad pressure ahead and long waves between us and the land. blue ice showed on the crests of the waves; very soft snow lay in the hollows. we had to cross the waves in places feet from crest to hollow, and we did it by sitting on the sledge and letting her go. thus we went down with a rush and our impetus carried us some way up the other side; then followed a fearfully tough drag to rise the next crest. after two hours of this i saw a larger wave, the crest of which continued hard ice up the glacier; we reached this and got excellent travelling for miles on it, then rose on a steep gradient, and so topped the pressure ridge. the smooth ice is again lost and we have patches of hard and soft snow with ice peeping out in places, cracks in all directions, and legs very frequently down. we have done very nearly miles (geo.). evening.--(temp. - °.) height about above barrier. after lunch decided to take the risk of sticking to the centre of the glacier, with good result. we travelled on up the more or less rounded ridge which i had selected in the morning, and camped at . with / stat. miles made good. this has put mount hope in the background and shows us more of the upper reaches. if we can keep up the pace, we gain on shackleton, and i don't see any reason why we shouldn't, except that more pressure is showing up ahead. for once one can say 'sufficient for the day is the good thereof.' our luck may be on the turn--i think we deserve it. in spite of the hard work everyone is very fit and very cheerful, feeling well fed and eager for more toil. eyes are much better except poor wilson's; he has caught a very bad attack. remembering his trouble on our last southern journey, i fear he is in for a very bad time. we got fearfully hot this morning and marched in singlets, which became wringing wet; thus uncovered the sun gets at one's skin, and then the wind, which makes it horribly uncomfortable. our lips are very sore. we cover them with the soft silk plaster which seems about the best thing for the purpose. i'm inclined to think that the summit trouble will be mostly due to the chill falling on sunburned skins. even now one feels the cold strike directly one stops. we get fearfully thirsty and chip up ice on the march, as well as drinking a great deal of water on halting. our fuel only just does it, but that is all we want, and we have a bit in hand for the summit. the pulling this afternoon was fairly pleasant; at first over hard snow, and then on to pretty rough ice with surface snowfield cracks, bad for sledges, but ours promised to come through well. we have worn our crampons all day and are delighted with them. p.o. evans, the inventor of both crampons and ski shoes, is greatly pleased, and certainly we owe him much. the weather is beginning to look dirty again, snow clouds rolling in from the east as usual. i believe it will be overcast to-morrow. _monday, december_ .--camp . lunch nearly feet above barrier. overcast and snowing this morning as i expected, land showing on starboard hand, so, though it was gloomy and depressing, we could march, and did. we have done our stat. miles between . and p.m.; at first fairly good surface; then the ice got very rugged with sword-cut splits. we got on a slope which made matters worse. i then pulled up to the left, at first without much improvement, but as we topped a rise the surface got much better and things look quite promising for the moment. on our right we have now a pretty good view of the adams marshall and wild mountains and their very curious horizontal stratification. wright has found, amongst bits of wind-blown debris, an undoubted bit of sandstone and a bit of black basalt. we must get to know more of the geology before leaving the glacier finally. this morning all our gear was fringed with ice crystals which looked very pretty. afternoon.--(night camp no. , about above barrier. t. - °. lat. about ° '.) after lunch got on some very rough stuff within a few hundred yards of pressure ridge. there seemed no alternative, and we went through with it. later, the glacier opened out into a broad basin with irregular undulations, and we on to a better surface, but later on again this improvement nearly vanished, so that it has been hard going all day, but we have done a good mileage (over stat.). we are less than five days behind s. now. there was a promise of a clearance about noon, but later more snow clouds drifted over from the east, and now it is snowing again. we have scarcely caught a gimpse of the eastern side of the glacier all day. the western side has not been clear enough to photograph at the halts. it is very annoying, but i suppose we must be thankful when we can get our marches off. still sweating horribly on the march and very thirsty at the halts. _tuesday, december _.--lunch, rise . dist. / geo. camp . things are looking up. started on good surface, soon came to very annoying criss-cross cracks. i fell into two and have bad bruises on knee and thigh, but we got along all the time until we reached an admirable smooth ice surface excellent for travelling. the last mile, névé predominating and therefore the pulling a trifle harder, we have risen into the upper basin of the glacier. seemingly close about us are the various land masses which adjoin the summit: it looks as though we might have difficulties in the last narrows. we are having a long lunch hour for angles, photographs, and sketches. the slight south-westerly wind came down the glacier as we started, and the sky, which was overcast, has rapidly cleared in consequence. night. height about . camp . we stepped off this afternoon at the rate of miles or more an hour, with the very satisfactory result of (stat.) miles to the good for the day. it has not been a strain, except perhaps for me with my wounds received early in the day. the wind has kept us cool on the march, which has in consequence been very much pleasanter; we are not wet in our clothes to-night, and have not suffered from the same overpowering thirst as on previous days. (t. - °.) (min. - °.) evans and bowers are busy taking angles; as they have been all day, we shall have material for an excellent chart. days like this put heart in one. _wednesday, december _.--camp . feet about. just got off our last best half march-- miles yards (geo.), over miles stat. with an afternoon to follow we should do well to-day; the wind has been coming up the valley. turning this book [ ] seems to have brought luck. we marched on till nearly o'clock after a long lunch halt, and covered / geo. miles, nearly (stat.), rising feet. this morning we came over a considerable extent of hard snow, then got to hard ice with patches of snow; a state of affairs which has continued all day. pulling the sledges in crampons is no difficulty at all. at lunch wilson and bowers walked back miles or so to try and find bowers' broken sledgemeter, without result. during their absence a fog spread about us, carried up the valleys by easterly wind. we started the afternoon march in this fog very unpleasantly, but later it gradually lifted, and to-night it is very fine and warm. as the fog lifted we saw a huge line of pressure ahead; i steered for a place where the slope looked smoother, and we are camped beneath the spot to-night. we must be ahead of shackleton's position on the th. all day we have been admiring a wonderful banded structure of the rock; to-night it is beautifully clear on mount darwin. i have just told off the people to return to-morrow night: atkinson, wright, cherry-garrard, and keohane. all are disappointed--poor wright rather bitterly, i fear. i dread this necessity of choosing--nothing could be more heartrending. i calculated our programme to start from ° ' with units of food [ ] and eight men. we ought to be in this position to-morrow night, less one day's food. after all our harassing trouble one cannot but be satisfied with such a prospect. _thursday, december_ .--camp . lat. ° '. long. ° '. height about feet. upon glacier depot. temp. - °. we climbed the ice slope this morning and found a very bad surface on top, as far as crevasses were concerned. we all had falls into them, atkinson and teddy evans going down the length of their harness. evans had rather a shake up. the rotten ice surface continued for a long way, though i crossed to and fro towards the land, trying to get on better ground. at the wind came from the north, bringing the inevitable [mist] up the valley and covering us just as we were in the worst of places. we camped for lunch, and were obliged to wait two and a half hours for a clearance. then the sun began to struggle through and we were off. we soon got out of the worst crevasses and on to a long snow slope leading on part of mount darwin. it was a very long stiff pull up, and i held on till . , when, the other team being some way astern, i camped. we have done a good march, risen to a satisfactory altitude, and reached a good place for our depot. to-morrow we start with our fullest summit load, and the first march should show us the possibilities of our achievement. the temperature has dropped below zero, but to-night it is so calm and bright that one feels delightfully warm and comfortable in the tent. such weather helps greatly in all the sorting arrangements, &c., which are going on to-night. for me it is an immense relief to have the indefatigable little bowers to see to all detail arrangements of this sort. we have risen a great height to-day and i hope it will not be necessary to go down again, but it looks as though we must dip a bit even to go to the south-west. 'december , . lat. ° s. we are struggling on, considering all things, against odds. the weather is a constant anxiety, otherwise arrangements are working exactly as planned. 'for your own ear also, i am exceedingly fit and can go with the best of them. 'it is a pity the luck doesn't come our way, because every detail of equipment is right. 'i write this sitting in our tent waiting for the fog to clear--an exasperating position as we are in the worst crevassed region. teddy evans and atkinson were down to the length of their harness this morning, and we have all been half-way down. as first man i get first chance, and it's decidedly exciting not knowing which step will give way. still all this is interesting enough if one could only go on. 'since writing the above i made a dash for it, got out of the valley out of the fog and away from crevasses. so here we are practically on the summit and up to date in the provision line. we ought to get through.' chapter xviii the summit journey to the pole a fresh ms. book _on the flyleaf_.--ages: self , wilson , evans (p.o.) , oates , bowers . average . _friday, december _.--camp , about feet. t. - °. bar. . . this, the third stage of our journey, is opening with good promise. we made our depot this morning, then said an affecting farewell to the returning party, who have taken things very well, dear good fellows as they are._ _ then we started with our heavy loads about . , i in some trepidation--quickly dissipated as we went off and up a slope at a smart pace. the second sledge came close behind us, showing that we have weeded the weak spots and made the proper choice for the returning party. we came along very easily and lunched at , when the sledge-meter had to be repaired, and we didn't get off again till . , camping at . . thus with hours' marching we covered / miles (geo.) ( stat.). obs.: lat. ° / '; long. ° '; var. ° ' e. to-morrow we march longer hours, about i hope. every day the loads will lighten, and so we ought to make the requisite progress. i think we have climbed about feet to-day, but thought it more on the march. we look down on huge pressure ridges to the south and s.e., and in fact all round except in the direction in which we go, s.w. we seem to be travelling more or less parallel to a ridge which extends from mt. darwin. ahead of us to-night is a stiffish incline and it looks as though there might be pressure behind it. it is very difficult to judge how matters stand, however, in such a confusion of elevations and depressions. this course doesn't work wonders in change of latitude, but i think it is the right track to clear the pressures--at any rate i shall hold it for the present. we passed one or two very broad ( feet) bridged crevasses with the usual gaping sides; they were running pretty well in n. and s. direction. the weather has been beautifully fine all day as it was last night. (night temp. - °.) this morning there was an hour or so of haze due to clouds from the n. now it is perfectly clear, and we get a fine view of the mountain behind which wilson has just been sketching. _saturday, december_ .--lunch. bar. . . rise ? started at , steering s.w. seemed to be rising, and went on well for about hours, then got amongst bad crevasses and hard waves. we pushed on to s.w., but things went from bad to worse, and we had to haul out to the north, then west. west looks clear for the present, but it is not a very satisfactory direction. we have done / ' (geo.), a good march. (t. - °. southerly wind, force .) the comfort is that we are rising. on one slope we got a good view of the land and the pressure ridges to the s.e. they seem to be disposed 'en échelon' and gave me the idea of shearing cracks. they seemed to lessen as we ascend. it is rather trying having to march so far to the west, but if we keep rising we must come to the end of the obstacles some time. _saturday night_.--camp . t. - °. bar. . . ?rise. height about . great vicissitudes of fortune in the afternoon march. started west up a slope--about the fifth we have mounted in the last two days. on top, another pressure appeared on the left, but less lofty and more snow-covered than that which had troubled us in the morning. there was temptation to try it, and i had been gradually turning in its direction. but i stuck to my principle and turned west up yet another slope. on top of this we got on the most extraordinary surface--narrow crevasses ran in all directions. they were quite invisible, being covered with a thin crust of hardened névé without a sign of a crack in it. we all fell in one after another and sometimes two together. we have had many unexpected falls before, but usually through being unable to mark the run of the surface appearances of cracks, or where such cracks are covered with soft snow. how a hardened crust can form over a crack is a real puzzle--it seems to argue extremely slow movement. dead reckoning, ° ' '' s., ° ' e. in the broader crevasses this morning we noticed that it was the lower edge of the bridge which was rotten, whereas in all in the glacier the upper edge was open. near the narrow crevasses this afternoon we got about minutes on snow which had a hard crust and loose crystals below. it was like breaking through a glass house at each step, but quite suddenly at p.m. everything changed. the hard surface gave place to regular sastrugi and our horizon levelled in every direction. i hung on to the s.w. till p.m., and then camped with a delightful feeling of security that we had at length reached the summit proper. i am feeling very cheerful about everything to-night. we marched miles (geo.) (over stat.) to-day, mounting nearly feet and all in about / hours. my determination to keep mounting irrespective of course is fully justified and i shall be indeed surprised if we have any further difficulties with crevasses or steep slopes. to me for the first time our goal seems really in sight. we can pull our loads and pull them much faster and farther than i expected in my most hopeful moments. i only pray for a fair share of good weather. there is a cold wind now as expected, but with good clothes and well fed as we are, we can stick a lot worse than we are getting. i trust this may prove the turning-point in our fortunes for which we have waited so patiently. _sunday, december_ .--lunch. bar. . . ?rise feet. christmas eve. / miles geo. due south, and a rise, i think, more than shown by barometer. this in five hours, on the surface which ought to be a sample of what we shall have in the future. with our present clothes it is a fairly heavy plod, but we get over the ground, which is a great thing. a high pressure ridge has appeared on the 'port bow.' it seems isolated, but i shall be glad to lose sight of such disturbances. the wind is continuous from the s.s.e., very searching. we are now marching in our wind blouses and with somewhat more protection on the head. bar. . . camp . rise for day ?about ft. or ft. hypsometer, ft. the first two hours of the afternoon march went very well. then the sledges hung a bit, and we plodded on and covered something over miles (geo.) in the day. we lost sight of the big pressure ridge, but to-night another smaller one shows fine on the 'port bow,' and the surface is alternately very hard and fairly soft; dips and rises all round. it is evident we are skirting more disturbances, and i sincerely hope it will not mean altering course more to the west. miles in hours is not so bad considering the circumstances. the southerly wind is continuous and not at all pleasant in camp, but on the march it keeps us cool. (t. - °.) the only inconvenience is the extent to which our faces get iced up. the temperature hovers about zero. we have not struck a crevasse all day, which is a good sign. the sun continues to shine in a cloudless sky, the wind rises and falls, and about us is a scene of the wildest desolation, but we are a very cheerful party and to-morrow is christmas day, with something extra in the hoosh. _monday, december_ . christmas.--lunch. bar. . . rise feet. the wind was strong last night and this morning; a light snowfall in the night; a good deal of drift, subsiding when we started, but still about a foot high. i thought it might have spoilt the surface, but for the first hour and a half we went along in fine style. then we started up a rise, and to our annoyance found ourselves amongst crevasses once more--very hard, smooth névé between high ridges at the edge of crevasses, and therefore very difficult to get foothold to pull the sledges. got our ski sticks out, which improved matters, but we had to tack a good deal and several of us went half down. after half an hour of this i looked round and found the second sledge halted some way in rear--evidently someone had gone into a crevasse. we saw the rescue work going on, but had to wait half an hour for the party to come up, and got mighty cold. it appears that lashly went down very suddenly, nearly dragging the crew with him. the sledge ran on and jammed the span so that the alpine rope had to be got out and used to pull lashly to the surface again. lashly says the crevasse was feet deep and feet across, in form u, showing that the word 'unfathomable' can rarely be applied. lashly is to-day and as hard as nails. his fall has not even disturbed his equanimity. after topping the crevasse ridge we got on a better surface and came along fairly well, completing over miles (geo.) just before o'clock. we have risen nearly feet this morning; the wind was strong and therefore trying, mainly because it held the sledge; it is a little lighter now. night. camp no. . bar. . . t. - °. i am so replete that i can scarcely write. after sundry luxuries, such as chocolate and raisins at lunch, we started off well, but soon got amongst crevasses, huge snowfields roadways running almost in our direction, and across hidden cracks into which we frequently fell. passing for two miles or so along between two roadways, we came on a huge pit with raised sides. is this a submerged mountain peak or a swirl in the stream? getting clear of crevasses and on a slightly down grade, we came along at a swinging pace--splendid. i marched on till nearly . , when we had covered miles (geo.) ( / stat.). i knew that supper was to be a 'tightener,' and indeed it has been--so much that i must leave description till the morning. dead reckoning, lat. ° ' s.; long. ° ' '' e. bar. . . towards the end of the march we seemed to get into better condition; about us the surface rises and falls on the long slopes of vast mounds or undulations--no very definite system in their disposition. we camped half-way up a long slope. in the middle of the afternoon we got another fine view of the land. the dominion range ends abruptly as observed, then come two straits and two other masses of land. similarly north of the wild mountains is another strait and another mass of land. the various straits are undoubtedly overflows, and the masses of land mark the inner fringe of the exposed coastal mountains, the general direction of which seems about s.s.e., from which it appears that one could be much closer to the pole on the barrier by continuing on it to the s.s.e. we ought to know more of this when evans' observations are plotted. i must write a word of our supper last night. we had four courses. the first, pemmican, full whack, with slices of horse meat flavoured with onion and curry powder and thickened with biscuit; then an arrowroot, cocoa and biscuit hoosh sweetened; then a plum-pudding; then cocoa with raisins, and finally a dessert of caramels and ginger. after the feast it was difficult to move. wilson and i couldn't finish our share of plum-pudding. we have all slept splendidly and feel thoroughly warm--such is the effect of full feeding. _tuesday, december_ .--lunch. bar. . . four and three-quarters hours, / miles (geo.). perhaps a little slow after plum-pudding, but i think we are getting on to the surface which is likely to continue the rest of the way. there are still mild differences of elevation, but generally speaking the plain is flattening out; no doubt we are rising slowly. camp . bar. . . the first two hours of the afternoon march went well; then we got on a rough rise and the sledge came badly. camped at . , sledge coming easier again at the end. it seems astonishing to be disappointed with a march of (stat.) miles, when i had contemplated doing little more than with full loads. we are on the th parallel. obs.: ° ' s.; ° ' e. the temperature has been pretty consistent of late, - ° to - ° at night, - ° in the day. the wind has seemed milder to-day--it blows anywhere from s.e. to south. i had thought to have done with pressures, but to-night a crevassed slope appears on our right. we shall pass well clear of it, but there may be others. the undulating character of the plain causes a great variety of surface, owing, of course, to the varying angles at which the wind strikes the slopes. we were half an hour late starting this morning, which accounts for some loss of distance, though i should be content to keep up an average of ' (geo.). _wednesday, december_ .--lunch. bar. . . the wind light this morning and the pulling heavy. everyone sweated, especially the second team, which had great difficulty in keeping up. we have been going up and down, the up grades very tiring, especially when we get amongst sastrugi which jerk the sledge about, but we have done / miles (geo.). a very bad accident this morning. bowers broke the only hypsometer thermometer. we have nothing to check our two aneroids. night camp . bar. . . t. - . °. we marched off well after lunch on a soft, snowy surface, then came to slippery hard sastrugi and kept a good pace; but i felt this meant something wrong, and on topping a short rise we were once more in the midst of crevasses and disturbances. for an hour it was dreadfully trying--had to pick a road, tumbled into crevasses, and got jerked about abominably. at the summit of the ridge we came into another 'pit' or 'whirl,' which seemed the centre of the trouble--is it a submerged mountain peak? during the last hour and a quarter we pulled out on to soft snow again and moved well. camped at . , having covered / miles (geo.). steering the party is no light task. one cannot allow one's thoughts to wander as others do, and when, as this afternoon, one gets amongst disturbances, i find it is very worrying and tiring. i do trust we shall have no more of them. we have not lost sight of the sun since we came on the summit; we should get an extraordinary record of sunshine. it is monotonous work this; the sledgemeter and theodolite govern the situation. _thursday, december_ .--lunch. bar. . . i start cooking again to-morrow morning. we have had a troublesome day but have completed our miles (geo.). my unit pulled away easy this morning and stretched out for two hours--the second unit made heavy weather. i changed with evans and found the second sledge heavy--could keep up, but the team was not swinging with me as my own team swings. then i changed p.o. evans for lashly. we seemed to get on better, but at the moment the surface changed and we came up over a rise with hard sastrugi. at the top we camped for lunch. what was the difficulty? one theory was that some members of the second party were stale. another that all was due to the bad stepping and want of swing; another that the sledge pulled heavy. in the afternoon we exchanged sledges, and at first went off well, but getting into soft snow, we found a terrible drag, the second party coming quite easily with our sledge. so the sledge is the cause of the trouble, and talking it out, i found that all is due to want of care. the runners ran excellently, but the structure has been distorted by bad strapping, bad loading, this afternoon and only managed to get miles (geo.). the very hard pulling has occurred on two rises. it appears that the loose snow is blown over the rises and rests in heaps on the north-facing slopes. it is these heaps that cause our worst troubles. the weather looks a little doubtful, a good deal of cirrus cloud in motion over us, radiating e. and w. the wind shifts from s.e. to s.s.w., rising and falling at intervals; it is annoying to the march as it retards the sledges, but it must help the surface, i think, and so hope for better things to-morrow. the marches are terribly monotonous. one's thoughts wander occasionally to pleasanter scenes and places, but the necessity to keep the course, or some hitch in the surface, quickly brings them back. there have been some hours of very steady plodding to-day; these are the best part of the business, they mean forgetfulness and advance. _saturday, december_ .--bar. . . lunch. night camp . bar. . . rise about . a very trying, tiring march, and only miles (geo.) covered. wind from the south to s.e., not quite so strong as usual; the usual clear sky. we camped on a rise last night, and it was some time before we reached the top this morning. this took it out of us as the second party dropped. i went on l/ miles (when the second party was some way astern) and lunched. we came on in the afternoon, the other party still dropping, camped at . --they at . . we came up another rise with the usual gritty snow towards the end of the march. for us the interval between the two rises, some miles, was steady plodding work which we might keep up for some time. to-morrow i'm going to march half a day, make a depot and build the -feet sledges. the second party is certainly tiring; it remains to be seen how they will manage with the smaller sledge and lighter load. the surface is certainly much worse than it was miles back. (t. - °.) we have caught up shackleton's dates. everything would be cheerful if i could persuade myself that the second party were quite fit to go forward. _sunday, december_ .--new year's eve. . . height about . t. - °. camp . corrected aneroid. the second party depoted its ski and some other weights equivalent to about lbs. i sent them off first; they marched, but not very fast. we followed and did not catch them before they camped by direction at . . by this time we had covered exactly miles (geo.), and we must have risen a good deal. we rose on a steep incline at the beginning of the march, and topped another at the end, showing a distance of about miles between the wretched slopes which give us the hardest pulling, but as a matter of fact, we have been rising all day. we had a good full brew of tea and then set to work stripping the sledges. that didn't take long, but the process of building up the -feet sledges now in operation in the other tent is a long job. evans (p.o.) and crean are tackling it, and it is a very remarkable piece of work. certainly p.o. evans is the most invaluable asset to our party. to build a sledge under these conditions is a fact for special record. evans (lieut.) has just found the latitude-- ° ' s., so that we are pretty near the th parallel aimed at for to-night. we lose half a day, but i hope to make that up by going forward at much better speed. this is to be called the ' degree depot,' and it holds a week's provisions for both units. there is extraordinarily little mirage up here and the refraction is very small. except for the seamen we are all sitting in a double tent--the first time we have put up the inner lining to the tent; it seems to make us much snugger. p.m.--the job of rebuilding is taking longer than i expected, but is now almost done. the -feet sledges look very handy. we had an extra drink of tea and are now turned into our bags in the double tent (five of us) as warm as toast, and just enough light to write or work with. did not get to bed till a.m. obs.: ° ' '' s.; ° ' '' e.; var. ° 'e. morning bar. . . _monday, january_ , .--new year's day. lunch. bar. . . roused hands about . and got away . , evans' party going ahead on foot. we followed on ski. very stupidly we had not seen to our ski shoes beforehand, and it took a good half-hour to get them right; wilson especially had trouble. when we did get away, to our surprise the sledge pulled very easily, and we made fine progress, rapidly gaining on the foot-haulers. night camp . bar. . . risen about feet. height about above barrier. they camped for lunch at / miles and went on easily, completing . (geo.) by . . we were delayed again at lunch camp, evans repairing the tent, and i the cooker. we caught the other party more easily in the afternoon and kept alongside them the last quarter of an hour. it was surprising how easily the sledge pulled; we have scarcely exerted ourselves all day. we have been rising again all day, but the slopes are less accentuated. i had expected trouble with ski and hard patches, but we found none at all. (t. - °.) the temperature is steadily falling, but it seems to fall with the wind. we are _very_ comfortable in our double tent. stick of chocolate to celebrate the new year. the supporting party not in very high spirits, they have not managed matters well for themselves. prospects seem to get brighter--only miles to go and plenty of food left. _tuesday, january _.--t. - °. camp . height about . at lunch my aneroid reading over scale , , shifted hand to read , . proposed to enter heights in future with correction as calculated at end of book (minus feet). the foot party went off early, before , and marched till . again from . to . . we started more than half an hour later on each march and caught the others easy. it's been a plod for the foot people and pretty easy going for us, and we have covered miles (geo.). t. - °: obs. ° ' '' s.; ° ' '' e.; var. °. the sky is slightly overcast for the first time since we left the glacier; the sun can be seen already through the veil of stratus, and blue sky round the horizon. the sastrugi have all been from the s.e. to-day, and likewise the wind, which has been pretty light. i hope the clouds do not mean wind or bad surface. the latter became poor towards the end of the afternoon. we have not risen much to-day, and the plain seems to be flattening out. irregularities are best seen by sastrugi. a skua gull visited us on the march this afternoon--it was evidently curious, kept alighting on the snow ahead, and fluttering a few yards as we approached. it seemed to have had little food--an extraordinary visitor considering our distance from the sea. _wednesday, january_ .--height: lunch, , ; night, , . camp . t.- °. minimum - . °. within miles of our goal. last night i decided to reorganise, and this morning told off teddy evans, lashly, and crean to return. they are disappointed, but take it well. bowers is to come into our tent, and we proceed as a five man unit to-morrow. we have / units of food--practically over a month's allowance for five people--it ought to see us through. we came along well on ski to-day, but the foot-haulers were slow, and so we only got a trifle over miles (geo.). very anxious to see how we shall manage to-morrow; if we can march well with the full load we shall be practically safe, i take it. the surface was very bad in patches to-day and the wind strong. 'lat. ° '. a last note from a hopeful position. i think it's going to be all right. we have a fine party going forward and arrangements are all going well.' _thursday, january_ .--t. - °, lunch t. - . °. we were naturally late getting away this morning, the sledge having to be packed and arrangements completed for separation of parties. it is wonderful to see how neatly everything stows on a little sledge, thanks to p.o. evans. i was anxious to see how we could pull it, and glad to find we went easy enough. bowers on foot pulls between, but behind, wilson and myself; he has to keep his own pace and luckily does not throw us out at all. the second party had followed us in case of accident, but as soon as i was certain we could get along we stopped and said farewell. teddy evans is terribly disappointed but has taken it very well and behaved like a man. poor old crean wept and even lashly was affected. i was glad to find their sledge is a mere nothing to them, and thus, no doubt, they will make a quick journey back._ _ since leaving them we have marched on till . and covered . miles (geo.). with full marching days we ought to have no difficulty in keeping up our average. night camp . t. - °. height , .--we started well on the afternoon march, going a good speed for / hours; then we came on a stratum covered with loose sandy snow, and the pulling became very heavy. we managed to get off / miles (geo.) by p.m., but it was very heavy work. in the afternoon the wind died away, and to-night it is flat calm; the sun so warm that in spite of the temperature we can stand about outside in the greatest comfort. it is amusing to stand thus and remember the constant horrors of our situation as they were painted for us: the sun is melting the snow on the ski, &c. the plateau is now very flat, but we are still ascending slowly. the sastrugi are getting more confused, predominant from the s.e. i wonder what is in store for us. at present everything seems to be going with extraordinary smoothness, and one can scarcely believe that obstacles will not present themselves to make our task more difficult. perhaps the surface will be the element to trouble us. _friday, january_ .--camp . height: morning, , ; night, , . t. - . °. obs. ° ', ° '. minimum t. - . ; t. - °. a dreadfully trying day. light wind from the n.n.w. bringing detached cloud and constant fall of ice crystals. the surface, in consequence, as bad as could be after the first hour. we started at . , marched solidly till . , covering . miles (geo.), and again in the afternoon we plugged on; by p.m. we had done l/ miles (geo.), the hardest we have yet done on the plateau. the sastrugi seemed to increase as we advanced and they have changed direction from s.w. to s. by w. in the afternoon a good deal of confusing cross sastrugi, and to-night a very rough surface with evidences of hard southerly wind. luckily the sledge shows no signs of capisizing yet. we sigh for a breeze to sweep the hard snow, but to-night the outlook is not promising better things. however, we are very close to the th parallel, little more than miles from the pole, only a march from shackleton's final camp, and in a general way 'getting on.' we go little over a mile and a quarter an hour now--it is a big strain as the shadows creep slowly round from our right through ahead to our left. what lots of things we think of on these monotonous marches! what castles one builds now hopefully that the pole is ours. bowers took sights to-day and will take them every third day. we feel the cold very little, the great comfort of our situation is the excellent drying effect of the sun. our socks and finnesko are almost dry each morning. cooking for five takes a seriously longer time than cooking for four; perhaps half an hour on the whole day. it is an item i had not considered when re-organising. _saturday, january_ .--height , . t. - . °. obstacles arising--last night we got amongst sastrugi--they increased in height this morning and now we are in the midst of a sea of fish-hook waves well remembered from our northern experience. we took off our ski after the first / hours and pulled on foot. it is terribly heavy in places, and, to add to our trouble, every sastrugus is covered with a beard of sharp branching crystals. we have covered / miles, but we cannot keep up our average if this sort of surface continues. there is no wind. camp . lat. ° '. height , - , . rise of barometer? t.- . °. minimum - . °. morning. fearfully hard pull again, and when we had marched about an hour we discovered that a sleeping-bag had fallen off the sledge. we had to go back and carry it on. it cost us over an hour and disorganised our party. we have only covered / miles (geo.) and it's been about the hardest pull we've had. we think of leaving our ski here, mainly because of risk of breakage. over the sastrugi it is all up and down hill, and the covering of ice crystals prevents the sledge from gliding even on the down-grade. the sastrugi, i fear, have come to stay, and we must be prepared for heavy marching, but in two days i hope to lighten loads with a depot. we are south of shackleton's last camp, so, i suppose, have made the most southerly camp. _sunday, january_ .--height , . lunch. temp. - . °. the vicissitudes of this work are bewildering. last night we decided to leave our ski on account of the sastrugi. this morning we marched out a mile in min. and the sastrugi gradually disappeared. i kept debating the ski question and at this point stopped, and after discussion we went back and fetched the ski; it cost us / hours nearly. marching again, i found to my horror we could scarcely move the sledge on ski; the first hour was awful owing to the wretched coating of loose sandy snow. however, we persisted, and towards the latter end of our tiring march we began to make better progress, but the work is still awfully heavy. i must stick to the ski after this. afternoon. camp °. t. - °. height , . obs.: lat. ° ' '' s.; long. ° ' e.; var. ° ' w. very heavy pulling still, but did miles (geo.) in over four hours. this is the shortest march we have made on the summit, but there is excuse. still, there is no doubt if things remained as they are we could not keep up the strain of such marching for long. things, however, luckily will not remain as they are. to-morrow we depot a week's provision, lightening altogether about lbs. this afternoon the welcome southerly wind returned and is now blowing force to . i cannot but think it will improve the surface. the sastrugi are very much diminished, and those from the south seem to be overpowering those from the s.e. cloud travelled rapidly over from the south this afternoon, and the surface was covered with sandy crystals; these were not so bad as the 'bearded' sastrugi, and oddly enough the wind and drift only gradually obliterate these striking formations. we have scarcely risen at all to-day, and the plain looks very flat. it doesn't look as though there were more rises ahead, and one could not wish for a better surface if only the crystal deposit would disappear or harden up. i am awfully glad we have hung on to the ski; hard as the marching is, it is far less tiring on ski. bowers has a heavy time on foot, but nothing seems to tire him. evans has a nasty cut on his hand (sledge-making). i hope it won't give trouble. our food continues to amply satisfy. what luck to have hit on such an excellent ration. we really are an excellently found party. _monday, january_ .--camp . noon. t. - . °. min. for night - °. our first summit blizzard. we might just have started after breakfast, but the wind seemed obviously on the increase, and so has proved. the sun has not been obscured, but snow is evidently falling as well as drifting. the sun seems to be getting a little brighter as the wind increases. the whole phenomenon is very like a barrier blizzard, only there is much less snow, as one would expect, and at present less wind, which is somewhat of a surprise. evans' hand was dressed this morning, and the rest ought to be good for it. i am not sure it will not do us all good as we lie so very comfortably, warmly clothed in our comfortable bags, within our double-walled tent. however, we do not want more than a day's delay at most, both on account of lost time and food and the snow accumulation of ice. (night t. - . °.) it has grown much thicker during the day, from time to time obscuring the sun for the first time. the temperature is low for a blizzard, but we are very comfortable in our double tent and the cold snow is not sticky and not easily carried into the tent, so that the sleeping-bags remain in good condition. (t. - °.) the glass is rising slightly. i hope we shall be able to start in the morning, but fear that a disturbance of this sort may last longer than our local storm. it is quite impossible to speak too highly of my companions. each fulfils his office to the party; wilson, first as doctor, ever on the lookout to alleviate the small pains and troubles incidental to the work, now as cook, quick, careful and dexterous, ever thinking of some fresh expedient to help the camp life; tough as steel on the traces, never wavering from start to finish. evans, a giant worker with a really remarkable headpiece. it is only now i realise how much has been due to him. our ski shoes and crampons have been absolutely indispensable, and if the original ideas were not his, the details of manufacture and design and the good workmanship are his alone. he is responsible for every sledge, every sledge fitting, tents, sleeping-bags, harness, and when one cannot recall a single expression of dissatisfaction with any one of these items, it shows what an invaluable assistant he has been. now, besides superintending the putting up of the tent, he thinks out and arranges the packing of the sledge; it is extraordinary how neatly and handily everything is stowed, and how much study has been given to preserving the suppleness and good running qualities of the machine. on the barrier, before the ponies were killed, he was ever roaming round, correcting faults of stowage. little bowers remains a marvel--he is thoroughly enjoying himself. i leave all the provision arrangement in his hands, and at all times he knows exactly how we stand, or how each returning party should fare. it has been a complicated business to redistribute stores at various stages of re-organisation, but not one single mistake has been made. in addition to the stores, he keeps the most thorough and conscientious meteorological record, and to this he now adds the duty of observer and photographer. nothing comes amiss to him, and no work is too hard. it is a difficulty to get him into the tent; he seems quite oblivious of the cold, and he lies coiled in his bag writing and working out sights long after the others are asleep. of these three it is a matter for thought and congratulation that each is sufficiently suited for his own work, but would not be capable of doing that of the others as well as it is done. each is invaluable. oates had his invaluable period with the ponies; now he is a foot slogger and goes hard the whole time, does his share of camp work, and stands the hardship as well as any of us. i would not like to be without him either. so our five people are perhaps as happily selected as it is possible to imagine. _tuesday, january_ .--camp . record. lat. ° '. height , ft. bar. risen i think. t. - °. still blowing, and drifting when we got to breakfast, but signs of taking off. the wind had gradually shifted from south to e.s.e. after lunch we were able to break camp in a bad light, but on a good surface. we made a very steady afternoon march, covering / , miles (geo.). this should place us in lat. ° ', beyond the record of shackleton's walk. all is new ahead. the barometer has risen since the blizzard, and it looks as though we were on a level plateau, not to rise much further. obs.: long. ° ' '' e.; var. ° ' w.; min. temp. - . °. more curiously the temperature continued to rise after the blow and now, at - °, it seems quite warm. the sun has only shown very indistinctly all the afternoon, although brighter now. clouds are still drifting over from the east. the marching is growing terribly monotonous, but one cannot grumble as long as the distance can be kept up. it can, i think, if we leave a depot, but a very annoying thing has happened. bowers' watch has suddenly dropped minutes; it may have stopped from being frozen outside his pocket, or he may have inadvertently touched the hands. any way it makes one more chary of leaving stores on this great plain, especially as the blizzard tended to drift up our tracks. we could only just see the back track when we started, but the light was extremely poor. _wednesday, january_ .--camp . t. - °. last depot ° ' s.; ° ' e.; var. °. terrible hard march in the morning; only covered . miles (geo.). decided to leave depot at lunch camp. built cairn and left one week's food together with sundry articles of clothing. we are down as close as we can go in the latter. we go forward with eighteen days' food. yesterday i should have said certain to see us through, but now the surface is beyond words, and if it continues we shall have the greatest difficulty to keep our march long enough. the surface is quite covered with sandy snow, and when the sun shines it is terrible. during the early part of the afternoon it was overcast, and we started our lightened sledge with a good swing, but during the last two hours the sun cast shadows again, and the work was distressingly hard. we have covered only . miles (geo.). only miles (geo.) from the pole, but it's going to be a stiff pull _both ways_ apparently; still we do make progress, which is something. to-night the sky is overcast, the temperature (- °) much higher than i anticipated; it is very difficult to imagine what is happening to the weather. the sastrugi grow more and more confused, running from s. to e. very difficult steering in uncertain light and with rapidly moving clouds. the clouds don't seem to come from anywhere, form and disperse without visible reason. the surface seems to be growing softer. the meteorological conditions seem to point to an area of variable light winds, and that plot will thicken as we advance. _thursday, january_ .--lunch. height , . t. - ° '. it was heavy pulling from the beginning to-day, but for the first two and a half hours we could keep the sledge moving; then the sun came out (it had been overcast and snowing with light south-easterly breeze) and the rest of the forenoon was agonising. i never had such pulling; all the time the sledge rasps and creaks. we have covered miles, but at fearful cost to ourselves. night camp . height , . temp. - . °. minimum - . °. another hard grind in the afternoon and five miles added. about miles from the pole--can we keep this up for seven days? it takes it out of us like anything. none of us ever had such hard work before. cloud has been coming and going overhead all day, drifting from the s.e., but continually altering shape. snow crystals falling all the time; a very light s. breeze at start soon dying away. the sun so bright and warm to-night that it is almost impossible to imagine a minus temperature. the snow seems to get softer as we advance; the sastrugi, though sometimes high and undercut, are not hard--no crusts, except yesterday the surface subsided once, as on the barrier. it seems pretty certain there is no steady wind here. our chance still holds good if we can put the work in, but it's a terribly trying time. _friday, january_ .--camp . t. - . °. lat. ° '. another heavy march with snow getting softer all the time. sun very bright, calm at start; first two hours terribly slow. lunch, / hours, . miles geo.; sight lat. ° '. afternoon, hours, . miles--total . . in the afternoon we seemed to be going better; clouds spread over from the west with light chill wind and for a few brief minutes we tasted the delight of having the sledge following free. alas! in a few minutes it was worse than ever, in spite of the sun's eclipse. however, the short experience was salutary. i had got to fear that we were weakening badly in our pulling; those few minutes showed me that we only want a good surface to get along as merrily as of old. with the surface as it is, one gets horribly sick of the monotony and can easily imagine oneself getting played out, were it not that at the lunch and night camps one so quickly forgets all one's troubles and bucks up for a fresh effort. it is an effort to keep up the double figures, but if we can do so for another four marches we ought to get through. it is going to be a close thing. at camping to-night everyone was chilled and we guessed a cold snap, but to our surprise the actual temperature was higher than last night, when we could dawdle in the sun. it is most unaccountable why we should suddenly feel the cold in this manner; partly the exhaustion of the march, but partly some damp quality in the air, i think. little bowers is wonderful; in spite of my protest he _would_ take sights after we had camped to-night, after marching in the soft snow all day where we have been comparatively restful on ski. _night position_.--lat. ° ' '' s.; long. ° ' e.; var. ° ' w. minimum t. - . °. only miles (geo.) from the pole to-night. we ought to do the trick, but oh! for a better surface. it is quite evident this is a comparatively windless area. the sastrugi are few and far between, and all soft. i should imagine occasional blizzards sweep up from the s.e., but none with violence. we have deep tracks in the snow, which is soft as deep as you like to dig down. _saturday, january_ .--lunch height , . barometer low? lunch lat. ° ' ''. started on some soft snow, very heavy dragging and went slow. we could have supposed nothing but that such conditions would last from now onward, but to our surprise, after two hours we came on a sea of sastrugi, all lying from s. to e., predominant e.s.e. have had a cold little wind from s.e. and s.s.e., where the sky is overcast. have done . miles and are now over the th parallel. night camp .--height , . t. - . °, minimum - . °. lat. ° 's. very nearly. we started very well in the afternoon. thought we were going to make a real good march, but after the first two hours surface crystals became as sandy as ever. still we did . miles geo., giving over for the day. well, another day with double figures and a bit over. the chance holds. it looks as though we were descending slightly; sastrugi remain as in forenoon. it is wearisome work this tugging and straining to advance a light sledge. still, we get along. i did manage to get my thoughts off the work for a time to-day, which is very restful. we should be in a poor way without our ski, though bowers manages to struggle through the soft snow without tiring his short legs. only miles from the pole to-night. if we don't get to it we shall be d----d close. there is a little southerly breeze to-night; i devoutly hope it may increase in force. the alternation of soft snow and sastrugi seem to suggest that the coastal mountains are not so very far away. _sunday, january_ .--camp . lunch t. - °, night t. - °. sun showing mistily through overcast sky all day. bright southerly wind with very low drift. in consequence the surface was a little better, and we came along very steadily . miles in the morning and . in the afternoon, but the steering was awfully difficult and trying; very often i could see nothing, and bowers on my shoulders directed me. under such circumstances it is an immense help to be pulling on ski. to-night it is looking very thick. the sun can barely be distinguished, the temperature has risen, and there are serious indications of a blizzard. i trust they will not come to anything; there are practically no signs of heavy wind here, so that even if it blows a little we may be able to march. meanwhile we are less than miles from the pole. again we noticed the cold; at lunch to-day (obs.: lat. ° ' '' s.) all our feet were cold, but this was mainly due to the bald state of our finnesko. i put some grease under the bare skin and found it made all the difference. oates seems to be feeling the cold and fatigue more than the rest of us, but we are all very fit. it is a critical time, but we ought to pull through. the barometer has fallen very considerably and we cannot tell whether due to ascent of plateau or change of weather. oh! for a few fine days! so close it seems and only the weather to baulk us. _monday, january_ .--lunch camp, height , . last depot. during the night the air cleared entirely and the sun shone in a perfectly clear sky. the light wind had dropped and the temperature fallen to - °, minimum - °. i guessed this meant a hard pull, and guessed right. the surface was terrible, but for / hours yielded miles (geo.). we were all pretty well done at camping, and here we leave our last depot--only four days' food and a sundry or two. the load is now very light, but i fear that the friction will not be greatly reduced. _night, january_ .--height . t. - °. the sledge came surprisingly lightly after lunch--something from loss of weight, something, i think, from stowage, and, most of all perhaps, as a result of tea. anyhow we made a capital afternoon march of . miles, bringing the total for the day to over ( . ). the sastrugi again very confused, but mostly s.e. quadrant; the heaviest now almost east, so that the sledge continually bumps over ridges. the wind is from the w.n.w. chiefly, but the weather remains fine and there are no sastrugi from that direction. camp . lunch obs.: lat. ° ' ''; lat. dead reckoning, ° ' '' s.; long. ° ' '' e.; var. ° e. it is wonderful to think that two long marches would land us at the pole. we left our depot to-day with nine days' provisions, so that it ought to be a certain thing now, and the only appalling possibility the sight of the norwegian flag forestalling ours. little bowers continues his indefatigable efforts to get good sights, and it is wonderful how he works them up in his sleeping-bag in our congested tent. (minimum for night - . °.) only miles from the pole. we _ought_ to do it now. _tuesday, january_ .--camp . height . t. - . °. the worst has happened, or nearly the worst. we marched well in the morning and covered / miles. noon sight showed us in lat. ° ' s., and we started off in high spirits in the afternoon, feeling that to-morrow would see us at our destination. about the second hour of the march bowers' sharp eyes detected what he thought was a cairn; he was uneasy about it, but argued that it must be a sastrugus. half an hour later he detected a black speck ahead. soon we knew that this could not be a natural snow feature. we marched on, found that it was a black flag tied to a sledge bearer; near by the remains of a camp; sledge tracks and ski tracks going and coming and the clear trace of dogs' paws--many dogs. this told us the whole story. the norwegians have forestalled us and are first at the pole. it is a terrible disappointment, and i am very sorry for my loyal companions. many thoughts come and much discussion have we had. to-morrow we must march on to the pole and then hasten home with all the speed we can compass. all the day dreams must go; it will be a wearisome return. we are descending in altitude--certainly also the norwegians found an easy way up. _wednesday, january_ .--camp . t. - ° at start. night - °. the pole. yes, but under very different circumstances from those expected. we have had a horrible day--add to our disappointment a head wind to , with a temperature - °, and companions labouring on with cold feet and hands. we started at . , none of us having slept much after the shock of our discovery. we followed the norwegian sledge tracks for some way; as far as we make out there are only two men. in about three miles we passed two small cairns. then the weather overcast, and the tracks being increasingly drifted up and obviously going too far to the west, we decided to make straight for the pole according to our calculations. at . evans had such cold hands we camped for lunch--an excellent 'week-end one.' we had marched . miles. lat. sight gave ° ' ''. we started out and did / miles due south. to-night little bowers is laying himself out to get sights in terrible difficult circumstances; the wind is blowing hard, t. - °, and there is that curious damp, cold feeling in the air which chills one to the bone in no time. we have been descending again, i think, but there looks to be a rise ahead; otherwise there is very little that is different from the awful monotony of past days. great god! this is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of priority. well, it is something to have got here, and the wind may be our friend to-morrow. we have had a fat polar hoosh in spite of our chagrin, and feel comfortable inside--added a small stick of chocolate and the queer taste of a cigarette brought by wilson. now for the run home and a desperate struggle. i wonder if we can do it. _thursday morning, january_ .--decided after summing up all observations that we were . miles away from the pole--one mile beyond it and to the right. more or less in this direction bowers saw a cairn or tent. we have just arrived at this tent, miles from our camp, therefore about / miles from the pole. in the tent we find a record of five norwegians having been here, as follows: roald amundsen olav olavson bjaaland hilmer hanssen sverre h. hassel oscar wisting. dec. . the tent is fine--a small compact affair supported by a single bamboo. a note from amundsen, which i keep, asks me to forward a letter to king haakon! the following articles have been left in the tent: half bags of reindeer containing a miscellaneous assortment of mits and sleeping socks, very various in description, a sextant, a norwegian artificial horizon and a hypsometer without boiling-point thermometers, a sextant and hypsometer of english make. left a note to say i had visited the tent with companions. bowers photographing and wilson sketching. since lunch we have marched . miles s.s.e. by compass (i.e. northwards). sights at lunch gave us / to / of a mile from the pole, so we call it the pole camp. (temp. lunch - °.) we built a cairn, put up our poor slighted union jack, and photographed ourselves--mighty cold work all of it--less than / a mile south we saw stuck up an old underrunner of a sledge. this we commandeered as a yard for a floorcloth sail. i imagine it was intended to mark the exact spot of the pole as near as the norwegians could fix it. (height .) a note attached talked of the tent as being miles from the pole. wilson keeps the note. there is no doubt that our predecessors have made thoroughly sure of their mark and fully carried out their programme. i think the pole is about feet in height; this is remarkable, considering that in lat. ° we were about , . we carried the union jack about / of a mile north with us and left it on a piece of stick as near as we could fix it. i fancy the norwegians arrived at the pole on the th dec. and left on the th, ahead of a date quoted by me in london as ideal, viz. dec. . it looks as though the norwegian party expected colder weather on the summit than they got; it could scarcely be otherwise from shackleton's account. well, we have turned our back now on the goal of our ambition and must face our miles of solid dragging--and good-bye to most of the daydreams! chapter xix the return from the pole _friday, january_ .--lunch . , t. - . °. early in the march we picked up a norwegian cairn and our outward tracks. we followed these to the ominous black flag which had first apprised us of our predecessors' success. we have picked this flag up, using the staff for our sail, and are now camped about / miles further back on our tracks. so that is the last of the norwegians for the present. the surface undulates considerably about this latitude; it was more evident to-day than when we were outward bound. night camp r. . [ ] height . t. - . °, minimum - . °. came along well this afternoon for three hours, then a rather dreary finish for the last / . weather very curious, snow clouds, looking very dense and spoiling the light, pass overhead from the s., dropping very minute crystals; between showers the sun shows and the wind goes to the s.w. the fine crystals absolutely spoil the surface; we had heavy dragging during the last hour in spite of the light load and a full sail. our old tracks are drifted up, deep in places, and toothed sastrugi have formed over them. it looks as though this sandy snow was drifted about like sand from place to place. how account for the present state of our three day old tracks and the month old ones of the norwegians? it is warmer and pleasanter marching with the wind, but i'm not sure we don't feel the cold more when we stop and camp than we did on the outward march. we pick up our cairns easily, and ought to do so right through, i think; but, of course, one will be a bit anxious till the three degree depot is reached. [ ] i'm afraid the return journey is going to be dreadfully tiring and monotonous. _saturday, january ._--lunch camp, . we have come along very well this morning, although the surface was terrible bad-- . miles in hours m. this has brought us to our southern depot, and we pick up days' food. we carry on days from to-night with miles to go to the half degree depot made on january . the same sort of weather and a little more wind, sail drawing well. night camp r. . . temp. - °. it was blowing quite hard and drifting when we started our afternoon march. at first with full sail we went along at a great rate; then we got on to an extraordinary surface, the drifting snow lying in heaps; it clung to the ski, which could only be pushed forward with an effort. the pulling was really awful, but we went steadily on and camped a short way beyond our cairn of the th. i'm afraid we are in for a bad pull again to-morrow, luckily the wind holds. i shall be very glad when bowers gets his ski; i'm afraid he must find these long marches very trying with short legs, but he is an undefeated little sportsman. i think oates is feeling the cold and fatigue more than most of us. it is blowing pretty hard to-night, but with a good march we have earned one good hoosh and are very comfortable in the tent. it is everything now to keep up a good marching pace; i trust we shall be able to do so and catch the ship. total march, / miles. _sunday, january_ .--r. . , . temp, blizzard, - ° to - °, to - ° now. awoke to a stiff blizzard; air very thick with snow and sun very dim. we decided not to march owing to likelihood of losing track; expected at least a day of lay up, but whilst at lunch there was a sudden clearance and wind dropped to light breeze. we got ready to march, but gear was so iced up we did not get away till . . marched till . --a terribly weary four-hour drag; even with helping wind we only did / miles ( / statute). the surface bad, horribly bad on new sastrugi, and decidedly rising again in elevation. we are going to have a pretty hard time this next miles i expect. if it was difficult to drag downhill over this belt, it will probably be a good deal more difficult to drag up. luckily the cracks are fairly distinct, though we only see our cairns when less than a mile away; miles to the next depot and days' food in hand--then pick up days' food (t. - °) and miles to go to the 'three degree' depot. once there we ought to be safe, but we ought to have a day or two in hand on arrival and may have difficulty with following the tracks. however, if we can get a rating sight for our watches to-morrow we shall be independent of the tracks at a pinch. _monday, january_ .-- , . temp. - °. i think about the most tiring march we have had; solid pulling the whole way, in spite of the light sledge and some little helping wind at first. then in the last part of the afternoon the sun came out, and almost immediately we had the whole surface covered with soft snow. we got away sharp at and marched a solid hours, and thus we have covered . miles (geo.) but, by jove! it has been a grind. we are just about on the th parallel. to-night bowers got a rating sight. i'm afraid we have passed out of the wind area. we are within / miles of the th camp cairn, miles from our depot, and with days' food in hand. ski boots are beginning to show signs of wear; i trust we shall have no giving out of ski or boots, since there are yet so many miles to go. i thought we were climbing to-day, but the barometer gives no change. _tuesday, january_ .--lowest minimum last night - °, temp, at start - °. lunch height , . temp, with wind to , - °. little wind and heavy marching at start. then wind increased and we did . miles by lunch, when it was practically blowing a blizzard. the old tracks show so remarkably well that we can follow them without much difficulty--a great piece of luck. in the afternoon we had to reorganise. could carry a whole sail. bowers hung on to the sledge, evans and oates had to lengthen out. we came along at a great rate and should have got within an easy march of our depot had not wilson suddenly discovered that evans' nose was frostbitten--it was white and hard. we thought it best to camp at . . got the tent up with some difficulty, and now pretty cosy after good hoosh. there is no doubt evans is a good deal run down--his fingers are badly blistered and his nose is rather seriously congested with frequent frost bites. he is very much annoyed with himself, which is not a good sign. i think wilson, bowers and i are as fit as possible under the circumstances. oates gets cold feet. one way and another, i shall be glad to get off the summit! we are only about miles from our 'degree and half' depôt and should get there to-morrow. the weather seems to be breaking up. pray god we have something of a track to follow to the three degree depôt--once we pick that up we ought to be right. _wednesday, january_ .--lunch temp. - °. things beginning to look a little serious. a strong wind at the start has developed into a full blizzard at lunch, and we have had to get into our sleeping-bags. it was a bad march, but we covered miles. at first evans, and then wilson went ahead to scout for tracks. bowers guided the sledge alone for the first hour, then both oates and he remained alongside it; they had a fearful time trying to make the pace between the soft patches. at . the sun coming ahead made it impossible to see the tracks further, and we had to stop. by this time the gale was at its height and we had the dickens of a time getting up the tent, cold fingers all round. we are only miles from our depot, but i made sure we should be there to-night. this is the second full gale since we left the pole. i don't like the look of it. is the weather breaking up? if so, god help us, with the tremendous summit journey and scant food. wilson and bowers are my standby. i don't like the easy way in which oates and evans get frostbitten. _thursday, january_ .--temp. lunch - °, temp. night - °. thank god we found our half degree depôt. after lying in our bags yesterday afternoon and all night, we debated breakfast; decided to have it later and go without lunch. at the time the gale seemed as bad as ever, but during breakfast the sun showed and there was light enough to see the old track. it was a long and terribly cold job digging out our sledge and breaking camp, but we got through and on the march without sail, all pulling. this was about , and at about . , to our joy, we saw the red depôt flag. we had lunch and left with / days' provisions, still following the track--marched till and covered over miles, over in the day. only miles (geogr.) to the next depot, but it's time we cleared off this plateau. we are not without ailments: oates suffers from a very cold foot; evans' fingers and nose are in a bad state, and to-night wilson is suffering tortures from his eyes. bowers and i are the only members of the party without troubles just at present. the weather still looks unsettled, and i fear a succession of blizzards at this time of year; the wind is strong from the south, and this afternoon has been very helpful with the full sail. needless to say i shall sleep much better with our provision bag full again. the only real anxiety now is the finding of the three degree depot. the tracks seem as good as ever so far, sometimes for or yards we lose them under drifts, but then they reappear quite clearly raised above the surface. if the light is good there is not the least difficulty in following. blizzards are our bugbear, not only stopping our marches, but the cold damp air takes it out of us. bowers got another rating sight to-night--it was wonderful how he managed to observe in such a horribly cold wind. he has been on ski to-day whilst wilson walked by the sledge or pulled ahead of it. _friday, january_ .--temp. - °. height , must be high barometer. started late, . --for no reason, as i called the hands rather early. we must have fewer delays. there was a good stiff breeze and plenty of drift, but the tracks held. to our old blizzard camp of the th we got on well, miles. but beyond the camp we found the tracks completely wiped out. we searched for some time, then marched on a short way and lunched, the weather gradually clearing, though the wind holding. knowing there were two cairns at four mile intervals, we had little anxiety till we picked up the first far on our right, then steering right by a stroke of fortune, and bowers' sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the second far on the left. evidently we made a bad course outward at this part. there is not a sign of our tracks between these cairns, but the last, marking our night camp of the th, no. , is in the belt of hard sastrugi, and i was comforted to see signs of the track reappearing as we camped. i hope to goodness we can follow it to-morrow. we marched miles (geo.) to-day, but made good only . . saturday, january .--r. . temp. - ° (lunch), - . ° (evening). minimum - °. height . barometer low? called the hands half an hour late, but we got away in good time. the forenoon march was over the belt of storm-tossed sastrugi; it looked like a rough sea. wilson and i pulled in front on ski, the remainder on foot. it was very tricky work following the track, which pretty constantly disappeared, and in fact only showed itself by faint signs anywhere--a foot or two of raised sledge-track, a dozen yards of the trail of the sledge-meter wheel, or a spatter of hard snow-flicks where feet had trodden. sometimes none of these were distinct, but one got an impression of lines which guided. the trouble was that on the outward track one had to shape course constantly to avoid the heaviest mounds, and consequently there were many zig-zags. we lost a good deal over a mile by these halts, in which we unharnessed and went on the search for signs. however, by hook or crook, we managed to stick on the old track. came on the cairn quite suddenly, marched past it, and camped for lunch at miles. in the afternoon the sastrugi gradually diminished in size and now we are on fairly level ground to-day, the obstruction practically at an end, and, to our joy, the tracks showing up much plainer again. for the last two hours we had no difficulty at all in following them. there has been a nice helpful southerly breeze all day, a clear sky and comparatively warm temperature. the air is dry again, so that tents and equipment are gradually losing their icy condition imposed by the blizzard conditions of the past week. our sleeping-bags are slowly but surely getting wetter and i'm afraid it will take a lot of this weather to put them right. however, we all sleep well enough in them, the hours allowed being now on the short side. we are slowly getting more hungry, and it would be an advantage to have a little more food, especially for lunch. if we get to the next depôt in a few marches (it is now less than miles and we have a full week's food) we ought to be able to open out a little, but we can't look for a real feed till we get to the pony food depot. a long way to go, and, by jove, this is tremendous labour. _sunday, january_ .--lunch, - °. height, night, , . r. . supper temp. - °. little wind and heavy going in forenoon. we just ran out miles in hours and added another in hours mins. in the afternoon with a good wind and better surface. it is very difficult to say if we are going up or down hill; the barometer is quite different from outward readings. we are miles from the depot, with six days' food in hand. we are camped opposite our lunch cairn of the th, only half a day's march from the point at which the last supporting party left us. three articles were dropped on our outward march--(oates' pipe, bowers' fur mits, and evans' night boots. we picked up the boots and mits on the track, and to-night we found the pipe lying placidly in sight on the snow. the sledge tracks were very easy to follow to-day; they are becoming more and more raised, giving a good line shadow often visible half a mile ahead. if this goes on and the weather holds we shall get our depôt without trouble. i shall indeed be glad to get it on the sledge. we are getting more hungry, there is no doubt. the lunch meal is beginning to seem inadequate. we are pretty thin, especially evans, but none of us are feeling worked out. i doubt if we could drag heavy loads, but we can keep going well with our light one. we talk of food a good deal more, and shall be glad to open out on it. _monday, january_ .--r. . lunch temp. - °. supper temp. - °. height , . excellent march of / miles, . before lunch. wind helping greatly, considerable drift; tracks for the most part very plain. some time before lunch we picked up the return track of the supporting party, so that there are now three distinct sledge impressions. we are only miles from our depôt--an easy day and a half. given a fine day to-morrow we ought to get it without difficulty. the wind and sastrugi are s.s.e. and s.e. if the weather holds we ought to do the rest of the inland ice journey in little over a week. the surface is very much altered since we passed out. the loose snow has been swept into heaps, hard and wind-tossed. the rest has a glazed appearance, the loose drifting snow no doubt acting on it, polishing it like a sand blast. the sledge with our good wind behind runs splendidly on it; it is all soft and sandy beneath the glaze. we are certainly getting hungrier every day. the day after to-morrow we should be able to increase allowances. it is monotonous work, but, thank god, the miles are coming fast at last. we ought not to be delayed much now with the down-grade in front of us. _tuesday, january_ .--r. . . lunch temp.- °, supper temp. - . °. thank the lord, another fine march-- miles. we have passed the last cairn before the depôt, the track is clear ahead, the weather fair, the wind helpful, the gradient down--with any luck we should pick up our depôt in the middle of the morning march. this is the bright side; the reverse of the medal is serious. wilson has strained a tendon in his leg; it has given pain all day and is swollen to-night. of course, he is full of pluck over it, but i don't like the idea of such an accident here. to add to the trouble evans has dislodged two finger-nails to-night; his hands are really bad, and to my surprise he shows signs of losing heart over it. he hasn't been cheerful since the accident. the wind shifted from s.e. to s. and back again all day, but luckily it keeps strong. we can get along with bad fingers, but it (will be) a mighty serious thing if wilson's leg doesn't improve. _wednesday, january_ .-- . lunch temp. - °, supper temp. - °. the day opened fine with a fair breeze; we marched on the depôt, [ ] picked it up, and lunched an hour later. in the afternoon the surface became fearfully bad, the wind dropped to light southerly air. ill luck that this should happen just when we have only four men to pull. wilson rested his leg as much as possible by walking quietly beside the sledge; the result has been good, and to-night there is much less inflammation. i hope he will be all right again soon, but it is trying to have an injured limb in the party. i see we had a very heavy surface here on our outward march. there is no doubt we are travelling over undulations, but the inequality of level does not make a great difference to our pace; it is the sandy crystals that hold us up. there has been very great alteration of the surface since we were last here--the sledge tracks stand high. this afternoon we picked up bowers' ski [ ]--the last thing we have to find on the summit, thank heaven! now we have only to go north and so shall welcome strong winds. _thursday, february_ .--r. . . lunch temp. - °, supper temp. - . °. heavy collar work most of the day. wind light. did miles, / hours. started well in the afternoon and came down a steep slope in quick time; then the surface turned real bad--sandy drifts--very heavy pulling. working on past p.m. we just fetched a lunch cairn of december , when we were only a week out from the depôt. [ ] it ought to be easy to get in with a margin, having days' food in hand (full feeding). we have opened out on the / th increase and it makes a lot of difference. wilson's leg much better. evans' fingers now very bad, two nails coming off, blisters burst. _friday, february_ .-- . r. . temp.: lunch - °, supper - °. we started well on a strong southerly wind. soon got to a steep grade, when the sledge overran and upset us one after another. we got off our ski, and pulling on foot reeled off miles by lunch at . . started in the afternoon on foot, going very strong. we noticed a curious circumstance towards the end of the forenoon. the tracks were drifted over, but the drifts formed a sort of causeway along which we pulled. in the afternoon we soon came to a steep slope--the same on which we exchanged sledges on december . all went well till, in trying to keep the track at the same time as my feet, on a very slippery surface, i came an awful 'purler' on my shoulder. it is horribly sore to-night and another sick person added to our tent--three out of fine injured, and the most troublesome surfaces to come. we shall be lucky if we get through without serious injury. wilson's leg is better, but might easily get bad again, and evans' fingers. at the bottom of the slope this afternoon we came on a confused sea of sastrugi. we lost the track. later, on soft snow, we picked up e. evans' return track, which we are now following. we have managed to get off miles. the extra food is certainly helping us, but we are getting pretty hungry. the weather is already a trifle warmer and the altitude lower, and only miles or so to mount darwin. it is time we were off the summit--pray god another four days will see us pretty well clear of it. our bags are getting very wet and we ought to have more sleep. _saturday, february_ .--r. . temp.: lunch - °; supper - °. height feet. started pretty well on foot; came to steep slope with crevasses (few). i went on ski to avoid another fall, and we took the slope gently with our sail, constantly losing the track, but picked up a much weathered cairn on our right. vexatious delays, searching for tracks, &c., reduced morning march to . miles. afternoon, came along a little better, but again lost tracks on hard slope. to-night we are near camp of december , but cannot see cairn. have decided it is waste of time looking for tracks and cairn, and shall push on due north as fast as we can. the surface is greatly changed since we passed outward, in most places polished smooth, but with heaps of new toothed sastrugi which are disagreeable obstacles. evans' fingers are going on as well as can be expected, but it will be long before he will be able to help properly with the work. wilson's leg much better, and my shoulder also, though it gives bad twinges. the extra food is doing us all good, but we ought to have more sleep. very few more days on the plateau i hope. _sunday, february_ .--r. . feet. temp.: lunch - °; supper - °. pulled on foot in the morning over good hard surface and covered . miles. just before lunch unexpectedly fell into crevasses, evans and i together--a second fall for evans, and i camped. after lunch saw disturbance ahead, and what i took for disturbance (land) to the right. we went on ski over hard shiny descending surface. did very well, especially towards end of march, covering in all . . we have come down some hundreds of feet. half way in the march the land showed up splendidly, and i decided to make straight for mt. darwin, which we are rounding. every sign points to getting away off this plateau. the temperature is ° lower than when we were here before; the party is not improving in condition, especially evans, who is becoming rather dull and incapable. [ ] thank the lord we have good food at each meal, but we get hungrier in spite of it. bowers is splendid, full of energy and bustle all the time. i hope we are not going to have trouble with ice-falls. _monday, february_ .--r. . lunch, ft., temp. - °; supper, ft, temp.- . °. a good forenoon, few crevasses; we covered . miles. in the afternoon we soon got into difficulties. we saw the land very clearly, but the difficulty is to get at it. an hour after starting we came on huge pressures and great street crevasses partly open. we had to steer more and more to the west, so that our course was very erratic. late in the march we turned more to the north and again encountered open crevasses across our track. it is very difficult manoeuvring amongst these and i should not like to do it without ski. we are camped in a very disturbed region, but the wind has fallen very light here, and our camp is comfortable for the first time for many weeks. we may be anything from to miles from our depot, but i wish to goodness we could see a way through the disturbances ahead. our faces are much cut up by all the winds we have had, mine least of all; the others tell me they feel their noses more going with than against the wind. evans' nose is almost as bad as his fingers. he is a good deal crocked up. _tuesday, february_ .--lunch ; supper . temp. - °. we've had a horrid day and not covered good mileage. on turning out found sky overcast; a beastly position amidst crevasses. luckily it cleared just before we started. we went straight for mt. darwin, but in half an hour found ourselves amongst huge open chasms, unbridged, but not very deep, i think. we turned to the north between two, but to our chagrin they converged into chaotic disturbance. we had to retrace our steps for a mile or so, then struck to the west and got on to a confused sea of sastrugi, pulling very hard; we put up the sail, evans' nose suffered, wilson very cold, everything horrid. camped for lunch in the sastrugi; the only comfort, things looked clearer to the west and we were obviously going downhill. in the afternoon we struggled on, got out of sastrugi and turned over on glazed surface, crossing many crevasses--very easy work on ski. towards the end of the march we realised the certainty of maintaining a more or less straight course to the depot, and estimate distance to miles. food is low and weather uncertain, so that many hours of the day were anxious; but this evening, though we are not as far advanced as i expected, the outlook is much more promising. evans is the chief anxiety now; his cuts and wounds suppurate, his nose looks very bad, and altogether he shows considerable signs of being played out. things may mend for him on the glacier, and his wounds get some respite under warmer conditions. i am indeed glad to think we shall so soon have done with plateau conditions. it took us days to reach the pole and days back--in all days--nearly weeks in low temperature with almost incessant wind. end of the summit journey _wednesday, february _.--mount darwin [or upper glacier] depot, r. . height . lunch temp. - °; supper temp, [a blank here]. a wretched day with satisfactory ending. first panic, certainty that biscuit-box was short. great doubt as to how this has come about, as we certainly haven't over-issued allowances. bowers is dreadfully disturbed about it. the shortage is a full day's allowance. we started our march at . , and travelled down slopes and over terraces covered with hard sastrugi--very tiresome work--and the land didn't seem to come any nearer. at lunch the wind increased, and what with hot tea and good food, we started the afternoon in a better frame of mind, and it soon became obvious we were nearing our mark. soon after . we saw our depot easily and camped next it at . . found note from evans to say the second return party passed through safely at . on january --half a day longer between depots than we have been. the temperature is higher, but there is a cold wind to-night. well, we have come through our weeks' ice camp journey and most of us are fit, but i think another week might have had a very bad effect on evans, who is going steadily downhill. it is satisfactory to recall that these facts give absolute proof of both expeditions having reached the pole and placed the question of priority beyond discussion. _thursday, february_ .--r. . height . start temp. - °; lunch temp. - °; supper, zero. . miles. started from the depot rather late owing to weighing biscuit, &c., and rearranging matters. had a beastly morning. wind very strong and cold. steered in for mt. darwin to visit rock. sent bowers on, on ski, as wilson can't wear his at present. he obtained several specimens, all of much the same type, a close-grained granite rock which weathers red. hence the pink limestone. after he rejoined we skidded downhill pretty fast, leaders on ski, oates and wilson on foot alongside sledge--evans detached. we lunched at well down towards mt. buckley, the wind half a gale and everybody very cold and cheerless. however, better things were to follow. we decided to steer for the moraine under mt. buckley and, pulling with crampons, we crossed some very irregular steep slopes with big crevasses and slid down towards the rocks. the moraine was obviously so interesting that when we had advanced some miles and got out of the wind, i decided to camp and spend the rest of the day geologising. it has been extremely interesting. we found ourselves under perpendicular cliffs of beacon sandstone, weathering rapidly and carrying veritable coal seams. from the last wilson, with his sharp eyes, has picked several plant impressions, the last a piece of coal with beautifully traced leaves in layers, also some excellently preserved impressions of thick stems, showing cellular structure. in one place we saw the cast of small waves on the sand. to-night bill has got a specimen of limestone with archeo-cyathus--the trouble is one cannot imagine where the stone comes from; it is evidently rare, as few specimens occur in the moraine. there is a good deal of pure white quartz. altogether we have had a most interesting afternoon, and the relief of being out of the wind and in a warmer temperature is inexpressible. i hope and trust we shall all buck up again now that the conditions are more favourable. we have been in shadow all the afternoon, but the sun has just reached us, a little obscured by night haze. a lot could be written on the delight of setting foot on rock after weeks of snow and ice and nearly out of sight of aught else. it is like going ashore after a sea voyage. we deserve a little good bright weather after all our trials, and hope to get a chance to dry our sleeping-bags and generally make our gear more comfortable. _friday, february _.--r. . height , ft. lunch temp. + °; supper temp. + . °. about miles. kept along the edge of moraine to the end of mt. buckley. stopped and geologised. wilson got great find of vegetable impression in piece of limestone. too tired to write geological notes. we all felt very slack this morning, partly rise of temperature, partly reaction, no doubt. ought to have kept close in to glacier north of mt. buckley, but in bad light the descent looked steep and we kept out. evidently we got amongst bad ice pressure and had to come down over an ice-fall. the crevasses were much firmer than expected and we got down with some difficulty, found our night camp of december , and lunched an hour after. did pretty well in the afternoon, marching / hours; the sledge-meter is unshipped, so cannot tell distance traversed. very warm on march and we are all pretty tired. to-night it is wonderfully calm and warm, though it has been overcast all the afternoon. it is remarkable to be able to stand outside the tent and sun oneself. our food satisfies now, but we must march to keep in the full ration, and we want rest, yet we shall pull through all right, d.v. we are by no means worn out. _saturday, february_ .--r. . lunch temp. + °; supper temp. + °. got off a good morning march in spite of keeping too far east and getting in rough, cracked ice. had a splendid night sleep, showing great change in all faces, so didn't get away till a.m. lunched just before . after lunch the land began to be obscured. we held a course for / hours with difficulty, then the sun disappeared, and snow drove in our faces with northerly wind--very warm and impossible to steer, so camped. after supper, still very thick all round, but sun showing and less snow falling. the fallen snow crystals are quite feathery like thistledown. we have two full days' food left, and though our position is uncertain, we are certainly within two outward marches from the middle glacier depot. however, if the weather doesn't clear by to-morrow, we must either march blindly on or reduce food. it is very trying. another night to make up arrears of sleep. the ice crystals that first fell this afternoon were very large. now the sky is clearer overhead, the temperature has fallen slightly, and the crystals are minute. _sunday, february_ .--r. . lunch temp. - . °; supper - . °. the worst day we have had during the trip and greatly owing to our own fault. we started on a wretched surface with light s.w. wind, sail set, and pulling on ski--horrible light, which made everything look fantastic. as we went on light got worse, and suddenly we found ourselves in pressure. then came the fatal decision to steer east. we went on for hours, hoping to do a good distance, which in fact i suppose we did, but for the last hour or two we pressed on into a regular trap. getting on to a good surface we did not reduce our lunch meal, and thought all going well, but half an hour after lunch we got into the worst ice mess i have ever been in. for three hours we plunged on on ski, first thinking we were too much to the right, then too much to the left; meanwhile the disturbance got worse and my spirits received a very rude shock. there were times when it seemed almost impossible to find a way out of the awful turmoil in which we found ourselves. at length, arguing that there must be a way on our left, we plunged in that direction. it got worse, harder, more icy and crevassed. we could not manage our ski and pulled on foot, falling into crevasses every minute--most luckily no bad accident. at length we saw a smoother slope towards the land, pushed for it, but knew it was a woefully long way from us. the turmoil changed in character, irregular crevassed surface giving way to huge chasms, closely packed and most difficult to cross. it was very heavy work, but we had grown desperate. we won through at p.m. and i write after hours on the march. i _think_ we are on or about the right track now, but we are still a good number of miles from the depôt, so we reduced rations to-night. we had three pemmican meals left and decided to make them into four. to-morrow's lunch must serve for two if we do not make big progress. it was a test of our endurance on the march and our fitness with small supper. we have come through well. a good wind has come down the glacier which is clearing the sky and surface. pray god the wind holds to-morrow. short sleep to-night and off first thing, i hope. _monday, february_ .--r. . in a very critical situation. all went well in the forenoon, and we did a good long march over a fair surface. two hours before lunch we were cheered by the sight of our night camp of the th december, the day after we made our depôt--this showed we were on the right track. in the afternoon, refreshed by tea, we went forward, confident of covering the remaining distance, but by a fatal chance we kept too far to the left, and then we struck uphill and, tired and despondent, arrived in a horrid maze of crevasses and fissures. divided councils caused our course to be erratic after this, and finally, at p.m. we landed in the worst place of all. after discussion we decided to camp, and here we are, after a very short supper and one meal only remaining in the food bag; the depot doubtful in locality. we must get there to-morrow. meanwhile we are cheerful with an effort. it's a tight place, but luckily we've been well fed up to the present. pray god we have fine weather to-morrow. [at this point the bearings of the mid-glacier depôt are given, but need not be quoted.] _tuesday, february_ .--camp r. , beside cloudmaker. temp. - °. last night we all slept well in spite of our grave anxieties. for my part these were increased by my visits outside the tent, when i saw the sky gradually closing over and snow beginning to fall. by our ordinary time for getting up it was dense all around us. we could see nothing, and we could only remain in our sleeping-bags. at . i dimly made out the land of the cloudmaker. at we got up, deciding to have tea, and with one biscuit, no pemmican, so as to leave our scanty remaining meal for eventualities. we started marching, and at first had to wind our way through an awful turmoil of broken ice, but in about an hour we hit an old moraine track, brown with dirt. here the surface was much smoother and improved rapidly. the fog still hung over all and we went on for an hour, checking our bearings. then the whole place got smoother and we turned outward a little. evans raised our hopes with a shout of depot ahead, but it proved to be a shadow on the ice. then suddenly wilson saw the actual depot flag. it was an immense relief, and we were soon in possession of our / days' food. the relief to all is inexpressible; needless to say, we camped and had a meal. marching in the afternoon, i kept more to the left, and closed the mountain till we fell on the stone moraines. here wilson detached himself and made a collection, whilst we pulled the sledge on. we camped late, abreast the lower end of the mountain, and had nearly our usual satisfying supper. yesterday was the worst experience of the trip and gave a horrid feeling of insecurity. now we are right up, we must march. in future food must be worked so that we do not run so short if the weather fails us. we mustn't get into a hole like this again. greatly relieved to find that both the other parties got through safely. evans seems to have got mixed up with pressures like ourselves. it promises to be a very fine day to-morrow. the valley is gradually clearing. bowers has had a very bad attack of snow blindness, and wilson another almost as bad. evans has no power to assist with camping work. _wednesday, february_ .--lunch temp. °; supper temp. - °. a fine day with wind on and off down the glacier, and we have done a fairly good march. we started a little late and pulled on down the moraine. at first i thought of going right, but soon, luckily, changed my mind and decided to follow the curving lines of the moraines. this course has brought us well out on the glacier. started on crampons; one hour after, hoisted sail; the combined efforts produced only slow speed, partly due to the sandy snowdrifts similar to those on summit, partly to our torn sledge runners. at lunch these were scraped and sand-papered. after lunch we got on snow, with ice only occasionally showing through. a poor start, but the gradient and wind improving, we did / miles before night camp. there is no getting away from the fact that we are not going strong. probably none of us: wilson's leg still troubles him and he doesn't like to trust himself on ski; but the worst case is evans, who is giving us serious anxiety. this morning he suddenly disclosed a huge blister on his foot. it delayed us on the march, when he had to have his crampon readjusted. sometimes i fear he is going from bad to worse, but i trust he will pick up again when we come to steady work on ski like this afternoon. he is hungry and so is wilson. we can't risk opening out our food again, and as cook at present i am serving something under full allowance. we are inclined to get slack and slow with our camping arrangements, and small delays increase. i have talked of the matter to-night and hope for improvement. we cannot do distance without the ponies. the next depot [ ] some miles away and nearly days' food in hand. _thursday, february_ .--r. . lunch temp. - °; supper temp. - °. . miles. again we are running short of provision. we don't know our distance from the depot, but imagine about miles. heavy march--did / (geo.). we are pulling for food and not very strong evidently. in the afternoon it was overcast; land blotted out for a considerable interval. we have reduced food, also sleep; feeling rather done. trust / days or at most will see us at depot. _friday, february_ .-- . m. lunch temp.- . °; supper temp. - °. a rather trying position. evans has nearly broken down in brain, we think. he is absolutely changed from his normal self-reliant self. this morning and this afternoon he stopped the march on some trivial excuse. we are on short rations with not very short food; spin out till to-morrow night. we cannot be more than or miles from the depot, but the weather is all against us. after lunch we were enveloped in a snow sheet, land just looming. memory should hold the events of a very troublesome march with more troubles ahead. perhaps all will be well if we can get to our depot to-morrow fairly early, but it is anxious work with the sick man. but it's no use meeting troubles half way, and our sleep is all too short to write more. _saturday, february_ .--a very terrible day. evans looked a little better after a good sleep, and declared, as he always did, that he was quite well. he started in his place on the traces, but half an hour later worked his ski shoes adrift, and had to leave the sledge. the surface was awful, the soft recently fallen snow clogging the ski and runners at every step, the sledge groaning, the sky overcast, and the land hazy. we stopped after about one hour, and evans came up again, but very slowly. half an hour later he dropped out again on the same plea. he asked bowers to lend him a piece of string. i cautioned him to come on as quickly as he could, and he answered cheerfully as i thought. we had to push on, and the remainder of us were forced to pull very hard, sweating heavily. abreast the monument rock we stopped, and seeing evans a long way astern, i camped for lunch. there was no alarm at first, and we prepared tea and our own meal, consuming the latter. after lunch, and evans still not appearing, we looked out, to see him still afar off. by this time we were alarmed, and all four started back on ski. i was first to reach the poor man and shocked at his appearance; he was on his knees with clothing disarranged, hands uncovered and frostbitten, and a wild look in his eyes. asked what was the matter, he replied with a slow speech that he didn't know, but thought he must have fainted. we got him on his feet, but after two or three steps he sank down again. he showed every sign of complete collapse. wilson, bowers, and i went back for the sledge, whilst oates remained with him. when we returned he was practically unconscious, and when we got him into the tent quite comatose. he died quietly at . a.m. on discussing the symptoms we think he began to get weaker just before we reached the pole, and that his downward path was accelerated first by the shock of his frostbitten fingers, and later by falls during rough travelling on the glacier, further by his loss of all confidence in himself. wilson thinks it certain he must have injured his brain by a fall. it is a terrible thing to lose a companion in this way, but calm reflection shows that there could not have been a better ending to the terrible anxieties of the past week. discussion of the situation at lunch yesterday shows us what a desperate pass we were in with a sick man on our hands at such a distance from home. at a.m. we packed up and came down over the pressure ridges, finding our depôt easily. chapter xx the last march_ _ _sunday, february_ .--r. . temp. - . °. at shambles camp. we gave ourselves hours' sleep at the lower glacier depot after the horrible night, and came on at about to-day to this camp, coming fairly easily over the divide. here with plenty of horsemeat we have had a fine supper, to be followed by others such, and so continue a more plentiful era if we can keep good marches up. new life seems to come with greater food almost immediately, but i am anxious about the barrier surfaces. _monday, february_ .--lunch t. - °. it was late (past noon) before we got away to-day, as i gave nearly hours sleep, and much camp work was done shifting sledges [ ] and fitting up new one with mast, &c., packing horsemeat and personal effects. the surface was every bit as bad as i expected, the sun shining brightly on it and its covering of soft loose sandy snow. we have come out about ' on the old tracks. perhaps lucky to have a fine day for this and our camp work, but we shall want wind or change of sliding conditions to do anything on such a surface as we have got. i fear there will not be much change for the next or days. r. . temp. - °. we have struggled out . miles in a short day over a really terrible surface--it has been like pulling over desert sand, not the least glide in the world. if this goes on we shall have a bad time, but i sincerely trust it is only the result of this windless area close to the coast and that, as we are making steadily outwards, we shall shortly escape it. it is perhaps premature to be anxious about covering distance. in all other respects things are improving. we have our sleeping-bags spread on the sledge and they are drying, but, above all, we have our full measure of food again. to-night we had a sort of stew fry of pemmican and horseflesh, and voted it the best hoosh we had ever had on a sledge journey. the absence of poor evans is a help to the commissariat, but if he had been here in a fit state we might have got along faster. i wonder what is in store for us, with some little alarm at the lateness of the season. _monday, february_ .--r. . lunch temp. - °; supper temp. - °. same terrible surface; four hours' hard plodding in morning brought us to our desolation camp, where we had the four-day blizzard. we looked for more pony meat, but found none. after lunch we took to ski with some improvement of comfort. total mileage for day --the ski tracks pretty plain and easily followed this afternoon. we have left another cairn behind. terribly slow progress, but we hope for better things as we clear the land. there is a tendency to cloud over in the s.e. to-night, which may turn to our advantage. at present our sledge and ski leave deeply ploughed tracks which can be seen winding for miles behind. it is distressing, but as usual trials are forgotten when we camp, and good food is our lot. pray god we get better travelling as we are not fit as we were, and the season is advancing apace. _tuesday, february_ .--r. . lunch temp. - / °; supper temp. - °. gloomy and overcast when we started; a good deal warmer. the marching almost as bad as yesterday. heavy toiling all day, inspiring gloomiest thoughts at times. rays of comfort when we picked up tracks and cairns. at lunch we seemed to have missed the way, but an hour or two after we passed the last pony walls, and since, we struck a tent ring, ending the march actually on our old pony-tracks. there is a critical spot here with a long stretch between cairns. if we can tide that over we get on the regular cairn route, and with luck should stick to it; but everything depends on the weather. we never won a march of / miles with greater difficulty, but we can't go on like this. we are drawing away from the land and perhaps may get better things in a day or two. i devoutly hope so. _wednesday, february_ .--r. . supper temp. - °. there is little doubt we are in for a rotten critical time going home, and the lateness of the season may make it really serious. shortly after starting to-day the wind grew very fresh from the s.e. with strong surface drift. we lost the faint track immediately, though covering ground fairly rapidly. lunch came without sight of the cairn we had hoped to pass. in the afternoon, bowers being sure we were too far to the west, steered out. result, we have passed another pony camp without seeing it. looking at the map to-night there is no doubt we are too far to the east. with clear weather we ought to be able to correct the mistake, but will the weather get clear? it's a gloomy position, more especially as one sees the same difficulty returning even when we have corrected the error. the wind is dying down to-night and the sky clearing in the south, which is hopeful. meanwhile it is satisfactory to note that such untoward events fail to damp the spirit of the party. to-night we had a pony hoosh so excellent and filling that one feels really strong and vigorous again. _thursday, february_ .--r. . lunch temp.- . °; supper temp. - °. started in sunshine, wind almost dropped. luckily bowers took a round of angles and with help of the chart we fogged out that we must be inside rather than outside tracks. the data were so meagre that it seemed a great responsibility to march out and we were none of us happy about it. but just as we decided to lunch, bowers' wonderful sharp eyes detected an old double lunch cairn, the theodolite telescope confirmed it, and our spirits rose accordingly. this afternoon we marched on and picked up another cairn; then on and camped only / miles from the depot. we cannot see it, but, given fine weather, we cannot miss it. we are, therefore, extraordinarily relieved. covered . miles in hours, showing we can do to on this surface. things are again looking up, as we are on the regular line of cairns, with no gaps right home, i hope. _friday, february_ .--lunch. beautiful day--too beautiful--an hour after starting loose ice crystals spoiling surface. saw depot and reached it middle forenoon. found store in order except shortage oil_ _--shall have to be _very_ saving with fuel--otherwise have ten full days' provision from to-night and shall have less than miles to go. note from meares who passed through december , saying surface bad; from atkinson, after fine marching ( / days from pony depot), reporting keohane better after sickness. short note from evans, not very cheerful, saying surface bad, temperature high. think he must have been a little anxious. [ ] it is an immense relief to have picked up this depot and, for the time, anxieties are thrust aside. there is no doubt we have been rising steadily since leaving the shambles camp. the coastal barrier descends except where glaciers press out. undulation still but flattening out. surface soft on top, curiously hard below. great difference now between night and day temperatures. quite warm as i write in tent. we are on tracks with half-march cairn ahead; have covered / miles. poor wilson has a fearful attack snow-blindness consequent on yesterday's efforts. wish we had more fuel. night camp r. . temp. - °. a little despondent again. we had a really terrible surface this afternoon and only covered miles. we are on the track just beyond a lunch cairn. it really will be a bad business if we are to have this pulling all through. i don't know what to think, but the rapid closing of the season is ominous. it is great luck having the horsemeat to add to our ration. to-night we have had a real fine 'hoosh.' it is a race between the season and hard conditions and our fitness and good food. _saturday, february_ .--lunch temp. - °. managed just miles this morning. started somewhat despondent; not relieved when pulling seemed to show no improvement. bit by bit surface grew better, less sastrugi, more glide, slight following wind for a time. then we began to travel a little faster. but the pulling is still _very_ hard; undulations disappearing but inequalities remain. twenty-six camp walls about miles ahead, all tracks in sight--evans' track very conspicuous. this is something in favour, but the pulling is tiring us, though we are getting into better ski drawing again. bowers hasn't quite the trick and is a little hurt at my criticisms, but i never doubted his heart. very much easier--write diary at lunch--excellent meal--now one pannikin very strong tea--four biscuits and butter. hope for better things this afternoon, but no improvement apparent. oh! for a little wind--e. evans evidently had plenty. r. . temp. - °. better march in afternoon. day yields . miles--the first double figure of steady dragging for a long time, but it meant and will mean hard work if we can't get a wind to help us. evans evidently had a strong wind here, s.e. i should think. the temperature goes very low at night now when the sky is clear as at present. as a matter of fact this is wonderfully fair weather--the only drawback the spoiling of the surface and absence of wind. we see all tracks very plain, but the pony-walls have evidently been badly drifted up. some kind people had substituted a cairn at last camp . the old cairns do not seem to have suffered much. _sunday, february_ .--lunch temp. - °. sky overcast at start, but able see tracks and cairn distinct at long distance. did a little better, / miles to date. bowers and wilson now in front. find great relief pulling behind with no necessity to keep attention on track. very cold nights now and cold feet starting march, as day footgear doesn't dry at all. we are doing well on our food, but we ought to have yet more. i hope the next depôt, now only miles, will find us with enough surplus to open out. the fuel shortage still an anxiety. r. . temp. - ° nine hours' solid marching has given us / miles. only miles from the next depôt. wonderfully fine weather but cold, very cold. nothing dries and we get our feet cold too often. we want more food yet and especially more fat. fuel is woefully short. we can scarcely hope to get a better surface at this season, but i wish we could have some help from the wind, though it might shake us badly if the temp. didn't rise. _monday, february_ .--desperately cold last night: - ° when we got up, with - ° minimum. some suffering from cold feet, but all got good rest. we _must_ open out on food soon. but we have done miles this morning and hope for some this afternoon. overcast sky and good surface till now, when sun shows again. it is good to be marching the cairns up, but there is still much to be anxious about. we talk of little but food, except after meals. land disappearing in satisfactory manner. pray god we have no further set-backs. we are naturally always discussing possibility of meeting dogs, where and when, &c. it is a critical position. we may find ourselves in safety at next depôt, but there is a horrid element of doubt. camp r. . temp. - °. still fine clear weather but very cold--absolutely calm to-night. we have got off an excellent march for these days ( . ) and are much earlier than usual in our bags. miles to depot, days' fuel at a pinch, and days' food. things begin to look a little better; we can open out a little on food from to-morrow night, i think. very curious surface--soft recent sastrugi which sink underfoot, and between, a sort of flaky crust with large crystals beneath. _tuesday, february_ .--lunch. thermometer went below - ° last night; it was desperately cold for us, but we had a fair night. i decided to slightly increase food; the effect is undoubtedly good. started marching in - ° with a slight north-westerly breeze--blighting. many cold feet this morning; long time over foot gear, but we are earlier. shall camp earlier and get the chance of a good night, if not the reality. things must be critical till we reach the depot, and the more i think of matters, the more i anticipate their remaining so after that event. only / miles from the depot. the sun shines brightly, but there is little warmth in it. there is no doubt the middle of the barrier is a pretty awful locality. camp . splendid pony hoosh sent us to bed and sleep happily after a horrid day, wind continuing; did / miles. temp. not quite so low, but expect we are in for cold night (temp. - °). _wednesday, february_ .--lunch. cold night. minimum temp. - . °; - ° with north-west wind, force , when we got up. frightfully cold starting; luckily bowers and oates in their last new finnesko; keeping my old ones for present. expected awful march and for first hour got it. then things improved and we camped after / hours marching close to lunch camp-- / . next camp is our depot and it is exactly miles. it ought not to take more than / days; we pray for another fine one. the oil will just about spin out in that event, and we arrive clear days' food in hand. the increase of ration has had an enormously beneficial result. mountains now looking small. wind still very light from west--cannot understand this wind. _thursday, march_ .--lunch. very cold last night--minimum - . °. cold start to march, too, as usual now. got away at and have marched within sight of depot; flag something under miles away. we did / yesterday and marched this morning. heavy dragging yesterday and _very_ heavy this morning. apart from sledging considerations the weather is wonderful. cloudless days and nights and the wind trifling. worse luck, the light airs come from the north and keep us horribly cold. for this lunch hour the exception has come. there is a bright and comparatively warm sun. all our gear is out drying. _friday, march_ .--lunch. misfortunes rarely come singly. we marched to the (middle barrier) depot fairly easily yesterday afternoon, and since that have suffered three distinct blows which have placed us in a bad position. first we found a shortage of oil; with most rigid economy it can scarce carry us to the next depot on this surface ( miles away). second, titus oates disclosed his feet, the toes showing very bad indeed, evidently bitten by the late temperatures. the third blow came in the night, when the wind, which we had hailed with some joy, brought dark overcast weather. it fell below - ° in the night, and this morning it took / hours to get our foot gear on, but we got away before eight. we lost cairn and tracks together and made as steady as we could n. by w., but have seen nothing. worse was to come--the surface is simply awful. in spite of strong wind and full sail we have only done / miles. we are in a very queer street since there is no doubt we cannot do the extra marches and feel the cold horribly. _saturday, march_ .--lunch. we picked up the track again yesterday, finding ourselves to the eastward. did close on miles and things looked a trifle better; but this morning the outlook is blacker than ever. started well and with good breeze; for an hour made good headway; then the surface grew awful beyond words. the wind drew forward; every circumstance was against us. after / hours things so bad that we camped, having covered / miles. (r. .) one cannot consider this a fault of our own--certainly we were pulling hard this morning--it was more than three parts surface which held us back--the wind at strongest, powerless to move the sledge. when the light is good it is easy to see the reason. the surface, lately a very good hard one, is coated with a thin layer of woolly crystals, formed by radiation no doubt. these are too firmly fixed to be removed by the wind and cause impossible friction on the runners. god help us, we can't keep up this pulling, that is certain. amongst ourselves we are unendingly cheerful, but what each man feels in his heart i can only guess. pulling on foot gear in the morning is getter slower and slower, therefore every day more dangerous. _sunday, march_ .--lunch. things looking _very_ black indeed. as usual we forgot our trouble last night, got into our bags, slept splendidly on good hoosh, woke and had another, and started marching. sun shining brightly, tracks clear, but surface covered with sandy frostrime. all the morning we had to pull with all our strength, and in / hours we covered / miles. last night it was overcast and thick, surface bad; this morning sun shining and surface as bad as ever. one has little to hope for except perhaps strong dry wind--an unlikely contingency at this time of year. under the immediate surface crystals is a hard sustrugi surface, which must have been excellent for pulling a week or two ago. we are about miles from the next depot and have a week's food, but only about to days' fuel--we are as economical of the latter as one can possibly be, and we cannot afford to save food and pull as we are pulling. we are in a very tight place indeed, but none of us despondent _yet_, or at least we preserve every semblance of good cheer, but one's heart sinks as the sledge stops dead at some sastrugi behind which the surface sand lies thickly heaped. for the moment the temperature is on the - °--an improvement which makes us much more comfortable, but a colder snap is bound to come again soon. i fear that oates at least will weather such an event very poorly. providence to our aid! we can expect little from man now except the possibility of extra food at the next depot. it will be real bad if we get there and find the same shortage of oil. shall we get there? such a short distance it would have appeared to us on the summit! i don't know what i should do if wilson and bowers weren't so determinedly cheerful over things. _monday, march_ .--lunch. regret to say going from bad to worse. we got a slant of wind yesterday afternoon, and going on hours we converted our wretched morning run of / miles into something over . we went to bed on a cup of cocoa and pemmican solid with the chill off. (r. .) the result is telling on all, but mainly on oates, whose feet are in a wretched condition. one swelled up tremendously last night and he is very lame this morning. we started march on tea and pemmican as last night--we pretend to prefer the pemmican this way. marched for hours this morning over a slightly better surface covered with high moundy sastrugi. sledge capsized twice; we pulled on foot, covering about / miles. we are two pony marches and miles about from our depot. our fuel dreadfully low and the poor soldier nearly done. it is pathetic enough because we can do nothing for him; more hot food might do a little, but only a little, i fear. we none of us expected these terribly low temperatures, and of the rest of us wilson is feeling them most; mainly, i fear, from his self-sacrificing devotion in doctoring oates' feet. we cannot help each other, each has enough to do to take care of himself. we get cold on the march when the trudging is heavy, and the wind pierces our warm garments. the others, all of them, are unendingly cheerful when in the tent. we mean to see the game through with a proper spirit, but it's tough work to be pulling harder than we ever pulled in our lives for long hours, and to feel that the progress is so slow. one can only say 'god help us!' and plod on our weary way, cold and very miserable, though outwardly cheerful. we talk of all sorts of subjects in the tent, not much of food now, since we decided to take the risk of running a full ration. we simply couldn't go hungry at this time. _tuesday, march_ .--lunch. we did a little better with help of wind yesterday afternoon, finishing / miles for the day, and miles from depot. (r. .) but this morning things have been awful. it was warm in the night and for the first time during the journey i overslept myself by more than an hour; then we were slow with foot gear; then, pulling with all our might (for our lives) we could scarcely advance at rate of a mile an hour; then it grew thick and three times we had to get out of harness to search for tracks. the result is something less than / miles for the forenoon. the sun is shining now and the wind gone. poor oates is unable to pull, sits on the sledge when we are track-searching--he is wonderfully plucky, as his feet must be giving him great pain. he makes no complaint, but his spirits only come up in spurts now, and he grows more silent in the tent. we are making a spirit lamp to try and replace the primus when our oil is exhausted. it will be a very poor substitute and we've not got much spirit. if we could have kept up our -mile days we might have got within reasonable distance of the depot before running out, but nothing but a strong wind and good surface can help us now, and though we had quite a good breeze this morning, the sledge came as heavy as lead. if we were all fit i should have hopes of getting through, but the poor soldier has become a terrible hindrance, though he does his utmost and suffers much i fear. _wednesday, march_ .--a little worse i fear. one of oates' feet _very_ bad this morning; he is wonderfully brave. we still talk of what we will do together at home. we only made / miles yesterday. (r. .) this morning in / hours we did just over miles. we are from our depot. if we only find the correct proportion of food there and this surface continues, we may get to the next depot [mt. hooper, miles farther] but not to one ton camp. we hope against hope that the dogs have been to mt. hooper; then we might pull through. if there is a shortage of oil again we can have little hope. one feels that for poor oates the crisis is near, but none of us are improving, though we are wonderfully fit considering the really excessive work we are doing. we are only kept going by good food. no wind this morning till a chill northerly air came ahead. sun bright and cairns showing up well. i should like to keep the track to the end. _thursday, march_ .--lunch. worse and worse in morning; poor oates' left foot can never last out, and time over foot gear something awful. have to wait in night foot gear for nearly an hour before i start changing, and then am generally first to be ready. wilson's feet giving trouble now, but this mainly because he gives so much help to others. we did / miles this morning and are now / miles from the depot--a ridiculously small distance to feel in difficulties, yet on this surface we know we cannot equal half our old marches, and that for that effort we expend nearly double the energy. the great question is, what shall we find at the depot? if the dogs have visited it we may get along a good distance, but if there is another short allowance of fuel, god help us indeed. we are in a very bad way, i fear, in any case. _saturday, march_ .--things steadily downhill. oates' foot worse. he has rare pluck and must know that he can never get through. he asked wilson if he had a chance this morning, and of course bill had to say he didn't know. in point of fact he has none. apart from him, if he went under now, i doubt whether we could get through. with great care we might have a dog's chance, but no more. the weather conditions are awful, and our gear gets steadily more icy and difficult to manage. at the same time of course poor titus is the greatest handicap. he keeps us waiting in the morning until we have partly lost the warming effect of our good breakfast, when the only wise policy is to be up and away at once; again at lunch. poor chap! it is too pathetic to watch him; one cannot but try to cheer him up. yesterday we marched up the depot, mt. hooper. cold comfort. shortage on our allowance all round. i don't know that anyone is to blame. the dogs which would have been our salvation have evidently failed. [ ] meares had a bad trip home i suppose. this morning it was calm when we breakfasted, but the wind came from w.n.w. as we broke camp. it rapidly grew in strength. after travelling for half an hour i saw that none of us could go on facing such conditions. we were forced to camp and are spending the rest of the day in a comfortless blizzard camp, wind quite foul. (r. .) _sunday, march_ ll.--titus oates is very near the end, one feels. what we or he will do, god only knows. we discussed the matter after breakfast; he is a brave fine fellow and understands the situation, but he practically asked for advice. nothing could be said but to urge him to march as long as he could. one satisfactory result to the discussion; i practically ordered wilson to hand over the means of ending our troubles to us, so that anyone of us may know how to do so. wilson had no choice between doing so and our ransacking the medicine case. we have opium tabloids apiece and he is left with a tube of morphine. so far the tragical side of our story. (r. .) the sky completely overcast when we started this morning. we could see nothing, lost the tracks, and doubtless have been swaying a good deal since-- . miles for the forenoon--terribly heavy dragging--expected it. know that miles is about the limit of our endurance now, if we get no help from wind or surfaces. we have days' food and should be about miles from one ton camp to-night, × = , leaving us miles short of our distance, even if things get no worse. meanwhile the season rapidly advances. _monday, march_ .--we did . miles yesterday, under our necessary average. things are left much the same, oates not pulling much, and now with hands as well as feet pretty well useless. we did miles this morning in hours min.--we may hope for this afternoon, × = . we shall be miles from the depot. i doubt if we can possibly do it. the surface remains awful, the cold intense, and our physical condition running down. god help us! not a breath of favourable wind for more than a week, and apparently liable to head winds at any moment. _wednesday, march_ .--no doubt about the going downhill, but everything going wrong for us. yesterday we woke to a strong northerly wind with temp. - °. couldn't face it, so remained in camp (r. ) till , then did / miles. wanted to march later, but party feeling the cold badly as the breeze (n.) never took off entirely, and as the sun sank the temp. fell. long time getting supper in dark. (r. .) this morning started with southerly breeze, set sail and passed another cairn at good speed; half-way, however, the wind shifted to w. by s. or w.s.w., blew through our wind clothes and into our mits. poor wilson horribly cold, could not get off ski for some time. bowers and i practically made camp, and when we got into the tent at last we were all deadly cold. then temp, now midday down - ° and the wind strong. we _must_ go on, but now the making of every camp must be more difficult and dangerous. it must be near the end, but a pretty merciful end. poor oates got it again in the foot. i shudder to think what it will be like to-morrow. it is only with greatest pains rest of us keep off frostbites. no idea there could be temperatures like this at this time of year with such winds. truly awful outside the tent. must fight it out to the last biscuit, but can't reduce rations. _friday, march_ _or saturday_ .--lost track of dates, but think the last correct. tragedy all along the line. at lunch, the day before yesterday, poor titus oates said he couldn't go on; he proposed we should leave him in his sleeping-bag. that we could not do, and induced him to come on, on the afternoon march. in spite of its awful nature for him he struggled on and we made a few miles. at night he was worse and we knew the end had come. should this be found i want these facts recorded. oates' last thoughts were of his mother, but immediately before he took pride in thinking that his regiment would be pleased with the bold way in which he met his death. we can testify to his bravery. he has borne intense suffering for weeks without complaint, and to the very last was able and willing to discuss outside subjects. he did not--would not--give up hope to the very end. he was a brave soul. this was the end. he slept through the night before last, hoping not to wake; but he woke in the morning--yesterday. it was blowing a blizzard. he said, 'i am just going outside and may be some time.' he went out into the blizzard and we have not seen him since. i take this opportunity of saying that we have stuck to our sick companions to the last. in case of edgar evans, when absolutely out of food and he lay insensible, the safety of the remainder seemed to demand his abandonment, but providence mercifully removed him at this critical moment. he died a natural death, and we did not leave him till two hours after his death. we knew that poor oates was walking to his death, but though we tried to dissuade him, we knew it was the act of a brave man and an english gentleman. we all hope to meet the end with a similar spirit, and assuredly the end is not far. i can only write at lunch and then only occasionally. the cold is intense, - ° at midday. my companions are unendingly cheerful, but we are all on the verge of serious frostbites, and though we constantly talk of fetching through i don't think anyone of us believes it in his heart. we are cold on the march now, and at all times except meals. yesterday we had to lay up for a blizzard and to-day we move dreadfully slowly. we are at no. pony camp, only two pony marches from one ton depôt. we leave here our theodolite, a camera, and oates' sleeping-bags. diaries, &c., and geological specimens carried at wilson's special request, will be found with us or on our sledge. _sunday, march_ .--to-day, lunch, we are miles from the depot. ill fortune presses, but better may come. we have had more wind and drift from ahead yesterday; had to stop marching; wind n.w., force , temp. - °. no human being could face it, and we are worn out _nearly_. my right foot has gone, nearly all the toes--two days ago i was proud possessor of best feet. these are the steps of my downfall. like an ass i mixed a small spoonful of curry powder with my melted pemmican--it gave me violent indigestion. i lay awake and in pain all night; woke and felt done on the march; foot went and i didn't know it. a very small measure of neglect and have a foot which is not pleasant to contemplate. bowers takes first place in condition, but there is not much to choose after all. the others are still confident of getting through--or pretend to be--i don't know! we have the last _half_ fill of oil in our primus and a very small quantity of spirit--this alone between us and thirst. the wind is fair for the moment, and that is perhaps a fact to help. the mileage would have seemed ridiculously small on our outward journey. _monday, march_ .--lunch. we camped with difficulty last night, and were dreadfully cold till after our supper of cold pemmican and biscuit and a half a pannikin of cocoa cooked over the spirit. then, contrary to expectation, we got warm and all slept well. to-day we started in the usual dragging manner. sledge dreadfully heavy. we are / miles from the depot and ought to get there in three days. what progress! we have two days' food but barely a day's fuel. all our feet are getting bad--wilson's best, my right foot worst, left all right. there is no chance to nurse one's feet till we can get hot food into us. amputation is the least i can hope for now, but will the trouble spread? that is the serious question. the weather doesn't give us a chance--the wind from n. to n.w. and - ° temp, to-day. _wednesday, march_ .--got within miles of depôt monday night; [ ] had to lay up all yesterday in severe blizzard._ _ to-day forlorn hope, wilson and bowers going to depot for fuel. _thursday, march_ _and_ .--blizzard bad as ever--wilson and bowers unable to start--to-morrow last chance--no fuel and only one or two of food left--must be near the end. have decided it shall be natural--we shall march for the depot with or without our effects and die in our tracks. _thursday, march_ .--since the st we have had a continuous gale from w.s.w. and s.w. we had fuel to make two cups of tea apiece and bare food for two days on the th. every day we have been ready to start for our depot _ miles_ away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of whirling drift. i do not think we can hope for any better things now. we shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far. it seems a pity, but i do not think i can write more. r. scott. for god's sake look after our people. ------------ wilson and bowers were found in the attitude of sleep, their sleeping-bags closed over their heads as they would naturally close them. scott died later. he had thrown back the flaps of his sleeping-bag and opened his coat. the little wallet containing the three notebooks was under his shoulders and his arm flung across wilson. so they were found eight months later. with the diaries in the tent were found the following letters: to mrs. e. a. wilson my dear mrs. wilson, if this letter reaches you bill and i will have gone out together. we are very near it now and i should like you to know how splendid he was at the end--everlastingly cheerful and ready to sacrifice himself for others, never a word of blame to me for leading him into this mess. he is not suffering, luckily, at least only minor discomforts. his eyes have a comfortable blue look of hope and his mind is peaceful with the satisfaction of his faith in regarding himself as part of the great scheme of the almighty. i can do no more to comfort you than to tell you that he died as he lived, a brave, true man--the best of comrades and staunchest of friends. my whole heart goes out to you in pity, yours, r. scott to mrs. bowers my dear mrs. bowers, i am afraid this will reach you after one of the heaviest blows of your life. i write when we are very near the end of our journey, and i am finishing it in company with two gallant, noble gentlemen. one of these is your son. he had come to be one of my closest and soundest friends, and i appreciate his wonderful upright nature, his ability and energy. as the troubles have thickened his dauntless spirit ever shone brighter and he has remained cheerful, hopeful, and indomitable to the end. the ways of providence are inscrutable, but there must be some reason why such a young, vigorous and promising life is taken. my whole heart goes out in pity for you. yours, r. scott. to the end he has talked of you and his sisters. one sees what a happy home he must have had and perhaps it is well to look back on nothing but happiness. he remains unselfish, self-reliant and splendidly hopeful to the end, believing in god's mercy to you. to sir j. m. barrie my dear barrie, we are pegging out in a very comfortless spot. hoping this letter may be found and sent to you, i write a word of farewell. ... more practically i want you to help my widow and my boy--your godson. we are showing that englishmen can still die with a bold spirit, fighting it out to the end. it will be known that we have accomplished our object in reaching the pole, and that we have done everything possible, even to sacrificing ourselves in order to save sick companions. i think this makes an example for englishmen of the future, and that the country ought to help those who are left behind to mourn us. i leave my poor girl and your godson, wilson leaves a widow, and edgar evans also a widow in humble circumstances. do what you can to get their claims recognised. goodbye. i am not at all afraid of the end, but sad to miss many a humble pleasure which i had planned for the future on our long marches. i may not have proved a great explorer, but we have done the greatest march ever made and come very near to great success. goodbye, my dear friend, yours ever, r. scott. we are in a desperate state, feet frozen, &c. no fuel and a long way from food, but it would do your heart good to be in our tent, to hear our songs and the cheery conversation as to what we will do when we get to hut point. _later_.--we are very near the end, but have not and will not lose our good cheer. we have four days of storm in our tent and nowhere's food or fuel. we did intend to finish ourselves when things proved like this, but we have decided to die naturally in the track. as a dying man, my dear friend, be good to my wife and child. give the boy a chance in life if the state won't do it. he ought to have good stuff in him. ... i never met a man in my life whom i admired and loved more than you, but i never could show you how much your friendship meant to me, for you had much to give and i nothing. to the right hon. sir edgar speyer, bart. dated march , . lat. . °. my dear sir edgar, i hope this may reach you. i fear we must go and that it leaves the expedition in a bad muddle. but we have been to the pole and we shall die like gentlemen. i regret only for the women we leave behind. i thank you a thousand times for your help and support and your generous kindness. if this diary is found it will show how we stuck by dying companions and fought the thing out well to the end. i think this will show that the spirit of pluck and power to endure has not passed out of our race ... wilson, the best fellow that ever stepped, has sacrificed himself again and again to the sick men of the party ... i write to many friends hoping the letters will reach them some time after we are found next year. we very nearly came through, and it's a pity to have missed it, but lately i have felt that we have overshot our mark. no one is to blame and i hope no attempt will be made to suggest that we have lacked support. good-bye to you and your dear kind wife. yours ever sincerely, r. scott. to vice-admiral sir francis charles bridgeman, k.c.v.o., k.c.b. my dear sir francis, i fear we have shipped up; a close shave; i am writing a few letters which i hope will be delivered some day. i want to thank you for the friendship you gave me of late years, and to tell you how extraordinarily pleasant i found it to serve under you. i want to tell you that i was not too old for this job. it was the younger men that went under first... after all we are setting a good example to our countrymen, if not by getting into a tight place, by facing it like men when we were there. we could have come through had we neglected the sick. good-bye, and good-bye to dear lady bridgeman. yours ever, r. scott. excuse writing--it is - °, and has been for nigh a month. to vice-admiral sir george le clearc egerton. k.c.b. my dear sir george, i fear we have shot our bolt--but we have been to pole and done the longest journey on record. i hope these letters may find their destination some day. subsidiary reasons of our failure to return are due to the sickness of different members of the party, but the real thing that has stopped us is the awful weather and unexpected cold towards the end of the journey. this traverse of the barrier has been quite three times as severe as any experience we had on the summit. there is no accounting for it, but the result has thrown out my calculations, and here we are little more than miles from the base and petering out. good-bye. please see my widow is looked after as far as admiralty is concerned. r. scott. my kindest regards to lady egerton. i can never forget all your kindness. to mr. j.j. kinsey--christchurch march th, . my dear kinsey, i'm afraid we are pretty well done--four days of blizzard just as we were getting to the last depot. my thoughts have been with you often. you have been a brick. you will pull the expedition through, i'm sure. my thoughts are for my wife and boy. will you do what you can for them if the country won't. i want the boy to have a good chance in the world, but you know the circumstances well enough. if i knew the wife and boy were in safe keeping i should have little regret in leaving the world, for i feel that the country need not be ashamed of us--our journey has been the biggest on record, and nothing but the most exceptional hard luck at the end would have caused us to fail to return. we have been to the s. pole as we set out. god bless you and dear mrs. kinsey. it is good to remember you and your kindness. your friend, r. scott. letters to his mother, his wife, his brother-in-law (sir william ellison macartney), admiral sir lewis beaumont, and mr. and mrs. reginald smith were also found, from which come the following extracts: the great god has called me and i feel it will add a fearful blow to the heavy ones that have fallen on you in life. but take comfort in that i die at peace with the world and myself--not afraid. indeed it has been most singularly unfortunate, for the risks i have taken never seemed excessive. ... i want to tell you that we have missed getting through by a narrow margin which was justifiably within the risk of such a journey ... after all, we have given our lives for our country--we have actually made the longest journey on record, and we have been the first englishmen at the south pole. you must understand that it is too cold to write much. ... it's a pity the luck doesn't come our way, because every detail of equipment is right. i shall not have suffered any pain, but leave the world fresh from harness and full of good health and vigour. since writing the above we got to within miles of our depot, with one hot meal and two days' cold food. we should have got through but have been held for _four_ days by a frightful storm. i think the best chance has gone. we have decided not to kill ourselves, but to fight to the last for that depôt, but in the fighting there is a painless end. make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games; they encourage it at some schools. i know you will keep him in the open air. above all, he must guard and you must guard him against indolence. make him a strenuous man. i had to force myself into being strenuous as you know--had always an inclination to be idle. there is a piece of the union jack i put up at the south pole in my private kit bag, together with amundsen's black flag and other trifles. send a small piece of the union jack to the king and a small piece to queen alexandra. what lots and lots i could tell you of this journey. how much better has it been than lounging in too great comfort at home. what tales you would have for the boys. but what a price to pay. tell sir clements--i thought much of him and never regretted him putting me in command of the _discovery_. message to the public the causes of the disaster are not due to faulty organisation, but to misfortune in all risks which had to be undertaken. . the loss of pony transport in march obliged me to start later than i had intended, and obliged the limits of stuff transported to be narrowed. . the weather throughout the outward journey, and especially the long gale in ° s., stopped us. . the soft snow in lower reaches of glacier again reduced pace. we fought these untoward events with a will and conquered, but it cut into our provision reserve. every detail of our food supplies, clothing and depôts made on the interior ice-sheet and over that long stretch of miles to the pole and back, worked out to perfection. the advance party would have returned to the glacier in fine form and with surplus of food, but for the astonishing failure of the man whom we had least expected to fail. edgar evans was thought the strongest man of the party. the beardmore glacier is not difficult in fine weather, but on our return we did not get a single completely fine day; this with a sick companion enormously increased our anxieties. as i have said elsewhere we got into frightfully rough ice and edgar evans received a concussion of the brain--he died a natural death, but left us a shaken party with the season unduly advanced. but all the facts above enumerated were as nothing to the surprise which awaited us on the barrier. i maintain that our arrangements for returning were quite adequate, and that no one in the world would have expected the temperatures and surfaces which we encountered at this time of the year. on the summit in lat. ° ° we had - °, - °. on the barrier in lat. °, , feet lower, we had - ° in the day, - ° at night pretty regularly, with continuous head wind during our day marches. it is clear that these circumstances come on very suddenly, and our wreck is certainly due to this sudden advent of severe weather, which does not seem to have any satisfactory cause. i do not think human beings ever came through such a month as we have come through, and we should have got through in spite of the weather but for the sickening of a second companion, captain oates, and a shortage of fuel in our depôts for which i cannot account, and finally, but for the storm which has fallen on us within miles of the depôt at which we hoped to secure our final supplies. surely misfortune could scarcely have exceeded this last blow. we arrived within miles of our old one ton camp with fuel for one last meal and food for two days. for four days we have been unable to leave the tent--the gale howling about us. we are weak, writing is difficult, but for my own sake i do not regret this journey, which has shown that englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past. we took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of providence, determined still to do our best to the last. but if we have been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honour of our country, i appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend on us are properly cared for. had we lived, i should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every englishman. these rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for. r. scott. appendix _note_ , _p._ .--dogs. these included thirty-three sledging dogs and a collie bitch, 'lassie.' the thirty-three, all siberian dogs excepting the esquimaux 'peary' and 'borup,' were collected by mr. meares, who drove them across siberia to vladivostok with the help of the dog-driver demetri gerof, whom he had engaged for the expedition. from vladivostok, where he was joined by lieutenant wilfred bruce, he brought them by steamer to sydney, and thence to lyttelton. the dogs were the gift of various schools, as shown by the following list: dogs presented by schools, &c. school's, &c., russian name translation, name of school, &c., name for dog. of dog. description, or that presented dog. nickname of dog. beaumont kumgai isle off beaumont college. vladivostok bengeo mannike noogis little leader bengeo, herts. bluecoat giliak indian tribe christ's hospital. bristol lappa uki lop ears grammar, bristol. bromsgrove 'peary' 'peary' bromsgrove school (cost of transport). colston's bullet bullet colston's school. danum rabchick grouse doncaster grammar sch. derby i. suka lassie girls' secondary school, derby. derby ii. silni stocky secondary technical school, derby. devon jolti yellowboy devonshire house branch of navy league. duns brodiaga robber berwickshire high school. falcon seri grey high school, winchester. felsted visoli jollyboy felsted school. glebe pestry piebald glebe house school. grassendale suhoi ii. lanky grassendale school. hal krisravitsa beauty colchester royal grammar school. hampstead ishak jackass south hampstead high school (girls). hughie gerachi ginger master h. gethin lewis. ilkley wolk wolf ilkley grammar. innie suhoi i. lanky liverpool institute. jersey bear bear victoria college, jersey. john bright seri uki grey ears bootham. laleham biela noogis white leader laleham. leighton pudil poodle leighton park, reading. lyon tresor treasure lower school of j. lyon. mac deek i. wild one wells house. manor colonel colonel manor house. mount vesoi one eye mount, york. mundella bulli bullet mundella secondary. oakfield ruggiola sabaka 'gun dog' (hound) oakfield school, rugby. oldham vaida christian name hulme grammar school, oldham. perse vaska lady's name perse grammar. poacher malchick black old man grammar school, lincoln. chorney stareek price llewelyn hohol little russian intermediate, llan-dudno wells. radlyn czigane gipsy radlyn, harrogate. richmond osman christian name richmond, yorks. regent marakas seri grey regent street polytechnic steyne petichka little bird steyne, worthing. sir andrew deek ii. wild one sir andrew judd's commercial school. somerset churnie kesoi one eye a somerset school. tiger mukaka monkey bournemouth school. tom stareek old man woodbridge. tua r golleniai julik scamp intermediate school, cardiff. vic glinie long nose modern, southport. whitgift mamuke rabchick little grouse whitgift grammar. winston borup borup winston higher grade school (cost of transport). meduate lion n.z. girls' school. _note_ , _p_. .--those who are named in these opening pages were all keen supporters of the expedition. sir george clifford, bart., and messrs. arthur and george rhodes were friends from christchurch. mr. m. j. miller, mayor of lyttelton, was a master shipwright and contractor, who took great interest in both the _discovery_ and the _terra nova_, and stopped the leak in the latter vessel which had been so troublesome on the voyage out. mr. anderson belonged to the firm of john anderson & sons, engineers, who own lyttelton foundry. mr. kinsey was the trusted friend and representative who acted as the representative of captain scott in new zealand during his absence in the south. mr. wyatt was business manager to the expedition. _note_ . _p_. .--dr. wilson writes: i must say i enjoyed it all from beginning to end, and as one bunk became unbearable after another, owing to the wet, and the comments became more and more to the point as people searched out dry spots here and there to finish the night in oilskins and greatcoats on the cabin or ward-room seats, i thought things were becoming interesting. some of the staff were like dead men with sea-sickness. even so cherry-garrard and wright and day turned out with the rest of us and alternately worked and were sick. i have no sea-sickness on these ships myself under any conditions, so i enjoyed it all, and as i have the run of the bridge and can ask as many questions as i choose, i knew all that was going on. all friday and friday night we worked in two parties, two hours on and two hours off; it was heavy work filling and handing up huge buckets of water as fast as they could be given from one to the other from the very bottom of the stokehold to the upper deck, up little metal ladders all the way. one was of course wet through the whole time in a sweater and trousers and sea boots, and every two hours one took these off and hurried in for a rest in a greatcoat, to turn out again in two hours and put in the same cold sopping clothes, and so on until a.m. on saturday, when we had baled out between four and five tons of water and had so lowered it that it was once more possible to light fires and try the engines and the steam pump again and to clear the valves and the inlet which was once more within reach. the fires had been put out at . a.m. and were then out for twenty-two hours while we baled. it was a weird' night's work with the howling gale and the darkness and the immense seas running over the ship every few minutes and no engines and no sail, and we all in the engine-room, black as ink with the engine-room oil and bilge water, singing chanties as we passed up slopping buckets full of bilge, each man above' slopping a little over the heads of all below him; wet through to the skin, so much so that some of the party worked altogether naked like chinese coolies; and the rush of the wave backwards and forwards at the bottom grew hourly less in the dim light of a couple of engine-room oil lamps whose light just made the darkness visible, the ship all the time rolling like a sodden lifeless log, her lee gunwale under water every time. _december_ . we were all at work till a.m. and then were all told off to sleep till a.m. at . a.m. we were all on to the main hand pump, and, lo and behold! it worked, and we pumped and pumped till . , when the ship was once more only as full of bilge water as she always is and the position was practically solved. there was one thrilling moment in the midst of the worst hour on friday when we were realising that the fires must be drawn, and when every pump had failed to act, and when the bulwarks began to go to pieces and the petrol cases were all afloat and going overboard, and the word was suddenly passed in a shout from the hands at work in the waist of the ship trying to save petrol cases that smoke was coming up through the seams in the after hold. as this was full of coal and patent fuel and was next the engine-room, and as it had not been opened for the airing, it required to get rid of gas on account of the flood of water on deck making it impossible to open the hatchways; the possibility of a fire there was patent to everyone and it could not possibly have been dealt with in any way short of opening the hatches and flooding the ship, when she must have floundered. it was therefore a thrilling moment or two until it was discovered that the smoke was really steam, arising from the bilge at the bottom having risen to the heated coal. _note_ , _p_. .--_december_ . we watched two or three immense blue whales at fairly short distance; this is _balænoptera sibbaldi_. one sees first a small dark hump appear and then immediately a jet of grey fog squirted upwards fifteen to eighteen feet, gradually spreading as it rises vertically into the frosty air. i have been nearly in these blows once or twice and had the moisture in my face with a sickening smell of shrimpy oil. then the bump elongates and up rolls an immense blue-grey or blackish grey round back with a faint ridge along the top, on which presently appears a small hook-like dorsal fin, and then the whole sinks and disappears. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--_december_ . watered ship at a tumbled floe. sea ice when pressed up into large hummocks gradually loses all its salt. even when sea water freezes it squeezes out the great bulk of its salt as a solid, but the sea water gets into it by soaking again, and yet when held out of the water, as it is in a hummock, the salt all drains out and the melted ice is blue and quite good for drinking, engines, &c. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--it may be added that in contradistinction to the nicknames of skipper conferred upon evans, and mate on campbell, scott himself was known among the afterguard as the owner. _note_ , _p_. .--(penguins.) they have lost none of their attractiveness, and are most comical and interesting; as curious as ever, they will always come up at a trot when we sing to them, and you may often see a group of explorers on the poop singing 'for she's got bells on her fingers and rings on her toes, elephants to ride upon wherever she goes,' and so on at the top of their voices to an admiring group of adelie penguins. meares is the greatest attraction; he has a full voice which is musical but always very flat. he declares that 'god save the king' will always send them to the water, and certainly it is often successful. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--we were to examine the possibilities of landing, but the swell was so heavy in its break among the floating blocks of ice along the actual beach and ice foot that a landing was out of the question. we should have broken up the boat and have all been in the water together. but i assure you it was tantalising to me, for there about feet above us on a small dirty piece of the old bay ice about ten feet square one living emperor penguin chick was standing disconsolately stranded, and close by stood one faithful old emperor parent asleep. this young emperor was still in the down, a most interesting fact in the bird's life history at which we had rightly guessed, but which no one had actually observed before. it was in a stage never yet seen or collected, for the wings were already quite clean of down and feathered as in the adult, also a line down the breast was shed of down, and part of the head. this bird would have been a treasure to me, but we could not risk life for it, so it had to remain where it was. it was a curious fact that with as much clean ice to live on as they could have wished for, these destitute derelicts of a flourishing colony now gone north to sea on floating bay ice should have preferred to remain standing on the only piece of bay ice left, a piece about ten feet square and now pressed up six feet above water level, evidently wondering why it was so long in starting north with the general exodus which must have taken place just a month ago. the whole incident was most interesting and full of suggestion as to the slow working of the brain of these queer people. another point was most weird to see, that on the under side of this very dirty piece of sea ice, which was about two feet thick and which hung over the water as a sort of cave, we could see the legs and lower halves of dead emperor chicks hanging through, and even in one place a dead adult. i hope to make a picture of the whole quaint incident, for it was a corner crammed full of imperial history in the light of what we already knew, and it would otherwise have been about as unintelligible as any group of animate or inanimate nature could possibly have been. as it is, it throws more light on the life history of this strangely primitive bird. we were joking in the boat as we rowed under these cliffs and saying it would be a short-lived amusement to see the overhanging cliff part company and fall over us. so we were glad to find that we were rowing back to the ship and already or yards away from the place and in open water when there was a noise like crackling thunder and a huge plunge into the sea and a smother of rock dust like the smoke of an explosion, and we realised that the very thing had happened which we had just been talking about. altogether it was a very exciting row, for before we got on board we had the pleasure of seeing the ship shoved in so close to these cliffs by a belt of heavy pack ice that to us it appeared a toss-up whether she got out again or got forced in against the rocks. she had no time or room to turn and get clear by backing out through the belt of pack stern first, getting heavy bumps under the counter and on the rudder as she did so, for the ice was heavy and the swell considerable. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--dr. wilson writes in his journal: _january_ . he also told me the plans for our depôt journey on which we shall be starting in about ten days' time. he wants me to be a dog driver with himself, meares, and teddie evans, and this is what i would have chosen had i had a free choice at all. the dogs run in two teams and each team wants two men. it means a lot of running as they are being driven now, but it is the fastest and most interesting work of all, and we go ahead of the whole caravan with lighter loads and at a faster rate; moreover, if any traction except ourselves can reach the top of beardmore glacier, it will be the dogs, and the dog drivers are therefore the people who will have the best chance of doing the top piece of the ice cap at , feet to the pole. may i be there! about this time next year may i be there or there-abouts! with so many young bloods in the heyday of youth and strength beyond my own i feel there will be a most difficult task in making choice towards the end and a most keen competition--and a universal lack of selfishness and self-seeking with a complete absence of any jealous feeling in any single one of the comparatively large number who at present stand a chance of being on the last piece next summer. it will be an exciting time and the excitement has already begun in the healthiest possible manner. i have never been thrown in with a more unselfish lot of men--each one doing his utmost fair and square in the most cheery manner possible. as late as october he writes further: 'no one yet knows who will be on the summit party: it is to depend on condition, and fitness when we get there.' it is told of scott, while still in new zealand, that being pressed on the point, he playfully said, 'well, i should like to have bill to hold my hand when we get to the pole'; but the diary shows how the actual choice was made on the march. _note_ , _p_. .--campbell, levick, and priestly set off to the old _nimrod_ hut eight miles away to see if they could find a stove of convenient size for their own hut, as well as any additional paraffin, and in default of the latter, to kill some seals for oil. _note_ , _p_. .--the management of stores and transport was finally entrusted to bowers. rennick therefore remained with the ship. a story told by lady scott illustrates the spirit of these men--the expedition first, personal distinctions nowhere. it was in new zealand and the very day on which the order had been given for bowers to exchange with rennick. in the afternoon captain scott and his wife were returning from the ship to the house where they were staying; on the hill they saw the two men coming down with arms on each other's shoulders--a fine testimony to both. 'upon my word,' exclaimed scott, 'that shows rennick in a good light!' _note_ , _p_. .--_january_ . the seals have been giving a lot of trouble, that is just to meares and myself with our dogs. the whole teams go absolutely crazy when they sight them or get wind of them, and there are literally hundreds along some of the cracks. occasionally when one pictures oneself quite away from trouble of that kind, an old seal will pop his head up at a blowhole a few yards ahead of the team, and they are all on top of him before one can say 'knife!' then one has to rush in with the whip--and every one of the team of eleven jumps over the harness of the dog next to him and the harnesses become a muddle that takes much patience to unravel, not to mention care lest the whole team should get away with the sledge and its load and leave one behind to follow on foot at leisure. i never did get left the whole of this depôt journey, but i was often very near it and several times had only time to seize a strap or a part of the sledge and be dragged along helter-skelter over everything that came in the way till the team got sick of galloping and one could struggle to one's feet again. one gets very wary and wide awake when one has to manage a team of eleven dogs and a sledge load by oneself, but it was a most interesting experience, and i had a delightful leader, 'stareek' by name--russian for 'old man,' and he was the most wise old man. we have to use russian terms with all our dogs. 'ki ki' means go to the right, 'chui' means go to the left, 'esh to' means lie down--and the remainder are mostly swear words which mean everything else which one has to say to a dog team. dog driving like this in the orthodox manner is a very different thing to the beastly dog driving we perpetrated in the discovery days. i got to love all my team and they got to know me well, and my old leader even now, six months after i have had anything to do with him, never fails to come and speak to me whenever he sees me, and he knows me and my voice ever so far off. he is quite a ridiculous 'old man' and quite the nicest, quietest, cleverest old dog i have ever come across. he looks in face as if he knew all the wickedness of all the world and all its cares and as if he were bored to death by them. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--_february_ . there were also innumerable subsidences of the surface--the breaking of crusts over air spaces under them, large areas of dropping / inch or so with a hushing sort of noise or muffled report.--my leader stareek, the nicest and wisest old dog in both teams, thought there was a rabbit under the crust every time one gave way close by him and he would jump sideways with both feet on the spot and his nose in the snow. the action was like a flash and never checked the team--it was most amusing. i have another funny little dog, mukaka, small but very game and a good worker. he is paired with a fat, lazy and very greedy black dog, nugis by name, and in every march this sprightly little mukaka will once or twice notice that nugis is not pulling and will jump over the trace, bite nugis like a snap, and be back again in his own place before the fat dog knows what has happened. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ _a_, _p_. .--taking up the story from the point where eleven of the thirteen dogs had been brought to the surface, mr. cherry-garrard's diary records: this left the two at the bottom. scott had several times wanted to go down. bill said to me that he hoped he wouldn't, but now he insisted. we found the alpine rope would reach, and then lowered scott down to the platform, sixty feet below. i thought it very plucky. we then hauled the two dogs up on the rope, leaving scott below. scott said the dogs were very glad to see him; they had curled up asleep--it was wonderful they had no bones broken. then meares' dogs, which were all wandering about loose, started fighting our team, and we all had to leave scott and go and separate them, which took some time. they fixed on noogis (i.) badly. we then hauled scott up: it was all three of us could do--fingers a good deal frost-bitten at the end. that was all the dogs. scott has just said that at one time he never hoped to get back the thirteen or even half of them. when he was down in the crevasse he wanted to go off exploring, but we dissuaded him. of course it was a great opportunity. he kept on saying, 'i wonder why this is running the way it is--you expect to find them at right angles.' scott found inside crevasse warmer than above, but had no thermometer. it is a great wonder the whole sledge did not drop through: the inside was like the cliff of dover. _note_ , _p_. .--_february_ . meares and i led off with a dog team each, and leaving the barrier we managed to negotiate the first long pressure ridge of the sea ice where the seals all lie, without much trouble--the dogs were running well and fast and we kept on the old tracks, still visible, by which we had come out in january, heading a long way out to make a wide detour round the open water off cape armitage, from which a very wide extent of thick black fog, 'frost smoke' as we call it, was rising on our right. this completely obscured our view of the open water, and the only suggestion it gave me was that the thaw pool off the cape was much bigger than when we passed it in january and that we should probably have to make a detour of three or four miles round it to reach hut point instead of one or two. i still thought it was not impossible to reach hut point this way, so we went on, but before we had run two miles on the sea ice we noticed that we were coming on to an area broken up by fine thread-like cracks evidently quite fresh, and as i ran along by the sledge i paced them and found they curved regularly at every paces, which could only mean that they were caused by a swell. this suggested to me that the thaw pool off cape armitage was even bigger than i thought and that we were getting on to ice which was breaking up, to flow north into it. we stopped to consider, and found that the cracks in the ice we were on were the rise and fall of a swell. knowing that the ice might remain like this with each piece tight against the next only until the tide turned, i knew that we must get off it at once in case the tide did turn in the next half-hour, when each crack would open up into a wide lead of open water and we should find ourselves on an isolated floe. so we at once turned and went back as fast as possible to the unbroken sea ice. obviously it was now unsafe to go round to hut point by cape armitage and we therefore made for the gap. it was between eight and nine in the evening when we turned, and we soon came in sight of the pony party, led as we thought by captain scott. we were within / a mile of them when we hurried right across their bows and headed straight for the gap, making a course more than a right angle off the course we had been on. there was the seals' pressure ridge of sea ice between us and them, but as i could see them quite distinctly i had no doubt they could see us, and we were occupied more than once just then in beating the teams off stray seals, so that we didn't go by either vary quickly or very silently. from here we ran into the gap, where there was some nasty pressed-up ice to cross and large gaps and cracks by the ice foot; but with the alpine rope and a rush we got first one team over and then the other without mishap on to the land ice, and were then practically at hut point. however, expecting that the pony party was following us, we ran our teams up on to level ice, picketed them, and pitched our tent, to remain there for the night, as we had a half-mile of rock to cross to reach the hut and the sledges would have to be carried over this and the dogs led by hand in couples--a very long job. having done this we returned to the ice foot with a pick and a shovel to improve the road up for horse party, as they would have to come over the same bad ice we had found difficult with the dogs; but they were nowhere to be seen close at hand as we had expected, for they were miles out, as we soon saw, still trying to reach hut point by the sea ice round cape armitage thaw pool, and on the ice which was showing a working crack at paces. i couldn't understand how scott could do such a thing, and it was only the next day that i found out that scott had remained behind and had sent bowers in charge of this pony party. bowers, having had no experience of the kind, did not grasp the situation for some time, and as we watched him and his party--or as we thought captain scott and his party--of ponies we saw them all suddenly realise that they were getting into trouble and the whole party turned back; but instead of coming back towards the gap as we had, we saw them go due south towards the barrier edge and white island. then i thought they were all right, for i knew they would get on to safe ice and camp for the night. we therefore had our supper in the tent and were turning in between eleven and twelve when i had a last look to see where they were and found they had camped as it appeared to me on safe barrier ice, the only safe thing they could have done. they were now about six miles away from us, and it was lucky that i had my goerz glasses with me so that we could follow their movements. now as everything looked all right, meares and i turned in and slept. at a.m. i awoke, and as i felt uneasy about the party i went out and along the gap to where we could see their camp, and i was horrified to see that the whole of the sea ice was now on the move and that it had broken up for miles further than when we turned in and right back past where they had camped, and that the pony party was now, as we could see, adrift on a floe and separated by open water and a lot of drifting ice from the edge of the fast barrier ice. we could see with our glasses that they were running the ponies and sledges over as quickly as possible from floe to floe whenever they could, trying to draw nearer to the safe barrier ice again. the whole strait was now open water to the n. of cape armitage, with the frost smoke rising everywhere from it, and full of pieces of floating ice, all going up n. to ross sea. _march_ . _ash wednesday_. the question for us was whether we could do anything to help them. there was no boat anywhere and there was no one to consult with, for everyone was on the floating floe as we believed, except teddie evans, forde, and keohane, who with one pony were on their way back from corner camp. so we searched the barrier for signs of their tent and then saw that there was a tent at safety camp, which meant evidently to us that they had returned. the obvious thing was to join up with them and go round to where the pony party was adrift, and see if we could help them to reach the safe ice. so without waiting for breakfast we went off six miles to this tent. we couldn't go now by the gap, for the ice by which we had reached land yesterday was now broken up in every direction and all on the move up the strait. we had no choice now but to cross up by crater hill and down by pram point and over the pressure ridges and so on to the barrier and off to safety camp. we couldn't possibly take a dog sledge this way, so we walked, taking the alpine rope to cross the pressure ridges, which are full of crevasses. we got to this tent soon after noon and were astonished to find that not teddie evans and his two seamen were here, but that scott and oates and gran were in it and no pony with them. teddie evans was still on his way back from corner camp and had not arrived. it was now for the first time that we understood how the accident had happened. when we had left safety camp yesterday with the dogs, the ponies began their march to follow us, but one of the ponies was so weak after the last blizzard and so obviously about to die that bowers, cherry-garrard, and crean were sent on with the four capable ponies, while scott, oates, and gran remained at safety camp till the sick pony died, which happened apparently that night. he was dead and buried when we got there. we found that scott had that morning seen the open water up to the barrier edge and had been in a dreadful state of mind, thinking that meares and i, as well as the whole pony party, had gone out into the strait on floating ice. he was therefore much relieved when we arrived and he learned for the first time where the pony party was trying to get to fast ice again. we were now given some food, which we badly wanted, and while we were eating we saw in the far distance a single man coming hurriedly along the edge of the barrier ice from the direction of the catastrophe party and towards our camp. gran went off on ski to meet him, and when he arrived we found it was crean, who had been sent off by bowers with a note, unencumbered otherwise, to jump from one piece of floating ice to another until he reached the fast edge of the barrier in order to let capt. scott know what had happened. this he did, of course not knowing that we or anyone else had seen him go adrift, and being unable to leave the ponies and all his loaded sledges himself. crean had considerable difficulty and ran a pretty good risk in doing this, but succeeded all right. there were now scott, oates, crean, gran, meares, and myself here and only three sleeping-bags, so the three first remained to see if they could help bowers, cherry-garrard, and the ponies, while meares, gran, and i returned to look after our dogs at hut point. here we had only two sleeping-bags for the three of us, so we had to take turns, and i remained up till o'clock that night while gran had six hours in my bag. it was a bitterly cold job after a long day. we had been up at with nothing to eat till o'clock, and walked miles. the nights are now almost dark. _march_ . a very bitter wind blowing and it was a cheerless job waiting for six hours to get a sleep in the bag. i walked down from our tent to the hut and watched whales blowing in the semi-darkness out in the black water of the strait. when we turned out in the morning the pony party was still on floating ice but not any further from the barrier ice. by a merciful providence the current was taking them rather along the barrier edge, where they went adrift, instead of straight out to sea. we could do nothing more for them, so we set to our work with the dogs. it was blowing a bitter gale of wind from the s.e. with some drift and we made a number of journeys backwards and forwards between the gap and the hut, carrying our tent and camp equipment down and preparing a permanent picketing line for the dogs. as the ice had all gone out of the strait we were quite cut off from any return to cape evans until the sea should again freeze over, and this was not likely until the end of april. we rigged up a small fireplace in the hut and found some wood and made a fire for an hour or so at each meal, but as there was no coal and not much wood we felt we must be economical with the fuel, and so also with matches and everything else, in case bowers should lose his sledge loads, which had most of the supplies for the whole party to last twelve men for two months. the weather had now become too thick for us to distinguish anything in the distance and we remained in ignorance as to the party adrift until saturday. i had also lent my glasses to captain scott. this night i had first go in the bag, and turned out to shiver for eight hours till breakfast. there was literally nothing in the hut that one could cover oneself with to keep warm and we couldn't run to keeping the fire going. it was very cold work. there were heaps of biscuit cases here which we had left in _discovery_ days, and with these we built up a small inner hut to live in. _march_ . spent the day in transferring dogs in couples from the gap to the hut. in the afternoon teddie evans and atkinson turned up from over the hills, having returned from their corner camp journey with one horse and two seamen, all of which they had left encamped at castle rock, three miles off on the hills. they naturally expected to find scott here and everyone else and had heard nothing of the pony party going adrift, but having found only open water ahead of them they turned back and came to land by castle rock slopes. we fed them and i walked half-way back to castle rock with them. _march_ . meares, gran, and i walked up ski slope towards castle rock to meet evans's party and pilot them and the dogs safely to hut point, but half-way we met atkinson, who told us that they had now been joined by scott and all the catastrophe party, who were safe, but who had lost all the ponies except one--a great blow. however, no lives were lost and the sledge loads and stores were saved, so meares and i returned to hut point to make stables for the only two ponies that now remained, both in wretched condition, of the eight with which we started. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--_march_ . thawed out some old magazines and picture papers which were left here by the _discovery_, and gave us very good reading. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--_april_ . fun over a fry i made in my new penquin lard. it was quite a success and tasted like very bad sardine oil. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--'voyage of the discovery,' chap. ix. 'the question of the moment is, what has become of our boats?' early in the winter they were hoisted out to give more room for the awning, and were placed in a line about one hundred yards from the ice foot on the sea ice. the earliest gale drifted them up nearly gunwale high, and thus for two months they remained in sight whilst we congratulated ourselves on their security. the last gale brought more snow, and piling it in drifts at various places in the bay, chose to be specially generous with it in the neighbourhood of our boats, so that afterwards they were found to be buried three or four feet beneath the new surface. although we had noted with interest the manner in which the extra weight of snow in other places was pressing down the surface of the original ice, and were even taking measurements of the effects thus produced, we remained fatuously blind to the risks our boats ran under such conditions. it was from no feeling of anxiety, but rather to provide occupation, that i directed that the snow on top of them should be removed, and it was not until we had dug down to the first boat that the true state of affairs dawned on us. she was found lying in a mass of slushy ice, with which also she was nearly filled. for the moment we had a wild hope that she could be pulled up, but by the time we could rig shears the air temperature had converted the slush into hardened ice, and she was found to be stuck fast. at present there is no hope of recovering any of the boats: as fast as one could dig out the sodden ice, more sea-water would flow in and freeze ... the danger is that fresh gales bringing more snow will sink them so far beneath the surface that we shall be unable to recover them at all. stuck solid in the floe they must go down with it, and every effort must be devoted to preventing the floe from sinking. as regards the rope, it is a familiar experience that dark objects which absorb heat will melt their way through the snow or ice on which they lie. _note_ , _p_. . ponies presented by schools, &c. school's, &c., nickname of pony. name of school, &c., name of pony. presented by. floreat etona snippet eton college. christ's hospital hackenschmidt christ's hospital. westminster blossom westminster. st. paul's michael st. paul's. stubbington weary willie stubbington house, fareham. bedales christopher bedales, petersfield. lydney victor the institute, lydney, gloucester. west down jones west down school. bootham snatcher bootham. south hampstead bones south hampstead high school (girls). altrincham chinaman seamen's moss school, altrincham. rosemark cuts captain and mrs. mark kerr (h.m.s. _invincible_). invincible james pigg officers and ship's company of h.m.s. _invincible_. snooker king jehu j. foster stackhouse and friend. brandon punch the bristol savages. stoker blucher r. donaldson hudson, esq. manchester nobby manchester various cardiff uncle bill cardiff ,, liverpool davy liverpool ,, sleeping-bags presented by schools school's, &c., name of traveller name of school, &c., name of sleeping-bag. using sleeping-bag. presenting sleeping-bag. cowbridge commander evans cowbridge. wisk hove lieutenant campbell the wisk, hove. taunton seaman williamson king's college, taunton. bryn derwen seaman keohane bryn derwen. grange dr. simpson the grange, folkestone. brighton lieutenant bowers brighton grammar school. cardigan captain scott the county school, cardigan. carter-eton mr. cherry-garrard mr. r. t. carter, eton college. radley mr. ponting stones social school, radley. woodford mr. meares woodford house. bramhall seaman abbott bramhall grammar school. louth dr. atkinson king edward vi. grammar school, louth. twyford i. seaman forde twyford school twyford ii. mr. day ,, ,, abbey house seaman dickason mr. carvey's house, abbey house school. waverley mr. wright waverley road, birmingham. st. john's seaman evans st. john's house leyton ch. stoker lashly leyton county high school. st. bede's seaman browning eastbourne. sexeys dr. wilson sexeys school. worksop mr. debenham worksop college. regent mr. nelson regent street polytechnic secondary school. trafalgar captain oates trafalgar house school, winchester. altrincham mr. griffith taylor altrincham, various. invincible dr. levick ship's company, h.m.s. _invincible_. leeds mr. priestley leeds boys' modern school. sledges presented by schools, &c. school's, &c., description name of school, &c., name of sledge. of sledge. presenting sledge. amesbury pony: uncle bill amesbury, bickley hall, (cardiff) kent. john bright dog sledge bootham. sherborne pony: snippets sherborne house school. (floreat etona) wimbledon pony: blossom king's college school, (westminster) wimbledon. kelvinside northern sledge kelvinside academy. (man-hauled) pip dog sledge copthorne. christ's hospital dog sledge christ's hospital. hampstead dog sledge university college school, hampstead. glasgow pony: snatcher high school, glasgow. (bootham) george dixon pony: nobby george dixon (manchester) secondary school. leys pony: punch (brandon) leys school, cambridge. northampton motor sledge; no. northampton county school. charterhouse i. pony: blucher (stoker) charterhouse. charterhouse ii. western sledge charterhouse. (man-hauled) regent northern sledge regent street polytechnic (man-hauled) secondary school. sidcot pony: hackenschmidt sidcot, winscombe. (christ's hospital) retford pony: michael retford grammar school. (st. paul's) tottenham northern sledge tottenham grammar school. (man-hauled) cheltenham pony: james pigg the college, cheltenham. (h.m.s. _invincible_) sidcot school, old boys. knight first summit sledge (man-hauled) crosby pony: christopher crosby merchant taylors'. (bedales) grange pony: chinaman 'grange,' buxton. (altrincham) altrincham pony: victor (lydney) altrincham (various). probus pony: weary willie probus. (stubbington) rowntree second summit sledge workmen, rowntree's (man-hauled) cocoa works. 'invincible' i. third summit sledge officers and men, (man-hauled) h.m.s. _invincible_. 'invincible' ii. pony: jehu do. (snooker king) eton pony: bones eton college. (south hampstead) masonic motor sledge, no. royal masonic school, bushey. (n.b.--the name of the pony in parentheses is the name given by the school, &c., that presented the pony.) tents presented by schools name of tent. party to which school presenting tent. attached. fitz roy southern party fitz roy school, crouch end. ashdown northern party ashdown house, forest row, sussex. brighton & hove reserve, cape evans brighton & hove high school, (girls). bromyard do. grammar, bromyard. marlborough do. the college, marlborough. bristol mr. ponting colchester house, bristol. (photographic artist) croydon reserve, cape evans croydon high school. broke hall reserve, cape evans broke hall, charterhouse. pelham southern party pelham house, folkestone. tollington depôt party tollington school, muswell hill. st. andrews southern party st. andrews, newcastle. richmond dog party richmond school, yorks. hymers depôt party scientific society, hymers college, hull. king edward do. king edward's school. southport cape crozier depôt southport physical training college. jarrow reserve, cape evans jarrow secondary school. grange do. the grange, buxton. swindon do. swindon. sir john deane motor party sir j. deane's grammar school. llandaff reserve, cape evans llandaff. castleford reserve, cape evans castleford secondary school. hailey do. hailey. uxbridge northern party uxbridge county school. stubbington reserve, cape evans stubbington house, fareham. _note_ , _p_. .--these hints on polar surveying fell on willing ears. members of the afterguard who were not mathematically trained plunged into the very practical study of how to work out observations. writing home on october , , scott remarks: '"cherry" has just come to me with a very anxious face to say that i must not count on his navigating powers. for the moment i didn't know what he was driving at, but then i remembered that some months ago i said that it would be a good thing for all the officers going south to have some knowledge of navigation so that in emergency they would know how to steer a sledge home. it appears that "cherry" thereupon commenced aserious and arduous course of study of abstruse navigational problems which he found exceedingly tough and now despaired mastering. of course there is not one chance in a hundred that he will ever have to consider navigation on our journey and in that one chance the problem must be of the simplest nature, but it makes matters much easier for me to have men who take the details of one's work so seriously and who strive so simply and honestly to make it successful.' and in wilson's diary for october comes the entry: 'working at latitude sights--mathematics which i hate--till bedtime. it will be wiser to know a little navigation on the southern sledge journey.' _note_ , _p_. .--happily i had a biscuit with me and i held it out to him a long way off. luckily he spotted it and allowed me to come up, and i got hold of his head again. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--december . i have left nobby all my biscuits to-night as he is to try and do a march to-morrow, and then happily he will be shot and all of them, as their food is quite done. _december _. nobby had all my biscuits last night and this morning, and by the time we camped i was just ravenously hungry. it was a close cloudy day with no air and we were ploughing along knee deep.... thank god the horses are now all done with and we begin the heavy work ourselves. [dr. wilson's journal.] _note_ , _p_. .--_december_ . the end of the beardmore glacier curved across the track of the southern party, thrusting itself into the mass of the barrier with vast pressure and disturbance. so far did this ice disturbance extend, that if the travellers had taken a bee-line to the foot of the glacier itself, they must have begun to steer outwards miles sooner. the gateway was a neck or saddle of drifted snow lying in a gap of the mountain rampart which flanked the last curve of the glacier. under the cliffs on either hand, like a moat beneath the ramparts, lay a yawning ice-cleft or bergschrund, formed by the drawing away of the steadily moving barrier ice from the rocks. across this moat and leading up to the gap in the ramparts, the gateway provided a solid causeway. to climb this and descend its reverse face gave the easiest access to the surface of the glacier. _note_ , _p_. .--return of first southern party from lat. ° s. top of the beardmore glacier. party: e. l. atkinson, a. cherry-garrard, c. s. wright, petty officer keohane. on the morning of december , , we made a late start after saying good-bye to the eight going on, and wishing them all good luck and success. the first miles was on the down-grade over the ice-falls, and at a good pace we completed this in about four hours. lunched, and on, completing nearly miles for the first day. at the end of the second day we got among very bad crevasses through keeping too far to the eastward. this delayed us slightly and we made the depot on the third day. we reached the lower glacier depot three and a half days after. the lower part of the glacier was very badly crevassed. these crevasses we had never seen on the way up, as they had been covered with three to four feet of snow. all the bridges of crevasses were concave and very wide; no doubt their normal summer condition. on christmas day we made in to the lateral moraine of the cloudmaker and collected geological specimens. the march across the barrier was only remarkable for the extremely bad lights we had. for eight consecutive days we only saw an exceedingly dim sun during three hours. up to one ton depot our marches had averaged . geographical miles a day. we arrived at cape evans on january , , after being away for three months. [e.l.a.] _note_ , _p_. .--_january_ . return of the second supporting party. under average conditions, the return party should have well fulfilled scott's cheery anticipations. three-man teams had done excellently on previous sledging expeditions, whether in _discovery_ days or as recently as the mid-winter visit to the emperor penguins' rookery; and the three in this party were seasoned travellers with a skilled navigator to lead them. but a blizzard held them up for three days before reaching the head of the glacier. they had to press on at speed. by the time they reached the foot of the glacier, lieut. evans developed symptoms of scurvy. his spring work of surveying and sledging out to corner camp and the man-hauling, with lashly, across the barrier after the breakdown of the motors, had been successfully accomplished; this sequel to the glacier and summit marches was an unexpected blow. withal, he continued to pull, while bearing the heavy strain of guiding the course. while the hauling power thus grew less, the leader had to make up for loss of speed by lengthening the working hours. he put his watch on an hour. with the 'turning out' signal thus advanced, the actual marching period reached hours. the situation was saved, and evans flattered himself on his ingenuity. but the men knew it all the time, and no word said! at one ton camp he was unable to stand without the support of his ski sticks; but with the help of his companions struggled on another miles in four days. then he could go no farther. his companions, rejecting his suggestion that he be left in his sleeping-bag with a supply of provisions while they pressed on for help, 'cached' everything that could be spared, and pulled him on the sledge with a devotion matching that of their captain years before, when he and wilson brought their companion shackleton, ill and helpless, safely home to the _discovery_. four days of this pulling, with a southerly wind to help, brought them to corner camp; then came a heavy snowfall: the sledge could not travel. it was a critical moment. next day crean set out to tramp alone to hut point, miles away. lashly stayed to nurse lieut. evans, and most certainly saved his life till help came. crean reached hut point after an exhausting march of hours; how the dog-team went to the rescue is told by dr. atkinson in the second volume. at the _discovery_ hut evans was unremittingly tended by dr. atkinson, and finally sent by sledge to the _terra nova_. it is good to record that both lashly and crean have received the albert medal. _note_ , _p_. .--at this point begins the last of scott's notebooks. the record of the southern journey is written in pencil in three slim ms. books, some inches long by wide. these little volumes are meant for artists' notebooks, and are made of tough, soft, pliable paper which takes the pencil well. the pages, in number, are perforated so as to be detachable at need. in the hut, large quarto ms. books were used for the journals, and some of the rough notes of the earlier expeditions were recast and written out again in them; the little books were carried on the sledge journeys, and contain the day's notes entered very regularly at the lunch halts and in the night camps. but in the last weeks of the southern journey, when fuel and light ran short and all grew very weary, it will be seen that scott made his entries at lunch time alone. they tell not of the morning's run only, but of 'yesterday.' the notes were written on the right-hand pages, and when the end of the book was reached, it was 'turned' and the blank backs of the leaves now became clean right-hand pages. the first two ms. books are thus entirely filled: the third has only part of its pages used and the message to the public is written at the reverse end. inside the front cover of no. is a 'ready' table to convert the day's run of geographical miles as recorded on the sledgemeter into statute miles, a list of the depots and their latitude, and a note of the sledgemeter reading at corner camp. these are followed in the first pages by a list of the outward camps and distances run as noted in the book, with special 'remarks' as to cairns, latitude, and so forth. at the end of the book is a full list of the cairns that marked the track out. inside the front cover of no. are similar entries, together with the ages of the polar party and a note of the error of scott's watch. inside the front cover of no. are the following words: 'diary can be read by finder to ensure recording of records, &c., but diary should be sent to my widow.' and on the first page: 'send this diary to my widow. 'r. scott.' the word 'wife' had been struck out and 'widow' written in. _note_ , _p_. .--at this, the barrier stage of the return journey, the southern party were in want of more oil than they found at the depots. owing partly to the severe conditions, but still more to the delays imposed by their sick comrades, they reached the full limit of time allowed for between depots. the cold was unexpected, and at the same time the actual amount of oil found at the depots was less than they had counted on. under summer conditions, such as were contemplated, when there was less cold for the men to endure, and less firing needed to melt the snow for cooking, the fullest allowance of oil was gallon to last a unit of four men ten days, or / of a gallon a day for each man. the amount allotted to each unit for the return journey from the south was apparently rather less, being / gallon for eight days, or / gallon a day for each man. but the eight days were to cover the march from depot to depot, averaging on the barrier some - miles, which in normal conditions should not take more than six days. thus there was a substantial margin for delay by bad weather, while if all went well the surplus afforded the fullest marching allowance. the same proportion for a unit of five men works out at / of a gallon for the eight-day stage. accordingly, for the return of the two supporting parties and the southern party, two tins of a gallon each were left at each depot, each unit of four men being entitled to / of a gallon, and the units of three and five men in proportion. the return journey on the summit had been made at good speed, taking twenty-one days as against twenty-seven going out, the last part of it, from three degree to upper glacier depot, taking nearly eight marches as against ten, showing the first slight slackening as p.o. evans and oates began to feel the cold; from upper glacier to lower glacier depot ten marches as against eleven, a stage broken by the mid glacier depot of three and a half day's provisions at the sixth march. here, there was little gain, partly owing to the conditions, but more to evans' gradual collapse. the worst time came on the barrier; from lower glacier to southern barrier depot ( miles), / marches as against (two of which were short marches, so that the might count as an easy in point of distance);from southern barrier to mid barrier depot ( miles), / marches as against / ; from mid barrier to mt. hooper ( miles), as against / , while the last remaining marches represent but on the outward journey. (see table on next page.) at to the cause of the shortage, the tins of oil at the depot had been exposed to extreme conditions of heat and cold. the oil was specially volatile, and in the warmth of the sun (for the tins were regularly set in an accessible place on the top of the cairns) tended to become vapour and escape through the stoppers even without damage to the tins. this process was much accelerated by reason that the leather washers about the stoppers had perished in the great cold. dr. atkinson gives two striking examples of this. . eight one-gallon tins in a wooden case, intended for a depot at cape crozier, had been put out in september . they were snowed up; and when examined in december showed three tins full, three empty, one a third full, and one two-thirds full. . when the search party reached one ton camp in november they found that some of the food, stacked in a canvas 'tank' at the foot of the cairn, was quite oily from the spontaneous leakage of the tins seven feet above it on the top of the cairn. the tins at the depôts awaiting the southern party had of course been opened and the due amount to be taken measured out by the supporting parties on their way back. however carefully re-stoppered, they were still liable to the unexpected evaporation and leakage already described. hence, without any manner of doubt, the shortage which struck the southern party so hard. _note_ , _p_. .--the fatal blizzard. mr. frank wild, who led one wing of dr. mawson's expedition on the northern coast of the antarctic continent, queen mary's land, many miles to the west of the ross sea, writes that 'from march for a period of nine days we were kept in camp by the same blizzard which proved fatal to scott and his gallant companions' (times, june , ). blizzards, however, are so local that even when, as in this case, two are nearly contemporaneous, it is not safe to conclude that they are part of the same current of air. table of distances showing the length of the outward and return marches on the barrier from and to one ton camp. miles to each sub-division date camp no. note. distance. nov. , one ton camp nov. nov. nov. nov. nov. mt. hooper depôt nov. nov. nov. nov. mid barrier depôt nov. nov. nov. nov. nov. dec. southern barrier depôt dec. / dec. dec. - dec. shambles dec. lower glacier d date camp no. note. distance. feb. r. feb. r. . feb. r. feb. r. / feb. r. / feb. r. / feb. r. / feb. r. . feb. r. / feb. r. . feb. r. feb. r. lunch, to depôt / feb. r. lunch, under to depôt mar. r. mar. r. nearly mar. r. lunch, to depôt mar. r. / mar. r. . to depôt / mar. r. mar. r. lunch, / to depôt / mar. r. mar. - r. . mar. r. mar. r. to depôt / mar. r. mar. r. mar. r. blizz'd lunch, / to depôt mar. r. lunch, to depôt mar. r. mar. r. the last camp the numbers are statute miles. marches out return lower glacier to southern barrier depôt / southern barrier to mid barrier depôt / / mid barrier to mount hooper / thereafter it will be noted that of the first return marches on the barrier, are / miles and upwards, and are / to . notes [ ] it was continued a night and a day. [ ] captain oates' nickname. [ ] a species of shrimp on which the seabirds feed. [ ] the party headed by lieutenant campbell, which, being unable to disembark on king edward's land, was ultimately taken by the terra nova to the north part of victoria land, and so came to be known as the northern party. the western party here mentioned includes all who had their base at cape evans: the depots to be laid were for the subsequent expedition to the pole. [ ] the extreme s. point of the island, a dozen miles farther, on one of whose minor headlands, hut point, stood the _discovery_ hut. [ ] here were the meteorological instruments. [ ] cape evans, which lay on the s. side of the new hut. [ ] the southern road was the one feasible line of communication between the new station at c. evans and the discovery hut at hut point, for the rugged mountains and crevassed ice slopes of ross island forbade a passage by land. the 'road' afforded level going below the cliffs of the ice-foot, except where disturbed by the descending glacier, and there it was necessary to cross the body of the glacier itself. it consisted of the more enduring ice in the bays and the sea-ice along the coast, which only stayed fast for the season. thus it was of the utmost importance to get safely over the precarious part of the 'road' before the seasonal going-out of the sea-ice. to wait until all the ice should go out and enable the ship to sail to hut point would have meant long uncertainty and delay. as it happened, the road broke up the day after the party had gone by. [ ] viz. atkinson and crean, who were left at safety camp; e. evans, forde and keohane, who returned with the weaker ponies on feb. ; meares and wilson with the dog teams; and scott, bowers, oates, cherry-garrard, and lashly. [ ] the favorite nickname for bowers. [ ] professor t. edgeworth david, c.m.g., f.r.s., of sydney university, who was the geologist to shackleton's party. [ ] this was done in order to measure on the next visit the results of wind and snow. [ ] scott, wilson, meares and cherry-garrard now went back swiftly with the dog teams, to look after the return parties at safety camp. having found all satisfactory, scott left wilson and meares there with the dogs, and marched back with the rest to corner camp, taking more stores to the depot and hoping to meet bowers rearguard party. [ ] the party had made a short cut where in going out with the ponies they had made an elbow, and so had passed within this 'danger line.' [ ] bowers, oates, and gran, with the five ponies. the two days had after all brought them to safety camp. [ ] this was at a point on the barrier, one-half mile from the edge, in a s.s.e. direction from hut point. [ ] i.e. by land, now that the sea ice was out. [ ] because the seals would cease to come up. [ ] as a step towards 'getting these things clearer' in his mind two spare pages of the diary are filled with neat tables, showing the main classes into which rocks are divided, and their natural subdivisions--the sedimentary, according to mode of deposition, chemical, organic, or aqueous; the metamorphic, according to the kind of rock altered by heat; the igneous, according to their chemical composition. [ ] viz, simpson, nelson, day, ponting, lashly, clissold, hooper, anton, and demetri. [ ] see chapter x. [ ] the white dogs. [ ] i.e. in relation to a sledging ration. [ ] officially the ponies were named after the several schools which had subscribed for their purchase: but sailors are inveterate nicknamers, and the unofficial humour prevailed. see appendix, note . [ ] captain scott's judgment was not at fault. [ ] i.e. a crack which leaves the ice free to move with the movements of the sea beneath. [ ] this was the gale that tore away the roofing of their hut, and left them with only their sleeping-bags for shelter. see p. . [ ] prof. t. edgeworth david, of sydney university, who accompanied shackleton's expedition as geologist. [ ] see vol. ii., dr. simpson's meteorological report. [ ] this form of motor traction had been tested on several occasions; in at lauteret in the alps, with dr. charcot the polar explorer: in and again in norway. after each trial the sledges were brought back and improved. [ ] the southern barrier depôt. [ ] camp received the name of shambles camp. [ ] while day and hooper, of the ex-motor party, had turned back on november , and meares and demetri with the dogs ascended above the lower glacier depot before returning on december , the southern party and its supports were organised successively as follows: december , leaving shambles camp-- _sledge_ . scott, wilson, oates and p.o. evans. _sledge_ . e. evans, atkinson, wright, lashly. _sledge_ . bowers, cherry-garrard, crean, keohane. december at upper glacier depôt-- _sledge_ . scott, wilson, oates, p.o. evans. _sledge_ . e. evans, bowers, crean, lashly, while atkinson, wright, cherry-garrard and keohane returned. january , miles from the pole-- _sledge_ . scott, wilson, oates, bowers, p.o. evans; while e. evans, crean, and lashly returned. [ ] the lower glacier depot. [ ] in the pocket journal, only one side of each page had been written on. coming to the end of it, scott reversed the book, and continued his entries on the empty backs of the pages. [ ] a unit of food means a week's supplies for four men. [ ] a number preceded by r. marks the camps on the return journey. [ ] still over miles away. they had marched miles on the homeward track the first afternoon, / the second day. [ ] three degree depôt. [ ] left on december . [ ] the upper glacier depôt, under mount darwin, where the first supporting party turned back. [ ] the result of concussion in the morning's fall. [ ] the lower glacier depot. [ ] sledges were left at the chief depôts to replace damaged ones. [ ] it will be remembered that he was already stricken with scurvy. [ ] for the last six days the dogs had been waiting at one ton camp under cherry-garrard and demetri. the supporting party had come out as arranged on the chance of hurrying the pole travellers back over the last stages of their journey in time to catch the ship. scott had dated his probable return to hut point anywhere between mid-march and early april. calculating from the speed of the other return parties, dr. atkinson looked for him to reach one ton camp between march and . here cherry-garrard met four days of blizzard; then there remained little more than enough dog food to bring the teams home. he could either push south one more march and back, at imminent risk of missing scott on the way, or stay two days at the camp where scott was bound to come, if he came at all. his wise decision, his hardships and endurance ove recounted by dr. atkinson in vol. ii., 'the last year at cape evans.' [ ] the th camp from the pole. the home of the blizzard: being the story of the australasian antarctic expedition, - ; by sir douglas mawson, d.sc., b.e. illustrated in colour and black and white also with maps with full-page and smaller illustrations by dr. e. a. wilson and other members of the expedition, photogravure frontispieces, plates in facsimile from dr. wilson's sketches, panoramas and maps to those who made it possible: the subscribers and co-operators to those who made it a success: my comrades and to those who waited author's preface the object of this book is to present a connected narrative of the expedition from a popular and general point of view. the field of work is a very extensive one, and i feel that this account provides a record inadequate to our endeavours. however, i am comforted by the fact that the lasting reputation of the expedition is founded upon the scientific volumes which will appear in due course. allusion to the history of antarctic exploration has been reduced to a minimum, as the subject has been ably dealt with by previous writers. this, and several other aspects of our subject, have been relegated to special appendices in order to make the story more readable and self-contained. a glossary of technicalities is introduced for readers not familiar with the terms. in the same place is given a list of animals referred to from time to time. there, the common name is placed against the scientific name, so rendering it unnecessary to repeat the latter in the text. the reports handed to me by the leaders concerning the work of sledging journeys and of the respective bases were in the main clearly and popularly written. still it was necessary to make extensive excisions so as to preserve a "balance" of justice in all the accounts, and to keep the narrative within limits. i wish to assure the various authors of my appreciation of their contributions. mr. frank hurley's artistic taste is apparent in the numerous photographs. we who knew the circumstances can warmly testify to his perseverance under conditions of exceptional difficulty. mr. a. j. hodgeman is responsible for the cartographical work, which occupied his time for many months. other members of the expedition have added treasures to our collection of illustrations; each of which is acknowledged in its place. to dr. a. l. mclean, who assisted me in writing and editing the book, i am very greatly indebted. to him the book owes any literary style it may possess. dr. mclean's journalistic talent was discovered by me when he occupied the post of editor of the 'adelie blizzard', a monthly volume which helped to relieve the monotony of our second year in adelie land. for months he was constantly at work, revising cutting down or amplifying the material of the story. finally, i wish to express my thanks to dr. hugh robert mill for hints and criticisms by which we have profited. douglas mawson london, autumn . foreword nor on thee yet shall burst the future, as successive zones of several wonder open on some spirit flying secure and glad from heaven to heaven. browning the aim of geographical exploration has, in these days, interfused with the passion for truth. if now the ultimate bounds of knowledge have broadened to the infinite, the spirit of the man of science has quickened to a deeper fervour. amid the finished ingenuities of the laboratory he has knitted a spiritual entente with the moral philosopher, viewing: the narrow creeds of right and wrong, which fade before the unmeasured thirst for good. science and exploration have never been at variance; rather, the desire for the pure elements of natural revelation lay at the source of that unquenchable power the "love of adventure." of whatever nationality the explorer was always emboldened by that impulse, and, if there ever be a future of decadence, it will live again in his ungovernable heritage. eric the red; francis drake--the same ardour was kindled at the heart of either. it is a far cry from the latter, a born marauder, to the modern scientific explorer. still drake was a hero of many parts, and though a religious bigot in present acceptation, was one of the enlightened of his age. a man who moved an equal in a court of elizabethan manners was not untouched by the glorious ideals of the renaissance. yet it was the unswerving will of a columbus, a vasco da gama or a magellan which created the devotion to geographical discovery, per se, and made practicable the concept of a spherical earth. the world was opened in imaginative entirety, and it now remained for the geographer to fill in the details brought home by the navigator. it was long before thule the wondrous ice-land of the north yielded her first secrets, and longer ere the terra australis of finne was laid bare to the prying eyes of science. early arctic navigation opened the bounds of the unknown in a haphazard and fortuitous fashion. sealers and whalers in the hope of rich booty ventured far afield, and, ranging among the mysterious floes or riding out fierce gales off an ice-girt coast, brought back strange tales to a curious world. crudely embellished, contradictory, yet alluring they were; but the demand for truth came surely to the rescue. thus, it was often the whaler who forsook his trade to explore for mere exploration's sake. baffin was one of those who opened the gates to the north. then, too, the commercial spirit of the generations who sought a north west passage was responsible for the incursions of many adventurers into the new world of the ice. strangely enough, the south was first attacked in the true scientific spirit by captain cook and later by bellingshausen. sealing and whaling ventures followed in their train. at last the era had come for the expedition, planned, administered, equipped and carried out with a definite objective. it is characteristic of the race of men that the first design should have centred on the pole--the top of the earth, the focus of longitude, the magic goal, to reach which no physical sacrifice was too great. the heroism of parry is a type of that adamant persistence which has made the history of the conquest of the poles a volume in which disaster and death have played a large part. it followed on years of polar experience, it resulted from an exact knowledge of geographical and climatic conditions, a fearless anticipation, expert information on the details of transport--and the fortune of the brave--that peary and amundsen had their reward in the present generation. meanwhile, in the wake of the pioneers of new land there were passing the scientific workers born in the early nineteenth century. sir james clark ross is an epitome of that expansive enthusiasm which was the keynote of the life of charles darwin. the classic "voyage of the beagle" ( - ) was a triumph of patient rigorous investigation conducted in many lands outside the polar circles. the methods of darwin were developed in the 'challenger' expedition ( ) which worked even to the confines of the southern ice. and the torch of the pure flame of science was handed on. it was the same consuming ardour which took nansen across the plateau of greenland, which made him resolutely propound the theory of the northern ice-drift, to maintain it in the face of opposition and ridicule and to plan an expedition down to the minutest detail in conformity therewith. the close of the century saw science no longer the mere appendage but the actual basis of exploratory endeavour. disinterested research and unselfish specialization are the phrases born to meet the intellectual demands of the new century. the modern polar expedition goes forth with finished appliances, with experts in every department--sailors, artisans, soldiers and students in medley; supremely, with men who seek risk and privation--the glory of the dauntless past. a.l.m. introduction one of the oft-repeated questions for which i usually had a ready answer, at the conclusion of sir ernest shackleton's expedition ( - ) was, "would you like to go to the antarctic again?" in the first flush of the welcome home and for many months, during which the keen edge of pleasure under civilized conditions had not entirely worn away, i was inclined to reply with a somewhat emphatic negative. but, once more a man in the world of men, lulled in the easy repose of routine, and performing the ordinary duties of a workaday world, old emotions awakened. the grand sweet days returned in irresistible glamour, faraway "voices" called: ...from the wilderness, the vast and godlike spaces, the stark and sullen solitudes that sentinel the pole. there always seemed to be something at the back of my mind, stored away for future contemplation, and it was an idea which largely matured during my first sojourn in the far south. at times, during the long hours of steady tramping across the trackless snow-fields, one's thoughts flow in a clear and limpid stream, the mind is unruffled and composed and the passion of a great venture springing suddenly before the imagination is sobered by the calmness of pure reason. perchance this is true of certain moments, but they are rare and fleeting. it may have been in one such phase that i suddenly found myself eager for more than a glimpse of the great span of antarctic coast lying nearest to australia. professor t. w. e. david, dr. f. a. mackay and i, when seeking the south magnetic pole during the summer of - , had penetrated farthest into that region on land. the limiting outposts had been defined by other expeditions; at cape adare on the east and at gaussberg on the west. between them lay my "land of hope and glory," of whose outline and glacial features the barest evidence had been furnished. there, bordering the antarctic circle, was a realm far from the well-sailed highways of many of the more recent antarctic expeditions. the idea of exploring this unknown coast took firm root in my mind while i was on a visit to europe in february . the prospects of an expedition operating to the west of cape adare were discussed with the late captain r. f. scott and i suggested that the activities of his expedition might be arranged to extend over the area in question. finally he decided that his hands were already too full to make any definite proposition for a region so remote from his own objective. sir ernest shackleton was warmly enthusiastic when the scheme was laid before him, hoping for a time to identify himself with the undertaking. it was in some measure due to his initiative that i felt impelled eventually to undertake the organization and leadership of an expedition. for many reasons, besides the fact that it was the country of my home and alma mater, i was desirous that the expedition should be maintained by australia. it seemed to me that here was an opportunity to prove that the young men of a young country could rise to those traditions which have made the history of british polar exploration one of triumphant endeavour as well as of tragic sacrifice. and so i was privileged to rally the "sons of the younger son." a provisional plan was drafted and put before the australasian association for the advancement of science at their meeting held at sydney in january , with a request for approval and financial assistance. both were unanimously granted, a sum of l was voted and committees were formed to co-operate in the arrangement of a scientific programme and to approach the government with a view to obtaining substantial help. the three leading members of the committees were professor orme masson (president), professor t. w. edgeworth david (president elect) and professor g. c. henderson (president of the geographical section). all were zealous and active in furthering the projects of the expedition. meanwhile i had laid my scheme of work before certain prominent australians and some large donations** had been promised. the sympathy and warm-hearted generosity of these gentlemen was an incentive for me to push through my plans at once to a successful issue. ** refer to finance appendix. i therefore left immediately for london with a view to making arrangements there for a vessel suitable for polar exploration, to secure sledging dogs from greenland and furs from norway, and to order the construction of certain instruments and equipment. it was also my intention to gain if possible the support of australians residing in london. the council of the university of adelaide, in a broad-minded scientific spirit, granted me the necessary leave of absence from my post as lecturer, to carry through what had now resolved itself into an extensive and prolonged enterprise. during my absence, a committee of the australasian association for the advancement of science approached the commonwealth government with an appeal for funds. unfortunately it was the year ( ) of the coronation of his majesty king george v, and the leading members of the cabinet were in england, so the final answer to the deputation was postponed. i was thus in a position of some difficulty, for many requirements had to be ordered without delay if the expedition were to get away from australia before the end of the year. at length, through the kindness of lord northcliffe, the columns of the daily mail were opened to us and sir ernest shackleton made a strong appeal on our behalf. the royal geographical society set the seal of its approval on the aims of the expedition and many donations were soon afterwards received. at this rather critical period i was fortunate in securing the services of captain john king davis, who was in future to act as master of the vessel and second in command of the expedition. he joined me in april , and rendered valuable help in the preliminary arrangements. under his direction the s.y. aurora was purchased and refitted. the few months spent in london were anxious and trying, but the memory of them is pleasantly relieved by the generosity and assistance which were meted out on every hand. sir george reid, high commissioner for the australian commonwealth, i shall always remember as an ever-present friend. the preparations for the scientific programme received a strong impetus from well-known antarctic explorers, notably dr. w. s. bruce, dr. jean charcot, captain adrian de gerlache, and the late sir john murray and mr. j. y. buchanan of the challenger expedition. in the dispositions made for oceanographical work i was indebted for liberal support to h.s.h. the prince of monaco. in july i was once more in australia, a large proportion of my time being occupied with finance, the purchase and concentration of stores and equipment and the appointment of the staff. in this work i was aided by professors masson and david and by miss ethel bage, who throughout this busy period acted in an honorary capacity as secretary in melbourne. time was drawing on and the funds of the expedition were wholly inadequate to the needs of the moment, until mr. t. h. smeaton, m.p., introduced a deputation to the hon. john verran, premier of south australia. the deputation, organized to approach the state government for a grant of l , was led by the right hon. sir samuel way, bart., chief justice of south australia and chancellor of the adelaide university, and supported by mr. lavington bonython, mayor of adelaide, t. ryan, m.p., the presidents of several scientific societies and members of the university staff. this sum was eventually forthcoming and it paved the way to greater things. in sydney, professor david approached the state government on behalf of the expedition for financial support, and, through the acting premier, the hon. w. a. holman, l was generously promised. the state of victoria through the hon. w. watt, premier of victoria, supplemented our funds to the extent of l . upheld by the prestige of a large meeting convened in the melbourne town hall during the spring, the objects of the australasian antarctic expedition were more widely published. on that memorable occasion the governor-general, lord denman, acted as chairman, and among others who participated were the hon. andrew fisher (prime minister of the commonwealth), the hon. alfred deakin (leader of the opposition), professor orme masson (president a.a.a.s. and representative of victoria), senator walker (representing new south wales) and professor g. c. henderson (representing south australia). soon after this meeting the commonwealth government voted l , following a grant of l made by the british government at the instance of lord denman, who from the outset had been a staunch friend of the expedition. at the end of october all immediate financial anxiety had passed, and i was able to devote myself with confidence to the final preparations. captain davis brought the 'aurora' from england to australia, and on december , , we left hobart for the south. a base was established on macquarie island, after which the ship pushed through the ice and landed a party on an undiscovered portion of the antarctic continent. after a journey of fifteen hundred miles to the west of this base another party was landed and then the aurora returned to hobart to refit and to carry out oceanographical investigations, during the year , in the waters south of australia and new zealand. in december captain davis revisited the antarctic to relieve the two parties who had wintered there. a calamity befell my own sledging party, lieut. b. e. s. ninnis and dr. x. mertz both lost their lives and my arrival back at winter quarters was delayed for so long, that the 'aurora' was forced to leave five men for another year to prosecute a search for the missing party. the remainder of the men, ten in number, and the party fifteen hundred miles to the west were landed safely at hobart in march . thus the prearranged plans were upset by my non-return and the administration of the expedition in australia was carried out by professor david, whose special knowledge was invaluable at such a juncture. funds were once more required, and, during the summer of , captain davis visited london and secured additional support, while the australasian association for the advancement of science again successfully approached the commonwealth government (the right hon. j. h. cook, prime minister). in all, the sum of l was raised to meet the demands of a second voyage of relief. the party left on macquarie island, who had agreed to remain at the station for another year, ran short of food during their second winter. the new zealand government rendered the expedition a great service in dispatching stores to them by the 'tutanekai' without delay. finally, in the summer of , the 'aurora' set out on her third cruise to the far south, picking up the parties at macquarie island and in the antarctic, carried out observations for two months amid the ice and reached adelaide late in february . throughout a period of more than three years professors david and masson--the fathers of the expedition--worked indefatigably and unselfishly in its interests. unbeknown to them i have taken the liberty to reproduce the only photographs at hand of these gentlemen, which action i hope they will view favourably. that of professor david needs some explanation: it is a snapshot taken at relief inlet, south victoria land, at the moment when the northern party of shackleton's expedition, february , was rescued by the s.y. 'nimrod'. in shipping arrangements capt. davis was assisted throughout by mr. j. j. kinsey, christchurch, capt. barter, sydney, and mr. f. hammond, hobart. such an undertaking is the work of a multitude and it is only by sympathetic support from many sources that a measure of success can be expected. in this connexion there are many names which i recall with warm gratitude. it is impossible to mention all to whom the expedition is indebted, but i trust that none of those who have taken a prominent part will fail to find an acknowledgment somewhere in these volumes. i should specially mention the friendly help afforded by the australasian press, which has at all times given the expedition favourable and lengthy notices, insisting on its national and scientific character. with regard to the conduct of the work itself, i was seconded by the whole-hearted co-operation of the members, my comrades, and what they have done can only be indicated in this narrative. contents author's preface foreword introduction chapter i the problem and preparations chapter ii the last days at hobart and the voyage to macquarie island chapter iii from macquarie island to adelie land chapter iv new lands chapter v first days in adelie land chapter vi autumn prospects chapter vii the blizzard chapter viii domestic life chapter ix midwinter and its work chapter x the preparation of sledging equipment chapter xi spring exploits chapter xii across king george v land chapter xiii toil and tribulation chapter xiv the quest of the south magnetic pole chapter xv eastward over the sea-ice chapter xvi horn bluff and penguin point [volume ii] chapter xvii with stillwell's and bickerton's parties chapter xviii the ship's story. by captain j. k. davis chapter xix the western base--establishment and early adventures. by f. wild chapter xx the western base--winter and spring chapter xxi the western base--blocked on the shelf-ice. by f. wild chapter xxii the western base--linking up with kaiser wilhelm ii land chapter xxiii a second winter chapter xxiv nearing the end chapter xxv life on macquarie island. by g. f. ainsworth chapter xxvi a land of storm and mist. by g. f. ainsworth chapter xxvii through another year. by g. f. ainsworth chapter xxviii the homeward cruise appendix i the staff appendix ii scientific work appendix iii an historical summary appendix iv glossary appendix v medical reports: western base (queen mary land). by s. e. jones, m.b., ch.m. main base (adelie land). by a. l. mclean, m.b., ch.m., b.a. appendix vi finance appendix vii equipment list of illustrations sir douglas mawson (photogravure) in memoriam cross at cape denison (photogravure) colour plates virgin solitudes a weather-worn snow-berg a grottoed iceberg the mertz glacier tongue, at a point miles from the land the grey rock hills at cape denison winter quarters, adelie land the alpine-glow "antarctica is a world of colour, brilliant and intensely pure..." sledging in adelie land [volume ii] islets fringing the mainland: view looking west from stillwell island rafts of floe-ice before sunrise: camped near the hippo nunatak avalanche rocks delay point the great "bergschrund" of the denman glacier tussock slopes and misty highlands the shack and its vicinity a victoria penguin on the nest a growth of lichen on red sandstone antarctic marine life brought up in the deep-sea trawl plates professor t. w. edgeworth david professor orme masson captain john king davis the wall of the antarctic continent finner whales of the south the 'aurora' crossing the equator, august frank wild ginger and her family on the voyage from london queen's wharf, hobart, an hour before sailing, december , the last view of hobart nestling below mt. wellington a big, following sea mclean walking aft in rough weather cruising along the west coast of macquarie island a giant petrel on the nest a young giant petrel on the nest. caroline cove the wreck of the "clyde" the boat harbour--hassleborough bay the north end of macquarie island showing wireless hill. the living hut is at the north end of the isthmus, with north-east bay on the right and hassleborough bay on the left side the 'aurora' anchored in hassleborough bay. in the foreground giant seaweed is swinging in the wash of the surge a wanderer albatross at rest on the water hunter tickles a sleeping baby sea elephant a typical table-topped neve berg originating from floating shelf ice an antarctic iceberg with a reticulation of crevasses on its tilted surface. this berg had no doubt taken its origin from the ice of the coastal cliffs of adelie land in pack-ice a cavern in the wall ( feet) of the shelf ice of the mertz glacier-tongue a glimpse from within the cavern (shown in the preceding illustration) the 'aurora' in commonwealth bay; the rising plateau of adelie land in the distance the invaluable motor-launch; left to right, hamilton, bickerton, and blake the whale-boat with passengers for the shore; wild at the steering oar first steps in the formation of the main base station; landing of stores and equipment at the head of the boat harbour, cape denison. in the distance men are to be seen sledging the materials to the site selected for the erection of the hut a view of a rocky stretch of the adelie land coast west of commonwealth bay a panorama looking west from winter quarters. on the left and in the distance are the rising slopes of the inland ice. the moraine is in the foreground a panorama of the sea front looking eastward from winter quarters. the plateau slopes are visible to a height of l feet in open pack-ice the face of the shackleton ice-shelf miles north of the mainland. each strongly-marked horizontal band on the sheer wall represents a year's snowfall the 'aurora' anchored to thick floe-ice miles north of the western base, queen mary land. in this region the annual snowfall is very heavy, so that it is possible that the great thickness of floe is due to the accumulation of one year a berg with inclusions of mud and rock. long. degrees e. the 'flying-fox' viewed from the floe-ice below the brink of the shelf ice on which the western party wintered summer at the boat harbour, cape denison an adelie penguin on the nest defending her eggs the living-hut, nearing completion. the tents and shelter built of benzine cases used as temporary quarters are shown the completion of the hut--cheering the union jack as it was hoisted on the flag pole adelie penguins at home, cape denison a view of the main base hut in february , just prior to its completion. within a few days of the taking of this picture the hut became so buried in packed snow that ever afterwards little beyond the roof was to be seen weddell seals asleep on pancake ice adelie penguin after weathering a severe blizzard. observe the lumps of ice adhering to it a panoramic view looking south from near the hut. in the distance are the slopes of the inland ice-sheet. in the foreground is the terminal moraine. between the rocks and the figure is a zone where rapid thawing takes place in the summer owing to the amount of dirt contained in the ice a panoramic view looking north towards the sea. in the middle of the picture is round lake. the hut is towards the left-hand side and the anemograph is on the hill. the men are practising ski running an evening view from cape denison the head of a weddell seal a weddell seal scratching himself. "drat those fleas!" the meteorologist with an ice-mask where the plateau descends to commonwealth bay maccormick skua gull on the nest with egg chick of maccormick skua gull on the nest protection--adelie penguin and chick the lower moraine, composed of water worn boulders, cape denison an ice-polished surface, cape denison the boat harbour in march. the hut is seen dimly through light drift "race of the spray smoke's hurtling sheet" walking against a strong wind picking ice for domestic purposes in a hurricane wind. note the high angle at which webb is leaning on the wind leaning upon the wind; madigan near the meteorological screen stillwell collecting geological specimens in the wind in the blizzard; getting ice for domestic purposes from the glacier adjacent to the hut an incident in march soon after the completion of the hut: hodgeman, the night watchman, returning from his rounds outside, pushes his way into the veranda through the rapidly accumulating drift snow mertz in the snow tunnels on his way to the interior of the hut with a box of ice for the melters mertz emerging from the trap-door in the roof working in the hurricane wind, adelie land getting ice for domestic purposes. whetter picking; madigan with the ice-box the ice-cliff coastline east of winter quarters madigan's frostbitten face correll, bage, mclean, hodgeman, hunter, and bickerton a winter afternoon scene in the hut. from the left: mertz, mclean, madigan, hunter, hodgeman. high on the left is the acetylene generator taking a turn in the kitchen department. hunter, hodgeman, bage. the doorway on the right is the entrance to the workroom a corner of the hut--bage mending his sleeping bag. the bunks in two tiers around the wall are almost hidden by the clothing hanging from the ceiling a winter evening at the hut. standing up: mawson, madigan, ninnis, and correll. sitting round the table from left to right: stillwell, close, mclean, hunter, hannam, hodgeman, murphy, lasebon, bickerton, mertz, and bage a morning in the workshop. from left to right: hodgeman, hunter, lasebon, correll, and hannam. the petrol engine part of the wireless plant on the right welding by thermit in the workroom, adelie land. bickerton, correll, hannam and mawson in the catacombs. ninnis on the right bage and his tide gauge which was erected on the frozen bay ice raising the lower section of the northern wireless mast the weathered cliffs of a glacier sheet pushing out into the frozen sea east of cape denison bage at the door of his astronomical transit house webb and his magnetograph house at work on the air-tractor sledge in the hangar; bage, ninnis, and bickerton webb adjusting the instruments in the magnetograph house a calm noon in winter, cape denison the ridged surface of a lake frozen during a blizzard a lively scene in the vicinity of an antarctic petrel rookery, cape hunter a weddell seal swimming below the ice-foot a rascally sea leopard casting a wicked eye over the broken floe at land's end. main base a crab-eater seal; common amongst the pack-ice the rare ross seal one of mclean's cultures; bacteria and moulds; illustrating micro-organisms in the hut ice flowers on the newly formed sea-ice madigan visiting the anemograph screen in a high wind the puffometer, designed to record maximum gust velocities an enormous cone of snow piled up by the blizzards under the coastal cliffs the cliffs at land's end, cape denison. on the brow of the cliff in front of the figure (mertz) is a good example of a snow cornice on the frozen sea in a cavern eaten out by the waves under the coastal ice-cliffs ice stalactites draping the foreshores a grotto of "mysteries" the relief of wild's party. the "aurora" approaching the floe at the western base, february pacing the deck: capt. john king davis and capt. james davis an adelie penguin feeding its young "amundsen", one of the sledge dogs sent down to us from amundsen's south polar expedition at the foot of a snow ramp beneath the coastal ice-cliffs, commonwealth bay at aladdin's cave. the vertical passage leading down into the cave itself is situated immediately behind the figure on the right beneath the surface of the plateau. bage preparing a meal in aladdin's cave in august laseron and hunter using the collapsible steel handcart in preparing for dredging on the frozen sea greenland sledging dogs--"john bull" and "ginger"--tethered on the rocks adjacent to the hut the mackellar islets viewed from an elevation of feet on the mainland snow petrels preparing to nest, cape denison a snow petrel on the nest adelie penguins diving into the sea in quest of food adelie penguins jumping on to the floe mertz in an icy ravine mertz and ninnis arrive with the dogs at aladdin's cave mertz emerging from aladdin's cave a team of dogs eagerly following ninnis the dogs enjoy their work speeding east a distant view of aurora peak from the west lieutenant b. e. s. ninnis, r.f. mertz, ninnis, and mawson erecting the tent in a high wind a later stage in erection of the tent in a wind (one man is inside) dr. xavier mertz pages from dr. mertz' diary mawson emerging from his makeshift tent the half-sledge used in the last stage of mawson's journey "...the long journey was at an end--a terrible chapter of my life was finished!" the southern supporting party on the plateau. hunter, murphy and laseron the southern and supporting parties building a depot on the plateau depot made by the southern and supporting parties at a point miles south of commonwealth bay. murphy, laseron, and hunter packing sledge in the foreground; bage in the distance a rough sledging surface of high sastrugi encountered by the southern party miles s.s.e. of the hut farthest south camp of southern party, "minutes" (about miles) from the south magnetic pole. bage near sledge; webb taking set of magnetic observations behind snow barricade sastrugi furrowed by the mighty winds of the plateau, miles s.s.e. of winter quarters, adelie land under reefed sail. southern party miles s.s.e. of winter quarters, adelie land hurley in sledging gear correll on the edge of a ravine in the ice sheet madigan's, murphy's, and stillwell's parties breaking camp at aladdin's cave at the commencement of the summer journeys the surface of the continental ice sheet in the coastal region where it is badly crevassed working the sledge through broken sea ice, miles off king george v land. madigan, correll and mclean the "organ-pipes" of horn bluff ( feet in height) pushing out from the mainland madigan, correll and mclean camped below the cliffs of horn bluff ( feet in height). columnar dolerite is seen surmounting a sedimentary series partly buried in the talus-slope an outcrop of a sedimentary formation containing bands of coal projecting through the talus slope below the columnar dolerite at horn bluff the face of a granite outcrop near penguin point. at its base is a tide crack and ice foot the granite cliffs at penguin point where cape pigeon and silver petrel rookeries were found; the site of new year's camp [volume ii] madigan nunatak--close and laseron standing by the sledge a desolate camp on the plateau sledging rations for three men for three months stillwell island--a haunt of the silver-grey petrel "the bus", the air-tractor sledge bickerton and his sledge with detachable wheels amongst the splintered ice where the ice-sheet descends to the sea near cape denison the big winding-drum for the deep-sea dredging cable fletcher with the driver loaded ready to take a sounding at the provision depot for castaways provided by the new zealand government, camp cove, carnley harbour, auckland island. primmer on the right the brick pier erected at port ross, auckland islands, by the magneticians of sir james clarke ross's expedition the "aurora" at anchor in port ross, auckland islands the monagasque trawl hoisted on the derrick: gray standing by a remarkable berg, two cusps standing on a single basement. note that it has risen considerably out of the sea, exposing old water lines a portal worn through a berg by the waves a turreted berg a midsummer view of the hut and its neighbourhood, looking s.e. forging through pack-ice members of the main base party homeward bound, january . from left to right: back row, whetter, hurley, webb, hannam, laseron, close; front row, stillwell, hunter, correll, murphy "wireless" corner in the workshop. our link with civilization the "aurora" anchored to the floe off the western base the establishment of the western base. hauling stores to the top of the ice-shelf the western base hut in winter. note the entrance; a vertical hole in the snow in the foreground the western base hut--the grottoes--in summer an evening camp, queen mary land a man-hauled sledge in the veranda of the western base hut--the "grottoes"--looking towards the entrance dug vertically down through the snow drift the wind-weathered igloo built for magnetic observations--western base nunatak--queen mary land: showing remarkable moat on windward side and ramp on lee midwinter's dinner in queen mary land, . from left to right: behind--hoadley, dovers, watson, harrisson, wild. in front--jones, moyes, kennedy a bevy of emperor penguins on the floe a yawning crevasse wild's party making slow progress in dangerous country wild, kennedy, and harrisson amongst the abysses of the denman glacier "the whole was the wildest, maddest and yet the grandest thing imaginable" wild's party working their sledges through the crushed ice at the foot of denman glacier the hippo nunatak dog-sledging where the floe-ice meets the shackleton shelf the hummocky floe on the southern margin of the davis sea view showing the young birds massed together at the emperor penguins' rookery at haswell island antarctic petrels on the nest a snow petrel chick on the nest a silver-grey petrel on the nest the symmetrically domed outline of drygalski island, low on the horizon. the island is feet high and miles in diameter the main western party on their return to the "grottoes." from the left: hoadley, jones and dovers blizzard-harassed penguins, after many days buried in the snow the pancake ice under the cliffs at land's end a wonderful canopy of ice sastrugi sculptured by the incessant blizzards the terminal moraine, near the hut, cape denison disappearing in the drift the hut looming through the drift a wall of solid gneiss near winter quarters an erratic on the moraine. cape denison frozen spray built up by the blizzards along the shore a view of the mainland from the mackellar islets: ice-capped islets in the foreground: the rock visible on the mainland is cape denison a wilson petrel on the nest, mackellar islets the "aurora" lying at anchor, commonwealth bay; in the distance the ice-slopes of the mainland are visible rising to a height of feet. in the foreground is a striking formation originating by the freezing of spray dashed up by the hurricane wind the shack: showing the natural rocky protection on the windward side the interior of the operating hut on wireless hill weka pecking on the beach chicks of the dominican gull macquarie island skuas feeding bull sea elephants fighting the thermometer screen, macquarie island the wind-recording instruments, macquarie island "feather bed" terrace near eagle point, macquarie island a glacial lake (major lake) on macquarie island, feet above sea level victoria penguins view of the wireless station on the summit of wireless hill the wireless operating hut the wireless engine hut panoramic view of macquarie island, as seen from wireless hill at the north extremity of the island. the shack is near the bottom of the picture on the left-hand side: the sealers' hut at the far end of the isthmus: the distant left-hand point of the coast is the nuggets: north-east bay on the left: hasselborough bay on the right a view of the shore at the nuggets: the sealers' shed on the right. the bare patches far inland high on the hills above the shed are royal penguins' rookeries, from which they travel to the beach in a long procession sooty albatrosses nesting a white giant petrel on the nest a giant petrel rookery the macquarie island party. from left to right: sandell, ainsworth, sawyer, hamilton, blake king penguins the head of a sea leopard, showing fight a precocious victoria penguin young male sea elephants at play a large sea leopard on the beach a sea elephant a cormorant rookery, hasselborough bay a young king penguin a sclater penguin royal penguins on the nest gentoo penguin and young a cow sea elephant and pup the head of a bull sea elephant a rookery of sea elephants near the shore at the nelson reef, chiefly cows and pups a bull sea elephant in a fighting attitude a cormorant and young on nest the wild west coast of macquarie island a royal penguins rookery the wreck of the "gratitude" on the nuggets beach kerguelen cabbage flowering plant darby and joan. two rare examples of penguins which visited the shack, macquarie island. on the left a sclater penguin, on the right an albino royal penguin large erratics and other glacial debris on the summit of macquarie island pillow-form lava on the highlands of macquarie island waterfall lake, of glacial origin on the plateau-like summit of macquarie island; a panorama near the north end. glacial lakes and tarns in the foreground the king penguins rookery, lusitania bay the head of a bull sea elephant photographed in the act of roaring the rookery of royal penguins at the south end, viewed from a cliff several hundred feet above it young sea elephants asleep amongst royal penguins, south end rookery hamilton inspecting a good catch of fish at lusitania bay hamilton obtaining the blubber of a sea elephant for fuel an illustration of the life on the mackellar islets an ice mushroom amongst the mackellar islets view looking out of a shallow ravine at the eastern extremity of the rocks at cape denison "hurley had before him a picture in perfect proportion...." antarctic petrels resting on the snow silver-grey petrels making love looking towards the mainland from stillwell island: silver-grey petrels nesting in the foreground antarctic petrels nesting on the rocky ledges of the cliffs near cape hunter icing ship in the pack north of termination ice-tongue emperor penguins follow the leader into the sea emperor penguins jumping on to the floe cape hunter, composed of ancient sedimentary rocks (phyllites) examples of antarctic marine crustaceans text illustrations antarctic discoveries preceding the year plan and section of the s.y. 'aurora" map of macquarie island by l. r. blake ships' tracks in the vicinity of totten's land and north's land ships' tracks in the vicinity of knox land and budd land plan of the hut, adelie land sections across the hut, adelie land the vicinity of the main base, adelie land a section of the coastal slope of the continental ice-sheet inland from winter quarters, adelie land wind velocity and wind direction charts for a period of twenty-four hours, adelie land a comparison of wind velocities and temperatures prevailing at cape royds, mcmurdo sound, and at winter quarters, adelie land, during the months of may and june the drift-gauge the wind velocity and wind direction charts for midwinter day the tide-gauge midwinter day menu at the main base, adelie land, section through a nansen sledging cooker mounted on the primus map showing the track of the southern sledging party from the main base [volume ii] map showing the remarkable distribution of islets fringing the coast-line of adelie land in the vicinity of cape gray map showing the tracks of the western sledging party, adelie land plan illustrating the arrangements for deep-sea trawling on board the "aurora" map of the auckland islands the "contents" page of the first number of the "adelie blizzard" the meteorological chart for april , , compiled by the commonwealth meteorological bureau a diagrammatic sketch illustrating the meteorological conditions at the main base, noon, september , plan of the hut, macquarie island map of the north end of macquarie island by l. r. blake a section across macquarie island through mt. elder, by l. r. blake a sketch illustrating the distribution of the mackellar islets a section illustrating the moat in the antarctic continental shelf signatures of members of the land parties a section of the antarctic plateau from the coast to a point miles inland, along the route followed by the southern sledging party a section across a part of the antarctic continent through the south magnetic pole a section of the floor of the southern ocean between tasmania and king george v land a section of the floor of the southern ocean between western australia and queen mary land a map showing antarctic land discoveries preceding a map showing antarctic land discoveries preceding a map of the antarctic regions as known at the present day folding maps regional map showing the area covered by the australasian antarctic expedition, - king george v land, showing tracks of the eastern sledging parties from the main base queen mary land, showing tracks of the sledging party from the main base chapter i the problem and preparations notwithstanding the fact that it has been repeatedly stated in the public press that the australasian antarctic expedition had no intention of making the south geographical pole its objective, it is evident that our aims were not properly realized by a large section of the british public, considering that many references have appeared in print attributing that purpose to the undertaking. with three other antarctic expeditions already in the field, it appeared to many, therefore, that the venture was entirely superfluous. the expedition had a problem sketched in unmistakable feature, and the following pages will shortly set forth its historical origin and rationale. the antarctic problem** assumed its modern aspect after captain cook's circumnavigation of the globe in high southern latitudes, accomplished between and . fact replaced the fiction and surmise of former times, and maps appeared showing a large blank area at the southern extremity of the earth, where speculative cartographers had affirmed the existence of habitable land extending far towards the equator. cook's voyage made it clear that if there were any considerable mass of antarctic land, it must indubitably lie within the antarctic circle, and be subjected to such stringent climatic conditions as to render it an unlikely habitation for man. ** dr. h. r. mill has compiled a complete account of antarctic exploration in his "siege of the south pole." refer also to the historical appendix for an abridged statement. cook's reports of seals on the island of south georgia initiated in the antarctic seas south of america a commercial enterprise, which is still carried on, and has incidentally thrown much light upon the geography of the south polar regions. indeed, almost the whole of such information, prior to the year , was the outcome of sealing and whaling projects. about the year , a wave of scientific enthusiasm resulted in the dispatch of three national expeditions by france, the united states, and great britain; part at least of whose programmes was antarctic exploration. russia had previously sent out an expedition which had made notable discoveries. the contributions to knowledge gained at this period were considerable. those carried back to civilization by the british expedition under ross, are so well known that they need not be described. the french under dumont d'urville and the americans under wilkes visited the region to the southward of australia--the arena of our own efforts--and frequent references will be made to their work throughout this story. what has been termed the period of averted interest now intervened, before the modern movement set in with overpowering insistence. it was not till that it had commenced in earnest. since then many adventurers have gone forth; most of the prominent civilized nations taking their share in exploration. by their joint efforts some, at least, of the mystery of antarctica has been dispelled. it is now a commonplace, largely in the world of geographical concerns, that the earth has still another continent, unique in character, whose ultimate bounds are merely pieced together from a fragmentary outline. the continent itself appears to have been sighted for the first time in the year , but no human being actually set foot on it until . the belgian expedition under de gerlache was the first to experience the antarctic winter, spending the year drifting helplessly, frozen in the pack-ice, to the southward of america. in the following year a british expedition under borchgrevinck, wintering at cape adare, passed a year upon the antarctic mainland. the main efforts of recent years have been centred upon the two more accessible areas, namely, that in the american quadrant** which is prolonged as a tongue of land outside the antarctic circle, being consequently less beset by ice; secondly, the vicinity of the ross sea in the australian quadrant. it is because these two favoured domains have for special reasons attracted the stream of exploration that the major portion of antarctica is unknown. nevertheless, one is in a position to sketch broad features which will probably not be radically altered by any future expeditions. ** for convenience, the antarctic regions may be referred to in four main divisions, corresponding with the quadrants of the hemisphere. of the several suggestions thrown out by previous writers, the one adopted here is that based on the meridian of greenwich, referring the quadrants to an adjacent continent or ocean. thus the american quadrant lies between degrees and degrees w., the african quadrant between degrees and degrees e., and the australian quadrant between degrees and degrees e. the fourth division is called the pacific quadrant, since ocean alone lies to the north of it. certain it is that a continent approaching the combined areas of australia and europe lies more or less buried beneath the south polar snows; though any statement of the precise area is insufficient for a proper appreciation of the magnitude, unless its elevated plateau-like character be also taken into consideration. it appears to be highest over a wide central crown rising to more than ten thousand feet. of the remainder, there is little doubt that the major portion stands as high as six thousand feet. the average elevation must far exceed that of any other continent, for, with peaks nineteen thousand feet above sea-level, its mountainous topography is remarkable. along the coast of victoria land, in the australian quadrant, are some of the most majestic vistas of alpine scenery that the world affords. rock exposures are rare, ice appearing everywhere except in the most favoured places. regarding plant and animal life upon the land there is little to say. the vegetable kingdom is represented by plants of low organization such as mosses, lichens, diatoms and algae. the animal world, so far as true land-forms are concerned, is limited to types like the protozoa (lowest in the organic scale), rotifera and minute insect-like mites which lurk hidden away amongst the tufts of moss or on the under side of loose stones. bacteria, most fundamental of all, at the basis, so to speak, of animal and vegetable life, have a manifold distribution. it is a very different matter when we turn to the life of the neighbouring seas, for that vies in abundance with the warmer waters of lower latitudes. there are innumerable seals, many sea-birds and millions of penguins. as all these breed on antarctic shores, the coastal margin of the continent is not so desolate. in view of the fact that life, including land-mammals, is abundant in the north polar regions, it may be asked why analogous forms are not better represented in corresponding southern latitudes. without going too deeply into the question, it may be briefly stated, firstly, that a more widespread glaciation than at present prevails invested the great southern continent and its environing seas, within recent geological times, effectually exterminating any pre-existing land life. secondly, since that period the continent has been isolated by a wide belt of ocean from other lands, from which restocking might have taken place after the manner of the north polar regions. finally, climatic conditions in the antarctic are, latitude for latitude, much more severe than in the arctic. with regard to climate in general, antarctica has the lowest mean temperature and the highest wind-velocity of any land existing. this naturally follows from the fact that it is a lofty expanse of ice-clad land circumscribing the pole, and that the antarctic summer occurs when the earth is farther from the sun than is the case during the arctic summer. there are those who would impatiently ask, "what is the use of it all?" the answer is brief. [text illustration] antarctic land discoveries preceding the year the polar regions, like any other part of the globe, may be said to be paved with facts, the essence of which it is necessary to acquire before knowledge of this special zone can be brought to even a provisional exactitude. on the face of it, polar research may seem to be specific and discriminating, but it must be remembered that an advance in any one of the departments into which, for convenience, science is artificially divided, conduces to the advantage of all. science is a homogeneous whole. if we ignore the facts contained in one part of the world, surely we are hampering scientific advance. it is obvious to every one that, given only a fraction of the pieces, it is a much more difficult task to put together a jig-saw puzzle and obtain an idea of the finished pattern than were all the pieces at hand. the pieces of the jig-saw puzzle are the data of science. though it is not sufficiently recognized, the advance of science is attended by a corresponding increase in the creature comforts of man. again, from an economic aspect, the frozen south may not attract immediate attention. but who can say what a train of enterprise the future may bring? captain james cook, on his return to london after the circumnavigation of antarctica, held that the far-southern lands had no future. yet, a few years later, great profits were being returned to great britain and the united states from sealing-stations established as a result of cook's own observations. at the present day, several whaling companies have flourishing industries in the antarctic waters within the american quadrant. even now much can be said in regard to the possibilities offered by the antarctic regions for economic development, but, year by year, the outlook will widen, since man is constantly resorting to subtler and more ingenious artifice in applying nature's resources. it will be remembered that charles darwin, when in australia, predicted a very limited commercial future for new south wales. but the mastery of man overcame the difficulties which darwin's too penetrating mind foresaw. what will be the role of the south in the progress of civilization and in the development of the arts and sciences, is not now obvious. as sure as there is here a vast mass of land with potentialities, strictly limited at present, so surely will it be cemented some day within the universal plinth of things. an unknown coast-line lay before the door of australia. following on the general advance of exploration, and as a sequel to several important discoveries, the time arrived when a complete elucidation of the antarctic problem was more than ever desirable. in the australian quadrant, the broad geographical features of the ross sea area were well known, but of the remainder and greater portion of the tract only vague and imperfect reports could be supplied. before submitting our plans in outline, it will be as well to review the stage at which discovery had arrived when our expedition came upon the scene. the coast-line of the eastern extremity of the australian quadrant, including the outline of the ross sea and the coast west-north-west of cape adare as far as cape north, was charted by ross and has been amplified by seven later expeditions. in the region west of cape north, recent explorers had done little up till . scott in the 'discovery' had disproved the existence of some of wilkes's land; shackleton in the 'nimrod' had viewed some forty miles of high land beyond cape north; lastly, on the eve of our departure, scott's 'terra nova' had met two patches of new land--oates land--still farther west, making it evident that the continent ranged at least two hundred and eighty miles in a west-north-west direction from cape adare. just outside the western limit of the australian quadrant lies gaussberg, discovered by a german expedition under drygalski in . between the most westerly point sighted by the 'terra nova' and gaussberg, there is a circuit of two thousand miles, bordering the antarctic circle, which no vessel had navigated previous to . this was the arena of our activities and, therefore, a synopsis of the voyages of early mariners will be enlightening. balleny, a whaling-master, with the schooner 'eliza scott' of one hundred and fifty-four tons, and a cutter, the 'sabrina' of fifty-four tons, was the first to meet with success in these waters. proceeding southward from new zealand in , he located the balleny islands, a group containing active volcanoes, lying about two hundred miles off the nearest part of the mainland and to the north-west of cape adare. leaving these islands, balleny sailed westward keeping a look-out for new land. during a gale the vessels became separated and the 'sabrina' was lost with all hands. balleny in the 'eliza scott' arrived safely in england and reported doubtful land in degrees e. longitude, approximately. dr. h. r. mill says: "although the name of the cutter 'sabrina' has been given to an appearance of land at this point, we cannot look upon its discovery as proved by the vague reference made by the explorers." on january , , dumont d'urville sailed southward from hobart in command of two corvettes, the 'astrolabe' and the 'zelee'. without much obstruction from floating ice, he came within sight of the antarctic coast, thenceforth known as adelie land. the expedition did not set foot on the mainland, but on an adjacent island. they remained in the vicinity of the coast for a few days, when a gale sprang up which was hazardously weathered on the windward side of the pack-ice. the ships then cruised along the face of flat-topped ice-cliffs, of the type known as barrier-ice or shelf-ice, which were taken to be connected with land and named cote clarie. as will be seen later, cote clarie does not exist. dr. h. r. mill sums up the work done by the french expedition during its eleven days' sojourn in the vicinity of the antarctic coast: "d'urville's discoveries of land were of but little account. he twice traced out considerable stretches of a solid barrier of ice, and at one point saw and landed upon rocks in front of it; but he could only give the vaguest account of what lay behind the barrier." wilkes of the american expedition proceeded south from sydney at the close of . his vessels were the 'vincennes', a sloop of war of seven hundred and eighty tons, the 'peacock', another sloop of six hundred and fifty tons, the 'porpoise', a gun-brig of two hundred and thirty tons and a tender, the 'flying fish' of ninety-six tons. the scientists of the expedition were precluded from joining in this part of the programme, and were left behind in sydney. wilkes himself was loud in his denunciation both of the ships and of the stores, though they had been specially assembled by the naval department. the ships were in antarctic waters for a period of forty-two days, most of the time separated by gales, during which the crews showed great skill in navigating their ill-fitted crafts and suffered great hardships. land was reported almost daily, but, unfortunately, subsequent exploration has shown that most of the landfalls do not exist. several soundings made by wilkes were indicative of the approach to land, but he must have frequently mistaken for it distant ice-masses frozen in the pack. experience has proved what deceptive light-effects may be observed amid the ice and how easily a mirage may simulate reality. whatever the cause of wilkes's errors, the truth remains that ross sailed over land indicated in a rough chart which had been forwarded to him by wilkes, just before the british expedition set out. more recently, captain scott in the 'discovery' erased many of the landfalls of wilkes, and now we have still further reduced their number. the 'challenger' approached within fifteen miles of the western extremity of wilkes's termination land, but saw no sign of it. the 'gauss' in the same waters charted kaiser wilhelm ii land well to the south of termination land, and the eastward continuation of the former could not have been visible from wilkes's ship. after the voyage of the 'discovery', the landfalls, the existence of which had not been disproved, might well have been regarded as requiring confirmation before their validity could be recognised. the only spot where rocks were reported in situ was in adelie land, where the french had anticipated the americans by seven days. farther west, earth and stones had been collected by wilkes from material embedded in floating masses of ice off the coast of his knox land. these facts lend credence to wilkes's claims of land in that vicinity. his expedition did not once set foot on antarctic shores, and, possibly on account of the absence of the scientific staff, his descriptions tend to be inexact and obscure. the soundings made by wilkes were sufficient to show that he was probably in some places at no great distance from the coast, and, considering that his work was carried out in the days of sailing-ships, in unsuitable craft, under the most adverse weather conditions, with crews scurvy-stricken and discontented, it is wonderful how much was achieved. we may amply testify that he did more than open the field for future expeditions. after we had taken into account the valuable soundings of the 'challenger' ( ), the above comprised our knowledge concerning some two thousand miles of prospective coast lying to the southward of australia, at a time when the plans of the australasian expedition were being formulated. the original plans for the expedition were somewhat modified upon my return from europe. briefly stated, it was decided that a party of five men should be stationed at macquarie island, a sub-antarctic possession of the commonwealth. they were to be provided with a hut, stores and a complete wireless plant, and were to prosecute general scientific investigations, co-operating with the antarctic bases in meteorological and other work. after disembarking the party at macquarie island, the 'aurora' was to proceed south on a meridian of degrees e. longitude, to the westward of which the antarctic programme was to be conducted. twelve men, provisioned and equipped for a year's campaign and provided with wireless apparatus, were to be landed in antarctica on the first possible opportunity at what would constitute a main base. thereafter, proceeding westward, it was hoped that a second and a third party, consisting of six and eight men respectively, would be successively established on the continent at considerable distances apart. of course we were well aware of the difficulties of landing even one party, but, as division of our forces would under normal conditions secure more scientific data, it was deemed advisable to be prepared for exceptionally favourable circumstances. macquarie island, a busy station in the days of the early sealers, had become almost neglected. little accurate information was to be had regarding it, and no reliable map existed. a few isolated facts had been gathered of its geology, and the anomalous fauna and flora sui generis had been but partially described. its position, eight hundred and fifty miles south-south-east of hobart, gave promise of valuable meteorological data relative to the atmospheric circulation of the southern hemisphere and of vital interest to the shipping of australia and new zealand. as to the antarctic sphere of work, it has been seen that very little was known of the vast region which was our goal. it is sufficient to say that almost every observation would be fresh material added to the sum of human knowledge. in addition to the work to be conducted from the land bases, it was intended that oceanographic investigations should be carried on by the 'aurora' as far as funds would allow. with this object in view, provision was made for the necessary apparatus which would enable the ship's party to make extensive investigations of the ocean and its floor over the broad belt between australia and the antarctic continent. this was an important branch of study, for science is just as much interested in the greatest depths of the ocean as with the corresponding elevations of the land. indeed, at the present day, the former is perhaps the greater field. the scope of our intentions was regarded by some as over-ambitious, but knowing how far high failure overleaps the bound of low successes, and seeing nothing impossible in these arrangements, we continued to adhere to them as closely as possible, with what fortune remains to be told. to secure a suitable vessel was a matter of fundamental importance. there was no question of having a ship built to our design, for the requisite expenditure might well have exceeded the whole cost of our expedition. accordingly the best obtainable vessel was purchased, and modified to fulfil our requirements. such craft are not to be had in southern waters; they are only to be found engaged in arctic whaling and sealing. the primary consideration in the design of a vessel built to navigate amid the ice is that the hull be very staunch, capable of driving into the pack and of resisting lateral pressure, if the ice should close in around it. so a thick-walled timber vessel, with adequate stiffening in the framework, would meet the case. the construction being of wood imparts a certain elasticity, which is of great advantage in easing the shock of impacts with floating ice. as has been tragically illustrated in a recent disaster, the ordinary steel ship would be ripped on its first contact with the ice. another device, to obviate the shock and to assist in forging a way through the floe-ice, is to have the bow cut away below the water-line. thus, instead of presenting to the ice a vertical face, which would immediately arrest the ship and possibly cause considerable damage on account of the sudden stress of the blow, a sloping, overhanging bow is adopted. this arrangement enables the bow to rise over the impediment, with a gradual slackening of speed. the immense weight put upon the ice crushes it and the ship settles down, moving ahead and gathering speed to meet the next obstacle. [text illustration] plan and section of s.y. 'aurora' of importance second only to a strong hull is the possession of sails in addition to engines. the latter are a sine qua non in polar navigation, whilst sails allow of economy in the consumption of coal, and always remain as a last resort should the coal-supply be exhausted or the propeller damaged. the 'aurora', of the newfoundland sealing fleet, was ultimately purchased and underwent necessary alterations. she was built in dundee in , but though by no means young was still in good condition and capable of buffeting with the pack for many a year. also, she was not without a history, for in the earlier days she was amongst those vessels which hurried to the relief of the unfortunate greely expedition. the hull was made of stout oak planks, sheathed with greenheart and lined with fir. the bow, fashioned on cutaway lines, was a mass of solid wood, armoured with steel plates. the heavy side-frames were braced and stiffened by two tiers of horizontal oak beams, upon which were built the 'tween decks and the main deck. three bulkheads isolated the fore-peak, the main hold, the engine-room and the after living-quarters respectively. a hull of such strength would resist a heavy strain, and, should it be subjected to lateral pressure, would in all probability rise out of harm's way. however, to be quite certain of this and to ensure safety in the most extreme case it is necessary that the hull be modelled after the design adopted by nansen in the 'fram'. the principal dimensions were, length one hundred and sixty-five feet, breadth thirty feet, and depth eighteen feet. the registered tonnage was three hundred and eighty-six, but the actual carrying capacity we found to be about six hundred tons. the engines, situated aft, were compound, supplied with steam from a single boiler. the normal power registered was ninety-eight horse-power, working a four-bladed propeller, driving it at the rate of sixty or seventy revolutions per minute (six to ten knots per hour). steam was also laid on to a winch, aft, for handling cargo in the main hold, and to a forward steam-windlass. the latter was mainly used for raising the anchor and manipulating the deep-sea dredging-cable. the ship was square on the foremast and schooner-rigged on the main and mizen masts. between the engine-room bulkhead and the chain and sail locker was a spacious hold. six large steel tanks built into the bottom of the hold served for the storage of fresh water and at any time when empty could be filled with seawater, offering a ready means of securing emergency ballast. on the deck, just forward of the main hatch, was a deckhouse, comprising cook's galley, steward's pantry and two laboratories. still farther forward was a small lamp-room for the storage of kerosene, lamps and other necessaries. a lofty fo'c'sle-head gave much accommodation for carpenters', shipwrights' and other stores. below it, a capacious fo'c'sle served as quarters for a crew of sixteen men. aft, the chart-room, captain's cabin and photographic dark-room formed a block leading up to the bridge, situated immediately in front of the funnel. farther aft, behind the engine-room and below the poop deck, was the ward-room(,) a central space sixteen feet by eight feet, filled by the dining-table and surrounded by cabins with bunks for twenty persons. from the time the 'aurora' arrived in london to her departure from australia, she was a scene of busy activity, as alterations and replacements were necessary to fit her for future work. in the meantime, stores and gear were being assembled. purchases were made and valuable donations received both in europe and australia. many and varied were the requirements, and some idea of their great multiplicity will be gained by referring to the appendices dealing with stores, clothing and instruments. finally, reference may be made in this chapter to the staff. in no department can a leader spend time more profitably than in the selection of the men who are to accomplish the work. even when the expedition has a scientific basis, academic distinction becomes secondary in the choice of men. fiala, as a result of his arctic experience, truly says, "many a man who is a jolly good fellow in congenial surroundings will become impatient, selfish and mean when obliged to sacrifice his comfort, curb his desires and work hard in what seems a losing fight. the first consideration in the choice of men for a polar campaign should be the moral quality. next should come mental and physical powers." for polar work the great desideratum is tempered youth. although one man at the age of fifty may be as strong physically as another at the age of twenty, it is certain that the exceptional man of fifty was also an exceptional man at twenty. on the average, after about thirty years of age, the elasticity of the body to rise to the strain of emergency diminishes, and, when forty years is reached, a man, medically speaking, reaches his acme. after that, degeneration of the fabric of the body slowly and maybe imperceptibly sets in. as the difficulties of exploration in cold regions approximate to the limit of human endurance and often enough exceed it, it is obvious that the above generalizations must receive due weight. but though age and with it the whole question of physical fitness must ever receive primary regard, yet these alone in no wise fit a man for such an undertaking. the qualifications of mental ability, acquaintance with the work and sound moral quality have to be essentially borne in mind. the man of fifty might then be placed on a higher plane than his younger companion. with regard to alcohol and tobacco, it may be maintained on theoretical grounds that a man is better without them, but, on the other hand, his behaviour in respect to such habits is often an index to his self-control. perfection is attained when every man individually works with the determination to sacrifice all personal predispositions to the welfare of the whole. ours proved to be a very happy selection. the majority of the men chosen as members of the land parties were young graduates of the commonwealth and new zealand universities, and almost all were representative of australasia. among the exceptions was mr. frank wild, who was appointed leader of one of the antarctic parties. wild had distinguished himself in the south on two previous occasions, and now is in the unique position of being, as it were, the oldest resident of antarctica. our sojourn together at cape royds with shackleton had acquainted me with wild's high merits as an explorer and leader. lieutenant b. e. s. ninnis of the royal fusiliers, dr. x. mertz, an expert ski-runner and mountaineer, and mr. f. h. bickerton in charge of the air-tractor sledge, were appointed in london. reference has already been made to captain davis: to him were left all arrangements regarding the ship's complement. a "who's who" of the staff appears as an appendix. chapter ii the last days at hobart and the voyage to macquarie island "let us probe the silent places, let us seek what luck betide us; let us journey to a lonely land i know. there's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us. and the wild is calling, calling--let us go."--service. it will be convenient to pick up the thread of our story upon the point of the arrival of the 'aurora' in hobart, after her long voyage from london during the latter part of the year . captain davis had written from cape town stating that he expected to reach hobart on november . in company with mr. c. c. eitel, secretary of the expedition, i proceeded to hobart, arriving on november . early in the morning of november the harbour board received news that a wooden vessel, barquentine-rigged, with a crow's-nest on the mainmast, was steaming up the d'entrecasteaux channel. this left no doubt as to her identity and so, later in the day, we joined mr. martelli, the assistant harbour-master, and proceeded down the river, meeting the 'aurora' below the quarantine ground. we heard that they had had a very rough passage after leaving the cape. this was expected, for several liners, travelling by the same route, and arriving in australian waters a few days before, had reported exceptionally heavy weather. before the ship had reached queen's wharf, the berth generously provided by the harbour board, the greenland dogs were transferred to the quarantine ground, and with them went dr. mertz and lieutenant ninnis, who gave up all their time during the stay in hobart to the care of those important animals. a feeling of relief spread over the whole ship's company as the last dog passed over the side, for travelling with a deck cargo of dogs is not the most enviable thing from a sailor's point of view. especially is this the case in a sailing-vessel where room is limited, and consequently dogs and ropes are mixed indiscriminately. evening was just coming on when we reached the wharf, and, as we ranged alongside, the premier, sir elliot lewis, came on board and bade us welcome to tasmania. captain davis had much to tell, for more than four months had elapsed since my departure from london, when he had been left in charge of the ship and of the final arrangements. at the docks there had been delays and difficulties in the execution of the necessary alterations to the ship, in consequence of strikes and the coronation festivities. it was so urgent to reach australia in time for the ensuing antarctic summer, that the recaulking of the decks and other improvements were postponed, to be executed on the voyage or upon arrival in australia. captain davis seized the earliest possible opportunity of departure, and the 'aurora' dropped down the thames at midnight on july , . as she threaded her way through the crowded traffic by the dim light of a thousand flickering flames gleaming through the foggy atmosphere, the dogs entered a protest peculiar to their "husky" kind. after a short preliminary excursion through a considerable range of the scale, they picked up a note apparently suitable to all and settled down to many hours of incessant and monotonous howling, as is the custom of these dogs when the fit takes them. it was quite evident that they were not looking forward to another sea voyage. the pandemonium made it all but impossible to hear the orders given for working the ship, and a collision was narrowly averted. during those rare lulls, when the dogs' repertoire temporarily gave out, innumerable sailors on neighbouring craft, wakened from their sleep, made the most of such opportunities to hurl imprecations in a thoroughly nautical fashion upon the ship, her officers, and each and every one of the crew. on the way to cardiff, where a full supply of coal was to be shipped, a gale was encountered, and much water came on board, resulting in damage to the stores. some water leaked into the living quarters and, on the whole, several very uncomfortable days were spent. such inconvenience at the outset undoubtedly did good, for many of the crew, evidently not prepared for emergency conditions, left at cardiff. the scratch crew with which the 'aurora'journeyed to hobart composed for the most part of replacements made at cardiff, resulted in some permanent appointments of unexpected value to the expedition. at cardiff the coal strike caused delay, but eventually some five hundred tons of the crown fuel company's briquettes were got on board, and a final leave taken of english shores on august . cape town, the only intermediate port of call, was reached on september , after a comparatively rapid and uneventful voyage. a couple of days sufficed to load coal, water and fresh provisions, and the course was then laid for hobart. rough weather soon intervened, and lieutenant ninnis and dr. mertz, who travelled out by the 'aurora' in charge of the sledging-dogs, had their time fully occupied, for the wet conditions began to tell on their charges. on leaving london there were forty-nine of these greenland, esquimaux sledging-dogs of which the purchase and selection had been made through the offices of the danish geographical society. from greenland they were taken to copenhagen, and from thence transhipped to london, where messrs. spratt took charge of them at their dog-farm until the date of departure. during the voyage they were fed on the finest dog-cakes, but they undoubtedly felt the need of fresh meat and fish to withstand the cold and wet. in the rough weather of the latter part of the voyage water broke continually over the deck, so lowering their vitality that a number died from seizures, not properly understood at the time. in each case death was sudden, and preceded by similar symptoms. an apparently healthy dog would drop down in a fit, dying in a few minutes, or during another fit within a few days. epidemics, accompanied by similar symptoms, are said to be common amongst these dogs in the arctic regions, but no explanation is given as to the nature of the disease. during a later stage of the expedition, when nearing antarctica, several more of the dogs were similarly stricken. these were examined by drs. mclean and jones, and the results of post-mortems showed that in one case death was due to gangrenous appendicitis, in two others to acute gastritis and colitis. the dog first affected caused some consternation amongst the crew, for, after being prostrated on the deck by a fit, it rose and rushed about snapping to right and left. the cry of "mad dog" was raised. not many seconds had elapsed before all the deck hands were safely in the rigging, displaying more than ordinary agility in the act. at short intervals, other men, roused from watch below appeared at the fo'c'sle companion-way. to these the situation at first appeared comic, and called forth jeers upon their faint-hearted shipmates. the next moment, on the dog dashing into view, they found a common cause with their fellows and sprang aloft. ere many minutes had elapsed the entire crew were in the rigging, much to the amusement of the officers. by this time the dog had disappeared beneath the fo'c'sle head, and mertz and ninnis entered, intending to dispatch it. a shot was fired and word passed that the deed was done: thereupon the crew descended, pressing forward to share in the laurels. then it was that ninnis, in the uncertain light, spying a dog of similar markings wedged in between some barrels, was filled with doubt and called out to mertz that he had shot the wrong dog. in a flash the crew had once more climbed to safety. it was some time after the confirmation of the first execution that they could be prevailed upon to descend. several litters of puppies were born on the voyage, but all except one succumbed to the hardships of the passage. the voyage from cardiff to hobart occupied eighty-eight days. the date of departure south was fixed for p.m. of saturday, december , and a truly appalling amount of work had to be done before then. most of the staff had been preparing themselves for special duties; in this the expedition was assisted by many friends. a complete, detailed acknowledgment of all the kind help received would occupy much space. we must needs pass on with the assurance that our best thanks are extended to one and all. throughout the month of november, the staff continued to arrive in contingents at hobart, immediately busying themselves in their own departments, and in sorting over the many thousands of packages in the great queen's wharf shed. wild was placed in charge, and all entered heartily into the work. the exertion of it was just what was wanted to make us fit, and prepared for the sudden and arduous work of discharging cargo at the various bases. it also gave the opportunity of personally gauging certain qualities of the men, which are not usually evoked by a university curriculum. some five thousand two hundred packages were in the shed, to be sorted over and checked. the requirements of three antarctic bases, and one at macquarie island were being provided for, and consequently the most careful supervision was necessary to prevent mistakes, especially as the omission of a single article might fundamentally affect the work of a whole party. to assist in discriminating the impedimenta, coloured bands were painted round the packages, distinctive of the various bases. it had been arranged that, wherever possible, everything should be packed in cases of a handy size, to facilitate unloading and transportation; each about fifty to seventy pounds in weight. in addition to other distinguishing marks, every package bore a different number, and the detailed contents were listed in a schedule for reference. concurrently with the progress of this work, the ship was again overhauled, repairs effected, and many deficiencies made good. the labours of the shipwrights did not interfere with the loading, which went ahead steadily during the last fortnight in november. the tanks in the hold not used for our supply of fresh water were packed with reserve stores for the ship. the remainder of the lower hold and the bunkers were filled with coal. slowly the contents of the shed diminished as they were transfered to the 'tween decks. then came the overflow. eventually, every available space in the ship was flooded with a complicated assemblage of gear, ranging from the comparatively undamageable wireless masts occupying a portion of the deck amidships, to a selection of prime australian cheeses which filled one of the cabins, and pervaded the ward-room with an odour which remained one of its permanent associations. yet, heterogeneous and ill-assorted as our cargo may have appeared to the crowds of curious onlookers, captain davis had arranged for the stowage of everything with a nicety which did him credit. the complete effects of the four bases were thus kept separate, and available in whatever order was required. furthermore, the removal of one unit would not break the stowage of the remainder, nor disturb the trim of the ship. at a late date the air-tractor sledge arrived. the body was contained in one huge case which, though awkward, was comparatively light, the case weighing much more than the contents. this was securely lashed above the maindeck, resting on the fo'c'sle and two boat-skids. as erroneous ideas have been circulated regarding the "aeroplane sledge," or more correctly "air-tractor sledge," a few words in explanation will not be out of place. this machine was originally an r.e.p. monoplane, constructed by messrs. vickers and co., but supplied with a special detachable, sledge-runner undercarriage for use in the antarctic, converting it into a tractor for hauling sledges. it was intended that so far as its role as a flier was concerned, it would be chiefly exercised for the purpose of drawing public attention to the expedition in australia, where aviation was then almost unknown. with this object in view, it arrived in adelaide at an early date accompanied by the aviator, lieutenant watkins, assisted by bickerton. there it unfortunately came to grief, and watkins and wild narrowly escaped death in the accident. it was then decided to make no attempt to fly in the antarctic; the wings were left in australia and lieutenant watkins returned to england. in the meantime, the machine was repaired and forwarded to hobart. air-tractors are great consumers of petrol of the highest quality. this demand, in addition to the requirements of two wireless plants and a motor-launch, made it necessary to take larger quantities than we liked of this dangerous cargo. four thousand gallons of "shell" benzine and one thousand three hundred gallons of "shell" kerosene, packed in the usual four-gallon export tins, were carried as a deck cargo, monopolizing the whole of the poop-deck. for the transport of the requirements of the macquarie island base, the s.s. 'toroa', a small steam-packet of one hundred and twenty tons, trading between melbourne and tasmanian ports, was chartered. it was arranged that this auxiliary should leave hobart several days after the 'aurora', so as to allow us time, before her arrival, to inspect the island, and to select a suitable spot for the location of the base. as she was well provided with passenger accommodation, it was arranged that the majority of the land party should journey by her as far as macquarie island. the governor of tasmania, sir harry barron, the premier, sir elliot lewis, and the citizens of hobart extended to us the greatest hospitality during our stay, and, when the time came, gave us a hearty send-off. saturday, december arrived, and final preparations were made. all the staff were united for the space of an hour at luncheon. then began the final leave-taking. "god speed" messages were received from far and wide, and intercessory services were held in the cathedrals of sydney and hobart. we were greatly honoured at this time by the reception of kind wishes from queen alexandra and, at an earlier date, from his majesty the king. proud of such universal sympathy and interest, we felt stimulated to greater exertions. on arrival on board, i found mr. martelli, who was to pilot us down the river, already on the bridge. a vast crowd blockaded the wharf to give us a parting cheer. at p.m. sharp, the telegraph was rung for the engines, and, with a final expression of good wishes from the governor and lady barron, we glided out into the channel, where our supply of dynamite and cartridges was taken on board. captain g. s. nares, whose kindness we had previously known, had the h.m.s. 'fantome' dressed in our honour, and lusty cheering reached us from across the water. as we proceeded down the river to the quarantine station where the dogs were to be taken off, hobart looked its best, with the glancing sails of pleasure craft skimming near the foreshores, and backed by the stately, sombre mass of mount wellington. the "land of strawberries and cream", as the younger members of the expedition had come to regard it, was for ever to live pleasantly in our memories, to be recalled a thousand times during the adventurous months which followed. mr. e. joyce, whose name is familiar in connexion with previous antarctic expeditions, and who had travelled out from london on business of the expedition, was waiting in mid-stream with thirty-eight dogs, delivering them from a ketch. these were passed over the side and secured at intervals on top of the deck cargo. the engines again began to throb, not to cease until the arrival at macquarie island. a few miles lower down the channel, the premier, and a number of other friends and well-wishers who had followed in a small steamer, bade us a final adieu. behind lay a sparkling seascape and the tasmanian littoral; before, the blue southern ocean heaving with an ominous swell. a glance at the barograph showed a continuous fall, and a telegram from mr. hunt, head of the commonwealth weather bureau, received a few hours previously, informed us of a storm-centre south of new zealand, and the expectation of fresh south-westerly winds. the piles of loose gear presented an indescribable scene of chaos, and, even as we rolled lazily in the increasing swell, the water commenced to run about the decks. there was no time to be lost in securing movable articles and preparing the ship for heavy weather. all hands set to work. on the main deck the cargo was brought up flush with the top of the bulwarks, and consisted of the wireless masts, two huts, a large motor-launch, cases of dog biscuits and many other sundries. butter to the extent of a couple of tons was accommodated chiefly on the roof of the main deck-house, where it was out of the way of the dogs. the roof of the chart-house, which formed an extension of the bridge proper, did not escape, for the railing offered facilities for lashing sledges; besides, there was room for tide-gauges, meteorological screens, and cases of fresh eggs and apples. somebody happened to think of space unoccupied in the meteorological screens, and a few fowls were housed therein. on the poop-deck there were the benzine, sledges, and the chief magnetic observatory. an agglomeration of instruments and private gear rendered the ward-room well nigh impossible of access, and it was some days before everything was jammed away into corners. an unoccupied five-berth cabin was filled with loose instruments, while other packages were stowed into the occupied cabins, so as to almost defeat the purpose for which they were intended. the deck was so encumbered that only at rare intervals was it visible. however, by our united efforts everything was well secured by p.m. it was dusk, and the distant highlands were limned in silhouette against the twilight sky. a tiny, sparkling lamp glimmered from signal hill its warm farewell. from the swaying poop we flashed back, "good-bye, all snug on board." onward with a dogged plunge our laden ship would press. if 'fram' were "forward," _she_ was to be hereafter our 'aurora' of "hope"--the dawn of undiscovered lands. home and the past were effaced in the shroud of darkness, and thought leapt to the beckoning south--the "land of the midnight sun." during the night the wind and sea rose steadily, developing into a full gale. in order to make macquarie island, it was important not to allow the ship to drive too far to the east, as at all times the prevailing winds in this region are from the west. partly on this account, and partly because of the extreme severity of the gale, the ship was hove to with head to wind, wallowing in mountainous seas. such a storm, witnessed from a large vessel, would be an inspiring sight, but was doubly so in a small craft, especially where the natural buoyancy had been largely impaired by overloading. with an unprecedented quantity of deck cargo, amongst which were six thousand gallons of benzine, kerosene and spirit, in tins which were none too strong, we might well have been excused a lively anxiety during those days. it seemed as if no power on earth could save the loss of at least part of the deck cargo. would it be the indispensable huts amidships, or would a sea break on the benzine aft and flood us with inflammable liquid and gas? by dint of strenuous efforts and good seamanship, captain davis with his officers and crew held their own. the land parties assisted in the general work, constantly tightening up the lashings and lending "beef," a sailor's term for man-power, wherever required. for this purpose the members of the land parties were divided into watches, so that there were always a number patrolling the decks. most of us passed through a stage of sea-sickness, but, except in the case of two or three, it soon passed off. seas deluged all parts of the ship. a quantity of ashes was carried down into the bilge-water pump and obstructed the steam-pump. whilst this was being cleared, the emergency deck pumps had to be requisitioned. the latter were available for working either by hand-power or by chain-gearing from the after-winch. the deck-plug of one of the fresh-water tanks was carried away and, before it was noticed, sea-water had entered to such an extent as to render our supply unfit for drinking. thus we were, henceforth, on a strictly limited water ration. the wind increased from bad to worse, and great seas continued to rise until their culmination on the morning of december , when one came aboard on the starboard quarter, smashed half the bridge and carried it away. toucher was the officer on watch, and no doubt thought himself lucky in being, at the time, on the other half of the bridge. the deck-rings holding the motor-launch drew, the launch itself was sprung and its decking stove-in. on the morning of december we found ourselves in latitude degrees minutes s. and longitude degrees ' e., with the weather so far abated that we were able to steer a course for macquarie island. during the heavy weather, food had been prepared only with the greatest difficulty. the galley was deluged time and again. it was enough to dishearten any cook, repeatedly finding himself amongst kitchen debris of all kinds, including pots and pans full and empty. nor did the difficulties end in the galley, for food which survived until its arrival on the table, though not allowed much time for further mishap, often ended in a disagreeable mass on the floor or, tossed by a lurch of more than usual suddenness, entered an adjoining cabin. from such localities the elusive piece de resistance was often rescued. as we approached our rendezvous, whale-birds** appeared. during the heavy weather, mother carey's chickens only were seen, but, as the wind abated, the majestic wandering albatross, the sooty albatross and the mollymawk followed in our wake. ** for the specific names refer to appendix which is a glossary of special and unfamiliar terms. whales were observed spouting, but at too great a distance to be definitely recognized. at daybreak on december land began to show up, and by a.m. we were some sixteen miles off the west coast of macquarie island, bearing on about the centre of its length. in general shape it is long and narrow, the length over all being twenty-one miles. a reef runs out for several miles at both extremities of the main island, reappearing again some miles beyond in isolated rocky islets: the bishop and clerk nineteen miles to the southward and the judge and clerk eight miles to the north. the land everywhere rises abruptly from the sea or from an exaggerated beach to an undulating plateau-like interior, reaching a maximum elevation of one thousand four hundred and twenty-five feet. nowhere is there a harbour in the proper sense of the word, though six or seven anchorages are recognized. the island is situated in about degrees s. latitude, and the climate is comparatively cold, but it is the prevalence of strong winds that is the least desirable feature of its weather. sealing, so prosperous in the early days, is now carried on in a small way only, by a new zealander, who keeps a few men stationed at the island during part of the year for the purpose of rendering down sea elephant and penguin blubber. their establishment was known to be at the north end of the island near the best of the anchorages. captain davis had visited the island in the 'nimrod', and was acquainted with the three anchorages, which are all on the east side and sheltered from the prevailing westerlies. one of the old-time sealers had reported a cove suitable for small craft at the south-western corner, but the information was scanty, and recent mariners had avoided that side of the island. on the morning of our approach the breeze was from the south-east, and, being favourable, captain davis proposed a visit. by noon, caroline cove, as it is called, was abreast of us. its small dimensions, and the fact that a rocky islet for the most part blocks the entrance, at first caused some misgivings as to its identity. a boat was lowered, and a party of us rowed in towards the entrance, sounding at intervals to ascertain whether the 'aurora' could make use of it, should our inspection prove it a suitable locality for the land station. we passed through a channel not more than eighty yards wide, but with deep water almost to the rocks on either side. a beautiful inlet now opened to view. thick tussock-grass matted the steep hillsides, and the rocky shores, between the tide-marks as well as in the depths below, sprouted with a profuse growth of brown kelp. leaping out of the water in scores around us were penguins of several varieties, in their actions reminding us of nothing so much as shoals of fish chased by sharks. penguins were in thousands on the uprising cliffs, and from rookeries near and far came an incessant din. at intervals along the shore sea elephants disported their ungainly masses in the sunlight. circling above us in anxious haste, sea-birds of many varieties gave warning of our near approach to their nests. it was the invasion by man of an exquisite scene of primitive nature. [text illustration] macquarie island after the severe weather experienced, the relaxation made us all feel like a band of schoolboys out on a long vacation. a small sandy beach barred the inlet, and the whaleboat was directed towards it. we were soon grating on the sand amidst an army of royal penguins; picturesque little fellows, with a crest and eyebrows of long golden-yellow feathers. a few yards from the massed ranks of the penguins was a mottled sea-leopard, which woke up and slid into the sea as we approached. several hours were spent examining the neighbourhood. webb and kennedy took a set of magnetic observations, while others hoisted some cases of stores on to a rocky knob to form a provision depot, as it was quickly decided that the northern end of the island was likely to be more suitable for a permanent station. the royal penguins were almost as petulant as the adelie penguins which we were to meet further south. they surrounded us, pecked at our legs and chattered with an audacity which defies description. it was discovered that they resented any attempt to drive them into the sea, and it was only after long persuasion that a bevy took to the water. this was a sign of a general capitulation, and some hundreds immediately followed, jostling each other in their haste, squawking, whirring their flippers, splashing and churning the water, reminding one of a crowd of miniature surf-bathers. we followed the files of birds marching inland, along the course of a tumbling stream, until at an elevation of some five hundred feet, on a flattish piece of ground, a huge rookery opened out--acres and acres of birds and eggs. in one corner of the bay were nests of giant petrels in which sat huge downy young, about the size of a barn-door fowl, resembling the grotesque, fluffy toys which might be expected to hang on a christmas-tree. here and there on the beach and on the grass wandered bright-coloured maori hens. on the south side of the bay, in a low, peaty area overgrown with tussock-grass, were scores of sea elephants, wallowing in bog-holes or sleeping at their ease. sea elephants, at one time found in immense numbers on all sub-antarctic islands, are now comparatively rare, even to the degree of extinction, in many of their old haunts. this is the result of ruthless slaughter prosecuted especially by sealers in the early days. at the present time macquarie island is more favoured by them than probably any other known locality. the name by which they are popularly known refers to their elephantine proportions and to the fact that, in the case of the old males, the nasal regions are enormously developed, expanding when in a state of excitement to form a short, trunk-like appendage. they have been recorded up to twenty feet in length, and such a specimen would weigh about four tons. arriving on the 'aurora' in the evening, we learnt that the ship's company had had an adventure which might have been most serious. it appeared that after dropping us at the entrance to caroline cove, the ship was allowed to drift out to sea under the influence of the off-shore wind. when about one-third of a mile north-west of the entrance, a violent shock was felt, and she slid over a rock which rose up out of deep water to within about fourteen feet of high-water level; no sign of it appearing on the surface on account of the tranquil state of the sea. much apprehension was felt for the hull, but as no serious leak started, the escape was considered a fortunate one. a few soundings had been made proving a depth of four hundred fathoms within one and a half miles of the land. a course was now set for the northern end of the island. dangerous-looking reefs ran out from many headlands, and cascades of water could be seen falling hundreds of feet from the highlands to the narrow coastal flats. the anchorage most used is that known as north-east bay, lying on the eastern side of a low spit joining the main mass of the island, to an almost isolated outpost in the form of a flat-topped hill--wireless hill--some three-quarters of a mile farther north. it is practically an open roadstead, but, as the prevailing winds blow on to the other side of the island, quiet water can be nearly always expected. however, when we arrived at north-east bay on the morning following our adventure; a stiff south-east breeze was blowing, and the wash on the beach put landing out of the question. captain davis ran in as near the coast as he could safely venture and dropped anchor, pending the moderation of the wind. on the leeward slopes of a low ridge, pushing itself out on to the southern extremity of the spit, could be seen two small huts, but no sign of human life. this was not surprising as it was only seven o'clock. below the huts, upon low surf-covered rocks running out from the beach, lay a small schooner partly broken up and evidently a recent victim. a mile to the southward, fragments of another wreck protruded from the sand. we were discussing wrecks and the grisly toll which is levied by these dangerous and uncharted shores, when a human figure appeared in front of one of the huts. after surveying us for a moment, he disappeared within to reappear shortly afterwards, followed by a stream of others rushing hither and thither; just as if he had disturbed a hornets' nest. after such an exciting demonstration we awaited the next move with some expectancy. planks and barrels were brought on to the beach and a flagstaff was hoisted. then one of the party mounted on the barrel, and told us by flag signals that the ship on the beach was the 'clyde', which had recently been wrecked, and that all hands were safely on shore, but requiring assistance. besides the shipwrecked crew, there were half a dozen men who resided on the island during the summer months for the purpose of collecting blubber. the sealers tried repeatedly to come out to us, but as often as it was launched their boat was washed up again on the beach, capsizing them into the water. at length they signalled that a landing could be made on the opposite side of the spit, so the anchor was raised and the ship steamed round the north end of the island, to what captain davis proposed should be named hasselborough bay, in recognition of the discoverer of the island. this proved an admirable anchorage, for the wind remained from the east and south-east during the greater part of our stay. the sealers pushed their boat across the spit, and, launching it in calmer water, came out to us, meeting the 'aurora' some three miles off the land. the anchor was let go about one mile and a half from the head of the bay. news was exchanged with the sealers. it appeared that there had been much speculation as to what sort of a craft we were; visits of ships, other than those sent down specially to convey their oil to new zealand, being practically unknown. for a while they suspected the 'aurora' of being an alien sealer, and had prepared to defend their rights to the local fishery. all was well now, however, and information and assistance were freely volunteered. they were greatly relieved to hear that our auxiliary vessel, the 'toroa' was expected immediately, and would be available for taking the ship-wrecked crew back to civilization. owing to the loss of the 'clyde', a large shipment of oil in barrels lay piled upon the beach with every prospect of destruction, just at a time when the realization of its value would be most desirable, to make good the loss sustained by the wreck. i decided, therefore, in view of their hospitality, to make arrangements with the captain of the 'toroa' to take back a load of the oil, upon terms only sufficient to recoup us for the extension of the charter. in company with ainsworth, hannam and others, i went ashore to select a site for the station. as strong westerly winds were to be expected during the greater part of the year, it was necessary to erect buildings in the lee of substantial break-winds. several sites for a hut convenient to a serviceable landing-place were inspected at the north end of the beach. the hut was eventually erected in the lee of a large mass of rock, rising out of the grass-covered sandy flat at the north end of the spit. it would have been much handier in every way, both in assembling the engines and masts and subsequently in operating the wireless station, had the wireless plant been erected on the beach adjacent to the living-hut. on the other hand, a position on top of the hill had the advantage of a free outlook and of increased electrical potential, allowing of a shorter length of mast. in addition the ground in this situation proved to be peaty and sodden, and therefore a good conductor, thus presenting an excellent "earth" from the wireless standpoint. in short, the advantages of the hill-site outweighed its disadvantages. of the latter the most obvious was the difficult transportation of the heavy masts, petrol-engine, dynamo, induction-generator and other miscellaneous gear, from the beach to the summit--a vertical height of three hundred feet. to facilitate this latter work the sealers placed at our disposal a "flying fox" which ran from sea-level to the top of wireless hill, and which they had erected for the carriage of blubber. on inspecting it, wild reported that it was serviceable, but would first require to be strengthened. he immediately set about effecting this with the help of a party. hurley now discovered that he had accidentally left one of his cinematograph lenses on a rock where he had been working in caroline cove. as it was indispensable, and there was little prospect of the weather allowing of another visit by the ship, it was decided that he should go on a journey overland to recover it. one of the sealers, hutchinson by name, who had been to caroline cove and knew the best route to take, kindly volunteered to accompany hurley. the party was eventually increased by the addition of harrisson, who was to keep a look-out for matters of biological interest. they started off at noon on december . although the greater part of the stores for the macquarie island party were to arrive by the toroa there were a few tons on board the 'aurora'. these and the dogs were landed as quickly as possible. how glad the poor animals were to be once more on solid earth! it was out of the question to let them loose, so they were tethered at intervals along a heavy cable, anchored at both ends amongst the tussock-grass. ninnis took up his abode in the sealers' hut so that he might the better look after their wants, which centred chiefly on sea elephant meat, and that in large quantities. webb joined ninnis, as he intended to take full sets of magnetic observations at several stations in the vicinity. bickerton and gillies got the motor-launch into good working order, and by means of it the rest of us conveyed ashore several tons of coal briquettes, the benzine, kerosene, instruments and the wireless masts, by noon on december . everything but the requirements of the wireless station was landed on the spit, as near the north-east corner as the surf would allow. fortunately, reefs ran out from the shore at intervals, and calmer water could be found in their lee. all gear for the wireless station was taken to a spot about half a mile to the north-west at the foot of wireless hill, where the "flying fox" was situated. just at that spot there was a landing-place at the head of a charming little boat harbour, formed by numerous kelp-covered rocky reefs rising at intervals above the level of high water. these broke the swell, so that in most weathers calm water was assured at the landing-place. this boat harbour was a fascinating spot. the western side was peopled by a rookery of blue-eyed cormorants; scattered nests of white gulls relieved the sombre appearance of the reefs on the opposite side: whilst gentoo penguins in numbers were busy hatching their eggs on the sloping ground beyond. skua-gulls and giant petrels were perched here and there amongst the rocks, watching for an opportunity of marauding the nests of the non-predacious birds. sea elephants raised their massive, dripping heads in shoal and channel. the dark reefs, running out into the pellucid water, supported a vast growth of a snake-like form of kelp, whose octopus-like tentacles, many yards in length, writhed yellow and brown to the swing of the surge, and gave the foreground an indescribable weirdness. i stood looking out to sea from here one evening, soon after sunset, the launch lazily rolling in the swell, and the 'aurora' in the offing, while the rich tints of the afterglow paled in the south-west. i envied wild and his party, whose occupation in connexion with the "flying fox" kept them permanently camped at this spot. the 'toroa' made her appearance on the afternoon of december , and came to anchor about half a mile inside the 'aurora'. her departure had been delayed by the bad weather. leaving hobart late on december , she had anchored off bruni island awaiting the moderation of the sea. the journey was resumed on the morning of the th, and the passage made in fine weather. she proved a handy craft for work of the kind, and captain holliman, the master, was well used to the dangers of uncharted coastal waters. within a few minutes of her arrival, a five-ton motor-boat of shallow draught was launched and unloading commenced. those of the staff arriving by the 'toroa' were housed ashore with the sealers, as, when everybody was on board, the 'aurora' was uncomfortably congested. fifty sheep were taken on shore to feed on the rank grass until our departure. a large part of the cargo consisted of coal for the 'aurora'. this was already partly bagged, and in that form was loaded into the launches and whale-boats; the former towing the latter to their destination. thus a continuous stream of coal and stores was passing from ship to ship, and from the ships to the several landing-places on shore. as soon as the after-hold on the 'toroa' was cleared, barrels of sea elephant oil were brought off in rafts and loaded aft, simultaneously with the unloading forward. we kept at the work as long as possible--about sixteen hours a day including a short interval for lunch. there were twenty-five of the land party available for general work, and with some assistance from the ship's crew the work went forward at a rapid rate. on the morning of the th, after giving final instructions to eitel, who had come thus far and was returning as arranged, the 'toroa' weighed anchor and we parted with a cheer. the transportation of the wireless equipment to the top of the hill had been going on simultaneously with the un-loading of the ships. now, however, all were able to concentrate upon it, and the work went forward very rapidly. all the wireless instruments, and much of the other paraphernalia of the macquarie island party had been packed in the barrels, as it was expected that they would have to be rafted ashore through the surf. fortunately, the weather continued to "hold" from an easterly direction, and everything was able to be landed in the comparatively calm waters of hasselborough bay; a circumstance which the islanders assured us was quite a rare thing. the wireless masts were rafted ashore. these were of oregon pine, each composed of four sections. digging the pits for bedding the heavy, wooden "dead men," and erecting the wireless masts, the engine-hut and the operating-hut provided plenty of work for all. here was as busy a scene as one could witness anywhere--some with the picks and shovels, others with hammers and nails, sailors splicing ropes and fitting masts, and a stream of men hauling the loads up from the sea-shore to their destination on the summit. some details of the working of the "flying fox" will be of interest. the distance between the lower and upper terminals was some eight hundred feet. this was spanned by two steel-wire carrying cables, secured above by "dead men" sunk in the soil, and below by a turn around a huge rock which outcropped amongst the tussock-grass on the flat, some fifty yards from the head of the boat harbour. for hauling up the loads, a thin wire line, with a pulley-block at either extremity, rolling one on each of the carrying wires, passed round a snatch-block at the upper station. it was of such a length that when the loading end was at the lower station, the counterpoise end was in position to descend at the other. thus a freight was dispatched to the top of the hill by filling a bag, acting as counterpoise, with earth, until slightly in excess of the weight of the top load; then off it would start gathering speed as it went. several devices were developed for arresting the pace as the freight neared the end of its journey, but accidents were always liable to occur if the counterpoise were unduly loaded. wild was injured by one of these brake-devices, which consisted of a bar of iron lying on the ground about thirty yards in front of the terminus, and attached by a rope with a loose-running noose to the down-carrying wire. on the arrival of the counterpoise at that point on the wire, its speed would be checked owing to the drag exerted. on the occasion referred to, the rope was struck with such velocity that the iron bar was jerked into the air and struck wild a solid blow on the thigh. though incapacitated for a few days, he continued to supervise at the lower terminal. the larger sections of the wireless masts gave the greatest trouble, as they were not only heavy but awkward. a special arrangement was necessary for all loads exceeding one hundredweight, as the single wire carrier-cables were not sufficiently strong. in such cases both carrier-cables were lashed together making a single support, the hauling being done by a straight pull on the top of the hill. the hauling was carried out to the accompaniment of chanties, and these helped to relieve the strain of the work. it was a familiar sight to see a string of twenty men on the hauling-line scaring the skua-gulls with popular choruses like "a' roving" and "ho, boys, pull her along." in calm weather the parties at either terminal could communicate by shouting but were much assisted by megaphones improvised from a pair of leggings. considering the heavy weights handled and the speed at which the work was done, we were fortunate in suffering only one breakage, and that might have been more serious than it proved. the mishap in question occurred to the generator. in order to lighten the load, the rotor had been taken out. when almost at the summit of the hill, the ascending weight, causing the carrying-wires to sag unusually low, struck a rock, unhitched the lashing and fell, striking the steep rubble slope, to go bounding in great leaps out amongst the grass to the flat below. marvellous to relate, it was found to have suffered no damage other than a double fracture of the end-plate casting, which could be repaired. and so it was decided to exchange the generators in the two equipments, as there would be greater facilities for engineering work at the main base, adelie land. fortunately, the other generator was almost at the top of the ship's hold, and therefore accessible. the three pieces into which the casting had been broken were found to be sprung, and would not fit together. however, after our arrival at adelie land, hannam found, curiously enough, that the pieces fitted into place perfectly--apparently an effect of contraction due to the cold--and with the aid of a few plates and belts the generator was made as serviceable as ever. in the meantime, hurley, harrisson, and the sealer, hutchinson, had returned from their trip to caroline cove, after a most interesting though arduous journey. they had camped the first evening at the nuggets, a rocky point on the east coast some four miles to the south of north-east bay. from the nuggets, the trail struck inland up the steep hillsides until the summit of the island was reached; then over pebble-strewn, undulating ground with occasional small lakes, arriving at the west coast near its southern extremity. owing to rain and fog they overshot the mark and had to spend the night close to a bay at the south-end. there hurley obtained some good photographs of sea elephants and of the penguin rookeries. the next morning, december , they set off again, this time finding caroline cove without further difficulty. harrisson remained on the brow of the hill overlooking the cove, and there captured some prions and their eggs. hurley and his companion found the lost lens and returned to harrisson securing a fine albatross on the way. this solitary bird was descried sitting on the hill side, several hundreds of feet above sea-level. its plumage was in such good condition that they could not resist the impulse to secure it for our collection, for the moment not considering the enormous weight to be carried. they had neither firearms nor an ancient mariner's cross-bow, and no stones were to be had in the vicinity--when the resourceful hurley suddenly bethought himself of a small tin of meat in his haversack, and, with a fortunate throw, hit the bird on the head, killing the majestic creature on the spot. shouldering their prize, they trudged on to lusitania bay, camping there that night in an old dilapidated hut; a remnant of the sealing days. close by there was known to be a large rookery of king penguins; a variety of penguin with richly tinted plumage on the head and shoulders, and next in size to the emperor--the sovereign bird of the antarctic regions. the breeding season was at its height, so harrisson secured and preserved a great number of their eggs. hutchinson kindly volunteered to carry the albatross in addition to his original load. if they had skinned the bird, the weight would have been materially reduced, but with the meagre appliances at hand, it would undoubtedly have been spoiled as a specimen. hurley, very ambitiously, had taken a heavy camera, in addition to a blanket and other sundries. during the rough and wet walking of the previous day, his boots had worn out and caused him to twist a tendon in the right foot, so that he was not up to his usual form, while harrisson was hampered with a bulky cargo of eggs and specimens. saddled with these heavy burdens, the party found the return journey very laborious. hurley's leg set the pace, and so, later in the day, harrisson decided to push on ahead in order to give us news, as they had orders to be back as soon as possible and were then overdue. when darkness came on, harrisson was near the nuggets, where he passed the night amongst the tussock-grass. hurley and hutchinson, who were five miles behind, also slept by the wayside. when dawn appeared, harrisson moved on, reaching the north-end huts at about a.m. mertz and whetter immediately set out and came to the relief of the other two men a few hours later. fatigue and the lame leg subdued hurley for the rest of the day, but the next morning he was off to get pictures of the "flying fox" in action. it was practically impossible for him to walk to the top of the hill, but not to be baffled, he sent the cinematograph machine up by the "flying fox," and then followed himself. long before reaching the top he realized how much his integrity depended on the strength of the hauling-line and the care of those on wireless hill. during the latter part of our stay at the island, the wind veered to the north and north-north-east. we took advantage of this change to steam round to the east side, intending to increase our supply of fresh water at the nuggets, where a stream comes down the hillside on to the beach. in this, however, we were disappointed, for the sea was breaking too heavily on the beach, and so we steamed back to north-east bay and dropped anchor. wild went off in the launch to search for a landing-place but found the sea everywhere too formidable. signals were made to those on shore, instructing them to finish off the work on the wireless plant, and to kill a dozen sheep--enough for our needs for some days. the ship was now found to be drifting, and, as the wind was blowing inshore, the anchor was raised, and with the launch in tow we steamed round to the calmer waters of hasselborough bay. at the north end of the island, for several miles out to sea along the line of a submerged reef, the northerly swell was found to be piling up in an ugly manner, and occasioned considerable damage to the launch. this happened as the 'aurora' swung around; a sea catching the launch and rushing it forward so that it struck the stern of the ship bow-on, notwithstanding the fact that several of the men exerted themselves to their utmost to prevent a collision. on arrival at the anchorage, the launch was noticeably settling down, as water had entered at several seams which had been started. after being partly bailed out, it was left in the water with hodgeman and close aboard, as we wished to run ashore as soon as the weather improved. contrary to expectation the wind increased, and it was discovered that the 'aurora' was drifting rapidly, although ninety fathoms of chain had been paid out. before a steam-winch** was installed, the anchor could be raised only by means of an antiquated man-power lever-windlass. in this type, a see-saw-like lever is worked by a gang of men at each extremity, and it takes a long time to get in any considerable length of chain. the chorus and chanty came to our aid once more, and the long hours of heaving on the fo'c'sle head were a bright if strenuous spot in our memories of macquarie island. in course of time, during which the ship steamed slowly ahead, the end came in sight--'vast heaving!--but the anchor was missing. this put us in an awkward situation, for the stock of our other heavy anchor had already been lost. there was no other course but to steam up and down waiting for the weather to moderate. in the meantime, we had been too busy to relieve close and hodgeman, who had been doing duty in the launch, bailing for five hours, and were thoroughly soaked with spray. all hands now helped with the tackle, and we soon had the launch on board in its old position near the main hatch. ** fitted on return to sydney after the first antarctic cruise. these operations were unusually protracted for we were short handed; the boatswain, some of the sailors and most of the land party being marooned on shore. we were now anxious to get everybody on board and to be off. the completion of their quarters was to be left to the macquarie island party, and it was important that we should make the most of the southern season. the wind blew so strongly, however, that there was no immediate prospect of departure. the ship continued to steam up and down. on the morning of december it was found possible to lower the whale-boat, and wild went off with a complement of sturdy oarsmen, including madigan, moyes, watson and kennedy, and succeeded in bringing off the dogs. several trips were made with difficulty during the day, but at last all the men, dogs and sheep were brought off. both wild and i went with the whale-boat on its last trip at dusk on the evening of december . the only possible landing-place, with the sea then running, was at the extreme north-eastern corner of the beach. no time was lost in getting the men and the remainder of the cargo into the boat, though in the darkness this was not easily managed. the final parting with our macquarie island party took place on the beach, their cheers echoing to ours as we breasted the surf and "gave way" for the ship. chapter iii from macquarie island to adelie land the morning following our farewell to ainsworth and party at the north end of the island found us steaming down the west coast, southward bound. our supply of fresh water was scanty, and the only resource was to touch at caroline cove. as a matter of fact, there were several suitable localities on the east coast, but the strong easterly weather then prevailing made a landing impossible. on the ship nearing the south end, the wind subsided. she then crept into the lee of the cliffs, a boat was dropped and soundings disclosed a deep passage at the mouth of caroline cove and ample water within. there was, however, limited space for manoeuvring the vessel if a change should occur in the direction of the wind. the risk was taken; the 'aurora' felt her way in, and, to provide against accident, was anchored by captain davis with her bow toward the entrance. wild then ran out a kedge anchor to secure the stern. during the cruise down the coast the missing stock of our only anchor had been replaced by gillies and hannam. two oregon "dead men", bolted together on the shank, made a clumsy but efficient makeshift. two large barrels were taken ashore, repeatedly filled and towed off to the ship. it was difficult at first to find good water, for the main stream flowing down from the head of the bay was contaminated by the penguins which made it their highway to a rookery. after a search, an almost dry gulley bed was found to yield water when a pit was dug in its bed. this spot was some eighty yards from the beach and to reach it one traversed an area of tussocks between which sea elephants wallowed in soft mire. a cordon of men was made and buckets were interchanged, the full ones descending and the empty ones ascending. the barrels on the beach were thus speedily filled and taken off by a boat's crew. at p.m. darkness came, and it was decided to complete the work on the following day. as we rowed to the ship, the water was serenely placid. from the dark environing hills came the weird cries of strange birds. there was a hint of wildness, soon to be forgotten in the chorus of a 'varsity song and the hearty shouts of the rowers. about a.m. the officer on watch came down to report to captain davis a slight change in the direction of the breeze. at a.m. i was again awakened by hearing captain davis hasten on deck, and by a gentle bumping of the ship, undoubtedly against rock. it appeared that the officer on watch had left the bridge for a few minutes, while the wind freshened and was blowing at the time nearly broadside-on from the north. this caused the ship to sag to leeward, stretching the bow and stern cables, until she came in contact with the kelp-covered, steep, rocky bank on the south side. the narrow limits of the anchorage were responsible for this dangerous situation. all hands were immediately called on deck and set to work hauling on the stern cable. in a few minutes the propeller and rudder were out of danger. the engines were then started slowly ahead, and, as we came up to the bower anchor, the cable was taken in. the wind was blowing across the narrow entrance to the cove, so that it was advisable to get quickly under way. the kedge anchor was abandoned, and we steamed straight out to sea with the bower hanging below the bows. the wind increased, and there was no other course open but to continue the southward voyage. the day so inauspiciously begun turned out beautifully sunny. there was additional verve in our christmas celebration, as macquarie island and the bishop and clerk, in turn, sank below the northern horizon. during the stay at the island little attention had been given to scientific matters. all our energies had been concentrated on speedily landing the party which was to carry out such special work, so as to allow us to get away south as soon as possible. enough had been seen to indicate the wide scientific possibilities of the place. for some days we were favoured by exceptional weather; a moderate breeze from the north-east and a long, lazy swell combining to make our progress rapid. the sum of the experiences of earlier expeditions had shown that the prevailing winds south of degrees s. latitude were mainly south-easterly, causing a continuous streaming of the pack from east to west. our obvious expedient on encountering the ice was to steam in the same direction as this drift. it had been decided before setting out that we would confine ourselves to the region west of the meridian of degrees e. longitude. so it was intended to reach the pack, approximately in that meridian, and, should we be repulsed, to work steadily to the west in expectation of breaking through to the land. regarding the ice conditions over the whole segment of the unknown tract upon which our attack was directed, very little was known. critically examined, the reports of the american squadron under the command of wilkes were highly discouraging. d'urville appeared to have reached his landfall without much hindrance by ice, but that was a fortunate circumstance in view of the difficulties wilkes had met. at the western limit of the area we were to explore, the germans in the 'gauss' had been irrevocably trapped in the ice as early as the month of february. at the eastern limit, only the year before, the 'terra nova' of scott's expedition, making a sally into unexplored waters, had sighted new land almost on the th meridian, but even though it was then the end of summer, and the sea was almost free from the previous season's ice, they were not able to reach the land on account of the dense pack. in the early southern summer, at the time of our arrival, the ice conditions were expected to be at their worst. this followed from the fact that not only would local floes be encountered, but also a vast expanse of pack fed by the disintegrating floes of the ross sea, since, between cape adare and the balleny islands, the ice drifting to the north-west under the influence of the south-east winds is arrested in an extensive sheet. on the other hand, were we to wait for the later season, no time would remain for the accomplishment of the programme which had been arranged. so we were forced to accept things as we found them, being also prepared to make the most of any chance opportunity. in planning the expedition, the probability of meeting unusually heavy pack had been borne in mind, and the three units into which the land parties and equipment were divided had been disposed so as to facilitate the landing of a base with despatch, and, maybe, under difficult circumstances. further, in case the ship were frozen in, "wireless" could be installed and the news immediately communicated through macquarie island to australia. at noon on december whales were spouting all round us, and appeared to be travelling from west to east. albatrosses of several species constantly hovered about, and swallow-like wilson petrels--those nervous rangers of the high seas--would sail along the troughs and flit over the crests of the waves, to vanish into sombre distance. already we were steaming through untravelled waters, and new discoveries might be expected at any moment. a keen interest spread throughout the ship. on several occasions, fantastic clouds on the horizon gave hope of land, only to be abandoned on further advance. on december and large masses of floating kelp were seen, and, like the flotsam met with by columbus, still further raised our hopes. the possibility of undiscovered islands existing in the southern ocean, south of australia and outside the ice-bound region, kept us vigilant. so few ships had ever navigated the waters south of latitude degrees, that some one and a quarter million square miles lay open to exploration. as an instance of such a discovery in the seas south of new zealand may be mentioned scott island, first observed by the 'morning', one of the relief ships of the british expedition of . the weather remained favourable for sounding and other oceanographical work, but as it was uncertain how long these conditions would last, and in view of the anxiety arising from overloaded decks and the probability of gales which are chronic in these latitudes, it was resolved to land one of the bases as soon as possible, and thus rid the ship of superfluous cargo. the interesting but time-absorbing study of the ocean-depths was therefore postponed for a while. with regard to the antarctic land to be expected ahead, many of wilkes's landfalls, where they had been investigated by later expeditions, had been disproved. it seemed as if he had regarded the northern margin of the solid floe and shelf-ice as land; perhaps also mistaking bergs, frozen in the floe and distorted by mirage, for ice-covered land. nevertheless, his soundings, and the light thrown upon the subject by the scott and shackleton expeditions, left no doubt in my mind that land would be found within a reasonable distance south of the position assigned by wilkes. some authorities had held that any land existing in this region would be found to be of the nature of isolated islands. those familiar with the adjacent land, however, were all in favour of it being continental--a continuation of the victoria land plateau. the land lay to the south beyond doubt; the problem was to reach it through the belt of ice-bound sea. still, navigable pack-ice might be ahead, obviating the need of driving too far to the west. "ice on the starboard bow!" at p.m. on december the cry was raised, and shortly after we passed alongside a small caverned berg whose bluish-green tints called forth general admiration. in the distance others could be seen. one larger than the average stood almost in our path. it was of the flat-topped, sheer-walled type, so characteristic of the antarctic regions; three-quarters of a mile long and half a mile wide, rising eighty feet above the sea. it has been stated that tabular bergs are typical of the antarctic as opposed to the arctic. this diversity is explained by a difference in the glacial conditions. in the north, glaciation is not so marked and, as a rule, coastal areas are free from ice, except for valley-glaciers which transport ice from the high interior down to sea-level. there, the summer temperature is so warm that the lower parts of the glaciers become much decayed, and, reaching the sea, break up readily into numerous irregular, pinnacled bergs of clear ice. in the south, the tabular forms result from the fact that the average annual temperature is colder than that prevailing at the northern axis of the earth. they are so formed because, even at sea-level, no appreciable amount of thawing takes place in midsummer. the inland ice pushes out to sea in enormous masses, and remains floating long before it "calves" to form bergs. even though its surface has been thrown into ridges as it was creeping over the uneven land, all are reduced to a dead level or slightly undulating plain, in the free-floating condition, and are still further effaced by dense drifts and repeated falls of snow descending upon them. the upper portion of a table-topped berg consists, therefore, of consolidated snow; neither temperature nor pressure having been sufficient to metamorphose it into clear ice. such a berg in old age becomes worn into an irregular shape by the action of waves and weather, and often completely capsizes, exposing its corroded basement. a light fog obscured the surrounding sea and distant bergs glided by like spectres. a monstrous block on the starboard side had not been long adrift, for it showed but slight signs of weathering. the fog thickened over a grey swell that shimmered with an oily lustre. at p.m. pack-ice came suddenly to view, and towards it we steered, vainly peering through the mists ahead in search of a passage. the ice was closely packed, the pieces being small and wellworn. on the outskirts was a light brash which steadily gave place to a heavier variety, composed of larger and more angular fragments. a swishing murmur like the wind in the tree-tops came from the great expanse. it was alabaster-white and through the small, separate chips was diffused a pale lilac coloration. the larger chunks, by their motion and exposure to wind and current, had a circle of clear water; the deep sea-blue hovering round their water-worn niches. here and there appeared the ochreous-yellow colour of adhering films of diatoms. as we could not see what lay beyond, and the pack was becoming heavier, the ship was swung round and headed out. steering to the west through open water and patches of trailing brash, we were encouraged to find the pack trending towards the south. by pushing through bars of jammed floes and dodging numerous bergs, twenty miles were gained due southwards before the conditions had changed. the fog cleared, and right ahead massive bergs rose out of an ice-strewn sea. we neared one which was a mile in length and one hundred feet in height. the heaving ocean, dashing against its mighty, glistening walls, rushed with a hollow boom into caverns of ethereal blue; gothic portals to a cathedral of resplendent purity. the smaller bergs and fragments of floe crowded closer together, and the two men at the wheel had little time for reverie. orders came in quick succession--"starboard! steady!" and in a flash--"hard-a-port!" then repeated all over again, while the rudder-chains scraped and rattled in their channels. gradually the swell subsided, smoothed by the weight of ice. the tranquillity of the water heightened the superb effects of this glacial world. majestic tabular bergs whose crevices exhaled a vaporous azure; lofty spires, radiant turrets and splendid castles; honeycombed masses illumined by pale green light within whose fairy labyrinths the water washed and gurgled. seals and penguins on magic gondolas were the silent denizens of this dreamy venice. in the soft glamour of the midsummer midnight sun, we were possessed by a rapturous wonder--the rare thrill of unreality. the ice closed in, and shock after shock made the ship vibrate as she struck the smaller pieces full and fair, followed by a crunching and grinding as they scraped past the sides. the dense pack had come, and hardly a square foot of space showed amongst the blocks; smaller ones packing in between the larger, until the sea was covered with a continuous armour of ice. the ominous sound arising from thousands of faces rubbing together as they gently oscillated in the swell was impressive. it spoke of a force all-powerful, in whose grip puny ships might be locked for years and the less fortunate receive their last embrace. the pack grew heavier and the bergs more numerous, embattled in a formidable array. if an ideal picture, from our point of view it was impenetrable. no "water sky" showed as a distant beacon; over all was reflected the pitiless, white glare of the ice. the 'aurora' retreated to the open sea, and headed to the west in search of a break in the ice-front. the wind blew from the south-east, and, with sails set to assist the engines, rapid progress was made. the southern prospect was disappointing, for the heavy pack was ranged in a continuous bar. the over-arching sky invariably shone with that yellowish-white effulgence known as "ice blink," indicative of continuous ice, in contrast with the dark water sky, a sign of open water, or a mottled sky proceeding from an ice-strewn but navigable sea. though progress can be made in dense pack, provided it is not too heavy, advance is necessarily very slow--a few miles a day, and that at the expense of much coal. without a well-defined "water sky" it would have been foolish to have entered. further, everything pointed to heavier ice-conditions in the south, and, indeed, in several places we reconnoitred, and such was proved to be the case. large bergs were numerous, which, on account of being almost unaffected by surface currents because of their ponderous bulk and stupendous draught, helped to compact the shallow surface-ice under the free influence of currents and winds. in our westerly course we were sometimes able to edge a little to the south, but were always reduced to our old position within a few hours. long projecting "tongues" were met at intervals and, when narrow or open, we pushed through them. whales were frequently seen, both rorquals and killers. on the pack, sea-leopards and crab-eater seals sometimes appeared. at one time as many as a hundred would be counted from the bridge and at other moments not a single one could be sighted. they were not alarmed, unless the ship happened to bump against ice-masses within a short distance of them. a small sea-leopard, shot from the fo'c'sle by a well-directed bullet from wild, was taken on board as a specimen; the meat serving as a great treat for the dogs. on january , when driving through a tongue of pack, a halt was made to "ice ship." a number of men scrambled over the side on to a large piece of floe and handed up the ice. it was soon discovered, however, that the swell was too great, for masses of ice ten tons or more in weight swayed about under the stern, endangering the propeller and rudder--the vulnerable parts of the vessel. so we moved on, having secured enough fresh-water ice to supply a pleasant change after the somewhat discoloured tank-water then being served out. the ice still remained compact and forbidding, but each day we hoped to discover a weak spot through which we might probe to the land itself. on the evening of january we saw a high, pinnacled berg, a few miles within the edge of the pack, closely resembling a rocky peak; the transparent ice of which it was composed appeared, in the dull light, of a much darker hue than the surrounding bergs. another adjacent block exhibited a large black patch on its northern face, the exact nature of which could not be ascertained at a distance. examples of rock debris embedded in bergs had already been observed, and it was presumed that this was a similar case. these were all hopeful signs, for the earthy matter must, of course, have been picked up by the ice during its repose upon some adjacent land. at this same spot, large flocks of silver-grey petrels were seen resting on the ice and skimming the water in search of food. as soon as we had entered the ice-zone, most of our old companions, such as the albatross, had deserted, while a new suite of antarctic birds had taken their place. these included the beautiful snow petrel, the antarctic petrel, and the small, lissome wilson petrel--a link with the bird-life of more temperate seas. on the evening of january the wind was blowing fresh from the south-east and falling snow obscured the horizon. the pack took a decided turn to the north, which fact was particularly disappointing in view of the distance we had already traversed to the west. we were now approaching the longitude of d'urville's landfall, and still the pack showed no signs of slackening. i was beginning to feel very anxious, and had decided not to pass that longitude without resorting to desperate measures. the change in our fortunes occurred at five o'clock next morning, when the chief officer, toucher, came down from the bridge to report that the atmosphere was clearing and that there appeared to be land-ice near by. sure enough, on the port side, within a quarter of a mile, rose a massive barrier of ice extending far into the mist and separated from the ship by a little loose pack-ice. the problem to be solved was, whether it was the seaward face of an ice-covered continent, the ice-capping of a low island or only a flat-topped iceberg of immense proportions. by a.m. a corner was reached where the ice-wall trended southward, limned on the horizon in a series of bays and headlands. an el dorado had opened before us, for the winds coming from the east of south had cleared the pack away from the lee of the ice-wall, so that in the distance a comparatively clear sea was visible, closed by a bar of ice, a few miles in extent. into this we steered, hugging the ice-wall, and were soon in the open, speeding along in glorious sunshine, bringing new sights into view every moment. the wall, along the northern face, was low--from thirty to seventy feet in height--but the face along which we were now progressing gradually rose in altitude to the south. it was obviously a shelf-ice formation (or a glacier-tongue projection of it), exactly similar in build, for instance, to the great ross barrier so well described by ross, scott, and others. at the north-west corner, at half a dozen places within a few miles of each other, the wall was puckered up and surmounted by semi-conical eminences, half as high as the face itself. these peculiar elevations were unlike anything previously recorded and remained unexplained for a while, until closer inspection showed them to be the result of impact with other ice-masses--a curious but conceivable cause. on pieces of broken floe weddell seals were noted. they were the first seen on the voyage and a sure indication of land, for their habitat ranges over the coastal waters of antarctic lands. a large, low, dome-topped elevation, about one mile in diameter, was passed on the starboard side, at a distance of two miles from the long ice-cliff. this corresponded in shape with what ross frequently referred to as an "ice island," uncertain whether it was a berg or ice-covered land. a sounding close by gave two hundred and eight fathoms, showing that we were on the continental shelf, and increasing the probability that the "ice island" was aground. birds innumerable appeared on every hand: snow petrels, silver petrels, cape pigeons and antarctic petrels. they fluttered in hundreds about our bows. cape pigeons are well known in lower latitudes, and it was interesting to find them so far south. as they have chessboard-like markings on the back when seen in flight, there is no mistaking them. the ice-wall or glacier-tongue now took a turn to the south-east. at this point it had risen to a great height, about two hundred feet sheer. a fresh wind was blowing in our teeth from the south-south-east, and beyond this point would be driving us on to the cliffs. we put the ship about, therefore, and made for the lee side of the "ice island." in isolated coveys on the inclined top of the "island" were several flocks, each containing hundreds of antarctic petrels. at intervals they would rise into the air in clouds, shortly afterwards to settle down again on the snow. captain davis moved the ship carefully against the lee wall of the "island," with a view of replenishing our water supply, but it was unscalable, and we were forced to withdraw. crouched on a small projection near the water's edge was a seal, trying to evade the eyes of a dozen large grampuses which were playing about near our stern. these monsters appeared to be about twenty-five feet in length. they are the most formidable predacious mammals of the antarctic seas, and annually account for large numbers of seals, penguins, and other cetaceans. the sea-leopard is its competitor, though not nearly so ferocious as the grampus, of whom it lives in terror. the midnight hours were spent off the "ice island" while we wafted for a decrease in the wind. bars of cirrus clouds covered the whole sky--the presage of a coming storm. the wind arose, and distant objects were blotted out by driving snow. an attempt was made to keep the ship in shelter by steaming into the wind, but as "ice island" and glacier-tongue were lost in clouds of snow, we were fortunate to make the lee of the latter, about fourteen miles to the north. there we steamed up and down until the afternoon of january , when the weather improved. a sounding was taken and the course was once more set for the south. the sky remained overcast, the atmosphere foggy, and a south-south-east wind was blowing as we came abreast of the "ice island," which, by the way, was discovered to have drifted several miles to the north, thus proving itself to be a free-floating berg. the glacier-tongue on the port side took a sharp turn to the east-south-east, disappearing on the horizon. as there was no pack in sight and the water was merely littered with fragments of ice, it appeared most likely that the turn in the glacier-tongue was part of a great sweeping curve ultimately joining with the southward land. on our south-south-east course we soon lost sight of the ice-cliffs in a gathering fog. on the afternoon of january the wind abated and the fog began to clear. at p.m. a line of ice confronted us and, an hour later, the 'aurora' was in calm water under another mighty ice face trending across our course. this wall was precisely similar to the one seen on the previous evening, and might well have been a continuation of it. it is scarcely credible that when the 'aurora' came south the following year, the glacier-tongue first discovered had entirely disappeared. it was apparently nothing more than a huge iceberg measuring forty miles in length. specially valuable, as clearing up any doubt that may have remained, was its re-discovery the following year some fifty miles to the north-west. close to the face of the new ice-wall, which proved to be a true glacier-tongue, a mud bottom was found at a depth of three hundred and ninety-five fathoms. while we were steaming in calm water to the south-west, the massive front, serrated by shallow bays and capes, passed in magnificent review. its height attained a maximum of one hundred and fifty feet. in places the sea had eaten out enormous blue grottoes. at one spot, several of these had broken into each other to form a huge domed cavern, the roof of which hung one hundred feet above the sea. the noble portico was flanked by giant pillars. the glacier-tongue bore all the characters of shelf-ice, by which is meant a floating extension of the land-ice.** a table-topped berg in the act of formation was seen, separated from the parent body of shelf-ice by a deep fissure several yards in width. ** subsequently this shelf-ice formation was found to be a floating glacier-tongue sixty miles in length, the seaward extension of a large glacier which we named the mertz glacier. at p.m. the 'aurora' entered a bay, ten miles wide, bounded on the east by the shelf-ice wall and on the west by a steep snow-covered promontory rising approximately two thousand feet in height, as yet seen dimly in hazy outline through the mist. no rock was visible, but the contour of the ridge was clearly that of ice-capped land. there was much jubilation among the watchers on deck at the prospect. every available field-glass and telescope was brought to bear upon it. it was almost certainly the antarctic continent, though, at that time, its extension to the east, west and south remained to be proved. the shelf-ice was seen to be securely attached to it and, near its point of junction with the undulating land-ice, we beheld the mountains of this mysterious land haloed in ghostly mist. while passing the extremity of the western promontory, we observed an exposure of rock, jutting out of the ice near sea-level, in the face of a scar left by an avalanche. later, when passing within half a cable's length of several berg-like masses of ice lying off the coast, rock was again visible in black relief against the water's edge, forming a pedestal for the ice. the ship was kept farther offshore, after this warning, for though she was designed to buffet with the ice, we had no desire to test her resistance to rock. the bottom was very irregular, and as an extra precaution, soundings were taken every few minutes. through a light fog all that could be seen landwards was a steep, sloping, icy surface descending from the interior, and terminating abruptly in a seaward cliff fifty to two hundred feet in height. the ice-sheet terminating in this wall presented a more broken surface than the floating shelf-ice. it was riven and distorted by gaping crevasses; an indication of the rough bed over which it had travelled. towards midnight another bay was entered and many rocky islets appeared on its western side. the engines were stopped for a few hours, and the voyage was resumed in clearer weather on the following morning. all day we threaded our way between islands and bergs. seals and penguins swam around, the latter squawking and diving in a most amusing manner. cautiously we glided by an iceberg, at least one hundred and fifty feet high, rising with a faceted, perpendicular face chased with soft, snowy traceries and ornamented with stalactites. splits and rents broke into the margin, and from each streamed the evanescent, azure vapour. each puncture and tiny grotto was filled with it, and a sloping cap of shimmering snow spread over the summit. the profile-view was an exact replica of a battleship, grounded astern. the bold contour of the bow was perfect, and the massive flank had been torn and shattered by shell-fire in a desperate naval battle. this berg had heeled over considerably, and the original water-line ran as a definite rim, thirty feet above the green water. from this rim shelved down a smooth and polished base, marked with fine vertical striae. soundings varied from twenty to two hundred fathoms, and, accordingly, the navigation was particularly anxious work. extending along about fifteen miles of coast, where the inland ice came down steeply to the sea, was a marginal belt of sea, about two or three miles in width, thickly strewn with rocky islets. of these some were flat and others peaked, but all were thickly populated by penguins, petrels and seals. the rocks appeared all to be gneisses and schists. later that night we lay off a possible landing-place for one of our bases, but, on more closely inspecting it in the morning, we decided to proceed farther west into a wide sweeping bay which opened ahead. about fifty miles ahead, on the far side of commonwealth bay, as we named it, was a cape which roughly represented in position cape decouverte, the most easterly extension of adelie land seen by d'urville in . though commonwealth bay and the land already seen had never before been sighted, all was placed under the territorial name of adelie land. the land was so overwhelmed with ice that, even at sea-level, the rock was all but entirely hidden. here was an ice age in all earnestness; a picture of northern europe during the great ice age some fifty thousand years ago. it was evident that the glaciation of adelie land was much more severe than that in higher antarctic latitudes, as exampled on the borders of the ross sea; the arena of scott's, shackleton's and other expeditions. the temperature could not be colder, so we were led to surmise that the snowfall must be excessive. the full truth was to be ascertained by bitter experience, after spending a year on the spot. i had hoped to find the antarctic continent in these latitudes bounded by a rocky and attractive coast like that in the vicinity of cape adare; the nearest well-explored region. it had proved otherwise, only too well endorsing the scanty information supplied by d'urville and wilkes of the coastline seen by them. a glance at the austere plateau and the ice-fettered coast was evidence of a rigid, inhospitable climate. it was apparent, too, that only a short summer could be expected in these latitudes, thus placing limitations upon our operations. if three bases were to be landed it was important that they should be spread at sufficiently wide intervals. if one were placed in adelie land, the ship would probably have to break through the pack in establishing each of the other two ba ses. judging by our previous experience there was no certain prospect of this being effected. the successful landing of three bases in suitable positions, sufficiently far apart for advantageous co-operation in geographical, meteorological and other observations, had now become problematical. in addition, one of the parties was not as strong as i would have liked, considering what would be undoubtedly its strenuous future. for some days the various phases of the situation had occupied my mind, and i now determined to risk two bases, combining the smallest of the three parties with the main base. alterations in the personnel of the third party were also made, by which the main base would be increased in strength for scientific work, and the other party under the leadership of wild would be composed of men of specially good sledging calibre, besides being representative of the leading branches of our scientific programme. we had a splendid lot of men, and i had no difficulty in choosing for wild seven companions who could be relied upon to give a good account of themselves. it was only by assuring myself of their high efficiency that i could expect to rest from undue anxiety throughout the year of our separation. the composition of the two parties was as follows: main base: r. bage, f. h. bickerton, j. h. close, p. e. correll, w. h. hannam, a. j. hodgeman, j. g. hunter, j. f. hurley, c. f. laseron, c. t. madigan, a. l. mclean, x. mertz, h. d. murphy, b. e. s. ninnis, f. l. stillwell, e. n. webb, l. h. whetter and myself. western party: g. dovers, c. t. harrisson, c. a. hoadley, s. e. jones, a. l. kennedy, m. h. moyes, a. d. watson, and f. wild (leader). i was now anxious to find a suitable location for our main base; two reasons making it an urgent matter. the first was, that as we advanced to the west we were leaving the south magnetic pole, and i was anxious to have our magnetographs running as near the latter as possible. secondly, we would be daily increasing our distance from macquarie island, making wireless communication more uncertain. at noon on january , while i was weighing the pros and cons with captain davis, wild came in to say that there was a rocky exposure about fifteen miles off on the port side, and suggested altering our course to obtain a better view of it. just after p.m., when the ship was about one mile from the nearest rocks, the whale-boat was lowered and manned. we rowed in with the object of making a closer investigation. from the ship's deck, even when within a mile, the outcrop had appeared to project directly from under the inland ice-sheet. now, however, we were surprised to find ourselves amongst an archipelago of islets. these were named the mackellar islets, in remembrance of one who had proved a staunch friend of the expedition. weddell seals and adelie penguins in thousands rested upon the rocks; the latter chiefly congregated upon a long, low, bare islet situated in the centre. this was the largest of the group, measuring about half a mile in length; others were not above twenty yards in diameter. as we came inshore, the main body of the archipelago was found to be separated by a mile and a half from the mainland. a point which struck us at the time was that the islets situated on the southern side of the group were capped by unique masses of ice; resembling iced cakes. later we were able to see them in process of formation. in the violent southerly hurricanes prevalent in adelie land, the spray breaks right over them. part of it is deposited and frozen, and by increments the icing of these monstrous "cakes" is built up. the amount contributed in winter makes up for loss by thawing in midsummer. as the islets to windward shelter those in their lee, the latter are destitute of these natural canopies. soundings were taken at frequent intervals with a hand lead-line, manipulated by madigan. the water was on the whole shallow, varying from a few to twenty fathoms. the bottom was clothed by dense, luxuriant seaweed. this rank growth along the littoral was unexpected, for nothing of the kind exists on the ross sea coasts within five or six fathoms of the surface. advancing towards the mainland, we observed a small islet amongst the rocks, and towards it the boat was directed. we were soon inside a beautiful, miniature harbour completely land-locked. the sun shone gloriously in a blue sky as we stepped ashore on a charming ice-quay--the first to set foot on the antarctic continent between cape adare and gaussberg, a distance of one thousand eight hundred miles. wild and i proceeded to make a tour of exploration. the rocky area at cape denison, as it was named, was found to be about one mile in length and half a mile in extreme width. behind it rose the inland ice, ascending in a regular slope and apparently free of crevasses--an outlet for our sledging parties in the event of the sea not firmly freezing over. to right and left of this oasis, as the visitor to adelie land must regard the welcome rock, the ice was heavily crevassed and fell sheer to the sea in cliffs, sixty to one hundred and fifty feet in height. two small dark patches in the distance were the only evidences of rock to relieve the white monotony of the coast. in landing cargo on antarctic shores, advantage is generally taken of the floe-ice on to which the materials can be unloaded and at once sledged away to their destination. here, on the other hand, there was open water, too shallow for the 'aurora' to be moored alongside the ice-foot. the only alternative was to anchor the ship at a distance and discharge the cargo by boats running to the ideal harbour we had discovered. close to the boat harbour was suitable ground for the erection of a hut, so that the various impedimenta would have to be carried only a short distance. for supplies of fresh meat, in the emergency of being marooned for a number of years, there were many weddell seals at hand, and on almost all the neighbouring ridges colonies of penguins were busy rearing their young. as a station for scientific investigations, it offered a wider field than the casual observer would have imagined. so it came about that the main base was finally settled at cape denison, commonwealth bay. we arrived on board at p.m., taking a seal as food for the dogs. without delay, the motor-launch was dropped into the water, and both it and the whale-boat loaded with frozen carcasses of mutton, cases of eggs and other perishable goods. while some of us went ashore in the motor-launch, with the whale-boat in tow, the 'aurora' steamed round the mackellar islets seeking for a good anchorage under the icy barrier, immediately to the west of the boat harbour. the day had been perfect, vibrant with summer and life, but towards evening a chill breeze sprang up, and we in the motor-launch had to beat against it. by the time we had reached the head of the harbour, hoadley had several fingers frost-bitten and all were feeling the cold, for we were wearing light garments in anticipation of fine weather. the wind strengthened every minute, and showers of fine snow were soon whistling down the glacier. no time was lost in landing the cargo, and, with a rising blizzard at our backs, we drove out to meet the 'aurora'. on reaching the ship a small gale was blowing and our boats were taken in tow. the first thing to be considered was the mooring of the 'aurora' under the lee of the ice-wall, so as to give us an opportunity of getting the boats aboard. in the meantime they were passed astern, each manned by several hands to keep them bailed out; the rest of us having scrambled up the side. bringing the ship to anchor in such a wind in uncharted, shoal water was difficult to do in a cool and methodical manner. the sounding machine was kept running with rather dramatic results; depths jumping from five to thirty fathoms in the ship's length, and back again to the original figure in the same distance. a feeling of relief passed round when, after much manoeuvring, the anchor was successfully bedded five hundred yards from the face of the cliff. just at this time the motor-launch broke adrift. away it swept before a wind of forty-five miles per hour. on account of the cold, and because the engine was drenched with sea-water, some difficulty was found in starting the motor. from the ship's deck we could see bickerton busily engaged with it. the rudder had been unshipped, and there was no chance of replacing it, for the boat was bobbing about on the waves in a most extraordinary manner. however, whetter managed to make a jury-rudder which served the purpose, while hunter, the other occupant, was kept laboriously active with the pump. they had drifted half a mile, and were approaching the rocks of an islet on which the sea was breaking heavily. just as every one was becoming very apprehensive, the launch began to forge ahead, and the men had soon escaped from their dangerous predicament. by the united efforts of all hands the boats were hoisted on board and everything was made as "snug" as possible. the wind steadily increased, and it seemed impossible for the anchor to hold. the strain on the cable straightened out a steel hook two inches in diameter. this caused some embarrassment, as the hook was part of the cable attachment under the fo'c'sle-head. it is remarkable, however, that after this was adjusted the ship did not lose her position up to the time of departure from adelie land. though we were so close under the shelter of a lofty wall, the waves around us were at least four feet in height and when the wind increased to sixty-five and seventy miles per hour, their crests were cut off and the surface was hidden by a sheet of racing spindrift. everything was securely lashed in readiness for going to sea, in case the cable should part. final arrangements were then made to discharge the cargo quickly as soon as the wind moderated. two days had elapsed before the wind showed any signs of abatement. it was p.m. on january when the first boat ventured off with a small cargo, but it was not till the following morning that a serious start was made. in good weather, every trip between the ship and the boat harbour, a distance of a mile, meant that five or six tons had been landed. it was usual for the loaded launch to tow both whale-boats heavily laden and, in addition, a raft of hut timbers or wireless masts. some of the sailors, while engaged in building rafts alongside the ship, were capsized into the water and after that the occupation was not a popular one. ashore, wild had rigged a derrick, using for its construction two of the wireless royal masts. it was thus possible to cope with the heavier packages at the landing-place. of the last-named the air-tractor sledge was by far the most troublesome. with plenty of manual labour, under wild's skilful direction, this heavy machine was hoisted from the motor-launch, and then carefully swung on to the solid ice-foot. captain davis superintended the discharging operations on the ship, effected by the crew and some of the land party under the direction of the ship's officers. wild supervised conveyance ashore, and the landing, classification, and safe storage of the various boat-loads. gillies and bickerton took alternate shifts in driving the motor-launch. the launch proved invaluable, and we were very glad that it had been included in the equipment, for it did a remarkable amount of work in a minimum of time. in view of the difficulty of embarking the boats, if another hurricane should arise, tents were erected ashore, so that a party could remain there with the boats moored in a sheltered harbour. everything went well until just before midnight on january , when the wind again swept down. wild, four of the men and i were forced to remain ashore. we spent the time constructing a temporary hut of benzine cases, roofed with planks; the walls of which were made massive to resist the winds. this structure was henceforth known as the "benzine hut". the barometer dropped to . inches and the wind remained high. we were struck with the singular fact that, even in the height of some of these hurricanes, the sky remained serene and the sun shone brightly. it had been very different when the ship was amongst the pack a few miles to the north, for, there, cloudy and foggy conditions had been the rule. the wind coming to us from the south was dry; obviously an argument for the continental extension of the land in that direction. at a.m. on january a pre-arranged whistle was sounded from the 'aurora', advising those of us ashore that the sea had moderated sufficiently to continue unloading. wild sped away in the launch, but before he had reached the ship the wind renewed its activity. at last, after p.m. on the same day it ceased, and we were able to carry on work until midnight, when the wind descended on us once more. this time, eighteen men remained ashore. after twelve hours there was another lull, and unloading was then continued with only a few intermissions from p.m. on january until the afternoon of january . never was landing so hampered by adverse conditions, and yet, thanks to the assiduous application of all, a great assortment of materials was safely embarked. comprised among them were the following: twenty-three tons of coal briquettes, two complete living-huts, a magnetic observatory, the whole of the wireless equipment, including masts, and more than two thousand packages of general supplies containing sufficient food for two years, utensils, instruments, benzine, kerosene, lubricating oils an air-tractor and other sledges. then came the time for parting. there was a great field before wild's party to the west, and it was important that they should be able to make the most of the remainder of the season. my great regret was that i could not be with them. i knew that i had men of experience and ability in davis and wild, and felt that the work entrusted to them was in the best of hands. through the medium of wireless telegraphy i hoped to keep in touch with the macquarie island party, the western base,** and the ship itself, when in australian waters. ** they were supplied with masts and a receiving set sufficiently sensitive to pick up messages from a distance of five or six hundred miles. it was my idea that wild's party should proceed west and attempt to effect a landing and establish a western wintering station at some place not less than four hundred miles west of adelie land. on the way, whenever opportunity presented itself, they were to cache provisions at intervals along the coast in places liable to be visited by sledging parties. the location of such caches and of the western base, it was hoped, would be communicated to us at the main base, through the medium of wireless telegraphy from hobart. all members of the land parties and the ship's officers met in the ward-room. there were mutual good wishes expressed all round, and then we celebrated previous antarctic explorers, more especially d'urville and wilkes. the toast was drunk in excellent madeira presented to us by mr. j. t. buchanan, who had carried this sample round the world with him when a member of the celebrated 'challenger' expedition. the motor-launch was hoisted and the anchor raised. then at . p.m. on january we clambered over the side into one of the whale-boats and pushed off for cape denison, shouting farewells back to the 'aurora'. several hours later she had disappeared below the north-western horizon, and we had set to work to carve out a home in adelie land. chapter iv new lands leaving the land party under my charge at commonwealth bay on the evening of january , the 'aurora' set her course to round a headland visible on the north-western horizon. at midnight the ship came abreast of this point and continued steaming west, keeping within a distance of five miles of the coast. a break in the icy monotony came with a short tract of islets fronting a background of dark rocky coastline similar to that at cape denison but more extensive. some six miles east of d'urville's cape discovery, a dangerous reef was sighted extending at right angles across the course. the ship steamed along it and her soundings demonstrated a submerged ridge continuing some twelve miles out to sea. captain davis's narrative proceeds: "having cleared this obstacle we followed the coastline to the west from point to point. twelve miles away we could see the snow-covered slopes rising from the seaward cliffs to an elevation of one thousand five hundred feet. several small islands were visible close to a shore fringed by numerous large bergs. "at p.m. on january , our progress to the west was stopped by a fleet of bergs off the mainland and an extensive field of berg-laden pack-ice, trending to the north and north-east. adelie land could be traced continuing to the west. where it disappeared from view there was the appearance of a barrier-formation, suggestive of shelf-ice, running in a northerly direction. skirting the pack-ice on a north and north-west course, we observed the same appearance from the crow's-nest on january and ." the stretch of open, navigable, coastal water to the north of adelie land, barred by the mertz glacier on the east and delimited on the west by more or less compact ice, has been named the d'urville sea. we found subsequently that its freedom from obstruction by ice is due to the persistent gales which set off the land in that locality. to the north, pack-ice in variable amount is encountered before reaching the wide open ocean. the existence of such a "barrier-formation,"** as indicated above, probably resting on a line of reef similar to the one near cape discovery, would account for the presence of this ice-field in practically the same position as it was seen by d'urville in . ** an analysis of the data derived from the later voyages of the 'aurora' makes it practically certain that there is a permanent obstacle to the westerly drift of the pack-ice in longitude degrees e. there is, however, some uncertainty as to the cause of this blockage. an alternative explanation is advanced, namely, that within the area of comparatively shallow water, large bergs are entrapped, and these entangle the drifting pack-ice. at a distance, large bergs would be undistinguishable from shelf-ice, appearances of which were reported above. quoting further: "we were unable to see any trace of the high land reported by the united states squadron ( ) as lying to the west and south beyond the compact ice. "at . a.m. on the rd the pack-ice was seen to trend to the south-west. after steaming west for twenty-five miles, we stood south in longitude degrees ' e, shortly afterwards passing over the charted position of cote clarie. the water here was clear of pack-ice, but studded with bergs of immense size. the great barrier which the french ships followed in had vanished. a collection of huge bergs was the sole remnant to mark its former position. "at a.m., having passed to the south of the charted position of d'urville's cote clarie, we altered course to s. degrees e. true. good observations placed us at noon in latitude degrees ' s. and degrees ' e. a sounding on sand and small stones was taken in one hundred and sixty fathoms. we sailed over the charted position of land east of wilkes's cape carr in clear weather. "at . p.m. land was sighted to the southward--snowy highlands similar to those of adelie land but greater in elevation. "after sounding in one hundred and fifty-six fathoms on mud, the ship stood directly towards the land until p.m. the distance to the nearest point was estimated at twenty miles; heavy floe-ice extending from our position, latitude degrees ' s. and longitude degrees ' e., right up to the shore. another sounding realized two hundred and thirty fathoms, on sand and small stones. some open water was seen to the south-east, but an attempt to force a passage in that direction was frustrated. "at a.m. on the th we were about twelve miles from the nearest point of the coast, and further progress became impossible. the southern slopes were seamed with numerous crevasses, but at a distance the precise nature of the shores could not be accurately determined." to this country, which had never before been seen, was given the name of wilkes's land; as it is only just to commemorate the american exploring expedition on the continent which its leader believed he had discovered in these seas and which he would have found had fortune favoured him with a fair return for his heroic endeavours. "we steered round on a north-westerly course, and at noon on january were slightly to the north of our position at . a.m. on the rd. a sounding reached one hundred and seventy fathoms and a muddy bottom. environing us were enormous bergs of every kind, one hundred and eighty to two hundred feet in height. during the afternoon a westerly course was maintained in clear water until p.m., when the course was altered to s. degrees w., in the hope of winning through to the land visible on the southern horizon." [text illustration] ship's tracks in the vicinity of totten's land and north's land at p.m. the sky was very clear to the southward, and the land could be traced to a great distance until it faded in the south-west. but the ship had come up with the solid floe-ice once more, and had to give way and steam along its edge. this floating breakwater held us off and frustrated all attempts to reach the goal which we sought. "the next four days was a period of violent gales and heavy seas which drove the ship some distance to the north. nothing was visible through swirling clouds of snow. the 'aurora' behaved admirably, as she invariably does in heavy weather. the main pack was encountered on january , but foggy weather prevailed. it was not until noon on january that the atmosphere was sufficiently clear to obtain good observations. the ship was by this time in the midst of heavy floe in the vicinity of longitude degrees e., and again the course had swung round to south. we had soon passed to the south of balleny's sabrina land without any indication of its existence. considering the doubtful character of the statements justifying its appearance on the chart, it is not surprising that we did not verify them. "at a.m. the floes were found too heavy for further advance. the ship was made fast to a big one and a large quantity of ice was taken on board to replenish the fresh-water supply. a tank of two hundred gallons' capacity, heated within by a steam coil from the engineroom, stood on the poop deck. into this ice was continuously fed, flowing away as it melted into the main tanks in the bottom of the ship. "at noon the weather was clear, but nothing could be discerned in the south except a faint blue line on the horizon. it may have been a 'lead' of water, an effect of mirage, or even land-ice--in any case we could not approach it." the position as indicated by the noon observations placed the ship within seven miles of a portion of totten's high land in wilkes's charts. as high land would have been visible at a great distance, it is clear that totten's high land either does not exist or is situated a considerable distance from its charted location. a sounding was made in three hundred and forty fathoms. [text illustration] ship's track in the vicinity of knox land and budd land towards evening the 'aurora' turned back to open water and cruised along the pack-ice. a sounding next day showed nine hundred and twenty-seven fathoms. it was about this time that a marked improvement was noted in the compass. ever since the first approach to adelie land it had been found unreliable, for, on account of the proximity to the magnetic pole, the directive force of the needle was so slight that very large local variations were experienced. the longitude of wilkes's knox land was now approaching. with the exception of adelie land, the account by wilkes concerning knox land is more convincing than any other of his statements relating to new antarctic land. if they had not already disembarked, we had hoped to land the western party in that neighbourhood. it was, therefore, most disappointing when impenetrable ice blocked the way, before wilkes's "farthest south" in that locality had been reached. three determined efforts were made to find a weak spot, but each time the 'aurora' was forced to retreat, and the third time was extricated only with great difficulty. in latitude degrees ' s. longitude degrees ' e., a sounding of three hundred fathoms was made on a rocky bottom. this sounding pointed to the probability of land within sixty miles. repulsed from his attack on the pack, captain davis set out westward towards the charted position of termination land, and in following the trend of the ice was forced a long way to the north. at . a.m., february , in foggy weather, the ice-cliff of floating shelf-ice was met. this was disposed so as to point in a north-westerly direction and it was late in the day before the ship doubled its northern end. here the sounding wire ran out for eight hundred and fifty fathoms without reaching bottom. following the wall towards the south-south-east, it was interesting at . p.m. to find a sounding of one hundred and ten fathoms in latitude degrees '. a line of large grounded bergs and massive floe-ice was observed ahead trailing away from the ice-wall towards the north-west. on plotting the observations, it became apparent that the shelf-ice was in the form of a prolonged tongue some seven miles in breadth. as it occupied the position of the "termination land" which has appeared on some charts, (after wilkes) it was named termination ice-tongue. a blizzard sprang up, and, after it had been safely weathered in the lee of some grounded bergs, the 'aurora' moved off on the afternoon of february . the horizon was obscured by mist, as she pursued a tortuous track amongst bergs and scattered lumps of heavy floe. gradually the sea became more open, and by noon on february the water had deepened to two hundred and thirty-five fathoms. good progress was made to the south; the vessel dodging icebergs and detached floes. the discovery of a comparatively open sea southward of the main pack was a matter of some moment. as later voyages and the observations of the western party showed, this tract of sea is a permanent feature of the neighbourhood. i have called it the davis sea, after the captain of the 'aurora', in appreciation of the fact that he placed it on the chart. at noon, on february , in latitude degrees / ' s. longitude degrees ' e., the western face of a long, floating ice-tongue loomed into view. there were five hundred fathoms of water off its extremity, and the cliffs rose vertically to one hundred feet. soon afterwards land was clearly defined low in the south extending to east and west. this was thenceforth known as queen mary land. the sphere of operations of the german expedition of was near at hand, for its vessel, the 'gauss', had wintered, frozen in the pack, one hundred and twenty-five miles to the west. it appeared probable that queen mary land would be found to be continuous** with kaiser wilhelm ii land, which the germans had reached by a sledging journey from their ship across the intervening sea-ice. ** such was eventually proved to be the case. the 'aurora' followed the western side of the ice-tongue for about twenty miles in a southerly direction, at which point there was a white expanse of floe extending right up to the land. wild and kennedy, walking several miles towards the land, estimated that it was about twenty-five miles distant. as the surface over which they travelled was traversed by cracks and liable to drift away to sea, all projects of landing there had to be abandoned; furthermore, it was discovered that the ice-tongue, alongside of which the ship lay, was a huge iceberg. a landing on it had been contemplated, but was now out of question. the main difficulty which arose at this juncture was the failing coal-supply. it was high time to return to hobart, and, if a western base was to be formed at all, wild's party would have to be landed without further delay. after a consultation, davis and wild decided that under the circumstances an attempt should be made to gain a footing on the adjacent shelf-ice, if nothing better presented itself. the night was passed anchored to the floe, on the edge of which were numerous emperor penguins and weddell seals. a fresh south-easterly wind blew on february , and the ship was kept in the shelter of the iceberg. during the day enormous pieces were observed to be continually breaking away from the berg and drifting to leeward. captain davis continues: "at midnight there was a strong swell from the north-east and the temperature went down to degrees f. at a.m., february , we reached the northern end of the berg and stood first of all to the east, and then later to the south-east. "at . a.m., shelf-ice was observed from aloft, trending approximately north and south in a long wall. at noon we came up with the floe-ice again, in about the same latitude as on the western side of the long iceberg. land could be seen to the southward. at p.m. the ship stopped at the junction of the floe and the shelf-ice." wild, harrison and hoadley went to examine the shelf-ice with a view to its suitability for a wintering station. the cliff was eighty to one hundred feet in height, so that the ice in total thickness must have attained at least as much as six hundred feet. assisted by snow-ramps slanting down on to the floe, the ascent with ice-axes and alpine rope was fairly easy. two hundred yards from the brink, the shelf-ice was thrown into pressure-undulations and fissured by crevasses, but beyond that was apparently sound and unbroken. about seventeen miles to the south the rising slopes of ice-mantled land were visible, fading away to the far east and west. the ice-shelf was proved later on to extend for two hundred miles from east to west, ostensibly fusing with the termination ice-tongue, whose extremity is one hundred and eighty miles to the north. the whole has been called the shackleton ice-shelf. wild and his party unanimously agreed to seize upon this last opportunity, and to winter on the floating ice. the work of discharging stores was at once commenced. to raise the packages from the floe to the top of the ice-shelf, a "flying-fox" was rigged. "a kedge-anchor was buried in the sea-ice, and from this a two-and-a-half-inch wire-hawser was led upwards over a pair of sheer-legs on top of the cliff to another anchor buried some distance back. the whole was set taut by a tackle. the stores were then slung to a travelling pulley on the wire, and hauled on to the glacier by means of a rope led through a second pulley on the sheer-legs. the ship's company broke stores out of the hold and sledged them three hundred yards to the foot of an aerial, where they were hooked on to the travelling-block by which the shore party, under wild, raised them to their destination." "it was most important to accelerate the landing as much as possible, not only on account of the lateness of the season--the 'gauss' had been frozen in on february at a spot only one hundred and seventy miles away--but because the floe was gradually breaking up and floating away. when the last load was hoisted, the water was lapping within ten yards of the 'flying-fox'". a fresh west-north-west wind on february caused some trouble. captain davis writes: "february . the floe to which we have been attached is covered by a foot of water. the ship has been bumping a good deal to-day. notwithstanding the keen wind and driving snow, every one has worked well. twelve tons of coal were the last item to go up the cliff." in all, thirty-six tons of stores were raised on to the shelf-ice, one hundred feet above sea-level, in four days. "february . the weather is very fine and quite a contrast to yesterday. we did not get the coal ashore a moment too soon, as this morning the ice marked by our sledge tracks went to sea in a north-westerly direction, and this afternoon it is drifting back as if under the influence of a tide or current. we sail at a.m. to-morrow. "i went on to the glacier with wild during the afternoon. it is somewhat crevassed for about two hundred yards inland, and then a flat surface stretches away as far as the eye can see. i wished the party 'god-speed' this evening, as we sail early to-morrow." early on february , the ship's company gave their hearty farewell cheers, and the 'aurora' sailed north, leaving wild and his seven companions on the floating ice. the bright weather of the immediate coastal region was soon exchanged for the foggy gloom of the pack. "february , p.m. we are now passing a line of grounded bergs and some heavy floe-ice. fortunately it is calm, but in the darkness it is difficult to see an opening. the weather is getting thick, and i expect we shall have trouble in working through this line of bergs. "february . i cannot explain how we managed to clear some of the bergs between p.m. last night and a.m. this morning. at first stopping and lying-to was tried, but it was soon evident that the big bergs were moving and would soon hem us in: probably in a position from which we should be unable to extricate ourselves this season. "so we pushed this way and that, endeavouring to retain freedom at any cost. for instance, about midnight i was 'starboarding' to clear what appeared to be the loom of a berg on the starboard bow, when, suddenly, out of the haze a wall seemed to stretch across our course. there was no room to turn, so 'full speed astern' was the only alternative. the engines responded immediately, or we must have crashed right into a huge berg. until daylight it was ice ahead, to port and to starboard--ice everywhere all the time. the absence of wind saved us from disaster. it was a great relief when day broke, showing clearer water to the northward." on february , the 'aurora' left the shelter of termination ice-tongue, and a course was set nearly true north. there was a fresh breeze from the north-east and a high sea. the ship was desperately short of ballast and the coal had to be carefully husbanded. all movable gear was placed in the bottom of the ship, while the ashes were saved, wetted and put below. the ballast-tanks were found to be leaking and gillies had considerable trouble in making them watertight. the distance from the western base in queen mary land to hobart was two thousand three hundred miles, through the turbulent seas of the fifties and forties. it was the end of a perilous voyage when the 'aurora' arrived in hobart with nine tons of coal. on march , the captain's log records: "the 'aurora' has done splendidly, beating all attempts of the weather to turn her over. we had two heavy gales during the first week of march, but reached hobart safely to-day, passing on our way up the derwent the famous polar ship, 'fram', at anchor in sandy bay. flags were dipped and a hearty cheer given for captain amundsen and his gallant comrades who had raised the siege of the south pole." chapter v first days in adelie land the overcrowded whale-boat disgorged its cargo at p.m. on the ice-quay at cape denison. the only shelter was a cluster of four tents and the benzine hut, so the first consideration was the erection of a commodious living-hut. while the majority retired to rest to be ready for a fresh burst of work on the morrow, a few of us discussed the preliminary details, and struck the first blows in the laying of the foundations. a site for the living-hut was finally approved. this was a nearly flat piece of rocky ground of just sufficient size, partially sheltered on the southern side by a large upstanding rock. other points to recommend it were, proximity to the boat harbour and to a good sledging surface; the ice of the glacier extending to the "front door" on the western side. several large rocks had to be shifted, and difficulty was anticipated in the firm setting of the stumps. the latter were blocks of wood, three feet in length, embedded in the ground, forming the foundation of the structure. unfortunately, no such thing as earth or gravel existed in which to sink these posts, and the rock being of the variety known as gneiss, was more than ordinarily tough. since two parties had combined, there were two huts available, and these were to be erected so that the smaller adjoined and was in the lee of the larger. the latter was to be the living-room; the former serving as a vestibule, a workshop and an engine-room for the wireless plant. slight modifications were made in the construction of both huts, but these did not affect the framework. after the completion of the living-hut, regular scientific observations were to commence, and the smaller hut was then to be built as opportunity offered. nothing has so far been said about the type of hut adopted by our antarctic stations. as the subject is important, and we had expended much thought thereon before coming to a final decision, a few remarks will not be out of place. strength to resist hurricanes, simplicity of construction, portability and resistance to external cold were fundamental. my first idea was to have the huts in the form of pyramids on a square base, to ensure stability in heavy winds and with a large floor-area to reduce the amount of timber used. the final type was designed at the expense of floor-space, which would have been of little use because of the low roof in the parts thus eliminated. in this form, the pyramid extended to within five feet of the ground on the three windward sides so as to include an outside veranda. that veranda, like the motor-launch, was a wonderful convenience, and another of the many things of which we made full use. it lent stability to the structure, assisted to keep the hut warm, served as a store-house, physical laboratory and a dogshelter. round the outside of the three veranda walls boxes of stores were stacked, so as to continue the roof-slope to the ground. thus, the wind striking the hut met no vertical face, but was partly deflected; the other force-component tending to pin the building to the ground. all three huts were essentially of the same construction. the largest, on account of its breadth, had four special supporting posts, symmetrically placed near the centre, stretching from the ground to the roof framework. the only subdivisions inside were a small vestibule, a photographic darkroom and my own room. this rough idea i had handed over to hodgeman, leaving him to complete the details and to draw up the plans. the frame timbers he employed were stronger than usual in a building of the size, and were all securely bolted together. the walls and roof, both inside and outside, were of tongued and grooved pine-boards, made extra wind-proof by two courses of tarred paper. as rain was not expected, this roofing was sufficient. there were four windows in the roof, one on each side of the pyramid. we should thereby get light even though almost buried in snow. [text illustration] plan of the hut, adelie land the largest hut was presented by the timber merchants of sydney, and proved its astonishing strength during the winter hurricanes. the smallest was purchased in adelaide, the third was built and presented by messrs. anthony of melbourne. on the morning of january all were at work betimes. as we were securely isolated from a trades hall, our hours of labour ranged from a.m. till p.m. dynamite was to be used for blasting out the holes for the reception of the stumps, and so the steel rock-drills were unpacked and boring commenced. this was easier than it appeared, because the rock was much traversed by cracks. by the end of the day a good deal of damage had been done to the rock, at the expense of a few sore fingers and wrists caused by the sledge-hammers missing the drills. the work was tedious, for water introduced into the holes had a habit of freezing. the metal drills, too, tended to be brittle in the cold and required to be tempered softer than usual. hannam operated the forge, and picks and drills were sent along for pointing; an outcrop of gneiss serving as an anvil. among other things it was found difficult to fire the charges, for, when frozen, dynamite is not readily exploded. this was overcome by carrying the sticks inside one's pocket until the last moment. in the absence of earth or clay, we had no tamping material until some one suggested guano from the penguin rookeries, which proved a great success. next day the stumps were in place; most of them being fixed by wedges and other devices. cement was tried, but it is doubtful if any good came of it, for the low temperature did not encourage it to set well. by the evening, the bottom plates were laid on and bolted to the tops of the stumps, and everything was ready for the superstructure. on january , while some were busy with the floor-joists and wall-frames, others carried boulders from the neighbouring moraine, filling in the whole space between the stumps. these were eventually embedded in a mass of boulders, as much as three feet deep in places. by the time both huts were erected, nearly fifty tons of stones had been used in the foundations--a circumstance we did not regret at a later date. hodgeman was appointed clerk of works on the construction, and was kept unusually busy selecting timber, patrolling among the workmen, and searching for his foot-rule which had an unaccountable trick of vanishing in thin air. hannam had various occupations, but one was to attend to the needs of the inner man, until the completion of the hut. there is no doubt that he was regarded at this time as the most important and popular member of the party, for our appetites were abnormally good. about an hour before meals he was to be seen rummaging amongst the cases of provisions, selecting tins of various brands and hues from the great confusion. however remote their source or diverse their colour, experience taught us that only one preparation would emerge from the tent-kitchen. it was a multifarious stew. its good quality was undoubted, for a few minutes after the "dinner-bell rang" there was not a particle left. the "dinner-bell" was a lusty shout from the master cook, which was re-echoed by the brawny mob who rushed madly to the benzine hut. plates and mugs were seized and portions measured out, while the diners distributed themselves on odd boxes lying about on the ice. many who were accustomed to restaurants built tables of kerosene cases and dined al fresco. after the limited stew, the company fared on cocoa, biscuits--"hard tack"--and jam, all ad libitum. on those rare summer days, the sun blazed down on the blue ice; skua gulls nestled in groups on the snow; sly penguins waddled along to inspect the building operations; seals basked in torpid slumber on the shore; out on the sapphire bay the milk-white bergs floated in the swell. we can all paint our own picture of the good times round the benzine hut. we worked hard, ate heartily and enjoyed life. by the evening of january the floor and outside walls were finished, and the roof-frame was in position. work on the roof was the coldest job of all, for now there was rarely an hour free from a cold breeze, at times reaching the velocity of a gale. this came directly down from the plateau, and to sit with exposed fingers handling hammer and nails was not an enviable job. to add to our troubles, the boards were all badly warped from being continually wet with sea-water on the voyage. however, by judicious "gadgetting," as the phrase went, they were got into place. [text illustration] sections across the hut, adelie land the windward roof was up on january , and several of us camped in sleeping-bags under its shelter. already hannam had unpacked the large range and put the parts together in the kitchen. henceforth the cooking operations were simplified, for previously a sledging-cooker had been used. mention of the stove recalls a very cold episode. it happened that while our goods were being lifted from the boats to the landing-stage, a case had fallen into the harbour. when the parts of the stove were being assembled, several important items were found to be missing, and it was thought that they might compose the contents of the unknown case lying in the kelp at the bottom of the bay. laseron and i went on board the whale-boat one day at low water, and located the box with a pole, but though we used several devices with hooks, we were unable to get hold of it. at last i went in, and, standing on tip-toe, could just reach it and keep my head above water. it took some time to extricate from the kelp, following which i established a new record for myself in dressing. the case turned out to be full of jam, and we had to make a new search for the missing parts. i do not think i looked very exhilarated after that bath, but strange to say, a few days later correll tried an early morning swim which was the last voluntary dip attempted by any one. the enthusiasm of the builders rose to its highest pitch as the roof neared completion, and we came in sight of a firm and solid habitation, secure from the winds which harassed us daily. a dozen hammers worked at once, each concentrated upon a specific job. the ardour with which those engaged upon the ceiling inside the hut plied their nails resulted in several minor casualties to those sitting on the roof, deeply intent on the outer lining. a climax was reached when mclean, working on the steeply inclined roof, lost his footing and, in passing, seized hold of the wire-stay of the chimney as a last hope. alas, that was the only stay, and as he proceeded over the end of the roof into a bank of snow, ninnis, within the hut, convinced that nothing less than a cyclone had struck the building, gallantly held on to the lower hot section amidst a shower of soot. everybody was in the best of spirits, and things went ahead merrily. on january the main building was almost completed, and all slept under its roof. bunks had been constructed, forming a double tier around three sides of the room. for the first time since coming ashore we retired to sleep in blankets; fur sleeping-bags had been previously used. that night the sky which had been clear for a fortnight banked up with nimbus cloud, and murphy, who was sleeping under a gap in the roof, woke up next morning to find over him a fine counterpane of snow. he received hearty congratulations all round. regular meteorological observations began on february . the various instruments had been unpacked as soon as the outer shell of the hut was completed. the barometer and barograph were kept running inside. outside there were two large screens for the reception of a number of the instruments. it was important to erect these as near the hut as possible. the standard thermometer, thermograph and hygrograph were to occupy one of the screens, a convenient site for which was chosen about twenty yards to the east. close by there was also a nephoscope for determining the motion of clouds. the immediate vicinity of the hut, being a gully-like depression, was unsuitable for the wind and sunshine recorders. a more distant site, on a rocky ridge to the east, was chosen for these. there were set up a recording anemometer (wind-velocity meter), a sunshine-meter and the second screen containing the anemograph (wind-direction recorder). madigan was to take charge of the meteorological observations and he, assisted by ninnis and mertz, erected the two screens and mounted the instruments. special care was taken to secure the screens against violent winds. phosphor-bronze wire-stays, with a breaking strength of one ton, were used, attached to billets of wood driven into fissures in the rock. strong as these wires were, several breakages had to be replaced during the year. webb was busy with the magnetic work. for this two huts were to be erected; the first for "absolute" determinations, the second for housing the recording instruments--the magnetographs. distant sites, away from the magnetic disturbances of the hut, were chosen. webb and stillwell immediately set to work as soon as they could be spared from the main building. for the "absolute hut" there were only scrap materials available; the "magnetograph house," alone, had been brought complete. they had a chilly job, for as the days went by the weather steadily became worse. yet in a little over a week there were only the finishing touches to make, and the first observations were started. it was now necessary to institute a routine of nightwatchmen, cooks and messmen. the night-watchman's duties included periodic meteorological observations, attention to the fire in the range, and other miscellaneous duties arising between the hours of p.m. and a. m. the cook prepared the meals, and the messman of the day rendered any assistance necessary. a rotation was adopted, so arranged that those most actively engaged in scientific observations were least saddled with domestic duties. thus each contributed his equivalent share of work. whilst others were occupied finishing off the interior of the hut, whetter and close sledged the cases of stores across from the landing-stage, classified them and stacked them against the veranda walls. an additional barricade was constructed of flour cases, in the form of a wall, which increased the breadth of the rocky break-wind on the southern side. murphy, who was in charge of all the stores, saw that a good stock of food was accessible in the veranda. here he put up shelves and unpacked cases, so that samples of everything were at hand on the shortest notice. liquids liable to freeze and burst their bottles were taken into the hut. [text illustration] the vicinity of the main base, adelie land already we had several times seized the opportunity of a calm hour to take out the whale-boat and assist hunter to set traps and make a few hauls with the hand-dredge. even in five fathoms, bright red and brown star-fish had been caught in the trap, as well as numerous specimens of a common antarctic fish known as 'notothenia'. in ten fathoms and over the results were better, though in no case was the catch so abundant as one would expect from the amount of life in the water. the luxuriant kelp probably interfered with the proper working of the traps. fish of the same species as the above were caught on a hand-line. hunter, our biologist, was very unfortunate in crushing some of his fingers while carrying a heavy case. this accident came at a time when he had just recovered from a severe strain of the knee-joint which he suffered during our activities in the queen's wharf shed at hobart. several of us were just going out to the traps one afternoon when the casualty occurred. hunter was very anxious to go, so we waited until mclean had sewn up a couple of his fingertips. weddell, and with them occasional crab-eater seals, were at this time always to be found in numbers sleeping on the ice-foot around the boat harbour. it appeared as if we would have plenty of meat throughout the year, so i waited until the building was completed before laying in a stock. the penguins, however, were diminishing in numbers fast and the young birds in the rookeries had grown very large and were beginning to migrate to warmer regions. several parties, therefore, raided them and secured some hundreds for the winter. giant petrels and skua gulls swarmed in flocks round the seals' and penguins' carcases. these scavengers demolish an incredible amount of meat and blubber in a short time. it is a diabolical sight to witness a group of birds tearing out the viscera of a seal, dancing the while with wings outspread. during the afternoon of february webb came in with the news that a sea elephant was making its way over the rocks near the shore. we rushed out in time to see it standing over johnson, one of the dogs, who, true to his name, did not look abashed. attracted by more formidable antagonists, the monster left johnson and came towards us. he was a fair-sized male with a good skin, so we shot him before he had time to get back into the sea. his measurements were seventeen feet six inches in length and twelve feet in maximum circumference. with the temperature well below freezing-point, skinning is cold work in the wind, and must be done before the animal has time to freeze stiff. a number of us set to work flaying. in order to move the mountain of flesh a westing purchase and a "handy-billy" (rope and block purchase) had to be rigged. it was several hours before everything was disposed of; the skin and skull for the biological collection and the meat and blubber for the dogs. ninnis and mertz, who were the wardens of the dogs, cut up about one ton of meat and blubber, and stored it as a winter reserve for their charges. it may be mentioned that sea elephants are sub-antarctic in distribution, and only rarely have these animals been observed on the shores of the antarctic continent. as far as i am aware, the only other occasion of such an occurrence was noted by captain scott in macmurdo sound. wilkes reported many of them on the pack-ice to the north of the balleny islands, so possibly they have a stronghold in that vicinity. the dogs, ever since their arrival ashore, had been chained up on the rocks below the hut. the continuous wind worried them a good deal, but they had a substantial offset to the cold in a plentiful supply of seal-meat. on the whole, they were in a much better condition then when they left the 'aurora'. nineteen in all, they had an odd assemblage of names, which seemed to grow into them until nothing else was so suitable: basilisk, betli, caruso, castor, franklin, fusilier, gadget, george, ginger, ginger bitch, grandmother, haldane, jappy, john bull, johnson, mary, pavlova, scott and shackleton. grandmother would have been better known as grandfather. he was said to have a grandmotherly appearance; that is why he received the former name. the head dog was basilisk, and next to him came shackleton. early in february, after having experienced nothing but a succession of gales for nearly a month, i was driven to conclude that the average local weather must be much more windy than in any other part of antarctica. the conditions were not at all favourable for sledging, which i had hoped to commence as soon as the hut was completed. now that the time had arrived and the weather was still adverse, it seemed clear that our first duty was to see everything snug for the winter before making an attempt. hannam, assisted by bickerton, madigan and others, had laid heavy and firm foundations for the petrol-motor and generator. the floor of the smaller room was then built around these bed-plates, and last of all came the walls and roof. murphy, bage and hodgeman were chiefly responsible for the last-named, which was practically completed by february . minor additions and modifications were added after that date. meanwhile, hannam continued to unpack and mount the instruments forming the wireless plants. along one wall and portion of another, in the outer hut, a bench was built for mechanical work and for scientific purposes. this was in future to be the work-room. our home had attained to a stage of complex perfection. to penetrate to the inside hut, the stranger reverently steps through a hole in the snow to the veranda, then by way of a vestibule with an inner and outer door he has invaded the privacy of the work-room, from which with fear and trembling he passes by a third door into the sanctum sanctorum. later, when the snow-tunnel system came into vogue, the place became another labyrinth of minos. the three doors were fitted with springs to keep them shut unless they were jammed open for ventilation, which was at once obtained by opening an aperture in the cooking-range flue. a current of air would then circulate through the open doors. the roof windows were immovable and sealed on the inside by a thick accumulation of ice. an officer of public health, unacquainted with the climate of adelie land, would be inclined to regard the absence of more adequate ventilation as a serious omission. it would enlighten him to know that much of our spare time, for a month after the completion of the building, was spent in plugging off draughts which found their way through most unexpected places, urged by a wind-pressure from without of many pounds to the square foot. excepting the small portion used as an entrance-porch, the verandas were left without any better flooring than well-trodden snow. in the boarded floor of the porch was a trap-door which led down into a shallow cellar extending under a portion of the work-room. the cellar was a refrigerating chamber for fresh meat and contained fifteen carcases of mutton, besides piles of seal-meat and penguins. in preparation for our contemplated sledging, masts, spars and sails were fitted to some of the sledges, rations were prepared and alterations made to harness and clothing. soon a sledge stood packed, ready to set out on the first fine day. for several days in succession, about the middle of february, the otherwise continuous wind fell off to a calm for several hours in the evening. on those occasions mertz gave us some fine exhibitions of skiing, of which art he was a consummate master. skis had been provided for every one, in case we should have to traverse a country where the snow lay soft and deep. from the outset, there was little chance of that being the case in wind-scoured adelie land. nevertheless, most of the men seized the few opportunities we had to become more practiced in their use. my final opinion, however, was that if we had all been experts like mertz, we could have used them with advantage from time to time. the end of february approached. we were fully prepared for sledging, and were looking forward to it with great expectation. the wind still continued, often rising to the force of a hurricane, and was mostly accompanied by snow. one evening, when we were all at dinner, there was a sudden noise which drowned the rush of the blizzard. it was found that several sledges had been blown away from their position to the south of the hut, striking the building as they passed. they were all rescued except one, which had already reached the sea and was travelling rapidly toward australia. mertz, bage and i had taken advantage of a lull to ascend the ice-slope to the south, and to erect a flag-pole at a distance of two miles. besides being a beacon for sledging parties, it was used for ablation measurements. these were determinations of the annual wasting of the ice-surface, whether by evaporation, melting, or wind-abrasion. webb and stillwell, assisted by others, had commenced to build the magnetograph house. dr. chree, of the british national physical laboratory, had arranged that the german antarctic expedition, several observatories in low latitudes and our own expedition, should take special "quick runs," synchronously, twice each month. a "quick run" was a continuous, careful observation made over a period of two hours, on a more searching time-scale then usual. until the magnetograph house was established this could not be done efficiently, and so the construction of this hut was pushed on as quickly as possible. many other schemes required our attention, and there was not a spare moment for any one. though we chafed at the delay in sledging, there was some consolation in the fact that the scientific programme was daily becoming more and more complete. chapter vi autumn prospects as far as we could see, the inland ice was an unbroken plateau with no natural landmarks. from the hinterland in a vast solid stream the ice flowed, with heavily crevassed downfalls near the coast. traversing this from north to south was a narrow belt, reasonably free from pitfalls, running as a spur down to the sea. to reach the hut in safety it would be necessary for sledging parties returning from the interior to descend by this highway. the problem was to locate the path. determinations of latitude and longitude would guide them to the neighbourhood of commonwealth bay, but the coastline in the vicinity of winter quarters, with the rocks and islets, would not come into view until within two miles, as above that point the icy slopes filled the foreground up to the distant berg-studded horizon. delays in reaching the hut owing to the difficult descent might have serious consequences, for provisions are usually short near the conclusion of a sledging journey. the necessity of making artificial landmarks was, therefore, most obvious. already we had a flagstaff two miles to the south. it was now my intention to run a line of similar marks backwards to the plateau. bage, madigan and i were to form a reconnoitring party to plant these flags, and to make a journey of a few days' duration into the hinterland, to see its possibilities, and with a view to an extended sledging campaign to commence as soon as possible after our return. it was decided not to make use of the dogs until later in the year, when they would be in better form. the wind continued, accompanied by more or less drift-snow. this appeared to be the settled state of the weather. we decided to move out as soon as a moderate phase should occur. on the afternoon of february the weather cleared up for several hours, and we decided to leave on the following day. the wind resumed operations once more, but fell off late on february , when we made a start. we intended to get the packed sledge up the first steep slope, there to leave it until the morrow. the drift was slight and low, flowing along like a stream below our knees. bickerton, hurley and mertz assisted us with the hauling. at a distance of a little more than a mile, at an elevation of five hundred feet, the sledge was anchored and we returned to the hut for the night. next morning the weather cleared still more, and we left just before noon. three miles out, a mast and flag were erected, when our companions of the day before, who had again assisted us, turned back. at five and a half miles the brow of the main rise was reached, and the gradient became much flatter beyond it. the elevation was found to be one thousand five hundred feet. to the south nothing was visible but a great, wan, icy wilderness. to the north a headland appeared on either hand, each about twenty-five miles away, and between them lay an expanse of sea dotted with many bergs. the nearer portions of the coast, together with the mackellar islets, were lost to view on account of the curvature of the foreground. during most of the day we had travelled over a surface of clear ice, marked by occasional scars where fissuring, now healed, had at some time taken place. beyond the three-mile flag, however, the ice was gashed at frequent intervals, producing irregular crevasses, usually a few yards in length and, for the most part, choked with snow. at five and a half miles we were on the edge of a strip of snow, half a mile across, whose whiteness was thrown in dazzling contrast against the foil of transparent, dark ice. it was dusk, and light drift commenced to scud by, so, as this was a suitable place to erect a flag, we decided to camp for the night. some hours later i woke up to hear a blizzard blowing outside, and to find madigan fumbling amongst some gear at the head-end of the tent. from inside my bag i called out to inquire if there was anything wrong, and received a reply that he was looking for the primus-pricker. then he slipped back into his sleeping-bag, and all became quiet, except for the snow beating against the tent. so i presumed that he had found it. revolving the incident in my mind, and dimly wondering what use he could have for a primus-pricker in the middle of the night, i again fell asleep. in the morning the blizzard was still blowing, accompanied by a good deal of drift. on inquiry i found that madigan knew nothing of his midnight escapade. it was a touch of somnambulism. it would serve no useful purpose to go on in thick drift, for the main object of our journey was to define the best route through the crevassed zone; and that could only be done on a clear day. i decided, accordingly, that if the weather did not improve by noon to leave the sledge with the gear and walk back to the hut, intending to make another attempt when conditions became more settled. whilst the others erected a flagstaff and froze the legs of a drift-proof box (containing a thermograph) into the ice, i made lunch and prepared for our departure. the tent was taken down and everything lashed securely on the sledge. it was nearly p.m. when we set out in thick drift, and in two hours we were at the hut; the weather having steadily improved as we descended. on comparing notes with those at home it appeared that we, at the fifteen hundred feet level, had experienced much more wind and drift than they at sea-level. webb and his assistants were beginning to make quite a display at the magnetograph house. the framework, which had already been erected once, to be demolished by the wind, was now strongly rebuilt and was ready for the outside covering of boards. from the night of our return to march there was a high wind accompanied by much drift; for some hours it continued at eighty miles per hour, the mean temperature being about degrees f., with a minimum of degrees f. up to this date the dogs had been kept on the chain, on account of their depredations amongst the seals and penguins. the severe weather now made it necessary to release them. thenceforth, their abode for part of the day was inside the veranda, where a section was barricaded-off for their exclusive use. outside in heavy drift their habit was to take up a position in the lee of some large object, such as the hut. in such a position they were soon completely buried and oblivious to the outside elements. thus one would sometimes tread on a dog, hidden beneath the snow; and the dog often showed less surprise than the offending man. what the dogs detested most of all during the blizzard-spells was the drift-snow filling their eyes until they were forced to stop and brush it away frantically with their paws. other inconveniences were the icy casing which formed from the thawing snow on their thick coats, and the fact that when they lay in one position, especially on ice, for any length of time they become frozen down, and only freed themselves at the expense of tufts of hair. in high winds, accompanied by a low temperature, they were certainly very miserable, unless in some kind of shelter. several families were born at this time, but although we did everything possible for them they all perished, except one; the offspring of gadget. this puppy was called "blizzard." it was housed for a while in the veranda and, later on, in the hangar. needless to say, blizzard was a great favourite and much in demand as a pet. on the night of march , caruso, who had been in poor condition for some time, was found to have a gaping wound around the neck. it was a clean cut, an inch deep and almost a foot in length. the cause was never satisfactorily explained, though a piece of strong string embedded in the wound evidently made the incision. caruso was brought inside, and, whilst whetter administered chloroform, mclean sewed up the wound. after careful attention for some days, it healed fairly well, but as the dog's general health was worse, it was deemed advisable to shoot him. the outer shell of the magnetograph house was nearly completed, affording a protection for those who worked on the interior linings. when completed, the walls and roof consisted of two coverings of tongued and grooved pine boards and three layers of thick tarred paper. while there still remained a breach in the wall, hurley repaired there with his cinematograph camera and took a film showing the clouds of drift-snow whirling past. in those days we were not educated in methods of progression against heavy winds; so, in order to get hurley and his bulky camera back to the hut, we formed a scrum on the windward side and with a strong "forward" rush beat our formidable opponent. on march the blizzard died away and a good day followed. all hands joined in building a solid stone outside of the magnetograph house. this piece of work, in which thirty tons of rock were utilized, was completed on the following day. the wall reached almost to the roof on every side. the unprotected roof was lagged with sacks and sheep-skins and, after this had been effected, the hut became practically windtight. the external covering controlled the influx of cold from the penetrating winds, and, on the other hand, the conduction of the sun's warmth in summer. thus a steady temperature was maintained; a most desirable feature in a magnetograph house. webb had the instruments set up in a few days, and they were working before the end of the month. after the calm of march , the wind steadily increased and became worse than ever. madigan, who was in charge of the whale-boat, kept it moored in the boat-harbour under shelter of the ice-foot. an excursion was made to the fish traps, buoyed half a mile off shore, on february , and it was found that one had been carried away in the hurricane. the other was brought in very much battered. that night it was decided at the first opportunity to haul up the boat and house it for the winter. alas! the wind came down again too quickly, increasing in force, with dense drift. it was still in full career on the th, when madigan came in with the news that the boat had disappeared. it was no fault of the rope-attachments for they were securely made and so we were left to conclude that a great mass of ice had broken away from the overhanging shelf and carried everything before it. the regularity of the high-velocity winds was already recognized as one of the most remarkable features of adelie land. by itself such wind would have been bad enough, but, accompanied by dense volumes of drifting snow, it effectually put a stop to most outdoor occupations. the roof and walls of the veranda being covered with a single layer of tongued and grooved boards, the snow drove through every chink. the cases outside were a partial protection, but the cracks were innumerable, and in the course of twenty-four hours the snow inside had collected in deep drifts. this required to be shovelled out each day or the veranda would have been entirely blocked. much time was spent endeavouring to make it drift-tight; but as the materials at our disposal were very limited, the result was never absolutely satisfactory. the small veranda serving as an entrance-porch was deluged with snow which drove in past the canvas doorway. the only way to get over this trouble was to shovel out the accumulations every morning. on one occasion, when close was nightwatchman, the drift poured through in such volume that each time he wished to go outside it took him half an hour to dig his way out. on account of this periodic influx, the vestibule doorway to the workroom was moved to the other end of the wall, where the invading snow had farther to travel and was consequently less obstructive. one advantage of the deposit of snow around the hut was that all draughts were sealed off. before this happened it was found very difficult to keep the inside temperature up to ° f. a temperature taken within the hut varied according to the specific position in reference to the walls and stove. that shown by the thermometer attached to the standard barometer, which was suspended near the centre of the room, was taken as the "hut temperature". near the floor and walls it was lower, and higher, of course, near the stove. on one occasion, in the early days, i remember the "hut temperature" being ° f., notwithstanding the heat from the large range. under these conditions the writing-ink and various solutions all over the place froze, and, when the night-watchman woke up the shivering community he had many clamorous demands to satisfy. the photographer produced an interesting product from the dark room--a transparent cast of a developing-dish in which a photographic plate left overnight to wash was firmly set. we arranged to maintain an inside temperature of degrees f.; when it rose to degrees f. means were taken to reduce it. the cooking-range, a large one designed to burn anthracite coal, was the general warming apparatus. to raise the temperature quickly, blocks of seal blubber, of which there was always a supply at hand, were used. the coal consumption averaged one hundred pounds a day, approximately, this being reduced at a later date to seventy-five pounds by employing a special damper for the chimney. the damper designed for ordinary climates allowed too much draught to be sucked through during the high winds which prevailed continually. the chimney was fitted with a cowl which had to be specially secured to keep it in place. during heavy drifts the cowl became choked with snow and ice, and the hut would rapidly fill with smoke until some one, hurriedly donning burberrys, rushed out with an ice-axe to chip an outlet for the draught. the chimney was very short and securely stayed, projecting through the lee side of the roof, where the pressure of the wind was least felt. the first good display of aurora polaris was witnessed during the evening of march , though no doubt there had been other exhibitions obscured by the drift. as the days went by and the equinox drew near, auroral phenomena were with few exceptions visible on clear evenings. in the majority of cases they showed up low in the northern sky. in the midst of a torment of wind, march came as a beautiful, sunny, almost calm day. i remarked in my diary that it was "typical antarctic weather," thinking of those halcyon days which belong to the climate of the southern shores of the ross sea. in adelie land, we were destined to find, it was hard to number more than a dozen or two in the year. a fine day! the psychological effect was remarkable; pessimism vanished, and we argued that with the passing of the equinox there would be a marked change for the better. not a moment was lost: some were employed in making anchorages for the wireless masts; others commenced to construct a hangar to house the air-tractor sledge. in building the hangar, the western wall of the hut was used for one side; the low southern end and the western wall were constructed of full and empty cases, the lee side was closed with a tarpaulin and blocks of snow and over all was nailed a roof of thick timber--part of the air-tractor's case. to stiffen the whole structure, a small amount of framework, in the form of heavy uprights, was set in the ground. the dimensions inside were thirty-four feet by eleven feet; the height, eleven feet at the northern and six feet at the southern end. as a break-wind a crescent-shaped wall of benzine cases was built several yards to the south. as in the case of the veranda, it was very difficult to make the hangar impervious to drift; a certain quantity of snow always made its way in, and was duly shovelled out. seals had suddenly become very scarce, no doubt disgusted with the continuous winds. every one that came ashore was shot for food. unfortunately, the amount of meat necessary for the dogs throughout the winter was so great that dog-biscuits had to be used to eke it out. only a few penguins remained by the middle of march. they were all young ones, waiting for the completion of their second moult before taking to the sea. the old feathers hung in untidy tufts, and the birds were often in a wretched plight owing to the wind and drift-snow. many were added to the bleaching carcases which fill the crevices or lie in heaps on ancient rookeries among the rocky ridges. none were free from the encumbrance of hard cakes of snow which often covered their eyes or dangled in pendent icicles from their bodies. the result was very ludicrous. hurley obtained some excellent photographs of the seals and penguins, as of all other subjects. so good were they that most of us withdrew from competition. his enthusiasm and resourcefulness knew no bounds. occasional days, during which cameras that had been maltreated by the wind were patched up, were now looked upon as inevitable. one day, when webb and hurley were both holding on to the cinematograph camera, they were blown away, with sundry damages all around. it was later in the year when hurley with his whole-plate camera broke through the sea-ice--a sad affair for the camera. the good conditions on the th lasted only a few hours, and back came the enemy as bad as ever. on the th the wind was only thirty miles per hour, giving us an opportunity of continuing the buildings outside. it was only by making the most of every odd hour when the weather was tolerable that our outdoor enterprises made any headway. sometimes when it was too windy for building we were able to improve our knowledge of the neighbourhood. a glance at stillwell's map is instruct*e as to the extent and character of the rocky area. it is devoid of any forms of vegetation sufficiently prominent to meet the casual eye. soil is lacking, for all light materials and even gravel are carried away by the winds. the bare rock rises up into miniature ridges, separated by valleys largely occupied by ice-slabs and lakelets. snow fills all the crevices and tails away in sloping ramps on the lee side of every obstacle. in midsummer a good deal thaws, and, re-freezing, is converted into ice. the highest point of the rock is one hundred and forty feet. the seaward margin is deeply indented, and the islets off shore tell of a continuation of the rugged, rocky surface below the sea. on the northern faces of the ridges, fronting the ice-foot, large, yellowish patches mark the sites of penguin rookeries. these are formed by a superficial deposit of guano which never becomes thick, for it blows away as fast as it accumulates. standing on the shore, one can see kelp growing amongst the rocks even in the shallowest spots, below low-water level. to the south, the rocks are overridden by the inland ice which bears down upon and overwhelms them. the ice-sheet shows a definite basal moraine, which means that the lowest stratum, about forty feet in thickness, is charged with stones and earthy matter. above this stratum the ice is free from foreign matter and rises steeply to several hundred feet, after which the ascending gradient is reduced. the continental glacier moves down to the sea, regularly but slowly; the rate of movement of some portions of the adjacent coastal ice cliffs was found to be one hundred feet per annum. the rocky promontory at winter quarters, acting as an obstacle, reduces the motion of the ice to an annual rate measured in inches only. perhaps the conditions now prevailing are those of a comparative "drought," for there is clear evidence that our small promontory was at one time completely enveloped. in a broad way this is illustrated by the topography, but the final proof came when stillwell and others discovered rock-faces polished and grooved by the ice. whatever "ice-floods" there may have been in the past, the position of the margin of the glacier must have remained for a long period in its present situation. the evidence for this is found in the presence of a continuous, terminal moraine, at or just in advance of the present ice-front. this moraine, an accumulation of stones of all kinds brought to their present resting-place by the ice-sheet, was in itself a veritable museum. rocks, showing every variety in colour and form, were assembled, transported from far and wide over the great expanse of the continent. [text illustration] a section of the coastal slope of the continental ice sheet inland from winter quarters, adelie land stillwell found these moraines a "happy hunting-ground" for the geologist. his plane-table survey and rock collections are practical evidence of work carried out in weather which made it seldom short of an ordeal. the story of the buried land to the south is in large measure revealed in the samples brought by the ice and so conveniently dumped. let us swiftly review the operations leading to the deposition of this natural museum. as the ice of the hinterland moves forward, it plucks fragments from the rocky floor. secure in its grip, these are used as graving-tools to erode its bed. throwing its whole weight upon them it grinds and scratches, pulverizes and grooves. the rocky basement is gradually reduced in level, especially the softer regions. the tools are faceted, polished and furrowed, for ever moving onwards. finally, the rock-powder or "rock-flour," as it is termed, and the boulders, thenceforth known as "erratics," arrive at the terminal ice-face. here, the melting due to the sun's heat keeps pace with the "on-thrust" and some of the erratics may remain stationary, or else, floating in the sea, a berg laden with boulders breaks off and deposits its load in the depths of the ocean. each summer the ice-face above the rocks at winter quarters thawed back a short distance and the water ran away in rivulets, milky-white on account of the "rock-flour" in suspension. the pebbles and boulders too heavy to be washed away remained behind to form the moraine. the "erratics" comprised a great variety of metamorphic and igneous rocks, and, on a more limited scale, sedimentary types. amongst the latter were sandstones, slates, shales and limestones. apart from the moraines, the rock exposed in situ was mainly a uniform type of gneiss, crumpled and folded, showing all the signs of great antiquity--pre-cambrian, in the geological phrase. relieving the grey sheen of the gneiss were dark bands of schist which tracked about in an irregular manner. sporadic quartz veins here and there showed a light tint. they were specially interesting, for they carried some less common minerals such as beryl, tourmaline, garnet, coarse mica and ores of iron, copper and molybdenum. the ores were present in small quantities, but gave promise of larger bodies in the vicinity and indicated the probability of mineral wealth beneath the continental ice-cap. chapter vii the blizzard the equinox arrived, and the only indication of settled weather was a more marked regularity in the winds. nothing like it had been reported from any part of the world. any trace of elation we may have felt at this meteorological discovery could not compensate for the ever-present discomforts of life. day after day the wind fluctuated between a gale and a hurricane. overcast skies of heavy nimbus cloud were the rule and the air was continually charged with drifting snow. lulls of a singular nature occasionally relieved the monotony. during these visitations the sequence of events could almost be predicted; indeed, they would often occur at the same time on several succeeding days. on march the first well-marked lull intervened at the height of a gale. on that day the wind, which had been blowing with great force during the morning, commenced to subside rapidly just after noon. towards evening, the air about the hut was quite still except for gusts from the north and rather frequent "whirlies." this was the name adopted for whirlwinds of a few yards to a hundred yards or more in diameter which came to be regarded as peculiar to the country. similar disturbances have been observed in every part of the world, but seldom possessed of the same violence and regularity as is the case in adelie land. the whirlies tracked about in a most irregular manner and woe betide any light object which came in their path. the velocity of the wind in the rotating column being very great, a corresponding lifting power was imparted to it. as an illustration of this force, it may be mentioned that the lid of the air-tractor case had been left lying on the snow near the hut. it weighed more than three hundredweights, yet it was whisked into the air one morning and dropped fifty yards away in a north-easterly direction. an hour afterwards it was picked up again and returned near its original position, this time striking the rocks with such force that part of it was shivered to pieces. webb and stillwell watched the last proceeding at a respectful distance. again, the radius of activity of these whirlies was strictly limited; objects directly in their path only being disturbed. for instance, laseron one day was skinning at one end of a seal and remained in perfect calm, while mclean, at the other extremity, was on the edge of a furious vortex. travelling over the sea the whirlies displayed fresh capabilities. columns of brash-ice, frozen spray and water-vapour were frequently seen lifted to heights of from two hundred to four hundred feet, simulating water spouts. reverting to the afternoon of march . beyond the strange stillness of the immediate vicinity, broken occasionally by the tumult of a passing, wandering whirly, an incessant, seething roar could be heard. one could not be certain from whence it came, but it seemed to proceed either from the south or overhead. away on the icy promontories to the east and west, where the slopes were visible, mounting to an altitude of several thousand feet, clouds of drift-snow blotted out the details of the surface above a level of about six hundred feet. it certainly appeared as if the gale, for some reason, had lifted and was still raging overhead. at . p.m. the sound we had heard, like the distant lashing of ocean waves, became louder. soon gusts swept the tops of the rocky ridges, gradually descending to throw up the snow at a lower level. then a volley raked the hut, and within a few minutes we were once more enveloped in a sea of drifting snow, and the wind blew stronger than ever. the duration of the lulls was ordinarily from a few minutes to several hours; that of march was longer than usual. in the course of time, after repeated observations, much light was thrown on this phenomenon. on one occasion, a party ascending the ice slopes to the south met the wind blowing at an elevation of four hundred feet. at the same time snow could be seen pouring over the "barrier" to the west of the winter quarters, and across a foaming turmoil of water. this was evidently the main cause of the seething roar, but it was mingled with an undernote of deeper tone from the upland plateau--like the wind in a million tree-tops. in the early spring, while we were transporting provisions to the south, frequent journeys were made to higher elevations. it was then established that even when whole days of calm prevailed at the hut, the wind almost without exception blew above a level of one thousand feet. on such occasions it appeared that the gale was impelled to blow straight out from the plateau slopes over a lower stratum of dead-air. an explanation was thereby afforded of the movement of condensation clouds which appeared in the zenith at these times. a formation of delicate, gauzy clouds developed at a low altitude, apparently in still air, but doubtless at the base of a hurricane stratum. whirling round rapidly in eddying flocculi, they quickly tailed away to the north, evaporating and disappearing. the auditory sense was strangely affected by these lulls. the contrast was so severe when the racking gusts of an abating wind suddenly gave way to intense, eerie silence, that the habitual droning of many weeks would still reverberate in the ears. at night one would involuntarily wake up if the wind died away, and be loth to sleep "for the hunger of a sound." in the open air the stillness conveyed to the brain an impression of audibility, interpreted as a vibratory murmur. during one hour on march it blew eighty-six miles. on the morning of that day there was not much snow in the air and the raging sea was a fearful sight. even the nearest of the islands, only half a mile off the land, was partially hidden in the clouds of spray. what an impossible coast this would be for the wintering of a ship! everybody knows that the pressure exerted by a wind against an object in its path mounts up in much greater proportion than the velocity of the wind. thus may be realized the stupendous force of the winds of adelie land in comparison with those of half the velocity which fall within one's ordinary experience. as this subject was ever before us, the following figures quoted from a work of reference will be instructive. the classification of winds, here stated, is that known as the "beaufort scale." the corresponding velocities in each case are those measured by the "robinson patent" anemometer; our instrument being of a similar pattern ___________________________________________________________________ beaufort scale |velocities|pressures | apparent effect | | in miles | in lbs. | | | per hour | square | | | foot | | | | area | | __________________|__________| _________|_________________________| |calm | | . |may cause smoke to | | | | | move form vertical | |light air | | . |moves the leaves of trees| |light breeze | | . |moves small branches of | |gentle breeze | | . | trees and blows up dust | |moderate breeze| | . | | |fresh breeze | | . |good sailing breeze and | |strong breeze | | . | makes white caps | |moderate gale | | . |sways trees and breaks | |fresh gale | | . | small branches | |strong gale | | . |dangerous for sailing | |whole gale | | . | vessels | |storm | | . |prostrates exposed trees | |hurricane | | . | and frail houses | ___________________________________________________________________ beyond the limits of this scale, the pressures exerted rise very rapidly. a wind recorded as blowing at the rate of a hundred miles per hour exerts a pressure of about twenty-three pounds per square foot of surface exposed to it. wind above eighty miles per hour is stated to "prostrate everything." the mileages registered by our anemometer were the mean for a whole hour, neglecting individual gusts, whose velocity much exceeded the average and which were always the potent factors in destructive work. obviously the greatest care had to be taken to secure everything. still, articles of value were occasionally missed. they were usually recovered, caught in crevices of rock or amongst the broken ice. northward from the hut there was a trail of miscellaneous objects scattered among the hummocks and pressure-ridges out towards penguin hill on the eastern side of the boat harbour: tins of all kinds and sizes, timber in small scraps, cases and boards, paper, ashes, dirt, worn-out finnesko, ragged mitts and all the other details of a rubbish heap. one of the losses was a heavy case which formed the packing of part of the magnetometer. weighted-down by stones this had stood for a long time in what was regarded as a safe place. one morning it was discovered to be missing. it was surmised that a hurricane had started it on an ocean voyage during the previous day. boxes in which whetter used to carry ice for domestic requirements were as a rule short-lived. his problem was to fill the boxes without losing hold of them, and the wind often gained the ascendancy before a sufficient ballast had been added. we sometimes wondered whether any of the flotsam thus cast upon the waters ever reached the civilized world. whatever has been said relative to the wind-pressure exerted on inanimate objects, the same applied, with even more point, to our persons; so that progression in a hurricane became a fine art. the first difficulty to be encountered was a smooth, slippery surface offering no grip for the feet. stepping out of the shelter of the hut, one was apt to be immediately hurled at full length down wind. no amount of exertion was of any avail unless a firm foothold had been secured. the strongest man, stepping on to ice or hard snow in plain leather or fur boots, would start sliding away with gradually increasing velocity; in the space of a few seconds, or earlier, exchanging the vertical for the horizontal position. he would then either stop suddenly against a jutting point of ice, or glide along for twenty or thirty yards till he reached a patch of rocks or some rough sastrugi. of course we soon learned never to go about without crampons on the feet. many experiments in the manufacture of crampons were tried with the limited materials at our disposal. those designed for normal antarctic conditions had been found unserviceable. a few detachable pairs made of wrought iron with spikes about one and a half inches in length, purchased in switzerland, gave a secure foothold. some of the men covered the soles of their boots with long, bristling spikes and these served their purpose well. ice-nails, screwed into the soles without being riveted on plates, were liable to tear out when put to a severe test, besides being too short. spikes of less than an inch in length were inadequate in hurricanes. nothing devised by us gave the grip of the swiss crampons, but, to affix them, one had to wear leather boots, which, though padded to increase their warmth, had to be tightly bound by lashings compressing the feet and increasing the liability to frost-bite. shod with good spikes, in a steady wind, one had only to push hard to keep a sure footing. it would not be true to say "to keep erect," for equilibrium was maintained by leaning against the wind. in course of time, those whose duties habitually took them out of doors became thorough masters of the art of walking in hurricanes--an accomplishment comparable to skating or skiing. ensconced in the lee of a substantial break-wind, one could leisurely observe the unnatural appearance of others walking about, apparently in imminent peril of falling on their faces. experiments were tried in the steady winds; firmly planting the feet on the ground, keeping the body rigid and leaning over on the invisible support. this "lying on the wind," at equilibrium, was a unique experience. as a rule the velocity remained uniform; when it fluctuated in a series of gusts, all our experience was likely to fail, for no sooner had the correct angle for the maximum velocity been assumed than a lull intervened--with the obvious result. [text illustration] a copy of the wind-velocity (anenometer) and the wind direction (anemograph) for a period of twenty-four hours, adelie land this particular record illustrates a day of constant high velocity wind. in the case of the upper chart each rise of the pen from the bottom to the top of the paper indicates that another miles of wind has passed the instrument. the regularity of these curves shows the steadiness of the wind. it will be observed that the average velocity for twenty-four hours was . miles, and the maximum of the average hourly velocities throughout that period was ninety-seven miles. the lower chart, the record of the direction from which the wind blew, is marked only by a single broad bar in the position of south-by-east, the wind not having veered in the slightest degree. before the art of "hurricane-walking" was learnt, and in the primitive days of ice-nails and finnesko, progression in high winds degenerated into crawling on hands and knees. many of the more conservative persisted in this method, and, as a compensation, became the first exponents of the popular art of "board-sliding." a small piece of board, a wide ice flat and a hurricane were the three essentials for this new sport. wind alone would not have been so bad; drift snow accompanied it in overwhelming amount. in the autumn overcast weather with heavy falls of snow prevailed, with the result that the air for several months was seldom free from drift. indeed, during that time, there were not many days when objects a hundred yards away could be seen distinctly. whatever else happened, the wind never abated, and so, even when the snow had ceased falling and the sky was clear, the drift continued until all the loose accumulations on the hinterland, for hundreds of miles back, had been swept out to sea. day after day deluges of drift streamed past the hut, at times so dense as to obscure objects three feet away, until it seemed as if the atmosphere were almost solid snow. [text illustration] a comparison of wind-velocities and temperatures prevailing at cape royds, mcmurdo sound, and at winter quarters, adelie land, during the months of may and june at the time of plotting only the above two months were available, but they are enough to illustrate the unusually severe winter conditions of adelie land. the data for cape royds is that supplied by the shackleton expedition. the solid black line refers to adelie land, the broken line to cape royds. it will be noted that whereas the average temperature conditions are closely similar at both stations, only on three days during the period did the average wind velocity at cape royds reach that of the lowest daily value of adelie land. picture drift so dense that daylight comes through dully, though, maybe, the sun shines in a cloudless sky; the drift is hurled, screaming through space at a hundred miles an hour, and the temperature is below zero, fahrenheit.** you have then the bare, rough facts concerning the worst blizzards of adelie land. the actual experience of them is another thing. ** temperatures as low as - degrees f. ( degrees below freezing-point) were experienced in hurricane winds, which blew at a velocity occasionally exceeding one hundred miles per hour. still air and low temperatures, or high winds and moderate temperatures, are well enough; but the combination of high winds and low temperatures is difficult to bear. shroud the infuriated elements in the darkness of a polar night, and the blizzard is presented in a severer aspect. a plunge into the writhing storm-whirl stamps upon the senses an indelible and awful impression seldom equalled in the whole gamut of natural experience. the world a void, grisly, fierce and appalling. we stumble and struggle through the stygian gloom; the merciless blast--an incubus of vengeance--stabs, buffets and freezes; the stinging drift blinds and chokes. in a ruthless grip we realize that we are poor windlestraws on the great, sullen, roaring pool of time. it may well be imagined that none of us went out on these occasions for the pleasure of it. the scientific work required all too frequent journeys to the instruments at a distance from the hut, and, in addition, supplies of ice and stores had to be brought in, while the dogs needed constant attention. every morning, madigan visited all the meteorological instruments and changed the daily charts; at times having to feel his way from one place to the other. attending to the exposed instruments in a high wind with low temperature was bad enough, but with suffocating drift difficulties were increased tenfold. around the hut there was a small fraternity who chose the outside veranda as a rendezvous. here the latest gossip was exchanged, and the weather invariably discussed in forcible terms. there was whetter, who replenished the water-supply from the unfailing fountain-head of the glacier. for cooking, washing clothes and for photographic and other purposes, eighteen men consumed a good deal of water, and, to keep up with the demand, whetter piled up many hardly-won boxes of ice in the veranda. close unearthed coal briquettes from the heap outside, shovelled tons of snow from the veranda and made himself useful and amiable to every one. murphy, our stand-by in small talk, travel, history, literature and what not, was the versatile storeman. the store in the veranda was continually invaded by similar snow to that which covered the provision boxes outside. to keep the veranda cleared, renew the supplies and satisfy the demands of the kitchen required no other than murphy. ninnis and mertz completed the "veranda club," to which honorary members from within the hut were constantly being added. the meteorological instruments, carefully nursed and housed though they were, were bound to suffer in such a climate. correll, who was well fitted out with a lathe and all the requirements for instrument-making, attended to repairs, doing splendid service. the anemometer gave the greatest trouble, and, before correll had finished with it, most of the working parts had been replaced in stronger metal. when the recording sheets of the instruments had been successfully changed, the meteorologist packed them in a leather bag, strapped on his shoulders, so that they would not be lost on the way to the hut. as soon as he arrived indoors the bag was opened and emptied; the papers being picked out from a small heap of snow. it was a fortunate thing that no one was lost through failing to discover the hut during the denser drifts. hodgeman on one occasion caused every one a good deal of anxiety. among other things, he regularly assisted madigan by relieving him of outdoor duties on the day after his nightwatch, when the chief meteorologist was due for a "watch below." it was in the early autumn--few of us, then, were adepts at finding our way by instinct--that hodgeman and madigan set out, one morning, for the anemometer. leaving the door of the hut, they lost sight of each other at once, but anticipated meeting at the instrument. madigan reached his destination, changed the records, waited for a while and then returned, expecting to see his companion at the hut. he did not appear, so, after a reasonable interval, search parties set off in different directions. the wind was blowing at eighty miles per hour, making it tedious work groping about and hallooing in the drift. the sea was close at hand and we realized that, as the wind was directly off shore, a man without crampons was in a dangerous situation. two men, therefore, roped together and carefully searched round the head of the boat harbour; one anchoring himself with an ice-axe, whilst the other, at the end of the rope, worked along the edge of the sea. meanwhile hodgeman returned to the hut, unaided, having spent a very unpleasant two hours struggling from one landmark to another, his outer garments filled with snow. the fact that the wind came steadily from the same direction made it possible to steer, otherwise outdoor operations would not have been conducted so successfully. for instance, webb, who visited the magnetograph house, a quarter of a mile distant, at least once a day, made his way between various "beacons" by preserving a definite bearing on the wind. his journeys were rendered all the more difficult because they were frequently undertaken at night. in struggling along through very dense drifts one would be inclined to think that the presence of the sun was a matter of small concern. as a matter of fact there was, during the day, a good deal of reflected white light and a dark object looms up within a yard or two. in darkness there was nothing to recognize. so webb would often run by dead reckoning on to the roof of the hut, and would then feel his way round it till he caught the glimmer of a hurricane lantern coming through the veranda entrance. i had always the greatest admiration for the unfailing manner in which those responsible for the tidal, magnetic and meteorological work carried out their duties. as a measure of the enormous amount of drift, we set about constructing a gauge, which, it was hoped, would give us a rough estimate of the quantity passing the hut in a year. hannam, following the approved design, produced a very satisfactory contrivance. it consisted of a large drift-tight box, fitted on the windward side with a long metal cone, tapering to an aperture three-quarters of an inch in diameter. the drift-laden air entered the aperture, its speed was checked on entering the capacious body of the gauge and consequently the snow fell to the bottom of the box and the air passed out behind through a trap-door. the catch was taken out periodically through a bolted lid, the snow was melted, the resulting water measured and its weight calculated. [text illustration] the drift gauge in thick drifts, one's face inside the funnel of the burberry helmet became rapidly packed with snow, which, by the warmth of the skin and breath, was changed into a mask of ice. this adhered firmly to the rim of the helmet and to the beard and face. the mask became so complete that one had to clear away obstructions continually from the eyes. it was not easy to remove the casing of ice, outside in the wind, because this could only be done slowly, with bare fingers exposed. an experienced man, once inside the hut, would first see that the ice was broken along the rim of the helmet; otherwise, when it came to be hastily dragged off, the hairs of the beard would follow as well. as soon as the helmet was off the head, the icicles hanging on the beard and glazing the eyelashes were gradually thawed by the fingers and removed. the above treatment was learned by experience. the abrasion-effects produced by the impact of the snow particles were astonishing. pillars of ice were cut through in a few days, rope was frayed, wood etched and metal polished. some rusty dog-chains were exposed to it, and, in a few days, they had a definite sheen. a deal box, facing the wind, lost all its painted bands and in a fortnight was handsomely marked; the hard, knotty fibres being only slightly attacked, whilst the softer, pithy laminae were corroded to a depth of one-eighth of an inch. the effect of constant abrasion upon the snow's surface is to harden it, and, finally, to carve ridges known as sastrugi. of these much will be said when recounting our sledging adventures, because they increase so much the difficulties of travelling. even hard, blue ice may become channelled and pitted by the action of drift. again, both neve and ice may receive a wind-polish which makes them very slippery. of the effect of wind and drift upon rock, there was ample evidence around winter quarters. regarded from the north, the aspect of the rocks was quite different from that on the southern side. the southern, windward faces were on the whole smooth and rounded, but there was no definite polish, because the surface was partly attacked by the chipping and splitting action of frost. the leeward faces were rougher and more disintegrated. more remarkable still were the etchings of the non-homogeneous banded rocks. the harder portions of these were raised in relief, producing quite an artistic pattern. in regard to the drift, a point which struck me was the enormous amount of cold communicated to the sea by billions of tons of low-temperature snow thrown upon its surface. the effect upon the water, already at freezing-point, would be to congeal the surface at once. whilst the wind continued, however, there was no opportunity for a crust to form, the uppermost layers being converted into a pea-soup-like film which streamed away to the north. a description of the drifts of adelie land would not be complete without mentioning the startling electrical effects which were sometimes observed. the first record of these was made by mclean, when on night-watch on march . while taking the observations at midnight, he noticed st. elmo's fire, a "brush discharge" of electricity, on the points of the nephoscope. as the weather became colder this curious phenomenon increased in intensity. at any time in the drift, an electroscope exposed outside became rapidly charged. a spark gap in a vacuum, connected with a free end of wire, gave a continuous discharge. at times, when the effects were strong, the night-watchman would find the edges and wire stays of the screen outlined in a fashion reminiscent of a pyrotechnic display or an electric street-advertisement. the corners of boxes and points of rock glowed with a pale blue light. the same appeared over points on the clothing, on the mitts and round the funnel of the helmet. no sensation was transmitted to the body from these points of fire, at least nothing sufficiently acute to be felt, with the drift and wind lashing on the body outside. however, the anemograph several times discharged a continuous stream of sparks into madigan's fingers while he was changing the records. once these sparks reached half an inch in length, and, as his fingers were bared for the work, there was no mistaking the feeling. for regular observations on the subject, correll fixed a pointed collector--a miniature lightning-conductor--above the flagpole on the summit of the roof. a wire was led through an insulator, so that the stream of electricity could be subjected to experiment in the hut. here a "brush" of blue light radiated outwards to a distance of one inch. when a conductor was held close to it, a rattling volley of sparks immediately crossed the interval and the air was pervaded with a strong smell of ozone. of course sparks were not always being emitted by the collector, and it was important to determine the periods of activity. to ensure this, hurley devised an automatic arrangement, so that an electric bell was set ringing whenever a current was passing; the night-watchman would then note the fact in the log-book. however, the bell responded so often and so vigorously that it was soon dismantled for the benefit of sleepers. it was singular that the "brush discharge" was sometimes most copious when the atmosphere was filled with very fine drift, and not necessarily during dense drift. after what has been said, it will be obvious that the drift-laden hurricanes of the country were more than ordinarily formidable. they scarcely seemed to provide a subject for poetic inspiration; still the following effusion appeared by mclean, editor of the 'adelie blizzard':-- the blizzard a snow-hush brooding o'er the grey rock-hills! a wold of silence, ominous, that fills the wide seascape of ice-roofed islands, rolls to ether-zones that gird the frigid poles! realm of purest alabaster-white, wreathed in a vast infinitude of light; the royal orb swings to thy summer gaze a glitt'ring azure world of crystal days. the lorn bird-voices of an unseen land- no hue of forest, gleam of ocean sand- rise in a ceaseless plaint of raucous din, on northern tides the bergs come floating in. the wind-sprites murmuring in hinter-snow- the pent heart-throbbings of the wan plateau- wing through the pulsing spell thrown o'er the sea, in wild and shrieking blizzard minstrelsy. swirl of the drift-cloud's shimm'ring sleet; race of the spray-smoke's hurtling sheet swelling trail of the streaming, sunbright foam, wafting sinuous brash to an ice-field home. eddy-wraiths o'er the splintered schist- torrent spume down the glacier hissed! throbbing surge of the ebbing seaward gust, raping stillness vast in its madd'ning lust. lotus-floe 'neath the barrier brink, starting sheer--a marble blink- pelting shafts from the show'ring arrow-blast strike--ill the blackened flood seethe riven past. glow of the vibrant, yellow west pallid fades in the dread unrest. low'ring shades through the fury-stricken night rack the screaming void in shudd'ring might. requiem peace from the hinter-snows soft as river music flows. dawn in a flushing glamour tints the sea; serene her thrill of rhythmic ecstasy. sledging was out of the question. indeed, we recognized how fortunate we were not to have pushed farther south in march. had we advanced, it is more than likely that provisions would have been exhausted before we could have located the hut in the sea of drift. our hopes were now centred on midwinter calms. looking through my diary, i notice that on march , "we experienced a rise in spirits because of the improved weather." i find the average velocity of the wind for that day to have been forty-five miles per hour, corresponding to a "strong gale" on the beaufort scale. this tells its own story. when the high wind blew off shore, there was no backswell, on account of the pack-ice to the north quelling the sea. the arrival of a true ocean swell meant that the pack had been dispersed. on march such appears to have been the case, for then, during the day, a big northerly swell set in, dashing over the ice-foot and scattering seaweed on the rocks. after the equinox, the temperatures remained in the vicinity of zero, fahrenheit. the penguins took to the sea, and, save for the glimpse of an occasional petrel on the wing, the landscape was desolate. it was high time that our programme of construction was completed, but, however much we tried, it was impossible to do a great deal in winds exceeding fifty miles an hour. by taking advantage of days freest from drift, the exterior of the hangar was completed by april . after the air-tractor sledge had been moved inside, the snow was piled so high on the leeward face, that the shelter became naturally blocked with a rampart of snow which served admirably in place of the wall of tarpaulin which we originally intended to use. bickerton could now proceed at leisure to make any necessary alterations. the hangar was also used as a store for many articles which had been crowded into odd corners or rescued from the snow outside. to increase its size, tunnels were afterwards driven into the bank of snow and timber was stowed in these so as to be safe from burial and loss. the building was finished just in the nick of time. snow came down so thickly that had the falls occurred a few days earlier, the cases from which the place was constructed would have been effectually buried and the construction made an impossibility. but for the wind, the hut would have been lost to sight. still, it was completely surrounded by massive drifts, and the snow was driven by the wind past the canvas flap and through the entrance, until the veranda became choked. close, who was night-watchman during the early morning hours of april , had the greatest difficulty in getting outside to attend to his duties. to dig his way through the entrance, reach the instruments and to return occupied a whole hour. we were inundated with snow; even a portion of the roof was buried. the situation required immediate attention; so it was decided to make a tunnel connecting the entrance veranda with the store veranda. from the north-western end of the latter, an out-draught had established itself, preserving a vertical funnel-like opening in the snow bank, always free for entrance or exit. this proved a fortunate accident. further, a second tunnel, over twenty feet in length, was driven out from the original entrance with a view to reaching the surface at a point beyond the lee of the hut. it was thought that the scouring effect of the wind, there, would keep the opening of the tunnel free of drift. but when completed, it filled rapidly with snow and had to be sealed. it was then used to receive slop-water. while the fever for excavation was at its height, whetter drove, as an off-shoot to the first, another tunnel which came to be used as a nursery for the pups. at this stage, to leave the hut, it was necessary to crawl through a low trap-door in the wall of the inside or entrance veranda; the way then led to the connecting tunnel and onwards to the store veranda; finally one climbed through a manhole in the snow into the elements without. from the store veranda there was access to the hangar by a hinged door in the common wall, and, as an additional convenience, a trap-door was made in the roof of the inner veranda to be used during spells of clear weather or in light drift. the old landmarks became smothered in snow, making the hut's position a matter of greater uncertainty. a journey by night to the magnetic huts was an outing with a spice of adventure. climbing out of the veranda, one was immediately swallowed in the chaos of hurtling drift, the darkness sinister and menacing. the shrill wind fled by-- ...the noise of a drive of the dead, striving before the irresistible will through the strange dusk of this, the debatable land between their place and ours. unseen wizard hands clutched with insane fury, hacked and harried. it was "the raw-ribbed wild that abhors all life, the wild that would crush and rend." cowering blindly, pushing fiercely through the turmoil, one strove to keep a course to reach the rocks in which the huts were hidden--such and such a bearing on the wind--so far. when the rocks came in sight, the position of the final destination was only deduced by recognising a few surrounding objects. on the return journey, the vicinity of the hut would be heralded by such accidents as tripping over the "wireless" ground wires or kicking against a box or a heap of coal briquettes. these clues, properly followed up, would lead to the hut itself, or at least to its shelving roof. in the very thick drifts it was even possible to stand on portions of the roof without any notion of the fact. fossicking about, one kept on the alert for the feel of woodwork. when found and proved to be too extensive to be a partially buried box, it might safely be concluded to be some part of the roof, and only required to be skirted in order to reach the vertical entrance. the lost man often discovered this pitfall by dropping suddenly through into the veranda. at the entrance to the tunnel, the roar of the tempest died away into a rumble, the trap-door opened and perhaps the strains of the gramophone would come in a kind of flippant defiance from the interior. passing through the vestibule and work-room one beheld a scene in utter variance with the outer hell. here were warm bunks, rest, food, light and companionship--for the time being, heaven! outside, the crude and naked elements of a primitive and desolate world flowed in writhing torrents. the night-watchman's duty of taking the meteorological observations at the screen adjacent to the hut was a small matter compared with the foregoing. first of all, it was necessary for him to don a complete outfit of protective clothing. dressing and undressing were tedious, and absorbed a good deal of time. at the screen, he would spend a lively few minutes wrestling in order to hold his ground, forcing the door back against the pressure of wind, endeavouring to make the light shine on the instruments, and, finally, clearing them of snow and reading them. for illumination a hurricane lantern wrapped in a calico wind-shield was first used, to be displaced later by an electrical signalling-lamp and, while the batteries lasted, by a light permanently fixed by hannam in the screen itself. to assist in finding the manhole on his return, the night-watchman was in the habit of leaving a light burning in the outer veranda. i remember waking up early one morning to find the hut unusually cold. on rising, i discovered hurley also awake, busy lighting the fire which had died out. there was no sign of correll, the night-watchman, and we found that the last entry in the log-book had been made several hours previously. hurley dressed in full burberrys and went out to make a search, in which he was soon successful. it appeared that correll, running short of coal during the early morning hours, had gone out to procure some from the stack. while he was returning to the entrance, the wind rolled him over a few times, causing him to lose his bearings. it was blowing a hurricane, the temperature was - f., and the drift-snow was so thick as to be wall-like in opacity. he abandoned his load of coal, and, after searching about fruitlessly for some time in the darkness, he decided to wait for dawn. hurley found him about twenty yards from the back of the hut. the suppression of outdoor occupations reacted in an outburst of indoor work. the smaller room had been well fitted up as a workshop, and all kinds of schemes were in progress for adapting our sledging-gear and instruments to the severe conditions. correll worked long hours to keep up with the demands made upon him. nobody was idle during the day, for, when there was nothing else to be done, there always remained the manufacture and alteration of garments and crampons. as soon as the wind abated to a reasonable velocity, there was a rush to the outside jobs. lulls would come unexpectedly, activity inside ceased, and the hut, as seen by a spectator, resembled an ants' nest upon which a strange foot had trodden: eighteen men swarming through the manhole in rapid succession, hurrying hither and thither. the neighbouring sea still remained free from an ice-crust. this, of course, did not mean that freezing was not going on continuously. on the contrary, the chilling was no doubt accelerated, but the bulk of the ice was carried off to the north as fast as it was formed. quantities, however, remained as ground-ice, anchored to the kelp and stones on the bottom. gazing down through the clear waters one saw a white, mamillated sheath covering the jungle of giant seaweed, recalling a forest after a heavy snowfall. the ice, instead of being a dead weight bearing down the branches, tended to float, and, when accumulated in large masses, sometimes succeeded in rising to the surface, uprooting and lifting great lengths of seaweed with it. one branching stem, found floating in the harbour, measured eighteen feet in length. whenever a temporary calm intervened, a skin of ice quickly appeared over the whole surface of the water. in the early stages, this formation consisted of loose, blade-like crystals, previously floating freely below the surface and rising by their own buoyancy. at the surface, if undisturbed, they soon became cemented together. for example, during a calm interval on april , within the interval of an hour, an even crust, one inch thick, covered the sea. but the wind returned before the ice was sufficiently strong to resist it, and it all broke up and drifted away to the north, except a piece which remained wedged firmly between the sides of the boat harbour. in the calm weather, abundant "worms" freely swimming, jelly-fish, pteropods and small fish were observed. traps were lowered along the edge of the harbour-ice and dredgings were made in every possible situation. the bulk of the biological collecting was effected under circumstances in which hunter and laseron might well have given up work in disgust. for instance, i noted in my diary that on may , with an off shore wind of forty-three miles per hour, they and several others were dredging from the edge of the slippery bay-ice. the temperature at the time was - degrees f. during april the head of the boat harbour froze over permanently, the ice reaching a thickness of eighteen inches in ten days. by that time it was strong enough to be suitable for a tide-gauge. this was one of bage's charges, destined to take him out for many months in fair and foul weather. there were several occasions in april when the velocity of the wind exceeded ninety miles an hour. on the evening of the th, the wind slackened, and for part of the th had almost fallen to a calm. this brought the optimists to the fore, once again, with the theory that the worst was over. the prediction was far from being fulfilled, for, as the days passed, the average velocity steadily rose. on may the average for the twenty-four hours was eighty miles per hour. by that time the hut had been further protected by a crescent of cases, erected behind the first break-wind. in height this erection stood above the hangar, and, when the snow became piled in a solid ramp on the leeward side, it was more compact than ever. inside the hut extra struts were introduced, stiffening the principal rafters on the southern side. it was reassuring to know that these precautions had been taken, for, on may , the wind blew at an average velocity of ninety miles per hour throughout the whole twenty-four hours. having failed to demolish us by dogged persistence, the hurricane tried new tactics on the evening of may , in the form of a terrific series of herculean gusts. as we learned afterwards, the momentary velocity of these doubtless approached two hundred miles per hour. at . p.m. the situation was cheerfully discussed, though every one was tuned up to a nervous pitch as the hut creaked and shuddered under successive blows. it seemed very doubtful whether the roof would resist the gusts, and the feasibility of the meat cellar as a last haven of refuge was discussed. after the passage of each gust, the barometer dropped, rising again immediately afterwards. similar pulsations of the barometer were observed many times later in the year. the maximum sudden movement noted was one-fifth inch. had the interior of the hut been more freely in communication with the outside air, instead of resembling a hermetically sealed box, the "kicks" would undoubtedly have been much greater. cyclonic gusts were repeated a few days after, when the upper tiers of boxes composing the break-wind were thrown down and pebbles from the moraine were hurled on the roof. the average velocity of the wind for each of the three autumn months was as follows: march, miles per hour; april, . miles per hour, and may . miles per hour. on may the temperatures became lower, so that it was difficult to move about in the gales without the face getting frost-bitten. our usual remedy when this occurred was to hold a mitt over the part affected; thus sheltered, its circulation of blood was soon re-established, unless the cold were very intense. in the extremities--the fingers and toes--warmth was not so easily restored. returning from attending the instruments at noon on may , madigan, according to the usual habit, before taking off his wind-proof clothes, commenced clearing away the ice adhering to his helmet and face. one white patch refused to leave the side of his face, until some one observed that it was a frost-bite, and acquainted him of the fact. frost-bites that day were excusable enough, for the wind was blowing between ninety-five and hundred miles per hour, there was dense drifting snow and a temperature of - degrees f. we had found an accursed country. on the fringe of an unspanned continent along whose gelid coast our comrades had made their home--we knew not where--we dwelt where the chill breath of a vast, polar wilderness, quickening to the rushing might of eternal blizzards, surged to the northern seas. already, and for long months we were beneath "frost-fettered winter's frown." chapter viii domestic life our hearth and home was the living hut and its focus was the stove. kitchen and stove were indissolubly linked, and beyond their pale was a wilderness of hanging clothes, boots, finnesko, mitts and what not, bounded by tiers of bunks and blankets, more hanging clothes and dim photographs between the frost-rimed cracks of the wooden walls. one might see as much in the first flicker of the acetylene through a maze of hurrying figures, but as his eyes grew accustomed to the light, the plot would thicken: books orderly and disorderly, on bracketed shelves, cameras great and small in motley confusion, guns and a gramophone-horn, serpentine yards of gas-tubing, sewing machines, a microscope, rows of pint-mugs, until--thud! he has obstructed a wild-eyed messman staggering into the kitchen with a box of ice. the wilderness was always inhabited, so much so that it often became a bear-garden in which raucous good humour prevailed over everything. noise was a necessary evil, and it commenced at . a.m., with the subdued melodies of the gramophone, mingled with the stirring of the porridge-pot and the clang of plates deposited none too gently on the table. at . a.m. came the stentorian: "rise and shine!" of the night-watchman, and a curious assortment of cat-calls, beating on pots and pans and fragmentary chaff. at the background, so to speak, of all these sounds was the swishing rush of the wind and the creaking strain of the roof, but these had become neglected. in fact, if there were a calm, every one was restless and uneasy. the seasoned sleeper who survived the ten minutes' bombardment before o'clock was an unusual person, and he was often the astronomer royal. besides his dignified name he possessed a wrist-watch, and there was never a movement in his mountain of blankets until . a.m., unless the jocular night-watchman chose to make a heap of them on the floor. to calls like "breakfast all ready! porridge on the table getting cold!" seventeen persons in varying stages of wakefulness responded. no one was guilty of an elaborate toilet, water being a scarce commodity. there were adherents of the snow-wash theory, but these belonged to an earlier and warmer epoch of our history. for downright, tantalizing cheerfulness there was no one to equal the night-watchman. while others strove to collect their befuddled senses, this individual prated of "wind eighty miles per hour with moderate drift and brilliant st. elmo's fire." he boasted of the number of garments he had washed, expanded vigorously on bread making--his brown, appetizing specimens in full public view--told of the latest escapade among the dogs, spoke of the fitful gleams of the aurora between . and a.m., of his many adventures on the way to the meteorological screen and so forth; until from being a mere night-watchman he had raised himself to the status of a public hero. for a time he was most objectionable, but under the solid influence of porridge, tinned fruit, fresh bread, butter and tea and the soothing aroma of innumerable pipes, other public heroes arose and ousted this upstart of the night. meanwhile, the latter began to show signs of abating energy after twelve hours' work. soon some wag had caught him having a private nap, a whispered signal was passed round and the unfortunate hero was startled into life with a rousing "rise and shine!" in which all past scores were paid off. every one was at last awake and the day began in earnest. the first hint of this came from the messman and cook who commenced to make a herculean sweep of the pint-mugs and tin plates. the former deferentially proceeded to scrape the plates, the master-cook presiding over a tub of boiling water in which he vigorously scoured knives, forks and spoons, transferring them in dripping handfuls to the cleanest part of the kitchen-table. cooks of lyric inclination would enliven the company with the score of the latest gramophone opera, and the messman and company would often feel impelled to join in the choruses. the night-watchman had sunk into log-like slumber, and the meteorologist and his merry men were making preparations to go abroad. the merry men included the ice-carrier, the magnetician, the two wardens of the dogs, the snow-shoveller and coal-carrier and the storeman. the rest subdivided themselves between the living hut at degrees f. and the outer hut below freezing-point, taking up their endless series of jobs. the merry men began to make an organized raid on the kitchen. around and above the stove hung oddments like wolf-skin mitts, finnesko, socks, stockings and helmets, which had passed from icy rigidity through sodden limpness to a state of parchment dryness. the problem was to recover one's own property and at the same time to avoid the cook scraping the porridge saucepan and the messman scrubbing the table. the urbane storeman saved the situation by inquiring of the cook: "what will you have for lunch?" then followed a heated colloquy, the former, like a cingalese vendor, having previously made up his mind. the argument finally crystallized down to lambs' tongues and beetroot, through herrings and tomato sauce, fresh herrings, kippered herrings, sardines and corn beef. the second question was a preliminary to more serious business; "what would you like for dinner?" although much trouble might have been saved by reference to the regulation programme, which was composed to provide variety in diet and to eliminate any remote chance of scurvy, most cooks adopted an attitude of surly independence, counting it no mean thing to have wheedled from the storeman a few more ounces of "glaxo," another tin of peas or an extra ration of penguin meat. all this chaffering took place in the open market-place, so to speak, and there was no lack of frank criticism from bystanders, onlookers and distant eavesdroppers. in case the cook was worsted, the messman sturdily upheld his opinions, and in case the weight of public opinion was too much for the storeman, he slipped on his felt mitts, shouldered a venesta box and made for the tunnel which led to the store. he reaches an overhead vent admitting a cool torrent of snow, and with the inseparable box plunges ahead into darkness. an hour later his ruddy face reappears in the hut, and a load of frosted tins is soon unceremoniously dumped on to the kitchen table. the cook in a swift survey notes the absence of penguin meat. "that'll take two hours to dig out!" is the storeman's rejoinder, and to make good his word, proceeds to pull off blouse and helmet. by careful inquiry in the outer hut he finds an ice-axe, crowbar and hurricane lantern. the next move is to the outer veranda, where a few loose boards are soon removed, and the storeman, with a lithe twist, is out of sight. we have pushed the tools down and, following the storeman, painfully squeezed into an arcadia of starry mounds of snow and glistening plaques of ice, through which project a few boulders and several carcases of mutton. the storeman rummages in the snow and discloses a pile of penguins, crusted hard together in a homogeneous lump. dislodging a couple of penguins appears an easy proposition, but we are soon disillusioned. the storeman seizes the head of one bird, wrenches hard, and off it breaks as brittle as a stalactite. the same distracting thing happens to both legs, and the only remedy is to chip laboriously an icy channel around it. in a crouching or lying posture, within a confined space, this means the expenditure of much patience, not to mention the exhaustion of all invective. a crowbar decides the question. one part of the channel is undermined, into this the end of the crowbar is thrust and the penguin shoots up and hits the floor of the hut. the storeman, plastered with snow, reappears hot and triumphant before the cook, but this dignitary is awkwardly kneading the dough of wholemeal scones, and the messman is feeding the fire with seal-blubber to ensure a "quick" oven. every one is too busy to notice the storeman, for, like the night-watchman, his day is over and he must find another job. jobs in the hut were the elixir of life, and a day's cooking was no exception to the rule. it began at a.m., and, with a brief intermission between lunch and afternoon tea, continued strenuously till . p.m. cooks were broadly classified as "crook cooks" and "unconventional cooks" by the eating public. such flattering titles as "assistant grand past master of the crook cooks' association" or "associate of the society of muddling messmen" were not empty inanities; they were founded on solid fact--on actual achievement. if there were no constitutional affiliation, strong sympathy undoubtedly existed between the "crook cooks' association" and "the society of muddling messmen." both contained members who had committed "championships." "championship" was a term evolved from the local dialect, applying to a slight mishap, careless accident or unintentional disaster in any department of hut life. the fall of a dozen plates from the shelf to the floor, the fracture of a table-knife in frozen honey, the burning of the porridge or the explosion of a tin thawing in the oven brought down on the unfortunate cook a storm of derisive applause and shouts of "championship! championship!" thawing-out tinned foods by the heroic aid of a red-hot stove was a common practice. one day a tin of baked beans was shattered in the "port" oven, and fragments of dried beans were visible on the walls and door for weeks. our military cook would often facetiously refer to "platoon-firing in the starboard oven." one junior member of the "crook cooks' association" had the hardihood to omit baking powder in a loaf of soda-bread, trusting that prolonged baking would repair the omission. the result was a "championship" of a very superior order. being somewhat modest, he committed it through the trap-door to the mercy of the wind, and for a time it was lost in the straggling rubbish which tailed away to the north. even the prowling dogs in their wolfish hunger could not overcome a certain prejudice. of course some one found it, and the public hailed it with delight. a searching inquiry was made, but the perpetrator was never discovered. that loaf, however, like the proverbial bad penny, turned up for months. when the intricate system of snow-tunnels was being perfected, it was excavated. in the early summer, when the aeroplane was dug out of the hangar, that loaf appeared once more, and almost the last thing we saw when leaving the hut, nearly two years after, was this petrifaction on an icy pedestal near the boat harbour. no one ever forgot the roly-poly pudding made without suet; synthetic rubber was its scientific name. and the muddling messman could never be surpassed who lost the cutter of the sausage machine and put salt-water ice in the melting-pots. there appeared in the columns of 'the adelie blizzard' an article by the meteorologist descriptive of an occasion when two members of the "crook cooks' association" officiated in the kitchen: terebus and error in eruption an 'orrible affair in one act by a survivor dramatis personae terebus | | crook cooks error | other expedition members scene: kitchen, winter quarters. time: . p.m. error. now, terebus, just bring me a nice clean pot, will you? terebus [from his bunk]. go on, do something yourself! error. do something? i've done everything that has been done this afternoon. terebus. well, you ought to feel pretty fresh. error. and all the melting-pots are empty and i'm not going to fill them. besides, it's not in the regulations. voices. who's going crook? error! [terebus climbs from his bunk and exit for ice. error attempts to extricate a pot from the nails in the shelves. loud alarums. voices. champ-ion-ship! [alarums without. loud cries of "door!" enter terebus with box of ice; fills all the pots on the stove. error. good heavens, man, you've filled up the tea water with ice. terebus [with hoarse laugh]. never mind, they won't want so much glaxo to cool it. error [who has meanwhile been mixing bread]. what shall we bake the bread in? i believe it is considered that a square tin is more suitable for ordinary ovens, but, on the other hand, nansen in his 'farthest north' used flat dishes. terebus. use a tin. there'll be less surface exposed to the cold oven. error. what's all this water on the floor? i thought my feet seemed cold. some one must have upset a bucket. terebus. oh, it's one of the taps turned on. never mind, there's plenty more ice where that came from. get your sea-boots. [enter meteorological staff and others with snow-covered burberrys, mitts, etc., crowd kitchen and hang impedimenta round the stove. great tumult. terebus. here, out of the kitchen. this isn't the time to worry the cooks. error. take those burberrys away, please, old man. they're dripping into the soup. terebus. give it some flavour at least. [great activity in the crater of error while terebus clears the kitchen. error continues stirring soup and tapioca custard on the stove. strong smell of burning. voices [in peculiarly joyful chorus]. something burning! error [aside to terebus]. it's all right. it will taste all right. say it's cloth on the stove. terebus. somebody's burberrys burning against the stove!! [general rush to the stove. terebus. it's all right, i've taken them away. [interval, during which much sotto voce discussion is heard in the kitchen. error. we haven't put the spinach on to thaw and it's after six o'clock. terebus. warm it up and put it on the table with the tin-openers. error. i'm afraid that's against the regulations. put it in the oven and shut the door. [terebus does so. later, terrific explosion, followed by strong smell of spinach. voices. what's the matter? terebus in eruption! terebus [wiping spinach off his face]. nothing wrong. only a tin of spinach opened automatically. error. it's plastered all over the oven and on everything. terebus. don't worry, it will be served up with the baked penguin. [period of partial quiescence of terebus and error, which is regarded as an evil omen. error [in persuasive tone]. have you made the tea, old boy? it's nearly half-past six. [terebus takes off the lid of the tea-boiler, peers inside, making a scoop with his hand. error. here, don't do that. mind your hands. terebus. it's all right, it's not hot. error. what shall we do, then? we'll never keep them quiet if we are late with the tea. terebus. put the tea in now. it will be warmed up by the second course. [terebus puts the infusers in the pot and stirs them round. error. taste it. [both taste with a dirty spoon. terebus. tastes like your soup--'orrible! error. there's nothing wrong with the soup. you attend to the tea. terebus. i think we'll have coffee. pass the coffee and i'll put that in and bring it to the boil. the coffee will kill the taste of the tea. error. hope you make it stronger than that. [during quiescent stage while each is thinking of a retort, . p.m. arrives, and the soup is put on the table. interval elapses during which the victims are expected to eat the soup. voices [in loud chant from the table]. how did you do it, error? terebus [after a suitable period]. any one like any more soup? a voice. couldn't risk it, governor. terebus. bowls up! lick spoons! [bowls are cleared away and baked penguin is put on the table. error. cooks have got their penguin, gentlemen. [suspicious glances exchanged at table. later, monotonous chant goes up, preceded by a soft "one, two, three." "didn't scrape the blubber off, error." [plates cleared away and scraped into dogs' bucket. error takes tapioca custard from oven in two dishes. error [aside to terebus]. take some out of this one for us and don't forget to put that dish in front of the doctor, because i spilled soda in the other. [terebus takes two large helpings out and puts rest on table as directed. terebus. you need not remember the cooks, gentlemen. a voice. don't want to, if i can manage it. error [aside to terebus]. put on the algerian sweets, and then we can have ours. terebus [taking several handfuls]. we'll put these aside for perks. [the sweets on the table, terebus and error retire to kitchen to have their dinner. error. is this my pudding? it's only an ordinary share. [terebus is too busy to reply, and further eruption is prevented by the temporary plugging of error. cooking, under the inspiration of mrs. beeton, became a fine art: on bones we leave no meat on, for we study mrs. beeton. so said the song. on birthdays and other auspicious occasions dishes appeared which would tempt a gourmet. puff-pastry, steam-puddings, jellies and blancmanges, original potages and consommes, seal curried and spiced, penguin delicately fried, vegetables reflavoured, trimmed and adorned were received without comment as the culinary standard rose. birthdays were always greeted with special enthusiasm. speeches were made, toasts were drunk, the supple boards of the table creaked with good things, cook and messman vied with each other in lavish hospitality, the hut was ornate with flags, every man was spruce in his snowiest cardigan and neck-cloth, the gramophone sang of music-hall days, the wind roared its appreciation through the stove-pipe, and rollicking merriment was supreme. on such occasions the photographer and the biologist made a genial combination. the dark-room was the nursery of the topical song. there, by lantern or candle-stump, wit rabelaisian, aristophanic or antarctic was cradled into rhyme. from there, behind the scenes, the comedian in full dress could step before the footlights into salvoes of savage applause. "a pair of unconventional cooks are we, are we," and the famous refrain, "there he is, that's him," were long unrivalled in our musical annals. celebrations were carried on into the night, but no one forgot the cook and the messman. the table was cleared by many willing hands, some brought in ice and coal or swept the floor, others scraped plates or rinsed out mugs and bowls. soon, everything had passed through the cauldron of water, soap and soda to the drying-towels and on to the shelves. the main crowd then repaired with pipes and cigars to "hyde park corner," where the storeman, our raconteur par excellence, entertained the smokers' club. a mixed concert brought the evening to the grand finale--"auld lang syne." after events of this character, the higher shelves of the kitchen, in the interstices between thermographs, photographic plates ink bottles, and russian stout, abounded with titbits of pie crust, blancmange, jelly, vienna rusks, preserved figs, and other "perks." such "perks," or perquisites, were the property of the presiding cook or night-watchman and rarely survived for more than a day. the mania for celebration became so great that reference was frequently made to the almanac. during one featureless interval, the anniversary of the first lighting of london by gas was observed with extraordinary eclat. the great medium of monetary exchange in the hut was chocolate. a ration of thirty squares was distributed by the storeman every saturday night, and for purposes of betting, games of chance, "calcutta sweeps" on the monthly wind-velocity and general barter, chocolate held the premier place. at the "sweeps," the meteorologist stood with a wooden hammer behind the table, and the gaming public swarmed on the other side. numbers ranging from "low field" and forty-five to sixty-five and "high field" were sold by auction to the highest bidder. excitement was intense while the cartographer in clerical glasses worked out the unknown number. as a consequence of wild speculation, there were several cases of bankruptcy, which was redeemed in the ordinary way by a sale of the debtor's effects. two financiers, indifferent to the charms of chocolate, established a corner or "bank" in the commodity. "the bank," by barter and usurious methods, amassed a great heap of well-thumbed squares, and, when accused of rapacity, invented a scheme for the common good known as "huntoylette." this was a game of chance similar to roulette, and for a while it completely gulfed the trusting public. in the reaction which followed, there was a rush on "the bank," and the concern was wound up, but the promoters escaped with a large profit in candles and chocolate. throughout the winter months, work went on steadily even after dinner, and hours of leisure were easy to fill. some wrote up their diaries, played games, or smoked and yarned; others read, developed photos, or imitated the weary cook and went to bed. the mackellar library, so called after the donor, was a boon to all, and the literature of polar exploration was keenly followed and discussed. taste in literature varied, but among a throng of eighteen, the majority of whom were given to expressing their opinions in no uncertain terms--there were no rigid conventions in adelie land--every book had a value in accordance with a common standard. there was not a dissenting voice to the charm of 'lady betty across the water', and the reason for this was a special one. the sudden breath of a world of warmth and colour, richness and vivacity and astute, american freshness amid the somewhat grim attractions of an antarctic winter was too much for every one. lady betty, in the realm of bright images, had a host of devoted admirers. her influence spread beyond the hut to the plateau itself. three men went sledging, and to shelter themselves from the rude wind fashioned an ice-cavern, which, on account of its magical hues and rare lustre, could be none other than "aladdin's cave." lady betty found her hero in a fairy grotto of the same name. 'lorna doone', on the other hand, was liked by many. still there were those who thought that john ridd was a fool, a slow, obtuse rustic, and so on, while lorna was too divine and angelic for this life. 'the war of the carolinas' took the hut by storm, but it was a "nine days' wonder" and left no permanent impression on the thinking community. mostly, the story was voted delightfully funny, but very foolish and farcical after all. a few exclusive critics predicted for it a future. then there was 'the trail of ' '. for power and blunt realism there was nothing like it, but the character of the hero was torn in the shreds of debate. there was general agreement on two points: that the portrayal of the desolate alaskan wild had a touch of "home," and that the heroine was a "true sport." all those who had ever hauled on the main braces, sung the topsail-halliard chanty, learned the intricate matty walker, the bowline-and-a-bite and a crowd of kindred knots, had a warm spot for any yarn by jacobs. night after night, the storeman held the audience with the humorous escapades of 'ginger dick', 'sam' and 'peter russet'. and lastly, there was a more serious, if divided interest in 'virginibus puerisque', 'marcus aurelius', 'the unveiling of lhassa'--but the list is rather interminable. the whole world is asleep except the night-watchman, and he, having made the bread, washed a tubful of clothes, kept the fire going, observed and made notes on the aurora every fifteen minutes and the weather every half-hour, and, finally, having had a bath, indulges in buttered toast and a cup of coffee. the hut is dark, and a shaded burner hangs by a canvas chair in the kitchen. the wind is booming in gusts, the dogs howl occasionally in the veranda, but the night-watchman and his pipe are at peace with all men. he has discarded a heavy folio for a light romance, while the hours scud by, broken only by the observations. the romance is closed, and he steals to his bunk with a hurricane lamp and finds a bundle of letters. he knows them well, but he reads them--again! pearly light rises in the north-east through the lessening drift, and another day has come. chapter ix midwinter and its work; with the advent of the fateful ides of march, winter ii had practically set in, and work outside had a chequered career. when a few calm hours intervened between two blizzards a general rush was made to continue some long-standing job. often all that could be done was to clear the field for action, that is, dig away large accumulations of snow. then the furies would break loose again, and once more we would play the waiting game, meanwhile concerning ourselves with more sedentary occupations. there was a familiar cry when, for some meteorological reason, the wind would relapse into fierce gusts and then suddenly stop, to be succeeded by intense stillness. "dead calm, up with the wireless masts!" every one hastily dashed for his burberrys, and soon a crowd of muffled figures would emerge through the veranda exit, dragging ropes, blocks, picks, and shovels. there was no time to be lost. so the erection of the wireless masts began in earnest on april , continued feverishly till the end of the month, suffered a long period of partial cessation during may and june, was revived in july and august, and, by september , two masts, each consisting of a lower-mast and top-mast, had been raised and stayed, while between them stretched the aerial. for four weeks messages were sent out, and many of them were caught by macquarie island. nothing was heard in adelie land, although, between certain hours, regular watches were kept at the receiver. the aerial was about sixty-five feet from the ground, and it was resolved to increase its height by erecting the top-gallant masts; but before anything considerable could be done, a terrific gust of wind on october broke three wire-stays, and down came the mast, broken and splintered by the fall. that is a brief resume of the fortunes of the "wireless" during the first year. during february and march there were various other operations of more immediate importance which prevented concentration of our workers on the erection of the masts. there were many odd jobs to finish about the hut, the magnetograph house and absolute hut were "under way," the air-tractor sledge had to be efficiently housed, and all these and many other things could be done in weather during which it was out of question to hoist a mast into position. at first we were fastidious and waited for a calm, but later, as we grew more impatient, a top-mast was actually hauled up in a wind of thirty miles per hour, with gusts of higher velocity. such work would sometimes be interrupted by a more furious outbreak, when all ropes would be secured and everything made as ship-shape as possible. on march the following note was made: "the wind was on the cool side just after breakfast. a few loads of wireless equipment were sledged up to the rocks at the back of the hut, and by the time several masts were carried to the same place we began to warm to the work. one of hannam's coils of frozen rope (one hundred and twenty fathoms) had become kinked and tangled, so we dragged it up the ice-slope, straightened it out and coiled it up again. several 'dead men' to hold the stays were sunk into ice-holes, and, during the afternoon, one mast was dragged into position by a willing crowd. rocks were sledged to and packed around the 'dead men' in the holes to make them compact. towards sundown snow clouds filled the northern sky and a blizzard sprang up which is now doing sixty miles per hour. we philosophically expect another week cooped up in the hut." it took a long time to establish the twenty good anchorages necessary for the masts. within a radius of eighty yards from the centre, ice-holes were dug, cairns of heavy boulders were built and rocky prominences dynamited off to secure an efficient holding for the stout "strops" of rope. april was a typical day: "we spent the morning fixing up 'strops' for the wireless masts. the wind was blowing strongly in fifty- to sixty-mile gusts with drift, but most of the fellows 'stuck at it' all day. it was cold work on the hands and feet. handling picks and shovels predisposes to frost-bite. several charges of dynamite were fired in one hole wherein a mast will be stepped." each mast, of oregon timber, was in four sections. the lowest section was ten inches square and tapered upwards to the small royal mast at a prospective height of one hundred and twenty feet. at an early stage it was realized that we could not expect to erect more than three sections. round the steel caps at each doubling a good deal of fitting had to be done, and bickerton, in such occupation, spent many hours aloft throughout the year. fumbling with bulky mitts, handling hammers and spanners, and manipulating nuts and bolts with bare hands, while suspended in a boatswain's chair in the wind, the man up the mast had a difficult and miserable task. bickerton was the hero of all such endeavours. hannam directed the other workers who steadied the stays, cleared or made fast the ropes, pulled and stood by the hauling tackle and so forth. one day the man on the top-mast dislodged a heavy engineering hammer which he thought secure. no warning was given, as he did not notice that it had fallen. it whizzed down and buried itself in the snow, just grazing the heads of close and hodgeman. the ropes securing the aerial and running through various blocks were in constant danger of chafing during the frequent hurricanes, from their proximity to the mast and stays, or from friction on the sharp edges of the blocks. unknown to us, this had happened to a strong, new manilla rope by which murphy was being hauled to the top of the lower-mast. it gave way, and, but for another rope close by, which he seized to break his fall, an accident might have ensued. frost-bites were common. there were so many occasions when one had to stand for a long time gripping a rope, pulling or maintaining a steady strain, that fingers would promptly become numb and feet unbearably cold. the usual restorative was to stamp about and beat the chest with the hands--an old sailor's trick. attempting to climb to a block on the top-gallant mast one day, mclean had all his fingers frost-bitten at the same time. in may the weather was atrocious, and in june building the astronomical hut and digging ice-shafts on the glacier absorbed a good many hands. in july, despite the enthusiasm and preparation for sledging, much was done. on august the long looked-for top-mast of the southern mast became a reality: "we were early astir--about a.m.--while the pink coloration of dawn was stealing over the peaceful barrier. for once, after months, it was perfectly still. we hurried about making preparations--hauled bickerton up to the cross-trees and awaited the moment when we should raise the top-mast. we pulled it up half-way and bickerton affixed a pin in its centre, above which two stays were to be attached. suddenly, down came the wind in terrific gusts and, after securing the stays, the job had to be given up.... we were just about to have lunch when the wind ceased as suddenly as it had begun. we all sallied out once more, and, this time, completed the job, though for a while the top-mast was in imminent peril of being blown away by a sharp northerly gust." next day the aerial was hoisted in a wind of sixty miles per hour, but the strain was so severe on the block, upwind, that it carried away. fortunately the insulators of the aerial were entangled by the stays in their fall to ground, otherwise some one may have been hurt, as there were a dozen men almost directly below. six days after this accident, august , the top-mast halliard of the down-wind mast frayed through, and as a stronger block was to be affixed for the aerial, some one had to climb up to wire it in position. bickerton improvized a pair of climbing irons, and, after some preliminary practice, ascended in fine style. finally, by september , the aerial was at such a height as to give hope that long-distance messages might be despatched. there was a certain amount of suppressed excitement on the evening of that day when the engine started and gradually got up speed in the dynamo. the sharp note of the spark rose in accompanying crescendo and, when it had reached its highest pitch, hannam struck off a message to the world at large. no response came after several nights of signalling, and, since sledging had usurped every other interest, the novelty soon wore off. "atmospherics"--discharges of atmospheric electricity--and discharges from the drift-snow were heard in the wireless receiver. while messages were being sent, induction effects were noted in metallic objects around the hut. a cook at the stove was the first to discover this phenomenon, and then every one conceived a mania for "drawing" sparks. a rather stimulating experience--the more so as it usually happened unexpectedly and accidentally--was to brush one's head against one of the numerous coils of flexible metal gas-piping festooned about the place. sparks immediately jumped the interval with startling effect. october , the day when the mast blew down, was known in wireless circles as black sunday. all had worked keenly to make the "wireless" a success, and the final event was considered to be a public misfortune. however, the honours were to be retrieved during the following year. it fell to the lot of most of the staff that they developed an interest in terrestrial magnetism. for one thing every man had carried boulders to the great stockade surrounding the magnetograph house. then, too, recorders were regularly needed to assist the magnetician in the absolute hut. there, if the temperature were not too low and the observations not too lengthy, the recorder stepped out into the blizzard with the conviction that he had learned something of value, and, when he sat down to dinner that night, it was with a genial sense of his own altruism. in his diary he would write it all up for his own edification. it would be on this wise: the earth's magnetic force, which is the active agent in maintaining the compass-needle in the magnetic meridian** at any particular spot, acts, not as is popularly supposed, in a horizontal plane, but at a certain angle of inclination with the earth's surface. the nearer the magnetic poles the more nearly vertical does the freely suspended needle become. at the south magnetic pole it assumes a vertical position with the south end downwards; at the north magnetic pole it stands on its other end. at the intermediate positions near the equator the whole force is exerted, swinging the needle in the horizontal plane, and in such regions ordinary ships' compasses pivoted to move freely only in a horizontal plane give the greatest satisfaction. on approaching the magnetic poles, compasses become sluggish, for the horizontal deflecting force falls off rapidly. the force, acting in a vertical direction, tending to make the needle dip, correspondingly increases, but is of no value for navigation purposes. however, in the scientific discussion of terrestrial magnetism, both the horizontal and vertical components as well as the absolute value of the total force are important, and the determination of these "elements" is the work of the magnetician. affecting the average values of the "magnetic elements" at any one spot on the earth's surface are regular diurnal oscillations, apparent only by the application of very delicate methods of observation: also there are sudden large irregular movements referred to as magnetic storms; the latter are always specially noticeable when unusually bright auroral phenomena are in progress. ** the magnetic meridian is the straight line joining the north and south magnetic poles and passing through the spot in question. the observations made in the "absolute hut", carried out at frequent intervals and on each occasion occupying two men for several hours together, are necessary to obtain standard values as a check upon the graphic record of the self-recording instruments which run day and night in the "magnetograph house". but this is another story. three hours, sitting writing figures in a temperature of - degrees f., is no joke. the magnetician is not so badly off, because he is moving about, though he often has to stop and warm his fingers, handling the cold metal. the magnetograph house had by far the most formidable name. the hut, though it symbolized our all in all, sounded very insignificant unless it were repeated with just the right intonation. the absolute hut had a superadded dignity. the hangar, in passing, scarcely seemed to have a right to a capital h. the transit house, on the and other hand, was the only dangerous rival to the first mentioned. but what's in a name? if the magnetograph house had been advertised, it would have been described as "two minutes from the hut." this can easily be understood, for the magnetician after leaving home is speedily blown over a few hillocks and sastrugi, and, coming to an ice-flat about one hundred and fifty yards wide, swiftly slides over it, alighting at the snow-packed door of his house. the outside porch is just roomy enough for a man to slip off burberrys and crampons. the latter are full of steel spikes, and being capable of upsetting magnetic equilibrium, are left outside. walking in soft finnesko, the magnetician opens an inner door, to be at once accosted by darkness, made more intense after the white glare of the snow. his eyes grow accustomed to the blackness, and he gropes his way to a large box almost concealing the feeble glimmer of a lamp. the lamp is the source of the light, projected on to small mirrors attached to the magnetic needles of three variometers. a ray of light is reflected from the mirrors for several feet on to a slit, past which revolves sensitized photographic paper folded on a drum moving by clockwork. the slightest movements of the suspended needles are greatly magnified, and, when the paper is removed and developed in a dark-room, a series of intricate curves denoting declination, horizontal intensity and vertical force, are exquisitely traced. every day the magnetician attends to the lamp and changes papers; also at prearranged times he tests his "scale values" or takes a "quick run." to obtain results as free as possible from the local attraction of the rocks in the neighbourhood, webb resolved to take several sets of observations on the ice-sheet. in order to make the determinations it was necessary to excavate a cave in the glacier. this was done about three-quarters of a mile south of the hut in working shifts of two men. a fine cavern was hewn out, and there full sets of magnetic observations were taken under ideal conditions. on sledging journeys the "dip" and declination were both ascertained at many stations, around and up to within less than half a degree of the south magnetic pole. while the wind rushed by at a maddening pace and stars flashed like jewels in a black sky, a glow of pale yellow light overspread the north-east horizon--the aurora. a rim of dark, stratus cloud was often visible below the light which brightened and diffused till it curved as a low arc across the sky. it was eerie to watch the contour of the arc break, die away into a delicate pallor and reillumine in a travelling riband. soon a long ray, as from a searchlight, flashed above one end, and then a row of vertical streamers ran out from the arc, probing upwards into the outer darkness. the streamers waxed and waned, died away to be replaced and then faded into the starlight. the arc lost its radiance, divided in patchy fragments, and all was dark once more. this would be repeated again in a few hours and irregularly throughout the night, but with scenic changes behind the great sombre pall of the sky. north-west, northeast, and south-east it would elusively appear in nebulous blotches, flitting about to end finally in long bright strands in the zenith, crossing the path of the "milky way." by the observer, who wrote down his exact observations in the meteorological log, this was called a "quiet night." at times the light was nimble, flinging itself about in rich waves, warming to dazzling yellow-green and rose. these were the nights when "curtains" hung festooned in the heavens, alive, rippling, dancing to the lilt of lightning music. up from the horizon they would mount, forming a vortex overhead, soundless within the silence of the ether. a "brilliant display," we would say, and the observer would be kept busy following the track of the evanescent rays. powerless, one was in the spell of an all-enfolding wonder. the vast, solitary snow-land, cold-white under the sparkling star-gems; lustrous in the radiance of the southern lights; furrowed beneath the icy sweep of the wind. we had come to probe its mystery, we had hoped to reduce it to terms of science, but there was always the "indefinable" which held aloof, yet riveted our souls. the aurora was always with us, and almost without exception could be seen on a dark, driftless night. the nature of the aurora polaris has not yet been finally demonstrated, though it is generally agreed to be a discharge of electricity occurring in the upper, more rarefied atmosphere. the luminous phenomena are very similar to those seen when a current of electricity is passed through a vacuum tube. one receives a distinct impression of nearness, watching the shimmering edges of the "curtains" in the zenith, but all measurements indicate that they never descend nearer than a few miles above the land-surface. careful records were taken to establish a relation between magnetic storms and aurorae, and a good deal of evidence was amassed to support the fact that auroral exhibitions correspond with periods of great magnetic disturbance. the displays in adelie land were found to be more active than those which occur in higher latitudes in the ross sea. an occupation which helped to introduce variety in our life was the digging of ice-shafts. for the purpose of making observations upon its structure and temperature various excavations were made in the sea-ice, in the ice of the glacier, and in that of the freshwater lakes. the work was always popular. even a whole day's labour with a pick and shovel at the bottom of an ice-hole never seemed laborious. it was all so novel. a calm morning in june, the sky is clear and the north ablaze with the colours of sunrise--or is it sunset? the air is delicious, and a cool waft comes down the glacier. a deep ultramarine, shading up into a soft purple hue, blends in a colour-scheme with the lilac plateau. two men crunch along in spiked boots over snow mounds and polished sastrugi to the harbour-ice. the sea to the north is glazed with freezing spicules, and over it sweep the petrels--our only living companions of the winter. it is all an inspiration; while hewing out chunks of ice and shovelling them away is the acute pleasure of movement, exercise. the men measure out an area six feet by three feet, and take a preliminary temperature of the surface-ice by inserting a thermometer in a drilled hole. then the ice begins to fly, and it is not long before they are down one foot. nevertheless it would surprise those acquainted only with fresh water ice to find how tough, sticky and intractable is sea-ice. it is always well to work on a definite plan, channelling in various directions, and then removing the intervening lumps by a few rough sweeps of the pick. at a depth of one foot, another temperature is taken, and some large samples of the ice laid by for the examination of their crystalline structure. this is repeated at two feet, and so on, until the whole thickness is pierced to the sea-water beneath. at three feet brine may begin to trickle into the hole, and this increases in amount until the worker is in a puddle. the leakage takes place, if not along cracks, through capillary channels, which are everywhere present in sea-ice. it is interesting to note the temperature gradually rise during the descent. at the surface the ice is chilled to the air-temperature, say - degrees f., and it rises in a steep gradient to approximately degrees f.; close to the freezing-point of sea water. the sea-ice in the boat-harbour varied in thickness during the winter between five and seven feet. in contrast with sea-ice, the ice of a glacier is a marvel of prismatic colour and glassy brilliance. this is more noticeable near the surface when the sun is shining. deep down in a shaft, or in an ice-cavern, the sapphire reflection gives to the human face quite a ghastly pallor. during the high winds it was always easy to dispose of the fragments of ice in the earlier stages of sinking a shaft. to be rid of them, all that was necessary was to throw a shovelful vertically upwards towards the lee-side of the hole, the wind then did the rest. away the chips would scatter, tinkling over the surface of the glacier. of course, when two men were at work, each took it in turns to go below, and the one above, to keep warm, would impatiently pace up and down. nevertheless, so cold would he become at times that a heated colloquy would arise between them on the subject of working overtime. when the shaft had attained depth, both were kept busy. the man at the pit's mouth lowered a bucket on a rope to receive the ice and, in hauling it up, handicapped with clumsy mitts, he had to be careful not to drop it on his companion's head. the structural composition of ice is a study in itself. to the cursory glance a piece of glacier-ice appears homogeneous, but when dissected in detail it is found to be formed of many crystalline, interlocking grains, ranging in size from a fraction of an inch to several inches in diameter. a grain-size of a half to one inch is perhaps commonest in antarctic glacier-ice. the history of antarctic glacier-ice commences with the showers of snow that fall upon the plateau. the snow particles may be blown for hundreds of miles before they finally come to rest and consolidate. the consolidated snow is called neve, the grains of which are one-twenty-fifth to one hundredth of an inch in diameter, and, en masse, present a dazzling white appearance on account of the air spaces which occupy one-third to one-half of the whole. in time, under the influence of a heavy load of accumulated layers of neve, the grains run together and the air spaces are eliminated. the final result is clear, transparent ice, of a more or less sapphire-blue colour when seen in large blocks. it contains only occasional air-bubbles, and the size of the grains is much increased. lake-ice, freezing from the surface downwards, is built up of long parallel prisms, like the cells of a honey-comb on a large scale. in a lakelet near the hut this was beautifully demonstrated. in some places cracks and fissures filled with snow-dust traversed the body of the ice, and in other places long strings of beaded air-bubbles had become entangled in the process of freezing. to lie down on the clear surface and gaze "through the looking-glass" to the rocky bottom, twenty feet below, was a glimpse into "wonderland." in the case of sea-ice, the simple prismatic structure is complicated owing to the presence of saline matter dissolved in the sea water. the saline tracts between the prisms produce a milky or opalescent appearance. the prisms are of fresh water ice, for in freezing the brine is rejected and forced to occupy the interstices of the prisms. water of good drinking quality can be obtained by allowing sea water ice to thaw partially. the brine, of lower freezing-point, flows away, leaving only fresh water ice behind. in this way blocks of sea-ice exposed to the sun's rays are relieved of their salty constituents, and crumble into pellucid gravel when disturbed. a popular subject commanding general interest, apart from the devoted attention of specialists, was zoological collecting. seals and birds were made the prey of every one, and dredging through the sea-ice in winter and spring was always a possible diversion. it was a splendid sight to watch the birds sailing in the high winds of adelie land. in winds of fifty to seventy miles per hour, when with good crampons one had to stagger warily along the ice-foot, the snow petrels and antarctic petrels were in their element. wheeling, swinging, sinking, planing and soaring, they were radiant with life--the wild spirits of the tempest. even in moderate drift, when through swirling snow the vistas of sea whitened under the flail of the wind, one suddenly caught the silver flash of wings and a snow petrel glided past. but most memorable of all were certain winter mornings of unexpected calm, when ruddy clouds tessellated the northern sky and were mirrored in the freezing sea. then the petrels would be en fete, flying over from the east following the line of the barrier, winding round the icy coves, darting across the jutting points and ever onward in their long migration. in the summer they flew for weeks from the west--a never-ending string of snow, silver-grey and antarctic petrels, and cape pigeons. the silver-grey petrels and cape pigeons were only abroad during that season and were accompanied by skua gulls, giant petrels, wilson petrels, and penguins. the penguins remained in adelie land for the longest period--almost six months, the skua gulls and giant petrels for five months, and the rest for a shorter period--the tolerable season of midsummer. birds that haunt the wide oceans all make use of the soaring principle in flight, some much more than others. the beautiful sliding sweep of the albatross is the most familiar example. with wings outspread, it is a miniature aeroplane requiring no engines, for the wind itself supplies the power. a slight movement of the tail-feathers and wing-tips controls its balance with nice precision. birds employing this method of flight find their home in the zone of continuous steady winds which blow across the broad wastes of the southern seas. many petrels on the wing were shot during the winter. laseron, who prepared the skins of our adelie land collection, determined, in the case of a number of specimens, the ratio of weight to horizontal area exposed to the wind. this subject is one which has lately exercised the curiosity of aviators. the ratios are those evolved by nature, and, as such, should be wellnigh perfect. below is appended a table of the results obtained. weight of certain antarctic birds in relation to wing areas (stated in pounds per square foot of wing surface) each is the mean of several determinations by laseron giant petrel........... . albatross ........... . antarctic petrel......... . skua gull ........... . snow petrel ........... . wilson petrel........... . values from a book of reference quoted for comparison bat ........... . sparrow ........... . wild goose ........... . during the winter, for a long period, no seals ventured ashore, though a few were seen swimming in the bay. the force of the wind was so formidable that even a heavy seal, exposed in the open, broadside-on, would be literally blown into the water. this fact was actually observed out on the harbour-ice. a weddell seal made twelve attempts to land on a low projecting shelf--an easy feat under ordinary circumstances. the wind was in the region of eighty-five miles per hour, and every time the clumsy, ponderous creature secured its first hold, back it would be tumbled. once it managed to raise itself on to the flat surface, and, after a breathing spell, commenced to shuffle towards the shelter of some pinnacles on one side of the harbour. immediately its broad flank was turned to the wind it was rolled over, hung for a few seconds on the brink, and then splashed into the sea. on the other hand, during the spring, a few more ambitious seals won their way ashore in high winds; but they did not remain long in the piercing cold, moving uneasily from place to place in search of protecting hummocks and finally taking to the water in despair. often a few hours of calm weather was the signal for half a dozen animals to land. the wind sooner or later sprang up and drove them back to their warmer element. under the generic name, seal, are included the true or hair seals and the sea-bears or fur seals. of these the fur seals are sub-polar in distribution, inhabiting the cold temperate waters of both hemispheres, but never living amongst the polar ice. the southern coast of australia and the sub-antarctic islands were their favourite haunts, but the ruthless slaughter of the early days practically exterminated them. from macquarie island, for example, several hundred thousand skins were taken in a few years, and of late not a single specimen has been seen. closely related to the fur seals are the much larger animals popularly known as sea-lions. these still exist in great numbers in south temperate waters. both are distinguished from the hair seals by one obvious characteristic: their method of propulsion on land is by a "lolloping" motion, in which the front and hind flippers are used alternately. the hair seals move by a caterpillar-like shuffle, making little or no use of their flippers; and so, the terminal parts of their flippers are not bent outwards as they are in the fur seals and sea-lions. of the hair seals there are five varieties to be recognized in the far south. the weddell seals, with their mottled-grey coats, are the commonest. they haunt the coasts of antarctica and are seldom found at any distance from them. large specimens of this species reach nine and a half feet in length. the crab-eater seal, a smaller animal, lives mostly on the pack-ice. lying on a piece of floe in the sunshine it has a glistening, silver-grey skin--another distinguishing mark being its small, handsome head and short, thin neck. small crustaceans form its principal food. the ross seal, another inhabitant of the pack-ice, is short and bulky, varying from a pale yellowish-green on the under side to a dark greenish-brown on the back. its neck is ample and bloated, and when distended in excitement reminds one of a pouter-pigeon. this rare seal appears to subsist mainly on squid and jelly-fish. the sea-leopard, the only predacious member of the seal family, has an elongated agile body and a large head with massive jaws. in general it has a mottled skin, darker towards the back. it lives on fish, penguins and seals. early in april, hurley and mclean were the first to obtain proof that the sea-leopard preyed on other seals. among the broken floe-ice close beneath the ice-cliffs to the west of winter quarters, the wind was driving the dead body of a weddell seal which swept past them, a few yards distant, to the open water. then it was that a sea-leopard was observed tearing off and swallowing great pieces of flesh and blubber from the carcase. the last variety of hair seal, the sea elephant, varies considerably from the preceding. reference has already been made to the species earlier in the narrative. the habitat of these monstrous animals ranges over the cold, south-temperate seas; sea elephants are but occasional visitors to the ice-bound regions. although they have been exterminated in many other places, one of their most populous resorts at the present day is macquarie island. in the case of all the hair seals a layer of blubber several inches in thickness invests the body beneath the skin and acts as a conserver of warmth. they are largely of value for the oil produced by rendering down the blubber. the pelts are used for leather. the operation of skinning seals for specimens, in low temperatures and in the inevitable wind, was never unduly protracted. we were satisfied merely to strip off the skin, leaving much blubber still adhering to it. in this rough condition it was taken into the work-room of the hut to be cleaned. the blubber froze, and then had the consistency of hard soap and was readily severed from the pelt. it was found that there exuded amongst the frozen blubber a thin oil which remained liquid when collected and exposed to low temperatures. this oil was used to lubricate the anemometer and other instruments exposed outside. the main part of the biological work lay in the marine collections. hunter with the small hand-dredge brought up abundant samples of life from depths ranging to fifty fathoms. in water shallower than ten fathoms the variety of specimens was not great, including seaweeds up to eighteen or more feet in length, a couple of forms of starfish, various small mollusca, two or three varieties of fish, several sea-spiders, hydroids and lace corals, and, in great profusion, worms and small crustaceans. in deeper waters the life became much richer, so that examples of almost every known class of marine animals were represented. early in june the sea bottom in depths less than ten fathoms had become so coated with ice that dredging in shallow water was suspended. floating or swimming freely were examples of pteropods, worms, crustaceans, ostracods, and jelly-fish. these were easily taken in the hand-net. in those regions where ice and water are intermingled, the temperature of the water varies very slightly in summer and winter, remaining approximately at freezing-point. in summer the tendency to heating is neutralized by a solution of some of the ice, and in winter the cold is absorbed in the production of a surface layer of ice. this constancy of the sea's temperature is favourable to organic life. on land there is a wide range in temperature, and only the meagre mosses and lichens, and the forms of insect life which live among them can exist, because they have developed the capacity of suspending animation during the winter. the fresh-water lakelets were found to be inhabited by low forms of life, mainly microscopic. among these were diatoms, algae, protozoa, rotifera, and bacteria. the last-named were investigated by mclean and were found to be manifold in distribution. besides those from the intestines of animals and birds, cultures were successfully made from the following natural sources: lichen soil, moss soil, morainic mud, guano, ice and snow. the results may open some new problems in bacteriology. of recent years much attention has been given to the study of parasites--parasitology. parasites may be external, on the skin; internal, in the alimentary canal; or resident, in the corpuscles of the blood. in tropical countries, where there is great promiscuity of life, one is led to expect their almost universal presence. but in polar regions, where infection and intimate co-habitation for long periods are not the rule, while the climate is not favourable to organic existence, one would be surprised to find them in any great number. the fact remains that internal parasites were found in the intestine of every animal and fish examined, and in all the birds except the wilson petrel. external parasites were present on every species of bird and seal, though individuals were often free of them. this was so in the case of the adelie penguins. it is a demonstration of the protective warmth of the feathers that emperor penguins may harbour insect parasites in great numbers. it is only less wonderful than the fact that they are able to rear their young during the antarctic winter. a large number of blood-slides were prepared and stained for examination for blood-parasites. searching for "fleas" amongst the feathers of birds and the hair of seals, or examining the viscera for "worms" is neither of them a pleasant occupation. to be really successful, the enthusiasm of the specialist is necessary. hunter allowed no opportunities to pass and secured a fine collection of parasites. amongst other work, mclean carried out monthly observations on six men, determining the colour-index and haemoglobin value of their blood over a period of ten months. the results showed a distinct and upward rise above the normal. among societies privileged to see the daily paper and to whom diversity and change are as the breath of life, the weather is apt to be tabooed as a subject of conversation. but even the most versatile may suddenly find themselves stripped of ideas, ignominiously reduced to the obvious topic. to us, instead of being a mere prelude to more serious matters, or the last resort of a feeble intellect, it was the all-engrossing theme. the man with the latest hare-brained theory of the causation of the wind was accorded a full hearing. the lightning calculator who estimated the annual tonnage of drift-snow sweeping off adelie land was received as a futurist and thinker. discussion was always free, and the subject was never thrashed out. evidence on the great topic accumulated day by day and month by month; yet there was no one without an innate hope that winter would bring calm weather or that spring-time, at least, must be propitious. meanwhile the meteorologist accepted things as he found them, supplied the daily facts of wind-mileage and direction, amount of drift, temperature and so forth, which were immediately seized by more vivacious minds and made the basis of daring speculations. the daily facts were increased by the construction of a new instrument known as the puffometer. it was entirely a home-made contrivance, designed to measure the speed of heavy gusts of wind. a small aluminium sphere was arranged to blow out at the end of a light cord exerting tension on a calibrated spring. the pull was transferred to a lever carrying a pencil, which travelled across a disk of carbonized paper. the disk, moving by clockwork, made a complete revolution every hour. the recording parts of the instrument were enclosed in a snow-proof box in which there was a small aperture on the leeward side, through which ran the cord attachment of the sphere. this may give a rough idea of the apparatus employed to measure the momentary velocity of the cyclonic gusts. the idea is not an original one, having been previously applied for use on kites. it was not always possible to use the puffometer in the strongest gusts because these were often transient, occurring unexpectedly or during the night; while it took a little time to get the instrument into running order. even in daylight, with the landscape clear of drift, it was a time-absorbing and difficult task to secure a record. two men start from the hut with iron crampons and a full complement of clothes and mitts. outside they find themselves in a rushing torrent of air, pulsating with mighty gust-waves. lowered from the estate of upright manhood, they humbly crawl, or make a series of crouching sprints between the gusts. over the scattered boulders to the east of the hut, across a patch of polished snow they push to the first low ridge, and there they stop for breath. up on the side of "annie hill," in the local phrase, the tide sweeps by with fiendish strength, and among the jagged rocks the man clutching the puffometer-box has a few desperate falls. at last both clamber slowly to an eminence where a long steel pipe has been erected. to the top of this the puffometer is hauled by means of a pulley and line. at the same time the aluminium sphere is released, and out it floats in the wind tugging at the spring. the puffometer was left out for an hour at a time, and separate gusts up to one hundred and fifty and one hundred and eighty miles per hour were commonly indicated. i remember the final fate of this invention. while helping to mount it one day, the wind picked me up clear of the ground and dashed myself and the instrument on some rocks several yards away. the latter was badly damaged, but thick clothing saved me from serious injury. [text illustration] the wind velocity and wind direction charts for midwinter's day, when the steady south-by-east gale was broken after noon by a welcome lull--the wind veering the while all round the compass. the average velocity for the day . miles per hour, and the maximum of the average hourly velocities, ninety-six miles. the steadiness of the temperature was a subject for debate. the stronger the wind blew, the less variation did the thermometer show. over a period of several days there might be a range of only four or five degrees. ordinarily, this might be expected of an insular climate, but in our case it depended upon the fact that the wind remained steady from the interior of the vast frigid continent. the air which flowed over the hut had all passed through the same temperature-cycle. the atmosphere of the interior, where the plateau stood at an elevation of, say, eight thousand feet, might have a temperature - degrees f. as the air flowed northwards over adelie land to the sea, it would rise slowly in temperature owing to the increased barometric pressure consequent on the descending gradient of the plateau. at sea-level the temperature of the river of air would be, approximately, - degrees f. such a rise in temperature due to compression is a well-known phenomenon, referred to as the foehn effect. the compression of the atmosphere during the gusts affected the air temperature so considerably that, coincident with their passage, the mercury column could often be seen rising and falling through several degrees. the uniform conditions experienced during steady high winds were not only expressed by the slight variation in the temperature, but often in a remarkably even barometric curve. thus on july the wind-velocity for twenty-four hours was, throughout, seventy miles per hour; the temperature remaining within a few degrees of- degrees f., and the barometric curve did not show as much range as one-twentieth of an inch. in attending to the many instruments and in gathering the voluminous meteorological data, madigan had his hands very full. throughout two years he carried on the work capably and thoroughly. it was difficult to keep the instruments free from the penetrating snow and in good running order. the robinson anemometer was perhaps the greatest source of worry. repairs and readjustments were unavoidable, as the instrument was constantly working at high pressure. in order that these might be carried out efficiently, the whole apparatus had to be carried down to the hut. here, bickerton and correll were continually in consultation with the meteorologist on the latest breakdown. cups were blown off several times, and one was lost and replaced with difficulty. most aggravating of all was a habit the clocks developed of stopping during the colder spells. the old-fashioned method of boiling them was found of assistance, but it was discovered that the best treatment was to put them through successive baths of benzene and alcohol. the most chronic sufferer throughout the vicissitudes of temperature was the clock belonging to bage's tide-gauge. every sleeper in the hut who was sensitive to ticking knew and reviled that clock. so often was it subjected to warm, curative treatment in various resting-places that it was hunted from pillar to post. a radical operation by correll--the insertion of an extra spring--became necessary at last. correll, when not engaged designing electroscopes, improving sledge-meters and perfecting theodolites, was something of a specialist in clocks. his advice on the subject of refractory time-pieces was freely asked and cheerfully given. by perseverance and unlimited patience, the tide-gauge down on the harbour-ice was induced to supply a good series of unbroken records. [text illustration] the tide-gauge the rise and fall of the tide is coincident with the movements of a perpendicular wire to which the float is attached. the wheel is revolved, and through wire connections (indicated above) displaces vertically the pen. this traces a record on paper folded on the drum which is driven by clockwork. in all weathers, the box was enveloped in drift-proof canvas. antarctica is a world of colour, brilliant and intensely pure. the chaste whiteness of the snow and the velvet blackness of the rocks belong to days of snowy nimbus enshrouding the horizon. when the sky has broken into cloudlets of fleece, their edges are painted pale orange, fading or richly glowing if the sun is low. in the high sun they are rainbow-rimmed. the clouds have opened into rifts and the sun is setting in the north-west. the widening spaces in the zenith are azure, and low in the north they are emerald. scenic changes are swift. above the mounting plateau a lofty arch of clear sky has risen, flanked by roseate clouds. far down in the south it is tinged with indigo and ultramarine, washed with royal purple paling onwards into cold violet and greyish-blue. soon the north is unveiled. the liquid globe of sun has departed, but his glory still remains. down from the zenith his colours descend through greenish-blue, yellowish-green, straw-yellow, light terra-cotta to a diffuse brick-red; each reflected in the dull sheen of freezing sea. out on the infinite horizon float icebergs in a mirage of mobile gold. the barrier, curving to east and west, is a wall of delicate pink overlaid with a wondrous mauve--the rising plateau. a cold picture--yet it awakens the throb of inborn divinity. despite contrary predictions, there were some enjoyable days in june. occupation had to be strenuous, making the blood run hot, otherwise the wind was apt to be chill. so the transit house was founded, and there were many volunteers to assist bage in carrying the tons of stones which formed its permanent base. the nearest large collection of boulders was twenty yards away, on the edge of a moraine, but these after a while became exhausted. plenty of rocks actually showed above the surface, but the majority were frozen-in, and, when of suitable size, could only be moved by a heavy crowbar. some of the men, therefore, dislodged the rocks, while others carried them. when bage was wondering how long the supply would last, ninnis and mertz came to the rescue with sledges and dog-teams. boxes were piled on to the sledges and away the teams went, careering across the ice-flat towards the magnetograph house close to which there were many heaps of stones, wind-swept and easily displaced. soon a regular service was plying to the foundations, and, at the same time, the dogs were being trained. this occupation was continued, weather permitting, for several weeks before midwinter's day. thus the drivers gained experience, while the animals, with a wholesome dread of the whip, became more responsive to commands. eagerly the huskies strained at their traces with excited yelps. the heavily laden sledges would break out and start off with increasing speed over the rough ice. the drivers, running at full speed, jumped on the racing loads--mertz in the lead shouting some quaint yodel song; ninnis, perhaps, just behind upbraiding a laggard dog. midwinter's day! for once, the weather rose to the occasion and calmed during the few hours of the twilight-day. it was a jovial occasion, and we celebrated it with the uproarious delight of a community of eighteen young men unfettered by small conventions. the sun was returning, and we were glad of it. already we were dreaming of spring and sledging, summer and sledging, the ship and home. it was the turn of the tide, and the future seemed to be sketched in firm, sure outline. while the rest explored all the ice-caves and the whole extent of our small rocky "selection," hannam and bickerton shouldered the domestic responsibilities. their menu du diner to us was a marvel of gorgeous delicacies. after the toasts and speeches came a musical and dramatic programme, punctuated by choice gramophone records and rowdy student choruses. the washing-up was completed by all hands at midnight. outside, the wind was not to be outdone; it surpassed itself with an unusual burst of ninety-five miles per hour. menu du diner escoffier potage a la reine noisettes de phoque | claret haricot verts | tintara champignons en sauce antarctique | pingouin a la terre adelie | burgundy petits pois a la menthe | chauvenet pommes nouvelle | | asperges au beurre fondu | plum pudding union jack | port pate de groseilles | kopke | desserts | cafe --------------- ------------ during dinner the blizzard will render the usual accompaniment--the tempest. for ever and ever etc. [text illustration] midwinter's day menu at the main base, adelie land, chapter x the preparation of sledging equipment the world of fashion insists on its minute vagaries in dress not always with an eye to utility and an explorer in the polar regions is a very fastidious person, expending a vast amount of care on his attire, but with the sole idea of comfort, warmth, and usefulness. the clothes he wears are many and often cumbersome, but they have gradually been perfected to meet the demands of the local weather conditions. after a sojourn in the ice-lands, he returns to civilization with a new concept of the value of dress. at last he can stand still without being reminded that his feet are chilly; he experiences the peculiar sensation of walking about in an airily light suit, in glove-tight boots, without helmet or mitts. it gives him such a delicious feeling of freedom that his energy is unbounded and life is a very pleasant and easy thing. then it is that he can turn in retrospect to the time in exile, appreciate his altered circumstances and recall the many ingenuities which were evolved to make him master of his environment. it is sufficient to say that we found the proposition of clothing one of unusual interest. any one who was not a practised needleman and machinist was handicapped for a time, until he fell into the ways of the through-and-through and blanket-stitch, thimbles, shuttles, spools and many other things he had once affected to despise as belonging to the sphere of women's work. it was not long before he was an enthusiast in many arts attaining to a stage of independence, in which he patented new ideas and maintained them in hot opposition to the whole community of the hut. on some fundamental points all were in agreement, and one of them was that adelie land was the country par excellence for the wind-proof, drift-tight burberry. outside all other garments the burberry gabardine was worn. the material was light and loosely fitting, but in wind and drift it had to be hermetically sealed, so to speak, for the snow crept in wherever there was an aperture. the trousers were of double thickness, as they were exposed to the greatest wear. attached by large buttons, toggles or lampwick braces, they reached as high as the lower part of the chest. below, they had lamp-wick lashings which were securely bound round the uppers of boots or finnesko. in walking, the trousers would often work off the leather boots, especially if they were cut to a tailor's length, and snow would then pour up the leg and down into the boots in a remarkably short time. to counteract this, ninnis initiated the very satisfactory plan of sewing a short length of canvas on to the boots to increase the length of the upper. the burberry helmet and blouse were either in one piece or separate. for use round the hut, in thick drifts, the combination of helmet and blouse was handy and time-saving. for sledging, when low temperatures and strong winds might be expected all the time, it met the conditions well; there being no necessity to worry about keeping the neck drift-tight. under ordinary circumstances it was very convenient to have a blouse and helmet detached, as one so often could wear the former with a well-padded woollen helmet and be reduced only as a last resource to wearing the burberry helmet. the blouse was roomy, giving great freedom of movement. around the neck was a draw-string, which bunched in the jacket tightly over the lower part of the helmet. there was also a draw-string round the waist. it was here that we had the greatest difficulty in making the garment fit snow-tight. if simply tied, the blouse would soon slip up from below, especially if one were working with pick and shovel, carrying cases or blocks of ice. to obviate this, some of the men sewed loops or tags of lamp-wick on to the sides of the trousers, to connect with corresponding attachments on the blouse. as an additional security, others wore an outside belt which was, even if the blouse slipped up for some distance, a line of defence against the drift-snow. the burberry helmet completely enclosed the head except for the face, which remained uncovered at the bottom of a funnel stiffened by several rings of copper-wire. lampwick, the universal polar "cord," was sewn in short strips in front of the ears and tied at the back of the head, firmly securing the helmet. since the voyage of the 'discovery' ( - ) lamp-wick had been used widely in sledging on account of its width, softness, comparative warmth and because of the fact that ordinary cord is not so easy to manipulate in cold weather. large buttons of leather or bone were not nearly so popular as small, smooth lengths of stick engaging cross-wise with loops of cord--known as toggles, which became quite a mania with some members of the expedition. whetter, for instance, was known as the "toggle king," because of the multitude of these stick-and-cord appendages which hung from every part of his clothing. under the burberrys thick, but light, suits of jaeger fleece were worn. they combined trousers and a sleeveless coat, over which a woollen jersey was worn. in calm weather these with underclothing were all-sufficient, but in the average fifty-mile wind at any temperature in the neighbourhood of zero fahrenheit, they felt distinctly porous. in less windy weather the luxury of discarding burberrys, either partly or wholly, was an indulgence which gave great satisfaction. finnesko were the favourite foot-gear--soft and commodious reindeer-skin fur boots. once these were stuffed with lapp saennegras or manilla fibre, and the feet covered with several pairs of socks, cold could be despised unless one were stationary for some time or the socks or padding became damp. even though the padding were wet, violent exercise kept the temperature "balance" in the warm direction, especially if one were also under the stimulus of a recent hot meal. of course, on smooth ice or polished snow in even moderate winds it was useless to try and keep one's feet in finnesko, although practice gave great agility in calmer weather. as already indicated, spiked crampons on approved models, tested on the glacier-slopes in a hurricane wind, were almost always worn encasing the finnesko. with so many coverings the feet often became uncomfortably hot, and for odd jobs about the hut and not far abroad spiked leather boots gave most satisfaction. there were various coverings for the hands: felt mitts, mittens, instrument-gloves and wolfskin mitts. the first were used in conjunction with fingerless mittens. the wear and tear on these was greater than on any other item of clothing. it was a common sight to see them ragged, canvas-covered, patched, repatched and again repatched, to be at last reluctantly thrown away. there were two compartments in a single glove, one for the thumb and the other for the fingers. it is much easier to keep the fingers warm when in contact with one another than by having them in separate stalls. instrument-gloves of wool were used for delicate manipulations, as a partial protection, since they reduced the stinging chill of cold metal at low temperatures. wolfskin mitts are unexcelled for use in cold windy weather. their shaggy external hair entangles the drift-snow, which thaws, soaks the skin and refreezes until the mitt is stiff as buckram. this is their main disadvantage. these mitts or rather gauntlets were made longer in the arms than usual so as to overlap the burberry sleeves and keep the wrists warm. lambskin mitts with the wool facing inwards were very useful and wore well for occupations like hauling on ropes and lifting cases. like every other movable thing, mitts had to be made fast to prevent them blowing away. so they were slung round the neck by a yoke of lamp-wick. the mittened hand could then be removed with the assurance that the outer mitt would not be far away when it was wanted, no matter how hard the wind blew. there has been much discussion as to the relative merits of fur and woollen clothing. after all the question has resolved itself into one of personal predilection. it has been claimed that furs are warmer and lighter. the warmth follows from the wind-proof quality of the hide which, unfortunately, also tends to retain moist exhalations from the body. in adelie land, the only furs we used were finnesko, wolfskin mitts and sleeping-bags of reindeer skins. as in every part of the equipment, modifications had to be made in the circular willesden-drill tents. to facilitate their erection in the perpetual winds they were sewn permanently on to the five bamboo poles, instead of being thrown over the latter previously set in position. thus the tents opened like large conical umbrellas. a rawhide loop was fixed to the middle one of the three windward legs and, when raising a tent during a high wind, it was the usual thing for a man to be inside gripping the loop to pin down the windward legs and at the same time, kicking out the two leeward legs. on hard surfaces, holes were dug to receive the ends of the poles; at other times they were pressed home into the snow by the man inside the tent. when pitched, the tent was held down by blocks of snow or ice, helped by spare food-bags, which were all piled round on a broad flounce. ventilators, originally supplied with the tents, had to be dispensed with on account of the incessant drift. the door of the tent was an oval funnel of burberry material just large enough to admit a man and secured by a draw-string. strips of calico and webbing were sewn over the insides of the light tents to strengthen them for sledging in the summer. for heavy weather we also had japara sail-cloth tents with willesden canvas flounces. these gave one a feeling of greater security and were much more wind-proof, but unfortunately twice as heavy as the first-mentioned. a floor-cloth of light willesden canvas covered the surface of snow or ice in the interior of the tent; performing when sledging the alternative office of a sail. in order to cut snow, neve or ice to pile on the flounce, a pick and spade had to be included in the sledging equip meet. as a rule, a strong, pointed shovel weighing about six pounds answers very well; but in adelie land, the surface was so often wind-swept ice, polished porcelain-snow, or hard neve that a pick was necessary to make any impression upon it. it was found that a four-pound spade, carefully handled, and a four-pound miner's pick provided against all emergencies. our sledges were similar to those of other british antarctic expeditions; of eleven- and twelve-foot lengths. the best were norwegian, made of ash and hickory. others built in sydney, of australian woods, were admirably suited for special work. those made of mountain-ash had the advantage of being extremely light, but the runners wore out quickly on ice and hard neve. sledges of powellized spotted gum were very strong and stood plenty of rough usage, but were heavier than those procured in norway. a decking of bamboo slats secured by copper-wire to the crossbars was usually employed. a light bamboo mast and spar were fitted to each sledge. immediately in front of the mast came the "cooker-box," containing in respective compartments the primus and a bottle of spirit for lighting it, as well as spare prickers, openers and fillers for the kerosene tins, repair outfits and other odd articles. the cooker-boxes were of venesta board, with hinged lids secured by chocks and overlapped by japara cloth to exclude as much drift-snow as possible. an instrument-box was secured to the sledge near the rear and just forward of a venesta or aluminium tray on which the kerosene contained in one-gallon tins was carried. in several cases the tray was widened to receive as well a case containing a dip-circle. rearmost of all was a wooden crosspiece to which the shaft of the sledge-meter was attached through a universal joint. on the middle section of the sledge between the cooker-box and instrument-box, sleeping-bags, food-bags, clothes-bags, tent, alpine rope, theodolite legs, and other articles, were arranged, packed and immovably stiffened by buckled straps passing from side to side. sledging harness for both men and dogs was constructed of canvas. in the former case, a wide belt of triple thickness encircled the body at the hips, sewn to braces of narrower strips passing over the shoulders, while hauling-rope was attached to the belt behind. the strength of the whole depended on the care bestowed in sewing the parts together, and, since his life might depend upon it, no one made anything else but a thorough job of his harness. ninnis and mertz ran a tailoring business for the dogs, who were brought one by one into the outer hut to be measured for harness. after many lengths had been cut with scissors the canvas bands were put through and sewn together on the large sewing-machine and then each dog was fitted and the final alterations were made. the huskies looked quite smart in their "suits". upon the primus heater, alone, did we rely for cooking the meals on sledging journeys. first used for purposes of sledging by dr. nansen in his journey across greenland, the primus is only economically managed after some practice. to light a primus in a draughty tent at a low temperature calls for some forbearance before one is a thorough master of the art. a sledging cook will often make a disagreeable faux pas by extinguishing the primus in the preparation of hoosh. this is most readily done by lowering too quickly the outside cover over the rest of the cooker. fumes of vaporizing kerosene soon fill the tent and when matches are found, the cooker pulled to pieces, the primus relighted and the choking vapours have cleared, one is apt to think that all is well. the hoosh is quite as successful as usual, but the cocoa, made from water in the annulus, has a tincture of kerosene which cannot be concealed. in the "nansen cooker," which we used, a maximum result is secured from the heat of the primus. the hot gases from the combustion of the kerosene, before they escape into the outside air, have to circulate along a tortuous path, passing from the hot interior to the colder exterior compartments, losing heat all the time. thus a hot hoosh is preparing in the central vessel side by side with the melting of snow for cocoa or tea in the annulus. by the combination of "nansen cooker" and primus stove one gallon of kerosene oil properly husbanded is made to last for twelve days in the preparation of the ordinary ration for three men. [text illustration] section through a nansen sledging cooker mounted on the primus the subject of food is one which requires peculiar consideration and study. it is assumed that a polar expedition must carry all its food-stuffs in that variety and quantity which may approximately satisfy normal demands. fortunately, the advance of science has been such that necessaries like vegetables, fruit, meats and milk are now preserved so that the chances of bacterial contamination are reduced to a minimum. a cold climate is an additional security towards the same end. speaking generally, while living for months in an antarctic hut, it is a splendid thing to have more than the mere necessaries of life. since one is cut off from the ordinary amenities of social existence, it is particularly necessary that equipment and food should be of the very best; in some measure to replace a lack which sooner or later makes itself keenly felt. explorers, after all, are only mortal. luxuries, then, are good in moderation, and mainly for their psychological effect. after a spell of routine, a celebration is the natural sequel, and if there are delicacies which in civilization are more palatable than usual, why not take them to where they will receive a still fuller and heartier appreciation? there is a corresponding rise in the "tide of life" and the ennui of the same task, in the same place, in the same wind, is not so noticeable. so we did not forget our asparagus and jugged hare. in the matter of sledging foods, one comes down to a solid basis of dietetics. but even dietetics as a science has to stand aside when actual experience speaks. dietetics deals with proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and calories: all terms which need definition and comprehension before the value of a sledging ration can be fundamentally understood. when the subject was first introduced into table conversation at the hut, it was regarded somewhat suspiciously as "shop." but it gradually won interest simply because it was of such vital concern. in sledging there is undoubtedly a critical allowance which will yield the best results. circumstances alter cases, and the correct ration under one set of conditions cannot be expected to coincide with that in another situation. thus, the journey may be conducted under conditions of great cold or of comparative warmth, by man-hauling or auxiliary power, at sea-level or on an altitude, through regions where there is a reasonable hope of securing additions of meat by the way, or across barren tracts devoid of game. in each instance particular demands must be supplied. in selecting the articles of diet, idiosyncrasies of individuals should be consulted in reason, and under no consideration should anything be taken which bears the slightest stigma of contamination. it remains, then, to discriminate those foods which contribute the greatest amount of nutriment for a given weight, and which, inter se, preserve a proper dietetic balance. variety is very desirable, provided that there is no important sacrifice in nutrient value. the proof of a wisely selected ration is to find at the end of a long sledge journey that the sole craving is for an increase in the ration. of course, such would be the ideal result of a perfect ration, which does not exist. considering that an ordinary individual in civilization may only satisfy the choice demands of his appetite by selecting from the multifarious bill of fare of a modern restaurant, it will be evident that the same person, though already on the restricted diet of an explorer, cannot be suddenly subjected to a sledging ration for any considerable period without a certain exercise of discipline. for example, the eastern coastal party, sledging at fairly high temperatures over the sea-ice, noted that the full ration of hoosh produced at times a mild indigestion, they drank much liquid to satisfy an intense thirst and on returning to the hut found their appetites inclined to tinned fruit and penguins' eggs. bickerton's and bage's parties, though working at a much higher altitude, had a similar experience. the former, for instance, could not at first drink the whole allowance of thick, rich cocoa without a slight nausea. the latter saved rations during the first two weeks of their journey, and only when they rose to greater heights and were in fine condition did they appreciate the ration to the full. again, even when one becomes used to the ration, the sensation of full satisfaction does not last for more than an hour. the imagination reaches forward to the next meal, perhaps partly on account of the fact that marching is often monotonous and the scenery uninspiring. still, even after a good evening hoosh, the subconscious self may assert itself in food-dreams. the reaction from even a short sledging trip, where food has been plentiful, is to eat a good deal, astonishing in amount to those who for the time being have lived at the hut. it may appear that a serious case is being made against the polar sledging ration. on the whole, it was found to be excellent and the best that experience had been able to devise. entering the polar zones, one must not be over-fastidious, but take it as a matter of course that there will be self-denial and deprivation of small luxuries. the energy exerted by man, and the requirements of tissue-building are derived from the organic compounds known as proteins,** fats and carbohydrates, though in a slight degree from other substances, most important of which are minute quantities of mineral matter. a calorie as used in dietetics is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogramme of water at degrees c. to degree c. the heat-value of food-stuffs, stated in calories, can be quickly reckoned when chemical analyses stating their protein, fat and carbohydrate contents are available. it has been ascertained that one gramme of protein or carbohydrate yields . calories, whilst the same amount of fat produces . calories. thus the value of fat-containing foods in a sledging ration is at once apparent. ** the proteins are complex nitrogenous compounds which are preeminent in fulfilling the two functions of a food: to form tissue and to produce work and heat. as examples may be quoted, myosin the chief protein of ordinary meat or muscle, ovalbumin one of the proteins of egg-white, casein belonging to milk and cheese, and gluten a protein-mixture in flour. fats are organic non-nitrogenous substances obtained from both animal and vegetable sources, e.g. butter and olive oil. the carbohydrates are compounds of carbon with hydrogen and oxygen in a certain proportion, e.g. cane-sugar and starch. mineral matters are inorganic, being chlorides, carbonates or phosphates of calcium, sodium and potassium. theoretically, any of the three classes of foods mentioned might be thought to supply adequate energy, if taken in sufficient amount. practically, however, protein and carbohydrate are essential, and it is better to have a mixture of all three. so, in concentrating foods for sledging, the largest possible proportion of fat, compatible with other considerations, is included. ordinarily, a normal man consumes some four or five pounds weight of solid food per diem, of which per cent., it is rather surprising to learn, is water. when sledging, one has the satisfaction of knowing that all but the smallest quantity of the food dragged is solid nutriment. the water is added when the meals are cooked. it is just in this artificial addition that the sledging ration is not perfect, though as a synthesis it satisfies the demands of dietetics. food containing water, as cooked meat oozing with its own gravy is a more palatable thing than dried meat-powder to which boiling water has been added. in the same way, a dry, hard biscuit plus liquid is a different thing from a spongy loaf of yeast bread with its high percentage of water. one must reckon with the psychic factor in eating. when sledging, one does not look for food well served as long as the food is hot, nourishing and filling. so the usage of weeks and a wolfish appetite make hoosh a most delicious preparation; but when the days of an enforced ration are over, the desire for appetizing well-served food reasserts itself. the body refuses to be treated merely as an engine. the daily polar sledging ration for one man has been concentrated to a figure just above two pounds in weight, for instance, in recent antarctic expeditions, scott, in , used . ozs., shackleton in used . ozs. and our own amounted to . ozs. exclusive of tea, pepper and salt, shackleton's ration and that adopted by wild at the western base and ourselves in adelie land were identical-- ozs. reverting to earlier explorers, for the sake of comparisons, mcclintock in brought his minimum down to ozs., nares in to ozs., greely in to . ozs., and abruzzi in to . ozs. our allowance was made up as follows, the relative amounts in the daily sledging ration for one man being stated: plasmon biscuit, ozs.; pemmican, ozs.; butter, ozs.; plasmon chocolate, ozs.; glaxo (dried milk), ozs.; sugar, ozs.; cocoa, oz.; tea,. oz. it will be instructive to make a short note on each item. plasmon biscuit was made of the best flour mixed with per cent. of plasmon powder. each biscuit weighed . ozs., and was made specially thick and hard to resist shaking and bumping in transit as well as the rough usage of a sledging journey. the effect of the high percentage of plasmon, apart from its nutritive value, was to impart additional toughness to the biscuit, which tested our teeth so severely that we should have preferred something less like a geological specimen and more like ordinary "hard tack," the favourite method of dealing with these biscuits was to smash them with an ice-axe or nibble them into small pieces and treat the fragments for a while to the solvent action of hot cocoa. two important proteins were present in this food: plasmon, a trade-name for casein, the chief protein of milk, and gluten, a mixture of proteins in flour. the pemmican we used consisted of powdered dried beef (containing the important protein, myosin) and per cent. of pure fat in the form of lard. the large content of fat contributes to its high caloric value, so that it is regularly included in sledging diets. hoosh is a stodgy, porridge-like mixture of pemmican, dried biscuit and water, brought to the boil and served hot. some men prefer it cooler and more dilute, and to this end dig up snow from the floor of the tent with their spoons, and mix it in until the hoosh is "to taste," eating hoosh is a heightened form of bliss which no sledger can ever forget. glaxo is a proprietary food preparation of dried milk, manufactured in new zealand. it is without doubt an ideal food for any climate where concentration is desirable and asepsis cannot be neglected. the value of milk as an all-round food is well known. it contains protein as casein, fat as cream and in fine globules, carbohydrate as lactose (milk sugar) and mineral substances whose importance is becoming more recognized. at the western base, wild's party invented glaxo biscuits; an unbaked mixture of flour and dried milk, which were in themselves a big inducement to go sledging. at the hut, making milk from the dried powder required some little experience. cold water was added to the dried powder, a paste was made and warm or hot water poured in until the milk was at the required strength. one of the professional "touches" was to aerate the milk, after mixing, by pouring it from jug to jug. butter, although it contains nearly per cent. of water is a food of high heat-value and is certainly more easily digested than fat, such as dripping, with a higher melting-point. ours was fresh victorian butter, packed in the ordinary export boxes, and carried to the antarctic on the open bridge of the aurora. with a sheath-knife, the sledging cook cut off three small chunks of two ounces each from the frozen butter every day at lunch. to show how the appetite is affected by extreme cold, one feels that butter is a wholesome thing just in itself, being more inclined to eat a pound than two ounces. sugar--the carbohydrate, sucrose--has special qualities as a food since it is quickly assimilated, imparting within a few minutes fresh energy for muscular exertion. athletes will support this; in fact, a strong solution of sugar in water is used as a stimulant in long-distance running and other feats of endurance. wild, for instance, found as a matter of experience that chocolate was preferable to cheese as a sledging food, even though similar weights had approximately the same food-value. cocoa and tea were the two sledging beverages. the cocoa was used for two meals, the first and the last in the day, and the tea for lunch. both contain stimulating alkaloids, theobromine and caffeine, and fat is a notable constituent of cocoa. of course, their chief nourishing value, as far as we were concerned, lay in the glaxo and sugar added. lastly, plasmon chocolate is a preparation of pure chocolate (a mixture of ground cocoa, white sugar and starch) with the addition of per cent. of plasmon. as food for the dogs, there was nothing better than dried seal-steaks with the addition of a little blubber. ordinary pemmican is readily eaten, but not appreciated by the dogs in the same way as seal meat. to save weight, the meat was dried over the stove without heating it sufficiently to cook it. by this measure, almost per cent. in weight was saved. the hut was all agog with movement and bustle on the days when rations were being made up and packed. starting from the earliest stage in the process, there would be two men in the outer hut grinding plasmon biscuit into powder. one would turn away for dear life and the other smash the biscuit with a hammer on a metal slab and feed continuously into the grinder. the atmosphere would be full of the nauseous vapours of blubber arising from dishes on the stove where seal meat was drying for the dogs. ninnis and mertz superintended in this department, in careless moments allowing the blubber to frizzle and diffuse its aroma through the hut. inside, spread along the eighteen-foot table would be the weighers, the bag-makers or machinists, and the packers. the first made up a compound of cocoa, glaxo and sugar--cocoa compound; mixed glaxo and sugar and stirred together, pemmican and biscuit--pemmican compound. these were weighed and run into calico bags, rapidly supplied by several machinists farther along the table. in spare moments the weighers stowed chocolate, whole biscuits, butter and tea into sacks of various sizes. lastly, the packers had strong canvas tanks, as they were called, designed to hold food for a week and a fortnight respectively. into these the rations were carefully distributed, butter in the centre, whole biscuits near the top. then the tanks were tightly closed, and one man operated with palm and sail-needle, sewing them up with twine. at the same time, a side-line was run in pemmican which was removed semi-frozen from the air-tight tins, and shaved into small pieces with a strong sheath-knife. butter, too, arrived from the refrigerator-store and was subdivided into two-ounce or pound lumps. meanwhile, other occupations were in full swing. an amateur cobbler, his crampon on a last, studded its spiked surface with clouts, hammering away in complete disregard of the night-watchman's uneasy slumbers. the big sewing-machine raced at top-speed round the flounce of a tent, and in odd corners among the bunks were groups mending mitts, strengthening sleeping-bags and patching burberrys. the cartographer at his table beneath a shaded acetylene light drew maps and sketched, the magnetician was busy on calculations close by. the cook and messman often made their presence felt and heard. in the outer hut, the lathe spun round, its whirr and click drowned in the noisy rasp of the grinder and the blast of the big blow-lamp. the last-named, bickerton, "bus-driver" and air-tractor expert, had converted, with the aid of a few pieces of covering tin, into a forge. a piece of red-hot metal was lifted out and thrust into the vice; hannam was striker and bickerton holder. general conversation was conducted in shouts, hannam's being easily predominant. the sum total of sounds was sufficient for a while to make every one oblivious to the clamour of the restless wind. chapter xi spring exploits if the "winter calms" were a delusion, there were at least several beautifully clear, moderately calm days in june. the expectation of colder weather had been realized, and by the end of the month it was a perceptible fact that the sun had definitely turned, describing a longer arc when skimming the distant fleets of bergs along the northern horizon. thus on june the refracted image of the sun rose into visibility about eleven o'clock, heralded by a vivid green sky and damask cloud and by one o'clock had disappeared. on the same day every one was abroad, advancing the wireless masts another stage and digging ice-shafts. stillwell commenced a contoured plane-table survey of the neighbourhood of winter quarters. he continued this with many breaks during the next few months and eventually completed an accurate and valuable map, undeterred by the usual series of frost-bites. there was much anticipated of july, but the wind soughed on and the temperature decreased. just to demonstrate its resource, the wind maintained ninety-seven miles per hour for six hours on july , while the puff-anemometer indicated several "breaks" of one hundred and fifty miles per hour. july was cold, calm and clear. for the first time after many weeks the sun was mildly warm, and all felt with a spring of optimism that a new era had begun. the sea which had been kept open by the wind was immediately overspread with thin, dark ice, which in a few hours was dotted with many ice-flowers aggregates of fern-like, sprouting fronds similar to small bouquets or rosettes. soon the surface had whitened and thickened and by next morning was firm enough to hold a man out beyond the nearest island. the wind did not allow this state of affairs to last for long, for by lunch-time it had hurried away the wide floes and raged across a foaming sea. we still considered the question of sledging, and i decided that if there were the slightest prospect of accomplishing anything, several of us would start before the end of july on a short journey. the month, however, closed with nothing to commend it. the night-watchman for july says: "the moon was wonderfully bright to-night, encircled by a complete halo. it appeared to hang suspended like a silver globe in the dark blue sky. the stars flash and sparkle and seem much nearer here than in australia. at midnight the wind blew at ninety miles per hour, so that it was no easy job getting to the screen in slippery finnesko. away in the north there was a dense cloud of spray and sea-smoke, and the wind screamed past the hut. the 'st. elmoscope' was buzzing merrily in the roof all the time." ninnis and mertz with a team of dogs managed, on the morning of the th, to get several loads of forty pounds over the first steep rise of the glacier to webb's magnetic ice-cave against a "blow" of seventy miles per hour. august was marked by a hurricane, and the celebration in the evening of swiss confederation day. mertz was the hero of the occasion as well as cook and master of ceremonies. from a mysterious box he produced all kinds of quaint conserves, and the menu soared to unknown delicacies like "potage a la suisse, choucroute garnie aux saucission de berne, puree de foie gras trufee, and leckerley de bale." hanging above the buoyant assembly were the cross of helvetia and the jack of britannia. it was not till august that there was any indication of improvement. the sun was bright, the barometer was steady, the wind fell to forty miles an hour and a fine radiant of cirrus cloud spread out fan-like from the north; the first from that direction for months. on the afternoon of august , ninnis, madigan and i set off with a team of dogs against a forty-mile wind in an attempt to push to the south. darkness was coming on when we sighted a bamboo pole, three and a quarter miles south of the hut, and camped. the dogs pulled well up the steep slopes, but the feet of several were cut by the sharp edges of the wind-worn ice. very heavy gusts swept by in the early morning hours of the th. and when the time came to get out of our sleeping-bags it fell calm for a short space. we had taken down the tent and had started to move away, when back rushed the wind, strong and steady. still we pushed on with our willing team and by a piece of good fortune reached the sledge which had been abandoned in the autumn, five and a half miles from the hut, and of whose fate in the winter's hurricanes we had made all kind of conjectures. on its leeward side there was a ramp of very hard snow slanting down from the top of the sledge. to windward the low pedestal of ice on which the runners stood was hollowed out, and the wood of the rails and cross-bars, the leather straps, tent, floor-cloth and canvas food-tanks were all bleached and worn. the aluminium cooker, strapped on its box, was brightly polished on the weather side by the dry, drifting snow impelled by the furious winds. a thermograph, left behind in the autumn, was found to be intact and indicated a temperature of - degrees f.--the lowest for the eight days during which it had run. the remains of madigan's plum-pudding of the autumn were unearthed and found in splendid condition. that evening it was thawed out over the primus and we demolished it, after a pause of over five months since having the first cut. at this spot the steepest grades of the ascent to the plateau were left behind, and it appeared to be a strategic point from which to extend our sledging efforts. the main difficulty was that of pitching camp in the prevailing winds on a surface of ice. to obviate this, the only expedient was to excavate a shelter beneath the ice itself; and there was the further consideration that all sledging parties would be able to make use of such a haven and save extra wear on their tents. on the morning of august madigan and ninnis commenced to sink a deep vertical trench, at one end of which a room was hewn out large enough to accommodate three men. the job was finished on the following day, and we struck the tent and moved to our new abode. the tent was spread over the vertical shaft which served as the entrance. it was a great relief to be in a strong room, with solid walls of ice, in place of the cramped tent flapping violently in the wind. inside, the silence was profound; the blizzard was banished. aladdin's cave it was dubbed--a truly magical world of glassy facets and scintillating crystals. shelves were chipped out at a moment's notice for primus stove, spirit bottle, matches, kerosene and other oddments. at one side a small hole was cut to communicate with a narrow fissure which provided ventilation without allowing the entrance of drift snow. whatever daylight there was filtered through the roof and walls without hindrance. a small crevasse opened near at hand and was a natural receptacle for rubbish. the purest ice for cooking could be immediately hacked from the walls without the inconvenience of having to don one's burberrys and go outside for it. finally, one neatly disposed of spare clothes by moistening the corner of each garment and pressing it against the wall for a few seconds, where it would remain hanging until required. the place, in fact, was simply replete with conveniences. we thoroughly enjoyed the night's rest in aladdin's cave, notwithstanding alarming cracks proceeding occasionally from the crevasses around. madigan and ninnis dug a shelter for the dogs, which spent their time curled up so as to expose as little surface as possible to the biting wind. their thick coats did not adhere to a snow surface, but readily became frozen down to ice, so that an ice-axe would have to be used to chip them free. on august , though there was a steady, strong wind blowing, we continued our advance to the south. the dogs hated to face wind, but, on the whole, did better than expected. in the afternoon, when only eight miles south of winter quarters and at an altitude of two thousand feet, dark and lowering clouds formed overhead, and i decided to give up any idea of going farther out, for the time being. we had provisions for a few days only, and there was every indication of thick, drifting weather, during which, in the crevassed ice of that vicinity, it would not be advisable to travel. after depoting a pick, shovel and some pemmican, we started back, thinking it might be possible to reach the hut the same night. however, driven by a strong wind over a polished, slippery surface split into small crevasses, down a grade which steepened quickly, we required to have all our senses vigilant. two of the dogs remained in harness and the rest were allowed to run loose ahead. these two strained every effort to catch up to their companions. we retarded the sledge as much as possible and all went well for a few minutes. then the wind slewed the sledge, the runners struck an irregularity in the surface and the whole capsized. this happened repeatedly, until there was nothing to do but loose the two remaining dogs and drag the sledge ourselves. the dogs were soon lost to sight, except pavlova, who remained with us all the time. as the hours of light were short in august, darkness had come before aladdin's cave was reached, and it was with some relief that we saw the sledge, flag-pole and the expectant dogs suddenly loom up in front. the sleeping-bags and other gear were passed down into the cave and the dogs were fed. when the doorway was opened in the morning, august , a blizzard with dense drifting snow was in full progress. as it was not possible to see any distance, and as our quarters were very comfortable, we decided to wait for another day. madigan and ninnis went out and fed the dogs, who were all snugly curled up in beds of snow. the weather was no better on the th, but, as we were only five and a half miles from the hut, which was more comfortable and where there was much work to be done, it seemed a shame to remain cooped up in idleness. madigan and ninnis were both strongly in favour of making a dash for the hut, so we set off. the sledge having been dug out, one man went in front to keep the course and two men brought up the rear, holding back the load. with long-spiked swiss crampons we could hold up very well on the ice. in dense drift it was not a simple matter to steer a correct course for the hut and it was essential not to deviate, as the rocky foreshores near which it stood extended only for a mile east and west; on either side abutting on vertical ice-cliffs. with a compelling force like a prance at our backs, it was not a nice thing to contemplate finding ourselves on the brink of a precipice. the wind, however, was steady, and we knew at what angle to steer to keep a rough course; and we were also helped by a number of small crevasses between three and five and a half miles which ran approximately north and south. half a mile had been covered before we remarked the absence of the dogs which had been left to follow. we had taken for granted that they would follow us, and were so fully occupied after starting that their absence had passed unnoticed. it would be difficult to locate them if we returned; the weather would improve in a few days; if they felt hungry they would come down of their own accord. so we decided to go on without them. at two miles from the hut the drift thinned out and the wind became more gusty. between the gusts the view ahead opened out for a considerable distance, and the rocks soon showed black below the last steep fall. back at the hut it was arranged that if the dogs did not return in a reasonable time, bage, mertz and hurley should go up to aladdin's cave in search of them. they made a great effort to get away next morning. the sledge was hauled for one thousand one hundred yards up to the magnetic ice-cave against a bitter torrent of air rushing by at eighty-two miles an hour. here they retreated exhausted. on the th the wind was gauged at eighty-four miles an hour, and nothing could be done. dense drift and ferocious wind continued until the morning of august , and still none of the dogs had come home. bage, hurley and mertz took advantage of a slight lull to start off at . a.m. as they did not return that night we presumed they were making good headway. the drift was thick and the wind high for four days, and it was not until the morning of the th that the weather showed clearer and more promising. at p.m. bage and his companions arrived at the hut bringing all the dogs except grandmother, who had died of exhaustion. aladdin's cave had been difficult to find in the driving snow, which had thickened after the first few miles. they actually passed close to it when mertz, between the gusts, sighted castor jumping about, fully alive to the approaching relief. the other dogs were found curled up in the snow, in a listless, apathetic state; apparently in the same positions when left seven days before. they had made no attempt to break into several bags of provisions lying close at hand, preferring to starve rather than expose their faces to the pelting drift. all were frozen down except basilisk and castor. pavlova was in the best condition, possibly because her last meal had been an extra full one; a reward for remaining with us when the others had bolted. grandmother was in the worst condition, and, despite all efforts at revival, died four hours after. as the poor brutes were very weak after their long fast and exposure, they were taken into the cave and fed on warm hoosh. everything possible was done for them, and in return the party passed a very miserable time cramped in such a small space with six dogs. the accommodation was slightly increased by enlarging the cave. five days of calm weather! it could scarcely be credited, yet september came with such a spell. they gave us great opportunities, and, for once, a vision of what perfect antarctic days might be. the sea speedily froze over and extended our territory to the north. every day we dredged among the tide-cracks, until hunter and laseron had material enough to sort and bottle for weeks. seals came up everywhere, and the dogs gorged on much-needed meat and blubber. three large weddells were shot near the "eastern barrier" on september , and hauled up an ice-cliff eighty feet high to the rocks above. work on the wireless masts went on apace, and the geologist was abroad with his plane-table every day. webb and bage, after a protracted interval, were able to take star observations for time, in order to check the chronometers. mertz, ninnis, whetter and laseron, with a team of dogs sledged a big load of food-stuffs to aladdin's cave on september . at the cave the dogs were let loose, but instead of running back to the hut, lingered about and finally had to be led down the slope. on being loosed again, several rushed back to the cave and were only brought along by force. that night, scott and franklin, two kindred spirits, were not present at "roll-call". on september , mclean, whetter and close took more provisions to aladdin's cave. they reported light drift and wind on the highlands, while at sea-level it was clear and calm. the sea-ice was by then thick and safe. about half a mile off shore a very successful dredging was made in fifty fathoms; the bottom at this depth simply teemed with life. at first, the dredge, rope-coils, tub, picks and other necessary implements were dragged about on a sledge, but the sledge was hauled only with great difficulty and much exertion over the sticky, new sea-ice. as a substitute a portable, steel handcart was advantageously employed, although, owing to its weight, tide-cracks and rotten areas had to be crossed at a run. on one occasion a flimsy surface collapsed under it, and hunter had a wetting before it was hauled on to firmer ice. on september there was a cloud radiant from the northwest, indicative of a change in the weather. ninnis, mertz and murphy transported more food-bags and kerosene to aladdin's cave. they found franklin one and a half miles south of the hut lying on the ice quite well, but there was no sign of scott. both dogs were seen on the st of the month, when they were in a locality south-east of the hut, where crevasses were numerous. it seemed most probable that scott had lost his life in one of them. the party visiting the cave reported a considerable amount of snow drifting above a level of one thousand feet. there was another day of successful dredging, and, about four o'clock, while several men were still out on the ice, whirlies with great columns of drift came steadily down the glacier, pouring over the seaward cliffs. in a few minutes the snow-clouds were round the hut and the wind was not long in working up to eighty miles per hour. the dredging party reached the land just in time; and the sea-ice drifted away to the north. thus ended one of the most remarkable periods of fine weather experienced by us in adelie land, only to be excelled in the height of summer. the possibility of such a spell being repeated fired us with the hope that after all a reasonable amount of sledging could be accomplished in the spring. three parties were chosen to reconnoitre in different directions and to test the sledging gear. as we were far from being confident in the weather, i made it clear that no party should penetrate farther than fifty miles from the hut, nor remain away longer than a fortnight. webb, mclean and stillwell, the southern reconnoitring party, were the first to set off, leaving on september against a wind of fifty-six miles per hour. between them they had only one pair of good spiked crampons, and it was a hard, five hours' drag up to aladdin's cave. a tent which had been spread over the entrance to keep out snow was picked up here. it had suffered punctures and small tears from crampons, and, as the next day was one of boisterous wind, the party spent it repairing the tent and endeavouring to take magnetic observations. the latter had to be abandoned owing to the instrument becoming iced up. next afternoon the wind fell to the forties, and the party struggled on to the south for three miles two hundred yards and camped, as it was necessary to make a search for a small depot of pemmican tins, a pick and a shovel left by us in the vicinity in august. the drift cleared at noon on the th, and the bamboo pole marking the depot appeared a quarter of a mile away on the right. the pick, shovel and flag were secured and another afternoon's march against a fifty-mile wind with a temperature at - degrees f. brought the party three and a quarter miles further, to a point eleven and three-quarter miles south of the hut. the wind rose to the eighties during the night, and there were many small holes in the tent which provided more ventilation than was agreeable. as the wind was too strong for travelling on the th, it was decided to make a cave in case of accident to the tent. a tunnel was driven into the sloping surface of the ice towards a crevasse about a foot wide. it was a good ten hours' job in tough ice before the crevasse was reached. into the fissure all the hewn ice was thrown instead of being laboriously shovelled up through the tunnel. the "cathedral grotto" was soon finished, the tent was struck and the party made themselves comfortable inside. the cavern was found to be a very draughty place with a crevasse along one wall, and it was difficult to keep warm in one-man sleeping-bags. the crevasse was accordingly closed with ice and snow. that evening and on several subsequent occasions mclean took blood-pressure observations. during the next three days the wind was so strong that webb's were the only crampons in which any efficient marching could be done. the time was spent in building a high break-wind of ice-blocks, a pit being excavated on the windward side in which webb took a full set of magnetic observations. within the "grotto" the instrument rapidly became coated with ice-crystals; in the open air this difficulty did not arise, but others had to be overcome. it was exceedingly cold work at - degrees f. in a sixty-mile wind, both for webb and his recorder stillwell. there seemed no hope of going forward, so the depot flag was hoisted and a fortnight's provisions and kerosene stowed in the lee of the break-wind. it was a furious race back to the hut via aladdin's cave with a gusty, seventy-five-mile wind in the rear. mclean and stillwell actually skied along on their short blunt crampons, while webb did his best to brake behind. the second party comprised ninnis, mertz, and murphy, who went to the south-east, leaving on september . after a hard fight to aladdin's cave, the wind approaching fifty miles an hour, they diverged to the south-east. on the th they made steady progress up the slope of the glacier, delayed by many small crevasses. the surface was so rough that the nuts on the sledge-meter soon became loose and it was necessary to stop every quarter of a mile to adjust them. the day's march was a solid five and three quarter miles against a fifty-mile wind. on the th ninnis's record proceeds as follows: "the sky was still clear but the wind had increased to sixty-five miles per hour, the temperature standing at - degrees f. "we kept on the same course; the glacier's slope being steeper. mertz was as usual wearing leather boots and mountaineering crampons, otherwise progress would have been practically impossible; the finnesko crampons worn by murphy and myself giving very little foothold. travelling was very slow indeed, and when we camped at p.m., two and a half miles was all that had been covered. "at . a.m. (september ) the wind practically dropped, and we advanced under perfect conditions." they had not gone far, however, before the wind suddenly increased so that only about four and a half miles were completed in the day. that evening, curiously enough, it fell calm for a time; then there was a period of alternating violent winds and calm. on sunday, september , it was impossible for them to move, as a hurricane raged outside. the tent was very much damaged by the wind, but in that state it managed to stand up till next morning. in the meantime all three fully dressed themselves and lay in their three-man sleeping-bag ready to take to the road at a moment's notice. the next morning, at a distance of eighteen miles southeast of the hut, there was nothing for it but to make for aladdin's cave, which was safely reached by a forced march of twelve and three-quarter miles, with a furious wind partly abeam. on the way the sledge was blown sideways on to the lids of many wide crevasses, which, fortunately for the party, were strong at that season of the year. from the realistic reports of the two parties which had returned it was evident that madigan and his companions, close and whetter who had set out on the th to the west were having a bad time. but it was not till the rd, after a week of clear skies, low temperatures and unceasing drift-free wind that we began to feel apprehensive about them. september and were punctuated by several intervals of calm during which it was judged the party would have been able to travel. on the morning of september ninnis and mertz, with a team of dogs, set off up the hill to aladdin's cave to deposit some provisions and to scan the horizon for any sign of the sledgers. on the way they fell in with them descending the slopes, very worn and frost-bitten. they had a thrilling story to tell, and, when it was known that the party had reached fifty miles to the west, everybody crowded round to listen. the wind average at the hut during their fortnight of absence was fifty-eight miles per hour, implying worse conditions on the plateau. madigan gave the facts: "after leaving aladdin's cave on the th we continued due south, lunching at p.m. on the site of webb's first camp. our troubles had already begun; the wind averaging sixty miles an hour all day with a temperature at noon of - degrees f. "as a few tears appeared in the tent during the night, we saw that it would not be advisable to put it up next day for lunch, so we had a cold meal, crouched in the lee of the sledge. this custom was found to economize time, as we became so cold eating our fare of biscuit, chocolate and butter that we got moving again as soon as possible. the great disadvantage was that there was nothing to drink between the morning and evening meals. "we sewed up the rents in the tent during the halt, having to use bare fingers in the open. about four stitches at a time were as much as one man could manage, and then the other two took their turns. "the next day was the only comparatively calm period of the two weeks of travelling. the wind was in the vicinity of thirty miles per hour, and, going west, we reached a spot, twenty miles 'out,' on a snow-covered surface, by nightfall. "a steady seventy-five-mile wind blew all day on the th at right angles to our course, accompanied by a thick, low drift. the surface was partially consolidated snow, very hard and smooth. sometimes the sledge would grip and we could pull straight ahead. then, suddenly, it would slide away sideways down wind and often pull us off our feet with a sudden vicious jerk. most of the time we were dragging in a south-westerly direction to make the sledge run west, stumbling through the drift with the sledge now behind us, now sliding away to leeward, often capsizing and requiring to be laboriously righted and sometimes repacked. "after many experiments, we found the best device was to have two men on the bow-rope, about twenty feet long, and one with about ten feet of rope attached to the rear of the sledge. the man on the tail-rope, usually whetter, found it very difficult to keep his feet, and, after a score of falls in stinging drift with incidental frost-bites on fingers and cheeks, he did not feel exactly cheerful. "by p.m. on the th we had reached twenty-five miles and were exhausted. we pitched camp at an early hour, partly influenced by the fact that it was a special occasion--close's birthday! some port wine had been slipped in to provide against that 'emergency.' on taking the precious bottle from the instrument-box, i found that the cork was out, and, for one awful moment, thought the bottle was empty. then i realized that the wine had frozen solid and had pushed the cork out by its expansion on solidification. "at last, the tent safely pitched and hoosh and cocoa finished, the moment came to drink to close's health and happiness. the bottle had stood on the top of the cooker while the meal was being prepared, but the wine was still as solid as ever. after being shaken and held over the primus for a good half-hour it began to issue in lumps. once the lumps were secured in mugs the rest of the thawing was easy. finally, we toasted close and his wife (in far australia) in what we voted to be the finest draught it had ever been our good fortune to drink. in the morning a cairn was made of the snow-blocks which were taken from the tent-skirt, and it was surmounted with the bottle, being called 'birthday camp.' "during september my right eyelid became frostbitten. i noticed that it was hard and refused to shut, so i rubbed vigorously to bring it round. however, it swelled and blistered badly and the eye remained closed for two days. "from twenty to fifty miles 'out', the surface was neve with areas of sastrugi up to three feet in height. no crevasses were noticed. at twenty-eight miles out, we lost sight of the sea, and at forty miles an altitude of four thousand five hundred feet was reached. "we turned out at a.m. every morning and were on the move by a.m. lunch only took half an hour and was a most uncomfortable meal. as we sat in the lee of the sledge, the surface-drift swirled up in our faces like fine sand. we never camped before p.m. and were obliged to consider five miles a good day's run. "pitching camp took nearly an hour. blocks of snow were cut and arranged in a semicircle, within which the tent was laid with its peak upwind. it sounds simple enough, but, as we had to take off crampons so as not to tread on the tent, our difficulties were enormously increased by having to move about wearing finnesko on a smooth surface in a high wind. one man crawled into the tent, and, at a given signal, the other two raised the peak while the former held on to the upwind leg and kicked the other legs into place with his feet. the others then quickly piled food-tanks and blocks of snow on to the skirt, calling out as soon as there was enough to hold it down, as the man gripping the bamboo leg inside would soon have 'deadly cold' fingers. it was always a great relief when the tent was up. "almost every night there was some sewing to do, and it was not long before every one's fingers were in a bad state. they became, especially near the tips, as hard as wood and devoid of sensation. manipulating toggles and buttons on one's clothing gave an immense amount of trouble, and it always seemed an interminable time before we got away in the morning. our lowest temperature was - degrees f., early on september . "we were fifty miles 'out' on september on a white, featureless plain. through low drift we had seen very little of our surroundings on the march. a bamboo pole with a black flag was raised, a mound was built, and a week's provisions for three men and two gallons of kerosene were cached. "in the morning there was a howling eighty-mile blizzard with dense drift, and our hopes of an early start homeward were dispelled. we feared for the safety of the tent, knowing that if it had gone during that 'blow' our hopes of getting back to the hut would have been small. "the wind continued all day and the next night, but, to our joy, abated on the st to fifty miles an hour, permitting us to travel. "through a seventy-five-miler on the nd and a quieter day on the rd, we picked up our half-way mound at birthday camp on september . on the same night the long-suffering sledge-meter, much battered, gave up recording. "at a.m. i was awakened by something striking me on the head. i looked out of the sleeping-bag and found that the tent had fallen in on us. the lashing at the apex had carried away and the poles upwind were almost flat. the cap was gone, and one side of the tent was split from top to bottom. i awakened the others, and whetter and i got out, leaving close inside to hang on to the bag. luckily we had kept on our burberrys in case of accidents. for once the entrance had not to be unfastened, as there was a ready-made exit. the poles were roughly bound together with an alpine rope and anchored to a pick on the windward side. it was blowing about eighty miles an hour, but fortunately there was no drift. when daylight came the tent was found to be hopelessly ruined, and to light the primus was impossible, though the wind had abated to thirty-five miles an hour. "we ate some frozen food and pushed on, hoping to find aladdin's cave before dark, so that we should not have to spend a night without a tent. after a struggle of thirteen miles over rough ice we came, footsore and worn out, to aladdin's cave. close's feet were badly blistered, and both my big toes had become frost-bitten at the fifty-mile camp, giving me a good deal of trouble on the way back. "never was the cave a more luxurious place. the cooker was kept busy far into the night, while we drank and smoked and felt happy." the successful conclusion of this journey in the face of the most adverse weather conditions was something upon which madigan, whetter and close could well feel proud, for in its way it must be a record in the sledging world. they were indeed badly frost-bitten; madigan's great toes having suffered most of all. whetter's chief injury was a wound under the chin occasioned by a pair of scissors handled by madigan to free whetter's helmet on an occasion when it was firmly frozen to his face. on october , mertz, hurley and ninnis made a gallant attempt to rescue two dogs, basilisk and franklin, which had remained at aladdin's cave on september , after accompanying them there with a load of provisions. at the hut there was no drift, but during the ascent it became thicker, and the wind stronger, forcing them at last to turn back. two days later another attempt was made by ninnis and mertz, and, in dense drift, after wandering about for a long time they happened on the cave, to find that the dogs were not there, though spots were discovered where they had evidently been sleeping in the snow. coming back disconsolately, they found that the dogs had reached the hut not long before them. apparently the two vagrants, hearing ninnis and mertz blundering about in the drift in search of the depot, had decided that it was time to return home. we concluded that the ways of these greenland dogs were past finding out. october came with a deluge of snow and transient hours of bright sunlight, during which the seals would make a temporary landing and retire again to the water when their endurance was exhausted. snow petrels flew in great numbers about the rocks in the evening, seeking out their old nest-crevices. seeing these signs of returning life, every one was in great expectation of the arrival of the penguins. on the night of the th, hurley, laseron, hunter and correll made an innovation by presenting a small farce to an audience which had been starved of dramatic entertainment for a long time, and consequently showed tremendous appreciation. the first penguin came waddling up the ice-foot against a seventy-mile wind late on the afternoon of october . mclean brought the bird back to the hut and the newcomer received a great ovation. stimulated by their success on the previous night and the appearance of the first penguin, the theatrical company added to their number, and, dispensing with a rehearsal, produced an opera, "the washerwoman's secret" (laseron). part of the hut was curtained off as a combined green-room and dressing-room; the kitchen was the stage; footlights twinkled on the floor; the acetylene limelight beamed down from the rafters, while the audience crowded on a form behind the dining-table, making tactless remarks and steadily eating chocolate. the typed programmes advertised the following: the washerwoman's secret (opera in five acts) dramatis personae dr. stakanhoiser (tenor) "hoyle" hurley chevalier de tintail (fiver) "johnny" hunter baron de brent (basso) "joe" laseron count hoopenkoff (barrowtone) "little willie" correll madam fuclose (don't sing) "also joe" laseron jemima fuclose (soprano) "dad" mclean dr. stakanhoiser's dog " monkey" greenland pup village idiot "bick" bickerton orchestra "stillwater willie" stillwell act i scene: room in poorer part of berlin: madam fuclose in bed dying: jemima at table washing clothes song "when sparrows build" jemima [knock at door. enter dr. stakanhoiser. song: "i vas a doctor" [attends madam fuclose, who, when dying, tells him that jemima is not her daughter, but the princess of adeliana, whom she has rescued in paris during the revolution. death scene and chorus: "who killed my mother?" act ii scene: beneath jemima's window [enter dr. stakanhoiser disguised as organ grinder. song: "vurds der likum" dr. s. [jemima opens window and throws flour on doctor. [enter baron de brent, kicks doctor out. song: "baron of brent" [baron makes love to jemima, who laughs at him. duet: "wilt love me" jemima and baron [enter chevalier de tintail, who denounces the baron as already having four wives. the baron goes off, muttering revenge. song: "i'm in love with a wonderful lady" chevalier [the chevalier makes love to jemima, who loves him in return. chorus: "jemima" act iii scene: conspirators' chamber [enter doctor, who hides behind a barrel. [enter count hoopenkoff, who amuses himself playing a piccolo. [enter baron. they discuss plot to kidnap princess, which is overheard by doctor. [enter ghost, who frightens conspirators away. chorus: "little willie smith" act iv scene: jemima's room [the chevalier de tintail is waiting. song: "i want you to see my girl" chevalier [enter jemima. love scene. [enter doctor, who discloses the plot he has heard and tells jemima of her high descent. the chevalier and the doctor hide, and the two villains, by means of a ladder, enter the room. the heroes spring from their hiding-place and the villains are ejected. chorus: "there is a wash-house" act v scene: conspirators' chamber [the baron and count enter by different doors. they accuse each other of having betrayed the plot. duel follows in which both are killed. duet: "mort de botheo" count and baron [all the others rush in. the two lovers come together and the doctor says, "god bless you, my children." chorus: "auld lang syne" company and audience and god save the king played by the society for the prevention of the blues. saturday, october , . adelie hall admission free. children half price. october was known as black sunday. we were all seated at dinner and the hut was quivering in the tornado-like gusts which followed a heavy "blow" reaching a maximum hourly average of ninety-one miles. one mighty blast was followed by a crack and the sound of a heavy falling body. for a moment it was thought that something had happened to the hut. then the messman ran out to the trap-door and saw that the northern wireless mast had disappeared. the weather showed but meagre signs of improvement, but the penguins came up in great numbers. they were in groups all along the ice-foot in the lee of rocks and icy pinnacles. they climbed up to their old resorts, and in a few days commenced to build nests of small pebbles. skua gulls mysteriously appeared, snow petrels hovered along the rocky ridges and odd seals landed on the wind-raked harbour ice. silver-grey and antarctic petrels flew along the shore with occasional cape pigeons. if the weather were indifferent to the fact, the birds did not forget that spring had come. a weddell seal calved on the bay-ice on october . for a week the pup had a miserable time in winds ranging mostly about the seventies, with the temperature below zero fahrenheit. at last it became so weak that it thawed a hole in the soft, sludgy ice and could not extricate itself. both it and the mother were killed and skinned for the biological collection. on all but the worst days a gang of men worked with picks and shovels digging out the hangar, so that bickerton could test the air-tractor sledge. the attack was concentrated upon a solid bank of snow and ice into which heaps of tins and rubbish had been compactly frozen. in soft snow enormous headway can be made in a short space of time, but in that species of conglomerate, progress is slow. eventually, a cutting was made by which the machine could pass out. the rampart of snow was broken through at the northern end of the hangar, and the sledge with its long curved runners was hauled forth triumphantly on the th. from that time onwards bickerton continued to experiment and to improve the contrivance. on october there was a marked thaw inside the hut. the frost along all the cracks dissolved into water and ran down the walls over pictures, on to book-shelves and bunks. the thick caking of ice on the windows dripped continually, coming away in layers at lunch-time and scattering among the diners at both ends of the table. every available bucket and tub was in use, and small tin-gutters hooked under each window had to be emptied at frequent intervals. stillwell came in during the afternoon bearing an albino penguin with a prettily mottled head; a curious freak of which the biologists immediately took possession. the penguins now swarmed along the foreshores, those not settling down in the rookeries wandering about in small crowds, occasionally visiting the hut and exploring among the rocks or up the slippery glacier. murphy was heard, at this time, to advance a theory accounting for the fact that adelie penguins never made their nests on a scale more elaborate than a collection of stones. he submitted that anything else would be blown away. to support the contention, he stated that as soon as the female lays her egg, she places a stone on top to weight it down. the biologists kept a dignified silence during the discussion. on the st an emperor penguin landed on the harbour ice, and, early in november, two more were captured. these imperial birds are very rare on the coasts of adelie land, owing to the fact that their winter breeding-grounds in antarctica are selected in spots where climatic conditions are comparatively good. october closed with an average wind velocity of . miles per hour. yet the possibility of summer sledging was no longer remote. the sun was high, spells of calm were longer and more frequent, and, with the certain knowledge that we should be on the plateau in november, the sledging parties were chosen, schemes of exploration were discussed, and the last details for an extensive campaign completed. chapter xii across king george v land we yearned beyond the skyline.--kipling october had passed without offering any opportunities for sledging, and we resolved that in defiance of all but the worst weather a start would be made in november. the 'aurora' was due to arrive early in january and the time at our disposal for exploration was slipping away rapidly. the investigation by sledging journeys of the coastline to the eastward was regarded as of prime importance, for our experience in the 'aurora' when in those longitudes during the previous year was such as to give little promise of its ever being accomplished from the sea. westward, the coast was accessible from the sea; at least for some distance in that direction. madigan's journey in the springtime had demonstrated that, if anything, the land to the west was steeper, and consequently more windy conditions might be expected there. further, it was judged that information concerning this region would be forthcoming from the ship, which had cruised westward after leaving adelie land in january . the field in that direction was therefore not so promising as that to the east. on this account the air-tractor sledge, of somewhat doubtful utility, was detailed for use to the westward of winter quarters, and, as it was obvious that the engine could only be operated in moderately good weather, its final departure was postponed until december. the following is a list of the parties which had been arranged and which, now fully equipped, were on the tiptoe of expectation to depart. ( ) a southern party composed of bage (leader), webb and hurley. the special feature of their work was to be magnetic observations in the vicinity of the south magnetic pole. ( ) a southern supporting party, including murphy (leader), hunter and laseron, who were to accompany the southern party as far as possible, returning to winter quarters by the end of november. ( ) a western party of three men--bickerton (leader), hodgeman and whetter--who were to traverse the coastal highlands west of the hut. their intention was to make use of the air-tractor sledge and the departure of the party was fixed for early december. ( ) stillwell, in charge of a near eastern party, was to map the coastline between cape denison and the mertz glacier-tongue, dividing the work into two stages. in the first instance, close and hodgeman were to assist him; all three acting partly as supports to the other eastern parties working further afield. after returning to the hut at the end of november for a further supply of stores, he was to set out again with close and laseron in order to complete the work. ( ) an eastern coastal party composed of madigan (leader), mclean and correll was to start in early november with the object of investigating the coastline beyond the mertz glacier. ( ) finally, a far-eastern party, assisted by the dogs, was to push out rapidly overland to the southward of madigan's party, mapping more distant sections of the coastline, beyond the limit to which the latter party would be likely to reach. as the plans for the execution of such a journey had of necessity to be more provisional than in the case of the others, i determined to undertake it, accompanied by ninnis and mertz, both of whom had so ably acquitted themselves throughout the expedition and, moreover, had always been in charge of the dogs. november opened with more moderate weather, auguring still better conditions for midsummer. accordingly november was fixed as the date of final departure for several of the parties. the evening of november was made a special occasion: a farewell dinner, into which everybody entered very heartily. on the morning of the th, however, we found a strong blizzard raging and the landscape blotted out by drift-snow, which did not clear until the afternoon of the following day. at the first opportunity, murphy, hunter and laseron (supporting the southern party) got away, but found the wind so strong at a level of one thousand feet on the glacier that they anchored their sledge and returned to the hut for the night. the next morning saw them off finally and, later in the day, the near-eastern party (stillwell, close and hodgeman) and the eastern coastal party (madigan, mclean and correll) got under way, though there was still considerable wind. my own party was to leave on the th for, assisted by the dogs, we could easily catch up to the other eastern parties, and it was our intention not to part company with them until all were some distance out on the road together. the wind increased on the th and the air became charged with drift, so we felt sure that those who preceded us would still be camped at aladdin's cave, and that the best course was to wait. at this date the penguin rookeries were full of new-laid eggs, and the popular taste inclined towards omelettes, in the production of which mertz was a past master. i can recall the clamouring throng who pressed round for the final omelette as mertz officiated at the stove just before we left on the th. it was a beautiful calm afternoon as the sledge mounted up the long icy slopes. the southern party (bage, webb and hurley) were a short distance in advance, but by the help of the dogs we were soon abreast of them. then bickerton, who had given bage's party a pull as far as the three-mile post, bade us good-bye and returned to the hut where he was to remain in charge with whetter and hannam until the return of murphy's party. at aladdin's cave, while some prepared supper, others selected tanks of food from the depot and packed the sledges. after the meal, the southern party bade us farewell and set off at a rapid rate, intending to overhaul their supporting party on the same evening at the cathedral grotto, eleven and three-quarter miles from the hut. many finishing touches had to be put to our three sledges and two teams of dogs, so that the departure was delayed till next morning. we were up betimes and a good start was made before anything came of the overcast sky which had formed during the night. the rendezvous appointed for meeting the others, in case we had not previously caught them up, was eighteen miles south-east of aladdin's cave. but, with a view to avoiding crevasses as much as possible, a southerly course was followed for several miles, after which it was directed well to the east. in the meantime the wind had arisen and snow commenced to fall soon after noon. in such weather it was impossible to locate the other parties, so a halt was made and the tent pitched after eight miles. five days of wind and drift followed, and for the next two days we remained in camp. then, on the afternoon of the th, the drift became less dense, enabling us to move forward on an approximate course to what was judged to be the vicinity of the rendezvous, where we camped again for three days. comfortably ensconced in the sleeping-bags, we ate only a small ration of food; the savings being carefully put away for a future "rainy day." outside, the dogs had at first an unpleasant time until they were buried in snow which sheltered them from the stinging wind. ninnis and mertz took turns day by day attending to their needs. the monotony and disappointment of delay were just becoming acute when the wind fell off, and the afternoon of november turned out gloriously fine. several excursions were immediately made in the neighbourhood to seek for the whereabouts of the other parties, but all were unsuccessful. at length it occurred to us that something serious might have happened, so we left our loads and started back at a gallop for aladdin's cave with two empty sledges, mertz careering ahead on skis over the sastrugi field. shortly afterwards two black specks were seen away in the north; a glance with the binoculars leaving no doubt as to the identity of the parties. we returned to the loads, and, having picked them up, made a course to the east to intercept the other men. it was a happy camp that evening!with the three tents pitched together, while we compared our experiences of the previous six days and made plans for the outward journey. our sledge-meter had already suffered through bumping over rough ice and sastrugi, and an exchange was made with the stronger one on stillwell's sledge. a quantity of food was also taken over from him and the loads were finally adjusted. the details and weights of the equipment on the three sledges belonging to my party are sufficiently interesting to be set out at length below. most of the items were included in the impedimenta of all our parties, but slight variations were necessary to meet particular stances or to satisfy the whim of an individual. total load the principal sledge, ft. long, lb. fittings for same: instrument-box lb. oz.; cooker-box, lb. oz.; kerosene-tray, lb.; mast-attachment, lb. oz.; mast, lb. oz.; spar, lb. oz.; decking (canvas and bamboo), lb. oz.; rigging, . oz.; leather straps, lb..... lb. . oz. drill tent, strengthened and attached to poles, also floor-cloth, lb. spare drill cover, lb. oz........ lb. oz. sleeping-bags, one-man bags............ lb. oz. cooking gear: nansen cooker, lb. oz.; mugs, lb. oz., tins, oz.; scales, . oz.; spoons, . oz.; matches, . oz., and damp-proof tin to hold same, . oz.; "primus" heater, full, lb. oz.; "primus" prickers, . oz.; "primus" repair outfit, oz.; kerosene tin openers and pourers, . oz.; spirit for "primus" in tin, lb. oz., also a ready bottle, full, lb. oz. ........................... lb. . oz. repair outfit: spare copper wire, rivets, needles, thread, etc., lb. . oz.; set of tools, . oz.; requirements for repairing dog-harness and medically treating the dogs, lb. oz ........................ lb. oz. medical outfit: "burroughs & wellcome" first field dressings; absorbent cotton wool; boric wool; pleated lint; pleated bandages, roll bandages; adhesive tape; liquid collodion; "tabloid" ophthalmic drugs for treating snow-blindness; an assortment of "tabloid" drugs for general treatment; canvas case containing scissors, forceps, artery-forceps, scalpel, surgical needles and silk, etc. ........................... lb. . oz. photographic outfit: a / -plate, long, extension-camera in a case, with special stiffening board and cut films, lb. . oz.; adaptor to accommodate camera to theodolite legs, oz.; a water-tight tin with packets, each containing cut films, lb. oz. ............................ lb. . oz. surveying requirements: a " transit theodolite in case, lb. oz.; legs for the same, lb. oz.; sledge-meter, lb.; tables from nautical almanack and book of logarithmic tables, lb. oz.; note books, lb. oz.; angle-books, oz.; map-tube, oz.; maps, . oz.; pencils, . oz.; dividers and rubber, . oz.; protractor and set-square, . oz.; prismatic compass and clinometer, . oz.; sun-compass (bage's), . oz......... lb. oz. other instruments: zeiss prismatic binoculars x. , lb. . oz.; hypsometer, lb. oz.; ordinary and small minimum thermometers, oz.; specimen labels, l oz............. lb. . oz. rifle, -bore with cover and cleaner, lb. . oz.; ammunition, lb. oz.; sheath knife, . oz.; sharpening stone, . oz.; fishing line and hooks, . oz............. lb. . oz. waterproof clothe-bag, lb. oz., containing pairs of finnesko stuffed with saennegrass, lb.; extra saennegrass, lb.; private kit-bags containing spare clothing, etc., lb.; extra rolls of lampwick for lashings, lb. . oz.......... lb. . oz. odd gear: pick, lb. oz.; spades, lb. oz.; ice-axe, lb. oz.; alpine rope ( metros) lb.; skis ( pair), lb.; ski-stick, lb. oz.; ski-boots ( pairs), lb.; attachable crampons for the same, lb.; finnesko-crampons ( pairs), lb.; man-harnesses, lb. oz.; man-hauling tow-rope, lb. oz.; flags, . oz.; a water-proof bag to hold oddments, lb. oz. ............................ lb. . oz. beacons: a depot-flag and bamboo pole, lb.; a special metal depot-beacon, mast, flag and stays, lb.; damp-proof tins for depositing records at depots, . oz.......... lb. . oz. other sledges: a second sledge decked with venesta boarding and fitted with straps.................. lb. oz. a third sledge, ft. long and strong rope lashings (spare spars mentioned elsewhere acting as decking)........ lb. oz. fuel: kerosene, gallons in one-gallon tins..... lb. oz. food: man food: weeks' supplies for men on the ration scale; also lb. weight of special foods--'perks'..... lb. oz. dog food: dried seal meat, blubber and pemmican; also the weight of the tin and bag-containers.............. lb. oz. total........................ lb. . oz. madigan's and stillwell's parties broke trail to the east on the morning of the th while we were still attending to the sledges and dogs preparatory to departure. it was decided that gadget, a rather miserable animal, who had shown herself useless as a puller thus far, should be killed. the following dogs then remained:--basilisk, shackleton, ginger bitch, franklin, john bull, mary, haldane, pavlova, fusilier, jappy, ginger, george, johnson, castor, betli and blizzard. we went in pursuit of the other six men over a surface of rough sastrugi. the dogs, who were in fine fettle, rushed the sledges along, making frantic efforts to catch up to the parties ahead, who showed as black specks across the white undulating plain. at noon all lunched together, after which we separated, shaking hands warmly all round and interchanging the sledgers' "good luck!" our dogs drew away rapidly to the east, travelling on a slight down grade; the other two parties with their man-hauled sledges following in the same direction. the surface was splendid, the weather conditions were ideal, the pace, if anything, too rapid, for capsizes were apt to occur in racing over high sastrugi. any doubts as to the capability of the dogs to pull the loads were dispelled; in fact, on this and on many subsequent occasions, two of us were able to sit, each one on a sledge, while the third broke trail ahead. in sledging over wide, monotonous wastes with dogs as the motive power, it is necessary to have a forerunner, that is, somebody to go ahead and point the way, otherwise the dogs will run aimlessly about. returning over old tracks, they will pull along steadily and keep a course. in adelie land we had no opportunity of verifying this, as the continuous winds soon obliterated the impression of the runners. if the weather is reasonably good and food is ample, sledging dogs enjoy their work. their desire to pull is doubtless inborn, implanted in a long line of ancestors who have faithfully served the esquimaux. we found that the dogs were glad to get their harnesses on and to be led away to the sledge. really, it was often a case of the dog leading the man, for, as soon as its harness was in place, the impatient animal strained to drag whatever might be attached to the other end of the rope. before attaching a team of dogs to a sledge, it was necessary to anchor the latter firmly, otherwise in their ardour they would make off with it before everything was ready. there can be no question as to the value of dogs as a means of traction in the polar regions, except when travelling continuously over very rugged country, over heavily crevassed areas, or during unusually bad weather. it is in such special stances that the superiority of man-hauling has been proved. further, in an enterprise where human life is always at stake, it is only fair to put forward the consideration that the dogs represent a reserve of food in case of extreme emergency. we continued due eastwards until five o'clock on the afternoon of the th at an altitude of two thousand six hundred feet. on the crest of a ridge, which bore away in distinct outline, on our left, a fine panorama of coastal scenery was visible. far off on the eastern horizon the mertz glacier tongue discovered itself in a long wall touched in luminous bands by the south-western sun. a wide valley fell away in front, and beyond it was a deep indentation of the coastline, which would make it necessary for us to follow a more southerly course in order to round its head. i determined to convey to the other parties my intentions, which had become more defined on seeing this view; and, in the meantime, we halted and treated ourselves to afternoon tea. this innovation in the ordinary routine was extended to a custom by saving a portion of the lunch ration for a "snack" at p.m. on all days when the weather was moderately good. as latitude sights were required at midday and longitude shots at p.m., the arrangement was very convenient, for, while one of us made tea, the other two took the observations. about p.m. the two man-hauled sledges came up with us, our plans for the future were reviewed and the final instructions were given. we bade our comrades adieu and, turning to the south-east, descended quickly down a long slope leading into the valley. the sky was overcast and it was almost impossible to see the irregularities of the surface. only a dull-white glare met the eyes, and the first indication of a hillock was to stub one's toes against it, or of a depression to fall into it. we pulled up the dogs at . p.m. after covering thirteen and a quarter miles in the day. at . a.m. on november everything was ready for a fresh start. the other parties could be seen rapidly bearing down on us under full sail, but our willing teams had soon dragged the three sledges over an eminence and out of their sight. it was a lovely day; almost like a dream after the lengthy months of harassing blizzards. a venturesome skua gull appeared at lunch time, just as an observation for latitude was being taken. by the time ninnis had unpacked the rifle the bird had flown away. the direction of the sastrugi was found to vary from that which obtained farther west, owing to a slight swing in the direction of the prevailing wind. the irregularities in the coastline account for this; the wind tending to flow down to sea-level by the nearest route. to the north-west, behind us, a projecting ridge of rock--madigan nunatak--came into sight. from the camp of the previous evening it had evidently been hidden from view by an undulation in the surface. during the afternoon it was noted that the surface had become very deeply eroded by the wind, troughs three feet in depth being common, into which the sledges frequently capsized. each of us took it in turn to run ahead, jumping from one sastruga to another. as these were firm and polished by the constant wind, one often slipped with a sudden shock to the ground. our bodies were well padded with clothing and we were beginning to get into good form, so that these habitual tumbles were taken with the best grace we could muster. i surprised myself during the afternoon, when my turn came as forerunner, by covering two and a half miles at a jog-trot without a break. the grade was slightly downhill and the sledges moved along of their own accord, accelerated by jerks from the dogs, gliding at right angles to the knife-edge crests of the snow-waves. the roughness of the surface was not without its effect on the sledge-meter, which had to be repaired temporarily. it was a matter of some inconvenience that after this date its records were erroneous and approximate distances were only obtained by checking the readings against absolute observations made for latitude and longitude. at . p.m. a dark object stood in salient relief above the white contour of the snowy sky-line on the right. suppressing our excitement, we pressed on eagerly, changing course so as to approach it. at nine o'clock it resolved itself into the summit of an imposing mountain rising up from a mysterious valley. aurora peak, as it was named, was to be a prominent landmark for several days to come. all were ready to be on the move at . a.m. on november . while mertz and ninnis built a cairn of snow, i wrote a note to be left on it in a tin, containing instructions to stillwell in case he should happen on the locality. the weather was good and the temperatures were high, ranging at this time (one month from midsummer) between zero and degrees f. when we camped for lunch the air was quite calm and the sun's rays were extremely warm. the surface became softer and smoother as the afternoon lengthened until mertz was tempted to put on his skis. he then became forerunner for the remainder of the day. mertz, who was skilled in the use of skis, found them of great service on this and on many future occasions. at such times he would relieve ninnis and myself in the van. on the other hand, over deeply furrowed sastrugi or blue ice, or during a strong wind, unless it were at our backs, skiing was impossible. owing to a steeper down grade, the sledges were now commencing to run more freely and improvised brakes were tried, all of which were ineffectual in restraining the dogs. the pace became so hot that a small obstacle would capsize the sledge, causing it to roll over and over down the slope. the dogs, frantically pulling in various directions to keep ahead of the load, became hopelessly entangled in their traces and were dragged along unresistingly until the sledge stopped of its own accord or was arrested by one of us. at length, most of the dogs were allowed to run loose, and, with a man holding on behind and a couple of dogs pulling ahead, the loads were piloted down a steep slope for several miles. the evening camp was situated at the crest of the last but steepest fall into a wide glacial valley which was clearly seen to sweep northwards past the eastern side of aurora peak. looking back we could define our track winding down in the bed of a long shallow valley, while, uprising on either hand near the rim of the plateau were crevassed bluffs where the ice of the tableland streamed abruptly over the underlying crags. ninnis had a touch of snow-blindness which rapidly improved under treatment. the stock cure for this very irritating and painful affection is to place first of all tiny "tabloids" of zinc sulphate and cocaine hydrochloride under the eyelids where they quickly dissolve in the tears, alleviating the smarting, "gritty" sensation which is usually described by the sufferer. he then bandages the eyes and escapes, if he is lucky, into the darkness of his sleeping-bag. in certain lights one is sure to be attacked more or less severely, and coloured glasses should be worn continually. unfortunately, goggles are sometimes impracticable on account of the moisture from the breath covering the glasses with an icy film or driving snow clogging them and obscuring the view. for such contingencies narrow slots of various shapes are cut in plates or discs of wood or bone in the esquimaux fashion. the amount of light reaching the eye can thus be reduced to the limit of moderately clear vision. the morning of the th broke with wind and drift which persisted until after noon. already everything had been packed up, but, as there was a steep fall in front and crevasses were not far distant, we decided not to start until the air was clear of snow. when at last a move was possible, it became evident that the dogs could not be trusted to pull the sledges down to the edge of the glacier. so they were tethered to ice-axes while we lowered the sledges one by one, all three checking their speed, assisted by rope brakes round the runners. finally, the impatient dogs were brought down and harnessed in their accustomed places. rapid travelling now commenced over a perfectly smooth surface, sloping gently to the bed of the glacier. mertz shot ahead on skis, and our column of dogs and sledges followed quickly in his trail. from this day forward our "order of procession" was as follows:--behind the forerunner came a team of dogs dragging two sledges joined together by a short length of alpine rope. bringing up the rear were the rest of the dogs dragging the third sledge. each team pulled approximately equal weights; the front load being divided between two sledges. except when taking my turn ahead, i looked after the leading team, ninnis or mertz, as the case might be, driving the one behind. we skirted aurora peak on its south-eastern side. the mountain rose to a height of about seventeen hundred feet on our left, its steep sides being almost completely snow-clad. the wide depression of the mertz glacier lay ahead, and on its far side the dim outline of uprising icy slopes was visible, though at the time we could not be certain as to their precise nature. as the sledges passed aurora peak, blizzard and ginger bitch ran alongside. the former had hurt one of her forefeet on the previous day during the "rough-and-tumble" descending into the valley. ginger bitch was allowed to go free because she was daily expected to give birth to pups. as she was such a good sledge-dog we could not have afforded to leave her behind at the hut, and later events proved that the work seemed actually to benefit her, for she was at all times the best puller and the strongest of the pack. however, in permitting both dogs to run loose that afternoon, there was an element of danger which we had not sufficiently appreciated. suddenly, without any warning, half of my dogs dropped out of sight, swinging on their harness ropes in a crevasse. next moment i realized that the sledges were in the centre of a bridge covering a crevasse, twenty-five feet wide, along the edge of which part of the team had broken through. we spent many anxious moments before they were all hauled to the daylight and the sledge rested on solid ground. there were other crevasses about and almost immediately afterwards ginger bitch and blizzard had broken through into a fissure and were frantically struggling to maintain their hold on the edge. they were speedily rescued; following which ginger bitch gave birth to the first of a large litter of pups. after this second accident we decided to camp. during the morning of november there was a good deal of wind and drift which made travelling rather miserable. occasionally open crevasses would break the surface of the snow. when the light at last improved, a nunatak was observed some fifteen miles or more to the south rising out of the glacier--correll nunatak. ahead of us was a glittering line of broken ice, stretching at right angles to our path. studded about on the icy plain were immense cauldrons, like small craters in appearance. then an area dotted over with ice mounds approached and crevasses became correspondingly more numerous. the dogs frequently broke through them but were easily extricated in every instance. camp was pitched for lunch in the vicinity of many gaping holes leading down into darkness, places where the bridges over large crevasses had fallen in. mertz prepared the lunch and ninnis and i went to photograph an open crevasse near by. returning, we diverged on reaching the back of the tent, he passing round on one side and i on the other. the next instant i heard a bang on the ice and, swinging round, could see nothing of my companion but his head and arms. he had broken through the lid of a crevasse fifteen feet wide and was hanging on to its edge close to where the camera lay damaged on the ice. he was soon dragged into safety. looking down into the black depths we realized how narrowly he had escaped. as the tent was found to encroach partly on the same crevasse, it may be imagined that we did not dally long over the meal. in the afternoon the weather became clear and fine, but, as if to offset this, the broken surface became impassable. the region was one of serac where the glacier was puckered up, folded and crushed. after several repulses in what seemed to be promising directions, we were finally forced to camp, having ten miles to our credit. whilst mertz fed the dogs and prepared hoosh, ninnis and i roped up and went off to search for a passage. all around, the glacier was pressed up into great folds, two hundred feet in height and between one quarter and a third of a mile from crest to crest. the ridges of the folds were either domes or open rifts partly choked with snow. precipitous ice-falls and deep cauldrons were encountered everywhere. to the north the glacier flattened out; to the south it was more rugged. in this chaos we wandered for some miles until a favourable line of advance had been discovered for the march on the following day. the first three miles, on the nd, were over a piece of very dangerous country, after which our prospects improved and we came to the border of a level plain. there mertz slipped on his skis, went ahead and set a good pace. although the sky had become overcast and snow fell fitfully, our progress was rapid towards the rising slopes of the land on the eastern side of the glacier. over the last three miles of the day's journey the surface was raised in large, pimply masses surrounded by wide fissures. into one of the fissures, bridged by snow, ninnis's sledge fell, but fortunately jammed itself just below the surface. as it was, we had a long job getting it up again, having to unpack the sledge in the crevasse until it was light enough to be easily manipulated. despite the delay, our day's run was sixteen and a half miles. at a.m. on the rd everything was in readiness for a fresh start. moderate drift and wind descended from the hills and there were yet three miles of hidden perils to be passed. with the object of making our advance less dangerous, various devices were employed. first of all the towing rope of the rear sledge was secured to the back of the preceding sledge. this arrangement had to be abandoned because the dogs of ninnis's team persisted in entangling themselves and working independently of the dogs in front. next, all the sledges were joined together with all the dogs pulling in front. the procession was then so long that it was quite unmanageable on account of the tortuous nature of our track through the labyrinth. in the long run, it was decided that our original method was the best, provided that special precautions were taken over the more hazardous crossings. the usual procedure was, that the forerunner selected the best crossing of a crevasse, testing it with a ski-stick. the dog teams were then brought up to the spot and the forerunner went over the snow-bridge and stood on the other side, sufficiently far away to allow the first team to cross to him and to clear the crevasse. then the second team was piloted to safety before the forerunner had resumed his position in front. this precaution was very necessary, for otherwise the dogs in the rear would make a course direct for wherever the front dogs happened to be, cutting across corners and most probably dragging their sledge sideways into a crevasse; the likeliest way to lose it altogether. often enough the dogs broke through the snow-bridges on the morning of the rd, but only once were matters serious, when ninnis's sledge, doubtless on account of its extra weight, again broke through a lid of snow and was securely jammed in a crevasse just below the surface. on this occasion we were in a serious predicament, for the sledge was in such a position that an unskilful movement would have sent it hurling into the chasm below. so the unpacking of the load was a tedious and delicate operation. the freight consisted chiefly of large, soldered tins, packed tightly with dried seal meat. each of these weighed about ninety pounds and all were most securely roped to the sledge. the sledge was got up and reloaded without the loss of a single tin, and once more we breathed freely. a valley almost free of crevasses was chosen as the upward track to the plateau. we threw in our weight hauling with the dogs, and had a long, steep drag over furrowed neve, pitching the tent after a day's journey of twelve miles. on waking up on november i found that my watch had stopped. i had been so tired on the previous evening that i had fallen asleep without remembering to wind it. the penalty of this accident was paid in my being forced to take an extra set of observations in order to start the watch again at correct time relative to the hut. besides the observations for position, necessary for navigation, sets of angles were taken from time to time to fix the positions of objects of interest appearing within the field of view, while the magnetic variation was obtained at intervals. in this work ninnis always assisted me. mertz boiled the hypsometer when necessary to ascertain our elevation above sea-level. the meteorological conditions were carefully noted several times each day for future comparison with those of other parties and of winter quarters. the day's work on november brought us high up on the slopes. away to the north-west aurora peak was still visible, standing up like a mighty beacon pointing the way back to the hut. below lay the mertz glacier extending out to sea as a floating tongue beyond the horizon. inland, some twenty miles to the south, it mounted up in seamed and riven "cataracts" to a smooth, broad and shallow groove which wound into the ice-cap. ahead, on our south-east course, the ground still rose, but to the north-east the ice-sheet fell away in long wide valleys, at the extremity of some of which icebergs were visible frozen into distant sea-ice. the tent was raised at p.m. in a forty-mile wind with light drift; temperature degrees f. the altitude of this camp was two thousand three hundred and fifty feet. one of the worst features of drift overnight is that sledges and dogs become buried in snow and have to be dug out in the morning. thus on the th it was a.m. before we got away in a strong wind, with flying snow, across fields of sastrugi. the dogs detested the wind and, as their heads were so near the ground, they must have found the incessant stream of thick drift very tantalizing. the snow became caked over their eyes so that every few minutes they had to scrape it away with their paws or rub their faces on the ground. we stopped at p.m. after a miserable day, covering sixteen miles in all. november broke overcast, the light being bad for travelling and the wind still strong. nevertheless we set out at a.m. through falling snow. as the day progressed the wind subsided and mertz was able to put on his skis over a surface which sloped gradually away to the east. the light was diffused uniformly over the irregularities of snow and ice so that depressions only a few feet away were invisible. black objects, on the other hand, stood out with startling distinctness, and our attention was soon arrested by a hazy, dark patch which appeared in front and to the left. at first there was much doubt as to its nature, but it was soon clear that it must be a group of rocks, apparently situated at a considerable distance. they were subsequently found to be sixty miles away (organ pipe cliffs, near cape blake). presently our course ended abruptly at the edge of a precipitous fall. we skirted round this for a while, but were ultimately forced to camp owing to the uncertainty of the light and the proximity of several large crevasses. at p.m. the sky cleared and a better idea could be gained of what lay ahead. in a line between our elevated position and the distant rocky outcrops the ice fell in a steep descent to a broad, glacial valley, undulating and in places traversed by torn masses of serac-ice. we examined the country to the east very carefully with a view to selecting a track for the journey next day and finally resolved to pass to the south of a large ice-capped island--dixson island, which was only about ten miles to the north-east, set within ninnis glacier near its western border on the th mertz and i roped up, reconnoitred for a while and returned to the sledges. we then spent several hours in advancing a mile over badly broken ground, arriving at a slope covered with sastrugi and descending steeply for one thousand feet into the bed of the glacier. in order the more safely to negotiate this, the dogs were all let loose excepting two in each sledge. even then the sledges were often uncontrollable, rolling over and over many times before the bottom was reached. when the dogs were re-harnessed it was found that betli was missing and was not to be seen when we scanned the slopes in our rear with binoculars. it was expected that unless she had fallen into a crevasse she would turn up at the camp that night. however, she did not reappear, and we saw no more of her. two other dogs, jappy and fusilier, had been previously killed, as neither was of any use as a puller. blizzard, who had been always a great favourite with us, had to be shot next day. when it had reached the edge of the glacier, our path led over a solid ocean rising and faring in billows, two hundred and fifty feet in height; no doubt caused by the glacier in its northward movement being compressed against the southern side of dixson island. still, the "caravan" made considerable progress, ending with a day's journey of sixteen miles. during the small hours of november the wind rose to a velocity of sixty miles per hour, but gradually diminished to a twenty-knot breeze as the day advanced. light snow fell from a sky which was densely clouded. we still pursued a devious track amid rolling waves of ice, encountering beds of soft snow through which the sledges moved slowly. by p.m. pinnacles and hummocks stood around on every side, and the light was such that one could not distinguish crevasses until he was on top of them. we had to camp and be satisfied with seven miles "to the good." by this time the dogs were in good training and grew noticeably ravenous. in the evening, before they were properly tethered, shackleton seized a one-week provision bag, ripped it open and ate a block of butter weighing more than two and a half pounds. this was a loss to us, as butter was regarded as a particular delicacy. the sun was shining brightly next day and it was at once evident that we were in a zone of tumbled and disrupted ice. for many hours a way was won through a mighty turmoil of serac and over innumerable crevasses with varied fortune. just before lunch my two sledges were nearly lost through the dogs swinging sharply to one side before the second sledge had cleared a rather rotten snow-bridge. i was up with the dogs at the time, and the first intimation i received of an accident was on seeing the dogs and front sledge being dragged backwards; the rear sledge was hanging vertically in a crevasse. exerting all my strength i held back the front sledge, and in a few moments was joined by ninnis and mertz, who soon drove a pick and ice-axe down between the runners and ran out an anchoring rope. it was a ticklish business recovering the sledge which hung suspended in the crevasse. it could not be lifted vertically as its bow was caught in a v-shaped cornice formed by an overhanging mass of snow. to add to our troubles the ground all about the place was precarious and unsafe. mertz and ninnis therefore lowered me down and i attached a rope to the tail-end of the sledge. the bow-rope and tail-rope were then manipulated alternately until the bow of the sledge was manoeuvred slowly through the gaping hole in the snow-lid and was finally hauled up on to level ground. no more remarkable test of the efficiency of the sledge straps and the compactness of the load could have been made. after lunch mertz ascended a high point and was able to trace out a route which conducted us in a few hours to a better surface. we were now at an elevation of from four hundred to five hundred feet above sea-level, running across a beam-wind on our right which increased during the afternoon. a rising blizzard made it necessary to camp after a day's run of ten and one-third miles. the wind blew up to seventy miles an hour during the night, but eased in strength early on november . at a.m. we tried to make a start, but the dogs refused to face the drift. on the wind becoming gusty in the afternoon, it was once more possible to travel, and we set out. dense drift was still to be seen pouring over the highlands to the south-east. above the glacier ahead whirlies, out-lined in high revolving columns of snow, "stalked about" in their wayward courses. the sledges ran through a sea of crevassed, blue ice, over ridges and past open chasms. seven miles brought us to the "foot-hills" on the eastern border of the ninnis glacier, where we pitched camp. the first day of december was still and hot, with brilliant sunshine. the shade temperature reached degrees f. and the snow became so sticky that it was as much as we and the dogs could do to move the sledges up the slopes. as the evening lengthened and the sun sank lower the surface froze hard and our toil was lightened. at midnight we reached an altitude of nine hundred feet. december was another warm, bright day. the surface was atrociously bad; hard, sharp sastrugi, never less than two feet high and in many instances three feet six inches from crest to trough. the dogs were not able to exert a united pull for there were never more than half of them in action at a time. once more we were at a comparatively high altitude and a fine view presented itself to the north. one could look back to the mainland slopes descending on the western side of the ninnis glacier. then the glacier, tumultuous and broken, was seen to extend far out into the frozen sea and, sweeping round to the north-east, the eye ranged over a great expanse of floe-ice dotted with bergs. to the east there was a precipitous coastline of dark rock which for a while we thought of visiting. but then it seemed likely that madigan's party would reach as far east, so we set our faces once more to the rising plateau in the south-east. at midnight the sun was peering over the southern sky-line, and we halted at an elevation of one thousand five hundred and fifty feet, having covered eight and a half miles in the day. the temperature was degrees f. "december .--we were not long on the way before the sky became overcast and light snow fell. the surface was becoming flatter. camp was pitched at p.m. after eleven and two-thirds miles. "december .--another day of bad light but the surface improved and good headway was made on an easterly course at an elevation of between two thousand and two thousand eight hundred feet. the crevasses were practically past. the day's march was fifteen miles. "december .--a bad day; overcast, snowing and a gale of wind from the east-south-east. however, we plugged on blindly into it until . p.m. and then camped, having done eleven and a half miles. "december , and .--during these days a dense blizzard raged, the wind reaching seventy miles per hour. there was nothing to do but lie in our bags and think out plans for the future. each morning ninnis and mertz took it in turns to go out and feed their charges, who were snugly buried in the deep snow. "one day in the sleeping-bag does not come amiss after long marches, but three days on end is enough to bore any one thoroughly. "ninnis was not so badly off with a volume of thackeray, but mertz had come to the end of a small edition of 'sherlock holmes' when blizzard-bound near aladdin's cave, and his only diversion on these days was to recite passages from memory for our mutual benefit." i was troubled with an inflammation in the face just at this time, while ninnis suffered pain owing to a "whitlow" on one of his fingers. as usual the food ration was reduced. this caused us to have more than ordinarily vivid dreams. i happened to be awake one night when ninnis was sledging in imagination, vociferously shouting, "hike, hike," to the dogs; our equivalent of the usual "mush, mush." despite considerable wind and drift we got away at a.m. on december . the sky was overcast and there was nothing to be seen except a soft carpet of newly fallen snow into which we sank half-way to the knees. the sledges ran deeply and heavily so that the dogs had to be assisted. ahead mertz glided along triumphant, for it was on such occasions that skis were of the greatest assistance to him. during the day a snow petrel circled above us for a while and then returned to the north. the course was due east at an elevation of two thousand three hundred feet and the total distance we threw behind during the day was sixteen and a half miles. on the th light wind and low drift were the order of things. our spirits rose when the sky cleared and a slight down grade commenced. during the morning ninnis drew our attention to what appeared to be small ice-capped islets fringing the coast, but the distance was too great for us to be sure of their exact nature. out near the verge of the horizon a tract of frozen sea with scattered bergs could be seen. next day more features were distinguishable. the coast was seen to run in a north-easterly direction as a long peninsula ending in a sharp cape--cape freshfield. the north appeared to be filled with frozen sea though we could not be certain that it was not dense pack-ice. little did we know that madigan's party, about a week later, would be marching over the frozen sea towards cape freshfield in the north-east. at p.m. on the th, at an altitude of one thousand eight hundred feet, the highland we were traversing fell away rapidly and sea-ice opened up directly in front of us. the coastal downfalls to the south-east fell in rugged masses to a vertical barrier, off the seaward face of which large, tabular bergs were grouped within environing floe. throughout december a somewhat irregular course was made to the south-east and south to avoid the broken area ahead. we had had enough of crevasses and wished to be clear of serac-ice in the future. for some days ninnis had been enduring the throbbing pain of a whitlow and had not been having sufficient sleep. he always did his share of the work and had undoubtedly borne a great deal of pain without showing it. on several nights i noticed that he sat up in his sleeping-bag for hours puffing away at a pipe or reading. at last the pain became so acute that he asked me to lance his finger. this was successfully accomplished after breakfast on the th and during the day he had much relief. while ninnis rested before we made a start, mertz and i re-arranged the sledges and their loads. a third sledge was no longer necessary, so the one usually driven by ninnis, which had been damaged, was discarded and all the gear was divided between the other two sledges in nearly equal amounts. when the work was completed, the rear sledge carried an extra weight of fifty pounds. as, however, both food for men and dogs were to come from it, we reckoned that this superadded load would soon diminish. on we went, during the afternoon, up a steep ascent. crevasses were so numerous that we took measures to vent them. some were as much as a hundred feet in width, filled with snow; others were great open holes or like huge cauldrons. close to the windward edge of some of the latter high ramps of neve with bluff faces on the windward side stood up like monoliths reaching twenty-five feet in maximum height. in the evening a field of neve was reached and we felt more placid after the anxiety of the preceding hours. during the passage of a snow-filled valley a dull, booming sound like the noise of far-distant cannon was heard. it was evidently connected with the subsidence of large areas of the surface crust. apparently large cavities had formed beneath the snow and the weight of ourselves and the sledges caused the crust to sink and the air to be expelled. the sun appeared late in the day and, as it was almost calm, the last few hours of marching were very pleasant. at midnight we camped at an altitude of one thousand nine hundred feet. a light east-south-east wind was blowing as the sledges started away eastward on the morning of december . the weather was sunny and the temperature registered degrees f. mertz and i were happy to know that ninnis had slept well and was feeling much better. our march was interrupted at noon by a latitude observation, after which mertz went ahead on skis singing his student songs. the dogs rose to the occasion and pulled eagerly and well. everything was for once in harmony and the time was at hand when we should turn our faces homewards. mertz was well in advance of us when i noticed him hold up his ski-stick and then go on. this was a signal for something unusual so, as i approached the vicinity, i looked out for crevasses or some other explanation of his action. as a matter of fact crevasses were not expected, since we were on a smooth surface of neve well to the southward of the broken coastal slopes. on reaching the spot where mertz had signalled and seeing no sign of any irregularity, i jumped on to the sledge, got out the book of tables and commenced to figure out the latitude observation taken on that day. glancing at the ground a moment after, i noticed the faint indication of a crevasse. it was but one of many hundred similar ones we had crossed and had no specially dangerous appearance, but still i turned quickly round, called out a warning word to ninnis and then dismissed it from my thoughts. ninnis, who was walking along by the side of his sledge, close behind my own, heard the warning, for in my backward glance i noticed that he immediately swung the leading dogs so as to cross the crevasse squarely instead of diagonally as i had done. i then went on with my work. there was no sound from behind except a faint, plaintive whine from one of the dogs which i imagined was in reply to a touch from ninnis's whip. i remember addressing myself to george, the laziest dog in my own team, saying, "you will be getting a little of that, too, george, if you are not careful." when i next looked back, it was in response to the anxious gaze of mertz who had turned round and halted in his tracks. behind me, nothing met the eye but my own sledge tracks running back in the distance. where were ninnis and his sledge? i hastened back along the trail thinking that a rise in the ground obscured the view. there was no such good fortune, however, for i came to a gaping hole in the surface about eleven feet wide. the lid of a crevasse had broken in; two sledge tracks led up to it on the far side but only one continued on the other side. frantically waving to mertz to bring up my sledge, upon which there was some alpine rope, i leaned over and shouted into the dark depths below. no sound came back but the moaning of a dog, caught on a shelf just visible one hundred and fifty feet below. the poor creature appeared to have broken its back, for it was attempting to sit up with the front part of its body while the hinder portion lay limp. another dog lay motionless by its side. close by was what appeared in the gloom to be the remains of the tent and a canvas tank containing food for three men for a fortnight. we broke back the edge of the neve lid and took turns leaning over secured by a rope, calling into the darkness in the hope that our companion might be still alive. for three hours we called unceasingly but no answering sound came back. the dog had ceased to moan and lay without a movement. a chill draught was blowing out of the abyss. we felt that there was little hope. why had the first sledge escaped the crevasse? it seemed that i had been fortunate, because my sledge had crossed diagonally, with a greater chance of breaking the snow-lid. the sledges were within thirty pounds of the same weight. the explanation appeared to be that ninnis had walked by the side of his sledge, whereas i had crossed it sitting on the sledge. the whole weight of a man's body bearing on his foot is a formidable load and no doubt was sufficient to smash the arch of the roof. by means of a fishing line we ascertained that it was one hundred and fifty feet sheer to the ledge on which the remains were seen; on either side the crevasse descended into blackness. it seemed so very far down there and the dogs looked so small that we got out the field glasses, but could make out nothing more by their aid. all our available rope was tied together but the total length was insufficient to reach the ledge and any idea of going below to investigate and to secure some of the food had to be abandoned. stunned by the unexpectedness of it all and having exhausted the few appliances we carried for such a contingency, we felt helpless. in such moments action is the only tolerable thing, and if there had been any expedient however hazardous which might have been tried, we should have taken all and more than the risk. stricken dumb with the pity of it and heavy at heart, we turned our minds mechanically to what lay nearest at hand. there were rations on the other sledge, and we found that there was a bare one and a half weeks' food for ourselves and nothing at all for the dogs. part of the provisions consisted of raisins and almonds which had been taken as extras or "perks," as they were usually called. among other losses there were both spade and ice-axe, but fortunately a spare tent-cover was saved. mertz's burberry trousers had gone down with the sledge and the best substitute he could get was a pair of thick jaeger woollen under-trousers from the spare clothing we possessed. later in the afternoon mertz and i went ahead to a higher point in order to obtain a better view of our surroundings. at a point two thousand four hundred feet above sea-level and three hundred and fifteen and three-quarter miles eastward from the hut, a complete observation for position and magnetic azimuth was taken. the coastal slopes were fearfully broken and scaured in their descent to the sea, which was frozen out to the horizon. no islands were observed or anything which could correspond with the land marked by wilkes as existing so much farther to the north. patches of "water sky" were visible in two places in the far distance. as we stood looking north a wilson petrel suddenly appeared and after flitting about for a short time departed. we returned to the crevasse and packed the remaining sledge, discarding everything unnecessary so as to reduce the weight of the load. a thin soup was made by boiling up all the old food-bags which could be found. the dogs were given some worn-out fur mitts, finnesko and several spare raw hide straps, all of which they devoured. we still continued to call down into the crevasse at regular intervals in case our companion might not have been killed outright and, in the meantime, have become conscious. there was no reply. a weight was lowered on the fishing line as far as the dog which had earlier shown some signs of life, but there was no response. all were dead, swallowed up in an instant. when comrades tramp the road to anywhere through a lonely blizzard-ridden land in hunger, want and weariness the interests, ties and fates of each are interwoven in a wondrous fabric of friendship and affection. the shock of ninnis's death struck home and deeply stirred us. he was a fine fellow and a born soldier--and the end:-- life--give me life until the end, that at the very top of being, the battle spirit shouting in my blood, out of very reddest hell of the fight i may be snatched and flung into the everlasting lull, the immortal, incommunicable dream. at p.m. we stood by the side of the crevasse and i read the burial service. then mertz shook me by the hand with a short "thank you!" and we turned away to harness up the dogs. chapter xiii toil and tribulation the homeward track! a few days ago--only few hours ago-our hearts had beat hopefully at the prospect and there was no hint of this, the overwhelming tragedy. our fellow, comrade, chum, in a woeful instant, buried in the bowels of the awful glacier. we could not think of it; we strove to forget it in the necessity of work, but we knew that the truth would assuredly enter our souls in the lonely days to come. it was to be a fight with death and the great providence would decide the issue. on the outward journey we had left no depots of provisions en route, for it was our bad fortune to meet such impossible country that we had decided to make a circuit on our return to winter quarters sufficiently far inland to avoid the coastal irregularities. as a matter of fact, on the very day of the calamity, preparations had been made to cache most of the food within twenty-four hours, as during the last few days of the journey we were to make a dash to our "farthest east" point. such were the plans, and now we were ranged against unexpected odds. with regard to the dogs, there were six very miserable animals left. the best of them had been drafted into the rear team, as it was expected that if an accident happened through the collapse of a snow-bridge the first sledge would most probably suffer. for the same reason most of the food and other indispensable articles had been carried on the rear sledge. all the dogs which had perished were big and powerful; basilisk, ginger bitch, shackleton, castor, franklin and john bull. we had fully anticipated that those at least would come back alive, at the expense of the six dogs in my sledge. a silent farewell!--and we started back, aiming to reach our camping-ground on december before a snowstorm intervened, as several things had been left there which would be of use to us in our straitened stances. the weather still held good and there were no signs of approaching snow or wind. so mertz went ahead on skis, while we plodded slowly up the hills and dashed recklessly down them. during the descents i sat on the sledge and we slid over long crevassed slopes in a wild fashion, almost with a languid feeling that the next one would probably swallow us up. but we did not much care then, as it was too soon after losing our friend. at . a.m. on december the discarded sledge and broken spade came into sight. on reaching them, mertz cut a runner of the broken sledge into two pieces which were used in conjunction with his skis as a framework on which to pitch the spare tent-cover; our only tent and poles having been lost. each time the makeshift shelter was erected, these props had to be carefully lashed together at the apex, which stood four feet from the ground. inside, there was just room for two one-man sleeping-bags on the floor. however, only one man at a time could move about and neither of us could ever rise above a sitting posture. still, it was a shelter which protected us from the bad weather, and, with plenty of snow blocks piled around it, was wonderfully resistant to the wind. when we retired to rest, it was not to sleep but to think out the best plan for the return journey. it was obvious that a descent to the frozen sea would be dangerous on account of the heavily crevassed nature of the falling glacier, delay would undoubtedly be caused and our distance from the hut would be increased. to decide definitely for the sea-ice would be to take other risks as well, since, from the altitude at which we were placed, we could not be sure that the floe-ice which covered the sea would provide a good travelling surface. in any case it was likely to be on the point of breaking up, for the season was nearing midsummer. on the other hand, there was on the sea-ice a chance of obtaining seals for food. after due consideration we resolved to follow the shorter route, returning inland over the plateau, for it was reckoned that if the weather were reasonable we might win through to winter quarters with one and a half weeks' rations and the six dogs which still remained, provided we ate the dogs to eke out our provisions. fortunately neither the cooker nor the kerosene had been lost. george, the poorest of the dogs, was killed and partly fed to the others, partly kept for ourselves. the meat was roughly fried on the lid of the aluminium cooker, an operation which resulted in little more than scorching the surface. on the whole it was voted good though it had a strong, musty taste and was so stringy that it could not be properly chewed. as both mugs and spoons had been lost, i made two pannikins out of tins in which cartridges and matches had been packed, and mertz carved wooden spoons out of a portion of the broken sledge. at this camp he also spliced the handle of the broken shovel which had been picked up, so as to make it temporarily serviceable. it was midsummer, and therefore we found it easier to drag the sledge over the snow at night when the surface was frozen hard. camp was not finally broken until p.m., when the long and painful return journey commenced. for fourteen miles the way led up rising snow slopes to the north-west until an elevation of two thousand five hundred feet had been reached. after that, variable grades and flat country were met. though the sledge was light, the dogs required helping and progress was slow. the midnight sun shone low in the south, and we tramped on through the morning hours, anxious to reduce the miles which lay ahead. early on december the sky became rapidly overcast. the snowy land and the snowy sky merged to form an enclosed trap, as it seemed to us, while showers of snow fell. there were no shadows to create contrast; it was impossible to distinguish even the detail of the ground underfoot. we stumbled over unseen ridges of the hard neve, our gaze straining forward. the air was so still that advantage was taken of the calm to light the primus and melt some snow in the lee of the sledge. the water, to which were added a few drops of primus alcohol, helped to assuage our thirst. the erection of the makeshift tent was a long and tedious operation, and so, on our return marches, we never again took any refreshment during the day's work excepting on this occasion. at a.m., having done twenty miles and ascended to an elevation of about two thousand five hundred feet, we pitched camp. there was very little sleep for me that day for i had an unusually bad attack of snow-blindness. during the time that we rested in the bags mertz treated one of my eyes three times, the other twice with zinc sulphate and cocaine. on account of the smallness of the tent a great deal of time was absorbed in preparations for "turning in" and for getting away from each camp. thus, although we rose before p.m. on december , the start was not made until . p.m., notwithstanding the fact that the meal was of the "sketchiest" character. on that night ours was a mournful procession; the sky thickly clouded, snow falling, i with one eye bandaged and the dog johnson broken down and strapped on top of the load on the sledge. there was scarcely a sound; only the rustle of the thick, soft snow as we pushed on, weary but full of hope. the dogs dumbly pressed forward in their harness, forlorn but eager to follow. their weight now told little upon the sledge, the work mainly falling upon ourselves. mertz was tempted to try hauling on skis, but came to the conclusion that it did not pay and thenceforth never again used them. close to the magnetic pole as we were, the compass was of little use, and to steer a straight course to the west without ever seeing anything of the surroundings was a difficult task. the only check upon the correctness of the bearing was the direction in which trended the old hard winter sastrugi, channelled out along a line running almost north and south. the newly fallen snow obliterated these, and frequent halts had to be called in order to investigate the buried surface. at a.m. on the th we had only covered eleven miles when we stopped to camp. then mertz shot and cut up johnson while i prepared the supper. johnson had always been a very faithful, hard-working and willing beast, with rather droll ways of his own, and we were sorry that his end should come so soon. he could never be accused of being a handsome dog, in fact he was generally disreputable and dirty. all the dogs were miserable and thin when they reached the stage of extreme exhaustion. their meat was tough, stringy and without a vestige of fat. for a change we sometimes chopped it up finely, mixed it with a little pemmican, and brought all to the boil in a large pot of water. we were exceedingly hungry, but there was nothing to satisfy our appetites. only a few ounces were used of the stock of ordinary food, to which was added a portion of dog's meat, never large, for each animal yielded so very little, and the major part was fed to the surviving dogs. they crunched the bones and ate the skin, until nothing remained. a fresh start was made at . p.m. and a wretched, trying night was spent, when we marched without a break for twelve and a half hours. overhead there was a dense pall of nimbus from which snow fell at intervals. none of the dogs except ginger gave any help with the load, and mary was so worn out that she had to be carried on the sledge. poor mary had been a splendid dog, but we had to kill her at the camp in the morning. after a run of eighteen and a half miles we halted at a.m. on december . at . p.m. a light south-easter blew and snow fell from an overcast sky. soon after a start was made, it became apparent that a descent was commencing. in this locality the country had been swept by wind, for none of the recent snow settled on the surface. the sastrugi were high and hard, and over them we bumped, slipping and falling in the uncertain light. we could not endure this kind of travelling for long and resolved to camp shortly after midnight, intending to go on when the day had advanced further and the light was stronger. "december .--up at noon and tried a few more miles in the snow-glare. later in the afternoon the sky began to break and we picked our way with less difficulty. camped at p.m., having done only twelve miles one thousand and fifty yards since the morning of december . "up at p.m. again, almost calm and sun shining. still continuing a westerly course we dropped several hundred feet, marching over rough, slippery fields of sastrugi." in the early morning hours of the th the surface changed to ice and occasional crevasses appeared. it was clear that we had arrived at the head of the ninnis glacier above the zone of serac we had traversed on the outward journey. it was very satisfactory to know this; to be certain that some landmark had been seen and recognized. soon after this discovery we came near losing haldane, the big grey wolf, in a crevasse. miserably thin from starvation the wretched dogs no longer filled their harness. as we pulled up haldane, after he had broken into a deep, sheer-walled crevasse, his harness slipped off just as he reached the top. it was just possible to seize hold of his hair at that moment and to land him safely, otherwise we should have lost many days' rations. he took to the harness once more but soon became uncertain in his footsteps, staggered along and then tottered and fell. poor brutes! that was the way they all gave in--pulling till they dropped. we camped at a.m., thinking that a rest would revive haldane. inside the tent some snow was thawed, and we drank the water with an addition of a little primus spirit. a temperature reading showed- degree f. outside, the hungry huskies moaned unceasingly until we could bear to hear them no longer. the tent was struck and we set off once more. haldane was strapped on the sledge as he could not walk. he had not eaten the food we had given him, because his jaws seemed too weak to bite. he had just nursed it between his paws and licked it. before the dogs became as weak as this, great care had to be taken in tethering them at each camp so as to prevent them from gnawing the wood of the sledge, the straps or, in fact, anything at all. every time we were ready for a fresh start they seemed to regain their old strength, for they struggled and fought to seize any scraps, however useless, left on the ground. the day's march was completed at . a.m. and fourteen and a half miles lay behind. "we were up again at . p.m. sky clear; fifteen-mile breeze from the south-south-east and the temperature degrees f. by midnight there was a thirty-mile wind and low, flying drift. "december .--the night-march was a miserable one. the only thing which helped to relieve it was that for a moment dixson island was miraged up in the north, and we felt that we had met an old friend, which means a lot in this icy desolation. the surface was furrowed by hard, sharp sastrugi. "we camped at a.m. after only eleven miles. haldane was finished off before we retired. "we were up again at p.m., and when a start was made at p.m. there was a strong south-south-east wind blowing, with low drift; temperature, zero fahr. "december .--the surface of hard, polished sastrugi caused many falls. the track was undulating, rising in one case several hundred feet and finally falling in a long slope. "pavlova gave in late in the march and was taken on the sledge. "camped at . a.m. in a forty-mile wind with low drift. distance marched was twelve miles one thousand four hundred yards. "before turning in, we effected sundry repairs. mertz re-spliced the handle of the shovel which had broken apart and i riveted the broken spindle of the sledge-meter. the mechanism of the latter had frozen during the previous day's halt, and, on being started, its spindle had broken off short. it was a long and tedious job tapping at the steed with a toy hammer, but the rivet held miraculously for the rest of the journey. "up at . p.m., a moderate breeze blowing, overcast sky, light snow falling." on december an uphill march commenced which was rendered very heavy by the depth of the soft snow. pavlova had to be carried on the sledge. suddenly, gaping crevasses appeared dimly through the falling snow which surrounded us like a blanket. there was nothing to do but camp, though it was only . a.m., and we had covered but five miles one thousand two hundred and thirty yards. pavlova was killed and we made a very acceptable soup from her bones. in view of the dark outlook, our ration of food had to be still further cut down. we had no proper sleep, hunger gnawing at us all the time, and the question of food was for ever in our thoughts. dozing in the fur bags, we dreamed of gorgeous "spreads" and dinner-parties at home. tramping along through the snow, we racked our brains thinking of how to make the most of the meagre quantity of dogs' meat at hand. the supply of kerosene for the primus stove promised to be ample, for none of it had been lost in the accident. we found that it was worth while spending some time in boiling the dogs' meat thoroughly. thus a tasty soup was prepared as well as a supply of edible meat in which the muscular tissue and the gristle were reduced to the consistency of a jelly. the paws took longest of all to cook, but, treated to lengthy stewing, they became quite digestible. on december we were up at a.m. just as the sun commenced to gleam through clouds. the light was rather bad, and snow fell as the track zigzagged about among many crevasses; but suddenly the sun broke forth. the sledge was crossing a surface of deep snow which soon became so sticky that the load would scarcely move. at last a halt was made after four miles, and we waited for the evening, when the surface was expected to harden. a small prion visited us but went off in a moment. it is very remarkable how far some antarctic sea-birds may wander inland, apparently at such a great distance from anything which should interest them. we were then more than one hundred miles south of the open sea. as the bird flew away, we watched it until it disappeared in the north, wishing that we too had wings to cross the interminable plateau ahead. lying in the sleeping-bag that day i dreamt that i visited a confectioner's shop. all the wares that were displayed measured feet in diameter. i purchased an enormous delicacy just as one would buy a bun under ordinary stances. i remember paying the money over the counter, but something happened before i received what i had chosen. when i realized the omission i was out in the street, and, being greatly disappointed, went back to the shop, but found the door shut and "early closing" written on it. though a good daily average had been maintained on the march whenever conditions were at all favourable, the continuance of bad weather and the undoubtedly weaker state in which we found ourselves made it imperative to dispense with all but the barest necessities. thus the theodolite was the only instrument retained, and the camera, photographic films (exposed and unexposed), hypsometer, thermometers, rifle, ammunition and other sundries were all thrown away. the frame of the tent was made lighter by constructing two poles, each four feet high, from the telescopic theodolite legs, the heavier pieces of sledge-runner being discarded. we were up at p.m. on december , but so much time was absorbed in making a dog-stew for christmas that it was not till . a.m. that we got under way. we wished each other happier christmases in the future, and divided two scraps of biscuit which i found in my spare kit-bag; relics of better days. the surface was a moderately good one of undulating, hard sastrugi, and, as the course had been altered to north-west, the southerly wind helped us along. the sun shone brightly, and only for the wind and the low drift we might have felt tolerably comfortable. on our right, down within the shallow depression of the ninnis glacier, the low outline of dixson island, forty miles to the north, could be seen miraged up on the horizon. the tent was raised at . a.m. after a run of eleven miles one hundred and seventy-six yards. an ounce each of butter was served out from our small stock to give a festive touch to the dog-stew. at noon i took an observation for latitude, and, after taking a bearing on to dixson island, computed that the distance in an air-line to winter quarters was one hundred and sixty miles. "december .--got away at a.m.; the surface undulating and hummocky with occasional beds of soft snow. sun shining, wind ranged between thirty and forty miles per hour with much low drift; cold; camped about noon having done ten miles five hundred and twenty-eight yards. "we have reached the western side of the ninnis glacier. ahead are rising slopes, but we look forward to assistance from the wind in the ascent. "i was again troubled with a touch of snow-blindness, but it responded to the usual treatment. "at p.m. we were at it again,but what with preparing dog-stew, packing up within the limited area of the tent and experimenting with a sail, it was five hours before the march commenced. "the sail was the tent-cover, attached to the top of one ski lashed vertically as a mast and secured below to the other ski, lashed across the sledge as a boom." a start was made at a.m. on the th in a thirty-mile wind accompanied by low drift. the surface was smooth but grew unexpectedly soft at intervals, while the ascent soon began to tell on us. though the work was laborious, notwithstanding some aid from the sail, the bright sunlight kept up our spirits, and, whenever a halt was called for a few minutes' spell, the conversation invariably turned upon the subject of food and what we should do on arrival on board the 'aurora'. at noon the sledge-meter showed nine miles one thousand four hundred yards, and we agreed to halt and pitch camp. the wind had fallen off considerably, and in the brilliant sunshine it was comparatively warm in the tent. the addition of the heat from the primus stove, kept burning for an unusually long time during the preparation of the meat, caused a thaw of drift-snow which became lodged on the lee side of the tent. thus we had frequently to put up with an unwelcome drip. moisture came from the floor also, as there was no floor-cloth, and the sleeping-bags were soon very wet and soggy. as soon as the cooking was finished, the tent cooled off and the wet walls froze and became stiff with icy cakes. at this time we were eating largely of the dogs' meat, to which was added one or two ounces of chocolate or raisins, three or four ounces of pemmican and biscuit mixed together, and, as a beverage, very dilute cocoa. the total weight of solid food consumed by each man per day was approximately fourteen ounces. our small supply of butter and glaxo was saved for emergency, while a few tea-bags which remained were boiled over and over again. the march commenced on december at a.m. in a thirty-mile wind accompanied by light drift. overhead there was a wild sky which augured badly for the next few days. it was cold work raising the sail, and we were glad to be marching. our faithful retainer ginger could walk no longer and was strapped on the sledge. she was the last of the dogs and had been some sort of a help until a few days before. we were sad when it came to finishing her off. on account of the steep up grade and the weight of ginger on the sledge, we camped at . a.m. after only four miles one thousand two hundred and thirty yards. we had breakfast off ginger's skull and brain. i can never forget the occasion. as there was nothing available to divide it, the skull was boiled whole. then the right and left halves were drawn for by the old and well-established sledging practice of "shut-eye," after which we took it in turns eating to the middle line, passing the skull from one to the other. the brain was afterwards scooped out with a wooden spoon. on sledging journeys it is usual to apportion all food-stuffs in as nearly even halves as possible. then one man turns away and another, pointing to a heap, asks "whose?" the reply from the one not looking is "yours" or "mine" as the case may be. thus an impartial and satisfactory division of the rations is made. after the meal i went on cooking more meat so as to have a supply in readiness for eating. it was not till p.m. that the second lot was finished. the task was very trying, for i had to sit up on the floor of the tent for hours in a cramped position, continually attending to the cooker, while mertz in his sleeping-bag was just accommodated within the limited space which remained. the tent was too small either to lie down during the operation or to sit up comfortably on a sleeping-bag. at . p.m. mertz rose to take a turn at the cooking, and at p.m. i joined him at "breakfast." at this time a kind of daily cycle was noted in the weather. it was always calmest between p.m. and p.m. during the evening hours the wind increased until it reached a maximum between four and six o'clock next morning, after which it fell off gradually. we were away at . a.m. on the th in a thirty-mile wind which raised a light drift. the sail was found to be of great assistance over a surface which rose in terraces of fifty to one hundred feet in height, occurring every one to one and a half miles. this march lasted for six hours, during which we covered seven miles five hundred and twenty-eight yards. on december the ascent continued and the wind was still in the "thirties." after several hours we overtopped the last terrace and stood on flat ground--the crest of a ridge. tramping over the plateau, where reigns the desolation of the outer worlds, in solitude at once ominous and weird, one is free to roam in imagination through the wide realm of human experience to the bounds of the great beyond. one is in the midst of infinities--the infinity of the dazzling white plateau, the infinity of the dome above, the infinity of the time past since these things had birth, and the infinity of the time to come before they shall have fulfilled the purpose for which they were created. we, in the midst of the illimitable, could feel with marcus aurelius that "of life, the time is a point." by a.m. we had accomplished a splendid march of fifteen miles three hundred and fifty yards, but the satisfaction we should have felt at making such an inroad on the huge task before us was damped by the fact that i suddenly became aware that mertz was not as cheerful as usual. i was at a loss to know the reason, for he was always such a bright and companionable fellow. at . p.m. the sky had become overcast, snow was falling and a strong wind was blowing. we decided to wait for better conditions. on new year's eve at . a.m. the wind was not so strong, so we got up and prepared for the start. mertz said that he felt the dogs' meat was not doing him much good and suggested that we should give it up for a time and eat a small ration of the ordinary sledging food, of which we had still some days' supply carefully husbanded. i agreed to do this and we made our first experiment on that day. the ration tasted very sweet compared with dogs' meat and was so scanty in amount that it left one painfully empty. the light was so atrocious for marching that, after stumbling along for two and a half miles, we were obliged to give up the attempt and camp, spending the day in sleeping-bags. in the evening at . p.m. the sun appeared for a brief moment and the wind subsided. another stage was therefore attempted but at considerable cost, for we staggered along in the bewildering light, continually falling over unseen sastrugi. the surface was undulating with a tendency to down grades. two sets of sastrugi were found crossing one another, and, in the absence of the sun, we could not be sure of the course, so the camp was pitched niter five miles. "january , .--outside, an overcast sky and falling snow. mertz was not up to his usual form and we decided not to attempt blundering along in the bad light, believing that the rest would be advantageous to him. "he did not complain at all except of the dampness of his sleeping-bag, though when i questioned him particularly he admitted that he had pains in the abdomen. as i had a continuous gnawing sensation in the stomach, i took it that he had the same, possibly more acute. "after new year's day he expressed a dislike to biscuit, which seemed rather strange. then he suddenly had a desire for glaxo and our small store was made over to him, i taking a considerable ration of the dogs' meat in exchange. "it was no use, however, for when we tried to cover a few more miles the exertion told very heavily on him, and it was plain that he was in a more serious condition than myself. "january .--the same abominable weather. we eat only a few ounces of chocolate each day. "january .--in the evening the sky broke and the sun looked through the clouds. we were not long in packing up and getting on the way. the night was chilly and mertz got frost-bitten fingers, so camp was pitched after four miles one thousand two hundred and thirty yards. "january .--the sun was shining and we had intended rising at a.m., but mertz was not well and thought that the rest would be good for him. i spent the time improving some of the gear, mending mertz's clothing and cooking a quantity of the meat. "january .--the sky was overcast, snow was falling, and there was a strong wind. mertz suggested that as the conditions were so bad we should delay another day. "lying in the damp bags was wretched and was not doing either of us any good, but what was to be done? outside, the conditions were abominable. my companion was evidently weaker than i, and it was apparently quite true that he was not making much of the dogs' meat. "january .--a better day but the sky remained overcast. mertz agreed to try another stage." the grade was slightly downhill and the wind well behind. unfortunately the surface was slippery and irregular and falls were frequent. these told very much upon my companion until, after consistently demurring, he at last consented to ride on the sledge. with the wind blowing behind us, it required no great exertion to bring the load along, though it would often pull up suddenly against sastrugi. after we had covered two and a half miles, mertz became so cold through inaction in the wind that there was nothing to do but pitch the tent. mertz appeared to be depressed and, after the short meal, sank back into his bag without saying much. occasionally, during the day, i would ask him how he felt, or we would return to the old subject of food. it was agreed that on our arrival on board the 'aurora' mertz was to make penguin omelettes, for we had never forgotten the excellence of those we had eaten just before leaving the hut. reviewing the situation, i found that we were one hundred miles south-east of winter quarters where food and plenty awaited us. at the time we had still ordinary rations for several days. how short a distance it would seem to the vigorous, but what a lengthy journey for the weak and famished! the skin was peeling off our bodies and a very poor substitute remained which burst readily and rubbed raw in many places. one day, i remember, mertz ejaculated, "just a moment," and, reaching over, lifted from my ear a perfect skin-cast. i was able to do the same for him. as we never took off our clothes, the peelings of hair and skin from our bodies worked down into our under-trousers and socks, and regular clearances were made. during the evening of the th i made the following note in my diary: "a long and wearisome night. if only i could get on; but i must stop with xavier. he does not appear to be improving and both our chances are going now." "january .--up at a.m., it having been arranged last night that we would go on to-day at all costs, sledge-sailing, with xavier in his bag on the sledge." it was a sad blow to me to find that mertz was in a weak state and required helping in and out of his bag. he needed rest for a few hours at least before he could think of travelling. "i have to turn in again to kill time and also to keep warm, for i feel the cold very much now." "at a.m. i get up to dress xavier and prepare food, but find him in a kind of fit." coming round a few minutes later, he exchanged a few words and did not seem to realize that anything had happened. "... obviously we can't go on to-day. it is a good day though the light is bad, the sun just gleaming through the clouds. this is terrible; i don't mind for myself but for others. i pray to god to help us." "i cook some thick cocoa for xavier and give him beef-tea; he is better after noon, but very low--i have to lift him up to drink." during the afternoon he had several more fits, then became delirious and talked incoherently until midnight, when he appeared to fall off into a peaceful slumber. so i toggled up the sleeping-bag and retired worn out into my own. after a couple of hours, having felt no movement from my companion, i stretched out an arm and found that he was stiff. my comrade had been accepted into "the peace that passeth all understanding." it was my fervent hope that he had been received where sterling qualities and a high mind reap their due reward. in his life we loved him; he was a man of character, generous and of noble parts. for hours i lay in the bag, rolling over in my mind all that lay behind and the chance of the future. i seemed to stand alone on the wide shores of the world--and what a short step to enter the unknown future! my physical condition was such that i felt i might collapse in a moment. the gnawing in the stomach had developed there a permanent weakness, so that it was not possible to hold myself up in certain positions. several of my toes commenced to blacken and fester near the tips and the nails worked loose. outside, the bowl of chaos was brimming with drift-snow and i wondered how i would manage to break and pitch camp single-handed. there appeared to be little hope of reaching the hut. it was easy to sleep on in the bag, and the weather was cruel outside. but inaction is hard to brook, and i thought of service's lines: buck up, do your damndest and fight, it's the plugging away that will win you the day. if i failed to reach the hut it would be something done to reach some prominent point likely to catch the eye of a search party, where a cairn might be erected and our diaries cached. and so i commenced to modify the sledge and camping gear to meet fresh requirements. the sky remained clouded, but the wind fell off to a calm which lasted for several hours. i took the opportunity to set to work on the sledge, sawing it in halves with a pocket tool. a mast was made out of one of the rails of the discarded half of the sledge and a spar was cut from the other rail. the sledge-meter, very much battered, was still serviceable. lastly, the load was cut down to a minimum by the elimination of all but the barest necessities. late on the evening of the th i took the body of mertz, wrapped up in his sleeping-bag, outside the tent, piled snow blocks around it and raised a rough cross made of the two half-runners of the sledge. on january the weather was overcast and fairly thick drift was flying in a wind reaching about fifty miles an hour. as certain matters still required attention and my chances of re-erecting the tent were rather doubtful, if i had decided to move on, the start was delayed. "i read the burial service over xavier this afternoon. as there is little chance of my reaching human aid alive. i greatly regret inability at the moment to set out the detail of coastline met with for three hundred miles travelled and observations of glacier and ice-formations, etc.; the most of which latter are, of course, committed to my head. "the approximate location of the camp is latitude degrees ' s., longitude degrees ' e. this is dead reckoning, as the theodolite legs have been out of action for some time, splinted together to form tent-props. i believe the truth lies nearer latitude degrees ' s., longitude degrees ' e., as the wind must have drifted us to the north." during the afternoon i cut up mertz's burberry jacket and roughly sewed it to a large canvas clothes-bag, making a sail which could be readily set or furled, so as to save delay in starting out or in camping. january was an impossible day for travelling on account of thick drift and high wind. i spent part of the time in reckoning up the amount of food remaining and in cooking the rest of the dogs' meat; the last device enabling me to leave behind some of the kerosene, of which there was still a good supply. late in the afternoon the wind fell and the sun peered amongst the clouds just as i was in the middle of a long job riveting and lashing the broken shovel. it was on january --a beautiful, calm day of sunshine--that i set out over a good surface with a slight down grade. from the start my feet felt lumpy and sore. they had become so painful after a mile of walking that i decided to make an examination of them on the spot, sitting in the sun on the sledge. the sight of my feet gave me quite a shock, for the thickened skin of the soles had separated in each case as a complete layer, and abundant watery fluid had escaped into the socks. the new skin underneath was very much abraded and raw. i did what appeared to be the best thing under the stances: smeared the new skin with lanoline, of which there was a good store, and with bandages bound the skin soles back in place, as they were comfortable and soft in contact with the raw surfaces. outside the bandages i wore six pairs of thick woollen socks, fur boots and a crampon over-shoe of soft leather. then i removed most of my clothing and bathed in the glorious heat of the sun. a tingling sensation seemed to spread throughout my whole body, and i felt stronger and better. when the day commenced with ideal weather i thought i would cover a long distance, but at . p.m., after six and a quarter miles, i felt nerve-worn and had to camp, "so worn that had it not been a delightful evening, i should not have found strength to erect the tent." though the medical outfit was limited, there were a fair number of bandages and on camping i devoted much time to tending raw patches all over the body, festering fingers and inflamed nostrils. high wind and much drift put travelling out of the question on january , and in any case my feet needed a rest. "january .--the wind subsided and the snow cleared off at noon. the afternoon was beautifully fine. descended hard ice-slopes over many crevasses--almost all descent--but surface cut my feet up; at p.m. camped, having done five and three-quarter miles--painful feet--on camping find feet worse than ever; things look bad but shall persevere. it is now p.m. and the glacier is firing off like artillery--appears to send up great jets of imprisoned air." during the march aurora peak showed up to the west, about twenty miles away, across the mertz glacier. i felt happy at thus fixing my position, and at the sight of the far plateau which led onwards to winter quarters. the glacier was the next obstacle to advance. to the south-west it descended from the plateau in immense broken folds. pressing northward it was torn into the jumbled crush of serac-ice, sparkling beneath an unclouded sun. the idea of diverging to the west and rounding the ice-falls occurred to me, but the detours involved other difficulties, so i strove to pick out the best track across the valley. a high wind which blew on the morning of the th diminished in strength by noon and allowed me to get away. the sun was so warm that the puckered ice underfoot was covered with a film of water and in some places small trickles ran away to disappear into crevasses. though the course was downhill to the mertz glacier, the sledge required a good deal of pulling owing to the wet runners. at p.m., after travelling five miles, i pitched camp in the bed of the glacier. between . p.m. and p.m. the "cannonading" heard on the previous night recommenced. the sounds, resembling the explosions of heavy guns, usually started higher up the glacier and ended down towards the sea. when i first heard them, i put my head outside the tent to see what was going on. the reports came at random from every direction, but there was no visible evidence as to how they were produced. without a doubt they had something to do with the re-freezing and splitting of the ice owing to the evening chill; but the sounds seemed far too loud to be explained by this cause alone. january --the date on which all the summer sledging parties were due at the hut! it was overcast and snowing early in the day, and in a few hours the sun broke out and shone warmly. the travelling was so heavy over a soft snowy surface, partly melting, that i gave up, after one mile, and camped. at p.m. the surface had not improved, the sky was thickly obscured and snow fell. at p.m. the snow was coming down heavily, and, since there were many crevasses in the vicinity, i resolved to wait. on the th at a.m. the snow was as thick as ever, but at a.m. the atmosphere lightened and the sun appeared. without delay i broke camp. a favourable breeze sprang up, and with sail set i managed to proceed through the snowy "deluge" in short stages. the snow clung in lumps to the runners, which had to be scraped frequently. i passed some broken ridges and sank into several holes leading down to crevasses out of which it was possible to scramble easily. after laboriously toiling up one long slope, i was just catching my breath at the top and the sledge was running easily when i noticed that the surface beneath my feet fell away steeply in front. i suddenly realized that i was on the brink of a great blue hole like a quarry. the sledge was following of its own accord and was rapidly gaining speed, so i turned and, exerting every effort, was just able to hold it back by means of the hauling-line from the edge of the abyss. i should think that there must have been an interval of quite a minute during which i held my ground without being able to make it budge. then it slowly came my way, and the imminent danger was past. the day's march was an extremely hard five miles. before turning in i had an extra supper of jelly soup, made by boiling down some of the dogs' sinews, strengthened with a little pemmican. the acute enjoyment of eating under these circumstances compensates in a slight measure for the suffering of starvation. january was another day of overcast weather and falling snow. delay meant a reduction in the ration which was low enough already, so there was nothing to do but go on. when i got away at a.m. i found that the pulling was easier than it had been on the previous day. nevertheless i covered only two miles and had to consider myself fortunate in not winding up the whole story then and there. this is what happened, following the account in my diary. "going up a long, fairly steep slope, deeply covered with soft snow, broke through lid of crevasse but caught myself at thighs, got out, turned fifty yards to the north, then attempted to cross trend of crevasse, there being no indication of it; a few moments later found myself dangling fourteen feet below on end of rope in crevasse--sledge creeping to mouth--had time to say to myself, 'so this is the end,' expecting the sledge every moment to crash on my head and all to go to the unseen bottom--then thought of the food uneaten on the sledge; but as the sledge pulled up without letting me down, thought of providence giving me another chance." the chance was very small considering my weak condition. the width of the crevasse was about six feet, so i hung freely in space, turning slowly round. a great effort brought a knot in the rope within my grasp, and, after a moment's rest, i was able to draw myself up and reach another, and, at length, hauled myself on to the overhanging snow-lid into which the rope had cut. then, when i was carefully climbing out on to the surface, a further section of the lid gave way, precipitating me once more to the full length of the rope. exhausted, weak and chilled (for my hands were bare and pounds of snow had got inside my clothing) i hung with the firm conviction that all was over except the passing. below was a black chasm; it would be but the work of a moment to slip from the harness, then all the pain and toil would be over. it was a rare situation, a rare temptation--a chance to quit small things for great--to pass from the petty exploration of a planet to the contemplation of vaster worlds beyond. but there was all eternity for the last and, at its longest, the present would be but short. i felt better for the thought. my strength was fast ebbing; in a few minutes it would be too late. it was the occasion for a supreme attempt. new power seemed to come as i addressed myself to one last tremendous effort. the struggle occupied some time, but by a miracle i rose slowly to the surface. this time i emerged feet first, still holding on to the rope, and pushed myself out, extended at full length, on the snow--on solid ground. then came the reaction, and i could do nothing for quite an hour. the tent was erected in slow stages and i then had a little food. later on i lay in the sleeping-bag, thinking things over. it was a time when the mood of the persian philosopher appealed to me: unborn to-morrow and dead yesterday, why fret about them if to-day be sweet? i was confronted with this problem: whether it was better to enjoy life for a few days, sleeping and eating my fill until the provisions gave out, or to "plug on" again in hunger with the prospect of plunging at any moment into eternity without the great luxury and pleasure of food. and then an idea presented itself which greatly improved my prospects. it was to construct a ladder from alpine rope; one end of which was to be secured to the bow of the sledge and the other to be carried over my left shoulder and loosely attached to the sledge harness. thus, if i fell into a crevasse again, it would be easy for me, even though weakened by starvation, to scramble out again by the ladder, provided the sledge was not also engulphed. notwithstanding the possibilities of the rope ladder, i could not sleep properly at all; my nerves had been so overtaxed. all night considerable wind and drift continued. on the th it was overcast and light snow was falling. i resolved "to go ahead and leave the rest to providence." as they wallowed through the deep snow my feet and legs kept breaking through into space. then i went right under, but the sledge was held back and the ladder "proved trumps." a few minutes later i was down again, but i emerged again without much exertion, half-smothered with snow. faintness overcame me and i stopped to camp, though only a short distance had been covered. all around me was a leaden glare, the snow clouds "corralling" me in. the sun had not shown up for some days and i was eager to see it once more, not only that it might show up the landscape, but for its cheerful influence and life-giving energy. a few days previously my condition had been improving, but now it was going back. during the night of the th loud booming noises, sharp cracks and muffled growls issued form the neighbouring crevasses and kept waking me up. at times one could feel a vibration accompanying the growling sounds, and i concluded that the ice was in rapid motion. the sun at last appeared on the th, and i was off by . a.m. the whole surface was a network of crevasses, some very wide. along one after another of these i dragged the sledge until a spot was reached where the snow-bridge looked to be firm. here i plunged across, risking the consequences. after three hours' marching nothing serious had happened and i found myself on safer ground with a "pimply" surface visible ahead, close under the slopes of the highlands. once on this i became over-reliant, and in consequence sank several times into narrow fissures. at p.m. the mertz glacier was at last crossed and i had reached the rising hills on its western side. overlooking the camp, five hundred feet above the glacier, were beetling, crevassed crags, but i could trace out a good road, free from pitfalls, leading to the plateau, at an elevation of three thousand feet. to lighten my load for the climb i threw away alpine rope, finnesko crampons, sundry pairs of worn crampons and socks, while i rubbed a composition on the sledge-runners which prevented them from sticking to wet snow. january was a wretched day; overcast, with wind and light drift. in desperation i got away at p.m. in a wind which proved to be of considerable assistance. i could see nothing of my surroundings; one thing was certain, and that was that the ascent had commenced and every foot took me upward. the day's work amounted to about two and a half miles. on the st the sun shone brightly and there was a good following wind. through deep snow i zigzagged up for three miles before deciding to camp. wind and drift prevailed early on the nd but fell away towards noon, and i was then favoured with a glorious sunny day. away to the north was a splendid view of the open sea; it looked so beautiful and friendly that i longed to be down near it. six miles had been covered during the day, but i felt very weak towards the end on account of the heavy pulling. during the early hours of the rd the sun was visible, but about a.m. the clouds sagged low, the wind rose and everything became blotted out in a swirl of driving snow. i wandered on through it for several hours, the sledge capsizing at times owing to the strength of the wind. it was not possible to keep an accurate course, for even the wind changed direction as the day wore on. underfoot there was soft snow which i found comfortable for my sore feet, but which made the sledge drag heavily at times. when camp was pitched at p.m. i reckoned that the distance covered in a straight line had been three and a half miles. erecting the tent single-handed in the high wind was a task which required much patience and some skill. the poles were erected first and then the tent was gathered up in the proper form and taken to the windward side of the legs where it was weighted down. the flounce on the windward side was got into position and piled up with snow blocks. other blocks of snow had previously been placed in a ring round the legs in readiness to be tumbled on to the rest of the flounce when the tent was quickly slipped over the apex of the poles. in very windy weather it was often as much as two hours after halting before i would be cosy within the shelter of the tent. high wind and dense driving snow persisted throughout the th and i made five and a half miles, sitting on the sledge most of the time with the sail up. the blizzard continued on the th, but after the trying experience of the previous two days, i did not feel well enough to go on. outside, the snow fell in "torrents," piled up round the tent and pressed in until it was no bigger than a coffin, of which it reminded me. i passed most of the day doctoring myself, attending to raw and inflamed places. tufts of my beard and hair came out, and the snowy floor of the tent was strewn with it at every camp. "january .--i went on again in dense, driving snow. there was no need of the sail. the wind, which was behind, caught the sledge and bundled it along so that, though over a soft surface of snow, the travelling was rapid. the snow was in large, rounded grains, and beat on the tent like hail. altogether nine miles were covered. "january .--blizzard-bound again. the previous day's exertions were too much for me to undertake the same again without a long rest. "january ,--in the morning the wind had moderated very much but the sky remained overcast and snow continued to fall. it was a long job digging the tent out. soon after the start the sun gleamed and the weather improved. the three-thousand-foot crest of the plateau had been crossed and i was bearing down rapidly on commonwealth bay, the vicinity of which showed up as a darker patch on the clouds of the north-west horizon. "the evening was fine and i really began to feel that winter quarters were approaching. to increase my excitement madigan nunatak came into view for a time in the clear, evening light. distance covered, over eight miles." the calm of the previous evening was broken again, and i started on the morning of january in considerable drift and a fairly strong wind. after going five miles i had miraculous good fortune. i was travelling along on an even down grade and was wondering how long the two pounds of food which remained would last, when something dark loomed through the drift a short distance away to the right. all sorts of possibilities fled through my mind as i headed the sledge for it. the unexpected happened--it was a cairn of snow erected by mclean, hodgeman and hurley, who had been out searching for us. on the top of the mound was a bag of food, left on the chance that it might be picked up, while in a tin was a note stating the bearing and distance of the mound from aladdin's cave (e. degrees s., distance twenty-three miles), that the ship had arrived at the hut and was waiting, that amundsen had reached the pole, and that scott was remaining another year in antarctica. it was rather a singular fact that the search party only left this mound at eight o'clock on the morning of that very day (january ). it was about p.m. when i found it. thus, during the night of the th, our camps had been only about five miles apart. with plenty of food, i speedily felt stimulated and revived, and anticipated reaching the hut in a day or two, for there was then not more than twenty-three miles to cover. alas, however, there was to be another delay. i was without crampons--they had been thrown away on the western side of mertz glacier--and in the strong wind was not able to stand up on the slippery ice of the coastal slopes. the result was that i sat on the sledge and ran along with the wind, nibbling at the food as i went. the sledge made so much leeway that near the end of the day, after fourteen miles, i reckoned that i had been carried to the east of aladdin's cave. the course was therefore changed to the west, but the wind came down almost broadside-on to the sledge, and it was swept away. the only thing to do was to camp. on the th i cut up the box of the theodolite and into two pieces of wood stuck as many screws and tacks as i could procure from the sledge-meter. in the repair-bag there were still a few ice-nails which at this time were of great use. late in the day the wind fell off, and i started westward over the ice-slopes with the pieces of nail-studded wood lashed to my feet. after six miles these improvised crampons broke up, and the increasing wind got me into difficulties. finally, the sledge slipped sideways into a narrow crevasse and was caught by the boom (which crossed from side to side at the lower part of the mast). i was not strong enough for the job of extricating it straight away, and by the time i had got it safely on the ice, the wind had increased still more. so i pitched camp. the blizzard was in full career on january and i spent all day and until late at night trying to make the crampons serviceable, but without success. on february the wind and drift subsided late in the afternoon, and i clearly saw to the west the beacon which marked aladdin's cave. at p.m. i reached this haven within the ice, and never again was i to have the ordeal of pitching the tent. inside the cave were three oranges and a pineapple which had been brought from the ship. it was wonderful once more to be in the land of such things! i waited to mend one of the crampons and then started off for the hut; but a blizzard had commenced. to descend the five miles of steep icy slopes with my miserable crampons, in the weak state in which i found myself, would only have been as a last resort. so i camped in the comfortable cave and hoped for better weather next day. the high wind, rising to a hurricane at times, continued for a whole week with dense drift until the th. i spent the long hours making crampons of a new pattern, eating and sleeping. eventually i became so anxious that i used to sit outside the cave for long spells, watching for a lull in the wind. at length i resolved to go down in the blizzard, sitting on the sledge as long as possible, blown along by the wind. i was making preparations for a start when the wind suddenly decreased and my opportunity had come. in a couple of hours i was within one mile and a half of the hut. there was no sign of the ship lying in the offing, but i comforted myself with the thought that she might be still at the anchorage and have swung inshore so as to be hidden by the ice-cliffs, or on the other hand that captain davis might have been along the coast to the east searching there. but even as i gazed about seeking for a clue, a speck on the north-west horizon caught my eye and my hopes went down. it looked like a distant ship; it might well have been the 'aurora'. well, what matter! the long journey was at an end-a terrible chapter of my life was finished! then the rocks around winter quarters began to come into view, part of the basin of the boat harbour appeared, and lo! there were human figures! they almost seemed unreal--i was in a dream--but after a brief moment one of them saw me and waved an arm, i replied, there was a commotion and they all ran towards the hut. then they were lost, for the crest of the first steep slope hid them. it almost seemed to me that they had run away to hide. minutes passed, and i slowly went along with the sledge. then a head rose over the brow of the hill and there was bickerton, breathless after a long run. i expect he considered for a while which one of us it was. soon we had shaken hands and he knew all in a few brief words, and i learned that the ship had left earlier in the day. madigan, mclean, bage and hodgeman arrived, and then a new-comer--jeffryes. five men had remained behind to make a search for our party, and jeffryes was a new wireless operator brought down by captain davis. we were soon at the hut where i found that full preparations had been made for wintering a second year. the weather was calm and the ship was no distance away so i decided to recall her by wireless. the masts at the hut had been re-erected during the summer, and on board the 'aurora' hannam was provided with a wireless receiving set. jeffryes had arranged with hannam to call up at , and p.m. for several evenings while the 'aurora' was "within range" in case there were any news of my party. a message recalling the ship was therefore sent off and repeated at frequent intervals till past midnight. next morning there was a forty-mile wind when we went outside, but away across commonwealth bay to the west the 'aurora' could be seen close to the face of the ice-cliffs. she had returned in response to the call and was steaming up and down, waiting for the wind to moderate. we immediately set to work getting all the records, instruments and personal gear ready to be taken down to the boat harbour in anticipation of calm weather during the day. the wind chose to continue and towards evening was in the sixties, while the barometer fell. during the afternoon hodgeman went across to the western ridge and saw that the ship was still in the bay. the sea was so heavy that the motor-boat could never have lived through it. that night jeffryes sent another message, which we learned afterwards was not received, in which captain davis was given the option of remaining until calm weather supervened or of leaving at once for the western base. i felt that the decision should be left to him, as he could appreciate exactly the situation of the western base and what the ship could be expected to do amid the ice at that season of the year. the time was already past when, according to my written instructions left for him on arrival at commonwealth bay, the 'aurora' should sail west to relieve wild and his party. on the morning of the th there was no sign of the ship and evidently captain davis had decided to wait no longer, knowing that further delay would endanger the chances of picking up the eight men who had elected to winter on the shelf-ice one thousand five hundred miles to the west. at such a critical moment determination, fearless and swift, was necessary, and, in coming to his momentous decision, captain davis acted well and for the best interests of the expedition. a long voyage lay before the 'aurora' through many miles of ice-strewn sea, swept by intermittent blizzards and shrouded now in midnight darkness. we still fostered the hope that the vessel's coal-supply would be sufficient for her to return to adelie land and make an attempt to pick us up. but it was not to be. the long antarctic winter was fast approaching and we turned to meet it with resolution, knowing that if the 'aurora' failed us in early march, that the early summer of the same year would bring relief. chapter xiv the quest of the south magnetic pole dr. r. bage send me your strongest, those who never fail. i'm the blizzard, king of the southern trail! sledging song. on the afternoon of november , at aladdin's cave, after a convivial hoosh, webb, hurley and i said good-bye to dr. mawson's party and made off south for the eleven and three-quarter mile cave where our supporting party, murphy, hunter and laseron, were waiting for us. at p.m. we started almost at a run over the smooth ice, to the accompaniment of hearty cheers from dr. mawson, ninnis, and mertz; two of whom we were never to see again. half a mile of this easy going, and we were on snow for the first time with a loaded sledge. uphill snow, too, and the wind rising, so it was no small relief when we finally made the cathedral grotto at . p.m., and found murphy's tent pitched alongside it. the wind by this time was about forty-five miles per hour and, it being nearly dusk, the crevasses--a five-mile belt--had been fairly difficult to negotiate. we soon had the cave clear of snow, had a good meal and then slept the sleep of the just, feeling well content with the first day's work--eleven and a half miles from home at an altitude of one thousand nine hundred feet. we were off at last on a search for the magnetic pole. on the morrow some time was spent in rearranging the loads. finally, both parties moved off south into heavy wind and fairly thick drift. what with the ground rising steadily, the pressure of the wind and our lack of condition, two and a quarter hours of solid work realized only two and a quarter miles; so we decided to camp. all the night it blew hard, between seventy and eighty miles per hour, and next day it was still blowing and drifting heavily. our tent was a good deal smaller than murphy's, and, as webb and hurley are both six-footers, we always had to put all gear outside when the sleeping-bags were down. this is really a good thing when the weather is bad, as one is not tempted to stay in the bag all the time. early in the afternoon as we were all feeling hungry and had been in bags long enough to feel cold, although the weather was quite warm ( degrees f.), we rolled bags, and, when our frozen burberrys were once fairly on, quite enjoyed ourselves. after a boil-up and a few minutes' "run" round in the drift and wind, we did some stitching on our light drill tent, which was making very heavy weather of it, although pitched close under the lee of murphy's strong japara tent. a little reading, some shouted unintelligible conversation with the other tent, another boil-up, and, last but not least, a smoke, found us quite ready for another sleep. next day (november ), the wind having dropped to thirty-five miles per hour, we set out about a.m. in light drift. the sky was still overcast, so the light was very trying. in the worst fogs at home one can at any rate see something of the ground on which one is treading; in adelie land, even when the air was clear of snow, it was easy to bump against a four-foot sastruga without seeing it. it always reminded me most of a fog at sea: a ship creeping "o'er the hueless, viewless deep." when p.m. arrived we had only covered five and a half miles, but were all thoroughly exhausted and glad to camp. lunch had been rather barbarously served in the lee of the sledge. first came plasmon biscuit, broken with the ice-axe into pieces small enough to go into the mouth through the funnel of a burberry helmet; then followed two ounces of chocolate, frozen rather too hard to have a definite taste; and finally a luscious morsel--two ounces of butter, lovingly thawed-out in the mouth to get the full flavour. lunches like these in wind and drift are uncomfortable enough for every one to be eager to start again as soon as possible. by nine o'clock that night the wind had increased to a full gale. we were in camp all the th and the th, the wind rising to eighty-five miles per hour with very heavy drift during the small hours of the th. this was its maximum, and by the afternoon it was down to about seventy miles per hour with a clear sky and light drift. we donned our burberrys (i should like to give hurley's "ode to a frozen burberry") and dug out our sledges, both of which were completely buried in a ramp forty yards long; the shovel projecting nine inches above the surface. while we were engaged on this work, i overheard the following conversation being shouted in the supporting party's tent: first voice. i'm hungry. who will go out and get the food-bag? sleepy voice. the food-weights ** are in the cooker. first voice. no they're not. sleepy voice. saw them there yesterday, must be somewhere in the tent. first voice. no they're not... i ate them last night. ** until amounts were known by experience, rations were weighed by a small balance whose various weights were small calico bags filled with chocolate. the exercise, a good hoosh and above all the clear sky made us take a less morbid view of the fact that we were six days out from the hut and only nineteen and a half miles away. early on the th we could hear above the roar of the wind the drift still hissing against the tent, but it had diminished by nine o'clock breakfast. by common consent it was agreed that our loads were too heavy for the conditions under which we were working. i accordingly decided to drop one hundred-pound bag. we had already saved nearly one week's food for three men and had not yet worked up our full sledging appetites. the bag was raised to the top of a six-foot snow mound, a thermograph being placed alongside. as we now seemed to be on plateau snow, i thought it wise to leave behind my heavy boots and swiss crampons. by p.m. the wind had decreased to a light breeze. work was very slow on a steeper up grade, and at six o'clock clouds came up quickly from the south-east and snow began to fall, so we camped at . p.m. thoroughly tired out. at twenty-four and a half miles the altitude was three thousand two hundred feet. the snow was a false alarm. it ceased at p.m. and the wind subsided to a dead calm!! good headway was being made against a strong breeze next day, when it was noticed that two gallons of kerosene were missing off the supporters' sledge. while murphy and laseron went back two miles to recover them, webb secured a magnetic declination and i took sun observations for time and azimuth. we were off early on the th and for the first time were able to appreciate the "scenery." glorious sunshine overhead and all around brilliant snow, dappled by livid shadows; very different from the smooth, soft, white mantle usually attributed to the surface of antarctica by those in the homeland. here and there, indeed, were smooth patches which we called bowling-greens, but hard and slippery as polished marble, with much the same translucent appearance. practically all the country, however, was a jumbled mass of small, hard sastrugi, averaging perhaps a foot in height, with an occasional gnarled old veteran twice as high. to either side the snow rolled away for miles. in front, we made our first acquaintance with the accursed next ridge, which is always ahead of you on the plateau. generally we passed from one ridge to another so gradually that we could never say for certain just when we had topped one; still the next ridge was always there. the weather had lately been colder with the increased altitude. the temperature in daily range varied from - degrees f. to degrees f. it was so hot in the sun, on the th, that lunching inside the tent was unbearable. we preferred its shadow outside in the breeze. wearing a minimum of clothes, we marched along gaily during the afternoon. the country changed in a wonderful manner, the sastrugi gradually becoming smaller and finally disappearing. the surface was so soft that a bamboo would easily penetrate it for a foot. evidently it was fairly old and laid down in calm weather, for excavations showed that it became more compact without any hard wind-swept layers marking successive snowfalls. it was proved that we were commencing a descent of one thousand five hundred feet down the north side of a valley feeding the mertz glacier. in order to explain the surface, smooth and unruffled by any wind, the question arose as to whether it is possible that there is a cushion of dead air more or less permanently over the north side of this depression. on the soft surface we were able to dispense with crampons. hitherto, it had been impossible to haul over a slippery surface in finnesko. now we felt as light as air and were vastly cheered when some one calculated that the six of us were saving i don't know how many thousand foot-pounds of work every mile. with a run of twelve miles we were forty-two miles from winter quarters. another splendid day on the th. we had lunch in a curious cup-shaped hollow, estimated to be two miles wide and one hundred and fifty feet deep. webb obtained here an approximate dip of degrees ',** a very promising increase from the hut ( degrees '). ** at the south magnetic pole the dip is degrees. [text illustration] map showing track of the southern sledging party from the main base snow-blindness had now begun to make itself felt for the first time. i for one had my first experience of it that afternoon. during the halt at lunch i put on yellow goggles in place of the smoked ones i had been wearing, and in a quarter of an hour the change of colour had 'settled' my eyes for the time being. the afternoon was very hot. the thermometer stood at degrees f. at p.m., but the still air made it almost insupportable. by the time the load was hauled up out of the basin, we were streaming with perspiration. before halting, we sighted a dark, distant ridge, thirty miles away, and the course was corrected by its bearing. our extravagant hopes of finding a permanently calm region had been dwindling for the last few miles, as a hard bottom, a few inches under the surface, had become evident. they were finally dispelled by a south-west wind springing up during the night. as every one was beginning to feel the hard work after another oppressive afternoon on the th, we decided to have an easy march next day and to build our first depot. of course we had hoped to have been farther out before sending back the supporting party, but the weather had settled the question. on the st, taking things as easily as a thirty-five mile wind would permit, we pulled on, up and down small undulations till p.m. when we encountered a small rise, with the next ridge a considerable distance ahead. the depot was to be built here. webb at once proceeded to take full magnetic declination, time and azimuth observations, laseron recording for him. murphy put in a miserable hour over the primus melting snow. he was rather snow-blind and his eyes must have contributed a good deal of water to the pot. the water was poured into food-bags filled with snow, which were buried, encircled by wire slings, in holes. here they froze, making excellent holdfasts for the depot flag. depot flags had been exercising our ingenuity for months before the start, ordinary forms being destroyed by the wind in a few hours. webb had finally built the perfect flag of the wind-vane type: a v of pieces of blackened venesta board with light struts at the back and a piece of aeroplane tubing at the apex which slipped over the bamboo pole. the pole, of two bamboos, stood sixteen feet from the ground and was provided with two sets of flexible steel stays. close by, hurley and hunter had built a snow mound ten feet in diameter and ten feet in height, finished off with a capping of snow blocks wrapped in black bunting. next day it was blowing a little harder and the sky was overcast, snow falling all day. what bad light means can be gathered from the fact that laseron on crawling out of the tent in the morning raised an alarm that our tent had been blown away in the night. it turned out that our tent was hidden by a mound which he could not see, though only about ten yards from it. i had been given the option of relieving the supporting party of any of their gear i coveted and i used it freely. the sledgemeter was the first thing commandeered, ours, made by correll, having developed some slight complaint in its interior. their cooker, being in good condition, was also taken. we all cast longing eyes at the roomy wind-proof tent but finally decided that it was too heavy--forty pounds as against our own of twenty-six pounds, including tent and poles. at p.m. we said good-bye to our supporters, hurley exposed the last plate of his big reflex camera, which they carried back to the hut, and a few minutes later webb, hurley, and i were standing alone watching three black specks disappearing in the drift; a stiff wind helping them along in great style. we were left to our own resources now, for better or for worse. "weird" is how i described my feelings in the diary. the same night it blew a hurricane and only dropped to sixty miles per hour during the rd, compelling us to remain in camp. not an ideal birthday for webb, but we made the most of it. i quote from my diary: "turned out and rolled bags at p.m. for lunch, for which we opened a wee tin of bacon ration brought for the occasion. had some extra lumps of sugar (collared from the eleven-mile cave) in our tea. after the wine had been round (i.e. after a special second cup of tea), i gave eric a pair of stockings from murphy, and then 'hoyle' and i smoked a cigar each which webb produced. dinner at was also a special affair as we had the remains of the bacon ration in the hoosh, with great effect. also an extra strong brew of cocoa boiled quite smooth. burberrys on and a stroll outside in the wind for a yard or two to get up a circulation; then into bag where i am smoking a plebeian pipe which is very tame after the glories of the day, especially as i suspect my tobacco of being a bit damp." such was the first of the two "auspicious occasions" we had on the journey. after going carefully through the gear, we discarded a pickaxe, one pair of big spiked boots and some odd clothing. we also decided, as the probability of leisure was not great, to leave our reading matter behind. it was with regret that i added my little 'virginibus puerisque' to the small pile of "rejects." the load now amounted to seven hundred and forty-eight pounds in all. not many days after, the floor-cloth (eight pounds) was left behind, as the japara sail afforded ample protection from damp in the low temperatures of the plateau. the dip-circle, which was to yield the most important result of our journey, was housed after much thought on a conveniently shaped kerosene tray between the tins of oil. four light leather straps, buckled tightly, made a solid mass of tray, oil tins, and dip-circle; very safe, and easy to undo. my orders were to proceed inland, due south, taking magnetic, geographical, meteorological, and such other observations as were possible, returning to the hut not later than january . dr. mawson had left it to my discretion, in the event of any great change occurring in the declination, to go either true or magnetic south. at the hut and up to about sixty miles south of it, the declination had proved fairly constant, but now at the southern cross depot, as we had christened the sixty-seven-mile camp, the compass, from pointing a little to the east of south, had travelled to degrees east of south, so that it became obvious that there was considerable magnetic disturbance in the country over which we were travelling. whether we went south or south-east seemed unlikely to affect the value of geographical and other information we might gather, while webb was of the opinion that the best magnetic results would be obtained by marching directly towards the magnetic pole, particularly if there were disturbances over the intervening area. for these reasons the course was maintained magnetic south. at a.m. on sunday, november , we moved off to the south-east in a wind of fifty miles an hour. the light was bad, and steering had to be done by sastrugi and wind. however, momentary glimpses of the sun served to check the course. the lunch camp was five miles from the depot, and a good mound with a top of black bunting was left there. at almost every halt, thus far on our journey, the snow cut for pitching the tent had been gathered up into a mound which, in addition to forming a landmark, could often be used as a back-mark for checking the course. our depot thus had a mound four miles on the southern and five miles on the northern side of it. it was not marked as well as i had hoped, but under the circumstances we could not do better. moreover, at intervals during the day, some very distinctive snow ramps had appeared in the valley, some five miles to the north-east, and their position was fixed relative to the course. our hopes for a good afternoon were disappointed, as the wind and drift came up again as strong as ever. the surface, too, grew worse; nothing but sastrugi eighteen inches to thirty inches high and very close together. we were marching a little to the east of the wind, and the sledge was continually blown sideways, making considerable leeway. by . p.m. it was blowing sixty miles per hour, so we halted, thoroughly tired out, having hauled our one-third of a ton eight and three-quarter miles. when it is blowing hard, the end of the day's march is not the end of the day's work. as soon as a camping spot has been chosen, the sledge is pulled round head to wind. the straps round the load are loosened carefully, the shovel and tent removed and the straps retightened. one man starts breaking out chunks of snow, experimenting until he finds a place where large pieces come away readily. lumps of forty pounds are the handiest and quickest, but often only smaller ones can be obtained. these are arranged in a circle round the tent-site, while the man with the tent places it on the ground pointing upwind, the bottom of the poles being just where the middle windward leg will be, and makes a hole for that leg. when everything is ready, all three catch hold of the tent, one man crawling half into it, gripping hard the leather loop on the windward leg. the others sort out and grip their two side legs. "all ready? up!" it almost takes one's breath away, the roar and the flap! the side legs are quickly separated as the tent rises, and before it can blow over, the leeward legs are more or less in position, taking the strain. the centre man is throwing all his weight on to the leather loop, while the other two outside each holds down his windward pole with one hand and with the other pulls blocks of snow on to the skirt to windward. once this is done, the rest is simple: cutting holes in just the right positions for the other legs, pulling out the skirt and making it snug all round. then in goes the floor-cloth, and, by the time that is spread out properly, the primus and cooker are passed in. the cooker is dissected and the two water vessels passed out to be filled with snow. the cook will have hard work to get the primus started if he does not shield the spirit flame from the wind, which blows through the tent, by putting the whole lamp inside the big cooker lid. in come the pots filled with lumps of snow. the food tank is placed just outside the entrance, and the proper food-bags for the meal are passed in to the cook, the tank being retied to keep out drift. the cooker will now be going at full pressure, and the cook is ready to receive the gear. sleeping-bags, "computation bag," hypsometer, "meat block" (a three-inch-square paper pad on which meteorological notes were taken); clothes-bag opened, three ditty-bags passed in and bag retied; a final temperature taken and aneroid read; sledge anchored securely by tow-rope to the ice-axe, and a final look round to see all gear is safely strapped down and snow-tight. in calm weather, camping is a very different thing. on a fine day, half an hour after the halt would usually find us carefully scraping the last of the hoosh out of our pannikins, ready for the cocoa. at the seventy-six-mile camp we tried the experiment of a break-wind. the tent was so small and light that it was necessary to protect it in the heavy winds. hurley and i took about three-quarters of an hour to build the first one, but later we improved, getting into the knack of hewing snow with a sharp-pointed shovel. that night in bag i wrote: "the result of the breakwind is that for once we have the wind bluffed. it is blowing seventy-five miles per hour--a full hurricane--but all the viciousness is taken out of the flapping and there will be no damage done to the tent by morning." the wind was too strong for travelling early in the day (november ). while outside we suddenly observed two snow petrels. it was hard to realize that they had actually flown seventy-six miles inland to a height of two thousand four hundred and fifty feet. i dashed inside for the fishingline; hurley got out the camera. they were a beautiful sight, hovering with outspread wings just above the snow, tipping it with their feet now and then, to poise without a flutter in a sixty-five-mile gale. hurley secured a couple of "snaps" at the expense of badly frost-bitten hands. just as i arrived with the line hooked and baited, the birds flew away to the north-east; our visions of fresh meat went with them. the line was always ready after this. towards evening the wind dropped suddenly to twenty miles per hour. our camp was stationed on the southern side of the large valley we had entered on the th, and we could identify the ridge crossed on that date, blue and dim, forty miles away to the north. to the north-east could be seen a distinct dip in the skyline, indicating the bed of the valley, on whose northern side the dip met the higher skyline in a steep bluff, twenty-five miles off. this bluff under the glasses was of heavily crevassed, blue ice. the wind did not rise again much until p.m., when we had moved on seven and a half miles, rising about three hundred feet over several ridges and practically losing our view to the north. a steady breeze on the th, and, on the whole, good light, allowed us to make twelve miles. each day, now, webb took an approximate magnetic dip and declination in the lee of the break-wind. this was necessary in order to get some idea of local disturbances. also, it gave us some vague idea as to the direction in which lay the south magnetic pole. for instance, at the eighty-three-and-three-quarter-mile camp, the needle showed the pole to be degrees east of true south, while at our lunch camp that day, six miles farther on, it was given as degrees east of south. the dip was so great that our prismatic compass would not set closer than about degrees, but the long compass needle of the dip-circle, though of course sluggish, continued to give excellent results. under these conditions it is obvious that the magnetic needle is quite useless for steering purposes. the sun compass proved itself a more than efficient substitute. on a snowfield there is usually a total absence of landmarks of any kind, so the direction of wind, sastrugi, or perhaps a low cloud is found with the sun-compass, frequently checked, and the course kept accordingly. on camping we would generally carefully note the direction in which the sledge was left, in case the next day proved overcast. thus we would march in the morning by the wind's direction till the sun, gleaming through the clouds for a few moments, enabled us to use the compass again. sastrugi, only six inches high, seen on the th, showed the effects of wind-erosion exquisitely. in an individual case the windward end of a sastruga might be completely undercut for six or nine inches, leaving a hard crust, sometimes only one-eighth of an inch in thickness and a couple of inches wide. this would sag downwards under its own weight in a fine curve till the tip rested on the snow beneath. it is marvellous how such a delicate structure can withstand the heavy wind. november proved a very hard day. the wind kept up sixty miles per hour all the time, so that, after taking four hours to do four and three-quarter miles, we were all thoroughly exhausted. it was not a great run, but the century was hoisted--one hundred and three-quarter miles by sledge-meter; altitude two thousand nine hundred feet. there was a mild celebration that night over a square of butter-scotch and half an ounce of chocolate, besides the regular hoosh and cocoa. next day the light was very bad and the wind fifty miles per hour. observations were therefore made inside the tent. webb, hurley and the instrument occupied all available space, while i spent three hours digging a shaft eight feet deep in the snow, taking temperatures every foot. it appeared that the mean annual temperature of the snow was approximately - degrees f. the dip was degrees '; certainly rather too large a rise from degrees ' of twenty miles back. the declination had actually changed about degrees in the last ten miles. this one-hundred-mile station was badly disturbed. from the evidence, it is possible that a subsidiary "pole" or area of almost vertical dip may exist close by this spot to the west or south-west. going straight up wind into a "blow" which varied from forty to fifty miles per hour, we were able to make eight miles after the previous day's rest. at lunch a hole was dug five feet square and two feet deep. it served three purposes. first, it gave a good shelter for a longitude observation; secondly, with the mast, yard and floor-cloth we converted it into a shelter snug enough to house the primus and to lunch comfortably; and thirdly, a mound was left as a back-mark which was picked up on the return journey. by experience we found that a warm lunch and a rest enabled one to "peg" along a good deal farther than would otherwise be possible. the "scenery" in the afternoon became if possible more desolate--very few new sastrugi, the surface appearing generally old and pitted. in some places it was rotten and blown away, disclosing coarse granulated substrata. at the top of one ridge the snow merged into neve split into small crevasses, nine inches wide and four or five yards apart. the camp was pitched, here, at p.m. the latitude was degrees ' s., and we saw the midnight sun for the first time that summer, about one-quarter of its rim remaining above the horizon. a full hurricane came up and kept between fifty and sixty miles per hour all day on the th. before moving off, webb found that the magnetic needle had "waltzed" back degrees since the one-hundred-mile camp, now pointing degrees east of south. still, to allow the needle to makeup its mind, we steered into the wind at p.m., losing the neve and meeting very rough country. by p.m., with four miles to our credit, we were nearly played out. it was being discussed whether we should go on when the discovery was made that the theodolite legs were missing; probably having slipped out in one of the numerous capsizes of the sledge. the solemn rites of "shut-eye" determined that webb was to stay and make camp while hurley and i retraced our steps. it was no easy matter to follow the trail, for on hard snow the sledge runners leave no mark, and we had to watch for the holes of the crampon-spikes. about two and a half miles back, the legs were found, and there only remained a hard "plug" against the wind to camp and hoosh. while we were lying half-toggled into the sleeping-bags, writing our diaries, hurley spent some time alternately imprecating the wind and invoking it for a calm next day. as he said, once behind a break-wind one could safely defy it, but on the march one is much more humble. whether it was in honour of queen alexandra's birthday, or whether hurley's pious efforts of the evening before had taken effect, december turned out a good day. by noon, the wind had dropped sufficiently for us to hoist the jack and commonwealth ensign for the occasion. after four miles of battling, there came into sight a distinct ridge, ten miles to the west and south--quite the most definitely rising ground observed since leaving the coast. in one place was a patch of immense crevasses, easily visible to the naked eye; in another, due south, were black shadows, and towards these the course was pointed. at a point more than one hundred and twenty-five miles from the sea, a skua gull paid an afternoon call, alighting a few yards from the track. i immediately commenced to stalk it with a fishing-line, this time all ready and baited with pemmican. however, it was quite contemptuous, flying off to the south-south-east as far as we could follow it. was it taking a short cut to the ross sea? december saw us through "dead-beat gully" to a rise, in sight of the shadows towards which we had been steering. two miles away they appeared like the edge of the moon seen through a large telescope. the shadows were due to large mounds of snow on the south side of a steep escarpment. three main prominences were cross-connected with regular lines of hillocks, giving the impression of a subdivided town-site. the low evening sun threw everything up in the most wonderful relief. on the morning of the rd we were in a valley running west-north-west and east-south-east. the southern side rose steeply and from it projected three large mounds, about two hundred feet from the bottom of the valley, into which they fell just like tailings-heaps from a mine. they were christened "the nodules." going due south uphill over neve we found ourselves in a regular network of crevasses. they were about ten feet wide and well bridged. most noticeable were "hedges" of ice up to six feet in height on either side of the crevasses which ran southward. it was now nearly calm and in every crack and chink in the snow-bridges beautiful fern-like ice-crystals were seen. these must have been just forming, as a very light puff of wind was seen to destroy many of them. we spent three hours exploring the locality. on nearing the top of the ridge, roped together, we found that the crevasses were becoming much wider, while the "hedges" were disappearing. the centre "nodule" was found to be immediately north or to the leeward of the intersection of two crevasses, each about forty feet wide. the bridge of one crevasse had dropped some thirty feet for a length of eighty yards. doubtless, an eddy from this hole accounts for the deposit of snow and, by accretions, for the erection of the nodule. webb went down at the end of the alpine rope and found the bridge below quite solid. for about half a mile the summit of the slope was practically level, three hundred feet above the bed of the valley. the surface was still of neve, intersected by canals forty, sixty and eighty feet wide, in which the snow-bridge was generally four or five feet from the brink. on the south-west horizon, perhaps twenty miles away, was a salient crest streaked by three dark vertical bars; evidently another crevassed area. returning to the sledge, we toggled-on and worked it up over the top of the ridge, much regretting that time would not allow us to examine the other two large "nodules." hurley was in the lead, lengthening his line by thirty feet of alpine rope, but even then all three of us and the sledge were often on the lid of a crevasse. luckily, the lids were fairly sound, and none of us went in beyond the waist. finally, the trail emerged on to ordinary sastrugi once more, where a halt was made for lunch. we were all glad to have seen the place, but i think none of us has any wish to see another like it. that night, after following the magnetic needle towards the south-east, we were fairly on the plateau at one hundred and forty miles, with an altitude of four thousand four hundred feet. the dip, however, had steadily decreased, standing now at degrees '. there was some consolation in the hope that a big, sudden rise was stored up for us somewhere along the way ahead. december and were fine days, giving only twenty-two miles, as we met with a rough surface; a large quantity of very hard, razor-backed sastrugi, generally about two feet high, like groined vaulting inverted, on a small scale. sledge and sledge-meter both had a very rough passage. the sledge, for instance, balances itself on the top of a sastruga for a moment, with an ominous bend in the runners, crashes down the slope and jams its bow into the next one, from which it has to be lifted clear. during this run the needle again misbehaved itself, changing its direction some degrees in ten miles, but by the night of the th we were getting past the disturbed locality and the dip had increased considerably. for the first time on the trip the wind veered round to the south-east. snow had fallen overnight (december ) and had drifted in long ramps diagonally across the sastrugi. in two and a half hours we covered two and a quarter miles, blindly blundering in an uncertain light among crests and troughs and through piles of soft, new snow. then we stopped; webb filling in the afternoon with a full set of dip observations. that night the break-wind played its one possible trick. waking on the th, we found that the heavy snowfall, with only a moderate wind, had drifted us up. of course hurley and i, who slept on the 'outsides,' had known it most of the night. before we could extricate ourselves from the bags webb had to turn out from the middle to dig away the drift which was weighing down the walls of the tent on top of us. it was hopeless weather for travelling. in the afternoon a snow cave was dug, seven feet deep and enlarged to seven feet square at the bottom. the whole was covered with mast, yard and sail. it was very snug from the outward aspect, but we soon found that there were two objections to the "sarcophagus," as it was named. there was very little light except a ghastly blue half-tone filtering through the snow, and the place was not over warm, surrounded by walls at a much lower temperature than that of the surface. webb commenced a declination "quick-run," consisting of half-hourly observations of the direction in which the compass was pointing. in ordinary latitudes, during the day, the compass needle moves over a few minutes of arc, but here, being so close to the magnetic pole, its movement is greatly magnified, the range being about degrees on this occasion. webb carried on readings till midnight, and at a.m., december , i turned out, being relieved at a.m. by hurley, who carried on until the twenty-four hours were completed. this observation should be especially valuable when it is compared with continuous magnetic records obtained at the same time at winter quarters and by the scott expedition at mcmurdo sound. it was not till . p.m. on december that the sixty-mile wind had subsided sufficiently for us to get away. every yard of our quota of seven miles was hard going. a fine example of a typical old sastruga was passed on the way. in order to secure a photograph of it, hurley had to waste eighteen films before he could persuade one to pull into place correctly. the film-packs had been carefully kept in an airtight tin, but the cold was too much for them. the tags which should pull each film round from the back to the front of the pack usually tore away with a small piece of film. in fact, out of one hundred and twenty films only forty-five exposures were made. on the th a good deal of "piecrust" cut down the day's march to eight and a half miles. sledge runners are usually supported by this surface, but one's feet break through in a most annoying and tiring manner. the drift eased off for a few hours and we managed to dry some of our gear. at the sarcophagus, things which had all been wet enough before became saturated with drift which turned to ice. felt mitts are perhaps the worst in this respect, and it is no exaggeration to say that you could easily brain a man with one after it had been worn in drift for a couple of days. that night i decided that one more day must see us at our depot. allowing three days' grace for contingencies, there were thirty-one days for us to attain our farthest southerly point and back to the hut. on the th we planned to reach a spot for the depot, two hundred miles out, and by . p.m. came on a fine site at one hundred and ninety-nine and three-quarter miles; altitude four thousand eight hundred and fifty feet, latitude degrees . ' south; longitude degrees ' east. everything possible was left behind, the sledge-decking being even cut away, until only three light bamboo slats remained. a pile, including ten days' food and one gallon of kerosene, was placed on a small mound to prevent it being drifted over. a few yards distant rose a solid nine-foot cairn surmounted by a black canvas-and-wire flag, six feet higher, well stayed with steel wire. i took on food for seventeen days, three days more than i intended to be out, partly so that we could keep on longer if we found we could make very fast time, and also as a safeguard against thick weather when returning to the depot. late in the evening we set off against a stiff breeze. the sledge ran lightly for three and a half miles, and we camped. the depot showed up well in the north-west as a bright golden spot in the low midnight sun. next day the piecrust was so bad that, despite the lessened load, we only covered twelve miles. the surface was smoothly polished, and we either crashed through it from four inches to a foot or else slipped and came down heavily on knees, elbow, or head. new finnesko were largely responsible for such an accident. at p.m. a remarkable ramp, five chains long, was passed. on its windward side was a tangled cluster of large sastrugi. they made one imagine that the wind, infuriated at finding a block of snow impeding its progress, had run amok with a giant gouge, endeavouring to pare it down. every now and then, the gouge, missing its aim, had taken great lateral scoops from the surface, leaving trenches two and three feet deep. in bags that night we had a talk (not the first by any means) over our prospects. up to the one hundred-and-seventy-four-mile camp, four hundred miles seemed dimly possible, but now we saw we would be lucky to reach three hundred miles. moreover, the dip at this spot was degrees ', practically what it had been ever since one hundred and fifty miles. sixty-five miles for nothing! how far for the other forty-nine minutes which were needed for a vertical dip and the south magnetic pole? this problem was insoluble, so each toggled himself into his bag in a rather depressed state of mind. december was a glorious day; only a fifteen-mile wind, and for ten miles an improved surface. there was no drift, consequently opportunity was taken to turn the sleeping bags inside out. they needed it, too. the upper parts were not so bad as they had been propped open occasionally, but the lower halves were coated with solid ice. for the first time for weeks we did not wear burberrys, as the weather was so warm. fourteen miles was the total work, the previous day's being twelve. all three of us were having trouble with snow-blindness; the "zinc and cocaine" tabloids being in great demand. latitude degrees south was passed on the th and we were another fourteen miles to the good. the dip was on the increase degrees ' and the declination swung to degrees east of the magnetic meridian. at two hundred and fifty-six miles the altitude was five thousand five hundred feet. the temperature was getting lower; the minimum being - degrees f. on the night of the th, rising to a maximum of degrees f. on the following day. there was dead calm and a regular heat wave on december . as the sun rose higher and higher, the tent became absolutely oppressive. the rime coating the walls inside thawed and water actually trickled into our finnesko. usually we awoke to find them frozen hard, just as we had shaped them on the previous night, but on this particular morning they were pathetically limp and wet. the temperature inside the tent was degrees f., heated, of course, by the sun's rays which raised our black bulb thermometer to degrees f. we were not used to this sort of thing and struggled out hurriedly for a breath of fresh air. once into harness, we began to feel the effects of exertion. by degrees we got rid of our clothing, but unfortunately soon came to bedrock in that respect, as the underclothing was sewn on and immovable. at lunch time, with the thermometer at - degrees f. in the shade, we reluctantly dressed knowing how soon we would cool off. about p.m. clouds moved over rapidly from the south-east and the landscape faded into the blank, shadowless nothing of an overcast day. the camp was pitched at two hundred and eighty-three miles amidst a jumble of ramps and sastrugi. the dip had seen fit to rise to degrees '. in the morning the wind was doing thirty miles per hour, which certainly seemed to be the normal thing. it fell to a nice sailing breeze, but, at the time, we were not very appreciative of anything as the course was uphill. again, it was to be the last day's run, so we were "all out" when the halt came after a good fifteen miles--the longest day's march on the outward journey. nevertheless, webb unpacked the theodolite after hoosh and took an altitude of the sun at midnight. on december the load on the sledge was stripped down to tent, dip-circle, theodolite, cooker and a little food. for two and a half miles we went south-east over rising ground until the sledge-meter showed three hundred and one miles. while hurley and i pitched the tent, webb built a breakwind for his instrument fifty yards away. then followed a long set of magnetic observations. about p.m. the magnetic work was interrupted; the theodolite replacing the dip-circle on the legs, while i took a longitude shot. i was seeing double, being slightly snow-blind, and had some difficulty in choosing the correct combination from the assortment of suns and cross-wires visible in the telescope. setting the vertical and horizontal wires simultaneously on the sun was beyond me; webb taking the observations for the true meridian, which also checked my longitude shot. magnetic work under these conditions is an extremely uncomfortable operation. even a light wind will eddy round the break-wind, and it is wind which makes low temperatures formidable. nearly all the work has to be done with bare fingers or thin instrument-gloves, and the time taken is far greater than in temperate climates, owing to the fingers constantly "going" and because of the necessity of continually freeing the instrument from the condensed moisture of the breath. considering that the temperature was - degrees f. when he had finished his four hours' work, it may be imagined that webb was ready for his hot tea. the dip proved to be degrees . ', that is, sixteen and a half minutes from the vertical. the altitude was just over five thousand nine hundred feet, in latitude degrees . ' south and longitude degrees ' east. after lunch the union jack and the commonwealth ensign were hoisted and three cheers given for the king--willing but rather lonesome away out there! we searched the horizon with glasses but could see nothing save snow, undulating in endless sastrugi. to the south-east the horizon was limited by our old enemy, "the next ridge," some two miles away. we wondered what could be beyond, although we knew it was only the same featureless repetition, since one hundred and seventy-five miles on the same course would bring us to the spot where david, mawson and mackay had stood in . after hurley had taken a photograph of the camp, the tent was struck and the sledge repacked. at last the sail was rigged, we gave a final glance back and turned on the homeward trail. my diary of that night sums up: "we have now been exactly six weeks on the tramp and somehow feel rather sad at turning back, even though it has not been quite a sunday school picnic all along. it is a great disappointment not to see a dip of °, but the time is too short with this 'climate.' it was higher than we expected to get, after the unsatisfactory dips obtained near the two-hundred-mile depot. the rate of increase since that spot has been fairly uniform and indicates that degrees might be reached in another fifty to sixty miles, if the same rate held, and that means at least another week. it's no good thinking about it for 'orders are orders.' we'll have our work cut out to get back as it is. twenty-five days till we are overdue. certainly we have twenty-three days' food, eight days' with us, ten days' at two hundred miles, and five days' at sixty-seven miles, so with luck we should not go hungry, but webb wants to get five more full sets of dips if possible on the way back, and this means two and a half days." that night the minimum thermometer registered its lowest at - degrees f. it was december and midsummer day, so we concluded that the spot would be a very chilly one in the winter. at this juncture we were very short of finnesko. the new ones we had worn since the two-hundred-mile camp had moulted badly and were now almost "bald." the stitching wears through as soon as the hair comes off and frequent mending is necessary. we rose earlier than usual on the nd, so as to get more advantage from the wind, which each evening had always tended to die down somewhat. with forty-two square feet of sail, the twenty-mile wind was too much for us, the sledge capsizing on the smallest pretext. instead of hanging the yard from the top of the mast, we placed it across the load, reversing the sail and hooking the clews over the top of the mast. three or four pieces of lampwick at intervals served as reefing-points by which the area of the sail could be quickly cut down by bunching the upper part as much as was necessary. during the day we frequently saw our tracks in patches of snow left during a previous snowfall, but they were much eroded, although only three days old. after sledging in adelie land it is hard to realize that on certain parts of the ross barrier tracks a year old may remain visible. after passing the two-hundred-and-eighty-three-mile mound, the sledge-meter became very sickly. spoke after spoke had parted and we saw that nothing we could do would make it last very much longer. as we intended in one place to make a cross-country run of seventy miles, so as to cut off the detour to the "nodules," the meter was carried on the sledge. we had now the mounds to check distances. on december we were lucky enough to catch sight of the two-hundred-and-sixty-nine-mile mound and later the one at two hundred and sixty-one miles, though there was a good deal of drift. the day's run was twenty and a half miles. a thing which helped us unexpectedly was that, now with the wind behind, we found it unnecessary to wear the stiff, heavy, frozen, burberry trousers. thick pyjama trousers took their place in all except the worst weather. at our old two-hundred-and-forty-nine-mile camp, webb took a complete set of magnetic observations and another time-shot for watch-rate. it was late when these were over, so we did only two and a half miles more, halting for christmas eve, well content with a run of fourteen miles in addition to a set of observations. on christmas day the country was very rough, making sailing difficult. still, eighteen and a half miles were left behind. the wind was practically along the sastrugi and the course was diagonal to both. as the sledge strikes each sastruga, it skids northwards along it to the discomfort of the wheelers and the disgust of the leader. for christmas dinner that night we had to content ourselves with revising the menu for the meal which was to celebrate the two-hundred-mile depot. but now it was all pretty well mapped out, having been matured in its finer details for several days on the march. hors d'oeuvre, soup, meat, pudding, sweets and wine were all designed, and estimates were out. would we pick up the depot soon enough to justify an "auspicious occasion"? next day the wind was due south at thirty miles per hour. dodging big ramps and overturning on sastrugi, at the same time dragging well upwind of the course to save leeway, twelve miles went by without the two-hundred-and-fifteen-mile mound coming into sight. finally, a search with the glasses through falling snow revealed it a good two miles back. as we particularly wanted some photos of the ramps at this camp, we made across to it and had lunch there, hurley exposing the last of the films. at two hundred and nine miles "lot's wife" appeared--a tall, thin mound which hurley had erected during a lunch-camp on the way out. on the th, with a thirty-five-mile wind and a good deal of drift, we did not see the two-hundred-and-three-mile mound until we almost ran into it. by three o'clock the great event occurred--the depot was found! we determined to hold the christmas feast. after a cup of tea and a bit of biscuit, the rest of the lunch ration was put aside. webb set up his instrument in the lee of the big mound and commenced a set of observations; i sorted out gear from the depot and rearranged the sledge load; hurley was busy in the tent concocting all kinds of dishes. as the tableware was limited to three mugs and the nansen cooker, we had to come in to deal with each course the moment it was ready. aiming at a really high-class meal, hurley had started by actually cleaning out the cooker. the absence of reindeer-hair and other oddments made everything taste quite strange, though the basis was still the same old ration with a few remaining "perks." after the "raisin gliders," soup and a good stiff hoosh, webb finished his observations while i recorded for him. it is wonderful what sledging does for the appetite. for the first week of the journey, the unaccustomed ration was too much for us; but now when hurley announced "pudding!" we were all still ravenous. it was a fine example of ye goode olde english plum-pudding, made from biscuit grated with the bonsa-saw, fat picked out of the pemmican, raisins and glaxo-and-sugar, all boiled in an old food-bag. this pudding was so filling that we could hardly struggle through a savoury, "angels on runners," and cocoa. there was a general recovery when the "wine" was produced, made from stewed raisins and primus alcohol; and "the king" was toasted with much gusto. at the first sip, to say the least, we were disappointed. the rule of "no heel taps" nearly settled us, and quite a long interval and cigars, saved up for the occasion by webb, were necessary before we could get courage enough to drink to the other sledging parties and our supporting party. the sun was low in the south when, cigars out and conversation lagging, we finally toggled in for the finest sleep of the whole journey. the cook, under a doubtful inspiration, broke forth, later on, into a christmas carol: i've dined in many places but never such as these- it's like the gates of heaven when you find you've lost the keys. i've dined with kings and emperors, perhaps you scarce believe; and even they do funny things when round comes christmas eve. i've feasted with iguanas on a lonely desert isle; once in the shade of a wattle by a maiden's winsome smile. i've "grubbed" at a threepenny hash-house, i've been at a counter-lunch, reclined at a clap-up cafe where only the "swankers" munch. in short, i've dined from horn to cape and up alaska-way but the finest, funniest dinner of all was on that xmas day. for the first ten miles on the afternoon of the th, the sail was reefed down to prevent the sledge overrunning us on smooth patches. not far past the one-hundred-and-ninety-mile mound, which was missed in the drift, we picked up some of the outward tracks--a bas-relief of three footsteps and a yard of sledge-meter track, raised half an inch and undercut by the wind. it was not very much, but quite a comfort when one is navigating in blinding weather. at . p.m. we had marched twenty-one miles, and both light and surface were improving, so i proposed making a long run of it. hurley and webb eagerly agreed, and we had a preparatory hoosh. ten miles scudded by monotonously without a sign of the mounds around the one-hundred-and-seventy-mile camp. as we were in the vicinity of a point where we had determined to diverge from our outward track, a course was laid direct for the one-hundred-and-thirteen-mile mark. the sledge-meter, which had been affixed, made its presence evident from time to time by ringing like a cash register, as still another broken spoke struck the forks. we would halt for a moment and extract the remains. out of the original thirty-six wire spokes, only twelve wire and one wooden one remained. at . a.m. on december , a halt was called and the sledge-meter was then lying over on its side with a helpless expression. it indicated twenty-two miles, making, so we thought, a total of forty-three miles in the twenty-two and a quarter hours since leaving the depot. observations for position next day proved that in its dying effort it exaggerated the truth; the total run being . miles. we were now well ahead of schedule time, there being four and a half days' surplus food; above what was probably required to reach the sixty-seven-and-a-half-mile depot. it was decided to hold three days of this and to use one and a half days food as a bonus during the coming week, as long as we were ahead of our necessary distance. the sledging ration is quite enough to live on, but for the whole of the journey we had felt that we could have done more distance on a slightly larger ration. this may be partly explained by our comparatively high altitude. next morning the sledge-meter was cut away and stuck in the snow. it looked very forlorn sitting askew in its forks, with a pair of worn-out finnesko hanging over it. after twelve miles with a favourable wind, webb took more observations; hurley and i recording by turns. there were several small holes in the tent which needed mending, and i experimented with adhesive plaster from the medical kit with great success. heated over a fusee and pressed hard down between the bottoms of mugs, held outside and inside, the patches adhered well and made a permanent job. early on december , , snow was falling. the light gave hurley an attack of snow-blindness and a miserable day. crampons were worn to give some security to the foothold on the uneven track. the position, after a trudge of fifteen miles, was estimated at five miles east of the one-hundred-and-twenty-three-mile mound. on new year's day, , the wind was fresher and the surface improved. estimation placed us to the north of one hundred and thirteen miles, but we were not hopeful in the light falling snow of seeing a mound. soon, however, the snow ceased, and webb made out a hillock two miles ahead. it was identified as the one at one hundred and nine miles. it had been my turn to be snowblind. i was so bad that the only thing to do was to camp or ride on the sledge. the trail changed here to straight downwind, so webb and hurley undertook the job, hauling the sledge with me as a passenger for three and a half miles to the one-hundred-and-five-mile mound. it must have been a trying finish to a run of twenty miles. in spite of the spell, which was a sleepless one, i was no better in the morning and again had to ride. the others pulled away for five miles with a good helping wind, but in a provoking light. the camp was made where the one-hundred-mile mound was judged to be. we spent longer over lunch, hoping that the clouds would clear. at last we moved on, or rather _i_ was moved on. after two miles the surface became heavier. my eyes were better now on account of the rest and a snow "poultice" webb had invented. i harnessed-in for five miles over light, unpacked snow, with piecrust underneath. the day's work was twelve miles. the snow-clouds broke at noon on january , and a reliable latitude was obtained. it agreed with our reckoning. persevering over the same trying surface as on the previous day, we sighted the ninety-mile-mound in the rear as a rift broke in the sky. we must have passed a few hundred yards from it. we were still eleven miles from the depot, so at breakfast on the th the rations were reduced by one-half to give plenty of time to locate our goal. on the th the sky was clear, but surface drift prevented us from seeing any mounds till, in the afternoon, the ramps near the sixty-seven-mile depot were discovered in fitful glimpses. they bore too much to the north, so we altered course correspondingly to the west, camping in rising wind and drift, with great hopes for the morrow. a densely overcast sky on the th; light snow falling! we moved on two miles, but not being able to see one hundred yards, camped again; then walking as far as seemed safe in various directions. one could do nothing but wait for clear weather. the clouds lightened at p.m. and again at p.m., when altitudes of the sun were secured, putting us four miles south of the depot. with only one chronometer watch, one has to rely entirely on dead reckoning for longitude, the rate of a single watch being very variable. the longitude obtained on this occasion from our latest known rate moved us several miles to the east of the depot, so i concluded that our distances since the camp at ninety miles had been overestimated, and that we were probably to the south-east of it. accordingly, we shifted four miles to the north-west, but by this time it had again clouded over and nothing could be seen. on the th the sky was still overcast, but a lucky peep at noon aligned us on the exact latitude of the depot. we walked east and west, but it snowed persistently and everything was invisible. it is weary work waiting in the tent for weather to improve. during this time hurley amused himself and us by composing a christmas carol on the christmas dinner; a fragment from which has already appeared. i whiled away a whole afternoon, cutting up the remains of two cigars which had refused to draw. sliced up with a pair of scissors and mixed with a few of hurley's cigarettes, they made very good smoking tobacco. on the th the sky was immovable, and we trekked four miles due east, camped once more and walked about without finding our goal. i now decided that if the weather did not improve by the morning, we should have to dash for the north. it was a risk, but matters were coming to a serious pass. on broaching the subject to webb and hurley, they unconditionally agreed with me. at a.m. the sky cleared rapidly and we turned out and saw the ramps plainly to the east. webb set up the theodolite while hurley and i paced out a half-mile base-line to find out the intervening distance. just as we got to the end of it, however, the clouds came over again and the ramps faded. there was only one thing for it now, and that was to make a break for the coast. of food, there was one full day's ration with enough pemmican for half a hoosh, six lumps of sugar and nine raisins, rather the worse for wear, oil for two days, and, last but not least, a pint of alcohol. after four days on half-rations we felt fairly fit, thanks no doubt to the good meals of the previous week. there were sixty-seven miles to go, and in case we did not happen on the narrow descent to the hut, the food was apportioned to last for five days. everything unessential was stripped off the sledge, including dip-circle, thermometers, hypsometer, camera, spare clothing and most of the medical and repair kits. at a.m. we set off on the final stage of the journey. the sky was densely overcast and snow was falling, but there was a strong wind almost behind. we would march for an hour by my wrist-watch, halt for five minutes and on again till all agreed that we had covered ten miles; when it was lunch time. each man's share of this consisted of one-third of a biscuit, one-third of an ounce of butter and a drink made of a spoonful of glaxo-and-sugar and one of absolute alcohol, mixed in a mug of lukewarm water. we could not afford oil enough to do much more than thaw the water, but the alcohol warmed us splendidly, enabling us to get a good rest. after an hour's spell we started again, luckily seeing just enough of the sun to check the course. the wind grew stronger in the afternoon and several times dense fog-banks drove down on us. meeting one steep rise, we sidled round it for what seemed hours, but my chief memory of that afternoon was of the clouds of the northern horizon. they were a deep bluish-grey colour--a typical "water-sky"--but i have never seen clouds moving so fast. it was like trying to steer by one particular phase in a kaleidoscope. when all were satisfied that twenty miles had been covered we camped. dinner consisted of a very watery hoosh, followed up by a mug of alcohol and water. we were all very thankful for the forethought of dr. mawson in providing absolute alcohol for lighting the primus, instead of methylated spirit. breakfast on the th was of about the same consistency as dinner on the night before, except that cocoa replaced the alcohol. in fact, breakfast was possibly even more watery, as i was in charge of the food-bag and surreptitiously decided to make the rations last six days instead of five. this was the worst day's march of the journey. the wind was booming along at sixty miles per hour with dense drift and falling snow. what made it worse was that it came from the south-east, forcing us to pull partly across it. i was the upwind wheeler and had to hitch on to the side of the sledge to reduce the leeway as much as possible. the sledge was being continually jammed into big, old, invisible sastrugi and we fell about in the wind until crampons became absolutely necessary. at p.m. we were disgusted to find that the wind had veered to south-by-east. so for possibly several hours we had been doing heaven only knows how many times the amount of work necessary, and for any time up to four hours might have been marching three points off our course. being blown straight downwind, the sledge made rapid progress, and about p.m. a halt was called for lunch. this was over almost as soon as it was begun, but we had a good rest, sheltering ourselves with the floor-cloth from the wind which blew through the tent. off again, we "plugged" away until midnight when we were much surprised to find the usual snow surface merging into blue ice. the tent was pitched on the latter, snow being procured from the bridge of a crevasse as we had no pick: even the ice-axe having been left behind. turning out on the morning of the th, we were delighted to find the sky clearing and the wind moderating. and then, far away on the northern horizon a beautiful line of blue sea dotted with bergs! we now officially considered ourselves to be twenty-seven miles from the hut. as we should not have met blue ice on the proper course till we were only thirteen miles out, it was thought that we had edged a long way to the east the day before. when a start was made, we manoeuvred to the west in looking for a crossing-place at each crevasse. it was not long before the bergs on the horizon were noticeably enlarging, and at last we realized that in reality it was only a few miles to them. suddenly the grade increased, the ice becoming much lacerated; and we had some trouble getting the sledge along. hurley was snow-blind and had one eye covered. he looked very comical feeling his way over the crevasses, but he probably did not feel over-humorous. i was in the lead, and suddenly coming over a ridge above a steep ice-fall, i caught sight of the mackellar islets and the old "piano" berg. just at the same instant the spur of ice on which i was standing collapsed, and down i went into a crevasse. the others quickly had me out, and, as soon as i was in the upper air, i gave them the news: "there are the islands!" being twenty feet farther back on the rope they had not yet seen them. we were now able to place ourselves about three miles west of aladdin's cave. the last camp must have been thirteen miles from the hut, and we had really done twenty-seven miles each day instead of our conservative twenty. we tried to work along to the east, but the ice was too much broken, so the camp was made on a patch of snow. in view of our good fortune, i produced that evening's ration of hoosh in addition to our usual lunch. even this meagre spree went against hurley's feelings, for, being snow-blind, he had not been able to see the islands and positively would not believe that we were nearly home. after lunch it was necessary to retrace our way upwind to get out of the rough country. about midnight, webb recognized aladdin's cave. hurley and i had a competition as to who should see it first, for i was also getting a little blind again. we had a dead-heat at one hundred and fifty yards. the first thing to arrest our attention was a tin of dog biscuits. these kept things going till we dug out a food tank from which was rapidly extracted a week's supply of chocolate. after that we proceeded in a happier frame of mind to open up the cave and have a meal. the journey of more than six hundred miles was now practically over. after a carousal lasting till p.m. on the th, we went down hill, arriving just after dinner and finding all well. we three had never thought the hut quite such a fine place, nor have we ever since. chapter xv eastward over the sea-ice by c. t. madigan harnessed and girt in his canvas bands, toggled and roped to his load; with helmeted head and bemittened hands, this for his spur and his goad: "out in the derelict fastnesses bare some whit of truth may be won." be it a will o' the wisp, he will fare forth to the rising sun. the sledge horse the eastern coastal party consisted of dr. a. l. mclean, p. e. correll and myself. for weeks all preparations had been made; the decking put on the sledge, runners polished, cooker- and instrument-boxes attached, mast erected, spar and sail rigged, instruments and clothing collected, tent strengthened--all the impedimenta of a sledge journey arranged and rearranged, and still the blizzard raged on. would we never get away? november arrived, and still the wind kept up daily averages of over fifty miles per hour, with scarce a day without drifting snow. at last it was decided that a start must soon be made even though it ended in failure, so that we received orders to set out on november , or the first possible day after it. friday november broke, a clear driftless day, and murphy's party left early in the morning. by noon, stillwell's party (stillwell, hodgeman and close), and we, were ready to start. the former were bound on a short journey to the near east and were to support us until we parted company. all was bustle and excitement. every one turned out to see us off. breaking an empty sauce-bottle over the bow of our sledge, we christened it the m.h.s. championship (man-hauled sledge). the name was no boastful prevision of mighty deeds, as, at the hut, a "championship" was understood to mean some careless action usually occasioning damage to property, while our party included several noted "champions." mertz harnessed a dog-team to the sledge and helped us up the first steep slope. with hearty handshakes and a generous cheer from the other fellows, we started off and were at last away, after many months of hibernation in the hut, to chance the hurricanes and drifting snow and to push towards the unknown regions to the east. at the steepest part of the rise we dismissed our helpers and said good-bye. mclean and correll joined me on the sledge and we continued on to aladdin's cave. as we mounted the glacier the wind increased, carrying surface drift which obscured the view to within one hundred yards. it was this which made us pass the cave on the eastern side and pull up on a well-known patch of snow in a depression to the south of our goal. it was not long before a momentary clearing of the drift showed aladdin's cave with its piles of food-tanks, kerosene, dog biscuit and pemmican, and, to our dismay, a burberry-clad figure moving about among the accumulation. murphy's party were in possession when we expected them to be on the way south to another cave--the cathedral grotto--eleven and three-quarter miles from the hut. of course the rising wind and drift had stopped them. it was then p.m., so we did not wait to discuss the evident proposition as to which of the three parties should occupy the cave, but climbed down into it at once and boiled up hoosh and tea. borrowing tobacco from the supporting parties, we reclined at ease, and then in that hazy atmosphere so dear to smokers, its limpid blue enhanced by the pale azure of the ice, we introduced the subject of occupation as if it were a sudden afterthought. it was soon decided to enlarge the cave to accommodate five men, the other four consenting to squeeze into stillwell's big tent. mclean volunteered to join stillwell's party in the tent, while correll and i were to stay in the cave with murphy and company. i went outside and selected ten weeks' provisions from the pile of food-tanks and piled them beside the sledge. mclean attended to the thermograph which bage and i had installed in the autumn. meanwhile, in a fifty-mile wind, stillwell and his men erected the tent. hunter and laseron started with picks and shovels to enlarge the cave, and, working in relays, we had soon expanded it to eight feet by seven feet. the men from the tent came down to "high dinner" at eight o'clock. they reported weather conditions unimproved and the temperature - degrees f. early next morning i dug my way out and found that the surface drift had increased with a wind of fifty-five miles per hour. it was obviously impossible to start. after breakfast it was arranged that those outside should have their meals separately, digging down at intervals to let us know the state of the weather. it was not pleasant for us, congested as we were in the cave, to have visitors sliding down through the opening with a small avalanche of snow in their train. further, to increase their own discomfort, they arrived covered in snow, and what they were unable to shake off thawed and wet them, subsequently freezing again to the consistency of a starched collar. the opening was, therefore, kept partly closed with a food-tank. the result was that a good deal of snow came in, while the hole diminished in size. for a man to try to crawl out in stiff burberrys appeared as futile as for a porcupine to try to go backwards up a canvas hose. the day passed slowly in our impatience. we took turns at reading 'the virginian', warmed by a primus stove which in a land of plenty we could afford to keep going. later in the afternoon the smokers found that a match would not strike, and the primus went out. then the man reading said that he felt unwell and could not see the words. soon several others commented on feeling "queer," and two in the sleeping-bags had fallen into a drowsy slumber. on this evidence even the famous watson would have "dropped to it," but it was some time before it dawned on us that the oxygen had given out. then there was a rush for shovels. the snow, ice and food-tank were tightly wedged, at the mouth of the entrance, and it took some exertion to perforate through to the outside air with an ice-axe. at once every one speedily recovered. later, another party had a worse experience, not forgetting to leave a warning note behind them. we should have done the same. the weather was no better by the evening, and during the night the minimum thermometer registered - degrees f. at six o'clock on sunday morning, november , mclean dug down to us with the news that the wind had abated to thirty miles per hour with light surface drift. we hurried through breakfast, rolled up the bags and started packing the sledge. three -lb. food-tanks, one -lb. bag opened for ready use, and four gallons of kerosene were selected. stillwell took for us a -lb. food-tank, a -lb. tin of wholemeal biscuits, and a gallon of kerosene. with the lbs. of food, lbs. of kerosene, three sleeping-bags of lbs. each, a tent of lbs., lbs. of clothing and personal gear for three men, a cooker, primus, pick, shovel, ice-axe, alpine rope, dip-circle, theodolite, tripod, smaller instruments such as aneroid, barometer and thermometer, tools, medical outfit and sledge-fittings, our total load amounted to nearly lbs., and stillwell's was about the same. all were ready at a.m., and, shaking hands with murphy's party, who set off due south, we steered with stillwell to the south-east. the preliminary instructions were to proceed south-east from the cave to a distance of eighteen miles and there await the arrival of dr. mawson and his party, who were to overtake us with their dogteams. the first few miles gave a gradual rise of one hundred feet per mile, so that, with a heavy load against wind and drift, travelling was very slow. the wind now dropped to almost calm, and the drift cleared. in the afternoon progress was hampered by crevasses, which were very frequent, running east and west and from one to twenty feet in width. the wider ones were covered with firm snow-bridges; the snow in places having formed into granular and even solid ice. what caused most delay were the detours of several hundreds of yards which had to be made to find a safe crossing over a long, wide crevasse. at . p.m. we pitched camp, having only made five miles from the cave. we got away at a.m. the next morning. throughout the whole journey we thought over the same mysterious problem as confronted many another sledger: where did the time go to in the mornings? despite all our efforts we could not cut down the interval from "rise and shine" to the start below two hours. early that day we had our first experience of the treacherous crevasse. correll went down a fissure about three feet wide. i had jumped across it, thinking the bridge looked thin, but correll stepped on it and went through. he dropped vertically down the full length of his harness--six feet. mclean and i soon had him out. the icy walls fell sheer for about sixty feet, where snow could be seen in the blue depths. our respect for crevasses rapidly increased after this, and we took greater precautions, shuddering to think of the light-hearted way we had trudged over the wider ones. at twelve miles, blue, wind-swept ice gave place to an almost flat snow surface. meanwhile the sky had rapidly clouded over, and the outlook was threatening. the light became worse, and the sastrugi indistinguishable. such a phenomenon always occurs on what we came to call a "snow-blind day." on these days the sky is covered with a white, even pall of cloud, and cloud and plateau seem as one. one walks into a deep trench or a sastruga two feet high without noticing it. the world seems one huge, white void, and the only difference between it and the pitch-dark night is that the one is white and the other black. light snow commenced at . p.m., the wind rising to forty-five miles per hour with heavy drift. thirteen miles out we pitched camp. this, the first "snow-blind day" claimed mclean for its victim. by the time we were under cover of the tent, his eyes were very sore, aching with a throbbing pain. at his request i placed a zinc-cocaine tablet in each eye. he spent the rest of the day in the darkness of his sleeping-bag and had his eyes bandaged all next day. up till then we had not worn goggles, but were careful afterwards to use them on the trying, overcast days. for four and a half days the weather was too bad to travel. on the th the wind increased and became steady at sixty miles per hour, accompanied by dense drifting snow. we found it very monotonous lying in the tent. as always happens during heavy drifts, the temperature outside was high, on this day averaging about degrees f.; inside the tent it was above freezing-point, and the accompanying thaw was most unpleasant. stillwell's party had pitched their tent about ten paces to the leeward side of ours, of which stratagem they continually reminded us. going outside for food to supply our two small meals per day was an operation fraught with much discomfort to all. this is what used to happen. the man on whom the duty fell had to insinuate himself into a bundle of wet burberrys, and, as soon as he was outside, they froze stiff. when, after a while, he signified his intention of coming in, the other two would collect everything to one end of the tent and roll up the floor-cloth. plastered with snow, he entered, and, despite every precaution, in removing burberrys and brushing himself he would scatter snow about and increase the general wetness. on these excursions we would visit stillwell's tent and be hospitably, if somewhat gingerly, admitted; the inmates drawing back and pulling away their sleeping-bags as from one with a fell disease. as a supporting party they were good company, among other things, supplying us with tobacco ad libitum. when we parted, five days after, we missed them very much. during the night the wind blew harder than ever--that terrible wind, laden with snow, that blows for ever across the vast, mysterious plateau, the "wind that shrills all night in a waste land, where no one comes or hath come since the making of the world." in the early hours of the morning it reached eighty miles per hour. not till next morning did the sky clear and the drift diminish. considering that it had taken us eight days to do thirteen miles, we decided to move on the th at any cost. our library consisted of 'an anthology of australian verse', thackeray's 'vanity fair' and 'hints to travellers' in two volumes. mclean spent much of the time reading the anthology and i started 'vanity fair'. the latter beguiled many weary hours in that tent during the journey. i read a good deal aloud and mclean read it afterwards. correll used to pass the days of confinement arranging rations and costs for cycling tours and designing wonderful stoves and cooking utensils, all on the sledging, "cut down weight" principle. on the th we were off at a.m. with a blue sky above and a "beam" wind of thirty-five miles per hour. up a gentle slope over small sastrugi the going was heavy. we went back to help stillwell's party occasionally, as we were moving a little faster. just after lunch i saw a small black spot on the horizon to the south. was it a man? how could dr. mawson have got there? we stopped and saw that stillwell had noticed it too. field-glasses showed it to be a man approaching, about one and a half miles away. we left our sledges in a body to meet him, imagining all kinds of wonderful things such as the possibility of it being a member of wild's party--we did not know where wild had been landed. all the theories vanished when the figure assumed the well-known form of dr. mawson. he had made a little more south than we, and his sledges were just out of sight, about two miles away. soon mertz and ninnis came into view with a dog-team, which was harnessed on to one sledge. all hands pulled the other sledge, and we came up fifteen minutes later with dr. mawson's camp at eighteen and a quarter miles. in the good australian way we sat round a large pot of tea and after several cups put up our two tents. it was a happy evening with the three tents grouped together and the dogs securely picketed on the great plateau, forming the only spot on the limitless plain. every one was excited at the prospect of the weeks ahead; the mystery and charm of the "unknown" had taken a strange hold on us. ninnis and mertz came into our tent for a short talk before turning in. mertz sang the old german student song: studio auf einer reis' immer sich zu helfen weis immer fort durch's dick und dunn schlendert es durch's leben hin. we were nearly all university graduates. we knew that this would be our last evening together till all were safely back at the hut. no thought was farther from our minds than that it was the last evening we would ever spend with two companions, who had been our dear comrades for just a year. before turning into sleeping-bags, a messenger brought me dispatches from the general's tent--a letter on the plateau. this proved to be the instructions to the eastern coastal party. arriving back at the hut by january , we were to ascertain as much as possible of the coast lying east of the mertz glacier, investigating its broad features and carrying out the following scientific work: magnetic, biological and geological observations, the character, especially the nature and size of the grains of ice or snow surfaces, details of sastrugi, topographical features, heights and distances, and meteorology. on sunday, november , we moved on together to the east with the wind at fifteen miles an hour, the temperature being degrees f. the sun shone strongly soon after the start, and with four miles to our credit a tent was run up at p.m., and all lunched together on tea, biscuit, butter and chocolate. up to this time we had had only three al fresco lunches, but, as the weather seemed to be much milder and the benefit of tea and a rest by the way were so great, we decided to use the tent in future, and did so throughout the journey. in the afternoon, dr. mawson's party forged ahead, the dogs romping along on a downhill grade. we took the bit in our teeth as we saw them sitting on their sledges, growing smaller and smaller in front of us. we came up with them again as they had waited to exchange a few more words at a point on the track where a long extent of coast to the east came into view. here we bade a final adieu to dr. mawson, mertz and ninnis. the surface was on the down grade towards the east, and with a cheer and farewell wave they started off, mertz walking rapidly ahead, followed by ninnis and dr. mawson with their sledges and teams. they were soon lost to view behind the rolling undulations. a mile farther on we pitched camp at p.m. in a slight depression just out of sight of the sea. every one slept soundly after a good day's pulling. november was a bright dazzling day, the sky dotted with fleecy alto-cumulus. at a.m. we were out to find stillwell's party moving in their tent. there was a rush for shovels to fill the cookers with snow and a race to boil hoosh. at this camp we tallied up the provisions, with the intention of taking what we might require from stillwell and proceeding independently of him, as he was likely to leave us any day. there were fifty-nine days to go until january , , the latest date of arrival back at the hut, for which eight weeks' rations were considered to be sufficient. there were seven weeks' food on the sledge, so stillwell handed over another fifty-pound bag as well as an odd five pounds of wholemeal biscuit. the total amount of kerosene was five gallons, with a bottle of methylated spirit. shortly after eight o'clock we caught sight of dr. mawson's camp, and set sail to make up the interval. this we did literally as there was a light westerly breeze--the only west wind we encountered during the whole journey. the sledge was provided with a bamboo mast, seven feet high, stepped behind the cooker-box and stayed fore and aft with wire. the yard was a bamboo of six feet, slung from the top of the mast, its height being varied by altering the length of the slings. the bamboo was threaded through canvas leads in the floor-cloth which provided a spread of thirty square feet of sail. it was often such an ample area that it had to be reefed from below. with the grade sloping gently down and the wind freshening, the pace became so hot that the sledge often overran us. a spurious "epic of the east" (see 'adelie blizzard') records it: crowd on the sail- let her speed full and free "on the run" over knife-edge and glaze, marble polish and pulverized chalk the finnesko glide in the race, and there's no time for talk. up hill, down dale, it's all in the game and the fun. we rapidly neared dr. mawson's camp, but when we were within a few miles of it, the other party started in a south-easterly direction and were soon lost to sight. our course was due east. at thirty-three and a half miles the sea was in sight, some fine flat-topped bergs floating in the nearest bay. suddenly a dark, rocky nunatak sprang into view on our left. it was a sudden contrast after ten days of unchanging whiteness, and we felt very anxious to visit this new find. as it was in stillwell's limited territory we left it to him. according to the rhymester it was: a rock by the way- a spot in the circle of white- a grey, craggy spur plunging stark through the deep-splintered ice. a trifle! you say, but a glow of warm land may suffice to brighten a day prolonged to a midsummer night. after leaving aladdin's cave, our sledge-meter had worked quite satisfactorily. just before noon, the casting attaching the recording-dial to the forks broke--the first of a series of break-downs. correll bound it up with copper wire and splints borrowed from the medical outfit. the wind died away and the sail was of little use. in addition to this, we met with a slight up grade on the eastern side of the depression, our rate diminishing accordingly. at p.m. the tent was pitched in dead calm, after a day's run of fifteen miles with a full load of almost eight hundred pounds--a record which remained unbroken with us till near the end of the outward journey. looking back, the nunatak and bergs were still visible. both parties were under way at a.m. next day (november ) on a calm and sunny morning. the course by sun-compass was set due east. at noon i took a latitude "shot" with the three-inch cary theodolite. this little instrument proved very satisfactory and was easily handled in the cold. in latitude degrees ' south, forty-six and a half miles east of the hut, we were once more on level country with a high rise to the north-east and another shallow gully in front. a fog which had been moving along the sea-front in an opaque wall drifted over the land and enveloped us. beautiful crystals of ice in the form of rosettes and small fern-fronds were deposited on the cordage of the sail and mast. one moment the mists would clear, and the next, we could not see more than a few hundred yards. we now parted with stillwell, hodgeman and close, who turned off to a rising knoll--mount hunt--visible in the north-east, and disappeared in the fog. after the halt at noon the sastrugi became much larger and softer. the fog cleared at p.m. and the sun came out and shone very fiercely. a very inquisitive skua gull--the first sign of life we had seen thus far--flew around the tent and settled on the snow near by. in the calm, the heat was excessive and great thirst attacked us all the afternoon, which i attempted to assuage at every halt by holding snow in my hands and licking the drops of water off my knucklesÂ�--a cold and unsatisfactory expedient. we travelled without burberrys--at that time quite a novel sensation--wearing only fleece suits and light woollen undergarments. correll pulled for the greater part of the afternoon in underclothing alone. at forty-nine and a half miles a new and wonderful panorama opened before us. the sea lay just below, sweeping as a narrow gulf into the great, flat plain of debouching glacier-tongue which ebbed away north into the foggy horizon. a small ice-capped island was set like a pearl in the amethyst water. to the east, the glacier seemed to fuse with the blue line of the hinterland. southward, the snowy slope rose quickly, and the far distance was unseen. we marched for three-quarters of a mile to where a steep down grade commenced. here i made a sketch and took a round of angles to all prominent features, and the conspicuous, jutting, seaward points of the glacier. mclean and correll were busy making a snow cairn, six feet high, to serve as a back-sight for angles to be taken at a higher eminence southward. we set out for the latter, and after going one and a half miles it was late enough to camp. during the day we had all got very sunburnt, and our faces were flushed and smarting painfully. after the long winter at the hut the skin had become more delicate than usual. under a clear sky, the wind came down during the night at forty-five miles per hour, lashing surface drift against the walls of the tent. it was not till ten o'clock that the sledge started, breaking a heavy trail in snow which became more and more like brittle piecrust. there was at first a slight descent, and then we strained up the eminence to the south over high sastrugi running almost north and south. capsizes became frequent, and to extricate the heavy sledge from some of the deep furrows it was necessary to unload the food-bags. the drift running over the ground was troublesome when we sat down for a rest, but, in marching, our heads were just clear of it. it was a long laborious day, and the four miles indicated by the inexorable sledge-meter seemed a miserable result. however, near the top of the hill there was a rich reward. a small nunatak slanted like a steel-blue shadow on the side of a white peak to the south-west. there was great excitement, and the sledge slid along its tracks with new life. it was rock without a doubt, and there was no one to dispute it with us. while speculating wildly as to its distance, we came unexpectedly to the summit of the hill. the wind had subsided, the sky was clear and the sun stood low in the south-west. our view had widened to a noble outlook. the sea, a delicate turquoise-blue, lay in the foreground of the low, white, northern ice-cliffs. away to the east was the dim suggestion of land across the bed of the glacier, about which circled the southerly highlands of the plateau, buried at times in the haze of distance. due south, twenty miles away, projecting from the glacier, was another island of rock. the nunatak first seen, not many miles to the south-west, was a snowy mountain streaked with sprouting rock, rising solitary in an indentation of the land. we honoured our ship by calling it aurora peak, while our camp stood on what was thenceforth to be mount murchison. it was obvious that this was the place for our first depot. i had decided, too, to make it the first magnetic station and the point from which to visit and explore aurora peak. none of us made any demur over a short halt. correll had strained his back during the day from pulling too hard, and was troubled with a bleeding nose. my face was very sore from sunburn, with one eye swollen and almost closed, and mclean's eyes had not yet recovered from their first attack of snow-blindness. november was a day in camp. most of the morning i spent trying, with correll's help, to get the declination needle to set. its pivot had been destroyed in transit and correll had replaced it by a gramophone needle, which was found too insensitive. there was nothing to do but use the three-inch theodolite, which, setting to one degree, would give a good result, with a mean of thirty-two settings, for a region with such variable magnetic declination. a latitude "shot" was made at noon, and in the afternoon i took a set of dip determinations. these, with a panoramic sketch from the camp, a round of angles to conspicuous points and an observation at . p.m. for time and azimuth completed the day's work. correll did the recording. meanwhile, mclean had built an eight-feet snow mound, erected a depot flag upon it and taken several photographs. the next day was devoted to an excursion to aurora peak. the weather was, to our surprise, quite clear and calm. armed with the paraphernalia for a day's tour, we set off down the slope. correll put the primus stove and the inner pot of the cooker in the ready food-bag, mclean slung on his camera and the aneroid barometer, while i took my ruck-sack with the rations, as well as field-glasses and an ice-axe. in case of crevasses, we attached ourselves to an alpine rope in long procession. according to the "epic" it was something like this: we saddled up, adventure-bent; locked up the house--i mean the tent- took "grub" enough for three young men with appetite to equal ten. a day's outing across the vale. aurora peak! what ho! all hail! we waltzed a'down the silvered slope, connected by an alpine rope; "madi" in front with ice-axe armed, for fear that we should feel alarmed. glad was the hour, and--what a lark! explorers three? "save the mark!" the mystery of the nunatak was about to be solved. apparently it rose from the level of the glacier, as our descent showed its eastern flank more clearly outlined. it was three miles to the bottom of the gully, and the aneroid barometer registered one thousand one hundred and ninety feet. the surface was soft and yielding to finnesko crampons, which sank through in places till the snow gripped the knees. ascending on the other side we crossed a small crevasse and the peak towered above us. the northern side terminated in a perpendicular face of ice, below which a deep basin had been "scalloped" away; evidently kept clear by eddies of wind. in it lay broken fragments of the overhanging cliff. the rock was a wide, outcropping band curving steeply to the summit on the eastern aspect. after a stiff climb we hurried eagerly to the rock as if it were a mine of inexhaustible treasure. the boulders were all weathered a bright red and were much pitted where ferruginous minerals were leached out. the rock was a highly quartzose gneiss, with black bands of schist running through it. moss and lichens were plentiful, and mclean collected specimens. the rocky strip was eighty feet wide and three hundred feet high, so, making a cache of the primus, provisions and burberrys, we followed it up till it became so steep that it was necessary to change to the snow. this was in the form of hard neve with patches of ice. i went first, cutting steps with the ice-axe, and the others followed on the rope. the last ten of more than one hundred steps were in an almost vertical face, which gave a somewhat precarious foothold. at . a.m. we stood on the summit at an altitude of one thousand seven hundred and fifty feet, while across the valley to the north-east rose mount murchison, one hundred and fourteen feet higher. the top of the ridge was quite a knife-edge, with barely space for standing. it ran mainly north and south, dipping in the centre, to curve away sharply westward to a higher eminence. at the bend was an inaccessible patch of rock. the surrounding view was much the same at that on mount murchison. the union jack and the australian flag were erected on a bamboo, and photographs taken. at the same time, low, threatening clouds rapidly emerged from the southeast, covering the sun and creating the "snow-blind" light. this was rather alarming as the climb had been difficult enough under a clear sky, and the descent was certainly much more difficult. so we hastily ate some chocolate and discussed the best way down. prospecting to the north, in search of a long snow ramp which appeared to run away in that direction, we scrambled down to the edge of a wide snowy crevasse full of blue chinks. turning back, we considered the chances of sliding down a steep scoured hollow to the west and finally decided to descend by the track we had cut. mclean started off first down the steps and was out of sight in a few moments. when the rope tightened, correll followed him and then i came last. it was very ticklish work feeling for the steps below with one's feet, and, as we signalled to one another in turn after moving a step, it took more than an hour to reach a safe position on the rocks. with every step i drove my axe into the ice, so that if the others had fallen there would still have been a last chance. there was no time to be wasted; light snow was falling with the prospect of becoming thicker. in the gully the snowfall became heavy, limiting the view to within a few hundred yards. we advanced up the hill in what seemed to be the steepest direction, but circled half-way round it before finding out that the course was wrong. aimlessly trying to place the broad flat summit i came across tracks in the snow, which were then carefully followed and led to the tent. the wind was rising outside and the hoosh in steaming mugs was eaten with extra relish in our snug retreat. specimens were labelled to be deposed and provisions were arranged for the rest of the journey. it was evident that we had superfluous clothing, and so the weight of the kit-bags was scrupulously cut down. by the time we crawled into sleeping-bags, everything dispensable was piled alongside the depot-flag. we slept the sleep of the weary and did not hear the flapping tent nor the hissing drift. at a.m. the wind was doing forty miles per hour and the air was filled with snow. it must have been a new climate, for by noon the sun had unexpectedly broken through, the wind was becoming gusty and the drift trailed like scud over the surface. with six weeks' food we set off on a new trail after lunch. the way to the eastern glacier--mertz glacier--issued through the mouth of the gully, which ran in an easterly direction between aurora peak and mount murchison. on mount murchison ice-falls and crevasses began a short distance east of our first line of descent, but yet i thought a slight deviation to the east of south would bring us safely into the valley, and, at the same time, cut off a mile. alas! it proved to be one of those "best-laid schemes." the load commenced to glide so quickly as we were leaving the crest of the mountain that correll and mclean unhitched from the hauling line and attached themselves by the alpine rope to the rear of the sledge, braking its progress. i remained harnessed in front keeping the direction. for two miles we were going downhill at a running pace and then the slope became suddenly steeper and the sledge overtook me. i had expected crevasses, in view of which i did not like all the loose rope behind me. looking round, i shouted to the others to hold back the sledge, proceeding a few steps while doing so. the bow of the sledge was almost at my feet, when--whizz! i was dropping down through space. the length of the hauling rope was twenty-four feet, and i was at the end of it. i cannot say that "my past life flashed before me." i just had time to think "now for the jerk--will my harness hold?" when there was a wrench, and i was hanging breathless over the blue depth. then the most anxious moment came--i continued to descend. a glance showed me that the crevasse was only four feet wide, so the sledge could not follow me, and i knew with a thankful heart that i was safe. i only descended about two feet more, and then stopped. i knew my companions had pulled up the sledge and would be anchoring it with the ice-axe. i had a few moments in which to take in my surroundings. opposite to me was a vertical wall of ice, and below a beautiful blue, darkening to black in that unseen chasm. on either hand the rift of the crevasse extended, and above was the small hole in the snow bridge through which i had shot. soon i heard mclean calling, "are you all right?" and i answered in what he and correll thought an alarmingly distant voice. they started enlarging the hole to pull me out, until lumps of snow began to fall and i had to yell for mercy. then i felt they were hauling, and slowly i rose to daylight. the crevasse ran westward along the gully, forcing us to make a detour through a maze of smaller cracks. we had to retreat up the hill in one place, throwing off half the load and carrying it on in relays. there was a blistering sun and the work was hard. at last the sledge came to a clear run and tobogganed into the snow-filled valley, turning eastward towards its outlet. at the evening camp the sledge-meter indicated that our distance eastward of the hut was sixty miles, one thousand two hundred yards. the northern face of the gully was very broken and great sentinel pillars of ice stood out among the yawning caves, some of them leaning like the tower of pisa, others having fallen and rolled in shattered blocks. filling the vision to the south-west was aurora peak, in crisp silhouette against a glorious radiant of cirrus cloud. reviewing the day through our peaceful smoke-rings, i was rather comforted by the fact that the fall into the crevasse had thoroughly tested my harness. correll expressed himself as perfectly satisfied with his test. mclean seemed to feel somewhat out of it, being the only one without a crevasse experience; which happy state he maintained until the end, apparently somewhat to his disappointment. on the th we broke camp at a.m., continuing down the gully towards the glacier. a lofty wall of rocks, set within a frame of ice, was observed on our left, one mile away. to it we diverged and found it to be gneiss similar to that of aurora peak. several photos were taken. the land was at our back and the margin of the glacier had been crossed. only too soon we were in the midst of terribly crevassed ground, through which one could only thread a slow and zig-zag course. the blue ice was riven in every direction by gaping quarries and rose smooth and slippery on the ridges which broke the surface into long waves. shod with crampons, the rear of the sledge secured by a tail-rope, we had a trying afternoon guiding the load along the narrow ridges of ice with precipices on either hand. fortunately the wind was not above twenty miles per hour. as the frivolous "epic" had it: odds fish! the solid sea is sorely rent, and all around we're pent with quarries, chasms, pits, depressions vast, their snow-lids overcast. a devious track, all curved and serpentine round snow-lids superfine. on jutting brinks and precipices sheer precariously we steer. we pushed on to find a place in which to camp, as there was scarcely safe standing-room for a primus stove. at seventy miles the broken ice gave way to a level expanse of hard sastrugi dotted all over with small mounds of ice about four feet high. after hoosh, a friendly little wilson petrel came flying from the northern sea to our tent. we considered it to be a good omen. next day the icy mounds disappeared, to be replaced by a fine, flat surface, and the day's march amounted to eleven and a quarter miles. at a.m. four snow petrels visited us, circling round in great curiosity. it is a cheerful thing to see these birds amid the lone, inhospitable ice. we were taking in the surroundings from our position off the land scanning the far coast to the south for rock and turning round to admire the bold contours of aurora peak and mount murchison at our back. occasionally there were areas of rubbly snow, blue ice and crevasses completely filled with snow, of prodigious dimensions, two hundred to three hundred yards wide and running as far as the eye could travel. the snow filling them was perfectly firm, but, almost always along the windward edge, probing with an ice-axe would disclose a fissure. this part of the mertz glacier was apparently afloat. the lucky wilson petrel came again in the evening. at this stage the daily temperatures ranged between degrees f. and near freezing-point. the greater part of november was passed in the tent, within another zone of crevasses. the overcast sky made the light so bad that it became dangerous to go ahead. at . p.m. we started, and managed to do five and a half miles before p.m. it was rather an eventful day, when across the undulating sastrugi there appeared a series of shallow valleys running eastward. as the valleys approached closer, the ground sloped down to meet them, their sides becoming steeper, buckled and broken. proceeding ahead on an easterly course, our march came to an abrupt termination on an ice-bluff. in front lay a perfectly flat snow-covered plain--the sea-ice. in point of fact we had arrived at the eastern side of the mertz glacier and were about fifteen miles north of the mainland. old sea-ice, deeply covered in snow, lay ahead for miles, and the hazy, blue coast sank below the horizon in the south-east, running for a time parallel to the course we were about to take. it was some time before we realized all this, but at noon on the following day there came the first reminder of the proximity of sea-water. an adelie penguin, skiing on its breast from the north, surprised us suddenly by a loud croak at the rear of the sledge. as astonished as we were, it stopped and stared, and then in sudden terror made off. but before starting on its long trek to the land, it had to be captured and photographed. to the south the coast was marked by two faces of rock and a short, dark spur protruding from beneath the ice-cap. as our friendly penguin had made off in that direction, we elected to call the place penguin point, intending to touch there on the return journey. during the afternoon magnetic dips and a round of angles to the prominences of the mainland were taken. the next evidence on the sea-ice question came in the shape of a line of broken slabs of ice to the north, sticking out of the snow like the ruins of an ancient graveyard. at one hundred and fifteen miles the line was so close that we left the sledge to investigate it, finding a depression ten feet deep, through which wound a glistening riband of sea-water. it reminded one of a creek in flat, australian country, and the illusion was sustained by a dark skua gull--in its slow flight much like a crow. it was a fissure in old thick sea-ice. sunday, and the first day of december, brought good weather and a clear view of the mainland. a bay opened to the east of penguin point, from which the coast trended to the south-east. across a crack in the sea-ice we could just distinguish a low indented line like the glacier-tongue, we had already crossed. it might have been a long promontory of land for all we knew. behind it was a continuous ice-blink and on our left, to the north, a deep blue "water sky." it seemed worth while continuing on an easterly course approximately parallel with the coast. we were faced by another glacier-tongue; a fact which remained unproven for a week at least. from the sea-ice on to the glacier--the ninnis glacier--there was a gentle rise to a prominent knoll of one hundred and seventy feet. here our distance from the hut amounted to one hundred and fifty-two miles, and the spot was reckoned a good situation for the last depot. in taking magnetic observations, it was interesting to find that the "dip" amounted to degrees ', while the declination, which had varied towards the west, swung at this our most northerly station a few degrees to the east. we were curving round the south magnetic pole. many points on the coast were fixed from an adjoining hill to which correll and i trudged through sandy snow, while mclean stayed behind erecting the depot-mound, placing a food-bag, kerosene tin, black cloth and miner's pick on the top. with four weeks' provisions we made a new start to cross the ninnis glacier on december , changing course to e. degrees n., in great wonderment as to what lay ahead. in this new land interest never flagged. one never could foresee what the morrow would bring forth. across rolling "downs" of soft, billowy snow we floundered for twenty-four miles, on the two following days. not a wind-ripple could be seen. we were evidently in a region of comparative calms, which was a remarkable thing, considering that the windiest spot in the world was less than two hundred miles away. after several sunny days mclean and i had very badly cracked lips. it had been often remarked at the hut that the standard of humour greatly depreciated during the winter and this caused mclean and me many a physical pang while sledging, as we would laugh at the least provocation and open all the cracks in our lips. eating hard plasmon biscuits was a painful pleasure. correll, who was immune from this affliction, tanned to the rich hue of the "nut-brown maiden." on december , at the top of a rise, we were suddenly confronted with a new vision--"thalassa!" was our cry, "the sea!" but a very different sea from that which brought such joy to the hearts of the wandering greeks. unfolded to the horizon was a plain of pack-ice, thickly studded with bergs and intersected by black leads of open water. in the north-east was a patch of open sea and above it, round to the north, lowering banks of steel-blue cloud. we had come to the eastern side of ninnis glacier. at this point any analogy which could possibly have been found with wilkes's coastline ceased. it seems probable that he charted as land the limits of the pack-ice in . the excitement of exploring this new realm was to be deferred. even as we raised the tent, the wind commenced to whistle and the air became surcharged with snow. three skua gulls squatted a few yards away, squawking at our approach, and a few snow petrels sailed by in the gathering blizzard. through the th, th and th and most of the th it raged, during which time we came definitely to the conclusion that as social entertainers we were complete failures. we exhausted all the reserve topics of conversation, discussed our universities, sports, friends and homes. we each described the scenery we liked best; notable always for the sunny weather and perfect calm. mclean sailed again in sydney harbour, correll cycled and ran his races, i wandered in the south australian hills or rowed in the "eights," while the snow swished round the tent and the wind roared over the wastes of ice. avoiding a few crevasses on the drop to sea-level on december , the sledge was manoeuvred over a tide-crack between glacier and sea-ice. the latter was traversed by frequent pressure-ridges; hummocks and broken pinnacles being numerous. the next six days out on the broken sea-ice were full of incident. the weather was gloriously sunny till the th, during which time the sledge had to be dragged through a forest of pinnacles and over areas of soft, sticky slush which made the runners execrable for hours. ponds of open water, by which basked a few weddell seals, became a familiar sight. we tried to maintain a south-easterly course for the coast, but miles were wasted in the tortuous maze of ice--"a wildering theban ruin of hummock and serrac." the sledge-meter broke down and gave the ingenious correll a proposition which he ably solved. mclean and i had a chronic weakness of the eyes from the continual glare. looking at the other two fellows with their long protruding goggles made me think of banquo's ghost: "thou hast no speculation in those eyes that thou dost glare with." i had noticed that some of the tide-cracks had opened widely and, when a blizzard blew on december , the thought was a skeleton in my brain cupboard. on the th an emperor penguin was seen sunning himself by a pool of water, so we decided to kill the bird and carry some meat in case of emergency. mclean found the stomach full of fish and myriads of cestodes in the intestines. by dint of hard toil over cracks, ridges and jagged, broken blocks, we came, by diverging to the south-west, to the junction between shifting pack and fast bay-ice, and even there, we afterwards shuddered to find, it was at least forty-five miles, as the penguin skis, to the land. it was a fine flat surface on which the sledge ran, and the miles commenced to fly by, comparatively speaking. except for an occasional deep rift, whose bottom plumbed to the sea-water, the going was excellent. each day the broken ice on our left receded, the mainland to the south grew closer and traces of rock became discernible on the low, fractured cliffs. on december a huge rocky bluff--horn bluff--stood out from the shore. it had a ram-shaped bow like a dreadnought battleship and, adjoining it, there were smaller outcrops of rock on the seaward ice-cliffs. on its eastern side was a wide bay with a well-defined cape--cape freshfield--at the eastern extremity about thirty miles away. the bluff was a place worth exploring. at a distance of more than fifteen miles, the spot suggested all kinds of possibilities, and in council we argued that it was useless to go much farther east, as to touch at the land would mean a detour on the homeward track and time would have to be allowed for that. at a point two hundred and seventy miles from the hut, in latitude degrees ' s., longitude degrees ' e., we erected our "farthest east" camp on december , after a day's tramp of eighteen miles. here, magnetic "dips" and other observations were made throughout the morning of the th. it was densely overcast, with sago snow falling, but by p.m. of the same day the clouds had magically cleared and the first stage of the homeward journey had commenced. chapter xvi horn bluff and penguin point by c. t. madigan what thrill of grandeur ours when first we viewed the column'd fell! what idle, lilting verse can tell of giant fluted towers, o'er-canopied with immemorial snow and riven by a glacier's azure flow? as we neared horn bluff, on the first stage of our homeward march, the upper layers of snow were observed to disappear, and the underlying ice became thinner; in corrugated sapphire plains with blue reaches of sparkling water. cracks bridged with flimsy snow continually let one through into the water. mclean and i both soaked our feet and once i was immersed to the thighs, having to stop and put on dry socks and finnesko. it was a chilly process allowing the trousers to dry on me. the mountain, pushing out as a great promontory from the coast amid the fast sea-ice, towered up higher as our sledge approached its foot. a great shadow was cast on the ice, and, when more than a mile away, we left the warm sunshine. awed and amazed, we beheld the lone vastness of it all and were mute. rising out of the flat wilderness over which we had travelled was a mammoth vertical barrier of rock rearing its head to the skies above. the whole face for five miles was one magnificent series of organ-pipes. the deep shade was heightened by the icy glare beyond it. here was indeed a cathedral of nature, where the "still, small voice" spoke amid an ineffable calm. far up the face of the cliff snow petrels fluttered like white butterflies. it was stirring to think that these majestic heights had gazed out across the wastes of snow and ice for countless ages, and never before had the voices of human beings echoed in the great stillness nor human eyes surveyed the wondrous scene. from the base of the organ-pipes sloped a mass of debris; broken blocks of rock of every size tumbling steeply to the splintered hummocks of the sea-ice. standing out from the top of this talus-slope were several white "beacons," up to which we scrambled when the tent was pitched. this was a tedious task as the stones were ready to slide down at the least touch, and often we were carried down several yards by a general movement. wearing soft finnesko, we ran the risk of getting a crushed foot among the large boulders. amongst the rubble were beds of clay, and streams of thaw-water trickled down to the surface of a frozen lake. after rising two hundred feet, we stood beneath the beacons which loomed above to a height of one hundred and twenty-eight feet. the organ-pipes were basaltic** in character but, to my great joy, i found the beacons were of sedimentary rock. after a casual examination, the details were left till the morrow. ** to be exact the igneous rook was a very thick sill of dolerite, that night we had a small celebration on raisins, chocolate and apple-rings, besides the ordinary fare of hoosh, biscuit and cocoa. several times we were awakened by the crash of falling stones. snow petrels had been seen coming home to their nests in the beacons, which were weathered out into small caves and crannies. from the camp we could hear their harsh cries. the scene in the morning sun was a brilliant one. the great columnar rampart ran almost north and south and the tent was on its eastern side. so what was in dark shadow on the day before was now radiantly illumined. correll remained behind on the sea-ice with a theodolite to take heights of the various strata. mclean and i, armed with aneroid, glasses, ruck-sack, geological hammer (ice-axe) and camera, set out for the foot of the talus-slope. the beacons were found to be part of a horizontal, stratified series of sandstones underlying the igneous rock. there were bands of coarse gravel and fine examples of stream-bedding interspersed with seams of carbonaceous shale and poor coal. among the debris were several pieces of sandstone marked by black, fossilized plant-remains. the summits of the beacons were platforms of very hard rock, baked by the volcanic overflow. the columns, roughly hexagonal and weathered to a dull-red, stood above in sheer perpendicular lines of six hundred and sixty feet in altitude. after taking a dozen photographs of geological and general interest and stuffing the sack and our pockets with specimens, we picked a track down the shelving talus to a lake of fresh water which was covered with a superficial crust of ice beneath which the water ran. the surface was easily broken and we fetched the aluminium cover of the cooker, filling it with three gallons of water, thus saving kerosene for almost a day. after mclean had collected samples of soil, lichens, algae and moss, and all the treasures had been labelled, we lunched and harnessed-up once more for the homeward trail. for four miles we ran parallel to the one-thousand-foot wall of horn bluff meeting several boulders stranded on the ice, as well as the fragile shell of a tiny sea-urchin. the promontory was domed with snow and ice, more than one thousand two hundred feet above sea-level. from it streamed a blue glacier overflowing through a rift in the face. five miles on our way, the sledge passed from frictionless ice to rippled snow and with a march of seven miles, following lunch, we pitched camp. every one was tired that night, and our prayer to the sleep merchant in the book of australian verse was for: twenty gallons of balmy sleep, dreamless, and deep, and mild, of the excellent brand you used to keep when i was a little child. for three days, december , and , the wind soughed at thirty miles per hour and the sky was a compact nimbus, unveiling the sun at rare moments. through a mist of snow we steered on a north-west course towards the one-hundred-and-fifty-two mile depot. the wind was from the south-east true, and this information, with hints from the sun-compass, gave us the direction. with the sail set, on a flat surface, among ghostly bergs and over narrow leads we ran for forty-seven miles with scarce a clear view of what lay around. the bergs had long ramps of snow leading close up to their summits on the windward side and in many cases the intervals between these ramps and the bergs were occupied by deep moats. one day we were making four knots an hour under all canvas through thick drift. suddenly, after a gradual ascent, i was on the edge of a moat, thirty feet deep. i shouted to the others and, just in time, the sledge was slewed round on the very brink. we pushed on blindly: the toil of it none may share; by yourself must the way be won through fervid or frozen air till the overland journey's done. christmas day! the day that ever reminds one of the sweet story of old, the lessons of childhood, the joys of santa claus--the day on which the thoughts of the wildest wanderer turn to home and peace and love. all the world was cheerful; the sun was bright, the air was calm. it was the hometrail, provisions were in plenty, the sledge was light and our hearts lighter. the eastern edge of ninnis glacier was near, and, leaving the sea-ice, we were soon straining up the first slope, backed by a line of ridges trending north-east and south-west, with shallow valleys intervening. on the wind-swept crests there were a few crevasses well packed with snow. it was a day's work of twelve miles and we felt ready for christmas dinner. mclean was cook and had put some apple-rings to soak in the cooker after the boil-up at lunch. beyond this and the fact that he took some penguin-meat into the tent, he kept his plans in the deepest mystery. correll and i were kept outside making things snug and taking the meteorological observations, until the word came to enter. when at last we scrambled in, a delicious smell diffused through the tent, and there was a sound of frying inside the cooker-pot. we were presented with a menu which read: "peace on earth, good will to men." xmas king george v. land miles east of winter quarters. menu du diner hors d'oeuvre biscuit de plasmon ration du lard glace entree monsieur l'empereur pingouin fricasse piece de resistance pemmican naturel a l'antarctique dessert hotch-potch de pommes et de raisins chocolat au sucre glaxone liqueur bien ancienne de l'ecosse cigarettes tabac the hors d'oeuvre of bacon ration was a welcome surprise. mclean had carried the tin unknown to us up till this moment. the penguin, fried in lumps of fat taken from the pemmican, and a little butter, was delicious. in the same pot the hoosh was boiled and for once we noted an added piquancy. next followed the plum-pudding--dense mixture of powdered biscuit, glaxo, sugar, raisins and apple-rings, surpassing the finest, flaming, holly-decked, christmas creation. then came the toasts. mclean produced the whisky from the medical kit and served it out, much diluted, in three mugs. there was not three ounces in all, but it flavoured the water. i was asked to call "the king." mclean proposed "the other sledgers" in a noble speech, wishing them every success; and then there were a few drops left to drink to "ourselves," whom correll eulogized to our complete satisfaction. we then drew on the meagre supply of cigarettes and lay on our bags, feeling as comfortable as the daintiest epicure after a twelve-course dinner, drinking his coffee and smoking his cigar. we talked till twelve o'clock, and then went outside to look at the midnight sun, shining brightly just above the southern horizon. turning in, we were once more at home in our dreams. by a latitude shot at noon on boxing day, i found that our position was not as far north as expected. the following wind had been probably slightly east of south-east and too much westing had been made. from a tangle of broken ridges whose surface was often granular, half-consolidated ice, the end of the day opened up a lilac plain of sea-ice ahead. we were once more on the western side of ninnis glacier and the familiar coast of penguin point, partly hidden by an iceberg, sprang into view. the depot hill to the north-west could be recognized, twenty miles away, across a wide bay. by hooch-time we had found a secure path to the sea-ice, one hundred and eighty feet below. the wind sprang up opportunely on the morning of the th, and the sun was serene in a blue sky. up went the sail and with a feather-weight load we strode off for the depot eighteen miles distant. three wide rifts in the sea-ice exercised our ingenuity during the day's march, but by the time the sun was in the south-west the sledge was sawing through the sandy snow of the depot hill. it was unfortunate that the food of this depot had been cached so far out of our westerly course, as the time expended in recovering it might have been profitably given to a survey of the mainland east of penguin point. at . p.m., after eighteen and a quarter miles, the food-bag was sighted on the mound, and that night the dinner at our one-hundred-and-fifty-two-mile depot was marked by some special innovations. penguin point, thirty miles away, bore w. degrees s., and next day we made a bid for it by a march of sixteen miles. there was eleven days' ration on the sledge to take us to mount murchison, ninety miles away; consequently the circuitous route to the land was held to be a safe "proposition." many rock faces became visible, and i was able to fix numerous prominent points with the theodolite. at three miles off the coast, the surface became broken by ridges, small bergs and high, narrow cupolas of ice surrounded by deep moats. one of these was very striking. it rose out of a wind-raked hollow to a height of fifty feet; just the shape of an ancient athenian helmet. mclean took a photograph. as at horn bluff, the ice became thinner and freer of snow as we drew near the point. the rocky wall under which the tent was raised proved to be three hundred feet high, jutting out from beneath the slopes of ice. from here the coast ran almost south on one side and north-west on the other. on either hand there were dark faces corniced with snow. the next day was devoted to exploration. adelie penguins waddled about the tide-crack over which we crossed to examine the rock, which was of coarse-grained granite, presenting great, vertical faces. hundreds of snow petrels flew about and some stray skua gulls were seen. near the camp, on thick ice, were several large blocks of granite which had floated out from the shore and lay each in its pool of thaw-water, covered with serpulae and lace coral. correll, our izaak walton, had brought a fishing-line and some penguin-meat. he stopped near the camp fishing while mclean and i continued down the coast, examining the outcrops. the type of granite remained unchanged in the numerous exposures. i had noticed a continuous rustling sound for some time and found at length that it was caused by little streams of ice-crystals running down the steep slopes in cascades, finally pouring out in piles on the sea-ice. the partial thaw in the sunlight causes the semi-solid ice to break up into separate grains. sometimes whole areas of the surface, in delicate equilibrium, would suddenly flow rapidly away. for three miles we walked, and as the next four miles of visible coast presented no extensive outcrops, we turned back for lunch. during the afternoon, on the summit of the point, it was found that an uneven rocky area, about a quarter of a mile wide, ran backwards to the ice-falls of the plateau. the surface was very broken and weathered, covered in patches by abundant lichens and mosses. fossicking round in the gravel, correll happened on some tiny insect-like mites living amongst the moss or on the moist under side of slabs of stone. this set us all insect-hunting. alcohol was brought in a small bottle from the tent, and into this they were swept in myriads with a camel's-hair brush. from the vantage-point of a high rock in the neighbourhood the long tongue of mertz glacier could be seen running away to the north. at . a.m., on new year's eve, we set off for another line of rocks about four miles away to the west. there were two masses forming an angle in the ice-front and consisting of two main ridges rising to a height of two hundred and fifty feet, running back into the ice-cap for a mile, and divided by a small glacier. this region was soon found to be a perfect menagerie of life. seals lay about dozing peacefully by the narrow lanes of water. adelie penguins strutted in procession up and down the little glacier. to reach his rookery, a penguin would leap four feet on to a ledge of the ice-foot, painfully pad up the glassy slope and then awkwardly scale the rocks until he came to a level of one hundred and fifty feet. here he took over the care of a chick or an egg, while the other bird went to fish. skua gulls flew about, continually molesting the rookeries. one area of the rocks was covered by a luxuriant growth of green moss covering guano and littered skeletons--the site of a deserted rookery. correll and i went up to where the ridges converged, selecting numerous specimens of rock and mineral and finding thousands of small red mites in the moist gravel. down on the southern ridge we happened on a wilson petrel with feathered nestlings. at this point mclean came along from the west with the news of silver-grey petrels and cape pigeons nesting in hundreds. he had secured two of each species and several eggs. this was indeed a discovery, as the eggs of the former birds had never before been found. quite close to us were many snow petrels in all kinds of unexpected crevices. the light was too dull for photographing, but, while i took magnetic "dips" on the following morning, mclean visited the silver-grey petrels and cape pigeons and secured a few "snaps." the last thing we did before leaving the mainland was to kill two penguins and cut off their breasts and this meat was, later, to serve us in good stead. crossing the mertz glacier at any time would have been an unpleasant undertaking, but to go straight to mount murchison (the site of our first depot on the outward journey) from penguin point meant spanning it in a long oblique line. it was preferable to travel quickly and safely over the sea-ice on a north-westerly course, which, plotted on the chart, intersected our old one-hundred-mile camp on the eastern margin of the glacier; then to cross by the route we already knew. by january we had thrown penguin point five miles behind, and a spell of unsettled weather commenced; in front lay a stretch of fourteen miles over a good surface. the wind was behind us, blowing between thirty and forty miles per hour, and from an overcast sky light snow was falling. fortunately there were fleeting glimpses of the sun, by which the course could be adjusted. towards evening the snow had thickened, but thanks to the splendid assistance afforded by a sail, the white jutting spurs of the edge of mertz glacier were dimly visible. a blizzard took possession of the next day till p.m., when we all sallied out and found the identical gully in which was the one-hundred-mile camp of the outward journey. the light was still bad and the sky overcast, so the start was postponed till next morning. there was food for five days on a slightly reduced ration and the depot on mount murchison was forty miles away. once we had left the sea-ice and stood on the glacier, aurora peak with its black crest showed through the glasses. once there, the crevasses we most dreaded would be over and the depot easily found. a good fourteen and a quarter miles slipped by on january --a fine day. on january the "plot began to thicken." the clouds hung above like a blanket, sprinkling light snow. the light was atrocious, and a few open rents gave warning of the western zone of pitfalls. all the while there was a shifting spectral chaos of whiteness which seemed to benumb the faculties and destroy one's sense of reality. we decided to wait for a change in the weather. during the night the snow ceased, and by lunch time on the th the sledge-meter recorded ten miles. the strange thing was that the firm sastrugi present on the outward journey were now covered inches in snow, which became deeper as we marched westward. it was now a frequent occurrence for one of us to pitch forward with his feet down a hidden crevasse, sometimes going through to the waist. the travelling was most nerve-racking. when a foot went through the crust of snow, it was impossible to tell on which side of the crevasse one happened to be, or in what direction it ran. the only thing to do was to go ahead and trust in providence. at last we landed the sledge on a narrow ridge of hard snow, surrounded by blue, gaping pits in a pallid eternity of white. it was only when the tent was pitched that a wide quarry was noticed a few yards away from the door. it was now fourteen miles to the top of mount murchison and we had only two more days' rations and one and a half pounds of penguin-meat. on january th the light was worse than ever and snow fell. it was only six miles across the broken country between us and the gully between mt. murchison and aurora peak, where one could travel with some surety. a sharp look-out was kept, and towards p.m. a rim of clear sky overtopped the southern horizon. we knew the sun would curve round into it at midnight, so all was made ready for marching. when the sun's disc emerged into the rift there was light; but dim, cold and fleeting. the smallest irregularity on the surface threw a shadow hundreds of yards long. the plain around was a bluish-grey checquer-board of light and shade; ahead, sharp and clear against the leaden sky, stood beautiful aurora peak, swathed in lustrous gold--the chariot of the goddess herself. the awful splendour of the scene tended to depress one and make the task more trying. i have never felt more nervous than i did in that ghostly light in the tense silence, surrounded by the hidden horror of fathomless depths. all was covered with a uniform layer of snow, growing deeper and heavier at every step. i was ahead and went through eight times in about four miles. the danger lay in getting the sledge and one, two, or all of us on a weak snow-bridge at the same time. as long as the sledge did not go down we were comparatively safe. at . a.m. the sun was obscured and the light waned to dead white. still we went on, as the entrance of the gully between aurora peak and mount murchison was near at hand and we had a mind to get over the danger-zone before a snowstorm commenced. by . a.m. we breathed freely on "terra firma," even though one sunk through a foot of snow to feel it. it had taken six hours to do the last five and three-quarter miles, and, being tired out with the strain on muscles and nerves, we raised the tent, had a meal, and then slept till noon on the th. it was eight miles to the depot, five miles up the gully and three miles to the summit of mount murchison; and no one doubted for a moment that it could not be done in a single day's march. advancing up the gully after lunch, we found that the surface became softer, and we were soon sinking to the knees at every step. the runners, too, sank till the decking rested on the snow, and it was as much as we could do to shift the sledge, with a series of jerks at every step. at p.m. matters became desperate. we resolved to make a depot of everything unnecessary, and to relay it up the mountain afterwards. the sledge-meter, clogged with snow and almost submerged, was taken off and stood up on end to mark a depot, whilst a pile was made of the dip-circle, theodolite and tripod, pick, alpine rope, ice-axe, all the mineral and biological specimens and excess clothing. even thus lightened, we could scarcely move the sledge, struggling on, sinking to the thighs in the flocculent deluge. snow now began to fall so thickly that it was impossible to see ahead. at p.m. we finished up the last scraps of pemmican and cocoa. biscuit, sugar and glaxo had given out at the noon meal. there still remained one and a half pounds of penguin meat, several infusions of tea and plenty of kerosene for the primus. we staggered on till . p.m., when the weather became so dense that the sides of the gully were invisible. tired out, we camped and had some tea. in eight hours we had only made four and a half miles, and there was still the worst part to come. in our exhausted state we slept till p.m. of january , awaking to find the sky densely overcast and a light fog in the air. during a rift which opened for a few minutes there was a short glimpse of the rock on aurora peak. shredding half the penguin-meat, we boiled it up and found the stew and broth excellent. at . a.m. we started to struggle up the gully once more, wading along in a most helpless fashion, with breathing spells every ten yards or less. snow began to fall in such volume that at last it was impossible to keep our direction with any certainty. the only thing to do was to throw up the tent as a shelter and wait. this we did till . a.m.; but there must have been a cloud-burst, for the heavy flakes toppled on to the tent like tropical rain. we got into sleeping-bags, and tried to be patient and to forget that we were hungry. apparently, during our seven weeks' absence, the local precipitation had been almost continual, and snow now lay over this region in stupendous amount. even when one sank three feet, it was not on to the firm sastrugi over which we had travelled out of the valley on the outward journey, for these lay still deeper. it was hoped that the "snowdump" did not continue over the fifty miles to the hut, but we argued that on the windy plateau this could scarcely be possible. it was evident that without any more food, through this bottomless, yielding snow, we could never haul the sledge up to the depot, a rise of one thousand two hundred feet in three miles. one of us must go up and bring food back, and i decided to do so as soon as the weather cleared. we found the wait for clearer weather long and trying with empty stomachs. as the tobacco-supply still held out, mclean and i found great solace in our pipes. all through the rest of the day and till p.m. of the next, january , there was not a rift in the opaque wall of flakes. then to our intense relief the snow stopped, the clouds rolled to the north, and, in swift transformation--a cloudless sky with bright sunshine! with the rest of the penguin-meat--a bare half-pound--we had another thin broth. somewhat fortified, i took the food-bag and shovel, and left the tent at . a.m. often sinking to the thighs, i felt faint at the first exertion. the tent scarcely seemed to recede as i toiled onwards towards the first steep slope. the heavy mantle of snow had so altered the contours of the side of the gully that i was not sure of the direction of the top of the mountain. resting every hundred yards, i floundered on hour after hour, until, on arriving at a high point, i saw a little shining mound standing up on a higher point, a good mile to the east. after seven hours' wading i reached it and found that it was the depot. two feet of the original eight-foot mound projected above the surface, with the bamboo pole and a wire-and-canvas flag rising another eighteen inches. on this, a high isolated mountain summit, six feet of snow had actually accumulated. how thankful i was that i had brought a shovel! at seven feet i "bottomed" on the hard snow, without result. then, running a tunnel in the most probable direction, i struck with the shovel the kerosene tin which was on the top of the food-bag. on opening the bag, the first items to appear were sugar, butter and biscuits; the next quarter of an hour i shall not forget! i made a swag of five days' provisions, and, taking a direct route, attacked the three miles downhill in lengths of one hundred and fifty yards. coming in sight of the tent, i called to my companions to thaw some water for a drink. so slow was progress that i could speak to them a quarter of an hour before reaching the tent. i had been away eleven and a half hours, covering about seven miles in all. mclean and correll were getting anxious about me. they said that they had felt the cold and were unable to sleep. soon i had produced the pemmican and biscuit, and a scalding hoosh was made. the other two had had only a mug of penguin broth each in three days, and i had only broken my fast a few hours before them. after the meal, mclean and correll started back to the cache, two miles down the gully, to select some of the geological and biological specimens and to fetch a few articles of clothing. the instruments, the greater part of the collection of rocks, crampons, sledge-meter and other odds and ends were all left behind. coming back with the loads slung like swags they found that by walking in their old footsteps they made fair progress. by p.m. all had rested, every unnecessary fitting had been stripped off the sledge and the climb to the depot commenced. i went ahead in my old trail, correll also making use of it; while mclean broke a track for himself. the work was slow and heavy; nearly six hours were spent doing those three miles. it was a lovely evening; the yellow sun drifting through orange cloudlets behind aurora peak. we were in a more appreciative mood than on the last midnight march, exulting in the knowledge of ten days' provisions at hand and fifty-three miles to go to reach the hut. in the manner of the climate, a few wisps of misty rack came sailing from the south-east, the wind rose, snow commenced to fall and a blizzard held sway for almost three days. it was just as well that we had found that depot when we did. the fifty-three miles to the hut melted away in the pleasures of anticipation. the first two miles, on the morning of january , gave us some strenuous work, but they were luxurious in comparison with what we expected; soon, however, the surface rapidly and permanently improved. a forty-mile wind from the south-east was a distinct help, and by the end of the day we had come in sight of the nunatak first seen after leaving the hut (madigan nunatak). in two days forty miles lay behind. down the blue ice-slopes in slippery finnesko, and aladdin's cave hove in sight. we tumbled in, to be assailed by a wonderful odour which brought back orchards, shops, people--a breath of civilization. in the centre of the floor was a pile of oranges surmounted by two luscious pineapples. the ship was in! there was a bundle of letters--bage was back from the south--wild had been landed one thousand five hundred miles to the west--amundsen had reached the pole! scott was remaining in the antarctic for another year. how we shouted and read all together! chapter xvii with stillwell's and bickerton's parties leaving madigan's party on november , when forty-six miles from the hut, stillwell, hodgeman and close of the near-eastern party diverged towards a dome-shaped mountain--mount hunt. a broad valley lay between their position on the falling plateau and this eminence to the north-east. looking across, one would think that the depression was slight, but the party found by aneroid that their descent was one thousand five hundred feet into a gully filled with soft, deep snow. after skimming the polished sastrugi of the uplands, the sledge ran heavily in the yielding drifts. then a gale of wind rose behind them just as the ascent on the other side commenced, and was a valuable aid in the pull to the summit. from the highest point or cap of what proved to be a promontory, a wide seascape dotted with bergs was unfolded to the north. to the west the eastern cape of commonwealth bay was visible, and sweeping away to the north-east was the mertz glacier with sheer, jutting headlands succeeding one another into the distance. true bearings to these points were obtained from the camp, and, subsequently, with the help of an observation secured on the 'aurora' during the previous year, the trend of the glacier-tongue was determined. hodgeman made a series of illustrative sketches. on november the party commenced the return journey, moving directly towards madigan nunatak to the south-west. this nunatak had been sighted for the first time on the outward march, and there was much speculation as to what the rock would prove to be. a gradual descent for seven miles brought them on to a plain, almost at sea-level, continuous with the valley they had crossed on the th further to the east. on the far side of the plain a climb was commenced over some ice-spurs, and then a broad field of crevasses was encountered, some of which attained a width of fifty yards. delayed by these and by unfavourable weather, they did not reach madigan nunatak until the evening of november . the outcrop--a jagged crest of rock--was found to be one hundred and sixty yards long and thirty yards wide, placed at an altitude of two thousand four hundred feet above sea-level. it is composed of grey quartzose gneiss. there were no signs of recent glaciation or of ice-striae, though the rock was much weathered, and all the cracks and joint-planes were filled with disintegrating material. the weathering was excessive and peculiar in contrast with that observed on fresh exposures near the hut and at other localities near sea-level. after collecting specimens and placing a small depot of food on the highest point, the party continued their way to the hut, reaching it on november . at winter quarters noticeable changes had taken place. the harbour ice had broken back for several hundred yards and was rotten and ready to blow out in the first strong wind; marked thawing had occurred everywhere, and many islands of rock emerged from the snow; the ice-foot was diminishing; penguins, seals, and flying birds made the place, for once, alive and busy. bickerton, whetter and hannam carried on the routine of work; whetter as meteorologist and hannam as magnetician, while bickerton was busied with the air-tractor and in preparations for sledging. thousands of penguins' eggs had been gathered for the return voyage of the 'aurora', or in case of detention for a second winter. murphy, hunter and laseron arrived from the south on the same day as stillwell, hodgeman and close came in from the east. the former party had plodded for sixty-seven miles through a dense haze of drift. they had kept a course roughly by the wind and the direction of sastrugi. the unvarying white light of thick overcast days had been so severe that all were suffering from snow-blindness. when, at length, they passed over the endless billows of snow on to the downfalls near the coast, the weather cleared and they were relieved to see once more the mecca of all sledging parties--aladdin's cave. a redistribution of parties and duties was made. hodgeman joined whetter and bickerton in preparation for the air-tractor sledge's trip to the west. hunter took up the position of meteorologist and devoted all his spare time to biological investigations amongst the immigrant life of summer. hannam continued to act as magnetician and general "handy man." murphy, who was also to be in charge during the summer, returned to his stores, making preparations for departure. hourly meteorological observations kept every one vigilant at the hut. in pursuance of a plan to examine in detail the coast immediately east of commonwealth bay, stillwell set out with laseron and close on december . the weather was threatening at the start, and they had the usual struggle with wind and drift to "make" aladdin's cave. forewarned on the first journey of the dangers of bad ventilation, they cleared the entrance to the cave of obstacles so that a ready exit could be made, if, as was expected, the opening became sealed with snow-drift. this did happen during the night, and, though everything seemed all right the next morning, the whole party was overpowered during breakfast by foul air, the presence of which was not suspected. hoosh was cooked and about to be served, when stillwell, who was in charge of the primus, collapsed. close immediately seized an ice-axe, stood up, thrust its point through the choked entrance, and fell down, overcome. laseron became powerless at the same time. an hour and a half later--so it was reckoned--the party revived and cleared the opening. the hole made by the ice-axe had been sufficient to save their lives. for a day they were too weak and exhausted to travel, so the tent was pitched and the night spent outside the cave. on december they steered due south for a while and then eastward for three days to madigan nunatak; delayed for twenty-four hours by a blizzard. stillwell goes on to describe: "part of the th was spent in making observations, taking photographs and collecting specimens of rocks and lichens. breaking camp, we set out on a northerly course for the coast down gently falling snowfields. gradually there opened up a beautiful vista of sea, dotted with floes and rocky islets (many of which were ice-capped). on december camp was pitched near the coast on a stretch of firm, unbroken ice, which enabled one to venture close enough to the edge to discover an islet connected by a snow-ramp with the icy barrier. lying farther off the shore was a thick fringe of islets, among and beyond which drifted a large quantity of heavy floe. the separate floes stood some ten or fifteen feet above the water-level, and the lengths of several exceeded a quarter of a mile. every accessible rock was covered with rookeries of adelie penguins; the first chicks were just hatched." a theodolite traverse was run to fix the position of each islet. the traverse-line was carried close to the ice-cliff, so that the number of islets hidden from view was as few as possible. snow mounds were built at intervals and the intervening distances measured by the sledge-meter. the party travelled west for seven and a quarter miles round a promontory--cape gray--until the winter quarters were sighted across commonwealth bay. they then turned eastward over the higher slopes, meeting the coast some three miles to the east of the place where they had first encountered it. the surface was for the most part covered with snow, while crevasses were frequent and treacherous. in the midst of the survey the sledge-meter broke down, and, as the party were wholly dependent upon it for laying out base-lines, repairs had to be made. [text illustration] map showing the remarkable distribution of islets fringing the coast of adelie land in the vicinity of cape gray on the th another accessible rocky projection was seen. over it and the many islands in the vicinity hovered flocks of snow petrels and occasional antarctic and wilson petrels. masses of adelie penguins and chicks constituted the main population, and skua gulls with eggs were also observed. the rock was of garnet gneiss, traversed by black dykes of pyroxene granulite. a great discovery was made on december . on the abrupt, northern face of some rocks connected to the ice-cap of the mainland by a causeway of ice a large colony of sea-birds had nested. cape pigeons, the rare silver-grey and snow petrels were all present. amongst these laseron made a collection of many eggs and birds. the traverse-line was then carried back to madigan nunatak along a series of connecting mounds. after being held up for three and a half days in a blizzard from december to january , the party were home once more late on january , . returning to the fortunes of the air-tractor sledge, which was to start west early in december. bickerton has a short story to tell, inadequate to the months of work which were expended on that converted aeroplane. its career was mostly associated with misfortune, dating from a serious fall when in flight at adelaide, through the southern voyage of the 'aurora', buffeted by destructive seas, to a capacious snow shelter in adelie land--the hangar--where for the greater part of the year it remained helpless and drift-bound. bickerton takes up the story: i had always imagined that the air-tractor sledge would be most handicapped by the low temperature; but the wind was far more formidable. it is obvious that a machine which depends on the surrounding air for its medium of traction could not be tested in the winds of an adelie land winter. one might just as well try the capabilities of a small motor-launch in the rapids at niagara. consequently we had to wait until the high summer. with hopes postponed to an indefinite future, another difficulty arose. as it was found that the wind would not allow the sea-ice to form, breaking up the floe as quickly as it appeared, the only remaining field for manoeuvres was over the highlands to the south; under conditions quite different from those for which it was suited. we knew that for the first three miles there was a rise of some one thousand four hundred feet, and in places the gradient was one in three and a half. i thought the machine would negotiate this, but it was obviously unsafe to make the venture without providing against a headlong rush downhill, if, for any reason, power should fail. suggestions were not lacking, and after much consideration the following device was adopted: a hand rock-drill, somewhat over an inch in diameter, was turned up in the lathe, cut with one-eighth-inch pitched, square threads and pointed at the lower end. this actuated through an internal threaded brass bush held in an iron standard; the latter being bolted to the after-end of a runner over a hole bushed for the reception of the drill. two sets of these were got ready; one for each runner. the standards were made from spare caps belonging to the wireless masts. the timely fracture of one of the vices supplied me with sufficient ready-cut thread of the required pitch for one brake. cranked handles were fitted, and the points, which came in contact with the ice, were hardened and tempered. when protruded to their fullest extent, the spikes extended four inches below the runners. the whole contrivance was not very elegant, but impressed one with its strength and reliability. to work the handles, two men had to sit one on each runner. as the latter were narrow and the available framework, by which to hold on and steady oneself, rather limited, the office of brakesman promised to be one with acrobatic possibilities. to start the engine it was necessary to have a calm and, preferably, sunny day; the engine and oil-tank had been painted black to absorb the sun's heat. on a windy day with sun and an air temperature of degrees f., it was only with considerable difficulty that the engine could be turned--chiefly owing to the thickness of the lubricating oil. but on a calm day with the temperature lower - degrees f. for example--the engine would swing well enough to permit starting, after an hour or two of steady sun. if there were no sun even in the absence of wind, starting would be out of the question, unless the atmospheric temperature were high or the engine were warmed with a blow-lamp. it was not till november that the right combination of conditions came. that day was calm and sunny, and the engine needed no more stimulus than it would have received in a "decent" climate. hannam, whetter and i were the only inhabitants of the hut at the time. having ascertained that the oil and air pumps were working satisfactorily, we fitted the wheels and air-rudder, and made a number of satisfactory trials in the vicinity of the hut. the wheels were soon discarded as useless; reliance being placed on the long runners. then the brakes were tested for the first time by driving for a short distance uphill to the south and glissading down the slope back to the hut. with a man in charge of each brake, the machine, when in full career down the slope, was soon brought to a standstill. the experiment was repeated from a higher position on the slope, with the same result. the machine was then taken above the steepest part of the slope (one in three and a half) and, on slipping back, was brought to rest with ease. the surface was hard, polished blue ice. the air-rudder, by the way, was efficient at speeds exceeding fifteen miles per hour. on the th we had a calm morning, so whetter and i set out for aladdin's cave to depot twenty gallons of benzene and six gallons of oil. the engine was not running well, one cylinder occasionally "missing." but, in spite of this and a head wind of fifteen miles per hour, we covered the distance between the one-mile and the two-mile flags in three minutes. this was on ice, and the gradient was about one in fifteen. we went no farther that day, and it was lucky that we did so, for, soon after our return to the hut, it was blowing more than sixty miles per hour. on december hodgeman joined us in a very successful trip to aladdin's cave with nine -gallon tins of benzene on a sledge; weighing in all seven hundred pounds. after having such a good series of results with the machine, the start of the real journey was fixed for december . at p.m. it fell calm, and we left at p.m., amid an inspiriting demonstration of goodwill from the six other men. arms were still waving violently as we crept noisily over the brow of the hill and the hut disappeared from sight. on the two steepest portions it was necessary to walk, but, these past, the machine went well with a load of three men and four hundred pounds, reaching aladdin's cave in an hour by a route free of small crevasses, which i had discovered on the previous day. here we loaded up with three -lb. food-bags, twelve gallons of oil (one hundred and thirty pounds), and seven hundred pounds of benzene. altogether, there was enough fuel and lubricating oil to run the engine at full speed for twenty hours as well as full rations for three men for six weeks. after a few minutes spent in disposing the loads, our procession of machine, four sledges (in tow) and three men moved off. the going was slow, too slow--about three miles an hour on ice. this would probably mean no movement at all on snow which might soon be expected. but something was wrong. the cylinder which had been missing fire a few days before, but which had since been cleaned and put in order, was now missing fire again, and the speed, proportionately, had dropped too much. i made sure that the oil was circulating, and cleaned the sparking-plug, but the trouble was not remedied. a careful examination showed no sufficient cause, so it was assumed to be internal. to undertake anything big was out of the question, so we dropped thirty-two gallons of benzene and a spare propeller. another mile went by and we came to snow, where forty gallons of benzene, twelve gallons of oil and a sledge were abandoned. the speed was now six miles an hour and we did two miles in very bad form. as it was now p.m. and the wind was beginning to rise, we camped, feeling none too pleased with the first day's results. while in the sleeping-bag i tried to think out some rapid way of discovering what was wrong with the engine. the only conclusion to which i could come was that it would be best to proceed to the cave at eleven and three-quarter miles--cathedral grotto--and there remove the faulty cylinder, if the weather seemed likely to be favourable; if it did not, to go on independently with our man-hauled sledge. on december the wind was still blowing about twenty miles per hour when we set to work on the machine. i poured some oil straight into the crank-case to make sure that there was sufficient, and we also tested and improved the ignition. at four o'clock the wind dropped, and in an hour the engine was started. while moving along, the idle cylinder was ejecting oil, and this, together with the fact that it had no compression, made me hope that broken piston-rings were the source of the trouble. it would only take two hours to remove three cylinders, take one ring from each of the two sound ones for the faulty one, and all might yet be well! these thoughts were brought to a sudden close by the engine, without any warning, pulling up with such a jerk that the propeller was smashed. on moving the latter, something fell into the oil in the crank-case and fizzled, while the propeller could only be swung through an angle of about °. we did not wait to examine any further, but fixed up the man-hauling sledge, which had so far been carried by the air-tractor sledge, and cached all except absolute necessities. we were sorry to leave the machine, though we had never dared to expect a great deal from it in the face of the unsuitable conditions found to prevail in adelie land. however, the present situation was disappointing. having stuffed up the exhaust-pipes to keep out the drift, we turned our backs to the aero-sledge and made for the eleven-and-three-quarter-mile cave, arriving there at p.m. there was a cheering note from bage in the "grotto", wishing us good luck. to avoid crevasses we steered first of all to the southwest on the morning of the th, which was clear and bright. after six miles the sastrugi became hard and compact, so the course was changed to due west. shortly afterwards, a piece of rock ** which we took to be a meteorite, was found on the surface of the snow. it measured approximately five inches by three inches by three and a half inches and was covered with a black scale which in places had blistered; three or four small pieces of this scale were lying within three inches of the main piece. most of the surface was rounded, except one face which looked as if it had been fractured. it was lying on the snow, in a slight depression, about two and a half inches below the mean surface, and there was nothing to indicate that there had been any violent impact. ** this has since been examined by professor e. skeats and stillwell, who report it to be an interesting form of meteorite, containing amongst other minerals, plagioclase felspar. this is, we believe, the first occasion on which a meteorite has been found in the antarctic regions.--ed. at eight o'clock that night we had done twelve miles, losing sight of the sea at a height of about three thousand feet. all felt pleased and looked forward to getting over a ridge ahead, which, from an altitude of four thousand feet, ran in pencilled outline to the western point of commonwealth bay. on december it was drifting hard, and part of the morning was spent theorizing on our prospects in an optimistic vein. this humour gradually wore off as the thick drift continued, with a fifty-mile wind, for three days. at p.m. on december a move was made. the drift was what our hut-standard reckoned to be "moderate," but the wind had fallen to thirty miles an hour and had veered to the east; so the sail was hoisted. the going was difficult over a soft surface, and after five hours, by which time the drift had perceptibly thickened, we had done eight miles. the thirst each one of us developed in those earlier days was prodigious. when filling the cooker with snow it was hard to refrain from packing it "up to the knocker" in order to obtain a sufficient supply of water. the next day it blew harder and drifted thicker. above the loud flapping of the tent and the incessant sizzling of the drift we discussed our situation. we were one week "out" and had travelled thirty-one miles. future progress depended entirely on the weather--unfortunately. we were beginning to learn that though the season was "meteorologically" called summer, it was hardly recognizable as such. december was whetter's birthday. it was heralded by an extra strong wind and the usual liberal allowance of drift. i was cook, and made some modifications in the meal. hodgeman (who was the previous cook) used to make hoosh as thick as a biscuit, so we had some thin stuff for a change --two mugs each. then really strong tea; we boiled it for some time to make sure of the strength and added some leaves which had already done good service. several times fault had been found with the way the tent was pitched. i had not yet tried my hand at being the "man inside" during this operation. one day, while every one was grumbling, i said i would take the responsibility at the next camp; the proposal being received with grunts of assent. when the job was finished and the poles appeared to be spread taut, i found myself alone in what seemed to me a cathedral. feeling pleased, i called for the others to come in, and arranged myself in a corner with an "i-told-you-so" expression on my face, ready to receive their congratulations. hodgeman came in first. he is not a large man, though he somehow gives one the impression that he is, but after he had made himself comfortable the place seemed smaller. when half-way through the "spout," coming in, he gave a grunt which i took to be one of appreciation. then whetter came in. he is of a candid disposition: "ho, ho, laddie, what the dickens have you done with the tent?" i tried to explain their mistake. but it was no good. when we were all inside, i couldn't help seeing that the tent was much smaller than it had ever been before, and we had to huddle together most uncomfortably. and there were three days like this. at nine o'clock one morning hodgeman woke me with, "what about getting a move on?" the wind had dropped to forty miles an hour, and through a tiny hole in the tent the ground could be seen. amid a thinning fog of drift, the disc of the sun was just visible. we made a start and then plodded on steadily till midnight over a soft and uncomfortable surface. shortly after that hour i looked at the sledge-meter and found that it had ceased working; the sprocket had been knocked off. repair was out of the question, as every joint was soldered up; so without more ado we dropped it. in future we were to estimate our speed, having already had some good experience in this way. no sooner had friday december come on the scene than a catastrophe overtook us. the superstitious might have blamed fate, but on this occasion there was no room for doubt; the fault was mine. the sail was up and, while braking the load upwind, i slipped and fell, allowing the sledge to collide with a large sastruga. the bow struck the solid snow with such force that it was smashed. next day a new bow was manufactured from a spare bamboo which had been brought as a depot pole. it took some time splitting and bending this into position and then lashing it with raw hide. but the finished article fully justified the means, and, in spite of severe treatment, the makeshift stood for the rest of the journey. while on the march on december , the wind dropped and the drift ceased for the first time since december ; for eleven days it had been heavy or moderate. before we got into harness on the same day, a wilson petrel flew above us. this little touch of life, together with the bright sun, light wind and lack of drift enabled us to start away in better spirits than had been our wont. the next four days passed in excellent weather. the surface was mainly hard and the clusters of large sastrugi could generally be avoided. patches of softer "piecrust" were met but only lasted for two or three miles. making up for lost time, we did a few miles short of one hundred in five days. unfortunately there was always drift at midday, so that it was impossible to get a latitude "shot" with a sextant and artificial horizon. on december camp was pitched at a.m. before a glorious view; an horizon of sea from west to north-east and white fields of massive bergs. in the extreme west there was something which very closely resembled pack-ice. on the th the surface was softer and the snow more recent, but the wind was behind us and for part of the day the track led downhill into a peculiar saucer-shaped depression which, on our first entry, looked like a valley closed at the far end, while when we came to the middle it resolved itself once more into a saucer. camping here, i managed to get a good time-shot, so that, provided we occupied this camp on the return journey, i reckoned that i could get the watch-rate and fix the approximate longitude of the pack-ice, which for two days had been clearly within view. [text illustration] adelie land: showing tracks of the western sledging party from the main base. december marked the end of the good weather, for drift and wind came on apace lasting four days, the wind attaining about eighty miles an hour. sleeping-bags and tent-cloth were soon in a wretched state, sodden with moisture. christmas day was not very enjoyable in cramped quarters, the tent having encroached on us owing to drift settling around it. still, by the evening, it was clear enough to break camp and we made a spurt of thirteen miles. from the next camp there was a good view to the northwest, the pack extending beyond the limit of vision. the land trended to the west-north-west and we could see it at a distance of fifty miles from our altitude. all things considered, i thought it right to turn back at this stage. in twenty-six days we had done one hundred and fifty-eight miles, and ninety-seven miles of that distance had been covered on the only five consecutive good days. we waited some time until the sun appeared, when i was able to get an observation while hodgeman made a sketch of the view. by december we reoccupied the camp of the th, sixteen miles on the return journey. a time-shot was successful, and observations were also taken for magnetic declination. as the weather was fine, hodgeman and whetter went to investigate two odd-looking pyramids about five miles away. these turned out to be high snow-ramps, two hundred yards long, on the lee side of open crevasses. the last day of was calm and "snow-blind"--the first of this particular variety we had experienced without drift. a new year pudding was made of soaked biscuit, cocoa, milk, sugar, butter, and a few remaining raisins, and it was, of course, an immense success. on january and the two succeeding days the drift was so thick that we had to lie up and amuse ourselves discussing various matters of individual interest. hodgeman gave us a lecture on architecture, explaining the beauties of certain well-known buildings. whetter would describe some delicate surgical operation, while i talked about machinery. i also worked up the time-shots, and the hours passed quickly. if only our sleeping-bags had been drier we might have enjoyed ourselves at intervals. the evening of the th found us camped ten miles nearer home, beside a large crevasse and with a closer view of the bay seen on december . this time we were greatly excited to see rocks outcropping near the water-line, and an investigation of them was resolved upon for the following day. the morning broke overcast and ghostly white. although only ten yards away from it, we could not see the huge crevasse in our vicinity. thus our expedition to the rocks had to be abandoned. after a week's travelling, during which obscured skies and intermittent drift were the rule, we were once more in the neighbourhood of madigan's spring depot, forty-five miles west of aladdin's cave. it had been passed without our seeing any signs of it on the outward journey, and, as we never relied on finding it, we did not mind about missing it again. thick drift and a fifty-mile wind on january kept us confined for thirty-six hours. it was clear enough after noon on the th, and five miles were covered in four hours through thick surface drift. what the course was we did not care as we steered by the sastrugi. if ever a man had any "homing instinct" it would surely show itself on such an occasion as this. travelling in driving snow used to have a curious effect on me. i always imagined that we were just coming to an avenue of trees running at right angles to our course. what produced this idea i have not the slightest suspicion, but while it lasted, the impression was very strong. to avoid the drift, which was thickest by day, travelling had for some time been conducted at night. on the evening of the th, during a clear spell, a ridge rose up behind, and, in front, a wide bay was visible with its far eastern point rising in mirage. this was taken to be commonwealth bay, but the fact could not be verified as the drift came on thickly once more. the day's march was twelve miles by concerted reckoning. next day we went three miles to the north to see if any recognizable bergs would come in sight, but were stopped by crevasses. the eastward course was therefore resumed. after continuing for about a mile hodgeman told us to stop, flung down his harness and dashed back to the sledge, rummaging in the instrument-box till he found the glasses. "yes, it's the aeroplane," he said. this remark took us by surprise as we had not expected it for eight miles at least. it was about midnight--the time when mirage was at a maximum. consequently, all agreed that the machine was about twelve miles away, and we went on our way rejoicing, steering towards the cathedral grotto which was two miles south of the aero-sledge. after three miles we camped, and, it being my birthday, the two events were celebrated by "blowing in" the whisky belonging to the medical outfit. on the th the weather was thick, and we marched east for ten miles, passing a tea-leaf, which it was afterwards found must have come downwind from the grotto. for eight hours nothing could be done in thick drift, and then, on breaking camp, we actually came to a flag which had been planted by ninnis in the spring, thirteen miles south-east of aladdin's cave. the distance to the air-tractor had been over-estimated, and the grotto must have been passed quite close. we made off down the hill, running over the crevasses at a great pace. aladdin's cave with its medley of boxes, tins, picks and shovels, gladdened our eyes at p.m. on the th. conspicuous for its colour was an orange, stuck on a pick, which told us at once that the ship was in. chapter xviii the ship's story by captain j. k. davis by sport of bitter weather we're warty, strained, and scarred from the kentledge on the kelson to the slings upon the yard. kipling. dr. mawson's plans, as laid before the royal geographical society in , provided for an extensive oceanographical campaign in the immense stretch of ocean to the southward of australia. very little was known of the sea-floor in this area, there being but a few odd soundings only, beyond a moderate distance from the australian coast. even the great challenger expedition had scarcely touched upon it; and so our expedition had a splendid field for investigation. the first discovery made in this connexion on board the 'aurora' was the fact that deep-water work is more intricate than books would make it appear. although text-books had been carefully studied on the subject, it was found that most of them passed over the practical side of the work in a few words, insufficient to give us much help in carrying out difficult operations with the vessel rolling and tumbling about in the heavy seas of the southern ocean. so it was only after a good deal of hard work and many disappointments that the experience was gained which enabled us, during the later stages of the expedition, to do useful and successful work. before passing on to the operations of the 'aurora' during the winter of , i shall briefly refer to the equipment provided for oceanographical work. the lucas automatic sounding machine was situated on the port side of the forecastle head. it was suitable for depths up to six thousand fathoms, being fitted with a grooved wheel so as to be driven by a rope belt from a steam-winch or other engine. the wire was wound in by means of a small horizontal steam-engine which had been specially designed for the 'scotia', of the scottish antarctic expedition ( ) and was kindly lent to us by dr. w. s. bruce. the wire as it is paid out passes over a measuring wheel, the revolutions of which record on a dial the number of fathoms out. a spring brake, which is capable of stopping the reel instantly, is kept out of action by the tension of the wire, but when the sinker strikes the bottom, the loss of tension allows the brake to spring back and stop the reel. the depth can then be read off on the dial. a hollow iron tube called a driver is attached to a piece of hemp line spliced into the outer end of the sounding wire. this driver bears one or two weights to the bottom and detaches them on striking it; a specimen of the bottom being recovered in the hollow part of the tube which is fitted with valves to prevent water from running through it on the way up. immediately the driver and weight strike the bottom, the reel automatically stops paying out wire. to obtain a deep-sea sounding on the 'aurora', the vessel was stopped, turned so as to bring the wind on the port-bow and kept as nearly stationary as possible; the engines being used to balance any drift of the vessel due to wind or sea. the difficulties of sounding in the southern ocean were much increased by the almost constant, heavy swell. the breaking strain of the wire being only two hundred and forty pounds and the load it had to carry to the bottom weighing nearly fifty-six pounds in air, it could easily be understood that the sudden strain imposed by the violent rolling of the vessel often resulted in the parting of the wire. we soon learnt to handle both vessel and sounding machine in such a way as to entail the least possible strain on the wire. of all the operations conducted on board the 'aurora', deep-sea trawling was the one about which we had most to learn. dr. w. s. bruce gave me most valuable advice on the subject before we left england. later, this was supplemented by a cruise in australian waters on the 'endeavour', of the commonwealth fisheries investigation. here i was able to observe various trawling operations in progress, subsequently applying the information gained to our own requirements on the 'aurora'. a short description of our trawling arrangements may be useful to those who are engaged in this work on board a vessel not specially designed for it. we were provided with three thousand fathoms of tapered steel wire (varying from one and three-quarters to one and a half inches in circumference and weighing roughly a ton to the thousand fathoms in air); this was kept on a large iron reel (a) mounted on standards and controlled by a friction-brake. this reel was situated on the starboard side of the main deck, the wire being wound on to it by means of a chain-drive from the forward cargo-winch. for heaving in, our steam-windlass was fitted with a specially constructed drum (b), which absorbed the crushing strain and then allowed the slack wire to be wound on the reel (a), which was driven as nearly as possible at the same speed; the windlass usually heaving at the rate of four hundred and fifty fathoms per hour. a wooden derrick (d), provided with topping lift and guys, was mounted on the foremast by means of a band and goose-neck. at the outer end of the derrick, the dynamometer and a fourteen-inch block were attached. the maximum strain which could be supported was ten tons. in paying out, the wire was led from the head of the derrick to a snatch-block on the quarter (e), constructed so as to admit of its disengagement from the wire when it was necessary to heave in. this block kept the wire clear of the propeller and allowed us to have the vessel moving slow or fast as required, while the trawl was being paid out. the positions of the various parts of the trawling gear are shown in the plan on the opposite page. [text illustration] plan illustrating the arrangements for deep-sea trawling on board the 'aurora'. before trawling in deep water the vessel was stopped and a sounding obtained; then the derrick was hoisted, the wire rove through the various blocks, the trawl shackled on, and the men distributed at their stations. when all was ready, the engines were put at half-speed (three knots), a course was given to the helmsman and the trawl lowered into the water. when it was flowing nicely just astern, the order, "slack away," was given; the wire being paid out evenly by means of the friction-brakes. in one thousand five hundred fathoms of water, after the two-thousand-fathom mark had passed out, the order was given, "hold on and make fast." speed was now reduced to one and a half knots and the wire watched until it gave a decided indication of the trawl dragging over the bottom. the strain was now taken by the windlass-barrel, controlled by a screw-brake, backed if necessary by a number of turns round the forward bitts. a slow drag over the bottom was generally continued for one hour. the engines were then stopped, and the order came, "stand by to heave away." this was quickly followed by "knock out," which meant the disengaging of the after-block from the wire and allowed the vessel to swing round head-on to the wire. "vast heaving" indicated the appearance of the net at the surface, and, when the mouth of the net was well above the bulwarks the derrick was topped up vertically, the lower part of the net dragged inboard and the cod-end untied, the catch being thus allowed to empty itself on deck. the contents of the haul supplied the biologists with the work of sorting and bottling for the next twelve hours or more. the form of trawl used on board the 'aurora' was known as a monagasque trawl, of a type employed by the prince of monaco. as will be seen from the sketch, it is of simple construction and possesses the advantage of having both sides similar so that it is immaterial which lands on the bottom. the winter cruise in the sub-antarctic began on may , , after we had refitted in sydney and taken on board all the oceanographic apparatus, during the previous month. leaving port jackson, we proceeded to port kembla, n.s.w., and took in four hundred and eleven tons of coal. the following was the personnel of the ship's officers on this and the two following cruises: chief officer, f. d. fletcher; chief engineer, f. j. gillies; second officer, p. gray; third officer, c. p. de la motte. during the first dredging cruise, mr. e. r. waite, from the canterbury museum, christchurch, was in charge of the biological work. my plan was to go through bass strait and then to sail towards the royal company islands as given on the french chart, before heading for macquarie island. from thence we should steam across to the auckland islands. at both the latter places mr. waite would be able to secure specimens. it was not expected that the weather would permit of much trawling, but we anticipated some good soundings. as a matter of fact, sub-antarctic weather in the winter may be predicted with some certainty: strong winds, heavy seas, much fog and general gloom. we had a fine run through bass strait with a light south-east breeze, arriving off king's island at noon on may . the trawling gear was got ready for the following day, but the sea was too high and the ship continued south towards the position of the royal company islands. on june we were in latitude degrees south, longitude degrees east, and had been cruising about fruitlessly in heavy weather for days waiting for an opportunity to dredge. after being at sea for a whole fortnight we had only three soundings to our credit, and it was, therefore, resolved to make for macquarie island. on the th we reached the island and anchored at north-east bay in twelve fathoms, about one mile from land. after a stiff pull ashore, next day, we landed and found the party all well. they had built a comfortable hut and were enjoying life as far as possible, despite the constant gales and continuous days of fog. we then climbed up the hill to the wireless station, where everything was in splendid order. two small huts had been erected, one for the engine and the other for the receiving apparatus. sandell and sawyer, the two operators, were to be congratulated on the efficient way the station had been kept going under very considerable difficulty. in addition to the routine work with hobart and wellington they had occasionally communicated with stations over two thousand miles distant. i was able to send the following message to professor david: "'aurora' arrived macquarie island; all well, june ; constant gales and high seas have prevented dredging so far. royal company islands not found in the position indicated on the chart." we were able to land some stores for the use of the land party under ainsworth. meteorological, biological and geological work were all in progress and the scientific records should be of great value. up to the date of our arrival, no wireless messages had been received from adelie land. as dr. mawson was in ignorance of its exact location, the position of the western base under wild was given to ainsworth to forward to adelie land in case communication should be established. after mr. waite had obtained several birds, it was decided to move down to lusitania bay to secure some royal penguins and a sea-elephant. two days later, the 'aurora' anchored in the bay, three-quarters of a mile from the beach, in sixteen fathoms; the weather was very misty. mr. waite and mr. haines, the taxidermist, were rowed ashore. the island, above a height of three hundred feet from sea-level, was shrouded in mist throughout the day, and, before dark, all signs of the land had disappeared. the mist did not clear until p.m. on the th. we stayed for a whole fortnight at macquarie island, during which time the highest velocity of the wind recorded on shore was thirty-five miles per hour, although, during the winter, gales are almost of daily occurrence. on june , the date of departure, a course was set for the auckland islands, which lie in the track of homeward-bound vessels from australia via cape horn. the group was discovered in by captain bristow of the 'ocean', owned by samuel enderby. it comprises one main island and several smaller ones, separated by narrow channels. there are two spacious harbours; a northern, now called port ross, and a southern, carnley harbour. the islands are situated about one hundred and eighty miles south of stewart island (new zealand). after a run of three hundred and forty miles on a northeast course, we entered carnley harbour and anchored off flagstaff point. a breeze blew strong from the west-northwest. next day, june , we stood up to figure of eight island and found good holding for the anchor in nine and a half fathoms. the eastern entrance to carnley harbour is formed by two bluff points, about two miles apart; its upper extremity terminating in a lagoon. the site of musgrave's house ("epigwaith") is on the east side of this lagoon. here he spent twenty months after the wreck of the 'grafton'. [text illustration] auckland island (from the admiralty chart) showing the track of the 'aurora' we set off in the motor-launch on the th to visit camp cove, where we found the two huts maintained by the new zealand government for the benefit of castaways. in the larger hut there were potatoes, biscuits, tinned meats and matches. the smaller hut was empty but on the outside were carved many names of shipwrecked mariners. the 'amakura' had visited the depot in november . the various depots established on the island by the new zealand government are visited every six months. while in carnley harbour we were able to make several hauls with the small dredge. after passing up the eastern coast of the main island we entered port ross and anchored west of shoe island. on june the depot on erebus cove was visited, where three white sheds contain the usual necessaries for unfortunate castaways. the new zealand government steamer, 'hinemoa', while on a scientific expedition to the sub-antarctic in , rescued the sixteen survivors of the barque 'dundonald', two thousand two hundred and three tons, which had been wrecked on disappointment island. the captain and ten men had been drowned and the chief officer had died from the effects of exposure and starvation. on july we went to observation point, finding there a flat stone commemorating the visit of the german scientific expedition of . the biologist found various kinds of petrels on shoe island, where the turf was riddled in all directions by their burrows. at rose island, close by, there are some fine basaltic columns, eighty feet high, weathered out into deep caverns along their base. in sandy bay, enderby island, there was an extensive depot. among the stores i found a venesta case marked s.y. 'nimrod', which contained dried vegetables and evidently formed part of the stores which were sold on the return of the british antarctic expedition of . after leaving the auckland islands for new zealand, we were fortunate in having fairly good weather. five soundings were taken, and, on july , the trawl was put over in three hundred and forty-five fathoms. the net unfortunately fouled on a rocky bottom and so we gained nothing but experience in the operation. the 'aurora' arrived at port lyttleton on july and we received a very kind welcome from the people of christchurch. mr. j. j. kinsey, well known in connexion with various british antarctic expeditions, gave us valuable assistance during our stay. we were back again in melbourne on the th of the month. while the first oceanographical cruise of the 'aurora' did not prove very fruitful in results, chiefly on account of the stormy weather, it provided the necessary training for officers and men in the handling of the deep-sea gear, and we were able to realize later how much we had learnt on our first cruise. the ship, after undergoing a thorough overhaul at the state dockyard at williamstown, victoria, undertook a second deep-sea cruise. leaving hobart on november , , she laid her course to the southward in order to obtain soundings for a complete section of the sea-floor, as nearly as possible on the meridian of hobart. our time was limited to one month, during which a visit to macquarie island for the purpose of landing stores and mail had to be made. professor t. flynn of hobart university accompanied the vessel in charge of the biological work. an interesting discovery was made two hundred miles south of tasmania. here it was proved that a rocky ridge rose like a huge mountain from depths of more than two thousand fathoms to within five hundred and forty fathoms of the surface. a great number of soundings were taken in the vicinity of this rise, subsequently named the mill rise, until a heavy gale drove us far from its situation. on november we were not far from macquarie island and, at p.m., sounded in one thousand four hundred and fifty fathoms. as the weather was remarkably fine for these latitudes we decided to lower the trawl. before dark it was being towed slowly towards the east with one thousand nine hundred fathoms of wire out. we spent an anxious night hoping that the weather would remain fine long enough to permit us to get the gear on board again. we had been driving before a light westerly wind, when the trawl caught on the bottom and stopped the vessel. a very heavy strain was imposed on the wire as the vessel rose in the swell; the dynamometer registering up to seven tons. i decided to wait for daylight before attempting to heave in the trawl. at a.m. we cast the wire off the after-block and started to heave away; it was two hours before the trawl cleared the bottom and the strain was reduced. at a.m. the trawl was once more on board, the frames being bent and twisted and the net badly torn. on sounding, the depth was found to be only six hundred and thirty-six fathoms, so that we had evidently put over the trawl on to the edge of a steep rise and then drifted across it. in view of our position--only thirty miles from macquarie island--this accident might have been expected. but opportunities of trawling had been so few that risks had to be taken when the weather quieted down for a few hours. our only consolation on this occasion was that we recovered the gear. the following evening, at . , the anchor was dropped in north-east bay, macquarie island, and we were immediately boarded by our land party who were all well. they had become very clever boatmen during their stay, using a small dinghy to make coastal journeys. on november we left the anchorage at a.m. and spent the day in its vicinity. more than one hundred soundings were taken, which blake, the geological surveyor, was to plot on the chart of the island which he had almost completed. some idea of the steepness of the submarine mountain of which macquarie island forms the crest may be gathered from a sounding, taken ten and a half miles east of the island, which gave two thousand seven hundred and forty-five fathoms and no bottom. in other words, if the sea were to dry up, there would be a lofty mountain rising from the plain of the ocean's bed to a height of nearly eighteen thousand feet. a great deal of work still required to be done off macquarie island, but, as the uneven and rocky nature of the bottom prevented dredging, i decided to sail on the th, continuing the voyage towards the auckland islands. several people had expressed belief in a submarine ridge connecting macquarie island with the auckland group. three soundings which we obtained on this voyage did not support the suggestion, ranging as they did from one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five to two thousand four hundred and thirty fathoms, eighty-five miles south-west of the auckland group. we were the more glad to obtain these soundings, as, during the winter cruise, in the same waters, the weather had forced us to abandon the attempt. on november we took several soundings on the eastern side of the auckland islands, but did not prolong our stay as we wished to investigate the ridge south of tasmania--the mill rise. the course was therefore directed westward with a view to outlining the eastern edge of this submarine elevation. the first sounding to indicate that we were once more approaching the mill rise was in one thousand and seventy-six fathoms. continuing west we secured the next record in one thousand three hundred fathoms, limiting the southern extremity of the ridge which extends northward for nearly one hundred miles. from this sounding the water shoaled quickly as we steered north. thus, on the same day, we were in eight hundred and thirty-five fathoms at noon, in seven hundred and thirty-five fathoms at . p.m. and in seven hundred and ten fathoms at . p.m. after the last sounding we lowered the rock-gripper. on the first trial, however, it failed to shut and, on the second, only a little fine sand was recovered. as it was blowing hard most of the time, we were very fortunate in being able to do this piece of work. an inspection of the chart reveals the fact that the main direction of the shallowest water is in a north-west and south-east direction, but the number of soundings obtained was too small to give more than a general outline. later, we were able to add to these on the voyage southward to relieve the antarctic bases. the weather was so bad and the sea so heavy that we were unable to obtain soundings on december , and, as dredging under such conditions was out of the question, i decided to steer for the east coast of tasmania, where dredging might be possible under the lee of the land. the constant gales were very disheartening, the last having continued for four days with only short intervals of moderate weather. on december and , in calmer water, some thirty miles off the east coast of tasmania, trawlings were made successfully in one thousand three hundred fathoms and seventy-five fathoms respectively. from the deeper trawling were obtained a large octopus and several interesting fish. just before noon on december we arrived in hobart and immediately began preparations for the voyage to the antarctic. on december , , preparations for sailing were complete. for ten days every one connected with the 'aurora' had been working at high pressure, and christmas day, our last day ashore, was to be celebrated as a well-earned holiday. there was on board a good supply of coal, five hundred and twenty-one tons, and a very heavy mail of letters and packages for the members of the expedition who had been isolated in the far south for more than twelve months. we were to take thirty-five sheep on board as well as twenty-one dogs, presented by captain amundsen upon his return from his south polar expedition. captain james davis, of hobart, of long whaling experience, was to accompany us to give an expert opinion upon such whales as we might meet. mr. van waterschoot van der gracht, who had had previous experience in the antarctic, joined as marine artist, and mr. s. n. jeffryes as wireless operator. with c. c. eitel, secretary of the expedition, the whole party on board numbered twenty-eight. a very pleasant christmas was spent ashore. the ship's company of twenty-three men met for dinner, and we did not forget to wish a "merry christmas" to our leader and his twenty-six comrades who were holding their celebration amid the icy solitudes of antarctica. i was glad, on this festive occasion, to be able to congratulate officers and men on their willing and loyal service during the previous twelve months; every one had done his best to advance the objects of the expedition. the attractions of hobart, at this season, are so numerous, and tasmanian hospitality so boundless, that it gives me great pleasure to place on record that every man was at his post on the 'aurora' at a.m. on boxing day. as we drew away from the wharf amid the cheers of those who had come to wish us god-speed, the weather was perfect and the scene on the derwent bright and cheering. captain james davis acted as pilot. at . a.m. we had embarked the twenty-one dogs, which were brought off from the quarantine station, and were steaming down storm bay. outside there was a heavy swell, and the wind was freshening from the west. the course was laid south degrees west, true. for the next two days there was a westerly gale with a very high sea, and the dogs and sheep had a bad time, as a good deal of water came aboard. two of the sheep had to be killed. by the afternoon of the th it had moderated, and a sounding was secured. this storm was followed by another from the west-northwest. the 'aurora' weathered it splendidly, although one sea came over everything and flooded the cabins, while part of the rail of the forecastle head was carried away on the morning of the st. at this time we were in the vicinity of the reputed position of the royal company islands. a sounding was taken with great difficulty, finding two thousand and twenty fathoms and a mud bottom. january , , was a fine day, with a fresh westerly breeze and a high sea. occasionally there were snow squalls. at night the wireless operator was able to hear h.m.s. 'drake' at hobart, and also the station at macquarie island; the ship having been fitted to receive wireless signals before sailing. next day the sun was bright and there was only a moderate westerly swell. large bunches of kelp were frequently seen drifting on the surface. "blue billys"** flew in great numbers about the ship. two soundings were obtained in one thousand nine hundred fathoms. ** prion banksii. on the th a heavy swell came from the south-east. during the morning a sounding realized two thousand two hundred and seventy fathoms and the sample of mud contained a small, black manganese nodule. at p.m. a floating cask was sighted and taken aboard after much difficulty. it turned out to be a ship's oil cask, empty, giving no clue from whence it came. the first ice was observed about p.m. on the th. the water was still deep--more than two thousand fathoms. by noon on january loose pack came into view, with a strong blink of heavier pack to the south. the course was changed to south-west. at p.m. the ship was steaming west in clear water, a few bergs being in sight and a marked ice-blink to the south. several whales appeared which captain james davis reported were "blue whales" (finners or rorquals). after we had been steering westward until almost midnight, the course was altered to south-west in the hope of encountering the shelf-ice barrier (met in ) well to the east of the main base station. on the th we sailed over the position of the ice-tongue in without seeing a trace of it, coming up with heavy broken floe at a.m. for four hours the 'aurora' pushed through massive floes and "bergy bits," issuing into open water with the blink of ice-covered land to the south. at nine o'clock adelie land was plainly visible, and a course was set for the main base. in squally weather we reached the mackellar islets at midnight, and by a.m. on the th dropped anchor in commonwealth bay under the ice-cliffs in twenty fathoms. at a.m. fletcher, the chief officer, reported that a heavy gust of wind had struck the ship and caused the chain to carry away the lashing of the heavy relieving-tackle. the chain then ran over the windlass, and, before anything could be done, the pointer to which the end of the chain was attached had been torn from the bolts, and our best ground-tackle was lost overboard. it was an exasperating accident. at seven o'clock the port anchor was dropped in ten fathoms, about eight hundred yards west of the first anchorage, with ninety fathoms of chain. the wind shifted suddenly to the north, and the 'aurora' swung inshore until her stern was within one hundred yards of the cliffs; but the depth at this distance proved to be seventeen fathoms. after a few northerly puffs, the wind shifted to the south-east and then died away. at . p.m. the launch was hoisted over and the mail was taken ashore, with sundry specimens of australian fruit as "refreshment" for the shore-party. the boat harbour was reached before any one ashore had seen the 'aurora'. at the landing-place we were greeted most warmly by nine wild-looking men; some with beards bleached by the weather. they all looked healthy and in very fair condition, after the severe winter, as they danced about in joyous excitement. we learned that five sledging parties had left the hut: bage, webb and hurley had returned from the south, stillwell, close and laseron from the east, and the others were still out. in dr. mawson's instructions, all parties were to be back at the hut by january , . the launch made some trips to and from the ship with specimens during the afternoon. i returned on board and had a look at the cable. the weather was fine, but changes were apt to occur without much warning. at midnight it was blowing a gale from the south-east, and the chain was holding well. the launch was hoisted up in the davits and communication with the shore was suspended until a.m. on january . the lull was of two hours' duration, during which murphy came aboard and furnished me with some particulars about the sledging parties still away. dr. mawson, with ninnis and mertz, had gone to the south-east. they were well provisioned and had taken eighteen dogs for transport purposes. bickerton, hodgeman and whetter had been out forty-three days to the west and had food for forty days only. madigan, mclean and correll had been away for seventy days in an easterly direction. dr. mawson had left a letter for me with instructions to take charge if he failed to return to time, that is not later than january , . on january a party was observed from the ship coming in over the slope. there was much speculation as to its personnel since, at a distance, the three figures could not be recognized. the launch took us ashore and we greeted madigan, mclean and correll who had returned from a very successful expedition along the eastern coast over sea-ice. madigan and bage came on board during the forenoon of the th and we had a long consultation about the position of affairs owing to the non-return of two parties. it was decided to re-erect the wireless mast and stay it well while the ship was waiting, so that, in case of any party being left at the main base, the wireless station would be in working order.** ** it should be borne in mind that during the summer months (november, december, january and part of february) wireless communication with the outside world is impossible owing to continuous daylight reducing the effective range. in summer the range was only a few hundred miles, and the effective working distance for all times of the day probably not above one hundred miles. at one o'clock on the morning of january , de la motte, the officer on watch, reported that a party could be seen descending the glacier. this proved to be bickerton, hodgeman and whetter returning from their trip along the west coast. thus dr. mawson's party was the only one which had not yet returned. all day work on the wireless mast went along very satisfactorily, while captain james davis and chief officer fletcher spent their time in the launch dragging for the cable lost on the morning of our arrival. the launch returned at . p.m. and captain davis reported that the grapnel had been buoyed until operations could be resumed. on january we tried to recover the chain, and to this end the 'aurora' was taken over to the position where the grapnels had been buoyed and was anchored. all efforts to secure the chain were unsuccessful. at p.m. we decided to return to our former position, having a hard job to raise the anchor, which appeared to have dragged under a big rock. finally it broke away and came up in a mass of kelp, and with the stock "adrift." the latter was secured and we steamed back, "letting go" in eleven fathoms with ninety fathoms of chain. when dr. mawson's party was a week overdue, i considered that the time had arrived to issue a provisional notice to the members of the expedition at commonwealth bay concerning the establishment of a relief party to operate from the main base. a party of four left the hut on the th, keeping a sharp look-out to the south-east for any signs of the missing party. they travelled as far as the air-tractor sledge which had been abandoned ten miles to the south, bringing it back to the hut. i decided to remain at commonwealth bay until january . if the leader's party had not returned by that day, a search party was to proceed eastward while the 'aurora' sailed for wild's base. from the reports of the gales which prevailed during the month of march in , and considering the short daylight there was at that time, i felt that it would be risking the lives of all on board to return to the main base after relieving wild's party. i resolved, therefore, to wait _as long as possible_. as a result of a consultation with madigan and bage, i had a provisional notice drafted, to be posted up in the hut on january . this notice was to the effect that the non-arrival of the leader's party rendered it necessary to prepare for the establishment of a relief expedition at winter quarters and appointed bage, bickerton, hodgeman, jeffryes and mclean as members, under the command of madigan; to remain in antarctica for another year if necessary. on the same evening i went ashore to inspect the wireless mast, which was practically complete. the work had been done thoroughly and, provided the mast itself did not buckle, the stays were likely to hold. hannam, bickerton and jeffryes were busy placing the engine and instruments in position. i then went up the slope for about a mile. the winter quarters looked like a heap of stones; boundless ice rose up to the southern skyline; the dark water to the north was broken by an occasional berg or the ice-covered islands. this wonderful region of ice and sea looks beautiful on a fine day. but what a terrible, vast solitude, constantly swept by icy winds and drift, stretches away to the south! a party will go out to-morrow to visit the depot at the top of the slope. this is the seventh day we have been waiting and hoping to welcome the absentees! on the rd the breeze was very strong in the forenoon, but the wind moderated about p.m., when the launch was able to leave for the shore. we could see a search party (hodgeman, stillwell, and correll) marching against a strong south-east wind on their way to examine the depot at aladdin's cave and its vicinity. though there was a moderate south-easter blowing, communication with the land went on during the day. i went ashore early, but the search party did not return until noon. they had remained at aladdin's cave overnight and marched farther south next morning, approaching a line of dense drift, without seeing anything. it was arranged that another party of three men should start next morning (january ) and, going in a southeasterly direction, make a search for five days, laying a depot at their farthest point. hodgeman, hurley and mclean made preparations to set out. i left instructions that a flag should be flown on the wireless mast if dr. mawson returned. i now went through the supplies of provisions and coal which were to be landed for the use of the relief party. i intended to try and have everything on shore by january , taking advantage of any short interval of fair weather to send a boatload to the landing-place. on the th there was a hard south-east gale blowing until the afternoon, when it moderated sufficiently to send off the launch with thirteen bags of coal, gillies being in charge. the boat harbour was reached in safety, the wind freshening to a gale before p.m. terrific gusts followed in rapid succession and, without warning, the cable parted sixty fathoms from the anchor at p.m. having cleared the reefs to leeward, we managed to get in the rest of the chain and then stood along the coast to the north-west. by keeping about three miles from the shore, we seemed to be beyond the reach of the more violent gusts, but a short sea holding the ship broadside to the wind during the squalls, rendered it difficult to maintain a fixed course. with reefs and bergs around, the increasing darkness about midnight made our position unpleasant. the engines had to be stopped and the ship allowed to drift with the wind, owing to a bearing becoming hot, but in a quarter of an hour they were moving once more. early on january the 'aurora' was about half-way between winter quarters and the western point of commonwealth bay, when the wind suddenly ceased, and then came away light from the north-west. we could see that a south-east gale was still raging close inshore. over the sea, towards the north, dark clouds were scudding with great rapidity along the horizon: the scene of a violent disturbance. we returned towards our late anchorage. on reaching it, the south-east wind had moderated considerably, and we let go our spare anchor and what had been saved of the chain. to the north, violent gusts appeared to be travelling in various directions, but, to our astonishment, these gusts, after approaching our position at a great rate, appeared to curve upwards; the water close to the ship was disturbed, and nothing else. this curious phenomenon lasted for about an hour and then the wind came with a rush from the south-east, testing the anchor-chain in the more furious squalls. the gale was in its third day on the th, and there was a "hurricane sky" during the morning. the wind would die away, only to blow more fiercely than before. the suddenness with which the changes occurred may be gathered from the following extracts from my journal: "january . a.m. a whole gale blowing from the south-east. " a.m. light airs from north to east. launch taking coal ashore. " a.m. last cargo of coal had just left ship when the wind freshened from the south-east. the launch had just got inside the boat harbour when a terrific gust struck the vessel and our chain parted. we were blown out to sea while heaving in thirty fathoms of chain which remained. " p.m. we have been steaming backwards and forwards until the wind died away. the launch has just come off and taken another load of stores to the boat harbour. " p.m. the weather is moderating with rising barometer. nearly everything required by the relief party is now ashore. two or three trips will take the remainder. "we shall steam about for a few hours, and make the anchorage early to-morrow morning." next morning a kedge-anchor (about five hundred-weights) was lowered with the remainder of the chain. for a time this held the ship, but a gust of wind from the southeast caused it to drag. it was, therefore, hauled up and, on coming to the surface, was seen to have lost a fluke. all equipment, coal and food were now on shore for the use of the relief party. i had given them everything that could be spared from the provisions set apart for the use of the ship's company. next day i purposed to cruise along the coast to the east, if the weather were clear. january was fine, so we steamed off at . a.m. as no flag was seen on the wireless mast, we knew that dr. mawson had not returned. a course was kept two or three miles from the ice-cliffs beyond the fringe of rocky islets. at a.m. on the th we were alongside the mertz glacier and reached the head of the bay at the confluence of glacier with land-ice. mount murchison was only dimly visible, but the weather was clear along the glacier-tongue. signals were fired and a big kite flown at a height of about five hundred feet to attract attention on shore in case the missing party were near. " . p.m. we are now about half a mile from the head of the inlet. from the appearance of the country (heavily crevassed) approach to the sea by a sledging-party would be extremely difficult. there is no floe-ice at the foot of the cliff. " . p.m. we are approaching the end of the glacier-tongue around which there is a collection of pack. there is some drift ahead and it is difficult to see far. we have passed the eastern limit of coast to be searched. " . p.m. the glacier-tongue is trending to the east and a line of heavy pack extends to the north, with many large bergs. no sign of flag or signal on the end of the barrier. "january . we left the glacier-tongue at a.m. and steered back to winter quarters. "at noon we could see madigan nunatak, a rocky patch, high up on the slope. " . p.m. sighted the large grounded berg, fifteen miles from the main base. " p.m. off main base. there is no flag to be seen on the wireless mast! "dr. mawson's party is now sixteen days overdue; there must be something seriously amiss. but from our examination of the line of coast as far as degrees ' south, degrees ' east, there does not appear to be any probability of finding traces along the shore line at the base of vertical ice-cliffs." no communication with the shore was possible until the wind, which had again risen, had moderated. we could just stand off and on until a favourable opportunity occurred. once the returning ten members of the expedition were embarked it was imperative to hasten towards wild's base. a week's gale in commonwealth bay! the seven days which followed i do not think any of us will forget. from february to it blew a continuous heavy gale, interrupted only when the wind increased to a full hurricane ** (eighty miles an hour). ** * the maximum wind-velocity recorded at this time by the anemometer on shore was approximately eighty miles an hour. we endeavoured to maintain a position under the cliffs where the sea had not room to become heavy. this entailed a constant struggle, as, with a full head of steam during the squalls, the vessel drove steadily seaward to where the rising waves broke on board and rendered steering more perplexing. then, when it had moderated to a mere "howl," we would crawl back, only to be driven out again by the next squall. the blinding spray which was swept out in front of the squalls froze solidly on board and lent additional difficulty to the operation of "wearing ship." it was on this occasion that we realized what a fine old vessel the 'aurora' was, and, as we slowly moved back to shelter, could appreciate how efficiently our engine-room staff under gillies were carrying out their duties. the ordinary steaming speed was six knots, yet for the whole of this week, without a hitch, the ship was being driven at an equivalent of ten knots. the fact of having this reserve power undoubtedly saved us from disaster. a typical entry from my diary reads: "february . just as the sun was showing over the ice-slopes this morning ( a.m.) the wind became very violent with the most terrific squalls i have ever experienced. vessel absolutely unmanageable, driving out to sea. i was expecting the masts to go overboard every minute. this was the worst, i think, lasting about two hours. at a.m., still blowing very hard but squalls less violent, gradually made shelter during the morning...." on february the weather improved after a.m. the gusts were less violent and the lulls were of longer duration. at a.m. there was only a gentle breeze. we steamed in towards the boat harbour and signalled for the launch to come off with the ten members of the shore-party. the latter had been instructed to remain at the hut until the vessel was ready to sail. here, while the gale had been in full career, they had helped to secure enough seal and penguin-meat to keep the relief party and their dogs for another year. the good-byes were brief while the launch discharged the men and their belongings. instructions were handed over to madigan directing him to follow the course believed to have been taken by dr. mawson and to make an exhaustive search, commencing as soon as the 'aurora' left commonwealth bay. madigan gave me a letter containing a report of the work done by the party which had left on the th. it appears that they had been confined in aladdin's cave for twenty-four hours by dense drift and then, in moderate drift, made four miles to the south-east. here they camped and were not able to move for thirty-six hours in a high wind with thick snow. on the th the drift decreased in amount and, though it was only possible to see a few hundred yards and crevasses were frequent, they kept a course of east degrees south for six miles. a snow-mound was built and on top of it were placed provisions and a note giving the bearing and distance from aladdin's cave. in the afternoon the wind subsided and it became clear. eight miles on the same course brought them to their farthest camp, twenty-three miles from the hut. a mound of eleven feet was erected here, provisions and a note being left and some black bunting wound among the snow-blocks. the depot was on a ridge and, with glasses, several miles could be swept to the south-east. the party consisted of mclean, hodgeman and hurley. de la motte and hannam took the relief party ashore in the launch and, as soon as they had returned--at . a.m.--we steamed out of the bay. the weather had calmed and there were light airs and a smooth sea. the members of the relief party were as follows: c. t. madigan (leader), r. bage, f. h. bickerton, a. j. hodgeman, dr. a. l. mclean and s. n. jeffryes (wireless operator). the remaining ten members of the main base party returned to australia: j. h. close, p. e. correll, w. h. hannam, j. g. hunter, j. f. hurley, c. f. laseron, h. d. murphy, f. l. stillwell, e. n. webb and dr. l. a. whetter. throughout the afternoon we steered north-west and at . p.m. were approaching heavy pack. just then hannam received a wireless message from the main base informing us that dr. mawson had reached the hut alone, his two comrades having perished, and instructing me to return at once and pick up all hands. we turned round and steered back immediately. at a.m. on february the ship entered commonwealth bay steaming against a strong southerly breeze with some snow. we were right up near the anchorage about noon and the pilot jack could be seen flying from the wireless mast. instructions were signalled for, but our efforts were unobserved. we then steamed to and fro across the bay. at p.m. it was blowing a hard gale and showed signs of becoming worse. at p.m. the wind was growing in strength and the barometer was falling. not having received any reply to my signal for instructions, i felt it was necessary to decide whether i was justified in remaining any longer. after considering the position in all its bearings i decided to sail westward without further delay and for the following reasons: . dr. mawson and his companions were in safety, comfortably housed and fully equipped for another winter. . any further delay was seriously endangering our chance of being able to relieve wild's party that year. the navigation of the fifteen hundred miles to the shackleton ice-shelf was becoming, daily, more dangerous on account of the shortness of daylight and the conditions of the ice. . the only vessel which had wintered in the vicinity of the western base (the 'gauss') had been frozen in as early in the season as february , spending more than twelve months in the ice. the 'aurora' was not provisioned for a winter in the ice. . it had been ascertained from the records at the main base that gales were often protracted at the close of the short summer season. we had just experienced one such gale, lasting seven days. . as a seaman, i had realized the difficulties encountered in approaching and getting away from the western base in . it was then three weeks later in the year. i felt convinced that in leaving the main base, without further delay, i was acting as dr. mawson would have wished, if i had been able to acquaint him with the position of the western party. at . p.m. we steamed out of the bay, the wind moderating as the ship got well out to sea. at midnight there was a moderate breeze from the south, with some snow. on february heavy pack was met, about fifty miles north of commonwealth bay. after coasting along its margin for a while, we pushed among the floes and, after three hours, reached a patch of fairly open water about p.m. one hour later a large ice-formation was sighted, which tallied with that met on january of the previous year ( ) and which, on this occasion, was no longer in its original position. we came to the conclusion that the whole must have drifted about fifty miles to the north-west during the intervening year. the face of this huge berg, along which the 'aurora' coasted, was about forty miles in length. hannam heard fragments of a message from dr. mawson during the evening. the words, "crevasse," "ninnis," "mertz," "broken" and "cable" were picked up. good progress was made on the th against a high westerly sea. the sun set in a clear sky and the barometer was slowly rising. our position was evidently north of the pack and, if unimpeded by ice, there was a chance of the ship arriving at her destination in time. poor headway was made for nearly three days against an adverse wind and sea. then, late on the th, a breeze sprang up from the east-south-east and, under all sail, the 'aurora' made seven knots. next morning we were driving along before an easterly gale in thick snow, and at noon the day's run was one hundred and eighty miles. the journal describes the following week: "february . the weather cleared up this morning and the sun came out, enabling us to fix our position. "we are doing about eight knots under topsails and foresail. the sky looked threatening this evening but improved considerably before midnight. "february . there were frequent snow squalls today, making it difficult to see. only a few scattered pieces of ice were about. "february . bright, clear weather to-day enabled us to get good observations. there are a great many 'blue whales' round the ship, and the many bergs in sight are suggestive of heavy pack to the south. a great many petrels and cape pigeons have been seen. "february . the ship was brought up this morning at . by a line of heavy pack extending across the course. the weather was misty, but cleared up before noon. we have been obliged to steer a northerly course along the edge of the pack. "the margin of this pack is some sixty miles farther north than that which we followed in . "at midnight we were steering north-north-west; many bergs in sight and a line of pack to port. "february . at daylight we were able to steer southwest, being at noon about twenty miles north of termination ice-tongue. pushing through the looser edge of pack for a couple of hours we saw the loom of the ice-tongue to the southward. the pack becoming closer, we turned back to the north in order to try and push through farther west, where the sky looked more promising. "at dark we were in a patch of clear water, with ice all around. it began to snow and, as the wind remained a light easterly, the ship was allowed to drift until daylight. "february . the morning was very foggy up till a.m. we steered west until noon and then entered the pack; there was a promising sky towards the south. fair progress was made through the ice, which became looser as we advanced to the south. at p.m. we passed through leads by moonlight, having a favourable run throughout the night. "february . at a.m. the wind freshened from the south-east with some snow; the floes were getting heavier and the advent of a blizzard was not hailed with joy. about noon the ship approached open water and the snow ceased. "we were now on the confines of the sea of bergs where navigation had proved so dangerous in . "at p.m. the driving snow and growing darkness made it impossible to see any distance ahead. the next seven hours were the most anxious i have ever spent at sea. although the wind blew hard from the south-east, we passed through the sea of bergs without mishap, guided and protected by a higher power. "february . at a.m. the loom of an ice-tongue was sighted and we were soon standing in to follow this feature until we reached the shackleton shelf. "at a.m. we found that we were some miles south of our reckoning. "at a.m. we sighted a depot-flag on the slope. soon after the ship was up to the fast floe at the head of the bay, the ice being nearly a mile farther north than on the previous year. in fact, the ice-conditions as a whole had changed considerably. "at noon we reached the base and found the party all well." wild and his comrades were as glad to see the 'aurora' as we were to see them. they had commenced to lay in a stock of seal-meat fearing that they might have to pass another winter on the glacier. all the afternoon every one was busy getting baggage on board and watering ship. the weather was good and i had intended to sail on the same evening by moonlight, following the glacier-tongue northward in clear water for sixty miles. as we turned northward, "all well" on board, i felt truly thankful that wild's party had been relieved and anxiety on their account was now at an end. the party included f. wild (leader), g. dovers, c. t. harrisson, c. a. hoadley, dr. s. e. jones, a. l. kennedy, m. h. moyes and a. d. watson. early on the th there was a fresh easterly breeze, while the ship steamed among fields of bergs, for the most part of glacier-ice. it is marvellous how a vessel can pass through such an accumulation in the dark and come off with only a few bumps! pack consisting of heavy broken floe-ice was entered at four o'clock on the same day, and at a.m. on the th we were clear of it, steering once more among bergs, many of which were earth-stained. the day was remarkably fine with light winds and a smooth sea. after we had passed through three hundred miles of berg-strewn ocean, large masses of ice, water-worn in most instances, were still numerous, and on february , though our position was north of the th parallel, they were just beginning to diminish in numbers. at noon on that day a sounding was made in two thousand two hundred and thirty fathoms. any hope we may have had of steaming to the east with the object of attempting to relieve the seven men at adelie land had to be definitely abandoned on account of the small supply of coal which remained. there was now a clear run of two thousand miles through the zone of westerly gales and high seas, and on march we reached port esperance. mr. eitel, secretary of the expedition, landed here and caught the steamer dover to hobart. we heard of the disaster to captain scott and it was learned that wireless messages had been received from dr. mawson, which had been forwarded on to australia through the macquarie island party. chapter xix the western base--establishment and early adventures by f. wild at a.m. on february , , the 'aurora' steamed away to the north leaving us on the shackleton ice-shelf, while cheers and hearty good wishes were exchanged with the ship's company. on the sea-ice, that day, there stood with me my comrades--the western party; g. dovers, c. t. harrisson, c. a. hoadley, s. e. jones, a. l. kennedy, m. h. moyes and a. d. watson. we proceeded to the top of the cliff, where the remainder of the stores and gear were hauled up. tents were then erected and the work of hut-building at once commenced. the site selected for our home was six hundred and forty yards inland from the spot where the stores were landed, and, as the edge of the glacier was very badly broken, i was anxious to get a supply of food, clothing and fuel moved back from the edge to safety as soon as possible. of the twenty-eight greenland dogs that had reached antarctica in the 'aurora', nineteen were landed in adelie land and nine with us. so far, none of these had been broken in for sledging, and all were in poor condition. their quarters on the ship had been very cramped, and many times they had been thoroughly soaked in salt water, besides enduring several blizzards in antarctic waters. harrisson, hoadley, kennedy and jones "turned the first sod" in the foundations of the hut, while dovers, moyes, watson and i sledged along supplies of timber and stores. inward from the brink of the precipice, which was one hundred feet in height, the surface was fairly good for sledges, but, owing to crevasses and pressure-ridges, the course was devious and mostly uphill. until the building was completed, the day's work commenced at a.m., and, with only half an hour for a midday meal, continued until p.m. fortunately, the weather was propitious during the seven days when the carpenters and joiners ruled the situation; the temperature ranging from - degrees f. to degrees f., while a moderate blizzard interrupted one day. the chief trouble was that the blizzard deposited six feet of snow around the stack of stores and coal at the landing-place, thereby adding considerably to our labour. as evidence of the force of the wind, the floe was broken and driven out past the foot of the "flying-fox," tearing away the lower anchor and breaking the sheer-legs on the glacier. an average day's work on the stores consisted in bringing thirteen loads over a total distance of nine and a half miles. first of all, the cases had to be dug out of the snow-drifts, and loading and unloading the sledges was scarcely less arduous. on february , while working on the roof, harrisson made an addition to our geographical knowledge. well to the north of the mainland, and bearing a little north of east, he could trace the outline of land. subsequently this was proved to be an island, thirty-two miles distant, and seventeen miles north of the mainland. it was twenty miles long and fifteen miles wide, being entirely ice-covered. later on, it was charted as masson island. on the th, the hut was fit for habitation, the stove was installed, and meals were cooked and eaten in moderate comfort. the interior of the house was twenty feet square, but its area was reduced by a lobby entrance, three feet by five feet, a dark-room three feet by six feet situated on one side, and my cabin six feet six inches square in one corner. the others slept in seven bunks which were ranged at intervals round the walls. of the remaining space, a large portion was commodiously occupied by the stove and table. on three sides, the roof projected five feet beyond the walls and formed a veranda which was boarded up, making an excellent store-room and work-room. this was a splendid idea of dr. mawson's, enabling us to work during the severest storms when there was no room in the hut, and incidentally supplying extra insulation and rendering the inside much warmer. the main walls and roof were double and covered with weather-proof felt. daylight was admitted through four plate-glass skylights in the roof. a blizzard effectually prevented outdoor work on february , and all hands were employed in the hut, lining the roof and walls and fixing shelves for cooking and other utensils. an attack was made on the transport of stores next day. as a result of twelve hours' work, five and a half tons of coal were dragged up and stowed under the veranda. it was hoadley's birthday, and the cook made a special feature of the dinner. with extra dainties like figs, cake and a bottle of wine, we felt that the occasion was fitly celebrated. on march , more stores were amassed round the house; hoadley, harrisson and i doing odd jobs inside, opening cans, sorting out stores, fitting bunks, shelves and the acetylene gas plant. while undoing some packages of small boards, hoadley found that a space had been arranged in the centre of one of the bundles, and a box of cigars inserted by some of the men originally employed upon the construction of the hut in melbourne. enclosed was a letter of hearty good wishes. during the afternoon, dovers and kennedy lowered a small sledge down to the floe and brought up a seal and three adelie penguins. these served for a while as fresh food for ourselves and the dogs. sunday march was the finest day we had up till then experienced, and, since the work was now sufficiently advanced to make us comparatively comfortable and safe, i determined to make a proper sunday of it. all hands were called at . a.m. instead of a.m. after breakfast a few necessary jobs were done and at noon a short service was held. when lunch was over, the skis were unpacked, and all went for a run to the east in the direction of masson island. the glacier's surface was excellent for travelling, but i soon found that it would be dangerous to walk about alone without skis, as there were a number of crevasses near the hut, some of considerable size; i opened one twenty-five feet wide. they were all well bridged and would support a man on skis quite easily. a heavy gale, with falling snow and blinding drift, came on early the next day and continued for forty-eight hours; our worst blizzard up to that time. the temperature, below zero before the storm, rose with the wind to degrees f. inside, all were employed preparing for a sledging trip i intended to make to the mainland before the winter set in. we were greatly handicapped by the want of a sewing machine.** when unpacked, the one which had been brought was found to be without shuttles, spools and needles. large canvas bags, made to contain two weeks' provisions for a sledging unit of three men, were in the equipment, but the smaller bags of calico for the different articles of food had to be sewn by hand. several hundred of these were required, and altogether the time consumed in making them was considerable. ** by accident the small sewing machine belonging to wild's party was landed at the main base--ed. emerging on the morning of the th. after the blizzard had blown itself out, we found that snow-drifts to a depth of twelve feet had collected around the hut. for entrance and exit, a shaft had to be dug and a ladder made. the stores, stacked in heaps close by, were completely covered, and another blizzard swooping down on the th made things still worse. this "blow," persisting till the morning of the th, was very heavy, the wind frequently attaining velocities judged to reach ninety miles per hour, accompanied by drift so thick that it was impossible to go outside for anything. beyond the erection of the wireless masts, everything was now ready for the sledging journey. on the day when the wind abated, a party set to work digging holes for the masts and stay-posts. the former were to be fifty-two feet high, four and a half feet being buried in the ice. unfortunately, a strong breeze with thick drift sprang up just as hoisting operations had started, and in a few minutes the holes were filled up and the workers had to run for shelter. meanwhile, four men had succeeded in rescuing all the buried stores, some being stowed alongside the hut, and the remainder stacked up again on a new level. on came another severe blizzard, which continued with only a few minutes' interval until the evening of the th. during the short lull, jones, dovers and hoadley took a sledge for a load of ice from a pressure-ridge rather less than two hundred yards from the hut. while they were absent, the wind freshened again, and they had great difficulty in finding a way to the entrance. it was very disappointing to be delayed in this manner, but there was consolation in the fact that we were better off in the hut than on the glacier, and that there was plenty of work inside. the interior was thus put in order much earlier than it would otherwise have been. in erecting the hut, it was found that a case of nuts and bolts was missing, and many places in the frame had in consequence to be secured with nails. for a while i was rather doubtful how the building would stand a really heavy blow. there was, however, no need for uneasiness, as the first two blizzards drifted snow to such a depth in our immediate vicinity that, even with the wind at hurricane force, there was scarcely a tremor in the building. the morning of wednesday march was calm and overcast. breakfast was served at six o'clock. we then set to work and cleared away the snow from the masts and stay-posts, so that by . a.m. both masts were in position. before the job was over, a singular sight was witnessed. a large section of the glacier--many thousands of tons--calved off into the sea. the tremendous waves raised by the fall of this mass smashed into fragments all the floe left in the bay. with the sea-ice went the snow-slopes which were the natural roadway down. a perpendicular cliff, sixty to one hundred feet above the water, was all that remained, and our opportunities of obtaining seals and penguins in the future were cut off. of course, too, the old landing-place no longer existed. the whole of the sledging provisions and gear were brought out, weighed and packed on the sledges; the total weight being one thousand two hundred and thirty-three pounds. dovers, harrisson, hoadley, jones, moyes and myself were to constitute the party. it was necessary for two men to remain behind at the base to keep the meteorological records, to wind chronometers, to feed the dogs and to bring up the remainder of the stores from the edge of the ice-cliff. kennedy, the magnetician, had to stay, as two term days** were due in the next month. it was essential that we should have a medical man with us, so jones was included in the sledging party; the others drawing lots to decide who should remain with kennedy. the unlucky one was watson. ** days set apart by previous arrangement for magnetic "quick runs." to the south of the base, seventeen miles distant at the nearest point, the mainland was visible, entirely ice-clad, running almost due east and west. it appeared to rise rapidly to about three thousand feet, and then to ascend more gradually as the great plateau of the antarctic continent. it was my intention to travel inland beyond the lower ice-falls, which extended in an irregular line of riven bluffs all along the coast, and then to lay a depot or depots which might be useful on the next season's journeys. another reason for making the journey was to give the party some experience in sledging work. the combined weight of both sledges and effects was one thousand two hundred and thirty-three pounds, and the total amount of food carried was four hundred and sixty pounds. while the sledges were being loaded, ten skua gulls paid us a visit, and, as roast skua is a very pleasant change of food, jones shot six of them. at p.m. we left the hut, making an east-south-east course to clear a pressure-ridge; altering the course once more to south-east. the coast in this direction looked accessible, whereas a line running due south would have brought us to some unpromising ice-falls by a shorter route. the surface was very good and almost free from crevasses; only one, into which jones fell to his middle, being seen during the afternoon's march. not wishing to do too much the first day, especially after the "soft" days we had been forced to spend in the hut during the spell of bad weather, i made two short halts in the afternoon and camped at p.m., having done seven and half miles. on the th we rose at a.m., and at a.m. we were on the march. for the two hours after starting, the surface was tolerable and then changed for the worse; the remainder of the day's work being principally over a hard crust, which was just too brittle to bear the weight of a man, letting him through to a soft substratum, six or eight inches deep in the snow. only those who have travelled in country like this can properly realize how wearisome it is. at a.m. the course was altered to south, as there appeared to be a fairly good track up the hills. the surface of the glacier rose and fell in long undulations which became wider and more marked as the land approached. by the time we camped, they were three-quarters of a mile from crest to crest, with a drop of thirty feet from crest to trough. despite the heavy trudging we covered more than thirteen miles. i made the marching hours a.m. to p.m., so that there was time to get the evening meal before darkness set in; soon after p.m. the march commenced about seven o'clock on march , the thermometer registering - degrees f., while a light southerly breeze made it feel much colder. the exercise soon warmed us up and, when the breeze died away, the remainder of the day was perfectly calm. a surface of "pie-crust" cut down the mileage in the forenoon. at a.m. we encountered many crevasses, from two to five feet wide, with clean-cut sides and shaky bridges. hoadley went down to his head in one, and we all got our legs in others. it became evident after lunch that the land was nearing rapidly, its lower slopes obscuring the higher land behind. the crevasses also became wider, so i lengthened the harness with an alpine rope to allow more room and to prevent more than two men from being over a chasm at the same time. at p.m. we were confronted with one sixty feet wide. crevasses over thirty feet in width usually have very solid bridges and may be considered safe, but this one had badly broken edges and one hundred yards on the right the lid had collapsed. so instead of marching steadily across, we went over singly on the alpine rope and hauled the sledges along in their turn, when all had crossed in safety. immediately after passing this obstacle the grade became steeper, and, between three and five o'clock, we rose two hundred feet, traversing several large patches of neve. that night the tent stood on a field of snow covering the lower slopes of the hills. on either hand were magnificent examples of ice-falls, but ahead the way seemed open. with the exception of a preliminary stiffness, every one felt well after the toil of the first few days. in bright sunlight next morning all went to examine the ice-falls to the east, which were two miles away. roping up, we made an ascent half-way to the top which rose five hundred feet and commanded a grand panorama of glacier and coast. soon the wind freshened and drift began to fly. when we regained the tents a gale was blowing, with heavy drift, so there was nothing to do but make ourselves as comfortable as possible inside. all through saturday night the gale raged and up till . a.m. on sunday march . on turning out, we found that the tents and sledges were covered deeply in snow, and we dug continuously for more than two hours before we were able to pack up and get away. both sledges ran easily for nearly a mile over neve, when the gradient increased to one in ten, forcing us to relay. it was found necessary to change our finnesko for spiked boots. relaying regularly, we gradually mounted six hundred feet over neve and massive sastrugi. with a steep slope in front, a halt was made for the night. the sunset was a picture of prismatic colours reflected over the undulating ice-sheet and the tumbling cascades of the glacier. on the evening of march the altitude of our camp was one thousand four hundred and ten feet, and the slope was covered with sastrugi ridges, three to four feet in height. travelling over these on the following day we had frequent capsizes. the outlook to the south was a series of irregular terraces, varying from half a mile to two miles in breadth and twenty to two hundred feet in height. these were furrowed by small valleys and traversed by ridges, but there was not a sign of rock anywhere. the temperature varied from degrees to degrees f. during the day, and the minimum recorded at night was - degrees f. another nine miles of slow ascent brought us to two thousand feet, followed by a rise of two hundred and twenty feet in seven and three-quarter miles on march . hauling over high broken sastrugi was laborious enough to make every one glad when the day was over. the rations were found sufficient, but the plasmon biscuits were so hard that they had to be broken with a geological hammer. there now swept down on us a blizzard** which lasted for a whole week, on the evening of march . according to my diary, the record is as follows: "friday, march . snowing heavily all day, easterly wind: impossible to travel as nothing can be seen more than ten to twelve yards away. temperature high, degrees to degrees f. ** it is a singular fact that this blizzard occurred on the same date as that during which captain scott and his party lost their lives. "saturday, march . blowing hard at turn-out time, so did not breakfast until . . dovers is cook in my tent this week. he got his clothes filled up with snow while bringing in the cooker, food-bag, etc. the wind increased to a fierce gale during the day, and all the loose snow which fell yesterday was shifted. "about p.m. the snow was partially blown away from the skirt or ground cloth, and the tent bulged in a good deal. i got into burberries and went out to secure it; it was useless to shovel on snow as it was blown off immediately. i therefore dragged the food-bags off the sledge and dumped them on. the wind and drift were so strong that i had several times to get in the lee of the tent to recover my breath and to clear the mask of snow from my face. "we are now rather crowded through the tent bulging in so much, and having cooker and food-bag inside. "sunday, march . had a very bad night. the wind was chopping about from south-east to north and blowing a hurricane. one side of the tent was pressed in past the centre, and i had to turn out and support it with bag lashings. then the ventilator was blown in and we had a pile of snow two feet high over the sleeping-bags; this kept us warm, but it was impossible to prevent some of it getting into the bags, and now we are very wet and the bags like sponges. there were quite two hundredweights of snow on us; all of which came through a hole three inches wide. "according to report from the other tent they are worse off than we are; they say they have four feet of snow in the tent. all this is due to the change of wind, making the ventilator to windward instead of leeward. "march , and . blizzard still continues, less wind but more snowfall. "thursday, march . heavy falling snow and drift, south-east wind. at noon, the wind eased down and snow ceased falling, so we slipped into our burberry over-suits and climbed out to dig for the sledges. "nothing could be seen except about two feet of the tops of the tents, which meant that there was a deposit of five feet of freshly fallen snow. the upper two feet was soft and powdery, offering no resistance; under that it was still soft, so that we sank to our thighs every step and frequently to the waist. by . p.m. both sledges were rescued, and it was ascertained that no gear had been lost. we all found that the week of idleness and confinement had weakened us, and at first were only able to take short spells at the digging. the sky and barometer promise fine weather to-morrow, but what awful work it will be pulling!" at . a.m. on march the weather was bright and calm. as a strong wind had blown throughout the night, a harder surface was expected. outside, we were surprised to find a fresh wind and thick, low drift; owing to the tents being snowed up so high, the threshing of the drift was not audible. to my disgust the surface was as soft as ever. it appeared that the only resort was to leave the provisions for the depot on the nearest ridge and return to the base. the temperature was - degrees f., and, while digging out the tents, dovers had his nose frost-bitten. it took six of us well over an hour to drag the necessary food half a mile up a rise of less than one hundred feet; the load, sledge included, not being five hundred pounds. nearly all the time we were sinking thigh-deep, and the sledge itself was going down so far that the instrument-box was pushing a mass of snow in front of it. arriving on the ridge, moyes found that his foot was frozen and he had to go back to camp, as there was too much wind to bring it round in the open. sufficient food and oil were left at this depot for three men for six weeks; also a minimum thermometer. in a fresh breeze and flying drift we were off at a.m. next day. at first we were ambitious and moved away with two sledges, sinking from two to three feet all the time. forty yards was as much as we could do without a rest, and by lunch time nine hundred yards was the total. now the course was downhill, and the two sledges were pulled together, creeping along with painful slowness, as walking was the hardest work imaginable. after one of the most strenuous days i have ever experienced, we camped; the sledge-meter recorded one mile four hundred and fifty yards. a spell of two days' blizzard cooped us up once more, but improved the surface slightly. still, it was dreadfully soft, and, but for the falling gradient, we would not have made what we did; five miles six hundred and ten yards, on april . on that and the following day it was fortunate that the road chosen was free of crevasses. at the foot of the hills i had decided to reduce the rations but, as the track had grown firm once more, and we were only twenty-five miles from the hut, with a week's food, i thought it would be safe to use the full allowance. soon after leaving the hills (april ), a direct course to the hut was made. there was no mark by which to steer, except a "water-sky" to the north, the hinterland being clouded over. during the afternoon, the sun occasionally gleamed through a tract of cirro-stratus cloud and there was a very fine parhelion: signs of an approaching blizzard. at . p.m. we had done seventeen and a half miles, and, as all hands were fresh and willing, i decided to have a meal and go on again, considering that the moon was full and there were only six miles to be done. after supper the march was continued till . p.m., by which time we were due for a rest. i had begun to think that we had passed the hut. april was far from being a good friday for us. at a.m. a fresh breeze rose and rapidly increased to a heavy gale. at a.m. hoadley and i had to go out to secure the tent; the weather-side bulged in more than half the width of the tent and was held by a solid load of drift, but the other sides were flapping so much that almost all the snow had been shaken off the skirt. though only five yards away from it we could not see the other tent. at noon hoadley again went out to attend to the tent and entirely lost himself within six feet of it. he immediately started to yell and i guessed what was the matter at once. dovers and i shouted our best, and hoadley groped his way in with a mask of snow over his face. he told us that the wind which was then blowing a good eighty miles an hour, knocked him down immediately he was outside, and, when he struggled to his feet again, he could see nothing and had no idea in what direction lay the tent. the space inside was now so limited by the combined pressure of wind and snow that we did not light the primus, eating lumps of frozen pemmican for the evening meal. the blizzard continued with unabated violence until eleven o'clock next morning, when it moderated within an hour to half a gale. we turned out and had a good hot meal. then we looked to see how the others had fared and found that their tent had collapsed. getting at once into wind-proof clothing, we rushed out and were horrified to see harrisson in his bag on the snow. he quickly assured us that he was all right. after carrying him, bag and all, into our tent, he emerged quite undamaged, but very hungry. jones and moyes now had to be rescued; they were in a most uncomfortable position under the fallen tent. it appears that the tent had blown down on the previous morning at ten o'clock, and for thirty-six hours they had had nothing to eat. we did not take long to dig them out. the wind dropped to a moderate breeze, and, through the falling snow, i could make out a "water-sky" to the west. the three unfortunates said that they felt fit to travel, so we got under way. the surface was soft and the pulling very heavy, and i soon saw that the strain was largely due to the weakness of the three who had been without food. calling a halt, i asked jones if it would do to go on; he assured me that they could manage to go on with an effort, and the march was resumed. not long after, dovers sighted the wireless mast, and a quarter of an hour later we were safely in the hut, much to the surprise of kennedy and watson, who did not expect us to be travelling in such weather, and greatly to our own relief. according to the sledge-meter, the last camp had only been two miles one hundred yards from home, and if anything had been visible on the night of april , we could have got in easily. i was very pleased with the way all the party had shaped. they had worked splendidly and were always cheerful, although conditions had been exceptionally trying during this journey. no one was any the worse for the hardships, except for a few blistered fingers from frost-bites. the party lost weight at the average of two and a half pounds; harrisson was the greatest loser, being reduced six pounds. out of the twenty-five days we were away, it was only possible to sledge on twelve days. the total distance covered, including relay work, was nearly one hundred and twenty-two miles, and the greatest elevation reached on the southern mainland was two thousand six hundred feet above sea-level. kennedy and watson had been very busy during our absence. in a few days they had trained five of the dogs to pull in harness, and transported the remainder of the stores from the landing-place, arranging them in piles round the hut. the weather at the base had been quite as bad as that experienced by us on the land slopes. in the first blizzard both wireless masts were broken down. watson and kennedy managed to repair and re-erect one of the masts, but it was only thirty-seven feet in height. any final hopes of hearing wireless signals were dispelled by the discovery that the case containing the detector and several other parts necessary for a receiving-station were missing. watson had fitted up a splendid dark-room, as well as plenty of shelves and racks for cooking utensils. kennedy was able to secure a series of observations on one of his term days, but, before the next one, the tent he was using was blown to ribbons. chapter xx the western base--winter and spring on easter sunday, april , , a furious blizzard kept us close prisoners. to meet the occasion, dovers prepared a special dinner, the principal item being roast mutton, from one of the six carcases landed with the stores. divine service was held in the forenoon. the blizzard raged with such force all sunday and monday that i dared not let any one go out to feed the dogs, although we found, later, that a fast of three days did not hurt them at all. i now thought it time to establish a winter routine. each member had his particular duties to perform, in addition to general work, in which all hands were engaged. harrisson took charge of the lamps and checked consumption of oil. hoadley had the care of the provisions, making out lists showing the amount the cook might use of each article of food, besides opening cases and stowing a good assortment on convenient shelves in the veranda. jones and kennedy worked the acetylene plant. in connexion with this, i should mention that several parts were missing, including t-pieces for joints and connexions for burners. however jones, in addition to his ability as a surgeon, showed himself to be an excellent plumber, brazier and tinsmith, and the hut was well lighted all the time we occupied it. moyes's duties as meteorologist took him out at all hours. watson looked after the dogs, while dovers relieved other members when they were cooks. the duty of cook was taken for a week at a time by every one except myself. a night watch was kept by each in turn. the watchman went on duty at p.m., usually taking advantage of this night to have a bath and wash his clothes. he prepared breakfast, calling all hands at . a.m. for this meal at nine o'clock. the cook for the week was exempt from all other work. in the case of kennedy, whose magnetic work was done principally at night, arrangements were made to assist him with the cooking. work commenced during the winter months at ten o'clock and, unless anything special had to be done, finished at p.m., when lunch was served. the afternoon was usually devoted to sport and recreation. the frequent blizzards and heavy snowfall had by this time buried the hut so deeply that only the top of the pointed roof was visible and all the outside stores were covered. my diary for april says: "the blizzard" (which had commenced on the evening of the th) "played itself out during the night and we got to work immediately after breakfast. there was still a fresh breeze and low drift, but this gradually died away. "we were an hour digging an exit from the hut. the day has been occupied in cutting a tunnel entrance, forty feet long, through the drift, so that driving snow cannot penetrate, and we shall be able to get out with less trouble. "as we get time i intend to excavate caverns in the huge drifts packed round the house and stow all our stores inside; also a good supply of ice for use during blizzards. "i had intended to make a trip to masson island before the winter properly set in, but with the weather behaving as it does, i don't think it would be wise." the th, th and th being fine, good progress was made in digging out store-rooms on either side of the tunnel, but a blizzard on the th and th stopped us again. on going to feed the dogs during the afternoon of the th, watson found that nansen was dead; this left us with seven, as crippen had already died. of the remainder, only four were of any value; sweep and the two bitches, tiger and tich, refusing to do anything in harness, and, as there was less than sufficient food for them, the two latter had to be shot. sweep would have shared the same fate but he disappeared, probably falling down a crevasse or over the edge of the glacier. until the end of april almost all our time was spent in making store-rooms and in searching for buried stores; sometimes a shaft would have to be sunk eight to twelve feet. bamboo poles stuck in the snow marked the positions of the different stacks. the one marking the carbide was blown away, and it was two days before dovers finally unearthed it. by the th, caves roomy enough to contain everything were completed, all being connected by the tunnel. we were now self-contained, and everything was accessible and immune from the periodic blizzards. the entrance, by the way, was a trap-door built over the tunnel and raised well above the outside surface to prevent it being drifted over. from below it was approached by a ladder, but the end of the tunnel was left open, so that in fine weather we could run sledges in and out with loads of ice. with each blizzard the entrance was completely choked, and it gave two men a day's work to clear it out once more. on april kennedy had a term day. a fresh breeze was blowing and the temperature was - degrees f. some of his observations had to be taken in the open and the remainder in a tent. the series took three hours to complete and by that time he was thoroughly chilled through, his feet and fingers were frost-bitten and his language had grown more incisive than usual. between the th and the th we made a search for penguins and seals. hoadley and moyes staying behind, the rest of us with tents and equipment journeyed along the edge of the glacier to the south, without seeing the smallest sign of life. the edge of the shelf-ice was very much fissured, many of the breaches giving no sign of their presence, in consequence of which several falls were sustained. it should be remarked that the shackleton shelf-ice runs mainly in a southerly direction from the winter quarters, joining the mainland at a point, afterwards named junction corner. the map of queen mary land illustrates this at a glance. from the th to the th, kennedy, harrisson and jones were employed building an igloo to be used as a magnetic observatory. on the afternoon of the th, the magnetician invited every one to a tea-party in the igloo to celebrate the opening. he had the place very nicely decorated with flags, and after the reception and the formal inspection of the instruments, we were served with quite a good tea. the outside temperature was - degrees f. and it was not much higher inside the igloo. as a result, no one extended his visit beyond the bounds of politeness. on may , harrisson, hoadley and watson went away south towards the land at the head of the bay, which curved round to junction corner, to examine icebergs, take photographs and to search for seals. they took the four dogs with them and, as the load was a light one--three hundred and forty-two pounds--the dogs pulled it easily. i went with the others to the north, hoping that we might find a portion of the glacier low enough to give access to the sea-ice. there were several spots where the ice-cliffs were not more than forty to fifty feet high, but no convenient ramps led down from the cliffs. in any case neither penguins nor seals were to be had in the vicinity. a great, flat sheet of frozen sea stretched away to the north for quite thirty miles. may was fine, but the rd and th were windy once more and we had to remain indoors. saturday, the th, was clean-up day, when the verandas, tunnel and cave were swept and tidied, the stove cleaned, the hut and darkroom scrubbed and the windows cleared. the last was a job which was generally detested. during the week, the windows in the roof collected a coat of ice, from an inch to three inches thick, by condensation of moisture. chipping this off was a most tedious piece of work, while in the process one's clothes became filled with ice. one sunday, harrisson, hoadley and watson returned from their short trip; they had missed the strong winds which had been blowing at the base, although less than twenty miles away. some very fine old icebergs were discovered which were of interest to the two geologists and made good subjects for harrisson's sketches. watson had had a nasty fall while crossing a patch of rough ice, his nose being rather badly cut in the accident. on may another blizzard stopped all outside work. moyes ventured as far as the meteorological screen at noon and got lost, but luckily only for a short time. the barometer behaved very strangely during the blow, rising abruptly during a little more than an hour, and then slowly falling once more. for a few hours on the th there was a lull and the store of ice was replenished, but the th and th were again spent indoors, repairing and refitting tents, poles and other sledging gear during the working hours, and reading or playing chess and bridge in the leisure time. harrisson carved an excellent set of chessmen, distinguishing the "black" ones by a stain of permanganate of potash. bridge was the favourite game all through the winter, and a continuous record of the scores was kept. two medals were struck: a neat little thing for the highest scorer and a huge affair as large as a plate, slung on a piece of three-and-a-half-inch rope, with "jonah" inscribed on it, to be worn by the player at the foot of the list. divine service was held every sunday, moyes and i taking it in turn. there was only one hymn book amongst the party, which made it necessary to write out copies of the hymns each week. the sleeping-bags used on the first sledging journey had been hung up near the roof. they were now taken down to be thoroughly overhauled. as a consequence of their severe soaking, they had shrunk considerably and required enlarging. dovers's bag, besides contracting a good deal, had lost much hair and was cut up to patch the others. he received a spare one to replace it. may was a beautiful bright morning and i went over to an icy cape two miles southward, with harrisson, hoadley, dovers and watson, to find a road down to the sea-ice. here, we had good fortune at last, for, by following down a crevasse which opened out at sea-level into a magnificent cave, we walked straight out on to the level plain. along the edge of the glacier there was not even a seal's blow-hole. watson took some photos of the cave and cliff. it was kennedy's term night; the work keeping him in the igloo from p.m. until . a.m. he had had some difficulty in finding a means of warming the observatory--an urgent necessity, since he found it impossible to manipulate delicate magnetic instruments for three or four hours with the temperature from - degrees f. to - degrees f. the trouble was to make a non-magnetic lamp and the problem was finally solved by using one of the aluminium cooking pots; converting it into a blubber stove. the stove smoked a great deal and the white walls were soon besmirched with a layer of soot. the th, th and th were all calm but dull. one day i laid out a ten-hole golf course and with some homemade balls and hockey sticks for clubs played a game, not devoid of interest and excitement. during a blizzard which descended on the evening of the th, zip and sweep disappeared and on the st, a search on the glacier having been in vain, dovers and hoadley made their way down to the floe. they found zip well and hearty in spite of having had a drop of at least forty feet off the glacier. a further search for sweep proved fruitless. we were forced to conclude that he was either killed by falling over the precipice or he had gone far away hunting for penguins. the regular blizzard immured us on may , and ; the wind at times of terrific force, approaching one hundred miles per hour. it was impossible to secure meteorological observations or to feed the dogs until noon on the th. moyes and i went out during a slight cessation and, with the aid of a rope from the trap-door, managed to find the dogs, and gave them some biscuits. the drift was then so thick that six feet was as far as one could see. we did not forget empire day and duly "spliced the mainbrace." the most bigoted teetotaller could not call us an intemperate party. on each saturday night, one drink per man was served out, the popular toast being "sweethearts and wives." the only other convivial meetings of our small symposium were on the birthdays of each member, midwinter's day and king's birthday. on the th we were able to make an inventory of a whole series of damages effected outside. the dogs' shelter had entirely carried away; a short mast which had been erected some weeks previously as a holdfast for sledges was snapped off short and the sledges buried, and, worst of all, kennedy's igloo had parted with its roof, the interior being filled with snow, underneath which the instruments were buried. the dogs were, however, all quite well and lively. it was fortunate for them that the temperature always rose during the blizzards. at this period, when on fine days it was usual to experience - degrees to- degrees f., the temperature rose in the snowstorms to degrees or even degrees f. monday the th was beautifully clear. the tunnel entrance was opened and some of the party brought in ice while others undid the rope lashings which had been placed over the hut. this was so compactly covered in snow that the lashings were not required and i wanted to make a rope ladder to enable us to get down to the sea-ice and also to be used by watson and hoadley, who were about to dig a shaft in the glacier to examine the structure of the ice. fine weather continued until june . during this time we were occupied in digging a road from the glacier down to the sea-ice in the forenoons and hunting for seals or skiing in the afternoons. kennedy and harrisson rebuilt the magnetic igloo. a seal-hole was eventually found near the foot of the glacier and this was enlarged to enable the seals to come up. at the end of may, daylight lasted from a.m. until p.m., and the sunrise and sunset were a marvel of exquisite colour. the nightly displays of aurora australis were not very brilliant as the moon was nearing the full. on the days of blizzards, there was usually sufficient work to be found to keep us all employed. thus on june , watson and i were making a ladder, jones was contriving a harpoon for seals, hoadley was opening cases and stowing stores in the veranda, dovers cleaning tools, moyes repairing a thermograph and writing up the meteorological log, harrisson cooking and kennedy sleeping after a night-watch. between june and there was a remarkably fine spell. it was not calm all the time, as drift flew for a few days, limiting the horizon to a few hundred yards. an igloo was built as a shelter for those sinking the geological shaft, and seal-hunting was a daily recreation. on june , dovers and watson found a weddell seal two and a half miles to the west on the sea-ice. they killed the animal but did not cut it up as there were sores on the skin. jones went over with them afterwards and pronounced the sores to be wounds received from some other animal, so the meat was considered innocuous and fifty pounds were brought in, being very welcome after tinned foods. jones took culture tubes with him and made smears for bacteria. the tubes were placed in an incubator and several kinds of organisms grew, very similar to those which infect wounds in ordinary climates. the snowstorms had by this time built up huge drifts under the lee of the ice-cliffs, some of them more than fifty feet in height and reaching almost to the top of the ice-shelf. an exhilarating sport was to ski down these ramps. the majority of them were very steep and irregular and it was seldom that any of us escaped without a fall at one time or another. several of the party were thrown from thirty to forty feet, and, frequently enough, over twenty feet, without being hurt. the only accident serious enough to disable any one happened to kennedy on june , when he twisted his knee and was laid up for a week. there were many fine displays of the aurora in june, the best being observed on the evening of the th. curtains and streamers were showing from four o'clock in the afternoon. shortly after midnight, kennedy, who was taking magnetic observations, called me to see the most remarkable exhibition i have so far seen. there was a double curtain degrees wide unfolded from the eastern horizon through the zenith, with waves shimmering along it so rapidly that they travelled the whole length of the curtain in two seconds. the colouring was brilliant and evanescent. when the waves reached the end of the curtain they spread out to the north and rolled in a voluminous billow slowly back to the east. kennedy's instruments showed that a very great magnetic disturbance was in progress during the auroral displays, and particularly on this occasion. hoadley and watson set up a line of bamboos, a quarter of a mile apart and three miles long, on the th, and from thence onwards took measurements for snowfall every fortnight. on midwinter's day the temperature ranged from - degrees f. to - degrees f. and daylight lasted from a.m. until p.m. we proclaimed a universal holiday throughout queen mary land. being saturday, there were a few necessary jobs to be done, but all were finished by a.m. the morning was fine and several of us went down to the floe for skiing, but after twelve o'clock the sky became overcast and the light was dimmed. a strong breeze brought along a trail of drift, and at p.m. a heavy blizzard was in full career. inside, the hut was decorated with flags and a savoury dinner was in the throes of preparation. to make the repast still more appetising, harrisson, hoadley and dovers devised some very pretty and clever menus. speeches, toasts and a gramophone concert made the evening pass quickly and enjoyably. from this time dated our preparations for spring sledging, which i hoped would commence about august . jones made some experiments with "glaxo," of which we had a generous supply. his aim was to make biscuits which would be suitable for sledging, and, after several failures, he succeeded in compressing with a steel die a firm biscuit of glaxo and butter mixed, three ounces of which was the equivalent in theoretical food value to four and a half ounces of plasmon biscuit; thereby affording a pleasant variety in the usual ration. july came in quietly, though it was dull and cloudy, and we were able to get out on the first two days for work and exercise. on the nd a very fine effect was caused by the sun shining through myriads of fog-crystals which a light northerly breeze had brought down from the sea. the sun, which was barely clear of the horizon, was itself a deep red, on either side and above it was a red mock sun and a rainbow-tinted halo connected the three mock suns. on the th and th the wind blew a terrific hurricane (judged to reach a velocity of one hundred miles per hour) and, had we not known that nothing short of an earthquake could move the hut, we should have been very uneasy. all were now busy making food-bags, opening and breaking up pemmican and emergency rations, grinding biscuits, attending to personal gear and doing odd jobs many and various. in addition to recreations like chess, cards and dominoes, a competition was started for each member to write a poem and short article, humorous or otherwise, connected with the expedition. these were all read by the authors after dinner one evening and caused considerable amusement. one man even preferred to sing his poem. these literary efforts were incorporated in a small publication known as "the glacier tongue." watson and hoadley put in a good deal of time digging their shaft in the glacier. as a roofed shelter had been built over the top, they were able to work in all but the very worst weather. while the rest of us were fitting sledges on the th and th, they succeeded in getting down to a level of twenty-one feet below the surface of the shelf-ice. sandow, the leader of the dogs, disappeared on the th. zip, who had been missed for two days, returned, but sandow never came back, being killed, doubtless, by a fall of snow from the cliffs. all along the edge of the ice-shelf were snow cornices, some weighing hundreds of tons; and these often broke away, collapsing with a thunderous sound. on july , harrisson and watson had a narrow escape. after finishing their day's work, they climbed down to the floe by a huge cornice and sloping ramp. a few seconds later, the cornice fell and an immense mass of hard snow crashed down, cracking the sea-ice for more than a hundred yards around. july had been an inclement month with three really fine and eight tolerable days. in comparison with june's, which was - . degrees f., the mean temperature of july was high at - . degrees f. and the early half of august was little better. sunday august was rather an eventful day. dovers and i went out in the wind to attend to the dogs and clear the chimney and, upon our return, found the others just recovering from rather an exciting accident. jones had been charging the acetylene generators and by some means one of them caught fire. for a while there was the danger of a general conflagration and explosion, as the gas-tank was floating in kerosene. throwing water over everything would have made matters worse, so blankets were used to smother the flames. as this failed to extinguish them, the whole plant was pulled down and carried into the tunnel, where the fire was at last put out. the damage amounted to two blankets singed and dirtied, jones's face scorched and hair singed, and kennedy, one finger jammed. it was a fortunate escape from a calamity. a large capsized berg had been noticed for some time, eleven miles to the north. on the th, harrisson, dovers, hoadley and watson took three days' provisions and equipment and went off to examine it. a brief account is extracted from harrisson's diary: "it was a particularly fine, mild morning; we made good progress, three dogs dragging the loaded sledge over the smooth floe without difficulty, requiring assistance only when crossing banks of soft snow. one and a half miles from 'the steps,' we saw the footprints of a penguin. "following the cliffs of the shelf-ice for six and three quarter miles, we sighted a weddell seal sleeping on a drift of snow. killing the animal, cutting off the meat and burying it in the drift delayed us for about one hour. continuing our journey under a fine bluff, over floe-ice much cracked by tide-pressure, we crossed a small bay cutting wedge-like into the glacier and camped on its far side. "after our midday meal we walked to the berg three miles away. when seen on june , this berg was tilted to the north-east, but the opposite end, apparently in contact with the ice-cliffs, had lifted higher than the glacier-shelf itself. from a distance it could be seen that the sides, for half their height, were wave-worn and smooth. three or four acres of environing floe were buckled, ploughed up and in places heaped twenty feet high, while several large fragments of the broken floe were poised aloft on the old 'water-line' of the berg. "however, on this visit, we found that the berg had turned completely over towards the cliffs and was now floating on its side surrounded by large separate chunks; all locked fast in the floe. in what had been the bottom of the berg hoadley and watson made an interesting find of stones and pebbles--the first found in this dead land! "leaving them collecting, i climbed the pitted wave-worn ice, brittle and badly cracked on the higher part. the highest point was fifty feet above the level of the top of the shelf-ice. there was no sign of open water to the north, but a few seals were observed sleeping under the cliffs." next morning the weather thickened and the wind arose, so a start was made for the base. all that day the party groped along in the comparative shelter of the cliff-face until forced to camp. it was not till the next afternoon in moderate drift that a pair of skis which had been left at the foot of 'the steps' were located and the hut reached once again. after lunch on august , while we were excavating some buried kerosene, jones sighted a group of seven emperor penguins two miles away over the western floe. taking a sledge and camera we made after them. a mile off, they saw us and advanced with their usual stately bows. it seemed an awful shame to kill them, but we were sorely in need of fresh meat. the four we secured averaged seventy pounds in weight and were a heavy load up the steep rise to the glacier; but our reward came at dinner-time. with several fine days to give us confidence, everything was made ready for the sledge journey on august . the party was to consist of six men and three dogs, the object of the journey being to lay out a food-depot to the east in view of the long summer journey we were to make in that direction. hoadley and kennedy were to remain at the base, the former to finish the geological shaft and the latter for magnetic work. there remained also a good deal to do preparing stores for later sledge journeys. the load was to be one thousand four hundred and forty pounds distributed over three sledges; two hundred pounds heavier than on the march journey, but as the dogs pulled one sledge, the actual weight per man was less. the rations were almost precisely the same as those used by shackleton during his expedition, and the daily allowance was exactly the same--thirty-four ounces per man per day. for his one ounce of oatmeal, the same weighs of ground biscuit was substituted; the food value being the same. on the second depot journey and the main summer journeys, a three-ounce glaxo biscuit was used in place of four and a half ounces of plasmon biscuit. instead of taking cheese and chocolate as the luncheon ration, i took chocolate alone, as on shackleton's southern journey it was found more satisfactory than the cheese, though the food value was practically the same. the sledging equipment and clothing were identical with that used by shackleton. jaeger fleece combination suits were included in the outfit but, though excellent garments for work at the base, they were much too heavy for sledging. we therefore wore jaeger underclothing and burberry wind clothing as overalls. the weather was not propitious for a start until thursday, august . we turned out at . a.m., had breakfast, packed up and left the hut at seven o'clock. after two good days' work under a magnificently clear sky, with the temperature often as low as - degrees f., we sighted two small nunataks among a cluster of pressure-ridges, eight miles to the south. it was the first land, in the sense of rocks, seen for more than seven months. we hoped to visit the outcrops--gillies nunataks--on our return. the course next day was due east and parallel to the mainland, then ten miles distant. to the north was masson island, while at about the same distance and ahead was a smaller island, entirely ice-covered like the former--henderson island. a blizzard of three days' duration kept us in camp between august and . jones, moyes and i had a three-man sleeping-bag, and the temperature being high, degrees to degrees f., we were very warm, but thoroughly tired of lying down for so long. harrisson, dovers and watson had single bags and therefore less room in the other tent. the last day of august was beautifully bright: temperature - degrees to - degrees f. we passed henderson island in the forenoon, and, hauling up a rise to the south of it, had a good view of the surroundings. on the right, the land ran back to form a large bay, seventeen miles wide. this was later named the bay of winds, as a "blow" was always encountered while crossing it. in the centre of the bay was a nunatak, which from its shape at once received the name of the alligator. in front, apparently fifteen miles off, was another nunatak, the hippo, and four definite outcrops--delay point and avalanche rocks--could be seen along the mainland. the sight of this bare rock was very pleasing, as we had begun to think we were going to find nothing but ice-sheathed land. dovers took a round of angles to all the prominent points. the hippo was twenty-two miles away, so deceptive is distance in these latitudes; and in one and a half days, over very heavy sastrugi, we were in its vicinity. the sledges could not be brought very near the rock as it was surrounded by massive ridges of pressure-ice. we climbed to the top of the nunatak which was four hundred and twenty feet high, four hundred yards long and two hundred yards wide. it was composed of gneissic granite and schists. dovers took angles from an eminence, watson collected geological specimens and harrisson sketched until his fingers were frost-bitten. moss and lichens were found and a dead snow petrel--a young one--showing that the birds must breed in the vicinity. to the south, the glacier shelf appeared to be very little broken, but to the north it was terribly torn and twisted. at each end of the nunatak there was a very fine bergschrund.** twenty miles to the east there appeared to be an uncovered rocky islet; the mainland turning to the southward twelve miles away. during the night the minimum thermometer registered - degrees f. ** the term not used in the usual sense. referring to a wide, imposing crevasse caused by the division of the ice as it presses past the nunatak.--ed. an attempt to get away next morning was frustrated by a strong gale. we were two hundred yards from the shelter of the hippo and were forced to turn back, since it was difficult to keep one's feet, while the sledges were blown sideways over the neve surface. i resolved to leave the depot in this place and return to the base, for our sleeping-bags were getting very wet and none of the party were having sufficient sleep. we were eighty-four miles from the hut; i had hoped to do one hundred miles, but we could make up for that by starting the summer journey a few days earlier. one sledge was left here as well as six weeks' allowance of food for three men, except tea, of which there was sufficient for fifty days, seventy days oil and seventy-eight days' biscuit. the sledge was placed on end in a hole three feet deep and a mound built up around it, six feet high; a bamboo and flag being lashed to the top. on september we were homeward bound, heading first to the mainland leaving delay point on our left, to examine some of the outcrops of rock. reaching the coast about p.m., camp was shortly afterwards pitched in a most beautiful spot. a wall of solid rock rose sheer for over four hundred feet and was crowned by an ice-cap half the thickness. grand ice-falls surged down on either side. the tents were erected in what appeared to be a sheltered hollow, a quarter of a mile from avalanche rocks. one tent was up and we were setting the other in position when the wind suddenly veered right round to the east and flattened out both tents. it was almost as humorous as annoying. they were soon raised up once more, facing the other way. while preparing for bed, a tremendous avalanche came down. the noise was awful and seemed so close that we all turned to the door and started out. the fastening of the entrance was knotted, the people from the other tent were yelling to us to come out, so we dragged up the bottom of the tent and dived beneath it. the cliff was entirely hidden by a cloud of snow, and, though the crashing had now almost ceased, we stood ready to run, dovers thoughtfully seizing a food-bag. however, none of the blocks had come within a hundred yards of us, and as it was now blowing hard, all hands elected to remain where they were. several more avalanches, which had broken away near the edge of the mainland, disturbed our sleep through the night, but they were not quite so alarming as the first one. a strong breeze was blowing at daybreak; still the weather was not too bad for travelling, and so i called the party. moyes and i lashed up our bags, passed them out and strapped them on the sledge; jones, in the meantime, starting the cooker. suddenly a terrific squall struck the front of our tent, the poles burst through the apex, and the material split from top to bottom. moyes and i were both knocked down. when we found our feet again, we went to the aid of the other men, whose tent had survived the gust. the wind rushed by more madly than ever, and the only thing to do was to pull away the poles and allow the tent to collapse. looking around for a lee where it could be raised, we found the only available shelter to be a crevasse three hundred yards to windward, but the wind was now so strong that it was impossible to convey the gear even to such a short distance. all were frequently upset and blown along the surface twenty or thirty yards, and, even with an ice-axe, one could not always hold his own. the only resort was to dig a shelter. setting to work, we excavated a hole three feet deep, twelve feet long and six feet wide; the snow being so compact that the job occupied three hours. the sledges and tent-poles were placed across the hole, the good tent being laid on top and weighted down with snow and blocks of ice. all this sounds very easy, but it was a slow and difficult task. many of the gusts must have exceeded one hundred miles per hour, since one of them lifted harrisson who was standing beside me, clean over my head and threw him nearly twenty feet. everything movable was stowed in the hole, and at noon we had a meal and retired into sleeping-bags. at three o'clock a weighty avalanche descended, its fearful crash resounding above the roar of the wind. i have never found anything which gave me a more uncomfortable feeling than those avalanches. the gale continued on september , and we still remained packed in the trench. if the latter had been deeper and it had been possible to sit upright, we should have been quite comfortable. to make matters worse, several more avalanches came down, and all of them sounded horribly close. we were confined in our burrow for five days, the wind continuing to blow with merciless force. through being closed up so much, the temperature of the hole rose above freezing-point, consequently our sleeping-bags and clothes became very wet. on sunday september , moyes went out to feed the dogs and to bring in some biscuit. he found a strong gusty wind with falling snow, and drift so thick that he could not see five yards. we had a cold lunch with nothing to drink, so that the primus should not raise the temperature. in the evening we sang hymns and between us managed to remember the words of at least a dozen. the long confinement was over on the th; the sky was blue and the sun brilliant, though the wind still pulsated with racking gusts. as soon as we were on the ice, away from the land, two men had to hold on to the rear of each sledge, and even then capsizes often occurred. the sledge would turn and slide broadside-on to leeward, tearing the runners badly on the rough ice. still, by . a.m. the surface changed to snow and the travelling improved. that night we camped with twenty miles one hundred yards on the meter. there was a cold blizzard on the th with a temperature of - degrees f. confined in the tents, we found our sleeping-bags still sodden and uncomfortable. with a strong beam wind and in moderate drift big marches were made for two days, during which the compass and sastrugi determined our course. my diary of september runs as follows: "on the march at a.m.; by noon we had done twelve miles one thousand five hundred yards. lunch was hurried, as we were all anxious to get to the hut to-night, especially we in the three-man bag, as it got so wet while we were living underground that we have had very little sleep and plenty of shivering for the last four nights. last night i had no sleep at all. by some means, in the afternoon, we got on the wrong course. either the compass was affected or a mistake had been made in some of the bearings, as instead of reaching home by p.m. we were travelling till p.m. and have done thirty-two miles one thousand one hundred yards. light loads, good surface and a fair wind account for the good travelling, the sail doing almost all the work on the man-hauled sledge. "the last two hours we were in the dark, except for a young moon, amongst a lot of crevasses and pressure-ridges which none of us could recognize. at one time, we found ourselves on a slope within a dozen yards of the edge of the glacier; this decided me to camp. awfully disappointing; anticipating another wretched night. temperature- degrees f." next day we reached home. the last camp had been four and a half miles north of the hut. i found that we had gone wrong through using degrees as the bearing of masson island from the base, when it should have been degrees. i believe it was my own mistake, as i gave the bearing to dovers and he is very careful. before having a meal, we were all weighed and found the average loss to be eight pounds. in the evening, moyes and i weighed ourselves again; he had gained seven pounds and i five and three-quarter pounds. comparing notes with hoadley and kennedy, i found that the weather at the base had been similar to that experienced on the sledging journey. it was now arranged that jones was to take charge of the main western journey in the summer. while looking for a landing-place in the 'aurora', we had noted to the west an expanse of old, fast floe, extending for at least fifty miles. the idea was for jones and party to march along this floe and lay a depot on the land as far west as was possible in four weeks. the party included dovers, harrisson, hoadley and moyes. they were to be assisted by the dogs. it was my intention to take kennedy and watson up to the depot we had left on the hills in march, bringing back the minimum thermometer and probably some of the food. watson was slightly lame at the time, as he had bruised his foot on the last trip. until jones made a start on september , there were ten days of almost continuous wind and drift. the equinox may have accounted for this prolonged period of atrocious weather. no time, however, was wasted indoors. weighing and bagging food, repairing tents, poles, cookers and other gear damaged on the last journey and sewing and mending clothes gave every man plenty of employment. at a.m. on the th, jones reported that there was only a little low drift and that the wind was dying away. all hands were therefore called and breakfast served. watson, kennedy and i assisted the others down to the sea-ice by a long sloping snow-drift and saw them off to a good start in a south-westerly direction. we found that the heavy sledge used for carrying ice had been blown more then five hundred yards to the edge of the glacier, capsized among the rough pressure-slabs and broken. two heavy boxes which were on the sledge had disappeared altogether. the rest of the day was devoted to clearing stores out of the tunnels. it was evident to us that with the advent of warmer weather, the roof of the caves or grottoes (by the way, the hut received the name of "the grottoes") would sink, and so it was advisable to repack the cases outside rather than dig them out of the deep snow. by p.m. nearly two hundred boxes were passed up through the trap-door and the caverns were all empty. after two days of blizzard, watson, kennedy and i broke trail with loads of one hundred and seventy pounds per man. right from the start the surface was so soft that pulling became very severe. on the first day, september , we managed to travel more than nine miles, but during the next six days the snow became deeper and more impassable, and only nineteen miles were covered. crevasses were mostly invisible, and on the slope upwards to the ice-cap more troublesome than usual. the weather kept up its invariable wind and drift. finally, after making laborious headway to two thousand feet, kennedy strained his achilles tendon and i decided to return to "the grottoes." at p.m. on october , the mast was sighted and we climbed down into the hut, finding it very cold, empty and dark. the sun had shone powerfully that day and kennedy and watson had a touch of snow-blindness. two weeks went by and there was no sign of the western depot party. in fact, out of sixteen days, there were thirteen of thick drift and high wind, so that our sympathies went out to the men in tents with soaking bags, waiting patiently for a rift in the driving wall of snow. on october they had been away for four weeks; provisions for that time having been taken. i had no doubt that they would be on reduced rations, and, if the worst came, they could eat the dogs. during a lull on october , i went to the masthead with the field-glasses but saw nothing of the party. on that day we weighed out provisions and made ready to go in search of them. it was my intention to go on the outward track for a week. i wrote instructions to jones to hoist a large flag on the mast, and to burn flares each night at p.m. if he should return while i was away. there was a fresh gale with blinding drift early on the following morning; so we postponed the start. at p.m. the wind subsided to a strong breeze and i again went up the mast to sweep the horizon. westward from an icy cape to the south a gale was still blowing and a heavy cloud of drift, fifty to sixty feet high, obscured everything. an hour later watson saw three adelie penguins approaching across the floe and we went down to meet them, bringing them in for the larder. four antarctic petrels flew above our heads: a sign of returning summer which was very cheering. the previous night had promised a fine day and we were not disappointed on october . a sledge was packed with fourteen days' provisions for eight men and we started away on a search expedition at a.m. after doing a little over nine miles we camped at . p.m. before retiring to bag, i had a last look round and was delighted to see jones and his party about a mile to the south. it was now getting dark and we were within two hundred yards of them before being seen, and, as they were to windward, they could not hear our shouts. it was splendid to find them all looking well. they were anxious to get back to "the grottoes," considering there was only one serviceable tent between them. kennedy and i offered to change with any of them but, being too eager for warm blankets and a good bed, they trudged on, arriving at the base at midnight. briefly told, their story was that they were stopped in their westerly march, when forty-five miles had been covered, by a badly broken glacier--helen glacier--on the far side of which there was open sea. there was only one thing to do and that was to set out for the mainland by a course so circuitous that they were brought a long way eastward, back towards "the grottoes." they had very rough travelling, bad weather, and were beset with many difficulties in mounting on to the land-ice, where the depot had to be placed. their distance from the base at this point was only twenty-eight miles and the altitude was one thousand feet above sea-level. on the ice-cap they were delayed by a blizzard and for seventeen days--an unexampled time--they were unable to move from camp. one tent collapsed and the occupants, jones, dovers and hoadley, had to dig a hole in the snow and lower the tent into it. these are a few snatches from jones's diary: "the next sixteen days (following wednesday, october ) were spent at this camp.... harrisson and moyes occupied one tent and dovers, hoadley and myself the other. "on saturday, the third day of the blizzard, the wind which had been blowing steadily from the east-south-east veered almost to east and the tents commenced to flog terrifically. this change must have occurred early in the night, for we awoke at a.m. to find clouds of snow blowing under the skirt on one side: the heavy pile on the flounce having been cut away by the wind. as it would have been impossible to do anything outside, we pulled the tent poles together and allowed the tent to collapse. the rest of the day was spent in confined quarters, eating dry rations and melting snow in our mugs by the warmth of our bodies.... although harrisson and moyes were no more than twenty feet from us, the noise of the gale and the flogging of our tents rendered communication impossible. "the terrible flapping at last caused one of the seams of our tent to tear; we sewed it as well as we were able and hoped that it would hold till daylight. "on monday morning, the same seam again parted and we decided to let the tent down again, spending the day in a half-reclining position.... "at . p.m. the gale eased and, during a comparative lull, moyes came out to feed the dogs. noticing our position, he helped us to re-erect the tent and dovers then went out and piled snow over the torn seam. moyes said that harrisson and he had been fairly comfortable, although the cap of their tent was slowly tearing with the pressure of the wind and snow on the weather panels.... "on friday, the th, swiss, one of the dogs, returned very thin after six days' absence from the camp. "on the following monday the blizzard moderated somewhat and we proceeded to make our quarters more roomy by digging out the floor and undercutting the sides, thus lowering the level about eighteen inches. "our tent now looks as if it were half blown over. to relieve the tremendous strain on the cap, we lowered the feet of the two lee poles on to the new floor. the tent now offered very little resistance to the wind. we were able to communicate with harrisson and moyes and they said they were all right." when the snow and wind at last held up, they immediately made down to the sea-ice and back towards home, and, when they met us, had done nineteen miles. all were stiff next day, and no wonder; a march of twenty-eight miles after lying low for seventeen days is a very strenuous day's work. preparations were made on october for the main eastern summer journey, the object of which was to survey as much coast-line as possible and at the same time to carry on geological work, surveying and magnetics. the party was to consist of kennedy, watson and myself. jones, dovers and hoadley were to start on the main western journey on november . i arranged that harrisson and moyes should remain at the hut, the latter to carry on meteorological work, and harrisson biology and sketching. later, harrisson proposed to accompany me as far as the hippo depot, bringing the dogs and providing a supporting party. at first i did not like the idea, as he would have to travel one hundred miles alone, but he showed me that he could erect a tent by himself and, as summer and better weather were in sight, i agreed that he should come. each party was taking fourteen weeks' provisions, and i had an additional four weeks' supply for harrisson and the dogs. my total load came to nine hundred and seventy pounds; the dogs pulling four hundred pounds with the assistance of one man and three of us dragging five hundred and seventy pounds. chapter xxi the western base--blocked on the shelf-ice by f. wild we started away on the main eastern journey with a spurt of eleven miles on a calm and cloudless day, intending to follow our former track over the shelf-ice to the hippo nunatak. the surface varied; soft patches putting a steady brake on the ardour of the first, fresh hours of marching. in the afternoon, it was only necessary to wear a shirt, singlet, heavy pyjama trousers, finnesko and socks, and even then one perspired freely. the temperature stood at degrees f. the dogs pulled their load well, requiring help only over loose snow. the evening of friday november , , saw us past masson island and about ten miles from the mainland. all day there had been a chill easterly breeze, the temperature being well below zero. the sky was hazy with cirro-stratus and a fine halo "ringed" the sun. looking out from the tent in the morning we saw that the clouds were dense and lowering, but the breezes were light and variable until p.m., when an east-north-east wind arose, bringing snow in its train. travelling through foggy drift, we could just ascertain that the bay of winds had opened up on the right. the day's march was a good one of sixteen miles thirty-five yards. the bay of winds did not belie its name. throughout november the wind veered about in gusts and after lunch settled down to a hard south-easter. we had made a good start; more than sixty-two miles in a little over four days. the camp was half-way across the bay of winds, with the alligator nunatak six miles off on the "starboard bow" and the rock of the avalanches seventeen miles straight ahead. passing glimpses were caught of the hippo twenty-four miles distant. on november , after a day's blizzard, there was much accumulated snow to shovel away from tents and sledges. finding the hauling very arduous, we headed in for the land to find a better surface, passing the alligator nunatak close on its southern side. at noon on the th, the sledges were running parallel to the rock of the avalanches, three miles away, and soon afterwards we came to a large boulder; one of four in a line from the rock-cliffs, from which they had been evidently transported, as they were composed of the same gneiss. the hippo was close at hand at four o'clock and, on nearing the shattered ice about the depot, we released the dogs and pulled the sledge ourselves. on being freed, they galloped over to the rock and were absent for over an hour. when they returned, amundsen's head was daubed with egg-yolk, as we thought. this was most probable as scores of snow petrels were flying about the rocks. a nasty shock was awaiting us at the depot. the sledge, which had been left on end, two feet buried in hard snow and with a mound six feet high built round it, had been blown completely away. the stays, secured to foodbags, were both broken; one food-bag weighing sixty-eight pounds having been lifted ten feet. this was a very serious loss as the total load to be carried now amounted to one thousand one hundred and eighty pounds, which was too great a weight to be supported by one sledge. it appeared, then, that the only thing to do was to include harrisson in the party, so that we could have his sledge. this would facilitate our progress considerably, but against that was the fact that moyes would be left alone at the base under the belief that harrisson had perished. a gale was blowing on the th, but as we were partly under the lee of the hippo, it was only felt in gusts. a visit was made to the nunatak; harrisson to examine the birds, watson for geology and photography, while i climbed to the summit with the field-glasses to look for the missing sledge. kennedy remained at the camp to take a series of magnetic observations. there were hundreds of snow petrels pairing off, but no eggs were seen in any of the nest-crevices. they were so tame that it was quite easy to catch them, but they had a habit of ejecting their partially digested food, a yellow oily mess, straight at one. this was the stuff we had thought was egg-yolk on amundsen's head the previous night. upon returning to camp, the search for the sledge was continued. after prospecting with a spade in possible snow-drifts and crevasse-lids, we walked out fanwise, in the direction of the prevailing wind, but with no result. i decided, therefore, to take harrisson with me. i was extremely sorry for moyes, but it could not be helped. on the way back towards the land to the south, we found that the surface had improved in the morning's gale. camp was finally pitched on a slope close to the high land. the coast, from the base to this spot--delay point--runs almost due east and west and with no deep indentations except the bay of winds. to the west, the slope from the inland plateau is fairly gradual and therefore not badly broken, but still farther west it is much steeper, coming down from two thousand feet in a very short distance, over tumbling ice-fields and frozen cascades. several outcrops of dark rock lay to the east, one of them only two miles away. the wind-velocity fluctuated between sixty and eighty miles per hour, keeping us securely penned. harrisson and kennedy, after battling their way to our tent for a meal, used the second primus and cooker, brought for harrisson, in their own tent. all we could do was to smoke and listen to the fierce squalls and lashing drift. i had brought nothing to read on the trip, making up the weight in tobacco. watson had palgrave's 'golden lyrics', kennedy, an engineer's hand-book, and harrisson, a portion of the 'reign of mary tudor'. there was a tiny pack of patience cards, but they were in the instrument-box on the sledge and none of us cared to face the gale to get them. the wind, on the th, saw fit to moderate to half a gale; the drift creeping low and thick over the ground; the land visible above it. donning burberrys, we made an excursion to the rocks ahead. two miles and a climb of six hundred feet were rather exhausting in the strong wind. there were about eighty acres of rock exposed on the edge of the ice-cap, mainly composed of mica schists and some granite; the whole extensively weathered. a line of moraine ran from the rocks away in an east-north-east direction. most of the next day was broken by a heavy gale and, since the prospect ahead was nothing but bare, rough ice, we passed the day in making everything ready for a start and repaired a torn tent. the rent was made by amundsen, who dragged up the ice-axe to which he was tethered and, in running round the tent, drove the point of the axe through it, narrowly missing kennedy's head inside. tuesday november was an interesting day. the greater part of the track was over rippled, level ice, thrown into many billows, through devious pressure-hummocks and between the inevitable crevasses. the coast was a kaleidoscope of sable rocks, blue cascades, and fissured ice-falls. fifteen miles ahead stood an island twenty miles long, rising in bare peaks and dark knolls. this was eventually named david island. the dogs were working very well and, if only a little additional food could be procured for them, i knew they could be kept alive. zip broke loose one night and ate one of my socks which was hanging on the sledge to dry; it probably tasted of seal blubber from the boots. switzerland, too, was rather a bother, eating his harness whenever he had a chance. on the th, a depot was formed, consisting of one week's provisions and oil; the bags being buried and a mound erected with a flag on top. kennedy took a round of angles to determine its position. at the end of two snowy days, after we had avoided many ugly crevasses, our course in an east-south-east line pointed to a narrow strait between david island and the mainland. on the southern side of the former, there was a heaped line of pressure-ice, caused by the flow from a narrow bay being stopped by the island. after lunch, on the th, there was an hour's good travelling and then we suddenly pulled into a half-mile of broken surface--the confluence of the slowly moving land-ice and of the more rapidly moving ice from a valley on our right, from which issued reid glacier. it was impossible to steer the dogs through it with a load, so we lightened the loads on both sledges and then made several journeys backwards and forwards over the more broken areas, allowing the dogs to run loose. the crevasses ran tortuously in every direction and falls into them were not uncommon. one large lid fell in just as a sledge had cleared it, leaving a hole twelve feet wide, and at least a hundred feet deep. once over this zone, the sledges were worked along the slope leading to the mainland where we were continually worried by their slipping sideways. ahead was a vast sea of crushed ice, tossed and piled in every direction. on the northern horizon rose what we concluded to be a flat-topped, castellated berg. ten days later, it resolved itself into a tract of heavy pressure ridges. camping after nine and a half miles, we were surprised, on moving east in the morning, to sight clearly the point--cape gerlache--of a peninsula running inland to the southwest. a glacier from the hinterland, pushing out from its valley, had broken up the shelf-ice on which we were travelling to such an extent that nothing without wings could cross it. our object was to map in the coastline as far east as possible, and the problem, now, was whether to go north or south. from our position the former looked the best, the tumbled shelf-ice appearing to smooth out sufficiently, about ten miles away, to afford a passage east, while, to the south, we scanned the denman glacier, as it was named, rolling in magnificent cascades, twelve miles in breadth, from a height of more than three thousand feet. to get round the head of this ice-stream would mean travelling inland for at least thirty miles. so north we went, getting back to our old surface over a heavy "cross sea," honeycombed with pits and chasms; many of them with no visible bottom. there was half a mile to safety, but the area had to be crossed five times; the load on the twelve-foot sledge being so much, that half the weight was taken off and the empty sledges brought back for the other half. last of all came the dogs' sledge. kennedy remarked during the afternoon that he felt like a fly walking on wire-netting. the camp was pitched in a line of pressure, with wide crevasses and "hell-holes" within a few yards on every side. altogether the day's march had been a miserable four miles. on several occasions, during the night, while in this disturbed area, sounds of movement were distinctly heard; cracks like rifle shots and others similar to distant heavy guns, accompanied by a weird, moaning noise as of the glacier moving over rocks. november was a fine, bright day: temperature degrees to degrees f. until lunch, the course was mainly north for more than five miles. then i went with watson to trace out a road through a difficult area in front. at this point, there broke on us a most rugged and wonderful vision of ice-scenery. the denman glacier moving much more rapidly than the shackleton shelf, tore through the latter and, in doing so, shattered both its own sides and also a considerable area of the larger ice-sheet. at the actual point of contact was what might be referred to as gigantic bergschrund: an enormous chasm over one thousand feet wide and from three hundred feet to four hundred feet deep, in the bottom of which crevasses appeared to go down for ever. the sides were splintered and crumpled, glittering in the sunlight with a million sparklets of light. towering above were titanic blocks of carven ice. the whole was the wildest, maddest and yet the grandest thing imaginable. the turmoil continued to the north, so i resolved to reconnoitre westward and see if a passage were visible from the crest of david island. the excursion was postponed till next day, when kennedy, watson and i roped up and commenced to thread a tangled belt of crevasses. the island was three and a half miles from the camp, exposing a bare ridge and a jutting bluff, nine hundred feet high--watson bluff. at the bluff the rock was almost all gneiss, very much worn by the action of ice. the face to the summit was so steep and coarsely weathered that we took risks in climbing it. moss and lichens grew luxuriantly and scores of snow petrels hovered around, but no eggs were seen. owing to an overcast sky, the view was not a great deal more enlightening than that which we had had from below. the denman glacier swept down for forty miles from over three thousand feet above sea-level. for twenty miles to the east torn ice-masses lay distorted in confusion, and beyond that, probably sixty miles distant, were several large stretches of bare rock-like islands. on november , a strong north-east wind blew, with falling snow. nothing could be seen but a white blanket, above, below and all around; so, with sudden death lurking in the bottomless crevasses on every hand, we stayed in camp. a blizzard of great violence blew for two days and the tent occupied by kennedy and myself threatened to collapse. we stowed all our gear in the sleeping-bags or in a hole from which snow had been dug for cooking. by the second day we had become extremely tired of lying down. one consolation was that our lips, which were very sore from exposure to the sun and wind, had now a chance of healing. next afternoon, the gale moderated sufficiently for us to go once more to david island, in clearer weather, to see the outlook from the bluff. this time the sun was shining on the mainland and on the extension of the glacier past the bluff to the north. the distant southern slopes were seamed with a pattern of crevasses up to a height of three thousand feet. to the north, although the way was certainly impassable for twelve miles, it appeared to become smoother beyond that limit. we decided to try and cross in that direction. we persevered on the th over many lines of pressure-ice and then camped near an especially rough patch. watson had the worst fall on that day, going down ten feet vertically into a crevasse before his harness stopped him. after supper, we went to locate a trail ahead, and were greatly surprised to find salt water in some of the cracks. it meant that in two days our descent had been considerable, since the great bergschrund farther south was well over three hundred feet in depth and no water had appeared in its depths. a few extracts from the diary recall a situation which daily became more serious and involved: "monday, november . a beautiful day so far as the weather and scenery are concerned but a very hard one. we have been amongst 'pressure,' with a capital p, all day, hauling up and lowering the sledges with an alpine rope and twisting and turning in all directions, with waves and hills, monuments, statues, and fairy palaces all around us, from a few feet to over three hundred feet in height. it is impossible to see more than a few hundred yards ahead at any time, so we go on for a bit, then climb a peak or mound, choose a route and struggle on for another short stage. "we have all suffered from the sun to-day; kennedy has caught it worst, his lips, cheeks, nose and forehead are all blistered. he has auburn hair and the tender skin which frequently goes with it.... "tuesday, november . another very hard day's work. the first half-mile took three hours to cover; in several places we had to cut roads with ice-axes and shovels and also to build a bridge across a water-lead. at p.m. we had done just one mile. i never saw or dreamt of anything so gloriously beautiful as some of the stuff we have come through this morning. after lunch the country changed entirely. in place of the confused jumble and crush we have had, we got on to neve slopes; huge billows, half a mile to a mile from crest to crest, meshed with crevasses... "we all had falls into these during the day: harrisson dropping fifteen feet. i received rather a nasty squeeze through falling into a hole whilst going downhill, the sledge running on to me before i could get clear, and pinning me down. so far as we can see, the same kind of country continues, and one cannot help thinking about having to return through this infernal mess. the day's distance--only one thousand and fifty yards. "wednesday, november . when i wrote last night about coming back, i little thought it would be so soon. we turn back to-morrow for the simple reason that we cannot go on any farther. "in the morning, for nearly a mile along a valley running south-east, the travelling was almost good; then our troubles commenced again. "several times we had to resort to hand-hauling with the alpine rope through acres of pitfalls. the bridges of those which were covered were generally very rotten, except the wide ones. just before lunch we had a very stiff uphill pull and then a drop into a large basin, three-quarters of a mile in diameter. "the afternoon was spent in vain searching for a road.... on every side are huge waves split in every direction by crevasses up to two hundred feet in width. the general trend of the main crevasses is north and south.... "i have, therefore, decided to go back and if possible follow the road we came by, then proceed south on to the inland ice-cap and find out the source of this chaos. if we are able to get round it and proceed east, so much the better; but at any rate, we shall be doing something and getting somewhere. we could push through farther east from here, but it would be by lowering the gear piecemeal into chasms fifty to one hundred feet deep, and hauling it up on the other side; each crevasse taking at least two hours to negotiate. for such slow progress i don't feel justified in risking the lives of the party." snow fell for four days, at times thickly, unaccompanied by wind. it was useless to stir in our precarious position. being a little in hand in the ration of biscuits, we fed the dogs on our food, their own having run out. i was anxious to keep them alive until we were out of the pressure-ice. from this, our turning-point out on the shelf-ice, the trail lay over eighteen inches of soft snow on december , our former tracks, of course, having been entirely obliterated. the bridged crevasses were now entirely hidden and many weak lids were found. at a.m. harrisson, watson and i roped up to mark a course over a very bad place, leaving kennedy with the dogs. we had only gone about one hundred yards when i got a very heavy jerk on the rope and, on looking round, found that watson had disappeared. he weighs two hundred pounds in his clothes and the crevasse into which he had fallen was fifteen feet wide. he had broken through on the far side and the rope, cutting through the bridge, stopped in the middle so that he could not reach the sides to help himself in any way. kennedy brought another rope over and threw it down to watson and we were then able to haul him up, but it was twenty minutes before he was out. he reappeared smiling, and, except for a bruise on the shin and the loss of a glove, was no worse for the fall. at . p.m. we were all dead-beat, camping with one mile one thousand seven hundred yards on the meter. one-third of this distance was relay work and, in several places, standing pulls with the alpine rope. the course was a series of z's, s's, and hairpin turns, the longest straight stretch one hundred and fifty yards, and the whole knee-deep in soft snow, the sledges sinking to the cross-bars. the th was a repetition of the previous day--a terribly hard two and a half miles. we all had "hangman's drops" into crevasses. one snow-bridge, ten feet wide, fell in as the meter following the twelve-foot sledge was going over behind it. the th was a day of wind, scurrying snow and bad light. harrisson went out to feed the dogs in the morning and broke through the lid of a crevasse, but fortunately caught the side and climbed out. the diary again: "friday, december . still bad light and a little snowfall, but we were off at ten o'clock. i was leading and fell into at least a dozen crevasses, but had to be hauled out of one only. at . p.m. we arrived at the open lead we had crossed on the outward journey and found the same place. there had been much movement since then and we had to make a bridge, cutting away projections in some places and filling up the sea-water channels with snow and ice. then harrisson crossed with the aid of two bamboo poles, and hauled me over on a sledge. harrisson and i on one side and kennedy and watson on the other then hauled the sledges backwards and forwards, lightly loaded one way and empty the other, until all was across. the shelf-ice is without doubt afloat, if the presence of sea-water and diatomaceous stains on the ice is of any account. we camped to-night in the same place as on the evening of november , so with luck we should be out of this mess to-morrow. switzerland had to be killed as i cannot afford any more biscuit. amundsen ate his flesh without hesitation, but zip refused it." sure enough, two days sufficed to bring us under the bluff on david island. as the tents were being pitched, a skua gull flew down. i snared him with a line, using dog's flesh for bait and we had stewed skua for dinner. it was excellent. while i was cooking the others climbed up the rocks and brought back eight snow petrels and five eggs, with the news that many more birds were nesting. after supper we all went out and secured sixty eggs and fifty-eight birds. it seemed a fearful crime to kill these beautiful, pure white creatures, but it meant fourteen days' life for the dogs end longer marches for us. fresh breeze, light snow and a bad light on the th; we remained in camp. two more skuas were snared for the evening's dinner. the snow petrels' eggs were almost as large as hens' eggs and very good to eat when fresh. many of them had been under the birds rather too long, but although they did not look so nice, there was little difference in the taste. i was very glad to get this fresh food, as we had lived on tinned meat most of the year and there was always the danger of scurvy. the light was too changeable to make a satisfactory start until the evening of december , when we managed to dodge through four and a half miles of broken ice, reaching the mainland close to our position on november , and camping for lunch at midnight. in front was a clear mile on a peninsula and then the way led across robinson bay, seven miles wide, fed by the northcliffe glacier. another night march was commenced at p.m. the day had been cloudless and the sun very warm, softening the surface, but at the time of starting it was hardening rapidly. crossing the peninsula we resolved to head across robinson bay as the glacier's surface was still torn up. we ended with a fine march of twelve miles one thousand two hundred yards. the fine weather continued and we managed to cross three and a half miles of heavy sastrugi, pressure-ridges and crevasses, attaining the first slopes of the mainland at p.m. on december . the discovery of two nunataks springing out of the piedmont glacier to the south, lured us on. the first rock--possession nunataks--loomed ahead, two hundred feet above, up a slope of half a mile. here a depot of provisions and spare gear was made, sufficient to take us back to the hippo. the rock was found by watson to be gneiss, rich in mica, felspar and garnets. we lunched in this place and resumed our march at midnight. the second nunatak was on the course; a sharp peak in the south, hidden by the contour of the uprising ridges. in four miles we steadily ascended eight hundred feet. while we were engaged pitching camp, a cape pigeon flew overhead. there were advantages in travelling at night. the surface was firmer, our eyes were relieved from the intense glare and our faces no longer blistered. on the other hand, there were disadvantages. the skirt of the tent used to get very wet through the snow thawing on it in the midday sun, and froze solid when packed up; the floor-cloths and sleeping-bags, also, never had a chance of drying and set to the same icy hardness. when we had mounted higher i intended to return to work by day. it was not till the altitude was three thousand feet that we came in sight of the far peak to the south. we were then pulling again in daylight. the ice-falls of the denman glacier on the left were still seen descending from the plateau, while down on the plain we saw that the zone of disrupted ice, into which the short and intricate track of our northern attempt had been won, extended for quite thirty miles. the surface then softened in a most amazing fashion and hauling became a slow, dogged strain with frequent spells. a little over four miles was the most we could do on the th, and on the th the loads were dragging in a deluge of dry, flour-like snow. a long halt was made at lunch to repair a badly torn tent. the peak ahead was named mount barr-smith. it was fronted by a steep rise which we determined to climb next day. on the eastern margin of the denman glacier were several nunataks and higher, rising ground. following a twenty-four hours' blizzard, the sky was overcast, with the usual dim light filtering through a mist of snow. we set off to scale the mountain, taking the dip-circle with us. the horizon was so obscured that it was useless to take a round of angles. fifteen miles south of mount barr-smith, and a little higher there was another peak, to be subsequently called mount strathcona; also several intervening outcrops. not a distinct range of mountains as we had hoped. the denman glacier sweeps round these projecting rocks from the south-west, and the general flow of the ice-sheet is thereby concentrated within the neck bounded by the two peaks and the higher land to the east. propelled by the immense forces of the hinterland, this stream of ice is squeezed down through a steep valley at an accelerated speed, and, meeting the slower moving shackleton shelf, rends it from top to bottom and presses onward. thus chaos, icequake, and ruin. our tramp to mount barr-smith was through eighteen inches of soft snow, in many places a full two feet deep. hard enough for walking, we knew from experience what it was like for sledging. there was only sufficient food for another week and the surface was so abominably heavy that in that time, not allowing for blizzards, it would have been impossible to travel as far as we could see from the summit of mount barr-smith, while four miles a day was the most that could have been done. our attempt to make east by rounding the denman glacier to the south had been foiled, but by turning back at that point, we stood a chance of saving our two remaining dogs, who had worked so well that they really deserved to live. sunday december broke with a fresh breeze and surface drift; overhead a clear sky. we went back to mount barr-smith, kennedy taking an observation for latitude, watson making a geological survey and collecting specimens, harrisson sketching. the rocks at the summit were granites, gneisses and schists. the latitude worked out at degrees . ' s., and we were a little more than one hundred and twenty miles in an air-line from the hut. in the next two days, downhill, we "bullocked" through eleven miles, reaching a point where the depot at possession nunataks was only sixteen miles away. the surface snow was very sticky in places, clogging the runners badly, so that they had to be scraped every half-mile. stewed skua was the feature of our christmas eve supper. from the diary: "christmas day, wednesday. turned out and got away at a.m., doing nine miles before lunch down a steep descent. the sun was very hot, and after lunch the surface became sticky, but at p.m. we reached the depot, having done fifteen miles one hundred yards and descended two thousand three hundred feet. "i am afraid i shall have to go back to travelling by night, as the snow is so very soft down here during the day; not soft in the same way as the freshly fallen powdery stuff we had on the hills, but half-thawed and wet, freezing at night into a splendid surface for the runners. the shade temperature at . p.m. to-day was degrees f., and a thermometer laid in the sun on the dark rocks went up to degrees f. "some time ago, a plum-pudding was found in one of our food-bags, put there, i believe, by moyes. we ate it to-night in addition to the ordinary ration, and, with a small taste of spirits from the medical store, managed to get up quite a festive feeling. after dinner the union jack and australian ensign were hoisted on the rocks and i formally took possession of the land in the name of the expedition, for king george v. and the australian commonwealth." queen mary land is the name which, by gracious sanction, was eventually affixed to that area of new land. night marches commenced at a.m. on december . the sail was hoisted for the first time and the fresh breeze was of great assistance. we were once more down on the low peninsula and on its highest point, two hundred feet above the shelf-ice, kennedy took a round of angles. along the margin of the shelf the crevasses were innumerable and, as the sun was hot and the snow soft and mushy, we pitched camp about six miles from the bluff on david island. at a.m. on the th we rounded the bluff and camped under its leeward face. after lunch there was a hunt for snow petrels. fifty-six were caught and the eggs, which all contained chicks, were given to the dogs. it was my intention to touch at all the rocks on the mainland on the way home, as time and weather permitted. under a light easterly breeze we scudded along with sail set and passed close to several outcrops. watson examined them, finding gneiss and granite principally, one type being an exceptionally coarse granite, very much weathered. a mile of bad crevasses caused some delay; one of the dogs having a fall of twelve feet into one abyss. next day, the hippo hove in sight and we found the depoted food in good condition. the course had been over high pressure-waves and in some places we had to diverge on account of crevasses and--fresh water! many of the hollows contained water from thawed snow, and in others there was a treacherous crust which hid a slushy pool. the march of eighteen miles landed us just north of the avalanche rocks. while we were erecting the tents there were several snow-slips, and watson, kennedy and i walked landwards after supper to try for a "snap" of one in the act of falling, but they refused to oblige us. it was found that one or more avalanches had thrown blocks of ice, weighing at least twenty tons, two hundred yards past the hole in which we spent five days on the depot journey. they had, therefore, travelled six hundred yards from the cliff. the alligator nunatak was explored on january , . it was found to be half a mile long, four hundred feet high and four hundred and fifty feet in width, and, like most of the rock we had seen, mainly gneiss. there was half a gale blowing on the th and though the wind was abeam, the sail was reefed and we moved quickly. the dogs ran loose, their feet being very sore from pulling on rough, nobbly ice. the day's run was the record up to that time--twenty-two miles. our camp was in the vicinity of two small nunataks discovered in august . we reckoned to be at the base in two days and wondered how poor moyes was faring. early on the th, the last piece of broken country fell behind, and one sledge being rigged with full sail, the second sledge was taken in tow. both dogs had bleeding feet and were released, running alongside. during the halt for lunch a sail was raised on the dogs' sledge, using tent poles as a mast, a floor-cloth for a sail, an ice-axe for an upper yard and a bamboo for a lower yard. getting under way we found that the lighter sledge overran ours; so we cast off and harrisson took the light sledge, the sail working so well that he rode on top of the load most of the time. later in the afternoon the wind increased so much that the dogs' sledge was dismasted and taken in tow once more, the sail on the forward sledge being ample for our purpose. at p.m. we had done twenty miles, and, everybody feeling fresh, i decided to try and reach "the grottoes," fifteen miles away. the wind increasing to a gale with hurtling drift, the sail was reefed, and even then was more than enough to push along both sledges. two of us made fast behind and maintained a continual brake to stop them running away. at p.m. the gale became so strong that we struck sail and camped. altogether, the day's run was thirty-five miles. an hour's march next morning, and, through the glasses, we saw the mast and soon afterwards the hut. just before reaching home, we struck up a song, and in a few seconds moyes came running out. when he saw there were four of us, he stood on his head. as we expected, moyes had never thought of harrisson coming with me and had quite given him up as dead. when a month had elapsed--the time for which harrisson had food--moyes packed a sledge with provisions for harrisson, himself and the dogs and went out for six days. then, recognizing the futility of searching for any one in that white waste of nothingness, he returned. he looked well, after his lonely nine weeks, but said that it was the worst time he had ever had in his life. moyes reported that the western party were delayed in starting by bad weather until november . the total distance sledged during our main summer eastern journey was two hundred and thirty-seven miles, including thirty-two of relay work, but none of the many reconnoitring miles. out of seventy days, there were twenty-eight on which the weather was adverse. on the spring depot journey the travelling had been so easy that i fully expected to go four hundred or five hundred miles eastward in the summer. it was therefore, a great disappointment to be blocked as we were. chapter xxii the western base--linking up with kaiser wilhelm ii land by dr. s. e. jones on our return from the western depot journey towards the end of october , we found preparations completed for the long western trip, towards gaussberg in kaiser wilhelm ii land, which was discovered by the german antarctic expedition of . the departure was delayed for several days, but came at last on november , moyes bidding us adieu and wishing us good luck. the party consisted of dovers (surveyor), hoadley (geologist), and myself (surgeon). we were hauling one sledge with rations for nine weeks. our course, which was almost due south lay over the glacier shelf practically parallel to the sea-cliffs. the surface was good, and we covered eleven miles by nightfall, reaching a point some two or three miles from the rising land slopes. as the high land was approached closer, the surface of the glacier-shelf, which farther north was practically level, became undulating and broken by pressure-ridges and crevasses. these, however, offered no obstacle to sledging. proceeding in the morning and finding that an ascent of the slopes ahead was rendered impracticable by wide patches of ice, we turned more to the west and steered for junction corner. upon our arrival there, it was discovered that several bergs lay frozen within the floe close to where the seaward wall of the glacier-shelf joined that of the land ice-sheet. some of these bergs were old and rotten, but one seemed to have broken away quite recently. from the same place we could see several black points ahead; our course was altered towards them, almost due westward, about halt a mile from the sea-cliffs. they proved to be rocks, six in number, forming a moraine. as it was then half-past five, we camped in order that hoadley might examine them. there had been a halo visible all day, with mock suns in the evening. in the morning a high wind was blowing. everything went well for a little over a mile, when we found ourselves running across a steep slope. the wind having increased and being abeam, the sledge was driven to leeward when on a smooth surface, and when amongst soft sastrugi, which occurred in patches, was capsized. accordingly camp was pitched. the next day being less boisterous, a start was made at a.m. there was still a strong beam wind, however, which carried the sledge downhill, with the result that for one forward step two had to be taken to the right. we were more fortunate in the afternoon and reached the depot laid on the earlier journey at . a.m. from this position we had a fine view of the helen glacier running out of a bay which opened up ahead. having picked up the depot next morning, we were disappointed to find that we should have to commence relay work. there were then two sledges with rations for thirteen weeks; the total weight amounting to one thousand two hundred pounds. by making an even division between the two sledges the work was rendered easy but slow. when we camped at p.m., five and a half miles had been covered. the surface was good, but a strong beam wind hindered us while approaching the head of depot bay. the ice-cap to the west appeared to be very broken, and it seemed inevitable that we should have to ascend to a considerable altitude towards the south-west to find a good travelling surface. in the morning we were delayed by heavy wind, but left camp at ten o'clock after spending an hour digging out the sledges and tent. at lunch time the sun became quite obscured and each of us had many falls stumbling over the invisible sastrugi. at five o'clock the weather became so thick that camp was pitched. hoadley complained of snow-blindness and all were suffering with cracked lips; there was consequently a big demand for hazeline cream in the evening. on wednesday november , we started early, and, finding a good firm track over a gently rising plateau, made fair progress. at three o'clock a gale sprang up suddenly; and fortunately the sledges were only a quarter of a mile apart as we were relaying them in stages up the rising plateau. the tent was pitched hurriedly, though with difficulty, on account of the high wind and drift. the distance for the day was four miles one thousand five hundred yards, the last mile and a half being downhill into a valley at the head of the bay. the morainic boulders visible from the camp at the depot were now obscured behind a point to the west of depot bay. the next sixty hours were spent in sleeping-bags, a heavy snowstorm making it impossible to move. owing to the comparatively high temperature, degrees to degrees f., the snow melted readily on the lee side of the tent, and, the water running through, things became uncomfortably wet inside. at midday of the th, however, we were able to go out, and, after spending two and a half hours digging out the tent and sledges, we made a start, travelling two and three-quarter miles on a south-westerly course. during the morning of the th a slight descent was negotiated, but in the afternoon came the ascent of the slopes on the western side of depot bay. the ice-cap here was very badly crevassed, and spiked boots had to be worn in hauling the sledges up the steep neve slopes. in the latter part of the afternoon a course was made more to the west, and about the same time the south-east wind freshened and we travelled for a couple of hours through thick drift. the night's camp was situated approximately at the eastern edge of the helen glacier. the portion of the ice-cap which contributes to the glacier below is marked off from the general icy surface on either side by a series of falls and cascades. these appeared quite impassable near sea-level, but we hoped to find a smooth passage at an altitude of about one thousand feet. a start was made at a.m. the surface consisted of ice and neve and was badly broken by pressure-mounds, ten to twenty feet high, and by numerous crevasses old and recent; many with sunken or fallen bridges. while crossing a narrow crevasse, about forty feet of the bridge collapsed lengthwise under the leading man, letting him fall to the full extent of his harness rope. hoadley and myself had passed over the same spot, unsuspecting and unroped, a few minutes previously, while looking for a safe track. we were now nearing the approximate western edge of the helen glacier, and the broken condition of the ice evidently indicated considerable movement. later in the morning a more southerly course was kept over an improving surface. at midday dovers took observations of the sun and found the latitude to be degrees ' s. owing to the heat of the sun the fat in the pemmican had been melting in the food-bags, so after lunch the provisions were repacked and the pemmican was put in the centre of the large tanks. in the afternoon we hoisted the sail, and by evening had done four miles. from our camp the eye could range across the helen glacier eastward to the shelf-ice of "the grottoes." far away in the north-west was a wide expanse of open water, while a multitude of bergs lay scattered along the coast to the west of the helen glacier. the next day was gloriously bright, with a breeze just strong enough to make hauling pleasant. erecting a sail, we made an attempt to haul both sledges, but found that they were too heavy. it was soon discovered that a considerable detour would have to be made to cross the broken ice on the western edge of the helen glacier. by keeping to the saddles and valleys as much as possible and working to the south, we were able to avoid the rougher country, but at p.m. we arrived at what at first appeared an impasse. at this point three great crevassed ridges united to form the ice-falls on the western side of the glacier. the point of confluence was the only place that appeared to offer any hope of a passage, and, as we did not want to retrace our steps, we decided to attempt it. the whole surface was a network of huge crevasses, some open, the majority from fifty to one hundred feet or more in width. after many devious turns, a patch of snow between two large abysses was reached. as the ice in front seemed even more broken than that behind, camp was pitched. after tea a search was made for a way out, and it was found that by travelling along a narrow, knife-edge ridge of ice and neve, with an open crevasse on each side, a good surface could be reached within a mile of the camp. this ridge had a gradient of one in ten, and, unfortunately, also sloped down towards one of the open crevasses. during the next four days a heavy blizzard raged. there was a tremendous snowfall accompanied by a gale of wind, and, after the second day, the snow was piled four feet high round the tent, completely burying the sledges and by its pressure greatly reducing the space inside the tent. on the rd, the fourth day, we dug out the floor, lowering the level of the tent about two feet, and this made things more comfortable. while digging, a crack in the ice was disclosed running across the floor, and from this came a considerable draught. by midday the weather had improved sufficiently to allow us to move. the sledge and tent were excavated from beneath a great mass of soft snow; the new level of the snow's surface being four to five feet above that on which the camp had been made four days earlier. the wind having fallen, we went ahead with the sledges. while crossing the ridge of ice which led into the valley below, one man hauled the sledges while the other two prevented them from sliding sideways downhill into the open crevasse. that afternoon we noticed very fine iridescent colouring in cirro-cumulus clouds as they crossed the sun. the next day gave us a pleasant surprise, there being a strong breeze dead aft, while the travelling surface ahead looked distinctly favourable. sail was hoisted and the two sledges were coupled together. the course for a short distance was downhill, and we had to run to keep up with the sledges. the slopes on the far side of the valley we had entered on the previous afternoon were not so formidable as they had looked, for by lunch time six and a half miles had been covered. the surface was good, with occasional long undulations. after lunch a turn to the north was made for a short distance in order to come in touch with the coastline. then the march west was resumed by travelling parallel to the shore at a distance of five to ten miles. at halting-time the extreme western edge of helen glacier was passed, and below lay young floe-ice, studded with numerous bergs. in the morning, dovers called attention to what appeared to be an ice-covered island lying to the north-north-west, thirty to forty miles away. we watched this carefully during the day, but found its form to be constant. through binoculars, icy patches and bluff points at the eastern and western ends were distinguishable.** ** this was examined in detail from the 'aurora' in january and found to be an island, which was named drygalski island, for it is evidently the ice-covered "high-land" observed by professor drygalski (german expedition, ) from his balloon.--ed. as soon as camp was struck the march was resumed direct for what every one thought was a rocky outcrop, though nearer approach proved it to be merely the shady face of an open crevasse. the same course was maintained and the ridge of ice that runs down to the western point of depot bay was soon close at hand. from its crest we could see a group of about a dozen rocky islands, the most distant being five miles off the coast. all were surrounded by floe. descending steeply from the ridge into a valley which ran out to the sea-cliffs, we pitched camp for lunch. the meal completed, hoadley and i descended to the edge of the glacier in order to see if there were a passable route to the sea-ice. crossing wide areas of badly crevassed ice and neve during a descent of nine hundred feet, we reached the sea-front about one and a half miles from the camp. below us there was a chaos of bergs and smaller debris, resulting from the disintegration of the land-ice, which were frozen into the floe and connected to one another by huge ramparts of snow. following a path downward with great difficulty, we approached a small berg which was discovered to be rapidly thawing under the action of the heat absorbed by a pile of stones and mud. the trickling of the falling water made a pleasant relief in the otherwise intense silence. as it seemed impossible to haul sledges through this jumble of ice and snow, hoadley suggested that he should walk across the floe and make a brief geological examination of at least the largest islet. i therefore returned to the camp and helped dovers take observations for longitude and magnetic variation. hoadley returned at p.m. and reported that he had seen an immense rookery of emperor penguins near the largest islet, besides adelie penguins, silver-grey, wilson and antarctic petrels and skua gulls. he also said that he thought it possible to take a sledge, lightly laden, through the drifts below the brink of the glacier. accordingly in the morning the eleven-foot sledge was packed with necessaries for a week's stay, although we intended to remain only for a day in order to take photographs and search for specimens. erecting a depot flag to mark the big sledge, we broke camp at midday and soon reached the sea-front. our track then wound among the snow-drifts until it emerged from the broken ice which was observed to border the land ice-sheet for miles. the travelling became unexpectedly good for a time over highly polished, green sea-ice, and thence on to snow, amid a field of numerous small bergs. many of these showed a marked degree of ablation, and, in places, blocks of ice perched on eminences had weathered into most grotesque forms. there were numerous streams of thaw-water running from mud-covered bergs. perspiring in the heat, we more than once stopped to slake our thirst. approaching the largest rock--haswell island, as it was called later--we saw more distinctly the immense numbers of emperor penguins covering several acres of floe. the birds extended in rows even on to the lower slopes of several bergs. the sound of their cries coming across the ice reminded one of the noise from a distant sports' ground during a well-contested game. we camped at p.m. on a snow-drift at the southern end of the island. a large rookery of adelie penguins on a long, low rock, about a mile distant, soon made itself evident. although the stay was intended to occupy only about twenty-four hours, we were compelled to remain five days on the island on account of a snowstorm which continued for practically the whole of the time. this did not prevent us from leaving the tent and wandering about; hoadley keen on the geology and dovers surveying whenever the light was good enough. the temperature of the rock was well above freezing-point where it was exposed, and snow melted almost as soon as it fell. our sleeping-bags and gear soon became very wet, but we rejoiced in one compensation, and that was a change in diet. it was agreed that five adelie penguins or ten cape pigeons' eggs made a good tasty entree to the monotonous ration. the camp was situated on the largest of a group of about twelve small islets, lying within five or six miles of the coast, on the lower slopes of which several outcrops of rock could be observed. haswell island was found to be roughly diamond-shaped; three-quarters of a mile in length, the same in width, and about three hundred feet on the highest point. it was surrounded by one season's floe, raised in pressure-ridges on the eastern side. on the northern, southern, and especially the eastern face, the rock was steep; on the western aspect, there was a more gentle slope down to the floe, the rock being almost concealed by big snow-drifts. there were signs of previous glaciation in the form of erratics and many examples of polishing and grooving. the rock was very rotten, and in many places, especially about the penguin rookeries, there were collections of soil. two deep gorges cut through the island from north-west to south-east, in both of which there were small ponds of fresh water. the most marked feature was the wonderful abundance of bird life, for almost all the birds frequenting the shores of the continent were found nesting there. adelie penguins were in greatest numbers. besides the large rookery on one of the smaller islets, there were numerous rookeries of fifty to one hundred birds each on haswell island. in most cases the penguins made their nests on the rock itself, but, failing this, had actually settled on snow-drifts, where they presented a peculiar sight, as the heat of their bodies having caused them to sink in the snow, their heads alone were visible above the surface. one bird was observed carrying an egg on the dorsal surface of his feet as the emperor penguins do. feathers were scattered broadcast around each rookery. these result from the numerous fights which occur and are also partly derived from the bare patch of skin at the lower part of the abdomen which provides the necessary heat for incubation when the bird is sitting. most of the birds had two eggs in a well-advanced stage of incubation, and it was a difficult task to find a sufficient number fresh enough for culinary purposes. attached to each rookery was a pair of skua gulls, who swooped down and quickly flew off with any eggs left for a moment untended. the emperor penguins had their rookery on the floe, about a mile from the island. the birds covered four to five acres, but there were undoubted signs that a much larger area had been occupied. we estimated the numbers to be seven thousand five hundred, the great majority being young birds. these were well grown, most of them standing as high as the shoulders of the adults. they were all very fat, covered by a grey down, slightly darker on the dorsal than on the ventral surface, with dark tails and a black, straight beak. the eyes were surrounded by a ring of grey plumage, and this again by a black band which extended over the skull to the root of the beak. thus the markings on the young do not correspond with those of the adults. a few of the larger chicks had commenced to moult, the change of plumage being observed on the flippers. daily we watched large numbers of adults departing from and returning to the rookery. the direction in which they travelled was north, towards open water, estimated to be twenty miles distant. although more than once the adults' return to the rookery was carefully noted, we never saw the young birds being fed, old birds as they entered the rookery quietly going to sleep. hoadley, on his first visit to the island, had seen antarctic petrels flying about, and a search revealed a large rookery of these on the eastern side. the nesting-place of this species of petrel had never before been discovered, and so we were all elated at the great find. about three hundred birds were found sitting in the gullies and clefts, as close together as they could crowd. they made no attempt to form nests, merely laying their eggs on the shallow dirt. each bird had one egg about the same size as that of a domestic fowl. incubation was far advanced, and some difficulty was experienced in blowing the specimens with a blow-pipe improvised from a quill. neither the antarctic nor any other petrels offered any resistance when disturbed on their nests, except by the expectoration of large quantities of a pink or green, oily fluid. the cape pigeons had just commenced laying when we arrived at the island. on the first day only two eggs were found, but, on the fourth day after our arrival, forty were collected. these birds make a small shallow nest with chips of stone. the silver-grey or southern fulmar petrels were present in large numbers, especially about the steep north-eastern side of the island. though they were mated, laying had scarcely commenced, as we found only two eggs. they made small grottoes in the snow-drifts, and many pairs were seen billing and cooing in such shelters. the small wilson petrels were found living in communities under slabs of rock, and hoadley one afternoon thought he heard some young birds crying. skua gulls were present in considerable force, notably near the penguin rookeries. they were breeding at the time, laying their eggs on the soil near the summit of the island. the neighbourhood of a nest was always betrayed by the behaviour of these birds who, when we intruded on them, came swooping down as if to attack us. although many snow petrels were seen flying about, we found only one with an egg. the nests were located in independent rocky niches but never in rookeries. vegetable life existed in the form of algae, in the pools, lichens on oversell rocks and mosses which grew luxuriantly, chiefly in the adelie penguin rookeries. weddell seals were plentiful about the island near the tide-cracks; two of them with calves. though the continuous bad weather made photography impossible, hoadley was able to make a thorough geological examination of the locality. on december the clouds cleared sufficiently for photography, and after securing some snapshots we prepared to move on the next day. dovers built a small cairn on the summit of the island and took angles to the outlying rocks. on the rd we packed our specimens and left for the mainland at . a.m., arriving at the land ice-cliffs at p.m. the snow surface was soft, even slushy in places, and the heat amongst the bergs along the coast of the mainland was very oppressive. after we had dug out the second sledge and re-arranged the loads, the hour was too late for sledging, so dovers took another observation in order to obtain the rate of the half-chronometer watch. while on the island, we had examined the coast to the west with glasses and concluded that the only way to get westward was to ascend to a considerable altitude on the ice-cap, which, as far as the eye could reach, descended to the sea-level in long cascades and falls. we had expected to place a depot somewhere near haswell island, but such procedure was now deemed inadvisable in view of its distance from what would probably be our direct return route. a start was made next day against an opposing wind, the sledges being relayed up a steep hillside. later on, however, a turn was made more to the west, and it was then possible to haul both sledges at the same time. the surface was soft, so that after every halt the runners had to be cleared. the distance for the day was five and a half miles, and the night's camp was at an altitude of about one thousand five hundred feet, located just above the broken coastal ice. during december and a snowstorm raged and confined us to our tent. the high temperature caused the falling snow to melt as it touched the tent, and, when the temperature fell, the cloth became thickly coated with ice. on the th the march was resumed, by skirting a small valley at an approximate altitude of two thousand feet. the ice-cap ahead descended in abrupt falls to the floe. having a fair wind and a smooth surface, we made good headway. in the afternoon we ran into a plexus of crevasses, and the surface was traversed by high ridges. the snowbridges in many cases were weak and several gave way while the sledge was crossing them. a chasm about fifty feet deep and one hundred feet long was passed, evidently portion of a crevasse, one side of which had been raised. later in the afternoon the surface became impassable and a detour to the south was rendered necessary. this difficulty arose near the head of the valley, in which situation the ice-cap fell in a series of precipitous terraces for about one thousand feet. at midday on the th we were compelled to continue the detour over a badly crevassed surface, ascending most of the time. on that night, camp was pitched again amongst crevasses. the sledge-meter showed only two miles one thousand one hundred yards for the afternoon, relaying having been necessary. the sledges slipped along in the morning with a fresh breeze in their favour. the sky was covered with rapidly scudding, cirro-cumulus clouds which, by midday, quite obscured the sun, making surrounding objects and even the snow at our feet indistinguishable. after continuing for four and a half miles, we were forced to camp. in the afternoon a heavy snowstorm commenced and persisted throughout the following day. though snow was still falling on the morning of the th, camp was broken at a.m., and we moved off rapidly with a strong wind. during the morning the surface was gently undulating, but it mounted in a gradual ascent until nightfall. in the latter part of the afternoon the sun was clouded over, and steering had to be done by the aid of the wind. to the north we had a fine view of drygalski's "high land" (drygalski island), perceiving a distinct seaward ice-cliff of considerable height. as there were no prominences on the ice-cap that could be used for surveying marks, dovers had considerable difficulty in keeping a reckoning of our course. the trouble was overcome by building snow-mounds and taking back-angles to them with the prismatic compass. at this juncture we were about ten miles from the shore and could see open water some thirty miles to the north. frozen fast within the floe were great numbers of bergs. we started off early on december with the aid of a fair breeze over a good surface, so that both sledges were easily hauled along together. the course was almost due west, parallel to the coast. open water came within a few miles of the ice-cliffs, and, farther north, a heavy belt of pack was observed. when the sun sank lower, the bergs on the northern horizon were refracted up to such a degree that they appeared to be hanging from the sky. the aid rendered by the sail under the influence of a fair breeze was well shown on the following day. in four hours, on a good surface, both sledges were transported seven miles. when we moved off, the wind was blowing at ten to fifteen miles an hour. by a.m. the sky became overcast and the wind freshened. camp was pitched for lunch at a.m., as we hoped that the weather would clear again later, but the wind increased and snow began to fall heavily in the afternoon, so we did not stir. the storm continued throughout the following day and it was impossible to march until the th. continuing the ascent on the th out of a valley we had crossed on the previous day, we halted on the top of a ridge within view of german "territory"--a small, dark object bearing due west, evidently bare rock and presumably gaussberg. the course was altered accordingly towards this object and everything went smoothly for ten miles. then followed an area where the ice fell steeply in waves to the sea, crossed by crevasses which averaged fifty feet in width. the snow-bridges were deeply concave, and the lower side of each chasm was raised into a ridge five to ten feet high. making fast the alpine rope on to the sledges, one of us went ahead to test the bridge, and then the sledges, one at a time, were rushed down into the trough and up on the other side. after crossing ten or more crevasses in this fashion, we were forced to camp by the approach of a rapidly moving fog driven before a strong westerly wind. while camp was being prepared, it was discovered that a tin of kerosene on the front sledge had been punctured causing the loss of a gallon of fuel. fortunately, we were well within our allowance, so the accident was not serious. soon after tea our attention was drawn to a pattering on the tent like rain, caused by a fall of sago snow. in the morning the weather was clearer, and we saw that it was impossible to reach gaussberg by a direct route. the ice ahead was cleft and split in all directions, and, in places, vertical faces stood up to a height of one hundred feet. the floe was littered with hundreds of bergs, and in several localities there were black spots which resembled small rocks, but it was impossible to approach close enough to be certain. retracing the way out of the broken ice, we steered in a south-westerly direction, just above the line of serac and crevassed ice. the coast here trended to the south-west, forming the eastern side of drygalski's posadowsky bay. the going was heavy, the surface being covered by a layer of frost-crystals deposited during the night. a fog came up again early in the afternoon and had quite surrounded us at camping time. during the day there were fine clouds of ice-crystals in the air, and at p.m. a fog-bow was seen in the east. turning out in the morning we saw gaussberg peeping over a ridge to the west, but were still prevented from steering directly towards it by the broken surface. when we had advanced ten miles, a heavy fog brought us to a halt at p.m. on friday the th, in spite of a sticky surface, thirteen miles was covered on a west-south-west course. the ice-cap continued to be undulating but free of crevasses. the altitude was between two thousand five hundred and three thousand feet. in the morning, after travelling two miles, we came in sight of gaussberg again and steered directly towards it. the surface was good with a downward grade. at five and a quarter miles a depot was made of the small sledge and most of the food, in expectation of a clear run to the mountain. not far ahead, however, were two broken-backed ridges intersecting the course, and a detour had to be made to the south to cross them higher up. midsummer's day, december , was spent in the tent, a move being impossible on account of the high wind. in the afternoon we walked ahead a short distance and reconnoitred six or seven crumpled ridges. though the barometer had been falling ominously for twenty-four hours, the bad weather did not continue. gaussberg was reached in the afternoon, after our track had passed through seventeen miles of dangerous country. for the first few miles the surface consisted of a series of steep, buckled ice-ridges; later, it was snow-covered, but at times literally cut into a network of crevasses. the only approach to gaussberg from the plateau is from the south. to the east and west there are magnificent ice-falls, the debris from which litters the floe for miles around. december and christmas day were devoted to examining the mountain. dovers made a long series of observations for longitude, latitude and magnetic variation, while hoadley examined the rocks and took photographs. on the southern side, the ice-cap abuts against this extinct volcano at an elevation of about four hundred feet above sea-level; the summit of the mountain rises another eight hundred feet. on the north, the rock descends to the floe. gaussberg is pyramidal in shape, falling steeply, from a ridge at the summit. the sides are covered with a loose rubble of volcanic fragments, square yards of which commence to slide at the slightest disturbance. this renders climbing difficult and accounts for the large numbers of isolated blocks fringing the base. at the summit two cairns were found, the bamboo poles which had previously marked them having blown over. further examination revealed many other bamboos which had been used as marks, but no other record of the visit of the german expedition, ten years before, was met. bird life was not plentiful, being limited to a few skuas, wilson petrels and snow petrels; the latter nesting under slabs of rock. there were large quantities of moss where thaw-water had been running. the ice and snow near the mountain showed evidences of marked thawing, and we had difficulty in finding a favourable spot for our camp. christmas day was gloriously fine, with just sufficient wind to counteract the heat of the sun. at midday the christmas "hamper" was opened, and it was not long before the only sign of the plum-pudding was the tin. in the afternoon we ascended the mountain and left a record in a cairn at the top. by the route followed, gaussberg was two hundred and fifteen miles from "the grottoes" but relay work had made the actual distance covered three hundred miles. we had been away from home seven weeks, and, though there was sufficient food for an outward journey of another week, there was no indication that the country would change. further, from the summit of gaussberg one could see almost as far as could be marched in a week. accordingly it was decided to commence our return on the th, making a course almost due east, thus cutting out numerous detours which had to be taken on the outward journey. we left the mountain on december , pursuing a course to the south of our outward track so as to avoid some crevassed ridges. ascending steadily against a continuous headwind, we picked up the second sledge at midday on the th. next day all the gear was transferred to one sledge and a course made direct to the helen glacier; the other sledge being abandoned. on december , after a day's blizzard, the surface was found to be covered with sastrugi of soft snow eighteen inches to two feet in depth. in crossing a wide crevasse, the sledge became bogged in the soft snow of a drift which had a deceptive appearance of solidity. it took us ten minutes to extricate ourselves, and, after this, crevasses were negotiated at a run. a violent blizzard raged during the following day--the first of the new year . this proved to be a blessing, for it made the surface more crisp and firm. in the morning the sun was obscured and nothing was visible but the snow at our feet, so that steering was very difficult. in the afternoon the sun broke through, a strong westerly wind sprang up and we moved along at a good pace, covering more than thirteen miles before camping. on january the track bordered on the edge of the plateau, the surface being almost level, rising gently towards the south. after a violent blizzard of three days' duration, which confined us in the tent, we continued on the same course for four days, averaging about eleven miles each day. the surface was good, but a strong south-easter blew practically all the time and reduced our speed considerably. at a.m. on january , a fog-bank was observed in the east. this rapidly approached, and in fifteen minutes was quite close. there was now a splendid display of rings and arcs, caused apparently by minute ice-crystals which filled the air without obscuring the sun or sky. first an arc of prismatic colours appeared in the east, and in a few seconds the sky seemed literally to be covered with other arcs. at first they seemed to be scattered indiscriminately, but after a short time several arcs joined and we could discern a symmetrical arrangement. the sun was surrounded by a ring, the lower portion of which was broken by an inverted arc; two other arcs were visible on either side. a large ring appeared encircling the zenith, intersecting the first and passing through the sun. two pairs of arcs were also seen, one pair in each ring. excepting the arcs and ring about the zenith, which was grayish-white against the blue sky, the arcs showed prismatic colouring. the display lasted ten minutes and ended with the disappearance of the ice-crystals. [illustration in text] the diagram shows the arrangement of the arcs: s = sun. z = zenith. at a, b, c, mock suns could be seen. from our camp on the night of january , broken country could be seen ahead. to the north, open water was visible, and to the north-east the shackleton shelf, so that we were nearing home at last. here, a heavy snowstorm delayed us for two and a half days, and it was not till the afternoon of january that we were able to move ahead. the next day was dull, the sun being quite obscured; and the only check upon the steering was the south-easterly wind. at midday the thermometer registered degrees f. in the shade, and the surface became quite sticky. after tea we walked ahead for a couple of hundred yards to the summit of a ridge where the full extent of the helen glacier was laid before us. it was evident that our position was some miles north of the true course, but, considering the absence of steering marks and the constant overcast weather, we considered ourselves lucky in being so close to it. the bad weather continued and snow fell during the following day. on the th the light was better, and we pushed into a strong wind which freshened to the force of a moderate gale before we had travelled two miles. approaching a steep ascent we were compelled to camp. the morning brought an improvement, and the crossing of the helen glacier was commenced a mile or two above the outward course. at midday on january , over treacherous ice, in the face of strong winds, we were making good headway towards junction corner. almost daily for a fortnight a wilson petrel had visited us, the only form of life seen on the return journey. on the th we were not able to move until . p.m., when the wind, which had been blowing with the force of a gale, subsided. during the afternoon a magnificent view of the helen glacier was obtained, and in the west we could see haswell island and drygalski island. continuing on the same course, throughout the following day, we picked up the hut with the binoculars at p.m. there now came a quick descent to junction corner. on the lower levels there was clear evidence of thawing having occurred. the firm surface of snow which had been present on the outward journey was now converted into rough ice, over which we walked painfully in finnesko. neve and ice surfaces were covered with sharp spicules, and the sides and bridges of crevasses were unmistakably thawed. leaving junction corner at a.m., we steered a course for the hut, running parallel to the edge of the glacier. at p.m. the mast was sighted, and, later, the hut itself. when within half a mile of "the grottoes" we saw three figures on the floe and guessed that the eastern party had returned. in a few minutes greetings were heartily exchanged and they had welcomed us home. instructions had been given that the western base should be in readiness to embark on the 'aurora' not later than january , . when wild's party had arrived, preparations for departure were immediately made. geological and biological collections were packed, stores were sorted out and cases containing personal gear were sledged to the edge of the glacier. harrisson contrived a winch for sounding and fishing. fourteen-gauge copper wire was wound on it and, through a crack in the sea-ice a quarter of a mile from the glacier, bottom was reached in two hundred and sixty fathoms. as the water was too deep for dredging, harrisson manufactured cage-traps and secured some fish, a squid, and other specimens. at this time there was abundant evidence of life. skua gulls frequently flew about the hut, as well as cape pigeons, antarctic, snow, wilson, giant and silver-grey petrels. out on the sea-ice, there were adelie and emperor penguins; the latter moulting. hundreds of seals were seen with glasses on the edge of the floe, ten miles to the north. on the whole, january was a very fine month. some of the days seemed really hot; the shade temperature on one occasion reaching degrees f., and, in several instances, degrees f. it was quite a common thing for a man to work outside in loose, light garments; in fact, with nothing more than a singlet on the upper part of the body. on january , while kennedy took observations, wild and the others went for a walk towards the open water. the surface was very rough and broken by leads, along which weddell seals lay in great numbers. three miles of ice were found to have drifted out, reducing the northern expanse to seven miles. in view of the possibility of the 'aurora' not relieving them, the party went through their food-supplies, finding that these were sufficient for another year, with the exception of meat. with regard to coal, two tons of briquettes remained, which, augmented by good stock of seal-blubber, would provide sufficient fuel. laying in a store of seals' flesh and blubber now became the principal work, and every fine day saw a party out with a sledge. unfortunately, the nearest crack on the sea-ice was nearly two miles away, so that the return journey, with a heavily laden sledge, was long and tedious. two holes were dug in the glacier near the hut, one for blubber and the other for meat. on january six miles of sea-ice still remained, and, if the ship had arrived to time, a good deal of sledging would have been required to transport all the gear aboard. in february, the weather altered for the worse, and there was not a single fine day until the th. a strong east-southeast wind with falling snow prevailed. as the days were shortening rapidly, all were beginning to feel anxious about the 'aurora'. wild erected a flagstaff on the highest ice-pinnacle near "the grottoes" and flew a large flag on it whenever the wind moderated. on the th, a lamp-screen and reflector were fitted at the mast-head and each night a hurricane lamp was placed there, which could be seen eight miles with the naked eye. on the th dovers and wild made a large signboard, taking it out to a prominent point on the glacier, three and a half miles to the north. it was lashed to a bamboo pole with a flag flying on it. the open water was then only three miles distant. wild writes: "the nd february was the anniversary of the day the 'aurora' left us, but the weather was very different. a heavy blizzard was raging, the wind's velocity ranging up to eighty miles per hour. as it was saturday, we kept the usual routine, scrubbing out and cleaning up the hut. we could not help speculating as to whether we should have to do it for another whole year. but every one had great faith in 'good old davis,' and nobody was at all downhearted. "when we 'turned out' on sunday there was still a strong wind and drift, but this died away to a light breeze before breakfast was over, and the sun came out. i had a look round with the glasses and saw that the ice had broken away beyond a limit of one and a half miles. as there was a sledge, which harrisson had been using for sounding, within a few yards of the water's edge, jones and i went off to bring it in. we had gone less than half a mile when we saw what at first appeared to be a penguin, standing on some pack-ice in the distance, but which we soon saw was the mast-head of the 'aurora'. "it was evident that she could not be alongside for some time, so jones went back to the hut to tell the others to bring down a load of gear, and i went on to meet the ship. before the 'aurora' had reached the fast ice, all the party were down with two sledge loads, having covered the mile and a half in record time. "we were all anxious, of course, for news, and the first we received was the sad account of the deaths of ninnis and mertz; then of the wonderful march made by dr. mawson. "before closing, i should like to pay a tribute to the good-fellowship, unfailing industry, enthusiasm and unswerving loyalty which characterized my comrades. during the whole of the expedition, whether carrying out monotonous routine work at the base or under the trying conditions of sledging, all duties were performed with never-failing good temper and perseverance. "should it ever be my lot to venture on a like expedition i hope to have some, if not all, of the same party with me. but whether we meet again or not, i shall always think of every man of them with the greatest affection and respect." chapter xxiii a second winter during the first busy year in adelie land, when the hut was full of life and work, there were few moments for reflection. yet, over the speculative pipe at home after a successful day's labour on the wireless masts, or out on the turbulent plateau when the hour of hoosh brought the strenuous day to a close, more than one man was heard to say, "one year in this country is enough for me." still, in the early days, no one could predict what would happen, and therefore a change in the perverse climate was always considered probable. so great was the emulation, and so keen were all to extend our geographical boundaries, that the year sped away almost before the meagre opportunity came. with the cheery support of numbers, we did not find it a difficult matter "to drive dull care away." now there were only seven of us; we knew what was ahead; the weather had already given ample proof of the early approach of winter; the field of work which once stretched to the west, east and south had no longer the mystery of the "unknown"; the ship had gone and there was scant hope of relief in march. against all this. there remained the hut--a proven shelter from the wind; and, most vital of all, there was abundant food for another year. every avenue of scientific work was not yet closed. even the routine of meteorological and magnetic work was adding in no slight degree to the sum of human knowledge. our short mile of rocks still held some geological secrets, and there were biological discoveries yet to make. a wireless telegraphic station had at last been established, and we could confidently expect communication with the outside world at an early date. these were some of the obvious assurances which no one had the heart to think about at first; and then there was always our comradeship, most enduring of all. february, during , was a tolerable month with a fair proportion of sunny, moderately calm days. a year later, the first eight days of this month were signalized by the blizzard in which the 'aurora' had such a perilous experience. while the winter began in with the advent of march, now in it came on definitely in early february. autumn was a term which applied to a few brilliant days which would suddenly intervene in the dense rack of drift-snow. we set to work to make the hut, if anything, safer and snugger. bage put finishing touches to the break-wind of rock and cases, and with hodgeman and mclean nailed battens of wood over a large sheet of canvas which had been stretched across the windward side of the roof, overlapping rolls of black paper, scraps of canvas and bagging, which were also battened down to make the eastern and western faces more air-tight. before the ship left us, the remaining coal briquettes had been dug out of a bed of ice and carefully piled on a high point of the rocks. round them all the spare timber and broken cases were gathered to provide sufficient fuel for the ensuing winter. the penguins' eggs, which had been stored in boxes, were stacked together on the windward side of the hut, and a choice selection of steaks of seal and penguin for our own use were at the storeman's disposal in the veranda. madigan, in addition to his meteorological duties, took charge of the new sledging-dogs which had been presented by captain amundsen. a good many seals had been already killed, and a big cache of meat and blubber was made alongside the hut to last throughout the winter. bickerton found many odd jobs to occupy his time in connexion with the petrol-engine and the wireless installations. he was also busied with the anemometer, which had broken down and needed a strong start for its second year of usefulness. bage, following the parting instructions of webb, became the owner of the magnetograph house and the absolute hut, continuing to keep the magnetic records. as storeman, bage looked after the food-supplies. the canvas coverings had made the veranda drift-tight, so the storeman could arrange his tins and cases on the shelves with some degree of comfort, and the daily task of shovelling out snow was now at an end. further, hodgeman and he built an annex out of spare timber to connect the entrance veranda with the store. this replaced the old snow-tunnel which had melted away, and, when completed and padded outside with old mattresses, was facetiously styled the "north-west passage." the only thing which later arose to disturb the composure of the storeman was the admission of the dogs to a compartment in the veranda on the eastern side. his constant care then became a heap of mutton carcases which the dogs in passing or during the occasional escapades from their shelter were always eager to attack. hodgeman helped to change the appearance of the living-hut by cutting the table in two and, since there was now plenty of room, by putting in more shelves for a larder on which the storeman displayed his inviting wares to the cook, who could think of nothing original for the next meal. mclean undertook the duties of ice-cutting and coal-carrying throughout the year, kept the biological log and assisted in general observations. he also sent off sealed messages in bottles, regularly, on the chance of their being picked up on the high seas, thereby giving some indication of the direction of currents. jeffryes was occupied regularly every night listening attentively for wireless signals and calling at intervals. the continuous winds soon caused many of the wire stays of the main wireless mast to become slack, and these jeffryes pulled taut on his daily rounds. looking back and forward, we could not but feel that the sledging programme of the previous summer had been so comprehensive that the broad features of the land were ascertained over a wide radius; beyond what we, with our weakened resources of the second year, could reach. the various observations we were carrying on were adding to the value of the scientific results, but we could not help feeling disappointed that our lot was not cast in a new and more clement region. it was to be a dreary and difficult time for the five men who had volunteered to remain behind in order to make a thorough search for myself and comrades. they were men whom i had learned to appreciate during the first year, and i now saw their sterling characters in a new light. to jeffryes all was fresh, and we envied him the novelties of a new world, rough and inhospitable though it was. as for me, it was sufficient to feel that ...he that tossed thee down into the field, he knows about it all--he knows, he knows. on the night of february , jeffryes suddenly surprised us with the exciting intelligence that he had heard macquarie island send a coded weather report to hobart. the engine was immediately set going, but though repeated attempts were made, no answer could be elicited. each night darkness was more pronounced and signals became more distinct, until, on the th, our call reached sawyer at macquarie island, who immediately responded by saying "good evening." the insulation of a leyden jar broke down at this point, and nothing more could be done until it was remedied. at last, on february , signals were exchanged, and by the rd a message had been dispatched to lord denman, governor-general of the commonwealth, acquainting him with our situation and the loss of our comrades and, through him, one to his majesty the king requesting his royal permission to name a tract of newly discovered country to the east, "king george v land." special messages were also sent to the relatives of lieutenant b. e. s. ninnis and dr. x. mertz. the first news received from the outside world was the bare statement that captain scott and four of his companions had perished on their journey to the south pole. it was some time before we knew the tragic details which came home, direct and poignant, to us in adelie land. to professor david a fuller account of our own calamity was sent and, following this, many kind messages of sympathy and congratulation were received from all over the world. on february lord denman sent an acknowledgment of our message to him, expressing his sorrow at the loss of our two companions; and on march his majesty the king added his gracious sympathy, with permission to affix the name, king george v land, to that part of the antarctic continent lying between adelie land and oates land. on february there was a spell of dead calm; heavy nimbus clouds and fog lowering over sea and plateau. fluffy grains of sago snow fell most of the day, covering the dark rocks and the blue glacier. a heaving swell came in from the north, and many seals landed within the boat harbour, where a high tide lapped over the ice-foot. the bergs and islands showed pale and shadowy as the snow ceased or the fog lifted. then the wind arose and blew hard from the east-south-east for a day, swinging round with added force to its old quarter--south-by-east. march began in earnest with much snow and monotonous days of wind. by contrast, a few hours of sunny calm were appreciated to the full. the face of the landscape changed; the rocky crevices filling flush with the low mounds of snow which trailed along and off the ridges. on march every one was relieved to hear that the 'aurora' had arrived safely in hobart, and that wild and his party were all well. but the news brought disappointment too, for we had always a lingering ray of hope that there might be sufficient coal to bring the vessel back to adelie land. later on we learned that on account of the shortage of funds the ship was to be laid up at hobart until the following summer. in the meantime, professors david and masson were making every effort to raise the necessary money. in this they were assisted by captain davis, who went to london to obtain additional donations. it was now a common thing for those of us who had gone to bed before midnight to wake up in the morning and find that quite a budget of wireless messages had been received. it took the place of a morning paper and we made the most of the intelligence, discussing it from every possible point of view. jeffryes and bickerton worked every night from p.m. until a.m., calling at short intervals and listening attentively at the receiver. in fact, notes were kept of the intensity of the signals, the presence of local atmospheric electrical discharges--"static"--or intermittent sounds due to discharges from snow particles--st. elmo's fire--and, lastly, of interference in the signals transmitted. the latter phenomenon should lead to interesting deductions, for we had frequent evidence to show that the wireless waves were greatly impeded or completely abolished during times of auroral activity. listening at the wireless receiver must have been very tedious and nerve-racking work, as so many adventitious sounds had to be neglected. there was, first of all, the noise of the wind as it swept by the hut; then there was the occasional crackling of "st. elmo's fire"; the dogs in the veranda shelter were not always remarkable for their quietness; while within the hut it was impossible to avoid slight sounds which were often sufficient to interrupt the sequence of a message. at times, when the aurora was visible, signals would often die away, and the only alternative was to wait until they recurred, meanwhile keeping up calls at regular intervals in case the ether was not "blocked." so jeffryes would sometimes spend the whole evening trying to transmit a single message, or, conversely, trying to receive one. by experience it was found easier to transmit and receive wireless messages between certain hours in the evening, while not infrequently, during the winter months, a whole week would go by and nothing could be done. during such a period auroral displays were usually of nightly occurrence. then a "freak night" would come along and business would be brisk at both terminals. it was often possible for jeffryes to "hear" wellington, sydney, melbourne and hobart, and once he managed to communicate directly with the last-named. then there were numerous ships passing along the southern shores of australia or in the vicinity of new zealand whose "calls" were audible on "good nights." the warships were at times particularly distinct, and occasionally the "chatter in the ether" was so confusing that sawyer, at macquarie island, would signal that he was "jammed." the "wireless" gave us another interest in life, and plenty of outside occupation when the stays became loose or an accident occurred. it served to relieve some of the tedium of that second year: day after day the same only a little worse. on march there was a tremendous fall of snow, and worst "pea-souper" we had had during the previous year. next day everything was deluged, and right up the glacier there were two-foot drifts, despite a sixty-mile wind. it was very interesting to follow the changes which occurred from day to day. first of all, under the flail of the incessant wind, a crust would form on the surface of the snow of the type we knew as "piecrust," when out sledging. it was never strong enough to bear a man, but the sledge-runners would clear it fairly well if the load were not too heavy. next day the crust would be etched, and small flakes and pellets would be carried away until the snow was like fleece. assuming that the wind kept up (which it always did) long, shallow concavities would now be scooped out as the "lobules" of the fleece were carried away piecemeal. these concavities became deeper, hour by hour and day by day, becoming at last the troughs between the crests of the snow-waves or sastrugi. all this time the surface would be gradually hardening and, if the sun chanced to shine for even a few hours every day, a shining glaze would gradually form on the long, bevelled mounds. it was never a wise thing to walk on these polished areas in finnesko and this fact was always learnt by experience. above the hut, where the icy slopes fell quickly to the sea, the snow would lie for a few days at the very most, but, lower down, where the glacier ran almost level for a short distance to the harbour ice, the drifts would lie for months at the mercy of the wind, furrowed and cut into miniature canyons; wearing away in fragments until the blue ice showed once more, clear and wind-swept. towards the end of march the wind gave a few exhibitions of its power, which did not augur well for the maximum periods of the winter. a few diary jottings are enough to show this: "march . during the previous night the wind steadily rose to an eighty-mile 'touch' and upwards. it was one of those days when it is a perpetual worry to be outside. "march . doing at least seventy miles per hour during the morning. about p.m. there was a temporary lull and a rise of. in the barometer. now, . p.m., it is going 'big guns.' the drift is fairly thick and snow is probably falling. "march . much the same as yesterday. "march . in a seventy-five-mile wind, hodgeman had several fingers frost-bitten this morning while attending to the anemograph. "march . it was quite sunny when we opened the trap-door, though it blew about sixty miles per hour with light drift. "march . the wind is doing itself full justice. about p.m. it ranged between ninety-five and one hundred miles per hour, and now the whole hut is tremulous and the stove-pipe vibrates so that the two large pots on the stove rattle." at the beginning of april, mclean laid the foundations of the adelie blizzard which recorded our life for the next seven months. it was a monthly publication, and contributions were invited from all on every subject but the wind. anything from light doggerel to heavy blank verse was welcomed, and original articles, letters to the editor, plays, reviews on books and serial stories were accepted within the limits of our supply of foolscap paper and type-writer ribbons. _____________________________________________________ / \ / the adelie blizzard \ | | | | | / registered at the general plateau office \ |/ \ | | / for transmission by wind as a newspaper \ | | / \ | | -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- | | | | | | ----contents---- | | o-o-o-o- | | | | editorial.............................. page | | southern sledging song................. " | | a phantasm of the snow................. " | | the romance of exploration | | first crossing of greenland (nansen). " | | ode to tobacco.......................... " | | punch, the dinner epilogue.............. " | | to the editor........................... " | | scott's british antarctic expedition.... " | | statics and antarctics.................. " | | wireless--the realization............... " | | birth's, deaths and marriages........... " | | the evolution of women.................. " | | a concise narrative..................... " | | the daylight proposition................ " | | meteorological and magnetic notes....... " | | calendar rhymes......................... " | | answers to correspondents............... " | | | | o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- | | | | vol-i--no. i april, | | | |__________________________________________________________| [text illustration] it was the first antarctic publication which could boast a real cable column of news of the day. extracts from the april number were read after dinner one evening and excited much amusement. an "ode to tobacco" was very popular, and seemed to voice the enthusiasm of our small community, while "the evolution of women" introduced us to a once-familiar subject. the editor was later admitted by wireless to the journalists' association (sydney). many have asked the question, "what did you do to fill in the time during the second year?" the duties of cook and night-watchman came to each man once every week, and meteorological and magnetic observations went on daily. then we were able to devote a good deal of time to working up the scientific work accomplished during the sledging journeys. the wireless watches kept two men well occupied, and in spare moments the chief recreation was reading. there was a fine supply of illustrated journals and periodicals which had arrived by the 'aurora', and with papers like the 'daily graphic', 'illustrated london news', 'sphere' and 'punch', we tried to make up the arrears of a year in exile. the "encyclopaedia britannica" was a great boon, being always "the last word" in the settlement of a debated point. chess and cards were played on several occasions. again, whenever the weather gave the smallest opportunity, there were jobs outside, digging for cases, attending to the wireless mast and, in the spring, geological collecting and dredging. if the air was clear of drift, and the wind not over fifty miles per hour, one could spend a pleasant hour or more walking along the shore watching the birds and noting the changes in "scenery" which were always occurring along our short "selection" of rocks. during we had been able to study all the typical features of our novel and beautiful environment, but was the period of "intensive cultivation" and we would have gladly forgone much of it. divine service was usually held on sunday mornings, but in place of it we sometimes sang hymns during the evening, or arranged a programme of sacred selections on the gramophone. there was a great loss in our singing volume after the previous year, which hodgeman endeavoured to remedy by striking up an accompaniment on the organ. cooking reached its acme, according to our standard, and each man became remarkable for some particular dish. bage was the exponent of steam puddings of every variety, and madigan could always be relied upon for an unfailing batch of puff-pastry. bickerton once started out with the object of cooking a ginger pudding, and in an unguarded moment used mixed spices instead of ginger. the result was rather appetizing, and "mixed-spice pudding" was added to an original list. mclean specialized in yeast waffles, having acquired the art of tossing pancakes. jeffryes had come on the scene with a limited experience, but his first milk scones gained him a reputation which he managed to make good. hodgeman fell back on the cookery book before embarking on the task of preparing dinner, but the end-product, so to speak, which might be invariably expected for "sweets" was tapioca pudding. penguin meat had always been in favour. now special care was devoted to seal meat, and, after a while, mainly owing to the rather copious use of onion powder, no one could say for certain which was which. during the previous year, yeast had been cultivated successfully from russian stout. the experiments were continued, and all available information was gathered from cookery books and the encyclopaedia. russian stout, barley wine, apple rings, sugar, flour and mould from potatoes were used in several mixtures and eventually fermentation was started. bread-making was the next difficulty, and various instructions were tried in succession. the method of "trial and error" was at last responsible for the first light spongy loaf, and then every night-watchman cultivated the art and baked for the ensuing day. on april the snow had gathered deeply everywhere and we had some exercise on skis. several of the morainic areas were no longer visible, and it was possible to run between the rocks for a considerable distance. a fresh breeze came up during the afternoon and provided a splendid impetus for some good slides. during the short calm, twenty-six seals landed on the harbour-ice. on the morning of the same day mary gave birth to five pups in the transit house. the place was full of cracks, through which snow and wind were always driving, and so we were not surprised when four of them were found to have died. the survivor was named "hoyle" (a cognomen for our old friend hurley) and his doings gave us a new fund of entertainment. the other dogs had been penned in the veranda and in tolerable weather were brought outside to be fed. carrying an axe, madigan usually went down to the boat harbour, followed by the expectant pack, to where there were several seal carcases. these lay immovably frozen to the ice, and were cut about and hacked so that the meat in section reminded one of the grain of a log of red gum, and it was certainly quite as hard. when madigan commenced to chop, the dogs would range themselves on the lee side and "field" the flying chips. on april the last penguin was seen on a ledge overhanging an icy cove to the east. apparently its moulting time had not expired, but it was certainly a very miserable bird, smothered in small icicles and snow and partly exposed to a sixty-five mile wind with the temperature close to - degrees f. petrels were often seen flying along the foreshores and no wind appeared to daunt them. it was certainly a remarkable thing to witness a snow-petrel, small, light and fragile, making headway over the sea in the face of an eighty-mile hurricane, fluttering down through the spindrift to pick up a morsel of food which it had detected. close to the western cliffs there was a trail of brash-ice where many birds were often observed feeding on euphausia (crustaceans) in weather when it scarcely seemed possible for any living creature to be abroad. [text illustration] the meteorological chart for april , , compiled by the commonwealth meteorological bureau mr. hunt appends the following explanation: "a very intense cyclone passing south of macquarie island, where the barometer fell on the th from . at a.m. to . at p.m., and the next day to . at a.m. and . at p.m. at adelie land the barometer was not greatly affected, but rose in sympathy with the passage of the 'low' from . to . during the twenty-four hours. the influence of this cyclone was very wide and probably embraced both adelie land and tasmania." throughout april news by wireless came in slowly and spasmodically, and jeffryes was becoming resigned to the eccentricities of the place. as an example of the unfavourable conditions which sometimes prevailed: on april the wind was steady, in the nineties, with light drift and, at times, the aurora would illumine the north-west sky. still, during "quiet" intervals, two messages came through and were acknowledged. a coded weather report, which had priority over all other messages, was sent out each night, and it is surprising how often jeffryes managed to transmit this important intelligence. on evenings when receiving was an impossibility, owing to a continual stream of st. elmo's fire, the three code words for the barometric reading, the velocity and direction of the wind were signalled repeatedly and, on the following night, perhaps, macquarie island would acknowledge them. of course we had to use new signs for the higher wind velocities, as no provision had been made for them in our meteorological code-book. the reports from macquarie island and adelie land were communicated to mr. hunt of the commonwealth weather bureau and to mr. bates of the dominion meteorological office, who plotted them out for their daily weather forecasts. it was very gratifying to learn that the macquarie island party to a man had consented to remain at their lonely post and from ainsworth, their leader, i received a brief report of the work which had been accomplished by each member. we all could appreciate the sacrifice they were making. then, too, an account was received of the great sledging efforts which had been made by wild and his men to the west. but it was not till the end of the year that their adventurous story was related to us in detail. on the rd lassie, one of the dogs, was badly wounded in a fight and had to be shot. quarrels amongst the dogs had to be quelled immediately, otherwise they would probably mean the death of some unfortunate animal which happened to be thrown down amongst the pack. whenever a dog was down, it was the way of these brutes to attack him irrespective of whether they were friends or foes. among our dogs there were several groups whose members always consorted together. thus, george and lassie were friends and, when the latter was killed, george, who was naturally a miserable, downtrodden creature, became a kind of pariah, morose and solitary and at war with all except peary and fix, with whom he and lassie had been associated in fights against the rest. the other dogs lived together in some kind of harmony, jack and amundsen standing out as particular chums, while the "pups," as we called them--d'urville, ross and wilkes ("monkey")--were a trio born in adelie land and, therefore, comrades in misfortune. hoyle, as a pup, was treated benevolently by all the others, and entered the fellowship of the other three when he grew up. among the rest, mikkel stood out as a good fighter, colonel as the biggest dog and ringleader against the peary-fix faction, fram as a nervous intractable animal, and mary as the sole representative of the sex. it was remarkable that peary, fix and george in their hatred of the others, who were penned up in the dog shelter during bad weather, would absent themselves for days on a snow ramp near the magnetograph house, where they were partly protected from the wind by rocks. george, from being a mere associate of peary and fix, became more amiable as the year went by, and at times it was quite pathetic to see his attempts at friendliness. we became very fond of the dogs despite their habit of howling at night and their wolfish ferocity. they always gave one a welcome, in drift or sunshine, and though ruled by the law of force, they had a few domestic traits to make them civilized. may was a dreaded month because it had been the period of worst wind and drift during . on this occasion the wind velocities over four weeks were not so high and constant, though the snowfall was just as persistent. on the th and th, however, there was an unexpected "jump" to the nineties. the average over the first twenty-four hours was eighty-three, and on the th it attained . miles per hour. one terrific rise between . and . on the night of the th was shown as one hundred and three miles on the anemometer--the record up to that time. madigan was thrown over and had a hard fall on his arm, smashing a bottle of the special ink which was used for the anemograph pen. bage related how he had sailed across the magnetic flat by sitting down and raising his arms in the air. he was accompanied by fix, peary and george, who were blown along the slippery surface for yards. mclean had a "lively time" cutting ice and bringing in the big blocks. often he would slide away with a large piece, and "pull up" on a snow patch twenty yards to leeward. on the nd there were hours of gusts which came down like thunderbolts, making us apprehensive for the safety of the wireless masts; we had grown to trust the stability of the hut. every one who went outside came back with a few experiences. jeffryes was roughly handled through not wearing crampons, and several cases of kerosene, firmly stacked on the break-wind, were dislodged and thrown several yards. empire day was celebrated in adelie land with a small display. at . p.m. the union jack was hoisted to the topmast and three cheers were given for the king. the wind blew at fifty miles an hour with light drift, temperature - degrees f. empire greetings were sent to the colonial secretary, london, and to mr fisher, prime minister of australia. these were warmly reciprocated a few days afterwards. preceded by a day of whirlies on the th and random gusts on the same evening, the wind made a determined attack next morning and carried away the top and part of the middle section of the main wireless mast. it was a very unexpected event, lulled as we were into security by the fact that may, the worst month, had passed. on examination it was found that two of the topmast wire stays had chafed through, whilst another had parted. at first it seemed a hopeless task to re-erect the mast, but gradually ways and means were discussed, and we waited for the first calm day to put the theories into execution. meanwhile, it was suggested that if a heavy kite were made and induced to fly in the continuous winds, the aerial thus provided would be sufficient to receive wireless messages. to this end, bage and bickerton set to work, and the first invention was a venesta-box kite which was tried in a steady seventy-mile wind. despite its weight,--at least ten pounds --the kite rose immediately, steadied by guys on either side, and then suddenly descended with a crash on to the glacier ice. after the third fall the kite was too battered to be of any further use. another device, in which an empty carbide tin was employed, and still another, making use of an old propeller, shared the same fate. on the evening of the th a perfect coloured corona, three degrees in diameter, was observed encircling the moon in a sky which lit up at intervals with dancing auroral curtains. coronae or "glories," which closely invest the luminary, are due to diffraction owing to immense numbers of very minute water or ice particles floating in the air between the observer and the source of light. the larger the particles the smaller the corona, so that by a measurement of the diameter of a corona the size of the particles can be calculated. earlier in the year, a double corona had been seen when the moon was shining through cirro-cumulus clouds. haloes, on the other hand, are wide circles (or arcs of circles) in the sky surrounding the sun or moon, and arising from light-refraction in myriads of tiny ice-crystals suspended in the atmosphere. they were very commonly noted in adelie land where the conditions were so ideal for their production. midwinter's day ! we had reached a turning-point in the season. the astronomer royal told us that at eight o'clock on june the sun commenced to return, and every one took note of the fact. the sky was overcast, the air surcharged with drifting snow, and the wind was forty miles an hour--a representative day as far as the climate was concerned. the cook made a special effort and the menu bore the following foreword: now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer.... on july the wind moderated, and we set about repairing once more the fortunes of the "wireless." the shattered topmast used to sway about in the heavy winds, threatening to bring down the rest of the mast. bickerton, therefore, climbed up with a saw and cut it almost through above the doubling. all hands then pulled hard, and the upper part cracked off, the lower section being easily removed from the cross-trees. the mast now looked "shipshape" and ready for future improvements. it was decided to use as a topmast the mast which had been formerly employed to support the northern half of the aerial. so on the th this was lowered and removed to the veranda to be fitted for erection. almost a fortnight now elapsed, during which the weather was "impossible." in fact, the wind was frightful throughout the whole month of july, surpassing all its previous records and wearing out our much-tried patience. all that one could do was to work on and try grimly to ignore it. on july we noted: "thick as a wall outside with an eighty-five miler." and so it commenced and continued for a day, subsiding slowly through the seventies to the fifties and then suddenly redoubling in strength, rose to a climax about midnight on the th--one hundred and sixteen miles an hour! for eight hours it maintained an average of one hundred and seven miles an hour, and the timbers of the hut seemed to be jarred and wrenched as the wind throbbed in its mightier gusts. these were the highest wind-velocities recorded during our two years' residence in adelie land and are probably the highest sustained velocities ever reported from a meteorological station. with the exception of a few antarctic and snow petrels flying over the sea on the calmer days, no life had been seen round the hut during june. so it was with some surprise that we sighted a weddell seal on july attempting to land on the harbour-ice in a seventy-five-mile wind. several times it clambered over the edge and on turning broadside to the wind was actually tumbled back into the water. eventually it struggled into the lee of some icy hummocks, but only remained there for a few minutes, deciding that the water was much warmer. on the th there was an exceptionally low barometer at . inches. at the same time the wind ran riot once more--two hundred and ninety-eight miles in three hours. the highest barometric reading was recorded on september , . inches, and the comparison indicates a wide range for a station at sea-level. to show how quickly conditions would change, it was almost calm next morning, and all hands were in readiness to advance the wireless mast another stage. previously there had been three masts, one high one in three lengths, and two smaller ones of one length each, between which the aerial stretched; the "lead-in" wires being connected to the middle of the aerial. this is known as an "umbrella aerial." since we were without one short mast it was resolved to erect a "directive" [capital gamma gjc]-shaped aerial. the mainmast was to be in two instead of three lengths, and we wondered if the aerial would be high enough. in any case, it was so calm early on the th that we ventured to erect the topmast and had hauled it half-way, when the wind swooped down from the plateau, and there was just time to make fast the stays and the hauling rope and to leave things "snug" for the next spell of bad weather. in eight days another opportunity came, and this time the topmast was hoisted, wedged and securely stayed. bickerton had fixed a long bolt through the middle of the topmast and just above it three additional wire stays were to be placed. another fine day and we reckoned to finish the work. from july onwards the sky was cloudless for a week, and each day the northern sun would rise a fraction of a degree higher. the wind was very constant and of high velocity. it was a grand sight to witness the sea in a hurricane on a driftless, clear day. crouched under a rock on azimuth hill, and looking across to the west along the curving brink of the cliffs, one could watch the water close inshore blacken under the lash of the wind, whiten into foam farther off, and then disappear into the hurrying clouds of spray and sea-smoke. over the mackellar islets and the "pianoforte berg" columns of spray would shoot up like geysers, and fly away in the mad race to the north. early in july jeffryes became ill, and for some weeks his symptoms were such as to give every one much anxiety. his work on the wireless had been assiduous at all times, and there is no doubt that the continual and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented conditions was such that he eventually had a "nervous breakdown." unfortunately the weather was so atrocious, and the conditions under which we were placed so peculiarly difficult, that nothing could be done to brighten his prospects. mclean considered that as the spring returned and it became possible to take more exercise outside, the nervous exhaustion would pass off. in the meantime jeffryes took a complete rest, and slowly improved as the months went by, and our hopes of relief came nearer. it was a great misfortune for our comrade, especially as it was his first experience of such a climate, and he had applied himself to work with enthusiasm and perhaps in an over-conscientious spirit. july concluded its stormy career with the astonishing wind-average of . miles an hour. we were all relieved to see friday, august , appear on the modest calendar, which it was the particular pleasure of each night-watchman to change. more light filtered day by day through the ice on the kitchen window, midwinter lay behind, and we were ready to hail the first signs of returning spring. chapter xxiv nearing the end seven men from all the world, back to town again, seven men from out of hell. kipling it is wonderful how quickly the weeks seemed to pass. situated as we were, time became quite an object of study to us and its imperceptible drift was almost a reality, considering that each day was another step towards liberty--freedom from the tyranny of the wind. in a sense, the endless surge of the blizzard was a slow form of torture, and the subtle effect it had on the mind was measurable in the delight with which one greeted a calm, fine morning, or noted some insignificant fact which bespoke the approach of a milder season. thus in august, although the weather was colder, there were the merest signs of thawing along the edges of the snow packed against the rocky faces which looked towards the sun; weddell seals came back to the land, and the petrels would at times appear in large flocks; all of which are very commonplace events which any one might have expected, but at the time they had more than their face value. august was undoubtedly a great day from our very provincial point of view. on the th there had been a dense drift, during which the hut was buttressed round with soft snow which rose above the eaves and half filled the entrance-veranda. the only way in which the night-watchman could keep the hourly observations was to dig his way out frequently with a shovel. in the early morning hours of the th the wind abated and veered right round from south through east to north-east, from which quarter it remained as a fresh breeze with falling snow. by a.m. the air was still, and outside there was a dead world of whiteness; flocculent heaps of down rolling up to where glimpses of rock streaked black near the skyline of the ridges, striated masses of livid cloud overhead, and to the horizon the dark berg-strewn sea, over which the snow birds fluttered. we did not linger over the scenery, but set to work to hoist to the head of the mainmast the aerial, which had been hurriedly put together. the job occupied till lunch-time, and then a jury-mast was fixed to the southern supporting mast, and by dusk the aerial hung in position. bickerton was the leading spirit in the work and subsequently steadied the mainmast with eighteen wire stays, in the determination to make it stable enough to weather the worst hurricane. the attempt was so successful that in an ordinary fifty-mile "blow" the mast vibrated slightly, and in higher winds exhibited the smallest degree of movement. at eight o'clock that night, jeffryes, who felt so benefited by his rest that he was eager to commence operating once more, had soon "attuned" his instrument to macquarie island, and in a few minutes communication was reestablished. we learned from the governor-general, lord denman, that her majesty the queen was "graciously pleased to consent to the name 'queen mary land' being given to newly discovered land." the message referred to the tract of antarctic coast which had been discovered and mapped by wild and his party to the west. on august macquarie island signalled that they had run short of provisions. the message was rather a paradox: " food done, but otherwise all right." however, on august , we were reassured to hear that the 'tutanekai', a new zealand government steamer, had been commissioned to relieve the party, and that sawyer through ill-health had been obliged to return to australia. a sealing-ship, the 'rachel cohen', after battling for almost the whole month of july against gales, in an endeavour to reach the island, with stores for our party and the sealers, had returned damaged to port. marvellous to relate we had two calm days in succession, and on the th the snow lay so deeply round the hut that progression without skis was a laborious flounder. the dogs plunged about in great glee, rolling in the snow and "playing off" their surplus energy after being penned for a long spell in the shelter. on skis one could push up the first slopes of the glacier for a long distance. soft snow had settled two feet thick even on the steep icy downfalls. the sea to the north was frozen into large cakes between which ran a network of dark water "leads." with glasses we could make out in the near distance five seals and two tall solitary figures which were doubtless emperor penguins. during the whole day nimbus clouds had hung heavily from the sky, and snow had fallen in grains and star-like crystals. gradually the nimbus lightened, a rift appeared overhead, and,the edges of the billowy cumulus were burnished in the light of the low sun. the sea-horizon came sharply into sight through fading mist. bergs and islands, from being ghostly images, rose into sharp-featured reality. the masts and hut, with a dark riband of smoke floating from the chimney, lay just below, and two of the men were walking out to the harbour-ice where a seal had just landed, while round them scampered the dogs in high spirits. that was sufficient to set us sliding downhill, ploughing deep furrows through the soft drift and reaching the hut in quick time. during august we were able to do more work outside, thus enlarging our sphere of interest. bage, who had been busy up till august with his daily magnetograph records, ran short of bromide papers and now had to be contented with taking "quick runs" at intervals, especially when the aurora was active. his astronomical observations had been very disappointing owing to the continuous wind and drift. still, in september, which was marked by periods of fine weather, a few good star observations were possible. shafts were sunk in the sea-ice and up on the glacier, just above the zone where the ice was loaded with stones and debris--the lower moraine. the glacier shaft was dug to a depth of twenty-four feet, and several erratics were met with embedded in the ice. in this particular part the crystalline structure of the ice resembled that of a gneiss, showing that it had flowed under pressure. i was able to make measurements of ablation on the glacier, to take observations of the temperature and salinity of the sea-water, and to estimate the forward movement of the seaward cliffs of the ice-cap. geological collecting now became quite a popular diversion. with a slight smattering of "gneiss," "felspar," "weathered limestone," "garnets," and "glacial markings" the amateurs went off and made many finds on the moraines, and the specimens were cached in heaps, to be later brought home by the dogs, some of which were receiving their first lessons in sledge-pulling. rather belated, but none the less welcome, our midwinter wireless greetings arrived on august from many friends who could only imagine how much they were appreciated, and from various members of the expedition who had spent the previous year in adelie land and who knew the meaning of an antarctic winter. a few evenings later, macquarie islanders had their reward in the arrival of the 'tutanekai' from new zealand with supplies of food, and, piecing together a few fragments of evidence "dropped in the ether," we judged that they were having a night of revelry. the wind was in a fierce humour on the morning of august , mounting to one hundred and five miles per hour between and a.m., and carrying with it a very dense drift. we were now in a position to sit down and generalize about the wind. it is a tiresome thing to have it as the recurring insistent theme of our story, but to have had it as the continual obstacle to our activity, the opposing barrier to the simplest task, was even more tedious. a river, rather a torrent, of air rushes from the hinterland northward year after year, replenished from a source which never fails. we had reason to believe that it was local in character, as apparently a gulf of open water about one hundred miles in width--the d'urville sea--exists to the north of adelie land. thus, far back in the interior--back to the south geographical pole itself--across one thousand six hundred miles of lofty plateau--is a zone of high barometric pressure, while to the north lies the d'urville sea and beyond it the southern ocean--a zone of low pressure. as if through a contracted outlet, thereby increasing the velocity of the flow, the wind sweeps down over adelie land to equalize the great air-pressure system. and so, in winter, the chilling of the plateau leads to the development of a higher barometric pressure and, as the open water to the north persists, to higher winds. in summer the suns shines on the pole for six months, the uplands of the continent are warmed and the northern zone of low pressure pushes southward. so, in adelie land, short spells of calm weather may be expected over a period of barely three months around the summer solstice. this explanation is intentionally popular. the meteorological problem is one which can only be fully discussed when all the manifold observations have been gathered together, from other contemporary antarctic expeditions, from our two stations on the antarctic continent, and from macquarie island; all taken in conjunction with weather conditions around australia and new zealand. then, when all the evidence is arrayed and compared, some general truths of particular value to science and, maybe, to commerce, should emerge. of one thing we were certain, and that was that adelie land was the windiest place in the world. to state the fact more accurately: such wind-velocities as prevail at sea-level in adelie land are known in other parts of the world only at great elevations in the atmosphere. the average wind-velocity for our first year proved to be approximately fifty miles per hour. the bare figures convey more when they are compared with the following average annual wind-velocities quoted from a book of reference: europe, . miles per hour; united states, . miles per hour; southern asia, . miles per hour; west indies, . miles per hour. reference has already been made to the fact that often the high winds ceased abruptly for a short interval. many times during we had opportunities of judging this phenomenon and, as an example, may be quoted september . [text illustration] a diagrammatic sketch illustrating the meteorological conditions at the main base, noon, september , on that day a south-by-east hurricane fell off and the drift cleared suddenly from about the hut at . a.m. on the hills to the south there was a dense grey wall of flying snow. whirlies tracked about at intervals and overhead a fine cumulus cloud formed, revolving rapidly. over the recently frozen sea there was an easterly breeze, while about the hut itself there were light northerly airs. later in the day the zone of southern wind and drift crept down and once more overwhelmed us. evidently the "eye" of a cyclonic storm had passed over. during september the sea was frozen over for more than two weeks, and the meteorological conditions varied from their normal phase. it appeared as if we were situated on the battlefield, so to speak, of opposing forces. the pacific influence of the "north" would hold sway for a few hours, a whole day, or even for a few days. then the vast energies of the "south" would rise to bursting-point and a "through blizzard" would be the result. on september , although there was a wind of seventy miles per hour, the sea-ice which had become very solid during a few days of low temperature was not dispersed. next day we found it possible to walk in safety to the mackellar islets. on the way rushes of southerly wind accompanied by a misty drift followed behind us. then a calm intervened, and the sun momentarily appeared and shone warmly. suddenly from the north-west came breezy puffs which settled into a light wind as we went north. on the way home we could not see the mainland for clouds of drift, and, when approaching the mouth of the boat-harbour, these clouds were observed to roll down the lower slopes of the glacier and, reaching the shore, rise into the air in columns. they then sailed away northward at a higher altitude, almost obscuring the sun with a fine fog. on the same night the "south" had gained the mastery, and the wind blew with its accustomed strength. again, on september , mclean had a unique experience. he was digging ice in a fifty-mile wind with moderate drift close to the hut and, on finishing his work, walked down to the harbour-ice to see if there were any birds about. he was suddenly surprised to leave the wind and drift behind and to walk out into an area of calm. the water lapped alongside the ice-foot, blue in the brilliant sunlight. away to the west a few miles distant a fierce wind was blowing snow like fine spume over the brink of the cliffs. towards the north-west one could plainly see the junction between calm water and foam-crested waves. to the south the drift drove off the hills, passed the hut, and then gyrated upwards and thinned away seawards at an altitude of several hundred feet. the wind average for september was . miles per hour, as against . for september of the previous year. there were nine "pleasant" days, that is, days on which it was possible to walk about outside and enjoy oneself. on the th there was a very severe blizzard. the wind was from the south-east: the first occasion on which it had blown from any direction but south-by-east at a high velocity. the drift was extremely dense, the roof of the hut being invisible at a distance of six feet. enormous ramps of snow formed in the vicinity, burying most of the cases and the air-tractor sledge completely. the anemograph screen was blown over and smashed beyond all repair. so said the meteorological notes in the october number of the 'adelie blizzard'. speaking of temperature in general, it was found that the mean-temperature for the first year was just above zero; a very low temperature for a station situated near the circle. the continual flow of cold air from the elevated interior of the continent accounts for this. if adelie land were a region of calms or of northerly winds, the average temperature would be very much higher. on the other hand, the temperature at sea-level was never depressed below- degrees f., though with a high wind we found that uncomfortable enough, even in burberrys. during the spring sledging in the lowest temperature recorded was - degrees f. and it was hard to keep warm in sleeping-bags. the wind made all the difference to one's resistance. there was an unusually heavy snowfall during . when the air was heavily charged with moisture, as in midsummer, the falls would consist of small (sago) or larger (tapioca) rounded pellets. occasionally one would see beautiful complicated patterns in the form of hexagonal flakes. when low temperatures were the rule, small, plain, hexagonal stars or spicules fell. often throughout a single snowfall many types would be precipitated. thus, in september, in one instance, the fall commenced with fluffy balls and then passed to tapioca snow, sago snow, six-rayed stars and spicules. wireless communication was still maintained, though september was found to be such a "disturbed" month--possibly owing to the brilliant aurorae--that not a great many messages were exchanged. jeffryes was not in the best of health, so that bickerton took over the operating work. though at first signals could only be received slowly, bickerton gradually improved with practice and was able to "keep up his end" until november , when daylight became continuous. one great advantage, which by itself justified the existence of the wireless plant, was the fact that time-signals were successfully received from melbourne observatory by way of macquarie island, and bage was thus able to improve on his earlier determinations and to establish a fundamental longitude. during this same happy month of september, whose first day marked the event of "one hundred days to the coming of the ship" there was a great revival in biological work. hodgeman made several varieties of bag-traps which were lowered over the edge of the harbour-ice, and many large "worms" and crustaceans were caught and preserved. on september bickerton started to construct a hand-dredge, which was ready for use by the next evening. it was a lovely, cloudless day on the th and the sea-ice, after more than two weeks, still spread to the north in a firm, unbroken sheet. we went out on skis to reconnoitre, and found that the nearest "lead" was too far away to make dredging a safe proposition. so we were contented to kill a seal and bring it home before lunch, continuing to sink the ice-shaft above the moraine for the rest of the day. the wind rose to the "seventies" on september , and the sea-ice was scattered to the north. on the th--a fine day--there were many detached pieces of floe which drifted in with a northerly breeze, and on one of these, floating in an ice-girt cove to the west, a sea-leopard was observed sunning himself. he was a big, vicious-looking brute, and we determined to secure him if possible. the first thing was to dispatch him before he escaped from the floe. this madigan did in three shots from a winchester rifle. a long steel-shod sledge was then dragged from the hut and used to bridge the interval between the ice-foot and the floe. after the specimen had been flayed, the skin and a good supply of dogs' meat were hauled across and sledged home. on the th another sea-leopard came swimming in near the harbour's entrance, apparently on the look-out for seals or penguins. including the one seen during , only three of these animals were observed during our two years' sojourn in adelie land. dredgings in depths up to five fathoms were done inside the boat harbour and just off its entrance on five separate occasions between september and the end of the month. many "worms," crustaceans, pteropods, asteroids, gastropods and hydroids were obtained, and mclean and i had many interesting hours classifying the specimens. the former preserved and labelled them, establishing a small laboratory in the loft above the "dining-room." the only disadvantage of this arrangement was that various "foreign bodies" would occasionally come tumbling through the interspaces between the flooring boards of the loft while a meal was in progress. some antarctic petrels were shot and examined for external and internal parasites. fish were caught in two traps made by hodgeman and myself in october, but unfortunately the larger of the two was lost during a blizzard. however, on october a haul of fifty-two fish was made with hand-lines off the boat harbour, and we had a pleasant change in the menu for dinner. they were of the type known as notothenia, to which reference has already been made. by october , when a stray silver-grey petrel appeared, every one was on the qui vive for the coming of the penguins. in they had arrived on october , and as there was much floating ice on the northern horizon, we wondered if their migration to land had been impeded. the winds were very high for the ensuing two days, and on the th the horizon was clearer and more "water sky" was visible. before lunch on that day there was not a living thing along the steep, overhanging ice-foot, but by the late afternoon thirteen birds had effected a landing, and those who were not resting after their long swim were hopping about making a survey of the nearest rookeries. one always has a "soft spot" for these game little creatures--there is something irresistibly human about them--and, situated as we were, the wind seemed of little account now that the foreshores were to be populated by the penguins--our harbingers of summer and the good times to be. three days later, at the call of the season, a skua gull came flapping over the hut. it was rather a singular circumstance that on the evening of the th, coincident with the disappearance of the ice on the horizon, wireless signals suddenly came through very strongly in the twilight at . p.m., and for many succeeding nights continued at the same intensity. on the other hand, during september, when the sea was either firmly frozen or strewn thickly with floe-ice, communication was very fitful and uncertain. the fact is therefore suggested that wireless waves are for some reason more readily transmitted across a surface of water than across ice. the weather during the rest of october and for the first weeks of november took on a phase of heavy snowfalls which we knew were inevitable before summer could be really established. the winds were very often in the "eighties" and every four or five days a calm might be expected. the penguins had a tempestuous time building their nests, and resuming once more the quaint routine of their rookery life. in the hurricanes they usually ceased work and crouched behind rocks until the worst was over. a great number of birds were observed to have small wounds on the body which had bled and discoloured their feathers. in one case a penguin had escaped, presumably from a sea-leopard, with several serious wounds, and had staggered up to a rookery, dying there from loss of blood. almost immediately the frozen carcase was mutilated and torn by skua gulls. on october the good news was received that the 'aurora' would leave australia on november . there were a great number of things to be packed, including the lathe, the motor and dynamos, the air-tractor engine, the wireless "set" and magnetic and meteorological instruments. outside the hut, many cases of kerosene and provisions, which might be required for the ship, had been buried to a depth of twelve feet in places during the southeast hurricane in september. so we set to work in great spirits to prepare for the future. mclean was busy collecting biological specimens, managing to secure a large number of parasites from penguins, skua gulls, giant petrels, snow petrels, wilson petrels, seals and an emperor penguin, which came up on the harbour-ice. on several beautiful days, with a sea-breeze wafting in from the north, large purple and brown jelly-fish came floating to the ice-foot. many were caught in a hand-net and preserved in formalin. in his shooting excursions mclean happened on a small rocky ravine to the east where, hovering among nests of snow and wilson petrels, a small bluish-grey bird,* not unlike prion banksii, was discovered. four specimens were shot, and, later, several old nests were found containing the unhatched eggs of previous years. ** on arrival in australia this bird proved to be new to science. on the highest point of azimuth hill, overlooking the sea, a memorial cross was raised to our two lost comrades. a calm evening in november! at ten o'clock a natural picture in shining colours is painted on the canvas of sea and sky. the northern dome is a blush of rose deepening to a warm terra-cotta along the horizon, and the water reflects it upward to the gaze. tiny wilson petrels flit by like swallows; seals shove their dark forms above the placid surface; the shore is lined with penguins squatting in grotesque repose. the south is pallid with light--the circling sun. adelie land is at peace! for some time madigan, hodgeman and i had been prepared to set out on a short sledging journey to visit mount murchison and to recover if possible the instruments cached by the eastern coastal and the southern parties. it was not until november that the weather "broke" definitely, and we started up the old glacier "trail" assisted by a good team of dogs. aladdin's cave was much the same as we had left it in the previous february, except that a fine crop of delicate ice-crystals had formed on its walls. we carried with us a small home-made wireless receiving set, and arrangements were made with bickerton and bage to call at certain hours. as an "aerial" a couple of lengths of copper wire were run out on the surface of the ice. at the first "call" madigan heard the signals strongly and distinctly, but beyond five and a half miles nothing more was received. resuming the journey on the following day, we made a direct course for madigan nunatak and then steered southeast for mount murchison, pitching camp at its summit on the night of november . on the th madigan and hodgeman made a descent into the valley, on whose southern side rose aurora peak. the former slid away on skis and had a fine run to the bottom, while hodgeman followed on the sledge drawn by monkey and d'urville, braking with an ice-axe driven into the snow between the cross-bars. their object was to find the depot of instruments and rocks which the eastern coastal party were forced to abandon when fifty-three miles from home. they were unsuccessful in the search, as an enormous amount of snow had fallen on the old surface during the interval of almost a year. indeed, on the knoll crowning mount murchison, where a ten-foot flagpole had been left, snow had accumulated so that less than a foot of the top of the pole was showing. nine feet of hard compressed snow scarcely marked by one's footsteps--the contribution of one year! to such a high isolated spot drift-snow would not reach, so that the annual snowfall must greatly exceed the residuum found by us, for the effect of the prevailing winds would be to reduce it greatly. on the third day after leaving mount murchison for the southern party's depot, sixty-seven miles south of winter quarters, driving snow commenced, and a blizzard kept us in camp for seven days. when the drift at last moderated we were forced to make direct for the hut, as the time when the ship was expected to arrive had passed. descending the long blue slopes of the glacier just before midnight on december , we became aware of a faint black bar on the seaward horizon. soon a black speck had moved to the windward side of the bar--and it could be nothing but the smoke of the 'aurora'. the moment of which we had dreamt for months had assuredly come. the ship was in sight! there were wild cheers down at the hut when they heard the news. they could not believe us and immediately rushed up with glasses to the nearest ridge to get the evidence of their own senses. the masts, the funnel and the staunch hull rose out of the ocean as we watched on the hills through the early hours of a superb morning. the sun was streaming warmly over the plateau and a cool land breeze had sprung up from the south, as the 'aurora' rounded the mackellar islets and steamed up to her old anchorage. we picked out familiar figures on the bridge and poop, and made a bonfire of kerosene, benzine and lubricating oil in a rocky crevice in their honour. the indescribable moment was when davis came ashore in the whale-boat, manned by two of the macquarie islanders (hamilton and blake), hurley and hunter. they rushed into the hut, and we tried to tell the story of a year in a few minutes. on the ship we greeted gillies, gray, de la motte, ainsworth, sandell and correll. it was splendid to know that the world contained so many people, and to see these men who had stuck to the expedition through "thick and thin." then came the fusillade of letters, magazines and "mysterious" parcels and boxes. at dinner we sat down reunited in the freshly painted ward-room, striving to collect our bewildered thoughts at the sight of a white tablecloth, australian mutton, fresh vegetables, fruit and cigars. the two long years were over--for the moment they were to be effaced in the glorious present. we were to live in a land where drift and wind were unknown, where rain fell in mild, refreshing showers, where the sky was blue for long weeks, and where the memories of the past were to fade into a dream--a nightmare? chapter xxv life on macquarie island by g. f. ainsworth left on an island in mid-ocean! it suggests the romances of youthful days--crusoe, sindbad and all their glorious company. still, when this narrative is completed, imagination will be seen to have played a small part. in fact, it is a plain tale of our experiences, descriptive of a place where we spent nearly two years and of the work accomplished during our stay. the island was discovered in by captain hasselborough of the ship 'perseverance', which had been dispatched by campbell and sons, of sydney, under his command to look for islands inhabited by fur seals. macquarie islands, named by hasselborough after the governor of new south wales, were found to be swarming with these valuable animals, and for two years after their discovery was made known, many vessels visited the place, landing gangs of men to procure skins and returning at frequent intervals to carry the proceeds of their labours to the markets of the world. the slaughter of the seals was so great that the animals were almost exterminated within a few years. one ship is known to have left macquarie island with a cargo of , skins during the first year of operations. high prices were obtained for them in london and china, and many american, british and sydney firms were engaged in the enterprise. the value of a skin is determined by the condition of the fur, which is often damaged by the animals fighting amongst themselves. furthermore, at a certain season of the year, the seals moult, and if taken within a certain time of this natural process, the skin is almost valueless. these facts were ignored by the sealers, who killed without discrimination. again, both male and female, old and young were ruthlessly slaughtered, with the obvious result--the extermination of the species. if supervision had been exercised and restrictions imposed, there is no doubt that the island would still have been used by the fur seal as a breeding-ground. during our stay none were seen, but mr. bauer, who acts as sealing herdsman and who had visited the island in that capacity each summer for eleven years, stated that he had seen odd ones at infrequent intervals. associated as the island has been since the year with sealing and oil ventures, it follows that a history has been gradually developed; somewhat traditional, though many occurrences to which we shall refer are well authenticated. it might be supposed from the foregoing, that a good deal is known about the place, but such is not the case, except in a general sense. several scientific men from new zealand, recognizing the importance of the island as a link between australasia and antarctica, visited it at different times within the past twenty years, only remaining long enough to make a cursory examination of the eastern side. they had to depend on the courtesy of the sealing ships' captains for a passage, and the stormy conditions which are ever prevalent made their stay too brief for any exhaustive work. a russian antarctic expedition, under bellingshausen's command, called there in and stayed for two days, collecting a few bird and animal specimens. they referred to the island as being "half-cooled down," in a short but interesting account of their visit, and remarked upon the large number of sea-elephants lying on the shores. in the ship 'peacock', one of the exploring vessels of the american expedition under wilkes, landed several men after much difficulty on the south-west of the island, but they remained only a few hours, returning to their ship after securing some specimens of birds. expressing astonishment at the "myriad of birds", they remarked, "macquarie islands offer no inducement for a visit, and as far as our examination showed, have no suitable place for landing with a boat." the next call of an antarctic expedition was made by captain scott in the 'discovery' in november . he, with several naturalists, landed on the eastern side to collect specimens, but remained only a few hours. he refers to the penguins, kelp-weed and tussock grass; certainly three characteristic features. captain davis, during his search for charted sub-antarctic islands, when connected with sir ernest shackleton's expedition, called there in the 'nimrod' in . he landed a party of men who secured several sea-elephants and some penguins. it will thus be seen that very little had been done which was scientifically important or generally interesting. sealers came and went as a matter of business, and probably the arduous nature of their work and the rugged topography of the island combined to prevent the more curious from exploring far afield. captain scott was desirous of establishing a base on macquarie island in , but circumstances compelled him to abandon the idea. and so it came that we five men of dr. mawson's expedition were landed on december , , with a programme of work outlined by our leader. h. hamilton was biologist, l. r. blake surveyor and geologist, c. a. sandell and a. j. sawyer were wireless operators, the former being also a mechanic, and i was appointed meteorologist and leader of the party. we stood on the beach in the dusk, watching the boat's party struggle back to the 'aurora', which lay at anchor one and a half miles from the north-west shore. having received a soaking landing in the surf and being tired out with the exertions of the day, we started back to our temporary shelter. we had not gone very far when a mysterious sound, followed by a shaking of the earth, made us glance at each other and exclaim, "an earthquake!" the occurrence gave rise to a discussion which carried us to bed. seeing that we were to spend a long time on the island, the question of building a hut was the first consideration. through the kindness of mr. bauer, who had just left the island in the s.s. 'toroa', we were able to live for the time being in the sealers' hut. it was urgent to get the wireless station into working order as soon as possible. the masts and operating-hut had been erected during the stay of the 'aurora', but there yet remained the building of the engine-hut and the installation of the machinery and instruments, as well as the construction and erection of the aerial. accordingly we proceeded with the living-hut and the job on wireless hill at the same time, working on the hill most of the day and at the hut in the evening. wireless hill rose to three hundred and fifty feet in height, and formed part of a peninsula running in a northeasterly direction from the main island. it had been chosen by mr. hannam of the adelie land party because of its open northerly aspect, and because "wireless" waves would probably have a good "set-off," southward to the main base in antarctica. just a few yards from the base of the hill on its southwestern side was a huge rock, upon the easterly side of which we decided to build our dwelling. the timbers for the hut had been cut and fitted in hobart, so all that remained for us was to put them together. after working at high pressure until december , we were able to establish ourselves in a home. the doorway faced to the east, and the rock protected the small place from the strong westerly weather which is invariable in these latitudes. the dimensions were twenty feet by thirteen feet, the front wall being nine feet six inches high, sloping to seven feet six inches at the back. all the timbers were of oregon and deal, and particular attention was paid to bracing and strengthening the building, which rested on piles just clear of the sandy surface. the inside was lined and ceiled, and the roof of galvanized iron was set flush with the front wall, fascia boards along the front and sides being designed to keep the fine snow from blowing under the corrugations and lodging on the ceiling. "george v villa" was fixed upon as the name, but the hut was never at any time referred to as the villa, and in future will always be known as the shack. [text illustration] plan of hut--macquarie island twelve live sheep had been landed, and these had been driven on to wireless hill so as to be accessible. we decided to kill one for christmas, so on december sandell and i, leaving the others at work on the shack, started out. the hillsides are deeply ravined and the slopes covered with a dense growth of tussock, which renders progress uncertain and laborious. our experience was a foretaste of many to come. we found the sheep huddled together in a deep gully on the eastern side, and drove them round to the front of the hill, where one was caught, killed and dressed. christmas day dawned fine and sunny, and we decided to make some attempt at a dinner. blake produced a plum pudding, and this, together with roast mutton and several kinds of vegetables, washed down with a little claret, constituted our first christmas dinner. the sealing schooner, clyde, had been wrecked without loss of life on november , , on the east coast, and was now lying on the beach nearly half a mile away. a two-hundred-gallon tank had been saved from the wreck and we managed on christmas morning, after two hours of carrying and trundling, to place it at the end of the shack. this was a valuable find, ensuring in the future a constant, convenient supply of rain water. further, we made use of the timber of the wreck for building, and the broken pieces strewn about were stored up as firewood. on the th we all went to the wireless station, and, as sandell had the aerial made, we pulled it into position. in the afternoon i unpacked all my instruments and started them off so as to make sure that all were working correctly. i did not intend to record any observations till january , , and therefore did not erect the meteorological screen until the th. on moving into our abode domestic arrangements were made. with regard to cooking, each man took duty for a week, during which he was able to write up his work and to wash and mend clothes. to hamilton and sandell, who had had previous experience, frequent appeals were made as to methods of cooking various dishes, but by degrees each one asserted his independence. there were several cookery books for reference and each week saw the appearance of some new pudding, in each instance prefaced by the boast: "this is going to be the best pudding ever turned out on the island!" the promise was not always made good. we had a good deal of difficulty at first in making bread and several batches were very "heavy" failures. this difficulty, however, was soon overcome and, after the first few months, the cooking standard was high and well maintained. our stove was very small and only two loaves of bread could be cooked at once. it frequently happened, therefore, that the others, which would go on rising in the tins, overflowed; a matter which could only be set right by experience. on new year's day, , we carried timber in relays from the wreck to the top of wireless hill, so that the building of the engine-hut could be started. the next few days were occupied in getting food-stuffs, medicines, stationery, clothing and other necessaries over to the shack from the landing-place on the beach. blake and hamilton unpacked their instruments and appliances, fitting up a small laboratory and photographic dark-room in one corner of the hut. some kind hobart friend had sent four fowls to me on the day of sailing, requesting me to take them to macquarie island. they were housed in one of the meteorological screens, but on the third day from hobart a heavy sea broke on board, upset the temporary fowl-house and crushed the rooster's head. the three hens were landed safely and appeared to be thoroughly reconciled to their strange surroundings, though the presence of so many large birds soaring about overhead had a terrifying effect on them for several days. they did not appear to pick up much food amongst the grass, but scratched away industriously all the same. i must say that they were very friendly and gave the place quite a homely aspect. one of them was christened "ma" on account of her maternal and somewhat fussy disposition. on the first sunday in the new year all except myself went along the coast towards west point. the party reported immense numbers of sea-elephants, especially young ones. they also saw many wekas and three ducks, shooting nine of the former for the kitchen. the wekas or maori hens are small, flightless birds, averaging when full grown about two and three-quarter pounds. they were introduced twenty-five years ago by mr. elder, of new zealand, a former lessee of the island, and multiplied so fast that they are now very numerous. they live among the tussocks, and subsist for the most part upon the larvae of the kelp-fly, small fish and other marine life which they catch under the stones along the rocky shores at low tide. they are exceedingly inquisitive and pugnacious and may easily be caught by hand. usually, when disturbed, they will pop under a rock, and on being seized immediately commence to squeak. this is sufficient to bring every weka within a quarter of a mile hurrying to the spot, and, in a few minutes, heads may be seen poking out of the grass in every direction. the man holding the bird then crouches down, preferably just on the border of the tussock, holding the protesting bird in one hand. soon there will be a rustle, then a rush, and another furious weka will attack the decoy. the newcomer is grabbed and, if the birds are plentiful, five or six of them may be taken in one spot. their call is peculiarly plaintive and wild and may be heard night and day. though we saw and caught innumerable young ones of all sizes, we were never able to find the nests of these maori hens. a depot of stores had been laid by the 'aurora' at caroline cove, twenty miles from the shack at the south end of the island, and it was deemed advisable to lay several more intermediate food-depots along the east coast. the sealers had a motor-launch which they kindly placed at our disposal, and a supply of stores was put on board for transport. at a.m., january , sandell, blake, sawyer and hamilton started out accompanied by two sealers who offered to point out the positions of several old huts along the coast. these huts had been built by sealing gangs many years ago and were in a sad state of disrepair. the first call was made at sandy bay, about five miles from the shack. stores were landed and placed in the hut, and the party proceeded to lusitania bay, eleven miles farther on, where they stayed for the night. at this place (named after an old sealing craft, the 'lusitania') there were two huts, one being a work-hut and the other a living-hut. they had not been used for sixteen years and, as a result, were found to be much dilapidated. in the locality is a large king penguin rookery, the only one on the island, and two dozen eggs were obtained on this visit, some fresh and some otherwise. as the next morning was squally, it was decided that the stores should be deposited in the hut at the south end; a distance of five miles across country. through bog and tussock it took the party four hours to accomplish this journey. the hut was found in the same condition as the others and a rather miserable night was spent. a short distance from this spot is situated the largest penguin rookery on the island. on returning to the launch, the six men had a quick run of three hours back to the north end. during the absence of the party i had been busy erecting a stand for the anemo-biagraph. ordinarily, such an instrument is kept in a house, the upper section only being exposed through the roof. the shack was in a position too sheltered for my purpose, so i built a place for the anemo-biagraph behind a low rock well out on the isthmus. sandell and sawyer reported on the th that the wireless station was ready for testing. therefore, on the following day, the three of us erected a small set on the farthest point of the peninsula--north head. the set had been made in order to test the large station. sawyer then returned to the operating-hut and received signals sent from north head by sandell, who in return received sawyer's signals, thus showing that so far everything was satisfactory. it was thought, after the tests, that the "earth" was not by any means good and sawyer erected a counterpoise, which, however, failed to give anything like the "earth" results. more "earths" (connexions by wire with the ground) were now put in from day to day, and on the th sawyer noted an improvement. successful tests were again made on the th. the wireless men now expected communication with australia. blake and hamilton were soon making inroads, each on his own particular sphere of work. on the th a baseline was laid down on the plateau, and blake was able to commence his survey of the island. he had already made some geological investigations in the vicinity of north head and west point, as well as for a short distance along the east coast. hamilton had visited nearly all the penguin rookeries in the vicinity, and already had several fine specimens. marine collecting occupied part of his time and plant life promised to provide an interesting field. [text illustration] the north end of macquarie island from the intermediate position that macquarie island occupies relative to australasia and the antarctic continent, it was highly important that its biology should be fully determined. investigation of the marine and terrestrial fauna and flora shows several facts indicating the part this island has played in the supposed connexion of the great land masses of the southern hemispheres. it is an established fact that the flora of new zealand has strong sub-antarctic and south american affinities and the problem is to account for this distribution. many forms of plant and animal life are circumaustral, being found in all suitable sub-antarctic situations. to account for this fact two theories have been advanced, namely, the relict theory (dahl, schenck and others) and the antarctic theory. the first theory supposes that the inhabitants of the sub-antarctic islands are the remnants of groups of animals developed in some northern land-mass, and driven south by more highly developed forms. again, that these sub-antarctic islands have always been separated from continents, and that the distribution of life on the former must have proceeded over wide stretches of sea. the antarctic theory accounts for the distribution and similarity of sub-antarctic fauna and flora by establishing a connexion between the sub-antarctic islands and the antarctic continent. at the same period, the antarctic continent was assumed to be connected by land with south america, south africa and australia, and the similar life forms now found in these continents were driven northward by a subsequent colder period. this theory is strengthened by several facts, chief of which are, ( ) the existence of an antarctic continent, and ( ) the comparatively shallow waters between it, south africa, australia and south america. whichever theory is adopted, it is evident that our scientific opportunities were unique. on the th, sandell, sawyer and i decided to climb on to the main ridge or plateau of the island. we had already discovered that the easiest way to get on to the hills was to follow up one of the many ravines or gullies which run down to the sea. this necessitates walking in water most of the way, but one soon gets accustomed to wet feet on macquarie island. the slopes rise in a series of terraces which are generally soggy and covered with tussock (pleurophyllum) and with scattered cushions of azorella. the summit of the ridge is a barren waste, over which loose rocks are scattered in every direction, while a wavy effect due to the action of wind is plainly visible over the surface of the ground. the steep, descending sides are very soft and sodden, supporting a scanty growth of vegetation, including the small burr known as the "biddy-bid." hundreds of tarns and lakes are visible along the plateau-like ridge which extends throughout the length of the island. several of the lakes are half a mile long and very deep. the tarns are, for the most part, shallow with hard stony bottoms. the water is beautifully fresh and apparently contains no life. skua gulls were plentiful and washed themselves, with a great flapping of wings, in the shallow waters at the edge of the lakes. they paid particular attention to our dog "mac," swooping down and attempting to strike her with their wings. a yelp at intervals came from mac if they were successful, though the former, if she were quick enough, would spring at the bird and retaliate by getting a mouthful of feathers. we eventually came out on to a point about seven hundred feet high, overlooking the west coast, and it could be seen that the space between the base of the hills and the ocean was occupied by a plain which sloped very gradually to the beach. here and there across its surface were huge mounds of earth and rock and, occasionally, a small lakelet fringed with a dense growth of tussock and maori cabbage. a descent was made to explore the place. a fairly large volume of water flowed rapidly downward by several deep gullies and, coming to the terrace, cut narrow, sinuous channels which were soon lost to view in the tussocks. examination of the watercourses revealed that this tract was simply a raised beach covered with sodden peat and carrying a rather coarse vegetation. the ground was decidedly springy and shook to our tread; moreover, one sank down over the ankles at each step. occasionally a more insecure area was encountered, where one of us would go down to the thighs in the boggy ground. as the shore approached we came to thick tussock and maori cabbage, and the travelling became much rougher. a group of earthy mounds and rock was sighted some distance away and we decided to reach them and have our lunch. a nearer view showed us a large opening in one of these prominences and we scrambled up to examine it. inside there was a small cave, high in front but sloping sharply towards the back for a distance of thirty-five feet. the roof and walls were blackened by smoke, and spikes and nails driven into crevices were evidences that the place had once been occupied. eagle cave it is called and its story was afterwards related to us. between thirty and forty years ago the schooner 'eagle', in attempting to make the island, had been caught in a gale and wrecked on the rock-bound western coast. as far as can be learned, there were nine men and a woman on board, all of whom were saved. they lived in this cave for almost two years, subsisting upon what they could catch. decayed tussock grass, a foot in depth, now covers the floor, showing that some attempt had been made to improve the comfort of the place, while bones lying strewn about in all directions indicate that gulls, penguins and cormorants must have supplied a good deal of their food. it is presumed that some of them made a journey to north head periodically to look out for relief, as a well-defined track to that point is still visible in places. the tale, however, has its tragic side, for the woman died on the very day when the rescuing ship called at the island. she was buried on the isthmus, not far from our shack. one would think that death was rather a relief from such an existence as this unfortunate woman must have endured, but, at the same time, it seems hard that she did not live to participate in the joy of deliverance. we ate our lunch and had a smoke, after which we decided to walk homewards along "feather bed" terrace. a few minutes after leaving the cave, sawyer and sandell caught three young ducks, which they carried back, intending to rear them, but they died several days later. a weary tramp brought us, thoroughly tired, to the shack, where hamilton had an excellent meal awaiting us. the weather during january was rather trying. precipitation in the form of either rain, hail, sleet or snow occurred on twenty-six days, sometimes all forms being experienced on the same day. as a result, the supply of water was well maintained; in fact, the amount caught exceeded the consumption and we finished the month with the tank almost full. gales were experienced on eight days, the maximum wind-force being forty-two miles an hour. the sky was mostly heavily clouded or absolutely overcast and on many days the sun was not seen. fog hung about the hills almost continuously, and driving mist accompanied the northerly winds. january was a glorious day, calm and sunny, with a maximum temperature of . degrees f. the habit of former days induced sandell and myself to have a dip in the surf, but as the temperature of the water was about degrees f., we stayed in as many seconds. the mean temperature for the month was . degrees f.; the minimum being . degrees f. my first view of the island when the 'aurora' arrived in december left rather an agreeable impression. the day of our approach was marked by fine calm weather and the dark-green tussock-clad hillsides were rather attractive. on the other hand, one was immediately struck with the entire absence of trees, the steep precipices, cliffs and the exceedingly rugged nature of the coastline. closer scrutiny shows that the tussock grass radiates closely from a semi-decayed mass of leaf-sheaths, with the blades of grass shooting upwards and outwards as high as three or four feet. scattered through it are patches of stilbocarpa polaris, locally known as maori cabbage. it is of a more vivid green than the tussock and is edible, though somewhat stringy and insipid. our sheep ate it readily, even nibbling the roots after the plant had been cropped down. there were several victoria penguin colonies round about the rocky faces of the hills in the vicinity of the shack, and their hubbub and cackling uproar were something to remember. the rearing of the young appeared to be rather a busy process. the young ones look like bundles of down and seem to grow at a remarkable rate, while the attempt of the parent to shelter the usual two chicks is a very ludicrous thing to watch. the material for the nest made by these birds seems to depend almost entirely on its immediate surroundings. the rookery is established on a broken rocky face close to the water's edge and the nests are made under rocks, in niches and passages, as well as amongst the tussock growing on the rocks. those under the rocks are constructed of small stones and a few blades of grass, while those in the passages and fissures are usually depressions in soft mud. amongst the tussock a hole is first made in the soft earth and then neatly lined with blades of grass. the birds lay two or three eggs of a white or greenish-white colour, but i have never seen three chicks hatched. the eggs are edible, and we used many dozens of them during our stay. the period of incubation is about five weeks, and male and female take turns at sitting. a young one is fed by placing its beak within that of the parent bird where the food--mainly crustaceans--is taken as it regurgitates from the stomach of the latter. although the smallest species on the island, the victoria penguins are the most spiteful, and a scramble through the rookery invites many pecks and much disturbance. they have a black head and back, white breast and yellow crest, the feathers of which spread out laterally. during the moulting season they sit in the rookery or perched on surrounding rocks, living apparently on their fat, which is found to have disappeared when at last they take to the sea. they come and go with remarkable regularity, being first seen about the middle of october, and leaving during the first week of may. the same rookeries are occupied year after year, and the departure of the birds adds to the general desolation during the winter months. their destination on leaving the land is still a mystery. although they are never seen, it is conjectured that they spend the winter at sea. their natural enemy in the waters round macquarie island is the sea-leopard, and the stomachs of all specimens of this animal taken by us during the penguin season contained feathers. the presence of numerous bones just at the rear of the shack pointed to the fact that here must have been at one time the site of a king penguin rookery. as many of our potatoes and onions were sprouting in the bags, i determined to dig a portion of this area and plant the most "progressive" of these vegetables. the sandy soil did not appear to contain much nutriment, but i thought that something might be gained by giving it a trial. on the night of february , sawyer reported that he had heard the wellington wireless operator calling suva station, but, as no further signals were heard from anywhere, he was inclined to the idea that it was the experience of a "freak night." in explanation of this term, i may say that it is used in reference to nights on which the atmospheric conditions are abnormally favourable for wireless work. the news was particularly encouraging, and for the next few days we were on the tip-toe of expectation. in the early morning of the th a howling gale sprang up and, increasing in force as the day wore on, rendered work impossible. a tremendous sea worked up, and the ocean for a distance of a mile from shore was simply a seething boil of foam. huge waves dashed on shore, running yards beyond the usual marks, and threatening to sweep across the isthmus. masses of tangled kelp, torn from the outlying rocks, washed backwards and forwards in the surf or were carried high up among the tussocks. the configuration of the shingly beach changed while one looked at it. the tops of the waves could be seen flying over anchor rock, seventy feet high, and spray was blowing right across the isthmus. on the advice of the sealers we had shifted our stores farther back from the beach and it was just as well we did so, as the waves reached to within a few feet of the nearest box. meanwhile i began to wonder how our benzine and lubricating oil were faring. both had been stacked in cases among the tussock and rocks, well back from the waters of aerial cove on the western side of wireless hill. accordingly, hamilton, sandell and i went round in that direction the following morning, while sawyer made his way up to the wireless station to see if there were any damages there. we worked along round the cliff-front through a cave rejoicing in the name of "catch me," from the fact that the waves rushed into it, frequently catching and thoroughly wetting any unfortunate taken off his guard. a massive rock, evidently broken from the roof, lay right across its centre, while on either side of the obstruction were masses of greasy decaying kelp. we were "caught" and floundered about in the kelp while the water surged around us. arriving at the cove, we found that several cases were missing. one was discovered buried in kelp, and a little later we came upon a tin battered almost out of recognition. the loss was not serious, but the precaution was taken to shift the oil still farther back. while we were engaged on this task, sawyer appeared on the front of the hill above and signalled to us that the aerial had been blown down. the three-inch rope keeping the aerial taut had broken off close to the bridle and torn the halyard with it. it meant that some one would have to climb the mast to pass a rope through the block, and the wind was at this time too strong for anything to be done. on february , blake and hamilton, who had been making preparations for several days past, set out for sandy bay, intending to do some work in that locality. their blankets, sleeping-bag, instruments and other gear made rather heavy swags, but they shouldered them in true murrumbidgee style and tramped away. sandell, sawyer and i went up wireless hill to fix the aerial. sandell, the lightest of the three, was being hoisted up the first section of the mast with some one-and-a-half-inch rope when the hauling-line gave way. fortunately, he had a strap securing him to the mast, otherwise his fall would have been from twenty feet. this was the only rope we had, so we had to think of some other means of reaching the top. after a short discussion, i suggested that decking-spikes should be secured from the wreck of the clyde and driven into the mast at intervals. the idea was followed with great success, and sandell was able to run the halyard through the block at the top (ninety feet). the aerial was then hauled into position, the stay-wires were tightened, an extra "dead man" was put in and the station was once more ready for work. hamilton returned from sandy bay on the th laden with botanical trophies and four specimens of a small land bird which we had never before seen. he and blake, who remained behind, had fixed up the hut there so that it afforded decent shelter. on the night of the th what we had long expected happened. wireless communication was established for the first time, with a ship--s.s. 'ulimaroa'. sandell and sawyer were complimented on their success. on the following night communication was held with sydney, s.s. 'westralia', s.s. 'ulimaroa' and h.m.s. 'drake'; the latter very courteously sending us time-signals. we heard that a wireless station had just been established in melbourne, and that the hobart station would be working in about one month. it was with the latter station that we expected to do most of our business. there was great joy in the camp now that this stage of practical efficiency was reached and because we were no longer isolated from the world. blake came back from sandy bay on the th with news that he had almost finished the survey of that section. foggy or misty weather gave him a good deal of trouble in getting sights with the theodolite, and it became part of his future programme to devote the "impossible" days to plotting data, writing up field-notes, and making geological collections. the afternoon of the th was fine, and i went along the beach towards west point and found it very rough travelling. hundreds of sea elephants, mostly of the season's young, lay about in the tussock or amongst the rocks. the young, silver-grey in colour, looked very sleek and fat. the adults consorted in groups of from eight to ten, packed closely and fast asleep. they seemed to fairly luxuriate in a soft, swampy place and were packed like sardines in some of the wallows. large numbers of skua gulls, creating a dreadful din, drew my attention to a spot amongst the rocks, and, on nearing it, i found them squabbling around the carcase of a xiphoid whale, about sixteen feet long, which had been cast up apparently only a few hours before. the skuas, as they are commonly called, are large brown birds which resort to the island in great numbers for the purpose of breeding. they stay longer than any other migrant, being absent only three months during the depth of winter. returning early in august, they do not start nesting until the beginning of october. the nests, nicely made of grass and plant leaves, are generally built on the terraces and slopes amongst the hills. the ideal site, however, is a pleurophyllum flat adjoining a penguin rookery. two or three eggs of a brown or greenish-brown colour with darker spots or blotches are laid about the end of october, and, from this time till the chicks are reared, the parent exhibits much annoyance at the presence of any person in the vicinity. they utter shrill cries and swoop down continuously in an attempt to strike the invader with their wings. several of our party received black eyes as a result of attacks by skuas. the young grow rather quickly, and not much time elapses before they leave the nest to stagger round and hide amongst the vegetation. the parents fly down and disgorge food, which is immediately devoured by the young ones. the skuas are bare-faced robbers and most rapacious, harassing the penguins in particular. they steal the eggs and young of the latter and devour a great number of prions--small birds which live in holes in the ground. the skuas are web-footed, but are very rarely seen in the water. towards the end of the month, blake spent two days at sandy bay and then returned to work up his results. hamilton, in order to get into close touch with another species of penguin, stayed several days at "the nuggets," two and a half miles down the eastern coast. a creek flows into the sea at this point, and many royal penguin rookeries are established along its course. meanwhile, many improvements had been effected in the interior of the shack. shelves lined the walls wherever it was convenient to have them, and many perishable foodstuffs had been brought inside. comfort, after all, is but a relative matter, and, as far as we were concerned, it was sufficient. our clothing was all that could be desired, with the exception, perhaps, of the boots. in the equipment were included one pair of sea-boots, one pair of raw hide kneeboots and two pairs of rawhide hunting boots. the latter were not heavy enough, and soon showed the effect of travelling from a water-logged surface to one of rock and vice versa. in fact, our boots were very rarely dry on macquarie island. an event of some moment occurred on the th. the fowls, in order to justify our confidence in them and as a return for our constant care, commenced to lay and, strange to say, all began to lay at the same time. ma, who was greatly concerned during the turn of affairs, suffered from prolonged attacks of cackling. during the opening days of march, blake and hamilton were engaged in field work down the island. they went as far as "the brothers," a rocky promontory about two miles south of sandy bay. wekas were so plentiful that they lived almost entirely on them. blake, on returning to the shack, had a badly blistered heel which kept him indoors for a few days. hamilton, who had secured a goodly number of specimens, had to attend immediately to their preservation. there were many rats on the island and we frequently heard them scuttling about on the ceiling of the shack and slithering down between the lining and the wall. hitherto they had contented themselves by doing this, but on the night of the th several of them flopped one after another into the hut, awakening the inmates. on getting out to investigate i found a hole through the lining, about seven feet from the floor, and two or three were rustling about on the shelves. after much shifting of boxes and searching behind tins, the intruders were killed. on march our station held communication with suva at a distance of two thousand four hundred miles; a remarkable performance for a one-and-a-half-kilowatt wireless set. hamilton and i set out for west point and eagle cave on the th with the object of examining the flora of the locality and, incidentally, to shoot ducks which frequent the pools on the "feather bed" terrace. the weather was dull and misty and the walk very uncomfortable. we made our way across this treacherous tract, often sinking kneedeep. as we neared the first pool a duck rose and immediately paid the penalty. although we saw at least two hundred, only one was shot, owing to the fact that there is no cover about and the ducks are too easily scared. close to eagle cave hamilton gathered some plant specimens and, after lunching, we set off home. light, steady rain set in about p.m. and wet us thoroughly. we travelled back along the coast, finding it fearfully rough but not so tiring as walking on the terrace. heavy snow fell during the night of the th. among other things we learnt by wireless that amundsen had returned to hobart with the news that he had reached the south pole. blake had just recovered from his blistered heel when he had the misfortune to meet with a slight accident. he and hamilton were engaged cutting a track through the tussock from the shack to the beach, when the spade wielded by hamilton struck blake's foot, cutting through the boot and inflicting a wound on the great toe. it was treated antiseptically and bound up; blake being laid up for a few days. cooking was still on the up grade. everybody, as his turn arrived, embarked on something new. blake turned out a magnificent meat pudding during his week, and sawyer manufactured a salmon kedgeree. sandell's treacle pudding and hamilton's soda rolls and date pudding were all equally good, while i fairly surpassed myself with a roly-poly and some pancakes. hitherto, sawyer and sandell had been coming down to the shack each night after finishing the wireless work, but on account of the bad weather they determined to sleep up there and, with that end in view, each built a bunk for himself; sawyer, in the operating-hut, had ample room for the improvement, but sandell had more difficulty in the engine-hut, finding it necessary to add a small structure to the original one. good wireless work was now being done, and almost every ship trading to eastern australian ports gave us a "call up." much difficulty was experienced with the mast's stays, which frequently required tightening on account of the "deadmen" working loose in the yielding peaty soil. there were seven stays required for each mast, and sandell spent much time in attending to them. hamilton had found, some weeks previously, several nests of the sooty albatross along the cliff-front on the eastern side of wireless hill, and on the st he visited them for the purpose of photographing the young in the nest. they were still in the downy stage, and vomited vigorously on being approached. these birds build their nests on ledges along the face of a steep cliff and always betray the whereabouts of their nesting-place by wheeling and soaring around the vicinity. when sitting, the bird utters piercing calls for its mate and is thereby easily located. they make a nest of grass, generally at the root of a tussock growing on the cliff-front, and when the building is in progress the two birds sit side by side entwining their necks, rubbing beaks and at intervals uttering their harsh cries. one can approach and catch them quite easily, either at this time or when sitting. the female lays one large white egg, which has a peculiar and rather disagreeable odour. they have beautiful slaty or bluish-gray plumage with a dark soot-black head, while encircling the eye is a white ring which stands out conspicuously from the dark feathers surrounding it. like most other sea-birds they have the rather revolting habit of vomiting quantities of partly digested food and fluid when an attempt is made to get close to them. in this respect old and young are alike. their food is procured at sea, and consists of the small forms of marine life. sandell and hamilton went round to aerial cove on the th to collect shells and to search for the missing lubricating oil. when coming home, after a successful day, they discovered a cave quite close to catch me. a lantern was secured from the shack and they went back to examine it. it penetrated for a considerable distance and opened out on the hill side about eighty feet above sea-level. many rocks hung down from overhead, and altogether it appeared a very unsafe place. blake went along later and collected specimens from its floor. we built a kind of annex to the shack out of the cases of provisions; each case being numbered and a list being drawn out setting forth the contents of the case. this list was nailed on to the wall inside, and besides being convenient for procuring the provisions, gave the cook, in a coup-d'oeil, exact information and afforded him a glorious scope. with regard to the coal-supply, our allowance at macquarie island had been reduced by one-half, on account of the large amount of wreckage lying on the beach. the weekly cook limited himself to three briquettes, and these he supplemented with sea elephant blubber and wood, which he gathered and cut up for use. each man commenced his cooking week on saturday morning, and continued until the following friday night, when, after having cleared up, washed the towels and cleaned the stove, he retired. the incoming cook, who for half an hour had been prowling about keenly observant of "overlooked" dirty "things" and betraying every sign of impatience to make a start, proceeded at once to set a batch of bread, sufficient for one week, which was baked early on saturday morning. five loaves had to be baked, and as only two could be dealt with at a time, the chance of producing at least one doughy loaf was reasonably high until every one became a master baker. for a time we had been rather hard put to it in the matter of having baths, but the disability had been overcome by means of sawing a cask in two; an expedient which answered very well. the bath was also used as a wash-tub, each man taking charge as his cooking week came round. the clothes were dried inside the shack along a number of strings arranged at the back of the stove. darning and mending took a little time, and our experiences in this direction were such as to demonstrate the wisdom of putting in "a stitch in time." in going over to the meteorological screen one morning i saw a giant petrel flapping about in the tussock, gorged to such an extent that it could not rise. i killed the loathsome bird with the rib-bone of a sea elephant, and hamilton made a fine specimen of it later on. these birds, properly called giant petrels, are usually known as "nellies" or "stinkers"; the latter title being thoroughly justified on account of the disagreeable smell which comes from them. as may be inferred from the name, they are the largest of all the petrels, and measure about seven feet from tip to tip when on the wing. the colour ranges through various shades from almost pure white to a dark greyish-brown; some even appearing almost black. very large and ungainly when on the ground, they become most graceful when in the air, and soar about without the slightest effort even on the stormiest days. i have seen them flying into a forty-mile wind with absolute ease, never moving a wing, but occasionally adjusting their balance. they are gross scavengers, and eat apparently for the sake of eating. a carcase on the rocks or beach attracts them in large numbers, and very soon they can be seen pulling and tearing at it until thoroughly gorged, when they waddle away into the water and sit there wholly unable to rise till digestion takes place. if disturbed, they immediately disgorge and fly off. they nest on the ground and lay one large white egg. when sitting, they are reluctant to leave the nest and will squat there, vomiting evil-smelling, partly digested food and fluid at any intruder. the young, even in the downy stage, have the same habit. when mating they go on with a queer kind of performance, which consists of running around each other on the shore with wings outspread as if displaying their charms, finally flying off or waddling into the water. the persistently windy weather during march had an effect on everything exposed to its force. sandell discovered on the th that the rope holding the wireless aerial had cut through, leaving only one strand, which now bore all the strain. it was just a matter of days before it would part, and, with a view to preventing a repetition of february's happening, we went up to lower the aerial, but the frayed portion of the rope would not pass through the block, so we had to leave it as it was and wait for the inevitable. exceptionally low tides at the end of the month gave hamilton a fine opportunity of collecting marine specimens, and he secured amongst many other things some striking anemones. some difficulty was experienced in preserving them, as they lost colour and shrivelled up. but a special line of treatment was attended by fairly successful results. they were put in shallow dishes into which sea-water was poured. very soon they attached themselves to the bottom and began to expand, finally opening out to the fullest extent. with a view to narcotizing them while in this condition, menthol was applied to the water but did not seem to have much effect. chloral hydrate was found to give the best results. it killed them all, but, before dying, they elongated and detached themselves from the bottom of the dish; after which they were taken out and placed in formalin for preservation. blake had very little opportunity of doing much survey work during the month, as he was hampered by a sore foot and the weather was wretched. he therefore spent most of his time plotting data, making geological investigations and collecting and naming specimens. he and hamilton had so far confined their attention to the northern half of the island, and had resolved to complete the study of this area before tackling the southern half. the weather throughout the month was rather severe, and only two days were really appreciated. precipitation occurred on twenty-five days, but the worst feature was the continuity of strong winds, which however did not reach gale-force on more than three occasions. much snow and hail fell, the former accompanying winds with a southerly component, while with the north-westers came the depressing mist or misty rain which is such a characteristic of the place. temperatures, as might have been expected, were beginning to go down, and we experienced several very cold days. the average temperature for march was . degrees, while the highest was . degrees and the lowest . degrees f. on the th. at p.m. on april the rope supporting the aerial parted. sawyer and sandell were on duty at the time, but of course suspended operations immediately. as before, the halyard also carried away and sandell henceforth resolved to shackle one end of the aerial to the mast, using a short length of chain instead of the rope. the wreck of the clyde was once more our standby, providing a suitable length of chain and four shackles. after completing this job, they had very little subsequent trouble with the aerial. hamilton and sawyer caught several three-pound fish on april , and sandell served them in good style. they were good eating, but, unfortunately, were very much worm-infested. these parasitical worms are about an inch and a half long and taper to a point at each end. they penetrate right through the flesh and are plainly noticeable after the fish is cooked. one has to dodge the worms as the meal proceeds: either that or persuade oneself that they do not matter. the flowing contours of the land in the vicinity of "the nuggets" suggested glacial action to blake, and on the th, while making geological investigations in that locality, he lit upon a well-defined basal moraine. needless to say he was very interested in the discovery, and brought home a number of polished, striated boulders as convincing evidence of his theory. it was rather disappointing to find that the vegetables we had planted were making little progress. they would shoot up at first very strongly, like the "seed which fell on stony ground," but, as soon as a gale arose, the tops turned black and shortly afterwards withered away. it was apparently an effect of the salt spray which, in rough weather, used to blow across the isthmus. hamilton planted some willows and other cuttings, which shared the same fate. the winter had now arrived in real earnest, and the months which followed were punctuated by a succession of gales, while we came to recognize that it was an exceptional day when the hills were not shrouded in mist. the only thing to do was to brace oneself up for the ordeal and to put a good foot forward. chapter xxvi a land of storm and mist by g. f. ainsworth a heavy north-west gale was experienced on april , the wind attaining a force of over fifty miles an hour. as usual, a tremendous sea worked up very quickly, and sheets of spray shredded across the isthmus. about p.m. the wind shifted to west and later to south-west; these changes being accompanied by fierce hail and squalls of snow. during the night the wind moderated, heavy snow fell and, when morning dawned, all the pools were frozen over and the island was draped in white. it was the heaviest fall we had so far experienced. on the th hamilton and i shot several gulls for specimens. the dominican or black-backed gulls are very numerous and remain on the island all the year round. they are rather pretty, being snow-white, except on the upper part of the wings and back. ordinarily their food is obtained from the water, but at macquarie island they live almost entirely upon the carcases left by the sealers, and are usually seen defending their rights against skuas and giant petrels. they build nests of tussock on rocks close to the water or maybe on the ground. three eggs, much like those of the skua in colour, but with a greener tint and smaller, are laid, but generally only two are hatched. the young leave the nest early and hide amongst the rocks, whither the old ones come to feed them. we now considered it advisable to prepare for the winter, and with that end in view papered the inside of the shack in various places. as the cold winds were particularly searching, all faulty joints in the lining were pasted over with any kind of paper we could find. a leak down the outside of the stove-pipe was remedied, after a good deal of trouble, by soldering a collar round the pipe where it passed through the roof. firing was an important consideration, so each man now brought home several loads of driftwood every day, until we had enough to keep us going for some months. there was a complete boot-mending outfit which was put to a good deal of use, for the weathered rocks cut the soles of our boots and knocked out the hobnails. our supply of the last-named did not last long, and several of the party used strips of hoop-iron in their stead. blake found it necessary to make a kind of work-desk in his section, and accordingly had a thorough rearrangement. he shifted his bunk up to a height of about five and a half feet, very close to the ceiling; a fact which necessitated some wriggling and squirming on his part to get into the sleeping-bag. there was a fine open space left underneath, and he managed to fix up his table very neatly. although they had intended to leave the work on the southern half of the island until the spring, hamilton and blake set out for lusitania bay on april to make a short reconnoitring trip. it was thought advisable to spend a few days down there, to improve the hut and generally speaking to have a look-round. both men had already visited the place and depoted some provisions there. at a.m. they started off, carrying their blankets, sleeping-bags and a few other articles. their proposal was to go along the coast as far as sandy bay and from thence along the hill-tops for the remaining ten miles. hail and snow-squalls succeeded each other at frequent intervals, and by the time they reached sandy bay, all hope of proceeding along the hill-tops was dissipated. they therefore kept near the coast. the going was frightfully rough and the weather was very bad, so on making green valley they camped in a small cave for the night. the floor was covered with tussock, and, by searching amongst the rocks, enough pieces of wreckage were found to keep the fire going. on the whole they passed a fairly comfortable night. mac proved a bit troublesome by persisting in her attempts to curl up on or between the sleeping-bags, and by finally eating the jam which had been saved for breakfast. the weather was quite as bad next morning, but, after a meal of dry biscuit and cocoa, they pushed on, taking four and a half hours to do the six miles. the next day was spent making the hut weather-proof and fixing up a couple of bunks. the provisions which had been cached were in good order and abundance of firewood lay around, in the shape of old barrel-staves. just close to the living-hut was a works-hut containing boilers and digestors which years ago had been used for procuring penguin oil, while there was a rookery a few yards away from which the victims had come. this rookery was the resort of king penguins, the largest of the four species which are to be found on the island. they are magnificently coloured birds, being bluish-grey on the back while the head is greenish-black and on each side of the neck there is a brilliant yellow band, shading to a greenish-yellow on the upper part of the breast, and gradually merging into the glossy white of the lower part of the body. they attain to a height of about three feet and weigh thirty pounds approximately. the site of their rookery is a stony flat about a hundred yards from the water, and here are collected between five and six thousand--all that remain on the island. they make no nest, the single egg laid being supported on the feet, and kept in position and incubated in a kind of skin pouch which conceals it from view. one would never guess the egg was there, for, on being disturbed, the bird shuffles along, carrying it in the manner described. the egg is large, tapering very much at one end and resembling a pear in shape. they lay during december and january, and the young are hatched in about six weeks. a peculiar feature about the young birds is that the parents feed them for two seasons. they are covered with a coarse, greyish-brown furry growth, and a year-old chick looks bigger than the old bird. this furry growth is lost during the second year and the adult plumage replaces it. the young utter a peculiar sound, something between a squeak and a whistle. it is probable that the king penguins were never so numerous as the royal or victoria penguins, but the fact remains that they have not yet recovered from the wholesale slaughter to which they must have been subjected over sixteen years ago. down on a strip of shingly beach the birds parade, when not in the rookery or at sea getting food. their proceedings strike one as being extraordinarily human, while the dignity and gravity of the participants are beyond description. on one occasion, a large number marching along the beach were seen to halt suddenly and talk excitedly. three birds then left the main body, consulted together for a short time, and then separated. the other birds immediately separated into three companies, and each company stood behind one of the three already mentioned, who were now some distance apart. the individuals of each party then talked among themselves for several minutes, after which two parties joined forces and marched off, leaving the third party staring after them. i have lost myself for the time being amongst the penguins and shall now return to blake and hamilton, who climbed on to the hill-tops the following morning to spy out the land. the island is generally speaking higher, and all the more elevated peaks are on the southern half. they saw numerous rabbits, of which many were black, and mac had the day of her life amongst them. these animals were introduced to the island about twenty-five years ago, and have gradually withdrawn to the lonelier southern part, though occasionally odd ones are seen about the northern end. they are very tame and live in holes amongst the rocks or make burrows in the gully banks and broken hill sides. many lakes, frozen over, were seen, several of which were fairly large. altogether, the topography is similar to that of the northern end. in an endeavour to improve the evening fare, a sweet broth consisting of biscuit, milk, jam and sugar was tried but it was not a success; hamilton remarking that "even blake had only one helping." on the following morning they started for the shack and chose the route on the hilltops, as the ground was frozen hard; and, though there were frequent snow-drifts into which they floundered occasionally, the surface for travelling was much better than along the coast. hamilton slipped and hurt his ankle on the trip, and the boots of both were just about worn out. they apprehended no difficulty in completing their prospective work. blake pointed out that the chart of the island shows lusitania bay as being rather a large indentation, whereas in reality it is almost a straight stretch of coast. an earthquake shock was felt at . p.m. on the th. i was sitting in the shack writing up records at the time, and it seemed as if somebody had struck the south-west end of the place a severe blow with a bag of sand. immediately afterwards a crashing sound, apparently some distance away on the eastern side, indicated that some rocks on the cliff-front had been dislodged. much rough weather was experienced during the month, and it rained, hailed and snowed on twenty-five days. the wind attained moderate to fresh gale-force on six days, and fog and mist were almost invariable. the lowest temperature recorded was . degrees f. the average relative humidity for the four months ending april was per cent., leading to copious condensation on the instruments exposed to the air. it was necessary, therefore, constantly to attend and frequently clean the thermographs, hygrometers and the wireless plant. in the case of the latter, loss of power occurred in the form of "brush discharge," and sawyer had to take great care in order to guard against this accident. he shellacked the condensers and other exposed parts and found the proceeding rather effective. i noticed that the drifting snow and misty rain managed to get down the opening leading to the liquid surface of the anemobiagraph, thus altering the zero of the recording apparatus. when this happened the instrument had to be dismantled and set right. we found it necessary to use sea elephant blubber in the stove in order to warm the shack, and a very small piece put on the fire at intervals always ensured a good heat. sea elephants had become scarce, so, in order to lay in a supply of fuel for the next few weeks, we went round to aerial cove on the rd and killed the largest animal we could find, afterwards carrying the blubber round to the shack. we came through catch me and had the same old experience. hamilton examined the contents of the stomach of the sea elephant and found gravel, stones, cuttlefish, beaks and "worms" in abundance. a violent north-west gale during the early morning hours of the th reached a maximum velocity of fifty-two miles an hour at . a.m., but at a.m. it began to weaken rapidly and an hour later had shifted to west-south-west, coming from that point as a moderate gale for the rest of the day. as was usual with winds having any southerly component, snow and squalls of soft hail were experienced. with the exception of the wind-vane, which was blown a few yards into the tussock, nothing was damaged. in the afternoon blake and i had a trip down to the moraine which he had found a few days previously. after a heavy one and a half hours' walk, the last half-mile of which was along a creek bed, with water ankle-deep all the way, we reached the spot: the site of one of the large penguin rookeries up on the hills at the back of "the nuggets." the sun showed between squalls, and blake took some interesting photographs of rocks showing striae and other glacial characteristics. we battled with one enormous boulder for some time before getting it into a suitable position for the camera, and afterwards walked right through the glacial area. the u-shaped character of the valleys was very pronounced, while boulder-clay obtruded itself everywhere on our notice. hobart wireless station was by this time in working order, a fact which greatly facilitated wireless business. sandell took the engine to pieces early in the month and gave it, as well as the fittings, a thorough overhaul and cleaning. we received a message on the th, saying that the 'aurora' was leaving hobart on the th for a sub-antarctic cruise and would call at the island. at the same time i was requested to send a list of articles required. i found, after going through the stock and consulting each member, that we needed nothing but strong boots, cartridges, dungaree trousers, coarse salt, cigarettes and fresh vegetables. a persistent area of high pressure affected the weather conditions of the island to the extent of shrouding us in fog from the th to the th inclusive, and we did not catch a glimpse of the sun during that period. the average daily temperature-range during this time was only . degrees. such conditions have a rather depressing effect on the spirits, but the cheering news we received on the th made some amends for the lack of sunshine. the sun appeared at last on the th and shone strongly, so blake and i went up to wireless hill to take some "shots" with the theodolite. i noticed four of our sheep on the front of the hill, and, as there should have been nine, sandell and i, after finishing with blake, walked out to north head to see if the others were all right. we found them on the north-east side of the hill and drove them up to the rest of the flock. from the hill-top we could see hamilton engaged in skinning a large sea leopard on the coast, so we climbed down to render any necessary assistance. it was a beautifully marked animal, about eleven feet long, and made a fine specimen. sea leopards frequent macquarie island in great numbers from the late winter to the early summer, and may be seen lying about, sleeping close to the water and apparently always very tired. they do not give birth to the young there, and from observations i concluded that they were born at sea. we had taken female specimens on several occasions, apparently within a few hours of parturition, and as none had been seen with newly born young, and no islands lay within several hundred miles, it was presumed that the birth took place in the water. until the young one is weaned, its habitat is evidently in the water as we never saw an adult suckling its offspring. sea leopards--long, lithe creatures with a reptilian cast of head--are remarkably quick in the water. if one is disturbed on shore it opens its mouth very wide, revealing a wicked-looking row of teeth in each jaw; the canine teeth or tusks being very long and slightly curved. unlike sea elephants and seals they are solitary animals, and should several of them be found on a small gravelly patch of beach they are seen to be as far as possible from one another. we have never seen them attempt to fight on the shore, but the gaping wounds and scars with which they are frequently covered indicate that they treat each other very severely in the water. they live on penguins, gulls, shags and fish. i saw several shags on one occasion very busy fishing, and between diving intervals they would sit on the water. suddenly one disappeared under the water and the rest flew off; but in a few seconds the one which had disappeared was thrown into the air and caught by a sea leopard, who played in this fashion with the maimed bird for several minutes before devouring it. a few days previously we had received a request from mr. d. c. bates, the new zealand meteorologist, for a daily weather report, and from the th onwards a message was sent nightly to wellington, a distance of about eleven hundred miles. in acknowledging these reports, subsequently, the office referred to their immediate value in the issue of daily forecasts, and expressed indebtedness to the expedition. the two species of penguins which leave the island during the winter months had disappeared, and silence now reigned where formerly were busy, noisy colonies. the departure of the migrants made the place seem lonelier and, during the depths of winter when snow covers the ground and the birds and animals are few in number, a more dreary spot would be difficult to find. the weather conditions were now rather severe, and as sawyer and sandell worked from p.m. till or a.m. every night and slept at the wireless station, they were exempted from the necessity of coming down to get breakfast during their cooking weeks. they now rested till about noon, and arrived at the shack every day in time for lunch. hamilton, blake and i, each outside his own cooking week, took it in turns to prepare breakfast. blake's fieldwork at the north end, more particularly in the vicinity of west point and north head, was just about finished. west point proved to be an area of gabbro, a coarse-grained eruptive rock representative of basic rocks, while north head was composed of basic agglomerate, and volcanic bombs were numerous. hamilton had got together a good collection of bird specimens, and was now in quest of skeletons. on the night of the th we witnessed a rather pretty auroral manifestation. it assumed the appearance of a noah's ark cloud, that is, stretching from opposite points on the horizon and appearing to converge at each one of these points. the light was a pale yellow, no other tint being visible. in addition, a nebulous glow appeared at intervals in the south. we heard on the th that the 'aurora' had sailed on that day from hobart and would arrive at macquarie island in about three weeks; oceanographical work being carried out on the trip down. this was indeed cheerful news, and we began to look forward to her arrival. a fresh west-south-west gale during the early morning hours of the th was accompanied by soft hail and snow-squalls, and the temperature at a.m. was . degrees f. the ground was covered with snow and all the pools were frozen over, but at p.m. there was a rapid shift of the wind to the north-west and the snow almost disappeared. soft hail, generally a little larger than tapioca and of the same shape, frequently fell. these little pellets are formed of compressed snow and are commonly supposed to be frozen cloud-particles mixed with raindrops compacted by a high wind. on the following night, blake and i went up to wireless hill to take star observations. it was very dark and the hill-front was slippery, frequent falls being the rule. just after setting up the instrument, the wind freshened to such an extent that it was impossible to do anything, so we descended very wet and muddy to the shack, having had a rough passage. the reason for this was that i fell on the lantern and extinguished the light. we were supplied with two hurricane lamps which do not by any means deserve their title as they blow out in even a moderately strong wind. sandell made a lantern for his own use, declaring that it was impossible for any wind to blow it out. i firmly believed him, as it was a little binnacle lamp placed inside a small oatmeal tin into which a cleaned photographic plate had been fixed and with holes punched in the bottom and top of the tin for ventilation. it was thus a lamp with two covers, and frequent demonstrations of its ability to survive heavy blows were made by the inventor. during the next three days a forty-mile wind accompanied by snow, hail and sleet was experienced and the maximum temperature on the th did not reach freezing-point, the ground being firmly frozen and snow-covered. during the evening of the last-named date the wind shifted to north-west, and by noon on the th no snow remained, except on the hills. in anticipation of the 'aurora's arrival, blake and hamilton collected some stores together in the hope that captain davis would transport them down to lusitania bay, thus obviating the necessity of carrying them down on foot. as blake reckoned that he would remain there fully three months and hamilton about two months, it was thought that such another opportunity might not present itself. through the courtesy of the naval officials, h.m.s. drake sent us time-signals twice a week, and though we had so far heard no sound from adelie land, there was a possibility that they could receive messages from us. sawyer therefore sent out time-signals as a matter of routine. hamilton made a trip to the west coast on the th and returned with thirteen wekas. sawyer did not care for these birds, but each of the others could account for one at a meal. they seem to be better eating if plucked like a fowl and roasted, but the plucking takes too long and we generally skinned and boiled them. it is advisable to hang them for several days before cooking as it certainly makes them tender. rough, stormy weather prevailed during the greater part of the month and the wind reached the force of a gale on nine days. much snow, soft hail and sleet fell and some very cold days were experienced. the average temperature was degrees, the maximum being . degrees and the minimum . degrees f. a heavy snowfall occurred during the early morning hours of june , and the temperature was below freezing-point all day. in the afternoon we had rather an enjoyable time tobogganing down a steep talus-slope on the east coast. a considerable struggle was necessary in order to get the sledge to the top, but the lightning slide to the bottom more than compensated for the labour. we made wireless inquiries concerning the 'aurora' at night, and were informed by hobart that a search for the royal company islands was included in her programme. it was therefore presumed that she was engaged in prosecuting this search and would probably not reach us for some days. hamilton killed a very fine sea leopard on the th and the skin, apart from being unscarred, was handsomely marked. it should make a splendid specimen. the stomach contained more than the usual number of worms and one specimen of tape-worm, seven inches long and three-eighths of an inch wide, was preserved. everything was going along in the usual placid manner on the th, when, as we were just taking our seats for lunch, some one rushed in with the information that the 'aurora' was in sight. there was a scramble to various points of vantage and she was soon observed coming up the east coast very slowly. at . p.m. she dropped anchor in north-east bay, but, as it was blowing strongly and a nasty sea was running, no boat was launched, though one may imagine how anxiously we watched for some movement in that direction. as soon as it became dark a message was "morsed" to us to the effect that a boat would bring mails and goods ashore in the morning if the weather moderated, and with that we had to be content. needless to say, business ashore was for the time being paralysed, but a message was sent to the secretary in hobart advising him of the ship's arrival. true to his intimation of the previous night, captain davis brought a boat ashore at . a.m. and with him came several visitors who were to be our guests for some days. they were mr. e. r. waite, curator of the canterbury museum and his taxidermist, and mr. primmer, a cinematographer. conspicuous in the boat was a well-laden mail bag and no time was lost in distributing the contents. letters, papers, and magazines were received by every member of the party, and all the news was "good." some stores were brought along and, after getting these ashore, we took the visitors across to the shack and invited them to make themselves at home. captain davis also came along to the shack and afterwards looked over the wireless station. he returned to the ship just after lunch, and sandell, sawyer and blake took the opportunity of going on board. hamilton, in the meantime, piloted the visitors on a short trip round to aerial cove, introducing them to catch me, where they were duly baptized. they afterwards climbed up wireless hill and had a look at the station, returning to the shack much impressed with the rough nature of the country. blake went off to the ship again, taking the stores which had been got ready for transport to lusitania bay, as the captain had agreed to land them when he visited there in a few days' time. amongst the cases which were landed was one containing the recording apparatus for the tide-gauge. the other parts of this instrument had been left on the island in december, but for some reason the clock and charts had gone astray and were not found till the vessel was being unloaded in adelie land. some thermometers and a robinson anemometer had also been overcarried and, when they came to light, the latter was immediately placed in commission. captain davis sent a boat ashore on the morning of the th with an invitation to come on board and lunch. i accordingly went out to the vessel and, after lunching, had a thorough look over her, mentally contrasting her spick-and-span appearance at the time with what it had been when i left her in december. i went ashore again in the afternoon and assisted the visitors to get their loads down to the boat, as they were returning to the ship, which was leaving next morning on a sounding trip down the island. on the th we started to carry the stores across to the shack on our backs. we soon realized that seventy or eighty pounds was not a light load over a half-mile stretch of rough, shingly beach, but succeeded in transporting the onions, apples and potatoes before finishing for the night. the other articles were brought over during the next two afternoons. the tide-gauge pipe, weighing about six hundredweights, and the box for the housing of the recording gear had been landed in december round in aerial cove, where a site had been chosen for the erection of the gauge. experience showed me that the place was unsuitable, so i took hamilton, sandell and sawyer round to the cove on the th and we decided, as we had no boat, that it was impossible to carry the pipe round to the east coast. i had been making some tidal observations on an upright, fixed in a comparatively quiet spot on the east coast, and it was here that i contemplated erecting the gauge. two snow-gauges, eight inches each in diameter, were amongst the meteorological equipment and it appeared that if these two were soldered together a suitable pipe could be made. further, the pipe was to be protected from the violence of the seas by planks fixed round it. sandell agreed with the idea and forthwith set about soldering the two together and making a suitable float, the one supplied being too wide. all that now remained was to erect the gauge. the two following afternoons were devoted to stowing the new stores. we carried everything across and stacked them at the south-west end of the shack. unfortunately, the boots which we had ordered did not come, but captain davis let us have five pairs of light bluchers out of the ship's stores, and we reckoned that these with extra soles and a few hobnails would hold out till august or september, when a sealing vessel was expected. the 'aurora' returned from the south of the island on the th and reported having had a rough experience in the north-east to south gale which blew on the two previous days. the wind came out of the north-east very suddenly on the th, and some very strong squalls were experienced. a calm prevailed for several hours in the evening, but a south-east gale then sprang up and blew all day on the th, gradually working into the south and dying away during the night. early on the th the 'aurora' steamed out of the bay, bound north as we thought, but she returned again in the evening, and we signalled to know if anything were wrong. they replied, "all well, but weather very bad outside." she lay at anchor in the bay all next day as it was snowing and blowing very hard from the south-west, but at . a.m. on the nd she disappeared in the north and we did not see her again for some months. a few hours after her departure the wind increased in force, and a continuous gale raged for the next five days. sandell and i now made a start at erecting the tide-gauge, and after the lapse of five days got the instrument into position. we could work on it only at low tide, for much rock had to be chipped away and numerous wire stays fixed. the work was therefore of a disagreeable character. its appearance when finished did not by any means suggest the amount of trouble we experienced in setting it up, but the fact that it stood the heavy seas for the following eighteen months without suffering material damage was a sufficient guarantee that the work had been well done. a tremendous sea was running on the th as a result of the previous two days' "blow" and a heavy gale still persisting. spray was scudding across the isthmus, and the sea for a mile from the shore was just a seething cauldron. the wind moderated somewhat on the th, but strong squalls were experienced at intervals throughout the day, and on the th a strong wind from the south-west brought rather heavy snow. on the following day a westerly gale sprang up which shifted suddenly to south-south-west and south-west in the evening and was accompanied by fierce hail and snow-squalls throughout the night. without moderating to any extent the gale continued to blow on the th and passed through west to west-north-west, finally lasting till the end of the month. something in the nature of a "tidal" wave occurred during the night of the th, for, on rising the following morning, i was considerably astonished to see that the sea-water had been almost across the isthmus. to effect this, a rise of twenty or twenty-five feet above mean sea-level must have taken place and such a rise appeared abnormally high. our coal heap, which we had hitherto regarded as perfectly safe from the sea, was submerged, as shown by the kelp and sand lying on top of it, and the fact that seven or eight briquettes were found fifteen feet away from the heap. nothing at the wireless station was damaged and work went on as usual. the wind used to make a terrific noise in the aerial wires, but this did not affect the transmission of messages. the howling of the wind round the operating-hut interfered with the receiving, at times making it extremely difficult to hear signals; particularly on nights not favourable for wireless work. hamilton was at this time concentrating his attention on shags or cormorants. this species of cormorant is peculiar to the island, being found nowhere else. they are blue-black, with a white breast, and on the head they have a small black crest. at the top of the beak are golden lobes, while the skin immediately round the eye is pale blue. they remain on the shores of the island all the year and nest on the rocks in or very close to the water. they form rookeries and build nests of grass, laying three eggs about the end of november. the period of incubation is six weeks. they live entirely on fish, and, on that account, neither the birds nor the eggs are palatable. they are very stupid, staring curiously till one gets almost within reach of them, when they flap heavily into the water. they are easily caught when sitting on the nest, but a shag rookery, like most other rookeries, is by no means a pleasant place in which to linger. i had the satisfaction of getting the first record from the tide-gauge on the first day of july, but the clock worked erratically, requiring some attention. hamilton had a lobster-pot set some distance from the shore and anchored to a float, but unfortunately the pot was lost in the rough seas at the end of june. he had a couple of fish-traps also, but, in view of this disaster, he decided to set these in aerial cove, where the water was quieter. having a couple of sea leopard heads which required macerating, he baited the trap with them and lowered it into the water, securing it to the rock with a steel wire. taking advantage of a bright sun on the following day, blake and hamilton went to "the nuggets" and took some geological and biological photographs, which on being developed turned out well. they had occasion to enter one of the unoccupied huts down there and found a wild cat a little more than half grown, which they caught and carried home with them. he was of the usual tabby colour and by no means fierce, quickly yielding to the coaxing treatment of his captors. he made himself quite at home in the shack, and we looked forward to a display of his prowess as a rat-catcher. a bright display of the aurora occurred on the night of july , the ribbons and streamers of light being well defined and occasionally slightly coloured. we could establish no connexion between this extraordinary outburst and the fact that it occurred on american independence night, but it was certainly the most energetic manifestation of the phenomenon we had so far witnessed. many "glows" had been seen, and also a few displays of the arch-shaped form, but none had shown much activity or rapid movement. the operator was requested by the pennant hills high-power wireless station at sydney to listen for signals tapped out during the daytime, and sawyer spent a couple of hours on certain mornings assisting in these tests, which were attended with some success. we occasionally received press news from land stations or from ships passing across the tasman sea, but it was only a brief summary of the cable news: enough to whet one's curiosity, rarely ever satisfying it. very cold, rough weather was experienced on the th and th and a temperature of degrees f. occurred on the latter date, while the maximum did not reach freezing-point. much snow and soft hail fell, and the ground set hard. the weather interfered to some extent with the tide-gauge clock, and it became so unsatisfactory that i took it to pieces on the th and gave it a thorough cleaning, after which it had a new lease of life. we received a message on the th saying that the 'aurora' had arrived in dunedin, "all well," but had experienced a very rough voyage which greatly interfered with the dredging and sounding programme. our tank water gave out for the first time on the th. the precipitation for a fortnight had been in the form of dry powdery snow and soft hail, the wind blowing it off the roof before it had a chance to thaw, thus robbing us of our usual water-supply. for a while we had to use swamp water, which contained a good many insects of various kinds and had a distinctly peaty flavour. finding good water running from the hill-tops down a deep gully on the east coast, three-quarters of a mile away, we carried drinking water from there, using the other for washing up. the th was a most delightful day--bright sun, very little wind and fresh exhilarating air. blake and hamilton went out early on a photographing excursion, and, later on, the latter shot and skinned a white giant petrel. during the third week of july a very low tide exposed rocks, ordinarily submerged, and hamilton was occupied all the week in collecting marine organisms, worms and plants and then preserving, bottling and labelling them. a most peculiar sight was witnessed on the th. aerial cove is a favourite nesting-place for shags, and they may be seen in twos and threes flying round in that direction almost any time during the day; but on this particular day a kind of wholesale exodus from the cove took place, and large flocks of them followed each other for a couple of hours. they congregated on the rocks along the east coast, or settled in the water in scores; the latter fact suggesting that the probable reason for this extraordinary behaviour was the presence of unusual shoals of fish. we used to relax and have a game of cards occasionally, while our small organ became a medium of much enjoyment. all the members except one played well enough to enjoy themselves and to give pleasure to the others. there was a distinct predilection in favour of "ragtime" and i must say i liked to hear that music at frequent intervals. any one who plays a musical instrument knows that the mood of the player is generally reflected in the character of the music, particularly when he sits down and plays in a casual way. the pursuit and killing of a sheep had now become something in the nature of an experience, and when sandell and i went hunting for one on the th, we realized it before we reached home. the flock was very timid, and when disturbed on north head invariably came past the wireless station close to the engine-hut. sandell concealed himself there with a gun, while i went out to startle the animals. they did not fail to do their part, but sandell missed and the shot frightened them. he then rushed out and fired another shot as they were running, managing to hit one, which immediately dropped behind and ran to the edge of the cliff. we did not want to shoot the sheep at this moment, as it would have fallen about two hundred feet, so we cautiously approached to drive it away. the poor creature simply took a leap out into space and landed on the talus below, down which it rolled to the water's edge. we scrambled down and skinned it, having to carry the carcase along the rocks at the base of the cliffs, and getting many duckings on the way. on july i went round to aerial cove with hamilton to have a look at the fish-trap, but it had disappeared, the wire having broken, apparently through the continual friction against rock. he had previously caught some fish in it, and it was rather a misfortune to lose it so soon. during the last week of the month we all had our hair cut. on arrival at the island, several of us had it shorn very closely with the clippers and had not trimmed it since then, growth being very slow. we had a proper hair-cutting outfit and either blake, hamilton or sandell acted as barber. blake was an expert with the needle and did some really neat mending, while with the aid of some woollen thread and a mug he darned holes in his socks most artistically. he was the authority on how, when and where to place a patch or on the only method of washing clothes. the appearance of his articles when washed, compared with mine, made me wonder. hamilton was busy, about this time, dredging in swamp pools and securing specimens of the rockhopper or gentoo penguin. the small gentoo penguins, like the king penguins, do not migrate and are few in numbers. they form diminutive colonies, which are always established on mounds amongst the tussock, or on the hill sides not far from the water. their eggs, which are globular in shape, are about the best of the penguin eggs for eating, and if their nests are robbed the birds will generally lay again, although i think they could not lay more than four eggs. they build their nests of grass and plant leaves, and occasionally have been known to establish a fresh rookery after their first one has been robbed. they are more timid than any other species of penguin, and leave the nests in a body when one ventures into the rookery. the skuas take advantage of this peculiarity to the length of waiting about till a chance presents itself, when they swoop down, pick up an egg with their beak and fly off. the penguin makes a great fuss on returning to find that the eggs are gone, but generally finishes up by sitting on the empty nest. we have frequently put ten or a dozen eggs into one nest and watched the proprietress on her return look about very doubtfully and then squat down and try to tuck the whole lot under herself with her beak. weather conditions were rough enough during july, but occasionally a fairly quiet day would occur. high winds were experienced on ten days, the greatest hourly average for any twenty-four hours being thirty-two miles, but no day averaged less than ten miles. precipitation occurred on twenty-one days, mostly in the form of snow and soft hail. the mean temperature was . degrees, with extremes of . degrees and degrees f. the average percentage of cloud was ; somewhat less than usual and due to the greater frequency of south-west winds, which almost always bring a broken sky. now that our life was one of smooth routine i devoted a good deal of time to reducing the meteorological observations. hourly pressure and temperature readings as well as descriptive remarks, averages and other details required to be summarized, and this occupied a considerable amount of time, so i made a practice of spending a couple of hours each day on the work, whenever possible, hoping thereby to pick up the "leeway." i did not take too kindly to inactive writing in the shack, but the weather conditions were such that i was glad to stay indoors, though that meant enduring the inevitable cold feet. the floor of the shack was never warm, and of course there were no carpets. mac developed a great animosity against the rats and thoroughly enjoyed rooting them out on all occasions. the only explanation of their presence on the island is that they had arrived in the ships which were wrecked along the coasts. they got into the shack several times, and we simply brought in mac and shifted things about till she caught them. rough weather occurred during the first week of august, and with occasional temporary weakenings a gale blew throughout, reaching fifty miles an hour at different times. snow, hail and sleet fell every day, and on the rd the temperature was below freezing-point all day. the shack, which always shook a little in exceptionally heavy gales, now vibrated a good deal in a forty-mile wind, no doubt feeling the effects of the beating it had undergone. blake found a cave running through north head and went round, on the th, to examine it. he proved it to be about sixty yards from opening to opening, and to widen out very much inside; the roof being about fifteen feet above the floor. hamilton and sandell went along the coast on the th and brought home a dozen maori hens for the pot. hamilton secured some spiders, parasites on birds and many beetles under the moss and stones on the site of a penguin rookery, besides shooting a few terns. the tern is a very pretty bird with light grey plumage, a black head and red beak and feet. we found no nests on the island, though the fact that the birds remain throughout the year implies that they breed there. they fly very fast while not appearing to do so, but their movements are by no means graceful. they flit about over the water close to the shore, every now and then dipping down picking up morsels and keeping up a constant, shrill squeaking. the sea was so high on the th that it reached the weight of the tide-gauge and, lifting it up, unshipped the recording gear, as the steel wire flew off the wheel before the latter could take up the slack. i deemed it advisable to use stout cord instead of wire in the future and made a protective slot for the weight. i had blocked up the seaward side of the pipe with rocks, but found that these caused a deposit of silt so i had to get into the water at low tide and shift them all out again to clean away the accumulation of sand. very heavy snow fell during the afternoon, the flakes being the size of half a crown. a fresh north-north-west wind dropped to a calm at p.m. and almost immediately it began to snow, the island being quite white by . p.m. bright sunny intervals alternated with light snow-squalls on the th, and the temperature was below freezing-point all day. it was pleasant to be out of doors, and i walked along to the west coast to see if there were any signs of activity amongst the sea elephants. an unmistakable sign of the near approach of the breeding season was the presence of an enormous old bull, almost too fat to move, lying on the beach. very few small ones were seen, as, on the arrival of the adult males and females for the breeding season, the young ones leave for a while, presumably in order to get fat for the moulting period, or because they are afraid of the bulls, who are particularly savage at this time. the full-grown bulls attain to a length of twenty feet, and have a fleshy proboscis about eight or ten inches in length hanging over the mouth, suggesting the trunk of an elephant. it is from this fact that they derive the name of sea elephant. there is a considerable disparity in size between the adult male and female, the latter very rarely exceeding eleven feet, though we have seen a few twelve and thirteen feet long. the females have no snout development and some of them facially very much resemble a bull terrier. the adults are called bulls and cows, while, curiously enough, in the sealers' phrase, the offspring are referred to as pups. the places where large numbers of them gather together during the breeding season are known as rookeries! "rookery" appears to me to be inapplicable to a herd of sea elephants, though "pup" supplies a more apt description of the young. the pups, born during september or early october, are covered with a long, black, wavy fur, which they lose when about two months old, and in its place comes a growth of silver-grey hair, which changes later into the ordinary brown colour of the full-grown animal. the old males and females leave the island about the end of january, and are not seen again (except a few stray ones) till august in the case of the males, and until september in the case of the females. the fact that the bulls arrive first leads one to the conclusion that their feeding-grounds must lie at a considerable distance and, in the journey therefrom, the males, being the stronger, should arrive before the females, who are heavy with young and probably make a somewhat leisurely progress, feeding by the way. the rookeries vary in size, containing from half a dozen to four or five hundred cows; in the last case, of course, being an aggregation of smaller rookeries, each with its proprietor, in the shape of an old bull, lying in or somewhere near the centre. the normal rookery, as far as i could judge, seemed to be one that contained about forty cows, but once the nucleus was formed, it was hard to say how many cows would be there before the season ended, as females keep arriving for a period of about three weeks. the young vary in length from three and a half to four and a half feet, are born within a few days of arrival and suckled for about a month, becoming enormously fat. the cow, who has not eaten during the whole of this time and has become very thin, then leaves the pup, but remains in the rookery for about two days, after which she escapes to sea, remaining there till the beginning of january, when she returns to the island to moult. the pups when weaned get such rough usage in the rookery that they soon make off into the tussock and sleep for about a month, living on their fat and acquiring a new coat. the noise in one of the large rookeries is something to remember--the barking of the pups, the whimpering and yelping of the mothers and the roaring of the bulls. another feature in connexion with the rookery is the presence of what may be called unattached bulls, which lie around at a little distance from the cows, and well apart, forming a regular ring through which any cow wishing to desert her pup or leave the rookery before the proper time has very little chance of passing, as one of these grips her firmly with his powerful flipper and stays her progress. the lord of the harem, in the meantime, hastens to the scene of the disturbance, whereupon the other bull decamps. the sea immediately in the vicinity of a large rookery is generally swarming with unattached bulls, who may be seen with their heads out of the water eyeing each other and keeping a bright look out for escaping cows. now and again one may see a bull in the water gripping a cow with his flipper, despite her struggles, and roaring at a couple of others who show up menacingly quite close to him. it may be remarked that towards the end of the season changes in the proprietorship of a rookery are rather rapid, as continuous raids are made by individuals from the outside. the need of continuous vigilance and the results of many encounters eventually lead to the defeat and discomfiture of the once proud proprietor. i have never seen two bulls fight without first indulging in the usual preliminaries, that is, roaring and advancing a few yards and repeating the performance till within striking distance. then both animals rear high up, supporting themselves on the lower part of the body, and lunge savagely with their whole weight each at his opponent's head or neck, tearing the thick skin with their teeth and causing the blood to flow copiously. several lunges of this kind generally finish the battle, whereupon the beaten one drops to his flippers and makes all haste towards the water, glancing fearfully behind him on the way. we have seen bulls with their snouts partly torn off and otherwise injured, but worse injuries must occur in the rare, desperate battles which sometimes take place between two very much enraged animals. when a bull in the centre of a rookery has occasion to rush at an interloper, he does so without regard to anything in his way, going over cows and pups alike and very often crushing some of the latter to death. again, it seems as if all the outlying bulls recognize the noise of the rookery bull, because each time he roars they all lift up their heads and take notice, whereas others who have just been roaring have not the slightest regard paid to them, except perhaps by one immediately concerned. the bull, during the breeding season, will on provocation attack a man, and it is surprising how quickly the former covers the ground. but on the whole he is an inoffensive animal. it is, of course, impossible to venture into a rookery, as the cows are very savage when they have the pups with them, but one can approach within a few yards of its outskirts without danger. their food consists of cuttlefish, crabs and fish, and it is probable that they frequent the ocean where this food is plentiful, when they are absent from the island. it has been stated that these animals are nearly extinct, but a visit to macquarie island during the breeding season would be enough to convince anybody to the contrary. there are thousands of them, and though about seven hundred are killed during a season, the increase in numbers each year, on macquarie island alone, must be very great. the skuas were now returning to the island and their numbers and corresponding clamour were daily increasing. they were the noisiest and most quarrelsome birds we had, but their advent, we hoped, marked the return of less rigorous weather. blake left for lusitania bay on the th, intending to spend several months there in order to survey and geologically examine the southern end, so we gave him a send-off dinner. he had a very rough trip to the place, having to spend two nights in a cave about six miles from his destination, as a result of getting lost in a dense fog. hamilton made a wire fish-trap to replace the one which he had lost, and succeeded in getting a few fish on lowering it for the first time. he discovered parasitical mites all over them on the outside, and the flesh contained many worms. a heavy north-north-west gale was experienced on the th, but the weather during the last three days of august was very quiet, either calms or light winds prevailing, and we took the opportunity to do some work on wireless hill. all the wire stays were tightened, and various ropes which appeared to require attention were renewed, while, as a final improvement, the aerial was hauled as tight as we could make it. we heard on july that the 'rachel cohen', a sealing-vessel, had sailed for macquarie island and was bringing a few articles for us, so there was something to which we could look forward in the immediate future. the most remarkable feature of the month's weather was the wind, as gales blew on eleven days, and on seven other days the velocity reached twenty-five miles per hour. precipitation occurred on twenty-seven days, and the average percentage of cloud was eighty-four. the mean temperature was . degrees with extremes of . degrees and degrees f. a prolonged display of auroral light occurred on the night of the th, though no colours other than the light lemon-yellow of the arch and streamers could be seen. bull elephants were now arriving in great numbers, and these monsters could be seen lying everywhere on the isthmus, both up in the tussock, on the beaches, and among the heaps of kelp. now and again one would lazily lift a flipper to scratch itself or heave its great bulk into a more comfortable position. the island is the habitat of two kinds of night-birds, one kind--a species of petrel (lesson's)--being much larger than the other, both living in holes in the ground. they fly about in the darkness, their cries resembling those made by a beaten puppy. the smaller bird (apparently indigenous and a new species) was occasionally seen flying over the water during the day, but the larger ones come out almost exclusively at night. a light attracts them and hamilton, with the aid of a lantern and a butterfly-net, tried to catch some. others swooped about, well out of range, shrieking the while in an uncanny way. numbers of them were secured afterwards by being dug out of their holes, mac being just as keen to locate them as hamilton was to secure them. they cannot see well during the day, and seem to have almost lost the use of their feet. they lay two small, white, thin-shelled eggs at the end of their burrow; and in certain parts of the island, where the burrows are numerous, the sound made by hundreds of them at once, during the nesting season, somewhat resembles that made by a high-power marconi wireless set at close range. before blake left lusitania bay, i promised to see that the hut on sandy bay was re-stocked with provisions by the middle of the month, so, on the th, hamilton, sandell and i carried a supply of stores down there, leaving a note which informed him that we expected the 'rachel cohen' to arrive any day, and asking him to return to the shack. on the way down we came upon a vast quantity of wreckage piled up on the beach, midway between "the nuggets" and sandy bay. this was all that remained of the sealing schooner, 'jessie nichol', which had been wrecked on december , . three men were drowned, their bodies being interred among the tussock, each marked by a life belt and a small board on which the name was roughly carved. on our homeward trip we caught some wekas for the pot and duly arrived at the shack, tired, wet and hungry. next day, while sitting in the shack reducing records, i heard a yell from hamilton to the effect that the 'rachel cohen' was in sight, and about an hour later she dropped anchor in north-east bay. the sea was fairly smooth and no time was lost in bringing a boat ashore with the mails, of which each man received a share. a gang of sealers was landed with a view to obtaining sea elephant and penguin oil. i had wirelessed asking for a dinghy to be sent down, which would enable hamilton to do more marine work; and it now came to hand. further, we received an additional supply of photographic material and some rubber tubing for the anemometer, but the much needed boots did not arrive. on the th a strong southerly gale sprang up and compelled the 'rachel cohen' to seek safety in flight; so she slipped her cable and put to sea. she had not yet landed all the sealers' stores and was forced to hang about the island till the weather moderated sufficiently for her to return to an anchorage. the gentoo penguins, which had been observed at the beginning of the month building their nests, commenced to lay, and the first ten eggs were collected by us on september . many sea elephant rookeries were now well-formed as the cows began to arrive about the th and were soon landing in large numbers. the first pups were heard on the th, and bauer and i walked along to the rookery from which the barking came and had a look at the newcomers. there were only four, none of which was more than a few hours old, but they yapped their displeasure, and the mothers made frantic lunges at us when we approached to get a close view of them. the sealers always gave the animals time to form their rookeries and then killed the bulls for oil. a well-conditioned full-grown animal yields about half a tun of oil, and as the commodity when refined has a market value of from l to l per tun, it will be seen that the industry is a profitable one. the cows being small never have a very thick coating of blubber, but i have seen bulls with blubber to a depth of eight inches, and some of them yield nearly two thousand pounds, though i should estimate the average yield at about one thousand one hundred pounds. the sealers in the early days used to obtain the oil by cutting the blubber up into very small pieces and melting it down in "try " pots. these pots, many of which may be still seen about the island, were made of very thick iron and the fuel used was the refuse taken from the pot itself. in the present method steam digestors are used, and the oil from the melted blubber is drawn off, after steam has been passing for twelve hours. coal is brought down by the sealing-vessel to be used as fuel. the "elephant season" lasts only about three months, and within about four weeks of its conclusion, the "penguin season" begins; the same gang of men being employed as a rule. the most difficult operation in connexion with both of these industries is undoubtedly the loading and unloading of the vessel. if auxiliary power were used, the ship could then steam to within half a mile of the shore, but as it is, a sailing-vessel has to anchor about two miles off and the oil is towed in rafts over that distance. we heard sounds from adelie land wireless station for the first time on september , , but the signals were very faint and all that we could receive was: "please inform pennant hills." sawyer called them repeatedly for several hours, but heard no acknowledgment. every effort was made to get in touch with them from this time forward, sawyer remaining at the instrument until daylight every morning. the royal penguins returned to the island on the th and immediately commenced to make their way to the rookeries. they had been absent since april and were very fat after their long migration. on the th blake and hamilton started out in the dinghy for lusitania bay. they had already made a step and sprit, and, with a calico sail hoisted, the frail craft ran before a light breeze. having a fair wind they made good headway along the coast, dropping in at a gentoo penguin rookery en route, and collecting about two hundred and twenty eggs. mac was a passenger and was a very sick dog all the trip. shortly after their departure, the 'rachel cohen', which had been blown away on the th, reappeared and again anchored. the captain reported having seen numerous icebergs, some of which were very large, about thirty miles to the eastward of the island. the sealers immediately commenced to get away the rest of their stores and coal and also to put some oil aboard the vessel, but on the following day the wind increased to such an extent that, in attempting to reach the ship with a raft of oil, they were blown down the coast and had to beach the boat several miles away. on the night of the th adelie land wireless station was again heard tapping out a message apparently with the hope that some station would receive it. all we got was: "having a hell of a time waiting for calm weather to put up more masts." sawyer again repeatedly called, but they evidently could not hear him as no reply was received, and the above message was repeated time after time. the weather during september was not quite so rough as that of the previous two or three months, but misty days were very frequent. gales were experienced on six days and strong winds on nine days, but several quiet periods occurred. the average temperature was . degrees, with extremes of . degrees and degrees f. october was ushered in by a strong gale and rather heavy rain-squalls. the 'rachel cohen' had a severe buffeting, though she was lying on the lee side of the island. just about three-quarters of a mile to the west of the shack were two large sea elephant rookeries, very close to each other, and on the rd sandell and i went along to see what was happening there. we found about two hundred and fifty cows in the nearer one, and, as closely as we could count, about five hundred in the adjacent colony. the babel of sounds made one feel thankful that these noisy creatures were some distance from the shack. nearly all the cows had pups, some of which had reached a fair size, while others were only a few hours old. we saw several dead ones, crushed out almost flat, and some skuas were busily engaged gorging themselves on the carcases. these birds are indeed professional plunderers, and will venture almost anywhere in pursuit of food. during the evening we again heard adelie land station working, and the burden of their message to an apparently chance audience was: "we do not seem able to get macquarie island, all is well, though bad weather has so far prevented any attempt at sledging." sawyer again called them at regular intervals for the rest of the night, but, as before, got no response. hamilton and blake were busy at lusitania bay during the first two weeks of october securing sea elephant specimens and collecting eggs. they visited caroline cove where is established a giant petrel rookery containing about four hundred birds, and gathered a large number of eggs--purely specimens, as they are no use otherwise. the 'rachel cohen' finally left us on the th, expecting to pay another visit in december for the purpose of taking off the sea elephant oil procured by the sealers. sandell and i visited the gentoo penguin colony in aerial cove during the afternoon, for the purpose of getting a few eggs. we found plenty there and collected as many as we required. on returning to the empty nests, the birds would first of all peer round to assure themselves that the eggs were really missing, and then throw their heads back, swaying them from side to side to the accompaniment of loud, discordant cries. several of us started out on the th to visit the west coast for the purpose of getting some wekas and, incidentally, to make any observations possible. we saw thousands of sea elephants along the coast and passed many rookeries of various sizes. there were a large number of wekas about, but after shooting fourteen we were satisfied with our bag. a westerly gale during the night proved too much for the aerial, and down it came. blake and hamilton were away, so sawyer, sandell and i went up, and after much battling and frequent use of the "handy billy" succeeded in fixing things. we also re-tightened the wire stays and thoroughly overhauled the ropes. snow and sleet fell all the time, making the task most disagreeable. about the middle of the month the royal penguins commenced to lay, and on the th sandell and i went to their rookeries at "the nuggets" and collected about fifteen dozen eggs, which we buried in a hole in the bank of the creek for preservation. this species of penguin is the one which is killed for oil, not because it is any fatter than the others, but because it lives in such large colonies. there is one rookery of these birds on the south end of the island which covers an area of sixteen and a half acres, whilst at "the nuggets" there are numbers of them scattered along the banks of a creek which reaches the sea, aggregating ten acres. at the latter place are situated the oil works belonging to the sealers. from careful observation i should say that the number of birds killed during the season would not total one hundred and fifty thousand. the method of killing--by blows from a heavy club--is about as humane as any that could be adopted, and the yearly increase in numbers in the only rookeries that are being worked is certainly greater than the decrease due to the depredations of the sealers. apart from this, there are acres of rookeries on the island from which not a single bird is taken, and they go on year after year adding thousands upon thousands to their already vast numbers. this species resembles the others in habits, and i shall not describe them at any length. they are of the same colour as the victoria penguins, but have a more orderly crest. their rookeries are always on or very close to a running stream which forms the highway along which they travel to and fro. there is no policeman on duty, but a well-ordered procession is somehow arranged whereby those going up keep to one side and those coming down keep to the other. once they are in the rookery, however, different conditions obtain. here are fights, squabbles and riots, arising from various causes, the chief of which appears to be a disposition on the part of some birds to loiter about. during the nesting time much disorder prevails, and fights, in which beaks and flippers are energetically used, may be seen in progress at various places throughout the rookery. the nests are made of small stones, and occasionally, a bone or two from the skeleton of some long-dead relative forms part of the bulwarks. the attempt on the part of some birds to steal stones from surrounding nests is about the most fruitful cause of a riot, and the thief generally gets soundly thrashed, besides which all have a peck at him as he makes his way with as much haste as possible from the danger-zone. as the season advances, these rookeries become covered with filthy slush, but it seems to make no difference to the eggs, as the chicks appear in due course. when the moulting process is in full swing the rookeries are very crowded, and feathers and slush then become mixed together, making the place anything but fragrant. a fifty-four mile gale from the west-north-west blew down on us on the th, but shortly after noon it weakened, and, towards evening, with the shifting of the wind to southwest, came squalls of sleet and snow and a drop in temperature. hamilton returned from lusitania bay in the dinghy on the st, but blake stopped there as he had not yet finished his work in that locality. the dinghy was well laden with specimens of various kinds and, on the way up, some wood and pickets were left at green valley for future requirements. on the th sandell and i visited the west coast, but, instead of going the usual way, we walked down the east coast and went up the creek at "the nuggets" with a view to having a look at the penguin colonies along its course, finally crossing over the hills and getting into another creek, which we followed all the way down to the west coast. along this creek were numerous waterfalls, one of which was quite sixty feet in height with wind-blown spray frozen white on the rocks on either side. we came across several giant petrel rookeries, and were treated to a display of the "stinker's" ability to make himself objectionable. a pair of sooty albatrosses were seen nesting on the front of a rocky steep, but on climbing up we found that they had not yet laid. after catching some wekas and taking a few photographs we returned to the shack. on the last day of the month several of us crossed the hills to the west coast in search of plants and birds' eggs. we secured a number of plant specimens--a further sign of the arrival of spring--including two which bore a very small flower, and were most successful in obtaining skuas', giant petrels' and sooty albatrosses' eggs. during the evening i received a message from captain davis stating that the 'aurora' would visit us in about three weeks' time and inquiring if we needed any supplies. this was entirely unexpected, as we thought that no more would be seen of the ship until she came to take us home at the end of march . earthquake shocks were felt at . a.m. and . a.m. on october , but did no damage other than to bring down some loose rock. auroral displays were rather frequent but not very pronounced, and in most cases could only be classed as "glows." a bright sunny morning on the rd induced hamilton and me to make a photographic excursion along the coast. hitherto only still-life photos had been taken, but with the sunlight we were then having, any work was possible, so we determined to have some "shots" at the sea elephants. they were rather difficult subjects, strange to say, but we spent some time amongst them and did famously, till a snow-squall made us suspend operations. we heard the discordant but mournful cry of a sooty albatross coming from the cliff-front, so hamilton climbed up and, after scrambling about for a while, succeeded in finding a nest, which contained one egg. this led him to look along the cliffs fronting the east coast, and on the following morning he found several nests and caught two birds, both of which were taken by hand while on the nest. they had beautiful plumage and made very fine specimens. blake returned from lusitania bay during the afternoon of the th and reported that he required only four or five days to complete the survey. the configuration of the island at the southern end is vastly different to that shown in the published charts, and this became more apparent as blake's figures were plotted. the news that piastre had won the melbourne cup was flashed about all over the southern ocean during the evening, and we picked it up; but as this was the first we had heard of the animal, nobody seemed much interested. it certainly gave a turn to the conversation, and quite a sporting tone permeated the discussions of the ensuing two or three days. the subjects of discussion were usually those of environment, and most of our talk centred round sea elephants, sea-leopards, penguins, temperatures, wind, wireless telegraphy, fish, aurorae, exploration, ships, queensland and new zealand. sea elephants and penguins do offer scope for a considerable amount of conversation, as one observes them under such different circumstances, and they are so odd that something remarkable is always associated with the sight of them. the weather, being practically the bete noire of our existence, came in for a good deal of abuse. wireless telegraphy is a mighty interesting subject at all times, and we passed many hours of our stay in discussing its future. all the members were, allegedly, fishermen of some calibre, and when i have said that, anybody with a knowledge of the man who claims ability as an angler will know what all the others, in turn, had to receive with restrained and respectful admiration. the advantages of settlement in queensland were so apparent to at least one member of the party that he simply could not understand why thousands were not annually killed in the rush to get to this, "the greatest of all the australian states." good old silky oak! the scenery of new zealand was almost as well known to us as to anybody who has lived in the country all his life, and three of us had never been there. we have sat round the shack sometimes and only the roar of a sea elephant outside reminded us that we were not, as we imagined, at a maori "tangi." the wages to be earned there, the delights of travelling, the legislators, rotorua, kauri pine, and the moon they've got in auckland--we've heard of all these and marvelled at them. "kapai te maori!" blake and hamilton went to sandy bay in the dinghy on the th in order to complete some work. they improved the hut there, to the extent of making a fire-place and laying barrel-staves on the floor, afterwards bringing a boat-load of timber from the 'jessie nichol' wreck and rigging up a board bunk sufficiently large to accommodate both of them. while walking down to the 'clyde' wreck for some wood on the th i saw a strange bird on the beach, and, returning to the shack for the gun, i got him at the second shot. he was a land bird and had evidently been blown out of his course, as none of his kind had been seen before on the island. on getting up on the following morning i found poor old ma lying dead, and the feathers which lay about indicated that she had been the victim of a savage assault, but whether at the teeth of a dog or the beak of a skua i was unable to determine. this was most unfortunate, as the hens had all started to lay again two days previously; but apart from this she was a funny old creature and one could almost hold a conversation with her, so we regretted her loss. however, to make amends for this disaster the victoria penguins started to lay on the same day, and as several of their rookeries were only a few minutes' walk from the shack, the position was much the same as if we owned a poultry farm. hamilton returned from sandy bay on the th and immediately set about collecting shags' eggs. he visited aerial cove for the purpose but did not get enough, and was compelled to go to west point, where he gathered twenty-four dozen for specimens. he now had a collection of eggs of all birds which nest on the island, with the exception of the weka and the tern. at . p.m. on november the 'aurora' steamed into north-east bay and dropped anchor. hamilton, blake and sawyer launched the dinghy and pulled out to receive the mails, which they brought ashore for distribution. all on board were well and captain davis sent word to say he would land in the morning, bringing our goods and some visitors--professor flynn of hobart and mr. denny. the 'aurora' next day steamed round north head and took a series of soundings between the main island and the judge and clerk. these latter islets lie about eight miles to the north of north head, and are merely rocks about eighty feet high upon which thousands of shags and other birds have established rookeries. on the following morning we said good-bye to the ship, which weighed anchor and steamed away, leaving us once more to our own devices. all the flowering plants were now showing their extremely modest blooms, and the tussock looked like a field of wheat, each stem having a decided ear. the gentoo penguins, as well as the giant petrels, had hatched their eggs, and the parent birds were shouldering full responsibilities. blake and hamilton were now prepared for another visit to the southern end. blake had almost completed the chart of the island, and the difference between it and the published chart was very striking. in the latter case the south end was shown as being six miles wide, whereas it is in reality only a little more than two miles across, and the width of the island is nowhere more than three and a half miles. about twenty miles from the southern end lie two islets known as the bishop and clerk. the former, which is the larger, is covered with a growth of tussock, while the latter is mainly bare rock. a distinct rise in temperature was noticeable during november and the mean worked out at . degrees, while the extremes were degrees and degrees f. strong winds were recorded on thirteen days and six short-lived gales occurred. we had less precipitation than during any previous month, as thirteen dry days were experienced. the average cloudiness was per cent.; largely due to the frequent foggy or misty weather. on december , at a.m., blake and i packed our sleeping-bags and blankets and started for sandy bay. the swags weighed only thirty-five pounds each and we made a rather quick trip. after repairing the dilapidated shack, we sallied out for the purpose of catching our evening meal, and with the aid of mac soon succeeded in getting eight wekas. a sea elephant was then killed, and the blubber, heart and tongue taken; the first-named for use as fuel and the others for food. we cleaned the wekas and put them in the pot, cooking the whole lot together, a proceeding which enabled us to forgo cooking a breakfast in the morning. the beach was swarming with young sea elephants and many could be seen playing about in a small, shallow lagoon. just south of the hut there is a sandy spit and one of the only stretches of beach on the island, where thousands of penguins from the adjacent rookeries were congregated, amongst them being three king penguins, which were easily distinguishable on account of their great size. feeling a little weary, i sought the hut about p.m. and turned into the sleeping-bag, which was placed on a board bottom covered with tussock, which was by no means uncomfortable. the old place smoked so much that we decided to let the fire die down, and as soon as the smoke had cleared away, the imperfections of the hut became apparent; rays of moonlight streaming through countless openings in the walls and roof. we rose at . a.m. while blake lit the fire, i went out to fill the billy at a small stream running out of the hills about sixty yards away. after breakfast we set out for green valley, but had not gone very far when it began to blow very hard from the south, straight in our faces, and we scrambled on towards our destination amidst squalls of snow, hail and sleet. eventually we reached the valley and had a somewhat meagre lunch in a small cave. the title "cave" rather dignifies this hole in the rock, but it was the only friendly spot in a most inhospitable locality, and we were inclined to be generous, on the whole, the length of coast we had traversed was found to be as rough as any on the island. there is not a stretch of one hundred yards anywhere that can be termed "good going." in many places we found that the steep cliffs approached very close to the water, and the mournful cry of the sooty albatross could be heard coming from points high on the face of the cliffs, while the wekas were so tame that one could almost walk up and catch them. a large creek whose banks are overhung with a coarse growth of fern makes its way out of the hills and runs into sandy bay. just a little to the south of this creek blake discovered a terminal moraine about two hundred yards in length and fifty feet wide. it rests on sandstone about fifteen feet above the present sea-level and the boulders consist of polished and sub-angular blocks of sandstone and porphyry of various sizes. it evidently belongs to the valley or to a later stage of glaciation. the rocks along the coast are all a volcanic series, and basic dykes are visible in many places. we arose at a.m. next day and breakfasted on porridge, weka, fried heart, "hard-tack" and cocoa. leaving the hut shortly afterwards we climbed on to the hills and travelled south for several miles in order to fix the position of some lakes and creeks. there was one lake in the vicinity about half a mile long and to all appearances very deep. it lay between two steep hills, and the grassy bank at one end and the small sloping approach at the other gave it an artificial appearance, while the water was beautifully clear and perfectly fresh. at the sloping end, dozens of skuas were busily engaged washing themselves and the flapping of their wings in the water made a remarkable noise, audible at a considerable distance on the hill-tops. on returning to the hut at sandy bay several rabbits secured by mac were cleaned and put on to boil. next morning a dense mist shrouded the island till about a.m., but the weather becoming fine and bright, we started for the west coast about noon. during our progress along the bed of a creek, blake discovered what was believed to be a glacial deposit containing fossil bones, and considerable time was spent in examining this and attempting to extract whole specimens, thereby making it too late to proceed to the west. on returning to the hut we decided to pack the swags. we reached home just in time for tea, finding that nothing unusual had occurred during our four days' absence. hamilton and blake went out fishing in the dinghy on the th and made a remarkable haul of fish, sixty in number, ranging in size from a few ounces to twelve and a half pounds. they were all of the same species, somewhat resembling rock cod, but as usual they were covered with external parasites, and their flesh was full of worm-cysts. hamilton preserved a number of them and the rest were cooked, but we did not relish them very much and the one meal was enough. on december we had a hard gale all day, the anemometer recording "bursts" of over fifty miles an hour frequently, while the average exceeded forty miles an hour throughout. twelve months ago on that day we had made our first landing on the island from the 'aurora', but vastly different weather conditions prevailed at the time. christmas day was now very close at hand, and as blake and hamilton were going to celebrate at the other end of the island, whence they had gone on the th, sawyer, sandell and i arranged a little "spread" for ourselves. sawyer produced a cake which he had received in the recent mail, and some friend had forwarded a plum pudding to sandell, so on christmas day these, with a boiled ham, some walnuts, mince rolls and a bottle of stout were spread on the table, which had been decorated with tussock stuck in sea elephants' tusks. the highest temperature registered on the island during our stay-- . degrees f.--was recorded on christmas day, and the sun seemed so warm that sandell and i ventured into the sea for a dip, but the temperature of the water was not high enough to make it an agreeable experience. during the evening of the th we received a message saying that the 'aurora' had left hobart on her trip south to bring back the two parties from antarctica, but no mention of picking us up on the return journey was made. the king penguins and "night birds" had laid by this time, and hamilton added more eggs to his collection. he found for the first time a colony of mutton birds near the south end. he also came upon a mollymawk rookery on the south-western point of the island, and managed to take one of the birds by hand. blake and he had an accident in the dinghy on the th, fortunately attended by no serious results. they had gone from lusitania bay to the south end, and, while attempting to land through the surf, the boat struck a rock and capsized, throwing them into the water. they had many things in the boat but lost only two billies, two pannikins, a sounding line and hamilton's hat, knife and pipe. their blankets floated ashore in a few minutes, and the oars came floating in later in the day. after the capsize hamilton managed to reach the boat and turn her over, and blake made for a kelp-hung rock, but, after pulling himself up on to it, was immediately washed off and had to swim ashore. the boat was afterwards found to be stove-in in two places, though the breaks were easily patched up subsequently. new year's eve came and with keen anticipations we welcomed the advent of . chapter xxvii through another year by g. f. ainsworth we had now thrown a year behind and the work we set out to accomplish was almost finished; so it was with pleasurable feelings that we took up the burden of completion, looking forward to the arrival of april which should bring us final relief and the prospects of civilisation. i shall deal with the first three months of the year as one period, since almost all the field-work, except photography, had been done, and, after the return of blake and hamilton from lusitania bay on january , our life was one of routine; much time being devoted to packing and labelling specimens in anticipation of departure. the first business of the year was to overhaul the wireless station, and on the th, sawyer, sandell and i spent the day laying in a supply of benzine from aerial cove, changing worn ropes, tightening stay-wires, straightening the southern masts and finally hauling the aerial taut. these duties necessitated much use of the "handy billy," and one has but to form an acquaintance with this desirable "person" to thoroughly appreciate his value. blake and hamilton returned on january and reported that their work was finished at the southern end. thenceforth they intended to devote their time to finishing what remained to be done at the northern end and in adding to their collections. blake, for instance, resolved to finish his chart of the island, and, if time permitted, to make a topographical survey of the locality, as it was of great geological interest. hamilton made the discovery that a number of bird specimens he had packed away were mildewed, and as a result he was compelled to overhaul the whole lot and attend to them. he found another colony of mutton birds on north head, the existence of which was quite unexpected till he dug one out of a burrow thought to contain "night-birds." about the middle of january i endeavoured to do a little meteorological work with the aid of some box-kites manufactured by sandell. but though a number of them were induced to fly, we had no success in getting them up with the instruments attached. they all had a habit of suddenly losing equilibrium and then indulging in a series of rapid dives and plunges which usually ended in total wreckage. the 'rachel cohen' again visited the island on january , but this time she anchored off "the nuggets," whither the sealers had gone to live during the penguin season. we could see the ship lying about a mile offshore, and walked down to get our mails and anything else she had brought along for us. i received a letter from the secretary of the expedition saying that he had made arrangements for us to return by the 'rachel cohen' early in april, and the news caused a little excitement, being the only definite information we had had concerning relief. the end of the first month found blake and hamilton both very busy in making suitable boxes for specimens. many of the larger birds could not be packed in ordinary cases, so hamilton had to make specially large ones to accommodate them, and blake's rock specimens being very heavy, extra strong boxes had to be made, always keeping in view the fact that each was to weigh not more than eighty pounds, so as to ensure convenient handling. after a silence of about four months, we again heard adelie land on february , but the same old trouble existed, that is, they could not hear us. sawyer called them again and again, getting no reply, but we reckoned that conditions would improve in a few weeks, as the hours of darkness increased. hamilton and i made a trip to the hill-tops on the th for the purpose of taking a series of plant and earth temperatures which were of interest biologically, and while there i took the opportunity of obtaining temperatures in all the lakes we saw. hamilton also took some panoramic photographs from the various eminences and all of them turned out well. during the evening adelie land sent out a message saying that dr. mawson had not yet returned to the base from his sledging trip and sawyer received it without difficulty, but though he "pounded away" in return for a considerable time, he was not heard, as no reply or acknowledgment was made. the 'rachel cohen' remained till the th, when a northerly gale arose and drove her away. as she had a good cargo of oil on board no one expected her to return. we had sent our mail on board several days previously as experience had shown us that the sailing date of ships visiting the island was very uncertain. sandell met with a slight though painful accident on the th. he was starting the engine, when it "backfired" and the handle flying off with great force struck him on the face, inflicting a couple of nasty cuts, loosening several teeth, and lacerating the inside of his cheek. a black eye appeared in a day or two and his face swelled considerably, but nothing serious supervened. in a few days the swelling had subsided and any anxiety we felt was at an end. we now had only two sheep left, and on the th blake and i went to kill one. mac accompanied us. seeing the sheep running away, she immediately set off after them, notwithstanding our threats, yells and curses. they disappeared over a spur, but shortly afterwards mac returned, and, being severely thrashed, immediately left for home. we looked for the sheep during the rest of the day but could find no trace of them, and though we searched for many days it was not till five weeks had elapsed that we discovered them on a small "landing" about half-way down the face of the cliff. they had apparently rushed over the edge and, rolling down, had finally come to a stop on the ledge where they were found later, alive and well. on the th adelie land was heard by us calling the 'aurora' to return at once and pick up the rest of the party, stating also that lieutenant ninnis and dr. mertz were dead. all of us were shocked at the grievous intelligence and every effort was made by sawyer to call up adelie land, but without success. on the following day we received news from australia of the disaster to captain scott's party. blake, who was now geologizing and doing topographical work, discovered several lignite seams in the hills on the east coast; he had finished his chart of the island. the mainland is simply a range of mountains which have been at some remote period partly submerged. the land meets the sea in steep cliffs and bold headlands, whose general height is from five hundred to seven hundred feet, with many peaks ranging from nine hundred and fifty to one thousand four hundred and twenty feet, the latter being the height of mount hamilton, which rears up just at the back of lusitania bay. evidence of extreme glaciation is everywhere apparent, and numerous tarns and lakes are scattered amongst the hills, the tops of which are barren, wind-swept and weather-worn. the hill sides are deeply scored by ravines, down which tumble small streams, forming cascades at intervals on their hurried journey towards the ocean. some of these streams do not reach the sea immediately, but disappear in the loose shingly beaches of peaty swamps. the west coast is particularly rugged, and throughout its length is strewn wreckage of various kinds, some of which is now one hundred yards from the water's edge. very few stretches of what may be called "beach" occur on the island; the foreshores consisting for the most part of huge water-worn boulders or loose gravel and shingle, across which progress is slow and difficult. [text illustration] a section across macquarie island through mt. elder apparently the ground shelves very rapidly under the water, as a sounding of over two thousand fathoms was obtained by the 'aurora' at a distance of eight miles from the east coast. the trend of the island is about eleven degrees from true north; the axis lying north by east to south by west. at either end are the island-groups already referred to, and their connexion with the mainland may be traced by the sunken rocks indicated by the breaking seas on the line of reef. a very severe storm about the middle of the month worked up a tremendous sea, which was responsible for piling hundreds of tons of kelp on the shore, and for several days tangled masses could be seen drifting about like small floating islands. on the th an event occurred to which we had long looked forward, and which was now eagerly welcomed. communication was established with the main base in adelie land by wireless! a message was received from dr. mawson confirming the deaths of ninnis and mertz, and stating that the 'aurora' had not picked up the whole party. sawyer had a short talk with jeffryes, the adelie land operator, and among other scraps of news told him we were all well. hamilton killed a sea elephant on the nd. the animal was a little over seventeen feet long and thirteen and a half feet in girth just at the back of the flippers, while the total weight was more than four tons. it took hamilton about a day to complete the skinning, and, during the process, the huge brute had to be twice turned over, but such is the value of the nautical handy-billy that two men managed it rather easily. when the skin had been removed, five of us dragged it to the sealers' blubber-shed, where it was salted, spread out, and left to cure. we had communication with adelie land again on the th, and messages were sent and received by both stations. dr. mawson wirelessed to the effect that the 'aurora' would, after picking up wild's party, make an attempt to return to adelie land if conditions were at all favourable. finding that provisions were running rather short on the last day of february, we reduced ourselves to an allowance of one pound of sugar per week each, which was weighed out every thursday. altogether there were only forty-five pounds remaining. thenceforth it was the custom for each to bring his sugar-tin to the table every meal. the arrangement had its drawbacks, inasmuch as no sugar was available for cooking unless a levy were made. thus puddings became rareties, because most of us preferred to use the sugar in tea or coffee. march came blustering in, accompanied by a sixty-four-mile gale which did damage to the extent of blowing down our annexe, tearing the tarpaulin off the stores at the back and ripping the spouting off the shack. a high sea arose and the conformation of the beach on the north-western side of the isthmus was completely changed. numbers of sea elephants' tusks and bones were revealed, which had remained buried in the shingle probably for many years, and heaps of kelp were piled up where before there had been clean, stony beach. kelp is a very tough weed, but after being washed up and exposed to the air for a few days, begins to decay, giving forth a most disagreeable smell. at this time we caught numerous small fish amongst the rocks at the water's edge with a hand line about four feet long. it was simply a matter of dropping in the line, watching the victim trifle with destiny and hauling him in at the precise moment. wireless business was now being done nightly with adelie land, and on the th i received a message from dr. mawson saying that the party would in all probability be down there for another season, and stating the necessity for keeping macquarie island station going till the end of the year. this message i read out to the men, and gave them a week in which to view the matter. the alternatives were to return in april or to remain till the end of the year. i went through the whole of the stores on the th, and found that the only commodities upon which we would have to draw sparingly were milk, sugar, kerosene, meats and coal. the flour would last till may, but the butter allowance would have to be reduced to three pounds per week. it was on the th that we found the lost sheep, but as we had some wekas, sufficient to last us for several days, i did not kill one till the th. on that day four of us went down towards the ledge where they were standing, and shot one, which immediately toppled off and rolled down some distance into the tussock, the other one leaping after it without hesitation. while blake and hamilton skinned the dead sheep, sandell and i caught the other and tethered it at the bottom of the hill amongst a patch of maori cabbage, as we thought it would probably get lost if left to roam loose. however, on going to the spot next day, the sheep was nearly dead, having got tangled up in the rope. so we let it go free, only to lose the animal a day or two later, for it fell into a bog and perished. on march a lunar eclipse occurred, contact lasting a little over three hours from . p.m. till within a few minutes of a.m. on the rd. the period of total eclipse was quite a lengthy one, and during the time it lasted the darkness was intense. cloud interfered for a while with our observations in the total stage. no coronal effect was noted, though a pulsating nebulous area appeared in front of the moon just before contact. a message came on the th saying that the 'rachel cohen' was sailing for macquarie island on may , and would bring supplies as well as take back the men who wished to be relieved, and this was forwarded in turn to dr. mawson. he replied, saying that the 'aurora' would pick us up about the middle of november and convey us to antarctica, thence returning to australia; but if any member wished to return by the 'rachel cohen' he could do so, though notification would have to be given, in order to allow of substitutes being appointed. all the members of the party elected to stay, and i asked each man to give an outline of the work he intended to pursue during the extended period. during march strong winds were recorded on fourteen days, reaching gale-force on six occasions. the gale at the beginning of the month was the strongest we had experienced, the velocity at . a.m. on the st reaching sixty-four miles per hour. precipitation occurred on twenty-six days and the average amount of cloud was per cent. a bright auroral display took place on the th, lasting from . till . p.m. it assumed the usual arch-form stretching from the south-east to south-west, and streamers and shafts of light could be observed pulsating upwards towards the zenith. we now started on what might be called the second stage of our existence on the island. in the preceding pages i have endeavoured to give some idea of what happened during what was to have been our full period; but unforeseen circumstances compelled us to extend our stay for eight months more, until the 'aurora' came to relieve us in november. as the routine was similar in a good many respects to that which we had just gone through, i shall now refer to only the more salient features of our life. the loyalty of my fellows was undoubted, and though any of them could have returned if he had felt so inclined, i am proud to say that they all decided to see it through. when one has looked forward hopefully to better social conditions, more comfortable surroundings and reunion with friends, it gives him a slight shock to find that the door has been slammed, so to speak, for another twelve months. nevertheless, we all found that a strain of philosophy smoothed out the rough realities, and in a short time were facing the situation with composure, if not actual contentment. we decided now to effect a few improvements round about our abode, and all set to work carrying gravel from the beach to put down in front of the shack, installing a sink-system to carry any waste water, fixing the leaking roof and finally closing up the space between the lining and the wall to keep out the rats. we expected the 'rachel cohen' to leave hobart with our stores on may , and reckoned that the voyage would occupy two weeks. thus, it would be six weeks before she arrived. i was therefore compelled on the th to reduce the sugar allowance to half a pound per week. we were now taking it in turns to go once a week and get some wekas, and it was always possible to secure about a dozen, which provided sufficient meat for three dinners. breakfast consisted generally of fish, which we caught, or sea elephant in some form, whilst we had tinned fish for lunch. sandell installed a telephone service between the shack and the wireless station about the middle of april, the parts all being made by himself; and it was certainly an ingenious and valuable contrivance. i, in particular, learned to appreciate the convenience of it as time went on. the buzzer was fixed on the wall close to the head of my bunk and i could be called any time during the night from the wireless station, thus rendering it possible to reply to communications without loss of time. further, during the winter nights, when auroral observations had to be made, i could retire if nothing showed during the early part of the night, leaving it to sandell, who worked till or a.m. to call me if any manifestation occurred. we had heavy gales from the th to the th inclusive, the force of the wind during the period frequently exceeding fifty miles per hour, and, on the first-mentioned date, the barometer fell to . inches. the usual terrific seas accompanied the outburst. finding that there were only eight blocks of coal left, i reduced the weekly allowance to one. we had a good supply of tapioca, but neither rice nor sago, and as the sealers had some of the latter two, but none of the former, we made an exchange to the extent of twelve pounds of tapioca for eight pounds of rice and some sago. only fifteen pounds of butter remained on the th, and i divided this equally, as it was now one of the luxuries, and each man could use his own discretion in eating it. as it was nearing the end of april, and no further word concerning the movements of the 'rachel cohen' had been received, i wirelessed asking to be immediately advised of the exact date of the vessel's departure. a reply came that the ship would definitely reach us within two months. i answered, saying we could wait two months, but certainly no longer. with a view to varying the menu a little, blake and i took mac up on the hills on april to get some rabbits and, after tramping for about six hours, we returned with seven. in our wanderings we visited the penguin rookeries at "the nuggets," and one solitary bird sat in the centre of the vast area which had so lately been a scene of much noise and contention. on may i took an inventory of the stores and found that they would last for two months if economically used. of course, i placed confidence in the statement that the 'rachel cohen' would reach the island within that time. with the coming of may wintry conditions set in, and at the end of the first week the migrants had deserted our uninviting island. life with us went on much the same as usual, but the weather was rather more severe than that during the previous year, and we were confined to the shack a good deal. the sealers who were still on the island had shifted back to the hut at the north end so that they were very close to us and frequently came over with their dog in the evenings to have a yarn. the majority of them were men who had "knocked about" the world and had known many rough, adventurous years. one of them in particular was rather fluent, and we were often entertained from his endless repertoire of stories. on the rd, finding that there were seventy-seven and a half pounds of flour remaining, and ascertaining that the sealers could let us have twenty-five pounds, if we ran short, i increased the allowance for bread to twelve and a half pounds per week, and this, when made up, gave each man two and three-quarter pounds of bread. our supply of oatmeal was very low, but in order to make it last we now started using a mixture of oatmeal and sago for breakfast; of course, without any milk or sugar. just about this time mac gave birth to six pups and could not help us in obtaining food. she had done valuable service in this connexion, and the loss in the foraging strength of the party was severely felt for several weeks. she was particularly deadly in hunting rabbits and wekas, and though the first-named were very scarce within a few miles of the shack, she always managed to unearth one or two somewhere. hut-slippers were made out of the rabbit skins and they were found to be a great boon, one being able to sit down for a while without his feet "going." june arrived and with it much rough, cold weather. a boat was expected to come to our relief, at the very latest, by the th. we had a very chilly period during the middle of the month, and it was only by hand-feeding the "jacket" of the wireless motor that any work could be done by the station, as the tank outside was almost frozen solid. the tide-gauge clock broke down towards the end of the month, and though i tried for days to get it going i was not successful. one of the springs had rusted very badly as a result of the frequent "duckings" the clock had experienced, and had become practically useless. we had ascertained that the 'rachel cohen' was still in hobart, so on the rd i wirelessed asking when the boat was to sail. the reply came that the 'rachel cohen' was leaving hobart on thursday, june . our supply of kerosene oil was exhausted by the end of the month, despite the fact that the rule of "lights out at p.m." had been observed for some time. thus we were obliged to use sea elephant oil in slush lamps. at first we simply filled a tin with the oil and passed a rag through a cork floating on the top, but a little ingenuity soon resulted in the production of a lamp with three burners and a handle. this was made by sandell out of an old tea-pot and one, two or three burners could be lit as occasion demanded. during meal times the whole three burners were used, but, as the oil smoked and smelt somewhat, we generally blew out two as soon as the meal was finished. this was the "general" lamp, but each man had, as well, one of his own invention. mine was scornfully referred to as the "house-boat," since it consisted of a jam tin, which held the oil, standing in a herring tin which caught the overflow. at the end of june, blake and i surveyed all the penguin rookeries round about "the nuggets" and, allowing a bird to the square foot, found that there must have been about half a million birds in the area. the sealers kill birds from these rookeries to the number of about one hundred and thirty thousand yearly, so that it would seem reasonable to suppose that, despite this fact, there must be an annual increase of about one hundred thousand birds. the end of the month arrived and, on making inquiries, we found that there was no news of the 'rachel cohen' having left hobart. we had enough flour to last a fortnight, and could not get any from the sealers as they possessed only three weeks' supply themselves. however, on july , bauer came across and offered to let us have some wheatmeal biscuits as they had a couple of hundredweights, so i readily accepted twenty pounds of them. we now had soup twice a day, and managed to make it fairly thick by adding sago and a few lentils. cornflour and hot water flavoured with cocoa made a makeshift blanc-mange, and this, with sago and tapioca, constituted our efforts towards dessert. on the th i received a message stating that the 'rachel cohen' had sailed on july ; news which was joyfully received. we expected her to appear in ten or twelve days. on the th we used the last ounce of flour in a small batch of bread, having fully expected the ship to arrive before we had finished it. next day bauer lent us ten pounds of oatmeal and showed us how to make oatmeal cakes. we tried some and they were a complete success, though they consisted largely of tapioca, and, according to the respective amounts used, should rather have been called tapioca cakes. when the nd arrived and no ship showed up, i went across to see what the sealers thought of the matter, and found that they all were of opinion that she had been blown away to the eastward of the island, and might take a considerable time to "make" back. on this date we came to the end of our meats, which i had been dealing out in a very sparing manner, just to provide a change from sea elephant and weka. we had now to subsist upon what we managed to catch. there were still thirty-five tins of soup, of which only two tins a day were used, so that there was sufficient for a few weeks. but we found ourselves running short of some commodity each day, and after the rd reckoned to be without bread and biscuit. at this juncture many heavy blows were experienced, and on the th a fifty-mile gale accompanied by a tremendous sea beat down on us, giving the 'rachel cohen' a very poor chance of "making" the island. our last tin of fruit was eaten; twelve tins having lasted us since march , and i also shared the remaining ten biscuits amongst the men on the th. we were short of bread, flour, biscuits, meats, fish, jam, sugar and milk, but had twenty tins of french beans, thirty tins of cornflour, some tapioca, and thirty tins of soup, as well as tea, coffee and cocoa in abundance. we had not been able to catch any fish for some days as the weather had been too rough, and, further, they appeared to leave the coasts during the very cold weather. sea elephants were very scarce, and we invariably had to walk some distance in order to get one; each man taking it in turn to go out with a companion and carry home enough meat for our requirements. we were now eating sea elephant meat three times a day (all the penguins having migrated) and our appetites were very keen. the routine work was carried on, though a great deal of time was occupied in getting food. bauer very generously offered to share his biscuits with us, but we fellows, while appreciating the spirit which prompted the offer, unanimously declined to accept them. we now concluded that something had happened to the ship, as at the end of july she had been twenty-four days out. on august we had a sixty-three-mile gale and between and a.m. the velocity of the wind frequently exceeded fifty miles per hour. needless to say there was a mountainous sea running, and the rachel cohen, if she had been anywhere in the vicinity, would have had a perilous time. a message came to me on august from the secretary of the expedition, saying that the 'rachel cohen' had returned to new zealand badly damaged, and that he was endeavouring to send us relief as soon as possible. i replied, telling him that our food-supply was done, but that otherwise we were all right and no uneasiness need be felt, though we wished to be relieved as soon as possible. splendid news came along on the th to the effect that the new zealand government's steamer 'tutanekai' would tranship our stores from the 'rachel cohen' on the th and sail direct for the island. sawyer now became ill and desired me to make arrangements for his return. i accordingly wired to the secretary, who replied asking if we could manage without an operator. after consulting sandell, i answered that sandell and i together could manage to run the wireless station. everybody now looked forward eagerly to the arrival of the 'tutanekai', but things went on as before. we found ourselves with nothing but sea elephant meat and sago, with a pound-tin of french beans once a week and two ounces of oatmeal every morning. we heard that the tutanekai did not leave as expected on the th, but sailed on the afternoon of the th, and was coming straight to macquarie island. she was equipped with a wireless telegraphy outfit, which enabled us on the th to get in touch with her; the operator on board stating that they would reach us early on the morning of the th. on the evening of the th we gave sawyer a send-off dinner; surely the poorest thing of its kind, as far as eatables were concerned, that has ever been tendered to any one. the fare consisted of sea elephant's tongue "straight," after which a bottle of claret was cracked and we drank heartily to his future prosperity. at . a.m. on the th the 'tutanekai' was observed coming up the east coast, and as we had "elephanted" at a.m. we were ready to face the day. i went across to the sealers' hut and accompanied bauer in the launch to the ship, which lay at anchor about a mile from the shore. we scrambled on board, where i met captain bollons. he received me most courteously, and, after discussing several matters, suggested landing the stores straight away. i got into the launch to return to the shore, but the wind had freshened and was soon blowing a fresh gale. still, bauer thought we should have no difficulty and we pushed off from the ship. the engine of the launch failed after we had gone a few yards, the boat was blown rapidly down the coast, and we were eventually thrown out into the surf at "the nuggets." the captain, who witnessed our plight, sent his launch in pursuit of us, but its engines also failed. it now became necessary for the crew of the whale-boat to go to the assistance of the launch. however, they could do nothing against the wind, and, in the end, the ship herself got up anchor, gave the two boats a line and towed them back to the former anchorage. the work of unloading now commenced, though a fairly heavy surf was running. but the whaleboat of the 'tutanekai' was so dexterously handled by the boatswain that most of our stores were landed during the day. sawyer went on board the 'tutanekai' in the afternoon, thus severing his connexion with the expedition, after having been with us on the island since december . on the following morning, some sheep, coal and flour were landed, and, with a whistled good-bye, the 'tutanekai' started north on her visit to other islands. our short period of stress was over and we all felt glad. from that time onwards we ate no more elephant meat "straight." a sheep was killed just as the 'tutanekai' left, and we had roast mutton, scones, butter, jam, fruit and rice for tea. it was a rare treat. all the stores were now brought up from the landing-place, and as i had put up several extra shelves some weeks previously, plenty of room was found for all the perishable commodities inside the shack. the beginning of september found me fairly busy. in addition to the meteorological work, the results of which were always kept reduced and entered up, i had to work on wireless hill during the evening and make auroral observations on any night during which there was a display, attending to the stores and taking the week of cooking as it came along. blake and hamilton went down the island for several days on september , since they had some special observations to make in the vicinity of sandy bay. the sea elephant season was now in progress, and many rookeries were well formed by the middle of the month. the skuas had returned, and on the th the advance-guard of the royal penguins arrived. the gentoos had established themselves in their old "claims," and since the th we had been using their eggs for cooking. early in september time-signals were received from melbourne, and these were transmitted through to adelie land. this practice was kept up throughout the month and in many cases the signals were acknowledged. blake and hamilton returned to the shack on the th, but left again on the th, as they had some more photographic work to do in the vicinity of green valley and sandy bay. blake made a special trip to sandy bay on october to bring back some geological specimens and other things he had left there, but on reaching the spot found that the old hut had been burned to the ground, apparently only a few hours before, since it was still smouldering. many articles were destroyed, among which were two sleeping-bags, a sextant, gun, blankets, photographic plates, bird specimens and articles of clothing. it was presumed that rats had originated the fire from wax matches which had been left lying on a small shelf. on november we heard that the 'aurora' would leave hobart on the th for antarctica, picking us up on the way and landing three men on the island to continue the wireless and meteorological work. we sighted the 'rachel cohen' bearing down on the island on november , and at . p.m. she came to an anchorage in north-east bay. she brought down the remainder of our coal and some salt for hamilton for the preservation of specimens. on the next night it was learned that the 'aurora' had left hobart on her way south, expecting to reach us about the th, as some sounding and dredging were being done en route. everybody now became very busy making preparations for departure. time passed very quickly, and november dawned fine and bright. the 'rachel cohen', which had been lying in the bay loading oil, had her full complement on board by a.m., and shortly afterwards we trooped across to say good-bye to bauer and the other sealers, who were all returning to hobart. it was something of a coincidence that they took their departure on the very day our ship was to arrive. their many acts of kindness towards us will ever be recalled by the members of the party, and we look upon our harmonious neighbourly association together with feelings of great pleasure. a keen look-out was then kept for signs of our own ship, but it was not until p.m. that blake, who was up on the hill side, called out, "here she comes," and we climbed up to take in the goodly sight. just visible, away in the north-west, there was a line of thin smoke, and in about half an hour the 'aurora' dropped anchor in hasselborough bay. chapter xxviii the homeward cruise we bring no store of ingots, of spice or precious stones; but what we have we gathered with sweat and aching bones. kipling. as we sat in the wardroom of the 'aurora' exchanging the news of months long gone by, we heard from captain davis the story of his fair-weather trip from hobart. the ship had left australian waters on november , and, from the outset, the weather was quite ideal. nothing of note occurred on the run to macquarie island, where a party of three men were landed and ainsworth and his loyal comrades picked up. the former party, sent by the australian government, were to maintain wireless communication with hobart and to send meteorological reports to the commonwealth weather bureau. a week was spent at the island and all the collections were embarked, while correll was enabled to secure some good colour photographs and hurley to make valuable additions to his cinematograph film. the 'aurora' had passed through the "fifties" without meeting the usual gales, sighting the first ice in latitude degrees ' s., longitude degrees ' e. she stopped to take a sounding every twenty-four hours, adding to the large number already accumulated during her cruises over the vast basin of the southern ocean. all spoke of the clear and beautiful days amid the floating ice and of the wonderful coloured sunsets; especially the photographers. the pack was so loosely disposed, that the ship made a straight course for commonwealth bay, steaming up to cape denison on the morning of december to find us all eager to renew our claim on the big world up north. there was a twenty-five-knot wind and a small sea when we pulled off in the whale-boat to the ship, but, as if conspiring to give us for once a gala-day, the wind fell off, the bay became blue and placid and the sun beat down in full thawing strength on the boundless ice and snow. the adelians, if that may be used as a distinctive title, sat on the warm deck and read letters and papers in voracious haste, with snatches of the latest intelligence from the macquarie islanders and the ship's officers. no one could erase that day from the tablets of his memory. late in the afternoon the motor-launch went ashore, and the first of the cargo was sent off. the weather remained serene and calm, and for the next six days, with the exception of a "sixty-miler" for a few hours and a land breeze overnight, there was nothing to disturb the embarkation of our bulky impedimenta which almost filled the outer hut. other work went on apace. the skua gulls, snow and wilson petrels were laying their eggs, and hamilton went ashore to secure specimens and to add to our already considerable collection of bird skins. hunter had a fish-trap lowered from the forecastle, used a hand dredge from the ship, and did tow-netting occasionally from the launch in its journeys to and from the land. hurley and correll had bright sunshine to ensure good photographic results. bage and hodgeman looked after the transport of stores from the hut, and gillies, bickerton and madigan ran the motor-launch. mclean, who was now in possession of an incubator and culture tubes, grew bacteria from various sources--seals and birds, soils, ice and snow. ainsworth, blake and sandell, making their first acquaintance with adelie land, were most often to be seen quarrying ice on the glacier or pulling loaded sledges down to the harbour. [text illustration] mackellar islets on the th a party of us went off to the mackellar islets in the motor-launch, taking a tent and provisions, intending to spend two days there surveying and making scientific observations. these islets, over thirty in number, are clustered mainly in a group about two miles off shore. the group is encircled by rocky "outposts," and there are several "links" to the southern mainland. under a brilliant sun, across the pale blue water, heaving in a slow northerly swell, the motor-launch threaded her way between the granite knobs, capped with solid spray. the waves had undermined the white canopies so that they stood immobile, perched on the dark, kelp-fringed rocks, casting their pallid reflections in the turquoise sea. steaming into a natural harbour, bordered by a low ice-foot on which scores of weddell seals lay in listless slumber, we landed on the largest islet--a succession of salt-encrusted ridges covered by straggling penguin rookeries. the place just teemed with the sporadic life of an antarctic summer. it was calculated that the adelie penguins exceeded one hundred and fifty thousand in number over an area of approximately one hundred acres. near the landing-place there were at least sixty seals and snow petrels; skua gulls and wilson petrels soon betrayed their nests to the biologists. the islets are flat, and afford evidence that at one time the continental ice-cap has ridden over them. the rock is a hard grey gneiss. a rough plane-table map of the group was made by hodgeman and myself. our scheme of local exploration was now continued to the west. for two years we had looked curiously at a patch of rocks protruding beneath the ice-cap eight miles away, within commonwealth bay. it had been inaccessible to sledging parties, and so we reserved cape hunter, as it was ultimately called, for the coming of the ship. the anchor was raised on the forenoon of the nd, and by midday the 'aurora' steamed at half-speed along the ramparts of the glacier, stopping about four miles from the cape, after sounding in four hundred and twenty-four fathoms. through field-glasses much had already been seen; enough to arouse an intense interest. one could not but respond to the idea that here was a new world, flawless and unblemished, into which no human being had ever pried. here were open secrets to be read for the first time. it was not with the cold eye of science alone that we gazed at these rocks--a tiny spur of the great unseen continent; but it was with an indefinable wonder. in perfect weather a small party set off in the launch towards a large grounded berg which appeared to lie under the ice-cliffs. approaching it closely, after covering two miles, we could see that it was still more than a mile to the rocks. penguins soon began to splash around; wilson petrels came glancing overhead and we could descry great flocks of antarctic petrels wheeling over cliff and sea. reefs buried in frothing surge showed their glistening mantles, and the boat swerved to avoid floating streamers of brash-ice. the rocky cliffs, about eighty feet in height at the highest point, were formed of vertically lying slate rocks--a very uniform series of phyllite and sericite-schist. at their base lay great clinging blocks of ice deeply excavated by the restless swell. one island was separated from the parent mass by a channel cut sheer to the deep blue water. behind the main rocks and indenting the ice-cliff was a curving bay into which we steered, finding at its head a beautiful cove fringed with a heavy undermined ice-foot and swarming with adelie penguins. overhanging the water was a cavern hollowed out of a bridge of ice thrown from the glacier to the western limit of the rock outcrop. hurley had before him a picture in perfect proportion. the steel-blue water, paled by an icy reflection, a margin of brown rocks on which the penguins leapt through the splashing surf, a curving canopy of ice-foot and, filling the background, the cavern with pendent icicles along its cornice. the swell was so great that an anchor had to be thrown from the stern to keep the launch off shore, and two men remained on board to see that no damage was done. at last we were free to roam and explore. over the first ridge of rocks we walked suddenly into the home of the antarctic petrels! there had always been much speculation as to where these birds nested. jones' party at our western base had the previous summer at haswell island happened upon the first rookery of antarctic petrels ever discovered. here was another spot in the great wilderness peopled by their thousands. every available nook and crevice was occupied along a wide slope which shelved away until it met the vertical cliffs falling to the ocean. one could sit down among the soft, mild birds who were fearless at the approach of man. they rested in pairs close to their eggs laid on the bare rock or among fragments of slate loosely arranged to resemble a rest. many eggs were collected, and the birds, losing confidence in us, rose into the air in flocks, gaining in feathered volume as they circled in fear above this domain of rock and snow which had been theirs for generations. in adjoining rookeries the adelie penguins, with their fat, downy cheeks, were very plentiful and fiercer than usual. skuas, snow and wilson petrels were all in their accustomed haunts. down on the low ice-foot at the mouth of a rocky ravine, a few seals had effected a landing. algae, mosses and lichens made quite a display in moist localities. before leaving for the ship, we "boiled the billy" on a platform of slate near the cove where the launch was anchored and had a small picnic, entertained by the penguins playing about in the surf or scaling the ice-foot to join the birds which were laboriously climbing to the rookeries on the ridge. the afternoon was so peaceful and the calm hot weather such a novelty to us that we pushed off reluctantly to the 'aurora' after an eventful day. those on board had had a busy time dredging, and their results were just as successful as ours. a haul was made in two hundred and fifty fathoms of ascidians, sponges, crinoids, holothurians, fish and other forms of life in such quantity that hunter and hamilton were occupied in sorting the specimens until five o'clock next morning. meanwhile the 'aurora' had returned to her old anchorage close to cape denison. the sky banked up from the south with nimbus, and early on the rd a strong breeze ruffled the water. there were a few things to be brought off from the shore, while ainsworth, sandell and correll were still at the hut, so that, as the weather conditions pointed to a coming blizzard, i decided to "cut the painter" with the land. an hour later the motor-launch, with madigan and bickerton, sped away for the last load through falling snow and a rising sea. hodgeman had battened down the windows of the hut, the chimney was stuffed with bagging, the veranda-entrance closed with boards, and, inside, an invitation was left for future visitors to occupy and make themselves at home. after the remainder of the dogs and some miscellaneous gear had been shipped, the launch put off and came alongside in a squally wind through thick showers of snow. willing hands soon unloaded the boat and slung it in the davits. every one was at last safe on board, and in future all our operations were to be conducted from the ship. during the night the wind rose and the barometer fell, while the air was filled with drifting snow. on the th--christmas eve--the velocity of the wind gradually increased to the seventies until at noon it blew with the strength of a hurricane. chief officer blair, stationed with a few men under the fo'c'sle-head, kept an anxious eye on the anchor chain and windlass. about lunch time the anchor was found to be dragging and we commenced to drift before the hurricane. all view of the land and lurking dangers in the form of reefs and islets were cut off by driving snow. the wind twanged the rigging to a burring drone that rose to a shriek in the shuddering gusts. the crests of the waves were cut off and sprayed in fine spindrift. with full steam on we felt our way out, we hoped to the open sea; meanwhile the chain cable and damaged anchor were slowly being hauled in. the ship's chances looked very small indeed, but, owing to the good seamanship of captain davis and a certain amount of luck, disaster was averted. soon we were in a bounding sea. each time we were lifted on a huge roller the motor-launch, swinging in the davits, would rise and then descend with a crash on the water, to be violently bumped against the bulwarks. everything possible was done to save the launch, but our efforts proved fruitless. as it was being converted into a battering ram against the ship itself it had to be cut away, and was soon swept astern and we saw no more of it. most unexpectedly there came a lull in the wind, so that it was almost calm, though the ship still laboured in the seas. a clearance in the atmosphere was also noticeable for cape hunter became discernible to the west, towards which we were rapidly drifting. this sight of the coast was a great satisfaction to us, for we then knew our approximate position ** and the direction of the wind, which had veered considerably. ** it should be borne in mind that compasses are unreliable in the vicinity of the magnetic pole. the lull lasted scarcely five minutes when the wind came back from a somewhat different quarter, north of east, as violent as ever. the "eye" of the storm had passed over us, and the gale continued steady for several days. that night the struggle with the elements was kept up by officers and crew, assisted by members of the shore party who took the lee-wheel or stood by in case of emergency. "december . christmas day on the high seas off adelie land, everything wet and fairly miserable; incipient mal de mer, wind - ; snowing! when davis came down to breakfast and wished us a merry christmas, with a smile at the irony of it, the ward-room was swaying about in a most bewildering fashion." towards evening, after the 'aurora' had battled for hours slowly to the east, the sea went down somewhat and some drifting ice was sighted. we continued under full steam, pushing forward to gain the shelter of the mertz glacier-tongue. it was now discovered that the fluke of the anchor had broken off short, so great had been the strain imposed upon it during the height of the hurricane. on boxing day the ship was in calmer water heading in a more southerly direction so as to come up with the land. fog, fine snow and an overcast sky made a gloomy combination, but during the afternoon the fog lightened sufficiently for us to perceive the mainland--a ghostly cliff shrouded in diaphanous blink. by p.m. the mertz glacier was visible on the port bow, and to starboard there was an enormous tilted berg which appeared to be magnified in the dim light. allowing a day for the weather to become clearer and more settled, we got out the trawl on the th and did a dredging in three hundred fathoms close to the glacier-tongue. besides rocks and mud there were abundant crinoids, holothurians, corals, crustaceans and "shells." in addition, several pieces of fossilized wood and coaly matter were discovered scattered through the "catch." bage, under davis's direction, took temperatures and collected water samples at fifty, seventy-five, one hundred, two hundred and three hundred fathoms, using the lucas sounding-machine on the fo'c'sle. the temperature gradient from the surface downwards appeared to give some indication of the depth of ice submerged in the glacier-tongue alongside which we were lying. on the th a cold south-easter blew off the ice-cliffs and the sun was trying to pierce a gauzy alto-stratus. the 'aurora' steamed north-east, it being our intention to round the northern limit of the mertz glacier. gradually a distant line of pack, which had been visible for some time, closed in and the ship ran into a cul-de-sac. gray, who was up in the crow's-nest, reported that the ice was very heavy, so we put about. proceeding southward once more, we glided along within a stone's throw of the great wall of ice whose chiselled headlands stood in profile for miles. there was leisure to observe various features of this great formation, and to make some valuable photographic records when the low south-western sun emerged into a wide rift. hunter trailed the tow-net for surface plankton while the ship was going at half-speed. at ten o'clock the ship had come up with the land, and her course was turned sharply to the north-west towards a flotilla of bergs lying to the east of the way archipelago, which we intended to visit. on december , , the 'aurora' lay within a cordon of floating ice about one mile distant from the nearest islet of a group scattered along the coast off cape gray. immediately after breakfast a party of eight men set off in the launch to investigate stillwell island. the weather was gloriously sunny and every one was eager at the prospect of fresh discoveries. cape hunter had been the home of the antarctic petrels, and on this occasion we were singularly fortunate in finding a resort of the southern fulmar or silver-grey petrels. during the previous summer, two of the eastern sledging parties had for the first time observed the breeding habits of these birds among isolated rocks outcropping on the edge of the coast. but here there was a stronghold of hundreds of petrels, sitting with their eggs in niches among the boulders or ensconced in bowers excavated beneath the snow which lay deep over some parts of the island. the rock was a gneiss which varied in character from that which had been examined at cape denison and in other localities. all the scientific treasures were exhausted by midday, and the whale-boat was well laden when we rowed back to the ship. throughout a warm summer afternoon the 'aurora' threaded her way between majestic bergs and steamed west across the wide span of commonwealth bay, some fifteen miles off the land. at eleven o'clock the sky was perfectly clear and the sun hung like a luminous ball over the southern plateau. the rocks near the hut were just visible. close to the "pianoforte berg" and the mackellar islets tall jets of fine spray were seen to shoot upward from schools of finner whales. all around us and for miles shoreward, the ocean was calm and blue; but close to the mainland there was a dark curving line of ruffled water, while through glasses one could see trails of serpentine drift flowing down the slopes of the glacier. doubtless, it was blowing at the hut; and the thought was enough to make us thankful that we were on our good ship leaving adelie land for ever. on the morning of december , , cape alden was abeam, and a strong wind swept down from the highlands. bordering the coast there was a linear group of islets and outcropping rocks at which we had hoped to touch. the wind continued to blow so hard that the idea was abandoned and our course was directed towards the north-west to clear a submerged reef which had been discovered in january . the wind and sea arose during the night, causing the ship to roll in a reckless fashion. yet the celebration of new year's eve was not marred, and lusty choruses came up from the ward-room till long after midnight. next morning at breakfast our ranks had noticeably thinned through the liveliness of the ship, but it is wonderful how large an assembly we mustered for the new year's dinner, and how cheerfully the toast was drunk to "the best year we have ever had!" on january , , fast ice and the mainland were sighted. the course was changed to the south-west so as to bring the ship within a girdle of loose ice disposed in big solid chunks and small pinnacled floes. a sounding realized two hundred fathoms some ten miles off the coast, which stretched like a lofty bank of yellow sand along the southern horizon. on previous occasions we had not been able to see so much of the coastline in this longitude owing to the compactness of the ice, and so we were able to definitely chart a longer tract at the western limit of adelie land. the ice became so thick and heavy as the 'aurora' pressed southward that she was forced at last to put about and steer for more open water. on the way, a sounding was made in two hundred and fifty fathoms, but a dredging was unsuccessful owing to the fact that insufficient cable was paid out in going from two hundred and fifty fathoms to deeper water. our north-westerly course ran among a great number of very long tabular bergs, which suggested the possibility of a neighbouring glacier-tongue as their origin. at ten o'clock on the evening of the nd, a mountain of ice with a high encircling bastion passed to starboard. it rose to a peak, flanked by fragments toppling in snowy ruin. the pyramidal summit was tinged the palest lilac in the waning light; the mighty pallid walls were streaked and blotched with deep azure; the green swell sucked and thundered in the wave-worn caverns. chaste snow-birds swam through the pure air, and the whole scene was sacred. a tropical day in the pack-ice! sunday january was clear and perfectly still, and the sun shone powerfully. on the previous day we had entered a wide field of ice which had become so close and heavy that the ship took till late in the evening to reach its northern fringe. from january onwards for two weeks we steamed steadily towards the west, repeatedly changing course to double great sheets of pack which streamed away to the north, pushing through them in other places where the welcome "water-sky showed strong" ahead, making "southing" for days following the trend of the ice, then grappling with it in the hope of winning through to the land and at last returning to the western track along the margin of brash which breaks the first swell of the southern ocean. the weather was mostly overcast with random showers of light snow and mild variable winds on all but two days, when there was a "blow" of forty miles per hour and a considerable sea in which the ship seemed more active than usual. many soundings were taken, and their value lay in broadly [...] of course, too, we were supplementing the ship's previous work in these latitudes. [text illustration] section illustrating the moat in the antarctic continental shelf one successful dredging in eighteen hundred fathoms brought up some large erratics and coaly matter, besides a great variety of animal life. it was instructive to find that the erratics were coated with a film of manganese oxide derived from the sea-water. several tow-nettings were taken with large nets automatically closing at any desired depth through the medium of a "messenger." small crustaceans were plentiful on the surface, but they were if anything more numerous at depths of fifty to one hundred fathoms. amongst the latter were some strongly phosphorescent forms. the flying birds were "logged" daily by the biologists. emperor and adelie penguins were occasionally seen, among the floes as well as sea-leopards, crab-eater and weddell seals. friday january deserves mention as being a day full of incident. in the morning a thin, cold fog hung along the pack whose edge determined our course. many petrels flew around, and on the brash-ice there were dark swarms of terns--small birds with black-capped heads, dove-grey backs and silvery-white breasts. they were very nervous of the ship, rising in great numbers when it had approached within a few hundred yards. one startled bird would fly up, followed by several more; then a whole covey would disturb the rest of the flock. hamilton managed to shoot two of them from the fo'c'sle, and, after much manoeuvring, we secured one with a long hand-net. soon after, there was a cry of "killer whales!" from the stern. schools of them were travelling from the west to the east along the edge of the pack. the water was calm and leaden, and every few seconds a big black triangular fin would project from the surface, there would be a momentary glimpse of a dark yellow-blotched back and then all would disappear. we pushed into the pack to "ice ship," as the water-supply was running low. just as the 'aurora' was leaving the open water, a school of finner whales went by, blowing high jets of spray in sudden blasts, wallowing for a few seconds on the surface, and diving in swirls of foam. these finners or rorquals are enormous mammals, and on one occasion we were followed by one for several hours. it swam along with the ship, diving regularly underneath from one side to another, and we wondered what would happen if it had chosen to charge the vessel or to investigate the propeller. close to a big floe to which the ship was secured, two crab-eater seals were shot and hauled aboard to be skinned and investigated by the biologists and bacteriologist. when the scientists had finished their work, the meat and blubber were cut up for the dogs, while the choicer steaks were taken to the cook's galley. after lunch every one started to "ice ship" in earnest. the sky had cleared and the sun was warm and brilliant by the time a party had landed on the snow-covered floe with baskets, picks and shovels. when the baskets had been filled, they were hoisted by hand-power on to a derrick which had been fixed to the mizen mast, swung inboard and then shovelled into a melting tank alongside the engine-room. the melter was a small tank through which ran a coil of steam pipes. the ice came up in such quantity that it was not melted in time to keep up with the demand, so a large heap was made on the deck. later in the afternoon it was found that holes chipped in the sea-ice to a depth of six or eight inches filled quickly with fresh water, and soon a gang of men had started a service with buckets and dippers between these pools and the main hatch where the water was poured through funnels into the ship's tanks. the bulwarks on the port side of the main hatch had been taken down, and a long plank stretched across to the floe. at nine o'clock work was stopped and we once more resumed our western cruise. it was found that as the region of queen mary land approached, heavy pack extended to the north. while skirting this obstacle, we disclosed by soundings a steep rise in the ocean's floor from a depth of about fifteen hundred fathoms to within seven hundred fathoms of the surface, south of which there was deep water. it was named "bruce rise" in recognition of the oceanographical work of the scottish expedition in antarctic seas. on the th, in latitude degrees ' s., longitude degrees ' e., the course ran due south for more than seven hours. for the two ensuing days the ship was able to steer approximately south-west through slackening ice, until on the th at midday we were in latitude degrees ' s., longitude degrees ' e. at length it appeared that land was approaching, after a westward run of more than twelve hundred miles. attempts to reach the charted position of totten's land, north's land, budd land and knox land had been successively abandoned when it became evident that the pack occupied a more northerly situation than that of the two previous years, and was in most instances thick and impenetrable. at p.m. on the th, the ice fields still remaining loose and navigable, a dark line of open water was observed ahead. from the crow's-nest it was seen to the south stretching east and west within the belt of pack-ice--the davis sea. we had broken through the pack less than twenty-five miles north of where the 'gauss' (german expedition, ) had wintered. all next day the 'aurora' steamed into the eye of an easterly wind towards a low white island, the higher positions of which had been seen by the german expedition of , and charted as drygalski's high land. dr. jones' party had, the year before, obtained a distant view of it and regarded it as an island, which proved to be correct, so we named it drygalski island. to the south there was the dim outline of the mainland. soundings varied between two hundred and three hundred fathoms. on january , drygalski island was close at hand, and a series of soundings which showed from sixty to seventy fathoms of water deepening towards the mainland proved beyond doubt that it was an island. in shape it is like a flattened dome about nine miles in diameter and twelve hundred feet in height, bounded by perpendicular cliffs of ice, and with no visible evidence of outcropping rock. the dredge was lowered in sixty fathoms, and a rich assortment of life was captured for the biologists--hunter and hamilton. a course was then made to the south amidst a sea of great bergs; the water deepening to about four hundred fathoms. during the evening the crevassed slopes of the mainland rose clear to the south, and many islets were observed near the coast, frozen in a wide expanse of bay-ice. haswell island, visited by jones, dovers and hoadley of the western party, was sighted, and the ship was able to approach within eight miles of it; at ten o'clock coming up to flat bay-ice, where she anchored for the night. before we retired to bunk, a ross seal was discovered and shot, three-quarters of a mile away. next day, january , an unexpected find was made of five more of this rare species of seal. many emperor penguins were also secured. it would have been interesting to visit the great rookery of emperor penguins on haswell island, but, as the ship could only approach to within eight miles of it, i did not think it advisable to allow a party to go so far. on the night of the nd, the 'aurora' was headed northeast for the shackleton ice-shelf. in the early hours of the rd a strong gale sprang up and rapidly increased in violence. a pall of nimbus overspread the sky, and blinding snow commenced to fall. we had become used to blizzards, but on this occasion several factors made us somewhat apprehensive. the ship was at least twenty-five miles from shelter on an open sea, littered with bergs and fragments of ice. the wind was very strong; the maximum velocity exceeding seventy miles per hour, and the dense driving snow during the midnight hours of semi-darkness reduced our chances of navigating with any certainty. the night of the rd had a touch of terror. the wind was so powerful that, with a full head of steam and steering a few points off the eye of the wind, the ship could just hold her own. but when heavy gusts swooped down and the propeller raced on the crest of a mountainous wave, davis found it impossible to keep steerage-way. drift and spray lash the faces of officer and helmsman, and through the grey gloom misty bergs glide by on either hand. a long slow struggle brings us to a passage between two huge masses of ice. there is a shock as the vessel bumps and grinds along a great wall. the engine stops, starts again, and stops once more. the yards on the foremast are swung into the wind, the giant seas are broken by the stolid barriers of ice, the engine commences to throb with its old rhythm, and the ship slowly creeps out to meet the next peril. it comes with the onset of a "bergy-bit" which smashes the martingale as it plunges into a deep trough. the chain stay parts, dragging loose in the water, while a great strain is put by the foremast on the bowsprit. early on the th the ship was put about and ran with the wind, while all hands assembled on the fo'c'sle. the crew, under the direction of blair, had the ticklish job of replacing the chain stay by two heavy blocks, the lower of which was hooked on to the lug which secured the end of the stay, and the upper to the bowsprit. the running ropes connecting the blocks were tightened up by winding the hauling line round the capstan. when the boatswain and two sailors had finished the wet and chilly task of getting the tackle into position, the rest put their weight on to the capstan bars and the strain on the bowsprit was relieved. the fo'c'sle, plunging and swaying in the great waves, was encased in frozen spray, and along all the ropes and stays were continuous cylinders of ice. the 'aurora' then resumed her easterly course against the blizzard. saturday january was a day of high wind, rough seas, watery decks, lively meals and general discomfort. at . p.m. the waves had perceptibly decreased, and it was surmised that we were approaching the berg, about thirty miles in length, which lay to the west of the shackleton ice-shelf. at a.m. on the th the sun managed to glimmer through the low rack flying from the east, lighting up the carven face of an ice-cliff along which the 'aurora' was coasting. up and down we steamed until the afternoon of the th, when the wind lulled away to nothing, and the grey, even pall of cloud rose and broke into fleecy alto-cumulus. at the southern extremity of the long berg, fast bay-ice extended up to the land and for twenty miles across to the shelf on which the winter quarters of the western party had been situated. further progress to the south was blocked, so our course was directed to the north along the western border of the berg. when not engaged in sounding, dredging, or tow-netting members of the land party found endless diversion in trimming coal. big inroads had been made in the supply of more than five hundred tons, and it now became necessary to shift many tons of it from the holds aft to the bunkers where it was accessible to the firemen. the work was good exercise, and every one enjoyed the shift below, "trucking"and "heaving." another undoubted advantage, in the opinion of each worker, was that he could at least demand a wash from chief engineer gillies, who at other times was forced to be thrifty with hot fresh water. after supper on the th it was evident that we had reached a point where the shelf-ice veered away to the eastward and a wide tract of adhering sea-ice barred the way. the floe was exceedingly heavy and covered with a deep layer of soft snow. emperor and adelie penguins, crab-eater and weddell seals were recognized through glasses along its edge. as there was a light obscuring fog and dusk was approaching, the 'aurora' "hung up" for the night. on january the ship, after a preliminary trawling had been done in three hundred and twenty fathoms, pushed into the floe and was made fast with an ice-anchor. emperor penguins were so plentiful in the neighbourhood that many specimens were secured for skins. a sea-leopard was seen chasing a crab-eater seal quite close to the bow of the ship. the latter, after several narrow escapes, took refuge on an ice-foot projecting from the edge of the floe. advantage was taken of a clearing in the weather to walk over the sea-ice to a berg two and a half miles away, from the summit of which it was hoped that some sign of land might be apparent. away in the distance, perhaps five miles further on, could be seen an immense congregation of emperor penguins--evidently another rookery. no certain land was visible. the cruise was now continued to the north-west in order to skirt a collection of bergs and floe, with the ultimate object of proceeding in an easterly direction towards termination ice-tongue at the northern limit of the shackleton shelf-ice. a glance at the map which illustrates the work done by the western party affords the best idea of the great ice-formation which stretches away to the north of queen mary land. it is very similar in character to the well-known ross barrier over which lay part of scott's and amundsen's journeys to the south pole. its height is remarkably uniform, ranging from sixty to one hundred feet above the water-level. when allowance has been made for average specific gravity, its average total thickness should approximate to six hundred feet. from east to west the formation was proved to be as much as two hundred miles, with one hundred and eighty miles between its northern and southern limits. this vast block of ice originates fundamentally from the glacial flow over the southern hinterland. every year an additional layer of consolidated snow is added to its surface by the frequent blizzards. these annual additions are clearly marked in the section exposed on the dazzling white face near the brink of the ice-cliff. there is a limit, however, to the increase in thickness, for the whole mass is ever moving slowly to the north, driven by the irresistible pressure of the land-ice behind it. thus the northern face crumbles down into brash or floats away as part of a berg severed from the main body of the shelf-ice. on the morning of january we had the unique experience of witnessing this crumbling action at work--a cataclysm of snow, ice and water! the ship was steaming along within three hundred yards of a cliff, when some loose drifts slid off from its edge, followed by a slice of the face extending for many hundreds of feet and weighing perhaps one million tons. it plunged into the sea with a deep booming roar and then rose majestically, shedding great masses of snow, to roll onwards exposing its blue, swaying bulk shivering into lumpy masses which pushed towards the ship in an ever-widening field of ice. it was a grand scene enacted in the subdued limelight of an overcast day. during the afternoon the 'aurora' changed her north-westerly course round to north-east, winding through a wonderful sea of bergs grounded in about one hundred and twenty fathoms of water. at times we would pass through narrow lanes between towering walls and emerge into a straight wide avenue along which these mountains of ice were ranged. several were rather remarkable; one for its exquisite series of stratification lines, another for its facade in stucco, and a third for its overhanging cornice fringed with slender icicles. on january a trawling was made in one hundred and twelve fathoms. half a ton of life emptied on the deck gave the biologists occupation for several days. included in the catch were a large number of monstrous gelatinous ascidians or "sea-squirts." fragments of coal were once more found; an indication that coaly strata must be very widely distributed in the antarctic. the pack was dense and in massive array at the extremity of termination ice-tongue. davis drove the ship through some of it and entered an open lead which ran like a dark streak away to the east amid ice which grew heavier and more marked by the stress of pressure. our time was now limited and it seemed to me that there was little chance of reaching open water by forcing a passage either to the east or north. we therefore turned on our tracks and broke south-west back into the davis sea, intending to steam westward to the spot where we had so easily entered two weeks previously. on february the pack to the north was beginning to thin out and to look navigable. several short-cuts were taken across projecting "capes," and then on february the 'aurora' entered a zone of bergs and broken floe. no one slept well during that night as the ship bumped and ground into the ice which crashed and grated along her stout sides. davis was on watch for long hours, directing in the crow's nest or down on the bridge, and throughout the next day we pushed on northwards towards the goal which now meant so much to us--australia--home! at four o'clock the sun was glittering on the great ocean outside the pack-ice. many of us climbed up in the rigging to see the fair sight--a prevision of blue skies and the calm delights of a land of eternal summer. our work was finished, and the good ship was rising at last to the long swell of the southern seas. on february , in latitude degrees s, a strong south-wester drove behind, and, with all sails set, the 'aurora' made eight knots an hour. the last iceberg was seen far away on the eastern horizon. albatrosses followed in our wake, accompanied by their smaller satellites--cape hens, priors, lesson's and wilson petrels. before leaving the ice, sandell and bickerton had fixed an aerial between the fore and mizen masts, while the former installed a wireless receiving-apparatus within the narrow limits of his cabin. there was no space on the ship to set up the motor-engine, dynamos and other instruments necessary for transmitting messages over a long distance. as the nights began to darken, sandell listened eagerly for distant signals, until on february , in latitude degrees s, the "calls" of three ships in the vicinity of the great australian bight were recognized. after this date news was picked up every night, and all the items were posted on a morning bulletin pinned up in the ward-room. the first real touch of civilization came unexpectedly early on the morning of february . a full-rigged ship on the southern horizon! it might have been an iceberg, the sails flashed so white in the morning sun. but onward it came with a strong south-wester, overhauled and passed us, signalling "'archibald russell', fifty-four days out from buenos ayres, bound for cape borda." it was too magical to believe. on february we gazed on distant cliffs of rock and earth--kangaroo island--and the tiny cluster of dwellings round the lighthouse at cape borda. then we entered st. vincent's gulf on a clear, hot day, marvelling at the sandy-blue water, the long, flat mainland with its clumps of trees and the smoke of many steamers. the welcome home--the voices of innumerable strangers--the hand-grips of many friend--it chokes one--it cannot be uttered! appendix i the staff the ship's officers j. k. davis master of s. y. 'aurora' and second-in command of the expedition. j. h. blair first officer during the later stages of the expedition. p. gray second officer. c. p. de la motte third officer. f. j. gillies chief engineer. macquarie island party g. f. ainsworth leader: meteorologist. l. r. blake geologist and cartographer. h. hamilton biologist. c. a. sandell wireless operator and mechanic. a. j. sawyer wireless operator. main base party dr. d. mawson commander of the expedition. lieut. r. bage astronomer, assistant magnetician and recorder of tides. c. t. madigan meteorologist. lieut. b. e. s. ninnis in charge of greenland dogs. dr. x. mertz in charge of greenland dogs. dr. a. l. mclean chief medical officer, bacteriologist. f. h. bickerton in charge of air-tractor sledge. a. j. hodgeman cartographer and sketch artist. j. f. hurley official photographer. e. n. webb chief magnetician. p. e. correll mechanic and assistant physicist. j. g. hunter biologist. c. f. laseron taxidermist and biological collector. f. l. stillwell geologist. h. d. murphy in charge of expedition stores. w. h. hannam wireless operator and mechanic. j. h. close assistant collector. dr. l. a. whetter surgeon. western base party f. wild leader. a. d. watson geologist. dr. s. e. jones medical officer. c. t. harrisson biologist. m. h. moyes meteorologist. a. l. kennedy magnetician. c. a. hoadley geologist. g. dovers cartographer. in addition to these were the following gentlemen who accompanied the expedition for a portion of the time only or who joined later. s. n. jeffryes wireless operator, who relieved w. h. hannam during . e. r. waite (curator, canterbury museum, christchurch), biologist, first sub-antarctic cruise of 'aurora'. professor t. t. flynn (hobart university), biologist, second sub-antarctic cruise of 'aurora'. j. van waterschoot marine artist, second antarctic cruise of van der gracht 'aurora'. captain james davis whaling authority, second antarctic cruise of 'aurora'. c. c. eitel secretary, second antarctic cruise of 'aurora'. n. c. toucher, and later served in the capacity of chief officer f. d. fletcher on the 'aurora' during the earlier voyages. [text illustration] signatures of members of the land parties in antarctica and at macquarie island [accounts of the members of the expedition, in alphabetical order.] g. f. ainsworth, thirty** years of age, single, was born in sydney, new south wales. his services were loaned to the expedition by the commonwealth meteorological bureau, melbourne. for a period of two years he acted as leader of the macquarie island party, carrying out the duties of meteorologist. in the summer of - he visited the antarctic during the final cruise of the 'aurora'. ** the ages refer to the date of joining the expedition and are but approximate. r. bage, twenty-three years of age, single, was a graduate in engineering of melbourne university and a lieutenant in the royal australian engineers. a member of the main base party (adelie land) and leader of the southern sledging party, he remained in the antarctic for two years. during the first year he was in charge of chronometers, astronomical observations and tidal records, and throughout the second year continued the magnetic work and looked after stores. f. h. bickerton, f.r.g.s., twenty-two years of age, single, was born at oxford, england. had studied engineering: joined the expedition as electrical engineer and motor expert. a member of the main base party and leader of the western sledging party, he remained in the antarctic for two years, during which time he was in charge of the air-tractor sledge, and was engineer to the wireless station. for a time, during the second year, he was in complete charge of the wireless plant. j. h. blair, twenty-four years of age, single, was born in scotland. for five years he served with the loch line of glasgow as apprentice and third mate. as second mate he joined a. currie and company, of melbourne, in the australian-indian trade, reaching the rank of first mate, in which capacity he acted during the final antarctic cruise of the 'aurora' in the summer of - . l. r. blake, twenty-one years of age, single, was born in england, but had lived for many years in queensland previous to joining the expedition. before accompanying the macquarie island party as geologist and cartographer, he obtained leave from the geological survey department, brisbane. he visited the antarctic during the final cruise of the 'aurora' in the summer of - . j. h. close, f.r.g.s., forty years of age, married, was born in sydney, new south wales. during the south african war he saw active service in rhodesia, and at the time of the expedition's departure was a teacher of physical culture at sydney. a member of the main base party (adelie land) and of several sledging parties, he spent two summers and one winter in the antarctic. p. e. correll, nineteen years of age, single, was a student in science of the adelaide university. he joined the expedition as mechanician and assistant physicist. he was a member of the main base party accompanying the eastern coastal party during their sledging journey. he spent three summers and one winter in the antarctic, acting as colour photographer during the final cruise of the 'aurora'. j. e. davis, twenty-eight years of age, single, was master of the 'aurora' and second-in-command of the expedition. born in ireland and educated in england, he served his apprenticeship on the liverpool owned sailing-ship, 'celtic chief', obtaining his certificate as second mate before joining the barque 'westland' trading between england and new zealand. his next post was that of second officer on the training ship 'port jackson', following which he joined sir ernest shackleton's expedition ( - ) as chief officer of the 'nimrod', acting subsequently as master. throughout the whole period of the australasian antarctic expedition ( - ) captain j. k. davis commanded the 'aurora' during five cruises. g. dovers, twenty-one years of age, single, of sydney, new south wales, was completing his term for licensed surveyor in the service of the commonwealth government when he joined the expedition. he was in the antarctic for two summers and one winter, being stationed with the western party (queen mary land). a member of several sledging parties, he acted as cartographer to the party which reached gaussberg. f. j. gillies, thirty-five years of age, single, was born at cardiff, wales. he served his apprenticeship as an engineer on the steamers of john shearman and company and p. baker and company of cardiff. for six years previous to joining the expedition he was in the indian trade. throughout the five cruises of the 'aurora' between and f. j. gillies was chief engineer. p. gray, twenty-two years of age, single, was born and educated in england. he served on the 'worcester' as cadet captain for eighteen months and as apprentice on the 'archibald russell', of glasgow, and in the new zealand shipping company. in he entered the peninsula and oriental company and reached the rank of third officer, joining the australasian antarctic expedition as second officer of the 'aurora'. throughout five cruises, from to , he served in this capacity. h. hamilton, twenty-six years of age, single, was born at napier, new zealand. graduate of the otago university. besides being employed on the new zealand geological survey, he acted as entomological collector to the dominion museum at wellington. a member of the macquarie island party, of which he was the biologist for two years, h. hamilton visited the antarctic during the final cruise of the 'aurora' in the summer of - . w. h. hannam, twenty-six years of age, single, was of sydney, new south wales, and joined the expedition in charge of the arrangements for a wireless telegraphic system. he was in the antarctic at the main base (adelie land) for two summers and a winter, and was successful in transmitting wireless messages for a short time during through macquarie island to australia, assistant magnetician for a time. c. t. harrisson, forty-three years of age, married, was born in hobart, tasmania. for many years previous to joining the expedition he had done illustrative and artistic work and had been engaged on a survey and in botanical and other scientific observations on the west coast of tasmania. stationed with the western base (queen mary land) he acted as biologist and artist, accompanying f. wild on his main eastern journey and several other sledging parties. c. a. hoadley, twenty-four years of age, single, was a graduate in mining engineering of melbourne university. a member of f. wild's western party (queen mary land), he took part in several sledging journeys and was geologist of the party who explored westwards to gaussberg. a. j. hodgeman, twenty-six years of age, single, was born at adelaide, south australia. for four years he was an articled architect, and for five years a draughtsman in the works and buildings department, adelaide. a member of the main base party (adelie land), he took part in several sledging journeys, and throughout two years in the antarctic acted in the capacity of cartographer and sketch artist, as well as that of assistant meteorologist. j. g. hunter, twenty-three years of age, single, was a graduate in science of sydney university, new south wales. a member of the main base party (adelie land) he carried on the work of biologist during two summers and one winter; and in the same capacity accompanied the 'aurora' in her final summer cruise - . j. f. hurley, twenty-four years of age, single, was of sydney, new south wales. he had been the recipient of many amateur and professional awards for photographic work before joining the expedition. at the main base he obtained excellent photographic and cinematographic records and was one of the three members of the southern sledging party. he was also present on the final cruise of the 'aurora'. s. n. jeffryes, twenty-seven years of age, single, of towoomba, queensland, was a qualified operator of the australasian wireless company. during the second year ( ) he took w. h. hannam's place in charge of the wireless plant, wintering at the main base (adelie land). s. e. jones, twenty-four years of age, single, was a graduate in medicine of sydney university, new south wales. a member and medical officer of f. wild's western base (queen mary land), he took part in several sledging journeys during and was leader of the party who explored westward to gaussberg. a. l. kennedy, twenty-two years of age, single, was a student in science of adelaide university, south australia. receiving special tuition, he acted as magnetician at the western base (queen mary land) during the year . he was a member of several sledging parties and accompanied f. wild on his main eastern journey as cartographer. c. f. laseron, twenty-five years of age, single, had gained a diploma in geology at the technical college, sydney, new south wales, and for some years was collector to the technological museum. at the main base (adelie land), during , he acted as taxidermist and general collector, taking part, as well, in sledging journeys to the south and east of winter quarters. c. t. madigan, twenty-three years of age, single, was a graduate in science (mining engineering) of adelaide university, south australia. through the courtesy of the trustees of the rhodes scholarship, the necessary leave to accompany the expedition was granted just as he was on the eve of continuing his studies at oxford university. a member of the main base party (adelie land) he acted as meteorologist for two years, and during the second year ( ) was also in charge of the greenland dogs. an important journey in the spring and one to the east in the summer were made under his leadership, and the party, left in adelie land in , was to have been under his charge, but for my return. d. mawson, thirty years of age, single, was the organiser and leader of the australasian antarctic expedition and was, previous to it, a member of sir ernest shackleton's antarctic expedition of - , being one of the party under professor david which reached the south magnetic pole. a graduate in science and engineering of sydney and adelaide universities, he had filled for some time the post of lecturer in mineralogy and petrology at the adelaide university. the only survivor of a party sledging to the east from the main base in the summer of - . a. l. mclean, twenty-six years of age, single, was a graduate in arts and medicine of sydney university; new south wales. he acted as chief medical officer at the main base (adelie land) and carried out observations in bacteriology and physiology during the first year. in (the second year) he was biologist, ice-carrier and editor of the 'adelie blizzard'. he took part in a sledging journey along the eastern coast in the summer of - . x. mertz, twenty-eight years of age, single, of basle, switzerland, was a graduate in law of the universities of leipzig and berne. prior to joining the expedition he had gained the ski-running championship of switzerland and was an experienced mountaineer. at the main base (adelie land) he was assisted by b. e. s. ninnis in the care of the greenland dogs. on january , , during a sledging journey, he lost his life, one hundred miles south-east of winter quarters. c. p. de la motte, nineteen years of age, single, of bulli, new south wales, had early training at sea on the barque 'northern chief' of new zealand, obtaining his certificate as second mate in march . during the eight months prior to joining the expedition he served as fourth officer on the s.s. 'warrimoo' of the union steamship company of new zealand. throughout the five cruises of the 'aurora' between and , c. p. de la motte was third officer with the ship's party. m. h. moyes, twenty-five years of age, single, of koolunga, south australia, was a graduate in science of adelaide university. with the western base party (queen mary land) he acted as meteorologist and took part in several sledging journeys in the autumn and spring of . during the summer of - , through an unavoidable accident, he was left to carry on work alone at winter quarters for a period of nine weeks. h. d. murphy, thirty-two years of age, single, of melbourne, one-time scholar in history of oxford university. at the outset he was to have been leader of a third antarctic base which was eventually amalgamated with the main base (adelie land). here he had charge of the stores and during the early summer of was leader of the southern supporting party. b. e. s. ninnis, twenty-three years of age, single, was educated at dulwich, england, and entered his majesty's army, having a commission as lieutenant in the royal fusiliers prior to joining the expedition in london. at the main base (adelie land) he was assisted by x. mertz in the care of the greenland dogs. on december , , while on a sledging journey, he lost his life by falling into a crevasse three hundred miles east of winter quarters. c. a. sandell, twenty-five years of age, single, of surrey, england, studied electrical engineering for some years and then came to australia in and entered the commonwealth branch of telephony. having a practical knowledge of wireless telegraphy he joined the expedition as a wireless operator and mechanic and was stationed with the macquarie island party for two years. after the departure of a. j. sawyer in august , he was in complete charge of the wireless station. c. a. sandell visited the antarctic during the final cruise of the 'aurora' in the summer of - . a. j. sawyer, twenty-six years of age, single, was born in new zealand. having had considerable experience in wireless telegraphy, he joined the expedition as an operator from the australasian wireless company. at the macquarie island station he was chief wireless until august , when on account of illness he returned to new zealand. f. l. stillwell, twenty-three years of age, single, was a graduate in science of melbourne university, victoria. a member of the main base party (adelie land) he acted as geologist. f. l. stillwell was leader of two sledging parties who did detail work for about sixty miles along the coast eastward of winter quarters. a. d. watson, twenty-four years of age, single, was a graduate in science of sydney university, new south wales. a member of the western base party (queen mary land) he acted as geologist. a. d. watson took part in several sledging journeys, accompanying f. wild in his main eastern trip during the summer of - . e. n. webb, twenty-two years of age, single, was an associate of civil engineering of canterbury university college, and, for the five months previous to joining the expedition, carried out magnetic observations under the carnegie institute of washington, u.s.a. at the main base (adelie land) e. n. webb was chief magnetician, accompanying the southern sledging party. l. a. whetter, twenty-nine years of age, single. he graduated at otago university, new zealand, and joined the expedition as surgeon, acting in that capacity at the main base (adelie land) during . he accompanied a sledging party which explored to the westward of winter quarters. f. wild, thirty-eight years of age, single, was leader of the western base party (queen mary land). he joined the merchant service in and the navy in , served on an extended sledge journey during the national antarctic expedition (capt. r. f. scott) of - , and was one of the southern party of sir ernest shackleton's expedition from - . during the australasian expedition he opened up a new tract of country--queen mary land. i desire to make special mention of the ship's party who faced the rigorous conditions of antarctica and the stormy southern ocean, during five separate voyages, with a cheerfulness and devotion to duty which will always stand to their lasting credit. in regions of heavy pack-ice and sudden blizzard winds, captain davis piloted the ship safely through many situations of extreme danger. in a report to me on the work of the ship he writes an appreciative note:-- "i wish to draw particular attention to the loyal way in which the officers and men of the 'aurora' supported me. messrs. toucher, fletcher, blair, gray, de la motte, and gillies, in their respective positions, carried out the duties assigned to them with ability and cheerfulness, often under very trying conditions. "mr. gillies not only looked after the engines but assisted materially in the deep-sea work by the invention of a new form of sounding driver which was used successfully during the various cruises of the 'aurora'. "the chief officer was in charge of the stores and equipment of the expedition on board the vessel, in addition to his ordinary executive duties. messrs. toucher, fletcher and blair served in this capacity on different voyages. "mr. p. gray, as second and navigating officer, and mr. c. p. de la motte, as third officer, acted capably and thoroughly throughout the expedition." appendix ii scientific work it should be remarked that there is no intention of furnishing anything more than a suggestion of the general trend of the scientific observations of the expedition. the brief statement made below indicates the broad lines on which the work was conducted and in some cases the ground which was actually covered. it may thus give the general reader a clue to the nature of the scientific volumes which will serve to record permanently the results amassed during a period of more than two years. terrestrial magnetism . field work. (a) dip determinations were made at macquarie island, on the eastern and southern journeys from the main base (adelie land) and on a short journey from the western base (queen mary land). (b) declination by theodolite observations was determined at macquarie island and at intervals on all sledging journeys in the antarctic. (c) rough observations of magnetic variation were made daily on the 'aurora' during her five cruises. . station work. (a) regular magnetograph records were kept at the main base (adelie land) for a period of eighteen months. a system of term days for quick runs was also followed; melbourne, christchurch, and other stations co operating. in connexion with the magnetograph work, webb conducted regular, absolute observations throughout the year . bage continued the magnetograph records for a further six months in , observed term days, and took absolute observations. (b) at the western base (queen mary land) kennedy kept term days in the winter, using a magnetometer and dip-circle. biology . station collections. (a) at macquarie island, hamilton worked for two years amongst a rich fauna and a scanty but interesting flora. amongst other discoveries a finch indigenous to macquarie island was found. (b) in adelie land, hunter, assisted by laseron, secured a large biological collection, notwithstanding the continuous bad weather. dredgings from depths down to fifty fathoms were made during the winter. the eggs of practically all the flying birds known along antarctic shores were obtained, including those of the silver-grey petrel and the antarctic petrel, which were not previously known; also a variety of prion, of an unrecorded species, together with its eggs. (c) at the western base (queen mary land) eggs of the antarctic and other petrels were found, and a large rookery of emperor penguins was located; the second on record. harrisson, working under difficulties, succeeded in trapping some interesting fish on the bottom in two hundred and fifty fathoms of water. . ship collections. (a) a collection made by mr. e. r. waite, curator of the canterbury museum, on the first sub-antarctic cruise. (b) a collection made by professor t. t. flynn, of hobart, on the second sub-antarctic cruise. (c) a collection made by hunter, assisted by hamilton, in antarctic waters during the summer of - . this comprised deep-sea dredgings at eleven stations in depths down to one thousand eight hundred fathoms and regular tow-nettings, frequently serial, to depths of two hundred fathoms. six specimens of the rare ross seal were secured. a large collection of external and internal parasites was made from birds, seals and fish. geology (a) a geological examination of macquarie island was made by blake. the older rocks were found to be all igneous. the island has been overridden in comparatively recent times by an ice-cap travelling from west to east. (b) geological collections at the main base. in adelie land the rocky outcrops are metamorphic sediments and gneisses. in king george v land there is a formation similar to the beacon sandstones and dolerites of the ross sea, with which carbonaceous shales and coaly strata are associated. (c) stillwell met with a great range of minerals and rocks in the terminal moraine near winter quarters, adelie land. amongst them was red sandstone in abundance, suggesting that the beacon sandstone formation extends also throughout adelie land but is hidden by the ice-cap. a solitary stony meteorite was found by a sledging party lying on the ice of the plateau. (d) in the collections made by watson and hoadley at the western base (queen mary land) gneisses and schists were ascertained to be the predominant types. (e) a collection of erratics was brought up by the deep-sea trawl in the course of dredgings in antarctic waters. glaciology (a) observations of the pack-ice, coastal glaciers and shelf-ice from the 'aurora' during her three antarctic cruises. (b) observations of the niveous and glacial features met with on the sledging journeys from both antarctic bases. meteorology (a) two years' observations at macquarie island by ainsworth (b) two years' observations in adelie land by madigan. (c) one year's observations in queen mary land by moyes. (d) observations by the ship on each of her five voyages. (e) observations during the many sledging journeys from both antarctic bases. bacteriology, etc. in adelie land, mclean carried out many months of steady work in bacteriology, haematology and physiology. tides self-recording instruments were run at macquarie island by ainsworth and at adelie land by bage. wireless and auroral observations a very close watch was kept upon auroral phenomena with interesting results, especially in their relation to the "permeability" of the ether to wireless waves. geographical results . the successful navigation by the 'aurora' of the antarctic pack ice in a fresh sphere of action, where the conditions were practically unknown, resulting in the discovery of new lands and islands. . journeys were made over the sea-ice and on the coastal and upland plateau in regions hitherto unsurveyed. at the main base (adelie land) the journeys aggregated two thousand four hundred miles, and at the western base (queen mary land) the aggregate was eight hundred miles. these figures do not include depot journeys, the journeys of supporting parties, or the many miles of relay work. the land was mapped in through degrees of longitude, degrees of which were covered by sledging parties. . the employment of wireless telegraphy in the fixation of a fundamental meridian in adelie land. . the mapping of macquarie island. [text illustrations] a section of the antarctic plateau from the coast to a point three hundred miles inland, along the route followed by the southern sledging party (adelie land) a section across the antarctic continent through the south magnetic pole from the d'urville sea to the ross sea; compiled from observations made by the british antarctic expedition ( - ) and by the australian antarctic expedition ( - ) oceanography . by soundings the fringe of the antarctic continent as well as the continental shelf has been indicated through degrees of longitude. . the configuration of the floor of the ocean southward of australia and between macquarie island and the auckland islands has been broadly ascertained. . much has been done in the matter of sea-water temperatures and salinities. [text illustrations] a section of the floor of the southern ocean between tasmania and king george v land a section of the floor of the southern ocean between western australia and queen mary land appendix ill an historical summary** ** for this compilation reference has been largely made to dr. h. r. mill's "the siege of the south pole." several doubtful voyages during the early part of the nineteenth century have been omitted. . james cook circumnavigated the globe in high southern latitudes, discovering the sub-antarctic island of south georgia. he was the first to cross the antarctic circle. . william smith, the master of a merchant vessel trading between montevideo and valparaiso, discovered the south shetland islands. . fabian gottlieb von bellingshausen, despatched in command of an expedition by the emperor, alexander i of russia, with instructions to supplement the voyage of captain cook, circumnavigated the antarctic continent in high southern latitudes. the first discovery of land south of the antarctic circle was made, namely, peter i island and alexander i land (also an island), in the american quadrant of antarctica. . nathaniel palmer, master of an american sealing-vessel, sighted new land to the south of the south shetland islands. it seems clear that he was the first to view what is now known as the palmer archipelago ( - ). . james weddell, a british sealer, sailing southward of the atlantic ocean, reached degrees ' south latitude in the american quadrant, establishing a "farthest south" record. . john biscoe, a whaling master of the british firm of enderby brothers, sailed on a voyage circumnavigating the antarctic regions. enderby land was discovered south of the west indian ocean in the african quadrant of antarctica. this was apparently a part of the antarctic continent. new land was also met with to the south of america and charted as graham's land, biscoe island and adelaide island. kemp, a sailing master of enderby brothers, extended biscoe's discoveries shortly after by the report of land east of, and adjacent to, enderby land. neither of these discoveries has yet been proved, though enderby land (biscoe) undoubtedly exists. . john balleny, another of enderby's whaling captains, discovered the balleny islands within the antarctic circle, in the australian quadrant of antarctica, and gave a vague description of an appearance of land to the westward. this has been charted on maps, without adequate evidence, as sabrina land. [text illustration] antarctic land discoveries preceding note. this and the two following maps of the series illustrate land discoveries only. in cases where the existence of land once reported has since been disproved no record at all is shown . jules sebastian cesar dumont d'urville, was despatched by king louis philippe of france for the prosecution of scientific researches on a voyage round the world. his cruise in the antarctic resulted in the charting of joinville island and louis philippe land to the south of america (american quadrant) and the discovery of a portion of the antarctic continent, named adelie land, southward of australia (australian quadrant). . charles wilkes, united states navy, in accordance with a bill passed by congress, set out on an exploring expedition to circumnavigate the world. his programme included the investigation of the area of the antarctic to the south of australia--the australian quadrant. the squadron composing this american expedition first visited the antarctic regions in the american quadrant, and then proceeded eastward round to the australian quadrant from which, after a long cruise, they returned, reporting land at frequent intervals in the vicinity of the antarctic circle between longitudes degrees ' e. and degrees ' e. he shares with d'urville the full honour of the discovery of adelie land. some of the supposed landfalls known to be non-existent. . james clark ross proceeded south in charge of a scientific expedition fitted out by the admiralty at the instance of the british association for the advancement of science and approved of by the royal society. his aim was to circumnavigate the antarctic regions and to investigate the weddell sea. the geographical results were fruitful; the ross sea, the admiralty range and the great ice barrier were discovered and some eight hundred miles of antarctic coastline were broadly delineated. . t. e. l. moore was detailed by the admiralty to supplement the magnetic work of ross and to explore to the southward of africa and of the indian ocean, but no additions were made to geographical knowledge. . eduard dallmann, whilst engaged in whaling with a german steamer to the southward of america, added some details to the map of the palmer archipelago but did not go further south than degrees ' s. iatitude. . the 'challenger' scientific expedition, under the command of george strong nares, in the course of their voyage from the cape to australia during the circumnavigation of the world penetrated within the antarctic circle in longitude degrees ' e. . a fleet of four scottish whalers cruised through the north western part of the weddell sea. scientific observations were made by w. s. bruce and others, but no geographical discoveries were recorded. . c. a. larsen, master of a hamburg whaler, added important details to the geography of the american quadrant of antarctica on the western side of the weddell sea. . evensen, master of another hamburg whaler, brought back further information of the american quadrant on the pacific ocean side. . h. j. bull organized a whaling venture and with leonard kristensen, master of the ship, revisited the ross sea area where a landing was made at cape adare (australian quadrant). this was the first occasion on which any human being had set foot on the antarctic continent. [text illustration] antarctic land discoveries preceding (a. j. hodgeman) . adrien de gerlache sailed from belgium on a scientific exploring expedition to the american quadrant. important additions were made to the map, but the ship became frozen into the pack-ice and drifted about for a whole year south of the antarctic circle. the members of this expedition were the first to experience an antarctic winter. antarctic exploration now entered upon a new era. . carstens egeberg borchgrevink led an expedition, fitted out by sir george newnes; its objective being the ross sea area. further details were added to the map, but the most notable fact was that the expedition wintered at cape adare, on the mainland itself. the great ross barrier was determined to be thirty miles south of the position assigned by ross in . . chun of leipsig, in charge of the 'valdivia' expedition, carried out oceanographical researches far to the south, in the vicinity of enderby land (african quadrant), though he did not come within sight of the continent. . robert falcon scott, in command of the 'discovery' expedition, organised by the royal geographical society and royal society with the co-operation of the admiralty, in accordance with a scheme of international endeavour, passed two winters at the southern extremity of the ross sea and carried out many successful sledging journeys. their main geographical achievements were: the discovery of king edward vii land; several hundred miles of new land on a "farthest south" sledging journey to latitude degrees ' s.; the discovery of the antarctic plateau; additional details and original contributions to the geography of the lands and islands of the ross sea. . a german national expedition, led by erich von drygalski, set out for the region south of the indian ocean. after a small party had been stationed on kerguelen island, the main party proceeded south close to the tracks of the challenger. they came within sight of antarctic shores but were frozen into the pack-ice for a whole year. kaiser wilhelm ii land was discovered close to the junction between the australian and african quadrants. . a swedish national expedition, planned and led by otto nordenskjold, wintered for two years on snow hill island in the american quadrant, and did much valuable scientific work. . william speirs bruce organized and led a scottish expedition to the weddell sea, southward of the atlantic ocean. the party effected notable oceanographic researches and wintered at the south orkney islands, but were foiled in their attempt to penetrate the pack-ice. during the second season, conditions were more favourable and the ship reached coats land in degrees ' s. iatitude. . jean charcot organized and led a french expedition to the american quadrant and there added many details to the existing chart. . ernest henry shackleton organized and led a british expedition with the main object of reaching the south geographical pole. his party wintered at cape royds, mcmurdo sound, and two main sledging parties set out in the early summer. e. h. shackleton's party ascended the antarctic plateau and penetrated to within ninety seven geographical miles of the south pole, discovering new land beyond scott's "farthest south." t. w. edgeworth david's party reached the south magnetic polar area, filling in many details of the western coast of mcmurdo sound. . jean charcot organized and led a second french expedition to extend the work accomplished in in the american quadrant. he was successful in discovering new land still further to the south. loubet, fallieres and charcot lands, towards and beyond alexander i land, were added to the map of antarctica. . roald amundsen organized an expedition for scientific research in the vicinity of the north pole but changed his plans, eventually heading for the south pole. the expedition wintered on the ross barrier near king edward vii land, from which point he set out and attained the south geographical pole, mapping in new land on the way. another party visited king edward vii land. . robert falcon scott led a second antarctic expedition, the main object of which was to reach the south geographical pole. the principal party wintered near his old winter quarters at hut point, mcmurdo sound. a second party was landed at cape adare. scott reached the pole soon after the norwegian amundsen, but he and his party perished on the return journey. other parties added details to the map of victoria land. oates land was sighted from the ship to the westward of cape adare in the australian quadrant. . a japanese expedition sailed to the ross sea, but on account of the lateness of the season was forced to turn back without landing. the winter was spent at sydney, new south wales. next year a summer visit was made to the south, but no additional land discoveries were made. . a german expedition, led by wilhelm filchner, proceeded to the weddell sea; the south pole being its objective. the party succeeded in reaching further south in that region than any previous navigators and discovered new land, to be named prince luitpold land. they were driven northwards amongst the pack in a blizzard and spent the winter frozen in south of coats land. [text illustration] a map of the antarctic regions as known at the present day [ ] appendix iv glossary oceanography. the study of the ocean, including the shape and character of its bed, the temperature and salinity of the water at various depths, the force and set of its currents, and the nature of the creatures and plants which haunt its successive zones. neve. [n,e acute, v, e acute] the compacted snow of a snow-field; a stage in the transition between soft, loose snow and glacier-ice. sastrugi. the waves caused by continuous winds blowing across the surface of an expanse of snow. these waves vary in size according to the force and continuity of the wind and the compactness of the snow. the word is of russian derivation (from zastruga [sing.], zastrugi [pl.] ), denoting snow-waves or the irregularities on the surface of roughly-planed wood. ice-foot. a sheath of ice adhering along the shores of polar lands. the formation may be composed of attached remnants of floe-ice, frozen sea-spray and drift-snow. nunatak. an island-like outcrop of rock projecting through a sheet of enveloping land-ice. shelf-ice. a thick, floating, fresh water ice-formation pushing out from the land and continuous with an extensive glacier. narrow prolongations or peninsulas of the shelf-ice may be referred to as ice-tongues or glacier-tongues. barrier is a term which has been rather loosely applied in the literature of antarctic exploration. formerly it was used to describe a formation, which is mainly shelf-ice, known as the great ross barrier. confusion arose when "barrier" came to be applied to the seaward ice-cliff (resting on rock) of an extensive sheet of land-ice and when it was also employed to designate a line of consolidated pack-ice. spelt with a small "b" the term is a convenient one, so long as it carries its ordinary meaning; it seems unnecessary to give it a technical connotation. blizzard. a high wind at a low temperature, accompanied by drifting, not necessarily falling snow. floe or floe-ice. the comparatively flat, frozen surface of the sea intersected by cracks and leads (channels of open water). pack or pack-ice is a field of loose ice originating in the main from broken floe, to which may be added material from the disintegration of bergs, and bergs themselves. brash or brash-ice. small, floating fragments of ice--the debris of larger pieces--usually observed bordering a tract of pack-ice. bergschrund has been "freely rendered" in the description of the great cleft between the lower part of the denman glacier and the shackleton shelf-ice (queen mary land). in a typical glacier, "the upper portion is hidden by neve and often by freshly fallen snow and is smooth and unbroken. during the summer, when little snow falls, the body of the glacier moves away from the snow-field and a gaping crevasse of great depth is usually established, called a 'bergschrund', which is sometimes taken as the upper limit of the glacier" ("encyclopaedia britannica"). sub-antarctica. a general term used to denote the area of ocean, containing islands and encircling the antarctic continent, between the vicinity of the th parallel of south latitude and the confines of the ice-covered sea. seracs are wedged masses of icy pinnacles which are produced in the surface of a glacier by dragging strains which operate on crevassed areas. a field of such pinnacles, jammed together in broken confusion, is called serac-ice the following colloquial words or phrases occurring in the narrative were largely determined by general usage: to depot = to cache or to place a stock of provisions in a depot; drift = drift-snow; fifty-mile wind = a wind of fifty miles an hour; burberry = "burberry gabardine" or specially prepared wind-proof clothing; whirly (pi. whirlies) = whirlwind carrying drift-snow and pursuing a devious track; night-watchman = night-watch; glaxo = "glaxo" (a powder of dried milk); primus = primus stove used during sledging; hoosh = pemmican and plasmon biscuit "porridge"; tanks = canvas bags for holding sledging provisions; boil-up = sledging meal; ramp = bank of snow slanting away obliquely on the leeward side of an obstacle; radiant = an appearance noted in clouds (especially cirro-stratus) which seem to radiate from a point on the horizon the following appended list may be of biological interest: birds aves emperor penguin aptenodytes forsteri king penguin aptenodytes patagonica adelie penguin pygoscelis adeliae royal penguin catarrhactes schlegeli victoria penguin catarrhactes pachyrynchus gentoo or rockhopper penguin pygoscelis papua wandering albatross diomedea exulans mollymawk or black-browed albatross diomedea melanophrys sooty albatross phoebetria fuliginosa giant petrel or nelly ossifraga gigantea maccormick's skua gull megalestris maccormicki southern skua gull megalestris antarctica antarctic petrel thalassoeca antarctica silver-grey petrel or southern fulmar priocella glacialoides cape pigeon daption capensis snow petrel pagodroma nivea lesson's petrel oestrelata lessoni wilson petrel oceanites oceanicus storm petrel fregetta melanogaster cape hen majaqueus oequinoctialis small prion or whale bird prion banksii crested tern sterna sp. southern black-backed or dominican gull larus dominicanus macquarie island shag phalacrocorax traversi mutton bird puffinus griseus maori hen or "weka" ocydromus scotti seals pinnipedia sea elephant macrorhinus leoninus sea-leopard stenorhynchus leptonyax weddell seal leptonychotes weddelli crab-eater seal lobodon carcinophagus ross seal ommatophoca rossi whales and dolphins cetacea rorqual, finner, or blue whale balaenoptera sibbaldi killer whale orca gladiator appendix v medical reports western base (queen mary land) by s. e. jones, m.b., ch.m. there was a very marked absence of serious illness during the whole period of our stay at the base. after the 'aurora' left adelie land on january , , for her western cruise, an epidemic of influenza broke out. it should be noted that one case occurred on the voyage south from hobart, and then an interval of almost a month occurred before the infection spread. an interesting feature of the outbreak was the fact that the recovery of those who were convalescing, when we arrived at queen mary land, was much more rapid than was the case with those whose convalescence occurred on the ship. by the careful use of snow-goggles during the summer, snow-blindness was practically prevented, and such cases as occurred yielded quickly when zinc and cocaine tablets were used and the eyes obtained rest. an undoubted factor in the causation of snow-blindness is the strain caused by the continual efforts at visual accommodation made necessary on dull days when the sun is obscured, and there is a complete absence of all light-and-shade contrast. although frostbites were frequent during the winter months, immediate attention to the restoration of circulation prevented the occurrence of after-effects, so that no one suffered the loss of any more tissue than the superficial epithelium. the nose, ears, fingers and toes were the parts which suffered first. our supplies of food were excellent in point of view of variety. some tinned onions were responsible for several mild attacks of poisoning, but these were not used after our first experience. there was no sign of scurvy in any form. hoadley, on one occasion, had an unpleasant experience. he was alone in the hut sleeping one night when he awoke to find the room filled with smoke. on going outside he found that the chimney had become blocked with snow; as the fire was banked, the hut was filled with the gases from the imperfect combustion of the coal. it was three or four days before hoadley recovered from his experience, having marked symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. on my return from the western depot journey i found that wild was suffering from an attack of herpes zoster. the illness came on while he was out sledging, and he suffered severely from the pain and irritation. beyond a few cases of minor illness, and one or two accidents, there was nothing of serious moment to report. main base (adelie land) by a. l. mclean, m.b., ch.m., b.a. throughout the whole period of the expedition--from december , , to february , --the health of the expedition was remarkably good. undoubtedly antarctica has a salubrious climate, and it is simply because one returns in a measure to the primitive that such an ideal result is obtained. the first thing to resist is the cold, and additional clothing is the first and adequate means to such an end. no one needs to be specially inured to a rigorous climate. if he has a normal circulation he immediately reacts to a new set of temperature conditions, and in a few weeks may claim to be acclimatized. most of the members of the expedition were australians, so that the change of latitudes was rather abrupt but none the less stimulating and healthful. appetite for food had suddenly a new piquancy, hard manual work was a pleasure in a novel and wonderful environment, the intellect and imagination were quickened and the whole man embodied the mens sana in corpore sano. that is why illness was practically unknown for more than two years; and, further, it may be said with partial truth that in the high sense of physical and mental fitness he possessed for a time, lies the explanation of the proverbial desire of an explorer to return to the ice-lands. regular monthly examinations of the blood were made from the date of leaving hobart in december until october , with an interval of about nine weeks between the first and second examinations. the haemoglobin or red colouring-matter went up with a leap and then very steadily increased in amount during the winter months in adelie land. the blood pressure became slightly more marked, the weight increased, but as one might have expected, the resistance to ordinary civilized germs was decreased. with regard to weight, the maximum amount gained by a single individual during a period of eight weeks was almost two stones, and every one became heavier by as much as ten pounds. as clinical evidence of the loss in immunity may be quoted the epidemic of influenza to which dr. s. e. jones referred. as well, it was noted that several members had attacks of "boils" during the voyage southward; in adelie land during there were two instances of acute abscesses on the fingers (whitlows) and one jaw abscess. it appears as if, with its new and unbounded energy of function, the body attempts to throw oft its waste products. then, too, experimental observations of opsonic index pointed towards the lowering of resistance, and, by the way, it was rather a remarkable fact that after a few months in adelie land, staphylococcus pyogenes aureus--a common germ in civilization- could not be cultivated artificially from the throat, nose or skin, of six individuals from whom monthly bacteriological cultures were made. within the hut, at a temperature which ranged from degrees to degrees f., the number of micro-organisms continuously increased, if the exposure of agar plates at regular intervals (by night) gave a true indication. the organisms were staphylocci albi, bacilli, yeasts, and moulds; the latter overgrowing the plate after it had been for forty eight hours in the incubator. frostbites were common, but, perhaps for that reason, were not regarded seriously. no one suffered permanent harm from being frost-bitten, though in several cases rather extensive blisters formed and nails and skin were lost. whilst the hut was being built, minor casualties often occurred; the common remedy being to cover the injured part with a small piece of gauze surrounded by adhesive tape; for open wounds will not heal when exposed to the cold. the greenland dogs had small accidents and ailments which often required treatment. on sledging journeys snow-blindness was an affection which sooner or later caught every one in an unguarded moment. that moment was when he ceased to use goggles if the light were at all trying to his eyes. prevention came first, and then the "zinc and cocaine" cure. adelie land can only be regarded as an intolerable country in which to live, owing to the never-ceasing winds. usage and necessity helped one to regard the weather in the best possible light; for the sake of a few hours of calm which might be expected to occasionally intervene between the long spells of the blizzards. it is, therefore, with regret and some diffldence that i speak of the illness of mr. s. n. jeffryes, who took up so conscientiously the duties of wireless operator during the second year ( ); but upon whom the monotony of a troglodytic winter life made itself felt. it is my hope that he is fast recovering his former vigour and enthusiasm.** so many miles of sledging were done at both antarctic bases in a climate which is surely without a parallel in the history of polar travelling, the ship was so often in jeopardy during her three main cruises to the south, that we feel the meagre comment should be made on our providential return to civilization with the loss of two comrades whose memory will ever be imperishable to each one of us. ** with the advent of summer, jeffryes became normal, but unfortunately suffered a temporary relapse upon his return to australia.--d. m. appendix vi finance a general reference was made to the finances of the expedition in the introduction. here is an extended statement which, more fully amplified with a detailed list of donations, will be again published when additional funds have been raised to pay off the debit balance and establish equilibrium. grants and donations australia, january : l australasian association for the advancement of science, l ; r. barr smith (south australia), l ; hugh denison (sydney), l ; samuel hordern (sydney), l (subsequently increased to l )........................... , london, june : s. hordern (sydney), l (second donation); roderick murchison (melbourne), l ; w. a. horn (south australia), l ; lord strathcona, l ; eugene sandow, l ; imperial government, l ; royal geographical society, l ; lionel robinson (sydney), l ; c. d. mackellar, l ; g. p. doolette, l ; g. buckley, l ; lord denman, l ; madame melba (melbourne), l ; s. y. buchanan, l (later increased to l ); daily mail,l ; messrs. bullivants l , &c., aggregating an additional l .. , australia, october : sydney: government grant, l ; collected by l. professor david, l ; 'sydney morning herald', l ; professor david's own donation and lecture proceeds, l ............... , melbourne: government grant, l ; collected by professor masson, l ............... , adelaide: government grant, l ; collected by mr. piper, l (including angus l , simpson l , scarfe l ).................... , hobart: government grant, l ; collected, l ... commonwealth grant , ________ , carried forward...... , london, : brought forward...... , sir lucas tooth, l (sydney); imperial treasury, l ; royal geographical society, l ; s. y. buchanan, l ; lady scott, l ; commander evans, l ; other members of scott expedition and general subscriptions, l ....... , australia, : commonwealth grant, l ; collected by professor david (approximately), l ...................... , australia, : collected by professor masson (approximately), l ; g. j. r. murray (adelaide), l ; sir samuel way, l ..... collected in london, .................... total moneys donated l , assets realized and added to the fund: sale of photos and newspaper articles, l ; sale of ship and materials, l ; lectures, films, &c., l ..... , bills owing ...... , , assets to be realized: l in hand.................. owing .................. anticipated sale of gear......... ---- , debit balance............. , total cost ** of expedition........... , there is therefore a deficit of l to be made up by the royalty on the sale of the book, lectures, donations, &c., and the cost of the publication of the scientific results, which will be approximately l , has yet to be defrayed. ** an estimate of the cost of the expedition should also take account of donations in kind, which, as can be gathered, were numerous. facilities offered by harbour boards and valuable assistance extended in the matter of docking and repairing the 'aurora', particularly in the case of the state of victoria, and to a less extent in new south wales. then there were valuable contributions of coal, particularly by mr. j. brown of newcastle (n.s.w.), mr. h. d. murphy (melbourne), and the lithgow collieries company. appendix vii equipment clothing with regard to the clothing, the main bulk was of woollen material as supplied by jaeger of london. this firm is unexcelled in the production of camel's-hair garments and has supplied most polar expeditions of recent years with underclothing, gloves, caps, and the like. from the same firm we also secured heavy ski-boots, finnesko-crampons, and the blankets which were used at winter quarters at both antarctic bases. some of the jaeger woollens were damaged by sea water on the voyage from london to australia and were replaced by eagley goods; an australian brand, which proved very satisfactory. the ship's party were outfitted with kaipoi woollens (new zealand). outer garments were made up to our design from jaeger fleece by tailors in hobart. the suit consisted of a single garment, to be worn with combination underclothing, and was calculated to meet the requirements of a severe climate. an over-suit of wind-proof material, which may be worn when required, is a necessary adjunct to woollen clothing. such a suit should have the additional properties of being light, strong, not readily absorbing moisture, and not affected by the cold. burberry gabardine was found to possess all these properties, and two complete suits were made up for each man. one suit consisted of three pieces, whilst the other was made of two; the blouse-jacket and helmet of the latter being combined. furs, which were obtained from norway, were restricted to sleeping bags, finnesko or fur-boots, and wolfskin mitts (lapland). the outfit of clothing for the party at macquarie island and on the ship, respectively, differed from that used in the antarctic. warmer temperatures and wet conditions had to be taken into account, and so rubber boots, oilskins, and rubberized materials were provided as outer coverings. food the food-stuffs were selected with at least as much consideration as was given to any of the other requisites. the successful work of an expedition depends on the health of the men who form its members, and good and suitable food reduces to a minimum the danger of scurvy; a scourge which has marred many polar enterprises. thus our provisioning was arranged with care and as a result of my previous experience in the antarctic with sir ernest shackleton's expedition. a summary which may be of possible use to future expeditions is appended below: in the matter of canned meats we had some six tons of the excellent australian article supplied by the sydney meat preserving company, ramornie meat company (n.s.w.), baynes brothers (brisbane), and the border (rabbit) preserving company of south australia. for use on the ship three tons of salt beef and pork served to replenish the "harness cask," largely obtained in melbourne from cook and sons. for a ton of sauces and pickles we were indebted to brand and company (london) and to mason and company (london). of course fresh meat was consumed as far as possible; a number of live sheep being taken by the 'aurora' on each cruise. some of these were killed and dressed after reaching degrees south latitude and supplied our two antarctic bases with the luxury of fresh mutton about once a week throughout a year. one ton of preserved suet came from the firms of hugon (manchester) and conrad (adelaide). almost all our bacon and ham, amounting to well over one ton, was of the pineapple brand (sydney), and to the firm which supplied them we are indebted alike for the quality of its goods and for its generosity. soups in endless variety, totalling two tons, came chiefly from the flemington meat preserving company (melbourne). fours tons of canned fish were supplied by c. & e. morton (london). variety in vegetables was considered important. we decided to reduce the amount of dried vegetables in favour of canned vegetables. about six and a half tons of the latter in addition to one ton of canned potatoes were consumed; from laver brothers (melbourne) and heinz (pittsburgh). there were one and a half tons of dried vegetables. in addition, large quantities of fresh potatoes and other vegetables were regularly carried by the 'aurora', and many bags of new and old potatoes were landed at the main base. in the frozen condition, the former kept satisfactorily, though they were somewhat sodden when thawed. the old potatoes, on the other hand, became black and useless, partly owing to the comparatively high temperature of the ship's hold, and in part to the warmth of the sun during the first few weeks in adelie land. canned fruits, to the extent of five tons, were supplied by jones brothers (hobart) and laver brothers (melbourne). this stock was eked out by some two and a half tons of dried fruits, chiefly from south australia. the management of hartley (london) presented us with two tons of jam, and james keiller and son (london) with one ton of marmalade. of the twelve tons of sugar and half a ton of syrup consumed, all were generously donated by the colonial sugar refining company (sydney). for milk we were provided with two tons of glaxo (a dry powder) which was used at the land bases, and a ton and a half of nestle's condensed variety for use on the ship. three tons of cereal meals, largely from parsons (sydney), were consumed. as one might have expected, the amount of flour used was enormous. in the thirteen tons of this commodity from colman (london) there were three varieties, self-rising, plain, and wheatmeal flour, encased in stout metal linings within strong, well-finished cases of a convenient size. until required, the cases of flour were used to solidify the break-wind on the southern side of the hut. bird and company (birmingham) more than satisfied our needs in the matter of baking powder, custard powder, jelly crystals, and the like. there was over half a ton of fancy biscuits of excellent quality and great variety, for which we were indebted to jacob and company (dublin), arnott brothers (sydney), and patria biscuit fabriek (amsterdam). "hardtack," the name by which a plain wholemeal biscuit of good quality, made by swallow and ariell (melbourne) was known, constituted the greater part of the remaining two and a half tons of ordinary biscuits. "hardtack" was much appreciated as a change from the usual "staff of life"--soda bread. for sledging we had secured one ton of biscuits specially prepared by the plasmon company (london) containing per cent. of plasmon. these, together with one ton of pemmican and half a ton of emergency ration prepared by the bovril company (london), are specially referred to in the chapter on sledging equipment. butter was an important item; the large stock of two and a half tons coming from the colac dairying company (melbourne). the butter was taken fresh in fifty-six lb. blocks, packed in the usual export cases. on the 'aurora' it was carried as deck-cargo, and at the main base was stacked in the open air on the southern side of the hut. at the end of the second year ( ) it was still quite good; a fact which speaks well for the climate as a refrigerator. of australian cheese we used half a ton, and this was supplied in forty-pound blocks. the firm of messrs. cadbury, well known for their cocoa and eating chocolate, supplied us with these commodities, and receive our unqualified praise for the standard of the articles and the way in which they were packed. the total consumption was one ton of cocoa and half a ton of chocolate. the three-quarters of a ton of tea was donated by "te sol" (guernsey) and griffiths brothers (melbourne). in both cases the articles were well packed and much appreciated. half a ton of coffee was used, partly supplied from london and partly donated by griffiths brothers. rose's (london) lime juice, as an antiscorbutic, was mainly reserved for consumption on the ship. this lime juice was much in favour as a beverage. other supplies, taken in bulk, and for which we are indebted to the manufacturers, are: one ton of cerebos salt, half a ton of castle salt, one ton of sunlight soap, our complete requirements in toilet soap from pears, candles from price, matches from bryant and may including special sledging vestas, and dried milk from the trufood company. sweets, which were used for dessert and on special occasions, were presented by the firms of fuller and batger of london, and by farrah of harrogate, &c. there were also small quantities of aerated waters, ales, wines, and whisky for each base.** at the main base, at least, there was no demand for whisky until penguin omelettes became fashionable. ** * donated by schweppes, kopke, burgoyne, and others. the smokers were well provided for by a generous donation of capstan tobaccos, cigarettes and cigars from the british american tobacco company in london. at a later date, when our macquarie island party was formed, the sydney branch of the same firm met our added needs with the same generosity. there are many other items which have not yet found a place in this summary which cannot be acknowledged severally, but for which we are none the less grateful. mention is made of the following: horlick's malted milk, neave's health diet, brown and polson's cornflour, international plasmon company's plasmon chocolate and plasmon powder, bovril and lime juice nodules manufactured by bovril limited, colman's mustard and groats, flemington meat company's desiccated soups, seager's meats, nestle's nut-milk chocolate, escoffier's soups, &c. the cooking range which served us well for two years in the hut at adelie land was from j. smith and wellstood (london); others were presented by metters (adelaide). the total supply of foods purchased and donated aggregated quite one hundred tons, exclusive of packing. much of this was assembled in london. in australia the government produce department of adelaide rendered valuable assistance. table of food-supplies for a twelve-man base the following are the food requirements for a party of twelve men wintering in the antarctic. it is our own store list, with slight modifications where these are found desirable. the figures are based on the supposition that unlimited quantities of seal and penguin meat can be had on the spot, and, furthermore, are ample for a second year's requirements should the party be unavoidably detained. the fare during the second year might be somewhat less varied, but would otherwise be sufficient. health was, of course, the first consideration in this selection, but economy was also studied. the quantities are stated in pounds weight. lbs. meats, tinned--corned beef, ; roast beef, ; roast mutton, ; boiled mutton, ; irish stew, ; assorted meats, , including mutton cutlets, haricot mutton, ox tail, ox tongue, sausages, and brawn; sheep's tongues, ; special meats, , including rabbit, hare, duck, fowl, and turkey................... live sheep-- sheep to be dressed south of degrees s. latitude (weight not included) suet, tinned-- ......................... bacon and ham--bacon in sides, packed in salt, ; ham, ... fish, tinned--salmon, ; haddocks, ; kippered herrings, ; herrings in tomato sauce, ; fresh herrings, ; sardines, ; cods' roe, curried prawns, &c., .............., soups, assorted tinned, .................. vegetables, fresh, in wooden cases--new potatoes, ; onions, tinned--potatoes, ; onions, ; peas, ; french beans, ; spinach, ; cabbage, ; beetroot, ; carrots, ; parsnips, ; turnips, ; celery, ; leeks, ; champignons, ; boston baked beans, ; tomatoes, ..................... cereals and dried vegetables, &c.--split peas, ; lentils, ; marrowfat peas, ; haricot beans, ; barley, ; rice, ; tapioca, ; semolina, ; macaroni, ; rolled oats, ; cornflour, ........................ flour, including plain, wholemeal, and self-rising...... biscuits, &c.--plasmon wholemeal, ; plain wholemeal, ; assorted sweet, ; cake tinned, ; plum pudding, .... fruit, tinned in syrup--peaches, ; pears, ; plums, ; apricots, ; pineapples, ; apples, ; gooseberries, ; cherries, ; mulberries, ; strawberries, ; red currants, ; black currants, ; raspberries, ............... dried fruits--prunes, ; apples, ; peaches, ; nectarines, ; apricots, ; raisins seeded, ; currants, ; figs, ; dates, ; candied peel, .................. sweets, &c.--eating chocolate (chiefly for sledging) ; assorted sweets, ; crystallized fruits, ; assorted nuts, ..... milk--as dried powder, ................... butter--in lb. export cases, .............. cheese--in original blocks or tins, ............. cocoa, tea, and coffee--cocoa, ; tea, ; coffee, .... sugar, jam, &c.--sugar, ; jam, ; marmalade, ; honey, ; syrup, ..................... sauces, pickles, &c.--tomato sauce, ; worcester sauce, ; sweet pickles, ; mango chutney, ; assorted pickles (first quality) ; vinegar, ............... cooking requisites--baking powder (in addition to that in selfrising flour) ; sodium bicarbonate, ; ground mixed spice, ; ground ginger, ; whole cloves, ; nutmegs, ; assorted essences, ; desiccated cocoanut, ; mixed dried herbs, ; dried mint, ; dried parsley, ; onion powder, ; curry powder, ; mustard, ; black pepper, ; white pepper, ; table salt, .......... soap, &c.--soap, ; soda, ................. ( tons approx.) , note. these weights are exclusive of packing. when high southern latitudes can be reached within three weeks, fresh eggs may be taken with advantage, preferably unfertilized, but care should be taken to freeze them as soon as possible, and not to allow them to thaw again until required for use. it is advisable to take small quantities of whisky, ale, wines and lime juice. matches, candles, soap, and other toilet requirements, kerosene and fuel are not reckoned with here, appearing in a more general stores' list. certain medical comforts, such as malted milk and plasmon, may also be included. medical equipment the medical equipment consisted of a complete outfit of burroughs and wellcome's drug's, dressings, &c., and allen and hanbury's surgical instruments. sets, varying in character with particular requirements, were made up for the ship and for each of the land parties. contained within the fifty-five boxes was a wonderful assortment of everything which could possibly have been required on a polar expedition. there was in addition a set of burroughs and wellcome's medicines for the treatment of dogs. scientific equipment the scope of our projected scientific work necessitated extensive purchases, and these were amplified by loans from many scientific bodies and individuals. instruments for surveying and navigation were loaned by the royal geographical society and by the admiralty, while many theodolites, chronometers, and half-chronometer watches were manufactured to order. an assortment of oceanographical gear was generously supplied through h. s. h. the prince of monaco, from the institut oceanographique of monaco. dr. w. s. bruce made similar donations and supervised the construction of our largest deep-sea dredge. the three-thousand fathom tapered steel cables and mountings, designed to work the deep-water dredges, were supplied by messrs. bullivant. appliances were also loaned by mr. j. t. buchanan of the 'challenger' expedition and by the commonwealth fisheries department. the self-recording tide-gauges we employed were the property of the new south wales government, obtained through mr. g. halligan. the taxidermists' requirements, and other necessaries for the preservation of zoological specimens, were for the most part purchased, but great assistance was rendered through professor baldwin-spencer by the national museum of melbourne and by the south australian museum, through the offices of professor stirling. articles of equipment for botanical work were loaned by mr. j. h. maiden, director of the botanical gardens, sydney. a supply of heavy cameras for base-station work and light cameras for sledging was purchased; our stock being amplified by many private cameras, especially those belonging to f. h. hurley, photographer of the expedition. special lumiere plates and material for colour photography were not omitted, and, during the final cruise of the 'aurora', p. e. correll employed the more recent paget process for colour photography with good results. the programme of magnetic work was intended to be as extensive as possible. in the matter of equipment we were very materially assisted by the carnegie institute through dr. l. a. bauer. an instrument was also loaned through mr. h. f. skey of the christchurch magnetic observatory. a full set of eschenhagen self-recording instruments was purchased, and in this and in other dispositions for the magnetic work we have to thank dr. c. chree, director of the national physical laboratory, and dr. c. c. farr of university college, christchurch. captain chetwynd kindly assisted in arrangements for the ship's compasses. two complete sets of telefunken wireless apparatus were purchased from the australasian wireless company. the motors and dynamos were got from buzzacott, sydney, and the masts were built by saxton and binns, sydney. manilla and tarred-hemp ropes were supplied on generous terms by melbourne firms (chiefly kinnear). the meteorological instruments were largely purchased from negretti and zambra, but a great number were loaned by the commonwealth meteorological department (director, mr. h. a. hunt) and by the british meteorological office (director, dr. w. n. shaw). for astronomical work the following instruments were loaned, besides transit-theodolites and sextants: a four-inch telescope by the greenwich observatory through the astronomer royal: a portable transit-theodolite by the melbourne observatory through the director, mr. p. baracchi; two stellar sidereal chronometers by the adelaide observatory through the astronomer, mr. p. dodwell. the apparatus for bacteriological and physiological work were got in sydney, in arrangements and suggestions for which our thanks are due to dr. tidswell (microbiological laboratory) and professor welsh, of sydney university. artists' materials were supplied by winsor and newton, london, while the stationery was partly donated by john sands, limited, sydney geological, chemical, and physical apparatus were all acquired at the instance of the several workers. adjuncts, such as a calculating machine, a typewriter, and duplicator were not forgotten.** ** acceptable donations of various articles were made by the firms of ludowici, sydney; allen taylor, sydney; sames and company, birmingham; gamage, london; gramophone company, london; the acetylene corporation, london; steel trucks ltd., &c. **through the offices of mr. c. a. bang we are indebted to "de forenede dampskibsselskab," of copenhagen, for the transport of the dogs from greenland. apart from the acquisition of the instruments, there were long preparations to be made in the arrangement of the scientific programme and in the training of the observers. in this department the expedition was assisted by many friends. thus professor w. a. haswell (biology), professor t. w. edgeworth david (geology), and mr. h. a. hunt (meteorology), each drew up instructions relating to his respective sphere. training in astronomical work at the melbourne observatory was supervised by mr. p. baracchi, director, and in magnetic work by the department of terrestrial magnetism, carnegie institute (director, dr. l. a. bauer). further, in the subject of magnetics, we have to thank especially mr. e. kidston of the carnegie institute for field tuition, and mr. baldwin of the melbourne observatory for demonstrations in the working of the eschenhagen magnetographs. professor j. a. pollock gave us valuable advice on wireless and other physical subjects. at the australian museum, sydney, mr. hedley rendered assistance in the zoological preparations. in the conduct of affairs we were assisted on many occasions by messrs. w. s. dun (sydney), j. h. maiden (sydney), robert hall (hobart), g. h. knibbs (melbourne),and to the presidents and members of the councils of the several geographical societies in australia--as well, of course, as to those of the royal geographical society, london. in conclusion, the proffered, disinterested help, of all the above and many other friends contrived to make our scientific equipment well-nigh complete and eminently up-to-date. index abrasion effects of drift snow, abruzzi expedition , rations absolute hut, the acetylene corporation, london, (note) adare, cape adelaide island .........university 'adelie blizzard' ........land; the main base at; glaciation of; hurricanes of; wilkes' account of; the hut; drifts; wireless installation at; clothing for; empire day in; temperatures admiralty range aerial cove, depot aeroplane sledge. see air-tractor sledge ainsworth, g f., "life on macquarie island;" "a land of storm and mist," "through another year;" picked up by the 'aurora', the home journey; account of air-tractor sledge, the; aladdin's cave; albatross alden, cape, alexander i island, alexandra, queen allen and hanbury, messrs. alligator nunatak. 'amakura', the american expedition under wilkes ........ quadrant, the, accessibility; whaling industry in amundsen, captain; sledging dogs presented by ..........dog anchor rock anemobiagraph, the anemometers anemones, preservation of angas mr. c. "annie hill," antarctic theory of distribution of flora antarctica, history of discovery 'anthology of australian verse, an' anthony, messrs., of melbourne 'archibald russell', the arnott bros., messrs. asia, southern, wind velocities 'astrolabe', d'urville's journey in the astronomer royal, the astronomical hut, the "atmospherics," auckland islands 'aurora', the s.y. plan and section; adaptation and fitting out; from macquarie island to adelie land; the first ice; landing of cargo at main base; new lands; food carried by the; return of the; observations secured on the; deep-sea soundings; at macquarie island; arrival at port lyttleton; at melbourne; second deep-sea cruise; departure from hobart, christmas; visit to the main base, adelie land; reception by wild; relief of wild's party; arrival in hobart; papers brought by the; stores laid at caroline cove; visits to macquarie island; at dunedin; leaves hobart on southern trip to bring back the two parties; wireless communication with; the homeward cruise; list of ship's officers .........peak auroral phenomena australasian association for advancement of science, australian ensign hoisted avalanche rocks avalanches,~ azimuth hill; memorial cross on bacteriology, work of the expedition, bage, r., at the main base; work at the hut; the tide-gauge; transit house; food experiences; search for the dogs; with the southern sledging party; return to the hut; on building a tent; snow-blindness; return to aladdin's cave; note left by, at cathedral grotto; return from the south; visit to the 'aurora'; the relief expedition; winter work; wireless work; magnetograph records; the home journey; account of baldwin, mr. baldwin-spencer, professor balleny islands john bang, c. a. (note) baracchi, mr. p. barometer, movements of the "barrier," the, at the winter quarters "barrier-formations," barron, lady ........sir harry barr-smith, mount ......mr. robert basilisk, dog bass strait bates, mr. d. c.; request for weather reports batger, messrs. bauer, dr. l. a. mr., sealer at macquarie island baynes bros., messrs. "beaufort scale" of wind-pressure belgian antarctic expedition bellingshausen, expedition of "benzine hut," bergschrund betli, dog bickerton, f. h., at main base; work at the hut; erection of the wireless installation; food experiences; "bus driver"; the air-tractor sledge; the western sledging expedition; on tent pitching; his birthday; the relief party; winter work at the hut; wireless work; dredge constructed by; the home journey; account of biology, work of the expedition bird & coy, messrs. birds, antarctic, weight in relation to wing areas birthday camp biscoe island ........john, work bishop and clerk, islet black sunday blair, j. h., chief officer on the 'aurora' blake, cape ...... l r., work on macquarie island; visit to sandy bay; accident to; visits to lusitania bay; photographs taken by visits to the 'aurora'; specimens obtained; sheepkilling; the home journey; account of blizzard, puppy .........the 'blizzard, the', poem blood-pressure, observations by mclean, "blue billys," "board-sliding," bollons, captain borchgrevinck borda, cape border (rabbit) preserving coy. bovril coy., the brand & coy., messrs. bridge-playing at western base bristow, captain british antarctic expedition british expedition british meteorological office "brothers (the)," brown, mr. john brown & polson, messrs. bruce, dr. w. s. ........rise bruni island bryant & may, messrs. buchanan, mr. j. y.; ..........s. y. buckley, mr. g. budd land; buenos ayres bull, h. j. bullivant, messrs. burberry, the burroughs & wellcome, messrs. buzzacott, messrs. cadbury, messrs. camp cove campbell & sons, messrs. camping "cannonading," canterbury museum, christchurch cape town carbohydrates, definition of the term (note) cardiff to hobart, the journey carnegie institute carnley harbour caroline cove, macquarie island carr, cape caruso, dog castor, dog cat, wild catch me cave cathedral grotto, the 'challenger' expedition charcot, jean .........land chetwynd, captain chocolate as barter chree, dr. c., christchurch, new zealand ...........magnetic observatory 'christmas carol, a' ...........day, dr. mawson's; with the southern sledging party; madigan's account; with bickerton's party; at hobart; with wild's party; with s. e. jones's party; ainsworth's account; on the homeward journey chun, professor, of leipsic close, j. h., at main base; at aladdin's cave; journey to the west; and the near eastern party; journey to commonwealth bay; return from the east; back to australia; account of clothing for the expedition clyde, wreck of the coal-supply, difficulties of coats land cocoa, value of, colac dairying coy. colman, messrs. colonel, dog colonial sugar refining coy. commonwealth bay .............fisheries department .............meteorological department .............weather bureau, reports to cormorant. see shag compass, variations of the; the bearing of the sun and the magnetic needle compared conrad, messrs. cook, captain james copenhagen coronae, lunar correll, p. e., at main base; and the tide-gauge; production of 'the washerwoman's secret; the eastern coastal party; at horn bluff, the search party; return to australia; photographs taken by; the homeward journey; account of .........nunatak cote clarie crampons, use of crippen, dog crown fuel company, briquettes 'daily graphic' .......'mail' dallman, eduard danish geographical society darwin, charles david island ......professor t. w. edgeworth davis, captain j. k., appointment; arrival at hobart; work of stowage; the journey to macquarie island; voyage in the nimrod; at macquarie island; events on board; narrative quoted; return of the 'aurora'; his decision regarding wild's party; "the ship's story"; mission to london; visits to macquarie island; the homeward cruise; account of .......captain james, of hobart, joins the 'aurora'; efforts to recover ship's lost chain; account of .......sea "deadbeat gully," deakin, hon. alfred declination of the magnetic needle decouverte, cape delay point denison, cape; ..........mr. hugh denman glacier, the ........lord, messages to antarctica; finance denny, mr., visit to macquarie d'entrecasteaux channel depot bay depots maintained by the new zealand government derwent river, the; dietetics disappointment island 'discovery', voyage of the ...........cape dixson island mr. hugh dodwell, mr. p. dogs for the expedition, journey to hobart; at the hut; harness for the; food for the; at aladdin's cave; with the sledging parties; the lost; used for food; presented to the 'aurora' by amundsen; with the western party; pups; quarrels dolerite (note) dominion meteorological office doolette, mr. g. p. dovers, g., member of wild's party; depot-laying party formed; surveying work; at haswell island; account of 'drake', h.m.s., wireless communication with drift gauge, a drift snow; abrasion effects of; electrical effects of drygalski island (note) ..........professor; ducks dun, w.s. 'dundonald', barque dunedin d'urville sea; 'eagle' cave ........schooner, wreck earthquake shocks at macquarie island eastern barrier ........coastal party, formation; account of, by madigan; instruments cached by eclipse, lunar, eitel, mr. c. c. elder, mr. .......mount 'eliza scott', the empire day, at the western base; on adelie land 'encyclopaedia britannica', use of 'endeavour', the enderby island ........land equinox, effects of the equipment of the expedition erebus cove "erratics," esperance, port esquimaux, dogs of the; method with snow-blindness, euphausia evans, commander evensen, work of farr, dr. c. c. fallieres land 'fantome', h.m.s. far-eastern party, the; the return of farrah, messrs. fats, definition of term, (note) "feather bed" terrace fiala, quoted figure of eight island filchner, wilhelm finance of the expedition finnesko footwear fisher, hon. andrew, ........wireless message to fishing fix, dog flag depot flagstaff point, carnley harbour flemington meat preserving coy. fletcher, f. d. flora, antarctic, theories concerning 'flying fish', the ........fox, working of the flynn, professor t. t. foehn effect food, for sledging journey, dietetics; rations; items; table of supplies fram, dog ......voyage of the franklin, dog freshfield, cape fuller, messrs. fusilier, dog gadget, dog gamage, messrs (note) 'gauss', expedition of the gaussberg geographical results of the expedition geological work of the expedition george, dog ........v, king, wireless message to, georgia, south; gerlache, adrien de ..........cape german scientific expedition; expedition of , see gauss gillies, f., chief engineer of the 'aurora' .........nunataks ginger, dog ......bitch, dog, glacier, the continental, glacier-ice, structural composition glacier-tongues glaciology, work of the expedition glaxo gloves goggles for snow-blindness golf at western base gracht, mr. van waterschoot van der 'grafton', wreck of the graham's land gramophone coy., london, (note) grampuses grandmother, dog gray, cape ......p., second officer 'aurora' great australian bight .....britain, antarctic expeditions .....ross barrier; greely expedition of green valley greenland, dogs from ..........pup greenwich observatory griffiths brothers, messrs. "grottoes (the)," the hut at the western base, building; return of the sledging party; entrance and tunnels; the igloo; clearing the tunnels; return of the western depot party; preparations for the eastern summer journey; return of wild; distances from; return of jones's party; the flagstaff guano deposits gulls, dominican or black backed .......skua haines, mr., taxidermist haldane, dog hall, robert halligan, mr. g. hamilton, h., life at macquarie island; visits to sandy bay; biological work; reception of the 'aurora'; erection of the tide gauge; a dinghy for; visits to lusitania bay; photographs by; home journey; account of .........mount hangar hannan, w. h., at main base; work at the hut; wireless work; the drift gauge; as magnetician; working of the air-tractor sledge; the wireless at winter quarters; return to australia; account of harbour board, hobart harness, sledging, harrisson, c. t.; member of wild's party; visit to the capsized berg, account; hippo depot; meteorological work at the grottoes; included in the eastern summer journey; winch contrived by; account hartley, messrs. hasselborough bay ..............captain haswell island ............professor w. a. hedley, mr. c. heinz, messrs. helen glacier henderson, professor g. c.. henderson island hens, cape 'hinemoa', rescue by 'hints to travellers' hippo nunatak hoadley, c. a., member wild's party; party to lay depot formed; main western journey starting november; geological work; at haswell island; account hobart hodgeman, a. j., at main base; work at hut; near eastern party; the cairn; return to the hut; journey of the near eastern party; trip to aladdin's cave; on tent-pitching; investigation of snow ramp; the relief party; winter work at the hut; journey to mount murchison; the home journey; map of mackellar islets; account of holliman, captain, holman, hon., w. a. hoosh hordern, mr. samuel horlick, messrs. horn bluff "horn bluff," by c. t. madigan horn, mr. w. a. hoyle, pup hugon, messrs. hunt, mount ......mr. h. a. hunter, cape ........j. g., at main base; biological work; parasitology; sledging; production of 'the washerwoman's secret'; the southern supporting party; expansion of the cave; return from the south; return to australia; arrival with the 'aurora'; fishing;the homeward journey; account of " huntoylette," hurley, j. f., main base; camera work; observations; rescue of the dogs; production of 'the washerwoman's secret; the southern party; the cairn;pitching tent; "lot's wife"; the 'christmas carol'; snow-blindness; return from the south; arrival with the 'aurora'; sledging hurricane-walking hut, the main base, temperature; tunnels; the nightwatchman's duty ......point, mcmurdo sound hutchinson, sealer of macquarie island ice, arctic and antarctic compared; the first; pack-ice; bergs; structural composition "ice floods," "ice islands," ice-shafts, digging of "icing-ship," 'illustrated london news' insect hunting jack, dog jackson, port jacob & coy., messrs. jaeger fleece japanese antarctic expedition jappy, dog jeffreys deep jeffryes, s. n., wireless operator 'jessie nichol', wreck john bull, dog johnson, dog joinville island jones, dr. s. e., autopsy on the dogs; member of wild's party; party formed to lay a depot on september; wild's instructions to; main western journey starting november; "linking up with kaiser wilhelm land," account by; discovery of antarctic petrels; view of drygalski island; account of; medical report for western base ........bros., messrs. journalists' association joyce, mr. e., delivery of the dogs; judge and clerk, islet of; soundings junction corner kaiser wilhelm i land, linking up with, account by dr. s. e. jones kangaroo island keiller, messrs. james & son kelp kembla, port kemp, work of kennedy, [a. l.] member of wild's party; attempted trip with wild for the minimum thermometer; eastern summer journey; blocked on the ice-shelf with wild; observations; account of kerguelen island kidston, mr. e. king edward v land .....george v land, naming of; map king' birthday, at western base ................island kinsey, mr. j. j. kite, work with knibbs, g. h. knox land kristensen, leonard lake-ice lamp, a non-magnetic lampwick, uses of larson, c. a. laseron, c. f., main base; biological work; collection of petrel skin; at aladdin's cave; production of the 'washerwoman's secret'; the southern supporting party; recording webb's observations; expansion of the cave; journey to commonwealth bay december ; collection of eggs and birds; return from the east; back to australia; account of lassie, dog lever brothers, messrs. lewis, sir elliott lithgrow colleries "lot's wife," loubet land louis phillippe land lucas sounding-machine lucas-tooth, sir robert ludowici, messrs. (note) lusitania bay; ..........the, sealing boat lyttleton, port, arrival of the 'aurora' "m. h. s. championship, " the start mac, dog mcclintock, expedition of ; rations mackay, dr. f. a. mackellar islet mackellar library ..........the hon.c.d. mclean, dr. a. l., autopsy on the dogs; at main base; electrical observations; lines on 'the blizzard'; erection of the wireless; observations regarding seals; at aladdin's cave; blood-pressure, observations; at cathedral grotto; expedition of the eastern coastal party; snow-blindness; at horn bluff; photographs taken by; return of; the relief expedition; winter work at the hut; founding of 'the adelie blizzard'; on illness of jeffryes; a wind episode; dredging operations; biological specimen; the home journey; account; medical report for main base mcmurdo sound, wind velocities, chart; the scott expedition macquarie island, the base at; "life on macquarie island," by g. f. ainsworth; "a land of storm and mist," by g. f. ainsworth; "through another year," by g. f. ainsworth; macquarie island party, list of madigan, c. t., at main base; meteorological observations; at the hut; electrical observation; spring exploits; journey to the west, september ; sledging; the eastern coastal party; return to the hut; his account of the expedition of the eastern coastal party; "horn bluff and penguin point" by; depot of; visit to the 'aurora'; care of the dogs; winter work at the hut; journey to mount murchison; the home journey; account ...........nunatak magnetic flat, the .........meridian .........needle, use for steering purposes .........pole, north .........pole, south, observations regarding the; bage's search for; chart magnetograph house; work of the magnetician magnetometer, the maiden, mr. j. h. main base, adelie land, visit of the 'aurora'; wireless installation at ...........base party, list of; return of members to australia maori cabbage (stilbocarpa polaris) ......hens, see wekas martelli, mr., assistant harbourmaster, hobart mary, dog ......queen, message to antarctica mason coy., messrs. masson island .......professor, efforts to raise funds, mawson, dr., plans for the expedition; party of medical equipment for the expedition ........reports melba, mme. melbourne, arrival of the 'aurora'; wireless calls; time signals from ...........observatory memorial cross on azimuth hill men, choice of, for a polar campaign mertz, dr. xavier, appointment; at hobart, care of the dogs; at main base; meteorological observations; skiing; cooking; at aladdin's cave; journey to the southeast, september ; the far eastern party; the return journey; illness and death; bage's parting from; meeting with the eastward coastal party; captain davis's inquiries after; message to his relatives; account of ........glacier ........glacier-tongue meteorology, work of the expedition; meteorological chart for april meteorite found midsummer day, temperature midwinter day at western base mikkel, dog mill, dr. h. r., "siege of the south pole," .........rise minerals of adelie land mitts mollymawk rookery monaco, prince of monagasque trawl monkey, dog moore, t. e. l. 'morning herald', sydney morton, messrs. c. & e. motte, c. p de la moyes, m. h., member of wild's party; account of moraine, terminal, adelie land 'morning', the, british expedition, murchison, mount; ...........mr. roderick murphy, h. d., at main base; erection of the wireless installation; at aladdin's cave; journey to the southeast september ; observations; formation of the southern supporting party; return to the hut; composition of party at cathedral grotto; return from the south; visit to the 'aurora'; return to australia; account of murphy, h. d. (senior) murray, g. j. h. mutton birds nansen, expedition in the 'fram'; 'farthest north'; use of the primus stove, ........dog nares, captain g. s. national museum, melbourne .........physical laboratory, london near eastern party neave, messrs. negretti & zambra, messrs. nestle, messrs. neve new zealand, depots maintained by; flora of, theories regarding newnes, sir george nightbirds 'nimrod', the, voyages; ninnis glacier .......lieut. b. e. s., appointment; care of the dogs; at the main base; clothing artifices; spring exploits; journey to the southeast, september ; the far eastern party; his death in the crevasse; bage's parting from; flag planted by; captain davis's inquiries after; message to his relatives; account of "nodules (the)," nordensyold, otto north, cape .......east bay; .......end .......head northcliffe glacier north's land notothenia "nuggets (the)" oates land observation point oceanography, results of expedition oil, seal, methods of the sealers organ pipe cliffs pack-ice; palmer archipelago .......nathaniel parisitology parsons, messrs. parties for sledging, arrangement patria biscuit fabriek partridge & twiss, messrs. pavlova, dog 'peacock', the; peary, dog pemmican penguin hill "penguin point," by c. t. madigan penguin rookeries; penguins ........adelie ........an albino penguin ........emperor ........gentoo ........king ........royal ........victoria, pennant hills 'perseverance', the peter i island petrel rookeries petrels ........antaretic ........giant ........lesson's ........silver-grey or southern fulmar ........snow ........wilson petrol, amount carried pianoforte berg "piecrust" pigeons, cape piper, mr. plasmon pollock, professor j. a. 'porpoise', the posadowsky bay possession nunataks primmer, mr. primus heater, the prince luitpold land prion banksii proteins, value of "puffometer," the punch quarantine station, hobart queen mary land queen's wharf, hobart rabbits 'rachel cohen', the ramornie meat coy. rations, daily polar; for the far eastern party; for the sledge journey from the western base rats reid, sir george, ......glacier robinson, lionel ......bay ......anemometer, the "rock flour," rocks, effect of wind and rain on .......igneous rose island .....messrs. ross barrier ......dog ......expedition ......port ......sea, the royal company island ......geographical society. royds, cape russian antarctic expeditions sabrina land 'sabrina', the sails, value of st. elmo's fire st. vincent's gulf sames & coy. sandell, c. a., wireless work at macquarie island; cooking; lantern made by; visit to the 'aurora'; erection of the tide-gauge; sheepkilling; as barber; an accident to; telephone installed by; lamp made by; the home journey; account of sandow, dog ........mr. eugene sandy bay, hobart ...........enderby island ...........macquarie island "sarcophagus," the sastrugi sawyer, a. j., wireless operator at macquarie island; visits to the 'aurora'; erection of the tide-gauge; leaves macquarie island; visit to the 'tutanekai; account of saxton & binns, messrs. scarfe, mr. scientific equipment for the expedition, ...........work of the expedition 'scotia', the scott, captain, work of; voyage of the 'discovery; voyage in the 'terra nova'; rations allowed by; stay in antarctica; at mcmurdo sound; the disaster to; on macquarie island, ........islands ........lady ........the dog scott expedition staff scottish antarctic expedition sea, temperature, effect of snow on sea bears sea-elephants; rookeries of the seager, messrs. sea-ice sea-leopards sealers of macquarie island; methods of the sea-lions seals ......crabeater ......fur ......hair ......ross ......weddell sewing-machine, wild's need of a shack, the shackleton expedition ...........ice-shelf, the; establishment of the western base on; winter and spring on; western party blocked on, wild's narrative; the 'aurora' at ...........the dog shags shaw, dr. w. n. shelf-ice shell brand benzine and shell kerosene shoe island " shuteye," practice of signatures of members of land parties simpson, mr. skeats, professor e., examination of the meteorite skey, mr. h. f. skiing sledge, the air-tractor sledging; preparation of equipment; wood for sledges; harness for; a load; camping smith & wellstood, messrs. .......william, work of snow, temperatures snow-blindness snow drift, electrical effects snow gauges .....hill island soundings, lucas automatic sounding machine south australian museum ......orkney islands ......shetland islands southern cross depot, declination of the needle at .........ocean .........party; instruments cached by .........supporting party, 'sphere', the spratt, messrs., care of the dogs steel trucks ltd. stewart island (new zealand) stillwell, f. l., at main base; geological researches; map of winter quarters; records; production of 'the washerwoman's secret'; finding an albino penguin; the near eastern party; his sledge; pitching tent; journey of the near eastern party; the search party; return to australia; account of ...........island stirling, professor storm bay strathcona, lord ............mount sun, the midnight; display of rings and arcs suva, wireless station swallow & ariell, messrs. sweep, dog swiss confederation day .......the dog switzerland, the dog. sydney, wilkes's expedition started from; cathedral of; wood from; the harbour; wireless communication with ........meat preserving coy. 'sydney morning herald', donation tasman sea tasmania, hospitality of; soundings taylor, mr. allen "te sol," tea temperature, foehn effect; in adelie land tent-pitching; bickerton on 'terebus and error in eruption' termination ice tongue ............land terns 'terra nova', scott's voyage terrestrial magnetism, work of the expedition "the steps" theodolite, use of the tich, dog tide-gauge, bage's; use on macquarie island tides, work of the expedition tidswell, dr. tiger, dog tooth, sir r. lucas .......lady helen--see helen glacier 'toroa', s.s. totten's land toucher, n. c. transit house trawl, monagasque trawling, experiences of the 'aurora' tussock grass 'tutanekai', the, relief of macquarie island 'ulimaroa', s.s., the umbrella aerial, use of the union jack, hoisting the university college, christchurch urville, dumont d', expedition under .........the dog 'valdivia' expedition "veranda club" verran, hon. j. vickers & coy., messrs. victoria land vincennes, the waite, mr. e. r. 'washerwoman's secret, the' "watersky," watkins, lieut., aviator watson, a. d., at the western base; attempted trip with wild for the minimum thermometer; preparation for the eastern summer journey; blocked on the ice-shelf with wild; fall into a crevasse ..........bluff watt, hon. w. way archipelago ..............map ......sir samuel weather, the, as a conversational subject webb, e. n., at main base; care of the dogs; work at the magnetograph house; photo-work; magnetic ice-cave of; his first camp; formation of the southern sledging party; observations of the needle; use of the theodolite; building a break-wind; the toasts on christmas day; sighting aladdin's cave; return from the south; return to australia; account of weddell, james, work .........sea wekas wellington, mount .............wireless communication with welsh, professor western base, the party at; winter and spring at the; establishment and adventures by f. wild; the geological shaft; "the glacier tongue"; wild's party blocked on the ice shelf; linking up with kaiser wilhelm ii land, account by dr. s. e. jones; medical reports from west point western sledging party 'westralia', s.s., whalebirds whales whetter, dr. l. a., at main base; the "toggle king"; journey to the west; the western party; meteorological work; preparations for the air-tractor sledge trip; his birthday; on tent pitching; investigations of a snow ramp; return; return to australia; account of "whirlies," wild, frank, the work at hobart; working of the "flyingfox"; incidents on board; leader of the western base; the winter station on the ice shelf; rations for the expedition; arrangements with the 'aurora'; return to aladdin's cave; his party at western base; relief of; reception of the 'aurora'; winter and spring; land mapped out by; blocked on the ice shelf, narrative wilkes, discoveries of; charts; knox land, wilkes's land willesden-drill, tents williamstown, victoria wind, velocities winds, bay of winsor & newton, messrs. winter quarters, adelie land .............stillwell's map wireless hill, establishment of the station; .........installation range, in the antarctic; report of captain davis; messages received by hannam on the 'aurora'; messages from, and to, adelie land; effect of ice on intensity of waves; work of the expedition; telefunken apparatus worms, parasitical, in fish 'zelee', the zip, the dog zoological investigations [page ii] [illustration: captain robert f. scott r.n. _j. russell & sons, southsea, photographers_] [page iii] the voyages of captain scott _retold from 'the voyage of the "discovery"' and 'scott's last expedition'_ by charles turley author of 'godfrey marten, schoolboy,' 'a band of brothers,' etc. with an introduction by sir j. m. barrie, bart. numerous illustrations in colour and black and white and a map [page v] contents introduction the voyage of the 'discovery' chapter i. the 'discovery'. ii. southward ho! iii. in search of winter quarters. iv. the polar winter. v. the start of the southern journey. vi. the return. vii. a second winter. viii. the western journey. ix. the return from the west. x. release. the last expedition chapter preface to 'scott's last expedition'. biographical note. british antarctic expedition, . [page vi] i. through stormy seas. ii. depôt laying to one ton camp. iii. perils. iv. a happy family. v. winter. vi. good-bye to cape evans. vii. the southern journey begins. viii. on the beardmore glacier. ix. the south pole. x. on the homeward journey. xi. the last march. search party discovers the tent. in memoriam. farewell letters. message to the public. index. [page vii] illustrations _photogravure plate_ portrait of captain robert f. scott _from a photograph by j. russell & son, southsea_. _coloured plates_ _from water-colour drawings by dr. edward a. wilson._. sledding. mount erebus. lunar corona. 'birdie' bowers reading the thermometer on the ramp. _double page plate_ panorama at cape evans. berg in south bay. _full page plates_ robert f. scott at the age of thirteen as a naval cadet. the 'discovery'. looking up the gateway from pony depôt. pinnacled ice at mouth of ferrar glacier. pressure ridges north side of discovery bluff. the 'terra nova' leaving the antarctic. pony camp on the barrier. snowed-up tent after three days' blizzard. pitching the double tent on the summit. [page viii] adélie penguin on nest. emperor penguins on sea-ice. dog party starting from hut point. dog lines. looking up the gateway from pony depôt. looking south from lower glacier depôt, man hauling camp, th parallel. the party at the south pole. 'the last rest'. facsimile of the last words of captain scott's journal. track chart of main southern journey. [page ] introduction by sir j. m. barrie, bart. on the night of my original meeting with scott he was but lately home from his first adventure into the antarctic and my chief recollection of the occasion is that having found the entrancing man i was unable to leave him. in vain he escorted me through the streets of london to my home, for when he had said good-night i then escorted him to his, and so it went on i know not for how long through the small hours. our talk was largely a comparison of the life of action (which he pooh-poohed) with the loathsome life of those who sit at home (which i scorned); but i also remember that he assured me he was of scots extraction. as the subject never seems to have been resumed between us, i afterwards wondered whether i had drawn this from him with a promise that, if his reply was satisfactory, i would let him go to bed. however, the family traditions (they are nothing more) do bring him from across the border. according to them his great-great-grandfather was the scott of brownhead whose estates were sequestered after the ' . his dwelling was razed to the ground and he fled with his wife, to whom after some grim privations a son was born in a fisherman's hut on september , . this son eventually settled in devon, where he prospered, [page ] for it was in the beautiful house of oatlands that he died. he had four sons, all in the royal navy, of whom the eldest had as youngest child john edward scott, father of the captain scott who was born at oatlands on june , . about the same date, or perhaps a little earlier, it was decided that the boy should go into the navy like so many of his for-bears. i have been asked to write a few pages about those early days of scott at oatlands, so that the boys who read this book may have some slight acquaintance with the boy who became captain scott; and they may be relieved to learn (as it holds out some chance for themselves) that the man who did so many heroic things does not make his first appearance as a hero. he enters history aged six, blue-eyed, long-haired, inexpressibly slight and in velveteen, being held out at arm's length by a servant and dripping horribly, like a half-drowned kitten. this is the earliest recollection of him of a sister, who was too young to join in a children's party on that fatal day. but con, as he was always called, had intimated to her that from a window she would be able to see him taking a noble lead in the festivities in the garden, and she looked; and that is what she saw. he had been showing his guests how superbly he could jump the leat, and had fallen into it. leat is a devonshire term for a running stream, and a branch of the leat ran through the oatlands garden while there was another branch, more venturesome, at the bottom of the fields. these were the waters first ploughed by scott, and he invented many ways of being in them accidentally, it being forbidden [page ] to enter them of intent. thus he taught his sisters and brother a new version of the oldest probably of all pastimes, the game of 'touch.' you had to touch 'across the leat,' and, with a little good fortune, one of you went in. once you were wet, it did not so much matter though you got wetter. an easy way of getting to the leat at the foot of the fields was to walk there, but by the time he was eight scott scorned the easy ways. he invented parents who sternly forbade all approach to this dangerous waterway; he turned them into enemies of his country and of himself (he was now an admiral), and led parties of gallant tars to the stream by ways hitherto unthought of. at foot of the avenue was an oak tree which hung over the road, and thus by dropping from this tree you got into open country. the tree was (at this time) of an enormous size, with sufficient room to conceal a navy, and the navy consisted mainly of the sisters and the young brother. all had to be ready at any moment to leap from the tree and join issue with the enemy on the leat. in the fields there was also a mighty ocean, called by dull grown-ups 'the pond,' and here scott's battleship lay moored. it seems for some time to have been an english vessel, but by and by he was impelled, as all boys are, to blow something up, and he could think of nothing more splendid for his purpose than the battleship. thus did it become promptly a ship of the enemy doing serious damage to the trade of those parts, and the valiant con took to walking about with lips pursed, brows frowning as he cogitated how to remove the [page ] terror of devon. you may picture the sisters and brother trotting by his side and looking anxiously into his set face. at last he decided to blow the accursed thing up with gunpowder. his crew cheered, and then waited to be sent to the local shop for a pennyworth of gunpowder. but con made his own gunpowder, none of the faithful were ever told how, and on a great day the train was laid. con applied the match and ordered all to stand back. a deafening explosion was expected, but a mere puff of flame was all that came; the terror of devon, which to the unimaginative was only a painted plank, still rode the waters. with many boys this would be the end of the story, but not with con. he again retired to the making of gunpowder, and did not desist from his endeavors until he had blown that plank sky-high. his first knife is a great event in the life of a boy: it is probably the first memory of many of them, and they are nearly always given it on condition that they keep it shut. so it was with con, and a few minutes after he had sworn that he would not open it he was begging for permission to use it on a tempting sapling. 'very well,' his father said grimly, 'but remember, if you hurt yourself, don't expect any sympathy from me.' the knife was opened, and to cut himself rather badly proved as easy as falling into the leat. the father, however, had not noticed, and the boy put his bleeding hand into his pocket and walked on unconcernedly. he was really considerably damaged; and this is a good story of a child of seven who all his life suffered extreme nausea from [page ] the sight of blood; even in the _discovery_ days, to get accustomed to 'seeing red,' he had to force himself to watch dr. wilson skinning his specimens. when he was about eight con passed out of the hands of a governess, and became a school-boy, first at a day school in stoke damerel and later at stubbington house, fareham. he rode grandly between oatlands and stoke damerel on his pony, beppo, which bucked in vain when he was on it, but had an ingratiating way of depositing other riders on the road. from what one knows of him later this is a characteristic story. one day he dismounted to look over a gate at a view which impressed him (not very boyish this), and when he recovered from a brown study there was no beppo to be seen. he walked the seven miles home, but what was characteristic was that he called at police-stations on the way to give practical details of his loss and a description of the pony. few children would have thought of this, but scott was naturally a strange mixture of the dreamy and the practical, and never more practical than immediately after he had been dreamy. he forgot place and time altogether when thus abstracted. i remember the first time he dined with me, when a number of well-known men had come to meet him, he arrived some two hours late. he had dressed to come out, then fallen into one of his reveries, forgotten all about the engagement, dined by himself and gone early to bed. just as he was falling asleep he remembered where he should be, arose hastily and joined us as speedily as possible. it was equally characteristic of him to say [page ] of the other guests that it was pleasant to a sailor to meet so many interesting people. when i said that to them the sailor was by far the most interesting person in the room he shouted with mirth. it always amused scott to find that anyone thought him a person of importance. [illustration: robert f. scott at the age of as a naval cadet.] i suppose everyone takes for granted that in his childhood, as later when he made his great marches, scott was muscular and strongly built. this was so far from being the case that there were many anxious consultations over him, and the local doctor said he could not become a sailor as he could never hope to obtain the necessary number of inches round the chest. he was delicate and inclined to be pigeon-breasted. judging from the portrait of him here printed, in his first uniform as a naval cadet, all this had gone by the time he was thirteen, but unfortunately there are no letters of this period extant and thus little can be said of his years on the _britannia_ where 'you never felt hot in your bunk because you could always twist, and sleep with your feet out at port hole.' he became a cadet captain, a post none can reach who is not thought well of by the other boys as well as by their instructors, but none of them foresaw that he was likely to become anybody in particular. he was still 'old mooney,' as his father had dubbed him, owing to his dreamy mind; it was an effort to him to work hard, he cast a wistful eye on 'slackers,' he was not a good loser, he was untidy to the point of slovenliness, and he had a fierce temper. all this i think has been proved to me up to the [page ] hilt, and as i am very sure that the boy of fifteen or so cannot be very different from the man he grows into it leaves me puzzled. the scott i knew, or thought i knew, was physically as hard as nails and flung himself into work or play with a vehemence i cannot remember ever to have seen equaled. i have fished with him, played cricket and football with him, and other games, those of his own invention being of a particularly arduous kind, for they always had a moment when the other players were privileged to fling a hard ball at your undefended head. 'slackness,' was the last quality you would think of when you saw him bearing down on you with that ball, and it was the last he asked of you if you were bearing down on him. he was equally strenuous of work; indeed i have no clearer recollection of him than his way of running from play to work or work to play, so that there should be the least possible time between. it is the 'time between' that is the 'slacker's' kingdom, and scott lived less in it than anyone i can recall. again, i found him the best of losers, with a shout of delight for every good stroke by an opponent: what is called an ideal sportsman. he was very neat and correct in his dress, quite a model for the youth who come after him, but that we take as a matter of course; it is 'good form' in the navy. his temper i should have said was bullet-proof. i have never seen him begin to lose it for a second of time, and i have seen him in circumstances where the loss of it would have been excusable. however, 'the boy makes the man,' and scott was [page ] none of those things i saw in him but something better. the faults of his youth must have lived on in him as in all of us, but he got to know they were there and he took an iron grip of them and never let go his hold. it was this self-control more than anything else that made the man of him of whom we have all become so proud. i get many proofs of this in correspondence dealing with his manhood days which are not strictly within the sphere of this introductory note. the horror of slackness was turned into a very passion for keeping himself 'fit.' thus we find him at one time taking charge of a dog, a 'big dane,' so that he could race it all the way between work and home, a distance of three miles. even when he was getting the _discovery_ ready and doing daily the work of several men, he might have been seen running through the streets of london from savile row or the admiralty to his home, not because there was no time for other method of progression, but because he must be fit, fit, fit. no more 'old mooney' for him; he kept an eye for ever on that gentleman, and became doggedly the most practical of men. and practical in the cheeriest of ways. in a disastrous change came over the fortunes of the family, the father's money being lost and then scott was practical indeed. a letter he wrote i at this time to his mother, tenderly taking everything and everybody on his shoulders, must be one of the best letters ever written by a son, and i hope it may be some day published. his mother was the great person of his early life, more to him even than his brother [page ] or his father, whom circumstances had deprived of the glory of following the sailor's profession and whose ambitions were all bound up in this son, determined that con should do the big things he had not done himself. for the rest of his life con became the head of the family, devoting his time and his means to them, not in an it-must-be-done manner, but with joy and even gaiety. he never seems to have shown a gayer front than when the troubles fell, and at a farm to which they retired for a time he became famous as a provider of concerts. not only must there be no 'old mooney' in him, but it must be driven out of everyone. his concerts, in which he took a leading part, became celebrated in the district, deputations called to beg for another, and once in these words, 'wull 'ee gie we a concert over our way when the comic young gentleman be here along?' some servants having had to go at this period, scott conceived the idea that he must even help domestically in the house, and took his own bedroom under his charge with results that were satisfactory to the casual eye, though not to the eyes of his sisters. it was about this time that he slew the demon of untidiness so far as his own dress was concerned and doggedly became a model for still younger officers. not that his dress was fine. while there were others to help he would not spend his small means on himself, and he would arrive home in frayed garments that he had grown out of and in very tarnished lace. but neat as a pin. in the days when he returned from [page ] his first voyage in the antarctic and all england was talking of him, one of his most novel adventures was at last to go to a first-class tailor and be provided with a first-class suit. he was as elated by the possession of this as a child. when going about the country lecturing in those days he traveled third class, though he was sometimes met at the station by mayors and corporations and red carpets. the hot tempers of his youth must still have lain hidden, but by now the control was complete. even in the naval cadet days of which unfortunately there is so little to tell, his old friends who remember the tempers remember also the sunny smile that dissipated them. when i knew him the sunny smile was there frequently, and was indeed his greatest personal adornment, but the tempers never reached the surface. he had become master of his fate and captain of his soul. in scott became a middy on the _boadicea_, and later on various ships, one of them the _rover_, of which admiral fisher was at that time commander. the admiral has a recollection of a little black pig having been found under his bunk one night. he cannot swear that scott was the leading culprit, but scott was certainly one of several who had to finish the night on deck as a punishment. in scott passed his examinations for sub-lieutenant, with four first-class honours and one second, and so left his boyhood behind. i cannot refrain however from adding as a conclusion to these notes a letter from sir courtauld [page ] thomson that gives a very attractive glimpse of him in this same year: 'in the late winter a quarter of a century ago i had to find my way from san francisco to alaska. the railway was snowed up and the only transport available at the moment was an ill-found tramp steamer. my fellow passengers were mostly californians hurrying off to a new mining camp and, with the crew, looked a very unpleasant lot of ruffians. three singularly unprepossessing frisco toughs joined me in my cabin, which was none too large for a single person. i was then told that yet another had somehow to be wedged in. while i was wondering if he could be a more ill-favored or dirtier specimen of humanity than the others the last comer suddenly appeared--the jolliest and breeziest english naval second lieutenant. it was con scott. i had never seen him before, but we at once became friends and remained so till the end. he was going up to join his ship which, i think, was the _amphion_, at esquimault, b. c. 'as soon as we got outside the golden gates we ran into a full gale which lasted all the way to victoria, b. c. the ship was so overcrowded that a large number of women and children were allowed to sleep on the floor of the only saloon there was on condition that they got up early, so that the rest of the passengers could come in for breakfast and the other meals. 'i need scarcely say that owing to the heavy weather hardly a woman was able to get up, and the [page ] saloon was soon in an indescribable condition. practically no attempt was made to serve meals and the few so-called stewards were themselves mostly out of action from drink or sea-sickness. 'nearly all the male passengers who were able to be about spent their time drinking and quarrelling. the deck cargo and some of our top hamper were washed away and the cabins got their share of the waves that were washing the deck. 'then it was i first knew that con scott was no ordinary human being. though at that time still only a boy he practically took command of the passengers and was at once accepted by them as their boss during the rest of the trip. with a small body of volunteers he led an attack on the saloon--dressed the mothers, washed the children, fed the babies, swabbed down the floors and nursed the sick, and performed every imaginable service for all hands. on deck he settled the quarrels and established order either by his personality, or, if necessary, by his fists. practically by day and night he worked for the common good, never sparing himself, and with his infectious smile gradually made us all feel the whole thing was jolly good fun. 'i daresay there are still some of the passengers like myself who, after a quarter of a century, have imprinted on their minds the vision of this fair-haired english sailor boy with the laughing blue eyes who at that early age knew how to sacrifice himself for the welfare and happiness of others.' [page ] the voyage of the 'discovery' [illustration: the 'discovery'. reproduced from a drawing by dr. e. a. wilson.] [page ] chapter i the _discovery_ do ye, by star-eyed science led, explore each lonely ocean, each untrodden shore. in june, , robert falcon scott was spending his short leave in london, and happened to meet sir clements markham in the buckingham palace road. on that afternoon he heard for the first time of a prospective antarctic expedition, and on the following day he called upon sir clements and volunteered to command it. of this eventful visit sir clements wrote: 'on june , , there was a remarkable coincidence. scott was then torpedo lieutenant of the _majestic_. i was just sitting down to write to my old friend captain egerton[ ] about him, when he was announced. he came to volunteer to command the expedition. i believed him to be the best man for so great a trust, either in the navy or out of it. captain egerton's reply and scott's testimonials and certificates most fully confirmed a foregone conclusion.' [footnote : now admiral sir george egerton, k.c.b.] the tale, however, of the friendship between sir [page ] clements and scott began in , when the former was the guest of his cousin, the commodore of the training squadron, and made the acquaintance of every midshipman in the four ships that comprised it. during the years that followed, it is enough to say that scott more than justified the hopes of those who had marked him down as a midshipman of exceptional promise. through those years sir clements had been both friendly and observant, until by a happy stroke of fortune the time came when he was as anxious for this antarctic expedition to be led by scott as scott was to lead it. so when, on june , , scott was promoted to the rank of commander, and shortly afterwards was free to undertake the work that was waiting for him, one great anxiety was removed from the shoulders of the man who had not only proposed the expedition, but had also resolved that nothing should prevent it from going. great difficulties and troubles had, however, to be encountered before the _discovery_ could start upon her voyage. first and foremost was the question of money, but owing to indefatigable efforts the financial horizon grew clearer in the early months of . later on in the same year mr. balfour expressed his sympathy with the objects of the undertaking, and it was entirely due to him that the government eventually agreed to contribute £ , , provided that a similar sum could be raised by private subscriptions. in march, , the keel of the new vessel, that the [page ] special ship committee had decided to build for the expedition, was laid in the yard of the dundee shipbuilding company. a definite beginning, at any rate, had been made; but very soon after scott had taken up his duties he found that unless he could obtain some control over the various committees and subcommittees of the expedition, the only day to fix for the sailing of the ship was doomsday. a visit to norway, where he received many practical suggestions from dr. nansen, was followed by a journey to berlin, and there he discovered that the german expedition, which was to sail from europe at the same time as his own, was already in an advanced state of preparation. considerably alarmed, he hurried back to england and found, as he had expected, that all the arrangements, which were in full swing in germany, were almost at a standstill in england. the construction of the ship was the only work that was progressing, and even in this there were many interruptions from the want of some one to give immediate decisions on points of detail. a remedy for this state of chaos had to be discovered, and on november , , the joint committee of the royal society and the royal geographical society passed a resolution, which left scott practically with a free hand to push on the work in every department, under a given estimate of expenditure in each. to safeguard the interests of the two societies the resolution provided that this expenditure should be supervised by a finance committee, [page ] and to this committee unqualified gratitude was due. difficulties were still to crop up, and as there were many scientific interests to be served, differences of opinion on points of detail naturally arose, but as far as the finance committee was concerned, it is mere justice to record that no sooner was it formed than its members began to work ungrudgingly to promote the success of the undertaking. in the meantime scott's first task was to collect, as far as possible, the various members of the expedition. before he had left the _majestic_ he had written, 'i cannot gather what is the intention as regards the crew; is it hoped to be able to embody them from the r.n.? i sincerely trust so.' in fact he had set his heart on obtaining a naval crew, partly because he thought that their sense of discipline would be invaluable, but also because he doubted his ability to deal with any other class of men. the admiralty, however, was reluctant to grant a concession that scott considered so necessary, and this reluctance arose not from any coldness towards the enterprise, but from questions of principle and precedent. at first the admiralty assistance in this respect was limited to two officers, scott himself and royds, then the limit was extended to include skelton the engineer, a carpenter and a boatswain, and thus at least a small naval nucleus was obtained. but it was not until the spring of that the admiralty, thanks to sir anthony hoskins and sir archibald douglas, gave in altogether, and as the selection of [page ] the most fitting volunteers had not yet been made, the chosen men did not join until the expedition was almost on the point of sailing. for many reasons scott was obliged to make his own headquarters in london, and the room that had been placed at his disposal in burlington house soon became a museum of curiosities. sledges, ski, fur clothing and boots were crowded into every corner, while tables and shelves were littered with correspondence and samples of tinned foods. and in the midst of this medley he worked steadily on, sometimes elated by the hope that all was going well, sometimes depressed by the thought that the expedition could not possibly be ready to start at the required date. during these busy months of preparation he had the satisfaction of knowing that the first lieutenant, the chief engineer and the carpenter were in dundee, and able to look into the numerous small difficulties that arose in connection with the building of the ship. other important posts in the expedition had also been filled up, and expeditionary work was being carried on in many places. some men were working on their especial subjects in the british museum, others were preparing themselves at the physical laboratory at kew, and others, again, were traveling in various directions both at home and abroad. of all these affairs the central office was obliged to take notice, and so for its occupants idle moments were few and very far between. nansen said once that the hardest work [page ] of a polar voyage came in its preparation, and during the years - , scott found ample cause to agree with him. but in spite of conflicting interests, which at times threatened to wreck the well-being of the expedition, work, having been properly organized, went steadily forward; until on march , , the new vessel was launched at dundee and named the '_discovery_' by lady markham. in the choice of a name it was generally agreed that the best plan was to revive some time-honoured title, and that few names were more distinguished than 'discovery.' she was the sixth of that name, and inherited a long record of honourable and fortunate service. the _discovery_ had been nothing more than a skeleton when it was decided that she should be loaded with her freight in london; consequently, after she had undergone her trials, she was brought round from dundee, and on june , , was berthed in the east india docks. there, during the following weeks, all the stores were gathered together, and there the vessel, which was destined to be the home of the expedition for more than three years, was laden. speaking at the geographical congress at berlin in , nansen strongly recommended a vessel of the _fram_ type with fuller lines for south polar work, but the special ship committee, appointed to consider the question of a vessel for this expedition, had very sound reasons for not following his advice. nansen's [page ] celebrated _fram_ was built for the specific object of remaining safely in the north polar pack, in spite of the terrible pressures which were to be expected in such a vast extent of ice. this object was achieved in the simplest manner by inclining the sides of the vessel until her shape resembled a saucer, and lateral pressure merely tended to raise her above the surface. simple as this design was, it fulfilled so well the requirements of the situation that its conception was without doubt a stroke of genius. what, however, has been generally forgotten is that the safety of the _fram_ was secured at the expense of her sea-worthiness and powers of ice-penetration. since the _fram_ was built there have been two distinct types of polar vessels, the one founded on the idea of passive security in the ice, the other the old english whaler type designed to sail the high seas and push her way through the looser ice-packs. and a brief consideration of southern conditions will show which of these types is more serviceable for antarctic exploration, because it is obvious that the exploring ship must first of all be prepared to navigate the most stormy seas in the world, and then be ready to force her way through the ice-floes to the mysteries beyond. by the general consent of those who witnessed her performances, the old _discovery_ (the fifth of her name) of was the best ship that had ever been employed on arctic service, and the ship committee eventually decided that the new vessel should be built on more [page ] or less the same lines. the new _discovery_ had the honour to be the first vessel ever built for scientific exploration, and the decision to adopt well-tried english lines for her was more than justified by her excellent qualities. the greatest strength lay in her bows, and when ice-floes had to be rammed the knowledge that the keel at the fore-end of the ship gradually grew thicker, until it rose in the enormous mass of solid wood which constituted the stem, was most comforting. no single tree could provide the wood for such a stem, but the several trees used were cunningly scarfed to provide the equivalent of a solid block. in further preparation for the battle with ice-floes, the stem itself and the bow for three or four feet on either side were protected with numerous steel plates, so that when the ship returned to civilization not a scratch remained to show the hard knocks received by the bow. the shape of the stem was also a very important consideration. in the outline drawing of the _discovery_ will be seen how largely the stem overhangs, and this was carried to a greater extent than in any former polar vessel. the object with which this was fitted was often fulfilled during the voyage. many a time on charging a large ice-floe the stem of the ship glided upwards until the bows were raised two or three feet, then the weight of the ship acting downwards would crack the floe beneath, the bow would drop, and gradually the ship would forge ahead to tussle against the [page ] next obstruction. nothing but a wooden structure has the elasticity and strength to thrust its way without injury through the thick polar ice. in dundee the building of the _discovery_ aroused the keenest interest, and the peculiar shape of her overhanging stern, an entirely new feature in this class of vessel, gave rise to the strongest criticism. all sorts of misfortunes were predicted, but events proved that this overhanging rounded form of stem was infinitely superior for ice-work to the old form of stem, because it gave better protection to the rudder, rudder post and screw, and was more satisfactory in heavy seas. [illustration: profile drawing of 'discovery'.] [illustration: outline drawings of 'discovery' and 'fram'.] both in the building and in the subsequent work of the _discovery_ the deck-house, marked on the drawing 'magnetic observatory,' was an important place. for the best of reasons it was important that the magnetic observations taken on the expedition should be as accurate as possible, and it will be readily understood that magnetic observations cannot be taken in a place closely surrounded by iron. the ardor of the magnetic experts on the ship committee had led them at first to ask that there should be neither iron nor steel in the vessel, but after it had been pointed out that this could scarcely be, a compromise was arrived at and it was agreed that no magnetic materials should be employed within thirty feet of the observatory. this decision caused immense trouble and expense, but in the end it was justified, for the magnetic observations taken on board throughout the voyage [page ] required very little correction. and if the demands of the magnetic experts were a little exacting, some amusement was also derived from them. at one time those who lived within the circle were threatened with the necessity of shaving with brass razors; and when the ship was on her way home from new zealand a parrot fell into dire disgrace, not because it was too talkative, but because it had been hanging on the mess-deck during a whole set of observations, and the wires of its cage were made of iron. the _discovery_ was, in scott's opinion, the finest vessel ever built for exploring purposes, and he was as enthusiastic about his officers and men as he was about the ship herself. the senior of the ten officers who messed with scott in the small wardroom of the _discovery_ was lieutenant a. b. armitage, r.n.r. he brought with him not only an excellent practical seamanship training in sailing ships, but also valuable polar experience; for the p. and o. company, in which he held a position, had in granted him leave of absence to join the jackson-harmsworth expedition to franz-josef land. reginald koettlitz, the senior doctor, had also seen arctic service in the jackson-harmsworth expedition. as his medical duties were expected to be light, he combined them with those of official botanist. the task of thomas v. hodgson, biologist, was to collect by hook or crook all the strange beasts [page ] that inhabit the polar seas, and no greater enthusiast for his work could have been chosen. charles w. r. royds was the first lieutenant, and had all to do with the work of the men and the internal economy of the ship in the way that is customary with a first lieutenant of a man-of-war. throughout the voyage he acted as meteorologist, and in face of great difficulties he secured the most valuable records. michael barne, the second naval lieutenant, had served with scott in the majestic. 'i had thought him,' scott wrote after the expedition had returned, 'as he proved to be, especially fitted for a voyage where there were many elements of dangers and difficulty.' the original idea in appointing two doctors to the _discovery_ was that one of them should be available for a detached landing-party. this idea was practically abandoned, but the expedition had reason to be thankful that it ever existed, for the second doctor appointed was edward a. wilson. in view of the glorious friendship which arose between them, and which in the end was destined to make history, it is of inestimable value to be able to quote what is believed to be scott's first written opinion of wilson. in a letter headed 'at sea, sept. ,' he said: 'i now come to the man who will do great things some day--wilson. he has quite the keenest intellect on board and a marvelous capacity for work. you know his artistic talent, but would be surprised at [page ] the speed at which he paints, and the indefatigable manner in which he is always at it. he has fallen at once into ship-life, helps with any job that may be in hand... in fact is an excellent fellow all round. wilson, in addition to his medical duties, was also vertebrate zoologist and artist to the expedition. in the first capacity he dealt scientifically with the birds and seals, and in the second he produced a very large number of excellent pictures and sketches of the wild scenes among which he was living. one of scott's earliest acts on behalf of the expedition was to apply for the services of reginald w. skelton as chief engineer. at the time skelton was senior engineer of the majestic, and his appointment to the _discovery_ was most fortunate in every way. from first to last there was no serious difficulty with the machinery or with anything connected with it. the geologist, hartley t. ferrar, only joined the expedition a short time before the _discovery_ sailed, and the physicist, louis bernacchi, did not join until the ship reached new zealand. in addition there were two officers who did not serve throughout the whole term. owing to ill-health ernest h. shackleton was obliged to return from the antarctic in , and his place was taken by george f. a. mulock, who was a sub-lieutenant in the navy when he joined. apart from koettlitz, who was forty, and hodgson, [page ] who was thirty-seven, the average age of the remaining members of the wardroom mess was just over twenty-four years, and at that time scott had little doubt as to the value of youth for polar service. very naturally, however, this opinion was less pronounced as the years went by, and on august , , he wrote during his last expedition: 'we (wilson and i) both conclude that it is the younger people who have the worst time... wilson ( ) says he never felt cold less than he does now; i suppose that between and is the best all-round age. bower is a wonder of course. he is . when past the forties it is encouraging to remember that peary was !' the fact that these officers lived in complete harmony for three years was proof enough that they were well and wisely chosen, and scott was equally happy in his selection of warrant officers, petty officers and men, who brought with them the sense of naval discipline that is very necessary for such conditions as exist in polar service. the _discovery_, it must be remembered, was not in government employment, and so had no more stringent regulations to enforce discipline than those contained in the merchant shipping act. but everyone on board lived exactly as though the ship was under the naval discipline act; and as the men must have known that this state of affairs was a fiction, they deserved as much credit as the officers, if not more, for continuing rigorously to observe it. [page ] something remains to be said about the _discovery's_ prospective course, and of the instructions given to captain scott. for purposes of reference sir clements markham had suggested that the antarctic area should be divided into four quadrants, to be named respectively the victoria, the ross, the weddell, and the enderby, and when he also proposed that the ross quadrant should be the one chosen for this expedition, his proposal was received with such unanimous approval that long before the _discovery_ was built her prospective course had been finally decided. in fact every branch of science saw a greater chance of success in the ross quadrant than in any other region. concerning instructions on such a voyage as the _discovery's_ it may be thought that, when once the direction is settled, the fewer there are the better. provided, however, that they leave the greatest possible freedom to the commander, they may be very useful in giving him a general view of the situation, and in stating the order in which the various objects are held. if scientific interests clash, it is clearly to the commander's advantage to know in what light these interests are regarded by those responsible for the enterprise. of such a nature were the instructions scott received before sailing for the south. during the time of preparation many busy men gave most valuable assistance to the expedition; but even with all this kindly aid it is doubtful if the _discovery_ would ever have started had it not been [page ] that among these helpers was one who, from the first, had given his whole and undivided attention to the work in hand. after all is said and done sir clements markham conceived the idea of this antarctic expedition, and it was his masterful personality which swept aside all obstacles and obstructions. [page ] chapter ii southward ho! they saw the cables loosened, they saw the gangways cleared, they heard the women weeping, they heard the men who cheered. far off-far off the tumult faded and died away. and all alone the sea wind came singing up the bay. --newbolt. on july , , the _discovery_ left the london docks, and slowly wended her way down the thames; and at cowes, on august , she was honoured by a visit from king edward vii and queen alexandra. this visit must be ever memorable for the interest their majesties showed in the minutest details of equipment; but at the same time it was natural for the members of the expedition to be obsessed by the fear that they might start with a flourish of trumpets and return with failure. the grim possibilities of the voyage were also not to be forgotten--a voyage to the antarctic, the very map of which had remained practically unaltered from - . with no previous polar experience to help him, scott was following on the track of great polar explorers, notably of james cook and james ross, of whom it has been well said that the one defined the antarctic region and the other discovered it. can it be wondered therefore that his great anxieties were [page ] to be off and doing, to justify the existence of the expedition at the earliest possible moment, and to obey the instructions which had been given him? before the _discovery_ had crossed the bay of biscay it was evident that she did not possess a turn of speed under any conditions, and that there must be none but absolutely necessary delays on the voyage, if she was to arrive in the antarctic in time to take full advantage of the southern summer of - for the first exploration in the ice. this proved a serious drawback, as it had been confidently expected that there would be ample time to make trial of various devices for sounding and dredging in the deep sea, while still in a temperate climate. the fact that no trials could be made on the outward voyage was severely felt when the antarctic was reached. on october the _discovery_ arrived within miles of the cape, and on the th was moored off the naval station at simon's bay. the main object of staying at the cape was to obtain comparisons with the magnetic instruments, but scott wrote: 'it is much to be deplored that no permanent magnetic station now exists at the cape. the fact increased the number and difficulty of our own observations, and it was quite impossible to spare the time for such repetitions and verifications as, under the circumstances, could alone have placed them beyond dispute.' armitage and barne, however, worked like trojans in taking observations, and received so much valuable assistance 'that they were able to accomplish a maximum [page ] amount of work in the limited time at their disposal.' in every way, indeed, the kindliest sympathy was shown at the cape. the magnetic work was completed on october , and two days later the _discovery_ once more put out to sea; and as time went on those on board became more and more satisfied with her seaworthy qualities. towards the end of october there was a succession of heavy following gales, but she rose like a cork to the mountainous seas that followed in her wake, and, considering her size, she was wonderfully free of water on the upper deck. with a heavy following sea, however, she was, owing to her buoyancy, extremely lively, and rolls of more than º were often recorded. the peculiar shape of the stern, to which reference has been made, was now well tested. it gave additional buoyancy to the after-end, causing the ship to rise more quickly to the seas, but the same lifting effect was also directed to throwing the ship off her course, and consequently she was difficult to steer. the helmsmen gradually became more expert, but on one occasion when scott and some other officers were on the bridge the ship swerved round, and was immediately swept by a monstrous sea which made a clean breach over her. instinctively those on the bridge clutched the rails, and for several moments they were completely submerged while the spray dashed as high as the upper topsails. on november the _discovery_ was in lat. s., long. e., and had arrived in such an extremely [page ] interesting magnetic area that they steered to the south to explore it. this new course took them far out of the track of ships and towards the regions of ice, and they had scarcely arrived in those lonely waters when scott was aroused from sleep by a loud knocking and a voice shouting, 'ship's afire, sir.' without waiting to give any details of this alarming news the informant fled, and when scott appeared hastily on the scenes he found that the deck was very dark and obstructed by numerous half-clad people, all of whom were as ignorant as he was. making his way forward he discovered that the fire had been under the forecastle, and had been easily extinguished when the hose was brought to bear on it. in these days steel ships and electric light tend to lessen the fear of fire, but in a wooden vessel the possible consequences are too serious not to make the danger very real and alarming. henceforth the risk of fire was constantly in scott's thoughts, but this was the first and last occasion on which an alarm was raised in the _discovery_. on november the th parallel was passed, and during the following morning small pieces of sea-ice, worn into fantastic shape by the action of the waves, appeared and were greeted with much excitement and enthusiasm. as the afternoon advanced signs of a heavier pack were seen ahead, and soon the loose floes were all about the ship, and she was pushing her way amongst them and receiving her baptism of ice. [page ] this was scott's first experience of pack-ice, and he has recorded how deeply he was impressed by the novelty of his surroundings. 'the wind had died away; what light remained was reflected in a ghostly glimmer from the white surface of the pack; now and again a white snow petrel flitted through the gloom, the grinding of the floes against the ship's side was mingled with the more subdued hush of their rise and fall on the long swell, and for the first time we felt something of the solemnity of these great southern solitudes.' the _discovery_ was now within miles of adélie land, and with steam could easily have pushed on towards it. but delays had already been excessive, and they could not be added to if new zealand was to be reached betimes. reluctantly the ship's head was again turned towards the north, and soon passed into looser ice. one great feature of the tempestuous seas of these southern oceans is the quantity and variety of their bird life. not only are these roaming, tireless birds to be seen in the distance, but in the majority of cases they are attracted by a ship and for hours gather close about her. the greater number are of the petrel tribe, and vary in size from the greater albatrosses, with their huge spread of wing and unwavering flight, to the small wilson stormy petrel, which flits under the foaming crests of the waves. for centuries these birds have been the friends of sailors, and as wilson was able to distinguish and [page ] name the various visitors to the _discovery_, the interest of the voyage was very greatly increased. 'at a.m. on the nd,' scott wrote in his official report of the proceedings of the expedition, 'we sighted macquarie island, exactly at the time and in the direction expected, a satisfactory fact after so long an absence from land. as the island promised so much of interest to our naturalists i thought a delay of the few hours necessary for landing would be amply justified.... a landing was effected without much difficulty, and two penguin rookeries which had been observed from the ship were explored with much interest. one proved to be inhabited by the beautifully marked king penguin, while the other contained a smaller gold-crested broad-billed species.... at p.m. the party returned to the ship, and shortly after we weighed anchor and proceeded. including those collected in the ice, we had no fewer than birds of various sorts to be skinned, and during the next few days several officers and men were busily engaged in this work under the superintendence of dr. wilson. the opportunity was taken of serving out the flesh of the penguins for food. i had anticipated considerable prejudice on the part of the men to this form of diet which it will so often be essential to enforce, and was agreeably surprised to find that they were by no means averse to it. many pronounced it excellent, and all seemed to appreciate the necessity of cultivating a taste for it. i found no prejudice more difficult to conquer than my own.' [page ] perhaps the most excited member of the party over this visit to macquarie island was scott's aberdeen terrier 'scamp,' who was most comically divided between a desire to run away from the penguins, and a feeling that in such strange company it behooved him to be very courageous. this, however, was scamp's first and last experience of penguins, for it was felt that he would be unable to live in the antarctic, and so a comfortable home was found for him in new zealand. late on november the _discovery_ arrived off lyttelton heads, and on the following day she was berthed alongside a jetty in the harbor. for both the private and the public kindness which was shown to the expedition in new zealand, no expressions of gratitude can be too warm. on every possible occasion, and in every possible way, efficient and kindly assistance was given, and this was all the more valuable because a lot of work had to be done before the ship could sail from lyttelton. the rigging had to be thoroughly overhauled and refitted; the magneticians had to undertake the comparison of their delicate instruments, and as this was the last occasion on which it could be done special attention was necessary; and a large quantity of stores had to be shipped, because some of those in the _discovery_ had been damaged by the leaky state of the ship. this leak had never been dangerous, but all the same it had entailed many weary hours of pumping, and had caused much waste of time and of provisions. among the many skilled [page ] workmen, whose united labour had produced the solid structure of the _discovery_'s hull, had been one who had shirked his task, and although the ship was docked and most determined and persistent efforts were made to find the leak, it succeeded in avoiding detection. as the month of december advanced the scene on the ship was a very busy one, but at last the day for sailing from lyttelton arrived, though not for the final departure from civilization, because a short visit was to be paid to port chalmers in the south to complete the stock of coal. on saturday, december , the ship lay alongside the wharf ready for sea and very deeply laden. 'one could reflect that it would have been impossible to have got more into her, and that all we had got seemed necessary for the voyage, for the rest we could only trust that providence would vouch-safe to us fine weather and an easy passage to the south.' new zealand, to the last, was bent on showing its enthusiasm for the expedition. two men-of-war steamed slowly out ahead of the _discovery_, while no fewer than five steamers, crowded with passengers, and with bands playing and whistles hooting, also accompanied her, until the open sea was reached and the _discovery_ slowly steamed out between the war-ships that seemed to stand as sentinels to the bay. and then, before the cheers of thousands of friends were hardly out of the ears of those on board, a tragedy happened. among the ship's company who had crowded into the rigging to wave their farewells was one young seaman, named charles bonner, who, [page ] more venturesome than the rest, had climbed above the crow's-nest to the top of the main-mast. there, seated on the truck, he had remained cheering, until in a moment of madness he raised himself into a standing position, and almost directly afterwards he fell and was instantaneously killed. on the monday the ship arrived at port chalmers, and bonner was buried with naval honours. by noon on the following day the _discovery_ was clear of the harbor bar, and was soon bowling along under steam and sail towards the south. the last view of civilization, the last sight of fields and flowers had come and gone on christmas eve, , and christmas day found the ship in the open expanse of the southern ocean, though after such a recent parting from so many kind friends no one felt inclined for the customary festivities. in good sea trim the _discovery_ had little to fear from the worst gales, but at this time she was so heavily laden that had she encountered heavy seas the consequences must have been very unpleasant. inevitably much of her large deck cargo must have been lost; the masses of wood on the superstructure would have been in great danger, while all the sheep and possibly many of the dogs would have been drowned. fine weather, however, continued, and on january scott and his companions crossed the antarctic circle, little thinking how long a time would elapse before they would recross it. at length they had entered the antarctic regions; before them lay [page ] the scene of their work, and all the trials of preparation, and the anxiety of delays, were forgotten in the fact that they had reached their goal in time to make use of the best part of the short open season in these icebound regions. soon the pack was on all sides of them, but as yet so loose that there were many large pools of open water. and then for several days the ship had really to fight her way, and scott gave high praise to the way she behaved: 'the "discovery" is a perfect gem in the pack. her size and weight behind such a stem seem to give quite the best combination possible for such a purpose. we have certainly tried her thoroughly, for the pack which we have come through couldn't have been looked at by ross even with a gale of wind behind him.' necessarily progress became slow, but life abounds in the pack, and the birds that came to visit the ship were a source of perpetual interest. the pleasantest and most constant of these visitors was the small snow petrel, with its dainty snow-white plumage relieved only by black beak and feet, and black, beady eye. these little birds abound in the pack-ice, but the blue-grey southern fulmar and the antarctic petrel were also to be seen, and that unwholesome scavenger, the giant petrel, frequently lumbered by; while the skua gull, most pugnacious of bullies, occasionally flapped past, on his way to make some less formidable bird disgorge his hard-earned dinner. the squeak of the penguin was constantly heard, at [page ] first afar and often long before the birds were seen. curiosity drew them to the ship, and as she forced her way onward these little visitors would again and again leap into the water, and journey from floe to floe in their eagerness to discover what this strange apparition could be. some of the sailors became very expert in imitating their calls, and could not only attract them from a long distance, but would visibly add to their astonishment when they approached. these were busy days for the penguins. in all parts of the pack seals are plentiful and spend long hours asleep on the floes. the commonest kind is the crab-eater or white seal, but the ross seal is not rare, and there and there is found the sea-leopard, ranging wide and preying on the penguins and even on the young of its less powerful brethren. it is curious to observe that both seals and penguins regard themselves as safe when out of the water. in the sea they are running risks all the time, and in that element nature has made them swift to prey or to avoid being preyed upon. but once on ice or land they have known no enemy, and cannot therefore conceive one. the seal merely raises its head when anyone approaches, and then with but little fear; whereas it is often difficult to drive the penguin into the water, for he is firmly convinced that the sea is the sole source of danger. several seals were killed for food, and from the first seal-meat was found palatable, if not altogether the form of diet to recommend to an epicure. the great drawback to the seal is that there is no fat except blubber, [page ] and blubber has a very strong taste and most penetrating smell. at this time blubber was an abomination to everyone both in taste and smell, and if the smallest scrap happened to have been cooked with the meat, dinner was a wasted meal. later on, however, this smell lost most of its terrors, while seal-steaks and seal-liver and kidneys were treated almost as luxuries. on the morning of january a strong water sky could be seen, and soon afterwards the officer of the watch hailed from aloft the glad tidings of an open sea to the south. presently the ship entered a belt where the ice lay in comparatively small pieces, and after pushing her way through this for over a mile, she reached the hard line where the ice abruptly ended, and to the south nothing but a clear sky could be seen. at . p.m. on the same evening the joy of being again in the open sea was intensified by a shout of 'land in sight,' and all who were not on deck quickly gathered there to take their first look at the antarctic continent. the sun, near the southern horizon, still shone in a cloudless sky, and far away to the south-west the blue outline of the high mountain peaks of victoria land could be seen. the course was now directed for robertson bay, and after some difficulty, owing to the reappearance of loose streams of pack-ice, the ship was eventually steered into the open water within the bay. robertson bay is formed by the long peninsula of cape adare, within which, standing but slightly above the level of the sea, is a curious triangular [page ] spit, probably the morainic remains of the vaster ice conditions of former ages. it was on this spit that the expedition sent forth by sir george newnes and commanded by borchgrevink spent their winter in , the first party to winter on the shores of the antarctic continent. here scott decided to land for a short time, and very soon armitage, bernacchi and barne were at work among the thousands of penguins that abounded, while the naturalists wandered further afield in search of specimens. in the center of cape adare beach the hut used by the members of borchgrevink's party was still found to be standing in very good condition, though at the best of times deserted dwellings are far from cheerful to contemplate. bernacchi had been a member of this small party of eight, and on the spot he recalled the past, and told of the unhappy death of hanson--one of his comrades. later on bernacchi and some others landed again to visit hanson's grave, and to see that all was well with it. they took a tin cylinder containing the latest report of the voyage with them, and were told to place it in some conspicuous part of the hut. in the following year this cylinder was found by the _morning_,[ ] and so the first information was given that the _discovery_ had succeeded in reaching these southern regions. [footnote : the relief ship.] on january , when the weather was still calm and bright, the ship again stood out to sea, and was steered close around cape adare in the hope of finding [page ] a clear channel near at hand. very soon, however, the tidal stream began to make from the south, and the whole aspect of the streams of heavy pack-ice rapidly changed. almost immediately the pack was about the ship, and she was being rapidly borne along with it. across the entrance to the bay was a chain of grounded icebergs, and it was in this direction that she was being carried. for the first time they faced the dangers of the pack, and realized its mighty powers. little or nothing could be done, for the floes around them were heavier than anything they had yet encountered. twist and turn as they would no appreciable advance could be made, and in front of one colossal floe the ship was brought to a standstill for nearly half an hour. but they still battled on; armitage remained aloft, working the ship with admirable patience; the engine-room, as usual, answered nobly to the call for more steam, and the _discovery_ exerted all her powers in the struggle; but, in spite of these efforts, progress was so slow that it looked almost certain that she would be carried down among the bergs. 'it was one of those hours,' scott says, 'which impress themselves for ever on the memory. above us the sun shone in a cloudless sky, its rays were reflected from a myriad points of tire glistening pack; behind us lay the lofty snow-clad mountains, the brown sun-kissed cliffs of the cape, and the placid glassy waters of the bay; the air about us was almost breathlessly still; crisp, clear and sun-lit, it seemed an atmosphere in which all nature should rejoice; [page ] the silence was broken only by the deep panting of our engines and the slow, measured hush of the grinding floes; yet, beneath all, ran this mighty, relentless tide, bearing us on to possible destruction. it seemed desperately unreal that danger could exist in the midst of so fair a scene, and as one paced to and fro on the few feet of throbbing plank that constituted our bridge, it was difficult to persuade oneself that we were so completely impotent.' with the exception of scott himself only those who were actually on watch were on deck during this precarious time, for the hour was early, and the majority were asleep in their bunks below, happily oblivious of the possible dangers before them. and the fact that they were not aroused is a proof that a fuss was rarely made in the _discovery_, if it could by any conceivable means be avoided. at last, however, release came from this grave danger, and it came so gradually that it was difficult to say when it happened. little by little the tidal stream slackened, the close-locked floes fell slightly apart, and under her full head of steam the ship began to forge ahead towards the open sea and safety. 'for me,' scott adds, 'the lesson had been a sharp and, i have no doubt, a salutary one; we were here to fight the elements with their icy weapons, and once and for all this taught me not to undervalue the enemy.' during the forenoon the ship was within seven or eight miles of the high bold coast-line to the south of cape adare, but later she had to be turned outwards [page ] so that the heavy stream of pack-ice drifting along the land could be avoided. by the morning of the th she was well clear of the land, but the various peaks and headlands which sir james ross had named could be distinctly seen, and gave everyone plenty to talk and think about. progress, however, was slow, owing to a brisk s. e. wind and the fact that only one boiler was being used. of all economies practiced on board the most important was that of coal, but scott was not at all sure that this decision to use only one boiler was really economical. certainly coal was saved but time was also wasted, and against an adverse wind the _discovery_ could only make fifty-five miles on the th, and on the th she scarcely made any headway at all, for the wind had increased and a heavy swell was coming up from the south. to gain shelter scott decided to turn in towards the high cliffs of coulman island, the land of which looked illusively near as they approached it. so strong was this deception that the engines were eased when the ship was still nearly two miles away from the cliffs. later on, in their winter quarters and during their sledge journeys, they got to know how easy it was to be deluded as regards distance, and what very false appearances distant objects could assume. this matter is of interest, because it shows that polar explorers must be exceedingly cautious in believing the evidence of their own eyes, and it also explains the errors which the _discovery_ expedition found to [page ] have been made by former explorers, and which they knew must have been made in all good faith. during the night of the th the ship lay under the shelter of coulman island, but by the morning the wind had increased to such a furious gale, and the squalls swept down over the cliffs with such terrific violence, that in spite of every effort to keep her in her station she began to lose ground. in the afternoon the wind force was ninety miles an hour, and as they continued to lose ground they got into a more choppy sea, which sent the spray over them in showers, to freeze as it fell. again the situation was far from pleasant; to avoid one berg they were forced to go about, and in doing so they ran foul of another. as they came down on it the bowsprit just swept clear of its pinnacled sides, and they took the shock broad on their bows. it sent the ship reeling round, but luckily on the right tack to avoid further complications. the following night was dismal enough; again and again small bergs appeared through the blinding spray and drift, and only with great difficulty could the unmanageable ship be brought to clear them. even gales, however, must have an end, and towards morning the wind moderated, and once more they were able to steam up close to the island. and there, between two tongues of ice off cape wadworth, they landed on the steep rocks and erected a staff bearing a tin cylinder with a further record of the voyage. by the time this had been done the wind had fallen completely, and in [page ] the evening the ship entered a long inlet between cape jones and the barrier-ice, and later turned out, of this into a smaller inlet in the barrier-ice itself. she was now in a very well-sheltered spot, and night, as often happened in the antarctic regions, was turned into day so that several seals could be killed. 'it, seemed a terrible desecration,' scott says, 'to come to this quiet spot only to murder its innocent inhabitants, and stain the white snow with blood.' but there was the best of all excuses, namely necessity, for this massacre, because there was no guarantee that seals would be found near the spot in which the ship wintered, and undoubtedly the wisest plan was to make sure of necessary food. while the seal carcasses and some ice for the boilers were being obtained, scott turned in to get some rest before putting out to sea again, and on returning to the deck at . he was told that the work was completed, but that some five hours before wilson, ferrar, cross and weller had got adrift of a floe, and that no one had thought of picking them up. although the sun had been shining brightly all night, the temperature had been down to °, and afar off scott could see four disconsolate figures tramping about, and trying to keep themselves warm on a detached floe not more than fifteen yards across. when at length the wanderers scrambled over the side it was very evident that they had a grievance, and not until they had been warmed by hot cocoa could they talk with ease of their experiences. they [page ] had been obliged to keep constantly on the move, and when they thought of smoking to relieve the monotony they found that they had pipes and tobacco, but no matches. while, however, they were dismally bemoaning this unfortunate state of affairs wilson, who did not smoke, came to the rescue and succeeded in producing fire with a small pocket magnifying glass--a performance which testified not only to wilson's resource, but also to the power of the sun in these latitudes. on the th the ship had to stand out farther and farther from the land to clear the pack, and when on the th she arrived in the entrance to wood bay it was also found to be heavily packed. a way to the n. and n.w. the sharp peaks of monteagle and murchison, among bewildering clusters of lesser summits, could be seen; across the bay rose the magnificent bare cliff of cape sibbald, while to the s.w. the eye lingered pleasantly upon the uniform outline of mount melbourne. this fine mountain rears an almost perfect volcanic cone to a height of , feet, and with no competing height to take from its grandeur, it constitutes the most magnificent landmark on the coast. cape washington, a bold, sharp headland, projects from the foot of the mountain on its eastern side, and finding such heavy pack in wood bay, scott decided to turn to the south to pass around this cape. from this point the voyage promised to be increasingly interesting, since the coast to the south of cape washington was practically unknown. pack-ice was [page ] still a formidable obstacle, but on the th the _discovery_ pushed her way into an inlet where she met ice which had been formed inside and but recently broken up. the ice was perfectly smooth, and as it showed absolutely no sign of pressure there was no doubting that this inlet would make a secure wintering harbor. already a latitude had been reached in which it was most desirable to find safe winter quarters for the ship. in england many people had thought that wood bay would be the most southerly spot where security was likely to be found, but scott had seen enough of the coast-line to the south of that place to realize the impossibility of traveling along it in sledges, and to convince him that if any advance to the south was to be made, a harbor in some higher latitude must be found. this inlet was afterwards named granite harbor, and so snug and secure a spot was it to winter in that scott expressed his thankfulness that he did not yield to its allurements. 'surrounded as we should have been by steep and lofty hills, we could have obtained only the most local records of climatic conditions, and our meteorological observations would have been comparatively valueless; but the greatest drawback would have been that we should be completely cut off from traveling over the sea-ice beyond the mouth of our harbor.... it is when one remembers how naturally a decision to return to this place might have been made, that one sees how easily the results of the expedition might have been missed.' [page ] it was, however, consoling at the time to know that, in default of a better place, a safe spot had been found for wintering, so with granite harbor in reserve the ship again took up her battle with the ice; and on the st she was in the middle of mcmurdo sound, and creeping very slowly through the pack-ice, which appeared from the crow's-nest to extend indefinitely ahead. they were now within a few miles of the spot where they ultimately took up their winter quarters, but nearly three weeks were to pass before they returned there. 'at p.m. on the st,' scott says, 'we thought we knew as much of this region as our heavy expenditure of coal in the pack-ice would justify us in finding out, and as before us lay the great unsolved problem of the barrier and of what lay beyond it, we turned our course with the cry of eastward ho!' [page ] chapter iii in search of winter quarters beholde i see the haven near at hand to which i mean my wearie course to bend; vere the main sheet and bear up to the land to which afore is fairly to be ken'd. --spenser, faerie queene. in their journey from cape washington to the south something had already been done to justify the dispatch of the expedition. a coast-line which hitherto had been seen only at a great distance, and reported so indefinitely that doubts were left with regard to its continuity, had been resolved into a concrete chain of mountains; and the positions and forms of individual heights, with the curious ice formations and the general line of the coast, had been observed. in short the map of the antarctic had already received valuable additions, and whatever was to happen in the future that, at any rate, was all to the good. at p.m. on the nd the ship arrived off the bare land to the westward of cape crozier, where it was proposed to erect a post and leave a cylinder containing an account of their doings, so that the chain of records might be completed. after a landing had [page ] been made with some difficulty, a spot was chosen in the center of the penguin rookery on a small cliff overlooking the sea, and here the post was set up and anchored with numerous boulders. in spite of every effort to mark the place, at a few hundred yards it was almost impossible to distinguish it; but although this small post on the side of a vast mountain looked a hopeless clue, it eventually brought the _morning_ into mcmurdo sound. while bernacchi and barne set up their magnetic instruments and began the chilly task of taking observations, the others set off in twos and threes to climb the hillside. scott, royds and wilson scrambled on until at last they reached the summit of the highest of the adjacent volcanic cones, and were rewarded by a first view of the great ice barrier.[ ] [footnote : the immense sheet of ice, over miles wide and of still greater length.] 'perhaps,' scott says, 'of all the problems which lay before us in the south we were most keenly interested in solving the mysteries of this great ice-mass.... for sixty years it had been discussed and rediscussed, and many a theory had been built on the slender foundation of fact which alone the meager information concerning it could afford. now for the first time this extraordinary ice-formation was seen from above.... it was an impressive sight and the very vastness of what lay at our feet seemed to add to our sense of its mystery.' early on the rd they started to steam along the [page ] ice-face of the barrier; and in order that nothing should be missed it was arranged that the ship should continue to skirt close to the ice-cliff, that the officers of the watch should repeatedly observe and record its height, and that three times in the twenty-four hours the ship should be stopped and a sounding taken. in this manner a comparatively accurate survey of the northern limit of the barrier was made. on steaming along the barrier it was found that although they were far more eager to gain new information than to prove that old information was incorrect, a very strong case soon began to arise against the parry mountains, which ross had described as 'probably higher than we have yet seen'; and later on it was known with absolute certainty that these mountains did not exist. this error on the part of such a trustworthy and cautious observer, scott ascribes to the fact that ross, having exaggerated the height of the barrier, was led to suppose that anything seen over it at a distance must be of great altitude. 'but,' he adds, 'whatever the cause, the facts show again how deceptive appearances may be and how easily errors may arise. in fact, as i have said before, one cannot always afford to trust the evidence of one's own eyes.' though the ship was steaming along this ice-wall for several days, the passage was not in the least monotonous, because new variations were continually showing themselves, and all of them had to be carefully observed and recorded. this work continued for several days until, on january , they arrived at a particularly interesting place, to [page ] the southward and eastward of the extreme position reached by ross in . from that position he had reported a strong appearance of land to the southeast, and consequently all eyes were directed over the icy cliffs in that direction. but although the afternoon was bright and clear, nothing from below or from aloft could be seen, and the only conclusion to be made was that the report was based on yet another optical illusion. but in spite of the disappointment at being unable to report that ross's 'appearance of land' rested on solid foundations, there was on the afternoon of the th an indescribable sense of impending change. 'we all felt that the plot was thickening, and we could not fail to be inspirited by the fact that we had not so far encountered the heavy pack-ice which ross reported in this region, and that consequently we were now sailing in an open sea into an unknown world.' the course lay well to the northward of east, and the change came at p.m. when suddenly the ice-cliff turned to the east, and becoming more and more irregular continued in that direction for about five miles, when again it turned sharply to the north. into the deep bay thus formed they ran, and as the ice was approached they saw at once that it was unlike anything yet seen. the ice-foot descended to various heights of ten or twenty feet above the water, and behind it the snow surface rose in long undulating slopes to rounded ridges, the heights of which could only be guessed. whatever doubt remained in their minds that this was snow-covered land, a sounding of fathoms quickly removed it. [page ] but what a land! on the swelling mounds of snow above them there was not one break, not a feature to give definition to the hazy outline. no scene could have been more perfectly devised to produce optical illusions. and then, while there was so much to observe, a thick fog descended, and blotted out all hope of seeing what lay beyond the ice-foot. during the afternoon of january the fog was less dense, but still no sign of bare land could be seen, and it was not until the bell had sounded for the evening meal that two or three little black patches, which at first were mistaken for detached cloud, appeared. 'we gazed idly enough at them till someone remarked that he did not believe they were clouds; then all glasses were leveled; assertions and contradictions were numerous, until the small black patches gradually assumed more and more definite shape, and all agreed that at last we were looking at real live rock, the actual substance of our newly discovered land.... it is curious to reflect now on the steps which led us to the discovery of king edward's land, and the chain of evidence which came to us before the actual land itself was seen: at first there had been the shallow soundings, and the sight of gently rising snow-slopes, of which, in the nature of things, one is obliged to retain a doubt; then the steeper broken slopes of snow, giving a contrast to convey a surer evidence to the eye; and, finally the indubitable land itself, but even then surrounded with such mystery as to leave us far from complete satisfaction with our discovery.' [page ] the temptation to push farther and farther to the east was almost irresistible, but with the young ice forming rapidly around them, scott, on february , decided to return, and on their way back along the barrier they experienced much lower temperatures than on the outward journey. during the return journey they landed on the barrier, and on february preparations for a balloon ascent were made. 'the honour,' scott says, 'of being the first aeronaut to make an ascent in the antarctic regions, perhaps somewhat selfishly, i chose for myself, and i may further confess that in so doing i was contemplating the first ascent i had made in any region, and as i swayed about in what appeared a very inadequate basket and gazed down on the rapidly diminishing figures below, i felt some doubt as to whether i had been wise in my choice.' if, however, this ascent was not altogether enjoyed by the aeronaut, it, at any rate, gave him considerable information about the barrier surface towards the south; and, to his surprise, he discovered that instead of the continuous level plain that he had expected, it continued in a series of long undulations running approximately east and west, or parallel to the barrier surface. later on, however, when the sledge-party taken out by armitage returned, they reported that these undulations were not gradual as had been supposed from the balloon, but that the crest of each wave was flattened into a long plateau, from which the descent into the succeeding valley was comparatively sharp. on the evening of the th they put out [page ] to sea again, and on the th they were once more in mcmurdo sound, with high hopes that they would soon find a sheltered nook in which the _discovery_ could winter safely, and from which the sledge-parties could set forth upon the task of exploring the vast new world around them. without any delay they set out to examine their immediate surroundings, and found a little bay which promised so well for the winter that scott's determination to remain in this region was at once strengthened. the situation, however, was surrounded with difficulties, for although the ice had broken far afield it refused to move out of the small bay on which they had looked with such eager eyes; consequently they were forced to cling to the outskirts of the bay with their ice-anchors, in depths that were too great to allow the large anchors to be dropped to the bottom. the weather also was troublesome, for after the ship had lain quietly during several hours a sudden squall would fling her back on her securing ropes, and, uprooting the ice-anchors, would ultimately send her adrift. in spite, however, of the difficulty of keeping the ship in position, steady progress was made with the work on shore, and this consisted mainly in erecting the various huts which had been brought in pieces. the original intention had been that the _discovery_ should not winter in the antarctic, but should land a small party and turn northward before the season closed, and for this party a large hut had been carried south. but even when it had been decided to keep the [page ] ship as a home, it was obvious that a shelter on shore must be made before exploring parties could be safely sent away; since until the ship was frozen in a heavy gale might have driven her off her station for several days, if not altogether. in seeking winter quarters so early in february, scott had been firmly convinced that the season was closing in. 'with no experience to guide us, our opinion could only be based on the very severe and unseasonable conditions which we had met with to the east. but now to our astonishment we could see no sign of a speedy freezing of the bay; the summer seemed to have taken a new lease, and for several weeks the fast sea-ice continued to break silently and to pass quietly away to the north in large floes.' in addition to the erection of the main hut, two small huts which had been brought for the magnetic instruments had to be put together. the parts of these were, of course, numbered, but the wood was so badly warped that dailey, the carpenter, had to use a lot of persuasion before the joints would fit. on february scott wrote in his diary: 'we have landed all the dogs, and their kennels are ranged over the hillside below the huts.... it is surprising what a number of things have to be done, and what an unconscionable time it takes to do them. the hut-building is slow work, and much of our time has been taken in securing the ship.... names have been given to the various landmarks in our vicinity. the end of our peninsula is to be called "cape armitage," after our excellent navigator. the sharp hill above it [page ] is to be "observation hill."... next comes the "gap," through which we can cross the peninsula at a comparatively low level. north of the "gap" are "crater heights," and the higher volcanic peak beyond is to be "crater hill"; it is , feet in height. our protecting promontory is to be "hut point," with "arrival bay" on the north and "winter quarter bay" on the south; above "arrival bay" are the "arrival heights," which continue with breaks for about three miles to a long snow-slope, beyond which rises the most conspicuous landmark on our peninsula, a high, precipitous-sided rock with a flat top, which has been dubbed "castle rock"; it is , feet in height. 'in spite of the persistent wind, away up the bay it is possible to get some shelter, and here we take our ski exercise.... skelton is by far the best of the officers, though possibly some of the men run him close.' on the th the first small reconnoitering sledge party went out, and on their return three days later they were so excited by their experiences that some time passed before they could answer the questions put to them. although the temperature had not been severe they had nearly got into serious trouble by continuing their march in a snowstorm, and when they did stop to camp they were so exhausted that frost-bites were innumerable. the tent had been difficult to get up, and all sorts of trouble with the novel cooking apparatus had followed. 'it is strange now,' scott wrote three years later, 'to look back on [page ] these first essays at sledding, and to see how terribly hampered we were by want of experience.' by february the main hut was practically finished, and as a quantity of provisions and oil, with fifteen tons of coal, had been landed, the ship could be left without anxiety, and arrangements for the trip, which scott hoped to lead himself, were pushed forward. the object of this journey was to try and reach the record at cape crozier over the barrier, and to leave a fresh communication there with details of the winter quarters. on the following day, however, scott damaged his right knee while skiing, and had to give up all idea of going to cape crozier. 'i already foresaw how much there was to be learnt if we were to do good sledding work in the spring, and to miss such an opportunity of gaining experience was terribly trying; however, there was nothing to be done but to nurse my wounded limb and to determine that never again would i be so rash as to run hard snow-slopes on ski.' by march the preparation of the sledge party was completed. the party consisted of four officers, royds, koettlitz, skelton and barne, and eight men, and was divided into two teams, each pulling a single sledge and each assisted by four dogs. but again the want of experience was badly felt, and in every respect the lack of system was apparent. though each requirement might have been remembered, all were packed in a confused mass, and, to use a sailor's expression, 'everything was on top and nothing handy.' [page ] once more scott comments upon this lack of experience: 'on looking back i am only astonished that we bought that experience so cheaply, for clearly there were the elements of catastrophe as well as of discomfort in the disorganized condition in which our first sledge parties left the ship.' the days following the departure of the sledge party were exceptionally fine, but on tuesday, march , those on board the ship woke to find the wind blowing from the east; and in the afternoon the wind increased, and the air was filled with thick driving snow. this tuesday was destined to be one of the blackest days spent by the expedition in the antarctic, but no suspicion that anything untoward had happened to the sledge party arose until, at . p.m., there was a report that four men were walking towards the ship. then the sense of trouble was immediate, and the first disjointed sentences of the newcomers were enough to prove that disasters had occurred. the men, as they emerged from their thick clothing, were seen to be wild, weller, heald and plumley, but until scott had called wild, who was the most composed of the party, aside, he could not get any idea of what had actually happened, and even wild was too exhausted, and excited to give anything but a meager account. scott, however, did manage to discover that a party of nine, in charge of barne, had been sent back, and early in the day had reached the crest of the hills somewhere by castle rock. in addition, wild told him, to the four who had returned, the party had [page ] consisted of barne, quartley, evans, hare and vince. they had thought that they were quite close to the ship, and when the blizzard began they had left their tents and walked towards her supposed position. then they found themselves on a steep slope and tried to keep close together, but it was impossible to see anything. suddenly hare had disappeared, and a few minutes after evans went. barne and quartley had left them to try to find out what had become of evans, and neither of them had come back, though they waited. afterwards they had gone on, and had suddenly found themselves at the edge of a precipice with the sea below; vince had shot past over the edge. wild feared all the others must be lost; he was sure vince had gone. could he guide a search party to the scene of the accident? he thought he could--at any rate he would like to try. the information was little enough but it was something on which to act, and though the first disastrous news had not been brought until . p.m. the relieving party had left the ship before p.m. owing to his knee scott could not accompany the party, and armitage took charge of it. subsequently the actual story of the original sledge party was known, and the steps that led to the disaster could be traced. on their outward journey they had soon come to very soft snow, and after three days of excessive labour royds had decided that the only chance of making progress was to use snow-shoes; but unfortunately there were only three pairs of ski [page ] with the party, and royds resolved to push on to cape crozier with koettlitz and skelton, and to send the remainder back in charge of barne. the separation took place on the th, and on the th the returning party, having found an easier route than on their way out, were abreast of castle rock. scarcely, however, had they gained the top of the ridge about half a mile south-west of castle rock, when a blizzard came on and the tents were hastily pitched. 'we afterwards weathered many a gale,' scott says, 'in our staunch little tents, whilst their canvas sides flapped thunderously hour after hour.... but to this party the experience was new; they expected each gust that swept down on them would bear the tents bodily away, and meanwhile the chill air crept through their leather boots and ill-considered clothing, and continually some frost-bitten limb had to be nursed back to life.' at ordinary times hot tea or cocoa would have revived their spirits, but now the cooking apparatus was out of order, and taking everything into consideration it was small wonder that they resolved to make for the ship, which they believed to be only a mile or so distant. 'before leaving,' barne wrote in his report, 'i impressed on the men, as strongly as i could, the importance of keeping together, as it was impossible to distinguish any object at a greater distance than ten yards on account of the drifting snow.' but after they had struggled a very short distance, hare, who [page ] had been at the rear of the party, was reported to be missing, and soon afterwards evans 'stepped back on a patch of bare smooth ice, fell, and shot out of sight immediately.' then barne, having cautioned his men to remain where they were, sat down and deliberately started to slide in evans's track. in a moment the slope grew steeper, and he was going at such a pace that all power to check himself had gone. in the mad rush he had time to wonder vaguely what would come next, and then his flight was arrested, and he stood up to find evans within a few feet of him. they had scarcely exchanged greetings when the figure of quartley came hurtling down upon them from the gloom, for he had started on the same track, and had been swept down in the same breathless and alarming manner. to return by the way they had come down was impossible, and so they decided to descend, but within four paces of the spot at which they had been brought to rest, they found that the slope ended suddenly in a steep precipice, beyond which nothing but clouds of snow could be seen. for some time after this they sat huddled together, forlornly hoping that the blinding drift would cease, but at last they felt that whatever happened they must keep on the move, and groping their way to the right they realized that the sea was at their feet, and that they had been saved from it by a patch of snow almost on the cornice of the cliff. presently a short break in the storm enabled them to see castle rock above their heads, and slowly making their way [page ] up the incline, they sought the shelter of a huge boulder; and there, crouched together, they remained for several hours. meanwhile the party had remained in obedience to orders at the head of the slope, and had shouted again and again in the lulls of the whirling storm. but after waiting for a long time they felt that something was amiss, and that it was hopeless to remain where they were. 'as usual on such occasions,' scott says, 'the leading spirit came to the fore, and the five who now remained submitted themselves to the guidance of wild, and followed him in single file as he again struck out in the direction in which they supposed the ship to lie.' in this manner they descended for about yards, until wild suddenly saw the precipice beneath his feet, and far below, through the wreathing snow, the sea. he sprang back with a cry of warning, but in an instant vince had flashed past and disappeared. then, horror-stricken and dazed, they vaguely realized that at all costs they must ascend the slope down which they had just come. all of them spoke afterwards of that ascent with horror, and wondered how it had ever been made. they could only hold themselves by the soles of their boots, and to slip to their knees meant inevitably to slide backwards towards the certain fate below. literally their lives depended on each foothold. wild alone had a few light nails in his boots, and to his great credit he used this advantage to give a helping hand in turn to each [page ] of his companions. when, after desperate exertions, they did reach the top of the slope their troubles were not finished, for they were still ignorant of the position of the ship. wild, however, again took the lead, and it was largely due to him that the party eventually saw the ship looming through the whirl of snow. 'it is little wonder that after such an experience they should have been, as i have mentioned, both excited and tired.' the hours following the departure of armitage and his search party on this fatal night were unforgettable. scott, hatefully conscious of his inability to help on account of his injured leg, admits that he could not think of any further means to render assistance, but he says, 'as was always my experience in the _discovery_, my companions were never wanting in resource.' soon the shrill screams of the siren were echoing among the hills, and in ten minutes after the suggestion had been made, a whaler was swinging alongside ready to search the cliffs on the chance of finding vince. but for scott and those who had to wait inactively on board there was nothing to do but stand and peer through the driving snow, and fully three hours passed before there was a hail from without, and ferrar appeared leading three of the lost--barne, evans and quartley. an hour later the main search party returned, having done all that men could do in such weather. a more complete search was impossible, but it had to be admitted that the chance of seeing [page ] hare or vince again was very small. sadly it had to be realized that two men were almost certainly lost, but there was also no disguising the fact that a far greater tragedy might have happened. indeed, it seemed miraculous that any of the party were alive to tell the tale, and had not barne, evans and quartley heard the faint shrieks of the siren, and in response to its welcome sound made one more effort to save themselves, the sledge party would in all probability not have found them. all three of them were badly frost-bitten, and one of barne's hands was in such a serious condition that for many days it was thought that his fingers would have to be amputated. the end of this story, however, is not yet told, for on march scott wrote in his diary: 'a very extraordinary thing has happened. at a.m. a figure was seen descending the hillside. at first we thought it must be some one who had been for an early walk; but it was very soon seen that the figure was walking weakly, and, immediately after, the men who were working in the hut were seen streaming out towards it. in a minute or two we recognized the figure as that of young hare, and in less than five he was on board.... we soon discovered that though exhausted, weak, and hungry, he was in full possession of his faculties and quite free from frost-bites. he went placidly off to sleep whilst objecting to the inadequacy of a milk diet.' later on hare, who like vince had been wearing fur boots, explained that he had left his companions [page ] to return to the sledges and get some leather boots, and had imagined that the others understood what he intended to do. soon after he had started back he was wandering backwards and forwards, and knew that he was walking aimlessly to and fro. the last thing he remembered was making for a patch of rock where he hoped to find shelter, and there he must have lain in the snow for thirty-six hours, though he required a lot of persuasion before he could be convinced of this. when he awoke he found himself covered with snow, but on raising himself he recognized crater hill and other landmarks, and realized exactly where the ship lay. then he started towards her, but until his intense stiffness wore off he was obliged to travel upon his hands and knees. but though hare was safe, vince was undoubtedly gone. 'finally and sadly we had to resign ourselves to the loss of our shipmate, and the thought was grievous to all.... life was a bright thing to him, and it is something to think that death must have come quickly in the grip of that icy sea.' this fatal mishap naturally caused increased anxiety about the three men who had gone on, and anxiety was not diminished when, on the th, skelton was seen coming down, the hill alone. the others, however, were close behind him, and all three of them were soon safely on board. on the th royds had been compelled to abandon the attempt to reach the record at cape crozier, but he did not turn back until it was evident that a better [page ] equipped party with more favorable weather would easily get to it. on comparing notes with his party, scott recognized what a difference there might be in the weather conditions of places within easy reach of the ship, and not only in temperature but also in the force and direction of the wind. it had not occurred to anyone that within such a short distance of the ship any large difference of temperature was probable, and as the summer was barely over, royds, koettlitz and skelton had only taken a light wolf-skin fur suit for night-wear. this, however, had proved totally inadequate when the thermometer fell to - °, and on the night of the th uncontrollable paroxysms of shivering had prevented them from getting any sleep. the value of proper clothing and the wisdom of being prepared for the unexpected rigors of such a fickle climate, were two of the lessons learnt from the experiences of the cape crozier party. as the days of march went by scott began really to wonder whether the sea ever intended to freeze over satisfactorily, and at such an advanced date there were many drawbacks in this unexpected state of affairs. until the ship was frozen in, the security of their position was very doubtful; economy of coal had long since necessitated the extinction of fires in the boilers, and if a heavy gale drove the ship from her shelter, steam could only be raised with difficulty and after the lapse of many hours. there was, too, the possibility that the ship, if once driven off, would not be able to return, and so it was obviously unsafe [page ] to send a large party away from her, because if she went adrift most of them would be needed. another annoying circumstance was that until they had a solid sheet of ice around them they could neither set up the meteorological screen, nor, in short, carry out any of the routine scientific work which was such an important object of the expedition. at this time scott was eager to make one more sledding effort before the winter set in. the ostensible reason was to layout a depôt of provisions to the south in preparation for the spring, but 'a more serious purpose was to give himself and those who had not been away already a practical insight into the difficulties of sledge traveling. but as this party would have to include the majority of those on board, he was forced to wait until the ship was firmly fixed, and it may be said that the _discovery_ was as reluctant to freeze-in as she was difficult to get out when once the process had been completed. on march , however, scott was able to write in his diary: 'the sea is at last frozen over, and if this weather lasts the ice should become firm enough to withstand future gales. we have completed the packing of our sledges, though i cannot say i am pleased with their appearance; the packing is not neat enough, and we haven't got anything like a system.' three days later a party of twelve, divided into two teams, each with a string of sledges and nine dogs, made a start. their loads were arranged on the theory [page ] of lbs. to each man, and lbs. to each dog, but they very quickly discovered that the dogs were not going to have anything to do with such a theory as this. the best of them would only pull about lbs., and some of the others had practically to be pulled. later on scott learned that it was a bad plan to combine men and dogs on a sledge, because the dogs have their own pace and manner of pulling, and neither of these is adapted to the unequal movement caused by the swing of marching men. and on this occasion another reason for the inefficiency of the dogs was that they were losing their coats, and had but little protection against the bitterly cold wind. 'as a matter of fact, our poor dogs suffered a great deal from their poorly clothed condition during the next week or two, and we could do little to help them; but nature seemed to realize the mistake, and came quickly to the rescue: the new coats grew surprisingly fast, and before the winter had really settled down on us all the animals were again enveloped in their normally thick woolly covering. the refusal of the dogs to work on this trip meant that the men had to do far more than their share, and from the first they had no chance of carrying out their intentions. each hour, however, was an invaluable experience, and when a return was made to the ship scott was left with much food for thought. 'in one way or another each journey had been a failure; we had little or nothing to show for our labours. the errors were patent; food, clothing, everything was [page ] wrong, the whole system was bad. it was clear that there would have to be a thorough reorganization before the spring, and it was well to think that before us lay a long winter in which this might be effected.' but in a sense even these failures were successful, for everyone resolved to profit by the mistakes that had been made and the experience that had been gained, and the successful sledge journeys subsequently made in the spring were largely due to the failures of the autumn. [page ] chapter iv the polar winter the cold ice slept below, above the cold sky shone, and all around with a chilling sound from caves of ice and fields of snow the breath of night like death did flow beneath the sinking moon.--shelley. the sun was due to depart before the end of april, and so no time could be wasted if the outside work, which had been delayed by the tardy formation of the ice-sheet, was to be completed before the daylight vanished. one of the most urgent operations was to get up the meteorological screen, which had been made under the superintendence of royds. the whole of this rather elaborate erection was, placed about yards astern of the ship, and consequently in a direction which, with the prevalent south-easterly winds, would be to windward of her. to obtain a complete record of meteorological observations was one of the most important scientific objects of the expedition, and it was decided that the instruments should be read and recorded every two hours. consequently in calm or storm [page ] some member of the community had to be on the alert, and every other hour to make the rounds of the various instruments. on a fine night this was no great hardship, but in stormy weather the task was not coveted by anyone. on such occasions it was necessary to be prepared to resist the wind and snowdrift, and the round itself was often full of exasperating annoyances. in fact the trials and tribulations of the meteorological observers were numerous, and it was arranged that throughout the winter each officer should take it in turn to make the night observations from p.m. to a.m. wilson nobly offered always to take the a.m. observation, but the lion's share of the work fell on royds himself, since besides taking his share of the night work he also, throughout the first winter and a great part of the second, took all the observations between a.m. and p.m. the magnetic huts and all that appertained to them were bernacchi's special business, and many times daily he was to be seen journeying to and fro in attendance upon his precious charge. the general reader may well ask why so much trouble should be taken to ascertain small differences in the earth's magnetism, and he can scarcely be answered in a few words. broadly speaking, however, the earth is a magnet, and its magnetism is constantly changing. but why it is a magnet, or indeed what magnetism may be, is unknown, and obviously the most hopeful way of finding an explanation of a phenomenon is to study it. for many reasons the _discovery_'s winter station in the [page ] antarctic was an especially suitable place in which to record the phenomenon of magnetism. besides establishing the routine of scientific work many preparations had to be made for the comfort and well-being of the ship during the winter, and long before the sun had disappeared the little company had settled down to a regular round of daily life. later in the year scott wrote in his diary: 'the day's routine for the officers gives four clear hours before tea and three after; during these hours all without exception are busily employed except for the hour or more devoted to exercise.... it would be difficult to say who is the most diligent, but perhaps the palm would be given to wilson, who is always at work; every rough sketch made since we started is reproduced in an enlarged and detailed form, until we now possess a splendid pictorial representation of the whole coastline of victoria land.... at home many no doubt will remember the horrible depression of spirit that has sometimes been pictured as a pendant to the long polar night. we cannot even claim to be martyrs in this respect; with plenty of work the days pass placidly and cheerfully.' nearly seven months before scott wrote in this cheerful spirit of the winter, he had expressed himself warmly about those who were to spend it with him. 'i have,' he said in a letter dispatched from port chalmers on the voyage out, 'the greatest admiration for the officers and men, and feel that their allegiance to me is a thing assured. our little society in the [page ] wardroom is governed by a spirit of good fellowship and patience which is all that the heart of man could desire; i am everlastingly glad to be one of the company and not forced to mess apart.... the absence of friction and the fine comradeship displayed throughout is beyond even my best expectation.' this spirit of good-fellowship and give-and-take was a remarkable feature of life during the time spent in the _discovery_, and the only man scott had a word to say against was the cook. 'we shipped him at the last moment in new zealand, when our trained cook became too big for his boots, and the exchange was greatly for the worse; i am afraid he is a thorough knave, but what is even worse, he is dirty--an unforgivable crime in a cook.' under such circumstances it is obvious that tempers might have been overstrained, and apart from the sins of the cook the weather was unexpectedly troublesome. almost without exception the north polar winter has been recorded as a period of quiescence, but in the antarctic the wind blew with monotonous persistency, and calm days were very few and far between. nevertheless scott had little reason to change his original opinion about his companions, all of whom were prepared to put up with some unavoidable discomforts, and to make the best of a long job. during the winter a very regular weekly routine was kept up, each day having its special food and its special tasks. the week's work ended on friday, and saturday was devoted to 'clean ship,' the officers doing [page ] their share of the scrubbing. in the forenoon the living-spaces were thoroughly cleaned, holes and corners were searched, and while the tub and scrubber held sway the deck became a 'snipe marsh.' at this time the holds also were cleared up, the bilges pumped out, the upper deck was 'squared up,' and a fresh layer of clean snow was sprinkled over that which had been soiled by the traffic of the week. then a free afternoon for all hands followed, and after dinner in the wardroom the toast was the time-honoured one of 'sweethearts and wives.' on sunday a different garment was put on, not necessarily a newer or a cleaner one, the essential point being that it should be different from that which had been worn during the week. by . the decks had been cleared up, the tables and shelves tidied, and the first lieutenant reported 'all ready for rounds.' a humble imitation of the usual man-of-war walk-round sunday inspection followed, and scott had the greatest faith in this system of routine, not only because it had a most excellent effect on the general discipline and cleanliness of the ship, but also because it gave an opportunity to raise and discuss each new arrangement that was made to increase the comfort of all on board. after this inspection of both ship and men, the mess-deck was prepared for church; harmonium, reading-desk and chairs were all placed according to routine, and the bell was tolled. scott read the service, koettlitz the lessons, and royds played the harmonium. [page ] service over, all stood off for the day and looked forward to the feast of mutton which was limited to sunday. 'by using it thus sparingly the handsome gift of the new zealand farmers should last us till the early spring. but it is little use to think of the sad day when it will fail; for the present i must confess that we always take an extra walk to make quite sure of our appetites on sunday.' on june the festival of mid-winter was celebrated, and the mess-deck was decorated with designs in coloured papers and festooned with chains and ropes of the same materials. among the messes there was a great contest to have the best decorations, and some astonishing results were achieved with little more than brightly coloured papers, a pair of scissors and a pot of paste. on each table stood a grotesque figure or fanciful erection of ice, which was cunningly lighted up by candles from within and sent out shafts of sparkling light. 'if,' scott wrote in his diary, 'the light-hearted scenes of to-day can end the first period of our captivity, what room for doubt is there that we shall triumphantly weather the whole term with the same general happiness and contentment?' during the winter months the _south polar times_, edited by shackleton, appeared regularly, and was read with interest and amusement by everyone. at first it had been decided that each number should contain, besides the editorial, a summary of the events and meteorological conditions of the past month, some scientifically instructive articles dealing with the work [page ] and surroundings, and others written in a lighter vein; but, as the scheme developed, it was found that such features as caricatures and acrostics could be added. one of the pleasantest points in connection with the _times_ was that the men contributed as well as the officers; in fact some of the best, and quite the most amusing, articles were written by the occupants of the mess-deck. but beyond all else the journal owed its excellence to wilson, who produced drawings that deserved--and ultimately obtained--a far wider appreciation than could be given to them in the antarctic. so great was the desire to contribute to the first number of the _s. p. t._ that the editor's box was crammed with manuscripts by the time the date for sending in contributions had arrived. from these there was no difficulty in making a selection, but as there was also some danger of hurting the feelings of those whose contributions had been rejected, a supplementary journal named _the blizzard_ was produced. this publication, however, had but a brief career, for in spite of some good caricatures and a very humorous frontispiece by barne, it was so inferior to the _s. p. t._ that even its contributors realized that their mission in life did not lie in the paths of literary composition. _the blizzard_, in short, served its purpose, and then ceased to exist. in considering the arrangements to make the ship comfortable during the dark months, the question of artificial light was as difficult as it was important. paraffin had from the first been suggested as the most [page ] suitable illuminant, its main disadvantage being that it is not a desirable oil to carry in quantities in a ship. 'our luckiest find,' scott says, 'was perhaps the right sort of lamp in which to burn this oil. fortunately an old arctic explorer, captain egerton, presented me with a patent lamp in which the draught is produced by a fan worked by clockwork mechanism, and no chimney is needed. one can imagine the great mortality there would be in chimneys if we were obliged to employ them, so that when, on trial, this lamp was found to give an excellent light, others of the same sort were purchased, and we now use them exclusively in all parts of the ship with extremely satisfactory results.' there was, however, a still brighter illuminant within their reach in the shape of acetylene, but not until it became certain that they would have to spend a second winter in the antarctic, did their thoughts fly to the calcium carbide which had been provided for the hut, and which they had not previously thought of using. 'in this manner the darkness of our second winter was relieved by a light of such brilliancy that all could pursue their occupations by the single burner placed in each compartment. i lay great stress on this, because i am confident that this is in every way the best illuminant that can be taken for a polar winter, and no future expedition should fail to supply themselves with it.' as has already been said, the meteorological observations had to be read and recorded every two hours, and on july scott gave in his diary a full and [page ] graphic account of the way he occupied himself during his 'night on.' 'each of us has his own way of passing the long, silent hours. my own custom is to devote some of it to laundry-work, and i must confess i make a very poor fist of it. however, with a bath full of hot water, i commence pretty regularly after the ten o'clock observation, and labour away until my back aches. there is little difficulty with the handkerchiefs, socks and such-like articles, but when it comes to thick woolen vests and pajamas, i feel ready to own my incapacity; one always seems to be soaping and rubbing at the same place, and one is forced to wonder at the area of stuff which it takes to cover a comparatively small body. my work is never finished by midnight, but i generally pretend that it is, and after taking the observations for that hour, return to wring everything out. i am astonished to find that even this is no light task; as one wrings out one end the water seems to fly to the other; then i hang some heavy garment on a hook and wring until i can wring no more; but even so, after it has been hung for a few minutes on the wardroom clothes-line, it will begin to drip merrily on the floor, and i have to tackle it afresh. i shall always have a high respect for laundry-work in future, but i do not think it can often have to cope with such thick garments as we wear. 'washing over, one can devote oneself to pleasanter occupations. the night-watchman is always allowed a box of sardines, which are scarce enough to be a great luxury, and is provided with tea or cocoa and a spirit-lamp. [page ] everyone has his own ideas as to how sardines should be prepared... and i scarcely like to record that there is a small company of _gourmets_, who actually wake one another up in order that the night-watchman may present his fellow epicures with a small finger of buttered toast, on which are poised two sardines "done to a turn." the awakened sleeper devours the dainty morsel, grunts his satisfaction, and goes placidly off into dreamland again. 'i find that after my labours at the wash-tub and the pleasing supper that follows, i can safely stretch myself out in a chair without fear of being overcome by sleep, and so, with the ever-soothing pipe and one's latest demand on the library book-shelves, one settles down in great peace and contentment whilst keeping an eye on the flying hours, ready to sally forth into the outer darkness at the appointed time. 'the pleasure or pain of that periodic journey is of course entirely dependent on the weather. on a fine night it may be quite a pleasure, but when, as is more common, the wind is sweeping past the ship, the observer is often subjected to exasperating difficulties, and to conditions when his conscience must be at variance with his inclination. 'sometimes the lantern will go out at the screen, and he is forced to return on board to light it; sometimes it will refuse to shine on the thin threads of mercury of the thermometer until it is obvious that his proximity has affected the reading, and he is forced to stand off until it has again fallen to the air temperature.... [page ] these and many other difficulties in taking observations which may be in themselves valueless are met in the right spirit. i think we all appreciate that they are part of a greater whole whose value must stand or fall by attention to detail.' at the end of july a most unpleasant fact had to be faced in a mishap to the boats. early in the winter they had been hoisted out to give more room for the awning, and had been placed in a line about a hundred yards from the ice-foot on the sea-ice. the earliest gale drifted them up nearly gunwale high, and thus for the next two months they remained in sight. but then another gale brought more snow, and was so especially generous with it in the neighborhood of the boats, that they were afterwards found to be buried three or four feet beneath the surface. with no feelings of anxiety, but rather to provide occupation, scott ordered the snow on the top of them to be removed, and not until the first boat had been reached was the true state of affairs revealed. she was found lying in a mass of slushy ice with which she was nearly filled, and though for a moment there was a wild hope that she could be pulled up, this soon vanished; for the air temperature promptly converted the slush into hardened ice, and so she was stuck fast. nothing more could be done at that time to recover the boats, because as fast as the sodden ice could be dug out, more sea-water would have come in and frozen. but to try and prevent bad going to worse before the summer brought hope with it, parties were [page ] engaged day after day in digging away at the snow covering, and in the course of months many tons must have been removed. the danger was that fresh gales bringing more snow might have sunk the boats so far below the surface that they could never be recovered, and after each gale the diggers were naturally despondent, as to all appearances they had to begin all over again. the prospect, however, of having to leave the antarctic without a single boat in the ship, and also the feeling that so much labour must tell in the end, spurred on the diggers to renewed vigour, but it was not until december that the boats were finally liberated. early in august another gale with blinding drift was responsible for an experience to bernacchi and skelton that once again emphasized the bewildering effect of a blizzard. they were in the smaller compartment of the main hut completing a set of pendulum observations, while royds was in the larger compartment--the hut was used for many and various purposes--rehearsing his nigger minstrel troupe. either because nigger minstrelsy and scientific work did not go hand in hand, or because their work was finished, bernacchi and skelton, soon after the rehearsal began, left the hut to return to the ship. fully an hour and a half afterwards royds and his troupe, numbering more than a dozen, started back, and found that the gale had increased and that the whirling snow prevented them from seeing anything. being, however, in such numbers, they were able to join hands and sweep along until they caught the guide-rope leading to the gangway; [page ] and then as they traveled along it they heard feeble shouts, and again extending their line suddenly fell upon bernacchi and skelton, who, having entirely lost their bearings, had been reduced to shouting on the chance of being heard and rescued. the hut was scarcely yards from the ship, and the latter was not only a comparatively big object but was surrounded by guide-ropes and other means of direction, which if encountered would have informed the wanderers of their position. additionally bernacchi and skelton could be trusted to take the most practical course in any difficulty, and so it seems the more incredible that they could actually have been lost for two hours. both of them were severely frostbitten about the face and legs, but bitter as their experience was it served as yet another warning to those who were to go sledding in the spring that no risks could be taken in such a capricious climate. had not royds been rehearsing his troupe on this occasion the results to bernacchi and skelton must have been more disastrous than they were; consequently the idea of using the large hut as a place of entertainment was fortunate in more ways than one. during the first week of may a concert had been given in the hut, but this was more or less in the nature of an experiment; for royds, who took infinite pains over these entertainments, had arranged a long program with the object of bringing to light any possible talent. the result of this was that even the uncritical had to confess that most of the performers would have [page ] been less out of place among the audience. so much dramatic ability, however, was shown that barne was entrusted with the work of producing a play, which, after many rehearsals conducted with due secrecy, was produced on june . this play was entitled 'the ticket of leave,' 'a screaming comedy in one act,' and was produced with unqualified success. 'i for one,' scott says, 'have to acknowledge that i have rarely been so gorgeously entertained.' later on royds began to organize his nigger minstrel troupe, and when the doors of the royal terror theatre opened at . on august , the temperature outside them was - °, while inside it was well below zero. under these conditions it is small wonder that the audience was glad when the curtain went up. 'there is no doubt,' scott says in reference to this performance, 'that sailors dearly love to make up; on this occasion they had taken an infinity of trouble to prepare themselves.... "bones" and "skins" had even gone so far as to provide themselves with movable top-knots which could be worked at effective moments by pulling a string below.... to-night the choruses and plantation-songs led by royds were really well sung, and they repay him for the very great pains he has taken in the rehearsals.' so with entertainments to beguile the time, and with blizzards to endure, and with preparations to make for sledding, the days passed by until on august the sun was once more due to return. but on that [page ] day a few hours of calm in the morning were succeeded by whirling snow-squalls from the south, and each lull was followed by a wild burst of wind. scott was glad enough to have everyone on board in such weather, and at noon when he had hoped to be far over the hills only vast sheets of gleaming snow could be seen. the following day, however, was an ideal one for the first view of the long-absent sun, and scott went to the top of crater hill to watch and welcome. 'over all the magnificent view the sunlight spreads with gorgeous effect after its long absence; a soft pink envelops the western ranges, a brilliant red gold covers the northern sky; to the north also each crystal of snow sparkles with reflected light. the sky shows every gradation of light and shade; little flakes of golden sunlit cloud float against the pale blue heaven, and seem to hover in the middle heights, whilst far above them a feathery white cirrus shades to grey on its unlit sides.' but when the men were told that the sun could be seen from hut point, to scott's astonishment they displayed little or no enthusiasm. everyone seemed glad to think that it had been punctual in keeping its appointment, but after all they had seen the sun a good many times before, and in the next few months they would in all probability see it a good many times again, and there was no sense in getting excited about it. some of them did set off at a run for the point, while others, since it seemed the right thing to do, followed at a walk, but a good [page ] number remained on board and had their dinner. on august the feast of the sun was duly celebrated, and the days that followed were fuller than ever with preparations for the spring journeys. the only sewing-machine clattered away all day long, and the whole company plied their needles as if they were being sweated by iron-handed taskmasters. the long winter was at an end, and everyone, in the best of spirits, was looking forward eagerly to the spring sledge journeys, and making garments in which to bid defiance to the wind and the weather. as regards the actual sledge equipment which was taken to the south, scott had depended on the experience of others, and especially on that of armitage, but owing to a variety of reasons the difficulty of providing an efficient sledding outfit had been immense. in england twenty-five years had passed since any important sledding expedition had been accomplished, and during that time not a single sledge, and very few portions of a sledge equipment, had been made in the country. the popular accounts of former expeditions were not written to supply the minute details required, and no memory could be expected to retain these details after such a lapse of time. in fact the art of sledge-making was lost in england, but fortunately the genius of nansen had transferred it to norway. in the autumn of scott had visited christiania, and there received much advice and assistance from nansen himself. it was not, however, until armitage agreed to serve as second in [page ] command of the expedition that scott had anyone on whom he could rely to provide the sledding outfit. in making these preparations for long journeys in the south, there was no previous experience to go upon except that which had been gained in the north; indeed it was necessary to assume that southern conditions would be more or less similar to those of the north, and in so far as they proved different the sledding outfit ran the risk of failure. experience taught scott that in many respects the sledding conditions of the south were different from those of the north, and so it is only fair to consider the sledge journeys taken by the _discovery_ expedition as pioneer efforts. these differences are both climatic and geographical. for instance, the conditions in the south are more severe than those in the north, both in the lowness of the temperatures and in the distressing frequency of blizzards and strong winds. and the geographical difference between the work of the northern and the southern sledge-traveler is as great as the climatic, if not greater, for the main part of northern traveling has been and will be done on sea-ice, while the larger part of southern traveling has been and will be done over land surfaces, or what in this respect are their equivalents. [illustration: looking up the gateway from pony depÔt. _photo by capt. r. f. scott._] so impressed was scott by the impossibility of dragging a sledge over the surfaces of the great barrier to the south at the rate maintained by the old english travelers on the northern sea-ice, that he began seriously to think that the british race of explorers [page ] must have deteriorated rapidly and completely in stamina. but later on, in carrying out exploration to the west, he had to travel over the sea-ice of the strait, and then he discovered that--given the surface there was nothing wrong with the pace at which his sledge parties could travel. probably, however, the distances recorded by the northern travelers will never be exceeded in the south, for the antarctic explorer has to meet severer climatic conditions, and while pulling his sledge over heavier surfaces he is not likely to meet with fewer obstacles in his path. to make marching records is not, of course, the main purpose of sledge-travelers, but all the same, where conditions are equal, speed and the distance traveled are a direct test of the efficiency of sledding preparations, and of the spirit of those who undertake this arduous service. the main differences between the sledges used by the _discovery_ expedition and those used by other explorers were a decrease in breadth and an increase in runner surface. measured across from the center of one runner to the center of the other scott's sledges were all, with one exception, foot inches. the runners themselves were - / inches across, so that the sledge track from side to side measured about foot - / inches. the lengths varied from feet to feet, but the -foot sledges proved to be by far the most convenient--a length of feet seeming to pass just beyond the limit of handiness. taking then feet as about the best length for this type of sledge, it will be seen that it differed [page ] considerably from the old arctic type, which was feet long and feet broad. the weight of such all -foot sledge was anything between and lbs., and this was none too light when the full strength of the structure was required. generally speaking, the full load that could be put upon them was about lbs. the most important part of the sledge is the runner, in which the grain must be perfectly straight and even, or it will splinter very easily; but it surprised scott to find what a lot of wear a good wood runner would stand, provided that it was only taken over snow. 'some of our -foot sledges must,' he says, 'have traveled , miles, and there was still plenty of wear left in the runners.' in point of numbers the _discovery_'s crew was far behind the old northern expeditions; and it was this fact that made scott decide, in arranging a sledge equipment where men and not dogs would do most of the haulage, to divide his parties into the smallest workable units. the old northern plan had allowed for parties of at least eight, who, having a common tent and cooking arrangements, could not be subdivided. scott's plan was not necessarily to limit the number of men in his parties, but to divide them into units of three, which should be self-contained, so that whenever it was advisable a unit could be detached from the main party. under such a system it is obvious that each unit must have its own tent, sleeping-bag, cooker, and so on; and therein lay a disadvantage, as economy of material and weight can [page ] be better carried out with a large unit than with a small one. the weights of a party naturally divide themselves under two headings: the permanent, which will not diminish throughout the trip, and the consumable, including food, oil, &c. the following is a list of the permanent weights carried on scott's journey to the west, and it will give some idea of the variety of articles, exclusive of provisions. the party numbered six. lbs. sledges with fittings complete trace cookers, pannikins and spoons primus lamps, filled tents complete spades sleeping-bags with night-gear sleeping jackets, crampons, spare finnesko[ ] medical bag ice-axes bamboos and marks . instruments and camera alpine rope repair and tool bags, sounding-line, tape, sledge brakes ski boots for party ski for party total . [footnote : reindeer-fur boots.] [page ] roughly speaking, a man can drag from to lbs., but his load was rarely above lbs. this for six men gave a total carrying capacity of , lbs. and hence about lbs. could be devoted to provisions. again, speaking very roughly, this amount is about six weeks' food for a party of six, but as such a short period is often not long enough to satisfy sledge-travelers, they are compelled to organize means by which their journey can be prolonged. this can be done in two ways; they may either go out earlier in the season and lay a depôt at a considerable distance towards their goal, or they may arrange to receive assistance from a supporting party, which accompanies them for a certain distance on the road and helps their advance party to drag a heavier load than they can accomplish alone. both of these plans were adopted by scott on the more important journeys, and his parties were able to be absent from the ship for long periods and to travel long distances. [page ] chapter v the start of the southern journey hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit to its full height... ...shew us here that you are worth your breeding, which i doubt not. for there is none so mean or base that have not noble lustre in your eyes. i see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, straining upon the start. --shakespeare. during the later months of the dark season all thoughts had been turned to the prospects of the spring journeys, and many times the advantages and disadvantages of dogs for sledding were discussed. this question of the sacrifice of animal life was one on which scott felt strongly from the time he became an explorer to the end of his life. argue with himself as he might, the idea was always repugnant to his nature. 'to say,' he wrote after his first expedition, that dogs do not greatly increase the radius of action is absurd; to pretend that they can be worked to this end without pain, suffering, and death, is equally futile. the question is whether the latter can be justified by the gain, and i think that logically it may be; [page ] but the introduction of such sordid necessity must and does rob sledge-traveling of much of its glory. in my mind no journey ever made with dogs can approach the height of that fine conception which is realized when a party of men go forth to face hardships, dangers, and difficulties with their own unaided efforts, and by days and weeks of hard physical labour succeed in solving some problem of the great unknown. surely in this case the conquest is more nobly and splendidly won.' when the spring campaign opened in the original team of dogs had been sadly diminished. of the nineteen that remained for the southern journey, all but one--and he was killed at an earlier period--left their bones on the great southern plains. this briefly is the history of the dogs, but the circumstances under which they met their deaths will be mentioned later on. [illustration: sledding.] before scott started on the southern journey he decided to make a short trip to the north with the dogs and a party of six officers and men, his main purposes being to test the various forms of harness, and to find out whether the dogs pulled best in large or small teams. during part of this journey, which only lasted from september to , the four sledges were taken independently with four dogs harnessed to each, and it was discovered that if the first team got away all right, the others were often keen to play the game of 'follow my leader.' sometimes, indeed, there was a positive spirit of rivalry, and on one occasion two [page ] competing teams got closer and closer to each other, with the natural result that when they were near enough to see what was happening, they decided that the easiest way to settle the matter was by a free fight. so they turned inwards with one accord and met with a mighty shock. in a moment there was a writhing mass of fur and teeth, and an almost hopeless confusion of dog traces. but even in this short trip some experience had been gained; for results showed how unwise it was to divide the dogs into small parties, and also there was no mistaking which were the strong and which the weak dogs, and, what was of more importance, which the willing and which the lazy ones. on september , royds and koettlitz started off to the south-west with evans, quartley, lashly and wild. and of this party scott wrote: 'they looked very workmanlike, and one could see at a glance the vast improvement that has been made since last year. the sledges were uniformly packed.... one shudders now to think of the slovenly manner in which we conducted things last autumn; at any rate here is a first result of the care and attention of the winter.' armitage and ferrar with four men left for the west on the following day, but owing to the necessity of making fresh harness for the dogs and to an exasperating blizzard, scott was not able to start on his southern reconnaissance journey until september . on the morning of that day he and his two companions, [page ] barne and shackleton, with thirteen dogs divided into two teams, left the ship in bright sunshine; but by . p.m., when they camped for lunch, the wind was blowing from the east and the thermometer was down to - °. the sledges carried a fortnight's food for all concerned, together with a quantity of stores to form a depôt, the whole giving a load of about lbs. per dog; but this journey was destined to be only a short and bitter experience. the reason was that on the night of the th the travelers were so exhausted that they did not heap enough snow on the skirting of the tent, and when scott woke up on the following morning he found himself in the open. 'at first, as i lifted the flap of my sleeping-bag, i could not think what had happened. i gazed forth on a white sheet of drifting snow, with no sign of the tent or my companions. for a moment i wondered what in the world it could mean, but the lashing of the snow in my face very quickly awoke me to full consciousness, and i sat up to find that in some extraordinary way i had rolled out of the tent.' at the time a violent gale was raging, and through the blinding snow scott could only just see the tent, though it was flapping across the foot of his bag; but when he had wriggled back to the tent the snow was whirling as freely inside as without, and the tent itself was straining so madly at what remained of its securing, that something had to be done at once to prevent it from blowing away altogether. [page ] so with freezing fingers they gripped the skirting and gradually pulled it inwards, and half sitting upon it, half grasping it, they tried to hold it against the wild blasts of the storm, while they discussed the situation. discussion, however, was useless. an attempt to secure the tent properly in such weather was impossible, while they felt that if once they loosed their grip, the tent would hasten to leave them at once and for ever. every now and then they were forced to get a fresh hold, and lever themselves once more over the skirt. and as they remained hour after hour grimly hanging on and warning each other of frostbitten features, their sleeping-bags became fuller and fuller of snow, until they were lying in masses of chilly slush. not until p.m. had they by ceaseless exertions so far become masters of the situation, that there was no further need for the tent to be held with anything except the weight of their sleeping-bags. then an inspection of hands showed a number of frostbites, but barne, whose fingers had not recovered from the previous year, had suffered the most. 'to have hung on to the tent through all those hours must have been positive agony to him, yet he never uttered a word of complaint.' by p.m. the worst of the storm had passed, and after a few hours' sleep and a hot meal, they soon decided that to push on after this most miserable experience was very unwise, since by returning to the ship they would only lose one day's march and everything could be dried for a fresh start. [page ] apart from 'brownie,' who spent his time inside the tent, the rest of the dogs never uttered a sound during the storm, and were found quite happily sleeping in their nests of snow. on the journey back the thermometer recorded - °, and the effect of such a temperature upon wet clothing may be imagined. 'i shall remember the condition of my trousers for a long while; they might have been cut out of sheet iron. it was some time before i could walk with any sort of ease, and even when we reached the ship i was conscious of carrying an armor plate behind me.... it will certainly be a very long time before i go to sleep again in a tent which is not properly secured.' on september scott was ready to start again, but barne's fingers had suffered so severely that his place was taken by the boatswain, feather, who had taken a keen interest in every detail of sledding. owing to the dogs refusing to do what was expected of them, and to gales, slow progress was made, but the wind had dropped by the morning of september , and scott was so anxious to push on that he took no notice of a fresh bank of cloud coming up from the south, with more wind and drift. taking the lead himself, he gave orders to the two teams to follow rigidly in his wake, whatever turns and twists he might make. notwithstanding the bad light he could see the bridged crevasses, where they ran across the bare ice surface, by slight differences in shade, and though he could not see them where they dived into the valleys, he found that the bridges were strong enough to bear. in [page ] his desire to use the snowy patches as far as possible, the course he took was very irregular, and the dogs invariably tried to cut corners. in this manner they proceeded for some time, until scott suddenly heard a shout, and looking back saw to his horror that feather had vanished. the dog team and sledges were there all right, but their leader was lost to sight. hurrying back he found that the trace had disappeared down a formidable crevasse, but to his great relief feather was at the end of the trace, and was soon hauled up. one strand of feather's harness was cut clean through where it fell across the ice-edge, and although, being a man of few words, he was more inclined to swear at 'nigger' for trying to cut a corner than to marvel at his own escape, there is no doubt that he had a very close call. after this accident the dog teams were joined, and reluctant to give up they advanced again; but very soon the last of the four sledges disappeared, and was found hanging vertically up and down in an ugly-looking chasm. to the credit of the packing not a single thing had come off, in spite of the jerk with which it had fallen. it was, however, too heavy to haul up as it was, but, after some consultation, the indefatigable feather proposed that he should be let down and undertake the very cold job of unpacking it. so he was slung with one end of the alpine rope, while the other was used for hauling up the various packages; and at last the load was got up, and the lightened sledge soon followed. after this incident they thought it prudent to treat these numerous crevasses with more respect, and on [page ] proceeding they roped themselves together; but although no more mishaps occurred, scott afterwards was more inclined to attribute this to good luck than to good judgment. 'looking back on this day, i cannot but think our procedure was extremely rash. i have not the least doubt now that this region was a very dangerous one, and the fact that we essayed to cross it in this light-hearted fashion can only be ascribed to our ignorance. with us, i am afraid, there were not a few occasions when one might have applied the proverb that "fools rush in where angels fear to tread."' the depôt, leaving six weeks' provision for three men and lbs. of dog-food, was made on the morning of october , and besides marking it with a large black flag, scott was also careful to take angles with a prismatic compass to all the points he could see. then they started home, and the dogs knowing at once what was meant no longer required any driving. on the homeward march the travelers went for all they were worth, and in spite of perpetual fog covered eighty-five statute miles in less than three days. on returning to the ship scott admits that he found it a most delightful place. the sense of having done what he wanted to do had something to do with this feeling of satisfaction, but it was the actual physical comfort after days of privation that chiefly affected him. the joy of possessing the sledding appetite was sheer delight, and for many days after the travelers returned from their sledding-trips, they retained a hunger which it seemed impossible to satisfy. [page ] in short scott, on the night of his return, was very pleased with himself and the world in general, but before he went to bed all his sense of comfort and peace had gone. for he had discovered what armitage, wishing to give him some hours of unmixed enjoyment, had not meant to mention until the following morning, and this was that there had been an outbreak of scurvy--the disease that has played a particularly important, and often a tragic, part in the adventures of polar travelers, and the seriousness of which everyone who has read the history of polar explorations cannot fail to realize. this outbreak had occurred during armitage's journey, and when he, after much anxiety, had got his men back to the ship, wilson's medical examination proved that ferrar, heald and cross were all attacked, while the remainder of the party were not above suspicion. very soon, however, symptoms of the disease began to abate, but the danger lurking around them was continually in scott's thoughts, and he was determined not to give the dreaded enemy another chance to break out. everything possible was done to make the ship and everything in her sweet and clean, and after a large seal-killing party, sent out at wilson's suggestion, had returned, the order was given that no tinned meat of any description should be issued. by october this grave disease had to all intents and purposes passed away, but although evidence showed that it was [page ] caused by tinned meats which were to all appearances of the best quality, and by apparently fresh mutton taken in small quantities, there was no positive proof that these were the causes of the trouble. this attack of scurvy came as a great surprise to everyone, for when the long winter was over and all of them were in good health and high spirits, they had naturally congratulated themselves on the effectiveness of their precautions. the awakening from this pleasant frame of mind was rude, and though the disease vanished with astonishing rapidity, it was--quite apart from the benefit lost to medical science--very annoying not to be able to say definitely from what the evil had sprung. but although the seriousness of this outbreak was not underrated, and every precaution was taken to prevent its recurrence, preparations for the various journeys were pushed on with no less vigour and enthusiasm. the game to play was that there was nothing really to be alarmed about, and everyone played it with the greatest success. scott's journey to the south had indicated that the main party would have to travel directly over the snow-plain at a long distance from, and perhaps out of sight of, land; and as in all probability no further depôts could be established, it was desirable that this party should be supported as far as possible on their route. to meet these requirements it was decided that barne, with a party of twelve men, should accompany the dog-team, until the weights were reduced to an amount [page ] which the dogs could drag without assistance. then barne was to return to the ship, and after a short rest start again with six men, to follow the coast-line west of the bluff. as soon as this was in train, armitage was to have at his disposal all the men and material left in the ship for his attack on the western region. on friday, october , royds, who had left the ship three weeks before with skelton, lashly, evans, quartley and wild, returned with the good news that he had been able to communicate with the 'record' post at cape crozier. if a relief ship was going to be sent out, scott now had the satisfaction of knowing that she had a good prospect of being guided to the winter quarters of the expedition. it was also a great source of satisfaction to find that although royds and his party had left almost immediately after the outbreak of scurvy, they had all returned safe and with no symptom of the disease. from the th to the th this party had been kept in their tents by a most persistent blizzard, and before the blizzard ceased they were practically buried in the heart of a snowdrift; in fact one tent had literally to be dug out before its occupants could be got into the open, while the sledges and everything left outside were completely buried. as the snow gradually accumulated round the tents it became heavier and heavier on every fold of canvas, and reduced the interior space to such an extent that those inside were obliged to lie with their knees bent double. royds, whose reports were invariably very brief and to [page ] the point, dismissed the tale of these five days in half a page, but no great effort of imagination is needed to grasp the horrible discomforts everyone must have endured. and yet when this party recounted their adventures on board the ship, the hardships were scarcely mentioned, and all that the men seemed to remember were the amusing incidents that had happened. on this journey a colony of emperor penguins was discovered, and among them were several which were nursing chicks. 'i will only testify,' scott says, 'to the joy which greeted this discovery on board the ship. we had felt that this penguin was the truest type of our region. all other birds fled north when the severity of winter descended upon us: the emperor alone was prepared to face the extremest rigors of our climate; and we gathered no small satisfaction from being the first to throw light on the habits of a creature, which so far surpasses in hardihood all others of the feathered tribe.' before the end of october everything was prepared for the southern journey; every eventuality seemed to be provided for, and as it was expected that the dogs would travel faster than the men barne and his party started off on october , while the dog team left a few days later. 'the supporting party started this morning, amidst a scene of much enthusiasm; all hands had a day off, and employed it in helping to drag the sledges for several miles... barne's banner floated on the first, the next bore a union jack, and [page ] another carried a flag with a large device stating "_no dogs needs apply_"; the reference was obvious. it was an inspiriting sight to see nearly the whole of our small company step out on the march with ringing cheers, and to think that all work of this kind promised to be done as heartily.' and then the day that scott had been so eagerly looking forward to arrived, and at ten o'clock on the morning of november , he, shackleton and wilson, amidst the wild cheers of their comrades, started on the southern journey. 'every soul was gathered on the floe to bid us farewell, and many were prepared to accompany us for the first few miles.' the dogs, as if knowing that a great effort was expected of them, had never been in such form, and in spite of the heavy load and the fact that at first two men had to sit on the sledges to check them, it was as much as the rest of the party could do to keep up. by noon the volunteers had all tailed off, and the three travelers were alone with the dogs, and still breathlessly trying to keep pace with them. soon afterwards they caught sight of a dark spot ahead and later on made this out to be the supporting party, who, when they were overtaken on the same evening, reported that they had been kept in their tents by bad weather. having relieved them of some of their loads, scott camped, while they pushed on to get the advantage of a night march. during the next few days the two parties constantly passed and re-passed each other, since it was [page ] impossible for scott to push on ahead of barne's party, and the latter's progress was very slow, as they could get no hold with their fur boots, and they found their ski leather boots dreadfully cold for their feet. to add to the slowness of the journey the weather was very unfavorable, and the greater parts of the th and th were entirely wasted by a blizzard. on the th depôt a, that had previously been laid, was reached and scott wrote: 'already it seems to me that the dogs feel the monotony of a long march over the snow more than we do; they seem easily to get dispirited, and that it is not due to fatigue is shown when they catch a glimpse of anything novel.... to-day, for instance, they required some driving until they caught sight of the depôt flag, when they gave tongue loudly and dashed off as though they barely felt the load behind them.' the names of the dogs were: nigger birdie wolf jim nell vic spud blanco bismarck snatcher grannie kid fitzclarence lewis boss stripes gus brownie joe each of them had his peculiar characteristics, and what the southern party did not already know concerning their individualities, they had ample opportunities of finding out in the course of the next few weeks. [page ] nigger was the leader of the team; a place he chose naturally for himself, and if he was put into any other position he behaved so unpleasantly to his neighbors, and so generally upset things, that he was quickly shifted. a more perfect sledge-dog could scarcely be imagined. he seemed to know the meaning of every move, and in camp would be still as a graven image until he saw the snow being shoveled from the skirting of the tent, when he would spring up and pace to and fro at his picket, and give a low throaty bark of welcome if anyone approached him. a few minutes later, when the leading man came to uproot his picket, he would watch every movement, and a slow wagging of the tail quite obviously showed his approval: then, as the word came to start, he would push affectionately against the leader, as much as to say, 'now come along!' and brace his powerful chest to the harness. at the evening halt after a long day he would drop straight in his tracks and remain perfectly still, with his magnificent black head resting on his paws. other dogs might clamor for food, but nigger knew perfectly well that the tent had first to be put up. afterwards, however, when the dog-food was approached his deep bell-like note could always be distinguished amid the howling chorus, and if disturbance was to be avoided it was well to attend to him first of all. of the other dogs lewis was noisily affectionate and hopelessly clumsy; jim could pull splendidly when he chose, but he was up to all the tricks of the trade and was extraordinarily cunning at pretending to pull; [page ] spud was generally considered to be daft; birdie evidently had been treated badly in his youth and remained distrustful and suspicious to the end; kid was the most indefatigable worker in the team; wolf's character possessed no redeeming point of any kind, while brownie though a little too genteel for very hard work was charming as a pet, and it may also be said of him that he never lost an opportunity of using his pleasant appearance and delightful ways to lighten his afflictions. the load for this dog team after depôt a had been passed was , lbs., which, considering that some of the dogs were of little use, was heavy. but it must not be forgotten that the men also expected to pull, and that each night the weight would be reduced by thirty or forty pounds. by the th the travelers were nearly up to the th parallel, and therefore farther south than anyone had yet been. 'the announcement of the fact caused great jubilation, and i am extremely glad that there are no fewer than fifteen of us to enjoy this privilege of having broken the record.' a photograph of the record-breakers was taken, and then half of the supporting party started to return, and the other half stepped out once more on a due south line, with the dogs following. by the th, however, when the rest of the supporting party turned back, scott had begun to be anxious about the dogs. 'the day's work has cast a shadow on our high aspirations, and already it is evident that if we are to achieve much it will be only by extreme toil, for the dogs have not pulled well to-day.... [page ] we have decided that if things have not improved in the morning we will take on half a load at a time; after a few days of this sort of thing the loads will be sufficiently lightened for us to continue in the old way again.' on the following day an attempt to start with the heavy loads promptly and completely failed, and the only thing to do was to divide the load into two portions and take half on at a time. this meant, of course, that each mile had to be traveled three times, but there was no alternative to this tedious form of advance. even, however, with the half-loads the dogs seemed to have lost all their spirit, and at the end of the march on the th they were practically 'done.' only five geographical miles[ ] were gained on that day, but to do it they had to cover fifteen. [footnote : geographical miles = a little more than statute miles.] on the night of the th matters had gone from bad to worse, and it had to be acknowledged that the fish diet the dogs were eating permanently disagreed with them. originally scott had intended to take ordinary dog-biscuits for the animals, but in an unlucky moment he was persuaded by an expert in dog-driving to take fish. the fish taken was the norwegian stock-fish, such as is split, dried and exported from that country in great quantities for human food. but one important point was overlooked, namely the probability of the fish being affected on passing through the tropics. the lesson, scott said, was obvious, that in future travelers in the south should safeguard their [page ] dogs as carefully as they do their men, for in this case it was the dogs that called the halts; and so the party had to spend hours in their tent which might have been devoted to marching. day after day relay work continued, the only relief from the monotony of their toil being that land was sighted on the st, and as the prospects of reaching a high latitude were steadily disappearing, it was decided to alter their course to s. s. w. and edge towards it. then the surface over which they were traveling showed signs of improvement, but the travelers themselves were beginning to suffer from blistered noses and cracked lips, and their eyes were also troubling them. appetites, however, were increasing by leaps and bounds. 'the only thing to be looked to on our long marches is the prospect of the next meal.' on november a new routine was started which made a little variation in the dull toil of relay work. after pushing on the first half-load one of the three stopped with it, and got up the tent and prepared the meal while the other two brought up the second half-load. and then on the following day came one of those rewards which was all the sweeter because it had been gained by ceaseless and very monotonous toil. 'before starting to-day i took a meridian altitude,' scott wrote, 'and to my delight found the latitude to be ° '. all our charts of the antarctic region show a plain white circle beyond the eightieth parallel... it has always been our ambition to get inside that white [page ] space, and now we are there the space can no longer be a blank; this compensates for a lot of trouble.' a blizzard followed upon this success, but the dogs were so exhausted that a day's rest had been thought of even if the weather had not compelled it. wilson, to his great discomfort, was always able to foretell these storms, for when they were coming on he invariably suffered from rheumatism; so, however reluctant, he could not help being a very effective barometer. after the storm had passed an attempt was made on the morning of the th to start with the full load, but it took next to no time to discover that the dogs had not benefited by their rest, and there was nothing to do except to go on with the old routine of relay work. as the days passed with no signs of improvement in the dogs, it became more and more necessary to reach the land in hopes of making a depôt; so the course was laid to the westward of s. w., which brought the high black headland, for which they were making, on their port bow. 'i imagine it to be about fifty miles off, but hope it is not so much; nine hours' work to-day has only given us a bare four miles.' then for some days the only change in the toil of relay work and the sickening task of driving tired dogs on and on was that they marched by night, and rested by day. the breakfast hour was between and p.m., the start at p.m., and they came to camp somewhere between three and four in the morning. thus they rested while the sun was at its greatest [page ] height; but although there were certainly advantages in this, scott could not get rid of a curious feeling that something was amiss with such a topsy-turvy method of procedure. by december they were close enough to the land to make out some of its details. on their right was a magnificent range of mountains, which by rough calculations scott made out to be at least fifty miles away. by far the nearest point of land was an isolated snow-cape, an immense, and almost dome-shaped, snow-covered mass. at first no rock at all could be seen on it, but as they got nearer a few patches began to appear. for one of these patches they decided to make so that they might establish a depôt, but at the rate at which they were traveling there was little hope of reaching it for several days. by this time the appetites of the party were so ravenous that when the pemmican bag was slung alongside a tin of paraffin, and both smelt and tasted of oil, they did not really mind. but what saddened them more than this taste of paraffin was the discovery, on december , that their oil was going too fast. a gallon was to have lasted twelve days, but on investigation it was found on an average to have lasted only ten, which meant that in the future each gallon would have to last a fortnight. 'this is a distinct blow, as we shall have to sacrifice our hot luncheon meal and to economize greatly at both the others. we started the new routine to-night, and for lunch ate some frozen seal-meat and our allowance of sugar and biscuit.' [page ] it was perhaps fortunate that their discovery about the oil was not delayed any longer, but nevertheless it came at a time when the outlook was dreary and dispiriting enough without additional discomforts. on the th spud gnawed through his trace, and when scott went outside before breakfast, one glance at the dog's balloon-like appearance was enough to show how he had spent his hours of freedom. he had, in fact, eaten quite a week's allowance of the precious seal-meat, and though rather somnolent after his gorge, he did not seem to be suffering any particular discomfort from the enormous increase of his waist. on the next day there was a blizzard, duly predicted by wilson's twinges of rheumatism, and on the th scott reluctantly records that the dogs were steadily going downhill. 'the lightening of the load is more than counter-balanced by the weakening of the animals, and i can see no time in which we can hope to get the sledges along without pulling ourselves.' by the th they were within ten or twelve miles of the coast, but so exhausted that they felt no certainty of reaching it; and even supposing they did get there and make a depôt, they doubted very much if they would be in any condition to go on. one dog, snatcher, was already dead, and some of the others had only been got to move with the second load by the ignominious device of carrying food in front of them. to see the dogs suffering was agony to those who had to drive and coax them on, and though scott refers often in these days to the hunger that was nipping him, [page ] no one can read his diary without seeing how infinitely more he was concerned over the suffering of the dogs than about his own troubles. 'it is terrible,' he says, 'to see them.' at last, on december , they arrived, when they were almost spent, at a place where dog-food could be left. in their march they had only managed to do two miles after the most strenuous exertions, for the snow became softer as they approached the land, and the sledge-runners sank from three to four inches. on any particularly soft patch they could do little more than mark time, and even to advance a yard was an achievement. no wonder that scott, after they had left three weeks' provisions and a quantity of dog-food in depôt b and had resumed their march, sounded a note of thankfulness: 'as i write i scarcely know how to describe the blessed relief it is to be free from our relay work. for one-and-thirty awful days we have been at it, and whilst i doubt if our human endurance could have stood it much more, i am quite sure the dogs could not. it seems now like a nightmare, which grew more terrible towards its end.' the sense of relief was, however, not destined to last, for on december the dogs were in such a hopeless condition that they might at any moment have completely collapsed. this was a fact that had to be faced, and the question whether under such circumstances it was wise to push on had to be asked and answered. the unanimous answer was that the risk [page ] of going on should be taken, but on that same night wilson, in view of future plans, reported to scott that his medical examinations revealed that shackleton had decidedly angry-looking gums, and that for some time they had been slowly but surely getting worse. it was decided not to tell shackleton of these symptoms of scurvy, and as the bacon they were using seemed likely to be the cause of them, it was discarded and an increased allowance of seal given in its place. this was a loss in weight which was serious, for already they were reduced almost to starvation rations of about a pound and a half a day. supper was the best meal, for then they had a _hoosh_ which ran from between three-quarters to a whole pannikin apiece, but even this they could not afford to make thick. while it was being heated in the central cooker, cocoa was made in the outer, but the lamp was turned out directly the _hoosh_ boiled, and by that time the chill was barely off the contents of the outer cooker. of course the cocoa was not properly dissolved, but they were long past criticizing the quality of their food. all they wanted was something to 'fill up,' but needless to say they never got it. half an hour after supper was over they were as hungry as ever. when they had started from the ship, there had been a vague idea that they could go as they pleased with the food, but experience showed that this would not do, and that there must be a rigid system of shares. consequently they used to take it in turn to divide [page ] things into three equal portions, and as the man who made the division felt called upon to take the smallest share, the game of 'shut-eye' was invented to stop all arguments and remonstrances. the shares were divided as equally as possible by someone, then one of the other two turned his head away and the divider pointed to a portion and said, 'whose is this?' he of the averted head named the owner, and thus this simple but useful game was played. wilson's examination of shackleton on december was not encouraging, but they had reached a much harder surface and under those conditions scott and wilson agreed that it was not yet time to say 'turn.' besides, christmas day was in front of them, and for a week they had all agreed that it would be a crime to go to bed hungry on that night. in fact they meant it to be a wonderful day, and everything conspired to make it so. the sun shone gloriously from a clear sky, and not a breath of wind disturbed the calmness of the morning, but entrancing as the scene was they did not stay to contemplate it, because for once they were going to have a really substantial breakfast, and this was an irresistible counter-attraction. and afterwards, when they felt more internally comfortable than they had for weeks, the surface continued to be so much better that the sledges could be pulled without any help from the dogs. on that day they had the satisfaction of covering nearly eleven miles, the longest march they had made for a long [page ] time. so when camp was pitched they were thoroughly pleased with the day, and ready to finish it off with a supper to be remembered. a double 'whack' of everything was poured into the cooking-pot, and in the _hoosh_ that followed a spoon would stand without any support, and the cocoa was also brought to boiling-point. 'i am writing,' scott says, 'over my second pipe. the sun is still circling our small tent in a cloudless sky, the air is warm and quiet. all is pleasant without, and within we have a sense of comfort we have not known for many a day; we shall sleep well tonight--no dreams, no tightening of the belt. 'we have been chattering away gaily, and not once has the conversation turned to food. we have been wondering what christmas is like in england... and how our friends picture us. they will guess that we are away on our sledge journey, and will perhaps think of us on plains of snow; but few, i think, will imagine the truth, that for us this has been the reddest of all red-letter days.' [page ] chapter vi the return how many weary steps of many weary miles you have o'ergone, are numbered to the travel of one mile. shakespeare. some days passed before the pleasing effects of christmas day wore off, for it had been a delightful break in an otherwise uninterrupted spell of semi-starvation, and the memories lingered long after hunger had again gripped the three travelers. by this time they knew that they had cut themselves too short in the matter of food, but the only possible alteration that could now be made in their arrangements was to curtail their journey, and rather than do that they were ready cheerfully to face the distress of having an enormous appetite, and very little with which to appease it. thinking over the homeward marches after he had returned to the ship, scott expresses his emphatic opinion that the increasing weariness showed that they were expending their energies at a greater rate than they could renew them, and that the additional [page ] weight, caused by carrying a proper allowance of food, would have been amply repaid by the preservation of their full strength and vigour. apart, however, from the actual pangs of hunger, there was another disadvantage from this lack of food, for try as they would it was impossible not to think and talk incessantly of eating. before they went to sleep it was almost certain that one of them would give a detailed description of what he considered an ideal feast, while on the march they found themselves counting how many footsteps went to the minute, and how many, therefore, had to be paced before another meal. but if, during these days of hunger, thoughts of what they could eat if only the chance was given to them kept constantly cropping up, there were also very real compensations for both their mental and physical weariness. day by day, as they journeyed on, they knew that they were penetrating farther and farther into the unknown. each footstep was a gain, and made the result of their labours more assured. and as they studied the slowly revolving sledge-meter or looked for the calculated results of their observations, it is not surprising that above all the desires for food was an irresistible eagerness to go on and on, and to extend the line which they were now drawing on the white space of the antarctic chart. day by day, too, the magnificent panorama of the western land was passing before their eyes. 'rarely a march passed without the disclosure of some new [page ] feature, something on which the eye of man had never rested; we should have been poor souls indeed had we not been elated at the privilege of being the first to gaze on these splendid scenes.' from the point of view of further exploration their position on december was not very hopeful. on their right lay a high undulating snow-cap and the steep irregular coast-line, to the south lay a cape beyond which they could not hope to pass, and to all appearances these conditions were likely to remain to the end of their journey. but on that night they had christened a distant and lofty peak 'mount longstaff,' in honour of the man whose generosity had alone made the expedition possible, and although they thought that this was the most southerly land to which they would be able to give a name, they were in no mood to turn back because the outlook was unpromising. arguing on the principle that it was impossible to tell what may turn up, they all decided to push on; and their decision was wise, for had they returned at that point one of the most important features of the whole coast-line would have been missed. on the th and th wilson had a very bad attack of snow-blindness, which caused him the most intense agony. some days before scott had remarked in his diary upon wilson's extraordinary industry: 'when it is fine and clear, at the end of our fatiguing days he will spend two or three hours seated in the door of the tent sketching each detail of the splendid mountainous coast-scene to the west. his sketches [page ] are most astonishingly accurate; i have tested his proportions by actual angular measurements and found them correct.... but these long hours in the glare are very bad for the eyes; we have all suffered a good deal from snow-blindness of late, though we generally march with goggles, but wilson gets the worst bouts, and i fear it is mainly due to his sketching.' the attack, however, after christmas was very much worse than anything that had gone before, and all day long during the th wilson was pulling alongside the sledges with his eyes completely covered. to march blindfold with an empty stomach must touch the bottom of miserable monotony, but wilson had not the smallest intention of giving in. with scott walking opposite to him and telling him of the changes that were happening around them he plodded steadily on, and during the afternoon of the th it happened that a most glorious mountainous scene gradually revealed itself. with some excitement scott noticed that new mountain ridges were appearing as high as anything they had seen to the north, and his excitement increased when these ridges grew higher and higher. then, instead of a downward turn in the distant outline came a steep upward line, and as they pressed on apace to see what would happen next, scott did his best to keep wilson posted up in the latest details. the end came in a gloriously sharp double peak crowned with a few flecks of cirrus cloud, and all they could think of in camp that night was this splendid twin-peaked mountain, which even in such [page ] a lofty country looked like a giant among pigmies. 'at last we have found something which is fitting to bear the name of him whom we must always the most delight to honour, and "mount markham" it shall be called in memory of the father of the expedition.' wilson, in spite of his recent experiences, did not mean to miss this, and however much his eyes had to suffer the scene had to be sketched. fortunately a glorious evening provided a perfect view of their surroundings, for very soon they knew that the limit of their journey would be reached, and that they would have but few more opportunities to increase their stock of information. after a day that had brought with it both fine weather and most interesting discoveries, they settled down in their sleeping-bags, full of hope that the morrow would be equally kind. but instead of the proposed advance the whole day had to be spent in the tent while a strong southerly blizzard raged without, and when they got up on the following morning they found themselves enveloped in a thick fog. reluctantly the decision was made that this camp must be their last, and consequently their southerly limit had been reached. observations gave it as between . s. and . s., and though this record may have compared poorly with what scott had hoped for when leaving the ship, it was far more favorable than he anticipated when the dogs had begun to fail. 'whilst,' he says, 'one cannot help a deep sense of disappointment in reflecting on the "might have been" [page ] had our team remained in good health, one cannot but remember that even as it is we have made a greater advance towards a pole of the earth than has ever yet been achieved by a sledge party.' with less than a fortnight's provision to take them back to depôt b, they turned their faces homewards on the last day of the year, and it was significant of the terrible condition of the surviving dogs that the turn did not cause the smallest excitement. many of them were already dead, killed to keep the others alive, but those which remained seemed to guess how poor a chance they had of getting back to the ship. again and again scott refers to the suffering of the dogs on the homeward march, and how intensely he felt for them is proved beyond all manner of doubt. 'january . this afternoon, shortly after starting, "gus" fell, quite played out, and just before our halt, to our greater grief, "kid" caved in. one could almost weep over this last case; he has pulled like a trojan throughout, and his stout little heart bore him up till his legs failed beneath him.' only seven of the team now remained, and of them jim seemed to be the strongest, but nigger, though weak, was still capable of surprising efforts. but at the end of a week on the return journey, all of the remaining dogs were asked to do nothing except walk by the sledges. for several hours on january the men pulled steadily and covered ten good miles. but the distance they succeeded in traveling was as nothing compared with the relief they felt at no longer having to drive [page ] a worn-out team. in the future no more cheering and dragging in front would be needed, no more tangled traces would have to be put straight, and above all there would be no more whip. so far steady though rather slow progress had been made, but january brought an unpleasant surprise. try as they would the sledge could scarcely be made to move, and after three hours of the hardest work only a mile and a quarter had been gained. sadly they were compelled to admit that the surface had so completely changed that the only thing to do was to remain in camp until it improved. but whether it would improve was an anxious matter, for they had less than a week's provisions and were at least fifty miles from depôt b. the next day, however, saw an improvement in the surface, and a fairly good march was done. by this time only four dogs were left, nigger, jim, birdie and lewis, and poor nigger was so lost out of harness that he sometimes got close to the traces and marched along as if he was still doing his share of the pulling. but this more or less ordinary day was followed on the th by a march in a blizzard that exhausted scott and wilson, and had even a more serious effect upon shackleton. with the wind behind them they had gained many miles, but the march had tired them out, because instead of the steady pulling to which they were accustomed they had been compelled sometimes to run, and sometimes to pull forwards, backwards, sideways, and always with their senses keenly alert and their muscles strung up for instant action. [page ] on that night scott in no very cheerful frame of mind wrote: 'we cannot now be far from our depôt, but then we do not exactly know where we are; there is not many days' food left, and if this thick weather continues we shall probably not be able to find it.' and after two more days of bad surface and thick weather he wrote again: 'there is no doubt we are approaching a very critical time. the depôt is a very small spot on a very big ocean of snow; with luck one might see it at a mile and a half or two miles, and fortune may direct our course within this radius of it; but, on the other hand, it is impossible not to contemplate the ease with which such a small spot can be missed.... the annoying thing is that one good clear sight of the land would solve all our difficulties.' at noon on january the outlook was more hopeless than ever. three hours' incessant labour had gained only three-quarters of a mile, and consequently they had to halt though their food-bag was a mere trifle to lift, and they could have finished all that remained in it at one sitting and still have been hungry. but later on scott caught a glimpse of the sun in the tent, and tumbled hastily out of his sleeping-bag in the hope of obtaining a meridional altitude; and after getting the very best result he could under the very difficult conditions prevailing, he casually lowered the telescope and swept it round the horizon. suddenly a speck seemed to flash by, and a vehement hope as suddenly arose. then he brought the telescope slowly back, and there it was again, and accompanied this [page ] time by two smaller specks on either side of it. without a shadow of doubt it was the depôt which meant the means of life to them. 'i sprang up and shouted, "boys, there's the depôt." we are not a demonstrative party, but i think we excused ourselves for the wild cheer that greeted this announcement.' in five minutes everything was packed on the sledges, but though the work was as heavy as before the workers were in a very different mood to tackle it. to reach those distant specks as quickly as possible was their one desire and all minor troubles were forgotten as they marched, for before them was the knowledge that they were going to have the fat _hoosh_ which would once more give them an internal sense of comfort. in two hours they were at the depôt, and there they found everything as they had left it. on that same morning they had stripped off the german silver from the runners of one of their sledges, and now fortified by the fat _hoosh_ of their dreams they completed the comparison between the two sledges, which respectively had metal and wood runners. having equalized the weights as much as possible they towed the sledges round singly, and found that two of them could scarcely move the metalled sledge as fast as one could drag the other. of course they decided to strip the second sledge, and with only about miles to cover to their next depôt, a full three weeks' provisions, and the prospect of better traveling on wood runners, they went to bed [page ] feeling that a heavy load of anxiety had been lifted. the chief cause of worry left was the question of health, and the result of a thorough medical examination on the morning of the th did nothing to remove this. shackleton was found to be very far indeed from well, but although scott and wilson both showed symptoms of scurvy they still felt that, as far as they were concerned, there was no danger of a breakdown. on that day they made a fairly good march, but at the end of it wilson had to warn scott that shackleton's condition was really alarming. commenting on this scott wrote: 'it's a bad case, but we must make the best of it and trust to its not getting worse; now that human life is at stake, all other objects must be sacrificed.... it went to my heart to give the order, but it had to be done, and the dogs are to be killed in the morning. 'one of the difficulties we foresee with shackleton, with his restless, energetic spirit, is to keep him idle in camp, so to-night i have talked seriously to him. he is not to do any camping work, but to allow everything to be done for him.... every effort must be devoted to keeping him on his legs, and we must trust to luck to bring him through.' with the morning of the th came the last scene in the tragic story of the dogs, and poor nigger and jim, the only survivors of that team of nineteen, were taken a short distance from the camp and killed. 'i think we could all have wept.... through our most troublous time we always looked forward to getting [page ] some of our animals home. at first it was to have been nine, then seven, then five, and at the last we thought that surely we should be able to bring back these two.' during the part of the return journey which was now beginning, they had promised themselves an easier time, but instead of that it resolved itself into days of grim struggle to save a sick companion. the weather also added to their troubles, because it was so overcast that steering was extremely difficult. for nearly ten consecutive days this gloomy weather continued to harass them, but on the th it cleared as they were on their march, and on the following day with a brisk southerly breeze and their sail set they traveled along at a fine rate. the state of shackleton's health was still a source of acutest anxiety, but each march brought safety nearer and nearer, and on the rd scott was able to write in a much more hopeful spirit. next day a glimpse of the bluff to the north was seen, but this encouraging sight was accompanied by a new form of surface which made the pulling very wearisome. an inch or so beneath the soft snow surface was a thin crust, almost, but not quite, sufficient to bear their weight. the work of breaking such a surface as this would, scott says, have finished shackleton in no time, but luckily he was able to go on ski and avoid the jars. 'in spite of our present disbelief in ski, one is bound to confess that if we get back safely shackleton will owe much to the pair he is now using.' [illustration: mount erebus.] [page ] but in spite of bad surfaces and increasingly heavy work, scott and wilson were determined to leave as little as possible to chance, and to get their invalid along as quickly as his condition would allow. directly breakfast was over shackleton started off and got well ahead, while scott and wilson packed up camp; and after lunch the same procedure was adopted. by this means he was able to take things easily, and though eager to do his share of the work he was wise enough to see that every precaution taken was absolutely necessary. encouragements in this stern struggle were few and far between, but when the smoke of erebus was seen on the th, it cheered them to think that they had seen something that was actually beyond the ship. probably it was more than a hundred miles away, but they had become so accustomed to seeing things at a distance that they were not in the least astonished by this. january , too, had its consolations, for while plodding on as usual the travelers suddenly saw a white line ahead, and soon afterwards discovered that it was a sledge track. there was no doubt that the track was barne's on his way back from his survey work to the west, but it was wonderful what that track told them. they could see that there had been six men with two sledges, and that all of the former had been going strong and well on ski. from the state of the track this party had evidently passed about four days before on the homeward route, and from [page ] the zig-zagging of the course it was agreed that the weather must have been thick at the time. every imprint in the soft snow added some small fact, and the whole made an excellent detective study. but the main point was that they knew for certain that barne and his party were safe, and this after their own experiences was a great relief. another day and a half of labour brought them to the depôt, and the land of plenty. 'directly,' scott wrote on the th, 'our tent was up we started our search among the snow-heaps with childish glee. one after another our treasures were brought forth: oil enough for the most lavish expenditure, biscuit that might have lasted us for a month, and, finally, a large brown provision-bag which we knew would contain more than food alone. we have just opened this provision-bag and feasted our eyes on the contents. there are two tins of sardines, a large tin of marmalade, soup squares, pea soup, and many other delights that already make our mouths water. for each one of us there is some special trifle which the forethought of our kind people has provided, mine being an extra packet of tobacco; and last, but not least, there are a whole heap of folded letters and notes--_billets-doux_ indeed. i wonder if a mail was ever more acceptable.' the news, too, was good; royds, after desperate labour, had succeeded in rescuing the boats; blissett had discovered an emperor penguin's egg, and his messmates expected him to be knighted. but the meal itself, though 'pure joy' at first, was not an [page ] unqualified success, for after being accustomed to starvation or semi-starvation rations, they were in no condition either to resist or to digest any unstinted meal, and both scott and wilson suffered acutely. on the next morning they awoke to find a heavy blizzard, and the first thought of pushing on at all hazards was abandoned when shackleton was found to be extremely ill. everything now depended upon the weather, for should the blizzard continue scott doubted if shackleton would even be well enough to be carried on the sledge. 'it is a great disappointment; last night we thought ourselves out of the wood with all our troubles behind us, and to-night matters seem worse than ever. luckily wilson and i are pretty fit, and we have lots of food.' by great luck the weather cleared on the morning of the th, and as shackleton after a very bad night revived a little it was felt that the only chance was to go on. 'at last he was got away, and we watched him almost tottering along with frequent painful halts. re-sorting our provisions, in half an hour we had packed our camp, set our sail, and started with the sledges. it was not long before we caught our invalid, who was so exhausted that we thought it wiser he should sit on the sledges, where for the remainder of the forenoon, with the help of our sail, we carried him.' in wilson's opinion shackleton's relapse was mainly due to the blizzard, but fortune favored them during the last stages of the struggle homewards, and the glorious weather had a wonderful effect upon the [page ] sick man. by the night of february they were within ten or twelve miles of their goal, and saw a prospect of a successful end to their troubles. during the afternoon they had passed round the corner of white island, and as they did so the old familiar outline of the friendly peninsula suddenly opened up before them. on every side were suggestions of home, and their joy at seeing the well-known landmarks was increased by the fact that they were as nearly 'spent as three persons can well be.' shackleton, it is true, had lately shown an improvement, but his companions placed but little confidence in that, for they knew how near he had been, and still was, to a total collapse. and both scott and wilson knew also that their scurvy had again been advancing rapidly, but they scarcely dared to admit either to themselves or each other how 'done' they were. for many a day wilson had suffered from lameness, and each morning had vainly tried to disguise his limp, but from his set face scott knew well enough how much he suffered before the first stiffness wore off. 'as for myself, for some time i have hurried through the task of changing my foot-gear in an attempt to forget that my ankles are considerably swollen. one and all we want rest and peace, and, all being well, tomorrow, thank heaven, we shall get them.' these are the final words written in scott's sledge-diary during this remarkable journey, for on the next morning they packed up their camp for the last time and set their faces towards observation hill. [page ] brilliant weather still continued, and after plodding on for some hours two specks appeared, which at first were thought to be penguins, but presently were seen to be men hurrying towards them. early in the morning they had been reported by watchers on the hills, and skelton and bernacchi had hastened out to meet them. then the tent was put up, and while cocoa was made they listened to a ceaseless stream of news, for not only had all the other travelers returned safe and sound with many a tale to tell, but the relief ship, the _morning_, had also arrived and brought a whole year's news. so during their last lunch and during the easy march that followed, they, gradually heard of the events in the civilized world from december, , to december, , and these kept their thoughts busy until they rounded the cape and once more saw their beloved ship. though still held fast in her icy prison the _discovery_ looked trim and neat, and to mark the especial nature of the occasion a brave display of bunting floated gently in the breeze, while as they approached, the side and the rigging were thronged with their cheering comrades. with every want forestalled, and every trouble lifted from their shoulders by companions vying with one another to attend to them, no welcome could have been more delightful, and yet at the time it appeared unreal to their dull senses. 'it seemed too good to be true that all our anxieties had so completely ended, [page ] and that rest for brain and limb was ours at last.' for ninety-three days they had plodded over a vast snow-field and slept beneath the fluttering canvas of a tent; during that time they had covered statute miles; and if the great results hoped for in the beginning had not been completely achieved, they knew at any rate that they had striven and endured to the limit of their powers. [page ] chapter vii a second winter as cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. proverbs. in a very short time scott discovered that the sledding resources of the ship had been used to their fullest extent during his absence, and that parties had been going and coming and ever adding to the collection of knowledge. on november royds had gone again to cape crozier to see how the emperor penguins were faring, and in the meantime such rapid progress had been made in the preparations for the western party that november , being king edward's birthday, was proclaimed a general holiday and given up to the eagerly anticipated athletic sports. of all the events perhaps the keenest interest was shown in the toboggan race, for which the men entered in pairs. each couple had to provide their own toboggan, subject to the rule that no sledge, or part of a sledge, and no ski should be used. the start was high up the hillside, and as the time for it approached the [page ] queerest lot of toboggans gradually collected. the greater number were roughly made from old boxes and cask staves, but something of a sensation was caused when the canny scottish carpenter's mate arrived with a far more pretentious article, though built from the same material. in secret he had devoted himself to making what was really a very passable sledge, and when he and his companion secured themselves to this dark horse, the result of the race was considered a foregone conclusion. but soon after the start it was seen that this couple had laboured in vain; for although they shot ahead at first, their speed was so great that they could not control their machine. in a moment they were rolling head-over-heels in clouds of snow, and while the hare was thus amusing itself a tortoise slid past and won the race. by the end of november everything was ready for the western journey, and a formidable party set out on the th to cross mcmurdo sound and attack the mainland. in armitage's own party were skelton and ten men, while the supports consisted of koettlitz, ferrar, dellbridge and six men. excellent pioneer work was done by armitage and his party during their seven weeks' journey. without a doubt a practicable road to the interior was discovered and traversed, and the barrier of mountains that had seemed so formidable an obstruction from the ship was conquered. it was equally certain that the party could claim to be the first to set foot on the interior of victoria land but they had been forced to turn back at an extremely [page ] interesting point, and in consequence were unable to supply very definite information with regard to the ice-cap. they had, however, fulfilled their main object, and in doing so had disclosed problems that caused the deepest interest to be focussed upon the direction in which they had traveled. perhaps the most promising circumstance of all was that among the rock specimens brought back were fragments of quartz-grits. these, with other observations, showed the strong probability of the existence of sedimentary deposits which might be reached and examined, and which alone could serve to reveal the geological history of this great southern continent. at all hazards scott determined that the geologist of the expedition must be given a chance to explore this most interesting region. the extensive preparations for the western journey had practically stripped the ship of sledge equipment, and those who went out on shorter journeys were obliged to make the best of the little that remained. this did not, however, balk their energies, and by resorting to all kinds of shifts and devices they made many useful expeditions. while these efforts at exploration were being carried out the ship was left in the charge of royds, who employed everyone on board in the most important task of freeing the boats. drastic measures had to be taken before they could be released from their beds of ice, and with sawing and blasting going on in the unseen depths, it was not possible [page ] that the task could be accomplished without doing considerable damage. when at length all of them had been brought to the surface their condition was exceedingly dilapidated; indeed only two of them were in a condition to float; but although it was evident that the carpenter would be busy for many weeks before they would be seaworthy, their reappearance was a tremendous relief. long before his departure to the south, scott had given instructions that the _discovery_ should be prepared for sea by the end of january. consequently, after the boats had been freed, there was still plenty of employment for everybody, since 'preparations for sea' under such circumstances meant a most prodigious amount of labour. tons and tons of snow had to be dug out from the deck with pick-axes and shoveled over the side; aloft, sails and ropes had to be looked to, the running-gear to be re-rove, and everything got ready for handling the ship under sail; many things that had been displaced or landed near the shore-station had to be brought on board and secured in position; thirty tons of ice had to be fetched, melted, and run into the boilers; below, steam-pipes had to be rejointed, glands re-packed, engines turned by hand, and steam raised to see that all was in working order. not doubting that the ice would soon break up and release the ship, this work was carried on so vigorously that when the southern travelers returned all was ready for them to put to sea again. [page ] but eleven days before scott and his companions struggled back to safety the great event of the season had happened in the arrival of the _morning_. how the funds were raised by means of which this ship was sent is a tale in itself; briefly, however, it was due to the untiring zeal and singleness of purpose shown by sir clements markham that the _morning_, commanded by lieutenant william colbeck, r.n.r., was able to leave the london docks on july , . long before the _discovery_ had left new zealand the idea of a relief ship had been discussed, and although scott saw great difficulties in the way, he also felt quite confident that if the thing was to be done sir clements was the man to do it. obviously then it was desirable to leave as much information as possible on the track, and the relief ship was to try and pick up clues at the places where scott had said that he would attempt to leave them. these places were cape adare, possession islands, coulman island, wood bay, franklin island and cape crozier. on january a landing was effected at cape adare, and there colbeck heard of the _discovery's_ safe arrival in the south. the possession islands were drawn blank, because scott had not been able to land there, and south of this the whole coast was so thickly packed that the _morning_ could not approach either coulman island or wood bay. franklin island was visited on january , but [page ] without result; and owing to the quantities of pack ice it was not until four days later that a landing was made at cape crozier. colbeck himself joined the landing party, and after spending several hours in fruitless search, he was just giving up the hunt and beginning despondently to wonder what he had better do next, when suddenly a small post was seen on the horizon. a rush was made for it, and in a few minutes colbeck knew that he had only to steer into the mysterious depths of mcmurdo sound to find the _discovery_, and practically to accomplish the work he had set out to do. on board the _discovery_ the idea had steadily grown that a relief ship would come. for no very clear reason the men had begun to look upon it as a certainty, and during the latter part of january it was not uncommon for wild rumors to be spread that smoke had been seen to the north. such reports, therefore, were generally received without much excitement, but when a messenger ran down the hill on the night of the rd to say that there was actually a ship in sight the enthusiasm was intense. only the most imperturbable of those on board could sleep much during that night, and early on the th a large party set out over the floe. the _morning_ was lying some ten miles north of the _discovery_, but it was far easier to see her than to reach her. at last, however, the party, after various little adventures, stood safely on deck and received the warmest of welcomes. during the last week of january the weather was [page ] in its most glorious mood, and with some of the treacherous thin ice breaking away the _morning_ was able to get a mile nearer. parties constantly passed to and fro between the two ships, and everyone--with unshaken confidence that the _discovery_ would soon be free--gave themselves up to the delight of fresh companionship, and the joy of good news from the home country. to this scene of festivity and cheeriness scott, wilson and shackleton returned on february , and though the last to open their letters they had the satisfaction of knowing that the _morning_ had brought nothing but good news. by a curious coincidence colbeck chose the night of the southern party's return to make his first visit to the _discovery_, and soon after scott had come out of his delicious bath and was reveling in the delight of clean clothes, he had the pleasure of welcoming him on board. 'in those last weary marches over the barrier,' scott says, 'i had little expected that the first feast in our home quarters would be taken with strange faces gathered round our festive table, but so it was, and i can well remember the look of astonishment that dawned on those faces when we gradually displayed our power of absorbing food.' but however difficult the appetites of the party were to appease, for a fortnight after they had reached the ship their condition was very wretched. shackleton at once went to bed, and although he soon tried to be out and about again, the least exertion caused a return of his breathlessness, and he still suffered from [page ] the violent fits of coughing that had troubled him so much on the journey. with wilson, who at one time had shown the least signs of scurvy, the disease had increased so rapidly at the end that on his return he wisely decided to go to bed, where he remained quietly for ten days. 'wilson,' scott wrote on february , 'is a very fine fellow, his pluck and go were everything on our southern journey; one felt he wouldn't give in till he dropped.' and this collapse when he got back to the ship was in itself a proof of the determination which must have upheld him during the last marches. scott, though the least affected of the three, was also by no means fit and well. both his legs were swollen and his gums were very uncomfortable, but in addition to these troubles he was attacked by an overwhelming feeling of both physical and mental weariness. 'many days passed,' he says, 'before i could rouse myself from this slothful humour, and it was many weeks before i had returned to a normally vigorous condition. it was probably this exceptionally relaxed state of health that made me so slow to realize that the ice conditions were very different from what they had been in the previous season.... the prospect of the ice about us remaining fast throughout the season never once entered my head.' his diary, however, for the month shows how he gradually awakened to the true state of affairs, and on february he decided to begin the transport of stores from the _morning_ to the _discovery_, so that the former ship 'should run no risk of being detained.' and on the th when [page ] he paid his first visit to the _morning_ and found the journey 'an awful grind,' he had begun to wonder whether the floe was ever going to break up. [illustration: lunar corona.] a week later he was clearly alive to the situation. 'the _morning_ must go in less than a week, and it seems now impossible that we shall be free by that time, though i still hope the break-up may come after she has departed.' some time previously he had decided that if they had to remain the ship's company should be reduced, and on the th he had a talk with the men and told them that he wished nobody to stop on board who was not willing. on the following day a list was sent round for the names of those who wanted to go, and the result was curiously satisfactory--for scott had determined that eight men should go, and not only were there eight names on the list, but they were also precisely those which scott would have put there had he made the selection. shackleton also had to be told that he must go, as in his state of health scott did not think that any further hardships ought to be risked; but in his place scott requisitioned mulock who by an extraordinary chance is just the very man we wanted. we have now an immense amount of details for charts... and mulock is excellent at this work and as keen as possible. it is rather amusing, as he is the only person who is obviously longing for the ice to stop in, though of course he doesn't say so. the other sporting characters are still giving ten to one that it will go out, but i am bound to confess that i am not sanguine.' [page ] the letter from which the last extract is taken was begun on february , and before the end of the month all hope of the _discovery_ being able to leave with the _morning_ had been abandoned. on march nearly the whole of the _discovery's_ company were entertained on board the _morning_, and on the following day the relief ship slowly backed away from the ice-edge, and in a few minutes she was turning to the north, with every rope and spar outlined against the black northern sky. cheer after cheer was raised as she gathered way, and long after she had passed out of earshot the little band stood gazing at her receding hull, and wondering when they too would be able to take the northern track. in the _morning_ went a letter from scott which shows that although in a sense disappointed by the prospect of having to remain for another winter, both he and his companions were not by any means dismayed. 'it is poor luck,' he wrote, 'as i was dead keen on getting a look round c. north before making for home. however we all take it philosophically, and are perfectly happy and contented on board, and shall have lots to do in winter, spring and summer. we will have a jolly good try to free the ship next year, though i fear manual labour doesn't go far with such terribly heavy ice as we have here; but this year we were of course unprepared, and when we realized the situation it was too late to begin anything like extensive operations. i can rely on every single man that remains in the ship and i gave them all the option of leaving... [page ] the ship's company is now practically naval-officers and men--it is rather queer when one looks back to the original gift of two officers.' referring to the southern journey he says, 'we cut our food and fuel too fine.... i never knew before what it was to be hungry; at times we were famished and had to tighten our belts nightly before going to sleep. the others dreamt of food snatched away at the last moment, but this didn't bother me so much.' but characteristically the greater part of this long letter refers not to his own doings, but to the admirable qualities of those who were with him. wilson, royds, skelton, hodgson, barne and bernacchi are all referred to in terms of the warmest praise, and for the manner in which colbeck managed the relief expedition the greatest admiration is expressed. but in some way or other scott discovered good points in all the officers he mentioned, and if they were not satisfactory in every way his object seemed to be rather to excuse than to blame them. he was, however, unaffectedly glad to see the last of the cook, for the latter had shown himself far more capable at talking than at cooking, and had related so many of his wonderful adventures that one of the sailors reckoned that the sum total of these thrilling experiences must have extended over a period of five hundred and ninety years--which, as the sailor said, was a fair age even for a cook. by march even the most optimistic of the company were compelled to admit the certainty of a second winter, and orders were given to prepare the [page ] ship for it. compared with the previous year the weather had been a great deal worse, for there had been more wind and much lower temperatures, and under such conditions it was hopeless to go on expecting the ice to break up. but it was not to be wondered at that they found themselves wondering what their imprisonment meant. was it the present summer or the last that was the exception? for them this was the gravest question, since on the answer to it their chance of getting away next year, or at all, depended. while, however, the situation as regards the future was not altogether without anxiety, they sturdily determined to make the best of the present. to ward off any chance of scurvy, it was determined to keep rigidly to a fresh-meat routine throughout the winter, and consequently a great number of seals and skuas had to be killed. at first the skua had been regarded as unfit for human food, but skelton on a sledding trip had caught one in a noose and promptly put it into the pot. and the result was so satisfactory that the skua at once began to figure prominently on the menu. they had, however, to deplore the absence of penguins from their winter diet, because none had been seen near the ship for a long time. on wednesday, april , the sun departed, but scott remarks upon this rather dismal fact with the greatest cheerfulness: 'it would be agreeable to know what is going to happen next year, but otherwise we have no wants. our routine goes like clock-work; [page ] we eat, sleep, work and play at regular hours, and are never in lack of employment. hockey, i fear, must soon cease for lack of light, but it has been a great diversion, although not unattended with risks, for yesterday i captured a black eye from a ball furiously driven by royds.' of the months that followed little need be said, except that scott's anticipations were fully realized. in fact the winter passed by without a hitch, and their second mid-winter day found them even more cheerful than their first. hodgson continued to work away with his fish-traps, tow-nets and dredging; mulock, who had been trained as a surveyor and had great natural abilities for the work, was most useful, first in collecting and re-marking all the observations, and later on in constructing temporary charts; while barne generally vanished after breakfast and spent many a day at his distant sounding holes. throughout the season the routine of scientific observations was carried out in the same manner as in the previous year, while many new details were added; and so engaged was everyone in serviceable work that when the second long polar night ended, scott was able to write: 'i do not think there is a soul on board the _discovery_ who would say that it has been a hardship.... all thoughts are turned towards the work that lies before us, and it would be difficult to be blind to the possible extent of its usefulness. each day has brought it more home to us how little we know and how much there is to be learned, and we [page ] realize fully that this second year's work may more than double the value of our observations. life in these regions has lost any terror it ever possessed for us, for we know that, come what may, we can live, and live well, for any reasonable number of years to come.' [page ] chapter viii the western journey path of advance! but it leads a long steep journey through sunk gorges, o'er mountains in snow.--m. arnold. during the second winter much time and attention had to be given to the sledge equipment, for there was scarcely an article in it that did not need to be thoroughly overhauled and refitted. but in spite of all their efforts, the outfit for the coming season was bound to be a tattered and makeshift affair. skins of an inferior quality had to be used for sleeping-bags; the tents were blackened with use, threadbare in texture, and patched in many places; the cooking apparatus was considerably the worse for wear; the wind clothes were almost worn out, while for all the small bags, which were required for provisions, they were obliged to fall back on any sheets and tablecloths that could be found. this state of things, however, was very far from daunting their spirits, and long before the winter was over the plan of campaign for the next season had been drawn up. in making the program scott knew that extended [page ] journeys could only be made by properly supported parties, and it was easy to see that his small company would not be able to make more than two supported journeys, though it might be just possible to make a third more or less lengthy journey without support. the next thing to decide was in what direction these parties should go, and in this connection the greatest interest undoubtedly lay in the west. to explore the ferrar glacier from a geological point of view and find out the nature of the interior ice-cap must, scott determined, be attempted at all costs, and this journey to the west he decided to lead himself. in the south it was evident that without dogs no party could hope to get beyond the point already reached. but scott's journey had been made a long way from land, and consequently had left many problems unsolved, chief among which were the extraordinary straits that had appeared to run through the mountain ranges without rising in level. it was therefore with the main object of exploring one of them that the second supported party, under the leadership of barne and mulock, was to set out. the credit in arranging the direction in which the unsupported party should go belongs to bernacchi, who was the first to ask scott what proof they had that the barrier surface continued on a level to the eastward; and when scott began to consider this question, he discovered that there was no definite proof, and decided that the only way to get it was to go and see. [illustration: pinnacled ice at mouth of ferrar glacier. _photo by f. debenham._] [illustration: pressure ridges north side of discovery bluff. _photo by f. debenham._] [page ] besides the longer journeys, the program included a number of shorter ones for specific purposes, and the most important of these were the periodic visits to the emperor penguin rookery, as it was hoped that wilson would be able to observe these birds from the beginning of their breeding season. finally, one important factor was to dominate all the sledding arrangements, for although the _discovery_ was mainly at the mercy of natural causes, scott made up his mind that everything man could do to free her from the ice should be done. as soon as they could hope to make any impression upon the great ice-sheet around them, the whole force of the company was to set to work at the task of extrication, and so all sledding journeys were to start in time to assure their return to the ship by the middle of december. on september scott got away with his own party of skelton, dailey, evans, lashly and handsley, their object being to find a new road to the ferrar glacier, and on it to place a depôt ready for a greater effort over the ice-cap. the ferrar glacier descends gradually to the inlet, which had been named new harbor, but armitage had reported most adversely on this inlet as a route for sledges, and in conducting his own party had led it across the high foot-hills. as yet scott had not been to this region, but in the nature of things he could not help thinking that some practical route must exist up the new harbour inlet, and that if it could be found the journey to the west would be much easier. and the result of this little journey [page ] was really important, for whereas armitage, at the foot of the ferrar glacier, had seen the disturbance on the south side, and had concluded that it must extend right across, scott's party fortunately pushed over this disturbance and found much easier conditions beyond it. the fact thus discovered, and which was amply supported by further observations, was that invariably in the antarctic regions where glaciers run more or less east and west, the south side will be found to be much broken up and decayed, while the north side will be comparatively smooth and even. the reason of this, of course, is simple enough, for the sun achieves its highest altitude in the north, and consequently its warmest and most direct rays fall on the south side of a valley. here, therefore, the greater part of the summer melting takes place, and a wild chaos of ice disturbance is caused. scott's party, by taking a different route, laid a depôt at a spot which armitage had taken three weeks to reach, and was back again at the ship in less than a fortnight. 'we were,' scott says, 'inclined to be exceedingly self-satisfied; we had accomplished our object with unexpected ease, we had done a record march, and we had endured record temperatures--at least, we thought so, and thought also how pleasant it would be to tell these things in front of a nice bright fire. as we approached the ship, however, hodgson came out to greet us, and his first question was, "what temperatures [page ] have you had?" we replied by complacently quoting our array of _minus_ fifties, but he quickly cut us short by remarking that we were not in it.' in fact during those few days there had been a very cold snap throughout the region. barne's party on the barrier, where they had been laying a depôt, had the coldest time, and after their thermometer had fallen lower and lower its spirit-column broke at - . °. royds and his party also had to endure - °, but in other respects they were in luck. for on arriving at cape crozier they found that the emperor penguins had already hatched out their young, and wilson was delighted to get the opportunity of studying the chicks at such a tender age. commenting upon this and another journey to cape crozier, wilson wrote: 'the emperor penguin stands nearly four feet high, and weighs upward of eighty to ninety pounds.... i think the chickens hate their parents, and when one watches the proceedings in a rookery it strikes one as not surprising. in the first place there is about one chick to ten or twelve adults, and each adult has an overpowering desire to "sit" on something. both males and females want to nurse, and the result is that when a chicken finds himself alone there is a rush on the part of a dozen unemployed to seize him. naturally he runs away, and dodges here and there till a six-stone emperor falls on him, and then begins a regular football scrimmage, in which each tries to hustle the other off, and the end is too often disastrous to the chick.... i think it is not [page ] an exaggeration to say that of the per cent. that die no less than half are killed by kindness.' from cape crozier cross resolved to try to bring two chickens back to the ship, and by giving up his sleeping jacket to keep them warm and tending them with the utmost care, he succeeded in his attempt. but eventually they died from unnatural feeding, and wilson says: 'had we even succeeded in bringing them to the age when they put on their feathers, i fear that the journey home through the tropics would have proved too much for them, as we had no means of making a cool place for them on the ship.' september brought with it a grievous disappointment, as on that day the nautical almanac announced that nine-tenths of the sun would be obscured. for this event bernacchi had made the most careful preparations, and everyone was placed under his orders during the day. telescopes and the spectroscopic camera were trained in the right direction, magnetic instruments were set to run at quick speed, and observers were told off to watch everything on which the absence of sun could possibly have the smallest effect. everything, in short, was ready except the sun itself which obstinately refused to come out. 'there may,' scott says, 'have been an eclipse of the sun on september , , as the almanac said, but we should none of us have liked to swear to the fact.' the next three weeks or so were spent in preparations for the long journeys, and on october scott [page ] left the ship with a party of twelve, and four -foot sledges. first came his own party, which included skelton, feather, evans, lashly and handsley; secondly there was a small party for the geologist, ferrar, who was accompanied by kennar and weller; and thirdly there were the supports, consisting of dailey, williamson and plumley. scott guessed rightly that in many respects this was going to be the hardest task he had yet undertaken, but he knew also that experience would be a thing to be reckoned upon, and that it would take a good deal to stop the determined men whom he had chosen. at the start their loads were a little over lbs. per man, but most of the party were by this time in thoroughly good condition, and by hard marching they covered the forty-five miles to new harbour and reached the snow-cape early on the th. this snow-cape in future was to be known as butter point, for here on their return journey they could hope to obtain fresh seal-meat, and in preparation for this great event a tin of butter was carried and left at the point for each party. at first all went well with the travelers, and it was not until the evening of the th, when they were camped amid indescribably beautiful scenery, that the first cloud of trouble arose. then dailey the carpenter reported that the german silver had split under the runners of two sledges, and this was a most serious blow; for although the wood runners were capable of running on snow without protection, on [page ] hard, sharp ice, especially if the sledge was heavily laden, they would be knocked to pieces in a very short time. it was, therefore, absolutely necessary to protect the runners on this journey, but unfortunately the german silver protection had already stood a season's work, and had worn thin without giving any outward sign. from start to finish of the ferrar glacier about ninety miles of hard ice were to be expected, and the problem that immediately arose was how to get the sledges over this without damage. by lunch-time on the th they had achieved a height of over , feet, and by that time the sledges were in such a parlous state that scott had all of them unpacked and the runners turned up for inspection. horrid revelations followed; one sledge remained sound, and scott promptly decided that there was one course and only one to take, and that was to return to the ship as fast as they could. had two sledges been available the advance party might have struggled on, but with one they could do nothing; so they left the sound sledge with everything else except the half-week's provisions necessary to take them back, and on the following days they 'came as near flying as is possible with a sledge party.' on the morning of the th they had eighty-seven miles to cover, and by . p.m. on the st they had reached the ship. during this march scott had determined to test his own party to the utmost, but seeing no necessity [page ] for the supports to be dragged into this effort he told them to take their own time. the supporting party, however, did not mean to be left behind if they could help it, and later on the night of the st they also reached the ship. in the hard struggle of the last hours some of the members of the supporting party, though determined not to give in, had been comically astounded by the pace which was set, and kennar, presumably referring to scott, kept on repeating, 'if he can do it, i don't see why i can't: my legs are as long as his. five days after their flying return they were off again, and although the material for repairing sledges was very scanty, one sound -foot sledge had been made and also a -foot one for ferrar's glacier work. trouble, however, almost at once began with the runners, and on the th ferrar's sledge gave out and caused a long delay. but in spite of being held up by wind for two days, they reached their depôt on november , and thought at first that everything was safe. on examination, however, they discovered that a violent gale had forced open the lid of the instrument box, and that several things were missing, among which scott found to his dismay was the 'hints to travelers.' 'the gravity of this blow,' he wrote in his diary on november , 'can scarcely be exaggerated; but whilst i realized the blow i felt that nothing would induce me to return to the ship a second time; i thought it fair, however, to put the case to the others, [page ] and i am, as i expected, fortified by their willing consent to take the risks of pushing on.' in traveling to the west, scott expected to be--as indeed he was--out of sight of landmarks for some weeks. in such a case as this the sledge-traveler is in precisely the same position as a ship or a boat at sea: he can only obtain a knowledge of his whereabouts by observation of the sun or stars, and with the help of these observations he finds his latitude and longitude, but to do this a certain amount of data is required. 'hints to travelers' supplies these necessary data, and it was on this book that scott had been relying to help him to work out his sights and fix accurately the position of his party. unless he went back to the ship to make good his loss, he was obliged to take the risk of marching into the unknown without knowing exactly where he was or how he was to get back. 'if,' he says, 'the loss of our "hints to travelers" did not lead us into serious trouble it caused me many a bad half-hour.' having, however, decided to push on, they wasted no time about it, and although the sledge-runners continued to need constant attention they arrived at the base of the upper glacier reach on the nd, and on the following day gained a height of , feet. so far nothing exceptionally eventful had occurred, but november was destined to begin a time that scott described afterwards as 'the most miserable week i have ever spent.' in the morning of the th there was bright sunshine with a cold, increasing wind, [page ] but later on the sun disappeared and the weather became very threatening. still, however, they battled on and were half-way up the bare, icy slope they were climbing, when the air became thick with driving snow and the full force of the gale burst upon them. pushing on at almost a run they succeeded in reaching the top, and hurriedly started to search for a patch of snow on which to camp, but nothing could be found except bare, blue ice. by this time the position was becoming serious, all of them were frost-bitten in the face, and although the runners of the sledges were split again so badly that they could barely pull them over the surface, they did not dare to leave the sledges in the thick drift. at last a white patch was seen and a rush was made for it, but the snow discovered was so ancient and wind-swept that it was almost as hard as the ice itself. nevertheless they knew it was this or nothing, and scott seized a shovel for his own tent-party, and dug for all he was worth without making the least impression. at this moment feather, the boatswain, luckily came to help him, and being more expert with the shovel managed to chip out a few small blocks. then they tried to get up a tent, but again and again it and the poles were blown flat, and at least an hour passed before the tents were erected. 'nothing,' scott wrote, 'but experience saved us from disaster to-day, for i feel pretty confident that we could not have stood another hour in the open.' little, however, did they expect when shelter [page ] was gained that a week would pass before they could resume their march. from november - the gale raged unceasingly, and meanwhile not a vision of the outer world came to them, for they were enveloped continuously in a thick fog of driving snow. in scott's tent there was one book, darwin's 'cruise of the _beagle_,' and first one and then another would read this aloud, until frozen fingers prevented the pages from being turned over. only one piece of work were they able to perform, and this on the first day when, thinking the storm would soon blow over, they hauled the sledges beneath one of the tents and stripped the german silver ready for the onward march. by the fifth day of their imprisonment sleep began to desert them, and scott, realizing that the long inactivity was telling on the health of the party, determined that whatever the conditions might be he would try to start on the following morning. this attempt, however, resulted in complete failure. in ten minutes both of scott's hands were 'gone,' skelton had three toes and the heel of one foot badly frost-bitten, and feather lost all feeling in both feet. 'things are looking serious,' scott wrote after this unsuccessful effort to be up and doing, 'i fear the long spell of bad weather is telling on us. the cheerfulness of the party is slowly waning; i heard the usual song from lashly this morning, but it was very short-lived and dolorous.... something must be done to-morrow, but what it will be, to-morrow only can show.' fortunately the next morning brought a lull in the [page ] storm, and though the air was still as thick as a hedge it was possible at last to break away from 'desolation camp.' then scott's party separated from ferrar's, the former making for the ice-fall and eventually and miraculously reaching the top without accident. on starting they could not see half-a-dozen yards ahead, and at once went as nearly as possible into an enormous chasm; and when they began to ascend they crossed numerous crevasses without waiting to see if the bridges would bear. 'i really believe that we were in a state when we none of us really cared much what happened; our sole thought was to get away from that miserable spot.' but during the succeeding days fortune was with them, and by the night of the th the fight was won and the summit reached. with five weeks' provisions in hand, and the prospect of covering many miles before a return to the glacier would be necessary, they were, as they camped at the elevation of , feet, a very different party from the one which had struggled out of 'desolation camp' on the morning of the th. but they had scarcely gained the summit of the icecap and started the journey to the west before troubles again began to gather round them. the long stay in 'desolation camp' had covered their sleeping-bags and night-jackets with ice, and with falling temperatures this ice had so little chance to evaporate that camping arrangements were acutely uncomfortable; and as each night the thermometer fell a little lower, [page ] the chance of relief from this state of things could scarcely be said to exist. the wind, too, was a constant worry, for though it was not very strong, when combined with the low temperature and rarefied air its effect was blighting. 'i do not think,' scott wrote, 'that it would be possible to conceive a more cheerless prospect than that which faced us at this time, when on this lofty, desolate plateau we turned our backs upon the last mountain peak that could remind us of habitable lands. yet before us lay the unknown. what fascination lies in that word! could anyone wonder that we determined to push on, be the outlook ever so comfortless?' so they plodded forward with all their strength, but in spite of every effort their progress gradually became slower. by the th the sledges had been divided, scott, feather, and evans leading with one, while skelton, handsley, and lashly followed with the other. but scott found very soon that the second sledge had great difficulty in keeping up, and that although he himself felt thoroughly strong and well, some of his companions were beginning to fail. as was natural with such men not one of them would own that he was exhausted, and in consequence it was only by paying the keenest attention that he could detect those who from sheer incapacity were relaxing their strain on the traces. and his position was not pleasant even when he knew, for to tell any of these brave people that they must turn back was a most unenviable [page ] task. thus it came about that all six of them marched on, though scott was sure that better progress would have been made had the party been divided. something like a climax was reached on the th, when handsley more or less broke down. not for a moment, however, did he mean to give up, and when he was relieved of some part of his work he begged scott not again to make an example of him. in handsley's opinion his breakdown was a disgrace, and no arguments would make him change it. small wonder then that scott wrote in his diary: 'what children these men are, and yet what splendid children! the boatswain has been suffering agonies from his back; he has been pulling just behind me, and in some sympathy that comes through the traces i have got to know all about him, yet he has never uttered a word of complaint, and when he knows my eye is on him he straightens up and pretends he is just as fit as ever. what is one to do with such people?' what scott did was to try for another day to go on as before, but on november he had to tell skelton, feather, and handsley that they must turn back, and though 'they could not disguise their disappointment, they all seemed to understand that it had to be.' from the date on which scott reluctantly came to this decision, three weeks of the hardest physical toil followed for him and his companions, evans and lashly. nevertheless scott looked back upon this strenuous time with unmixed satisfaction, and paid a [page ] high tribute of praise to his companions for their part in the successful work that was done. 'with these two men behind me,' he says, 'our sledge seemed to be a living thing, and the days of slow progress were numbered.... troubles and discomforts were many, and we could only guess at the progress we made, but we knew that by sticking to our task we should have our reward when our observations came to be worked out on board the ship.' regularly each night the temperature fell to - ° or below, while during the marching hours it rarely rose much above - °, and with this low temperature there was a constant wind. in fact the wind was the plague of their lives and cut them to pieces. so cracked were their faces that laughing hurt horribly, and the first half-hour of the morning march, before they were warmed up to the work, was dreadful, as then all their sore places got frost-bitten. in short the last week of their outward march was a searching test of endurance, but they had resolved to march on until november , and in spite of the miserable conditions there was no turning back before the month had ended. scott, however, was most undisguisedly glad when november had come and gone. 'we have finished our last outward march, thank heaven! nothing has kept us going during the past week but the determination to carry out our original intention of going on to the end of the month, and so here we have pitched our last camp.' [page ] chapter ix the return from the west ceaseless frost round the vast solitude bound its broad zone of stillness.--shelley. 'we are all,' scott wrote in his diary, 'very proud of our march out. i don't know where we are, but i know we must be a long way to the west from my rough noon observation of the compass variation.' but not for anything in the world did he want again to see the interior of victoria land. writing two years after this great march he says: 'for me the long month which we spent on the victoria land summit remains as some vivid but evil dream. i have a memory of continuous strain on mind and body, lightened only by the unfailing courage and cheerfulness of my companions.' from first to last the month of november had been a struggle to penetrate into this barren, deserted, wind-swept, piercingly cold, and fearfully monotonous region, and although on turning homewards the travelers were relieved by having the wind at their backs, the time of trial was by no means over. only by utilizing all their powers of marching could they hope [page ] to retreat in safety from their position, and december opened with such overcast weather that valuable time had to be spent in the tent. during the next few days, however, good marches were made, until on december everything changed abruptly for the worse. on the afternoon of the th the surface became so abominably bad, that by pulling desperately they could not get the sledge along at more than a mile an hour. oil was growing short, and in view of the future scott had to propose that marching hours should be increased by one hour, that they should use half allowance of oil, and that if they did not sight landmarks within a couple of days their rations should be reduced. 'when i came to the cold lunch and fried breakfast poor evans' face fell; he evidently doesn't much believe in the virtue of food, unless it is in the form of a _hoosh_ and has some chance of sticking to one's ribs.' land was sighted on the th, th, and th, but the weather was as overcast as ever, and scott was still in dreadful uncertainty of their whereabouts, because he was unable to recognize a single point. ten hours' pulling per day was beginning to tell upon them, and although apart from the increasing pangs of hunger there was no sign of sickness, scott remarks, on the th, that they were becoming 'gaunt shadows.' during the morning of the th evans' nose, which had been more or less frost-bitten for some weeks, had an especially bad attack. his attitude [page ] to this unruly member was one of comic forbearance, as though, while it scarcely belonged to him, he was more or less responsible for it and so had to make excuses. on this occasion when told that it had 'gone,' he remarked in a resigned tone, 'my poor old nose again; well, there, it's chronic!' by the time it had been brought round a storm was blowing, and though they continued to march, the drift was so thick that at any moment they might have walked over the edge of a precipice--a fitting prelude to what, by general consent, was admitted to be the most adventurous day in their lives. prospects, when they started to march on the next morning, were at first a little brighter, but soon a bitterly cold wind was blowing and high ice hummocks began to appear ahead of them. in this predicament scott realized that it was both rash to go forward, as the air was becoming thick with snow-drift, and equally rash to stop, for if they had to spend another long spell in a blizzard camp, starvation would soon be staring them in the face. so he asked evans and lashly if they were ready to take the risk of going on, and promptly discovered that they were. then they marched straight for the ice disturbance, and as the surface became smoother and the slope steeper their sledge began to overrun them. at this point scott put evans and lashly behind to hold the sledge back, while he continued in front to guide its course, and what happened afterwards is described most graphically in the diary of the th. [page ] 'suddenly lashly slipped, and in an instant he was sliding downward on his back; directly the strain came on evans, he too was thrown off his feet. it all happened in a moment, and before i had time to look the sledge and the two men hurtled past me; i braced myself to stop them, but might as well have attempted to hold an express train. with the first jerk i was whipped off my legs, and we all three lay sprawling on our backs and flying downward with an ever-increasing velocity. for some reason the first thought that flashed into my mind was that someone would break a limb if he attempted to stop our mad career, and i shouted something to this effect, but might as well have saved my breath. then there came a sort of vague wonder as to what would happen next, and in the midst of that i was conscious that we had ceased to slide smoothly and were now bounding over a rougher incline, sometimes leaving it for several yards at a time; my thought flew to broken limbs again, for i felt we could not stand much of such bumping. 'at length we gave a huge leap into the air, and yet we traveled with such velocity that i had not time to think before we came down with tremendous force on a gradual incline of rough, hard, wind-swept snow. its irregularities brought us to rest in a moment or two, and i staggered to my feet in a dazed fashion, wondering what had happened. 'then to my joy i saw the others also struggling to their legs, and in another moment i could thank heaven that no limbs were broken. but we had by [page ] no means escaped scathless; our legs now show one black bruise from knee to thigh, and lashly was unfortunate enough to land once on his back, which is bruised and very painful.... i, as the lightest, escaped the easiest, yet before the two men crawled painfully to their feet their first question was to ask if i had been hurt. 'as soon as i could pull myself together i looked round, and now to my astonishment i saw that we were well on towards the entrance of our own glacier; ahead and on either side of us appeared well-remembered landmarks, whilst behind, in the rough broken ice-wall over which we had fallen, i now recognized at once the most elevated ice cascade of our valley.... 'i cannot but think that this sudden revelation of our position was very wonderful. half an hour before we had been lost; i could not have told whether we were making for our own glacier or any other, or whether we were ten or fifty miles from our depôt; it was more than a month since we had seen any known landmark. now in this extraordinary manner the curtain had been raised... and down the valley we could see the high cliffs of the depôt nunatak where peace and plenty awaited us.' the sledge had not capsized until they all rolled over at the end, but the jolting had scattered their belongings and broken open the biscuit box, with the result that they had no provisions left, except the few scraps they could pick up and the meager contents of their food bag. as quickly as stiffening limbs would [page ] allow they collected their scattered articles, repacked the sledge and marched on towards the depôt. before them lay a long plateau, at the edge of which scott knew that they would find a second cascade, and beneath it the region of desolation camp and a more gradual icy surface down to the depôt. fortune favored them in descending the second cascade, and quite unsuspicious of any further danger they joined up their harness to their usual positions in front of the sledge. this brought scott in the middle and a little in advance, with lashly on his right and evans on his left. presently the sledge began to skid, and scott told lashly to pull wide to steady it. scarcely had this order been obeyed when scott and evans stepped on nothing and disappeared, while lashly miraculously saved himself from following and sprang back with his whole weight on the trace. the sledge flashed by him and jumped the crevasse down which scott and evans had gone, one side of the sledge being cracked by the jerk but the other side mercifully holding. 'personally,' scott says, 'i remember absolutely nothing until i found myself dangling at the end of my trace with blue walls on either side and a very horrid looking gulf below; large ice-crystals dislodged by our movements continued to shower down on our heads. as a first step i took off my goggles; i then discovered that evans was hanging just above me. i asked him if he was all right, and received a reassuring reply in his calm, matter-of-fact tones.' [page ] then scott began to grope about on every side with his cramponed feet, but not until his struggles set him swinging did his leg suddenly strike a projection. at a glance he saw that by raising himself he could get a foothold on this, and after a short struggle he stood upon a thin shaft of ice, which was wedged providentially between the walls of the chasm, and could look about him. to the right or left, above or below, there was not the vestige of another such support, nothing, in fact, but the smooth walls of ice. the projection seemed to have got there by a miracle, but miracle or not the thing to do was to help evans, and when the latter had slipped his harness well up beneath his arms scott found that he could pilot his feet to the bridge. 'all this had occupied some time, and it was only now that i realized what had happened above us, for there, some twelve feet over our heads, was the outline of the broken sledge. i saw at once what a frail support remained, and shouted to lashly to ask what he could do, and then i knew the value of such a level-headed companion; for whilst he held on grimly to the sledge and us with one hand, his other was busily employed in withdrawing our ski. at length he succeeded in sliding two of these beneath the broken sledge, and so making our support more secure.' but clever as this device was it still left them without lashly's active assistance, because directly he relaxed his hold the sledge began to slip. the only [page ] possible course, therefore, was for scott and evans to climb out unaided, and, after a word with evans scott decided to try first; though he confessed afterwards that he never expected to reach the top. not for a longtime had he swarmed a rope, and to do so in thick clothing, heavy crampons, and with frost-bitten fingers seemed to him impossible. of the struggle that followed he remembered little except that he got a rest when he could plant his foot in the belt of his own harness, and again when his feet held on the rings of the belt. 'then came a mighty effort, till i reached the stirrup formed by the rope span of the sledge, and then, mustering all the strength that remained, i reached the sledge itself and flung myself on to the snow beyond. lashly said, "thank god!" and it was perhaps then that i realized that his position had been the worst of all.' but having arrived at the top he was completely out of action for several minutes, for his hands were white to the wrists, and not until their circulation came back could he get to work. with two on top and only one below the position, however, was very different, and presently evans, badly frost-bitten, was landed on the surface. for a minute or two they could only stand and look at one another. then evans said, 'well, i'm blowed,' which was the first sign of surprise he had shown. by six o'clock on that same evening they reached their depôt, and passed from abject discomfort to rest and peace. bruised, sore and tired as they were, [page ] lashly sang merrily as he stirred the pot, while scott and evans sat on the sledge, shifted their foot-gear, spread out their clothes to dry, and talked cheerily about the happenings of the day. from this time onward their camp-life was wholly, pleasant, except to lashly who had an attack of snow-blindness. apart from that they were in the best of condition for the hard marching in front of them, and when on the night of the th they reached their second depôt and could look out towards the sea, they did not care how far round they might have to walk if only that stubborn sheet of ice had broken away. but it was too evident that their homeward track might be as straight as they chose, as only in the far distance was open water to be seen, and with sorrow they realized that there must still be many miles of ice between it and the _discovery_. late on christmas eve they were once more on board the ship after an absence of fifty-nine days, during which they had traveled miles. taking the eighty-one days of absence which had constituted the whole sledding season, scott, evans and lashly had covered , miles, and, not including minor undulations, had climbed heights which totaled to , feet. on getting back to the _discovery_ scott found only koettlitz, handsley and quartley on board, because all the rest of the company had gone to the north to saw through the ice; and during the few days of rest that he allowed himself before going to the sawing-camp, he was able to read the reports of the [page ] officers who had led the other journeys, and to see what excellent work had been done during his absence. ferrar's survey and skelton's photographic work had added materially to the value of the western journey; the party led by barne and mulock to the south had met with ill-fortune from the start, but throughout the journey mulock used the theodolite indefatigably, with the results that this stretch of coast-line was more accurately plotted than any other part of victoria land, and that the positions and height of over two hundred mountain peaks were fixed. barne also obtained a very good indication of the movement of the great barrier ice-sheet. during royds' journey, on which the party went on very short food allowance, bernacchi took a most interesting series of magnetic observations. and although to bernacchi himself belongs the greatest credit, some reflected glory, at any rate, fell upon his companions, because they had to stay shivering outside the tent while he was at work inside it. wilson had not only been busy with the penguins at cape crozier, but had also made a complete examination of the enormous and interesting pressure ridges which form the junction of the great barrier ice-mass with the land, and subsequently had spent much time in studying the windless area to the south of ross island. also, with armitage and heald, he had made an excellent little journey, on which armitage obtained some very good photographs, [page ] sufficient in themselves to prove the receding glacial conditions of the whole continent. in short during scott's absence his companions had been working strenuously to increase the supply of information; so when the second sledding-season ended, they could with reason congratulate themselves that the main part of their work was done. [page ] chapter x release and thor set his shoulder hard against the stern to push the ship through... ...and the water gurgled in and the ship floated on the waves and rock'd. m. arnold. after a few days on board scott became restless to see what was going on in the sawing-camp, and on the morning of the st he started off with evans, lashly and handsley to march the ten and a half miles to the north. when the instructions for this attempt to free the _discovery_ were drawn up, there had been, of course, no telling how broad the ice-sheet would be when operations began, and scott had been obliged to assume that it would be nearly the same as in the previous year, when the open water had extended to the dellbridge islets about eleven miles from the ship. there he directed that the camp should be made, and armitage, on whom in scott's absence the command had devolved, made all preparations in accordance with the instructions he had received. at the outset, however, a difficulty awaited him, [page ] as in the middle of december the open water, instead of being up to the islets, ended at least ten miles farther to the north. under the circumstances he considered it dangerous to take the camp out to the ice-edge, and so the sawing work had been begun in the middle of the ice-sheet instead of at its edge. thirty people were in the camp when scott arrived, and though at first the work had been painful both to arms and backs they were all in splendid condition and spirits. fortunately this was a land of plenty, penguins and seals abounded, and everyone agreed that, apart from the labour, they were having a most enjoyable time, though no one imagined that the work would be useful. in two days scott was as convinced as anyone that the work must be in vain, and ordered the sawing to stop. 'i have been much struck,' he wrote, 'by the way in which everyone has cheerfully carried on this hopeless work until the order came to halt. there could have been no officer or man among them who did not see from the first how utterly useless it was, and yet there has been no faltering or complaint, simply because all have felt that, as the sailor expresses it, "them's the orders."' with twenty miles of ice between the _discovery_ and freedom, the possibility of yet another winter had to be considered, so although most of the company returned to the ship, lashly, evans, handsley and clarke were left behind to make sure of an adequate stock of penguins. and then scott being unable [page ] to do any good by remaining in the ship started off to the north with wilson, the former being anxious to watch the ice-edge and see what chance there was of a break-up, while wilson wanted to study the life of that region. this journey was to be 'a real picnic,' with no hard marching and plenty to eat; and, pursuing their leisurely way, on january they were within half a mile of the open water when wilson suddenly said, 'there they are.' then scott looked round, and on the rocks of cape royds saw a red smudge dotted with thousands of little black and white figures. without doubt they had stumbled upon a penguin rookery, but interesting as it was to have made the discovery, it was at the same time exasperating to think of the feast of eggs they had missed in the last two years. during the rest of the day they watched the penguins and the skua gulls which were nesting around them; and before supper they took soap and towels down to a rill of thaw-water that ran within a few yards of their tent, and washed in the warm sunlight. 'then,' scott says, 'we had a dish of fried penguin's liver with seal kidneys; eaten straight out of the frying-pan, this was simply delicious. i have come to the conclusion that life in the antarctic regions can be very pleasant.' still in the proper picnic spirit they dawdled over their breakfast on the following day, and were lazily discussing plans when scott, looking through the open door of the tent to the clear sea beyond, suddenly caught sight of a ship. in a moment haste and bustle reigned supreme, and while they were searching for [page ] boots and other things necessary for the march, wilson said, 'why, there's another,' and without any doubt two vessels were framed in the doorway. it had at once been taken for granted that the first ship was the _morning_, but what in the name of fortune was the meaning of the other neither scott nor wilson could imagine. the easiest and quickest way to find out was to go straight on board, for the ships were making for the ice-edge some five miles to the westward, but if they had followed this simple plan their companions on the _discovery_ would have known nothing about it, and would have been compelled to wait for their mails. so they started southward to find the penguin hunters, and then to send them to establish communications with the ship. for a long time no sight of the men could be seen, but after traveling about six miles scott and wilson saw the tent, though without any signs of life about it; indeed they were within a hundred yards before in answer to their shouts four very satisfied figures emerged, still munching the remains of a meal. 'of course,' scott says, 'i thought they had not seen the ships, but they had, only, as they explained, they didn't see there was any cause for them to do anything in the matter. i said, "but, good heavens, you want your mails, don't you?" "oh, yes, sir," they replied, "but we thought that would be all right." in other words, they as good as said that life was so extremely easy and pleasant that there was no possible object in worrying over such a trifle as the arrival of a relief expedition.' when, however, they [page ] had got their orders they were off at once, and scott and wilson went back to the ships and soon found out from colbeck why the _terra nova_ had accompanied the _morning_, and how strangely the aspect of affairs had altered. writing in his diary on that night scott says, 'i can only record that in spite of the good home news, and in spite of the pleasure of seeing old friends again, i was happier last night than i am to-night.' briefly the reasons for the sending of the two ships instead of one were these. scott's report taken by the _morning_ had left the strong impression that the relief ship must again be sent to the south in . the 'morning' fund, however, was inadequate to meet the requirements of another year, and there was not time enough to appeal to the public and to explain the full necessities of the case. in these circumstances there was nothing for the societies to do but to appeal to the government, and eventually the latter agreed to undertake the whole conduct of the relief expedition, provided that the _morning_, as she stood, was delivered over to them. the government naturally placed the management of affairs in the hands of the admiralty, and once having taken the responsibility it was felt that two ships must be sent, in order that there should be no risk of the pledge being unfulfilled. the _terra nova_, one of the finest of the whaling ships, was bought, and a whaling crew, under the command of captain harry mackay, was engaged to navigate her. towards the end of november she layoff hobart town in tasmania, and in [page ] december she was joined by the _morning_, captain colbeck being directed to take charge of this joint venture until both ships could come under scott's command. thus it happened that, much to every one's surprise, two ships arrived off the edge of the fast ice on january , . it was not, however, the arrival of the _terra nova_, whose captain from the first was anxious to help in every way, but quite another matter that made scott so sad--and naturally sad--at this time. in england the majority of those competent to judge the situation had formed the opinion that the _discovery_ was stuck fast in the ice for all time. whether the admiralty held this opinion or not is of no consequence, because in any case it was their duty to see that the expense of another relief expedition should be avoided. consequently there was no other course open to them except to tell scott to abandon the _discovery_, if she could not be freed in time to accompany the relief ships to the north. but necessary as this order was, it placed scott and his companions in a very cruel position. under the most ordinary conditions a sailor would go through much rather than abandon his ship, but the ties which bound scott and his company to the _discovery_ were very far beyond the ordinary; indeed they involved a depth of sentiment not in the least surprising when their associations with her are remembered. in spite of their long detention in the ice, the thought of leaving her had never entered their heads. [page ] some time she would be free again, and even if they had to spend a third winter in her they had determined to go through with it, and make themselves as comfortable as possible. it was from this passably contented frame of mind that they were rudely awakened. now they were obliged to face the fact that unless a twenty-mile plain of ice broke up within six weeks, they must bid a long farewell to their beloved ship and return to their homes as castaways. so with the arrival of the relief ships there fell the first and last cloud of gloom which was ever allowed on board the _discovery_. and as day followed day with no improvement in the ice conditions, the gloom deepened until anyone might easily have imagined that an antarctic expedition was a most dismal affair. on january scott wrote: 'reached the ship this morning, and this afternoon assembled all hands on the mess-deck, where i told them exactly how matters stood. there was a stony silence. i have not heard a laugh in the ship since i returned.' for some time a flagstaff had been erected on tent islet, ten miles to the north, and a system of signals had been arranged to notify any changes in the ice, but day after day the only signal was 'no change in the ice conditions.' on the th to relieve the weariness of waiting for something that did not happen, scott arranged that their collections and instruments should be transported to the relief ships. whatever the future held [page ] in store he saw no reason why this should not be done, and to have anything at all to do during this trying time was a blessing; though he had by no means given up hope that the discovery would be freed. after a long spell at cape royds camp, wilson returned to the ship on the night of the st with news that was all the more welcome at such an anxious time. strolling over the beach one day to inspect what he thought was a prodigiously large seal he saw that it was quite different from any of the ordinary seals, and went back to the camp for his gun. two of the _morning_ officers were in camp with him, and all three of them proceeded to stalk this strange new beast. their great fear was that they might only succeed in wounding it and that it might escape into the sea; so in spite of the temperature of the water they waded round it before they attacked. these tactics were successful, but their quarry when dispatched was far too heavy for them to move, or for wilson to examine where it lay. on the following day, however, colbeck came over in the _morning_, and with the aid of boats and ropes the carcass was landed on his decks. then wilson came to the conclusion that the animal was a sea-elephant commonly found at macquarie island, but never before seen within the antarctic circle. no change in the ice occurred until the th when some large pieces broke away, and by the rd scott reckoned that the relief ships were four or five miles nearer than they had been a fortnight before. but, [page ] if the conditions were to be as they had been two years before, thirteen or fourteen miles of ice must go out in fifteen days, a far more rapid rate than it had been going during the previous fortnight. on the th, however, the first sign of real promise occurred, for the whole ice-sheet began to sway very slightly under the action of a long swell, its edge against the land rising and falling as much as inches. 'we are all very restless, constantly dashing up the hill to the lookout station or wandering from place to place to observe the effects of the swell. but it is long since we enjoyed such a cheerful experience as we get on watching the loose pieces of ice jostling one another at hut point.' days of hope and anxiety followed, until the th of february arrived and brought the best of news with it. during the day nothing unusual happened, and it was not until scott was at dinner that the excitement began. then he heard a shout on deck, and a voice sang out down the hatchway, 'the ships are coming, sir!' 'there was no more dinner, and in a moment we were racing for hut point, where a glorious sight met our view. the ice was breaking up right across the strait, and with a rapidity which we had not thought possible. no sooner was one great floe borne away. than a dark streak cut its way into the solid sheet that remained and carved out another, to feed the broad stream of pack which was hurrying away to the north-west. 'i have never witnessed a more impressive sight; [page ] the sun was low behind us, the surface of the ice-sheet in front was intensely white, and in contrast the distant sea and its forking leads looked almost black. the wind had fallen to a calm, and not a sound disturbed the stillness about us. yet, in the midst of this peaceful silence, was an awful unseen agency rending that great ice-sheet as though it had been none but the thinnest paper.' but fast as the ice was breaking, it was not fast enough for the relief ships. evidently there was a race between them to be the first to pass beyond the flagstaff round which the small company of spectators had clustered; although the little _morning_, with her bluff bows and weak engines, could scarcely expect to hold her own against such a powerful competitor. by half-past ten those on shore could see the splintering of the ice as the ships crashed into the floes, and the shouts of the men as with wild excitement they cheered each fresh success, could be distinctly heard. scarcely half a mile of ice remained and the contest became keener and keener. on came the _terra nova_, but in spite of all her mighty efforts the persistent little _morning_, dodging right and left and seizing every chance opening, kept doggedly at her side, and still seemed to have a chance of winning the race. meanwhile the spectators, in their nondescript tattered garments, stood breathlessly watching this wonderful scene. 'for long intervals we remained almost spell-bound, and then a burst of frenzied cheering broke out. it [page ] seemed to us almost too good to be real. by eleven o'clock all the thick ice had vanished, and there remained only the thin area of decayed floe which has lately made the approach to the ships so dangerous; a few minutes later the _terra nova_ forged ahead and came crashing into the open, to be followed almost immediately by her stout little companion, and soon both ships were firmly anchored to all that remains of the _discovery's_ prison, the wedge that still holds in our small bay.... 'and so to-night the ships of our small fleet are lying almost side by side; a rope from the _terra nova_ is actually secured to the _discovery_. who could have thought it possible? certainly not we who have lived through the trying scenes of the last month.' the small wedge of sea-ice that still remained in the bay was cracked in many places, and would doubtless have departed of its own accord in a few days; but scott, naturally impatient to get away, decided to hasten matters by explosions. consequently at a.m. on february there was an explosion which shook the whole bay, and rudely disturbed not only the ice but also the slumbers of those who were not members of the explosion party. a few hours later another explosive charge was borne out, and when all was ready scott pressed the firing key. 'there was a thunderous report which shook the ship throughout, and then all was calm again. for a brief moment one might have imagined that nothing had happened, but then one saw that each [page ] crack was slowly widening; presently there came the gurgle of water as it was sucked into our opening ice-bed, and in another minute there was a creaking aft and our stern rose with a jump as the keel was freed from the ice which had held it down. then, as the great mass of ice on our port hand slowly glided out to sea, our good ship swung gently round and lay peacefully riding to her anchors with the blue water lapping against her sides.... thus it was that the _discovery_ came to her own again--the right to ride the high seas.' on that day it would have been impossible to find a prouder or happier ship's company, but with all their feelings of elation they did not imagine that everything would run smoothly after such a long period of disuse, and they knew also that much hard work lay in front of them if they were to carry out the remainder of their program. if the _discovery_ was free before the navigable season closed scott had resolved to spend the remaining time in exploring the region to the westward of cape north, but now after two years' imprisonment coal was lacking for such a scheme. directly the relief ships had arrived he had asked them for as great a quantity as possible, but although the replies had at first been satisfactory, a long month's fight with wind and ice had sadly reduced the amount they could afford to give. the only thing to do was to get without any delay what could be spared, and on the afternoon of the th the _terra nova_ came alongside to hand over her supply. 'the afternoon,' scott says, 'was beautifully calm and [page ] bright, and the weather seemed to smile peacefully on the termination of our long and successful struggle with the ice.... we little guessed what lay before us.' on the th a large wooden cross, bearing a simply carved inscription to the memory of poor vince, was erected on the summit of hut point, and on the following day the small company landed together and stood bareheaded round this memorial, while scott read some short prayers. the water was oily calm and the sky threatening as they pulled back to the ship after paying this last tribute of homage to their shipmate, but weather of this kind had been too common to attract attention. on that night captain mackay was dining in the _discovery_ for the first time, and a great effort had been made to show him how good an antarctic feast could be. in the middle of dinner, however, word came down to scott that the wind had sprung up, and although he expected nothing serious he went up to see what was happening. then he saw they were in for a stiff blow, and reluctantly had to inform his guests of the fact. one glance at the sky satisfied mackay, who was over the rail like a shot, and in a few minutes the _terra nova_ was steaming for the open and lost in the drift.' [illustration: the 'terra nova' leaving the antarctic. _photo by f. debenham._] very soon both wind and sea had risen, but although scott did not altogether like the look of things and determined to get up steam as soon as possible, he did not want to hurry those in the engine-room after such a long period of disuse. but early in the morning [page ] of the th the situation became really dangerous, and the _discovery_ began to jerk at her cables in the most alarming manner. 'i knew,' he wrote on the night of that eventful day, 'that in spite of our heavy anchor the holding ground was poor, and i watched anxiously to see if the ship dragged. 'it came at last, just as skelton sent a promise of steam in half an hour. the sea was again breaking heavily on the ice-foot astern and i walked up and down wondering which was coming first, the steam or this wave-beaten cliff. it was not a pleasant situation, as the distance grew shorter every minute, until the spray of the breaking waves fell on our poop, and this was soon followed by a tremendous blow as our stern struck the ice. we rebounded and struck again, and our head was just beginning to falloff and the ship to get broadside on (heaven knows what would have happened then) when steam was announced.' then the ship just held her own and only just; the engines alone would not send her to windward in the teeth of the gale. once around hut point, scott knew that they would be safe with open sea before them; and the end of the point was only a quarter of a mile out, though off the end there was a shallow patch which had to be cleared before safety could be reached. so finding that no headway was being made he began to edge out towards the point, and all seemed well until, nearly opposite to the point itself, he saw to his alarm that a strong current was sweeping past. [page ] 'nothing remained but to make a dash for it, and i swung the helm over and steered for the open. but the moment our bows entered the fast-running stream we were swung round like a top, and the instant after we crashed head foremost onto the shoal and stopped dead with our masts shivering. we were in the worst possible position, dead to windward of the bank with wind, sea, and current all tending to set us faster ashore. 'we took the shore thus at about a.m., and the hours that followed were truly the most dreadful i have ever spent. each moment the ship came down with a sickening thud which shook her from stem to stern, and each thud seemed to show more plainly that, strong as was her build, she could not long survive such awful blows.' hour after hour passed while the ship quivered and trembled and crashed again and again into her rocky bed. nothing more could be done for her until the gale abated, but seeing the impossibility of doing anything at the time, scott recognized that the next best thing was to be prepared to act promptly when the weather moderated. then he discovered once more how absolutely he could rely on the support and intelligence of his companions. skelton already had made a list of weights by the removal of which the ship could be lightened, and when the boatswain was summoned to discuss the manner in which the anchors could be laid out he also had his scheme cut and dried. the first sign of a lull came at p.m., and soon after [page ] they assembled to the dreariest dinner ever remembered in the _discovery_. but when they were half-way through this silent meal mulock, the officer of the watch, suddenly burst in and said, 'the ship's working astern, sir.' in record time scott reached the bridge, and found that both wind and sea had dropped in the most extraordinary manner. but what surprised him even more was that the current, which had been running strongly to the north, had turned and was running with equal speed to the south. each time that the ship lifted on a wave she worked two or three inches astern, and though she was still grinding heavily she no longer struck the bottom with such terrific force. scarcely, however, had these facts been observed when skelton rushed up to say that the inlets were free again. 'every soul was on deck and in a moment they were massed together and running from side to side in measured time. the telegraphs were put full speed astern; soon the engines began to revolve, and the water foamed and frothed along the side. for a minute or two the ship seemed to hesitate, but then there came a steady grating under the bottom, which gradually traveled forward, and ceased as the ship, rolling heavily, slid gently into deep water.... rarely, if ever, can a ship have appeared in such an uncomfortable plight as ours to find herself free and safe within the space of an hour.... to be in ten feet of water in a ship that draws fourteen feet cannot be a pleasant position--nor can there be a doubt [page ] that the shocks which the _discovery_ sustained would have very seriously damaged a less stoutly built vessel.' none too soon were they clear of the shoal, for in a very short time the wind was again blowing from the south; but as, on the th, the wind though still blowing strong had gone round to the southeast and brought smoother water in the sound, it was decided to make for the inlets of the glacier tongue to the north, and complete the coaling operations. on occasions when haste was necessary there was, by mutual consent, no distinction between officers and men. and scott mentions 'as a sight for the gods' the scene of biologists, vertebrate zoologists, lieutenants, and a.b.'s with grimed faces and chafed hands working with all their might on the coaling whips. the _morning_ handed over twenty-five tons of coal, and this was all the more a generous gift since it reduced colbeck to the narrowest margin, and compelled him to return directly homeward without joining in any attempt at further exploration. 'his practical common sense told him he could be of little use to us, and with his usual loyalty he never hesitated to act for the best, at whatever sacrifice to his own hopes and wishes.' before they left the glacier in mcmurdo sound it was arranged that the three ships should journey up the coast together and then separate, the _morning_ proceeding to the north, while the _discovery_ and the _terra nova_ turned west. the companies of both relief [page ] ships, however, expressed a strong desire to be with the _discovery_ when she entered her first civilized port; so scott fixed upon port ross, in the auckland islands, as a spot at which they might meet before the final return to new zealand. february saw the _discovery_ speeding along a stretch of coast that had been quite unknown until she had two years previously made her way south along it, and at that time she had been obliged to keep a long distance out on account of the pack-ice. but now gaps which had been missed could be filled in; and even more than this was done, for mulock remained on deck night and day taking innumerable angles to peaks and headlands, while wilson, equally indefatigable, transferred this long panorama of mountain scenery to his sketch-book. two days later the pumps refused to act, and the whole of the engine-room staff were on duty for twenty-four hours on end; and on the th the carpenter called attention to the rudder. on inspection scott saw that the solid oak rudder-head was completely shattered, and was held together by little more than its weight; as the tiller was moved right or left the rudder followed it, but with a lag of many degrees, so that the connection between the two was evidently insecure. in such a condition it was obvious that they could not hope to weather a gale without losing all control over the ship, and that no time was to be lost in shipping their spare rudder in place of the damaged one. so scott determined to seek shelter in robertson [page ] bay, and by night the damaged rudder had been hoisted on deck and the spare one prepared for lowering into its place. since the _discovery_ had left winter quarters an almost incredible amount of work had been done to bring her into sea trim. difficulty after difficulty had arisen, but the energy of the company had never slackened, and by february scott was able to say that everything was once more in order, though he was a little doubtful about the steering power of their spare rudder. at this time it was all the more important that the ship should give no further trouble, because according to their program they were about to penetrate a new region, and expected to find quite enough to do without considering internal difficulties. with high hopes that steam power would enable them to pass beyond the point reached by sir james ross in his sailing ships they turned to the west, and at first all went well with them. pack-ice, however, was destined to be an insuperable obstacle to their advance, and on the th they decided to turn to the north-east and try to find a way around this formidable barrier. 'it is grievously disappointing to find the pack so far to the east; ross carried the open water almost to cape north.' and again on march , scott sounds a note of lamentation: 'there can be no doubt that since leaving victoria land we have been skirting a continuous mass of pack, which must cover the whole sea south of the balleny islands. that it should have lain so far to the eastward this year is very annoying; [page ] however, if we can push on upon this course we ought to strike the islands.' early in the morning of the following day land was reported, and by noon they were abreast of it; but what this island, and others that were dimly to be seen to the north, could be, puzzled them considerably, and not until some time later was the problem solved. in balleny discovered a group of islands in this region, and three years later ross saw land which he imagined was to the southward of balleny's discoveries, and believing it to be divided into three distinct masses named it the russell islands. consequently scott arrived expecting to see two groups of islands, and was naturally perplexed when only one group was to be seen. after, however, studying the accounts of these islands and comparing them with what he could actually see, he recognized that they had just passed balleny's sturge island, which balleny had seen from the north, and so could have had no idea of its length in a north-and-south line. later ross must have seen this same island, and, as scott saw to be quite possible, from a great distance must have thought that it was divided into three, and hence made the mistake of naming it as a separate group. fortunately mulock was able to obtain sufficient bearings to fix accurately the position of each island. now that the knotty question as to the geography of the balleny islands was settled, they went on to look for the land that wilkes claimed to have discovered in , but not a glimpse nor a vestige of it could they [page ] see; and, on march , they had to conclude that wilkes land was once and for all definitely disposed of. with this negative, but nevertheless important, result, the exploring work ended, and although a lack of coal had prevented their cherished plan of rounding cape north, they had at least the satisfaction of clearing up some geographical misconceptions in a more northerly latitude. from the th to the th continuous gales brought conditions of greater physical discomfort than had ever been experienced on board the _discovery_, for she was in very light trim and tossed about the mountainous seas like a cork. it was, therefore, the greatest relief to furl their sails off the entrance of ross harbour on the th, and to steam into the calm waters of the bay. neither the _terra nova_ nor the _morning_ had yet arrived, and the days of waiting were spent in making their ship as smart as possible before the eyes of the multitude gazed upon her. thus, in a few days, the _discovery_ looked as though she had spent her adventurous years in some peaceful harbor. on march the _terra nova_ hove in sight, and was followed on the next day by the _morning_. both ships had experienced the most terrible weather, and everyone on board the little _morning_ declared that she had only been saved from disaster by the consummate seamanship of captain colbeck. a few days later the small fleet again set sail, and after a most favorable voyage was at daybreak on april [page ] off the heads of lyttelton harbor; and before noon they were safely berthed alongside the jetty, from which they had sailed with such hearty wishes more than two years before. 'new zealand,' scott said, 'welcomed us as its own, and showered on us a wealth of hospitality and kindness which assuredly we can never forget, however difficult we may have found it to express our thanks. in these delightful conditions, with everything that could make for perfect rest and comfort, we abode for two full months before we set out on our last long voyage.' june , however, found them at sea again, and a month or so later they anchored in port stanley (falkland islands), where they replenished their stock of coal and took the last series of magnetic observations in connection with their southern survey. and from the falkland islands, scott wrote a letter which is yet another testimony of the admiration he felt for his companions. 'the praise,' he wrote, 'for whatever success we have had is really due to the ship's company as a whole rather than to individuals. that is not very clear, perhaps; what i mean is that the combination of individual effort for the common good has achieved our results, and the absence of any spirit of self-seeking. the motto throughout has been "share and share alike," and its most practical form lies, perhaps, in the fact that throughout our three years there has been no distinction between the food served to officers and men. [page ] 'under these circumstances i naturally feel that i can claim no greater share of achievement than those who have stood by me so loyally, and so i regard myself merely as the lucky figure-head. 'but it is good news to hear that the admiralty are sympathetic, for i feel that no effort should be spared to gain their recognition of the splendid qualities displayed by officers and men.' early on the morning of september the homeland was sighted, and for those who gazed longingly over the bulwarks and waited to welcome and be welcomed, there was only one cloud to dim the joy of their return. for with the happiness came also the sad thought that the end had come to those ties, which had held together the small band of the _discovery_ in the closest companionship and most unswerving loyalty. [page ] the last expedition [page ] preface to 'scott's last expedition' by sir clements r. markham, k.c.b. fourteen years ago robert falcon scott was a rising naval officer, able, accomplished, popular, highly thought of by his superiors, and devoted to his noble profession. it was a serious responsibility to induce him to take up the work of an explorer; yet no man living could be found who was so well fitted to command a great antarctic expedition. the undertaking was new and unprecedented. the object was to explore the unknown antarctic continent by land. captain scott entered upon the enterprise with enthusiasm tempered by prudence and sound sense. all had to be learnt by a thorough study of the history of arctic traveling, combined with experience of different conditions in the antarctic regions. scott was the initiator and founder of antarctic sledge-traveling. his discoveries were of great importance. the survey and soundings along the barrier cliffs, the discovery of king edward land, the discovery of ross island and the other volcanic islets, the examination of the barrier surface, the discovery of the victoria mountains--a range of great height and many hundreds [page ] of miles in length, which had only before been seen from a distance out at sea--and above all the discovery of the great ice cap on which the south pole is situated, by one of the most remarkable polar journeys on record. his small but excellent scientific staff worked hard and with trained intelligence, their results being recorded in twelve large quarto volumes. the great discoverer had no intention of losing touch with his beloved profession though resolved to complete his antarctic work. the exigencies of the naval service called him to the command of battleships and to confidential work of the admiralty; so that five years elapsed before he could resume his antarctic labours. the object of captain scott's second expedition was mainly scientific, to complete and extend his former work in all branches of science. it was his ambition that in his ship there should be the most completely equipped expedition for scientific purposes connected with the polar regions, both as regards men and material, that ever left these shores. in this he succeeded. he had on board a fuller complement of geologists, one of them especially trained for the study, of physiography, biologists, physicists, and surveyors than ever before composed the staff of a polar expedition. thus captain scott's objects were strictly scientific, including the completion and extension of his former discoveries. the results will be explained in the second volume of this work. they will be found to be extensive and important. never before, in the [page ] polar regions, have meteorological, magnetic and tidal observations been taken, in one locality, during five years. it was also part of captain scott's plan to reach the south pole by a long and most arduous journey, but here again his intention was, if possible, to achieve scientific results on the way, especially hoping to discover fossils which would throw light on the former history of the great range of mountains which he had made known to science. the principal aim of this great man--for he rightly has his niche among the polar _dii majores_--was the advancement of knowledge. from all aspects scott was among the most remarkable men of our time, and the vast number of readers of his journal will be deeply impressed with the beauty of his character. the chief traits which shone forth through his life were conspicuous in the hour of death. there are few events in history to be compared, for grandeur and pathos, with the last closing scene in that silent wilderness of snow. the great leader, with the bodies of his dearest friends beside him, wrote and wrote until the pencil dropped from his dying grasp. there was no thought of himself, only the earnest desire to give comfort and consolation to others in their sorrow. his very last lines were written lest he who induced him to enter upon antarctic work should now feel regret for what he had done. 'if i cannot write to sir clements, tell him i thought much of him, and never regretted his putting me in command of the _discovery_.' [page ] the following appointments were held in the royal navy by captain scott between and : january to july, admiralty (assistant director of naval intelligence.) aug. , , to jan. , _victorious_ (flag captain to rear-admiral egerton, rear-admiral in the atlantic fleet). jan. , , to aug. , _albermarle_ (flag captain to rear-admiral egerton, rear-admiral in the atlantic fleet). aug. , , to jan. , not actively employed afloat between these dates. jan. , , to may , _essex_ (captain). may , , to march , _bulwark_ (flag captain to rear-admiral colville, rear-admiral the nore division, home fleet). then naval assistant to second sea lord of the admiralty. appointed to h.m.s. _president_ for british antarctic expedition june , . [page ] on september , , at hampton court palace, captain scott was married to kathleen, daughter of the late canon lloyd bruce. peter markham scott was born on september , . on september , , captain scott published his plans for the british antarctic expedition of the following year, and his appeal resulted in £ , being collected as a nucleus fund. then the government made a grant of £ , , and grants followed from the governments of australia, new zealand, and south africa. nine days after the plans were published arrangements were made to purchase the steamship _terra nova_, the largest and strongest of the old scottish whalers. the original date chosen for sailing was august , , but owing to the united efforts of those engaged upon the fitting out and stowing of the ship, she was able to leave cardiff on june . business, however, prevented captain scott from leaving england until a later date, and in consequence he sailed in the _saxon_ to south africa, and there awaited the arrival of the _terra nova_. [page ] british antarctic expedition, shore parties _officers_ name rank, &c. robert falcon scott _captain, c.v.o., r.n._ edward r. g. r. evans _lieutenant, r.n._ victor l. a. campbell _lieutenant, r.n. (emergency list)_ henry r. bowers _lieutenant, r.i.m._ lawrence e. g. oates _captain th inniskilling dragoons._ g. murray levick _surgeon, r.n._ edward l. atkinson _surgeon, r.n., parasitologist._ _scientific staff_ edward adrian wilson _b.a., m.b. (cantab), chief of the scientific staff, and zoologist._ george c. simpson _d.sc., meteorologist._ t. griffith taylor _b.a., b.sc., b.e., geologist._ edward w. nelson _biologist._ frank debenham _b.a., b.sc., geologist._ charles s. wright _b.a., physicist._ raymond e. priestley _geologist._ herbert g. ponting _f.r.g.s, camera artist._ cecil h. meares _in charge of dogs._ bernard c. day _motor engineer._ apsley cherry-garrard _b.a., asst. zoologist._ tryggve gran _sub-lieutenant, norwegian n.r., b.a., ski expert._ [page ] _men_ w. lashly _chief stoker, r.n._ w. w. archer _chief steward, late r.n._ thomas clissold _cook, late r.n._ edgar evans _petty officer, r.n._ robert forde _petty officer, r.n._ thomas crean _petty officer, r.n._ thomas s. williamson _petty officer, r.n._ patrick keohane _petty officer, r.n._ george p. abbott _petty officer, r.n._ frank v. browning _petty officer, nd class, r.n._ harry dickason _able seaman, r.n._ f. j. hooper _steward, late r.n._ anton omelchenko _groom._ demetri gerof _dog driver._ ship's party _officers, &c._ harry l. l. pennell _lieutenant, r.n._ henry e. de p. rennick _lieutenant, r.n._ wilfred m. bruce _lieutenant, r.n.r._ francis r. h. drake _asst. paymaster, r.n. (retired), secretary and meteorologist in ship._ denis g. lillie _m.a., biologist in ship._ james r. dennistoun _in charge of mules in ship._ alfred b. cheetham _r.n.r., boatswain._ william williams _chief engine-room artificer, r.n., nd engineer._ william a. horton _eng. rm. art. rd class, r.n. nd engineer._ francis e. c. davies _leading shipwright, r.n._ frederick parsons _petty officer, r.n._ [page ] william l. heald _late p.o., r.n._ arthur s. bailey _petty officer, nd class, r.n._ albert balson _leading seaman, r.n._ joseph leese _able seaman, r.n._ john hugh mather _petty officer, r.n.v.r._ robert oliphant _able seaman._ thomas f. mcleod _able seaman._ mortimer mccarthy _able seaman._ william knowles _able seaman._ charles williams _able seaman._ james skelton _able seaman._ william mcdonald _able seaman._ james paton _able seaman._ robert brissenden _leading stoker, r.n._ edward a. mckenzie _leading stoker, r.n._ william burton _leading stoker, r.n._ bernard j. stone _leading stoker, r.n._ angus mcdonald _fireman._ thomas mcgillon _fireman._ charles lammas _fireman._ w. h. neale _steward._ [page ] chapter i through stormy seas the ice was here, the ice was there, the ice was all around: it cracked and growled, and roared and howled, like noises in a swound.--coleridge. no sooner was it known that scott intended to lead another antarctic expedition than he was besieged by men anxious to go with him. the selection of a small company from some eight thousand volunteers was both a difficult and a delicate task, but the fact that the applications were so numerous was at once a convincing proof of the interest shown in the expedition, and a decisive answer to the dismal cry that the spirit of romance and adventure no longer exists in the british race. on june , , the _terra nova_ left cardiff upon her great mission, and after a successful voyage arrived, on october , at lyttelton. there an enormous amount of work had to be done before she could be ready to leave civilization, but as usual the kindness received in new zealand was 'beyond words.' a month of strenuous labour followed, and then, on [page ] november , they said farewell to lyttelton, and after calling at port chalmers set out on tuesday, the th, upon the last stage of their voyage. two days later they encountered a stiff wind from the n. w. and a confused sea. 'the ship a queer and not altogether cheerful sight under the circumstances. 'below one knows all space is packed as tight as human skill can devise--and on deck! under the forecastle fifteen ponies close side by side, seven one side, eight the other, heads together and groom between--swaying, swaying continually to the plunging, irregular motion.' outside the forecastle and to leeward of the fore hatch were four more ponies, and on either side of the main hatch were two very large packing-cases containing motor sledges, each x x . a third sledge stood across the break of the poop in the space hitherto occupied by the after winch, and all these cases were so heavily lashed with heavy chain and rope lashings that they were thought to be quite secure. the petrol for the sledges was contained in tins and drums protected in stout wooden packing-cases, which were ranged across the deck immediately in front of the poop and abreast the motor sledges. round and about these packing-cases, stretching from the galley forward to the wheel aft, coal bags containing the deck cargo of coal were stacked; and upon the coal sacks, and upon and between the motor sledges, and upon the ice-house were the thirty-three dogs. perforce they had to be chained up, and although [page ] they were given as much protection as possible, their position was far from pleasant. 'the group formed,' in scott's opinion, 'a picture of wretched dejection: such a life is truly hard for these poor creatures.' the wind freshened with great rapidity on thursday evening, and very soon the ship was plunging heavily and taking much water over the lee rail. cases of all descriptions began to break loose on the upper deck, the principal trouble being caused by the loose coal bags, which were lifted bodily by the seas and swung against the lashed cases. these bags acted like battering rams, no lashings could possibly have withstood them, and so the only remedy was to set to work and heave coal sacks overboard and re-lash the cases. during this difficult and dangerous task seas continually broke over the men, and at such times they had to cling for dear life to some fixture to prevent themselves from being washed overboard. no sooner was some appearance of order restored than another unusually heavy wave tore away the lashings, and the work had to be done allover again. as the night wore on the sea and wind continued to rise, and the ship to plunge more and more. 'we shortened sail to main topsail and staysail, stopped engines and hove to, but to little purpose.' from oates and atkinson, who worked through the entire night, reports came that it was impossible to keep the ponies on their legs. but worse news was to follow, for in the early morning news came from the engine-room that the pumps had choked, and that the water had risen over the gratings. [page ] from that moment, about a.m., the engine-room became the center of interest, but in spite of every effort the water still gained. lashly and williams, up to their necks in rushing water, stuck gamely to the work of clearing suctions, and for a time, with donkey engine and bilge pump sucking, it looked as if the water might be got under. but the hope was short-lived; five minutes of pumping invariably led to the same result--a general choking of the pumps. the ship was very deeply-laden and was in considerable danger of becoming waterlogged, in which condition anything might have happened. the hand pump produced nothing more than a dribble and its suction could not be reached, for as the water crept higher it got in contact with the boiler and eventually became so hot that no one could work at the suctions. a great struggle to conquer these misfortunes followed, but williams had at last to confess that he was beaten and must draw fires. 'what was to be done? things for the moment appeared very black. the sea seemed higher than ever; it came over lee rail and poop, a rush of green water; the ship wallowed in it; a great piece of the bulwark carried clean away. the bilge pump is dependent on the main engine. to use the pump it was necessary to go ahead. it was at such times that the heaviest seas swept in over the lee rail; over and over again the rail, from the forerigging to the main, was covered by a solid sheet of curling water which swept aft and high on the poop. on one [page ] occasion i was waist deep when standing on the rail of the poop.' all that could be done for the time being was to organize the afterguard to work buckets, and to keep the men steadily going on the choked hand-pumps, which practically amounted to an attempt to bale out the ship! for a day and a night the string of buckets was passed up a line from the engine-room; and while this arduous work was going on the officers and men sang chanteys, and never for a moment lost their good spirits. in the meantime an effort was made to get at the suction of the pumps; and by p.m. on friday evening a hole in the engine-room bulkhead had been completed. then e. r. evans, wriggling over the coal, found his way to the pump shaft and down it, and cleared the suction of the coal balls (a mixture of coal and oil) which were choking it. soon afterwards a good stream of water came from the pump, and it was evident that the main difficulty had been overcome. slowly the water began to decrease in the engine-room, and by a.m. on saturday morning the bucket-parties were able to stop their labours. the losses caused by this gale were serious enough, but they might easily have been worse. besides the damage to the bulwarks of the ship, two ponies, one dog, ten tons of coal, sixty-five gallons of petrol, and a case of biologists' spirit were lost. another dog was washed away with such force that his chain broke and he disappeared, but the next wave miraculously [page ] washed him back on board. in a few hours everyone was hopeful again, but anxiety on account of the ponies remained. with the ship pitching heavily to a south-westerly swell, at least two of these long-suffering animals looked sadly in need of a spell of rest, and scott's earnest prayer was that there might be no more gales. 'december ought to be a fine month in the ross sea; it always has been, and just now conditions point to fine weather. well, we must be prepared for anything, but i'm anxious, anxious about these animals of ours.' meanwhile bowers and campbell had worked untiringly to put things straight on deck, and with the coal removed from the upper deck and the petrol re-stored, the ship was in much better condition to fight the gales. 'another day,' scott wrote on tuesday, december , 'ought to put us beyond the reach of westerly gales'; but two days later the ship was once more plunging against a stiff breeze and moderate sea, and his anxiety about the ponies was greater than ever. the dogs, however, had recovered wonderfully from the effects of the great gale, their greatest discomfort being that they were almost constantly wet. during friday, december , some very beautiful bergs were passed, the heights of which varied from sixty to eighty feet. good progress was made during this day, but the ice streams thickened as they advanced, and on either side of them fields of pack began to appear. yet, after the rough weather they had [page ] been having, the calm sea was a blessing even if the ice had arrived before it was expected. 'one can only imagine the relief and comfort afforded to the ponies, but the dogs are visibly cheered and the human element is full of gaiety. the voyage seems full of promise in spite of the imminence of delay.' already scott was being worried by the pace at which the coal was going, and he determined if the pack became thick to put out the fires and wait for the ice to open. very carefully all the evidence of former voyages had been examined so that the best meridian to go south on might be chosen, and the conclusion arrived at was that the w. was the best. they entered the pack more or less on this meridian, and were rewarded by meeting worse conditions than any ship had ever experienced--worse, indeed, than scott imagined to be possible on any meridian which they might have chosen. but as very little was known about the movements of the pack the difficulties of making a choice may very easily be imagined, and, in spite of disappointments, scott's opinion that the w. was the best meridian did not change. 'the situation of the main bodies of pack,' he says, 'and the closeness with which the floes are packed depend almost entirely on the prevailing winds. one cannot tell what winds have prevailed before one's arrival; therefore one cannot know much about the situation or density. within limits the density is changing from day to day and even from hour to hour; such changes depend on the wind, but it may not necessarily be a local [page ] wind, so that at times they seem almost mysterious. one sees the floes pressing closely against one another at a given time, and an hour or two afterwards a gap of a foot or more may be seen between each. when the floes are pressed together it is difficult and sometimes impossible to force a way through, but when there is release of pressure the sum of many little gaps allows one to take a zigzag path.' during sunday they lay tight in the pack, and after service at a.m. all hands exercised themselves on ski over the floes and got some delightful exercise. 'i have never thought of anything as good as this life. the novelty, interest, colour, animal life, and good fellowship go to make up an almost ideal picnic just at present,' one of the company wrote on that same day--an abundant proof that if delays came they brought their compensations with them. with rapid and complete changes of prospect they managed to progress--on the monday--with much bumping and occasional stoppages, but on the following day they were again firmly and tightly wedged in the pack. to most of them, however, the novelty of the experience prevented any sense of impatience, though to scott the strain of waiting and wondering what he ought to do as regards the question of coal was bound to be heavy. this time of waiting was by no means wasted, for gran gave hours of instruction in the use of ski, and meares took out some of the fattest dogs and exercised them with a sledge. observations were also constantly [page ] taken, while wilson painted some delightful pictures and ponting took a number of beautiful photographs of the pack and bergs. but as day followed day and hopes of progress were not realized, scott, anxious to be free, decided on monday, december , to push west. 'anything to get out of these terribly heavy floes. great patience is the only panacea for our ill case. it is bad luck.' over and over again when the end of their troubles seemed to be reached, they found that the thick pack was once more around them. and what to do under the circumstances called for most difficult decisions. if the fires were let out it meant a dead loss of two tons of coal when the boilers were again heated. but these two tons only covered a day under banked fires, so that for anything longer than twenty-four hours it was a saving to put out the fires. thus at each stoppage scott was called upon to decide how long it was likely to last. christmas day came with the ice still surrounding the ship, but although the scene was 'altogether too christmassy,' a most merry evening was spent. for five hours the officers sat round the table and sang lustily, each one of them having to contribute two songs to the entertainment. 'it is rather a surprising circumstance,' scott remarks, 'that such an unmusical party should be so keen on singing.' christmas, however, came and went without any immediate prospect of release, the only bright side of this exasperating delay being that everyone was [page ] prepared to exert himself to the utmost, quite regardless of the results of his labours. but on wednesday, december , the ponies, despite the unremitting care and attention that oates gave to them, were the cause of the gravest anxiety. 'these animals are now the great consideration, balanced as they are against the coal expenditure.' by this time, although the ice was still all around them, many of the floes were quite thin, and even the heavier ice appeared to be breakable. so, after a consultation with wilson, scott decided to raise steam, and two days later the ship was once more in the open sea. from the th to the th they had been in the pack, and during this time miles had been covered in a direct line. sixty-one tons[ ] of coal had been used, an average of six miles to the ton, and although these were not pleasant figures to contemplate, scott considered that under the exceptional conditions they might easily have been worse. for the ship herself he had nothing but praise to give. 'no other ship, not even the _discovery_, would have come through so well.... as a result i have grown strangely attached to the _terra nova_. as she bumped the floes with mighty shocks, crushing and grinding her way through some, twisting and turning to avoid others, she seemed like a living thing fighting a great fight. if only she had more economical engines she would be suitable in all respects.' [footnote : when the _terra nova_ left lyttelton she had tons of coal on board.] [page ] scientifically as much as was possible had been done, but many of the experts had of necessity been idle in regard to their own specialties, though none of them were really idle; for those who had no special work to do were magnificently eager to find any kind of work that required to be done. 'everyone strives to help everyone else, and not a word of complaint or anger has been heard on board. the inner life of our small community is very pleasant to think upon, and very wonderful considering the extremely small space in which we are confined. the attitude of the men is equally worthy of admiration. in the forecastle as in the wardroom there is a rush to be first when work is to be done, and the same desire to sacrifice selfish consideration to the success of the expedition. it is very good to be able to write in such high praise of one's companions, and i feel that the possession of such support ought to ensure success. fortune would be in a hard mood indeed if it allowed such a combination of knowledge, experience, ability, and enthusiasm to achieve nothing.' fortune's wheel, however, was not yet prepared to turn in their favor, for after a very few hours of the open sea a southern blizzard met them. in the morning watch of december , the wind and sea increased and the outlook was very distressing, but at a.m. ice was sighted ahead. under ordinary conditions the safe course would have been to go about and stand to the east, but on this occasion [page ] scott was prepared to run the risk of trouble if he could get the ponies into smoother water. soon they passed a stream of ice over which the sea was breaking heavily, and the danger of being among loose floes in such a sea was acutely realized. but presently they came to a more compact body of floes, and running behind this they were agreeably surprised to find themselves in comparatively smooth water. there they lay to in a sort of ice bay, and from a dangerous position had achieved one that was safe as long as their temporary shelter lasted. as the day passed their protection, though still saving them from the heavy swell, gradually diminished, but did not mean to depart without giving them an old year's gift and surprise. 'at p.m. to-night as the clouds lifted to the west a distant but splendid view of the great mountains was obtained. all were in sunshine; sabine and whewell were most conspicuous--the latter from this view is a beautiful sharp peak, as remarkable a landmark as sabine itself. mount sabine was miles away when we saw it. i believe we could have seen it at a distance of thirty or forty miles farther--such is the wonderful clearness of the atmosphere.' the new year brought better weather with it, and such good progress was made that by mid-day on tuesday, january , the ship reached the barrier five miles east of cape crozier. during the voyage they had often discussed the idea of making their winter station at this cape, and the prospect had [page ] seemed to become increasingly fascinating the more they talked of it. but a great disappointment awaited them, for after one of the whale boats had been lowered and scott, wilson, griffith taylor, priestley, and e. r. evans had been pulled towards the shore, they discovered that the swell made it impossible for them to land. 'no good!! alas! cape crozier with all its attractions is denied us.' on the top of a floe they could see an old emperor penguin molting and a young one shedding its down. this was an age and stage of development of the emperor chick of which they were ignorant, but fortune decreed that this chick should be undisturbed. of this incident wilson wrote in his journal: 'a landing was out of the question.... but i assure you it was tantalizing to me, for there, about feet above us on a small dirty piece of the old bay ice about ten feet square, one living emperor penguin chick was standing disconsolately stranded, and close by stood one faithful old emperor parent asleep. this young emperor was still in the down, a most interesting fact in the bird's life history at which we had rightly guessed, but which no one had actually observed before.... this bird would have been a treasure to me, but we could not risk life for it, so it had to remain where it was.' sadly and reluctantly they had to give up hopes of making their station at cape crozier, and this [page ] was all the harder to bear because every detail of the shore promised well for a wintering party. there were comfortable quarters for the hut, ice for water snow for the animals, good slopes for skiing, proximity to the barrier and to the rookeries of two types of penguins, good ground for biological work, a fairly easy approach to the southern road with no chance of being cut off, and so forth. 'it is a thousand pities to have to abandon such a spot.' the _discovery's_ post-office was still standing as erect as when it had been planted, and comparisons between what was before their eyes and old photographs showed that no change at all seemed to have occurred anywhere--a result that in the case of the barrier caused very great surprise. in the meantime all hands were employed in making a running survey, the program of which was: bruce continually checking speed with hand log. bowers taking altitudes of objects as they come abeam. nelson noting results. pennell taking verge plate bearings on bow and quarter. cherry-garrard noting results. evans taking verge plate bearings abeam. atkinson noting results. campbell taking distances abeam with range finder. wright noting results. rennick sounding with thomson machine. drake noting results. [page ] 'we plotted the barrier edge from the point at which we met it to the crozier cliffs; to the eye it seems scarcely to have changed since _discovery_ days, and wilson thinks it meets the cliff in the same place.' very early on wednesday morning they rounded cape bird and came in sight of mount discovery and the western mountains. 'it was good to see them again, and perhaps after all we are better this side of the island. it gives one a homely feeling to see such a familiar scene.' scott's great wish now was to find a place for winter quarters that would not easily be cut off from the barrier, and a cape, which in the _discovery_ days had been called 'the skuary,' was chosen. 'it was separated from old _discovery_ quarters by two deep bays on either side of the glacier tongue, and i thought that these bays would remain frozen until late in the season, and that when they froze over again the ice would soon become firm.' there scott, wilson, and e. r. evans landed, and at a glance saw, as they expected, that the place was ideal for their wintering station. a spot for the hut was chosen on a beach facing northwest and well protected behind by numerous small hills; but the most favorable circumstance of all in connection with this cape, which was re-christened cape evans, was the strong chance of communication being established at an early date with cape armitage.[ ] not a moment was wasted, and while scott was [page ] on shore campbell took the first steps towards landing the stores. [footnote : the extreme south point of the island, miles further, on one of whose minor headlands, hut point, stood the _discovery_ hut.] fortunately the weather was gloriously calm and fine, and the landing began under the happiest conditions. two of the motors were soon hoisted out, and in spite of all the bad weather and the tons of sea-water that had washed over them the sledges and all the accessories appeared to be in perfect condition. then came the turn of the ponies, and although it was difficult to make some of them enter the horse box, oates rose to the occasion and got most of them in by persuasion, while the ones which refused to be persuaded were simply lifted in by the sailors. 'though all are thin and some few looked pulled down i was agreeably surprised at the evident vitality which they still possessed--some were even skittish. i cannot express the relief when the whole seventeen were safely picketed on the floe.' meares and the dogs were out early on the wednesday morning, and ran to and fro during most of the day with light loads. the chief trouble with the dogs was due to the fatuous conduct of the penguins, the latter showing a devouring curiosity in the proceedings and a total disregard for their own safety, with the result that a number of them were killed in spite of innumerable efforts to teach the penguins to keep out of reach, they only squawked and ducked as much as to say, 'what's it got to do with you, you silly ass? let us alone.' these incidents naturally demoralized the dogs and annoyed meares, who [page ] while trying to stop one sledge, fell into the middle of the dogs and was carried along until they reached the penguins of their desire. the motor sledges were running by the afternoon, day managing one and nelson the other. 'it is early to call them a success, but they are certainly extremely promising.' before night the site for the hut was leveled, and the erecting party was encamped on shore in a large tent with a supply of food for eight days. nearly all the timber, &c., for the hut and a supply of food for both ponies and dogs had also been landed. despite this most strenuous day's labour, all hands were up again at a.m. on thursday. 'words cannot express the splendid way in which everyone works and gradually the work gets organized. i was a little late on the scene this morning, and thereby witnessed a most extraordinary scene. some six or seven killer whales, old and young, were skirting the fast floe edge ahead of the ship; they seemed excited and dived rapidly, almost touching the floe. as we watched, they suddenly appeared astern, raising their snouts out of water. i had heard weird stories of these beasts, but had never associated serious danger with them. close to the water's edge lay the wire stern rope of the ship, and our two esquimaux dogs were tethered to this. i did not think of connecting the movements of the whales with this fact, and seeing them so close i shouted to ponting, who was standing abreast of the ship. he seized his camera and ran [page ] towards the floe edge to get a close picture of the beasts, which had momentarily disappeared. the next moment the whole floe under him and the dogs heaved up and split into fragments. one could hear the "booming" noise as the whales rose under the ice and struck it with their backs. whale after whale rose under the ice, setting it rocking fiercely; luckily ponting kept his feet and was able to fly to security; by an extraordinary chance also, the splits had been made around and between the dogs, so that neither of them fell into the water. then it was clear that the whales shared our astonishment, for one after another their huge hideous heads shot vertically into the air through the cracks which they had made... there cannot be a doubt that they looked up to see what had happened to ponting and the dogs.... 'of course, we have known well that killer whales continually skirt the edge of the floes and that they would undoubtedly snap up anyone who was unfortunate enough to fall into the water; but the facts that they could display such deliberate cunning, that they were able to break ice of such thickness (at least - / feet), and that they could act in unison, were a revelation to us. it is clear that they are endowed with singular intelligence, and in future we shall treat that intelligence with every respect.' on thursday the motor sledges did good work, and hopes that they might prove to be reliable began to increase. infinite trouble had been taken to obtain [page ] the most suitable material for polar work, and the three motor sledge tractors were the outcome of experiments made at lantaret in france and at lillehammer and fefor in norway, with sledges built by the wolseley motor company from suggestions offered principally by b. t. hamilton, r. w. skelton, and scott himself. with his rooted objection to cruelty in any shape or form, scott had an intense, and almost pathetic, desire that these sledges should be successful; over and over again he expressed his hopes and fears of them. with ponies, motor sledges, dogs, and men parties working hard, the transportation progressed rapidly on the next two days, the only drawback being that the ice was beginning to get thin in the cracks and on some of the floes. under these circumstances the necessity for wasting no time was evident, and so on the sunday the third motor was got out and placed on the ice, and scott, leaving campbell to find the best crossing for the motor, started for the shore with a single man load. soon after the motor had been brought out campbell ordered that it should be towed on to the firm ice, because the ice near the ship was breaking up. and then, as they were trying to rush the machine over the weak place, williamson suddenly went through; and while he was being hauled out the ice under the motor was seen to give, and slowly the machine went right through and disappeared. the men made strenuous efforts to keep hold of the rope, but it cut through the ice towards them with an increasing strain, [page ] and one after another they were obliged to let go. half a minute later nothing remained but a big hole, and one of the two best motors was lying at the bottom of the sea. the ice, too, was hourly becoming more dangerous, and it was clear that those who were on shore were practically cut off from the ship. so in the evening scott went to the ice-edge farther to the north, and found a place where the ship could come and be near ice heavy enough for sledding. then he semaphored directions to pennell, and on the following morning the ship worked her way along the ice-edge to the spot that had been chosen. a good solid road was formed right up to the ship, and again the work of transportation went on with the greatest energy. in this bowers proved 'a perfect treasure,' there was not a single case he did not know nor a single article on which he could not at once place his hand, and every case as it came on shore was checked by him. on tuesday night, january , after six days in mcmurdo sound, the landing was almost completed, and early in the afternoon of thursday a message was sent from the ship that nothing remained on board except mutton, books, pictures, and the pianola. 'so at last we really are a self-contained party ready for all emergencies. we are landed eight days after our arrival--a very good record.' [page ] chapter ii depÔt laying to one ton camp and the deed of high endeavour was no more to the favoured few. but brain and heart were the measure of what every man might do. rennell rodd. while the landing was being carried out, the building party had worked so rapidly that, if necessity had arisen, the hut could have been inhabited by the th; at the same time another small party had been engaged in making a cave in the ice which was to serve as a larder, and this strenuous work continued until the cave was large enough to hold all the mutton, and a considerable quantity of seal and penguin. close to this larder simpson and wright were busy in excavating for the differential magnetic hut. in every way indeed such good progress had been made that scott could begin to think about the depôt journey. the arrangements of this he discussed with bowers, to whose grasp of the situation he gives the highest praise. 'he enters into one's idea's at once, and evidently thoroughly understands the principles of the game.' of these arrangements wilson wrote in his journal: [page ] 'he (scott) wants me to be a driver with himself, meares, and teddie evans, and this is what i would have chosen had i had a free choice of all. the dogs run in two teams and each team wants two men. it means a lot of running as they are being driven now, but it is the fastest and most interesting work of all, and we go ahead of the whole caravan with lighter loads and at a faster rate.... about this time next year may i be there or thereabouts! with so many young bloods in the heyday of youth and strength beyond my own i feel there will be a most difficult task in making choice towards the end and a most keen competition--_and_ a universal lack of selfishness and self-seeking, with a complete absence of any jealous feeling in any single one of any of the comparatively large number who at present stand a chance of being on the last piece next summer.... i have never been thrown in with a more unselfish lot of men--each one doing his utmost fair and square in the most cheery manner possible.' sunday, january , was observed as a 'day of rest,' and at a.m. the men and officers streamed over from the ship, and scott read divine service on the beach. then he had a necessary but unpalatable task to perform, because some of the ponies had not fulfilled expectations, and campbell had to be told that the two allotted to him must be exchanged for a pair of inferior animals. at this time the party to be led by campbell was known as the eastern party, but, owing to the impossibility of landing on king [page ] edward's land, they were eventually taken to the north part of victoria land, and thus came to be known as the northern party. scott's reluctance to make the alteration in ponies is evident, but in writing of it he says: 'he (campbell) took it like the gentleman he is, thoroughly appreciating the reason.' on that same afternoon scott and meares took a sledge and nine dogs, some provisions, a cooker and sleeping-bags, and started to hut point; but, on their arrival at the old _discovery_ hut, a most unpleasant surprise awaited them, for to their chagrin they found that some of shackleton's party, who had used the hut for shelter, had left it in an uninhabitable state. 'there was something too depressing in finding the old hut in such a desolate condition.... to camp outside and feel that all the old comfort and cheer had departed, was dreadfully heartrending. i went to bed thoroughly depressed. it seems a fundamental expression of civilized human sentiment that men who come to such places as this should leave what comfort they can to welcome those who follow, and finding that such a simple duty had been neglected by our immediate predecessors oppressed me horribly.' after a bad night they went up the hills, and there scott found much less snow than he had ever seen. the ski run was completely cut through in two places, the gap and observation hill were almost bare, on the side of arrival heights was a great bare slope, and on the top of crater heights was an immense bare [page ] tableland. the paint was so fresh and the inscription so legible on the cross put up to the memory of vince that it looked as if it had just been erected, and although the old flagstaff was down it could with very little trouble have been put up again. late in the afternoon of monday scott and meares returned to cape evans, and on the following day the party took up their abode in the hut. 'the word "hut,"' scott wrote, 'is misleading. our residence is really a house of considerable size, in every respect the finest that has ever been erected in the polar regions. the walls and roof have double thickness of boarding and seaweed insulation on both sides of the frames. the roof with all its coverings weighs six tons. the outer shell is wonderfully solid therefore and the result is extraordinary comfort and warmth inside, whilst the total weight is comparatively small. it amply repays the time and attention given to its planning. 'on the south side bowers has built a long annex, to contain spare clothing and ready provisions, on the north there is a solid stable to hold our fifteen ponies in the winter. at present these animals are picketed on long lines laid on a patch of snow close by, above them, on a patch of black sand and rock, the dogs extend in other long lines. behind them again is a most convenient slab of hard ice in which we have dug two caverns. the first is a larder now fully stocked with seals, penguins, mutton, and beef. the other is devoted to science in the shape of differential magnetic [page ] instruments which will keep a constant photographic record of magnetic changes. outside these caverns is another little hut for absolute magnetic observations, and above them on a small hill, the dominant miniature peak of the immediate neighborhood, stand the meteorological instruments and a flagstaff carrying the union jack. 'if you can picture our house nestling below this small hill on a long stretch of black sand, with many tons of provision cases ranged in neat blocks in front of it and the sea lapping the ice-foot below, you will have some idea of our immediate vicinity. as for our wider surroundings it would be difficult to describe their beauty in sufficiently glowing terms. cape evans is one of the many spurs of erebus and the one that stands closest under the mountain, so that always towering above us we have the grand snowy peak with its smoking summit. north and south of us are deep bays, beyond which great glaciers come rippling over the lower slopes to thrust high blue-walled snouts into the sea. the sea is blue before us, dotted with shining bergs or ice floes, whilst far over the sound, yet so bold and magnificent as to appear near, stand the beautiful western mountains with their numerous lofty peaks, their deep glacial valley and clear-cut scarps, a vision of mountain scenery that can have few rivals. 'ponting is the most delighted of men; he declares this is the most beautiful spot he has ever seen, and spends all day and most of the night [page ] in what he calls "gathering it in" with camera and cinematograph. 'i have told you of the surroundings of our house but nothing of its internal arrangements. they are in keeping with the dignity of the mansion. 'the officers ( ) have two-thirds of the interior, the men ( ) the remaining third; the dividing line is fixed by a wall of cases containing things which suffer from being frozen. 'in the officers' quarters there is an immense dark room, and next it on one side a space devoted to the physicist and his instruments, and on the other a space devoted to charts, chronometers and instruments generally. 'i have a tiny half cabin of my own, next this wilson and evans have their beds. on the other side is a space set apart for five beds, which are occupied by meares, oates, atkinson, garrard and bowers. taylor, debenham and gran have another proportional space opposite. nelson and day have a little cabin of their own with a bench. lastly simpson and wright occupy beds bordering the space set apart for their instruments and work. in the center is a -foot table with plenty of room for passing behind its chairs.... 'to sum up, the arrangements are such that everyone is completely comfortable and conveniently placed for his work--in fact we could not be better housed. of course a good many of us will have a small enough chance of enjoying the comforts of our home. we shall be away sledding late this year and off again [page ] early next season, but even for us it will be pleasant to feel that such comfort awaits our return.' so in less than a fortnight after the arrival in mcmurdo sound they had absolutely settled down, and were anxious to start upon their depôt journey as soon as the ponies had recovered thoroughly from the effects of the voyage. these autumn journeys, however, required much thought and preparation, mainly because the prospect of the parties being cut off from their winter quarters necessitated a great deal of food being taken both for men and animals. sledding gear and wintering boots were served out to the selected travelers, sledges were prepared by p.o. evans and crean, and most of the stores were tested and found to be most excellent in quality. 'our clothing is as good as good. in fact first and last, running through the whole extent of our outfit, i can say with pride that there is not a single arrangement which i would have had altered.... everything looks hopeful for the depôt journey if only we can get our stores and ponies past the glacier tongue.' thus scott wrote on the th, but the following day brought a serious suspense with it; for during the afternoon came a report that the _terra nova_ was ashore, and scott, hastening to the cape, saw at once that she was firmly fixed and in a very uncomfortable position. visions of the ship being unable to return to new zealand arose in his mind 'with sickening pertinacity,' and it was characteristic of him that at the moment when there was every prospect of a complete disarrangement of well-laid plans, he found his one [page ] consolation in determining that, whatever happened, nothing should interfere with the southern work. the only possible remedy seemed to be an extensive lightening of the ship with boats, as the tide had evidently been high when she struck. scott, with two or three companions, watched anxiously from the shore while the men on board shifted cargo aft, but no ray of hope came until the ship was seen to be turning very slowly, and then they saw the men running from side to side and knew that an attempt was being made to roll her off. at first the rolling produced a more rapid turning movement, and then she seemed again to hang though only for a short time. meanwhile the engines had been going astern and presently a slight movement became apparent, but those who were watching the ship did not know that she was getting clear until they heard the cheers on board. then she gathered stern way and was clear. 'the relief was enormous. the wind dropped as she came off, and she is now securely moored off the northern ice-edge, where i hope the greater number of her people are finding rest. for here and now i must record the splendid manner in which these men are working. i find it difficult to express my admiration for the manner in which the ship is handled and worked under these very trying circumstances... pennell has been over to tell me about it to-night; i think i like him more every day.' on that same day meares and oates went to the glacier tongue and satisfied themselves that the ice [page ] was good; and with the th fixed for the date of departure it was not too much to hope that the ice would remain for three or four more days. the ponies for campbell's party were put on board on the nd, but when scott got up at a.m. on the following morning he saw, to his astonishment, that the ice was going out of the bay in a solid mass. then everything was rushed on at top speed, and a wonderful day's work resulted. all the forage, food, sledges and equipment were got off to the ship at once, the dogs followed; in short everything to do with the depôt party was hurriedly put on board except the ponies, which were to cross the cape and try to get over the southern road on the morning of the th. the southern road was the one feasible line of communication between the new station at cape evans and the _discovery_ hut, for the rugged mountains and crevassed ice-slopes of ross island prevented a passage by land. the road provided level going below the cliffs of the ice-foot except where disturbed by the descending glacier; and there it was necessary to cross the body of the glacier itself. it consisted of the more enduring ice in the bays and the sea-ice along the coast, which only stayed fast for the season. thus it was most important to get safely over the dangerous part of this road before the seasonal going-out of the sea-ice. to wait until after the ice went out and the ship could sail to hut point would have meant both uncertainty and delay. scott knew well enough that the road might not hold for many more hours, [page ] and it actually broke up on the very day after the party had passed. early on tuesday, january , a boat from the ship fetched scott and the western party; and at the same time the ponies were led out of the camp, wilson and meares going ahead of them to test the track. no sooner was scott on board than he was taken to inspect lillie's catch of sea animals. 'it was wonderful, quantities of sponges, isopods, pentapods, large shrimps, corals, &c. &c.; but the _pièce de résistance_ was the capture of several bucketsful of cephalodiscus of which only seven pieces had been previously caught. lillie is immensely pleased, feeling that it alone repays the whole enterprise.' in the forenoon the ship skirted the island, and with a telescope those on board could watch the string of ponies steadily progressing over the sea-ice past the razor back islands; and, as soon as they were seen to be well advanced, the ship steamed on to the glacier tongue, and made fast in the narrow angle made by the sea-ice with the glacier. then, while campbell investigated a broad crack in the sea ice on the southern road, scott went to meet the ponies, which, without much difficulty, were got on to the tongue, across the glacier, and then were picketed on the sea-ice close to the ship. but when campbell returned with the news that the big crack was feet across, it was evident that they must get past it on the glacier, and scott asked him to peg out a road clear of cracks. [page ] soon afterwards oates reported that the ponies were ready to start again, and they were led along; campbell's road, their loads having already been taken on the floe. at first all went well, but when the animals got down on the floe level and oates led across an old snowed-up crack, the third pony made a jump at the edge and sank to its stomach in the middle. gradually it sank deeper and deeper until only its head and forelegs showed above the slush. with some trouble ropes were attached to these, and the poor animal, looking very weak and miserable, was eventually pulled out. after this experience the other five ponies were led farther round to the west and were got safely out on the floe; a small feed was given to them, and then they were started off with their loads. the dogs in the meantime were causing some excitement for, starting on hard ice with a light load, they obviously preferred speed to security. happily, however, no accident happened, and scott, writing from glacier tongue on january , was able to say: 'all have arrived safely, and this evening we start our sledges south. i expect we shall have to make three relays to get all our stores on to the barrier some fifteen miles away. the ship is to land a geologising party on the west side of the sound, and then to proceed to king edward's land to put the eastern party on short.' the geologising party consisted of griffith taylor, debenham, wright, and p.o. evans, and for reasons [page ] already mentioned the eastern party were eventually known as the northern party. on the night of the th scott camped six miles from the glacier and two miles from hut point, he and wilson having driven one team of dogs, while meares and e. evans drove the other. but on the following day scott drove his team to the ship, and when the men had been summoned aft he thanked them for their splendid work. 'they have behaved like bricks and a finer lot of fellows never sailed in a ship.... it was a little sad to say farewell to all these good fellows and campbell and his men. i do most heartily trust that all will be successful in their ventures, for indeed their unselfishness and their generous high spirit deserves reward. god bless them.' * * * * * how completely scott's hopes were realized in the case of campbell's party is now well known. nothing more miraculous than the story of their adventures has ever been told. the party consisted of campbell, levick, priestley, abbott, browning, and dickason, and the courage shown by the leader and his companions in facing endless difficulties and privations has met with the unstinted admiration that it most thoroughly deserved. * * * * * for the depôt laying journey scott's party consisted of men (wilson, bowers, oates, atkinson, cherry-garrard, e. evans, gran, meares, forde, [page ] keohane, crean, and himself), ponies and dogs. of the dogs he felt at this time more than a little doubtful, but the ponies were in his opinion bound to be a success. 'they work with such extraordinary steadiness, stepping out briskly and cheerfully, following in each other's tracks. the great drawback is the ease with which they sink in soft snow: they go through in lots of places where the men scarcely make an impression--they struggle pluckily when they sink, but it is trying to watch them.' in three days he hoped that all the loads would be transported to complete safety, and on friday, the th, only one load remained to be brought from hut point. the strenuous labour of this day tired out the dogs, but the ponies worked splendidly. on the next day, however, both keohane's and bowers' ponies showed signs of breaking down, and oates began to take a gloomy view of the situation. in compensation for these misfortunes the dogs, as they got into better condition, began to do excellent work. during sunday they ran two loads for over a mile past the stores on the barrier to the spot chosen for 'safety camp,' the big home depôt. 'i don't think that any part of the barrier is likely to go, but it's just as well to be prepared for everything, and our camp must deserve its distinctive title of "safety."' by this time the control of the second dog team had been definitely handed over to wilson, and in his journal he gives an admirable account of his experiences. 'the seals have been giving a lot of [page ] trouble, that is just to meares and myself with our dogs.... occasionally when one pictures oneself quite away from trouble of that kind, an old seal will pop his head up at a blowhole a few yards ahead of the team, and they are all on top of him before one can say "knife"! then one has to rush in with the whip--and everyone of the team of eleven jumps over the harness of the dog next to him, and the harnesses become a muddle that takes much patience to unravel, not to mention care lest the whole team should get away with the sledge and its load, and leave one behind.... i never did get left the whole of this depôt journey, but i was often very near it, and several times had only time to seize a strap or a part of the sledge, and be dragged along helter-skelter over everything that came in the way, till the team got sick of galloping and one could struggle to one's feet again. one gets very wary and wide-awake when one has to manage a team of eleven dogs and a sledge load by oneself, but it was a most interesting experience, and i had a delightful leader, "stareek" by name--russian for "old man," and he was the most wise old man.... dog driving like this in the orthodox manner is a very different thing from the beastly dog driving we perpetrated in the _discovery_ days.... i got to love all my team and they got to know me well.... stareek is quite a ridiculous "old man" and quite the nicest, quietest, cleverest old dog i have ever come across. he looks in face as if he knew all the wickedness of all the world [page ] and all its cares, and as if he were bored to death by them.' when safety camp was reached there was no need for haste until they started upon their journey. 'it is only when we start that we must travel fast.' work, however, on the monday was more strenuous than successful, for the ponies sank very deep and had great difficulty in bringing up their loads. during the afternoon scott disclosed his plan of campaign, which was to go forward with five weeks' food for men and animals, then to depôt a fortnight's supply after twelve or thirteen days and return to safety camp. the loads for ponies under this arrangement worked out at a little over lbs., and for the dog teams at lbs., both apart from sledges. whether the ponies could manage these loads depended on the surface, and there was a great possibility that the dogs would have to be lightened, but under the circumstances it was the best plan they could hope to carry out. on tuesday when everything was ready for the start the one pair of snow-shoes was tried on 'weary willy' with magical effect. in places where he had floundered woefully without the shoes he strolled round as if he was walking on hard ground. immediately after this experiment scott decided that an attempt must be made to get more snow-shoes, and within half an hour meares and wilson had started, on the chance that the ice had not yet gone out, to the station twenty miles away. but on the next day they returned with the news that there was no [page ] possibility of reaching cape evans, and an additional stroke of bad fortune fell when atkinson's foot, which had been troublesome for some time, was examined and found to be so bad that he had to be left behind with crean as a companion. writing on wednesday, february , from 'safety camp, great barrier,' scott said: 'i told you that we should be cut off from our winter station, and that i had to get a good weight of stores on to the barrier to provide for that contingency. we are safely here with all requisite stores, though it has taken nearly a week. but we find the surface very soft and the ponies flounder in it. i sent a dog team back yesterday to try and get snow-shoes for ponies, but they found the ice broken south of cape evans and returned this morning. everyone is doing splendidly and gaining the right sort of experience for next year. every mile we advance this year is a help for next.' [illustration: pony camp on the barrier. _photo by capt. r. f. scott._] at last the start was made on thursday, february , but when, after marching five miles, scott asked for their one pair of snow-shoes, he found that they had been left behind, and gran--whose expertness on ski was most useful--immediately volunteered to go back and get them. while he was away the party rested, for at scott's suggestion they had decided to take to night marching. and so at . a.m. they started off once more on a surface that was bad at first but gradually improved, until just before camping time bowers, who was leading, suddenly plunged into soft snow. several of the others, following close behind [page ] him, shared the same fate, and soon three ponies were plunging and struggling in a drift, and had to be unharnessed and led round from patch to patch until firmer ground was reached. then came another triumph for the snow-shoes, which were put on bowers' pony, with the result that after a few minutes he settled down, was harnessed to his load, and brought in not only that but also another over places into which he had previously been plunging. again scott expressed his regret that such a great help to their work had been left behind at the station, and it was all the more trying for him to see the ponies half engulfed in the snow, and panting and heaving from the strain, when the remedies for his state of affairs were so near and yet so impossible to reach. during the next march ten miles were covered, and the ponies, on a better surface, easily dragged their loads, but signs of bad weather began to appear in the morning, and by p.m. on saturday a blizzard arrived and held up the party in corner camp for three days. 'no fun to be out of the tent--but there are no shirkers with us. oates has been out regularly to feed the ponies; meares and wilson to attend to the dogs; the rest of us as occasion required.' the ponies looked fairly comfortable during the blizzard, but when it ceased and another march was made on tuesday night, the effects of the storm were too clearly seen. all of them finished the march listlessly, and two or three were visibly thinner. [page ] but by far the worst sufferer was forde's 'blucher' whose load was reduced to lbs., and finally forde pulled this in and led his pony. extra food was given in the hope that they would soon improve again; but at all costs most of them had got to be kept alive, and scott began to fear that very possibly the journey would have to be curtailed. during the next two marches, however, the ponies seemed to be stronger. 'surface very good and animals did splendidly,' scott wrote on friday, february , and then gave in his diary for the day an account of their nightly routine. 'we turn out of our sleeping-bags about p.m. somewhere about . i shout to the soldier[ ] "how are things?" there is a response suggesting readiness, and soon after figures are busy amongst sledges and ponies. it is chilling work for the fingers and not too warm for the feet. the rugs come off the animals, the harness is put on, tents and camp equipment are loaded on the sledges, nosebags filled for the next halt; one by one the animals are taken off the picketing rope and yoked to the sledge. oates watches his animal warily, reluctant to keep such a nervous creature standing in the traces. if one is prompt one feels impatient and fretful whilst watching one's more tardy fellows. wilson and meares hang about ready to help with odds and ends. [footnote : oates.] 'still we wait: the picketing lines must be gathered up, a few pony putties need adjustment, a party has been slow striking their tent. with numbed fingers on [page ] our horse's bridle and the animal striving to turn its head from the wind one feels resentful. at last all is ready. one says "all right, bowers, go ahead," and birdie leads his big animal forward, starting, as he continues, at a steady pace. the horses have got cold and at the word they are off, the soldier's and one or two others with a rush. finnesko give poor foothold on the slippery sastrugi,[ ] and for a minute or two drivers have some difficulty in maintaining the pace on their feet. movement is warming, and in ten minutes the column has settled itself to steady marching. [footnote : irregularities formed by the wind on a snow-plain.] 'the pace is still brisk, the light bad, and at intervals one or another of us suddenly steps on a slippery patch and falls prone. these are the only real incidents of the march--for the rest it passes with a steady tramp and slight variation of formation. the weaker ponies drop a bit but not far, so that they are soon up in line again when the first halt is made. we have come to a single halt in each half march. last night it was too cold to stop long and a very few minutes found us on the go again. 'as the end of the half march approaches i get out my whistle. then at a shrill blast bowers wheels slightly to the left, his tent mates lead still farther out to get the distance for the picket lines; oates and i stop behind bowers and evans, the two other sledges of our squad behind the two other of bowers'. so we are drawn up in camp formation. the picket [page ] lines are run across at right angles to the line of advance and secured to the two sledges at each end. it a few minutes ponies are on the lines covered, tents up again and cookers going. 'meanwhile the dog drivers, after a long cold wait at the old camp, have packed the last sledge and come trotting along our tracks. they try to time their arrival in the new camp immediately after our own, and generally succeed well. the mid-march halt runs into an hour to an hour and a half, and at the end we pack up and tramp forth again. we generally make our final camp about o'clock, and within an hour and a half most of us are in our sleeping-bags.... at the long halt we do our best for our animals by building snow walls and improving their rugs, &c. a softer surface on the th made the work much more difficult, and even the dogs, who had been pulling consistently well, showed signs of exhaustion before the march was over. early on sunday morning they were near the th parallel, and exact bearings had to be taken, since this camp, called bluff camp, was expected to play an important part in the future. by this time three of the ponies, blossom, james pigg, and blucher, were so weak that scott decided to send e. evans, forde and keohane back with them. progress on the next march was interrupted by a short blizzard, and scott, not by any means for the first time, was struck by bowers' imperviousness to [page ] cold. 'bowers,' he wrote, 'is wonderful. throughout the night he has worn no head-gear but a common green felt hat kept on with a chin-stay and affording no cover whatever for the ears. his face and ears remain bright red. the rest of us were glad to have thick balaclavas and wind helmets. i have never seen anyone so unaffected by the cold. to-night he remained outside a full hour after the rest of us had got into the tent. he was simply pottering about the camp doing small jobs to the sledges, &c. cherry-garrard is remarkable because of his eyes. he can only see through glasses and has to wrestle with all sorts of inconveniences in consequence. yet one could never guess it--for he manages somehow to do more than his share of the work.' another disappointing day followed, on which the surface was so bad that the ponies frequently sank lower than their hocks, and the soft patches of snow left by the blizzard lay in sandy heaps and made great friction for the runners. still, however, they struggled on; but gran with weary willy could not go the pace, and when they were three-quarters of a mile behind the others the dog teams (which always left the camp after the others) overtook them. then the dogs got out of hand and attacked weary willy, who put up a sterling fight but was bitten rather badly before meares and gran could drive off the dogs. afterwards it was discovered that weary willy's load was much heavier than that of the other ponies, and an attempt to continue the march had quickly [page ] to be abandoned owing to his weak condition. as some compensation for his misfortunes he was given a hot feed, a large snow wall, and some extra sacking, and on the following day he showed appreciation of these favors by a marked improvement. bowers' pony, however, refused work for the first time, and oates was more despondent than ever; 'but,' scott says, 'i've come to see that this is a characteristic of him. in spite of it he pays every attention to the weaker horses.' no doubt remained on the thursday that both weary willy and bowers' pony could stand very little more, and so it was decided to turn back on the following day. during the last march out the temperature fell to - ° with a brisk south-west breeze, and frost-bites were frequent. bowers with his ears still uncovered suffered severely, but while scott and cherry-garrard nursed them back he seemed to feel nothing but surprise and disgust at the mere fact of possessing such unruly organs. 'it seems as though some of our party will find spring journeys pretty trying. oates' nose is always on the point of being frost-bitten; meares has a refractory toe which gives him much trouble--this is the worse prospect for summit work. i have been wondering how i shall stick the summit again, this cold spell gives ideas. i think i shall be all right, but one must be prepared for a pretty good doing.' the depôt was built during the next day, february , lat. ° ' s, and considerably over a ton of stuff was landed. [page ] stores left in depôt: lbs. weeks' full provision bags for unit days' provision bags for unit weeks' tea weeks' extra butter lbs. biscuit ( weeks' full biscuit) - / gallons oil ( weeks' oil for unit) sacks of oats bales of fodder tank of dog biscuit cases of biscuit ---- skein white line set breast harness ft. sledges pair ski, pair ski sticks _minimum thermometer_[ ] tin rowntree cocoa tin matches [footnote : see page .] sorry as scott was not to reach °, he was satisfied that they had 'a good leg up' for next year, and could at least feed the ponies thoroughly up to this point. in addition to a flagstaff and black flag, one ton camp was marked with piled biscuit boxes to act as reflectors, and tea-tins were tied on the top of the sledges, which were planted upright in the snow. the depôt cairn was more than six feet above the surface, and so the party had the satisfaction of knowing that it could scarcely fail to show up for many miles. [page ] chapter iii perils ...yet i argue not against heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot of heart or hope; but still bear up and steer right onward. milton. on the return journey scott, wilson, meares and cherry-garrard went back at top speed with the dog teams, leaving bowers, oates and gran to follow with the ponies. for three days excellent marches were made, the dogs pulling splendidly, and anxious as scott was to get back to safety camp and find out what had happened to the other parties and the ponies, he was more than satisfied with the daily records. but on tuesday, february , a check came in their rapid journey, a check, moreover, which might have been a most serious disaster. the light though good when they started about p.m. on monday night quickly became so bad that but little of the surface could be seen, and the dogs began to show signs of fatigue. about an hour and a half after the start they came upon mistily outlined [page ] pressure ridges and were running by the sledges when, as the teams were trotting side by side, the middle dogs of the teams driven by scott and meares began to disappear. 'we turned,' cherry-garrard says, 'and saw their dogs disappearing one after another, like dogs going down a hole after a rat.' in a moment the whole team were sinking; two by two they vanished from sight, each pair struggling for foothold. osman, the leader, put forth all his strength and most wonderfully kept a foothold. the sledge stopped on the brink of the crevasse, and scott and meares jumped aside. in another moment the situation was realized. they had actually been traveling along the bridge of a crevasse, the sledge had stopped on it, while the dogs hung in their harness in the abyss. 'why the sledge and ourselves didn't follow the dogs we shall never know. i think a fraction of a pound of added weight must have taken us down.' directly the sledge had been hauled clear of the bridge and anchored, they peered into the depths of the cracks. the dogs, suspended in all sorts of fantastic positions, were howling dismally and almost frantic with terror. two of them had dropped out of their harness and, far below, could be seen indistinctly on a snow-bridge. the rope at either end of the chain had bitten deep into the snow at the side of the crevasse and with the weight below could not possibly be moved. by this time assistance was forthcoming from wilson and cherry-garrard, the latter hurriedly [page ] bringing the alpine rope, the exact position of which on the sledge he most fortunately knew. the prospect, however, of rescuing the team was not by any means bright, and for some minutes every attempt failed. in spite of their determined efforts they could get not an inch on the main trace of the sledge or on the leading rope, which with a throttling pressure was binding poor osman to the snow. then, as their thoughts became clearer, they set to work on a definite plan of action. the sledge was unloaded, and the tent, cooker, and sleeping-bags were carried to a safe place; then scott, seizing the lashing off meares' sleeping-bag, passed the tent-poles across the crevasse, and with meares managed to get a few inches on the leading line. this freed osman, whose harness was immediately cut. the next step was to secure the leading rope to the main trace and haul up together. by this means one dog was rescued and unlashed, but the rope already had cut so far back at the edge that efforts to get more of it were useless. [illustration: snowed-up tent after three days' blizzard. _photo by lieut. t. gran._] 'we could now unbend the sledge and do that for which we should have aimed from the first, namely, run the sledge across the gap and work from it.' so the sledge was put over the crevasse and pegged down on both sides, wilson holding on to the anchored trace while the others worked at the leader end. the leading rope, however, was so very small that scott was afraid of its breaking, and meares was lowered down to secure the alpine rope to the leading end of [page ] the trace; when this had been done the chance of rescuing the dogs at once began to improve. two by two the dogs were hauled up until eleven out of the thirteen were again in safety. then scott began to wonder if the two other dogs could not be saved, and the alpine rope was paid down to see if it was long enough to reach the bridge on which they were coiled. the rope was feet, and as the amount remaining showed that the depth of the bridge was about feet, scott made a bowline and insisted upon being lowered down. the bridge turned out to be firm, and he quickly got hold of the dogs and saw them hauled to the surface. but before he could be brought up terrific howls arose above, and he had to be left while the rope-tenders hastened to stop a fight between the dogs of the two teams. 'we then hauled scott up,' cherry-garrard says; 'it was all three of us could do, my fingers a good deal frost-bitten in the end. that was all the dogs, scott has just said that at one time he never hoped to get back with the thirteen, or even half of them. when he was down in the crevasse he wanted to go off exploring, but we dissuaded him.... he kept on saying, "i wonder why this is running the way it is, you expect to find them at right angles."' for over two hours the work of rescue had continued, and after it was finished the party camped and had a meal, and congratulated themselves on a miraculous escape. had the sledge gone down scott and meares must have been badly injured, if not killed [page ] outright, but as things had turned out even the dogs showed wonderful signs of recovery after their terrible experience. on the following day safety camp was reached, but the dogs were as thin as rakes and so ravenously hungry that scott expressed a very strong opinion that they were underfed. 'one thing is certain, the dogs will never continue to drag heavy loads with men sitting on the sledges; we must all learn to run with the teams and the russian custom must be dropped.' at safety camp e. evans, forde and keohane were found, but to scott's great sorrow two of their ponies had died on the return journey. forde had spent hour after hour in nursing poor blucher, and although the greatest care had also been given to blossom, both of them were left on the southern road. the remaining one of the three, james pigg, had managed not only to survive but actually to thrive, and, severe as the loss of the two ponies was, some small consolation could be gained from the fact that they were the oldest of the team, and the two which oates considered to be the least useful. after a few hours' sleep scott, wilson, meares, cherry-garrard and evans started off to hut point, and on arrival were astonished to find that, although the hut had been cleared and made habitable, no one was there. a pencil line on the wall stated that a bag containing a mail was inside, but no bag was to be found. but presently what turned out to be the true [page ] solution of this curious state of affairs was guessed, namely, that atkinson and crean had been on their way from the hut to safety camp as the others had come from the camp to the hut, and later on scott saw their sledge track leading round on the sea-ice. feeling terribly anxious that some disaster might have happened to atkinson and crean owing to the weakness of the ice round cape armitage, scott and his party soon started back to safety camp, but it was not until they were within a couple of hundred yards of their destination that they saw three tents instead of two, and knew that atkinson and crean were safe. no sooner, however, had scott received his letters than his feelings of relief were succeeded by sheer astonishment. 'every incident of the day pales before the startling contents of the mail bag which atkinson gave me--a letter from campbell setting out his doings and the finding of _amundsen_ established in the bay of whales. 'one thing only fixes itself definitely in my mind. the proper, as well as the wiser, course for us is to proceed exactly as though this had not happened. to go forward and do our best for the honour of the country without fear or panic. 'there is no doubt that amundsen's plan is a very serious menace to ours. he has a shorter distance to the pole by miles--i never thought he could have got so many dogs [ ] safely to the ice. his [page ] plan for running them seems excellent. but above and beyond all he can start his journey early in the season--an impossible condition with ponies.' the ship, to which scott had said good-by a month before, had, after landing the western geological party at butter point, proceeded along the barrier, and on february had come across amundsen camped in the bay of whales. no landing place, however, for campbell's party could be found. 'this,' campbell says, 'was a great disappointment to us all, but there was nothing for it but to return to mcmurdo sound to communicate with the main party, and then try to effect a landing in the vicinity of smith's inlet or as far to the westward as possible on the north coast of victoria land, and if possible to explore the unknown coast west of cape north. we therefore made the best of our way to cape evans, and arrived on the evening of the th. here i decided to land the two ponies, as they would be very little use to us on the mountainous coast of victoria land, and in view of the norwegian expedition i felt the southern party would require all the transport available. after landing the ponies we steamed up to the sea-ice by glacier tongue, and from there, taking priestley and abbott, i went with letters to hut point, where the depôt party would call on their way back.' thus scott came on wednesday, february , to receive the news which was bound to occupy his thoughts, however resolutely he refused to allow it to interfere in any way with his plans. [page ] thursday was spent preparing sledges to meet bowers, oates and gran at corner camp, and on the following day scott, crean and cherry-garrard with one sledge and tent, e. evans, atkinson and forde with second sledge and tent, and keohane leading james pigg, started their march. at p.m. on saturday scott turned out and saw a short black line on the horizon towards white island. presently he made certain that it was bowers and his companions, but they were traveling fast and failed to see scott's camp; so when the latter reached corner camp he did not find bowers, but was glad to see five pony walls and consequently to know that all the animals were still alive. having depôted six full weeks' provisions, scott, cherry-garrard and crean started for home, leaving the others to bring james pigg by easier stages. the next day, however, had to be spent in the tent owing to a howling blizzard, and not until the tuesday did scott reach safety camp, where he found that the ponies were without exception terribly thin, and that weary willy was especially in a pitiable condition. as no advantage was to be gained by staying at safety camp, arrangements were made immediately for a general shift to hut point, and about four o'clock the two dog teams driven by wilson and meares got safely away. then the ponies were got ready to start, the plan being for them to follow in the tracks of the dogs; the route was over about six miles of sea-ice, which, owing to the spread of water holes, caused scott to feel gravely anxious. [page ] at the very start, however, weary willy fell down, and his plight was so critical that bowers, cherry-garrard and crean were sent on with punch, cuts, uncle bill and nobby to hut point, while scott, with oates and gran, decided to stay behind and attend to the sick pony. but despite all the attempts to save him, weary willy died during the tuesday night. 'it makes a late start _necessary for next year_,' scott wrote in his diary on wednesday, march , but on the following day he had to add to this, 'the events of the past hours bid fair to wreck the expedition, and the only one comfort is the miraculous avoidance of loss of life.' early on the morning following weary willy's death, scott, oates and gran started out and pulled towards the forage depôt, which was at a point on the barrier half a mile from the edge, in a s.s.e. direction from hut point. on their approach the sky looked black and lowering, and mirage effects of huge broken floes loomed out ahead. at first scott thought that this was one of the strange optical illusions common in the antarctic, but as he drew close to the depôt all doubt was dispelled. the sea was full of broken pieces of barrier edge, and at once his thoughts flew to the ponies and dogs. they turned to follow the sea-edge, and suddenly discovering a working crack, dashed over it and hastened on until they were in line between safety camp and castle rock. meanwhile scott's first thought was to warn e. evans' party which was traveling [page ] back from corner camp with james pigg. 'we set up tent, and gran went to the depôt with a note as oates and i disconsolately thought out the situation. i thought to myself that if either party had reached safety either on the barrier or at hut point they would immediately have sent a warning messenger to safety camp. by this time the messenger should have been with us. some half-hour passed, and suddenly with a "thank god!" i made certain that two specks in the direction of pram point were human beings.' when, however, scott hastened in their direction he discovered them to be wilson and meares, who were astonished to see him, because they had left safety camp before the breakdown of weary willy had upset the original program. from them scott heard alarming reports that the ponies were adrift on the sea-ice. the startling incidents that had led to this state of affairs began very soon after bowers, crean and cherry-garrard had left safety camp with the ponies. 'i caught bowers up at the edge of the barrier,' cherry-garrard wrote in his diary, 'the dogs were on ahead and we saw them turn and make right round cape armitage. "uncle bill" got done, and i took up the dog tracks which we followed over the tide crack and well on towards cape armitage. 'the sea-ice was very weak, and we came to fresh crack after fresh crack, and at last to a big crack with water squelching through for many feet on both [page ] sides. we all thought it impossible to proceed and turned back.... the ponies began to get very done, and bowers decided to get back over the tide crack, find a snowy place, and camp. 'this had been considered with scott as a possibility and agreed to. of course according to arrangements then scott would have been with the ponies. 'we camped about p.m. and made walls for the ponies. bowers cooked with a primus of which the top is lost, and it took a long time. he mistook curry powder for cocoa, and we all felt very bad for a short time after trying it. crean swallowed all his. otherwise we had a good meal. 'while we were eating a sound as though ice had fallen outside down the tent made us wonder. at a.m. we turned in, bowers went out, and all was quiet. at . a.m. bowers was wakened by a grinding sound, jumped up, and found the situation as follows:-- 'the whole sea-ice had broken up into small floes, from ten to thirty or forty yards across. we were on a small floe, i think about twenty yards across, two sledges were on the next floe, and "cuts" had disappeared down the opening. bowers shouted to us all and hauled the two sledges on to our floe in his socks. we packed anyhow, i don't suppose a camp was ever struck quicker. it seemed to me impossible to go on with the ponies and i said so, but bowers decided to try. 'we decided that to go towards white island [page ] looked best, and for five hours traveled in the following way:--we jumped the ponies over floe to floe as the cracks joined.... we then man-hauled the sledges after them, then according to the size of the floe sometimes harnessed the ponies in again, sometimes man-hauled the sledge to the next crack, waited our chance, sometimes i should think five or ten minutes, and repeated the process.' at length they worked their way to heavier floes lying near the barrier edge, and at one time thought that it was possible to get up; but very soon they discovered that there were gaps everywhere off the high barrier face. in this dilemma crean volunteered to try and reach scott, and after traveling a great distance and leaping from floe to floe, he found a thick floe from which with the help of his ski stick he could climb the barrier face. 'it was a desperate venture, but luckily successful.' and so while scott, oates, wilson, meares and gran were discussing the critical situation, a man, who proved to be crean, was seen rapidly making for the depôt from the west. as soon as scott had considered the latest development of the situation he sent gran back to hut point with wilson and meares, and started with oates, crean, and a sledge for the scene of the mishap. a halt was made at safety camp to get some provisions and oil, and then, marching carefully round, they approached the ice-edge, and to their joy caught sight of bowers and cherry-garrard. with the help [page ] of the alpine rope both the men were dragged to the surface, and after camp had been pitched at a safe distance from the edge all hands started upon salvage work. the ice at this time lay close and quiet against the barrier edge, and some ten hours after bowers and cherry-garrard had been hauled up, the sledges and their contents were safely on the barrier. but then, just as the last loads were saved, the ice began to drift again, and so, for the time, nothing could be done for the ponies except to leave them well-fed upon their floes. 'none of our party had had sleep the previous night and all were dog tired. i decided we must rest, but turned everyone out at . yesterday morning [after three or four hours]. before breakfast we discovered the ponies had drifted away. we had tried to anchor their floes with the alpine rope, but the anchors had drawn. it was a sad moment.' presently, however, bowers, who had taken the binoculars, announced that he could see the ponies about a mile to the n. w. 'we packed and went on at once. we found it easy enough to get down to the poor animals and decided to rush them for a last chance of life. then there was an unfortunate mistake: i went along the barrier edge and discovered what i thought and what proved to be a practicable way to land a pony, but the others meanwhile, a little overwrought, tried to leap punch across a gap. the poor beast fell in; eventually we had to kill him--it was awful. i recalled all hands and pointed out my [page ] road. bowers and oates went out on it with a sledge and worked their way to the remaining ponies, and started back with them on the same track.... we saved one pony; for a time i thought we should get both, but bowers' poor animal slipped at a jump and plunged into the water: we dragged him out on some brash ice-- killer whales all about us in an intense state of excitement. the poor animal couldn't rise, and the only merciful thing was to kill it. these incidents were too terrible. at p.m. (thursday, march ), we sadly broke our temporary camp and marched back to the one i had just pitched.... so here we are ready to start our sad journey to hut point. everything out of joint with the loss of our ponies, but mercifully with all the party alive and well.' at the start on the march back the surface was so bad that only three miles were covered in four hours, and in addition to this physical strain scott was also deeply anxious to know that e. evans and his party were safe; but while they were camping that night on pram point ridges, evans' party, all of whom were well, came in. then it was decided that atkinson should go on to hut point in the morning to take news to wilson, meares and gran, who were looking after the dogs, and having a wretched time in trying to make two sleeping-bags do the work of three. on march wilson wrote in his journal: 'a very bitter wind blowing and it was a cheerless job waiting for six hours to get a sleep in the bag.... as the ice had all gone out of the strait we were cut off from [page ] any return to cape evans until the sea should again freeze over, and this was not likely until the end of april. we rigged up a small fireplace in the hut and found some wood and made a fire for an hour or so at each meal, but as there was no coal and not much wood we felt we must be economical with the fuel, and so also with matches and everything else, in case bowers should lose his sledge loads, which had most of the supplies for the whole party to last twelve men for two months.... there was literally nothing in the hut that one could cover oneself with to keep warm, and we couldn't run to keeping the fire going. it was very cold work. there were heaps of biscuit cases here which we had left in _discovery_ days, and with these we built up a small inner hut to live in.' on saturday scott and some of his party reached the hut, and on sunday he was able to write: 'turned in with much relief to have all hands and the animals safely housed.' only two ponies, james pigg and nobby, remained out of the eight that had started on the depôt journey, but disastrous as this was to the expedition there was reason to be thankful that even greater disasters had not happened. [page ] chapter iv a happy family by mutual confidence and mutual aid great deeds are done and great discoveries made. anon. with the certainty of having to stay in the _discovery_ hut for some time, the party set to work at once to make it as comfortable as possible. with packing-cases a large _l_-shaped inner apartment was made, the intervals being stopped with felt, and an empty kerosene tin and some firebricks were made into an excellent little stove which was connected to the old stove-pipe. as regards food almost an unlimited supply of biscuit was available, and during a walk to pram point on monday, march , scott and wilson found that the sea-ice in pram point bay had not gone out and was crowded with seals, a happy find that guaranteed the party as much meat as they wanted. 'we really have everything necessary for our comfort and only need a little more experience to make the best of our resources.... it is splendid to see the way in which everyone is learning the ropes, and the resource which [page ] is being shown. wilson as usual leads in the making of useful suggestions and in generally providing for our wants. he is a tower of strength in checking the ill-usage of clothes--what i have come to regard as the greatest danger with englishmen.' on saturday night a blizzard sprang up and gradually increased in force until it reminded scott and wilson of the gale which drove the _discovery_ ashore. the blizzard continued until noon on tuesday, on which day the western geological party (griffith taylor, wright, debenham and p.o. evans) returned to the hut after a successful trip. two days later another depôt party started to corner camp, e. evans, wright, crean and forde in one team; bowers, oates, cherry-garrard and atkinson in the other. 'it was very sporting of wright to join in after only a day's rest. he is evidently a splendid puller.' during the absence of this party the comforts of the hut were constantly being increased, but continuous bad weather was both depressing to the men and very serious for the dogs. every effort had been made to make the dogs comfortable, but the changes of wind made it impossible to give them shelter in all directions. at least five of them were in a sorry plight, and half a dozen others were by no means strong, but whether because they were constitutionally harder or whether better fitted by nature to protect themselves the other ten or a dozen animals were as fit as they could be. as it was found to be impossible to keep the dogs comfortable in the traces, the majority [page ] of them were allowed to run loose; for although scott feared that this freedom would mean that there would be some fights to the death, he thought it preferable to the risk of losing the animals by keeping them on the leash. the main difficulty with them was that when the ice once got thoroughly into the coats their hind legs became half paralyzed with cold, but by allowing them to run loose it was hoped that they would be able to free themselves of this serious trouble. 'well, well, fortune is not being very kind to us. this month will have sad memories. still i suppose things might be worse; the ponies are well housed and are doing exceedingly well....' the depôt party returned to the hut on march , but though the sea by this time showed symptoms of _wanting_ to freeze, there was no real sign that the ice would hold for many a long day. stock therefore was taken of their resources, and arrangements were made for a much longer stay than had been anticipated. a week later the ice, though not thickening rapidly, held south of hut point, but the stretch from hut point to turtle back island still refused to freeze even in calm weather, and scott began to think that they might not be able to get back to cape evans before may. soon afterwards, however, the sea began to freeze over completely, and on thursday evening, april , a program, subject to the continuance of good weather, was arranged for a shift to cape evans. 'it feels good,' cherry-garrard wrote, 'to have something doing in the air.' but the weather prevented them from starting on the appointed day, [page ] and although scott was most anxious to get back and see that all was well at cape evans, the comfort achieved in the old hut was so great that he confessed himself half-sorry to leave it. describing their life at hut point he says, 'we gather around the fire seated on packing-cases, with a hunk of bread and butter and a steaming pannikin of tea, and life is well worth living. after lunch we are out and about again; there is little to tempt a long stay indoors, and exercise keeps us all the fitter. 'the failing light and approach of supper drives us home again with good appetites about or o'clock, and then the cooks rival one another in preparing succulent dishes of fried seal liver.... exclamations of satisfaction can be heard every night--or nearly every night; for two nights ago (april ) wilson, who has proved a genius in the invention of "plats," almost ruined his reputation. he proposed to fry the seal liver in penguin blubber, suggesting that the latter could be freed from all rankness.... the "fry" proved redolent of penguin, a concentrated essence of that peculiar flavour which faintly lingers in the meat and should not be emphasized. three heroes got through their pannikins, but the rest of us decided to be contented with cocoa and biscuit after tasting the first mouthful.[ ] [footnote : wilson, referring to this incident in his journal, showed no signs of contrition. 'fun over a fry i made in my new penguin lard. it was quite a success and tasted like very bad sardine oil.'] 'after supper we have an hour or so of smoking [page ] and conversation--a cheering, pleasant hour--in which reminiscences are exchanged by a company which has very literally had world-wide experience. there is scarce a country under the sun which one or another of us has not traveled in, so diverse are our origins and occupations. 'an hour or so after supper we tail off one by one.... everyone can manage eight or nine hours' sleep without a break, and not a few would have little difficulty in sleeping the clock round, which goes to show that our exceedingly simple life is an exceedingly healthy one, though with faces and hands blackened with smoke, appearances might not lead an outsider to suppose it.' on tuesday, april , a start could be made for cape evans, the party consisting of scott, bowers, p.o. evans and taylor in one tent; e. evans, gran, crean, debenham and wright in another; wilson being left in charge at hut point, with meares, forde, keohane, oates, atkinson and cherry-garrard. in fine weather they marched past castle rock, and it soon became evident that they must go well along the ridge before descending, and that the difficulty would be to get down over the cliffs. seven and a half miles from the start they reached hutton rocks, a very icy and wind-swept spot, and as the wind rose and the light became bad at the critical moment they camped for a short time. half an hour later the weather cleared and a possible descent to the ice cliffs could be seen, but between hutton rock [page ] and erebus all the slope was much cracked and crevassed. a clear track to the edge of the cliffs was chosen, but on arriving there no low place could be found (the lowest part being feet sheer drop), and as the wind was increasing and the snow beginning to drift off the ridge a quick decision had to be made. then scott went to the edge, and having made standing places to work the alpine rope, bowers., e. evans and taylor were lowered. next the sledges went down fully packed and then the remainder of the party, scott being the last to go down. it was a neat and speedy piece of work, and completed in twenty minutes without serious frost-bites. the surface of ice covered with salt crystals made pulling very heavy to glacier tongue, which they reached about . p.m. a stiff incline on a hard surface followed, but as the light was failing and cracks were innumerable, several of the party fell in with considerable risk of damage. the north side, however, was well snow-covered, with a good valley leading to a low ice cliff in which a broken piece provided an easy descent. under the circumstances scott decided to push on to cape evans, but darkness suddenly fell upon them, and after very heavy pulling for many hours they were so totally unable to see anything ahead, that at p.m. they were compelled to pitch their camp under little razor back island. during the night the wind began to rise, and in the morning a roaring blizzard was blowing, and obviously the ice on which they had pitched [page ] their camp was none too safe. for hours they waited vainly for a lull, until at p.m. scott and bowers went round the island, with the result that they resolved to shift their camp to a little platform under the weather side. this operation lasted for two very cold hours, but splendid shelter was gained, the cliffs rising almost sheer from the tents. 'only now and again a whirling wind current eddied down on the tents, which were well secured, but the noise of the wind sweeping over the rocky ridge above our heads was deafening; we could scarcely hear ourselves speak.' provisions for only one more meal were left, but sleep all the same was easier to get than on the previous night, because they knew that they were no longer in danger of being swept out to sea. the wind moderated during the night, and early in the morning the party in a desperately cold and stiff breeze and with frozen clothes were again under weigh. the distance, however, was only two miles, and after some very hard pulling they arrived off the point and found that the sea-ice continued around it. 'it was a very great relief to see the hut on rounding it and to hear that all was well.' in choosing the site of the hut scott had thought of the possibility of northerly winds bringing a swell, but had argued, first, that no heavy northerly swell had ever been recorded in the sound; secondly, that a strong northerly wind was bound to bring pack which would damp the swell; thirdly, that the locality was well protected by the barne glacier; and, lastly, [page ] that the beach itself showed no signs of having been swept by the sea. when, however, the hut had been erected and he found that its foundation was only eleven feet above the level of the sea-ice, he could not rid himself entirely of misgivings. as events turned out the hut was safe and sound enough, but not until scott reached it, on april , did he realize how anxious he had been. 'in a normal season no thoughts of its having been in danger would have occurred to me, but since the loss of the ponies and the breaking of glacier tongue, i could not rid myself of the fear that misfortune was in the air and that some abnormal swell had swept the beach.' so when he and his party turned the small headland and saw that the hut was intact, a real fear was mercifully removed. very soon afterwards the travelers were seen by two men at work near the stables, and then the nine occupants (simpson, day, nelson, ponting, lashly, clissold, hooper, anton and demetri) came rapidly to meet and welcome them. in a minute the most important events of the quiet station life were told, the worst news being that one pony, named hacken-schmidt, and one dog had died. for the rest the hut arrangements had worked admirably, and the scientific routine of observations was in full swing. after their primitive life at the _discovery_ hut the interior space of the home at cape evans seemed palatial, and the comfort luxurious. 'it was very good to eat in civilized fashion, to enjoy the first bath for three months, and have contact with clean, dry [page ] clothing. such fleeting hours of comfort (for custom soon banished their delight) are the treasured remembrance of every polar traveler.' not for many hours or even minutes, however, was scott in the hut before he was taken round to see in detail the transformation that had taken place in his absence, and in which a very proper pride was taken by those who had created it. first of all a visit was paid to simpson's corner, where numerous shelves laden with a profusion of self-recording instruments, electric batteries and switchboards were to be seen, and the tickings of many clocks, the gentle whir of a motor and occasionally the trembling note of an electric bell could be heard. 'it took me days and even months to realize fully the aims of our meteorologist and the scientific accuracy with which he was achieving them.' from simpson's corner scott was taken on his tour of inspection into ponting's dark room, and found that the art of photography had never been so well housed within the polar regions and rarely without them. 'such a palatial chamber for the development of negatives and prints can only be justified by the quality of the work produced in it, and is only justified in our case by such an artist as ponting.' from the dark room he went on to the biologists' cubicle, shared, to their mutual satisfaction, by day and nelson. there the prevailing note was neatness, and to day's mechanical skill everyone paid tribute. the heating, lighting and ventilating arrangements [page ] of the hut had been left entirely in his charge, and had been carried out with admirable success. the cook's corner was visited next, and scott was very surprised to see the mechanical ingenuity shown by clissold. 'later,' he says, 'when i found that clissold was called in to consult on the ailments of simpson's motor, and that he was capable of constructing a dog sledge out of packing-cases, i was less surprised, because i knew by this time that he had had considerable training in mechanical work before he turned his attention to pots and pans.' the tour ended with an inspection of the shelters for the animals, and when scott saw the stables he could not help regretting that some of the stalls would have to remain empty, though he appreciated fully the fact that there was ample and safe harborage for the ten remaining ponies. with lashly's help, anton had completed the furnishing of the stables in a way that was both neat and effective. only five or six dogs had been left in demetri's charge, and it was at once evident that every care had been taken of them; not only had shelters been made, but a small 'lean to' had also been built to serve as a hospital for any sick animal. the impressions, in short, that scott received on his return to cape evans were almost wholly pleasant, and in happy contrast with the fears that had assailed him on the homeward route. not for long, however, did he, bowers and crean stay to enjoy the comforts of cape evans, as on [page ] monday, april , they were off again to hut point with two -foot sledges, a week's provisions of sledding food, and butter, oatmeal, &c., for the hut. scott, lashly, day and demetri took the first sledge; bowers, nelson, crean and hooper the second; and after a rather adventurous journey, in which 'lashly was splendid at camp work as of old,' they reached hut point at p.m. on the following day, and found everyone well and in good spirits. the party left at the hut were, however, very short of seal-meat, a cause of anxiety, because until the sea froze over there was no possibility of getting the ponies back to cape evans. but three seals were reported on the wednesday and promptly killed, and so scott, satisfied that this stock was enough for twelve days, resolved to go back as soon as the weather would allow him. leaving meares in charge of the station with demetri to help with the dogs, lashly and keohane to look after the ponies, and nelson, day and forde to get some idea of the life and experience, the homeward party started on friday morning. on this journey scott, wilson, atkinson and crean pulled one sledge, and bowers, oates, cherry-garrard and hooper the other. scott's party were the leaders, and their sledge dragged so fearfully that the men with the second sledge had a very easy time in keeping up. then crean declared that although the loads were equal there was a great difference in the sledges. 'bowers,' scott says, 'politely assented when i voiced this sentiment, but i am sure he and his party thought it the [page ] plea of tired men. however, there was nothing like proof, and he readily assented to change sledges. the difference was really extraordinary; we felt the new sledge a featherweight compared with the old, and set up a great pace for the home quarters regardless of how much we perspired.' all of them arrived at cape evans with their garments soaked through, and as they took off their wind clothes showers of ice fell upon the floor. the accumulation was almost beyond belief and showed the whole trouble of sledding in cold weather. clissold, however, was at hand with 'just the right meal,' an enormous dish of rice and figs, and cocoa in a bucket. the sledding season was at an end, and scott admitted that in spite of all the losses they had sustained it was good to be home again, while wilson, oates, atkinson and cherry-garrard, who had not seen the hut since it had been fitted out, were astonished at its comfort. on sunday, april , two days after the return from hut point, the sun made it's last appearance and the winter work was begun. ponies for exercise were allotted to bowers, cherry-garrard, hooper, clissold, p.o. evans and crean, besides oates and anton, but in making this allotment scott was obliged to add a warning that those who exercised the ponies would not necessarily lead them in the spring. wilson at once began busily to paint, and atkinson was equally busy unpacking and setting up his sterilizers and incubators. wright began to wrestle with the electrical instruments; oates started to make bigger stalls in the stables; cherry-garrard employed himself [page ] in building a stone house for taxidermy and with a view to getting hints for a shelter at cape crozier during the winter, while taylor and debenham took advantage of the last of the light to examine the topography of the peninsula. e. evans surveyed the cape and its neighborhood, and simpson and bowers, in addition to their other work, spent hours over balloon experiments. in fact everyone was overflowing with energy. on friday, april , scott, eager to get the party safely back from hut point, hoped that the sea had at last frozen over for good, but a gale on the following day played havoc with the ice; and although the strait rapidly froze again, the possibility of every gale clearing the sea was too great to be pleasant. obviously, however, it was useless to worry over a state of affairs that could not be helped, and the arrangements for passing the winter steadily progressed. at scott's request cherry-garrard undertook the editorship of the _south polar times_ and the following notice was issued: the first number of the _south polar times_ will be published on midwinter day. all are asked to send in contributions, signed anonymously, and to place these contributions in this box as soon as possible. no contributions for this number will be accepted after may . a selection of these will be made for publication. it is not intended that the paper shall be too scientific. [page ] contributions may take the form of prose, poetry or drawing. contributors whose writings will lend themselves to illustration are asked to consult with the editor as soon as possible. the editor, _s. p. t._ the editor, warned by scott that the work was not easy and required a lot of tact, at once placed great hopes in the assistance he would receive from wilson, and how abundantly these hopes were fulfilled has been widely recognized not only by students of polar literature, but also by those who admire art merely for art's sake. on the evening of tuesday, may , wilson opened the series of winter lectures with a paper on 'antarctic flying birds,' and in turn simpson, taylor, ponting, debenham and others lectured on their special subjects. but still the _discovery_ hut party did not appear, although the strait (by may ) had been frozen over for nearly a week; and repeatedly scott expressed a wish that they would return. in the meantime there was work and to spare for everyone, and as the days went by scott was also given ample opportunities to get a thorough knowledge of his companions. 'i do not think,' he wrote, 'there can be any life quite so demonstrative of character as that which we had on these expeditions. one sees a remarkable reassortment of values. under ordinary conditions it is so easy to carry a point with a little bounce; self-assertion is a mask which covers many a weakness.... [page ] here the outward show is nothing, it is the inward purpose that counts. so the "gods" dwindle and the humble supplant them. pretence is useless. 'one sees wilson busy with pencil and colour box, rapidly and steadily adding to his portfolio of charming sketches and at intervals filling the gaps in his zoological work of _discovery_ times; withal ready and willing to give advice and assistance to others at all times; his sound judgment appreciated and therefore a constant referee. 'simpson, master of his craft... doing the work of two observers at least... so the current meteorological and magnetic observations are taken as never before on polar expeditions.' 'wright, good-hearted, strong, keen, striving to saturate his mind with the ice problems of this wonderful region...' and then after referring in terms of praise to the industry of e. evans, the versatile intellect of taylor, and the thoroughness and conscientiousness of debenham, scott goes on to praise unreservedly the man to whom the whole expedition owed an immense debt of gratitude. 'to bowers' practical genius is owed much of the smooth working of our station. he has a natural method in line with which all arrangements fall, so that expenditure is easily and exactly adjusted to supply, and i have the inestimable advantage of knowing the length of time which each of our possessions will last us and the assurance that there can be no waste. [page ] active mind and active body were never more happily blended. it is a restless activity admitting no idle moments and ever budding into new forms. 'so we see the balloon ascending under his guidance and anon he is away over the floe tracking the silk thread which held it. such a task completed, he is away to exercise his pony, and later out again with the dogs, the last typically self-suggested, because for the moment there is no one else to care for these animals.... he is for the open air, seemingly incapable of realizing any discomfort from it, and yet his hours within doors spent with equal profit. for he is intent on tracking the problems of sledding food and clothes to their innermost bearings and is becoming an authority on past records. this will be no small help to me and one which others never could have given. 'adjacent to the physicists' corner of the hut atkinson is quietly pursuing the subject of parasites. already he is in a new world. the laying out of the fish trap was his action and the catches are his field of labour.... his bench with its array of microscopes, etc., is next the dark room in which ponting spends the greater part of his life. i would describe him as sustained by artistic enthusiasm.... 'cherry-garrard is another of the open-air, self-effacing, quiet workers; his whole heart is in the life, with profound eagerness to help everyone. one has caught glimpses of him in tight places; sound all through and pretty hard also.... 'oates' whole heart is in the ponies. he is really [page ] devoted to their care, and i believe will produce them in the best possible form for the sledding season. opening out the stores, installing a blubber stove, etc., has kept him busy, whilst his satellite, anton, is ever at work in the stables--an excellent little man. 'p.o. evans and crean are repairing sleeping-bags, covering felt boots, and generally working on sledding kit. in fact there is no one idle, and no one who has the least prospect of idleness. on may as one of the series of lectures scott gave an outline of his plans for next season, and hinted that in his opinion the problem of reaching the pole could best be solved by relying on the ponies and man haulage. with this opinion there was general agreement, for as regards glacier and summit work everyone seemed to distrust the dogs. at the end of the lecture he asked that the problem should be thought over and freely discussed, and that any suggestions should be brought to his notice. 'it's going to be a tough job; that is better realized the more one dives into it.' at last, on may , atkinson brought news that the dogs were returning, and soon afterwards meares and his team arrived, and reported that the ponies were not far behind. for more than three weeks the weather at hut point had been exceptionally calm and fine, and with joy scott saw that all of the dogs were looking remarkably well, and that the two ponies also seemed to have improved. 'it is a great comfort to have the men and dogs back, and a greater to [page ] contemplate all the ten ponies comfortably stabled for the winter. everything seems to depend on these animals.' with their various occupations, lectures in the evening, and games of football--when it was not unusual for the goal-keepers to get their toes frost-bitten--in the afternoons, the winter passed steadily on its way; the only stroke of misfortune being that one of the dogs died suddenly and that a post-mortem did not reveal any sufficient cause of death. this was the third animal that had died without apparent reason at winter-quarters, and scott became more than ever convinced that to place any confidence in the dog teams would be a mistake. on monday, may , scott, wilson, bowers, atkinson, p.o. evans and clissold went off to cape royds with a go-cart which consisted of a framework of steel tubing supported on four bicycle wheels-- and sleeping-bags, a cooker and a small quantity of provisions. the night was spent in shackleton's hut, where a good quantity of provisions was found; but the most useful articles that the party discovered were five hymn-books, for hitherto the sunday services had not been fully choral because seven hymn-books were all that could be mustered. [illustration: "birdie" bowers reading the thermometer on the ramp, june th, .] june was scott's birthday, a fact which his small company did not forget. at lunch an immense birthday cake appeared, the top of which had been decorated by clissold with various devices in chocolate and crystallized fruit, a flag and photographs of scott. [page ] a special dinner followed, and to this sumptuous meal they sat down with their sledge banners hung around them. 'after this luxurious meal everyone was very festive and amiably argumentative. as i write there is a group in the dark room discussing political progress with large discussions, another at one corner of the dinner table airing its views on the origin of matter and the probability of its ultimate discovery, and yet another debating military problems.... perhaps these arguments are practically unprofitable, but they give a great deal of pleasure to the participants.... they are boys, all of them, but such excellent good-natured ones; there has been no sign of sharpness or anger, no jarring note, in all these wordy contests; all end with a laugh. nelson has offered taylor a pair of socks to teach him some geology! this lulls me to sleep!' on monday evening, june , e. evans gave a lecture on surveying, and scott took the opportunity to note a few points to which he wanted especial attention to be directed. the essential points were: . every officer who takes part in the southern journey ought to have in his memory the approximate variation of the compass at various stages of the journey and to know how to apply it to obtain a true course from the compass.... . he ought to know what the true course is to reach one depôt from another. . he should be able to take an observation with the theodolite. [page ] . he should be able to work out a meridian altitude observation. . he could advantageously add to his knowledge the ability to work out a longitude observation or an ex-meridian altitude. . he should know how to read the sledgemeter. . he should note and remember the error of the watch he carries and the rate which is ascertained for it from time to time. . he should assist the surveyor by noting the coincidences of objects, the opening out of valleys, the observation of new peaks, &c. that these hints upon polar surveying did not fall upon deaf ears is proved by a letter scott wrote home some four months later. in it he says '"cherry" has just come to me with a very anxious face to say that i must not count on his navigating powers. for the moment i didn't know what he was driving at, but then i remembered that some months ago i said that it would be a good thing for all the officers going south to have some knowledge of navigation so that in emergency they would know how to steer a sledge home. it appears that "cherry" thereupon commenced a serious and arduous course of abstruse navigational problems which he found exceedingly tough and now despaired mastering. of course there is not one chance in a hundred that he will ever have to consider navigation on our journey and in that one chance the problem must be of the simplest nature, but it makes it much easier for me to have men who [page ] take the details of one's work so seriously and who strive so simply and honestly to make it successful.' in wilson's diary there is also this significant entry: 'working at latitude sights--mathematics which i hate--till bedtime. it will be wiser to know a little navigation on the southern sledge journey.' some time before scott's suggestions stimulated his companions to master subjects which they found rather difficult and irksome, a regular daily routine had begun. about a.m. clissold began to prepare breakfast, and half an hour later hooper started to sweep the floor and lay the table. between and . the men were out and about doing odd jobs, anton going off to feed the ponies, demetri to see to the dogs. repeatedly hooper burst upon the slumberers with announcements of the time, and presently wilson and bowers met in a state of nature beside a washing basin filled with snow and proceeded to rub glistening limbs with this chilly substance. a little later others with less hardiness could be seen making the most of a meager allowance of water. a few laggards invariably ran the nine o'clock rule very close, and a little pressure had to be applied so that they should not delay the day's work. by . breakfast was finished, and in ten minutes the table was cleared. then for four hours the men were steadily employed on a program of preparation for sledding. about . a cheerful half-hour was spent over the mid-day meal, and afterwards, if the [page ] weather permitted, the ponies were exercised, and those who were not employed in this way generally exercised themselves in some way or other. after this the officers went steadily on with their special work until . , when dinner was served and finished within the hour. then came reading, writing, games, and usually the gramophone, but three nights of the week were given up to lectures. at p.m. the acetylene lights were put out, and those who wished to stay up had to depend on candle-light. the majority of candles, however, were extinguished by midnight, and the night watchman alone remained awake to keep his vigil by the light of an oil lamp. extra bathing took place either on saturday afternoon or sunday morning; chins were shaven, and possibly clean clothes put on. 'such signs, with the regular service on sunday, mark the passage of the weeks. it is not a very active life, perhaps, but certainly not an idle one. few of us sleep more than eight hours of the twenty-four.' on june , day gave a lecture on his motor sledge and was very hopeful of success, but scott again expressed his doubts and fears. 'i fear he is rather more sanguine in temperament than his sledge is reliable in action. i wish i could have more confidence in his preparations, as he is certainly a delightful companion.' three days later midwinter was celebrated with great festivities, and after lunch the editor handed over the first number of the _s. p. t._ to scott. everyone at once gathered at the top of [page ] the table; 'it was like a lot of schoolgirls round a teacher' is the editor's description of the scene, and scott read aloud most of the contents. an article called 'valhalla,' written by taylor, some verses called 'the sleeping bag,' and wilson's illustrations to 'antarctic archives' were the popular favorites; indeed the editor attributed the success of the paper mainly to wilson, though day's delightful cover of carved venesta wood and sealskin was also 'a great help.' as all the contributions were anonymous great fun was provided by attempts to guess the various authors, and some of the denials made by the contributors were perhaps more modest than strictly truthful. these festive proceedings, however, were almost solemn when compared with the celebrations of the evening. in preparation for dinner the 'union jacks' and sledge flags were hung about the large table, and at seven o'clock everyone sat down to a really good dinner. scott spoke first, and drew attention to the nature of the celebration as a half-way mark not only in the winter but in the plans of the expedition. fearing in his heart of hearts that some of the company did not realize how rapidly the weeks were passing, and that in consequence work which ought to have been in full swing had barely been begun, he went on to say that it was time they knew how they stood in every respect, and especially thanked the officer in charge of the stores and those who looked after the [page ] animals, for knowing the exact position as regards provision and transport. then he said that in respect to the future chance must play a great part, but that experience showed him that no more fitting men could have been chosen to support him on the journey to the south than those who were to start in that direction in the following spring. finally he thanked all of his companions for having put their shoulders to the wheel and given him so much confidence. thereupon they drank to the success of the expedition, and afterwards everyone was called to speak in turn. 'needless to say, all were entirely modest and brief; unexpectedly, all had exceedingly kind things to say of me--in fact i was obliged to request the omissions of compliments at an early stage. nevertheless it was gratifying to have a really genuine recognition of my attitude towards the scientific workers of the expedition, and i felt very warmly towards all these kind, good fellows for expressing it. if good will and fellowship count towards success, very surely shall we deserve to succeed. it was matter for comment, much applauded, that there had not been a single disagreement between any two members of our party from the beginning. by the end of dinner a very cheerful spirit prevailed.' the table having been cleared and upended and the chairs arranged in rows, ponting displayed a series of slides from his own local negatives, and then, after the healths of campbell's party and of [page ] those on board the _terra nova_ had been drunk, a set of lancers was formed. in the midst of this scene of revelry bowers suddenly appeared, followed by satellites bearing an enormous christmas tree, the branches of which bore flaming candles, gaudy crackers, and little presents for everyone; the distribution of which caused infinite amusement. thus the high festival of midwinter was celebrated in the most convivial way, but that it was so reminiscent of a christmas spent in england was partly, at any rate, due to those kind people who had anticipated the celebration by providing presents and other tokens of their interest in the expedition. 'few,' scott says, 'could take great exception to so rare an outburst in a long run of quiet days. after all we celebrated the birth of a season, which for weal or woe must be numbered amongst the greatest in our lives.' [page ] chapter v winter come what may time and the hour runs through the darkest day. shakespeare. during the latter part of june the cape crozier party were busy in making preparations for their departure. the object of their journey to the emperor penguin rookery in the cold and darkness of an antarctic winter was to secure eggs at such a stage as could furnish a series of early embryos, by means of which alone the particular points of interest in the development of the bird could be worked out. as the emperor is peculiar in nesting at the coldest season of the year, this journey entailed the risk of sledge traveling in mid-winter, and the travelers had also to traverse about a hundred miles of the barrier surface, and to cross a chaos of crevasses which had previously taken a party as much as two hours to cross by daylight. [illustration: pitching the double tent on the summit. (p.o. evans; dr. wilson.) _photo by lieut. h. r. bowers._] such was the enterprise for which wilson, bowers and cherry-garrard were with the help of others making preparations, and apart from the [page ] extraordinarily adventurous side of this journey, it was most interesting because the travelers were to make several experiments. each man was to go on a different food scale, eiderdown sleeping-bags were to be carried inside the reindeer ones, and a new kind of crampon and a double tent were to be tried. 'i came across a hint as to the value of a double tent in sverdrup's book, "new land,"' scott wrote on june , 'and p.o. evans has made a lining for one of the tents, it is secured on the inner side of the poles and provides an air space inside the tent. i think it is going to be a great success.' by the th preparations for the party to start from cape evans were completed, their heavy load when they set out on the following morning being distributed on two -foot sledges, 'this winter travel is a new and bold venture, but the right men have gone to attempt it. all good luck go with them!' while the winter travelers were pursuing their strenuous way work went steadily on at cape evans, with no exciting nor alarming incident until july . on the morning of that day the wind blew furiously, but it moderated a little in the afternoon when atkinson and gran, without scott's knowledge, decided to start over the floe for the north and south bay thermometers respectively. this happened at . p.m., and gran had returned by . , but not until later did scott hear that he had only gone two or three hundred yards from the land, and that it had taken him nearly an hour to find his way back. [page ] atkinson's continued absence passed unnoticed until dinner was nearly finished, but scott did not feel seriously alarmed until the wind sprang up again and still the wanderer did not return. at . , p.o. evans, crean and keohane, who had been out looking for him, returned without any news, and the possibility of a serious accident had to be faced. organized search parties were at once dispatched, scott and clissold alone remaining in the hut. and as the minutes slipped slowly by scott's fears naturally increased, as atkinson had started for a point not much more than a mile off and had been away more than five hours. from that fact only one conclusion could be drawn, and there was but small comfort to be got from the knowledge that every spot which was likely to be the scene of an accident would be thoroughly searched. thus o'clock came, then . with its six hours of absence; and the strain of waiting became almost unbearable. but a quarter of an hour later scott heard voices from the cape, and presently, to his extreme relief, meares and debenham appeared with atkinson, who was badly frost-bitten in the hand, and, as was to be expected after such an adventure, very confused. at a.m. scott wrote in his diary, 'the search parties have returned and all is well again, but we must have no more of these very unnecessary escapades. yet it is impossible not to realize that this bit of experience has done more than all the talking i could have [page ] ever accomplished to bring home to our people the dangers of a blizzard.' on investigation it was obvious that atkinson had been in great danger. first of all he had hit inaccessible island, and not until he arrived in its lee did he discover that his hand was frost-bitten. having waited there for some time he groped his way to the western end, and then wandering away in a swirl of drift to clear some irregularities at the ice-foot, he completely lost the island when he could only have been a few yards from it. in this predicament he clung to the old idea of walking up wind, and it must be considered wholly providential that on this course he next struck tent island. round this island he walked under the impression that it was inaccessible island, and at last dug himself a shelter on its lee side. when the moon appeared he judged its bearing well, and as he traveled homeward was vastly surprised to see the real inaccessible island appear on his left. 'there can be no doubt that in a blizzard a man has not only to safeguard the circulation in his limbs, but must struggle with a sluggishness of brain and an absence of reasoning power which is far more likely to undo him.' about mid-day on friday, july , the worst gale that scott had ever known in antarctic regions began, and went on for a week. the force of the wind, although exceptional, had been equaled earlier in the year, but the extraordinary feature of this gale was the long continuance of a very cold temperature. on [page ] friday night the thermometer registered - °, and throughout saturday and the greater part of sunday it did not rise above - °. it was scott's turn for duty on saturday night, and whenever he had to go out of doors the impossibility of enduring such conditions for any length of time was impressed forcibly upon him. the fine snow beat in behind his wind guard, the gusts took away his breath, and ten paces against the wind were enough to cause real danger of a frost-bitten face. to clear the anemometer vane he had to go to the other end of the hut and climb a ladder; and twice while engaged in this task he had literally to lean against the wind with head bent and face averted, and so stagger crab-like on his course. by tuesday the temperature had risen to + ° or + °, but the gale still continued and the air was thick with snow. the knowledge, however, that the dogs were comfortable was a great consolation to scott, and he also found both amusement and pleasure in observing the customs of the people in charge of the stores. the policy of every storekeeper was to have something up his sleeve for a rainy day, and an excellent policy scott thought it. 'tools, metal material, leather, straps, and dozens of items are administered with the same spirit of jealous guardianship by day, lashly, oates and meares, while our main storekeeper bowers even affects to bemoan imaginary shortages. such parsimony is the best guarantee that we are prepared to face any serious call.' for an hour on wednesday afternoon the wind [page ] moderated, and the ponies were able to get a short walk over the floe, but this was only a temporary lull, for the gale was soon blowing as furiously as ever. and the following night brought not only a continuance of the bad weather but also bad news. at mid-day one of the best ponies, bones, suddenly went off his feed, and in spite of oates' and anton's most careful attention he soon became critically ill. oates gave him an opium pill and later on a second, and sacks were heated and placed on the suffering animal, but hour after hour passed without any improvement. as the evening wore on scott again and again visited the stable, only to hear the same tale from oates and crean,[ ] who never left their patient. 'towards midnight,' scott says, 'i felt very downcast. it is so certain that we cannot afford to lose a single pony--the margin of safety has already been overstepped, we are reduced to face the circumstance that we must keep all the animals alive or greatly risk failure.' [footnote : bones was the pony which had been allotted to crean.] shortly after midnight, however, there were signs of an improvement, and two or three hours afterwards the pony was out of danger and proceeded to make a rapid and complete recovery. so far, since the return to cape evans, the ponies had given practically no cause for anxiety, and in consequence scott's hopes that all would continue to be well with them had steadily grown; but this shock shattered his sense of security, and although various alterations were made in the arrangements of the stables and extra [page ] precautions were taken as regards food, he was never again without alarms for the safety of the precious ponies. another raging blizzard swept over cape evans on july and , but the spirit of good comradeship still survived in spite of the atrocious weather and the rather monotonous life. 'there is no longer room for doubt that we shall come to our work with a unity of purpose and a disposition for mutual support which have never been equaled in these paths of activity. such a spirit should tide us over all minor difficulties.' by the end of the month scott was beginning to wonder why the crozier party did not return, but on tuesday, august , they came back looking terribly weather-worn and 'after enduring for five weeks the hardest conditions on record.' their faces were scarred and wrinkled, their eyes dull, and their hands whitened and creased with the constant exposure to damp and cold. quite obviously the main part of their afflictions arose from sheer lack of sleep, and after a night's rest they were very different people both in mind and body. writing on august , scott says, 'wilson is very thin, but this morning very much his keen, wiry self--bowers is quite himself to-day. cherry-garrard is slightly puffy in the face and still looks worn. it is evident that he has suffered most severely--but wilson tells me that his spirit never wavered for a moment. bowers has come through best, all things [page ] considered, and i believe that he is the hardest traveler that ever undertook a polar journey, as well as one of the most undaunted; more by hint than direct statement i gather his value to the party, his untiring energy and the astonishing physique which enables him to continue to work under conditions which are absolutely paralyzing to others. never was such a sturdy, active, undefeatable little man.' gradually scott gathered an account of this wonderful journey from the three travelers who had made it. for more than a week the thermometer fell below - °, and on one night the minimum showed - °, and on the next - °. although in this fearful cold the air was comparatively still, occasional little puffs of wind eddied across the snow plain with blighting effect. 'no civilized being has ever encountered such conditions before with only a tent of thin canvas to rely on for shelter.' records show that amundsen when journeying to the n. magnetic pole met temperatures of a similar degree, but he was with esquimaux who built him an igloo shelter nightly, he had also a good measure of daylight, and finally he turned homeward and regained his ship after five days' absence, while this party went outward and were absent for five weeks. nearly a fortnight was spent in crossing the coldest region, and then rounding c. mackay they entered the wind-swept area. blizzard followed blizzard, but in a light that was little better than complete darkness they staggered on. sometimes they found [page ] themselves high on the slopes of terror on the left of the track, sometimes diving on the right amid crevasses and confused ice disturbance. having reached the foothills near cape crozier they ascended feet, packed their belongings over a moraine ridge, and began to build a hut. three days were spent in building the stone walls and completing the roof with the canvas brought for the purpose, and then at last they could attend to the main object of their journey. the scant twilight at mid-day was so short that a start had to be made in the dark, and consequently they ran the risk of missing their way in returning without light. at their first attempt they failed to reach the penguin rookery, but undismayed they started again on the following day, and wound their way through frightful ice disturbances under the high basalt cliffs. in places the rock overhung, and at one spot they had to creep through a small channel hollowed in the ice. at last the sea-ice was reached, but by that time the light was so far spent that everything had to be rushed. instead of the , or , nesting birds that had been seen at this rookery in _discovery_ days, they could only count about a hundred. as a reason for this a suggestion was made that possibly the date was too early, and that if the birds had not permanently deserted the rookery only the first arrivals had been seen. with no delay they killed and skinned three penguins to get blubber for their stove, and with six eggs, only three of which were saved, made a hasty dash [page ] for their camp, which by good luck they regained. on that same night a blizzard began, and from moment to moment increased in fury. very soon they found that the place where they had, with the hope of shelter, built their hut, was unfortunately chosen, for the wind instead of striking them directly was deflected on to them in furious, whirling gusts. heavy blocks of snow and rock placed on the roof were hurled away and the canvas ballooned up, its disappearance being merely a question of time. close to the hut they had erected their tent and had left several valuable articles inside it; the tent had been well spread and amply secured with snow and boulders, but one terrific gust tore it up and whirred it away. inside the hut they waited for the roof to vanish, and wondered, while they vainly tried to make it secure, what they could do if it went. after fourteen hours it disappeared, as they were trying to pin down one corner. thereupon the smother of snow swept over them, and all they could do was to dive immediately for their sleeping-bags. once bowers put out his head and said, 'we're all right,' in as ordinary tones as he could manage, whereupon wilson and cherry-garrard replied, 'yes, we're all right'; then all of them were silent for a night and half a day, while the wind howled and howled, and the snow entered every chink and crevice of their sleeping-bags. 'this gale,' scott says, 'was the same (july ) in which we registered our maximum wind force, and [page ] it seems probable that it fell on cape crozier even more violently than on us.' the wind fell at noon on the following day, and the wretched travelers then crept from their icy nests, spread the floorcloth over their heads, and lit their primus. for the first time in forty-eight hours they tasted food, and having eaten their meal under these extraordinary conditions they began to talk of plans to build shelters on the homeward route. every night, they decided, they must dig a large pit and cover it as best they could with their floorcloth. fortune, however, was now to befriend them, as about half a mile from the hut bowers discovered their tent practically uninjured. but on the following day when they started homeward another blizzard fell upon them, and kept them prisoners for two more days. by this time the miserable condition of their effects was beyond description. the sleeping-bags could not be rolled up, in fact they were so thoroughly frozen that attempts to bend them actually broke the skins. all socks, finnesko, and mitts had long been coated with ice, and when placed in breast-pockets or inside vests at night they did not even show signs of thawing. indeed it is scarcely possible to realize the horrible discomforts of these three forlorn travelers, as they plodded back across the barrier in a temperature constantly below - °. [illustration: adÉlie penguin on nest. _photo by c. s. wright._] [illustration: emperor penguins on sea-ice. _photo by c. s. wright._] 'wilson,' scott wrote, 'is disappointed at seeing so little of the penguins, but to me and to everyone [page ] who has remained here the result of this effort is the appeal it makes to our imagination as one of the most gallant stories of polar history. that men should wander forth in the depth of a polar night to face the most dismal cold and the fiercest gales in darkness is something new; that they should have persisted in this effort in spite of every adversity for five full weeks is heroic. it makes a tale for our generation which i hope may not be lost in the telling. 'moreover the material results are by no means despicable. we shall know now when that extraordinary bird the emperor penguin lays its eggs, and under what conditions; but even if our information remains meager concerning its embryology, our party has shown the nature of the conditions which exist on the great barrier in winter. hitherto we have only imagined their severity; now we have proof, and a positive light is thrown on the local climatology of our strait.' of the indomitable spirit shown by his companions on this journey cherry-garrard gives wonderful and convincing proof in his diary. bowers, with his capacity for sleeping under the most distressing conditions, was 'absolutely magnificent'; and the story of how he arranged a line by which he fastened the cap of the tent to himself, so that if it went away a second time it should not be unaccompanied, is only one of the many tales of his resource and determination. in addition to the eggs that the party had brought back and the knowledge of the winter conditions on [page ] the barrier that they had gained, their journey settled several points in connection with future sledding work. they had traveled on a very simple food ration in different and extreme proportions, for the only provisions they took were pemmican, butter, biscuit and tea. after a short experience they found that wilson, who had arranged for the greatest quantity of fat, had too much of it, while cherry-garrard, who had declared for biscuit, had more than he could eat. then a middle course was struck which gave a proportion agreeable to all of them, and which at the same time suited the total quantities of their various articles of food. the only change that was suggested was the addition of cocoa for the evening meal, because the travelers, thinking that tea robbed them of their slender chance of sleep, had contented themselves with hot water. 'in this way,' scott decided, 'we have arrived at a simple and suitable ration for the inland plateau.' of the sleeping-bags there was little to be said, for although the eiderdown bag might be useful for a short spring trip, it became iced up too quickly to be much good on a long journey. bowers never used his eiderdown bag,[ ] and in some miraculous manner he managed more than once to turn his reindeer bag. the weights of the sleeping-bags before and after the journey give some idea of the ice collected. [footnote : he insisted upon giving it to cherry-garrard. 'it was,' the latter says, 'wonderfully self-sacrificing of him, more than i can write. i felt a brute to take it, but i was getting useless unless i got some sleep, which my big bag would not allow.'] [page ] starting final weight weight wilson, reindeer and eiderdown. lbs. lbs. bowers, reindeer only. " " c.-garrard, reindeer and eiderdown. " " the double tent was considered a great success, and the new crampons were much praised except by bowers, whose fondness for the older form was not to be shaken. 'we have discovered,' scott stated in summing up the results of the journey, 'a hundred details of clothes, mitts, and footwear: there seems no solution to the difficulties which attach to these articles in extreme cold; all wilson can say, speaking broadly, is "the gear is excellent, excellent." one continues to wonder as to the possibilities of fur clothing as made by the esquimaux, with a sneaking feeling that it may outclass our more civilized garb. for us this can only be a matter of speculation, as it would have been quite impossible to have obtained such articles. with the exception of this radically different alternative, i feel sure we are as near perfection as experience can direct. at any rate we can now hold that our system of clothing has come through a severer test than any other, fur included.' with the return of the cape crozier party lectures were resumed, and apart from one or two gales the weather was so good and the returning light so stimulating both to man and beast, that the spirits of the former rose apace while those of the latter became almost riotous when exercised. on august , scott [page ] and the new masters were to take charge on september , so that they could exercise their respective animals and get to know them as well as possible. the new arrangement was: bowers victor wilson nobby atkinson jehu wright chinaman cherry-garrard michael evans (p.o.) snatcher crean bones keohane jimmy pigg oates christopher scott and oates snippets. on the same day oates gave his second excellent lecture on 'horse management,' and afterwards the problem of snow-shoes was seriously discussed. besides the problem of the form of the shoes was also the question of the means of attachment, and as to both points all sorts of suggestions were made. at that time scott's opinion was that the pony snow-shoes they had, which were made on the grating or racquet principle, would probably be the best, the only alternative seeming to be to perfect the principle of the lawn mowing shoe. 'perhaps,' he adds, 'we shall come to both kinds: the first for the quiet animals and the last for the more excitable. i am confident the matter is of first importance.' [page ] ten days later scott had to admit that the ponies were becoming a handful, and for the time being they would have been quite unmanageable if they had been given any oats. as it was, christopher, snippets and victor were suffering from such high spirits that all three of them bolted on the st. a prolonged gale arrived just as the return of the sun was due, and for three days everyone was more or less shut up in the hut. although the temperature was not especially low anyone who went outside for even the briefest moment had to dress in wind clothes, because exposed woolen or cloth materials became so instantaneously covered with powdery crystals, that when they were brought back into the warmth they were soon wringing wet. when, however, there was no drift it was quicker and easier to slip on an overcoat, and for his own garment of this description scott admits a sentimental attachment. 'i must confess,' he says, 'an affection for my veteran uniform overcoat, inspired by its persistent utility. i find that it is twenty-three years of age and can testify to its strenuous existence. it has been spared neither rain, wind, nor salt sea spray, tropic heat nor arctic cold; it has outlived many sets of buttons, from their glittering gilded youth to green old age, and it supports its four-stripe shoulder straps as gaily as the single lace ring of the early days which proclaimed it the possession of a humble sub-lieutenant. withal it is still a very long way from the fate of the "one-horse shay."' [page ] not until august did the sun appear, and everyone was at once out and about and in the most cheerful frame of mind. the shouts and songs of men could be heard for miles, and the outlook on life of every member of the expedition seemed suddenly to have changed. for if there is little that is new to be said about the return of the sun in polar regions, it must always be a very real and important event to those who have lived without it for so many months, and who have almost forgotten the sensation of standing in brilliant sunshine. [page ] chapter vi good-bye to cape evans so far as i can venture to offer an opinion on such a matter, the purpose of our being in existence, the highest object that human beings can set before themselves, is not the pursuit of any such chimera as the annihilating of the unknown; but it is simply the unwearied endeavour to remove its boundaries a little further from our little sphere of action.--huxley. with the return of the sun preparations for the summer campaign continued more zealously and industriously than ever, and what seemed like a real start was made when meares and demetri went off to hut point on september with the dog teams. for such an early departure there was no real reason unless meares hoped to train the dogs better when he had got them to himself; but he chose to start, and scott, after setting out the work he had to do, left him to come and go between the two huts as he pleased. meanwhile with bowers' able assistance scott set to work at sledding figures, and although he felt as the scheme developed that their organization would not be found wanting, he was also a little troubled by the immense amount of detail, and by the fact that every arrangement had to be more than usually elastic, so that both the complete success and the utter failure of [page ] the motors could be taken fully into account. 'i think,' he says, 'that our plan will carry us through without the motors (though in that case nothing else must fail), and will take full advantage of such help as the motors may give.' the spring traveling could not be extensive, because of necessity the majority of the company had to stay at home and exercise the ponies, which was not likely to be a light task when the food of these enterprising animals was increased. e. evans, gran and forde, however, were to go and re-mark corner camp, and then meares with his dogs was to carry as much fodder there as possible, while bowers, simpson, p.o. evans and scott were to 'stretch their legs' across the western mountains. [illustration: dog party starting from hut point. _photo by f. debenham._] [illustration: dog lines. _photo by f. debenham._] during the whole of the week ending on september , scott was occupied with making detailed plans for the southern journey, every figure being checked by bowers, 'who has been an enormous help.' and later on, in speaking of the transport department, scott says, 'in spite of all the care i have taken to make the details of my plan clear by lucid explanation, i find that bowers is the only man on whom i can thoroughly rely to carry out the work without mistakes.' the result of this week's work and study was that scott came to the conclusion that there would be no difficulty in getting to the glacier if the motors were successful, and that even if the motors failed they still ought to get there with any ordinary degree of good fortune. to work three units of four men from that point [page ] onward would, he admitted, take a large amount of provisions, but with the proper division he thought that they ought to attain their object. 'i have tried,' he said, 'to take every reasonable possibility of misfortune into consideration;... i fear to be too sanguine, yet taking everything into consideration i feel that our chances ought to be good. the animals are in splendid form. day by day the ponies get fitter as their exercise increases.... but we cannot spare any of the ten, and so there must always be anxiety of the disablement of one or more before their work is done.' apart from the great help he would obtain if the motors were successful, scott was very eager that they should be of some use so that all the time, money and thought which had been given to their construction should not be entirely wasted. but whatever the outcome of these motors, his belief in the possibility of motor traction for polar work remained, though while it was in an untried and evolutionary state he was too cautious and wise a leader to place any definite reliance upon it. if, however, scott was more than a little doubtful about the motors, he was absolutely confident about the men who were chosen for the southern advance. 'all are now experienced sledge travelers, knit together with a bond of friendship that has never been equaled under such circumstances. thanks to these people, and more especially to bowers and petty officer evans, there is not a single detail [page ] of our equipment which is not arranged with the utmost care and in accordance with the tests of experience.' on saturday, september , e. r. evans, forde and gran left for corner camp, and then for a few days scott was busy finishing up the southern plans, getting instruction in photography, and preparing for his journey to the west. on the southern trip he had determined to make a better show of photographic work than had yet been accomplished, and with ponting as eager to help others as he was to produce good work himself an invaluable instructor was at hand. with the main objects of having another look at the ferrar glacier and of measuring the stakes put out by wright in the previous year, of bringing their sledge impressions up to date, and of practicing with their cameras, scott and his party started off to the west on the th, without having decided precisely where they were going or how long they would stay away. two and a half days were spent in reaching butter point, and then they proceeded up the ferrar glacier and reached the cathedral rocks on the th. there they found the stakes placed by wright across the glacier, and spent the remainder of that day and the whole of the next in plotting accurately their position. 'very cold wind down glacier increasing. in spite of this bowers wrestled with theodolite. he is really wonderful. i have never seen anyone who could go on so long with bare fingers. my own fingers went every few moments.' after plotting out the figures it turned out that the [page ] movement varied from to feet, an extremely important observation, and the first made on the movements of the coastal glaciers. though a greater movement than scott expected to find, it was small enough to show that the idea of comparative stagnation was correct. on the next day they came down the glacier, and then went slowly up the coast, dipping into new harbor, where they climbed the moraine, took angles and collected rock specimens. at cape bernacchi a quantity of pure quartz was found, and in it veins of copper ore--an interesting discovery, for it was the first find of minerals suggestive of the possibility of working. on the next day they sighted a long, low ice wall, and at a distance mistook it for a long glacier tongue stretching seaward from the land. but as they approached it they saw a dark mark, and it suddenly dawned upon them that the tongue was detached from the land. half recognizing familiar features they turned towards it, and as they got close they saw that it was very like their old erebus glacier tongue. then they sighted a flag upon it, and realized that it was the piece broken off from the erebus tongue. near the outer end they camped, and climbing on to it soon found the depôt of fodder left by campbell, and the line of stakes planted to guide the ponies in the autumn. so there, firmly anchored, was the piece broken from the glacier tongue in the previous march, a huge tract about two miles long which had turned through half a circle, so that the old western end was towards [page ] the east. 'considering the many cracks in the ice mass it is most astonishing that it should have remained intact throughout its sea voyage. at one time it was suggested that the hut should be placed on this tongue. what an adventurous voyage the occupants would have had! the tongue which was miles south of cape evans is now ° miles w.n.w. of it.' [illustration: panorama at cape evans. (cliffs of barne glacier; open sea; mount erebus.) _photo by f. debenham._] [illustration: berg in south bay. _photo by f. debenham._] from the glacier tongue they still pushed north, and on the th, just before the fog descended upon them, they got a view along the stretch of coast to the north. so far the journey had been more pleasant than scott had anticipated, but two days after they had turned back a heavy blizzard descended upon them, and although an attempt was made to continue marching, they were soon compelled to camp. after being held up completely on the th they started again on the following day in a very frost-biting wind. from time to time they were obliged to halt so that their frozen features could be brought round, simpson suffering more than the rest of the party; and with drift coming on again they were weather-bound in their tent during the early part of the afternoon. at p.m., however, the drift ceased, and they started off once more in a wind as biting as ever. then scott saw an ominous yellow fuzzy appearance on the southern ridges of erebus, and knew that another snowstorm was approaching; but hoping that this storm would miss them, he kept on until inaccessible island was suddenly blotted out. thereupon a rush was made for a camp site, but the blizzard swept [page ] upon them, and in the driving snow they found it utterly impossible to set up their inner tent, and could only just manage to set up the outer one. a few hours later the weather again cleared, and as they were more or less snowed up, they decided to push for cape evans in spite of the wind. 'we arrived in at . a.m., pretty well done. the wind never let up for an instant; the temperature remained about - °, and the statute miles which we marched in the day must be remembered amongst the most strenuous in my memory.... the objects of our little journey were satisfactorily accomplished, but the greatest source of pleasure to me is to realize that i have such men as bowers and p.o. evans for the southern journey. i do not think that harder men or better sledge travelers ever took the trail. bowers is a little wonder. i realize all that he must have done for the c. crozier party in their far severer experience.' late as the hour was when the travelers appeared at cape evans, everyone was soon up and telling scott what had happened during his absence. e. evans, gran and forde had reached corner camp and found that it showed up well, and consequently all anxiety as to the chance of finding one ton camp was removed. forde, however, had got his hand so badly frost-bitten that he was bound to be incapacitated for some time, and this meant that the arrangements that had already been made for a geological party to go to the west would in all probability have to be altered. [page ] all of the ponies were reported to be very well, but scott's joy at this news vanished on october when atkinson reported that jehu was still too weak to pull a load. oates also was having great trouble with christopher, who did not appreciate being harnessed and generally bolted at the mere sight of a sledge. 'he is going,' scott, in referring to this most intractable pony, wrote, 'to be a trial, but he is a good strong pony and should do yeoman service. day is increasingly hopeful about the motors. he is an ingenious person and has been turning up new rollers out of a baulk of oak supplied by meares, and with simpson's small motor as a lathe. the motors may save the situation.' on the th scott made a thorough inspection of jehu and became convinced that he was useless. chinaman and james pigg were also no towers of strength. 'but the other seven are in fine form and must bear the brunt of the work somehow. if we suffer more loss we shall depend on the motor, and then!... well, one must face the bad as well as the good.' during the following day, after christopher had given his usual exhibition at the start, wilson, oates, cherry-garrard and crean went over to hut point with their ponies; and late on the same afternoon the hut point telephone bell suddenly rang. the line had been laid by meares some time before, but hitherto there had been no communication. now, however, scott heard a voice and found himself able to hold long [page ] conversations with meares and oates. 'not a very wonderful fact, perhaps, but it seems wonderful in this primitive land to be talking to one's fellow beings miles away. oates told me that the ponies had arrived in fine order, christopher a little done, but carrying the heaviest load. if we can keep the telephone going it will be a great boon, especially to meares later in the season.' after service on sunday morning scott, continuing his course of photography under the excellent instruction of ponting, went out to the pressure ridge, and thoroughly enjoyed himself. worries, however, were in store, for later in the afternoon, by which time scott had returned to the hut, a telephone message from nelson's igloo brought the news that clissold had fallen from a berg and hurt his back. in three minutes bowers had organized a sledge party, and fortunately atkinson was on the spot and able to join it. scott himself at once hurried over the land, and found ponting very distressed and clissold practically insensible. it appeared that clissold had been acting as ponting's 'model,' and that they had been climbing about the berg to get pictures. ponting had lent his crampons and ice-axe to clissold, but the latter nevertheless missed his footing after one of the 'poses,' and after sliding over a rounded surface of ice for some twelve feet, had dropped six feet on to a sharp angle in the wall of the berg. unquestionably clissold was badly hurt, and although neither wilson nor atkinson [page ] thought that anything very serious had happened, there was no doubt that the accident would prevent him from taking the place allotted to him in the motor sledge party. thus there were two men on the sick list, and after all the trouble that had been taken to get things ready for the summer journeys scott naturally felt that these misfortunes were more than a little deplorable. on the other hand, all was going well with the ponies, though christopher's dislike to sledges seemed rather to increase than to lessen. when once he was in the sledge he had always behaved himself until october , when he gave a really great exhibition of perversity. on this occasion a dog frightened him, and having twisted the rope from oates' hands he bolted for all he was worth. when, however, he had obtained his freedom, he set about most systematically to get rid of his load. at first he gave sudden twists and thus dislodged two bales of hay, but when he caught sight of some other sledges a better idea at once struck him, and he dashed straight at them with the evident intention of getting free of his load at one fell swoop. two or three times he ran for bowers and then he turned his attention to keohane, his plan being to charge from a short distance with teeth bared and heels flying. by this time his antics had brought a small group to the scene, and presently oates, bowers, nelson and atkinson managed to clamber on to the sledge. undaunted, however, by this human burden, he tried to treat it as he had the bales of hay, and he did manage to [page ] dispose of atkinson with violence; but the others dug their heels into the snow and succeeded at last in tiring him out. 'i am exceedingly glad,' scott says, 'there are not other ponies like him. these capers promise trouble, but i think a little soft snow on the barrier may effectually cure them.' on tuesday, october , the motors were to be taken on to the floe, but the attempt was not successful, the axle casing (aluminum) splitting soon after the trial had begun. once again scott expressed his conviction that the motors would be of little assistance, though at the same time retaining his opinion that with more experience they might have been of the greatest service. 'the trouble is that if they fail, no one will ever believe this.' the days at cape evans were now rapidly drawing to a close. plans and preparations occupied the attention of everyone, and scott's time was almost wholly occupied in preparing details and in writing. 'words,' he said in a letter dated october, , 'must always fail me when i talk of bill wilson. i believe he really is the finest character i ever met--the closer one gets to him the more there is to admire. every quality is so solid and dependable; cannot you imagine how that counts down here? whatever the matter, one knows bill will be sound, shrewdly practical, intensely loyal, and quite unselfish. add to this a wider knowledge of persons and things than is at first guessable, a quiet vein of humour and really consummate tact, and you have some idea of his values. i think [page ] he is the most popular member of the party, and that is saying much. 'bowers is all and more than i ever expected of him. he is a positive treasure, absolutely trustworthy, and prodigiously energetic. he is about the hardest man amongst us, and that is saying a good deal--nothing seems to hurt his tough little body, and certainly no hardship daunts his spirit. i shall have a hundred little tales to tell you of his indefatigable zeal, his unselfishness, and his inextinguishable good humor. he surprises always, for his intelligence is of quite a high order and his memory for details most exceptional. you can imagine him, as he is, an indispensable assistant to me in every detail concerning the management and organization of our sledding work and a delightful companion on the march. 'one of the greatest successes is wright. he is very hard working, very thorough, and absolutely ready for anything. like bowers he has taken to sledding like a duck to water, and although he hasn't had such severe testing, i believe he would stand it pretty nearly as well. nothing ever seems to worry him, and i can't imagine he ever complained of anything in his life. 'the soldier is very popular with all--a delightfully humorous cheery old pessimist--striving with the ponies night and day and bringing woeful accounts of their small ailments into the hut. 'atkinson will go far, i think; he has a positive passion for helping others. it is extraordinary what pains he will take to do a kind thing unobtrusively. [page ] 'cherry-garrard is clean grit right through; one has caught glimpses of him in tight places. 'day has the sweetest temper and all sorts of other nice characteristics. moreover he has a very remarkable mechanical ability, and i believe is about as good a man as could have been selected for his job. 'i don't think i will give such long descriptions of the others, though most of them deserve equally high praise. taken all round, they are a perfectly excellent lot. 'the men are equally fine. p.o. evans looks after our sledges and sledge equipment with a care of management and a fertility of resource which is truly astonishing. on "trek" he is just as sound and hard as ever, and has an inexhaustible store of anecdote. crean is perfectly happy, ready to do anything and go anywhere, the harder the work, the better. evans and crean are great friends. lashly is his old self in every respect, hard working to the limit, quiet, abstemious and determined. you see altogether i have a good set of people with me, and it will go hard if we don't achieve something. 'the study of individual characters is a pleasant pastime in such a mixed community of thoroughly nice people... men of the most diverse upbringing and experience are really pals with one another, and the subjects which would be delicate ground of discussion between acquaintances are just those which are most freely used for jest.... i have never seen a temper lost in these discussions. so as i sit [page ] here i am very satisfied with these things. i think that it would have been difficult to better the organization of the party--every man has his work and is especially adapted for it; there is no gap and no overlap. it is all that i desired, and the same might well be said of the men selected to do the work.... 'i don't know what to think of amundsen's chances. if he gets to the pole, it must be before we do, as he is bound to travel fast with dogs and pretty certain to start early. on this account i decided at a very early date to act exactly as i should have done had he not existed. any attempt to race must have wrecked my plan, besides which it doesn't appear the sort of thing one is out for. 'possibly you will have heard something before this reaches you. oh! and there are all sorts of possibilities. in any case you can rely on my not doing or saying anything foolish--only i'm afraid you must be prepared for the chance of finding our venture much belittled. 'after all, it is the work that counts, not the applause that follows.' the transport of emergency stores to hut point was delayed by the weather until october , but on that day the most important stores--which were for the returning depôts and to provision the _discovery_ hut in case the _terra nova_ did not arrive--were taken by wilson, bowers and p.o. evans and their ponies to glacier tongue. accidents, however, were still to happen, for while bowers was holding the ponies so [page ] that wilson and evans could unload them, victor got the hook, which fastened the harness to the trace of another pony, into his nose. at that moment a lot of drift swept upon them, and immediately all three of the ponies stampeded, snatcher making for home and nobby for the western mountains, while victor, with bowers still hanging on to him, just bolted here, there and everywhere. wilson and p.o. evans at once started after their ponies, and the former by means of a biscuit as a bait managed to catch nobby west of tent island, but snatcher arrived, with a single trace and dangling sledge, by himself at cape evans. half an hour after wilson had returned bowers brought in victor, who had a gash in his nose, and was very much distressed. 'i don't know,' scott says, 'how bowers managed to hang on to the frightened animal; i don't believe anyone else would have done so.... two lessons arise. first, however quiet the animals appear they must not be left by their drivers--no chance must be taken; secondly, the hooks on the hames of the harness must be altered in shape. i suppose such incidents as this were to be expected, one cannot have ponies very fresh and vigorous and expect them to behave like lambs, but i shall be glad when we are off and can know more definitely what resources we can count on.' in addition to this mishap, a football match had been got up two days before, in which debenham hurt his knee. thus the western party was again delayed, the only compensation for this accident [page ] being that forde's hand would have a better chance of recovery while debenham's knee was given time to improve. on the following day the motors seemed to be ready for the start, but various little defects again cropped up, and not until the next morning did they get away. at first there were frequent stops, but on the whole satisfactory progress was made, and as even a small measure of success would, in scott's opinion, be enough to show their ability to revolutionize polar transport, and so help to prevent the cruelty that is a necessary condition of animal transport, he was intensely anxious about the result of this trial trip. as this subject was one which was of the most supreme interest to scott, it is well to quote the opinion of an expert upon these motor sledges. 'it has been said that captain scott's sledges failed, and without further consideration the design has been totally condemned, but this is quite unfair to the design; and it must be admitted by everyone who has had anything to do with the sledges, and has any sort of knowledge of mechanical principles, that it was _the engine_ that failed, not the transmission gear at all. the engine used was a four-cylinder air-cooled one, and most unexpectedly in the cold climate of the antarctic it over-heated and broke various parts, beyond possibility of repair under the severe conditions. the reason of the breakdown therefore applies to any and every form of motor sledge, and should a satisfactory engine be available for one form of sledge, it is equally [page ] available for another. it therefore shows a lack of fair judgment to condemn the scott sledge for a breakdown, which would have applied equally to every form of motor transport which could have been designed.' unquestionably the motor sledges did enough to make this unique experiment infinitely worth trying, and on friday, october , scott declared that the machines had already vindicated themselves. even the seamen, who had been very doubtful about them, were profoundly impressed, and p.o. evans admitted that, 'if them things can go on like that, i reckon you wouldn't want nothing else.' as the days passed by, it was obvious that the western party--which consisted of taylor, debenham, gran and forde--would have to leave after the southern party. 'it is trying that they should be wasting the season in this way. all things considered, i shall be glad to get away and put our fortune to the test,' scott wrote on the th. and two days later he added: 'meares and ponting are just off to hut point. atkinson and keohane will probably leave in an hour or so as arranged, and if the weather holds, we shall all get off to-morrow. so here end the entries in this diary with the first chapter of our history. the future is in the lap of the gods; i can think of nothing left undone to deserve success.' [page ] chapter vii the southern journey begins free men freely work. whoever fears god, fears to sit at ease. e. b. browning. 'as we are just off on our southern journey, with a good chance of missing the ship on our return,' scott wrote before leaving cape evans on november , 'i send a word of greeting. we are going away with high hopes of success and for the moment everything smiles, but where risks must be taken the result must be dependent on chance to some extent. 'i am lucky in having with me the right men for the work; we have lived most happily together through the long winter, and now all are fit, ready, and eager to go forward, and, apart from the result, the work itself is extraordinarily fascinating.' the march to hut point was begun in detachments, scott leading snippets and soon finding himself where he wished to be, at the tail of the team. after all jehu had refuted predictions by being allowed to start, although so little confidence was still [page ] placed in him that on the previous day he had been sent at his own pace to hut point. chinaman was also 'an unknown quantity,' but the chief trouble on the opening march was caused by the persistently active christopher, who kicked and bucked the whole way. on this march, which reminded scott of a regatta or a somewhat disorganized fleet with ships of very unequal speed, a good knowledge was obtained of the various paces of the ponies, and the plan of advance was, after some trouble, arranged. the start was to be made from hut point in three parties--the very slow ponies, the medium paced, and the fliers. the motors with day, e. r. evans, lashly and hooper (who had taken clissold's place) were already on the way, and the dogs, with meares and demetri, were to follow the main detachments. night marching was decided upon, and after supper good-bye was said to hut point, and atkinson, wright and keohane led off with jehu, chinaman and jimmy pigg. two hours later scott, wilson and cherry-garrard left, their ponies marching steadily and well together on the sea-ice. at safety camp they found atkinson, who reported that chinaman and jehu were already tired. soon after scott's party had camped for lunch, ponting arrived with demetri and a small dog team, and the cinematograph was up in time to catch the flying rearguard, which came along in fine form with snatcher, 'a wonderful little beast,' leading. christopher had given his customary exhibition when [page ] harnessed, and although the barrier surface had sobered him a little it was not thought advisable for him to stop, and so the party fled through in the wake of the advance guard, and were christened 'the through train.' 'after lunch,' scott, writing from camp on november , says, 'we packed up and marched steadily on as before. i don't like these midnight lunches, but for man the march that follows is pleasant when, as today, the wind falls and the sun steadily increases its heat. the two parties in front of us camped five miles beyond safety camp, and we reached their camp some half or three-quarters of an hour later. all the ponies are tethered in good order, but most of them are tired--chinaman and jehu _very tired_.... a petrol tin is near the camp and a note stating that the motors passed at p.m. th, going strong--they have from four to five days' lead and should surely keep it.' on the next march they started in what for some time was to be the settled order--atkinson's contingent at p.m., scott's at , oates' an hour and a quarter later. just after starting they picked up cheerful notices saying that all was well with both the motors, and day wrote, 'hope to meet in ° ' lat.' but very soon afterwards a depôt of petrol was found; and worse was to follow, as some four miles out from camp they came across a tin bearing the sad announcement, 'big end day's motor no. cylinder broken.' half a mile beyond was the motor, its tracking sledges, &c.; and notes from e. evans and day to [page ] tell the tale of the mishap. the only spare big end had been used for lashly's machine, and as it would have taken a long time to strip day's engine so that it could run on three cylinders, they had decided to abandon it and push on with the other alone. 'so the dream of help from the machines is at an end! the track of the remaining motor goes steadily forward, but now, of course, i shall expect to see it every hour of the march.' on the second and third marches the ponies did fairly well on a bad surface, but as yet they had only light loads to pull; and not until they were tested was scott prepared to express much confidence in them. at camp he found a troubled note from e. evans saying that their maximum speed was about miles a day. 'they have taken on nine bags of forage, but there are three black dots to the south which we can only imagine are the deserted motor with its loaded sledges. the men have gone on as a supporting party, as directed. it is a disappointment. i had hoped better of the machines once they got away on the barrier surface.' from this camp they started in the usual order, having arranged that full loads should be carried if the black dots proved to be the motors, and very soon they found their fears confirmed. another note from e. evans stated a recurrence of the old trouble. the big end of no. cylinder had cracked, otherwise the machine was in good order. 'evidently,' scott wrote in reference to this misfortune, 'the engines are not [page ] fitted for working in this climate, a fact that should be certainly capable of correction. one thing is proved: the system of propulsion is altogether satisfactory. the motor party has proceeded as a man-hauling party as arranged.' as they came to camp a blizzard threatened, and snow walls were at once built for the ponies. the last march, however, was more than a compensation for bad weather. jehu and chinaman with loads of over lbs. had stepped out well and had finished as fit as they had started, while the better ponies had made nothing of their loads, scott's snippets having pulled over lbs., sledge included. 'we are all much cheered by this performance. it shows a hardening up of ponies which have been well trained; even oates is pleased!' the blizzard only just gave them time to get everything done in the camp before it arrived. the ponies, however, in their new rugs and with sheltering walls as high as themselves could scarcely feel the wind, and as this protection was a direct result of experience gained in the previous year, scott was glad to feel that some good had been obtained from that disastrous journey. but when the snow began to fall the ponies as usual suffered, because it was impossible to devise any means of keeping them comfortable in thick and driving snow. 'we men are snug and comfortable enough, but it is very evil to lie here and know that the weather is steadily sapping the strength of the beasts on which so [page ] much depends. it requires much philosophy to be cheerful on such occasions.' in the midst of the drift during the forenoon of the th meares and demetri with the dogs arrived, and camped about a quarter of a mile away. in catching the main party up so soon scott considered that meares had played too much for safety, but at the same time it was encouraging to know that the dogs would pull the loads assigned to them, and that they could face such terrific winds. the threatening weather continued until late on tuesday night, and the question of starting was left open for a long time, several of the party thinking it unwise to march. at last, however, the decision was made to go, and the advance guard got away soon after midnight. then, to scott's surprise and delight, he discovered that his fears about the ponies were needless. both jehu and chinaman took skittish little runs when their rugs were removed, and chinaman even betrayed a not altogether irresistible desire to buck. in fact the only pony that gave any trouble was christopher, and this not from any fatigue but from excessive spirit. most of the ponies halted now and again to get a mouthful of snow, but christopher had still to be sent through with a non-stop run, for his tricks and devices were as innumerable as ever. oates had to cling like grim death to his bridle until the first freshness had worn off, and this was a long rather than a light task, as even after ten miles he was prepared to misbehave himself if he got the smallest chance. [page ] a few hundred yards from camp bowers picked up a bale of forage and loaded it on his sledge, bringing the weight to nearly lbs. victor, however, went on as though nothing had happened, and although the surface was for the time wonderfully good, and it still remained a question how the ponies would get on under harder conditions, scott admitted that so far the outlook was very encouraging. the cairns built in the previous year showed up very distinctly and were being picked up with the greatest ease, and this also was an additional cause for satisfaction because with pony walls, camp sites and cairns, the track on the homeward march seemed as if it must be easy to follow. writing at camp , scott says, 'everyone is as fit as can be. it was wonderfully warm as we camped this morning at o'clock; the wind has dropped completely and the sun shines gloriously. men and ponies revel in such weather. one devoutly hopes for a good spell of it as we recede from the windy northern region. the dogs came up soon after we had camped, traveling easily.' on the next march they remained faithful to their program of advancing a little over ten geographical miles nightly. but during the last two miles of this stage all of the ponies were together. 'it looked like a meet of the hounds, and jehu ran away!!' was cherry-garrard's account of this scene in his diary. but in scott's opinion it was clearly not advantageous to march in one detachment, because the slow advance-guard ponies were forced out of their pace by joining [page ] with the others, while the fast rearguard had their speed reduced. this, however, was a great day for jehu, whose attempt to bolt, though scarcely amounting to more than a sprawling canter, was freely acknowledged to be a creditable performance for a pony who at the start had been thought incapable of doing a single march. the weather now began to change rapidly for the worse, and in consequence the pleasure of marching as rapidly vanished. in arriving at camp they had to struggle at first against a strong head wind, and afterwards in a snowstorm. wright, who was leading, found it so impossible to see where he was going that he decided to camp some two miles short of the usual ten, but the ponies continued to do well and this was a compensation for the curtailed distance. a worse surface was in store for them when they started from camp , in fact scott and wilson described it as one of the worst they had ever seen. the snow that had fallen in the day remained soft, and added to this they had entered upon an area of soft crust between a few scattered hard sastrugi. in pits between these the snow lay in sandy heaps, making altogether the most difficult conditions for the ponies. nevertheless the stronger ponies continued to pull excellently, and even the poor old crocks succeeded in covering - / miles. 'such a surface makes one anxious in spite of the rapidity with which changes take place. i expected these marches to be a little difficult, but not near so bad as to-day's.... in spite of the surface, the dogs ran up from the camp before last, [page ] over miles, in the night. they are working splendidly.' the surface was still bad and the weather horrid on the following day, but miles out the advance party came straight and true upon the last year's bluff depôt. here scott found a note, from which he learned the cheering news that e. evans and his party must be the best part of five days ahead. on the other hand, atkinson had a very gloomy report to make of chinaman, who could, he thought, only last a few more miles. oates, however, much more optimistic than usual, considered that chinaman would last for several days; and during another horrid march to camp all the ponies did well, jehu especially distinguishing himself. 'we shall be,' scott wrote from this camp on monday, november , 'in a better position to know how we stand when we get to one ton camp, now only or miles, but i am anxious about these beasts--very anxious, they are not the ponies they ought to have been, and if they pull through well, all the thanks will be due to oates. i trust the weather and surface conditions will improve; both are rank bad at present.' the next stage took them within or miles of one ton camp, and with a slightly improved surface and some sun the spirits of the party revived. but, although the ponies were working splendidly, it was painful work for them to struggle on through the snow, and christopher's antics when harnessed were already a thing of the past--a fact which [page ] would have been totally unregretted had it not been evidence that his strength was also beginning to diminish. one ton camp was found without any difficulty, and having pushed on to camp it was decided to give the animals a day's rest there, and afterwards to go forward at the rate of geographical miles ( statute miles) a day. 'oates thinks the ponies will get through, but that they have lost condition quicker than he expected. considering his usually pessimistic attitude this must be thought a hopeful view. personally i am much more hopeful. i think that a good many of the beasts are actually in better form than when they started, and that there is no need to be alarmed about the remainder, always excepting the weak ones which we have always regarded with doubt. well, we must wait and see how things go.' another note from e. evans was found at one ton camp, stating that his party had taken on four boxes of biscuits, and would wait for the main detachment at lat. ° '. the minimum thermometer left there in the previous year showed - °, which was rather less than scott had expected. after the day's rest the loads were re-organized, the stronger ponies taking on about lbs., while the others had rather over lbs. as their burden; and refreshed by their holiday all of them marched into the next camp without any signs of exhaustion. by this time frost-bites were frequent, both oates and p.o. evans being victims, while meares, when told [page ] that his nose was 'gone,' remarked that he was tired of it and that it would thaw out by and by! hopes and fears concerning the ponies naturally alternated on such a journey, and the latter predominated when scott wrote on november from camp . 'the ponies are not pulling well. the surface is, if anything, a little worse than yesterday, but i should think about the sort of thing we shall have to expect henceforward.... it's touch and go whether we scrape up to the glacier; meanwhile we get along somehow.' during the next two marches, however, the ponies, in spite of rather bad surfaces, did wonderfully well, and both jehu and chinaman began to be regarded with real admiration, jehu being re-christened 'the barrier wonder' and chinaman 'the thunderbolt.' again scott began to take a hopeful view of getting through, unless the surfaces became infinitely worse. while on the way to camp scott's detachment found e. evans and his party in lat. ° ', and heard that they had been waiting for six days, which they had spent in building a tremendous cairn. all of them looked very fit, but they were also very hungry--an informing fact, as it proved conclusively that a ration which was ample for the needs of men leading ponies, was nothing like enough for those who were doing hard pulling work. thus the provision that scott had made for summit work received a full justification, though even with the rations that were [page ] to be taken he had no doubt that hunger would attack the party. after some discussion it was decided to take evans' motor party on in advance for three days, and then that day and hooper should return. good, steady progress was made on the next two marches, and at camp they were within geographical miles of the glacier. 'but it is still rather touch and go. if one or more ponies were to go rapidly down hill we might be in queer street.' then at camp came the end of the gallant jehu. 'we did the usual march very easily over a fairly good surface, the ponies now quite steady and regular. since the junction with the motor party the procedure has been for the man-hauling people to go forward just ahead of the crocks, the other party following two or three hours later. to-day we closed less than usual, so the crocks must have been going very well. however, the fiat had already gone forth, and this morning (november ) after the march poor old jehu was led back on the track and shot. after our doubts as to his reaching hut point, it is wonderful to think that he has actually got eight marches beyond our last year limit, and could have gone more. however, towards the end he was pulling very little, and on the whole it is merciful to have ended his life. chinaman seems to improve and will certainly last a good many days yet. i feel we ought to get through now. day and hooper leave us to-night.' [page ] referring to jehu in his diary cherry-garrard re-marked how much scott felt 'this kind of thing,' and how cut up atkinson was at the loss of his pony. after day and hooper had turned back the party was re-arranged and started together. the man-haulers, atkinson, e. evans and lashly, went ahead with their gear on the -foot sledge, then came wright with chinaman and keohane with james pigg, the rest following close behind them. but although the two crocks had not been given their usual start, they stuck to their work so gallantly that at the finish they were less than a quarter of a mile behind. at camp , in lat. ° ' the middle barrier depôt was made, and as they did not leave until a.m. they were gradually getting back to day-marching. the next stage, however, of their journey was struggled through under the greatest difficulties. at the start the surface was bad, and the man-haulers in front made such heavy weather of it that they were repeatedly overtaken. this threw the ponies out and prolonged the march so much that six hours were spent in reaching the lunch camp. but bad as the first part of the march had been, the latter part was even worse. the advance party started on ski, but had the greatest difficulty in keeping a course; and presently snow began to fall heavily with a rise of temperature, and the ski became hopelessly clogged. at this time the surface was terribly hard for pulling, and the man-haulers also found it impossible to steer. the march of miles was eventually completed, but under [page ] the most harassing circumstances and with very tired animals. 'our forage supply necessitates that we should plug on the (geographical) miles daily under all conditions, so that we can only hope for better things. it is several days since we had a glimpse of land, which makes conditions especially gloomy. a tired animal makes a tired man, i find, and none of us are very bright now after the day's march.' no improvement in the weather was in store for them on the following day (november ), for snowstorms swept over them, the driving snow not only preventing them from seeing anything, but also hitting them stingingly in their faces. chinaman was shot on this night, but in struggling on until he was within go miles of the glacier he had done more than was ever expected of him; and with only four bags of forage left the end of all the ponies was very near at hand. during the march to camp , lat. ° ', 'the most unexpected and trying summer blizzard yet experienced in this region' ceased, and prospects improved in every respect. while they were marching the land showed up hazily, and at times looked remarkably close to them. 'land shows up almost ahead now,' scott wrote on the th, 'and our pony goal is less than miles away. the ponies are tired, but i believe all have five days' work left in them, and some a great deal more.... it follows that the dogs can be employed, rested and fed well on the homeward track. we could really get through now [page ] with their help and without much delay, yet every consideration makes it desirable to save the men from heavy hauling as long as possible. so i devoutly hope the miles will come in the present order of things.' snippets and nobby by this time walked by themselves, but both of them kept a continually cunning eye upon their driver, and if he stopped they at once followed his example. it was, scott admitted, a relief no longer to have to lead his animal, for fond of snippets as he was, the vagaries of the animal were annoying when on the march. thursday, november , brought most pleasant weather with it, but the surface was so bad that all of the ponies, with the exception of nobby, began to show obvious signs of failure. a recurrence of 'sinking crusts' (areas which gave way with a report) was encountered, and the ponies very often sank nearly to their knees. at camp nobby was the only pony who did not show signs of extreme exhaustion, but forage was beginning to get so scarce that even nobby had nearly reached the end of his life. on this night (december ) christopher was shot, and by no possibility could he be much regretted, for he had given nothing but trouble at the outset, and as soon as his spirits began to fail his strength had also disappeared. 'he has been a great disappointment,' cherry-garrard wrote, 'even james pigg has survived him.' a depôt, called the southern barrier depôt, was left at camp , so that no extra weight was added to the loads of the other ponies. 'three more marches [page ] ought to carry us through. with the seven crocks and the dog teams we _must_ get through, i think. the men alone ought not to have heavy loads on the surface, which is extremely trying.' on the morning of the st nobby had been tried in snow-shoes, and for about four miles had traveled splendidly upon them, but then the shoes racked and had to be taken off; nevertheless, in scott's opinion, there was no doubt that snow-shoes were the thing for ponies, and that if his ponies had been able to use them from the beginning their condition would have been very different from what it was. from camp , lat. °, scott wrote, 'started under very bad weather conditions. the stratus spreading over from the s.e. last night meant mischief, and all day we marched in falling snow with a horrible light.... the ponies were sinking deep in a wretched surface. i suggested to oates that he should have a roving commission to watch the animals, but he much preferred to lead one, so i handed over snippets very willingly and went on ski myself.' this he found such easy work, that he had time to take several photographs of the ponies as they plunged through the snow. but in the afternoon they found a better surface, and scott, who was leading, had to travel at a very steady pace to keep the lead. when this march had finished they had reached the rd parallel, and were 'practically safe to get through.' but with forage becoming scarcer and scarcer poor bictor--to the great sorrow of bowers, [page ] who was very fond of him--had to be shot. six ponies remained, and as the dogs were doing splendidly, the chances of the party reaching the glacier were excellent if only they could see their way to it. wild in his diary of shackleton's journey remarked on december that it was the first day for a month on which he could not record splendid weather. with scott's party, however, a fine day had been the exception rather than the rule, and the journey had been one almost perpetual fight against bad weather and bad surfaces. the tent parties at this date were made up of ( ) scott, wilson, oates and keohane; ( ) bowers, p.o. evans, cherry-garrard and crean; ( ) man-haulers, e. r. evans, atkinson, wright and lashly. 'we have all taken to horse meat and are so well fed that hunger isn't thought of.' at . a.m. on sunday, december , scott, intending to get away at , roused all hands, but their bad luck in the way of weather once more delayed the start. at first there seemed to be just a chance that they might be able to march, but while they were having breakfast a full gale blew up from the south; 'the strongest wind i have known here in summer.' in a very short time the pony wall was blown down, the sledges were buried, and huge drifts had collected. in heavy drift everyone turned out to make up the pony walls, but the flanking wall was blown down three times before the job was completed. about mid-day the weather improved and soon afterwards the clouds broke and the land appeared; and when they got away at [page ] p.m., the sun was shining brightly. but this pleasant state of affairs was only destined to last for one short hour; after that snow again began to fall, and marching conditions became supremely horrible. the wind increased from the s.e., changed to s. w., where for a time it remained, and then suddenly shifted to w.n.w., and afterwards to n.n.w., from which direction it continued to blow with falling and drifting snow. but in spite of these rapid and absolutely bewildering changes of conditions they managed to get - / miles south and to camp at p.m. the man-haulers, however, camped after six miles, for they found it impossible to steer a course. 'we (scott and bowers) steered with compass, the drifting snow across our ski, and occasional glimpses of southeasterly sastrugi under them, till the sun showed dimly for the last hour or so. the whole weather conditions seem thoroughly disturbed, and if they continue so when we are on the glacier, we shall be very awkwardly placed. it is really time the luck turned in our favor--we have had all too little of it. every mile seems to have been hardly won under such conditions. the ponies did splendidly and the forage is lasting a little better than expected... we should have no difficulty whatever as regards transport if only the weather was kind.' on the following day the weather was still in a bad mood, for no sooner had they got on their gear for the start than a thick blizzard from the s.s.e. arrived. quickly everyone started to build fresh walls for the ponies, an uninviting task enough in a regular white flowing blizzard, but one which added [page ] greatly to the comfort of the animals, who looked sleepy and bored, but not at all cold. just as the walls were finished the man-haulers came into camp, having been assisted in their course by the tracks that the other parties had made. fortunately the wind moderated in the forenoon and by p.m. they were off and in six hours had placed more miles to their credit. during this march the land was quite clearly in view, and several uncharted glaciers of large dimensions were seen. the mountains were rounded in outline, very massive, with excrescent peaks, one or two of the peaks on the foothills standing bare and almost perpendicular. ahead of them was the ice-rounded, boulder-strewn mount hope and the gateway to the glacier. 'we should reach it easily enough on to-morrow's march if we can compass miles.... we have only lost or miles on these two wretched days, but the disturbed condition of the weather makes me anxious with regard to the glacier, where more than anywhere we shall need fine days. one has a horrid feeling that this is a real bad season. however, sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. we are practically through with the first stage of our journey. looking from the last camp ( ) towards the s.s.e., where the farthest land can be seen, it seemed more than probable that a very high latitude could be reached on the barrier, and if amundsen journeying that way has a stroke of luck, he may well find his summit journey reduced to miles or so. in any case it is a fascinating direction for next year's work, if only fresh transport arrives.' [page ] on this day, december , the ponies marched splendidly, crossing the deep snow in the undulations without any difficulty, and had food been plentiful enough there was no doubt that they could have gone on for many more miles. as it was 'gallant little michael' had to be sacrificed when the march was over. 'he walked away,' cherry-garrard wrote, 'and rolled on the way down, not having done so when we got in. he died quite instantaneously. he was just like a naughty child all the way and pulled all out; he has been a good friend and has a good record, ° ' s. he was a bit done to-day, the blizzard had knocked him.' by night the weather looked very uninviting, and they woke to find a raging, howling blizzard. previously the winds that had so constantly bothered them had lacked that very fine powdery snow which is usually an especial feature of a blizzard, but on this occasion they got enough and to spare of it. anyone who went into the open for a minute or two was covered from head to foot, and as the temperature was high the snow stuck where it fell. the heads, tails and legs of the ponies were covered with ice, and they had to stand deep in snow. the sledges were almost covered, and there were huge drifts about the tent. it was a scene on which no one wanted to look longer than he could help, and after they had rebuilt the pony walls they retreated sadly and soppingly into their bags. even the small satisfaction of being able to see from one tent to another was denied them, and scott, while asking what on earth such weather could mean at this [page ] time of year, stated emphatically that no party could possibly travel against such a wind. 'is there,' he asked, 'some widespread atmospheric disturbance which will be felt everywhere in this region as a bad season, or are we merely the victims of exceptional local conditions? if the latter, there is food for thought in picturing our small party struggling against adversity in one place whilst others go smilingly forward in sunshine. how great may be the element of luck! no foresight--no procedure--could have prepared us for this state of affairs. had we been ten times as experienced or certain of our aim we should not have expected such rebuffs.' [illustration: looking up the gateway from pony depÔt. (mt. hope.) _photo by r. f. scott._] [illustration: looking south from lower glacier depÔt. (mt. hope.) _photo by r. f. scott._] the snowfall on this day (december ) was quite the greatest that scott remembered, the drifts about the tents being colossal. and to add to their misery and misfortune the temperature remained so high that the snow melted if it fell on anything except snow, with the result that tents, wind clothes, night boots, &c., were all wet through; while water, dripping from the tent poles and door, lay on the floor, soaked the sleeping-bags, and made the situation inconceivably miserable. in the midst of this slough, however, keohane had the spirit to make up a rhyme, which is worth quoting mainly, if not solely, because of the conditions under which it was produced: the snow is all melting and everything's afloat, if this goes on much longer we shall have to turn the tent upside down and use it as a boat. the next day scott described as 'miserable, [page ] utterly miserable. we have camped in the "slough of despond."' when within twelve miles of the glacier it was indeed the most cruel fortune to be held up by such a raging tempest. the temperature at noon had risen to °, and everything was more soakingly wet than ever, if that was possible. the ponies, too, looked utterly desolate, and the snow climbed higher and higher about the walls, tents and sledges. at night signs of a break came, but hopes of marching again were dashed on the following morning, when the storm continued and the situation became most serious; after this day only one small feed remained for the ponies, so that they had either to march or to sacrifice all the animals. that, however, was not the most serious part, for with the help of the dogs they could without doubt have got on. but what troubled scott most intensely was that they had on this morning (december ) started on their summit rations, or, in other words, the food calculated to take them on from the glacier depôt had been begun. in the meantime the storm showed no signs of abatement, and its character was as unpleasant as ever. 'i can find no sign of an end, and all of us agree that it is utterly impossible to move. resignation to this misfortune is the only attitude, but not an easy one to adopt. it seems undeserved where plans were well laid, and so nearly crowned with a first success.... the margin for bad weather was ample according to all experience, and this stormy december--our finest month--is a thing that the most cautious organizer [page ] might not have been prepared to encounter.... there cannot be good cheer in the camp in such weather, but it is ready to break out again. in the brief spell of hope last night one heard laughter.' hour after hour passed with little or no improvement, and as every hour of inactivity was a real menace to the success of their plans, no one can wonder that they chafed over this most exasperating delay. under ordinary circumstances it would have been melancholy enough to watch the mottled, wet, green walls of their tents and to hear the everlasting patter of the falling snow and the ceaseless rattle of the fluttering canvas, but when the prospect of failure of their cherished plan was added to the acute discomforts of the situation, it is scarcely possible to imagine how totally miserable they must have been both in body and mind. nevertheless in the midst of these distressing conditions scott managed to write, 'but yet, after all, one can go on striving, endeavoring to find a stimulation in the difficulties that arise.' friday morning, however, did not bring any cause for hope. the snow was still falling heavily, and they found themselves lying in pools of water that squelched whenever they moved. under such circumstances it was a relief to get outside, shift the tents and dig out the sledges. all of the tents had been reduced to the smallest space by the gradual pressure of snow, the old sites being deep pits with hollowed, icy, wet centers. the re-setting of them at least made things more comfortable, and as the [page ] wind dropped about mid-day and a few hours later the sky showed signs of breaking, hope once more revived; but soon afterwards snow was falling again, and the position was rapidly becoming absolutely desperate. to test the surface the man-haulers tried to pull a load during the afternoon, and although it proved a tough job they managed to do it by pulling in ski. on foot the men sank to their knees, and an attempt to see what nobby could do under such circumstances was anything but encouraging. writing in the evening scott said, 'wilson thinks the ponies finished, but oates thinks they will get another march in spite of the surface, _if it comes to-morrow_. if it should not, we must kill the ponies to-morrow and get on as best we can with the men on ski and the dogs. but one wonders what the dogs can do on such a surface. i much fear they also will prove inadequate. oh! for fine weather, if only to the glacier.' by p.m. the wind had gone to the north, and the sky at last began really to break. the temperature also helped matters by falling to + °, and in consequence the water nuisance began to abate; and at the prospect of action on the following morning cheerful sounds were once more heard in the camp. 'the poor ponies look wistfully for the food of which so very little remains, yet they are not hungry, as recent savings have resulted from food left in their nose-bags. they look wonderfully fit, all things [page ] considered. everything looks more hopeful to-night, but nothing can recall four lost days.' during the night scott turned out two or three times to find the weather slowly improving, and at o'clock on december they started upon a most terrible march to camp . the tremendous snowfall had made the surface intolerably soft, and the half-fed animals sank deeper and deeper. none of them could be led for more than a few minutes, but if they were allowed to follow the poor beasts did fairly well. soon, however, it began to seem as if no real headway could be made, and so the man-haulers were pressed into the service to try and improve matters. bowers and cherry-garrard went ahead with one -foot sledge and made a track--thus most painfully a mile or so was gained. then when it seemed as if the limit had been reached p.o. evans saved the situation by putting the last pair of snow-shoes upon snatcher, who at once began to go on without much pressure, and was followed by the other ponies. no halt was made for lunch, but after three or four laborious miles they found themselves engulfed in pressures which added to the difficulties of their march. still, however, they struggled on, and by p.m. they were within a mile of the slope ascending to the gap, which shackleton called the gateway. this gateway was a neck or saddle of drifted snow lying in a gap of the mountain rampart which flanked the last curve of the glacier, and scott had hoped to be through it at a much earlier date, as indeed he [page ] would have been had not the prolonged storm delayed him. by this time the ponies, one and all, were quite exhausted. 'they came on painfully slowly a few hundred yards at a time.... i was hauling ahead, a ridiculously light load, and yet finding the pulling heavy enough. we camped, and the ponies have been shot. poor beasts! they have done wonderfully well considering the terrible circumstances under which they worked.' on december wilson wrote in his journal, 'i have kept nobby all my biscuits to-night as he has to try to do a march to-morrow, and then happily he will be shot and all of them, as their food is quite done.' and on the following day he added: 'nobby had all my biscuits last night and this morning, and by the time we camped i was just ravenously hungry.... thank god the horses are now all done with and we begin the heavy work ourselves.' this camp received the name of shambles camp, and although the ponies had not, owing to the storm, reached the distance scott had expected, yet he, and all who had taken part in that distressing march, were relieved to know that the sufferings of their plucky animals had at last come to an end. [page ] chapter viii on the beardmore glacier in thrilling region of thick ribbed ice to be imprison'd in the viewless winds and blown with restless violence round about. --shakespeare. on the death of the ponies at camp the party was reorganized, and for some days advanced in the following order: sledge . scott, wilson, oates and p.o. evans. sledge . e. evans, atkinson, wright and lashly. sledge . bowers, cherry-garrard, crean and keohane; with meares and demetri continuing to drive the dogs. when leaving this camp scott was very doubtful whether the loads could be pulled over such an appalling surface, and that success attended their efforts was due mainly to the ski. the start was delayed by the readjustments that had to be made, but when they got away at noon, and with a 'one, two, three together' scott's party began to pull their sledge, they were most agreeably surprised to find it running fairly easily [page ] behind them. the first mile was gained in about half an hour, but then they began to rise, and soon afterwards with the slope becoming steeper and the surface getting worse they had to take off their ski. after this the pulling was extraordinarily exhausting, for they sank above their finnesko, and in some places nearly up to their knees. the runners of the sledges became coated with a thin film of ice from which it was impossible to free them, and the sledges themselves sank in soft spots to the cross-bars. at p.m. they reached the top of the slope, and after tea started on the down grade. on this they had to pull almost as vigorously as on the upward slope, but they could just manage to get along on ski. evans and his party, however, were unable to keep up the pace set by the leaders, and when they camped at . scott heard some news that thoroughly alarmed him. 'it appears,' he wrote, 'that atkinson says that wright is getting played out, and lashly is not so fit as he was owing to the heavy pulling since the blizzard. i have not felt satisfied about this party. the finish of the march to-day showed clearly that something was wrong.... true, the surface was awful and growing worse every moment. it is a very serious business if the men are going to crack up. as for myself, i never felt fitter and my party can easily hold its own. p.o. evans, of course, is a tower of strength, but oates and wilson are doing splendidly also.' round the spot where camp had been pitched [page ] the snow was appallingly deep and soft. 'every step here one sinks to the knees, and the uneven surface is obviously insufficient to support the sledges.' a wind, however, had sprung up, and though under ordinary circumstances it would have been far from welcome, on this occasion it was a blessing because it hardened the snow; and a good surface was all the more necessary because, after half another march, meares and demetri were to return with the dogs, and in consequence lbs. would have to be added to each sledge-load. before starting from camp they built a depôt (the lower glacier depôt), made it very conspicuous, and left a good deal of gear there. then at the very beginning of their march they got into big pressure, and must have passed over several crevasses. after four hours, however, they were clear of the pressure, and then they said good-bye to meares and demetri, who took back a note from scott to say that 'things are not so rosy as they might be, but we keep our spirits up and say the luck must turn. this is only to tell you that i find i can keep up with the rest as well as of old.' the start after lunch was anxious work, for the question whether they could pull their loads had to be answered. scott's party went away first, and, to their joy, found that they could make fairly good headway. every now and again the sledge sank in a soft patch which brought them up, and then they got sideways to the sledge and hauled it out. 'we learned,' scott wrote on december , at camp , [page ] 'to treat such occasions with patience.... the great thing is to keep the sledge moving, and for an hour or more there were dozens of critical moments when it all but stopped, and not a few when it brought up altogether. the latter were very trying and tiring. but suddenly the surface grew more uniform and we more accustomed to the game, for after a long stop to let the other parties come up, i started at and ran on till , pulling easily without a halt at the rate of about miles an hour. i was very jubilant; all difficulties seemed to be vanishing; but unfortunately our history was not repeated with the other parties. bowers came up half an hour after us. they also had done well at the last, and i'm pretty sure they will get on all right. keohane is the only weak spot, and he only, i think, because temporarily blind. but evans' party didn't get up till . they started quite well, but got into difficulties, did just the wrong thing by straining again and again, and so, tiring themselves, went from bad to worse. their ski shoes, too, are out of trim.' during the morning of the th they steered for the commonwealth range until they reached about the middle of the glacier and then the course was altered for the 'cloudmaker,' and afterwards still further to the west. in consequence they got a much better view of the southern side of the main glacier than shackleton's party had obtained, and a number of peaks not noticed previously were observed. on the first stage of this march scott's party was bogged time after [page ] time, and do what they could their sledge dragged like a huge lump of lead. evans' team had been sent off in advance and kept well ahead until lunch-time. then, when scott admits being 'pretty well cooked,' the secret of their trouble was disclosed in a thin film with some hard knots of ice on the runners of the sledge; these impediments having been removed they went ahead without a hitch, and in a mile or two resumed their leading position. as they advanced it became more and more evident that, with the whole of the lower valley filled with snow from the storm, they would have been bogged had they been without ski. 'on foot one sinks to the knees, and if pulling on a sledge to half-way between knee and thigh.' scott's hope was that they would get better conditions as they rose, but on the next march the surface became worse instead of better, the sledges simply plunging into the soft places and stopping dead. so slow in fact was the progress they made, that on his sledge scott decided at lunch to try the -foot runners under the cross-bars, for the sledge was sinking so deeply that the cross-pieces were on the surface and acting as brakes. three hours were spent in securing the runners, and then scott's party started and promptly saw what difficulties the other teams were having. in spite of the most desperate efforts to get along, bowers and his men were so constantly bogged that scott soon passed them. but the toil was awful, because the snow with the sun shining and a high temperature [page ] had become very wet and sticky, and again and again the sledge got one runner on harder snow than the other, canted on its side, and refused to move. at the top of the rise evans' party was reduced to relay work, and shortly afterwards bowers was compelled to adopt the same plan. 'we,' scott says, 'got our whole load through till p.m., camping time, but only with repeated halts and labour which was altogether too strenuous. the other parties certainly cannot get a full load along on the surface, and i much doubt if we could continue to do so, but we must try again to-morrow. i suppose we have advanced a bare four miles to-day and the aspect of things is very little changed. our height is now about , feet.' on the following morning evans' party got off first from camp , and after stiff hauling for an hour or so found the work much easier than on the previous day. bowers' contingent followed without getting along so well, and so scott, whose party were having no difficulty with their load, exchanged sledges with them, and a satisfactory morning's march was followed by still better work in the afternoon, eleven or twelve miles being gained. 'i think the soft snow trouble is at an end, and i could wish nothing better than a continuance of the present surface. towards the end of the march we were pulling our load with the greatest ease. it is splendid to be getting along and to find some adequate return for the work we are putting into the business.' at camp , on friday, december , they had [page ] reached a height of about , feet, after a march on which the surface steadily improved and the snow covering over the blue ice became thinner and thinner. during the afternoon they found that at last they could start their sledges by giving one good heave, and so, for the first time, they were at liberty to stop when they liked without the fear of horrible jerks before they could again set the sledge going. patches of ice and hard névé were beginning to show through in places, and had not the day's work been interrupted by a snowstorm at p.m. their march would have been a really good one, but, as it was, eleven more miles had to be put to their credit. the weather looked, however, very threatening as they turned in for the night, and scott expressed a fervent hope that they were not going to be afflicted by snowstorms as they approached the worst part of the glacier. as was to be expected after the storm they found the surface difficult when the march was resumed, but by sticking to their work for over ten hours--'the limit of time to be squeezed into one day'--they covered eleven miles, and altered greatly the aspect of the glacier. beginning the march as usual on ski, they had to take them off in the afternoon because they struck such a peculiarly difficult surface that the sledges were constantly being brought up. then on foot they made better progress, though no advance could be made without the most strenuous labour. the brittle crust would hold for a pace or two, and then let them down with a bump, while now and again a leg went down a crack in the hard ice underneath. so [page ] far, since arriving among the disturbances, which increased rapidly towards the end of the march, they had not encountered any very alarming crevasses, though a large quantity of small ones could be seen. at the end of the march to camp , scott was able to write, 'for once we can say "sufficient for the day is the good thereof." our luck may be on the turn--i think we deserve it. in spite of the hard work everyone is very fit and very cheerful, feeling well fed and eager for more toil. eyes are much better except poor wilson's; he has caught a very bad attack. remembering his trouble on our last southern journey, i fear he is in for a very bad time.... i'm inclined to think that the summit trouble will be mostly due to the chill falling on sunburned skins. even now one feels the cold strike directly one stops. we get fearfully thirsty and chip up ice on the march, as well as drinking a great deal of water on halting. our fuel only just does it, but that is all we want, and we have a bit in hand for the summit.... we have worn our crampons all day (december ) and are delighted with them. p.o. evans, the inventor of both crampons and ski shoes, is greatly pleased, and certainly we owe him much.' on the th, although snow fell on and off during the whole day and crevasses were frequent, a splendid march of miles was accomplished. the sledges ran fairly well if only the haulers could keep their feet, but on the rippled ice which they were crossing it was impossible to get anything like a firm foothold. still, however, they stuck most splendidly to their [page ] task, and on the following day even a better march was made to camp . starting on a good surface they soon came to a number of criss-cross cracks, into two of which scott fell and badly bruised his knee and thigh. then they reached an admirably smooth ice surface over which they traveled at an excellent pace. a long hour was spent over the halt for lunch, during which angles, photographs and sketches were taken, and continuing to make progress in the second part of the day's march they finished up with a gain of miles. 'it has not been a strain except perhaps for me with my wounds received early in the day. the wind has kept us cool on the march, which has in consequence been very much pleasanter.... days like this put heart in one.' on wednesday, december , however, the good marches of the previous two days were put entirely into the shade by one of nearly miles, during which they rose feet. pulling the sledges in crampons was not at all difficult on the hard snow and on hard ice with patches of snow. at night they camped in lat. ° ' ", and then scott had to perform a task that he most cordially disliked. 'i have just told off the people to return to-morrow night: atkinson, wright, cherry-garrard and keohane. all are disappointed--poor wright rather bitterly, i fear. i dreaded this necessity of choosing--nothing could be more heartrending. i calculated our program to start from ° ' with twelve units of food[ ] and [page ] eight men. we ought to be in this position to-morrow night, less one day's food. after all our harassing trouble one cannot but be satisfied with such a prospect.' [footnote : a unit of food means a week's supplies for four men.] the next stage of the journey, though accomplished without accident, was too exciting to be altogether pleasant, for crevasses were frequent and falls not at all uncommon. and at mid-day, while they were in the worst of places, a fog rolled up and kept them in their tents for nearly three hours. during this enforced delay, scott wrote a letter which was taken back by the returning party. 'december , , lat. ° s. we are struggling on, considering all things, against odds. the weather is a constant anxiety, otherwise arrangements are working exactly as planned. 'for your ear also i am exceedingly fit and can go with the best of them. 'it is a pity the luck doesn't come our way, because every detail of equipment is right... but all will be well if we can get through to the pole. 'i write this sitting in our tent waiting for the fog to clear, an exasperating position as we are in the worst crevassed region. teddy evans and atkinson were down to the length of their harness this morning, and we have all been half-way down. as first man i get first chance, and it's decidedly exciting not knowing which step will give way. still all this is interesting enough if one could only go on. 'since writing the above i made a dash for it; got out of the valley out of the fog and away from [page ] crevasses. so here we are practically on the summit and up to date in the provision line. we ought to get through.' after the fog had cleared off they soon got out of the worst crevasses, and on to a snow slope that led past mount darwin. the pull up the slope was long and stiff, but by holding on until . p.m. they got off a good march and found a satisfactory place for their depôt. fortunately the weather was both calm and bright, and all the various sorting arrangements that had to be made before the returning party left them were carried out under most favorable conditions. 'for me,' scott says, 'it is an immense relief to have the indefatigable little bowers to see to all detail arrangements of this sort,' and on the following day he added, 'we said an affecting farewell to the returning party, who have taken things very well, dear good fellows as they are.' then the reorganized parties (scott, wilson, oates and p.o. evans; bowers, e. r. evans, crean and lashly) started off with their heavy loads, and any fears they had about their ability to pull them were soon removed. 'it was a sad job saying good-bye,' cherry-garrard wrote in his diary, 'and i know some eyes were a bit dim. it was thick and snowing when we started after making the depôt, and the last we saw of them as we swung the sledge north, was a black dot just disappearing over the next ridge, and a big white pressure wave ahead of them.' [page ] then the returning party set off on their homeward march, and arrived at cape evans on january , , after being away for three months. repairs to the sledgemeter delayed the advancing party for some time during their first march under the new conditions, but they managed to cover twelve miles, and, with the loads becoming lighter every day, scott hoped to march longer hours and to make the requisite progress. steering, however, south-west on the next morning they soon found themselves among such bad crevasses and pressure, that they were compelled to haul out to the north, and then to the west. one comfort was that all the time they were rising. 'it is rather trying having to march so far to the west, but if we keep rising we must come to the end of the disturbance some time.' during the second part of this march great changes of fortune awaited them. at first they started west up a slope, and on the top another pressure appeared on the left, but less lofty and more snow-covered than that which had troubled them in the morning. there was temptation to try this, but scott resisted it and turned west up yet another slope, on the top of which they reached a most extraordinary surface. narrow crevasses, that were quite invisible, ran in all directions. all of these crevasses were covered with a thin crust of hardened névé which had not a sign of a crack in it. one after another, and sometimes two at a time, they all fell in; and though they were getting fairly accustomed to unexpected falls through being unable to mark the run of [page ] the surface appearances of cracks, or where such cracks were covered with soft snow, they had never expected to find a hardened crust formed over a crack, and such a surface was as puzzling as it was dangerous and troublesome. for about ten minutes or so, while they were near these narrow crevasses, they came on to snow which had a hard crust and loose crystals below it, and each step was like breaking through a glass-house. and then, quite suddenly, the hard surface gave place to regular sastrugi, and their horizon leveled in every direction. at p.m., when they reached camp (height about , feet), miles stood to their credit and scott was feeling 'very cheerful about everything.' 'my determination,' he said, 'to keep mounting irrespective of course is fully justified, and i shall be indeed surprised if we have any further difficulties with crevasses or steep slopes. to me for the first time our goal seems really in sight.' on the following day (christmas eve) they did not find a single crevasse, but high pressure ridges were still to be seen, and scott confessed that he should be glad to lose sight of such disturbances. christmas day, however, brought more trouble from crevasses--'very hard, smooth névé between high ridges at the edge of crevasses, and therefore very difficult to get foothold to pull the sledges.' to remedy matters they got out their ski sticks, but this did not prevent several of them from going half-down; while lashly, disappearing completely, had to be pulled out by [page ] means of the alpine rope. 'lashly says the crevasse was feet deep and feet across, in form u, showing that the word "unfathomable" can rarely be applied. lashly is to-day and as hard as nails. his fall has not even disturbed his equanimity.' when, however, they had reached the top of the crevasse ridge a better surface was found, and their christmas lunch--at which they had such luxuries as chocolate and raisins--was all the more enjoyable because miles or so had already been gained. in the middle of the afternoon they got a fine view of the land, but more trouble was caused by crevasses, until towards the end of their march they got free of them and on to a slight decline down which they progressed at a swinging pace. then they camped and prepared for their great christmas meal. 'i must,' scott says, 'write a word of our supper last night. we had four courses. the first, pemmican, full whack, with slices of horse meat flavored with onion and curry powder, and thickened with biscuit; then an arrowroot, cocoa and biscuit hoosh sweetened; then a plum-pudding; then cocoa with raisins, and finally a dessert of caramels and ginger. after the feast it was difficult to move. wilson and i couldn't finish our share of plum-pudding. we have all slept splendidly and feel thoroughly warm--such is the effect of full feeding.' the advance, possibly owing to the 'tightener' on christmas night, was a little slow on the following morning, but nevertheless miles were covered [page ] in the day and the th parallel was reached. crevasses still appeared, and though they avoided them on this march, they were not so lucky during the next stage to camp . in fact wednesday, december , was unfortunate owing to several reasons. to begin with, bowers broke the only hypsometer thermometer, and so they were left with nothing to check their two aneroids. then during the first part of the march they got among sastrugi which jerked the sledges about, and so tired out the second team that they had great difficulty in keeping up. and, finally, they found more crevasses and disturbances during the afternoon. for an hour the work was as painful as it could be, because they tumbled into the crevasses and got the most painful jerks. 'steering the party,' scott wrote at camp , 'is no light task. one cannot allow one's thoughts to wander as others do, and when, as this afternoon, one gets amongst disturbances, i find it very worrying and tiring. i do trust we shall have no more of them. we have not lost sight of the sun since we came on the summit; we should get an extraordinary record of sunshine. it is monotonous work this; the sledgemeter and theodolite govern the situation.' during the next morning the second sledge made such 'heavy weather' that scott changed places with e. r. evans. that, however, did not improve matters much, for scott soon found that the second team had [page ] not the same swing as his own team, so he changed lashly for p.o. evans, and then they seemed to get on better. at lunch-time they discussed the difficulties that the second party was having, and several reasons for them were put forward. one was that the team was stale, another that all the trouble was due to bad stepping and want of swing, and yet another was that the first's party's sledge pulled much more easily than the second party's. on the chance that this last suggestion was correct, scott and his original team took the second party's sledge in the afternoon, and soon found that it was a terrible drag to get it along in soft snow, whereas the second party found no difficulty in pulling the sledge that had been given to them. 'so the sledge is the cause of the trouble, and taking it out, i found that all is due to want of care. the runners ran excellently, but the structure has been distorted by bad strapping, bad loading, &c. the party are not done, and i have told them plainly that they must wrestle with the trouble and get it right for themselves.' friday evening found them at camp , and at a height of about , feet, but they had encountered a very bad surface, on which the strain of pulling was terrific. the hardest work occurred on two rises, because the loose snow had been blown over the rises and had rested on the north-facing slopes, and these heaps were responsible for the worst of their troubles. however, there was one satisfactory result of the [page ] march, for now that the second party had seen to the loading of their sledge they had ceased to lag. but the next stage was so exhausting that scott's fears for the conditions of the second party again arose. writing from camp , on december , he says: 'to-morrow i'm going to march half a day, make a depôt and build the -foot sledges. the second party is certainly tiring; it remains to be seen how they will manage with the smaller sledge and lighter load. the surface is certainly much worse than it was miles back. (t. - °.) we have caught up shackleton's dates. everything would be cheerful if i could persuade myself that the second party were quite fit to go forward.' camp was pitched after the morning's march on december , and the process of building up the -foot sledges was at once begun by p.o. evans and crean. 'it is a very remarkable piece of work. certainly p.o. evans is the most invaluable asset to our party. to build a sledge under these conditions is a fact for special record.' [illustration: man hauling camp, th parallel. _photo by lieut. h. r. bowers._] half a day was lost while the sledges were made, but this they hoped to make up for by advancing at much greater speed. a depôt, called 'three degree depôt,' consisting of a week's provision for both units, was made at this camp, and on new year's morning, with lighter loads, evans' party led the advance on foot, while scott's team followed on ski. with a stick of chocolate to celebrate the new year, and with only miles between them and the pole, prospects [page ] seemed to be getting brighter on new year's night, and on the next evening at camp scott decided that e. r. evans, lashly and crean should go back after one more march. writing from camp he says, 'they are disappointed, but take it well. bowers is to come into our tent, and we proceed as a five-man unit to-morrow. we have - / units of food--practically over a month's allowance for five people--it ought to see us through.... very anxious to see how we shall manage tomorrow; if we can march well with the full load we shall be practically safe, i take it.' by the returning party scott sent back a letter, dated january , in which he wrote, 'lat. ° ".' a last note from a hopeful position. i think it's going to be all right. we have a fine party going forward and arrangements are all going well.' on the next morning the returning men followed a little way until scott was certain that his team could get along, and then farewells were said. in referring to this parting with e. evans, crean and lashly, scott wrote, 'i was glad to find their sledge is a mere nothing to them, and thus, no doubt, they will make a quick journey back,' and under average conditions they should easily have fulfilled anticipations. but a blizzard held them up for three days before they reached the head of the glacier, and by the time they reached the foot of it e. evans had developed symptoms of scurvy. at one ton camp he was unable to stand without the support of his ski sticks, [page ] and although, with the help of his companions, he struggled on for more miles in four days, he could go no farther. rejecting his suggestion that he should be left alone while they pressed on for help, crean and lashly pulled him on the sledge with a devotion matching that of their captain years before, when he and wilson had brought shackleton, ill and helpless, safely to the _discovery_. after four days of this pulling they reached corner camp, and then there was such a heavy snowfall that the sledge could not travel. in this crisis crean set out to tramp alone to hut point, miles away, while lashly stayed to nurse e. evans, and most certainly was the means of keeping him alive until help came. after a remarkable march of hours crean reached hut point, and as soon as possible atkinson and demetri started off with both dog teams to relieve evans and lashly. some delay was caused by persistent bad weather, but on february evans was got back to the _discovery_ hut, where he was unremittingly tended by atkinson; and subsequently he was sent by sledge to the _terra nova_. so ended the tale of the last supporting party, though, as a sequel, it is good to record that in reward for their gallant conduct both lashly and crean received the albert medal. [page ] chapter ix the south pole the silence was deep with a breath like sleep as our sledge runners slid on the snow, and the fate-full fall of our fur-clad feet struck mute like a silent blow on a questioning 'hush?' as the settling crust shrank shivering over the floe. and the sledge in its track sent a whisper back which was lost in a white fog-bow. and this was the thought that the silence wrought, as it scorched and froze us through, for the secrets hidden are all forbidden till god means man to know. we might be the men god meant should know the heart of the barrier snow, in the heat of the sun, and the glow, and the glare from the glistening floe, as it scorched and froze us through and through with the bite of the drifting snow. (these verses, called 'the barrier silence,' were written by wilson for the _south polar times_. characteristically, he sent them in typewritten, lest the editor should recognize his hand and judge them on personal rather than literary grounds. many of their readers confess that they felt in these lines wilson's own premonition of the event. the version given is the final form, as it appeared in the _south polar times_.) the ages of the five men when they continued the journey to the pole were: scott , wilson , p.o. evans , oates , bowers . [page ] after the departure of the last supporting party scott was naturally anxious to get off a good day's march, and he was not disappointed. at first the sledge on which, thanks to p.o. evans, everything was most neatly stowed away, went easily. but during the afternoon they had to do some heavy pulling on a surface covered with loose sandy snow. nevertheless they covered some miles before they camped, and so smoothly did everything seem to be going that scott began to wonder what was in store for them. 'one can scarcely believe that obstacles will not present themselves to make our task more difficult. perhaps the surface will be the element to trouble us.' and on the following day his supposition began to prove correct, for a light wind from the n.n.w. brought detached cloud and a constant fall of ice crystals, and in consequence the surface was as bad as it could be. the sastrugi seemed to increase as they advanced, and late in the afternoon they encountered a very rough surface with evidences of hard southerly wind. luckily the sledge showed no signs of capsizing, but the strain of trying to keep up a rate of a little over a mile and a quarter an hour was very great. however, they were cheered by the thought, when they reached camp (height , feet), that they were very close to the th parallel, and a little more than miles from the pole. another dreadful surface was their fate during the next march on saturday, january . the sastrugi increased in height as they advanced, and presently [page ] they found themselves in the midst of a sea of fishhook waves, well remembered from their northern experience. and, to add to their trouble, each sastrugus was covered with a beard of sharp branching crystals. they took off their ski and pulled on foot, but both morning and afternoon the work of getting the sledge along was tremendous. writing at camp , latitude ° ', scott said, 'we think of leaving our ski here, mainly because of risk of breakage. over the sastrugi it is all up and down hill, and the covering of ice crystals prevents the sledge from gliding even on the downgrade. the sastrugi, i fear, have come to stay, and we must be prepared for heavy marching, but in two days i hope to lighten loads with a depôt. we are south of shackleton's last camp, so, i suppose, have made the most southerly camp.' during the next day, january , they had good cause to think that the vicissitudes of their work were bewildering. on account of the sastrugi the ski were left at camp , but they had only marched a mile from it when the sastrugi disappeared. 'i kept debating the ski question and at this point stopped, and after discussion we went back and fetched the ski; it cost us - / hours nearly. marching again, i found to my horror we could scarcely move the sledge on ski; the first hour was awful owing to the wretched coating of loose sandy snow.' consequently this march was the shortest they had made on the summit, and there was no doubt that if things remained for long they were, it would be impossible to keep up the [page ] strain of such strenuous pulling. luckily, however, loads were to be lightened on the following day by a weight of about lbs., and there was also hope of a better surface if only the crystal deposit would either harden up or disappear. their food, too, was proving ample. 'what luck to have hit on such an excellent ration. we really are an excellently found party.' indeed, apart from the strain of pulling, scott's only anxiety on sunday, january , was that evans had a nasty cut on his hand. they woke the next morning to find their first summit blizzard; but scott was not in the least perturbed by this delay, because he thought that the rest would give evans' hand a better chance of recovery, and he also felt that a day in their comfortable bags within their double-walled tent would do none of them any harm. but, both on account of lost time and food and the slow accumulation of ice, he did not want more than one day's delay. 'it is quite impossible,' he wrote during this time of waiting, 'to speak too highly of my companions. each fulfils his office to the party; wilson, first as doctor, ever on the lookout to alleviate the small pains and troubles incidental to the work; now as cook, quick, careful and dexterous, ever thinking of some fresh expedient to help the camp life; tough as steel on the traces, never wavering from start to finish. 'evans, a giant worker with a really remarkable head-piece. it is only now i realize how much has been due to him. our ski shoes and crampons have been [page ] absolutely indispensable, and if the original ideas were not his, the details of manufacture and design and the good workmanship are his alone. he is responsible for every sledge, every sledge fitting, tents, sleeping-bags, harness, and when one cannot recall a single expression of dissatisfaction with anyone of these items, it shows what an invaluable assistant he has been. now, besides superintending the putting up of the tent, he thinks out and arranges the packing of the sledge; it is extraordinary how neatly and handily everything is stowed, and how much study has been given to preserving the suppleness and good running qualities of the machine. on the barrier, before the ponies were killed, he was ever roaming round, correcting faults of stowage. 'little bowers remains a marvel--he is thoroughly enjoying himself. i leave all the provision arrangement in his hands, and at all times he knows exactly how we stand, or how each returning party should fare. it has been a complicated business to redistribute stores at various stages of reorganization, but not one single mistake has been made. in addition to the stores, he keeps the most thorough and conscientious meteorological record, and to this he now adds the duty of observer and photographer. nothing comes amiss to him, and no work is too hard. it is a difficulty to get him into the tent; he seems quite oblivious of the cold, and he lies coiled in his bag writing and working out sights long after the others are asleep. 'of these three it is a matter for thought and [page ] congratulation that each is specially suited for his own work, but would not be capable of doing that of the others as well as it is done. each is invaluable. oates had his invaluable period with the ponies; now he is a foot slogger and goes hard the whole time, does his share of camp work, and stands the hardships as well as any of us. i would not like to be without him either. so our five people are perhaps as happily selected as it is possible to imagine.' not until after lunch on the th were they able to break camp, the light being extremely bad when they marched, but the surface good. so that they might keep up the average length of their daily marches scott wanted to leave a depôt, but as the blizzard tended to drift up their tracks, he was not altogether confident that to leave stores on such a great plain was a wise proceeding. however, after a terribly hard march on the following morning, they decided to leave a depôt at the lunch camp, and there they built a cairn and left one week's food with as many articles of clothing as they could possibly spare. then they went forward with eighteen days' food on a surface that was 'beyond words,' for it was covered with sandy snow, and, when the sun shone, even to move the sledge forward at the slowest pace was distressingly difficult. on that night from camp , scott wrote, 'only miles (geog.) from the pole, but it's going to be a stiff pull _both ways_ apparently; still we do make progress, which is something.... it is very difficult to imagine what is [page ] happening to the weather.... the clouds don't seem to come from anywhere, form and disperse without visible reason.... the meteorological conditions seem to point to an area of variable light winds, and that plot will thicken as we advance.' from the very beginning of the march on january the pulling was heavy, but when the sun came out the surface became as bad as bad could be. all the time the sledge rasped and creaked, and the work of moving it onward was agonizing. at lunch-time they had managed to cover six miles but at fearful cost to themselves, and although when they camped for the night they were only about miles from the pole, scott asked himself whether they could possibly keep up such a strain for seven more days. 'it takes it out of us like anything. none of us ever had such hard work before.... our chance still holds good if we can put the work in, but it's a terribly trying time.' for a few minutes during the next afternoon they experienced the almost forgotten delight of having the sledge following easily. the experience was very short but it was also very sweet, for scott had begun to fear that their powers of pulling were rapidly weakening, and those few minutes showed him that they only wanted a good surface to get on as merrily as of old. at night they were within miles of the pole, and just longing for a better surface to help them on their way. but whatever the condition of the surface, bowers continued to do his work with characteristic [page ] thoroughness and imperturbability; and after this appalling march he insisted, in spite of scott's protest, on taking sights after they had camped--an all the more remarkable display of energy as he, being the only one of the party who pulled on foot, had spent an even more strenuous day than the others, who had been 'comparatively restful on ski.' again, on the next march, they had to pull with all their might to cover some miles. 'it is wearisome work this tugging and straining to advance a light sledge. still, we get along. i did manage to get my thoughts off the work for a time to-day, which is very restful. we should be in a poor way without our ski, though bowers manages to struggle through the soft snow without tiring his short legs.' sunday night, january , found them at camp and less than miles from the pole. steering was the great difficulty on this march, because a light southerly wind with very low drift often prevented scott from seeing anything, and bowers, in scott's shadow, gave directions. by this time the feet of the whole party were beginning, mainly owing to the bad condition of their finnesko, to suffer from the cold. 'oates seems to be feeling the cold and fatigue more than the rest of us, but we are all very fit. it is a critical time, but we ought to pull through.... oh! for a few fine days! so close it seems and only the weather to balk us.' another terrible surface awaited them on the morrow, and they were all 'pretty well done' when [page ] they camped for lunch. there they decided to leave their last depôt, but although their reduced load was now very light, scott feared that the friction would not be greatly reduced. a pleasant surprise, however, was in store for him, as after lunch the sledge ran very lightly, and a capital march was made. 'it is wonderful,' he wrote on that night (january ), 'to think that two long marches would land us at the pole. we left our depôt to-day with nine days' provisions, so that it ought to be a certain thing now, and the only appalling possibility the sight of the norwegian flag forestalling ours. little bowers continues his indefatigable efforts to get good sights, and it is wonderful how he works them up in his sleeping-bag in our congested tent. only miles from the pole. we _ought_ to do it now.' the next morning's march took them - / miles nearer and their noon sight showed them in lat. ° ' s.; and feeling that the following day would see them at the pole they started off after lunch in the best of spirits. then, after advancing for an hour or so, bowers' sharp eyes detected what he thought was a cairn, but although he was uneasy about it he argued that it must be a sastrugus. 'half an hour later he detected a black speck ahead. soon we knew that this could not be a natural snow feature. we marched on, found that it was a black flag tied to a sledge bearer; near by the remains of a camp; sledge tracks and ski tracks going and coming and the clear trace of dogs' paws--many dogs. [page ] this told us the whole story. the norwegians have forestalled us and are first at the pole. it is a terrible disappointment, and i am very sorry for my loyal companions. many thoughts come and much discussion have we had. to-morrow we must march on to the pole and then hasten home with all the speed we can compass. all the day-dreams must go; it will be a wearisome return. certainly also the norwegians found an easy way up.' very little sleep came to any of the party after the shock of this discovery, and when they started at . on the next morning (january ) head winds with a temperature of - ° added to their depression of spirit. for some way they followed the norwegian tracks, and in about three miles they passed two cairns. then, as the tracks became increasingly drifted up and were obviously leading them too far to the west, they decided to make straight for the pole according to their calculations. during the march they covered about miles, and at night scott wrote in his journal, 'the pole. yes, but under very different circumstances from those expected.' that announcement tells its own story, and it would be impertinent to guess at the feelings of those intrepid travelers when they found themselves forestalled. nevertheless they had achieved the purpose they had set themselves, and the fact that they could not claim the reward of priority makes not one jot of difference in estimating the honours that belong to them. [illustration: the party at the south pole. (capt. oates; capt. scott; p.o. evans; lieut. bowers; dr. wilson.) _photo by lieut. h. r. bowers._] [page ] 'well,' scott continued, 'it is something to have got here, and the wind may be our friend to-morrow.... now for the run home and a desperate struggle. i wonder if we can do it.' on the following morning after summing up all their observations, they came to the conclusion that they were one mile beyond the pole and three miles to the right of it, in which direction, more or less, bowers could see a tent or cairn. a march of two miles from their camp took them to the tent, in which they found a record of five norwegians having been there: 'roald amundsen olav olavson bjaaland hilmer hanssen sverre h. hassel oscar wisting. -- _dec_. . 'the tent is fine--a small compact affair supported by a single bamboo. a note from amundsen, which i keep, asks me to forward a letter to king haakon!' in the tent a medley of articles had been left: three half bags of reindeer containing a miscellaneous assortment of mitts and sleeping-socks, very various in description, a sextant, a norwegian artificial horizon and a hypsometer without boiling-point thermometers, a sextant and hypsometer of english make. 'left a note to say i had visited the tent with companions. bowers photographing and wilson sketching. since lunch we have marched . miles s.s.e. by compass (i.e. northwards). sights at lunch gave us / to / [page ] of a mile from the pole, so we call it the pole camp. (temp. lunch - °.) we built a cairn, put up our poor slighted union jack, and photographed ourselves--mighty cold work all of it--less than / a mile south we saw stuck up an old underrunner of a sledge. this we commandeered as a yard for a floorcloth sail. i imagine it was intended to mark the exact spot of the pole as near as the norwegians could fix it. (height , .) a note attached talked of the tent as being miles from the pole. wilson keeps the note. there is no doubt that our predecessors have made thoroughly sure of their mark and fully carried out their program. i think the pole is about , feet in height; this is remarkable, considering that in lat. ° we were about , . 'we carried the union jack about / of a mile north with us and left it on a piece of stick as near as we could fix it. i fancy the norwegians arrived at the pole on the th dec. and left on the th, ahead of a date quoted by me in london as ideal, viz. dec. .... well, we have turned our back now on the goal of our ambition and must face our miles of solid dragging--and good-bye to most of the day-dreams!' [page ] chapter x on the homeward journey it matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll; i am the master of my fate, i am the captain of my soul.--henley. during the afternoon of thursday, january , they left the pole miles behind them, and early in the march on the following morning picked up their outward tracks and a norwegian cairn. these tracks they followed until they came to the black flag that had been the first means of telling them of the norwegians' success. 'we have picked this flag up, using the staff for our sail, and are now camped about - / miles further back on our tracks. so that is the last of the norwegians for the present.' in spite of a surface that was absolutely spoilt by crystals they marched - / miles on the friday, and also easily found the cairns that they had built; but until they reached three degree depôt which was still miles away, anxiety, scott said, could not be laid to rest. on the next day they reached their southern [page ] depôt and picked up four days' food. with the wind behind them and with full sail they went along at a splendid rate in the afternoon, until they were pulled up by a surface on which drifting snow was lying in heaps; and then, with the snow clinging to the ski, pulling became terribly distressing. 'i shall be very glad when bowers gets his ski,' scott wrote at r. ,[ ] 'i'm afraid he must find these long marches very trying with short legs, but he is an undefeated little sportsman. i think oates is feeling the cold and fatigue more than most of us. it is blowing pretty hard to-night, but with a good march we have earned one good hoosh and are very comfortable in the tent. it is everything now to keep up a good marching pace; i trust we shall be able to do so and catch the ship. total march, - / miles.' [footnote : a number preceded by r. marks the camps on the return journey.] a stiff blizzard with thick snow awaited them on the sunday morning, but the weather cleared after mid-day, and they struggled on for a few very weary hours. at night they had days' food in hand and miles between them and their next depôt, where they had left days' food to take them on the go miles to the three degree depôt. 'once there we ought to be safe, but we ought to have a day or two in hand on arrival and may have difficulty with following the tracks. however, if we can get a rating sight for our watches to-morrow we should be independent of the tracks at a pinch.' january brought an added worry in the fact [page ] that the ski boots were beginning to show signs of wear, but this was nothing compared with the anxiety scott began to feel about evans on the following day. 'there is no doubt that evans is a good deal run down--his fingers are badly blistered and his nose is rather seriously congested with frequent frost-bites. he is very much annoyed with himself, which is not a good sign. i think wilson, bowers and i are as fit as possible under the circumstances. oates gets cold feet.... we are only about miles from our "degree and half" depôt and should get there tomorrow. the weather seems to be breaking up. pray god we have something of a track to follow to the three degree depôt--once we pick that up we ought to be right.' another blizzard attacked them at mid-day on the morrow, and so, though only seven miles from their depôt, they were obliged to camp, for it was impossible to see the tracks. with the prospect of bad weather and scant food on the tremendous summit journey in front of them, and with oates and evans suffering badly from frost-bites, scott had to admit that the situation was going from bad to worse. but on the next afternoon, they managed to reach the half degree depôt, and left with - / days' provision to carry them the next miles. during friday, january , they found their old tracks completely wiped out, but knowing that there were two cairns at four-mile intervals they were not anxious until they picked up the first far on their right, and afterwards bowers caught a glimpse of the second which was far on their [page ] left. 'there is not a sign of our tracks between these cairns, but the last, marking our night camp of the th, no. , is in the belt of hard sastrugi, and i was comforted to see signs of the track reappearing as we camped. i hope to goodness we can follow it to-morrow.' throughout the early part of the next day's march, however, these hopes were not realized. scott and wilson pulling in front on ski, the others being on foot, found it very difficult to follow the track, which constantly disappeared altogether and at the best could only just be seen. on the outward journey, owing to the heavy mounds, they had been compelled to take a very zigzag course, and in consequence the difficulty of finding signs of it was greatly increased. but by hook or crook they succeeded in sticking to the old track, and during the last part of the march they discovered, to their joy and relief, that it was much easier to follow. through this march they were helped on their way by a southerly breeze, and as the air was at last dry again their tents and equipment began to lose the icy state caused by the recent blizzards. on the other hand, they were beginning to feel that more food, especially at lunch, was becoming more and more necessary, and their sleeping-bags, although they managed to sleep well enough in them, were slowly but steadily getting wetter. on sunday night, at r. , they were only miles [page ] from their depôt with six days food in hand, after doing a good march of miles. 'if this goes on and the weather holds we shall get our depôt without trouble. i shall indeed be glad to get it on the sledge. we are getting more hungry, there is no doubt. the lunch meal is beginning to seem inadequate. we are pretty thin, especially evans, but none of us are feeling worked out. i doubt if we could drag heavy loads, but we can keep going with our light one. we talk of food a good deal more, and shall be glad to open out on it. with the wind helping greatly and with no difficulty in finding the tracks, two splendid marches followed; but on the tuesday their position had its serious as well as its bright side, for wilson strained a tendon in his leg. 'it has,' scott wrote, 'given pain all day and is swollen to-night. of course, he is full of pluck over it, but i don't like the idea of such an accident here. to add to the trouble evans has dislodged two finger-nails to-night; his hands are really bad, and to my surprise he shows signs of losing heart over it. he hasn't been cheerful since the accident.... we can get along with bad fingers, but it [will be] a mighty serious thing if wilson's leg doesn't improve.' before lunch on wednesday, january , they picked up the three degree depôt, and were able slightly to increase their rations, though not until they reached the pony food depôt could they look for a 'real feed.' after lunch (january ) the surface, owing to sandy crystals, was very bad, and with wilson [page ] walking by the sledge to rest his leg as much as possible, pulling was even more toilsome work than usual. during the afternoon they picked up bowers' ski, which he had left on december . 'the last thing we have to find on the summit, thank heaven! now we have only to go north and so shall welcome strong winds.' pulling on throughout the next day they reached a lunch cairn, which had been made when they were only a week out from the upper glacier depôt. with eight days' food in hand scott hoped that they would easily reach it, for their increased food allowance was having a good effect upon all of them, and wilson's leg was better. on the other hand, evans was still a cause for considerable anxiety. all went very well during their march to r. on february until scott, trying to keep the track and his feet at the same time on a very slippery surface, came 'an awful purler' on his shoulder. 'it is horribly sore to-night and another sick person added to our tent--three out of five injured, and the most troublesome surfaces to come. we shall be lucky if we get through without serious injury.... the extra food is certainly helping us, but we are getting pretty hungry.... it is time we were off the summit--pray god another four days will see us pretty well clear of it. our bags are getting very wet and we ought to have more sleep.' on leaving their sixteenth camp they were within miles or so of the upper glacier depôt under mount darwin, and after exasperating delays in searching for [page ] tracks and cairns, they resolved to waste no more time, but to push due north just as fast as they could. evans' fingers were still very bad, and there was little hope that he would be able for some time to help properly with the work, and on the following day an accident that entailed the most serious consequences happened. 'just before lunch,' scott wrote at r. , 'unexpectedly fell into crevasses, evans and i together--a second fall for evans,[ ] and i camped. after lunch saw disturbance ahead.... we went on ski over hard shiny descending surface. did very well, especially towards end of march, covering in all . .... the party is not improving in condition, especially evans, who is becoming rather dull and incapable. thank the lord we have good food at each meal, but we get hungrier in spite of it. bowers is splendid, full of energy and bustle all the time.' [footnote : wilson afterwards expressed an opinion that evans injured his brain by one of these falls.] on monday morning a capital advance of over miles was made, but in the afternoon difficulties again arose to harass them. huge pressures and great street crevasses partly open barred their way, and so they had to steer more and more to the west on a very erratic course. camping-time found them still in a very disturbed region, and although they were within to miles of their depôt there seemed to be no way through the disturbances that continued to block their path. on turning out to continue their march they went straight for mount darwin, but almost at once [page ] found themselves among huge open chasms. to avoid these they turned northwards between two of them, with the result that they got into chaotic disturbance. consequently they were compelled to retrace their steps for a mile or so, and then striking to the west they got among a confused sea of sastrugi, in the midst of which they camped for lunch. a little better fortune attended them in the afternoon, and at their twentieth camp scott estimated that they were anything from to miles off the upper glacier depôt. 'food is low and weather uncertain,' he wrote, 'so that many hours of the day were anxious; but this evening (february ), though we are not so far advanced as i expected, the outlook is much more promising. evans is the chief anxiety now; his cuts and wounds suppurate, his nose looks very bad, and altogether he shows considerable signs of being played out. things may mend for him on the glacier, and his wounds get some respite under warmer conditions. i am indeed glad to think we shall so soon have done with plateau conditions. it took us days to reach the pole and days back--in all days--nearly weeks in low temperature with almost incessant wind.' february , which was to see the end of their summit journey, opened with a very tiresome march down slopes and over terraces covered with hard sastrugi. however, they made fairly good progress during the day, and between six and seven o'clock their depôt was sighted and soon afterwards they were camped close to it. 'well,' scott wrote at r. , [page ] 'we have come through our weeks' ice camp journey and most of us are fit, but i think another week might have had a very bad effect on p.o. evans, who is going steadily downhill.' on the next morning they started late owing to various re-arrangements having to be made, and then steered for mt. darwin to get specimens. as wilson was still unable to use his ski, bowers went on and got several specimens of much the same type--a close-grained granite rock which weathers red; and as soon as bowers had rejoined the party they skidded downhill fairly fast, scott and bowers (the leaders) being on ski, wilson and oates on foot alongside the sledge, while evans was detached. by lunch-time they were well down towards mt. buckley, and decided to steer for the moraine under the mountain. having crossed some very irregular steep slopes with big crevasses, they slid down towards the rocks, and then they saw that the moraine was so interesting that, after an advance of some miles had brought escape from the wind, the decision was made to camp and spend the rest of the day in geologising. 'it has been extremely interesting. we found ourselves under perpendicular cliffs of beacon sandstone, weathering rapidly and carrying veritable coal seams. from the last wilson, with his sharp eyes, has picked several plant impressions, the last a piece of coal with beautifully traced leaves in layers, also some excellently preserved impressions of thick stems, [page ] showing cellular structure. in one place we saw the cast of small waves in the sand. to-night bill has got a specimen of limestone with archeo-cyathus--the trouble is one cannot imagine where the stone comes from; it is evidently rare, as few specimens occur in the moraine. there is a good deal of pure white quartz. altogether we have had a most interesting afternoon, and the relief of being out of the wind and in a warmer temperature is inexpressible. i hope and trust we shall all buck up again now that the conditions are more favorable.... a lot could be written on the delight of setting foot on rock after weeks of snow and ice, and nearly out of sight of aught else. it is like going ashore after a sea voyage.' on the following morning they kept along the edge of the moraine to the end of mt. buckley, and again stopping to geologise, wilson had a great find of vegetable impression in a piece of limestone. the time spent in collecting these geological specimens from the beardmore glacier, and the labour endured in dragging the additional lbs. to their last camp, were doubtless a heavy price to pay; but great as the cost was they were more than willing to pay it. the fossils contained in these specimens, often so inconspicuous that it is a wonder they were discovered by the collectors, proved to be the most valuable obtained by the expedition, and promise to solve completely the questions of the age and past history of this portion of the antarctic continent. at night, after a difficult day among bad ice pressures, scott almost apologizes for [page ] being too tired to write any geological notes, and as the sledgemeter had been unshipped he could not tell the distance they had traversed. 'very warm on march and we are all pretty tired.... our food satisfies now, but we must march to keep on the full ration, and we want rest, yet we shall pull through all right, d. v. we are by no means worn out.' on the night of friday, february , they got some of the sleep that was so urgently needed, and in consequence there was a great change for the better in the appearance of everyone. their progress, however, was delayed during the next afternoon by driving snow, which made steering impossible and compelled them to camp. 'we have two full days' food left,' scott wrote on the same evening, 'and though our position is uncertain, we are certainly within two outward marches from the middle glacier depôt. however, if the weather doesn't clear by to-morrow, we must either march blindly on or reduce food.' the conditions on sunday morning were utterly wretched for the surface was bad and the light horrible, but they marched on until, with the light getting worse and worse, they suddenly found themselves in pressure. then, unfortunately, they decided to steer east, and after struggling on for several hours found themselves in a regular trap. having for a short time in the earlier part of the day got on to a good surface, they thought that all was going well and did not reduce their lunch rations. but half an hour after lunch they suddenly got into a terrible ice mess. [page ] for three hours they plunged forward on ski, first thinking that they were too much to the right, and then too much to the left; meanwhile the disturbance got worse and worse, and there were moments when scott nearly despaired of finding a way out of the awful turmoil in which they found themselves. at length, arguing that there must be a way out on the left, they plunged in that direction, only to find that the surface was more icy and crevassed. 'we could not manage our ski and pulled on foot, falling into crevasses every minute--most luckily no bad accident. at length we saw a smoother slope towards the land, pushed for it, but knew it was a woefully long way from us. the turmoil changed in character, irregular crevassed surface giving way to huge chasms, closely packed and most difficult to cross. it was very heavy work, but we had grown desperate. we won through at p.m., and i write after hours on the march. i _think_ we are on or about the right track now, but we are still a good number of miles from the depôt, so we reduced rations to-night. we had three pemmican meals left and decided to make them into four. to-morrow's lunch must serve for two if we do not make big progress. it was a test of our endurance on the march and our fitness with small supper. we have come through well.' on leaving r. , early on monday morning, everything went well in the forenoon and a good march was made over a fair surface. two hours before lunch they were cheered by the sight of their night [page ] camp of december (the day after they had made their depôt), for this showed them that they were still on the right track. in the afternoon, refreshed by tea, they started off confidently expecting to reach their depôt, but by a most unfortunate chance they kept too far to the left and arrived in a maze of crevasses and fissures. afterwards their course became very erratic, and finally, at p.m., they landed in the worst place of all. 'after discussion we decided to camp, and here we are, after a very short supper and one meal only remaining in the food bag; the depôt doubtful in locality. we _must_ get there to-morrow. meanwhile we are cheerful with an effort.' on that night, at camp r. , scott says that they all slept well in spite of grave anxieties, his own being increased by his visits outside the tent, when he saw the sky closing over and snow beginning to fall. at their ordinary hour for getting up the weather was so thick that they had to remain in their sleeping-bags; but presently the weather cleared enough for scott dimly to see the land of the cloudmaker. then they got up and after breakfasting off some tea and one biscuit, so that they might leave their scanty remaining meal for even greater emergencies, they started to march through an awful turmoil of broken ice. in about an hour, however, they hit upon an old moraine track where the surface was much smoother, though the fog that was still hanging over everything added to their difficulties. [page ] presently evans raised their hopes with a shout of depôt ahead, but it proved to be nothing but a shadow on the ice, and then wilson suddenly saw the actual depôt flag. 'it was an immense relief, and we were soon in possession of our - / days' food. the relief to all is inexpressible; needless to say, we camped and had a meal.' marching on in the afternoon scott kept more to the left, and closed the mountain until they came to the stone moraines, where wilson detached himself and made a collection, while the others advanced with the sledge. writing that night (tuesday, february ) at 'camp r. , beside cloudmaker' scott says, 'we camped late, abreast the lower end of the mountain, and had nearly our usual satisfying supper. yesterday was the worst experience of the trip and gave a horrid feeling of insecurity. now we are right, but we must march. in future food must be worked so that we do not run so short if the weather fails us. we mustn't get into a hole like this again.... bowers has had a very bad attack of snow-blindness, and wilson another almost as bad. evans has no power to assist with camping work.' a good march followed to camp r. , and with nearly three days' food they were about miles away from the lower glacier depôt. on the other hand, scott was becoming most gravely concerned about the condition of the party, and especially about evans, who seemed to be going from bad to worse. [page ] and on the next evening, after a heavy march he wrote, 'we don't know our distance from the depôt, but imagine about miles. we are pulling for food and not very strong evidently.... we have reduced food, also sleep; feeling rather done. trust - / days or at most will see us at depôt.' friday's march brought them within or miles of their depôt, and with food enough to last them until the next night; but anxiety about evans was growing more and more intense. 'evans has nearly broken down in brain, we think. he is absolutely changed from his normal self-reliant self. this morning and this afternoon he stopped the march on some trivial excuse.... memory should hold the events of a very troublesome march with more troubles ahead. perhaps all will be well if we can get to our depôt to-morrow fairly early, but it is anxious work with the sick man.' on the following morning (saturday, february ) evans looked a little better after a good sleep, and declared, as he always did, that he was quite well; but half an hour after he had started in his place on the traces, he worked his ski shoes adrift and had to leave the sledge. at the time the surface was awful, the soft snow, which had recently fallen, clogging the ski and runners at every step, the sledge groaning, the sky overcast, and the land hazy. they stopped for about an hour, and then evans came up again, but very slowly. half an hour later he dropped out again on the same plea, and asked bowers to lend [page ] him a piece of string. scott cautioned him to come on as quickly as he could, and he gave what seemed to be a cheerful answer. then the others were compelled to push on, until abreast the monument rock they halted and, seeing evans a long way behind, decided to camp for lunch. at first there was no alarm, but when they looked out after lunch and saw him still afar off they were thoroughly frightened, and all four of them started back on ski. scott was the first to meet the poor man, who was on his knees with hands uncovered and frost-bitten and a wild look in his eyes. when asked what was the matter, he replied slowly that he didn't know, but thought that he must have fainted. they managed to get him on his feet, but after two or three steps he sank down again and showed every sign of complete collapse. then scott, wilson and bowers hastened back for the sledge, while oates remained with him. 'when we returned he was practically unconscious, and when we got him into the tent quite comatose. he died quietly at . a.m.' [page ] chapter xi the last march men like a man who has shown himself a pleasant companion through a week's walking tour. they worship the man who, over thousands of miles, for hundreds of days, through renewed difficulties and efforts, has brought them without friction, arrogance or dishonour to the victory proposed, or to the higher glory of unshaken defeat.--r. kipling. after this terrible experience the rest of the party marched on later in the night, and arrived at their depôt; there they allowed themselves five hours' sleep and then marched to shambles camp, which they reached at p.m. on sunday, february . plenty of horse meat awaited them, with the prospect of plenty to come if they could only keep up good marches. 'new life seems to come with greater food almost immediately, but i am anxious about the barrier surfaces.' a late start was made from shambles camp, because much work had to be done in shifting sledges[ ] and fitting up the new one with a mast, &c., and in packing [page ] horse meat and personal effects. soon after noon, however, they got away, and found the surface every bit as bad as they expected. moreover scott's fears that there would not be much change during the next few days were most thoroughly justified. on the monday afternoon they had to pullover a really terrible surface that resembled desert sand. and the same conditions awaited them on the following day, when, after four hours' plodding in the morning, they reached desolation camp. at this camp they had hoped to find more pony meat, but disappointment awaited them. 'total mileage for day ,' scott wrote at r. , 'the ski tracks pretty plain and easily followed this afternoon.... terribly slow progress, but we hope for better things as we clear the land.... pray god we get better traveling as we are not so fit as we were, and the season is advancing apace.' [footnote : sledges were left at the chief depôts to replace damaged ones.] again, on wednesday, february , the surface was terrible, and once more scott expressed a devout hope that as they drew away from the land the conditions might get better; and that this improvement should come and come soon was all the more necessary because they were approaching a critical part of their journey, in which there were long distances between the cairns. 'if we can tide that over we get on the regular cairn route, and with luck should stick to it; but everything depends on the weather. we never won a march of - / miles with greater difficulty, but we can't go on like this.' [page ] very fresh wind from the s.e., with strong surface drift, so completely wiped out the faint track they were trying to follow during the next stage of their struggle homewards, that lunch-time came without a sight of the cairn they had hoped to pass. later in the day bowers, feeling sure that they were too far to the west, steered out, with the result that another pony camp was passed by unseen. 'there is little doubt we are in for a rotten critical time going home, and the lateness of the season may make it really serious.... looking at the map to-night there is no doubt we are too far to the east. with clear weather we ought to be able to correct the mistake, but will the weather clear? it's a gloomy position, more especially as one sees the same difficulty recurring even when we have corrected this error. the wind is dying down to-night and the sky clearing in the south, which is hopeful. meanwhile it is satisfactory to note that such untoward events fail to damp the spirit of the party.' the hopes of better weather were realized during the following day, when they started off in sunshine and with very little wind. difficulties as to their course remained, but luckily bowers took a round of angles, and with the help of the chart they came to the conclusion that they must be inside rather than outside the tracks. the data, however, were so meager that none of them were happy about taking the great responsibility of marching out. then, just as they had decided to lunch, bowers' wonderfully [page ] sharp eyes detected an old double lunch cairn, and the theodolite telescope confirmed it. camp r. found them within - / miles of their depôt. 'we cannot see it, but, given fine weather, we cannot miss it. we are, therefore, extraordinarily relieved.... things are again looking up, as we are on the regular line of cairns, with no gaps right home, i hope.' in the forenoon of saturday, february , the depôt was reached, and there they found the store in order except for a shortage of oil. 'shall have to be _very_ saving with fuel.' [indeed from this time onward the party were increasingly in want of more oil than they found at the depôts. owing partly to the severe conditions, but still more to the delays caused by their sick comrades, they reached the full limit of time allowed for between the depôts. the cold was unexpected, and at the same time the actual amount of oil found at the depôts was less than scott anticipated. the return journey on the summit was made at good speed, for the party accomplished in days what had taken them days on the outward journey. but the last part of it, from three degree to upper glacier depôt, took nearly eight marches as against ten, and here can be seen the first slight slackening as p.o. evans and oates began to feel the cold. from the upper glacier to the lower glacier depôt there was little gain on the outward journey, partly owing to the conditions but more to evans' gradual collapse. and from that time onward the marches [page ] of the weary but heroic travelers became shorter and shorter. as regards the cause of the shortage of oil, the tins at the depôts had been exposed to extreme conditions of heat and cold. the oil in the warmth of the sun--for the tins were regularly set in an accessible place on the top of the cairns--tended to become vapour and to escape through the stoppers without damage to the tins. this process was much hastened owing to the leather washers about the stoppers having perished in the great cold. the tins awaiting the southern party at the depôts had, of course, been opened, so that the supporting parties on their way back could take their due amount. but however carefully the tins were re-stoppered, they were still liable to the unexpected evaporation and leakage, and hence, without the smallest doubt, arose the shortage which was such a desperate blow to scott and his party.] apart from the storage of fuel everything was found in order at the depôt, and with ten full days' provisions from the night of the th they had less than miles between them and the mid-barrier depôt. at lunch-time scott wrote in a more hopeful tone, 'it is an immense relief to have picked up this depôt, and, for the time, anxieties are thrust aside,' but at night, after pulling on a dreadful surface and only gaining four miles, he added, 'it really will be a bad business if we are to have this plodding all through. i don't know what to think, but the rapid closing [page ] of the season is ominous.... it is a race between the season and hard conditions and our fitness and good food.' their prospects, however, became a little brighter during the following day, when the whole march yielded . miles, 'the first double figures of steady dragging for a long time.' but what they wanted and what would not come was a wind to help them on their way. nevertheless, although the assistance they so sorely needed was still lacking, they gained another - / miles on their next march, and were within miles of their next depôt. writing from 'r. . temp. - °' on monday night, february , scott said, 'wonderfully fine weather but cold, very cold. nothing dries and we get our feet cold too often. we want more food yet, and especially more fat. fuel is woefully short. we can scarcely hope to get a better surface at this season, but i wish we could have some help from the wind, though it might shake us up badly if the temp. didn't rise.' tuesday brought them within miles of their depôt, but hunger was attacking them fiercely, and they could talk of little else except food and of when and where they might possibly meet the dogs. 'it is a critical position. we may find ourselves in safety at next depôt, but there is a horrid element of doubt.' on the next day scott decided to increase the rations, and at r. , which they reached after a march of - / miles in a blightingly cold wind, they had a 'splendid pony hoosh.' the temperatures, [page ] however, which varied at this time between - ° and - °, were chilling them through and through, and to get their foot-gear on in the mornings was both a painful and a long task. 'frightfully cold starting,' scott wrote at lunch-time on thursday, february , 'luckily bowers and oates in their last new finnesko; keeping my old ones for the present.... next camp is our depôt and it is exactly miles. it ought not to take more than - / days; we pray for another fine one. the oil will just about spin out in that event, and we arrive a clear day's food in hand.' on reaching the middle barrier depôt, however, blow followed blow in such quick succession that hope of pulling through began to sink in spite of all their cheerfulness and courage. first they found such a shortage of oil that with the most rigid economy it could scarcely carry them on to their next depôt, miles away. then oates disclosed the fact that his feet, evidently frost-bitten by the recent low temperatures, were very bad indeed. and lastly the wind, which at first they had greeted with some joy, brought dark overcast weather. during the friday night the temperature fell to below - °, and on the next morning an hour and a half was spent before they could get on their foot-gear. 'then on an appalling surface they lost both cairns and tracks, and at lunch scott had to admit that they were 'in a very queer street since there is no doubt we cannot do the extra marches and feel the cold horribly.' afterwards they managed to pick up the track [page ] again, and with a march of nearly miles for the day prospects brightened a little; but on the next morning they had to labour upon a surface that was coated with a thin layer of woolly crystals, which were too firmly fixed to be removed by the wind and caused impossible friction to the runners of the sledge. 'god help us,' scott wrote at mid-day, 'we can't keep up this pulling, that is certain. amongst ourselves we are unendingly cheerful, but what each man feels in his heart i can only guess. putting on foot-gear in the morning is getting slower and slower, therefore every day more dangerous.' no relief whatever to the critical situation came on monday, march , and there was in fact little left to hope for except a strong drying wind, which at that time of the year was not likely to come. at mid-day they were about miles from the next depôt and had a week's food; but in spite of the utmost economy their oil could only last three or four days, and to pull as they were doing and be short of food at the same time was an absolute impossibility. for the time being the temperature had risen to - °, but scott was sure that this small improvement was only temporary and feared that oates, at any rate, was in no state to weather more severe cold than they were enduring. and hanging over all the other misfortunes was the constant fear that if they did get to the next depôt they might find the same shortage of oil. 'i don't know what i should do if wilson and bowers weren't so determinedly cheerful over things.' [page ] and it must in all truth have been as difficult as it was heroic to be cheerful, for weary and worn as they were their food needed such careful husbanding, that their supper on this night (march ) consisted of nothing but a cup of cocoa and pemmican solid with the chill off. 'we pretend to prefer the pemmican this way,' scott says, and if any proof was needed of their indomitable resolution it is contained in that short sentence. the result, however, was telling rapidly upon all of them, and more especially upon oates, whose feet were in a terrible condition when they started to march on the morning of the th. lunch-time saw them within miles of their next supply of food and fuel, but by this time poor oates was almost done. 'it is pathetic enough because we can do nothing for him; more hot food might do a little, but only a little, i fear. we none of us expected these terribly low temperatures, and of the rest of us wilson is feeling them most; mainly, i fear, from his self-sacrificing devotion in doctoring oates' feet. we cannot help each other, each has enough to do to take care of himself. we get cold on the march when the trudging is heavy, and the wind pierces our worn garments. the others, all of them, are unendingly cheerful when in the tent. we mean to see the game through with a proper spirit, but it's tough work to be pulling harder than we ever pulled in our lives for long hours, and to feel that the progress is so slow. one can only say "god help us!" and plod on our weary way, cold and [page ] very miserable, though outwardly cheerful. we talk of all sorts of subjects in the tent, not much of food now, since we decided to take the risk of running a full ration. we simply couldn't go hungry at this time.' on the morning of the th oates was no longer able to pull, and the miles gained, when they camped for lunch after desperate work, were only three and a half, and the total distance for the day was short of seven miles. for oates, indeed, the crisis was near at hand. 'he makes no complaint, but his spirits only come up in spurts now, and he grows more silent in the tent.... if we were all fit i should have hopes of getting through, but the poor soldier has become a terrible hindrance, though he does his utmost and suffers much i fear.' and at mid-day on the th, scott added, 'a little worse i fear. one of oates' feet _very_ bad this morning; he is wonderfully brave. we still talk of what we will do together at home.' at this time they were miles from their depôt, and if they found the looked-for amount of fuel and food there, and if the surface helped them, scott hoped that they might get on to the mt. hooper depôt, miles farther, but not to one ton camp. 'we hope against hope that the dogs have been to mt. hooper; then we might pull through.... we are only kept going by good food. no wind this morning till a chill northerly air came ahead. sun bright and cairns showing up well. i should like to keep the track to the end.' another fearful struggle took them by lunch-time [page ] on the th to within - / miles of their next goal, but the time spent over foot-gear in the mornings was getting longer and longer. 'have to wait in night footgear for nearly an hour before i start changing, and then am generally first to be ready. wilson's feet giving trouble now, but this mainly because he gives so much help to others.... the great question is, what shall we find at the depôt? if the dogs have visited it we may get along a good distance, but if there is another short allowance of fuel, god help us indeed. we are in a very bad way, i fear, in any case.' on the following day they managed to struggle on to mount hooper depôt. 'cold comfort. shortage on our allowance all round. i don't know that anyone is to blame. the dogs which would have been our salvation have evidently failed.' [for the last six days cherry-garrard and demetri had been waiting with the dogs at one ton camp. scott had dated his probable return to hut point anywhere between mid-march and early april, and calculating from the speed of the other return parties atkinson expected him to reach one ton camp between march and . there cherry-garrard met four days of blizzard, with the result that when the weather cleared he had little more than enough dog food to take the teams home. under these circumstances only two possible courses were open to him, either to push south for one more march and back with imminent risk of missing scott on the way, or to stay two days at the camp where scott was bound to come, [page ] if he came at all. wisely he took the latter course and stayed at one ton camp until the utmost limit of time.] with the depôt reached and no relief to the situation gained, scott was forced to admit that things were going 'steadily downhill,' but for the time being oates' condition was by far the most absorbing trouble. 'oates' foot worse,' he wrote on the th. 'he has rare pluck and must know that he can never get through. he asked wilson if he had a chance this morning, and of course bill had to say he didn't know. in point of fact he has none. apart from him, if he went under now, i doubt whether we could get through. with great care we might have a dog's chance, but no more.... poor chap! it is too pathetic to watch him; one cannot but try to cheer him up.' on this same day a blizzard met them after they had marched for half an hour, and scott seeing that not one of them could face such weather, pitched camp and stayed there until the following morning. then they struggled on again with the sky so overcast that they could see nothing and consequently lost the tracks. at the most they gained little more than six miles during the day, and this they knew was as much as they could hope to do if they got no help from wind or surfaces. 'we have days' food and should be about miles from one ton camp to-night, x = , leaving us miles short of our distance, even if things get no worse.' oates too was, scott felt, getting very near the end. 'what we or he will do, god only knows. we [page ] discussed the matter after breakfast; he is a brave fine fellow and understands the situation, but he practically asked for advice. nothing could be said but to urge him to march as long as he could. one satisfactory result to the discussion: i practically ordered wilson to hand over the means of ending our troubles to us, so that any of us may know how to do so. wilson had no choice between doing so and our ransacking the medicine case.' thus scott wrote on the th, and the next days brought more and more misfortunes with them. a strong northerly wind stopped them altogether on the th, and although on the following morning they started with a favorable breeze, it soon shifted and blew through their wind-clothes and their mitts. 'poor wilson horribly cold, could not get off ski for some time. bowers and i practically made camp, and when we got into the tent at last we were all deadly cold.... we _must_ go on, but now the making of every camp must be more difficult and dangerous. it must be near the end, but a pretty merciful end.... i shudder to think what it will be like to-morrow.' up to this time, incredible as it seems, scott had only once spared himself the agony of writing in his journal, so nothing could be more pathetic and significant than the fact that at last he was unable any longer to keep a daily record of this magnificent journey. 'friday, march or saturday . lost track of dates, but think the last correct,' his next entry begins, but then under the most [page ] unendurable conditions he went on to pay a last and imperishable tribute to his dead companion. 'tragedy all along the line. at lunch, the day before yesterday, poor titus oates said he couldn't go on; he proposed we should leave him in his sleeping-bag. that we could not do, and we induced him to come on, on the afternoon march. in spite of its awful nature for him he struggled on and we made a few miles. at night he was worse and we knew the end had come. 'should this be found i want these facts recorded. oates' last thoughts were of his mother, but immediately before he took pride in thinking that his regiment would be pleased with the bold way in which he met his death. we can testify to his bravery. he has borne intense suffering for weeks without complaint, and to the very last was able and willing to discuss outside subjects. he did not--would not--give up hope till the very end. he was a brave soul. this was the end. he slept through the night before last, hoping not to wake; but he woke in the morning--yesterday. it was blowing a blizzard. he said, "i am just going outside and may be some time." he went out into the blizzard and we have not seen him since. 'i take this opportunity of saying that we have stuck to our sick companions to the last. in case of edgar evans, when absolutely out of food and he lay insensible, the safety of the remainder seemed to demand his abandonment, but providence mercifully removed him at this critical moment. he died [page ] a natural death, and we did not leave him till two hours after his death. 'we knew that poor oates was walking to his death, but though we tried to dissuade him, we knew it was the act of a brave man and an english gentleman. we all hope to meet the end with a similar spirit, and assuredly the end is not far. 'i can only write at lunch and then only occasionally. the cold is intense, - ° at mid-day. my companions are unendingly cheerful, but we are all on the verge of serious frost-bites, and though we constantly talk of fetching through i don't think anyone of us believes it in his heart. 'we are cold on the march now, and at all times except meals. yesterday we had to lay up for a blizzard and to-day we move dreadfully slowly. we are at no. pony camp, only two pony marches from one ton depôt. we leave here our theodolite, a camera, and oates' sleeping-bags. diaries, etc., and geological specimens carried at wilson's special request, will be found with us or on our sledge.' at mid-day on the next day, march , they had struggled to within miles of one ton depôt, but wind and drift came on and they had to stop their march. 'no human being could face it, and we are worn out _nearly_. 'my right foot has gone, nearly all the toes--two days ago i was the proud possessor of best feet. these are the steps of my downfall. like an ass i mixed a spoonful of curry powder with my melted pemmican--it [page ] gave me violent indigestion. i lay awake and in pain all night; woke and felt done on the march; foot went and i didn't know it. a very small measure of neglect and have a foot which is not pleasant to contemplate. 'bowers takes first place in condition, but there is not much to choose after all. the others are still confident of getting through--or pretend to be--i don't know! we have the last _half_ fill of oil in our primus and a very small quantity of spirit--this alone between us and thirst.' on that night camp was made with the greatest difficulty, but after a supper of cold pemmican and biscuit and half a pannikin of cocoa, they were, contrary to their expectations, warm enough to get some sleep. then came the closing stages of this glorious struggle against persistent misfortune. '_march_ .--lunch. to-day we started in the usual dragging manner. sledge dreadfully heavy. we are - / miles from the depôt and ought to get there in three days. what progress! we have two days' food but barely a day's fuel. all our feet are getting bad--wilson's best, my right foot worst, left all right. there is no chance to nurse one's feet till we can get hot food into us. amputation is the least i can hope for now, but will the trouble spread? that is the serious question. the weather doesn't give us a chance; the wind from n. to n. w. and - temp. to-day. [illustration] [page ] during the afternoon they drew - / miles nearer to the one ton depôt, and there they made their last camp. throughout tuesday a severe blizzard held them prisoners, and on the st scott wrote: 'to-day forlorn hope, wilson and bowers going to depôt for fuel.' but the blizzard continued without intermission. ' and . blizzard bad as ever--wilson and bowers unable to start--to-morrow last chance--no fuel and only one or two of food left--must be near the end. have decided it shall be natural--we shall march for the depôt with or without our effects and die in our tracks.' '_march_ .--since the st we have had a continuous gale from w.s.w. and s.w. we had fuel to make two cups of tea apiece, and bare food for two days on the th. every day we have been ready to start for our depôt _miles_ away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of whirling drift. i do not think we can hope for any better things now. we shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far. 'it seems a pity, but i do not think i can write more. 'r. scott. 'last entry for god's sake look after our people.' [page ] after cherry-garrard and demetri had returned to hut point on march without having seen any signs of the polar party, atkinson and keohane made one more desperate effort to find them. when, however, this had been unsuccessful there was nothing more to be done until the winter was over. during this long and anxious time the leadership of the party devolved upon atkinson, who under the most trying circumstances showed qualities that are beyond all praise. at the earliest possible moment (october ) a large party started south. 'on the night of the th and morning of the th,' atkinson says, 'after we had marched miles due south of one ton, we found the tent. it was an object partially snowed up and looking like a cairn. before it were the ski sticks and in front of them a bamboo which probably was the mast of the sledge... 'inside the tent were the bodies of captain scott, doctor wilson, and lieutenant bowers. they had pitched their tent well, and it had withstood all the blizzards of an exceptionally hard winter.' wilson and bowers were found in the attitude of sleep, their sleeping-bags closed over their heads as they would naturally close them. [illustration: 'the last rest'. the grave of capt. scott, dr. wilson, and lieut. bowers. _photo by lieut. t. gran._] scott died later. he had thrown back the flaps of his sleeping-bag and opened his coat. the little wallet [page ] containing the three notebooks was under his shoulders and his arm flung across wilson. among their belongings were the lbs. of most important geological specimens which had been collected on the moraines of the beardmore glacier. at wilson's request they had clung on to these to the very end, though disaster stared them in the face. 'when everything had been gathered up, we covered them with the outer tent and read the burial service. from this time until well into the next day we started to build a mighty cairn above them.' upon the cairn a rough cross, made from two skis, was placed, and on either side were up-ended two sledges, fixed firmly in the snow. between the eastern sledge and the cairn a bamboo was placed, containing a metal cylinder, and in this the following record was left: 'november , , lat. degrees, mins. south. this cross and cairn are erected over the bodies of captain scott, c.v.o., r.n., doctor e. a. wilson, m.b. b.c., cantab., and lieutenant h. r. bowers, royal indian marine--a slight token to perpetuate their successful and gallant attempt to reach the pole. this they did on january , , after the norwegian expedition had already done so. inclement weather with lack of fuel was the cause of their death. also to commemorate their two gallant comrades, captain l. e. g. oates of the inniskilling dragoons, who walked to his death [page ] in a blizzard to save his comrades about eighteen miles south of this position; also of seaman edgar evans, who died at the foot of the beardmore glacier. '"the lord gave and the lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the lord."' [page ] with the diaries in the tent were found the following letters:-- _to mrs. e. a. wilson_ my dear mrs. wilson, if this letter reaches you bill and i will have gone out together. we are very near it now and i should like you to know how splendid he was at the end--everlastingly cheerful and ready to sacrifice himself for others, never a word of blame to me for leading him into this mess. he is not suffering, luckily, at least only minor discomforts. his eyes have a comfortable blue look of hope and his mind is peaceful with the satisfaction of his faith in regarding himself as part of the great scheme of the almighty. i can do no more to comfort you than to tell you that he died as he lived, a brave, true man--the best of comrades and staunchest of friends. my whole heart goes out to you in pity. yours, r. scott. _to mrs. bowers_ my dear mrs. bowers, i am afraid this will reach you after one of the heaviest blows of your life. i write when we are very near the end of our journey, and i am finishing it in company with two gallant, noble gentlemen. one of these is your son. he [page ] had come be one of my closest and soundest friends, and i appreciate his wonderful upright nature, his ability and energy. as the troubles have thickened his dauntless spirit ever shone brighter and he has remained cheerful, hopeful, and indomitable to the end. the ways of providence are inscrutable, but there must be some reason why such a young, vigorous and promising life is taken. my whole heart goes out in pity for you. yours, r. scott. to the end he has talked of you and his sisters. one sees what a happy home he must have had and perhaps it is well to look back on nothing but happiness. he remains unselfish, self-reliant and splendidly hopeful to the end, believing in god's mercy to you. _to sir j. m. barrie_ my dear barrie, we are pegging out in a very comfortless spot. hoping this letter may be found and sent to you, i write a word of farewell.... more practically i want you to help my widow and my boy--your godson. we are showing that englishmen can still die with a bold spirit, fighting it out to the end. it will be known that we have accomplished our object in reaching the pole, and that we have done everything [page ] possible, even to sacrificing ourselves in order to save sick companions. i think this makes an example for englishmen of the future, and that the country ought to help those who are left behind to mourn us. i leave my poor girl and your godson, wilson leaves a widow, and edgar evans also a widow in humble circumstances. do what you can to get their claims recognized. goodbye. i am not at all afraid of the end, but sad to miss many a humble pleasure which i had planned for the future on our long marches. i may not have proved a great explorer, but we have done the greatest march ever made and come very near to great success. goodbye, my dear friend. yours ever, r. scott. we are in a desperate state, feet frozen, etc. no fuel and a long way from food, but it would do your heart good to be in our tent, to hear our songs and the cheery conversation as to what we will do when we get to hut point. _later_.--we are very near the end, but have not and will not lose our good cheer. we have four days of storm in our tent and no where's food or fuel. we did intend to finish ourselves when things proved like this, but we have decided to die naturally in the track. as a dying man, my dear friend, be good to my wife and child. give the boy a chance in life if the state won't do it. he ought to have good stuff in him.... i never met a man in my life whom i admired and [page ] loved more than you, but i never could show you how much your friendship meant to me, for you had much to give and i nothing. _to the right hon. sir edgar speyer, bart._ dated march , . lat. . °. my dear sir edgar, i hope this may reach you. i fear we must go and that it leaves the expedition in a bad muddle. but we have been to the pole and we shall die like gentlemen. i regret only for the women we leave behind. i thank you a thousand times for your help and support and your generous kindness. if this diary is found it will show how we stuck by dying companions and fought the thing out well to the end. i think this will show that the spirit of pluck and the power to endure has not passed out of our race.... wilson, the best fellow that ever stepped, has sacrificed himself again and again to the sick men of the party.... i write to many friends hoping the letters will reach them some time after we are found next year. we very nearly came through, and it's a pity to have missed it, but lately i have felt that we have overshot our mark. no one is to blame and i hope no attempt will be made to suggest that we have lacked support. goodbye to you and your dear kind wife. yours ever sincerely, r. scott. [page ] _to vice-admiral sir francis charles bridgeman, k.c.v.o., k.c.b._ my dear sir francis, i fear we have slipped up; a close shave; i am writing a few letters which i hope will be delivered some day. i want to thank you for the friendship you gave me of late years, and to tell you how extraordinarily pleasant i found it to serve under you. i want to tell you that i was _not_ too old for this job. it was the younger men that went under first.... after all we are setting a good example to our countrymen, if not by getting into a tight place, by facing it like men when we were there. we could have come through had we neglected the sick. good-bye, and good-bye to dear lady bridgeman. yours ever, r. scott. excuse writing--it is - °; and has been for nigh a month. _to vice-admiral sir george le clerc egerton, k.c.b._ my dear sir george, i fear we have shot our bolt--but we have been to pole and done the longest journey on record. i hope these letters may find their destination some day. subsidiary reasons for our failure to return are due to the sickness of different members of the party, but [page ] the real thing that has stopped us is the awful weather and unexpected cold towards the end of the journey. this traverse of the barrier has been quite three times as severe as any experience we had on the summit. there is no accounting for it, but the result has thrown out my calculations, and here we are little more than miles from the base and petering out. good-bye. please see my widow is looked after as far as admiralty is concerned. r. scott. my kindest regards to lady egerton. i can never forget all your kindness. _to mr. j. j. kinsey-christchurch._ march th, . my dear kinsey, i'm afraid we are pretty well done--four days of blizzard just as we were getting to the last dopôt. my thoughts have been with you often. you have been a brick. you will pull the expedition through, i'm sure. my thoughts are for my wife and boy. will you do what you can for them if the country won't. i want the boy to have a good chance in the world, but you know the circumstances well enough. if i knew the wife and boy were in safe keeping i should have little to regret in leaving the world, for i feel that the country need not be ashamed of us--our [page ] journey has been the biggest on record, and nothing but the most exceptional hard luck at the end would have caused us to fail to return. we have been to the s. pole as we set out. god bless you and dear mrs. kinsey. it is good to remember you and your kindness. your friend, r. scott. letters to his mother, his wife, his brother-in-law (sir william ellison macartney), admiral sir lewis beaumont, and mr. and mrs. reginald smith were also found, from which come the following extracts: the great god has called me and i feel it will add a fearful blow to the heavy ones that have fallen on you in life. but take comfort in that i die at peace with the world and myself--not afraid. indeed it has been most singularly unfortunate, for the risks i have taken never seemed excessive. ...i want to tell you that we have missed getting through by a narrow margin which was justifiably within the risk of such a journey.... after all, we have given our lives for our country--we have actually made the longest journey on record, and we have been the first englishmen at the south pole. you must understand that it is too cold to write much. ...it's a pity the luck doesn't come our way, because every detail of equipment is right. [page ] i shall not have suffered any pain, but leave the world fresh from harness and full of good health and vigour. this is decided already--when provisions come to an end we simply stop unless we are within easy distance of another depôt. therefore you must not imagine a great tragedy. we are very anxious of course, and have been for weeks, but our splendid physical condition and our appetites compensate for all discomfort. since writing the above we got to within miles of our depôt, with one hot meal and two days' cold food. we should have got through but have been held for _four_ days by a frightful storm. i think the best chance has gone. we have decided not to kill ourselves, but to fight to the last for that depôt, but in the fighting there is a painless end. so don't worry. the inevitable must be faced. you urged me to be leader of this party, and i know you felt it would be dangerous. make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games; they encourage it at some schools. i know you will keep him in the open air. above all, he must guard and you must guard him against indolence. make him a strenuous man. i had to force myself into being strenuous as you know--had always an inclination to be idle. there is a piece of the union jack i put up at the south pole in my private kit bag, together with amundsen's black flag and other trifles. send a small [page ] piece of the union jack to the king and a small piece to queen alexandra. what lots and lots i could tell you of this journey. how much better has it been than lounging in too great comfort at home. what tales you would have for the boy. but what a price to pay. tell sir clements i thought much of him and never regretted his putting me in command of the _discovery_. [page ] message to the public the causes of the disaster are not due to faulty organization, but to misfortune in all risks which had to be undertaken. . the loss of pony transport in march obliged me to start later than i had intended, and obliged the limits of stuff transported to be narrowed. . the weather throughout the outward journey, and especially the long gale in ° s., stopped us. . the soft snow in lower reaches of glacier again reduced pace. we fought these untoward events with a will and conquered, but it cut into our provision reserve. every detail of our food supplies, clothing and depôts made on the interior ice-sheet and over that long stretch of miles to the pole and back, worked out to perfection. the advance party would have returned to the glacier in fine form and with surplus of food, but for the astonishing failure of the man whom we had least expected to fail. edgar evans was thought the strongest man of the party. the beardmore glacier is not difficult in fine weather, but on our return we did not get a single completely fine day; this with a sick companion enormously increased our anxieties. as i have said elsewhere we got into frightfully rough ice and edgar evans received a concussion of [page ] the brain--he died a natural death, but left us a shaken party with the season unduly advanced. but all the facts above enumerated were as nothing to the surprise which awaited us on the barrier. i maintain that our arrangements for returning were quite adequate, and that no one in the world would have expected the temperatures and surfaces which we encountered at this time of the year. on the summit in lat. °, ° we had - °, - °. on the barrier in lat. °, , feet lower, we had - ° in the day, - ° at night pretty regularly, with continuous head wind during our day marches. it is clear that these circumstances come on very suddenly, and our wreck is certainly due to this sudden advent of severe weather, which does not seem to have any satisfactory cause. i do not think human beings ever came through such a month as we have come through, and we should have got through in spite of the weather but for the sickening of a second companion, captain oates, and a shortage of fuel in our depôts for which i cannot account, and finally, but for the storm which has fallen on us within miles of the depôt at which we hoped to secure our final supplies. surely misfortune could scarcely have exceeded this last blow. we arrived within miles of our old one ton camp with fuel for one last meal and food for two days. for four days we have been unable to leave the tent--the gale howling about us. we are weak, writing is difficult, but for my own sake i do not regret this [page ] journey, which has shewn that englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past. we took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of providence, determined still to do our best to the last. but if we have been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honour of our country, i appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend on us are properly cared for. had we lived, i should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every englishman. these rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for. r. scott. [illustration: british antarctic expedition - . track chart of main southern journey.] index abbott, george p., p.o. , , adélie land admiralty, the, , , - , , alaska _albemarle_, h.m.s., albert medal, the, alexandra, queen, , alpine rope, - , , , _amphion_, h.m.s., amundsen, roald, - , , , , , anton, groom, , , , , , , archer, w. w., chief steward, armitage, lieut. a. b., , , , , , , , , , , - , , arnold, m., _quoted_, , arrival bay, heights, , athletic sports, - atkinson, edward l., surgeon, r.n., parasitologist, , , , , , , , , , , - , , - , _seq._, , , - , , , , , , , - , - , , , - auckland islands, australia, government of, balaclave helmets, balfour, rt. ron. a. j., balleny, capt. john, islands, - balloons, ascents of, , barne, lieut. michael, , , , , , _seq._, , , - , , , , , - , , , , , glacier, barrie, sir j. m., letter to, - barrier, great ice, , _seq._, , , , , - , , , , _seq._, , , , , bay of whales, - beaumont, admiral sir lewis, beppo, pony, berlin, , bernacchi, louis c., physicist, , , , , - , , , , birdie, dog, - , birthday, celebrations of, - biscay, bay of, bismarck, dog, bjaaland, olav olavson, blanco, dog, blissett, a. h., _blizzard, the_, blossom, pony, blucher, pony, , , bluff, the, camp, , boats, mishap to, , , , bones, pony, , bonner, charles, - borchgrevink, boss, dog, bowers, lieut. h. r., , , , , - , - , , , , - , - , , , , - , - , , , - , , - , - , , , , , - , , - , , , - , , , , , _seq._ bowers, mrs., letter to, - bridgeman, admiral, sir f. c., letter to, _britannia, the_, british museum, the, brownie, dog, , - browning, e. b., _quoted_, browning, frank v., p.o., , bruce, canon lloyd, bruce, kathleen, bruce, lieut. wilfred m., , buckingham palace road, _bulwark_, h.m.s., burlington house, butter point, , , campbell, lieut. victor l. a., , , , , , , , , - , , - , , cape adare, , , , armitage, , , , bernacchi, bird, crozier, , , , , , , , - , - , , - , crozier party, , - , evans, , - , , , , , - , , , - , , , jones, mackay, north, , , , , of good hope, - royds, , , sibbald, wadworth, washington, , cardiff, , castle rock, , , , , , cheetham, alfred b., boatswain, cherry-garrard, apsley, assistant zoologist, , , , - , - , - , - , - , , - , , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , chinaman, pony, , , - , - , , - , - christiania, christopher, pony, - , - , , , , , clarke, charles, ship's cook, clissold, thomas, cook, , , , , , , , , coal, , , , , - , colbeck, captain william, - , , , - , , , coleridge, _quoted_, colville, rear-admiral, commonwealth range, cook, capt. james, corner camp, , , , , , , , coulman islands, , , crater heights, , hill, , , crean, thomas, p.o., , , , , , - , , , - , , , , , , , , , , , - cross, jacob, p.o., , , - 'cruise of the _beagle_,' cuts, pony, , dailey, f. e., carpenter, , , darwin, charles, day, bernard c., motor engineer, , , , - , , - , , , , , , - , , debenham, frank, geologist, , , , , , - , , , - , dellbridge, james h., nd engineer, islets, demetri, dog driver, , , - , , , , , , , , , dennistoun, james r., depôt nunatak, desolation camp, _discovery_ expedition, , last expedition, dickason, harry, a.b., , _discovery_, the fifth, dog food, dogs, , - , - , _seq._, - , , , , , , _seq._, , , - , , , _seq._, douglas, sir archibald, drake, francis r. h., assistant paymaster, , dundee, , , shipbuilding company, east india docks, edward vii, king, egerton, admiral sir george, k.c.b., , , , - (letter to) enderby quadrant, entertainments, , , erebus tongue, esquimault. b.c., esquimaux, , evans, lieut. e. r. g. r., , , - , , , - , , , , , , , - , - , , - , - , , , , , - evans, p.o., , , - , , , , , , _seq._, - , , , , , , , - , , , - , , - , - , , , , , - , , falkland islands, feather, thomas a., boatswain, - , , , , - fefer, ferrar, hartley t., , , , , , , , , , glacier, - , , - , finance committee, - fire, alarm of, fisher, admiral sir john, fitzclarence, dog, football, , forde, robert, p.o., , , , , , , , , , , , , - _fram_, the, , franklin island, franz-josef land, gap, the, , gateway, the, geological specimens, - , , gerof, demetri. _see_ demetri glacier, the beardmore, , - , , , , , , _seq._, , , - glacier depôt, , tongue, , , - , , , - , , gran tryggve, ski expert, , , , , , , - , , , , , - , , , , granite harbor, , grannie, dog, gus, dog, , haakon, king, hackenschmidt, pony, half-degree depôt, hamilton, b. t., hampton court palace, handsley. jesse, a.b., , , - , , - hanson, hanssen, hilmer, hare, , , - hassel, sverre h., heald, william l., a.b., , , , henley, w. e., _quoted_, 'hints to travelers', - hobart town, hockey, hodgson, thomas v., , , , , hooper, f. j., steward, , , , , , - hoskins, sir anthony, hut, the _discovery_, , - , , , , _seq._, at cape evans, , , _seq._, _seq._ point, , , , - , , , - , , - , , , , , , , , , - , , , hutton rocks, huxley, _quoted_, icebergs, inaccessible island, , jackson-harmsworth expedition, jehu, pony, , , - , , - , - , jim, dog, - , - , joe, dog, kennar, thomas, p.o., , keohane, patrick, p.o., , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , kid, dog, - , king edward's island, , , , kinsey, j. j., letter to, - kipling, rudyard, _quoted_, koettlitz, reginald, surgeon and botanist, , , , _seq._, , , , lantaret, lashly, william, leading stoker, , , , , , , _seq._, , , , , , - , , , , , , - , , - , , - lectures, , , , - levick, g. murray, surgeon, r.n., , lewis, dog, - , lillehammer, lillie, denis g., biologist, , london docks, , lower glacier depôt, , , lyttelton, - , - heads, , macartney, sir william ellison, mackay, captain harry, , macquarie island, , , magnetic huts, observatory, magnetism, _majestic_, h.m.s., , , , markham, sir clements, , , , , , _seq._ (preface), markham, lady, mcmurdo sound, , , , , , , , meares, cecil h., in charge of dogs, , , , - , , , , - , - , - , - , , , , , , , , , - , - , , , , , , merchant shipping act, meridians, message to the public, - meteorological observations, , , , screens, , michael, pony, , middle barrier depôt, , , midwinter celebrations, - milton, _quoted_, monument rock, _morning_, the, , , , - , _seq._, , motor sledges, , - , , - , , , - , - , mount buckley, - cloudmaker, - darwin, , , , discovery, erebus, , , , hooper depôt, , hope, longstaff, markham, melbourne, monteagle, murchison, sabine, terror, whewell, mulock, lieut. george f. a., , , , , , , , nansen, dr., , , , naval discipline act, nell, dog, , - , - , nelson, edward w., biologist, , , , , - , , , - newbolt, henry, _quoted_, new harbor, , , newnes, sir george, new zealand, , , , , new zealand, government of, nigger, dog, , - , - , nobby, pony, , , , , - , , northern party, , - norway, , norwegians, the, - oates, capt. lawrence, e.g., , , , , , - , , , - , , , - , , , , , , - , - , , , - , , , - , - , , - , , _seq._ outlands, , observatory hill, , , oil, shortage of, - , , , 'old mooney,' , , omelchenko, anton. _see_ anton one ton camp, , , - , , - , , , osman, dog, - p. and o. company, pack-ice, _seq._, , , , , - , parry mountains, peary, lieutenant, penguins, , , , , emperor, , , , , , , , king, pennell, lieut. h. l. l., , , , petrels, antarctic, giant, southern fulmar, white snow, wilson stormy, pigg, james, pony, , , , , , , , , , plumley, frank, stoker, , pole, the south, _seq._ camp, ponies, the, - , , , , , _seq._, - , - , , , _seq._ ponting, herbert g., camera artist, , , - , , - , , , , , , , port chalmers, , , , ross, stanley, possession islands, pram point, , bay, ridges, _president_, h.m.s., pressure ridges, priestley, raymond e., geologist, , , , proverbs, _quoted_, punch, pony, , quartley, arthur l., leading stoker, , , - , , razor back islands, , rennick, lieut. henry e. de p., , roberston bay, , rodd, sir rennell, _quoted_, ross, sir james, , , , - , - ross harbor, island, , , quadrant, sea, _rover_, h.m.s., royal geographical society, royal society, royds, lieut. charles w. r., , , , _seq._, - , , - , , , , , , , , , russell islands, safety camp, - , - , , - , - , , , - san francisco, sawing-camp, , - _saxon_, s.s., scamp, dog, scott, john edward, scott, lady, extracts from letters to, , , , _et passim_ scott, mrs., extract from letter to, scott of brownhead, scott, peter markham, scurvy, - , , , , , , sea leopard, elephant, seals, , , , crab-eater, ross, shackleton, sir ernest h., , , , _seq._, , , , , , , , , shackleton's hut, shakespeare, _quoted_, , , , shambles camp, , shelley, _quoted_, , ship committee, , , simon's bay, , simpson. george c., meteorologist, , , , , - , , , skelton, lieut. reginald w., , , _seq._, - , , , , - , , , - , , - , ski, , , , , , , , - , , , , , , , ski-shoes, skua gulls, , , skuary, the, sledge equipment, , , sledges, , , , , sleeping-bags, , , , smith, mr. and mrs. reginald, smith's inlet, snatcher, dog, , pony, , , , snippets, pony, - , , , , snow-shoes, for ponies, , , , south africa, government of, southern barrier depôt, road, the, - south polar times, _discovery_ expedition, - last expedition, , - , spenser, _quoted_, speyer, sir edgar, letter to, spud, dog, - , stareek, dog, - stoke damerel, stripes, dog, stubbington house, fareham, sturge island, sun, eclipse of, sverdrup's 'new land', taylor, t. griffith, geologist, , , , , , - , - , , , , telephone, the, - tent, double, tent, island, , islet, _terra nova_, discovery expedition, - , _seq._, , last expedition, , , , , , , thermometer, minimum, , thomson, sir courtauld, three degree depôt, , - , , , transport, , turtle back island, uncle bill, pony, - uniform overcoat, union jack, the, , , , - upper glacier depôt, , , vic, dog, victor, pony, - , , , victoria, b.c., land, , , , , , , , , quadrant, _victorious_, h.m.s., vince, a. b., , - , , weary willy, pony, , , - weddell quadrant, weller, william j., a.b., , , western geological party ( ), , , ( ) , , western mountains, , whales, killer, - white island, , , wild, frank, - , , , , , wilkes, commodore, wilkes land, williams, william, engineer, , williamson, thomas s., p.o., , , wilson, dr. e. a., chief, the scientific staff (last expedition), zoologist, , - , - , - , , - , , , _seq._, - , , , - , , - , , , , - , , , , , , - , - , - , , , , , , - , - , - , , , , - , , - , - , - , , , , , - , , , _seq._ wilson, mrs., letter to, winter quarter bay, wisting, oscar, wolf, dog, - wolseley motor company, wood bay, , , wright, charles s., physicist, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , polaris of the snows by charles b. stilson all-story weekly _december , -january , _ "north! north! to the north, polaris. tell the world--ah, tell them--boy--the north! the north! you must go, polaris!" throwing the covers from his low couch, the old man arose and stood, a giant, tottering figure. higher and higher he towered. he tossed his arms high, his features became convulsed; his eyes glazed. in his throat the rising tide of dissolution choked his voice to a hoarse rattle. he swayed. with a last desperate rallying of his failing powers he extended his right arm and pointed to the north. then he fell, as a tree falls, quivered, and was still. his companion bent over the pallet, and with light, sure fingers closed his eyes. in all the world he knew, polaris never had seen a human being die. in all the world he now was utterly alone! he sat down at the foot of the cot, and for many minutes gazed steadily at the wall with fixed, unseeing eyes. a sputtering little lamp, which stood on a table in the center of the room, flickered and went out. the flames of the fireplace played strange tricks in the strange room. in their uncertain glare, the features of the dead man seemed to writhe uncannily. garments and hangings of the skins of beasts stirred in the wavering shadows, as though the ghosts of their one-time tenants were struggling to reassert their dominion. at the one door and the lone window the wind whispered, fretted, and shrieked. snow as fine and hard as the sands of the sea rasped across the panes. somewhere without a dog howled--the long, throaty ululation of the wolf breed. another joined in, and another, until a full score of canine voices wailed a weird requiem. unheeding, the living man sat as still as the dead. once, twice, thrice, a little clock struck a halting, uncertain stroke. when the fourth hour was passed it rattled crazily and stopped. the fire died away to embers; the embers paled to ashes. as though they were aware that something had gone awry, the dogs never ceased their baying. the wind rose higher and higher, and assailed the house with repeated shocks. pale-gray and changeless day that lay across a sea of snows peered furtively through the windows. at length the watcher relaxed his silent vigil. he arose, cast off his coat of white furs, stepped to the wall of the room opposite to the door, and shoved back a heavy wooden panel. a dark aperture was disclosed. he disappeared and came forth presently, carrying several large chunks of what appeared to be crumbling black rock. he threw them on the dying fire, where they snapped briskly, caught fire, and flamed brightly. they were coal. from a platform above the fireplace he dragged down a portion of the skinned carcass of a walrus. with the long, heavy-bladed knife from his belt he cut it into strips. laden with the meat, he opened the door and went out into the dim day. the house was set against the side of a cliff of solid, black, lusterless coal. a compact stockade of great boulders enclosed the front of the dwelling. from the back of the building, along the base of the cliff, ran a low shed of timber slabs, from which sounded the howling and worrying of the dogs. as polaris entered the stockade the clamor was redoubled. the rude plank at the front of the shed, which was its door, was shaken repeatedly as heavy bodies were hurled against it. kicking an accumulation of loose snow away from the door, the man took from its racks the bar which made it fast and let it drop forward. a reek of steam floated from its opening. a shaggy head was thrust forth, followed immediately by a great, gray body, which shot out as if propelled from a catapult. catching in its jaws the strip of flesh which the man dangled in front of the doorway, the brute dashed across the stockade and crouched against the wall, tearing at the meat. dog after dog piled pell-mell through the doorway, until at least twenty-five grizzled animals were distributed about the enclosure, bolting their meal of walrus-flesh. * * * * * for a few moments the man sat on the roof of the shed and watched the animals. although the raw flesh stiffened in the frigid air before even the jaws of the dogs could devour it and the wind cut like the lash of a whip, the man, coatless and with head and arms bared, seemed to mind neither the cold nor the blast. he had not the ruggedness of figure or the great height of the man who lay dead within the house. he was of considerably more than medium height, but so broad of shoulder and deep of chest that he seemed short. every line of his compact figure bespoke unusual strength--the wiry, swift strength of an animal. his arms, white and shapely, rippled with muscles at the least movement of his fingers. his hand were small, but powerfully shaped. his neck was straight and not long. the thews spread from it to his wide shoulders like those of a splendid athlete. the ears were set close above the angle of a firm jaw, and were nearly hidden in a mass of tawny, yellow hair, as fine as a woman's, which swept over his shoulders. above a square chin were full lips and a thin, aquiline nose. deep, brown eyes, fringed with black lashes, made a marked contrast with the fairness of his complexion and his yellow hair and brows. he was not more than twenty-four years old. presently he re-entered the house. the dogs flocked after him to the door, whining and rubbing against his legs, but he allowed none of them to enter with him. he stood before the dead man and, for the first time in many hours, he spoke: "for this day, my father, you have waited many years. i shall not delay. i will not fail you." from a skin sack he filled the small lamp with oil and lighted its wick with a splinter of blazing coal. he set it where its feeble light shone on the face of the dead. lifting the corpse, he composed its limbs and wrapped it in the great white pelt of a polar bear, tying it with many thongs. before he hid from view the quiet features he stood back with folded arms and bowed head. "i think he would have wished this," he whispered, and he sang softly that grand old hymn which has sped so many christian soldiers from their battlefield. "nearer, my god, to thee," he sang in a subdued, melodious baritone. from a shelf of books which hung on the wall he reached a leather-covered volume. "it was his religion," he muttered: "it may be mine," and he read from the book: "_i am the resurrection and the life, whoso believeth in me, even though he died_--" and on through the sonorous burial service. he dropped the book within the folds of the bearskin, covered the dead face, and made fast the robe. although the body was of great weight, he shouldered it without apparent effort, took the lamp in one hand, and passed through the panel in the wall. within the bowels of the cliff a large cavern had been hollowed in the coal. in a far corner a gray boulder had been hewn into the shape of a tombstone. on its face were carved side by side two words: "anne" and "stephen." at the foot of the stone were a mound and an open grave. he laid the body in the grave and covered it with earth and loose coal. again he paused, while the lamplight shone on the tomb. "may you rest in peace, o anne, my mother, and stephen, my father. i never knew you, my mother, and, my father, i knew not who you were nor who i am. i go to carry your message." * * * * * he rolled boulders onto the two mounds. the opening to the cave he walled up with other boulders, piling a heap of them and of large pieces of coal until it filled the low arch of the entrance. in the cabin he made preparations for a journey. one by one he threw on the fire books and other articles within the room, until little was left but skins and garments of fur and an assortment of barbaric weapons of the chase. last he dragged from under the cot a long, oaken chest. failing to find its key, he tore the lid from it with his strong hands. some articles of feminine wearing apparel which were within it he handled reverently, and at the same time curiously; for they were of cloth. wonderingly he ran his fingers over silk and fine laces. those he also burned. from the bottom of the chest he took a short, brown rifle and a brace of heavy revolvers of a pattern and caliber famous in the annals of the plainsmen. with them were belt and holsters. he counted the cartridges in the belt. forty there were, and in the chambers of the revolvers and the magazine of the rifle, eighteen more. fifty-eight shots with which to meet the perils that lay between himself and that world of men to the north--if, indeed, the passing years had not spoiled the ammunition. he divested himself of his clothing, bathed with melted snow-water, and dressed himself anew in white furs. an omelet of eggs of wild birds and a cutlet of walrus-flesh sufficed to stay his hunger, and he was ready to face the unknown. in the stockade was a strongly build sledge. polaris packed it with quantities of meat both fresh and dried, of which there was a large store in the cabin. what he did not pack on the sledge he threw to the eager dogs. he laid his harness out on the snow, cracked his long whip, and called up his team. "octavius, nero, julius." three powerful brutes bounded to him and took their places in the string. "juno, hector, pallas." three more grizzled snow-runners sprang into line. "marcus." the great, gray leader trotted sedately to the place at the head of the team. a seven-dog team it was, all of them bearing the names before which rome and greece had bowed. polaris added to the burden of the sledge the brown rifle, several spears, carved from oaken beams and tipped with steel, and a sealskin filled with boiled snow-water. on his last trip into the cabin he took from a drawer in the table a small, flat packet, sewn in membranous parchment. "this is to tell the world my father's message and to tell who i am," he said, and hid it in an inner pocket of his vest of furs. he buckled on the revolver-belt, took whip and staff from the fireside, and drove his dog-team out of the stockade onto the prairie of snow, closing the gate on the howling chorus left behind. he proceeded several hundred yards, then tethered his dogs with a word of admonition, and retraced his steps. in the stockade he did a strange and terrible thing. long used to seeing him depart from his team, the dogs had scattered and were mumbling their bones in various corners. "if i leave these behind me, they will perish miserably, or they will break out and follow, and i may not take them with me," he muttered. from dog to dog he passed. to each he spoke a word of farewell. each he caressed with a pat on the head. each he killed with a single grip of his muscular hands, gripping them at the nape of the neck, where the bones parted in his powerful fingers. silently and swiftly he proceeded until only one dog remained alive, old paulus, the patriarch of the pack. he bent over the animal, which raised its dim eyes to his and licked at his hands. "paulus, dear old friend that i have grown up with; farewell, paulus," he said. he pressed his face against the noble head of the dog. when he raised it tears were coursing down his cheeks. then paulus's spirit sped. two by two he dragged the bodies into the cabin. "of old a great general in that far world of men burned his ships that he might not turn back. i will not turn back," he murmured. with a splinter of blazing coal he fired the house and the dog-shed. he tore the gate of the stockade from its hinges and cast it into the ruins. with his great strength he toppled over the capping-stones of the wall, and left it a ruin also. . the first woman probably in all the world there was not the equal of the team of dogs which polaris had selected for his journey. their ancestors in the long ago had been the fierce, gray timberwolves of the north. carefully cross-bred, the strains in their blood were of the wolf, the great dane, and the mastiff; but the wolf strain held dominant. they had the loyalty of the mastiff, the strength of the great dane, and the tireless sinews of the wolf. from the environment of their rearing they were well furred and inured to the cold and hardships of the antarctic. they would travel far. polaris did not ride on the sledge. he ran with the dogs, as swift and tireless as they. a wonderful example of the adaptability to conditions of the human race, his upbringing had given him the strength and endurance of an animal. he had never seen the dog that he could not run down. he, too, would travel fast and far. in the nature of the land through which they journeyed on their first dash to the northward, there were few obstacles to quick progress. it was a prairie of snow, wind-swept, and stretching like a desert as far as eye could discern. occasionally were upcroppings of coal cliffs similar to the one where had been polaris's home. on the first drive they made a good fifty miles. need of sleep, more than fatigue, warned both man and beasts of camping-time. polaris, who seemed to have a definite point in view, urged on the dogs for an hour longer than was usual on an ordinary trip, and they came to the border of the immense snow-plain. to the northeast lay a ridge of what appeared to be snow-covered hills. beyond the edge of the white prairie was a forest of ice. millions of jagged monoliths stood and lay, jammed closely together, in every conceivable shape and angle. at some time a giant ice-flow had crashed down upon the land. it had fretted and torn at the shore, had heaved itself up, with its myriad gleaming tusks bared for destruction. then nature had laid upon it a calm, white hand, and had frozen it quiet and still and changeless. away to the east a path was open, which skirted the field of broken ice and led in toward the base of the hills. polaris did not take that path. he turned west, following the line of the ice-belt. presently he found what he sought. a narrow lane led into the heart of the iceberg. at the end of it, caught in the jaws of two giant bergs, hung fast, as it had hung for years, the sorry wreck of a stout ship. scarred and rent by the grinding of its prison-ice, and weather-beaten by the rasping of wind-driven snow in a land where the snow never melts, still on the square stern of the vessel could be read the dimming letters which spelled "yedda." polaris unharnessed the pack, and man and dogs crept on board the hulk. it was but a timber shell. much of the decking had been cut away, and everything movable had been taken from it for the building of the cabin and the shed, now in black ruins fifty miles to the south. in an angle of the ice-wall, a few yards from the ship, polaris pitched his camp and built a fire with timbers from the wreck. he struck his flame with a rudely fashioned tinder-box, catching the spark in fine scrapings of wood and nursing it with his breath. he fed the dogs and toasted meat for his own meal at the fire. with a large robe from the sledge he bedded the team snugly beside the fire. with his own parka of furs he clambered aboard the ship, found a bunk in the forecastle, and curled up for the night. several hours later hideous clamor broke his dreamless slumber. he started from the bunk and leaped from the ship's side into the ice-lane. every dog of the pack was bristling and snarling with rage. mixed with their uproar was a deeper, hoarser note of anger that came from the throat of no dog--a note which the man knew well. the team was bunched a few feet ahead of the fire as polaris came over the rail of the ship. almost shoulder to shoulder the seven crouched, every head pointed up the path. they were quivering from head to tail with anger, and seemed to be about to charge. whipping the dogs back, the son of the snows ran forward to meet the danger alone. he could afford to lose no dogs. he had forgotten the guns, but he bore weapons with which he was better acquainted. with a long-hafted spear in his hand and the knife loosened in his belt he bounded up the pathway and stood, wary but unafraid, fronting an immense white bear. he was not a moment too soon. the huge animal had set himself for the charge, and in another instant would have hurled its enormous weight down on the dogs. the beast hesitated, confronted by this new enemy, and sat back on its haunches to consider. knowing his foe aforetime, polaris took that opportunity to deliver his own charge. he bounded forward and drove his tough spear with all his strength into the white chest below the throat. balanced as it was on its haunches, the shock of the man's onset upset the bear, and it rolled backward, a jet of blood spurting over its shaggy coat and, dyeing the snow. like a flash the man followed his advantage. before the brute could turn or recover polaris reached its back and drove his long-bladed knife under the left shoulder. twice he struck deep, and sprang aside. the battle was finished. the beast made a last mighty effort to rear erect, tearing at the spear-shaft, and went down under an avalanche of snarling, ferocious dogs. for the team could refrain from conflict no longer, and charged like a flying wedge to worry the dying foe. replenishing his store of meat with strips from the newly slain bear, polaris allowed the pack to make a famous meal on the carcass. when they were ready to take the trail again, he fired the ship with a blazing brand, and they trotted forth along the snow-path to the east with the skeleton of the stout old _yedda_ roaring and flaming behind them. * * * * * for days polaris pressed northward. to his right extended the range of the white hills. to the left was the seemingly endless ice-field that looked like the angry billows of a storm-tossed sea which had been arrested at the height of tempest, its white-capped, upthrown waves paralyzed cold and dead. down the shore-line, where his path lay, a fierce wind blew continuously and with increasing rigor. he was puzzled to find that instead of becoming warmer as he progressed to the north and away from the pole, the air was more frigid than it had been in his homeland. hardy as he was, there were times when the furious blasts chilled him to the bone and when his magnificent dogs flinched and whimpered. still he pushed on. the sledge grew lighter as the provisions were consumed, and there were few marches that did not cover forty miles. polaris slept with the dogs, huddled in robes. the very food they ate they must warm with the heat of their bodies before it could be devoured. there was no vestige of anything to make fuel for a camp-fire. he had covered some hundreds of miles when he found the contour of the country was changing. the chain of the hills swung sharply away to the east, and the path broadened, fanwise, east and west. an undulating plain of snow and ice-caps, rent by many fissures, lay ahead. this was the most difficult traveling of all. in the middle of their second march across the plain, the man noticed that his gray snow-coursers were uneasy. they threw their snouts up to the wind and growled angrily, scenting some unseen danger. although he had seen nothing larger than a fox since he entered the plain, bear signs had been frequent, and polaris welcomed a hunt to replenish his larder. he halted the team and outspanned the dogs so they would be unhampered by the sledge in case of attack. bidding them remain behind, he went to reconnoiter. he clambered to the summit of a snow-covered ice-crest and gazed ahead. a great joy welled into his heart, a thanksgiving so keen that it brought a mist to the eyes. he had found man! not a quarter of a mile ahead of him, standing in the lee of a low ridge, were two figures unmistakably human. at the instant he saw them the wind brought to his nostrils, sensitive as those of an animal, a strange scent that set his pulses bounding. he _smelled_ man and man's fire! a thin spiral of smoke was curling over the back of the ridge. he hurried forward. hidden by the undulations of slopes and drifts he approached within a few feet of them without being discovered. on the point of crying aloud to them he stopped, paralyzed, and crouched behind a drift. for these men to whom his heart called madly--the first of his own kind but one whom he had ever seen--were tearing at each other's throats like maddened beasts in an effort to take life! like a man in a dream, polaris heard their voices raised in curses. they struggled fiercely but weakly. they were on the brink of one of the deep fissures, or crevasses, which seamed this strange, forgotten land. each was striving to push the other into the chasm. then one who seemed the stronger wrenched himself free and struck the other in the face. the stricken man staggered, threw his arms above his head, toppled, and crashed down the precipice. polaris's first introduction to the civilization which he sought was murder! for those were civilized white men who had fought. they wore garments of cloth. revolvers hung from their belts. their speech, of which he had heard little but cursing, was civilized english. pale to the lips, the son of the wilderness leaped over the snow-drift and strode toward the survivor. in the teachings of his father, murder was the greatest of all crimes; its punishment was swift death. this man who stood on the brink of the chasm which had swallowed his companion had been the aggressor in the fight. he had struck first. he had killed. in the heart of polaris arose a terrible sense of outraged justice. this waif of the eternal snows became the law. the stranger turned and saw him. he started violently, paled, and then an angry flush mounted to his temples and an angry glint came into his eyes. his crime had been witnessed, and by a strange white man. his hand flew to his hip, and he swung a heavy revolver up and fired, speeding the bullet with a curse. he missed and would have fired again, but his hour had struck. with the precision of an automaton polaris snatched one of his own pistols from the holster. he raised it above the level of his shoulder, and fired on the drop. not for nothing had he spent long hours practicing with his father's guns, sighting and pulling the trigger countless times, although they were empty. the man in front of him staggered, dropped his pistol, and reeled dizzily. a stream of blood gushed from his lips. he choked, clawed at the air, and pitched backward. the chasm which had received his victim, received the murderer also. polaris heard a shrill scream to his right, and turned swiftly on his heel, automatically swinging up his revolver to meet a new peril. another being stood on the brow of the ridge--stood with clasped hands and horror-stricken eyes. clad almost the same as the others, there was yet a subtle difference which garments could not disguise. polaris leaned forward with his whole soul in his eyes. his hand fell to his side. he had made his second discovery. he had discovered woman! . polaris makes a promise both stood transfixed for a long moment--the man with the wonder that followed his anger, the woman with horror. polaris drew a deep breath and stepped a hesitating pace forward. the woman threw out her hands in a gesture of loathing. "murderer!" she said in a low, deep voice, choked with grief. "oh, my brother; my poor brother!" she threw herself on the snow, sobbing terribly. rooted to the spot by her repelling gesture, polaris watched her. so one of the men had been her brother. which one? his naturally clear mind began to reassert itself. "lady," he called softly. he did not attempt to go nearer to her. she raised her face from her arms, crept to her knees, and stared at him stonily. "well, murderer, finish your work," she said. "i am ready. ah, what had he--what had they done that you should take their lives?" "listen to me, lady," said polaris quietly. "you saw me--kill. was that man your brother?" the girl did not answer, but continued to gaze at him with horror-stricken eyes. her mouth quivered pitifully. "if that man was your brother, then i killed him, and with reason," pursued polaris calmly. "if he was not, then of your brother's death, at least, i am guiltless. i did but punish his slayer." "his _slayer_! what are you saying?" gasped the girl. polaris snapped open the breech of his revolver and emptied its cartridges into his hand. he took the other revolver from its holster and emptied it also. he laid the cartridge in his hand and extended it. "see," he said, "there are twelve cartridges, but only one empty shell. only two shots were fired--one by the man whom i killed, the other by me." he saw that he had her attention, and repeated his question: "was that man your brother?" "no," she answered. "then, you see, i could not have _shot_ your brother," said polaris. his face grew stern with the memory of the scene he had witnessed. "they quarreled, your brother and the other man. i came behind the drift yonder and saw them. i might have stopped them--but, lady, they were the first men i had ever seen, save only one. i was bound by surprise. the other man was stronger. he struck your brother into the crevasse. he would have shot me, but my mind returned to me, and with anger at that which i saw, and i killed him. "in proof, lady, see--the snow between me and the spot yonder where they stood is untracked. i have been no nearer." wonderingly the girl followed with her eyes and the direction of his pointing finger. she comprehended. "i--i believe you have told me the truth," she faltered. "they _had_ quarreled. but--but--you said they were the first men you had ever seen. how--what--" polaris crossed the intervening slope and stood at her side. "that is a long tale, lady," he said simply. "you are in distress. i would help you. let us go to your camp. come." the girl raised her eyes to his, and they gazed long at one another. polaris saw a slender figure of nearly his own height. she was clad in heavy woolen garments. a hooded cap framed the long oval of her face. the eyes that looked into his were steady and gray. long eyes they were, delicately turned at the corners. her nose was straight and high, its end tilted ever so slightly. full, crimson lips and a firm little chin peeped over the collar of her jacket. a wisp of chestnut hair swept her high brow and added its tale to a face that would have been accounted beautiful in any land. in the eyes of polaris she was divinity. the girl saw a young giant in the flower of his manhood. clad in splendid white furs of fox and bear, with a necklace of teeth of the polar bear for adornment, he resembled those magnificent barbarians of the northland's ancient sagas. his yellow hair had grown long, and fell about his shoulders under his fox-skin cap. the clean-cut lines of his face scarce were shaded by its growth of red-gold beard and mustache. except for the guns at his belt he might have been a young chief of vikings. his countenance was at once eager, thoughtful, and determined. barbaric and strange as he seemed, the girl found in his face that which she might trust. she removed a mitten and extended a small, white hand to him. falling on one knee in the snow, polaris kissed it, with the grace of a knight of old doing homage to his lady fair. the girl flashed him another wondering glance from her long, gray eyes that set all his senses tingling. side by side they passed over the ridge. disaster had overtaken the camp which lay on the other side. camp it was by courtesy only--a miserable shelter of blankets and robes, propped with pieces of broken sledge, a few utensils, the partially devoured carcass of a small seal, and a tiny fire, kindled from fragments of the sledge. in the snow some distance from the fire lay the stiffened bodies of several sledge dogs, sinister evidence of the hopelessness of the campers' position. polaris turned questioningly to the girl. "we were lost in the storm," she said. "we left the ship, meaning to be gone only a few hours, and then were lost in the blinding snow. that was three days ago. how many miles we wandered i do not know. the dogs became crazed and turned upon us. the men shot them. oh, there seems so little hope in this terrible land!" she shuddered. "but you--where did you come from?" "do not lose heart, lady," replied polaris. "always, in every land, there is hope. there must be. i have lived here all my life. i have come up from the far south. i know but one path--the path to the north, to the world of men. now i will fetch my sledge up, and then we shall talk and decide. we will find your ship. i, polaris, promise you that." he turned from her to the fire, and cast on its dying embers more fragments of the splintered sledge. his eyes shone. he muttered to himself: "a ship, a ship! ah, but my father's god is good to his son!" he set off across the snow slopes to bring up the pack. . hurled south again when his strong form had bounded from her view, the girl turned to the little hut and shut herself within. she cast herself on a heap of blankets, and gave way to her bereavement and terror. her brother's corpse was scarcely cold at the bottom of the abyss. she was lost in the trackless wastes--alone, save for this bizarre stranger who had come out of the snows, this man of strange saying, who seemed a demigod of the wilderness. could she trust him? she must. she recalled him kneeling in the snow, and the courtierlike grace with which he kissed her hand. a hot flush mounted to her eyes. she dried her tears. she heard him return to the camp, and heard the barking of the dogs. once he passed near the hut, but he did not intrude, and she remained within. womanlike, she set about the rearrangement of her hair and clothing. when she had finished she crept to the doorway and peeped out. again her blushes burned her cheeks. she saw the son of the snows crouched above the camp-fire, surrounded by a group of monstrous dogs. he had rubbed his face with oil. a bright blade glittered in his hand. polaris was _shaving_! presently she went out. the young man sprang to his feet, cracking his long whip to restrain the dogs, which would have sprung upon the stranger. they huddled away, their teeth bared, staring at her with glowing eyes. polaris seized one of them by the scruff of the neck, lifted it bodily from the snow, and swung it in front of the girl. "talk to him, lady," he said; "you must be friends. this is julius." the girl bent over and fearlessly stroked the brute's head. "julius, good dog," she said. at her touch the dog quivered and its hackles rose. under the caress of her hand it quieted gradually. the bristling hair relaxed, and julius's tail swung slowly to and fro in an overture of amity. when polaris loosed him, he sniffed in friendly fashion at the girl's hands, and pushed his great head forward for more caresses. then marcus, the grim leader of the pack, stalked majestically forward for his introduction. "ah, you have won marcus!" cried polaris. "and marcus won is a friend indeed. none of them would harm you now." soon she had learned the name and had the confidence of every dog of the pack, to the great delight of their master. among the effects in the camp was a small oil-stove, which polaris greeted with brightened eyes. "one like that we had, but it was worn out long ago," he said. he lighted the stove and began the preparation of a meal. she found that he had cleared the camp and put all in order. he had dragged the carcasses of the dead dogs to the other side of the slope and piled them there. his stock of meat was low, and his own dogs would have no qualms if it came to making their own meals of these strangers of their own kind. the girl produced from the remnants of the camp stores a few handfuls of coffee and an urn. polaris watched in wonderment as she brewed it over the tiny stove and his nose twitched in reception of its delicious aroma. they drank the steaming beverage, piping hot, from tin cups. in the stinging air of the snowlands even the keenest grief must give way to the pangs of hunger. the girl ate heartily of a meal that in a more moderate climate she would have considered fit only for beasts. when their supper was completed they sat huddled in their furs at the edge of the fire. around them were crouched the dogs, watching with eager eyes for any scraps which might fall to their share. "now tell me who you are, and how you came here," questioned the girl. "lady, my name is polaris, and i think that i am an american gentleman," he said, and a trace of pride crept into the words of the answer. "i came here from a cabin and a ship that lie burned many leagues to the southward. all my life i have lived there, with but one companion, my father, who now is dead, and who sends me to the north with a message to that world of men that lies beyond the snows, and from which he long was absent." "a ship--a cabin--" the girl bent toward him in amazement. "and burned? and you have lived--have grown up in this land of snow and ice and bitter cold, where but few things can exist--i don't understand!" "my father has told me much, but not all. it is all in his message which i have not seen," polaris answered. "but that which i tell you is truth. he was a seeker after new things. he came here to seek that which no other man had found. he came in a ship with my mother and others. all were dead before i came to knowledge. he had built a cabin from the ruins of the ship, and he lived there until he died." "and you say that you are an american gentleman?" "that he told me, lady, although i do not know my name or his, except that he was stephen, and he called me polaris." "and did he never try to get to the north?" asked the girl. "no. many years ago, when i was a boy, he fell and was hurt. after that he could do but little. he could not travel." "and you?" "i learned to seek food in the wilderness, lady; to battle with its beasts, to wrest that which would sustain our lives from the snows and the wastes." much more of his life and of his father he told her under her wondering questioning--a tale most incredible to her ears, but, as he said, the truth. finally he finished. "now, lady, what of you?" he asked. "how came you here, and from where?" "my name is rose--" "ah, that is the name of a flower," said polaris. "you were well named." he did not look at her as he spoke. his eyes were turned to the snow slopes and were very wistful. "i have never seen a flower," he continued slowly, "but my father said that of all created things they were the fairest." "i have another name," said the girl. "it is rose--rose emer." "and why did you come here, rose emer?" asked polaris. "like your father, i--we were seekers after new things, my brother and i. both our father and mother died, and left my brother john and myself ridiculously rich. we had to use our money, so we traveled. we have been over most of the world. then a man--an american gentleman--a very brave man, organized an expedition to come to the south to discover the south pole. my brother and i knew him. we were very much interested in his adventure. we helped him with it. then john insisted that he would come with the expedition, and--oh, they didn't wish me to come, but i never had been left behind--i came, too." "and that brave man who came to seek the pole, where is he now?" "perhaps he is dead--out there," said the girl, with a catch in her voice. she pointed to the south. "he left the ship and went on, days ago. he was to establish two camps with supplies. he carried an airship with him. he was to make his last dash for the pole through the air from the farther camp. his men were to wait for him until--until they were sure that he would not come back." "an airship!" polaris bent forward with sparkling eyes. "so there _are_ airships, then! ah, this man must be brave! how is he called?" "james scoland is the name--captain scoland." "he went on whence i came? did he go by that way?" polaris pointed where the white tops of the mountain range which he skirted pierced the sky. "no. he took a course to the east of the mountains, where other explorers of years before had been before him." "yes, i have seen maps. can you tell me where, or nearly where, we are now?" he asked the girl. "this is victoria land," she answered. "we left the ship in a long bay, extending in from ross sea, near where the th meridian joins the th parallel. we are somewhere within three days' journey from the ship." "and so near to open water?" she nodded. * * * * * rose emer slept in the little shelter, with the grim marcus curled on a robe beside her pallet. crouched among the dogs in the camp, polaris slept little. for hours he sat huddled, with his chin on his hands, pondering what the girl had told him. another man was on his way to the pole--a very brave man--and he might reach it. and then--polaris must be very wary when he met that man who had won so great a prize. "ah, my father," he sighed, "learning is mine through patience. history of the world and of its wars and triumphs and failures, i know. of its tongues you have taught me, even those of the roman and the greek, long since passed away; but how little do i know of the ways of men--and of women! i shall be very careful, my father." quite beyond any power of his to control, an antagonism was growing within him for that man whom he had not seen; antagonism that was not all due to the magnitude of the prize which the man might be winning, or might be dying for. indeed, had he been able to analyze it, that was the least part of it. when they broke camp for their start they found that the perverse wind, which had rested while they slept, had risen when they would journey, and hissed bitterly across the bleak steppes of snow. polaris made a place on the sledge for the girl, and urged the pack into the teeth of the gale. all day long they battled ahead in it, bearing left to the west, where was more level pathway, than among the snow dunes. in an ever increasing blast they came in sight of open water. they halted on a far-stretching field, much broken by huge masses, so snow-covered that it was not possible to know whether they were of rock or ice. not a quarter of a mile beyond them, the edge of the field was fretted by wind-lashed waves, which extended away to the horizon rim, dotted with tossing icebergs of great height. polaris pitched camp in the shelter of a towering cliff, and they made themselves what comfort they could in the stinging cold. they had slept several hours when the slumbers of polaris were pierced by a woman's screams, the frenzied howling of the dogs, and the thundering reverberations of grinding and crashing ice cliffs. a dash of spray splashed across his face. he sprang to his feet in the midst of the leaping pack; as he did so he felt the field beneath him sway and pitch like a hammock. for the first time since he started for the north the antarctic sun was shining brightly--shining cold and clear on a great disaster! for they had pitched their camp on an ice floe. whipped on by the gale, the sea had risen under it, heaved it up and broken it. on a section of the floe several acres in extent their little camp lay, at the very brink of a gash in the ice-field which had cut them off from the land over which they had come. the water was raging like a millrace through the widening rift between them and the shore. caught in a swift current and urged by the furious wind, the broken-up floe was drifting, faster and faster--_back to the south_! . battle on the floe helpless, polaris stood at the brink of the rift, swirling water and tossing ice throwing the spray about him in clouds. here was opposition against which his naked strength was useless. as if they realized that they were being parted from the firm land, the dogs grouped at the edge of the floe and sent their dismal howls across the raging swirl, only to be drowned by the din of the crashing icebergs. turning, polaris saw rose emer. she stood at the doorway of the tent of skins, staring across the wind-swept channel with a blank despair looking from her eyes. "ah, all is lost, now!" she gasped. then the great spirit of the man rose into spoken words. "no, lady," he called, his voice rising clearly above the shrieking and thundering pandemonium. "we yet have our lives." as he spoke there was a rending sound at his feet. the dogs sprang back in terror and huddled against the face of the ice cliff. torn away by the impact of some weightier body beneath, nearly half of the ledge where they stood was split from the main body of the floe, and plunged, heaving and crackling into the current. polaris saved himself by a mighty spring. right in the path of the gash lay the sledge, and it hung balanced at the edge of the ice floe. down it swung, and would have slipped over, but polaris saw it going. he clutched at the ends of the leathern dog-harness as they glided from him across the ice, and, with a tug, into which he put all the power of his splendid muscles, he retrieved the sledge. hardly had he dragged it to safety when, with another roar of sundered ice, their foothold gaped again and left them but a scanty shelf at the foot of the beetling berg. "here we may not stay, lady," said polaris. he swept the tent and its robes into his arms and piled them on the sledge. without waiting to harness the dogs, he grasped the leather bands and alone pulled the load along the ledge and around a shoulder of the cliff. at the other side of the cliff a ridge extended between the berg which they skirted and another towering mountain of ice of similar formation. beyond the twin bergs lay the level plane of the floe, its edges continually frayed by the attack of the waves and the onset of floating ice. along the incline of the ridge were several hollows partially filled with drift snow. knowing that on the ice cape, in such a tempest, they must soon perish miserably, polaris made camp in one of these depressions where the deep snow tempered the chill of its foundation. in the clutch of the churning waters the floe turned slowly like an immense wheel as it drifted in the current. its course was away from the shore to the southwest, and it gathered speed and momentum with every passing second. the cove from whence it had been torn was already a mere notch in the faraway shore line. around them was a scene of wild and compelling beauty. leagues and leagues of on-rushing water hurled its white-crested squadrons against the precipitous sides of the flotilla of icebergs, tore at the edges of the drifting floes, and threw itself in huge waves across the more level planes, inundating them repeatedly. clouds of lacelike spray hung in the air after each attack, and cascading torrents returned to the waves. above it all the antarctic sun shone gloriously, splintering its golden spears on the myriad pinnacles, minarets, battlements, and crags of towering masses of crystal that reflected back into the quivering air all the colors of the spectrum. thinner crests blazed flame-red in the rays. other points glittered coldly blue. from a thousand lesser scintillating spires the shifting play of the colors, from vermilion to purple, from green to gold, in the lavish magnificence of nature's magic, was torture to the eye that beheld. on the spine of the ridge stood polaris, leaning on his long spear and gazing with heightened color and gleaming eyes on those fairy symbols of old mother nature. to the girl who watched him he seemed to complete the picture. in his superb trappings of furs, and surrounded by his shaggy servants, he was at one with his weird and terrible surroundings. she admired--and shuddered. presently, when he came down from the ridge, she asked him, with a brave smile, "what, sir, will be the next move?" "that is in the hands of the great god, if such a one there be," he said. "whatever it may be, it shall find us ready. somewhere we must come to shore. when we do--on to the north and the ship, be it half a world away." "but for food and warmth? we must have those, if we are to go in the flesh." "already they are provided for," he replied quickly. he was peering sharply over her shoulder toward the mass of the other berg. with his words the clustered pack set up an angry snarling and baying. she followed his glance and paled. lumbering forth from a narrow pass at the extremity of the ridge was a gigantic polar bear. his little eyes glittered wickedly, hungrily, and his long, red tongue crept out and licked his slavering chops. as he came on, with ungainly, padding gait, his head swung ponderously to and fro. scarcely had he cleared the pass of his immense bulk when another twitching white muzzle was protruded, and a second beast, in size nearly equal to the first, set foot on the ridge and ambled on to the attack. reckless at least of this peril, the dogs would have leaped forward to close with the invaders but their master intervened. the stinging, cracking lash in his hand drove them from the foe. their overlord, man, elected to make the battle alone. in two springs he reached the sledge, tore the rifle from its coverings, and was at the side of the girl. he thrust the weapon into her hands. "back, lady; back to the sledge!" he cried. "unless i call, shoot not. if you do shoot, aim for the throat when they rear, and leave the rest to me and the dogs. many times have i met these enemies, and i know well how to deal with them." with another crack of the whip over the heads of the snarling pack, he left her and bounded forward, spear in hand and long knife bared. awkward of pace and unhurried, the snow kings came on to their feast. in a thought the man chose his ground. between him and the bears the ridge narrowed so that for a few feet there was footway for but one of the monsters at once. polaris ran to where that narrow path began and threw himself on his face on the ice. at that ruse the foremost bear hesitated. he reared and brushed his muzzle with his formidable crescent-clawed paw. polaris might have shot then and ended at once the hardest part of his battle. but the man held to a stubborn pride in his own weapons. both of the beasts he would slay, if he might, as he always had slain. his guns were reserved for dire extremity. the bear settled to all fours again, and reached out a cautious paw and felt along the path, its claws gouging seams in the ice. assured that the footing would hold, it crept out on the narrow way, nearer and nearer to the motionless man. scarce a yard from him it squatted. the steam of its breath beat toward him. it raised one armed paw to strike. the girl cried out in terror and raised the rifle. the man moved, and she hesitated. down came the terrible paw, its curved claws projected and compressed for the blow. it struck only the adamantine ice of the pathway, splintering it. with the down stroke timed to the second, the man had leaped up and forward. as though set on a steel spring, he vaulted into the air, above the clashing talons and gnashing jaws, and landed light and sure on the back of his ponderous adversary. to pass an arm under the bear's throat, to clip its back with the grip of his legs was the work of a heart-beat's time for polaris. with a stifled howl of rage the bear rose to its haunches, and the man rose with it. he gave it no time to turn or settle. exerting his muscles of steel, he tugged the huge head back. he swung clear from the body of his foe. his feet touched the path and held it. he shot one knee into the back of the bear. the spear he had dropped when he sprang, but his long knife gleamed in his hand, and he stabbed, once, twice, sending the blade home under the brute's shoulder. he released his grip; spurned the yielding body with his foot, and the huge hulk rolled from the path down the slope, crimsoning the snow with its blood. polaris bounded across the narrow ledge and regained his spear. he smiled as there arose from the foot of the slope a hideous clamor that told him that the pack had charged in, as usual, not to be restrained at sight of the kill. he waved his hand to the girl, who stood, statuelike, beside the sledge. doubly enraged at its inability to participate in the battle which had been the death of its mate, the smaller bear waited no longer when the path was clear, but rushed madly with lowered head. strong as he was, the man knew that he could not hope to stay or turn that avalanche of flesh and sinew. as it reached him he sprang aside where the path broadened, lashing out with his keen-edged spear. his aim was true. just over one of the small eyes the point of the spear bit deep, and blood followed it. with tigerish agility the man leaped over the beast, striking down as he did so. the bear reared on its hindquarters and whimpered, brushing at its eyes with its forepaws. its head gashed so that the flowing blood blinded it, it was beaten. before it stood its master. bending back until his body arched like a drawn bow, polaris poised his spear and thrust home at the broad chest. a death howl that was echoed back from the crashing cliffs was answer to his stroke. the bear settled forward and sprawled in the snow. polaris set his foot on the body of the fallen monster and gazed down at the girl with smiling face. "here, lady, are food and warmth for many days," he called. the romance of polar exploration interesting descriptions of arctic and antarctic adventure from the earliest time to the voyage of the "discovery" by g. firth scott author of "from franklin to nansen," "the romance of australian exploring," "colonial born," _&c._ with twenty-four illustrations london seeley and co. limited great russell street [illustration: the _stella polare_ nipped in the ice. "the stores were unloaded with the greatest rapidity."] _uniform with this volume_ the library of romance _extra crown vo. with many illustrations. s. each_ "splendid volumes."--_the outlook._ "this series has now won a considerable and well deserved reputation."--_the guardian._ "each volume treats its allotted theme with accuracy, but at the same time with a charm that will commend itself to readers of all ages. the root idea is excellent, and it is excellently carried out, with full illustrations and very prettily designed covers."--_the daily telegraph._ by prof. g. f. scott elliot, m.a., b.sc. the romance of savage life the romance of plant life the romance of early british life by edward gilliat, m.a. the romance of modern sieges by john lea, m.a. the romance of bird life by john lea, m.a., & h. coupin, d.sc. the romance of animal arts and crafts by sidney wright the romance of the world's fisheries by the rev. j. c. lambert, m.a., d.d. the romance of missionary heroism by g. firth scott the romance of polar exploration by archibald williams, b.a. (oxon.), f.r.g.s. the romance of early exploration the romance of modern exploration the romance of modern mechanism the romance of modern invention the romance of modern engineering the romance of modern locomotion the romance of modern mining by charles r. gibson, a.i.e.e. the romance of modern photography the romance of modern electricity by edmund selous the romance of the animal world the romance of insect life by agnes giberne the romance of the mighty deep by e. s. grew, m.a. the romance of modern geology seeley & co., limited preface while stories of the polar explorers and their efforts to reach the poles have been told again and again, the constant renewal of expeditions adds, every year, fresh incidents to the record, until it may almost be said that the fascination of the frozen regions is as inexhaustible as the list of polar heroes is illimitable. nor is the interest confined solely to the achievement of modern explorers. however great the results of their exertions may be, the fact that, in spite of all the advantages conferred by recent scientific discovery and modern appliances, the explorers of to-day have failed to penetrate the uttermost secrets of the worlds of ice, renders more impressively heroic the struggles of the earlier travellers, whose equipment, viewed in comparison with that of modern man, was apparently so inadequate and often inappropriate. no series of polar adventure stories would be complete without a prominent place being given to the earlier explorers, and especially to that british hero, franklin, whose name is so inseparably associated with the history of arctic exploration. the account of his daring voyages and of his tragic end, at the moment of victory, has already been given in many a form; but the tale is one which will stand re-telling for generations yet to come. in the present instance it has been of necessity briefly written, but in such a manner as will, it is hoped, without loss of interest, render clear a comparison of the conditions under which he and his brave companions worked and fought to their death, with those that existed for later expeditions and especially the expeditions of nansen, peary, and abruzzi. the antarctic, equally with the arctic, now commands the attention of man. in the south, as in the north, the british race has again produced explorers who have fought their way into the icy fastnesses. from the time that captain cook sailed round the unknown southern ocean, more than a century ago, the british flag has waved in the forefront of the advance. the work which sir james ross began, over half a century since, has now been carried farther than ever it was anticipated it could be. by the voyage of the _discovery_, the antarctic continent has been revealed to within five hundred miles of the pole, and in the gallant exploits of the commander, captain robert scott, there are many who see a repetition of all that made the name of franklin so immortal. the source of the information on which these stories are based (as is frequently mentioned in the text) is the personal narrative of the explorer concerned, where available; and if the interest aroused in any of them requires more to satisfy it than the exigencies of space renders possible in this volume, the attention which will thereby be drawn to the more comprehensive records will stand as a slight acknowledgment of the indebtedness of the writer of these re-told stories to the authors of the original narratives. g. firth scott. london, . publishers' note our thanks are due to lieut. shackleton, r.n.r., of the _discovery_, for the use of the original drawing facing page , and also for permission to use the illustrations facing pages , , . to messrs. alston rivers, limited, for permission to use the illustration facing page from dr. h. r. mill's "siege of the south pole." to messrs. hutchinson and co., for the use of illustrations facing pages and , and frontispiece, from "the voyage of the polar star," by the duke of the abruzzi. to messrs. geo. newnes, limited, for the illustration facing page from "first on the antarctic continent," by c. e. borchgrevinck. to messrs. longmans, green & co., for permission to reproduce the illustration facing page from "new land," by otto sverdrup. contents chapter i the arctic region page the mystery of the north pole--the first explorer--"the great dark wall at the end of the world"--"frost-smoke"--the lights and sounds of the north--the aurora borealis--mock moons--the early adventurers: willoughby, frobisher, davis, hudson, baffin, ross, and parry--the north-west passage chapter ii sir john franklin young franklin--his dreams of adventure--he becomes a sailor--his first arctic expedition--fails to get through behring straits--explores baffin's bay--the expedition--the _erebus_ and _terror_--the "good-bye" at greenland--wellington channel--they select winter quarters--discovery of the north-west passage--death of franklin--prisoned in the ice--the crew abandon the ships--defeat and death chapter iii the search for franklin captain parker's report--government offers a reward--dr. rae's expedition--captain mcclure's voyage in the _investigator_--hardships and perils--the meeting with the _herald_--lady franklin still hopeful--sir f. l. mcclintock's expedition in the _fox_ with lieutenant hobson--their sad and fatal discoveries--lieutenant schwatka recovers the body of lieutenant irving chapter iv the voyage of the _polaris_ death of captain hall--crew determine to return--are frozen in--a party take to the ice and are cast away--they build themselves snow huts--they find some seals--an adventure with bears--the perils of the spring--they sight the _tigress_ and are saved--the ship-party's story and rescue chapter v the _alert_ and _discovery_ sir george nares appointed to the _alert_ and _discovery_--overtaking a season--red snow--the greenland mosquito--peculiarities of eskimo dogs--and dog whips--dangers of kayaks--advantages of steam for polar regions--an unpleasant experience--a huge walrus--arctic scenery--a big "bag"--the ships part company--the _alert_ reaches the polar sea--winter quarters--the north pole attempted--adventures and sufferings of the party--lieutenant parr's heroism--deliverance--the greenland attempt--scurvy and snow--repulse bay--in pitiable plight--lieutenant rawson to the rescue chapter vi the greely expedition the scheme of the expedition--fort conger--arctic wolves--atmospheric marvels--a terrific storm--influence of the sun--lieutenant lockwood's expedition--the second winter--preparations for departure--they leave fort conger--a remarkable ice passage--they fail to make cape sabine--a new camp--rations running short--fruitless efforts to reach food depôts--starvation and death--a bitter blow--the arrival of the _thetis_ chapter vii peary in greenland the greenland question--departure of the _kite_--peary breaks his leg--a camp made--habits of the eskimo--a brush with walrus--"caching" food--an arctic christmas feast--peary starts for the great ice-cap--a snow sahara--the ice-cap crossed--a marvellous discovery--sails on sledges--a safe return chapter viii nansen and the _fram_ nansen's theories of arctic currents and shipbuilding--his theories adopted--the _fram_ built--a start made--the kara sea reached--good hunting--the ice current reached--frozen in--a raid by a bear--will the _fram_ stand the pressure?--preparing for calamity--a conclusive test--causes of ice movements--life on the _fram_--nansen and johansen leave the _fram_--they reach their "farthest north"--incidents of their return journey--some narrow escapes--the meeting with jackson--arrival of the _fram_ chapter ix franz josef land and spitzbergen the jackson-harmsworth expedition--object of the expedition--an interesting experiment--the franz josef land question settled--a group of islands, not a continent--conway at spitzbergen--ancient history--bygone splendours--scenery in the making--the romance of andrée--another riddle chapter x the polar meteorites eskimo iron--a mystery of --search and failure--peary and his huskies--the secret revealed--an eskimo legend--at the iron mountain--removing the trophies--a massive giant--attack and defence--the giant objects--a narrow escape--conquered chapter xi the second voyage of the _fram_ norwegian enterprise--mapping the islands--nearly frozen--a novel warming-pan--eskimo melody--arctic bull fights--death of the doctor--fire on the _fram_--new lands--prehistoric people chapter xii italy claims the record norwegian aid--a northerly station--premature enthusiasm--cold comfort--an arctic greeting--a hasty landing--disorganised plans--homeless dogs--making fresh plans--the leader frost-bitten--the start for the pole--driven back by cold--a second start--first detachment lost--anxiety for the second--a struggle for life--third detachment overdue--fears of disaster--safe at last--italy sets the record chapter xiii the antarctic region the mystery of the south pole--ignored by early navigators--an accidental dutch discovery--captain cook sets sail--discouraged by the ice--turns back in despair--a second accidental discovery--weddell breaks the barrier--antarctic land revealed--british resume the search chapter xiv voyages of the _erebus_ and _terror_ a fortunate choice--characteristic southern bergs--first sight of the continent--more british territory--a mighty volcanic display--nearing the magnetic pole--the antarctic barrier--a myth dispelled--a second attempt--held by the ice--third and last voyage--a double discovery chapter xv the _southern cross_ expedition british continue the work--carrier pigeons in the ice--withstanding a nip--a sea-quake--cape adare station--a cosy camp--edible fish--death visits the camp--penguin peculiarities--a derelict blue-bottle--the welcome postman--a thrilling episode chapter xvi the revival of antarctic interest modern means and methods--private enterprise leads--the _valdavia_--the _belgica_ expedition--international action adopted--the german expedition--an ice-bound land--fresh trade-winds chapter xvii the swedish expedition sails in the _antarctica_--argentine co-operation--first antarctic fossil--building the winter station--a breezy corner--electric snow--a spare diet--new year festivities--the missing ship--relief that never came--a devastating nip--castaway--the unexpected happens--a dramatic meeting--rescued chapter xviii britain holds her own a capable crew--a modern franklin--early discoveries--frozen in--an historic journey--the record of "farthest south"--how the record was won--speedy travelling--receding ice limits--a dying glacier--the secret of the barrier--a fatal gale--lost in the snow--an antarctic chute--prolonged slumber--antarctic coal--home with honour list of illustrations the _stella polare_ nipped in the ice _frontispiece_ w. e. parry's attempt to reach the pole _facing page_ an immense iceberg " " an addition to the explorers' supply of provisions " " shooting musk ox in the arctic regions " " group of smith sound eskimo " " two north greenland hunters " " map of the arctic regions showing route of nansen and the _fram_ " " the _fram_ in the ice " " nansen and johansen start on their dash for the pole " " the meeting of jackson and nansen " " the front edge of king's glacier, western spitzbergen " " eskimo arms and tools " " eskimo visitors to the _fram_ in night attire " " one of the difficulties encountered by the _stella polare_ " " sketch map showing captain agni's farthest north " " the _southern cross_ in the ice pack " " the aurora australis " " emperor penguins " " polar outfit used by the _belgica_ expedition " " map of south polar regions " " the _discovery_ lying in winter quarters, frozen in " " the farthest south sledge party in a blizzard " " a drifting ice floe attached to the _discovery_ by a rope " " the romance of polar exploration chapter i the arctic region the mystery of the north pole--the first explorer--"the great dark wall at the end of the world"--"frost-smoke"--the lights and sounds of the north--the aurora borealis--mock moons--the early adventurers: willoughby, frobisher, davis, hudson, baffin, ross, and parry--the north-west passage. in all the range of romantic adventure to be found in the history of man, there is, perhaps, none which appeals so strongly to the imagination as the search for the poles. in all the tales of daring courage and patient, persistent bravery, two qualities which stand foremost in the admiration of every english-speaking boy, the tales of the fearless explorers who have faced the terrors and the mystery of the frozen regions are without a rival. just as it was the record of his struggles to penetrate into the unknown region of the ice-bound north-west passage which made the name of sir john franklin famous fifty years ago, so is it to-day that the names of nansen, peary, and andrée are household words by reason of the hardihood and indomitable courage shown in their efforts to reach the great unknown pole. who is there who has not lingered over the adventures of the _fram_, that sturdy norseman's vessel, which combined in herself all the best qualities of previous arctic ships, and comported herself, whether in the ice or out of it, with a dignity that told of her proud descent and prouder destiny? who has not marvelled at the sublime audacity of the gallant little band of three who challenged undying fame by seeking the pole in a balloon, abandoning all the old-fashioned notions about ice-ships and dog-sledges, and trusting themselves and their enterprise to the four winds of heaven and the latest scientific scheme? who has not been thrilled with the daring shown by nansen and his trusty lieutenant when, leaving ship and comrades, with their lives literally in their hands, they made their historic dash and emerged with what was then the record of "farthest north," and which has since been beaten by only twenty miles? full of pluck and daring are all the records of polar exploration, and, in addition to that attraction, there is something else about the subject which fascinates and holds the imagination. there is a mystery about the cold, white, silent region; the mystery of, as yet, an unsolved problem; the mystery of being one of the few spots on the world's surface where the foot of adventurous man has never trodden. everywhere else man has gone; everywhere else men of our own race have subdued nature and wrested her close-kept secrets from her; everywhere else save the poles, and there not even the grandeur of modern inventive genius has enabled man to become the master. we may be nearer now than ever before; we may have made many places familiar which, less than fifty years ago, were unknown; and we may, in recent years, have disproved the theories of many an ancient explorer; but the poles still elude us as they eluded those who were searchers a thousand years ago. it is no modern idea, this search for the north pole. king alfred the great is credited with having sent expeditions towards it, and long before his day men had sailed as far as they could to the north, far enough for them to return with marvellous tales of wonder and mystery. the earliest of whom there is any record is an ancient greek mariner, pytheas, who sailed north until he came to an island which he named the land of thule. this may have been the shetlands; it may have been iceland; but whatever it was, this ancient mariner was by no means pleased with it, in spite of the fact that the sun never set all the time he was there. this prolonged daylight caused him considerable uneasiness, and he hastened away from it farther to the north, and the farther he went the more curious he found the region to be. the sun, which at first refused to set, now refused to rise, and he found himself in perpetual darkness instead of perpetual day. more than that, he tells how he came to a great dark wall rising up out of the sea, beyond which he could discern nothing, while at the same time something seized and held his ship motionless on the water, so that the winds could not move it and the anchor would not sink. he was quite convinced in his own mind where he had come; the wall in front of him was the parapet which ran round the edge of the world to prevent people from falling over, and, like a wise man, he hastened home and told his friends that he had penetrated to the limits of the earth. what the arctic regions were then, they are to-day; but we, with a greater knowledge, are able to understand what was incomprehensible to the ancient greek navigator. at the north pole itself it is known the sun rises and sets only once in twelve months. from march to september daylight continues; from september to march the sun is never visible. the heat at midsummer is probably never above freezing point; at midwinter the cold is so intense that one's eyes would freeze in their sockets if exposed to it. at the limit of the ice two phenomena are met with which explain the fanciful legend of pytheas. as summer gives place to the cold of autumn, and as winter gives way to the mild temperature of spring, there comes down upon the water a dense mass of fog, to which the name "frost-smoke" is given. it would appear, as it rolled along the surface of the ocean, a veritable wall to one accustomed to the clear atmosphere of the mediterranean, and a thin sheet of ice might give the meaning to the "something" which held the ship stationary. modern explorers have known the sea to freeze an inch thick in a single night, and ice an inch thick would probably be enough to check the progress of such a vessel as pytheas would command. later navigators, curious to learn whether his story were true or not, followed his course. some of them went on until they were caught in the rigours of the arctic winter and perished in the crashing ice-floes. occasionally some came home again, after having reached far enough to see the great icebergs, floating with all their stately majesty in the blue waters and towering as high as mountains, their summits a mass of glittering pinnacles and their sides scored and grooved with cavities and caverns. some of them saw the animals which live in that cold, barren region; the great white bear, with its coat of thick shaggy fur, its long ungainly figure and heavy swaying neck; the walrus, with its gleaming tusks hanging down from its upper jaws; the seals, with their great round eyes staring at the unknown intruders; above all, the huge whales, spouting and floundering in the sea, coming to the surface with a snort which sent the spray flying high in the air, and disappearing again with a splash that was like a crashing billow. little wonder that those who returned from seeing such sights and hearing such strange sounds should tell wonderful stories about the weird creatures inhabiting the place. the sounds must have been as terrifying and mystifying as the sights, for in the clear, intense atmosphere of the winter months, noise travels over almost incredible distances. when parry was on melville's island, he records having heard the voices of men who were talking not less than a mile away. in the depth of winter, when the great cold has its icy grip on everything, the silence is unbroken along the shores of the polar sea; but when the frost sets in, and again when the winter gives way to spring, there is abundance of noise. as the frost comes down along the coast, rocks are split asunder with a noise of big guns, and the sound goes booming away across the frozen tracts, startling the slouching bear in his lonely haunts, and causing him to give vent to his hoarse, barking roar in answer. the ice, just forming into sheets, creaks and cracks as the rising or falling tide strains it along the shore; fragments, falling loose upon it, skid across the surface with the ringing sound which travels so far. in the spring the melting ice-floes groan as they break asunder; with a mighty crash the unbalanced bergs fall over, churning the water into foam with their plunge, and bears and foxes and all the other arctic animals call and bark to one another as they awaken from their winter sleep. just as these incidents occur to-day, so did they occur a thousand years ago; and if to modern ears they sound weird and awe-inspiring, what must they have been to the men who succeeded pytheas? nor does this exhaust the marvel of this bleak and fascinating region. in the long winter nights the aurora borealis glares and blazes in the sky, "roaring and flashing about a ship enough to frighten a fellow," as an old quartermaster, who was with sir f. l. mcclintock in his search for sir john franklin, used to tell the midshipmen. in the prolonged sunset and sunrise the sky is ablaze with colour, and, when the sun has gone, the rarefied atmosphere produces many curious astronomical figures. as explorers penetrated farther into the great ice-bound region they encountered fresh peculiarities. the moon, which shone continuously during the three weeks of its course, frequently appeared surrounded by belts and bands of light, in which mock moons were visible. long after the sun had disappeared a mock sun would shine in the sky, and in the twilight, when shadows were no longer cast, men and dogs were liable to walk over cliffs and fall down crevices in the ice through being unable to distinguish them. penetrating farther into the ice world, they learned that throughout the winter the ice heaved and crashed upon itself, making an incessant uproar as it groaned and creaked. the experience of nansen and the _fram_ emphasised this, but in the earlier days of polar research silence was presumed to reign in the vicinity of the arctic basin. in those early days the expeditions usually kept close to the northern coasts of either europe, asia, or america. sir hugh willoughby, who sailed from england in , confined himself to seeking the north-east passage from behring sea to greenland along the north coast of canada. in frobisher explored part of the region, the work being continued by davis, who in - discovered and explored the strait which still bears his name, to the west of greenland. in hudson, an intrepid trader and explorer, sailed into hudson's bay, and five years later baffin sailed into and through baffin's bay. the result of these two discoveries was to open up a very valuable fur trade, and for the next two hundred years, fur traders and whalers were practically the only men who went into the frozen north. in the british navy again entered the field for the purpose of mapping out the northern coasts of america. captains ross and parry were sent out in two vessels, with the result that knowledge of the locality was extended by the discovery of lancaster sound, prince regent inlet, barrow strait, and melville island. the location of these islands and straits aroused still keener curiosity as to whether there was or was not a passage for ships leading from the pacific to the atlantic oceans along the north coast of america. the search for the north-west passage was the dream of every arctic explorer at this period. it fell to the lot of one man to prove the existence of the passage, at a price, however, of his own life, and the lives of all his companions, as well as the loss of his two ships. this was sir john franklin, whose polar exploits form the subject of the succeeding chapter. chapter ii sir john franklin young franklin--his dreams of adventure--he becomes a sailor--his first arctic expedition--fails to get through behring straits--explores baffin's bay--the expedition--the _erebus_ and _terror_--the "good-bye" at greenland--wellington channel--they select winter quarters--discovery of the north-west passage--death of franklin--prisoned in the ice--the crew abandon the ships--defeat and death. sir john franklin was born at spilsby, in lincolnshire, on april , , and was one of a family of ten. it is said that his father originally intended him for the clergy, but the boy had too restless and roving a nature to look with contentment upon a quiet, uneventful life. nelson was the idol of his heart, and although a hundred years ago boys were not quite so well provided with books and stories of their heroes as they are to-day, young franklin managed to acquire enough knowledge of the doings of nelson, and the other great british admirals, to make his heart thrill with enthusiasm for them, and for the element upon which their greatness had been achieved. his home was not so many miles away from the coast but that he had a personal acquaintance, from early boyhood, with the scent of salt water and the sight of the open sea. that, combined with what he learned of nelson, and the romantic yarns spun to him by any old sailor he chanced upon, exerted over him the spell which, in all ages, has so powerfully influenced british boys. the long stretch of moving water, which rolled between him and the skyline, was the home of all that was wonderful and glorious; the ships which sailed over it were, to his enthusiastic mind, palaces of delight, journeying into realms of mystery, adventure, and beauty. over that sea lay the lands where the coco-palms grew, where indians hunted and fought, and where mighty beasts of strange and fantastic shapes roamed through the palm groves. over that sea, also, lay the realms of ice and snow, of which more marvellous tales were told than of the golden islands of the southern seas. and to sail over that sea a great yearning came upon him. the life on shore, in peaceful, steady-going lincolnshire, was too dreary and hopeless for him; nowhere could he be happy save on that boundless ocean, with room to breathe, and surrounded by all the glamour of romance. fortunately for the glory of british naval history, the elder franklin did not shut his eyes to the attractions the sea had for his son, but, as a wise parent, he regarded the wish to follow the sea as merely a boyish whim. it would be better to let the boy have a taste of the realities of the life at once, and so cure the fancy which threatened to interfere with the paternal desires as regards the clergy. every one knew how attractive a sailor's life looked from the shore, and most people knew how much more attractive life on shore looked from the sea. if john wanted to see what a sailor's life was like, he should have his opportunity, and the father, in arranging for his son to sail in a trading vessel to lisbon and back, probably felt satisfied that the rough fare and hard work he would experience would effectually cure him of any desire for more. but the future arctic hero was made of sterner stuff than to be turned away from his ambition by such trivial circumstances. he returned from the lisbon trip more enthusiastic than ever for a sailor's life. his father gave way before so much determination, and young franklin shortly afterwards entered the navy. his first ship was h.m.s. _polyphemus_, and he was present on board at the battle of copenhagen, under the supreme command of his idol nelson. his first arctic experience did not come until , when he had reached the rank of lieutenant and was second in command of an expedition sent out to find a way through behring's straits. two vessels formed the expedition--the _dorothea_, tons, under captain buchan, and the _trent_, tons, under lieutenant franklin, the latter carrying a crew of ten officers and twenty-eight men. their instructions were to sail due north, from a point between greenland and spitzbergen, making their way, if possible, through behring's straits. the ships, which would to-day only rank as small coasting craft, were soon imprisoned in the ice and so severely crushed that as soon as the winter passed and escape was possible, they were turned towards home. the practical results of the expedition were valueless, and only one circumstance in connection with it saved it from being a failure. this was the introduction of franklin to that sphere of work which, during the remainder of his life, he was fated so brilliantly to adorn. the following year, , saw him again facing the north, this time in company with captain parry, and with a well-arranged plan of operations. parry was to remain in the ships and explore at sea, while franklin was to push along the shores of baffin's bay, making as complete a survey as possible. for three years the work was continued, until, by , the party had travelled over miles of previously unexplored country along the north american coast. returning to england, franklin enjoyed a well-earned rest, until, in , he was placed in charge of an expedition to complete the surveys of the coast along which the north-west passage was supposed to run. with the experience of his former expedition, he was able to work more rapidly on this occasion, and by he was back again in england with his task completed. not alone had all the surveys been carried out, but he had demonstrated his qualities as a leader of polar expeditions by returning with the loss of only two men. [illustration: w. e. parry's attempt to reach the pole, .] in spite of this, however, nearly twenty years were to elapse before he was again entrusted with a command in the arctic regions. he was sent, meanwhile, to be governor of the colony of tasmania, or, as it was then called, van diemen's land, a large island to the south of australia. here in the metropolis, hobart, a statue of franklin stands in franklin square, and it is curious to think that the man whose work in the northern hemisphere is an immortal monument of his name in the region of the north pole should have his memory perpetuated by a statue nearer the south pole than any in the southern hemisphere. verily, a world-wide reputation. in the expedition started which, more than anything else, tended to make franklin the popular hero he has become. the _erebus_ and _terror_, which formed the fleet, had already proved their capacity for withstanding the strain and pressure of the ice-floes. they each carried a crew numbering sixty-seven officers and men, and while franklin took charge of the _erebus_ with captain fitz-james, the _terror_ was commanded by captain crozier. the ships were provisioned for three years, and the task set them was to discover and sail through the passage from the atlantic to the pacific oceans. the intention of the government was to ascertain whether or not this passage existed, and franklin was instructed to go by lancaster sound to cape walker (lat. ° n.; long. ° w.) and thence south and west to push through behring's straits to the other ocean. franklin was full of enthusiasm as to the outcome of the expedition. that it would prove the existence of the passage he had no doubt, and subsequent events justified him. but he had bigger notions than merely proving the passage. "i believe it is possible to reach the pole over the ice by wintering at spitzbergen and going in the spring before the ice breaks up," he said before starting, and no one would have been surprised had he returned in the three years with a record of the journey. public interest was thoroughly aroused in the enterprise, and when the two vessels set sail from greenhithe on may , , they had a brilliant send-off. on june they arrived at stromness in the orkney islands, and on july at whale fish island, off the coast of greenland, where the despatch-boat _barreto junior_ parted company with them to bring home franklin's despatches to the admiralty, reporting "all well." later on came the news that captain dannett, of the whaler _prince of wales_, had spoken to them in melville bay. then the months passed and grew into years, and still no sign or token was received from them. public opinion, stimulated by the interest taken in the departure of the expedition, began to grow anxious at the prolonged silence; but the last despatches had been received and the last tidings direct from the ships had come to hand. over their subsequent actions and adventures the heavy veil of the frozen north hung until intrepid searchers raised it and learned the sad but gallant story of how the north-west passage was discovered and the route to the pole marked clearer. when the _erebus_ and _terror_ parted company with the despatch-boat on july , they shaped their course through baffin's bay towards lancaster sound. continuing their way, they passed cape warrender and ultimately reached beechy island at the entrance of the then unexplored waters of wellington channel. they passed through the channel, taking such observations as were necessary as they went, until they had sailed miles. further progress being stopped by the ice, they passed into another unexplored channel between cornwallis island and bathurst island which led them into barrow's straits, nearly miles west of the entrance to wellington channel. the ice was now forming thickly around them, and attention was directed to discovering a comfortable haven where they could come to rest and remain while the ice closed in around them during the long winter months. a suitable harbour was found on the northeasterly side of beechy island and the ships were made snug. all the spars that could be sent down were lowered on to the decks, and the rigging and sails stowed away below before the ice surrounded them, so that when the floes began to pack and lifted the hulls of the vessels, there should be no "top-hamper" to list them over. on the frozen shore huts were built for the accommodation of shore parties, and, as the ice spread around and the snow fell, the men found exercise and amusement in heaping it up against the sides of the vessels as an extra protection against the cold, the thick mass of frozen snow preventing the escape of the warmth from the inside of the ships. but where there were fires always going to maintain the temperature of the cabins, the danger of an outbreak of fire had to be zealously guarded against. with all the ship's pumps rendered useless by the frost, and the water frozen solid all around, a conflagration on board a vessel in the arctic seas is one of the grimmest of terrors. the safeguard is the maintenance, in the ice near the vessel's side, of a "fire hole," that is, a small space kept open by constant attention down to the level of unfrozen water. during the long winter months there was plenty of time to estimate the progress they had made, and there must have been considerable satisfaction on all sides at what they had accomplished. they had circumnavigated cornwallis island and had reached to within miles of the western end of the passage. the first christmas festival of the voyage was kept up with high revel. if fresh beef was not available, venison was, and there was plenty of material for the manufacture of the time-honoured "duff." the officers and men, clad in their thick, heavy fur garments, clustered together as the simple religious service was read, and over the silent white covering of sea and land the sound of their voices rolled as they sang the hymns and carols which were being sung in their native land. then came the merrymaking and the feasting in cabins decked with bunting, for no green stuff was available for decorating. the first new year's day was saddened by the death of one of their comrades, and the silent ice-fields witnessed another impressive sight when the crews of both vessels slowly marched ashore to the grave dug in the frozen soil of beechy island. the body, wrapped in a union jack, was borne by the deceased man's messmates, the members of his watch headed by their officers following, and after them the remainder of the officers and crew. the bells of each ship tolled as the _cortège_ passed over the ice, the crunching of the crisp snow under foot being the only other sound till the grave was reached. there the solemn and impressive service of a sailor's funeral was said, the mingled voices as they repeated the responses passing as a great hum through the still, cold air. a momentary silence followed as the flag-swathed figure was lowered into the grave, and then a quick rattle of firearms as the last salute was paid echoed far and wide among the icebergs. twice more was that scene repeated before the ships cleared from the ice, and one of the first signs discovered by the searchers after franklin were the three headstones raised on that lonely isle to the memory of w. braine, john hartwell, and john torrington, who died while the ships were wintering in the cold season of - . by july the ice had broken up and the voyage was resumed and passed without any exceptional incident, up to the middle of september , when they were again caught by the ice, but miles nearer their destination than the year before. only miles more to be sailed over and they would be the conquerors--but that miles was too firmly blocked with ice-floes for them ever to sail over. the winter of - was passed just off the most extreme northerly point of king william's land. the ice was particularly heavy, and hemmed the vessels in completely, the surface being too rugged and uneven to permit of travelling in the immediate vicinity even of hunting parties. this was the more unfortunate because the provisions were growing scant, and supplies brought in by hunters would have been of great assistance. at the time of starting, the vessels had only been provisioned for three years. two had now passed, so that only a twelvemonth's stock of food remained in the holds. it might occupy them all the next summer in working through the remaining miles of the passage, and that would leave them with another winter to face, unless they were sufficiently fortunate in finding open water when they reached the end. but, on the other hand, they might not be able to get through in the time, or the passage might not be navigable. either possibility was full of very grave anxiety for those in command, for it was a terrible prospect of being left, with men to feed, in the midst of the frozen sea, "a hundred miles from everywhere." the anxiety felt was shown by the despatch, as early as may, or two months before the first flush of summer was due, of a specially selected party of quick travellers to push forward over the ice and spy out the prospects ahead. lieutenant graham gore, of the _erebus_, commanded the party, which consisted of charles des voeux, ship's mate, and six seamen. they carried only enough stores to last them on their journey, and each one had to contribute his share to the labour of hauling the hand-sledges over the jagged ridges of broken ice. skirting along the coast of king william's land, they arrived at a point from the top of which they were able to discern the mainland coast trending away to the horizon, with a sea of ice in front. it was the long-dreamed-of end of the north-west passage. to commemorate the fact the little party built a cairn upon the summit of the point, which they named point victory, and enclosed in a tin canister they deposited, under the cairn, a record of their trip and its result. twelve years later this record was found, and by it the honour due to franklin for the discovery of the passage was confirmed. but the manner of its finding must be told later on. elated with the success of their efforts, lieutenant gore and his companions retraced their way back to the ships, for with the end of their journey so near at hand, all fears of the provisions running short were at an end. as soon as the ice broke up they would be away into the sea they had seen from point victory, and sailing home with their mission accomplished, their task completed, and nothing but honour and glory waiting them at home. as soon as they came within sight of the two ships, perched up among the ice ridges, they shouted out to their comrades to let them know of the success achieved. round about the ships they saw men standing in groups, but instead of answering cheers, the men only looked in their direction. unable to understand why so much indifference was displayed, lieutenant gore and his companions hurried forward, and, as they came nearer, some of the men separated themselves from the groups and came to meet them with slow steps. soon the cause of their depression was made known to the returned explorers. the leader of the expedition lay dying in his cabin on board the _erebus_. lieutenant gore, his enthusiasm at his success sadly damped, went on board the flagship at once, hoping that the news of victory might still be given to sir john before he died. he was led into the cabin and briefly told the story of his journey, and how, from point victory, he had looked out over to the coast of the mainland. the news, the last which sir john franklin was to hear on earth, was perhaps the sweetest he had ever known, for it meant that he had triumphed and had won a lasting name and memory for his services to sovereign and state. on june , , his life ended at the moment of his brightest achievement. captain crozier, of the _terror_, assumed command of the expedition, and as summer was at hand, everything was made ready against the time when the ice would break up. ice-saws were fixed ready to cut passages through the floes when they began to separate, and ice-anchors were run out so that the vessels could be warped along whenever an opening occurred. daily the crews mustered on board and looked over the ice for some sign of the breaking of their imprisonment, for some loosening of the iron grip of the ice round their vessel's sides, but all in vain. the two ships were wedged in a vast mass of ice, through which it was impossible to cut their way. instead of breaking up in lesser fields and floes of ice, the mass remained packed, creaking, crashing, and straining by night and day as it slowly made its way nearer the coast of the mainland, carrying the ships with it until they were within miles of point victory, and miles of the mainland coast. soon the short summer months had passed and the dark period of winter was upon them again, with the provisions daily growing scarcer, and the hope of getting their ships out of the ice fainter. another evil came upon them when among the members of the crew scurvy, the dreaded enemy of the early polar explorers, broke out. by the following april twenty of their number had succumbed to it, nine being officers, one of whom was lieutenant gore. on april , , the remaining officers and men gathered on the ice around the two ships. they had with them sledges laden with what provisions were left, and two whale-boats. slowly and sorrowfully they bade farewell to the vessels which had been their homes for nearly three years, and set out to march over the ice to the mainland. their plan was to push on until they reached the great fish river, where they might obtain succour either from travelling bands of indians or at some outlying station of the hudson bay company. travelling at the rate of five miles a day, so rough and difficult was the route, they arrived on april at the cairn where lieutenant gore had left the record of his journey over a year before. the canister in which it was enclosed was opened, and round the margin was written this brief, pathetic story:-- "april , . h.m.s. _terror_ and _erebus_ were deserted on april , five leagues n.n.w. of this point, having been beset since september , . the officers and men, consisting of souls, under the command of captain f. r. m. crozier, landed here in lat. ° ' " n., long. ° ' w. the paper was found by lieutenant irving in a cairn supposed to have been built by sir james ross in , four miles to the north, where it had been deposited by the late commander gore in june . sir james ross's pillar has not, however, been found, and the paper has been transferred to this position, which, it is thought, is where sir james ross's pillar was erected. sir john franklin died on june , , and the total loss of life by death in the expedition has been to this date nine officers and fifteen men. start to-morrow, april , for back's fish river." the record, left as a sign, should it ever be found, of the direction they had taken, the party resumed their dreary march over the frozen shores of king william's land. the men formed themselves into teams for the purpose of dragging the sledges and whale-boats, and the officers marched beside them, helping them and encouraging them. even the snail's pace of five miles a day became too severe a strain for many of the men, weakened as they were by attacks of scurvy and reduced rations. soon it became evident that if a place were to be reached where help and food could be obtained before the provisions were absolutely exhausted, it would be necessary for the stronger to push forward at a more rapid rate. a council was held, and it was decided that the strongest should take enough supplies to last them for a time and push forward as rapidly as possible, while the remainder should follow at a slower rate and by shorter stages. the majority were in the latter division, and only a few days elapsed after the smaller band, numbering about thirty, had left, before the ravages of scurvy and semi-starvation made it impossible for even less than five miles a day to be covered. so debilitated were all the members that further advance was abandoned until they had, by another long rest, tried to recuperate their energies. but the terrible bleakness of the place where they were wrought havoc among them, and every day men fell down never to rise again, until the only hope for the survivors lay in returning to the ships, where, at least, they would have shelter. wearily they staggered over the rugged ice ridges, each man expending his remaining energies in striving to carry the provisions, without which only death awaited them. men fell as they walked, unnoticed by their companions, whose only aim was to get back to the ships, and whose faculties were too dimmed to understand anything else. blindly, but doggedly, they stumbled onward, silent in their agony, brave to the last when worn-out nature gave way and they sank down, one after the other, till none was left alive, and only the still figures, lying face downwards on the frozen snow, bore mute witness of how they had neither faltered nor wavered in their duty, but had died, as britons always should die, true to the end. their comrades who had left them to push forward for help were equally stolid in their struggle against overwhelming odds. as they were crossing the ice between king william's land and the mainland, a great cracking of the floes startled them with the fear that the ice was breaking up. hastily placing their stores in the whale-boat, which they had been dragging in addition to the hand-sledges, they abandoned everything else, fearful lest the sudden opening of the floes might cut them off from a further advance. harnessing themselves to ropes, they toiled and struggled onward with the boat. they reached the mainland, but at a terrible sacrifice, for in their haste they had left much of their scanty supplies behind. their food ran out and hope was almost dead, when they espied a small camp of eskimo. fresh life came to them as they learned that they were nearly up to the great fish river, and they bartered away some spoons and forks, sir john franklin's star, part of a watch and some other metal articles to the eskimo for a recently killed seal. had they waited longer with the natives, they might have obtained more food and have recovered somewhat from their fatigue, but in the mind of each was the memory of their stricken comrades toiling on behind, and hoping from day to day for the arrival of relief. personal feelings were forgotten before that memory, and the gallant little party resumed its way, fighting with all the dauntless bravery of heroes to win help for their weaker friends--fighting till their limbs refused to move, till their starving bodies were numbed and frozen. then, falling in their own footsteps, they passed away, one by one, silent and uncomplaining, to the list of britain's honoured dead. chapter iii the search for franklin captain parker's report--government offers a reward--dr. rae's expedition--captain mcclure's voyage in the _investigator_--hardships and perils--the meeting with the _herald_--lady franklin still hopeful--sir f. l. mcclintock's expedition in the _fox_ with lieutenant hobson--their sad and fatal discoveries--lieutenant schwatka recovers the body of lieutenant irving. the enthusiasm which was aroused over the departure of sir john franklin's expedition gave place to a deep national anxiety as the years passed without any word being received of its whereabouts. on october , , the _truelove_ arrived at hull from davis straits, and her commander, captain parker, reported that he had heard from some eskimo that the _erebus_ and the _terror_ had been seen in the previous march fixed in the ice, and apparently abandoned in prince regent's inlet. no confirmation was ever obtained for this report, but it served to excite public anxiety still more, and expeditions began to be organised for the relief of the missing explorers. in all, twenty-one expeditions were sent, of which eighteen were british and three american, to search the neighbourhood where it was anticipated sir john and his gallant band would be. coals, provisions, clothing, and other necessaries were deposited at different spots in the hopes that they would be found by, and be of use to, the castaways. but, as has already been stated, none were able to give succour to the men for whose use they were intended. a great deal of valuable and highly interesting work, however, was done, and in addition to at length discovering enough relics of the party to show that all the members had perished while carrying out their duty, an amount of knowledge was acquired which made the north-west passage familiar, located the magnetic pole, and opened the way for more recent and equally brilliant journeys towards the pole itself. the general public, as well as the government, were responsible for search expeditions; but to stimulate the enterprise, the british government offered a sum of £ , to any party of any country that should render efficient service to the crews of the missing _erebus_ and _terror_. half that reward was paid to dr. rae, who discovered the relics of the party, now at the greenwich museum, consisting of sir john franklin's star, some spoons and forks, the remains of a watch, and some other metallic odds and ends. the story of this discovery was briefly told by dr. rae in a letter to the admiralty. he was, in , surveying the coast of the mainland immediately south of king william's land, when he encountered a small party of eskimo hunters. he asked them whether they had ever met other white men, and they told him that four summers before ( ) a number of white men had been encountered by some eskimo who were catching seals off the south coast of king william's land. the white men came from over the ice, and were dragging a boat behind them. by signs they made the hunters understand that they were hungry, and a seal was exchanged for the articles dr. rae was shown. then the white men went on walking over the ice, dragging the boat behind them, one walking in front alone, and all the rest pulling the ropes attached to the boat. a few weeks later they were seen again, this time on the mainland, but all were dead. the place where they were found was about one day's journey from the great fish river, and all had evidently died of cold and starvation. they had erected tents and had turned the boat over for a shelter, and some of the men lay under the boat, while others were in and around the tents. one man was some distance away with a telescope slung over his shoulders, and underneath his body was a double-barrelled gun. this man, they said, was the chief of the party. about the encampment there were plenty of guns and ammunition, but no food. more than likely the unfortunate castaways were too weak from want to be able to hunt, for dr. rae, in his reports, stated: "i may add that with our guns and nets we obtained an ample supply of provisions last autumn, and my small party passed the winter in snow houses in comparative comfort, the skins of the deer shot affording abundant warm clothing and bedding." next to the story of dr. rae's discovery comes the account of the finding by lieutenant hobson, on may , , of the record left on point victory, and after that again, the recovery, in , by lieutenant schwatka, of the united states navy, of the bodies of several of the _erebus_ and _terror_ crews. but meanwhile a glance may be taken at some of the thrilling adventures which befell the different relief expeditions. the account of captain mcclure's voyage in the _investigator_, graphically told by himself in his reports to the admiralty, is full of typical arctic adventure. the _investigator_ was one of several ships forming one of the expeditions. after sailing in company for some time they separated to work over set areas. the _investigator_ entered the polar sea and sailed along the north-east passage. she was soon amongst the ice, and sailed on in a depth of feet of water until the pack showed a solid unbroken line in front from east to west. then she sailed along it, in the hopes of finding an opening; but all that could be seen, beyond the ice, was a vast number of walrus, lying upon it huddled together like sheep. between the ice and the land, however, there was open water, and here the _investigator_ shaped her course, keeping well in towards the shore on the look-out for natives. there was an interpreter on board, miertsching by name, so that whenever any natives were encountered inquiries could be made for tidings of the missing explorers. at cape bathurst, near the mackenzie river, a part franklin had explored many years before, a large tribe was observed, and at once a boat party put off from the ship. as they approached the shore, thirty tents and nine winter-houses were seen. immediately the boats were run ashore a tremendous stir was caused in the village, the men running to and fro and then charging down a steep slope to where the boats were aground on the beach. as they drew near it was seen that each man carried a drawn knife in his hand, as well as bows and arrows, and their warlike intentions were still more clearly shown when they fitted arrows to the bows and began to aim at the white men. the interpreter miertsching, clad in native costume, advanced from the explorers towards the angry eskimo, holding his hands above his head in the position which expresses peace amongst these primitive people. they paused as they saw him, and waited until he came up; but although they put back their bows and arrows when he told them no one wished to harm them, they would not relinquish their knives. as they crowded down to the boats, the captain told him to explain to them that they must put their knives away; but the chief of the tribe immediately retorted, "so we will, when you put down your rifles." to prove their peaceful intentions, one of the rifles was given to the chief to carry while the explorers remained with them, and this action so effectually satisfied them that no harm would be done to them that they offered to let their visitors take charge of their knives. the village contained over three hundred men, women, and children, and was formed for hunting purposes. the mass of ice showing across the open passage, they said, was the land of the white bear, an animal which, they explained, was very plentiful and of which they were greatly in fear. several tales were told of the savagery of these creatures, a woman pitifully bewailing the loss of her little child, who was carried off by one of them when playing at the water's edge within her sight. a less mournful story was that of a seal hunter who, having speared one seal, was sitting by the side of his victim waiting for the mate to appear above the water, when he felt a tap on the back. suspecting a trick by a fellow-huntsman, he did not turn round, whereupon he received a heavy blow on the side of the head which sent him sprawling. as he scrambled to his feet, angry at his comrade's roughness, he saw a big bear walking off with his seal. upon the interpreter explaining how the white men's rifles could kill the bears, the chief at once invited him to come and live with them, offering as inducements his own daughter, a pleasant-looking girl of about fifteen, a fully furnished tent, and all the other necessary possessions of a well-to-do eskimo. failing in that, they invited the explorers to a feast of roast whale and venison, salmon, blubber, and other delicacies; but instead of taking from them, the explorers presented them with a number of gifts, and left them on the best of terms. a few days later and farther along the coast another small band was encountered, one of whom was wearing a brass button in his ear. the button was off a sailor's jacket, and upon being asked how he obtained it, the man replied it had been taken from a white man who had been killed by the tribe. he was asked for further particulars, in case the unfortunate might turn out to be one of franklin's men. the eskimo replied that it might have been done a year ago or when he was a child, but the huts the white men had built were still standing. the explorers at once persuaded him to take them to the spot, but on arrival they found the huts so weather-worn and overgrown with moss that more than a generation must have passed since they were built. [illustration: an immense iceberg. this berg was photographed off the coast of newfoundland. it had probably made its way there from the glaciers of greenland. _photo by parsons._] this was not the only occasion when hopes were raised that some of the missing expedition were about to be discovered. as the _investigator_ continued her voyage along the coast, heavy volumes of smoke were seen rising from a bluff, and the man on the look-out in the crow's-nest at the top of the foremast cried out that he could see white tents and men with white shirts on near them. at once everybody was on the alert. boats were lowered and rowed quickly to the shore, but on close inspection the white tents were found to be conical mounds of volcanic formation, and the smoke, which was also volcanic, was rising from fissures in the ground. winter was now setting in, and as there was no suitable harbour at hand, captain mcclure determined to pass the season amongst the ice-floes. his decision was largely due to the fact that as the ice was forming around them, a great mass of old ice, over six miles in length and drifting at the rate of two miles an hour, came upon them. its enormous weight crushed everything out of its way, and the ship could only manoeuvre sufficiently to graze it with her starboard bow. fortunately on the other side of her there was only freshly formed and comparatively thin ice, otherwise she would have been hopelessly crushed at once. as it was, the gradual drifting past of the mass was disconcerting, and it was decided to make fast to it. a great mass which they ascertained extended downwards for forty-eight feet below the surface of the sea was selected, and with heavy cables the _investigator_ was made secure to it. throughout the winter she remained moored to it, though not without more than one experience of danger. soon after making fast to the ice, the first bear of the season was shot. he was a magnificent specimen, measuring over seven feet, but upon being cut up considerable speculation was roused as to the contents of his stomach. in it was found raisins, tobacco, pork, and some adhesive plasters. for some time the combined intellect of the ship's company was exercised to explain where the bear could have obtained such a varied diet and many suggestions were advanced in explanation. franklin's ships might be near, some said, or the crews might be encamped on the neighbouring land, and bruin might have looted their stores. no one struck the correct solution of the mystery until some days later a hunting party came upon a preserved meat tin partly filled with the same sort of articles as were found in the bear's stomach. he had evidently found the tin and sampled its contents, not entirely to his enjoyment, as he had left the larger portion behind. but whence the tin had come they never learned. the winter having passed without mishap they began to watch for the breaking of the ice. when it began, they had a very narrow escape from destruction. a light breeze springing up the day after open water appeared among the floes, the pack to which the _investigator_ was attached began to drift. it was carried towards a shoal upon which a huge mass of ice was stranded. a corner of the pack came in contact with the great stationary mass with a grinding shock that sent pieces of twelve and fourteen feet square flying completely out of the water, and, as the immense weight of the moving pack pressed forward, there was a sound as of distant thunder as it crushed onwards. the weight at the back caused an enormous mass to upheave in the middle of the pack, as though under the influence of a volcanic eruption. the great field was rent asunder, the block to which the _investigator_ was attached taking the ground and remaining fixed, while the lighter portion swung round and, with accelerated speed, came directly towards the vessel's stern. to let go every cable and hawser which held her to the block was the work of a moment, for every one was on deck keenly on the look-out. the moving mass caught her stem and forced her ahead and from between the moving floe and the stationary mass. the two came into grinding collision and the men on the deck of the vessel saw the great bulk to which the ship had been attached slowly rise. it went up and up until it had risen thirty feet above the surface and hung perpendicularly above the ship. it towered higher than the foreyard, presenting a spectacle that was at once grandly impressive but terribly dangerous, for if it fell over upon the _investigator_ she would be crushed to atoms. for a few moments the suspense was awful, till the weight of the floe broke away a mass from the great bulk, which rolled back with a tremendous roar and rending, and, with some fearful heaves, resumed its former position. but no longer could it withstand the pressure, and it was hurried forward with the rest of the floe, grinding along the surface of the shoal. the pack having set in towards the shore, the only hopes of safety lay in keeping with the ice, for, if the _investigator_ were pushed ashore by it, there would be little chance of her ever floating again. she was consequently made fast again and carried along, though with a tremendous strain on her stern and rudder. it was discovered that the latter was damaged, but there was no possibility of unshipping it for repairs while the ice was moving. towards the afternoon the wind dropped, the drift became less, and for five hours the rudder received attention. scarcely had it been replaced when once more the ice began to move, and the crew saw that they were being forced directly upon a large piece of the broken floe which had grounded. feeling certain that if the ship were caught between the grounded mass and the moving floe nothing could save her from being crushed to pieces, a desperate effort was made to remove the great mass. the chief gunner, provided with a big canister of powder, went on to the ice and struggled over the rugged surface until he reached the stationary mass. he intended to lower the canister under the mass before exploding it, but the ice was too closely packed around it to permit of this being done. there was no time to consider any other plan, so he fixed the blast in a cavity and, firing the fuse, scrambled back to the ship. the charge exploded just as the pressure of the floe was beginning to tell, but the result was apparently valueless. the _investigator_ by this time was within a few yards of the great mass, and there seemed to be no hope of escaping from the crush. every one on deck was in a state of anxious suspense, waiting for what was evidently the crisis of their fate. most fortunately the ship went stem-on, as sailors term it, and the pressure was directed along her whole length instead of along her sides. every plank seemed to feel the shock, and the beams groaned as the pressure increased. the masts trembled, and crackling sounds came from the bulwarks as she strained under the tension. momentarily the men expected that she would collapse under them, when the result of the gunner's blast was made manifest. it had cracked the mass in three places, and the pressure of the ship's stern forced the cracks open. the liberation from the obstacle was at once evident as the mass slowly divided and, falling over, floated off the shoal. the cable holding the vessel to the floe parted as she surged forward and the ice-anchors drew out, while the blocks of ice, as they turned over, lifted her bows out of the water and heeled her over; but the cheer which broke from the assembled crew drowned all other noise, for it was as though they had been snatched from the very jaws of death. subsequent examination of the vessel showed that she had escaped practically without serious injury. several sheets of her copper were stripped off and rolled up like scraps of paper; but as no leaks were discovered, the loss of the copper was not greatly deplored. after escaping from these dangers it was hoped that open water would be found, so that the voyage might be continued to other areas which had to be searched, and, as the _investigator_ drifted along amongst the partly broken up floes, she encountered some rolling swells, which increased the hopes that open water was not far ahead. but in this the crew were disappointed, for although the water near the land was sufficiently free from ice to enable sail to be made, out toward the polar sea the pack was heavy and close. they rounded cape lambton on banks' land, a promontory which they found rose a thousand feet precipitously. the land beyond gradually lost the bold character of the rugged cape, the island presenting a view of hills in the interior which gradually sloped to the shore, having fine valleys and extensive plains, over and through which several small and one considerable sized stream flowed. a great deal of drift-wood lay along the beach, and the land was covered with verdure upon which large flocks of geese were feeding, while ducks were flying in great numbers. two small islands were passed off the coast, one of which afforded an example of the force exerted by a drifting polar sea ice-floe. the island rose about forty feet above the surface of the sea, and broken masses of ice, which had formed a floe, had been driven entirely over it. the pack still presented an impassable barrier to their course away from the land, and as the season was getting late they decided that they would make winter quarters. a suitable bay was found on the north of the island, and there they spent, not one, but two winters, for the ice remained so thick during the ensuing short summer that it was impossible to move. in the summer, however, if they could not get to sea, they could travel on to the land, and as game was plentiful they were able to keep themselves well supplied with fresh meat. but when winter again came upon them with its cold darkness, the game was scarcer, and, what was worse, the ship's stores were decreasing. as perhaps another twelve months would have to be faced, every one went on reduced rations, so that the stores should be made to last as long as possible. the approach of the milder weather captain mcclure determined should be made the occasion of a daring expedition. a few of the men were beginning to show signs of sickness, and the captain decided that they should set out in april for the mainland with enough provisions to carry them through. the ship was so slightly affected by the buffeting she had received that the leader could not bring himself to think of abandoning her while he had any stores left and men who were ready to remain with him. only the least robust of the crew were to go as the overlanding party, and they were to travel to the nearest station of the hudson bay company, and from thence press on to england with despatches for the admiralty requesting help and provisions for those who remained by the ship. everything was arranged, even to the date of departure, which was settled as april . but before that day arrived another incident was to transpire. on april , captain mcclure and his first lieutenant were walking over the ice near the ship, discussing the serious turn events had taken, for one of the men had just died from scurvy, and some of the others were in a bad state of health. this was the first death which had occurred, and it naturally cast a gloom over every one. as the two walked, they espied a man coming rapidly towards them from over the ice. he was hastening so much that they thought he must be flying from a bear, and they went forward to meet him. but as they approached him, they saw that he was not one of their own ship's company, for he was of a different build to any of their men, in addition to which his face showed black from between his furs, and he was waving his arms wildly. they stopped, doubtful what to make of him, and he rushed up, still gesticulating and articulating wildly. "who are you, and where do you come from?" mcclure exclaimed sternly. "lieutenant pim, of the _herald_, captain kellett," the strange figure managed to reply, as he seized mcclure's hands and shook them frantically. rapidly he told the astounded couple his story, for captain kellett, of the _herald_, had bid mcclure god-speed as he was entering the polar sea three years before, and the commander of the _investigator_ could not understand how he could have reached banks' land. the _herald_ was one ship of another expedition which had come in search of the gallant franklin. she had wintered at melville's island, and lieutenant pim had set out across the straits with a sledge party on march . for a month they had been wandering, and he had happened to be on ahead of his men when he caught sight of the _investigator_ in the distance. he had pushed on to ascertain who she was, when he saw and recognised captain mcclure. his astonishment and excitement overmastered him and he could only halloo and shout and jump about in his glee. the noise of his shouts reached the vessel where the crew, hearing a strange voice, came tumbling up from below to see who it was that had arrived. the sight of the _herald_ sledge party soon afterwards completed their surprise and gratification, for it meant that close at hand was all the help they needed to successfully insure their liberation. the whole ship's company journeyed across to where the _herald_ lay, and, in the interchange of yarns and the assurance of abundance of food and rest till the ice broke up, they found just the requisite stimulus to overcome all the evil effects of their past trials and privations. with a few men from the _herald_ to relieve the members of his crew who were on the sick-list, captain mcclure returned to the _investigator_ after a few days, and when the summer arrived he worked his vessel out into open water. then he joined company with the _herald_ and sailed for england, whither his despatches and reports had already preceded him and earned him fame. the return of captain mcclure and the result of his discoveries, together with those of other expeditions, and dr. rae's find of franklin relics, satisfied the british government that further search was unavailing. as the account of sir john franklin's voyage had not yet been found, the honour of proving the existence of the north-west passage was, for the time being, accorded to mcclure, and the admiralty, satisfied that all the members of the franklin expedition had perished, and the ships either been abandoned or destroyed, ceased despatching further search parties. there were, however, a large number of people who were by no means satisfied that everything possible had been learned as to the fate of the _erebus_ and _terror_. lady franklin, sir john's second wife, was one who refused to give up hopes, and, largely through her efforts, yet another vessel was sent out. this was the _fox_, under the command of sir l. f. mcclintock, and the voyage was more profuse in the obtaining of evidence as to the fate of the franklin party than all the rest put together. mcclintock made his way directly to king william's land, with a definite programme in view. he and his first lieutenant, hobson, were each to journey with sledge parties along the coast of that island and examine everything which suggested a chance of learning the fate of the vanished explorers. especially were they to seek for any natives and glean from them, by means of presents and barter, any knowledge they might have, or any _relics_ which might remain amongst them, of the two ill-fated ships. the _fox_ was a screw steamer, a fact which very largely contributed to the success of the expedition, as she was able to make steady progress, whereas a sailing vessel would have had to wait for favourable winds and so probably lose a great deal of very valuable time. she sailed from aberdeen on july , , and returned on september , , accomplishing, in her two years' absence, an amount of discovery which placed all question of the fate of the _erebus_ and _terror_ and their crews beyond a doubt. as soon as the _fox_ was made snug in winter quarters, mcclintock and hobson set out over the ice in search of some eskimo. they were fortunate in discovering a couple of seal hunters, who told them that some distance away there was a larger party, amongst whom was a man with knowledge of the missing explorers. they set out with their two friends, but as night was coming on while yet they had not reached the camp, they decided to stay where they were till the morning. the two eskimo, for one needle apiece, built a snow hut for them in an hour. all of them went inside the shelter, which they found very acceptable, and prepared their supper. the food they carried consisted of salt pork and biscuits, but the two eskimo would not look at it. their supper consisted of a piece of bear's blubber. when they had consumed it they squatted on their haunches and, with their heads drooped forward on their knees, went off to sleep for the night. the following day the main camp was reached, and the white men at once realised, by the number of articles of european manufacture in the possession of the eskimo, that they must have found and looted the abandoned ships. one of the men told them, through the interpreter, that several years before there was a ship in the ice off the coast, but that when the ice melted it had sunk in deep water. he pointed out the direction where the ship had been, and where there had been a lot of drift-wood thrown up on the beach--wood out of which, he explained, they had made their spear handles and tent poles. other relics were gradually forthcoming, upon the production by the white men of the barter they had with them, and a brisk trade was carried on, knives and needles being exchanged for spoons, forks, and other objects unmistakably from the wrecked ships. in addition to the relics, some dogs were also secured. the latter purchase afforded them considerable amusement and often excitement before they were entirely masters in the art of dog-team driving. like everything else worth doing, it has to be learned, and in his account of his journeyings mcclintock quotes one or two instances where experience was his only teacher. he found, for instance, that when a dog team is harnessed up to a sledge, every dog does not pull his hardest, and a suggestion from the whip is advisable. the dog, however, is inclined to resent it, and at once bites his neighbour by way of protest. the neighbour in turn bites his neighbour, who does the same, until the whole team has received the sting arising from the first lash, and every dog is howling and snapping and jumping over each other. the application of the whip handle instead of the whip lash is then necessary, and when at length quiet is restored, the driver has to set to work to unplait the harness, which has been twisted and tied into a terrible tangle by the antics of the team. when, at the expense of a great deal of patience and time, everything is ready for a fresh start, the inexperienced driver is able to estimate the value of cracking the whip over, instead of on, the back of a lazy dog. even then, however, it is not all plain sailing. the dogs possess a wisdom of their own, and they never act so well together as when they reach a piece of particularly rough ice over which the sledge does not move easily. directly they find that they have to lean heavily against the collar to pull the load forward, they, with one accord, turn round, sit down, and look at the driver. if he is inexperienced, he lays about him with his whip and the dogs fight and tangle the harness; if he knows his animals, he puts his shoulder to the sledge, pushes it forward on to the toes of the team, whereupon each one gets up, hurries out of the way of the threatening sledge-runners, and, together, pull it easily over the rough place. another peculiarity of the dogs is their extraordinary appetite for leather. shark skin the eskimo consider to be bad for them because of its excessive roughness, but birds' skins, with the feathers on, are greatly relished by the insatiable feeders, and, as has been said, leather is an especial luxury. the dogs are incorrigible thieves and frequently sneak into the tents, or, if on board ship, into the cabins, in search of plunder. they are generally greeted with a kick, but should it be sufficiently energetic to dislodge the kicker's shoe, the dog at once seizes the delicacy and makes for a quiet spot on the ice where he can devour it at his leisure. the dogs, however, which mcclintock was able to obtain from the eskimo were genuinely useful to him when he and lieutenant hobson began their prolonged search, and his only regret was that he could not get more. later explorers have profited by his experience, for now an expedition is never considered complete that does not carry at least one team. after leaving the eskimo encampment, search was continued along the southern coast of king william's land, but without very much success. returning, they again met the same tribe of eskimo, and discovered that when one of the race speaks he does not necessarily tell all that he knows. during a conversation between the interpreter and one of the young men, the latter made a reference to the ship that came ashore. as the man who had previously mentioned the ship said that it sank in deep water, the young man was asked how it could have come ashore under those circumstances. the other one sank, he said; the one he meant came ashore, where he had seen it. further inquiries showed that both the ships had been seen and visited by the eskimo while they were yet in the ice. one of them they could not find how to enter, so they made a hole in her side, with the result that when the ice melted she filled and sank. in one of the bunks they found a man lying dead, but no other bodies were right near the ship. now that they had been discovered in their attempt to evade the truth, the eskimo spoke readily enough, giving the exact locality where the ship had come ashore. thither mcclintock and his companions at once proceeded. they found enough evidence in the drift-wood on the beach to show them where the vessel had gone to pieces; but whether it was the _erebus_ or the _terror_, there was nothing to show. they had now, however, a definite point from whence to commence their search, and they laid out the probable routes by which the escaping crews would have travelled. separating into two parties, so as to cover as much ground as possible, they started, lieutenant hobson leading. on may , , mcclintock, while walking along a sandy ridge from whence the snow had disappeared, noticed something white shining through the sand. he stooped to examine it, thinking it to be a round white stone, but closer inspection showed it to be the back of a skull. upon the sand being removed, the entire skeleton was found, lying face downwards, with fragments of blue cloth still adhering to its bleached bones. the man had evidently been young, lightly built, and of the average height. near by were found a small pocket brush and comb, and a pocket-book containing two coins and some scraps of writing. he had evidently fallen forward as he was walking, and never risen. as an old eskimo woman told dr. rae, "they fell down and died as they walked along," overcome with cold, hunger, and sickness. the explorers were now in the region where all their finds were to be made. five days later mcclintock came upon a boat which he found, from a note attached to it, that hobson had already examined. it had evidently escaped the notice of the eskimo, and, until the white men found it, had probably not been touched by human hands from the moment its occupants had died. it was mounted on a sledge, as though it had been hauled over the ice; but from the fact that its bows pointed towards the spot where the ships had been, it was surmised that the men were dragging it back to the vessels when they were overcome. inside were two bodies, one lying on its side, under a pile of clothing, towards the stern, and the other in the bows, in such a position as to suggest that the man had crawled forward, had laboriously pulled himself up to look over the gunwale, and had then slipped down and died where he fell. beside him were two guns, loaded and ready cocked, as though the man had been apprehensive of attack. there were also as many as five watches, several books (mostly with the name of graham gore or initials g. g. in them), abundance of clothes and other articles such as knives, pieces of sheet-lead, files, sounding leads and lines, spoons and forks, oars, a sail, and two chronometers, but of food only some tea and chocolate. the story mutely told by these relics was only too plain. weary with hauling it, the majority of the men had left the boat in order to get back to the ships and obtain a fresh supply of provisions, leaving two, who were too weak to struggle on, in the boat, as comfortable as they could be made until some of the others could get back to help them. then the days had passed until the store of provisions had been consumed and the two sufferers had grown weary with waiting, so weary that one had slept and died under his wraps, and the other, with his remaining vestige of strength, had crawled forward to peep out once more for the help that was so long in coming. but only ice had met his gaze, and, sinking down, he had also passed into that overwhelming sleep, and had lain undisturbed for twelve years under the covering of the arctic snows. close search was made in the vicinity of the boat for the remains of any other of the lost explorers, but nothing was discovered except drift-wood. the spot where the boat was found was about fifty miles from point victory, sixty-five from the place where the ship had gone ashore, and seventy from the skeleton that mcclintock had discovered on the ridge. a few days' march farther on, a cairn was noticed upon the brow of a point near cape victoria. on ascending to it, mcclintock found another note from hobson, stating that he had already examined it and recovered from it the record which the crews had deposited there upon the desertion of the ships, and which is given in the account of the franklin voyages. this was the final triumph of the search, for it conclusively proved that sir john had been dead before the ships were abandoned, that he, and not mcclure, was the real discoverer of the north-west passage, and that the expedition had ended in a disaster as pitiful as the commencement had been brilliant. round the cairn were strewn innumerable relics, showing that the three days which had elapsed from the time of their leaving the ships had been sufficient to further decrease the strength and vitality of the scurvy-stricken unfortunates. no other discovery of moment was made after the unearthing of the vital record, but lieutenant hobson had some experience of what the franklin explorers must have suffered. he had abundance of food with him, and that the best and most nutritious, but he developed scurvy on his journey, and when he reached the _fox_ he could not walk without assistance. no wonder, then, that franklin's men, starving as well as sick, should have died by the way. the return of the _fox_ in september effectually set at rest all doubts as to the fate of the _erebus_ and _terror_, and no more search expeditions were sent out. but in lieutenant schwatka, of the united states navy, made an overland journey to that part of king william's land where the crews had perished. he found many more skeletons, doubtless of members of the ill-fated expedition, and wherever he found one lying above ground he buried it with proper ceremony, except in a single instance. this was in the case of an open grave of stones in which the remains of a skeleton, with some blue cloth adhering to it and some coarse canvas around it, was lying. near the remains he found a silver medal bearing the words, "awarded to john irving, midsummer, , second mathematical prize." the presence of the medal identified the remains as being those of lieutenant irving of the _terror_. as this was the only instance where identification was possible, lieutenant schwatka carefully and reverently gathered them together and carried them to new york, from whence they were forwarded to edinburgh, irving's native town. there they were accorded a public funeral on january , . chapter iv the voyage of the _polaris_ death of captain hall--crew determine to return--are frozen in--a party take to the ice and are cast away--they build themselves snow huts--they find some seals--an adventure with bears--the perils of the spring--they sight the _tigress_ and are saved--the ship-party's story and rescue. the government of the united states, in june , despatched the _polaris_ to explore and survey the passage between grinnel land and greenland, and also, if possible, to push on to the pole. the _polaris_, under the command of captain hall, sailed from new york on june , , with a crew of thirty-three, and provisioned for some years. she succeeded in passing through smith's sound and robeson channel, and on august she had reached as high a latitude as ° ' n. returning to the southward, she went into winter quarters; but on november her captain was struck down with apoplexy. upon his death all idea of going further to the north was abandoned, and, as soon as the spring of commenced, preparations were made to return to new york. the ice was particularly heavy, however, and very slow progress was made when, by august, the _polaris_ became entangled with some big floes which checked her in every direction. on august , when off the entrance of kennedy channel, in latitude °, the ice closed round her and fixed her so firmly that every effort made by the crew to release her was without avail. a series of floes had closed one upon the other, and had so compressed themselves together, that all hope of extricating the _polaris_ until the ice itself broke up was reluctantly abandoned. the pack in which she was involved continued to slowly drift to the south until, two months after her capture, the ship had drifted in the ice to ° ' n. at this point a violent gale occurred, which resulted in the series of adventures for her crew that has made the voyage of the _polaris_ so notable. as the gale increased in intensity, the huge field of heavy ice in which the vessel was imprisoned began to heave and grind in an alarming manner. the masses joined together by the force of earlier collisions broke asunder under the strain of the wind, but only to close in again with terrific force and crashing. every time that separated portions of the pack came together with a crash, the ice around the vessel creaked and moved, and the _polaris_ herself strained in every timber under the trial. a sudden parting asunder of the pack where she was encased liberated her for the moment. freed from the grip of the ice, the force of the wind was more evident, and she heeled over to the gale as it caught her in the temporarily open water. before she could right herself, the ice closed in again upon her sides. the rending and crashing which followed the "nip" convinced all on board that the vessel was too crushed ever to float again, and, while the floe held together and she was kept from foundering, the crew set about putting stores, tents, clothing, arms, and anything else they could lay hands on, over the side on to the ice. they feared that with the next split the vessel would be in the water again, and there was no doubt in any one's mind but that she would then sink like a stone. no one knew how long it might be before that split came, and in the meantime every one worked at the only means of saving their lives. nineteen of the ship's company scrambled out on to the pack, and, as their comrades passed out the various stores and articles they were able to seize, those on the ice stacked them, as well as they could, on a massive hummock. through the wind and the cold they worked, neither pausing for rest nor refreshment. all around them the ice was heaving and grinding, and over them the cold northerly gale was blowing and driving great clouds of snow; but they worked on, knowing only too well that in every barrel of food they rolled into security was contained a week of life for them. the driving snow made it more and more difficult to see, until the air was almost dark. with fearful force the wind howled across the icy expanse, and those on the pack crouched for some shelter behind the stores they had piled up by the hummock, waiting till the gale should have exhausted its fury. the faint sound of a cry came to them from the direction of the ship and they peered out through the gloom. then a cry of despair broke from their lips--they forgot the force of the wind and the cold of the driving snow as they sprang from behind their shelter. the ice had parted again, and, down the long lane of open water which had been formed, the hull of the ship loomed as it swung away into the darkness. anxiously the castaways watched for the coming together again of the divided packs, in the hope that the _polaris_ would again be caught and held. those who remained on board were equally anxious, for they knew the vessel must be leaking terribly, and to be left much longer in the open water meant that she would founder and they be drowned. a man ran to the rudder and tried to bring her round to the ice which glimmered through the snow-storm, but the rudder was damaged too much for steering and the ship drifted on. soon it was obscured from those on the pack, and the truth of their position dawned on them. whether the ship had foundered or not they did not know, but this was clear: they were adrift on an ice-pack which might at any moment split asunder and precipitate them into the freezing water, or, if it held together, carry them till they died of cold and starvation. either alternative was sufficiently gloomy to depress the spirits of the bravest; as the nineteen cowered behind their stack of provisions for shelter from the keen snow-filled wind, into the mind of each there came a grim determination to fight while there was an ounce of food in the casks or a vestige of ice to float them. in the morning, when the storm had abated and the air was clear, they emerged from their shelter and looked about for a sign of the vessel. some of them clambered up on to the top of the highest hummocks so as to command a wider field of vision, but they saw no more than those who remained below. all around them was ice, piled in heaps, or stretching out in flat expanses; but always ice, as far as the eye could reach, and nowhere a vestige or a sign of the _polaris_. they gathered together round the heap of stores and looked at one another in silence, each one reading the other's thoughts and always finding them the same as his own. the ship had probably gone to the bottom, with all on board, as soon as she broke away from the ice. the packs had closed again over the spot where she had disappeared, so that there was no chance of any spars or timber floating to the surface and confirming their suspicions. everything was under the ice, everything except the scanty supply of provisions that had been put overboard. at length one man spoke. it was no use mincing matters, he told his comrades. they would do well to realise the position they were in, and, looking at it from the worst side, make the best of it and fight to the end. the vessel had gone, and all they had to keep them from starvation and death was the heap of stores and their own energy. there was no timber to build a raft, so that they could float if the ice broke up; there was no wood to waste on a fire. but as they had to keep afloat and warm if they were going to escape, he considered that first of all they should remove their stores to the thickest, heaviest ice they could find, and then set to work to build snow huts for shelter. winter was coming on with its long spell of darkness, and there was no time to waste. it was every one's business to help one another and to do the best they could, working together and sharing whatever came, whether it was short rations or plenty. the sentiments appealed to all the men, and they formed themselves into parties to carry out the scheme. fortunately they had just passed one winter in the arctic regions and knew, therefore, what was in front of them, and also how to carry out the building of snow huts and the other necessary makeshifts. a massive hummock, which apparently was too strong to be crushed, and solid enough to last through several summers without melting, was selected as the site of the encampment. the snow which had fallen during the gale was not quite hard enough for building huts at the moment, so while some of the party were overhauling the stores and arranging to move them to the hummock, the others were clearing away the snow from the site of the camp and banking it up all round as a break-wind. by the time the stores were placed in the enclosure, canvas shelters were erected for a temporary covering, pending the time when the snow became hard enough to cut for building blocks. it is only when the snow has become compressed by its own weight and frozen nearly solid by the cold that it can be cut into slabs or blocks for a hut. when it has become hard enough, the blocks are cut and the building commences. first a circle is laid, with a small space vacant where the doorway is to be. on either side of this opening the blocks are laid so as to form the plan of a porch, one side of which, in the present instance, was continued at right angles so as turn the entrance passage towards the stack of provisions and thus shelter the doorway from the wind. as soon as the ground plan of the hut was laid, the surface of the blocks was moistened and other blocks laid upon them, and so on until the walls rose some five feet, the moisture making the blocks freeze hard to one another. the layers were now gradually lapped over the interior until a dome roof was formed. both inside and outside were then moistened and smoothed, and the cold air, freezing the moisture, glazed the entire structure with a covering of ice. all the clothing, bedding, and weapons were taken inside. a lamp was constructed out of an empty preserved meat tin; it was filled with fat, and, with a piece of twisted tow for a wick, it lit up the interior of the hut and afforded some warmth as well. heavy canvas curtains were suspended across the opening out of the hut at the inner wall, at the bend in the passage, and at the outer opening. such of the packages of stores as were suitable were also brought into the hut, and upon them the blankets and furs were laid so as to make the sleeping places as comfortable as possible. the quarters were thus as good as the men could make them, but one anxiety still remained. the lamp would have to be kept going all the twenty-four hours, and especially during the long arctic night; but the supply of fat was limited. a hunting party was organised to search the pack for seals or walrus or any animal from which blubber could be obtained. here again the experience of the previous winter and its hunting exploits served them. a small opening in the pack was discovered a mile or so from the camp, and on the ice around the water three seals were resting, having evidently been caught in the ice when it closed. with great care the hunters crept over the ice towards the animals, whose sacrifice meant so much to the castaways. only two had rifles, the others carrying harpoons they had made from the tent-poles, and which were anything but reliable weapons. steady aim was taken by the two men who had the rifles at the two larger of the seals. firing together, one seal fell dead; the one which was not aimed at plunged into the water, and the other, badly wounded, hobbled to the edge of the ice. in another moment he would have been over and probably have sunk to the bottom, had not one of the men flung away his harpoon, and, springing forward, managed to seize the hind flippers of the wounded creature. his comrades rushed to his assistance and dragged both him and the seal back from the opening on to the ice, where the latter was quickly despatched. they were harnessing themselves to their victims in order to drag them over to the camp, when a loud snort from the opening caused them to start round just in time to see the third seal disappearing under the water. at once they understood the situation. the opening was the only one for miles, and the seal was compelled to come to the surface there to breathe, as he could not reach the top anywhere else for the ice. it was at once decided to wait for him, but as, if he were shot while in the water, he would inevitably sink to the bottom and be lost to them, they determined to lay a trap for him. the seals already killed were placed in natural attitudes near the water, and the men hastily retired to sheltering hummocks, to wait the return. the men with the rifles were both to fire upon the seal as soon as he emerged on to the ice, for he was too valuable to be lost. they had not waited very long before he reappeared and, raising his head high out of the water, looked around. seeing nothing but the two seals on the ice, he swam leisurely round and round the opening before scrambling up on to the ice. as he reached it and moved towards his two companions, the men, who had been carefully aiming at him, fired and killed him. with the three seals, the party returned to the camp in high spirits, their arrival being the signal for general rejoicing, for not only would the blubber of the seals keep the lamp supplied with oil, but their skins were very welcome additions to the stock of warm coverings, and the meat was an invaluable addition to the larder. really it was more, but of that they were not aware until two days later, when one of the men was awakened by the short barking roar of a bear. he quickly roused his companions and they made their way out of the hut with what weapons they possessed. the flesh of the seals had been suspended on a line between two poles near the other provisions so as to protect it from any chance visit by wolves or bears. as the first man peered out from the hut opening, he saw, in the dim twilight, two bears standing underneath the line of meat, sniffing up at it and growling. they had, it was afterwards learned, picked up the trail where the dead seals had been dragged from the opening in the ice, and had followed it to the camp. [illustration: an addition to the explorers' supply of provisions.] the man whispered back to his companions what he saw, and another man, armed with a rifle, crept to his side. aiming together behind the shoulder of the larger of the bears, they fired simultaneously and brought their quarry down. immediately the other bear turned towards the opening and, with snarling teeth, advanced. a third rifle was fired point-blank at its head, but the bullet failed to penetrate the massive skull, though it made the beast change its direction. as it turned away the men realised what its escape would mean to them. there was a rush after it, the men loading and firing as quickly as they could load, so as to secure it before it disappeared in the dim grey twilight. it fell wounded, and was despatched by means of the impromptu spears. this adventure not only made a notable break in the monotony of the life on the pack, but gave the men a subject for conversation during the long weary period of darkness, as well as increasing their store of fat, fresh meat, and warm covering. no further animals were seen or heard, although every one was constantly on the alert, and the opening where the seals were killed was visited daily until it froze over. then the last vestige of twilight vanished and darkness settled down upon the ice. for eighty-three days the sun was absent, and during that time the cold was intense. the lamp was the only means of artificial heat they possessed, and even of that they had to be careful, for the supply of fat was not inexhaustible, and no one knew when it could be replenished. in the coldest weather the men huddled together under their blankets and furs, anxious and weary. they had no means of finding out in what direction they were moving, for the constant creaking of the floe led them to believe that they were drifting somewhere. whether it was to the north or to the south they could not tell, and yet upon the direction in which they were moving their salvation depended. never, perhaps, was the return of the sun more welcomed than by the desolate castaways on the floe. but its appearance and the commencement of spring was not entirely an unmixed blessing. the rising temperature naturally caused the ice to break up, and as the floe upon which they were marooned gradually decreased in size, fresh anxiety was caused to them by the possible danger of their haven being broken up. as the days passed, they saw their food supply growing smaller and smaller, until starvation stared them in the face, and hope was almost dead. april came, and with it all the privation and suffering consequent upon insufficient food and wearying, helpless, and almost hopeless, inactivity. the last day of the month arrived and found them with the last morsel of food consumed. a man clambered to the summit of the hummock in the hopes of seeing a seal somewhere on the ice. his comrades thought that he had lost his senses when he shouted wildly and, clambering down, ran towards them, dancing and shouting. over the top of the hummock he had caught sight of a ship, and the excitement caused by his news was soon eclipsed as the castaways saw the signals they made answered from the vessel. boats put off for them and took them on board the ship, which was the _tigress_, a sealer from labrador. they found that in the days they had spent on the floe they had drifted over miles from the latitude in which the _polaris_ was beset on october . for the time they believed they were the only survivors of the expedition, but in this they were wrong. the remainder of the party also escaped, though without undergoing quite the same hardships as themselves. when the _polaris_ broke away from the ice, she did not sink, but drifted rapidly before the gale through the open channel. captain budington, who had assumed command when captain hall died, and the twelve men who remained on board, managed to keep the disabled vessel afloat, but they could do no more until she again became involved in the ice. by that time all hopes of returning to the place where the other men were on the ice was abandoned, and, as the water was fairly open, the efforts of the crew were mainly directed to warping the ship towards the coast. by good fortune she managed to escape from the crushing packs, and, with tireless effort and great care, she was at length brought within sight of land. then she was caught in the ice along the shore and so severely nipped that her ruin was complete. she, however, did not sink, and her crew were able to reach the land. selecting a site for an encampment, they removed thither enough timber from the broken-up vessel to construct a house, to which they also removed enough stores to last them. when these necessaries were secured, they brought more timber ashore, and, during the long winter night, they employed themselves in constructing a couple of boats. it was a laborious task, and but slow progress was made until daylight returned. then they were able to carry on the work faster; but it was the middle of may before they had them finished and seaworthy. as soon as the ice began to break up, they launched the boats, which were fully provisioned from the wreck, and on june they sailed away to the south. three weeks later they sighted a whaler, the _ravenscraig_, who took them aboard, and within a few months of their comrades, whom they thought had all perished, landing in america from the _tigress_, the boat party also landed, having saved, in addition to themselves, all the records of the surveys and observations made by the expedition. these were of great geographical value, making known much of the neighbourhood of the straits between greenland and grant's land. the expedition, although attaining to a high latitude, did not succeed in reaching the pole, but their adventures made a fascinating chapter in the history of polar research. chapter v the _alert_ and _discovery_ sir george nares appointed to the _alert_ and _discovery_--overtaking a season--red snow--the greenland mosquito--peculiarities of eskimo dogs--and dog whips--dangers of kayaks--advantages of steam for polar regions--an unpleasant experience--a huge walrus--arctic scenery--a big "bag"--the ships part company--the _alert_ reaches the polar sea--winter quarters--the north pole attempted--adventures and sufferings of the party--lieutenant parr's heroism--deliverance--the greenland attempt--scurvy and snow--repulse bay--in pitiable plight--lieutenant rawson to the rescue. "her majesty's government, having determined that an expedition of arctic exploration and discovery should be undertaken, my lords commissioners of the admiralty have been pleased to select you for the command of the said expedition, the scope and primary object of which should be to attain the highest northern latitude and, if possible, to reach the north pole." such was the opening sentence of the official instructions sent to sir george nares to take command of the _alert_ and _discovery_, two steam vessels, which constituted the first expedition the british government had sent to the arctic regions since the search parties for sir john franklin. it was confidently expected that the introduction of the screw steamer into arctic navigation would result in startling achievements, and those expectations were fully justified. the two ships, with h.m.s. _valorous_ in consort with provisions, &c., on board, left portsmouth on may , . they were home again by november , , and during the intervening eighteen months they had reached the most northerly point attained by man up to that period, and only since exceeded, on the sea, by the _fram_. no greater contrast can be given of the enormous strides which had been made in navigation during the thirty years which had elapsed since franklin sailed away on his last and fatal voyage, than the fact that whereas after six weeks' journeying franklin had barely reached the region of drift ice, in six weeks from the date of leaving portsmouth the _alert_ and _discovery_ were almost in the region of perpetual ice. and all owing to the application of steam to ocean travelling. the route laid down for the expedition was along the western coast of greenland and as far through robeson channel, which divides grinnel land from greenland, as it was possible to get. disko bay, half-way up the greenland coast, was the spot where the _alert_ and _discovery_ were to part company with the _valorous_. they entered the bay on july , having had, on the voyage to the north, the peculiar experience of chasing and overtaking a season. when they left portsmouth at the end of may, summer was well in; but when they arrived at disko bay they found that the mild weather which forms the spring had not yet set in sufficiently to melt all the winter's snows. so that they had travelled quicker than the summer, having started after it had begun in england, and arrived in greenland before it was due. the early spring flowers were just commencing to bloom on the slopes around disko, wherever the snow had melted, while higher up on the hills, where the winter's snow still lay, the explorers had an opportunity of looking upon that curious phenomenon, red snow. a minute animalcule (_protococcus nivalis_) generates in the frozen covering of the earth, and increases so rapidly and in such vast numbers that it gives to its cold white habitat the hue of its own microscopic body. another minute creature also breeds in enormous numbers in these bleak regions, the mosquito, which one usually associates with dense tropical jungles and fever-breeding swamps. all along the greenland coast, wherever there is a pool of fresh water which thaws from the ice-grip, the larvæ of the mosquito appear in swarms in the spring, and, very shortly after, the full-fledged insect emerges in the utmost vigour of irritating stinging life. as the time is short between the period when the ice melts and when the water freezes again, the greenland mosquito has to be active to work out his life mission before he is frozen off, and the skin of all visitors to his locality gives ample evidence how well he utilises his opportunities. in addition to taking on board the surplus stores from the _valorous_, the two arctic ships also took on board teams of dogs for sledging purposes. fifty-five in all were shipped, their quarters being situated on the main deck, where they were necessarily cramped for room, and, what was worse from their point of view, were unable to get at one another's throats owing to their being chained to bolts. consequently they kept up a constant chorus of snarls and yaps, varied now and again with a howl as one or another received a remonstrating kick from a sailor. this interminable uproar was explained by the eskimo dog driver, who was also taken on board, as being due to the fact that most of the dogs were strangers to one another, and no one was as yet the properly constituted king. when captain mcclintock purchased a team of dogs from the eskimo of king william's land, he had a good deal to learn about their peculiarities; but the people on the _alert_ and the _discovery_, having a great many more dogs than he was able to obtain, had also a great deal more to learn about them. sir george nares, in his account of the expedition, gives some particulars which were furnished by his eskimo dog driver, and these show that the sledge dog is quite as wise as one might expect from captain mcclintock's experiences. in every team of dogs, one is the king. he holds that position by prowess only, and has to fight and thrash every other dog in the team before he can assume the leadership. when he has once assumed it, he has to keep it by the same means; for revolutions may at any moment occur, through some younger dog aspiring to the ruling position. but while a dog has the position of authority, he exercises his rights with decision, and the remainder of the team cluster round him and support him in emergencies, or lie at his feet in times of leisure. the only one who is allowed to snarl at him without at once being bitten is the queen. she is among her sex what the king is among his; for though she depends more upon him for her prominent position than to her own fighting qualities, she maintains it, when once obtained, by a free use of her jaws upon encroachers. consequently, when a number of teams were brought together on the decks of the vessels, all strangers to one another, there was a tremendous amount of fighting in prospect before peace could be granted. firstly, the kings of the various teams were anxious to tussle for the supremacy; and with the prospect of some of them getting badly mauled, there were several inferiors in each team ready to do battle with their injured monarch, and, when he was disposed of, with one another, for the leadership. but their new masters, instead of letting them all loose to settle their various degrees of authority in their own hereditary fashion, tied them up where they could see and hear one another without exchanging a bite. the kings, naturally warlike and ferocious, could only snap at their inferiors as they bayed in their rage, and the inferiors could only bay in their pain, and so between them the ship's company were kept awake by night and annoyed by day. when at length opportunity occurred for liberating the dogs and giving them some exercise over the ice, great care had to be taken so as to prevent a wholesale mêlée. each team, as they were freed from their deck chains, were led on to the ice and made fast to a sledge, two men being in charge of each sledge for the purpose of learning how to drive. and a highly exciting time they had of it, for not only did every dog want to start in its own direction as soon as they were harnessed, but every team wanted to attack every other team directly they appeared. nor were the troubles of the drivers limited to the dogs. the whip which is used for sledge teams consists of a very short handle and a very long lash. in the hands of an expert it is a most effective weapon, being capable of producing a resounding crack or a stinging blow wherever the wielder desires. but in the hands of a novice it is, like the australian stock-whip, prone to do everything that the wielder does not wish. the amateur driver of a team, growing impatient as his dogs set off at full speed in various directions, and, besides tangling the harness, upset the sledge and themselves and very nearly himself as well, lashed out viciously at the worst offender; but the lash, instead of bringing the creature to his senses, curled back and hit the striker across the face, or twined round the legs of his companion, with disastrous results. meanwhile the eskimo driver was going from one group to another, trying to explain the mysteries of the art, much to the amusement of the onlookers and the indignation of the inexperienced amateurs. during the wait at disko, another form of arctic travelling was practised by the officers of the expedition. this was the use of the eskimo kayak. the kayak is a long narrow canoe, entirely covered in with a waterproof covering. the voyager sits in the middle in a small round hole, the covering lapping over the edges and being fastened round the waist. the kayak is thus made as buoyant as a life-belt, whether floating on an even keel or upside down. by reason of their build, they are peculiarly "cranky" craft, turning over at the least provocation, and so require extremely careful handling, unless one is an adept at swimming and diving. the experience of one of the officers made this clear. he had securely strapped himself in, when, by a false stroke of the paddle, he overturned the kayak. he could not get it back again and was unable to loosen the cover; there was only one way of escape, and that possible alone to a man familiar with being under water. loosening his clothes, he wriggled out of them and came to the surface just in time to avoid drowning. having taken on board all the stores that the _valorous_ carried, as well as a full supply of coal, the _alert_ and the _discovery_ started in company for the north. the advantages of steam navigation were made even more apparent as they proceeded, for the ships were able to steam through ice-encumbered water which would have been quite impassable for sailing vessels. depending so much upon the wind, a sailing vessel is only able to make headway amongst heavy drifting floes by means of long hawsers, run out and made fast to a mass of ice and then slowly hauled in at the capstan. steamers, on the other hand, experience no difficulty in forcing their way past and between the lesser floes, and sir george nares, who had had a great deal of experience of sailing vessels in the ice regions, was frequently astounded at the ease with which the two steamers rammed their way, clearing from out of their course lumps of ice which would have been difficult obstacles to a sailing ship. those on board, however, were not to escape without some experience of the peculiarities of ice movements. the vessels were going to make fast for the night, and a boat's crew was sent from the _alert_ to carry an anchor to a large, heavy mass not far distant. on near approach it was seen that the lump was very rotten, and, as no hold for the anchor could be found near the water-line, one of the men volunteered to clamber up to the top and, with an ice chisel, make a hold for it. he clambered on to the slippery, treacherous mass, and, after a great deal of very careful exertion, succeeded in reaching a point high enough for his purpose. he began lustily to drive in the chisel, but so rotten was the ice, that instead of merely chipping out a crevice, he cracked the top of the lump. another blow, and, to his intense amazement, a huge mass in front of him slid away. gliding down the side, fortunately away from the boat, it splashed into the sea. but the removal of so much from the top of the berg upset its balance, with the result that it swayed from one side to the other as it recovered its equilibrium. the unfortunate sailor, with nothing to cling to, had to scramble up and over the summit as the berg dipped down; but no sooner was he over the top than the berg swung the other way, and he had to scramble back again. there was no means of escape until the berg settled down once more, and in the meantime his companions in the boat and on the steamer were shouting with laughter at the antics of what they called their squirrel on the iceberg. while he was in his lofty if unsteady position, however, he noticed on a floe not far distant three walrus, and as soon as he returned to the ship and reported his discovery, a boat with a harpoon and two rifles was despatched. the three animals lay contentedly enough on the ice, paying scarcely any heed to the advancing boat, with the result that all were hit. the two that were shot slid off into the water and sank, but the one that was harpooned could not escape. he was an immense creature, measuring over twelve feet in length and eleven feet round the thickest part; his tusks were over eighteen inches long, and, when cut up, he yielded five casks of meat, weighing lbs. as the two vessels advanced farther to the north they found that the character of the ice was very different from that met with in the neighbourhood of baffin's bay and lancaster sound. it was more massive and heavy, a berg they passed towering nearly feet above the water-line, and floes frequently occurring some miles in length and standing feet out of the water. the possibility of being caught between such masses and "nipped" was a constant danger, for no vessel could possibly withstand the tremendous pressure exerted by two floes of that size colliding. a constant look-out had to be maintained from the crow's-nest for any sign ahead of the floes closing in, and by careful navigation anything like a severe "nip" was avoided. by august they had made such excellent progress as to be nearly at the end of the hitherto explored channel. a southerly wind was helping them along, but about four in the afternoon it began to die away. they were then in bessel bay, and in order to see how the ice was ahead, sir george nares decided to land and climb to the top of cape morton, which is some feet in height. from the summit a magnificent view was obtained, of which the following description is given by sir george nares in his account of the expedition:-- "it was a beautiful morning, with scarcely a cloud in the sky. the cold, sharp wind which had benumbed us at the sea-level was local, for, on the summit of the cape, it was perfectly calm. sixty miles distant in the south-west were the victoria and albert mountains of grinnel land, fronted by hans island showing clear of cape bryan, which had hannah island nestling at its base. farther north was an elevated spur from the main range which, rising between archer fjord and kennedy channel, formed daly promontory. fronting these mountains, and directly separated from them by an extensive valley extending to the northward from carl ritter bay, was the black buttress-shaped cliff forming cape back, the southern extremity of the nearly straight running line of flat-topped coast hills extending twenty miles to cape defosse. from that point the coast line became more hilly, and, joining the daly mountains, extended to cape lieber, a bluff headland, with cape baird, a low, flat point, jutting out beyond it. still farther north were the lofty mountains of grant's land with steep cliffs about cape union, though seventy miles distant distinctly visible, forming the western extremity of robeson channel. nearly due north a slight break in the continuity of the land showed where robeson channel opened into the polar sea. on the eastern side of the strait, at a distance of forty miles, was cape lupton, the notable landmark denominated polaris promontory; then came polaris bay with the low plains leading to newman bay. at my feet lay cape tyson and cape mary cleverly on the north shore of petermann fjord, rising to an elevation of feet." in this district, picturesque and beautiful as portrayed by the explorer's description, the _discovery_ wintered, while the _alert_ went on farther north. the spot where the _discovery_ was left, and which was named discovery bay, was a large, well-protected inlet inside an island, the outer point of which formed cape bellot. in the summer it was sparsely covered with loose ice, but in the winter, sea, hills, cape, and plains were all covered in the one white garb. as the two vessels entered the bay early on the morning of august , what at first were taken to be nine boulders were observed on the shore; but as the vessels swung to their anchors, the boulders were observed to move away. at once the cry of "musk oxen" was raised, and boats were hastily lowered, filled with sportsmen keen for the chase. the oxen, disturbed by the noise, made for the higher ground, where they were followed by the enthusiastic shooting party until every one of the nine was brought to the ground. the following day, august , the ships parted company, the _alert_ taking with her an officer and a sledge team of men from the _discovery_, with the idea of sending them back overland when winter quarters were selected, an idea which had to be abandoned by reason of the impassable nature of the country. on the last day of the month the _alert_ met a particularly heavy floe, the ice forming it being of the massive character which denoted that its origin was the polar sea. once the grinding mass of hummocks, rising higher than the vessel's decks, threatened to catch her. there would have been no hope of escape if they had, and only by persistently ramming her way through some of the looser ice did she escape in towards the shore. next day a strong gale sprang up from the south-west, and the _alert_ went along at ten miles an hour in an open channel between the land and the heavy pack which was drifting about three miles out. by midday they reached latitude ° ' n., and the flags were run up to the mastheads amid general rejoicing, for it was the farthest point north to which a ship had yet sailed. with the channel showing clear ahead of them and the spanking breeze astern, expectation was high on board that they would be able to sail right up to latitude °, but within an hour their hopes were suddenly and thoroughly checked. on hauling to the westward they rounded a promontory and found that the land trended away to the west. the wind veered round to the north-west and drove the ice in upon the channel, which gradually became narrower until, when off cape sheridan, the main pack was observed to be touching the grounded ice and effectually barring all further progress. the _alert_ was run close up to the end of the channel, and then, when it was certain that there was no chance of getting through the barrier, she was anchored to a floe which rested aground off the cape. the next day, as the heavy ice of the pack was grinding against the stranded floe, and an opening just large enough for the vessel to get in was observed in the floe, she was warped into the basin. she was barely inside when a solid hummock crushed against the opening, forming a great barrier between the vessel and the outer moving pack. had it struck there a few minutes earlier the vessel would have been severely injured by the "nip," but as it was the hummock formed an admirable shelter from the pressure of the pack. this was often so severe that masses over , tons in weight were broken off and forced up the inclined shore, rising twelve and fourteen feet higher out of the water as they crunched along the ground. on september new ice formed on the water in which the ship was floating, and from observations taken from high land inshore all doubt was removed as to where they were. they had navigated to the end of robeson channel and were now in the polar sea. no land could be seen to the north; nothing but a vast wilderness of huge masses of polar ice, most of which had evidently been frozen for years. at midnight on the same day they saw the last of the sun as it sank below the northern horizon. winter was now upon them, and they set to work to make their quarters as comfortable as possible. snow came down heavily for some days, but not for a week or so was it hard enough to cut into the blocks suitable for building snow houses. when these were built, stores were removed to them and observatories fitted up for recording the various conditions of the atmosphere. on september a severe gale sprang up, which caused the ice to move so much that the thin new ice in the basin was broken up and a boat's crew were drifted away on to a floe-berg yards from the ship, from whence they were only rescued after great difficulty and in a half-frozen condition. some days subsequently, while a sledge party was on shore, one man was badly frost-bitten. he did not know it until some time after, but he had tried to thaw his frozen foot-wraps in his sleeping-bag instead of first removing them. the loss of feeling and then of use in his legs crippled him, and when he was brought on board it was seen what was wrong. this is one of the several evils men have to carefully guard against in the excessive cold. so long as they experience the stinging sensation of cold, they are free from a frost-bite; but a man may have his face bitten and not realise it until he is told that he has turned dead white. circulation has then been arrested, and immediate steps have to be taken to bring it back, or the flesh becomes dead. the dogs also began to suffer from a disease which sent them into fits, and which puzzled the eskimo driver and the doctors. some of them wandered away over the ice and others died, until only fifteen remained out of thirty, and many of those were thin and weakly. then, as the cold increased, ice formed in the chimneys, and damp settled on the beams and walls between decks every time the cold air was admitted, so that it had to be constantly sponged up, while the officers had to spread waterproof coverings over their beds to protect themselves from it when they slept. on november it was so dark at midday that a newspaper could not be read, nor could a man be distinguished a dozen yards away. for eighty-seven days more the sun would be absent, but the moon visited the dark, cold skies, appearing for ten days without setting, and then going out of sight for thirteen. on november the cold was so intense that the mercury froze in the thermometer. but if it was dark and cold outside, the ship's company made themselves comfortable. a school was started, a theatre was opened--the royal arctic--and every thursday they had popular concerts. exercise was daily taken and the general health was excellent, only one man being on the sick-list, and he from a constitutional cause. the men were warmly clad when "between decks," as the temperature there was never what one might term hot; but before going outside they had to wrap themselves up in a variety of thick heavy fur garments, for there was often a difference of nearly one hundred degrees to be experienced. the long stretch of winter's darkness was varied by the appearance, from time to time, of the aurora. this was the phenomenon which so greatly puzzled, and not infrequently terrified, the early explorers. assuming a variety of forms, sometimes like the fringe of a vast curtain hanging in the sky, at others appearing as bands and streaks of light, waving and flickering over the heavens, but always with this peculiarity, that however bright they appeared, no light was given to the surrounding atmosphere, they were a source of constant interest to the men. and so the winter passed, not entirely without its pleasures, in spite of the prolonged darkness. with the beginning of spring active preparations were made for the sledging trips, which were to carry out the work of surveying the surrounding land and penetrating farther to the north than it was possible for the vessels to go. the great majority of the officers and men on the _alert_ were told off for these expeditions, six officers and six men remaining on board, while fifty-three were split up into two parties, one to survey the coast of grant's land, and the other, under commander markham and lieutenant parr, to go north--to the pole if possible. the day the start was made the two parties were drawn up in line alongside the ship, and the chaplain read prayers, after which, with cheers for one another and the men left behind, they started. both did good service, the survey party carrying the survey round the coast well on to the western side. the north pole party pressed on in the face of terrible difficulties until they reached the farthest point north that had yet been recorded. in addition to the sledges laden with stores, they dragged with them two whale-boats in case they should meet with open water. but there was no sign of it as far as they went. on the contrary, their route lay over such excessively rough ice that although they travelled as a rule about ten miles a day, so much of it was spent in getting round inaccessible hummocks, that the actual progress towards the north rarely exceeded one mile a day. when on april they bade their comrades farewell, they had provisions for seventy days, and all were in good health and spirits. the work of dragging the boats and sledges up and down the great masses of rugged ice which covered the polar sea was terribly trying, however, and by the time the ten miles were covered every one was ready to creep into the sleeping-bags and rest. as the sun began to rise above the horizon it made the snow and ice sparkle and glitter so much that their eyes, accustomed for so long to darkness, could not stand it. goggles had to be worn to protect the sight, but before they were adopted by all the members several were affected, and lieutenant parr for some days suffered from snow-blindness, an affliction which fortunately passed away in time. as the days went by, the toil of dragging the sledges over the interminable and monotonous ice became more and more wearying. there was no variety in the work, no change in the surroundings; and although the men stuck at their task with true british obstinacy, it began to tell upon them. one man fell sick, growing weaker and weaker until he was no longer able to pull, and then was unable to walk. one of the boats was abandoned, and the sick man laid on a sledge. his condition was more than disquieting to the leaders, for it was evident he was suffering from scurvy, and no one could say who would be the next to develop it. on april they only added a mile and a quarter to their distance, for they had come upon clumps of ice hummocks which made their progress so difficult that they had to combine forces to haul first one sledge and then another over the obstacles. on april , when they were seventeen miles from the shore, they found the track of a hare in the snow, going towards the land, but with the footprints so close together that the animal was evidently very weak. where it had come from, or how it had got so far from the shore, were riddles they could not solve. as may came in signs of scurvy made themselves only too evident among the members of the crew, and on may the leaders decided that the next day they would have to turn to the south once more. they started with a light sledge in the morning and pushed on till noon, when they took their bearings. they had reached latitude ° ' " n., and were then only ½ miles from the pole itself, having beaten all other records of arctic explorations. the little band, weary and sickening, forgot their woes in the presence of their achievement. a jorum of whisky had been presented to the expedition by the dean of dundee on condition that it was opened in the highest latitude reached. it was now produced, and the success of their efforts was toasted, the while each man smoked a cigar, also sent for consumption in the "farthest north." a hole was cut in the ice and soundings were taken, the sea being seventy-two fathoms ( feet) deep below them, with a clay bottom, the surface temperature being . ° and the temperature at the bottom . °. then they turned their backs upon the cold, bleak, ice-bound north, and began the journey home again, a journey which was to prove more trying than that which they had already accomplished. the man who had first sickened, and whose name was porter, had become so weak that he could not move from the sledge on which he lay wrapped in a sleeping-bag. gradually one man after another began to lose his strength, until three or four were only able to support themselves, and could give no assistance in hauling the sledges, with the result that the labour pressed all the more heavily on the remainder of the party, all of whom were more or less affected by scurvy. the first fortnight of the return journey was a terribly wearying time to the leaders, for they saw their men becoming weaker every day, so that the progress was slower and more difficult, while at the same time the only hope of escape was to reach land. on the coast it would be possible for relief to meet them, but out amongst the rugged hummocks of the polar sea the whole ship's company would not be able to find them. the extra work thrown upon those who were not entirely incapacitated told severely upon their already enfeebled systems. the toil no longer encouraged their appetites; instead, the sight of food became nauseous to them, until towards the end of the month half a pannikin of pemmican was more than each man could manage to eat. but the toil was still as weary, and the cold as intense, and without sufficient food to keep up their strength, the outlook was almost hopeless. still, however, the little band of seventeen struggled on, setting an example of courage, determination, and absolute devotion to discipline and duty which has won for them as deep an admiration as their achievement of the "farthest north" record. on june only six men and the two officers were able to do anything in the way of labour. five men lay sick and helpless on the already laden sledges, and four more were just able to stagger along from point to point after the dreary procession of sledges. the progress was very slow now, as it required all the strength which was left in the eight, who alone were able to do anything, to move one sledge at a time. the second boat had been abandoned, as it could not be dragged farther, and the strain of moving the three sledges that remained was so great that when, on june , land was reached after an absence of two months, the entire party was in a state of collapse. the next day they rested and debated what was the best course to adopt to obtain help, for it was outside of their power to drag the sledges any farther. porter was almost at death's door, and unless help came very soon several more would be in a similar condition. lieutenant parr was the strongest, but even he was in a very low condition. that, however, did not rob him of his courage, nor of his readiness to give the rest of his life, if necessary, for the rescue of his comrades. he volunteered to set out alone for the ship, to carry word of the terrible plight of the party and the need for instant relief. it was almost a hopeless task, and the heavy hearts of the stricken men, beating more hopefully at the token of such manly bravery, drooped again as they remembered the dreary miles of snow and ice which would have to be covered, and saw the weakened state of their would-be rescuer's strength. but he was not to be gainsaid; weak as he was, he was yet the strongest of the party, and he would make the attempt. on june he started, the little band watching him as he trudged bravely away, giving him as hearty a cheer as they could. slowly he made his way over the frozen shore, and, when he had passed out of sight, the men looked at one another and wondered. how far would he get before death overtook him? how long before they all yielded to the same conqueror? by the next morning one had already gone, porter passing away after nearly two months' fighting against the scourge. commander markham, and the four who were alone able to help him, paid the last honours to their deceased comrade. the british ensign was lowered to half-mast on the pole of the big sledge and a union jack was carefully wrapped round the body. with great exertion, in their emaciated condition, a place was hollowed out in the frozen soil, and there they placed him, the funeral service being read by commander markham, who, in his diary, thus wrote of the ceremony: "of all the melancholy and mournful duties i have ever been called upon to perform, this has been the saddest. a death in a small party like ours, and under the present circumstances, is a most depressing event, and is keenly felt by all. during the service all were more or less affected, and many to tears." a rude cross was fashioned out of a boat's oar and a spare sledge batten, and it was placed at the head of the grave with the following inscription: "beneath this cross lie buried the remains of george porter, r.m.a., who died june , . 'thy will be done!'" anxiously they waited during the rest of the day, wondering as to the fate of lieutenant parr, and half expecting to see him stagger back to the camp, his splendid courage overcome by the difficulties of his journey. but he did not return, and the men crept into their sleeping-bags under the tents scarcely daring to think what the morrow would bring forth. one or two of the sick men were visibly worse since the death of porter, and the next day might mean the end of their lives. if their gallant rescuer managed to make his way at all, he could not reach the ship in time for relief to come for another day or two, and no man dared to speak of what might occur in that interval. the shouts of men's voices while they were yet within their sleeping-bags on the morning of june were so unexpected, that, at first, those who heard them blamed their ears for playing them false. but it was no deception. lieutenant parr, with a magnificent heroism that deserves honour even among the many brave deeds which british sailors have performed, struggled on after leaving the camp without a stop until he came in sight of the _alert_. directly he was discovered he told of his comrades waiting helpless and sick. relief parties were formed on the moment, and two officers, lieutenants may and moss, with a dog-team sledge laden with lime-juice and restoratives, started away while the other sledges were loading. they pressed on without a halt until they saw the tents of the camp, when they shouted, as no one was to be seen about the place. they were up to the tents before any one came out, and when they did it was as though new life had been given to each man. the lime-juice, of which they were in such dire want--for by an oversight it had been omitted from the stores--was at once served round, giving fresh energy to those who were still able to move about, and greatly relieving those who were incapacitated. on the arrival of the remainder of the relief party, the invalids were all removed to the ship and attended to, every man recovering, under medical treatment, before the _alert_ weighed anchor for the south. this was done in august, when she rejoined the _discovery_, the officers of which had also done splendid service in surveying the interior of grinnel land, behind discovery bay, and also along the northern coast of greenland. while the _discovery_ was lying in her winter quarters a successful attempt was made by lieutenant beaumont, accompanied by dr. coppinger and sixteen men, dragging two sledges, to communicate with the _alert_. they started away on april , while the cold was still nearly ° below zero, a temperature which made sleeping almost impossible, as they had constantly to exercise to maintain their bodily heat. in spite of these drawbacks, however, the _alert_ was reached. the intention was to continue the journey across robeson channel over to greenland, and to explore as much of the northern coast as was possible. reinforced by lieutenant rawson and five men, the party started on april , from the _alert_, with four sledges and provisions for fifty-six days. as they approached the greenland coast the ice was very rough and tumbled about in irregular blocks, with heavy snow lying ankle deep. arriving at polaris bay, a depôt of stores was made and a detachment left in charge, the journey then being resumed; but the ice became more and more difficult, and the snow deeper. the strength of the whole party was taxed to the utmost to make any progress, and at the end of each day's work every one was wearied out with fatigue. falls were frequent, owing to the unevenness of the ice, and one man, hand, was particularly unfortunate in this respect. by the time that cape stanton was reached he was suffering considerably from stiffness, which was at first attributed to his tumbles; but when pain began to be manifest in his legs and gums, the truth of the matter became evident. he was affected with scurvy. this discovery was made on may , and the leader at once decided to send him back to polaris bay with lieutenant rawson and six men. the remainder of the men were asked to say whether they fancied they were affected; but all maintained the contrary, and asked to be allowed to continue the journey. with six men lieutenant beaumont continued the route to the north, while lieutenant rawson returned to the depôt at polaris bay. on his way other members of his party developed scurvy, and their plight was so distressful that for some days before they reached the depôt, which they did on june , lieutenant rawson and one man alone were able to drag the sledge, the former being so severely afflicted with snow-blindness that he had to walk for days with his eyes covered by a bandage. hand, the first man affected, died as the sledge came within sight of the camp. in the meantime lieutenant beaumont's party pushed on, difficulties increasing with every mile. the snow became deeper as they advanced, until they sank at every step over their knees. describing it, the leader said: "the hard crust on the top would only just _not_ bear you, while the depth prevented you from pushing forward through it, each leg sinking to about three inches above the knee, and the effort of lifting them so high as to extricate them from the deep footholes soon began to tell upon the men." the sun shining on the snow seemed to be unusually warm, while the exertion made them intensely thirsty, besides so exhausting them that they had to stop every fifty yards to rest and recover their breath. they were crossing a wide bay at the time, striving to reach the other shore, which did not seem to be more than a mile away. but the clearness of the atmosphere was very deceiving as to distance, for they struggled on for two days and still the coast only seemed to be a mile distant. in order to make the way easier the men were marched four abreast, the sledge being left until a road was forced through the snow. for five miles the march was continued, and at the end of that distance the coast did not appear a yard nearer. sending the men back to the sledge with orders to rest till he rejoined them, lieutenant beaumont and one man went forward. but after some hours of trying effort they did not reach the coast, and were compelled to turn back, having been able to observe that the shore was composed of great towering cliffs with the snow piled up at the base. when they returned to the spot where the sledge had been left, they were thoroughly worn out by their exertions. as comfortable an encampment as could be arranged was made, and for two days the party remained resting. symptoms of scurvy were making themselves apparent among the men under the fatigue brought on by their excessive toil; but no word of complaint was spoken, every man being ready and willing to do his duty. in the retreat of commander markham and his men from the "farthest north," a splendid example of british heroism and discipline was given. the story of lieutenant beaumont's party furnishes another. the growing sickness of some of the men and the decreasing store of provisions brought home to the leader the necessity of a return being made. at the end of the two days' rest the sledge was turned in the direction of polaris bay and the men retraced their steps, finding the travelling somewhat easier now that they could use the road they had made by their previous passage through the snow. but the leader wanted to be able to form some idea of the coast line beyond where they had been turned back, and, time after time, he made ineffectual efforts to reach the shore and scale some high hill. at last he was successful, after tremendous exertion, in reaching the summit of dragon point, an altitude of feet. from here he was able to command an extensive view, the land extending away as far as he could see into a cape which he named britannia cape. on june they arrived at repulse bay depôt, and the state of the health of the men is best shown by the record lieutenant beaumont left, and which was recovered by members of the greely expedition six years later. the record, dated june , , reads:-- "three of us have returned from the camp half a mile south to fetch the remainder of the provisions. dobing has failed altogether this morning; jones is much worse, and cannot last more than two or three days; craig is nearly helpless; therefore we cannot hope to reach polaris bay without assistance. two men cannot do it, so we will go as far as we can, and live as long as we can. god help us. l. a. beaumont." the discovery of this record, and the simple, manly faith and courage it betokened, was destined to be of great service to another band of english-speaking explorers in later years, and their opinion of it, and the admiration they felt for the man who wrote it, will be told in the account of the greely expedition. meanwhile that lieutenant beaumont was making his heroic efforts to save the men of his party, lieutenant rawson was growing anxious as to their position. as they did not appear, he, on june , in company with one of the eskimo and a dog-team sledge, started along the coast in search of them. three days later they were met--on the last march they could have made, for they were at the end of their strength. lieutenant beaumont, in his account, says: "on the evening of the th we started for our last journey with the sledge; for, finding that jones and gray were scarcely able to pull, i had determined on reaching the shore to pitch the tent for the sick men and walk over to polaris bay by myself, and see if there was any one there to help us. if not, to come back and send jones and gray, who could still walk, to the depôt, while i remained with the sick and got them on as best i could." when lieutenant rawson met them, he found the intrepid beaumont straining at the sledge, with the two sick men helping him as much as they could, while on the sledge lay the four helpless invalids, made as comfortable as circumstances would permit. no time was lost in removing them to polaris bay, where, under medical treatment, all recovered save one. after a brief rest at polaris bay the journey back to the _discovery_ was successfully carried out, and lieutenant beaumont had the pleasure of learning that his expedition had added considerably to the geographical knowledge of northern greenland. shortly after the return of the sledge parties the _alert_ rejoined the _discovery_, and, towards the end of august, both vessels weighed anchor and started for england, where they arrived on november , , having been absent for seventeen months, during which time they had carried the british flag to the "farthest north," and had brought within the knowledge of man localities previously unknown. they had not reached the pole, and had come to the conclusion, after their experiences, that to do so was beyond the range of human possibility. chapter vi the greely expedition the scheme of the expedition--fort conger--arctic wolves--atmospheric marvels--a terrific storm--influence of the sun--lieutenant lockwood's expedition--the second winter--preparations for departure--they leave fort conger--a remarkable ice passage--they fail to make cape sabine--a new camp--rations running short--fruitless efforts to reach food depôts--starvation and death--a bitter blow--the arrival of the _thetis_. in the government of the united states determined to send out another expedition towards the north pole, and a vote of $ , having been passed by congress for the purpose, lieutenant adolphus washington greely was appointed to the command. lieutenant greely, who was an officer in the th cavalry regiment, had, as his companions, three officers and twenty-one men selected from the united states army. the scheme of the expedition was to proceed by steamer as far north as lady franklin bay, where they were to form a depôt on grinnel land, and, using it as a base, push forward, by means of dog-sledges over the ice, and by steam launch over the open water, as far north as it was possible to get. the steamer _proteus_, a vessel tons and horse-power, was chartered by the explorers to convey them from new york to lady franklin bay. they sailed in june and proceeded to upernavik, in greenland, where they took on board their sledge dogs and two eskimo, jens and frederick, to look after them. on july they resumed their journey in fairly open water. the season was especially mild, and they were able to make excellent travelling through the unimpeded water. on the way they stopped at cary islands and examined the records left there by sir george nares in , and which had been examined once before by sir allen young, in . the sea was full of white whales, narwhals, and grampus. the latter has the reputation of being a voracious feeder, one authority stating that a dead grampus was found, choked by a seal he had attempted to swallow, although, when he was opened, his stomach was found to contain no fewer than thirteen porpoises and fourteen seals. on august the _proteus_, for the first time during the voyage, was stopped by the ice. being built specially for navigating the ice-covered seas, she was very powerful in the bows, which were further embellished by a strong iron prow. thus she was able to force her way through ice which would have been impassable to a lighter craft. her method, when she was faced by moderately thin ice which was yet thick enough to stop her ordinary progress, was to steam astern for a couple of hundred yards and then rush full speed at the ice. the strength of the iron prow and the force of her powerful engines drove her into the floe, but the operation was one that required great care. as she approached the floe, the crew, running from one side of the deck to the other, caused her to roll as she struck, the engines being reversed directly her prow penetrated the ice, so as to prevent her wedging herself in. this exciting operation was repeated several times when she met the floe in lady franklin bay, and only by its means was she able to ram her way through and reach the destination of the expedition. a site for landing was selected on the north of discovery bay (where the _discovery_ wintered in ), and on august , , greely landed, and proceeded to the cairn which had been erected by the nares expedition. here he found two copper cases labelled "reports and general information." the date upon them, which showed when they were deposited, was august , , exactly five years before to a day. proceeding a little distance from the spot where the _discovery_ winter quarters had been erected, a suitable situation was marked out for "fort conger," which was to form the base of the operations pending the time when the relief ship was due to take the expedition home again. [illustration: shooting musk ox in the arctic regions. these animals form a welcome addition to the larder of the arctic explorer.] during the following week every one was hard at work erecting the frame house which was to form their home during the next two years, unloading stores and other articles belonging to the expedition, arranging the heavy casks and cases of imperishable provisions near the house, and exploring and hunting over the surrounding country. the hunting was a necessary part of the business, for winter would soon be in and no fresh meat would then be obtainable. so a few of the best shots spent their time in the valleys round the bay, where a large number of musk oxen and other game frequented. on august , all the stores, &c., belonging to the party were landed from the _proteus_, and that vessel, being discharged, got up steam and bade farewell. she was, however, prevented from getting out of sight until august , the ice setting in rapidly and strongly. the men of the party worked with such a will that they had their house built, the recording instruments erected in proper localities, the provisions stacked, and everything in order sufficiently early to permit them to carry out some surveys while the weather was yet mild enough for sledge travelling. attention was also given to obtaining as much game as possible, and by the time that the temperature was cold enough to warrant their going into winter quarters and giving up outside work at any distance from fort conger, they had obtained for their larder twenty-six musk oxen and ten ducks, besides hare, seal, and ptarmigan, in all lbs. of fresh meat for their own food, and an equal amount for the dogs. in the middle of september they were visited by a large pack of wolves. these were first discovered prowling over the ice on the harbour in front of the encampment, and, fearing the loss of some of the dogs, as well as provisions, a hunting party went out to shoot them. but the wolves were too cunning, keeping out of range until the men were tired out. they were frequently fired at, but none fell, although, as subsequent events proved, this might not have been due to bad marksmanship. the arctic wolves, as was discovered later, are perhaps the most tenacious of life of any of the northern animals. one was seen, a day or so later, within a hundred yards of the house. it was immediately fired at, and rolled over with a bullet through the body; but before the marksman could get over to where it lay, the apparently dead creature scrambled to its feet and made off, bleeding profusely. the trail left by the blood was distinctly visible on the snow, although the wolf itself, being covered with pure white fur, was quite invisible. for over an hour the trail was followed, and when at last the dead body was found, it lay practically bloodless, having struggled on while there was a drop of blood in its veins. in view of the difficulty of shooting them, the men resolved to poison them. but here, again, the wolves were not to be caught. the first time that poisoned meat was put out it was left untouched. some good meat was added, and at once disappeared, though the pieces containing poison were still left alone. the poisoned baits were then taken up, and only good meat put down, the wolves always taking it until, their confidence being aroused, a few poisoned baits were mixed with the other. the experiment succeeded so well that when the baits were next visited four wolves and one fox were found dead. the others, evidently alarmed, made off and did not again return. as october passed the phenomena of the solar halo and aurora began to make their appearance. the observation of atmospheric conditions being one of the objects of the expedition, great attention was paid to these displays, and some excellent descriptions were given of them. one which occurred on october and lasted five hours is thus described by the leader of the expedition:-- "it consisted of two concentric rings, distant ° and ° respectively from the sun, which were marked by five mock suns where the rainbow tints were most clearly displayed. this was followed at evening by the first aurora display, in the form of a delicate convoluted ribbon of colourless light. on the th there was another halo. this was a double one, there being two perfect concentric half-circles, distant ° and ° from the sun, each half-circle having a contact arch of magnificent clearness. no fewer than six mock suns appeared, two on either hand and two above the real sun, with prismatic colours in each case as vivid, and clear as in any rainbow, the heavens being filled with a great glow and wealth of colour." after the sun had gone and the twilight of the long winter night had set in, the sky was vivid, at one time, with a wide sweep of red, yellow, and blue, marked by bars of white light running up and down. later, when the moon had risen, further atmospheric marvels were recorded. on one occasion the moon was surrounded by two circles, ° and ° above the horizon. both were topped by contact arches, and within them six mock moons were present, two on each side of the true moon, and two directly above it, all of which were brilliant with the colours of the rainbow. spires of light proceeded from the moon vertically, reaching downwards to the horizon, and upwards to the outer circle. in addition to these, a brilliant streak of white clear light extended from the moon, horizontally, on both sides, completely round the horizon, and now and again a faint mock moon of rainbow colours appeared high over the whole, and another very low under it, making eight mock moons all visible at the same moment round the real one. the moon was also seen surrounded by a corona of four distinct bands of coloured light, the first white, the second yellow, the third blue, and the outer one red. but all the experiences of the winter were not so gratifying as these aerial displays. as soon as the snow lay thick on the ground the men banked it up against the sides of the house until they were completely covered in up to the eaves. it then froze on the outside, and the house was practically covered in with ice. this was of very great value in preventing the loss of heat from the interior, and, later on, in saving the house from being blown away in a terrific hurricane which occurred. but even with the protection of the frozen snow outside, and the constant burning of fires and lamps inside, the temperature of the house was, in midwinter, so cold that any water accidentally spilled on the floor turned to ice, and unless the ink-bottle was kept near a burning lamp, the ink froze at once. outside everything except alcohol was frozen solid, the mercury being hard in the thermometers, and even the rum getting thick as syrup. the lime-juice, of which a daily ration was taken, was frozen into tablets, and so quickly did any liquid turn to ice that some of the sledge-dog puppies were frozen to the ground through running on to the place where the warm contents of the slush-bucket were thrown. early in january the barometer, falling very rapidly, warned them that a severe storm was approaching. suddenly a fierce gust of wind swept over the house, followed by a steady blow, the apparatus for registering the velocity of the wind showing it to be at the rate of eighteen miles an hour. the barometer continuing to fall, a man was sent out to take an observation from an outside station, but the force of the wind had increased so much that he could not face it alone, and two men had to go. the air was soon filled with driving snow, and the rate of the wind reached fifty miles an hour. it was now only possible for six men, supporting one another, to stand against the dense volumes of snow which the wind carried. when the velocity attained to sixty-five miles an hour, fears were entertained as to the safety of the house. but still the wind increased until, in a series of terrific gusts and squalls, the house rocked and trembled as the register marked ninety miles an hour. it was a moment of intense anxiety for the members of the party, for the destruction of the house at that period of the year would almost inevitably have meant their own destruction. fortunately it was securely built and so well protected by the banked-up snow, that it withstood the fury of the hurricane. this furious outburst was the final effort of the winter, for within a few days of its occurrence the sky began to show signs of the approaching sunrise; with the advent of light the spirits of the party, necessarily depressed by the prolonged darkness, rapidly resumed their normal contentment. when at last enough natural light existed for the men to see one another, they were amused at the appearance of their faces. the prolonged absence of sunlight had entirely robbed their cheeks of any semblance of ruddiness, their complexions having changed to a ghastly yellowy green tint, as though each one was suffering from a severe attack of sea-sickness. the murky light of the lamps had not revealed the change, and the more vainglorious were considerably disturbed at their bleached cheeks, fearful lest the pallor should always remain, like the whiteness of the bear's fur. but it passed off under the influence of the sunshine. nor was this the only change produced by the sun. the effect of it upon the land was so pronounced as almost to seem marvellous. directly spring set in sledge parties were despatched in all directions to survey and spy out the country. one was led by greely himself, its course being along the route marked out, for a certain distance, by one of the _discovery_ parties in . passing beyond the limits of the previous exploration, a large river, entirely frozen over, was discovered, and along its course the party made their way. the ice was wonderfully smooth in comparison with that on the salt water, and excellent travelling was made, the men and sledges frequently being able to slide for a hundred yards at a time. at the head of the river they found an enormous glacier completely blocking up the valley, extending five miles from side to side, and feet high. this was late in april, and everywhere the ground was covered with ice and snow, desolate and motionless, with no sign of life, and no sound, save the faint gurgle of running water which was occasionally noticed under the ice on the river. early in july, little more than two months later, this valley was again visited, but so great was the change in its appearance that the men might have doubted its identity with the cold, desolate place they had previously seen, but for the existence of the sparkling glacier. the river now flowed along, glittering in the bright sunlight, between banks covered with flowering plants. bright yellow poppies gleamed all over the verdure-clad slopes, with sturdy heath blooms, daisies, and other blossoms mingling, and over them were flitting innumerable white and yellow butterflies. humble bees droned, and flies, including the familiar daddy-long-legs, were everywhere present, as well as their arch-enemies, the spiders. ptarmigan, their white plumage somewhat speckled with dark feathers, plovers, and birds of smaller size, were seen on the wing; while over the verdant sides of the valley and along the banks of the river, large herds of musk oxen were browsing, with calves following the cows. the sky was brilliantly blue and almost free from clouds. in the face of so much that was beautiful and full of life, it was difficult to realise that a few weeks later the valley would again be desolate and deserted, owning once more the supremacy of the icy grip of the frost and snow. exploring the valley carefully, some very interesting discoveries were made of ancient eskimo dwellings. a number of relics were obtained, some of them being implements which were quite unintelligible to the greenland eskimos who were with the party. the remains of the houses showed that they had originally been substantial structures, built of slate, and must have been permanent residences rather than mere summer quarters. while the interior of the country was being explored, other sledge parties set out over the frozen sea. one of these journeyed north, and reached the spot where the _alert_ had passed the winter in . it was intended to continue the journey over the ice towards the pole similarly to the sledge party commander markham and lieutenant parr had led, but the ice was too rough for them. they passed beyond cape sheridan and set out towards the north, but turned back, finding "nothing but an inextricable mass of huge bergs, and enormous hummocks piled up in a similar manner as when journeyed over by commander markham." the scientific instruments they had with them had to be abandoned at one place, owing to a sudden opening of the ice, but they approximated their highest latitude as being ° ' n. from the summit of a high berg, they fancied they saw open water to the north, and then they returned to the land, finding cliffs which rose feet straight out of the water, and along the base of which the ice lay piled in tremendous heaps. another party, under lieutenant lockwood, the second in command of the expedition, set out in the early spring across the frozen straits to greenland. this was over a similar route to that taken by lieutenant beaumont of the _discovery_; but the later expedition, not having to struggle against the affliction of scurvy which had proved so disastrous to the _discovery_ party, was able to reach a far higher latitude. the party consisted of lieutenant lockwood, sergeant brainard, and the eskimo frederick, and they succeeded in reaching the most northerly point that had yet been discovered, not only on the coast of greenland, but also in the arctic regions. the latitude recorded was ° ' " n., and thus the honour, which for three hundred years had been the boast of the british, the honour of having attained the nearest point to the north pole reached by man, was wrested from the british lion by its cousin, the american eagle. although only three men were in the party which reached this high latitude, the party which set out from fort conger comprised thirteen men and five sledges. the experience gained by the members of the nares expedition was of the utmost value to subsequent explorers, and the members of the greely expedition always made acknowledgment of this fact, coupled with very complimentary references to the skill, the courage, and the devotion of those whom they termed "our kin from over the sea." thus it was that in laying the plans for this northerly trip they provided for a series of food depôts and relief parties all along the route. several of the former had been placed in position during the early spring, and there is no doubt that this arrangement contributed very materially to the success of the enterprise. the last depôt was formed when nearly in sight of cape britannia, and from thence the small party of three pushed forward. the dog team saved them an enormous amount of labour by dragging the sledge for them, but even then they found the travelling exceedingly difficult. their sleeping-bags were damp, and consequently they were always compelled to rest in great discomfort. as they approached cape britannia the route became more difficult, and their best march was sixteen miles in ten hours. beyond the cape an island was reached, to which the name of the leader, lieutenant lockwood, was given, and the extreme point of which furnished their "farthest north." the coast line still showed beyond, and to the most distant point the name of cape washington was given. then the small band turned back, having succeeded in reaching a few miles nearer the pole than commander markham, whose journey, however, was over the frozen sea, whereas the other was along the greenland coast. the following spring, to anticipate the course of the narrative, another effort was made to reach cape washington, but so rapid a thaw set in that the party had to turn back before reaching as far as lockwood island. they, however, secured all the relics of lieutenant beaumont's party, including a british ensign, which were faithfully preserved throughout the terrible privations the expedition was fated to undergo. these relics were subsequently forwarded by the united states government to the british and are now in the greenwich museum with the franklin mementoes, treasured not only as emblems of british courage but also of american good-will. of the memorable record left by lieutenant beaumont at repulse bay, its perusal by the members of the greely expedition is thus described by the leader:-- "this brilliant record of british courage, discipline, devotion to duty and endurance, must ever affect deeply all who may read its full details. to the men of the lady franklin bay expedition, who justly appreciated the terrible contingencies of the situation, and who bore similar dangers, this story, as told by the gallant beaumont, was full of deep and assuring interest." the american festival of "decoration day" occurred while the party were at polaris bay, the place where the two _discovery_ men who died were buried. the festival is one for the commemoration of american heroes, and on that day throughout the united states all the graves of their heroes are decorated. here on the bleak, barren greenland coast they remembered the festival, and kept it by taking the stars and stripes from the sledge poles and draping them over the rough monuments erected above the remains of the two british sailors. the second winter that was passed at fort conger was monotonous and gloomy. the experience of the previous period of darkness was of great service, inasmuch as the comfort of the expedition was improved in many ways. the piled-up snow which had formed so useful a protection the year before was carried right over the roof, considerably increasing the warmth and snugness of the interior. but there was one fact which weighed somewhat heavily on the minds of every one. a relief steamer was expected before the winter set in, and it had not arrived. there was still an abundant supply of food, and no alarm was felt on that score; but the novelty of the surroundings having worn off, the prospect of the long, weary stretch of darkness had a depressing influence. it, however, passed without any untoward incident, and with the return of the sun field work was resumed. the most notable journey was that of lieutenant lockwood and his companion on the "farthest north" trip, sergeant brainard, who, in one month, covered miles of the hitherto unexplored interior parts of grinnel land, discovering numerous lakes and glaciers. one of the latter was of particular interest by reason of the vari-coloured face it presented. the top layer, which overhung slightly, was of dull opaque white, that immediately beneath it ranging in colour from pale green to a clear blue, while the next and thickest layer was of a rich chocolate colour, due to the soil which had been frozen in with the water. the lowest streak was similar to the topmost, dull opaque white. in their absence the remainder of the explorers were busily engaged in establishing food depôts to the south, along the route they would be compelled to take in the event of a retreat being necessary. the non-arrival of the relief steamer prior to the winter gave rise to some speculation whether it would arrive in the spring, and a plan was arranged for a retreat to the south being carried out, if no relief ship came, in the boats the expedition possessed. these consisted of a steam launch feet long, an iceboat which had been abandoned by lieutenant beaumont in , and two whale-boats. a depôt of forty days' full rations was placed at cape baird and another of twenty days' rations at cape collinson, as soon as the ice was open enough to allow the launch to proceed. then when it had returned and all the survey parties were in, a decision was come to that if no steamer arrived by july the retreat would be commenced. july passed and august arrived, but there were no signs of the approach of any relief steamer, and, on august , with the boats loaded with the records of the work done and as much food as could be stored in them, the party bade farewell to fort conger and started on their memorable journey. the lateness of the season made navigation extremely difficult for such small craft, and they were frequently impeded by ice which would have offered no obstacle to a big steamer. they had scarcely got out of sight of the house where they had passed the two long dark winters before they were so beset with loose ice that progress was almost impossible. then new ice formed round them, and they were hard and fast. the fact that they only carried a limited supply of fuel made their position more serious, and when, on august , a temporary breaking in the floes enabled them to move forward, there was a general rejoicing. but it was soon checked on discovering that they were forced inside of a huge mass of ice over fifty feet high and extending right up to the solid floe. it was impossible to turn back and fight through the drifting ice behind them, and the only hope of escape seemed to be to steam on in case there might be a channel through the floe ahead. as they passed along the great wall of ice they were amazed at seeing a crevice run into it. arriving opposite to it, they found that it was a cleavage which went right through the mass, and they turned into it. the enormous berg had grounded and had split asunder, leaving a passage a hundred yards long and barely twelve feet wide, the sides of which were sheer fifty feet high on either hand. such a formation was unique, even in the arctic regions, and the steaming through it was an adventure without a parallel. it led them into fairly open water, and they were able to push on into rawlings bay before they were again beset. this time it was not the new ice but the closing in of the floes that caught them. so quickly did the masses close in that the boats were caught and "nipped" before anything could be done to save them. the men at once scrambled out on to the ice, striving to lift the lighter boats on to the floe and unloading the provisions from the others as fast as they could, lest the crack should open again and everything be lost. the nip, however, had not been so severe as to endanger the floating capacity of the boats, but the ice had closed too firmly to allow of any hopes of their being able to force their way through. a strong wind from the north, in spite of the snow and cold it would have brought, would have been welcome; but the days were provokingly calm, and the ice only moved south at its ordinary slow rate. by august they had travelled miles from fort conger and were within fifty miles of cape sabine, a headland where there was a large supply of stores left by sir george nares in . if they were able to reach there before the winter night set in, there was some chance of their existing through the dreary period which, it was now evident, they were doomed to pass in that locality. and yet the spirits of the party were as bright as though a steamer were within sight of them. one of them, in his diary, wrote: "adversity in any form would fail, i think, to dampen the spirits of the men. our situation is desperate. any moment the ice may crumble beneath our feet and the sea swallow up the entire party. still, while exercising on the ice this evening, the men danced and sang as merrily as they would have done in their own homes. they are irrepressible in the face of all this uncertainty and perhaps starvation." the end of the month found them still beset, and with barely fifty days' rations. the opinion was now divided as to the best course to adopt, whether to remain in the boats and wait on the off-chance of their drifting near cape sabine, or to take to the sledges and push on over the rough ice to the shore. they had been drifting for thirty miles, and only twenty now lay between them and the cape with its store of provisions. the leader was averse to leaving the boats at once, and the days dragged on until, on september , it was evident that the sledge journey would have to be undertaken if the shore was to be reached and a camp formed before the darkness set in. unfortunately when they did abandon the boats the weather changed, and a cold wind with driving snow came to make their struggle still more difficult. they tried at first to drag two of the boats with them, but one soon had to be abandoned and the party struggled on. their sleeping-bags froze and filled with drifting snow so that they were able to obtain but little rest when they halted, and when they were moving they were always cold and miserable. until september they were struggling over the rough, difficult ice, and then their trials were further increased. they were nearing the shore, and the force of the tide, backed up by the pressure of the ice grinding along before the wind, caused the floe to crack and break up. only by the most persistent energy and exertion were they able to get their stores and themselves on shore, though still some distance from cape sabine. they had now travelled miles since they left fort conger, and not only were the men considerably exhausted by their recent struggle, but winter was setting in very rapidly with constant and heavy storms. it was therefore decided to form a camp where they were, while the snow had not frozen too hard for them to get some stones for a shelter. they had been compelled, on their journey over the ice, to abandon everything in the way of covering save their sleeping-bags, and unless they built a hut of some description the rigour of the winter would inevitably be fatal to all. such stones as could be found were collected and built into a low wall forming a square of about sixteen feet. the stones were difficult to obtain, and the wall could only be made three feet high. an opening was left in one of the sides of the square and a passage way constructed, so that the entrance to the interior did not open directly on to the frozen exterior. across the top of the walls the boat they had dragged with them over the ice was laid keel uppermost, the oars being laid under it so as to maintain it in position, the open spaces between the sides of the boat and the walls being covered with such canvas as they had. around the stone walls and over the top, snow was piled, and their living house was complete. it sheltered them from the wind and from the extreme bitterness of the cold, but beyond that nothing could be claimed for it. every one had to enter it on hands and knees, and, once inside, no one could stand up, while the taller men of the party were only able to sit up in the middle of the hut where the boat made the roof slightly higher. the men arranged their sleeping-bags against the walls with the feet towards the middle of the floor, and when they had crept in through the narrow entrance, they groped their way into the bags. then, half lying and half sitting, with their shoulders against the stones behind them, they made themselves as comfortable as they could during the long period of darkness. they divided themselves into messes for the purpose of feeding, and two cooks prepared the food, an operation that was always difficult and unpleasant. it had, of necessity, to be carried on inside the hut, and when the two men were kneeling in a cramped-up position over the make-shift for a stove in the middle of the floor, there was no room for any one else to stretch his legs. every one had to huddle up as closely as possible, and as all the smoke from the stove had to find its way out of the hut the best way it could, the atmosphere during cooking time was far from refreshing. the heat from the stove also thawed the ground immediately under it, and the snow on the canvas over it, with the result that the cooking of every meal meant a thorough wetting as well as a choking for the cooks. as soon as the hut was finished, a small party pushed on towards cape sabine in order to locate the provisions stored there. on october they returned with the news that despatches had been found, stating the _proteus_ had foundered in the ice on july just off the cape, and that the crew and relief party had started to the south so as to meet the second relief steamer _yantic_, or a swedish steamer which was known to be in the locality, and send on help to the greely expedition. the little party also discovered some provisions and the whale-boat, previously abandoned on the ice, which had drifted ashore near the cape. this was subsequently used as firewood when all other fuel was exhausted. the news of the disaster to the _proteus_ was a serious blow to the expedition, as it meant that no help would be able to reach them until the following spring at the earliest, and, in the meantime, they would be compelled to exist as best they could upon their meagre stock of provisions. the relief party who had visited the cape on their way from the wreck of the _proteus_ had very considerably reduced the stores which the greely party counted on finding, and when they obtained the remnants which were left, part of the bread was found to be a mass of green slimy mildew. the men had now been on reduced rations for many days, and so hungry were the members of the band sent to convey the stores from cape sabine to the hut that when the green mouldy stuff was thrown out by the officer in charge, the men flung themselves on to it and devoured it despite all he could do to persuade them from such a course. the question of the strictest economy in the management of the food supplies was now a matter of life or death, and very seriously the leaders debated it. on october the sun sank beneath the horizon, and in the ensuing darkness, which lasted for days, there would be no chance of obtaining any game. a few blue foxes had been killed since the camp was formed, and half the number were set aside for subsequent consumption, those consumed at once being devoured to the bones, every part being put into the stew. meagre as the rations were, it was necessary to reduce them still further if the food was to last until the spring. by a further reduction it was calculated that the party could exist until march , when the available supplies would amount to ten days' rations. but no relief could possibly reach them until a couple of months later than that, and how were they to live after march , when the last crumb of their supplies had been consumed? there was only one course open for them, and that was explained by the leader. on november , the allowance for each man would be fourteen ounces, given out every twenty-four hours, and on march , as soon as there was light, they would take their remaining ten days' supply and set out across the frozen straits in the forlorn hope of reaching an outlying camp of etah eskimo on the greenland coast. the terrible prospect of such a scheme to men situated as they were can scarcely be imagined. for over a month they had already been slowly starving on an amount of food for daily consumption which an ordinary man could comfortably eat at one meal, and now that amount was to be decreased to less than a pound of food a day and in a climate where the cold was so intense that water could not be kept from freezing inside the hut excepting it was over the stove. for four months they would have to face that rigid diet, suffering the pangs of starvation constantly, almost entirely in the dark, and always huddled up in the sleeping-bags against the walls of their low-roofed hut. yet they accepted the scheme without a murmur. seldom have men shown themselves so absolutely courageous, for at the best it was merely slow starvation so as to be able to make an almost hopeless dash for freedom and food in four months' time. the suffering during those four months was terrible. men, as soon as they got hold of their day's rations, were tempted to devour them at once, and so still for a time the ceaseless gnawing of their hunger; but to do so meant that in an hour's time the pain would be back again with no means of staying it until twenty-three hours had passed. calmly and bravely they faced the ordeal, dividing their scanty store into regular meals, and when, by an accident one of them upset his can, spilling his few mouthfuls of tea on the ground, the others contributed from their share so that he should not go entirely without. nothing could exceed the touching fidelity which characterised their bearings, one to the other, during this period of unexampled suffering. at cape isabella, a stock of lbs. of meat was known to have been left by sir george nares, and a party of four set out in the hopes of securing it. for a week before they started they were allowed an extra ration in order to strengthen them for the trial of a journey in the dark over rough ice and with the temperature at ° below zero. the extra ration consisted of two ounces a day. for five days they battled their way through the darkness against a heavy wind laden with snow, and at last found the place where the food was. piling it on their sledge, they turned back home again, and for fourteen hours laboured with it, only consuming a little warm tea during that time, for they had no means of heating more. one of the four was badly bitten by the frost, and was soon so stricken that he could not even stagger along. a piercing wind was blowing, and to save their comrade's life, the others abandoned the sledge and tried to support him. soon two of them became exhausted, and the remaining one, sergeant rice, pushed on alone to the camp in order to bring help. for sixteen hours he was fighting his way over the twenty-five miles that lay between him and the hut. when he arrived there his lips were too frozen for him to be able to speak at once. weary and weak as the whole party was, eight of the strongest at once started off in rescue. when they picked the other three up, they found them lying under the sleeping-bag with the sick man between them, and the bag frozen so hard over them that it had to be cut open before they could be got out. then they resumed their way to the camp, which they reached after forty-four hours' absence, in which time they had covered forty miles. the frost-bitten man, elison, was almost dead, his face, feet, and hands being absolutely frozen, but so determined were they all to survive as long as possible that he was tended with all the care they could command. he was kept alive in spite of his sufferings, which, during the first week after his rescue, were so severe that he daily called on his comrades to end his misery. meanwhile the memory of the abandoned sledge laden with meat was constantly in the minds of the starving men, whose hunger was now so great that in the darkness after the lamp was put out--economy compelled them to use it only for cooking--men crept to the stove and devoured any rancid fat left in the lamp. but still discipline held them together, and they made no mention of their sufferings to one another. the success of the journey across the ice on march was what they looked forward to, and with the arrival of that date they believed their sufferings would be over. on january the first one of the party to die passed away, really of starvation, although the men, to keep the ugly word away from their minds, accepted the doctor's statement that it was of an effusion of water at the heart that the man had died. his end made a deep impression on the gallant little band, all the same, and by the beginning of february several more men were in a critical condition, including lieutenant lockwood, who refused to accept an extra ration of two ounces a day from the diminished stores. sergeant rice, accompanied by the eskimo jens, made a plucky effort to reach littleton island, where an outlying camp of eskimo might be found; but jens could not stand the journey, and, five days after starting, they returned. every one was now impressed with the necessity of husbanding their energies for the great effort to be made on the first day of march, and as february slowly passed away, the emaciated creatures grew enthusiastic as they sought to cheer one another up by detailing the tremendous feasts they would have when they returned to civilisation. at length the first of march dawned, and the brave hearts, which had kept up so long against starvation and despair, shrank before the terrible blow they received. the ice had broken, and open water rolled where they had planned to cross on the ice. nothing was said, for the courage of the men was only equalled by their consideration for one another, but the effect of the great disappointment sank deep into the minds of many. the food remaining was eked out through the month with the aid of some blue foxes and a ptarmigan, which were eaten to the bones, and april found them with only a few days even of the starvation rations remaining. several of the men were so weak that they could barely turn over in their sleeping-bags. the eskimo frederick was found dead in his bag, and another of the little party followed the next day. then sergeants rice and fredericks insisted on making an effort to reach the meat abandoned when elison was frost-bitten. it is difficult to understand why the effort had not been made before; but many errors of judgment are conspicuous after a campaign which are not so apparent in the moment of struggle. now that it was made it failed, through the cold freezing wind penetrating the starved bodies of the two men. rice, who throughout the terrible ordeal of their captivity had never spared himself, was the first to feel it. a strong wind was blowing, bringing down heavy snow squalls. suddenly rice began to talk wildly and then staggered. fredericks grasped him by the arm and tried to keep him up, but the cold and starvation had too tight a hold upon their victim. he vainly endeavoured to pull himself together, but only for a moment; then he sank down on the snow, babbling about the feast he was going to enjoy. his comrade tried to restore him by giving him some of the stimulants they had with them, and did not hesitate to strip off his own fur coat to lay upon the other, sitting the while, holding his hands, and exposed to all the biting fury of the arctic wind, in his shirt sleeves. but everything was useless; rice was too worn out and too weak to fight further, and died as he faintly talked of the food he fancied he was eating. the shock to fredericks was almost overwhelming, for he was miles away from the camp, chilled to the bone, and with only a little coffee and spirits of ammonia to revive his own drooping vitality. yet he would not leave his dead comrade until he had reverently laid him in a shallow resting-place in the snow, though it almost cost him his life to pay this last tribute. when he at last managed to reach the camp with his sad tidings he was almost gone, and the news he brought plunged every one into the lowest depths of sorrow, for rice had always been one of the bravest and best of the party. those who were able to do so, attended to fredericks and revived him. to those who were weakest the end of rice was a fatal blow, and the next day or so saw three or four pass away, one of whom was the intrepid lockwood. a very few more days and all would have gone but for a gleam of good fortune. a young bear was killed, and the pounds of meat obtained from it was the salvation of the survivors. several seals were seen in the straits and a few walrus, and all who could still handle a gun were daily striving to obtain fresh supplies for the larder. eskimo jens, who hunted assiduously, succeeded in killing a small seal; but in a chase after another his kayak was injured in the ice and he was drowned. after his death only misfortune attended the hunting, and, failing to replenish their stock of game, they were reduced to such a terrible plight that they had only the thick skin of the seal on which to subsist. even this fare was carefully divided and measured out, so that life might be maintained as long as possible in case a relief vessel came. one day it was found that somebody was stealing. all the party was assembled, but no one would admit the theft. it was decided that the thief should be shot if discovered. one man, being suspected, was watched. he was caught and executed. a fortnight later, the last few square inches of the seal's skin was gone, and the men, now little more than living skeletons, lay in their sleeping-bags looking at one another with hollow eyes, wondering, perhaps, who would be the last to go, when a steamer's whistle sounded over the straits. at first they dared not trust their ears. it must have been a gull crying, or a bear, they said, and the only man with strength enough to crawl crept out to see. the others lay where they were, straining their ears to catch again the sound which had so moved them, but the minutes passed on in silence. the man who had gone out did not come back, and their hopes fell. no one spoke, for it was too plain they had been deceived, and a profound silence reigned. then they heard a great shouting, and before their minds could understand how it was done, they were surrounded by men of their own race, who were administering restoratives as quickly as they dared. the _thetis_, commanded by captain schley, of the united states navy, had reached them, and so, on june , , the survivors of the greely expedition were saved. chapter vii peary in greenland the greenland question--departure of the _kite_--peary breaks his leg--a camp made--habits of the eskimo--a brush with walrus--"caching" food--an arctic christmas feast--peary starts for the great ice-cap--a snow sahara--the ice-cap crossed--a marvellous discovery--sails on sledges--a safe return. the disaster and suffering which characterised the termination of the greely and _polaris_ expeditions did not tend to recommend arctic exploration as a national enterprise to the government of the united states. a vast amount of highly valuable information had been obtained, not only by these expeditions, but also by the expedition sent out by the british government under the command of sir george nares. and, in addition to the information, a further knowledge had been gained, the knowledge that the same spirit of indomitable pluck, the same tireless energy, and the same loyalty and devotion to duty dominated both branches of the great english-speaking race. the magnificent heroism displayed by the explorers from the _alert_ and _discovery_ found a parallel in the later experiences and exploits of the american expeditions, and both british and american governments felt that, for a time at least, they were justified in resting on the laurels their gallant sons had won. but if the governments were satisfied, the restless spirit of the race could not remain quiet while secrets still remained in the keeping of the frozen north. the pole was still untouched, and, more than that, there were secrets to be wrested from localities not quite so remote. the discoveries along the north coast of greenland opened up the very interesting question whether the land did not extend right up to the pole itself. as far as any one had penetrated to the north of the coast, land was still to be seen farther on; it was an open question whether this great ice-covered country was an island, with its northern shores swept by the polar ice-floes, or whether it extended almost to the dimensions of a continent in the polar region. the problem appealed strongly to two explorers whose names, by reason of their exploits during recent years, have become familiar. they are nansen and peary. the former, by his dash for the pole, during which he surpassed all previous records of the "farthest north," has dwarfed his greenland performances; the latter, by his journey of miles over the ice-crowned interior of greenland, decided the insular character of the country. it is that journey which forms the subject of this chapter. lieutenant robert e. peary, an officer in the engineering department of the united states navy, failing to obtain government support for his scheme of an overland journey to the northern coast of greenland, was supported by the philadelphia academy of national science. the expedition was necessarily small, but that did not affect its utility. it was, moreover, unique, by the inclusion of lieutenant peary's wife as one of its members; the account which she has given of her sojourn in high latitudes is one of the most interesting of books on the arctic regions. the party left new york on june , , on board the steamer _kite_, for whale sound, on the north-west coast of greenland. the voyage was satisfactory in every way until june , when an unfortunate accident befell the leader. the _kite_ had encountered some ice which was heavy enough to check her progress, and, to get through it, the captain had to ram his ship. this necessitated a constant change from going ahead to going astern, and, as there was a good deal of loose ice floating about, the rudder frequently came into collision with it when the vessel was backing. lieutenant peary, who was on deck during one of these manoeuvres, went over to the wheelhouse to see how the rudder was bearing the strain. as he stood behind the wheelhouse, the rudder struck a heavy piece of ice and was forcibly jerked over, the tiller, as it swung, catching lieutenant peary by the leg and pinning him against the wall of the house. there was no escape from the position, and the pressure of the tiller gradually increased until the bone of the leg snapped. the doctor, who formed one of the party, immediately set the limb; but the sufferer refused to return home, and when, a few days later, the _kite_ reached mccormick bay, he was carried ashore strapped to a plank. the material for a comfortably-sized house was part of the outfit of the expedition, and this was in course of erection the day that lieutenant peary was landed. for the accommodation of himself and wife, a tent was put up behind the half-completed house, and, as a high wind arose, the remainder of the party returned on board the _kite_. as the hours passed away the wind became stronger. the tent swayed to and fro, and mrs. peary, as she sat beside her invalid and sleeping husband, realised what it was to be lonely and helpless. she and her husband were the only people on shore for miles; her husband was unable to move, and she was without even a revolver with which to defend herself. what, she asked herself, would be the result if a bear came into the tent? she could not make the people on board the _kite_ hear, and she was without a weapon. throughout the stay in the north, mrs. peary proved herself not only to be a woman of strong nerve and self-reliance, but also an excellent shot with either gun, rifle, or revolver. it was, however, as much as she could stand when her anxious ears caught the sound of heavy breathing outside the tent. for a time she sat still, fearing to disturb her husband, until the continuance of the sound compelled her to look out. a school of white whales were playing close inshore, and it was the noise of their blowing, softened by the wind, which had so disturbed her. but so self-possessed was she over it that her husband did not know till long afterwards the anxiety she had experienced during the first night she spent on the greenland shore. the following day rapid progress was made with the house, and some of the party stayed on shore for the night, so that there was always some one within call of the invalid's tent until the house was completed and he was removed into it. by that time the _kite_ had started home again, and the little party of seven were left to make all their arrangements for the winter. they had determined to rely entirely upon their own exertions for the supply of meat for the winter and also to obtain their fur clothing on the spot, killing the animals necessary for the material and engaging some of the local eskimo to make up the suits. deer would give both meat and fur, and as there was every prospect of the neighbourhood affording them in plenty, as soon as the house was up and the stores packed, the majority started away in search of game. the spot where they were landed, and where they had erected their camp, was on a verdure-covered slope lying between the sea and the high range of bluff hills which towered about feet over them. in the spring the ground was covered with grass and flowers; the bay in front was full of seal, walrus, whales, and other marine inhabitants, and along the hills behind experience showed that game was present in abundance. the etah eskimo, the most northerly people in existence, lived their quaint, out-of-the-world lives along the shores of the bay and neighbouring inlets, and, as soon as the camp was settled, they were kept busily employed in the making of fur garments, proving themselves docile and peaceful. it was often difficult for the members of the expedition to realise that the site of their camp, with the abundance of food to be had, was only from fifty to eighty miles from the spots where the castaways of the _polaris_ suffered so acutely and the members of the greely expedition slowly starved, many of them to death. for more than a year the little party of seven lived in good health, without a suggestion of scurvy making its appearance and with only one fatality, which, moreover, was accidental. the first hunting expedition was in search of deer, and everybody took part in it except the leader, who was still crippled by his injured leg and confined to his room, and his wife. for two or three days the hunters were away, for they were fortunate in discovering a herd of deer which they followed until all were bagged. then, with as many as they could convey, leaving the others to be fetched later, they set out for the camp. their approach was duly signalled, and upon hearing that they were returning laden, lieutenant peary, for the first time, hobbled out of the house on crutches. as they came up he rested on one leg and his crutches, while he photographed them and their trophies, after which the double occasion was celebrated by a banquet in which venison played an important part. the deer skins were very important additions to the stock of material from which the winter clothing was to be made, but other varieties were needed, especially of the marine animals, as well as some native tailors to fashion them into coats, hoods, mittens, and all the other articles of arctic wear. a boat party was therefore despatched along the shores of inglefield gulf, to spy out the localities where walrus was to be found, and to induce some of the natives of a village, seen from the _kite_, to come over to the camp and sew the new garments. [illustration: group of smith sound eskimo. the most northerly inhabitants of the world. lieut. peary records that the tribe numbered on september st, . between that date and august , , an epidemic of influenza had reduced them to . in august , they numbered .] the party was successful in both instances, for a number of walrus were seen and an eskimo family came back by the boat. the "huskies" consisted of a man, his wife, and two little children, and they moved with all their belongings. they were little people, under five feet in height and almost as broad as they were long, clad in fur jumpers and short breeches with sealskin boots reaching over their knees. the costume of both adults was very similar, the only practical difference being in the tunic or jumper, that of the woman having the hood longer and deeper for the accommodation of her infant. they had broad, good-natured faces, not especially handsome nor intelligent in appearance, but distinctly dirty. in fact, the use of water, other than for drinking, did not appear to be known to the primitive people, and it was very much a question whether they had ever tried the experiment of a wash. once mrs. peary was tempted to give one of the little ones a bath, and she records how intensely amazed it was at being put into the water, although it was more than two years old. surviving the shock, however, it manifested its pleasure by lustily kicking and splashing. perhaps later it enjoyed a well-merited honour amongst its own people as the only one of the tribe who ever passed through the extraordinary ordeal of soap and water. in consequence of their innocence of water as a cleansing medium, the "huskies," as the peary party affectionately termed them, had two very distinguishing characteristics not entirely pleasing to more civilised people. they carried around with them a distinctly impressive aroma, and also thriving colonies of what are politely termed parasites. in the matter of clothes they carry their wardrobes on their backs. fur garments do not wear out very rapidly, and, when a "husky" is full grown, the suit of clothes, made in honour of the event, remains in constant wear until one of two things happens. if the man kills a bear, he has a costume made of the skin and discards the ordinary sealskin suit for it. if he does not kill a bear, he wears the sealskin suit until it no longer keeps him warm, when he gets another. in their snow houses during the winter and storms, if the temperature is too warm for them in their thick clothing, they take the clothing off; being a primitive people, their manners are as simple as their minds. the first arrivals at the peary camp were, however, very useful people. there being no trees in this far northern region, and wood, consequently, being one of their most valued treasures, they were for some time unable to comprehend how so much timber had been acquired to build the house. when they saw a fire made in the stove of refuse bits of wood they were still more amazed. never before had they seen so much fire all at once, and the man, growing curious, kept on feeling the stove to see what the effect would be. when it was hot enough to burn his hand he developed a wholesome respect for it, and preferred to regard the, to him, uncanny object from a distance. the problem of how the sewing was to be done was rather a difficult one to the white people for a time. to allow the furs to be taken into the eskimo tent was to invite the introduction of an insect population of which it would be impossible to get rid later. on the other hand, to allow the huskies to enter the house too frequently was equally dangerous from the sanitary point of view. a compromise was effected, by the eskimo woman doing the sewing near the door of the house with some one always keeping an eye on her. later on, when it was found that little danger existed from the spread of insects if reasonable care were taken, the workers sat inside the house. they were fairly deft in handling the needle, and the suits they made for the party were all excellent and serviceable. these were made on the native pattern, and the experience of lieutenant peary and his comrade astrup in their journey over the great ice-cap proved that the native pattern was the best. when the woman was set to work, a boat expedition in search of walrus was organised, with the eskimo as guide, lieutenant peary and his wife also going. they had not proceeded very many miles up inglefield gulf before a light breeze when they saw, on a floating piece of ice, a dozen or so of the animals huddled together apparently asleep. sailing gently towards them, every one with a rifle ready, a sudden puff of wind sent the boat ahead quicker and farther than was intended, and it struck the ice. the walrus, never having seen a sailing boat before, looked round at it without paying any more attention than if it had been another piece of ice. but the sight of so many valuable creatures within reach of his harpoon was too much for the little eskimo, and he buried the weapon into the nearest. at once the attitude of the walrus changed. the wounded member of the tribe tried to escape, bellowing in its pain, and the rest slid off the ice into the water and surrounded the boat. others from neighbouring ice patches charged rapidly on to the scene, and the situation of the boat and its occupants was dangerous in the extreme. the poor eskimo, his face showing the terror he felt, crouched down in the boat, evidently expecting to be annihilated by the furious animals that surged round. as they came up to the boat, they tried to get their great powerful tusks over the gunwales, and, had one succeeded in doing so, there would have been slight hopes of any one escaping. had the boat been capsized, no one could possibly have survived, and to keep the angry crowd off was no easy matter. all around they swarmed, and not less than were estimated to be engaged in the attack. lieutenant peary, with his injured leg, sat in the stern of the boat, firing at them, and the other white men also kept up a fusillade, mrs. peary, again giving evidence of her strong nerve and courage, sitting beside her husband and loading the weapons as soon as they were emptied. the walrus came on in bunches to the attack, and, immediately they were fired at, all those nearest to the boat leaped out of the water, and then plunged out of sight. there was always the danger of one of the huge creatures rising under the boat, and so capsizing it; but the occupants had no time to think of this. directly one batch jumped and disappeared, another batch hastened forward to greet the volley of bullets in the same way as the others, and be in turn succeeded by another batch! the boat was meanwhile gradually approaching the shore, and as the water became more shallow the walrus exhibited less desire to come to close quarters, until, at last, the adventurers found that they had beaten off the last of the swarm. the main body had retreated far up the gulf, only a few remaining near. several of those which had been shot, however, were floating on the surface of the water, and it was decided to go back and secure them, even at the risk of another attack. already some of them were sinking, and many must have gone down while the fight was in progress. there was a necessity for haste if any of the slain were to be secured, and with rifles loaded and ready for a fresh attack, the boat was headed towards the floating carcases. the operation of securing them was performed without any interruption from the survivors, and a run was then made for the shore, where the eskimo said a lot of seal-skins were "cached." this is the term used in the arctic regions to denote the local method of storing food or possessions. a space is hollowed out in the ground, which, even in the summer time, is frozen hard a few feet below the surface. the articles to be stored having been placed in the space, it is covered over with stones, and the "cache" is completed. throughout the winter the contents become frozen into a solid mass, which, protected by the stones or other covering, does not thaw out during the short summer, and so remains in a good state of preservation for an almost indefinite period. occasionally the "cache" fails to preserve the articles of food entirely in that state which by the european is termed "fresh"; but as they rarely have recourse to "cached" provisions, it does not matter very much. the eskimo, who constantly preserves his winter supplies in this manner, has, happily for himself, easier notions about the state and quality of his food. this was brought home to the party very forcibly. they had visited several "caches," and obtained enough seal-skin for their purpose, and, having enjoyed some refreshment, were considering their return. the eskimo, ikwa, then told them that, as all the flesh at the camp was recently killed, he and his family did not like it. there was, he said, a fine seal cached in the neighbourhood, which would form a delicious store for him and his family, and if the leader allowed him to move it to the boat, and convey it to the encampment, he would be prepared to yield some of it to the members of the party for their own special enjoyment. the seal was a beauty, he said, and just in the very pink of condition. the necessary permission having been given, ikwa hurried away for his treasure. shortly after, the members of the party noticed a strange penetrating odour in the air which they at first attributed to the flayed walrus. it steadily increased, until they were unable to tolerate it, and started out to seek the cause. as they emerged from under the shelter of the jutting rock where they had been resting, they descried the little eskimo staggering towards them under the burden of a seal almost as large as himself. the creature had been "cached" about two years, and was in such a state that gentles fell from it at every step the man took, and, as mrs. peary recorded in her diary, both the sight and the scent of it overpowered the white people. but to ikwa it was just in good condition for eating, and he was especially indignant when he was made to relinquish it. his clothes, however, would not part with the odour, and for many days the members of the expedition had reason to remember that eskimo like their game high. as the time passed, and winter approached, every one was kept busy preparing for the long dark night, and for the journey over the ice-cap which was to be undertaken directly spring began. several families of eskimo were now residing near the encampment, the women mostly engaged in making winter fur garments for the members of the expedition, and the men in hunting. as dogs were required for the sledging expedition, constant bartering went on between the eskimo and the white men, and the latter undertook occasional journeys to localities where other members of the tribe were encamped. a great deal of very interesting information was thus derived about the natives, who are, as has been said, the most northerly living people in the world. mrs. peary, as the first white woman they had ever seen, was a particular object of attention. as their custom is for men and women to dress very much alike, they could not quite understand mrs. peary's costume, and when the first arrivals saw her and lieutenant peary together, they looked from one to the other, and ultimately had to ask which of the two was the white woman. [illustration: two north greenland hunters.] the tribe did not number in all; they held no communication with the eskimo farther south, and, except for the occasional visit of a sealer or a whaler, knew nothing of the outer world. none had ever seen a tree growing, nor had they ever penetrated over the ridge of land which lay back from the coast, and over which glimpses were caught of the great ice-cap. the latter, they said, was where the eskimo went when they died, and if any man attempted to go so far the spirits would get hold of him and keep him there. they consequently warned lieutenant peary against venturing. there was no seal up there; no bear; no deer; only ice and snow and spirits, so what reason had a man for going? their belongings were extremely simple. a kayak, a sledge, one or two dogs, a tent made of walrus-hide or seal-skin, some weapons, and a stone lamp, comprised, with the clothes they wore, their property. wood was the most valuable article they knew, because they could use it for so many purposes, and had so little of it. the possession of knives and needles was greatly desired; but scissors did not appeal to them, since what they could not cut with a knife they could bite with their close even teeth. money had neither a suggestion nor a use with them; trade, if carried on at all, was merely the bartering of one article for another. the animals they liked best were dogs and seals; the former being their beast of burden and constant companion, the latter the provider of food, raiment, covering, and light. every seal killed belonged to the man who killed it, but the rules of the tribe required that all larger animals should be shared among the members in the neighbourhood; the skin of a bear, however, remaining in the possession of the man who secured it. but so unsophisticated and easy-going are the contented little people that individual property scarcely exists with them; every one is ready and willing to share what he has with another if need be. the articles borrowed, however, are always returned, or made good if broken or lost. no one can either read or write; the boys are taught how to hunt, how to manage the kayak and sledge, and how to make and use the weapons of the chase, while the girls are taught how to sew the fur garments, and keep the stone lamp burning with blubber and moss, so as to prepare the drinking water and the frizzled seal flesh they eat. for the rest, their chief desire is to live as happily as they can, and this, according to those who have been amongst them, they manage to do merrily and well. during the visits paid to the different encampments by lieutenant peary and his wife, about a score of dogs were obtained, a number which would be sufficient to carry out the work of the ensuing spring. they were usually obtained in exchange for needles and knives, but the purpose for which they were needed always formed a subject of wonder to the unambitious "huskies." by the time that a return was made to the house--redcliff, as the explorers named it--the season was well advanced towards winter. the roof and sides were all covered with walrus hide, and moss, gathered in the early autumn, was stuffed into any crevice through which the cold wind might find a way. the drifting snow soon piled up round the walls and over the roof, and the extra covering added to the warmth and comfort of those within. fur clothing was now worn generally, and the little party, keeping in good health and spirits, managed to pass the gloomy period of winter without anything to mar their contentment. christmas they celebrated in proper form by having a sumptuous dinner, the menu of which, preserved by mrs. peary, is worthy of being quoted, as showing what can be done in a place where shops are unknown and darkness reigns at midday. the feast consisted of salmon, rabbit pie and green peas, venison with cranberry sauce, corn and tomatoes, plum-pudding and brandy sauce, apricot pie, pears, sweets, nuts, raisins, and coffee: a very creditable repast to be put on the table of an arctic residence. when every one had satisfied the demands of appetite, the table was cleared, and then re-spread for the benefit of the "huskies," who were bidden to partake of christmas fare. a somewhat different assortment was prepared for the visitors, the dishes consisting of milk punch, venison stew, cranberry tart, biscuits, sweets, raisins, and coffee. this was certainly a variation to their ordinary food of seal or walrus flesh and water, and they showed their appreciation of it by leaving no crumbs and sticking to their seats until, at half-past ten, they were gently told that it was time they went home. then they left, but the next day they came again, and were perhaps not the first who, having enjoyed a hearty christmas dinner, felt disposed to complain that christmas can only come once a year. at the first approach of spring the dogs were given plenty of exercise in the sledges, and by the middle of april all was ready for the great journey over the ice-cap. lieutenant peary had quite recovered from the injury to his leg, and was impatient to be off. the plan of operations was for himself and a young norwegian, named astrup, to push on with one sledge over the unknown interior, but for the first part of the journey a supporting party and sledge accompanied them. april saw them start from the house towards the bluff range which ran along the coast. the two sledges, each with a team of ten dogs, were laden with supplies and scientific instruments. mrs. peary, who was staying behind at the house, watched them slowly go out of sight, the eskimo women consoling her with the opinion that none of the party would ever come back. the return of the supporting sledge a few weeks later was rather a blow to the prophecy, but they tried to make up for the first mistake by asserting their confidence that the other sledge was doomed. the two parties kept together until the coastal range was surmounted, and the beginning of the ice-cap was reached. here the sledge which was to do the great journey was laden with a full load, and the two explorers started forward, lieutenant peary leading the way with a staff to which was attached a silk banner--the stars and stripes--worked by mrs. peary. the first of the ice-cap was a stretch of some fifteen miles of ice, formed into enormous dome-shaped masses. they toiled up one side but travelled easily down the other, and so on, up and down, until they had attained an altitude of nearly feet above the sea-level, when they found that they were on a vast expanse of snow. the white unbroken surface stretched away as far as the eye could reach, unbroken by a ridge or rise, everywhere flat, white and immense. this was the great ice-cap, the frozen covering of the interior of greenland, the unknown region where no man had yet set foot. but it was a mistake to term it an ice-cap. they found it to be rather a desert, a sahara with dry drifting snow instead of the dry burning sand. and, like sahara, it had its days of storm, when the snow whirled in clouds just as the sand rises before the scorching blast of the simoom. very wonderful was the first experience of this greenland dust-storm. the sky overhead was filled with dull grey clouds, heavy and opaque, and the gloom spread all around, so that whichever way one looked there was the same impenetrable veil of grey gloomy haze. the snow lost its dazzling whiteness and took instead the tint of the gloom of the surrounding atmosphere. then the wind came, at first in fitful gusts but later growing into a steady blow, the opening squalls lifting the dry surface snow and whirling it up in the air. the steady breeze caught it and carried it along in a constantly moving stream some two feet deep, and it was then that the effect of the storm was most pronounced. the drifting particles of snow made a curious rustling noise as they moved, and as they whirled round the travellers' legs the feet were hidden beneath the dense moving veil. as a result, it was as though one were walking on nothing and going nowhere, for the grey gloom all around made one unconscious of either direction or space, and the moving snow prevented one seeing the feet or realising that there was anything solid under them. the steady hum of the drifting snow, together with its movement, made the brain dizzy, and the two explorers generally found it necessary to form a camp when such a storm came on, the snow soon piling up against their shelter tent and effectually protecting them from the wind. then, when the breeze had died away and the snow ceased moving, they were able to dig out their sledge and proceed. a distinct contrast to these stormy days was given by the period of clear sunshine. then the sky, innocent of a cloud, was a wonderful blue vault overhead, while the snow-covered plateau stretched away on all sides until it was lost in the distance of the horizon. the wonderfully clear air enabled the explorers to see a great distance ahead. at the end of the second day's march after reaching this great snow desert, they found that the surface was gradually sloping north and south. they were on the dividing ridge and, as they passed over on to the downward slope, their progress was naturally at a more rapid rate. a storm, such as has been described, accompanied by falling snow, overtook them, and for three days they had to stay in their shelter. when at length the weather moderated and they were able to get out again they discovered, before resuming the journey, that the dogs meanwhile had eaten six pounds of cranberry jam and the foot off one of the sleeping-bags--a fairly good example of a dog's appetite during a snowstorm. on may in magnificently clear weather they looked out upon a scene on which no white man had ever yet gazed. in his description of the journey the leader wrote: "we looked down into the basin of the petermann glacier, the greatest amphitheatre of snow and rugged ice that human eye has ever seen." away beyond it, a range of black mountains towered in dome-shaped hills, and they made their camp with the expectation of being able to see more of the distant range at the end of another march. but by the time they were able to resume their march a thick fog had come into the air, and for three days they could only see the snow at their feet. they directed their course entirely by compass, but as they were unable to see long distances ahead, they were unprepared for a change in the surface. before they could avoid it, they found themselves amongst rough ice and open crevices. they were getting on to the sherard osborne glacier, and, in the misty weather they were experiencing, it was difficult to get back on to the smooth ice again. over a fortnight was spent in getting beyond this rough ground, and at length, on the weather clearing, they found that straight ahead of them a range of hills showed along the horizon above the ice-cap. the appearance of the hills directly in their path decided them to turn their course from due east to south-east, and they were soon able to make out the line of a deep channel running from the north-east to the south-west. on july , after fifty-seven days of travel, they came to the limits of the ice-cap and stood, silent and amazed, looking down from the summit of the snow desert across a wide open plain covered with vegetation, with here and there a snow drift showing white, and with herds of musk oxen contentedly grazing over it. such a discovery was absolutely so unexpected that at first they could scarcely believe their eyes. there was no sign of any human habitation on the land, and for all that could be learned to the contrary, they were the first human beings who had ever trodden upon that plain, on which the yellow arctic poppies were waving in bloom and over which the drone of the humble bee sounded, though for hundreds of miles around it the accumulated snow of centuries lay frozen into the great mysterious snow-cap and its glaciers. having proved that they really were not dreaming, they shot a musk ox, which they used for their own and their dogs' refreshment. then they stacked their stores and set out with reduced loads across the plain. they walked for four days, exploring, surveying, and examining; and on the fourth of july, the anniversary of the declaration of independence by the united states, they stood on the summit of a magnificent range of cliffs, feet high, overlooking a large bay, which, in honour of the date, they named independence bay. the latitude was nearly ° n., and lieutenant peary, writing of the discovery, says: "it was almost impossible for us to believe that we were standing on the northern shore of greenland as we gazed from the summit of this precipitous cliff with the most brilliant sunshine all about us, with yellow poppies growing between the rocks around our feet and a herd of musk oxen in the valley behind us. in that valley we had also found the dandelion in bloom and had heard the heavy drone and seen the bullet-like flight of the humble bee." for a week the two remained in this northern valley, surveying and making observations and finding it difficult to believe that a distance of miles of frozen snow separated them from the nearest living people. not a vestige of a human habitation was found, and nothing to show that man had ever been there before. at the end of the week, with a good supply of fresh meat from the musk oxen and a collection of specimens of plants and insects packed on the sledges, the return journey was commenced. both dogs and men were invigorated by the rest they had had, and they were able to travel homewards at the rate of thirty miles a day over the smooth surface of the ice-cap. they carefully adhered to a recognised routine of work. when they had travelled the regulation number of hours they halted for their rest. the one whose turn it was to prepare the supper set to work to arrange what they termed their kitchen, while the other attended to the dogs, feeding them and removing them from their harness. the "kitchen" was constructed by removing snow in blocks from a space eight feet long by three feet wide by eighteen inches deep. the snow-blocks were built up along one side and half another, so as to form an angle presented towards that quarter from whence the wind was blowing. over the top of this a canvas was stretched, forming a well-sheltered nook, in which the spirit stove was lighted and the meal prepared. for supper they had usually, half a pound of pemmican (a preparation of finely chopped lean meat with raisins and wheaten flour), one cup of preserved milk, tea, and biscuits. the morning meal, or breakfast, consisted of pemmican, biscuits, two ounces of butter, and two cups of tea, and after travelling from four to six hours, they stopped for lunch, which consisted of more pemmican and tea. as soon as supper was ready the two enjoyed it together, and very soon afterwards they crept into their sleeping-bags, the one who was acting as cook having also to keep an eye on the dogs, in order to prevent them making attacks on the stores. to obviate this, after the first few days, the dogs were usually tethered for the night. occasionally, when the wind was favourable, sails were erected on the sledges and the progress was then very easy and rapid; but when the wind was from the opposite direction both dogs and men had an arduous task. the return journey was accomplished with greater facility than the outward trip, and on august , as they reached the top of one of the dome-like formations near the coastal range, they saw, on the slope of the next dome, a party of men approaching. the kite had meantime returned to inglefield gulf to take the expedition back to the united states, and several of those who had come up in her set out to meet the two explorers. by the time that the combined parties reached the shore, every one was on board the _kite_ waiting to welcome the two wanderers, whose enterprise had terminated so successfully, not the least delighted being mrs. peary, whose patience had been somewhat tried by the persistent way in which the "huskies" had foretold disaster to her husband. but all is well that ends well, and in his return, victorious, the long lonely hours were forgotten. chapter viii nansen and the _fram_ nansen's theories of arctic currents and shipbuilding--his theories adopted--the _fram_ built--a start made--the kara sea reached--good hunting--the ice current reached--frozen in--a raid by a bear--will the _fram_ stand the pressure?--preparing for calamity--a conclusive test--causes of ice movements--life on the _fram_--nansen and johansen leave the _fram_--they reach their "farthest north"--incidents of their return journey--some narrow escapes--the meeting with jackson--arrival of the _fram_. in the _jeannette_, an american yacht commanded by lieutenant de long, of the united states navy, was beset in the ice in latitude ° ' n. and longitude ° ' e. so firmly was she frozen that it was found impossible to liberate her, and on june , , she was so badly crushed in a break up of the pack that she foundered. in the meantime she had drifted with the ice to ° ' n. latitude and ° ' e. longitude, a point to the north of the new siberian islands. in articles undoubtedly belonging to members of her crew were found in floating ice off the coast of greenland. [illustration: map of the arctic regions showing route of nansen and the _fram_.] these facts caused a very great deal of discussion among arctic explorers, and the general opinion expressed was that a strong and steady current evidently flowed along the course taken first by the _jeannette_, and secondly by the relics. to arrive at that conclusion was not very difficult; to utilise the knowledge thus gained, and profit by it, was the point, and only one man in the world was possessed of the necessary amount of insight, backed up by intellect and courage, to enable him to do so. this man was fridtjof nansen. as a student of arctic phenomena, and as one who had crossed greenland from east to west, the existence of this current was full of suggestive possibilities. it seemed to him that if a vessel were built of sufficient strength to withstand the pressure of the winter ice, and provisioned for a sufficiently long period, there was every chance of it drifting along the entire course of the current, perhaps to within a measurable distance of the pole, and certainly well within that region which had hitherto been unexplored. the area affected by the current would have to be entered as near the outside edge as possible, so as to participate in the full sweep of its curve, and, in order to avoid the terrible crushing pressure of the winter ice, the vessel would have to be so built as to enable it to slip upwards from the ice, when the pressure became too severe, and rest always on the top. on the publication of these views, they were not supported by the arctic veterans. some went so far as to characterise the whole scheme as being unworthy of serious consideration, while others, less overbearingly prejudiced, were aghast at the daring and audacity of the scheme. the possibility of the drift passing over the route suggested by nansen was not gainsaid by those whose close knowledge of arctic problems, and desire for general information, made them more tolerant than the keen opponents of the scheme--the latter, strangely enough, being men whose own exploits had not been the most successful in polar exploration. the hero of the _alert_ sledge journey admitted the feasibility of the drift theory, but shook his head at the idea of any ship withstanding the winter pressure of the great ice packs in the far north. a ship once caught and frozen in became part of the ice itself, and when the pressure crushed masses a hundred feet thick into minute fragments and powder, what chance would a vessel, held in such a mass, have of escaping? but nansen was not to be discouraged. he had the true insight of genius, that insight which gave him the confidence in his own idea and which needed something more than verbal reasons to overthrow it. his idea also recommended itself to a norwegian shipbuilder, mr. colin archer, who expressed his readiness to construct such a vessel as nansen had described. the norwegian government also were impressed by the scheme and voted over £ , towards the cost of carrying it out, and other support being forthcoming, the intrepid explorer was at length able to take definite steps to prove or disprove his contention. the building of the _fram_ was at once commenced. she was built of wood and of tremendous strength, her beams and sides being of the utmost thickness, while on the outside of the hull not a single angle was allowed to remain. every projection was carefully rounded off and smoothed, so that there should not be as much as half an inch protruding and capable of affording the ice a holding place. even the keel was sacrificed to the general idea of avoiding possible holding places for the ice. the lines of the ship were necessarily different from those of the ordinary vessel. her sides bulged outwards and the stern and stem sloped away, so that whichever way the ice exerted the pressure, the _fram_ would present a smooth surface to the ice, inclined in such a way that the tendency of the ice would be to get under it and so lift the vessel up. this did not improve her qualities as a sea boat, and the way in which she pitched, plunged, and rolled, whenever she came into a moving sea, tried the seafaring capacities of every one on board. she was fitted with engines and a screw, and was rigged as a three-masted fore-and-aft schooner. electric light was laid on all over her, the power being generated by a windmill when the engine was not working. every available crevice was utilised for the storing of coals and provisions. by the middle of june the thirteen men who formed the expedition had succeeded in finding a place for everything, though not without some difficulty, for the quantity of the stores which had to be packed was enormous. by a delay in delivery, just as they were congratulating themselves that everything was stowed away, a shipment of dog biscuits arrived. the ship was full already, but the biscuits had to be stored somewhere, so one of the men wriggled right up into the bows, and between the beams and the ribs he packed away the troublesome late arrivals. everything was at last on board and stored, and on june , , the _fram_ started on her memorable journey. leaving north cape, she headed for kharbarova, on the northern siberian coast, and the point where the team of siberian sledge dogs were to be taken on board. on july she dropped anchor off the quaint little settlement and found the dogs duly waiting. a ship with coal ought also to have been there, but it did not arrive up to the time that the _fram_, having shipped the dogs, was compelled to leave. she would soon be in the kara sea, where a year would have to be spent if she were caught in the ice. the season was passing rapidly, and no time could be lost if the kara sea were to be passed before winter set in, so the anchor was weighed and the _fram_ steamed away without her extra supply of coal. on august the kara sea was reached. the ice, although not heavy enough to prevent further progress, with the adverse currents caused considerable delays, and the crew utilised their enforced leisure by visiting the neighbouring land and laying in a store of fresh meat. they were successful in obtaining reindeer venison and ducks, and it was here also that the first bear was killed. it happened on the kjellman islands. the _fram_ had come to anchor under their shelter, when some one raised the cry that there were reindeer on the shore. immediately a hunting party was formed, and eight of the members rowed ashore. they separated into couples and spread out in search of the deer, which, however, were extremely shy. two of the hunters, failing to get near the herd, decided to sit down and wait until the other members succeeded in stalking round the deer and turning them back. suddenly one of the two, looking round towards the shore, espied a bear coming towards them. they waited for him to come within easy range, when they fired together, striking him in the right foreleg. he turned back at once towards the shore, and another bullet in one of his hind-legs did not stop him. fearing that he might escape, one of the two ran after him and managed to put a bullet in his shoulder, which brought him to the ground. the bear staggered to his feet again, and in turning towards his assailants presented his unwounded side to them, with the result that another bullet was discharged into it, and he fell to the ground unable to move; but to make certain that he was not "foxing," yet another bullet was put into his head. the result of the day's shooting was excellent, the bag consisting of bear, deer, seal, and duck, providing plenty of fresh meat for the members of the expedition, as well as a good supply of food for the dogs. within a few days they were able to add to the larder by killing some walrus, a feat which was not achieved without some danger and loss. the _fram_ had come to anchor in consequence of the ice lying rather thickly ahead, when a group of walrus was seen on a floating mass of ice. a boat was immediately lowered, and with one man armed with a harpoon in the bows, and nansen armed with a rifle in the stern, it was cautiously rowed towards the listless walrus. they did not show any sign of life until the boat was close upon them, when the sentinel raised his head and looked towards the boat. when a number are basking, one is always on duty as a sentinel to give the alarm and warn the others of approaching danger. directly those in the boat saw which was the sentinel, they kept a close watch upon him, remaining as still as possible when he raised his head and only urging the boat forward gently when he resumed his former lazy attitude. by very careful manoeuvring they were able to creep close up to the ice. the sentinel again raised his head and looked at them, but as no one moved he seemed to be satisfied and lowered his head once more. a sharp stroke of the oars drove the boat right on to the ice, and the man with the harpoon let drive at the group. due, perhaps, to the movement of the boat, his aim was too high, and instead of plunging into the great body of the nearest monster, the harpoon glanced off his back and over the backs of the others. they were roused at once and turned upon the boat, bellowing loudly. nansen fired upon the leader, a bull with tremendous tusks, and he fell over, but the others did not stop. the boat was pushed off, and at the same moment nansen shot a second bull. the remainder of the herd plunged into the water from off the ice and swam after the boat, rising up alongside it and attempting to drag it down with their huge tusks. for a time the fight was furious, but the three men were too strong, and those of the walrus that were not killed made off under water. the two shot on the ice were secured, but those shot in the water sank before they could be reached. as the men were getting the two from the ice into the boat, an unfortunate lurch jerked the rifle nansen had been using overboard. it was a favourite weapon which he was very loth to lose, and for hours efforts were made to drag it up, but without success. it was hopelessly lost, and the first brush with the walrus thus became memorable. a year or two later there was another adventure with them which was even more memorable, but many were to be slain by the explorers in the meantime, and many miles were to be covered before that adventure came to pass. on september the _fram_ had made her way through the ice-encumbered sea as far as cape chelyuskin, the most northerly point of europe. there was great rejoicing on board, for the fact that such a point had been reached meant that they would be in the region of the current before winter set in, and that, when the _fram_ became frozen in, it would be in the ice affected by the drift. a week later, the course was altered, and the _fram_ was headed for the north. the ice became heavier and closer as she advanced towards the limit of the ice-floes, and as the sun was sinking nearer and nearer the horizon, the cold became more intense at every mile. as long as there was open water ahead the energetic crew kept working their vessel so as to get her as high up as possible into the area affected by the current; but when they had passed the line which marks the limit of the floes, they soon found that further navigation was impossible. the _fram_ was soon fast in the ice and, with winter upon them, the crew made themselves and the ship as comfortable as they could. the builder of the _fram_ had given attention not alone to the exterior of the vessel; he had also made the internal arrangements as complete as possible for the comfort of the explorers during the prolonged period they were to remain in the ice. now that they were in the pack, they realised how well their comfort had been considered. for the matter of that, they had always found their quarters cosy, even when the _fram_ displayed her capabilities of rolling and tossing. the main cabin, in which they lived, was always warm, and the passage-ways leading from it to the outside were so skilfully arranged that those on board did not experience the distressing moisture which was so troublesome on the _alert_ and _discovery_. the electric light as a substitute for lamps was also an admirable innovation, for the interior of the cabin was always brightly lit without the air becoming heavy, as would have been the case with exposed lamps. a great deal of thought had also been given to ventilation, with the result that the cabins were never close. over the deck a large screen was erected, tent shape, and above it there was reared the windmill which drove the electric motor and generated the electricity for the lights. as the ship was to remain in the ice until it drifted out again, everything was made snug for a long stay. on the ice alongside various observatories were erected and scientific instruments placed to make complete records, and later, a row of comfortable kennels was made for the accommodation of the dogs. these animals at first had been somewhat troublesome. they were so savage that it was necessary to keep them all tied up on deck, and during the voyage along the coast they were frequently wet and miserable, and incessantly howling. once, rope muzzles were made, and when each dog was fitted they were allowed loose; but an arctic dog requires something stronger than a rope to keep its jaws closed when let loose among a lot of other arctic dogs. the result of the experiment was not a success, except from a dog-fight point of view; when at length the struggling, snarling, snapping pack were separated, they were tied up again to the deck until the ship was fast in the ice. by that time they were somewhat reconciled to one another; when they had been allowed to have a scamper or two, with plenty of opportunity to find out who were the kings and who were not, they settled down into a big happy family, even making common cause when a stray bear came on board later in the winter. this happened at a time when every one was below in the cabin. each man took it in turn to look round the deck every now and again. the man whose watch it was had not long returned to the cabin when a tremendous hubbub started among the dogs. the watch returned on deck with a lamp, but failed to see any cause for the disturbance, and attributed it to a new election of a king or some other canine ceremony. later it broke out once more, and a further inspection was made, when it was discovered that two dogs were missing. the man on watch, carrying his lantern, and accompanied by another member of the crew, set out over the ice, following what appeared to be a track in the snow. they had not proceeded far when they found themselves face to face with a bear. it was difficult to say which was the more surprised, the bear or the men; but as the latter had no weapon with them they decided that a return to the ship was the best course to pursue. they turned and started at a run, the man with the lantern, having heavier boots on, being the slower of the two. more than that, he was not so agile as his companion, and stumbled frequently. once he went down full length, and when he regained his feet he was astounded to see in the dim twilight, and between himself and the ship, the form of the bear. for a moment they stood looking at one another, the dogs at a respectable distance baying and howling. then the bear advanced and made a snap at the man, nipping him in the thigh. the lantern was not a very heavy one, but it was all the man had with which to defend himself, and, swinging it round with all his strength, he brought it down on the bear's head. it made him let go his hold, and a few of the dogs rushing nearer to him caused him to turn towards them, thus giving the man a chance to resume his flight, which he immediately did. by the time he was able to scramble up on to the vessel he found half of the crew tumbling out of the cabin with rifles. they ranged themselves along the side of the ship, and taking a steady aim at the bear, which could be dimly seen in the twilight, all pulled their triggers. they had forgotten, in the hurry of the moment, how well the firearms had been greased to prevent them rusting, and so the volley failed to fire a single shot. meanwhile the dogs surrounded the bear, snarling and barking, but not going near enough to bite or get bitten. he looked wisely round the ring and then started off at a slouching walk, just as nansen reached the deck with his rifle. his weapon did not misfire, and a bullet checked the bear's flight, and, some of the other guns now being effective, several more were put into him and laid him low. subsequent search revealed the remains of the two dogs a little distance away from the _fram_, whither they had been dragged by the bear. [illustration: the _fram_ in the ice. "the _fram_ was in ° ' n. latitude when she was first frozen in" for the beginning of the great drift.] the _fram_ was in ° ' n. latitude when she was first frozen in, and the observations for the next few days were watched with a good deal of interest, as every one was anxious to know whether they were in the drift, and at what rate they were travelling. a very great surprise was therefore experienced when it became known that instead of travelling, as they expected they would, in a north-westerly direction, they were going south-east. for several days they speculated whether they had misjudged the place where they would meet the north drift, and had, instead, become fast in ice which would carry them away, rather than towards their goal. it was a very unpleasant uncertainty, and when the discovery was made that the direction had changed and the vessel was slowly but surely drifting northward, there was general rejoicing on board. the ice around the _fram_ was now over thirty feet in thickness, and, as it was constantly moving in the drift, so was it also subject to the pressure which made it heave and pile itself in great rugged broken masses. there was a constant creaking and groaning in the vast pack which made it evident that the pressure had begun. throughout the winter it would continue, getting more and more severe as the cold became more intense. would the _fram_ justify her designer and builder under the trial? it was a very anxious question for those on board. one authority had said she would become so securely frozen in as to be, to all intents and purposes, a part of the ice body, and that then, if the ice immediately in her vicinity began to move and work, nothing could save her from being crushed into matchwood by the enormous pressure. well, she was now frozen into such a mass, and frozen so firmly that she did not budge an inch when the groaning and creaking told of the straining that was going on. the surface of the ice, as far as the explorers could see, was constantly undergoing a change, as the force of the movement pressed great blocks up in one place, and ground them away in another. jagged, rugged masses reared themselves up before the irresistible power, until they stood forty and fifty feet high. sometimes they were forced up so high that they overbalanced and crashed down upon the lower masses with the roar and rattle of thunder. and yet the _fram_ never moved. was the expert opinion going to be verified? would the ship, held by the grip of the pack, be slowly crushed into fragments directly she was caught in the line of movement? it was evidently not impossible, and precautions were taken so as to insure escape if she were to be caught and crushed. all the boats were taken out on to the ice and filled with provisions; the dogs were put in kennels also on the ice where they would be free to escape, and every one was constantly on the alert for the first sign of the "nip." at last it came. they were all at meals when the increased uproar of the moving ice told them that the movement was nearing the vessel. then, for the first time, they heard the ominous sounds of creaking timber. the _fram_ was being "nipped." every one hurried out of the cabin to see to the boats and the dogs and the stores. when they reached the open they found that, close upon her port side, the ice was heaving and piling up into a great massive wall, while all around the noise of the fracturing and cracking of huge blocks was deafening. slowly the wall rose in the air higher than the vessel's deck, higher than the bulwarks, and then it began steadily to glide towards her. for the moment it seemed that nothing could save her, and that the stupendous weight of the gliding wall would soon grind her solid timbers into splinters, while part of it crashed over her decks and swept spars and everything away. silent the members of the crew stood on the ice on the starboard side watching and expecting every second to see the moving mass creep up to her and pulverise the bold little _fram_, rendering them homeless and shipless. some of the crushed ice, pushed forward in a huge roll like a frozen billow, was actually against her side and rising over the tent covering on the deck. the line of pressure had now reached exactly where she lay in the ice, and if she did not yield to it and slip from the grip that held her, she was doomed. there was a sound of rending; a groaning crash; the _fram_ shivered till the breathless watchers thought they saw her spars tremble. then, with a mighty wrench, she broke from the bonds that held her, and slowly rose from her nest in the ice, slipping upwards and away from the crushing force. a cheer burst from the lips of every one as she moved, for it meant not only the realisation of the hopes and ideals of those concerned in her construction and the complete vindication of their faith in her, but also the guarantee that the explorers were safely and securely housed, whatever might transpire. when the movement in the ice had subsided, it was found that the _fram_ had slipped out of harm's way in a marvellous manner. so firmly had she been frozen in that the spot from whence she had been driven contained a complete mould of her shape, every seam and mark being reproduced in the ice. this proved that the test had not only been a severe one, but conclusive as well, since the vessel had really been frozen so solid into a mass of ice as to be a part of the mass. her escape was an overwhelming disproof of the adverse theories expressed against her, and an entire victory for nansen. there was now no question in any one's mind as to the result of the expedition; the _fram_, having stood one test, would stand any, and nothing could stop her emerging in due course out on to the open sea again, having drifted very near to the pole, if not quite up to it. with a feeling of absolute security against further pressures and movements, the crew returned on board, and once more the cabin echoed to the light-hearted laughter which had been interrupted by the "nip." the hardy norsemen who formed the party were as happy as they were brave, and throughout the years they were together there was nothing but good-humour and merriment among them. after the preliminary experience of how the _fram_ conducted herself during a "nip," little attention was paid to the ceaseless noise and roaring set up by the moving ice. often she was forced up out of the line of movement, but the men in her cabin sat quiet; she was able to "sail herself" without any help on that ice-locked sea. the existence of this constant movement of the ice formed a very important discovery in arctic knowledge. a brief explanation of the causes and the effects may make this clear, and, at the same time, show how it is that such huge mountains of ice are formed in the depth of winter when the polar sea was currently supposed to be frozen into one great silent moveless ice-field. as winter sets in within the arctic circle, the sea which flows between the northern coasts of europe, asia, and america becomes covered with ice to the shores, thus forming an enormous field of ice some two thousand miles across. this, lying on the surface of the water, often having a thickness of from thirty to fifty feet, checks, but cannot control the tides. the ebb, on one hand, leaves vast tracks of ice, previously afloat, straining on the ground, cracking so as to form enormous fissures and weakening the surface resistance. on the other hand, the flood tide is welling and pressing against the overlying barrier of ice and lifting it up until it cracks and opens, the pressure underneath lifting the separated masses on to their neighbours, which in turn resist with all their weight and grind back upon the masses beyond, until with the turn of the tide the forced-up masses gravitate down again, tumbling, crashing, bounding and rebounding one upon the other. meanwhile the ice lowered by the ebb tide has formed a restricted crust against which the flood tide, backed up by the weight of the disturbed masses, uses its energy as a man uses his shoulder to lift a load. it is a battle between the resistance and the energy of nature, and usually energy wins along the line of the least resistance. here, when once a point gives way, the accumulated energy concentrates. the "point" may be an area of ice a hundred miles square and fifty feet thick, and this tremendous mass, moved by the immeasurable force of the water pressure beneath it, grinds upon its surroundings and upon itself. huge masses are pushed up on to the surface of the pack, crushing, grinding, and splintering as they go, their weight causing the under ice to bend and crack, and so add to the confusion of the struggle. mass meets mass in a test of strength, and, failing to climb over one another, crush together, closer and higher, until there is a diminution of the pressure from below and they surge back, shattering themselves in the commotion and yet binding themselves into a single unit strong enough to resist the next onslaught of the tidal energy. along the shores, where the solid compactness of beetling cliffs holds back the sweep of the tide, the ice piles itself in mountainous ridges and chains. those of greater bulk, taking the ground, offer a resistance against which the lesser masses can only strain and grind; but away out in the unfathomable depths of the polar sea there is no chance of the ice ever grounding. it is always floating, and so always susceptible to the force of wind, tide, and current. consequently it is always moving and feeling the pressure of the water below, of the grinding strain of the drift, and of the surface disturbances brought about by the constant displacement. any one who has seen a pond in winter, when the ice round the edge is rotten and when a breeze blows across it, is aware how the loose sheet which covers the centre creaks and groans as it is driven against the bank. the edge is shivered into small flakes before the resistance can stop the forward movement, and then the sheet moves back against the breeze until once more the power of the wind controls it, and there is a renewed straining along the bank, the previously broken flakes either being forced up on to the bank, or else under, or over, the edge of the sheet. pieces a yard square slowly rise up on end before the pressure and, falling back, shiver into fragments which scurry across the smooth surface of the sheet until they are arrested and become frozen to the main surface. everywhere when the forward movement is on there is noise of creaking, groaning, and cracking, and everywhere on the ice sheet there is evidence of the force exerted. the arctic ocean may be likened to such a pond, only two thousand miles across and with ice upon its surface which never melts and is always being forced one way or the other by tide, wind, or current. the rugged, piled-up fragments of one winter's fight are smoothed over somewhat later on by the heavy snows of spring and summer, or, more correctly speaking, of the period of daylight, for in this region the year is divided between the time when the sun is seen and when the sun is not seen. along the shores of the continents which surround it, open water forms in the time of sunshine, and so there is room for the energy of the tides to escape. the currents can also, from time to time, break off great areas into floes and packs which drift away to the warmer south until they melt, leaving more room for the enormous stretch of tumbled ruggedness behind them to swing and drift in obedience to the driving currents. it will be remembered that it was at this period of the year when the _alert_ party travelled over the ice and found it so broken and rugged that barely a mile a day was covered. it was while this sort of ice was being formed that the _fram_ and her crew rested in the north, the vessel braving every nip by slipping upwards from the pressure; the crew, confident in her capabilities, living in merry good-humour in her cabin. what the confusion of the ice was like may be gathered from the opinion of those who saw it when the return of the sun enabled them to do so, and also relieved the pressure. "imagine a stormy sea, all broken waves and flying billows, suddenly frozen solid into ice, and you have some idea, on a small scale, of the piled-up hummocks on the pack." and so the first winter passed, the members of the expedition keeping not alone in good temper and spirits, but in good health also. there was always something doing; observations of temperature and ice movements to be taken, and records to be kept of the atmospheric and astronomical phenomena, on the scientific side; and on the every-day side of life, there were meals to get ready, stores to be overhauled and distributed, dogs to be fed, and a dozen other items to attend to. one of the happiest features of this expedition was the sincere and thorough good-fellowship which existed between all the members. some of them took turn about in the cook's galley, each one trying to produce some dish which would come as a surprise to the mess and a variety to the usual bill of fare. then they were excellently supplied with books to read and indoor games to fill in the odd hours of leisure. a newspaper was started, and although it was somewhat deficient in foreign news, there was plenty of local intelligence to keep it going until the return of the sun. inside the cabin there was constantly heard the hearty laugh as some jest passed round, and under the illumination of the electric light and the spell of good-fellowship, but little heed was paid to the constant noise made outside in the darkness of the arctic night by the ever-moving ice. when the sun's approach was heralded by a gradually increasing twilight, every one was full of curiosity to learn how far they had drifted in the ice during the winter, and whether the current had maintained its northerly direction. there was no chance of proving that during the long hours of darkness, and when, with the appearance of the sun above the horizon, observations were taken to verify calculations already made, with the result that a great advance to the north was shown, there was general rejoicing. if the direction were maintained during the coming summer and the following winter, it was not impossible that in a year's time the _fram_ might be drifting over the very pole itself. the flag of norway was run up to the masthead in honour of the occasion, and at the supper-table speeches were made foreshadowing the glory which would be won if the direction of the current were maintained. with the return of sunlight a great deal had to be done in the verification of the observations taken during the winter. as the weather became warmer it was possible to penetrate through the ice so as to enable them to take soundings as to the depth of the sea. photographs of the ice-field were taken, so as to form companion pictures of what it was before and after the winter pressure had been exerted, and short expeditions by dog-sledge and snow-shoes (_ski_, as the norwegian form is termed) were taken. a bear track was seen one day, but as bruin did not seem desirous of approaching the ship, captain sverdrup, who commanded the vessel, set to work and devised a highly ingenious trap for him. the trap was fixed up on a hummock in the vicinity, where it could be watched from the _fram_, but where it would be quiet enough to tempt the bear. a strong-smelling bait was fastened to it, so that when the bear seized the bait he would spring the jaws of the trap and get caught round the neck. then, when all was ready, a constant watch was kept for bruin to appear. he came when every one was about the ship, and as he was seen slouching over the hummocks, all eyes were turned upon him. scenting the bait, he quickened his steps and went up to the trap, holding his head high up and sniffing for the bait. having caught sight of it, he walked slowly round the trap until he came opposite the bait again, when he slowly rose on to his hind-legs and reached out for the morsel. every one on board held their breath in anticipation of seeing him caught, but there was something about the concern which aroused his suspicions. probably he had never seen such an animal before and doubted its quality, for he drew his head back, lowered himself on to all-fours, and slowly trotted away. the bear-trap was no success for killing bears, but it afforded excellent entertainment during this occasion, and formed a never-failing source of good-natured chaff afterwards. as the short summer passed, the drift turned persistently to the west, and in view of its continuing in that direction, preparations were made for a dash by sledge to the north in the following period of sunlight. the framework of two kayaks were on board, and these were brought out and put together on the ice alongside the vessel. when they were covered with skins, they were packed on two light sledges, and experiments were made as to the amount of provisions that could be stored on the sledges in addition. with a third sledge for stores, it was found that twenty-eight dogs would be able to drag enough food to last two men for one hundred days and the dogs thirty days, besides the kayaks, guns, ammunition, and other necessaries. it was a critical venture to undertake, for once the sledge party left the ship and journeyed to the north, it was almost an absolute impossibility that they would be able to find the ship again. all they would be able to do was to go as far as they could and then turn back again, shaping their course to the spitzbergen islands, where it was anticipated the _fram_ would eventually drift. whether they would be able to traverse the distance before their food gave out, and whether they would be able to replenish their provisions by shooting game, were two very important problems, and, in addition, there was also the question how they would be able to withstand the intense cold of the winter if compelled to spend it on the ice. as the darkness set in again, the discussion frequently turned to the prospects of the dash being successful. nansen decided that he should be one of the two, selecting lieutenant hjalmar johansen, of the norwegian navy, as his companion. lieutenant johansen had joined the expedition as stoker, subsequently acting as the meteorological assistant, and his choice by the leader was amply justified by results. the winter having passed without mishap, the reappearance of the sun verified the fears as to the direction of the drift. all through the winter they had travelled more to the west than the north. the dash by sledge was imperative. on march , , the two adventurers, with their three sledges, two kayaks, and twenty-eight dogs, bade adieu to their comrades, who had come out a part of the way with them from the _fram_, and started due north along the th parallel of east longitude. the _fram_ had already drifted to the th parallel of latitude, farther north than had yet been attained. [illustration: nansen and johansen start on their dash for the pole. on march , , they left the _fram_, and returned to norway in the _windward_ on august , , having reached ° ' n. lat., the highest point, up to that time, attained by man.] for the first few days travelling was slow, heavy, and laborious, the ice being excessively rough and rugged. time after time the two men had to haul the sledges, one after another, over the broken hummocks; but always at the end of each period of travel when they formed their camp, the pole was nearer. on march they reached ° ' n. lat. the ice they were journeying over now was not only rough but was constantly moving, the noise being incessant as the masses ground and strained against one another. but still they pushed on, taking such rest as they could and working hard, when not in camp, from the moment they started until the moment the camp was made. on april they had reached ° ' n. lat., the highest point ever, up to that time, attained by man, and only some two hundred miles from the pole. the ice was indescribably rugged and broken, necessitating the lifting of the sledges at almost every yard; the temperature averaged ° below zero; their clothes were frozen into hard suits of mail, and their sleeping-bags were also frozen stiff. they had to sleep in the frozen bags out in the open, the temperature once being as low as ° below zero. they had reached the "farthest north," and had learned enough to satisfy them that up to the pole there was nothing but a continuation of the broken, rugged ice, straining and breaking under the pressure of the drift, and they decided to turn back, making towards the nearest land for winter quarters. this was franz josef land, lying to the south-west of where they were, and if they reached it in time to pass the winter on shore, they would be able, they believed, to resume their journey to spitzbergen in the following summer. arrived there, they did not anticipate any difficulty in getting home on board a norwegian whaler, if the _fram_ had not meantime arrived. they were now travelling in continual daylight, with a task before them every hour of surmounting the steep sides of hummocks. for hours they toiled on, making as much progress as they could between the camps. the work they were performing was scarcely, one would think, likely to make them forget when it was time to sleep. and yet there was an occasion when for thirty-six hours they struggled on without a sleep. the food for the dogs was daily growing scarcer, and they were anxious to get on as far as possible before it was finished. when, therefore, they came upon a stretch of fairly smooth ice, they made the most of it, and only when they and their dogs were dead tired did they stop. it was their custom to always wind up their watches when they crept into their sleeping-bag; on this occasion when they took them from under their heavy clothing they discovered that both had stopped. in their anxiety to push forward they had forgotten to wind them up, and the springs had run down during the thirty-six hours. there was nothing to do but guess at what the time ought to be, and so they overcame this difficulty as they overcame all others, by making the best of it. their next trouble was the failure of the dog food. when the first dog died they kept him, for unless they fell in with a bear and killed it, the bodies of the weaker dogs was all that they could give the stronger ones to keep them alive. at first the dogs turned away from the remains of their comrade, but soon their hunger overcame their scruples, and the ravenous creatures fought over the carcase as soon as it was offered to them. then came the necessity of killing one of them every now and again to feed the others; much as it went against their natures to do it, the explorers had to choose between it and death to themselves. by the end of april they expected to reach land, but april passed and may passed, and still only the rugged ice was in view. one by one the dogs had to be sacrificed until only two remained. the weight of the sledges was also very considerably reduced by this time. the third sledge had been abandoned, and now each man, assisted by one dog, dragged a sledge on which rested his kayak, his _ski_, firearms, and other necessaries, as well as a moiety of the remaining stores. june came in and still no land was in sight, but the character of the ice was changing, though not very much for the better. it was not so rugged and hummocky, but it was frequently intersected by channels mostly full of floating pieces. it was useless taking to the kayaks to cross them, and often impossible to go round, so they adopted the method of jumping from piece to piece, and drawing their sledges after them. on june they came upon a seal, which they succeeded in shooting and securing, a fact which was so memorable that they rested for a day, giving the dogs an ample supply of the meat. but the rest was scarcely idleness, for they were visited by three bears, all of which also fell under bullets. they now had abundance of food, both for themselves and the dogs, to last a few weeks if they did not come in sight of the land. two days later, however, they saw it, lying ahead of them, and they pushed on till a wide, open channel stopped them. it was evident that the kayaks would have to be used in getting across, and they were taken from the sledges and examined. the result of the rough handling they had undergone in the journey over the ice was manifest in many a crack and hole in the skin-covering, but how to repair them was a question which taxed even the ingenuity and enterprise of the two intrepid norsemen. they had enough skins to make patches, and twine with which to stitch them on. it was the making of some waterproof coating for the stitch-holes that puzzled them. they possessed a little train-oil, and by fixing up an arrangement over their spirit cooking stove, they obtained a little soot, which was mixed with the oil and used as paint. it was not a very artistic compound, but it was the best they could make, and it kept the water out. then the kayaks were carefully fastened together by the _ski_, and upon them was laid the sledges and the stores. when everything had been made fast, the explorers prepared to launch them. johansen was behind nansen, and stooping down, when he heard something moving at his back. thinking it was only one of the dogs, he did not look round, and the next thing he knew was that something hit him beside the head, so that, in his own words, "he saw fireworks." he fell forward, and immediately felt a heavy body upon him. he managed to turn partly round, and saw just above his face the head of a huge bear. nansen, ignorant of what had occurred, was bending over his end of the kayak, when he heard johansen exclaim, "get a gun." glancing round, he saw his comrade lying under the bear, gripping its throat with both hands. with everything securely tied to the kayaks, it was no easy matter to extricate the weapon, and nansen was pulling and tugging at the cords to get them loose, so as to drag the rifle from its place, when he heard johansen say, "you will have to hurry if you don't want to be too late." the two dogs, all that were left of the twenty-eight, were standing snarling at the bear, and as johansen spoke the one which always travelled with him approached nearer. the bear, having his attention for the moment distracted, stepped off johansen, who immediately wriggled away and scrambled to his feet. just as the bear turned on to the dog, nansen wrenched a gun from the piled-up stores. swinging round, he found the bear close beside him, and he pulled the first trigger he touched. it fired the barrel loaded with shot, but so near was the bear that the charge entered behind the ear without having time to scatter, and brought him down dead between nansen and johansen. the former was terribly afraid that his companion had been seriously injured, but the only mark the bear had left was a streak across the face where the dirt had been scraped away. as they had not washed their faces since they left the _fram_, there was a thick covering of dirt on them, and the bear's claw, as it passed over johansen's face, had scraped this away, leaving the white skin to show through. the bear was a mother, and had two cubs following it. the explorers took away the skin and some of the meat, the cubs meanwhile standing some distance away whining and growling. a shot was fired which wounded one, whereupon they made off, though only to return and follow the travellers in the distance, until a wide, long channel turned them back. when the stores had been repacked, the two men, with the two dogs, entered the kayaks and paddled away down the channel, landing some hours later on the other side. the land they had first seen appeared to be the outlying point of an island, but growing mists obscured it for a day or so, and in the meantime they were somewhat puzzled to locate it. the fact that their watches had stopped earlier on the journey made them uncertain as to the exact locality they were in. the direction in which they had noticed the land, and its appearance, also puzzled them, for there was no land marked on their map at the place where they believed they were. possibly they might be near a hitherto undiscovered island, and with that thought uppermost in their minds they hastened forward as quickly as the broken character of the ice would allow. for the remainder of june, and the whole of july, they were battling against broken ice and irregular channels, and the distance covered was as nothing compared with the amount of toil experienced. the land, whenever it appeared, was still unlike anything previously recorded, for it now seemed to be of considerable extent. on august they came upon a stretch of open water, on the other side of which they saw four islands, the heights of which were covered with glacier. they determined that they would winter on the shore of one of the four, and the kayaks were launched and laden with everything for the journey across the open water. it was more perilous than merely crossing channels in the ice, and when they had stored all their provisions, weapons, and other necessaries on the two frail little craft, they found that it would not be safe to carry the dogs as well. but they could not bring themselves to leave the faithful creatures on the ice; they elected rather to shoot them, scanty as their supply of ammunition was, and upon this decision they acted, each one shooting the dog which had been the other's comrade. it was the saddest task that their difficulties had imposed upon them, and only the absolute necessity for their safety and the completion of their journey induced them to do it. sailing down the open water, they skirted along the coast of the strange land, on the lookout for a favourable spot to pitch their camp. as soon as they came to a place which recommended itself to them, they ran ashore and landed their kayaks and stores. the place was merely a barren, rocky coast, sheltered somewhat by the high ground behind, but without a trace of vegetation. on the beach one piece of drift-wood was found. in addition, there were plenty of small boulders, but such material was scarcely sufficient for the building of a hut in which to pass the dreary, cold, dark winter. they overhauled their stores, and found they possessed two guns, some cartridges, a small hatchet, and two knives. with the hatchet, after considerable labour, they cut through the piece of drift-wood, and rejoiced in the possession of a suitable ridge-pole for the centre of the roof. stones were collected and built into a low wall, within which all their property, except the guns, kayaks, and knives, was placed. then, with the unstored articles, they set out along the coast and the floating ice to seek the wherewithal to complete the house. walrus was the first essential, for the hide would afford a covering for the roof, the blubber would furnish fuel for the stove, and the meat would be useful as food. they spied two lying at the edge of a piece of ice, and approaching with the utmost caution, succeeded in shooting both. their weight, however, as they fell over, caused them to slide from the ice, and they were in the water before the men could reach them. they secured the carcases, so as to prevent them from either sinking or drifting away, and essayed to haul them up on to the ice again so as to remove the hides and blubber. but the combined strength of the two men was insufficient to pull one of the huge carcases up on to the ice again, and they were compelled to strip the skin and blubber off as the walrus lay in the water. this necessitated their lying upon the floating carcases, and by the time the operation was completed, their already travel-stained clothing was rendered still more uncomfortable by being saturated with blood and fat. returning to the camp with their walrus hides and blubber, they explored the ridge lying behind the spot, and were fortunate in finding some moss, which they carefully gathered and carried away to assist in the building of the hut. the walls they had made of the stones allowed for an internal space of about ten feet long by not quite six feet wide. the crevices between the stones they filled in with moss and gravel, and then stretching the walrus hides over the ridge-pole, they weighted them down with more stones. over all of it they heaped snow and ice, and in order to avoid suffocation by the smoke of their blubber cooking stove, they constructed an ice-chimney, which, however, did not always carry off the smoke, while it frequently thawed at the base, and made the interior very draughty. their guns, _ski_, and other articles and stores, they placed inside the hut, leaving the kayaks outside; and when everything was stored conveniently, they built a wall as a screen to keep the wind from out of the door, and hung a curtain of skins across the doorway. the floor of the hut was composed of stones which no ingenuity of theirs could render smooth or even, and upon it their sleeping-bag, the fur of which was almost worn entirely away, was stretched. as soon as the hut was finished the two set out on foot in search of bears for winter provisions, and were happy in finding sufficient to enable them to fill their larder with enough meat to last them well into the following summer. this they stored on the top of the hut, and during the long winter night they often heard foxes over their heads gnawing at the frozen mass. they had not enough cartridges to waste on shooting them, and as there was more meat than they would want, they let the foxes feed in peace. bear's meat, fried at night and boiled in the morning, was the only food they had; when the long dark night set in, with the temperature inside the hut barely above freezing point, they lay in their sleeping-bag side by side, generally for twenty-two hours out of the twenty-four. the inside of the walrus-hide roof became covered with frost and ice, upon which the black from the blubber-fed stove settled; the stone floor was so uneven that they gave up trying to make it smooth, and lay as comfortably as they could under the circumstances, with their feet nearly touching one side of the hut and their heads the other. from november until the following march they were undisturbed, except by the sounds of the foxes on the roof and the howling of the wind, and a picturesque glimpse is given by nansen of their life in his diary entry made on december , , when the temperature inside the hut was ° below zero. "and this is christmas eve; cold and blowy out of doors, and cold and draughty indoors. how desolate it is here! we have never had such a christmas before. the bells are now ringing in the christmas festival at home; i can hear the sound of them swinging out through the air from the church towers. how beautiful it sounds! now the candles are being lit on the christmas trees, and flocks of children are let in and dance round in exuberant glee. must have a christmas party for children when i get home. we, too, are keeping the festival in our little way. johansen has turned his shirt, and has put the outer one inside. i have done the same, and have changed my drawers as well, and put on the others which i had wrung out in warm water. and then i have washed myself in a quarter of a cup of warm water, using the discarded drawers as sponge and towel. i feel like a new being; my clothes do not stick to my body as much as they did. then for supper we had fish 'gratin,' made of potted fish and indian meal, with train-oil for butter--fried or boiled both equally dry--and as sweets we had bread fried in train-oil. to-morrow morning we are going to have chocolate and bread." where a turned shirt and a bath in a tea-cup formed the physical luxuries, and bread fried in train-oil and chocolate comprised the feast, in celebration of christmas day, it is not difficult to picture the amount of enjoyment available for every-day use, nor is it difficult to understand that they sighed even for a railway time-table to peruse. but yet they kept their health, their spirits, and their tempers. the rough stones under their sleeping-bag seem to have been the only thing they could not turn into a jest. when one snored too loudly to allow the other to sleep, it was only necessary for the victim to move; they lay so close together for warmth that a movement was equal to a dig in the back, and that meant waking the snorer by changing his position on the knobbly boulders from ease to discomfort. at length the approach of the sun became manifest by the gradually brightening twilight, and the arrival of a flock of little auks reminded them that spring was at hand. they celebrated the occasion by boiling their clothes, one article at a time, in the only pot they possessed, and then scraping the grease and dirt from them by the aid of a knife, so as to render them soft enough for travelling, as it was beyond the question to get them clean. the sooty smoke from the winter's cooking had thoroughly begrimed their faces, and all they could do to get clean was first to try and scrape the dirt off with the knife, and then rub themselves all over with bear's grease and wipe it off with moss. by the middle of may the water along the shore was sufficiently open to permit of their starting in the kayaks on the journey which they expected would end at spitzbergen. on may , , they bade adieu to their winter camp, having packed everything on the kayaks, which they fastened together for convenience and stability. sometimes they had to get out on to the ice which blocked the channel and drag the kayaks over to the open water on the other side; sometimes they sailed and sometimes they paddled. they passed numbers of walrus lying on the ice, the great monsters paying no heed to them whatever. once they landed on a mass of ice which rose high out of the water, in order to climb to the top of it and examine the coast line, for they were still in very great doubt whether they were off the shore of a hitherto undiscovered island or not. they made the kayaks fast to a projecting piece of ice, and together climbed up to the top of the hummocks. as they reached the summit they looked back to the spot where they had left the kayaks, and were horrified to see them adrift. already they were some distance away from the ice, and, being tied together, they were going rapidly down the channel. for a moment the sight held the two men motionless, for the kayaks represented their only means of escape. everything beyond the clothes in which they stood was stored on board, and to be left on the ice without food, arms, or shelter, was almost certain death. there was only one desperate means of salvation, and that nansen took. dashing down the hummock, he plunged into the ice-cold water and struck out after the retreating kayaks. weighted by his stiff, heavy, grease-sodden clothes, he had the utmost difficulty in swimming at all; but there was a greater handicap even than his clothes in the low temperature of the water. it struck through him with a chill which reached to his bones, numbing his muscles, and making his joints lose their suppleness. the breeze which was blowing helped the kayaks along, but only increased his discomfort. soon he felt that the fight was only a matter of minutes for as the coldness numbed him more and more, he realised that unless he overtook the kayaks quickly he would go to the bottom like a stone. the cold penetrated to his lungs, so that he gasped for breath; his hands and feet lost all feeling, and his eyes were growing blurred as he nerved himself for a final desperate struggle. swimming as hard as his strength of will and muscle could command, he succeeded in coming within touch of the light drifting craft. the fact that the two were fastened together was of the utmost importance under the circumstances, for had they been separate he could never have clambered into one in his benumbed and exhausted condition. as it was, he managed to get one arm over the _ski_ which formed the coupling between the kayaks. his hands were too cold to grip and he hung for a few seconds resting, till the growing chill in his limbs warned him of the danger he was in of becoming frozen. with a superb effort of determination, he raised himself until he was able to lift a leg over the side of one of the kayaks, and then struggled on board, where he lay for a minute or so trying to recover his breath. still fearing the cold, he grasped a paddle and set to work vigorously to force the kayaks back to the ice on which johansen was standing. the exertion caused his blood to circulate once more, and, by the time he had reached the ice, the deadly chill was out of his frame. there were no dry clothes to put on in place of his wet ones, and all that could be done was to wring them out, and then, working hard to keep up his circulation, wait till they dried on his back. in order to prevent another such occurrence, the kayaks were freed from each other, nansen occupying one with half the provisions and stores, and johansen the other. two days after the break away they had reason to be thankful they had made this arrangement. they were skirting along the ice at the time, and suddenly came upon a herd of walrus. instead of quietly watching them go past, as was usually the case, a huge bull slid off the ice with a roar, and swam rapidly towards nansen's kayak. diving as he came near to it, nansen anticipated that he intended rising immediately underneath it, and so capsizing it. he therefore paddled as hard as he could, when the walrus rose by his side. it reared high out of the water, towering over the kayak and its occupant, and only by the quickest of manoeuvres was nansen able to avoid having it fall upon him. baulked in that attempt, the walrus swam alongside and, plunging its tusks through the frail covering of the kayak, strove to upset it with its flipper. nansen swung his paddle in the air, and bringing it down with all his strength on the monster's head, caused it again to rear in the water. paddling furiously directly the brute's tusks were withdrawn, he managed to elude it till it sank, when he made for the ice, reaching it just in time, the water having almost swamped the kayak through the holes the walrus had made with his tusks. when the damaged kayak was taken out of the water, the injury was found to be more extensive than at first supposed. the two explorers determined to stay where they were for a few days, so as to thoroughly overhaul and repair their kayaks, and have a good rest before commencing the difficult journey which was to be negotiated before they could arrive at spitzbergen. they made as comfortable a camp as they could on the ice, and, after supper, got into the sleeping-bag and rested peacefully. nansen was first awake, and, having crept out of the bag, set to work preparing breakfast. it was ready before johansen was, and not wishing to disturb his comrade, nansen put on his _ski_ and set out for a "constitutional" over the ice. he had not proceeded far when he heard a sound which made his heart jump. it was the bark of a dog. hurrying back, he told johansen, and then set out in the direction whence the sound had come, in search of, as he believed, a whaling ship. he had not gone very far when he saw in the distance two moving specks. there was evidently a whaler in the neighbourhood, he told himself, and redoubled his efforts. as he approached the two specks they became clearer, until he saw distinctly that one was a man and the other a dog. the man noticed him and waved his hat, to which nansen replied by waving his; as they came nearer, he heard the man speak to his dog in english. "how do you do?" he said to nansen when they met. "how do you do?" nansen answered, as they shook hands. "are you wintering near here?" "yes; our camp is over there. won't you come across?" the other replied. "i think we can find room for you, if you will." nansen, never dreaming but that he was recognised, assented, although he wondered why the man did not ask him about the _fram_. presently his companion looked at him closely and said: "are you nansen?" "of course i am," the explorer answered, and at once both his hands were clasped in a hearty grasp as his companion quickly expressed his congratulations. "i was not certain," he explained. "when i saw you in london you were a fair man with light hair, but now your face and hair are black, and for the moment i did not know you. my name is jackson." [illustration: the meeting of jackson and nansen. nansen and jackson returned to norway in the _windward_, the ship of the jackson-harmsworth expedition, on august , .] nansen had forgotten that his face and hair were still begrimed with the dirt and grease of months of travel, and that his own family might have been forgiven for not recognising in the unkempt, travel-stained, long-haired man, the smart, well-set-up norwegian doctor. now, however, that he was known, he listened with great interest to the information that his companion, mr. f. g. jackson, leader of the jackson-harmsworth expedition, was able to give him. when they reached the encampment of the party on cape flora, every one turned out in answer to the leader's call and gave the intrepid explorer a characteristic british greeting. then they photographed him, as he stood, before they took him into the house and supplied him with the luxury he had not known for more than a year--of a cake of soap and a change of clothes. while he was enjoying his bath, his hosts exchanged opinions. the fact that he had arrived on foot and alone suggested to them the idea that he was the only survivor of the thirteen who had set out in the _fram_, and they decided to make no reference to what might be a very unhappy memory. consequently, when nansen reappeared, clean and comfortably clad, they had a meal ready for him, and urged him to set to at once. he looked at them and asked where his comrade johansen was. had they not brought him in? of course they knew nothing about johansen; they believed nansen was the only survivor, and he had been so long out of the world that it had never occurred to him it was necessary to tell them johansen was waiting for him to return to breakfast. when two men see no one else but themselves for more than a year, it is not to be wondered at that they forget the rest of the world is not in touch with them. as soon as he mentioned the fact that johansen was in the neighbourhood, a party at once started off to fetch him, and the worthy lieutenant was as much surprised as they had been when they came upon him. they at once took charge of him and his belongings, and a few hours later he and nansen, well washed, well clad, and well fed, were smoking cigars in comfortable chairs in the dining-room of the hospitable jackson's quarters, the heroes of the occasion. three weeks later they were sailing south to norway in the _windward_, and arrived at vardo on august , . a week later the _fram_ entered the same port, with all her crew in good health, and with nearly three years' supplies still on board. the record of her voyage, after the departure of nansen and johansen on march , , was very satisfactory. she drifted steadily in the ice towards the north-west until she touched as high as ° ' n. at the end of february she became stationary, and remained so until the middle of july, when the crew forced a passage through the ice into open water, and from thence the _fram_ sailed to norway. the first news the crew received on arrival at vardo was that nansen and johansen had reached there just a week before. they had had some misgivings as to the safety of their two adventurous comrades, and the news of their return cleared away the only sign of uneasiness from the otherwise happy minds of the men who formed one of the most successful expeditions that has ever set out in search of the north pole. chapter ix franz josef land and spitzbergen the jackson-harmsworth expedition--object of the expedition--an interesting experiment--the franz josef land question settled--a group of islands, not a continent--conway at spitzbergen--ancient history--bygone splendours--scenery in the making--the romance of andrée--another riddle. the interest and admiration aroused by the brilliant achievements of the nansen expedition eclipsed in the public mind, for the time being, the work of other and contemporary expeditions, the members of which, nevertheless, were doing admirable service to the cause of science in and about the arctic circle. prominent among these may be mentioned the jackson-harmsworth expedition to franz josef land (whose presence there was of such signal service to nansen and johansen when, as is related in the preceding chapter, they emerged from their historic dash for the pole), the conway exploration of spitzbergen, and the aeronautical attempt to reach the pole made by herr andrée. the jackson-harmsworth expedition left london on july , , in the steam yacht _windward_, captain browne, for franz josef land, and comprised the leader, mr. frederick g. jackson; lieutenant armitage, r.n.r., astronomer; dr. kottlitz, medical officer; mr. w. s. bruce, zoologist; and messrs. wilton and heywood. a complete outfit, with stores and provisions for three years was taken. it is an interesting fact that this undertaking was the first instance of an individual london newspaper proprietor displaying the generous enterprise which owners of great american journals had already shown. lord northcliffe (then mr. alfred harmsworth) contributed to the expedition the most necessary factor for a prolonged stay in the arctic regions, the sinews of war. on arrival at franz josef land, a site for the camp was selected near cape flora, and the camp, to which the name elmwood was given, was laid out. it consisted of a russian log-house and several canvas houses, as the first intention was to lodge the members in the canvas structures. but very little experience showed that canvas was not the most comfortable material for residential purposes in arctic regions, so the whole party moved into the log-house, using the canvas structures for warehousing stores. here they lived during the three years that the expedition was away, and so well off were they that during the whole period not one member had a day's illness. as the leader said on his return to england in , "a jollier, healthier, and busier little community never existed." they were always busy, and every moment of the day was occupied. even in the dark winter period they found constant employment for their hands and minds. in the high latitude where they were the sun set for the last time about the middle of october, and was not again visible until the latter end of february. from the day the sun went below the horizon until the middle of november there was about a couple of hours faint twilight at "noon," but, after that, midday and midnight were not to be distinguished by any change in the light of the sky. it was always dark. during this period, when the members were in winter quarters, they kept very regular hours. at . a.m. they had breakfast, and when the meal was over each one took up some part of the household duties--washing the dishes, making the beds, sweeping the rooms, feeding the dogs, and such like. unless the weather was very stormy, a couple of hours was spent in exercise over the snow on _ski_, or if the weather was too inclement to allow them to go far away, they spent the two hours in exercising round the house. at p.m. they gathered again round the dining-table and partook of tea, bread and butter, and cheese, spending the afternoon in making tents and harness for the sledge dogs, or anything else that was wanted. at . p.m. they had dinner, passing the remainder of the evening in reading, smoking, games, &c., until . p.m., when they retired to their bunks. of food they always had plenty, living very largely on the game killed. during the last winter they were at elmwood a chief article of diet was an arctic bird, the loon. great numbers of these visited the islands in the mild seasons, and in the autumn before the expedition returned were shot and frozen for winter food. as the loons only arrive during the mild season and disappear as soon as winter sets in, mr. jackson, in the last autumn he was at elmwood, caught a number both of loons and kittiwakes, and having attached a copper label to each, with the letter j. engraved upon it, liberated the lot. by this means it is hoped to learn where the birds go to in the winter, for should any bird bearing a copper label be shot in scotland, norway, or elsewhere, it will show where their refuge is situated. the primary object of the expedition was to make a complete exploration of franz josef land, which was formerly considered to be merely the southern extremity of a vast tract of land, possibly a second greenland, and extending up towards the pole. the result of the three years' work was to effectually disprove this opinion by showing that in place of a continent there was only a group of small scattered islands. various voyagers had returned from time to time and reported observations of land in the locality, with high mountain ranges. gillies land, petermann land, and king oscar land all had existence on the maps; but the jackson-harmsworth party could only find scattered islands where the coast of franz josef land was charted, and hummocks of piled-up ice where mountain ridges had been seen. of gillies land, petermann land, and king oscar land no trace could be found. when the expedition went on board the _windward_ to return to england, the vessel steamed north-west for fifty miles without seeing any indication of land, the water being open and with less ice than would have been probable had land been near. and yet they were in the locality where gillies land was marked on the chart. a journey was also made to within ten miles of the spot where eastern johannessen land was placed on the chart, but no signs of land were visible, although the weather was clear at the time. during the three years spent at elmwood, exploring and surveying journeys were frequent in the mild seasons, and the arduous nature of the work done is well shown in the account of the last two journeys undertaken prior to returning to england. on march , , a party consisting of jackson and armitage, with sledges, thirteen dogs, a pony, and a canoe, set out from the log-house with the intention of going round the western side of franz josef land in order to define its limits. from the start they had to face stormy weather, while the snow was both deep and soft, and the ice rough and treacherous. after a fortnight's travelling, during which they came upon a hitherto undiscovered headland and fjord, they rounded the north-eastern extremity of the western land. continuing their journey westward, they had to battle against the severity of the weather, the temperature going as low as ° below zero, and proving disastrous to the animals. by april nearly all the dogs were dead, and progress was very slow and difficult. three days later the nature of the ice along the shores compelled them to turn inland, and they had to make the best of their way over glaciated land feet high. out to sea there was open water, and as they progressed they found that the water was free from ice right up to the glacier face. then the pony died, and with only their diminished team of dogs to haul, they were obliged to abandon everything that was not absolutely necessary to maintain them during the remainder of their journey. the weather grew worse and worse, and for days they were surrounded by thick heavy mists, with strong gales and drifting snow. they tried to find a way along the shore, leaving the high glacier summit, but what ice there was on the coast was breaking up so rapidly that they were compelled once more to climb to the high level, abandoning the canoe, as there was no chance of their being able to use it. while regaining the higher level, they came upon the only bear met with during the whole journey, and they were careful not to allow him to escape, his flesh and fat being welcome additions to their stock of food and fuel. the gales now became more severe, until they found it impossible to travel when one was blowing. consequently they had to press forward as fast and as far as they could in between the blows, and on one occasion were marching for twenty-four hours at a stretch. the ice was also terribly trying, and so rough was it in places that they frequently had to go three times over the same track before they could find a way over or round some awkward obstacle. at one time they were pushing across the ice of a bay, when they were suddenly stopped by the ice opening on to free water, and, after retracing their steps, they had to climb and haul their stores up the steep sides of the glacier to the summit, forty-five feet above the sea-level. when they set out, it was arranged that a relief party should meet them at bell island the third week in april, but so many delays had been caused that they were not able to reach the rendezvous until a fortnight after the time fixed. the relief party had been waiting for them, considerably anxious at their non-appearance. in the two months they had been travelling, they had had only thirteen and a half fine days. after returning to elmwood and resting for ten days, the two again set out to the eastward. they were travelling over the ice, on the second day out, when it gave way under the sledge. they lost all their stores and equipment, and saturated their cartridges. they had at once to turn back, but the ice was growing so thin that they had great difficulty in reaching the shore. for nearly twenty-six hours they had to keep marching before they covered the forty-two miles which lay between the scene of their disaster and elmwood. this was the last journey undertaken prior to their departure in the _windward_ for england a month or so later. the account of the achievements of this expedition would be incomplete were no mention made of two open-water discoveries. one was that of the british channel, an open-water tract extending from the islands into an open sea, which formed the second discovery, and was named queen victoria sea in honour of the then reigning sovereign. this sea was observed to be free from ice all the time the expedition was on the islands, and the information thus obtained was of considerable service to the italian explorers who, a few years later, made an ineffectual dash to reach the pole over the ice-fields. further valuable information was obtained by geological observations of the islands. these demonstrated that the islands were an archipelago, formed from the remains of a fairly extensive tableland, the surface of which was composed of basalt so similar in character as to be almost identical with the basalts of the north of scotland. to the scientific mind this suggests that at one time these far-outlying islands were connected with lands from which they are now separated by enormous stretches of sea, and were subject, in that distant period, to the same volcanic outbursts and covered by the same basaltic flows that resulted. it must have been a period of enormous volcanic activity, for the beds of basalt overlying the fossil-bearing strata averaged six hundred feet in thickness, while evidence of successive flows is found in the existence of sedimentary fossil-bearing rocks sandwiched between layers of basalt. raised beaches were frequently noticed. in one case, on a beach fifty feet above the present sea-level, a pine tree, evidently of considerable age and about twenty feet in length, was found where it had obviously been thrown up by the tide in the bygone years when the beach formed the shore of the sea. under this beach there was a bed of sandstone showing fossils of plant remains, while above it towered basalt cliffs five hundred feet high. lignite and bituminous shale were met with in the sandstone under the basalt, and, in muddy stretches of country, horns and other remains of reindeer were found, though there are no living representatives of these animals now on the islands. among the fossils brought away was one of a plant long since extinct in all parts of the world save japan, where the tree is still a flourishing variety. while franz josef land was being explored and mapped, a private expedition formed by sir martin conway visited spitzbergen. it was this island which sir john franklin advocated should be the base of operations for an expedition to the pole. the reason for this opinion was the belief that spitzbergen was merely the most southerly point of a chain of islands, if not of an island continent, stretching away to the north. a similar idea, held in regard to franz josef land, was dispelled by the jackson-harmsworth expedition; the information which was made available on the return of the conway party also dispelled the franklin view. curiously enough the objective of the expedition is one of the most anciently discovered lands in the arctic regions, and one that has a history full of incident; yet the interior was unknown to man from the time of its discovery in the sixteenth century to the time when sir martin conway and his companions pushed their way in from the coast. owing to the tail-end of the gulf stream reaching as far as its shores, the seas round spitzbergen are freer from ice than any other seas in equally high latitudes. situated in from ° to ° n., the group of islands, to which the single name is given, was first discovered by two dutch navigators, barendszoon and heemskirk, who, in the year , were trying to find a way of reaching china through the arctic sea. eleven years later, hudson sailed among the islands while trying for a northern route to the indies. failing in his attempt to get round by the north, he returned to spitzbergen and saw how the waters were literally teeming with whales, walrus, seals, and other oil-giving animals. a flourishing fishery was started, and for years proved a bone of contention among the various maritime nations. no one country caring to annex the islands, they were practically a no-man's land, where each little colony of fishers were as a law unto themselves, though not necessarily to any one else. consequently fights were frequent and much ill-will engendered, until the dutch and the british governments stepped in and came to a mutual understanding on the matter. about this time the fishery trade was so important that one colony numbered over , inhabitants during the season; but it was not a settled population, and a few years after the understanding had been arrived at, the colony was deserted owing to the ruthless slaughter of all marine animals having practically exterminated them in the vicinity. from that time the islands have been neglected, save for the occasional visits of a few trappers, until sir martin conway and his companions penetrated to the interior, and came back with so many delightful experiences that an enterprising company was formed to make this snow-laden district a place for summer resort. [illustration: the front edge of king's glacier, western spitzbergen. the thickness of the ice showing above the sea-level is about feet. _photo by e. j. garwood._] from a geological point of view the main island is full of interest, for the interior, which is characterised by mountain chains and rugged peaks, is covered with ice, and is sending down glaciers to the coast, where they come under the influence of the warmth generated by the gulf stream and rapidly melt. the result is that the constant rush of torrents from the melting glaciers and snowfields is carving out valleys and river-ways, and stripping away mountain sides to make coastal plains so rapidly as to form an admirable object-lesson of physical geography in the making. during the season sir martin conway and his companions spent on the island they set a record for energy and achievement. they spent thirty-six days in the interior, sleeping either in small tents or in the open, the one being little different to the other, for the tents never kept the rain out and rarely the snow. then they voyaged in a twelve-ton steamer up and down the coast for a distance of something like a thousand miles, though the steamer cabin was so small a place that when all the five members of the party were down below together, only one of them could stand up at a time. by the date their trip had ended they had crossed the island four times, had made thirteen mountain ascents, had made a rough survey of six hundred square miles of country, had steamed a thousand miles among heavy ice along coasts, through straits, and up bays, for the most part never before visited, and had located innumerable streams, hills, and glaciers. more romantic and mysterious, but less replete with scientific value, ranks the expedition of herr andrée, perhaps the most novel of all arctic expeditions, inasmuch as it was undertaken by balloon. the idea which actuated herr andrée in his enterprise was to utilise the current of air which, in july, almost invariably blows over dane's island to the north. being an experienced balloonist, he realised that, could he once rise into that current in a balloon, he would be carried right across the polar region in a few days. from the balloon car he would be able to observe the character of the region below him, and set at rest the question whether perpetual ice, open water, or land, occupied the extreme northerly spot of the world's surface. with two companions, dr. strindberg and herr fraenkel, and a specially prepared balloon, an attempt was made to get away in july , but was unsuccessful, and the start was postponed for a year. in july the members of the expedition were again ready, and on july they were cut loose and floated away out of sight to the north. since then no authentic news has been heard of them. they went away prepared to face a long detention in the frozen world. in the car of the balloon they carried weapons, ammunition, and material wherewith to build a shelter, should the balloon collapse and leave them on the ice. an aluminium boat was also carried, so that the party could escape by sea if necessary. several carrier pigeons were taken, and were to be liberated at intervals on the passage; but although one pigeon is said to have been shot in the far north, it is doubtful whether it was one of the andrée birds. the balloon, when it went out of sight, was travelling at a speed which would have carried it over the pole in a few days, and probably have enabled it to descend in siberia in about a week. for the first fortnight after it had started, therefore, interest all over the world was keenly excited for further news. but the fortnight passed without any reliable intelligence being received, and a month followed, and so on until a year had gone by. then relief and search parties were talked about, and the swedish geographical society sent one out to look for the missing balloonists in siberia. it did not meet with andrée, nor did it obtain any reliable information respecting him. news was certainly published in every civilised country to the effect that some outlying hunting tribes had come upon a huge bag, having a mass of cordage attached to it, together with the remains of some human bodies. the russian, swedish, and norwegian governments immediately sent forward auxiliary search parties, but their only success was to trace the origin of the report, and find that a siberian trader had, in a moment of mischievous humour, hoaxed a too confiding telegraph agent. later, on september th, , a swedish sloop, the _martha_, reached hammerfest with the information that a buoy, branded with the name of the andrée expedition, had been found to the north-east of king charles islands. the buoy had lost the screw plug from the top, and had been so damaged by coming in contact with some hard substance that the interior cylinder was too dented to permit of an examination being made of the inside. andrée was well supplied with these buoys, and at any time one may be discovered containing a record of his doings from the moment he disappeared with his balloon sailing towards the north. it is not likely; it is scarcely probable that any sign will ever be discovered of the balloon or its occupants. for years the frozen north held all traces of the franklin expedition from the eyes of the searchers who were able to conduct their operations along the route they knew franklin had followed. no search party can knowingly follow the route andrée and his comrades took. their fate will probably be for ever a mystery, for so many things might have happened that no one theory can claim for itself more probability than another. all that is certain is that the party went out of sight drifting towards the north. they carried their lives in their hands, and knew that they did so. had they succeeded, they would have achieved a mighty triumph; they failed, and in doing so set their names as indelibly on the scroll of fame as any hero who has laid down his life in the contest with the measureless mystery of the pole. chapter x the polar meteorites eskimo iron--a mystery of --search and failure--peary and his huskies--the secret revealed--an eskimo legend--at the iron mountain--removing the trophies--a massive giant--attack and defence--the giant objects--a narrow escape--conquered. when captain ross was in the arctic regions in the year , he encountered, in melville bay, a tribe of eskimos who lived near cape york, entirely cut off from communication with all other tribes, and who had not, so far as he could learn, ever met white men before. he was, therefore, astounded to find them in possession of iron implements. these consisted of rudely made knives, the cutting edges of which were fashioned out of very hard iron; harpoons and spears, tipped with iron points. questioning the natives as to how they had become possessed of the iron, they explained that it had been obtained from what they termed the "iron mountain" on the coast near the bay. ross sought for the mountain, and tried to induce the eskimo to tell him exactly where it was situated, but failed in each case. he secured some of the iron knives and spear heads, and, on his return to great britain, the articles were submitted to analysis, when the metal was found to contain a percentage of nickel mixed with the iron. considerable curiosity was excited over the matter, and every succeeding british exploration party proceeding to the arctic kept a sharp lookout for any trace of iron in the possession of eskimo which could not have been obtained from whalers or visiting ships, as well as making every inquiry in order to ascertain where the mysterious iron mountain was situated. in no instance were they successful, and the question where the cape york eskimo had obtained their supply of iron became one of the riddles of the north. when peary went to the neighbourhood of cape york to establish the station from whence he started on his brilliant march across the ice-cap, he came closely in contact with the tribe of eskimo living there. the members of this tribe, isolated from the world and out of communication with all their kindred tribes, were, he felt assured, the descendants of those with whom ross was associated earlier in the century. in his successive visits to the place peary became on very friendly terms with the people, and gained their confidence in a way that no other explorer had yet done. this is hardly to be wondered at, when it is remembered that his presence among them, from time to time, raised them from the stress of hardship and poverty, often starvation itself, into a happy, well-to-do, and, for an eskimo tribe, prosperous community. when he first went among them, the man who owned a wooden shaft for his harpoon was regarded as a rich man, while the woman who had a steel sail-needle was an heiress for whose hand the bravest and best strove in fierce rivalry. the possession of a gun was beyond the wildest dreams of the most imaginative, just as the possession of a steel knife was the highest glory to which ambition aspired. when peary left his encampment, at the end of his first visit, the timber of the house and fittings left behind alone made the tribe wealthy, for they believed the world must have been ransacked to bring so much wood together; while the distribution of needles, knives, scissors, and such like trifles, changed the whole status of the people and made them rich beyond their fondest hopes. on the next visit, peary took some guns and ammunition for the leading men of the tribe, and there was then nothing they were not prepared to do for their benefactor. they worked, hunted, acted as guides, porters--anything, in fact, the white men wanted them to do. it was at this time peary sought for information about the mysterious iron mountain, and, as may be expected, got it. first he was told the story of the origin of the iron, a story they had had from their fathers, as those fathers, in their turn, had had it from theirs. the iron lay across the bay where a high peak stood out against the sky, pointing the way to the saviksoahs. these--the "iron ones"--rested on the mountain where they had fallen, ages and ages ago, when they were thrown out of their village in the sky by tornarsuk, the enemy. there were three of them, a man, a woman, and a dog. the man was deep in the ground, the woman partly so, and the dog lay on the surface. as the woman fell, she sat up, and her head had first been seen. a strange tribe came over the ice one year and, in greed, broke off the head and sought to carry it away with them in their kayaks, so that they should have a store of the iron always with them. but tornarsuk would not allow this to be, and as soon as the kayaks, lashed together to make them strong enough to carry the head, were out in deep water, the head plunged through them, sinking out of sight and smashing the kayaks so that the men who were in them barely escaped with their lives. after that no one tried to take away a larger supply of iron than they actually wanted for knives and harpoon tips. later, when whaler and other ships came to the seas in the summer time, there was no need to go to the saviksoahs for iron, though all the tribes knew where they were. in the spring of peary induced one of the tribe to lead him to the place where the saviksoahs were. the journey led them to a hill, on the summit of which there was an overhanging mass of rock which justified the eskimo description of it. describing the discovery, peary wrote: "after passing some five hundred yards up a narrow valley, tallakotteah began looking about until a bit of blue trap-rock, projecting above the snow, caught his eyes. kicking aside the snow, he exposed more pieces, saying this was a pile of the stones used in pounding fragments from the iron mountain. he then indicated a spot four or five feet distant, as the location of the long-sought object. returning to the sledge for the saw-knife, he began excavating the snow, and at last, after digging a pit, some three feet deep and five feet in diameter, just at . sunday morning, may , , the brown mass, rudely awakened from its winter sleep, found, for the first time in its cycles of existence, the eyes of a white man gazing upon it." [illustration: eskimo arms and tools. (a) bow with strings and arrows. (b) knives with walrus handles. (c) lance for walrus and bear. (d) harpoon for sealing. (e) stone axe with bone handle. (f) snow knife with walrus teeth.] this was "the woman," a mass of meteoric iron weighing, as was subsequently proved, three tons. originally it was said to have been twice that size, the removal of the "head" having considerably reduced it, while in addition there had been generations of eskimo chipping it for knives and spear tips. the amount of iron which had been broken from it in this way was shown by the pile of stones lying around it. the eskimo maintained that these stones had all been brought there by the men who came for iron; but if that were true, the saviksoah must have been chipped for ages, judging by the accumulation of stones. about thirty yards away from the "woman" there lay the "dog," a smaller mass weighing only half a ton. the "man" was some miles away, as became his dignity and size, for he was found to be a mighty mass, one hundred tons in weight, rugged in form, and so intractable when attempts were made to move him, that his removal forms a tale so full of romance as almost to suggest fiction. as it was late in the season when peary's ship, the _kite_, arrived, there was only time to remove the "woman" and the "dog," the "man" being located but untouched pending the return of another season. the removal of the "dog" did not offer any great difficulty, and the "woman" was levered out of the ground and conveyed to the ship on rollers without giving more than the ordinary amount of trouble experienced in handling heavy masses of inert material. not so the "man." with the two smaller meteorites safely conveyed to new york, a return of the _kite_ to melville island to effect the removal of the "man" was arranged. accompanied by a party of scientists and an engineer, peary sailed north the following year and immediately attacked the problem of excavating and placing on the _kite_ the largest of the three masses. the exact size was not at the time known, but as soon as the work of excavation commenced it was obvious that the task in hand was much greater than was anticipated. the portion first revealed was found to be four feet in length, two feet high, and one and a half feet broad. this, however, was merely a fin-like excrescence on the main mass, which, as the excavation proceeded, was shown to measure twelve feet long by eight feet in width, on the upper face, while a trench three feet round it did not reach to the base. it was then realised that the task of transferring such a huge mass from the place where it lay in the ground to the ship was one requiring great engineering skill and the use of appliances of much greater strength than the _kite_ had brought with her. the mass was about three hundred yards from high-water mark and eighty feet above it. a shelf of rock ran out into the sea immediately below the spot where the meteorite reposed, and the water was sufficiently deep alongside the shelf to make it a natural pier or wharf where the ship could make fast for the mass to be loaded on board, when it had been moved from its resting-place and conveyed to the edge of the sea. while the rocky pier was all that could be desired from the point of view of loading, it was entirely unprotected from the ice which, in the early approach of winter, rapidly accumulated in the bay. it was clear, therefore, that the removal and shipment of the mass must be carried out with rapidity if all risk of disaster were to be avoided. by the time the mass had been excavated and its full dimensions were revealed, the season was too far advanced for any serious attempt being made to get it on board the ship. it was estimated to weigh not less than one hundred tons, while the rugged and angular form it presented made it an extremely difficult object to handle. all the time available was devoted to making the preliminary arrangements for the definite work of removal in the following season, and, as soon as the ice began to gather in the bay, the _kite_ sailed back to the south. the meteorite being so much larger than was anticipated, a larger vessel than the _kite_ was required to convey it to new york; it was also necessary to have still heavier appliances wherewith to handle it. the following year, on board the _hope_, peary returned to the attack and set to work to carry off his treasure. with the aid of the male members of the eskimo tribe, in addition to the men he had with him and the crew of the steamer, the plan of operations was commenced. as peary wrote, in describing the experience: "the first thing to be done was to tear the heavenly visitor from its frozen bed of centuries, and, as it rose inch by inch under the resistless lift of the hydraulic jacks, gradually displaying its ponderous sides, it grew upon us as niagara grows upon the observer, and there was not one of us unimpressed by the enormousness of this lump of metal. the expressions of the eskimo about the saviksoah (great iron) were low but earnest, and it, and the other wonderful 'great irons' (the jacks) which could tear it from its bed, awed them to the utmost." when it was out of the nest where it had rested so long, the method adopted was to tilt it up from one side, by means of the jacks and steel cables, until it stood on end, and then to force it over until its own weight made it fall forward. the spectacle, as it fell, brought home to the onlookers the enormous power it represented. as it slowly moved, the stones lying immediately under it were ground into powder, and, as it lurched forward, the hard masses of rock were rent and split, while a shower of sparks burst from the meteorite itself wherever it came in contact with a more than usually hard piece of rock. the irregularities in its form added to the difficulties, for it was almost impossible to secure firm holds for the jacks, and anything approaching a slip on the part of the mass was tantamount to death or destruction to any one within reach of it. day and night the struggle went on, the mass seeming to resist every inch of the way, settling itself into awkward corners and crevices; cutting its way, as it fell, through the baulks of timber set to form a bed for it; bending and notching steel rails, when they were substituted for the wood; and generally giving as much trouble as it was possible to give, almost to the extent of suggesting conscious design. hard as every one worked to win, the meteorite proved too much for them, and it was only conveyed as far as the rocky pier where the ship lay ready to take it on board when the ice came drifting into the bay, and for another winter the meteorite had to be left in its frozen habitat. "it was the last night of our stay at the island," peary wrote, "a night of such savage wildness as is possible only in the arctic regions.... the wild gale was howling out of the depths of melville bay through the _hope's_ rigging and the snow was driving in horizontal lines. the white slopes of the hill down which the meteorite had been brought showed a ghastly grey through the darkness; the fire, round which the fur-clad forms of the eskimo were grouped, spread its bright red glare for a short distance; a little to one side was a faint glow of light through the skin wall of a solitary tupik. working about the meteorite was my own little party, and, in the foreground, the central figure, the _raison d'être_ of it all, the 'saviksoah,' the 'iron mountain,' towering above the human figures about it and standing out, black and uncompromising. while everything else was buried in snow, the saviksoah was unaffected. the great flakes vanished as they touched it, and the effect was very impressive. it was as if the giant were saying, 'i am apart from all things; i am heaven-born, and still carry in my heart some of the warmth of those long-gone days before i was hurled upon this frozen desert.' to strengthen this fancy that the meteorite still held some of its celestial fire and feeling, if a sledge, ill aimed in the darkness at wedge or block, chanced to strike it, a spouting jet of scintillating sparks lit the gloom, and a deep note, sonorous as a bell, a polar tocsin, or the half-pained, half-enraged bellow of a lost soul, answered the blow." yet another year-- --saw peary again at work, this time with the meteorite ready alongside the natural wharf. it was the month of august that the _hope_ made fast opposite the meteorite, but already the ice had begun to drift into the bay, as though even that were going to dispute the right of man to carry off the mighty trophy. without loss of a day, work was commenced and a bridge of huge timbers was constructed along which to warp the mass from the shore on to the ship. the bridge completed, forty-eight hours were consumed in getting the mass on to it. the pressure of its enormous weight put so great a strain on the woodwork that it visibly gave as the mass came on to it, and more than once a collapse seemed imminent. once a slip of less than an inch upset the equilibrium of everything to such an extent that the stays and supports were apparently within an ace of giving way. it was a curious coincidence that this single slip occurred at a moment and a place where, had anything given way, there was nothing to prevent the mass rolling over the edge of the rock and sinking, presumably for ever, into deep water. as it turned out, the slip was taken up in time to avert disaster, and thereafter the mass was forced, slowly but surely, on to the deck of the ship. the eskimo were greatly disturbed at the spectacle of the meteorite passing from the shore to the ship. they all left the vessel, saying that even if it was forced on to the deck, directly it arrived there it would smash its way through the vessel and plunge into the sea, carrying the ship and all on board with it. from the time work was recommenced on the task of removing the mass, storms and gales had persisted and the sun had not been seen. the eskimo were, therefore, deeply impressed when, just as the saviksoah reached the planking arranged for it above the main hold and the tackles were cast loose, the sun shone out, a ray falling from behind a cloud directly on the meteorite and changing it from the dull brown-hued mass into a gleaming bronze. as though it had yielded itself to the inevitable, the meteorite gave no further trouble. it was gradually lowered into the hold and wedged so tightly into position that it was impossible for it to move, however much the ship rolled or pitched. fortunate it was this work was so well done, for when the return journey was commenced the _hope_ had to fight her way through a series of the most severe gales and storms that any on board had experienced. the meteorite had yielded, but the spirit of the arctic evidently had serious objections to it being carried off. but the years of persistent effort had won. the mysterious source of the ancient eskimo iron had been discovered, and, at the same time, the greatest meteorite the world was known to contain was revealed. it was a fitting result that the trophy should be carried from the darkness of the arctic into the light of civilisation. chapter xi the second voyage of the _fram_ norwegian enterprise--mapping the islands--nearly frozen--a novel warming-pan--eskimo melody--arctic bull fights--death of the doctor--fire on the _fram_--new lands--prehistoric people. the expedition which formed the second visit of the _fram_ to the arctic regions was equipped by private norwegian enterprise, and sailed from larvick on june , , the day known in norway as st. hans day. the party consisted of sixteen, all told, under the command of captain sverdrup, who, with two other members of the party, were in the _fram_ with nansen on her previous voyage. the plan of operations was to proceed to the most southerly point of greenland, sail to the north along the western coast to smith sound, where the ship was to push as far to the north as possible and form a headquarters, whence sledge expeditions were to be sent out in all directions to explore and survey the immediate locality, and, at the same time, to observe and record all natural phenomena of a scientific nature. as to the exact localities to which chief attention was to be paid, the commander of the expedition was to use his own judgment; but on one point the instructions were definite and emphatic--there was to be no attempt at a dash for the pole. on august the _fram_ reached a suitable place for winter quarters. on the way along the greenland coast the explorers had to take on board dogs for the sledge teams, and also to obtain a store of walrus meat wherewith to feed them, so that it was not until the date mentioned they were able to reach rice strait, which afforded them all the facilities they needed for winter quarters. as peary was already to the north, engaged in mapping out the land in that direction, the norwegians decided to give their attention to the land lying on the western side of the strait, in the vicinity of hayes sound, where nares, in , had done considerable work. they completed the survey of the coast line running round robeson channel, and, during their stay, not only mapped out an area of one hundred thousand square miles, but also located hitherto undiscovered land, which was named after king oscar of norway and taken possession of in his name. valuable additions were also made to the zoological, geological, meteorological, and botanical records, while the story of the expedition abounds in interesting experiences. the sun set on october for the remainder of the winter. a party was out taking observations over some mountains behind the bay in which the _fram_ was anchored, and had returned to camp for the evening meal as the sun was going down. one of the party drew the attention of the others to it, and they gathered at the door of the tent and watched it in silence. "we were looking at the sun for the last time that year," captain sverdrup wrote in his account of the expedition. "its pale light lay dying over the 'inland ice'; its disc, light red, was veiled on the horizon; it was like a day in the land of the dead. all light was so hopelessly cold; all life so far away. we stood and watched it till it sank; then everything became so still that it made one shudder--as if the almighty had deserted us and shut the gates of heaven. the light died away across the mountains and slowly vanished, while over us crept the great shades of the polar night, the night that kills all life." with a stretch of four months' darkness before them, it was impossible to avoid recalling the records of others who had gone through the lonely period of darkness and cold. it was a disquieting subject. franklin, with men under his command, had seen the sun go down into the polar night, and not a man of all the party had lived to tell the tale. greely, with twenty-five men, had seen the silent darkness come on near where they were situated at the moment--six had lived to see the dawn. nordenskjold, wintering in white bay, had seventeen men die of scurvy, with an abundance of food around them, for when the last victim was found, lying where he fell, he had a piece of salt pork still clutched in his fingers, while in the camp there were scores of tins of preserved fresh meat unopened. true it was that science, since then, had made vast strides, and prejudice and ignorance had been largely overcome; but when men find themselves absolutely cut off from all communication with the outside world, and with all sorts of possible dangers and disasters hidden in the future, it is only the fool-hardy who fails to realise them. the brave man does not shut his eyes to dangers; he looks them squarely in the face and determines to overcome them. such a man usually wins. it is the man who shuts his eyes to what is in front of him who is defeated. the winter passed without any fatality among them, although there was an occasion when one of the members nearly came to his end. various trips were taken when the moon was up to try and locate the site where greely made his historic camp on pim island. in february two men set out to look for it, and, as they did not intend to be long away, they took neither food nor sleeping-bags with them. the weather was clear and cold, with the thermometer at - ° fahr., but the men experienced no ill effects from it on their journey. they found some pieces of rope and sail-cloth scattered about at a spot on the north side of the island, and came to the conclusion that this must have been the site of the camp. having examined the place, they were about to return to the _fram_, when one of them sank to the ground. his companion strove to lift him up, but without avail; he had suddenly become exhausted, and his strength gave out so entirely that he could not remain on his feet. it was a serious situation. a few hours of inactivity in such a temperature, without an excess of fur clothing and warm food, meant freezing to death. his companion was in doubt whether to wait and strive to rouse him, or to run to the ship for help. he adopted the latter course, and sped away as fast as his legs could carry him. arrived at the _fram_, he raised the alarm, and every one turned out and hastened to the rescue. a sledge was quickly harnessed to a dog team, and on it were placed furs and food. the place where the man had collapsed was about a mile away, and the rescuers were soon at his side. he lay in a heap on the frozen snow, too far gone to recognise any one. he was pushed into a sleeping-bag, placed on the sledge, and driven off at top speed to the ship, where he was promptly put into his bunk and restoratives administered to him. soon the efforts were successful, and he sank into a sleep from which he awakened, many hours after, little the worse for his adventure. he escaped without even a touch of frost-bite. a few days after this episode the temperature fell rapidly, until the thermometer registered as low as - ° fahr. peary, the american explorer, was at the time some fifteen miles to the north of the _fram_, and the temperature in his locality went down to - ° fahr., a cold so intense that, hardened as he was to the rigours of arctic weather, he had seven toes so severely frost-bitten that they had to be amputated. a small party from the _fram_ was out on the ice at the time, and the cold was so trying to them that they squeezed into their sleeping-bags clad, as they were, in heavy fur garments. still they were unable to get warm, so they lit their oil stove to raise the temperature in the tent. while this was being done, one man complained bitterly of the cold in his back, and a comrade, seeking a cause for it, found that the moisture from his body had turned to white frost on the inside of his thick woollen jersey. to thaw it, they put the lighted stove between the jersey and the man's back, whereupon he exclaimed, "ah, that's not quite so cold." yet the way in which mankind can adapt themselves to all varieties of climate, by use and custom, was shown by a visit they had from one of peary's eskimo. he reached the _fram_ on a day when the temperature was at - ° fahr. invited on board, he said he must first change his travelling clothes, and, in the open air, he stripped to the waist to remove his heavy furs and put on a lighter suit. he was apparently as unaffected by the intense cold on his naked flesh as one of the norwegians would have been had the thermometer stood at forty degrees above instead of forty degrees below zero. the visit of the eskimo proved an enjoyable break to the explorers, though their generosity in giving him presents, at the time of his departure, resulted in so many more coming to visit them that they had rather too much of a good thing. but when he first arrived the visitor was peculiarly welcome. they entertained him to various amusements, commencing with dinner and concluding with a concert. to the latter the eskimo contributed his share. he was greatly taken with a toy drum belonging to one of the party, and played his own idea of a melody upon it. as his hosts did not manifest any displeasure at his performances--whatever they may have felt--he became bolder and offered to sing them a song. to the accompaniment of the drum, he commenced with a weird, wild wail, which gradually developed in volume of sound and variety of intonation until the listeners began to feel shivers running up and down their spines. at that point the singer, who had so far sat rigid, began to sway his body from side to side, while he tossed his head backwards and forwards. he had long dank black hair, and, as he moved quicker and quicker, in time with the drum and the staccato wails, his hair was tossed over his face until the features were obscured. this appeared to be the critical moment in the performance, for he raised himself from his seat, and, with his hair tossing, his voice wailing, his body swaying, and his hands thumping vigorously at the drum, he completed the discomfiture of his hosts, who, disposed to smile at the beginning of the performance, were distinctly uncomfortable at the finish. the performer, however, was by no means dissatisfied with himself. he was a great singer, he told them, perhaps the greatest in the tribe. they had only to ask some of the others of his tribe to sing to realise the truth of what he said, he added. but the norwegians were satisfied with the one experience. [illustration: eskimo visitors to the _fram_ in night attire.] during the sledge journeys numerous indications were found of musk oxen being in the neighbourhood of the sheltered valleys in the interior of the islands. as a supply of fresh beef was always desirable, considerable attention was paid to these animals, and, from time to time, the larder was kept well supplied with their meat. on these hunting expeditions some interesting observations were made on the habits of the oxen. one of the most interesting was as to the manner in which they met attack. when they were disturbed in feeding, the herd would retreat slowly and in order; but if they saw they were being pursued, they moved towards any vantage ground, such as a rise or hill summit, there to form themselves into a square. each animal took up its position as though by word of command, until they stood, shoulder to shoulder, with their heads outward and so close together that their horns often linked, while within the square were sheltered any young calves there might be with the herd. as the enemy approached one of the oxen, usually the oldest bull in the herd, dashed out from his place in the square and bounded towards the foe, with head down, horns brandished with sidelong tosses of the head, snorting and bellowing defiance. as he left the square the ranks closed up and remained so until he returned, when the ranks opened enough for him to back into his place, while another charged out to carry on the combat in front of the square. these movements were executed with lightning rapidity, every animal dashing out in turn to seek single combat, the one to advance being always the one to the right of the returned champion. usually the advance was for a distance of a dozen yards, but there were occasions when the explorers saw the challenging ox advance over a hundred yards from the main body. when there were sufficient bulls in the herd to form the outer lines, the cows were placed, with the calves, inside the square; but if the bulls were not numerous enough to complete the outer ranks, then the cows took their places beside the bulls. in one instance, where the herd consisted of cows and calves only, the cows formed the square and carried on the fight while the calves were sheltered within. the courage displayed by the oxen was not restricted to their defence. they appeared to be actuated by an _esprit de corps_ which could only be likened to the heroism which animates men of fanatical fighting tribes. they were apparently incapable of fear, even to that extent which makes the saving of one's self a first consideration. when the square was once formed it never broke. every beast in it might be killed, one by one, but there was never a sign of a break-away or a stampede. if only a few were killed, the square stood its ground until the attackers retreated, when, with an open field, the square slowly retired, still in formation, and still ready, at the first signal, to halt and renew the fight. in one instance, where every beast had been shot save one, that one made his sortie, pranced round in defiance, and retired to the heap of slain, all that remained of his gallant comrades. their method of defence was capable of repelling the attack of any animal now inhabiting the arctic regions, and more complete in its system than appeared to be needed to repel any of the animals likely to attack them. it was unnecessary for the repelling of bears; foxes would never attack animals so large; the only animals likely to challenge a contest were the wolves operating in a pack. but the arctic wolves, as a rule, hunt singly, or in pairs. there may have been a time, however, when they formed themselves into packs, and from such a time the defensive tactics of the oxen may date. certainly the formation would prove invulnerable against such an attack, as was evidenced by the way in which a herd of oxen could hold at bay the dogs from the sledge teams. as soon as oxen were sighted it was the practice to let the dogs loose. they at once made for the oxen, and, as soon as the latter caught sight of them, they formed into a square and remained so until the explorers came up and selected such of the herd as they required for the larder. in no instance did the dogs succeed in harming an ox, though more than once a dog, venturing too near a prancing champion, was spun up into the air to fall to the ground a sad and subdued creature, if it were so fortunate as to escape with its life. the return of summer, during the first year of their stay, was marred by the death of the doctor. early in june the shores of hayes sound were being surveyed. the ice still covered the sea and the land was deep in snow. one night, when the surveying party had returned to their tent and were sitting round the oil stove eating their supper, they heard a man outside asking if he might come in. they opened the tent flap and discovered the doctor standing outside. he was evidently ill, and, as they soon realised, snow-blind. he had missed his way while out after specimens and had accidentally stumbled on the camp. he was taken in and given warm food, which revived him somewhat, afterwards being put in a sleeping-bag and made as comfortable as they could make him. in the morning he pronounced himself much better, and said he would stay at the camp, resting, for the day. the party left him with no misgivings, but on their return in the evening they found him dead in the sleeping-bag. camp was struck the following morning and, with the body of the doctor on the sledge, the party started back to the ship. it was a sad journey. not only was it the first time in the history of the _fram_ that a member of the ship's company had died, but the loss of the doctor was a serious matter to the explorers, who were thus left without any qualified expert to attend to them in the event of either sickness or accident occurring. the procession reached the ship on june , and the next morning the whole company formed up in funeral array to convey the remains of the doctor to their last resting-place. they gave him a sailor's burial. the national flag covered the body and bier, and the explorers, walking slowly, two and two, proceeded down rice strait over the ice to a spot where a hole had been cut through the ice to the open water. the body was lowered to the water's edge, where it was held while prayers were read and a hymn sung. "then followed the moment when he slowly slipped into the deep. we shall never forget it. we sang a hymn and said the lord's prayer," captain sverdrup wrote. as the survey work advanced to the west of the sound, the discovery of several inaccuracies in former maps led to the hope that new land might be located in that direction. ellesmere land having been explored and sir robert inglis peak shown to be non-existent, advantage was taken of the opening of the ice in the summer seasons to push the _fram_ farther to the west, so as to enable the sledge parties to reach still greater distances over the ice in that direction. it was by this means the crowning triumph of the expedition was achieved, though at the time of its achievement an event happened which very nearly brought about a tragic ending. this was no less than a fire on the _fram_. there were, at the time, only nine men on board. for the winter, an awning had been spread over the deck, below the shelter of which numerous articles were stored, including the ammunition and powder-boxes, a number of kayaks, spare wood for repairing sledges and making _ski_, the oil barrels, and an iron tank full of spirits. the chimney from the galley rose above this awning, and one day a spark fell upon it. at once the canvas burst into flame. on the first alarm, the mate, who was in charge, gave his attention to the removal of the oil and explosives; but while these were being dragged out of danger the flames spread rapidly from the awning to the rigging, reaching the mainsail, which also became ignited. then the fire reached the kayaks, the coverings of which were all saturated with grease. the blaze that followed set all the spare wood alight. the iron tank, full of spirits, was thus surrounded by flames. it was impossible to beat them back, and the men realised that if the tank burst and the spirits caught fire, the ship was doomed. with despairing energy they attacked the fire with buckets of water, and, despite the primitive nature of the weapon, they succeeded in subduing the flames before irreparable damage was done. the tank, fortunately, withstood the heat, though it was badly warped. the kayaks were destroyed, as well as all the spare wood, the rigging and sails on the mainmast, the awning, and some stores on the lower deck, where the flames also penetrated. but the ship was saved. on october , , the news was brought to the ship that the hopes of discovering new land were likely to be realised. a party who had been far out to the west had seen in the distance what appeared to be land at a place where none was shown on the maps. five days later, with a picked band, captain sverdrup was hastening to the place indicated. as the winter was near at hand, they could not do more than verify the news. in the distance they saw what appeared to be new land, while near at hand they found traces of large herds of oxen and reindeer. the larder was in need of being replenished, and as it was impossible to proceed with the survey of the newly discovered territory before the spring, the members of the party secured as much beef and venison as they could for winter supply. by the time they returned to the ship they had enough fresh meat, not only for themselves but also for the dogs, to last until the following spring. on april , , sverdrup and his picked companions set out again to explore the new territory. after pushing on as far as the outer limit of the coast, they came upon what appeared to be a large bay. the land they had descried lay on the far side of it, and for the moment they feared that, after all, it was only a portion of the old, though making the area of that much larger than had hitherto been believed. to prove or disprove their fears they commenced to cross the ice in the bay. as they proceeded, the land, at the head of the bay, was seen to suddenly open out and reveal a sound running between two islands. it was new land which lay before them, and with great jubilation they named the channel eureka sound and the island after the king of norway. the position was ° ' n. lat. and ° w. long. close examination of this island led to the discovery of remains of extensive eskimo settlements, showing that at one time there had been a considerable population where now not a single eskimo was to be found. the presence of whale bones among the ruins of the huts told of a still further change that had occurred, for whales are now quite extinct in that part, and have been so for a long period. chapter xii italy claims the record norwegian aid--a northerly station--premature enthusiasm--cold comfort--an arctic greeting--a hasty landing--disorganised plans--homeless dogs--making fresh plans--the leader frost-bitten--the start for the pole--driven back by cold--a second start--first detachment lost--anxiety for the second--a struggle for life--third detachment overdue--fears of disaster--safe at last--italy sets the record. for the first time in the history of their country, the italians entered the field of arctic exploration in the year , when an expedition under the command of the duke of abruzzi sailed in the _stella polare_, and by means of dogs and sledges carried the italian flag to higher latitudes than any other explorers had succeeded in reaching. the record up to the time of this expedition was that set by nansen, who, with his companion johansen, attained to ° ' n. the italians reached ° ' n., or twenty geographical miles further north than the norwegians. the scheme of operations under which the abruzzi expedition set out was to sail as far north as possible along some coast line, establish winter quarters, and, in the spring, to travel by sledges towards the pole. the expedition was composed of italians and norwegians, the men of the latter race being taken to navigate the ship, the leader wisely recognising that inasmuch as italians were not used to navigation in ice-bound seas, it would be hazardous to risk the safety of the whole expedition in the early stages of the journey by manning the vessel with them. the sledge party who attained the highest latitude were all italians, but the norwegians shared the honours won, for without their assistance the sledge party would have had little chance of penetrating as far to the north as it did. in fairness, also, to all other men who have striven so hard to unveil the secrets of the arctic, it must be admitted that the italian success was based entirely on the knowledge gained by other nations. the scheme of a dash by sledges was the scheme that peary had conceived and announced; the main depôt of the italians was that which had already been established at cape flora by the jackson-harmsworth expedition; the route taken by the sledge party was in the vicinity of the route nansen and johansen followed; the ship was norwegian built and norwegian manned; the men who set out for the dash to the pole had, therefore, all the hard work done for them. yet with all these advantages they only reached twenty miles further, an achievement not to be compared with that of nansen and johansen. the expedition practically commenced its journey from archangel, whence good progress was made to cape flora, a food depôt being established in the huts of the jackson-harmsworth party, which were found still standing intact. after an ineffectual attempt to pass through nightingale sound, the _stella polare_ got out of the ice on august , and succeeded in reaching ° ' n. latitude in open water. this was to the north of prinz rudolf island. as there were indications that the ice would soon be setting along the coast, it was decided to sail to teplitz bay on prinz rudolf island and establish quarters for the winter. this bay is open towards the south and west, while the land on the north is level but rocky. the ship forced her way through the thin coast ice and came to anchor near enough to the shore to permit the landing of stores to be easily carried out. a more experienced leader might have had some doubts as to the security of the situation as a place for a ship to remain during the winter movements of the ice. with the bay open on two sides, it was scarcely possible for it to escape from the pressure of moving floes outside; but the opinion was held that the ice along the shores was strong enough to withstand any pressure from the open sea, and so the _stella polare_ was allowed to become fixed in the ice close to the shore. brief journeys along the coast and over the highest land which could be reached--cape habermann was found to be feet high--effectually disposed of the claims of petermann land and king oscar land. there was no sign of either, and there is little doubt but that the explorers who believed they had discovered these lands were deceived by massive bodies of ice. the rectification of the maps to this extent was a valuable service. by september all their arrangements for spending the winter on the ship were completed, and with the material which would be required for the preliminary sledge expeditions to the north, and the establishment of food depôts, all on shore, the explorers made merry on the evening of the th in discussing the achievements which would result from the working out of their plans. the difficulties which beset other explorers, often from the very commencement of their journeys, had not been experienced by them, and now, with their vessel almost as high to the north as any vessel had yet been, with their complete outfit at one of the most northerly stations yet established, and with everything snug and secure for the winter, it is not surprising that they should have allowed their enthusiasm to run away with them. it was the first time that italy had entered into the contest of winning fame from the mysteries of the arctic, and the outlook was so rosy that it almost appeared as if they were going to signalise the fact by carrying the flag to the pole itself and showing to the world that the all-conquering spirit of ancient rome still animated the race. men of colder temperaments, the sons of the cold-blooded north, would probably have postponed their rejoicings until the battle had been won, but the enthusiasm of the south needed more than the gloom of an approaching arctic winter to subdue it. wherefore the arctic moved, and the children of the south learned in a few brief hours something of the power and might and majesty of the realms they had come to conquer. an ice-floe, drifting in the sea beyond the bay, caught the edge of the shore ice, in which the _stella polare_ lay at rest, as it passed. the shore ice groaned at the strain, and along its length there ran a ridge of hummock ice as the pressure sought relief. the line of the pressure passed through the spot where the _stella polare_ was made fast. the hummock rose against her bows and forced her ninety feet away from where she had been, while, at the same moment, an increase in the pressure caught her by the sides, heeled her over, and cracked her timbers till those on board rushed to the deck under the belief that the vessel was about to collapse. the rigging of the foremast was torn away, the planks of the exposed side showed spaces of three inches between them, and water poured in so rapidly to the holds that it was feared the ship would go down. the hand-pumps were manned and worked, while the fires were lit so as to get up steam and set the steam-pumps going, every one else, who was not required for these jobs, working with might and main to get all stores and provisions out of the ship and on to the ice, lest she went down and left them stranded and foodless. the glamour of the evening before was as a dream; the gloom of the present was a stern reality to which they had awakened. the arctic was giving a characteristic and rugged greeting to the visitors from the south. the stores were landed with the greatest rapidity, the activity with which every one worked being still further stimulated by the news from below that the one hand-pump, which was being worked by four men, could not keep the water back, and that already it was almost touching the bars of the furnaces. at one time it looked as though there would be no chance of saving the fires, and had the water once reached them and so prevented steam being got up, the plight of the explorers would have been critical in the extreme. as it was, the norwegian engineers worked like heroes, and managed to have enough steam to start the steam-pumps just as the water touched the fires in one of the boiler furnaces. the steam-pump, assisting the hand-pump, was sufficient to keep the water from rising further, but not enough to keep it back altogether. neither the steam nor the hand pump, by itself, could prevent the water from rising. both had to be kept going, therefore, although the number of men thus taken away from unloading stores and provisions made that work very much slower than was desired. but if the water reached to the fires and put them out, there seemed to be little chance of saving enough to keep the party alive during the winter. so they worked on with a brave persistence, italian and norwegian alike, until they had all the stores out on the ice, together with spars, ropes, sails, and all other things needed for the construction of a shelter in which to pass the winter. this was only completed after twenty-four hours of toil, and when it was finished the worn-out party sought a brief respite in sleep. as soon as the pumps ceased working the waters rose in the holds and over the furnace bars, putting out the fires. contrary to expectations, the ship did not go down, the ice being sufficiently strong to sustain it from sinking, and the water stopped rising when it had covered the furnaces. although the ship was now secure from sinking, it was heeled over to such an extent that it was impossible to remain on board of it, so a hut was erected ashore, and the stores stacked round it for the winter. for ten days the entire party laboured at this work, and when it was finished it was realised that all the plans for the preliminary sledge trips must be abandoned. instead of giving attention to reaching the pole, it was first of all necessary to see what could be done in the way of repairing the ship so as to be able to get away before a second winter could come upon them. a close examination revealed the fact that the pressure of the ice had considerably affected the form of the ship. the crank shaft was bent out of the straight, and the heavy iron beams which had been put in to strengthen the vessel amidships were all bent and twisted. the planks at the sides were started and gaped in many places. the water, which had got in, had frozen, so that the furnaces were covered in by a sheet of solid ice, while the same thing existed in the hold. as the hand-pump could not lower the water alone, it was decided to use a boiler and pump which formed part of the balloon equipment. although the use of these articles effectually terminated any hopes of balloon experiments, it enabled them to get the water down sufficiently to permit of repairs being effected. from the beginning of october to the middle of november, the repairs fully occupied them; but they succeeded in making the ship water-tight and available for departure when the winter had passed. the bay, by this time, was frozen over sufficiently to preclude any fears of further nips occurring. [illustration: one of the difficulties encountered by the _stella polare_.] on november the last vestige of daylight went, and thenceforward the explorers were in all the gloom of the arctic night. a heavy snow-storm entirely covered the dog kennels, so that the animals had to run loose for a time. this was not satisfactory, for those of the creatures which were unable to squeeze into shelter near the hut, were frozen to the ice as they slept. to overcome this, big holes were dug in the ground, and the dogs driven in, and the entrances walled up. but the arctic dog is a creature of resource, and when the men in charge of them went in due time to feed them, they found that the dogs had made an outlet for themselves by burrowing through the snow, and were again at liberty. a wall of biscuit tins was then built round the inside of the holes, and the entire mass frozen by pouring water over the tins. but the dogs again burrowed their way out, and they were then left to their own devices, the holes being left open, so that there should be some shelter available for the dogs if they liked to use it. mostly they did not like, preferring to squeeze in between the sides of the hut and the kitchen, and contribute their share to the entertainment by occasional howling choruses during the long dark hours of winter. during the long night the plans for the sledge expeditions to the north, which had been so effectively interrupted by the nipping of the ship, were further considered. as the original scheme could no longer be carried out, a modified plan was adopted. under this, it was determined to send out three parties, which were to start about the middle of february and press forward towards the pole. each party was to consist of three italians. one was to carry provisions for thirty days, the second for sixty days, and the third for ninety days. the second and third parties were to carry kayaks. at the commencement of the expedition it was intended that the duke of abruzzi should lead the detachments as the head of the third party, the one which would have the honour of proceeding the longest way; but early in january he had two fingers of his right hand frost-bitten so severely that the two top joints had to be amputated. this debarred him from taking his place at the head of the enterprise, and he appointed captain cagni to the lead in his stead. as at first arranged, the other parties were commanded, the first by dr. cavalli, and the second by lieutenant querini. a fourth party was to follow the other three for a couple of days, as an auxiliary, so as to allow of a saving in the consumption of provisions carried by the others. it was also arranged that twenty-five days after the start of the expedition, those of the company who remained behind at teplitz bay should send a watch party to cape fligely, in order to be ready to set out and meet, and, if necessary, render any assistance which the returning members of the first detachment might require. from the top of cape fligely a distance of eight miles could be seen over the ice to the north, and a signal-post, erected on the cape, would be visible as a guide to the returning explorers as they approached over the ice. the watch party was to be on the cape again fifty-five days after the departure of the second detachment, and eighty-five days after the departure of the third detachment. the date of departure was ultimately fixed for the th of february. the detachments, when ready to start, numbered, in all, twelve men, with thirteen sledges, drawn by dogs, each sledge weighing, with its load of provisions, lbs. the weather, at the time of the start, was intensely cold, there having been a gale blowing for some days before. when all was ready for the march to begin, the detachments set out, after hearty farewells from those who remained behind, and who watched them slowly pass out of sight over the ice and into the cold mysteries of the white region lying towards the north. the camp at teplitz bay was strangely quiet after their departure, the absence of the dogs, no less than the absence of the men, rendering the place lonely and deserted. it was not expected that the auxiliary detachment would be back again for some days, and it was with very great surprise that the duke of abruzzi, while walking near the hut one day, heard the sounds of dogs barking near at hand. he hastened in the direction whence the sounds came, and was astounded to see lieutenant querini coming towards him. immediately he came to the conclusion that disaster had overtaken the expedition soon after starting, and that the lieutenant was the bearer of ill news, if not the only survivor of the detachments. the facts were, however, not quite so bad as this. what had happened was that the cold had become so intense, after leaving cape fligely, that not only the men, but the dogs also, suffered severely, and were almost incapacitated. the experience of a few days revealed many points where improvement could be made in the arrangement of the sledges and their loading, and the commander, realising that only valuable time would be lost, and perhaps the entire expedition jeopardised, by pushing on under the circumstances, decided to return to the main camp, so as to overhaul the arrangements, and reorganise the detachments in the light of their experiences. by the time the detachments were again ready to start, february had passed and march had arrived. the loss of time, consequent on their return, necessitated an alteration in the programme of all the parties, and when they set out the second time the order of march was for the first detachment to return after twelve days' march, the second in twenty-four, and the third in thirty-six. the detachments were also varied, so that the main detachment should number four instead of three men. a norwegian, the engineer of the ship, was included in the first detachment at his earnest request. the second start was made on sunday, march , and this time there was no turning back. on march the duke of abruzzi went, with the watch party, to cape fligely, and constructed a shelter wherein to remain in readiness to greet the first detachment on their return, the date of which was expected to be april . on that date, and for some days before, an anxious watch was kept from the lookout point towards the north, but no signs were seen of the returning explorers. for a day or so this did not cause any grave anxiety, as it was quite possible that there might be a brief delay, but as the days went by without a sign, and the days grew into weeks, there was serious uneasiness at the continued non-appearance of the men. the time arrived when the second detachment was due, and still the watchers saw no signs of the returning men. uneasiness gave place to grave anxiety, and the few who remained at the camp were beginning to wonder whether they alone would return home, with the summer, with only a tale of loss and disaster to bear to their country, when a man of the second party reached the camp in a state of great exhaustion. his story was that his detachment, the second, had parted with the third on march , and had successfully negotiated the return journey up to april , when an open channel in the ice near the island had stopped their forward march. for days they had sought a way round it, but, failing, the leader had despatched the man in the kayak to reach the watch party, and summon assistance of a boat to convey the remainder over the channel. the man had attempted to land at a point where the ice was some fifteen feet high, but while he was testing it to see if he could clamber up, the kayak slipped away from him and left him clinging, with no hope of escape if he slipped into the water below. he was one of the alpine guides, and, with his ice-axe, he managed to cut a way up the ice to the summit, though the struggle was a terrible strain on his strength and skill. when, at last, he reached the summit, he was met with a new difficulty. he did not know where he was, nor in which direction the camp lay. he was without food, or refreshment, but he made his way to a higher point, from whence he was, fortunately, able to see the top of the ship's masts showing over the ice. this gave him the direction of the camp at teplitz bay, and he made his way thither, with as much speed as he could. when he arrived, he had been battling his way for over twenty-four hours, from the time he lost his kayak, a feat of very great endurance. in answer to anxious questions as to the first detachment, he said he and all the rest believed the first detachment was in the camp, for it had left the main body in time to reach cape fligely by april . at the time it started back, owing to the drift of the ice, the island could be distinctly seen, so that there could be no difficulty as to the men knowing which way to go. moreover, a change had been made in the command, and the first detachment had left under the command of lieutenant querini, dr. cavalli having been placed at the head of the second detachment owing to his showing greater staying powers on the march than the lieutenant. as soon as the rest of the detachment had been conveyed from the ice pack to the camp, dr. cavalli corroborated the story and shared, with the rest of the expedition, the anxiety at the non-arrival of the little band. his detachment, he said, had parted with the main party on st march, and had seen captain cagni and his companions continue their way to the north, with a train of six sledges and forty-eight dogs. the first detachment might, he suggested, have been carried away to the east, and, as they had no kayak with them, they might have been cut off by an open channel and so prevented from reaching the island. relief parties were immediately sent out to search the ice in that direction, and also to see whether the men had taken refuge on the islands, further to the north-east, where nansen and johansen had passed their winter. the search was continued until may , when the parties returned, having searched far and wide but without finding any trace of the missing detachment. it was then hoped that they had made their way to cape flora, where there was an abundance of food and other necessaries, but when the _stella polare_ touched there, on her way home, no signs were found of the missing men, and it was then realised that they were lost. how, or when, or where, they had met their end, no one could form any opinion. a break in the ice may have precipitated them into a channel; cold may have overcome them as they slept; moving hummocks may have overwhelmed them, or a sudden snow-storm may have caused them to lose their direction, and have led them into dangers they were not able to escape. when no trace could be found of them, and no vestige of their outfit discovered on the ice, or the islands, there was only one thing the survivors could realise, and that was that their comrades had gone out of the world in silence, in mystery, and in sacrifice to the knowledge of humanity. [illustration: sketch map showing captain cagni's farthest north ° ', being ' beyond the point reached by nansen.] as the month of may gradually passed, the members of the expedition gathered at cape fligely so as to maintain a steady watch for the return of the main detachment. in addition to the watch party there was also a party at teplitz bay, and word was sent from one place to the other as the days went by, while short journeys were constantly being taken along the shores on the lookout for the return of captain cagni and his companions. the provisions they had with them were only calculated to last until may , but the leader had expressed his intention, if he had not succeeded in reaching far enough to the north, of proceeding on reduced rations so as to attain as high a latitude as possible before returning. on the reduced scale they would be able to subsist until june , but when that date arrived and still there was no sign of them, the remainder of the expedition became alarmed. the silent disappearance of lieutenant querini and his companions did not tend to alleviate their anxiety. a week passed without any sign; june th came and went, and the next two days saw the little community depressed and sad at what they regarded as the fatal silence. on the rd they barely exchanged words with one another, lest they should add to each other's sorrow by expressing the almost hopeless fear that every one felt. on the evening of that day the watch party at cape fligely had retired to their shelter when they heard the barking of dogs. hastily going outside, they saw a man, with a sledge, advancing from the direction of teplitz bay. they waited in silence for him to come up, fearing he brought news of disaster. but their fears were turned to joy when he shouted the news that the third detachment had safely returned to camp, having penetrated as far as ° ' n., and so established the "farthest north" record of any expedition yet despatched to the arctic. the story captain cagni had to tell was one of persistent courage and determination. the straits to which he and his companions were reduced were shown by the condition of their equipment. they had a single sledge in a very damaged state, a bottomless saucepan, a broken cooking lamp, and a ragged tent. their dogs were reduced to seven, the others having been killed to feed the survivors as well as the men. on the return journey the drift of the ice had carried them to the west, so that when they reached the latitude of teplitz bay they were many miles to the west of it. the condition of the ice had compelled them to go still further away before they were able to turn and head direct for the camp. from march to april they marched steadily towards the north, and covered something like six hundred miles in ninety-five days. for the whole period of days they marched miles. during the first stage of the journey they maintained a speed of five miles a day, but during the second stage they doubled that, and covered, on an average, ten miles a day. from their experience they argued it was impossible to reach the pole from any such base as that at teplitz bay while dog sledges were the only available means of transport. with the return of this detachment the work of the expedition was at an end. the vessel was freed from the ice after a little difficulty, and, proving to be seaworthy, steamed out of the bay on august . they arrived at hammerfest without mishap on september . chapter xiii the antarctic region the mystery of the south pole--ignored by early navigators--an accidental dutch discovery--captain cook sets sail--discouraged by the ice--turns back in despair--a second accidental discovery--weddell breaks the barrier--antarctic land revealed--british resume the search. while the desire to penetrate into the mysteries of the north held the mind of mankind from the earliest times, the very existence of a similar world of ice, at the opposite pole, was undreamed of until a few centuries back. at the time when the world was generally held to be a flat disc, this is not to be wondered at, seeing that there could only be one other side possible under that belief, and that side the "under world," into which it was not desirable that human beings should ever penetrate. but the time came when the world was demonstrated to be a sphere, and the more thoughtful of men realised the necessity of having some theory wherewith to explain what form the world would take at the opposite pole to the north. the theory which found most general acceptance was that which contended for a similar distribution of sea and land at the south as was currently supposed to exist at the north pole. it was argued that only by such a distribution could the balance of the earth be maintained. nor did the theorists stop there. the ancient geographers delighted their hearts by imagining a southern division of land and sea inhabited by identical animals, covered with the same kind of verdure and plants, and occupied by similar races of men to the north. in the absence of any evidence to contradict it, this theory held for many years. in the middle ages, when the portuguese and spaniards were sailing from sea to sea, and later, when their successors, the dutch, roamed the ocean, carrying their flags to the east and the west, none seem to have penetrated into the ice-bound regions of the south. the cape of good hope was doubled. cape horn was sailed round. australia was located, and even the south of tasmania was visited. but further south the world was still unknown. an explanation of this may be found in the fact that in southern latitudes the drift of ice is very much further away from the pole than is the case in the north. in the northern hemisphere massive ice-floes are not encountered until the th parallel of latitude has been passed, while it is not until the th parallel is passed that the ice becomes so packed as to appear to be stationary. in the southern latitudes, on the other hand, drift ice is encountered in the th parallel, and by the time the th parallel is reached, the ice is found to be as close set as it is in the th parallel in the north. in the islands off tierra del fuego the mountains remain covered with snow down to the water's edge through all the summer months, though the latitude is only ° s. this may be due, in a large measure, to the small quantity of land existing in the south, as compared with the north. the heat of the sun does not radiate from the sea with the same intensity as it does from the earth, whence the ice, drifting from the south into the oceans nearer the equator, melts more slowly, and is consequently enabled to travel longer distances, thus lowering the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere and still further delaying the melting process. at a comparatively recent period, the limit of the floes, in the southern oceans, was much nearer the equator than it is to-day, for the most southerly parts of africa, australia, and america all show unmistakable evidences of having, within recent times, been under a great ice covering. it was not until that the first contact was made with the southern world of ice. dirk gerritz, a dutch navigator, sailing with a squadron for the east indies, was separated from his other ships while passing through the straits of magellan and was driven as far as ° s. he discovered, in that latitude, a rocky coast line covered with snow. the discovery did not excite any great interest at the time, and, for a period of nearly two centuries, nothing was done to probe further into the mysteries of the south. in an expedition was sent out under captain kerguellen to explore the regions lying to the south of the cape of good hope. he was successful in locating the group of islands, still known as kerguellen islands, and sailed thence to australia, demonstrating that no land, other than these islands, existed between the cape of good hope and australia. in , captain cook, who had already done so much to reveal the southern hemisphere to the knowledge of man, left the cape of good hope with two ships, the _resolution_ and the _adventure_, in search of the continent believed to exist somewhere beyond the regions hitherto visited. in ° ' s. latitude, and ° ' e. longitude, a sudden fall in the temperature from ° to ° fahr. was experienced. on the following day an iceberg, fifty feet in height and nearly half a mile in length, was sighted. the course was continued to the south, but the third day after sighting the first berg the sea had become so full of ice that no further progress to the south was possible, although the latitude was only ° ' s., the corresponding latitude in the northern hemisphere being that of the city of hull. skirting the ice-packs and working always to the southward, the vessels managed to reach ° ' s. during the next three days, some few seals, penguins, and other birds being seen on the floating ice as the ships passed. the temperature was never above freezing, the sails were frozen and the rigging covered with icicles. the fact that the ice was found to be composed of fresh water, convinced cook that there must be land still further to the south, lying behind the ice-floes. he, therefore, kept on to the east, always sailing as far to the south as the line of the ice permitted. in reality, he was sailing round the antarctic, from west to east, skirting along the ice limit. in january the vessels were in ° s. and ° e. longitude. a month later he was nearly five hundred miles to the south of the course tasman had sailed when he discovered tasmania, but still no land was seen amongst the ice. this being the summer season in the southern hemisphere, it was necessary to seek winter quarters to the north if the ships were to escape imprisonment in the ice for the season. after a winter passed in the pacific ocean, captain cook took his ships again to the south, towards the end of the year, and by january , , they were in ° ' s. latitude and ° ' w. longitude. further progress to the south was barred by a line of high ice cliffs. describing the circumstances captain cook wrote:-- "at four o'clock a.m. we perceived the clouds, over the horizon to the south, to be of an unusual snow-white brightness, which we knew announced our approach to field ice. soon after, it was seen from the topmast head, and at eight o'clock we were close to its edge. it extended east and west, far beyond the reach of our sight. in the situation we were in, just the southern half of our horizon was illuminated by the rays of light, reflected from the ice, to a considerable height. ninety-seven ice hills were distinctly seen within the ice-field, besides those on the outside. many of them were large and looking like a ridge of mountains rising one above another till they were lost in the clouds. the outer, or northern, edge of this immense field was composed of loose or broken ice, close packed together, so that it was not possible for anything to enter it. this was about a mile broad, within which was solid ice in one continued compact body. it was rather low and flat (except the hills), but seemed to increase in height as you traced it to the south, in which direction it extended beyond our sight.... i, who had ambition, not only to go further than any one had gone before, but as far as it was possible for man to go, was not sorry at meeting with this interruption, as in some measure it relieved us, at least, shortened the dangers and hardships inseparable from the navigation of the southern polar regions." returning again to the pacific in order that his men might recuperate after their hardships in the ice region, captain cook made a third attack upon the antarctic problem the following year-- --when he sailed to the south along the th meridian of west longitude. in latitude ° s. three rocky islets were discovered. they rose to a considerable height, one of them terminating in a lofty peak shaped like a sugar-loaf, to which the name of freezeland point was given, not, as it might very well have been, in description of the land itself, but after the man who first sighted it. far to the east of this peak there appeared a long coast line with lofty, snow-capped mountains, the summits often rising higher than the clouds. to the extremity of this coast the name of cape bristol was given. land sighted still more to the south was named southern thule. as there appeared to be more probability of success being won on this voyage, the ships proceeded to explore the seas in the neighbourhood of these new lands; but a repetition of the trials and difficulties met in the previous year brought the hopes to nought. whichever way they sailed they encountered ice, either in massive bergs, or lines of cliffs, miles in length. on february , , the cold hostility of the region daunted even the brave heart of captain cook. he decided to turn back, writing in his log: "the risk one runs in exploring a coast in these unknown and icy seas is so great, that i can be bold enough to say that no man will ever venture further than i have done, and that the lands which lie to the south will never be explored." modern achievement in the antarctic regions forms a curious commentary on this outspoken opinion of so intrepid an explorer as the man who laid the great island-continent of australia open for the colonisation of the british. but for the time being the opinion ranked sufficiently with the authorities to put an end to all attempts to solve the mystery of the antarctic. years passed without anything being done to penetrate into the unknown, until, in , captain william smith, commanding the brig _william_, on a voyage from monte video to valparaiso, was driven as far to the south as ° ', in which latitude and longitude ° w. he discovered a group of islands and named them the south shetlands. the discovery was reported to the commander of h.m.s. _andromache_, who at once sailed to the locality and further explored the islands. these were found to be a scattered group lying between ° and ° s., consisting of twelve fairly large isles, and a number of small rocky islets. several of the isles were mountainous, and one peak was observed which was estimated to be feet high. beyond this brief expedition nothing was done by the navy, but during the next few years a considerable amount of knowledge was gained by whaling captains who penetrated further to the south. amongst others, powell, in , discovered land to the south of the south shetlands, naming it trinity land; while palmer, an american skipper, sailed along a coast to which he gave the name palmer's land. a russian navigator, bellinghausen, exploring to the south and west of the south shetlands, located alexander's land, still more to the south than palmer's land. these repeated additions to the general knowledge gradually discredited captain cook's assertion. the newly opened areas were found to be replete with whales, seals, and other commercially valuable animals, and ships of the mercantile marine continued to push nearer and nearer the pole. in a firm of traders sent out two vessels to the antarctic under the command of captain weddell, after whom the great antarctic seal is named. the vessels were small ships in comparison with the modern build. one, the larger, was the _jane_, a brig of tons, and the other a cutter, the _beaufoy_, tons. as captain weddell had already done much geographical service in the south, his employers instructed him to do all he could to discover fresh lands, and to penetrate as far into the ice to the south as was possible. he succeeded so well in carrying out the latter part of his instructions that, on february , , he carried the flag to ° ' s. for some years nothing more of note was done, but in , captain biscoe, on board the brig _tula_, located land--named enderby's land, after his employers--in ° ' s. latitude and ° ' e. longitude. wind and storms intervening, he was unable to do more than identify one promontory, which he named cape ann. the year following biscoe added to his record the discovery of adelaide island, graham's land, and a range of mountains he named after himself, biscoe's range. he landed on the newly discovered territory on february , , and took possession of it in the name of great britain. seven years later, on board the _eliza scott_, biscoe found an island in ° ' s. latitude and ° ' e. longitude, the shores of which were so precipitous that no landing could be effected. describing it, he wrote: "but for the bare rocks from where the icebergs had broken, we should scarcely have known it for land, but as we stood in for it we plainly perceived smoke arising from the mountain tops. it is evidently volcanic, as specimens of stones, or rather cinders, will prove." two years earlier the french government had taken up the work the british government had neglected from the time of captain cook's condemnation, and had despatched two ships, the _astrolabe_ and the _zelée_, to try and get into higher latitudes than those reached by weddell. the government of the united states also sent out vessels to continue the work already so successfully done by american whaling skippers. the voyages did not add materially to the discovery of land, although some valuable scientific facts were observed and recorded. the british government then bestirred itself, and two ships, the _erebus_ and _terror_, were placed under the command of sir james c. ross, with captain crozier as second in command, to proceed to the antarctic regions and explore them. chapter xiv voyages of the _erebus_ and _terror_ a fortunate choice--characteristic southern bergs--first sight of the continent--more british territory--a mighty volcanic display--nearing the magnetic pole--the antarctic barrier--a myth dispelled--a second attempt--held by the ice--third and last voyage--a double discovery. the american and french expeditions having already selected areas for their operations, sir james ross, not wishing to clash with them in any way, directed his attention to that part of the antarctic lying to the south of australia and new zealand as his sphere of operations. fortune favoured him in this selection, for it is at this part of the antarctic region--situated between the meridians of ° e. and ° w. longitude--that open water extends farthest into the high latitudes. he chose the meridian of ° e. as the line on which to sail to the south. it was on this meridian that balleny, in , had found open water as high as ° s. the _erebus_ and _terror_ were equally fortunate, and they were well to the south before they encountered sufficient ice to prove difficult to navigation. mostly they encountered icebergs, and they were thus afforded excellent opportunities to note the peculiarities of the southern bergs, and to compare them with those of the arctic. there was a manifest difference in both form and structure. those of the antarctic showed little variety in shape, and in this they were in marked contrast to the arctic bergs. the bergs of the south were very solid in appearance, with perpendicular grooves on the sides, and level table-top summits. in size they ranged from to feet in height, with a length varying from a few hundred yards to a couple of miles. land was first sighted on january , , when the ships were in lat. ° ' s. and long. ° ' e. the appearance of the land suggested the tops of mountain peaks fully a hundred miles away. as the ships sailed on, other peaks showed above the horizon, both to the east and the west, and the majesty of their size left no room for doubt that they were part of an area of land attaining to continental proportions. in his account of the expedition, sir james ross wrote: "it was a beautifully clear evening, and we had a most enchanting view of the two magnificent ranges of mountains, whose lofty peaks, perfectly covered with eternal snow, rose to elevations varying from to , feet above the level of the ocean. the glaciers that filled their intervening valleys, and which descended from near the mountain summits, projected, in many places, several miles into the sea, and terminated in lofty, perpendicular cliffs. in a few places the rock broke through the icy covering, by which alone we could be assured that land formed the nucleus of this, to appearance, enormous iceberg." the range was named admiralty mountains, and the various peaks after the different lords of the admiralty. with patriotic pride the leader recorded that "the discovery of this land restored to great britain the honour of having discovered the southernmost known land, which had been so nobly won by the intrepid bellinghausen, and for more than twenty years retained by russia." the amount of ice along, and off, the shore prevented a landing being made, but it was found to be possible to get ashore on an island not far away from the mainland. the island was named possession island, in commemoration of the fact that on its shores the ceremony of taking possession of the newly discovered lands in the name of great britain was duly celebrated. situated in lat. ° ' s. and long. ° ' e., the island was found to be of igneous formation and accessible only on its western shore. there were no signs of vegetation on the bare volcanic rocks, "but myriads of penguins completely and densely covered the whole surface of the island, along the ledges of the precipices, and even to the summits of the hills, attacking us vigorously as we waded through their ranks, and pecking at us with their sharp beaks, disputing possession; which, with their loud, coarse notes and the insuperable stench from the deep bed of guano, which had been forming for ages, and which may, at some time, be valuable to the agriculturists of our australian colonies, made us glad to get away again, after having loaded our boats with geological specimens and penguins." as the voyage continued, the height of the mountains lying further to the south of admiralty mountains was observed to be from , to , feet, the majority being obviously of volcanic origin. while noting these characteristics, a phenomenon was witnessed which, for the moment, suggested that they were in the presence of a mighty volcanic upheaval. an angle was being measured, when, in the line of sight, an island, about one hundred feet high, suddenly seemed to rise from the ocean. all eyes were turned upon it, the dark colour of the new arrival standing out in such pronounced contrast with the whiteness of the ice around it. then one, more observant than the rest, drew attention to the fact that a large berg previously observed at the place where the island had risen, had completely disappeared. at once the riddle was solved. the berg had turned over, and, as the lower portion was composed of earth-stained ice, it stood out in such strong relief against the other ice that the mistake was easily accounted for. one of the mountains slowly coming into view on the horizon as the ships continued their way was so remarkably like mount etna in appearance that it was so named by the members of the expedition, but official requirements of the case necessitated another name being given to it. it was entered in the record as mount melbourne, while another, lying beyond it, was named mount monteagle. these were the highest mountains seen up to that time, and presented an imposing appearance. yet others were sighted in the course of a few days which quite eclipsed them. these were the two volcanoes which were named after the two vessels, mount erebus and mount terror. mount erebus, , feet high, was in active eruption when first seen, and has been so on every occasion that man has looked upon it since. at the time of its discovery it was giving a display that was extraordinarily grand, the more so by reason of its surroundings. it was snow-clad to within a few hundred feet of its conical summit, while its huge base rested on a wide stretch of ice, gleaming and shimmering in the sunlight. between the ice wall, hundreds of feet high, which marked the coast line, and the vessels, the water was blue and clear, reflecting the hue of the sky above. from the crater alternate bursts of smoke and flame were flung up, the rumbling sound of the explosions floating down through the frozen stillness in a faint echo like that of heavy distant artillery fire. in the official account it is described as follows:-- "a volume of dense smoke was projected at each successive jet with great force, in a vertical column to a height of between and feet above the mouth of the crater, when, condensing at its upper part, it descended in mist or snow, to be succeeded by another splendid exhibition of the same kind in about half-an-hour afterwards, although the intervals between the eruptions were by no means regular. the diameter of the column of smoke was between and feet, as near as we could measure it. whenever the smoke cleared away, the bright red flames that filled the mouth of the crater were clearly perceptible, and some of the officers believed they could see streams of lava pouring down its side until lost beneath the snow, which descended from a few hundred feet below the crater and projected its perpendicular icy cliffs several miles into the ocean." so far as the leader of the expedition was concerned, there was another circumstance in connection with the position in which the ships were that appealed to him very particularly. he had, a few years earlier, succeeded in locating the north magnetic pole. bearings, taken in the neighbourhood of the two volcanoes, revealed the fact that the south magnetic pole was only about miles distant. an effort was made to penetrate to the south so as to sail over, or otherwise locate, the exact position of the magnetic pole; but the weather conditions, which had been so favourable to them up to that point, now told severely against them. the thermometer fell rapidly, and the temperature went so low that the spray, flung up by the ships, froze, as it fell, into solid ice on the bows. men were kept constantly breaking it away, but still it accumulated, considerably interfering with the speed of the ships. then they found in front of them a great wall of ice rising out of the sea, without a break or opening, to a height of some hundreds of feet. they sailed along it for miles, but the only change was that it increased in height until it towered a thousand feet above the level of the ocean. although it was then midsummer, and the warmest part of the year, the highest temperature during the day was never above twenty degrees below freezing. at the corresponding period of the season in the arctic, every iceberg gives evidence of the warmer weather by commencing to melt, so that from all of them streams of water are to be seen pouring down the sides. but the bergs in the antarctic showed no such streams of water. all were solid, and the heat of the sun at midday was not able to cause even the surface to thaw. during a gale, encountered in this locality, the waves, as they broke over the sides, covered the rigging and sails with hard, clear ice until it was almost impossible to handle the ropes or furl the sails. as february went by and they were still unable to work nearer the site of the magnetic pole, the leader sought for a haven where the ships could pass the winter, so as to be ready to recommence the work directly the weather moderated with the approach of spring. but no such place was to be found, the mighty barrier of ice stretching away to the horizon with never a break in its massive towering front. nothing was to be done except turn the vessels to the north and make the best of their way into milder latitudes until the winter had passed. on the voyage towards the north, one of those accidents occurred to the _terror_ which, fortunately for the welfare of sailors, are not possible nowadays. the bobstay of the bowsprit was smashed by coming in contact with a mass of floating ice. at the time the temperature was such that the bows of the vessel, as well as the bowsprit and its rigging, were all covered with ice, which the men had to be continually trying to keep clear. with the ship pitching to a heavy head sea, this was by no means easy, yet it was simple compared to the work of repairing the damaged bobstay. the men carrying out this work had to be slung over the bows, and every time the ship pitched, they were plunged into the freezing water, often being entirely immersed. the temperature of the sea at the time was twelve degrees below freezing, and two hours were occupied in effecting the repairs, man after man going over the bows to take the places of those who were literally frozen out. the commander, with pardonable pride, commented upon the pluck and hardy determination of his men in carrying out this arduous task. as they sailed to their winter quarters in an easterly course, they passed the locality where the ships of the american expedition had reported a discovery of land forming part of the great antarctic continent. a sharp lookout was kept for it, but no indications were seen, and, when the two ships sailed over the spot where the continent was supposed to exist, the conclusion was forced upon the leaders that the americans had been misled, as they had themselves on more than one occasion, into regarding the combination of ice and cloud as land. so suggestive of land did this combination often appear, that it was only by the most careful and critical observation that similar mistakes were not to be recorded against the _erebus_ and _terror_. early in april they arrived at tasmania, leaving that colony in the following july for new zealand, where they stayed until december, when they sailed once more to the antarctic. it was the intention of ross to sail to the south along the th meridian of west longitude, but the existence of heavy pack ice proved an effectual obstacle to their progress. the ships became involved in the pack, and only managed to force their way clear by the beginning of february. this meant a great loss of valuable time, for they were only able to reach ° ' s. latitude before they had to return. they sighted the great barrier of ice lying to the south, with what appeared to be high mountains, snow covered, rising behind. as no definite observations could be made to demonstrate whether the heights were mountains or only the summit of the antarctic ice-cap, the discovery was not claimed as being new land. the vessels made their way to the falkland islands, where they passed the winter, and on december , , they sailed, for the third time, to the south. the object of this voyage was to further explore louis philippe land and reach as high as weddell had done. excellent progress was made, and, on the last day of the year, they sighted an island to which the name etna island was given, as it was a volcano greatly resembling, in miniature, the great volcano of sicily. further to the south high peaks appeared, and, with the new year, a number of islands, as well as what appeared to be portions of the mainland, were discovered. amongst others, the expedition found and named paulet island, cockburn island, snow hill island, and mount haddington, places which were to be made still more familiar over half a century later by the dramatic events which occurred to the swedish expedition in - . in addition to the discovery of land, it was also found that the waters off this coast abounded with whales, and, by the time that the two ships returned to the cape of good hope, in march, they were able to claim, for the record of the third trip, the double discovery of land and of all the essentials for a profitable whaling industry. the ships had circumnavigated the antarctic region, and for many years thereafter whalers were the main visitors. until no official british expedition sailed for the antarctic, though there was a brief stay, just within the antarctic circle, of h.m.s. _challenger_ in . chapter xv the _southern cross_ expedition british continue the work--carrier pigeons in the ice--withstanding a nip--a sea-quake--cape adare station--a cosy camp--edible fish--death visits the camp--penguin peculiarities--a derelict blue-bottle--the welcome postman--a thrilling episode. the first british expedition for many years was that which sailed from the thames in on board the _southern cross_, under the leadership of c. e. borchgrevinck, with the object of penetrating as far as was possible to the south and exploring the antarctic continent, or as much of it as could be visited during a year's stay in those latitudes. [illustration: the _southern cross_ in the ice pack. at work with the theodolite.] the leader of the party had already been on this continent in , when he voyaged into the antarctic on board a whaler. he had landed on south victoria land and possession island, and had reached as far south as ° ' s. he had discovered a sheltered beach, near cape adare, which he recognised as an ideal site for the headquarters of an exploring party equipped for a prolonged stay. on the same occasion he was fortunate in finding a lichen growing on the rocks of cape adare, which was the first instance of terrestrial plant life being observed in the antarctic. imbued with enthusiasm as to the prospects of successful observation being carried out from this point, he strove to arouse public interest in the project. he found plenty of interest but not much financial support, until he had the good fortune to meet sir george newnes, bart., in . that gentleman caught some of the enthusiasm which actuated borchgrevinck, and undertook to provide the necessary capital to enable the expedition to be formed and despatched. thereafter there was no delay in the matter of organising the expedition. the _southern cross_, a small barque-rigged steamer of tons, and built by colin archer, the builder of the _fram_, was secured, and placed under the command of captain bernhard jensen. with stores and equipment for some years, a crew of norwegians, an efficient scientific staff, and a large kennel of arctic dogs, she left st. katherine's dock on august , , amid much popular demonstration and sailed for tasmania. arriving at hobart early in december, she took in further supplies, and sailed again, on december , for the antarctic. on december , in latitude ° ' s. and longitude ° ' e., she encountered the first ice, and a few days later was among the floes. some carrier pigeons had been taken on board at hobart, and they were liberated when the vessel was well within the ice limit. one was absent for about a week before it returned to the ship, but the majority returned almost at once. on january , , land--balleny island--was sighted in latitude ° ' s. and longitude ° ' e., and the _southern cross_ was soon fast in a pack. advantage was taken of the opportunity to lay in a store of seal flesh for the dogs. two varieties were met with on the ice, leopard seals and white seals, both so unaccustomed to the presence of man that the explorers had no difficulty in walking up to them and killing them as they lay on the ice. after being held for a week the first nip was experienced. the movement in the ice was very pronounced, and high pressure-ridges were thrown up. when the pressure caught the ship there was some uneasiness in the minds of those on board as to how she would stand the strain. she disposed of all fears, so far as she was concerned, by rising a clear four feet when the nip was at its worst, thereby adding another instance to the record of her builder as a cunning designer of ships for ice navigation. for a period of forty-eight days they were held in the pack, and the ice then becoming more broken it was decided not to try any further to reach to the south of balleny island; instead, it was determined to go direct to cape adare, and establish the headquarters while the summer was still with them. on february , a few days after getting into open water, and when the vessel was making good progress under sail and steam, she was noticed to shake violently. no ice was in sight, nor anything else that could account for it, but there came a tremor which lasted for a couple of seconds, followed by another after an interval of three seconds. the phenomenon was noticed by men in all parts of the ship, and no explanation could be given for it. a couple of days later they ran into heavy weather, during which the temperature fell so low that everything became covered with ice, an experience which was very similar to that which befell the ships forming sir james ross's expedition in . the ship had to lay-to for two days until the weather abated, and, on the second day after resuming her course, land was sighted, and the _southern cross_ steamed into robertson bay in sight of cape adare and the spot where the headquarters of the expedition were to be built. the camp consisted of four huts, which were promptly erected and filled with the stores and equipment. the landing party, consisting of ten, made their home in one of the huts, utilising the others for the storage of provisions, equipment, and other impedimenta. the dwelling-hut was constructed with three doors, opening inwards, so as to facilitate the escape of the residents should they become snowed in. between the outer and the middle doors there was a four-foot lobby, off which a small room opened on either side. one of these was devoted to the development of photographs and the storage of the more delicate instruments, while the other was the taxidermist's studio. both these rooms were lined with wool and fur, and were entered through small sliding trap-doors two feet above the ground. the interior of the hut formed one room, fifteen feet square, and with ten bunks constructed along the north and east walls, each bunk being closed in, so that the occupant could lie within, out of sight of the others, a very serviceable arrangement under circumstances where ten men are compelled to be in one another's company morning, noon, and night for several months at a stretch. the windows faced the west, and were double framed, with a space of three inches between the frames. the walls were also double, with _papier-mâché_ packing between, while the ceiling was seven feet above the floor, also packed with _papier-mâché_, and had above it an attic where stores which required keeping fairly warm were placed. before they had everything completed on shore, a furious gale sprang up, and from february to all the energies of the party were required to keep the ship from being lost. she dragged her anchor and drifted dangerously near the coast before steam could be got up, and even when the engines were at full speed, she could barely do more than hold her own. once, two steel cables and a hawser were run out round a jutting rock to afford her some stay, but they snapped like threads when the puff caught her, and for the rest of the time she was kept standing off and on under the lee of cape adare. during the winter the explorers had further experience of the character of these southern gales, the wind often attaining a velocity of eighty-five miles an hour, representing a force capable of lifting up and carrying bodily away such a thing as a whale-boat; while the air was, at such times, filled with pebbles and small stones blown from the high lands behind the camp. on one occasion, so fierce was the strength of the wind, that it was found impossible to crawl on hands and knees, and with the assistance of a guide-rope, from the hut to the thermometer-box a couple of hundred yards away. the heaviest member of the party, a man over thirteen stone, was blown from the rope and nearly lost while attempting the journey. on march everything was in order at the huts, and the shore party landed to take up their residence. the flag presented to the expedition by the duke of york was hoisted, the _southern cross_ dipped her ensign to it, everybody cheered, and the vessel steamed out of the bay for new zealand, leaving the devoted ten the only occupants of the great unknown continent which lies miles to the south of australia. [illustration: the aurora australis. _drawn by dr. e. a. wilson._] they were not long before they commenced work. cape adare was explored and its height determined to be feet above sea-level. vegetation, in the form of lichens, was traced up to a thousand feet, to which level it was found the penguins made their crude nests and hatched their young. snow lay deep after three thousand feet, but no signs of life, vegetable or animal, were discovered at that altitude. in the waters below and around the cape several specimens of algæ, medusa, hydroids, and other low forms of marine life were secured. in addition to these specimens it was also discovered that there was abundance of fish in the deeper waters of the bay. these were caught, both by net and line, and the members of the expedition were agreeably surprised when it was found that they were nearly all edible, for a constant diet of preserved food soon palls, even on the healthiest appetites. as the ice spread farther out over the bay the fishing was conducted through a hole cut through the ice, and it was no uncommon experience of the fisher to be suddenly confronted with the startled eyes of a seal which had risen from the depth below, under the belief that the opening was a blow-hole for his convenience. on may they saw the sun disappear below the horizon, above which it would not reappear until july . the sun, as it disappeared, presented a curious optical phenomenon. its reflection appeared as a large red elliptical glowing body which gradually changed into a cornered square, while the sky, in its immediate vicinity, revelled in a blaze of colours. as the sun slowly sank, the colours grew in intensity, reaching the height of their vivid beauty as the last of the globe sank out of sight. the aurora australis continued to give them displays of colouring throughout the time when the moon was not shining and the sky was otherwise dark. the temperature sank very low, at times, during the night, - ° fahr. being recorded, soon after the sun went below the horizon, while later on the records were as low as - ° fahr. inside the hut, however, the cold was not severely felt, the construction proving excellent for the comfort of the men. the numbers of seals killed for the dogs enabled them to cover the roof with the skins before it became snowed over, while the ample supply of fur and woollen clothing kept the expedition well clad. [illustration: emperor penguins. the most southerly inhabitants of the globe. _from "the siege of the south pole," by dr. h. r. mill. by permission of messrs. alston rivers, ltd._] with one exception the winter passed without an untoward incident, the exception being the illness of the zoologist of the party, who, after being carefully nursed by the doctor and all the others, succumbed to internal complications and died on october . this was the only fatality during the expedition, and the loss of one out of so small a party naturally had a saddening effect on the survivors. before he died, he indicated a spot a thousand feet up the slope of cape adare where he wished to be buried, and, needless to add, his comrades loyally carried out his last wishes. he died just at the time when the penguins, the study of which had so engrossed him, were returning over the ice to their nesting quarters. the first one arrived a few hours before his death, and it was taken to him, at his request. the place where he sleeps is on the line where vegetation ceases and above which the penguins do not build. it was a pity he did not live to see the return of the penguins, for they came in myriads with the approach of spring. they advanced over the ice in a long line, walking in single file, and apparently in detachments of about sixty birds in each. they must have marched for many miles, as there was no open water nearer from whence they could have come, and they are not able to fly. as soon as they reached the land they spread out in such a way as to suggest that each pair went to the nest they had occupied before. these were simple affairs, consisting of little more than a few pebbles arranged in a ring on beds of guano. as a rule, two eggs were laid in each nest, and, for a month, male and female shared the labour of sitting on them, commencing in november and remaining on the nests until the young came out in december. the chicks were fed by the parent birds until they were fairly well grown, when they were driven into packs and left to look after themselves, with only occasional help from the older birds. when they were able to look after themselves, without further assistance, the parents departed. on such occasions a curious habit was observed. the birds of a detachment seemed to wait for one another until all were ready, when they would strut, in a solemn procession, to the water's edge. usually the white breasts of the birds were spotlessly clean, but the time they spent on the nests made them very dingy in appearance. as they strutted down to the water's edge they were all sadly in need of a bath, yet, on arrival at the edge, they would stand about, shiver, flap their diminutive wings, and manifest all the hesitation which is shown by timid bathers when about to take a plunge. nothing would induce them to enter the water until they were ready in their own good time, attempts, on the part of the explorers, to drive them in, merely resulting in the birds turning round and strutting on to the land again. when at length the time came for the plunge, one would flap his wings, utter a cry, and take a header, whereupon the others would follow, one after the other, all in line and so rapidly that they presented the appearance of a stream being poured out of a bottle. the plunge over, they returned to the shore, spotless and clean. as the gales were not over when the birds were sitting, they were watched to see how they would prevent themselves from being blown away by the fierce gusts. almost as soon as the barometer gave indications of the approach of a gale, the birds were seen to turn their heads towards the south-east, the quarter from whence the wind came, and lie close to the ground, with their heads down and their breasts pressed close to it. on no occasion was a bird seen to be blown away from the nest. during december, when the weather became milder, the interesting discovery was made that insect life exists on the antarctic land. some specimens were found among the mosses growing on the shore, and the excitement which followed the discovery led one of the finns, two of whom were included in the party, to unconsciously play an effective practical joke on the others. he found a dead blow-fly in a case of jam and brought it to the hut as a trophy. for a time there was even greater excitement, until some one thought to ask where the fly had been captured. on january , , the _southern cross_ returned. she arrived in the bay at a time when the explorers were sleeping after some heavy journeys. the captain landed, and walking up to the hut, pushed the door open and entered. he had the mail-bag with him, and flung it on the table with a loud cry of "post." in a moment the bunks were empty, the sound of a strange voice rousing all the men, to say nothing of the prospect of receiving news from the world out of which they had been so long. as there was no time to be lost, if they were to penetrate further to the south before the mild weather passed, they moved on board the ship as soon as they could, and by february the _southern cross_ steamed away again with all on board. they made excellent progress, passing mount melbourne on february , approaching near enough to the coast opposite to mount terror to permit them to land, after which they steamed along the great ice-barrier until they found an opening, into which they steamed, so as to enable a sledge party to land and push forward to the south. it was this sledge party which reached "farthest south," being on february in latitude ° ' s., the highest latitude reached up to that time. but it was while they were ashore at mount terror that one of the most exciting incidents of the whole journey occurred. the party landed at a small beach which lay under cliffs towering five hundred feet above. in order to get photographs of it, the boat was despatched back to the ship for a camera, while borchgrevinck and jensen remained ashore. the boat had not gone very far when a great roar sounded in the air. those on shore feared for the moment that a slide had begun in the cliffs over their heads; but it was not the rocks that were moving. a mighty glacier, which entered the sea near where they were standing, was shedding an iceberg from the parent mass, and the noise was caused by the rending of the ice as the millions of tons mass tore itself free. the beach was barely four feet above the water, and, as the berg crashed into the sea, it sent up a great wave that swept along the coast. the men on the beach barely saw it coming before it was over them. pressing themselves against the face of the cliff at the highest point they could reach, they held on for dear life while the icy water surged up and over them. after the first wave had passed, others followed, though these only reached up to their arm-pits, and had it not been for a projecting point of rock, which served to break the force of the waves, there is little doubt but that both would have been swept away. the full force of the waves was shown only a few yards away from where the two had stood, stones being torn loose and the mark of the water being left twenty feet up the face of the cliff. having reached "farthest south," the homeward journey was begun on february , and three days later the _southern cross_ steamed into port ross, in the island of auckland. the expedition was then practically at an end, having succeeded so well in its objects that it was able to claim that it had located the southern magnetic pole as being in latitude ° ' s. and longitude ° e.; had discovered insect and plant life on the antarctic continent; had reached the farthest south, and had added very considerably to the geographical and scientific knowledge of the world. chapter xvi the revival of antarctic interest modern means and methods--private enterprise leads--the _valdavia_--the _belgica_ expedition--international action adopted--the german expedition--an ice-bound land--fresh trade-winds. towards the end of the last century there was a distinct revival, in european scientific circles, of interest in the still unsolved problems of the frozen south. many causes contributed to this. the gradual narrowing of the northern sphere, and the activity displayed in that region by the americans, to whom it especially appealed, led the european geographers to remember the great amount of work yet to be done in the south. the achievements of the ross expedition, which had satisfied public curiosity for the time being, now only stimulated curiosity as to how much more could be ascertained by the use of modern steamships and all the other improved appliances that had done so much to help in arctic work. for a time private enterprise operated, and several vessels were despatched, from time to time, some with excellent results; but something more than private enterprise, working individually, was required if all the benefits of a thorough exploration were to be obtained. in her brief experience in , h.m.s. _challenger_ examined, by means of sounding and dredging, the floor of the ocean to the south of kerguellen island. the evidence collected pointed to the existence, still further to the south, of an area of land approaching continental dimensions. in a german steamer, the _valdavia_, with professor carl chun on board, left cape town, rediscovered bouvet island, which had not been visited from the time it was first seen by captain cook, and collected further evidence, by sounding and dredging, of the existence of extensive land nearer the pole. a belgian, m. adrien de gerlache, fitted out a ship, the _belgica_, and sailed from antwerp, in , to explore the area lying to the south of south america. in the early part of the voyage a new strait was discovered between danco land and palmer land, but in february the ship became involved in the ice and remained in it for a year, drifting between ° ' and ° ' s. latitude and ° ' and ° ' w. longitude. during the winter they had a period of seventy days' darkness, spent on board, the effect of which was extremely depressing to their spirits and injurious to their health. it was found that the sea floor had shoaled up to the shallow depth of from to fathoms, suggesting the proximity of a large area of land, the actual existence of which, however, the members of the expedition were not able to observe. an international agreement was then arrived at, through the influence of the international geographical conference, under which three nations, germany, sweden, and great britain, undertook to despatch to the antarctic, three separate expeditions, one from each country. they were to sail from europe in , and while working on similar lines, and as much in common as was possible, each was to have its distinct sphere of operations. the british undertook the exploration of that area south of australia, where ross had located the volcanoes mount erebus and mount terror; the swedes selected the lands lying to the south of south america, while the germans gave their attention to the seas already visited by the _valdavia_. [illustration: polar outfit used by the _belgica_ expedition. tent, sledge and snow shoes.] the german expedition sailed from kiel on august , , on board the _gauss_, and was under the command of professor erich von drygalski. their first objective was kerguellen island, and the chief work carried out was of a purely scientific character. it was originally intended that all the expeditions should return to europe after passing one winter in the antarctic. the germans did so, but both the swedes and the british were unable to carry out this part of the programme, the former in consequence of the loss of their ship in the ice, the latter because their ship was hard and fast in the southern ice. the germans were more fortunate in escaping the ill effects of what was an unusually severe ice season; but the other nations, by the longer stay they had in the frozen regions, were able to return with a much more comprehensive collection of information. leaving a small party at kerguellen island, the _gauss_ sailed to her allotted area, already revealed by the voyages of cook, bellinghausen, biscoe, and kemp. the ice barrier prevented her reaching a very high latitude, but the connection between knox land and kemp land, appearing as isolated coasts on the old maps, was proved. on this land, during the winter, large quantities of ice are formed, to drift out to sea in the form of huge packs which effectually guard the shore from intrusion. forcing a way through the pack, the _gauss_ found a brief stretch of open water, the depth of which was found to shoal rapidly from to fathoms. this led them to a rugged, steep coast line, occupying the position of what ross had defined in as "ice cliffs." the land was too high and steep to permit them to land, and the ship, becoming involved in the ice within sight of it, winter quarters were established on the ice. severe gales hampered them in their work, but otherwise the winter passed without any untoward incidents. the rocks composing the cliffs of the coast were found to be ancient crystalline formations. the interior of the land was entirely covered, so far as could be seen, by a solid ice-cap forming one of the most extensive glacial regions now known to exist. it seemed to be slightly receding, though no definite evidence of this could be obtained in so short a time as that at the disposal of the explorers. one of the most useful observations made was that relating to the direction of the winds. the trade-winds blowing in the "roaring forties," and which serve so good a purpose in carrying ships round cape horn and the cape of good hope to and from australia, blow from the west towards the east. at the position occupied by the _gauss_, inside the antarctic circle, it was noticed that the prevailing winds were from east to west. thus, if a clear passage could be found, vessels sailing round the southern ocean could select either an easterly or a westerly route as suited them best, instead of having, as at present, to follow that indicated by the wind. at the expiration of the period allotted to them for their stay, the explorers were able to get free from the ice, and return to germany. in this, as has been said, they were the only one of the three expeditions keeping to time. they arrived home after an absence of twenty-eight months, fourteen of which were passed in the south polar ice. chapter xvii the swedish expedition sails in the _antarctica_--argentine co-operation--first antarctic fossil--building the winter station--a breezy corner--electric snow--a spare diet--new year festivities--the missing ship--relief that never came--a devastating nip--castaway--the unexpected happens--a dramatic meeting--rescued. the expedition to explore the land lying in the antarctic region to the south of south america, which, under the international arrangement of , was allotted to sweden, was placed under the command of professor otto nordenskjold, with whom was associated professor johan andersson, both members of swedish universities. the steam barque _antarctica_, captain c. a. larsen, who had already had considerable experience in the polar regions, was selected as the vessel in which the expedition was to proceed to the field of operations. the original plan was for the expedition to leave europe in , and to be back in sweden by may . the detailed plan was to leave sweden as early as possible in the autumn of for the south shetlands, whence the vessel was to go to the east coast of the land known to lie to the south of those islands. penetrating as far to the south as possible, a station was to be established at any convenient point and a party of six left there, with the necessary stores, apparatus, and equipment, to spend the winter, while the ship was to return north to the falkland islands and spend the winter with the remainder of the expedition carrying out scientific investigations at tierra del fuego and south georgia. on the arrival of spring the _antarctica_ was to pick up the members of the expedition who might be in tierra del fuego and south georgia and proceed south to the winter station, take on board the members who had passed the winter there, and return at once to sweden. unfortunately for the successful carrying out of the plans, the summer of - , in the antarctic regions, was the coldest and the worst for ice conditions that has ever been recorded, and the expedition, instead of being able to carry out the plans laid down, experienced, instead, a series of unexpected happenings which was fatal to the exact working out of detail, but was rich in exciting and romantic episode. the frozen south, like the frozen north, will not yield its secrets to the first comer who demands them. the resources of the ice world, at either pole, are too vast to be overcome without a fierce and prolonged struggle. instead of one winter, the swedish expedition spent two in the ice region, while, during the second, all the members of it were living on the ice, though as three separate parties, each within a few miles of the other, and all, more or less, ignorant of the proximity of their comrades. the peculiar circumstances under which they became separated, their experiences during that time, and the dramatic manner in which they were reunited and rescued, will form the chief incidents of the following pages. leaving sweden on october , , the _antarctica_ proceeded to south america, where, at the request of the argentine government, a representative of that country, in the person of lieutenant sobral, of the navy, joined the expedition. in return for this courtesy the argentine government offered to do all it could to assist the expedition. how magnificently it carried out its promise will be seen later. early in january the ship was amongst the ice, making her way as fast as she could to the neighbourhood of erebus and terror gulf, where it was hoped a suitable site would be found for the winter station. the state of the ice, however, was not favourable to this scheme, and, by the time seymour island was sighted, it was evident there was little chance of working into more southern latitudes. nearly ten years before captain larsen had visited this island, and had taken from it specimens of fossil wood and molluscs, the first fossils ever discovered in the antarctic. before landing on it and seeking for more geological specimens, the leader determined to try whether there was any chance of penetrating to the south from a more westerly longitude. the ship was turned on to a westerly course and kept on it until the beginning of february, but as no opening was to be seen through the ice to the south, her head was turned to the east once more, and she returned to the neighbourhood of seymour island. on february the vessel was in sydney herbert bay, which formed the hitherto unvisited part of erebus and terror gulf. as it was obviously impossible to get farther to the south, nordenskjold decided to establish the winter station on one of the islands in this vicinity. a brief visit to seymour island did not reveal the wealth of fossil-bearing strata that was expected. paulet island was visited and an interesting circular lake was discovered, lying in a circular range of hills. the banks of the lake bore ample evidences that at one time there had been great volcanic activity at the place, and the lake was evidently formed in the hollow of the extinct crater. the place did not appeal to them as a site for the winter station, and, as further journeys revealed another island on the other side of seymour island, where there was a beach which appeared to be sheltered from the southward, the point whence the most violent winds blew, it was decided to build the hut there. the _antarctica_ anchored in the bay opposite the beach and rapidly unloaded the camp equipment. when everything was almost landed, a movement in the ice at the mouth of the bay compelled the ship to stand out into open water, so the party of six, who were to spend the winter on the island, hastened ashore, where they had their hut to build and all preparations to make without the help, which had been counted upon, of the crew of the vessel. but this did not weigh heavily upon them, and they set to work with a will. in the course of a week, the _antarctica_ was able to get into the bay again and to land the remaining stores; but by that time the hut was up and the adventurous six were almost settled down to their routine work. a day or so after landing, nordenskjold discovered that the island they were on--named snow hill island--was peculiarly interesting from a geological point of view, for he found fossils of ammonites, a token of ancient life of the region which alone would have made the expedition memorable. during the first month of their sojourn, the party were fully occupied in organising their scientific work and in taking preliminary trips through the island. at an early date they satisfied themselves that admiralty bay is a sound, and that the portion of the continent extending to the vicinity was more in the nature of a group of scattered islands, with deep sounds passing between them, than a continuous stretch of mainland. the microscopical examination of the soil revealed the presence of numerous bacteria, while the examination of the waters showed that the lower forms of life were well represented. on the land there were abundance of penguins, seals, and migratory birds; but otherwise there was an absence of the animals found throughout the arctic regions. on one point they had reason to be dissatisfied with the position selected for the station. at the time the site was chosen it was believed that they would be well sheltered from the force of the gales. the reverse was found to be the case. gales came from the south-west for days together and blew with a velocity that was astounding. on one occasion a large bag of fossils, left on the steps of the hut, was blown yards away; while on another, a barrel of bread was carried off, and a whale-boat was lifted over a second boat and flung against a mass of ice, a distance of twenty-one yards. when the boat was found, after the storm had abated, it was lying keel upwards, with the greater part of one side smashed in. the oars, thwarts, and inside planks were scattered and broken, even the zinc plating being stripped off and blown away. a curious phenomenon was observed during the progress of these gales. the air became saturated with electricity to such an extent that the metal parts of the instruments gave shocks to the fingers when touched, while the tips of a man's fingers glowed with luminosity when outside the hut in the dark. as a similar thing occurs in the sahara during the progress of a simoon or sand-storm, it was considered that the amount of electricity was caused by the friction set up by the particles of snow carried along in a never-ending cloud by the gale. the rate at which the dry particles of snow moved was tremendous. an extra severe gale carrying away the wind-gauge, it was not possible to keep a complete record of the velocity of the gales, but from the records secured, it was demonstrated that, during the first half of june, if the hut had travelled with the same velocity as the wind rushed past it, a distance of , miles would have been covered, or as far as from the hut to sweden and half-way back. as winter approached, the storms obscured the sky and the sun was not often seen. they were not far enough south to lose it altogether, and all through the winter they had the benefit of its presence, though not for many hours at a time. when it did come, however, it came with great magnificence. after a series of storms they saw it rise one morning, and the spectacle is described as gorgeous and beautiful. "the morning was so clear and bright that i absolutely do not know with what to compare it," nordenskjold wrote. "a faint violet light lay along the horizon and over cockburn island, which forms the central point of view from the station. the sky gleams with a darker blue, and across it float long streamers of ribbon-like clouds, which shine and flame in red. but ever in the colours there is something pale, a paleness which predominates with indescribable delicateness of tone in the tints of the horizon, and in the blue and white shades of the stretches of land, which contrast so strongly with the dull brown of our immediate neighbourhood, and even with the sharply defined ice wall of snow hill. at about ten o'clock a glowing spot begins to be visible on the horizon, and, presaged by a perpendicular pillar of fire, there rises what would be the orb of the sun, but which, in consequence of refraction, appears to us to be a broad flaming moving belt of fire. on each side of the sun there are two shining, intensely rainbow-coloured belts, forming parts of a ring, which, however, can be seen but imperfectly. the sun rises higher in the heavens and assumes by degrees his ordinary appearance, whereupon these accessory phenomena disappear, together with the moon, whose crescent has been visible in the sky until the last possible moment." the winter passed without misfortune, and with the approach of spring preparations were made for the first long sledge journey. on this, and other journeys, they succeeded in travelling long distances over what was often heavy ice, on two meals a day. the first, which was the more substantial of the two, consisted of pemmican made into a thick porridge-like soup, the nutritious qualities of which were felt even as it was being eaten. this was followed by coffee, meat, biscuits, butter and sugar. on such a meal the men existed and travelled all day, making no stop until the evening, when they had their dinner, consisting merely of pease or lentil soup, meat, chocolate, bread, butter, and, sometimes, bacon. immediately they had eaten this frugal repast they were in their sleeping-bags and asleep. after climbing the ice ridges, which rose along the shores of the mainland, they succeeded in reaching the land itself on october , though the only evidence of it was the appearance of some dark-coloured rocks which showed above the ice. they were then in ° ' s. and ° ' w. this was as far as they penetrated, and the rapidity of their movements is shown by the record they set of thirty-eight and a half miles in one day. other shorter trips taken over the islands in the vicinity of snow hill island resulted in the discovery of important fossils, including the bones of an unknown vertebrate animal, some mammoth penguins, as well as the leaves of different kinds of pine trees and several ferns. these were all regarded as belonging to the tertiary period. with the new year of they indulged in festivities, not only on account of the season, but also in anticipation of the early arrival of the _antarctica_. as they had no idea of spending two winters in succession in the station, they had not been rigidly economical with their stores. there was no shortage in anything, but there was not enough to last them during a second winter on the same scale that they had lived during the first. when the days went by and grew into weeks, and no ship appeared, they began to take note of these things. for a time they kept on the lookout, and, at night, would conjecture at what hour on the following day the _antarctica_ would appear, and by whom she would first be seen, but as the month slipped by and no ship appeared, they dropped the subject, with one accord, and, instead of discussing when the vessel would arrive, they talked about the best way of spending their second winter at the station. the penguin roosts were visited and large numbers of the birds were killed and stored away for winter food, while seals were slaughtered to provide food for the dogs and clothing for the men. although they never discussed it, the idea each man had about the non-arrival of the _antarctica_ was that she had become caught in the ice, and so prevented from reaching them until it was too late in the season. what had actually occurred never suggested itself. after passing the winter as was arranged, the _antarctica_ had proceeded to tierra del fuego and south georgia, had picked up all the members of the expedition, and had steamed away to the south so as to reach the winter station early in january. as she advanced, however, she found the sea so blocked with ice that she could not follow the course she had sailed the previous year. when she arrived at hope bay, some miles to the north of the station, professor andersson and two companions landed with sledges and sufficient provisions to last nine men for two months. it was their intention to proceed over the ice to the station, while the _antarctica_ steamed away to the west, in the hopes of finding an opening through the ice which would enable her to reach the station. if, on the arrival of the relief party at the station, the _antarctica_ had not appeared, they were to return, with the other six, and wait for the ship at hope bay. before proceeding over the ice to the station the three built a small stone hut, where they stored the greater portion of the stores, and with the remainder on their sledge they started on their march. but the ice, which had been too compact for the ship to penetrate, was not compact enough for them to traverse. delay after delay was caused by leads and channels, until it was forced upon them that they would not be able to reach the station until the summer was over and the ice formed solid over the sea. as by that time the _antarctica_ ought to have arrived at the station, they decided their best course was to return to the depôt at hope bay and await her advent. they did so, but no ship appeared, and, with the end of summer, it was clear to them that something had happened either to the ship or at the station, and that the only thing left for them to do was to make themselves as comfortable as they could. with the limited store of provisions they had with them it was necessary to go on short rations at once, though the capture of some penguins, the shooting of seals, and the catching of fish by means of a hook made from a strap buckle and a line of sealskin torn into strips, augmented their stock of food and gave them, also, in the blubber of the seals, fuel and light. cooped up in their little stone hut, which was only built large enough, in the first instance, as a place to hold their stores, they went through the dreary months of winter with a contentment which was the very acme of heroism. meanwhile the _antarctica_ had steamed away to the west, and then, a chance offering itself, had stood to the south until she was in the latitude of paulet island. she turned to the east, heading in the direction of the station on snow hill island, when the ice caught her. for days she remained in the pack, those on board chafing at the delay and trying every device to get her free. but the ice was too strong, and at last they were forced to admit that they were caught for the winter. this was bad enough, but there was worse to follow. a movement began in the pack, and a pressure-ridge started directly for the ship. it was upon them almost before they realised it, and the crash with which she heeled over told its own tale. the ice had torn a length of her keel away, and had made a hole in her which it was impossible to repair. everything that could be got out was thrown on to the ice, and the ship's company formed themselves into sledge parties to convey as much as they could to the nearest land. this was paulet island, where they arrived after an arduous march and at once set to work to construct a shelter for the winter, which was now upon them. there they stayed, within a few miles of the station, and of the other party at hope bay, but all in ignorance of the proximity of one another, and quite unable to communicate. with the first sign of approaching spring the men at the station made arrangements to resume their expeditions and complete the survey of the islands in their immediate vicinity. the first trip was in the direction of hope bay, and the party had been out some days when, in the dim light, one thought he saw an unusual dark patch on the ice in the distance. he drew his companion's attention to it, but neither cared to trust their eyes. as they approached nearer, the dark patch resolved itself into the figures of men, and a still nearer view revealed two such extraordinary creatures that one of the men from the station thought it would be as well to have a revolver ready in case of emergencies. the two figures were in black garments, with black caps on their heads, and their hands and faces were as black as their clothes, while the upper parts of their faces were hidden by curious-looking masks. beside them was a sledge. with considerable uncertainty the men from the station approached, and were not reassured when they were asked, in english, how they were. "thanks; how are you?" they replied. "don't you know us?" one of the strange-looking creatures asked. "we're the relief party. have you seen the ship?" then a third figure appeared from behind an ice hummock where he had been preparing a meal. they were professor andersson and his companions, who were on their way, for the second time, to the station. without loss of time the reunited comrades made their way to the station, where soap and water and a fresh supply of clothes soon transformed the appearance of the three who had had so trying a time in the little stone hut at hope bay. but the situation was still fraught with anxiety, now that both parties realised something very serious had happened to the _antarctica_. it was impossible for them to determine whether she had gone to the bottom, or had been beset in the ice. only one thing was clear, and that was, that they would all have to stay where they were until some help came to them. while they were still debating what chances there were of any coming before another winter went by, they were startled, one day, by the arrival of visitors. these proved to be a search party from the argentine cruiser _uruguay_, which the argentine government had despatched as the _antarctica_ had not returned at her appointed time. help had come at a time and from a quarter least expected. but the news that the cruiser brought added very much to the fears the explorers entertained as to the safety of the _antarctica_ and her crew. if she had been beset, some of her company could have reached the station over the ice while it was still compact, or, if she was still afloat, she ought herself to have been able to reach them. the absence of all news made the members of the expedition gathered at the station more than uneasy as to the fate of their comrades. the morning after the argentine officers arrived, one of the men, looking out of the hut, exclaimed that eight men were coming over the ice. under the impression that they were some of the cruiser's crew sent to assist in removing the baggage from the station to the ship, he went out to meet them, walking slowly, as he tried to decide what was to be done if they could not speak any language he knew. the others in the hut, watching him, saw him suddenly leap forward and then turn to them and wave his arms. "larsen! larsen is here!" they heard him shout. with one accord they rushed out after him, and in a few moments were eagerly shaking hands with the eight men, who were a detachment sent out from the camp on paulet island to ascertain whether the party at the station was still intact or whether it had been rescued. the news was sent to the cruiser, and soon all the members of the expedition and their baggage were on board and the ship was steaming for paulet island. on arrival off the coast no signs of the remainder of the crew of the _antarctica_ were to be seen, so the whistle was blown. the men at the time were all in the shelter, sleeping, and the sudden sound of the whistle roused them. for the moment they could not believe their ears. then one of them looked out and saw the ship, and the shout with which he and his companions greeted the sight rang far out over the water. professor andersson and his two comrades had left the _antarctica_ on december , ; the ship was nipped on january , ; and the castaways arrived at paulet island at the end of february. they had lived in the shelter they constructed, subsisting mostly on penguin, until november, when the argentine cruiser arrived. only one man had died. the expedition reached buenos aires on november , , having, during the time they had been in the antarctic, collected a mass of interesting and valuable scientific information. chapter xviii britain holds her own a capable crew--a modern franklin--early discoveries--frozen in--an historic journey--the record of "farthest south"--how the record was won--speedy travelling--receding ice limits--a dying glacier--the secret of the barrier--a fatal gale--lost in the snow--an antarctic chute--prolonged slumber--antarctic coal--home with honour. the british expedition, despatched under the international agreement, was destined, not only to surpass the achievements of the other two, but also to establish a series of records superior to anything that has yet been accomplished in polar exploration, either in the northern or southern hemispheres. the members of the expedition, consisting of naval officers and men, officers of the mercantile marine (royal naval reserve), and civilian scientists, sailed from cowes on august , , on board the _discovery_, a vessel specially built for the purpose. the ship proceeded to new zealand, and left there on november , , for victoria land. they arrived there december . [illustration: map of south polar regions. the black line marks the voyage of the _discovery_; the dotted line the course of the record-making southern sledge journey. on the right of the map are seen the winter quarters of the german expedition under prof. von drygalski.] in selecting the members of the expedition, great care had been exercised, and the excellent results of the voyage may, in a great measure, be attributed to this. no other qualification than fitness was allowed to rank with the selecting committee, so that every one on board the _discovery_ knew what he had to do and was capable of doing it. this is particularly true in regard to the commander, captain robert f. scott, r.n., of whom the president of the royal geographical society justly said: "the skilful and bold navigator, the ideal director of a scientific staff, the organiser of measures securing the health and good spirits of his people, and the beloved commander of the chosen band of explorers who are ready to face hardships and dangers to secure his approval." throughout the entire period the expedition was away, the attitude of the commander was entirely in keeping with the grandest traditions of the service to which he belonged, and would serve to place his name in the brilliant list of polar heroes quite apart from the splendid feats he personally performed while in the antarctic. prominent amongst these stands the record of "farthest south," achieved by scott and two comrades, in september , when the flag was carried to ° ' s., or some miles nearer the pole than it had yet been. [illustration: the _discovery_ lying in winter quarters, frozen in. the large hut could accommodate the whole crew, and was built in case of a disaster to the ship. the smaller huts in the foreground were used for magnetic and astronomical observations.] the first point touched by the _discovery_ on her voyage along the coast of victoria land was cape adare, where the newnes expedition, under borchegrevinck, passed the winter of . here a brief landing was effected, a collection made of the rocks in the neighbourhood, and a cairn built to hold a record for the information of the relief ship, which was to be sent out in the following year. continuing the voyage to the south, the explorers visited wood bay, and, subsequently, discovered an excellent harbour as far south as ° ' s. landing at cape crozier on january , and leaving another record there for the information of the relief ship, the _discovery_ went east along the ice barrier until the th meridian of longitude was passed, when the barrier was found to trend to the north, the sea becoming rapidly more shoal. the coast line was followed to ° s., or miles further than the expeditions before had gone. the ship was then turned, and, in ° e. longitude, a place was seen where an inlet ran into the barrier. a sledge party went on the ice and penetrated as far as ° ' s., the point reached by borchegrevinck in his sledge trip. by this time it was realised that winter quarters must be selected, and the _discovery_ sailed to that part of the sea where mount erebus and mount terror reared their lofty heads on the land. examining the land for a suitable site for the camp, it was learned that both erebus and terror are situated on an island, and not, as was formerly believed, on the mainland. at the opposite end of the island another smaller volcanic mount was seen, with a still smaller one between it and the two giants. the larger of these was named mount discovery, and, near its base, the site of the camp was chosen. the ship was worked in as close to the shore as was possible before the heavy frost set in, and, as she was well constructed to withstand the pressure of ice, she remained in this position until, after the second winter had been passed, the relief ship arrived with sufficient explosives to blast a way out of the ice. as soon as the members of the expedition had settled down and all was made snug, trips were taken in all directions along the coast and over the ice. the longest trip, taken in the following september, was arranged for, food depôts being established as far to the south as the stores could be conveyed. on this trip, the historic one of the expedition, only three went. these were captain scott, lieutenant shackleton, and dr. wilson. they had dogs with them at the start, but the animals grew sick and weak, and were, at last, quite useless in dragging the sledges. the three harnessed themselves to the sledges in place of the dogs, and, handicapped with this weight of lbs. each, they pushed on until they reached ° ' s. from the position they then occupied they were able to see as far as ° ' s., and would have gone as far, if not farther, but for an insuperable obstacle that confronted them. the route they followed was over rough ice, often yawning with deep crevasses, down which the sledges had to be lowered and then hauled up on the other side. some of them were veritable chasms, but they faded into insignificance when compared with the one which opened before the explorers at the end of the march. for a time they examined this mighty ice ravine to see if it were not possible, one way or another, to get across. the descent might have been possible, and there was no great difficulty in crossing the floor of it, but the far side rose in an unbroken precipice, and they recognised it as insurmountable, even to such daring and intrepid climbers as themselves. from the latitude they had attained they were able to learn that victoria land is traversed by a range of high mountains, which, in ° s., were from , to , feet high. a line of foot-hills, closely resembling admiralty mountains in appearance, rose in longitude ° e. the route gradually ascended, as the party progressed, until a level unbroken plain was reached, the altitude of which was feet. the coast line could be seen stretching away due south to the rd parallel. on the way back lieutenant shackleton unfortunately ruptured a blood-vessel during an unusually heavy strain at the sledges. the strength of all the party was severely taxed by the hardships of the journey, and the sudden incapacitating of one of the three was a matter of grave anxiety. he was relieved of the weight of his sledge, but they all realised that if they were to get back alive to the ship, lieutenant shackleton would have to walk, as the other two were utterly unable to drag the sledges, with the food and supplies, and his weight as well. with heroic determination he followed them on foot, only complaining that his injury effectively prevented him from doing his share in the hard work. so they journeyed, arriving at the ship after an absence of ninety-four days, during which they must have covered quite a thousand miles. the speed at which they travelled, when the ice conditions would allow them to proceed, was as high as thirty-two miles a day, a speed far greater than has been attained by other explorers, with one exception, even when the sledges have been drawn by dog-teams. [illustration: the "farthest south" sledge party in a blizzard. _drawn by stanley l. wood._] the exception was the record set by another party of the _discovery_ explorers, who, without dogs, and with heavy sledges ( lbs. a man), covered thirty-three miles a day over the inland ice. this party went out in a westerly direction and passed over the interior of victoria land, which they found covered with an ice-cap forming a great plain feet above the sea-level. they were fifty-three days absent, and, at their farthest, were miles from the ship. when they turned back, the plain on the horizon seemed to be higher than where they stood, and rocks occasionally showed. between this plain and the coast they had several magnificent views of glaciers. in following one down they had an interesting evidence of the fact that the ice in these regions is receding, though at a rate that will require many centuries to pass before it is all melted and the land made available for human settlement. they had followed down the glacier for a day, and the ice became so very rough they were obliged to leave their sledges behind them and proceed with the greatest care. as they continued to descend, the glacier gradually dwindled and then suddenly ended in a low wall of ice. in the valley beyond were some frozen lakes, beyond which the valley changed into a series of deep, narrow gorges, filled with long lines and confused heaps of stones and other débris, shed from the glacier as it melted. perhaps in this valley, more than anywhere else, lay the evidences of what was happening and what had been. there lay the glacier, inert and dead, while the summer sun was gradually wasting its huge mass. on either side its shrinking tributaries had already severed their connection with it, and receded up the mountain sides. everything pointed to receding glaciation. not only were the gorges filled with the stones and débris of the moraines, but thousands of feet up the hill-sides they lay in clear-cut lines, showing how vast the proportions of the glacier had once been. other glaciers observed gave the same indications. one of these, named the ferrar glacier, after the discoverer, was described as containing probably as much ice as any hitherto known in the world. two others, the barnes and the shackleton glaciers, each contained a great deal more; but all were greatly shrunk from the tremendous proportions they must once have had, and which could be traced by the lines of moraines. it was from observing these glaciers and speculating upon the immeasurable quantity of ice that once must have slowly flowed along them to the sea, that a theory was formed as to the real significance of the great ice barrier lying to the south of the antarctic circle. the opinion was generally entertained that the ice in this barrier is afloat. it had receded from the time when ross first discovered it. even while the expedition was in the neighbourhood it receded. in september , a depôt was established on the ice at a line drawn between a volcanic peak at the extreme end of minna bluff and the top of mount discovery. in november , this spot was found to have moved yards out of the alignment, moving east of north. on the sides of mount terror, feet above the existing surface of the barrier, moraines marked its original height. from these facts it was reasoned that at one time the ice forming the cap over the antarctic continent was enormously deeper than it is to-day, and that it then extended out into the antarctic ocean for probably hundreds of miles further than it now reaches. the slow but steady flow of the great ice stream had absolutely filled the sea off the coast of victoria land, and the barrier, now existing, was the remains of this once mighty mass. it was on one of these exploring journeys that a curious experience befell one party, a member of which, unfortunately, lost his life in consequence. the party were out with sledges and had halted for the midday meal when a violent gale sprang up. as usual, the wind set the snow in motion, and soon the men found themselves in a whirling cloud of finely powdered snow which entirely shut out their view in all directions. believing themselves to be in the vicinity of the ship, they left the sledges and set out to march to the vessel. soon they found themselves on a slope which they fancied they recognised as the one that led down to where the ship lay in the ice. as they cautiously advanced, one of the men missed his footing. what with the force of the wind, the insecure foothold on the moving snow, and the declivity of the slope, he was unable to stop himself, and slipped past his comrades and out of sight in the whirling snow with the speed of lightning. the officer in charge halted the other men, and all crouched down, expecting their comrade to rejoin them as soon as he secured his footing. after waiting some time without his appearing, the officer advanced to find him. with the first step he also went out of sight as though he had been shot from a gun. then a third went forward, and was at once lost to the sight of the others in the same way. the remainder of the men, after waiting for some time, concluded the three had reached the ship, and determined to set out after them. one man, a young new zealander named hare, set off to reach the sledges and recover his mittens. in the confusion of the whirling snow his absence was not noted, and the rest of the party set out for the ship, which they were satisfied was quite near. as a matter of fact, they were entirely out of their bearings. the man who took the lead walked very cautiously down the slope. he had heavy tacks in the boots he was wearing, and was thus enabled to get a firm hold of the snow. to this he owed his life, for, through the drifting snow, he suddenly saw an open chasm yawn at his feet. he threw himself back and shouted to those behind to stop. all tried to do so, but the man next to the leader was unable to pull up. his feet shot from under him, and he was seen to dash past them like a flash. out of the nine who had originally formed the party, four now remained together. warned by the sudden disappearance of the man vince, who had shot past them over the precipice, the four moved with the greatest deliberation and caution. at length they were able to reach the shore and locate the ship, whither they hastened with the news. [illustration: a drifting ice floe attached to the _discovery_ by a rope, while the crew are digging sufficient ice to replenish the fresh water supply of the ship.] the alarm was at once given, steam was got up, the siren was set to work, and its shrill notes penetrated far and wide, while relief parties were organised and despatched. knowing the route the men were to have taken, no difficulty was experienced in tracking down the abandoned sledges. but on arrival there the relief party was astounded to find the officer and the two men who had vanished from the others while descending the snow slope. the astonishment was increased when not one of the three could explain how they had succeeded in returning to the sledges. they remembered their experiences as they were hurled down the snow slope, and each one told the same tale. immediately they had stood up against the gale they felt their feet go from under them, they rushed forward with incredible speed, so fast, indeed, as to have absolutely no control over themselves, and then they plunged into a mass of soft snow. there they found themselves and one another. they were still dazed when found. subsequent examination showed that the slope down which they had been hurled extended for a distance of five hundred yards and terminated with the bank of snow, into which they had plunged. the bank was within fifteen feet of a cliff which had a clear drop of two hundred feet to the shore-ice below. it was over this cliff that vince had gone, and no trace of the unfortunate fellow was ever found. nor were the relief parties successful in discovering hare, the new zealander. when all had returned to the ship he was also given up as lost, but to the amazement of every one he was seen returning to the ship on the second day after the gale. he explained that on his way back to the sledges he had fallen in the snow and had lost consciousness, returning to his senses some time after to find himself completely buried in a snow-drift. he had struggled out and made his way to the ship. it was his turn to be amazed when he was told he had been searched for during the whole of the previous day. it was some time before he would believe that what he referred to as to-day was in reality yesterday. he had lain in the snow for a period of thirty-six hours. when he fell, the heavy snow had apparently covered him, and so kept the heat of his body from leaving him. he had thus sunk into a heavy snow-sleep, and his physical stamina had done the rest in helping him towards recovery. his escape, without even a frost-bite, is unique in the annals of polar experiences. during the second year of their stay, a discovery was made, which, from a geological point of view, exceeded in value all the others put together. it was in october that a sledge party set out to penetrate into the interior of victoria land. they travelled over the ice plain at an average altitude of feet until, in ° s. and ° ' e., they were at a distance of miles from the ship. the interior of the land seemed to stretch in a vast continental plateau continuously at a height of feet. in one of the many ravines examined, sandstone strata were discovered, in one of which there was a narrow seam of fossil plants. the "coal measure" was only one-eighth of an inch in thickness, but within it were found specimens of plants belonging to the miocene period. in february the relief ship _morning_ arrived at the station, and, with the explosives she brought with her, the _discovery_ was freed from the ice and commenced her homeward journey. she had completed a stay of two winters in a latitude miles further south than any other ship had wintered, while the expedition had reaped a success such as no other expedition has ever achieved in either arctic or antarctic regions. the end printed by ballantyne, hanson & co. edinburgh & london